#Chibi QUELL

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Here is a preview of chapter five of Candy Coated (Happy People):

You are impressed with how accurate the game is to the original. The square board reminds you of the one used in the game Twister but has an image of a chibi Buddha in the center with the spinner attached to it; around him are ten multicolored jelly beans.

"So, how does this work?" Göll asks.

You grin.

"It's simple. You just flick the spinner in the middle and whatever jelly bean it lands on is the one you choose from. There are two variants to each bean." 

"It sounds like there is a catch. Why would there be two?" Jataka asks, raising his brow. 

Buddha snorts and picks up the square board. 

"You ask too many questions. It's just a game."

"Then close your eyes when making a choice," Jataka retorts. 

You raise a brow. Why would he need to do this? As far as you know each bean is identical to its counterpart. 

"I can guide you if you like."

Buddha grins and holds up the board, flicking the spinner with his finger. Around and around it goes, eventually landing on a white bean splashed with yellow. 

You quell the need to groan. 

[rk-tmblr]

Promesse frantumate sparse terra-Double Black [BSD]

«Hai mai osservato i cocci di vetro?» gli chiese all’improvviso, colmando il silenzio con un flebile mormorio per una frazione di secondo.

Chuuya si girò nella sua direzione ma non incontrò i suoi occhi, fissi a terra sull’altro lato del marciapiede. «Che razza di domanda è?»

«Quando vengono frantumati sotto i cerchioni delle auto si sbriciolano finemente, così tanto che poi a guardarli sotto il sole brillano più dei diamanti» spiegò, in viso un’espressione di incantata apatia.

Tutte le volte che il rosso lo scorgeva in quel modo rimaneva perplesso, provava un misto di emozioni contrastanti che lo conducevano a pensare solo ad una cosa:

che cosa si cela nella mente di Osamu Dazai?

E per questo motivo fu colto impreparato quando il castano allungò la mano destra sull’asfalto e si riempì le dita di quei cristalli di vetro che sembravano averlo tanto affascinato.

«Ma che caz-» urlò Chuuya preso dal panico, senza pensarci due volte gli afferrò il polso, la garza morbida della benda che vi girava attorno più volte non gli fece neanche impressione; «Fermo, non azzardarti a chiudere la mano- no! Ti ho detto di non muoverti!» sbraitò strattonandolo verso di sé così da utilizzare le dita libere dell’altra per impedirgli di fare altro.

«Fa male» sospirò piano Dazai e il rosso alzò gli occhi al cielo per trattenere l’istinto di dargli un pugno sul naso.

«Ovviamente, idiota! Che pensav-»

Il castano lo interruppe contrastando il suo tono iracondo con uno pacato, «Il polso, fa male» si lamentò ancora, mortificandolo.

Allentò immediatamente la presa, «Scusa», ma non lo lasciò, invece con il pollice accarezzò lì dove sotto strati di garza ed epidermide si diramava la vena; «Dobbiamo tornare dentro, guarda che ti sei fatto...» lo rimproverò intanto che osservava il sangue della sua mano brillare assieme ai cocci incastonati sulla pelle pallida; «Ti diverti a complicarmi la vita, non è così?» sbuffò.

Per la prima volta dopo ore Dazai puntò gli occhi scuri in quelli chiari di Chuuya; «No» rispose fin troppo serio, il timbro basso e roco, «Farei la qualunque per il contrario.»

Un brivido percorse la colonna vertebrale del rosso all’intesa della gelida onestà che stagnava dietro quelle parole.

«Allora non ferirti più» debole non potè fare a meno di chiedergli.

«Se dà fastidio a Chibi-chan...» fece per accontentarlo.

«No, non voglio che ti faccia del male perché non mi piace vederti soffrire, Dazai, non è questione di fastidio» esternò quell’ingiustificato bisogno di chiarire all’istante le cose.

Percepì un magone annodarsi alla gola nel veder nascere sulle labbra del castano un sottile sorriso di sincera tristezza.

«Va bene, Chuuya» disse eppure non gli sfuggì il vuoto di quella promessa, lo stesso che gli opacizzava gli occhi tanto da fargli dubitare se fosse davvero vivo e non una mera allucinazione.

[sencrose]

— RARE, USED IN GREAT CONDITION!

gojo satoru x f!reader. tags: established relationship, idol au, squirting, cunnilingus, pet names (angel), gojo referring to your pussy as "she", inappropriate-ish use of muffler towels. wc ~ 1k. divider by @/adornedwithlight

“Isn’t this like…” you trail off, looking at the muffler towel splayed across the bed. You’ve never really gotten a good look at it, despite Satoru wearing it to all your shows. In your defense, it’s usually hung around his neck, or when he’s really excited, he’s whipping it around like a lasso.

It’s cute. Decorated with whimsical doodles in the background, a chibi drawing of your likeness in the center, along with your group logo in bubbly letters on either side of you.

“Like what?” Satoru asks.

There’s a lot of words floating through your head, the longer you look at it. It’s thin—impractical for what he’s proposing. Weird is another thought that shoots through your mind, but then again, it’s Satoru. He’s suggested stranger things.

“I don’t know… sacrilegious?” It leaves your mouth before you’ve really had the chance to let it ruminate and sit on your tongue. Frankly, the most unconventional word you could’ve landed on.

Satoru raises a brow with a boyish grin, his frame pushing closer against yours before cooing, “you tell me.”

It’s so easy for him to get you flustered, make you rub your legs together to quell the desire burning in your core, it’s almost infuriating.

“I mean, it’s worth a lot secondhand…” You’re not really thinking about what you’re saying, too distracted by Satoru—the smell of detergent that lingers on his shirt, the way snow white strands caress his face, the look of pure adoration in his eyes as he gently leads you onto the bed, the towel placed under you. No matter how long you’ve been together, you’re not sure you can ever get used to it.

“You think I’d sell this?” Satoru dramatically grabs his chest and pouts. “Oh how you hurt me, angel.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” You pout back, looking off to the side.

Satoru simply smiles again before hooking his finger around your underwear before pulling.

“I know, it’s just cute to see you get embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” you murmur back.

“Are you now?” Satoru presses against the seam of your legs, spreading them slowly as if he’s savoring the anticipation. Once he gets a good look at your pussy he licks his lips, nearly salivating at the sight. “Guess you’re right, she doesn’t seem that embarrassed to me.”

“You’re a freak, you know that?”

“And you love me.”

You can’t deny that. And you can’t deny the heat pooling in your core as his fingers tease your labia, already slick with arousal.

“This wet for me already?” he teases, finger drawing soft circles around your clit that earn a moan from you. “You sure you aren’t the freak?”

“Shut up.”

“Gladly.” With that, Satoru licks a long stripe against your pussy before swirling around your clit with his tongue. It’s maddening, starting off so aggressively. If anything, he’s the one shutting you up, your breathing hushed, the only sounds really escaping your lips being whiny moans.

“T-Toru, w-wait, it’s too much-”

He hears you. You know he hears you because he does the opposite of what you want him to do, his finger pressing into your wet hole, slipping in until he hooks onto your g-spot. You can feel his lips curve into a smile against your cunt when you let out a loud whine.

Your grip on his hair only tightens as he continues, but he takes it in stride. By the way his tongue is moving you’re sure he’s taking it as a sign to go harder, licking and laving at your clit with frenzied fervor.

It’s too much to listen to. Lewd, wet squelches echoing throughout the room as Satoru eats you out like a man ravaging his last meal. There’s nothing delicate about it, just raw, unadulterated indulgence. All you can do is grip onto him harder, tighten your muscles for the climax to come.

You barely notice when he slips another finger in, pussy soaked from the mix of your arousal and his spit. It’s only when he starts bullying that spot that sounds like pure liquid sloshing around, only getting louder the longer he continues, that you notice.

“W-Wait, Satoru, something’s coming-”

“I know, let it all out for me angel,” he hums sweetly between strokes of his tongue, his fingers reaching an unrelenting pace as the coil in your stomach comes to an abrupt snap.

All you can let out is wail as you come undone, your orgasm full-bodied, pleasure rushing through every nerve and synapse until it frays out. Satoru doesn’t stop though, eating you out and fucking you through it till you’re in tears.

“S-Satoru please, wait-”

But he doesn’t. It’s like he has something to prove as his tongue flicks at your oversensitive clit and laps up your arousal like a dog led to a bowl of water. His fingers reach a steady rhythm again, pressing against that wet spot until you give him what he wants.

“You can give me another, I know you can,” he coos, and you’re not sure if it's directed towards you or your cunt. That tension rises and builds again before you’re crashing again with a moan, all your muscles taut as you gush around his fingers with an ironclad grip on his hair. Satoru enthusiastically laps up everything you give him—the remnants of your arousal on your inner thighs, the patch of liquid pooled underneath you, too much for the towel to absorb.

Your grip finally loosens around him, petting his head gently before running your hand through his hair, a silent act of affection.

When Satoru emerges from your legs, he looks just as fucked out as you, hair mussed and wet from all the liquids you unleashed onto him, face painted with a rosy blush. Satoru pulls the towel from underneath you, and it’s only then you realize just how drenched it is. When he holds it up, it’s dripping. Really, the towel was a moot point.

Satoru’s unphased by it all, wrapping it around his neck like he would at one of your concerts.

“Should I wear this to the next show?” he asks with a proud grin.

“Please don’t.”

[figurineaddit]

Quelles sont les meilleures figurines mangas à collectionner en 2024?

Les figurines mangas ont toujours captivé les passionnés de la culture japonaise et des univers fantastiques. En 2024, l'industrie des figurines continue de prospérer avec une multitude de nouveaux modèles captivants et des éditions spéciales qui ravissent les collectionneurs du monde entier. Si vous êtes à la recherche des meilleures figurines mangas à ajouter à votre collection cette année, voici un aperçu des incontournables :

1. FiguartsZERO - Dragon Ball Z La franchise Dragon Ball Z demeure une icône intemporelle de l'animation japonaise. Les figurines FiguartsZERO captent parfaitement l'action et l'énergie des personnages emblématiques tels que Goku, Vegeta et Cell. Avec des détails époustouflants et des poses dynamiques, ces figurines sont un must pour tout fan de Dragon Ball.

2. Nendoroid - My Hero Academia My Hero Academia a conquis le cœur des fans avec son histoire épique de héros et de vilains. Les figurines Nendoroid capturent l'essence même des personnages avec leur style chibi unique et leurs accessoires interchangeables. Que vous soyez fan d'Izuku Midoriya, de Katsuki Bakugo ou de Ochaco Uraraka, il existe une Nendoroid pour chaque héros en herbe.

3. Figma - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba a été un phénomène mondial, et les figurines Figma captent parfaitement l'esthétique sombre et envoûtante de la série. Avec des détails impeccables et une articulation fluide, ces figurines permettent de recréer les scènes d'action les plus mémorables de l'anime.

4. Banpresto - One Piece One Piece reste l'un des mangas les plus populaires de tous les temps, et les figurines de la gamme Banpresto continuent d'impressionner les fans avec leur variété et leur qualité. Que vous soyez fan de Luffy, Zoro ou Nami, vous trouverez une figurine qui capture parfaitement l'esprit aventureux de la série.

5. Scale Figures - Attack on Titan Avec la conclusion épique de la série animée Attack on Titan, les figurines à l'échelle capturent l'intensité et la grandeur de l'univers dystopique de la série. Des Titans colossaux aux membres du Bataillon d'exploration, ces figurines sont des pièces de collection remarquables pour tout fan de l'anime.

En conclusion, que vous soyez un collectionneur chevronné ou un nouvel amateur de figurines mangas, l'année 2024 offre une multitude d'options captivantes pour enrichir votre collection. Des personnages emblématiques de Dragon Ball Z aux héros en herbe de My Hero Academia, il y en a pour tous les goûts et toutes les préférences. Préparez-vous à explorer ces mondes fantastiques et à donner vie à vos personnages préférés grâce à ces incroyables figurines mangas.

[ambrial-blog]

The Vampire and and the Inventor.

Long ago "Faust" was bitten by the vampire who harbored a demon's heart. He went by the name of Blitzillion. Faust was once known as the Great Fizzorolli. but he had long ago shed that name.

Fleeing Blitzillion Castle. Never looking back. Eventually he became an inventor, a tinker of toys. A dollmaker.

embittered at Blitzillion, of what he became.

Faust stole the crystalized crypt. effortlessly dismantling the wards surrounding it.

locked within a frozen stasis. was a Chibi Vampire.

He kept the crypt ins hidden bellow. shoved in a dark corner where light never shone.

Faust would toil away in is lab, trying to quell an aching heart. He wanted to hurt Blitzillion in a way that would devastate the vampire Lord.

He was no longer a fledgling. Faust, clones himself. mixing his DNA with a bunnies. he aged up his experiment.

as he stared into the eyes of his creation.

A mental connection was formed. The young harlequin with bunny like features stole the vampire's heart.

As they got to know each other a deep bond formed.

But Faust was fool, if he did not think Blitzillion would retaliate. it had months since he stole the crystalized crypt. But he had not expected the Vampire King to send his radiant Queen into battle.

Many lives were lost, as Strykarious lead his men into battle.

The Bunny experiment was caught in the fray along with the tiny Vampire.

Steel clashed as Faust faced off against Blitzillion. his bunny faced down the wrath of the Serpent Queen.

Who would've gladly laid down her children's life.

Surprisingly, Faust was holding his own. as the smoke began to clear. which didn't last long. Blitzillion smacked the jester into the wall. Causing the plaster to crack and spider web. Faust groans, turning his head.

Surprisingly, after the dust and smoke cleared. Faust groans staring up into Blitzillion's cold eyes. his master- no, Blitzillion lost the right to be called that centuries ago.

