Shitty art and reblogs

Please, she really didn't deserved to be banned.

OKAY now that I've stopped freaking out, here's, idk, some speculation/inevitably extremely inaccurate guesses for the new boys!! because. I just wanted to draw them even though we don't really know what they look like yet! 🤷 I am just SO charmed by that fork ancient traditional mercomb in Rielle's hair. incredibly jazzed to meet him and Jasman properly!!

of course now my main focus is on two things:

-> are we gonna get those unique magics? they're not just gonna leave us hanging there, right? right?!

-> I need to see that Alice uniform immediately so I can draw Che'nya in it. he's going to look ridiculous. I can't wait.

(Voted 5th-most-popular-character on the jpn server in a combination of seven different character-ranking surveys held throughout 2021)

Azul not only excels academically, but simultaneously runs a cafe, "Mostro Lounge”, out of the Octavinelle dorm. In addition to managing the food, drinks, atmosphere and employees of the cafe, he also runs a side-business providing advice and services to troubled NRC students, for a fee.

He has been friends with Jade and Floyd since they were young children. He and the twins are all from the Coral Sea, but the northern part where the waters are cold enough for ice bergs.

We learn from Jade that Azul’s mother owns a restaurant, originally a small location owned and operated by her alone that has since grown into the most famous restaurant in the Coral Sea. It is assumed that Azul’s culinary skills and his talents as a manager were inherited from his mother, who is well-loved by her employees.

Translation: "The part in the opening ceremony where he is proudly saying ‘I will take the role of the bad guy!’"

When working out a divorce settlement Azul’s mother met his future stepfather, an attorney, who would go on to teach Azul about contracts and the law. Despite a lack of blood-relation, Azul has inherited his stepfather's shrewdness. Azul has said outright that he respects his stepfather, a kind man who is very dedicated to both his work and to Azul’s mother. Azul says he is proud of his entire family, which is full of kind, clever and witty people.

Azul is an only child, but his extended family are all mages of various talents, and his grandmother is said to be one of the greatest mages in the world while also being so benevolent and kind that she is always helping her neighbors with their problems.

Azul was bullied cruelly as a child for being an octopus (which is rare even among mermaids), and teased for being “slow” and “boring”. He threw himself into his studies in elementary school to escape it.

In Book 4 we learn that although Azul, Floyd and Jade had been in the same class their whole lives until enrolling in Night Raven College, Floyd does not have many childhood memories of what Azul was like, as he was so quiet and kept so much to himself. Upon entering middle school the three formed a trio with Azul playing the piano, Floyd on the drums and Jade on the bass.

It was around this time that Azul gradually began to look beyond his books for opportunities to practice his magic, while still keeping diligently to his studies. This resulted in several incidents　such as a student suddenly becoming physically fit but losing their voice, and another student suddenly having beautiful hair but losing one of their tail fins.

Azul is wary of apparent gestures of goodwill and unconditional kindness from others, believing that “all contracts come with a price”, and he strongly dislikes the idea of ever being indebted to someone.

His unique magic, “It’s a Deal” (in Japanese: The Golden Contract), enables him to take the talents of others for himself. Two of his talents as seen in the main story of the game—his singing voice and ability to talk to animals—were both obtained through this magic.

It is discovered in Book 3 that his powers are actually too strong for him to control: his unique magic allows him to absorb power from others indiscriminately, which Leona says is designated as a forbidden class of magic.

Azul does not need his contracts to enable his unique magic: he needs them to limit it. Without the self-enforced rules of his contracts, Azul’s magic would be impossible to reign in and result in constant over-blotting.

Azul is very calculating, logical and defensive. He will ask for payment for absolutely anything he does, including help with test preparations (a popular service among NRC students).

Azul is always on alert for information—particularly on the weaknesses of those around him—for use in contract negotiations. While his business may appear corrupt from the outside, Azul has an extremely high success rate in fulfilling his customers’ requests, resulting in constant demand for his services.

Azul is very smooth-spoken and polite when he speaks, but his formal form of speech wavers and can disappear entirely when he is taken by surprise. While appearing outwardly calm and collected, Azul is in fact very passionate and emotional.

We learn that Azul was overweight as a child (“he looked like a good meal" according to Floyd, and "twice as wide as the other mermaid children—at least” according to Ruggie, who saw a photo), which may be why Azul is always counting calories. He has expressed displeasure in the lack of calorie labels on food in the school cafeteria.

