#Chie just wanting to know how

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Persona Fun Facts Pt. 2

Everyone seemed to like the last entry so here's the sequel. Reminder that all these facts were taken from Atlus' fanbooks and novels (and some even from the Persona Stalker Club).

Another reason Mitsuru worried about Minato was because he had a tight schedule, was pale, and never complained about anything nor mentioned if something was bothering him 🥺

Iwai likes to watch reruns of old Western films (I wonder what's his favorite movie).

Ryuji's mother has the personality of a loud, older sister.

Lisa knows how to snowboard.

The necktie Adachi is wearing is probably Dojima's.

Shiho is "drawn to what she doesn't have".

If he won 700 million yen, Akechi would travel the world.

Tatsuya's handwriting is shit.

In his briefcase, Akechi carries a set of student supplies, food, water, and free samples of sweets and cosmetics people give him.

Yu was the type of person who wanted to be seen as wise beyond his years and more of an adult than he really was. He grew out of it by the end of the game by becoming an actually mature person.

Chihaya redesigns clothes.

The first thing Ulala did after realizing her ex was scamming her was call Maya to a restaurant where they got drinks.

Yusuke would be okay with crossdressing if he felt it would help him discover the secret of beauty.

Junes wages are 690 yen per hour for high school students and 900 yen per hour for the rest.

Jin was the member of Strega in charge of raising funds and taking care of meals.

Maruki is aware of the relationship between food and mental health, so he always tries to eat a balanced diet (with cheap ingredients that won't affect his mental health by being a financial burden).

Yukari's mother, Risako, was financially blessed and came from a good family associated with the Kirijo Group.

The Shiroganes have a butler named Yakushiji who has served them for three generations. He, along with Grandpa Shirogane, was Naoto's main caretaker growing up.

The place where Ken's house used to be is now a parking lot.

Junpei's father failed in business.

Akechi's ideal type of lover is "someone who can give [him] space".

Dojima bought Nanako's clothes at Junes.

Maya always keeps a can of crab in her purse... that's her lunch at work. 😔

Futaba is more specific when it comes to her ideal lover. I'm just going to copy and paste here: "Their specs must be just as follows: must be more of an indoors person more than an outdoors one, won’t barge selfishly into people’s room to clean without the owner’s consent, old fashioned romantic and can sing all the theme songs of Neo Featherman."

Yosuke and Kanji aren't the only ones who dye their hair. Chie also dyes hers.

Kandori sealed his deal with Nyarly by strangling his lover/coworker, Mayo Miyashita, to death. He seemed kind of in a trance while he did so (a lot was from Mayo's POV), so it's up to you to decide how much agency he had in that murder.

Members of Strega don't even know their real names (this won't deter me from the "Chidori is Natsumi's daughter theory"). They also steal household goods and clothes during the night.

Elly has twin sisters.

I can't remember if I included this one in the last post, but here it goes again. After Makoto pointed out how difficult taking care of lobsters would be, Yusuke ate them with tears in his eyes.

[muzansfangs]

Guilty pleasure.

Starring: Muzan x reader; Kokushibo, Douma, Akaza and Nakime.

Warnings: nsfw, modern au, loss of virginity, language, sugar daddy dynamics, age gap (Muzan is 35, reader is 21), vaginal sex, reference to cheating, unprotected sex, creampie, dom!muzan, sub!reader, vaginal fingering, light choking.

Plot: Kokushibo comes to pick you up and he helps you with the move. During the car ride, Muzan texts you and blatantly tells you that he intends to have sex with you that very night. You spend the day exploring your new house, interacting with the other two bodyguards, until Muzan finally joins you for dinner. He seems genuinely interested in you and your habits and, when he leads you to his bedroom, you can clearly tell he is definitely invested into exploring every inch of your body.

AUTHOR NOTE.

Hello, there!

I’ve finally been able to update the second part of this short series. I hope you’re going to enjoy the reading and thank you so much for the support you’re showing me! Make sure to read the first part, before you proceed in reading this one. Things are finally getting started down here ;). Likes, comments and reposts are appreciated!

PART ONE| PART TWO| PART THREE| PART FOUR| PART FIVE | PART SIX

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CORRUPTION.

“How’s Mr. Kibutsuji?” you asked, shooting an interrogative glance at Kokushibo through the rear-view mirror of the car. Time had really flown and, before you could mentally prepare yourself to the radical change in your life, it was already Sunday and you had just locked the front door of your apartment, pestered by uncertainties about your new busy schedule and, most likely, new life-style.

“He is a respectful, classy man, miss L/N” the driver flatly replied, not averting his eyes from the road. It was your third failed attempt to make a small conversation with the stolid man, who was most likely going to be your bodyguard as well. You had had the chance to read all the clauses of the contract and it did not seem unpleasing. Except for your lack of privacy, due to being followed and watched in every step you took by a potential serial killer.

If you had to spend hours in Kokushibo’s company, then you would have liked to know him better, at least.

You sighed and rested your forehead against the cold car window “Yeah, I know. – you said, batting your eyes close for a few seconds – Do you think we could ever be friends? I mean, you’re going to be my shadow for the rest of my life. It’s weird and I… Uhm, well, I’d like to feel comfortable around you” you said, opting for a blatant request.

You were spontaneous, honest, and best known for speaking your thoughts without fear, or remorse. You would have surely not changed your attitude for a contract. Plus, it was not like you were rude. You liked to think yourself free to say and do whatever you pleased. Well, at least, when you were safe from prying eyes.

It took a few seconds for Kokushibo to reply something, but eventually he did and a skeptical “As you wish, ma’am” left his lips.

You rolled your eyes, palming your forehead in defeat. It was a lost cause, was it not? Nevertherless, it was your second time interacting with him. There was still a dim hope of breaking through his detached heart.

“Y/N, call me Y/N” you breathed out, expecting some kind of reaction from the taciturn bodyguard. However, he kept his mouth shut and you realised that, perhaps, Kokushibo was not just a man of few words: he probably found it odd that ‘the boss’s fiancé’ wanted to strike up a conversation with him.

You were about to pest him again with another sapless question, when your phone buzzed. You thought it was one of your friends, or maybe your collegues from the small restaurant you worked in. Some of them were heartbroken, when you announced them you had to resign for personal reasons. You could only imagine their faces, when they would have seen your face on the newspapers as Muzan’s wife.

You had still not filled up anyone with the fresh news, chiefly because you were not sure about the outcome of this arranged relationship.

However, when you read the text, you wheezed and clasped your hand over your mouth not to draw Kokushibo’s attention. Funny how you had acted as an attention seeker for fifteen minutes straight and now you were practically ducking your head down not to let him see your reflection in the rear-view mirror. Two words. He had opted for two mere words and your world had stopped revolving.

MUZAN: Sex. Tonight.

Your heart thrummed in your chest as you had to reread the text over and over again to check if you had read it correct. You had exchanged numbers before you left his house and you expected him to text you, at least, once or twice in the past few days. Yet, he had not called or even sent you a trivial message. Nothing. You did not quite expect him to demand a sexual performance from you, out of the blue. You were totally in, of course you were. Muzan Kibutsuji was handsome as Hell, you had always drooled after him, whenever the daily reports showed pictures and videos of him, especially during a conference.

You had accepted the terms of the contract without blinking. Having a sexual intercourse with him was a pleasing activity.

The thing was you were a virgin. Well, you had only experience with giving oral. That was the furthest you had gone with your ex. You knew that sooner or later it would have happened and you were electrified by the idea of giving yourself to him. He was a famous womanizer, unfortunately, but he was surely someone who had plenty of experience and knew how to treat a woman in bed.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me…” you uttered under your breath, cheeks flushing up as you stared at the screen of your phone thunderstruck.

“What did you say, mi–… Y/N?” Kokushibo said, an ounce of concern and awkwardness echoing in his words. At the sound of your name leaving his lips, you squealed out in joy and almost forgot that fact that he had just heard you swearing. It did not matter anymore because he had just made progress, censuring himself even!

“Ah, yes! You got it, then! – you beamed, leaning forward until your chin almost rested over his shoulder – We’re going to be best buddies!” you said, watching how his hold on the steering wheel grew tighter. The tips of his ears were now tinted in a vivid shade of red and you chuckled, before sinking back onto your seat and texted a reply to Muzan.

You: I’d love that, Mr. Kibutsuji.

It did not take a lot for him to reply and, when he did, your breath hitched in your throat and you shoved your phone back into your bag.

Muzan: In a few hours, you’re going to forget how to properly sit for a week.

It was definitely going to be an unforgettable first day at the Kibutsuji manor.

♚

You expected to share the bedroom with Muzan. He had not mentioned that you could pick a guest room and sleep in there, until you felt comfortable enough to lay down next to him. You were taken aback, naturally, but you were glad he wanted you to settle down without any pressure. He was not imposing his authority on you, his presence in your life was not suffocating you… Yet.

He seemed a gentleman, but you barely knew him. What if things degenerated? You refused to believe it and all you focused on was the present and, as for now, he was not troubling you in any way.

Once you were finally done unpacking, Kokushibo told you he would have taken his leave to run an errand for Muzan and you were free to do whatever you pleased in the meanwhile.

“Wait, can I come with you? I… Well, I don’t want to be alone” you said, rubbing the back of your neck as you shot the most pleading glance at the man you had enjoyed annoying all day long.

Kokushibo quirked an eyebrow up “You are not alone, actually. – he simply replied, straightening his jacket – Douma and Akaza are in the basement. I can accompany you there…” the man said, folding his arms against his chest. Only then, when he flexed his arms, you noticed how muscular he actually was.

He had large shoulders, a broad chest and, most likely, a chiseled set of abs down his stomach. Well, damn, did Muzan really have to choose hot men as his bodyguards? Ignoring your dirty, inappropriate thought, you vigorously nodded your head and followed him down the corridor, hoping that the other two assassins were not as good-looking as Kokushibo. Your hopes, though, crushed down, when, hopping down from the elevator, you were met with two piercing golden eyes and fascinating multicolored hues.

The taller one, silvery hair and a malicious grin plastered over his face was the first one who spoke “Ah, there she is! I knew she was the perfect candidate for this job. Such a pity I could not ask her out…” he complained, discarding his phone on the counter of the bar area and strolling towards you.

He was magnetic, his smile so bright and malicious that could have enlighten the whole city during a blackout.

“Back off, Douma. – the short guy, sipping a glass of what you assumed to be cognac, hissed from the stool he was sitting on – Touch her and I’ll shoot you” he stated, slamming the shot onto the counter carelessly.

You let out a nervous laughter and flashed a thin-lipped smile at them, before greeting the rest of Muzan’s army “Akaza and Douma, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Y/N L/N” you introduced yourself, waving your hand at them sheepishly.

You wondered if Akaza really meant what he had said and your eyes betrayed your thoughts, making Douma sneer and grasp your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

You could feel his breath fanning the tip of your nose, his slender frame towering over you as his half-lidded, mystical eyes scanned your face. He really did not know what personal space was, did he?

