《Day-to-Day Wayside》


 Chapter 1: Arrival: Special Edition

    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re bigger than we thought!¡±


    ¡°Vector, sweep their legs! Me and Prism¡¯ll draw their fire!¡±


    Julia stared in awe at the TV, glued to the screen, as the live news story unfolded before her eyes of a Venator team fighting off five Wailing at once, each bursting to the brim with extra mouths and tentacles, destroying the forest clearing around them in a gruesome display.


    ¡°If you¡¯re just tuning in, you¡¯re witnessing a live Wailing attack near the Southern Wayside farms. Team Spectrum are on the scene and...whoa!¡±


    ¡°Can we get a better idea of the situation, Dana?¡± Asked the news anchor.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what to say! Team Spectrum are fighting them off like it¡¯s nothing!¡± Said the reporter covering the story. ¡°They¡¯re almost down already!¡±


    ¡°Wailing don¡¯t stand a chance!¡± Julia proclaimed, standing up dynamically.


    ¡°Julia, can you calm down?¡± Asked Florey beside her, cowering behind his pillow. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like loud noises. Or scary Wailing.¡±


    ¡°So-rry, Flo-rey.¡± Julia sang, in too good a mood to take him seriously. ¡°Team Spectrum are just so awesome!¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Florey quivered, covering his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s it looking like for the public?¡± Asked the anchor.


    ¡°Townsfolk are waiting on the sidelines as the Venators take care of the Wailing. They seem to trust in Team Spectrum enough to watch the fight firsthand.¡± Dana explained.


    ¡°Go back to hell!¡± Yelled a crowd member to the Wailing, as the others cheered in tandem.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with the Southern Wayside!¡± Another one added, catching the attention of one of the Wailing and throwing it off its guard. It snarled directly into the camera, before roaring out, calling five additional Wailing to the scene, each dealing out their own lethal attacks.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Florey cowered, covering his eyes with his blanket, as the cameraman caught one of the numerous Wailing throwing a member of Team Spectrum into a nearby pile of boulders. ¡°Please go away¡­¡±


    ¡°Florey, you baby.¡± Julia joked. ¡°They¡¯re totally gonna win!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t the Wailing just leave¡­¡± Florey asked.


    Julia wrapped an arm around him. ¡°Wailing don¡¯t do that, silly! But we¡¯ll be Venators too someday, then we can take out Wailing with Team Spectrum!¡±


    ¡°¡­oka-¡° Florey said, before the pair heard the front door slam shut with a deliberate thud. Julia realised it must be her parents coming home, as they started bickering to one another about this and that. Mum sounded particularly angry.


    Julia turned up the TV to drown them out, as it looked like Team Spectrum was about to lose out to the massive horde of Wailing. Each one roared out in proud victory, before one comically slapped another over the head in a hilarious display.


    ¡°Ultra¡¯s down, along with X-Ray and Vector! The tide turned quickly, but it looks like the Wailing have the upper hand!¡± Dana frantically explained.


    The Wailing gave out a vicious, bloodcurdling roar, exposing its fangs, claws and gigantic wings, all while breathing fire, to the crowd, as some of the townsfolk fled from the scene now that Team Spectrum was down for the count.


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± Julia begged, grasping her hands together. ¡°Get up¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Said the reporter. ¡°Prism¡¯s come back around! He¡¯s grabbed one of the Wailing by its teeth!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Julia exclaimed, jumping up and down.


    ¡°Julia, we shouldn¡¯t swear!¡± Florey complained, still covering his eyes from the screen.


    ¡°It looks like¡­yes! With a clear shot, Infra took out every single remaining Wailing with a single blow! Incredibly done!¡± The reporter cheered.


    ¡°Nobody messes with Team Spectrum!¡± Julia exclaimed, grabbing her mock Venator weapon and brandishing it proudly, her brown hair majestically flowing. ¡°Take that, you dumb Wailing!¡± She started swinging it around, getting Florey to come out of his shell a little, as the arguing in the other room only seemed to get louder.


    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s my job now? I can¡¯t always be on¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­no, I¡¯m not ASKING you to¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­this is just so typical!...¡±


    Julia ignored them and returned her attention to the screen, as the reporter headed over to Team Spectrum, picking themselves up after the fight.


    ¡°A-Are they dead?¡± Dana asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we got ¡®em. You can relax now.¡± The leader said, grabbing his teammates hand and pulling him up. ¡°Just be glad we were here when they got snacky.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Cried a villager, running up to him. ¡°You¡¯ve saved my families lives!¡±


    ¡°All part of the Venator gig.¡± He said, brandishing a heroic smile. ¡°I mean, the pay¡¯s pretty good too.¡±


    ¡°That was amazing what you pulled off!¡± Dana said, still a little out of breath from the excitement.


    ¡°What I pulled off? Infra got the last hits in. By the way, thanks, Infra!¡± He said, pointing to the figure perched up on a nearby cliff side with a large rifle, who gave a thumbs up back. ¡°And Prism made the shot possible. Plus, Vector and Ultra weakened them just as much, and I¡¯d like to think I did my fair share.¡± He laughed. ¡°I¡¯m the leader. My team are like brothers to me.¡±


    ¡°Truly remarkable words coming from Team Spectrum¡¯s leader, X-Ray. I think it¡¯s fair to sa-¡°


    Julia muted the TV as the reporter babbled on, watching fixated at Team Spectrum in the background, high-fiving and hugging each other after a job well done, surrounded by an absurd amount of dead Wailing.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Julia remarked, as she heard the door behind her open up and her dad walk in.


    ¡°Alright, kiddo, time for bed.¡± He said, turning off the TV. ¡°You too, Florey. You better get back home so your folks don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr Alpine.¡± Florey said, grabbing his bag on the way out. ¡°See you at school, Julia!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡± She said back, waving to him, before turning to her dad. ¡°Can I stay up?¡±


    ¡°No, you definitely can¡¯t.¡± He said, picking her up. ¡°You¡¯ve got a strict eight thirty bed time. And I¡¯m the adult, so what I say goes.¡±


    ¡°But Bell gets to stay up way later!¡±


    ¡°Bell¡¯s four years older and at Amanda¡¯s house. Nice try.¡± He reasoned, carrying Julia off to her room, with Julia trying to wriggle out as best she could. Eventually, she gave in and let him carry her, as he gently tucked her into her bed.


    ¡°Wait, where¡¯s R2?¡± Julia worried, frantically looking around for him.


    ¡°I got it, I got it.¡± Her dad said, managing to pull a stuffed droid plushie from under the bed and handing it to her.


    ¡°You were lucky to get out of there.¡± Julia said, hugging him and slipping him under the covers with her, before seeing her dads slightly saddened face lost in thought.


    ¡°Is mum still angry at you?¡± Julia asked, as her dad looked off in slight discomfort, but tried his best to put on a convincing smile.


    ¡°You should get some rest¡­¡± He said, leaning over and kissing Julia¡¯s forehead, before turning off the light and heading out of her room. Julia waited until he was definitely down the hall to get up and check on him. She saw him walking past the main bedroom and heading to the lounge room, grabbing a couple sheets from the cupboard and setting up his bed on the couch. Julia headed back to bed, wondering how she could help her dad, as she stared up at her Venator posters plastering the ceiling. She grabbed R2 and started nodding off to sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be a Venator¡­and find someone who¡¯s just like a brother to me¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ADDRESSED TO Julia Alpine REGARDING ENROLMENT


    We hope this letter sees you well,


    We have written to say that your application to the Venator Academy has been accepted. Your semester will start early spring along with the rest of your classmates.


    As you know, the Venator Academy is an institution that prides itself on exceptional industry training, state of the art technological terrors, and teaching the values of teamwork and unity through the Venator Team program. As a soon-to-be student, we would ask that you keep this reputation in mind when representing the academy, and understand that attending this academy is a rare privilege that should not be wasted. Enclosed is the necessary paperwork for your enrolment, which is to be completed and handed in at the start of your new semester, along with subsequent payment. Any prior weaponry should also be registered with the Venator Standards and Practices before the start of semester.


    While the Venator Academy is known to produce teams of capable and revered Venators, be reminded that success is not, and will not, be handed to you and will entirely be dependent on you. You will have to work hard for your position at the academy, and the subsequent positions of your teammates. Their success and yours will be linked throughout the duration of your course.


    With all that said, best of luck to you. You¡¯ve made it this far, so may the Force be with you.


    SIGNED Senator Faller


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Julia read over her acceptance letter again and again, still in disbelief. Her application had taken a while, and her results on the physical weren¡¯t as great as others, but she still got in, despite not being an established name, and the first of her family to even register.


    She took a seat by the train station with her luggage, waiting for the Flash-Rail to arrive, as she idly scanned the station terminal, noticing the glow of a monitor on the platform displaying the most recent news of the last week.


    ¡°¡­and after years of service, the heroic Team Spectrum have officially retired as of today. As stated in a recent press release, ¡®both our ages and our love for sitting on our asses prevents us working any further. We wish luck to the future Venator teams in their ambitious endeavours.¡¯ Interesting words from a beloved team. We here at CPNN will be mourning their absence from the field...¡±


    Julia found herself laughing at Team Spectrum¡¯s statement, but would be lying if she said the news didn¡¯t upset her. Team Spectrum had been part of her Venator journey for so long. Seeing them out of commission felt¡­


    ¡°I''ve got a bad feeling about this.¡± She remarked, as she heard the train pulling into the station. The Flash-Rail slowly rolled into view, as Julia took her seat aboard, right next to the window so she could watch the city pass her by on the way to the academy.


    ¡°Next stop: Venator Academy. Five minutes to departure.¡±


    Julia braced herself against the seat, as the nerves she tried to convince herself weren¡¯t there suddenly reappeared.


    This is it¡­ She thought to herself. This is where the fun begins! I¡¯ll finally see it up close! Detu City.


    Julia tried to calm her breathing, as the train slowly pulled out from the station, crawling along the connected rail into the air. ¡°It¡¯s like a roller coaster¡­¡± Julia remarked, before the train shot off down the rail and out of the station, as the city unfolded from the windows for the passengers to see. Suburbs surrounded skyscrapers, all climbing into the sky, with people going about their days in the distance, as the Flash-Rail sent Julia over the lower end housing straight towards¡­


    ¡°Venator Academy¡­¡± Julia said, staring out the window, fixated on the shiny complex coming out from the city, surrounded by a moat and large forest off to side, as its buildings stood proudly in the centre, calling Julia forward. Julia¡¯s nervous flashes started coming back, as the realisation that this was happening finally hit her. She wasn¡¯t just jumping around her bedroom with a foam sword and stuffed Wailing. She was here. She was¡­already here, actually.


    ¡°Next Stop: Detu Central. Five minutes to departure.¡±


    Julia snapped back to reality and grabbed her bags before jumping off the train. The Flash-Rail had stopped outside the large walkway leading to the main building of Venator Academy, the skyscraper encased in glass and historic furnishings, as several students were dotted around it, all carrying full bags and luggage, some chatting amongst themselves.


    ¡°Today¡¯s the da-¡° Julia started, before someone bumped into her, rushing off before they could say anything, as Julia took a second to readjust herself.


    ¡°Well, that was rude.¡± Julia said, brushing off her yellow flannel. ¡°And on the first day, too.¡±


    She continued down the exquisite walkway, leading beautifully to the main building entrance, as the moats that ran parallel to the walkway caught Julia¡¯s curious eye. ¡°I think I read about these¡­¡± She mumbled to herself. ¡°They acted as barriers to any Wailing who couldn¡¯t wade through them, and gave Venators time to strategise in case the academy was being attacked¡­¡±


    ¡°There was also a rumour that Wailing couldn¡¯t touch water, but that turned out to just be a myth.¡± Said a voice behind Julia, as she spun around to see who it belonged to.


    She saw a girl with long white hair, a tired expression, and several bags under her eyes and on the ground being dragged behind her. She was smiling right at Julia.


    ¡°Hi there.¡± She said. ¡°Glad I¡¯m not the only nerd here.¡±


    ¡°N-nerd?¡± Julia asked, now on guard.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a compliment.¡± She grinned. ¡°My ex was a bit of a history buff, so I just picked up a couple things from her. You a first year?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, and I¡¯m guessing you are too?¡± Julia said, indicating to the girl¡¯s bags.


    ¡°Got it in one. I¡¯m Joh. Joh Yowza.¡± She said, sticking out her hand, as Julia tried not to laugh.


    ¡°Is that your real name?¡± Julia giggled, shaking her hand back.


    Joh smirked. ¡°Maybe. But I¡¯m not gonna tell you if it is.¡±


    Julia smiled, happy that Joh looked to be a normal enough person. Joh jumped onto the wall adorning the side of the walkway, as her and Julia kept walking and talking down toward the main building.


    ¡°A drifter?¡± Julia asked.


    ¡°Well, I was. I¡¯m staying here for a three-year degree, after all, so I can¡¯t really call myself one anymore.¡± Joh explained. ¡°I mostly bummed around the countryside, sleeping on whatever couch I could find. And the occasional bed, too.¡± She winked, causing Julia to blush. ¡°Then I became old enough to get a degree, and decided to make something of myself. Wailing combat felt right, and you know wha-¡° She started, before her footing betrayed her and she fell off the wall, head first into the ground.


    A brief second passed before Joh realised she should¡¯ve hit the ground already, as she opened her eyes and noticed she was still falling, but with nearly no momentum. Off to the side, she saw Julia holding out her hands, eyes closed and thoroughly concentrating, and realised her fall had been slowed significantly by Julia herself. She was gently lain against the ground, as she got up and dusted herself off properly. Julia finally let go of her breath and bent over, exhausted.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Joh said. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you were Force sensitive.¡±


    ¡°You¡­didn¡¯t ask.¡± Julia panted.


    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± Joh replied. ¡°Thanks though, for real. I probably would¡¯ve, like, died.¡±


    ¡°¡­no problem.¡± Julia replied, having recovered, as Joh leaned against Julia¡¯s bags and stared up at her curiously.


    ¡°Go on. Give me the details.¡± Joh asked.


    ¡°About the Force?¡± Julia wondered.


    ¡°Not everyone¡¯s attuned with it, and most of us are different. So, I wanna know your view of it.¡± She asked.


    Julia realised they wouldn¡¯t make anymore progress with Joh holding them both up, and sighed in acceptance. ¡°Well, it¡¯s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds Daysend together.¡± Julia explained, before laughing a little. ¡°But honestly, it was a fifty-fifty chance whether I¡¯d slow you down or send you into the pavement even harder.¡±


    Julia noticed Joh had a notebook out, scribbling down everything Julia was saying, with an impressively detailed sketch of her beside it.


    ¡°Excellent. Another Force user.¡± Joh remarked, jotting a few more things down.


    ¡°Another? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Julia said, as she flipped the pages on the side of the book to see far more filled out with records of different Jedi. ¡°Whoa! You¡¯ve met so many!¡±


    ¡°This is volume four.¡± Joh bragged, as Julia stared at her with pure amazement. ¡°I¡¯d lend it to you, buuut¡­orientation day means way more people I haven¡¯t met, so I¡¯m gonna do a lot more recording. Speaking of which¡­¡±


    Joh looked to the building, as Julia realised they¡¯d already cleared the walkway and arrived at the entrance from their walk and talk. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Joh said, grabbing her bags off the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve got some people I wanna met. If you¡¯re lucky, I¡¯ll catch you around.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Julia said, waving Joh off as she headed into the building with a loveable confidence and grace. Julia¡¯s nerves were finally going down.


    ¡°What an interesting girl.¡± Julia said to herself.


    ¡°She could do with a haircut.¡± Said a voice beside her, as she turned to see a man standing next to her in what looked to be Mandalorian armour. He looked up at the academy.


    Julia cocked her head in confusion. ¡°Who are you supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Boba Fett, the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy.¡± He said, holding his blaster in front of him while staring at the academy.


    ¡°Are you a teacher here?¡± Julia asked.


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just a simple man trying to make my way through the universe.¡± He responded, his gaze still fixed, as he readjusted his rocket launcher.


    ¡°Are you¡­busy?¡± Julia wondered.


    He sighed openly. ¡°I¡¯m after a certain target.¡±


    Julia took the ¡®subtle¡¯ hint and grabbed her bags to head inside, before he took notice and tried to get her attention.


    ¡°Hey, girlie.¡± He interjected, as Julia turned to him. ¡°Do you know about the welcome event tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    Julia looked confused. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯ll stay away.¡± He advised.


    Julia nodded slowly and headed inside the building, hoping their conversation was really over and that he wasn¡¯t staring at her now.


    What a weird guy¡­ She thought, checking over her shoulder to see if he was still there. Who just announces themselves as a bounty hunter¡­


    Julia headed to the front office and stood in line, paperwork in hand, as she waited for the students in front to hand everything in.


    ¡°New student?¡± The clerk asked.


    ¡°Yeah, first day.¡± Julia replied.


    ¡°Paperwork and payment.¡± The clerk said with a professional precision, as Julia handed both in. The clerk took a few minutes, shuffling and unshuffling papers, moving this and that around, momentarily forgetting their place, then continuing, before handing Julia her ID card. ¡°Temporary dorms are set up in the academy hall. Once you have your team members by tomorrow, you¡¯ll move into the official dorm rooms together.¡±


    ¡°Do I get t-¡°


    ¡°Any complaints or questions should be given to the Dorms Advisor or your Student Representative.¡± They answered, returning their attention to their papers. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Julia realised she was holding up the line behind her and quickly shuffled along, checking the academy map on her tablet and heading straight for the academy hall.


    I¡¯ll check out the school grounds later. Let¡¯s drop these bags off first.


    Julia found the large doors leading to the hall, and opened them to reveal an enormous number of students all packed into the giant room. Beds were set up in rows, plenty occupied with luggage and people, as large groups seemed to have formed naturally as the day passed. Julia froze stiff at the sight of so many strangers invading her view. The large presence of midochlorians was especially off-putting.


    She tried to steel her mind as best she could before entering the hall, and blocking out the mental image of worst-case scenarios.


    Come on, Julia. New school, new you. Joh was nice, your dad¡¯s nice, and you¡¯re nice. They can be nice too.


    Julia breathed out before shuddering her way through the hall, bags in tow, trying to find a bed that wasn¡¯t surrounded by an absurd number of people. Eventually, a spare bed caught her eye, and she worriedly hurried over, nearly tripping over her own bags in the fray. For a second, it seemed like she was about to reach it without interacting with anyone else in the hall.


    Well, except for the giant Wookie who took up the bed with her bags.


    She was hunched over, staring down at something menacingly and blocking the walkway with her hairy torso. Julia stared back at her back, trying not to collapse to her knees, as she was already intimidated just from her bulky physique and¡­long brown fur?


    ¡°U-uh, excuse m-me¡­¡± Julia shuddered, tapping her shoulder gently, as the woman slowly turned around with noticeable presence. ¡°I-I uhh¡­umm¡­¡±


    She looked straight down at Julia, like a skyscraper of her own. Julia gulped loudly.


    ¡°Hey, do you know where the academy Death Star is?¡± The Wookie asked, tapping away at her tablet casually, her bag slung over her shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t find the updated map on my tablet. I asked some other first years, but they were about as clueless as me.¡±


    Julia stood still, trying not to make any sudden moves, as the Wookie waved a hand in front of Julia¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hello? You good, cutie?¡± She asked. ¡°I really just need the map. I can find my own way.¡±


    Julia returned to consciousness and assessed the impressive Wookie. She appeared to be about twenty, just a year older than Julia, though much fitter and muscular, with a lovely red tank top, flowing, majestic hair, the ability to speak English, and¡­


    Julia realised she was staring and Forced herself to blink. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°¡­map?¡± The Wookie replied, holding out her tablet.