[kaijin-nijuu-mensou]

Penguins leaders for your soul

[ackerfics]

RORY RORY RORY RORY MY LOVE I HAD AN IDEA,imagine kids sometimes would fear levi when he played in the playground and one day he was playing cars by himself and then he heard a girl ask a question'can i play with you?'he looked up to see reader and lets just say that was where the moment he fell inlove.

AAHHH chibi levi & chibi reader friends to lovers~

ANON, THIS IS SO CUTE, I WANNA CRY :<<<

hair pulled up in a low half-ponytail with a huge pastel ribbon, clothes prim yet stained with sand, and a smile that can blind people --- levi swears he saw an angel the moment he met you. it's kind of sweet how levi came to the realization that you might be crazy because no one in the playground wants to play with him. yet here you are. you're one of the kids that always play on the other side of the playground, alongside the ones who call levi an outcast, even your seat in the classroom is far from his. so, what drove you to ask if you can play with him? he's perfectly fine with his sound effects, letting his cars fly over obstacles that he created from the rocks lying in his little area of the playground, and pretending that he's the daredevil racer he saw on the television a while back. your dainty, delightful voice interrupts him from flipping his car over a huge mountain of sand, his silver eyes glinting in irritation before they quell upon meeting your expectant figure. your hands are behind your back, feet slightly shuffling in anticipation, and lips pursing at his lack of reply. his speechlessness is not what you think. the truth is, his breath is just taken away. levi finds you the prettiest thing in this playground with that little bow you have on your hair or with that overalls you don, even prettier than the flowers in the flowerbeds lining the kindergarten's playground. you're like the sun and like a planet revolving in its orbit, he gravitates towards you.

there's no hesitation as levi says with a blank mien, turning back to his cars, "yeah, you can play with me."

the brilliance you bestow on him makes him fall in love with you on the spot. but he's too young to realize that. with tingles tickling his stomach, little levi finds himself his first friend.

[scarabscribbles]

xenoblade chronicles 3 has been living in my head for like a month, so i made art of me and a friend’s sonas in the style of the job select chibis!

i also wrote out detailed skill and movesets for the two of them which will be under the cut for those interested :)

Nina Role: Healer (Agnian) Class: Scout Weapon: Chain Kunai DMG TNK HLR CTRL    B      D     A       A A hot-blooded Healer whose soothing skill swells alongside critical hits. Skills: -Precise Patching: Boosts healing power by 5-10% when landing a critical hit. (Up to max of 150%, resets on death) -Allow Me!: Grants Critical Rate Up to self when reviving an ally. -Sneaky Strikes: Reduces aggro generated by critical hits by 25-75% -Moonlit Hunter: Boosts all allies' accuracy and critical rate by 10-15% at night. Arts: -Overcast: Evasion Up Field, Range of effect - small -Crescent Swing: Frontward AoE Physical Attack, Heals nearby allies on hit -Scarab Strike: Physical Attack, Boosts crit rate against enemies using arts. -Tangled Chains: Physical Attack, Topple -Moonlight: AoE Heal Talent Art: -Lunar Flow: AoE Ether Attack, grants all allies Regenerate

Jared Role: Attacker (Kevesi) Class: Battlemage Weapon: Conduit Blade DMG TNK HLR CTRL    A      C     C      S An Attacker that freely flows between lightning-quick sword strikes and empowered ether Arts. Skills: -Flow Together: Boosts attack by 4%-8% when alternating between Physical and Ether Arts. (Up to max of 150%, resets on death) -Finishing Touch: Boosts damage dealt with Smash and duration of quelling rage with Burst by 25%-75% -Wild Magic: 5%-10% chance on hit to grant an ally a random Buff. -Completionist: When all Arts are recharged, the next Art used deals 100%-150% more damage. Arts: -Thundercrack: Circle AoE Physical Attack, Smash -Cone of Chill: Frontward AoE Ether Attack, Burst -Instant Boost: Physical Attack, 20% Chance to recharge a random Art on hit, Side Attack Up -Surging Storm: Ether Attack, Boosts damage dealt for each active buff. -Acceleration: Stance, Boosts damage dealt by Physical arts by 15% and recharge speed of Ether arts by 20% Talent Art: -Blade of Tempest: Circle AoE Physical Attack, grants all allies Awakening.

[shironezuninja]

I think only Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie action figures will be able to quell my jealousy over missing out on a 2015 chibi Spidey plushie product.

[imomomi]

         The doodles first started when he was 16. Little stars on his wrists when he woke up, a flower curling on his palm before class, an inky sketch of some mountains on his thigh. Rationally, he knew what they were, why they were there, but it didn’t stop the initial stab of disgust at seeing the ink on his body. He washed it off frequently and often right away. By the end of the week, the drawings became less frequent. The loss of them did not hurt, but a stab of anxiety followed when he woke inkless and alone like always. Kiyoomi had never written back. The idea of writing—what if the ink was toxic and made him sick, what if they were allergic to something and it somehow leake---he took a breath, shaking the thoughts from his head.

          He didn’t hate the idea of having a soulmate. It made life easier knowing that he didn’t need to waste his time looking for a partner. He preferred it when things were clear cut, easy to understand, and with a visible end in sight.

          Not where people can see, he wrote on his thigh, just high enough that it wouldn’t show when he was playing. His handwriting was chicken scrawl and despite his attempts to make it neater, he never managed it.

          He waited minuets, checking with such frequency that not even cleaning his room had taken his mind off it. Words didn’t always make it through. No one knew why or how the process worked. Scientists debated that the reason words didn’t appear were because communication as a human method, poets wrote about the mysteries of soulmate marks and fate, but Kiyoomi thought it was simpler than all of that. Soulmate marks lead you to your soulmate when you were ready. Relationships were messy and complicated and despite how alone he was at times, he didn’t want one right now.

          A single word followed, written so neatly it could have been its own font.

          Ok.  

          The eighty-eighth floor of MSBY’s headquarters was not a place that Kiyoomi ever dared enter. He was content in receiving his paycheck on the day he was meant to and waiting for contract negations to raise any issues. Atsumu had managed to sneak his way into the Management and Finance department the first week he’d joined the team. Apparently, the gossip among their teammates wasn’t enough to quell his nosy behavior. How he’d managed to convince him to join in on his lunch-time venture, Kiyoomi wasn’t too sure. All he knew was that he regretted his decision already.

          Couches were scattered in the main room surrounding large flat-screen T.Vs that played the news in a constant cycle. A large-open kitchen faced the back wall where a couple of people hung around, holding steaming mugs. Two people sat at one of the couches, intensely focused on a video-game they were playing. All around the floor, leading up the offices down the hall, were flowers. Some hung from the ceiling, spilling over the pots with vines drifting downwards. Large bouquets in crystal vases littered the tables. Kiyoomi could feel his nose twitching.

          “Come on,” Atsumu said, leading him down the hall where several offices were tucked against the floor to ceiling windows. They came to a stop in front of a corner office where a small shoe rack lined with slippers, some still in the plastic casing, rested outside the door. A pair of pale pink slippers were on the top shelf, bunny ears plastered obnoxiously at the front.

          “Take off your shoes. Y/N-chan hates dust. I’m pretty sure she ripped out the carpet with her bare hands when she got here.”

          “I’m surprised you’re actually doing it,” said Kiyoomi. Too often had he watched in disgust as the man went home wearing the same sweaty clothes he’d practiced in.

          “Y/N almost had a heart attack the first time I came in here, kinda made me feel bad not to listen after that,” Atsumu admitted. Kiyoomi struggled to rearrange his features to hide his doubt at the words and failed.  

          “Yet, when I tell you to stop stealing my face masks and towels, you never listen,” he said, dryly.

          “That’s different. She’s a girl. You’re Omi-Omi.”

          “So, if I miraculously gain a vagin-” Kiyoomi started.

          “Do ya ever shut up? I’m not arguin’ with ya in the middle of the hall,” Atsumu hissed, his accent coming out stronger in his annoyance. Kiyoomi rolled his eyes. If anything, it was Atsumu who started every one of their arguments, but his own boredom didn’t help.

          “No need to be so sensitive,” said Kiyoomi.

          “Put the damn slippers on,” Atsumu said, shoving the unopened packet into his gut. Sakusa smirked beneath his mask, gingerly opening up the slippers.

          They were in the office for a full ten minutes before anyone arrived. Atsumu took the time to make himself comfortable in the leather chair behind the desk, making the various figurines of the team fight. Prototypes for the upcoming season, thought Kiyoomi, glancing at the little chibi version of himself in curiosity. The door snaps open and a woman walked in harried and tapping on her phone. She wasn’t dressed in office clothes, rather in an oversized hoodie with the name of a foreign university splashed across the front and leggings. The pink slippers that sat outside were on her feet.

          “I thought I banned you from here last week,” she said with a groan, tossing a bag down onto the couch. She nodded to him in greeting, but otherwise ignored his existence.

          “I bought a friend as a peace offering,” Atsumu said, throwing a hand in his direction. Y/N’s gaze fell to him briefly, brow furrowing.

          “I don’t accept,” she said, turning to glare at Atsumu. “Human trafficking is bad. You would have learned that if you actually made it to college.”

          “Sorry for joining the team,” said Atsumu. He stood from her desk, letting her settle in. Kiyoomi watched the two interact, wondering how long they had known one another.

          “Please, I can replace you any day,” she muttered.

          “We all know you love me too much to do that.”

          “When I finally jump from the roof, I want everyone to know it’s your fault.”

          “Take me with you,” Kiyoomi muttered, shooting Atsumu a look of disgust. Her lips twitched and she offered him a smile. Kiyoomi averted his gaze immediately, not liking that her attention finally focused on him. There was something unnerving in her gaze.  

          “What do you want?” she asked.

          “Business as usual. Sakusa needs you this time, not me,” Atsumu said.

          “I’m sure you had nothing to do with that,” she drawled.

          “I was brought against my will,” Sakusa acknowledged. She picked up a pen and notepad from her desk, clicking it rapidly as she started to scribble.

          “We can file a report,” she joked, “I’m sure the papers would love to hear how Miya Atsumu was involved in a scandal with his teammate.”

          “Suddenly, I’m regretting all my life choices leading up to this moment,” Atsumu said.

          “You didn’t before?” Sakusa asked. Y/N laughed and Kiyoomi hated how the sound filled the air, bouncing with a levity that he’d never experienced on his own. People like Atsumu---and it seemed like Y/N---had a way of taking up space and never letting it go. They were loud because they thrived on the attention and Kiyoomi who had been surrounded by people but, alone all his life flinched away from it.

          He pushed the thoughts away, explaining quickly and concisely that Atsumu had brought him here to specify how he wanted the locker room set up before games. Kiyoomi anticipated resistance to his requests but was shown a brutal efficiency that he can’t help but admire. Y/N listened attentively, taking notes, and asking questions, before promising that they would implement a new cleaning schedule before their next practice. They leave as quickly as they arrived, but part of him expected more and is left empty with the thought that there was something incomplete about their meeting.

           That night’s drawing was a little cat curled up in a box. It looked like any other stray that he might see in Tokyo, but there was something endearing about the way its eyes were closed in two tiny smiles. Kiyoomi traced it idly. It must have taken a long time, he thought. The urge to draw something back filled him, but he has neither the talent nor willpower to sit and draw on himself for any length of time. Unlike when he was younger, the drawings came less frequently and always at night.

          He watched; brow furrowed in confusion as words appeared beneath the drawing. The rare sight had his heart hammering loudly in his chest.

          Azabu, Tokyo.

Masterlist || Next

Taglist: @haikyuuopalite​ @cuddlesslut​ @sckusa​ @imuziawi​

[shiroutalpha]

TSUKIPROSHOP in HARAJUKU 2021

☆ TSUKINO Sweets Kingdom ☆

(ツキノスイーツキングダム)

Tsukino Sweets Kingdom is TSUKINO PRODUCTION's theme for their upcoming 2021 Harajuku Shop.

Website: https://tsukiproshop-sk.com/

Twitter: @TSUKIPRO_SHOP

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆ *ﾟ ゜ﾟ  *☆*ﾟ ┊　         　┊　         　┊　         　┊ ┊　     　    ┊　         　┊　             ✧･ﾟ ┊　         　┊　      　   ✧･ﾟ ┊　             ✧･ﾟ ✧･ﾟ

Introduction

※ JPN

ツキプロタレントたちが、魅惑的なスイーツイメージの衣装をまとって秘密の王国にご招待♪ 

甘くとろける、魅惑の空間をお楽しみに！

※ ENG

Tsukino Production talents, will invite you to the Secret Kingdom wearing the costume with a fascinating sweet image ♪ 

It melts sweetly, enjoy the enchanted space!

※ IDN

Talenta dari Tsukino Production, akan mengundangmu ke kerajaan rahasia dengan menggunakan kostum yang manis♪

Terpesona dengan kemanisan, nikmatilah tempat yang menakjubkan!

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Units Theme Menu

TSUKIUTA. Series

Six Gravity: Cookie

Procellarum: Cupcake

ALIVE Series

SOARA: Parfait

Growth: Macron

SQ Series

SolidS: Chocolate

QUELL: Jelly

VAZZROCK Series

VAZZY: Strawberry Tart

ROCK DOWN: White Strawberry Crepe

The Wizard of twins LICO & GLI Series

Swiiiiiits!: Confetti

X Lied Project Series

infinit0:  Ice cream

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TSUKIUTA. Series

Six Gravity (Showcase ★ Chibi) Procellarum (Showcase ★ Chibi)

ALIVE Series

SOARA (Showcase ★ Chibi) Growth (Showcase ★ Chibi)

SQ Series

SolidS (Showcase ★ Chibi) QUELL (Showcase ★ Chibi)

VAZZROCK Series

VAZZY (Showcase ★ Chibi) ROCK DOWN (Showcase ★ Chibi)

The Wizard of twins LICO & GLI Series

Swiiiiiits! (Showcase ★ Chibi)

X Lied Project Series

infinit0 (Showcase ★ Chibi)

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[yanderemommabean]

Pain.