“Ah, look at you! Adorable, just adorable! Akaza loves to bully me, but he could never lay a finger on the second in command! Muzan-sama would kill him himself! – Douma chimed, tugging at your hand softly and leading you towards the bar – Now, now, let’s grab a glass of scotch and have a chit-chat, shall we?” he suggested, winking at you.

You had no idea of what to do and say. He seemed friendly, far way easier to talk to than Kokushibo, and, since they were going to be your protectors too, it was a good idea getting to know them better.

Before you could talk, Kokushibo’s deep voice pierced your ears and you both froze in your tracks “Take care of her. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes” he stated, glancing at the two men menacingly, before nodding your head in your direction and hastily leaving the basement.

You watched him leave, your stomach clenching, as you realised that you would have been able to see Muzan in a while. You were not nervous about the dinner, but you had to admit that the idea of undressing in front of him and moaning into his mouth was doing numbers on you.

What if he changed his mind because you had almost zero experience?

You sighed and Douma snaked his arm around your waist, leading you to the stool next to Akaza’s one. As you sat down, you swallowed the lump in your throat and propped your elbows on the counter, eyes transfixed on the crystal bottle of liquor in front of you.

“Can I have a glass of whatever it is, please?” you whispered, earning a chuckle from Douma.

“Bad day?” Akaza asked you, reaching his hand out to grab a glass and the bottle you had been staring at almost lustfully.

You shrugged and flicked your gaze up to meet his golden eyes “Kind of… – you breathed out, as he slided the now filled glass towards you on the polished surface of the counter – I’m not used to be treated like a princess. Everything’s great, don’t get me wrong. I guess it’ll take some time for me to adapt” you said, grasping the glass and dawning a small sip of the alcoholic drink. It burned down your throat and you took a deep breath not to cough up at their faces.

Akaza grinned and cocked his head to the side, his pink eyelashes contrasting with the shimmering hues beneath them “You know, I thought you were a bitch. That’s because Douma found you and he usually has bad tastes in women” he said, making you choke on yiur drink.

What?

You settled the glass back on the counter, eyes daggers on Akaza as he just giggled at your reaction. What did he mean by ‘Douma found you’? You knew that someone had clearly spied on you, you just were startled to find out it was the jovial silver-haired man who had welcomed you in the basement.

“Yeah, he’s stalked you for months!” he added, running his ringed fingers through his spiky hair.

Your head whipped, eyes finally locking with Douma’s ones, demanding at least an apology for having invaded your privacy “How many photographs of me have you taken?” you asked him, quirking an eyebrow up.

He smiled brightly at you and shrugged “Uhm… Probably over twothousand. You know, Muzan-sama became obsessed with you when I showed him the first picture of you I had taken!” he casually declared, as if it was not the creepiest thing to say to someone.

Muzan became obsessed with you?

You shivered, biting the insides of your cheeks in discomfort. How many things did he know about you? Why was he so obsessed with you, a common civilian who was trying to graduate and pay for her studies by working night-shifts at a restaurant?

“Tell me you have not broken into my house, at least” you said, pinching the bridge of your nose.

Silence. Did he?

You gasped and clasped a hand over your mouth in shock and Douma jabbed his finger at Akaza accusingly “Hey, I was not alone! He came with me countless times!” he protested, earning a scornful look from the pink-haired guy.

“Sure I did! I was afraid you were going to follow her into the bathroom, you perv!” Akaza yelled, slamming his fist onto the counter and leaning towards him, despite you being in his way.

“Okay, okay! Stop it you two!” you interjected, blocking Akaza’s view on the taller man.

“See? You made Y/N-chan upset!” Douma rebuked Akaza, folding his arms against his chest and giving him an annoyed side-eye.

Well, they were hilarious. You were glad that two out of the three bodyguards were not as stiff as Kokushibo. They were amusing, even, and they had made the revelation about how you ended up in Muzan’s house less scary than it was. A politician could not be an saint and Muzan was surely far from being one.

Before you could open your mouth to say something, a feminine voice echoed from the entrance of the basement and you three switched your attention on the brunette woman staring at you.

She was probably a little bit older than you. Long, chocolate brown hair and crimson-red lipstick exalting her pale skin, she wore a black tailleur, the skirt being way too short though, and revealing a black, leather suspender with a sharp knife in it. She seemed lathal and she was absolutely beautiful, although you could barely see her eyes.

“Master Muzan’s waiting for you, miss L/N” she coldly said and you clumsily hopped down from the stool to walk towards the elevator not to piss her off. She did not seem like the type you would have messed with, plus you had never seen her before.

“Ah, Nakime-dono… – Douma suavely addressed her – I wondered where were you”.

You passed by her and she bowed her head at you “Enjoy your meal, ma’am. Nobody will disturb you and the Master tonight” she said and you felt a wave of cold sweat running down your back. Were you ready for it?

♚

You were sitting across from him. His plum red eyes boring into yours, as he watched you bringing the spoon to your mouth and repress a moan of pleasure, when the delicious rice met your yearning taste buds.

You had been talking about everything. He seemed eager to know everything about you. Your studies, what you would have loved to do after your graduation, your hobbies, your family. He found you fascinating, adorable.

“It looks like I’ve chosen something you like, doesn’t it? – he commented, a faint smile adorning his lips as you blushed and shyly nodded your head – You can ask the chef to cook whatever you please for lunch tomorrow” he added, clearing his throat.

Seriously?

You smiled at him and settled the silver spoon onto the now empty plate “Thank you so much, Muzan. I will try to pick something you can enjoy too!” you said softly.

He did not reply, he just stood up, consuming the five strides dividing you two in a nick of time and swiftly grasping your chin between his forefinger and thumb. It was time for him to claim you, was it not? Your cheeks seemed to burn under his intense gaze and firm touch and you mouth went suddenly dry.

“Come with me, baby” he whispered, after a few seconds. His hand left your chin, his fingertips grazing down the tender flesh of your neck, travelling down its length and stopping right above your cleavage.

You nodded your head and he wrapped his hand around your wrist, pulling you up and closer to him. He leaned down, until his nose brushed against yours and you batted your eyes close in anticipation. You felt butterflies fluttering into your stomach and, by the time he swept you off of your feet and cradled you in his arms, you knew he had already won your heart.

You clung to him, feet dangling in the air as he led you to his majestic bedroom. He banged the door open, entering in and not caring about closing it behind you. When he dropped ruthlessly onto the bed, your eyes snapped open and you saw the lustful gaze he had trailed on you. The tent in his pants was prominent and you pushed yourself up on your elbows, biting on your lower lip nervously.

He smirked down at you unbuckling the belt with one hand “Take your clothes off. Now” he demanded, throwing it away and unzipping his pants.

“Yes, sir” you murmured, proceeding in kneeling on the bed to pull the simple pink dress you were wearing above your head. You felt his gaze on you, you felt it soaking in every curve of your body, searching for the proof that you were as excited as him. And he found it.

Your white virginal panties had an evident dump he did not fail to notice. You stared up at him and he pulled his shaft out of the tight fabric of his black boxers, giving it a few pumps. It was huge, it would have hurt like Hell and you gulped nervously as you hesitantly pulled your panties down your thighs, exposing your untouched flower at his vicious eyes.

“Fuck” he grunted, crawling over the bed and grasping you by your hips. You squirmed as he pushed you down onto the mattress, his fingers snatching the panties away from your ankles and discarding them somewhere behind him.

“S-Sir, please… Be gentle, I’m a virgin” you blurted out, earning a dumbfounded glance from the raven-haired man.

He could not believe his eyes. You, the young and lovely girl he was about to mark as his property was actually a virgin. He chuckled, parting your legs and grazing your chaste entrance with his pointer finger. You shuddered under his touch, your juices coating the pad of his digit as he slowly shoved it inside you.

You yelped, his other hand pushing your hips down to keep you in place “Your admission just made me feral. Are you under birth-control?” he huskily asked you, pumping the finger in and out of soaked, tight cunt.

You whined and nodded your head at him “Y-yes… Yes, I am, Master” you winced, as he deliberately decided to add another finger into you. He was loving every second of it, your moans music to his ears. He had even declined Nakime’s avances earlier. Something he was not used to, actually, and he had not even called Daki for the usual morning quickie in his office. Nothing, all because he wanted to focus on you. Only on you.

“Good. That’s good, love, because I’ll cum into you” he rasped, removing his fingers from your core and lining his shaft at your entrance. You held your breath, cheeks heating up even more at his words, as you boldly wrapped your legs around him.

He was still fully clothed and you were so lost into the depths of your mind that you had not realised it until now. Why was he fucking you like that? Was it his kink?

And with a quick, painful thrust he entered you. You let out a throaty moan, the pain, mixed with an unfamiliar pressure into your neather regions made your arch your back and grip the red bedsheets into your fists so tightly you thought they were going to rip into shreds.

Muzan grunted, his hand caressing your cheek lovingly to capture the tear you had shedded, before planting a kiss over your plumped lips. You relaxed, he stayed still for a few minutes, before he pulled out and thrusted back in gently. You moaned into his mouth, your hand, cupping his smooth cheek as you whispered a weak “Please, don’t stop” against his lips.

Muzan bit your lip softly, tugging at it to assert his authority on you “Hush, baby. Moan for me until I fill you up to the brim”.

You kissed him again, Muzan returning it as he started to pick up a faster pace. He thrusted into you, his mouth latching onto your collabone as he left a trail of wet kisses down it. You were his. You were going to fall for him, no matter how long it would have taken.

You were his doll, his precious baby, his goddess.

“A–Ah, Muzan… I-I think I’m close… It’s good, it’s so good” you breathed out then, as his hand grasped your throat and gave it a tight squeeze. You moaned, eyes rolling at the back of your skull, as your spongy walls clamped down his cock.

He growled, his hips rutting into you as he neared his climax and, just a few moments before he spurted his seed into you, you orgasmed around him. Muzan lowly moaned, burying his face onto the crook of your sweaty neck as he finished inside you. He stayed sheathed into you for a few minutes, before pulling out of your aching core and rolling over his back.

You could not believe what had just happened. You could not believe you had just slept with the next President, you could not believe he had come into you.

“You can sleep here, if you want” he casually said then, snapping you out of your stream of consciousness. He was not laying next to you anymore, he was on his feet and walking towards the private bathroom of his bedroom, undressing and leaving a trail of clothes behind him.

Well, what a first day it had been.

