Page 941…
So that’s it for the real world for a bit.
Tomorrow…Dreamland.
And as you can see…Nicole and Dan have seen evidence.
How cool is that?
🙂
Yesterday, The X-Librarian posted their list of the BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR FLUENT READERS.
And guess who’s right up there at the top! Right up there above Bone and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Go ahead. Guess!
IT’S DREAMLAND!
(sorry…I didn’t know if you were going to guess correctly. And that would have been awkward)
Go on by and check it out. And if you have a moment. Sign up and just say hi and thank Inger.
http://www.x-librarian.com/best-graphic-novels-for-fluent-readers/
I’m in wonderful company on that list. And I’m totally flattered and honored to be there.
Thanks Inger. And thanks to all of you for reading.
.
In other news…
I got an email from actor James Hong yesterday.
We had met many years ago when my buddy Harry Mok brought him by the house when Donna and I were first married. He was a kind and gracious person. And I couldn’t believe Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China (one of my favorite movies) was in my kitchen talking to me.
Well since then…James has gone on to do voice work for some of my favorite animated films and tv series such as Avatar the Last Airbender, Kung Fu Panda, and Mulan.
Anyways. James wants to work together on something.
I suggested maybe we could create a character for him in Dreamland.
He liked the idea.
I asked if I could ask YOU all what your thoughts were.
So. What do you guys think?
He said he’s born in the year of the SNAKE.
I’ve never done this before. And of course won’t do it if it doesn’t work into the story I already have written.
But thought it’d be fun to include you guys in the thought process.
Anyways. Let me know. And thanks for being here with me on this.
Scott
Will Alex boast about the sword and bag to Naj?
Lo Pan!
actually yeah that would be an awesome thing to see…
Well you might him a snake, and have him appear to be a villain at first, and not trusted because of his snakiness, then have him turn out to be a useful ally. At some point though, you must have him cry out “Indeed!” during a conversation with our heroes.
Is he doing a cameo or a character? Maybe a char that gives his life while kicking nightmare butt so the group can make a break. Or have him be a baloon salesman that gives everybody a ride. Or a baker who makes a giant creampuff and they all sail down the chocolate river….. Or do you want to add him to the group? What the blazes are you asking me for anyway?????
Poor Nicole looks like reality has been shattered for her.
Maybe Mr. Hong could be a antromorphic snake.
It is difficult to say exactly how James Hong would work in with the story you have planned. With a voice like his, you will obviously need a character of intelligence. Do you have a character in mind who might be a ‘guardian’ of one of the remaining tablets? (I forget how many there are)
I suppose you could always write him in as a child’s companion, like Ferdinand de Guacamole… er, Spotty.
I have a sneaky feeling that Orion would already what he did and then send his next missive directly to Nicole.
Doing a character for james hong would be great, but how to cast him? I suggest an eccentric old man, who will teach Alex something important.
Also, is it just me, or are Alex’s hands freaking HUGE, in panels 3 and 4? I mean, compared to Nicole’s, way huge and not in the “men have bigger hands than women” kind of way, but like “radioactive” huge.
Sorry,
“would already KNOW what he did”
I meant Panels 2 and 3…but I’m sure you could tell for yourself.
I also like this idea of having James be either a guardian or a snake companion to one of the children encountered. Smart, funny and able to kick our hero onto a better path if he strays (Sorry, I think in terms of tabletop RPG and I’d use him as a fun NPC if I had the chance).
Vincent and Chris were thinking along the lines of what I was for Harry Mok. Maybe you could simply have the character born in the Year of the Snake (after all Dreamland has international influences)?
I think he should be the voice actor of one of your characters. Preferably one of the reoccurring ones. Like say, the villain, Nicodemus. He has proven that he can be an excellent villain…
I love the idea, he’s one of my favorite actors as well, and it is so cool that you got to meet him in such a way. What a rare oportunity.
A great Cobra, hypnotic and deadly. Both wise and powerful.
