#Neo creeping in the background

[97keanu]

figure skating for the first time x keanuverse ? ⛸️🤍🎄❄️

*˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ohohoho this is perfect !!!! Thank you for asking, I've had this on my mind for a bit now! (And I may also be writing a fuller fic for such a thing with reader x young!JW :3c) John Constantine, Kevin Lomax, and Neo undercut! Pure fluff!

❄️.*ㅤ Since he's on my mind, older John would love going ice skating with you! He's probably done it at least once himself, and if not, with as skilled as he is as working his body through the movies, I think he would manage just fine! I also have a head canon that when he grew up with The Director, they didn't seperate teaching ballet by gender of who was there (no "just girls learn ballet, boys learn how to kill" deal.) So, I like to think of John Wick as someone who can do all he does because he also has a rigorous background in learning ballet, having those precise body movements, knowing how to work every muscle in his body to his advantage.

Therefore, I would like to imagine that John takes you to the nearest rink (or perhaps a lake he knows that's more private?) And actually helps to teach you how to skate better (or how to at all if you don't know how!). He would be patient, watching you and only stepping in when you need it, his arms wrapping around your waist or steadying your elbow.

Eventually, you're doing it on your own, and John is there watching you, a smile creeping on his face from being able to teach you something so intimate to him. He actually has to be the one to stop you once the night starts setting in, the temperature getting way too cold to stay out in much longer.

He takes you back to his mustang and already has a fuzzy blanket there to wrap you in. You in the night back at his apartment, drinking a late night coffee and John listening to you giggle about how much fun you had with a warm heart.

❄️.*ㅤTed Logan however, lives in sunny California, so they don't see snow or ice often enough for ice skating to be a regular ordeal. He is your skater boyfriend however, so when you do end up finding a indoor rink to take him too, he thinks he will be pretty good at it from the get go. And he isn't horrible, he knows how to balance well and tries to stay up right, but it's actually so different from riding his skateboard or even rollerskates that it takes him a moment or two to get really good at it. Once he has it down though, he's skating around, pulling you by your hands until you two are laughing and doing goofy circles around the rink. Eventually, his himbo-ness gets the best of him, and as he's admiring how pretty your hair looks under the ice rink lights, he slips, bringing you down with him. He takes the harder of the fall, you fall on top of him with rosy cheeks and a smile already forming from how silly your boyfriend can be. You two end up laying there and laughing in the middle of the rink for way too long, maybe even annoying a few other skaters, but you two couldn't care if you tried. The night ends with the two of you warming up at a nearby cafe with hot cocoa and plans to try it again sometime.

❄️.*ㅤJohn Constantine would flat out refuse to go ice skating with you. Your big doe eyes would plead with him, but that's not going to change his mind. You tell him how much you enjoyed going as a child, how you love to ice skate, but you're not going to find a Los Angeles city boy like him on an ice rink anytime soon. Or, are you?

Maybe after his refusal, he takes on a demon hunting case that just so happens to lead him to a hockey rink. When the chase leads you two there, you don't see John stop to think about what he's doing as he tries to run out onto the ice. You go after him, your sneakers sliding and skidding on the slippery surface, but your years of practice skating have you able to keep your balance. To your dismay, ahead of you, Constantine is not someone who's trained in such things, and for the first time ever(and probably the last), you see Constantine fall flat on his ass. You easily skid by, reaching out a hand to help him up, and he can't deny grumbling a 'thank you". By the time you're ready to resume chase, the demon is gone.

"See? If we had just gone skating last Saturday, maybe you would have been prepared for this type of thing!" You know you shouldn't rub it in, but you can't help pointing out the truth.

"Yeah, yeah," Constantine carefully finds his way to the rinks edge, and gets out onto non-slippery flooring. "Okay, Maybe I'll take you next time..."

You squeal with joy and the two of you end the night with you having a hot tea in his apartment and Constantine taking a whiskey and nursing his bruised backside.

❄️.*ㅤKevin Lomax is not one for ice skating. Our good southern boy hasn't even roller skated a day in his life, and he's not about to trade his cowboy boots for a pair of blades.

"Please, Kevin! I really want to go skating!" You pester him, and eventually he caves, lucky that New York gets more snow than Florida.

He wraps you, and himself, up tight in winter clothes, and bites back complaints about how cold it is. He takes you to a local spot that he's heard of, and only a few other couples are out at the rink. Good, less people to have to see him fall on his ass when this goes awry.

He still has to maintain the confidence of a business man, so he keeps his lawyer smile on and helps you into your skates. At first, he let's you go ahead and skate without him, watching you perform moves he is actually pretty entranced with. When you pull your leg up over your head, he actually gives a holler out of support("Yeah that's my wife/girlfriend!").

Eventually, when everyone else has left, you persuade him into trying on a pair of skates, and to your surprise, he does. You gently take him out onto the ice, and for a few moments he's actually doing it! You let go gently, and he glides by himself, able to get down the simple movements, but nothing too crazy. In the end, you two do slow circles in the middle of the rink, face to face with each other. Kevin looks deeply in your eyes, and you're happy he's obliged your silly request. He leans in for a kiss, and you feel your legs shake on your skates. To your surprise, you're the one who's lost your balance first, and Kevin catches you with a laugh.

"Too much for you, darlin'?" He whispers with that husky southern voice, and the redness in your cheeks isn't just from the cold anymore.

The two of you end the night at a fancy dinner spot, something expensive, decorated in holiday spirit and the sound of a live pianist and violinist playing soft Christmas tunes.

❄️.*ㅤNeo lives in Chicago, so he's no stranger to the cold or navigating ice. I believe he likely has gone ice skating before, probably as a child, but hasn't done that in many years. When you ask him, he's apprehensive, but it doesn't take much begging for him to agree.

He takes you to a spot that's supposed to be the best experience, and only after you two have bought your tickets do you realize it's PACKED. There's way too many people here for Neo's comfort, or yours for that matter, and after about an hour of trying to find your way onto the ice where you two can have some alone time, you see it's not going to happen tonight and give up.

Neo makes it up to you by taking you to your favorite dinner spot. It's an enjoyable date night still, but he can tell how badly you wanted to go and can see the disappointment that you couldn't.

So, after about a week, he tells you that he's taking you out for a surprise.

When you arrive to this mystery destination, you realize it's the same ice rink. You ask him why, knowing it's another Saturday and it will be packed just like before, but Neo motions to the lack of people in the parking lot.

"What...?" You say as you begin to piece things together. "How did you...?"

"We have the whole place to ourselves. I took out every ticket just for us." He says slyly, obviously proud of this feat.

"What do you mean? That has to be crazy expensive!" You know Neo is well enough off, but that sorta price is excessive even for him.

"Well, their website for buying tickets was particually hard to hack..." He looks over at you with a smirk and smiles big when you throw your hands around his neck, gleeful for his talent tonight.

"No! You didn't! Neo..." You say into his neck giving him a big squeeze. "Thank you..."

The two of you head inside and are treated like unknown celebrities, putting on an air of being such, and trying to remain lowkey. You both have fun pretending to be people you're not, and Neo skates alongside you easily, even taking the risk of dipping you back and twirling you a few times. You're surprised your typical home dwelling boyfriend could be so suave and savvy, but you enjoy it nonetheless. You get hot drinks at a concession stand, and eat pretzels and Chicago style hotdogs to your content.

#i hope you enjoy these takes! all your boyfriends are willing to do a winter time activity with you due to feeling the holiday spirit! #except constantine...but you know how he is lol #john wick x reader #john constantine x reader #constantine x reader #neo x reader #ted logan x reader #kevin lomax x reader #lila speaks #ask lila #my writing #••• ◛ ʸᵒᵘ’ᵛᵉ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵐᵃⁱˡ! #keanuverse

[notmaplemable]

Mable's RWBY Redo: Volume 2: Overview

So, I just wanted to go over what I'm kind of planning to do for V2 and get some people's thoughts on things if you don't mind.

---

First, as far as who's getting the focus for this volume, RWBY are all on the A tier. This whole volume is going to be pretty heavily focused on establishing their dynamic as a team. Jaune and Pyrrha are effectively going to be on the B tier. With most of Jaune's time spent with Ruby, Pyrrha, a bit with Weiss, and Cardin. Pyrrha will get some time with Jaune and Weiss. Ren and Nora kind of being put on the C tier and mostly being in the background for now.

Ruby's plotline is mostly her coming to terms with being leader, and we start to see Summer's shadow start creeping in.

Weiss will also be dealing with Ruby as the leader, butting heads with Blake, and trying to befriend Pyrrha.

Blake will also need to accept Ruby's leadership, it's almost like it's a whole team thing, and try to learn to actually work with a team again. Throw in a bit of paranoia too.

Yang will, you guessed it, need to accept Ruby as her leader or more specifically stop treating Ruby like her little sister so much. She'll have a tendency to kind of "overrule" Ruby on her decisions in combat.

Jaune will have to figure out how to begin to lead and ask for help. Putting away the false confidence a little bit.

Pyrrha will need to be a bit more open with her teammates about her thoughts and feelings. At least that's the focus for now.

Ren and Nora... will be beacon era Ren and Nora.

---

The characters introduced the volume will be,

Port and Oobleck, Cardin and the rest of CRDL, Velvet, and Neo.

No real changes to their characters worth noting.

---

For the episode count,

12 episodes of varying lengths and two trailers/character shorts before the volume labeled Gold and Bronze.

---

For the timeline,

The volume will start in the same place as "The Badge and The Burden" and end after "Forever Fall, Part 2" and before "The Stray".

Which will be roughly 4 to 6 weeks after the start of the semester.

------

If you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them. I'll have the next part up within the next few days.

Thanks for reading.

#rwby #mable's rwby redo #rwby au

[madi0880]

If you had to kill off a character, who would you kill off?

And

Favorite guilty pleasure character

If I had to murk anyone, it would come down to four different choices for four completely different criteria.

For Being Scummy : Proffesor Port = Between his VA's own behavior and his in-show leering of Yang - this character deserved what Roman got in Roman's place. This character could be replaced by nearly anything else and I would be more content. It doesn't matter that he's a side character, the fact that really compelling villains and heroes got fridged and this creep is still hanging around in the background shooting the sh*t with Tai and Oobleck makes me ick.

2. For Taking Up Too Much Screentime : Jaune Arc = I wouldn't dislike him if he was the title card character, the actual main character of the show. But because Jaune is established as part of the supporting cast, a lot of the time devoted to him then creates a problem for Ruby feeling underdeveloped.

Ruby's own rivalry with Cinder? Ruby getting to face off against Cinder in a one-on-one? Those kinds of things end up going to Jaune while Ruby fiddles around with Emerald, or ends up getting knocked off with Neo as Jaune gets to be the last one to fall, with the longest bit of narrative focus.

I honestly believe Jaune should've died in Pyrrha's stead just from a narrative perspective, because Ruby herself was far more connected to Jaune than Pyrrha, and it would've played on the much more gut wrenching trope of killing off the comedic relief to establish that darker tone the story begins to take. Jaune missing from the story would've had a great effect because he us such an endearing character once people put aside how he's handled. He's dorky, well-intentioned, clumsy, and kind. He's a character that made me laugh the most in the early volumes because there is this bumbling energy to him.

No longer having his antics around to lighten up dark moments, and getting to see someone as kind-hearted and self-sacrifing as Pyrrha, spiral due to losing her closest companion? That's oozing potential.

3. Wish They'd Fridged You Before You Rotted : Adam Taurus

It's no secret that I love Early Volumes Adam as a menacing and complex threat. The fact that they turned him into a hatesink incel is just... disappointing. I don't condone anything that Adam does, I just wish he could've been something nuanced.

Honestly I think this is one instance where it might've been better to have him fridged by Cinder in V2 before the abuse narrative begins, robbing Blake of closure with someone she once deeply respected, creating a vengeance dynamic between Salem's forces and the WF to keep the subplot more relevant, open the door on more intricate moments of possible 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'.

Or even have him killed off by Sienna to establish her as the real authority of the WF, and have it be motivated by how Adam let Blake run off in the Black Trailer, creating this understanding that the WF is run like a tyranny where some people might want to leave or not use violence anymore, but are being strong-armed by Sienna.

Just... ditch the incel characterization on a character intended to be a racially motivated terrorist, who experienced literal slavery and was branded like cattle. He could've been a shadow that haunted Blake's narrative in a much more meaningful way.

Bring out things that had been left unsaid between them, regrets she had about not being able to reason with him and now never being able to have another chance to, have her reflect on her own actions when they were together / be emboldened to go after the WF. A friend she couldn't save but cared for, a figure of strength alongside cruelty - someone who pushed against and helped mold Blake's philosophies and beliefs into what they are. He was originally established to be her mentor - let him be that morally grey, influential figure who used horrible means to create progress for the betterment of their kind.

4. For The Whump Of It & If I Had To Choose a Main Character : Ruby Rose

I adore Ruby, but honestly V9 opened up way too many questions about what a reborn / warped version of Ruby Rose could be, that I couldn't help be more than a little disappointed (for other reasons involving personal issues as well) that she came out of her wooden cocoon as the exact same person from before.

The absolute bullocks to remake the main character so late into the series would also be respectfully tremendous, and I would have loved how tragic it all really could've been.

Ruby losing her memories, her entire sense of self, becoming this single-minded shell devoted to a strict purpose like the other Afterans? Still wanting to save the world, but perhaps being all too willing to do anything to meet that end? The emotional uncanny valley of her knowingly being the remnants of Ruby Rose, but having none of the connections to her friends as she used to, while they're forced to live with the fact that they failed to save who she had been? And they can't exactly abandon this doppelganger who exists as a living reminder of the horrid end of Ruby Rose?

Favorite guilty pleasure character would have to be Adam Taurus. Especially fanon Adam.

Even when he does get hatesinked in the later volumes, it's like... him being such a greasy lil wimp just makes me chuckle. Went from such a strong and mysterious fella, to a cringy discord goblin overnight. It's like turning Slade from Teen Titans into Slade from Teen Titans GO - the downgrade is so palpable it's just a sad lil slob in comparison.

He's my little insecure hate bean. He would tell me off for being a disgusting human and I'd just remind him of how he got pelted in the face by a whole a** motorcycle. Went from carving up whole murder mechs to getting dropped by projectile vehicles.

Then I'd ask him if he wanted to watch Titanic and he would ugly cry into a pillow all night.

The duality of a dumpster fire, to embrace a mask of toxic masculinity, yet, have the vibes of 'I could pick you up by the armpits like a disgruntled house cat'.

#rwby #jwry #jwry funk asks

[byneddiedingo]

Franco Citti in Accattone (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1961) Cast: Franco Citti, Franca Pasut, Silvana Corsini, Paola Guidi, Adriana Asti. Screenplay: Pier Paolo Pasolini, Sergio Citti. Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli. Production design: Flavio Mogherini.  Film editing: Nino Baragli.  There are times in Pier Paolo Pasolini's first feature when he seems to be trying out things that he will accomplish with greater finesse in his later films. For example, there are several walk-and-talk tracking shots in which Accattone and another person walk down a street toward a receding camera. This technique was used with greater force and wit in Pasolini's next film, Mamma Roma (1962), in which Anna Magnani strides down a nighttime street, talking about her life, as various people emerge from the darkness to deliver comments on what she is telling us. We've seen this sort of thing done many times since the development of the Steadicam -- it has become a kind of cliché in films and TV shows written by Aaron Sorkin -- but even though the shadow of the retreating camera rig occasionally creeps into the frame in Accattone, Pasolini and cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli execute it with considerable skill. Skill is not always in evidence in Accattone, which has its rough, raw edges. Pasolini had worked with Federico Fellini on Nights of Cabiria (1957) and it's instructive to compare the two films: Fellini's has greater technical finish, but it's also less harsh and more sentimental, which may be why Fellini, who originally planned to produce Pasolini's film, withdrew his support. But the rawness of Accattone is entirely appropriate for a film that evokes the spontaneity and actuality of early Italian Neo-Realism with its non-professional actors and ungroomed settings. And it has at its center a charismatic performance by Franco Citti, an untrained actor who went on to a long career on-screen that included an appearance as Calo, one of Michael Corleone's Sicilian bodyguards in The Godfather (Frances Ford Coppola, 1972), as well as numerous roles for Pasolini.  "Accattone" is a nickname that means "beggar" or "ne'er-do-well" or "layabout" -- the character's given name is Vittorio Cataldi -- and is entirely appropriate for a character who begins as a pimp and, after hitting the skids and even trying work (at which he shudders), winds up as a thief -- a dead thief. Citti's voice was dubbed in the film, but most of the work is done by his extraordinarily expressive face and by a physical commitment to the role. There is, for example, a terrific fight scene between Accattone and the men of his ex-wife's family, which ends with Accattone and his opponent locked together in a struggle in the dirt, neither willing to relinquish hold. Pasolini also emphasizes the dissonance between a world that produces an Accattone and the religious background from which it springs by using excerpts from Bach's St. Matthew Passion on the soundtrack.

