#just. ah. the animation industry has some incredible talent & i could never thank them enough for it

[drbtinglecannon]

Yes I cried after my 10yr anniversary rewatch of Gravity Falls

Yes I've cried after every previous rewatch

And yes I'll always cry after every rewatch of Gravity Falls

We exist

[recentanimenews]

INTERVIEW: Jeff Trammell Speaks on Craig of the Creek and its Anime Influences

  In celebration of Black History Month, Crunchyroll is releasing interviews with prominent Black figures across the anime world! Stay tuned for more announced features, or donate to Black Girls Code, which educates young girls of color to encourage careers in computer science and technology!

  Anime has had and continues to have a huge impact across the globe, and that impact can be found more and more in Western animation! Kids who watched anime on Toonami are growing up and creating series of their own that take with them that seed of affection for the medium. One such creator is Jeffrey Trammell, the head writer of Cartoon Network's Craig of the Creek. Cameron Trentalange, our Associate Manager of Social Video, was lucky enough to talk with Jeff about his work on the series, his love of anime, and how the two are intertwined. See the video interview below, followed by a complete and uncut transcription of the full interview!

        Crunchyroll: Thank you for taking time to meet with us. We’re really excited to be chatting with you today. To get things started, if you could just introduce yourself to our audience, your name and what it is that you do.

  Jeffrey Trammell: My name is Jeff Trammell and I am the head writer, as well as a voice actor, on Craig of the Creek.

  How has anime influenced or inspired your work?

  How hasn't anime influenced my work? It’s been such a big part of everything we do. Everything I do as a writer … We're constantly thinking back to the storytelling, the kind of one arc, one-off episodes, as well as arc-long stories ... it’s really allowed us to use anime as a bit of a blueprint for the stuff we wanna do on Craig. Anime is a big part of the show. A lot of people on the crew grew up watching things like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon and Evangelion. Samurai Champloo gets brought up a lot, too. So, any chance that we can get to kinda pay homage to those classic shows as well as the other stuff we’re into, we kinda jump at the chance to do.

  via Cartoon Network

  That’s awesome. Are there any other specific elements that reflect your experience with anime in Craig of the Creek or your other works? I know the Elders of the Creek seem to be very pulled from people you might meet in the fandom.

  I would say I'm a bit more of a casual fan. There's people on the crew that are certainly closer to the Elders of the Creek. I'm more like Craig in that I have my own certain fandoms that I'm into. But yeah, anime is such a big part of the show in the weirdest ways — every episode has something we're sneaking in. Our crew early on would meet to do anime nights, so we would watch The Castle of Cagliostro or Totoro ... stuff like that. It's very ingrained in our crew.

  That’s awesome. That sounds like a super fun environment to be a part of.

  It’s really great when your workday ends and you’re just hanging out watching anime and playing D&D. Like there’s no complaints on our end.

  Craig of the Creek often dips its toes into referencing anime, whether it's a background gag or, as you mentioned, an entire episode-long narrative like "Bring Out Your Beast." It sounds like, as a community, you and the team are largely inspired by anime. Was that kind of a coincidence that everyone was into anime or was that intentional in the structuring of the team?

  Our crew consists of a lot of younger writers and creators, so naturally the stuff we grew up watching included so much anime and the stuff aired on Toonami. Even the co-creators, Matt Burnett and Ben Levin are like, really big into this stuff. You go to their office and there's like the entire Evangelion set, or all of Dragon Ball. I think they really created a show full of people who they wanted to be around, who were all going to tell really fun stories. I think it just happened that anime was such a big part of everyone's life on the show.

  It’s kind of amazing to see how much anime has influenced so many people throughout the industry. You mentioned that you guys would do different movie nights for watching anime. Do you have any specific anecdotes or moments from working with the teams where you intentionally wrote an anime reference into the script and someone pointed it out later, or maybe an animator just added something entirely without it even being in the script? Are they any fun little kind of instances like that?

