I picked up the first issue of TechnoFreak today. Decent enough story premise and a good setup, nice art, but… they use a ‘cute’ narrative device which (imo) just distracts and annoys. There is nothing wrong with telling a fairly straightforward story, using exposition where you need it.
Needless breaking of the third wall to seem cute or edgey? Bleh.
I've finally got to take pictures of some of things I've worked on! Technofreak 2 by John Charles at Sunday Lunch Comics, I've done a small 6 page comic to go at the back, about Maurice the Technocat!
You can get a copy of the comic on their website here: https://www.sundaylunchcomics.com/shop-1?fbclid=IwAR26ioStaQnHb9sTA2ct94JQoT6FM6fzXBerzf274g3qrSosXsifXqYDOsQ
I wasn't able to get great photos but it's better than my usual photos :P
Summary: Korra is an american pureblood witch. Asami is the magical daughter of a muggle man who heads a technological empire, who now serves both the muggle and the wizarding world. When Hogwarts opens its doors to overseas foreign exchange students the two girls collide, just as the magically infused technology revolution comes to a boiling point in Europe.
She was getting packed up for holiday break, and conflicted as usual, it was not a pleasant task. Every year she wanted to stay with Bolin, and every year she was ultimately persuaded to spend christmas with her father despite no strong desire to.
“I don’t understand, who wouldn’t want to come to Hogwarts?”
Asami rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe that people were really shocked when there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of applications for the exchange program. It wasn’t necessarily the quality of the education so much as its exclusive nature. The recent war against witches and wizards of mixed heritage also didn’t help motivate newcomers either.
“Asami, Bolin is trying to climb up the ramp again,” Opal informed her.
Shaking her head, she left the dormitory and headed down to the common room.
“Bolin, you know that never works, you’d think you’d have given up by now,” Asami sighed.
Bolin panted, ignoring her offered hand, choosing to remain on the floor.
“I needed to get to you before you left,” he wheezed, “try to convince you to stay.”
Asami looked around, and not seeing too many people left but the usual stragglers, she laid down next to Bolin on the floor.
“You don’t need to convince me, I want to it’s just-“
“What? Crybaby daddy can’t bear to miss one christmas with his baby girl?”
“Exactly.”
“It’s not like you talk to each other about anything other than business, and I’ve seen the way he handles you, it’s like he’s afraid you’ll infect him with feelings,” Bolin did a wonderful impression of someone being taken over by an invisible monster.
Asami laughed, “I’m well aware of the boring, lonely holiday ahead of me, alright?”
“Alright, alright, is it so unreasonable for me to not want to be stuck here with my brooding loner brother and his creepy girlfriend?”
Asami glanced over at Bolin, and seeing her face he apologized, “I’m sorry, too soon?”
“No, not that…I just—wait doesn’t she usually go home for the holidays? Her and her brother live in some pureblood mansion, don’t they?”
“Yeah, but I heard that their cousin is one of the only applicants so far and so she’s coming over near the end of the break. They hate her so much they don’t want to risk seeing her outside of school, so they’re willing to miss christmas.”
“You mean their whole family isn’t held up somewhere in a castle?”
“Nope, guess they’ve got family overseas in America, the way I hear it, there’s a rumor going around now that they’re not really from London at all.”
“I bet they’re loving that.”
Asami snuck a sidelong look at Bolin and they both lost it. The idea of Eska and Desna walking around having people who were usually afraid of them trading whispered rumors and gossip about them behind their backs was too good. They certainly deserved it.
“Okay, I’m going to finish packing, Bolin. My crybaby father needs me,” Asami patted him on the knee and pushed herself to her feet.
“Ugh, fine, go and abandon me will you,” he grumbled.
“Oh you’ll be fine.”
“No I won’t!”
———
“Korra, please be kind to your Uncle, it is very generous of him to let you stay a day or two before school starts,” Senna pleaded.
“Okay Mom, I’ll do my best,” Korra assured her.
