Character Practice - Animator vs. Animation

Go to Sleep

B-uh-ling brr-ing ca-ling...



Red lay awake in his bed. From where his room was, he could hear the sounds of the note blocks crystal clearly. Dreamy, slow, soft, and light. Maybe even a little melancholic.

The serene melodies were good and all, and he would've loved to hear it continue, but it was also 4am. While Red hadn't stayed up all night, he'd woken up enough times during the night to know and be concerned that the note blocks hadn't stopped since they'd started.

They'd started seven hours prior.

An idea popped into his head on how to get the music to take a break, so he got up and stretched before leaving his room and quietly tip-toeing down the hallways of their house. Just because he wasn't able to sleep well doesn't mean he wanted his friends to wake either.

Peeking out of his tab, he spotted the maker of the noise. It seemed completely enveloped in its playing, not even noticing that it had an observer at this hour. Red crept over to the overly-complex set up of note blocks, and hid, waiting for the perfect time.


There.


Suddenly and abruptly, he popped up and smacked the blocks, creating his own harmony. He knew this would not only break the player out of its trance, but also get Red a very stern talking to about staying up late and interrupting. He was fine with that trade-off.

Though the dark red stick figure was playing mindlessly with mischief in mind, intentionally clashing against the green one's entire tone of its music with his own chords because he knew that it would irritate the other, he began to notice that it now didn't sound terrible.

Green had started seamlessly weaving his previous, calm melodies around Red's boisterous ones.

Red was bewildered. Normally, this interference would've killed Green. Normally, he would've snapped at Red to stop messing around, but not this time. Red recalled the difference between Green's usual spunky jazz and the newer, downcast, more subdued tunes. He hadn't paid it any mind before, but... ...was Green going through something?

He noticed that Green had slowed his playing to a soft, but unfinished stop, as if he was waiting for something.

Glancing at the other's face, Red noticed it was completely blank. So Green was still in his trance.

Then Red glanced back at the note blocks, beginning to feel a twinge of nervousness, but Green didn't seem like he was going to move until Red did, so...


He lifted his hands..



Ker-ling.



...and they begun.


The red one's melody felt clunky at first, but the green one was always there to back him up. Thanks to Green blending it evenly, Red felt more at ease, knowing however he would mess up, Green would be there to guide him and help repair his mistakes.

Green, working out whatever was going on with him out through song, and Red, right there by him, providing him harmonious company to repay his assistance by offering his own.

Red's hands began gradually moving on their own out of instinct, like they just knew what to do to compliment his friend's. He too, slowly lost himself in the note blocks. He completely forgot about how late it was.

A perfect fusion of somberness, wistfulness, and hope, creating a bittersweet bliss.

The two sticks played together in sync under the mellow, blue, glowing light. Both became entirely entranced in their combined music for hours.

Then, at one last, perfect moment, they brushed their hands along the blocks delicately, and then finally, they came to a soft, gradual stop.

They remained in position for quite a while after that, despite neither moving.

And eventually, Red's sense of self returned, and he remembered how late it was. He quickly looked around to try and see the time-


8am.

OH GOODNESS- They were playing for THAT long? What was Red thinking?!

He turned to tell Green to go to sleep like he'd meant to before, but Green was right behind him. In fact, Green's hand was resting on his shoulder, Red just hadn't registered it until now. Probably because he was so tired.

Green was just staring at him.

Then he pulled Red in for a hug, and left to go back to the fighting sticks' tab to get what little sleep he could before everyone wakes up...

...leaving the latter just standing there, still wondering how his plan messed up that badly. Lots of his plans failed, but he never had a plan go that awry before.

Red blinked, still appalled, but he slowly gathered himself after a while and went back to his own room to sleep too.



At least Green was feeling better now.