#mini iwai

[tricksterlatte]

Random femAkeshu Pokemon AU lore I couldn’t include in Dark Void for various reasons:

- Akechi becomes the ghost type Elite Four member. She keeps Ceruledge, Mimikyu, Decidueye, and Marowak on the team, but also rotates other ghost types she obtains later during various adventures with Akira.

Among these are a Dhelmise (a callback to Shido’s ship in canon), Gengar, Spiritomb, Banette (throwbacks to her childhood due to their lore as abandoned or resentful creatures), and a Sableye named Kurusu she captured as payback for Corviknight’s supposedly stupid pun nickname. Also she does not mention Kurusu’s name until it gets into trouble and she can call Kurusu an idiot, to Akira’s confusion. Akira thinks it’s petty. Akechi thinks it’s justice.

- She catches a Torracat as well, evolves it into Incineroar, and once again another one of her Pokemon pursues one of Akira’s (Meowscarada this time) romantically. Even the cats are gay.

- Akira keeps Zebstrika, newly nicknamed Loki. For once, Akechi approves of a nickname. Nerd. You don’t even have Norse mythology in your universe.

- The other Elite Four are Sae (Ice), Iwai (Steel), and Chihaya (Psychic). Shido was previously Dragon.

- Gym Leaders as of the fic: Ann (Fire), Yoshida (Rock), Hifumi (Water), Kawakami (Normal), Ryuji (Electric), Makoto (Fighting), Ichinose (Dark), Lavenza (Fairy). Kamoshida and Kaneshiro were previously gym leaders before Ann and Ryuji. Since Makoto was already a gym leader, I let Ryuji take Kaneshiro’s spot.

- Team Ark’s goal was simplistic control over as many regions as possible, and were led by Shido. Shido previously destroyed Akira’s life similarly to canon, so she ran away from home and helped Sojiro at Leblanc. I didn’t pick a singular region for this because I decided it was its own, despite basing the fic mostly in Sinnoh. They globe trot much like the Journeys and Horizons anime.

- Akira doesn’t travel with everyone everywhere like in canon once she befriends them, but some usually accompany her for awhile. Ann and Ryuji journeyed with her after she helped stop Kamoshida because he kidnapped Shiho, a Pokemon breeder and Ann’s girlfriend.

- Madarame was a patron of the Lilycove museum who supposedly painted everything he submitted. Truthfully, Yusuke was painting every contest star submission himself, and lived in poverty at Madarame’s house. Akira, Ryuji, and Ann saved him, he helped Akira with Team Ark in return too.

- Kaneshiro owned the game corner and was a gym leader. He had a bigger hand in Shido’s Team Ark, like a mini boss such as Saturn or Courtney, for example. Makoto nearly outed Akira to the police despite Shido having them under his thumb, because he threatened her city (his gym neighbored his?. However, she decided she couldn’t let injustice slide, and helped her reveal the game corner and Team Ark’s corruption.

- Futaba and Akira were already friends in this AU. She is the PC storage system creator known as Medjed, but she ran into some trouble thanks to a Cofagrius haunting her house. Akira and Akechi were the ones who saved her, solidifying Akira’s trust in Akechi.

- Akira and Akechi traveled together a decent bit, to solidify their bond. They battled regularly, with a pretty even win-loss ratio once Akira got the hang of things. Akechi lied about her Pokemon on hand sometimes “just in case.”

- Okumura was killed by Akechi still in this AU, the same way she attempted to kill Akira. 🫡 HOWEVER, an Okumura power plant was the casualty instead of a spaceship palace, and in the process several Pokemon nearby were injured or killed—including Cubone’s mother. The weight of orphaning something so defenseless the same way she had been after losing her mother chipped at her walls, so Akechi took in Cubone as an apology. It wasn’t enough to change her fate, but Cubone loves her, and she loves Cubone.

- Haru retired from Okumura Corp to open a Pokemon cafe after Team Ark collapses. Shes tired and deserves it

- Kasumi is in a coma after an accident—I still haven’t decided if she’s dead or not. Sumire loses her mind a little bit thanks to Maruki’s totally ethical experiments (lie), and takes on Kasumi’s goal to become the greatest coordinator. She only goes into recovery after the Darkrai and Cresselia incident. Thanks for nothing, Maruki

- Lavenza gave Akira her Zorua, who was the one to fool Akechi at Dragonspire Tower via illusions while Akira rushed to claim Zekrom.

- Zenkichi is in the Officer Jenny role. He has dozens of lookalike relatives, and Akira claims she can’t tell them apart. Takemi is in the Nurse Joy role with dozens of lookalike relatives, and Akira can tell all of them apart with ease. Zenkichi doesn’t know if he’s being pranked or not and he’ll never find out.

- Akira’s Polteageist is on loan from Sojiro, except Sojiro loans it forever. He hopes that kid is safe now

- Shinya is a bug catcher who taught Akira some of those stupid strategies you’d see Ash use in the anime. Akechi is MALDING that they work, by the way.

- Ohya is a reporter much like Gabby and Ty. She exchanges tips about Team Ark with Akira, despite Akira never directly telling her she’s the one committing crimes constantly to bust worst crimes.

- I can’t stop thinking of Akechi just vibing but visibly only there for Akira. It’s like when Piccolo starts hanging out with Goku’s crew because of Gohan, except like with a mean lesbian human. Why did I choose this analogy? Idk!

- Mishima owns a Gimmighoul. I don’t know what else to add here

I have full teams for everyone, but I fear this post has gotten too long! If you’re still reading, thank you for doing so, and I hope you enjoyed!

[thieves-in-the-palace]

Some other things of note from the P5X trailers!

The protagonist appears to be in Mementos when he first awakens Janosik, after being attacked and cornered by two (faceless/non-person) Shadows.

In addition to the protagonist, Luffy, and Arai, we get a look at 3 other party members in the gameplay trailer: a boy with a rapier, a girl in white, and a person in a cape. We also get a look at rapier boy and cape kid’s Personas, though I didn’t catch any names. All three of them are shown fighting in the apparent first dungeon, so unless there’s a dungeon repeat mechanic, it seems they’ll be joining fairly early on in the story.

In addition to Iwai, Takemi also shows up! She appears to be included in the ambient crowd mechanic for Yongen-Jaya in the gameplay trailer, though I’d wager she’ll be stationary in her clinic again in the actual game. Both her clinic and LeBlanc are marked as visitable locations on the Yongen-Jaya mini map.

In car form, Luffy’s license plate shows the numbers 46-49. This could be a number pun, as 4649 can be interpreted as yon-roku-shi-ku or yoroshiku (よろしく), “nice to meet you.”

Arai has a friend! Considering the vibes the first dungeon gives off, hopefully this girl won’t have a similar role to Shiho…

(Very Minor) In the non-gameplay trailer, there’s a brief advertisement on one of the TVs featuring a female athlete with a unique model. It’s unclear if this is just a one-off appearance/reference to some other game or if this character will be encountered at some point – P5X seems to have kept with the ‘faceless ad people’ style of P5, with only newscasters having defined faces.

[crescentmoonteas]

i imagine iwai still works bc even if they get their best weapons from the getgo they still need somewhere to sell their contraband towards right? i imagine he gives haru tips on weapon maintaining iwai pov ur regular costumer is a girl w poofy hair who has full length conversations w a crow in her hair. it looks like the crow Fully Understands her bc it caws back. She sells u the most insane things that a high schooler shouldn’t have access towards. u don’t question it bc ur life is a mess

omg Haru showing up after the Madarame palace like "hello I saw the sign in the window that says you buy 'knick knacks'! I happen to have about twenty different scrolls, a signed mug, what appears to be the Mona Lisa, several mini statues of The Thinker," and Iwai's like "....... okay I'll give you 30,000 yen for it all" and Haru's just like "deal! :D"

also your idea is super smart omg. he could also still sell weapon upgrades so that goes hand in hand with weapon maintenance and still gives an opening for Haru to get a part-time job there (on the condition that Goro the crow stays in the BACK and says NOTHING)

[ino3zi]

##THE STAFF

YANG DAESHIM: THE MANAGER

He has been with Beckett ever since the boy received the news that he would debut as a soloist. Without him, Beckett would never make it to his schedule or be on time for anything. Daeshim is like an older brother figure to Noé and treats him like a little brother. Noé never could thank Daeshim enough for putting up with his bull crap.

YANG DANBI: THE HAIR & MAKEUP

The younger sister of Daeshim is Noé’s manager. Many people think she got hired because her brother worked underneath the company, but it was she who got hired because her being pretty good at doing people‘s hair and makeup. Noé and her don’t have a good relationship because they don’t talk that often but when they do it’s often just small talk and talk about the schedules. Also, they mainly talk about what hairstyle and look of make-up he is going for the day so that’s about it. 

MAO HUIQING: THE BODYGUARD

Beckett’s protector. He does not leave his side at all except when he’s on stage or when he doesn’t have a promotion day ahead of him. Beckett always feels safe around him because he knows that he will protect him with his life. After all, that’s what he was hired for. Beckett could never really take Huiqing for granted.

