#drew the sketch for an japanese artist who was kind enough to give me a cool mayakuro bookmark and sign my douji :D :D

[vhalesa]

Guess who's been at the band live concert today? :>

(photo spam from the event under the cut, feel free to ignore, but there's also the coolest car ever!)

Seriously I never in my life wanted to have a car that badly. Just look at it. It even has all the plush in the front window!

[frobin]

Okey serious question here. How much do you actually believe that Oda ships Frobin? Like do you think he actually have like doodles/sketchs of them in a pairing kind of way? like for the strong world film riding the motorbug? (Personally i would love it to be true but he has stated one piece isn't about romance in that way)

Hey there anon! Thank you so much for your question and I hope I can answer it seriously enough. Also once more sorry for the late response. I felt like a question like that needs some research and that is what I did these last few days.

So... I think I'll start with the tl;dr because that way people can read that and ignore the rest.

So, long answer short: I 100% believe that Oda has one or more sketchbooks with drawings of his characters that are absolutely self-indulgent. I am 98% sure that he has drawn Franky and Robin in a romantic way at least once (and supported the ship). I am 80% sure he still is shipping FRobin.

Little disclaimer: I actually have no idea if any of this is true. I pull everything in my arguments out of my own experiences and knowledge and since I'm not a 46 year old Japanese Mangaka my perspective might be WAY OFF.

argument - reason- example - conclusion... behind the cut (or in the google doc)

So, why do I think that Oda has a secret sketchbook?

Simple answer is that he is an artist. He is drawing a lot and no artist will publish everything. That can have multiple reasons like imposter syndrome or because the artist thinks it’s not good or interesting enough or they just forget. There are even more reasons I forget and every person has their own.

For Oda I can imagine two big reasons as to why he would keep secret sketchbooks.

First: He is a horndog. You can skip this part if you don’t want to read about it, to the second reason.

Anyway, we know thanks to answers in the SBS, the way he likes to draw big-breasted women and how some of his characters are classified as perverts that he can be considered one too.

Let me show you a few of a few lewd SBS questions he likes to answer in a funny way:

Chapter 228, Page 46

D: How are ya, Odacchi? I know how much you like getting butt-naked, so this must be a favourite season for you. <3

O: Yes, yes. I just LOVE getting completely naked. In the summertime, after I take a bath I just run STRAIGHT OUTSIDE!! And when the girls' softball team running on the sidewalk looks over at me, they say, "Yup, it's really summer now!!" ... AS IF!! I'D GET ARRESTED!!!

(x)

Chapter 433, Page 68

D: If Lady Robin can use her Hana Hana Powers to make any part of her body sprout somewhere else, does that mean she can do it with her ample bosom as well? "Nyurin-zaki" (Breast Sprout) Boy, I'd like to take a hit from that sometime... P.N. Ero Ero no Mi Devil Fruit User.

O: "Ichirin-zaki" (Single Sprout) "Nirin-zaki" (Double Sprout) "Nyurin-zaki" (Breast Sprout) Very clever!! NO IT'S NOT!! STOP THAT!! I'm sure she CAN do it though ♡

(x)

Chapter 798, Page 64

D: Oddachi, I'll give you a pornographic book, so please answer my question. Sanji won't allow anyone to waste food, but what will he do if a woman does so? P.N. Smoker's Cigar

O: I think he would grab the plate and eat it up. Now please give me the pornographic book.

(x)

Nowadays I’m sure there is a focus on those lewder questions compared to the beginning because that is what 13 year old boys laugh about and we all know that is Oda's main demographic (of course).

I think a very good picture of that is given by Tekking101 in his breakdown video of SBS Volume 100.

“Let’s get diving into these questions (...) now, this is a huge moment. I mean, not many Manga manage to reach 100 Volumes, Okay? Now I know Oda usually starts these off with questions relating to boobs and things that don’t really… you know, aren’t really relevant but you know, this is a big celebration so we’re gonna dive right into it. I bet the most important things that we need to know about the One Piece Story are right here in these pages, okay? I printed them out. That is how important this is. So let’s start off, shall we? Epic voice, Barry!

‘Mister Oda, there is a UFO over there with huge big-breasted beauties on it. That memorable 100 Volume of the SBS is about to begin.’

[pause] Yeah, like the first five of these are all related to boobs in some way. You know what Oda? Sticking true to your guns! Godspeed, Sir Oda. Godspeed.”

(end at around 2:30)

So, Oda is a man who likes beautiful women and who draws.

Coming to the conclusion that he will draw his own characters in suggestive poses, naked and even doing adult stuff is not hard.

Obviously he would not show these sketches just around. He would probably keep them in a secret sketchbook that he keeps at a safe location. Maybe his wife and some close friends know about it? Maybe it is his and only his little secret.

I don’t think it would be unlikely to learn about this years into the future, maybe the next generation of Anime Fans will hear about this.

And it would not be the first time that something like this happened.

Not that long ago the daughter of Osamu Tezuka - groundbreaking Mangaka, known for his works of “Astro Boy”, “Kimba the white lion” and many more - found his adult Furry art. Source; Japanese article;

It’s a fact that many Mangaka did indeed start their career with art of the more risque kind and/or as doujinshi artists.