    ¡°S-sure.¡± Julia said, grabbing the tablet and scrolling through the academy¡¯s main webpage. ¡°Just here.¡±


    The Wookie smiled. ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it.¡± The Wookie noticed Julia¡¯s bags and quickly deduced what she was looking for. ¡°Were you looking for a bed?¡±


    Julia slowly nodded, as the Wookie smiled and grabbed her bags off the bed.


    ¡°Go ahead and take it. I¡¯m heading around the school most of the day anyway, so it¡¯s the least I can do.¡± She nudged an elbow into Julia¡¯s side. ¡°Plus, if you have any nightly plans, you should have the proper setting, right?¡±


    Julia found her blush returning, as the Wookie grinned openly.


    ¡°Hate to leave you high and dry, but I best be off. See ya whenever.¡± She said, grabbing her bags and walking off with a deliberate swing in her step, as Julia subconsciously stared.


    She was like a real-life amazon. Julia thought. And she¡¯s in my year¡­


    Julia pumped her fist a little, thrilled about this recent development, as she watched the Wookie head around the corner and out of sight.


    I wonder what her day¡¯s been like¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Harley didn¡¯t know how to feel.


    Though she was enjoying herself, Harley¡¯s first day had been pretty disorienting so far, but she was surprised with just how out of her element she felt. The academies layout was like a labyrinth, and the supposedly noticeable Death Star was very unnoticeable.


    At least that girl was helpful¡­ Harley thought to herself. What kind of academy updates the map on orientation day?


    Harley sighed and frizzed her fur to calm herself. She turned the corner, before being blocked off by two droids walking back into the hall.


    ¡°But no one saw it coming! They were executed by their clone troopers right out of th-R2, R2! Look!¡± One of them exclaimed, excitedly pointing at Harley.


    ¡°Bee-bo-boop-bee¡­¡± The other stammered, looking a little flush. ¡°Boop-boop-boo.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me. I am C3PO, Human Cyborg Relations. Can we get a photo together?¡± The first droid asked, having trouble standing still due to his lack of shoes.


    ¡°Uhh, sure.¡± Harley shrugged, getting in the middle of them and giving a giant grin, as they took a photo with their tablet.


    ¡°R2!¡± C3PO yelled, pointing at the photo. ¡°We have gotten a photograph with a real third year student!¡±


    Real? Harley wondered, before double taking. Wait, third year?


    ¡°Bee-boo-boop-beep-bee!¡± R2D2 beeped eagerly, as C3PO swung the tablet around joyously.


    ¡°I should hope so, R2! We will probably shoot up in status at some point!¡± C3PO suggested, as Harley couldn¡¯t help but smile at their childlike wonder.


    Let¡¯s not dash their dreams.


    ¡°We have got to show this off! Good afternoon, Miss Wookie.¡± C3PO waved, waddling off with R2D2 in tow, as Harley waved back.


    ¡°Try the rebellion! I hear they¡¯re hiring!¡± Harley yelled to them, before laughing to herself and continuing on her way down the academy halls.


    Harley marvelled at the beautiful architecture of the academy and the fascinating connection of old and new aesthetic. Clear updates had been made to the exterior of an older building, as the halls felt fresh and classic all at once. State-of-the-art reinForced walls lined her walk, with gothic detailing on each edge, and beautiful large archways that brought it all together.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a generational cocktail.¡± She commented, knocking against the pillars cornering the halls with her knuckles. ¡°These have to be a century old, at least. And a Northern Wayside build too¡­¡±


    Her next stop was the academy training grounds, which were noticeably less built up than the main buildings. Large flat plains marked with outlines captured the outside of the academy, stretching far enough to prove their necessity for the students and staff. A few students were already jumping around them, showing off their weapons and Force powers.


    Harley thought about joining them, but wanted to preserve her strength for her new team, whoever they may be.


    Of course, the official dorms just across from the training grounds were the next best stop. Built taller and wider than most of what was on campus, with rooms just big enough for five, and halls large enough for way more. The notice board full of events and off-campus programs caught Harley¡¯s eye, as she snickered at a couple of the listings.


    ¡°Musical act needed for Jabba¡¯s Palace.¡± Harley read aloud. ¡°Whoever takes that¡¯s gonna suck¡­¡±


    She stopped by a vending machine on the same floor and grabbed a drink, appreciating her self-made alone time. So far, Harley¡¯s tour had been exactly what she needed, and truly showed the best the academy had to offer.


    But nothing compared to the Death Star.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Harley remarked, staring at the exterior of the large sphere in the middle of the academy. Just in the middle of the main buildings stood what looked to be a moon, climbing into the sky, an architectural staple of the grounds that was here before most of the modern updates, encased in a near perfect sheet of metal. The inside was entirely hollow, save for winding pathways and reactor cores.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly how I pictured it.¡± Harley said, admiring its furnishing as she inspected the inside. ¡°We reach to the skies, from down on the ground...¡± Harley sung to herself, remembering the songs she was sung before bed when she was a kid. ¡°So Gods can all hear, our beautiful sounds.¡±


    She wandered about the inside, spinning around its spiralling interior.


    ¡°We play it for them, as thanks for our bread¡­¡±


    The vertigo started getting to her.


    ¡°They play it for us, to welcome the dead.¡±


    She pinched the brim of her nose, recovering and taking one last look at the Death Star while leaving it proper, before a yell rang out from the academy halls and Harley assumed a combative stance. She spotted a girl walking by in a black dress, bitterly stomping about with her bags in tow, as a sharply dressed man in distress followed behind her, trying to get her attention.


    Harley rushed to see what was going on, hurrying around the corner, before bumping into a girl in robes also rushing around the corner.


    ¡°Relias.¡± The girl said, before hurrying off without another word, as Harley wondered if that even was a word.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Harley said, before remembering she was chasing two people and continuing her effort. She caught them quickly enough, hiding around the corner behind some very conveniently stacked rocks piled up in the hallway, to stay out of sight, as she found them heading up the stairs, with the man grabbing onto the girl¡¯s sleeve and trying to stop her.


    ¡°Miss Nouvel, you mustn¡¯t go any further! Being a Venator is a dangerous business! You can¡¯t be anywhere near it!¡± The man cried, as the girl threw his hand off and turned to stare him down.


    ¡°I refused to be swayed by your false sentiments, Graham.¡± The girl argued back, continuing up the stairs.


    ¡°Your place is back home on the estate. Please don¡¯t fight about this.¡± Graham begged.


    ¡°I will not be talked down to, and don¡¯t you dare parrot my parents to me! I¡¯ve made my decision!¡± She yelled, taking back her bags, before glaring back at him once again. ¡°You will take yourself back to the family car and leave. I¡¯ve no place for you here.¡±


    Graham was about to continue, but repressed his emotions and decided to bow instead, heading back to the car, as the girl breathed out and rested against the stairs.


    Geez, what¡¯s her problem? Harley wondered, looking at the girl¡¯s tired mass. Best not get in the middle of that, whatever it is.


    She left the girl to her devices, as the girl ran her hands through her hair, trying to calm herself down.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Wess¡¯ day was only getting harder.


    First, her parents ¡®misplace¡¯ her ticket to the Central Point train, then they insist on Graham accompanying her on the train and family car, despite her only packing two bags worth of items and not even bringing them along with her. Then she finds out that her homeworld of Alderaan was destroyed just a few days ago.


    And now she was in the academy halls, nearly collapsing from the pressure of her first day.


    She let herself take a moment on the steps, processing everything that just happened, before breathing out deeply and shaking herself conscious.


    ¡°Come on, Wess. You can¡¯t be late for orientation.¡± She said to herself, forcing herself up and continuing on her way to the academy courtyard.


    Students were gathered in a large mass, all facing forward toward the stage and talking amongst each other, with academy security surrounding them in a large circle encompassing the courtyard. Wess took her place at the back of the group, as an older Toydarian approached the stage with a microphone in hand and a podium being rolled in front of her.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hello? One two¡­¡± She dryly stated. ¡°I¡¯ll assume you can hear me. Lord knows I¡¯m not checking¡­¡±


    Wess rolled her eyes, appalled at the lack of manners on display. The woman looked visibly tired, and far too unhappy about it.


    ¡°You know why you¡¯re here. I¡¯m not about to explain the purpose of the academy to you, so don¡¯t ask me.¡± She muttered. ¡°My name is Watto. Please listen, this is...apparently important. Now, the matter of curriculum and boarding¡­¡±


    Wess checked out of Watto¡¯ announcements, as she studied the faces in the crowd. Far too many of them looked young and na?ve, almost like youngling in their gleeful thrill at finally arriving at the academy; They were nothing Wess was looking for.


    As soon as orientation is over, I¡¯ll need to be quick. Can¡¯t assume they¡¯d all stay around to converse, after all. Wess thought to herself.


    ¡°¡­which should commence by tomorrow, if all goes to plan.¡± Watto droned. ¡°We¡¯ve more to talk about, but now that we¡¯ve covered the basics, lets have a short speech from Senator Faller.¡±


    The audience waited in silence, as Watto started loudly clapping into the microphone, encouraging the crowd to join along, which they promptly did so. A taller man in a classic suit and orange tie got up and walked to the podium, taking the microphone from Watto.


    ¡°Thank you, Watto, for your words of¡­¡± Faller said, before deliberately trailing off. ¡°By now, I imagine I¡¯ve only talked to you indirectly through your acceptance letter, so I¡¯ve no need to carry over the same sentiments. However, thank you for trusting us with your time.¡±


    ¡°In recent years, our studies have shown that Wailing populations has been increasing drastically, and that the variety and biology of Wailing has become much harder to explain and predict.¡± He grabbed a remote from the podium and turned on a projector to his side, displaying a ferocious looking Wailing attacking the camera, distinct red markings running down its body, its teeth bared and claws at the ready, with slight speckles of blood staining the camera lens. Several first years backed off in fright, some even audibly gasping.


    ¡°Oh gods¡­¡± Watto bemoaned, dragging her hands across her face.


    ¡°The traditional Wailing are quite animalistic in appearance, sharing resemblance with large wolves, bears, birds, what have you. When the public think of a Wailing, this is often what will come to mind. But recently¡­¡±


    Faller turned to the next slide, with another image of a Wailing, carrying the same markings across its body, but this one far more¡­gelatinous and alien in appearance, with no clear form or structure to it whatsoever. A Venator was captured in the image as well, trying to slice through the Wailing to no effect.


    ¡°¡­they¡¯ve taken a less composed and more unpredictable appearance. Not only that, but the traditional Wailing have become far more hostile in turn, and we are Forced to change our tactics in dealing with the Wailing threat.¡±


    ¡°I see potential amongst this crowd. Students come here to learn, grow and evolve; to take on the threat to our lifestyle that is the Wailing. We can¡¯t keep fighting them forever, and we can¡¯t keep using the same tactics either. We must learn to adapt to our surroundings like the Wailing have, and continue to do so. I assure you, innovation will be their downfall, so I ask of you to innovate.¡±


    Wess and the rest of the crowd took a second to let Faller¡¯s words sink in, as Wess watched him lead with a dignity she¡¯d rarely ever seen in person.


    ¡°But, truly, I thank you for choosing our institution. I love democracy, and the Venator Academy has a proud history as the first Venator training facility, and we hope to finally end this war with the Wailing within our lifetime. We do not promise you and your team perfect results, but we will do what we need to. True growth is only ever preceded by pain. But that is how we help others.¡±


    He displayed his palms to the crowd.


    ¡°We will help you so that you may help those who need it.¡±


    Faller cleared his throat. ¡°Now, we will have the other teachers and lecturers present themselves and their roles, followed by a welcome event tomorrow morning to get to know you in a less formal setting. I will personally be serving drinks, as compliments of the academy.¡± Faller remarked. ¡°Mr Cecil, if you will¡­¡±


    Each teacher took time to explain their place in the academy, most with double billing as head of two or more facilities, before Faller took to the podium again for his closing words.


    ¡°By tomorrow, you should know who your teammates for the remainder of your degree will be, and I ask of you to appreciate them. People in constant close proximity have a tendency to clash, and personalities may not always mix, but look to them not as an academy requirement, but an equal, and a person to share your time with. You¡¯re all Venators in training, so remember to balance your fist with an open palm. With all that said¡­¡± He bowed politely to the crowd. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡±


    A light applause broke out as he left, as the students started fanning out into little groups, some heading off to do their own thing and others sticking around to talk to teachers and classmates. Wess looked over the students remaining and planned a route out for optimal networking, as she pulled out her tablet and readied her appearance.


    I¡¯ll find the best candidates and insist that we become part of the same team. My family name from Alderaan should carry me far enough¡­


    She spotted her first target and prepared her questions.


    Time to network.


    ¡°What¡¯s your field of expertise?¡± Wess asked a student.


    ¡°Uhh, lightsaber combat mostly. And guitar, but that¡¯s not really important.¡±


    ¡°Favourite combat style?¡± Wess asked another student.


    ¡°Long distance blasters, duh. Play it safe and pick ¡®em off far away. As long as you¡¯re not a Stormtrooper.¡±


    ¡°Any history?¡± Wess asked more students.


    ¡°M-my dad designed a weakness into the Death Star. H-he wanted me to share some of his blueprints with the rebels.¡±


    ¡°What are your main aspirations?¡± Wess asked the last student left in the courtyard.


    ¡°Honestly, my main goal is to find a team and become someone for them to depend on. I don¡¯t know how helpful I could be in a fight, but I want to inspire them to be greater than they were the day before. We¡¯re a group of people, not soldiers, so we should strive to be better and always improving, even if that may be hard to accept.¡±


    Wess was left enraptured by the perky, well put together girl in front of her, smiling so genuinely and properly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I hope I didn¡¯t talk your ear off.¡± She apologised.


    ¡°Nonsense. You spoke with such lovely passion, Miss¡­?¡± Wess said.


    ¡°Greedo.¡± She replied, bowing a little, before regretting it. ¡°I¡¯m a sniper by trade, but I have experience in other firearms, and hand to hand combat too. Faller brought me here himself on a scholarship program.¡±


    ¡°Scholarship?¡± Wess replied, very impressed. ¡°Quite the triple threat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you¡­¡± Greedo smiled sheepishly, before looking back at Wess. ¡°By the way, where are your eyebrows?¡±


    Wess was about to raise an eyebrow, before sighing out. ¡°They were burned off. It wouldn¡¯t make any sense to still have them.


    Wess continued her networking proper. ¡°I¡¯m sure your teammates will find you quite the asset.¡± Wess commented.


    Greedo looked a little embarrassed. ¡°Really, I¡¯ll be happy with whoever I get. The academy has a pretty good track record for grouping teams together, so I¡¯ll trust in their decision.¡±


    Wess took a second to register what she said, before stepping back in shock. ¡°T-the academy¡­grouping?¡± Wess warbled. ¡°We don¡¯t get to choos-?!¡±


    Just as she was ranting, a girl in robes rushed past her, bumping into Wess and suddenly throwing off her rhythm.


    ¡°E-Excuse me! I want an apology for that!¡± Wess yelled at her.


    ¡°Where is he¡­?¡± The girl mumbled to herself, moving on, as Greedo tried to get her attention again.


    ¡°Just so you know, by tomorrow, they¡¯ll tell us who we¡¯re teaming up with.¡± Greedo explained. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know about that?¡±


    Wess started shaking a little, before reminding herself who she was with, and putting on a polite demeanour. ¡°¡­no, I-I suppose I didn¡¯t know. I-If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. Hey, maybe if you¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll get grouped together.¡± Greedo said. ¡°We¡¯re already maclunkey, so it totally works out!¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Wess replied, before rushing off back to the temporary dorms. ¡°I truly hope so¡­¡±


    She made her way around the corner and grabbed her head in her hands, frustrated and annoyed.


    It must be a joke! She reasoned. A practical joke they play on all first years. Yes, a playful hazing!


    Wess really thought about it for another second.


    No, that¡¯s delusional of me. Greedo¡¯s far too polite to try something like that. She realised, before slumping to the ground in a moment of weakness.


    She rested her head in her hands and breathed slowly.


    ¡°So, I suppose it¡¯s true¡­¡±


    She let herself sit and think, at least to re-strategise how she would go about her next three years of training at the academy. If she couldn¡¯t pick her members, she¡¯d have to tip the scale somehow.


    ¡°¡­this is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. You¡¯ve gotten this far on much less.¡± Wess reasoned to herself. ¡°This will only make your claim to fame more triumphant in the end. A true celebration of your accomplishments.¡±


    Wess stood up dynamically and stretched herself.


    ¡°This is a minor setback, but not a crippling one. I can always convince the academy otherwise. I¡¯m sure the academy will allow a transfer if my team isn¡¯t worth my time.¡± Wess said, swinging her way back to the temporary dorms.


    She headed through the hallway back to the main hall, as her nerves had just returned to fairly normal; perfect for dealing with a girl in front of the large door, pacing back and forth through the hallway. Wess held back as the girl kept up the pacing, exercising caution.


    Is she quite alright? Wess wondered. I hope she isn¡¯t one of those ¡®problem students¡¯ I¡¯ve heard about. That¡¯s the last thing this day needs¡­


    Wess slowly approached her, still pacing back and forth nervously.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you quite alright?¡± Wess asked, grabbing the girl¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re the only other person in the hallway.¡± Wess acknowledged.


    ¡°Right, that makes sense.¡± She said. ¡°Do you know where the temporary dorms are?¡±


    ¡°¡­right behind you.¡± Wess bemoaned, realising what she¡¯d gotten herself into.


    ¡°That¡­also makes sense.¡± The girl said. ¡°You look annoyed.¡±


    Wess sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been quite the first day...¡±


    The girl stared at her. ¡°Oh, do you know here the bathrooms are too?¡±


    ¡°I believe I saw them around the corner.¡± Wess explained, trying to disengage from the conversation as soon as possible.


    ¡°Right. Right. Cool.¡± The girl said. ¡°I¡¯ll be off then.¡±


    The girl walked off, stumbling a little in her slightly oversized jacket, as Wess tried to make sense of that interaction, before giving up all together.


    ¡°¡­please, Old Gods, don¡¯t make her part of my team.¡± Wess prayed, heading inside to finally unpack and unwind.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Meanwhile, in another part of the academy.


    Watto trudged down the halls, having just left the recent orientation, before being interrupted by an obnoxious voice calling out from just behind her.


    ¡°Watto! Come on out, Watto! Watto!¡±


    Watto rolled her eyes and turned the corner and found who she expected. She sighed out. ¡°Right here, Seears. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Have you now?¡± Asked Seears, a noticeable smirk on his face.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think I was gonna run, did you?¡± Watto groaned, joining up with Seears properly as he leaned against the wall.


    ¡°Watto, you disappoint me. Why haven¡¯t you paid me back for our last poker night? You could have least sent the money back with Coatsworth.¡± Seears pointed out, as Watto clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Look, Seears, next time you wanna talk to me, come see me yourself. Don¡¯t send someone like Coatsworth.¡± Watto pointed out, getting in Seears¡¯ face.


    Seears pushed back a little. ¡°Watto, if only you hadn¡¯t folded on that perfectly good flush. I just can¡¯t make exceptions. Where would I be if every patron at the bar paid me in I.O.U¡¯s? It¡¯s not good business.¡±


    ¡°Look, Seears, even I read the table pretty badly sometimes.¡± Watto said, circling Seears and ¡®accidentally¡¯ stepping on Seear¡¯s shoe. ¡°You think I had a choice? But I¡¯ve got a better strategy for next time, and I can pay you back after. You just need to wait until next poker night.¡±


    ¡°Watto, my dear¡­¡± Seears prefaced, before grinning. ¡°¡­you¡¯re the best. So, for about half of your winnings¡­¡±


    ¡°A quarter. I don¡¯t owe you that much.¡± Watto insisted.


