#i think it's cool there's variety in how people draw the uk characters. it just kinda feels right here? i know i unfortunately don't draw

[peridots-pixiwolf]

[Start ID. A digital drawing of Minos Prime from Ultrakill, who's wearing a strapless slit dress and sandals of the same deep purple. He faces towards and slightly to the right of the camera, his head is tilted further right. With one hand he gestures in a vague pointing motion, his arm folded and held close to his body. There is nothing in the background, but bracing himself on one arm, Minos is implied to be leaning against something about the height of a countertop. The background is a blank purplish black, save for three diagonal stripes in the colors of the bisexual flag. End ID]

Shading study that quite literally came to me in a dream two weeks ago, after this post apparently beamed itself into my mind

(also a few edits below the cut! they're very slight but whatever :])

[Start ID. Three different versions of the previous drawing. The first changes the tone of the lighting from blue to pink, and similarly the shading from pink to blue. The second replaces the faint black border with pink, purple and blue, syncing with the stripes in the background. The third combines both these changes. End ID]

[a-nice-and-interpretive-fanzine]

[ID: A cream-colored banner that says "A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: essays and art about the meanings we've found in Good Omens." There is a photo of a book page with a key on it behind the banner text. The photo source is rosy_photo on Pixabay. /end ID]

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: Information Masterpost

Welcome!

This is a zine for those of us who love the subtle, complex work that is Good Omens, and who’ve enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the fandom as people interpret how the many moving pieces of the story come together, creating a slightly different meaning for each of us.

To put it simply, it’s a book full of the fandom’s own analysis and commentary about the Good Omens TV show, enhanced with illustrations from our brilliant artists.

This zine is analytical in the sense that all the writers are expressing their own nonfiction thoughts and feelings about the show, rather than writing fanfic, but it is not meant to be heavily academic. Anybody who likes to pick apart the series and discuss it should be able to enjoy it.

The zine will contain essays by fans who are passionate about analyzing and interpreting different parts of Good Omens - the characters, the plot, the writing techniques for the book and script, the cinematography of the TV show, the popular content of the fandom itself. Accompanying these essays will be black and white illustrations from our artists.

How are you organizing this process?

May 1-May 15: Everyone submits their application to do writing or art through a Google form. Behind the scenes, I’ll be setting up a separate email and Discord.

May 16-20: Applicants will be screened during this time.

May 20: I’ll email everyone to let them know the outcomes of their applications. The final participants will get a link to the Discord server for the zine (totally optional, of course).

May 21: If there’s any clarification or solidifying of ideas that needs to happen, I’ll contact you and discuss with you by this point. This is also when artists will be matched up with essays.

May 22 to August 14: This will be a period of just working on our essays and art. The Discord chat and Tumblr will be there for support and for exchanging ideas!

August 15: Participants need to email their full works to the zine’s email address by this date. No special formatting is needed; I’ll do that in InDesign.

August 15 to August 31: I’ll be putting the zine together in InDesign.

September 1: Preorders will open.

September 30: Preorders will close.

October 1: The zine order will be placed!

October 15: Assuming all goes well with printing and shipping, the zines will be shipped out in waves starting on this date. If the printing or shipping from the manufacturer is delayed, then shipping will just start ASAP.

Writer Application HERE Artist Application HERE Asked and Answered Questions on Tumblr The Fanzine's Page on Twitter

Read below for more detailed information about the zine in a Q and A format!

What are the specifications for the zine contributions?

For writers, I’m starting with 3k words or fewer per essay (approximately 10 pages at the size of this book). This depends heavily on how many participants we actually get, so it may change!

For artists, I’d be looking at black and white works, 300 DPI, 5.5 x 8.5 inches or smaller. If your art is supposed to fill up the entire page (i.e. no white space), please make it a total of 5.75 x 8.75 inches with nothing too important around the edges to account for bleed during the printing process.

Can I submit an essay to this zine if I’ve already posted it on Tumblr?

Not as you’ve already posted it. We don’t want to just copy/paste the exact thing that hundreds or perhaps even thousands of people have already read.

However, it IS fine and maybe even a good idea to take the same thought from your post and refine it, preserving your same thesis. For example, a lot of Tumblr posts are just us fans jotting down 5 or 6 paragraphs of random thoughts at 2 AM, but some of them are really cool thoughts! Expanding them and turning them into a bona-fide Essay would make those posts into excellent zine chapters. And you can copy small pieces of your own language as long as the whole thing isn’t just pasted word-for-word.

How long do essays have to be? Is there a limit?

With the number of writers we have, I've calculated that each person should ideally keep their essay to about 6000 words. There is wiggle room.

There’s no real minimum for your contribution; some analytical ideas are really good but can be expressed concisely, so it’s okay if your essays only come out to a few pages typed. For reference, with our book size, a page is about 300 words.

What happens if the zine sells a lot and you end up not only breaking even, but turning a profit?

It’ll go to charity. While I’ll ask the participants what they want to do for certain if we do make enough money, my suggestion will be donating it to Alzheimer’s Research UK in honor of Sir Terry Pratchett.

I’m not really comfortable calling this a “charity zine” up front since I simply don’t know if it will raise a significant amount. For the most part, I just want the thing to physically exist, which means breaking even, and don’t want to make it more expensive for buyers than it needs to be to afford the printing costs.

What kinds of essays are you talking about? What could be included?

In short, any analytical thoughts about the Good Omens TV show - and possibly even the fandom as it interacts with the show - are possible inclusions for the zine.

To expand a bit, think about the meta posts you see floating around Tumblr. Often these involve analyzing characters, or picking up on patterns in the plot. Sometimes fans use their own background knowledge to write posts about the significance of certain costume choices or the way music plays into each individual scene. Some posts examine the ways the series approaches gender, while others might discuss ways that the characters present as neurodivergent. That’s how diverse the pool of possibilities is for subjects in this zine.

How does art come into this?

Images will be black and white, to match the bookish mood of the project overall. Images can range in size from a half page to a full page.

I’m planning to talk to the artists and authors and loosely pair artists with essays that appeal to their personal interests.

I know how to illustrate a story, but how do I illustrate an essay?

There are infinite answers to this! I’ve seen some beautiful symbolic artwork in the fandom already (e.g. a number of takes on Aziraphale munching on an apple with Crowley in snake form curving around him), and there are tons of symbolic motifs to draw from, but these are not the only options. An artist illustrating an essay about cinematography, for example, could draw a well-known scene from an alternative angle. An essay about Heaven as a capitalist corporation could be illustrated with a cartoon of Gabriel giving some sort of excruciating PowerPoint presentation. A character analysis could be accompanied by a simple portrait. And on and on. I’m not interested in limiting the possibilities by trying to make a list, but just know that there are many and you don’t have to make it complicated if you don’t want to.

If the writers can reuse their essay ideas, can artists reuse their drawings?

Similarly to the writers, if you already have an interpretive drawing that you’re in love with, artists can use the same ideas and the same fundamental composition that is present in their own existing work. However, it has to be redone in some significant way. Whether it’s taking something you drew in 2019 and redrawing it using an updated style, taking a sketch and turning it into a lined and shaded piece, or redoing a full-color drawing so it presents more strikingly in black and white, it shouldn’t be identical to the thing you’ve already posted.

So how are you choosing participants here?

It’ll be based on what people are interested in writing about (or illustrating). I’ll be looking for people who are passionate about their essays, but I’ll also be looking for variety. It all depends on what people want to offer, so I won’t know for sure what it will look like put together until everyone’s application is in.

For artists, I’ll be trying to figure out whose style looks like it would adapt well to illustrations in black and white, and also who demonstrates an interest in the same subjects as the writers.

If we don’t get a lot of applicants, I’d love to simply include everyone, but I can’t commit to that without knowing for sure how many people are involved.

Do I have to use a formal writing style to participate?

No. You should use a style that makes your thoughts and ideas as clear as possible, but as long as it’s understandable, you can also get a little artistic with it. You can “write like you speak,” though perhaps in a more organized way. You definitely don’t need to worry about stylistic rules like not using the first person. This is not academia.

Is this zine going to center only on Crowley and Aziraphale?

That remains to be seen! It depends on what ideas show up in the applications. There will be a lot of the ineffable partners for sure, but whether the whole zine will center on them or whether there’s plentiful stuff about other characters will depend on what the participants suggest.

Do we have to agree with all your personal interpretations of Good Omens to be in the zine?

No! In fact, I’m assuming that a number of essays will contradict each other, too, and that’s perfectly okay. The zine is a sampler of fan interpretations meant to inspire, not instruct. It’s not “Here’s a fan-made guide on how to understand this TV show,” it’s “Look at all these moving parts and how many meanings we can find in them. What does it mean to you?”

However, there are some basic rules and assumptions by which I’m working here.

I don’t personally have the energy to include essays that are highly critical (“negative”) in this zine. It’s analytical but also meant to be fun.

I’m pretty focused on the TV adaptation. This isn’t “no book analysis allowed” but just that the essays will end up being weighted toward subjects that apply to either the TV show or both the book and the show.

Each writer should focus on making their own points over disproving other fan interpretations. If you’re writing in an expository style, it’s normal for the essay to contain rebuttals to opposing ideas, but these should be minor supporting points, not the heart and soul of your essay. For reference, I’d say the majority of meta I see floating around on tumblr would follow this rule just fine.

Essay ideas that seem to contain bigoted or exclusionary sentiments will not be accepted (no TERFy stuff, for example).

What kinds of editing will go into the zine? Are you going to argue with us about the contents of our writing?

While I might ask you to elaborate on certain points in your writing or clarify your thoughts about your subject, I’m absolutely not here to ask you to change the thesis, opinions, or headcanons on which your writing is based. If I really have a problem with your initial idea, I’ll tell you that up front and politely decline the contribution.

While formatting the zine, I’ll make minor edits if I think I see a typo or misspelling, something small and obviously unintentional. As with any other zine, your content won’t be changed without consulting you.

Is this a SFW zine?

Yes. If people want to discuss sexuality in a theoretical way, like erotic subtext, that would be allowed. There are canon references like Newt and Anathema’s moment under the bed that might come up, too. But there will be nothing explicit, and since these are essays instead of stories, there will be no “action” going on between characters. Let’s just say sex isn’t a forbidden topic, but it will be like discussing it in English class.

As for other topics that could make the zine NSFW, like gore or extreme language, I don’t think they will be an issue. Some dark topics, like abuse by Heaven and Hell, may be discussed, but they will be warned for, and these are not stories, so you aren’t going to see violent actions playing out.

Will there be any “extras” like charms or stickers?

I’m not sure yet. I’m most inclined to keep it simple, because of the nature of the zine, but would be open to including some bonus items if there’s an artist who’s really passionate about it.

With that said, I am pretty committed to making a hardcover edition of the book available, in addition to the standard softcover version.

