善狐 @zenkofu - Tumblr Blog

There was a wild sort of pride in watching the pieces fall in place for his friend. Deep inside of those eloquently speaking bones also lies a man of action the blonde soon comes to learn, donning that brand of grit that could easily turn the tides within the hellish domain they'd soon have to conquer within a new definition once more. It's one thing to screw up a pals of his monetary status, it's a whole different brand of demon for the scammers to be at the forefront of such debauchery.

"Got that right. From the young people to the grandfolks, these sleazy kinda bastards will take anything if it means getting a quick buck. Well noooooo damn more!" This strength of being able to scour Mementos has granted them a power to make change, to actually bring the kind of haymakers upon forces that are well guarded between too many laws and regulations. Just the thought causes Ryuji to snort.

You'd almost think this stuff was made to protect crime in itself.

Making use of the last vestiges of Yusuke's battery life, it's as if the app itself was called by their resolution, allowing that once dreary screen to be washed over with crimson color, the eerie symbol of that damn eye drawing it's twisted design on the forefront.

Naturally, he has to give the artist an appreciative glance in catching that moxie. "Not a damn inconvenience at all. Not only are they hagglin' you, they keep tryin' to call up my ma three times every day."

"This was always personal."

Click!

A shuddering sigh of violet would briefly cross the surroundings, peeling away the two upstarts from reality itself. That same mildly flip flop of a feeling would draw upon them in waves as weightlessness briefly spawns, only for the fires of their soul to wash their thief attire entirely over their forms. Once pristine skies give way to the strange, veiny concrete and the rusted railways as the echoing roar of moving locomotives brought a constant shudder to the tracks. Within the drop of a hat they were here, Mementos.

The fine, desire filled pool of bastards ranging from all shapes and sizes.

Skull would lean his head one way to another, allowing a few pops of the neck to take place as he tosses the phone over to Fox.

"Hommmme sweet home! I can feel shadows either runnin' or gettin set to try beating us to a pulp from a mile away. To think they're that eager to.." There's a pause from the theatrics as quite the peculiar sight manages to catch his eye ahead. Gleaming akin to sparkles within a hellhole (in this case, quite literally), what looked like a small gaggle of.. Treasure demons were up ahead?! The sight nearly makes his heart shoot out of his chest..! If it wasn't for how damn weird it was.

A gloved hand would immediately point ahead. "Yo hold on, we got a weird sight here Fox. At the 12 ahead!" It seems as if the roaming shadows were conscious of this, immediately scurrying out of sight and off into the bowels of this domain.

Skull wouldn't hesitate immediately charging off to go investigate as such. Money does have to do with this situation, so maybe..!

"They could be a one way ticket to that company we're waitin for!"

zenkofu

It was known that Ryuji was a man of passion, of endless devotion so deep one might find a path to the earth's core before the end could be reached, of fierce loyalty that the land and sea might fall apart before the end of it all. It had been the same for them all, oppressed beneath the hand and foot of others in better positions for so long that any injustice would strike a chord in their souls. Rules and regulations were meant to protect the populace - yet what was one to do when such became the blocks and gates to preventing so? Prevention was never the aim of certain agencies, but rather a reaction to such. Thus their path was obvious, to prevent others from going down such a road in the first place if it could be helped.

Others such as a Mrs. Sakamoto - to which Yusuke gave a wry chuckle to. Nary a moment more then! A familiar upset to his senses arose next, when reality and cognitive reality began to mix and transition, icy power gathering in the depths of his soul again to manifest.

The pen was mightier than the sword - such a known phrase with known connotations. Yet who was to say that one could not harness a pencil and a sword? Indeed, his fingers brushed instinctively over the handle to his sword, other hand darting up to catch that proper toss from Skull to tuck away his last possession as Yusuke to nod over to the other as Fox.

