All the pages in this chapter are in spreads (Eight & Nine, Ten & Eleven, etc)
PAGE EIGHT
This is a seven-panel page, with three tiers; two panels on the top, three across the middle, and two on the bottom. This page is all about under-lighting and side-lighting, I think; the glow of computer screens in darkened bedrooms.
Panel One
This is a shot (fairly close) shot of a zombie in a Fortnite style computer game getting blasted with a weapon. I think it’s a First Person game, like Doom though. Pixelated green blood is splattering out at us.
There is one FX from the blast, and one balloon from off.
FX: BLAMM
Balloon: Die, monster! Die!
Panel Two
We’ve pulled out so that we can see that we’re in Li’s bedroom and he’s playing on his Switch type console. He has a controller in his hands and the Switch is either in its dock so he’s playing on a TV screen, or else he has the little screen propped up somewhere. It’s night now. We can see the starry sky out of a window in the room. Li is wearing pyjamas and is wrapped in his duvet, sitting on or next to his bed. He’s wearing headphones with a mic and is talking as he plays.
Li has two balloons and there are two tailless broadcast balloons showing what he’s hearing in his headphones.
Li: Did you guys seethat?
Balloon 1: Huh? Oh sorry, Li…
Li: Are you even watching?
Balloon 2: I was looking at this thing Fort dropped.
Panel Three
Here we can see Biko in his own darkened bedroom (probably head and shoulders). He’s also wearing a pair of gaming headphones with a mic. He’s holding the whistle in one hand, examining it closely. He’s looking a bit shocked and insulted by what he’s hearing over his headphones.
Biko has two balloons, and there is one tailless broadcast balloon.
Biko: I reallythink it might be a proper archaeological artefact. Maybe a–
Balloon (interrupting): *SNORE*
Biko: Hey, there’s no need to be like that!
Panel Four
This is a shot of Evie (head and shoulders again) fast asleep. The headphones she’s been wearing knocked askew. She’s in (or on) her bed. Maybe side-lit by the computer / Switch screen somewhere off panel (or maybe we can see a bit of the Switch on the bed next to her.
There are two tailless broadcast balloons, and one FX from Evie.
Balloon 1: That wasn’t me! I think Evie’s fallen asleep on us again.
Evie: *SNORE*
Balloon 2: Hang on, I’ll mute her.
Panel Five
This is a shot looking past Biko towards his bedroom door. His mum is leaning into the room, holding the door open a crack, and talking to him.
Biko’s mum has one balloon, Biko one, one tailless broadcast.
Mum: Time for bed now, Biko. Say goodnight.
Biko: Oh, I’m going to have to go, Li.
Balloon: Okay, see you tomorrow!
Panel Six
Here we have a wider shot of Biko’s bedroom (more or less from his mum’s POV, I think – she might even be in shot slightly?). Fort needs to be in there snuggled up either on the bottom bed, taking up most of the room, or else maybe in a dog basket under a desk. It either case, in the centre of the panel we have Biko’s bedroom window, which we know faces out on to the garden which borders on to the woods. His curtains are not quite shut, and we can see a bit of of the woods and garden through the gap on them. Standing, looking up at the window, is the same creature with shining eyes we saw on Page Seven. It’s really small here (maybe not even possible to see), but we’re zooming in on the next panel. Biko is putting his headphones on the desk, and heading towards his bed. He’s smiling towards us / his mum.
I think the chapter title goes across the bottom of this (and maybe the next?) panel. But it’s up to you where you think it fits best.
He has one balloon, and she has one in reply.
Biko: Night, mum.
Mum: Night night, son.
Panel Seven
Here we’ve zoomed in on the gap in the curtains so that we can see the mysterious hairy creature looking up at us (thinking of this as very Moomins with the Groke).
There is one balloon from Biko’s mum, off panel.
Mum (off): Don’t let the bedbugs bite.