It was the stinging sensation that seared itself across his back during his and yours love making that made Jasper feel the most alive, not even the most potent of drugs or the greatest of kills could compare to the pure ecstasy of receiving those beautiful claw marks that you left on his back. To him that action held a deeper meaning than lust or desire it had told him that every hardship that he had gone through in all of his twenty-five years of living had held meaning and that was you, his babydoll. He’d like to think that you had given him a sense of purpose in his life but that reason was too simple and it hid the complex nature of his true feelings for you. Not a single one of his past sexual conquests could compare to you because what they had severely lacked in where you prevailed was you truly do love him and it did nothing but ignite his reason for killing or dealing because it was always you. Every moment spent away from you had always left him constantly wondering how much people does he have to kill in order to come back to you? How much drugs does he have to sell in order to be able to spoil you rotten? How much of the highest bids does he have to take in order to protect you from people that can potentially harm you?.

 His thoughts and actions were solely motivated by you to the point where he had felt that it was you, your love for him that was consuming his entire being rather than him and he welcomed it in fact he held his arms wide open for it. His soul, his body constantly screamed out for you and sometimes he wonders if you know it because there would be instances where your soothing touches had done more than ignite his love for you it had often quelled it and brought him back to reality. And as much as he liked to think of himself as the “wolf” and you as the “rabbit” in the relationship he sometimes wondered if you were truly the “wolf” and honestly it didn’t bother him the slightest. Every bite and claw marks that you had left on his body had only made him harder and made his eyes roll in the back of his head leaving him and you in a post-orgasmic bliss on a pile of sweat soaked sheets. 

Even in his most privatest of moments sadly spent away from you he would gently trace the beastly bite marks that you would often leave on his collarbone during his and yours love making, he had never failed in encouraging you to either bite or scratch harder so that any of his blood that was spilt would either spill inside your mouth or land on your naked body making him feel closer to you then he already was. It was the only way that he knew how to bring his essense closer to you because no matter how many times he passionately loved you he always felt like there was something or someone creating a distance between you too. Jasper sometimes wonders if you know that he silently holds your body closer to his whenever he feels your body dreadfully trembling during the more “quieter” nights that you and him share a bed with one another. Sometimes it’s silent tears and other times it faint whispers of you begging “someone to stop”, it took a lot in him to not constantly press you into finding out who is this someone that’s causing you this pain but he knew that you would only shut him out and that’s the last thing that he could ever want so he does the reasonable thing. Invade your privacy.

Thankfully, he had the necessity to do so meaning the only thing he needed to do was wait for you to leave to work and find the journal that you keep hidden away under your side of the bed inside of the box lock where your key was taped to the upper left bedpost. Despite you hiding this from him Jasper wasn’t upset with you for keeping this from him because he himself was keeping several truths from you and you obviously trusted him wholeheartedly thinking that all the money he earns was “legitimate”. But as he childishly clings to you giving you obnoxious kisses all over your face he feels this foreign feeling of impending dread bubbling itself in the pit of his stomach. Even as he stands in front of the door sticking out his bottom lip giving you  puppy dog eyes silently begging you to stay home and just play hooky with him (among other things) that dreadful feeling continues to bubble itself up to his chest. But this doesn’t stop him from standing over your bed mentally psyching himself to do something that he doesn’t want to do yet has too, he needs to find any sort of knowledge about this someone causing you this pain so that he can do his job and finally achieve his goal of being closer to you, his babydoll. Jasper then sits down on your side of the bed rubbing slow circles on the front cover of your journal cutely decorated with chibi Street Fighter stickers with a Hello Kitty charm dangling on the makeshift bookmark. He then opens the bookmark and a picture of you and him in the early stages of his and yours relationship slowly falls to the ground between his feet and when he takes a closer look at the photo he soon notices thin indent on the left hand corner of the picture. So he then puts your journal to the side and picks up the picture turning it over to something so cute of you to write it makes that dreadful feeling he feels boil over spilling itself into his heart. 

My Hubby <3 and I - 02/14 

    He felt so wrong for doing this to you but knew that he had to continue on for your sake so he put the photo to the side and opened up your journal and was shocked to see the first thing that you have written.

                                            05/31

I love him. I don’t think Jasper realises how happy he makes me sometimes I wonder if he’s oblivious to it or it’s just him being his usual “bad boy” self but everytime he holds my hand or kissed my cheek I feel this happy yet airy feeling in my heart. I feel as if I’m floating whenever I’m around him but the other side of me feels afraid of him and I truly don’t know why but I know it isn’t him, I hate myself for it because I don’t want him to know why I would be. I’m scared that he would break up with me or judge me...It’s me I know it’s me, not him. 

Jasper feels his heart madly beat against his chest and a cold sweat broke out across his body as if someone just dumped a bucket of ice water on him, why would you think that way of him? What could he have possibly done to make you afraid of him? He would never leave or stop loving you he thought he made that clear to you. He should be happy that he knows that he makes you feel the same type of love that you do him but he can’t stop his foot from rapidly tapping against the bedroom floor in some sort of knowing anger because he knew it had to do with that someone who’s the reason behind your constant trembling and pleaful whimpers at night. Jasper can feel that malevolent green eyed beast arise within him and he wants to kill and soon that once dreadful feeling boiling itself inside of his chest had soon turned into merciless cold blooded rage. But regardless of this rage he knows that he must be smart and continue to investigate rather than blindly kill any possible person that could’ve hurt you despite how much he wants to destroy anything or anyone in his sight so he turns the page.    

06/11

I can’t sleep that well anymore everytime I close my eyes I see her face and it terrifies me to no end because all I see is her touching and beating me over and over again and it never stops, why can’t my nightmares ever stop?. The only thing I hear is her saying her name over and over again and it’s driving me crazy having to hear her say it constantly, Agatha Bonaparte, even me writing her name is bringing tears to my eyes at this very moment. I wish I wasn’t so dirty and having to constantly scrub my skin till I have small scars across my body half the time I have to hide them from Jasper I don’t want to want to think I’m dirty or a freak. I think that’s why I...never mind.

Agatha Bonparte. Such a filthy name and the only thing that he needs to know in order to enact the long overdue revenge for her causing you this pain that is slowly bringing him and you apart from one another. Jasper feels a mix of emotions but the one thing that stands out the most is pure unadulterated rage at this woman for doing this to you and at the same time he wants to cry for the agony you had gone through long before you had met him. He wouldn’t be able to understand the psychological pain of this type of abuse you had gone through but he was determined to make you feel “clean” to make sure that you knew that he wouldn’t judge you for your scars in fact love you even harder than he already does now. All he had to do was eliminate this filth.

Jasper than puts the journal back in it’s rightful place carefully ensuring that the key and the lockbox weren’t even remotely out of place silently hoping that you wouldn’t catch on too him invading your privacy. His heart feels heavier than it’s ever been and constants thoughts and questions are running through his mind as if he’s an adrenaline fueled hamster running inside of a wheel but at the same time learning about this had made sense in a sickly manner. He was profoundly happy in fact ecstatic to know that you not only love him but couldn’t stand the thought of losing him as he did you and yet there was this hollow guilt ridden feeling infesting itself onto his heart. He began to wonder if all those times that you and had made love with one another had somehow triggered you and you were forcing yourself to even kiss much less touch him all because you were afraid that he’d leave you. It was a revolting feeling and he felt like he had hurt you the same way that disgusting bitch had done and he wasn’t sure how he could remedy it because he didn’t want to make you feel dirty he wanted to make you feel loved revered even because in his eyes you were his goddess.

Jasper knew what he has to do and how to do it but the time to act wasn’t now it required patience and skill all of which he had but for now all he wants to do is spoil his babydoll with much needed love and attention. So he leaves his and yours shared apartment soon heading to the grocery store making a mental checklist of the ingredients he’ll need so that he can make you your favorite dinner and desert than to the flower shop and bookstore knowing what he needed to get to bring a beautiful smile on your lovely face. Hours than pass by and before he knows it your parking your car inside the garage but what immediately ruins his elation upon your arrival from work he can hear the faint slow sound of your footsteps and he soon realises that something is wrong. When you open the door, he can hear the faint whisper of your voice letting him know that you're home and he then notices the dull sadness on your eyes making his instinctually run towards you in fierce protectiveness. 

When he soon meets you at your front door tightly holding your body against his in a comforting gesture he feels your body quietly tremble and a wet patch of tears beginning to form on his t-shirt and after what felt agonizing hours of silence your voice breaks.

“Ja-jasper can we go to bed please?” you pleadingly beg him to reach he soon replies with an immediate yes to your heartbreaking question soon Jasper is spooning you bringing your trembling body even more closer to his hoping that it’d bring you any sort of reprieve. You than bring your hand up to his face gently rubbing circles on his cheekbones with a streak of dry tears running down your face and then you bring his face closer to yours gently kissing him slowly bringing your hand up to his head slowly clawing his scalp.

“Jasper please make me feel whole again” you whisper against his lips begging him to touch you and his eyes than widen in shock upon your gentle yet pleading request he then lurches forward kissing you with all the passion and love that he can muster within his body to which you happily reciprocate. You meet him halfway with this passion by kissing him harder by wrapping your legs around his waist effectively swinging his body over so that you could may sit on top of him not only shocking him with this type of prowess but making him hard. You then place your hands on his lower stomach underneath his t-shirt pushing it upwards revealing his well defined upper body and before you could place butterfly kisses on his stomach Jasper quickly pulls himself up bringing his hands up to your face placing his forehead against yours looking at you directly in the eyes.

“You can take control tonight babydoll but just know that I love you and I would rather die than give up on us, on you” he tells you with the utmost sincerity but underneath it there’s a hint of possessiveness when he emphasizes “you” something that you had failed to notice in the heat of your shared passion. You than give him a soothing kiss on his forehead gently smiling at him with pure unadulterated love in your eyes and then say “I know” making his whole entire being glow with joy and absolute bliss, you than playfully push his upper body against the bed making him smugly smirk at you while putting both of his arms at the back of his head. “I’m always yours babydoll” which only causes you to bite your lip looking at him with lust ridden eyes so you than throw your body forward placing hungry love bites all over his chest grinding your lower half against his crotch making his eyes roll in the back of his head from ecstacy.    

That night where you and Jasper made love to one another had felt different somehow almost as if you were clinging onto him just as he was with you and maybe just maybe you were looking at him in a new light like you were finally seeing him as your guardian, your everything. In his eyes he could see how much you needed him to breathe new life into him whenever you had desperately kissed him and drove your core impossibly close to his. He could feel it with every ounce in his very being how much you needed him to be every single possible thing in your life and he was very much willing to give it to you but with this feeling came a bitter reminder of that thing, Agatha Bonaparte and how he needed to rub her face along the concrete floor like the bug she was. He not only hated her for doing this to you but he hated her for slowly creating this wall between you and him but it was fine he’ll break that wall down and anyone willing to come between you and him but for now he’ll hold and love you till he’s in the grave and beyond because afterall you’re his babydoll.  

This is a “love letter” fan fic for the original creator of Jasper, her oc, and I really hope that you not only like this but encourage you to write more BECAUSE WE YOUR FANS LOVE YOU AND THE CONTENT THAT YOU CREATE!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

((OK BUT LIKE...YOU WROTE MY OC SO WELL AND I JUST...AM FLOORED IN THE HAPPIEST OF WAYS...THIS WAS FUCKING AMAZING AND I SINCERELY HOPE YOU FEEL THE LOVE AND APPRECIATION I HAVE FOR YOU AND THIS. Yes all caps was necessary))

[tia-dreamer]

SoukokuWeek2019 Day 4

Prompts:

Price - Debt and Payment - “Take a good swing at me and everything is even.”

#

Nice, normal mornings weren’t really something that was familiar to the people working at the Armed Detective Agency in Yokohama. So when one such morning rolled around quietly, when suddenly there were no emergencies or extra chores to do and even Dazai was only lazing around on the couch, everyone distrusted it. Immensely. These sort of morning’s always came with too steep a price. In the two hours since the work day started Dazai had caught six people sending prayers to various deities, seen Ranpo case the room, twice, and had been enduring looks from every single person in the office. Even from the Chief! It really wasn’t fair. Dazai had nothing to do with this, and he had, for once, little inclination to stir up trouble.

Though that was suspicious in it’s own right, maybe, so even he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

And drop it did, about fifteen minutes later, when the door to the office was flung open violently, in a way that hinted at a kick more than an enthusiastic push.  Dazai saw a good amount of people relax, from his vantage point, and then blanch. 

He heard the croaked sounds of breaking floor panels and familiar footsteps before he ever caught a glimpse of their surprise visitor. He buried his head more in the couch cushions. No, Chuuya was annoying on the best of days and he didn’t want to get kicked around again for some tiny issue that the Chibi blew out of proportion to compensate his stature. 

“Ah, Nakahara-san?”

Weird, Kunikida sounded perplexed. 

“Heh?! So you all do know me. Wonderful. So where is the Spoiled Brat?”

Dazai hadn’t heard that nickname in years- what-

“Aaaah- What happened, Nakaha-”

“What do you think, de-tec-tives?”

Dazai had a bad feeling about this. But the conclusion his brain was shoving at him sounded disastrous and he really needed to check it, before he started believing it. So he sat up, made his way over to the opening of the visitor booth and turned to look out into the office. 

“Chib-eh?”

Well. Fuck. 

