Wanted to share the behind the scenes because this took forever and no one’s actually gonna see the post sooo
The first two attempts were horrid I lost my Apple Pencil and was so embarrassed I just stepped back a bit, then I practiced rendering and studied cat anatomy more and while sketching over the first one (and staring at the cutest oriental shorthair (right) I managed this (and was so proud):
and I got so scared that I was going to ruin it that I recorded because usually I use guide lines or SOMETHING but I was truely winging it literally Tithonus gpt over here (exept I took 5 hours and did not drink a city worth of water)
The rest is too long for tumblr apparently so er yeah moral of the story why use ai when you’ve got this guy heh *kerchoww*
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ The Mystery of the Missing Trophy Has At Last Been Solved
Written by: Ebi, Yuu
For approximately four days, the critically acclaimed “Most Improved Spellcasting” trophy from last year's inter-house competition was found missing from its display case alongside the other displayed trophies. The case was claimed to be locked before the thieving had happened.
And naturally, within Night Raven College, rumors had decided to spread amongst their students about the whereabouts of such a prized trophy. And why it would be warranted to be stolen in the first place if it was a shared prize of all of the school members.
Was it stolen? Was it enchanted? Had someone managed to phase their magic through the gaps of the casing and render it invisible to the naked eye?
And within the graces of our kind Headmage, we were sent in to investigate the matter of such a horrendous, terribly heinous crime, in his words.
So, what happened during the investigation, you may wonder?
Our first breakthrough came when Grim had found something particular beneath the table, it glinted in a way that was golden and pretty “trophy-shaped”, according to Grim's words.
When we looked beneath the table, it was not a trophy, but rather.. a shiny golden spoon. That still remains a delicate mystery to this day as much as the trophy had. Grim is currently keeping it as a keepsake and is strangely territorial about it for some reason.
But then out second breakthrough came when Ruggie had found us snooping around underneath tables and absentmindedly informed the Press that he remembers hearing from a friend of a friend of a friend of a cat of a friend's friend who was a friend of a friend who's uncle was married to a friend's mother's eldest daughter who was also a friend, that the trophy had been moved for cleaning.
(Editor's Note: It had taken me a great amount of time to try and write that down properly. Let alone remember it.)
With this in mind, Grim and I searched tirelessly throughout every single Janitor's Closet within the school, which would be as tedious as expected. Considering the amount of Janitorial work that needed to be done in such a pristine school.
Alas, we have made it to the 15th closet that we have knowledge about. And we saw it.
Sitting there, perched upon the mop bucket and bobbing with a sort of mockery that got my hands soaked with justice.. and mop water.. was the Trophy that had been moved away by one of the local janitors and had forgotten to bring it back once their shift ended.
That's what we suspected, anyway.
It had apparently been placed there temporarily while the display case was being polished. And nobody truly remembered who'd placed it there.
The trophy was then safely returned to the display case. Not after the Prefect and Grim were accused of being the trophy thieves themselves. And have been given a promptly terrible reputation before they had to explain that no, they didn't steal the trophy and found it somewhere rather unconventional and terribly inconvenient.
The spoon, however, remains continuously unidentified until further notice.
🥪 Campus Recipes: Ruggie's Sandwich Ala Ruggie
Recipe provided by: Bucchi, Ruggie
To our surprise, Ruggie had come up to the press to share his simple recipe for students who want something easy to make in-between their classes and not rush through lectures with a piece of toast in their mouth like a bumbling anime protagonist.
Ingredients:
Bread
Cheese
Whatever else you like, more preferable if it were mountains of meat, according to Ruggie.
Instructions:
Put the ingredients between the bread.
Toast if desired, preferably with fire magic considering it gives it that “crispy crunchy ooey gooey goodness”.
Eat. Mmmm. Yummy.
That's it. Apparently.
When asked why he chose such a simple recipe, Ruggie shrugged his shoulders and responded with a:
“ Hey, people are strugglin’ out here, and ain't nobody got the skills that I do when it comes to nabbing a good lunch for the low low price of free. You ought to eat what you can get. ”
It's a simple dish, and due to its simplicity, the Press has confirmed that it's rather easily customizable depending on what you have on hand. And that grants a big thumbs up from them.
Though Grim has complained that it would've been better if it had a mega ton of fatty tuna in place of the cheese. And the Prefect didn't add said cheese to their own sandwich, as they are lactose intolerant.
