The initial fight concept holds the feeling of Gold, the loss of it, and the transition to Was.
From the writer’s notes
okay, so that fight… start of S8… after waking up with the note… Specs flies out into space to do some more solo training, early morning, so most are still sleeping… but he feels good, he woke up happy.
After a while, Guy shows up “Got your note.” He flies up to Specs and smacks his butt and grins “Wondered if you’re a day drinker or thought maybe I could tempt ya” Specs smiles so huge that he’s overtaken by a glowing Gold light… surrounding him, and humming a hum… as the Gold takes form, unlike nromal, from toe up (rather than crown down) it leaves someone familiar, but… younger.. same eyes, but sharper, same face, but younger… same hands, but on a body much more… less… the form is strong, not all muscle mind you, just as if the body that was there before went back a few years and just lifted some weights or, as it appears, played football… as the slide shimmer reaches the elbows, a Skeets construct appears (it’s not covered here, but GB doesn’t get a Ring, he gets armor and Skeets, the armor has Booster Golds powers which is really just pew pew and pow pow punch, and Skeets fills the role or Ring as computer/comms/etc). Guy recognizes the overall inspiration, he’s buddies with Booster Gold… “Competition?” Guy asks amused, “no, not at all he giggles” “Then what’s the deal?” Guy asks, boucning his finger in the air up and down, gestugin to the Gold. “If you mean the look… I guess…”stolen lines”… he chuckles at his personal joke before returning eye lock with Guy I guess you could call it Boosted Gold” he says smiling, unable to stop smiling… as he feels happiness running through him, he begins to float towards Guy, intending to see what “it’s” like in zero-g… but they don’t notice that the odd hum, the Gold hum, the hum that can somehow be heard in space, has drawn something near by. Guy and Gold begin to fight it off. Boosted Gold tries to focus on the fight, but he still feels overrun with happy… its’ distracting… and Gold is new…so these powers don’t work the same… but they’re powerful… after a while, GB builds it up and lets it out and it poofs the thing (another sound entity it seems, drawn to the hum of Gold but poof’d by it’s power in mass - I wonder what sound it was) That blast was so strong that even after Poof it kept going, hitting a floating asteroid who’s pieces fly at Guy, who’s already (apparantly) dead… BG flies over so fast it leaves a gold streak, one for am oment you could mistake as a solid gold bar/cord that connected where he was to where he is now: next to Guy “Miracle.Miracle.Miracle” he says it over and over as he lays his hands on Guy “C’MON!!!!” but nothing… but a long exhale, and the crumble… then, once the crumble is gone the Blue from whomever (at this point, it could be Walker or Razer, doesn’t matter… point is found and healed and GB sank to Was . This also makes Grundy’s first sight of this moment in the Grey a moment of Joy (when GB happen).. then the fast forward to Was, so GrundyWas can inherit that Gold. (but that part comes later).
How’s that working?
From the writer’s notes
Also, whatever Gold did was on key 😉 Gold makes sound, the Sound of Joy (maybe it’s a note, maybe it’s a chord, like the entitites… but whaever it is, it was on key when it dealt with… whatever…
at some point: “Do you think you could try Boosted Gold again?” “No… I don’t think I’ll be sliding into that one again anytime soon” this may be a convo in JLDS run.
From the writer’s notes
well, it’s also some self doubt at that point… he genuinely is unsure what or how Gold works… he doesn’t know it was Joy, he didn’t have time to try it out, train, test like he did the other hues… he just knows that after Gold comes Grey, cause that’s his experience.. for that matter, he doesn’t know what Grey is really about, he just knows his experience in it… his time, long to him, was short to the outside world, he was “safe” because of the favor deal with the man who would later take his place as Entity (Was is the only entity of the new hues, Gold is a hue for Specs, UV is a hue… but Grey, Was, is the Entity
Boosted Gold’s appearance and sound
The design combines the youthful football image with Booster Gold’s gear. The hum belongs to the armor.
