#zelgadis and rezo

[get-along-try-again]

• slayers ep. 03 "crash! red and white and suspicious all over!"

[panette]

[light-arted]

Maybe the worst thing you did to him was be his family.

[the-bar-sinister]

Zelgadis sat on top of the big, humming machine in his grandfather's workshop, kicking his feet idly as he watched him work. He yawned quietly.

Rezo turned, reaching out a hand toward him. "You're still there, Zel? I thought you had gone upstairs."

Zel leaned over until his cheek brushed his grandfather's warm, outstretched hand, and Rezo cupped his face fondly.

"Sorry," Zel murmured. "I was just watching."

"I can't be angry about that. But my lab can be dangerous."

"I know, grandfather."

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt." Rezo kissed the top of Zelgadis' head. "Let's go upstairs."

-

AO3 link

[franksfishies]

Subscribe to Eris' onlyfans

[kon-kon-kon-kon]

[lianailia]

15. Teen Genius (I am catching up) took awhile because of the map, protracters and hands) first time drawing Rezo and wow I hate his armor.

[alexeiadrae]

Blaster Interview with Hajime Kanzaka vol 12, translated

Japanese original here. So, where is Zel from anyway?

Tamiki: "Where is Zelgadis from? Lina and the other three are known, and I would very much like to know."

KANZAKA: Unknown. Zelgadis himself doesn't remember because he hasn't lived in the area since he was a child, and since Rezo was like that, his parents would go along with it, and sometimes he would run away from them because he was so upset with Rezo. 　

His parents are already dead, so he can't ask them about it.

Tamiki: "In Zephelia, how strong would Lina fit in?"

KANZAKA: It's like she's one of the top 500.

Tamiki: I wonder how big the total population of Zephilia is. ......

KANZAKA: I wonder how big it is. That kind of world population is completely different from modern Japan.

Tamiki: "Are there any conditions for a demon king to be sleeping? (Red eyes, red hair, etc. ......)"

KANZAKA: No, not really. You don't want to say, "He is the Demon King because his cheeks are red.”

Tamiki: "Were Zel and Rezo good friends before they were altered?"

KANZAKA: I don't think it was particularly good or bad; it was just the usual feeling of being relatives. It was a normal relationship, with age-appropriate rebelliousness and all that.

Tamiki Oh, there was a continuation of this as well. “I would like to know how close are you to your cat? I’d like you to make it official (laughs)."

KANZAKA: Um, ......I don’t really understand how to apply it officially, but does that mean I should answer, for example, that they are as close as Amelia and Xellos? I mean, what is a "cat" in the first place? ......

Tamiki: It depends on which cat it is. Some have already been dropped and others have not.

KANZAKA: Well, there are cats that run away as soon as they are seen.

Tamiki: At any rate, he is confident that he can drop any cat within a few days (laughs).

KANZAKA: Why would I do that?

Tamiki: "What is Gourry’s exact age?" I remember that in an old interview, you said that both Gourry and Zel were about 22 or 23 years old.

KANZAKA: Well, then, it's just as I said long ago. Well, I think Gourry has forgotten how old he is.

Tamiki: Perhaps the questioner saw the answer and sent it to me in order to clarify which one he was referring to. However, the principle of this interview is that the numerical answer is not absolute as an official setting, so please allow for a little ambiguity.

Now next up is another one of the oldest and most common questions. “What are the names of Lina's parents?"

KANZAKA: It's a secret.

Tamiki: "Why don't you put Xellos in the Slayers Super Series?"

KAMISAKA Because it would be a mess.

Tamiki: I guess this question means that Amelia and Zel had short stories in the past.

KANZAKA: A short story? If it were serious, it would be ...... black (laughs).

Tamiki: I don't think there are many people who would rather read a black story like that. However, with Slayers, when there is a request from fans to read such a story, I think there is a tendency not to try to write such a story, so you shouldn't expect too much from it.

Tamiki: Then, here's a question. I love cats, but it seems that dogs and other animals rather than cats appear in your works more often than cats.

KANZAKA: Because if you put a cat in the work, people would be drawn to it. For example, the scene in the film where the dog is startled by the explosion, barks, and runs away. If it were a cat, you would think, "I mustn't scare the cat!” 

Don't you think? Don't you think so?

Tamiki: ............. Ah, that's it, isn't it? I've heard this theory before: "It's better not to have the character you like the most appear in the work.

KANZAKA: Yes. That's absolutely true, of course, isn't it?

Tamiki: Why is your answer there in question form? How much sleep do you get? (What time do you go to bed and wake up?)"