So again, I have no doubt that Oda, a known pervert, has one or more secret sketchbooks with „the p0rnography“ in it. Is there only hot stuff in there? Not necessarily.

The second reason to keep a secret sketchbook would be to collect information in there, that could be considered canon but he is not willing to use it in the Manga. Maybe they are not important enough or will be used later.

What am I imagining here? Anything that could be considered too weird for the normal sketchbook but isn‘t too risque. Funny things that might still not be „appropriate.“

Like a sketch of the male Strawhat ding-dongs with the sizes beside it. All the lewd jokes the fans did about Luffy's stretching qualities? I’m sure Oda thought about them too and drew that in the past if he had the time and it made him laugh enough.

But also maybe there are scenes in there that never made it in the Manga. The Strawhats interacting with each other in their daily lives, ideas for colorspreads and maybe chapter-titles. Oda probably has noted/sketched down a lot of unofficial stuff somewhere.

Another example, even an artist like Oda himself would have needed to exercise drawing two people kissing. Why not use Characters he thinks that might work out together?

Why not Franky and Robin? I would imagine he sketched up a few panels of Franky and Robin having a romantic date, going shopping together in Dressrosa, having a conversation that we never got to see because it was too on the nose.

Which brings us to the second point of me being very sure that Oda had drawn FrankyXRobin at one point.

I’m sure in those sketchbooks there is at least one drawing of them doing anything couple-related together. Again it does not have to be downright nasty but it could be them holding hands, kissing or even just Robin leaning onto Franky while reading, like all those fanarts that exist out there.

It’s not hard to imagine. Even for other Characters I think that is possible

And there might even be proof for that idea. The sketch of the Strong World movie you also mentioned, anon. The one movie that can be considered canon is Strong World. It was basically written/directed by Oda. Shiki the antagonist had an appearance in the Manga.

This sketch is drawn by Oda. Robin is holding onto Franky.

Can it be read as romantic? Yes. Can it be read as Robin holding onto Franky because there is nothing else to hold onto? Also Yes. But couldn't she just have used her power to keep herself secured on the bike without holding onto Franky? WELL YES. Could Oda never have thought in these circles like I do right now? I hope he did not because I hate it and I don’t wish it upon him.

In the movie Robin is NOT holding onto Franky. Now the really interesting thing - that is neither proof pro nor anti FRobin - is that we can see the sketch provided by Oda as a “between the scenes”.

In the movie Strong World the old trio is collecting information at the Pirate assembly. The next time we see them they use the Batta GT-7000 to slowly approach the destroyed village, which had been ravaged by the animals, and start to look for their friends. No need to hold onto Franky and no need for Brook to lean back. They are looking around.

The sketch is clearly not the same scene as the one we see in the movie.

In conclusion the drawing is indeed a between the scenes drawing. And yes if there exists one, who is to say there aren’t more?

Talking about Animal-Bikes...

Is there any meaning about the fact that in the opening scene (that is part of the talked intro after the opening ‘We Go’ - a huge thanks to antiherofangirl, ccb0nnet, JFL_Estudios and Maems, over at twitter!) Franky and Robin build another grasshopper-based vehicle? Maybe not but I still feel like it’s quite a callback.

Where did the idea to put this in the beginning come from? a) an editor had the idea inspired by Strong World; b) maybe it’s another sketch that Oda provided.

Neither seems very far-fetched in my opinion.

So yes, I am very sure that Oda has drawn things that we would consider FRobin.

Now to the last point (the first being Oda having a secret sketchbook, the second me arguing that Oda might have drawn FRobin).

As I said in the beginning I’m very sure that at one point Oda did and kinda that he still does ship Franky and Robin. Because even though every Interaction of two characters can be depicted as romantic or platonic, Oda used ROMANTIC TROPES with Franky and Robin.

They have never kissed on screen but we had

finishing each other's sentences

coordinated clothes

one using the others lap as pillow

hand on cheek caressing

and we can’t forget that Robin had answered Franky's invitation to ride on another animal-themed bike with a heart.

Edit: I didn‘t say anything about „no romance in OP“ so ask again if you want me to talk a bit about that. Sorry!

Those are things an author of Oda's level would not write or draw without being aware about how teasing this is. He has to be aware that every single line he draws will be analyzed to the end of the universe and back. People earn money by saying their opinion and interpretations about the Manga on Youtube.

These interactions are not something outlandish like “There was once an Anime Scene in which Robin was wearing something blue and exactly 28 episodes later Franky was wearing something violet and then 39 episodes later they both stood beside each other for exactly 69 seconds.”

Whenever I think about these facts, things that are not about interpreting but are factual, black ink on white paper but also about the little things, about how Frank and Robin help each other to become better, how they support each other… I want to say YES! ODA IS 100% on board! While in reality I’m 80% sure and 20% of me is wondering if I’m not actually analyzing too much into it. If maybe he really is abandoning ship. Maybe I will become the person who will curse his name and throw my Mangas and fanfictions in an active volcano?

