#just wanted to draw their staffs to be completely honest with you ..

[lesbiandardevil]

for femslash feb.... more farcielle....... perhaps...

idk what they're doing but 🫂👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[sunnysam-my]

Hazbin Hotel redesign ideas p. 2

I am a bit of fashion, especially men's, history nerd, and I'm also a bit of radio nerd, so here I go, biblically accurate Alastor.

ALASTOR:

Alastor was a radio host (a radio star?) who lived and died in Louisiana. He was shot during a hunting accident, in the head, somewhere in the 1933, during radio's golden era. He cares greatly about his image and always smiles to show no weaknesses. He hates modern technology and doesn't allow his face to be captured by video recording or non black and white camera. His is mixed-race Creole.

Nothing about Alastor design make sense and it pisses me off. Not only it doesn't fit the time, it also doesn't fit his character! Besides, he is too red. He disappears into the background, especially walls of the Hotel.

Alastor cares about his image greatly, yet his clothes are torn. He is supposed to be like Hannibal, yet he looks like an edgelord wannabe. It's awful. I learned nothing about him from his design, other than "he's and old-time radio deer guy", and that's really bad.

Fashion in 30s was inspired by Hollywood, and sport and movies celebrities.

Back and white fashion in this period wasn't that different, at least for men, as long as you weren't poor, but here are some photos of specifically black fashion in 30s. In general I recommend that website if you want to look more into the fashion of this period.

His hair is completely wrong. And it's also really ugly lol. For richer black men a shiny straightening hairstyle was the go to since 1920s. One such style was "the conk" where one would chemically straighten their hair. It left hair shiny, but the process was painful and expensive. It literally could burn your scalp.

Another popular style was the brush wave. It's creating narrow waves rolling on top of head with the sides cut short and smooth. This hairstyle is still present to this day, but nowadays it's done on the whole head.

Other than that, men just wore their hair naturally, but short.

There is no focus on trousers or vest in Alastor's outfit. (Which is wild considering zipper fly was introduced in the early 30s, but was got popular by the mid ’30s). This was time of experimenting a bit with vests. If you wanted to look fancy and/or formal, you would wear a vest. Pants were wide legged, had a high waist and a single pressed line down the center of the leg. Some trouser waistbands were unique in the 1930s, for example a Hollywood waistband trouser. It had an extra wide band with a double row of buttons. They fit very high, overlapping the ribs. they often had netal ring tabs on the sides to tighten the pant to the correct fit without the need for belts or suspenders.

Also, monocle? Really? …Really? Here you go, read this if you're curious. Lots of pictures of glasses included. Glasses stayed essentially the same in 30s as they were in 20s. They were "round with a center bridge in the early years and an upper bridge in the later years. Frames could be tortoiseshell, black plastic, or thin metal." 

Moving on from fashion, because I could never shut up, microphones!

The most probabale one that everyone who is redesigning Al is drawing is a good old classic Carbon mic. It looks like a ring with a metal star and the microphone inside. It can be hand held or a staff.

But, if you wanna draw something different!

Other than Carbon mic there is also a Ribbon microphone (first row) and Moving Coil mic (second row). Unfortunately, they killed Alastor in the best part of the radio golden age, so the mics are still a bit ugly, not gonna lie.

How would I design him:

First things firsts, either he is mixed or he is white, because right now it just feels like a cheep excuse to have an "evil voodoo" character without getting too much backlash. Let's be honest, nobody thought he was a POC and that white face doesn't help. Again, just like I mentioned with Vel, when you're drawing a character with human like skin tone you have to be careful and think how it ties to their race.

Second - fashion. His outfit and hairstyle is a disaster. He has always tried to 'dress to impress', so obviously I would give him well maintained clothing and that 'high quality', formal style. I would give him the dark brown Hollywood trouser with buttons and dark crimson shirt, like dried blood almost. Under a coat or jacket he would have a brow vest, both the same colour as the pants. Highlights would be golden and green or purple. I for one would love to see him start out with a jacket/coat which he stops wearing inside the hotel after he bonds with the people inside it more, but he would still wear it outside and in the finale would put it on again, after his breakdown in the tower. This would show he began to trust the hotel residents a bit before he 'realises his mistake' after the battle. I would give him short haircut, because not even white people wore hair like that. (What in the Karen-core is it supposed to be?). Say goodbye to that monocle. Why is it even there there? Because he is old-timely? What is he, a children's cartoon villain? His design doesn't need more soulless clutter. Give me something that tells me about him as a character. I've seen people give him old radio as teeth or chest and I love it! When it's not too detailed, it's a great idea to make Alastor less like a living human but also less of… just a deer. He just looks like a deer demon. I would keep his shoes, hands and antlers, and give him ears that would fit the hairstyle I would go with.

[Edit: I forgot to mention, I would give him a time accurate hat or a free wavy lock of hair to cover the mark on his forehead where he was shot]

Thirdly, the microphone! My love. I remember the microphone used to be able to talk, but now it doesn't, unless I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure. Now it's just a weird look staff microphone with an eye and that's about it. But imagine something like a moving coil with the metal sign on top of it were the letters on it change. It could be a way it's communicating, in a simple way. This was it could still have a unique shape. That would have been fun to see. I can certainly imagine it being something of an 'unfiltered voice' of Alastor, where it would change it's writing into "Shut up", "Die" or something like that and he would hit it in a reprimanding way to reverse it to "Smile!". I'm just saying, that's a cool idea.

Well, this took forever to make, I actually forgot about this, so it just sat in my drafts. Anyway, if you want to see brilliant use of costumes and detailed, accurate depiction of fashion (especially black and queer) through history in New Orleans I recommend "Interview With The Vampire" (2022). It's also a great show.

[r3verse-the-polarity]

HCs for the Torchwood team as Teachers

Jack teaches P.E. Because. Yes. No one actively dislikes him but he's generally known for being a bit mad. I.E American and aggressively positive all the time. He never comments on bad behaviour and is constantly grinning and playing a character of himself for the lads, which means they do get engaged in his lessons. The school would defo use his charisma to have him run open days and assemblies and stuff. He's also in all the school shows, any of the chances for teachers to embarrass themselves. He would eat that up. Unfortunately I think he would absolutely make his group do The Bleep test, but he'd also want to participate, so after most people are out he's just running for a solid half the lesson while his group watches. He gets laughed at and it's the talk of the school. Then when they go to tournaments and stuff students at the other schools also noticed him specifically because, uh, he's pretty noticeable, and he becomes known as a bit of a legend in the community.

Toshiko teaches Computer science and Information Technology of course. She ended up with a physics set because of staff vacancies and sometimes students come to her for help with maths if they're otherwise too intimidated. I think her classroom would be super calm. She would set so much homework and punish pretty harshly if not completed. She's generally respected and some people find her boring, but she's the best person to have as a tutor (form teacher.) They go all in at Christmas, and she gives out lots of chocolates. Tutor time is just quiet drawing or revision to music while she takes lots of time to speak to everyone individually and learn about them. She'd spend a lot of it just chatting and probably tells them a fair bit about her life story and school in Japan and her interests. She treats all students equally and it does have an impact after she brings out the best in some of the more gobby and unengaged ones. I also feel like she would hold a senior leadership role like Head Of Science or Head of Year Seven. She's been teaching for a while.

I don't know that Gwen would be a subject teacher to be honest. I think she's either Head of Behaviour or SENco (disability support) She's the one with an enormous coat and heavy lanyard and frazzled hair. She's awfully condescending and constantly gets made fun of (for good reason tbf) I am not a Gwen basher but I think she'd be annoying in a school. We see a few times in the show she tries to comfort people because she wants to feel like she's more emotionally mature than them, and it reminds me of the teachers who see a kid looking upset and refuse to leave them alone because they're just so nice apparently, then explain to the child that their problem is entirely invalid and it's somehow their fault. Needless to say, students don't like her. However, the other teachers do, as does Rani's Dad the head teacher, who's name I can't remember. They think everything she does must be brilliant because she was in the police. She does assemblies about it. She does improve behaviour because people don't want to have to deal with her.

Owen teaches Chemistry. Owen bears an uncanny resemblance both physically and in personality and mannerisms to my irl chemistry teacher and I can't ignore it. He doesn't really realise what he's doing but he sometimes lets on personal information which the class cling on to, but he's never like "My partner." Anyone he communicates with outside of the school is just "my mate." I think he'd be super gentle and sweet to the year sevens and the second they're in year eight he treats them the same as every one else, I.E bitchy and exhasperated. He falls out with a lot of students and they start skiving because they can't stand him, equally the students that like him are getting brilliant results. He can't stand students who answer back; "Have you ever met someone with the personality of a damp pillowcase?" so sometimes he's just arguing with someone who he should really send out while the rest of the class are laughing their heads of silently. He absolutely favours those that behave well and study hard, but he's so willing to criticise them as well. He's so smug about everyone sitting on the science stools while he has a comfy chair.

Ianto does A level Sociology, Politics and Phycology. If it's a school in Wales he probably teaches Cymru in the main school, if not he teaches History at GCSE. Not many people have had him because he's mostly a sixth form teacher. He's super chill in class but in the halls his lack of volume control comes in handy. He's very good at the controlling the class and basically manipulating them into getting all the work done, as such his groups get some of the best exam results in the school. His classroom is the neatest, he never takes time off and is completely organised with lesson plans and resources. He does not get involved with any of the extracurriculars other than running Cymru club, and continues to wear a suit on non uniform days and when its 30+ degrees. He holds everyone to the same high standards regardless of whether they're eleven or eighteen, and speaks to everyone the same way. There's no such thing as a silly question in his class and he makes everyone feel very comfortable. He's never not in teacher mode. None of his students can imagine him outside of school, they theorise that he despawns the second he walks out of the gates. He never mentions his life so he's been (jokingly) shipped with just about every member of staff. Some of the students pester other teachers to tell them about him.

[that-ari-blogger]

The Owl House's First Reveals

The Owl House is a master class in archetypal storytelling. I have a whole post entirely dedicated to how it corresponds with one of the most iconic secret world magic school stories of the current era. But the key to good archetypal storytelling is that it engages with the archetypes and stereotypes.

By this, I mean that the characters fit specific tropes. The mentour, the bully, etc. But this is entirely superficial. To every character in this series, there is more going on under the surface that adds nuance to the characters.

The Owl House is lauded for its reveals. The unmasking's of Bump, Hunter, and Bellos are iconic, but every character in the show wears a metaphorical mask, that being the archetype they embody. When these are removed, or chipped away at, things get interesting. And nowhere is this more obvious than in Lost In Language

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Let's start with the obvious. Amity. This is the episode where we learn about Amity's whole deal and where Luz makes some majour steps towards befriending her.

I don't think enough credit is paid to the voice acting here. Because Mae Whitman (@whitmanmae), who voices Amity, is doing something with affectation.

When Amity is introduced, and in most of her early scenes, there is an air of superiority in her voice, it sounds like there is a permanent sneer. This only falter when she gets angry or stressed. It's something Amity is putting on intentionally, it's a character choice.

So, what happens when Amity stops with the persona and starts being open and honest? Then Whitman drops the affectation and assumes a different speech pattern. The voice acting changes to match the change in character.

I bring this up here because the scene above, with Amity reading to the children, is the first time we see Amity's relaxed voice. This is the voice that will go on to be the most iconic and synonymous with the character. This is the mask that has been removed, and underneath, is a character who is completely fine putting on voices and reading to children, with zero care about being embarrassed.

It is also worth noting that the hair dye is starting to run thin here. The colour of Amity's hair is an important metaphor for her character arc, and here, as the mask slips, the dyed appearance is fading to reveal the roots underneath.

The storybook motif of this episode plays into this theme.

I have said in the past that Luz has a fairly flat character arc, and I meant it. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have flaws to overcome. This episode dives into one such flaw.

The reason that the series utilises archetypal storytelling so much, is because that is how Luz thinks. Luz's flaw is ignorance, or more accurately, naivety. She very much wants life to fit with the archetypes that she has in her head. That is why she gets scammed in episode two, and that's why here, she directly causes the problems of the episode. She tries to play with storybook rules, she tries to take shortcuts to friendship. This causes problems because, as I have stated, there is nuance to these characters, and as such, shortcuts don't work.

Otabin is the embodiment of this. A character warped beyond all recognition by a tiny nuance in the drawing brought to life. A little change has a big impact and turns him into a different character who cannot be treated the same way.

Interestingly, the conflict resolution is literally just write your own story and you would assume this moment works, with the cape and the staff. But it doesn't. Why? Because it's Luz writing herself into someone else's story. She's not Luzura yet, because to be Luzura, she needs to be Luz first, and she's avoiding that.

In the end, the story is written together, and it starts with:

Luz needs to right a wrong

For the new story to begin and the relationship to actually work, Luz needs to let go of preconceived expectations and start taking the story as it is, instead of adding to something it is not.

That's how she befriends Amity as the episode closes. Instead of trying shortcuts, she sees something personal to Amity and offers to help. The book. And it causes Amity to open up, slightly.

But, I titled this post The Owl House's First Reveals and I did intend to put "reveals" in plural. Because there is another character who has a side of them revealed. Eda the Owl Lady herself.

This is the episode in which we see the maternal side of Eda. Specifically, we see the lack of it. Eda is unconditionally one of the series' main parent figures. The others being Camilla, Bellos, and the Blights (Argue about Darius and Bump and whoever in the comments). But at the start of the series, she has no skill or interest in the subject, or does she? Eda takes in King and Luz on a whim, because they looked sad or in danger, and she passes that off as just something one does. The instinct is very much there, the skill? Not so much.

This episode shows Eda learning the skills of parenting. She has to put up with the babies and learn their ways in order to earn spending time with the teenagers. This is the start of Eda's arc into becoming the matron of the Owl House and the resistance later on down the line.

So, in conclusion, people are complicated. This episode sees Luz and the audience learning about the nuances of characters, even as the characters themselves learn these things about themselves.

Previous - Next

[impossiblesuitcase]

Fighting, and Loving

“Do you ever take those off?”

Cinder’s hands were hauled up at her chest and gloved. The thin fabric was white, though it was hard to tell when they were so heavily stained with grease and soot. He didn’t think he had ever seen her without them, but then again, she had always been working in the few times they had met.

Few times? 

Kai realised, with surprise, that they hadn’t spent even a whole hour together since meeting. It felt much, much longer.

Startled but defiant, she clocked him dead in the eye. “No.”

Huh. This girl got more mysterious by the second, yet simultaneously felt like the most honest person he’d met in years.

Plus, she was pretty cute.

It was warm in the elevator—or that could just be him. He was already simmering all over from watery grief and rage that morning when Levana stood on his balcony and cast her control over his people. Manipulating them. Brainwashing them. 

His eyes were now barren, stickiness dried on his cheeks. If Cinder had noticed, she hadn’t said anything. She regarded him with a quiet tenderness; a condolence, but not surface-level like that of so many other staff and guards and representatives.

Stars, he wanted her to come to the ball. Needed her to, now that he knew the filthy Lunars had planted the chip in Nainsi to extract information.

He was a prince. He rarely faced rejection. While he did respect her right to decline, something in him was convinced that her rejection wasn’t completely true. It never reached her eyes, as though some force was drawing the words from her mouth. Why did she hesitate if she seemed so comfortable with him? From the little he knew of her, she did not strike him as the type to indulge someone’s feelings if she did not reciprocate. 

What was holding her back? He was a prince. He had resources. He could make those obstacles disappear. 

“I think you should go to the ball with me.”

Cinder’s eyes widened. “Stars. Didn’t you already ask me that?”

“I’m hoping for a more favourable answer this time. And I seem to be getting more desperate by the minute.” 

“How charming.” 

That wasn’t the cadence of a voice that was about to accept. 

“Please?”

They went back and forth; Cinder’s responses were still vague, never giving him an idea of why she refused. Until:

“Well there are about 200,000 single girls in this city who would fall over themselves to have the privilege,” she reasoned drily, glaring at her feet. 

Wait, was she rejecting him because she thought herself unworthy? 

“Cinder,” he started, softly. Soothingly. “200,000 single girls. Why not you?”

Cinder looked torn. Insecure. “I’m sorry. But trust me—you don’t want to go with me.”

Trust me, I do.

The doors parted, she scrambled outside, and Kai internally whooped when he saw the audience.