You’re doing this with only one mod?!

Yes. I personally find it easiest. While I’ve worked on multi-mod projects in other domains and adore all of my co-mods, it’s a little bit different when it’s a project with this many moving pieces that includes real-life components like printing and shipping. Though there are a lot of individual things to be done, I am experienced with all of them, so it’s less overwhelming to just take on the whole project. That way, I know exactly what needs to be done and when, and there are no issues with assigning tasks.

What qualifies you to run this zine?

The résumé answer: in fandom, I successfully solo-modded a large not-for-profit zine in the past, the @soulmakazine2018, and while I can’t speak for the whole fandom, it definitely seemed to be well-received. <3 In real life, I’m a case manager and this involves coordinating and communicating with a lot of different people including my 100-person caseload, budgeting services, and filling out all kinds of paperwork on the fly, all skills that can be imported into zine work.

The practical answer: well, I’m the one who decided to start this project, so if you like the sound of it, you're stuck with me. I say with encouragement and enthusiasm that if you’d like to do a different take on a commentary zine, you should absolutely do it.

[frederator-studios]

Graham McTavish: The Frederator Interview

At the moment, Graham McTavish is in Malta getting his head torn off by a Werewolf. Jack Bauer once rammed a fire poker through his chest then slit his throat. He’s been set on fire, drowned, strangled, stabbed, speared, knifed, shot - not to mention, kneed in the balls, punched in the face, even slammed over the back with a log by an over-eager young performer. All in a day’s work for the Scottish actor, who’s played the baddest of baddies on a slew of excellent dramas-with-a-twist, from Preacher to Outlander, 24 to Castlevania. But Graham himself doesn’t view his characters as ‘villains’ - just passionate, complex people, of which Dracula (though he’d resent to be called “human”) is the embodiment. Read on for Graham’s take on playing one of literature’s most iconic, dangerous anti-heroes—from the relative safety of a recording studio.

Are you in LA long?

I’m flying out tonight actually, back to New Zealand. My kids are there, so I split my time. I’m doing Lucifer at the moment for Netflix as well as Castlevania, so I had to come back for a day, yesterday - I flew back just for that. (wow whaaa?) Yeah. I do a lot of traveling, but even for me that’s insane! It’s also unusual for the scheduling to work out perfectly, which it does the next few months. I have an episode gap now, then in October, I do a film in Malta, and the day that wraps, come back to LA to finish Lucifer, and the day after that, fly to Canada to do a film with Willem Dafoe about the Iditarod. I’ve got to learn how to mush a dog sled.

That’s awesome. It’s like getting sponsored to learn a cool obscure skill.

It’s definitely a nice side effect of being an actor. What other job would allow you to learn how to mush a dog sled, unless you were actually becoming a professional dog sled musher? It’ll be great.

How is it for you to switch between characters, with so little time between roles sometimes?

It really depends on your approach to acting. I approach from the point of view of a child. I have two young children, and the great thing about being that age, is they can switch from one thing to another in an instant. Very fluid. I think because I’ve never trained as an actor, I can see work as play. Some actors live as a cobbler for 5 years to play a cobbler, and that’s what works for them. Personally, I pretend. When I'm mushing dogs, I will give the illusion that I really know what I'm doing. That’s what acting is: an illusion that the audience willingly participates in. And everybody is complicit.

You didn’t have professional training?

No. I used to write comic sketches at school with a friend of mine, and we didn't trust anybody else to perform them, so we did. The Drama teacher at school asked me on many occasions to be in a play, but I always said no. Then on one occasion, he asked me to step into a play called “The Rivals” by Sheridan, filling in for an actor who’d fallen ill three days before the production was due to be performed. I said yes. To this day, I have no idea why I agreed. But I did the play, and was of course bitten by the acting bug.

After that, a local Dramatics company asked me to join them, so I did amateur theatre for a year. Then I attended Queen Mary College London University and majored in English literature. I was lucky enough to have a professor who loved Shakespeare and Jacobean drama, and he cast me in all of those plays. As an English Lit major, I was doing two or three Shakespeare plays a year, performing roles that I never would have been given if I'd been at Drama School. I'm not against it, but I don't think it's for everyone. I got my union card in Britain after doing a Beckett play, and then just started working professionally. I also did a lot of Repertory Theatre in the UK, which I think is a great training ground for actors. So it was all slightly accidental, the case with a lot of people.

How did you choose to play Dracula? What about that part compelled you?

I played him onstage once, a great experience. Dracula is the sort of character people love guiltily. If you get the opportunity to play that, it's a no-brainer. Just reading Bram Stoker’s book, your sympathy is with Dracula, in many ways. You live the story through him. It's such a wonderful ride to be playing a man whose been alive for hundreds and hundreds of years. Dracula plays to our secret desires, our secret fears. I think in all of us, there is a fascination with the idea of living forever. Fear of living forever, and fear of death; the Dracula myth plays on that edge. It’s so powerful because it takes something that we all have to face one day and says, what if you didn’t? But in gaining immortality, you lose something very important. Dracula is very enviable in some ways, but is also deeply sad and tragic.

How is it, playing tragic characters?

Among the few advantages of getting older is you have more life experience, including with tragedy. It’s inevitable. And you can draw on those memories. But you can also draw on your fears as well. I did a scene in Outlander, toward the end, where my brother is dying. I thought of my own father, and all the things I never said to him. Those emotions definitely informed that scene. When tragedy and death and loss touch your life, you carry those feelings into your future.

Are you an animation fan?

I love animation, I grew up with it. Along with books, it was my first experience of storytelling. Cartoons, as we called them; they fired my childhood imagination. It’s like how we were talking earlier, about children, and the profundity of animation to them. The first film I saw in a theatre was Walt Disney’s Peter Pan. I was five and had no question that those characters were real. To such an extent that when they took the posters down at the cinema, I got upset. I was like, “But where’s Peter? Where’s he gone?” Because I thought Peter lived in the cinema. I still get absorbed into great pieces of animation, when the artistry is powerful, and it’s part of my attraction to doing animated work. And this show, Castlevania, is particularly beautiful.

How were you introduced to the project, and did you have expectations going in?

I knew it was going to be great. I was recording Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when the Voice and Casting Director, Meredith Layne, pulled me aside. She said she was on a project and couldn’t tell me much, but she thought I’d be a fit, and would I like to be considered? Meredith has great taste, so I said “Of course” and sent in a tape. And when I heard that Warren Ellis was the writer, that was a huge attraction. I love his comic book work, and fiction as well. The Crooked Little Vein is one of my favorite books. Really, it couldn’t not be great, and the more I learned of the creative team behind it, the more sure I was. Everything put into the show - the casting, directing, producing, animation - elevates it so hugely above anything comparable. I love that it occupies this unique space.

What do you feel Castlevania’s Dracula uniquely brings to the character?

It’s his being human that makes it so interesting. When I portrayed Dracula onstage, there was no suggestion that that version of him felt love, or experienced empathy. But in this production, a woman, Lisa, takes him by surprise. She makes him feel, and turns his life around. I love that, because everybody can relate. You think your life is one way, then you meet someone who changes everything, opens your life up, makes you think about it differently - and makes it more enjoyable to be alive. And since Dracula is essentially dead, that irony is very clever.

Do you have a favorite representation of vampires in Media?

I'm a little biased, but I love the portrayal of Cassidy by Joe Gilgun in Preacher. It’s so unconventional. Herzog’s Nosferatu springs to mind, just incredible. Gary Oldman’s Dracula is wonderful. And I loved Let the Right One In, the original Swedish version. It’s genius. It took something familiar as a vampire story and gave it a whole new spin.

You work so much in the fantasy genre - is that purposeful?

Oh yeah. I love the variety. I've been a Viking, a Roman - twice - after always dreaming of playing one, I got to be one for a whole year. Growing up in the UK, you never imagine yourself getting to be a cowboy. On the first season of Preacher, there was a scene I rode into a western town: the whole duster coat with the Stetson guns, surrounded by horses and wagon trains, all the paraphernalia. I had to look cool and unbothered. I wanted to jump up and down in excitement. I was so, pathetically excited. I did a season of 24, and I’d been a huge fan. Every day I’d go up to the producers telling them I was a huge fan. After a while, they’d say, “Yeah, great, we get it. You like the show. You’re in it now, so if you could just be the character that’d be great.”

And I still get a pathetically childish enjoyment out of playing Dracula. What kid doesn’t want to play Dracula?! I once talked to Lance Henriksen, and he said one of the reasons he went into acting was to be thousands of people. You get to be a cowboy and a vampire and a dog musher and a Highlander in the 18th century and a dwarf in Middle Earth. I'd definitely rather do any of that than put on a suit and do a courtroom scene. Not that I wouldn’t! I’ve just never been asked. No one’s ever looked at me and said, “Let’s cast him as The Dad.”

Have you ever played a “Castlevania” game?

I am a terrible game player.

But, but - your voice is in like every game of the past decade!

Yes, I have done loads of video games. I did a franchise called “Uncharted”. Award-winning; incredibly popular. Never played them. I played one game years ago with my friend, called “Gears of War”. I was so bad at it. I'm the guy that shoots in a circle around his feet. I’m useless at them.

Your character's bad-assery makes up for it. Anything to say to fans of the show, in advance of season two?

I just really hope you enjoy it and get carried along with the story and and want to see more. That’s always the greatest thing, if you can get the fans to clamor for more ❀

Follow Graham on Twitter and Instagram

Thank you for the interview Graham! Without a doubt, you’re the kindest chronic bad guy I’ve come across. 

- Cooper ❀

(Craving another CV interview? Read Richard Armitage’s here.)

[postpunkpontypandyphantomthief]

A “Ted Talk”/Analyisis of what it means to be a “Peoples Poet” and why Rik Mayall means so much to me.

It’s like Alice in Wonderland constantly travelling through worlds.

When I enter “the realms” the galaxies I can see in my dreams and music hallucinations.

My childhood is like a cloud sometimes I like a colourful rainbow of positive nostalgic memories, rainy cringe-worthy memories and then there are the thunderstorms that are the memories I don’t want to think about.

I’ve always been fascinated by what I’d see in Films, TV Shows, Musicals, Songs, Video Games and books but not many really connected with me.

I am a complicated person,I can go from being cheerful, relaxed and happy to being dazed and clumsy or cynical or entranced and hyper-fixated to Pessimistic and Cold to Quiet and Timid to Mellow and Loud,my personality is all over the place with fiction I could only partly relate to certain characters or worlds either because we liked a few of the same foods or films or because we simply looked alike, I’ve had my role models,idols and inspirations sure but I didn’t really realise their full importance in my life until recently and while I loved writing about fiction and imagining myself in fiction I would be the person with the quill, not the damsel or leading man.