[taldigi]

hi!!!! hi I've been loving ur Aus and kickass takes/discussions with each and every character (primarily Morgana and Teddie from what I can scroll down so far)

and I am !!!! absolutely normal about personas being gay or albeit the persona interacting with their little heroes cos like!! finally!!! SOMEONE MENTIONED IT and I can't thank you enough so here's - my take on that specific headcanon if you won't mind -

I actually do highly agree that each personas have a unique signature sound/calling noise if they don't speak verbally! (Jiraiya croaking like a frog,, very true and whistling tuney sound. Izanagi sounding like clashed metal and swishes of swords primarily, reverberated deep echoey hums, yukiko with flowery yet - also sounding like their turning into crisp. Sing-songy like uhhh a flute.)

but I also fuck with the fact they have their own personalities too; Izanagi and Yu having an apprentice/master dynamic... that's just me tho. Yosuke and Jiraiya on the other hand is a fun uncle who takes their kid somewhere fun - a gun range!

mix and match we have a polyamorous situation and I find that very very funny and delightful 😭😭😭 I do wish more fics explore this side of persona! like c'mon I want my other self talk and whisper me secrets -

but that's. all I have to say primarily cos I love your comics, they're funny and equally adorable 🔥

thank!!!!! I love being silly about my favorites and my brain is fulll of comics and ideas.

I've seeen a aloooooot of takes on personas, both in canon and non-canon and I'm def cut between a few different interpretations.

Ultimately, they are weapons, or- extensions of the self-- but p4 and 5 do push a little more into their independence. I like the latter idea, because it lends better to storytelling and situations.

I love personas talking and acting as guides, but only within your "self " (holds up the high priestess tarot card: The persona is your gut intuition, begging you to be true to yourself. holds up the magician tarot: the tools to success are within you and you must manifest them!) Like.. they may know a bit more than their user in terms of their own nature, but they aren't any more or less intelligent than their user. What gives them an edge is that they can express those subconscious desires directly-- stuff that you don't even know about yourself --and use that information to guide their selves. So yeah, the master/apprentice vibe from Yu? Yu's a natural leader, and an empathetic listener- of course Izanagi is going to be that too. And with Yu as drawn in as he is, who else is he going to listen to?

Persona noises? I'm all for it. I think it's a mix of.. what situation the personas are in specifically. They always have a link to their user, and can speak directly.. be it words or emotions. (i am NOT immune to the occasional scathing comment from Jiraiya on Yosuke's stupidity or loud mouth) On the field, however- it's different. Squeaks and clanks and hums and beeps. Others understand your persona based on how well they know you (example would be.. Yukiko understanding Tomoe more intuitively than she would understand Take-Mikazuchi.. "Whats that Tomoe? Teddie's stuck in the well??") plus plus plus PLUS close bonds being comforted by those real world equivalents... Chie loving birdsong... Yu comforted by frog chirps.. grapsy hands....

As tamed shadows: I also like to see them as "a version of you that is not tamed by societal expectations." and that does include shit like.. manners, gender performances, and familial expectations. So yeah, Izanagi likes herds his friends like a shepherd with his sheep, Tomoe craves stimulation, and Konohana Sakuya wants to bite things.

... and indulgently, I feel like that extends to expressing affection and bonds that would normally be like.. frowned at? as well as expressing relationships that pride seems to tamp down. Teddie and Yosuke have a cain instinct/ w/ Yosuke's "boys must be emotionally constipated about other boys or you will be EXILED TO THE FUCKED UP WEIRDO BIN" thing going on, but Jiraiya and Kintoki-Douji are far more openly affectionate b/c they are both naturally affectionate people. Get my vibe?

Also.. just.. personas seeing a loved one and go OH! MY FAVORITE ONE! and being drawn to them by default is.. aaahhh.

ANYWAY YOU GOT ME MONOLOGUING AGAIN YOU SLY DOG I hope this is as fun to read as it was to talk about LOL!

[astyrra]

what i think the p4 characters do post-canon:

-they all do shadow ops stuff when needed

-yu went to university to study forensics, but got increasingly frustrated with the pro-cop/getting convictions over finding the truth attitudes there. he ended up switching to investigative journalism when he was Asked To Leave forensics after getting in one too many arguments

-yosuke probably did some kind of business study thing; he’s def planning to take over junes from his dad. he’s getting interested in like, town planning, local economy stuff, bc he wants to support inaba. also acts as teddie’s manager/agent sometimes

-teddie is still junes’ mascot lol. has also been scouted for minor modeling/acting roles. yosuke and rise make sure he isn’t being taken advantage of

-chie went to cop school but probably also ran into issues of actually wanting to find the truth, and arguing with authority about that. she also realised that people who become cops bc they want to beat up bad guys are not really the type of person she wants to be. probably currently a cop in inaba, but considering a career change?

-yukiko is running amagi inn. she did a remote business degree, and now spends her free time taking any short course/training/online thing that takes her interest. she has SO MANY random ass skills now.

-kanji has somehow ended up in charge of a whole community arts thing in inaba. he doesn’t know how it happened, he was just teaching a few people how to make cute plushies and now he’s running or managing multiple weekly classes and has city funding. also still helps at the textile shop

-rise has transitioned her idol career into a solo musician career

-naoto is a private detective obviously. has regular work doing background checks for the kirijo group, so they don’t accidentally hire any more mad scientists/evil cultists

[pavaal]

Persona 4: Kiri no Amnesia (Summary)

I said I would do it, so here it is! I bought the Persona 4 spinoff light novel a couple of days ago, ran through it, and decided to write a summary since I don't feel confident enough to translate the whole thing page by page. For those who don't know, Kiri no Amnesia is a light novel set shortly after Yukiko's dungeon, covering an accidental trip into the TV World with just Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko. It was written in order to expand on the Shadows of the first two victims, Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. It's not not canon, considering how it resolves in the end, but at worst I think it's some good insight for people who wanted to see more of Saki, like me.

There are no major spoilers for people who have played at least the first couple hours of Persona 4.

With that in mind...

The first part of the book is pretty slow and uninteresting. It basically functions as a recap of things up to this point, with the main trio (for this book: Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko) doing some training after school without Yu. This was before any supplementary material named him, so he's just referred to as "the transfer student" or "leader" in the narrative, and he's also absent for pretty much the entire novel due to certain developments.

Yosuke angsts about Saki a bit, but he tries to keep it to himself and puts on a bright smile so as to not worry the others. I found this part, and other parts like it pretty sweet, because Chie is really attentive to him when he gets in these moods. Being novelized means that a lot of the wacky anime hijinks are toned down, and so there's a surprising amount of very sincere bonding between the trio that we don't get to see in other P4 media.

When they leave for the day, Yukiko and Chie are the first to go, while Yosuke hangs back. Reflecting on a discussion about how they need to use the same TV to enter the same place, Yosuke gets lost in thought about how Saki must have been lost and afraid when she was thrown in. He's shaken out of his reverie by the sound of someone crying from one of the other TVs, but although he's curious about it, he stops himself before doing anything stupid.

The next day, the group meets up again to train, but Yu is late and sends a text saying to wait up. Then there's some filler about them hanging out, eating, bonding, etc, but Yu texts again saying he's later than he thought and to go on without him. Initially, they don't want to, but they do go over to the TVs where Yosuke once again hears the weird voice—which he doesn't mention to Chie or Yukiko, but he's distracted enough that they comment on it. He then asks them to cover him while he just checks inside, but of course he can't see anything without the glasses. He starts to get back out of the TV, but of course at that very moment, a wayward child shoves him in and Yukiko and Chie naturally follow.

They end up in what we will term Magatsu-Inaba, but to them it's just Inaba inside the TV. Shadow Inaba? Whatever. Everyone gets mad at Yosuke for being stupid, he apologizes, but he figures that they can just walk back to the entrance since they all know how to navigate Inaba. (Teddie can't reach them through the fog.) The problem is that they quickly discover the landscape is covered in black holes, blocking the easiest path back. They decide to take a detour to a nearby park, which Yosuke says he didn't know about, but there's someone already there when they arrive. Sitting on the swings alone is... Saki Konishi. (!!!!)

Yosuke understandably freaks out, and his first reaction is a mixture of shock and anger, since his initial assumption is that this is the Shadow that killed Saki. However, when he confronts her, she doesn't know anything, and I mean anything. She doesn't know who or what she is, and she doesn't even know what Shadows are. Yosuke has trouble being angry with her after that, and the trio has a quick meeting to acknowledge that she probably is a Shadow, and Saki's Shadow for that matter, but things are different because she doesn't seem malicious. Up to now, the human-like Shadows they've encountered have known TOO well what they are, but this girl doesn't know anything.

Putting two and two together, they come to the conclusion that there are holes in the landscape because "Saki" doesn't remember anything, and if they can get her to remember, then they'll probably be able to get back. This means traveling with her, which everyone makes their peace with. (Yosuke in particular says that he can't ignore someone who looks like Saki, despite everything.)The first roadblock they run into is that Yosuke can't call her Saki because she may nevertheless be the Shadow that killed her. Considering her condition, they decide to call her Amnesia.

They do some traveling, a Shadow shows up but it's way too strong and they bolt. When they find a place to rest, they sit for a little while and try to jog Amnesia's memory. Yosuke is clearly struggling with Amnesia's existence when she looks so much like Saki, so Chie intervenes and they have a little back and forth where Yosuke says something mildly funny and Yukiko explodes in laughter. Yosuke apologizes to Amnesia for Yukiko interrupting their important conversation, but she wistfully says it's okay, and she's jealous of people who can laugh. Yosuke is conflicted: he wants to help "Saki," but this is likely "Saki's Shadow."

He muses on his friendship with Chie and Yukiko for a little while, quietly grateful for them because they were the first people to welcome him and make him feel actually wanted in Inaba, and then Yukiko finally calms down. They decide to take a snack break with some supplies they had from the real world, so the trio+Amnesia split Yosuke's several Dr. Salt NEOs. After some discussion about how weird the flavor is, Amnesia mentions... she can't taste it! The trio calls an emergency secret meeting about how weird it is that someone can't taste Dr. Salt NEO, so Amnesia is absolutely a Shadow, but they can't do anything about it right now.

Incidentally, when Yosuke opens his, he accidentally sprays it all over Chie and Yukiko. Although they try to use their Personas to clean up, this will be important later.

Some other stuff happens, and Yosuke muses on the differences between Amnesia and Saki. Amnesia is much more self-deprecating and pessimistic than Saki he knows, and Yosuke knows from Saki's brother that she was a "good sister," so Amnesia just seems particularly sad. He tells her that she might not be the Shadow that killed Saki after all...

Amnesia's eyes suddenly glow bright yellow, and she starts muttering "I... killed... I killed... I..." over and over to herself. Although the trio prepares for a fight, Amnesia suddenly snaps out of it and seems to have forgotten what even happened. Weird!

They try to keep moving forward after that, but Chie and Yukiko complain about being sticky and they decide to reroute to Amagi Inn, since they're not making any progress with Amnesia anyway. Chie and Yukiko are excited, Yosuke cannot believe they're actually going to go to the hot springs in the TV World, and Amnesia is just trying not to be a nuisance.

The girls all take a bath while Yosuke stands guard, and shockingly, there's nothing particularly perverted about this scene. Amnesia and Yosuke have a little moment where, after Yosuke insists that Amnesia take a bath too so she can relax and try to recall something, she calls him kind and he gets flustered. After she, too, joins Chie and Yukiko, Yosuke worries that he's starting to see Amnesia and Saki as one in the same. He wonders what the difference is between a human and a Shadow with no malice, but he decides that's not a question he can answer.