"Prior to my own perusal of my electronic device, I believe there was some talk of unrest regarding - " The urgency in Skull's voice hastened his own actions, whipping his head over in the direction of the other's pointing immediately to catch sight of nothing short of a gathering of those treasure demons. Sinking blade or skill into such shadows often garnered more than a pretty penny during battle and slaying one alone would net enough funds to buy enough supplies to make traversing through the metaverse more than a piece of cake. Just how much money was contained in that collection of shadows alone? And just how many had suffered for such to be accumulated?

Skull's burst into action was impressively fast, gait smooth and fluid in the cognition of his mind and Fox charged after him, noting that while one or two from the collective did break off in different directions, the vast majority of them seemed to be heading towards a particularly dark corner of Mementos - blurry swirl of crimson darkness easing into view as they closed the distance.

"A palace?" Was that possible within Mementos to begin with? At the very least, it was apparent and present enough for even the layman to be aware of it such. Not quite as distinctive in theme as a palace either it seemed, though the chances of it all being tied to something increased when those aforementioned treasure demons scuttled their way into that inky darkness. Talks of gift card redemption, free trials, and possible risks to personal security peppered the air now - and he came to a halt as urgent conversations and promises of simple questions ebbed and flowed in the background.

"Your instincts are well tuned beyond my comprehension, Skull. I am grateful for you! Those creatures... if my eyes do not deceive me, they entered into this dark abyss, did they not? These conversations... I can distinctly recall the promising text on that advertisement and the words are one and the same. Have such fraudulent actions become so commonplace as to be acknowledged within Mementos?" He gave a shake of his head.

"It appears we must enter this abyss to find the root of such... shall we depart?"

#;ic #crossxskulled #( dude your stuff always gets me hella pumped )#( been a hot second )#( listen he doesn't know what hes doing... maybe he should've consulted with ryuji or futaba first )#( skull be hustling )

all i can say is... the music for kaneshiro's palace still slaps after all this time.

#;ooc #( i cannot find this first will seed tho )

crossxskulled

"To think, one could be bamboozled so quickly - so instantly after stepping foot into the digital metaverse via new technology..." Perhaps usage of school computers and very limited electronics during his stay at Madarame's in years past had paved the perfect path for scoundrels on the aforementioned world wide web to ease their way into Yusuke's already meager savings. Or perhaps it was just his own lack of being able to differentiate between pornography scams and 'art references'. Either way, the artist was inconsolable for quite some moments. “Have you come to laugh at me in my miserable state?”

"The digitial who wha now.. Ahh, shit, Yusuke?"

What in the world was even happening with the guy now!? Typically this wouldn't even spring a forethought to the rowdier company of the Phantom Thieves. The style of their legendary artist found itself fashioned in some unknown blur between imaginative inspiration, boundless and free, as the clear and distinct tethers of reality always made sure to keep an even divide of keeping the guy's head in the clouds. That was a very eloquent way of putting Ryuji's current thoughts.

By now the despair found itself so potently thick that it almost threatened to spill rain in this room. Teeth bared in a sense of bewildered distaste, it took no rocket scientist to discover that something happened to this poor bastard. "No?? Damn man I just wanted to see if you wanted to sling off to go grab a bite! Maybe some chips if a couple-a Montas.. but ahhh, something tells me this ain't a good time? I know I give you bs to deal with, but what's even going on here?"

He hardly bothered to allow the sensible lines of the situation deter him. Firm and steady steps drove him directly over to the empty space Leblanc's cafe in order to investigate the issue, snatching up the dimly lit phone that was meager moments away from dwindling off to the dark screen. "Have you just lost some contest or someeeeeee--"

"DUDE HOLY SHIT."

Where in the hell did all that earlier contest money fly off too?! This isn't even the typical brand of low here, as it stands, his account basically skydived off the rooftops of success and into the negatives of hell at the drop of a damn dime! Watching those crimson numbers that some hefty amount was owed beyond anything, even with this not being his account caused a cold brick of lead to settle inside the gut.

He knows how the moves go! Shit like this easily leads to the Yakuza, the Yakuza leads to favors, then favors wind up making this once innocent..? Weird? (He'll figure it out later.) Artist into eventually joining their ranks to go do some depraved mess! As one of the few barriers between leaving his friend to be about that life, the blonde wastes no time, immediately dragging up the Mementos app upon Yusuke's phone as he dragged up this carrot-y beanpole of a man onto his feet.

