Our feature Presentation Vol. 5 (Patreon)

What was supposed to be a fun night ended up being one of work. Investigation and research. It couldn't have been any other way after what transpires though. Not every night 82 people disappear into thin air without a trace. 

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3

4]

Truly without a trace. After Vero and Iggy examined the place they couldn't find any evidence of anyone having been there. 

After interviewing one of the workers of the theater they found out that that screen was rented for a private event and was not operated by anyone from the theater. According to him, only three tickets were bought for that screening. There is reason to believe that the security exit door was opened. The theater was old and outdated so there were no security cameras in the room and by the time we got to the projector room there was no one there and the reels were gone.

The room was perfectly clean, other than the trace that Nicole and Ian left behind them as they tried to run away. A short chase.

It didn't take long before they would find themselves back in their seats in the middle of a sea of masks, surrounded by eerie implications, and under the pressure of the phantom who with spectral silence demanded the same from them. To sit down in silence, as the movie played.

Nicole: “... By the last stretch of the movie I felt this intensity in the air that surrounded us. I felt like we couldn't move, and by the end I was having trouble breathing. Few times I've seen an entity with such strength to manifest in the physical world. And that's the weird thing. Suddenly it just stopped…”

Ian: “it still took us a few moments to realize it after it happened. She was gone. Everyone was. The movie was over, the credits were rolling, we could move and the theater was empty. Or almost…”

“We stood up and walked slowly to the door, silently to not anger the spirit once again. Once out we immediately called Iggy and Vero.”

While Nicole and Ian rushed to do some research on what they had just gone through, the other two investigators checked the place. Found no evidence of anyone other than their friends having been there.

Nicole: “It makes sense… Now… I mean, I can't really be sure of what happened, but the more we’ve been finding out the more sense it makes. First, there's the story behind the movie [...] And then, there's the Cuarto Ojos.”

The Fourth divinity movement, better known as the Fourth Eye or El Cuarto Ojo due to their iconography, was a little known religious cult that operated during centuries under complete secrecy. Famous in the world of the occult for the mask they used during their ceremonies to present themselves as a uniform entity while they worshipped an ancient being that promised them the power to defeat death. 

Most of what is publicly known about comes from one of its biggest branches which, during the second part of the XXth century, broke the secrecy veil in an attempt to go mainstream. They settled on a building they called The Institute, in the middle of nowhere. So away from anything that it took days for the authorities to find out after it happened.

Few if any people were close enough to the place to warn the fire department, and there was no attempt from the people inside the building either. Doors unlocked, no signs of struggle or any attempt to escape. Many of the people informed on the topic believe that everyone inside and out was already dead by the time the fire was provoked. Others just hope that is the case.

Most of the documents were burnt. One of the very few places the fire didn't seem to touch was a small editing room in the basements of the building. Believed to be part of the charm offensive as they were seemingly in the production of films that could work as propaganda for their movement.

Ian: “One of the ideas around the whole urban legends of the movie of course is that Rizzo ended up joining a cult. One of many of course but by now it seems obvious. They wanted someone to make movies for them, and he wanted… Well, they surely promised to bring Herin back for him. And maybe they did… somehow, and now, together yet again, they keep going around showing their movie whenever they can to however many people they can, no matter if it's to crowds of hundreds or two. And it will always be crowded.

Nicole: “As far as I know, no one comes back, not really, not the same… Sometimes people stay, either them, or their memories or feelings, or even though the memories the earth itself has of them. Whatever it was, they clearly found her. If you ask me I think she really put her soul into her acting. That's why he stole the reels. Because that's where they found her. 

And I know he put his soul into directing as well, because at the last moment, after they had their premiere, right before me and Ian walked out the room. I saw them. They showed their true self.

‘That’s what it was all about. At the end of the day she just wanted their movie to be seen” 

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Our Feature Presentation.

Or. 

The Premiere, or the Diva, Or at the movies.

I'm figuring out a possible new title for when I make this thing public. Not because I don't like the current title but it kind of feels like too many words. And long ones too. 

Kinda like last year's story went from Operation: Fidelio to the Host. That's why I kind of like The Diva, naming the story after how they'll be classifying the week's monster. I think that's the nickname they are giving her.

And there you go, that's the story more or less for now. I promised myself I wouldn't be doing this until November this time and that's a good thing, because I can take some time to make some side quests for the other whisperers that weren't featured as much in this story. 

Fun fact, The Doll was very close to being a character here in a very early draft for this story that was a bit more action heavy. But that didn't really add that much to the story, besides it would have added at least another 6 pictures to the thing and it would have made my life harder as, I got to admit, I'm dreaming of seats now. I've drawn so many. Lmao.

But if you don't lose a bit of sanity while you're making it, is it really art?

Anyway, the next long story might be about the Doll or something. Tough I don't necessarily know when that'll be, I don't wanna start planning to much and risking making god chuckle but by complete accident with this, the Christmas things last year, the attempt at a pitch and the vampires this has been a very Whisperers focused year and I'm thinking it'll be funny to switch thing up and make a TWDC Halloween comic or something, even if it is for next year. Got a couple ideas already though I have decided nothing yet.

