#(and playing too much persona 5)

[lotus-pear]

i love you royal trio (minus akechi)

[faeriedoodles]

I’m gonna drink his soul

[lemon-wedges]

Yu's coming to visit and yosuke needs to borrow rises vanity for a quick second.

[maskedchip]

the juicebox bandits

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

P5R Random Thoughts #3: Annoyance, Anger, and Conviction

Or, just a couple more random thoughts about Joker.

I actually do enjoy that Joker seems to sometimes get genuinely frustrated with his friends' antics - I don't know if it reads that way to anyone else, but a combination of his dialogue options and character model body language definitely reads that way to me.

He's gotten mildly annoyed with Ryuji's loudness on several occasions - often having dialogue choices that are essentially some variant of "keep your voice down!" Much as Joker feels what I suspect is quite a lot of gratitude for Ryuji's unflinching support and passion (he was his first friend in Tokyo, after all - no deal, just friendship), his dialogue options also become a lot more passive aggressive during early Kaneshiro arc - and small wonder, because Ryuji's eager carelessness actually did get them caught; thankfully by Makoto, and not law enforcement. Of course, he still cares a lot about Ryuji; I think he's just a little frustrated right now.

He's usually pretty chill with Morgana bossing him around - for what reason, I honestly couldn't tell you, but he does pretty much anything that not-cat recommends. However, when Morgana spontaneously invites Yusuke to stay with Joker without asking him, Joker kind of "!!" and looks at him. It's then followed up with everyone deciding to invite themselves to Joker's place, again, without asking him and Morgana encouraging it. The scene ends with Joker straight up elbowing/jostling Morgana in the bag after everyone's left for Leblanc. Pfft.

He tells Yusuke to hurry it up in Mementos when he gets too in the zone... and much as you can't rush an artist, they do near immediately get jumped by Shadows after that, so, you know, he does have a point.

Even with Ann, Joker frequently sweatdrops at her kind of out-there ideas of how to strengthen her heart. While I wouldn't call it annoyance, per se, there is at least one scene I can think of where two of the options straight up shut her down, and the last is basically a sarcastic "good luck with that", which Ann proceeds to take at face value as encouragement, leading to Joker sweatdropping once again. Lol.

So many of these are basically the equivalent of Joker going >:( at his friends and them typically completely not noticing which is funny as heck.

Also, because I'm the kind of person who loves to read into things, I think it can tell us a little more about Joker. What actually frustrates him here?

Drawing attention to the group in the real world - something he actively tries to avoid, at first, because of consequences for him, and then, because it puts the thieves at risk

Getting himself and the group into unnecessary trouble - so we've got two instances of Joker being mindful of potential consequences

People getting invited over without being asked first - this one's a little ambiguous as to why. Could be a simple courtesy thing, could be related to Joker's earlier obvious discomfort with people getting in his personal space without permission, could be that he likes his privacy. Personally, I suspect he's actually somewhat embarrassed and a little concerned about what his friends' reactions will be to where he's staying - I do have some reasons for this interpretation but ultimately, no matter what reason you ascribe, he's definitely not initially happy about this spontaneous invitation by Morgana.

I think we can even condense the first two and say that Joker seems to be a little more focused on outcomes and consequences than much of the rest of his group, who (before Makoto joins) very much people who act in the immediate moment. He's not quite on par with Morgana's brand of pragmatism, but he does seem to always be at least thinking ahead.

There are a few exceptions, however.

Joker's actual anger is something he is evidently not good at hiding. He has an excellent poker face, but his eyes and, apparently, the way he speaks give it away entirely. To hide his anger, he outright has to not say anything and obscure his face. That actually does not seem like someone who is especially good at hiding strong emotions, even if he can school the rest of himself.

Ann, of all people, has to make excuses for his obvious disdain towards a cop. Every single dialogue option is some flavour of snippy comment. His character model continues to stare directly at said cop, even after Ann interrupts.

He is not thinking about consequences here. Joker fucking hates cops, and he is either very bad at hiding it - or he has no desire to. A very similar thing happened with Kamoshida too. He has nothing but disdain for abusers with power and authority over those they hurt. He also outright doesn't trust the justice system at all after seeing how it failed him and so many others ("They do more than the cops" <-hello. on live tv no less.).