If she thought she was unworthy, he wouldn’t hesitate to prove otherwise.

“Come to the ball with me,” he declared.

Cinder froze. The staff froze. Kai could practically already read the hundreds of gossip posts that would emerge from their gospel testimonies. 

Let the whole world know that Cinder was worthy of his attention. Then maybe she’d believe it too.

She turned around with a sharp expression, oddly reminiscent of his mother when a seven-year-old Kai shattered her crystal lamp copying Taekwondo moves from a netdrama. The expression warmed him.

Cinder manhandled him back into the elevator—which would kindly exacerbate those rumours.

The doors shut incriminatingly and she sighed. “Listen. I’m sorry. I really am. But I can’t go to the ball with you. You just have to trust me on that.”

He studied her. Her scowl spoke of irritation, but the firmly planted hand on his chest was at ease. 

She noticed his gaze and retrieved her touch.

“Why?” he appealed, almost whining. “Why don’t you want to go with me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to go with you, it’s that I’m not going at all.”

Aha. “So you do want to go with me.”

Kai was certain that he was seconds away from finally getting through Cinder’s barrier—assuring her that it didn’t matter if she couldn’t dance, trying to allay her doubts—when something…changed. Her whole body deflated as though he’d just delivered some terrible diagnosis.

“It’s my sister.”

“Your sister?” he questioned, puzzled. Was this sister selfishly barring Cinder from attending the ball due to some slight? 

“Yes. My little sister. She has the plague. And it just wouldn’t be the same without her, and I can’t go—won’t go.” Then, like it was the truest admission of them all, she murmured, “I’m sorry.”

The weight of his insensitivity pressed into him. Great going Kai, he thought, you got so caught up in yourself that you forgot people have lives. All that flirting and pushing, even in front of a crowd! And the whole time, he’d been disturbing her.

He took a step back, reconsidering.

If she didn’t come, that meant that the ball would proceed as dreaded. Entertaining Levana, disappointing the world with his announcement, feeling the final tattered shreds of hope slip through his hands.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

He nodded, but it was a lie. He had no incentive to lie to her. “Levana thinks she can play me like a puppet. And it just occurred to me that she might be right.”

Nothing he did would change anything.

The warmth in Cinder’s gaze bandaged his wounds. He wanted to change everything.

“Imagine there was a cure,” slipped out unbidden, “but finding it would cost you everything. It would completely ruin your life. What would you do?” He leant closer, seeking some sort of surreptitious pardoning. An intimate assurance that, no, he didn’t have to marry Levana. It was completely fair for him to refuse and spare his own life.

Her face showed no hope. “Ruin my life to save a million others? It’s not much of a choice.”

Of course. Why was he even seeking that assurance? Cinder was a good person. Cinder was logical, as was he.

He would do the right thing. 

The right thing, 

the right thing,

She glanced at his lips and soon, he was doing the same.

An inner voice screamed at him. Now is not the time! You barely know her! Your country is on the brink of war and you have to find an antidote. Priorities!

But, being a teenage boy and all, priorities weren’t his friend when it came to pretty girls. 

“I’m sure this is horribly inappropriate, but… it seems that my life is about to be ruined.”

He couldn’t have changed his mind now even if he tried. Kai gently guided her elbow to have her facing him. He craned his head. It had been a long time since he’d kissed a girl and yet, he didn’t recall the thrumming of his heart ever being this loud. Cinder closed her eyes and tilted her head up. She thought this was the right thing too.

His pulse leapt up to his throat as they inched closer to each other. Her breath fanned his mouth, so hot her lips could already be on his own.

Then Cinder cried out and crumpled in on herself.

The band of tension snapped. Romantic distractions would turn into worried distractions, it turned out.

———

Kai could do with more distractions, he decided.

Despite the roughly eighty million pressing issues all demanding his attention, his thoughts kept sprinting away to Linh-mèi. Linh Cinder, who still wasn’t coming to the ball, who was still subject to some unspecified illness. 

Distraction. He pulled up his non-work related comms, hoping for a brand new alert that would pull him into something, anything. A ‘how are you?’ or ‘check out this vid’, or ‘dude, that levana chick be crazy. Stay away.’

His inbox was a barren desert.

Prince Kaito was loved by the world. Kai had no friends.

Cinder was a friend now, right?

Parted lips, her palpable jolt of surprise. Her scrunched eyes and tilted head.

Irrational disappointment gnawed at his chest. It was for the best. Kai had obviously been grief-stricken—no state in which to deliver a meaningful first kiss. Especially when for a whole second he’d looked at Cinder lying on the ground and found her face piercing and hypnotising and something was very clearly wrong.

She’d set her head in her hands, the spell broke, and he still had no idea what had come over him. Probably his sanity doing cartwheels.

Cinder hadn’t reached out. Still, he couldn’t resist shooting off a comm when he yearned for a friendly voice.

Hey, Cinder. I hope you’re recovering well. Like I said, if you need any tests done, feel free to come to the palace. We can’t have the city’s best mechanic in poor shape.  Yours, Kai.

A day passed, and nothing. She was probably resting. But an extra comm never hurt, right?

Hi Cinder, how’s things today? Any more malfunctioning androids? I’ll let you know if there are any in the palace—hopefully none of them are befalling the same fate as Nainsi. You know what I mean.

Three comms in, Kai realised he was a touch presumptuous.

“Your Highness?” 

Kai startled and flipped around to see a palace official in the doorway, head lowered in a bow.

“Ah yes, Park-dàren, a pleasure to see you.”

The woman extended a portscreen. “I have the final details for your coronation security checks. They require your approval.”

Kai shook off his distraction and strode over, once again falling into the skin of the responsible royal. When the official gave her condolences for his loss, he remembered that he would be assuming that role indefinitely.

He was professional with guards and servants, even Torin now. He wasn’t himself with anyone anymore. The Kai he’d been with his parents and classmates would be locked up somewhere in his mind. He didn’t know when he would see that Kai again.

“As you can see outlined in section eight, we are taking strict measures to ensure your safety. Once 80% of guests have arrived, we will instigate a cut-off time, in which no further guests can be allowed to enter. Citizens under criminal restrictions will doubtless attempt to enter under the guise of being late, assuming the name of someone who failed to attend—”

“Wait,” he interrupted. Clenching his fingers around the port, he deliberated. “Remove the cut-off time.”

A slow blink. “...I beg your pardon?”

Kai couldn’t help but imagine Cinder on the day, debating with herself if she would or wouldn’t come. What if she vowed to stay home, only to regret it more and more with the ticking of the clock until she raced over to meet him?

“It’s just, erm, with this time of mourning, many of the guests may feel overwhelmed at the thought of attending without my father present. But perhaps they may change their mind that very evening?”

The woman considered this—or perhaps was thinking of a way to gently inform him that that was a stupid idea.

“Of course,” she corrected finally. “Please accept my apology on behalf of our department. We had not considered that. I shall amend the protocol to allow for at least an extra hour.”

A smile tickled his cheeks, but understanding followed it, and at once he berated himself. Did he really just compromise their security for a girl? 

As he handed the port back to the woman he noticed her hands, well-kept and uncovered.

There was one person, recently, that he’d been himself with. 

“Excuse me,” he said before he could stop himself. “May I ask you a question?”

“Certainly, Your Highness,” she exclaimed eagerly.

He did not allow himself to back out now, despite the embarrassed tension caging his spine. “Do you ever…wear gloves?”

Her eyes widened. Her hands folded over one another as though self-conscious, and he studied their complexion. It was impossible to imagine Cinder’s scrappy gloves on such pristine knuckles and cuticles.

“Uh, not often, Your Highness. On formal occasions, mostly. I have a pair that I wear to the peace ball. I’ll be wearing them this year.”

He nodded, pursing his lips. “Thank you. I realise it’s a strange question. I just wondered if they would make a nice gift for someone.”

An amused smile. “Any gift from Your Highness would be an appreciated one.”

Once she had left, Kai paced over to the window to ruminate on this new idea. He was used to being welcome in any room he entered. He was certainly used to girls admiring him endlessly, and he’d grown skilled at politely declining their advances whilst secretly basking in the feeling of adoration. 

But Cinder wouldn’t be so easily swayed. She seemed stubborn and grounded and unwilling to betray her values, no matter who asked it of her. 

Kai unclipped his port from his belt and checked his comms. Still no responses.

What was he trying to achieve by this? Would she even like gloves? Or would that send the message that he was so clueless about women that her workwear was all he could think to buy her?

But these would be formal gloves, no, ballroom gloves. For the ball. He would give them to her, kiss her gloved hand and lead her down the ballroom steps. He remembered how that surprisingly petite hand had been so stiff when he’d kissed it in Dr. Erland’s office, as though his very touch had turned it to metal. 

He liked to think that she’d been romanced by it. He liked to think he had an effect on her.

Her hesitant glance at his lips. Her pull towards him in an unconscious magnetism.

Maybe she would like gloves, so long as they were from him.

———

He’d made up his mind by the time his seamstresses were fitting him for his coronation garb. They would give him the best advice.

“Say,” he wondered aloud, aiming for naturalness. “Where could I find some gloves for a formal event, perhaps, the ball?”

One of the older women, Kaminari, pulled a pin from her mouth without a glance his way. She had scolded a five, ten, even fifteen-year-old Kai many a time for wriggling during fittings. “You have a collection of gloves in your closet, Your Highness.”

“No, ah…” Treacherous heat covered his ears. “I was referring to women’s gloves.”

Now she looked at him over thin-framed glasses. Her eyes were scrutinising yet she graciously answered after a brief hesitation. “Well, the city’s department stores have the largest collections. You’ll find many fine pairs there.”

Kai enquired further, lacing his voice with casualness as though he was barely interested in such a trivial topic. Not because he feared rumours would erupt—Kaminari was a shrewd woman—but because that shrewdness enabled her to read him easily. There begged a question of why the prince would want women’s gloves, and ultimately, the most plausible conclusion was as a gift for a lady.

———

Kai sent Cinder another comm that night. She would be finished her workday, he assumed, and he recalled her mentioning a sister and a stepmother, so he waited until it was late enough that any family responsibilities would be completed.

It was also late enough that sending a comm would glaringly imply that he was thinking of her, now, at this late hour.

His previous messages were admittedly quite formal. This time, Kai hoped a laid-back approach would soften her digital wall of silence. 

Just a thought, if you feel like taking up dancing—for no particular reason at all—I’d be happy to be your instructor. I can practically see you rolling your eyes from here, but hear me out. You never know when those skills may come in handy.

The sent icon blipped on the right side of the screen. He stared at the left, drumming his fingers, waiting for the icon showing that she was responding. For the next five minutes, there was none.

Okay Kai, baaack it up a bit.

Sighing, he slid out of the app onto his netlink. Holding two fingers down, he flicked them away from himself so the feed appeared—lifesize—on the holographic projector before his bed. 

Kaminari’s recommendation was scrawled on his hand with one of her pattern markers. Saying it aloud brought an array of fashions to life, cycling one by one a carousel.

Kai’s back straightened. He shuffled closer on the bed. “All right. Display: gloves.”

He knew immediately that the particularly flashy ones that passed by would not work. Nor did peacock feather accents quite seem that of a modest mechanic.

He specified some criteria. Ballroom, elbow length, and then, classic. The pink and frills were replaced with simpler options. With no idea what colour dress she would be wearing* (if she was even coming*) a neutral colour would be the safest. With white, some were toned with ivory, rose gold or pink, and others a stark white. He liked silver best.

One instantly caught his attention. Elbow length, silver white, not gaudy but not as plain as her work gloves. The hem was rimmed with pearls for a touch of elegance. Cinder wasn’t elegant per se, but she did have a sort of unmatchable grace, uniquely characteristic to her.

Something about them felt…familiar.

Leaping out of bed, Kai tossed the port from his lap and jogged over to his closet. The lights flickered on as he opened the door, illuminating the long room that seemingly extended almost to the other end of the palace. The eighth cupboard down, third drawer on the left.

Laying neatly folded in lush velvet casing were three pairs of gloves. Kai fished past the navy and gold for the white pair underneath. He pulled them out, holding them up and inspecting them under the light.

They were ivory instead of silver, with diamonds instead of pearls. His mother hadn’t been all that fond of gloves. She always said a hand was better to hold if you could feel the touch of it in yours.

They still smelled vaguely of her perfume.

Kai held it to his face, inhaling the only remnant he still had of warm hugs and soothing lullabies and innocence. He had vowed as a child that he would never forget her scent or her voice or her smile.

No image of wide-spread teeth could come to his mind. He usually had to reference old home vids for the singsong murmurs.

Kai set them back in the tray, folded to match the others, and trudged back to his bed.

How would Mum feel to know that he would be forced to marry Levana? 

His portscreen was still there on his covers, glowing in the dimness. He bookmarked the tab of the department store and shut off the holographs so the blue light wouldn’t keep him awake. In vain, of course. His sleep had fled weeks ago.

Kai settled back into his bed sheets, closing his eyes and willing himself to rest. Instead, his mind fixed on Cinder, and he indulged in a brief, fleeting fantasy of her reaction when he delivered his gift. Would she smile? Turn red in the cheeks and stammer out gratitude? 

Or, considering her clear vehemence against attending, would she scoff and toss them away? 

No, that wasn’t the Cinder he’d come to know.

Kai turned from his back to his side, smushing his cheek in his pillow. Even if it didn’t sway her a single bit on his offer, her smile would be repayment enough. It probably wouldn’t work. Really, he didn’t know why he was so determined to buy her a gift, but the best reason he could come up with was that he simply wanted to.

———

Imagining her reaction became a hobby of his. 

Kai woke the next day, quickly dressed and ate a lonely breakfast in the empty dining hall. He distracted himself by checking his schedule. A blank hour between meetings and preparations piqued his interest. It would be prudent to use that time to practise his speech for the coronation or catch up on his father’s unfinished work or spend time groaning over his next meeting with the Lunar Queen.

Instead, he decided that if Cinder was willing to go out of her way to return Nainsi to him herself, he should return the courtesy. It would take ten minutes to get to the store by hover, around thirty to weave through the crowds in the rush hour and purchase the gloves (fifteen, if he played the prince card), and another ten minutes to return. If he did play the prince card, he might even have time to deliver them now, but if not today, he would make the time. 

Kai scheduled a hover to be posted at the palace entrance at 12:00 and set an alarm to give him notice.

Right. Now he would…work.

Time passed agonisingly. Kai had no office and was adamant that he’d stay out of his father’s for as long as possible. It belonged to the emperor, and that was his father. It wasn’t his yet. Never would be.

Instead, Kai worked in one of his sitting rooms where Torin could locate him and inform him of his burgeoning reminders. But Kai knew his father’s—his adviser was refraining as much as possible, for his sake.

09:15. Reviewing the classified strategies the Earthern Union hoped to employ to gain control of Levana.

09:21. Realising that the strategies summated to ‘We don’t know. Let’s wing it.’

09:27. Cupping his chin, eyes wandering to the window, trying to recall exactly where he’d last left his sweatshirt.

09:30. Work. Memorising the final itinerary for the coronation.

10:00. Trying to recall if he’d washed the sweatshirt that had been worn in stifling humidity and he’d definitely been sweating—

10:11. Skimming the newest report on Letumosis figures. Heart dropping to his stomach at the figures. 

10:29. Thinking of the gloves.

10:40. Work!

11:12. Mapping out the fastest route to Cinder’s booth.

Kai rammed his fist into his forehead, steeling his thoughts into obedience. His wished his brain were a limb; his arm—he could force it down with the other. His foot—he could weigh down to stop movement.

His brain was where the old Kai lived, and like an infectious tune, she was what it strayed to.

Now that the Lunars were around, Kai wasn’t so enthusiastic about the words mind and control being in the same sentence, so instead he commanded his fingers. Pick up the stylus, put it to the port and work.

It obeyed. Kai managed to concentrate until the beautiful, blessed alarm chimed through the air.

He sprang up, beaming.

Torin entered, apology pencilled on his brow.

“What.”

“Your Highness, the queen has requested an audience with you.”

All the gravity in the room dialled up to eleven, dragging every molecule of his body down with it. Kai flopped back onto the chair, grumbling. So much for that idea.

