The meeting

Kevin clapped his hands dramatically, signaling everyone to focus. "Alright, listen up, folks. Today's meeting has two big topics to cover, so let's not waste time."

"That's rich coming from the guy who spent fifteen minutes talking about sandwiches last meeting," Ryan muttered, not looking up from his sketchpad.

"Hey, that was a serious discussion," Kevin shot back, wagging a finger. "You don't understand the emotional weight of deciding between turkey and roast beef. Anyway, first topic: the annual 3-Chap Comic Tournament."

Noah furrowed his brow. "Three-Chap Comic Tournament?"

Maiya leaned closer to explain. "It's a tournament for new comic artists. It's split into three phases: in the first phase, you make the first chapter based on a genre they give. If you're selected, you move to phase two and create the second chapter. Then, if you make it to the final round, you wrap it all up with the third chapter."

"That doesn't sound too hard," Noah said hesitantly.

Kevin barked a laugh. "Oh, it's hard. Over 100,000 people enter. You have to cram a full story into just three chapters. That means building a world, giving the characters a solid goal, and tying it all up with a satisfying ending. All in under 100 pages per chapter. Not as easy as it sounds, kid."

Noah gulped, his confidence shaken. "Oh… okay."

Kevin grinned smugly. "Yeah, thought so. Anyway, this year's genre is… drumroll, please..."

Liam tapped his fingers on the table. "Fantasy."

Maiya immediately smirked.

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Why are you smirking? You know we both suck at fantasy."

"True," Maiya said, her smile growing wider, "but we happen to have a fantasy expert right here."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Maiya pointed at Noah. "Our newest member."

Ryan glanced at Noah skeptically. "Him?I don't know about that."

"Trust me," Maiya said confidently. "I've seen his sketches. He's got the imagination for it."

Kevin clapped his hands again, interrupting. "Alright, so with our new member, we now have three artists. That means we might actually produce something decent this year."

Maiya and Ryan glared at him. "Do you want us to kill you?" they said in unison.

"Hey, hey, no need for violence," Kevin said, holding up his hands. "I'm just saying—last year's comic sucked because you two couldn't draw action scenes to save your lives."

"We told you a million times," Maiya snapped, "we're not action artists! You forced us to draw those stupid fight scenes."

"Yeah," Ryan added angrily, "and art isn't easy, you know. You wouldn't last two minutes doing what we do."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. It's just some scribbling. How hard can it be?"

Ryan slammed his sketchpad on the table. "You motherf—"

"ENOUGH!" Liam shouted, standing up and spreading his arms like a referee. "Jesus Christ, you guys are embarrassing. Noah's probably sitting there wondering if he joined a group of deranged toddlers." He gestured to Noah, who looked genuinely overwhelmed. "And the worst part is, he wouldn't be wrong."

Kevin crossed his arms. "Fine, Liam. What's your plan, then?"

Liam smirked. "Glad you asked. Here's the deal: Noah can handle action scenes since he's apparently got the chops for fantasy. We'll work around his strengths. Kevin, how much time do we have*"

"A month," Kevin replied.

"Perfect," Liam said. "Sarah, I want you to research fantasy stuff—myths, tropes, cool shit like that. Anything we can use to build the story."

Sarah, who had been scrolling on her phone, perked up. "On it, boss." She twirled her hair and glanced at Noah. "But, like, can we make the main character a hot guy? You know, tall, mysterious, long hair… something for the aesthetic. I'll find you references."

Ryan groaned. "Sarah, we're making a fantasy comic, not a dating sim."

"Shut up, Ryan. No one asked you," Sarah shot back, sticking out her tongue.

"Anyway," Liam continued, "while Sarah does that, I want you three artists to start designing characters. Think about different archetypes we can use. Fantasy's all about the visuals."

Ryan raised a hand. "Uh, how many characters are we designing? We don't even have a story yet."

"Nine," Liam said confidently. "Kevin and I will wait for Sarah's research to finish so we can nail down the plot. Ethan, my darling baby boy, you can jump in once we start adding dialogue."

Ethan, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, cringed. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not, sweetie?" Liam teased, winking.

"Liam, stop," Ethan said, clearly uncomfortable.

Maiya laughed. "He does this every time. Poor Ethan."

"Anyway," Ryan said, eager to change the subject, "before we start designing characters, we need to figure out who the main artist is."

"Good point," Maiya agreed. "We'll settle it with an art battle."

Noah blinked. "Art battle?"

Maiya nodded. "Yep. We each draw a character, and whoever's design is the best becomes the main artist. The main artist gets the final say on everything and can boss the others around."

"And make the losers run errands," Ryan added smugly.

"It's usually me versus Maiya," Ryan said, glancing at Noah. "But this time, I think I can take you both."

Maiya smirked. "Dream on, Ryan."

"So, what are we drawing?" Noah asked, feeling a little nervous.

"A fantasy character of your choice," Ryan replied. "The most creative design wins."

"Fine by me," Maiya said. She turned to Noah. "What about you?"

Noah hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

Liam clapped his hands together. "Great! Let the games begin!"

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