In the meantime, Chie has a moment where it says she's gazing at Amnesia "with the gleam of an old man in her eyes" and comments to Yukiko how pretty Saki/Amnesia is, so she understands why Yosuke was in love with her. She fills Yukiko in on Yosuke's crush on Saki and really brings the mood down, but it's a nice moment where they acknowledge that Yosuke is really in pain and he's working harder than any of them to solve the case. Chie also raises the hopeful possibility that Amnesia is the real Saki, and the body they found was her Shadow.

After a bit, they move on to lighthearted girl talk and Yosuke tries not to pop a boner outside from listening to them (Yukiko asks Chie to "open her body") while waiting for them to finish.

Amnesia leaves first, and in a thoughtful mood, Yosuke asks what Amnesia would do if she could leave the TV World. She says she wouldn't leave. Although she doesn't remember anything, she feels like being here is a punishment she must serve for a sin she doesn't recall. Yosuke says she's strong for carrying that burden, but she says it's the opposite—she feels like she's probably running away from something.

Yosuke is about to hit her with the ultra smooth line of "if you have to run, run to me," but then he's suddenly interrupted by a Teddie Transmission warning them of a huge Shadow in the area. Yosuke panics because Chie and Yukiko are still in the bath and Amnesia can't fight, but he says he'll buy time while Chie and Yukiko get informed and dressed.

The Shadow speaks to him from a black hole that has appeared, and he notes that the voice is familiar, but he can't place it immediately. It asks him if Amnesia is important to him, and although he hesitates, he ultimately answers yes—to which the Shadow cheerfully promises that she'll kill Amnesia and drop her to the depths of hell.

Yosuke says he's not going to lose "her" again, and the Shadow gets angry, telling him that he's stupid for placing anyone else above himself. "You use whatever you can, you take whoever you can, even if that means you have to have an affair! Are you stupid?!" The Shadow is particularly hostile to the girls once they all rejoin, saying that she'll let Yosuke run away while she kills the others.

The Shadow is obviously super overpowered, and honestly there was a lot of fighting description here that I didn't care about so I skimmed it, but the critical part of this whole fight scene is that the Shadow is about to get a KO on Yosuke—but he suddenly hears Amnesia call "Hana-chan!" and feels a chain wrap around his arm to pull him out of the way in time. They manage to escape with some effort, but in the process, the Shadow destroys the Amagi Inn, to which Yukiko vows revenge.

Yosuke later compliments Amnesia on her chain moves, and Amnesia suddenly hears a voice within her saying that she prayed to forget this power. Her mind goes blank, and she can no longer remember what they were talking about. She's shocked to hear that she apparently did something in that fight.

There's a little bit of a drag here where they boringly make it to Shadow Junes and boringly hang out, but suddenly Yukiko and Chie feel incredibly faint. Yosuke summons Jiraiya to Dia them, but it doesn't seem to have any affect. Amnesia gets the feeling that she can do something, and so she folds her hands and, unbeknownst to her, casts Posumudi... because the Shadow onsen poisoned them! Duh!!

But the same thing happens again where she forgets what she just did, which by now, is something very bizarre that none of them are sure how to handle. They're afraid to push it after her short-circuiting earlier, and the trio acknowledges that trying to force her to remember might result in her going crazy... you know, like a Shadow. Yosuke once again privately muses on the nature of a Shadow, thinking, “If she looks like Senpai, talks like Senpai, and acts like Senpai, who cares if she’s a Shadow? …is a crazy thing to think, isn’t it? But I…”

At this point, to him, "Saki" and "Amnesia" are the same person.

Anywho, a little more of this and the Shadow from before shows up with yet another hole, and this time they recognize it as Mayumi Yamano's Shadow, and realize the holes are from her and not a result of Amnesia's memory loss. She transforms into Iwanaga(-hime), and in what may be a series first, Yukiko actually recognizes the legend. She says that after she got Konohanasakuya, she did some research, and Iwanaga came up as part of the story. She gives them a quick rundown, which is that Iwanaga and Konohanasakuya were sisters who were offered to a man for marriage, but Iwanaga was rejected because of her appearance. Chie comments on how rude it is to judge people on appearances and glares at Yosuke, who gets defensive.

I once again skimmed over the battle stuff because it truly is boring to read, but if you really need to know, Iwanaga is made of stone. Her schtick is that she feels like she's the most important person in the world and she doesn't care who she has to hurt to get what she wants. She loathes Misuzu Hiiragi and feels as if she was unjustly punished, since she doesn't see what's so bad about falling in love with a married man. Although even her Shadow seems to have truly loved Namatame, she really hates women and constantly refers to the girls as dumb brats. She calls Yosuke "little boy."

Anyway, things are looking bad. Yosuke tries to reason with her, saying that although she/Mayumi Yamano is guilty, she doesn't have to live her life full of this resentment. This does not work, despite Yosuke's best efforts, and she really starts to beat the hell out of Yosuke. More things happen, everyone does some cool moves, so on and so forth. Yosuke knocks Amnesia out of the way of an attack, but in doing so, he falls into one of the holes. Although he manages to catch himself on the edge, he's slipping and there's too much space for anyone to come save him. I liked this part, so I directly translated it.

“So this is it, huh?” An image of his “partner” appeared in his mind—the boy who helped them all awaken the power of Persona. “Sorry… I guess I’ll have to leave the rest to you.” Yosuke’s eyes naturally fell to Amnesia, who was gazing at him in horror. He gave her a smile as if to say “don’t worry.” “Satonaka and Amagi will keep you safe. They’re good people, so you’ll be fine.” His smile conveyed all this without words. —“He’s going to disappear.” Amnesia heard a voice from within her. “Will you taste the same regret you did when you killed me?” It was her voice. It was the voice of Saki Konishi. Amnesia was the embodiment of Saki’s latent desires—a Shadow. Saki’s desires had been calm, so Amnesia was not full of the same anger that characterized so many other Shadows. But a Shadow was a Shadow. Destruction was their nature. When the fog clears, that destruction manifests. And on such a day, Amnesia had killed Saki. Unable to bear this sin, Amnesia had erased her own memories. Every Shadow has a unique power from its individual identity. And the power given to Amnesia, borne of Saki Konishi, was called “Oblivion.” Saki Konishi had wanted to run away from everything that was keeping her trapped, to forget all her pain.

So, obviously, Amnesia is able to call on her powers after this, and she uses her chains to save Yosuke from the hole. Now that she's "awake," she's able to help in the fight, and she tells Yosuke that she can erase memories. They come up with a plan to erase Iwanaga's memories so that they can defeat her and/or get away, whichever comes first, but Amnesia needs to be able to touch her. Everyone comes together for their epic battle, and once again, a part I liked.

Yosuke was full of confidence [as he prepared to face Iwanaga]. Saki’s voice observed this from within. “Hana-chan always had this unreliable air about him… but I guess boys grow up fast when you’re not looking.”

Although Amnesia manages to touch Iwanaga and unsettle her, her power isn't strong enough and she just sends Iwanaga into a mindless berserk state. Amnesia realizes that there's only one thing left to do, and although she didn't want to show anyone this form, she realizes there's no choice.

Her body is consumed by black flames, and once again, here's a little translation.

Her body grew twice as large, and a black lace shawl covered her face. She wore a long, jet-black dress with lace gloves up to her elbow: clothes that one would wear to mourn the dead. The skin that was visible between sections of black was as pale as snow, and the chains that had previously only extended from her arms wrapped around her body several times, as if binding herself. She had the appearance of a human, but she was not: she was a Shadow, and her golden eyes gleamed from beneath the lace shawl.

Seeing this, Yosuke is briefly pained by the undeniable realization that this is the Shadow that killed Saki, but if Saki had just known about Personas, if she had known to accept her true self, then she wouldn't have died.

With Amnesia's magnified power, they all manage to defeat Iwanaga, and with her death, the holes clear from the landscape and Teddie is finally able to properly contact them. Amnesia changes back to her "human" form, ashamed, but the trio is openly supportive and grateful to her for helping them. Knowing that they'll be headed home soon, everyone encourages Amnesia to come with them. Amnesia thinks that she shouldn't, but in Yosuke's mind "a Shadow that could become a Persona" is no different from a human.

She agrees to walk with them, at least, and as Yosuke glances back at her conflicted expression, he thinks, "I hope you can smile someday, even if it's not for me."

Moving on to the final chapter, everyone reunites with Teddie, and they come up with the great idea for Amnesia to stay with Teddie. That way, they'll be able to keep each other company, and Teddie will be able to teach Amnesia about being a Shadow-but-not so that she can understand herself better. Feeling optimistic, everyone happily says their goodbyes. Yosuke waves to her and grins, telling her "See you tomorrow, Senpai!" before going back to the other side.

In the TV World, Teddie and Amnesia discuss the less positive reality. Amnesia is going to disappear, since the person she came from is dead. It's possible for her to live a little longer if she doesn't use her powers, but ultimately, no matter what she does, she doesn't have long left. Amnesia says that it's not a problem... because she's going to use her oblivion powers to erase herself. She saw how heartbroken Yosuke was about Saki's death, and she doesn't want to do that to him again. So, she considers it the kindest thing she can do for the people who were so kind to her to quietly and secretly disappear. Teddie protests, of course, but as he's tearfully insisting for her to stay... he suddenly stops, and wonders what he was just talking to himself about. He feels sad for some reason, but maybe he's just lonely because Sensei and the others haven't visited yet?

He hopes they come back soon.

On the other side, Yosuke and the others are actually at the moment just before Yosuke falls in, and everything is fine. Yu contacts them telling them he's on his way, so they go to the roof. Yosuke realizes, however, that he feels strangely sad, and his chest hurts like he's lost something. Chie asks why he looks like he's about to cry, to which Yosuke actually does start to cry. Yu arrives at the same moment, and Yosuke hurriedly turns away so Yu can't see him shedding any tears.

Yu apologizes for being so late, and explains that he lost track of time helping a sick cat near his house. Yosuke, still sniffling, demands what's more important—them or a cat?! But when Yu turns thoughtful, Yosuke realizes that that's the type of person Yu is. He helps anyone, no matter who they are. He turns back to Yu and tells him that it's okay, because he wouldn't be Yosuke's partner if he didn't stop to help a cat, and then Chie and Yukiko make fun of him for having a runny nose.

Yosuke thinks to himself he's so glad that he has these people as his friends, but he can't help but feel he forgot something important as they leave. From the TV, he thinks he hears someone whisper "yes, you did, but please don't try to remember," but he writes it off as his imagination.

The End.

Despite this being a way longer summary than I set out to write, I did leave out a lot of small, non-plot-important details. If you love P4 and you can read Japanese, it's probably worth it! Yukiko and Chie are especially good in it and have lots of great friendship moments with each other and with Yosuke as well. I was really surprised by Yosuke and Yukiko's friendship, in fact, since I feel like the game and especially the spinoffs have kind of given the impression that Yukiko doesn't like him very much? But she respects his conviction here, and they're a great team. It was really cool to see how the three of them interact without Yu, and it gave a lot of insight into what their friendship might have looked like before he showed up.

