Tales of Ækerin University and Beyond
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This was a relatively difficult piece for me to do. I started this back at the beginning of January as just a picture of Rhelki and it slowly grew into the monster that you see before you as I started building out the background and adding more and more details to it. I drew all of the little insert pictures to create everyone’s nameplates that were directly taken from something they made me do one year at my college dorms. Eventually, I completely redrew the original sketch of Rhelki that I had before adding the background. I’m glad it’s finally over though. This was a pretty big project that I can now move onto other things from.
Rhelki stood at her desk and tried to remain calm. The warm stuffy air agitated her. She was a kitsune of the arctic fox persuasion and away from her ancestral home for the first time. The heat and humidity of the climate was a new experience and one she did not much care for. She had moved into the dorms at Ækerin University two days ago. The school was highly prestigious with many of the greatest magical minds having graduated from it. Getting in was an honor and she had worked hard to be here, but the situation since her arrival began to wear on her.
When she arrived on move-in day, she had discovered that she had been placed with three other girls in a room that should have, in any reasonable circumstances, fit only half as many of them. To make matters even more awkward, one of her roommates, Kithel, was a dragon. Not a problem in itself, but her sheer size dominated the space and they had been forced to rearrange the furniture just so she could enter and exit the room comfortably. Rhelki had been the last of the girls to arrive and thus unceremoniously been given the bunk above her. Kithel tried her best to be accommodating and courteous, but she was just far too large for the space allotted. Even now, she was laying on her bed typing away at an oversized draconically designed keyboard as there was no way to fit at the provided desk. Her tail spilled over the edge of the bed as there was not even enough space for that.
Rhelki’s other two roommates laid claim to the south side of the room. Catriona, a cat-sìth, relaxed on the other top bunk. Her eyes were currently glued to her phone, and she giggled about something. Of Rhelki’s three roommates Catriona was the one she’s been getting along with the best. Both of them were around the same size, being just over three and a half feet tall, a distinction only required due to the overwhelming size difference of Kithel’s presence. But what Catriona really brought was an air of joy, happiness, and positivity. On their second day the quartet had been forced to participate in a rather cringe inducing mixer exercise whereupon they were forced to create nameplates by describing themselves in four words along with giving their name, species, and major. These were then laminated with a picture and affixed to the doors of their room. All four of them found the exercise to be completely infuriating, but it was Catriona who pushed them all to get it over with quickly and then dragged the group to a local sushi restaurant so they could eat, drink, decompress over their less-than-ideal living situation, and actually get to know one another in a way the mixer exercise could never do. It was also Catriona who had taken the initiative to use a bunch of cat stickers to censor the less savory elements of their final roommate’s nameplate, Valarie.
If Catriona was a positive force, then Valarie was a negative one. She was a werehyena and while in theory that meant she could take a human form, none of them had seen it and most likely never would. When Catriona had inquired about it over the sushi, Valarie merely growled and said, “I prefer being this way cause people tend leave me alone.” She was a hyena of few words and wore a grumpy face. She kept herself muzzle deep in books and seemingly had already began studying for classes that were not due to begin for over a week. It was only after Catriona was able to get a few beers in here last night that Valarie started to open up into a happier, more cheerful person, only to return to her grumpy serious state the next morning.
Rhelki fidgeted and adjusted her clothes. Her parents were leaving in the morning and tonight she would be her final meal with them for a long while. This was going to be it. After tonight, she would no longer have her parents nearby to fall back on. She would be alone and independent. Her nerves were getting the best of her and her thick white fur bristled up. This forced her to brush it down again.
“Hey, Rhelki. Can I ask you something?” Catriona called from her bunk. Catriona’s sudden voice broke Rhelki’s nerves causing her to twitch and drop her brush.
“Shit.” Rhelki cursed as she retrieved the brush and replied, “Yeah. What’s up?”
“Sorry about that. I was just wondering. Arctic foxes usually have a summer coat of fur for warmer conditions, right?”