    ¡°Okay, a quarter. But if you cheap out again, you don¡¯t get to come to the Daiquiri Lounge and put whatever you want on Faller¡¯s tab anymore.¡± Seears pointed out, as Watto started to take her leave.


    ¡°Seears, you¡¯re a wonderful human being.¡± Watto assured, grabbing him by the shoulders, before pulling out her tablet and finally taking some quality personal time for the rest of the day.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Sola was lost again.


    It had been all of three minutes since she found the bathroom, and already, she was hopelessly lost. The academy¡¯s numerous hallways and unfamiliar landscape had already beaten her, and now she was left wandering around without a direction in the world.


    ¡°Echo!¡± She yelled, as the hallway gave a decent reverberation. ¡°Echo echo echo!¡±


    She spotted a few doors to classrooms and lecture halls as she walked, but quickly noticed they needed a card reader to open.


    ¡°Did I get my ID?¡± She asked herself, feeling for a pocket and realising it wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Stupid good security¡­¡±


    She slumped to the ground, tired from all the walking, and started playing with her thumbs out of boredom.


    ¡°I¡¯m already lost here.¡± She remarked. ¡°I need a guide. Like a¡­mentor, or a master.¡±


    Sola leaned her head against the wall, counting the ceiling tiles to herself, as a figure popped out from around the corner, rushing down the corridor with her tablet in hand. In a moment of hindsight, she tripped over Sola¡¯s outstretched legs and face planted into the ground with a painful thud, shaking Sola conscious.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± She muttered, getting up and brushing off her clothes.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Sola greeted. ¡°Do you know where Tosche station is?¡±


    The woman turned to glare at Sola. ¡°First, you address me as Watto.¡± She grumbled. ¡°Second, don¡¯t do that, and third, you should be going to the temporary dorms in the assembly hall. Weren¡¯t you at orientation?¡±


    Sola started counting on her fingers. ¡°Sorry Watto, that was an accident, I got lost going to the bathroom, and no.¡± Sola answered back.


    Watto pursed her lips and looked Sola up and down, unimpressed, as she only confirmed her worries about the quality of this year¡¯s batch of students.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Watto asked, folding her arms.


    ¡°Eighteen.¡±


    ¡°¡­huh.¡± Watto let out. ¡°Bit old to be getting lost.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Sola replied, looking around Watto to try and spot any exits she could use.


    ¡°And you¡¯re a student?¡± Watto rhetorically asked.


    ¡°Well, classes don¡¯t start until next week, so not yet.¡± Sola answered, still looking.


    Wiseass. Watto thought to herself.


    Sola kept scanning, as Watto looked at how helpless she seemed, almost pathetic in a way. In Watto¡¯s eyes, she was nearly the ideal student.


    ¡°¡­I can show you if you¡¯re so desperate.¡± Watto offered, grabbing Sola¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hooray!¡± Sola exclaimed, as Watto nodded for her to follow.


    ¡°So, why¡¯re you here?¡± Watto questioned.


    ¡°You mean in the hallway or the academy?¡± Sola asked, genuinely unsure.


    ¡°The academy. You already told me the other one.¡± Watto grumbled, massaging her temple.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m at the academy because I¡¯d like to be a Venator.¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯d ¡®like¡¯ to be?¡± Watto asked, getting a confused look from Sola.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Sola replied.


    ¡°You have a weapon yet?¡±


    Sola looked to the ground, avoiding eye contact as she walked. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you Force sensitive?¡±


    ¡°¡­yeah, but I can¡¯t really show it off here. It¡¯s pretty¡­unnatural.¡±


    Guess that¡¯s to be expected¡­ Watto thought.


    ¡°But I got some decent experience at my old school since I used to win most of the training matches. The Force helped knock out opponents before they could even fight. But they always had us fighting on these really dusty fields, so that sucked. I don¡¯t like dust. It¡¯s gross and messy and clingy, and it¡¯s gets eveywhe-¡°


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Watto yelled, stopping Sola in her tracks. ¡°Why¡¯re you still talking?!¡±


    ¡°You asked about me.¡± Sola replied, poker face intact.


    Watto looked to the ceiling and swore under her breath. ¡°¡­right.¡± She replied, fiddling with her tablet, a scowl painted on her face, ignoring Sola as they walked to the dorms.


    Sola then suddenly stopped and patted around her pockets, before pulling out her tablet triumphantly. ¡°I just remembered! I have the digital map!¡±


    Watto death glared her. ¡°Then take it out and stop wasting my time!¡±


    Sola held it up and blinked. ¡°It¡¯s out of battery.¡±


    Watto nearly slammed her head against the wall, before dragging Sola along in silence, and finally reaching the academy hall. ¡°There. You can leave now.¡± She barked.


    ¡°Oh, okay. Well than-¡° Sola started, before Watto raised a finger and silenced her.


    ¡°If you want to thank me, you¡¯ll do well in your classes.¡± Watto ended, heading back down the hall. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me anymore.¡±


    Sola was left standing in the hallway, right outside the assembly, before sighing to herself.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d be better once I got here¡­¡± She remarked. ¡°I¡¯m still a big doofus¡­¡±


    Sola headed back in and met up with her luggage, still unpacked on her bed, as she grabbed her tablet charger, plugged it in, and lay against the bed in a big heap. ¡°This place is way different than Mos Eisley.¡± Sola noticed. ¡°No desert for a start.¡±


    Before she got too comfortable, Sola quickly realised she needed to go to the bathroom again, and nearly hit herself for having such a weak bladder. She hopped up and grabbed her tablet, heading out before the day was over.


    ¡°Hello there.¡±


    ¡°Ahh!!!¡± Sola jumped back in shock, nearly falling over. She noticed a girl in robes standing behind her, close enough that she nearly bumped into Sola. She had a large scythe strapped to her back and an attractive mallen streak, which Sola couldn¡¯t help but stare at.


    ¡°Would you know how to use this?¡± The girl asked, holding out a tablet.


    ¡°¡­huh?¡± Sola asked, before registering her request. ¡°Oh, right, sure, is it broken?¡±


    ¡°I have not broken it.¡± The girl replied. ¡°I only received it as of a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried the power button?¡± Sola asked.


    The girl blinked. ¡°No.¡±


    Sola looked back down at the tablet and turned it on, handing it back to the girl.


    ¡°Grela.¡± She replied. ¡°Might I ask of your name?¡±


    ¡°Sola Skywalker.¡± Sola said, with a stunning plainness.


    ¡°Calias.¡± The girl said, proceeding with a gentle bow. Her expression stayed neutral throughout, but her politeness was well conveyed.


    Sola was visibly confused. ¡°Is that your name?¡±


    ¡°It is a greeting.¡± The girl said. ¡°Was that not translated well?¡±


    ¡°I guess not. Are you from¡­here?¡± Sola said, pointing to the ground for no real reason. ¡°I mean, you obviously moved here, but you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re from this system.¡±


    ¡°I am from the Jedi Order. I transferred here earlier today.¡± She answered, leaning over Sola¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How would I access the map function?¡±


    Sola looked at the screen. ¡°You press the map button.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± She said, attempting to do so to the best of her abilities.


    Sola looked puzzled. ¡°Did you say an Order?¡±


    The girl nodded. "They found me as a child.¡± She explained, before pocketing the tablet. ¡°Relias, I have forgotten to introduce myself.¡± She bowed again, but further this time. ¡°Aerlo Decali. My title is Essex. It is an honour to make the acquaintance of another Venator in training.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Sola replied. ¡°You¡¯re the first person I''ve seen who already looks like an official Venator.¡±


    Essex adjusted her robes a little. ¡°I am a professional. Why would I dress any other way?¡±


    Sola awkwardly looked down at her big poufy jacket. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    After a second without distraction, Sola quickly remembered she had to leave for the bathroom and resumed her panic. ¡°Super sorry, but I gotta go¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood. I appreciate your assistance.¡± Essex thanked, as Sola rushed off, forgetting her tablet in the rush.


    It was all of three minutes before she got lost again.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Essex knew what she had to do.


    After a day of wandering around, trying to find any semblance of Senator Faller¡¯s office, she finally had a lead with the official school map. She¡¯d checked it a few days prior to prepare herself, but for some reason, the office was marked on the other side of the academy. Now it was five thirty in the afternoon, and truly starting to annoy her.


    ¡°Main building, floor thirty eight, third corridor¡­¡± She recited to herself, having accidentally closed her tablet and forgotten how it works again. She marched down the academy halls, up the stairwells, getting past his secretary, and eventually arrived at the office itself. She slammed the door open, causing a slumped Faller to jump back in his seat from shock.


    ¡°That¡­was¡­difficult.¡± Essex panted, thoroughly out of breath from traversing the academy¡¯s labyrinth like design.


    Faller climbed back up to his chair and tried to regain some level of dignity. ¡°Did you need something?¡± He asked, attempting to calm his heart.


    Essex took a second to centre herself and readjust her ponytail. ¡°Upon my scholarship, I received a care package requesting I meet with you once the semester had started. I also received this object which has shown me incorrect map layouts and annoyance.¡± Essex said, displaying her tablet.


    Faller took a second to look over his papers. ¡°You must be Ms Essex from the Jedi Order.¡± He deduced. ¡°Thank you for making the time to be here. How did you find the care package itself?¡± He asked, sitting up to address her as a near equal.


    ¡°The Order found some of the items to be offensive.¡± Essex explained. ¡°Specifically, the red lightsabers and Darth Vader memorabilia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my apologies.¡± Faller said. ¡°The Order¡¯s still very secretive, but I¡¯ll make a note of that for the future. Now, what¡¯s this about a faulty tablet?¡±


    ¡°The previous map was inconsistent with the current layout, despite being presented as accurate.¡± Essex explained.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Faller said. ¡°We make a habit of changing the location of my office every year or so in case of a potential attack. We also deliberately mark the maps wrong at the start of semesters to throw off any threats. I¡¯m impressed you picked up on that.¡±


    ¡°Potential attack?¡± Essex asked.


    Faller took a beat, then laughed at his own mistake. ¡°I guess I should have been smarter about my wording.¡±


    Faller stood up and started wandering around the room. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, I need to ask you something. Can I trust you with some sensitive information? As a Jedi Knight in training?¡±


    Essex didn¡¯t speak, but nodded in understanding, still rigidly in place near Faller¡¯s desk.


    ¡°I believe there may be a third party to the Wailing conflict.¡±


    Essex remained unblinking, but nearly let out a faint gasp.


    ¡°One who is, say, fanning the flames of the war between us Venators and the Wailing. Worse yet, I fear they may be working within the academy itself.¡± Faller sat back down at his desk. ¡°I¡¯ve only told you and the other scholarship students about this since you¡¯re the closest we have to professional Venators, and I don¡¯t believe you to be untrustworthy. You¡¯re also our first representative from the Jedi Order, after all, and they¡¯re known for their noble and honest nature.¡±


    ¡°Is the third party an assumption or something you have evidence of?¡± Essex asked.


    ¡°¡­what I¡¯m asking of you is to look out for anything suspicious. If they¡¯re operating on our grounds, I need eyes and ears wherever I can get them.¡± Faller clarified. ¡°But I must ask you, don¡¯t take these matters into your own hands. While you¡¯re close to them, you still aren¡¯t Venators as of yet. We have professional security for a reason. Just inform us of anything worth looking into and let us handle it. I love democracy.¡±


    Essex processed what he said, as Faller flipped through a couple more papers.


    ¡°Is that everything?¡± Essex asked


    ¡°One more thing.¡± Faller said. ¡°How was your trip here?¡±


    ¡°Needlessly extended.¡± Essex remarked, getting a laugh out of Faller.


    ¡°Will I see you at tomorrow¡¯s welcome event at least?¡±


    ¡°Is it a required event?¡± Essex asked.


    ¡°No, but it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Faller smiled. ¡°We have some mock fights planned, if you feel like participating. Get some practice in?¡±


    ¡°Understood. I shall attend.¡± Essex replied.


    ¡°Wonderful. Now be prepared for your classes, and your new teammates. May the Force be with you.¡± Faller proclaimed.


    ¡°Grela, sir, and also with you.¡± Essex said, as she nodded, turned and politely left his office, as Faller laughed to himself at her statement.


    Essex headed back down the hall, much less hurried this time, and weighed the responsibility she¡¯d just been given by Faller. Sociopolitical espionage was nowhere near her strong suit, but she was willing to act in place of a professional Venator if the situation required it.


    ¡°If I am already near a professional, then why am I needed here?¡± She asked herself, receiving no clear answer from anywhere. It¡¯s not like she wanted to be here, training as a Venator and picking up power converters¡­


    Essex found her way back to the temporary dorms, getting her exercise outfit from her luggage and heading to the bathrooms to change. She started her run near the real dorm building, planning out a potential route for when she moved in with her team. She headed off and kept up a steady pace.


    ¡°Ready for training, are you?¡± Master Yoda asked, before hopping onto her back, accompanying her with training.


    ¡°One, two, three, four¡­¡± She counted to herself, taking two steps every second of her run, Yoda weighing her down throughout. The heat started to build up across her body, nearly burning the palms of her hands through and through, as she took a breather beside the main building.


    As she let down her guard, a girl walked by and bumped into her mid breath, before hurrying off without another word.


    ¡°That¡­was rude.¡± Essex panted, catching the back of the girl¡¯s yellow flannel, as they ducked around another corner and out of sight.


    ¡°Rudeness is the path to the Dark Side. Rudeness leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.¡± Yoda offered as wisdom, giving Essex pause for thought.


    Essex straightened herself up and looked back at where the girl had been. ¡°I¡­wonder what her day¡­has been like?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Julia finally made it.


    She knew she should be getting ready for the new semester and welcome event, but she had to see it, at least once, before her education truly started. It took a while to find the right elevator, but after a bit of searching outside, and accidentally bumping into someone, she found one that made it to the roof of the main building. Technically speaking, she shouldn¡¯t have been up there since it wasn¡¯t available to students, but she also wasn¡¯t quite a student yet, so it balanced out in a way.


    And, of course, the view was entirely worth it.


    The academy was lain out below her, sprawling the grounds with high tech architecture and students wandering about, the forest adjacent to the training grounds stretching well beyond the horizon line. The large, defining Eldos Mountains captured the landscape so well, marking a barrier around the academy that nature provided, all with the perfect twin sunset disappearing behind it, as Julia stared at the majestic view and took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally here¡­Venator Academy.¡± She proclaimed, proudly holding herself to the moment. ¡°Everything¡¯s about to start for me¡­¡±


    She stayed up there for a few more minutes, before the rational part of her brain reasoned sleep and an early wake up would be best for tomorrow. Not only for the welcome event, but also for meeting her new team members too.


    Five of us all living in one room. For three years¡­ She thought. With strangers¡­


    Her spine started to tingle, before she pushed her nerves down and tried to keep a positive attitude.


    The academy knows what they¡¯re doing. They¡¯re sure to be amazing. Like brothers, even.


    Julia kept walking back to the dorms, before getting excited all over again. ¡°I wanna meet them so bad! Why can¡¯t classes start already?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°My very own Venator team of colleagues and brothers.¡±


    Julia excitedly hurried back down the halls, picturing what her great new teammates might be like, as she reached her bed along with the other students and eventually drifted off to sleep, waiting for the next day.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Jules, you ready?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. The answers yes, moron.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, charming gesture. You got the chip to work properly?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not risking my ass. Why do you think we¡¯re back here and not watching the carnage in person?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You know, for a mute, you sure manage to say just enough to piss me off.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting payed. What does it matter¡­you good to go, Darth Wicker?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s in place on my end. All ready for tomorrow morning¡¯s big event.¡±


    ¡°And the press too?¡±


    ¡°No need to micromanage me. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, boss¡­someone tell me when the interesting stuff starts¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, then sign it or whatever! Gods¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The next day was as thrilling for Julia as the last. Needless to say, it took a while for Julia to fall asleep the night before. She kept hyping herself up about who might be in her team, secretly hoping for Joh or that Wookie she met, but she¡¯d be happy with whoever she got.


    Her alarm rang at a solid eight o¡¯ clock, as she jumped out of bed with a ready vigour and prepared attitude. Along with most of the first years, the welcome event was top priority for Julia. She wouldn¡¯t be meeting her teammates until the afternoon, so the event ran until twelve for the entire academy, as a sort of playful welcome to the grounds.


    Julia grabbed her bag and rushed out of the hall. The event started at seven thirty, but she deliberately left it a little late to give everyone time to set up and students time to settle down.


    After reaching the courtyard, just a little out of breath, Julia looked out at welcome event in full swing. The place was flooded with students, staff and interested citizens playing carnival games, checking out extra curricular activities, and a few Venator industry professionals giving their time to potential future Venators. Stalls were set up selling all manner of fun gift bags and novelty toys, a mini roller coaster was zipping around the grounds, and there was even a small Venator museum established, showing the great lineage of Wailing Wars and government regulation that shaped the Venator industry into what it was today. Up on stage, Faller made a little address to the students there, encouraging them to try and fail, and learn from their failures, and wishing them well with their future team. It was something bright for the future.


    Well, in actuality, that was what the academy planned.


    A joyous event for all the new students.


    But it didn¡¯t quite work out that way. She feared something terrible had happened.


    Julia didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d see when she exited the hallway, but from the sounds ringing out, she figured people would be celebrating and cheering to a new year of studies. However, as she got closer, the screaming sounded panicked, far more frantic than what would be warranted, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. And what she assumed to be the roller coaster and speakers were more like crashing noises, cement being torn up and glass being shattered.


    It took a minute to process what she saw.


    Upon entering the courtyard, the sun shone down on her, glaring her eyes a little, as the sounds of people yelling and running finally registered, and she saw the cause of the calamity.


    A Wailing.


    An enormous Wailing, nearly a hundred metres in height alone, that had torn through the gap between adjacent skyscrapers, laying waste to the courtyard with noticeable ease and no remorse. Its hulking mass helped drive its enormous limbs, letting it claw its way through the campus grounds with a mere swing of its arm, its vicious, red eyes clearly blind in its bloodlust.


    Students ran. They cleared out without hesitation, their natural instinct being to self preserve, as the security team and third years remained, doing everything they could to hold it off. What looked to be hundreds of Venators all slashed, fired, lacerated and maimed the creature, but it showed no sign of slowing down, no sign of visible injury or fatigue. It swatted at the Venators climbing up its form, trying to grapple its fur and reach its face, but any effort to reach higher was met with severe punishment.


    X-Wings flew in, firing at the Wailing¡¯s weak spots, only to be swatted out of the air in an instant, rendering the attacks useless.


    Y-Wings were in the mix too, dropping bombs left and right, only for the Wailing to treat them the same and grab them as soon as they flew by.


    And what Julia could only make out to be the Millennium Falcon appeared on the horizon to offer up more fire power, adding to the visual chaos that engulfed the courtyard.


    And now Julia was right in the middle of it, staring up at the behemoth, blocking out the sun rays she¡¯d felt entering, as confused screams around her started to seep in.


    ¡°Watch out!!!


    ¡°It¡¯s bigger than we¡¯ve ever seen!¡±


    ¡°Fourth unit, aim for the leg! Second unit, draw its fire! Our priority is the safety of the civilians!¡±


    Julia noticed people still along walkways surrounding the buildings, some raised up above the ground, and some half destroyed by the Wailing¡¯s weight alone. A few civilians stayed in place from a pure and unkind shock, staring up at the beast as it rampaged the academy around it.


    And Julia was amongst them, no matter how hard she tried.


    No¡­


    "No¡­"


    ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡± Julia cried out, her arms splayed out by her side.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Harley headed down the corridor, ready the check out the rest of the school before meeting her team. She thought about going to the welcome event, but she¡¯d seen plenty of carnivals and fetes back at home, and they were nothing like the facilities on display at the academy. Especially that whole freaking Death Star.


