Ches

**Chesnok,** also referred to as **Ches**, is Glam's bandmate. He and Glam met in their late teenhood, where Ches helped Glam find true happiness in metal music. After Glam runs away from home to be with Ches.

Just as Ches was the one to give Glam his nickname, Chesnok is the nickname given by Glam to him, originally intended as an insult due to him being "stinky and green like a young sprout of garlic (чеснок)." This was changed in the English dub to accommodate to language barriers, so he's known and referred to as "Chive" in the English translation. To this date, Ches' real name is yet unknown.

## Childhood

In "Ideal Tone" and "Glam", as well as the subsequently officially released comic "Goodbye," Ches's teenage life is shown through interactions with Glam. His life is shown as being polar opposite to Glam's socioeconomically since Ches lived in the industrial zone of town with his alcoholic verbally abusive mother in a broken down, dusty trailer. As seen in episode 10, Ches and his mother lack a proper relationship, with her being addicted to alcohol, treating him badly, disregarding his interest in music and even going to the point of throwing glass bottles at him. Nevertheless, Ches still defended his mother from Glam's bad comments towards her and insisted on how she suffered things in her life that made her the way she was, how he had no right to judge her as he doesn't know what she has been through, and even threatening to hurt Glam if he spoke badly of her again.

Details in his appearance reveal patched holes, worn-down sneakers, and even cracked fingernails, indicating that he is not in a position to maintain his outward appearance, possibly even neglecting personal hygiene, per Glam's comment that he "stinks."

Ches' enormous talent goes back to the insane amount of practice, interest and determination he puts in his music despite his lacking resources, evidenced by Ches coming in first place at an audition at an exceptionally prestigious Conservatory, when teenage Glam (back then known as Sebastian) who practiced hours upon hours and was far more musically gifted, came in second place.

## Band Life

Ches introduced Glam to his at the time unnamed band in S1E10. The band later on took on the title "Who Are Those Freaks On Stage" or "Freaks" for short after that was yelled at them during a performance. Ches seemed to get along well with the other band members, Lordy, Bob, and Glam, being shown as playfully rude with them. In the episode "ThoseMonstersOnStage", S2E3, we are shown that Ches has developed a severe drug addiction. It is unclear if this is a new development or has simply gotten worse since they began touring. The band has become very successful, leading to the offer to preform with Twisted Sister. Their manager shows concern about Ches's drug problem in relation to the band and Glam is sent to ask him to quit. Glam arrives at their shared hotel room and discovers Ches is sending his mother large amounts of loose money in the mail. In exchange for helping him address the envelope, Ches promises Glam he will stop but relapses the same day, putting their relationship on thin ice when Ches arrives to band practice under the influence. The two have a discussion afterwards where in which Ches, seemingly unbeknownst to himself, expresses all the same concerns Glam has had about his addiction and the broken promise. Ches flushes the remaining drugs and, as a show of trust and connection, Ches purchases a piercing kit and helps Glam pierce his ears. Fellow band mates hear the piercing and become convinced that the two are having sex, affirming Lordy's belief that Glam is a homosexual.

During the next band practice, Ches arrives sober but has only begun playing when he receive a call from someone who knows his still undisclosed legal name and believes it to be his mother. It turns out to be a call from his Aunt Rita to inform him his mother has died. It is implied she died of an overdose using drugs she purchased with Ches's money. This sends Ches into a depressive episode where he drinks excessively and never returns to practice. Eventually, Lordy and Bob give up, asserting that he's likely relapsed again and believe the call was from his dealer. Glam goes after him and finds Ches passed out in an alley, visibly disheveled and in his green jacket that is now ill fitting and torn around the sleeves. He assumes that Ches has relapsed and reacts outwardly, unusual for his character, Ches informs him he hasn't broken his promise to quit drugs and is instead drunk. Glam begins to yell at him until Ches tells him his mother is dead.

