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Friday, September 22nd, 2023 | 3:26 am |
Paranatural - Chapter 8 Page 39 https://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-8-page-39 New comic!Today's News:
**EDIT** Final colors up! Just flats for now. Spilled boiling water on my drawing hand! I'm fine, just an annoying delay! Finishing touches to come. Thanks for reading! ~ [Transcript] For a moment, it seemed as though Apeâs muscles had begun to swell with strength. First his shoulders broadened, then his biceps bubbled up to twice their size. This was where the illusion shattered, however: as this expansion moved down to his forearms, his shoulders shrank, and then his biceps, too, briefly granting Ape a striking Popeye silhouette. Crush cocked an eyebrow, waiting patiently. At last the matte black of Apeâs impossibly dark robes was broken by a bulge of gloopy greenâtwo bloated doctopi had crawled out from his sleeves onto his hands. With routine ease and hungry eyes, both spirits simultaneously engulfed Apeâs fists, transformed into a pair of living boxing gloves. Ape sunk into a fighting stance once more. Crushâs smile twitched, then burst at its seams. He broke down laughing, sending spectral energy swirling when he tried to slap his nonexistent knees. âHAHAHAHA!! Youâre just too much, big guy!â Crush roared, snorting and holding back tears. It took some time before he managed to compose himself. âAhh, what a night! What a fight! Of all the great apes, big guy, youâre the greatest!â THWeep!! A vicious straight slammed into Crush, which made a clownish squeak. The ghost was sent back sailing twenty feet. Ape tilted his head, leering at his opponent with dim incredulity. Not only was Crush unfazed, but unharmed, too... and incandescent. The ghostâs face, chest, and the arm heâd blocked the blow with were encased in a gleaming purple carapace of spectral energy, a shell so dense it was opaque, unlike the see-through constructs that heâd made so far. âPretty cool, right? Master Guerra calls this spectral tempering.â Crushâs voice had taken on a resonant waver, as if traveling through flawless liquid glass. âYou canât just focus on the end result when ya make armor like this. You gotta picture every layerâfused but separate, firm but flexible. Boy, is it well worth it, though!â Leaves rustled faintly in the wake of Crushâs lunge, reacting to a fleeting instant of poltergeist presence. Apeâs guard rose and shattered as a tempered fist slammed him across the clearing. Both doctopi cooed with delight. Crush beamed. Even his teeth shone with power, sharpened to a row of violet fangs. âHa! When ya weave it right, tempered energyâs like havinâ extra muscles made of steel! The best defense is a dang good offense too, it turns out! Works both ways.â Ape pounded his doctopus fists together (which they seemed to quite enjoy, the little freaks) and stepped back into armâs reach swinging wildly, aiming liver punches at the side of Crush that wasnât sheathed in purple. Each blow the ghostâs armored limb nonetheless easily blocked earned a little squeak of joy from Apeâs increasingly jubilant boxing gloves. âOf course mine ainât the VERY best defense,â Crush smirked, throwing counters through the flurry raining down on him. âI can only cover so much, not like Scabs or Master Guerra. But I reckon that itâs still better than yours!â WHAM!! A thunderous cross-counter froze their brawl. Crush grinned against Apeâs gurgling doctopus fist. âSee, Iâm protectinâ me for real,â he said, âbut you, youâre just snuffinâ out the pain... which means youâre really, REALLY gonna feel this in the morning.â Apeâs mask scraped Crushâs knuckles as he turned back to face him. âThen you admit,â his deep voice droned, âthat I will be the one who sees the dawn.â âHa! Well yeah, big guy!â Crush laughed and knocked the bruteâs drooling fist away. âIâm not gonna kill ya. Iâm just gonna beat you senseless and drag ya back to Master Guerra. Whoaâwere you planning to kill ME?