Vote over at Top Web Comics, and you can see a panel from tomorrow's page :D. ...Because there's going to be a third page this week! THREE PAGES! YAY! And then we can cap off this scene and shit can start to get real :D :D :D. So anyway, come back tomorrow for extra page goodness! I edited the SHIT out of this page. And the next one. Because really, this set of pages is the whole crux of Malaya's issues. I've struggled a lot with how exactly to convey her fear and determination, and the source of those fears in only a couple pages. (Luckily, we'll be coming back to her briefly after a few more pages to wrap this situation up.) I think a lot of her issues stem from the idea that she's tried to push the whole "being a werewolf" thing to the side, stamp it down and try not to let it bother her or affect her life at all. But ultimately, that's not really an option. I've tried setting this story up so that, step by step, she's been pushed to this point where ignoring who she really is isn't an option anymore. If you ever look up the classic steps in The Hero's Journey story arc, which a LOT of people use as a basis for storytelling, part of the steps is that your protagonist rejects the call to action multiple times. There's a lot of instances where this comes off as really false. Why wouldn't this character want to be the hero? Why are they ignoring all the people who need their help? I think a lot of writers ignore that there needs to be a real reason that your hero is trying to avoid taking action. But if you're writing a hero, why would they be afraid of anything? Why would they reject the call to action out of fear? But that, to me, makes the most sense. People hate change. You find a routine in your life and you fucking stick to it, and you find people you like, and you fucking stick to them, and you let your life pass day-by-day, hopefully without too much strife. So if your hero is called to action, there needs to be a real reason they don't want to be that person that your story is trying to make them be. Anyway, I spent yesterday as an anxious mess after not getting enough sleep, so I tore apart my closet and I'm donating like, half of it. Feels good. And I rearranged a bunch of stuff, shoved some things into the attic above my closet for storage, and found a copy of my birth certificate! Not the original, who knows where the fuck that is...I don't even know where my social security card is, so it's probably with that. Having a house means having a bunch of stuff in said house, and I kind of hate having stuff. I was definitely in "burn it all down and roll in the ashes" mode for a bit there yesterday. But hey! I got actual sleep last night without any weird nightmares, so I feel pretty good about life today. Time for the gym! I'll see you guys tomorrow~!