He remarks he "thought I could meet her again one day" before breaking down sobbing. Glam helps him up and tells him they have to tell the others. Ches protests but is unable to explain why with his slurred speech, only upsetting Glam further. Glam returns Ches to his bed and is forced to confront the other band members himself, telling them there is a reason for Ches's behaviour but that he can't disclose it himself. The manager comments that he is not surprised and has already found a replacement for Ches, introducing a new character named "Leo" who is the new lead vocalist for their band. Glam tells him that he won't leave Ches and the manager admits he already predicted that and has a disturbingly identical replacement for Glam as well. The remaining members of the band depart, Bob giving Glam both the key's to Ches's car, a panther, noting that they could never get it started without him, along with a closed condom, still under the impression Glam and Ches are in a sexual relationship. Ches does not wake until the next day when he finds out the band has left without them but proposes they work as a duo, calling up a manager who approached him after a "Freaks" show.

Season 2 episode 5 takes place part way through the initial music video, after Glam has seen Victoria but before he has met her and returned her keys. Glam missed the aforementioned audition and plans to miss the next one in order to search for Victoria. He and Chive argue over it, leading to Chive calling Victoria a "cunt with tits", which Glam tells him to stop but he continues to until Glam physically strikes him. Chive elects to leave without him and go to the interview where the manager is disappointment to see he is alone, stating that he doesn't put his faith in "junkies" but gives Chive an advanced payment so he can "reform his image". We see a show with his new band, "The Green Sperm Whales", who is visually very similar to his previous band. During an after party for the concert, Chive is shown to have relapsed and has a line of cocaine on the bar in front of him. After a brief conversation with a groupie where in which he laments his troubles with Glam, he over doses on cocaine. He is seen meeting his recently deceased mother in the afterlife and, after apologising for never returning to visit, he states he's a "bad son" because he can't stay with her and wakes up in the hospital, the doctors actively declaring him dead when he does and whispers "come back".

## Present Life

Unlike Glam, Ches seems to be single and childless. Ches and Glam are shown to still be friends and Ches has become an uncle figure to Glam's children. He owns his own music shop and won't tolerate people touching his bell.

## Appearance

During Ches’ teenage years, he had a lean physique, tan skin with brown fluffy hair and dark brown eyes. Ches also had (well, still has) gapped teeth. He lost a tooth, due to an “unequal battle with a stool”, stated in his Q&A. He was usually seen wearing a maroon colored shirt with a dark green jacket over it, jeans, and a necklace which had yellow circle charms. In his "band days", seemingly when he was a young adult, he has scruffy facial hair both in the form of a wispy mustache a few hairs on his chin. He is seen wearing a black trench coat and full black outfit when preforming. Now in his adult phase, he grew out his hair, and has a light beard. He is commonly seen with a gray shirt, a plaid jacket and jeans. Some accessories he has on are, a necklace, wrist warmers and piercings (he only has a piercing in the lobe of his ears).

## Personality

Ches is a "relaxed punk" who is easy going, quirky and doesn't get angered easily. He is a calm man who is quite phlegmatic about almost everything.

He is not afraid to violate any ethical standards or appear rude, although he is usually quite polite. He is shown to be charming and eloquent since childhood, when in the audience he managed to seduce one girl. Presented as a very friendly and talkative character, he is difficult to embarrass and even more difficult to scare. Cheerful and funny, sympathetic and will always help his friends if needed. Ches is quick-witted and inoffensive. Sometimes it seems that he deliberately avoids taking certain things and situations seriously. He also likes drugs (specifically cocaine).

The disadvantage of Ches is that he is irresponsible.

Chas's immense talent goes back to the insane amount of practice, interest, and determination he puts into his music despite the lack of resources, as evidenced by Chas winning first place in the entrance exam at a prestigious conservatory when Glam, who had been rehearsing for hours and was much more musically gifted, finished in second place.