â He clasped his chest in mock heartbreak, shaping his spectral energy into a single purple tear. âYou are already dead,â Ape replied matter-of-factly. Crush contorted with surpriseâperhaps because heâd forgotten he was a ghost again, as he often seemed to, or perhaps because he thought that Ape had pulled off some sort of instant-kill pressure point technique on him, and was announcing it before his foe exploded. Ape continued on, however, sagging with a reverent regret. âThus, I have killed no one. Only given victims peace. Ghost, let this knowledge soothe your restless soul, as it has soothed countless others: the second end you face fuels life eternal.â Two doctopus-clad fists steepled in prayer. âLament. Rejoice. Give praise to my goddess... the King of Corpses, the Saint of Skeletons, the Reaper Regent Razor Rex. May Her holy bones bleach ever brighter, the stench of Her decay stink evermore.â Ape shook his head, staring at Crush forlornly. âAlas, it is too late for Her to save you. But you are not forgotten, pitiful specter. For Razor Rex avenges you, my childâsoon shall death itself die by Her blade... the very same scythe that your soul will serve to sharpen.â âHa ha,â laughed Crush. âUh, what?â âYou are right to ask this question. For Razor Rex asked questions, too. What has killed more people than death? What murder has occurred where death was not a co-conspirator? Should death not, then, face judgment? Should death not be put to death?â â...Listen, big guy, Iâll take a pamphlet if you got one, but letâs keep fightinâ, yeah?â Crush picked his nose impatiently. âYeesh. Iâd heard the rumors about Mayview havinâ some kind of weirdo death cultâyâknow, for depressed accountants and realtors or whateverâbut I thought you guys would WORSHIP death, not BORE me to it.â âI would do neither of these things. Death is our obsession, yes, but only as a flaw we would see fixed.â Ape nodded sagely. âIf anything, you should be calling us life cultistsââ Crush punched Ape so hard that he cartwheeled, landing in a heap in distant bushes. âAh,â Ape said, unhurt but not uninjured. His doctopus gloves trembled with sheer glee. âThat should be enough now Beneath the black of his robes, something bright and sparkling stirred. | Friday, September 15th, 2023 | 1:52 am |
Paranatural - Chapter 8 Page 38 https://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-8-page-38 New comic!Today's News:
I am having a lot of fun with this scene :^) I love fights. In other news, I put some cool stuff up on Patreon the other day: a bunch of art for Paranatural and my work-in-progress project Animal Star, plus... the first two chapters of a novel I am writing?? If you'd like to support my workâwhich would be appreciated now more than everâyou can get access to the aforementioned content at the $5+ level! Thanks for reading, and thanks for all of your support, and for spreading and enjoying my work! ~ [Transcript] They were minutes deep into the woods before the masked figure first spoke. â...I commend you for your valor,â he said in a deep, deliberate whisper. Theyâd stopped in a dark clearing, and the giant turned around to face the ghost heâd led thus far. Crush popped his thumb-sized pinky from his ear. âWuzzat?â he asked, flicking away some ectoplasmic wax. He hadnât once stopped smiling since their hike far from the Guerrasâ house first started. âYour lying to the boy. It was noble of you. He meant to call for reinforcements, yes?â The figure spread his arms in gentle welcome, like a priest giving a sermon. âBut you stopped him.â Slowly, both his huge hands balled, becoming mighty fists. âAnd so there was no need for me to stop him.â KrrshHKK!! Crackling, ice-blue spectral energy sparked free from his hulking shoulders, surging as though held back until now. âErgo, you fight alone... and I commend you for your valor.â Crush snickered, then broke out in a guffaw. âHA! Oh, that? Nah, I just knew my Master would make reeeal short work of ya.â He looked the figure up and down, unfazed by his display. âBut Iâm glad to hear weâre gonna fight! Iâve been itchinâ for a chance to REALLY let loose without gettinâ interrupted â...I see,â the figure said. âThat will make this... easier âYou lookinâ for reasons to hold back already, big guy? Donâtchya think thatâs kinda cocky?â Crush slipped into an easy fighting stance, suddenly outlined by a smooth sheen of purple energy. He grinned a vicious grin. âWhat if your best ainât good enough to beat me?â âI am sorry,â droned the figure, shadowed now behind raised fists, âbut it will be.