    ¡°Hmmmmhmmhmm¡­¡± She hummed to herself, taking her time and appreciating the scenery, before a thunderous crash shook down the hall and up her spine. She took a second to re-cooperate, before heading out onto the nearby balcony and seeing where the noise came from.


    It was worse than she imagined.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± She muttered, as the gargantuan Wailing crashed into both the skyscrapers again, roaring out in a horrid screech, all while Venators and ships tore up the courtyard around it. Fortunately, Harley was a few buildings away, but even with those obstructing her vision, the Wailing¡¯s destructive path was clear as day. She looked out at the courtyard, people still evacuating in mass numbers, before spotting a few people still cowering in fear below the violent aggressor.


    In a snap judgement, Harley jumped out the balcony and down the adorning building¡¯s roof, sliding as fast as she could manage, while doing some very cool flips on the way, and running straight to the courtyard.


    I don¡¯t have my crossbow. She reminded herself. This¡¯ll have to be quick.


    She found the entrance to the courtyard and assessed the situation. Several students and staff were helping civilians and each other escape, making their way to the exits, as a woman in combat gear yelled commands at the campus security, their attention on taking out the Wailing. Several well-equipped fighters flew by and offered support, and someone in a jetpack appeared to be firing at the Wailing with blasters in each hand.


    That can¡¯t be all of them. Harley realised, counting the evacuees as they left.


    Then someone caught her eye.


    Harley noticed R2D2, deactivated, still trapped behind some very conveniently stacked rocks piled up in the hallway, too weak to free itself, as C3PO tried to pull him out to no avail. The Wailing¡¯s thrashing only saw more debris crash around them.


    Harley dashed in, making sure to avoid the falling cement and glass, dodging and weaving, until she found R2D2 trapped against a wall, a solid chunk of building forcing him against it. Harley braced herself against the wall and pushed the chunk back, straining her Wookie muscles from the sheer weight of it, as C3PO pulled R2D2 out just in time for Harley to stumble backwards from overexertion.


    C3PO held R2D2 over his back, before the Wailing swung its arms against the building again, smashing into several classrooms, and causing a large shard of glass to plummet toward an exhausted Harley at top speed.


    ¡°Watch ou-!¡±


    Before anyone could catch what was going on, the woman in combat gear leaped right past C3PO and above Harley, aiming her fist at the bottom of the shard, as she used the Force and launched the glass off to the side, smashing it against the ground and away from Harley.


    She pulled Harley to her feet, as Harley recognised her as the chief of security. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Rrrggh¡­yeah, I pulled something.¡±


    ¡°Get these two to a safe spot. Don¡¯t come back until we¡¯ve handled this.¡± The chief declared.


    ¡°You can¡¯t se-¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t back chat me! Do your job as a future Venator!¡± She yelled, pushing Harley back and re-entering her squadron to continue their assault.


    Harley watched her take off, as she helped bare some of R2D2¡¯s weight, escorting him and C3PO out as fast as they could.


    Please take that thing down¡­ Harley wished.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Please take that thing down¡­ Wess hoped, cowering in utter fear.


    She was still in the courtyard, huddled under a large chunk of debris, hands over her head and tears seeping down her eyes. She had gotten up early to speak to industry Venators and staff, hoping to get a few contacts in for the future, due to her no longer having any contacts back in Alderaan. But she wasn¡¯t prepared for this. Nobody was, and everyone was trying to adapt to the situation as quickly as possible. But Wess couldn¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t ready yet.


    This wasn¡¯t supposed to be her first fight.


    Metal and scaffolding rained down around her, connecting and ringing out horrid sounds of clanging steel, as Wess looked for an opportunity to escape.


    In a brief second, she heard the Wailing roar out in pain, and one of the security team yelled about a person in a jetpack stunning it for a second. Wess dashed out, sprinting to the courtyard exit with all her energy while doing several cool flips, as the Wailing regained its consciousness and stepped forward, separating the ground beneath its feet. Wess tripped up against the unsettled cement and scrapped her leg badly, holding back a pained Wilhelm scream and continuing to the exit to lessen any more harm to her.


    She made it to the courtyard exit, taking a breather by the archway, and trying to slow her rapidly beating heart.


    It¡¯s unheard of. She thought, desperately trying to rationalise. No Wailing should be able to reach that size.


    After checking she was in the clear and slumping to the ground, the familiar face of Greedo ran by toward the courtyard, a large sniper rifle in her hands and a look of determination on her face.


    ¡°Greedo! Where are you going?!¡± Wess cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m defending the academy. What does it look like?¡± She replied, setting up her rifle against the ground. ¡°I can do enough damage from back here to help out.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a time for heroics! We¡¯re first years! Leave this to the professionals!¡± Wess reasoned, grabbing Greedo¡¯s shoulder.


    Greedo batted her hand away. ¡°I¡¯m not letting them risk their lives for mine! I deserve a say in whether I help or not!¡± Greedo yelled, readying her rifle. ¡°Let me do this, Wess.¡±


    Wess looked back at her, lying against the ground, as the Wailing continued stomping back and forth, slowly approaching the main building itself. It didn¡¯t look like it was slowly down at all, but the campus security and fighters kept holding it off with everything they had.


    Wess made her decision and continued her safe exit, trying not to push her bloodied leg too much, as Greedo aimed her sights and fired toward the Wailing¡¯s face.


    Whilit''s speed, Greedo.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Oh no no no no no no no¡­nooooooooooooo¡­¡± Sola muttered to herself, as another part of the academy was obliterated near her.


    She was huddled behind the adorning balcony of the courtyard, metres away from a large hole in the building caused by the Wailing¡¯s wild swinging of its claws. Sola stayed frozen in place, hoping dearly that the Wailing would avoid her, just skip over her and let her be.


    ¡°Go away, Wailing¡­¡±


    In the least likely of events, Sola saw Watto of all people heading out onto the balcony with her, a clearly visible lightsaber by her side, her attention entirely on the Wailing. Watto looked over at the campus security, with the melee focused members attempting to get closer to the Wailing, being batted left and right by its limbs, as several gunners lined up, firing at its chest and face, to no clear effect. Meanwhile, what looked to a be some kind of bounty hunter, dressed in Mandalorian armour, was firing at the Wailing head on, taking shot after shot at it while dodging every oncoming attack effortlessly.


    ¡°Its hide is too tough.¡± Watto assessed. ¡°The bounty hunter¡¯s shots are only so effective. They need the melee units to cut through and weake-¡°


    ¡°Watto!¡± Sola exclaimed. ¡°Why the heck are you here?!¡±


    Watto looked over and groaned once she realised who it was. ¡°Of all the students¡­¡±


    ¡°Watto!!!¡± Sola yelled, as a sudden lightsaber came flying across the courtyard toward them, cutting through each beam holding up the balcony, as it started to collapse in on itself, the roof crumbling under the pressure.


    Sola reacted quickly, noticing the part above Watto starting to shake, and instinctively pushing her out of the way with a leap, and a very cool flip, sending them both to the ground, as the roof caved in on itself and took most of the balcony with it.


    Watto took a beat to recover, looking at Sola lying on her. ¡°You good?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­no.¡±


    Watto looked behind her and saw Sola¡¯s leg trapped under some scaffolding, as she rolled her eyes, got up and lifted the metal beam off.


    ¡°Ow¡­¡± Sola groaned, grabbing her pained leg.


    ¡°Oh, come on, you¡¯re gonna be a Venator. You¡¯ll feel much worse.¡± Watto said. ¡°It¡¯s not even broken.¡±


    Sola still held it against her, as Watto checked back on the Wailing, now aiming for the other side of the balcony adjacent to the courtyard, then to the security focusing their shots, and offered a hand to Sola. Watto grabbed Sola¡¯s torso and walked her out, taking the pressure off Sola¡¯s leg and assuring her the year would definitely be easier than this.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    With a solid swing, Essex dug into the Wailing¡¯s hide with her scythe, using her weight to drag it down and slice through its side, as it roared out it pain and tried to swat at her with its arms. Essex expertly swung out of the way, using her momentum to flip in a very cool way and send her back to the adjacent balcony to regain some ground, all while nearly hitting the flying bounty hunter.


    ¡°Hey, watch it! This is my target to kill!¡± Boba Fett yelled, before continuing to fire it.


    Essex looked at the supporting fire coming from the campus security, their gunners all aiming at the wound she¡¯d open, along with a few more student snipers off to the side, and some third years emulating what she was doing. The Wailing used its arm to hide the slash as best it could, as Essex planned a further attack closer to the heart this time.


    ¡°Essex, wait!!!¡±


    Before she could head out, a panicked and panting Senator Faller ran onto the balcony, severely out of breath. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?!¡±


    ¡°What must be done.¡± She answered, as Faller grabbed her arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re a first year! Get to safety with the rest of the first years, please!¡± He pleaded.


    Essex growled and threw him off, hooking her scythe onto the roof to get to the high ground, as Faller looked over the balcony to find her.


    ¡°Wailing kill professional Venators everyday, and you¡¯re still in training!¡± He yelled, as her sole focus remained on the Wailing itself. ¡°Don¡¯t risk your future when you don¡¯t need to!¡±


    Essex waited until the Wailing was close enough to her position and leaped onto the arm still covering its wound, as Faller watched on in shock at what the Wailing had done to his academy.


    Essex managed to climb up the arm, digging into its skin with her scythe, as the pain shot up the Wailing¡¯s side, causing it to start swinging its arm back and forth to throw Essex off. Essex nearly gave in from the Force of the swinging alone, but remained determined, picking her moments carefully for when to keep moving.


    The Wailing swung its arm into the skyscraper again, aiming Essex into as much dangerous material as it could, as Essex nimbly flipped back around to the other side of its arm to dodge it, then back on top, before running down the arm itself, still flipping, toward the Wailing¡¯s head with a level of speed and grace rarely seen. The Wailing swung with its other arm, glaring at Essex with its horrifically bloodshot eyes, as Essex vaulted off, careening through the air, flipping all the while, and aimed herself at the Wailing¡¯s top torso.


    The campus security and third years stared, mesmerised by her technique, with the fighters backing off, and even Boba Fett taking a moment to stop shooting, as she finally reached its chest, digging in from the top with her scythe, and severing it down the middle.


    In a last ditched effort, the Wailing took a final swing at the now slowed down Essex, and slashed her off with a shockingly painful swing, sending her soaring through the air, yelling as she did so, with her scythe still inside the Wailing¡¯s chest.


    As her backup watched on, the chief of security herself rushed up to where Essex was heading, right toward the balcony Senator Faller was still on, climbing and flipping up the building frame in front of him, before slowing Essex down with the Force and catching her safely.


    In that brief moment of distraction, the Wailing took its awful chance and slammed its fist against the ground, cracking the pavement even more and sending the gunner squadron into disarray. The ground reverberated from the impact, throwing the third-year gunners and Greedo off as well, launching her rifle off to the side, all while its violent and wild swinging finally managed to take out the fighters and Boba Fett, as the Wailing closed in and attempted to take them all out once and for all.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Julia still stood there, unmoving despite everything. She was sure she heard people yelling and screaming at her about evacuating, but if the academy wasn¡¯t safe from this thing, then there truly was nowhere left to go.


    Finally, she felt the shock running through her body, as the ground shook and broke her from her trance-like state, and the Wailing¡¯s presence was felt just as hard.


    It couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    It just¡­


    Julia was just about to give up entirely, as she noticed something sticking out of the Wailing¡¯s chest, something shining slightly in the sunlight. A scythe, one that had cut its way through the Wailing¡¯s hide. Better yet, another wound was on its side too, including visible blaster holes and other gashes against its legs and face. It looked to be affecting the Wailing pretty badly, as it tried to use the broken skyscraper as a support for its body.


    It even looked tired.


    It¡¯s vulnerable. She realised. We can still win this.


    The ground shook again, as the Wailing crashed its arm back into it, now keeling over in its pain, as Julia tried to formulate a plan for how to take it out for good.


    She looked around and saw plenty of the security staff still attacking it along side third years, the weapons slowing it down, but only doing that much, as others hung by the sidelines and looked for any kind of an opening. The chief of security was tending to Faller and that girl that was thrown off, so whether she could help in any meaningful way or not was hard to say. The Millennium Falcon had crashed into the side of one of the buildings, and Boba Fett was pounding his fist on his jetpack, trying to get it to work again.


    And then, it hit her.


    Literally, it hit her.


    Flipping by her side, Julia noticed a sniper rifle, coming from behind her and seemingly belonging to another student who was knocked out from the last shock wave. Julia finally had something to act with.


    She propped up the rifle against the ground, trying to find a hold amongst the shattered cement, aiming at the Wailing¡¯s large chest wound, still bleeding profusely. The security kept yelling commands and orders at each other, with plenty of gunfire and roaring from the Wailing filling the courtyard, as Julia slowly breathed to herself, trying to drown out the sound and focus.


    Focus¡­just focus¡­a bullet on its own won¡¯t be enough¡­but¡­


    ¡°Julia¡­¡±


    Julia suddenly heard a voice and looked around, but couldn¡¯t find anyone there.


    ¡°Julia¡­¡±


    ¡°M-Master Obi Wan?¡±


    ¡°Use the Force, Julia. Use the Force¡­¡±


    In a moment of quick thinking, she aimed directly at its heart, still breathing steadily, as the Wailing went in for another smash against the ground. She pressed her finger against the trigger, sending the bullet flying through the air toward the Wailing, before she focused her hand toward the bullet, and using the Force, increased its velocity to unbelievable speeds, as it pierced through the air and into the Wailing¡¯s freshly opened wound.


    Or at least it would have, if another bullet hadn¡¯t been fired just a second before, managing to pierce through the Wailing¡¯s heart about as effectively as Julia¡¯s would have.


    There was a moment of silence that followed, the security and third years left in an unexplained moment of calm, as the other bullet travelled too quickly for anyone to process and could only be seen by the damage it did to the Wailing. The Wailing started to stumble, almost collapse in on itself, losing its firm grip on its skyscraper support, as its arm finally slipped, and it crashed against the pavement behind it with a final, defeated thud.


    A giant dust cloud was sent into the air with its fall, acting like a shroud for the Wailing¡¯s death, as the same silence hung over the crowd once again.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!¡±


    Everyone started cheering, celebrating, high-fiving and hugging each other after a job well done, as the security cautiously checked the body to confirm it was killed.


    And Julia let herself feel relief after such a tumultuous morning.


    She did it.


    Well, no. She didn¡¯t. Someone else did.


    But, I mean, they all did it together. Kinda.


    And the sun shone through once again.


    Julia tried to get a view of who managed to take the shot, before spotting a Green Rodian off to the side, getting plenty of attention from those around her.


    ¡°Great shot, Greedo! You really took that thing down!¡± They cheered, holding her up excitedly.


    Julia could¡¯ve sworn she¡¯d shot first, but wasn¡¯t about to complain about defeating a Wailing. At the very least it was down. She didn¡¯t need some kind of compensation.


    ¡°Julia.¡±


    Despite the fight having only ended mere seconds ago, Julia watched as Dulce walked over to her, proudly standing with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Here. This is for you.¡±


    She held out a medal in her hand, as Julia tentatively took it, even though she wasn¡¯t really sure why she was receiving it.


    Just as the celebration around her started to pick up, she saw three figures off to the side, nearly out of shot, which she recognised as the ghosts of her mum, Florey, and a young Hayden Christiansen, all staring at her with respect she had to admit she hadn¡¯t earned.


    Maybe they¡¯re looking at Greedo? She wondered, before a thought hit her.


    ¡°Wait, mum and Florey aren¡¯t dead¡­¡± She realised, before the scene paned out into space, leaving here with her thought, and a rendition of ¡®Yub Nub¡¯ to close this great victory.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°And¡­there we go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you look so relieved?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay, I don¡¯t like ¡®em either, but I¡¯m not about to cry like a pissy little baby. You¡¯re such a pussy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhuh. How¡¯re things on your end, boss?¡±


    ¡°The Wailing has just been confirmed as dead, and the press are transmitting right now. This victory will be a fine addition to my collection.¡±


    ¡°You sound happy.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. From what I saw in person, there were no casualties.¡±


    ¡°¡­what? Seriously none?¡±


    ¡°Well, except for the Wailing of course.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted the school destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Only partly. This was a perfect execution, overall.¡±


    ¡°Bu¡­sure, whatever. I¡¯m not gonna pretend to understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You look relieved again. If you let your heart bleed this much, you might just die from it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, just go. Our jobs done anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­not by a maclunkey.¡±

 Bonus - Year 2 Sketches

    Hey! Just a quick greeting from me to say hi and explain what this chapter is. For the second-year of Day-to-Day Kindred, I¡¯ve uploaded some art to Instagram, and now I¡¯m also uploading most of it here, along with some of the thought process that goes into my designs.


    I also split it into categories in case you want specifics:


    Team Valiant


    Character Sketches


    Side Pieces


    Chapter Covers and Behind the Scenes


    Also, it¡¯s implied that if you¡¯re reading this, you¡¯ve caught up to at least Chapter 44. There¡¯s some spoilers in here, so I¡¯d recommend reading it first and coming back here. No pressure, just didn¡¯t want to ruin any twists or reveals.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Team Valiant


    Seems like an obvious place to start. I¡¯ll just cover the team as a whole real quick before delving into each member.


    If you know much about writing, you might¡¯ve heard about the ¡®five man band¡¯ at some point. Basically, it¡¯s a very simple template for groups of heroes that helps clarify what role each member should fill, like the leader who makes decisions, the big guy who does big guy things, etc. Well, commonly, these roles are also associated with the five Chinese elements seen in Feng Shui (earth, fire, water, wood and metal) since they all have their own unique relations, and both tie back to the ¡®Journey to the West.¡¯


    Since this is my love letter to what I¡¯m calling the ¡®hero team¡¯ genre, I figured that was a good basis for my characters, as well as some locations. In addition to the elements themselves, they¡¯re also associated with colours, shapes, animals, heavenly beasts, etc, which come up a lot in the designs too.


    Let¡¯s start with the obvious one, Julia Naples Alpine. Yes, her middle name is Naples.


    Julia was the first character I ever had figured out in Daysend. I knew I wanted her to have a tomboyish attitude, balanced out with some more feminine features, all with a design that screamed optimism. She¡¯s ostensibly our main character, after all. If she isn¡¯t likeable, I¡¯ve kind of failed off the bat.


    In terms of her element, she¡¯s based on earth, which is usually represented by the colour yellow and squares. And look at that, her flannel¡¯s covered in it! That actually wasn¡¯t the intention first, but it just sorta worked out like that when designing her. Admittedly, I wanted to give her a flannel since that¡¯s kind of a stereotype with lesbians. The earth element¡¯s also associated with the centre and represents stability, which happens to fit Julia¡¯s leader role really well.


    I gave her the star pin to break up the design a little, while also representing the team (five points, of course) and tying into one of the motifs of Day-to-Day Kindred with light representing goodness, kindness, warmth, etc. You see it all over the place, but this is one of the more overt examples.


    Now onto Harley! While the initial sketches of the team look fairly different to how they are now, Harley¡¯s pretty much looked the same since I first drew her. Her original basis was Yang from RWBY, but I wanted to keep her fun party vibes from the early seasons and add in more unique personality traits, like her love of history and bimbo/himbo tendencies.


    Her element¡¯s obviously fire, represented with red and triangles. With that said, instead of a more obvious fire look, I decided a summer aesthetic worked better while complementing the other elements of her design. And to avoid red dominating the design too much, she¡¯s covered in all three primary colours, with orange as an accent.


