Dojinshi Faaaaaaaail

^ (READ RIGHT TO LEFT NUMBSKULLS) ^

This was supposed to be a birthday present for a friend of mine, and I was trying to caaaasually remove his shirt (for reasons no one needs to know until I post the ACTUAL birthday present)- something very difficult to do. Then after I finished the linear for this page the laziness in me just decided that in order for me to be able to work in a logical shirtless scene without him pulling a Kirk or a Jacob (that is, having his shirt just miraculously fall off) I would have to do an awful lot of pages, and I just don't think that I'm ready for anything like that. So instead I opted to scan in a single page one shot because I had already started it and just go from there. I was trying to mimic the manga's style, but that's rather difficult to do when a version of said manga is next to yours making it look comparatively shabbier. I just figured I needed to include that alongside it because otherwise it might be just a little confusing. I can't believe I used a fanslation version of that page though... anyone who knows me knows that I am incredibly against scanslations or fanslations or whatever you want to call them. Any translation that isn't the official one and that doesn't give back to Okubu annoys me. The translations aren't as exact, it doesn't read as well, the lines are less emotional, the grammar is bad, and ohmygosh I could just talk about why fanslations are wrong for days but that has absolutely nothing to do with this drawing. I tried to scan my copy but sort of failed, so I just put this in. I kind of want to write out what my version says below, but I'm a little scared of getting sued for that. 

And then there was the whole process/torture that is adding digital tone through Muro. I really wish I could buy traditional manga tone in stores, but that's a little hard to come by in the states, and ordering online is a hassle for me. So I did a version I was really proud of in digital format, and then when I came to put it by the original (Okubu) art, I died a little inside. First of all there was the fact that even my best imitation art could never pass as his, and then there was the whole problem that mine looked far too digital. I ran it through some filters to try to make it look more traditional, but I feel like most of what that accomplished was just to blur the crap out of my linear. Don't even get me started on how hard it was to find that font in the speech bubbles... next time I might just do the lettering by hand because of how long that took me to sort out. 

Well that's all the really technical stuff I have to say about how much I hate art _{but somehow do it all the time anyways} . 

As for what's going on, it's just my excuse to draw Kid both angry and shocked but still attractive. Still stuck in the Book or Eibon. In all fairness, this could have happened- you don't know- the cutscene happened too early. Obviously this kinds of stuff would only happen in my mind though, because I seriously doubt Okubu enjoys romance in the slightest. And Gopher... I haven't yet read up to a point in the manga where Gopher dies, BUT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN EVENTUALLY. IF IT DOESN'T, I WILL BE MORE UPSET THAN THE DIEHARD SOMA FANS. Stupid Kid-beating yaoi piece of asymmetrical garbage... GAH!

And because I feel like breaking my own record for the longest artist's rant EVER, I feel the need to discuss my thoughts on the Okubu page here. First off, I hate how a lot of KidMa fans are like, "Omg he don't want her to die- he so in love with her!" Dude. C'mon. Anyone, or at least anyone decent, would be violently against someone trying to hurt their friends. What strikes me as KidMa here is that Gopher didn't even mention that he was gonna go after Maka before Kid flips his stuff. Noah says something about making preparations, and from that, immediately Kid draws the conclusion that she's in danger. His mind goes to her safety before everyone else, and I think that just proves that he genuinely cares about her.