Stabbing From the Shadows!

Ahhhh! Nothing like the garish colors of the top title banner to make one raise eyebrows and wake up to smell the napalm in the morning. I remember waking up to the smell of napalm… Actually, it was just an older sibling polishing his shoes. That was some pungent shoe polish, let me tell you!

Aaaaaaaaaanyway, we're not here to talk about shoes, or shoe polish. But… how does one communicate properly with one's formal shoes?

I was looking over the comic, and I can't stop liking it. That's sort of necessary when I'm supposed to be the mastermind of the whole project. I mean, we've got a galaxy-destroying beast turned into a cute child, we've got elf-like guards… I mean, we've got grown women running around in miniskirts! What else do we need?

Well, yes… content, obviously. I can plot and plot and plot, but I'll always need to refine it when the art comes in, because I feel that the plot, narration, and dialogue ought to do justice to the art. But, aside from the content, we've got a lot of ideas burning on the back boiler—which means that the ideas are never where they should be when they appear, but there they are.

Life's like that, sometimes. But being bursting full of random ideas is one of the major factors that's kept me going for all this time. I started fan fiction for the prestige, then started to really like what had been made, and kept it going from there. Fortunately, others seem to have liked it as well, and moved it along even further.

Some time ago, I wrote an Extra about Ninjas, which included discussion of a certain Kunoichi that made her appearance there, and I asked in the Forums what people thought the character would turn out like. The vote turned out a dead even Heroine / Villainess tied race, some voting to name the character Missus Flufluhead and whatnot. Ahh, Ammon—great guy, lives and breathes Linux and Anime… but when it comes to names…

Anyway, what was I talking about again? Oh, yes… the Kunoichi. There was one thing NETTG didn't have, and it was ninjas. So, we're adding one.

For those that know I have the odd habit of giving blatant clues that are so obvious that nobody but the real fans can figure out, here's one that explains who the Kunoichi is, what purpose she serves, and where she fits into the entire plotline.

Your eyes do not deceive you, there are no tricks in this picture, no hidden monkeys, I deleted the extra meaningless details, and anyone who knows NETTG well enough can tell who and what the Kunoichi will be.

And… that's all the beans I'll spill for this time around, and it's plenty. Time for me to go back to the time off I promised me and Esa…

Awwwwww, now you know we couldn't leave you hanging after a buildup like that. Esa's spent a lot of effort tweaking the Kunoichi's appearance. It's been a fun process, and some great design pics have been made.

Here she is in one of those rare moments when she lets her hair down. Even so, she's all business and no play. Ninjas have missions to accomplish, whether it be an assassination, sabotage, espianage, or smuggling. It's hard work, and she's quite dedicated.

But then again, who knows? She might enjoy a trip to the beach as much as the next gal. Maybe she fishes. Maybe she runs a hot spring parlor. Hey, maybe she like surfing! Who knows, really?

Nothing is certain, yet. New incarnations of storylines, as they progress from book to comic to cartoon, often include new characters who have no reason or right to be there, even if we're not merchandising. Things will become more clear as we fire up the creative reactors once more and charge forward deeper into the comic. We will get to the chapter where she appears, and finally all will be revealed. And even then, I'll have a trump-card secret to pull out later on about her.

And the Atomic Starlight Knight? What about him? Oh, he'll make himself known. He needs no fanfare—he is his own fanfare. Speaking of which, I need to get more work done on that NETTG fanfic rewrite. It's been approved by Esa and Larry so far, so it's gotta be good. ^_^

To finish off, a gift that contains even more hints about the Kunoichi. I do want a CGed and colored version of this one, but it's a terrific piece of art. Here's for until we can get settled in and get a bit more work done!