## Playlist

In the official Metal Family VK page, a series of posts about the tracklists of the five main characters were made. Here are the songs that were attached to the post featuring Ches' playlist:

they didn’t add all of the songs, so here’s a more accurate version (from yours truly):

* The Misfits - Vampire girl
* Aerosmith - Amazing
* Король и Шут - Танец Злобного Гения
* Johnny Cash - Solitary Man
* Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
* Nirvana - Rape Me
* Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
* Bon Jovi - Last Cigarette
* System of a Down - Chic ‘n Stu
* Judas Priest - Painkiller
* Napalm Death - Nazi Punks Fuck Off
* Nirvana - Tourette’s
* Rage Against The Machine - Bombtrack
* Fugazi - Waiting Room
* Misfits - Crimson Ghost
* Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen

(Remastered 2012)

## Trivia

* Ches is known to be unrealistically lucky. When asked about it, Alina said that "The universe just loves him." (Also it was mentioned in the same context that he "has a small secret".)
* It is confirmed that Ches is not a hippie, but a "relaxed punk". According to Alina, the reason for that is that "he had just seen so much he doesn't care anymore".
* Dima once mentioned that Ches is a good listener.
* In her Q&A, Victoria described Ches as "Alright, but definitely strange."
* Heavy mentioned in his Q&A video, that listening to punk rock is somehow better with "Uncle Ches".
* As an answer to a question, Dima said that other than Victoria, Ches is one of the only people Glam truly respects. (in their answer it was also mentioned that there's is another person, but the Q&A occured before the release of the 9th and 10th episodes, so we can only assume that the third person may be Lydia or someone else, whilst that remains unknown.)
* When discussing character flaws, it was said that Ches' flaw is that he is irresponsible.
* When asked about Ches' sexual orientation, both Alina and Dima agreed that it's a mystery. It has also been stated he has a "cosmic orientation".
* Glam mentioned in his own Q&A that Ches once used a guitar to wipe his butt.
* Heavy mentioned in his Instagram that he and Dee found Ches sitting on their roof and helped them take a picture of a shooting star albeit Ches' reasons for sitting on their house's roof is unknown.
* It was revealed in the second Imagine episode that Chive's patronus is a honey badger.
* Chive owned a Panther car which only he was able to start.
* After his mother's passing, Chive is found by Glam in the alleyway by a dumpster, perhaps being a direct parallel to the two originally meeting in an alleyway by a dumpster outside of the Shvagenbagen estate.
* His prototype is Mikhail Gorshenev, the leader of the punk rock band "Король и Шут", so the creators themselves said.
* In Ches' Q&A it is revealed that:
	+ He may have issues with the tax office since he made up a name when asked what his full name was.
	+ He thinks Anna has a nice house and was unfazed over the fact that there is a picture of him almost naked in Heavy's instagram.
	+ Ches calls having a family has an "interesting fetish"
	+ He likes green tea, and anything matcha flavored.
	+ He claims that the song "There Grows A Pine" that he wrote was inspired by a tree growing outside his trailer, but that it was a birch so Ches changed it to a pine because it sounded better.
	+ He was unable to talk about his shop because "the stones forbade it".
	+ He likes garlic but only fried and used to condiment chicken.
	+ His favorite color is "the eggs of a wandering thrush."
	+ He has no wife or kids since he claims he already has a family and doesn't consider himself a hermit but a hoarder.
	+ He doesn't use bikes and claims cars are better because you can make love in them.
	+ When he asks what is it between him and Anna he just says "nothing illegal"?
	+ He claims he doesn't talk to his mother anymore but that one day they will cross paths again and has too much to tell her.
	+ He doesn't know what happened to his father but they have one thing in common: "They don't give a shit about each other".
	+ He lost his tooth in "an unequal battle with a stool".
	+ He likes any type of music except rap.
	+ He likes "System of a Down" and thinks Shavo's beard is pretty cool.
	+ He likes Star Trek.
	+ He banned his customers from ringing the bell on his desk.
	+ He likes pineapple on pizza but finds it weird.
	+ He is a Pisces, meaning he was born between February 19th and March 20th.
	+ He claims he lost track of his age after he turned 28 and doesn't celebrate birthdays.
	+ Upon finding out Glam was dating Vicky, Chive was shocked because he thought Glam was gay, meaning that Chive couldn't mind having a friend who is LGBT+.
	+ He got his beaded bracelet from a cereal box.
	+ He has a stuffed dinosaur named Asparagus.