Hmm, dunno about a snake. Maybe a dragon? Is Nicodemus the only dragon in Dreamland?
Congratulations on making the top of the list!
Hmm… is there going to be any asian-based culture in dreamland? I guess there hasn’t been any asian people or martial arts in dreamland yet. It would be cool if he was an old martial arts teacher for one of the main characters, except that it doesn’t seem that any of them know martial arts.
Or you could have his character be something completely different and get out of type-casting. However, since he is not actually acting or voice acting for dreamland, seeing as it is a comic, his character might be unrecognizable if not type-cast.
Or… here’s another idea: have Alex meet him in real life and he can become like a teacher or mentor to him.
I can see Hong as an ancient snake of immense wisdom and intelligence. Perhaps Nicodemus’ original mentor? What if Nicodemus has had him imprisoned in his castle for generations? Or trapped him deep within a cave where our intrepid heroes find him on accident? Or maybe he’s one of the only other adult humans that is able to cross over into Dreamland and when he does he manifests with some snakey quality? Perhaps he is like an oracle or soothesayer in Dreamland and in the real world alike. I could go on and on with brainstorming ideas. I like the “what if” game!
Naga-folk with Asian-like culture. James could be a wise sage amongst the Nagas.
By opening Alex’s hand all the way, he’ll arrive in dreamland with his hand open, near a cliff, and drop the bag a mile into a rushing river. At which point Orion will roll his eyes, call alex and idiot, turn around, and give him a good, old-fashioned horse kick – thus teaching Alex to fly as he sails over the edge screaming in terror like a little bitch. 😀
Somehow, I see him as a snake in a stall as a moneylender. I know that has absolutely NOTHING to do with the storyline! I just think he could do that role perfectly.
I think he would be good as a eastern dragon.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had multilayered dreams, taking something into a dream or (more often) pulling something out. This entire comic is very well-done.
Do a child version of him!
If there’s some sort of medium scale fight scene later on, have the child James Hong run in and start kicking ass. I can imagine your characters stopping mid fight to watch him go nuts at some bad guy before returning to the action!
If he’s important to you, then you should add him to the story. Some opportunities can’t be wasted.
However, I would recommend that you make him a guardian of one of the tablets. He looks like a serious opponent!
Well, born in the year of the SNAKE…
How about a male naga ?
@brent:
that’s one mean idea. but highly amusing, too. does that mean I have a sadistic streak? errr… 😀
hmm, some cool ideas there. 🙂
personally, I like 3 of the suggestions most: tablet guardian, meeting him in real life, former mentor of nicodemus. either of those 3 would be fine with me.
Hey, i’ve been reading for a long time but never commenting (I’m lazy)
I’d like to say how amazing your comic is-i haven’t bought the novels yet, but i fully intend to. Eventually.
I think you should include him if you can-some kind of swordsmaster or something!
I like the snakey idea… snake with swords!
(Gasp)
One in each hand and one in the TAIL!
(Drifts into fantasies)
Uh, yeah. Anyway, you’re amazing.
Very nice idea!
If there is already a culture in dreamland that has martial arts, or chinese eyes, or snake people you could make a character for him in there. He could even take a good part in the plot that way.
For someone with less important lines, I liked the suggestion of a child char (could be a friend with their little cousin), a tablet guardian, or a wise old hermit that helps in some part or any of the other great stuff the others said.
But what I especially liked was the intelligent cobra idea-I think it could look pretty impressive, especially if it’s a “boss”. A snake could also work as a ninja-type char, a half-good half-bad guy that helps for some exchange and always seems to know more than meets the eye. Like the cat of Alice in Wonderland, kind of. A team mascot would be fun, but I can’t really imagine Lo Pan as a pet. It would be better if he was a snake sent by Nicodemus to steal the tablet-finding jewel, but gets unlucky every time (like the squirrel in Ice Age, but smarter)
There are so many possibilities!