———

Kai’s schedule remained unforgiving. An extra two comms to Cinder were fruitless, and no other free hours appeared. The gloves slipped to the back of his mind.

Two days before the coronation, Kai was closing the tabs on his port and saw the bookmarked gloves. He jolted upright, knocking the underside of the coffee table and startling the china vase. 

Kai gnawed at his lip, pulling up his schedule and flipping over meetings and duties in hourly and bi-hourly increments. There would be something, he convinced himself as Nainsi rolled in with a tray of hot matcha tea.

“Thank you, Nainsi,” he mumbled as he took the cup and sipped. The scalding water sloshed over the rim onto his fingers and he thrust it down, hissing.

“Are you injured, Your Highness?” 

He tucked his hand beneath his thigh. “I’m fine.”

Her sensor glowed yellow—what he’d always thought of as her version of a nod—and she began to roll away.

“Wait.”

Nainsi stalled and swerved her cylindrical body around.

“Nainsi, could you make an order for me?”

“I would be honoured, Your Highness.”

Kai sent her the details of the purchase which she processed without delay. “Where should I have it sent to?”

Kai had been busy reexamining the gloves, even when it was too late to change his mind. “Pardon?”

“I assume they are to be a gift since they would not fit you,” she observed in that ever-neutral robotic tone. “Should I have them delivered to the recipient?”

“No,” Kai blurted. Hesitated. “I’m sure I can find some time…”

He raced through his schedule for any open slot, knowing there was none. Every meeting and hour was dedicated to some very noble, very unavoidable cause. Except, he thought as his eyes stopped on an extra coronation rehearsal mere hours before the ceremony. He’d be fine, so long as he didn’t throw the crown like a frisbee at Levana’s head.

“Have it sent to me,” he decided, clicking the timeslot and sending out a note to cancel it. “I’ll deliver it myself.”

“Certainly, Your Highness.” 

As he closed his calendar the screen was replaced with a newsfeed—article after article on the protests in the Commonwealth. Guiltily he clicked on one and was instantly rattled to see the vitriol on their faces, but also the fear. They were right. Levana shouldn’t be here. He should be able to fix it.

“Would you like the gift to be wrapped in advance, Your Highness?” 

“Ah, no, that’s fine,” he murmured distractedly. Nainsi’s sensor glowed green with confirmation and she ambled away.

He picked up his tea, now cooler, and sipped as he looked through the feeds. The hysterical cries, scathing posters and critical journalists weren’t just a blow to the regal, world leader Kaito. They hurt the Kai locked away, too.

———

When his coronation day arrived, Kai was so overrun with visitors and preparations that he genuinely blanked when Nainsi informed him his purchase had arrived. 

The knock at his door jolted him out of his confusion. Kai sprung into action, rifling through his closet for the grey hoodie and wrestled himself into it.

The courier blinked in surprise when Kai came to the door to pick up the package, but all the same bowed and handed him the box as though it held the crown jewels. He had probably expected a servant, and certainly not one dressed for a winter marathon.

“Thank you.” Kai paused. It was a plain brown box. “Uh, was there any wrapping paper for it?” 

The courier’s mouth hung open. “...You requested it unwrapped, Your Majesty.”

Kai almost instinctually corrected him on the honorific but refrained. Technically, he would only be His Highness for a few hours more.

“Of course. That is my mistake. Thank you. Never mind it.”

The man ignored this, rummaging through his bags and producing a selection of paper and ribbons. “Do you like any of these?”

Kai picked out a gold foil and noticed a sturdy-looking white bow in the man’s bag. He pointed at it. “Do you have any more like that?”

The man cut a sheet of the foil and handed it over gingerly, avoiding crinkles. When he pulled out the bow, Kai saw it was already wrapped around a gift. Without hesitation, the courier unwound the ribbon and flattened it out.

“Oh no,” Kai attempted, shaking his head, “please don’t take someone else’s—”

The bow was forced into his hands. 

The right thing to do would be to insist he couldn’t possibly accept it. Conscious of the ever-dwindling time, Kai buried his courteous instincts, thanked the man, and rushed briskly past him.

As the elevator descended, Kai ran over his plan. He could always wrap the gift in the hover, except he would need scissors and tape. He didn’t even know where he could find them. Paper was scarcely used anymore, so scissors were solely for cooking or cutting hair or clothes making or essentially any activity that a prince never did. There was always a maid or servant delegated to that task.

It was very important to Kai that something for Cinder was something he did himself.

He quickly thumbed the doors-open button, landing him five floors above the ground level. As he emerged, the adjacent elevator opened to a group of maids. Seeing him, the man and two women bowed respectfully. Kai returned a kind nod. But when their backs turned, he called, “Wait.”

They turned around. 

“Pardon me, but would any of you know where I could find some scissors and, uh, some tape?”

The other two exchanged some surprise, but the shortest woman bowed again with confidence. “We can certainly locate some for you, Your Highness.”

It turned out that the servant supply rooms had everything a person could ever need, including a large, paint-flecked table. Kai assessed the supplies and got to work. He took his time, trying and failing to get a meticulous seal and clean fold. It was shabby but functional, so he moved onto the bow. One loop was larger than the other—his bow-tying abilities were strictly limited to shoelaces.

Kai remembered how his father would wrap gifts for his mother himself. It was never the finest job, and neither was Kai’s, but that didn’t matter.

Satisfied, Kai abandoned the supplies on the table and took the wrapped gift to the palace gate where the hover was waiting for him.

———

Cinder looked completely baffled when he presented the box to her. He might as well have brought her a strangled puppy for her horrified expression.

“What?” he protested. “I can’t buy you a gift?”

Cinder’s nose scrunched in disbelief. “No. Not after I’ve ignored six of your comms in the last week. Are you dense?”

Any regret for sending those comms dissipated. “So you did get them!”

Cinder huffed, turning away. “Of course I got them.” Her tone wasn’t angry. Of course I got them; Of course I read them. Enough, evidently, to know specifically that he’d sent six comms.

Hope awoke in his chest. “So why are you ignoring me? Did I do something?”

There was a haze over her, some kind of veil, and he just needed to lift it. “It’s just that I…” Cinder fingered the hem of her gloves contemplatively. Her mouth parted. She ducked her hands under the table and blurted, “Because you kept going on and on about the stupid ball!” 

Oh.

She was nothing if not obstinate.

Kai glanced down at his gift, startled. A laugh tore out of him at the irony of it all. “Stars, Cinder, if I’d known you were going to embargo me for asking you on a date, I wouldn’t have dared.”

Cinder looked away, grumbling.

He would be reasonable; asking a girl to be your personal guest at the most documented event of the year was more of a tenth-date level of request. This girl was mesmerising; intelligent, snarky, comfortable in her grease-spotted skin. But Kai knew how to read people. There was hesitation below that: anxiety, self-doubt. 

It needed to be non-committal. Casual. A first date.

He unleashed his winning smile. “Might I have the honour of treating you to lunch?”

As though she had a specific ‘reject any non-work-related activity involving Kai’ vendetta, Cinder continued to rebuff him.

She was deflecting, so he fought back. Ask the other vendors to tend to your booth. Ask your android. That last one seemed to irritate her the most.

His public speaking instructor would have told him here: when you’re at an impasse, there’s always something else to say. Another angle to convince them.

Cinder didn’t seem annoyed with him, but she wasn’t convinced, either.

It was all right. If she wasn’t coming to the ball, or she wouldn’t go to lunch with him, there would be other times.

Cinder regarded him in a way he thought—hoped—was almost regretful.

Could there be?

In a few hours, he would be emperor. If he were busy as a prince, he would have no time for respite now. And Cinder was…nothing more than a subject. A mechanic he sought a service from. She may have been willing to kiss him, but to let him court her?

One day—in the future. Maybe.

“Come on. I can’t take you to the…B-word; I can’t take you to lunch. Short of my unplugging the processor on one of my androids, this could be the last time we ever see each other,” he said nonchalantly, hoping there was no obvious tinge of disappointment.

Cinder stared at her toolbox. “Believe it or not, I’d actually kind of resolved myself to that fact already.”

Her words cemented it. No, he would not be able to escape his fate of marrying Levana. No, he would not be free to pursue a relationship with the only person left who made him feel like more than just a figurehead.

He didn’t allow her to give him back the gloves. All the same, he would treat her with kindness, and show his gratitude, and then perhaps she wouldn’t forget about him.

Pushing the box to her, he requested, “Take it. And think of me.” 

He smiled sincerely at her, hoping it would leave a lasting mark in her memory. Something just as indelible as she had become to him.

His mood soured when Cinder’s stepsister arrived, spoiling what may be his last interaction with her. And yet as he stepped back into the crowd, he turned once more to watch. The messy hair and grease-stained clothes and magnetising charm. That was what he'd remember.

———

Kai was an idiot.

Grade A idiot. World-class idiot. All his fans who called him charming and kind and benevolent were wrong.

At first, seeing Linh Pearl at the ball was just another nail in the coffin of the awful day that was his coronation. But her news struck an unexpected chord in his chest.

Cinder’s stepsister had died. The one she had mentioned in the elevator. The reason she hadn’t come to the ball.

Kai had completely forgotten that the girl was ill. And he’d marched up to Cinder’s booth, attempting again to get her to come to the ball; he’d even nagged her for ignoring his comms! Was he so dense?

Idiot.

For all the guilt, there was also a twinge of hope. Because if Cinder was in mourning, perhaps she wasn’t rejecting him. Perhaps it had just been the wrong time. So then if…

No. It was wishful thinking. Cinder hadn’t shown up to indicate anything. And tonight he had to announce his plans to wed Levana.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” said Kai to the girl, genuinely meaning it.

Pearl sniffed, though it was more haughty than mournful. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I know you truly do feel that in your heart. I can’t say the same of my awful stepsister.”

He blinked. “Pardon?”

“Oh, she is a monster. If only you knew what she’s really like. And don’t worry, I made sure she wouldn’t taint your generous gift with her filthy claws.”

“What do you mean? Those were a gift for her to use.”

Pearl’s sneer was frighteningly sincere. “Trust me, a creature like her doesn’t deserve them. You see, that awful, ungrateful wretch is a cy–”

A voice boomed over the speakers, spreading commotion amongst the joviality. Kai frowned at the interruption, too busy waiting to correct whatever nonsense Linh Pearl was about to spew. Then he heard the announcement.

“Please welcome to the 126th Annual Ball of the Eastern Commonwealth, a personal guest of His Imperial Majesty: Linh Cinder of New Beijing.”

Kai’s breath snagged, heart tripling in size. At the top of the stairs, Cinder stood in all her crowning glory. That being her version: a muddied, wet dress, mussed hair and—

Holding up the dripping silver skirt were silk-gloved hands. 

Every mouth hung as she descended the stairs. Heat rushed to his cheeks, then laughter to his heart. Cinder had come to the ball. She was wearing his gift. 

That had to mean something.

Cinder’s fierce eyes were trained on him as she marched forward. It didn’t even seem to bother her that her ballgown looked half dragged out of a sewer, the crowd around her staring blades and ice shards into her back. He didn’t know if she didn’t notice, or if she didn’t let herself. Kai rushed forward, blessedly excused from his delightful conversation partner. He was just preparing to meet Cinder halfway when she was intercepted by a woman. His feet stopped beneath him.

The two argued. Pearl scurried next to the strange woman to hurl accusations of her own. Cinder’s nostrils flared, and even the guards looked perplexed at whether they should intervene.

The woman raised a flat hand, Cinder flinched, and Kai saw scarlet red.

“Your Majesty!” the woman gasped out, as his firm hand locked around her wrist.

“That is enough,” he disciplined. He kept his fury contained, lest any shows of anger make Cinder even more afraid.

Pink filled the woman’s cheeks. “I am so sorry, Your Majesty. My emotions—my temper—this girl is…I am sorry she has interrupted…she is my ward—she should not be here…”

Her stepmother. “Of course, she should. She is my personal guest.” His tone was light, but commanding all the same. His eyes darted to Cinder. Traced over the shock on her face. The defused fear. The arms wrapped around her waist, cradling—or caging—herself.

He wished so fervently to strip that pain away.

Kai released the woman and ordered the merriment to resume, which everyone attempted half-heartedly. Then he pulled Cinder into his arms and into the most socially acceptable method to have a private conversation amidst a crowd: dancing.

Once having guided Cinder away, Kai was finally able to give her a closer inspection. That’s how he noticed the dark smudges on the silver silk gloves.

Okay. Maybe she had defaced his gift, but she was still wearing them. How could he expect anything else from the girl who had been so exponentially unlike anyone he’d ever met before?

Cinder gaped up at him, and while the damp glove was seeping cold into his shoulder, her waist was warm under his hand. It took only a heartbeat for him to realise that she was not experienced in the ways of waltzing. 

He chuckled. “You have no idea how to dance, do you?”

“I’m a mechanic,” she hissed, and it stirred a louder laugh under his sternum.

“Believe me, I noticed. Are those grease stains on the gloves I gave you?” he teased, because really, he couldn’t even make himself mad about it. He expressed that by twirling her under his arm, to which she stumbled and toppled into his chest.

A grin overtook him. Cinder cringed. She was wholly out of her element, and clearly uncomfortable by all the scrutiny. And yet, this flustered and dishevelled version of Cinder had come all the way to the ball for him, despite the opposition from her guardian. Despite her own self-doubts.

Then he remembered the other reason she hadn’t wanted to attend.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he started softly.

He momentarily thought that she might start to cry. “I didn’t know how.”

“I would have understood.”

The more he apologised, the more at ease she seemed. It was as though he was pardoning her, assuring her that being here would not dishonour her sister’s memory. She looked at him like she was seeing his face in whole for the first time; not just in pieces.

A voice came to him, Torin this time, lecturing him that this was a foolish pursuit; that he would still have to make his announcement of his betrothal to Levana. But it was a small heartache he didn’t dwell on it. Because something else Torin had once said came to him.

“Perhaps you’ll meet a girl at the festival. Have a whirlwind romance, a happily ever after, and have no more worries for the rest of your days.”

Cinder tied her fingers in the hair at his neck. She was here. Reasons she had rejected him didn’t matter now. He liked her. She liked him. There were no other reasons needed.

Somehow, ludicrously, Cinder being here meant everything.

As long as Cinder was around, he knew that the Kai locked away inside of him would stay alive. And, one day, return.

Fighting, and loving.

Notes

…And then everything crashes and burns spectacularly :D 

Writing Kai at this stage is so interesting because his life is falling to pieces and yet he is so effortlessly flirty with Cinder, making it appear that he's coping. Then you get to his povs and he is not coping, and when you read 'The Mechanic' you see how he wants to sound "witty" to impress her. He was holding in all those emotions so he could flirt effectively lol. Anyways I recommend reading these scenes in the actual book because I didn't include all the dialogue, just snippets to highlight Kai's perspective.

I am most indebted to @spherical-empirical for the line, "I can practically see you rolling your eyes from here, but hear me out." It was from a post from a long time ago, but I started this fic a long time ago. I am VERY happy that this is finished after TWO YEARS of it sitting in my drafts.

@cindersassasin @hayleblackburn @spherical-empirical @salt-warrior @just2bubbly @gingerale2017 @icarusignite @kaider-is-my-otp @slmkaider @luna-maximoff-22 @cosmicnovaflare @kaixiety @snozkat @mirrorballsss @skinwitch18 @vincentvangothic @bakergirl13 @wassupnye @linh-cindy

[scumbag-monthly]

The Young Ones Were: A Final Word from Scumbag Monthly’s Editor 🖕💚

I was going to post this on 7th March – the birthday of the pan global phenomenon himself – but I think the emotion will be stronger tonight. Either way, I’ve chosen this post to say my last farewells to Scumbag Monthly and thank the people who helped make it what it was.

It was my decision as editor to end SM at Issue #25 and it was a difficult one to make. Although SM has come with both pros and cons, it’s something I’ve enjoyed creating and is something I’m very proud of. In a way, it would have been easier to carry on – sticking with the familiar is always easier – but I didn’t want our fanzine to drift off into nothingness. I thought twenty-five was a good number to end it at. Three years; twenty-five issues; three Rik specials; a zine for the fortieth anniversary – I think we’ve done alright, all things considered. More than alright! I’m so happy that we were able to add to the fandom in some small way.