#Accattone #Pier Paolo Pasolini #Franco Citti

[zwei-the-penguin-with-a-pen]

‘Alright’

Penny and her bandmates were restless beyond belief on this airship voyage. Why did Vale have to be so far away? Neo had paced the floor of the vessel countless times already. Of course, Neo was always restless; she could hardly stop moving even when she was asleep. Magenta was holed up in a room with her guitar. Daisy was drumming on any surface she could find.

Penny didn't dare practice, as both her voice and her trumpet would annoy the other passengers. Being loud would have unfortunate outcomes for the four of them. Dust, why did this trip need to take so long?

Penny took solace in the thoughts of seeing her wonderful red girl. Ruby Rose had promised to make the scene at the show, and would probably want Penny to stay with her for as long as she could. The Rooster's Teeth was Penny's most favorite venue to perform, and it made the Mechanical Girls sound stellar. Atlas's very own Extra Life was a decent venue, but Penny had played there millions of times, so it had long lost its sparkle.

Also, a show at the Rooster's Teeth meant quality Ruby time. Ruby would move to Atlas, she'd told Penny many times, if she weren't so desperately needed at Signal. Qrow was always away on missions these days, and Ruby had stepped into his slot. There were not very many scythe wielders out there, and their prowess and experience were invaluable.

That didn't change how Penny felt, but she respected her girlfriend's wishes all the same. She wished this airship ride didn't last so long. She wouldn't have so much time to think about such things. A practice session would be lovely, but most of the passengers were certain to be asleep at this late hour. There wasn't much else that would take her stress away.

Her scroll beeped and vibrated. She snatched it up from her handbag and tapped the 'Unlock' button. A message from her most favorite person showed on the screen.

'Hey, lovely. :)' The message read. Penny grinned from ear to ear at reading that.

'Hey, Gemstone!' She tapped away. 'I can't sleep on this airship to save my life.'

'Yeah, that's always a real drag. :/' Her Gemstone replied. Penny tapped away at her Scroll excitedly. She was so happy Ruby had been awake. Her nerves had calmed down as she read Ruby's messages and tapped out her replies. Ruby was better at texting than talking unless she was right there with someone, so Penny didn't press her for a phone call or anything.

Within just a few more hour she would see her favorite person.

\/\/\/

"PENNY!!" Ruby shouted as Penny moved past the terminal. She tossed her bags down on the floor and rushed over to hug Ruby, the two of them crashing onto the floor. "Whyyyy?" Ruby groaned, knowing full well she'd brought that on herself.

"I'm so happy to see you, Ruby! This flight has been horrendous. We've had almost no time to practice, which was about the only thing that could keep me from stressing out."

"Yeah, trumpets are loud, and airships aren't exactly spacey. You guys can have a session at my place. If they're all willing to haul over there..."

"I'm sure we'll get a session or two at the Teeth. I have a little time for you, though. Shall we grab a bite to eat?" She asked politely. Ruby beamed at the idea.

"Ursa Major has the best eats in Vale! Wait, you don't eat animals..."

"I eat fish, as long as it isn't looking at me. No other meat, though."

"Oh, well they have a pretty awesome seabass there," Ruby cheered. Once Penny reclaimed her bags, the two of them made for Ruby's truck. Their meal at Ursa Major was stellar, and Penny left their waitron a positively monstrous tip. The young girl had cheered loudly and hugged Penny, and she even packed a nice dessert in the girls' doggy bag.

Ruby dropped Penny off at the Rooster's Teeth. The rest of the band had already checked in, so Penny walked into the venue and up to the desk.

"She's a sound tech, she's with us." She told the staff woman, who nodded. Ruby thought she saw the woman wink, but it didn't matter. Ruby was backstage with her girlfriend's band and would be onstage for the performance, at least according to Penny.

Neo slapped and plucked the enormous strings of her bass guitar, the anticipation causing her eyes to change colors. Daisy smashed away at her drums while Magenta ran chords with her guitar. Penny tuned her own guitar, though she'd probably hardly need it, and tested out Magenta's saxophone. With two horns they could play one of Penny's favorites.

"So, could we run through 'TANK' real fast, ladies?" Neo smirked wildly at the mention of the song, slapping out the familiar rhythm with her bass guitar. The beat took over Daisy's senses, and Penny and Magenta thrust their horns up. They traded back and forth, as the song was little more than a huge horn solo.

"Incredible as always..." Ruby cheered as the band finished. Penny winked, her bright green eyes melting Ruby's heart. She really did love this woman. The distance could be trying at times, but she had Signal and Penny had the Mechanical Girls. Were there any Primary Combat Schools in Atlas? She was unfamiliar with how the school system worked there since the military and all that was crammed together.

"Penny, I think I want to move to Atlas with you... Is there a PCS there, do you know?" She asked her girlfriend. Penny's eyes turned to stars at the very idea.

"My father helps students at Alsius Academy to forge their weapons. He mentioned they were looking for a new teacher for their Creatures of Grimm course. Isn't that what you teach at Signal?" Ruby nodded. "I'll call him after the concert and see who you'll need to get in touch with to see about that. Oh, I can't believe we might be able to move in together!" Penny cheered at the height of her voice. She almost knocked Magenta over with her trumpet. "Oh, sorry Gen." Magenta shrugged it off. She knew how excitable Penny could be, especially with the little redhead around.

A technician for the club called for them to make the stage. Penny smiled and kissed Ruby before she and her bandmates ventured to the stage for sound check and to perform.

"You can come to the stage, too, hon. I know you aren't really with the band, but Penny might kick our faces if we don't let you up there." The tech told Ruby, winking as he followed the band. Ruby rushed up to the stage, trying not to get rose petals everywhere.

The Mechanical Girls' set went perfectly, as did that of the incredible Dark Crystals, the biggest band in Vale. The four of them even got to chat up the four Crystals. Spyro Tenerife and Shade Targary talked guitar and vocals with Magenta and Penny, while Kilgann Chase talked with Daisy about rhythm. Neo and Sunset 'Crash' Bakudan spoke somewhere that no one could hear them. Being silent was part of Crash's stage persona, and Neo just didn't talk that much.

Penny had spoken to her father, and he'd said he would put in a good word for Ruby. As the daughter of two members of Beacon's most well-respected team, as well as a Beacon alum herself, she should have no problem getting the slot. They desperately needed it filled, and Signal did have some extra staff these days. They'd replace her in no time, easy greasy.

A few weeks later, Ruby had gotten the slot at Alsium Academy, and she and Yang were packing her things for the big move. Yang and Taiyang were both immensely proud of Ruby, and Ruby could not wait to be in Atlas with the love of her life.

"Write to us when you aren't too busy being incredible!" Taiyang told her. Yang chortled.

"Or shagging that girl that's waiting for you out there." Ruby rolled her eyes at her sister, and Taiyang tried to pretend he hadn't heard that. Ruby hugged her sister and father before cramming her things into the taxi and hauling off to the airport.

She could hardly wait to see her Mechanical Girl again.

\/\/\/\/\/

\/\/\/\/\/

\/\/\/\/\/

Day 12: A Deceased Character

Y’all know I’m still mad about Penny. Pyrrha too, but again, you already know.

So I’ve done this concept before, at the end of my last RWBY challenge. Penny Polendina and Neopolitan, along with two background OCs, make up a ska punk band called the Mechanical Girls. The first time around, this was just an excuse to write a Nuts And Dolts fic, because I ship them a little bit. Hell, if Lindsay Jones ships it, who am I to argue?

Also, in ‘Snow (Hey, Oh)’ from day two, the trumpet girl mentioned was none other than Penny. I wonder if anyone noticed?

I’m trying as hard as I can to catch up. I’m over 13,00 words in 12 fics, though, so I’m doing fine aside from being late. 

EDIT: The Dark Crystals are also mine. I forgot to bold them before... XD

#NaNoWriMo #RWBYAC #RWBY Writing Challenge 2017 #Penny Polendina #Ruby Rose #Neopolitan #Neo creeping in the background #Nuts and Dolts #Ruby x Penny #ska punk #music au #the only thing I'm very good at writing #I can't write a decent fight to save my life. #Well there were those boxing matches in The Murder Scene #but monster fights are a different...beast #WAHAHAHAHAH #sorry #fanfic #mine #ZweI the penguin with a pen #zweiamnotacorgi #also OCs #OC Spyro Tenerife #OC Shade Targary #OC Kilgann Chase #OC Sunset Bakudan #my OCs

[changeling-droneco]

To celebrate a certain white haired fluffy luckster’s birthday I’m going to talk about Komaeda in my Mastermind Makoto au. First though, a little background on the ultimate despairs

In this universe his class are not mind controlled, because mind control is boring, and people keep doing Junko’s plans before she can and it’s driving her up a wall. Instead, when Kamakura was created a sliver of Hajime remained, not a lot, but enough to influence and whisper to Izuru. Hajime, desperate to be mourned, to be avenged, managed to get Kamukura to inform Chiaki and all the reserves about what had happened in hopes that it would be an interesting reaction. The reserves of course near immediately start rioting while Chiaki fell into a deep despair, her class followed her into despair like falling dominoes, so angry at the world, so mad at the injustices that were happening, so determined to rip and tear until they couldn’t shed another tear. As the world fell the sliver of Hajime left was thrilled he had become a martyr, that his name had become a war chant, that he would be remembered, that the world knew him and what had been done to him.

Komaeda followed ultimate despair because he both cared deeply for Chiaki and also was really excited to see the hope that would bloom from all of this. He didn’t do much beyond wander for his first year or so of the tragedy, just following the whims of his luck as he kept an eye out for his friends. Eventually his luck led him to a broken down but still working tv playing the killing game and he was enthralled.

The way hope and despair intermingled, the mastery of dancing a tight line between the two, the force of making a choice and the denial of a middle ground. It reminded him of himself, how the cycle of the show matched his own cycle of luck, and when the reveal happened, that the hopeful Makoto was the mastermind, how Makoto rejected apathy, how he spit vitriol about useless words that were neither poison nor cure, Nagito completely agreed with everything he said. He had finally found someone who understood on some level his philosophies, and he was so deeply enthralled into borderline worship.

With his luck it wasn’t too much longer after the broadcast ended for him to very literally be thrown into Makoto’s life of a fugitive. Enthralled and deeply in love, Nagito begged Makoto to take him on as his disciple, prostrating himself in front of him. Makoto smiled, pulled Nagito to his feel, and happily agreed to be friends. Soon though after a bit of time of the two traveling together Nagito was officially made the Harbingers Disciple, as Makoto was really glad to finally meet someone who actually understood his philosophies and methods. While Nagito did creep Makoto out, the two were fast friends as Makoto passed his knowledge and mission down to his new student, and also some just general therapy about self worth because Makoto is still Makoto at heart.

Thus when he heard Chihiro’s neo world program and how they were bringing in the remnants, Nagito wrinkled his nose at such an easy hope. It was too easy, no lasting hope would come from gently pushing someone down a predetermined path. It’s just more apathy hidden under well wishes with no one ever taking actual responsibility. Really, he had higher hopes for the programmer turned hope.

No one gets a free get out of jail card here, to just smile and pretend like he and his fellow remnants never made a choice in the first place is nothing but laziness that robs the world of the actual bright beautiful hope that comes from making a new choice instead of ignoring an old one. He’d remind them all that apathy disguised as hope is more worthless then even despair. If his friends want redemption, they had to actively choose that hope, not let someone else gently smile at them and let them forget the world and their responsibilities just  because they said sorry. No, it was too late for apologies, there would be no hope from just forgiving and forgetting. Komaeda will so mercifully grant the ability to choose with a fun little program he and his teacher made.

#this is incomprehensible because its so fucking hard to talk about naegi and komaeda's philosophies without rambling nonsensically forever #harbinger naegi #harbinger disciple nagito #trigger happy havoc #komaegi #nagito komaeda #goodbye despair #makoto naegi #mastermind naegi #mastermind au #danganronpa mastermind au #mastermind makoto #mastermind nagito #mastermind komaeda #this has been three am thoughts

[starwalkeranon]

Deltarune chapter 2 spoilers!

Ok, sO most of these are observations but I'll go ahead and get my personal opinions and experiences outta the way. They'll be in purple if you want to skip them.

I love dolls/puppets/marionettes/ventriloquist dummies. I love characters themed around them. Even in- no, ESPECIALLY in horror games. They never seem to freak me out. In fact, I find the designs really cool, in my opinion. (They're only second to cowboys.)

But Spamton is different.

His boss fight gives me the creeps. His neo form gives me the creeps. He feels... of. Call me melodramatic but Spamton NEO is vaguely threatening.

He's the only character that's been able to successfully give me the Uncanny Valley effect. I like him a lot, though.

What really got me about spamton's battle, though, was the ending. It ends with him talking about being free and friendship, with the background being a blue brick wall with the sun and clouds painted on it, along with cheery backing music. It gives you a happy feeling, making you think that there's gonna be a good ending. But then Kris cuts him down, and everything just... stops. He falls, the music going silent and the screen going black, blocking out everything except the fallen, now unresponsive Spamton on the ground. The tone shift was just so... jarring and unsettling for me, y'know?

Anyway why I think he could be a tumblr sexyman is because he fits almost ALL the criteria. Here is a list of what he meets:

Suit

Villain

A Guy

Lanky/Thin

Inhuman

Chaotic Mindset/Alignment

A Bit Of A Jerk

Kinda Disheveled (He Lives In A Dumpster!)

Sad Backstory

I rest my case. /lh /j

If you have any questions though, please ask!

@offul

#spoilers #deltarune spoilers #deltarune chapter 2 #star speaks #spamton deltarune #spamton #tumblr sexyman

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Divide”

Hello, everyone, and welcome back! It feels good to be doing some normal RWBY-ing in this strange world of ours. First, some supplementary materials.

Number One: In response to any (valid) questions along the lines of, “Hey Clyde, it’s now been a full year since Volume 7 was airing and you still haven’t answered my ask about it. Or the ones about Volume 6… what’s up with that?” I’ve created what I hope is an informative video detailing the problem:

(I assure you, the Earth, Wind & Fire was a happy accident during the screen recording.)

Needless to say, there’s a lot and I’ve known for some time now that I will LITERALLY never get through all my asks. Which doesn’t mean I don’t want you to send future thoughts in! Just know that as we head into Volume 8 territory I’ll most likely prioritize those, as well as any Volume 7 asks that aren’t woefully out of date. But I do want everyone to know that I read all the asks I receive, appreciate them immensely, and think too much about hypothetical answers, even if I don’t have time to actually write them out 💜

Number Two: There’s a bingo board this year!

Jury’s out on whether I’ll remember to update it, but at the very least this serves as a decent glimpse into my — and others’ — expectations going into this volume.

Number Three: I’ve collected a list of things I’ve heard about Volume 8 from what seem to be reputable sources. I did this because RT is developing a tendency to talk up certain points and then fail to deliver, either because something was taken out of a volume/moved to another, or because RT apparently has radically different ideas about what including something means. So this might be handy to keep on file and ask ourselves two months from now, “Did RT actually deliver on what they promised?”

Emphasis on Ruby’s leadership and how Summer’s death has impacted her

Insight into Ren and Nora’s flaws

May Merigold will supposedly have a larger part

More information about The Long Memory (Ozpin’s cane)

Theme of the volume is that you can respect someone but that doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with them

Very short timeline (supposedly just two days)

Yang in particular is very suspicious and distrustful

I was also going to include a list of all the threads that need to be continued/wrapped up, but honestly that would have taken too large a chunk off my life. Let’s just throw out the highlights:

Are we really going to have Qrow gunning for Ironwood?

Clover is dead regardless. Press ‘F’ to pay respects

Oscar bb you got shot please acknowledge this

Ozpin bb you got done dirty please acknowledge this

Penny is a Maiden now. I feel like the fandom has been sleeping on this (myself included)

Queer baiting, queer baiting… you’re on thin ice at this point, RWBY. Just skate on over to the queer snack bar before you fall straight into the lake.  

Ren spill your deep dark secret already and it had better be something more than just ‘Oh no Nora might someday die :( ’

Salem is here so how the actual fuck is the cast surviving this?

Will Ironwood likewise survive his descent into antagonism? Yes or please yes no?

I think that’s all the biggies. I strive to keep lists like this in mind while analyzing, but honestly RWBY has a hundred moving parts that are abandoned or changed or simply retconned at the drop of a hat. So an attempt will be made.

Number Four (last one I promise!): Normal disclaimers and reminders for Recaps apply:

Please don’t fill up the already full inbox with flames. It’s still 2020. No one has time for that nonsense.

There will absolutely be typos and wonky parts because I try to get these out the same day an episode premieres. I have now been working on this for ten hours, nearly straight, and have no more energy for edits. Apologies in advance and RIP to my Saturdays.

I reserve the right to use stupid GIFs and memes at my discretion.

I strive to keep my focus on recapping/analyzing but salt tends to worm its way in… If you’re a die-hard RWBY fan with little patience for criticism, let alone (at times) snarky criticism, please proceed with caution.

No wait I lied, this is the last thing:

Okay, got that out of my system LET’S DO THIS!