  Yes. There’s a lot of instances where I’ll write something in the script and then at the boarding stage, the boarders would take it so far out. We did an episode where the Elders get trapped under Elder Rock and there's a bit about them having a very cool replica shovel from an anime called Shovelmaster Gorobi Q that I put in there. Immediately, it just became this whole other thing where the basis of the show was that this person's soul is trapped in the shovel, so if you use it, you can tap into their spirit. One of the Elders is in love with the character who inhabits the shovel ... it's wild! I never expected that whole story to come out of this one line I wrote.

  via Cartoon Network

  That's incredible. One of my favorite little background gags is one of the posters for a show called Sadboy Pilotgeddon.

  Yes.

  Was that written into the script, or was it an element someone else wrote in?

  That was our storyboard artist Ashley Tahilan who is usually the impetus for those crazy moments in the show. She put in Sadboy Pilotgeddon really early on, and I think she's also the reason Shovelmaster Gorobi Q became the absurd thing that it is.

  I love it. In one of the very early episodes, there was a character who was holding up a volume of manga and says, "you read manga backwards." I feel like I have said that verbatim as a kid!

  via Cartoon Network

That was a really fun moment. We were trying to introduce the ninja kids who just hang out and read manga. We thought  when you're introducing someone to manga, you can't start without saying, "Well, ya read it backwards!" We decided we NEEDED to put that in the show.

It was very true to life. I love those little moments. Speaking more generally, what does it mean to be a head writer on a TV show?

  Being a head writer means a lot of different things depending on the show. On Craig, it's nice because I get to be the link between the writing and the storyboard artists. Our show is very cohesive in that it's very storyboard driven. That means we take the premise and outline and then hand it off to the storyboard artists, and they draw everything, including dialog. Then we come back together and they'll pitch their work to us. We'll make sure that we pitch ideas and jokes, and really punch it up to make it stronger. We have this kind of cohesion where everyone gets to really leave their stamp on the episode. Being a head writer means overseeing that process, the writing room, recording, assisting with directing, sometimes getting in on editing. It's so much more than just running the room. It's been a really cool experience for me. I get to follow the stories not just from their initial creation, but all the way to their end, which has been really cool.

That sounds so incredible. So, how did you break into being a head writer, as opposed to different writing roles?  

I actually have only been a writer here in LA for about five years. Before that, I was a security guard at Target, oddly enough. I've always had an interest in writing, and I wanted to break in, but I didn't know how. I was able to find out about a yearly contest called the Nickelodeon Writing Program, where you would enter scripts and, out of around 2,000 applicants, they choose up to four people every year. They move you out to LA, and you get to work at Nickelodeon as a writer. You get to learn, you get paid, and you get all these amazing perks. I got to take improv and sketch writing, just all of these incredible things. When I moved out here once I finished up at Nickelodeon, I eventually found my way to Cartoon Network. I started working with Matt and Ben on Craig of the Creek. I was a staff writer for the first year, and by the second season, I was promoted to head writer. I've been very fortunate, the way I got in. I think it was a lot of "right place at right time," but also luckily having the skills to back it up that led to this quick rise. 

  That's amazing, what an incredible journey!

  Thank you!

  To be selected from over 2,000 writers — I think that says a lot about the talent you have.

  Thanks, that's really cool. 

  In addition to Craig of the Creek, I know you have also worked on shows like The Owl House, and you mentioned that you spent some time at Nickelodeon. What is it like to write specifically for animation?

  Writing for animation is tough because there's a lot of visual storytelling you have to be aware of. You are also writing for someone else. I think if you're writing novels or similar stuff, you can write the story exactly as it is in your mind and someone else can read it and see where you're coming from. When you're writing for animation, though, you have to be aware that whatever you write, someone else has to draw. Someone else has to design. Everything you write is going to be on someone else, so it's tempering all of those expectations you have for your own writing. You have to tell a fun, captivating story without pushing it too far, or making every shot a crowd scene. Then people would have to animate 50 people running by in every shot. It's a very intricate level of storytelling where you have to really see what the most important parts of the story are and convey that.

  That's an interesting point. I think there's this sense with animation of like, "Well the options are limitless because I can just draw it!" But then there's the realization of, "Ah, well that burden is laid on a bunch of people who actually have to animate the thing."

  Yes.

  I imagine there's a good amount of give and take there. Did you always want to break into animation, specifically? Has animation been a passion for you?

