#GUIDEAU I LOVE YOU??????

[crehador]

need me a ??? who can do both

[kumomist]

ashaf “i want to teach you what love is”

anyway he ended up baby trapping guideau hfkdbdkdbd

[cheswirls]

tuned back in to majou no yajuu (have not watched since e3) specifically to hear the part where guideau cuts off ashaf's explanation to scream angela's name in bloody murder and it didn't even happen. huge pause between ashaf like he's trailing off, and then guideau doesn't even yell.

this was THEE most iconic moment in the first half of the manga to me. panning away from one character mid-speech so another can reveal the plot twist in the heat of the moment is SOOO good. idk if the anime was stretching for time but it wasn't near as good as this

[midnight-in-town]

5 tips for childcare by Guideau (& a cursed doll statue)

1) Keep them entertained

2) Talk to them

3) Give them a proper bed to use

4) Don’t let them play with knives

5) Don’t let them fall through a window

And as a bonus, most importantly...

...let them get closer to you so that it can release you from your nightmares. :)

Perhaps this is ultimately what Ashaf meant by “I want to teach you what love is”?

TL;DR i’ve had that “nameless seed” forbidden instrument child for only one volume, but if something were to happen to him, i would kill everyone in this series and then myself

......Guideau will say, in the next volume or so, I’m sure. :D

[bition-boyz]

It’s finally finished! The first chapter, this took me a little while but I think it turned out pretty good. This story will possible have another chapter in the near future. No use of Reader/yn. I don’t know the exact word count. -BB

SWEET GIRL

Ashaf x F! Reader (1/?)

Ashaf= Blue

Guideau = Green

Reader = Pink

18+, minors DNI

(Suggestive content, cursing, eventual smut?)

All Ashaf wants to do is go home to the one who holds his heart, the one who makes living and even breathing that much more tolerable. These missions are taking a toll on not just Ashaf but also Guideau no matter how much they denied their injuries that get little to no time to heal.

Ashaf was-to put it simply as exhausted, Guideau and him were dealing with countless witch after witch searching for Angela, the witch who placed the curse upon Guideau. Tensions are high, were both in pain and were not any closer to finding Angela,he thought.

“We have another letter from The Order Guideau.” Ashaf asked. “If it isn’t a black envelope for a witch I don’t give a shit about the damn letter” Guideau barked out. The envelope was a purple color, one that neither of them have ever seen before. The letter read that due to the tremendous help Ashaf and Guideau have provided with the magical fiascos the magical attacks are now at an all time low and it will be some time before they have more intel on when or where the next witches will be. This is perfect, I have some down time that I can use wisely

“Well? What does the shitty letter say” Guideau questioned. “They’re giving us off time, we’ve dealt with all of the Magical affairs they had on hand” Ashaf explained while handing the letter to Guideau.

Ashaf brought his hand to the cuff of his shirt and pulled his locket chain from underneath his shirt. Inside is rather scandalous a picture of his sweet girl, Reader. Her lying naked underneath him lightly coated in his spend from the activities from that night. His face a bright red as he recalled the precious sounds he coaxed out of you, the delicious way you called out his name, the way you- “ASHAF!!” Guideau called out to him breaking him from his erotic daze. “a-ah Yes, Guideau?” He attempted to bounce back from his previous memories. “I’m leaving. I’m going to find something to do while we wait for everyone to do their damn job” Guideau said while stomping away. “Okay, stay safe” Ashaf said.

Now time to make a well deserved visit to someone I’ve been so shamelessly deprived of my sweet, sweet girl. Ashaf thought. “There are quite a handful of of Order agents around so she should be-“ Ashaf was cut off by a pair of hands covering his eyes, he knew it was you and your playful nature brought a smile to his face.

“Guess who?” You questioned, a giggle leaving you. “Hmmm let’s see, is it Phanora?” Ashaf asked. “Nooooo try again~.” You said in a singsong tone. “Is it Guideau?” Ashaf guessed. “Nope wrong again” you laughed out. As much as Ashaf loved your games he was getting a little ansty so he removed your hands and dragged you to the nearest alley way from prying eyes. “Ashaf you’ve gotten a little bold” you voiced bashfully. You looked ravishing, the slight pink tone that grazed your cheeks, the way you avoided his intense lustful gaze, Ashaf knew it was a facade hiding the little minx that you are.