We start not with the episode itself but rather Rooster Teeth’s (RT’s) strange non-promotion of it. If you follow my blog you may have caught the post where I pointed out that there was nothing on RT’s website to suggest that one of their most popular shows—if not the most popular show—was premiering today. Nothing on the main page. Nothing on the RWBY page either, not unless you count the Volume 8 poster background (easily mistaken for the Volume 7 poster) and the trailer buried all the way down past Episodes, past Merch, in the Bonus Features section along with videos like Live From Remnant and the volume intros. RT… the promotion of your feature show is not a bonus. This should be front and center! Honest to god, five minutes before the episode dropped I was checking the website for a Volume 8 section, a countdown, anything that would tell me the episode was imminent without relying on fans on tumblr to keep me in the loop. We got nada, zilch. I’m not sure whether that speaks more to RT’s iffy management of the series or simply the website’s horrible design—RIP losing RWBY on Youtube—but I was surprised when I saw the episode a few minutes after 11:00am. At that point I honestly expected to hear about a dely.

So that’s the mood I entered the premiere in, but truly? We start off strong. Things take a pretty severe nosedive later on, we’ll get to that, but I was impressed with our beginning and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that we start with our villains.

We open on a Cinderella character, Cinder, and thus I’m immediately pleased that we’re getting something about her backstory after all this time. Seven years! She appeared in episode one, folks! To say we’re overdue is an understatement. There isn’t a whole lot to go on, just a younger Cinder sadly scrubbing the floor, poised under a spotlight. What we learn, or potentially learn, is based far more in cultural knowledge than this scene. We know Cinderella’s story, which includes the abusive family, the longing for more, the eventual escape, and thus we’re able to read all of that in this image, despite the image itself not telling us any of this overtly. That means we could be wrong in our interpretation, but if we’re not it’s an easy shorthand in an already packed story.

What I’m really impressed with is the sound bridge between the scrubbing and her nails on the back of Neo’s chair. Fantastic way to confirm that this is Cinder as well as showcasing just how far she’s come. The sound of her labor has been replaced with the sound of her power and given that Cinder’s power is stolen, tied to a grimm arm, the property of a genocidal maniac… that’s messed up. It’s a Cinderella story gone wrong.

So yeah, Cinder tells Neo to head straight into the creepy, grimm infested blood cloud to see Salem and Neo is like, ‘Uh… no thank you?’ lol.

RT does a good job this episode with her expressions, ensuring we know exactly what she’s thinking despite an unwillingness/inability to speak.

Poor Neo might be in too deep, but I quite like the overall atmosphere of this opening. Say what we will about Salem’s awful characterization, at least she has style. This woman knows how to make an entrance and, piggybacking off of the Apathy, RT knows how to infuse horror elements into their fantasy. The red and purple coloring of the clouds, spiked whale teeth peeking through, bright orange in the background looking like explosions… that’s all 👌 Including the intro card.

The only thing I want to gripe about is this:

I’m sorry, why does the whale grimm have landing pads? Or something like it?? The whale otherwise works because it’s poised between the natural and the fantasy synthetic. It looks like a real grimm whale on the outside, but is sporting a throne room, a control panel, and other unnatural elements on the inside. It’s a visual indicator of Salem’s ability to control and change grimm. Now though, the additions are wrong, infringing on the line between organic and tech, the line between what helps the grimm individually (giving monkeys wings) and what just helps Salem. Every other aspect of the whale straddles that line wonderfully, adding to the creep factor, like a grimm version of the Uncanny Valley: it’s not quite a whale anymore… but landing pads? That looks ridiculous. Why does Salem even have that? How many ships are her people feasibly using? Why are there five?

Take it away, please.

Cinder waltzes in like this is a normal home visit, but Neo has an appropriate ‘What the actual fuck?’ face going on.

They approach Salem on her throne where Cinder immediately kneels, greeting her with, “My queen.” I mentioned during my trailer breakdown that I think Cinder is lying her ass off here, and I still think that based on a line we’ll get in a minute, but now at least we have a sense of how she can pull this off. A woman who started out as a (presumed) servant is going to know how to mimic subservience, even if her heart isn’t in it. Salem is very good at playing the girl who will still kneel and scrub the floor for you. She will scrub the floor, she’ll do everything you want, she’ll just be plotting her own rise to power while she does it.

There’s quite a bit of interesting cinematography in this episode, not all of it good, and I think one of the mistakes is here when we get a closeup on Salem’s mouth as she greets Cinder. A closeup like that should be reserved for more significant dialogue—“Rosebud”—and yet we get this shot again when Cinder tells Emerald to be quiet. It’s awkward and coupled with the numerous eye closeups we got in the trailer, I think RT is playing a little fast and loose with the camera. Each shot should add something to the scene, not distract from it. If you don’t have a reason for including a technique like that then leave it be.

Back to the actual dialogue though. We knew that Salem knew Cinder was alive and now it seems that she just expected her to come back? I’m slightly lost. It feels like we’re missing something here. Cinder goes off to secure the lamp, fails, nearly dies, wanders on her own for months, and then randomly shows back up on Salem’s whale doorstep, yet Salem isn’t angry at all? Did she have faith that Cinder would return when she has something to offer? Did she just not care about Cinder, considering her return an unnecessary but otherwise welcome surprise? That would make the least sense given that she holds the key to accessing Beacon’s relic… but that circles right back around to why Salem is seemingly indifferent to Cinder’s comings and goings. Surely she can’t actually believe that Cinder is loyal?

“So I trust you wouldn’t return to me empty handed,” she says. Yeah, trust means nothing in this show, Salem, didn’t you watch Volumes 6 and 7? Again, I simply don’t know. I suppose I’ll just chalk it up to confidence, that if Cinder did bail Salem knew she could track her down again. Deciphering her motivations and beliefs is a lost cause when the show continually gives us so little.

The important thing now is that Cinder does indeed have an offering and you can see that Salem is somewhat surprised at being handed the relic.

Cinder, of course, takes credit for the victory and we’re given another wonderful shot of Neo. ‘YOU took it?’

Oh, Neo. Best get out while you still can.

Tyrian appears having obviously made his way to Salem’s ship sometime between her arrival and now. The exchange is pretty standard for this group. He insults Cinder for failing and needing this victory to make amends, talks about how any win against Ironwood says more about his lack of intelligence than her skill, and Cinder… doesn’t have a whole lot of comebacks, actually. I’d say Tyrian won that verbal spar, enhanced by a better use of the camera when we get his tail looming menacingly towards Cinder and Neo.

He goes on to say that Watts was a “necessary sacrifice” so, uh… I’m just going to toss out the ask I answered yesterday. Based on our intro I’d say Watts is still significant to the volume—hacking Penny is my guess—but by the end? He could be in trouble.

(As a side note: I plan to analyze the intro next week. It’s just easier when it comes first.)

Tyrian also calls Neo “little one” which I just found absolutely hilarious. In an on brand creepy manner, that is. Not that Neo couldn’t kick his ass, but there’s something wonderfully chilling about having the serial killer use an endearment towards a potential victim, one that comments on her size while he’s looming.

In contrast, Cinder refers to Neo as a “valuable asset” and we get our third mood of the episode.

Who’s going to start a Neo reaction image collection?

It’s true enough on the surface—who wouldn’t want an ally who can turn into anyone else?—but we’re still bumping up against question of why Salem needs this. She’s immortal! She has an endless army! Magic! This scene works well with a villain who needs a skillset like Neo’s to succeed, but Salem doesn’t. RT is doing a great job writing a story thus far, just not the story we’ve previously been given. This isn’t the story they set up.

This will come back up when we reach the RWBYJNOR group. Just wait.

Before that though, the gang’s all here as Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel show up, all in new outfits.

I think I like everything except for the weird Xs on Emerald’s jacket—it’s way too distracting and frankly makes an otherwise good look ugly—and the fact that she’s showing her midriff in Atlas. Hazel doesn’t have any sleeves! Oh my god, why doesn’t anyone dress for the weather in this show?

Frankly, I found their reunion to be kind of lackluster. I mean, there was nothing wrong with it. Emerald does sound briefly excited, she does run, and it’s in character for Cinder to cut her off… it just didn’t resonate with me emotionally. I thought after two volumes of thinking she’s dead, then working through the knowledge that she’s alive, that I would feel Emerald’s shock and relief more, but I didn’t. And I’m not entirely sure why. I don’t want to level any accusations at the voice acting because frankly I know next to nothing about that skill (and from what I’ve seen it’s usually praised in the fandom), but I will say that throughout the premiere I was noticing it more than I ever have before. The lack of emotion here and some awkward deliveries later, like when Yang goes, “Ruby, there is no way Ironwood will cooperate with us” and I immediately thought, “Wow, that came out stilted.” These observations stick with me because, as said, voice acting usually isn’t on my radar. It’s not something I’ve studied or had practice analyzing. If you’d never told me that Ren or Qrow’s VA changed then after a year hiatus I literally wouldn’t notice… but there’s something about this episode that didn’t sit right. Anyone else get that sense, or was it just me?

Regardless, the arrival of our other three villains really doesn’t amount to much, though I’m happy for all the Emerald and Mercury fans who get to see them in new outfits. The focus is still on Cinder as she delivers a line indicative of her true motivations: “That power will be mine.” Yeah, she’s not loyal to Salem, she’s just power hungry. Of course, Salem immediately takes note of this and raises her hand, in another nice use of the foreground, reminding her that she hasn’t given that order.

Cinder is shocked, angry even, but quickly covers it up with her “Without you I am nothing” line. If I caught it right I think she also calls Salem “Ma’am”? Hilarious. Again, skilled at playing the servant.

Also, before I forget, it’s worth noting that almost everything from our trailer appeared in this episode. Yeah, there are a few details like Nora attacking some tech and the group on their bikes, but on the whole we’ve already seen the majority of our promo material and will likely get most of the rest next week. It makes me both interested and nervous for what another twelve episodes are going to hold.

Salem opens her whale, or opens a portal type view in it, something that gives us a long-distance look at Atlas. I don’t know what exactly is going on here, but it’s pretty so I’ll take it.

She also delivers the frankly badass line, “Just because you’re more valuable to me than a pawn does not make you a player.”

She waves them all away with perfect ‘You mean nothing to me’ attitude and we sadly leave our villains.

Sad not because I don’t love my farm boy, but because things are about to get a whole lot messier.

Oscar has made his way to a camp of civilian survivors… all of whom are just hanging out in the supposedly deadly cold. Yeah, there’s a single fire, but at least four of them aren’t anywhere near it. Three of them also aren’t wearing gloves. What was that survival rate again?

A nice if gruff dude gives Oscar soup—water?—while showing off his… badger claws? I don’t know what kind of faunus he’s supposed to be, but he feels like the sort of two second, minor character who could easily become a meme lol.

Oscar thanks him (my polite son!) and hands the bowl back after a single sip. Which is impressive because I would have assumed the guy was giving me the whole bowl and just taken it. Hell, I’ve done that even when I didn’t assume it’s all for me. A Starbucks barista once approached me with a tray and a plate of samples, I knew I was supposed to take just one, yet for some reason my hand went to take the whole goddamn plate. He had to tell me off, then I was trying to explain that I didn’t actually want or think I should have eight shots of cappuccino all to myself, I don’t even like coffee, he clearly didn’t believe me… it was awkward. So good job, Oscar. You’re less awkward than me (though that’s not saying much).

Now a question, Oscar. Darling. Brilliant boy who has been through too much: why the fuck aren’t you talking to Ozpin? This will be A Thing later when he presents a lack of time to talk as justification for keeping more secrets (we’ll get to that too…) yet here is time! You’re just sitting there for who knows how long, with plenty of privacy to hide a supposedly one-sided conversation so the Mantle citizens don’t get weirded out or suspicious. Talk to Ozpin. Our headmaster gets two lines in this episode, utterly inconsequential lines like his airship scene, lines that feel like they exist to say, “See? He’s still included in the story!” even though he absolutely is not. Two volumes of mostly silence, a perfect setup to start the reconciliation process, but we’re going to put it off again?

Instead Ruby randomly and conveniently appears. I want to know how she found him. Oscar isn’t wearing a tracker. He clearly didn’t call them because he’s surprised when Ruby shows up. He fell alllllllll the way back down to Mantle and then wandered to a random part of the slums. You’re telling me they flew over the entire city—after beginning this search thinking he was in Atlas—and somehow managed to spot him from up in the air? C’mon. I would have rather had a beginning where Oscar makes his way back to the group himself, giving him and Ozpin time to hash things out.

“Need a lift?” Ruby says, eliminating that potential. Sigh.

Oscar immediately starts beating himself up when he gets onboard, saying that he “was stupid to think the General would listen.” Nah, you were stupid to buy into Ruby’s nonsensical confidence and for telling Ironwood he’s as bad as Salem. Sorry, Oscar, but everyone is written badly these days. I will, however, say that I am THRILLED at the group’s reaction to his return. Ruby says that she’s “just glad you’re alright.” Nora has a wonderfully tender moment where she hugs him gently rather than her usual glomp.

That? That added a year to my life. Everyone else seems relieved that he’s okay too, so kudos there. After four years of Oscar being an outsider in the group, this is one of the few moments that feel like he’s 100% accepted. Really glad to see it.

Now let’s see if it sticks after they learn Ozpin is back...

They fly to the Happy Huntresses’ base and I again feel like I’ve missed something crucial. When did they team up? I mean, RWBYJNOR was working directly under Ironwood up until the last hour and Robyn ran off to fight Tyrian/Clover in the last couple episodes. When did she have time to explain her (briefly) changed allegiance and why would the Happy Huntresses trust the group without that? Did Robyn share that Blake and Yang went behind Ironwood’s back for her? Do the Huntresses instinctively trust them because they’re now wanted by the military? How did they even run into each other?

Again, I think we would have been better served to have an episode before all this. Let Oscar make his way back and let the group struggle with the magnitude of their situation on the airship, before they find new allies. Transferring directly to, “They have help and a secret base and a plan in the works!” makes me feel like I missed the real premiere last week. You know, the one where Salem unexpectedly arrived and we left the group like this.

This is where we’ve ended up though. The group is cozy in this hideout, getting info from Joanna, and my only other thought is, “Why is she giving all this exposition?”  

Shouldn’t it be May? I mean, we were told that she was going to play more of a role this volume, a promise that’s pretty important imo given her status as a (so far off screen) trans character, so why not put her in the role of mediator between the Happy Huntresses and RWBYJNR? Giving her that setup as a leader among her people as well as lots of lines would be meaningful. A trans character just existing and being a part of this fight! May could obviously still fill that role—I’m well aware that we’re only one episode in—but it just seems like a missed opportunity to me. Out of all the undeveloped Happy Huntresses, our premiere focuses on the one who has the least importance to the fandom.

As said, Joanna talks a fair bit but what it basically boils down to is trying to get everyone to the crater below Atlas. It’s apparently not safe, but it’s warm, which is what matters right now.

So… let me get this straight. You want to gather everyone into a not safe crater, by leading them through an army of grimm, so that they can wait there in case someone moves the Staff, thus dropping an entire city on top of their heads? That’s the plan? Which admittedly isn’t Joanna’s fault. This is another instance of RWBYJNOR having information that a leader does not and they should really consider speaking up about it. But of course they don’t.

Also, how long does everyone have in regards to the cold? Shouldn’t there be dead civilians by now? The time it would take to find the Happy Huntresses, team up with them, get settled in the base, and find Oscar says that things should be pretty grim right now (pardon the pun), yet every non-aura user in this city seems content to just hang out in the snow. Either the cold is deadly enough to justify moving everyone to the crater, or it’s mild enough to let everyone survive this long, not both.

After hugs are given everyone obviously wants to know what happened to Oscar. His response?

“It’s a… long story. I get the feeling there’s been a few of those tonight.”

That’s a check for the bingo card! We’re halfway through the first episode and we’ve already got another secret. Yes, this is a secret. Oscar actively chooses not to tell anyone that Ozpin is back—something Ozpin himself comments on—and then skillfully draws attention away from himself with “I get the feeling there’s been a few of those tonight.” Indeed, all eyes go to Penny. Oscar’s plight is forgotten, which is what he wanted. His justification?

Ozpin: “You’re not going to tell them?”

Oscar: “You and I aren’t done talking yet.”

Along with this look.

Oscar no. There’s so much wrong with this I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s create a list.

As said, you had plenty of time to talk to Ozpin and chose not to. Miss me with this excuse.

You are now doing to your friends exactly what you and your friends did to Ironwood, which in turn is what Ozpin did to you! I can’t believe we’ve got Oscar critically side-eyeing him when they are still—still—repeating the behavior they drove Ozpin away for.

What is there to even talk about now? Oscar didn’t punch himself/Ozpin (lol) but he did steal Jinn’s name from Ozpin in the first place. You got what you wanted, drove him away, and have been lying and keeping secrets ever since. The only thing they should be talking about involves apologizing. Any further criticism—which is what Oscar’s expression and curt reply suggests—is beyond hypocritical.

Seriously, what needs to be discussed? There’s no reason not to tell the group unless Oscar wants to talk about whether they should tell them. There’s no good ending here...

Don’t you think it would be nice to know that Ozpin is back and you’ve got super magic powers while making plans to save the entire world?