“Yeah,” Rhelki sighed. “I don’t like mine, so I cast a spell to keep myself this way.”
“Isn’t that hot?”
“I added some enchantments to keep myself cool. It’s hotter here than I imagined though and I’ll probably have to increase their strength. My summer coat is actually really annoying. My fur is so thick in the winter that I had to have two completely different sets of clothing growing up.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Nothing fits, and I do mean nothing. Plus, my fur turns this ugly brown color and I loose so much volume you’ll think I look emaciated.”
“You lose that much?”
Rhelki nodded and grabbed her phone. “Let’s see if I can find a picture.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Rhelki turned to look at it. She had expected her parents to text, but it seemed that they had wanted to take one last look at the room. She started putting on her jacket and turned back to Catriona. “I’ll have to show you the picture later.”
“No worries,” Catriona said and went back to her phone.
Rhelki grabbed her phone and keys and walked to the door and took a deep breath. This was going to be it: the last time she would see her parents till maybe next summer. She hoped her mother would not shed too many tears. She was already an emotional wreck when they were trying to unpack on move-in day.
Despite the inadequate size of the room itself, each of the dorm rooms had been fitted with a complex set of interlocking doors to accommodate being of various different sizes. Rhelki opened the smaller of the doors but instead of her parents, she was greeted by the form of another kitsune sitting on the window still and silhouetted by the evening sun. His three tails waved softly behind him and he wore nothing but a bomber jacket and goggles. She knew that many other kitsune cultures felt different about nudity, but she was not prepared to come across one so handsome and so lacking in pants. She paused at the door frame and held it with her hand. Her heart was flustered.
The other kitsune looked up at her and said one word, “Hey.”
“Hello,” she paused smitten with the fox in front of her. “I’m Rhelki. Who might you be?”
“I’m Kaj.” The kitsune had not moved from his spot. He just looked at Rhelki with a sly grin on his face.
Catriona had noticed that this was not Rhelki’s parents and had begun peeking over the railing of the bunk bed to get a better view.
“So Kaj, are you a graduate student here or something?” Rhelki inquired. Tails were an indication of a kitsune’s age and his three indicated there was a significant age gap compared to her two.
Kaj chuckled. “Something like that. I was just walking through the dorms and noticed your nameplate. Did you know we’re the only two kitsune on the entire campus?”
At this point Kithel had even realized something was happening and had poked her head out to watch what was going on.
“No. I didn’t,” Rhelki replied. “I thought there was another kitsune on the board though.”
“My father doesn’t generally hang around campus.”
Rhelki took a deep breath. Not only was this kitsune extremely handsome, but he also was the son of a very powerful and rich noble. She gave him a coy smile and began to approach.
One step forward. Kaj merely sat there with the same sly grin plastered on his face. She continued looking right at him smiling back.
She took another step and instantly noticed something was wrong. A rune traced on the floor right where her paw landed began to glow. Kaj’s grin just got larger as he held back laughter. A blast of arcane power shot from the rune directly through Rhelki and into the room behind her.
By the time the girls reoriented themselves, Kaj was gone save for his laughter echoing down the hallway. The three girls looked at one another and gasped. All of Rhelki’s winter fur had blasted away leaving her clothing hanging loosely upon her, but to make matters worse her fur had been dyed in thick bands of clashing colors that covered her entire body. She was not the only one though as Kithel’s scales had become colored like a twister board and Catriona’s fur had taken on the appearance of a clown.
“I’m going to kill that fox!” Rhelki screamed as she began running in the direction of Kaj’s laughter.
“Wait for me!” Kithel yelled out as she struggled getting the doors open enough to escape the room.
“I’m coming too!” Catriona called as she bounded off the bed.
Valarie sat back at her desk. She had been reading about the nature of the particles that form the substance of mana before being so rudely interrupted. She quickly used her phone to inspect herself. Her fur had been died white with a bright pink mane and muzzle. Small pink hearts dotted the side of her cheeks. She sighed and grabbed her pack of cigarettes. She needed a smoke.