IWAI TAMIKO & NADINE NOKOSI: THE STYLISTS

The people who know his fashion better than he does. Both women have been at the company for a few years more than Beckett has. So over time, they have started, noticing what he likes wearing and what he feels comfortable in on stage or during the interview. Most of the time since they can’t travel with him, they often provide outfits for him to take along with him on the trips he goes on, so it gives him comfort in saying that he appreciates them for it. Because knowing him he would just put on a plain T-shirt, jeans, and probably some white air forces which isn’t an outfit meant for a stage interview or a promotion. 

RYEO SANG KYU: THE CHOREOGRAPHER

The man behind the dances. Noé started working with Sang-Kyu during Luvaphobic’s last mini album before their disbandment. He only recently started choreographing Noé solo songs during his first mini album Broadcast Symphony. He helps Beckett quite a bit with learning the choreography and teaching him slowly so he can understand it better. Overall Noé and Sang-Kyu have a good teacher and student relationship. Noé appreciates Sang-Kyu for giving him time to learn the choreography and not being a mean teacher as others would be.

[asianartsblog]

Explore the vibrant worlds of imagination through the captivating artwork of Japanese American illustrators Melissa Iwai and Katie Yamasaki! From tales of courage and love to multicultural adventures, engage yourself in the rich narratives brought to life in this mini exhibition. Join us at the Asian Arts Gallery Corridor Vitrines, Center for the Arts, Towson University, and embark on a journey of discovery, intercultural understanding, and the celebration of childhood wonder. #ChildrensBookArt #JapaneseAmericanIllustrators #miniexhibition

.

Date and Time: April 1– May 18 (closed March 17-24)

Location: Asian Arts Gallery Corridor Vitrines, Center for the Arts, Towson University

1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204

For more info: bit.ly/aacc-events

[rhythmbastard]

Status Quo Sunday's Feeling Kinda Fuzzy

NEW CON CONFIRMED FOR BRAWL! Otakufest!  OtakuFest is a two-day festival that celebrates anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, comics, and more. You can dress up as your favorite character or come as you are, we aim to be a very inclusive convention. OtakuFest is new to South Florida’s convention scene, but its creator/show-runner Winji Mesadieu has been a part of Supercon as well as the South Florida convention community for over a decade. OtakuFest expects to bring in 4,000 people over 2 days for its first show in 2019. OtakuFest will feature activities and celebrities from the realm of comics, anime, animation, cosplay, manga, comics, gaming, and more! It's also the day before Labor Day, so you can guarantee I'm getting all Socialist-y at this show. And you can get shitfaced and not have to worry about work the next day. I did get word back on one OTHER new con, but I'm waiting for an announcement on them first... SPEAKING OF NEW CONS... MINI IWAI! Mini Iwai was a blast as always, and the show was fun to put on. However, my two favorite events of the day were the ones where I didn't play. First up was "Cosplay Relay". which is a good concept that needed refining, and will be one to watch when Iwai: Rush comes around in a couple months. Basically, two teams of three work together to make a cosplay for a "model" (which I was) using a bunch of supplies provided for them. The catch is, every member is only given 10 minutes and can not communicate with each other. It's got potential, but it seemed like everyone only had a 80% grasp of the concept, so it needs ironing out. Then came the 3000 Brigade Preview Show, which was just great. As opposed to a preview show where our TOTALLY REAL BOY BAND B12 performed, it was Match Game where everyone was different charachters. We've done this before at other shows, and this time I was Tenya Iida from My Hero Academia because I spent $50 on a UA Gym Uniform AND GODDAMN IT I WAS GOING TO USE IT AGAIN. Also turned out to be really popular. Huh. MEGAPLEX AND AFO! Same weekend, that started with Car Troubles: namely my car overheating a couple times and a hole in my tire. So I had to drive 50 miles on my spare, then wake up at 8 AM to get a new one the next morning. Then Sunday on my way home, my battery died. ANYWAY, HOW WAS THE FURRY CONVENTION YOU ASK? I had a good time! The night I got there, I caught Foxes and Pepper's Concert, which is the musical project of Fox Amoore and Pepper Coyote, two big musicans in the furry scene. If you're a fan of very folksy alt-rock, along the lines of say, Counting Crows. The next morning, Fuzzy Logic had an escape room set up, which more cons should have. Escape rooms can do a great job of reinforcing the theme, get attendees to meet new people and are different than the usual fare. Obviously my team won, because Zero Escape vet here, duh.  I was lucky enough to secure a slot in the Artist Alley via their Lottery system (ALSO A THING MORE CONS SHOULD DO), and I did WAY better than anticipated. I think I sold more CDs there before a show than any other convention. As for the show itself, tech issues made us start late, but I wanted an eager crowd, and I GOT ONE! Definitely a great experience and I think there might be a higher cross over between furries and punk than with anime/gamers and punk. SO ARE YOU A FURRY THEN? ...Let's say Thrash Panda was something of a "soft launch"

Then I went to AFO, and of course Tiny Waves killed it at the rave. Though people asked me about Megaplex with the same tone you'd use to find out someone was in the hospital... NEW SONG: "FUCK TERFS (BUT DON'T HAVE SEX WITH THEM)"

Fuck Terfs (But Don't Have Sex With Them) by Rhythm Bastard

For Gay Wrath month! Got a lot of requests for it at Megaplex, so I figured, WHY NOT? JAM OF THE WEEK: "We Are All On Drugs" by Weezer

The tech issues mentioned earlier were that my laptop died, so I had to use whatever backing tracks I had on Google Drive, and I didn't have the Backing Track of "Hunting Bigger Game" with "Magic" by Mystery Skull tacked on the end, so I requested house music, and this is what they came up with. So basically this makes Jam Of The Week because a week ago I ran around shirtless throwing Magic The Gathering cards to this song. via Blogger https://ift.tt/2TKcLAb

[tomans-darlings-au]

More Mini Iwai Cosplay Pics

That dress was killing me. These are just the Len Kagamine pics.

@paladinmabel - Was Kubo

[nothing-but-haikyuu]

Game Time

Reader: F Character: Tōru Oikawa & Hajime Iwaizumi Rating: E Summary: The lights were low, the afternoon light shined through the window of your apartment that you shared with your boyfriend. A bowl of chips were scattered on the floor and your hips were pressed into the edge of the coffee table.  Warning: Smut, Rough Sex, Breeding Kink Ask Box: Open | Check Out ThreadytoGoDesign | Join me on Patreon 

The lights were low, the afternoon light shined through the window of your apartment that you shared with your boyfriend. A bowl of chips were scattered on the floor and your hips were pressed into the edge of the coffee table. 

In front of you was Oikawa’s heavy cock, your lips wrapped around the purple head and behind you Iwaizumi was pounding into your tight cunt. Both were supposed to be in the Olympic village, but the prospect of good sex made any man determined. 

Iwaizumi’s hands dug into your hips while Oikawa’s hand combed through your hair. You three were fucking like animals as the match between France and the Russian Olympic Committee played on the television. 

  “So good for us.” Oikawa chirped, “Brings me back to the post grad years. You were such a slut for us, and you might be getting married to Iwa-chan soon, but you’ll always open your throat for me.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes met his long time friend’s, “When you talk like that you make me want to breed her more so you’ll shut up.”

Oikawa licked his lips seductively, “Well then her pussy will be sweeter, when she’s all thick with your child. A little Iwai mini.” He yanked at her hair, “Or maybe she’ll have Tōru Jr.” And winked at his friend.

Iwaizumi growled and picked up the pace, slamming your hips further against the hardwood of the table. The sound of the ball hitting the floor of the television as you were sandwiched in between the two most possessive men you’ve ever met. 

Your breasts swung back and forth with each thrust, your jaw was starting to ache from the thickness in your throat and you knew that you’d be limping to work in the morning. 

They both had breeding kinks and they both wanted to stuff your fertile pussy full. Oikawa liked the sick idea of you carrying a mini Oikawa while getting married to a Iwaizumi, and Iwaizumi wanted to cement that you’d be forever his. They often talked like you weren’t in the room when they fucked you throughly. 

But they took care of you in other ways. As the shopping bags in your shared room said anything and the diamond earrings Oikawa brought you from Argentina. 

  “I take her pussy next.” Oikawa purred, he rubbed your aw with his thumb, “Does the little kitten like that. Does she want to get fucked by me.”

Iwaizumi growled and thrusts equally as hard into you, “Condoms are in the drawer in the bedroom. Get one and if I find out you poked any holes.” 

  “Don’t worry Iwa-chan. If I was going to make her a mama, I’d ask nicely first.” Then made you choke on his cock. Your eyes rolled back and he plastered a pleased smile on his face.

Maybe he should come back to Japan. Make this couple a throuple and get that sweet taste of your cunt every day. Not just special occasions. If anything was gonna make him move back to Japan it was those sweet glossy lips and your pretty cunt. 

Your let out a small whimper as you felt another orgasm come over you. Your gripped onto the edge of the table to keep from bruising your hips more, but Iwaizumi’s thrusts were just too powerful and you ended up with Oikawa’s cock out of your mouth and face planted against the table. 

Oikawa laughed and started to jerk himself off, “Can’t keep it together can you, princess. You like when you big strong future hubby and I wreck you. Once a slut always a slut. Surprised we didn’t knock you up in high school.” 