From the writer’s notes
it’s the Gold armour, the gear… Specs doesn’t understand Gold, he doesn’t assocaite it - “JOY” will appear as a flash as BG appears so we can make a “oh, ti’s that” moment cause we have to… Booster Gold is a faker from the future with fancy future tech… the person isn’t making the sound, the armor is cause it’s fake… the visaul design of Boosted Gold: suddenly younger, suddenly more buff and less bear, suddenly in a weird (but works) blend of football (american to be clear) gear (the shoulders, the cut of the attire, the cleats/boots) and Booster Golds exact look.
The cocoon and the changed surroundings
The visual distinction begins with a glow that casts no light and changes when the cocoon lights the swamp. This is an earlier return-to-the-farm sequence, before the later shorter closing arrangement.
From the writer’s notes
The cocoon is also when either pressence starts inmpacing the enviroment… while Was was there, he has a kind of grey glow, the eye can see it, but it doesn’t cast light on things,, its there, but not there… so the Cocoon happening lights up the swamp… also, I like the idea that these mushrooms are not too far from the farm, cause Forager has been foraging them (and the simliar all around… visually, he didn’t touch the ring, “Even Forager knows now to mess with fairies… they tell grublings stories about them” (see: I need you to look into this, there’s a YJ ep where Forager interacts with another tribe and he calls the young ones something specific, can’t recall what). Boston leaves having no idea the person he just saw is not too far from him.
Blue/Specs back on the farm, that evening… Megan comes looking for Specs out back. Spectrum has had StarS de-conjure/grow the crystal hut and instead has built a treehous with an open roof… hearing Megan calling, he sticks his head out the pink looking crystal structure… “Made some changes?” Megan asks; Specs grins and shrugs “it gets a nice breeze” “okay… and where’d the tree come from?” Megan asks, not angry, but confused and nervous. “I grew it?” he asks, questioning himself as well “How?” “Green means grow?” “Dinner is ready. Forager foraged more mushrooms so we have a great risotto.” “Um, I’m not that hungry really, but thanks.. .I’ll just see you in the morning?” “Sure. if you change your mind, we’re here” “I know” he says with a smile and returns to his journal… he journals, and then pulls out the key that Canary gave him… he looks at in resting in his palm and then looks at the crystal made door to the tree hut and it flies to the door, a keyhole forming on approach, and instering itself as the door discollves to the door The Color of Magic, he sets the book down… as we see him approaching the door, we can read the last line “Canary gave me a key. Lets see where Fate leads.”
An earlier origin account
This early account develops the memories and Boston encounter. Its unexplained Blue departure was later developed as Adara answering the call of Hope.
From the writer’s notes
And the thing that’s important about Deadman when Was sees him: Deadman is a ghost, but instantly Was knows he’s not the same, ge can feel that Deadman can do more than he can (can’t posses people let alone be seen by them after) - he exist in a state that permits him to ask Was “who” when all that matters to Was is Deadman is a different kind of “what” and that means answers are missing and when answers are missing there’s questions to find and asking leads to those wings taking off and that blue entity taking form - like a fairy and the first laugh - the thing exist and the thing things about more of the thing just by being the thing). Also, to be clear, it’s some time before Deadman and Was meets. While those in the room saw gold dust crumble leaving nothing, Was hovered a few feet back, time slowed and senses muted as he wonders why his armor is over there - and then why it’s crumbling in his friend hands… and why he can’t be heard or speak or he’s so confused!!! But, doesn’t that make that spoken greeting to Deadman more powerful. As Was, he’s unspeaking (can’t be sure if he’s not able, nothing coming out, or if he’s really not even trying), he doesn’t move so much as just is but isn’t. Hes there watching his armor crumble in slow motion, then he’s watching a stone marker be etched with the sysnbilas of the spectrum, and no words, in super speed. Then in a locker room he was never brave enough to enter. Watching a first love kiss their first love and then at the same time, their last. Moments of connection made and broken or never made at all… empty but worse than a void, a families loop of all the things - until Boston Roadtrip (the end of issue teaser setup for the next issue lol “OMG!!! It’s gotta be Deadman, it’s gotta be!!”)
The wrapping is imagined as linen strips growing from the back of the waistband and enclosing him in a “mummy hug.”
