Welcome to Vale High - Commentary - Ch. 1-2 (Patreon)
Content
With that said, let’s dive in!
First off, I’m very excited about this story. It’s not at all like WDU, so I hope I’ve set your expectations appropriately. While reading it, keep in mind that I wrote this in the midst of writing WDU as a break from the angst. I think that’s the best explanation I have for the more upbeat feel of the story overall.
Although, I guess it’s fair to say that the first chapter is kind of sad. Sad, but not depressing like WDU was? Plus, Yang steps in to save the day!
One of the hardest parts about writing this first chapter was un-aging the characters (that’s not a word, but I’m using it). We’re viewing these events through the eyes of a child, so I tried to make it read like a child’s thoughts. It was, in a single word, difficult. I tried to accomplish this by using less-complicated vocabulary and shorter sentences, but that’s not a natural writing style for me. Which made it good practice, right? Always good to try new things!
Knowing that readers would expect the story to start in high school (due to the title), I also tried to give some early hints that suggested Yang and Ruby’s younger age. One of those clues was Ruby’s backpack. Not that high schoolers can’t have monkey backpacks! But I think it’s more likely that an elementary schooler would have an adorable monkey backpack with a little tail on it. Also, the fact that Yang holds Ruby’s hand for the walk home, and - the real kicker - the two of them talking about what Ruby learned that day in school.
While it was difficult to write from a younger POV, I loved setting the stage for Yang and Ruby’s relationship. Ruby, in particular, is absolutely adorable (in my opinion). You’ll have to let me know what you think, but I think she plays a similar role in this story as Blake did in WDU. She’s not quite as involved as Blake was, but...well, you’ll see! All I know is that when I think about her, I hear a chorus of ‘aww’s in my head. Surrounded by floating hearts and a few rainbows.
The scene where Yang quizzes her on multiplication served two purposes in this chapter. The first, as mentioned just a few sentences ago, was to impress upon the reader that she’s quite young. (Why else would Yang ask her what three times three was, and why would she need to count out the answer on her fingers?)
But it also served as an indirect connection to Violet’s introduction in Chapter 2 (Violet makes another cameo in a story - this time as a math wizard! It’s so weird to think about my dog talking...and doing calculus…)
When Yang asked Ruby what eight times seventeen is (136) and she can’t answer it, Yang has the following little thought in her little-kid brain:
That was an unfair question, but what if Ruby could answer it? She’d be a genius!
A genius, huh? Just like the math genius we meet in Chapter 2!
There’s also a pseudo connection in this chapter to my oneshot collection The Endless Days of Summer, as well as WDU. Misunderstanding is the title of the oneshot where Ruby’s picked on by some bullies (and saved by Yang), but there’s a more direct and more recent link to Chapter 44 of WDU. In that chapter, Ruby mentions that Yang’s the one who taught her how to deal with bullies. (And thus, a very confusing web of stories is born…)
I think one of the best parts about this chapter is meeting Yang before she decides to stick up for other people. In Chapter 1, she mentions that she’s gotten into fights before, but for Ruby. This was someone she didn’t know, and Ruby was with her, so she thinks that they should just go home. I tried to make her indecision really clear - how she didn’t want to get in trouble, but she didn’t like what was happening. She can’t really explain why she doesn’t like it, just that she doesn’t. (This being another mark of how young she is.)
Obviously, Chapter 1 exists so that we know who Blake is (even though her name is never mentioned), and the connection she and Yang share. But this chapter also serves to show who Yang was versus who she is when we get to Chapter 2. By the time she’s at the end of high school, it’s become a habit for her to look for people like Blake - people who might need someone to talk to.
We see how ingrained it is when she’s walking through school on the first day. She helps the unnamed freshman find her classroom before the bell rings. She makes sure to introduce herself when she notices the new girl (Blake) in homeroom. And then she walks Violet to her calculus class after homeroom is over. So in the span of two chapters, we know that Yang has changed significantly from that day, but we’ve yet to learn more about Blake (that comes later, trust me!)
The time skip also gave us the chance to look at how Yang and Ruby’s relationship evolved - and it’s still freaking cute! Although it’s more playful now, Yang is still looking after Ruby but in a much more subtle way.
Remember how I said that I don’t usually mention specific dates or times? Well, did you notice that Ruby said it’s Wednesday? (Not outright, but she said “At least it’s a short week, right? Only three days, then we’re done!”) Because this is a school-based story, and because I needed to work within school weeks and school days, there will be mentions of what day of the week it is so that the timeline doesn’t get messed up.
I didn’t really like working within a more rigid timeline like this, but I didn’t see any way around it. The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally write events happening on what should be a Saturday or something. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would definitely irk me if I noticed later. And that’s a recipe for adding/removing chapters to make things fit (but let’s be honest - I never remove chapters).
If you’re wondering how I came up with the layout for the school building, I did what most people would probably do - described my high school! My high school was renovated the first year I was there, and they added this huge portion with the gym, dance rooms, and cafeteria that was separated from the ‘old’ part of the building. It was actually pretty cool! But it was all separated by this giant foyer/hall thing that acted like a huge funnel leading everyone in and out of the building.
When you see other specific details on the school, they’re probably from my high school as well. It just worked too well in the story - why try to reinvent the wheel?
When Ruby and Yang walked into the school (my school!), there was a bit of an Easter egg - did you catch it?
“Isn’t it about time I passed the torch to you?” Yang asked, turning away from the other high schoolers and meeting Ruby’s eyes. “I won’t be here next year, after all.”
Could that ‘torch’ be the same one Yang tried to give Ruby in WDU? The one that set Blake’s world on fire? (Maybe.) She should probably hang onto it for a little while longer since Blake makes her second appearance in Yang’s life in this chapter! And what an appearance that was.
Obviously, Yang doesn’t recognize Blake (that was pretty clear, right?) because the events from Chapter 1 happened years and years ago. And, as I made sure to include in Chapter 1, Yang wasn’t friends or very familiar with Blake before the bully incident. She didn’t even know Blake’s name! (Further highlighting how Young Yang didn’t pay much attention to her fellow classmates.)
Something I didn’t notice until very recently was the irony in this story compared to WDU. In WDU, Ruby doesn’t remember Weiss. In this story, Yang doesn’t remember Blake. Of course, there are two very different reasons for why that is, but I think it’s funny anyway! I didn’t realize I wrote two ‘memory’-based stories in a row, but apparently I did.
Regardless, I’m really excited for you to see more of the story, and more of this new Blake and new Yang.
Also, more Pyrrha!
If you’ve read Red Carpet Romance, you probably know that I love casting Pyrrha as Yang’s BFF. Their personalities as friends just mesh so well together - where Yang adores Pyrrha, and adores teasing Pyrrha. And Pyrrha adores Yang, and adores teasing Yang. But they’re both so soft about it - especially Pyrrha, who has a heart of gold. I’m so happy for her to be in this story, playing a more prominent role than the one she has in RCR. The world needs more Pyrrha Nikos!
And more Bumblebee, which I hope to provide. More bee moments to come, and more illumination on the types of people Blake and Yang have become.
I’ll see you next week with more, and thank you again for all of your support!
Until next time,
Miko