â Blue and purple crashed together as both fighters lunged in one bright instant. FWOOM!! A mammoth punch scattered leaves, among the first of autumnâs fallen, as one huge fist found empty air. Crack crack CRACK!! Three landed in the opening it left. The skull-masked figure grunted as he stumbled back, sinking to one knee. Crush blew a wisp of violet from the hand that had delivered the last uppercut in his combo, like smoke from off the barrel of a gun. âYou got a name, big guy?â he asked, grinning down at his opponent. âNot... w-while I wear this mask,â the figure wheezed. With effort, he rose back up to his feet. âI am simply Ape,â said Ape, and raised his fists once more. âNameless dude named Ape. You got it, big guy,â Crush laughed, circling his foe. âListen, Ape. I got ya read real good now, so help me check my work, mâkay The grinning ghost dove in before the sentence finished, ducked a haymaker from Ape, and struck him three more times straight in the stomach. When an elbow fell to punish him, a length of purple chain was waiting for it. With an unbecoming hoot, Crush yanked the tangled giant towards the ground, then kneed him back to full height with a leg that heâd just conjured. Ape swayed, almost losing his balance, as he scrambled to make distance. âThatâs meat that Iâve been poundinâ. Youâre a spectral, yeah? Is that right?â Ape growled. His fists raised once again. Crush smiled. âYup, youâre just some dude. And what, you boxed in college?â Apeâs stance wavered slightly, as did his spectral energy. âBullâs-eye! What was that, a century ago? Youâre rusty, Ape!â Crush shadowboxed a one-two punch from ten feet out, scattering purple sparks against Apeâs guard. âThrowinâ elbows in the first round?? Yeesh!â He thumbed his nose. âYou been coastinâ on size this whole time, big guy?? Ha! Well, Iâm big too, and much, MUCH faster!â Ape noticed far too late that one of Crushâs sparks had lingered at his shoulder. A shining purple fist suddenly appeared in its place, and crashed into Apeâs chin, beneath his mask. He threw a wild counter out in front of him, ducking to dodge the next hit in the combo... but none came. Crush hadnât moved an inch from where heâd been. âHA!! Way to sting like a butterfly, big guy! Hard to see behind them bones, huh?â Crush was beaming, both hands planted on his hips. âWell, your eyes can only do so much when facing Spectral Fist... but MY half of the speed date show-and-tell comes later. Weâre still learning about you!â Ape roared, charging Crush, ready to seize him in a bear hug... but the ghost simply phased through the ground, emerging moments later just behind him. âNext GUESS!â Crush cheered, slamming Apeâs spine with both fists The hulking boxer stumbled forward, whirling in a weighty arc to snarl at his foe. Crush smirked, snorting a defiant stream of spectral energy right back at him. âNext guess.â He wagged his finger disapprovingly. â...You havenât felt a single dang punch that Iâve landed, have you, big guy?â This time, his opponent was eerily still. Silence hung between them for a few tense seconds. Then Ape slowly discarded every sign of feral bluster that had built up since the fight had first begun. His breath grew even, and he rose up to full height, severe and somber. âBoooring,â Crush whined in his shadow, though he looked more thrilled with every passing moment. | Friday, August 18th, 2023 | 7:10 pm |
Paranatural - Chapter 8 Page 35 https://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-8-page-35 New comic!Today's News:
*EDIT* Had to skip updating this week, I was swamped! Thanks for your patience until next time! Seriously, give a gal some credit. Thanks for waiting, and for reading! Support Paranatural on Patreon! ~ [Transcript] It was difficult to make out much of anything. Maxâs spirit world was arid as a desert. West Hill wavered like a mirage in the distance, and dust kicked up by sparse wind veiled the lakeâs state in the valley. No, it wasnât dust. That was bonafide sandâa vital distinction, to be sure. There were great dunes of it beyond Mayviewâs twin hills, as if the trance hadnât bothered to render more junk out past Scrapdragonâs vast town-wide territory. Max saw nothing else strange, however. He felt a bit odd, as if under surveillance, but he figured the snake with six eyes explained that. Or it could have been Ms. Baxter (though Max wouldnât have guessed it), who was heading to an errand further down East Hill, and whoâd just witnessed a child with glowing eyes Garryâs Mod his way through a building, whirl about in the sky, and hang suspended there speaking and screaming in squeaks over the course of the last few stretched seconds. Scrapdragon, though, seemed sure of some other preyâs presence. Maxâs own search was cut short as his spirit suddenly lurched forward. âWhoa, hey!