From the writer’s notes
In Boston Roadtrip, Deadman sees Was vanishing white to blue, the Blue Lantern symbol quickly smoking in and out before him as Was vanishes. Boston (being a dolt) think this is Fate’s ankh and travels to see him (the obvious red herring is going to Boston when Boston is the one roadtripping to Fate). Meanwhile, Blue has woken up somewhere totally not familiar (even to me for now). Also, remember, Spectrum is connected but some colors are easier, so seeing Boston makes Was tap into what’s been turned off - like a reboot, which is why he defaults back to blue - hope springs eternal, is the thing with feather and so on.
Oh! Almost forgot: “nothing gold can stay” is what echoes on repeat as Boosted Gold becomes Was; it’s his own voice (keep in mind, while tone and performative nature may change between hues, overall voice doesn’t - just how geniuses it - Sin is especially sultry and very “head always tilting as he speaks with wire eye contact - there’s a reason he’s in yellow).
Gaze’s pockets have pocket dimensions - it’s how he carries all his shit. Blue carries a little more than Green (who back Ally had MacGyver standards), like Blue would have a mini first aid kit, Burt’s bees healing things and a usb back battery with flashlight, lighter, compas, and shit like that (keep in mind, along side the comic/story we’re building that real world (read: my world) gear and carry - cause I kind think I wanna be Sin for fun. Lol.
Literary play and pop culture references of his time (born in 81) are a big part of how Spectrum communicates and “reads” and “ interprets” the world.
When Boston meets Was, Boston smiles (cause he’s a nice guy, his “which hell are you” is him specific, not aggressive) but Was’ smile and statment turns almost into a laugh of hysterical amazement and wonder and HOPE - it’s overwhelming he starts to laugh before the vanish.
The related reference ideas are Tom Paris and the rock with googly eyes, both connected to being everywhere at once. His construct Ring still has the functions and restrictions associated with a Ring.
From the writer’s notes
got it… So: Boston meets Was, the who are you and lines and such, the white light after the bandages cocoon (that’s the word, its a cocoon of white light) “You Will Be… Ever” and THEN Blue and out… still rapid… but this puts those names in the unvierse.
And I forgot that the girl screams because she can see Boston once married…. that’s actually a great visual for that scene: The girl is looking through Boston (cause she don’t see dead people) at Specs (who’s looking at Boston and Orchid) and as Boston appears in front of her and Specs leaves her vision, behind her is the WHITE-flash and a cut to the note and Guy picking it up while someone, on their way over do Boston (cause Deadman suddely vviisble to everyone but he’s still Deadman is weird, even at this wedding) we get the planned ending for JLDS2
The Endless — visit and possibilities
The proposed visit carries associations with Death, Despair, and the other Endless. Possibilities in this account remain possibilities.
From the writer’s notes
Excellent… I think we’ll take a trip to meet them if we have a spare book that needs some filling… more accrualy, they come see Specs… Despair, Death, and Dream (I’m going to use the early seasons of the NEtflix series as my visual reference)… Death becomes girls’s come to say “I wanted to meet you again… you get into some weird shit, boy!” (she’s sassy)… Despair is really he brought them… she asked for company cayse, ya jnow, Despair… she walks up to Specs and looks into his eyes, moving her head around, searching for something… “I don’t know who he Was, but I can tell I’ll like him…she grins he’s my kind of people*… of course, this doesn’t make any sense in the 8 because Specs doesn’t know to pick up on his unknown to him name: Was (cause that comes later)… but Despair knows… And Dream knows Specs is having trouble in his realm… he “should have /spoken up/ and said something, asked for help… I’m a great guide of my own realm” This opens the door for future help when the dreams get even harder… at this time, in the 8, Specs is still learning… so even those Entity dreams he’s had has him worried… some more than others… With Dream’s help (and Death tagging along for amusment… and fascination with Specs - homegirl always knows more than she says… and Despair, with a look of anticipation every time something doesn’t work out in the Dreaming… a weird response for Despair to have to bad new…but, the more he notices it, looks at Despair closer, the more he feels like his looking in a mirror at himself… but the reflection isn’t his own… The Writer knows she’s seeing Was, that familiar feeling is Specs seeing Was in Despair’s eyes.