  Yes and no. I mean, I've always wanted to work in animation because I've been a fan my whole life. A lot of people have that teenage phase where they think, "I'm too adult for cartoons," and they kind of move away from it, but I've never done that. I've always appreciated animation. But I also appreciate live-action. The first time I got to work on an animated show was Harvey Beaks at Nickelodeon, and I really got to work with that crew and see everything that went into creating 11 minutes of television. It's so much work from so many people. It's like watching a conveyor belt in action. Seeing those things really laying out in front of me gave me a brand new appreciation, even more so. Since then, I've known animation is definitely where I want to be. 

  via Cartoon Network

  That's so cool. Craig of the Creek features such a wide cast of characters. How do you and the team approach writing for so many different voices from different backgrounds? I think the thing that's been really successful for us has been to reach beyond our writing room. At the end of the day, we only have so many experiences and can only write from so many perspectives. Our crew is dedicated to representing perspectives people may not have gotten to see growing up. So, we reach beyond our room to the crew. People are welcome to share their stories, welcome to pitch ideas for stories and characters. We really want to make sure that at the end of the day, we're making a show that people are not only proud to work on, but that they're excited to show it to their family and friends. 

Is it common for writing teams to be structured in a way where they have opportunities to work across other departments, or is that harder to find?

  It really depends on the show. I've been on shows where the writers only hang out with writers and the artists only hang out with artists. Coming from Harvey, which was a very closely connected group, I knew that was something I wanted when I was starting on Craig. Matt and Ben had come from Steven Universe, so I knew they wanted the same things. Early on, we really made an effort to make sure our group was close and our crew was excited to hang out, to talk and share ideas. It's kinda been ingrained from the very beginning of the show. 

  I love hearing about the kind of collaborative environment. So, I know you've lended your voice to one of the characters on Craig, and that you've done voiceover for other cartoons as well. Did you always have an interest in voice acting, too?  

I've wanted to be a voice actor since I was a kid! I was definitely that one kid who recognized voices in shows. I was like, "Oh that's Phil LaMarr!" I immediately knew! I always thought it was cool — it was this way to embody a character. You really get to step into their shoes and become someone else in a way that's similar to writing. I've wanted to be a voice actor forever, so it was fortunate that I finally got that opportunity on Craig. It was really nerve-wracking, though! You go into the recording booth and it's really quiet, and you're immediately aware of every single noise, like the weird click your tongue makes when you speak. Everything is hyper-focused. But it's been really cool. I appreciate them giving me the opportunity to really get to do it on Craig. I was able to transition into other opportunities by doing voices on this show called The Fungies! at Cartoon Network. I have a blast every time!

You touch on something really interesting, which is how writing and voice acting both go hand in hand in terms of getting into the head of a character. What have you learned about writing through voice acting and vice versa?  

The thing I've learned about writing from voice acting is that, even if I'm not sure of a joke while writing it, actors are so talented that they can usually deliver it in a way I wasn't expecting. They'll usually knock it out of the park every time. It's also really taught me to write to someone's strengths — just knowing that one actor is really good at these frantic moments lets me know that I can really play them up in the writing. Or maybe another actor is great at delivering heart and emotions, so we can make sure to nail their speech. Being in the booth really taught me that voice acting is so difficult, so I want to make sure we're setting up everyone who enters that booth for success with the best script we can give them, the best lines we can give them, and really set them up to knock it out of the park. It's this weird sort of symbiosis where you each try to prop one another up. Going from each side, from one side of the glass to the other, has shown me that I think we both just want to make sure we're. giving the actors the best material we can, and actors just want to provide us with the best performances that they can. 

  via Cartoon Network

  It's really interesting to hear how that all comes together, and how both of those perspectives are sort of similar in some ways. I'm curious, how did the conversation about you voice acting in Craig of the Creek start?

  I was able to find my way into the booth by begging a lot! Haha, not really, but it's one of these things I had to speak up early about and just say, "Just so you guys know, this is something I'm passionate about. This is something I've really wanted to do." I couldn't be afraid to take those risks, even in a room where I'm pitching a character, putting myself out there with a goofy voice, hoping that I'm impressing them with the passion I'm giving these characters. Luckily, it worked out, and I think they appreciated my drive and how much respect I have for the craft of voice acting. I was also taking voice acting classes as well, so I was really not shy in letting them know that this was something I seriously wanted to pursue. 