â Max called out, struggling to keep his balance. âA little warning next time?!â He didnât notice Leftyâs fingers just barely brush against his hoodie before Scrapdragon carried him further away. The spirit advanced in a slow, stealthy slither. Such an approach was hampered, undoubtedly, by the sound of the metal raining down from its âScrapdragon was shedding its armor, it seemedâbut its bare scales did scrape over scrap with a shade less cacophony. Max found that his bat had come unstuck as well, and as Scrapdragon slinked low to weave between junk piles, he seized the chance and slid off of its back. Several awkward descents later (Max had tried to slow his fall with magnetism, and thus bobbed halfway up and down again until he got the force right), both his feet were planted firmly on the ground across the street. The young spectralâs relief was overshadowed, however, if not eclipsed, by growing curiosity. Scrapdragon was after something out there. Was there a needle in this needlestack that his spirit had been trying to find this whole time? Heâd caught it digging through debris at the start of his last trance, too... Maybe thatâs whatâs got it grudged out, Max wondered. Worldâs best metal detector, one coin left to complete the collection... stranded on the worst beach you could ever have to comb There wasnât much he could do but speculate now; all Max could see from the sidewalk was sky, scrap, and his spiritâs slowly shrinking bulk, watching as it wormed past down the hill. âGood luck, I guess!â he shouted after it. âMake like a snake and digest whatever youâre hunting slowly, all right?! Iâm not hanging out with you when youâre hungry anymore!!â Unsure of how to make an artful exit, or really how to leave by any other means at all, Maxwell Puckett dropped his haunted bat. In the instant before his trance ended, a slinking thing peered out from its hiding place, a sand-flooded hollow not far from where Scrapdragon searched. âWitless whelp,â it hissed. âUngrateful little gremlin. I risk my life to give you nine, and what thanks do I get?â Golden claws flexed out from pitch-black fur... then reluctantly retracted. Old oaths tugged on the sleek creatureâs neck like a leash. â...Any other goddess would be worshipped for such selfless intervention.â Then the trance was over, and form scattered from the world, the spirit left to brood inside its medium. Max heard Lefty drift up next to him, but he stayed staring at the view. The sun had set back in the real world, and the crisp, blue fall night air was more refreshing than he ever dreamed it could be. Mayview softly hummed with the sounds of bugs and frogs and distant cars, a peace that even PJâs shouting couldnât shatter. âHey,â Max said to Lefty, glancing over at the ghost, who looked just as stern as a severed hand could. âSlow motionâs kind of trite for action movie rescue scenes. Just so you know for next time.â Then he gave Leftyâs whole face a high five, picked up his bat after only a few momentsâ hesitation, and turned to go inside back to bed. | Thursday, August 31st, 2023 | 5:00 pm |
Paranatural - Chapter 8 Page 36 https://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-8-page-36 New comic!Today's News:
We all love and remember the previously-unnamed karate ghost Crush, don't we every. And Grandpa too ~ [Transcript] Ed had a lot on their mind. It could be a busy place even in less turbulent times; the world hid weird bugs and silly-looking spirits everywhere, not to mention rocks and sticks, and when they werenât caught up parsing those, they still had old cartoons and Chun-Li frame data to think about. Adding in a doomsday prophecy and confusing drama at home and at school had thrown their headâs clutter all aboutâand they preferred the mess up there the way theyâd made it Luckily, Ed did some of their best brain-sorting while trapped inside a headlock. âHa ha! You better tap out, little man!â laughed Crush, who must not have known that little men were called boys. âThree-two-one!â the buff ghost counted, then again: âThreetwoONE hut hut HIKE!â Crush must not have known how wrestling worked either, because he never let go once heâd pinned Ed when they sparred, and he would score every subsequent three count and tap out as its own separate victory, without ever releasing them. Today Ed lost ninety to zilch, a gap that was still growing every second (since Crush could fit three seconds into oneâhe must not have known how to tell time either). Ed stared over meaty muscle hillocks, past the other students training all around them, to the much worse fight unfolding on the far side of the porch. There were no fists involved in this one, which only made it all the more intimidating. âI shouldnât have told you anything!â Isabel was shouting, streaming swirls of blazing red. âI should have saved the town myself, and TAKEN Flipflopâs friend back without asking... but NO! I thought youâd care, even just a little. I thought for ONCE youâd take me seriously!â Grandpa Guerra stared off past her, sitting rooted with one fist against the ground. âI am taking what youâve told me seriously, and my men and I will handle it with the composure it deserves. As you cannot, it seems, young lady.â Ed grimaced. Theyâd been fighting off and on like this since Isabel got home. Ed could always tell when sheâd been dropped off by her dad instead of Miss Chen, because sheâd cut through the field up the hill rather than suddenly appear upon the porchâMister Guerra never drove close enough to make eye contact with Master Guerra, whom heâd been feuding with for years. Tonight, though, her expression alone had been plenty proof that sheâd just left the father frying pan and fallen straight into the grandfather fire. âIâm notââ Isabel sputtered. âItâs not about meââ âNo it is not. And yet youâve made it so.â Grandpa Guerra shook his head, tactically calm. âWhat did you expect that Iâve denied you? That I would hear your prophecy and share your panic? That I would free a spirit that attacked my home, not only at the behest of its accomplice, but at once, without sparing a thought for sense or safety?â He sighed. âIf you want a show of care, then by all means, ask your father. I will do whatâs best for you, and weather your scorn if I must.â âWhatâs best for me?â Isabel asked, her voice trembling. âHow can being miserable be whatâs best for me?! Whyâs whatâs best never what I want? Whyâs it always what YOU want?!â âBecause Iâve seen the world you havenât,â the old ghost answered, unmoving and unfazed. âWhen you are older, stronger, wiser, what we want will be the same. Until then...â Master Guerra held Flipflopâs vessel aloft, clutching the confiscated umbrella firmly in his fist, âI will allow no further whispers in your ear. Youâve failed this test. Assess yourself in solitude, and ready for the next one.â Isabel roared in frustration, kicked the porch, fighting back tears, and spun to storm inside. âIzzy!â Ed called out after her, squeaking free from Crushâs sweaty muscles. âIâm fine,â she shot back. Ed wilted. That was code for âdonât follow me,â even if she really wasnât. They watched as Isabel slipped out of sight. âTough break, little man.â Crush had reapplied his headlock. âLittle lady said get lost!â It seemed he didnât know what girls were either. Ed thought that was tragic, or maybe ideal, or maybe neither of those thingsâtheyâd been lost on that front too since their strange conversation with RJ and Johnny the other day Crush laughed. âLooks like the only shoulder gettinâ cried on tonight is my elbow! Ha ha ha!