You whimpered and croaked, “Tōru.”

  “God you sound pathetic.” 

Iwaizumi yanked your hair back and Oikawa slipped his cock back into your mouth. Both men fucked you with vigor as they approached their climax. You were whimpering and trying not to clamp down on Oikawa’s cock as Iwaizumi yanked on your hair and held your head up.

These men liked it rough, and they liked it hard. 

You let out a loud pitched whine as you came around Iwaizumi’s cock, making you even more wet as he bounced you on his length. Your pussy clamped around him and your eyes squeezed shut. 

Both men continued to fuck you like the sex doll you were. You were at their disposal, you were theirs in that moment. They fucked you wildly, pushing you past any breaking point. You were mindless and fucked out as France took the lead on the game. 

  “Don’t worry, kitten.” Oikawa purred, “Iwa-chan and I are gonna breed that pussy one day. Don’t worry our babies aren’t that much kickers, but they are a little big. I think I was almost ten pounds. But you’ll carry it so well.” And then gave one hard thrust into your throat before he spilled into you. 

You meekly whimpered and swallowed every last drop like a good girl. Iwaizumi was close behind his friend, finishing inside you. Ropes of sticky cum clung to your walls as he buried himself as deep as he could inside of you. A promise of pregnancy. 

You dropped onto the table and panted, finally able to breathe properly. Your head was still hazy and your limbs felt like concrete. You head Oikawa put his leg back on the floor and looked down at you.

  “Think we broke her?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time. I’ll keep her plugged while you go get a condom. She hasn’t used the safe word yet, so we can keep going.” He petted your head with his other hand, “She is a good girl after all.”

Oikawa went to the bedroom and Iwaizumi played with your clit. You whimper pathetically, knowing that this was’t going to end until either Russia or France one, and who ever won the bet between Oikawa and Iwaizumi, could bare back you two more times.

You really were stupid to think you wouldn’t end up with a baby by the end of the Olympics. 

[maximumwrites]

pt 8~

here you go babes!

summary; you go on a journey through the nether for the purpose of reaching a fortress, but in the end earn something more valuable then anything that may have been found.

Once you had released Techno from the tight embrace, the voices had quieted to a low murmur. He was quite disappointed in how long the embrace had lasted, but regardless, knew that there was still much to do.

You let out a long sigh, and glanced at where the child had been seated.

“Uhm, Tech?” you carefully spoke, in which he replied with a low hum. “Where's the kid?”

You both glanced around, and Techno rose, helping you to your feet. Technoblade shook his head, “I speak to kid.” he gestured, clearing his throat.

Piglin is, well, hard to describe. It sounds much like a low growl, but there are few syllables that can be heard faintly. Entranced by it, you stood, eyes burning holes into Technos back out of pure amazement. You hadn’t even realized he had finished, and instead snapped out of it when he had turned back to you. You hid the faint blush adorning your cheeks, and coughed lightly. “So, uhm, any idea as to where it is?” Techno shook his head once again.

“Kid not here.” he briefly spoke, snorting as his piglin ears softly twitched in the opposite direction. “Others.” Techno strided quickly, hooves clicking loudly in the echoing alcove. Not wanting to be left in the hell-hole alone, you jogged to keep up with the pigman, finally reaching his side, where he barely regarded you, instead hyper focused on whatever was ahead.

“Tech, where are we going?” you sang, hoping to get a reaction.

“Others ahead. Iglinpae.” he muttered, the piglin distinctive from english, spoken harsher, in a growl-like tonality.

You could do nothing more than nod, confused as to who he spoke of. Iglinpae? What in the world could that mean? Suddenly you were snapped out of your thoughts as Techno extended a clawed hand, halting you. “Here. Stay.” he muttered, walking loudly, chest puffed out around the corner. There was much conduct, shouts and grunts from- piglins?

In a fit of curiosity you stuck your head around the corner, knocking heads with someone else. “OW! What the -” rubbing your head, you stood up, jaw falling open, words dried out of your throat.

Around the corner was a colony of piglins, homes built into the wall with tens of them wandering around, speaking to each other, fighting, and playing.

The architect was incredible, built in a condo like fashion out of nether bricks and gold. They were built into alcoves on the large Nether walls that extended all the way out of view. Is there even an end to the ceiling?

Apologizing in the only way you knew how to with a bow of a head to the piglin you had ran into, you walked briskly through the crowd, looking for the towering height of your hybrid-friend.

Some of the piglins glanced at you briefly, but did not interact as you wore enough gold for them to leave you alone. In fact, most paid you no mind. Suddenly, you found yourself watching Technoblade from across the crowd. He was surrounded by a large group of barter piglins, who started up at him in awe as he spoke. “Iway entway otay ethay otherway orldway.” he grunted, the others snorting and exclamining in response. Smiling softly at him, you approached the group. “Hey Tech!” you grinned, causing him to turn to you.

“(Naeme),” he switched quickly to english, “no here. Go back.” he muttered, slipping through the crowd to get to you.

“Why? Is something wrong?” you questioned, tilting your head in confusion. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The piglins began approaching you quickly, reaching out to you. “Uhm Techno?” you began nervously, “What's going on?”

“You tilt head. Now Iglinpae court.” he blurted, moving to your side. “I protect. For romance.” he declared, extending an arm in front of your chest, and flushing his body against you. “eythay areyay inemay.” he suddenly growled, causing some of the piglins to move away. However, many still stayed. “(Nae-me)”

“Yes?” you gulped loudly. Technoblade reached into his inventory with the hand not protecting you, and pulled out a gold ingot. “Technoblade, this is hardly the time-” you began, but rather he just insisted, pushing the heavy bar further at you. Silently you glanced up into his eyes. They pleaded, searching your eyes in return. Sighing you delicately reached out a hand, wrapping it around the gold bar as Techno released it, allowing you to take in both hands and look at it.

Seeing you hold gold gifted from Techno, gave him a proud feeling. At this moment all the piglin in him wanted to do was sweep you off your feet and take you right there. However, the human in him spoke wiser words of calmility.

Regardless, without realizing it, he blushed deeply at the piglin thoughts. Must romance first he reassured himself, then mate.

“Is there something special about it or…” you drawled off as you watched all the piglins walk away, suddenly disinterested in you both. Many looked disappointed.

Utterly confused at the display, you once again looked up at the hybrid, where rose dusted his cheeks, matching his dilated eyes. He quickly looked away, clearing his throat for an awful long time. “You...You accept ourtingcay gift.” he grumbled, looking back at you once his cheeks had cooled, but the heat had just transferred to the tip of his piglin-ears.

“O-ourting-cay? What is that?” you replied, while Techno waited a few seconds for the voices to translate for him.

“Courting. You mate now.” he announced, smiling with his mini tusks, causing you to break out in a fit of flusteredness.

“M-mate? Techno, do you mean like partners?” you stuttered .

He swiftly nodded, still smiling, “In Nether yes. Do not know of Home.” all you could do was giggle, blushing slightly. “I cannot believe you Techno, but regardless, thank you.”

this one sure is a long one, but it’s so just sweet >.<

~max

[burningartwork]

Persona 5: Chihaya the Wheel of Fortune

The wheel of fortune is actually about Cyclical Change, Destiny, Luck, Opportunity & Winning. Here I denote her most major changes which is coming from her small town to the big city. In her town, she was seen as a monster which is why her mini Chihaya is upside down on the wheel, denoting her leaving that negative life. Then her upright figure his her falling into her fortune telling and while the stone she sells is a negative aspect, it was a new cycle of her life. Big Chihaya is holding the Fool card which is her meeting Joker and her actively using her interaction with Joker as another change. The sword which in the P5 arcana is normally attacking a phase of life (& passively watching/guarding over the wheel in the Tarot de Marseilles) is on the ground, symbolizing her rejecting fate which is something she learns from Joker. The sun beams are just about her devine (legitimate) powers.

Others: 00- Joker the Fool 01- Morgana the Magician 02- Makoto the Priestess 03- Haru the Empress 04- Yusuke the Emperor 05- Sojiro the Hierophant 06- Ann the Lovers 07- Ryuji the Chariot 08- Akechi the Justice 08R- Akechi the Justice REVERSED (spoilers) 09- Futaba the Hermit 10- Chihaya the Wheel of Fortune 11- Caroline & Justine Strength 12- Iwai the Hanged Man 13- Takemi the Death 14- Kawakami the Temperance 15- Ohya the Devil 16- Shinya the Tower 17- Hifumi the Stars 18- Mishima the Moon 19- Yoshida the Sun 20- Sae the Judgement 21- Joker the World Back- Igor: back of the cards P5R1- Yoshizawa the Faith P5R2- Maruki the Councillor P5S1- Sophia the Hope P5S2- Zenkichi the Apostle Artist- Denise the Artist Box- Wings of Rebellion

PRE-ORDERS WILL BE OPEN ON APRIL 19th 2021!