I know on Rocko's Modern Life, one of the writers just kept inserting his voice audition in the pile, and finally, someone was like, "This one is really good, who is this?" and he was like "It's me!" I'm always curious about those little moments for everybody. 

  I wish I had known about that story, I might have gone that route!

  The sneaky route!

  Plan B, you know.

  Another question I wanted to ask is, how does it feel to know that people resonate with your work? Your writing and acting contributions to the show are excellent, and the series is a lot of fun for both kids and adults. There's something about it that just captures the charming innocence of being a kid with a big imagination. Everything is whimsical, but there is a lot of grounded humor and references to pop culture we all love. What does it feel like to have your work reach so many people?

  First, thank you for all of those kind words about the show, I really appreciate that. It means so much. I think it's one thing when you're working on something and you get caught up in it and think of it as a day to day gig. But Craig has never felt like that. Early on, it felt very special. The crew felt special, and we were all proud of what we were making. We were all hoping that people would relate to it and really have fun watching it. So, seeing everybody watch all of these moments where we have Sparkle Cadet and people really resonate with a black magical girl in a Western animated show ... Seeing people resonate with our various Slide the Ferret gags which may or may not be related to Sonic — I cannot say legally. Seeing the very heartfelt stuff, the family stuff, the stuff you don't see a lot, and watching people see those things and feel good and feel validated ... it's been incredible. It means so much, more than I can really put into words. It's just a really good feeling, and I feel proud of the stuff we're doing and continuing to do. 

via Cartoon Network

  You and the team are doing awesome work. One of my friends recommended the show to me a while ago, and once I started watching I was like, "Yeah, I get it." There's just something really nice about it. Also, Jeff Rosenstock's music is just great.

  Jeff's the best! Jeff's the absolute best. Every time he sends some music in, I'm like, "How do you do it?"

  Do you guys work together at all? Is there a "meeting of the Jeffs"?  

Oh, all the time. I'm very fortunate to call Jeff a friend. He's one of the coolest people I know. I think we're constantly in awe of each other, which makes for an interesting friendship. He's so talented and so funny, and he makes everything look so easy. It's kind of unfair how talented he is, but I couldn't be a bigger fan of Jeff, he's great. 

  Something I was curious about is if you had any influence on the music. The music really makes the scene sometimes, and then you have the opening and ending songs. Do you work with the music at all as a lead writer, like finding the right vibes for a scene or writing lyrics with Jeff? There's an episode where Craig sings in front of a live crowd, and I was curious what the creative process was like on an episode like that.

  Jeff and I worked together on a musical episode called "In the Key of the Creek," where Jeff came to town. He was living in New York at the time and came to town for a week, and would sit in the writing room while we were breaking the story. He would just write these songs or he'd go home and like three hours later send us a demo saying, "Yo! I came up with this today." And it's like ... how?! This is incredible! Usually, Ben Levin, one of the co-creators, works directly with Jeff, but he's been very open to working with the rest of the crew. The episode you mentioned, "Vulture's Nest" ... I believe Tiffany Ford, one of our directors, wrote that song with Jeff. He's very open and accessible to working with the crew for songs and different episodes, which has been really cool.

  via Cartoon Network

  I have to circle back to this ... you mentioned Slide the Ferret — who may or may not be related to any other legal entity — but UNRELATED TO THAT ... As someone who is a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog (and also ferrets, coincidentally), Slide the Ferret really speaks to me. I was like, "This rocks. I love everything about this." I'm curious, was Sonic a big part of your childhood? Or the childhoods of the rest of the staff?

  Yes, Sonic 2 was the first video game I ever beat, actually. I would always get to the plane level and then have to hand it off to my sister. I remember when I finally beat Metal Sonic and Robotnik, and I felt like I was the greatest gamer in the world. So much of our crew has similar feelings about Sonic. Slide the Ferret came into the show very early. I think Matt and Ben came up with the character very early into the show. And then, I think the second the crew was like "oh, this is our Sonic and we can create all the lore?" it just got out of hand. There's like this show within the show loosely based on Dragon Ball where there's these things called the Chaos Orbs that you collect. They're like the Chaos Emeralds but we treat them like Dragon Balls.

