| Black and Grey Notes |
| Some spoilers. Mostly Justification really: 1. Time Frame As previously stated, the fanfic goes off from 1st season beyblade, four years after it, with a completely different set of events than those stated in 2nd season beyblade. I love both series, but second season ignores the first anyway, they have no correlation even though they have similar themes, and it does NOT help that the characters look like they've regressed in age about 5 years. First season is also darker, and there are many things I can play with, especially concerning Black Dranzer, Judy and all those lovely bit beast theories that Voltaire managed. 2nd season may also have a dark bit beast, who claims to be the FIRST dark bit beast, while Volatire's accomplishments and experiments are IGNORED COMPLETELY. I thought this wrong and gave credit where it was due, thus this fanfic was born. 2. Plot It started out as a cuddly fluff piece, then mutated out of my hands. The title is a play on words like I usually do, no great depth here, Kai and Rei's hair colour and the moral ambiguity made it somewhat appropriate. It soon became the fic which I did in my spare time whenever I got Kai and Rei urges, or any other pairing not from 2nd season for that matter, so then it became the beyblade fic to end all beyblade fics. 3. Mariah Yes, I do not particularily like her, but I don't hate her with the vehemence I once did. This fanfic was started 2 years before posting so there was alot of downgrading of Mariah's behaviour believe it or not. Rei's 'abuse' of her only draws attention to her general dislikeable nature, and she soon melds into the background. No worries, she doesn't really appear past the first part and then is mostly used as PLOT DEVICE. If anyone has really big conniptions over her characterisation, I can write a side story to make her more three dimensional. There IS a reason behind her behaviour and why she keeps following him, but that's for the prequel. 4. Judy In the series, her love for Max seemed a little artificial to me, even as she kept smiling etc etc. She never struck me as being the 'mother' type, and should Max have grown up with her like he does here, he would no doubt be forced to follow her footsteps, ala Emily, however being her son, it doesn't take much stretch of the imagination to have her pushing him so far, and still be constantly disappointed with him. 5. Anti-Max Basically, I was sick and tired of sugar high Max with his ever cheerfulness, or at the other end of the scale, the typical 'mask which hides his deep angsty feelings over DESPAIR AND DEATH' etc. While I absolutely adore normal Max, this was my go at a 'what if...' and tried to give him a reason for being like he is, and then abandoning that reason to be himself like any other human being. I also tried to make them more mature, contrasting their personalities and development. Tyson and Kenny play a big part in this growth, and are forced through their own change due to Max's. Whee. Depth. 6. The Crime, the guns, the bloodshed. Otherwise known as why is this fic so bloody dark when it's in happy happy beybladeland? Beyblades won wars. Okay, if that is unrealistic, why is it so difficult to imagine the use of actual weapons. Beyblades also come off as weapons in this fic, are used as they are in the series as the defining monumental driving force of the world, I just like the idea of people who are LESS naive about things. While beyblade may be suffering Perfect World Syndrome, this is my elaboration of what happens behind the scenes. People steal, people may bet on beyblade matches, genetic atrocities concerning the demolition boys, attempts to take over the world. Even in canon, The Demolitian Boys carry guns, in the manga Tala DOES try to shoot Rei with it (it doubles as a launcher), so they do exist in that world. And Voltaire is organised crime if I ever saw it. 7. The Technology Hm yes, Bit Beasts in human form. Bit beasts are suppose to enjoy 'small' spaces' as described in canon, but they still manage to project their big arms in matches anyway. Beyblade technoloy is suppose to contain the bit beasts and humanity is always concerned with their own image. Dizzi especially has a special relationship with Kenny, sometimes acting as that boy's only friend. I can imagine Kenny try and have her material and before him. It's a strange combination of Chobits and Lost Universe where they're corporeal but pure energy at once. It's kick arse technology not only because they look pretty, but also the fact they can be SEEN by normal people. Bit beasts usually can't (I ahve NO idea why people go to beyblade tournaments at all if that is the case). Plus, if they can make beyblades spin by themselves for 30 minutes, and have 'spiritual power' not to mention 2nd season's 'cyber bit beasts' it''s pretty damn likely to give them bodies. 8. Tala Why is Tala an uke? I do not know, he just is. Why isn't he mean like in the series? ... what do you mean he isn't mean? What on earth IS he? A genetically modified human, brought about by the fact most of his screen time in the series was HIM IN A TANK and being renamed 'Cyber Tala'. The logical conclusion was Tala in this story. Why Rei? Why NOT Rei? He would be the only person who HAD to hang around because of those injuries, along with tag along Mariah. And because they're hot together. Do I really NEED a reason? 9. The Backstory: I had planned to do a prequel to this, something along the lines of 'Rei and Tala do Europe'. Not sure if that will come about now, but mainly I just really wanted to show: The development of their friendship/sex arrangement (I love that phrase 'sex arrangement'); Why Rei is so deliciously wild: mostly put down to his cat genes kicking in at puberty and driving him a little insane. Rei's home life in China - I came from China, those villages are very poverty stricken, with enough chicken shit to drown you; Rei's heritage: Crossover with Ranma and Jusenkyo; Why turn to crime? Then everything that comes along with this life, including bounty hunters like Train Harnet and Steven from the Black Cat manga. Yes, I am very ambitious with this; Why was Kai so important all through these years to make Rei go back even though he had Tala - thinking this makes me really sad and weepy since I love Tala to death; What's the deal with Oliver and for that matter everyone else in Rei's sexual past. aaaand Mariah. She annoys me and intrigues me. I blame my need to elaborate. Alright. I hope these quell any questions that aren't explained as the story goes along. Sheers, Queen of Vegetasei aka Alita Battle Angel |