Excited to finally reveal the full version of my Street Fighter 35 Art Tribute piece!
Of course the main focus is Rolento trying to stop Don-chan from stealing his lunch, but I tried to fit as many of my favorite fighters as possible in there, too. In fact, this has gotta be the biggest group picture I've ever drawn! I wonder how many I was able to fit in there...
The full (digital) zine, as well as others, can be found at Legacy Tributes!
Long Day's Journey Into Chan: A Street Fighter Ficlet
Inspired by “Chan: The Movie," artwork by Jason Cardy, from the 2019 Street Fighter Pin-Up Special
The torches burned bright on a distant beach, but all the world was darkness to Akuma. Sinking deep into meditation, the fearsome wielder of the Satsui no Hado rejected the weakness found in this place. Swimming and dancing, romance and pointless games... such things were beneath him. No, the great Akuma was drawn to the coast by greater forces, slumbering under the earth and sea.
As the waves drifted over the shore, a deep breath calmed his mind. Saltwater and blood were mingled together, and Akuma could sense the murderous intent of the ocean. The muscles of his body have relaxed into lotus position, arms held up like pillars upon his knees. He could feel the chaos lurking beneath the sands, fragile tectonic plates waiting to shift.
He permitted himself to smile. A newly formed volcano would shake these cowards to their very core, and then they would know the true nature of the fight.
It was out there, somewhere. The darkness was calling to him. It spoke with the language of thunder, even as the afternoon storm drifted down the coast. It cried out from the trees, where he sensed an unusual joining of pain and pleasure. The spider woman’s sadistic aura intrigued him, but it lacked purity, the will of the spirit over the body. The shores of this distant land had nothing to offer him. Perhaps he should turn his attention to the sea...
Yes. There was no doubt. He had found darkness incarnate, and it was rising from the deep. His spirit was exultant. His body burned for violence. The moment had finally come.
Akuma’s journey had taken him across the entire known world. What a fool he had been. It only made sense that true darkness dwelt at the bottom of the sea. Such power would hold dominion over most of the planet. Its anger would grow as humanity ravaged the waves with plastics and fuels and other unnatural elements. Even his homeland knew the wrath of the sea, the rebuke of the typhoon, the retribution of the tsunami. They knew the true might of the Dark Hado all too well.
And now he would fulfill his life’s purpose. Now he would be joined with the purest form of the Satsui no Hado, this great leviathan emerging from the waves. The green scales of its body oozed with decay. The sharp fangs sought to devour all who stood in its path, but it would not devour the man who was once called Gouki. As the dark one tread upon the black sands, an electric current running down its back, it would look into the eyes of its true servant and speak the words Akuma longed to hear.
“Boa noite, Akuma-san! Why so glum, chum?”
The seeker of Dark Hado shuddered. He could feel the darkness slipping away, the deep trance of his meditation lost as the voice squeaked his name. As he slowly resurfaced into this plane of existence, Akuma turned his red eyes upon this strange creature, a green pool floatie with the aspect of a crazed beast.
The beast floatie shook, orange hair and floppy teeth waving about. Its master laughed maniacally, but he could now see the signs of her presence. Her long fingers held the creature’s belly as electricity traveled along her manicured nails. Her long, shapely legs could be seen below the beastly talons, a sight which nearly drove Akuma’s thoughts to carnal matters. When she finally lowered the pool floatie and revealed herself, however, it was impossible to ignore the shine of her black hair and the joy upon her face.
“You look lonely,” said Laura Matsuda. “What are you up to?”
Akuma flared his nostrils, his voice deep and brusque. “I am seeking the darkness of my soul.”
“Huh. Interesting. Mind if I join you?”
Before Akuma could answer, the Brazilian threw aside her floatie and laid down beside him. Her yellow jersey was now stretched over her chest, the bright color contrasting sharply with the dark sling bikini underneath. She lounged upon the black sands and looked up at the night sky, smiling.
Glancing over at the woman, Akuma snarled, annoyed by such arrogance. Even still, something about this woman intrigued him. He could sense a fighting spirit like no other, an unorthodox style that spoke to his inner demons. She carried a strange aura about her, an aura that glistened like the stars above and the fireflies now scattered along the beach. If he was weak like the other warriors of this place, Akuma might have called her beautiful.
Laura must have caught him staring. She smirked at Akuma. “Enjoying the view, you bad boy?”
Akuma huffed in frustration, turning his eyes back to the sea. She would not catch a true disciple of the Dark Hado blushing like a schoolboy.
Laura laughed. “I’m just kidding with ya, Mr. Darkness. Geez, lighten up, will ya?”
“A true warrior does nothing lightly.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve never fought someone just for the fun of it?” she asked, leaping to her feet. She took up her fighting stance on the beach, legs spread apart, like a dancer ready to perform or a jaguar ready to strike. “Why dontcha join me? Come on, you know you wanna!”
The brutal warrior known as Akuma felt strange. He could no longer feel the powers of darkness. For the briefest moment in time, he instead felt a kinship with all things living. He felt drawn to this woman with black hair, who carried the spirit of a different flame. And yes, as he turned his attention to the pool floatie beside him, he was even moved to levity by the ridiculous grin upon this creature’s face.
Realizing the Dark Hado was beyond his reach tonight, Akuma took up his own stance and faced a friendly adversary, the moon shining bright upon them.
You can continue reading "Summer of the Warrior" ficlets on AO3 throughout July!