I’ve always been interested in Media and Theatre but the latter I couldn’t pursue as far as I wanted to,

I’ve had goals and ambitions but they always kept changing in a way some of them are the same they just ended up being expressed in ways I didn’t expect,

Ever since I studied English I’ve been in love with poetry and literature

When I saw him….his voice was familiar it was a sort of high pitched English sounding male voice..sometimes sounding low toned and posh other times not.

As a kid who watched lots of cartoons, films, adverts and public information films I was exposed to lots of familiar sounding voices in characters on silver, big and animated screens

I recall a cartoon I’d sometimes watch about a knight always trying to win over Queen Guinevere, the cartoon was like Shrek because it satirised fairy tale tropes but in the medieval world of King Arthur.

In Between that would be adverts for cleaning products, one with a golden labrador puppy playing with some toilet roll, an animated duck and villains in the Domestos world that would put the villains of Flushed Away to shame.

He was a voice,I didn’t know his name then even though his name was in the credits of the cartoon mentioned prior but there were so many names in my head at the time (Ant and Dec, Spice Girls, Horrid Henry, Shrek, Toy Story etc.) that his name got lost in translation.

Then years later I got interested in film critique and learned about a film,a film that was considered very bad by the American box office about a peter pan esque imaginary friend...it was then that I heard his voice again but I didn’t know at the time that they were the same.

Since I couldn’t form my own opinions much I went by what the critic said and avoided that film afterwards.

I wouldn’t hear his voice again until 6 years later….

By that time I was about to start college, after leaving secondary school, I was in a bit of a dark place,I had been in some drama,and often when I’d see movies I’d remember the panic attacks rather than the movies themselves due to the experience being ruined by idiots making noise and causing all sorts of nonsense.

I could still laugh at times but usually only in a self-deprecating way, I barely left the sofa and just felt like I was drowning in a void of nothingness.

One night changed that, I was about to start college in a few days, I was in the living room with my mother switching channels when on BBC2 there was a special programme on.

Some bloke named Ben Elton was on a podium talking like a university lecturer about the intellectual aspects of the sitcom format of entertainment, while also paying homage to the late great Ronnie Barker a second generation British comedian I adored the work of when I would watch Open All Hours and Porridge.

When near the end of the lecture, Ben mentioned a show, a show I had never heard of before from the 1980s, called The Young Ones and then proceeded to show clips of it, I kept seeing this pigtailed character in a fringe and this orange-haired punk argue and fight only for one of them to give a detailed tantrum about some show called “The Good Life” and the other to fall down the stairs knocking over the bannisters and ranting about some actress named “Felicity Kendall”.

After quickly researching I became intrigued by this show, I had seen the character’s faces before in two places,one was on Amazon while looking for comedy DVD's and on a dodgy “meme” site called Encyclopedia Dramatica which referenced the scene where the orange haired punk loses his head after sticking  it out a train window.

I then looked up the first few episodes and I was hooked, but it wasn’t like other sitcoms where I’d simply laugh at the stupidity of the gags and characters although that was one aspect of it.

The characters felt relatable while it was in the same nihilistic way I saw myself and some of humanity, that’s how I perceived it, at first I didn’t like tantrum throwing Rick I thought he was too whiny at times and I was drawn to Vyvyan and Neil first,Vyvyan because he felt like the side of me that I rarely showed, the side of me that had a dark sense of humour,  had a sort of free-spirited attitude and liked mild,playful slapstick type of violence, I did have a softie side too but I rarely showed my “Vyvyan” side, now though I couldn’t be prouder to show my “ Vyvyan” side I used to dislike it when I’d walk along my school playground only to see random fights breaking out that would block my walkway but on the inside when I’d watch Japanese cartoons I’d laugh at some fight scenes and I realised there was a side of me that did sort of like violence when it would be in a playful context.

After rewatching and rewatching and thinking back….I grew to like the “Rick” character a bit more, I related to his at times timid social awkwardness, his hypocritical attitude and the questioning of his sexuality.

I had then realised….he acted a bit like I how I did back in secondary school,always being overdramatic if I wasn’t quietly timidly working or being cynical, going on about socialism and the importance of it despite hanging out with problematic internet bloggers at the time who was the complete opposite,I would be lowkey interested in poetry and literature and the fact that at the time he hated Thatcher while I despised Theresa May, who was just starting to use her power to control the UK,I vaguely knew who Margaret Thatcher was because I was in a production of Blood Brothers and before we performed the play we had to research the background history of the play’s setting that’s when I found out about the miner strikes and how the way Thatcher was acting was similar to how Teresa was today.

I also kinda had my own gang in my final years of secondary school but we didn’t go anywhere, some of them stayed in touch others just moved on with their lives.

We would play card games, I’d rant about politics and “Tumblr Aesthetics” and sometimes one of my pals would play metal and pop-punk music in the background, we were the cool kids.

I realised I related to both the “Rick” character and the “Vyvyan” character, after months of not writing stories based on the media I liked,I started writing (again) short stories about “The Young Ones” my ideas for episodes if more than 12 episodes were made,how I would interact with the characters if I lived with them or in the stories case the “alternate universe” version of me.

I’d draw them, I’d write about them, I’d think about them when I’d listen to music, but that wasn’t all.

I had started my Performing Arts course and was learning what skills you’d need to be in “Theatre”.

At the same time I was watching a bunch of the other shows the actor who played “Rick” had been in,sometimes I’d realise I had a lot in common with not just “Rick” from The Young Ones but “Richie” from Bottom,”Richie Rich” from Filthy,Rich and Catflap,”Lord Flashheart” from Blackadder and even the horrific  “Alan B’stard” even though I disagreed with tories despite still hanging out with bad internet “skeptic” people and being raised conservative.

For someone who used to be a massive “weeaboo”, I was becoming quite the Britcom enthusiast

Yeah at times I would mimic his and Ade’s character voices,facial expressions and actions but other times I didn’t need to copy him because we already acted similarly and even if we didn’t I’d realise later in life I did have those other traits It just took a long while before I could proudly express them.

In Between Drama class, I had met some new people and if I was having a day where I felt low, I could just put on a show he was in and cheer up.

That was when I realised his voices and the voice from the bad movie about the imaginary friend and the voice from the cartoon and adverts from my childhood were of the same person.

The person I had finally figured out the name of after all those years.

I had fallen in love, the same love I would’ve had for musicians and fictional Japanese cartoon boys I had for him

His charisma, his looks, his characters, his wise words, his personality, his iconic moments, his variety of facial expressions, his creativity, his eclectic work from Sitcoms to Dramas to Theatre to Video Games to Music.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him...at first, I thought it was going to be like all the other “role models” I had….that changed in 2018.

2018 certainly was a year...I went through my first work experience in a local theatre production,I had met more new people some of which I had met because of our love of him and his work,I took up a new course and even when I did my old drama course,I got to write my own monologue for our final play and I had gotten back into the activity I used to only do when I was an “emo”.

“Poetry!”, the art of putting together multiple rhyming sentences that are all relevant to a certain emotion, feeling or topic.

I was always into literature and English but I was more the type to write stories and read poetry not read stories and write poetry.

After having some big life realisations I decided to pour all of that into a big poem in February,some of my friends read it and loved it,this convinced me that not only were these amazing friends that I will love and cherish to this day but that poetry was something that with a bit of work I could be quite good at….

So I wrote and wrote and wrote I got better with each one, my dreams when listening to music got more vivid than before, so vivid they were almost real like I was visiting another universe.

like an out of body extraterrestrial/paranormal experience.

I had finally moved on from my drama of the past, Self Reflected on my actions learning how to change for the better and I took that punk “free-spirit” of mine and learned how to fully express and how to be more accepting of myself and others.

I got into new and old music, tv shows, films and books...but he was still there

As I went through each show or film of his that I hadn’t watched yet, the love just kept blossoming whether I was laughing my arse off or grinning at a relatable moment from one of his interviews.

It was soon Christmas, a few weeks before, my lucid dreams had a new feature,my Wiccan powers of communication with spirits had gotten powerful enough to the point that when I’d listen to some music I’d hear voice waves in between, voice waves of people I looked up to who unfortunately are not physically with us, I recall it was My Generation by The Who that triggered it,that was a song he performed once on the Young Ones live events,I had interacted with the dead in dreams before,but this was different when I had heard his voice in the dreams where I thought of his characters or of himself, the voice would be vague and barely audible, but this time the voice was more clear and natural almost like he was actually talking to me.

Then Christmas happened, it was a mixed day but I got good gifts and I stood up for my political beliefs for the first time.

Some of the gifts were related to him like his book, box sets of some of his work and…...a red hat

A red hat just like the one his young one's character had on.

A took a few photos and loved the way it looked on me with the blazer I had on, a black blazer similar to the blazer he had on the first few episodes of The Young Ones.

In the middle of the night, I got an idea for a poem, I had written a poem about his show before but this poem was different.

It was a tribute a poem dedicated specifically to him, yes it would reference his characters, but the poem was mainly about him, the impact he made the world and how I felt this amazing ethereal, psychological and philosophical connection to him.

The Lord of Misrule, one of the best poems I’ve ever written, the days after I uploaded photos of me in the hat, and almost everyone I knew loved it,even the friends of mine who didn’t know the young ones but knew the name and look because of me loved the hat and pictures of me in the hat.

It was a sign, my lucid dreams got more vivid than ever and his face became more visible. sometimes when I’d dream about him it wouldn’t be the usual dream of me being in the young ones or me filming a comic strip presents episode or me going to a Ziggy Stardust concert with his teenage self,it would be dreams where I’d be travelling through the galaxies only to end in his place,it looked like something out of the grand Budapest hotel with how well it looked with the pastel-toned colours and minimalist decor and there he would be,he wouldn’t always be in a Jesus esque robe like before,he would be chilling on his sofa, looking exactly like how he looked before in the early 2010s, wearing a plain sweater or dressing gown his long grey hair flowing like an angel, waving and sometimes talking with me,it felt more clear than before it was probably a response from all those times before when I was learning how to spiritually communicate where I was usually the one doing most of the talking,

Usually I’d see him as an idol, icon, deity, legend, role model of sorts but now I started seeing him as a mentor and grandpa sort of figure,his mantras stick with me to this day, we have enough in common to be good pals from other dimensions but such a difference in age and living status that he can be a grandpa figure to me,the angel cheering me on before and after an exam,allowing my spirit third eye self to stay over at his place when I’m feeling low and lost, tickling me, offering advice and I love being able to have these abilities, I’ve always loved astrology and anything to do with ufos, magic or “other worlds”.

He is my guide and I am his apprentice, in my poems and philosophy, I say most of us are peoples poets because of our strong free-spirit opinions and attitudes even if we don’t all have a quill to write those opinions with.

But in the context of his young one's character and the traits of his(him and the character) that I already shared and the traits I overtime learned to accept. 

