Homecoming - Episode 23
Added 2024-03-01 06:37:08 +0000 UTC“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side. Or you don't.”
― Stephen King, The Stand
Phew, okay. This is a long episode at 29 pages, but I had a lot of story to tell. We're nearly at 500 pages of Homecoming and close to the finale of Season 2!
I really, really can't wait to see your thoughts on this one. 😊
P.S. Oh, and I have new cover art!
Comments
💖 Oooh, yeah. That dude is an a-hole. But, hopefully, it shows the kind of ignorance Chris / Kris is also up against, even aside from her more immediate and life-threatening troubles.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-07 07:55:09 +0000 UTCElrod, thank you! Your sports references are always on point. 😄 1) Victor has certainly left an impression. It'd be a shame if we didn't see more of him.... 2) Yeah, the "bullshit" flag might be getting prepped as we speak. Ben's a detective, after all. Skepticism comes with the job. Unless, of course, there's more to the story... 3) Yep, the PI's report is a ticking time bomb. When and where it goes off could change everything.....
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-07 07:53:23 +0000 UTCThanks, Stacy! King has been a fav of mine for a long time. I think he mixes horror, pathos, and insight like few others.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-07 07:50:22 +0000 UTCThank you, Nina! Yeah, the last chapter was a bit... intense. 😅 I'm glad you liked this one and the mirror scene connected with you. It's true - sometimes we need to confront ourselves in the most literal way. I mean, I think we've all done it at some point, right? Bella is cunning but not omniscient. Although Kris is taking some pretty big risks right now....
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-07 07:48:16 +0000 UTCI'm glad you're happy about that, Maggie! Victor certainly showed himself to be a different kind of character than we first thought. Strong allies are hard to come by in Kris's world, so it'll be interesting to see what role he plays going forward. 😉
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-07 07:46:29 +0000 UTCThank you so much, Arya! Yeah, I wanted those images of Kris in the cold to reflect her isolation and determination. She is indeed beautiful, but it's a cold beauty right now. Victor has definitely made an impression! Whether he becomes an ally remains to be seen, but Kris could use someone in her corner right about now.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-07 07:45:16 +0000 UTCKris is indeed becoming her own person. But is she separate from Chris? They both seem to share memories, at least. Kayla is definitely a bridge Kris will have to cross when she comes to it - assuming it isn't burned. Right now, she's got a lot on her plate just dealing with Bella and her own freedom and Kayla's survival.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 22:19:06 +0000 UTCThank you, Robert. Yes, Kris's moral compass is still working after all she's been through. But you're right, her troubles with Bella are far from over. Not to mention Camilla, aka the Cunt! And what about Alan. Is he really on her side? I really enjoyed making Kris's expressions in this one as she sort of battled with herself. And I'm glad you liked the cover art!!! It was fun to make.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 22:17:31 +0000 UTC"The Cunt" told him he was coming - but what did she tell him to say??
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 10:03:46 +0000 UTCThey know it's not right... That it would make them complicit in Bella's evil.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 10:03:21 +0000 UTCYes, she seems to feel a deeper connection to Alan than to Kayla.
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 10:02:44 +0000 UTCThank you, Gemma! Victor certainly seems resourceful enough to help Kris. But then - he might expect her to be free to be his "go to" girl after that! More drama? ME!? 😉
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 09:01:07 +0000 UTCThank you! I actually quoted Stephen King once before on Episode 18 of Homecoming. 😊 Yes, Kris knows in her heart that Victor isn't worthy of punishment and has decided to look for someone else. But how much time does she really have?
Emory Ahlberg
2024-03-06 08:58:25 +0000 UTCI forgot to mention your sneaky composition on page #3...Lol!
findesiecle
2024-03-06 04:31:26 +0000 UTCCover --> "Max Payne" and "The Ring" vibes... Page #9. Amazing. From the perfect reflection in the mirror to her "derriere dimples"...Wow! Page #22...Kris sits like a proper lady now...
findesiecle
2024-03-05 03:20:57 +0000 UTCOh, and one thing that's bugged me from early on - camera-guy really pisses me off! Referring to a human as "it"? Really? What a festering pile of donkey excrement! If any of the characters deserve "the treatment", it's that bigoted poor excuse for an idiot's stand-in, that repulsive stain on humanity! Chris/Kris is human, with all the entitlement to being treated with dignity as any of us!