On your notes: The Radiant we’ll keep nearby (I don’t know if we’ll see them, but that sounds like it aligns with Gold and is perhaps who/what directed Grundy to stand in the Grey before the moment Was was born… and then pull that Gold onto Grundy… and then place him gently where a Miracle was needed.
I like Gabriel… I’ll use him, maybe not direclty… but we’ll use Blow Gabriel Blow from Anything Goes… either a red herring or we’ll find a place… which reminds me, scene fillers: be it in print/toon/film, I want it at least understood that Specs (as Specs) is a frequent Magic user… like the note, there’s lots of moments where he just does it… as said, it’s not super magic - he’s not tipping the scale with his day-to-day spellwork… but it is a natural tool for him… like a quote that says it better, or switching to Blue rather than finding a way to make InidKid tokenize something… Magic is, for Specs: an EmGo (see: EmoGo on youtube) - “it’s a thing you can do it you want to do it… second verse, same as the first” Not using it invokes the same thought as: Why Will it to break, you Poozer?!!!”
I LOVE the idea of Phantom Stranger… but I don’t know enough about him to really tap him… maybe if I can find where he overlaps I can make it work… but I like knowing he’s there… like, maybes that’s part of what Specs sees in the helm: the scrolling images of the voices in the choir… just, illusions of them, passing by as you stand and wonder who these people are… wonder and worry more about that human looking ones than the others… But, the Angel of Air is Raphael (big dude, six wings! See: I’m not sure, christain bible I guess… my magic books growin up listed him that way… Raph: big guy, six wings; Miachael: bigger guy, flaming sword; Gabriel, play that horn and call in the tide! And Uriel… just stand there like a rock … I guess ( my circle never found an Earth, so I never deep dived on elements not mine unless I had reason … most of the time learning is reason, but Angles I don’t know can fuck right off… MY Angel has a Digimon designed after him and that ’mon wields Excalibur, so I’ll stick with my Raph.
From the writer’s notes
I want to note as the writer that Death says “again” … but that’s because I feel like I remember Death’s thing being “I meet everyone twice: at their beginning and at their end”… but if I’m wrong, then that needs to drop… if that’s her thing (begining and end) then we leave it unquesitoned int he story (if you know Death, you know, if you don’t, you assume the panels were captioned via a smartphone and the again is somet kind of type.
From the writer’s notes
Despair was the one going, she asked Death and Dream to come along … because she’s Despair and it doesn’t take much to go from “I”m gonna do this” to “some other time, like … what was I doing”… so, in askgin for compionons, she’s more likely to make the move… She felt the Grey… she then could see Was in there , somewhere.
The “/spoken up/” is another italic nod to The Voice… but Dream knows that, that’s why he says it how he does.. it’s not a pose, it’s a shift in tone, almost Shatner/Kirk like in delivery.. “spken up” has a “tone” that Specs notices, but doesn’t understand.
Need something from across the room? - Accio (see Harry Potter)
Need a little wind? Omni Suminaro Suminaro Wa Wan (see Teen Witch movie)
Something is dark? “Why curse the dark when you can light a damn candle? Fiat Lux!”
Can solve an inconvenience with a two-second spell instead of walking around it?
Adara and the journal flashback
Adara hears the great call of Hope from a long-lost friend, or a friend about to be born. The blue figment is the lingering form of the bird; the cry overlaps “All will be well,” translated by The Voice.
The planned journal recollection is “I woke up at home.” The wording leaves the immediate departure in Adara’s hands and gives Specs a later way to recount what he remembers.
The joke rests on grow/go and on Specs’ continuing uncertainty. Megan gets both from the line. The later tree continues the exploration begun around Alan and Jade.
The later closing outline keeps the Endless’ visit short, with dinner being prepared, the goodbye, the journal, the key, and the door.