KANZAKA: I am susceptible to sleep deprivation, so I sleep for about eight hours. I go to bed between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. and wake up around noon.

Tamiki: Oh, I do the same on my days off, but even on days when I have to get up at 7:00 a.m. for work or an event the next day, my bedtime doesn't change. When my average sleep time is less than 5 hours, I think I have to go to bed at 2:00 a.m. because it will be hard the next day.

KANZAKA: It's like that when it's something I enjoy. But when it is work, or some kind of obligation, I prioritize the fact that I have to go to bed because it will be hard the next day.

Tamiki: Ah, yes. That's exactly right.

KANZAKA: I think that humans are useless creatures.

Tamiki: Maybe it's just us. You write various works, but don't you get mixed up with ......?

KANZAKA: Yes, they do (laughs). In fact, when I was writing Lost Universe and Day Trip Quest in one-week shifts at the same time, there was a case where the names of the guest characters were switched in the middle of the story.

Tamiki: This is another common question, so I'll put two together. “When you are stuck for an idea, what do you do first?” What do you do to refresh yourself?

KANZAKA: I take a walk, ride the train, or take a bath. I always say that if there was a way to come up with ideas, no one would have any trouble. Or rather, there is no such thing.

[partyinthemysterymachine]

OMG SLAYERS !! I’m actually still in love with Gourry!!

i have such bad and terrible news for you

[goodbyenorthernlights]

This exchange at the end of Evolution-R is always a little ??? to me because like. What do you mean you're "fine" with Rezo now? And why?

Like. I am a staunch Rezo Apologist but we never see him give Zelgadis a proper apology or anything like that. So like most people I just kind of have to. Try reading between the lines/do some headcanoning as to why Zel would say this at this point and what he means by it, which I personally think is a little more along the lines of "I have a sense of closure about my relationship with Rezo and it's no longer a Hot Button Issue for me," as opposed to "I forgive him for all the shit he did."

But anyway. Out of the very, very small pool of "Rezo is revived, Shabranigdu-less, Zel and Rezo suddenly have to navigate having some sort of relationship again" content out there, I think most of what I've seen has pretty much ignored this exchange. Which makes sense because again, it feels a bit inexplicable.

But I'd kind of like to see a story where Zelgadis, instead of being outwardly >:( is very deliberately :| or even :] at Rezo, because He Is Perfectly Fine About This And Has Moved On. And like... he has, a little, but not anywhere near as much as he purports to be.

And Rezo can 1) tell, and 2) is very uncomfortable with Zelgadis Being Perfectly Fine and kind of finds himself wishing Zel would just try punching or yelling at him or something.

[trans-zelgadis]

i love doing this every single time i rewatch slayers

[panette]

I'M FUCKING SCREAMING

[light-arted]

A present from Godfather Greywords.

[the-bar-sinister]

Lost and Found (1138 words) by thesavagesabretooth

summary: After being captured and savagely beaten, Zelgadis finds himself tended to by the most unexpected rescuer imaginable-- Copy Rezo.

-

Zelgadis' shoulders ached worse even than the rest of his body as they bore the brunt of his weight, chained by his wrists and hanging by the arms from the ceiling in the dank, echoing stone chamber. 

His shirt had been ripped off, and when he could focus well enough to see, he could see the dark blue blood dripping from the smashed stones embedded in his body. They had beaten him with hammers and spiked maces until he'd been unable to resist– until he'd been unable to stay conscious.

He'd awoken here, in the black stone cell, surrounded by faceless armored guards who said nothing. He'd tried to summon his magic to escape, but he had no reserves of energy to draw from.He'd had no idea how much blood he lost, but it seemed like a lot. He kept drifting in and out of wakefulness, with no idea how much time had passed.

Zelgadis was starting to accept that he was going to die there. Alone. Slowly losing track of the pain that wrecked his beaten body.

At some point a flash of light from the darkness drew his attention. There were screams. Lina? Maybe it was Lina.

The flashes got closer and the roar of spells, and the screams of the guards– who apparently could speak if they wanted– split the silence.

He might have lost consciousness again.

The next thing he knew there was a tall figure in white robes standing beside him, and the weight was off his arms. The figure had cut him down, and was holding him.

Zegladis' eyes tried to focus. Deep red hair. A long, sharp face. Refined features. A wide mouth.

A familiar face.

"Rezo?" he mouthed.

Zelgadis realized that he must have died. That was the only way that Rezo could be there, holding him in his arms. Zelgadis had died, and it was Rezo who had come for his soul.

Of course.

But the figure shook his head, and shifted Zelgadis in his arms to pull off the scarf that covered his forehead. There was a bright jewel embedded there.