    For triangles, she¡¯s obviously got a lot decorating her outfit, but this also comes through in her posing. Even casually, actions poses tend to use a lot of angles to emphasise movement, creating a triangular look. This makes sense for Harley, since she¡¯s the most physically active of the team.


    And physically  attractive.


    ...


    ...


    ...anyway...


    Next is Wess, the resident stuck-up rich girl. In all honesty, that¡¯s always been one of my favourite archetypes. There¡¯s a lot of ways to make it interesting, and it¡¯s hard for them not to be engaging.


    As was the case with Harley, and as I¡¯ve mentioned before, Wess was inspired by Weiss from RWBY (just ignore the similar names, we¡¯re in too deep to change it now) with the similar changes in personality and added characterisation. I promise, they¡¯re not all this direct in comparison. It¡¯s really just these two.


    ¡­and a couple others later down the line, but that¡¯s it. Her style was meant to stand out against the team by looking the least like warrior-like, while also communicating her well-off upbringing and dry attitude. Her element¡¯s water, which is represented by the colour black, funnily enough, and...undulating.


    That¡¯s the shape. Undulating. It basically means a wave pattern, like her hair which resembles a river, and the bottom of her dress. Obviously, I made her main colour blue, since there¡¯s more to work with than black, but kept her hair and eyebrows black to balance it. I also borrowed the splash of red used in Weiss¡¯ outfit for Wess¡¯ glasses to break up the uniform blue.


    As for the shape, while her hair is very undulating, she uses more diamonds in her appearance since they fit her a lot better, and work as a quick signifier to her wealthy background.


    Sola! Admittedly, she might be my favourite design from Team Valiant, but that¡¯s always subject to change. That¡¯s only because she¡¯s got a lot more visual puns going on than the others.


    Sola¡¯s very kid-like in her appearance and attitude. Obviously, she¡¯s the shortest of the team, but her jacket''s deliberately oversized and clumsy looking too, with exaggerated body language to boot.


    Her¡¯s elements wood, which you guessed it, is green and rectangles. I kept the green for her, but eventually changed the rectangles to crescent moons, since they fit her a whole lot better. Of course, the wood element doesn¡¯t really come through in the design much, but you¡¯ll notice that she spends a lot of time in forests, and has some of her most significant development in them.


    Now, the afore mentioned puns. There¡¯s a few relating to her role in the story, that being the comic relief and team cheerleader. Both are seen in her jacket, which has large fluffy parts on the end referencing cheerleader pom poms, and large buttons running down the middle resembling certain types of clowns, specifically vaudeville clowns.


    Her hair also has a few layers to it. On top of it sticking up, similar to how hair reacts to electricity, it¡¯s also meant to resemble lop rabbit ears, just like her eyelashes, and show how directionless she is with it pointing all over the place.


    And finally, Essex no last name. She¡¯s got one of the simpler designs in the team, and that works really well for her. For someone like Essex, accessorising and complex outfits don¡¯t make a lot of sense, so she had to stand out in other ways.


    Like wielding a scythe and wearing a suit.


    It was set in stone by the very start of the narrative. I always wanted the scythe, since again, RWBY was a big inspiration and not using its most iconic weapon would be dumb, and it just made sense for Essex.


    For out last element, she¡¯s representing metal, which is paired with white and circles. This was definitely the hardest to work with since, 1. White is not a very versatile colour and, 2. Circles are way too off brand for Essex (look too friendly, round, bubbly, you get it). So, instead, I gave her purple, since that better emphasises her outsider persona, and changed circles to cyclical shapes instead.


    White is still shown off in the design, most notably in her mallen streak and in the stylised colouration, where the suit is now shown as white, but also in her relationship to the team. Fun fact, Essex is the only character with pure white on her normal design. Every other character has a slightly off white, like Sola¡¯s pants and Julia¡¯s rolled up sleeves. Her ponytail also looks a bit like a fox¡¯s tail, referencing her deceased fox companion, while also emphasising her connection back to the Segaru Clan, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.


    Character Sketches


    Here¡¯s a collection of the various characters I¡¯ve drawn up. Most of them were already on Instagram, but a few are wholly new.


    Rosalind


    I¡¯ve been holding off on uploading this one for a while. For reference, the second one is her initial design, which I made back around the start of first-year.


    Yikes...what a glow up. This has to be one of the best examples of reiterative design. Cleaning up the appearance makes it way more readable, and the pose is far more intimidating. On top of that, the face is more expressive and better communicates her burnt-out, quick to temper personality. I kept her rolled up sleeves and changed her shoes to slip-ons so the outfit works better with her Whil. If she¡¯s heating up parts of her body, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to have a sleeve that could easily catch on fire getting in the way.


    And hey, another fun fact, there¡¯s actually a theme with all the villains in the story, design-wise. All of them are based on a zodiac, either from the Chinese or Greek zodiac. Since Team Valiant were based on the Chinese elements, I wanted to use the zodiac as well, but eventually came up with enough villains to fill out the Greek one as well. Ahaha...


    Rosalind¡¯s based on the tiger in the Chinese zodiac, in case the tie wasn¡¯t a dead giveaway. She¡¯s also got a similar pattern on her sword, as well as the scars running across her body. You can actually see in the sketch, I hadn¡¯t settled on whether to give them to her or not, but eventually decided to as of Chapter 36¡¯s cover.


    Florey


    Even though he¡¯s not shown much visually, I wanted to give Florey a unique design for working at EHM; something he¡¯d actually show up to work in. Plus, a lab coat is always a good signifier of a scientist. Of course, there¡¯s more symbolism to the design, but I¡¯m holding my cards to my chest for the moment.


    Kitty


    Meow. Sorry, force of habit.


    Here we go, the MVP of the tournament arc (in my eyes). I don¡¯t have much to say on her for now, but I will say, she¡¯s very loosely based on a card from the Major Arcana. Have fun guessing which one.


    I was initially going to introduce her  waaay later into the story but decided to move her introduction up to second-year. She also might have one of my favourite designs in Day-to-Day Kindred. I wasn¡¯t planning on writing her much until I drew up her design, then I had to use her more to justify how good it was.


    Puffy jackets for the win.


    Ryoko


    Here we go. Here¡¯s a character I¡¯ve yet to introduce, and one I had to crop for Instagram.


    Ryoko, the Dragon Tamer.


    She¡¯s a famous Dueling Venator from the VA Defender¡¯s Guild, competing in tournament matches and seen as one of the great solo Venators, with a uniquely powerful Whil that lets her summon a ¡®dragon.¡¯ She¡¯s been name dropped a few times so far, but her debut¡¯s still a bit away. I wanted to get her design finished just in case I needed to showcase her in something, and cause she was cool to design.


    Dulce


    This is just a design I¡¯m very happy with. I had this idea in my head for how Dulce should look for a while and I finally got around to it. The coat¡¯s a weirdly unique look for a security officer, but it works really well in giving her presence. I¡¯m also trying to get better with different body types, but that can be difficult to pull off when my style is so streamlined. I¡¯m still figuring out a lot of the little intricacies with it, and limb proportions keep coming up. With that said, this is definitely one of the better examples of how to do it right.


    Bell


    I¡¯ll be perfectly honest, I haven¡¯t actually designed most of Team Valiant¡¯s families. Granted, I¡¯ve been busy designing literally everyone else, so I had my priorities, but it means for now, only Bell has a canon appearance. I¡¯ll shorten the gap at some point.


    It was surprisingly tough trying to design someone who looks like an actor. Like, actors don¡¯t have a common look, save for theatre performers or...clowns? Bell¡¯s also a very regular person, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to have a bunch of gaudy accessories on her like another Avalon. Instead, I took a few signifiers of acting and added them to her outfit, like the comedy and tragedy masks, which inspired the patch on her skirt.


    She¡¯s also got two tattoos on her hands, both referencing Shakespeare. One¡¯s of a skull, paying homage to the ¡®Alas, poor Yorick¡¯ scene from Hamlet, and the other¡¯s a lute, since Shakespeare was often referred to as ¡®the bard.¡¯ She¡¯s also the first character I¡¯ve drawn with tattoos, which is cool. Go Bell.


    Baron


    Alright, technically I drew this in first-year, but since I drew Edward and Duke in second-year and wanted to talk about them, it felt weird not including Baron.


    Easily one of the most effective designs in Day-to-Day Kindred. Immediately, you can tell he¡¯s an asshole. There¡¯s a know-it-all assuredness to him that¡¯s oh so hateable. Don¡¯t you just love it?


    He was also the first character (save for an early version of Faller) with facial hair. A few more characters have it now, like Salaire and Devon, but I noticed I was only giving soul patches to the villainous characters, which...like, yeah, obviously.


    I tried giving one to Edward to emulate Baron, but I swear, he looked a decade older from that alone. Just a thirty-year-old man hanging out with a bunch of twenty somethings.


    Edward


    Edward; a surprisingly pleasing design once I¡¯d finished him.


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    He¡¯s meant to look like a cockier version of Baron, borrowing a lot of his elements, but in a slightly off-brand way, like he¡¯s not quite confident enough in them. Also, because his Whil involved manipulating metal, I gave him little welding decorations on his clothes, like the welding masks on his over-shirt and the sparks on his pants. That¡¯s kinda how I design a lot of my characters.


    I also kept the injury he got at the end of first-year with the slight scar running past his shirt. We respect continuity in this house.


    Duke


    Another good one. Obviously, with a powerset and personality like his, a rodeo and rustic aesthetic fits him perfectly. And while he¡¯s not the deepest character, his Whil and weapon easily make him one of the most fun to choreograph. There¡¯s a reason he¡¯s matched up with Wess so many times.


    Also, hey, cool thing, Team Exemplary¡¯s names are based on positions of power and names of kings. Baron and Duke are both nobility titles, while Edward, and the rarely seen Henry and George, are the names of several previous British kings. All the teams tend to have this theme, like Team Exemplary all having fancier, romance-language names and Team Instinct being based on a handful of athletes.


    Adora


    Here¡¯s another character that, like Kitty, I was going to introduce way later, but brought forward and fleshed out a lot more. This is the first time I drew proper Venator Academy merch on anyone, and the VA logo. A varsity jacket is always a good look.


    The face is a little off proportion now, but that¡¯s always the case with the characters when I first draw them. They sort of settle into place the more you draw them and become a lot more...comfortable? I guess that¡¯s how you¡¯d explain it. Same happened with Cyrus. His sketch looks a little off compared to the cover for Chapter 41, but that¡¯s just cause his hair looks more natural and his jacket¡¯s more form fitting. Not really conscious decisions, just subtleties that happened to take shape over time.


    Alani and Devon


    Two of my favourite side characters, especially design-wise. I wanted them to look like the most overtly and obviously criminal criminals. But again, like depicting Bell as an actor, criminals don¡¯t really have a consistent look, save for prison stripes and  maybe balaclavas? You can¡¯t emote with a balaclava, though.


    Instead, I kept them smarmy, and since they¡¯re based on Bonnie and Clyde, I gave them both an early 20th century look, with Alani dressed similar to a flapper mixed with a pickpocket, and Devon resembling a ¡®confidence man¡¯ type of criminal, with a hint of Great Gatsby. They¡¯re both also based on one zodiac (Greek this time). Can YOU guess what it is?


    Hint: jacket and vest. Have fun.


    Angie


    Here¡¯s one I haven¡¯t uploaded yet. To be honest, I just didn¡¯t really find a time that an Angie sketch would make sense. It wasn¡¯t ready by Chapter 31, but she was actually the last character I drew for my second most recent sketchbook.


    Again, despite not drawing the families, I just had this look in my head for Angie that I couldn¡¯t put down, so I put it to the page. Honestly, I turned out really well. I always wonder how people imagine my characters looking when they don¡¯t have explicit visual designs. Hopefully they line up somewhat.


    And yes, that¡¯s a Piet Mondrian robe. Very observant of you.


    Team Instinct


    For the record, yes, I designed them all ahead of time, but you¡¯ve gotta understand...


    ...I had some free time.


    Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re not important enough that you need to remember each one, hence why they¡¯re still pencil sketches. I know where to draw the line when it comes to audience retention. Not to keep harping on RWBY too much, but that series definitely has a problem with introducing a bunch of characters, pretending they¡¯re important, and then never doing anything with them (looking at you, Lil Miss Malachite).


    Mostly, the reason I designed them was so I could choreograph the fight in Chapter 38. Designing them together helped emphasise where each member¡¯s strong suit was, and how they could all represent and use strength in combat without just being a bunch of melee attackers. Like Jordan using a minigun, since it¡¯d take a ton of muscle to hold that thing up. It was necessary for the chapter, even if not all of them are getting featured screentime.


    With that said, it¡¯s still really fun designing entire teams. I¡¯ve been working at designing each member of Team Exemplary, and I¡¯ve only got Claudius left to do. Love those guys.


    And Team Instinct. They¡¯re pretty cool too.


    Side Pieces


    These are various pieces I made over the year without much of a character focus. These were mostly holiday themed or to flex some creative muscles with Adobe Illustrator.


    Halloween Sketches


    I¡¯ll be honest here...these weren¡¯t planned. Like, at all. I had another idea for a Halloween post based on Hellsing (love that show) but that didn¡¯t quite line up. Then Halloween approached, and I realised I didn¡¯t have anything for it, so I whipped these up pretty quickly...


    ...and I¡¯m shocked with how good they turned out.


    For the record, these were drawn up a few days before Halloween using an old charcoal pencil I had barely any experience with as I was in the middle of job searching. I don¡¯t know what holiday magic was flowing through my hands, but I appreciate it.


    With the sketches themselves, they¡¯re pretty self-explanatory. Team Valiant dressed as various Halloween monsters, with some personal and Day-to-Day Kindred flare mixed in. Julia¡¯s a spooky scarecrow, but with a pumpkin head referencing the Wailing from Chapter 11. Harley¡¯s a mix of Frankenstein things. Wess is an amalgamation of vampires, with the Northern nobility symbol on her sleeve. Sola¡¯s a moon witch, and Essex is dressed as one of her inspirations, the Grim Reaper, but with the skull design I like to use and her mallen streak running down the robe. It¡¯s good shit.


    Team Vanguard Spread


    This one speaks for itself. I did a spread of Team Valiant a bit ago (no, I¡¯m not uploading it here. It¡¯s old and cruddy looking) and wanted to do one for Team Vanguard too. This was actually my first time drawing Nathaniel, and the team¡¯s lower torsos. I¡¯d only ever drawn their upper bodies, similar to the first illustrations of Team Valiant, and only realised while making this that I had no idea what their pants or shoes looked like.


    Subtle point, but you might notice they¡¯re all shaped like the first letter of their name, for no particular reason. Mostly. Saxin¡¯s a bit of a stretch, and Nathaniel couldn¡¯t do it without pretzeling himself, so just his arms look like an N.


    C''s Room


    This was intended as practice for drawing more backgrounds, since I knew I¡¯d have to do that a lot for the ¡®home¡¯ chapters. As C¡¯s mentioned, they actually record the intro¡¯s live, then transcribe them down verbatim, so this is what I imagined C¡¯s room would look like as they did that. A large ornate chair, right next to a rug, almost like you¡¯re being told a grand story as you sit by its foot.


    Of course, there¡¯s tons of personal knickknacks around the room, with references to the story, and hints toward certain plot points. C¡¯s narrating after everything¡¯s said and done, after all. It makes sense their room would be a shrine to this stuff. What an eccentric person...


    I¡¯m gonna tease you guys even more by admitting that C¡¯s already been mentioned in the story. Good luck figuring out where!


    Twisting Pair Wailing


    These, as you might have guessed, are the Wailing that appeared during the ¡®home¡¯ chapters, most notably Chapter 34. The first example of symbiotic Wailing, and hints towards something more with our mysterious organisation.


    I think it¡¯s no secret these two are based on Pisces. Pretty good basis for a pair of symbiotic Wailing, while playing into the zodiac theming for villains. Most Wailing are sorta their own thing, but these two are pretty special, so it made sense to have them based on the zodiac with their more human counterparts. I liked the idea of basing them on fish without them necessarily being fish, like they look fairly similar, but can stand on their own and survive on land. It seemed a bit more unique then ¡®Team Valiant get on a boat, and then some Wailing show up! Ahh!¡¯


    I Hope Florey has a Good Bestalow


    Anyone here a fan of Miraculous Ladybug?


    This is a reference to a meme from the show during its first Christmas special, where Marinette wishes Adrian a good Christmas, before his face suddenly fades into the clouds, often accompanied by very inappropriate music. Much like the Halloween post, I didn¡¯t have anything planned for Christmas, so I used the last of my Adobe Illustrator subscription to knock this out. That snow was really worth the effort.


    Also, btw, such a good show. Season 1 was a slog, but man did it pick up in quality fast. Genuinely shocked that I enjoy it so much.


    Gelatinous Wailing


    I dunno, ¡®Shocking Gel Wailing¡¯ just doesn¡¯t work for me. I¡¯ll think of something.


    For reference, this is the Wailing that appeared in Chapter 11, the one that was chasing down Sola and Julia. This was actually a modified design I used for an old DnD game, back when I used to play and was DMing my own game. We never got up to this, but I hated the idea of leaving it to rot in a sketch book, so I repurposed it for Day-to-Day Kindred.


    Since a lot of the Wailing are very animalistic in design, I wanted the Gelatinous Wailing to feel really unnatural, hence why the proportions are so exaggerated and hard to define, and why the face is just a mess of symbols. The odd number of legs also helps this feeling (and is something I¡¯m totally keeping for future designs) since it¡¯s like the body is just making whatever it can into limbs.


    There¡¯s also a reason for the electricity running through its body, but I can¡¯t really reveal why. Spoilers and all that.


    Chapter Covers and Behind the Scenes


    And just cause I felt like it, I wanted to go over some of my favourite chapter covers for second-year, since I feel like I really kicked it up a notch compared to first-year.


    Main Cover


    This is mostly here for posterity. I was planning on keeping it the original hand-drawn cover, but that one is so out of date and wonky that it¡¯s hard to even compare the two. One of the main reasons I started doing digital covers was cause it looked much cleaner, and the colours worked a lot better. Also, I got sick of drawing the cursive lettering and the Day-to-Day Kindred logo over and over again. Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, my true design partners.


    Chapter 26 Cover


    I wanted to highlight this one specifically since, before Chapter 43 and 44, this was my favourite cover. I wanted to see how well the character designs worked outside of their typical colour scheme, and I¡¯m shocked at how well they translate. I also think it¡¯s one of the strongest in lots of little ways too, like the composition, how it relates to the chapter, the fact that four new designs were dropped on this one cover (Virgil, Alani, Devon and Guy), and that this was the start of me using background elements without outlines, which have been present in almost every chapter this year. I think this¡¯ll always be a favourite of mine.


    Home Chapters


    These were quite the undertaking. The covers for the home chapters were some of the first times I¡¯d drawn architecture for Daysend, but I really wanted to give each location its own distinct look, while being loosely based on real-life locations.


    Detu City¡¯s pretty straightforward. As the most typical city in Daysend, I wanted to communicate that idea of city surrounded by suburb, which is why the houses are all so bog-standard, almost cartoony in a way. As for the basic houses into the distance...look, I¡¯ve gotta life to live. As fun as it would be to detail out every little house running all the way into the horizon, I need to work. Maybe when I make it big...


    Yeah, like that¡¯ll ever happen.


    For Denilee, I based it on my current town of residence, Wagga Wagga. Most notably, the clock tower is ripped straight from the one down on Fitzmaurice Street, as well as several locations in the actual chapter. It¡¯s a bit more fantasy, since Denilee¡¯s surrounded by a forest and farmland, and the buildings are a bit more distinct compared to Detu City, but it¡¯s definitely one of the more Australian locations in the narrative.