Overall, I was really satisfied with this and I kind of regret that there weren't more novels like this. I thought Saki's Shadow was cool, and it was really interesting to see Mayumi manifest with such viciousness. Chie even comments that it's hard to feel bad for her!

Like I said, there is some other minor stuff I left out for ease of reading, so if you have any questions about stuff, feel free to ask!

[ollxooooooo0llo]

i made a post regarding Wave and Storm's friendship days ago and as i'm bored and already had a draft for this, i finally decided to elaborate on that. This post is gonna be long as hell, and hell, so brace yourselves.

Judging by the dynamic they hold throughout the first two Riders game i think it's pretty clear they know each other a lot, and seem also to tolerate one another well. Wave is sassy and gets aggressive easily, and while others find this annoying or intimidating, Storm not only tolerates it but even pisses her off voluntairly because he KNOWS how she would react. The first cutscene of the Babylon story in OG Riders he does exactly that by denying her taking the Babylon Garden's key , even mocking her just to get a laugh. Not only that, but Wave as well, who was getting visibly angry, instead plays along by seeming cutesy.

(sorry for no subtitles with OGSR, i only have footage of all the cutscenes in japanese with no text) Pretty sure if it was someone else she wouldn't have tried with puppy eyes but would've straight up snatched the thing from their hands and maybe slapped them. And even if Wave got actually angry at Storm, like some scenes later when Storm returns to Jet lamenting how he lost in the Grand Prix, he seems to overreact to a comical extent instead of actually getting hurt by what she says. "But what if he actually did?" Maybe he did? but come on look at this

He's SO dramatic about it, and the when Jet calls them out he immediately locks in. my guess is, again, he's used to it and likes to make up some drama I say this because whenever Storm would enter Jet's office to report/lament about something and Wave had comments to say, like literally calling him worthless lol, he would just shove it off like it was nothing. Literally he just looks at her like ''wth do you want girl''

Also you can see Wave smiling in the process! She enjoys mocking Storm just as much as he does with her

He's used to this; she is used to this. They like poking fun at one another because they know each other enough to be comfortable doing so, and i think that's as high as you can get in a friendship. Something similiar happens in Zg as well, but i'll talk about it later on.

Not to mention the back slap Storm gives Wave that almost had her fall on the ground for telling Jet they should get going because ''he wanted to say it'', and all Wave does is give him the eye like ''are u fr'', acting like she wasn't about to spit her whole left lung out.

Again, as i said before with the cube, i'm pretty sure Wave would've been LIVID if somebody else did that to her, but she just lets it slide because Storm did it! Again, another pretty good demonstration they're very comfortable with one another. And before beginning to talk about Zero Gravity... big shout out to the introductive cutscene. Storm got his board stolen and went flying in the air and instead of leaving him behind, Wave goes and catches him, dragging him until they manage to return Type-S back.

yeah not gonna pretend some of these screenshots ain't goofy af Point is, having 80 kg/ 176 lbs of weight attached to your Extreme Gear, not even properly balanced, has to be hard as hell, but Wave still went though the hustle in order to carry him along with her and Jet despite him losing his EG. Thus i'd safely say that they also DO care about each other, which people might not realise immediately due to their love language being shitting on one another. But actually, there's another example of this care being shown. When Jet and Wave were in Green Forest/Cave whatever, waiting for Storm to return, she was visibly agitated wondering what happened to him, going as far as interrupting Jet's nap because of all the noise she was making Put a video with this one not only to show how stressed she was, but also because in Chie Nakamura's voice she sounds so darn adorable

The same thing happens in ZG, and while she is way more laid back about it, she still is the one to notice him missing in the room, following the others' observation of Amy's absence by stating Storm wasn’t in the room as well. In general she seems to be the one worrying about the her mate's presence or not, Storm's in particular as he was the one always going in missions or getting lost.

Now, speaking about Wave and Storm in Zero Gravity's sphere... i can't say much, as the writers decided they should've barely spoken to one another. However there still are some things to mention. For example how stupidly they act alike when carefully waiting for Jet to extract the Ark of the Cosmos from the altar, even giving them the facepalm right after. Nothing too see here, folks. Just two besties sharing the grand total of one single braincell

Just to look at Jet like the did something. ''Yeah boss the site is clear'' no way dudes, really? lol This scene is not a big deal , but it's still remarkable to some degree when talking about their friendship. Wave's the intellingent and cynical one, and yet still manages to act as silly as Storm when found in a situation like this. It's like meeting your comfort person after a long day of work, with whom you can be more open with. Also could be that Storm’s energy is so strong to be able to influence even a mind as sharp as Wave’s. The same thing happens again a couple of seconds after. Once again not a singular functioning braincell visible in this screenshot

Now to the bit i was talking about earlier. i won't analyze too further into it as i basically explained earlier what this kind of interaction makes emerge about their relationship. Wave sees a shooting star, and decides to make a wish. Storm notices that and mocks her and basically calls her immature, until he searches for approval from Jet and sees him doing the same. Despite this, Wave seems to ignore what he had to say completely.

It's basically the situation that once took place in OGSR making its comeback in ZG, with the difference that now the roles are reversed, and results are pretty much the same with Storm making fun of Wave and her giving him the cold shoulder, just like he used to do everytime he bursted into Jet's office and Wave was ready to blast roasts. Mean words don't necessairly cause emotional weight for them when it's the other saying them because, again, they're probably used to that. Also Storm's comment could've just been something he didn't really think about, and Wave noticed that and just ignored it. Even in this case there's got to be some degree of understanding to know when to actually get hurt by a mean affirmation. This actually happens when Wave announces to Jet to have found something interesting about the ancient texts they had discovered. She goes on to say she would paraphrase what was written in them, and basically suggested simplifying it so bad as a way to call both Storm and Jet dumb. She didn't hint a single bit of sarcasm with that, and in fact Storm genuinely looked hurt (and Jet's pride was just as much).

(this dialogue lives forever free to roam in my heart because it was the ONLY thing that brought back from the dead Wave's mean but witty attitude from the first game. She was so watered down in ZG, but that's another topic) Unfortunately after this there isn't much left about them, BUT the peculiarity of these last things left is the way they communicate without pronouncing a single word. This happens twice: the first time after finding Jet and reassuring him about obtaining the Ark of the Cosmos Amy has a hold on, and the second time while reacting to Jet's intention of betting on the Ark of the Cosmos while challenging Sonic to a race on their way to Eggman through Crimson Tower.

They didn't babble a single word, but still managed to convey their thoughts to each other. The first example displays the scenario of just them being in agreement over the plan for what's to come, as Jet accepted Wave's suggestion. However, the second one in particular shows their bond pretty strongly, because when they heard Jet say what he said, they IMMEDIATELY looked at one another, trying to see if they were thinking the same about what they've just heard, and by their faces of disbelief, my guess is yeah, they did: "Did you hear the same bullshit i heard or??". So not only the first thing they did before anything else was going to the other one to know about their opinion, but they ended up having the same one and agreeing, too. Thus this goes to show Wave values Storm opinion more that anybody else's, and viceversa Storm with Wave (without including Jet, of course), and that despite them being opposites they manage to read the other one very well to the point of just needing a look in the eyes to say something. Overall i think Wave and Storm's friendship is quite strong and definitely genuine. They're a duo of bestfriends i can definitely picture as real people, because this kind of contact and unterstanding is something you would see happening between two close friends. I'm definitely bitter about the fact that they have been reduced to ''Jet's friend and that’s it''s, making them talk exclusively to him and not to each other. Don't give me wrong, i love Jet, but i just think Wave and Storm work better with one another. Jet's got to be more professional and composed around the two because of his status as a leader, thus making him take a more emotional distance from them (which sometimes slips): Storm is his loyal sideckick, and Wave is the mechanic of the group. That's it. On the other hand, Wave and Storm don't seem to have given actual labels to one another, as they don't need to do so, and unsurprisingly they act much more like friends who got put in the same group project. This might have also led them to develop a stronger bond, as they got ''stuck'' in the same trio and had to get to know the other in order to be able to collaborate and complete whatever task they needed to do. I guess this is it. i apologize as there might be some weird wording, and the post itself isn't well organized in general. i literally grabbed my stream of consciousness and slapped it on this post. Also i kept writing it in hours like 2/3 am oh yeah, little bonus:

Do i even need to say something? This is the vibe i was referring to while describing Storm and Wave's friendship as ''being friends stuck in the same group project" lmfao

[nero-vanderwolf]

Of all the people Yosuke would be expecting to get a call from at 10:14 at night, Yu is decidedly not one of them. 

And of all the reasons he can run through that his partner could be calling him, the real answer is decidedly not one of them. 

“Hey, partner. Wanna sleep over at my house tonight? Nanako-chan is staying at a friend’s house and Uncle is working late again,” Yu’s voice says. He sounds cheerful enough, but Yosuke’s known him long enough to hear the undertone of anxiety hidden in his words. 

Yosuke knows Yu hates being alone. The guy can’t stand it, even if it’s just for a night or two. Hey- Yosuke isn’t making fun of the guy or anything, god no. It’s just... Something he’s picked up on throughout their time together. 

Investigation Team or not, Yosuke still considers Yu his partner. And it’d be pretty damn cruel if he said no to what’s really, in all logic, a very simple request. And besides, it isn’t as though they haven’t slept at each other’s houses before. 

So Yosuke grins as he grabs his keys from his locker and tosses his apron inside like always. Far be it from him to subject their leader to more suffering. 

“Sure thing, partner. Want me to grab some clothes from my place?” He asks, shifting his phone to his other hand so he can clip his keys to his jeans. Thank god for carabiners. 

“No, no need. You know I always keep spares for you here, Yosuke,” Yu says. He sounds a bit excited now, as though the idea of spending time with Yosuke is something worth looking forward to. 

Yosuke would never admit it, but it gives him a bit of an ego rush. His beloved partner, the cool and untouchable transfer from Tokyo, the kickass leader of the Investigation Team... Is excited about a sleepover. With him, Yosuke Hanamura- Trash Prince of Junes. 

It really does wonders for his ego. 

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t know what I was thinking asking that,” Yosuke says with a small laugh, brushing off the warmth that spreads to his cheeks as a bodily reaction to the chill outside. It’s September, which naturally means it’s getting colder out. Dammit, why didn’t he grab a jacket? 

Yu laughs on the other line, and Yosuke yet again feels his cheeks warm up. He did that. Hemade Yu laugh. 

A quiet part of him wonders if he laughs that way around the others. If Chie’s snarky comments get the rumble of a chuckle, or if Teddie’s bad-but-well-intentioned bear puns make him snort. 

He wonders if this laugh, soft and breathy and quiet, was reserved just for him. He wonders how many other things are meant for him too, if any. 