Category Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Kitsune
Gender Female
Size 2051 x 1796px
I loved this, very nicely done! Sounds like an interesting story-universe with its mix of magic and technology, always an intriguing combination. You captured their personalities well in such a short story also.
"she was not prepared to come across one so handsome and so lacking in pants."
That would be somewhat off-putting ;)
“I’m going to kill that fox!”
Quite literally took the words out of my mouth, I'm not a fan of practical jokes either, though I thought he was going to cancel her magic spell and leave her in her summer coat! Valarie doesn't seem particularly bothered though ;)
Of course now I'm curious to see what she looks like in her summer coat! I like how you mention that and the changes in her body over the seasons as well, that's something not usually considered when it comes to arctic-fox characters.
I hope you continue this story! Oh and meant to mention, the illustration was certainly worth the time and effort as well, it looks excellent!
"she was not prepared to come across one so handsome and so lacking in pants."
That would be somewhat off-putting ;)
“I’m going to kill that fox!”
Quite literally took the words out of my mouth, I'm not a fan of practical jokes either, though I thought he was going to cancel her magic spell and leave her in her summer coat! Valarie doesn't seem particularly bothered though ;)
Of course now I'm curious to see what she looks like in her summer coat! I like how you mention that and the changes in her body over the seasons as well, that's something not usually considered when it comes to arctic-fox characters.
I hope you continue this story! Oh and meant to mention, the illustration was certainly worth the time and effort as well, it looks excellent!
Glad you liked it. It really was a marathon of work to get it done.
"Sounds like an interesting story-universe with its mix of magic and technology, always an intriguing combination."
Yeah, I wanted to do a kind of fun light-hearted urban fantasy setting. Kaj actually originally came from a completely separate urban fantasy setting that I use for my tabletop games, but that setting is rather dark and has magical creatures living in secret in the shadows of humanity and does not really work with the stories I wanted to tell with him. At the time of writing this story I had not decided if this setting was going to be an alternate earth, or perhaps like this was a magic realm heavily connected to earth, or a completely different world entirely. I eventually decided on the third of those options while writing Felix's story. I actually probably should go back and make sure neither this or the story with my gryphon have any references that I need to clean up.
"That would be somewhat off-putting ;)"
The school I've been envisioning is rather international and many cultures within this world of magical creatures consider clothing to be more optional. Rhelki is not from one of those cultures and since is just after move-in, she is just not used to it yet.
"Quite literally took the words out of my mouth, I'm not a fan of practical jokes either, though I thought he was going to cancel her magic spell and leave her in her summer coat! Valarie doesn't seem particularly bothered though ;)"
That was the original plan, but I wanted the spell to effect everyone and since Kaj's spells are often overcharged so I went with the spell just doing both.
"Of course now I'm curious to see what she looks like in her summer coat! I like how you mention that and the changes in her body over the seasons as well, that's something not usually considered when it comes to arctic-fox characters."
I mean their winter coats are beautiful so I see why most people keep them in that form, but to me it feels like a missed opportunity. Especially with some of the awkward visuals of the in-between stages (mostly the shedding). As to seeing it, it is on my to draw list.
"Sounds like an interesting story-universe with its mix of magic and technology, always an intriguing combination."
Yeah, I wanted to do a kind of fun light-hearted urban fantasy setting. Kaj actually originally came from a completely separate urban fantasy setting that I use for my tabletop games, but that setting is rather dark and has magical creatures living in secret in the shadows of humanity and does not really work with the stories I wanted to tell with him. At the time of writing this story I had not decided if this setting was going to be an alternate earth, or perhaps like this was a magic realm heavily connected to earth, or a completely different world entirely. I eventually decided on the third of those options while writing Felix's story. I actually probably should go back and make sure neither this or the story with my gryphon have any references that I need to clean up.