Korra followed her Dad out the backdoor in the kitchen, lugging her duffel over one shoulder. The garden shed in the far back corner was where they kept their floo portal. Naga ran outside with them, prancing and barking, expecting it to be playtime. Before she went into the shed, Korra knelt down and gave her puppy a hug.
“I’m sorry girl, I’m gonna be gone for a while. They have something against dogs I think because I can’t take you with me. You know I would if I could,” Korra told her, rubbing Naga’s ears.
Naga whined at her when she stood up, but did not follow. Korra went with her Dad into the garden shed and shut the door behind them. The portal was a metal frame similar to an empty door frame. When the switch was flipped, a green glow pulsated in the center of the frame, eventually filling it.
“Alright, I’ve hooked it up to the embassy, your mom called ahead so they know we’re coming,” Tonraq said.
Korra nodded, and stepped through. Adults would always try and tell her that she’d get used to it after a while, but so far she hadn’t. Maybe if she was one of those witches who had to commute to the city every day using a series of cheap public flop portals it would get easier. The feeling of walking through a door into an entirely different building, in a far off city never got easier.
The British Embassy was surprisingly modern. It appeared much like any other public office building in the states: ostentatious and well lit. The floo portal room was small, about the size of a single occupant public restroom. It had dark wood floors that were clean and shiny, and walls a formal charcoal grey. In the left corner was a door that matched the floors, and on the right was an armchair and a side table. The table held a bowl of floo candy, meant to help settle one’s tummy. Korra gladly took two and popped them into her mouth and sat down in the armchair.
Her Dad appeared next. He glanced briefly at the candies and made a ‘huh’ sort of expression before opening the door. Korra groaned, standing up and following him out. The room that appeared before them must have been the lobby, being large and bright, with marble flooring.
From a hallway off to their right in a far corner appeared a tall woman smartly dressed in a pencil skirt and a pressed white blouse. Her skin was much darker than Korra’s and contrasted pleasantly against her shirt. She had a wonderful smile that lit up the room, and had a way about her that made you instantly smitten.
“Tonraq, Korra, glad you made it!”
Korra offered a smile, and her Dad put out his hand to shake hers.
“Mrs. Pepperidge, thank you for having us.”
“Of course, we’re happy to have you, and please call me Nola,” she replied, shaking Tonraq’s hand.
Her Dad nodded, “Nola, then.”
“Alright, your brother has informed me several times that he is quite the punctual person,” Nola said, repressing an open laugh with a telling grin, “so unfortunately we have little time to get to know each other. How about I show you to our extended range floo?”
“That sounds like Unalaq, I apologize for his behavior, ma’am,” Tonraq sighed, “Yes, thank you. I’m sure Korra is anxious to get going.”
Nola shook hands with Korra also, and as they she led them through the embassy she chatted amiably with her. Every word out of her mouth had a relaxing quality to it, such that by the time Korra had to go through another flop she wasn’t terribly bothered by the idea.
“Alright, Korra, just a forewarning, back home we haven’t fully updated our flop network yet, so you’ll be coming out in a fireplace in your Uncle’s home,” Nola explained, “it can be jarring, and a bit messy.”
Korra groaned, “Honestly, how do you function?”
“I’ve no idea, dear, but I hope that this program will encourage some change.”
“Maybe…” Korra muttered.
She was starting to worry about how she would make a good impression now. She was hearing a lot of things about how good it was for international relations that she was going. But did that mean if she did the wrong thing she was creating a bad image for her country?
“Okay Dad, I’ll call or write I guess, whenever I get the chance,” Korra set down her duffel so she could give her dad a hug.
“Probably write, I don’t think they’ve let phones in yet,” Tonraq chuckled.
Korra sighed and rolled her eyes, “Ok, Dad, I love you.”
Korra picked up her duffel and walked through the portal.
Somehow even more disorienting then the normal floo portals, when she landed Korra nearly threw up. In fact, she was certain she’d vomit if she tried to move so she stayed on her hands and knees.
“Korra?”