Do his eyes sparkle like that when he talks to one of his plethora of friends? Do his lips quirk when they make a bad joke like they do around him? Does he laugh like that around anyone else, like he’s shy of how his laugh sounds even though it’s one of the best sounds in the world- 

Woah, Yosuke. Reel it in a bit. Thinking about a guy’s general physique is one thing (nothing wrong with appreciating a nice build!), but thinking about smaller details like that? That’s a bit far. 

Details like his lips and how they take on a soft smile whenever Yosuke talks. Details like his hair and how soft and perfect it always seems to look, even on the days with the worst weather. Details like his eyes and how their shade of grey seems to shift with his mood. When Yu is happy, they’re a light grey. When he’s angry, they’re stormy grey. When he’s focusing, they look like steel. 

...Jesus fuck. What is wrong with him tonight? Why does it seem like no matter what he does, his thoughts always seem to shift back to Yu? 

It’s now that he realises that he’s still on call with the guy- and that neither of them have spoken a single word since Yosuke left Junes. He shivers again, and breaks the comfortable silence. 

“Hey, partner... Don’t suppose you’d be willing to turn on the kotatsu? It got colder than I thought and...” 

“And you forgot a jacket?” Yu responded with an airy sigh. He doesn’t sound annoyed, thankfully. More like... Exasperated. Yu’s long-since become used to Yosuke’s antics, and treats it like another classic Yosuke Blunder. 

“Sorry,” Yosuke responds automatically. He doesn’t know particularly why he’s apologising, but it slips out. 

He can almost picture Yu shaking his head as he grows closer to the Dojima household, and as Yu’s voice drags him back from whatever stupid wild fantasy Yosuke was about to cook up again. 

“Am I going to have to start texting you every day to remind you?” He asks, and Yosuke knows he’s joking, he honestly does, but he can’t stop the blush and defensive splutter. 

“Wha- hey, now, I’m not that forgetful! It was just this once, honest!” He says, and he sees the door of the Dojima residence slide open and shut. Yu’s figure stands there, staring him down. As always, he looks poised and perfect. 

Yosuke hangs up, breaking into a jog to reach his partner. 

Yu stuffs his phone into his pocket and extends his hand. Yosuke is confused at first, but then- 

Yu tugs him into a hug, his slender arms muscled from so much time in the TV world- 

Good lord, he can’t even do something as simple as hug his partner anymore without his imagination running wild with fantasies about being picked up and carried like some girl- 

“You’re freezing. Let’s get you inside and warmed up. The kotatsu should be heated by now, and I made us both some hot chocolate. Don’t worry, there’s extra whipped cream on yours.” 

Yosuke swallows harder than he means to. Yu’s voice is soft in his ear, his body warm against Yosuke’s own. If not for the bitter chill outside, Yosuke could fall asleep here. Yu always did have a talent for making him feel safe. 

“Thanks, partner. You... Really know me well, huh?” He manages to choke out. If Yu noticed, he doesn’t give any sign. 

“Well, I’d hope so. I think I’d have failed as your partner if I didn’t know things like this,” Yu responds with ease. It makes Yosuke’s throat feel even tighter. 

“Like knowing how I like my hot cocoa? That’s such a little thing, dude,” he says, laughing to lighten the tone. In reality, he can’t understand why Yu would make such a big deal out of such a small thing- 

Scratch that. It’s Yu they’re talking about. Sometimes there is no ‘why’, like when he befriended that detective Adachi for no other reason than he wanted to. 

Yu shrugs, slowly pulling away from the hug. Almost entirely subconciously, Yosuke finds himself chasing Yu’s warmth, leaning against him again. 

“Come on, Yosuke, you’ll catch a cold. We can cuddle more inside,” Yu says, and brings him inside. It isn’t until he settles under the kotatsu beside Yu that he realises what was said. 

...He supposes they are, technically, cuddling. They’re leaning against each other watching some shitty movie on a local channel, and Yosuke has never felt more at peace. 

Or, at least, until they settle down for bed. They’ve already changed into their pyjamas, and Yosuke is frankly exhausted. His shift at Junes was brutal, and he’s ready to crash. 

Unfortunately, he might have to sleep on the sofa in Yu’s room. There’s no spare futon. 

“I can sleep on the sofa, Yosuke, it’s fine-” Yu hurries to say as Yosuke stares at the room in general, trying to riddle out a solution to the predicament. 

As he ponders, he notices a few things about Yu’s room. Scattered about are various keepsakes and treasures from his friends and their adventures. 

A little knit rabbit sits on his desk- no doubt a gift from Kanji. A Jack Frost doll stands watch over the room from atop the shelf like a shrine’s liondog. It’s oddly comforting, despite the doll’s unsettling appearance. 

There’s no sudden trigger for his idea. It hits him like a kick to the gut and leaves him just as dizzy and breathless. 

“I have an idea,” he says slowly, “but you might not like it.” 

Yu frowns, brows furrowed under his fringe. He looks almost like he’s pouting- it’s cute. 

“What’s your idea, then? I’m all ears,” he says regardless. Always willing to hear others out even when he has his doubts- that’s the Yu Yosuke knows. His partner. 

“We share the futon,” Yosuke says. Yu visibly relaxes, his expression smoothing into one of almost-relief. His eyes shift from a stone-grey to a light grey. Nervous to happy. 

“Oh, okay. That’s not too bad. Of course, if you get uncomfortable in the middle of the night, just wake me up. I’ll move to the sofa.” 

Yosuke resists the urge to shake his head. He feels dizzy enough as it is, for some reason. 

Yu turns the bright overhead off, clicking on his small bedside lamp as he crawls into the futon. The light from the lamp bathes the room in a soft, warm glow. It makes Yu look particularly squishy, his hair falling into his eyes. Yosuke doesn’t want to keep him up much longer, so he slips into the futon beside him. 

“Goodnight, partner,” he says. Yu smiles at him, soft and sleepy, and it sends butterflies into his stomach. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Oh, no. This is why he’s been thinking these things, this is why he’s been focused on Yu so much. 

Oh. He owes Kanji a massive apology. 

Yu shifts where he’s laying, and suddenly Yosuke is being held close against his partner’s body. He can hear Yu’s heartbeat, steady and calm as ever. The sound helps calm him, somehow. 

This sudden realisation is a problem for tomorrow’s Yosuke. 

For now, he’s content to simply lay in the arms of his partner, safe and loved. 

LETS FUCKING GO!!!!!!! SOUYO FLUFF!!!!!!!!!!!! they're so sweet its rotting my teeth out ghhgggaahhh... yosuke's slow realization that he has feelings for yu... he DOES owe kanji an apology. i feel like souyo is a yu fell first and yosuke fell harder situation. i think yu loves yosuke and purposefully puts him in situations to see if yosuke likes him back, like the hugging. yosuke realizing how he feels warm and safe with yu, how they both see super small details in each other like how yosuke likes his hot chocolate or how yu's eyes change. i love the way you added yu's people pleaser traits to when he says he'll take the couch for yosuke. ugghhhh they're so stupid and i love them they should cuddle and kiss a million times thank you so much for the food

[m0e-ru]

p4 pokemon au where all problems are because of some stupid zoroark cracked with action replay

maul me over as much as you want over poke partner choices because idgaf im going to start yapping under the cut (2.5k words are yuo joking ?)

um where can i start

i wanna make it clear im sure these characters would all have different pokemon teams if they were playing pokemon on the nintendo ds, like, souji could be a rest staller if he wanted to. but anyway, heres my idea of who these guys would partner up with because i think it’s fun. and none of this is final i could give namatame a goomy too AHAHA

oh another disclaimer while i proclaim ive played all the mainline games, is i havent actually played a pokemon game past XY also im a unova babygirl est 2014 . yippie

Souji feels like such a normal-type guy to me. Cheren black and white. Well, the gray did influence it, but also he’s a very flexible guy.

He caught a Lillipup as a kid, and it’s been with him through multiple moves. His parents didn’t care about a pokemon in the house as long as it didn’t make a fuss, and was kind of Souji’s only friend at the time. It evolved into a Herdier at some point before he gets to Inaba, and probably gets to be a Stoutland for the whole Izanagi-no-Okami equivalent.

Not that I think he’d cheese his way through battles with Work Up -> Return shtick, but I think it’s a funny thought lol

Yusuke got a Tadbulb following him around, which he found in the moving van when his family was unpacking. And the next few weeks, he almost ran over a Froakie going 60kph on his bike. Yosuke appreciates having the Tadbulb around when working around Junes, and the Froakie guides him through Inaba as a local I guess lol. It evolves into the Frogadier when they go investigate the serial murders with Souji. It probably knows Aerial Ace for all I know LMAO

Chie’s Glaceon’s actually Muku, the Eevee Yukiko tried to take care of, until it was put in Chie’s care when she wasn’t allowed to keep it. When they were middle school, after one vacation at Mt. Yasogami, the Eevee ended up evolving next to an Ice Rock of all things. The two wondered why it didn’t evolve from friendship, like an Espeon or an Umbreon, and they joke around that the Eevee loved neither of them and bonded with a chunk of ice instead. Chie makes it wear a muffler because she misses Eevee's fluffy coat, in a way.

Around the same time, Chie found a Mienshao training with her at the flood plains, and it decided to stay with her. Sometimes, she’d offer Yukiko to have it help out at the inn.

Kanji’s mom actually kept a Cottonee around to gather the stray cotton it leaves around to spin into thread sometimes. She wondered where it went, until Kanji admitted it evolved into a Whimsicott after it touched a rock he found lying around on the way home, which was a Sun Stone. It still stays around to help, and even floats all the way to Yasogami just to deliver Kanji’s lunch he forgot at home.

Kanji caught a Blitzle himself, and it was also there when he was beating up all the bikers making a ruckus by the highway, which made him easy to profile during that one TV segment about him. It goes with Kanji while he’s biking, and he’d refuse its help even when he gets tired.

Nobody really knows how Teddie became a boy, nor where he got his Cubchoo. All he’s mentioned is that they “saw one another in each other’s eyes” and it starts sneezing into Yosuke’s face. Well, it’s not too bad because they’re both Junes’ new mascots, in a way. Maybe he IS the Cubchoo 🤔🤔🤔

Rise had the Ralts since middle school. Having it perform with her during her audition to be an idol almost basically made her in the cut. It evolved into a Kirlia which made her more popular as Risette. Although, fans and haters started throwing Dawn Stones at it after a statement where Rise didn’t want to reveal its gender even with so many people asking. Most of them were fake, just to give Rise a scare, and it was only super fans or super haters that would throw in the real deal at shows or even just handshake sessions.

Naoto’s grandfather helped him catch a Surskit before he left the estate and became the Detective Prince. He once accused a Sneasel to be a culprit of one case, but it ended up proving itself innocent, nagging Naoto to certain evidence when he just thought it was annoying him. Impressed by each other’s wit, they’ve become partners in solving crime. Naoto would pacify it with his Surskit’s sweet syrup. And when the Surskit evolved into a Masquerain, Naoto would have two partners by his side. Although, this lead to trusting his own instincts and pokemon more than other people.