This is all especially stupid given Oscar’s “Salem wants to divide us” reminder to Ruby in a moment. Oscar, you are doing the most to divide the group right now. By not forgiving Ozpin. By refusing to work with him. By keeping him secret from everyone else.

This is bad, friends, I worry for what the rest of the volume will bring…

The story is done with Ozpin for now so I guess I will be too. The group continues filling Oscar in and we get some shots of the base, including a rather prominent poster of what I assume are two Happy Huntresses. Did they die in battle perhaps?

It’s a little strange.

Oscar: “Where’s Qrow?”

Me: “Likely still making bad decisions.”

No one knows so they just drop it. Which I kind of get, only so much you can do to find him if he’s not out on the streets like Oscar, but it still reads as kind of iffy that two nieces look down at the ground for a hot second and then move on with their plans, content to leave Qrow to whatever fate befell him. In a minute we’ll see Yang firmly take Ren’s side regarding helping the people they can in Mantle, which frankly comes out of nowhere for her. I think an easy motivation would have been Qrow. Ruby wants to save the world, Yang wants to find and save their uncle, and that just happens to align with Ren’s desire to save the civilians who need immediate grimm and cold help. Don’t get me wrong, I like that there’s finally some division between the sisters, I just wish it hadn’t come about so abruptly. Ren had setup for standing up to Ruby. Yang did not.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Joanna lists the grimm horde and no heat as the major threats to everyone. The group agrees.

Me: What about Salem?

Joanna says that this is all doubly dangerous because there’s “no more military protection.”

Me: Oh, so now you want the military?

This is all so disjointed. Even more-so when Joanna mentions that Ironwood has stopped all evacuations to Atlas, likely due to the “hard light shields” that are the only thing standing between Salem and the city. Thing is, the show never makes this connection, I just did it myself based on this scene and the one that comes later. The show presents Joanna’s line as a pure condemnation. Ironwood won’t let more evacuees in because… he’s just evil, I guess. Yet there is a justification here, namely that continuing the evacuations even while he’s stuck without Penny leaves him wide open to a Salem attack, the death of everyone currently safe, but that argument is never presented to the viewer. I don’t need people to agree with Ironwood’s perspective, I just wish that perspective was offered as an option. The show is very good about acting like RWBYJNOR’s opinion is the only justified opinion, or simply the only opinion at all.

After everything is laid out Weiss goes, “We’re never going to sleep again, I just know it.”

I could make a crack about the lack of continuity and how the group should be collapsing right now… but that was a funny line. It can stay.

What is far more of a problem is the fact that no one is talking about Salem. Okay, that’s a lie. They do talk about her, but in a roundabout way like her presence isn’t impacting every decision they make. That’s the real issue. They’re acting as if Salem isn’t here right now, like she’s off far away, maybe approaching slowly, and they’re arguing over how best to prep the world for her eventual attack. There’s no emotion here—let alone action—to reflect that the series’ Big Bad has arrived and is poised to murder them all. Literally what is this? Ruby is yelling about warning the world and, ignoring the continued question of why that’s a good thing when the world can do nothing to stop Salem and knowledge of her continually drives people to horrible acts, she has yet to acknowledge that… she’s the world? Ruby is the world in this conflict. She, Mantle, and Atlas. Salem is here for you all. Right now. You are, this instant, in the situation you want to warn others about, so why don’t you try to do something about it? Or at least acknowledge it. Ruby wants to warn the neighborhood about a potential fire while her house is actively ablaze, and the fire could have totally killed her by now but decided not to for… reasons.

“Ruby’s right,” Nora says. They have to tell the world so “they can prepare.” How? How are they supposed to prepare for this? The story cannot continue ignoring Salem’s immortality.

“Ruby’s right,” is all Blake says and I’m starting to thinks that’s why her character exists now, to agree with Ruby. It’s great that she’s getting a little distance from Yang, but man.

As Ruby asks whether Pietro can get Amity up and running despite it not being finished (called it) we start an incredibly odd sequence of flashforwards to their individual missions. I’ve seen a lot of praise for this already and though I agree that, in theory, it’s a good way to save time, I found the actual execution to be jarring. Upon thinking back through our timeline, it became clear they were flashforwards, but while watching I thought they might be flashbacks (especially since that’s more common).

Some of the shots, like Nora’s, just look awkward when you’ve got the exact expression and pose transplanted from one scene to another, like she’s a cardboard cutout behind a green screen. To say nothing of how the flashforwards ruin any suspense (I use that word loosely) in the conversation itself. If the question is, “Will they decide to go to the military compound?” then that question is answered when we see Ruby scoping out the compound, not when the group actually decides on the course of action.

It just made an already muddled scene worse for me, so I hope this trend doesn’t continue.

And of course, Amity can be used despite all the info last volume claiming that it wasn’t finished. Pietro suddenly acts like it is finished and the only thing standing in their way is Ironwood providing access. If that were the case, he would have used Amity weeks or days ago like he wanted to! When was it finished? Not after Watts commented on how incomplete it was. When did they get back the resources they needed from Robyn? It’s as ridiculous and retcon-y as I thought it would be.

Yang points out that Ironwood will never listen to them and Ruby counters that “he doesn’t have to.” They’ll just take the access from him. Because why wouldn’t they in a series where they’ve already stolen two airships? Stealing from the super evil military that Joanna wishes were helping them right now is just the group’s go-to plan nowadays.

Pietro isn’t sold on this plan though. He lists at least three obstacles they’d need to get through “and then… oh boy, I might need to think about this some more.” “And just to clarify,” Oscar says, “This is the easy option?” Um...no it’s not? We also know there’s an access point in Ironwood’s office so… why not go there instead? They really think the Academy is less guarded than the military base? There’s a potential justification here along the lines of, “After Neo and Cinder broke into his office Ironwood will have the place on high alert,” but unless I missed it the group doesn’t assume anything like that. They just listen to Pietro point out all the ways they can’t get into the military base and jump straight to that being the best option. It feels like a transparent way to create conflict for the group. We’ll just have them taking the most dangerous route despite an easy route being offered alongside it. Why bother mentioning his office at all? Just have the access in the military base. Boom, done.

It’s that conflict and the fact that Ruby tends to hear “You can’t” and digs in her heels. You can’t go to Atlas. I’ll just steal a ship then. You can’t defeat Salem. Watch me. You can’t break into this base. Guess what I’m doing! She’s dangerous in her fairy tale, meta-driven insistence that everything will turn out her way because she wants it to.

Speaking of, we finally—FINALLY—get someone challenging Ruby. Sort of. Not actually but it’s the closest we’ve ever gotten:

Yang: “Ruby, when we came here we said we’d follow your lead… but things haven’t exactly worked out.”

Now, there are two things to take away from this moment. The first is how utterly shocked Ruby and the others are. I mean, take a look at these expressions.

Ruby straight up can’t believe what she’s hearing. Weiss put her hand to her mouth like this is the most dramatic thing to ever happen to her. Oscar looks down in a ‘Yeah, I agree but please don’t look at me and make me admit that’ way. And Nora looks indifferent in the screenshot but animated she goes sort of stern, likely pissed that Yang would dare say that given her own agreement with Ruby. This not only reiterates that Yang’s challenge came out of nowhere—seriously, how did we move from following Ruby no matter what to this? Last volume she asked a single question along the lines of, ‘You sure?’ and when Ruby said ‘Yes’ Yang was entirely on board—but also demonstrates that no one has EVER said no to her before. Ruby is amazed that someone would challenge her. The act of challenging Ruby is, in and of itself, shocking. This group has gotten so used to following Ruby blindly that the teensiest little pushback is greeted with this.

Because it is teensy. This is the second takeaway: Yang barely challenges her and that challenge leads nowhere. She doesn’t accuse Ruby of anything, she doesn’t question her continued authority, she just broadly implies that things could be better. We followed you, now things are bad, take from that what you will. It’s incredibly mild as far as criticism goes, making the shock all the more, well, shocking, but it also amounts to—wait for it—nothing! Because Yang didn’t truly challenge Ruby’s leadership. She’s still in charge, she’s still calling the shots, and they’re still listening to her. We might have gotten some change if this division had been allowed to play out, but instead Jaune comes in with a, “Let’s go for both!” solution. It let’s both groups get what they want which, in turn, releases them from the need to grapple with whether they’ll listen to Ruby when she’s advocating for something they don’t agree with. We have now lost the chance to see whether, when push comes to shove, Ren and Yang will cave to Ruby’s will or stick by their own beliefs.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s more conflict than we’ve gotten in years, but that doesn’t mean it’s particularly compelling conflict. It’s good by RWBY’s standards, which doesn’t necessarily make it good. The actual issues at hand—Ruby’s dangerous arrogance, the group’s loyalty, her choices up until now—are just swept under the rug. For all the visuals we get insisting that there’s this great divide in the group… there’s really not. Not in any way that matters.

Also, Ruby is an idiot. Okay, that was mean, but she really is in this scene. She’s actually not an idiot overall because she was written as wonderfully intelligent in the early volumes, but now? Lately? She makes me want to bang my head against a wall.

“But that’s how Salem got this far,” she cries. “By dividing us!”

Ruby… oh my god, Ruby. No one should have to explain to you that dividing people means turning them against each other, not literally dividing your team to complete separate tasks. This girl honestly thought that because there was this teensy disagreement and that half the team would complete Plan A while she and the other half completed Plan B, both of which notably work towards the goal of, “Protect people from Salem,” that this was somehow what Salem wanted. That is was dangerous. Honestly, it’s a scary look at her view of leadership too: If everyone doesn’t 100% agree with me and do what I say, that’s an objectively bad thing that the grimm queen wants, right? Does Ruby think that unification means following a single person (her) without question or variation? That would explain a lot...

The fact that Oscar needs to explain the difference to her is not good. It really doesn’t say great things about this version of Ruby. Though he was comparing Ironwood to Salem last volume, so really they should all be wearing dunce hats.

Penny offers to take the relic directly to Salem in exchange for her leaving the kingdom alone. I honestly didn’t expect that. If anyone took that risk I would have put my money on Ozpin (but of course, during all this talk of the women he knows best, he’s kept quiet). Oscar is again the voice of wisdom, pointing out that they have no reassurance that Salem will keep her word. At least Penny is thinking about Salem as a threat though, so kudos for that. When this plan is shot down she volunteers to get Ruby past the military security instead and, uh, she’s a little intense about it.

I’m not entirely sure what is going on with Penny. She disagreed with Winter but then seemed to come around to her point of view, enough to help anyway. They had another (stupid) disagreement about the value of individual lives, so that helps to explain why she’s teaming up with RWBYJNOR (if you ignore that Ironwood is also trying to save individual lives...). Did watching Fria die shake her up? Is it being the Winter Maiden that’s not sitting right? Does Penny have lingering feelings about the framing that haven’t shown up until now? Her status as a ‘real girl’? We’ve got a lot of reasons that could definitely explain this sudden need to fight, but we’re not told which—if any of these—is the driving force.  

We’re then given a lot of little details. Someone points out that if Salem gets the staff and “create[s] anything else” then Atlas will fall (so yeah, let’s move the people underneath it). We still don’t know what exactly the Staff does because “creation” is kind of broad and “powering a city to float” doesn’t seem to sit within that category at all. Pietro gives Yang the keys to his lab so they can get the bikes. We see the group dividing in the flashforwards, something I do like, especially since the show has gone out of its way to break up most of the usual duos. Nora in particular is pissed at Ren for his choice.

“Oh, I’m saving Mantle because I actually believe we can do this.”

#yikes. Well, I did say I wanted a conflict other than ‘Oh no, one of us might die’ and it looks like I got it. But Nora, the only reason you can do this is because the plot is in your corner: none of you are collapsing from two major fights, you didn’t lose your aura so the cold isn’t a danger, the military is barely a threat all of a sudden, Salem is helpfully hanging out in her whale instead of killing you, and the story decided that Amity can function so long as you all are the ones who get to use it. That’s why you can do this. Ren, who follows in-world logic and doesn’t want to risk a whole kingdom’s worth of lives on a pipe dream, thinks differently, oddly enough.

As they leave though Penny gets a call from Ironwood. I know precisely what the fandom is going to say here: “This evil man is just trying to use Penny to open the vault!” Of course he is. He needs it open to save everyone he can, Penny included. Plus the concept of “using” her is a double-edged sword. What do we think the group is doing right now? Using her to get past the security. Penny’s power is a tool any way you slice it. Granted, Penny volunteers to help the group, but notably here Ruby speaks for her. Penny seems torn and Ruby takes the scroll away with, “She’s not going anywhere until you change your mind about Mantle.”

Sorry, Ruby, but coming from you that sounds less like a reassurance for Penny and more like just an order for Ironwood. Remember Harriet? We’ll stop attacking you provided you do what we want. Ruby has yet to learn about compromises, let alone acknowledge that she might be wrong. How about you let Penny decide where she goes, especially since by all logic she should have a lot of loyalty to Ironwood. She knew him before she ever met you. She’s worked with him since she was rebuild post-Volume 3. Despite what Penny has said, if the story would just let her think about his actions for a hot second—making her the protector of Mantle, sticking up for her after the framing, sending her to the party, teaming her up with Ruby, etc.—she might realize that the ‘He doesn’t want me to have friends’ and ‘He just treats me like a tool’ assumptions are just that, unfounded assumptions. But no, Ruby speaks for them both because Ironwood is evil now.

“If she makes it through our defenses,” Ironwood says, “everything that follows will be on your hands.”

That’s true! Kind of like how it’s own Qrow’s hands that Clover died. When you insist on making a bad situation worse you hold responsibility when the shit hits the fan. You know though that Salem won’t get through their defenses now, somehow, so that there’s no chance RWBYJNOR will be blamed for it. Or, by that point Ironwood will be so crazed that anything coming out of his mouth is dismissed, no matter how accurate it might be.

We then transfer to the Ace Ops who are, despite what the fandom theorized for many months, clearly upset about Clover. Also pissed. Which they have every right to be. Their friend and leader was killed. Imagine for a moment that Ruby had been murdered by Tyrian with an allies’ help. Exactly what do you think the group would do? Swallow it quietly and get over it? Ha.

I’ve already seen some speculation that Clover survived due to details like showing us the bandage and his room being listed as for a “Patient,” but he looks pretty dead to me.

He got gutted through the chest and left out in the snow for who knows how long. We saw him slip away. Qrow screamed over his dead body. He’s not breathing now. If RWBY suddenly claims he survived this, I’m calling BS.

Most of the other visuals we get here were already dropped in the trailer. Winter is pretty injured from her encounter with Cinder, likely permanently based on her new outfit. Ironwood had to replace his arm—and I am calling BS on that “Losing his arm is reflective of him losing his humanity” commentary from RT. Please go read up on a couple decades worth of ableism in media and then get back to me.

We get Ironwood’s line about the light shields and, notably, a whole lot of empathy. Regardless of what he might want Penny for, he still called her with compassion. He’s watching the Ace Ops mourn their friend. He’s talking about protecting his kingdom. The first thing he says to Winter is, “Thank you, Winter. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Ironwood has a heart! It’s always on display, which makes this scene utterly ridiculous.

I literally don’t know how to respond to this. The gunshot made me jump, both because it’s a gunshot and because, again, what the fuck? I know I said that next volume RT might just have Ironwood descend into full villainy, shooting whoever he pleases now that he’s shot Oscar, but I didn’t actually expect them to do it. Because he never should have shot Oscar in the first place! I wanted the story to let Oscar grapple with it a bit and then quietly backtrack, acknowledging it as the mistake it was. The concept that Ironwood, empathetic Ironwood, rational Ironwood, always thinks before he acts Ironwood, let’s kids yell at him Ironwood, tried to team up with Robyn Ironwood, did everything Ruby wanted Ironwood, won’t kill Watts after he destroyed his arm Ironwood would shoot this guy just to shut him up is absurd. It was absurd then, it’s absurd now.

That being said, there’s a possibility he didn’t actually shoot the council member, but rather just (“just”) gave a warning shot down the hallway. I say this because the reactions to this are pretty tame. Everyone looks startled, yeah, but after the initial shot there’s nothing that I would expect if there was now a guy bleeding out on the floor. The council woman doesn’t scream. Winter doesn’t seem overly shocked. No one is running to try and help him. Basically, if Ironwood had just killed a political figure in front of six witnesses, entirely unprovoked, I would expect a bit more of a reaction than this. This feels far more like a, “Damn he’s not joking around, letting off warning shots to get people to leave him alone” not “WOW, our general just killed someone in cold blood!”