Not Rezo. Copy Rezo.

But he was dead, too.

"How–" Zelgadis began. He stopped and asked the more pertinent question. "Are we dead?"

"Not quite." Copy Rezo was carrying home somewhere, through the darkness. Quite a feat, considering how heavy Zelgadis was. Maybe it was a spell. "Though you were getting close when I finally found you."

"How are you here?" Zelgadis rasped, the world spinning around him. "How are you alive?"

"I'll tell you later. Sleep now. You've lost a lot of blood."

Copy raised his hand again, and there was a familiar light. Zelgadis had only enough time to register it as a sleep spell before it worked on him.

-

Zelgadis woke up in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with no idea how much time had passed. The only clue was that his body still ached and throbbed. He reached down, wincing as he did, and peeked under the covers. His arms and torso had all been bandaged up.

Someone had actually rescued him. His heart thumped painfully in his chest. But was it really who it had seemed to be? Or had that been some kind of hallucination.

Zelgadis craned his neck painfully to look around the room– a small, sparsely decorated cottage with stone and wood walls, and a small hearth.

Standing by the hearth, apparently making tea, was that same out of place familiar figure.

Rezo– or rather Copy Rezo– turned toward him with an exasperated expression.

"Don't strain yourself, or you'll undo all the work I did," Copy instructed. He watched him with narrowed eyes, but there was a slight curl of amusement at the edge of his lips. "There's a healing spell in your future, but we have to wait until the venom on those weapons they were using wears off or it'll only make it worse."

The instructions barely made it through Zelgadis' battered skull. All he could manage was to again repeat what he'd asked before in the dank chasm.

"How are you here?"

Copy shook his head, pouring tea from a large iron pot on the hearth into a small earthenware cup and bringing it to the bedside.

"It's almost as mysterious to me as it is to you. After Flagoon, I woke up some time later in what must have been another Copy body, in an old lab. How my memories came to reside in this shell, I don't know. I try not to ask the question."

"Fair enough."

"Can you sit?" Copy asked.

"Maybe." Zelgadis carefully gathered his strength, and sat up a little in the bed. Copy offered him the cup of tea and he took it, sipping it quietly. If Copy was telling the truth, he wouldn't want to contemplate the implications either.

"If you're wondering how I came to find you, the answer is complicated I'm afraid," Copy continued. "You should focus on healing first. Your friends are on their way, but it will take them several days to get here."

"We were separated," Zelgadis grimaced. He sipped the tea again. It had a nostalgic flavor. The same way his grandfather had made it when Zelgadis was a small child.

"Indeed." 

Zelgadis' gaze met Copy's unsettling eyes again and he looked away. It was so strange, to see his grandfather's face, with his eyes open.

"So you have time to tell me what happened," he urged.

"Soon enough. Rest first." Copy put a long fingered hand on Zelgadis' face, and Zel flinched at the touch.

"Please don't put me to sleep again."

"Rest, then. And I won't have to." Copy leaned down, and his forehead rested gently against Zelgadis'.

Zelgadis felt his own breath shuddering in his chest as he let the man's forehead touch his own. He felt the little jewel embedded there brush against the stones in his own skin. Both of them owed their whole existence to the same man who'd hurt them both so terribly.

"You remember all his memories, don't you?" Zelgadis asked softly, their faces close.

"I do." Those eyes peered at him again, and Zelgadis shivered.

"Will you sing to me then?" Zelgadis asked, his cheeks flushing. "Like he did? …Is it cruel to ask you for that?"

"No," Copy sighed softly. He cupped Zelgadis' cheek in his hand. "No, it isn't cruel."

Copy pressed a soft kiss to Zelgadis' temple, and the chimera felt a deep ache in his chest that had nothing to do with his wounds.

He was silent, not knowing what to say as Copy sat down on the edge of the bed and started to sing for him, a nostalgic song that Zel had stopped hearing many years ago.

It was as comforting as it was sad.

[yamiartstash]

Silly crossover doodle of Zelgadis telling Piper that Rezo was not really a good person.

Considering that Slayers' villains have a bit more nuance and complexity than in Storm Hawks, Zelgadis is doing Piper a favor so she doesn't get crushed in the long run. (Rezo would probably work with Cyclonia, but his ultimate goal was to see regardless of ethics)

[savvyliterate]

Slayers Secret Santa 2022

For this year’s Secret Santa, I was given @racha4habib! I was inspired by the request "Rezo learning a new spell" to write a family story of him, Zelgadis, Rodimus and Zolf.

Read “The Great Sage's Guide to Unexpected Grandparenting” on Ao3