Chisato owned a Rockruff, which even adored Dojima before they were even married. It evolved into a midday Lycanroc, which started to help Dojima with his own investigations. When Chisato passed, it was less bitter than Dojima, and would be sent home to stay with Nanako if he ever had to work overnight. When Nanako was comfortable enough with Souji and his Herdier, the Lycanroc would stay with Dojima, and Adachi would help prop him on its back when he gets himself drunk.

A bit after Chisato’s funeral in the middle of the mourning period, her mother came to her granddaughter, Nanako, and gave her a Cleffa, in which they would both learn to take care of each other. It would have fun being tossed around in the air by the Lycanroc and Herdier at home, while Souji would tell Nanako to make a wish on the star everytime it was in the air. Because it’s the Star Shape pokemon lol i think it’s cute

While Adachi was still in the big city, he’d see the skinniest Purrloin in an alley on the way home. He fed it once, and it wouldn’t stop pestering him since. He thought it was over when his apartment complex neighbors started feeding it, but it found delight in annoying Adachi specifically, taking his keys from his pockets, or nabbing a bit of his takeout when he was distracted.

It jumped into the boot of his car, genuinely curious of what was going on, until it found itself in an hours long trip which ended with it in Inaba. Dojima mentioned his Lycanroc smelled a feline scent on him, while Adachi just denies he owns a pokemon, much less that Purrloin that isn’t even native to the area. It’s caught the attention of the locals for a while, and it took it to its advantage to get more people to feed it, but still hangs around Adachi to go nick his new, rusty apartment keys.

There’s also like, this Shuppet that shows up at some point, and his landlady and neighbors keep telling him about it and giving him weird looks. But he doesnt believe in superstitions and doesnt have a pokedex to look at so who cares

Namatame's family has a Bunnelby helping around the business with little chores and such. His parents send it off to Namatame to work with him and keep him company while he tries to recover. Somewhere along the way, he finds an Absol following him on a rainy day, which he takes care of alongside the Bunnelby entrusted to him, or maybe it’s taking care of him? While Namatame becomes more manic each passing day as his messiah complex gets to him, he starts distancing himself from Bunnelby and spends more time with Absol. 

The MOEL gas station has a shiny Heliolisk, but a lot of people don't really know the concept of shiny pokemon, and they haven't seen Heliolisks or Helioptiles in the urban area, so they don't really think it's so special besides it being a different color. It's nothing more than a mascot of sorts, and does silly things with the attendant; like startling Adachi and that Purrloin that follows him around. It can sense when it's going to rain by feeling the static electricity around it. And what's rather peculiar is that it doesn't seem too averse to rain or cloudy skies. It does enjoy basking in the sun, and people would look up to see it hanging around on the station canopy with a spread out frill those days.

okay, so this is the part where I'm supposed to talk about plot. um. anyway

Way back when, there was a Zoroark that would walk among people, disguised as a human. People started rumors and suspected this woman really is a pokemon, but nobody seemed to shun her or really care, she was just a nice lady and took care of the people around her. People would say she came to them from a greater power to be a guardian to the land, similar to the legends in different regions, like Sinnoh and their Arceus.

However, the way she protects her people would be through illusions. She would keep external and malicious forces at bay by severely frightening them at the mountaintops, or the forests, if they ever got through, be it human or pokemon. If anyone were hurt or were about to die, unable to be treated to health, she would comfort them in a grand dream as they would fall asleep for the very last time. 

As time went on and technology developed, people were so entranced with the television broadcasts, wanting to know who was behind the screen, even if they were covered up in makeup and filters. 

The greater power sought to sate the people's desires, and saw the Zoroark it left in their care wasn't enough. So it split the pokemon into two, with one half so weak it was just a Zorua. The newly born Zoroark went off to accomplish its appointed duty, no matter the means. To better determine what the people wanted, however, it created a scheme which would involve stimulating the masses to come to an answer.

The Zoroark played a simple gas station attendant, which would stay close and observe the people. It would choose three pawns to watch over, manipulating the situation in tandem to their reactions. 

well so um basically there's still an isekai with TV portals. the iznmi Zoroark has enough power this time to create pocket dimensions straight from its illusion power. Every victim that ends up inside still gets haunted by their “truth” iznmi determines after scrutinizing them. The Midnight Channel broadcasts are also their illustrations. so basically, instead of things going on by itself from the collective unconscious reacting, it's a Zoroark piecing things together. it's kinda like pokepark 2. HAHAHA

Namatame's still kidnapping people he sees on the Midnight Channel. And when he gets Nanako, the Bunnelby stays behind and begs the IT to help. It helps them find Namatame, where they confront him and his Absol. Through illusions and legitimate power channeling, the Absol mega evolves. The IT defeat it and it returns to a normal Absol. They take both Nanako and Namatame to the hospital, the Bunnelby by Namatame's side the whole time.

When Adachi's suspected to be the killer, he escapes into the world inside the TV and makes a deal with the Zoroark. The Purrloin follows Adachi's scent and ends up in the TV, terrified of its unknown surroundings and hiding from the rest of the monstrous illusions that popped up. It got used to the world, however, and when the IT arrived, it helped them with Adachi's silly puzzles, to which he groans through a PA about how that pokemon’s still annoying him in another world. 

The IT confront Adachi, until a Mismagius appears to stop them. It sings Perish Song (because Magatsu-Izanagi is a Ghastly Wail kind of thing lmfao) but everyone stood their ground, blocking the song from their ears. Even under Adachi's (albeit in pain) command, the Mismagius falters, and the Zoroark takes things into its own hands, creating a bigger illusion to finally deal with these meddling kids for itself. 

But they defeat Ame-no-Sagiri, and its grand voice agrees to stop the grand illusions plaguing Inaba. The IT still have no idea who this conductor of schemes is, and Adachi can't give a clear answer either 

Marie's a Zorua with amnesia so bad she forgot she's a Zorua at all. She started her illusion as a human girl just to aimlessly wander around Inaba more easily and has been stuck in that form since. She was taken into the Velvet Room where they can clearly see that she isn't a human, but a pokemon. What's impressive is that she doesn't have a tail sticking out, which would mean her powers of illusion are rather potent. 

Souji’s made to chaperone her around Inaba to get her memories back, the whole shtick. While everyone stops prying into her nonexistent life, they're impressed with her ability to understand pokemon, as if she can actually understand them. Marie comes to the conclusion that she must have grown up around pokemon to be able to understand them that well. 

In the end, she finds out she is a pokemon, and iznmi Zoroark sends her to a grave that is physically in Inaba, instead of a pocket dimension. 

Margaret creates a conduit from that shed TV to that tomb somewhere in Inaba. Marie runs around as a Zorua and makes illusions to stop the IT from getting to her. But they manage to get to the heart of the tomb and get Zorua Marie from burying herself. 

They defeat another one of iznmi Zoroark’s avatars dwelling in Marie which was controlling her, then Marie comes back to the IT, accepting her identities as a pokemon and a human girl.

The IT thought that the illusions have stopped, and people are free to see what's really in front of their eyes. But Souji confronts the gas station at MOEL, where he reveals he's really a Zoroark with a duty, even startling the Heliolisk by its side. 

The IT enter the final world of illusions and desperately try to find the Zoroark to convince it to stop and let people truly live, that no one should hold their hands all the time, and quit living in a painless and meaningless utopia.

With everyone and their pokemon exhausted, Marie finds the strength to convince her other self. To let it see that she is living proof how people can live a life with the truth, and how they can stand on their own feet. 

After some time, the Zoroark agrees to dispel the illusions it has made, and appoint the rest of its power to Marie for her to be the guardian pokemon of the people of Inaba.

[adachimoe]

A long and meandering post about Adachi and the Investigation Team

I have no idea what to title or describe this as. This is a long ass rambling 2.5k+ word post that consists of like 5 drafts I had sitting around that all felt somewhat related. It starts with the part where the Investigation Team tells Adachi to get over himself, then devolves into talking about Adachi punching himself in the face repeatedly (metaphorically), before ending by exploring the idea of Adachi as the Investigation Team's collective Shadow. it rly is tl;dr.

Adachi will remember that

At one point in Magatsu Inaba, the Investigation Team takes turns responding to Adachi in verbal turn-based combat. They all have varying responses and levels of understanding of him.

Chie doesn't understand why Adachi even became a cop, Rise thinks he's full of shit, Kanji tells him a 2008 version of "go kys" (tbf, he's never been eloquent with words), Yukiko tells Adachi that he sounds like a kid, Naoto calls him out for finding life annoying while being a damn annoyance, and Yosuke tells him he's just a criminal.

What Yukiko says to him in particular appears to sting Adachi, evident by how he "!" emotes in reaction to her. Or idk maybe he's secretly into getting bullied by women. I think Yukiko has Adachi's number here, and he knows that. After all, part of his schtick is that, "Oh, you stupid fuckin' kids, you don't know what I've been through or how I feel! Get off my dungeon lawn!!!" And yet, one of those stupid kids is able to tl;dr his life, and even says, "no u -- you're the stupid kid" back at him. He later even repeats what she said back at Sho during Ultimax.

What Yukiko says here, I think, stands out in particular not just because of Adachi's reaction but also because it resembles a sentiment found in other media: The contradiction of being alive while not "truly" being alive. This often goes like so: A character can be alive in that they are most certainly physically living and breathing, but they are largely closed off from the rest of the world and going through the motions. Thus they are said to not truly "be alive".

In the context of Persona 4, I believe Adachi fits in with this trope. As Yukiko has assessed, life sucks, but it's not like he's in any hurry to die. From what we see of Adachi in the plot, he's going through the motions. He wakes up, goes to his job, goes to Junes to bum free air conditioning, and sometimes gets dragged over to Dojima's house.

I don't think it's bad that people fall into these routines by default. Some find them comforting, some appreciate the simplicity, and some make up for the monotony of adult life with the more fascinating things they do outside of work.

But this doesn't feel like it applies to Adachi because he openly groans about his life and job. He seems to want to live and fit in with society, but he wants to do so with more than what he has right now, yet he also seems unwilling or unable to get what he wants. He also seems unwilling to put in the effort - he tells us he's lonely and wants a girlfriend, but when the old woman from his Social Link tries to hook him up with a girl, he finds it all annoying. He thinks of himself as an elite detective who is above Inaba, but he is regularly made out to be incompetent, sloppy, and careless.

It's like he's stuck but not doing anything to become unstuck. Following the tropes, Adachi would move from being a character who is "alive without really being alive" to "Truly Living" once he figures out how to get himself un-stuck. If he truly wants to be a hotshot detective in the big city with a smokin' hot wife, then something needs to change because he won't get those things as he is now. But how does Adachi approach the subject of "change"?

Maybe the world really is just a shitshow?

Adachi being exposed as the murderer is a major turning point for the murder investigation. And after the Investigation Team chases him into the TV, one of the many things he talks about is "change", or rather a lack of change.