What I really hate though—beyond just assassinating his character—is how many fans think my friends and I are delusional for calling it character assassination at all. I hopped onto the RWBY tag for five minutes this morning and was bombarded with posts about how Ironwood needs to be murdered horrifically, anyone who likes him is sick, the Ironwood stans are as bad as Adam stans, you’re an idiot if you want him redeemed… because apparently the concept of a story writing a character badly doesn’t compute. I’m not here to argue that Ironwood didn’t do these awful things (regardless of whether he actually killed the guy or not). I’m not here to argue that they’re not awful. I’m just here to say that we never should have gotten these scenes in the first place, or if we were going to get them, we deserved an actual descent into murder at the drop of a hat territory. I’ve already explained extensively on this blog how early Ironwood was not accurate foreshadowing for this, and Volume 7 certainly wasn’t setup, but it looks like the majority of fans aren’t interested in examining whether any of this adds up. Which makes my job, as someone trying to examine this series somewhat objectively—in as much as that’s possible for any single viewer—as well as simply enjoy it as a show, really hard. It’s bad enough when a story keeps taking the characters you love and villainizing them, and doing that badly, but then when you turn to the community and see them rallying around the idea that you’re awful for being dissatisfied—you’re the bootlicker, you’re the blind stan, you can’t see what’s ‘really’ going on here… that sucks. For those of you happy and satisfied with Ironwood’s arc, that’s great! I’ve also seen a lot of posts hyping up the complexity of his character now. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying what we’ve been given and I’d never want to imply that just because it’s not what I wanted it’s somehow wrong. I’m honestly thrilled that after a year of worry so many people have adored our premiere, including this scene. I just wish that I could say RWBY had given me something I didn’t want in a persuasive manner and that the fandom as a whole was a bit more welcoming of differing criticisms.

Not that I didn’t already know the RWBY fandom had its flaws, but still lol.

That’s basically it for our premiere. Nice note to end on, huh? Our final scene is of Salem using the lamp to set her bloodhound grimm on the city. Why doesn’t she just go herself? What was she planning to do here in Atlas in the first place, considering that getting the relic was a surprise? Who knows. Little about this holds together. But we do end with another awesome shot, so small favors.

It’s always strange concluding a recap, but even more-so when it’s a premiere, during a historical moment in the U.S., amidst all the nonsense that is 2020. So for now I’ll just conclude with three quick things:

The updated bingo board will be listed at the end of each recap, provided I don’t forget about it lol. Today I’m checking off tone (not nearly enough freaking out about Salem), the team keeping secrets (Oscar), and major plot point dropped (Amity is suddenly finished). I could also probably check off the cold not killing civilians and getting Amity up and running, but we’ll see if any changes with those.

I’m including my Ko-Fi link at the end of recaps now. Not with any expectations. Not with anything resembling pressure. I thought long and hard over whether to include it at all—let alone mention it here—because I love doing these and never want anyone to feel like it comes with strings attached. But life is a little harder and weirder than it was last year, so I figure it can’t hurt. Feel free to pass on by and I won’t be bringing it up past this note.

Far more importantly: thank you for reading! :D

(Bonus 4. Editing this was an absolute nightmare — damn you, tumblr!  — so I apologize if anything is super wonky when I finally post.)

See you next week! 💜

[Ko-Fi]

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #mymetas #rwby recaps

[retrievablememories]

style | jaehyun

title: style pairing: jaehyun x black!reader genre: fluff request: “I was watching the bts for the photo shoots for neo zone and made think about how fun it would be on set with them. Do you think you could write something more jaehyun centric about being like a new makeup artist on set. It can be a black reader as well if that’s cool with you” word count: 2.8k warnings: none that i can think of except some cursing a/n: oof okay my mind somehow skipped over the “new” part so the reader in this fic is actually pretty experienced w/ being a makeup artist. i could rewrite it but i didn’t want to wait any longer to post this fic since it’s already been a couple weeks since the request. i’m sorry if this is not what you were looking for anon, let me know 🤕

Being a Black makeup artist in a mostly Korean music industry can be weird at times. It’s not the life of roses and perfume that many others at the beginning of your career would’ve had you think it is, but you have managed to carve out your own niche. You have friends and people who support you, and a nice apartment you’re able to pay for with the salary you receive from SM, which is enough for you.

It also doesn’t hurt to be surrounded by pretty men all the time.

You worked for many different groups and solo acts before landing a steady job at SM Entertainment—some were nicer than others, and some were straight-up assholes. You can’t say you miss those days much, especially when you were just starting out and not always certain of where your next paycheck was coming from. Now, your most consistent clients have been NCT, which you are grateful for; they’re always pleasant and fun to work with.

Your latest work with them involves NCT 127’s new album, Neo Zone. You’re coming in today for the first day of the album jacket photoshoot, which you’re excited about; you haven’t seen any of the NCT members since you worked on Coming Home. You don’t mind doing makeup for the other SM acts, but there’s a certain connection you have with this group that you just can’t explain.

With your makeup bag on hand, you enter the studio where the boys are going to be shooting today, already taken aback by the loud orange checkerboard pattern on the floor. There are even garish deer heads and hooves mounted up on the walls; SM has really outdone themselves this time.

“Y/N, it’s you!” Jaehyun looks excited to see you, and his enthusiasm rubs off on you; you shoot him a welcoming smile back.

“Hi Jaehyun,” you say, walking over to where he’s standing. Jaehyun doesn’t hesitate to open his arms to give you a hug, and you appreciate the soothing smell of his cologne before pulling away.

Jungwoo and Mark run up to you too, crushing you between them in a hug, and pretty soon you end up embracing all of the boys as they come over for your attention.

“Wow, that is some hairstyle…” you say as you pull away from Johnny. You reach up to pinch one of his twists between your fingers, examining it with a look halfway between mortification and amusement.

“Do you like it?” he asks, an equally awkward grin on his face.

“Um…I’m sure the fans will love it.” You can only chuckle and pat him on the arm before making your way back over to Jaehyun to start on his look for the shoot. You pull your supplies out of your makeup bag as Jaehyun watches you from the chair; his attention is eventually drawn away when Taeil comes over to show him something on his phone.

When you have everything ready and have pinned his hair out of the way, you start painting his face.

Jaehyun only has one AirPod in his ear; you’re not sure where the other is, but you figure it must be with Taeil or one of the other members. You think he’s just listening to music without paying you any mind, but he says suddenly, “I like when you come around.”

“Oh, really? Why is that?”

“I dunno, your makeup just looks better…” He lowers his voice as if he doesn’t want the other makeup artists to hear, and you laugh inwardly.

“Maybe it’s because I know how to use the right foundation shade.” You both laugh openly at that, and Haechan takes notice, dropping in beside Jaehyun.

“What are you two laughing about? I wanna laugh too,” the younger man says, his eyes round and mischievous.

“Just the fact that it’s no fun to walk around with makeup looking like Casper the Ghost,” you say, and Haechan scoffs.

“Try telling that to….” Haechan’s eyes dart around, and you suspect the makeup artist he wants to throw shade on must be at the shoot with them right now. “...nevermind, that’s a discussion for the group chat!” Instead, he goes over to Taeyong to bother him.

“Group chat? I feel left out now,” you say jokingly, continuing with Jaehyun’s makeup.

“You don’t have one with your stylist friends or something like that?” he asks.

“Yes, but I wanna know what you guys are talking about…” You raise your eyebrows. “That’s just nosy me, though.”

“Nothing interesting,” Jaehyun replies, though you can tell by the look in his eyes that that’s far from the truth.

“Mhmm, sure.” You purse your lips together and shake your head. “Don’t let me find out you’re on some fuckboy shit.”

“If I was, would you punish me?” Jaehyun says this loud enough to draw a few mildly scandalized glances from the stylists and makeup artists standing nearby, and you duck your head, feeling equal parts tickled and embarrassed.

“You’re a mess, Jaehyun. I’m trying to keep this job, okay?” you reprimand him, but there’s no seriousness in it at all.

“Of course, you’re right—I’d never want to see my favorite staff member gone.”

“Shiiit, now I’m just a staff member?” You put a hand over your heart, acting hurt. You both laugh and joke around for a while longer until you’re done with his look for the photoshoot.

Once you finish with Jaehyun’s makeup, you do Mark and then Taeil, chatting casually with them all the while. Taeil is still a bit quiet with you, but he’s incredibly funny when he wants to be, and you can always appreciate a good joke or two. You know Jaehyun “flirts” with you noticeably more than the other members do, but you’ve gotten used to all their subtle differences and you don’t think to chalk it up to more than innocent playfulness—or over-playfulness, maybe.

You’re always somewhere nearby in the background, ready to jump in and retouch someone’s foundation or redo a highlight whenever necessary. You sit back and watch Jaehyun take his solo pictures, admiring your good work on his makeup—or maybe his handsomeness all on its own. He has a good face, you think, and try to convince yourself that you’re only thinking about it in terms of how easy his features are to work with.

Your front row view of the show is interrupted when one of the stylists comes over to ask you a question, and you’re pulled to another area to handle an issue. There’s never not something to do on days like these, though you don’t really mind it; being busy doesn’t bother you as much when the work is fairly fun. 

The other boys continue playing around on the set as they wait their turns for solo photos and then group pictures. You eventually end up back in front of Taeil again, fixing a spot on his foundation with a Q-tip as a hairstylist fusses over his strands.

You sit on one of the couches on set for a moment’s break after finishing with Taeil. Johnny comes creeping over to you with the polaroid camera he’s been carrying for the past half-hour, and you can already guess what’s about to happen. You hold your hands up, blocking your face.

“I know you’re the aspiring photographer and all, but can you give me and my visage a break?”

“Just one?” Johnny begs, giving you his best pout. You give him an unimpressed look and cross your arms, but your face eventually cracks when he keeps throwing you exaggerated pouty expressions.

“It’s not happening! I’m not even prepared for pictures today,” you insist. Your complaints are interrupted when Haechan slides onto the couch beside you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders.

“Don’t you want to take a picture with me, at least?” He tries to press his cheek against yours and you gently chide him about his makeup, not wanting to create more work for the other girls on set who’ll have to fix it. “I knoww, I knoww. If you take a picture with me, I’ll stop!”

You sigh in mock distress. “Fine, one photo! Can’t keep these paparazzi off my back, can I?” You and Haechan end up striking multiple poses for Johnny while he pretends to be an enthusiastic photog capturing a celebrity couple.

“Hope Jaehyun doesn’t get too jealous,” Johnny says absentmindedly, holding one of the shiny polaroids between his fingers. You cock your head at that.

“Now why would he get jealous?”

“Because that’s how Hyung is,” Haechan replies, quickly getting off the couch and trying to usher Johnny off the scene. He acts as if the older man has just said something he wasn’t supposed to, and Johnny belatedly notices his “mistake” with an awkward shrug. Before he leaves, he hands you one of the polaroids of you and Haechan.

“Put it in a scrapbook or something!”

“Sure, Johnny.” You stare at the small photo in your hands, though Johnny’s words stay floating around in your mind well after the first day’s shoot is over.

The next day is hectic, much like the last, though the set is quite different this time around. You definitely feel a bit better about having more space to move around in without other staff members practically standing on top of each other. Johnny’s hair is back to its normal state, though now Taeil and Haechan have braids; you can’t help but squint your eyes at that, though you say nothing. It’s not worth falling out with the hairstylists again—you learned early on that these companies are gonna do whatever the hell they want.

“You look really good today—all thanks to me, of course,” you tell Jaehyun after he finishes recording his part for the BTS video. “Aren’t I magic?”

“Don’t knock the hairstylists, they wouldn’t like to hear that,” he snickers.

“I’d like to do more than knock them, but we ain’t got time for that.” You wave your hand and change the subject. “Did you enjoy yesterday’s shoot? I dunno about you, but I think it went pretty well. Hopefully today is the same.”

Jaehyun nods his agreement. “It was great.” Then he pauses before casually mentioning, “I heard you and Haechan were getting close yesterday, though.” You notice Doyoung and Yuta out of the corner of your eye, lingering around as if they’re waiting on their turn for photos, but it’s clear that they’re eavesdropping from the looks on their faces.

“Yes, so sue me for hanging out with an NCT member that isn’t you, how could I ever betray you in such a way?” You cover your mouth in faux horror and the other man shakes his head, grabbing your elbow.

“I don’t know if my heart will ever recover,” he says, going along with your act. He pulls on your arm and brings your hand to chest. “Feel it—it’s broken!”

This feels like a bold move even for him, and Doyoung makes a noise in the background that confirms your surprise. You whip your head towards the other two men and they immediately scatter, finding other things to preoccupy themselves with to avoid your scolding.

Jaehyun’s heartbeat is a little faster than it should be under your palm, and at this point you can probably guess why. Johnny’s words and Haechan’s near panic come to the forefront of your memory again. You behave as casually as you can, drawing your hand back to your side and quirking an eyebrow at him. Someone calls your name from the other side of the room, and you go to see what they’re hollering about, but not before calling over your shoulder,

“Your heart rate’s elevated, might wanna see a doctor about that!”

You end up having to retouch Jaehyun’s makeup more than usual throughout the shoot because of his playing around with the other boys, whether it’s riding in a shopping cart or trying to pedal a damn bicycle up the wall, and you almost have to wonder if he’s doing it on purpose.

“You’re really gonna make me work for this job, huh?” You put your hands on your hips after finishing your quick fixes.

“Maybe.”

You roll your eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“So, you admit you think I’m cute?”

“What do you expect me to say? You certainly ain’t ugly...don’t let it go to your head, though.” You pat his shoulder and steer him towards the cameras. “Now go on! Don’t make me have to stay past midnight fixing your makeup all day.”

The rest of the jacket shooting goes smoothly—as smoothly as anything can on a busy set, anyway. Yuta even manages to get you to dance with him to one of the songs blaring over the studio’s speakers, though you scurry off again as soon as you see Johnny coming with his phone in hand. You know his blackmail folder must be huge at this point, and you’re not trying to become a part of the collection.

The boys come over for their hugs again as you pack up your makeup bag. Pretty soon, the only one left without an embrace is Jaehyun.

“Saving the best for last?” you ask as he watches you. He really does do that a lot, you realize.

He shrugs as if he’s unaffected by your compliment, but his dimples peeking out give him away every time.

“You can just say it, you know.” You look around and lower your voice. Though the playlist is still cycling through as loud as ever, you’d rather not have anyone else’s ears in your conversation right now.

“Say what?” he whispers back, still smiling.

“Hello! I think we both know.”

“You want to hear me say it that bad?”

“That’s rich coming from you! I’m not the one who pulled a move literally out of a kdrama earlier.” As you speak, you accidentally knock over a bottle of setting spray on the table, and both of you reach for it at the same time. 

Jaehyun’s fingers linger on yours, sending little sparks of excitement up your arm and through your body. You risk a look at him, and although you’re supposed to be keeping it low right now, you feel as if you’re the only two left in the room. He leans closer, and his familiar scent hits your senses again, threatening to wrap you up permanently in its hold.

“You’re right. I like you.”

Jaehyun picks up the fallen bottle and presses it into your hand, and it takes you a few seconds to react and put it back in your bag.

“I knew it,” you lie. You’re not sure why you feel so nervous about this, or why you feel like you’re doing something you shouldn’t. It’s not uncommon for idols to date their stylists; after all, they’re around each other all the time. But that doesn’t mean the company or anyone else will approve.

“Yes, Detective, you’ve figured out the big mystery.” You glare at Jaehyun for that, but he remains unphased. He turns around and leans against the table, giving off a casual air when he’s really checking to make sure no one is heading in your direction. “So...what do you say?”

You decide to draw this out a little longer just because you can. “To what?”

“I know you like me too.”

“Maybe,” you say, mimicking his earlier answer. “What are you gonna do about it if I do?”

“Make you my girlfriend, duh.” He says it with all the confidence in the world, but then backtracks a little when you give him an amused look. “Only if that’s what you want, though; we don’t have to do anything if—”

“You’re overthinking it!” You shake your head as you put the last thing in your makeup bag and zip it up. “I want to. Really. But you’re gonna have to take me out first.”

“Just tell me where you wanna go. I’ll take you anywhere.”

You sling your bag over your shoulder and sigh. “Have you always been this good with words? Or is it just because I like you?”

Jaehyun pushes himself off the table and steps closer, crowding into your personal space. “You tell me.”

“Don’t be so obvious.” You step back when you notice one of the managers’ eyes lingering where you two are standing. “Just...text me. You know how to reach me, right?”

“Of course.”

You continue stepping backwards towards the entrance, not wanting to let him out of your sight just yet. You smile and wave with both hands, still playing the role of “makeup artist to a super-famous kpop idol” and not “departing girlfriend” like you want to. “Then we’ll talk next time! Bye, Jaehyun!”

Jaehyun waves back, and you don’t turn around until you’re well into the hallway and one of the other boys has called him to hurry up. Leaving the building, you lean against one of the outside walls to take a breather before you head to your car.

“Holy shit.”

#jaehyun fluff #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 fic #jaehyun fic #ambw fic #ambw kpop #ambw scenarios #ambw imagines #jaehyun #nct 127 #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct fic #yes...two fics for the price of one today

[babayagakeanu]

You’re Everything- Neo/Reader*

Summary: Reader’s first time with Neo

A/N: I watched The Matrix: Reloaded again, and  the sex scene really hit me in the feels 

Y/n paced around her room aboard the Nebuchadnezzar, the combination of three shirts and an oversized sweater making her sweat a little. She had gotten jealous earlier, seeing Neo talk and flirt with one of the new members of the crew. She was pretty, there was no denying that. Long brown hair, Smokey eyes and pillowy lips. She had dropped her cup out of anger, the metal clanging to the floor with a loud bang. She had caused everyones heads to turn, and as Neo’s eyes landed on hers, she felt the blush creep onto her cheeks and immediately stormed off to her room. 