"Screw the laughin'! You need a damn miracle, and you know the first things they say about miracles here." Ryuji mentions while shooting a biting glare towards him.

"We gotta steal 'em our damn selves! Oh ho hooooooo I'd love to know who you gave the three numbers on the back of your card to!"

@zenkofu

zenkofu

If keeping track of his dwindling bank account had been enough of an indication, it was indeed entirely too easy to spend as opposed to earn. His previously employed method of keeping cash pressed between his bedsheets and the mattress proved to be quite insufficient before, especially when it came to cashing in the check that came as a result of his efforts to put forth his art into a tangible form. With not at all much persuasion, the debit card was yet another tool to master in order to reach financial equilibrium (though, he wasn't certain why the others were so very vehemently against him keeping those radish heads from sprouting in his room - the leaves that grew after some time were quite tasty when mixed with some rice and salt).

Thus, he had been quite interested indeed when an advertisement for a free trial into a website full of nude models of women popped up during his perusal for art supplies. The Internet is listening always, is what Futaba had advised him - and he had simply thought that this was just a reinforcement of such. And at what excellent timing! His ball jointed figurine, some decade old now, had finally given up after a long tenure. Models were always better to examine than the wood and wire of such anyway, sockets never quite the same to the curves of body and skin. Humans were wonderous beings and capturing their likeness was a challenge indeed sometimes.

Any experienced Internet user would know not to enter in card information when faced with a free trial, but one has to be a fool before they can become a master and indeed... he had been the fool. (He would later find out that a debit card was probably the worst form of card to use for this, to allow free domain into his meager bank account.)

There was no resistance offered when his blond companion took the phone from his limp fingers, battery level drained from the endless minutes and hours sullen eyes had fixated on the bright red negative balance in his account. Ryuji's exclamation doesn't even garner much of a response from him aside from a forlorn sigh - one that catches when he was yanked to his feet by a strong arm.

Red was still on his screen, but a different red that shone sharply, just as sharp as Ryuji's gaze when his own gaze rose quizzically. Realization tore through him like Goemon striking a foe down.

"...of course..." A type of incredulous laughter gathered in the back of his throat in turn, rising in volume and bass until he couldn't help slapping a palm against his forehead - fingertips scraping against his scalp as if scratching through to a new conclusion.

"Perhaps the common folk have no choice but to suffer, yet we are afforded the opportunity to change our fate... and here I am, lamenting when there is still a path to follow to overturn thus! As a lone victim... I cannot say that I am alone in such either - a lack of knowledge has been my folly and perhaps the folly of others as well." A shake of his head and his spirits are lifted already, a vicious determination in previously downcast eyes.

"Very well! Come then, Ryuji! If I may inconvenience you further in the call for your company, let us resolve this!"

#;ic #crossxskulled #( NOT THE E TIDDIES )#( why was this so easy to write )

#( jesus christ it feels weird to be here )

rainylotus‌:

Ren nodded, his poker face as put together as it ever was despite the urge to burst into laughter constricting his chest. With every small motion, Yusuke’s clown nose would honk, and the guy just… paid it no mind. It was simultaneously hilarious and adorable, though the latter part was mostly because it was just Yusuke.

“Well, people have made some incredible pieces with balloons. Look.”

He pulls out his phone and shows Yusuke an example. The poker face of his is about ready to crumble… but Ren remains steadfast. Resolved.

“Captivating, isn’t it?”

Oh! A visual example! Plenty of people in this world were visual learners and Yusuke likened himself to one as well, the artist nodding before tucking some strands behind an ear and scooting over to gaze at the image on Ren’s phone. The motion made his nose squeak a little louder, from the combination of the cool night air and well, him moving in closer.

What exactly was this thing? While Yusuke could certainly appreciate the artistry put into creating this... creature and that whatever vision this person had in mind had become somewhat apparent... in many ways, it was an assault and an affront to the eyes. Yusuke could only stare at the photograph in a mixture of mute admiration and discomfort.

