Working on a short sequence about tracking and counter-tracking...

R E K's posts Post Back to profile

R E K

Working on a short sequence about tracking and counter-tracking :>... this is a WIP, page 2 of 5.

Context: from a comic following a group of monkeywrenchers.

Project page:
https://kokorobot.ca/site/tracking.html

WIP of a comic page showing how to track.
First panel: Walk a straight line of tracks fo 10-15 m and circle back to where you started
2nd: Now take your stick and lay it next to the first track.
3rd: Put the top end of the stick at the heel of the first track, and tie 2 strings, the first where the second track begins at the toe, and the second at the heel.
4th: This gives us two things, the length of the stride and of the track.
5th: Move to the next tack by putting the stick alongside of the route of travel to the next track, lining the strings with the heel and toe. Near the tip of the stick you'll find the next track. Repeat this process for the rest of the tracks.

Like 1 16 Feb 2023 at 20:35 | Open on merveilles.town

15 comments

[DATA EXPUNGED]

ndpi

@rek what is a “monkeywrencher”? Haven’t heard that one before 🙂

16 Feb 2023 at 23:16 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

@ndpi It's based on the US idiom "to throw a monkey wrench into..." which means to sabotage something. The term "monkeywrenching" was coined by Edward Abbey (from the book Monkeywrench Gang) and its come to mean, besides sabotage and damage to machines, any sabotage, activism, law-making, or law-breaking to preserve wilderness, wild spaces and ecosystems. So a monkeywrencher is one who practices this :>.

16 Feb 2023 at 23:22 | Open on merveilles.town

ndpi

@rek gotcha! Thanks!

16 Feb 2023 at 23:26 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

The finished version :>

19 Feb 2023 at 4:31 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

Page one, with Dae teaching others in the group how to track.

Panel one, Dae is standing in front of the Solo D's, "I'm giong to teach you all to be invisible out here. Today, you'll learn how to track, and counter-track."
Panel two, "We can hear, smell and see better than our enemies. It's a hell of an advantage, but it's not enough. Our actions cost them a lot of money, they want to catch us real bad and that makes them very dangerous."
Panel three, Anuk, Hakazi, Kaddali and Yenifer are sitting on the ground, listening to Dae who is speaking out of frame, "Tracking allows you to locate traps, it also warns you of activity in an area by passerbys or possible hostiles. By learning to track others you'll also learn to walk without leaving obvious signs of your passing so you, yourselves, can't be tracked."
Panel four, a focus on Dae's feet in loose soil, "to practice, pick an area with loose soil with little grass or rocks. Tracks are easy to see in loose soil and you'll understand the basics."
Last panel, Dae is holding a stick and two bands in his hands, "you'll each need a stick and two bands or strings."

19 Feb 2023 at 17:04 | Open on merveilles.town

rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua

@rek

How many people do you think will follow your instructions in real life?

19 Feb 2023 at 17:11 | Open on mastodon.cisti.org

R E K

@GustavinoBevilacqua how many isn't important, but it'll be there for those who need it or whom are interested in learning about it.

19 Feb 2023 at 17:16 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

Page three.

Panel one, "Once you get good at that, make a zigzag line of tracks, and try to follow it. Sweep the stick in an arc. You'll find the next track on the curve of the line."
Panel two, "Don't skip a track. You have to learn what a track looks like. You have to study the gound. Look for broken twigs, bent blades of grass, a lip of dirt that throws a shadow."
Panel three, Hakazi asks a question, "What if there's only like... part of a toe showing. That make it real hard no?"
Panel four, Dae shows the stick, "that's why you mark the stick. Regardless of how little evidence of a track you find, the tip of the stick will tell you the approximate location of the next one."
Panel 4. "As you practice, always put the track between you and the sun. The sun throws shadows at the edges of a track, making it easier to see. Once you're able to find every track in easy terrain, try tracking though rocks, grass, or shaded areas. If you pay attention to details you'll soon outgrow the need for a stick."

19 Feb 2023 at 17:29 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

Page four.