[theravencawsatmidnight]

Pink Chains Sequel

The oldest. Male, twin. Souta.(Means A sudden wind or sound)

The middle. Male. Twin. Kaito. (Means sea or ocean)

Youngest. Female. Kana. (Means powerful)

@galagcica @squeaky-ducky @kozushiki @haikyuu-but-low-iq @lunebabie @derpeedoo @kayisweird @zopzoop

“We do now!!!!” You told him, rubbing your stomach

“Swee..sweetie are you serious?” He climbed over the desk grabbing you and pulling you between his legs.

“Yep!!! Surprise Kyo!!!”

He was a little shocked for a few minutes, you were telling him how excited you were but he could not register it. A kid, not one but three. Will they be like him? Scary? Will they think hes scary?!?

“Kyo?” You lightly tugged his shirt so he would look at you. “Kyo whats wrong?”

He squeezed you sighing deep. “Im nervous sweetie thats all.”

You laid your head on his chest. “Well.. i am too . But! I have you to help and you have me. Not to mention all your friends. “ you took his ring hand to hold it and nuzzled his sleeve. “I love you, we will be fine Kyo.”

Kyo took in a deep breath and kissed your head. “Yeah, we will. I love you so much sweetie.”

It was an interesting nine months for everyone. Kyo had gotten his friends together for beach volleyball one night , you were there too but you were sitting with a sundress on looking excited.

“Soo...” Iwaizumi said, rubbing his head. “Whats this about?”

Oikawa and Mattsun were stumped too, so was Yahaba. Bokuto was trying to piece it together as well.

You got up and turned to the side and Kyo put his hand on your stomach. “Well... lets just hope you can deal with more of me”

Safe to say Kyo got tackled into the sand by everyone.

Time Skip to the kids being 7.

💕Kyo and Reader still live in his home. Iwaizumi does too since he owns the basement half of the house.

💕Chicken Legs had trouble adjusting to the children but Readers cats have helped relax and calm him. He's not so shaky anymore.

💕King is the kids number one fan. He is always there to help them with a prank on their father or to help them up and down the stairs.

💕Rex gets brushed every five minutes and he *loves it*. Kana also likes putting ribbons on his tail.

💕Mango is carried around everywhere by Kaito because he is small and “fun to carry”

💕The twins get up to no good alot. Souta is like the wind, no one ever knows if he's gonna do something. Kaito is more calm, like the ocean . But just like his brother, he's right there to lend a hand in mischief

💕Kana is attached to Kyo and Readers hip nearly 24/7 because she is scared of everything. She was tiny at birth. A “runt of the litter” Kyo called it, which gave her the nickname “Kana Pup” by Kyo. Everything is bigger than her and she doesn't like it. She's scared of Oikawa and it makes him sad.

💕Kyo and Reader own a bigger building together that they turned into The Dog House. They sell apparel but with Readers designs now too. The kids hangout at the shop usually after school.

💕The building has an upper floor or office area where Reader works on new designs / manages the finances while Kyo works the floor.

💕Souta and Kaito spend their days greeting customers and telling them specials (as best they can) . If Kana is not with her mother she is with Kyo at the register coloring under the desk so no one can see her.

💕kyo does not know what to do about Kana, he's worried she won't have friends and isolate herself. Iwaizumi suggests a hobby or club for middle school and Oikawa suggests volleyball.

💕its at the beach Kana realizes how fun volleyball is. She even lets Oikawa show her how to play.

💕Mattsun still has his tattoo shop. Kyo now has a back piece too. It's three wolf pups .

💕Kana joins the volleyball club

💕the twins join an art club and it is very interesting to them . Souta & Kaito are naturals at coming up with designs

💕iwaizumi babysits when Kyo and reader need alone time at the house

💕every now and then Kyo will check in on his kids at night, he leans on the wall of the door just watching them sleep. It's been a few years since they were born and he's still dumbfounded he could make such blessings

💕Kanas first game is a little rocky, she's nervous about people watching her. That is until Bokuto yells for the stands ‘all eyes on you because you are the star of this court!!!’ . She pulls through and turns out she spikes just like her father. They win because of her. Reader cries tears of joy and the twins are going nuts , Kyo pulls reader close kissing her

💕The twins debut a simple design. It's a crow with its wings out with a chain collar on its neck. Their parents love it.

Time skip to HighSchool

💕The kids go to Karasuno

💕The twins are in a design/business club

💕Kana is the wing spiker of her team. She is tall like her father and brings her team to Nationals.

💕Mattsun has a pretty little happy girl come into his shop one day asking for a fluffy kitty tattoo . Mattsun thanks god this is happening and gets her number

💕Oikawa & Iwaizumi still work at the Dog House. Oikawa now has the same volleyball tattoo his friends have. Iwaizumi helps the twins bring their designs up to sell online

After High School.

💕Kana plays for the Black Jackals. The twins have a successful online business selling their designs on different things.

💕Kyo and Reader have expanded the Dog House and it has more locations now.

💕Every friday night they spend their time laying on Kyos car with music on watching the stars in their backyard.

The end 💕

Little bonus mini drabbles!!

“raaaa!!!!!” Yelled Kaito

“Aaaarrgg!!!!” Yelled Souta.

Kana had her ears covered and had Chicken Legs laying down next to her with his paw over his eyes. She was sitting on the floor coloring in her book when her siblings rushed down the stairs with toilet paper and heavy eye makeup on their face and body. King, Rex and Mango were close behind with equal amounts of toilet paper on them too. This was a regular saturday...

Iwaizumi was on the couch watching these terrors run around the house . He pat Kana on the head counting quietly. “And 5...4...3...2...1...” The garage door could be heard and the twins and dogs stopped. Heavy steps and giggling were getting closer.

“Kaito.”

“Yes Souta?”

“It appears we are going to die today”

“Yes i believe so.”

Kana peaked at Iwaizumi and he just gave her that smile that made her get red in the face. The door opened and you and Kyo saw your kids covered in toilet paper and makeup. The dogs too. Kyo rubbed between his eyes and you giggled going over to Kana who was holding her arms up to you.

“Souta?”

“Yes Kaito?”

“It was nice knowing you.”

“Likewise”

(Whenever Kyo asks Iwai why he allows this he just shrugs and says “hey they aint my kids 😋”)

*💕

Kyo had picked the kids up from school and went straight into work. No one minded that the kids were there, they behaved. Mostly.

��Welcome to The Dog House!!!” Yelled the twins“The finest dogs and the biggest house!!! At your service!!!!”

Youd never seen so many metal heads giggle and chuckle like little kids before. Kana though, was under the register coloring and leaning on her fathers leg. Kyo leaned on the register looking down at his daughter.

“Kana pup”

“Papa..?” She asked, looking up, brushing her hair from her face.

“Do you wanna greet customers with your brothers?

She shrugged pulling the book closer. “N-no..”

He rolled his shoulders looking back up to see his friends frowning at him.

“Maybe a club will help”

“Or volleyball!!!”

*💕

The twins were running around the beach with Mattsun chasing them , Kyo, Iwa, and Kawa were tossing the ball to each other. And you were sitting on a towel under an umbrella with Kana clinging to your arm. You had noticed she was fixed on what her father was doing and you signaled to get his attention and pointed at yoir daughter.

“Kana pup.” He said, catching the ball. “Cmere for a second.”

She shook her head and you rubbed her side.”just for a second baby.”

Kana gets up joining her father and he crouches down behind her. “Put your fists together , be still okay?”

“ dont.. wanna get hit..”

“You wont i promise.” He nodded to Iwaizumi and he lightly tossed the ball to Kana . “Now just move your wrist down. Then connect with the ball semding it up”

As soon as the ball hit her wrists she whined turning around to hug her father. “Kana, look.” He turned her head . The ball was in the air . “You did it.”

“I.. i hit it.”

“Maybe Oikawa can explain better.” He said, getting up and Oikawa crouched down next to her. Kana whined giving him a scared look and he just held his hands out to recieve the ball.

“Its easy, promise!” The ball bounced off his wrists.

After a few tries Kana got the positioning right and even asked Oikawa to help and show her more.

*💕

One night Mattsun is at his shop filling in his laptop with appointments, transactions, bills. Its late, maybe almost 10. He liked to stay open when he had late nights like this. No one ever came by but.. it made him hope someone would. Mattsun was covered head to toe in tattoos. The bell dinged and he looked up from his desk and fell forward.

It was a girl; pink shoes, dyed highlighted pink hair, a white belly top and shorts. “Hey Mr!!!! Can i get a tattoo please?! A fluffy kitty or kitten? Do you do those? “

Mattsun smiled up at his ceiling . “Whoevers watching , thank you.”

He looked back over at the huffy girl. “Yeah i can do that Kitty, let me get a sketch going and you can tell me what you think.” He said with a very big smile. “Whats your name?” He asked , going around his desk to his wheely chair .

“Y/n!! “ the girl skipped over sitting in the chair criss cross. “Can you do it here?” She pointed to her inner thigh .

Mattsun thanked whoever was watching over him again but in his head. “I sure can y/n. I sure can.”

“No no!! Kitty!! I like it.”

Mattsun had a silly grin on his face now. “Okay kitty”

*💕

Its late at night and the only one up is Kyo. He was leaning on the wall watching his kids, ‘how did i get here?’ He asked himself while eyeing his bruised knuckles. Slowly he looked up. “I love you guys so much...”