I don’t know and it’s impossible to say what is going to happen.

And with that I've concluded this answer, and it only took me around 2k words and four days.

[shock777archive]

I got this question on deviantart, and I felt like reposting my answer here, in case anyone is interested :P 

THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG REPLY BUT BEAR WITH ME LOL When I first started drawing/am I self taught : I've been drawing since kindergarten. Anime specifically, since I was about 8 years old. so that's been uh...18 years since I've started drawing in the anime-esque style? I am self taught on these areas. I picked up a digital artist tablet at the age of 13 or so, (it was a wacom Graphire 4 4x5 in) so it's been 13 years of digital art practice i've gotten in. I have picked up several how to draw books over the years until i surpassed some of them. But even now i'm constantly referencing tutorials and poses, looking for ideas and color palettes, etc. I have taken some schooling in college for art. I took beginner's drawing and color theory and maybe a little of art history but that's about it before i quit lmao What inspired me to draw in the first place/what I first drew: The thing that inspired me to draw in the first place was my favorite cartoons. from a very young age i knew that cartoons weren't real, but it fascinated me that actual people could create almost living people. I related to cartoons, and even though they were fake characters, I just loved the idea of creating a whole world of my own. So I took up drawing in kindergarten. First things I drew were flowers, rainbows, trees, etc. But My first biggest undertaking was powerpuffgirls. lol This was the series that started it all. Began drawing tons of powerpuffgirls stories and oc's. For the next few years I would watch different things like all the standard cartoon network shows. But I watched yugioh and dbz and other anime things too. What also got me into anime art style was the online game neopets lol Their faeries designs ( http://images.neopets.com/games/pages/icons/screenshots/586/4.jpg ) kind of had an anime resemblance, so I started drawing those for a while. When I was 8 or 9 years old my father bought me my first how to draw manga book (this one in particular: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Drawing-Manga-Ben-Krefta/dp/1841931713  ) looking back on it, this book is terrible and the anime in it is so ugly looking lol. However, i used that thing religiously and began making my own characters like a blue elf girl and a human friend of hers. ( in fact, here's the post. i tried redrawing them recently lol: https://shock777.tumblr.com/post/145898896143/finding-old-art-is-the-best-cause-you-can-redraw ) ...Then the real transformation began once I started watching Teen Titans when it aired in 2003. I was 10 at the time. That show started my love for japan. The language interested me and I began researching Japanese songs and trying to sing along to them. I didn't know what the words meant, but the artistic style and meshing of western cartoons and anime of the show really piqued my interest. My earliest drawings of them suckedddd XD; As Teen Titans drew to a close near 2006-2007 ish, I picked up Naruto and then it was all over since then lol my anime style and weeb days really came into full force lol I thank naruto though. I learned how to draw more realistic anatomy as opposed to cartoony anatomy. It was a very wild ride, but it's all documented here on my deviantart page as I got this exact account around the same time! I started posting my work in 2008, so you can go back far enough into my gallery and see the progress XD; I keep the old cringe up because it just motivates me and hopefully others, to keep drawing and keep going farther! :) PHEW lol long history there XD I do have some of my old art!!! If you wanna see some, I've posted a little here: https://shock777.tumblr.com/tagged/old-art plus I already said there's a few still on my dA gallery haha Tips I can give to you: 1. And I think this is most important, JUST KEEP GOING. It's soooo tempting to quit drawing when things aren't going right and when you're not happy with how your art looks. Trust me, every artist I've ever known including myself have gone through this. It's so easy to compare your work to someone else's. The thing is, we're all in this together. No one expects a newborn to be able to file taxes or drive a car lol. We all have to evolve and change, and that change comes from consistent work. Art isn't an inherent talent, it is hard work that is honed over several years of blood, sweat and tears lmao JUST KEEP GOING. as I've mentioned, my old cringe art is still on my dA page. Back then when I was younger I was less concerned with things being perfect and I spam posted almost every doodle. And I began a "fanbase" i guess because of those days and my consistent posting. I've had this freaking deviantart page for 11 freakin years. If I had stopped drawing whenever I felt my art was imperfect or not good enough, I would have stopped posting around 2009. so...just keep going. And I'd even dare you to post your "shitty doodles" that you think aren't that great. Because you never know what someone else will see in it that you don't. Be confident, and never give up! 2. Soak up any tutorial and really focus on studying your favorite artist's styles. If there's something you want to replicate in your art that someone else is drawing, try to see how they do it. sometimes artists have tutorials posted and sometimes they don't. I have a few posted on my youtube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRB9xQBsGpfetNJbmXWZ1fL9d5IlqQs1w ) and some in my gallery. Don't exactly copy some things stroke for stroke, but try to add your little spin to something. Like sometimes I will see art senpai drawing a specific eye style I wanna replicate, but I don't like one part of the process. So sometimes I'll just add my own little addition, or just omit that process completely. Usually though, if the art style isn't necessarily super unique, you can copy a lot of mainstream styles without anyone really griping saying "oh you're just copying so and so's art style". It's important to look up to art senpais i think. They make me want to try harder lol 3. Take an art class if you're able. Color theory really helped me grasp things that I never had before. LIKE REFLECTIVE LIGHT FOR INSTANCE. I never drew that shit but now I do because DUH it's so freaking obvious lol It also helps to learn what colors neutralize others, complementary colors, analogous ones, etc. It's nice to have an eye for what matches together and to know the principles of art. I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to perspective, which we did cover a little in class lol but work on your own pace. If your college near you offers a class for beginners, take it if you're able. it will help you view things differently. 4. Copy realistically. Like, I'm talking look at a freaking object in your room and try to draw it. Once you can draw it semi realistically, you can then add your own little stylistic choices to it. Like so many artists who draw chibis or cartoony things, they more than likely know the proper proportions of people and anatomy. But they draw the proportions all whacky and it creates their own style. However it does help to know how they work in reality lol 5. TRACE OVER POSES. Sometimes I do this. I'm not saying to trace someone's art, but if you see some kind of pose on say a google image, or a stock photo, try sketching over it to get a feel for where the joints connect if you're working on anatomy. It reaaaallly helps you memorize where the arm would end, or where the torso connects to the hips. 6. Take advice and criticism well. If someone sees something you don't about your art, they may be on to something. It's not wrong if someone gives you a heads up that a proportion seems lacking or something seems too big or out of place. It will actually help you to see what others see. Sometimes we get in the habit of drawing something a certain way and it's hard to break that habit especially if you've drawn the same thing several hundred times. It will help you in the long run to just accept that you're always going to be improving. You'll never be perfect at drawing, so what do you have to lose? Just keep walking forward and learn what you can. 7. Flip the canvas. This is more or less a digital art tip, but please flip the canvas to make sure the proportions are not off. lol A lot of professionals have to flip the canvas until they get a feel for where things are placed. Another good tip is to use a stabilizer of some kind to draw straight lines. Paint tool sai has one at the very top of the window. It helps tremendously. 8. Draw what you like and don't feel bad for not drawing everything everyone else likes. Don't sacrifice your morals or your personal desires for something everyone else likes. If you're paid to draw something you don't like, thats another thing. but don't let people pressure you to draw stuff that you don't want to. You'll be much happier, and build an audience that is much like-minded to you. Be considerate of what your audience likes, sure, but remember at the end of the day, art is something to express one's self. Art is not and should not be a job. Even if you get paid money to draw or design things, it's important to take a break and draw something for yourself every once in a while. Be self indulgent, and treat yo self from time to time :) And uhhh...that's all I can think of for the time being. :') let me know if you have any further questions or if I need to clarify anything :) Thanks again!