✍️ Night Raven Crossword
Provided by: Ebi, Yuu
ACROSS
The abandoned dorm that became home to the mysterious prefect and their furry companion.
The café/restaurant operated by Azul Ashengrotto and the Octavinelle students.
A mysterious object that reflects the souls of those who stand before it and brought the prefect to this world.
NRC's extremely generous headmage.
A little who insists he's destined to be a great mage. (AND IS ALSO VERY POWERFUL)
DOWN
Known for its long list of rules that its students are expected to abide by.
A competitive sport played on broomsticks at NRC.
The dorm whose students are known for beauty, fashion, and the pursuit of perfection.
🪴 CAMPUS LIFE
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Someone (or rather...) Has Been Taking Care of the Forgotten Plants
Written by: Ebi, Yuu
There has been a little bluebell that had been sitting perched within Professor Trein's classroom window that had been rather overlooked by most students, and Professor Trein himself. It has been perched upon there for as long as the press could remember.
What the press could note is that this plant isn't particularly impressive. It's rather small, and it's leaves are crooked in a way that implied that it was near it's untimely end.
And yet every time that they have passed by the classroom, a new student has been seen tending to the plant. Whether that be watering it, or moving it to a new spot where it could reach out its leaves and drinks in the sunlight that would spill in from the morning afternoon.
The press also notes that it was none of the Green Thumb nor the Gardening Club members, and anyone that the press suspects it to be doing such wonderful acts of preservation.
Apparently, it was simply several ordinary students that have made a silent pact in order to keep the plant alive until their years have passed by, and they have passed upon their duties like sacred warriors to their underclassmen.
We think that's a lovely act of kindness that should be shared and continued throughout the entirety of this school.
Sometimes caring for something doesn't require anyone to know you did it. Despite the clear oddity that comes with passing down a plant in a way that a samurai would pass his legacy down to his successor. But hey what do I know!
🔍 A VERY IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ WHY does everyone's socks go MISSING??
Written and Investigation conducted by: Grim, The Great
I HAVE QUESTIONS, DARN IT.
Why, WHY, WHY!!! Does everyone's socks go MISSING?!
My henchshrimp has claimed that this was entirely normal, and people lose their socks all of the time! BUT THAT REASSURANCE WAS MEANINGLESS IN THE FACE OF TRUE AND UNDETERRED JUSTICE!
It was NOT Normal! The injustice that these mismatched students have had is not normal, and I don't understand why were normalizing this! It should be an outrage! A public outrage should be in order for such a heinous, utterly disdaining order of events that would leave you stunned as you look into your drawer to find naught pairs!
I have counted and conducted questions via survey with my own PAWS, and I can confidently confirm that over thirty-seven (37) students have confirmed that they have lost at least one matching pair of their socks, and the disappearance was so mysterious, that they don't even bother looking for it and end up keeping over in defeat as they mourn the loss of what could be a perfect pair.
But not I, not GRIM, THE GREAT! I am not like most people, and I will not falter nor kneel to such injustice. So I have decided to conduct my own research myself, my own personal investigation, so shall we say. Because my henchshrimp was apparently too busy to be able to accompany me in my expedition for the truth. Shame on him. Shame on his shrimp family.
I have interviewed a few suspects that I'd have in mind for who could cause such dastardly crimes and sleep well at night. And here is how these interviews went.
Suspect 1: The Laundry Room
Refused to comment, has been giving me the silence treatment the moment that I walked in. I have big suspicions about this one, with how its silence was so smug with me. I still have my eye on this one.
Suspect(s) 2: Ace Trappola & Deuce Spade
Ace had said that he doesn't even know where his socks go, which is suspicious from the get-go. But also, that has been the same answer that I've been getting from the other students that I've interviewed about the case of missing pairs.
Deuce however, told me to get out because it was “too early” and I should “go back to bed because it's 12 in the morning”. SHAME. Shame for allowing such injustice to rest peacefully while the REAL victims lay restless at the loss of such a beloved article of clothing.
Suspect 3: Ruggie Bucchi
When interrogated, he'd lean back in the library chair and confidently said: “ If I was stealing socks, I'd steal both. ”
It was an unfortunately fair point, and he was already gnawing on a stolen sandwich. But my suspicions are still pinned upon him, because what if he could steal more than just food? Him stealing food alone should land him 10 years in magical jail!
Suspect 4: Leona Kingscholar
Told me to get out. No further comment.