It had been a little under an hour when someone knocked on the metal door, and she had half the mind to ignore it if it weren’t for her already rushing feet. She swung the door open and found Neo standing on the opposite end, the holes of his sweater exposing the flesh she desperately wanted to grasp at. The feelings she had begrudgingly suppressed were rising back to the surface, and she didn’t know if she could hold back any longer.

“Y/n, I came to check on you.” Neo stated, watching as your eyes were cast down to the floor in embarrassment. “I wanted to see if you were okay.” Y/n nods, motioning for Neo to come inside. He steps over the metal threshold, taking a look around to find that everything was neat. 

“Uh, thanks, Neo. I’m fine.” She watched as he stretched to put away some little things that were strewn across her bed, the muscles of his back stretching and gliding with his movements. 

“Yeah? That’s what people who aren’t fine say, so tell me.” She stays silent, her eyes cast down again as her feet fiddled with the cold floor. “You’re never like this, Y/n. Please?” He lifts her chin up and his honey eyes stare directly into hers. She sighs, the slight push of her blowing her hair out of her face. 

“It’s nothing, Neo. Please don’t push.” She turns from him, the sting of his hand still on her chin. Neo sighs, running a frustrated hand through the growing hair on his head. Groans of the ship fill the room, a heavy silence between them. She doesn’t know why she can’t tell him, maybe it’s the close friendship they’ve builded over the years, or maybe it’s the slight possibility of rejection. Ultimately, the truth will come out eventually.

“Y/n, I’m not pushing. All I want to do is make you feel better,” Neo paused, distracted by the way her sweater falls off her shoulder, exposing the silky skin that lied beneath. He’d always dreamed off kissing her, feeling her soft lips against his, and watching as she came apart underneath him. He’d loved her, the moment she took the red pill, he knew he was hers forever. Every waking moment of his was spent thinking about her, wishing she was his, wishing everyone knew she was his. “We’re friends, y/n. You can tell me anything.” It was in that moment, that everything she had kept below the surface, had boiled over.

“Is that all I am to you? A friend? Neo, for being the one, you are fucking stupid!” She shouts, not caring who hears the two of them. “Every single day, you are on my mind. You were never just a friend to me, I didn’t take the red pill to just join out of thin air, I joined because the moment I saw you, I loved you. I still do Neo. I love you.” She was in front of him now, gaging his reaction. When she sees that he has nothing to say, she breaks the connection between the two, probably to go cower in a corner of her room. When she’s almost out of his  reach, he stretches and yanks her back into his hard chest.

He stares down at her, his once honey eyes now mahogany. Her breathing is erratic, and her pulse is running at 60 miles per hour. “ Do you mean it?” He only asks one question, only needing the truth to confirm his greatest desire. She only nods, and before she can say anything, Neo catches her lips in a bruising kiss. 

“I never thought,” He said in between fast and heated kisses, “that you felt the same way. I would’ve told you three years ago.” She moans low in his mouth, the taste of mint filling her mouth. His hand cards through her hair, pulling it a bit to give himself access to her neck. Soft, flirty kisses are left in his wake, sighs of pleasure escaping her mouth. Her grip on his sweater tightens, her nails digging deliciously into his pale skin. The small gathering was still going on in the background, the laughs of their friends filling the ship. Neo slips his warm hand under her shirt, and feels her tense up, worrying finding it’s way onto his soft features.

“Is this okay, Y/n?” he asks, searching her eyes for any indication of discomfort. She nods, she wants to have sex with him, of course. The only thing that’s stopping her is her virginity. “I, um,” she twiddles her fingers together, eyes  cast down to the floor again, a common thing to do when she is embarrassed.  “I’ve never done...it.” Neo removes his hand from her shirt and brings it up to cup her cheek. “That’s okay, sweetheart. We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I can wait for you, baby.” He kisses her lips, gentle this time, pouring all the love he had for her into the kiss, hoping the words would translate. 

“No.” She shakes her head, and Neo almost frowns but she continues, “I want to. Frankly, I was saving it for you, when this time would come, and it did.” She’s all smile now, looking as Neo stared at her as if she was the only girl in the world. 

“I love you, y/n. We’ll go as slow as possible, and if we need to stop, you need to tell me, okay?” Once she nods, he’s kissing her again, much more passionate than the other, and she’s pressing her body against his. “You’re so beautiful.” He states, laying her down and marveling at how angelic she looked. Hair splayed against the ratty pillow beneath her, her lip red and swollen from his kisses, and her soft stomach exposed underneath the holed sweater. She blushes at his comment, and he smiles down at her. He grabs the bottom of her sweater, silently asking for permission and she obliges, tearing off the couple of layers beneath it as well. Her breasts almost knock the wind out of him, perfectly shaped and full, with nipples hardening at the chill of the room. He lays soft, teasing kisses on the swell of her breasts, her breathing becoming erratic at the sheer pleasure. His lips finally find a nipple, kissing it first before going in to suck at it, watching as her mouth falls open. He takes it a step further by slightly grazing his teeth against her hardened peak, chuckling at the sound that departs her lips. 

“You taste like heaven, baby. Can’t wait to give you my love.” he says, breathless and needy. “Neo, please...” She gasps as he pays her other peak the same attention, hips involuntarily jutting against his own. He groans as he feels her core, warm and waiting for him to devour. His kisses leave a hot trail down her stomach, teeth biting and sucking at the softened flesh as he reaches her navel. His teeth toy with the band of her sweatpants, leaving her completely in awe of him. She’d never seen him so aroused, especially by her. She’d never seen him so beautiful in this moment, the impending actions awaiting before them, the excitement hiding behind his brown eyes. This was real, and she let that sink in for a moment as his hands pull her sweatpants down, leaving her in her black panties, a little white bow resting at the top. Her legs close, suddenly ashamed at the fact that she didn’t have the proper underwear. Neo sees this and frowns, “You’re a fucking goddess, y/n. Don’t shy away from me, can’t you feel how bad I want you?” He presses his covered member, hard as rock and waiting to fill her sweet cunt. She gasps loudly, a sound that rings throughout the room and if anyone would have walked by, they would have heard them. He takes his rough hands and spreads her legs out so that they lay flat against her bed. 

His lips leave kisses, each kiss gets closer to her heated core, wet and needy for him. She’d masturbated before, sure, and she’s felt arousal too, but never like this. It’s different with someone you love. She watches in a hazy awe as his hot tongue lay flat against her clothed core, and wiggles a little, causing her to squirm under his hold. With a final kiss on her covered clit, he finally shrugs off the last piece of clothing that is guarding her womanhood. He stops and shrugs off his clothes, y/n watching as his hard cock flings back against him stomach. To say he was a good size was an understatement. He was big, thick and long with a nestle of dark hair sitting at the base of his cock. Neo smirked at her, following her eyes and returning her gaze with his heated one. He sinks down again, laying flat against the bed, the sheets causing a delicious friction under his cock. He stares at her cunt, swollen and drenched in her wetness. She was ready for him, and he was ready for her, too. His lips attached themselves to her clit without warning, inducing a loud cry from her lips. 

“Fuck, Neo! I-I need more,” she moans, her hand running roughly through his hair, catching a vice grip in the short strands. He chuckles into her folds, the vibrations making her legs shake against the smooth of his back. His tongue drags slow circles around her clit, teasing her as he inserts a finger into her dripping cunt. The foreign intrusion makes her wince a little, but it subsides after she feels Neo’s tongue move faster. “Oh, Neo!” She gasps, feeling a knot form in her stomach, the ache chasing the pleasure. “I’m gonna—” She screams, her grip on his hair tightens, making Neo groan as he laps up every drop of her juice. He talks her down from her high, caressing her face as if she was a porcelain doll. He kisses her again, the combination of her juices and Neo making her moan into his mouth. 

“Okay, princess, I’m gonna go slow, okay? You let me know if anything hurts and I’ll stop?” His eyes hold nothing but love and adoration for her as he slowly pushes into her, the pain that had briefly subsided was there again, this time at full force. Tears prick at the corner of her eyes, and Neo kisses them away. “Are you okay, baby? Do I need to stop?” 

She shakes her head roughly, “No, please don’t. I’m okay, just keep going until I tell you to move.” He presses a chaste kiss to her lips, before pushing himself deeper into her burning cunt. Once he’s buried in her to the hilt, she motions for him to move, the slight rush of pleasure slowly eating away at the pain. Once she’s moaning, her hips jutting against his in an attempt to go faster, Neo finally rocks into her, his pace quickening just like his breath. 

“Fuck, y/n. You’re so tight around me, you’re practically milking my cock.” he grumbles, fucking into her as she mewls into his mouth. He pulls out of her and flips her over, her back bent and her ass up into his face, her pussy swollen and dripping with arousal. He thrusts back in, the new position making y/n see stars. Her low moans turn into high whines as his tip brushes against her sweet spot, her impending orgasm looming over them like a cloud. “You feel so good inside me, baby! I fucking love you so much, Neo!” She gasps, the sound of his balls slapping against her thighs adding background noise. 

“Fuck, I love you too, sweetheart, I’ve been waiting for this for years. I don’t know how long I’ll last.” He’s slamming into her at a brutal pace, causing y/n to clench around him as her second orgasm hits her harder than ever before, slumping around him as her legs shake and her body spasms. He holds her with a strong arm around her stomach, continuing to thrust into her as his hips stutter and stall, spilling deep inside of her with a throaty groan. 

———————

They lay in bed, sheets thrown over them as they stare at each other, basking in the post orgasmic glow. Her lamp creates a golden hue, and Neo presses soft kisses to her shoulder. 

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Neo asks, throwing an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest, the warmth making y/n sigh in delight. “Surely, you must’ve see the way I looked at you, y/n. The way my heart felt like it was in my throat when we spoke, or when I would make you laugh, your hand would always hit my chest or rest on my arm. You’re everything to me, y/n, I love you.” 

She was asleep, but he knew she heard him subconsciously, and that was all he needed as they dozed off, ignoring the whoops and hollers from the team. 

#Neo x reader smut #the matrix #the matrix reloaded #keanu reeves x reader smut #keanu reeves #i love Neo #virgin!reader #tiny bit angsty #Neo is a soft boi

[jubans]

title: chance encounter pairing: settsu banri/fem!reader rating: g (general) premise: on a perfectly normal morning, at the perfectly flourished breakfast table, taichi asks banri a perfectly off-putting question.

"ban-chan, how the heck is your hair so silky?!"

Banri usually starts up his day skirting everyone else in the lounge to be the first one in the showers. Unlike most of the men that reside in the Mankai dorms, he actually takes the time to scrub down every niche in his body until it's squeaky clean. But, oh, don't even get him started with the intricacies that came with taking care of his hair. That conversation is something none of the members of the troupe (except, maybe, Azuma) are ready for, and he likes to keep it that way.

But on a perfectly normal morning, at the perfectly flourished breakfast table, Taichi asks Banri a perfectly off-putting question.

"Ban-chan, how the heck is your hair so silky?!"

The neo gangster, as Yuki typically calls him, just finished shrugging on his school blazer when he casts Taichi a bizarre look. He has a notepad and a textbook in front of him, balancing a pen in his fingers as he stares back at Banri expectantly. The little brat is in the middle of cramming his homework, and he has the audacity to distract himself like that?

"Conditioner," is all he says in return, grabbing one of the toast slices Omi left for them.

Juza scoffs from where he's stuffing his face with pancakes on the other end. "That ain't very helpful." 

"I wasn't fucking talking to you, Hyodo," Banri grates at him dismissively. 

"Banri-kun," he hears Sakuya calling out from the lounge, where he and Masumi are already slinging their schoolbags across their shoulders. "You ready to go?"

He spares Taichi a minute nod of the head, telling him to stop doing his homework the day it's due before picking up his own bag. Then, he gives Juza the finger, earning a momentary scolding from Sakyo, who just happens to pass by when he does it. Then, after a few words in farewell bid to those who don't work nor study—Citron delaying their departure a little because he'd wanted to show how to make a blade (braid)—the Hanasaki High boys were on their way. 

"So noisy," Masumi mutters as he pulls the door behind him. "But if it was the Director, I wouldn't mind." 

Sakuya laughs, leading the way for the three of them. "There's never a dull moment in the dorms, huh?" 

As they traverse the short distance to school, Banri hangs back a little when Sakuya asks Masumi about the younger boy's literature class. Their conversation fades into background noise in his ears as he let his eyes wander around the neighborhood. But when they pass by a familiar intersection, Banri instinctively flickers his gaze at the tall, white house in the corner lot—a girl in a dark green uniform closing the gate behind her. 

You're preoccupied with something on your phone, oblivious to the three boys that are walking past your house—him included. But given that Ouka High is the opposite way from where they're headed, he doesn't even get the chance to slip in a quick hello. 

Well, it's not like you'd remember someone like him, right?

"Ugh, this sucks!"

A week after Banri moved into the Mankai dorms, he found himself facing a rather pressing dilemma: the shampoo provided for the troupe members made his hair disgustingly greasy.  

And that was how he wound up at the nearby grocery store, grumbling about how cheap that yakuza, Sakyo, was being with their commodities. If you want something else, buy it yourself, he told him. Giving the old man the last word might have let his pride take a hard blow, but it was a small price to pay for comfort. He'd rather kiss ass to the cheapskate than live another day with greasy hair.

But when he reached the toiletries section, he realized another thing. 

The brand he used at home was something his sister imported from another country. 

"Having trouble picking something out?"

Banri cast a withering glare at the girl who dared to point out his predicament, but his irritation morphed into curiosity when he noticed that you donned the familiar green of the Ouka High uniform. The next thing he noticed was the way your shiny, luscious hair cascaded down your shoulders, as smooth as a waterfall. He retracted his hostility for a minute, wondering if you could be his saving grace. Banri was good at a lot of things, but he didn't want to make any gambles with his current conundrum. 

"Yeah," he answered hesitantly. "Uh, do you know which brand doesn't make your hair oily? Shampoo brand, I mean." 

You blinked up at him for a second, confused, before your eyes lit up with realization. "Ah, O'Real is a really nice brand. Makes my hair really bouncy." To demonstrate, you swished your head around, making your long tresses sway with the movement in a dazzling fashion. "But you can't just settle with the shampoo. It's better to buy the value pack with conditioner over...here." 

Plucking one of the aforementioned value packs, you handed it to Banri without much preamble. He glanced at the price tag stuck to the bottom, and he had to force himself not to wince with how much it'll cost him. 

He was momentarily spared from his monetary concerns when he noticed you struggling to carry the basket you held in both hands. It was filled with an assortment of products ranging from laundry detergent to cold cuts. While he usually didn't offer girls his help lest they asked for it, Banri decided to make an exception.

"You need a hand with that?" He flicked his gaze downwards. 

You flushed at his offer, shaking your head (his eyes staring a bit too long at the way your hair moved once again). "Oh, no, no! I couldn't possibly bother you with—"

"Come on," he said, clicking his tongue as he plucked the basket from your grasp. "I ain't taking no for an answer. Consider this as...payback. For helpin' me out."

Relenting, you folded your arms across your chest, smiling up at him cheekily. "Would you at least tell me your name, then?" 

"Settsu Banri," he replied coolly. "You still headed to the other aisles?"

"Nope. I remembered last minute that I still have an unopened bottle of conditioner at home," you sigh, giggling at him. "You're not very delicate with girls, are you?"

He stiffened for a moment. Well, you weren't wrong. His sister was one of the toughest women he'd ever seen, and even though he didn't expect every woman to turn out the same way, Banri never once treated girls like fragile glass. His raucous behavior around them prompted most of his female classmates to steer clear of him—not that he'd minded, but this was the first time someone had spoken the words to his face.

"What about you?" he wondered gruffly in hopes of switching up the conversation. "What's your name?" 

"(Surname) (Name)," you told him with a cheeky grin. "Shall we go, Settsu-kun? I mean, you'd want to wash your greasy hair as soon as possible, right?"

His mouth hung agape with disbelief as you happily pranced out of the toiletries section—leaving him with the realization that there were people aside from Juza that could pick a fight with him. 

And, surprisingly, he'd let this one slide.

"You know (Name)?" 

Okay, he didn't expect Juza to react like that when Banri decided to ask him about you when his roommate arrived at home. 

"Yeah, I ran into her at the grocery store a few months back," he says, ticked off. "What's it to ya?"

"Stay away from her," Juza tells him off sharply as he swings his school bag up to his bed. "I mean it, Settsu. Fuck around with me, I don't care. But I swear to god, if you touch my cousin—"

Banri does a double-take on that one. "Cousin? How much fuckin' family do you have, Hyodo?" 

"A lot," he replies like he doesn't want to talk about it, but Juza's glare doesn't ease up and for a minute, Banri feels a genuine spite emitting from his roommate. The neo gangster sighs, twirling his phone in his fingers. He sort of knew that asking Juza about you would be a stretch even if you both went to the same school, but how the hell was he supposed to know that you were his goddamn cousin?

After you checked out your groceries that day, you managed to scam him into carrying them for you to your house as well. You were quite the charmer, he had to admit. You'd smooth-talked him into doing your bidding so easily that it was hard to imagine you being related to the mumbling nervous wreck of an actor that was Juza. 