    Mareau¡¯s interior¡¯s been cooking for a while, even before drawing it. A bustling main street, with more standard housing surrounding it, all pointing up to the higher end houses of this mountain interior. The buildings up front are based on a couple real life theatres and galleries, with the Juslue Theatre directly borrowing its peaks from the Sydney Opera House. I was hoping to decorate the housing with more personal touches, but as mentioned previously, I need a life and all that.


    Mykonori¡¯s an odd one. The Eastern Wayside was initially going to feature mostly Japanese architecture, but I couldn¡¯t get the image of Grecian buildings out of my head for Mykonori. Eventually, I compromised, and decided inland Eastern Wayside is Japanese, and coastal is Greek, including the Colossus of Mykos inspired by the real Colossus. I also added spires to most of the housing, since Old Gods Worship is quite popular in the Eastern Wayside, and spires are seen as a religious icon.


    And there¡¯s not much to mention with the Segaru Clan, since they¡¯re literally built around not valuing aesthetics, and since the cover for Countertop is more story driven and less postcard. I will say, the tents were inspired by real tents used by Australia¡¯s indigenous population, as well as the nomadic methods for hunting that the Segaru Clan use. I may go into the clan¡¯s design origins in more depth another time. Maybe a writing BTS next...I¡¯m leaving that one on the back burner...


    And here¡¯s how I draw up drafts for chapter covers. I tend to start out with really basic compositions just to get the posing and framing right, then complete the proper rendition on a larger page to help draw up minor details. I usually go by the rule of thirds for most chapters, since it¡¯s pretty consistent for visual appeal.


    Chapter 35 Cover


    Initially, this was going to be a piece to accompany the chapter along with the cover, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything for the cover. Then I asked myself ¡®Pierce, you¡¯re putting so much effort into this accompanying piece. Just make it the cover and save yourself some effort, you absolute tool.¡¯ So I did.


    I¡¯m still so proud of how this turned out. I¡¯ve always wanted to give the character¡¯s alternate outfits, and I had to put a lot of thought into these. Giving them all standard dresses would¡¯ve felt so wrong for such an important chapter, after all.


    Julia¡¯s was pretty obvious. She¡¯s already tomboyish, so a suit made total sense. Then I just turned her star pin into a star bowtie and her flannel into checkered socks.


    I didn¡¯t want Harley¡¯s outfit dominated by red, so I accented it against a mostly black dress. Also, her heels resemble her sunglasses, and her sleeves look like the layering on her gauntlets.


    Sola¡¯s was mostly funny. I wanted an outfit that looked cute, but I couldn¡¯t imagine Sola in anything other than a clown dress. So I gave her a clown dress. One she obviously can¡¯t tell is one, which makes it even funnier.


    Of course Wess would wear an evening gown, accompanied by Belvedere at her hip. Her glasses would¡¯ve gotten in the way of the design, so I moved the red to her earring, and even gave her a necklace with Belvedere¡¯s gem pattern on it.


    And Essex is basically the same, because of course she is. The only difference is her coat with a spiral pattern on it, which is a common design trend with Northern Wayside fashion, since Wess picked it out for her.


    I¡¯m definitely doing more outfit swaps, especially soon. A few big shakeups are just on the horizon.


    Chapter 36 Cover


    I dunno why, but the composition for this one just kinda came to me. Like, Florey in the corner staring off into the middle distance, and Jules in the opposite corner but upside down was always part of it. I¡¯ve just come to trust my instincts at this point, since they usually steer me in the right direction. Just like Chapter 26, this one also introduces a bunch of important characters¡¯ designs, including the first depiction of Rosalind without a mask. Wowee! Kind of a shock considering just how present she is in the story.


    I¡¯m also curious if people saw the twist in ¡®Break In¡¯ and ¡®Break Out¡¯ relating to EHM coming. I¡¯d like to think I hid it pretty well, but you can¡¯t really guarantee that everyone falls for that sort of thing. Leave a comment saying whether you thought it worked or not, along with your favourite brand of cereal. Mine¡¯s Trix, even though I¡¯ve never eaten it.


    Tournament Chapters


    I kinda struggled with these for a while. I didn¡¯t have many ideas for a theme, and most of the ones I thought of were too complicated. For instance, since I¡¯d already designed Team Instinct, the cover for ¡®Instincts¡¯ was gonna have Team Valiant on one side and Instincts on the others, Civil War style, but that would¡¯ve meant drawing  ten characters  just for one cover, and then setting  that as the precedent.


    Then the spotlight idea let me use some pre-existing sketches, while better setting up each opponent and focus for the chapter, all while referencing the first year covers with character profiles surrounded by borders. I had to pat myself on the back for that one. Smart, stylish and fun, just like me on a date, I¡¯d have to assume.


    My favourite¡¯s definitely ¡®Stolen Victories.¡¯ The twist of having Harley on the stand, with the light acting more like a warning light and the symbol from Rosalind¡¯s mask in THREAT behind her. You¡¯ll also notice this is the only cover where the person featured doesn¡¯t have their weapon, since they get stolen by Rosalind at the end of the chapter.


    Chapter 43 and 44


    Our latest chapters! I wanted to go all out for these covers. Unlike most chapters, these two get to lead into each other to better communicate rising action, on top of having the whole team featured twice, with lighting and dynamic posing and everything. I also wanted to incorporate the heavy use of red from the THREAT cover, which are also used in Rosalind¡¯s stylised colour scheme. It adds this great layer of urgency and danger to the covers.


    This was also the first time I¡¯d drawn Rosalind without stylised colours. For reference, I started out drawing the characters with a handful of colours each to save time on designing them, since there¡¯s so many characters and I was still really new to designing people with realistic palettes (especially with pencils). Now that I¡¯m more comfortable with that, I still mostly use the stylised colours and save full colour for special chapters (see ¡®Summer and Lighting¡¯ and ¡®Pale Moonlight¡¯) just to lighten the workload while I start getting busier. With that said, it means most characters will have a black and white design, and  maybe  a palette picked out, but unless they get top billing, it¡¯s Pleasantville for most of them.


    And that''s all I''ve got! For now, at least. I could see myself doing one of these again later down the line. Thanks for all the support over second-year, really. As of writing this, we¡¯re really close to 5000 views on RoyalRoad, which is insane to realise. To see that this is really getting somewhere helps motivate me to continue. Excited to see you for third-year. After all, you¡¯ve made it this far, and...


    ...well, you know the rest.


    Oh? What¡¯s this? I didn¡¯t...huh. That¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t remember including this...strange...

 xXRavenDeathKillerXx Chapter 1: The Darkness of Night

    ¡°All I know is tdeath...the only on who can free me is the dead...¡±


    xXRavenDeathKillerXx walked onto the Venator Acedemy canpus, as eveyonr stared at him and how cool he was. He wore a black and red cloatk, with a vampire sigil on the back wirtten in blood, long black and red hair with a streak of white and a Demon Sowrd on his back. He turned to everyone, appreciating their staring but alos ignoring it as he was jsut that cool.


    Just as he made his wasy to the entrance, another perosn draped in all black and with bright naturla yellow eyes appeared, with devil tattoos on her wrists.


    ¡°Ohmygee, xXRavenDeathKillerXx! I heard all about you from my goth freinds! Your the cool est person ever!¡± She said, as a flipped my hair at her.


    ¡°Do I know you?¡±


    She bared her vampire fangs at me. ¡°I¡¯m Julia, and I¡¯m heard of the goth club here.. We¡¯re only the coolest most awesome group in the school!¡±


    ¡°The only thing cool abot life is when it ends...¡± xXRavenDeathKillerXx said, flipping his hair, as Julia satred at him, stars in her eyes.


    ¡°Youre transferring here today, right? I should shoe you the campus, but don¡¯t talk to those douches in team Betterthan! They¡¯re alswyas picking on us goths.¡±


    ¡°Whatver...¡± I say, flipping my hair. Julia led me down the halls, befre we areived at the coolest room in the whole campus.


    Whoa...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the goth club!¡± Julia exclalimed, showing of fthe room and the other members. Black curtains were darwn to shade the room in darkenss, and everything looked satanic and eveil. It didn¡¯t look like anything from when I was in primart school, cause this was so much better and cooler.


    ¡°I¡¯m Hellspawn. Don¡¯t get on my bad side.¡± A very tall, very cool woamn with blonde hair and a muscualr frame said, covered in satanic tattoos and heavy black clothse that look liek they were bleeding out blood.


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    ¡°They call me Wretched, and I can see the soulds of te dead.¡± Another girl siad, this one much shorter but still very goth.


    Then there was another one in the back of the room not saying anyting, but she looked like the grim reaper but hotter with cool robes and a scythe the scremed ¡®I am deth¡¯.


    ¡°Oh, thats Essex, but we call her Demise. She¡¯s super serious, but totally awesome when you get to know her.¡± Julia told me, as I stred at Demise, as she looked back at me, as I looked away out of nervousness since I¡¯m sensitive. ¡°Awyway, these ar the only cool people on the campus. The rest are toatl losers who don¡¯t get it.¡¯


    ¡°Is that the losr club that I hear talking?¡±


    All of a suddne, there was a loud, shrill voice coming from hte door to the ahllway, as a girl walked into the room followed by her lackies behid her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t beleibe you goths think you can just use a whoe classroom. This is so agaginst school policy.¡± She complained, whipping her hair stupidly, as I hated her already/


    ¡°Go away, Wess! Team Betterthen is banned from the campus. Ferris said so yesterday.¡± Julia complained back, as Wess snorted and left, having done what she wanted to do.


    ¡°Ugh, thts Team Betterthan, they think thy¡¯re the best team on the campus, even though they¡¯re so not!¡± Julia said, right as Demise walked over to us, her differently coloured eyes immeditrly apparent.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been tryig to let them make us a team, but we only have for emmbers and you need five to make a tseam.¡± Demise explained.


    ¡°i have an Idea.¡± I said, as Demise looked at me in a very sexy way. ¡°What if I become fifth member of yuor team?¡±


    ¡°Ohmy god! YES! That¡¯ is such a good idea!¡± Julia said. ¡°You can be the leader too since we don¡¯t have one! But youll need a sceond in charge.¡±


    I looked over at Demise, ad the chemistry made it all too clear.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pick her.¡± I said, pointing to Demise, who blushed at how cool I looked and was being.


    ¡°Than it¡¯s settled! We¡¯ll become the goth team of Veantors, and then well show those preppy losrs. But we need a team name.¡± Julia said.


    ¡°W e should be called Team Darkened Blood Night.¡± demise said, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree on how cool it sounded.


    ¡°Then its settled!¡± Julia said, as Hellspawn gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°THat¡¯s so a goth name.¡± She siad.


    ¡°Wess is gonne be so surpirsed now that we¡¯re a real team.¡± Wretched also said, but all xXRavenDeathKillerXx could see was just how attratice Demise was with her black and red hair, also with a white streak in it like mine.


    What a gorgeous woman. I thought. And we get to lead a team together? Maybe my lonely life wont be so bad...

 xXRavenDeathKillerXx Chapter 2: The Night of Nightmares

    It was another tpical day at the Venatpr Acadeny, as I sat in class, listenign to Miss Ferris talk about Venators.


    ¡°Veantors are protectors of Daysend, and the most heroic thing someeone can be. If you want to be the best, A venator is what you should be.¡± Ferris siad. ¡°now, for your next assignent, I¡¯ll need to pair you up into groups of two.¡±


    ¡°This¡¯ll be so cool! I hop I get paired with you, xXRavenDeathKillerXx!¡± Julia said, but all i could focs on was Demise, staring back at me with her lilac eyes.


    ¡°Haha! I bet you¡¯¡¯l only get paired with a trash can!¡± Wess yeleld from the back of the class, as the rest of Team Betterthen laughed at us as well.


    ¡°Whatve I told you about speaking, Wess?¡± Ferris shouted, as the class wrnt silent in shock.


    ¡°Whatever. No one will want to team up witha bunch of stupid goths!¡± Wess complained loudly, as I thought about giving her a pearce of my mind.


    ¡°Wess sure is annoying.¡± Demise said, flipping her hair very cooly. ¡°Shs is just jealous that she inst a cool goth like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°The first pair im assigning is...¡± Ferris said, scratching her chin, before ponting at Demise and me. ¡°xXRavenDeathKillerXx and Demise.¡±


    ¡°No Way! You tow get to work together! That is so cool!¡± Julia said, before Demise looked back at me with her lilac eyes.


    ¡°I guess we booth got lukcy here.¡± Demise siad, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree. She was easily the hottest girl on the whole cmapus so getting to work with her was like winning the lottery and and hte slots all at once.


    I expect the assignemtn done by the end of the week.¡± Ferris ssaid.


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    ¡°xXRavenDeathKillerXx, what should we do the assgnment on?¡± Demise asked, as I scratched my cchin.


    ¡°How about blood rtiuals?¡±


    ¡°Thats¡¯ sounds very cool to me.¡± Demise flirted, winking at me.


    I sure know how to tret the ladies. I thought, before i left Julia and left with Demise to head to the library to study for the assignement. But before we could get to the study, Demise puled me to the side and whipsered in my ear.


    ¡°If we¡¯r going to stupy blood rituals, we will need to get our hearts racing in roder for blood to go threw our bodies faster. Demise told me, and I knw exactly waht she was talking about.


    ¡°I know exacylt what you¡¯re talkig about.¡± I said, before staring back at her into her lilac eyes.


    And we did lots of making out.


    And it was very hot and steamy, and Demise puleld away, before saying to me:


    ¡°I hav to tell you something...¡± She aid, before sighing loudly. ¡°I have a secret that i need to comfess...¡±


    A secret? I thought. But she¡¯s so cool and the hottest girl on cmpaus. What could she have to hide?


    ¡°The truth is...¡± She sad dramaticalyl. ¡°I...was...part of Team Betterthan.¡±


    Oh my god! I had to do a double take, as I looked back at her and stared into her lilac eyes. There was no way the hottest girl on campuss was with those absoulte losers!


    ¡°How coudl you??¡±


    ¡°It was before I cam to the acedemy...we were in the same hih school together.¡± Demise said, a teer rolling down her cheek. ¡°But Wess had betraaed me. She had lyed to everyone in the school and tole them I was not a real goth!¡±


    ¡°She wood so do something like that.¡±I said, gritting my teeth at the thought of it.


    ¡°But im okay now, now that I found you.¡± Demise said, anotehr tear coming from her lilac eyes.


    But then, a sound camse from the book shelves, as we tried to see what was cauing such a noise. And then we found it.


    It was miss Spence! And she was spying on us trhough the books!


    She stepped away from the shelves and glared at us angrly. ¡°You two need to leave immidiately!¡± Spence ylled, yellign at us to leave. ¡°This is no place for kissing loudly!¡±


    ¡°You cant tell us what to do, Spence!¡± Demise yelled back, as Spence didn¡¯t know how to respnd.


    ¡°Pirncipal Faller is goona hear about this!¡± Spence comaplined, leaving, as Demise glared at her while she left.


    ¡°SPecne is the total worst. She doens¡¯t get it at all.¡± Demise said, before giving me another very sexy llok from her lilac eyes.. ¡°How about we do more kissing?¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯de never ask.¡± I said with a very wide grin.

 xXRavenDeathKillerXx Chapter 3: Nighty Night Die Night

    It was anoher typical day et the Venalor Academi, as xXRavenDeathKillerXx was in the middle of training against Team Ferocity.


    ¡°MAwhahaa! I¡¯m gonna kill you, xXRavenDeathKillerXx! Ad your stupid goth girlfirned!¡± Baron cackled, cackling widlly. ¡°You ar eno match for the whole team all at once!¡±


    Team Ferocit charged at xXRavenDeathKillerXx all at once, before he pulled out his super cool Demon Sword¡¯ made of light-steel (a super allowy of steel and light) and cleved them all in two with his fallen angel demon powers.


    ¡°NOOOO!!!!!¡± Baron said, before dying, as xXRavenDeathKillerXx sighed out in boredom.


    ¡°Man, what a waste of tim...¡±


    ¡°Wow, xXRavenDeathKillerXx! That¡¯s the coolest thing I¡¯d ever saw! Julia said, coming in from the building. ¡°You¡¯re powers are the best!¡±


    ¡°And hes super sexy tooo.¡± Demise added, smirking sassily at me, as I smiked back at her.


    ¡°Heh...he¡¯s no real winner...hes just a stupid little iditot...¡±


    Everyone loked around for where the vocie was coming from, before Rosalind jumped off the building and landed in fron tof us. She was wearing a bright red jumpsuti with a traingle pattern on the mask and also had a voice filter and cool sword iwth a traingles up its length and looked very manecing.


    ¡°Who are you suppos to bu?¡±


    Rosalind cackled widly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking Rosalind and im fucking here to kill you!¡± She said evily, as Julai started to shake in fear.


    ¡°Oh no! That¡¯s Rosalind! She¡¯s super eviel and tried to murder me before!¡± Julia said, cowering behind me. ¡°You have to take her down, xXRavenDeathKillerXx!¡±


    I grabbed gor my Demon Svord and wanet to kill her, before she held up a hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want todo it just yet.¡± She said, witha crazy look in her eye.


    ¡°Umm, well we were kinda in the midle of something?¡± Demise joked, as everyone laughtd at the joke.


    ¡°Is this to do with Wickerr?¡±


    ¡°Rosalind lciked on her lips. ¡°I jsut hear that xXRavenDeathKillerXx was super storng and handsome and wanted to see for myself.¡±


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    ¡°Hey, back off. He¡¯s a tken man.¡± Demise stepped in, as Rosalind did another evil thing.


    ¡°Whatver. I wnt to fight you with an awdience anyway.¡± Rosalind suggested, before leaving, as I used my Heavenely Locater Light Trace Abaility to locate her at the entrance to the academy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow her. Shes dangerous, so you gays stay back.¡± I said, as Demise kissed m e on the chik.


    ¡°Go and pucnh her for me.¡± She said, winking sexily.


    ¡°hey, did anthing seem suspicious about her?¡± Julia suddenly asked, as I scratch my head.


    ¡°What do you meas?¡±


    ¡°I mean, iddn¡¯t her voice sound kinda familiar?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probbbly jus your imaginiaton.¡± Demise said. ¡°Sicne she tried to kill you that one time.¡±


    ¡°Time to finsihf her off.¡± I said in a very cool way, before using my Demon Teleprt Location Shifter Ability to telpeort to the battlefield.


    When we arrived, She was surrounded by a bunch of people from ther aademy, including all the teahcers and Team Betterthen, which he was standing very close to suspiciously.


    ¡°That weird...¡± I said curiously, before she turned atound and looked evily at me.


    ¡°Go get her, xXRavenDeathKillerXx!!!¡± Someone in the crwd said.


    ¡°Your the best their is! There no match for your awesome skill!!¡± Someone also asid.


    ¡°Shut up!!! I amd the coolest perosn on campus!!!¡± Rosalind yelled, as I scratched my chin.


    ¡°But rosalind doesn;t go here???¡± I questioned, before she pulled out her katatna again, with a triangle pattern running up the side of it.


    ¡°This si the last time you¡¯ll upstag me again, xXRavenDeathKillerXx!!!¡± She yelled, as I stroked my chin.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t met her bfore???¡± I questined, before she slasahed her sword at me, trying to cut off my head.


    ¡°Beat her up, xXRavenDeathKillerXx! Theres no way she cold win with a katanta against you Demon Sword!¡± Demice yelled, blowing me a kiss, as I suddnely realised what was going on.


    ¡°Wait a minute...¡±


    B¡¯efore Rosalind could hit me again, I used my Demoinc Hell Grab Mask Remover ability to grab onto Rosalinds mask, before pulling it off ansd revealeing it was....


    WESS FROM TEAM BETTERTHAN!!!!!!!!!!