From the writer’s notes
We got Start: Pick up after fun night with guy, battle, go, … we see a sequence with Was… not long, but somehow we convey it goes on and on and on (at least for Was, maybe a simple quick run through of 3 years later, 9 years later, 20 years later each time in front of another memory, the same memory, the memory on loop… until Boston… then Blue… then The Endless come, they appear out back while the gang is hanging out while Megan and Connor are inside cooking… when they see The Endless, they come rushing out, especially as the one moves towards Specs… then we have The Endless scene… short, weird, done and gone… “I’ll see you guys later… Specs looks at Halo take care of my Bugg, Angel he looks at Forager and winks before heading to the tree hut, the sun setting as he walks”Dinner wil be ready in just a few” Megan tries to comfortingly call out as Specs heads to the other side of the house. Then we have the journal scene, the Megan and “Green means grow” and then the key and then the door and then onto JLDS1?
From the writer’s notes
Add to the Halo/Forager exchange: Specs turns back after a few steps, “Forager, do me a favor, no more mushrooms.” And then proceeds to the other side of the house.
Modify Megan’s delivery re: dinner to be “Forager foraged more mushrooms, so we have a great risotto she says proudly and then catching her pride and quickly corrects course to adjust for what Forager mentioned… but, there’s also meatloaf and vegan pizza, I wasn’t sure what you liked…” And then on as previously written.
The visual connection links the unmask to the new threshold.
From the writer’s notes
Yep, that’s it… AND BONUS: the final image, the door, the light, the silhouette on approach, and the light of the door shining on the journal… looks a lot like the cover of Umasked: the door, the walk, the light, the item (the mask)
From the writer’s notes
Yep, would be a fun side by side image, wouldn’t it? In my head: the S8 image has the door in the upper right… with journal on the bed in the lower left… it’s opposite with the mask/office scene… the mask is just a little more center because of the broken nature, so it ’s gap between pieces is what feels more center screen, but still off center (it’s just more center than full right is all I’m saying lol)
The title turns on the distinction between obtaining a resolution and finding the resolve to act.
From the writer’s notes
So, the end of Resolved is not the resolution, it’s the resolve to move forward and take a big step… leaving his new friends, solo again, into the unknown (so to speak… and summon another spectrum)
From the writer’s notes
In the journal “everyone keeps waiting for resolution to… whatever is going on… I’m not even sure there is one. But I’m damn sure gonna find out… Canary gave me a key. Let’s see where Fate leads.”
The role list and the experience of Is developed alongside the distinction between Specs/Was and Grundy/Was.
From the writer’s notes
- Ever - Entity of Life/the White, the Beginning & End - Was - Entity of Despair/the Grey, the Echo (not The Echo)/the Transition (Echo/Transition are interchangeable like Grey/Despair, they mean the same in that one is representation and the other is cause) - Is - the Unchanging - Will Be - Entity of Death/the Black, The Void (which would stand between Order and Chaos in that trio), the End & Beginning
From the writer’s notes
Was, as we established late last night or early this morning (perspective), is also a representation of that quartet spectrum… the twin to Is (the Now), lol I can imagine them fighting over who has it worse, the one who can move but but is surrounded by no moment/progress or Was locked in the Grey (as we’ve only seen it) seeing things moving but unable to find the strength or desire or need to move and just hovers, blinking around space/time seeing mostly their own life moments, the dark ones, which occasionally let good ones slip in ..
Everyday spell references
The ordinary-magic examples include Accio for something across the room, the Teen Witch wind spell, “Fiat Lux!” for a light, and IGRAM as another reference left in the notes.
Despair and the mushrooms — an earlier closing idea
This early closing concept places Despair beside the bowl of mushrooms. The journal and the visit were still being arranged at this point.
From the writer’s notes
so… Was>Boston> Blue (somewhere)… home? While Boston heads to Fate and he has that scene, Specs is writing in that journal for the first time because Black C said give it a go, so he’s writing down about Was… The Endless visit is short, no one knows them, and after a few moments of their lines, Dream polietly dsimisses themselves and says his eager to see him again (Death is always on the go); Despair: walks over to a bowl of mushrooms “I think I’ll stay nearby” and she grins as fade out (the bowl of mushrooms makes sense: Forager gift)