Staring back at him was a tiny - and for once he didn't mean his height, though that of course was a fact as well - version of Nakahara Chuuya. A fifteen year old version, to be exact. Same clothes, but short haired once again, and he couldn't see that one scar on his jaw that Chuuya had gotten at 17. 

“Fuck me, did you let someone stretch out your skeleton, asshole?”

That pulled Dazai out of his stupor. His response was reflexive as always.

“No, I just think Chibi shrank overnight. I didn't know you wanted to compete for the ‘tiniest microbe’ competition so badly you’d get yourself de-aged Chuuya.”

“I just woke up to a stranger poking me with needles and an older version of your little shackle freaking out. I don’t know what happened, okay?”

A huff, but less aggravated and much more indulging than he had heard it in years. Dazai let a smile slip onto his face.

“Well, Chuuya most probably ran afoul of an ability and now I get a flashback to Mini-Chuuya. Maybe I should send them some flowers? Chuuya gets a lot less cute when he grows… or rather, when he ages. You don't really grow, Chibi, even though I tried watering you.”

“Oh fuck off.”

“Wait what?” 

Dazai decided to ignore his coworkers in favour of interacting with a much less jaded version of his ex-partner. Not to mention that Chuuya was actually scared, considering he hadn't risen to half the bait Dazai had slipped into their conversation. It had always been the easiest gauge for his mental state.

And Chuuya must be wondering what the deal was with Dazai at the ADA of all places. Maybe he didn't want to see it right that moment, but he would get the picture soon enough. Dazai didn't want anyone else to see that confrontation. 

 So he went and slung an arm around his ex-partner-turned-child-present-partner, ignoring how Chuuya didn't even try to shrug off the contact, and tried to grin at the whole office, all of whom were staring in shock or horror at the scene. Ah, silver linings, those were a thing people prattled on about sometimes, didn't they?

“Well, I guess Chuuya and I will see if I can’t find a rogue de-aging gifted, so we’ll be going-”

“Dazai-kun.”

Dazai stiffened as Fukuzawa-san stepped into the office proper, looking somewhat more severe that usual. 

“Ah, yes, Chief?”

“Mori-sensei just informed me that their Executive went missing after a run in with a very curious ability user. It seems he is no longer missing, though.”

Dazai felt the startling and unfamiliar urge to shove Chuuya behind him and hide him from view, even as the 15-year-old stepped forward instead, straightening out and jaw stubbornly set as he stared at the man who fought with Mori on even footing. Not that Chuuya actually knew that.

“I didn’t go fucking missing. And who wants to know that anyway, I don’t answer to you.”

Dazai wasn't aware of whatever face he was making, but it was probably a pained one. A cornered Chuuya was never a good thing. Even now, Dazai could hear the floor creak ominously, and Chuuya was tensing like he was readying himself for a fight. This was… less than ideal. 

After a quick moment of contemplation Dazai reached out to pull Chuuya back towards him, hand mostly on his left shoulder, but very deliberately also touching the side of his neck. 

“Down boy.”

“Not a dog, Dazai. Two weeks of no names, remember?”

Oh. That made the age Chuuya had been… well, de-aged to much easier to pinpoint. 

“Ah, it has been seven years for me, Chuuya. But I’ll be nice and refrain anyways, how’s that?”

A kick against his shin, and then Dazai’s face was pulled down a good foot until it was almost level with Chuuya’s.

“Don’t fucking patronize me, shitty mummy. I’ve been in worse situations and you don’t need to fucking coddle me. You never did before.”

He didn’t so much as blink at the rapid change in perspective.

“Ah, but last time we were both irresponsible teenagers. I’m an adult now and you're still tiny.” 

Another kick, hitting the exact same spot with pinpoint accuracy, before Chuuya stepped away and to the side, eyes never leaving the people around them. He smirked. 

“I call bullshit. That one over there is younger than me, and considering she has her own desk and a knife that she’s been grasping at for the last five minutes, I doubt this place is any less of one that employs children.”

The grin turned wolfish as he met Kyoka’s gaze head on. “And I’ve definitely killed more people than her. You're not coddling her. So you can shove your adult responsibilities up your ass.”

Again, both of them ignored the offended gasps and exclamations from their audience. Dazai had to admit they weren’t used to that. He didn’t call them out either, and didn't want to be called out for his own hypocrisy any more than them. But Chuuya had always been blunt and sharp-edged at the same time. 

So a rueful sigh was the only reaction Dazai allowed himself. 

“Very well, Chuuya. But fighting’s still not in the plan right now.”

“Quite right.” Fukuzawa interrupted whatever Chuuya had had to say to that, and gave them both a quelling look. Thankfully Chuuya only glared, uttering a “Tch,” before falling silent and focussing on Fukuzawa-san as well. 

“Nakahara-kun. I will inform Mori-sensei of your whereabouts. Considering your temporal displacement, you might be under considerable stress, so I will negotiate terms with him to have Dazai and you stay together and for the ADA to take on your case to reverse whatever happened to you.” His gaze shifted to Dazai, who felt himself straighten, relief coursing through him. “Dazai-kun, please show Nakahara-kun to our infirmary. We should at least make sure that there is no unexpected strain on him.”

And then the white-haired man turned on his heel to step back into the hallway. 

“Eeeh?” Chuuya fixed another glare at Dazai. “What is he-”

“Chuuya.” 

The redhead narrowed his eyes at the taller man. “Urgh. Fine. I don’t want to stay near an audience anyway.”

That was as much of a concession as Dazai could hope for, not that it meant that Chuuya had surrendered to whatever plan the people around him were making. Dazai knew that with a surety that came from years of being stuck next to Chuuya in these sorts of situations. So he led the way towards the infirmary and Yosano-san, and hoped against hope that it wouldn't blow up in everyone’s faces. After a few steps, a third set of those made themselves known, and both of them turned around, almost simultaneously. The little out-of-synch movements were a stark reminder that this wasn’t his Chuuya- his time’s Chuuya. They came face-to-face with Kunikida, glaring and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

“I do not believe leaving you alone with a Mafia execute is a good idea, Dazai-kun. For your safety and ou-” 

Dazai threw a quelling look at his partner. He really didn’t need Kunikida to give Chuuya more information on what the situation was like. It would complicate things immensely and-

“Oh come off it.” Chuuya swatted at Dazai with a hand and shook his head.

“I don't have the full picture but you've obviously left m- the mafia. I’m an executive and that guy is your new partner. And we’ve had run-ins that were less than friendly. I won't be here that long, so I don't much care because for now you’re a somewhat more annoying version of my partner as far as i'm concerned, so don't sweat it, okay?”

Abort. Deflect. 

“Chuuya is really giving his brain a workout today, are you sure you won't drop dead from exertion?”

A quicksilver grin as Chuuya gave him the finger. “You’re the one with no stamina to speak of, spoiled brat. That's the whole reason why you can't call me names, remember? OR are you getting amnesiac in your old age?”

The grin that took over Dazai’s face then was completely involuntary, for the record. And he got a pleased little grin in return as Chuuya noted that yes, Dazai remembered quite well. But then Chuuya’s expression hardened as he looked back to Kunikida. 

“You wanna come, you walk in front of us. You obviously trust Dazai, but I don't trust you at my back, mullet-man. Not even if shitty Dazai does.”

In the face of one person already on the verge of a conniption, and the looming threat of Yosano-sensei, Dazai was actually loath to poke Chuuya by admitting that he had grown his hair out to at least resemble a mullet in the furthest sense as well. 

Instead, he took a few steps, laid a hand on Kunikida’s shoulder and then dragged and pushed him towards the infirmary in front of Chuuya. 

#

Yosano caught one glimpse of the Chi- of Chuuya and slammed the door in Kunikida’s face. Dazai genuinely didn't know who had the funnier reaction: Kunikida, who was squawking something about decorum and basic curtesy, or Chuuya, who stared and then started laughing. Dazai was probably the only human in existence who could see the flash of calculation that made Chuuya’s eyes glow before the redhead, seemingly impulsively, started cackling and jeering about scared old ladies. 

And it was effective. Chuuya knew as well as Dazai did how to coax people into certain reactions. For Dazai, it was a learned skill he used in accord with his observational abilities - he was brilliant at figuring out exactly what to say, but Chuuya got people. And an impertinent teenager calling her old? Yosano-san hauled them all into the room after less than ten seconds of loud taunting.

What followed was a rapid fire check-up that went over surprisingly smoothly, considering that Chuuya didn’t know her and had never taken well to strangers prodding him, and that Yosano-san only ever interacted with him the time he had attacked their hide-out. It was a less than ideal situation for a cordial visit. But the two of them spoke little, and interacted mostly through gestures and nods and really, it almost seemed like they had come to an understanding right under Dazai’s nose without making it apparent in any way. How had they done that?

But then they were done, and Yosano swept out of the room, “to update Fukuzawa-san on the situation”, and Kunikida and Dazai both stared after her. Chuuya apparently hadn’t felt the need to do the same, because he was flopped down on the bed and had pulled out a phone he was holding above his head and by all appearances engrossed in. 

Kunikida fell for it like the utter fool he was. Dazai almost wanted to shake his head, but then again, most people didn't expect a 16 year old to deliberately thump his nose at them or try to aggravate him. And Kunikida would see the child before the 16 year old mafia member and mass-murder weapon just because he was lounging around, playing on a phone and affecting a careless attitude. Chuuya had learned exactly how to take advantage of people’s misconceptions. He’d routinely seen Dazai pull the same move, after all. 

“Are you not the least bit cornered about your situation, young man?”

Moments like these, Dazai could see exactly what the math teacher had been like once upon a time. He had a certain “adult-to-child” demeanour that was, if Dazai was being honest, and he always tried to be so as little as possible, very aggravating.

“‘Course not. The boss can’t stand missing an executive and the mummy misses the older me- I’ll essentially cease to exist as soon as they find whoever did this. And that won’t take long with the port mafia on the job.”

“Do not talk so casually about death!”

Chuuya turned his face towards the blonde man. “Your partner was literally humming that bloody suicide song of his when I arrived.”

“Dazai should never be a standard to which to hold yourself-”

“I fucking know. Get off your high horse, mullet-man. I’m not suicidal, I’m realistic. And I haven’t ever seen that waste of bandages as someone I wanted to be like in any capacity.”

“Aww, Chuuya, you’re hurting my feelings!”

“Fuck off, Dazai, you don’t have feelings that can get hurt.”

It was telling how complacent Dazai had gotten within the ADA when it took honest effort to suppress the minute twitch at that. Kunikida seemed too just get more aggravated.

“Now-”

“Oh please. You may know this version but Dazai is still the same shithead who manipulated my friends into stabbing me in the back and also literally stabbing me just so he could get a minion of his own.”

Blue eyes glared into Dazai’s direction. “Not to mention that he also decided that clumsily flirting with me would be a good idea afterwards because he had no people skills and wanted an obedient little housewife and attack dog in one.”

Kunikida sputtered. Dazai just wasn’t sure what to think of Chuuya airing out their past in front of his current partner. Especially because the blonde started muttering something mostly unintelligible, and the only words Dazai caught were something to do with “straight” and “terrible” and Dazai really didn’t care to know exactly what made Chuuya chuckle at that. He could extrapolate it anyways, thank you very much, especially when Chuuya calmed down and shook his head at the former math teacher.   

“You guys completely fell for his shitty obfuscation didn't you. Figures.” And then a mean little grin spread over his face. 

“I was his first kiss.”

And when Kunikida, predictably (really, Dazai needed to teach his partner something about composure in the face of obvious distractions. Then again, he had never needed to teach that before) lost his calm once more, Dazai was all to aware that Chuuya’s grin was a mirror image to his own. 

Chuuya had picked up a lot just by watching him. And Kunikida’s denials continued, much too Chuuya’s obvious amusement. “Ya’think the guy knew other people he’d get into a five foot radius off? Fuck no.”

And that, apparently, was too much for the blonde’s brain, because it evidently gave up on processing anything it had been occupied with for the last minutes, to instead fixate on Chuuya’s vocabulary.

“Language.”

“Fuck you I lived on the streets for 7 years.”

Dazai now really wanted to laugh at the way Kunikida turned purple, but Kunikida might implode if he did that, so instead he raised an eyebrow at the sixteen-year-old and raised an eyebrow. He was met with a sharp grin. 

“I don’t think most girls will appreciate that sort of language.”

Chuuya’s head turned so quickly towards the blonde again that Dazai almost got whiplash, and the face Chuuya wore was one of utter bewilderment.

“I literally just told you that I own Dazai’s first kiss. I’m fucking gay, what the fuck would I care what some civilian chick thinks about me?”

Dazai still tried, but now he really couldn't hold back his laughter. Oh, that was precious. 

 And that was the scene that Yosano arrived back to: Chuuya glaring incredulously as Kunikida squawked and Dazai laughed at the whole situation. 

#

Chuuya was remarkably quiet and almost… well, not exactly docile but definitely more agreeable than expected as they made their way out of the ADA and as Dazai started herding him towards Dazai’s own flat. He was not going to leave him out of his sight, and he had sensibly decided not to think about the reasons for that. 

The calm lasted until they had turned three corners and Chuuya dragged Dazai along in two consecutive loops, executed to catch any possible tails and really, Dazai fell into step with Chuuya way too easily. It had been a habit before they both turned 18, to shake any tails and trip up Hirotsu when they wanted less supervision. 

It was plain discomfiting. Everything was nostalgic in ways that bothered Dazai. The Mafia had been horrible, and still was. But these weren’t bad memories. Ambivalent mostly, though he couldn't help a certain fondness when it came to the pure life that Chuuya exuded as 16, arrogant and confident and settled into a space that he could fit himself into.  