  It's been great! It's been so cool to watch our design team really take that world and expand it even more. There's this character named Claus the Badger who is the coolest looking character I've ever seen. I keep pestering them to let me voice him, so we'll see how that goes. 

  That sounds like so much fun! I always love whenever there's a Slide moment. I'm just like, "Yup! I'm here for it." I'd like to know, what are some of your favorite anime?  

Oh man, okay. One of my favorites is My Hero Academia — shout out to my buddy Zeno who plays Hawks as well as The Green Pancho on Craig of the Creek. I've been enjoying Fire Force, The Promised Neverland, I love Dragon Ball Z, of course. What else ... Samurai Champloo — I used to watch that one every week with my dad, so it's special for me. I could name stuff all day, and I know I'm forgetting some. After I'm done, I know I'll be like, "Aw crap! Why didn't I mention this ..." But these are the ones I'll go with.

  Is there any message you want to share with fans of your work?

  Yes! If you want to see more, please find me on Twitter @MrJeffTrammell. I post about my work too much there. I would also say that there is so much more fun stuff on the way. If you are a fan of Craig of the Creek and you love anime, there may or may not be an episode coming up in which the Elders do an anime convention. It may also feature Slide the Ferret and a cavalcade of characters from that video game. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for that.

  This has been wonderful! It's been really cool to hear about your background with the show and how you broke into the industry. Thank you. 

  Thank you so much to Crunchyroll for having me!

  via Cartoon Network

    You can follow Jeff Trammell on Twitter @MrJeffTrammell. Craig of the Creek airs on Cartoon Network and is available on HBOMax and Hulu.

  By: Guest Author

[hanabisimps]

•The Black Sheep•

This is my first time writing a short story like this so please give me some criticism and opinions on this.

|| Chapter 1 ||

How Hanabi ended up in Devildom

Warning: may contain some triggers, child neglect, bullying, misogyny

——————————————————————————

It’s the afternoon and Hanabi has just now woken up. The servants usually never bother to come in her room but today they came, she could tell somethings going on.

Maid: miss your father has requested you and your brothers to come to his office immediately.

Hanabi: ..what.? My brothers too?

Maid: yes, now please hurry. You know your father doesn’t like to be kept waiting.

Hanabi: fine...

Hanabi(in her head): all of a sudden we wants to see me? Why now after all these years?

Still half asleep, she gets up and puts on her usual attire that consisted of just a medium length turtleneck dress and a soft pastel yellow cardigan. As she is about to tame the mess that her hair is she looks at a photo and has a sense of nostalgia. But, it wasn’t a very pleasant experience as she immediately grabbed the picture and made it face down her vanity.

The memories that she thought she had buried resurfaced...

(We will now be in Hanabi’s memories)

The smell of sweat permeated through the training room. Hanabi continued to practice while her other groupmate takes a break.

Aira: hey Hanabi! Why don’t you take a break? It was only a minor mistake plus you know how that choreographer is, they were just being picky.

Hanabi: continues to dance I know that it’s just that I can’t help it. If I’m going to do something I want to do it right.

Aira: you’re way too hard on yourself y’know? You’re already plenty smart, talented, and athletic to boot! So just take a break with me already!

Hanabi:* stops dancing* hah.. fine you win... *goes to sit next to her *

Aira: Soo... what did you think of the anime I recommended you a couple days ago? Did you like it? Its beginner friendly and  the main character is really cute too!

Hanabi:  Ah hmm well... I thought it was a fun.. and what was the main characters name again? The really cute one.

Aira: Ruri Chan? 

Hanabi: Yeah that one, I think she's really cute too. But I gotta ask... how do you have so much time to watch animes when we have so much dancing and singing  practice... surely you aren't slacking off when I'm not looking..? *makes a ominous smile*

Aira: Ah! I'm not! I'm working suuuper hard! *breaks out in cold sweat*

Hanabi: Hmmmmm..? Really now...?

Aira: *eyes darting around* Ah..haha..ha... ha..

Hanabi: Airaaaaa..... *pulls on her cheeks*

Aira: Awwwaaa! Em Sowwyy! Iwl prawice! Swo stoup pullgin ma cheechs! (I'm sorry! I’ll practice! So stop pulling on my cheeks!)