“...”

“I suppose captivating is indeed an appropriate descriptor for this particular piece. It captures the eye and mind in a rather grotesque and forceful way... are you perhaps hoping that a piece of mine might... create a similar impact?”

#rainylotus #( really feel like we're playing god rn )#;ic

rainylotus‌:

from here @zenkofu

As they share a tender kiss beneath the soft glow of the moon’s light on a solitary bench in the middle of Inokashira Park, Yusuke’s clown nose releases a soft “honk” into the cool night air. One could say this was just Ren’s extremely odd sense of humor, or… no, that was actually basically it. Yusuke was so accepting of the situation that it was downright hilarious, but Ren doesn’t even crack a smile yet. He has to keep it going.

“But you’d make some killer balloon animals, I bet. Wouldn’t it serve your artistic vision?”

It seemed that Ren was rather serious about this entire pursuit, Yusuke rubbing his chin even as the clown nose continued to sit atop the tip of his regular nose, slight motion enough for another soft honk to emit from the depths of the rubber casing. Some balloon animals... while Yusuke had some interest in sculpting, it was difficult to foray into another type of visual art without the appropriate supplies in hand and his small dormitory room was woefully unprepared for items such as a pottery wheel or even a place for the various pieces to dry before firing. However, a balloon animal was easy to accomplish with just some balloons and a hand pump... He was interested.

“Do you think so? There are some limitations with using an item as fragile and strong as a balloon, however... hm...”

#rainylotus #( SOFT HONK INTO THE COOL NIGHT AIR SDKDSGS LKSG )#;ic #( its ic at this point huh )

crossxskulled‌:

..Did he see that right? With his own heart, soul and battle between having a kink or not. Did his eyes deceive him?

Has Yusuke.. always been a fellow ASS MAN in arms all this time? Raw emotions ranging from pride to joy surged through his being as Yusuke is abruptly brought into a hug.

SOMEONE FINALLY KNEW THE TRUTH.

“I– I always knew I could count on ya.. Yusuke man!”

What? Nani? Why is he being pulled into such a tight embrace with such a small statement? He already expected that Ryuji would have a tight grip, yet the force that the other boy is holding him with is a little excessive.

Though, perhaps excessive was putting it a little harshly -- it was tight with some kind of desperation found in the middle of whatever strife life had been hitting him with in these last couple of days. The embrace of relief and the grip of perhaps... pride? Joy?

Of course, he doesn’t mind returning the embrace with his own, patting at Ryuji’s back in... reassurance. Understanding.

“I - you can rely on me, always.” Even if he doesn’t know what’s going on, it’s good that Ryuji is... feeling better, right?

#crossxskulled #( ryuji i think you and yusuke have different ideas of big cinnamon buns... just saying )#( but i guess ren would have... a big cinnamon bun )

crossxskulled‌:

”DUDE THAT IS THE LAST THING THEY’RE GOIN’ ON ABOUT!”

”You gotta get yerself out of this damn fire while ya got the chance! They’re talking about the tale of rising tents and big cinnamon buns!”

“Is it truly that serious? However, I suppose you would know the best -- as you are the most well versed in the language of this rather unusual preference.”

There isn’t much to complain about with big cinnamon buns, in his humble opinion...

#crossxskulled #( what is happening )

Ren lovingly puts a clown nose on Yusuke's face and kisses him under the moonlight.

Ah, clearly the strange shenanigans involving Ryuji and clowns had somehow made it’s way over to Ren’s ever sharp ears -- though it shouldn’t have struck him as much of a surprise, the other male was always listening out for things involving his friends. There wasn’t any limit to the things he would do for his companions, after all. Perhaps this was a sign of his undying support for Ryuji’s rather unfortunate tendencies? A bit of a strange gesture, but as he knew himself, sometimes it was the small things that really made you feel important or noticed. Yusuke could not say that he minded the clown nose that Ren placed on his nose, face scrunching up a little bit from the unfamiliar sensation, but the gesture was still rife with the gentle and patient affection that the other boy was known for. A soft smile tugged over his lips after Ren pressed that kiss to his mouth, the artist pulling him over to nudge a little kiss of his own in return.