James inclusion would be FANTASTIC!
Have enjoyed all the works I’ve seen him in!
(I don’t believe he’s been working since a year before I was born, he’s way too young at heart!)
^.^
James Hong is the MAN! Do it, do it! 😀 Awesome!
As for today’s comic, I’m glad they finally have such irrefutable evidence. Not just “it’s gone, did he hide it?” but the actual fade-out. Just the trick to have Nicole finally finish accepting it.
Looks like the sword is gone, too. Excellent.
RE: sword. Whoops, duh, I forgot yesterday was a weekday too. Just saw that comic. Even better. 😀
Yes, it is awesome!!! Not even Nicole can deny it now! It’s the real thing! 😀
1: WoW, Above Bone? I allways taught that this is impossible, but now that i think about it, it is well deserved! Congratulations!
2: About Mr. Hong… I can’t really put snakes anywhere in Dreamland, I mean if Dreamland and our world was so close one and we think that snakes are ‘slient killers’ then i can’t really imagine that there would be a species of them that would side with our heroes. However maybe they could be holy animals to a race and Hong’s character could be some kind of monk or priest. Maybe there could be an Egyptian style snake god who’s the god of hidden things or hidden riches… I don’t know what you want to do with him but i hope it will turn out in a way you will be completely happy with 🙂
maybe he can be a sort of evil hunter that follows Alex on his search for the tablets. he can turn himself into a giant, purple(because purple is cool!!!:P) snake or something like that.
well… now i’m thinking of it. mabey that’s a good charater for my book:P
the last few pages were awsome!!! now we finally know what happens to the sword and the bag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I, too, enjoy the idea of Mr Hong making some kind of appearance.
Taking inspiration from Jaci’s comment above, I think perhaps Mr Hong would work as an adult trapped in Dreamland (in a coma in the real world) by Nicodemus. Perhaps he was some relation to the last king of Dreamland (mentor, servant, friend, son, etc), and may have some information that could be helpful, or just be someone who would be eternally grateful to be saved.
Concealing information is a good reason for Nicodemus to trap him with some other magic that is the balance of the sword and pouch magic (preventing crossover between worlds, and thus able to trap someone in Dreamland).
Preventative magic was already shown to exist in Dreamland -at the beginning of the tale- when Kiwi, Naj and Paddington were unable to go into the ruins where Alex first encountered the sword.
Of course Nicodemus was also in there behind the barrier magic, so he obviously knows much about the various magics of Dreamland… Including preventative types.
Those are some of my thoughts. Take what you like of them, or not. Of course I’ll continue reading either way, happy to give my 2 bits worth when asked! 😀
For the record, Dreamland is at the top of my list too! Has been for nearly a year now! ^.^
Cheers, and my best to your family Scott!
~Prince Demitri
How about, instead of snakes, he is part of a clan of reptil-like creatures? Humanoid, but with smooth scaly skin, with snake-ish patterns and fangs, and obviously slithed eyes with vertical eyelids. And maybe a little tail with a rattle or something.
They could live in a tropical forest, moist and full of big leafed trees, and the Hong’s character could be the clan’s wise man. This setting could be cool for some subtle “protect Nature” messages, too.
I would agree that he should be nicodemus, why couldn’t nick be a chiness dragon? any way just my thought on it.
Hey Scott, I know you need advertisers but I keep getting this annoying pop-up that follows when I scroll the screen. It’s safecount.net and it wants me to do a survey. Kinda takes away from the whole Dreamland experience. Gotta say, Dreamland is one of my favorite comics and I look forward to reading it every day.
I think it would be cool if he was a city person in Felicity’s life. Like a fence or someone who took care of her after Nicodemus took her. Gruff but with a good heart. If you mention the good heart part though, he will stab you in the eye with a q-tip. 😛
I’ve noticed that hands are tad too big before, but… Well, those palms could use some work.