[wooleeza]

C3AFA SG2017 B-Pro Meet and Greet Session

Alright, I have to apologise for the delay here. RL caught up with me and I got distracted by other awesome Kakki-related situations… *cough* photobook *cough* but in case anyone is still interested, here’s my account of the Meet and Greet experience. (This is woefully lacking in details compared to my account of the Stage Q&A, no thanks to my procrastination… time is indeed a merciless memory-eating monster!) Still, long post ahead, for those who are still interested in reading this account.

I headed to the Meet and Greet venue along with Wenchie and Yolanda to join the queue to enter the room. I was truly amazed by the zeal of some of the fellow fans, who were decked out in cosplay (someone was dressed as Cup Noodle King Noctis!) or wielded merchandise from both Kakki’s and Tosshi’s past live shows. In comparison, yours truly only brought a handmade gift for Kakki, which I was allowed to place in a collection basket (we were not allowed to personally hand the gifts to the artistes.) After the verification was complete, we were ushered into the meeting room – there must have been at least 70 people or so, and we were all standing as close to the stage as we could. Thankfully, someone in the audience requested for us all to be seated on the floor, so that we could all get a good view of our beloved seiyuus. Thank you to that brave soul who spoke up for all of us! (C3AFA – please keep the comfort of the fans in mind too! >.<)

We all waited with bated breaths as the MC introduced herself (I honestly don’t remember her name) and asked if we were all ok if the entire M&G were to be conducted in Japanese. More than half the room went ‘Yes’, and I was among the few moaning “Nooooo!”, so she agreed to translate what she could in summary. I heard from some other attendees that her translations were pretty accurate, but I had hoped for more translations to be honest because I only understood less than 10% of what was actually said! She reminded us of the ground rules that no photography or recordings of any sort were allowed, which we all pretty amiably agreed to. Anyway, we were all waiting anxiously for Kakki’s and Tosshi’s arrival.

Kakki entered the room first, and frankly my mind went blank at the sheer beauty of the man up close. How could any man be that pretty!? He smiled and waved at us before taking his seat on the mini stage.  Then Tosshi arrived… or rather sneaked his head around the doorway and lingered there. (So cute!) The fans screamed louder so that he would enter the room, after which he walked in and joined Kakki onstage.