“And i love you.” He heard behind him. A giggle too.

[allihatakie28]

Anime Iwai is about to start... yay... . . . . . . . . . . . #anime #animeiwai #iwai #2019 #mini #miniiwai #miniiwai2019 #fun (at Fort Lauderdale Marriott North) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0d12B5H8O8/?igshid=1wyssm5yv6vew

[ti0mumu]

okay so, having finished the Persona Trinity Soul anime, my rank of the animations for the Persona Franchise is:

1 - Persona 3: The Movie (all four of them obviously)

It’s far and beyond the most solid of them. all characters have a good personal growth, you can understand each one’s motivations (protagonist included), the final delivers it, just *chef’s kiss* all around. Also as a game about the ~power of friendship~ they also feel like friends because they are all related to the main plot so you can see them moving forwards together

2 - Persona 4 The Animation

I might be biased but I definitely think they did a good job with this one. Due to being a movie, P3 can’t give much focus to the social links which is understandable due to it being a movie, P4 on the other fully utilizes it’s given time well by making all the side characters, if not liked, at least understood. Also we got a lot of fillers that are genuinely good and help us see the main gang as just kids being kids and friends and I really enjoy it. Two downsides I wanna point out are: The protagonist feels... kinda bland? idk I love Yu and he has a lot of cool scenes but you don’t really... feel him like you do with Makoto (P3 protag). The delivery of who’s the murderer (have I mentioned that this show is about teens catching a serial killer?) also feels... weak.

3 - Persona Trinity Soul

Out of the gate I have to say that if you’re a fan of persona franchise you have to watch this series as if it weren’t a part of the persona franchise. It has a lot of similar things to it like “teens have to fight cuz adults are useless”, “man with little to no morals is fucking shit up”, “fight against god” (?), “robot waifus”, the usual but... idk it just feels different. the pace is more slow (sometimes a bit too slow) and the persona action is definitely more spaced out but... it just feels right? i guess my thoughts on the matter is just that the series is solid. not great, by most certainly not bad. the characters aren’t like other persona characters that you latch on because they’re “the bad boy that is actually a cinnamon roll” or “the artistic dumbass” or whatever but they do have their struggles and personalities if that makes sense? the final showdown is really good but I do feel like the ending was just... too vague about everyone’s future but still.

4 - Persona 5 The Animation

*sigh* If I am very biased towards P4, I’m also very biased towards P5 but in the opposite direction. So before I start chewing it now like a rabid dog, my positive thoughts on the series: The “mini bosses” are actually very engaging to watch cuz is more engaging to watch an abusive jerk being kicked in the ass than it is to see a fight against... some weird tarot concept or the embodiement of someone’s fears y’know? also some points in the game look better done in the anime than in game.... AS for the bad points: There’s no real filler episode? these guys live and breath being phantom thieves??? their beach episode (both of them) we see them talking about phantom thief stuff and while, yes I don’t expect them to drop the plot completely I just... missed the feeling of persona 4 of “kids being kids”, which also stunts their growth as a group because... I don’t really buy it how they see each other as friends, a fact that is even worse for the side characters like there’s a couple of cameos of the goth doctor lady but she.. doesn’t do anything? Iwai only is shown being grump like, if I didn’t knew how they are in game I would be like “who the fuck are those bitches? why they appear on the oppening? why they are given some spotlight at the final battle?” because they are just that? random people that really don’t interact much or at all with the main character, much less the plot. speaking of main character he’s another dissapointment to me cuz his only trait is being “oh so cool” like.... the later fights seem to be only the protagonist’s merit which makes the whole ~power of friendship~ thing even worse I... I guess that the better way to say it is that the series has a sprinting start and then trips middle way through and don’t really gets back up.

Last but not least:

Unranked - Persona 4 The GOLDEN Animation

Didn’t watched yet, can’t say nothing lol. I assume is P4A but slightly to the left?

So yeah, that’s my thoughts on the matter! Don’t forget to like and subscribe and hit the notification bell

[yeetedintoouterspaces]

☘💫 Choose one of us!- Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader x Oikawa Tooru ( part 1! )☘💫

Her beautiful features, illuminated by the sunlight entering the classroom from the window next to her. Y/n was a beautiful girl and people left and right fawned over her. She was incredibly elegant and kind. She caught the attention of many males in the school, even Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa Tooru.

From her soft supple lips and glimmering eyes to her beautiful clear skin, she looked like a delicate porcelain doll but she was tough and hardworking on the inside. That was what caught the Ace's eyes. She was hardworking in club and her studies and she was always helping others out.

That was what Iwaizumi aspired to be, more hardworking and kind-hearted to others. In class, the girl would always help Iwaizumi out by passing her notes to him when he was away for games. She would also stay back just to help him out.

She was always patient with Iwaizumi and she was very understanding as well. Iwaizumi couldn't help but to fall for the girl. She never failed to make his heart flutter. I mean, who could resist a beautiful, kind-hearted and smart girl! She was just so captivating in every single way.

Unbeknownst to the Ace, his best friend was also admiring the girl from afar. Although Oikawa and Y/n were polar opposites, something about her was so attractive. Oikawa had always been flirtious but Y/n had never dated anyone before. She was just too innocent and pure for the world.

Today was just a normal day for everyone, Y/n was helping her teacher carry a huge stack of books to class. Coincidentally, Iwaizumi made a trip to the bathroom and he saw the smaller girl struggling to carry the load. He walked next to her and reached out his hand, mumbling out, "you need some help?"

Y/n nodded her head and passed him a few books. She bowed and thanked the man. Iwaizumi blushed and scratched the back of his neck, stuttering out a quick "you're welcome." Y/n saw the nervous wreck of the boy and chuckled.

They walked to class next to each other, Iwaizumi was usually calm and composed but next to Y/n, he could feel his heart thump against his chest. He tried to resist the rising flush against his face by looking away from the girl. Y/n saw his tinted cheeks and placed the back of her hand on his forehead.

"Iwaizumi-kun! Your face is kinda red, you alright?" Y/n asked with concern traced onto her words. Embarassed, Iwaizumi covered his cheeks and avoided eye contact with Y/n. He stuttered out a weak, "I'm fine" . Unconvinced, Y/n held onto the hem of his sleeve and tugged on it slightly, "you can go to the sick bay if you don't feel well."

Iwaizumi nervously chuckled and reassured her that he was fine. Y/n slightly pouted and said, "if you don't feel well please say something! I don't want to see my friend sick..." Iwaizumi's heart cracked a bit at her words. "Friends" that's all they will ever be.

They finally got back to class and carried on with their day.

~ after school ~

Oikawa spotted Y/n and Iwaizumi leave the school gate together. He slightly pushed the back of their shoulders and chanted out, "yo,yo, yo!" Surprised, Y/n instinctively pushed him away. Unfortunately, she seemed stronger than she looks and pushed the boy with a lot of force.

Oikawa pouted, "Y/n-chan!~ That hurt a lot!" Guilty, Y/n rushed to his side and apologised, "I'm so sorry Oikawa-kun! Where does it hurt? Do you need an ice pack? Do you need anything?" Oikawa smirked, "a kiss would do the trick." Jealous, Iwaizumi punched Oikawa's shoulder and scolded, "Crappykawa! Don't trick Y/n-chan like that!"

Oikawa continued his teasing, "why, you jealous Iwai-kun?" Iwaizumi's eyes burned with anger, "HUH?!?" he angrily roared. Oikawa sweat dropped and scratched the back of his neck, "a-ah, sorry Iwai-kun." Y/n giggled at the sight of the duo. Her bubbling laughter caught the attention of the two, "so cute" they thought as they saw the girl trying to contain herself.

Y/n calmed down and apologised, saying that she had to rush home because she needed to take care of something. She did a quick bow and left. Iwaizumi commented, "she is really cute huh." Oikawa's eyes widen in realisation, *Iwaizumi has a crush on his own crush*.

Just to make sure that Oikawa wasn't assuming things, he asked his friend, "b-by any chance, do you like Y/n-chan?" Iwaizumi blushed and replied nervously, "I think I kinda like her."

Oikawa was shocked to say the least. He genuinely didn't want to fight his best friend over a girl. What should he do? He likes her too! But it would still hurt to see Y/n and Iwai together while he watches in silence.

Iwaizumi could read Oikawa like an open book. Of course he could, they have been best friends for what felt like forever, so it was only natural for him to feel so. Iwaizumi placed a hand on Oikawa's shoulder and calmly asked, "you like Y/n-chan too hm?"

Oikawa chuckled, "who wouldn't like that angel of a girl." The two talked about her for a while and came to a mutual agreement. If any of them ended up dating Y/n, they would not get jealous and would not get salty. To them, their friendship meant more than just one girl. Stick to the bro-code damn it.

The two also agreed to host an mini-competition to see who impressed Y/n more, and to see who she likes. They were going to start tomorrow. May the best man win!

[whumpmeamadeus-blog]

Untouchable (Persona 5 Whump)

Non shippy fic of Iwai helpiing with Ren, who has gotten himself in a spot of trouble. From my fic ‘Vignettes of Comfort” on Ao3! (Trans-Akira, Guns, Threats, hurt, comfort, stabbing mention)

“Just stay under the radar, kid,” Iwai muttered, leaning against the cluttered desk in the back of his shop.