Ashaf has you pinned against the wall, his head buried in your neck as he kissed and licked you leaving the skin more sensitive than before. His hands planted firmly against your waist. “I missed you greatly my dear.” He said as inhaled your perfume, he can feel himself losing his composure. “Show me” you whispered. Ashaf smiled and asked teasingly “What was that dear?” “Show me how much you missed me Ashaf, I need to know if you feel the same.” Ashaf took a step back and looked at his work on your neck before locking eyes with you. You can see his lust clouded eyes. It’s been so long since you had him to yourself and you plan to make the most of it. “You know exactly how to get me going angel in the best ways” Ashaf grabbed you hand and placed it on his now visible bulge. “I have room booked on top floor of The Manor Hotel I’ll be waiting for your arrival.” He said as left the alley leaving you stunned at his newfound bold behavior.

[isekai-crow]

The Witch and the Beast / Majo to Yajuu Episode 1

Overall Score So Far: 9/10

WE'VE GOT A HOTTIE LINE UP OF ALL GENDERS!!

Guideau on the left, Ashaf in the middle, and Genderless Hottie on the right :3

HOW ARE THEY ALL SO PRETTY.

Anime, now with more CROW BAIT. This time it's literal!! :D

OF COURSE the Goth With The Coffin on his back can use CROW MAGIC. AHHHHHHH.

Also, Guys. You guys. Fucking TOSHIYUKI MORIKAWA is voicing Ashaf.

THE VOICE OF SEPHIROTH. GRIFFITH FROM BERSERK. DANTE FROM DEVIL MAY CRY. TYKI FROM D. Gray Man. We get THE KING OF THE DARK AND BROODY SEXY MAN VOICE.

And Guideau is voice by Taichi, You - Jousuke from JoJo, Suphia from TenSura, Saya from Dead Mount Death Play, and Dorothy from Princess Principal!! A great rough and tumble voice perfect for Guideau. (1st Epi Spoiler: I can't tell if she's voicing Guideau's true form.)

More Episode 1 Spoilers Below!

I don't really know what I was expecting except for Hot Goth Dude with a Coffin Boyfriend, and a badass punch-em-up beauty with a nasty mouth from the PV on youtube, but that's what I got and more, and I am so very pleased about it.

I was SO EXCITED ABOUT THE CROWS YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Hottie Mage whips out a spell covered arms and MY BABIES ARE BURSTING FORTH IN A MURDER OF ADORABLE!!! I might have woken up Capybara's deaf elderly neighbors in my excitement.

What I was not expecting was a giant Zom 100 Shark to show up in the middle of the city lmfao.

Zom 100 Zombie shark on the left and Big Buff Giant Shark Dude on the right.

It's just a dude whose turned himself into a shark with magic, who immediately gets dispelled by a witch, and that THIS IS A NORMAL OCCURANCE??? People are like, oh noooo, there's a giant shark, Ione will deal with iiiiit, no worriesssss.

The implications this gives of a mixed soft/hard magic system tho.

I'm really looking forward to learning (or maybe not learning and discovering through negative space) the rules that don't get broken (which is necessary for a magic system), but also hope that they'll be playing hard and fast with what's possible. Cause seriously, wtf is this shark. Delightful, lol.

They mind games played with "Are Witches Bad or Not?" in this episode is fun, because as a viewer going in blind, we could have had some lawful good protagonists or we could have had some chaotic anti-heros, and I would have accepted either outcome. We kind of get both and that's even better!

Trying to include a speech about the morals of getting revenge with Ione as she tries to justify her actions for removing the lock on her grandmother was interesting, but I'm still not sure if her Grandma was the one to cause the fire and people 300 years ago killed her, or if her getting blamed for the fires and then killed just so happened to lock the fire away, but either way...

Along with this I'm not surprised by the coven of would-be witch's nor the attempts by them to claim that witches aren't bad, "you're just like everyone else," when you can tell from the art that the stereotypes in this world hold weight, lol.

However, I don't know WHY I was surprised by said witches getting their hands and feet removed as part of a ritual summoning of hellfire.

How... how is there not blood E V E R Y W H E R E ??!!?? Some heavy duty arteries have been cut, yo. I guess there kind of is but there should be MORE.

Ashaf finally figures out what's going on and gives in to Guideau, letting her go wild, and HELL YES I love it when we get a beast gremlin on a rampage!

Witch Laser Beams! Sure!

I also LOVE when Characters get the shit beat out of them and then Keep. Standing. Up.

The very purposeful listing of the two ways to lift a Witch's spell at the very beginning of the show, True Love's Kiss or A Change of Heart),was such a great Chekhov's Gun that I knew there was probably going to be another (secret) way to deal with it.

Fuck yea, angry kiss!! Let Guideau feast on your soul!!

But the most surprising thing that has me fully on board and ready to rock and roll is Coffin Boyfriend.

What gender is Coffin Boyfriend? We don't know.

However.

Coffin Boyfriend is not a third character like I initially expected.

Coffin Boyfriend is Mother Fucking Guideau Y'all.