And this leads to something else that's actually a fairly interesting facet to his character that I'm curious to see if it'll get acknowledged in some way.

For the most part, despite the Metaverse confidence and flashiness (which I feel isn't a great metric anyways - all the thieves are like that), Joker responds to most compliments and successes by either complimenting the whole team in turn, or brushing it off as luck or not a huge deal. This is likely in part a cultural thing, but when it comes to genuine appreciation being shown, he does seem to have some semblance of humility about it all - which is why it's almost hilariously shocking how pushy he can be about helping others.

He chases after Ann because she's upset, even though initially she told him not to. He corners some of the students getting exploited by Kaneshiro and won't leave until they tell him the details, even resorting to playing into the rumours about him so that they'll talk. He overhears his confidants in some kind of trouble on several occasions and near immediately asks them about it, and then continues to bring it up if they don't elaborate. It's notable that these instances are some of the few things he decides to do himself, without Morgana's explicit encouragement. I suspect a lot of this is because he has so little faith in anyone else to do the right thing - he has no trust in the justice system, and most adults don't seem to care. But Joker cares, and he will listen to what happened, and he will do something about it, and he will help, and he does so by refusing to let up - he does not wait for someone to ask for help necessarily, he just kind of goes and does it. It's not like I can't see the rationale here, but it's also, kind of, a little bit... presumptuous, in a way.

Again, it's a fascinating contrast with his typical (at least apparent) humility, and his kind of wishy-washy dialogue from early game - Joker has always been firm about this.

The official forming of the Phantom Thieves at the buffet is a scene that really caught my eye for this. Again, much as Joker has the same level of anger as his friends, his answers are still largely "probably"s and "maybe"s. He "hadn't even considered" continuing to act as Phantom Thieves. But interestingly, there is one dialogue option that is stated with none of the usual hesitancy or vagueness - "I want to help people". <- It's the crux of his awakening. This is Joker's true conviction. And he's willing to do anything, be whoever he needs to be, to see this through. He wants to help. He can't bring himself to look away.

Asserting the Phantom Thieves' brand of justice is a conviction that arises later on through proof of the effectiveness of changing hearts, and as a natural extension of his growing familiarity and confidence in their methods. Joker nearly always needs a little push to get started, but once he gets going, he's kind of relentless. He doesn't seem to be truly all that angry with either Makoto or Akechi for their questioning of the thieves' justice (barring his initial reaction), but he does, again, get annoyed at the assumption that the thieves are somehow a threat to people who aren't inflicting harm onto others - Joker says the thieves only target "criminals", implying that even though others may see them as criminals themselves, Joker does not agree. And when Makoto winds up joining them, there appears to be no residual hard feelings from him - she's like them, and she's come around.

It's likely too soon for me to state with any certainty, but I do think that's what Joker is hoping for - that people will come around if he gives them undeniable proof that they help instead of harm. Every character has at least some "selfish" motive to being a Phantom Thief, in addition to the shared goal of providing courage for those left abandoned by society. Ryuji wants positive instead of negative attention for once, Morgana wants his memories, Ann wants to alleviate her feelings of guilt surrounding Shiho, Yusuke aims to understand the human heart, and Makoto wants to feel useful and needed. What about Joker?

He started off this story just trying to help. No one believed him. He was punished for "hurting" someone and there was nothing he could say or do that would convince anyone otherwise. It was his word against society's. And when the Phantom Thieves' motives are brought up, it's the same questions: aren't they going to hurt people? Aren't they dangerous and untrustworthy? And this frustrates Joker in a similar way to the rumours surrounding his own arrest, but now - now he has proof. Proof that they helped, proof that this works. It's undeniable, to him, that real good is coming of this. And so now he has a leg to stand on; he can actually argue his point by saying "the Phantom Thieves aren't like that; look at the people they're helping, and how the people who should've done something can't do half the good they do". It's no longer his word against the rest of the world. He's counting on people being unable to deny what they are forced to witness.

In a way, Joker now has grounds not just to plead the Phantom Thieves' justice... but also his own innocence and good intentions. His defense of their justice is also, I believe, a defense of his own ego, to an extent.

