“Downcast” (cropped) by Holly Rose Briar

Have you got any Serenity fan art?
Be sure to tell us!  We’re on Facebook

Sure thing, Mr. C!
(Ahem)
Our Father in Heaven, holy is your name.
Your kingdom come and your will be done
here on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us what we need for today,
and punish us the way we punish others.
Lead us away from temptation,
and save us from evil,
for yours is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory forever.
Amen.

Amen.  Uh, Serenity, I don’t mean to sound critical, but it’s
“forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”,
not “punish us the way we punish others”.

Po-TAY-to
Po-TAH-to

Melchizedek Todd interviewed me on his Prolifick Radio show, The God Scene With Mel And Nicole.  My interview starts at the 24:43 mark on the Februay 21, 2012 show.  Topics include Serenity, Savage Angels, and other upcoming stories plus the Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS).

And speaking of the CCAS, be sure to read Sara Napier’s in-depth article on the organization in New Identity magazine #14, available online.  She does a great job covering the history and purpose of the organization.

Hadta piddle in a jar.

What?!  Again?!?!?

Again.

So…how did you do?

I ain’t in the back of a patrol car, am I?

That’s good.  How often do you have to do this?

Whenever Parker is in a pissy mood, I guess.

I’d think it would be better if you were in a pissy mood.

Har-dee-har-har.

But you’re okay, right?

I’m clean, but not everybody I know is.

What difference does that make?
Just steer clear of the dopers.

Hard to do when you share a roof with ‘em.

Ooooh…gotcha.

Some of these drug tests are so sensitive they can
register a false positive even if you just ride in a car
where somebody smoked a joint earlier.

Yikes!

Tell me about it.  I’m busting my buns to stay clean & sober,
I don’t need to get busted ‘cuz the penguin hasta chill after work.

“The penguin”?

Skip it.

Okay.  Hey, can I ask you something personal?

Ax away.

That’s why you’re flunking English.

“?”

Skip it.  My question is why did you start smoking dope in the first place?

Oh, that’s easy:  ‘Cuz it feels sooooo fracking goooood.

“Fracking”?

Heard it on TV.  I like dropping it ‘cuz adults can’t say boo
when ya do ‘cuz the it’s a technical term, sumthin’ to do
with mining or oil or gas or sumthin’.

Okay.  But just ‘cuz it feels good?

Yeah.  Well…more like it numbs the pain.
Know what’s crazy?  Sometimes I’d hurt so much
I’d do anything to not feel it:  X, grass, booze, guys.
Then other times I’d feel so numb I was afraid
I’d never feel anything ever again.
That was scary.

Too much dope, huh?

No, I’d feel numb even when I was straight, like…
…like I wasn’t even really there, y’know?
I’d just be kinda watching myself do stuff,
not really knowing why I did it.

Well, no offense, but you still do stuff that nobody knows why.

Yeah, but that’s just me being stupid.
Nowadays at least I feel like I’m
at home in my head.

So the 12-step thing is working out for you?

Yeah.  Color me surprised.

Sure it isn’t the Derek factor?

“…”

Serenity…?

It’s kinda hard to say.
Seriously:  I’m not ‘spose to talk about
the meetings outside of the meetings.

Somebody took great pains to explain that to me.

Derek, huh?

Ain’t saying.  But I can say this:
The meetings are to help us get clean and stay sober,
not into each other’s pants.

…not that I would object if that happened.

Somebody else might object.

She can unlax:  Ain’t gonna happen.
Derek’s pretty emphatic on that.

“Unlax”?

Look it up.

I just did.  It’s not on Wikipedia.

Gimme fifteen minutes and it will be.

Hi, girls.

Whatcha doing?

Getting ready for your next big story.

Finally!

I appreciate your patience.

To heck with that — what have you got planned for us?

Adventure? 
Excitement? 
Romance?

Sally!  You’re too young!

Says who?  I’m in high school!

Yeah, a freshman.

Maybe I wanna grow up.

You’ll all get a chance to grow.

Hey, Mr. D, can I ax you a question?

Chop away.

“?”

Ask away, Serenity.

How come you only put dialog here?

Yeah, why don’t you tell people where we are
or what we’re wearing or what we’re doing?

I would — and I will — if it was germane to the story.

“?”

He means “important to the story.”

Oh, well why didn’t ya say that?

Won’t people get confused?

I don’t see why, Sally.
It’s like listening to audiobooks or podcasts:
Our readers can fill in all their own details.
I’m more interested in what you guys say and
feel than where you might be standing
at any particular moment.

For instance, it doesn’t matter where
this conversation is taking place.
We could be at your church or the lobby of
a movie theater or on a bus traveling to Memphis,
none of that affects this particular dialog.
Let the readers imagine you where they want.