Everything makes so much sense now. Ashaf carries coffin boyfriend's true body around in his backpack like it's no big thing.

And Guideau, with all that rage packed into a tiny little body, has to go around kissing witches to switch from her current body back to the original to then proceed to beat the shit out of said witch.

I fucking here for this. I'm so hype.

Hot Bois, Crows, Body/Gender Swaps, Witch and Magic Fuckery. I'm here for it all, y'all.

(I might even go read ahead in the manga for this one cause OH MY GOD MANGA ASHAF IS ALSO VERY GOOD)

This ART STYLE.

But also... Chrollo? Is that you?

Ashaf on the left, Chrollo Lucilfer from Hunter X Hunter on the right.

I love this. I love their vibe. After Apothecary Diaries, this might just end up being my favorite this season. I'll save that judgement for a few more episodes in though.

ep2 ep3 ep4 ep5 ep6 <- these will eventually become links

[pocketramblr]

I've only just started watching The Witch and The Beast but Ashaf is so clearly having the time of his life in every one of his scenes. "Sorry my associate here tried to murder you on sight, bbl." "Oh Guideau you'll love this job to unlock a box." He's a little bastard man

He's a little bastard man! Ashaf decided to have a good time and committed. Drinking fine wine and messing with Guideau? fun. Watching Guideo kick apart an iron fence and knowing that his leg bones are next if he keeps it up? fun. stating that its fully illegal to have magical creatures as pet, as well as a general bad idea, before just knocking it out and leaving? fun. whatever the hell his introduction to the mage cop lady was, when he needs her to trust them? the most fun he's had in a week. every word out of his mouth is just whatever he says things recreationally he pokes sleeping bears recreationally he messes with hornets nest recreationally. i think if he isn't having fun for more than sixty seconds he will just die.

[best-thriller-animanga-tourney]

Here is a tentative list of the girls nominated for best anime FL! I might start the first set (I’ll be doing it in sets of 50) today or tomorrow!