Azul is actually something of a gourmet who can identify the ingredients of food products (like juice) merely by tasting them, making it curious that his favorite food is Japanese-style fried chicken (kara-age).

Azul does not like crowds, saying that he feels most at ease in dark, small spaces, which is why he is often seen with his hood up when he wears his ceremonial robes.

Rook refers to Azul as both “Roi de Fort” and “Roi de l’Effort” on ENG-server. I asked a French speaker who assured me that “Roi de Fort” is incorrect grammar (it would be “Roi du fort”). Putting overwhelming amounts of effort into everything he does being one of Azul’s main character traits, I would assume that “de Fort” was a continuity error and “de l’effort” is the correct translation. (The original katakana of ロア・ディ・フォート would be “Roi d’effort, which is also grammatically incorrect ww)

While flying is his worst subject, Azul claims he does not dislike it. He is decidedly not athletic, but still performs light muscle training exercises daily despite how he does not like to sweat.

It seems that Azul is larger than both Jade and Floyd in their mermaid forms and actually quite strong in his original form of an octopus (Floyd says that octopi are "pure muscle" and he doesn't believe that all of that disappeared just because Azul drank a potion to turn himself human).

The extent of his abilities in his human form is unknown, but according to Floyd, “He’s slow on land and in water, and he’s got lousy athletic reflexes, but that doesn’t mean he’s weak. Octopi are all muscle. Seems to me like that wouldn’t disappear just because he took a potion to turn himself human.”

Azul enjoys collecting coins, which seems to be a hobby he has had for a long time. He first became interested after coming across a rare coin near a shipwreck and learning how much he could sell it for.

He now has a collection of about 200 coins, and his favorites are framed and on display in his room.

Azul has multiple hobbies and serves on multiple school committees, as he believes that there is no better way to find new avenues that may lead to new business ventures than to experience things directly.

Azul and Idia are the only two members of the main cast in the Board Games club. Idia prefers games that involve an element of luck, while Azul prefers games that require strategy, and he first joined after Ortho introduced him to a board game that mimicked business strategies.

Azul’s labwear goggles have the same prescription as his glasses, but he does not wear either in his mermaid form. He says that he began wearing them at the school both for vision-correction purposes and for the look, as he read that—according to on-land culture—glasses make one appear intellectual.

The mole near Azul’s mouth is on the opposite side of his face to that of Ursula, the villain upon which he is based.

Azul gets along well with Ruggie, who shares his appreciation of money, of the effort needed to get it, and of not being in debt. In Book 2 he provides Ruggie with a magic-amplifying potion for the Spell Drive tournament, despite he himself being on the event committee.  Azul also seems close with the twins, who invade his room at midnight on his birthday with cake and congratulations.

We learn from Leona that “transfiguration potions are forbidden” at Night Raven College, but it would seem that merpeople chosen by the mirror receive special allowances to grant them a human form in which they can comfortably attend their classes.

We learn from Floyd that living on land is a dream for many merpeople, but it is rare for anyone to follow through. They attend “land boot camps”, a month-long course where they are taught the basics of on-land living such as information about land-food, what fire is, the importance of wearing clothes, how to breathe and how to walk.

Floyd explains that the school was founded by a mermaid princess who married an on-land price and wanted to help keep other merpeople from suffering the same culture shock that she did.

Much like Disney’s The Little Mermaid, in Book 3 the MC, Grim and Jack have three days to fulfill a contract that they arrange with Azul, and Azul even provides them with a magic potion that allows them to breathe underwater in order to do so (a gift that mirrors that of Ursula’s gift of legs to Ariel).

Also in line with the movie, Jade and Floyd interfere. It is revealed that Azul’s end-game from the beginning was to transform Ramshackle Dorm into a new branch of Mostro Lounge to accommodate the growing business.

After a certain incident in Book 4, Azul refers to the player and Grim as “slightly dirty rags” (小汚い雑巾). On the same day that the chapter containing the line was released, the phrase was trending on Twitter, and then became the tag used for various Azul-related fan content.