From the poetry to the similar personality and interests to the spiritual connection,

 to the times my friends and comrades had said that “he would be proud, that I even looked like him and I carried his “energy”, one of them referring to me as a “People's Poet”.

I’ve now realised after all these years that I’ve finally found my meaning, to bring Art, peace and love into the world.

When his character gave that speech about his revolutionary life and how the new generation would gather round for their fallen leader only for  a  sensitive and articulate teenager to say “How can he be dead if we have his poems?” (or shows in this context)

I was a sensitive and articulate teenager as we are all.

I am also the next People's Poet

Step aside,  let’s share the rikosophy by carrying on his legacy into the 21st century 🌈🖇🏴⭐🌠

I shall produce art for the world to see, teach them how to see it in new perspectives, and I shall guide us while we try to stop fascism for good,

let’s be free!

you and me!

Thank You, Doctor.Richard Rik, Michael Mayall  you’ve changed my life  

It is an honour to carry on from where you left off, bringing joy back into the world, inspired by your art while creating my own experimental ideas, I know your listening from the heavenly afterlife clouds and all those galaxies beyond.

Now let’s share that wonderful energy in the ruddy 21st century.

While I’m not the man himself Rik Mayall, I just share his energy and personality 

I am Kelsey….and I am bloody brilliant    

[ratmonologue]

You know the drill, all tHE ASKS

Why

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? I don’t actually use any of them

is your room messy or clean? Room is okay, but desk looks like a war zone

what color are your eyes? brown

do you like your name? why? Yeah? It’s fairly unique but it’s spelled how it sounds, which is nice. And I’m used to it so

what is your relationship status? in a polyamorous relationship with about a dozen fictional characters

describe your personality in 3 words or less um…. obsessive, spontaneous, triestobeagoodfriendbutidkhowconsistentlyisucceed (that counts as one word right?)

what color hair do you have? brown

what kind of car do you drive? color? 20 years old and don’t have a driver’s licence eyyyy

where do you shop? At stores? Mostly of the grocery variety

how would you describe your style? Pretty casual I guess. Jeans and tanktops/t-shirts, dark colors, boots, army jacket

favorite social media account Does the OT count as social media? If so that

what size bed do you have? Sad little twin-sized mattress with very broken innersprings (yay college apartments)

any siblings? one younger sister

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? I’m honestly loving Edinburgh so staying here for the time being would be great

favorite snapchat filter? don’t have snapchat, so don’t know

favorite makeup brand(s) whatever’s cheap and doesn’t smudge

how many times a week do you shower? Usually every other day, so, like, 3-4. If it’s hot out then closer to 5-6

favorite tv show? FIREFLY. With additional special mentions to Blackadder, M*A*S*H, and Merlin

shoe size? US size? UK size? European size? CAN YOU TELL I’VE HAD A CONFUSING TIME SHOE SHOPPING OVER HERE??? (US 8, Euro 39, UK a Mystery)

how tall are you? 5′5″

sandals or sneakers? COMBAT BOOTS (but converse are second place so sneakers)

do you go to the gym? pfffft no

describe your dream date A ride in the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo would be pretty cool

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? *checks* around £55

what color socks are you wearing? not wearing socks

how many pillows do you sleep with? two

do you have a job? what do you do? college student who really does need to start thinking about an actual job, seeing as how they’re graduating in a few months

how many friends do you have? I think that number really depends on where you draw the what-defines-a-friend line but, um, a decent enough number I guess? I do need more irl friends over here though

whats the worst thing you have ever done? Some high school friends and I were kinda shitty to this one girl in our group, so maybe that. Idk, I’ve done a lot of small-ish terrible things but nothing super dramatic so it’s hard to pick one as the /worst/

whats your favorite candle scent? IKEA had this one green-apple-scented candle that to this day I wish I would have bought.

3 favorite boy names That’s so hard to narrow down and now all I can think of are fictional characters that I like. Um… *throws darts at mental dartboard* Sam, Nathan, Adrian. Although those might be pretty heavily influenced by the fact that I’ve met awesome people with all of those names so. For fictional characters, Kaz Brekker is a fantastic name, as is Han Solo, as is Ronan Lynch, and…. I should stop. There are so many names that I like though

3 favorite girl names Same problem as above. *throws more mental darts* Sierra, Lyra, Clare

favorite actor? I’m currently in watch-everything-that-Diego-Luna-has-ever-been-in mode. More long-term favorites are Harrison Ford and Richard Armitage

favorite actress? Catherine Tate is pretty fantabulous.

who is your celebrity crush? I like how the question asks for “crush,” singular

favorite movie? Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? Not as much as I used to. Favorites (yes, plural) include The Book Thief, Six of Crows, Illuminae, Inkspell, The Dream Thieves, Half Moon Investigations, and so many more…..

money or brains? For me or in others? Either way, both is always nice xD

do you have a nickname? what is it? Well the OT crew knows me as Clary so. My camp counselor name was Coconut

how many times have you been to the hospital? I’ve been to the ER once or twice, but I don’t think I’ve ever stayed overnight in a hospital

top 10 favorite songs How dare you. Okay, um…. *tries to pick from a variety of bands and not just my 1-2 faves* Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back (MCR), Daze (Poets of the Fall), When Everything Comes to an End (Plan Three), Brush it Off (Plan Three), Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day), Morning Tide (PotF), Subrosa (Plan Three), What About Now (Daughtry), Ambulance (MCR), Rogue (PotF)…. that’s ten…. that didn’t even come CLOSE to covering them all (and so much for a variety of bands, heh)

do you take any medications daily? nope

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) Pretty normal? Maybe slightly on the oily side

what is your biggest fear? jellyfish and plane crashes

how many kids do you want? ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, NONE, KEINE, NUL. NO THANK YOU.

whats your go to hair style? Well seeing as how my hair’s kinda too short to do much with it, either down or in a partial ponytail

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) grimy old student apartment woohoo

who is your role model? Nina Zenik

what was the last compliment you received? I have no idea

what was the last text you sent? “Honestly though I can’t say I’d mind if he actually did invade my hotel room. He’s one of the few people that could get away with it ;D” …..I’m not sure whether the context would make this better or worse

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? 8, maybe? There was never a dramatic earth-shattering reveal; understanding was kinda gradual

what is your dream car? a spaceship

opinion on smoking? it’s disgusting why would you ever

do you go to college? yes

what is your dream job? underwater archaeologist by day, bestselling novelist by night. space pirate is also an option.

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? Can I just say smack-dab in the city center? Is that not an option? Because that’s where I am now and I’m loving it.

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? No but the last hotels I was in provided instant tea/coffee/hot chocolate packets and I stole all the hot chocolate packets

do you have freckles? no

do you smile for pictures? usually

how many pictures do you have on your phone? 1248. I need to delete a bunch.

have you ever peed in the woods? Yes, many times. I’ve also peed in the desert many times.

do you still watch cartoons? Yes, although different ones than from when I was a kid

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? Neither, honestly

Favorite dipping sauce? There’s this one place in San Francisco whose french fries are, like, award-winning and they have a zillion dipping sauces, one of which is a lemon saffron aioli and it is heavenly.

what do you wear to bed? a t-shirt and sometimes pants, if it’s cold enough

have you ever won a spelling bee? no but I think I was in the top ten?

what are your hobbies? wasting time, reading, watching movies/tv shows, writing and drawing when I have the motivation

can you draw? Kind of?

do you play an instrument? Clarinet for 11 years, plus saxophone, mediocre piano, and mediocre guitar

what was the last concert you saw? Poets of the Fall. I died. Many times over.

tea or coffee? neither honestly, though tea if I absolutely had to pick

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Don’t really care

do you want to get married? If I somehow find a way to make fictional characters come to life, sure

what is your crush’s first and last initial? S.B.

are you going to change your last name when you get married? Unless I marry someone with an impossibly cool last name, no

what color looks best on you? probably black. purple and olive green look good too

do you miss anyone right now? The SOAR Squad

do you sleep with your door open or closed? Considering I share an apartment with five other students, closed, always

do you believe in ghosts? not really, no

what is your biggest pet peeve? When people are unwilling to look facts in the eye

last person you called? Maybe my mom?

favorite ice cream flavor? COOKIE DOUGH

regular oreos or golden oreos? Does golden mean no chocolate? If so then regular, why would you take away chocolate

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? always chocolate

what shirt are you wearing? a purple one that for once isn’t fandom related

what is your phone background? Sir Gwaine in sunglasses

are you outgoing or shy? It honestly depends. I think I’ve gotten a lot better at pretending to be outgoing

do you like it when people play with your hair? Depends who that person is

do you like your neighbors? I’m gonna interpret this as apartment-mates and while I don’t really know them too well yeah they seem pretty alright

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? Whenever I shower

have you ever been high? Only on sugar and sleep deprivation

have you ever been drunk? Yes, but not enough to black out or give me a hangover

last thing you ate? Cheesy bacon-ey mushroom-ey salsa-ey scrambled eggs

favorite lyrics right now “And now assassination is just the only waaaaayyyyyy…..” by the cowboys in Dr. Horrible

summer or winter? Winter if there’s snow, but summer’s great too. idk

day or night? Night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? All of the above?

favorite month? October has the best weather

what is your zodiac sign? go away

who was the last person you cried in front of? My friend Josh (some of you might know him as medieval dude 1.0) because I went to see Rogue One with him

[miltonlicht]

Nakatani Nio & Canno

…So, I create a separate thread for this, as suggested by Nezchan.

Original interview http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/51522471.html (SITE NOT SAFE FOR WORK)

It was published at the time volume 2 of YagaKimi came out. I apologize for potential inaccuracies in the translation.

(Doc file )

−−−−−−−−−−−

Special conversation between "Yagate Kimi ni Naru"'s Nakatani Nio and "Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo"'s Canno.

From the origin of their fixation on yuri to their work ethics, to the works in which they "felt the presence of yuri", the two authors who carry the yuri genre on their shoulders openly talked with us.

−−Today we're having a conversation in which you two can't not participate, so I thank you both for coming while you're so busy. Is this the first time you actually meet?

Nakatani Nio: Since we met a few days ago at Yuri-ten in Ikebukuro, this is actually our second meeting.

Canno: Since Nakatani-san's manga has a very cool craft to it, I expected her to be equally cool. And when we met, well, she was, but she was also a very kind and lovely woman.

NN: Really? What's this all about! (laugh) I actually always bought Canno-san's doujinshis at doujin displays, so of course I've known about her for a while now.

Ca: Same for me, I've been reading Nakatani-san's doujins since before "Yagate Kimi ni Naru" started. I didn't know very well the exact genre of her works, but Melonbooks had a special page attached saying "It's an awesome manga!", so I bought them regardless.

−−So you knew who the other was before you were serialized. What started your interest in Yuri, Canno-san?