It was a chance encounter, he thinks. He could have gone to a different grocery store at a different time at a different date, yet he was there specifically when you found him glaring at the shampoo and conditioner on the shelves. Banri doesn't believe in shit like fate or destiny, but it was a little freaky when he'd seen you again this morning after Taichi asked about his hair—months since he'd last seen you. 

"If it means anything, she's always been going to our shows, though," Juza mumbles a few minutes later, catching Banri by surprise. "She's been curious about the guy that's been pickin' fights with me all this time, and I told her it was the one who played Luciano in Picaresque."

"O-Oi!" he yells out. "Don't sully my name before she can even properly meet me!"

"Why do you care?" Juza challenges, brows raised with curiosity. "I thought you didn't give two shits about girls."

For the first time, he can't offer up a single retort. In a battle of wits, he thought he'd win against Juza in every instance, but now...

"Fuck off!" Banri shouted at him, storming out of their room as he hid the blush creeping up his neck from his roommate's view.

#a3! #act! addict! actors! #a3 #a3 x reader #a3 fanfiction #a3 headcanons #banri x reader #banri #banri settsu #settsu banri #juza hyodo #fluff

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Will We Be Friends When We Grow Old?

A Tsugumi and Shoka fic. Oneshot. Major Neo spoilers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33277189

More detailed plot summary: Tsugumi helps to comfort Shoka about the loss of Ayano, as they hold a memorial for her. This fic is mainly platonic. Though some slight one-sided shipping ended up in here (Tsugumi towards Shoka), but it’s blink and you miss it and you can still choose to see it as platonic. Also, RindoShoka and Neku and background someone. For me, it’s Shiki. But I didn’t specify, and you could maybe imagine it as someone else. Tsugumi’s PoV. Oneshot. Canon compliant

Tsugumi had only been in Shinjuku again for a few weeks—trying to figure out how they could bring it back from the brink, and have it be shiny and new again—when she got a call from Shoka, begging her to come back to Shibuya for a bit, because she needed someone with her who could understand the crippling loss of Ayano and be there for a memorial.

And while this was a tiny bit inconvenient—because Kaie had electronics mapped to Tsugumi’s head right now, in thinking maybe her visions of Shinjuku could help to create it, and then they could use something like a 3D printer to recreate it... after they made one that strong—Tsugumi knew that she would happily tell her friend Kaie to wait a little longer on this, so she could go comfort Shoka.

After all, how long had she been trapped in her Mr. Mew doll because of that bastard Kubo, before Shiki’s kind soul had wrestled her out of it? So, Tsugumi thought she could wait longer for her home to surface from the seas again, too.

Especially since Tsugumi knew it had to be hard for Shoka right now, without her old family. She had the Wicked Twisters... and while Tsugumi was sure they were trying their best to help soothe Shoka’s pain about Ayano’s erasure, it probably wouldn’t mean as much as someone doing the same who understood the loss themselves.

So, Tsugumi delicately removed the wires from her head, texted Shoka that she'd be there in a jiffy, and then looked to Kaie, who was definitely looking at her questioningly right now.

"Sorry, Kaie," Tsugumi reassured her dear friend, as she patted his hand. "Can this wait for a week? I want Shinjuku back as soon as you do. I swear. But Shoka needs me. It seems she's having a memorial service for Ayano, and needs the support. I'll be back in a week, okay?"

'That's fine', Kairi texted Tsugumi near instantly, once her words had seemed to reach his ears. 'Be sure to give Shoka my best.'

And Tsugumi smiled at Kaie even brighter now, because something about hearing him care about Shoka was aligning her soul, when a part of her had been afraid that her Shinjuku family would never reconnect with Shoka again. But clearly she needn't have worried. And that was a very beautiful thing, indeed.

"Don't worry!" she promised Kaie, her hand on her heart. "I will."

...

It didn't take Tsugumi too long to get back to Shibuya with her Reaper wings.

And one of the first things she saw when she arrived there, was Shoka and Rindo leaving 104... and Shoka wearing white clothes, of all things! Rindo was wearing all white, too.

And though it took Tsugumi a second to guess why, she did eventually figure out the reason. Shoka liked this one book series called "The Mortal Instruments", and in that, the characters with special powers—the Shadowhunters—wore white to funerals, instead of black. And Shoka must have been doing that here, since she usually wore black, and must have gotten Rindo to go along with that, as well... even though he usually seemed to wear a lot of white, from what Tsugumi had seen, he was wearing nothing but it now. And Tsugumi knew she would have to do the same thing.

"Shoka, it's so good to see you!" Tsugumi exclaimed as soon as she found her voice, running up to her surrogate sister and giving her a hug. "And I'm so sorry that I didn't think about that leaving you here alone, would mean leaving you to deal with the loss of Ayano alone. But I'm here now. And since here funeral is going to be ‘City of Bones’ themed... I can get the instrumental for for 'When the Darkness Comes' to sing, if you want."

"Thank you so much, Tsugumi!" Shoka cried, pulling Tsugumi only tighter into her arms. And Tsugumi was completely happy to be there, as she stroked Shoka’s hair and took in the sweet smell of Shoka’s raspberry scented perfume once again. “That sounds great. I'm so glad you're here, Tsugumi! And I'm so glad to see you again!" And Shoka kissed Tsugumi on the cheek then, leaving a stain of red lipstick there for the moment... until Tsugumi had to sort of awkwardly wipe it off (though maybe it actually wasn’t too awkward for Tsugumi at all).

And speaking of awkward, it was clear that Rindo felt that way right now. And Tsugumi wondered if he was second-guessing his place as Shoka's best friend at the moment.

But he was definitely that, Tsugumi was ashamed to say. Because the “The Mortal Instruments” was one of the few things Tsugumi knew about Shoka lately, since she'd been so focused on saving Shinjuku, she’d let her fall through the cracks. And how she desperately regretted that.

"I don't know if it's gonna be much of a funeral," Rindo explained to Tsugumi now, maybe thinking it was best that she got all the detes? "I asked Shoka if she wanted one for Ayano, and told her my mom could help pay for it and everything. But she said she'd rather just have a short vigil at Miyashita Park, where we can leave tributes to her. Though I'm sure you could sing during it, if you'd like."

"Thank you," Tsugumi told Mr. Twister, looking at him with her eyes shining. She thought it was pretty sweet, that even though the event would be short, he would make time for his former enemy to sing, if she would wish it. Tsugumi might have even started fangirling over him then, as much as she did Lord Ishimoto, if she hadn't realized then that she might be too choked up to sing. Because she was still heartbroken up about Ayano, too. And thoughts of her, often brought on thoughts of Big Su, that would really start up the waterworks in her...

"So, were we planning on going right now, then?" Tsugumi asked. But it was pretty obvious by the way that Shoka and Rindo were dressed, that that was the case. "Wow. I made it just in time, then!"

"I would have done it a second time with you, if you'd been late," Shoka assured Tsugumi, taking her hand. "And I'll do the same for Shiba, Kaie, and even Hishima, whenever they get their asses up here."

At this point, Rindo had pretty much disappeared into the scenery of 104, the poor kid—Tsugumi did feel bad about leaving him out, she wasn't trying to, but this sort of was a moment for her and Shoka right now—but thankfully, Neku, Fret... and some prissy looking kid seemed to be showing up for him, and Shoka, too, to keep him occupied.

"Kaie told me to send you his love," Tsugumi promised Shoka, squeezing her hands. "And I'm sure he'll be down right after I am. And Shiba and Hishima care, too. You know them, Shoka. They really do, deep down, as do I. And I'm so sorry if I ever made that unclear. But they might wait until Shinjuku is in some proper form again, before they stop by. But I know they will. And you could always come visit us, you know! In fact, please do, Shoka. Please?! With sugar on top!

"Anyway, let me go to 104 and buy some all-white clothes, and then we can get this solemn show on the road!"

And Tsugumi did just that.

They ended up getting forget-me-nots for Ayano, to let her know she would never be forgotten. And since, sadly, the fact she had never forgotten Shinjuku was part of the reason she could never embrace Shibuya, Shoka had let Tsugumi know. And even Blue Pepsi, since she loved the beverage and it somewhat matched her favorite shirt, and the Maximum Ride book series, since there was a character named "Iggy" in there, like her iguana.

And Shoka left her her Mr. Mew hoodie, thinking that maybe Ayano would like to have it, and might understand her love for Gatto Nero now, wherever her soul pieces were.

And Tsugumi did sing for her, though she broke key once, as the tears overwhelmed her... but Neku had chimed right in then, and had covered it up and no one had heard anything wrong. And if Neku hadn’t already been in a committed relationship, Tsugumi could have kissed him for it.

A girl named Rhyme had a few adages to say... as did Nagi say some very wise things over their gathered items.

And Fret bought a long scarf to tie off a part of Miyashita Park with all of the stuff here, so no one would mess with it for a while. Rindo had helped Fret do that (and had then gone back to holding Shoka). Rindo was also largely responsible for all of this, Tsugumi knew, so she definitely knew he was going to be on her Christmas list from now on.

Shiki had looked rather pained when Rindo and Fret had stretched the scarf so thinly, though—as if expecting it to rip right away—and had already broke out her needle and thread, and might have been creeping closer and closer to it as she eyed it...

And then Beat banged a small drum at the end of it all, to then try and make them all feel better—which was much appreciated, because Tsugumi didn't know if she liked where Joshua was so intently watching where Ayano had apparently fallen—as he told everyone that Ayano wouldn't want them to grieve... Shoka and Tsugumi, anyway.

And it was truly an event to remember. And Tsugumi knew that she would for as long as she existed in her non-life.

She even had new friends now, that she hadn't counted on at all when she'd started this venture here.

She'd thought she'd stay jealous of them and not fully understand why Shoka had left her family.

But now Tsugumi was hugging Shoka goodbye and promising she'd visit Shibuya and the Twisters again soon... though still making sure to try and needle Shoka into visiting Shinjuku, too.

"It's been great, Shoka. See you soon, dark girl," Tsugumi teased, running her hands up and down the lady's arms, as she did so.

And she could pretty much hear Shoka smirk—or perhaps purr—as she shot back with lips and teeth against Tsugumi's cheek, "And see you soon, light girl."

And then Tsugumi's visit to Shibuya turned out better than even Shiba could have guessed when he'd been the Executor.

Because by a literal miracle... spilling into Shoka's apartment, to hug them both now—as all three sobbed, and made promises to hold onto each other and never act so foolishly again—was Ayano.

Author’s Note: The ending with Ayano coming back is super cheesy, I know. And I sort of hate to write it. But when I had Joshua at the memorial too, I knew it had to happen.

This will be the one TWEWY story I write, that sort of cheapens death. The anime soften TWEWY’s blows by bringing Nao and Sota and Def March back to life (which I appreciated, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think they were brought back in the game. And I get why they weren’t: to not cheapen death). So, this will be the one where I soften Neo’s blows, I guess.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Oh, and the title is a lyric from the song “End of the Line” by Christi Mac, which is pretty good. I couldn’t think of anything else to name it, so I went with that. -shrugs-

And, yes. I do think Tsugumi ended up with one-sided feelings for Shoka in this. I didn’t intend this when I wrote it, but it just happened… which is sort of what gave birth to my theory on Tumblr, about me wondering if maybe Tsugumi was actually beta!Rindo. And I believe that now, but it’s just a game theory, as MatPat would say. But anyway, you guys can also gladly ignore those one-sided feelings that sort of crept up in here, if you want, and see this all as platonic as it was meant to be, if you want! Or not! Whatever floats your boat!

And while I wanted to write something for Shoka and Tsugumi—because the game hinted at their friendship, but then didn’t do much with it—someone on Tumblr actually responded to my post about that and gave me the idea to have Tsugumi help Shoka deal with the loss of Ayano. But now I can’t find the commenter. But shoutout to them. If it was you and you’re reading this—or anyone here knows who it was—let me know, so I can give credit where credit is due!

Shutting up now!

#neo twewy #tsugumi #shoka #Tsugumi and shoka #Tsugumi matsunae #Shoka sakurane #neo #ntwewy #neo the world ends with you #twewy #the world ends with you #it's a wonderful world #subarashiki kono sekai #fanfiction #oneshot #canon compliant #canon #gen fic #friendship #friendship fic #platonic #Shanna writes #my writing #my work #mine

[fmdjaewonarchive]

► agree.

date(s): july 2020 - february 2021 mentions of: champion members, unity members (samsoo, yul & sunghee mentioned by name but like... blink and you’ll miss it)  word count: +/- 2.3k words (870w lyrics/660 words composition/740 words production) warnings: mentions of anxiety, panic attacks and car accidents details: full lyrics and full composition verification for agree, 3/3 verifications for jaewon’s upcoming album escapism. jaewon doesn’t only know how to write sad boi music, he also writes angry boi music, the only two emotions he’s ever experienced rlly. (a/n: i lost my braincells within the first 100 words and still haven’t retrieved them, read at your own discretion)

the song is born out of frustration, anger blocking up his throat to the point it feels hard to breathe.

it’s the kick-off point of champion’s world tour, a concept that has jaewon disgruntled enough as it is, snatching him away from unity and dropping him in the states like he is supposed to care about this group, like he doesn’t have better things to worry about.

but alas that’s beside his point, as much as he detests the idea behind champion, it’s not his main source of frustration.

traveling out to the states, that part is hell. now jaewon has never been a huge fan of traveling, suffering from a crippling fear of flying ever since predebut that somehow has not gotten any less severe with the sheer amount of flying all over the place unity has been doing. jaewon also absolutely hates airports, they’re too crowded, too hectic and far too stressful to not immediately put him in a godawful mood.

the cameras shoved right into his face both prior to departure and directly after arrival definitely didn't help.

comparatively, champion’s trip to the states this time hadn’t been that bad. jaewon just happens to be in an extra foul mood today but rationally, he has to admit that he’s seen far worse throughout the years.

but maybe that’s exactly the problem, how common these things have become, that getting pushed and pulled at while trying to get on flight was considered to be mild.

jaewon’s frustration isn’t solely aimed at an isolated instance, it’s at the ridiculous standard that’s been set for idols, the things they have to accept like they are normal.

normally he would call soo to complain about whatever was bothering him but with the time difference, jaewon knew his boyfriend was ought to be asleep at this hour and he definitely wasn’t waking him up for something this minor.

he even humors the thought of perhaps finding sunghee or yul to complain to but with most of champion out for the night doing whatever (admittedly, jaewon didn’t listen when they were making plans, he wasn’t gonna tag along anyway) that isn’t really in the cards either. perhaps that’s for the best, jaewon isn’t the biggest fan of actually talking to the younger unity members about what was on his mind.

either way, jaewon is stuck in a hotelroom by himself, no one around to really vent his frustration too so instead, he might just as well write it all down.

and that’s exactly what he does, settling down at the desk in his hotelroom, scribbling on a notepad randomly found laying around.

on the plane the person in the seat next to me that’s not my fan apparently buying info off the airplane company

it’s not entirely relevant to what happened at the airport earlier but jaewon feels angry all over just thinking about it. unity has had it’s fair share of experiences with saesangs, seemingly only increasing the more popular they keep getting. sure, that makes sense but it doesn’t mean it’s okay, contrary to what dimensions seem to believe with how easily the company brushes it off under the pretense of it just being another part of the job.

at the airplane lounge there’s a war between the 200 mm guns privacy, panic disorder, they barter with one another...

in the first place, jaewon’s main concern is unity, it always is. he’s willing to put up with a lot if it means the younger members are left off the hook. but he has to admit, since the panic attacks have started to become more prevalent, it’s a lot harder to take that stance. it’s hard to take care of others when he fails to take care of himself.

jaewon tries not to think about what that means for his position as a leader.

from early morning put on a mask and fight on in short, call it being a puppet...

jaewon knows he’s not an ideal idol, he’s never been and he never will be. maybe in retrospect, he would have done things differently but there is no use in considering those what-ifs now. there is, however, no denying that all of it is just a bigger struggle with him, it will never go as easily as with people who were made to stand in front of the camera’s. why shouldn’t he get to be open and honest about that? he’s not the perfect idol they want him to be, he will never fit that mold.

i know, that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right i know that’s right that’s right that’s right

written out, the chorus feels a bit silly, but jaewon feels justified in his creative choices. not that the song is ever going to be used for anything, it’s just an attest to his frustration. jaewon knows he’s ought to sit down and silently accept whatever is expected of him.

it’s been years since he’s been his own person. these days, he’s dimensions’ property first and that of the general public second, there is no use in fighting that, no space for his voice.

so sure, whatever, he agrees, what else can he do?