…..

So they could be imagining us hopping up
and down on pogo sticks in our underwear.

Shut up!  We are not! 
We are standing in front of the school,
there are dozens of students all around us! 
It’s a chilly morning; we are all wearing boots,
jeans or leggings, and long wool coats!

…..

No, it’s not; and no, we aren’t.

SHUT UP!

This is my entry for the “Serrenity vs. The Ten Commandments” contest.  I could not imagine any scenario in which either Serenity or I could carry the yolk of the Ten-commandments to God’s level of perfection. Happily Ihave enjoyed having Jesus as my yolkmate, and I pictured Serenity making the same discovery here.

– Brien Sparling

1.  Single panel illustrations preferred, tho short strips / single page stories are okay.  Any style you prefer (manga, realistic, cartoon, movie poster, chapel ceiling fresco, etc.) is okay.

2.  They can be:

A.  SERENITY: THEN — back before she became a Christian (we’ve established she’s never been pregnant & she’s never murdered anybody; anything else is open, tho we’d suggest if you show her doing something wrong, you also show her about to get caught, i.e., if she’s shoplifting she doesn’t realize a store detective is watching her, etc.)

B.  SERENITY: NOW — facing a moral dilemma after she’s become a Christian (how do we know?  Well, since becoming a Christian she always wears a small cross around her neck, so that’s how to show the difference between then & now; also, while she might succumb to temptation “then” she should be shown resisting it “now”)

C.  SERENITY: MAKE-BELIEVE –Serenity & her friends make amateur movies, so if you want to do an illo where they’re making a film & acting out a scenario based on the Ten Commandments (an elaborate jewel heist, f’r instance), go ahead

3.  Remember our venue, ask yourself if it would fly in an Archie comic or the Luann / Zits / Gil Thorpe /9 Chickweed Lane comic strips; if the answer’s yes, go for it.  (Do not — repeat NOT — use Love Is… as a template! =8O )

Sound Advice From The Late, Great Hugo-Award Winning
Sci-Fi Writer / Cartoonist / Director / Photographer Bill Rotsler:
Short is better than long. 
Funny is better than not funny. 
Short and funny is best of all.

4.  This challenge is for funsies:

A.  No monetary award or compensation offered or implied

B.  Send a link to your art either thru the comments section below or on the SnokieStories Facebook page.  You may show your art on your own blog, any art sites you might belong to (Deviant Art, etc.), and in your portfolio as an example of your abilities

C.  If working in traditional media (i.e., pen & paper) you may sell the original art as an example of your artistic abilities, but please state somewhere on the art the characters are © & TM Buzz Dixon & Snokie (this is for our protection & yours); a little notation in the lower corner is ok

D.  You agree that once your art is posted here, it may cross posted on the SnokieStories Facebook page as examples of your art using the Serenity characters; unless you prefer otherwise, you will be credited as your name appears in your comments or Facebook page

E.  These illos are for online cross-promotional fun; they will not be re-packaged, sold, etc. without first obtaining permission from the artist/s

Challenge begins in 5…4…3…2…1…GO !

Yelled at.

Yikes, what happened?

I breathed, that’s what happened.
I came in late from work and mom got ticked off.

How late?

Just a few minutes.

…really…?

Well, maybe an hour.  Okay, two hours.
But I had to work late and I didn’t want to wait an hour
for my bus so I decided to take a short cut.

Didn’t you call, let her know why you’d be late?

…er…Angry Birds eats up a lotta juice.

Still, two hours.  Weren’t you cold?

I had my parka.  ‘Sides, the wind gets blocked by…

By what?

Never mind.  Skip it.

Where were you?

None of your business!

Geeze, what were you doing?  Getting baked?

Hey, I’m clean and sober and I’ve got
the gosh-darn urine tests to prove it?

Meeting somebody?  …Serenity? 
Were you meeting somebody?

I was talking to somebody.

I thought your phone was dead.

It was.  I wasn’t using my phone.

You met somebody?

Kinda…

Oooooooh!  Anybody I know?

You say you know him.

???

Okay, don’t tell a soul about this…

Oh, wow!  Have you been hooking up with somebody?

I’ve been praying.

Yeah, and I’m Lady Gaga on weekends.  Spill!

I am spilling.  This…this ain’t easy for me.
You know I’m still kinda new to this stuff.

You have a great tendency to make up for lost time.
Where were you “praying”?

Hey, if you’re not gonna believe me then go take a flying –

Okay, okay, chill.  …so…where were you?

I kinda found this place not far from where I live.
You know where those trees are?

You went there at night?!?!? 
I’d be scared to go there in the daytime!