Hanabi: *lets go*

Aira: mmmm... *rubs her face and looks at Hanabi*

Hanabi: *sees Airas swollen cheeks* 

Aira: * looks into the practice mirror and sees how red her face is *

Both: *look at each other* pfft... Hahahaha!! 

The two girls sit and chat with each other laughing and playing for the rest of practice...

(Back to reality)

Hanabi’s head starts to ache as she grips the edge of her vanity.

Hanabi: ugh.. why do I have to remember this now... I need to just forget about her already...

With her head still aching she starts to go to her fathers office. She was so deep into her memories she forgot to brush her hair and make it look presentable. But, she couldn’t be bothered by that now, her father was waiting in his office with her brothers.

She hesitates but eventually opens the door only to be presented by her fathers scowling face.

Father: you’re late.

Hanabi:...

Father: go stand next to your brothers already. Waiting for you already wasted enough time.

Oldest brother: *looks at Hanabi in concern*

Middle brother: *scoffs at Hanabi and give her a cocky smirk*

She starts to walk to his desk and stands in front of it like the others.

Father: now, I know you’re wondering why I gathered you all here today. As you know your brother just recently came home from studying abroad. I’m certainly impressed at how you carried yourself there. It’s good that you don’t bring shame on this family *he says that while glancing at Hanabi*

Hanabi: *clenches the sides of her sweater*

Older brother: thank you father.

Father: I also hear that your new company is working out well for you. Good job. I’m looking forward to seeing your results.

Middle brother: yes! Thank you father I’m won’t disappoint you like a certain someone. *looks at Hanabi*

Hanabi: *clenches her fists even tighter but still keeping a straight face*

Father: and you. *he looks at Hanabi straight in the eyes*

This sends a shiver down her spine. She knows that whatever he’s going to say to her wasn’t going to be good.

Father: you are going to get married to one of these men here *he slides a folder on his table to Hanabi* now leave my office I expect you to choose at least 5 of these men by tomorrow.

Hanabi: what?! I’m not getting married! Why should I?! What give you the right -!

Father: QUIET!

The room falls into a deathly silence as soon as he raises his voice. He looks at Hanabi with his piercing eyes.

Father: I’m your father and you will do as I say. This is your last chance to make yourself useful this time instead of disappointing me like last time.

Hanabi: ... shut up...

Father: *gets up from his chair and stands in front of Hanabi while looking down at her*

Hanabi: *clenches her fists even more* you only call yourself my father whenever it benefits you... we may be related by blood but you are no father of mine!

Father: *raises his hand*

Hanabi: *closes her eyes and braces for impact*

Hanabi: ...?

She opens her eyes to see her brother holding back her fathers arm.

Older brother: Father. We’re you really going to hit her?

Middle brother: Let go of fathers arm! Let him hit her! *scowls at Hanabi *This is all your fault! If you just stayed quiet and did what he told you to do none of this would have happened!

Hanabi: what? Did you really expect me to go along with this ridiculous plan to get me married off!?

Middle brother: SHUT UP! Everything is your fault! You’re the one who killed mom! It’s all your fault you-

Father: Enough! Now, let my arm go.

Older brother: not letting go

Father: hah.. fine... I promise I won’t hit her.

Older brother lets go of fathers hand and he starts to walk toward me and forcing me to back away leading to my back being against the wall. Her fathers eyes were incredibly intimidating and intrusive.

Father: you better not be thinking about going back into the music industry again... don’t you remember what happened last time with you and your little “friend”?

Hanabi: *grits her teeth* I... I do remember...but it’s what I want to do.

Father: why can’t you be like other women and be quiet. The only place women belong is at home not on a stage where millions of men look up at you in skimpy clothing dancing for them like a whore.

Hanabi: I don’t want to be like that! I have my own dreams and goals and I’m not ever gonna become what you want me to be and I’m not going to try and seek your approval anymore!

Father: the only goal you should have is to find a husband and give birth to his children! That’s all you good for!

Hanabi, enraged, she bursts out of the office and sprints off with her older brother following close behind.

Middle brother: Hey! Get back her you little bit-

Father: stop, once she fails again and realizes her mistake, she’s going to come crawling back here begging me to forgive her.

Middle brother: ! ... yes father..