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

jaewon forgets about the lyrics he’s written down after that.

in the moment there had been no intention to turn them into a full-fledged song, a haphazard combination of lyrics that in their raw form, probably held very little meaning, too much filler between the few parts that he did properly think through.

so jaewon forgets all about it before he even sets foot back in korea again. unity is busy enough, the release of neo zone lurking around the corner and with multiple schedules of his own, jaewon can’t even think about the song if he wants to.

it only comes drifting back into his consciousness at least a month of two having passed since champion’s american tour dates.

the day in itself isn’t anything special, if there is anything remarkable about it it’s the fact jaewon isn’t working for once. he’s just hanging around his and samsoo’s apartment, scrolling through whatever app on his phone keeps his attention for long enough.

until an article pops up.

it’s a news post about a rookie group he’s never heard of from a company he doesn’t know the name of, it has nothing to do with him, but he finds himself reading through it anyway. apparently, they got into an accident on their way home from schedules as they were being followed by saesangs. no one got injured and truly, it’s not the first time jaewon has read news like this but it does fill him with the same sense of anger as what he had experienced that first day in the states with champion.

because this type of news shouldn’t be common, for how long are people gonna pretend it is?

maybe he should finish that damn song.

wait does he even still have the lyrics?

jaewon vaguely remembers at the very least putting the sheet of paper in his backpack after the concert as he had been packing up to move to the next city of their tour but after that, he can’t say he recalls having seen it lay around.

he’s really ought to get more orderly with his drafts.

luckily for him, jaewon does find the sheet of paper, not in his bag but shoved in between the pages of a notebook and with the draft of his lyrics obtained he makes a beeline for his home studio. normally he’d do this stuff at the company headquarters but truly, that sounds like far too much work in the moment.

obviously, the song is meant to have an angry undertone to it, supposed to convey the same anger and frustration that swallowed jaewon whole as he had written the lyrics.

the deep, resonating boom of low brass sounds for the opening of the song are a no brainer, the sound gives a bombastic, ominous vibe, immediately setting the song off on the right note. it’s supposed to sound grande and honestly a little bit intimidating, a dark feeling creeping around the corners.

of course, the sound is far too theatrical to be underlaying to the entire song so jaewon alternates it with a deep, booming bassline, the brass only reappearing right before the chorus other than in the opening section as if to give off a warning. to fill up the verses and the parts in between, jaewon adds rumbling, deep drums in the background, making them feel less empty.

what really makes the song however is the rapidly-cycling electronic stuttering a rhythmic pattern across almost all parts of the song. it feels a little distracting at first before jaewon decides that really, that’s exactly what he’s going for. the melody feels just a little too fast, uncomfortably so and in a song reflecting so much stress and strain, that only feels fair, reflectives of the way his chest tightens up when he can’t breathe, when his hands tremble and his heart beats so fast it might as well make him sick.

jaewon thinks it conveys his frustrations pretty damn well.

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

it doesn’t seem in the books for the song to ever be released until the process of selecting songs for escapism comes along. while jaewon regains some of his creative freedom, most of it had been under dimensions terms, leaving it up to them to shape the album in a way they prefer over his creative vision.

until somewhere near the end of completing the track list, the head producer asks jaewon if he has any songs laying around that could fit in with the rest of the album.

‘agree’ is the first thing to come to mind.

the head producer seems to like the songs, enough to approve it at least and jaewon can’t help but feel a flare of pride. the producer seems intent on leaving the creative process in his hands, letting him handle the production.

it makes ‘agree’ the first song ever that’s entirely his own that he gets to release, it feels like a milestone to jaewon.

he does get a little list of suggestions, mainly pertaining to the lyrics. the producer leaves a few remarks here and there about where lines could be stronger, what he would do differently but all of it are very loose recommendations, jaewon isn’t actually under an obligation to do anything with them.

in the end, he does anyway, shuffles some lyrics around, dares to be a bit more assertive in his wording, right onto the border of what he would consider too gloat-y for himself. but the producer is right, it gets to pack a punch, it gets to be a little bit self-important. somehow having the external confirmation makes it easier to write those lyrics without feeling like a fraud. it’s still his, his writing, his song.

with the last tweaks done they’re quick to get to recording. they’re still on a time crunch as jaewon’s manager reminds him (jaewon likes the man well enough but dear lord would he never let him forget). it's one of the last songs on the album to be recorded after all and at this point, they are cutting it close.

with everything else he needs done, all jaewon has left to do is fine tune the song, the last tweaks and sounds to be added like missing puzzle pieces now he has the bigger picture pretty much laid out in front of him, polishing and detailing it to elevate the song worth of something to be released on an album.

the instrumental is already pretty hectic, fully intentional of course, but with a proper, clear recording it’s easier to spot the empty gaps, spaces to add the last finishing touches. he adds more brass, less grande and dramatic than the ones in the pre-chorus, curling around the edges of the chorus to round them up neatly and as if to scale down again for the verses, still fast paced but somewhat a breath of fresh air between one chorus and the other.

he delays the part at the opening before the brass and bass kick in, a silence before the storm feels even if the hyperactive stuttering beat is already there, he considers taking that out at first too but the point kind of is that it is more or less omnipresent, it’s always there even when there is nothing else much, like the anxiety that feels permanently stuck to his head.

there is also the addition of an extra melodic line, lingering behind that main, slightly headache inducing electronic synth. it doesn’t really stand out, especially not compared to it’s main competitor but it does remain prevalent in the few parts the main instrumental motif is nowhere to be found, giving it small moments to shine. it serves a clear function, or to jaewon listening ear at least (maybe he’s overanalyzing at this point). the little bounces of the electronic beat all over the place keep up the pace of the song, making sure its explosive nature prevails over the dark dreary undertones of the bassline and brass sections, giving it an overall dynamic feel.

it takes some fiddling, jaewon pulls something close to an all-nighter to finish up the song with the sheer amount of detail he ends up focussing on but by the time he sends it in, he has a good feeling about it at least.

when he presents the final product to the head producer, there are no more suggestions. it’s good, and it’s all his own work.

#fmdverification #*:･ﾟ♛– «filled with all these empty moments» // solos. #«escapism // era.» #//SCREAMS INTO THE VOID #//finally... im freed from verification hell #panic attack tw #anxiety tw #car crash tw

[littlegoldenbirdie]

Yeah, I’m going there

This isn’t mine. This is NOT mine. My brother wrote this, not me.

Beneath this cut, you shall see MY BROTHER’S Godzilla/Berserk crossover!

Main Characters:

Guts: Heisei Godzilla

Griffith: King Ghidorah

Casca: Mothra

Skull Knight: MechaGodzilla (Kiryu, hopefully.)

Guts's Party:

Schierke: Biollante

Serpico: Rodan

Farnese: Battra

Isidro: Zilla/GINO

Puck: Kamacuras

Azan: King Caesar

Isma: Manda

Magnifico: Giant Condor

Roderick: Titanosaurus

Moonlight Child: Godzilla Junior

The aborted fetus thing the Moonlight Child starts out as: Minya

Old Band of the Hawk:

Judeau: Gorosaurus

Rickert: Anguirus

Pippin: Gamera (Who better to be The Big Guy’s counterpart?)

Corkus: Varan

Gaston: Jet Jaguar

The God Hand:

Void: Destoroyah (Who else could match this dude’s power?)

Slan: Irys (Dude. Tentacles.)

Ubik: Gezora (Well, Ubik DOES resemble a squid...)

Conrad: Hedorah (Gross dude.)

Idea of Evil: Keizer Ghidorah

Neo Band of the Hawk:

Nosferatu Zodd: Orga (Big-mouthed literal wannabe? Who else?)

Grunbeld: SpaceGodzilla (Crystals, dammit.)

Locus: MUTO

Irvine: Gigan

Rakshas: Kumonga (Creepy...)

Sonia: Dorat (Cute but consorts with creeps.)

Apostles:

Wyald: King Kong (A huge monkey who pervs on all the ladies? Duh!)

Rosine: Megaguirus (Creepy bug chick with her own swarm?)

Mozgus: Daimajin (Literal stony scowl and too-high moral standards.)

Emperor Ganishka: Legion Queen (Yes, I know Ganishka’s a dude...)

Daka: Legion Soldiers (So many of ‘em...)

Sorcerer Daiba: Giant Octopus (Tentacle-y beard.)

Demon dogs: Baragons (Baragon debuted as basically a weird dog.)

Count Slug: Viras

Baron Cobra: Garasharp (The only snake I know! He’s a cobra too.)

Background Apostles that appeared during the Eclipse: Gyaos swarm

Everybody else:

King of Midland: Barugon

Gambino: Godzilla 54 (The Godzilla who came before Heisei. He’s also dead.)

#godzilla #berserk #crossover

[caithyra]

Ok, that OP...

...I’m sorry, but the RWBY Vol 8 OP music is very forgettable, just to get that out of the way. It feels like an OP commissioned for a filler arc in a long-running anime series while the manga catches up, if that makes sense?

Okay, so lets go through it scene by scene (spoilers of the OP’s scenes which may or may not foreshadow future events in the series, who even knows?):

Team RWBY with their past scenes overlay is a hit and a miss. Mainly because Yang’s overlay should have been of her big entrance into Junior’s club. I guess CRWBY doesn’t want to remind us of her sexual assault of Junior, or of Junior creeping on a barely legal girl so soon after Rooster Teeth’s series of sexual scandals involving girls in that age range.

And then move onto Ironwood being overlaid with a burning Atlas, and... Nope. What we should have had is an overlay of Ironwood praising Ruby in Ozpin’s office (Vol 2: Field Trip), Ironwood defending Weiss at the gala (Vol 4: Tipping Point), Neon at the Vytal Festival inter-cut with Marrow in his Ace-Ops uniform (Vol 3 and Vol 7) in the background with Blake with her weapon upgrade (Vol 7) in front, and then Yang opening the box of her new prosthetic arm and punching her palm with it (Vol 4). Possibly end it with the Ironwood/Qrow hug instead of the falling Clover pin. Maybe even in the background, behind Ironwood, we have the Ace-Ops training RWBY and Clover and Qrow instead of the falling pin.

That’s because three out of the four RWBY shots are “where we were before” shots. It would also give RWBY a stronger presence in the story of the OP other than the designated main character shots (the previous scene and Ruby being singled out in the title screen), since they would be personally tied to one of the antagonists in the OP.

Also, lets just skip the fiasco that’s Qrow+Robyn in prison (and how Qrow blamed Ironwood). Which may be the real reason why Ironwood’s overlay did not match the theme of the rest; the episode that he helps Weiss in is the same episode that Tyrian tries to kill Ruby and Qrow, and we can’t remind the audience of how colossally stupid Qrow was by teaming up with him, so lets pretend that episode never happened, mkay? Just like the Yellow Trailer...

Unfortunately, ORNJ (Orange, deal with it, it’s their name now) and Penny steals the show as true main characters of the OP. It begins with Oscar being the character in the same scene as the main antagonist (Salem), and then we have JNR, with Jaune looking brave and ready to defend while Nora and Ren look like they’ve had another lovers’ spat and are sad and now one of them are going to die and leave the other.

We get Schnee family drama with Weiss and Winter going opposite ways and a superfluous shot of Whitley and Willow to show just how many extra characters and conflicts there are who wont be properly developed and resolved. Yay.

A chessboard implying that Salem is outplaying Ironwood except she’s not outplaying him, she’s overpowering him while he’s being sabotaged by his allies while her minions are being annoying flies in the ointment.

Watts is finally hacking Penny, about a volume too late, but I guess he’s trying to be fashionable.

Group scene “you’re not alone”-shoulder touch of Ren with a cherry blossom petal (symbol for mortality) floating from him and escaping Nora’s grasp (yeah, one of them are dying, my bet’s on Ren, but also, since they should have left or died earlier to make room in this overbloated cast, maybe not? Though with Ren switching sides when he previously "yes, sir!”ed Ironwood, and with Nora being all about Mantle, perhaps Ren will die and Nora will remain to work in Mantle while the rest leaves for Vacuo because it’s “what Ren would have wanted” or something...), and then she is surrounded by all the girls in the group except Yang to face off in the obligatory battle scene.

Penny switches sides (hacked or fed up with Ruby, take your guess), but RWBY just smiles and jumps into the fight against a grimm horde that freezes for Cinder to make a walk-by and complain about her carpal tunnel while Emerald reaches after her like a little girl a third of her age, innocent of the bad in the world (not like a grown street urchin who aided the destruction of a whole city). At least Neo’s not impressed.

Anyway, evil minion showcase. Hazel should have worn this is Mistral and switched to his Mistral outfit in Atlas since it’s far more likely to protect against windchill. On the topic of outfits, Emerald’s jacket or undershirt should have covered her belly. Even belly-dancers cover their bellies in the arctic winter.

The two relics with two different smokes suggests that Jinn and her staff-sibling will make an appearance, but that they don’t in the opening suggest that it may simply be a stylish scene transition.

Anyway the rest of the scenes are so generic Yang even does a boob+butt pose in the group shot, and the blackout-outlined flashes with edgy words are just a poor imitation of Puella Magi Madoka Magica-tone, including Crescent Rose being alone in the snow under the shattered moon.

Well, there’s generic and then there’s generic+edgy, and this OP is the latter. And Ruby, Blake, Yang, Qrow and Robyn feels so shoehorned into the story of ORNJ+Penny+Weiss vs Salem vs Ironwood that I wondered why they were even there (j/k, I know they’re in the title, but seriously, their focus scenes in this OP were so bland, while all the story stuff was relegated to everyone else, and so RBYQR feels like filler wasting time in the OP when we could have better scenes about the story itself).

Here’s a problem, though: I don’t trust that Weiss has a place in the story either since her whole story tied to the conflict of the OP (Atlas Burning/Falling) is about her family, and that seems more like a side-show, if anything at all, given how OPs in RWBY sometimes set up conflicts that never happen (Yang having a big, red-eyed rematch against Mercury in Vol 5, for example).

So yeah, in this OP (but maybe not the Volume itself), RWBY themselves are superfluous and superceded by the side-cast. That’s... Not very good.

Anyway, that’s my random stream of consciousness ramblings about this OP.

#rwde #spoilers #random ramble

[thebandcampdiaries]

POPSTARR and Yung Linko are back on the scene with a brand new release: PUNX

November 2020 - This has not been an easy year for music, but one of the things that will forever remain a highlight in my memory is the actual resurgence of pop-punk. After several years (in fact, nearly a decade) of decline, the genre is finally back in full-force, and surprisingly, the biggest exponents of this sound aren’t necessarily bands producing music in the vein of their old favorites, but rather artists coming primarily from a trap background, who embraced the melodies of emo and punk, while applying those sensibility to a rap-based format. The formula, needless to say, became immediately successful for its ability to relate to a whole new audience: people who grew up on pop-punk and alternative rock, but came of age in a rap-dominated music scene. They absorbed the best elements of both genres, and the resulting combination is truly fantastic. This is definitely the case of POPSTARR and Yung Linko, a talented pairing of artists who know what it takes to make music that’s fun and easy to relate to. Their most recent release is a pop-punk tape that’s aptly titled PUNX, highlighting their unique sonic flavor and their ability to combine emo trap with punk and neo-soul, among other styles. The project features 4 songs, including “Demon,” which actually stands out as a perfect introduction to this release. The track has a melodic electric guitar introduction with a clean and hypnotic sound, perfectly matching the vibe of the vocals. The 808-type beat creeps in seamlessly, at first going strong with the hi-hats, but then bringing in a massive kick and snare pattern that really fills the space. The vocals are melodic and I love how they overlap, going for a very engaging and catchy twist. The next track, “Every Time,” is perhaps one of the catchiest moments on this entire track. The instrumental guitar parts really make me think of artists such as Blink-182 or Jimmy Eat World, and I love how it all falls into place so seamlessly. The vocal parts are perfectly attuned to the sound and feel of this release, and I love the fact that even if the guitars are big and the vocals are always quite fast-paced, the song remains quite chill through and through. In addition to that, the third song on this tape, “Die Young,” is actually one of my personal favorites and one of the most memorable moments on this entire release. The sound is so catchy and the guitar riffs really travel along the vocal lines so well, complimenting them to perfection and allowing the music to acquire a deeper, more personal feel. Vocals and background music are perfectly integrated, really going for a punchy, but melodic twist. Last, but definitely not least, “I’ve been Running,” is another little gem, a sonic masterpiece in which what I love most about modern hip-hop collides with the ethos and feel of pop-punk and post-emo. This is quite the perfect curtain closer for this release, leaving the audience wanting more! If this EP is any indication, it is safe to say that POPSTARR and Yung Linko are actually onto something truly great and fascinating here. I really can’t wait to hear what they are going to accomplish next!

I would highly recommend listening to this release if you are a fan of artists as diverse as Machine Gun Kelly, Blink-182, Dead Rituals or XXXTENTACION, only to mention but a few. This release captures the best blend of classic pop-punk sounds with indie music and modern eom-trap influences in such a way that is so easy to relate to and engaging! This production actually makes me think of the excellent work Travis Barker is doing as a producer - you might know him as the drummer from Blink-182, but he is actually a talented and super-busy producer, instrumental in the popularity of the modern rap / punk fusion that’s really making waves in the music scene these days! POPSTARR and Yung Linko did a fantastic job here, and they really created an inspiring release with so much vibe and focus.

Find out more about POPSTARR and Yung Linko, and do not miss out on PUNX, which is currently available on the web.

https://instagram.com/yung_linko23?igshid=om9zege2grkt

https://instagram.com/popstarrxoxo?igshid=yukruzf5dte3

https://soundcloud.com/popstarrxoxo