1. Nene Yashiro from Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

2. Suletta Mercury from Mobile Suit Gundam Witch from Mercury

3. Haruhi Suzumiya (from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

4. Katarina Claes (My Next Life as a Villainess)

5. Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

6. Yona from Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona

7. Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena

8. Chiyo Sakura from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

9. Clara - Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun

10. Michiko Milandra from Michiko and Hatchin

11. Kaguya - The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

12. Jolyne kujo (jojo's bizarre adventure)

13. Arietty - The Secret World of Arietty

14. Yuko Ichihara (xxx holic by clamp)

15. Anthy - Revolutionary Girl Utena

16. Vivy - Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song

17. Ahiru/Duck from Princess Tutu

18. Touko Nanami - Bloom Into You

19. Akko - Little Witch Academia

20. Coco from Witch Hat Atelier

21. Tohru Honda - Fruits Basket

22. Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon

23. Ryuko Matoi (Kill la Kill)

24. Sakura - Cardcaptor Sakura

25. Hina - Weathering With You

26. Oscar (Rose of Versailles)

27. Sorawo - Otherside Picnic

28. Aurora - Sleepy Princess

29. Chihaya from Chihayafuru

30. Maka Albarn (Soul Eater)

31. Hana - Tokyo Godfathers

32. Shouko - A Silent Voice

33. Nobara - Jujutsu Kaisen

34. Chihiro - Spirited Away

35. Abby - Great Pretender

36. Mirai - Mirai no Mirai

37. Hana - Wolf Children

38. Anya - Spy x Family

39. Mizuho - Sonny Boy

40. Hiyori - Noragami

41. Emilia - Re:Zero

42. Casca - Berserk

43. Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail

44. Ponyo - Ponyo

45. Yor Forger, Spy X Family

46. Nikaido, Dorohedoro

47. Noi, Dorohedoro

48. Nezuko, Demon Slayer

49. Kurisu Makise, Steins;Gate

50. Rachel Gardner, Angels of Death

51. Swindler, Akudama Drive

52. Power, Chainsaw Man

53. Emma, The Promised Neverland

54. Akane Tsunemori, Psycho Pass

55. Suzume Iwato, Suzume

56. Maquia, Maquia

57. Mima Kirigoe, Perfect Blue

58. Tome, Mob Psycho 100

59. Winry Rockbell, Fullmetal Alchemist

60. Riza Hawkeye, Fullmetal Alchemist

61. Celty, Durarara

62. Nina Fortner, Monster

63. Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop

64. Fuu, Samurai Champloo

65. Carole, Carole and Tuesday

66. Tuesday, Carole and Tuesday

67. Kayo Hinazuki, Erased

68. Koharu Hondomachi, ID Invaded

69. Alice, Pandora Hearts

70. Nausicaa

71. San, Princess Mononoke

72. Sophie Hatter, Howl’s Moving Castle

73. Sheeta, Castle in the Sky

74. Shizuku Tsukishima, Whisper of the Heart

75. Kiki, Kiki’s Delivery Service

76. Emilico, Shadows House

77. Mitsumi, Skip and Loafer

78. Ryougi Shiki, Garden of Sinners

79. Shizuku, My Little Monster

80. Violet Evergarden

81. Kaguya, Kaguya Sama

82. Touka, Tokyo Ghoul

83. Nana, Talentless Nana

84. Haruhi Fujioka, OHSHC

85. Sagiri, Hell’s Paradise

86. Re-L Mayer, Ergo Proxy

87. Eru, Hyouka

88. Chise, Ancient Magus Bride

89. Frieren, Sousou no Frieren

90. Maomao, Apothecary Diaries

91. Misaki, Maid Sama

92. Chiyuki, Death Parade

93. Falin Touden

94. Marcille

95. Hotaru, A Condition Called Love

96. Aya, Undead Girl Murder Farce

97. Yuki, A Sign of Affection

98. Hibari Ozora (Stop!! Hibari-kun!)

99. Saya Otonashi (Blood+)

100. Hitomi Kanzaki (The vision of Escaflowne)

101. Kokomine Cocona (Flip Flappers)

102. Misaki Mei (Another)

103. Chika Takami (Love Live! Sunshine!!)

104. Kaede Kayano (Assassination Classroom)

105. Sakura Minamoto (Zombie Land Saga)

106. Hitori Gotoh (Bocchi the Rock!)

107. Neko Musume (Gegege no Kitaro)

108. Chisato Nishikigi (Lycoris Recoil),

109. Yuki Cross, Vampire Knight

110. Guideau, The witch and the beast

111. Chateau, Love of Kill

112. Kaori, Your Lie in April

113. Shizuka Mikazuki, Zom 100

114. Kyouko Hori, Horimiya

115. Riko, Made in Abyss

116. Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell

117. Kuroki Tomoko, WataMote

118. Holo, Spice and Wolf

119. Miyo, My Happy Marriage

120. Sawako, Kimi ni Todoke

121. Lucy, Cyberpunk Edgerunners

122. Kokomi Teruhashi, Disastrous Life of Saiki K

123. Asuka, NGE

124. Rei, NGE

125. Yumeko Jabami, Kakegarui

126. Retsuko, Aggretsuko

127. Haru, Beastars

128. Rae Taylor, I’m in love with the villainess

129. Haru, My Roommate is a Cat

130. Rea, Sankarea

131. Fujiko Mine, Lupin the Third

132. Revy, Black Lagoon

133. Sarasa Watanabe, Kageki Shoujo!!

134. Midori Asakusa, Keep your hands off Eizoken!

[444lpblue]

The Witch and the Beast #1 - The Witch and the City of Blazing Red

Screenplay: Yuuichirou Momose Storyboard/Episode Direction: Takayuki Hamana Chief Animation Direction: Hiroya Iijima Animation Direction: Kei Tsushima, Yuri Hashimoto, Guonian Wang, Kazuharu Tada, Miyoko Shikibu, Asuna Imahashi, Shinya Segawa (Monster AD: Shouya Gotou) Key Animation: Mana Azumaya, Noa Kawamura, Shigenori Taniguchi, Yoshihito Narimatsu, Yuki Uejou, Hiroyuki Kamura, Mitsuyo Tsuno, Kouichi Hayamizu, Kazunori Ozawa, Shouya Gotou, Yoshiko Nakamura, Studio Maf, Yuka Hayashi, Takuya Nemoto, Maru Animation, Yeong-Nam Ko, Su-Jin Oh

A bit late on this, aren't I? But no matter what, I was going to write about this, and I will write about every episode too – don't worry about it!

If you were in the know how of Yokohama Animation Lab's recent animes, much like me, you were probably very nervous about The Witch and the Beast adaptation. I mean, I made a whole write-up on the outlook, which mostly hinges on director Hamana's consistency in terms of quality and his tendency to bring in specific animators. Well, now that the episode is out, how do I actually feel?

It's… surprisingly very well done. Of course, I'm not saying it's perfect; the biggest issues are likely the limited animation and a bit of off-modelness. But I'm not going to lie, guys. Maybe I am biased because The Witch and the Beast is one of my favorite mangas, but I genuinely had a lot of fun with this debut, and I kind of loved it. It felt like it had the soul of the manga I love despite some production hiccups.

