A DISTANT SOIL: The Ascendant Chapter 3 page 2
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11 Comments
Colleen
I must get around to annotating this book. The line “…smote a rock and out sprang George Washington.” is a reference to my favorite musical “1776”.
Also, the shot with Aeren in a superhero costume is a reference to the very earliest version of “A Distant Soil” I worked on when I was about 12. It started out as a superhero tale, and that was Jason’s costume. Liana wore a matching outfit.
superboylives
I love this page…so playful and really love the costume changes !!!
Colleen
Thanks so much! I’ve often wondered if I went overboard in this scene, but I’m glad you like it!
It’s nice to see Jason and Aeren next to each other. It explains why people are so freaked out when they see Jason. They look like twins! The only serious difference in their appearance is that Aeren is much taller and should appear like an older version of Jason.
Arlnee
This was the page. When I saw a 1776 reference in a comic book, I knew it was love.
If I recall right I sent you a copy of the extended version (back in the days of videotape, LOL) with the restored workprint scenes intact. Now they have a DVD of the director’s cut. Those were the days.
Colleen
Yes, you did! I remember I had a laserdisc I could not watch…because I had no laserdisc! It’s awesome!
I always wonder if people get these references, and now I know! Hah!
But I really do need to annotate them.
I don’t drop as many ref’s into the book as I used to, though. It can break the proscenium.
Speaking of laserdiscs, I still have some anime in that format, and can’t watch any of it. None of those movies are available on dvd, with the possible exception of Patalliro. Which costs a fortune.
scribblerworks
I have friends who still have their laserdisc collection — AND the player! And it’s true, there remain some things that came out in that format that have not appeared in later formats (DVD or Blu-ray).
Well, I think this particular reference works, Colleen. *1776* is a timeless show, that remains appealing, and it works here, since this page is about Jason’s subconscious. But I can understand avoiding too much pop-culture references as you continue to work, since there’s such a span of time between when you began the story and now. That said… I LIKE this one! It makes me smile – and it makes it perfectly obvious how much Jason idolizes his father, and how far he is from being ready to deal with the reality of Aeren’s life.
Colleen
A lot of my laserdiscs are from Japan. Whew, what a lot of money I sunk into all that! And now they sit on a shelf.
Glad you like this scene. I’m not sure all my pop culture references work so well.
While some fans have harshly criticized this work for being very ’80’s, that’s sort of like criticizing a story set in WWII for being so 1943. Still, I don’t want to top load the work with obscure references no one will get.
I’m not going to go back and change the clothes and hairstyles for being exactly what they are supposed to be: accurate depictions of a time and place.
No one complained about the reference to Pee Wee Herman in an earlier scene, though I expect no one is going to understand what they heck that is supposed to be in about 10 years.
Miki
I didn’t get the ‘1776’ reference since I never did see it as I am not a big fan of musicals. There is a long and involved explanation on that but I won’t get into that here.
And I had to look up ‘proscenium’.
-)
Colleen
LOL! Well, 1776 is a musical I would highly recommend for people who do not like musicals. It’s an outstanding work.
Arlnee
I have to tell you I worked in a 1776 reference into the first draft of the book I just wrote for Nano… That movie is on the TV (for other reasons, actually) during a big plot point reveal, and the long separated couple in the book finally find each other again and they ignore everyone else and go upstairs while the rest of the cast goes “uh…” and in the background is the classic line: “they’re not going to… in the middle of the afternoon?” Followed by “Not everyone’s from Boston, John…”
It probably won’t make the final draft but it amused me mightily while writing it… I had been working on that reveal and fussed over it and that made it a lot easier to bring a little levity to the OMGDRAMA it was becoming.
Colleen Doran
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