Elrod W
2024-03-03 17:18:24 +0000 UTCVery interesting. 1) I don't think we've seen the last of Victor. 2) after hearing Cindy's BS story, and seeing Kris/Chris appear to be trying to rekindle a relationship with Kayla, and with Alan saying "I know why you're here", I somehow think Ben is going to throw the "Bullshit" flag on this one. (10-yard penalty, loss of down!) 3) We have "camera guy' and his report - when does that get to Ben? What does Ben do with it? Here I thought you were going to tie up at least one loose end, but you've opened Pandora's Box a little wider with 2 more! (Not that I'm objecting - I really like this tale you're weaving!)
Elrod W
2024-03-02 18:22:43 +0000 UTCOMG now u r even quoting my fav author as well....I luv u even more :-) x
stacy C
2024-03-02 10:47:13 +0000 UTCnow this is interesting! i feel like i couldn’t comment really on the last home coming cause it was real lewd 🫣 i did like this chapter those the breaking down of kris’ character with the mirror scene. i feel like talking to yourself in the mirror truly is a moment of breakdown. you know there’s gonna be no response but you still do it and create an argument. i honestly thought kris was going to give up that man. i’m also surprised bella doesn’t have sensors or something for when that gun is fired because i doubt those tranquilizers are cheap. plus if detectives were watching kris i half expected bella to be. either way im super stoked to see where this story goes!!! great work emory!!
Nina
2024-03-02 09:43:15 +0000 UTCjesus christ
Alyson Greaves
2024-03-01 18:51:24 +0000 UTCI'm so happy she saved Victor ❣️❣️❣️Victor pog... more of him please, he looks like a strong ally...
Maggie Heels
2024-03-01 15:41:46 +0000 UTCI love the new cover... it's as haunting as the story! In the two images of Kris walking through the cold streets, she looks beautiful, really beautiful. As always the story never stops growing. Many open fronts, new surprises (Alan's fiancée!?) and very interesting bits of information (different agendas of the kidnapped boys...). I think Victor will be a very interesting and powerful ally in the future, I don't think he will be a fleeting appearance in the story.
ckarya
2024-03-01 12:49:30 +0000 UTCI also think that when Kris opens the mirror dialogue with her alter ego, she already knows that nothing is going to come back and that Chris has ceased to be to all intents and purposes. She’s now her own woman and, whatever comes her way, she’ll face it as a woman. How that will affect her relationship with Kayla, such as it may be, remains to be seen.
Robertlouis
2024-03-01 12:33:09 +0000 UTCThe Ben/Alan part really gave me a WTF moment, which stirs the plot even further. Meanwhile Kris seems to have abandoned Chris altogether, although I’m not entirely sure about that. And while Kris has done the morally right thing by Victor, it hasn’t resolved her problem with Bella. Everything is still wide open. As Kris herself said, some fights are lost before they even begin. Terrific art as always, Emory, with everything in Kris’s expressions. And the cover art is spectacular.
Robertlouis
2024-03-01 12:20:45 +0000 UTCAlan already knew why Ben arrived at house. Interesting.
Tiki D
2024-03-01 09:58:59 +0000 UTCThe Chris part of Kris really is hestanting about capturing Victor.
Tiki D
2024-03-01 09:53:34 +0000 UTCThis was interesting twist towards the end. About Kris going back to Alan instead of Kayla.
Tiki D
2024-03-01 09:50:13 +0000 UTCLOVE the cover art! Can’t wait to read when I get home :)
Alyson Greaves
2024-03-01 08:55:21 +0000 UTCHmm, looking for a fairytale outcome to begin next chapter and for Kris’s sleeping beauty to awake and become her knight in shining armour. Which direction will you take this story Emory. Maybe more drama I suspect to keep us all on edge before the tide changes?
Gemma
2024-03-01 07:28:24 +0000 UTCStephen King is right, my muse. I'm not sure since I started following you on Patreon if you ever quoted a great author like King, which is one of my favorite authors. My own fictional characters, Summer Chastity Crowe©™ (née Sylvester Charlton Crowe©™) is in her own blue and lonely section of Clinic 12 as is her mother Dr. Delilah Crowe©™ who awaits her return. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing my characters into your Xuniverse. Like Kris...who seems to have passed her moral test...they face a choice, especially Delilah and in her case it won't be a tranquilizer dart gun she is holding. At least not the only thing she is holding.
Alex From the Tri-Cities
2024-03-01 07:07:25 +0000 UTC