First, let's talk about what you probably felt but haven't been able to confirm. The episode was indeed better than the PV. I got a sense of this as I was watching, and I was really kind of confused about why I didn't feel like the PV looked this good. When I looked back, it was very interesting to see how many differences there were and the improvements that made the shots so much better.

The obvious improvement in the shading of Guideau and Ashaf is apparent, but I also love the addition of the impact gust that they added to Guideau's stomp. Personally, it was something I noticed in the PV as feeling a bit too still. The only effects in the PV were just simple camera shakes, which didn't really sell the impact of her stomp that much at all. Seeing improvements like these from the trailer to the actual episode fills me with a lot of hope for the production. I feel like it shows that, unlike more recent Yokohama productions, they are trying a significant amount more.

If you couldn't already tell from some of the close-ups I've provided in this post, while the on-modelness of some farther away shots can be questioned, the close-ups in this show are absolutely gorgeous. I wasn't super sold on Iijima's character designs initially, but after seeing the improved shading and the various shots they kind of hid from us in the PV, the designs are freaking gorgeous up close. The Witch and the Beast, the manga, has always been a visual spectacle that relied a lot on its art direction, aesthetics, and of course, character designs. While it's nearly impossible for the anime to match it, I think they came very close. The characters' eyes are so pretty; I love the compositing effects they applied to them. It feels like it gives them a lot of depth and kind of like an otherworldly blur, which I think looks great. The features are sharp; they're so pretty. Everyone has their premium eyelash extensions on, and it's just about as aesthetically pleasing to me as the manga. To be honest, it might be my favorite character design for the season.

And since I also briefly mentioned the compositing, I have to apologize to Natsumi Uchida. I specifically pointed her out in my social media rambles as someone who was making me worry a bit. And that mostly stems from her recent effort in The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World, which, to be frank, I thought was terrible. The effects looked cheap, just due to how bright and almost neon at times they are. They don't fit in with their environments; it just wasn't pleasant to look at. However, her work in The Witch and the Beast is so much better. While some effects are somewhat questionable, like the smoke and Ashaf's crow appearing when he was saving Guideau, I would definitely say the compositing was a highlight in this episode. It really puts a stamp on the character designs with the beautiful compositing over them. It makes every scene paired with the art direction feel so dense, like everything is just so in-depth.

The art direction in this show is probably its best visual element. It absolutely shines. I mean, if you had to pick something out from this production as a major highlight, it has to be one of the undeniable biggest pros of the show so far. The series is a dark fantasy, but it's not a dull one. A lot of adaptations, I feel, confuse this with each other a bit. A dark fantasy doesn't have to mean dull colors or a realistic design; after all, The Witch and the Beast is all about its aesthetically gothic yet fantasy appearance that is quite grandiose and beautiful in nature, and the art direction covers that perfectly. So huge credit to the art director, Hirotsugu Kakoi and his crew at Kagoshima Ramecahirim.

One of my biggest worries for the anime adaptation, when I first saw the trailer, was actually, believe it or not, kind of its color palette. I genuinely thought they didn't get a full sense of Satake's style. It felt a bit too plain to me when I always imagined the colors in the world in this series to be very solid and strong, while not bright. I think the series functions on its boldness, and the backgrounds are a perfect example of it. The opening, I think, is a great example of this too, just them surrounded by those buildings in the midst of the night feels almost overwhelmingly dense. It really serves as the main appeal in many of the show's shots and ties everything (the compositing, the character designs, and the aesthetic) all together. The buildings and architectures, a mix of 2D and 3D, blend in so perfectly. You can take so many of those shots and make them your wallpaper; honestly, it's so pretty. It's also not just the buildings; the flowers in the room where Guideau and Ione fight were stunning. I also love the visual of the flowers always fluttering up due to impact; it just created such a magical experience for me. It's such a simple addition, but it was great. That, paired with the great soundtrack which goes from almost Persona-like music to soft notes of somberness that build up to the release of a monster, just all goes together so well.

At the beginning of this write-up, I already noted its production issues in terms of sometimes limited animation and a good bit of off-modelness in farther away shots (which I hope they'll fix in the Blu-Ray). There are many instances of very solid animation, which you can just look up on Sakugabooru if you want an example. I'm very impressed by Hamana's ability to manage this level of quality and a very strong self-identity of the show's visuals.

His direction in this episode, while some people might not like it due to its reminiscent of older styles, is noteworthy. Many of his shots rely on simple zoom-ins and zoom-outs, which I would say was a more common technique around 2008 or so. His way of transitioning is also a lot less focused on smooth transitions than most styles nowadays. For example, in Ghost Hunt, Gungrave, or Library of Bantorra, the flow of the storyboard is much less smooth and flowing than modern ones. Hamana's boards feel much more jumpy, I suppose? There's a larger gap that isn't covered by anything, which seems to have given many reviewers the impression of a slideshow. Personally, I don't mind it too much, as I think he still has some pretty interesting ideas. The transitions to Guideau getting stabbed and then grabbing Ione, I thought were really well done and mesmerizing. All the choices for the fluttering flowers were probably directly from him.

