#last boy

[jkparkin]

Last Boy #4 (BOOM! Studios, July 2025) variant cover by Angela Wu

[sinetheta]

They build you a body from the root of the lotus, all six of its arms bearing golden spears. It wages its own battles, of which you hear only gossip. Listen, there’s a voice downstairs. They’re calling you for dinner. Examine your stubble: Beyond the glass, the bathroom sink is a burning altar. Beyond, you tread the clouds shod with wheels of wind and fire, and you wait to kill your father, not become him.

Ne Zha by Ng Yi-sheng (黄毅圣). 2006.

Ng Yi-sheng is a Singapore author, poet, and playwright. His works often revolve around LGBT activism, notably including SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, a collection of coming-out stories aiming to highlight the barriers faced by the Singapore LGBT community.

Ne Zha is one poem from Ng Yi-sheng’s 2006 collection last boy, for which Ng won the Singapore Literature Prize for English poetry in 2008.

Follow sinθ magazine for more daily posts about Sino arts and culture.

[jkparkin]

Last Boy #2 (BOOM! Studios, April 2025) variant cover by Elizabeth Torque

[danielpowell]

Won't you soften my edges ?

C'mon...

Won't you soften my edges ?

[noanwer]

[noanwer]

[alvanaly]

Name: Lucas Benjamin Geist at birth; Lucas Schmidt being an alias he uses while in the Empire

Age: 21 Years

Birthday: 10th Suns (July 10th), Year of Coins; Caetus the Selkie Song-Lu Calendar: 4th Crane, Year of the Incandescent Crystal Otter True Animal: Cormorant Secret Animal: Otter

Gender: Male

Height: 5' 8"

Race: Human

Class: Scout > Thief > Marauder

Occupation: Koben Navy

City: Linhythe

Allegiance: Koben, situationally

Personality: +Strong-Willed +Determined +Deft -Not a Quick Thinker -Paranoid -Pessimistic

As a child, Ben-Luke was a very upbeat, happy go lucky boy. Always ready to see the good in things and people alike, he was really rather optimistic. He did his best to hold onto that personality and ideals as he grew up in a separate country, but it wasn’t long before the slavers broke his spirit. From then until now, He’s had a more subdued view of life. He lost hope long ago that anyone would ever find him and bring him back home, so he just waits for the day he might be able to journey home himself. because of this, though he'd been forced into a line of menial labor, treated no better than a dog, Ben never let his spirit broke, else-wise he would have given up on making it back home someday long ago. He's the "push him down, and he'll get right back up no matter how many times he's knocked down" type. That aside, He’s a better listener than he is a conversationalist, and though he may always act and look serious, he actually appreciates a lighthearted joke or two. The reason being is that, though he's managed to escape them a couple of times, Ben is always worried that his old slavers will find him again and find a way to drag him back into a life of servitude from which he'll never escape. Not only that, but he's also constantly worried about his real identity being discovered while in the Navy (aka: He's from the Kingdom, he doesn't fully support Koben, someone he knows from the Kingdom will ind out about him, tell his family, his family will either end up shunning him and turning him away for good or his family could get hurt). If he feels like he's being watched he'll glance around and check his surrounding rather often.

If he finds himself in a situation where he needs to lie, he has difficulties coming up with any stories or excuses right off the bat. Small ones are fine, but if it's anything bigger than that he'll need someone to start/do the led-in for him and follow suit. For example, should someone he knows from the Kingdom shows up and Naval officers he's patrolling with ask him how he knows "this person", he'll be at a loss for how to explain his way out of the situation and will either need a hand or he'll be forced to tell the truth. He prays that such a thing will never happen.

History: Ben-Luke did not always live in the Empire. In fact, his birth home was actually in the Kingdom—Cantor, more specifically. He spent 10 years of his life growing up happily with his family and friends. He helped out his beloved elder sister on the farm wherever he could (he also thought it was mad cool how she didn't have one of her teeth anymore because of that one bucking Yamben like wow). Then, the night before his parents would officially gift him with his own Yamben mount, Ben-Luke was so excited to meet it that he just couldn't sleep. Late that night, he snuck out to one of the barns to rest with the friendly creatures. Unfortunately, that was when tragedy struck. A gang of bandits—slavers and thieves alike—stormed their family's farm and home. Though Ryanna and their parents were safe inside, Ben-Luke—a young, defenseless child all on his own away from the home—was very easy to take as part of their loot. He was kidnapped, and one of the last things he heard of his family was his sister's voice screaming for him in the distance.