    Everyone in the crowd gasped,as Wess tried to cover her stupid face.


    ¡°O hno!! I was found out!!!¡¯ She yeleld out.


    ¡°Oh my god!!!!! Wess was Rosalidn the whole time!¡± Julia said, as the crowd gasped.


    ¡°Yes, it was Me! I was working for Wicker as his right hand man!¡± Wess revealed, laughing evilly. ¡°I have been woking for him for years!¡±


    ¡°I kne wit!¡± Demise said, as the corwd started booing her. ¡°That¡¯s why you wer so mean to xXRavenDeathKillerXx!¡±


    ¡°HAHHAAHA! That¡¯s right! And therer¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me!!!¡± Wess said, before a big footstep came form the crowd.


    ¡°Thats enough.¡± Principl Faller said, folding him arms. ¡°Wess, for prentedning to be Rosalind, you¡¯re expelled from the Vemator Acadey.¡±


    ¡°What?!!! That¡¯s outragoues!¡± Wess complained, as the rest of Team Betterthen got on their motorcycles and drove away evilly. ¡°You havent heard the last o me! I¡¯ll get my revenje, xXRavenDeathKillerXx!!!!¡±


    They drove off down the street, as Demise jumped into xXRavenDeathKillerXx with as hug.


    ¡° xXRavenDeathKillerXx, you did it! You saved the day!¡± Demise celebrated. ¡°And you looked very havndsome while dong it too.¡±


    ¡°That maks two of us.¡± I flirted very well, before Julia gave me a kiss on the cheeks as well.


    ¡°You saved me from Wess, xXRavenDeathKillerXx, adn that¡¯s really cool. Do you wanna mabe go out sometime?¡±


    I had to do a double take, before grinning to myself.


    Wow, two grilfriends? I¡¯m the luckiest guy ever. I thought, as everyone in the crowd clapped for me. I wonder what else I¡¯ll get up too in the furure?

 Prank O Clock

    12:00pm - You better be ready. April Fools is almost upon us :)


    1:00 - Oh boy, got something real big planned. Better be on the edge of your seat for what¡¯s coming


    2:00 - Unbelievable that it¡¯s that time of year again. The joke time, that is. Just seems to fly by


    3:00 - Very close now¡­it¡¯s almost here


    4:00 - Everyone better be ready. It¡¯s real juicy


    5:00 - Better keep your eye on that clock. Tick tock, tick tock


    6:00 - Everything will make sense soon, don¡¯t you worry


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    7:00 - Educated guess, but that seat¡¯s probably well-worn with anticipation by now


    8:00 - No chapter today¡­or maybe it¡¯ll be something else? ;) Who can saaaaaaaaaaay


    9:00 - Pierce is the name, and hilarious pranks are my game


    10:00 - Really ready for it now, I¡¯m sure. The big surprise we¡¯ve all been anticipating


    11:00 - Any minute now, as long as the minute is midnight, for that will be the official start of April Fools, thus dictating that comedy can take place


    11:30 - Not too long now! What could it be? The speculation I¡¯m sure is murdering your rear end, which has formed a massive grove in your anticipation-decimated seat


    11:40 - Kick back, relax. We¡¯re almost at midnight fellas and ladies and non-conforming buddies, it¡¯s coming real soon


    11:50 - Eee! I shriek to show excitement! Excitement also starts with E, I could¡¯ve just used that in hindsight


    11:59 - Dun dun dun! Here it is! The April Fools joke in all its glory!


    12:00am - lol jk theres nothing it was just a prank u were hyped for nuthin theres cameras everywhere youve been punked TM and need to sign this waver so that we can use your likeness and air this on tv no its not meanspirited its all in good fun learn to take a joke people are so sensitive about things these days anyway thats been punked TM with your host me goodnight


    Alright, now to go about deleting these posts and decluttering the timeline. This was a good jape and all, but I didn¡¯t really consider the clean up after the fact. Happy April Fools, and see you tomorrow for the new chapter.

 Bonus - Year 3 Sketches

    That¡¯s right, another one! Just like for second-year, this¡¯ll be an art showcase/art preservation/creative deep dive into the art of third-year. And like the last one, the expectation¡¯s that you¡¯re up to at least Chapter 66 to avoid any major spoilers. That statement has only gotten truer with time.


    I¡¯ve also broken things down into categories if you want specifics:


    Team Valiant ¨C Post Fireside Designs


    Character Sketches


    Side Pieces


    Chapter Covers


    Writing Theory


    This one¡¯s also going to have the addition of talking about some of the writing process behind some parts of third-year, now that the curtains been pulled back on most of it. I think that¡¯s equally as fascinating as the art itself and something I haven¡¯t touched on much.


    Team Valiant ¨C First Sketches


    We¡¯ll get to the new sketches in a sec, but I felt like including these, more cause I¡¯m surprised they weren¡¯t included in the last one.


    These were the very first sketches of Team Valiant. Aside from the style refining over time, I¡¯m shocked that these are still so accurate to their current looks. I mean it when I say I figured out the characters first and the plot second.


    Just ignore Julia¡¯s buttons. Seriously, they look so bad and wrong.


    Team Valiant ¨C Post Fireside Designs


    Figured these made the most sense to focus on first. For a bit of behind-the-scenes, I¡¯m planning new outfits and designs for Team Valiant after leaving the academy (look forward to those) and wanted something to ease into that idea, while also reflecting the impact Fireside had on them. I¡¯ve dubbed these their ¡®Grounded¡¯ designs.


    Julia was pretty simple. I wanted something comfy and lazy looking, like what you¡¯d wear bumming around the house when you¡¯re in a funk. The checkered pattern was to make sure there was still some original Julia in the mix, and the plainness of the gloves speak for themselves.


    Harley¡¯s was simple as well. She¡¯s feeling incredibly protective after Fireside, so she looks like a bouncer. And a wall. Closed off body language, and a popped collar to communicate that guarded idea.


    Wess plays into that idea of being closed off as well, specifically wrapping herself in the coat Graham gave her at the end of Fishtank. I liked the idea of a coat for her once she left the academy, so this felt like a very natural start to that. She¡¯s also got a turtleneck to hide her Favour scars.


    Sola¡¯s was a hard one to figure out. She got out of Fireside relatively unscathed, so this reflected her being a lot more practical, mirroring the support role she plays as the others heal. Her old outfit reflected her goofiness, but this one¡¯s a bit more proper, less¡­clumsy.


    Essex¡¯s was in the works for a while (mostly cause she just lost the suit jacket). In the same way she opens up a lot after Fireside, her outfit opens up too. She also loses the ponytail, which I¡¯ve been wanting to do for ages. I just didn¡¯t like how it looked front on. Considering it represents her connection to the Segaru Clan, maybe it makes sense it wasn¡¯t that aesthetically pleasing?


    Percy


    And now that she¡¯s officially joined the squad, I can cover her designs. Percy!


    This is a character with a wild origin. Not to go off topic (too much), but she was initially very different. She was directly based on Neo from RWBY, but instead of smug and playful, she¡¯d be ruthless and kind of scary. A lot of her traits eventually carried over to Rosalind, including the rivalry with Essex and her Whil directly countering Essex¡¯s (Percy initially had a Whil that rusted metal, pretty cool honestly).


    Things changed, I liked the idea of redeeming her, then I liked the idea of her joining the team. Her initial design was based on a newsie/chimney sweep, mostly inspired by her Whil letting her create fumes. It was also meant to represent the Organisation feeling stuffy and confining, hard to breathe in, with the outfit even looking tight. Also, the rest of the team have specific shapes in their designs, I mentioned this in the last sketch chapter. Sola¡¯s was initially rectangles, but eventually became crescents, so Percy got rectangles instead.


    But once she¡¯s with the team, she opens up a lot more and feels a lot freer, more relaxed overall. The initial sketch of her (from around first year. Like I said, excessively planned) had her hair wavier after losing the hat, but honestly, the hat¡¯s a lot better on her. Helps identify her and separate her from the rest of the cast. And of course, she¡¯s got a little neck scar to reflect getting her artificial voice box.


    Character Sketches


    Now here¡¯s characters I¡¯m shocked I didn¡¯t cover in the last one. Maybe I was saving them for this? Sure, let¡¯s go with that.


    Team Vanguard were the 7-11<sup>th</sup> characters figured out, entirely based off the idea of giving Team Valiant another team just full of friends. So their designs, for the most part, are built from that base, with less thematic meaning and more reflecting personalities not seen in the main team. Team Valiant¡¯s already made up of some pretty recognisable traits, so Vanguard¡¯s made up of all the ones that aren¡¯t already there.


    Joleicia


    Joleicia¡¯s first sketch (the one on the right) was¡­eh? I was going for the goody two-shoes straight-A student vibe, but after some reworking, I wanted her to reflect Julia, specifically to be a standard for Julia to meet. Joleicia looks like an older Julia; same tomboy vibes, same optimistic personality, but more confident in herself and her role as a leader. It¡¯s why Julia always goes to her for advice about being a leader.


    Chops


    Wow, Chops looks identical. Harley and Chops, both spot on from minute one. Plenty of designs take a while to settle and look comfortable, but not these two.


    I can¡¯t say there was much thought behind Chops¡¯ design. Sometimes I¡¯ll just have a really specific look in my head for characters and that¡¯s the design. Chops always had long, white hair covering one eye, a blue dress shirt, and that grin. The only parts that were more informed was the easel pin in her hair, and the bottom of her hair looking like an icicle/paintbrush, reflecting her Whil and hobbies respectively. But just like Ferris, a great design¡¯s still a great design.


    Saxin


    Here¡¯s a fun one. Saxin and Lenin were meant to mirror Ren and Nora from RWBY (in being a couple, not their personalities) so they were pretty much designed as a pair. Saxin was a more high-femme counter to Team Valiant, dressing in¡­well, dresses, lots of pink, hearts, all that good shit. I also based her look off a ballerina, reflecting her Whil letting her balance, and her belt of daggers, which is referenced in the sharp triangles on her dress.


    (also, I find this funny, but I make a point to have visible cleavage on characters whose sexuality is a huge point of their character. So characters like Harley and Saxin have it, while characters like Wess, despite having a large chest, don¡¯t, since it¡¯s not as defining to her personality. Is that weird? I dunno. Feels weird but I thought I¡¯d bring it up cause it¡¯s kinda funny.)


    Lenin


    Lenin¡¯s gone through a few changes, but that hat always sticks around. Not necessarily the masculine counterpart to Saxin, but he was the first guy designed. Him secretly being the former prince wasn¡¯t initially part of his character, but you can see his design change as I expanded on that, getting more complex and borrowing some of those swirl patterns seen in Northern Waysider clothing. I thought it would be fun if he tried to hide that, but couldn¡¯t help dressing way too fancy anyway. Also, I couldn¡¯t tell you why he¡¯s got that weird meerkat stare. Just like with Chops, that¡¯s just how he looks.


    Nathaniel


    Rounding out the group is Nathaniel. Despite being in the works from the start, I only got around to designing him later. I realised there weren¡¯t a lot of characters with hoodies, and him nervously bundled up in one felt right. I also liked the joke of making him really nervous and shaky, and that his Whil lets him create tremors and shake the ground. I think the blank eyes were also unintentional, but I preferred the white since it better emphasised how constantly nervous he really is.


    Wicker


    Here we go, the big boy.


    This was an important one to get right. There was a lot riding on this design hitting and really cementing him as the villain. In his original design (the one on the right), I was going for a very unassuming look. I didn¡¯t want him looking like some over the top, cartoonish villain, twirling his moustache and tying Percy to some train tracks. He¡¯s a business man, he should like one.


    ¡­but in retrospect, it came out very boring. Turns out going for a deliberately boring look leads to a boring design, go figure. It¡¯s a hard balance. Even just in terms of personality, Marcus has so much more beside him, and more that¡¯s identifiable as being¡­well, Marcus.


    So I revised it, and Jesus Christ what a glow up. Cleaner, more unique, more thematic, it¡¯s just so much better in every way.


    First, that fucking coat. Out with generic suit, in with extra. I went back on my initial rule and gave him something pretty overtly villain coded. The rest of him¡¯s unassuming, but that coat alone makes him so recognisable. Plus he¡¯s got the EHM logo now, and that matching glowing black hole pattern (chef¡¯s kiss). Since the main characters and positive things in the story are associated with light, I wanted the villains to be the natural counter to that. Not the dark, that¡¯s the Wailing, but the complete absence of light. If Team Valiant¡¯s the sun, and the Wailing are the moon, then EHM¡¯s the void of space. It¡¯s something that absorbs light, like a black hole, something where light can¡¯t escape. It¡¯s cold and stuffy, uninviting, and ever embracing¡­


    His hair also looks better now. I made the choice to have him look a lot more like Florey, so I swooped his hair in the other direction. That way when they stand next to each other, they look like father and son.


    Legit might be one of my favourite designs I¡¯ve ever done.


    General Yarring


    Yay, another villain!


    I¡¯m just now realising Yarring was also redesigned to have a lot more character. Wow (seriously, that bottom one is so boring). If it wasn¡¯t immediately clear, I wanted to make this guy the most trigger-happy war general you could get. He¡¯s literally dressed up with decorative bombs and crosshairs.


    The idea behind his very extra outfit was overcompensation. He¡¯s spent his life working for this position, only to realise once he got there it¡¯s completely obsolete. So I liked the idea that the Central Government gave him this incredibly lavish outfit to make up for the empty position, all in an effort to make him seem more important than he is.


    I can¡¯t explain the striped hair though. I think I added it in the original to spice the design up (didn¡¯t work) and just kept it cause it looked cool.


    Slush Skulker Wailing


    One of my favourite Wailing designs. I can¡¯t recall what this looks like, but it¡¯s a very particular style that it pulls from. Moomin? Maybe it¡¯s Moomin.


    This was initially based off a sewing machine at the post office I used to work at. I wish I could give more context than that, but that¡¯s the end of the anecdote. Its eye was a handle on the side, and its head was the¡­hangy-over part of the sewing machine. Eventually, it worked out to be this little whale-like Gelatinous Wailing.


    Much like my favourite designs, there¡¯s a lot of puns going on here. First, the ¡®magic¡¯ that¡¯s malfunctioning with it, like every other Gelatinous Wailing, is an accidental whale spout, which also makes it look like it sprung a leak. Florey hunting it in third-year also makes this his proverbial white whale. Also, and I promise this was unintentional, its¡­physique is¡­well, it brings to mind certain associations with¡­parts of¡­


    ¡­it¡¯s a sperm whale¡­again, very unintentional. That was one of those ¡®happy acciden-you know, I¡¯m just gonna move on and stop digging myself into a deeper hole¡­


    Fireside Three


    These are the three Wailing that attack the academy during Fireside. Since these were the only Wailing aside from the Slush Skulker to appear during third-year, I wanted their presence to have a real impact outside of just being a scary threat.


    All three are based on creatures from Greek mythology. This was initially a reference to the fact I keep referring to the academy¡¯s layout as being labyrinth-like in the story. From there, I knew I wanted one of the Wailing for Fireside to resemble a ¡®minotaur¡¯ exploring the labyrinth, and the rest followed suite.


    For the Horned Wailing, it¡¯s rare that I¡¯ll give Wailing ¡®human¡¯ traits, like using a weapon or wearing clothes. It certainly helps that minotaur¡¯s are already part human. This also set it apart from previous Wailing, and made it feel more considered in its actions over the course of the chapter.


    The Fanged Wailing is based on a hydra. Over time, Hydra¡¯s have taken on a more typical dragon-like appearance, but surprisingly enough, they initially started out closely resembling snakes. But to make it a bit more fun, I wanted a reverse hydra, where you think it has multiple heads, but four of them are actually fake. The eye was also based on a compass needle for no real reason.


    The Viscous Wailing¡¯s based on a chimera. While chimera generally means any combination of animal, its initial conception consisted of a lion, a goat and a snake. Then I combined that with the idea of stitching several Gelatinous Wailing together almost as this bizarre Frankenstein experiment. One detail I¡¯ll point out is that since it¡¯s a made up of several Wailing, its composure is actually more stable than other Gelatinous Wailing. It¡¯s still got that liquid body, but it¡¯s not dripping or firing off magic accidentally.


    Lev


    Lev! She¡¯s actually one of the first members of the Old God Worship religion that¡­well, dresses like it. I wanted the spires to be a continuing motif as part of the worship, which you can see on top of some of the Eastern Wayside architecture. She¡¯s also got Whilit¡¯s symbol on her arm. The other Old Gods have them too, because my logo designing roots will never truly go away.


    Team Exemplary


    And lastly, the remaining members of Team Exemplary. I kinda fell in love with these guys as time went on, so there¡¯s a good amount of effort into their designs (I say that like I don¡¯t put effort into all of them). Knowing Avalon was going to die meant these guys had to leave an impression on their own and had to have enough chemistry to work without him, and I can happily say I think I pulled that off.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I think I have a thing for women with attitude. I write a lot of characters like that, and Leandra¡¯s a great example. She was meant to contrast Wess¡¯ design, emphasising their one-sided rivalry with her more casual, rough exterior. Wess has a lot of horse traits to her (stubborn, noble, proud), so Leandra was based on a brumby. That¡¯s also where she gets her out-there colour scheme from, since there¡¯s a rugby team called the Brumbies with the same colours


    Roman¡¯s a pretty simple design. I wanted to emphasise his dry, callous demeanour, so a dead stare and turtleneck made perfect sense. His bag¡¯s also got a little colosseum symbol on it, and his shoes have aqueduct arcs, purely cause his name is Roman.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Weirdly, Acadia¡¯s notable for having the first midriff of my designs (I guess it¡¯s not that notable). I haven¡¯t shown it off yet, but Acadia¡¯s Whil acts kinda like traffic lights, so I based her appearance on various street signs. I think she looks weirdly stylish as a result, but it helps her stand out.


    And then there¡¯s Claudius. I think he¡¯s notable for having the first beanie of my designs (that one I¡¯m not 100% on, and again, maybe not that notable), and for his jacket literally being a carbon copy of one I own. Also, and I won¡¯t get into the significance of this, but his appearance is also based on Martin Crane from Frasier. It¡¯s why he¡¯s got the crane pattern running up his pants, and is wearing a plaid shirt. I was going to have the shirt based on Martin¡¯s chair, but that¡¯s weirdly difficult to get right in my art style. Se la vie.


    Side Pieces


    Hellsing Halloween Post


    This one was in the works for a while. I don¡¯t know why it came to mind, other than me being a huge fan of Hellsing, but I liked the idea of a Halloween post with Team Valiant dressing up as the characters and riffing off of that. I¡¯ve got similar ideas with RWBY, Steven Universe, Resident Evil 4, Nichijou? Now I¡¯m just listing things I like.


    This also took WAY too long. Admittedly, this was a stress test to see how much I could realistically make for holiday posts/illustrations of the team hanging out, and how time consuming it would be. I¡¯m a slow worker, and I¡¯m still getting into a comfortable rhythm making things, so¡­yeah, this was fun, but don¡¯t expect more anytime soon.


    Then again, knowing me, I¡¯m crazy like that. Who can say.


    Pride Month Post 2023


    Happy Pride! (out of season by a year and a half, but whatever).


    This was another cute one I thought up alongside the Hellsing one. I think this one turned out better, just from the added detail. I really wish the Hellsing post had lighting and shading like this, it adds a lot more dimension to it.


    Honestly, this one¡¯s just sweet. Despite hanging out a lot, the characters don¡¯t really go on dates ¡®on-screen,¡¯ mostly cause it¡¯s not plot-related at all, so this is really pleasant to see realised. I was planning another with Harley, Sola and Essex for this year, but time caught up to me. I like the holiday posts, but I might not make them annual for EVERY holiday.