It’s not so bad.  Anyway, I found a place where
you can’t see any buildings, can’t hear any traffic…

Oh, great.  This week on CSI:  The Serenity Harper Case.

Shut up!  It’s not like that.  It’s…nice.
Quiet.  Gives me a chance to think.

Okay, now I know I’m trippin’.  Did you just say “think”?

Yeah, I know.  Freaks me out, too.
So anyhoo, I go there when I’ve got
stuff on my mind, stuff that’s bugging me.

What kinda stuff?   Derek stuff?

Sometimes…but not as often as you think…
…at least, not recently.  Nah, mostly I’ve been thinking
about the past, about how stupid I’ve acted.

Testify.

Yeah, tell me about it.  But ya wanna know what’s scarier?
I’m starting to think about the future, about how I don’t wanna
act stupid again…only I’m afraid I don’t know how not to.

Hey, we all feel like that.  Anybody who isn’t afraid they’ll screw up
is too dumb to know they’ve already screwed up.

That woulda been me a few months back.  Thanx.

Hey, you’re getting better!

I dunno.  Anyway, I went out to this spot
where I like to think and pray and, I dunno,
just lost track of time.  I got to talking to God
and wondering if there would be any answer
and they I realized just how calm and quiet
and peaceful everything was…

Serene?

Huh?

Never mind.  Go on.

So anyhoo, it kinda finally sunk in on me that maybe this was my answer:
  Not to worry, just have faith and let everything be.
  And I started feeling rilly happy, like maybe this
is gonna be the year I turned everything around.
  And I went home and I was feeling rilly good…
…but mom was there and she was p.o.ed to the max
and she said she got worried sick and where was I
and she wanted to smell my breath to see
if I had been partying and I told her
to go have fun with herself –

You didn’t!

I did — but wait, it gets better:
  She told me to go have fun with myself
and we yelled some more and then we went
to our rooms and we slammed our doors
and neither of us came out until noon.

Oh Christmas?!?!?

On Christmas.
  And things have been kinda tense since then.

No duh!

New Year’s I thought I’d make up peace offering, stay home with her –

Yeah, we missed you.

I missed you, too.  But mom made other plans
and didn’t tell me and she didn’t come home until 3 a.m.
and when she did, she was baked.

Geeze…

Yeah.

What did you say?  What did you do?

What could I do?  I’m not her mom, she’s supposed to be mine!
  But…I kinda got to thinking about all the crappy ways I’d treated her,
how I made her worry…made her sick with worry…geeze,
ya see what I mean about thinking’ over how stupid I’ve been?

So what now?

I dunno what now.  Maybe…maybe that’s what
I was supposed to have figured out in the woods,
to just be at peace and let everything happen.
  That’s all I can do.

Word.

Back here, Serenity.

Wow!  This place looks so…so…empty!

I’m cleaning it out for the new year.
Had a lot of distractions over the last several months.
Decided to just clean decks and move forward.

Does that mean more stories about me?

You betcha.

Great!  I was getting kinda bored sitting there in the back of your mind.
No offense, Mr. D, but it’s kinda nerdy.  All you seem interested in is religion and comics and sci-fi and stuff.

Hey, now, I’ve been working on two upcoming YA books.
You’ll be seeing a lot more about them this year, too.

What about the rest of my crew?  Derek?

Still on deck.  Ditto Sally, Lori, Eddie, Tim, Kimberly –

=bleagh=

She loves you, too, Serenity.

We gonna be doing any fun stuff?

Sure will.  I’m picking up your story where vol. 10 of
the graphic novels left off, with summer break just about to begin.

Cool!  Say, remember that skiing accident I had in vol. 3 where
I broke my leg and was confined to bed for most of vol. 4?

Yeah.

Could you arrange for something similar to happen to Kimberly this summer?

Serenity…

Okay, okay, don’t get so grouchy!

Relax, you’re going to have plenty of time and
plenty of opportunities to interact with Derek.

Un-huh.  Uh, when you say “interact” –

I mean “interact”.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, Serenity.
Everything will unfold as it should.

That’s easy for you to say — you know what’s in store for me!

True, but I get the same questions about my future that you do.  I know God knows what is before me, and that if I have faith in Him everything will work out, but there are times when I don’t see how it can possibly work out, or even if I’m on the right path.  Those are the times when we have to rely more on our faith, even though our doubts work against us.

Right, Serenity?

Serenity…?

Huh?  Oh, sorry.  Your dialog was too long so I didn’t read it.

Thanx for the reminder.  I’ll try to keep it brief from now on.

So, we’re done here?

For today.  See you again real soon, Serenity.

C-ya / C-ren

This was a delight to find!  A big thanx to charmxmay!