I have a head for dates, so I can tell you with 99% certainty that I took on the reins of editorship at SM on 14th May 2020. It’s weird that that time feels both close and far away – international pandemics will do that to you. I’ve seen engagement and interest in this zine ebb and flow over the years. We’ve never really received enough submissions to keep us afloat long term. I used to ask my mutuals if I could add old art of theirs to zines to keep the Drawing Room full, and the amount of my fic that made its way into SM was not the result of an overinflated ego (I promise!), more the result of fic submissions falling even lower than art submissions. We’re a small fandom; that’s always been a problem for SM. While I’ve continually emphasised the importance of submissions to SM – how else would SM involve those not working behind the scenes? – the truth is that the end products simply wouldn’t have arrived on our website be it not for the so-called scumbag staff who dedicated their free time to making pages and content.

With a small fandom and ergo a small team, SM’s ambitions had to be realistic. We would all have loved to bring new segments out in every issue but, with a lot to do and limited time to get it done each time, this often wasn’t possible. I never wanted SM to become a burden to the people who made pages for it, as we all lead offline lives and SM was simply a passion project – we made this because we wanted to, because it was fun.

I won’t deny there have been points where SM burnt me out a tad. I think it was easy to lose sight of things during the lockdowns, or simply fall completely into one project. There are some zines where well over twenty of the pages were made by me because they had to be, and I’ve often feared that The People’s Poetry suffered because of this. I’m very pleased and grateful to point out that the page share became slightly less exaggerated after we found different people for each character, but (and I’m afraid I am going to have to be egotistical now XD) I’d be lying if I denied every zine since Issue #4 isn’t drenched in my blood, sweat, and improvised version of graphic design (not actually my passion, me being primarily a writer and all XD).

I hope this isn’t sounding too negative because SM really does mean a lot to me. I think it’s just that a mixed relationship is guaranteed with anything you give a lot of yourself to and I want to be honest here, at the end. It’s going to feel weird for me for a little while: no more new documents to set up, no more new pages to make, no more themes to discuss, no more Google Forms to collect. I will miss SM, but thanks to the internet it’ll actually still be here. We’ll be keeping the website up as an archive and the same with our Tumblr blog and Instagram (scumbag_monthly). For future runs of the Rik and Ade Fest, another blog has been set up (@rikandadefest). SM has also had a Redbubble on the down low for some time now and we’re planning on adding our designs of the lads there soon, if any of you fancy owning something with those on.

I realise this whole post comes at the risk of sounding pretentious and melodramatic… but sod it, you know? Here are the people I’d like to thank individually, on behalf of our fanzine.

@theevilesteviled -

First of all, the creator of SM: the reason you’re even reading this right now. During the period in which SM got going – that calm before the utter shitstorm of 2020 – we spoke nearly every day… though, living on different sides of the globe did limit our talk time to early mornings and late evenings. Ed is the reason SM ever launched. She did almost everything for the first few zines, often at the cost of her own sanity, and she inspired a passion for this fanzine within me.

In May 2020, when I found myself in lockdown limbo between college and university, Ed was struggling with the brunt of SM plus the new hell of online classes. When I took charge of Issue #4, I don’t think I realised the extent of what I was taking on – I certainly didn’t expect to still be editor nearly three years later! Even so, without Ed SM wouldn’t have gotten as far as Issue #4. I’ll admit when she initially proposed the idea for a The Young Ones fanzine, I didn’t assume it would ever actually happen. I agreed to take on Rick’s page, but never allowed myself to imagine we’d end up with a project that’d last three years. Surely, it was only other people who could pull off that kind of thing, right? Surely, a group of introverted young adults online weren’t really going to get anywhere with this, were we?

I’m not trying to make SM sound bigger than it is – I’m well aware how niche we are, have always been – but the point I’m trying to make is: thanks to Ed spearheading SM in the early days, I had the profound realisation that I can actually be creative and try new things and they’re not destined to fall completely flat on their faces. I think everyone involved with SM, be it through making pages or submitting their work, has experienced a version of this same realisation with the publication of each zine.

That’s thanks to Ed, so I’d like to formally express my gratitude. Thank you, ya bastard.

@xgardensinspace -

The lovely Deya! Deya has always been a big part of SM, right from the beginning. The portraits of Vyvyan, Rick, Neil, Mike, Balowski, and P that appeared regularly in our zines were drawn by them, as well as the ten portraits of our staff on our website. That’s not even mentioning the five exemplary covers they’ve whizzed up for SM!

Not only is Deya an exceptionally talented artist, they’re also an enthusiastic team player. From Issue #11 onwards, they’ve been our resident Mike. As most of us agree, Mike is the most difficult young one to characterise – Deya rose to the challenge with full commitment. Alongside taking on Mike’s Moments, for a period of time in late 2021 Deya posted as Mike to SM’s Instagram every Thursday, providing all of us with funny insights into Mike’s sense of fashion. There have also been times when my SM workload proved too much and they stepped up to write Comic Strip reviews for our Strip Tease – in fact, one of my favourite reviews is the one of Five Go Mad on Mescalin we wrote together for Issue #18.

Deya has always been passionate about SM, even when it seemed there were only a few of us who were. They’ve been incredibly supportive and understanding, often one of the first to volunteer to make art or write pieces for specials. To put it lightly, SM would be left severely lacking without their endless contributions and help and for that reason I’m incredibly thankful to them.

Last spring, I was lucky enough to finally meet Deya, when they visited the UK on holiday, and they were just as lovely in person as they are online. Thank you ever so much for your work on SM, you really are a cool person.

@drinkysketch -

I felt it only right to single out Julia here. Fandom spaces are ever changing and the individuals who’ve contributed to SM are no different. Despite this, Julia has been a constant cover artist for SM – not only did she create our first ever cover art back when SM was completely unknown, she’s since provided us with five more pieces for our covers. As the clever trousers among you will have worked out, that’s six in total. Almost a quarter of our regular zines!

There’s something instantly likeable about Julia’s art style: the shapes, the bright colours, the insistence on always giving Vyvyan one eye bigger than the other. The cover of Issue #1 especially is representative of SM – it’s the establishing shot – and I couldn’t imagine a better piece of art than the one Julia provided us with. I’d like to thank her for always being so eager to make art for us, even as the world’s gotten crazier and crazier. True scumbag style!

@codrington-road -

It was April 2020 when Haley first emailed SM with a fanfic submission and an offer to make pages for Neil. These were the early days of SM – Ed and I were just about keeping up with the zine’s Rick and Vyv content but were seriously struggling where Mike and Neil were concerned. It’s thanks to Haley that Neil is the only young one I’ve never had to make a page for… well, aside from that time we switched characters for April Fool’s in Issue #14… and she’s been a constant, reliable presence at SM since Issue #4.

There probably aren’t many people who could come up again and again with hilarious horoscopes on purpose, and I don’t know for exactly how many Wednesdays Haley manned Neil’s entries to our Instagram stories, but it was a lot. 9th June 2021 fell on a Wednesday – a little daunting for anyone. Yet, I think it’s that entry from ‘Neil’, a touching piece about missing people who are no longer here while still carrying the warmth they gave us within us, that sticks out to me the most.

Haley has always brought the exact right levels of surrealism, humour, and bloody hippie moping to Neil. She is probably secretly Nigel Planer. She’s helped keep the excitement for SM alive in me when I’ve been at my wit’s end with it and is in fact the main reason this fanzine didn’t fold after Issue #19. Honestly, she’s great. Have you read the fanfic she’s submitted? Pure brilliance. Her reviews of Rik Mayall's Bedside Tales and GLC were sublime.

Thank you, Haley, for encouraging not just me but everyone behind the scenes of SM and for being our resident Neil for so long. I know you’re a girlie, but I hope the seed of your loin is fruitful in the belly of your woman. Ta very much!

@martian-martian-martian -

Part of SM since Issue #18, Wisely is a person who truly deserves so much love. I first spoke to Wisely on Tumblr when they signed up to write about Rick and Kevin in our second Rik zine, in 2021. Needless to say, the results of their endeavours were some of the most memorable pieces in that zine. Rick still hasn’t recovered.

After that, Wisely only became more and more involved in SM, until they’d taken on the enigmatic fifth housemate, that scumbag named Petyr, as a regular in our zine. They did this despite the graphic design element being out of their comfort zone and even came up with a whole new page idea to spearhead. Cliff ‘sHits – as well as having a perfectly Young Ones-esq name – is exactly the kind of thing I always hoped would start happening with SM: that staff would strike out with new page ideas when they had the time. Wisely has a talent for twisting well known verses to fit the scumbag agenda and we thank them for it.

A keen promoter of SM – they could frequently be found suggesting submitting to our fanzine in the comments of TYO fanart on Tumblr – they’ve even written fanfic to keep zines full of content. I’d like to thank them for joining the team and enhancing the zine in the process. SM is all the better for having them.

@the-tardis-in-221b-baker-street -

Zoe already has a name for herself in Rik Mayall circles outside the scumbags; what fan wouldn’t go absolutely crazy at the sheer time and dedication she puts into her many cosplays? Zoe has a knack for morphing into the bastards she portrays… physically, at least. I’ve always found her to be as friendly as Alan B’Stard is devious. XD

It was during SM’s hiatus, when the spot of resident Vyvyan fell vacant, that Zoe immediately jumped at the chance to help SM out. Since Issue #20, she’s provided the voice of the beloved punk as well as producing a page of her own design, Top of the Plops. Zoe has also been quick to help out where reviews of Filthy, Rich and Catflap and of the music in The Young Ones are concerned, for which I am very grateful. Despite being the newest staff member at SM, she’s thrown herself fully into it and offered much needed reassurance and submissions whenever necessary. Zoe has been an optimistic voice at the fanzine: always up for new ideas and competitions, always there with schemes to boost engagement. Her DnD stats for the lads in Issue #24 were incredible.

We’ve had many scumbags writing for Vyvyan at SM over the years – more than we’ve had for any other character – and I’m thrilled we got Zoe in for our final run. She even made the cover art for our last issue. Thank you!

@aspinecone -

Aspen is someone I’ve shared online fandom spaces with since 2017. We’re both fans of Red Dwarf, but it was our shared enjoyment of The Young Ones that finally got us talking to one another. Last autumn, we finally met in person when we went to see Ade in A Christmas Carol - a brilliant day with a great friend that I'll always remember.

Aspen has had a presence behind the scenes of SM since the beginning, often submitting fanart and the odd piece of fanfic, until they took on the role of resident Balowski at SM from Issue #16 onwards. Creating content for the character most out of the loop with the others isn’t as easy as you might think, but Aspen has always produced insane, amusing pages for him. Aspen was also the original cover artist pencilled in for Issue #21, but graciously stood aside when they realised offline commitments were going to need more of their time.

During SM’s run, I’ve sometimes had hairbrained schemes such as making the badges several scumbags will be receiving very, very soon. I’m no design whiz – Ed and I always made SM out of Word Documents – and Aspen helpfully volunteered to remove the backgrounds from designs and clean them up. Like I’ve always said, producing SM has been a team effort. I’d like to thank Aspen for always being in my corner.

@cloubdustings -

Ava, the mad meme machine! If I recall correctly, Ava first popped up in scumbag circles in late 2020. She surprised SM with cover art for Issue #10 and kindly took on the role of resident Vyvyan from that same issue until Issue #19. 2021 was not a fun year – in fact, I’d argue it was worse than 2020 in some respects – so having Ava on the SM team to handle all Vyvyan content was a great help.

Ava has a very distinct sense of humour and you can usually tell which British comedian she’s most recently become obsessed with by checking her Instagram. XD Even with changing tastes, she’s still making content about Mr Mayall and her brand of whackiness is most definitely beloved by the fandom. Thank you for sharing it with SM!

@lumivarjo -

Lumi was around at the very beginning of SM and is actually responsible for the piece of grey tape bearing the zine’s name that became our logo. He was our original resident P, producing pages for us during the autumn of 2020. Lumi has always been more behind the scenes than at the forefront of SM, but has nonetheless also always been supportive. Being an artistic sod, Lumi is to thank for many of the key headers SM used, which were all vital pieces of the SM brand… if we want to get really pretentious. Thank you for being there for the zine!

@serenpop -

Pol was also around when Ed was proposing this insane new idea of a fanzine for The Young Ones and was our first resident Neil. Offline commitments saw them have to drop the role, but they reappeared again to help us out when we needed cover art at a pinch for Issue #9. A lot of SM’s Drawing Rooms have featured art from Pol, so I’d like to thank them for brightening up our pages!

Additionally, I'd like to thank the other scumbags who’ve made cover art for us: @frankenbolt (who made three(!) beautifully chaotic covers, including everybody’s favourite Modern AU); @whatacompletebastard (for the fab Breakfast Club parody that’s always been popular with the scumbags); @heinzpilsnerbloody (another talented artist who drew me a whole bunch of cool stuff in an exchange and kindly helped SM out); @colourshot-draws (our first anniversary zine cover artist and a genuinely lovely person); @postpunkpontypandyphantomthief (a massive Rik Mayall fan and integral part of the fandom); thedinodoodles (for being ahead of the curve and bringing us pirates before the Tumblr obsession); @rikhead (for the sheer dedication to detail on her cover and for her legendary skills in Rik Pic Hunting™); and @smashingblouses (for providing us with the brilliant TYO 40th anniversary zine cover art). I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: SM couldn’t have functioned without its cover artists. Thank you all. Big respec.

There are a few final scumbags I wish to mention and thank - SM's cheerleaders, if you will. These people have brightened up my day on various occasions and their enthusiasm helped make the zine what it was: @anglophobias, @my-blood-is-maple-syrup, @friedhofcreative, @shotsofnovacaine, @5gogh2, @mariigoldmayall, and @fourstarsandahamster.

Finally, of course, I’d like to say a quick thank you to the people who inspired this fanzine in the first place. Without the canon, there would be no fanon. They’re never going to read this thank Cliff but without the brilliance of Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, Lise Mayer, and all the recurring comic guest stars of The Young Ones, SM would have quite literally never existed.

We need comedy in hard times – to call out the shits in power, to keep us grounded, to simply make us laugh. I count myself incredibly lucky to have stumbled across fans of this anarchic ‘80s sitcom on Tumblr. Despite the time gone by between 1982 and 2023 and the changes in society and sensibilities, I think it’s an incredibly good thing that this comedy still connects with us. Most of the people I’ve spoken to on here, like me, weren’t alive during TYO’s initial run. It’s often assumed by certain bastards who shall remain nameless that the youth are trying to kill comedy, that we take offence too easily, that comedy classics are a thing of the past. To them I say: UP YOURS, UGLY! As long as there are people, there will be laughter; and among those of us laughing, there will be the young ones.

So thank you, scumbag reader, for downloading our zines and supporting our bastardly endeavours.

Signing off from Scumbag Monthly for the last time,

- R / @neil-neil-orange-peel <3

"This is it! It's really happening! Who needs qualifications? Who cares about Thatcher and unemployment?! We can do just exactly whatever we want to do! And you know why? Because we're Young Ones. Bachelor boys! Crazy, mad, wild-eyed, big-bottomed anarchists!!" - The People's Poet, 1984

[opossumloverr]

Hello hello! Sorry for being really specific here, but can I request the ROTTMNT turtles with a axolotl reader, and they have a long tail (I love tails, I’m sorry-), and they’re like smaller than Mikey, but can pack a punch? Sorry again if this is too specific, lol, you can just do the axolotl part if this is too much. Remember to drink water and take care of yourself! Thank you!

✪TURTLE BROS X AXOLOTL READER ✪

Summary:

The turtle bros with a Axolotl reader that may look small, but can absolutely kick ass

Warning(s):

None!

A/N:

Tysm for requesting this, I love axolotls, also TY FOR SO MUCH LOVE ON MY OTHER POST like what?? Anyways here we go (gender-neutral reader)

《RAPH》

He thinks you're really cool

He likes that you don't let your size get the best of you

And to be honest half of the time your here he's looking at your tail swinging back and forth

Sometimes you catch him staring...

"Yeah and so after that-" you paused to glance over at raph, who's apparently to busy looking at your tail to focus on the totally important conversation you guys were having, you gave him a quick little slap with your tail to his cheek that woke him up from his trance.

"HUH! Wha?" He looked around the room all confused, but you just continued talking.