[weloveakechi]

Picture this: violin prodigy Goro Akechi, loved and admired by hundreds but still somehow not satisfied by any of it

Then there’s Akira, a thief, lurking in the shadows there to steal the violin, to take back what should have been his. His plan is perfect except Goro shows up and starts practice unexpectedly

And when Goro starts to play Akira cannot stop listening. It is love at first note, not that he realizes it yet. All he knows is he needs the player to go with the instrument to really ruin Shido

He leaves calling cards, critiques on Goro’s playing, his outfit, his music choice. He’s trying to push him away. But Goro is only more determined to do well. He tweaks everything, puts in more effort, refuses poor song choices

It is a dance between them. Threats and notes and then a rose during practice. A bouquet after a performance. Candies and tissues when something goes wrong

And for Goro, he lives for those notes. They’re the first genuine interactions he’s had since before he can remember. No one has ever spoken to him that way before, in writing or otherwise.

They drive him. He has to be better. The best. Perfect. He puts everything into his performances, eyes raking the crowd for a face he only knows as a mask on a card. Heart racing to see the next response to his words put into song. He pushes and pushes and pushes. Leaves a note of his own at last, with a score he has been working on. A song for this phantom Joker. His feelings made into music

He plays that piece that night.

And the letters stop

And he cannot stand it. Without a true audience what reason does he have to play?

So he goes to destroy the violin and walks into the performance hall only to hear it singing beautifully

There, in the same mask drawn on all his cards is Akira, playing the same piece he’d written, each note lovingly pulled from the strings

[mitskiluvr]

trying to play p5r except it’s difficult because everytime joker and akechi’s showtime comes up i giggle and swing my arms around and watch it with the attention of a five year old staring at their pet goldfish through the glass of a fish tank

[illiaccrest]

You know I've been really enjoying Honkai Star Rail but every time I start thinking about where the story might go in the future it just makes me feel nervous, and I think that's entirely because of the stellaron hunters.

I get the distinct impression starting from early in the plot that the writers are expecting me to be soooooo interested in the SH, but they never really give me any reason to care about the SH. Kafka even starts her character quest with the whole "aReNt yOu InTeReSteD iN mE" which,

1) that's writing a pet peeve of mine when it comes to video games. It feels like a thinly veiled attempt by the writers to manipulate or tell the reader how they're supposed to feel about a character. To me it comes across like the writers aren't confident that they made the character interesting enough. They did the same thing with Firefly (NPCs apparently needing to tell me "oH yOu TwO aRe SoOoO close"). They know they aren't going to let the character actually DO anything so they need to inform me of how I'm supposed to feel. Weak

2) It's kind of off-putting if you happen to not see the appeal of the character immediately?? Imo it would be a lot more effective if they just stopped trying to assume/manipulate my feelings as the reader and just let me form my own opinions.

It freaks me out a little bit while I'm trying to enjoy the story because it's so BLATENT. I have the distinct impression that the game is going to reach it's emotional peak, that peak is going to revolve around the SH, and it's going to be a complete miss for me because I simply don't care about these characters.

[crystallinekai]

ShuAke Childhood Friends(?) to Rival Lovers AU

(I'm posting this headcanon here so I can reblog onto my P5 roleplay blog~ 💃🏽 Also, I have not written anything headcanon related in ages so please bear with me.)

Goro and Akira met at a Japanese equivalent of a daycare at the age of 5 years old while Akira was 3 years old. Akira was already there, playing with some blocks, when he saw a shy Goro enter while clinging to his mother. Goro's mother was explaining her situation, a lot of words that Akira couldn't understand. Something about money and how she needed Goro to stay here during the daytime while she's at work. The employee quickly assured the woman, making her relax before she signed some registration papers.

Akira had no idea what was going on as he couldnt take his eyes off of Goro. The other boy piqued Akira's interest even before he glanced his way. It was more of a glare he received while he clung to his mother tighter. It seemed like the woman noticed and she saw Akira looking in their direction. She smiled at him, finished signing the forms and placing a payment. She walked over to Akira while Goro trailed closely behind her, still glaring at the boy. The lovely woman introduced her son to Akira and hoped they will be good friends to which Akira cheerfully promised, "We will!"

