Gary the Alchemist

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3-1: Navigation Failure

Xiam

on Sept. 13, 2009

I'm sure we all remember being freshmen in high school. If not already there, or not quite there. The hormones, the fear of being stuffed into lockers, the difficulty in traversing the labyrinthine corridors… the unbearable urge to think aloud…

I should really switch to thought bubbles for him.

This is the first time Gary's really shown in ordinary modern clothes (excluding his pre-robing last week). I figure he's not any different from any other teenager, beyond his interest in alchemy. And the weirdness to which that leads.

I'm sure some of you are wondering, "Hey Andy! What's with the lack of color?" Well, as I completely forgot last week that I would be doing simplified colors from then on, I've decided to go a different route. From now on, color will be determined by Gary's interest in the subject matter. For instance, when alchemy is presented, the entire scenery (or just certain aspects, when out of his element) will be colored, but when he is in a condition that doesn't seem particularly enjoyable, the color is saturated or downright nonexistant. In this way, I will be able to state things without actually saying anything, and you kids get a better feel for the personality.

This was NOT the way things were colored in Melody & Macabre. Simon's jacket was just that bad.

(Incidentally, not that anybody can tell, but Gary's wearing a simple hooded sweatshirt. It's almost mid-September, surely SOME parts of the country are getting a bit cool. Right? RIGHT? If not, the AC's on in the school.)