The Community, Issue 10: Part 3.2

Page 248

Panel 1: We shift to a shot of her exchanging said golden lotus flower to her friend, glancing at it with a high degree of curiosity.

JESMINDER

(explanatory, to Joely) Been in my family for ages. It has the power to grant whoever holds it three wishes.

JOELY

(attempt at knowing, to Jesminder) Like a magic lamp?

JESMINDER

(Bubble 2) Essentially, yeah. Just say the magic word while you're holding it. I'll tell you it after we finish eating.

Panel 2: Slight shift to Ms. Borah a moment after the hand-off, finishing the rest of her thought.

JESMINDER

(Cont., warning) Quick warning though- you can't wish death on anyone or make yourself supreme leader of Earth. Though you would make a hell of a supreme leader...!

Panel 3: Cut to a shot of Joely smirking slightly at the warning, though still with a sense of understanding behind it.

JOELY

(wittily) Damn right. There are at least a dozen men in Westminster I'd love to Snapture into dust, or turn into pigs like the Sirens and Odysseus' men.

Panel 4: We move back to a shot of Jesminder, chuckling at the comment with a deal of understanding; a bright smile plastered over her face.

JESMINDER

Same...came close to doing it a couple of times!

Panel 5: Same setting/layout as Panel 3. She places the golden lotus on the table next to her plate; her right hand grabbing the fork in order to grab a chunk of the salad on it.

JOELY

"Came close?" What do you mean?

Panel 6: Back to the young/old woman a moment later; the setting and layout similar to Panel 4. The bright smile from then has settled into more of a warm, friendly grin regarding the comment.

JESMINDER

Well, there's something I should...

Page 249 Panel 1: Action shot of the two friends in the middle of a chat a short time after the end of the previous page. You can see Joely's entree on her table, which is partially eaten at this point; the phone ringing in Joely's purse.

Panel 2: Cut to a slight close-up on Joely a few moments later, holding the phone firmly in her left hand; her eyes glancing at the screen. You can see her free right hand placing the fork back next to the plate.

JOELY

I'll be damned!

Panel 3: We move to a shot of Jesminder a beat later, holding a glass of wine in her right hand. You can see a curious look on her face as she speaks.

JESMINDER

(curious, to Joely) What is it?

(thought bubble) Your emotional barometer's not pointing to anything good.

JESMINDER

(Bubble 2; reacting to Panel 4, Bubble 1) Little bit. A Rich Bitch Utopia that was passed around the internet by other Tech-Libertarian asshats during the worst of the pandemic. No way anyone could make it a reality though.

Panel 3: Same setting/layout as Panel 2. She looks up at Ms. Borah's direction to explain the story in full; the phone resting on the table as she speaks.

JOELY

(mild surprise) ...You ever heard of Nuevo Roma?

Panel 4: Action shot of Joely sliding the phone on the table in the direction of her friend. You can see the weight of the situation partially on her face.

JOELY

Alexander Walsh would beg to differ, apparently.

Panel 5: We see the young/old woman holding the phone in her right hand, reading the bit of news that Joely had earlier. She portrays a strong poker face in the moment, which is betrayed by her own thought bubble.

JOELY

(Cont., Off-Panel) The opening's in a few days in Italy, and...

JESMINDER

(thought bubble) Shit...a lot of things suddenly make sense now!