Joyride is a story about a group of ragtag zombie hunters and their strange tagalong- That tagalong being a young chemist named Mason who’s made it their life’s goal to put an end to the zombie apocalypse. After pushing their way into the group of zombie hunters through questionable means, Mason is finally given the opportunity to study zombies in close proximity. However, they quickly learn that the task isn’t as simple as they assumed, as they discover that new species of zombies have started rapidly evolving in a way that shouldn’t be physically possible. New types of zombies, even deadlier than before, have started plaguing the planet. The story follows Mason and their colleagues as they try to find out how these new species are appearing and as they try to protect the public from said species.
Mason Sinclair- she/they- 20
Mason is the protagonist of Joyride. After the outbreak that caused the zombie apocalypse, Mason made it their goal to figure out what caused the outbreak and, more importantly, how to put an end to the epidemic. They ended up joining a group of zombie hunters by barging their way into the pack, working with their research division and joining the hunters whenever they needed to get closer to zombies. They figured that joining the group would help them with their studies and drive them closer to discovering a cure, but a discovery that they made flipped everything on its head-The zombies plaguing the world have started to evolve at alarming rates. As for personality, Mason can come off as a bit eccentric, though she doesn’t mean to have this impression on people.
Piper Valentine- she/her- 22
Piper is the person that Mason bothered to barge her way into the group of zombie hunters. She was very against the thought of Mason joining the group initially, but she still offered to partner up with her once she learned that they intended on going on jobs with the other hunters. Prior to being employed by Rowan as a zombie hunter, she used to hang out with Candy and her friends, getting into fights with zombies for fun. She doesn’t talk much about her life before meeting Rowan, and she seems to do all she can to erase it from history. Piper leaves an impression on everyone she meets, whether that be in a positive way or not. She’s very loud, both literally and figuratively.
Rami Hassan- he/him- 25
Rami is a zombie hunter, and he’s been in the group for the longest out of all of the main characters in Joyride. He was previously Piper’s partner at work, though he opted to work alone once she decided to partner up with Mason. He immigrated to the US after the outbreak, since he and his sister wanted to try to start over after their parents were killed. Rami barely an adult and his sister, Nailah, not even a teen, the two of them struggled to provide for themselves at first. While Rami joined the group for money at first, he soon found that he genuinely felt that he belonged there. He’s Piper’s voice of reason, even serving as Mason’s whenever she gets a little too excited about something.
Rowan- he/him- 42
Rowan is the founder of the group of zombie hunters that Mason, Piper and Rami find themselves in. He started the organization soon after the outbreak in the US, aiming to help protect the public from zombies at first. As time went on, he branched out into science, though his research division is still significantly smaller than his dispatch division. Each member of his group seems to have their own unique story about how they met him.
Candy- she/her- 23
Candy is Piper’s friend from her teen years. She wasn’t sure about what to do with herself following the outbreak, since zombie apocalypses tend to put a damper on one's teen years. She ended up starting a gang designated to fighting and killing zombies for fun. She invited Piper to this group, since the two of them happened to be dating at the time. However, the club turned toxic rather quickly, seeing as getting a bunch of teenagers together just to kill things isn’t the best idea in execution. Candy is very egotistical, and she spends a fair amount of time just trying to perfect her image. That being said, she has a bit of a temper that can get the best of her at times.
Jax- they/them- 19
Jax is another member of Candy’s gang. They’re often the one to keep Candy in check, though they aren’t the most sensible person themself. They used to be somewhat close with Piper, especially in the days close to her departure, since she didn’t really have anyone else to talk to those days. Jax is very introverted, and they seem to only talk about themself to people they’ve formed close bonds with. They wouldn’t consider themself to be a nice person, though they’re more generous than they let on.
Class Act is about the accidental kidnapping of a famous noble and the chaos that follows. Elliot is a viscount that spends most of his time away from home, which normally doesn’t end in trouble- That is, until he’s kidnapped after he was mistaken for someone else. His kidnapper is Aja, someone who turned to taking illegal jobs after her family died in a plague that swept her hometown. The second that Aja realizes that she abducted the wrong person, she insists on taking Elliot back to his home. But Elliot denies her request. He begs Aja to let him come with her on her travels, telling her that he doesn’t want to go back to his house and that he’s never even been outside of his country. Aja reluctantly agrees to let him tag along on her journeys, but that she would drop him off at his house if he ever steps out of line. Elliot couldn’t be happier.
Arthur Elliot Beaumont-Fairchild- he/him- 16
Elliot is the viscount of Lauttenshire, the fictional country that Class Act takes place in. He likes the attention that comes with nobility, though he doesn’t like the duties that follow. Upset with the life he was born into, he did his best to escape it by spending most of his time away from his house- And with seven siblings, his parents hardly even noticed his absence. However, one particular night that he spent sleeping outside resulted in his kidnapping. Instead of asking his kidnapper to take him back to his home like a sensible person, Elliot asked to tag along with her for a little while. He saw the situation as his opportunity to explore the world outside of his (very small) country and get out of the spotlight for once in his life. Elliot started accompanying Aja on her jobs, much to her dismay. The story follows him as he tries to avoid Aja’s persecution and experiences a lot of culture shock along the way.
Aja Osei- she/her- 21
Aja is, to put it gently, Elliot’s companion in Class Act. She was born into poverty, and she lost her parents after a plague that swept her hometown. With nothing left to her name but debt, Aja turned to taking illegal jobs in an attempt to make a living for herself. One of these jobs led her to kidnap Elliot after she mistook him for the person her client requested. Aja is a very persistent person, but Elliot is extraordinarily annoying, so she caved in to Elliot’s request to stay with her. As for personality, Aja hates wasting time, so she’s very straight-forward. She’s not good with kids, to say the least.
Out of Focus is a short story I’m making as a way to get in more practice with comic creation and plot development. It follows two characters, Leo and Claire, as they get into trouble after finding a haunted camera that allows its users to take pictures of ghosts. Seeing as it’s the last school year that they have together before they graduate, they plan on making the most of it. They end up opening up a shop for the dead, where they profit off of taking photos of ghosts. There isn’t much more to say, since the story is only intended to be around five chapters.
Leo Ramirez- they/them- 18
Leo is the protagonist of Out of Focus. After being tasked with cleaning out a storage shed at their school (alongside Claire), they found a broken, dirt-covered camera. They took a picture of Claire upon her request, and they were shocked to see the outline of a person in the background, seeing as the two of them were alone at the time. They realized that the camera can take pictures of ghosts, and they decided to profit off of it by opening up a shop that takes and sells photos of the dead. They’re a playful person, and they see the shop as their opportunity to have some fun before they have to head off to college. Their ego tends to fluctuate.
Claire Calinao- she/they- 18
Claire is Leo’s friend, and they’re considerably more reasonable than Leo is. She loves the supernatural, and she was ecstatic to find a camera that takes pictures of ghosts. While she didn’t want to open a shop that profits off of the camera, they try to help Leo with it since they think that it could be a nice opportunity for them. Besides, they share the same idea as Leo- The shop could serve as one last time to spend time together before the two of them part. Claire is set on moving as soon as the school year ends, and she isn’t great at dealing with separation. As Leo’s childhood friend, she seems to understand them more than they understand themself sometimes.
Alvaro Lennox- he/him
Keaton Hartgroves- he/him
Iri Walker- she/her
Asha Torwynn- she/her
Edgar Clancy- they/them