And hey, normally I don't like his openings, but the opening for The Witch and the Beast is badass, and I might write an individual write-up for it this week. However, I would also love to see other storyboarders and episode directors on some episodes to compare, especially for future episodes like for Johan and Phanora. I would love to see somebody like Shinj Itadaki give it a try, who I really hope to see in this series at some point. I think it's very possible due to the fact he's worked with Hamana before, and he's worked with Yokohama Animation Lab before. Much like a lot of the key animators here, he was also on Ancient Magus Bride S2, which, if you guys didn't know for some reason, contains an oddly large amount of staff that Hamana worked with before across the years, and they're also appearing in The Witch and the Beast now.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed the debut, despite its issues. I could ramble about it all day; there are so many things I want to talk about. However, I think it would be best to save that for when we get to future episodes. In this write-up, I've already spent a lot of time discussing more of what I like about the general direction and visual appeal of the series. Hopefully, in future episodes, I will be able to go more in-depth on specific storyboards, direction, and visuals that the upcoming episodes will showcase. I'll see you guys next week for the next episode of The Witch and the Beast.

[ghost-bard]

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT KNOWING THAT

“Its love guideau. I want… to teach you what love is”

COULD GET ANIMATED LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

AM I JUST SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING NORMAL???

[sanguinesorcery]

4, 7, 10!

Don't Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain! || Accepting

4. What is your zodiac sign?

I've been told my birth sign is Virgo, but my rising sign is Scorpio. And I can see it; I have a volatile mix of the both of them. If you're looking for Chinese zodiac though, it's the Rat.

7. What drew you to writing your current character(s)?

The Sidhe were originally made for a forum community back in 2009, run by the same team who made the forum for Zone United, and the origin for the mainblog here as well [ @schwarzwaldcr ]. The admin team enjoyed my worldbuilding for the Schwarzwald Visitation Zone enough that they basically asked me to make a character/set of characters for a Legend of Zelda community they wanted to work on, featuring a different dynamic for Ocarina of Time. Originally, Fariah wasn't named Fariah, and she was only in company of about eight other NPCs at the time. That was the original Imperial Landfall set, but as the story progressed and people began expressing interest in what the Sidhe were for what little they saw of them, I was asked to start weaving their entire world together in the hopes new players and old would want to make Sidhe-based characters as well; since Hyrule is under Sidhe control in IL, it made sense more of the race would be seen around. Unfortunately, an internal fight with the admin team saw the full forum deletion of both Zone United and Imperial Landfall, but with pushing from friends I'd kept in contact with in IL, I did finish the Sidhe worldbuilding and lore to completion back then. They weren't reworked for Tumblr consumption until 2015/2016, when another dear friend of mine enabled me into making the first blog and though I've been in and out of the RPC since then, and recently remade the blog as a sideblog from the original. I just can't keep away from these tall seafaring assholes for long, they live rent free in my heart of hearts, though I thank a number of friends for pushing me to keep them alive. They'll stay alive until the end of time. I love them too much to drop them for too long.

10. What is your favorite fictional character (in or out of the current fandom)?

That's a hard one, actually. But I have a number of comfort characters I keep and do roleplay-ish for friends; they have their own sideblog as a multimuse as obscure as they are. Personally, I adhere a lot to Killy/Kyrrie from BLAME!, as well as to Guideau from The Witch and the Beast. Killy is kind of my fictional soulmate, and I mean that in a purely platonic way. He's ancient, his memory's falling apart, he's seen the world over and over in different forms and structures and likely sighs a little when new kids just Don't Get It. He forgets himself but never his objective. I hope he gets the rest he deserves, he needs it more than anything. Guideau fills my niche of Angry For Seemingly No Reason. Not a good person, but not a terrible creature either. She's emotionally stunted and adaptable and openly violent, and I'm here for that. A very different personage from Killy, for sure, but a comfort character nonetheless. I feel catharsis watching her beat the shit out of things. I have others, definitely, and I feel a kinship with many more in this day and age, but these two dictate how I see the world and its cynicist violence.