Seeing him like this, Dazai only just realised how much the PM had broken his partner in the later years. He knew how it had broken himself, but he hadn't been watching closely enough to see the same thing happen to Chuuya. 

Evidently though, it had. 

Just for a moment he wondered how much he himself had contributed to that. But that almost made him want to throw up, so he turned towards the currently 16 year-old to start some other nonsensical discussion and met Chuuya’s own narrow-eyed stare.  

“What is she going to want?”

“Huh?” 

Chuuya levelled a glare at Dazai. “The Doc Lady. You said you trust her with your life, but you also said she is an acquaintance,” Chuuya affected air quotes, “of the boss’s.”

“Chuuya, Yosano-san’s not like that.”

That had come out more placating than Dazai had intended. And Chuuya, understandably, growled at that. 

“Bull. Ane-san said it's... like, Debt and Payment. It's a ‘principle of human interaction.’ And seriously, you know as well as I do that His acquaintances never do shit for free.”

Dazai hummed noncommittally as he steered them around another corner, smoothly avoiding the police outpost on that street. 

“Yosano-Sensei is possibly the person least likely to ever become one of Mori’s typical acquaintances, Chuuya. There is quite a bit of bad blood there, from what I have gathered.”

And incredulous look. 

“What, you haven’t gone snooping and gotten your hands on the whole story? When did you grow a sense of respect for other people’s privacy?”

“Imagine trying to spy on Ane-san, Chuuya.”

That single sentence made both of them wince as they looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. If he had been a lesser man, Dazai would have shuddered. Spying on Ozaki Kouyou was as good as signing a warrant for eternal torture- not death, but unending, eternal torture. Dazai was not a fan. 

“Fact is, Yosano-Sensei may know Mori, but she is not the type to ask for payment from a 16 year old. Maybe it will be different once you are back… to an older age, but I doubt you will care all that much.”

There was a huff.

“Alright, we’ll see.”

“Aww, doesn’t Chuuya trust me?”

The bristling came as no surprise, even as Dazai made sure to smile extra-irritatingly.

“Not as far as I can throw you, shitty mummy. You know that.”

Dazai shrugged. “Well, you are here.” 

“Because there is nowhere else to go! At least you’re honest with your fucking shady shit.”

The brunette stopped and rolled his eyes. “Of course, Chuuya, but I did mean that you are here- this is my apartment building.” 

Chuuya stared up the clean, if somewhat old high rise and raised an eyebrow. 

“You’ve really moved up in the world, now, haven’t you,” he quipped, voice laced heavily with sarcasm. Dazai very obviously bend down a little to smile at him. “Well, since Chuuya never went up all that much I did have an advantage, didn’t I?”

He got a rude gesture for his trouble and a quick hand snatched the keys and stomped inside.

“Fuck off!”

Dazai trailed after the teenager, smug grin firmly settled on his face until they both were in the elevator and Dazai pressed the button to his floor. It was a quick ride, and then Dazai made a beeline for his door and was overtaken by Chuuya as soon as he had discerned which door Dazai was heading towards. He let them both in. 

The apartment Dazai lived in was the complete opposite of his staff-cleaned room in the Port Mafia. After two years in hiding that had been intentional. Possibly the most deliberate decision he had made during those years. It wasn’t vast or clean-cut, it wasn’t a stylish combo of monotone colours and the lights and window blinds weren’t automated. 

Not to mention that he had to take out his own trash which… he should have done two days ago, judging by the state of his overflowing bin. 

And he knew he had a spare futon somewhere because Yosano had gotten a new one for her place and the old one hadn’t been threadbare yet… he just wasn’t sure where exactly it was. 

Chuuya, evidently completely unbothered by the state of Dazai’s flat, had slipped off his shoes and made his way down the hallway meanwhile to peer into every room until he found the kitchen. And he’d already found the Onigiri Dazai had planned on having for dinner, as well as two cans of canned crab from his emergency stash.

When Dazai entered the room, Chuuya wordlessly shoved the cans at him and proceeded to dog into his Onigiri and Dazai very belatedly remembered that Chuuya had been a bottomless pit during his teenage years. He didn't even know if that had changed. He made a face at the redhead. 

“Were you not planning on eating me out of house and home, Chuuya?”

“Fuck off, I’m hungry, and tired and its not even 6. You don't have shit to cook and I’m not going outside again. You’ll just drag me along into another disaster.”

“I think Chuuya is the disaster out of the two of us.”

Chuuya snorted. 

“Yeah right. That little assassin girl was great at detailing exactly how much shit you get up to while you were talking to that boss of yours.” A click of his tongue and a bite as he watched Dazai sit down opposite him. “Seems to me like you just walk from one shitshow into the next ever since you left the PM.”

Dazai took a very deliberate bite of his crab. 

“Shitshows are universal when you’re around ability users, Chuuya.”

The redhead rolled his eyes at him. 

“Oh fuck off with your evasive bullshit. I already said I don’t care, didn't I? I know exactly what the Port Mafia is like.”

Dazai stared at him for a moment. Maybe this version didn't care, but his partner did. 

It had been overly blatant during both their reunion in the basement and during the Lovecraft debacle. Dazai just hadn’t noticed that he had been stepping on someone’s trust at the same time. Words didn’t matter. And neither did words spoken as Chuuya slumped over in exhaustion. Those were negligible. But that his partner, a version of his partner that didn’t know him half as well too, had chosen to come to him when faced with a situation that could have had multiple available solutions? 

It drove home what Chuuya had already said a few times. He did trust Dazai. Not just in the “we have to work together and you’re my ball and chain and you won’t let me level the city” kind of way, but genuinely trusted him to search him out in a vulnerable situation. 

Dazai swallowed another bite and got up, making a deliberately stupid little wave at Chuuya and made his way out of the room to find the second futon. 

This wasn’t something to think about now, when Chuuya watched him closely enough that he might even be able to decipher Dazai’s thoughts. 

Older Chuuya and his preconceived notions was much easier to lead around the nose. 

He ignored the catty “coward” comment that drifted after him. 

#

Dazai’s phone rang at 3 a.m. that night. 

Chuuya had sat up straight on his futon before Dazai even turned to the side to reach for it, a dark, lanky silhouette in the room that was only illuminated by the sliver of a waxing moon. 

He picked up the phone and accepted the call from a blocked number. And really, at this time, there were very few people that would call him. 

“Dazai-kun.”

“Mori-san!” Dazai chirped, deliberately chipper, as he watched Chuuya tense and straighten. “What seems to be the problem at this hour?”

“I do fear for your intellect, if you cannot deduce it from the situation, Dazai-kun. But very well. We have found the hiding place of the ability user that affected Chuuya-kun, so we would be very happy if you could make your way there post haste.”

“Ah, but it is very early, Mori-san, don’t you think?”

“Fukuzawa-dont has assured me that you will be happy to help and resolve this issue as soon as possible, Dazai-kun.“

Dazai sighed. There was little he could do to stall for time in this. And with the way Chuuya was up and grabbing the day clothes at his side, he knew so as well. 

He suppressed another sigh. “Very well, Mori-san, send me the address and we will make our way there.”

He almost grinned the pause that followed. 

“You might remember Chuuya at 16, Mori-san, I won’t be able to keep him from going without grievous harm to myself and we both know I would rather avoid that.” 

“Very well. See that you don’t dawdle,” came the terse reply, and then the call broke off. Dazai pouted slightly at his phone. Mori could really bet indescribably rude.

And still, he rolled out of bed and made his way towards his wardrobe, pulling out a somewhat darker attire than he regularly wore nowadays. 

When going into an area undoubtedly swarming with Port Mafia goons though, he was very much conscious that this would make it just a little easier for him to blend in and keep the tension at a minimum. Not really necessary normally, but he was walking in there without any sort of back-up this time.

Dazai went into the bathroom after Chuuya came out, completely dressed and hair still wet, but not dripping all over the place like Dazai sometimes left his own. 

And fifteen minutes later they were stepping outside again, heading towards the nearest subway station as some other blocked number send him coordinates. The train ride was filled with a mostly tense silence, with Chuuya obviously caught up in his own thoughts and Dazai trying to puzzle out whom he would have to deal with in the next half hour. Hirotsu was almost a given, but he didn’t know whether Mori would send Akutagawa and Gin-chan just to complicate matters or if he would not, to facilitate a quick and successful mission. 

It was a bit of a toss-up, and as such not something Dazai was particularly happy about. 

When they did get out at their final station, they both noticed the suited men waiting for them at the street corner. Dazai only just caught the undecipherable look that Chuuya send in his direction before they met up with the men and were lead down a few alleyways, only to stop in front of what looked like a shop in the middle of renovations, and one that was awfully quiet.

“Huh, is the show over already?”

A familiar voice reached them from the door. “Dazai-kun, Nakahara-kun. You’ve missed the exciting part.”

Hirotsu-san stepped out a minute later, looking as unruffled as always, even in the face of a way-too-often-seen traitor and a de-aged superior. 

The older man gestured for them to step inside. 

“We’ve already captured the ability user, and Mori-sama was asking for a quick resolution of the matter, so if you would, Dazai-kun?”

Dazai hummed and turned to look at his de-aged partner, feeling his smile turn... weird on his face. 

“Well, Chuuya, that was a very short-term solution to your fear of aging, don’t you think?”

“At least I don’t dress like a grandpa, half the time, you fucking waste of bandages.”

A sharp grin and a shove that did make Dazai stumble, even though he had seen it coming. 

“Now go and resolve this fucking mess, you procatinating disaster.”

“Stop trying to order me around brat, you’Re to tiny to look down on me.” 

But Dazai went and turned around, walking past the row of grunts and Hirotsu to stand in front of the obviously unconscious man. It was a male, most probably over 40, lying in the dirt and obviously at least somewhat post-torture. Dazai couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad for him. He’d attacked Chuuya after all. And speaking of Chuuya-

“Just a minute.“

“Chuuya-kun?”

Hirotsu’s face looked vaguely disapproving as the teenager ran past the goons and right at Dazai, who, really, had expected this. Chuuya would want to get in at least one hit, he’d known that. 

But then, suddenly, Chuuya was right in his face, and Dazai knew that look. It was stubborn and fixated on him and really, it felt nice to be looked at like that. Like someone wanted him. Like someone cared.

It felt a lot less nice when he considered that this was an out-of-his-depth sixteen-year-old who had latched onto him for all the wrong reasons. 

Dazai didn‘t want this Chuuya. He had outgrown this Chuuya when Chuuya himself had outgrown that age. He still liked the boy, loved him, maybe, but in a distant sort of way. Like a memory, perhaps, and definitely not in a way that would make him comfortable kissing a teenager. Especially with all these people around him. 

So he stepped back. And, really, the look the boy gave him was… it hurt Dazai possibly almost as much as it seemed to hurt Chuuya. But this was the right thing to do. The thing Oda would have nodded his head and smiled at him for. 

But Chuuya’s face… Dazai crossed the distance he had put between them himself and hugged the redhead. 

There were… so many things he could have said, but none felt adequate because, in the end, Chuuya had been right. This version of him would cease to exist- would, for lack of a better word, die. And though they both had always been more than familiar with the harsh reality of their own mortality, it still had to be scary. 

So he hugged his younger partner and felt gratified, maybe and slightly humbled, as he felt the smaller male hug him back and bury his pale face in Dazai’s vest. And then Dazai reached back with the other arm to blindly grasp the forearm of Chuuya’s attacker. 

There was a shocked gasp, and a cut-off yell, and something pulsed in Dazai’s arms before the rapidly aging body crumpled to the floor, heavier than Dazai could manage to hold up with one arm. Instead he went down with him, kneeling as he tried to lay Chuuya down gently, head cushioned on his lap. 

Just from the way his jaw was clenched Chuuya was almost certain that Chuuya was living through a condensed amount of growing pains. Of course he wouldn’t scream. Both Dazai and Chuuya had learned very, very early on in their mafia careers that screaming often only made things worse. 

And then Chuuya‘s hair was back at normal length, slightly wet looking and Dazai would bet that Chuuya would take a 30 minute shower the moment he got back to his own home.

Most people would have stayed unconscious after something like this. Chuuya woke up half a minute later, scowl on his face and eyes narrowed. 

“Fuck that was a fucked up trip.” 

“Well, if Chuuya hadn’t decided he wanted to try out the newest de-aging treatment this could have all been avoided, but Chuuya’s brain is possibly too small to think of the consequences.” 

Dazai knew that it wasn’t his best work. Really, he did, but the actually amused snort his partner made was just about worth it. 

He didn’t stop the Chibi from sitting up, didn’t try to help because that would have just resulted in a fist in his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave just yet either. 

He should have. Dazai knew he should have, but it just wasn’t something he was willing to do right this second. With a certain amount of absentmindedness he noted that Chuuya didn’t seem to want to stand up just yet either, was resting back on his hands and staring up at the ceiling. 

Dazai managed to do the same thing for one, strangely peaceful moment as well, and then he was caught off guard the second time in the last fifteen minutes as Chuuya, once again, decided to get right into his personal space. 

He was clutching at Dazai’s collar again, the brunette noticed vaguely, as he stared into still narrowed blue eyes. 

It wasn’t the same soft look the sixteen-year-old version had levelled at him. It was harder, more bitter and held a wealth of history but at least it was really Chuuya’s. And so were the words. 

“You don’t get to pull away and deny me after you coddled me this whole day, bastard.”

Chuuya kissed him before he had really processed the words. 

All things considered, it was one of the chaster kisses between them, but Dazai could feel his blood rushing towards his face anyway. They were in public. Hirotsu of all people was standing not 10 meters behind them and the first thing Chuuya did after a day under the influence of a quirk was kiss him? When had he stopped being capable of predicting the Chibi?