Panel one: Dae is speaking, "Vary your steps, walk on your heels, on the sides of your feet, or on your heels."
Panel two: "Rock skip when you can."
Panel three: "Change your tracks, however you can, wear generic sneakers. If they catch you and suspect you, they'll try and match your shoe to a track, if they can't make a match they'll have nothing on you and you'll be let go."
Panel four: "When you go scout a location in the day, wear non-descript clothing. Cover your ears. Try to dress like a hiker, a birdwatcher, a hunter.... anything to blend in, or to throw suspicion off of you."
Panel five: Yenifer touches the end of Kaddali's tattooed black nose, "Gonya be hard to hide this schnoz! Boop!" Hakazi smiles and says, "PFT! Like anyone would suspect a Baarit." (a baarit is a member of a group of conversative hegatas, that Kaddali used to be a part of).
Panel six: Yenifer says to Dae, "From what I've heard, you've engaged with hostiles in the past. Some of them know your face now. What happened to being invisible?"

21 Feb 2023 at 19:33 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

Page five.

Panel one: Dae speaks, "all of my time is dedicated to thowing wrenches in their projects. ALL of it. The further they advance, the bolder I have to get. Becoming known was inevitable for me."
Panel two: "Staying invisible will keep you safe. This is what I want for you. But I also want you all to be ready in case something happens and that you have to fight someone off."
Panel three: Kaddali seems worried, "Fight someone off? I don't want to hurt anyone."
Panel four: Dae speaks, looking severe, "I've never started a fight. The fights choose me. And the way I see it..."
Panel 5: Dae speaking out of frame, with the focus being on kaddali and Anuk, "You can't protect the Taiga if you're dead." Kaddali looks flustered, "Right..."

24 Feb 2023 at 20:54 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

Page six.

one: Anuk is checking up on Kaddali, after the small tracking lesson is over. "Hey, you ok?"
Panel two: Kaddali speaks. "Yes, and no. Dae's right about having to be ready to defend ourselves, but it saddens me that it's necessary."
Panel three: "I guess I've been avoiding having that conversation with myself. It's tough... I mean, I don't even eat things that feel pain. It just feels so, so wrong."
Panel four: Anuk and Kaddali in the foreground. Anuk speaks, "Sometimes disengaging just isn't an option. You become involved in a fight whether you want to or not. The truth is you can't always avoid a violent confrontation." In the background, Dae is teaching Hakazi some self-defense moves. Dae says, "Stand at an angle to me," Hakazi says, "K."

25 Feb 2023 at 17:33 | Open on merveilles.town

R E K

Page 7, and the last of this particular sequence :>. Was gonna wait and post it tomorrow, but i suck at pacing myself when I'm excited about something XD... so there!

All pages are together here:
https://kokorobot.ca/site/tracking.html

Panel one: Anuk is speaking over images of Dae teaching Hakazi how to defend against someone who grabs you from the front. "The use violence in self-defense has to be devoid of choice." Dae is speaking to Hakazi, "Break the hold with left, bringing down hinge of right arm. Follow with a palm strike to the chin."
Panel two: Anuk continues... "You have to be facing grievous bodily harm, it has to be imminent, and there's no exit for you. There's nothing that you can do." Dae continues his lesson... "step forward, and grab the back of the head."
Panel three: Anuk finishes her thought, "That is really the only justification to use the type of violence that Dae uses." Dae says, "Pull the head towards you and down." Hakazi is thrown down and says, "WHOA!"
Panel four: Dae says, "When the head goes, the body follows." Hazaki is on the ground, laughing, "Holy crap! Ha ha!"

25 Feb 2023 at 22:18 | Open on merveilles.town

[DATA EXPUNGED]

R E K

@tty =^_^= thx for those beautiful words.

Oh wow, i had heard of aikido but never rly in depth. Love the ideals behind it. That could be a good path for a character like Kaddali (the one who's a bit more concerned with causing any sort of pain) :>.. redirecting attacks, etc. Lovely.
Are you still taking aikido?

26 Feb 2023 at 1:24 | Open on merveilles.town

[DATA EXPUNGED]

R E K replied to DELETED

@tty I certainly may have some questions :>, like what is good beginner training, say~
I'm not ready to tackle this now, but when I am I'd really like to pick your brain on this.

26 Feb 2023 at 4:18 | Open on merveilles.town

Show 1 more reply