@gloryseized

[crehador]

brother crab's winter 2024 parting thoughts: majo to yajuu

GUIDEAU MY MOST BELOVED SHE/HE/THEY GUYGIRL OF ALL TIME I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I MUST ONCE AGAIN STRESS THAT THESE ARE THE SAME GUY:

ok so first

banging beginning and banging finale to this season, the show as a whole as some really fascinating worldbuilding (the most fascinating of which we only got to in the final minutes of the final episode) so i really hope we get another season sooner or later

the middle was a little less memorable to me but at no point did i feel overly disappointed or bored, it wasn't always outstanding but it was consistently enjoyable and entertaining to me

but now back to guideau

GUIDEAUUUUUUUUU WHAT A CHARACTER!!! i will be using his pronouns interchangeably bc it is what she deserves uwu (tho tbh i do not think guideau would ever give a single fuck about pronouns and that is a huge part of what i love about them)

it's almost a shame that one of my favorite guideau scenes only came in the last episode, he's pissed at a witch who fed her some stew that she can't stop thinking about and wanting more of

so she confronts the witch all like "UNDO THE SPELL YOU PUT ON ME" and the guy he's traveling with has to gently explain to them like "guideau... do you think you maybe just... liked the soup..."

speaking of the guy

looove his eyes, love the way eyes in general are drawn in this series in fact. also love his voice morikawa-san absolutely killed it and i'm thrilled we will continue to hear him this season in the omegaverse anime (lol but no seriously)

ashaf is overall such a striking character to me, not just in terms of his appearance but his whole demeanor and everything. i feel like we haven't even scratched the surface of who he really is or why he's like that yet, so i hope we get more story to flesh that out

i think ashaf and guideau work so well together as the main pair (not necessarily in a romantic way, bit more on that later) because their personalities are just perfectly complementary. it made the middle... i dunno, detour? to phanora feel a bit, i dunno, just misplaced. i actually really enjoyed phanora and johan too, but their story just felt more like an ova and less like it belonged smack in the middle of this season? anyway

absolutely obsessed with the final scene of the season where ashaf says there's still one thing he wants to teach guideau, and that that's love. LIKE HELLO??? ironically this actually made me ship them romantically less, because i really enjoy the idea of this being a sweeping notion of love. nothing so constrained as romantic love, but love for the world, for others, for soup! and for guideau themself

i would love to see more of this animated because the cast is amazing, but if it doesn't get a continuation i'll definitely pick up the manga (probably once it's finished... hopefully it'll be finished...... we'll see)

[brutalfish]

Hey have you watched The Witch and the Beast? I think you would really dig Guideau. She's my favorite. Hope ur having a good day

Are you psychic or something I literally finished reading all that was out of The Witch and the Beast like a day before you sent this ask???

I haven't watched the anime adaption but I did inhale the manga and uhhhh I don't want to talk about it extensively because I'm trying to get some pals to read it before I publicly lose my shit over this series but I WILL say:

Guideau is perfect and I love Ashaf, too! They are a really compelling duo of characters. They're deceptively complex, and I am actively chewing on them. My other enormous fav is Dunward. Idk if he's shown up in the anime but Dunward was alchemically engineered to snipe me through the brain.

I am unwell about The Witch and the Beast and more people should read it.

[katokosmos]

@witchpursued / cont.

it had been a while since misa sang for anyone one-on-one. she believed the last time she did was for... well, it didn't matter who it was last for, did it? misa had tried desperately to put the last few years of her life behind her, and in this moment with her song? she felt it slide away from her.

"well, that's my song~" she begins, knitting her hands together in her lap, "it's been a really long time since i sang that one... i almost forgot how it went. so... thanks for listening to it."

it's then she notices the lack of response from guideau, and it makes her wonder. they always had something to say, the fact that her song of all things had them at a loss for words... she almost couldn't believe it.

"aw, did you like it that much?" she questions, trying to keep her tone light. they've never really had a heart-to-heart or anything, so it leaves misa at a real loss of what else to say or do... so, she says the only other thing that comes to her mind.

"i wrote that one after i lost someone dear to me," she confesses, "i... i don't really remember writing it, but... it's like... it's been with me for a long time, you know?" she thought she knew what love was, with light, with other's after him, it's funny how... she feels like she understands that song now. even after knowing it for so long. it really does scare you, rem...

[midnight-in-town]

Ashaf as a First Class Mage

One thing I absolutely love about Ashaf's character is that it takes for the plot to move on a bit for readers to notice that, like Guideau, he's also high game.

That's done very smoothly and efficiently, because the story at first naturally tends to focus on introducing Guideau as a monstrous force to be reckoned with. So during the first arcs, Ashaf is often "reduced" as their supervision and support. But the more the plot moves on, the more we realize Ashaf is even more mysterious than Guideau and might as well be considered as dangerous.

Finally, in the on-going arc (spoilers+++), we're introduced to the summoning of Dragons (plz that scene was absolutely epic) being one of the highest feats of magic...