Ca: I guess the trigger was reading "Maria-sama ga miteru" (Shūeisha) in high school. I didn't really care much about the genre at first, but after reading it I became hooked on it.

NN: That's the most notorious entry point! What couple did you like the most?

Ca: My favorite character is Yoshino from "Yellow Rose", and I ship her with Rei-chan. Did you read MariMite, Nakatani-san?

NN: Since it's a sort of landmark for Yuri, I read volume 1 for my culture, and I liked it, but I don't have much time to read novels, so I haven't read the rest. For now I'm only reading one small bit at a time.

Ca: Please be sure to read at least to "Rainy Blue".

NN: I don't quite get that "stop at Rainy" phrase that Yuri fans always use...

Ca: Well, don't worry about that, buy them until Rainy Blue.

NN: Alright, I'll read it.

Ca: Have you enjoyed a particular Yuri series lately?

NN: In my last interview, when I said I like "Hibike! Euphonium" (novel by Takarajimasha, anime by Kyōto Animation), I was retorted that it wasn't Yuri. But there were scenes where I did feel a Yuri vibe, so it was fine by me. Of course, Euphonium as a whole can't really be called a Yuri, but to me it counts as long as I can feel it in some parts.

Ca: Yeah, I'm that way too. Take "Precure" (Tōei Animation): I watch it as a goldmine of yuri, and in my favorite series, Doki Doki, there's that girl called Hishikawa Rikka...

NN: Oh yeah, Hishikawa!

Ca: She's the main character Aida Mana's partner, but as Mana builds relationships with other characters, Rikka gets jealous and uneasy. If you watch this as a grade schooler, you can think that it's natural to feel this way towards a friend, but when you watch it as an adult, you totally feel the Yuri!

NN: Ahaha! So you have more fun seeing Yuri in mainstream works than reading actual yuri?

Ca: I feel it has become this way, lately, yes. Before, I read only Yuri-hime Comics and such, works that I fully knew were Yuri, but these times I've started to look for Yuri in works that aren't generally lauded as such.

NN: Did it start when you started to draw "AnoKiss"?

Ca: Hmm, I wonder? Lately I enjoy feeling the Yuri in stuff like the yonkoma in "Kirara" (Houbunsha), but I think I also got tired with overly serious and dark works as I grew older. So more than "AnoKiss", it may just be that I'm getting old (laugh).

NN: Since I've started drawing Yuri manga, I've become more conscious of other Yuri works, but what about you, Canno-san? Has drawing AnoKiss made your Yuri antenna more sensitive?

Ca: Not that much, I would say. Even before my love for Yuri awakened, I liked same-sex romance in general, so outside of that and seeing Yuri in girly anime, my sensitivity is still pretty much the same.

NN: I think I feel the same. So more than Yuri itself, what you really enjoy is shipping, right?

Ca: Yes, I love shipping. There are a lot of people who are both into BL and Yuri, aren't there. (?)

−−Then why do you write Yuri rather than BL?

Ca: I love drawing facial expressions, and if I have to draw very expressive faces, I have more fun with girls. And if I have two girls, that's twice the luck. (laugh) More than romantic love iself, I like ambiguous relationships that are close to love but might be something else. But if I write such relationships with a boy and a girl, everyone ends up naturally assuming that it's love. However, with two girls the feeling is a bit more balanced, I think. I guess it would be the same with two boys, but as I said I have more fun drawing girls, so… (laugh)

NN: It's true that in AnoKiss, the characters never use the words "love" or "romance". Is that deliberate on your part?

Ca: It's not exactly deliberate, but it's a natural result of that feeling, I guess. And you, Nakatani-san, what made you draw girl's love manga?

NN: I thought, "if a cute girl and a cute girl do cute stuff, it'll be hella cute."

Ca: So you're no different from me! (laugh)

NN: Your way of saying it was cooler, though. (laugh)

Ca: But in YagaKimi there's Maki-kun, who's a guy, right? Didn't you want to avoid featuring boys in a Yuri series?

NN: I didn't. In my interview for Dengeki Online, I said that "In a world where there are also men, I want girls to be chosen anyway." [sorry, I'm not quite sure what the original sentence means here > 「男性もいる世界観の中で、あえて女の子を選んだ形で描きたい」 ] But while there are girls that "fall in love specifically with girls", I think there are also girls "whose crush just happens to be a girl". I wanted to also show that side in the characters' personalities and specificities, and I didn't think I could really depict it if men were completely absent. What do you feel about the presence of male characters in YagaKimi's cast, Canno-san?

Ca: Since Maki-kun doesn't directly get involved in love affairs, I haven't really paid much attention to him, regardless of his gender. If he had made an obvious move on Nanami-senpai or Yuu-chan I would probably have thought "hey, he's a guy", but so far there's no indication he's going to approach them or any of the girls.

NN: I see, that's an original way to view it.

Ca: For now, I only think of Maki-kun as un uke, with Doujima-kun as the seme.

NN: Thank you very mu… wait, what? (laugh) In AnoKiss, however, there's not a trace of male presence.

Ca: Yes, right from the start I decided that there would't be any male characters.

NN: Writing the word "yuri" in the title feels like a sort of challenge. Didn't it take courage?

Ca: I thought that it might not reach the potential readers if I didn't say right away "this is Yuri". So I wanted to get that information across. Since the series was gonna focus on "yuri" and "kiss", the best-sounding title I found with those two words was "Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo". How did you decide on the title "Yagate Kimi ni Naru"?

NN: I did put a lot of meaning in the title, but even in the prototypes I chose ones that had a sort of Yuri aura to them. When volume 1 came out, I was very careful to appeal to Yuri lovers, with the cover (two girls gazing at each other) or the the band around the cover.

Ca: But that's not the case of the title.

NN: Indeed, but many yuri fans told me that "One Day, I Will Become You" sounds extremely Yuri. But some also say "I thought it was a story of substitution".

Ca: Like some kind of horror story. "I'll gradually take your place…" (laugh)

NN: Exactly. (laugh) In "AnoKiss", you have one kiss per chapter, huh.

Ca: Yes, my editor told me to include a kissing scene every time. And to create highlight scenes, in a Yuri manga the kissing scenes might be a selling point, they said. (laugh)

NN: I can get that. You think carefully about where the kiss will be, won't you?

Ca: I think the place where a kiss is given is significant, so I don't choose it at random. My editor even keeps an Excel file where they listed who kisses whom and where. Like, in volume 3, "kiss on the foot, indicating submission." (laugh)

NN: A kiss list, now that's interesting! Although, when you say "Excel", it kind of takes the magic away. (laugh)

Ca: But making a list of "character X gives a kiss there in chapter Y" means that by chapter 20 we've almost run out of body parts to kiss. (laugh)

NN: It's important to have some variety in the kisses, I guess. So far, my series has only had 2 kissing scenes, but I still have that voice telling me "this, here, is the highlight!", so I put all my effort onto that point. It's like a fighting game, where you wait for the exact moment when your special attack is sure to hit hard.

−−Nakatani-san, did you already know about AnoKiss when you started to draw YagaKimi?

NN: Well, if you draw yuri manga, AnoKiss has already become hard to ignore, so I read it intensely to help me for my own work. Even leaving that aside, my first impression when opening a volume was "Wow, the author is good!" (laugh)

Ca: No way! Thank you very much. (laugh)

NN: To me, seeing a yuri manga that wasn't shoujo-like was refreshing. Sure, it is love-themed, but in the tight lining and expressions, or in the panel layout, it feels closer to shounen. Since there are a lot of shounen aspects in my own way of drawing, I felt maybe we had some things in common in that regard.

Ca: I never read that many shounen manga growing up, and used to read almost only shoujo manga, but I do think my drawings aren't very shoujo-like, so you opinion confirms that.

NN: To me, that makes it easier to read, actually. So I'm glad there is a yuri series with this kind of style!

Ca: I found the art incredibly good too when I read YagaKimi's first chapter. Then Yuu-chan received a confession from a boy, I wondered how she would react, and what kind of yuri story it would evolve into, I was really excited. After reading the first volume, I was both supporting Nanami-senpai and sympathising with Yuu-chan, who couldn't understand what it was like to be in love. I actually think that if I was into Yuu-chan's shoes, I would be scared of Nanami-senpai. Even though you keep saying "I don't understand", she's constantly pushing in. So reading that and seeing Yuu-chan's acceptance of it, I find her incredibly kind-hearted.

NN: I see. (laugh)

Ca: And yet I'm like "Do your best, Nanami-senpai!", like I'm trying to fan the flames of yuri. (laugh) More specifically, I loved the entire chapter where Nanami-senpai went to Yuu-chan's place! But I guess that's how even a girl feels when she goes to the place of the girl she likes.

NN: I'm glad you say that. (laugh)

Ca: Also, I'm really intrigued by Saeki-senpai. When Nanami-senpai chose Yuu-chan for the election campaign, her friend started to worry that she didn't rely on her, and I love this kind of "complication". (laugh)

NN: Ah, so you do love complications! I actually love Towako from AnoKiss. (laugh) Personally, I sometimes feel I can't write a story without drama, but in a generally quiet and bright story like AnoKiss I was kind of surprised to see a girl like her, who brought problems. I find your way of drawing difficult emotions yet being very clear in the execution really enthralling. [難しい感情を描きつつ、爽やかに仕上げているのが魅力的だと感じます。]

Ca: For AnoKiss, I'm adamant on concluding a given arc within a single volume, or 5 chapters, so I can't create too much complications. So I found it difficult to write volume 3, where Towako appears, with a more dramatic appeal than usual. That's why I love girls in the position of Saeki-senpai… Err, but well, since I said I liked Hishikawa from Doki Doki Precure, I guess that wasn't much of a secret. (laugh)

NN: Indeed. (laugh)

Ca: So yes, I can't wait to see how Saeki-senpai is gonna interact with those two.

NN: I often hear that "Sayaka = Hishikawa", but Hishikawa is voiced by Kotobuki Minako-san, and in the recent PV for Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Kotobuki-san voices Nanami Touko.

Ca: Yes. That's why, when I saw that PV, I was like "It's Kotobuki-san, yaaay!" with a guts pose. (laugh)

−−How did you feel when you heard your characters talk?

NN: Their voices were as I imagined. I didn't picture those voices very clearly until now, but after hearing them in the PV, they are the voices I now hear in my head when working on my storyboards. AnoKiss had some Drama CD's released, what were your impressions?

Ca: From the start, there were characters who talked and others who didn't talk in my head. I was happy that the voices of those who talked inside me could now be heard by the readers. As for those who didn't talk, it felt refreshing, like "so that's what their voices sounded like". I had always imagined Kurosawa Yurine with the voice of Mizuhashi Kaori, so I thought "now everyone can hear it too". Shiramine Ayaka didn't talk in my head, so my feeling was more "Ooh! So that's what you sound like. You're cute, Shiramine." (laugh) The way I picture the characters hasn't changed, but right after the recording I really heard those voices in my head, though now they have quieted down.