She knew that voice, it was definitely her uncle. Even after several years she couldn’t forget the aristocratic tinge to his accent.
“Sorry Uncle, scared I’m gonna puke if I move,” Korra apologized.
Unalaq laughed, “It’s quite alright, I’ve heard that the American floo network is a bit gentler.”
She didn’t hear him leave and come back ut a minute later there was a small glass b wing set on the floor in front of her. Inside it was a mint green juice.
“It’s a stomach soothing potion, it’ll help with the nausea and the spinning,” Unalaq explained.
Korra force herself to pick up the glass and drink its contents. After she had she was glad for it, soon being able to stand on her own. Her uncles was seated in an armchair that was pushed against the wall to her right.
“Ah, there we are, feeling better?”
“Much better, thank you,” Korra replied.
This was the first time in quite a while that she’d gotten to see her Uncle. He had aged well and was dressed in pressed slacks, a sweater vest, and a tailored blue robe. He stood up and went to open the door to the floo room.
“Now let’s get you settled in.”
——
Asami poked her head out the door to her bedroom, peering down the hall in either direction. Emptiness, no sound or sight of any living thing other than herself. She sighed. As per usual she was going to have to track her father down and remind him at the last minute that they needed to get going. He was always punctual for everything that had nothing to do with her.
With a flick of her wrist she shrunk her suitcases to easily fit into her purse, and Asami was ready to find her father. Knowing him he was probably in his office, having a meeting with one of his many partners and executives. She was right, of course, finding him pacing in front of the screen on the wall. Three faces were on the monitor, division managers it looked like.
“Dad, it’s time to go,” Asami interjected.
Hiroshi whirled around, “Asami, what have I told you about interrupting my meetings?”
“I don’t care what you told me,” Asami stated, arms crossed, “I rarely ask you to say or do anything that might remind you that you’re my Dad, so suck it up and let’s get going. I don’t want to be late.”
Hiroshi dismissed the conference call that had been going on behind him. The expression on his face was torn between indignation and pride, and with a sinking feeling of self-loathing she realized she’d reminded him yet again of his younger self.
“You keep talking like that, you’ll have no problem running my company one day,” Hiroshi nodded, “Yes, you need to get to the train, correct? We’ll go the muggle way.”
Watching him pass her, Asami slouched under the weight of his expectations. Despite her strategic attempts to avoid conversation on the way to the train station, she found herself roped in anyways. Politics and social reform were topics Asami was adept at traversing, and frequently she enjoyed them…and in this instance they gave her an outlet for her pent up frustrations.
When they arrived at the station Asami got out first, glad to see there were only a few paparazzi out that day. One of them held a video camera this time, which was beyond a little irritating. Hiroshi stepped out after her, taking her by the arm to lead her into the station.
The chatter from the reporters, along with the flashing of their cameras created the same dull buzzing and clicking noises Asami was used to. But that day a single voice rang out above the crowd and demanded that her father answer them.
“Hiroshi Sato sold his soul to the devil, he uses witchcraft to fuel his designs!”
———
“Do you have an answer to that, Mr. Sato?”
“If I had a soul, I wouldn’t sell it to anyone.”
“He has been feeding you all lies! He’s a monster, his company is selling you products made with black magic!”
Korra was only paying half attention to the news, mainly trying to eat as much as she could before they had to head out the door. The day had finally come for her to start at Hogwarts, the first day of the new term. Ever since she’d heard all of the rumors and information about what was going on in current events, she’d started watching the major wizarding news outlets.
Her Uncle didn’t have a television, or a computer, but she’d stashed her laptop into her duffel in the off chance it could still work at Hogwarts. Just as she was stuffing the last bite of rice into her mouth, there was the sound of a gunshot from the live broadcast.
“Protego!”
Korra dropped her bowl, eyes fixed to the screen. The girl in the video had stepped in front of the man she was with, wand raised. She had put up a shield in front of them both to stop the bullet, when she released the shield the bullet dropped to the ground. There was silence on the video and suddenly the broadcast ended.