    Maxie Promo


    This one was a little cruel on my part. Already, I wanted to design Maxie, but I also wanted his¡­¡®death¡¯ during Fireside to really hit, so I kiiiiiiiiiiinda thought ¡®hey, readers should get to see him and think he¡¯s cute before he gets ripped to shreds.¡¯ Call me a sadist, cause that¡¯s¡­actually, that¡¯s pretty true.


    Regardless, I also just thought it was cute to see a promo of the plushie. Just another element to make the world feel a bit more real, and to broadcast my love of foxes once again for those in the back.


    xXRavenDeathKillerXx Cover


    I¡¯m proud of this one. Already, I¡¯m super happy with how the April Fools chapters turned out, but this cover was quite the task to put together. I started with a DeviantArt anime base, grabbed my chunkiest brush tool and lazily coloured it in, then I took that into Word so I could add the WordArt title at the bottom, with a deliberate spelling mistake, and exported it with virtually no cropping and lowered resolution. To say this took twenty minutes would be an understatement, it¡¯s more like fifteen.


    I may never truly top this work.


    Chapter Covers


    Chapter 45


    I like to think I stepped up my cover game this year. Each year¡¯s been an improvement on presentation, and third year¡¯s easily the most ambitious. Just a lot more playing around with composition, colour scheme and complexity of visuals, all perfectly captured with the first cover of the year.


    Unlike the previous covers, this one¡¯s not focused on character, but environment. We finally see the entrance to the Venator Academy rendered in its massive glory. This is both to reflect just what the team has gotten themselves into after second year, but also subtle set-up for Fireside¡¯s cover, which also shows off the academy, albeit nowhere near as detailed. Similar to Maxie¡¯s promo, I usually want to show something off as clearly as possible before playing around with it and distorting it later.


    Chapter 46


    Another one I¡¯m very proud of. This is when I really started playing around with the DTDK logo. It should go without saying the cycle of violence is a pretty major theme in the story. Like I mentioned with Wicker¡¯s design, the idea of a blackhole in the narrative is to consume ¡®light,¡¯ and blackholes already have a very cyclical design, so it all ties together very well, and makes for a cool visual. This was also my first time rendering Ferris, Avalon and Leandra in full colour, and eventually the inspiration for Wicker¡¯s new coat.


    Chapter 47


    And this was the real tone setter. I¡¯ll talk about Avalon¡¯s death in more detail in the writing section, but simply from the cover alone, I wanted this to stand out and feel wrong in a way. No characters, no colour, just plainly put tragedy. For the small details, there¡¯s Team Exemplary¡¯s logo, the crown, resting on the grave. The flower in front of it¡¯s the seishia flower, the in-universe flower associated with the spirit (Lev¡¯s also got one in her hair). Maxie, well¡­


    I mention the idea of ¡®plot armour¡¯ later, but essentially Maxie¡¯s been Julia¡¯s ¡®good luck charm¡¯ throughout the story, and him getting torn apart during Fireside¡¯s the team ¡®running out¡¯ of that luck, meaning there¡¯s lasting consequences this time. It was my subtle way of signifying the plot armour was off, so it made sense to include him in this cover, since Avalon¡¯s death also communicates the same idea.


    Lot of meaning for one little cover.


    Percy Chapters


    The most connected covers of the year. Much like most of third year, this was meant as set up for Fireside. Percy¡¯s poses all building up to an explosive show of emotion on Fireside¡¯s cover, but individually emphasising the bond she¡¯s building with each team member (save for Essex, obvs). These chapters were inspired by a favourite little section of mine from Avatar, where SPOILERS FOR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (seriously, what are you reading my stuff for? Go watch that already), after Zuko joins up with Team Avatar, he takes an episode each to bond with them and get over their previous hatred of each other. It¡¯s super fun and great for emphasising dynamics, and leads to some of the best episodes in the show.


    So Percy goes on a similar journey (though not as grand, more homely). Much like Essex, she goes on a journey of self-discovery this year, which is also seen in the covers, as she slowly figures herself out and becomes more confident. This was also set up for when she eventually joins the team. Character dynamics are very important to me, and I¡¯ve made it a rule that if any two members of Team Valiant are together, there should be an interesting and unique relationship there. So these chapters were also for me to figure out how Percy fits into the group dynamic. Pretty naturally, I should say.


    Chapter 55 and 56


    THE BIG ONES.


    I mean it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had as many layers on a single cover. Undeniably my best covers so far, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s many that come close.


    ¡­okay, 43 and 44 might.


    I¡¯ll step back and talk about 55¡¯s cover first. This is one of those ¡®the idea¡¯s in my head and I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s there but I¡¯m going to sit on it for several years until I can make it this exact way¡¯ kinda deals. I always had the idea of Wicker¡¯s introduction being him leaning down to fit in frame, and just giving a small hello. It feels weirdly personal and condescending, while also giving the audience a great view of his design, and an uncomfortable tone setter paired with the missing C intro.


    And the real big one. Small point, the name Fireside came from an Arctic Monkeys song of the same name. Adam even sings a little bit of at the start of the chapter. Again, don¡¯t know why I stuck with this, but it¡¯s an excellent title.


    Just from the scope alone (14 characters and 3 Wailing in one cover, yikes), this was one of the few times I drew out poses outside of the cover¡¯s composition. Usually I¡¯ll draw them out in the cover sketch, but I wanted everyone to hit their mark, so I just moved it in later. This was especially important for the few characters interacting, like Wess pointing Belvedere at Salaire and Essex and Rosalind trying to kill each other with looks alone.


    This is probably the most confident I¡¯ve been with gradients in a cover as well. Lighting¡¯s a difficult thing for me, just cause it adds so much more to an already busy workload (see: Hellsing Halloween Post, pg. this one you¡¯re on). I wish I could do it for more of them since it looks so good, but I also like reserving it for special chapters if that needs to be the case. Gradients help a lot though. I¡¯ve been using lighting gradients throughout Year 3 and I¡¯m loving them.


    Gonna be hard to top this one.


    Chapter 58


    Speaking of gradients! This was initially a play on x-rays, since the chapter focuses a lot on medical procedures and disability. Obviously I spiced it up with colour, as you do. This is also one of the few times I¡¯ve changed up the character¡¯s outlines. Usually, I default to black, but the x-ray theme seemed like a good excuse to do something stylish.


    Chapter 62


    Since this chapter¡¯s a deconstruction of Ferris, I wanted the cover to be more abstract and literally deconstruct her, while also resembling a Christmas ornament. The chapter takes heavy inspiration from A Christmas Carol, so the chains in this and in Ferris¡¯ nightmare are meant to be a reference to the first ghosts Scrouge sees. They¡¯re both trapping her in place, and forcing her into an uncomfortable position, almost like she¡¯s on display.


    This was also a testament to how good Ferris¡¯ design is. Just from smart colour choice and shape placement, you can easily tell it¡¯s her. I¡¯m hoping to do more of this in the future.


    Not torture the characters. You know what I mean.


    Chapter 64


    This one¡¯s notable specifically for the puppet designs. I was very insistent on falling puppets for this cover, but how they would look went through a few iterations. The one on the right was the original design, more abstract and playful, but outside of Julia, they were pretty difficult to design while adhering to their respective shapes.


    Eventually, I ended up with the ones in the cover, specifically based off of wooden posing models, often used by artists. I don¡¯t look up too many posing references for covers, but mid-fall¡¯s not something I can recreate in a mirror. I also love that I got to use a paintbrush texture for their detailing. Maybe I¡¯ll make another puppet cover just to use these designs again.


    Chapter 65


    The gang¡¯s all here! The¡­not actually the last chapter for the year, but it kinda is? In a plot way?


    I wanted this one to be a return to form. Nothing too crazy with the style, just a shot of Team Valiant in their new designs, joined with Percy, as an exciting end to the year and promise for great things to come. Anymore characters would be rivalling Fireside¡¯s cover, and no thanks to that. We got the important ones (sorry Vanguard, tucked in the back).


    The Wicker and Florey addition was a play on a previous idea I wanted to work in somehow. I was hoping to play around even more with form this year with a diagonal cover. Chapter 60 was gonna have this, with a shot of Team Valiant jumping into action chasing the Slush Skulker, but¡­this was so close to Fireside, and I was worried about overshadowing it with another action cover, and also giving myself too much work. Conceptually, I much prefer the Florey-centred one we have now, and the play on that idea with 65¡¯s cover (I¡¯ll still definitely do a full diagonal cover in the future though, don¡¯t worry).


    I wanted to contrast Team Valiant¡¯s colourful, bright send off, packed with fun and friends, with a much emptier shot of Florey being pulled further into Wicker¡¯s thrall.


    If this is the standard for Year 3, I¡¯m very worried for Year 4. In a good way.


    Writing Theory


    I love breaking down writing structure, and it¡¯s not something I could easily touch on while chapters were being released, kinda gives the whole story away.


    I¡¯ll only be breaking down Fireside and the theme of healing for the sake of relative brevity. Maybe I¡¯ll do a breakdown of the whole thing at the end of the story when all my secrets have been revealed, who knows?


    Fireside


    I think it goes without saying this entire year was built around Fireside. I¡¯ve mentioned parallels to RWBY before, and during Volume 3 of that, there¡¯s a huge shake up to the status quo halfway through. Characters dying left and right, a major tonal shift, and the entire school they¡¯re at being destroyed. The whole thing takes up the second half of the season and is often regarded as the peak of the series.


    I didn¡¯t want to mirror it completely (mostly cause that¡¯d mean 11 chapters devoted to one attack, and that¡¯s narratively EXPENSIVE) but I still wanted to keep the villains attacking, status quo shifts, all that. This also coincides with RWBY¡¯s tournament arc, but that already happened in second year. So, third year was built around the reveal of Wicker in the middle, then him attacking the academy, then the characters having irreversible changes happen to them and redefining our focus for the series going forward.


    But backup, there¡¯s set up that needs to be done. First of all, a little trick I pulled on the audience (sorry) was setting up a pattern. Much like TV shows, chapters are episodic, usually with large story beats at the end of the ¡®season.¡¯ First and second year are structured like this, with the attack on the academy and the raid on EHM. So, going into third year, you¡¯d expect a similar structure, especially with the promise of graduation coming up. Something happening at the graduation ceremony¡­?


    Nope! It was in the middle! Gotcha!


    It throws you off, just like it does for the characters, and adds to the sense of panic, especially with the chapters releasing back-to-back and secretly being a part 1 and 2.


    But it doesn¡¯t come out of nowhere. Second is the Wicker reveal. Technically, that happens at the end of second year, but there¡¯s very little confirmation around it. During first year, there¡¯s suspicion around Coatsworth, second year it¡¯s Faller, and third year¡­well, we can¡¯t say. It should be Cecil, but he shows his face, apologises, acts nothing like Wicker, and immediately points suspicions to Marcus, someone far more fitting of Wicker¡¯s demeanour. Just a red herring, but it¡¯s enough to make the accusation unclear. You¡¯re meant to be with Julia, suspecting Cecil on a hunch, but without much evidence.


    But as Julia gets to know him, and we see more of his behaviour, it¡¯s this creeping dread. Again, not direct confirmation, but it¡¯s just a vibe that he¡¯s hiding something. His whole ¡®trick the morons, indulge the worthy¡¯ play is classic villain shit, but he presents it like a business strategy instead of what it really is, which is ego-driven manipulation. Heck, as early as Chapter 9, he opens the chapter with a speech where he¡¯s literally saying ¡®revenge is good because we¡¯ve decided we can¡¯t talk out our issues,¡¯ but it comes off as an impassioned speech by a charming teacher. This is something he likes doing.


    It''s only when we get that brief slipup where he goes to call Percy Jules that we get the closest thing to confirmation, and it¡¯s enough to put everyone on edge. It¡¯s still not proof he¡¯s Wicker, but good luck reasoning out of that one buddy.


    Third, setting up the actual events and themes for Fireside was also very important. Obviously, Percy coming back and joining the main team, as well as giving us more insight into Wicker¡¯s character and motivations. There was also Essex¡¯s solo journey to the Aurora Venator Agency. While giving Essex a taste of the industry proper, it also kept her away long enough so that every member had a chance to bond with Percy. This is pretty overtly reflected in the covers for these chapters, as well as Essex and Percy¡¯s tumultuous relationship going forward, which also indirectly kicks off Fireside.


    In terms of themes, there was something I needed to address first to make this work at all.


    i.e. the character¡¯s plot armour.


    For non-writers, plot armour is a term used for what ¡®protects¡¯ characters during stories so that the story can keep happening. Why do our heroes keep getting out of these deadly scenarios unscathed? Cause if they were all dead, there wouldn¡¯t be a story at all. Therefore, Luke never gets hit by Stormtroopers.


    This is especially difficult for action series, since the biggest threat at any given time is death. And if characters don¡¯t die, it starts to feel like that¡¯s not a threat anymore, and the story doesn¡¯t have stakes. But you can¡¯t go killing every main character all the time, so what do you do?


    I couldn¡¯t go into something like Fireside with the notion that none of the characters would get hurt, and that death wasn¡¯t an option.


    So, Chapter 47. The one where Avalon dies.


    Not only is this a taster of the serious tone of Fireside, as well as the chapters afterwards, it¡¯s also establishing that death is still a real threat in this world, and that named characters can die. Avalon was set up for this pretty early on. He¡¯s a very prominent character, and kind of a joke, but not plot relevant enough to throw anything off with his absence. On top of that, he¡¯s cocky enough, and bad at fighting enough, that it would be this very sobering reminder that the Venator industry is deadly, and that people who aren¡¯t prepared for that will face consequences.


    Obviously no one actually dies during Fireside, but those stakes are in your mind during it, meaning it COULD happen, and that it might also happen down the line. It also means when stuff like Essex losing her hand, or Julia trying to kill Wicker happens, it doesn¡¯t feel like cheap shock value just to make things more ¡®dramatic.¡¯ RWBY Volume 3 works because it really comes out of a nowhere, but it also means it feels like a different show. It¡¯s been a light comedy until this point, and then all of a sudden, all hell breaks loose. It feels less like a natural tonal shift, and more like a kid burning their toys to see what happens. You¡¯re meant to be caught off guard, but that didn¡¯t mean Fireside came out of nowhere.


    Healing


    I think the biggest theme for third year was healing. I mean, Team Valiant spend half the year doing so after Fireside, but it¡¯s a good value I wanted to instil into the series. I¡¯ll touch on Chapter 58 since it¡¯s a perfect example of this.


    I hate to keep bringing it up, but this is a pretty direct response to how RWBY handled it. After the attack on the school, Yang loses her arm, spends Volume 4 sad about it, before getting a robo arm and heading out to meet her team again. Fine, right?


    No, it sucks. I really don¡¯t like how it was handled, for several reasons. The main one is Yang barely has to grapple with the loss. She lost the arm trying to save Blake, attacking without thinking, and her usual happy go lucky attitude¡¯s gone with it. But before she deals with this, or learns to accept the loss, Ironwood gifts her a new robot arm. And it¡¯s like a one-to-one replacement.


    Now granted, she¡¯s apprehensive about it at first, but then she has a chat with her dad and teachers, they tell her she¡¯s being stupid, and to put on the arm. So she does, sets out, and barely has to think about why she lost that arm at all, or whether that behaviour should be examined. They try to tie it into an arc about her losing her temper, but it feels so disconnected. Like, she only lost her arm cause she was upset? Yeah, she thought her friend was gonna die. I¡¯d be upset too.


    This left a very sour taste in my mouth, and I wanted to rectify this. RWBY tends to have a hint of ableism about it (looking at you, Ironwood) and even as someone able-bodied, I could still see how butchered it was.


    So, Chapter 58, a chapter quite overtly about disability, and the characters learning to adjust to it.


    First fix, varied perspectives. It isn¡¯t just one person dealing with this, it¡¯s four, all going through their own experience. But let¡¯s focus on Essex.


    Similar to Yang, she also loses a limb. And she also gets a robotic replacement. But, that doesn¡¯t fix everything. She still feels regret over the loss, and that it only happened because of her own actions. This also clashes with her personal values tied to the Segaru Clan and how she values her body, as well as her sense of self. Already, her healing is far more tied to character.


    There¡¯s also more realism to the prosthetic. Yang slaps on the arm, and it¡¯s good as new. Yawn. Boring. I get it¡¯s high tech, but aside from when she¡¯ll take it off as a party trick, narratively, it feels like she never lost the arm.


    Pather¡¯s speech to Essex about the mechanics of the prosthetic is really important. It grounds it in the world and still makes this a consequence, while still harkening to real prosthetics. Pather¡¯s mantra for dealing with phantom pain was actually borrowed from an episode of ¡®You Can¡¯t Say That¡¯ about people missing limbs. I wanted it to feel practical, not like a magical solution.


    We also see this with how long it takes to adjust, and that for most people, it takes years to fully get comfortable with it, and that people like Rosalind don¡¯t like their prosthetic and find it uncomfortable. Again, far more accurate to the real world.


    All of this is to show Essex¡¯s strength through healing. She could take the path Rosalind takes of doubling down, shoving the blame outward, and not letting herself rest. Instead, she takes that time to reassess her values, examine why it happened, and take accountability for her actions. That¡¯s a whole other RWBY rant I could go on (no one EVER accepts responsibility for their fuck ups in that show) but that scene with Julia where she says ¡®I fucked up¡¯ is so essential. Healing is inward, and outside sources can help, but not if you aren¡¯t willing to admit when you make mistakes.


    We see similar healing arcs with Team Valiant too, as well as the conclusion of Ferris¡¯ arc. I think I mentioned at the end of Ballistic, but Ferris¡¯ healing arc wasn¡¯t planned at first. However, I kept writing her, and realised what a horrid hand she¡¯d been dealt, and that leaving the academy with her still on that note felt horrible.


    I think what works is how long it is. Not to read (hopefully *tugs collar*) but in universe. Ferris isn¡¯t better overnight, she has to work for it. She has a heart-to-heart with Sola in Chapter 51, but that doesn¡¯t fix her problems, it just puts into perspective that things can work out again and that resigning yourself to a miserable fate will do just that, leave you miserable.


    We get to know her over first year, and at first, she just seems cranky. Then we learn she¡¯s not doing okay in the head during Chapter 11, when she¡¯s willing to leave Sola in the forest with a Wailing just to teach her a lesson and indirectly make up for a mistake in her past. THEN we learn she¡¯s miserable during THREAT, and that Faller brought her to the academy under duress. Second year develops on this, with her playing off of Julia and Coatsworth, revealing she¡¯s actually a lot more competent than she appears, and Rosalind, who encourages her to lean into her worst instincts and tell everyone else to fuck off.


    Themes like this only work with the appropriate set up, even if the outcome wasn¡¯t intended from the start. Half of good longform narrative is improvisation, after all. As early as Chapter 3, I was writing scenes I didn¡¯t initially plan. Most of the story going forward¡¯s already planned, but the moment to moment parts are still undecided.


    But that¡¯s the fun of the process. You get to find out and improve with time, change parts here and there, and feel like a big smart boy for making a good change.


    Maybe that¡¯s own healing arc? Look at that, it¡¯s full circle kinda.


    But I guess I¡¯ve already made it this far, so we¡¯ll just have to¡­oh wait, I guess that means we¡¯re at the end? Already? Where does the time go.


    Well, time to head back into hibernation.


    ¡­only a little bit though¡­


    Actually, I¡¯ll be releasing new chapters of Aloette: The Pirate Princess over January. I finally got time to work on it, so more piratey goodness for you all! Let¡¯s see how I go with two ongoing stories!


    Don¡¯t worry, Aloette won¡¯t be nearly as long as DTDK. Let¡¯s call this another stress test for the time being, see how it goes.


    See you when I get back.


    You thought Adam was going to show up here again, didn¡¯t you?