Ren looked him over; man, if he was 20 years older. Even 10. Damn. He banished those thoughts from his mind and tossed his hair from his eyes. “I pretty much live under the radar.”

That chuckle, more like a chainsaw revving than a laugh. “Good way to go through life, if you can. Now go on, get outta here. Ain’t got time to waste on a kid like you.”

“See you soon, then.” With a saucy salute, Ren bid Iwai farewell and left Untouchable. He was feeling pretty confident about his evening, knowing it had went well and that he was getting even more of a discount. Morgana, safely in his bag, chatted his ear off the entire way through Shibuya.

All in all, this had been a pretty good night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Honestly, at first Iwai had been annoyed by that skinny little nobody coming through and taking up his time with weird requests for things kids should never have been interested in. But he never heard of the kid doing anything illegal with what he bought. At least, nothing he got caught doing.

Iwai also knew, now, that the things Amamiya Ren bought from him were being used to a standard even he couldn’t complain about.

Kaoru would be jazzed to know about that.

Iwai finished up his work and went home. It was a simple night at home with Kaoru, something he didn’t get to enjoy as much as he should. But he was going to make more of an effort. He thought about seeing if maybe he couldn’t get Ren to hang out with Kaoru a little, take him to the batting cages or SOMETHING. They were only a couple years apart and Ren was a good kid; more importantly, he was a kid with a spine and a sense of justice. Kaoru was doing just fine, but maybe spending some time with a kid a few years older, who really seemed to have a handle on himself, would be good. He’d make a point to bring it up the next time Ren came by.

When a week later, he hadn’t seen the kid, he didn’t think about it. Sometimes he wouldn’t show up for weeks on end. What was Iwai gonna do about it? A kid was a kid.

A week and a half, and nothing. Iwai didn’t even pass by him on Central Street, which he had done before. Normally, he wouldn’t worry; it wasn’t any business of his what Ren got up to.

But something was gnawing at him. He tried to ignore it, and was doing a pretty steady job.

Half a week later - two in total since the last time he had seen Ren, if one was counting, which he certainly wasn’t - Iwai was doing some light dusting just to keep his mind off of things. Their shit country. That Shido guy everyone seemed to be all up in arms about (which he didn’t understand, the guy looked like a tool who collected toy skulls and made stupid sexist videos on the Internet). Kaoru was suffering in English, which Iwai was no good in either. Maybe, a little bit, he was worried about Ren.

He turned his back on the door and knelt to get something out of sight. Of course, the moment he did that, he heard the door open; always happened that way, didn’t it? “Just a minute.”

“Dad!?”

Kaoru’s concerned voice jolted him, and Iwai stood straight up. His son was still in his uniform, with his school bag, like everything was normal.

But he was also supporting Ren, who looked tired, almost gaunt, with faded, yellowing bruises under vibrantly coloured new ones running up and down his bare arms, and on his neck. Then Ren looked up and met his gaze; the blackened, swollen state of his eye was magnified through those gigantic glasses.

“How in the hell is THIS flyin’ under the radar?” Iwai grumbled, internally panicked that his old family had come after them after all.

“Well,” Ren said dryly, “I didn’t start the fight, if that helps.”

“Shut up.”

Iwai and Kaoru helped Ren get to the back room, where he all but collapsed onto the closest surface. Immediately, Iwai dragged Kaoru back out into the store. “Tell me what happened.”

Kaoru watched him go over and lock the door before clearing his throat. “I just went to the diner and he was there with like four empty coffee mugs in front of him, covered in bruises just like now. Except I only saw his face, his sleeves were rolled down.”

That was why Ren had looked especially odd to him - usually the kid was wearing a jacket, whether is was his uniform or something else. Iwai shook his head and lit a cigarette despite the look Kaoru gave him, the look that said You told me you were gonna quit months ago. “He say anything to you?”

“About what happened to him? No, I just asked if he needed help, he said no. I told him too bad and that if he didn’t come with me I was just going to call you anyways.”

“Good kid,” Iwai said. He was proud of his son for doing the right thing. “Listen, I got it from here - why don’t you get back to the diner and get started on your homework?”

Kaoru didn’t seem to like it, but listened - especially when he was given Iwai’s wallet. Iwai let him out of the store, then pulled down the grate before locking the door again. He didn’t necessarily want to send Kaoru out there again, if this kid had been hurt because of some ancient BS, but thought it might be easier to get Ren to talk if Kaoru was out of the way. He’d make it to the diner just fine; Iwai hadn’t raised an idiot, after all.

His more pressing concern was finding out what, exactly, had happened to Ren.

He got a bottle of water from under the desk, and a first aid kit, then moved into the back room. Ren was sitting exactly where they had left him, but with his eyes closed and head now leaned back against the wall. He was holding onto his phone, but it was dark. Iwai announced his presence with a sigh. Ren cracked open the eye with the least amount of damage. “Where’s Kaoru?”

“What happened to you?”

“That’s how you answer a question?” Ren asked, with that edge that Iwai liked, that reminded him of himself. “I just...got in something I shouldn’t have.”

Iwai took a drag from his cigarette and looked Ren up and down. He looked much smaller without that jacket. Maybe Iwai had been mistaken in thinking he was old for his age; this kid was hardly more than an ankle-biter. “No shit. But what?”

“It wasn’t anything like what you got into, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just got my ass handed to me last week, then again this week.”

They had what felt to Iwai like a battle of wills. With the kid so beat up, Iwai knew he was destined to throw the match and did so spectacularly, with a hefty sigh and a rolling of the eyes so hard that he thought he saw the top of his own skull. “Fine. Have your secrets.”

He leaned over to reach into a mini-fridge and pulled out a cold pack from the small tray that served as a freezer. “Put this on over your eye,” he said, pushing it into Ren’s hands. He didn’t take his eyes off of the kid until the gel pack was over the worst of the bruising. Then Iwai flipped open the first aid kit. After everything he had been through, he made sure to keep the thing pretty well stocked; not that there was much he could do for bruising. He found a cream for it, and tossed that to Ren as well.

“...I think I’m bleeding, too,” Akira said, and for the first time, Iwai thought he heard a hint of weakness in that voice.

He didn’t show that, however, and just nodded as he grabbed a package of gauze and medical tape, as well as bandaids, from the first aid kit. Iwai hoped this wasn’t bad enough that Ren would have to go to the hospital, because he would be a real hypocrite to his own ways if he dragged the kid there for this. He took a stack of napkins from some take-out meal or another and doused it in water from the bottle. “Lemme see.”

Ren hesitated, one hand playing with his dirty collar. Iwai just gave him a stern look. “Remember who I am, kid - I’ve patched up worse wounds than whatever you’ve gotten yourself into.”

With a sigh, Ren stood and turned around. Iwai swore under his breath; there was a gash in his shirt, and blood trickling through to stain the white, red. Ren slowly unbuttoned his shirt but instead of dropping it, just pulled it up to rest underneath his armpits. Iwai didn’t question it, just looked over the cut that stretched, thin but not too long, over the left side of his lower back; it was clearly a switchblade. He’d know the cut anywhere.

“Not too bad,” he said. “Surface wound, won’t need stitches.”

“I can clean it up,” Ren said, and Iwai was going to fight him on it before realizing that there were any number of reasons this kid wouldn’t want to be touched after a scrape like whatever he had gotten into. So he just gave the napkins to Ren and gave him verbal cues to wipe the cut clean. It took a little folding and maneuvering, but Ren eventually got the gauze positioned and relented, letting Iwai tape it down.

He let Ren do the bruises, too, and turned around to look through the first aid kit again, half to look for any ibuprofen and half to give Ren some semblance of privacy. There was a bottle in there, and the expiration date was still a year away. Perfect. Only when Ren said he was done did Iwai turn back to him, bottle in hand. Ren had his shirt pulled back down now, and was holding the cold pack to his neck. “...thanks.”

“Sure thing. I was an idiot kid getting into fights once, too.”

“It wasn’t a fight,” Ren said, and this time he sounded very serious. His eyes were hard, and Iwai held up a hand, palm upward, a man asking for more of an answer than that. “It wasn’t. I was jumped last week, and when I didn’t have enough cash on me, they beat me and said they’d be back.”

Anger bubbled up in Iwai’s gut; who the hell would do that to a kid? At least it didn’t sound like anything Iwai’s past had dragged them into. “And then?”

“Well I saw them all around. Think they knew where I lived. Saw them in my neighborhood. Outside of school even.” He shrugged. “Got cocky, figured they’d forget about me, or I could...persuade them otherwise.”

Iwai had wondered about that part; this kid was a Phantom Thief, after all. How’d this happen to someone like him?

“But things got away from me, and I couldn’t. They caught up to me, and...well. Here we are.. I didn’t have what they wanted, they got me, pulled a knife. Barely got out of there.”

Ren was trying to keep his cool, but Iwai could see the way his hands were shaking. Just a little. With a sigh, Iwai leaned against the table, arms folded over his chest. “You know who they were?”