â Ed considered this kind offer, but wasnât really feeling tearful. They felt more like a wet match or a sock that didnât have one. Uselessâno, that wasnât it. Inadequate? Ed felt present but purposeless, like a bystander to an accident, like a human in a Transformers movie. That WAS what Isabel had asked of them, for Ed to just stand by her side... but they couldn't help but wonder if thatâs just the most she thought that they could offer. The bespectacled spectral sighed into Crushâs bicep, as best its mighty girth allowed his lungs. Isabel was almost like a sister to Ed, in large part because she legally literally was. Ed never called her that, though, or called Miss Chen their mom. Everyone in Edâs familyâand Mr. Spender, tooâknew Edâs real parents. They were spectral scientists, or something, and had been spirited away in a strange incident that occurred when Ed was only just a baby. Every still seemed very sad about it, though, and seemed to think Ed should be too... and so they called old photos mom and dad, and always kept a little distance from the only home theyâd ever known. A real sibling would know how to help Isabel, Ed thought to themself. Or someone smarter. Eightfold, Dimitri, Mr. Spender, they always knew the right words... when they stuck around to say them. Edâs parents were supposed to be brilliantâwhy couldnât they have at least left Ed some genius genes behind? Heck, Spender had told Ed that the Burgers were strong, too, that theyâd chase grudges like storm chasers would chase storms, if storm chasers sometimes had to beat up tornados. If only Ed could be that fearless... A long sigh wafted out their lips in wisps of green. More than anything right now, Ed wished that they could be some else | Friday, September 8th, 2023 | 1:23 am |
Paranatural - Chapter 8 Page 37 https://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-8-page-37 New comic!Today's News:
Get hype for ape fight. Thanks for reading you kooky kids. ~ [Transcript] âWhoops! You give up the ghost there, little man?â Crush let Ed plop down upon the porch. Ed checked their feet to see if they were gas. âOh, uh. Nope. Still kickinâ.â âStill? If you had kicked at all before we mighta had a real dang match. HA!â Crush laughed hugely to himself. âYou were like a wet fish the whole time, little man! Ha ha!â âThatâs good for fish to be,â Ed said, but their opponent had stopped listening. Ed noticed now that almost everyone else had left or was just leaving. They glimpsed the tip of Master Guerraâs trail as it phased through the wall, and all the other students that were halfway round the house. Crush, though, was floating in place, staring off into the darkness of the woods. âHey,â he said, still smirking, though his eyes shone like a catâs. âLittle man. You see something out there? Past the bush, behind those branches.â Ed blinked up at him, then out towards the murk at the treeline. The air was alive with nocturnal things, the porch lights blinding... but sure enough, there was a shape there. Something large and humanoid, and blacker than all of the black surrounding it. Except for its face. Yes, its face... only that was white as scoured bone. âThought so,â Crush said, taking Edâs expression as an answer. He cracked his neck and then his knuckles, floating forward down and off the deck. Edâs hair stood on end. They were used to ghouls and spirits, but the figure watching from the woods... it wasnât supernatural enough. Something about its spooky aura seemed more slasher film than ghost story. âHeyâ! Crush! Where are you going?!â Ed hissed in a whisper. âDonât you think you might need backup...?â âNah, you stay put. Master Guerra had it right. You kids should leave all the junk that goes bump in the night to us.â Crush flexed, glancing back over his bicep. âItâs what weâve all been training for, yâknow?â Ed gulped. Theyâd meant that theyâd fetch Master Guerra or some other adult, not follow Crush into the woods. Either way, they still had to warn someâCrush was a meathead, and heâd already gotten himself killed fighting a spirit solo once before. Ed rose shakily back to their feet. A sudden sharp guffaw from Crush set their nerves sparking âHA! You can stop sweatinâ, little man!â he called back. âItâs just a training dummy someone left out. Trick of the dark!â Edâs shoulders sagged. â...O-oh. Really?â âYep!â lied Crush, meeting with his gleaming gaze the vacant, pitch-black eyes a foot away. âSo run along now, little man! Go get some sleep!â Crushâs grin widened to mirror the unmoving skeletal grimace staring down at him. â...Iâll clean up here.â â...Okay,â said Ed, and scurried back inside. |
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