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 – 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 – First Sketches
image [https://i.postimg.cc/0yGj1Twj/Julia-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/VvbsGpwY/Harley-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/K8bLTr7K/Wess-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/gc66BBNX/Sola-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/0yZ6wg23/Essex-Old.jpg]
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 – 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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/mk6MM0wB/Julia-Post-Fireside.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/W1fNVs42/Harley-Post-Fireside.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/X7j4yrGj/Wess-Post-Fireside.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/0Nwsqm3f/Sola-Post-Fireside.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/B65fj3JP/Essex-Post-Fireside.jpg]
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?
image [https://i.postimg.cc/zvD63Rd4/Percy-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/mgKvVkDF/Percy.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/289Rb2NG/Percy-Alt.png]
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 7-11th 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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/dQ7SNvb2/Joleicia-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/kgyjR5Sm/Joleicia.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/KvSQ9Trb/Chops-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/bJ4LfD7Q/Chops.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/k54yVv9Q/Saxin-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/htMrP5F4/Saxin.png]
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.)
image [https://i.postimg.cc/MHk0FkB5/Lenin-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/g0TH3Lkf/Lenin.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/8kWmr580/Nathaniel.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/c4SM7S04/Nathaniel-Alt.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/8CjhkkBw/Wicker-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/zGdC1HWV/Wicker.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/tTFn7s1d/General-Yarring-Old.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/T3PbQ2SG/General-Yarring.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Gtct2qnr/Slush-Skulker.jpg] image [https://i.postimg.cc/tC47GSzN/Slush-Skulker-New.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/B63QYM6D/Horned-Wailing.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/BbQZsb2n/Fanged-Wailing.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/tR2CkdHZ/Viscous-Wailing.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/s2dVxw58/Lev.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/vBXMPyCF/Leandra.jpg]
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
image [https://i.postimg.cc/1XjSQH9v/Roman.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/VL2wZDZ6/Acadia.jpg]
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Sx8hBCHG/Claudius.jpg]
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
image [https://i.postimg.cc/TPDJqYL1/Hellsing-Post-1.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Bbq50ThP/Hellsing-Post-2.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/HW24tNxw/Hellsing-Post-3.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/yxQRCwg2/Hellsing-Post-4.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/zXvWFX4N/Hellsing-Post-5.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/9f572P0X/Hellsing-Post-6.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/mrYFgc1Y/Hellsing-Post-7.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/nzn9jHq6/Hellsing-Post-8.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/4dw7pr5n/Hellsing-Post-9.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/x8Ck5tx5/Hellsing-Post-10.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/SsQjQgh4/Hellsing-Post-11.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/50PyX84C/Hellsing-Post-12.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/T1FP9GW2/Hellsing-Post-13.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/sgFXGjrw/Hellsing-Post-14.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/tgp4DB76/Hellsing-Post-15.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Jnh4CtN4/Hellsing-Post-16.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/ZnBb0gsG/Hellsing-Post-17.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/7PdPjHfw/Hellsing-Post-18.png]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/MKBZSCQR/Hellsing-Post-19.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/qvffxgg6/Julia-and-Wess-Date.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/4xpDLZhL/Maxie.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/KYNdbNft/x-XRaven-Death-Killr-Xx.png]
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
image [https://i.postimg.cc/8k3xTsRX/Chapter-45-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/rw2btbYS/Chapter-46-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/YCNPN3JT/Chapter-47-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Pq2F9qf4/Chapter-50-Cover.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/QtzYNnTK/Chapter-51-Cover.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/xqDsMJg0/Chapter-52-Cover.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/gcCdNgT0/Chapter-53-Cover.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/g2dpPndF/Chapter-54-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/y87MbtX7/Chapter-55-Cover.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/TP4Bhw8P/Chapter-56-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/QN5vxhfX/Chapter-58-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/15Q282dD/Chapter-62-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/0NFHPBmM/Chapter-64-Cover.png] image [https://i.postimg.cc/SRpTzYgm/Julia-Puppet.jpg]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/bw6BFJwR/Chapter-65-Cover.png]
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.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/1RL13W80/White-Block.png]
You thought Adam was going to show up here again, didn’t you?