Well, since he was born in the year of the snake, you could have some sort of half-man/half-snake(Naga) with an Eastern bent to them also be part of the story, either as villains or as some good guys.
Do it! Definitely put him in the comic! His is a personality that does not need to be wasted. And I agree with several of the people up there. He would make an AMAZING eastern dragon.
And if he’s in the comic, I hope he’ll also voice-act his own character (whatever it ends up being) in the Dreamland movie…
Wow.
Thank you all.
What do you think of maybe a Mentor for DAN?
Someone who teaches Eastern Philosophy?
A teacher at the school maybe?
As for Nicodemus. I’ve kind of got my heart set on Alan Rickman (Severus Snape from Harry Potter).
We don’t know about the ‘snake’ because, as Nancy says, “that’s just too creepy.” But we agree with others that there should be wisdom and sage advice, but always with the overshadowing feeling of ulterior motive, hidden agenda. A character that glides (slithers?) in and out that quickly, never sticking around, never committing to the quest.
Eastern mysticism to mix with the Centaur and Native American? Or is this whom Alex has so much to learn from that Orion spoke?
On the lighter side, Nancy wants to see a kid saving them in a big fight.
Nancy just noticed the ranking. Her comment was, “Come on people, 11th is not first place twice! VOTE!”
Oh. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the X-Librarian site too.
🙂
Rickman would be soooo perfect for Nicodemus!
And I think a professor at the university, or just a wise old man, would be a perfect role for Mr. Hong.
Oh, and Scott, you rock! 🙂
RE: snake, could always be a snake-bodied humanoid. Kind of like the centaurs, only snakey. Like Medusa only without the scary hair.
Of course he could be a waking-world mentor for Dan… but does Dan really need one? Alex may still need some mentoring beyond what he got from Orion, who seemed pretty frustrated with him.
I can see, or rather hear, James doing the voice of a naga leader, maybe Alex needs to retrieve something that they’re guarding. Perhaps it’s good to involve him now so when Dreamland goes movie he’s already on the hook. You’re a crafty one, Scott. Indeed!
Congrats on being ranked #1 by X-Librarian!!!
James hong Character could be a Lieutenant for Nicodemus… Nic is a King hes probably a busy guy… He should have a Evil Henchmen Lieutenant to carry out his bidding… Plus a Dragon flying around is really easy to see… Maybe a Chameleon type spy Nemesis would be kewl.
Of course, *I* thought playing a noodle peddler with an adopted panda was beneath him, but…
Anything you create for him should be cool. Are there any other dragons in Dreamland?
ooo, I love Big Trouble in Little China – and what a great actor and sense of humor and timing.
Yes, Naga would be pretty cool.
Way cool, Scott! Way cool!
Wow! Congrats on being on top of Bone! That’s a big achievement though I’m sure you deserve it =)
I think casting Mr. Hong as a professor and mentor for Dan would be great! However, does that mean we won’t see him actually IN Dreamland? That’d be a bit sad in my opinion, but whatever Scott thinks would fit best with the story, I’m sure it’ll work out great =) Afterall, Scott knows more than I do about what other adventures are waiting for the characters =P
I love everyone else’ ideas too. Somehow the “young James Hong kick ass in dreamland” is the most appealing to me XD Although you will probably have to know him very well to portray him as a kid.
As for the guardian of the tablets idea, the Mer-peoples mentioned one of the races with a tablet is called “Guardians”, but no one in the group knows what that means. That might work for Mr. Hong. But perhaps Scott already have a clear picture of who these “Guardians” are, and it would not work with Mr. Hong? Or maybe the “Guardians” are actually in real life and Mr. Hong can be a “Guardian” AND a university professor! Haha~
By the way, this question just popped into my head this morning. What would happen if someone else wore the sword necklace to bed? Does it only work with Alex?