Suspect 5: This nice sweet bun from the cafeteria
She walked in like a woman who was looking for a good time. The steam rising from her delicate yet golden exterior nearly pulling me away from my investigation in order to put my paws upon her like a madman would. She'd had me under her bun-like hands. Trapped, and utterly entranced with the promise of something sweet if I'd abandon my duties as a hero of justice. A mage of honour. And I barely could remember what had happened afterwards. All I knew was that I was very full, and very tired.
As you underlings can see, my investigation has come out fruitless. But the hunter never sleeps before it catches the hunt. And the hunted is the justice that these painless socks seek, and I will soon PROVIDE!
If you have any knowledge about this tragedy, the school press' mail is open for letters of your efforts. And you will be noted within the next investigation that I, The Great and all-powerful Mage Grim, will continue to dive muzzle deep into!
🎭 ARTS & CULTURE
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ The Drama Club Needs to Stop Improvising
Written by: Ebi, Yuu
I attended the Drama Club's rehearsal this week by the wonderful offer of some of the students who wanted my journalism regarding their latest performance. And I will give my two madol by saying that I would've been lying if I didn't say that the production itself is going wonderfully.
The way that the costumes were tailored to the character and it's wearer so well, that you'd forget that you were watching a play in the first place was an amazing thing to be a witness of. That and the art club had done tremendously when it came to the set pieces and the backgrounds that they've made by magic and by hand.
Unfortunately, none of that could ever prepare me for the act that was about to come forth in the middle of the play.
Someone decided to improvise a scene involving a goose. Apparently nobody knows where the goose came from, and it had waddled onto the stage whilst the king of the play was mid monologue about his rule against the rivalling kingdom. And yet his voice has drifted off when this unexpected actor had set itself upon the stage, among the many eyes alongside my own, were wide.
It had stared back at the audience with such conviction, before sitting itself down between the respective courts that were just as confused as the audience were.
And by some miracle, the actor who had played the king, weaved the story around to include the goose within the plot. And had done it so seamlessly that our confusion was momentarily lifted. He has declared that the goose was his secret weapon as to how he would take over the rival kingdom, and the goose honked almost proudly, which sent the audience roaring with cheers.
I have been informed after the play that the director of the play was absolutely furious with how things had turned out, and has officially banned unscheduled geese from the drama club entirely. Though, there has been a tyrannical uproar about bringing the goose back for opening night.
🧪 SCIENCE & MAGIC
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Please Stop Putting Things in the Alchemy Cauldron
Written by: Ebi, Yuu
A reminder from the Science Club:
Do not put random objects into an unattended cauldron.
Recent discoveries from the club as they were cleaning out the cauldrons from this week's recent alchemy lessons include:
A spoon
A button
Three madol
A pencil
One sock
A half-eaten apple
A small wooden horse
Something identified only as “probably a beetle”
Please remember that alchemy experiments can be dangerous.
If you don't know what a potion is doing, we highly encourage you to not put your belongings into it. At any circumstance. Whatsoever.
🐦 ANIMAL WATCH
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Hank the Pigeon Has Become a Campus Celebrity
Wrtten by: Ebi, Yuu
Hank the pigeon has been spotted in seven different locations around campus this week.
Reports from students include:
Monday: Hall of Mirrors
Tuesday: Botanical Garden
Wednesday: Mostro Lounge
Thursday: Savanaclaw
Friday: Library
Saturday: Ramshackle
Sunday: Headmage's office
Nobody knows how he got into the last one.
Both Headmage Crowley and Hank declined to comment. Though, Hank had happily accepted a piece of bread, so maybe he's being bribed to stay quiet.
📰 Editor's Note
Heya! I've mentioned it before, but I've been pretty busy as the whole Prefect of Ramshackle and all of that. It's been getting real hard to juggle a whole lot of things, one after another. But I'm glad I have the time to finally make another issue for the Night Raven Press! I'll try my best to stay consistent with the amount of two issues per week, but homework has been absolutely swamping me, so I'm not too sure if I could keep up! Please be patient with me! 🏵️
This week I'd like to remind everyone that campus life isn't always about the biggest events.
Sometimes it's a plant someone remembers to water.
A pigeon who keeps showing up.
A sandwich.
A missing sock.
A goose that absolutely should not have been backstage.
I think those little things are worth writing about too.
Been awhile since I last posted anything, but just here to drop by to say that I'm not dead and still making comics. But here's some Malleus content for your troubles.