Ca: I really think your art is pretty, but do you employ any assistants?

NN: No, I draw all alone.

Ca: You mean you draw everything by yourself, even the backgrounds? That's something…

NN: And you, Canno-san, do you employ assistants?

Ca: I do receive help from friends, occasionally, but normally I work alone. I'm afraid of drawing manga with people I don't know, honestly… Well, you could say I'm just shy. (laugh)

NN: Oh I know how you feel! I'm really shy too… Since I'm not very good a communicating with people, I end up more comfortable with controlling all of my work myself. But I'm aware that it may not be such a good thing when you draw manga.

Ca: That's a very mature comment.

NN: What I'm saying is very childish, though. (laugh) "I can't communicate, so I'm fine by myself!" (laugh)

Ca: Ahaha!

NN: Still, you're pretty impressive yourself. AnoKiss' backgrounds are really filled and polished.

Ca: You could say I'm a bit afraid of the void, so I often try my best to fill the blanks. In your art, however, it's like the blanks are used as an integral component of the picture, and I'm fond of that.

NN: Thank you very much! I have a question about AnoKiss: on the first chapters cover, many characters are drawn, and one of them in the back, Machida Kaoru, already appeared in volume 4. As you are writing an ensemble story, I wonder how far you had planned from the start.

Ca: Kaoru is an exception, actually. I had always planned on introducing her and even imagined the chapter, but she wasn't my top priority either, so she ended up appearing quite late. If the story had ended in 2 or 3 volumes, she wouldn't have appeared, but now we're at volume 4. So, no, I haven't really planned that much ahead. (laugh)

NN: Is that so. Since the gardening club arc and even the astronomy arc flowed so naturally, I thought you had all that in mind from the beginning.

Ca: I pretty much advance at random, but if it feels planned then I'm glad. (laugh)

−−You two have talked quite a lot today. How was it?

NN: As I was one of her fans, I almost feel guilty for talking with her so casually.

Ca: Oh no, I thank you, really. Yagate Kimi ni Naru has a very cool artstyle and you are equally cool, so I was afraid you'd tell me "I don't care about someone who draws such frivolous manga!", but luckily you are a kind person. (laugh)

NN: What do you mean frivolous?! No way! I'm really thankful that I could talk with you today. I could tell you what I liked and what my favorite character was in AnoKiss, so as a fan I feel content… AnoKiss and YagaKimi, despite being both yuri mangas, differ on a lot of aspects, but I was happy to find that I had a lot in common with you, Canno-san. I'll work hard on YagaKimi so that it doesn't lose to AnoKiss, so please be well!

−−Thank you very much for today.

Interview: Kaazu (Kaazu SP)

−−−−−−−−−−−

…So yeah, you can now consider me a NioCanno shipper.

But more seriously, imagine a yuri written by Nakatani and drawn by Canno. That would be something. * o *

(via Lyendith on Dynasty)

Interview #2

[sharpshooter1989]

My first experience of filming a short started by receiving the script at 2am the morning of the shoot, with a long list of equipment to prepare and make ready for the day. Scrambling around at that time in the morning to find cables, charge batteries and clean lenses is an effort. Especially when you’re as lazy as me.

It makes a guy realise that maybe all that nagging from the “drill sergeant” (also known as: girlfriend) to “organise and tidy” my camera equipment wasn’t such a bad idea afterall. Maybe next time… *cough*.

I met my friends near to the Tree of Life, Bahrain mid-afternoon. During some scouting expeditions, they had managed to find some abandoned bunkers built into the rock face. It was the perfect setting, and offered us the soltiude to work in peace.

The preparation was the fun part. Our lead actor, Salman, started by rubbing himself down with charcoal, aiming for an unwashed appearance. Took a while, and he had to resort to rolling around in the dust for a while too to achieve the desired effect.

I don’t look this relaxed in a bed…

Not forgetting to add the mandatory “because I’m worth it” moment.

Because he’s worth it…

After that, it was time for some cosmetic wizardry from the ladies, helping to create the bloody effect needed for one of the main scenes in the film. It turned out that it was harder than any of us expected. The heat caused the moulding putty to harden quickly, causing a few failed attempts.

The putty was also very sticky and slimy, so I avoided it at all cost – my camera equipment takes quite a beating when it’s on the road with me but I didn’t feel like having to clean that crap off it later in the day!

Trial and error – creating fake wounds.

Next up was building the fire, which Vic and Matt took care of while the rest of us started setting up our equipment with Hanise (writer/director) showing each of us the ropes, having quite a lot more experience in the field than any of us.

Setting up the rig

Taff was supporting as something similar to Clapper Loader or Second Assistant Camera, meaning he was responsible for the clapper board and supporting Hansie through motion shots (as a guide).

Taff filling out his first clapperboard.

Once we were set up and everyone knew their roles, we set out to get some B-roll and leading scenes. I was running with the Sony A6500, 50mm f1.8 prime with a FreeWorld 7inch monitor whilst Hansie ran with the Sony A7S on a variety of prime lenses, set on a shoulder rig. In the bright conditions, it meant that we had to do everything we could to shield our monitors from the glare. Vic was our sound guy, using a Zoom H5 recorder on a boom pole for audio. He was also one of the actors for a future scene, but as it was a no-budget production, we had to utilise every hand there! Plus, it’s more fun that way!

Salman, our lead character, was simply amazing. I’ve know the guy for a few years but had never suspected him of such good acting. He takes it very seriously and quickly got into character. Hansie was close by to offer guidance on what he wanted out of the scene, and the two spent a while talking backstory and the emotional plots.

By this point, we had only really captured B-roll. The whole process was a lot more complex than I’d expected, and I didn’t really factor in that we were working to Arab Standard Time, meaning everyone turned up long after we agreed to meet. This meant we were racing against the sun, and as we started filming the sun had already started to set.

I tried my hand at being the main cameraman for one scene using the shoulder rig. I wear glasses, and it was a low angle shot, in very hot conditions… it was actually tricky. My balance was off, and I don’t think I managed to get anything particularly awe-inspiring. Bear in mind where we were – it was rocky, it had uneven terrain, and I was wearing f@”!ing flip flops. Worst decision ever.

I was already sunburnt on my feet by the time I’d managed to get a replacement pair of shoes (I begged and nagged the group mericlessly until somebody brought me a pair). Now I’m a size 11/12 in the UK (46/47 euro for you weird people), and my replacements from Taff were… 5 sizes too small. Being the only option I had left, I took them and bent, twisted and generally mutilated my little clown feet into those midget shoes. I spent the next couple of hours in agony… but all in the name of filmmaking.

We wrapped up the main scene shortly after this, with everyone heading out to the next location up on top of the mini-cliff face for the key fight scene. The sun had just set and night was drawing in quickly. That’s where I ended the day, as I needed to rush back home to head out for a party. The team stayed for hours, in darkness, trying to film a movie… nobody had lighting equipment so I’m intrigued as to how well the A7S handled the low-light.

I purposely excluded any plot summary as I didn’t write it, so I’ll leave that up to Hansie to share. Based on what I seen, it looks to be a cool short, and I’ll be sharing it once it’s finished. The working title is The Recluse.

As anyone who is familiar with video editing can confirm, editing is not a quick process. That’s why I’ll leave it to the rest of the guys to do, and stick with pictures for now.

Follow, like, and keep on reading. Drop a comment below if you want to know more or liked the blog.

First time shooting a short film My first experience of filming a short started by receiving the script at 2am the morning of the shoot, with a long list of equipment to prepare and make ready for the day.

[mi5016erinhall]

Analysis Draft - First Draft

- reflect on skill are

- aspirations

- what youve done for module

- ethics - speak about them??? maybe (after easter??? maybe second draft) style? racism? LGBTA+ issues? Don’t be offensive. Working hours (can apply to self now - don’t burn yourself out stooopid), how set up work space - dont mix with play. Being mindful of social presence and intellectual stuff.

weave it in, but in a cool way

----------------------------------

In this reflective analysis I will be analyzing the skills I have developed over the length of this course and how they can be applied in the industry I aspire to enter. 

For aspirations, I am incredibly interested in the pre-production stages of animation in movies, games, and the creative process behind designs in general. While I’d largely like to explore that wide berth instead of focusing solely on one aspect of the pre-production stage, I’d like to have a stronger suite in the pre-production industry that I’d favour more than the others, and am particularly looking at character design and concept art for this, due to a passionate interest I have for these; which is often found in my collection of concept books from any piece of media I find interesting, be it narrative wise or visually. I’m also particularly interested in the designs behind mounts used in games, partially due to having a background in handling horses and horse riding. Apart from character design and concept, I am also interested in the creative process behind script writing and storyboarding, somethings I have some minor experience with over the course of my education through filmography and past modules in this course.

Aside from pre-production, I do also hold interest I’d like to pursue in the comic industry, although I’d probably in interested in this more as the occasional job, or on the side of concept work, and possibly leaning towards being an occasional guest artist for comics I’m interested in, which I’m currently looking into via the online means of both creating fan-generated art inspired by webcomics I follow, and to create my own short webcomic over the summer. 

As well as building my own narrative pieces, I have also been looking into various companies whose work I’d admire, and mentally planning what working for them could involve and how to appeal to them, something I had originally only considered in passing before this course before developing further and broadening my search for companies that inspire me or I could work for; such as the local companies, like Atomhawk, or Ubisoft’s Gateshead team. Over the course of this module I have began to explore other companies and have attempted to see patterns for the type of work I’d like to do in the UK and other countries, including finding out that, aside from the large concept demand in London, there’s also some demand for concept artists in Glasgow, Horsesham and Guildford in the United Kingdom, as well as looking at two companies in Ireland - Cartoon Saloon (a company I’d idolized and followed on social media for a while) and another, smaller company; PaulKavanagh Studio, suggested to me by a speaker (Neil Bushnell), both of which I’m looking into.

One important aspect of making myself attractive to companies that this modules really helped to educate me on was how to conduct myself online, as well as how to interact with companies in a way that isn’t negative to my budding reputation. Particularly, what I enjoyed learning about was that simply following and interacting with a companies social media could lead to a possible job, or at the very least the company taking notice of you, and the very important lesson of ‘treating people like people’ which I feel like is something that can be easily forgotten in this industry, and that simply just being friendly and a pleasant person to other employees of companies and employers alike actually helps with building up trust and getting your name our there as well as simply, gaining new industry friends that I can also pitch work for them. 