“I cannot say that I find this particular usage of a nose all that unpleasant, darling. However, I do ask that this is the furthest scope that you take. The rest of the activities seem rather... intense.”

#;answers #rainylotus #( hm i hate this )

crossxskulled replied to your post: Ain't ice just crunchy water? Think on that for a...

Why did this get so deep

That’s how life be sometimes, Jace, that’s how life be sometimes.

#;ooc #crossxskulled #( isnt this what you wanted sklgjs )#( thanks... for the asks LMAO )

jououpansa replied to your post: Ain't ice just crunchy water? Think on that for a...

damn who does ryuji think he is? me?

Thinks back to when Ann thought a sweet potato was just a potato with sugar on it.

#;ooc #jououpansa #( help her )

Ain't ice just crunchy water? Think on that for a second man.

@crossxskulled | why x 2

“Crunchy water...?” Yusuke repeated Ryuji’s words slowly, as if combing over them with a fine toothed comb to truly do some thinking on it. To be crunchy was to be crisp, yet also mostly referred to the sound made by crushing or biting on a particular item. Ice was... indeed crunchy then, following that criteria. Yusuke had crunched on ice on many a hot summer day in lieu of the air conditioning that was sparingly used in the atelier in the past and sometimes even now in the privacy of his dormitory room. Ice lasted longer than water if he didn’t crunch on the pieces, but absentminded concentration could make his attention wane on items aside from the piece. At the same time though, something about saying it like that was wrong. Ice wasn’t food, it wasn’t meant to be consumed like other crunchy foods so placing it in the same criteria felt a little off.

“...was there a purpose to this request for further thought? I... have ruminated over this for a moment, however the more I ponder over it, the more mixed I truly feel about this new terminology. Ice is indeed crunchy, crisp and sharp in sound to the bite. Yet does it not feel strange to refer to it as crunchy water -- when it is in a new form? Perhaps you mean to say that one should think outside of regulated terms...” He rubbed his chin again.

“Is there any more thought you would like to impart on me or has this been another strange running of your mouth?”

#;answers #crossxskulled #( crunchy... water )#( stop making me think about overthinking for yusuke )

"You always be about that next big project right? Let's mix it up a lil bit Picasso.jr! Instead of the canvas? We hittin' the streets, let's give that graffiti stuff a shot."

@crossxskulled | why did you do this

As much as their personal aesthetics didn’t seem to match up, Ryuji still remained a wealth of ideas and suggestions -- inspiration came from varied and multifaceted sources and Yusuke tried to make it habit to keep his mind open to suggestions for that reason. While the saying was that there were two sides to each coin, simplifying everything down to two sides was a disservice.That being said, there was a certain charm to street art such as graffiti, with as many different styles as the more traditional arts; perhaps even more. He had always been in search of a more free form style of art before, maybe more now since his own degree of liberation from Madarame. After a moment of vocal thought (complete with hums and rubs to his chin), Yusuke nodded in agreement -- repeating the gesture again with some more gusto after another moment.

“How could I have not thought about the vastness of graffiti art before? Yes... of course! An artist should not limit themselves to a canvas -- to a medium that they are familiar with -- if they wish to push themselves to the very ends of thought. I cannot say that I have engaged in graffiti or art using anything beyond traditional media and I cannot say that I had thought of how shortsighted I had been before this moment...!” He shook his head in obvious disappointment, it wasn’t a Yusuke revelation without some degree of personal strife put into the mix. He collected himself not too long after though, dusting himself off before facing his companion.

“Very well, I accept your proposal. I’m afraid I haven’t the materials for this new media, however purchasing new supplies and running through a trial and error of preferences is part of the charm, is it not? Come then, Ryuji! We must go before the stores close for the day, I accept any suggestions for other purchasing venues as well!”

#;answers #crossxskulled #( is this how i come back )