He was surprised when you completely OBLITERATED those origami ninjas when you decided to come along on one of their missions

He thought you were gonna get hurt so he was trying to stay close to you, but when you handled them (like a boss) he was like 'damn okay I see you'

You guys definitely have each others backs

《LEO》

This man will tease you non-stop about your height

Like he will baby you, calling you a kid and stuff

He'll only stop when you knock some sense into him

And your tail...

You bet on your LIFE that he's grabbing it

Tries to be sneaky about it

You were sitting on a chair scrolling through social media, waiting for Leo to come back because he said and I quote 'I have to walk my fish' you didn't mind cause, well, it's Leo, but you suddenly feel someone trying to creep up on you, you waited for the right moment to, jump up out of your chair and kick them in the back, only to find Leo on the floor instead, "What the hell man? what are you doing?" You ask.

"Nothin'.."

Just let him give your tail a few strokes please he can't move on without knowing how it feels

《DONNIE》

Fascinated, to say the least

Like who wouldn't be, look at that lengthy tail.

He would measure it, take notes, ask questions, man's is IMMERSED

And to top all of that off, your strong? Holy moly

When you guys are fighting, he will be focusing on your moves, and how you add your tail into your attacks

He's so impressed that he gets hit by his own weapon.

"Nice momentum [Name]!" Donnie grunted.

"Thanks Don-tron, WAIT OH MY GOSH LOOK OUT" you say as you watched him get hit by his own bo staff.

Asks you to stay still sometimes so he can watch your tail move on its own

It may be a little annoying but he's having fun, in his own way.

(Nerd)

《MIKEY》

Mikey is also fascinated, he thinks you and your tail is cute

He's not the shortest anymore yayy

I'm just saying that he would doodle and draw on your tail

If you let him of course

OMG JUST IMAGINE...

"Are you done yet Mikey?" You questioned, wanting to get up and stretch.

"Just adding some finishing details and...done!" You got up to go look in a mirror and see your tail covered in flowers, smiley faces, and vines, and you noticed the little 'Mikey wuz here ;P' on your tail.

He likes that you can fight for yourself

I can imagine him watching you practice your punches and kicks.

I love Mikey so much guys

Thank you for requesting this! I feel like I messed up Donnies part a bit though, have a great day/night!

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Today’s batch of replies~ Since we had a Crewel day yesterday, there are some asks related to him (and Trein) in here. But as always, also a bunch of miscellaneous ones…

Anonymous asked:

I want to eat your art respectfully with a side of salad and a few cups of wine. Your newest picture of Divus got me remembering why I chose to be 🐩 anon despite being GloMas anon for awhile. Got me barking and being absolutely feral, I wish he'd walk me like a dog 🫠

Ah 🐩 anon, you’re as kind as always. Thank you so much!

From the GloMas anon to the pup anon, just the way Divus would have wanted it lol I’m very happy you liked how he turned out!

Anonymous asked:

This randomly came to me in the form of a nap, enjoy.

Crewel sleeps with Trein but Trein isn't as flexible nor springy as the normal people Crewel fucks. Anyways to the point, Crewel accidentally hositizalizes Trein so when he returns to work a week later.. Crewel doesn't let him live it down and neither does the students once they find out (be fr, Azul has blackmail on ALL the staff) ~ 🐩 anon

Oh how mean! As if it isn’t Crewel’s fault and Trein didn’t warn you that his body probably can’t handle as much >C Crewel would definitely hospitalize this grandpa one day, he doesn’t seem like someone who can be careful, this wicked, wicked man.

Poor Azul though, the blackmail is useless when all the students know about the thing already. But you know, I’m sure some of the students would be super amused and find it funny, but some of them would genuinely pity Trein lol

Anonymous asked:

Hey ryuichi, Have you ever thought of drawing Young Trein? I always wondered what he might have looked like when he was younger. Maybe he had brown hair? 🤔🤔

Technically I have drawn him (I’ve drawn flashbacks of him and Crewel) buuuut I always forget about the fact that Trein looked younger back then. For some reason he’s just always a 60 y.o. grandpa in my drawings lol Maybe one day I’ll draw him in his 40s… Since his supposed daughters (or at least their prototypes…) have black and ginger hair, and I don’t see him as a ginger at all, I would go with either black or dark brown.

Anonymous asked:

I wonder how Crewel feel on meeting young Trein?

I feel like his feelings wouldn’t change much, especially if Trein acts like his old self. If the chemistry is there (and it’s not going anywhere lol), Crewel would definitely be just as into him.

But also, since young Trein isn’t a grandpa, Crewel wouldn’t hold back with him at all. If Trein suddenly got younger for some reason, Crewel’s first thought would probably be “oh now I can do whatever I want” lol

Anonymous asked:

In regards to RookVil being Epel's parents, I can't really see Rook as a father figure. To me he gives off 'Bodyguard of your new step-parent that they've been banging on the side long before they met your parent' vibes.

I get it, Anon, and honestly these vibes are also great lol

I guess we just have different “images” of fathers in our heads, which is totally okay. When I joke about Rook being “fatherly” towards Epel, it’s usually a “that dad who just smiles at you and doesn’t interrupt your fight with your mom, because “you know your mom is always right sweetie” but would give you headpats and a cookie afterwards” thing. This + just how genuinely excited he gets when Epel gets better at magic, how eager he is to share this with Vil + the fact that he helps Epel with his homework/lab stuff, frankly. Doesn’t necessarily mean that he is “a father”, just a “kind of fatherly and mom’s partner” figure….  Or a “bodyguard of your new step-parent that they’ve been banging on the side long before they met your parent” even lol

Once again, it’s completely up to your personal preference. Like I already said, it’s just one of many ways to read it and one of many many angles of their dynamic, not just “aw look at our baby”. Epel is much more than a baby to them. These three are kind of cursed to be honest lol but in a good way.

Anonymous asked:

SHAKES YOU I JUST SAW THE DRAMATICAL MURDER TWEELS ART DRAMATICAL MURDERRRR EXCEPT VIRUS AND TRIP HAVE YOU THOUGHT WHO ELSE IN TWST MIGHT FIT THE ROLES OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS? BC IF IDIA IS AOBA THEN I GENUINELY THINK ORTHO WOULD BE REN OR SEI OR *EXPLODES*

LOL ANOOOON YES YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT ALL THE RIGHT THINGS!!!

We honestly haven’t thought about the rest of the cast, and it’s funny because Aoba technically has two whole android boys love interests; one of them being Clear and the other one being Ren (kind of sort of). And I haven’t even considered Clear as an option to be honest, Ren/Sei sounds like such an obvious choice LOL DOG ORTHO

What’s also funny is that despite the fact that Idia is clearly Aoba, he is also…clearly Noiz, isn’t he? In a lot of ways…

Anonymous asked:

dorm heads from most to least favorite?

This is SUCH a cruel question; with twst in general when I look at almost any character I always go “god you are my absolute favourite” lol So I can’t answer without cheating a little bit!

In my head Idia and Azul are fighting for the first place, Vil and Malleus are fighting for the second place, Riddle and Kalim are fighting for the third place, and Leona is the fourth.

And it kind of pains me that Riddle is currently the 3rd, but having three people fighting over the second place is just silly.

Anonymous asked:

I really enjoy seeing azuidi interact with each other ( it doesn't matter if it's romantic or platonic) because the two of them could start in a comedy sitcom with how funny they interact with each other. I would totally watch that too.

Like, imagine Idia walking up to Azul being like, "Would you still love me if i was a worm 🥺👉🏻👈🏻" and Azul, being Azul, would take this seriously and be like "which kind of worm we're talking about. The kind that eats books? A parasitic worm? Or a regular worm that crawls around in the dirt?". And idia would be like, "You're no fun, Azul-shii." 🙄

THEY’RE SO FUNNY TOGETHER ANON; we’re rewatching Glorious Masquerade right now and every single interaction these two have is ABSOLUTELY GOLDEN. They would make a hilarious sitcom lol

Azul taking stupid meme questions way too seriously is such an Azul thing to do 😭 He really is no fun. He probably already came out with a couple of plans to monetize different worm options….

I think one of the things that make them funny is that either of them could be a butt of a joke. Both of them are unhinged in different ways, so both of them could do “wow you are not well, it’s kind of worrying and embarrassing” depending on their situation.

Anonymous asked:

Thoughts on Jack x Leona?

Not much; we don’t really ship them. I like the fact that Jack is confused about Leona though; like he is supposed to respect him and consider him a leader, but he doesn’t like the way he acts and treats others. This is an interesting conflict.

Anonymous asked:

have you ever read the reddit cylinder thread?

Now I have….

I hope the cylinder is okay…

Which one of the NRC boys….

[cloudynyxx]

Interview of Death Parade Staff - Key Animators

The Appeal of Key Animation and the Joy of Animation Supervision Animator Roundtable Discussion

Shōsuke Ishibashi / 石橋 翔祐 [Key Animator] Takashi Kojima / 小島 崇史 [Key Animator] Ryōta Azuma / 東 亮太 [Animation Director / Key Animator] Izumi Murakami / 村上 泉 [Prop Design / Key Animator] — Please tell us about a memorable scene from "Death Parade" that you participated in

Azuma: I have mainly worked on PD Takuya's works, which is how I got involved in Death Parade. I was given the opportunity to be the animation director for episode six, which was a very unique episode. To be honest, I didn't have much experience as an animation director, so key cuts were handled by Kojima-san, Ishibashi-san, Murakami-san, and other skilled animators and artists, who made the important scenes more appealing. Especially Ishibashi-san. His cuts were the first to get delivered, and they had an enormous number of keyframes where Mayu was moving ecstatically with very detailed acting. It was completely different from the keyframes I usually draw, so I was shocked to see how he handled it. It had a positive influence on me. Murakami: I think Ishibashi-san created Mayu's character. Ishibashi: No, that's not it. Since I participated in episode six first, Mayu was the first character I animated. I was like, "Huh? Decim hasn’t shown up yet," (laughs). I worked on episode 4 afterwards. Murakami: When I joined, Ishibashi-san's rough animation was already complete, so I watched the footage and thought, "Mayu is a girl who moves like this," and I understood what to do. Also, Episode Director Shishido was the type to entrust a lot to the animators. Kojima: Yes, Shishido [Jun]-san's storyboards are very easy to visualize in motion. Speaking of memorable things, in Death Parade, there were many scenes where the space was constructed in 3D, right? Ishibashi: Yeah, that's right. The first scene I worked on was in front of the bar counter in Viginti in episode six. It was challenging because it was not originally constructed in 3D. But then when I started working on other episodes, I realized that this [3D layout] was easy. Kojima: Working with 3D layouts means you don't have to draw backgrounds [laughs], which is convenient, but I also worried that neglecting to draw them might make my skills in that area rusty, so I had some doubts about whether it was the right approach. Ishibashi: I understand that. But drawing so many kokeshi dolls was tough... Murakami: Oh, I'm sorry. It's my fault that there were so many kokeshi dolls. When I was asked by Tachikawa-san (series composer and director) to design a Japanese-style bar, I thought it would be nice to have lots of kokeshi dolls lined up like bottles of alcohol, so I drew the image board with that in mind...

— PD Takuya and Kurita-san mentioned that Kojima-san broadened the range of character acting in Death Parade.

Kojima: Is that so? That's great to hear. In the first episode we worked on around 55 cuts, and during the meeting, either Director Tachikawa or Director Shishido-san requested that I present the acting with all the intensity of someone emotionally breaking down in tears at a press conference. So, I watched some videos for reference and drew accordingly. When it came to the ninth episode, I was initially consulted about the air hockey scen, but wanting to try something new, I asked to work on the scene where Shimada's sister is assaulted instead. Ishibashi: I thought you were definitely going to choose hockey, so I was like, "Oh, this is it?” (laughs). The cut with the light glinting on the knife,  the acting was so skillful there that we left it untouched and just let it run as it was. Kojima: (laughs) Well, I can't help but feel like I've been doing nothing but pitiful scenes most of the time. Also, the skating scene in episode eleven was very difficult. Ishibashi: That scene was mainly handled by Murakami-san, right? I also participated a bit, like drawing the childhood skating scenes. Kojima: I was allowed to draw the start of the skating scene. I did about 4 cuts in that area. Murakami: As for me…I am filled with a feeling of wanting to fix it… Ishibashi: No, you did really well. You had quite a number of cuts, right?Murakami: The number of cuts was around twelve. With everyone's help, we managed to complete it somehow. We had assistance from the 2nd key animation team as well.

— It seems that episode eleven had one of the stricter schedules among all the episodes. Ishibashi: Indeed, I was worried about whether we could really broadcast the episode or not, but the atmosphere in the studio wasn’t tense at all, and I felt very good. It was more like, "Can we do it?" rather than "Oh no, oh no!" (laughs). In the end, we managed to complete it (laughs). Murakami: While drawing, I kept thinking, "I can't believe this is going to air in a week," "unbelievable." Ishibashi: I think it was because Kurita-san, PD Takuya, and desk clerk Nakatani (Satoshi) were people who had such a reassuring presence. When I heard laughter coming from their corner, I thought, "As long as Tachikawa-san is laughing, it will still be OK.” — Who was the easiest character to draw? Azuma: The dark-haired woman was relatively easy to draw, but Decim was quite challenging to get right. Kurita-san's designs are characterized by having their mouths positioned lower on their jaws, but when I started drawing, I unconsciously kept placing the mouth too high… Kojima: All the main characters were difficult. Decim especially was a total struggle for me. Personally, I might not be good with characters who lack expressions. I found it enjoyable to draw characters with expressive faces or those in despair. Ishibashi: I found the dark-haired woman somewhat difficult to draw, but Decim was relatively easier for me. With guest characters, there was some flexibility in altering their faces, which might have been influenced by Kojima-kun's work in episode 1, where he broadened the scope of the acting. Murakami: I had already given up on trying to make them look on-model (laughs). Kurita-san's characters, when drawn by him, are very beautiful, but if you don't draw them well, the balance gets messed up. It's beyond me... (laughs). Also, in episode six, drawing Memine the cat was challenging. Azuma: But you were the one who could draw the cat the best. It was really helpful while working as an animation director. Murakami: Really? I didn't know what to do, so I started with a lot of cat sketches. Ishibashi: In episode six, Murakami-san drew great facial expressions in the live scene in the C part. Especially when everyone was like, "Yay!" (laughs). Speaking of what left an impression on me, in episode nine where I was the animation director, Hiromi Ishigami-san, Ryoma Ebata-san, Tetsuya Masuda-san, and Akitsugu Hisagi-san participated as key animators, and it was really enjoyable. Ishigami-san is my senior, but it had been about 7 years since I last saw her original drawings, and I was again impressed by how good she is. Ebata-san's presentation of Tatsumi smoking a cigarette and putting it out with his foot had a very good sense of perspective. Ebata-san was also in charge of the part during the ending theme, where the emotions were conveyed amazingly even without any dialogue. And Masuda-san also did a lot of keyframes. I personally like Masuda-san's drawings, so I got excited whenever I received his keyframes... But even though I'm talking so familiarly, I don't actually know Masuda-san at all (laughs).

— So you've only seen his keyframes.

Ishibashi: That's right. So when I came to the studio for the animation meetings, I wanted to meet him... I was saying "Masuda-san, Masuda-san" so much that they thought we were old acquaintances, but no one told me "Masuda-san is here" (laughs). I was shocked (laughs). Azuma: As an animation director, it makes me happy when I receive wonderful keyframe drawings. This time, there were a lot of good people of a similar age as me who participated, and I was glad that I was able to get a lot of inspiration from them. Kojima: As for what left an impression... Well, due to certain circumstances, I didn't work inside the building, so I feel like there's a bit of a difference in atmosphere here (laughs). But if I had been working inside, it would have been a bit more enjoyable, so it's a bit disappointing (laughs). Ishibashi: Kojima-kun and I have worked together at a different company before so I was looking forward to working together again, but when I heard that you wouldn't be joining the company, I was a little disappointed. Kojima: Since I didn't have many opportunities to meet people this time, I'll try my best to work in the studio next time (laughs). Ishibashi: (laughs) Speaking of disappointments... Personally, I wish I could have seen more of Kurita-san's keyframes. Like in the first episode, the scene where Decim pulls out the thread. Or in part C of episode three, when Chiyuki does that flourish at the end. Every time I thought, "Who did this!?", it turned out to be mostly Kurita-san (laughs). Kurita-san always talks as if he hasn't done anything, but I thought that was unfair. Murakami: He did mention he wanted to do keyframes. Ishibashi: When someone is that skilled, of course they would want to do keyframes. As an animation supervisor, you're in a supportive role, helping with the difficult parts and making sure the characters are on-model, so the keyframes are more exciting. Kojima: But as a Chief Animation Supervisor, Mr. Kurita, was able to make corrections in a way that preserved the good points of the person in charge of the original drawings, and I think this is one of the reasons why I enjoyed working on this project.