Dazai kept sitting on the floor when Chuuya stopped pressing their lips together and stood, barking orders at the Port Mafia members surrounding them. And then he swivelled around to glare at Dazai and point a finger at him as Dazai finally started to stand up. 

“And don’t you fucking vanish! We need to talk about some things. I’ll come by tonight, and don't you try avoiding me. I need to go do fucking paperwork now.“

Dazai stared at the tiny whirlwind that was his partner and sighed. Really, today was already not his day. He had just been planning to hide on the Agency’s sofa for a while. So, really, he didn't feel like having a talk with Chuuya. Those always ended with a bloody nose, even if you could talk and blackmail himself out of everything. The grin he affected was, Dazai admitted to himself, deliberately shady. 

“Ahh, Chibi, how about this: You take a good swing at me and everything is even right now, so you don’t have to come and search me out later.”

To be honest, it was kind of impressive that Chuuya had even heard him over the ruckus the Mafia Goons were making around them. But he evidently did? Because he sent an exasperated glare into Dazai’s direction. 

“Are you fucking… Urgh.” Then he took Dazai’s wrist and dragged him out of the room and down the hall, ignoring Dazai’s questions in favour of looking at doors and finally pulling both of them into something that looked like an office. The door was shut with a kick, and then Chuuya was in Dazai’s personal space, hands coming up to grip at his shirt collar and pulling Dazai down until their foreheads were almost touching.

“Listen to me for once in your goddamn life, Mackerel. What you did was decent. Really, fucking decent, ok? I know, you're on the side of the light and all that blah blah blah. But I didn't expect shit as a 16 year-old. You would have had an easier time not trying to coddle and protect me from your own friends. No one would have blamed you. You wouldn't have done so at any other time. So there's something that actually changed. I didn't think so before, and somehow I think you didn't either. So take this situation as proof, got it?”

Dazai thought back to leaving Chuuya, exhausted from corruption, lying on a battlefield. Thought of a sixteen year old version not even shrugging off his arm, as Chuuya let go of him and stepped back a tiny bit.

Then Dazai felt a punch on his shoulder, much less painful that it could have been and shifted his focus to stare into Chuuya’s eyes. 

“We have more to talk about. I mean what I said. Be home tonight. I’ll hunt you down if you’re not, but you wont like it.” Dazai made a show of pouting. 

“Ah, but who says I like Chuuya near me at any time? You’re annoying, Chibi.”

A snort, utterly amused. Oh. That was… not the intended reaction. 

“Yeah, try selling that to someone who didn’t see you light up when I was talking about our little bets and who didn’t see you shuffle around your whole living space just to keep me near you. You know as well as I do that there are more than enough places that you could have shipped me off to, but you didn’t.”

“That’s because no one knew whether the ability would have adverse effects on your control, so of course it was safer to keep you supervised, Chuuya.”

Dazai was trying - really, really, trying - to extricate himself out of whatever this situation was starting to devolve into. But Chuuya wasn’t rising to his bait, wasn’t even huffing or stomping off, and all of that made Dazai decidedly less certain what he was dealing with now. 

Not that he got another chance to try and get back into familiar waters when Chuuya just grinned at him, and then turned to strut out of the door. 

Dazai let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling once more. He needed to get a grip. And then he needed to figure out exactly what had happened in the last two days and what had changed. 

This was important. But for now he would make his way home and bury himself in his futon. It was too early to deal with such a weird day. 

[psyga315]

Fixing RWBY Volume 4

Volume 4 is… interesting, to say the least. It is obviously a breather volume, but at the same time, it tries to hammer home that every character is suffering to some degree. It also tries to do a sort of Game of Thrones-style “location-based arcs”, where multiple plots unfold across different areas. The only problem is that not everyone gets that spotlight. I can point you guys to the scene where Ruby sees Jaune training and nothing comes of it.

This is where I was beginning to see the problems of RWBY (dropped out midway through Volume 1 and only picked it back up before Volume 3), but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where exactly. Some critics have pointed to Volume 4 as a place where things begin to fall apart, especially in regards to Blake’s character. Then again, she was drawing pictures of the man who abuses her so…

As such, I’m going to tackle this Volume and try to tweak it so that it’s better. As before, I’m not going to reinvent the wheel or slap unneeded characters around. At this point, the only biggest change was Hazel’s appearance earlier in the show. With that in mind, we should begin with a meta-story first.

Keep Moving Forward

Volume 3 was a success and hype for Volume 4 was at its peak. Because RT managed to sell the idea that RWBY was gonna get dark way earlier than they did, I don’t see them using RWBY Chibi for anything other than training people to use Maya. Although there were plenty of animators from Volume 2.5 that used Maya, the ones RT picked out had experience with Poser and thus, they need to bridge the gap before the big Volume.

Around the same time, Miles and Kerry begin to realize that they’ve undertaken a rather ambitious task. Realizing the limit of their age earlier than they did (no joke, part of the reason the Faunus subplot got ditched was because they considered themselves too young and inexperienced to properly tackle it), they had an emergency meeting to figure out how to handle this Volume.

One solution was to simply keep the girls separated for one or two episodes before they’re reunited, nipping the problem in the bud and allowing the plot to continue. Miles insists that there should be a longer degree of separation. After all, all these girls have been traumatized and this isn’t going to be a simple pat on the back for them. The idea is then extended to one volume, to which Kerry suggests that the girls spend two Volumes separated. One where they’re getting over their trauma and the other where they’re doing something about their situation.

Instantly, the idea sticks and plans for both Volumes 4 & 5 began to take shape. Now comes the question of how to handle the high concept of four, maybe five plots going on at once. I’d assume that, with the Volume 2.5 thing, RT would have a lot of animators they could call upon. And so, a means to tackle the idea was formed: Much like how RWBY split up, so too should their animators. Miles and Kerry would continue to write scripts for the episode (barring suggestions from each animation team) and the four animation teams would handle their respective arc.

We have Team Mistral, the main team that deals with all the RNJR scenes and scenes that don’t involve the other members of RWBY, such as Salem’s Lot and Oscar. Then we have Team Atlas, who handles Weiss’s scenes. Team Menagerie handles Blake’s and Team Patch deals with Yang’s.

M&K also decide, this time, that, if they’re going to get serious, they should at least set up some sort of timeline. This leads to a month of brainstorming between them and other members of the crew to figure out what sort of hijinx would happen in a 6-8-month timespan and more importantly, how the saga would unfold. Should it all be at the same time or split across different points? Miles argues that it’d get too confusing, so at the same time would do.

They also decided to plot out how Volume 4 would unfold. Each episode will have RNJR as a major focus, with the members of RWBY sharing focus each episode. The way it works would be as follows:

· Episodes 1, 11, and 12 would focus on RNJR and WBY.

· Episodes 2, 5, & 8 would focus on Weiss.

· Episodes 3, 6, & 9 would be on Blake.

· Episodes 4, 7, & 10 would be on Yang.

· Some episodes would sprinkle in scenes of Salem’s Lot and Oscar.

This obviously messes up the flow of Volume 4, but at the same time, it would give everyone proper focus instead of randomly across the entire volume.

With the hype of Volume 4 reaching critical mass, it premieres on October of 2017 (remember, they delayed Volume 3 by a year to get the additional animators) and this is how Volume 4 would be tweaked…

Salem’s Arc

The first thing we see is Salem’s group celebrating their victory over Beacon while berating Cinder over getting injured. Salem destroys any vague wording she had given in the original and outright says that the method of which Cinder took her powers was considered unnatural and that she did not expect Ozpin to have a Silver-Eyed Warrior in his academy. Hopefully the audience can put two and two together that she’s talking about the Grimm-

[cue that clip of the audience reacting to the Volume 4 trailer and someone shouting “IT’S SUMMER!”]

… Salem explicitly points out that Cinder used the Grimm and that’s why she got fucked up by the Silver Eyes.

Most of these scenes stay as they are with the exception of Hazel being the new member of the group and thus be introduced to Watts and Tyrian, the latter of which being the one who saved Cinder last Volume. Hazel shows some remorse to the Fall of Beacon (to the point where he takes over Emerald saying “it’s almost sad” from last Volume) but when Salem says Ozpin was killed, he is relieved. At least something good came from the bloodshed.

Another change would be that Salem assigns Watts to Atlas instead of Haven. Her reasoning is that, with the CCT being down, she’d need to find a means to see what’s happening in Atlas. Watts understands and prepares a transport to Mantle, knowing he can hack into it with relative ease. When Hazel gets his assignment to talk with Sienna Khan, he asks if Tyrian would be a better choice, since… Y’know, Faunus. When Salem considers switching Tyrian’s job with Hazel’s (hunt the Silver-Eyed Warrior) Hazel and Tyrian instantly reject the offer. Hazel because he doesn’t want to hurt Ruby and Tyrian because he wants to hurt Ruby. Note that Salem doesn’t mention anything about the Spring Maiden. It’ll become apparent why in Tweaking Volume 5.

Also, I’d keep Salem’s motherly nature in this scene because that was always the nice contrast to Ozpin and considering how I dialed up the untrustworthiness of Oz, having Salem treat her minions like children instead of tools or assets would set up a huge contrast.

Cinder’s scenes are kept the same. At some point, I want to establish that the reason characters seemingly teleport all over the place is that it’s something Salem’s Seers can do. This would be done by placing multiple Seers across Remnant, which his why Watts is also going to Atlas, and then using one Seer to teleport to the other.

Oscar’s Arc

I like to thank Vexed Viewer’s video on how the creators screwed up introducing Oscar, since it gives me an easy means to avoid all the shit they did.

Oscar’s arc begins same as it does, but this time, his aunt (who we actually see) enters his room and asks if he’s okay. This has been the fifth night in a row where Oscar has had night terrors, almost centered around the exact same thing: the Fall of Beacon. Despite living so far away from Vale, he remembers the massacre vividly. More importantly, he remembers fire. Lots of it.

One of the episodes would end with focusing on him, only for a voice to pop up: “Hi! I’m Professor Ozpin!” That’s clearly more of an ending bit than a beginning bit.

Episode 6 and 7 would be where we see a good chunk of Oscar’s story unfold. Obviously, we have Ozpin trying to get Oscar to go to Haven, Oscar wants nothing of it. He has dinner with his aunt where, slowly, Ozpin takes over Oscar and forces him to go to Haven, convincing Oscar and his aunt that he always wanted adventure. Even without a body, Oz manages to find someway to ruin someone’s life to have his way.

Also, we don’t have him take the train. That’d be like if in Lord of the Rings, everyone was walking into Mordor and suddenly some 12-year-old kid flies in on the hawks. He’d be in actual walking distance from Haven. About an hour away. The encounter with Hazel stays the same, but Oscar has a slightly longer conversation with Hazel where he asks him if he’s ever been pressured to do something he doesn’t want to do. Hazel, having no idea about Ozpin’s reincarnation, tells him he has, but the reward would be to have peace of mind. This motivates Oscar to fully commit to going to Haven.

Also, skip the stinger because we’re going to use that for Volume 5.

Yang’s Arc

It’s mostly the same, but Port and Oobleck aren’t in the house since they’re dead. Also, Ironwood states in a letter that he apologizes for DQ’ing RWBY and that there’s no need to thank him for the arm so we can get rid of that meme.

There’s another plot detail, one that I’ll establish in Weiss’s arc, but the long story short of it is that the news plays footage of the ball where the Trophy Wife laughs about Vale lacking proper defenses, setting the already upset kingdom into fury, since those defenses were Atlas’s and as far as everyone knows, they were part of the problem. Taiyang is forced to go out and help quell the demands to go to war on Atlas.

Here’s how I’d structure it:

Episode 1 would have Yang adjusting to life without the arm. The simple montage of her doing chores which gets interrupted with Adam flashbacks.

Episode 4 has Taiyang giving her the prosthetic. She tries to wear it, only to have flashbacks of not only Adam, but injuring Mercury and Blake leaving her. She gets her signature hand trembles as she remembers the train from Volume 2, Gretchen’s death, and Raven telling her about Summer. It ends with her asking if she should really become a Huntress.

Episode 7 shows her watching the news when the Trophy Wife footage comes on and sees Weiss attacking her with a Boarbatusk. For the first time since arriving in Patch, she feels concern for her teammates. She knows that Ruby would be safe since she has Jaune and the others and Blake can die in a fire for all she cared. Taiyang comes home, tired and even battered a bit, having to stop some people from committing Atlasphobic attacks, which led to a Grimm attack. They have a chat about the state of Vale and Yang asks Taiyang why she even became a Huntress in the first place, to which Taiyang replies that she wanted to be like her mom, Summer. After she left and was presumed dead, Ruby had been menaced by a small bird Grimm (I’m going there) and Yang tried to fend it off. This was the spark that led to her being a Huntress. Yang, however, doesn’t buy the idea and goes to bed.

Episode 10 would bring the Atlasphobic attacks right to Yang’s home as the house is bombarded with people citing Taiyang as “Ironwood’s bootlicker” and “a droid sympathizer”. They want Taiyang’s head because if he’s not with them, he’s against them. The sad thing is that most of them are traumatized people who lost loved ones to the attacks. Yang wants nothing of it, but the moment the group grabs Taiyang and tries to string him up, her anger flares up, grabs the arm, and slaps it on her. She goes in and saves Taiyang from getting lynched but when it comes time to attack the crowd, she flinches and remembers attacking Mercury and recalling the words of doubt Blake casted in her head. She ejects the arm and, realizing she’s fighting people without awakened Auras, fights to knock them a few out before calling everyone out for letting fear control them. This obviously doesn’t instantly resolve the tensions with Atlas, but it does inspire Yang to return to being a Huntress.

