Why A Sudden Change in Outlook? - Nicholas O'Gorman

Greetings everyone,

So my choice for the week was prompted by an experience I had a couple of weeks ago. When raking my brain searching for the topic, it continually popped up as a possibility, and one that, given the general internal nature of the topic, would be an interesting exercise in storytelling.

I have been known to be unabashedly opinionated on a great many things; many may describe this as a detriment. Others may call me passionate. Either way, a lot of the opinions I hold have been cemented and I view them as fairly monolithic and unchanging. Not merely inflexible in the sense that I am stuck in my ways, but unchanging as they had been exhaustively prodded, picked at and tempered through research, discussion and reflection.

A couple of months ago, one of the monoliths plummeted to earth, and shattered. It was so sudden I couldn’t tell you where the disaster started, if there were cracks on the outside or a weakness at its base: I can only say that in one instant the monolith was standing among dozens of it’s brethren, and the next, it was not. At either side of this phenomena, I remain physically unchanged, but the difference between the me post and prior to the temporal instant may as well be different people, or species. I had had a sudden change in outlook.
As always, if you'd like to contribute your own scripts, please feel free to do so in the comments below.  We promise we won't change our minds on that policy.

Mirror Universe - One Way Reunion - Nicholas O'Gorman

PANEL 1: Establishing shot of a bedroom, clothes lying wanton here-and-there. On the bed a hetero sexual pair (ALISON and SEBASTIAN) in the heat of it and reaching climax.

PANEL 2: Done the deed, they collapse in exhaustion, lazily caressing each other.

SEBASTIAN:
Wow, we’ve never been in sync like that before!

PANEL 3: Close up of Alison, looking quizzically.

ALISON:

We.. b-before?

PANEL 4: FLASH BACK: Alternate Universe ALISON and the self-same SEBASTIAN. They are sitting in an intimate restaurant, but there is miles of emotional distance separating the pair: SEBASTIAN is obviously being dumped.

CAP:
BEFORE.

PANEL 5: FLASHBACK [CONT.] SEBASTIAN is left alone and distraught at the restaurant table, collapsing in on himself. A bottle of wine sits on the table, fully drank, with a second bottle in SEBASTIAN's hand.

CAP:
BEFORE.

PANEL 6: FLASHBACK [CONT.] ALISON’S wedding, SEBASTIAN watching the newlyweds leave the church to much fanfare, but he across the street is sitting in his car, idling, and obviously crushed. A torn up or crumpled invitation (PLUS 1 visible on the invite if possible) and a gun is on the dashboard.

CAP:
BEFORE.

PANEL 7: FLASHBACK [CONT.] SEBASTIAN is in a top level security military compound. Around the room are dead military men and women, he is standing on a teleporter of sorts, and energy encases him as he teleports to another dimension. On the terminal screen we see a different dimensional earth is selected, amid a host of other different dimensional earth options.

CAP:
BEFORE.

PANEL 8: We have a close up of SEBASTIAN.

SEBASTIAN V.O.:
(1): ‘BEFORE’…
(2): The word turns to bitter in my mouth realizing I have fucked up this relationship…
(3): Again.

PANEL 9: Extradimensional law enforcers burst into the room, detaining SEBASTIAN, ALISON covers her body under the covers and looks truly mortified.

Nicholas O'Gorman - Writer-in-Residence

After a longer than intended hiatus, I am eager to announce that our Writer-in-Residence program is back into the swing of things.  And I am thrilled to announce our next guest as the talented Nicholas O'Gorman.

Eagle-eyed readers will recognize his name as the gentleman who put together the snazzy new Thought Balloons logo, but it's worth noting that Nick is far more than an ace graphic designer.  Indeed, he's an ace most everything when it comes to comics.

I've known Nick for a few years now and one thing that I've always been impressed by is his hustle.  The man is a machine who lives and breathes comics.  He's constantly working at his craft, looking for ways to improve and challenge himself.  If it has to do with the medium, he not only knows how to do it, he knows how to do it well.

With more than a few publishing credits to his name (that link is only a small portion of what he's done), I'm always happy to grab a drink with Nick to hear what he's been working on next, because he's also something of a fountain of ideas.

I'm delighted that Nick has found some time to join us for the next two weeks.  I look forward to seeing what he comes up with.

You should check out more of Nick's art over at his DeviantArt, as well as his words over at .  Please join me in welcoming him aboard.