— Murakami-san, is there any particular scene that left an impression on you?

Murakami: Working on the figure skating scenes was really fun, but bowling was also really enjoyable. My previous project [Ace of Diamond] also had sports-related elements. Sports movements are different from everyday actions; they're very straightforward. For example, if you're "throwing a ball," you're solely focused on the act of throwing. That aspect makes your work very focused and exciting. During the bowling scenes, I consciously tried to convey the weight of the ball. However, the fun part is from drawing to the rough animation. When you’re in it, you think, "This might work," but when it comes together as a finished visual, you end up reflecting, "It's not as good as I hoped," right? Ishibashi, isn't that how all animators feel? [Ishibashi laughs]. The linetest is probably the most intense emotionally (laughs). There's no color or anything decided, so your imagination can run wild.

— It seems like the animators had quite a bit of freedom in their drawings, from what I've heard.

Ishibashi: When we were asked to "do this part," there were many areas where we had a lot of freedom. It might have been a bit challenging, but it allowed animators to expand their creativity. Kojima: It was easy for me too. I really enjoyed the work. Azuma: Especially with guest characters, since they only appear in that particular episode, I think they were given a lot of freedom to draw. Mayu in episode six, for example, was a character where we were told we could go all out with the comedic, exaggerated expressions, so there was a lot of freedom. Ishibashi: Mayu's face when she's hit with wind from below was really something (laughs). Murakami: Yes, there were many cuts where we could do whatever we wanted with the acting. Ishibashi: When we were asked to "do this part," there were many areas where we had a lot of freedom. It might have been a bit challenging, but it allowed animators to expand their creativity. Kojima: It was easy for me too. I really enjoyed the work. Azuma: Especially with guest characters, since they only appear in that particular episode, I think they were given a lot of freedom to draw. Mayu in episode six, for example, was a character where we were told we could go all out with the comedic, exaggerated expressions, so there was a lot of freedom. Ishibashi: Mayu's face when she's hit with wind from below was really something (laughs). Murakami: Yes, there were many cuts where we could do whatever we wanted with the acting.

—  Looking back on the series, were there any episodes that left a deep impression on you?

Kojima: I like episodes eight and nine. They're a bit gut-wrenching, but there's something about the feeling of hopelessness that I appreciate. You don't see stories like that often. Ishibashi: I'm quite sensitive, so watching sad stories makes me sad too. I prefer more gentle endings, like in episode three. Also, the farewell between Chiyuki and Decim in episode twelve, that scene made me cry a lot (laughs). Murakami: When I saw episode twelve, I thought, "I was doing a ‘good story’ anime" (laughs). This series had different vibes for each episode, which was interesting, but episode six had a really good balance... The story was wild, and so was the animation. It was a lot of fun to watch. However, just before it aired, I started worrying, "Did we go too far?" "Is it going to be okay?" Even Shishido-san, who storyboarded it, was worried. Azuma: Is that so? I thought episode six was interesting from the moment I started working on it (laughs). So, I wasn't worried at all. I was like, "It's definitely going to be fun! Watch it!" Ishibashi: Actually, what made me wonder if it would be okay was the opening. When I first saw the storyboard, I thought, "Huh? Is this really for Death Parade?" (laughs). Azuma: Yes, that's right. When I heard the song, I was so excited that I thought, "Oh! (laughs). [Murakami laughs] Overall, this project was challenging, but it was also enjoyable.

━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━

NOTE: I am not fluent in Japanese! I translated this with the help of a language partner. However, as neither of us are fluent in one another's native tongue, there may be errors in the translation. I typically don't share things I translate in my free time, but since no one has tackled these interviews in nearly 10 years, I figured it was nice to put these out there for folks who may be interested.

[abysscronica]

Hi! I noticed that many people compare Luffy and Kid about personality and actions and many say that Kid is like an angry unlucky version of Luffy. Luffy had his struggles during his young life too but he was never mean towards others so I thought that Kid must have passed through some heavy stuff (with Killer and the others too since they act all in the same way basically) to became a bloodthirsty and cruel pirate, even without reason.

I wanted to ask you if you ever wondered about his past and if you have personal theories, not just the part related to Victoria's story, but also the one that maybe made him so suspicious and angry towards the world.

Thank you if you'll answer!

Okay, let's talk about this a little bit.

Considerations on Eustass Kid's character

Blaming Kid's cruelty on his traumatic past without taking into account One Piece logic or how Oda does things makes no sense. You can draw from the real world when analyzing these characters, but it doesn't work if you don't put everything in their own world's context. I've seen this done a lot here on tumblr, especially for Kid and Doflamingo, but let's focus on Kid for the sake of this ask.

Kid, together with Killer, Heat and Wire, had a horrible childhood that surely shaped them, but the truth is we have very little information about it. All we know comes from three SBS answers: Oda's drawing of them as kids, the one that first introduced Victoria as Kid and Killer's childhood crush, and the more recent one about their past. ALL the rest was inferred from it. Let's take this shot for example:

While Kid's appearance and ragged clothes are canon, the background is not. It's an interpretation by the anime staff. Did Kid live in a terrible place? Yes. We know that. Did it look like that? Possibly. No idea.

From the info we have, it looks like Kid had a worse past than Luffy. He lived in a place overrun by gangs, in poverty, where kids had no choice aside joining into the violence and try to survive. And Eustass Kid... fit well into such environment; he adapted to the point of becoming a baby-gang leader, just as Killer, Heat and Wire, and later on he even challenged the most powerful lords of the underworld and won. This doesn't diminish the hardships and suffering he went through, but it gives you an idea of his character.

Oda has played with the "nature vs. nurture" concept several times and, to be completely honest, while he absolutely doesn't discard the importance of trauma, he often leans toward the "nature" answer. The clearest example is found in Doflamingo and Rocinante. They faced the same hardships and still remained true to their original (opposite) nature. Yes, Kid has been through hell but he's hardly the only character. Nami, Sanji, Robin, Rocinante are just a few other examples - many of these arguably had it worse than Kid, and they aren't cruel nor rabid.

Even so, I don't mean to completely demolish the idea that Kid is a product of his past (although, on a personal note, I do believe that it diminishes his character). In fact, not everyone in One Piece could maintain their true nature in the face of hardship. For Oda, trauma is a trial to overcome, in a way, and there's not always a clear-cut direct answer as we see with the Strawhats, for example. One example over all is Law: he represents a case where trauma did break his nature for a while, until he had a chance to restore it (through Corazon).

I guess you could say that Kid was never offered such chance, buuuut do you honestly believe it? See, being offered a chance is not enough, you gotta be willing to take it and change. If I had to sum up Oda's baseline on this, I would say his process is based upon two main concepts: 1) your pain does not justify your actions; 2) everyone deserves a second chance as long as they're willing to change.

Think about Orochi and Mjosgard. I've talked about them in this post.

Hey, maybe Kid missed his chance. Maybe he didn't get one at the right time. Maybe he will. If you ask me, looking at the drawing of child Kid, I think it's pretty clear what route Oda was going for him. Look at that evil little gremling at tell me I'm wrong.

Another element I have for this is that, differently from other villains, Oda never took a moral stand against Kid. Despite his big talk, Kid is an ally in both the arcs he plays a decent role in (Sabaody and Wano). Sure, he's not good, but he's not that bad either. Kid was indeed meant to be a dark parallel of Luffy, a rival even. Too bad Oda just toyed with this interesting idea but never fully engaged with it. We know that the supernova were something he came up with overnight, they weren't planned until the last second, therefore there was no major role for them to play in the grand scheme of OP. Oda went with his whims for these characters (and I suspect the editors' *suggestions*, which are very much based on fan opinions), until he tried to jam as many of them as possible in Wano, with poor results. Kid, Drake, Apoo, Hawkins, heck, even Law... all their storylines in the arc are terrible. Incredibly, Killer is the one that got away with the best one, in my opinion. Especially in Kid's case, reading Wano felt like Oda was desperately trying to give him a role, and failed at it over and over. Eventually he just gave up and wrote his backstory down in the SBS, here, no point in trying further. I wonder whether he'll ever go back to this character and finally delve into him a little more, maybe give some closure to his arc. I certainly hope so, but who knows?

(I'm also not a fan of what Oda did with Kid after the timeskip, he was dumbed down a lot and part of his charm was forgotten, but oh well)

As for my personal theories on Kid's past, I do like to think that his family was caught up in the South Blue sweep for Ace's mother. It would click in so well with his character and the speech he gave at the slave auction in Sabaody.

That said, none of this takes away from my love for the character. Eustass Kid is and always will be my number one man.

[prismartist]

a tma x empires s1 au with desolation roseblings ^^ set post-canon

Ao3

–––

The grass smoulders beneath Gem’s feet. 

She stares down at the blackening blades, the smoke swirling up and pouring into her. It stings in the way that a cold, refreshing glass of juice does and rests like amber coals at the bottom of her lungs; she hates how alive it makes her feel. 

The white dragon lays its head on the ground behind her and snorts, uncaring. 

“You good?” Fwhip asks, and Gem slowly turns to look at him. His brows are furrowed in concern, some of the soot falling off as his face creases. One of his pups, Nova, has started sniffing the circle of burnt grass.

“I don’t like this,” is her answer. The grip on her staff tightens. “I don’t want this.”

Fwhip purses his lips and looks down at where her feet brands the dirt. “You can’t really do much about it. Once a Fear picks you…”

“Yeah, I know, I know, I’m a helpless insect swept up in the whims of an eldritch deity.” Gem sighs, and starts to walk away, hoping the fresh air distracts her from the smoke. Fwhip follows, falling to her side. “I just- I wish I could fight it.”

The place where they’ve landed is a wide plain, far enough from everything that there’s no taste of the apocalypse to be seen. In any direction, Gem can’t see any of the empires, let alone civilization. She’s not sure if she likes that.

She’s not sure of anything, anymore. 

“You can control it, at least,” Fwhip tries to reassure. “Though to be honest, the Desolation is one of the harder ones to uh… pacify.”

“Tell me about it,” Gem huffs, bitterness seeping into her tone. “It’s Desolation. It’s not that subtle of a Power.”

Fwhip looks off into the distance at the endless horizon, and Gem notices the contemplating look in his eyes. Then he says, “I can help you control it. I’ve had more time with it than you.” 

Gem swallows. She’s known about Fwhip’s own connection for a while, and reminds herself of how easily he came into it. For the most part, he did seem to have a good amount of control over it. It’s not like he’s ever hurt her. Still, willingness to blow stuff up does not a good mentor make. 

However, it’s not like she has much choice. 

“Sure,” she says. “I trust you. I’m just worried you’ll end up enabling me.”

Fwhip turns back to her with a smile. “No promises.”

Gem tries to smile back, and fails.

Fwhip’s gaze drifts downwards, and he suddenly frowns. “Are you good?”

“Hm?”

“Your hands.” He nods in their direction, and Gem looks to see that she’s been tugging on her right glove without realising. She also notices, for the first time, that her hands are unbelievably warm. 

“Oh.” She takes off the glove fully and flinches, but not because of the cold air hitting the skin; rather, it’s the fact that she doesn’t feel any change in temperature at all. Her hand is incredibly warm. 

Fwhip sucks in a breath. “Yeah, it’s pretty unsettling. But you didn’t notice, which might be good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. That means you’ll get used to it quickly.”

Gem stares, for just a second, and the moment something hot and orange pulses under her palm, she shoves a glove over it.

–––

Gem doesn’t know why it takes so long for it to click. Maybe in getting caught up with escaping the apocalypse, she’d completely overlooked how exactly it came to pass. Maybe she hadn’t liked the implications. Maybe she just didn’t want to think about it.

“Fwhip,” she says as they’re flying again, “when you started… everything, were you…”

Fwhip continues to look straight ahead. His back stiffens infinitesimally “Was I what?” he asks, softly.

“Was it on purpose?” 

“What?!” He turns to her, eyes wide like a kicked puppy. His own dogs alert at the sudden movement. “No, Gem, I would never-”

“No I know, I know! But- your patron.” She pauses, then forces out, “Our patron. Did it have anything to do with it? Was it, you know, the reason you…”

Fwhip’s expression draws into itself, and he purses his lips. “Probably,” he says, quiet voice cracking. “I- I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t. I don’t know.”

Gem nods.

“But,” he continues, “I think it… saw an opportunity. Maybe it really thought cod and salmon don’t go together. Or maybe it doesn’t like the Stranger. Or all of the above. I really don’t know. Not a clue.”

Gem shakily breathes in the cool air. It pierces her lungs, like a fire. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with, do we.”

“No.” Fwhip takes her gloved hand into his. “But we’ll figure it out.”

She nods weakly.

–––

It’s much later when Gem starts feeling woozy, and eventually crumples against Fwhip, who yelps in surprise.

“Gem? Are you alright?”

“‘m fine,” she mutters, “Just- really weak all of a sudden?”

“Oh.” Fwhip sighs. “Right, I thought this might happen.”

She frowns up at him. “What might happen?”

“You’re hungry. You haven’t fed on anything in a while. I was hoping that somehow the apocalypse would keep us satisfied for a bit, but…” He winces. “Maybe that was a bit of wishful thinking.”

Gem’s heart sinks. She knows enough about feeding to know what it entails. “Oh.”

Fwhip looks over the side—hunting—and there’s a few moments of silence. “Gem,” he finally pipes up, “can you tell the dragon to put us down, just to the left?”

She does so, despite the ever-heavy dread growing in her gut, and once they land Fwhip helps her slide off the back. Her limbs are jelly, and she feels a headache coming on which is not pleasant at all, but with her staff she manages to walk. Fwhip guides Gem to a smattering of trees that transition into a thicker forest. She stares at the particularly large oak tree she now stands in front of, and realisation dawns on her. 

“You have to feed on it,” Fwhip says, and all of a sudden Gem’s mouth is dry. “Otherwise you’ll keep feeling weak.”

“I—” The words die on her tongue as Gem looks towards the bark. Her palm itches. “Do I have to?”

“It’s just the one tree. Maybe another if we need to, b- but,” Fwhip quickly adds on, “we’re definitely not going to do the entire forest.”

Gem licks her lips. She tells herself it’s just to wet her chapped lips, but the growl in her stomach says otherwise. “What if I lose control?”

“You won’t, you’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

She looks him in the eye. His expression is one not seen on him often, and Gem would be lying if she says she isn’t startled. His jaw is set, eyebrows furrowed, looking at her with an intense determination. Fwhip gives her a nod, and she turns back to the old tree. Gem breathes in deeply.

“When I did it for the first time,” she says, “and I burnt all those houses… it felt good. It felt great, even.”

Fwhip nods. “You were feeding. It’s not much different to…” he waves a hand around, “like, having a good steak.”

“But it is, isn’t it?” Gem mutters. Fwhip doesn’t respond. She takes another breath. “How do I do it?”

“Whichever is easiest for you. As long as you destroy it.”

Gem raises a hand and removes the glove on it slowly, one finger at a time. It wasn’t uncomfortable per se, but now, Gem can’t help but sigh with relief as it’s freed, and the heat is allowed to breathe. 

It’s easy. Even if she’s only just discovered it not so long ago, she knows the motion, the feeling, what she needs to do. She grips her staff with her naked hand, the touch burning in the infinitesimal gap between the surfaces. She holds it out, as if offering something—or rather, taking—and summons it.

Gem barely makes the command before there’s a spark running through her veins and flames erupt from her, shooting and spitting with a hiss like a wild animal. She stumbles back as the flames envelop the tree completely, faster than even the most ruthless wildfires would. Bit by bit the tree crumbles, blackening and dissipating like sand, like debris, the life yanked away, and Gem knows it’s impossible but she can almost hear it scream.