This phrase was translated as “dusty cloths” on ENG-server while the original “dirty rags” line has been attributed—twice—to Floyd, despite how Floyd has never once said it in any of his original dialogue. (a small point, but JPN-server really did lose its mind at that part in Book 4, so it sticks out to me ww Copy-paste it into Google if you want to be buried in Azul fan-art)

Some great artists for Azul fan-art and more (SFW, no story spoilers) Octatrio 1

Octatrio 2

Possibly my favorite two-page comic of all time (Octatrio)

Octatrio Comics (spoiler: baby-mermaid-forms)

Voice Azul is voiced by Tamaru Atsushi (田丸 篤志), whose other work includes The Irregular at Magic High School (2014 - 2020), Hitori no Shita: The Outcast (2016), Touken Ranbu (2016 - 2018), A3! (2017, 2020), Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits (2018) and I-Chu (2021)

An interview with Tamaru on voicing Azul can be read here

More seiyuu information available here

I was so obsessed with Grim’s new sleepwear card for the 6th Anniversary (only coming out in JP sigh) so I had to draw it 🥺

(One of my moots said he looked like Paddington Bear in jail and I just jsjsjsjskskshwhwjwjsjsjjsjsjsjWAAAHTTTT)

Lantern Lights - Skeb Commission A Semi rendered Skeb commission for @hanafubukki ! As you can see, I have been experimenting with perspective and the coloring/lighting! I really love how this turned out! ^^

At last I see the light.

And it's like the fog had lifted.

And it's like the sky is new.

And it's warm and real and bright.

And the world has somehow shifted.

All at once everything is different.

Now that I see you.

My Tangled AU thoughts

Faespeak -- Numbers

0 — Hohj

“nothing / void” -- Perfect as zero.

1 — Seul

2 — Dael

3 — Thyr

4 — Vorn

5 — Kelai

6 — Syran

7 — Mharil

8 — Othéa

9 — Nyruun

10 — Seul’Hohj

(one-zero = a complete pair -- 10)

11 — Seul’Seul

(one-one)

12 — Seul’Dael

(one-two)

13 — Seul’Thyr

(one-three)

…and so on.

20 — Dael’Hohj

(two-zero)

21 — Dael’Seul

30 — Thyr’Hohj

100 — Seul’Hohj’Hohj

(one-zero-zero)

Random student

Feather Dragon fae

Random student

Crystal Dragon fae

Random student

Spectral Dragon fae

Sooooo don't hit me please XD

I can't help I have Twisted Wonderland and my LoWR in my head like h24.

And since we knows Swing, damn! And the more we knows about him, the more my brain work... and now I ship him with my Solstice.

For thoses not familiar about my LoWR, here some things about Solstice:

His magic get him to keep creature calm around him even the most dangerous.

He is a golden dragon fae and is immortal

He is the last of his kind, because of greedy human chasing golden dragons for their scales, horns, teeth and claws, all made of the second purest gold (right after the golden tears disorder)

He have the golden tear disorder, as every golden dragons had it

Every dragons have a hoard and he's not an exception, but his is not tangible. He hoard joy.

He pass his whole time crafting toys by hand to spread joy by distributing them on yuletide night to every children in the world, any race.

He don't ressent humans. The new generations are not at fault for the past's mistakes.

He still prefer living in isolation

Only the other dragons meet him sometimes and he's even called sometimes for important decisions

He is the oldest dragon alive and also the wiser and stronger

Most dragon faes consider him kind of like the supreme king of all dragons

If he was to contest a law or anything a dragon royal or concil wanted, they would immediately take his side, but he mostly don't care about politic and don't want to mingle with the royal affairs

Deep down he feel lonely, but even if he forgave humankinds, the loss of his whole race still linger

He had a lover and even a child before the humans killed all the golden dragons

He love children, as they remind him of his own

He may seems grumpy, never seen smiling except a very slight gentle smile when he is with children, but he can be easily warmed up

Sometimes when children from poor families ask for helping their parents instead of toys, he still leave a toy for them, but also one of his own golden scales

He have teleportation magic and don't actually need a sled or the lumen stags (Lumen stags are magical stags instead of Santa's reindeer)

He let his Lumen Stags fly around the world with an empty sled during yuletide night, so kids can see the sled pass and be amazed

He say that a kid with innocent dreams is the most precious thing is the universe

He don't like to be seen, but if he witness a child being mistreated, he will break his cover to protect them

He's 220cm tall (so 20 more than Swing) Golden dragons are the biggest dragons.

------

Now you know about him. So.... I totally have a “ancient wholesome winter dad” × “ancient gremlin chaos monster” ship XD

Here some of their dynamic I have in mind:

Grumpy Sunshine × Chaotic Disaster

Solstice: Ancient, lonely, wise, radiates paternal warmth. Swing: Ancient, lonely, unhinged, radiates “I will absolutely punch a minor.” (since he litteraly punch Deuce...)