“Just some low-level wannabe gang, I think. If I knew their names, I could…” Ren shook his head, then drained the rest of the water left in that bottle despite its tepid temperature. “But I don’t, so I need to figure out what to do next.”

“What you need to do is sit there and let me think,” Iwai said. He knew how to deal with up-shots who wanted more than they were worth. Because this wasn’t going to go down this way; these assholes weren’t going to harass this kid any longer. Iwai’s fingers just barely brushed the tattoo on his neck.  “You wanna end this once and for all?”

Ren looked at him, then said ‘no,’ quietly. Then again. “No, you don’t have to get involved.”

“Kid,” Iwai said, leaning forward and looking him in the eye. “It’s too late for that

“I’m in.”

Ren let Iwai take him home that night, accepting a ride in the back of a surprisingly clean and sporty car with Kaoru. No one was in Leblanc, and he heard Boss in the back. Moving he quickly, he called out that he was back and darted upstairs. Morgana, asleep under the bed with just his tail poking out, didn’t stir. Good thing Futaba had him today and worn him out; she had really taken a shine to that cat.

When he sat on the bed he did so quietly, not wanting to wake Morgana. He unbuttoned his shirt and looked down over his bruised stomach. The worst of it, however, something Iwai was never going to see, was under his binder. Usually he slept with it on, but with this bruising...Ryuji would kick his ass worse than this if he knew Ren was pushing himself with that thing. Of all the people who knew - which was only about five people, in the whole world - who knew that he was trans, Ryuji took it the most seriously. He had done all of the reading, searched online, learned everything he could. For Ren.

So it was with Ryuji in mind that Ren struggled out of his binder and abandoned it on the bed. It should be washed, but he couldn’t even think about that until he was covered. His chest was covered in bruises, and once it was no longer compressed the pain blossomed outward from there. First, Ren took a shaky breath and palmed the cream Iwai had given him. Yes, he should put this on, but...well, unless he was putting the binder on, Ren didn’t let his hands near his chest. It was too much for him. Later, maybe. He pulled out his pajama shirt and yanked it on, then his grey hoodie over that. What could he say? He was feeling vulnerable. Ren climbed under the covers and pulled his phone close to him. The minute he touched it, the device buzzed. A text from Iwai.

‘Keep an eye out kid. Come by the shop if you see those dicks.’

Ren would have chuckled at the wording alone - exactly how Iwai spoke - but if he was honest with himself, he didn’t feel much like laughing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two nights later, Ren was feeling shaky after a shift at the Beef Bowl Shop. All night long, he had spotted the men who were after him for something as trivial as money. Ren had money, he didn’t have to worry about that. This was the principal of the thing. He thought that, if he could get them talking he find out at least one name, he could take them down where he was stronger - Mementos. Then they wouldn’t be bothering anyone else, either.

Honestly, he wouldn’t have been worried if it was just one of them that he had spotted. One guy, he thought he could handle.

But there had been three separate guys out there through the course of the night, including the one who had cut him. Now, Ren did not consider himself a coward in any sense of the word. But this?

Well. It made him uneasy enough to send a text to Iwai. It was simple, just ‘3 @ the Beef Bowl Shop,’ because he didn’t know how else to ask for assistance other than simply telling him the facts. This would be different, he told himself, if so many people were not relying on him.

His boss had dismissed him 10 minutes before he sent the text. Only 5 minutes after he sent it did he hear a knock to the employee part of the building. One of his co-workers stuck her head in. “Uhm, Amamiya? A guy who says he’s your uncle is here?”

Then he really could have laughed. The man even came up with an excuse. He thanked his co-worker and went out to the main dining room. Sure enough, Iwai was there, leaning against the window and looking bored while a few of the customers looked on, worried.

“Thank for coming to get me, Uncle Munehisa,” he teased, his voice light despite the reason Iwai had come.

“Shut your mouth, kid,” Iwai said, but Ren saw the chuckle playing at the corners of his mouth. “Let’s get out of here.”

The moment they were outside, Iwai looked both ways down the street. “When was the last time you saw one of them?”

Ren started to move across the street, towards the alley that led to Untouchable, keeping an eye out as well. None of them seemed to be in the immediate area; maybe he had been hasty. But he did feel a little more secure with Iwai at his side. “Last two passed by maybe ten minutes ago.”

“We’ll just get to Untouchable and work from there, alright?”

“Alright.”

It was simple, really. Just get into the store and leave from there. Ren followed Iwai across the street and down the alley. He glanced at the Velvet Room; Justine did not meet his gaze. At least if things ever got too crazy, he could jump in there. Not ideal, but doable. Iwai pulled out his keys and opened the door to Untouchable. He held it open. “Get in.”

Ren moved past him, and the impending sense of danger did not come quickly enough.

A sharp pain in his back, over where he had been cut before, and he was sent reeling forward into the store. His vision swam as his head bounced with the impact of his knees on the floor. But Iwai’s grunt of pain hurt way more than that. He hoped that Iwai would stay away as Ren pushed through the pain and turned around. There were two guys on Iwai, who looked calm and collected as he slammed his fist into a jaw. Ren would have chuckled if the guy who had pushed him did not drop to the floor and push him back, to the ground, with his arm on Akira’s neck.

He had just been too distracted with Iwai to move quickly enough. With all of his might, Ren pushed against the man holding him down; the silky shirt, leopard print, slid around under his grasp. That STUPID shirt - Akira knew it well.

This was the man with the knife. Ren knew that before he even brought it out. “You think your ex-yakuza sugar daddy can save you? Too late for that - we got you.”

Ren thought about all of the bruises on him. He thought about how a group like this would never involve the police, so he shouldn’t be at any risk if he retaliated. He thought about his friends, waiting for him to lead them. And he thought about how Iwai was over there, fighting for him.

It became absolutely effortless to take his fist and drive it into that stupid leopard-spotted stomach. Ren was able to get the man off of him, but his main goal was to get the knife out of reach. Never mind that he was in a store full of replica weapons, many with blades triple the size of the knife - THAT was the one that had dug into his back, and the owner seemed pretty fond of it.

He yanked himself up using the counter, while the guy was still on the ground, and Ren made a quick decision to drive his shoe into his head. Not enough to seriously hurt him, just keep him down. Ren was still feeling winded from being knocked to the ground, and wished more than anything that he had the same skills in the real world as he did in the Metaverse - there, he could get knocked down a hundred times and get back a hundred and one. Here, he was just tired, his gun a model in his pocket, and Arsene felt a world away. But Ren was still strong, and after his arrest had a better hold on his rash behaviour. He no longer acted so quickly under stress, thought his actions out more.

Today, that action was to lower himself back to the ground and grab the man’s wrist. Ren twisted his wrist around until he had no choice but to drop the knife, then snatched it away. His instinct was to toss it across the store, but that was stupid. So he folded the thing and stored it in his pocket before jumping over leopard print, who was still moaning on the ground, and joining Iwai.

Who was doing very well. One of the guys was on the ground just outside of the shop, looking dazed, and Iwai was wrestling the other one to the ground.

“It make you a big man, huh? Threatenin’ kids?” Iwai growled, and Ren didn’t think he knew he was being watched. “Trash like you makes me sick.”

Then he moved his hands in a quick, expert way that Ren did not think he could ever duplicate, and the other guy dropped, too. He was still alive, coughing once he hit the ground, but looked down for the count. Ren moved over to the door, glancing behind him; leopard print was still down, too.

“Thanks,” he said, watching Iwai heave. It must have been some effort for him, and there was a pang in Ren’s heart for his own father, who would have thrown him to the wolves rather than fight for him. But then Iwai was on him, holding his face in those rough hands.

He turned Ren’s head gently every which way, then looked over the rest of his body. “They get you?”

“Not really,” he said. “I got pushed down and he came at me, but I’m alright.”

Iwai sighed and looked at the men on the ground outside. “Let’s get the other one out here and leave ‘em. They’ll wake up dazed but they should be fine.”

Ren nodded, even though at this point he didn’t care if they were fine or not. He helped Iwai move one out of the doorway, closer the first guy Iwai had taken down. That one was sporting a huge bruise to his temple. “What did you do to that guy?”

“...taught him a lesson,” Iwai said. He rolled one shoulder as they straightened up. “Listen kid, I’m gonna make sure punks like these don’t bother you again, you hear -”

A silencer on a gun does not silence it. A normal silencer takes the sound of a gunshot down  14.3-43 decibels, meaning that any shot is plenty audible. Of course, once a gun is shot, even if it is heard, there is hardly any time for a potential victim to move. That is not, usually, the main purpose of a silencer. A silencer is stop a sound from spreading, not to stop a potential victim from hearing it.

So when the man in the leopard print shirt, now on his feet, aimed his silenced gun at Ren and shot, both Ren and Iwai heard the blast. Already in the act of turning, Ren knew that the bullet was meant for him. He knew that it had left the barrel. And he knew that he could not drop to the ground or avoid it.

All of these realizations came to him in a nanosecond. One second, there was a bang; the next second there was pain shooting through his arm and he was on the ground. His ears were ringing, his arm was hot and wet.

And then, there was nothing but Iwai.