Just a couple of ideas, but building on the idea of James Hong’s character as a Naga, perhaps this settlement of Nagas could be close to the border between Dreamland and the Nightmare realms. As such, the Naga are constantly under attack and so have become a highly martial civilization, possibly close to a shogunate. Because of their proximity to the Nightmare realms and their reptilian appearance, most other inhabitants view the naga with some mistrust, possibly thinking them in collusion with the Nightmare realms or Nicodemus. This would further strengthen the nagas as isolationists and also mistrustful of “two-leggers.” James’ character could then possibly be a sage or shaman among their people and another keeper of one of the tablets. Alternately, he could be the emperor or shogun of the naga entrusted with the protection and safekeeping of both his people and the tablet.
The other alternative could be that James Hong’s character is an Oriental style dragon. While western civilizations such as most of Europe generally feared dragons and glorified the hunting and killing of them, dragons were often seen in the east as powerful symbols of luck and strength and were revered. Playing on this, Nicodemus definitely falls within the western stereotype of dragons. James Hong could be a serpentine Oriental dragon who guards over a mist-laden valley with an Oriental culture thriving within. While also quite powerful, he has no desire to leave his valley or the people who revere him unprotected. This could also lead to an interesting dynamic between him and Nicodemus where they have a truce that the valley is off-limits to Nicodemus so long as Hong does not interfere in Nicodemus’ plans and schemes outside of it. He could be possessed of great wisdom and patience in addition to guarding another tablet piece. Perhaps a confrontation could occur between Alex’s party and James Hong’s dragon where they come upon him in the midst of screaming children. Alex and co. rush to save the children, only to have the children try to stop them or interpose themselves between Alex and the dragon. Thus it is revealed that the dragon was playing with the children and telling stories. This could also allude to why many in the Orient still believe in dragons in the waking world (growing up with one in dreams). The civilization within the valley could also be populated with other creatures from Oriental myth, such as Kirin and Kitsune.
You could then have a confrontation between James Hong’s dragon and Nicodemus when they track Alex to the valley. The two dragons hate one another for their own reasons, but under their agreed-upon truce the valley and all who dwell within it are under Hong’s protection and Nicodemus is thwarted from attacking Alex and friends. Nicodemus decides to wait for them outside the valley, but Hong shows the party a secret underground passage or magical doorway that leads out of the valley away from Nicodemus. Thus do they part and learn that not all dragons are evil.
I like Keldros’ idea.
James Hong. He’s been cast as the evil Lo Pan and the Po’s benign father. What I’ve never seen him be (not that I’ve seen everything he’s done) is a downtrodden or discarded figure to engender empathy from the audience. Since the Felicia-Nicole dynamic has them both solidly filling those roles (for the time being) for the “good guys”, how about a castoff from evil side? Nicodemus’ half brother perhaps? I think half brother since if you want to keep Nico as the only dragon in Dreamland, he could reprise the role of 1/2 dragon, 1/2 (insert awesomely cool humanoid type thingy with wings which you could make better with pictures than I could describe with words). His motivation is being bitter, not only to Nicodemus for stealing his power (some magic icon?) and slandering his questionable heritage, but he has no love for the characters of Dreamland either. As an agent of the Nightmare World, he rules (unless you have someone in mind for that role already, then he could play the supreme evil agent) with fear and things look bad for Alex as now he has a 2nd antagonist to deal with. Drama ensues until eventually, James’ character realizes what a useful means to an end Alex is. Alex overthrows Nico, James overthrows Alex, James rules. He’s sort of “Scar” to “Simba (Alex)” role.
Oh and I’m sure you have this figured out already, but Dan as ruler of Nightmare land would be cool (in an awesomely black sort of way). I’m on a tangent and can’t reel myself back in. Dan with James running Nightmare land… o.O It could be your “Empire Strikes Back” moment. “ALEX. I am your… brother!” Dunh dunh dunh! While James cackles in the background.
But, if you don’t want to make the story too complex, Snake Man James is cool too.