The MC told us to cheer loudly to welcome them both (which we were already doing), and then for inexplicable reasons launched into telling us the history of B-Project. I know it’s meant to promote the show, but really, this segment could have been covered during the stage event or presented in a more enjoyable manner. (Take note, C3AFA!) Sensing the mood drop in the room, Kakki decided that it was his turn to play up the tension at this point, so he flopped facedown onto the table, where the cordless mike was placed, claiming that he was too tired to hold up the mike now as it was post-lunch. Tosshi told us to cheer louder to wake him up, but Kakki said that it wouldn’t work – the cheering would be a lullaby to him. He demanded for a glass of beer instead. Then, he made a big show of taking out a bottle of eye drops from his pocket and squeezing the tears into his eyes. At this point, he realised that there was no tissue nearby. Tosshi decided to play up the tension even more by ripping off a small section of paper from a sketchpad on the table, and pushed it into Kakki’s face! Amid the fans’ laughter, the MC requested for a tissue packet to be passed to him, and fans were beginning to take out tissues from their bags, (bad move, MC!) until another member of the staff placed a packet on the table for Kakki. (Honestly, I wonder what would have happened had I lobbed my tissue packet at Kakki. XD Anyway, I decided to maintain respectable behaviour!)

The MC continued the history segment, but her mike began to sputter in volume so she had to switch over to one attached to the lectern at the side of the stage. Tosshi and Kakki got hold of her cordless mike and took turns testing it by vocalising “Aaaaaaa~” into it loudly. They declared rather raucously that there was nothing wrong with the mike, so the MC tried using it again and tested it by blowing right into the mike. Tosshi and Kakki visibly cringed at this treatment of the microphone, much to our collective amusement.

After that tedious history segment was done, the session became more free form. Tosshi again commented that everyone in the room actually understood exactly what the MC had been saying (in English) except for him. He expressed feeling bad that the session had to be conducted in Japanese on his account, but everyone assured him that it was all “daijoubu!” The MC then asked them about their recording experiences, and Tosshi shared that they are all familiar with one another and the characters by the time they record the songs, so it’s usually very smooth. However, there was one occasion where he was distracted because of a long nose hair (hanage) he had. After that revelation, the word “hanage” became a running joke throughout the rest of the M&G.

Next, the seiyuus were to compete against each other in a drawing contest. If the answers were wrong, or if the drawing was not good, then that person would be the loser for that round. They were to answer questions about Singapore and sketch their answers out, while the fans were not allowed to shout the answers out but could give them hints through gestures. When asked for their pre-battle words, Kakki said that he would show us his own unique style, while Tosshi claimed that he would produce works of art. The first question was “Singapore is also known as the ________ City.” which meant that they were required to draw a lion, but both of them thought that they were to draw the Merlion instead. As they began their artwork, some fans said that there was no time limit stated and that there should be a time limit, which the MC eventually acceded to. The seiyuus were given a time limit of 30 seconds and some fans began to count the seconds down. Kakki seemed somewhat annoyed by this and said, “Hey, you guys are really noisy!” in a good-natured tone. Tosshi then took up his mike and blasted, “Uruseiii!” which caused the fans to cheer even louder. The countdown continued regardless. When the time was up, they revealed their answers and both of them actually drew really good Merlions! Kakki isn’t known to be good at art, but that Merlion was a pretty good representation. Tosshi’s artwork was indeed impressive. However, the answers were wrong, since they only had to draw a lion! At this point, Tosshi quickly flipped his sketchpad over (to the page he had partially torn off to wipe Kakki’s face with) and began sketching a lion in record time. It was a great sketch too! To everyone’s amusement, he had also added nose hairs to his creation.

The next question was “Singapore has a famous dish known as Hainanese __________ rice.” which required them to draw a chicken. It was really funny to see all the fans suddenly begin flapping their arms, so the seiyuus got the hint immediately. As they were concentrating on their drawing, the MC suddenly made an announcement in English that someone had been caught taking photos and recording the segment, and said that this person had to immediately delete the information from her smartphone. Everyone tensed up the moment this happened, and Kakki’s expression turned very grave. He picked up his mike and personally reminded us that photos and recording was not allowed, and the mood visibly dropped in the room. We were fairly quiet after that, so the MC tried to lighten things up by commenting on the sketches they were making. She said that the drawings were indeed unique to the style of both Kakki and Tosshi. At this point, some fans shouted out “Hanage!” which finally lightened the mood again, and Tosshi obligingly added nose hairs to the chicken he was drawing. When both of them had finished drawing, Tosshi revealed his chicken, which was all kinds of impressive, even with the nose hairs added! The man truly has an artist’s eye. Then laughter erupted through the room when it was Kakki’s turn to reveal his chicken, which was… recognisable. *facepalm* I truly have no other words to describe its appearance! It was a rather tragically hilarious representation of the fowl in question.

Obviously, Tosshi won the quiz round, so Kakki had to do a forfeit of saying mushy words to us. We all held our collective breath as he said something along the lines of “You are mine. I won’t hand you over to anyone.” Ahhh that voice!! My Japanese isn’t good enough to understand those words the moment he uttered them, but dammit I was dying from just hearing that soft tone live. We all cried out in sheer bliss after hearing that. The MC cheekily asked if we wanted to hear more from him, but before the clamour rose any higher, quick-thinking Kakki said that he believed we all wanted to hear Tosshi instead. ((Frankly, I came just to hear you, Kakki!)) His hand forced, Tosshi obliged the crowd (after shouting “Uruseiii!” again) with a line that went something like a tsundere “If anyone hurts you, I will kill them.” Yes, he sounded really badass and possessive! After the mushy lines were said, Tosshi was presented with a jar of Ya Kun Kaya spread (coconut jam), our local pride and joy, as his prize. They were both adorably clueless about what it was until the MC told them about it, after which Tosshi proudly waved the gift in his hands.