...and they speak of "only one person who managed to summon an entire Dragon in history".

Later, in the latest published chapters, we're also introduced to the concept of Witche's Disciples through 2 new characters...

and Ashaf is once more rudely looked down upon by another magic user (Dunward was also hella rude during Orlencia Sett), which leads him to say this :

So now I ask you : could it be that Ashaf, the first class mage with many animal familiars, is the one man who once managed to summon an entire Dragon ? Considering I also believe it's not far-fetched that Ashaf may know Angela from a time long past, I wouldn't be very surprised if it was the case (maybe he too received a Witch's favor). :D

Anyway, while we wait for the answer, I gotta show you Ashaf brilliantly beating that fake dragon's ass in a very classy and satisfying way ! :D

It was so not a challenge to him that he managed, mid-fight, to send crows to deliver Guideau's coffin (that lil exchange made me smile a lot xD)

TL;DR let's all agree to stop underestimating Ashaf. x) He's not Guideau's partner just because they randomly met 3 years ago.

[spectre-writes]

Why you should read 'The Witch and the Beast' manga by Kousuke Satake

Alrighty folks, time to talk about this manga:

Looking at the covers, you're probably thinking ‘oh, this is some cute paranormal romance kinda thing, right?’ Well, that where you’re wrong… this manga is a hell of a lot more action packed and filled with horror than you’re thinking, and while there’s certainly a degree of… ‘something’ going on, it’s subtle, it’s complicated, and it’s anyone’s guess where it’s going. 

Heads up that there will be a few spoilers in this. I'll start off by dropping some fight scene panels so you know I'm not fibbing about how action packed this manga is:

This is a dark fantasy where the world is one filled with magic, where witches are considered the biggest threat, and have a reputation as being evil (which while not all are, there are some super bad ones out there). Basic plot is about our two main characters taking on witches.

So, who are our main characters? Well, first off we have Ashaf. He’s a mage working for ‘the order of magical resonance’, which specializes in dealing with magical problems/threats. He’s polite, calm and collected, and acts like everything is going to plan (even when it very much isn’t). Carries around a coffin and has crow familiars so a treat for you goths out there. His motives are… ambiguous but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Our second character is Guideau, someone who is violent, fowl mouthed, rash and… pretty much Ashaf’s complete opposite. But she’s agreed to work with him and the order. Why? Well, she’s been cursed by a witch, and needs to find that witch to break the curse… What curse you ask? Well… minor spoilers, but that’s not Guideau’s actual body… Guideau’s actual body is a beast of world destructive power that looks like this:

Yep, that’s right. Massive non-bindary/genderfluid energy there… my personal interpretation is non-binary in a sort of ‘whatever pronouns are most convenient go, but idgaf I just wanna kill that witch’ way, based on the fact Guideau never objects to anyone using female pronouns or male pronouns or states their gender. 

In fact, this whole manga has massive queer vibes… As well as another character later on who plays fast and loose with gender roles, there’s a way to temporarily break a witch’s curse (giving Guideau access to his original body), wanna know what it is? You have to kiss a witch… so yeah, we get scenes like this:

I really wasn’t expecting this and personally this whole aspect of the manga was a treat, though I get that might not be a factor for everyone.

There are some great side characters too, my personally favourite being a necromancer and her servant. She’s very sympathetic/kind to the dead and believes in treating them with respect, which is refreshing to see.

Now, Ashaf and Guideau… it’s complicated. Guideau’s motive is simply to find a way to remove her curse by locating the witch that cursed her, and that’s the only reason she agreed to work with Ashaf. As for Ashaf… well, he says their interests align, and I’d say he definitely has some stake in this, but there’s definitely some stuff he’s keeping quiet about and that’s something we’re going to slowly have to unravel. But I think it’s fair to say they’re growing closer, the question is… where exactly is that leading? I genuinely don’t know and that’s part of what I’m enjoying the most, I pretty much never get invested in stuff like this but I'm hooked. Big spoilers ahead but look at these panels and tell me you’re not intrigued…

Now, as for the world building… I really love how mages write to cast, it’s a nice little detail, and I enjoyed learning about how necromancy functions in this world. The witches also seem to have quite varied powers, which can make their fights seem more unique and means you don’t always know what to expect from them (unless you know their lineage). There’s vampires too if that’s your thing, elementals, and who knows what else going forward. I’m curious to learn more about ‘the order of magical resonance’, there’s definitely some mystery there too… Solid stuff on the whole.

I just… really love this series, and I’d love more people to give it a try too. My only warning is there is some gore, so if that’s an issue for you unfortunately you might have to give this one a pass. Otherwise, please give it a shot! It deserves attention.