When he heard that gunshot, a million things ran through Iwai’s head. He was not going to let Kaoru be left behind again. He was not going to let everything he worked for fall to pieces. He was not going to let this punk end things for him. He was not going to let them hurt Ren ever again.

Then the kid dropped to the ground and Iwai’s world spun out of control. He wasted absolutely no time. The man in that idiot shirt aimed at him, but Iwai was quicker. Dropping low, Iwai closed the distance between them in four long steps, coat flapping out behind him. One second he was outside, across the alley; the next second he was under the guy, in front of him, and Iwai’s already bloody fist, knuckles threatening to bust open, sent his head snapping back in a powerful uppercut. The young guy went down, and he dropped the gun. Pathetic; he really was just the worst kind of guy. Before anything else, Iwai picked up the gun.

The butt of the handle against a thick cranium made sure this asshole wouldn’t be standing again for quite some time.

He dropped the gun into one of his pockets and flexed out his fingers as he stood and turned. Had it really ended so quickly? It seemed ridiculous. But that didn’t truly matter at the moment. What mattered was getting to Ren.

Thankfully, when Iwai got to the kid he was sitting up, leaning against the wall, clutching at his bloody arm. He was pale, though, rocking back and forth a little. Iwai knelt at his side and tilted his face up, bloody hand leaving a mark on Ren’s chin. His eyes were wide and the pupils were dilated, but his face was calm. His nostrils flared as he struggled to breath, though.

Luckily, Iwai was always calm under pressure. “Come on, if you’re gonna have a panic attack you’re not gonna do it out here. But before I can move you, you gotta tell me - did he get your arm?”

Ren nodded; at least he still seemed to possess enough of his senses to nod. He pulled his hand away, palm bloody, and Iwai was able to get a good look at his arm. It was an instant relief to see through the torn shirt that the bullet had not gone through him, only grazed him. The wound wasn’t deep at all, just kissing his flesh enough to bleed heavily. But Iwai was well-trained - he could tell at a glance that the bullet was long gone and had not gotten close to any arteries. “Good,” he muttered. “That’s good.”

“It’s...good I got shot?” Ren asked, and Iwai couldn’t even begin to fathom what sort of thoughts and feelings were behind the laugh that leaked from his lips.

Not what Iwai had meant, though. He gave Ren a look as he tore the rest of the sleeve away and tied it around the wound. Just temporary. “Well, it DOES mean you scared this guy enough or took a big enough gouge out of his pride that he thought he had to use a gun to get you down.”

That, of all things, made Ren smile. Cocky kid.

Iwai hid their attackers behind the old worn-out bikes in front of his shop. Once the store was cleared out and Iwai made sure that no one was coming to check out that sound of that shot, he brought Ren inside and made him sit behind the register. The kid was still a little shaky and Iwai was pretty sure that once he had time to process what just happened, he would probably be a mess. For the second time in a week, he got out the first aid kit. “Before you came along I used this thing maybe once a year. Gonna charge you for a new one if you start using up all my supplies.”

“Sorry,” Ren said, fingers prodding near the wound. “Next time I’ll get shot somewhere else.”

“Good thinking. Alright, let me see it.”

He untied the sleeve and let it drop the to the ground. The bleeding had staunched a little, which was good. But still…” You want me to take you to a hospital?”

“No,” Ren, said, suddenly on edge. “No, no...too many questions at a hospital.”

The similarity to something Iwai himself had said to a friend, a long time ago - a lifetime ago - was almost enough to knock the wind from his lungs. He turned the sound into a laugh. “How many secrets can a kid your age have?”

“One for every year, it feels like.” Ren let him clean the wound and blood around it the best he could. “If we go to a hospital, they’ll know a bullet wound, they’ll call the cops, and if the cops find out I was near real weapons...let’s just say, probation turns to jail time real quick.”

Iwai’s eyebrows shot up so quickly that they nearly disappeared under his hat. “You? Holy shit, Ren. You’re a wild ride.”

Iwai worked steadily to do what he could for the wound. The responsible adult in him screamed ‘Take the kid to a hospital!' The wild part of him, from long ago, told him that this kid was going places. But it was the yakuza part of him that took over, the part that said you never rat out a brother, you help him on his terms, you don’t break his trust. He got Ren’s arm as clean as he could, then doused the wound in something green and anti-septic. Ren hissed at that and tensed, but otherwise took it well. The wound, once it was clean, was in even better shape than he thought before. No stitches, just a jagged cut that might mean a scar later. But Iwai saw thick scars on the Ren’s arms and wrists already, and had a feeling that adding one more wasn’t going to be the end of his world.

He took care to wrap the wound gently enough to avoid pain, but tightly enough that the last of the gauze-like bandages from his kit would be able to do their job. Iwai sealed the end with an X of white medical tape then looked into his eyes. “You’re gonna be fine, kid.”

“Yeah, Akira said. “Fine.”

But Iwai saw that look in his eyes. There was a storm brewing inside that kid, and Iwai was going to keep him there until it was over. Iwai left out the back way of the store and got them dinner, called Kaoru and sent dinner home to him as well. Maybe the time alone would jump-start the freak out this kid was bound to have. It didn’t matter how tough you were, or whatever other shit you had been through in your life.

No one reacts well the first time they get shot. Iwai himself had thrown up and slept for 24 hours.

He sat with Ren as they ate, pretty quiet, meals the same shade of blue-grey in the dim lights on the shop. At first, he thought Ren was eating with his right arm at his side because of the pain. But when Iwai moved around to grab some napkins, he could see that Ren was holding something clenched in his hand.

“What ya got there?”

Ren looked down, not even seeming to realize that he was holding something. “Oh.” He gingerly put it on the counter. A folding knife. “Leopard print had it. He cut me with it last time, too.”

Iwai shook his head, and was about to respond when Ren’s hand formed a fist on the counter. “He could have killed me.”

There was no answer for that.

“He could have killed me over something as stupid as money. He could have come after you, or Kaoru, or any of my friends, for money.” Ren dropped his gaze to look at his knees. “Holy shit, I was stupid to think it would go away on it’s own. I’m usually not that fu-”

“Don’t start that,” Iwai said. “If you’re gonna freak out, if you’re gonna throw up, if you’re gonna cry, fine. But don’t start holding all that responsibility for other people’s shitty choices on your shoulders. If you start doing that, you never stop.”

He thought of Tsuda and took a breath. “So what’s it gonna be?”

Ren looked at him, then leaned back in his chair and put his hand over his eyes. “This is so stupid. I use all sorts of weapons every day as a Phantom g-goddamn Thief, and one gunshot wound gets me like this?”

His voice was thick with tears, and Iwai was honestly relieved. Better to let out whatever bullshit was going on inside then hold onto it until it destroyed him. He sat by and let Ren cry, let him hide behind his hand. That was all that there was left for Iwai to do, anyways.

But when Ren leaned forward and put his head between his knees, Iwai knew that some dam had burst and everything his kid - Phantom Thief, under probation - was holding on to was ready to come out. He didn’t want to disturb him, didn’t want Ren to think that he had to contain himself, but Iwai couldn’t let this kid suffer alone.

“Hey,” he said, sliding out of his seat. When Ren looked up, Iwai took his protective earmuffs off and slid the hat off. He placed the hat on Ren’s head, brim pulled down low over his eyes. The earmuffs, he readjusted a little bit and clamped over Ren’s ears. They blocked out all sounds and would leave Ren with some semblance of privacy.

Iwai stepped back, but suddenly a hand was holding his jacket. Ren was looking down now, but he had the hem of Iwai’s jacket in a vice grip. He pushed himself forward and the wheeled chair propelled him just a couple inches. Iwai was wary, but let the kid throw his arms around him. Iwai didn’t think he had been this close to anyone in a long time, but he wasn’t about to push him away. Ren buried his face in Iwai’s stomach, arms tight around his middle. He was crying in a way Iwai hadn’t in years, but he remembered the feeling. Helpless. Hopeless. Vulnerable.

The shittiest feeling in the world. Iwai put his hand on the back of Ren’s head and let him cry it out. Tomorrow, when it was light out, when this all seemed grey and distant, when Ren was safe in school or at home...Iwai was going to make sure that he didn’t have to worry about those thugs ever again. He hated guys like that, who had huge egos and lost it when they popped, who took on only people they thought they could beat, who took advantage of people. They deserved to be knocked down a peg, and Iwai would make sure it happened.

He still had connections, after all.

[asianartsblog]

Experience the power of storytelling and art to inspire dialogue, foster intercultural understanding, and advocate for social change. This mini exhibition invites you to support the welfare of children, celebrate diverse narratives.

Melissa Iwai: Melissa is an accomplished children’s book author and illustrator with over thirty books to her name.

Katie Yamasaki: Katie is a muralist and children’s book artist. Her work focuses on themes of identity, social justice, and stories from underrepresented communities. #learninglove #StorytellingArt #InterculturalDialogue #InspireDialogue #childrensbook

Date and Time: February 7 – May 18 (closed March 17-24)

Location: Asian Arts Gallery Corridor Vitrines, Center for the Arts, Towson University

1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204

For more info: bit.ly/aacc-events