We had been told prior to the meet and greet that pre-signed gifts would be given out to selected participants, but had no idea how the process would be like. At this point, the MC revealed that 4 people out of all those present would get the gifts, which were small boards bearing Kakki and Tosshi’s autographs. The clause was that we had to win against them in a rock-paper-scissors contest. We were all quite confused as the MC explained the rules but we eventually understood how to play. All participants were to stand. Kakki was to go first, and anyone who managed to beat him (not tie or lose!) would remain standing while the rest had to sit down. Tosshi would go next, and the same rule would apply until only 4 participants remained standing. I managed to beat Kakki (rock vs. scissors), but not Tosshi (scissors vs. rock). T_T After Tosshi’s round, there were a fewer than 10 left standing, so the contestants had to defeat one another until only 4 were left. At one point, there were just 5 players left and I honestly felt bad for the last girl who came so close and yet so far! The boards were given out to the winners and I managed to take a picture of one of the boards when I exited the room later. Those lucky girls! Good on you for winning those boards!

After the high of the jankenpon, the MC announced that it was time for Kakki and Tosshi to say goodbye, to which all of us let out distressed noises. Nonetheless, it was indeed time to bid farewell. Tosshi said his thank yous first, saying that he had not expected to travel to Singapore to promote the anime at all, and he now wants to learn English from Kakki. Kakki said that they really depended on fans outside of Japan to spread the word about B-Project, so he asked us to continue our support and to help them promote the anime as well. Then the MC said that as a parting gift, the seiyuus would personally hand us merchandise as we fans exited the room, which we were all really happy about. Both Kakki and Tosshi left their seats on stage and headed over to the table by the exit, where they would say their thank yous individually to each fan. We were told to line up in an orderly manner and instructed to “please do not to touch the artistes!” Wenchie and I both laughed at that, because we had talked about an imaginary scenario earlier where we would have a mock fight, and push each other in such a way that I would fall on Kakki’s lap while I shoved her at Tosshi, and that if she fainted I would instruct Tosshi to give her mouth-to-mouth. Oh well, there went our devious plan out the proverbial window! We decided to hang around in the room as long as we were allowed, so I basically gawped at Kakki the whole time while he distributed the merchandise, looked into each fan’s eyes and said very sincerely, “Thank you very much.” He’s just that beautiful up close. When it was my turn, I was honestly tongue-tied, but eventually managed to stumble out, “I’ll see you at Kirafes!” and his expression turned incredulous for a second (coz getting tickets for that is war every year!) and I certainly hope he wasn’t turned off by that bold statement! (What can I say, Kakki? I’ve only been obsessing over you for this entire time! T_T) Then I had to look away to receive my gift from Tosshi as well, and my farewell to him was a lot less awkward. He said “Thank you” to me, and according to Wenchie, he also said “Bye bye” to her, which made her really happy. Then we had to leave the room, but I lingered near the doorway to keep staring at Kakki until the staff told us that we had to move away, after which they closed the door.

The B-pro merchandise that we were given comprised a colourful tote bag (I honestly don’t know the anime well enough to recognise the symbols on it), a file, 2 character badges and 2 phone accessories. I managed to get a Momotarou phone accessory among them. <3  Someone traded one of the character badges with me, but the ones I now have are pretty cute. I’d kill for a Momotarou one though!

Final thoughts:

Kakki and Tosshi were really gracious and infused the entire stage and M&G experience with lots of smiles and humour. Kakki is smaller in person than I thought he would be, but I guess they all look much larger on TV. I’ve probably said this ad nauseum by now, but he’s really, really beautiful. I simply couldn’t stop staring the whole time. His voice is so magnetic too – it was magic hearing it in person. I’m almost glad he can’t draw well, because it just proves that he’s human after all! XD Tosshi is really cute – a pint-sized gentleman with an unexpectedly big voice, and I am really impressed at how multitalented he is.

This has been mentioned before by xpeppermin, but I feel it must be reiterated here – fellow fans, please treat your idols with the respect they deserve. It really wasn’t pleasant to see Kakki and Tosshi bothered by the revelation that they were being recorded, and that their photos were being taken when the rules explicitly stated that no photography and recording was allowed. I understand your ‘hunger’, but you’re doing so at the expense of everyone else, which is really selfish behaviour.  Kakki didn’t have to remind us personally, but the fact that he did showed the degree of his annoyance. That tone brooked no disobedience. Also, from what I understand, Tosshi is an extremely private person, so such experiences must be very traumatic for him. He didn’t even understand what had been happening until Kakki spoke up. Also, as I’m not active on Twitter, I was not aware until later that some fans even stalked Kakki at the airport and during his outing at the USS. This is really beyond even what is considered unacceptable. They’re human too – please respect their need for privacy. After all, I really really hope that they will both come to Singapore again. Let’s keep the fan meets wholly pleasant for them so that they would want to come again, which is what everyone wants, isn’t it? Do not hurt the chances of this happening by behaving so self-centredly. Please put yourself in the place of the idols, and do not do anything that you wouldn’t like done to yourself.