Episode 11 has Taiyang, after healing up from the beating he got, talking to Yang about Raven. Because she knows about STRQ in this tweak, we don’t need to do the whole “oh, so now you talk about her” thing, but Yang does ask what Raven meant with Ozpin valuing Summer as a Pawn. Taiyang asks when she met Raven and notes that she would add that little detail. He then explains to her that Summer was special, just like Ruby, and that she was sent on special missions that none of the others were invited to. With Ozpin kicking Raven out, having favoritism placed on Summer and making Qrow his personal Huntsman, he slowly dismantled STRQ and Taiyang has quite a bit of upset over that. Realizing that this is what’s happening to RWBY, Yang decides to head to Haven…

Episode 12 has her using her motorbike, only to be stopped by a Huntress, Heather Shields, who asks for her help in tracking down a bunch of bandits. She isn’t interested until Heather says that their leader is possibly in league with the White Fang as they have a Grimm Mask. This piques Yang’s interest since this could either mean Raven or Adam.

The reason I added this subplot about Atlasphobic attacks is that I really didn’t want that ballroom scene to be in a bubble and I also wanted to emphasise the whole “angry at Atlas” thing.

Weiss’s Arc

Quite literally the same arc, but with a battle between Weiss and Jacques because he didn’t really have any earned comeuppance in Volume 7 and it’d be a better place for “This Life is Mine”’s rock version than battling giant bumblebees.

Episode 1 has Weiss more subdued than her earlier Volumes, showing her father’s leash is well on her neck. She is asked to visit her father, leading into episode 2, which has no actual changes outside of the reasoning for Ironwood’s embargo being more vaguely worded, since we want to illustrate that he’s going 1984 right now.

Episode 5 is Episodes 6 & 7 of the original mashed up into one episode. However, we get a shot of Watts recording the ball, then using the Seer to teleport to Vale and hand his recording to a local news outlet before moving to Mistral with the Seer.

Episode 8 is Weiss mastering her summon and sneaking out… Only to be caught by Jacques. Jacques is well aware that Weiss’s songs were nothing but hate speeches to him and he demands respect. Weiss refuses, telling him that he’s a poison on the family. Jacques remarks that she’d technically be poison too, since the Schnee children share his DNA. It soon leads to a battle in the Schnee manor where Jacques over relies on Dust as he isn’t a skilled fighter while Weiss over relies on her summon. As such, the two are evenly matched until Jacques runs out of Dust. Realizing that her fighting has become sloppy, she goes back to using her Glyphs and uses one to pin Jacques in place in a manner similar to how Watts pinned Ironwood in their V7 fight.

Episode 11 has her try to get on an airship before Ironwood stops her and tells her about the closures in place… Then assures her she has clearance to go, inquiring that she goes to investigate Winter’s findings on Haven. She jumps at the chance because she thinks Winter is there. Episode 12 is her on a private military aircraft with Pilot Boi.

Blake’s Arc

… Oh boy. You can tell why I saved this one for second last. Blake’s arc is by far the most infuriating of the arcs and really sets a bad standard for her. I remembered flipping her off when she said “we’re not going to fight the White Fang” when I was first watching Episode 11 because I had it up to here with her tomfoolery.

So, instead of making the battered abuse victim abuse Sun and chilling at her parents’ place as the rest of her team suffers while being stalked by someone who has a big lesbian crush on her, we’re gonna rehaul her entire arc.

Episode 1 has her secure passage on a boat. It’s not as grand as a liner in the original, but it’s not the rinkydink rowboat she was on in the comics. Rather, a simple cargo ship she had to bribe in order to get on. She has no clear goal in mind and when asked where she’s going, she says “nowhere. I just want to keep running.”

Episode 3 plays similarly to Runaways and Stowaways, but Sun stalking Blake is removed. If he wanted to be a good Samaritan, he shouldn’t dress up like some fucking cultist for no discernable reason other than “le bait and switch!” Instead, he’s there because SSSN need a lot of supplies and money to back to Haven and Sun is just doing his job as a security guard. He plays catch up with Blake whose moody nature causes a Grimm to attack them. The Grimm is defeated, but the ship has taken damage and must make a pitstop. When asked where it’s landing, the captain says “Menagerie” and this fills Blake with fear.

Episode 6 has Sun and Blake arrive on Menagerie, where it’s actually crowded this time. Failing that, the big problem is that they’re intolerant towards humans, since this is their turf. Obviously, the captain is met with tons of scrutiny and forces Blake to do the one thing she’s avoided her whole life: Talk to her mother.

I should explain something before we continue. In this tweaking, Ghira was killed by that group of people in Adam’s short. This explains the sudden shift between White Fang leaders and Adam’s words in Volume 3. In honor of Ghira leading a noble cause, Kali was given the title of Chieftain of the village I forgot the name of (Kua Kuana?) With her status, Kali could grant humans a temporary pass. And so, Blake reluctantly visits her and we get a touching reunion.

We also see Blake get introduced to the Albains, who in this tweaking aren’t telegraphing that they’re bad guys and are genuinely trying to get in Kali’s good graces. When Blake gives the Albains the business of the White Fang killing people, they state that they’re well aware, as they have Adam in custody and will sentence him to exile in the wilds of Menagerie where he’d most likely meet his end at the hands of monsters. Keen eared viewers would notice that Salem said that Adam was meeting Sienna Khan so… what gives? Well, that’s going to be explained in…

Episode 9 has Blake and Kali talk a bit about Ghira, we have that much needed talk, but instead of Sun busting it, it’s Fennec. He reports that Sun had been kidnapped by renegade White Fang members, but not saying that it was their members that kidnapped Sun. This causes Blake to give chase and goes to the outback where we get to see one of the vicious monsters Blake talked about instead of leaving it to the imagination or DC.

There, we see Sun and Blake were able to defeat it with moderate difficulty before they see Adam. The three fight, but as Blake’s trauma kicks in, Sun protects her and ends up knocking Adam senseless, revealing that it isn’t even Adam, but Ilia using a Semblance that makes her camouflage as other people (think Neo’s Semblance, but on a smaller scale). Blake and Sun are confused before Ilia knocks Sun out and retreats. I should also mention that in the battle, they also knock the scroll out of her.

Episode 11 has Blake explain to Sun why she ran (without her being a bitch about it) and Sun says why that reason’s bullshit. Kali and Corsac come in and they converse about how Adam is still out there. Kali shows plans for a raid on Haven and Corsac feigns condemnation of Adam’s actions. Blake then states that the White Fang has gone too far with its corruption and must be destroyed.

Episode 12 isn’t focused on Blake, but rather on Ilia, as she reports to the Albains and informs them on why she had to disguise herself as Adam. It’s here we find out that, yes, the Albains were in on Adam’s plans the whole time, but had to keep up appearances. They then explain that their goal is to try and prevent Menagerie from going to Mistral’s aid.

Ruby’s Arc

Finally, we get to RNJR. This is gonna be a long one since they’ll have all 12 episodes, even if they appear in only one scene. Let’s knock these out of the park by saying that Episodes 1 & 2 relatively stay the same, but episode 2 has them arrive in Shion just as Raven’s team attacks. This leads to a battle where Ruby battles her sister’s mom and doesn’t even know it. However, Ren sees the mask and freaks. Making matters worse is that the Nuckelavee appears and forces Raven to retreat. The group manages to hold off the Nuckelavee, but are unable to defeat it, leading them to run with a Huntsman following them, the same one that died in the original.

Episode 3 has Ruby talking to Ren about what the hell was up with his freak out but Ren refuses to talk and Nora isn’t helping matters. The huntsman introduces himself as Shiro Wan and says how he’s been assigned by Lionheart, the Headmaster, to investigate a recent string of bandit attacks. He then says that, if they can help him with the bandit, he can get a good word in to bring the group to Mistral. Ruby later confronts Jaune on his training with Pyrrha’s video as Jaune berates himself for letting Pyrrha die at Beacon, saying that if he was stronger, he would have helped her. We end the episode with him confiding in Ruby something: “Ozpin tortured Pyrrha…” That or he wants to kill Cinder.

Episode 4 reveals that Qrow is not only following them, but is talking to Raven about the Spring Maiden. Raven feigns ignorance, but her wording leads Qrow to confirm that she knows where the Spring Maiden is. Also, I want him to say this:

Qrow: If you don’t tell us, we’re all going to die.

Raven: And who’s this ‘we’ you’re referring to?

Qrow: EVERYONE, YOU DUMB FUCKING EDGELORD BITCH!

… I just want to do that.

Episodes 5, 6, and 7 are relatively the same, but Tyrian kills Shiro. Episode 8 has Jaune lay into Qrow about Pyrrha and Qrow tries to defend Oz by saying that Pyrrha chose, but Jaune brings up how he saw the contrary, even asking Qrow if they informed Pyrrha about Salem and the Relics, to which he sadly says no. Episode 9, 10, 11, and 12 are relatively the same as well, with only two exceptions. The first is that, in the flashback for Kuroyuri, we see that Ren makes friends with a ten-year-old girl before Raven and her bandits attack. Nora is also there and with her depression and the bandits, the Nuckelavee is let loose onto Kuroyuri, the ten-year-old last being seen with Raven and looking at the destruction with remorse. During the Nuckelavee fight, Ruby’s silver eyes act up, freezing the Nuckelavee in place for Ren to hand some final blows, rather than “hold arms down to win”.

The stinger isn’t really plot important, but reveals what will immediately happen in Volume 5 as Jaune, Nora, and Ren, with Pyrrha’s shield (if you’re gonna say she has extras, at least show she has extras), carry it over to a house and knock on the door… It’s clear what’s going on, but as the door opens, we cut to black. To be continued in Volume 5.

DVD Extra

I’d say four extra stories starring each member of Team RWBY. Maybe even adapting a story from the comics?

And that’s Volume 4… The next tweaking is going to be my final one and I’m gonna go out on a bang.

[chaldeaslunchbox]

Tanjiro apologizing to Bedivere about Zenitsu's behavior. Inosuke challenging the rounds to fight. Kanao and Gray. Nezuko and Abby.

Tanjirou is the Kamaboko Squad’s impromptu mom lol. 45% of his time is spent quelling Inosuke and his constant need to fight, 45% is spent on reprimanding Zenitsu, and the remaining 10% is spent doting on his sister and everything else.

Nezuko and Abby would be like sisters and frequently ran around Chaldea playing tag with Nezuko in her chibi form.

Kanao would probably just listen silently as Gray as she non-stop fangirled over Shishou (Waver).

[real-jaune-isms]

RWBY Volume 7 Chapter 6 Review/Runthrough

I know I’m very late with this, but finals were hell. 

This chapter went from a middle ground of curious tension to the highest hype to the deepest dread and despair over the course of its roughly 16 minutes of run time and I hated that. And I love it. I hope y’all did too, but let’s take it step by step together.

It starts somewhat close to where chapter 5 left off, the riots in Mantle have been quelled and several people are in handcuffs, including three familiar thirsty moms. Guess the Happy Huntresses are popular with housewives, wish fulfillment of making a difference in the world yourself and all that. Robyn herself is being interviewed as we’re shown the riot aftermath and people getting in line to vote at electronic polling machines. And we get our first major surprise of the episode. There were two other candidates we never heard about, Ivy Brown and Pearl Wistier! So can we get some F’s in the comments for these two, who didn’t get any recognition or screen time and with the election ending probably never will? As Robyn talks about hoping voters will make the right choice and that the connection between her supporters and the riots is pure coincidence, we see Team RWBY and JNR training while Oscar watches. Blake and Yang are jumping around atop towers, Weiss is sparring with Winter again, Ruby is practicing her semblance, Ren meditates, and Nora and Jaune are bouncing a dodgeball back and forth to test his new shield. The Bees jumping around reminded me a little of the Chibi episode where they played tag, so I liked that. Weiss bounces Winter’s Beowolf around on black glyphs in a manner that made me think of a move Sans uses in Undertale, a very fun connection, and then she knocks Winter off guard by sending a small version of her knight to attack Winter’s ankle. Her playful smirk says she’s not sorry~ Ruby’s petal form splits into three parts to go around a pillar, and Oscar finally calls her out on that being a little unusual if her Semblance really is speed. The dodgeball keeps getting hit harder and harder as Nora puts her thunderous all into it until it dissolves against Jaune’s shield when he uses the Dust upgrades to better defend. He takes some damage to his Aura but recovers again very quickly, much to Oscar’s enthusiasm. Ren’s meditation seems to suggest he’s trying to unlock some kind of precognition or ability to sense other people like he had in Volume 4 when Tyrian was approaching to ambush them. But he doesn’t quite get it down yet and instead Ironwood and Clover enter.

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Ironwood is impressed by how hard the teens are pushing themselves, with Ruby affirming it to be necessary with the current state of affairs, and Ironwood seems to think the info on his Scroll is evidence of that. The poll numbers favor Robyn, which is undeniably better than Jacques winning even if the Happy Huntresses and the military are in a silent stand off, and the young heroes think the general should make more of an effort to be open with her about what they are doing since they’re all on the same side of wanting to help Mantle. Nora argues for the sake of Mantle quite vehemently, furthering my theory and probably many others’ that she was born here. Jaune seems to agree, but Ironwood says that kind of communication will have to be a two way street and by his tone of voice I’m guessing he doubts that will happen any time soon. Before Nora can offer a rebuttal Ren asks why the General is here. Turns out, with the election happening tonight and the teams having done so much work recently, they’ve decided the kids should get the night off before things really start changing once Robyn or Jacques is elected. Ruby doesn’t seem to like thinking about that, probably because everything  in Atlas will get very different once the Amity Project is complete and she still doesn’t know how that will go. 

