5 Dec 2019

Digital Magic - Commentary 5

Family emergency, in Digital Magic chapter 5.

Jackie is officially freaked out.  Eyes where there shouldn't be any and now someone trying to enter her apartment.  Jackie called in the big guns - her mother.  In retrospect, this is a pattern for me when writing.  A solo lead character will tend to gather a large supporting cast that comes somewhat organically.  Brenna's family expanded in The Soul Blade and even Ione had a good-sized supporting cast in The Devil You Know.  I've fleshed out characters' family, friends, and schoolmates for a work in progress.  People don't live in a vacuum.  The ones who try tend to be the ones who aren't firing on all cylinders to begin with.

Time has once again destroyed a plot element.  Trish and Jackie have a landline phone.  Today, two university-aged young women probably wouldn't bother with a landline and stick with smartphones.  Jackie would be texting her mother instead of calling, not risking a noise.  Well, other than the new message notification.  But phones do have a volume control.

The problem with hinting at the supernatural is that unless the characters have a reason to believe, like in LTV Paranormalists, they're going to work out a mundane explanation.  Eyes appearing on walls and in mirrors?  Jackie's overworking herself.  Someone outside the door trying to break in?  Random burglars.  Even if not random, then they are possibly connected to Steve, if one of them wasn't him.  And when presented with the unusual that could be dangerous, most people aren't going to jump in to fight it without looking.  They're going to retreat to safety to regroup.

Tomorrow, life must go on, in Digital Magic Chapter 6.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, fixing Sonic the Hedgehog.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, fixing Eegah!

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