For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed my overall experience. I arrived with no expectations, having had no prior experience of any such events, and left with awesome memories to last me till the next time. While I do wish that there had been more time for idol-fan interaction (e.g. getting them to answer written fan questions, or perhaps a group photo with all of us present), I was more than satisfied with what I got. Just like in the song “I Could Not Ask For More” (Sara Evans):

I could not ask for more than this time together I could not ask for more than this time with you And every prayer has been answered Every dream I've had's come true Yeah, right here in this moment Is right where I'm meant to be Here with you here with me

Thank you, Kakki and Tosshi, for coming all the way to Singapore from Tokyo, to spend these few hours with us here in Singapore. Kakki, I’ll never forget the few seconds where our eyes met and we held each other’s gazes as you very sincerely said, “Thank you very much.” Those few moments across the whole of eternity belonged solely to us. In that moment, I encountered the most present you. Truly, I could not ask for more. I only wish I could have said in return, “Thank you for sharing the best of you with me.”

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Ink-Matty Healy Imagine

Requested: Yes

Warnings: Some sensuality and fluff

A/N: This is a sequel to the previous Matty Healy imagine I did. Hope you enjoy it!

   “Are you sure about this, Matty?” I asked, eyes glued to the framed black and white old school, traditional, and Japanese style tattoo examples that hung on the off-white walls in the back room of the tattoo studio.

   Matty was lying on the black leather reclining client’s seat, wearing a long-sleeve black shirt that hung off his body, showing off his previous chest piece, and tight black jeans. He seemed impossibly calm, but that could have had something to do with the cigarettes he’d smoked before we came in.

    “Positive, love. What better way is there to celebrate our anniversary than with a little ink?” Matty asked.

   “But it’s so...permanent.”

    “That’s the idea,” Matty said. “I told you that you didn’t have to come.”

    “I wanted to. Thought I may as well be supportive.”

    Matty gave me that look that told me that he knew I was lying. Well, of course I was! Ever since he told me that his anniversary gift to me was going to be a tattoo on himself, I had been trying to talk him out of it. Since he had gotten tattooed before, the pain and permanent arguments were out of the window. So, I tried to tell him how research shows that it’s rare for couples to stay together after getting matching tattoos.

   “Well, we’ll prove them wrong,” he had said.

   Honestly, I did find it endearing how he thought we were going to be together for a long time, but I didn’t want him to get a tattoo that he would regret. If he broke up, he would look at it and be reminded of the stupid mistake that he made when we were together. However, I did hope that we wouldn’t have to break up ever especially after the whole debacle with my parents.

    Leon, the tattoo artist covered in colorful and interesting tattoos, walked in and sat in the artist’s stool next to his equipment .”So, you’ve decided on what you wanted?”

   “Yeah, I want Milady written across my right hand, right below the knuckles, in this,” Matty pointed to the script in the portfolio on his lap, “font.”

    Leon looked at it and nodded. “Can do.” He looked at me. “Nothing for you?”

    “No, no, I couldn’t.”

    “Why not? You’d look proper fit with one,” Matty teased.

    “We’ve already been over this: I work in a lab twenty hours a day, five days a week, and I need to look as professional as possible---no offense.”

    “None taken.”

    “I’m just here for support.”

    “Nice girlfriend,” Leon commented.

     “Thanks,” Matty said.

     Leon began doing the outline and I shifted my weight from one Stuart Weitzman over-the-knee boot to the other. The fact that Matty was getting a tattoo for me was not only sweet but solidified the whole “bad boy not worthy of me” idea my parents had of him. The brunch that my mother had invited me to after running into Matty and me was full of berating me for even speaking to a musician like Matty.

    “They’re no good, Y/N,” Dad said. “Why don’t you go out with that prince of Luxuemborg?”

    “Because he’s into race cars and I hate race cars. Besides, Mom, Dad, I really like Matty. He is a lot smarter and much different than what you think of him. Why can’t you give him a chance?”

    “Because he’s trash! He’s musician trash!” Mom exclaimed.

    “He is not trash!” I hissed back. “He is kind, sensitive, and has so much integrity that it’s amazing.” 

    “That’s what he wants you to think. As soon as you...sleep with him, he’ll throw you aside, and move on to the next girl.”

   “It sounds like you have experience with that, Mother.”    The look on my parents’ face was filled with horror. Never had I dared to insult or stand up to my parents before, but she had crossed the line. Matty wasn’t like that, at least, I hadn’t thought so at the time. 

   “You apologize to your mother this instant, Y/N,” Dad demanded.

   “I will when she apologizes to Matty.”

   After that, I hardly spoke to my parents outside of holidays and birthdays. Even though Matty and I were going strong for three years, my parents refused to take it seriously. I decided that it was their problem and not mine. I was happy to be with Matty and he pushed me out of my comfort zone----I needed that.