And we'll, here it is! It took a bit longer than I originally wanted but still on time. While writing this I stumbled on this new format idea that sort of combines with the story I wrote for the very first picture from this project of having the events being told by the characters, like if it was a periodistic work. I took the idea from a book I read in Highschool titled in Spanish “Chronic of an announced death” Crónica de una muerte anunciada by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, though to be honest I haven't read it again since then and it seems I lost it so I'm mainly working from memory here. But I do remember making a note of the format back then.

Here I haven't done that, but I'm tempted to have Ignacio being the one doing the narrating as I like the idea of him, being the team's photographer, also being the official chronist of their adventures. I have mentioned that most of the Whisperers met in college and I think Iggy's career might have been periodism.

About the pictures:

Inspecting the theater.

This picture replaces a sketch from my first attempt at this concept years ago of the characters inspecting the theater after the events of this story happened. 

I wanted a more dramatic angle for this and besides making more emphasis on the other whisperers that are, otherwise, sadly absent from this story, I also wanted to have Nicole and Ian absent to make a bit of a mystery of their fate. In a revised version this might become the very first picture of the story.

The Diva

The spectre of Guaditta Herin forces Nicole and Ian. To watch her movie.

Originally it was going to be a reference to the painting Hypnosis by Sacha Schneider with Herin pointing with projectors in her eyes to the seats of Nicole and Ian, inviting them to sit down once again. I couldn't figure out a composition I liked for that so I ran with the idea of her eyes being the projectors, with the actual projector behind her.

[Edited: Now there's two versions of this one because after posting it I noticed that I had switched the placing of Nicole and Ian by mistake. In the interest of transparency here's the original version]

The hand holding

This is one of the very last pictures I made because I didn't plan it originally but I felt I needed a sort of emotional money shot. You can tell it's recent because I made it in three long parts to take advantage of the new formatting trend on Bluesky and twitter.

I like the idea of Ian hoping to at least be holding hands with Nicole by the end of the night, but not like this.

Empty.

The movie ends and Nicole and Ian find themselves alone. There was no one else there from the beginning. 

I went with a simpler lighting and cooler colors because I really wanted this one to have a lighter feel to contrast with the “Spiritual pressure” the two of them were feeling just some seconds ago.

Cuarto Ojos

This picture was part of the previous batch but I feel it works better here.

The lamb

A photo of one of the cult leaders and some of their followers. I wanted a picture showing the opulence and the peak of the cult right before their terrible fall. 

Also I needed another picture of the cult to hide Rizzo in the background. In universe is a photo used for the cult theory about his fate but it's been deemed as not conclusive enough.

The institute.

The aftermath of the cult. This one was hard, I wasn't sure how to show a scene like this without getting too graphic. Not because it could offend someone but because I don't want to seem too edgy. Lol

So once again I took a journalistic approach, like a photo someone took of the place, from the outside. I also like the idea of making a version with the body as píxeles like if it were on a 90s news show in case the original gets Flagged later or something.

Just if there's someone curious, this was part of the original story as well, everyone was dead from the beginning. What a twist!. I did give a clue back then with the Kool Aid joke.

Ian's Theory.

This one was also fun to figure out because I wanted to illustrate Rizzo and Herin together at the cult but I didn't want it to be a real photo that gave all the answers to the Whisperers. So this one is more of an artistic recreation of what they think happened.

Which leads us to an even bigger mystery, who drew this? Who among the whisperers has the ability to draw? I actually haven't decided. But what do you think guys?

At the aisle.

Nic and Ian walk out of the theater, stopping for a moment when they see Rizzo and Herin. 

Fun fact there's two versions of this picture because I hadn't still decided if the ghost would disappear or just take out their masks as they watched the credits roll.

The last moment. 

Rizzo and Herin finally take a moment to watch their movie together.

One of the very first things I sketched, and I'm talking about months ago. But I finally finished it. Fun fact: there's also an alternative version of this because at first they were going to be wearing shades like if they were assisting a premiere. In the end I just liked the version without them better.

The morning

And this is how Nicole and Ian’s first date ends, with the second one begining. And who knows? Maybe this one will be better. 

They'll have some breakfast and it'll be awkward at first but I bet they'll be laughing by the end. They have gone through stuff like this before lol. And she said yes so NicolexIan is still on the table, shippers do your thing!! …Yeah right, just kidding lol

This one is a comic because I wanted it to work without any extra narration to feel more like a closer. 

It features my favorite time of the day, dawn, when the sky is already blue and the sun is out but the streets are still dark and the streetlights are still on. I think I like it because it's still very mysterious to me as I very rarely see it. That's too god-damned early for me.

And there you go, now I'll be working on that band's Halloween pic and the side quest. And I'll probably be opening commissions in the next couple of weeks. Who knows .Maybe some of those will be spooky commissions. I mean I don't know…

Happy Halloween!!