That was the last time he had heard and seen his family, and started a long eight years struggling to make his way as a slave in Koben. Busied himself with doing menial, grueling tasks that no one else would do, for even less pay than those who would. His friendly disposition slowly began to change as the years went on, going from the friendly little farm boy he once was to the tough-skinned slave who was growing tired of taking everyone's shit. Not long after his eighteenth birthday, he along with a few others made a plan to run away and hopefully escape their days of servitude for good. Sadly, only Ben-Luke got away successfully, he was a good worker whom the slavers were not keen on losing so easily. Knowing that these men were constantly hunting him, Ben-Luke had to make himself scarce or at least blend in with more ease. He worked odd jobs here and there, for what little coin he could get his hands on. He used bits of what he earned on glamours to change his appearance, and once he had enough, bought a ticket on the first boat out of Koben. Once it docked, he found his way to the nearest city(Linhythe, he later found out), and—with nowhere to go—he continued the street urchin lifestyle he had started out in Koben. He was still extremely paranoid over anyone trying to show him any sort of kindness or trying to take him in as he did not want to go back to his life of slavery. However, he soon found a way that he wouldn't have to worry about such a thing: The Navy was looking to enlist anyone willing to serve Koben. After having a morality struggle, he finally went and signed himself up for the forces under the alias "Lucas Schmidt". Though he did not look like the best candidate, he was ready and willing enough to join. After passing the physical tests, he was officially in the Navy and so has been for the past 2-3 years of his life. He dreams of being able to go back home someday, but prays that it will not be for war reasons.

Ignition: He did not join the attacks in Amedra, joining instead the crews who fought in Belport. He was worried that he might have somehow run into someone he would recognize and be unable to fight them...

Mutiny: He fought on the Empire's side, equally as stunned as everyone else when the betrayal took place. He left with the rest of the Navy, though he chose to stay in Song-Lu rather than go all the way to Belport with others.

Force of Law: When the Empire called to send Military back into Linhythe to force the criminal activity down, Ben joined them and has been there since.

Emerald Masquerade: He went with a few of his Navy friends, fully intended on enjoying himself and having a good time, when Murphy's Law struck. The one day he chose to walk around without his glamours was he one day he ran into his sister, and he quickly ran from her following that. He has not seen her since then, and again, he prays that he will not see her again until he properly returns home.

Currently: He’s waiting around in Koben for a bit following the Emerald Masquerade, not entirely sure how to take the fact that he fled from his sister after seeing her for the first time in 11 years, as well as being unsure of whether or not he should return to Linhythe or Song-Lu. Just waiting for a reason to move again, he guesses.

Relationships:

Family:

Ryanna Geist: “She’s my older sister, and we were extremely close when I was younger. I really missed her the first few years into my kidnapping… Probably would have cried over missing her and my whole family if I weren’t in constant danger of being beat for it. I saw her recently… But I didn’t know what to do or say, so I ran and I hid from her. I wish I had exchanged at least a few words, but… Well, it’s better she doesn’t know what I’ve been up to anyway.”

Friends:

Rain: “Rain… I met him about a year or so before I was kidnapped? He was a really great guy… Sure, My sister and I were shocked when we found out he was actually part dark elf, but it didn’t change anything about him. He was still a really fun guy to hang out with… Mostly because he put up with me, Ryanna, Hani and Nika’s antics all the time. I miss him a lot too… I hope he’s still doing well, hiding in Cantor.”

Hani (Jae Han) Ahn: “The first of the two brothers I ever had the pleasure of meeting when I was younger. The younger, and far more energetic one at that. He was really fun to hang out with too, and we always went on the wildest adventures. I wonder if he’s still as keen on trying to wrestle with a Yamben as he was before…”

Nika Ahn: “I met him shortly after meeting Hani and… Honestly, I stil think back on our times spent together and wonder if they really are brothers. Nika was far more quiet and down to Earth than Hani was… But it was a lot of fun hanging out with him anyway He knew a lot about plants, and I was hungry to know more about plants. A good friendship, until I got taken away. I wonder how he’s been doing…”

Additional info:

- Good with flowers and plants, thanks to plenty of time spent with Nika and his mother in his youth

- Has a fair amount of glamours he uses while in Koben to hide his true eye, hair, and skin color. Mostly coming from his paranoia over being found by his old slavers, but also because he worries by some impossible twist of luck, he will get traced back to his home in Cantor. He doesn't want his family getting dragged into his mess and/or problems

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THESE CHORDS  HAVE PROBABLY BEEN USED  A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE  TO WRITE SONGS ABOUT GIRLS  I DON'T THINK THEY'VE BEEN USED  TO SING ABOUT YOU  BUT HONESTLY I CAN'T BE SURE  YOU PROBABLY KNOW  LOTS OF BOYS WHO PLAY GUITAR  YOU'RE THE KIND OF GIRL  WHO ATTRACTS  BOYS WHO WRITE SONGS  WRITING ONE ABOUT YOU  REALLY WASN'T HARD  I'VE ALWAYS LIKE GIRLS  WHO HAVE  BROKEN A FEW HEARTS