Hanabi dashes down the hallway wish great speed with her brother falling behind. She slows down to go down the stairs and that gives him a chance to grab her arm and stop her.

Older brother: panting please... hold..on cough

Hanabi: let me go!

Older brother: *regains his composure* Hanabi please lets go back and talk to father again. I’m sure if we talk to him we can sort this out, we’re all family after all.

Hanabi: family...? Did you see how he looked at me? Did you not hear what he said to me? If that’s how family is supposed to treat each other then I want no part of it! Family? Hah! That’s you’re family not mine. So let me go already!

She had succeeded in shaking him off but pulling her arm from him as hard as she could and that made him topple over on his bottom.

Hanabi & older brother: !!!

She feels her foot slip on the top step of the stairs. She must’ve used way too much force. Her brother stretched his hand out to catch her but he missed. She then gets sent flying off the stairs knowing how large the stairs were, Hanabi was certain that she would fall to her death. She clenches her eyes closed preparing herself when she hears-

Older brother: huh?! What is that?

Hanabi!

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Hanabi:..?

It goes quiet, then she feels a floor beneath her. When she opens her eyes she sees that’s she isn’t at home anymore, she looks up and sees a bunch of men looking at her.

???: Welcome to Devildom Hanabi

[andromeda---galaxy]

Lukas always finds himself watching Philip, and today is no exception. In fact, he’s watching him more, to the point where he feels like he’s goddamn stalking his own husband.

 Husband.

 He says that word over and over under his breath, hushed, like he’s in church or in school, uttering a tentative spell or untested poetry. Husband, husband, husband. It isn’t strange because he’s married to a man, it’s strange because it’s a happy ending. One he never thought he’d have for himself. And every time he looks at Philip it feels like the sky opens up and he’s finally able to see the brightness again.

 Central Park always feels like a different city in and of itself, and they set up the art exhibit in the middle of Sheep Meadow. Only four other kids got picked for this—Philip said that ten kids aced it but Mr. Wood’s park permit wouldn’t allow that many, but he still got picked to go. Mr. Woods is here and he seems like an exciting sort of guy, really amped to be doing something like this, and he’s exactly the kind of artsy teacher Lukas always pictured when he thought about college.

 Mr. Woods blew up Philip’s five main photos and a few of the smaller ones are on their own canvas, and they set them up on easels with little descriptions on the corners. Lukas steps back and admires the set-up, how nice it all looks.

 “People are already watching,” Philip says, once everybody is ready and standing by their work. He grabs Lukas’s elbow and seems nervous, twisting in on himself, trying to make himself smaller.

 “Good,” Lukas says, kissing Philip’s temple. “Your photos deserve to be seen. Even though they’re all me looking like an idiot.”

Philip snorts. “You looking like a fucking model, we agreed on this.”

 The pictures do look professional. Like something he’d see in a magazine or something, and sometimes when Lukas looks at them he’s a little freaked out that he’s actually looking at himself, and he’s a little more freaked out that Philip is so good.

 A girl approaches Philip’s set—Philip rushes up like an overprotective mom, and Lukas steps back, smiling. He looks at the other sets—the girl with the red hair looks like she’s focusing specifically on animals, but Lukas doesn’t know how she managed some of the shots she has, like the one underwater with the orange fish or the eagle high in the air. The guy with the glasses seems to focus on political movements, all kinds of photos in the middle of crowds, lots of signs and government buildings. The other girl, who seems really business-like and put together and not at all what Lukas would look for as a creative type, has the most artsy set of the bunch. Nothing looks real, like a fever dream, and she has a couple people with her she claims are in the photos, but Lukas can’t see them at all. The last one is a pretty blond girl who kinda looks like a fairy princess, and all her pictures all industrial, lots of hard lines on tall structures. Another mismatch, in Lukas’s mind, but he reminds himself that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

 Art. He guesses it’s subjective as hell. He’s biased, though, and he doesn’t think he could ever view anything through the correct lens anymore at all. Philip. It’s all about Philip. Philip could trip and fall and Lukas would be simultaneously trying to catch him while thinking it’s the most graceful fall of all time. Even if it isn’t. Even if it’s ridiculous. He loves every little movement that Philip makes.