I really like your idea Keldros, the isolated martil nagas and Hong as dragon are both very cool ideas but I’m unsure how could they fit into the future of the story which i believe is partly written in Scott’s head already… I think we need something minor yet long term. Something that can’t do great impact on the motion of things yet it gives a deep taught. Like a mentor as some said, or a priest who might help him regain his strength after another ‘teaparty’ with ol’ Nico.
If you don’t mind however i think i know a way to make the dragon idea not that much of a changing factor. The thing is that if Alexander meets Hong’s dragon that could make him change the course of the mission. They know Nicodemus is after them, maybe Alexander would try to find (in the knowledge that Nicodemus is not one-of-a-kind) other, friendly dragons and convince them to help defeat Nicodemus. Which can be vertical to what Scott has in mind, however Alex’s and the group’s journey wouldn’t change in case that Hong’s dragon would simply follow them unseen, maybe helping them trough different obstacles. Example: Asking some children he knows to take away the attention of Nicodemus’ guards while the group can (unknowingly that they got help) sneak to their goal. Strictly this might not even break Hong and Nicodemus’ truce.
BTW: Did you ever think of writing a book or a story-blog, Keldros?
@Acies
Heh, i had a somewhat similar idea: What happens if two person (Alex and Dan) go to sleep together, with the sword and/or the bag in a way that the chains tie their hands together? Dan can’t go to Dreamland by simply sleeping, but can the sword and/or bag ‘pull’ him inside with Alex?
In the real world sounds great – but if you decide to have James Hong in Dreamland – I’d have him as a Hindu Naga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81ga#In_Hinduism
Nagas are part snake, part human and associated with water and seen as the guardians of treasure – perfect for one of the tablets.
Just my first thought when I read your post.
Well, I think Dreamland is already a little too anglocentric for my tastes, and one of the existing cities could be changed for the better. I think that James Hong could easily be the MerKing (or whatever his name is), or even Horatio.
I can’t really see James Hong in Dreamland. The characters he’s done— the ones I’m familiar with, at least— are generally of the comic relief or unintelligent variety. He also has a distinctly Asian voice, and there’s nothing in Dreamland from what we’ve seen so far that shows any oriental influence. I suppose he might have a shot as Kiwi’s grandpa, as he does sound pretty old, but anything more than a bit part or throwaway part, and I think you’d have to change Dreamland to the point where you’re writing a story around him, and that’s compromising the story.
Lo Pan in Dreamland?
Two words: [expletive deleted] awesome.
I am jealous. 🙁 But excited! 🙂
Great ideas all.
Thanks.
Keep em coming.
I had to look up “Naga” thanks to you.
🙂
How about a snake pendant for Alex that comes to life and talks. It could be given to him for the purpose of training so would not effect the storyline too much. Or even having the snake pendant as Dan’s version of the sword to take him into dreamland at a later date
I love that movie!
Hm.. you could have him as some sort of asian mystic whom Dan goes to talk more about dreams and stuff?
Yah! James Hong would be great!…
One of my favorite actors… in been in so many things
Year of the Snake aye?
How about a second dragon (James Hong) an older long dead werm king… A dragon so old that the clear cut distinction between snake and dragon had yet to be genetically formed… who lives on in the dreams of those in dream land (not the real world)… who long ago was defeated and ban from the dragon realms by Nicodeamous…
not by skill or strength but by political trickery….
Now he returns to teach (in spirit… in dreams…) how to defeat Nicodemus…
and now it is the dreamlanders who must sleep and dream… to help Alex Slay Nicodemus and save the world of dreamland…
aaa well… just a thought
I like your idea, as a mentor for Dan, but someone commented earlier about making him a sage in dreamland as well, who manifests himself differently in Dreamland. Not sure if it’d work, but it sounds cool.
Perhaps making him another dreamland character who trains Alex. Maybe a blind snake (a la Teen Titans).