Solstice tries to maintain order. Swing tries to maintain entropy.

Solstice absolutely has to supervise Swing during Yuletide.

Swing: “Would it be funny if I unwrapped all the gifts and rewrapped them with spiders-” Solstice: “No.” Swing: “…okay but hear me out-” Solstice, towering over him: “…No.”

Swing still does it, but Solstice makes the spiders cute and glittery so children don’t cry.

Swing is used to scaring, intimidating, or annoying people until they break. Solstice is immune.

Swing: “I kidnapped a guy, want to see?” Solstice: “Release him. Immediately.” Swing: “…how about if I dramatically toss him into a snowbank instead?” Solstice: “…Swing.” Swing: “…fine.” (grumbling)

Solstice = the only person who can physically pick Swing up and move him

Swing is tall and strong, but Solstice is the strongest dragon alive.

If Swing won't stop causing trouble, Solstice simply picks him up by the back of his coat and carries him out of the room like an unruly toddler.

Swing absolutely kicks his legs while being transported.

The Lumen stags love Solstice. The stags do not love Swing.

Swing tries to terrify them. They stare at him like he's a wet sock.

Solstice laughs quietly every time.

Eventually, Swing starts sneaking them treats, but only when he thinks Solstice isn’t looking.

Solstice is always looking.

Swing’s Love Language: Causing Problems

He gifts Solstice the weirdest things:

An entire kidnapped choir (“they sing good, you like joy right?”)

A giant bag of stolen candy

A snowman army he enchanted to have teeth

Solstice scolds him every time, but keeps every “gift” (once it’s rendered non-murderous and of course don#t keep the kidnapped peoples).

Solstice’s Love Language: Quiet Care

He fixes Swing’s coat. Mends tears in his stitches. Hands him warm drinks without asking. Teleports him away from danger even when Swing complains.

Swing acts annoyed. Swing is not annoyed.

Swing 100% bullies Solstice’s stoic façade

Swing: “Why do you look like a tree-topper?” Solstice, deadpan: “…Because I am glowing.” Swing: “Yeah but you look like you’re about to judge the naughty list into submission.” Solstice: “…If you keep talking, I will.”

Solstice Finds Swing’s Chaos… Amusing?

Not that he’d admit it.

Here made some little scenes:

The Ornament Situation

Swing: “So if I replace all the tree ornaments with tiny screaming voodoo dolls-” Solstice: “No.” Swing: “But they only scream sometimes.” Solstice: “Still no.” Swing: “What if they scream festively?” Solstice glowing eye squint “Swing.” Swing: “…fine.”

The Sled Problem

Swing: “I hot-wired your sled.” Solstice: “It doesn’t have wires.” Swing: “Well, it does now.” Solstice: “…Why does it smell like gasoline?” Swing: “For dramatic effect.” Solstice: “Undo it.” Swing: “But it goes vrrrrr-” Solstice: “Undo. It.”

The Cookie Theft

Solstice: “Why are there bite marks in every cookie?” Swing: “Quality control.” Solstice: “You bit all of them.” Swing: “Yeah, to make sure they weren’t poisoned!” Solstice: “Who would poison children’s cookies?” Swing: “I don’t know, people are weird.” Solstice: “You are the only one who would do that.”

The Child Punching Inquiry

Solstice: “You cannot punch a child.” Swing: “But he punched me first!” Solstice: “He is three.” Swing: “He had it coming.” Solstice: exhale “Swing.” Swing: “…I’ll write him an apology card.” Solstice: “Without spiders inside.” Swing: “…You are no fun.”

The Lumen Stag Incident

Swing: “One of your shiny deer chased me.” Solstice: “Because you threw a snowball at its face.” Swing: “It stared at me funny!” Solstice: “It does not have an expression.” Swing: “Exactly! Creepy!” Solstice: “Swing, stop antagonizing the wildlife.” Swing: “Tell the wildlife to stop looking at me.”

The Wrapping Paper Debate

Swing: “I wrapped your gifts.” Solstice: “…This is a garbage bag.” Swing: “It’s eco-friendly!” Solstice: “It has a hazard symbol.” Swing: “Recycling is still recycling.” Solstice: “…What is that ticking noise?” Swing: “Surprise!” Solstice: “Unwrap it NOW.”

The “Helping” Attempt