 He watches some more people flock over to Philip and he feels pride bursting all over him. Sometimes, the old Lukas presents himself in his head, peeks around the darkness the new Lukas built up there, and marvels at the things ahead of him.

 We actually get to hang out with him in public??

 Oh yeah, buddy. We’re married to him.

 We’re married to him??

 We’re actually technically marrying him twice—

 Holy fuck. Dad’s okay with it? Everything? Us being gay?

 Dad’s dealt with it. Figured it out. Had some help.

 But he’s not mean to Philip, right?

 No. Dad loves Philip.

 …and we don’t…we don’t hurt Philip anymore, right?

 No. We’re never gonna hurt Philip again.

 “You okay?” Mr. Woods asks, suddenly beside him. “I know it’s weird sometimes, seeing yourself all large and in charge at one of these things.”

 “Yeah,” Lukas says, laughing. “No, it’s fine—his work is incredible, thank you so much for picking him for this, he’s—well, it’s a really nice opportunity.” He looks off to the side when he hears a snap and he sees a few people with professional looking cameras taking pictures in Philip’s direction. He wonders if this will be in the paper or online somewhere. He’s gotta remember to look.

 “He deserves it,” Mr. Woods says, settling his hands in his pockets. “He’s got immense talent and a very bright future, especially with a muse like you.”

 Lukas laughs, already blushing. “Muse?”

 Mr. Woods looks at him and laughs. “You’re definitely his muse. His inspiration. He let me in a little bit of your story, not too much, but enough to explain the gunshot wound—”

 Lukas feels his stomach twist a little bit again, the reverberations of the past rattling through his head.

 “—and I really do think you two went through something that sharpened his eye when it came to you. Sharpened the love he felt for you. Sometimes artists see the person they love most in a particular way, and he’s translating the way he sees you into his work. It’s beautiful.”

 Lukas is a little freaked out and he glances at Philip’s work again. It does sort of look ethereal, special, unreal. He doesn’t get it. He looks at Mr. Woods and finds him smiling. “I didn’t think we’d ever get this,” Lukas says, without thinking.

 “Get what?” Mr. Woods asks, not unkindly.

 “You know, like…him…a happy ending…any of it,” Lukas says, and he doesn’t know why the hell he’s saying this to Philip’s teacher, of all fucking things.

 “Sometimes life can sneak up on you,” Mr. Woods says, in a way that says life might have snuck up on him, too. The girl with the really artsy pictures calls his name. “Well, enjoy yourself, Lukas—you should be really proud of him.”

 “I am,” Lukas says, fast, even though Mr. Woods is already walking away. “I really—really am.” He clears his throat and looks down at his feet before looking back up again. Philip is laughing and in deep conversation in front of the picture of Lukas in the foils and Lukas shakes his head, trying not to smile. He watches him for a couple moments longer, enraptured by him. He takes a quick picture and sends it to their family group chat, which includes Philip, Dad, Sarah, Helen and Gabe.

 Look at our boy working the crowd ;) already famous!

 He hears his own text tone go off a little ways away and he sees Philip look at the message and shake his head, beckoning him over. Lukas gets a little nervous thinking of talking to these people about how he fucking dyes his hair or what he thinks about having a snake around his shoulders, but he walks over because he can never deny Philip anything that’s within his power. He gets a slew of texts as he’s walking.

 Looks great!

That’s our boy!

He looks very happy :)

Tell our kid we love him!

 “So how does it feel?” one of the girls asks him, as soon as he reaches Philip’s side. “Having someone take pictures of you all the time? They’re really good.”

 “Ah,” Lukas says, laughing and looking down at Philip’s smiling face. “It’s fine because it’s him.”

 Are you gonna kiss him? Past Lukas asks, a hollow echo on the inside of Lukas’s skull. In front of all these people? Aren’t you afraid of what they’ll think?

 Philip looks so fucking cute, gazing up at him like that, leaning into his space. He doesn’t seem nervous anymore, just full of pride and happiness.

 Lukas kisses him. Kisses him and kisses him, feels the rumble of his laughter against his lips.

 Life really did sneak up on him, and left the gift of happiness at a frightened boy’s feet. Philip. A happy ending.

 Lukas counts down the days to their wedding in his head, and hears a slightly hopeful voice from the past behind all the numbers.

 I can’t wait to be you.