Actually, seeing as most of us remember Lo Pan, maybe create him as a minor villain. A particularly dangerous Nightmare denizen. I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but if you designed his character with a bounty-hunter-ish mentality, it would be possible for him to show up, alone, and attack the group. The whole scene could take merely a week or two, and there’s probably somewhere in the story where it could be inserted wiothout derailing things.
ahaha!! thundercats!!
yes.
I agree with everyone who suggested an Eastern-style dragon.
@Kitti: Nicodemus can’t be an Eastern dragon because Scott chose to draw him Western-style.
I don’t think it’d be a good idea to have any guests, they’d be a distraction unless it’s brought in humorously. I’d not like to see this webcomic spoilt.
Well, Daniel, if seeing isn’t believeing, whaddaya gonna do?
I like the idea of an adult in a coma trapped in dreamland for the James Hong character, particularly if he has some flight or other lucid dream abilities. Maybe a grandfather who everyone thinks is brain dead playing with his grandkids every night, wondering why his adult kinds can’t seem to join him in dreamland.
I like Keldros’s idea a lot as well as and the other ideas of him being in a coma (like Ozwyn stated). Maybe he could be a ruler of the Nightmare realm since Nicodemus isn’t (?) or one of the types that does whatever he feels like whether it’s good or bad.Another irrefutable proof for Nicole 🙂 I am on pins and needles as to what happens next!!!
I know that everyone is excited about having him be a character in dreamland, but I rather like the idea of him being a character on the outside. It would add a little bit of mysticism to both sides of the storyline if he could be a professor at the university that specializes in something, like finding a common thread between the stories that children that have imaginary friends tell…
I like the idea of James being featured in Dreamland, maybe as one of the centaurs that train the youngsters in combat? Alex might learn a thing or two from him for his journey.
Thanks guys!
And thanks also for those of you who posted comments on the X-Librarian site.
I know that they appreciate you going and reading and posting.
And of course I appreciate you all showing them the support they showed me.
🙂
A naga is from indian (I think) mythology and has the upper body of a man and the lower body of a snake. Kinda like a land mermaid. So maybe he could be one of those?
I will always see James Hong as that guy in Mulan… so he just cracks me up. I can’t help it. |D Maybe an eccentric old Asian naga. lol
Also… I am so wish I was there to rub this in Nicole’s face. But poor girl, her whole reality was just shattered. There’s NO WAY she can deny Dreamland now. Now to get her in touch with Felicity…
Hi Scott
Thanks for your interest in my article and all the support you have shown.
For a long time it’s been my aim to get the best comics and graphic novels into schools and libraries in Australia (thats where I live) and elsewhere in the world.
When people ask me for recommendations on great GNs for younger readers I always show them your book(s).
They are enjoyable, engaging and have a sense of deeper meaning that sits just below the surface. All in all a significant contribution to the medium for readers of any age.
So thanks to you (and your family) for your vision and all your hard work and dedication.
And one word re:James Hong…”Legendary”
Cheers
Inger
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW JEALOUS I AM.
uwahhhhhhhhh
Hi Inger!
Oh…thank you So much. I am again very flattered.
Thank you.
If I ever make it to the land down under…I owe you a big hug.
🙂
Thank you again! And hope you have a wonderful rest of the week.
Scott
That would definitely be a 10 on the awesome scale….now to figure out what creature he would be……theres the catch…
I was going to say something about a Naga, but I see it’s already been said. I really like your take on it, Keldros.
Ok, here is my idea. How about Hong play one of Dan’s professors that hints that there are other ways into Dreamland. Not that Dan will actually make it, but then you could have Hong in both worlds. A professor in Dan’s world then maybe a Naga or just another human in Dreamland? He could make a guest appearance where Alex goes, “Hey wasn’t that???” “Never mind” comments, I love when that is done. Maybe help with the end of a fight where he whacks a bad guy with a staff that is about to do Alex in?
I mean there are so many ways to do this that once you decide your parameters, you will be able to pin this down more.