Or maybe that was just her.

Watching the flames rise higher and higher, Gem collapses to her knees, stomach heavy with sick contentment. Her mouth is watering. She can taste char in the back of her throat. Her skin feels like it’s melting. Gem lets out a watery sob; it looks too familiar. 

“Gem.” Something gently touches her shoulder—honest to Aeor she feels him leave a dent in her skin—, and she sees Fwhip kneeling next to her. “Are you—” He pauses. He already knows the answer.

“No,” she whispers. “But I’m fed.”

Fwhip studies her expression, and pulls her into a hug. Even though the hunger has been satiated, Gem can’t find the strength to return it. Instead, she simply leans into it, burying her face in his cloak. 

“I hate it,” she hisses, almost sobs, shutting her eyes. “Fwhip, I hate it! I don’t want destruction, not after—” She hesitates. “Not after everything.”

“I know,” Fwhip says. “It’s hard.”

“It’s not me.”

“It’s not. But you just have to—” He pauses. Gem thinks she hears him crumbling too. “You have to learn to live with it.”

“How am I supposed to live off this?”

“I… don’t know.” He pulls away, holding Gem by the shoulders. “But we’ll figure it out. I managed years with it; I’m sure you can too.”

“I don’t want to live off destruction,” Gem says. “I don’t want to live off Fear. It’s cruel.”

“There’s always a compromise.”

“What’s ours?”

There’s a beat of silence before Fwhip slowly stands up. Gem looks at him as he offers his hand, and notices tear streaks down his cheeks. He takes a deep, wobbly breath, cocks his head and gives a small, strained smile. “Let’s go and see.”

Gem stares for a while. Then she takes Fwhip’s hand. As they meet, the skin burns between them.

[sidworldfans]

Interview on Natalie Music 10.12.2023

In 2023, SID has been vigorously engaged in activities befitting the 20th anniversary of its formation. To close out this anniversary year, the first tribute album SID Tribute Album -Anime Songs- and a new single “Soyokaze” (Breeze) were recently released.

The tribute album is a unique project in which SID’s anime tie-up songs are covered by the voice actors who appeared in the anime. Daisuke Ono, Romi Park, Masakazu Morita, Haruka Tomatsu, Ayumu Murase, Sora Amamiya, and Jun Fukuyama are among the talented voice actors who have sung SID’s songs, and this spectacular lineup has become a topic of conversation among anime fans. “Soyokaze” released at the same time, is a ballad in which SID looks back on their journey and expresses their love for their fans in words and sound. Both works are like a gift from SID to their fans.

We asked the band members what they think as they head toward the finale of their anniversary with some stories related to these two works.

A Bad Idea Becomes Reality

In celebration of SID’s 20th anniversary, you have been holding various projects and live performances since January this year, and recently you released your first tribute album SID Tribute Album -Anime Songs-.

Mao (Vo): When we were thinking about whom to have sing our songs, I suggested to the staff: “Since SID has sung the openings and endings of many anime, why not have the voice actors who have appeared in the anime that SID has been involved with sing our songs?” However, I knew that it would be very difficult to implement this project. So, sometime later when I had forgotten about it, I was surprised when I was told they said yes!

Aki (B): The result is a premium album like no other.

Yuuya (Dr.): There aren’t many artists who release a tribute album of anime songs, and to have popular voice actors participate in it was really great. We’ve had a lot of feedback from our fans on social networking sites, and even people who are not our fans are getting excited about the album because the voice actors posted about it on X. It was a great opportunity for us to reaffirm that we are doing something valuable, and we were very excited about it.

Shinji (G): To be honest, I thought it would be impossible to make such a gorgeous album. That’s why I was just so happy to hear such amazing voice actors singing on the album

Then, please tell us what you think of the work as a whole one by one.

Mao: I am proud of the wide range of musical styles that we have created so far, and at the same time, I believe that this is SID’s weapon. I think we were able to show the results of that work in a different way here. Even though we had a variety of voice actors singing the songs this time, each song was unique. Of course, the voice actors themselves have great power, but I have a strong sense that we were able to draw out the power of the songs again at this time. The album as a whole is well put together, and you can feel the individuality of each song. It is such a work of art.

All the songs are great, so it is difficult to narrow it down, but if you had to pick one song, which would it be?

Mao: Uso sung by Romi Park (Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist) was amazing. I could feel the tremendous amount of feeling she put into the song. I was surprised at how well Fullmetal Alchemist, Uso and Ms. Park’s voice came together to form a single piece. The acoustic arrangement was also unexpected and wonderful.

The arrangement is quite different from the original song, but it is not strange at all, and I could feel her respect for the song.

Mao: Yes, that’s right! I felt that she listened to the song carefully and sang it well, and more than anything, her voice matched the song.

Aki: As for my impression of the album as a whole, I don’t want to sound superior, but I genuinely felt that it was as good as I expected. Each cover is truly unique and extremely complete. I wonder if you would call it a microphone ride? It was wonderful. Everyone is a voice actor by profession, but they are all musicians in their own right. And, they didn’t sing their own songs. Even so, I could feel their love for the music and their passion for SID. I was really honored.

Of course they have a high level of singing technique, but more than that, I could feel how much they love music.

Aki: I was particularly impressed by Ayumu Murase (who voiced Mahmut in Altair; see also: SID’s Rasen no Yume), with whom I have talked before in Music Natalie. (See: SID’s “Rasen no Yume - a trio talk between Mao, Aki, and Ayumu Murase”). I know I wrote this song myself, but the melody is complicated and difficult to begin with. I was very happy to have Mr. Murase sing this song because he expressed it perfectly.

Shinji: When we were writing the song, I felt we had a good response to it, but when I hear other people play and sing it again, I can say to myself: “SID has a lot of good songs.” It is difficult to pick just one song, but I thought Ranbu no Melody was simply cool because Masakazu Morita’s voice (voicing Ichigo Kurosaki from BLEACH) really matched the song.

I had the impression that the guitar in Ranbu no Melody was played roughly. I felt that you carefully followed the same style.

Shinji: That’s right. Many of SID’s songs have a heavy guitar playing, but I remember playing this song roughly, as if it was a one-shot recording. I felt that he reproduced that atmosphere in the song. In terms of performance, Uso was also mentioned by Mao earlier. Of course, Ms. Park’s voice is great, but the guitarist playing this song is Mr. Kojun, who composed and played the guitar for “Brave”, the theme song for the fourth generation of the News Station. I have loved Kojun’s guitar playing for a long time, so much so that I bought his sheet music and copied it. I was happy to hear him play Uso and I thought it was really cool.

Yuuya: They (the voice actors) have a great understanding of SID’s music, and each arrangement shines through, making this album a great listen. If I had to choose one song, I would choose Anniversary by Haruka Tomatsu (who voices Morgiana in Magi). When a woman sings a song with such a bright atmosphere in a higher key, it makes it more gorgeous. I thought it was a nice touch, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well she got into it.

The scale of the song is further enhanced by Ms. Tomatsu’s voice, and I got the impression that the song is full of hope.

Yuuya: Yes, yes. The title of the song means “celebration” and it has a very bright and relaxed atmosphere that fits perfectly with the song. I was very drawn to it.

The word “Breeze” symbolizes all our fans

Along with the tribute album, SID released a new single “Soyokaze” (Breeze), your first single in about a year and nine months. Aki composed the music and Mao wrote the lyrics. The song has a gentle and warm melody.

Aki: I had exactly the image you just mentioned at the beginning. The song was called by that image. I wrote it with the hope that it would be a song that would gently push the audience back in time.

Was a song to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the band a key point in composing the song?

Aki: Yes, that’s right. We started from the point of: “Let’s make a new song for Budokan at the end of the year”, and we wrote the song and thought about the arrangement based on the keywords I mentioned earlier. As for the bass, it is not about technique. I wanted the arrangement to show the four of us playing together, and the groove that is unique to SID, and I hoped the song would bring those elements to the forefront.

I felt that the lyrics are appropriate for the 20th anniversary, as they reflect the many years that you have spent together. What did you have in mind when you wrote the lyrics?

Mao: First of all, I wanted the lyrics to be representative of the 20th anniversary. Looking back over the years, I wanted to write lyrics that I honestly felt and that I could write only now. The main point is that I wrote the song Binetsu when we were indies, and I wrote it with the image of the story that led up to it. The phrase “How many albums is it now?” is almost exactly the same as in the lyrics of Binetsu.

 “Blue and spring blended and fused together in a daze, from the open album slowly, slowly to the next page”, right?

Mao: I like this song very much because I think it is because we have worked hard together with our fans for 20 years to make this kind of expression possible. The title of the song “Breeze��� was chosen because I thought of a word that symbolizes the fans, and for me, they are like a gentle breeze that comfortably watches over me and gently caresses my cheeks. At times they became a tailwind, cheering me on in various ways. I was happy to be able to express that in the title.

Was there a scene that came to your mind while writing the lyrics?

Mao: It reminded me of all the live performances we have done. Especially when we were standing in live houses day after day. The early days of touring with just one car are still vivid in my memory. I also experienced some bad times as a vocalist, so I wrote the lyrics in a positive way so that I could leave both the sour and the sweet in the lyrics.

I thought the lyrics of Soyokaze were very direct, even among the songs you have written.

Mao: Not that I was very conscious of that, but all the phrases came out naturally. When recording the song, I thought it would be best to sing in a straightforward manner to convey the straightforward lyrics, so I was conscious of my unadorned singing voice. I didn’t want to use any complicated techniques, but rather to use my own straightforward singing voice.

All band members can relate to it

Regarding the guitar play in Soyokaze, you have included many characteristic phrases in the intro, interludes, and other places.

Shinji: Aki said he didn’t push the technical part too much but for the guitar, there are many phrases that move around quite a bit. There are arpeggios and phrases that you have to memorize or you will be left behind. The arrangement is comfortable, and the phrases appear in between the singing, so although it is challenging, it is fun to play.

Shinji, what do you think of Soyokaze?

Shinji: It is a very good song, and the first line of the lyrics, “A Hiace that holds nothing but dreams” really grabbed my heart. It’s a phrase that all band members can relate to. I thought it was very chic to start the song with such a phrase. When I listen to this song, I picture myself carrying equipment up and down steep stairs in a cramped live music club, and at the end of the song, holding a can of coffee.

Yuuya, your singing-like drumming is also wonderful.

Yuuya: The entire song is a pop song, but it doesn’t go too far in a gentle direction. I wanted to show in the songs the attitude that we have had as a rock band for many years. We had not released a single song this year, and I think it was right to release a new song at the end of our 20th anniversary year. Among such songs, Soyokaze has a feeling that is typical of us, gentle and pleasant to the ear. I think it is very SID-like that we were able to create such a song for the people who support us.

20th anniversary blessed with good timing

This year has been a year full of topics such as the tour and the release of the complete box set SID 20th Anniversary BOX.

Mao: First of all, I was very happy to be able to work energetically as SID. We received a lot of positive feedback from our fans on tour and on social networking sites. I was especially impressed by the wonderful smiles that greeted us wherever we went on tour. 20 years of hard work has resulted in those smiles, and it was a very enjoyable year for me, too.

Aki: This year started and ended with live performances, and the members were able to enjoy the lively atmosphere that is typical of the 20th anniversary.

Is there anything in particular that has left a lasting impression on you?

Aki: There was a great sense of relief that we had successfully completed two big tours, including the ones we had left to do. Despite the various restrictions, we were able to move in the right direction and finish the tour together with our fans, which might be a matter of course, but it made me very happy.

I think the fact that you were able to lift the ban on vocal expression at the live shows for the first time in three years also contributed to the sense of fulfillment during the tour.

Aki: That’s right. During the period when we couldn’t speak, our fans were cheering us on, and we were able to experience the joy of being released from that situation together with them.

Shinji: This year we were able to do our regular live tours, and we were also able to do projects that were different from our usual ones, experiences that we’ve never had before. I like to spend a year just performing live, but I feel that this year was an opportunity for me to become an asset for SID in the future.

What was particularly memorable for you?

Shinji: The acoustic live and talk-style tour (SID 20th Anniversary Premium FANMEETING TOUR 2023). We had done such live performances before, but this was the first time to do it as a tour. I remember thinking: “I want to give the same song a different expression” or something like that as we went around.

Yuuya: I also feel that the 20th anniversary was a fulfilling time for me. We were able to successfully complete the tour of “Umibe” which we had left unfinished. We started out the album tour standing in a live house, whereas most of our tours are held in halls. Looking back, I am glad that we were allowed to use our voices on stage, and that we were able to create a stage that suited the live music venue.

It seems like fate that you were allowed to speak out during the 20th anniversary year, doesn’t it?

Yuuya: That’s right. If last year or the year before had been the 20th anniversary year, there would have been many things we couldn’t have done, and we would have been left with unfinished business. I think the timing was very good. And this year was the year when we realized that there were still many things that we had not done yet. We had never done a costume exhibition before, we did a fan meeting tour for the first time, and it has been a really good year.

Toward “Our Most Favorite Place”

To conclude the 20th anniversary, SID 20th Anniversary GRAND FINAL “Our Most Favorite Place” will be held at Budokan on December 27.

Yuuya: While it feels like a last celebration, it may be conventional, but I hope to give a high-energy live performance that will convey to everyone the momentum toward the 21st year.

Shinji: This year, I have felt a lot of gratitude towards everyone. At Budokan, I want to show “cool SID” to the fans who have followed us this far. It’s a simple thing. It would be great if we could do that in a bigger venue.

Aki: From my point of view, I would like the day to be the culmination of 20 years and to give people a sense of the future. I think the title “Our Most Favorite Place”, which we have been using since the live house tour, is an important title for both us and our fans, so I hope we can deliver a passionate stage performance to each and every one of them so that they can feel as close to us as in a live house, in a good way.

Mao: Lately I have been thinking a lot about how to convey my feelings to my fans who have supported me for 20 years, and to the people who would gather at Budokan. I’ve been wondering what kind of live show they want to see. I thought that the best way to repay them would be to give them the kind of live performance they wanted to see, and I came to the conclusion that me singing happily would be the best way for them to see me. I have had a lot of difficulties along the way, and I have shown my fans that I have had a hard time, but I think it would be best if I could show them the vocalist Mao of SID who is just having fun and enjoying himself at Budokan, which marks the 20th anniversary of the band. For that reason, I will work hard and enjoy the Budokan as the culmination of my efforts. I hope we can have a good finale.

What are your thoughts about your activities after Budokan, starting from the 21st year?

Aki: I think it would be good to start with what we didn’t do during the 20th anniversary. I would like to do things that fans could enjoy, such as live performances and events that can only be done by a band with a long career, including things we couldn’t do during the 20th anniversary year.

Mao: That’s right. We know what our fans want us to do and what kind of SID they want to see, so we want to continue to do that. However, if we just meet the expectations, there will be no sense of surprise. I think we can continue to have fun together in the future if we can strike a good balance by including things about which people might think: “No way!”

Yuuya: I think we have been thinking in our own way and have carried out plans that excited everyone at key points in the past, and our special attempt for the 20th anniversary year will be completed on December 27. I am sure you will feel a sense of loneliness, just like when a trip is over. That is why I would like to start the exciting journey from the 21st year without leaving a gap in time.

Shinji: As for what the three of you said: “You’re going to do something like this!” or “That’s what I’ve been waiting for!” - I would like to do something that will surprise and delight everyone. Thank you for your continued support of SID.

The original article with images: https://natalie.mu/music/pp/sid08

[americangodstalk]

Back on the road...

...wherever it might lead me. Though now I know where it WON'T.

So, hi everybody new, hi again people from before, and I will be sad for all those that went away in between.

After a long time of just going away from all things AG related and finding back myself and my mental health and a more stable life (got two out of the three, not bad) I am finally ready to return into the whole AG business! But on a different level.

Because I will be honest with you all: if you look through my archives, maybe you'll perceive it, maybe you wont, but I had over the course of this blog a slow mental downgrade if not breakdown because of a lack of experience of what Tumblr was and all sorts of bizarre coincidences and events. For example, I was way too young for a lot of my early experiences in the AG fandom - and I was also clearly way too young to handle a Wiki.