   He grabbed my hand as Leon started the tattoo gun. “Here it goes.”

   “You’re doing this for my benefit, aren’t you?” I said, my eyes trained on Leon’s hand as it got closer to Matty’s.

   “Of course.”

   “Now, you’re just going to feel a little sting,” Leon said.

    Matty didn’t even flinch and just watched Leon do his work while I couldn’t have been squeezing his hand harder. It was interesting to see Leon tattoo Matty since he was so graceful about it. 

    “I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” I whispered.

    “Too late to turn back now,” Matty said.

    “Why would you get this now? I mean, who knows what’s going to happen?”

     Matty eyed me. “Y/N, if I was going to break up with you, I would’ve done it a long time ago. Most people get sick of each other by this time but I find you interesting to be around. Sure, you can be a proper basket case sometimes but you’re also the smartest person I know. I couldn’t love you anymore if I tried.”

    Even though Matty had told me he loved me before on several different occasions, it was the way he said it then that made me so happy. He basically said that he was always going to love me and that made me feel safe because he felt the exact same way as me.

   “I know the feeling,” I muttered before pressing my lips gently against his.

   Seconds later, he let go of my hand to run his hand through my hair as he kissed me back harshly. I smiled into it and nearly forgot that Leon was still sitting there and I pulled away.

   “Sorry about that,” I said, feeling my cheeks get warmer.

   “Trust me, it wouldn’t be the worst thing that’s happened back here,” Leon said, still concentrating on his work.

   Five minutes later, Leon was wrapping Matty’s hand in shrink wrap and giving him after care instructions. Milady was written on Matty’s hand in a delicate, feminine font. It kind of reminded me of my grandmother’s signature; she had such beautiful handwriting.

   “What do you think, love?” Matty asked.

   “It’s gorgeous.”

   “Makes you want one, doesn’t it?” Leon teased.

   “Yeah, that’ll be the day.”

   As Leon and Matty chuckled, I couldn’t help but wonder “why not?”. If I got a small enough tattoo, I could easily hide it at work and no one would be the wiser. Plus, my parents would never have to know about it if I was smart with placement. 

   “Could you do it now, Leon?”    Then, Matty and Leon stopped laughing.

   “Uh, yeah, I guess, if you’re sure about it,” Leon said.

   “I’m sure.”

   “You do know that this is permanent, right?” Matty asked.

   “Of course,” I said as I laid down on the chair. “I want a small crown on my pointer finger.”

   “Like this?” Leon pointed out a cute little cartoon crown in his portfolio.

   “Exactly.”

   “Cheers.” Leon began sketching and Matty stood next to me.

   “You don’t have to do this for me, Y/N.” 

   “I’m not. I’ve always kind of wanted a tattoo so why not a crown?”

   “Sure, you are my queen.” Matty kissed my cheek.

   “And you are my king,” I teased.

   “All right, enough, enough. You can distract her after I get started.” Leon said as he drew the outline on my finger. “Looks good?”

   “Perfect.”

  “All right, I’m going to do the first line, tell me if there’s any issue and I will stop.”

   “Okay.”

   I leaned back and grabbed Matty’s hand since I would certainly need it in that moment. Part of me couldn’t believe that I was getting a tattoo. I used to think that only tramps and rock stars got tattoos but it seemed appropriate to get one. Plus, my parents would probably die if/when they find out about it. 

   “Okay, here it comes,” Leon said.

  I didn’t really feel anything as Leon drew on the first line----it just felt like someone was drawing on my finger but was digging in a little bit more.

  “You’re doing great, love,” Matty said.

  “Geez, you make it sound like I’m giving birth,” I said.

  “I suppose this is good practice for that, but you’ll probably break my hand in half when the time comes.”   I turned to Matty slowly. “You want to have kids? With...with me?”

 “Course, thought that was obvious.”

 It would’ve been more obvious if we had discussed having children earlier or ever during our relationship. For Pete’s sake, we hadn’t even talked about marriage! The idea of having children scared me with the whole idea of gaining fifty plus pounds, taking care of someone all the time, and having someone spit up on me regularly. 

  “No, it wasn’t.” I looked at his hand. “But, the idea of having kids with you doesn’t sound too bad.”

  Before I knew it, Leon was finished. He bandaged up my hand and told me to stay away from the sun and swimming for at least two weeks and Matty would help me with the rest. We paid and headed back out into the dreary London weather.

  “This has to be our most eventful anniversary: getting tattoos, talking about children,” I teased.

  “And who knows? Maybe we’ll get married.”   “Maybe. I would just want to wait because I want my parents to be there.”

   Matty groaned. “But we both know they hate me.”    “Hopefully, by the time we’re planning our wedding, we will be able to show them just how upstanding of a guy you are.”

   Matty’s smile faltered slightly. “Yeah.”

   “C’mon! There’s a brownie cake back at the flat with our names on it.”

   “Alright, I’m on it.”    Little did I know that Matty had a little surprise for me in his jacket pocket, inside a ring box, to be exact.