"That would be somewhat off-putting ;)"
The school I've been envisioning is rather international and many cultures within this world of magical creatures consider clothing to be more optional. Rhelki is not from one of those cultures and since is just after move-in, she is just not used to it yet.
"Quite literally took the words out of my mouth, I'm not a fan of practical jokes either, though I thought he was going to cancel her magic spell and leave her in her summer coat! Valarie doesn't seem particularly bothered though ;)"
That was the original plan, but I wanted the spell to effect everyone and since Kaj's spells are often overcharged so I went with the spell just doing both.
"Of course now I'm curious to see what she looks like in her summer coat! I like how you mention that and the changes in her body over the seasons as well, that's something not usually considered when it comes to arctic-fox characters."
I mean their winter coats are beautiful so I see why most people keep them in that form, but to me it feels like a missed opportunity. Especially with some of the awkward visuals of the in-between stages (mostly the shedding). As to seeing it, it is on my to draw list.
It's super-neat and well worth the effort. Sorry for the influx of replies, I'm going through a back-log of comments now I have a couple of days off.
Ah OK, I'm glad you went with a lighter setting, it certainly makes it fun to read.
I can see how that would be rather embarrassing, especially with the opposite sex.
heh well it certainly had a the intended effect ;)
I agree entirely, while the pure white winter coat is indeed gorgeous the ones they have in their other seasons also have their merits, the summer to winter transitional coat is particularly striking. Rhelki may have taken a comment to heart at some point, if I was her I'd enjoy showing off my different colourations over the seasons, though granted she definitely has a point regarding it complication clothing choices, and also the shedding!
Excellent, I hope you do put pen to paper!
Ah OK, I'm glad you went with a lighter setting, it certainly makes it fun to read.
I can see how that would be rather embarrassing, especially with the opposite sex.
heh well it certainly had a the intended effect ;)
I agree entirely, while the pure white winter coat is indeed gorgeous the ones they have in their other seasons also have their merits, the summer to winter transitional coat is particularly striking. Rhelki may have taken a comment to heart at some point, if I was her I'd enjoy showing off my different colourations over the seasons, though granted she definitely has a point regarding it complication clothing choices, and also the shedding!
Excellent, I hope you do put pen to paper!
This thing with describing yourself in four words is just awful. And I would have major "undecided" too like Catriona because there seems to be so much to choose from! A magical university after all.
I begin to like this world more and more as I explore it further. Your approach on magic is very logical and fun, complementing very much the university setting.
And the way they are all peeking from the door on the drawing looks weirdly liminal to me (especially Kithel). Like maybe it's a result of lighting and feeling of there being a lot of depth behind that door.
I begin to like this world more and more as I explore it further. Your approach on magic is very logical and fun, complementing very much the university setting.
And the way they are all peeking from the door on the drawing looks weirdly liminal to me (especially Kithel). Like maybe it's a result of lighting and feeling of there being a lot of depth behind that door.
Yeah, it was one of the worst school experiences doing that mixer exercise. I hated it... so I've reused it multiple times, first with my tabletop group and then here, because of how stupid it is.
An undecided major probably is ok unless you are going into stuff like engineering or very theoretical magical subjects. Those have some many requirements you basically have to start crunching through difficult classes immediately (something I know from personal experience).
I'm glad you are liking this setting. It's pretty fun to write and make stuff in it.
I can see the image being a bit like that. This was one of my early attempts at making a highly complex multicharacter picture like this. I'm not sure I completely pulled it off and I really didn't know all the tricks I do about lighting and shading that I have now.
An undecided major probably is ok unless you are going into stuff like engineering or very theoretical magical subjects. Those have some many requirements you basically have to start crunching through difficult classes immediately (something I know from personal experience).
I'm glad you are liking this setting. It's pretty fun to write and make stuff in it.
I can see the image being a bit like that. This was one of my early attempts at making a highly complex multicharacter picture like this. I'm not sure I completely pulled it off and I really didn't know all the tricks I do about lighting and shading that I have now.
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