Already let's talk about the AG Wiki. The American Gods Wiki. This lovely little Wiki that I participated in at first simply as a fan of the book and the then newly released show. I was just here and there, correcting some articles, bringing some new infos and pictures - as a regular Wiki user does. Then the people part of the staff said they needed help, asked me if I wanted to be part of the team and I said "Well yes!" and it was my first time being part of any staff or any administration team of any Wiki ever. I thought "Well I'm going to learn some new stuff, isn't that great?". And then the Wiki was completely abandoned and I was left in charge as the only active staff member on the Wiki. And this was bad.

I don't think I need to draw a picture, but a young and unexperienced person suddenly being catapulted head of a Wiki, alone against a horde of faceless people (plus there was a big wave of trolls that vandalized the articles regularly), and feeling somehow that he had the "charge" of it all and was like the last guardian of this old city that had been built by others before and that only he could prevent from sinking? Yeah no, this was bad. I poured a lot of time and effort into the Wiki as a result, and... this kind of soured my AG experience because I realized I am not a guy who likes to make Wikis. I like participating in encyclopedias, I like writing dumb little articles here and there, I like overanalyzing some trivia. But I hate having to be on the watch for everything little thing every time I read a book, I hate having to categorize and classify everything neatly (especially since American Gods is a book that precisely defies classifications and works on mystery), I hate to have to explain to other people a book I myself not fully understand (and that is not meant to be fully understood)... Plus of course, the cultural barrier of being French vs the book being about, you know, THE USA. I have enough knowledge of USA history and folklore, but that's not enough to write too extensively about it.

This is all what led me to drop it all. I still went on the look out from time to time ("like a vulture" I used to write), not actively participating but correcting mistakes, banning vandals, just overseeing things. And as time went by I just... stopped being there. I only recently took a new look, and I saw - miracle of miracle - that decent people and true fans, not trolls, were adding useful informations or making important correctings on a regular basis. Somehow, in my absence, the Wiki had not been destroyed, but people actually started taking care of it! Something that never happened while I was around. Anyway I am still on the search for someone to replace me as the "unofficial head of the wiki" - or one of the higher ups. It would be nice having someone who knows how to handle Wikis take care from now on.

On the other side, another reason I had to take a step back and refocus on something else, was of course the TV series. I was massively, massively invested in season 1. It was the first time I saw a work I adored being adapted in such a cool way, and I was all into it. And then season 2 came, and then season 3, and with each season I disliked the show more - but here's the thing... I couldn't tell at the time if I judged the show for its true worth or not. Because of how of a mess it all was. I will call it a "cursed production" indeed, because there was so much... things around it, it ended up preventing me from clearly seeing the episodes for what they were. The constant change of directions and focus for each season due to different showrunners/writers and different artistic directions ; the delays ; the allegations, accusations and behind-the-scenes drama, the actors quitting, not quitting but never being brought back, all resulting in convoluted character arcs - plus my own biases and personal appreciations as someone who loved the book and thus clung onto the book's worldbuilding to try to undertand the series' worldbuilding as it became more and more... different each season.

But after all that, I think I am ready for a fresh and new start. I am back from a pure "No AG" diet. I heard there's an Anansi Boys TV show in the works. I feel ready to do some AG stuff again. Probably look back at the TV show. I'll probably buy the DVD of season 2 (I only have the DVD of season 1 because I was bitter about season 2 not having any extras despite this season having PILES WORTH of deleted scenes and cut material). I have lot of stuff to reblog, and lot of other stuff to share. And no, I will not be working on the Wiki. All the info, concept art, interviews I collected, I feel it would be more interesting to pour them out here, into a social media, directly for people to reblog, comment, talk and share, rather than classifying them discreetly in a Wiki. Not that people do not read or use the Wiki - in fact this was one of the reasons I decided to work on the Wiki, to prevent misinformation from being shared... But I am just not cut-out to obsessively collect and then classify neatly and in an "easy to explain" way all the info about a work. I am rather the type to obsessively collect all the info about a work, share it in a chaotic way, and thus teach the most convoluted and complex lessons about a character's evolution through media or the themes treated by a novel.

All of that to say. I am back. Hi everybody. And if you still want to hit me with questions, messages, or notes, do not hesitate!

[velvetterabby]

Hello! I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your input on my CiFlower post and civility in handling this matter. However, I'd like to point out that this isn't the first time this artist has used AI art in an otherwise professional work.

For the piece on the left, look at the man in blue's hands, the man in red's chest under his coat, the layering of certain parts of the woman in white's outfit, etc.

For the piece on the right... well, you can look at almost anything in the image and it'll begin to look off, but a special shout-out goes out to this girl right here.

Besides, I wouldn't say CEViO would be above asking an artist to use AI for official art. Several CEViO products support NFTs (KZN, Kafu, Sekai, the Tohoku family, R/ME, etc.), so it's clear that CEViO does not support actual artists.

I'm not saying you've done anything wrong by disagreeing with me! Again, I appreciate your input, but I this is really important to me and I'd like to share. Thank you for your time!

Alright, once again no hate towards you I bet you're pretty young and not an artist so I can't fault you for thinking this way and can fully ignore this this post is more for my own benefit than yours it's a subject I've wanted to talk about for a while.

Unfortunately your examples aren't really that great if you want to convince me that they do AI art... if these hands are bad I don't even want to imagine what you'd say about mine...

Actually no I'll show you some bad hands I've drawn right now

(these are all from the same piece and it's unfinished but I have drawn these and I can prove it in many ways)

There's nothing wrong with not being able to draw hands, and there's nothing wrong with making mistakes it's human, it's natural. I've looked at all these example images and unfortunately I can't see anything that tips me off about it being AI.

This girl's face looks fine actually it's clearly just stylized and she's definitely not human so that's why she looks off

To be honest, to me this seems more like you personally didn't like the art that much and were looking for reasons to dislike it, which is fine and normal. It's ok to not like art u can just say that. Sure, it's kinda mean, but it's a lot nicer than tearing apart a picture and meticulously pointing out the flaws to "prove" it's AI. This kind of thing is dangerous it can really affect an artist, I know if this happened to me I'd probably leave the internet forever, not to mention spreading rumors that this artist uses AI can ruin future job prospects.

They could lose their current jobs, since using AI would be a breach of contract, and it can prevent them from getting jobs in the future. Not to mention that it could potentially lead to them getting sued because selling art that you don't own/didn't create is fraud. And getting stuck with the reputation of an AI artist if ur not an AI artist would probably make you completely unemployable.

On another note, ceVIO would not use AI art. It's clear and obvious that the community does not approve of AI art whatsoever and I'm not sure if you're in the same circles I am, but game studio Rayark made a statement that they were replacing their art staff with AI art, and they were eaten alive. They lost most of their community support and even after walking back the decision, a lot of people completely abandoned them and they lost a lot of money. CeVIO would not risk this. I did not know about the NFTs before and I won't defend them, but this and that are different situations entirely. I could walk you through how the ci flower art was not AI step by step but that wouldn't be very constructive and I doubt you would ultimately care.

Once again I'm not attacking you by saying all this, and I don't even expect you to read all this. Honestly, I didn't expect a response at all I was mostly talking to myself here. I don't know what backlash you've received and I'm sorry if you've gotten any hate that's not the way to talk to people you disagree with, and even if we don't agree I would never wish anything like that on you. Please stay safe and know that I have no ill will towards you, I just don't think speculating on whether something is AI or not without knowing the trademarks of AI art is a very good idea.

Also, on a side note, the ci flower art was released a while ago, before AI art was as advanced as now... honestly if she was AI she'd probably have a third arm, or something like that

[a-mag-a-day]

MAG 50 - apple cutting

I had a reaaally hard time following these old statements, here we go…

"Dear Jonah" - ¬‿¬

"allow yourself some respite, or at the very least take some further secretarial staff into your employ" / "And it is this imminent departure that has had such a freeing effect upon my pen." / "I have been fearful that accusations of slander might dog me, were my tale to be set down, but with a boat to the new world beckoning, and your sterling reputation for discretion, I feel it may at last be time to divest myself of the disquieting scenes I have witnessed." / "Henry was very effusive about the talents and prospects of young Mr. Scott, and was at great pains to inform me that his young protege also received certain architectural tutelages from Sir Robert himself." - And here I was thinking I'm good at English xD That's probably the reason why I can't quite focus on those old statements. Tbf nowadays it's unusual to casually come across old English texts, so it's not really necessary to familiarize myself with those for my use. (It's not that I don't know the words - I mean a few I actually don't know, tutelages for example - just the way it is written is so different and I have to concentrate way more than usual)

"The plight of the poor and destitute has been a national disgrace" - WHAT? opening dict.cc and looking up "plight" and "destitute" sigh This episode might take a while…

"it was an undertaking I embarked on with no small amount of zeal." - crying in not a native speaker (oida T_T)

While copy-pasting all those quotes I totally lost the thread what's the rambling even about…

more crying in not a native speaker I would have to copy half the statement if I wanted to quote every sentence that made me go "the hell is he talking about???"

"Then from the other side that firm oak door, I would hear the strangest sounds, muttering and shouting. It was always in George’s voice alone. I could never quite discern the words. It often sounded as though he were in some great distress, and on more than one occasion I was within minutes of summoning a constable to assist in breaking through the door, when he would emerge, glistening from exertion and holding completely redone drawings. I’m sure I even saw blood on his collar once." - ??? I don't get it (plot-wise I mean)

Heading over to Patreon to send in a question for the next stream, which will be "Jonny, can you pls explain this episode to me like I'm dumb!!!"

"“Balance,” he told me. “Equilibrium. The hardest thing for an architect to achieve." - I've graduated from art school and we did have a bit of architecture and this makes me think of a hanging model. The most famous one is by Antoni Gaudi. Basically, by using chains you create an upside-down model of a building. The arches, which will be formed by the weight of the chains and gravity are supposed to help structural engineering. It's been over a decade since I graduated (T_T), I don't remember all the details, but it's cool!

"To my dying day, Jonah, I will aver that no one entered the building before I heard the footsteps approach." / "The walls and floor seemed to rise towards me, stealing the air from my lungs until I swear that I could feel the splinters from the ceiling digging into the soft skin of my face." / "The room returned to its natural proportions, which is to say, it… never truly changed." / "Extending from the unblemished solid stone of the workhouse wall were four fingertips." - This does sound like The Seven Lamps of Architecture, could this be an early version of it? The one Leitner uses was published 1845, the event of the statement took place in 1836, so it could be possible?

"End statement." - Excuse me? It's "Statement ends"…

Aaaah yes, Tim being Tim! Classic! Seriously tho, the way this conversation is set up it's really not far-fetching to think two people are hooking up. Great comedy!

I'll be honest my eyes glazed over listening to this episode to find a quote for the opening post I had to listen to it twice and I'm still having a hard time understanding it xD

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

No Strings Attached (3)

(In Which A Thing Happens)

-----

Whatever Gaius had been anticipating, it certainly hadn’t included trying to force a door open.  The former legatus put his arm against the wood, pressing against Astrid’s strength.

“Astrid!”

“Go away!”  The door shook as Astrid started to throw her weight against it.’

“Fucking hell!”  Gaius swore.  “I just want to-”  The wood shook again.  “Astrid!  Stop it!”  The door shuddered once more in reply, and Gaius hissed through his teeth.  Rearing back, he braced himself, and then shoved forward with all his might using a shoulder.  The door flew inward, resulting in Astrid stumbling backward as Gaius barreled inside.  Huffing, the general straightened.

“Astrid.  Just give me-”  Before Gaius could continue, a blur of white rushed him.  A beringed hand flew up, and then Gaius could only see stars as Astrid’s palm connected with his left cheek.  The force of the blow nearly doubled over the ex-imperial, and he was forced to take a step back.  In front of him, Astrid was panting heavily.  Her hand was still aloft in the air, her blue eyes glittering with fury.

“...I deserved that.”  Gaius admitted, feeling his cheek beginning to throb. 

“Bastard!”  Astrid snarled.  “Get out of my room.  Now!”

“Not until we talk.”  Gaius countered.  “Now you’ve gotten your ponze of flesh in-”  The white-haired woman hissed and darted away.  Not wanting to draw more attention--or any at all if he was honest, Gaius turned to shut the door.

“Astrid!  Can we just--”  The only warning he had was the sudden draft of air against his neck.  Years of instincts took over, and Gaius spun about, sidestepping.  The crown of Astrid’s staff whistled down through the air where he’d formerly been standing.

“Astrid!”

“Hold still so I can kill you!”

“Just--stop it already!”  Gaius bellowed.  He ducked back from a particularly wild swing.  Charging forward, he crowded Astrid, getting behind her.  Now he could bear-hug her, which in turn forced Astrid to drop her staff.

“You coward!  Let me go!”  Astrid howled.  She began to kick and squirm against Gaius, whose mind raced.  He only had a few seconds, it was a miracle that a fireball hadn’t been aimed at him yet--but this was Astrid, she’d start flinging them soon enough.  He needed to distract her--

And before Gaius could completely think it through--he was acting on automatic--he seized one of Astrid’s wrists, spun her around, and kissed her.

----

She was going to kill him.  She’d kill him, figure out how to make it look like an accident, and then scold Riven for not murdering the man a decade ago.  But before Astrid could enact any part of that particular thought process, she found herself being spun around, crushed tightly to a hard chest, and her lips--

~~~

Kissing him was a bad idea kissing him was a bad idea kissing him was a bad ideas--but oh Scholar his lips tasted of the savory stew that had been served for supper, and he smelled of amber and woodsmoke--  With a low cry, Astrid wrenched herself free.

“How dare you kiss me!”  She snapped.  For a moment she swore that Marcus looked dazed.  Then his yellow eyes narrowed into slits, and Astrid watched as he lifted a hand to his lips.

“It was the only way to get you to shut up.”  He replied, his voice silk.  Astrid bristled--oh he had that smug look on his face, she was going to wipe it off him--she wanted to kiss him again, no, she wanted more than that--

~~~~~

For a moment she wasn’t old.  She wasn’t heartbroken, she wasn’t a pillar of icy silence, she wasn’t a bloodstained murderess.  She was young again, the world ahead of her--and the feel of a man pressing against and into her body, setting her nerves aflame but in a good way--

Reality crashed into Astrid like a wave of cold water.  She wasn’t young, this wasn’t some decadent villa in Garlamald, she was in Terncliff, and Marcus was--  With a shrill scream, she wrenched herself free, stumbling back and away from Gaius.  Distance, distance, she needed distance--

“Don’t you dare ever do that again!”  And echoing their first kiss-Gaius looked dazed.  But this time his hands went to his lips first, before his eyes moved to meet hers.

“Heh.  You’ve not changed one bit.”

“I have changed plenty, Black Wolf.”  Astrid ground out.  Now the look Gaius was giving her was one of annoyance.

“I wasn’t the Black Wolf then.  And--”  Now his eyes narrowed into slits, and that velvet voice turned into a growl. 

“You left.”

“I wonder why!”  Astrid countered.  “Warmongering bastard!  Did you really think a charming smile and a silver tongue would win you my favor?!”

“I don’t know, you were certainly willing to hand them over without any question!”  Gaius snapped back.  The sound that escaped Astrid was akin to a deranged tea-kettle, and Gaius could see kill-lights in her eyes.

“You...you---”

“I was hoping for us to have at least some semblance of a civilized conversation, considering that you’re stuck here for the moment.”   Never had Gaius seen sudden emotional whiplash on the level that overcame Astrid at that particular moment.

“Wait, what?”  She asked.

“Your airship.  There was an engine malfunction.  They’re working on repairing it now, but it looks like you and your partner won’t be able to leave until day after tomorrow.”  Astrid blinked once, then twice. 

Oh no.  No. No, no, no.  She couldn’t be stuck here.  Not with Gaius.  That was asking too much of her sanity.  The sound of the door opened jarred Astrid out of her panicked thoughts, and she looked up.  Gaius was standing in the doorway, his back to her.

“...By the way.”  He turned his head slightly toward her.  “I see you made the Forum.  I remember you talking about that when we were together.”  A faint smile tugged at his lips, and Astrid felt the blood rush to her cheeks, heat rising from her face.

“Congratulations on that.”  And with those words, Astrid watched the door firmly shut on Gaius’ back.  For several moments she stood there, caught between rage and pleasure at the praise...

“FUCK!”

----

No Strings Attached (1) here

No Strings Attached (2) here