Regardless, Team RWBY make plans for the evening. While Weiss stands around glumly looking at the news feed on her Scroll, Blake puts on some eye makeup that I’m too uninformed to know the name of and Yang stares longingly at her from her bed. At least, that’s how I saw it. The two of them are going dancing with Team FNKI, in a club where it will be too loud for Yang to be able to hear Neon’s voice. Just the way she likes it~ Meanwhile Ruby is going with Ren and Nora to meet up with Penny at a party in Mantle to celebrate Robyn’s surefire win of the election. Because overconfidence like that has never backfired in media before. Weiss is still mentally torn about her father’s big layoff stunt and how in the world he thought it would actually work out for him with what a cunning man he’s always been. Yang thinks it was just a power play that backfired, but Weiss worries there’s a grander scheme below the surface. Then she’s asked which group activity she would rather be a part of, so after seeing Blake’s adorkable attempt to do a dance move Yang is showing her she chooses the suddenly appearing third option: going to the movies with Jaune and Oscar. Volume 2 Jaune would be so impressed his older self got Weiss to agree to that kind of thing with minimal effort... but also be very upset by all the terrible things that happened to the guy up to that point. So it barely matters to our Jaune anymore. Still, hope it was a good movie cuz that’s the last we see of those three for the rest of the chapter.

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Ruby and Renora are next seen walking down the street as celebrating Robyn fans pass by in a truck. Ren admits he sees Weiss’ point about celebrating a bit soon but Nora tries to be an optimist about it, that the people should be allowed to enjoy this supposed surefire thing. Ruby admits nothing will probably be a sure thing anymore once the Tower goes up and Salem’s existence becomes known, with Ren and Nora affirming that they’ve spent so long worrying about the secrets they’ve been keeping they haven’t thought about how they would have no plan to face her even once they get past that. Afterall, Jinn said she can’t be beaten. Ruby reminds them the exact phrasing was that she told Oz he couldn’t destroy her, and Nora picks up on the specifics. If Oz can’t, then maybe someone else can. And with her Silver Eyed powers Ruby seems like their best gamble for that. Personally I’m still of the mind that the point Jinn was trying to make wasn’t that “Oz can’t destroy Salem” and was instead that “Oz can’t destroy Salem”. Redemption and the restoration of her kinder former soul may be the best solution to this. But who knows? Regardless, Ren is restless and thinks they should go back to training, that they don’t have time to waste with social gatherings and fun distractions, but Nora says they’ve done enough for now and they need to unwind otherwise they’ll snap. So they’re at odds now, unfortunately...

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The three reach the town hall/auditorium where the rally is taking place and meet up with Penny, who is very happy to see them but wonders why it is only these three. Nora explains what Weiss and the boys are doing and that the bees are off doing their own thing, and Ren comments that he’s relieved the two are back on good terms after everything that happened. But Nora sees this as an opportunity to be passive aggressive. See, the situation with Blake and Yang is very similar to her tumultuous “will they won’t they” with Ren. So she calls into question whether or not Blake and Yang are actually just friends or something more intimate and close after being through such deep bonding experiences, but we can tell she’s actually asking about where she and Ren stand. Ren picks up on what she means immediately and fires back how he feels on the matter while keeping up the pretext of this being about the others. It’s kinda funny to realize they’re being so indirect and also teasing how romantic things seem with Blake and Yang when the fandom has been having similar arguments. But it does offer insight into their actual feelings: Nora wants to take that step and has always worn her heart on her sleeve so she’s ready to show how she feels but she also wants to be sure Ren feels the same so she doesn’t misread the signs. But Ren is worried that with all the deep political stuff happening and the impending threat of chaos Salem’s reveal will bring, now isn’t really the right time for relationship stuff. Nora fires back that they can’t figure anything out unless they talk about it, and I do kind of agree. If there’s tension like this between the pair then it might affect their teamwork and trust.

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Ruby wants no part of this awkward conversation and slides over to Penny’s side, who also realizes the argument probably isn’t about the Bees. So the two head backstage instead, where Marrow is waiting and initially seems happy to see Ruby before getting back into a work mindset and says she shouldn’t be here since she’s still an amateur who wasn’t assigned to this job. But Ruby says she’s just here to be with her friend, and offers Penny a fistbump. Penny looks overjoyed to see this invitation, and eagerly gives Ruby a bump. Unfortunately, steel fists really hurt and Ruby’s hand starts throbbing red. Ouch~ Marrow just tells her not to get in the way, since they need to stay vigilant in case of any trouble. He is interrupted by the one and only... May Marigold, one of the Happy Huntresses we saw when they stopped the truck last episode. 

May is... a deep new kind of character, for reasons that have become clear in recent days and were first brought to my mind when I saw the cast list for this episode. May is voiced by Kdin Jenzen, a lovely woman who works for Rooster Teeth and is memorable for such feats as being able to handle super hot chips with ease on the last two RT Extra Life livestreams. She is also a trans woman. This does nothing to diminish my opinion of her and it should not affect yours. This fact also adds a layer of depth to the character, as the likelihood of May being trans as well seemed rather possible. And as of December 17, this is confirmed: May Marigold is RWBY’s first confirmed trans character. An extra layer of diversity to the world of Remnant is most definitely welcome, and it also adds some depth of character to Robyn Hill. Her group is comprised solely of women, and its a very good look for her that she sees May as one every bit as much as Fiona or herself. Because as we all know, TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. Okay, tangent over for now.

May sasses Marrow a bit, saying the Happy Huntresses won’t be the ones causing any trouble and are there to make sure nothing goes wrong. So Marrow can scram, he’s not welcome. The poor pup tries to stand up for his faction, saying Ironwood just wants to help and the Ace Ops are there for good reasons. He’s interrupted by Robyn herself though, who accepts his presence as protective assistance as long as he stays out of the way. Clearly this isn’t what May or Joanna were expecting to hear, but Robyn says they need to learn how to get along if she’s gonna be on the council. Marrow tries to give her attitude by saying getting along will be easy as long as she stays within the law. Clearly her prior roadblocking activities make him think she hasn’t been. She tries to appeal to him and get through the strict military obedience, saying the law isn’t fair to everyone and he shouldn’t always have to obey it to the word. But he’s a Faunus in Atlas, it’s preaching to the choir at this point. She says all she wants to do as a council member is make Mantle and Atlas a better place for everyone, including the Faunus. But Marrow is unmoved, he still wants to guilt her about keeping her activities legal. But she matches his attitude tit for tat, everything so far has been totally legal and he can’t prove otherwise~ Their staredown is interrupted by the absolute angel that is Fiona Thyme causing feedback on the microphone and reminding Robyn she needs to get back to the party activities. Marrow backs off and tells Ruby to leave so he and Penny can do their jobs, so she sticks her tongue out at him behind his back and waves goodbye to Penny before returning to Ren and Nora... where things haven’t gotten any better. So she just turns right around to hang out at the front of the crowd.

Fiona has a very touching speech about how this victory has been a product of Mantle’s united effort to make things better, how this is their moment and they all know Robyn will do right by them. She even gets emotional herself, and then invites Robyn herself to come on stage and talk to the crowd a bit. The two seem to whisper to each other a little, likely encouragement by Fiona that she’ll nail her speech and reassurance from Robyn that the dear girl did a good job just now. Robyn opens with a joke that her difficulty with public speaking is a bad match for this career in politics, and Ruby seems amused. She always has seemed to sympathize with Robyn and think she’s a good person, and for the most part I would agree. 

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The speech proper starts with Robyn thanking her gathered followers for their votes and for thus putting their faith and belief in her. And she assures them the feeling is mutual, that she believes in the strength and change a single determined person can bring just as much as she knows there is unlimited potential to what people can do when they work together.

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And with that unity, it doesn’t matter if she wins or loses because they will all continue to fight for the sake of the city that brings them together. That earns a lot of applause and she leaves the stage, though she starts to show visible concern as the radio announcer points out how close the votes are as the deadline draws fatally near. The Happy Huntresses are still confident she’s got this in the bag...

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But she’s no less tense.

With all this talk of unity in mind, Nora tries again to try and address the tension between her and Ren, but deep talks like this really aren’t his thing. Ren has always been emotionally closed off, it’s just in his nature and with emotion being so important for his Semblance it’s clearly been ingrained in his mindset for a long time. Talking is not his love language, he’s always shown how he feels through acts of physical contact. Hugs, leaning on her, holding her hand at the end of Volume 4. So while she’s seeking verbal validation that it is something deeper between them, he’s not used to that and doesn’t really know how to articulate himself and express all his feelings how he wants to. That’s how I interpret it anyway. Nora gets her own read out of his attempt at an answer, and it seems pretty similar to my takeaway from it. Clearly it was encouraging enough for her to know he does like her back he just has so much on his mind he can’t figure out how to say it. Why? Because she literally says “screw talking” and kisses him!!! A KISS FOR RENORA, 7 YEARS IN THE MAKING!!!!! So the two get blissfully lost in the kiss and each other’s company for a little while, and I’m so happy for them.

Unfortunately, this is where we start to have a bad time. We cut to Watts hiding out somewhere booting up several Scrolls in front of a screen showing drone footage of the party as well as older video of Penny’s hero work in Mantle, and he’s activating tech in his rings as we see that Tyrian is in the party crowd in a cloak ready to strike on his partner’s command. The polls are about to close, Ruby is looking over at Penny happy as can be... and sees Tyrian’s tail. She moves to get a closer look, and eyes meet between former foes. She screams towards the stage to watch out, but it’s too late. The lights go out as the election countdown chant hits one, Ren and Nora are holding each other close unsure what’s happening... and Watts gives the order to begin.

He starts doing vague techno stuff with the Scrolls that‘s mostly theatrical hand waving, while at the party Robyn drops her microphone and Ruby gets knocked to the ground by the panicking crowd. Tyrian has started killing people in the audience, in an attacking style seemingly unlike his usual work. Penny activates her night vision at the prompting of Marrow (who SHOULD be able to see in the dark as a Faunus but maybe he’s in a bad position to see what’s happening or her tech optics can do more than ordinary eyes Faunus or otherwise?) and pulls out her swords before she tells Tyrian to surrender. But either that scorpion boy has some mad jumping skills to get to the rafters or Watts could hack Penny’s eyes, because in the time it takes a panicked person to run in front of her he is gone. Watt’s puppeteer act continues as he seems to lift Penny’s movements from one video and put them into the footage of Tyrian’s massacre over the image of his body. How terribly devious. And with a single tap of a district map on one Scroll he changes which candidate several entire parts of Mantle voted for. He may very well have been doing this little by little over the course of the night so the election fraud would look natural, or maybe a significant portion of people actually were voting for Jacques and Arthur just forced the final push. I think the former is a lot more likely.

Meanwhile, Marrow is calling for backup and Robyn calls her Happy Huntresses to her side so they can all keep each other safe. Fiona wants to get Robyn to safety, and at the last second sees Tyrian running across the stage to attack them. His eyes and right arm both glow purple, and he scratches a hole in Fiona’s Aura before slicing at the exposed spot with the blades on his other arm. Seems his Semblances is being able to tear through Aura and then attack a person’s body directly. Useful skill for a killer like him... Still, we know only his tail is poisonous so she probably won’t die. That was likely on purpose too though... If they found venom in her they would know Penny didn’t do it cuz she doesn’t have anything like that. Speaking of Penny, she flies up to tackle Robyn to the floor when it looks like Tyrian is going to attack her next, but he just jumps up to the rafters and giggles maniacally. This part was planned too, because when the lights come on Penny is the one standing on stage with swords drawn over an injured Fiona and confused Robyn. Much like Pyrrha and to a lesser extend Yang before her, Penny has been set up as a brutal killer. Worse yet...

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Jacques has officially won the election and gives a live acceptance speech that seems like a total slap in the face. And if we look more carefully at those lying dead on the floor, a few familiar outfits can be seen. The same thirsty moms last seen getting in trouble for taking part in the riots are now going to be orphaning their children... Whether he meant to or not, Tyrian has proven his ultimate villainous status above all others. Ruby, Marrow, Ren and Nora all rush onto the stage to help Penny and Robyn, but the latter doesn’t trust them at all and the former is in shock that such brutality is blamed on her, that she’s failed her purpose as Mantle’s protector when it mattered most. It’s not helped by the fact that a survivor loudly proclaims Penny did it, and refers to her simply as “Ironwood’s Robot”. Dehumanizing her, saying she’s just another machine that’s been taken over and used as a tool of evil. When the Happy Huntresses and angry members of the crowd charge to attack Penny and those that would try to help her, Marrow uses his Semblance for some literal crowd control, making all of them freeze in place. Ren and Nora are quite unnerved to hear Tyrian was the perpetrator, but they get Penny out the back door to relative safety while Robyn stops pointing her weapon at the girl long enough to shove Ruby out of the way when she was trying to help Fiona. Our dear sheepy says she’s gonna be okay, but Marrow still feels bad and offers assistance. Too bad that means he relaxed enough for his Semblance effect to wear off and Joanna starts shooting at him so he and Ruby leave too, though he does try to assure Robyn that Atlas had nothing to do with this.

Watts uploads his deep faked footage and packs up for the night, telling Tyrian their good work is done. Out in an alley, the good guys catch their breath and quietly panic how bad things just got while Penny just stands in despair and shock. Ruby reaches out a hand to try and reassure her before realizing it’s covered in Fiona’s blood. Marrow tells Penny she has to go back to Atlas, but she’s initially not responsive. She does fly off though,, just as the Grimm attack alarms go off and the others get ready for the long night ahead... with the girls not having their weapons unfortunately. As Manticores are seen flying over Mantle and into the streets, Jacques’ victory speech continues to lay faintly veiled dread into our hearts. 

So yeah. Hell of an episode, and one I took way too long to review. School was hell, just like this chapter.