And while Goro and Akira had became friends, there was a tiny bit of a rivalry going on. Akira thought it was a game, but Goro was serious. Their competition would stem from who can put the toys up faster or who can count the highest. That one was a little unfair for Akira who was three. One of their odd competitions led to Akira crying and it made Goro feel bad. So he promised to bring some candy tomorrow as a way to call a truce and make it up to Akira. It was silly, but they ended up bonding more after that particular incident. They spent a lot of time together before one of them had to go home each day. Their friendship was pure happiness for over a year.

Until one day, Goro hadn't come back to daycare one day. And one day turned to two. Then three. Before Akira was even aware, a week went by with no sign of Goro. He was sad. And then, it was Akira's turn to move away. He was due to start primary school soon and with his parent's line of work, they had to move to a different city.

He hadn't seen Goro Akechi again since. Akira was heartbroken and he didn't understand why.

About 13 years went by and a series of events happened then turned his life upside down. Getting arrested and slapped with a false assault charge landed him in a different prefecture and school.

Imagine Akira's surprise when he met Akechi on a social studies trip with his school. He felt a sense of familiarity from Akechi which made him feel a bit nostalgic and also like something that was previously missing had fell into place. He had met his old friend again, but unfortunately, they were on opposite sides. Akechi was a famous ace detective while Akira was a Phantom Thief. Akira knew needed to be careful around him yet, he was eager to spend time with Akechi and make up for lost time. Akira found himself wanting to talk to Akechi once they exchanged contact information often and they did. Then they hung out in a few spots including frequenting Cafe Leblanc, the bathhouse in Yongen-Jaya and spending time at the Cafe or Club in Kichijoji. They gravitated to each other when their schedules happened to line up, talking about their past and sometimes exchanging opinions on the Phantom Thieves. Akira found himself looking forward to every hangout between them and deepening their bond. And he fell hard for Akechi.

Which was why the betrayal from Akechi had been expected, it still hurt his heart. He thought of their talks while he was in hiding for the next month, still yearning to hear Akechi's voice on the other line if he called or see his name come up in his messages. All was quiet until the moment they had crossed paths again in Shido's palace. Akechi revealed to Akira he hated him ever since they were kids, mostly out of anger and frustration about him being surrounded by everyone while Akechi had been alone and cast aside. The words were said, but that wasn't how Akechi had felt. Akechi actually loved Akira too. Even Akira's friends could see that. They fought each other and brought Akechi to his knees. Akira offered for Akechi to join yhem again to take down Shido together when the Cognitive Goro Akechi appeared, gun in hand and pointed it at the real Akechi. Akechi gave Akira one last look and said, "If only we had met sooner..." Which Akira was about to reply before the steel gate separated them and a single gunshot was heard. His heart shattered when Akira heard Futaba confirm she couldn't see Akechi's signal anymore.

The fight with Shido was difficult and he avenged the boy he loved while making Shido atone for everything. The change of heart was a success. Akira lamented to Morgana on how he was unable to save Goro. He was mourning the loss of someone dear to him and had been dear to him since they had first met.

Eventually, Akira had to turn himself in as he had promised to Sae Niijima. His initial charges from Shido had been cleared. He served his time in juvenile detention because no one can overlook the fact he is the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Akira accepted that easily than when he had to accept that Goro wasn't alive. He still had the glove Akechi gave to him. Thankfully, that hadn't been confiscated when he was first arrested.

Akira returned to his life outside of juvenile detention after his time served. His friends rejoiced in having him back. He was glad to be with them. However, Akira knew one more person should be here. He still waited for his phone call or even a text.

It was when Akira was watching the shop shortly after White Day was when he heard the door open. Akira greeted the customer as normal before getting a good look at him and froze. Those familiar brown eyes with a unique reddish hue to them, the chestnut brown hair and his beautiful face. He was here. Goro was here, alive in Leblanc. The one word, a name was all Akira managed to say when he locked eyes with the other man:

"Akechi."

end

[lunarharp]

lazy scribbling of my baldur's gate 3 characters

[karliahs]

in the past few days I've gotten the urge to replay:

1. skyrim

2. all the dangan ronpa games

3. all the dragon age games in advance of 4 coming out

why is there a little guy who lives in my brain who wants me to achieve nothing ever

[rattled-shadow]

Do you remember the notorious 11/21 exposition scene?

Would you like to hear it without background music?