This module also delved into how to create CV’s, alongside online presence (of which I had on a more personal level, but needed to expanded on a professional level with a Vimeo, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter and any other account I could dedicated to art projects and for behaving more appropriately for a professional environment  than how I would behave on my personal accounts). While I had some minor experience with CVs, the idea of a colorful or creative CV was completely foreign, so it was a wonder to see this module show that is is actually acceptable to be more creative with CVs, and that they don’t have to be the originally ‘bland and serious’ looking CVs I was handing out.

To return to the subject of behaviour online, this module also got me thinking more about the ethics surrounding what my work could become, I’d like to say I constantly strive towards being ethical with my work and representations, but this module really helped to show the variety of things I must be aware of, especially as I am interested in the design and pre-production section of the industry, and that, while mistakes can happen, simply correcting them and looking out for them in future, is often the best path, as well as getting second, or third opinions, particularly from individuals whom could be hurt by content if it should be used unethically, either intentionally or not - as, once again, accidents and mistakes happen, but the positive impact of a well done representation that everyone is phenomenal (something I am aware of from personal experience of finding character in fiction that represent aspects of myself well and the confidence and strong loyalty to the company/artist that can come from that). And the ethical work doesn’t just focus on the misrepresentation of identities, but on work hours and environment, something I have been trying to manage - by setting up schedules to follow with allowing at least one rest day during crunch periods at university, and the knowledge that in the long run, to be healthy with good work is better than being ill with great work! Alongside maintaining a good, clean, and safe work environment.

To further put my name out there, I have been slowly trying to just put more art and animation out there, in the past I have been very reserved about doing pieces, fearing that a company may find me ‘testing out their style’ or even drawing/animating something from a franchise they have to be obnoxious or negative on my reputation, despite being shown in a community art show/stream a few years back for a game I love. I’ve recently been trying to break out of this mold of only doing art when asked to, as bizarre as it may seem, and to just have fun exploring and putting work out more frequently instead of passing my work off as redundant - and have slowly been posting more polished pieces (and some more humerus pieces) to document what I am capable of and how I’m developing outside of university and work, as well as gaining the confidence to try out a style of artist and companies I admire to, not only get my name out there to said artist/company, but to just have some fun exploring.

----------------

edits to be made:

Fix structure

Knock out words

Look at language

Say how you’ve done what you’ve said you’re doing

Maybe talk about ettic 

Separate and work on structure

FULL STOPS

explain thoughts on ethics in workplace first THEN delve into what I’ve done

Explain mistakes that can occur in ethics. Explain that I’ll not do that

Turn brackets into proper sentences 

Put my thoughts on ethics first 

Change alongside, relate to what I’m doing (ask mum about health and safety)

Rephrase ‘to put my name out there’ and 'to promote myself’ 

Been developing portfolio and making visible online (online presence section) mention polishing 

Check spelling!!!!

[misterjudemartin]

Our Top 10 favourite Weekend Getaway destinations and Kid & Coe properties!

We’re all avid travellers here at Babyccino. Having children hasn’t stopped us from exploring the world, and especially with companies like our longtime partner Kid & Coe, who provide super family friendly vacation rentals, traveling with a family has never been easier!

With travel season coming up for most of us, we have picked out our Top Ten favourite Weekend Getaway destinations, in combination with our favourite Kid & Coe properties to stay in. Picking out destinations and researching the places to stay (‘virtual traveling’) has made me all inspired and ready for our next family trip!!

Here are our top ten favourite family holiday destinations:

1. Visiting Byron Bay, Australia with kids

  While Byron’s beaches and surf scene are its biggest draw, its ‘hinterland’ (a verdant countryside of rolling hills, secret swimming holes and charming towns) gives this happening little town even more appeal. This is Courtney’s dream spot! We love her Weekend Getaway guide of Byron Bay and its surroundings, full of insider tips for visiting families. I hope to see all of this soon!

Owned by a stonemason, the Granuaille Residence is lovingly crafted from recycled timber and stone. It is warm and light, with floorboards and textiles throughout. It is well set-up for families (there’s a hot tub which kids love all-year-round!), and a short walk from local playgrounds and the centre of Bangalow. It’s 15 minutes from the beaches of Byron Bay. I love how warm and cosy this house feels!

2. A weekend with the family in Edinburgh, Scotland

  Edinburgh is a compact, family-friendly city that you can cross by foot in an hour. Handily split into The Old Town (with medieval nooks and crannies and a medieval castle) and The New Town (an UNESCO World Heritage Site with wide cobbled streets, elegant townhouses and plenty of leafy parks and playgrounds), the two sides are divided by a sequence of open parks in the middle of the city. Reading our kid-friendly Weekend Getaway guide of Edinburgh always makes me so eager to go and discover this beautiful city with my family!

With its astonishingly high ceilings and upscale, modern design details, the grand Nelson Street Residence combines Georgian splendour with the feeling of an art gallery. It is spacious enough for a large family or 2 families to share and has a playroom with drawers full of toys and games. It is excellently located for exploring the city. What a beautiful house!

3. A family trip to Marrakesh, Morocco

  Marrakesh is an amazing spectacle. Full of smells, colours, sounds and shapes which are so different from what we’re used to in our Western cities, it is such a beautiful, adventurous city to explore. Looking at the photos of our visit makes me just want to make that trip all over again…  including that spectacular hike in the Atlas Mountains.  Here’s my recap of our family trip to Marrakesh!

The sand-colored Villa Nina Residence is a classically Moroccan design, set in gardens with views of the spectacular Atlas Mountains. The villa has a large, walled garden and a private swimming pool, and different beautifully decorated outdoor spaces. There are also communal areas to use with beautiful gardens, a large pool,  hammam and spa (my kids loved the hammam!), clay tennis court and pétanque ring. Plenty of family adventures can be had in the direct surrounding of the villa, where there are excellent golf courses, spas and water parks. A visit to the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh, the dramatic desert landscapes of the Sahara, a visit to the Berber villages of the High Atlas and camel riding trips past crumbling Kasbahs and lush river valleys can all be organised.

4. Discover Sydney, Australia together with your kids

  Sydney is a vibrant cosmopolitan city with much to offer, yet it also has a very ‘surfer dude’ beachy, laid-back vibe which is really fun and refreshing. Sunny, hip and happening, everyone in Sydney is beautiful, the food is delicious, the shopping is very tempting, and there’s a noticeable buzz in the air. I can see why Courtney loves this cool town! Here are some family friendly tips from her recent stay in beautiful Sydney.

I love the historical and friendly feel of the Manly Residence — one of the original Manly cottages from the 1930s and retaining the charm and character from that period perfectly. The outdoor deck is timber with an original and functioning fireplace and the garden is flooded with sunlight – perfect for children to explore and for evening BBQs as the sun sets. There are a number of different sized surfboards to use at Manly beach, which is only a 2-minute stroll away, and around the corner from the gorgeous Shelly Beach (which is protected and great for the little ones as there are no waves). It is also only a 2-minute walk from the Manly ferry, which can take you anywhere in Sydney.

5. A family visit to Tokyo, Japan

  Tokyo, Japan’s dazzling capital, is full of traditional culture but is also constantly renewing and innovating — making it a city with a true blend of the ultramodern and the traditional. You will find neon-lit skyscrapers but also historic temples and palaces set in large public gardens. The city is full of beautiful sites to visit, amazing restaurants and bars, and gorgeous shopping. There is also an excellent public transport system. I have always wanted to visit Tokyo (the architecture is amazing!), so I was very excited for Courtney when she went! Here are her favourite, family-friendly finds in Tokyo.

The Mita Residence is a beautiful expression of clean minimalism with a modern yet warm aesthetic — it is designed with families in mind. Open and airy with natural lights and colors throughout, it is an space to relax after a day in the hectic city. There are tatami mats for a true Japanese experience and there’s an all-purpose playroom where children can play and explore. The house is centrally located with many popular tourist destinations within easy access on the train. I enormously admire how clean and un-cluttered this space is — very Japanese!

6. Tips for a visit to beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark

  Copenhagen just has so much to appreciate — the beautiful architecture, the very kind and handsome people, the amazing food culture, the sea, the amount of bikes! And, of course, the design, apparent in each and every detail of society. I loved exploring this fresh and hip city. Here’s my guide to the beautiful city of Copenhagen, which is definitely worth a visit!

The Christian Ixth Residence is a light, bright and family friendly residence in the heart of Copenhagen’s old town. This cleverly laid-out apartment, with plenty of Danish design to admire, is located within walking distance from the city’s key attractions and some of the best fashion and interior shops in town. I think this would be a perfect place to stay for a family city break to Copenhagen!

7. Explore Cape Town, South Africa — with kids

  On the Southern tip of Africa, perched between two oceans and the mountains, Cape Town sits in one of the world’s most spectacular settings. It’s a place of iconic beauty, diversity and vitality offering the perfect mix of nature and culture. Cape Town is also an amazing family destination with kid-friendly accommodations and restaurants and so many things to do either inside the city or within a short drive. Here’s our weekend-getaway post full of tips for a trip to Cape Town with your family!

The Elphinstone House Residence is a historic house which has been beautifully restored and updated for contemporary living, now mixing its historic character effortlessly with many modern design touches. I love the colonial feel of the residence, which offers a variety of beautiful outdoor spaces with comfortable seating and a large garden. Catch some warm African sun lounging at the pool, take a walk through the stately neighbourhood, or enjoy a glass of Cape wine while watching the sun set!

8. Tips for your family visit to Paris, France

  Paris is always a good idea! This beautiful and elegant city has so much to offer for families. Some of the best museums of the world are located in Paris, and all of them are worth exploring with your kids. Then there are the many beautiful parks and gardens, the gorgeous little cafés and restaurants with their iconic terraces, the little alleyways to discover and the grande promenades to stroll along… And, of course, the shopping! Emilie wrote a Weekend Getaway post full of tips for a trip to Paris with your children, which is so handy. And then there is also our extensive, family friendly Paris City Guide, written by local mums in the know, with even more recommendations to make your family trip memorable!

This spacious apartment feels so Parisian! (It even has views over the Eiffel Tower!!) I love the vintage and industrial feel of it, so cool! And it also has a 35 sq m terrace, an additional bonus when the weather is nice! Located nearby the Sacré Coeur and with many cafés and boutiques right on the doorstep, the Gabrielle Residence is ideally located to explore Paris with your kids.

9. Take the children to Barcelona, Spain

  Barcelona is one of our favourite Mediterranean cities. It has the perfect mixture of culture, beauty, beach life and beautiful weather. It is also a very relaxed city which is easy to explore and perfect for a visit ‘en famille’! You will find plenty of recommendations and insider tips for the best places to visit in our Barcelona City Guide for families.

This typical 1900s apartment has such a ‘Barcelona’ feel to it! I love the charming tiled floors and the stained glass windows. The family friendly Diputació Residence is located within walking distance from the buzz, bars and boutiques of the old town. It offers the perfect opportunity to live like a local in this gorgeous city!

