all zeal, all day long
75p
EXCLUSIVE:
We caught the infamous bug-about-town for 4 pages of insect robot action!
INTRO
It took a while to convince the local freak of nature to talk. Reporting back: the fruits of our labour.
Kidd Zeal (pictured above) is a insectoid creature with robotic parts who was originally part of the now widely discredited Operation POSIR (Partially Organic Shapeshifting Insectoid Robots), an ethically questionable experiment on consciousness and caretaking. Zeal and two similar subjects were placed in human apartments, given a genetically modified cat each and told to take care of themselves and the cat. One went crazy and slashed itself to bits, one went crazy and ran off into the woods never to be seen again, Zeal went crazy and ripped its hand - full of communication devices, thus cutting contact with the scientists - open. Unsurprisingly the entire experiment was deemed a massive waste of time and money. Zeal now lives untethered with its cat Ringo.
CURRENTZeal loves music. The CD player it built into its damaged paw that it has mentioned thrice to me already is quite useful, then! It enjoys fashion, but being so unusually shaped, it can't wear clothes. So it makes do by dressing mannequins - one room of its apartment is full of them. Pretty creepy but I suppose I can't fault persuing your interests... Its fashion sense is big, flashy, often homemade with its bizzarely precise sewing skills, and might get someone more odd looks on the street than when Zeal goes out! Zeal also likes fiddling with computer software and learning about mathematics.
SHAPESHIFTING
Zeal can shift its body into a giant centipede shape, around twice its usual height, which allows it to move much quicker, climb walls and sense the world differently. It can also take forms between humanoid and centipede, such as a longer bodied humanoid to reach high places or a centipede with arms to grab things.
DIMENSIONALAs a fictional character, Zeal does not have to obey universal laws if it doesn't want to. It exists in every conceivable universe in the form of self-insert characters that share a general personality.
ZEAL'S INNER CIRCLE
Ringo the cat is Zeal's assigned pet but feels more like a brother. He is very friendly and talkative and likes music and making flower crowns. Read more...
SELWYNSelwyn is another genetically modified cat who escaped their robot's ownership. They come to visit Zeal occasionally due to being close with Ringo. Selwyn gets into fights with other cats a lot but seems to have good intentions. Read more...
Pictured above: Ringo (left) and Selwyn (right).
- We asked Zeal: What's your favourite...
COLOUR: "Bright red. If you're not allowing leopard print."
ANIMAL: "Centipedes. A bit arrogant of me maybe... But I do like the real things."
FOOD: "Any kind of fruit really."
DRINK: "Cranberry juice."
NUMBER: "420006.404. Don't look at me like that, no one's asking you to remember it."
SEASON: "Summer. The cold is just miserable."
TIME OF DAY: "When everyone is asleep."
ACTIVITY: "Listening to music."
MOVIE GENRE: "Horror, or stand-up comedy specials."
BOOK GENRE: "Old political stuff."
MUSIC GENRE: "Most kinds of alternative rock."
SKIN: Zeal has short, spiky black fur all
over its body. It feels like a young punk's first haircut.
ANTENNAE: Presumably came taped to the front of the bug DNA.
FEATHERS: Long brightly coloured feathers cover Zeal's shoulders, chest and spine.
HORNS, CLAWS AND TEETH: Massive and pointy. Sharp enough looking that I don't enquire
any further. Its mouth is positioned below its head and its big mandibleish teeth always stick
out like vampire fangs.
BODY SHAPE: Zeal looks emaciated; its ribcage is visible and its stomach is concave. It informs
me later its 'stomach' doesn't contain much of anything and all its organs are higher up.
WINGS: Big flat sheets of metal. They don't work for flight.
TORSO LEGS: Some centipede legs remain protruding from its ribcage.
PAWS: Zeal has massive paws with triangular pads. I resist the fly swatting joke. One paw
contains a CD player - convenient!
TAIL: A three metre tail reminiscent of... monkeys? It can grab things, at least. The tail can
deliver a fatal electric shock if Zeal chooses, and with that range, don't get on its bad side!
Though, Zeal normally keeps it coiled up to prevent a misfire.
REBELLIOUS
JUKEBOX
R J
KIDD ZEAL talks about the records that changed its life.
"This was always going to be my first pick. Nothing like finding the words to describe significant parts of your life... especially if they are the lyrics to the greatest album ever written. I will die on this hill!"
"Glorious bit of misery here. Before I looked into Joy Division my only reference point for misery was emo lyrics, which tend to be... Fun when you're fourteen. But this is more like where I am right now."
"Can't say I'm much of a Radiohead fan any more. But this song... the whole of OK Computer really. It's that optimism every creature is created with fighting for survival against the world's torments. I hope mine finds some more success in future."
"Pretty much sounds like the inside of my head. Loud as fuck. Love it to pieces."
"A remnant from the emo phase but I still love this album - I never liked their others so much. The first record I felt was mine to love."
"And this would be the second record I felt was mine to love. I've had Suede playing around me my whole life but giving them a proper listen, this ten minute treasure felt like nostalgia morphing into some sort of existential reawakening. Gorgeous when listened to on the roof at night. I only wish they let Bernard make it thrice as long!"
"I'm always blown away by how fast and frantic this is. Calm down boys, Coke's not going anywhere! Unfortunately. Should be obvious by now but I'm a sucker for sneaky politics. The keyboards-!"
"Wonderfully weird little band. Listening to this in the bright sun flipped a switch in me, turned me onto summer. And now for half the year at least, the weather does not get me down."
"I would not be as angry as I am about the world without the Clash and I am sure a lot of punks could say the same. The best introduction to the entire feeling... and it is a life-changing one."
"The Germs are a very interesting band, Darby Crash is a very interesting person and G.I. is a very interesting album. Some immense noise, but pretty intellectual and insightful if you pick the lyrics out."
"To get through the next twelve minutes and all that! Every second of this masterpiece is just beautiful."