My friend @ocean-stuck was kind enough to give me the isolated vocals, so I combined them into one track

And yes, I wrote a transcript for it under the cut:

Shido: I finally made it this far... It's already been two and a half years since we met.

Akechi: Back then, you were in the media's attention as a young politician who could rise up against bureaucracy. Because of that, those who wanted to preemptively deal with problems tried to tie you up in scandal.

Shido: To think I would fall for the ruse schemed by those decrepit fools in power. I recall that's when you came to me. You promoted yourself, saying that you had "special powers". If it wasn't for the research in cognition that I dabbled in, I would have thought you insane.

Akechi: I made those troublesome opponents psychotic, and erased any trace of that scandal.

Shido: Who'd think that tampering with a person's heart could trigger a psychotic lapse or mental shutdown? And when someone like that said he'd support me, I had suspected that there'd be an ulterior motive.

Akechi: It's because I sympathized with your aspiring ideology. I believed that your ideals needed to be achieved for the sake of the country's future.

Shido: Well, my faith in you is precisely why I pulled the plug on that research. I only need you using that power. It'd be troublesome if someone else uncovered how it works.

Akechi: ...Wakaba Isshiki, was it? That researcher, she wouldn't have had to have died if she just complied.

Shido: Any suspicions should be snubbed out. Even the smallest doubt must be severed at the root. After all, we had an active Public Prosecutors Office director on our side until recently.

Akechi: Astounding, isn't it? To think the director himself would often forge evidence to secure his promotion. He was quite surprised when you confronted him about it. He didn't know who leaked that information. Well, I got that out of his Shadow, so technically speaking, he did it himself.

Shido: This country's affairs have become stagnant. The political world is filled with old men who only act to preserve their own vested interests. The general public has forsaken such political affairs and don't even bother. Only ruin awaits us.

Akechi: I must agree.

Shido: There's no need to be ruined with such incompetent fools. I will lead this country to its revival. Those who get in the way must be eliminated at times - that's the correct way to use the Metaverse.

Akechi: Still, it would stand out if there were continuous deaths and scandals with your political rivals. Which is why I made them "suspects." Prosecute the targets that I turned psychotic... and solve them as cases unrelated to you. And thus, the charismatic ace detective was born.

Shido: Thanks to your efforts, my clean image remains untarnished, and I monopolized public opinion. Once I gained public sentiment, collaborators from all sectors began approaching me on their own. The police were no exception. With their management in my pocket, keeping them in check was easy.

Akechi: When the Phantom Thieves emerged, I thought things might become somewhat troublesome.

Shido: They were just brats once we looked into it. All we needed to do was to lay the blame on them...

Akechi: When you told me that, I knew then that you were the better man.

Shido: Their popularity was a bit beyond my expectations but flipping it made the negative press stronger. After that, all I had to do was openly berate them. I've been gaining more supporters since. The current administration is dead with ongoing scandals... never mind the fact that they're my doing. Even the government parties have begun splitting up... and they're dissolving just as planned.

[Shido laughs]

Shido: The time has finally come... Just a little more and I'll take the seat of prime minister. However, inauguration isn't my goal. That's when everything truly begins. I'll make this country rich for the sake of its selfish and ignorant masses who can only rely on others.

Akechi: In other words, you're creating a powerful country that can compete with the world.

Shido: The public resonates with my ideals and follows me. And for that, some "sacrifices" can't be avoided. That is my duty as the chosen one. Your assistance has been very influential in making my plan run smoothly. When I become prime minister, I'll grant whatever wish you want.

Akechi: With this most recent case, my name has become known across the country, perhaps even the world. Surely my story will be passed down as a hero who won against monsters that could control people's hearts. I believe I'll lay low and devote myself to my studies.

Shido: ...I suppose with your age, you wouldn't come up with debauched desires.

Akechi: ...I am thinking about the future though.

[theinternetisaweboflies]

[my-current-obsession]

Most people's reactions to the new RF: Oh thank god all the likely love interests thus far actually look like adults!!!

Me: Please god let them be hyping up the "town building" addition more than necessary. I DO NOT want to actually make and shape the town. Please.

[vennyriz22]

The Amakusa Event is happening so I have her a fit

Codename: Ace

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Rokuro Saito sure loves drawing Ren shirtless huh?