  10. London, UK — so much to explore with children!

  Last but not least, the city where Babyccino once sprouted… London will always be close to our heart! That beautiful, lively city with its many layers of history and culture. We all lived in London for many years, but will never grow tired of it! We continue to visit often and keep exploring the city with our kids. You will find all of the recommendations of the Babyccino team on our family friendly London City Guide! (I also love this recap that Emilie wrote, full of tips for a visit of London with a 9-year old.)

This pretty apartment is very familiar to me, because it is in fact Courtney’s London flat! The Gloucester Residence is located in pretty Primrose Hill, which is a lovely destination by itself, but a lovely stroll through Regent’s Park will bring you to Marylebone and beyond. I love how stylish this flat is, with all the souvenirs from the Adamo’s travels displayed so tastefully!

I hope this Top Ten selection of family friendly destinations is as inspiring to you as it is to me!! I can’t wait to book our next family trip!

xxx Esther

PS This post has not been sponsored but is written in partnership with our friends from Kid & Coe. Kid & Coe provide vacation rentals that put kids first — ranging from private homes with everything you need for a toddler to boutique hotels in unique destinations with child-pleasing restaurant menus. We love exploring Kid & Coe’s stylish residences with toy-filled kids bedrooms and grassy backyards approved for play!

from children toys http://ift.tt/2snOodA via children toys

[foamingkitty]

Our Top 10 favourite Weekend Getaway destinations and Kid & Coe properties!

We’re all avid travellers here at Babyccino. Having children hasn’t stopped us from exploring the world, and especially with companies like our longtime partner Kid & Coe, who provide super family friendly vacation rentals, traveling with a family has never been easier!

With travel season coming up for most of us, we have picked out our Top Ten favourite Weekend Getaway destinations, in combination with our favourite Kid & Coe properties to stay in. Picking out destinations and researching the places to stay (‘virtual traveling’) has made me all inspired and ready for our next family trip!!

Here are our top ten favourite family holiday destinations:

1. Visiting Byron Bay, Australia with kids

  While Byron’s beaches and surf scene are its biggest draw, its ‘hinterland’ (a verdant countryside of rolling hills, secret swimming holes and charming towns) gives this happening little town even more appeal. This is Courtney’s dream spot! We love her Weekend Getaway guide of Byron Bay and its surroundings, full of insider tips for visiting families. I hope to see all of this soon!

Owned by a stonemason, the Granuaille Residence is lovingly crafted from recycled timber and stone. It is warm and light, with floorboards and textiles throughout. It is well set-up for families (there’s a hot tub which kids love all-year-round!), and a short walk from local playgrounds and the centre of Bangalow. It’s 15 minutes from the beaches of Byron Bay. I love how warm and cosy this house feels!

2. A weekend with the family in Edinburgh, Scotland

  Edinburgh is a compact, family-friendly city that you can cross by foot in an hour. Handily split into The Old Town (with medieval nooks and crannies and a medieval castle) and The New Town (an UNESCO World Heritage Site with wide cobbled streets, elegant townhouses and plenty of leafy parks and playgrounds), the two sides are divided by a sequence of open parks in the middle of the city. Reading our kid-friendly Weekend Getaway guide of Edinburgh always makes me so eager to go and discover this beautiful city with my family!

With its astonishingly high ceilings and upscale, modern design details, the grand Nelson Street Residence combines Georgian splendour with the feeling of an art gallery. It is spacious enough for a large family or 2 families to share and has a playroom with drawers full of toys and games. It is excellently located for exploring the city. What a beautiful house!

3. A family trip to Marrakesh, Morocco

  Marrakesh is an amazing spectacle. Full of smells, colours, sounds and shapes which are so different from what we’re used to in our Western cities, it is such a beautiful, adventurous city to explore. Looking at the photos of our visit makes me just want to make that trip all over again…  including that spectacular hike in the Atlas Mountains.  Here’s my recap of our family trip to Marrakesh!

The sand-colored Villa Nina Residence is a classically Moroccan design, set in gardens with views of the spectacular Atlas Mountains. The villa has a large, walled garden and a private swimming pool, and different beautifully decorated outdoor spaces. There are also communal areas to use with beautiful gardens, a large pool,  hammam and spa (my kids loved the hammam!), clay tennis court and pétanque ring. Plenty of family adventures can be had in the direct surrounding of the villa, where there are excellent golf courses, spas and water parks. A visit to the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh, the dramatic desert landscapes of the Sahara, a visit to the Berber villages of the High Atlas and camel riding trips past crumbling Kasbahs and lush river valleys can all be organised.

4. Discover Sydney, Australia together with your kids

  Sydney is a vibrant cosmopolitan city with much to offer, yet it also has a very ‘surfer dude’ beachy, laid-back vibe which is really fun and refreshing. Sunny, hip and happening, everyone in Sydney is beautiful, the food is delicious, the shopping is very tempting, and there’s a noticeable buzz in the air. I can see why Courtney loves this cool town! Here are some family friendly tips from her recent stay in beautiful Sydney.

I love the historical and friendly feel of the Manly Residence — one of the original Manly cottages from the 1930s and retaining the charm and character from that period perfectly. The outdoor deck is timber with an original and functioning fireplace and the garden is flooded with sunlight – perfect for children to explore and for evening BBQs as the sun sets. There are a number of different sized surfboards to use at Manly beach, which is only a 2-minute stroll away, and around the corner from the gorgeous Shelly Beach (which is protected and great for the little ones as there are no waves). It is also only a 2-minute walk from the Manly ferry, which can take you anywhere in Sydney.

5. A family visit to Tokyo, Japan

  Tokyo, Japan’s dazzling capital, is full of traditional culture but is also constantly renewing and innovating — making it a city with a true blend of the ultramodern and the traditional. You will find neon-lit skyscrapers but also historic temples and palaces set in large public gardens. The city is full of beautiful sites to visit, amazing restaurants and bars, and gorgeous shopping. There is also an excellent public transport system. I have always wanted to visit Tokyo (the architecture is amazing!), so I was very excited for Courtney when she went! Here are her favourite, family-friendly finds in Tokyo.

The Mita Residence is a beautiful expression of clean minimalism with a modern yet warm aesthetic — it is designed with families in mind. Open and airy with natural lights and colors throughout, it is an space to relax after a day in the hectic city. There are tatami mats for a true Japanese experience and there’s an all-purpose playroom where children can play and explore. The house is centrally located with many popular tourist destinations within easy access on the train. I enormously admire how clean and un-cluttered this space is — very Japanese!

6. Tips for a visit to beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark

  Copenhagen just has so much to appreciate — the beautiful architecture, the very kind and handsome people, the amazing food culture, the sea, the amount of bikes! And, of course, the design, apparent in each and every detail of society. I loved exploring this fresh and hip city. Here’s my guide to the beautiful city of Copenhagen, which is definitely worth a visit!

The Christian Ixth Residence is a light, bright and family friendly residence in the heart of Copenhagen’s old town. This cleverly laid-out apartment, with plenty of Danish design to admire, is located within walking distance from the city’s key attractions and some of the best fashion and interior shops in town. I think this would be a perfect place to stay for a family city break to Copenhagen!

7. Explore Cape Town, South Africa — with kids

  On the Southern tip of Africa, perched between two oceans and the mountains, Cape Town sits in one of the world’s most spectacular settings. It’s a place of iconic beauty, diversity and vitality offering the perfect mix of nature and culture. Cape Town is also an amazing family destination with kid-friendly accommodations and restaurants and so many things to do either inside the city or within a short drive. Here’s our weekend-getaway post full of tips for a trip to Cape Town with your family!

The Elphinstone House Residence is a historic house which has been beautifully restored and updated for contemporary living, now mixing its historic character effortlessly with many modern design touches. I love the colonial feel of the residence, which offers a variety of beautiful outdoor spaces with comfortable seating and a large garden. Catch some warm African sun lounging at the pool, take a walk through the stately neighbourhood, or enjoy a glass of Cape wine while watching the sun set!

8. Tips for your family visit to Paris, France

  Paris is always a good idea! This beautiful and elegant city has so much to offer for families. Some of the best museums of the world are located in Paris, and all of them are worth exploring with your kids. Then there are the many beautiful parks and gardens, the gorgeous little cafés and restaurants with their iconic terraces, the little alleyways to discover and the grande promenades to stroll along… And, of course, the shopping! Emilie wrote a Weekend Getaway post full of tips for a trip to Paris with your children, which is so handy. And then there is also our extensive, family friendly Paris City Guide, written by local mums in the know, with even more recommendations to make your family trip memorable!

This spacious apartment feels so Parisian! (It even has views over the Eiffel Tower!!) I love the vintage and industrial feel of it, so cool! And it also has a 35 sq m terrace, an additional bonus when the weather is nice! Located nearby the Sacré Coeur and with many cafés and boutiques right on the doorstep, the Gabrielle Residence is ideally located to explore Paris with your kids.

9. Take the children to Barcelona, Spain

  Barcelona is one of our favourite Mediterranean cities. It has the perfect mixture of culture, beauty, beach life and beautiful weather. It is also a very relaxed city which is easy to explore and perfect for a visit ‘en famille’! You will find plenty of recommendations and insider tips for the best places to visit in our Barcelona City Guide for families.

This typical 1900s apartment has such a ‘Barcelona’ feel to it! I love the charming tiled floors and the stained glass windows. The family friendly Diputació Residence is located within walking distance from the buzz, bars and boutiques of the old town. It offers the perfect opportunity to live like a local in this gorgeous city!

  10. London, UK — so much to explore with children!

  Last but not least, the city where Babyccino once sprouted… London will always be close to our heart! That beautiful, lively city with its many layers of history and culture. We all lived in London for many years, but will never grow tired of it! We continue to visit often and keep exploring the city with our kids. You will find all of the recommendations of the Babyccino team on our family friendly London City Guide! (I also love this recap that Emilie wrote, full of tips for a visit of London with a 9-year old.)

This pretty apartment is very familiar to me, because it is in fact Courtney’s London flat! The Gloucester Residence is located in pretty Primrose Hill, which is a lovely destination by itself, but a lovely stroll through Regent’s Park will bring you to Marylebone and beyond. I love how stylish this flat is, with all the souvenirs from the Adamo’s travels displayed so tastefully!

I hope this Top Ten selection of family friendly destinations is as inspiring to you as it is to me!! I can’t wait to book our next family trip!

xxx Esther

PS This post has not been sponsored but is written in partnership with our friends from Kid & Coe. Kid & Coe provide vacation rentals that put kids first — ranging from private homes with everything you need for a toddler to boutique hotels in unique destinations with child-pleasing restaurant menus. We love exploring Kid & Coe’s stylish residences with toy-filled kids bedrooms and grassy backyards approved for play!

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