I also kinda like the idea that he might know more than what is being said. I mean it had been a loong time since a human king, but that doesn’t mean the king died. Maybe he just decided not to come back for whatever reason and Hong could play the old king, since time isn’t consistent between these realities.
I’ve seen the comments about being a Naga, and that would be super cool, But I think a regular old snake would be better, dropping out of a tree on their journey and offering some key point of the plot… but why would they believe him, he’s only a snake… and we know what happened last time a snake tried to persuade people to do stuff… But it could be super useful and the team could be all… ‘guess we should have listened’.
Or better yet rehash the Lo Pan character… for a bit part… or at least a character which looks similar to the image above (I know this might have copyright issues but it be a hoot to see him in Dreamland, with the eyes.. and those nails!)
oooh.. adding I like Keldros’ idea about the oriental dragon as well, awesome!
🙂
James Hong? *The* James Hong?! Wow… You are an awesomely lucky person, Scott. 🙂
You know it makes sense for there to be some good guy dragons in dreamland…it would explain how Nicodemus got to be an advisor in the first place.
I kinda wonder about the other casting…I posted it somewhere else…Let’s see…
Nicodemus: Alan Rickman (Scott’s choice?)
Alex: Shia LaBoeuf (I dunno, the voice just seems to fit the face and the character…)
Nastajia: Jen Taylor (Cortana in Halo, an officer in FEAR 2, and she has live stage acting experience…she can pull off the full emotional range of Nastajia.)
Kiwi: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Paddington: Kevin Grevioux (I remember THAT one from ComiCon…and I didn’t even recognize him as the guy from Underworld until Scott mentioned it to me)
Felicity: Jada Pinkett Smith
Argh Scott, you got me yesterday. So what was it Dan & Nicole were seeing that set them off in the first panels if it wasn’t the bag disappearing as it was conveniently out of sight from our POV?
For Mr. Hong, if it isn’t to be a bit part, then a mentor for Dan sounds good, maybe for Nicole also. An older dragon (snake) character would possibly work.
Heck even a fairly straight cameo for a story arc that makes him (even as a centaur or whatever the next race they go to is) yet another teacher along the way for Alex, in combat skillz of course. Maybe even a generic instructor for the group. Heh, the possibilities are broad if you cast him in the teacher/master mode.
Aha, Dan & Nicole could go to him since he has learned how to stay in Dreamland where he sits quietly doing his meditations while his body sleeps.
Oh, that would be a bit on the cool side if you are planning to add Dan & Nicole to the party, even temporarily. He would be the way they learn to come (while Alex is doing the sleep thing) and perhaps give the entire group a little combat boost.
Here’s a slightly different idea. What if he happened to be human/elven, with a snake familiar? As cool as it would be, a naga, reptile or other snake seems a bit obvious. Any way you take it is bound to be awesome though, so I look forward to it regardless
YES way! Way yes.
Evidence that this is NOT all in Alex’s head. *smiles in satisfaction* (Nicole can’t keep denying NOW.) ;p
Oh. *didn’t see the Naga comments before her’s* lolfail.
Actually, I quite like the idea of Hong being a teacher of Eastern philosophy at the school. I don’t know why everyone’s trying to throw him in as a major character that drastically affects the story. A cameo’s just fine. :]
Y’know what they say about people with big hands!
[waits. crickets chirp. people look at me funnily.]
No, not that! It means they can carry bigger SWORDS, not… anything else…
Ignoring the spam above 🙁 …
Let’s see:
naga – check
eastern dragon – check
real world mentor for Dan – check
Yup. Looks like all of my suggestions have already been made.
😉
Thanks for the heads up on the spam. It’s been deleted.
Hmm, maybe a warlock of the nightmare realm? Someone who would talk to Nicodemus?
Alright then Med Student. Explain THAT! ^_^
Or how about he is just a nice snake from the start?
Plenty of snakes are totally harmless, y’know… or at least to humans.
Oh – they’re huge.