As far as Adachi is concerned, the world can't / won't / doesn't change. He criticizes the world and its inability to change, how society works, and how people will latch to whatever you tell them as the truth.

Some things he says might resonate with us, especially nowadays with the spread of social media and misinformation. However, despite these criticisms, it sounds like he still desires to be part of society. (Yes, I know, this sounds like that one "We should improve society somewhat" comic, but Adachi did not want to "improve society" lbr LOL.) He has been trying to blend in as a normal guy since April despite being a murderer. I think it's worth reiterating that his complaints about his life weren't anarchist but more like, "I don't have a cute girlfriend who cooks for me." Furthermore, he was trying to take advantage of misinformation to get away with murder by pinning it on Namatame.

Adachi doesn't like the current world and doesn't think it will change. Thus, he is forcing it to change in a completely catastrophic way. He really is throwing a tantrum: Like, what, you can't get away with murder? All right, throw the whole world away. With this approach, it is not Adachi who must change to fit in with the world, but rather the world that must change to fit Adachi.

Change isn't a good subject with him, which, honestly, is relatable. Change is easier said than done. Even within Persona 4 itself, after getting Magical TV Powers, an event that feasibly might add spice to one's life!!, the same old routine still runs Adachi's life. What has changed is that he's now waiting for Namatame to kill someone. Showing up looking for a dead body in the shopping district is simply a new part of his routine.

This topic of Adachi and change gets wrapped up after the fight against Amenosagiri. Adachi challenges the Investigation Team: >>>If<<< they think they have the power to change the future, then do it.

After entering the TV World, Amenosagiri responds to Adachi's wish and makes his wish come true as the dungeon deadline bad ending shows. That was Adachi's own so-called power to change the future. So what is the Investigation Team's?

Yosuke then replies that everyone has the power to change their future. As in, you don't need special powers from a gigantic disco eyeball inside of a TV to do that. In context, Yosuke is telling Adachi, "This is a 'you' problem," or "Skill issue." And tbh, I think Yosuke is more or less correct here.

In which we revisit the topic of "dumbass" and effort

In some ways, this topic might seem odd to approach. Everyone on the Investigation Team - besides Chie - seems to have a better life situation than Adachi had when he was their age. Are they punching down? Perhaps it feels like a hollow reflection of the collectivist culture that the solution to these antagonists who go "BUT SOCIETY IS WHAT IS WRONG" is always to beat them up and force them to conform--

…..but hold on. That line of thought would be giving in to what Adachi says before his boss battle. And, based on how he quits talking about how "waaah society is unfair" afterward, I find it difficult to think that is what he genuinely believes about his situation.

When I suggest that Yosuke is correct, I don't mean this in a "You aren't special, Adachi, everyone else's life sucks too, just deal with it" kind of way. What I have in mind is how the game seems to support that this is an Adachi problem, not an everyone else problem. Throughout Adachi's Social Link, his other interactions, and what Atlus has said as meta / Word of God answers, you get the idea that people were trying with Adachi, but he wasn't meeting them halfway.

For example:

This entire post is about the effort the MC puts in just to get called a dumbass (though I'd bet that the protag considers Adachi calling him a dumbass to be like a Badge of Honor). Even their gay ass Fever Time in P4D tells the story of Yu trying to reach out and Adachi going, "No!!!"

The old woman in his Social Link is trying to wingwoman for him and hook him up with women in Inaba, but Adachi seems unwilling. Instead, he tells Nanako and the protagonist that he's never getting married. Despite his loneliness, he justifies himself by saying, "Marriage is the graveyard of a man's life."

The Dojima family and Adachi interact briefly throughout the game, both in the story scenes and in his Social Link. As his letter at the end of the game shows, Adachi felt lukewarm about their interactions because he wasn't quite aware of what he had with them until he no longer has their company.

The way I see it, when Adachi rants about the world not changing, he is not actually bitching about the world. Rather, this feels more like a form of projection. He says the world doesn't change, but perhaps he is talking about himself and his own inability to change. Which would reframe it as more like… He knows he's the issue that holds himself back - his own worst enemy, perhaps - but he says the world is wrong to justify himself.

You learn a bit about Adachi through his Social Link. During rank 6, in dialogue that can tragically be missed, Adachi will admit that he is lonely, but he also thinks it's easier that way. And really, easier is just another way of saying "less effort".

On one hand, this might show Adachi's annoyance with other people. But at the same time, for him to call the protagonist a dumbass for investing so much in him and their relationship, for him to pass up the matchmaking from the older woman at Junes while complaining about being single....... I think the unspoken bit here is that Adachi does not think he is worth the time or effort to begin with. His lack of effort isn't just him being annoyed with people or not giving a shit about things, it's a lack of effort into himself. I'm no expert, but I think the majority of us would wager that this is depression.

As the game's timeline unfolds, we really only know Adachi as the pathetic, silly murder guy. Did he start distancing himself from people and quit caring about the effort he puts into himself because of the "oops, I murdered someone" part? Or was he like this even before then?

When he talks more about his past, he doesn't go into a great amount of detail. But, going with my gut here, I get the feeling that Adachi's obsession with Mayumi - something from before he became a murderer - suggests his distance from people is not a new thing for him.

Consider: Meeting people? Forming relationships? Possibly getting rejected? Having to make someone else happy? Wh-What if he has to ch-change something about himself? Like, even before we talk about romance, how the hell do you even make friends as an adult? (The answer is BL btw. Go find some girlies who ship the same pairing.) I think Adachi said fuck it to all that bullshit. It'd be easier - less effort - for him to just be alone and not have to change anything about himself.

But… What if the magical TV just tells you exactly who your soulmate is? Well, shit, that's easy. For the lonely guy who just got transferred to Inaba and generally keeps his distance from people, I imagine it would be quite convenient to just be told, "This is who your soulmate is; the person you're meant to be with".

And that wouldn't be the last time Adachi gets a freebie from the TV. It happens again in December, as Adachi finds an again "easy" solution that does not involve changing himself or doing something annoying that requires effort from him. Having been enabled by the magical TV, Adachi is something of a static character.

Adachi is the Investigation Team's Shadow

In the P4G Premium Fan/Fun/Fsomething book, Atlus defines the Shadow by the Jungian definition, then talks about how the Shadows in-game represent "alternate possibilities" for the characters. The specific example it gives is how Chie's Shadow holds a great deal of animosity towards Yukiko. The real Chie doesn't feel this way towards Yukiko; in fact, she treasures her. Thus, Chie's Shadow is an alternate possibility.

When you look at Chie and what she says about accepting her Shadow, her Shadow seems to be born from a real insecurity (her jealousy of Yukiko) and part of it really does resemble Chie. But part of her Shadow is also this… caricature-esque thing. Hence why Atlus calls it the "alternate possibility". In turn, Chie accepts that she is jealous of Yukiko, but she does not accept the Banana Hat Dominatrix trying to exert control over Yukiko. She even realizes that rather than Yukiko needing her, it was actually her who needed Yukiko.

(I refuse to carry on with this train of thought further than talking about Atlus's own example with Chie because it would inevitably mean having to talk about how Atlus sees Kanji and Naoto's issues/Shadows/dungeons, and I'd need like bottles of wine to get in the mood to even type a paragraph of that.)

During her P4G winter Social Link scene, where her Persona evolves, Chie brings up Adachi and how she could have become him. She continues that anyone could have turned out like him.

Indeed, Adachi very much feels like a, "this could happen to anyone" character. He is an everyday normal guy who accidentally gets involved in something beyond him: a Like a Dragon side story NPC stuck in a game about high schoolers and friendship. Based on how you see these characters, you can correlate many of their issues to Adachi's own issues.

Really, in some ways, he feels like he was written to be the sum of the Investigation Team's insecurities, all bundled into one guy. As Chie's Shadow twisted her jealousy of Yukiko into a desire to control Yukiko and showed an alternate possibility for who Chie could have become if she had let jealousy consume her, perhaps Adachi shows an alternate possibility for who all of them could become.

As Amenosagiri later reveals, the truth torments the Shadows. Your party identifies that is what causes the Shadows to attack people.

When we consider how the game has gone until now, then those moments where the Investigation Team told their Shadows, "You're not me!" must be the moment that Amenosagiri was describing. The members of the Investigation Team come face to face with a being who claims to be them and seems aware of the same issues that gnaw at them. But these beings pervert their issues issues in a direction that doesn't reflect who the Investigation Team really are. And so they challenge that this being is truly them. They, sigh, "reach out to the truth", and it causes their Shadows to go nutso and attack.

And, of course, these repeated scenes where they tell their Shadows all lead up to the last time we see this kind of sequence...

Just as the Investigation Team had to face themselves and pick apart the truths from the caricature, they, too, come to face Adachi and can cut through the bullshit, rejecting his attempts to justify why it's okay for him to merge the TV World into reality and screw everyone over.

That said, though, if we are to compare him to their Shadows, then we must acknowledge that, much like how the Investigation Team's Shadows come from their own real insecurities, Adachi's frustrations with the Investigation Team and with the world at large must also come from something real.

On this screenshotted line in particular, he even uses the more masculine "ore" as his pronoun in Japanese. He usually uses the more boyish "boku", but he seems to swap to "ore" to indicate that he is speaking quite genuinely--or perhaps speaking from the heart.

While he is a whiny murderer throwing an apocalyptic tantrum, I'm sure there are circumstances that made him the person that he is as an adult. Tbh, I've already made a lot of posts talking about the factors that might have contributed to *why* he feels like this, so I won't drag this out further.

By Arena Ultimax, Adachi has come to accept the murder case as the inciting incident that causes him to change as he finds himself finally owning up to his actions from the previous year. He's no role model lol, but life now has more meaning to him than just something you go through every day. Perhaps it's at this moment that he can be said to have gone from merely being alive to living.

(Let's be real tho, jail gives you 3 non-cup noodle meals per day? Damn. It's like he's living his best life. Speaking of which, food feels like such a fitting metaphor for his emotional nourishment.)

In the aftermath of the dungeon and the almost-end-of-the-world, Adachi agreed to start playing by the rules, and became more of a dynamic character. At the beginning of Ultimax, Adachi's commitment to this gets questioned as Yu, Yosuke, and Chie find him allied with Sho (like 5 cutscenes after Yu is so confidant he's behaving himself too, tsk tsk). But Yu reaches the roof, hears Adachi's cringe ass dialogue (I'm pretty sure that Adachi would not have said half that shit if he had known Yu was standing around the corner), and reaffirms his belief that Adachi was genuine about his promise to play by the rules.

The Investigation Team are not on the best of terms with Adachi. Regardless, they went into his dungeon, called him out on his bullshit that had been mixed in with his own real shortcomings and insecurities, punched him, and as we can tell by Ultimax, came to accept him in their own ways as they did their individual Shadows. As Yu says, perhaps they have strangely enough decided to trust in Adachi.

[nkn0va]

could i please request the investigation team girls with an s/o who ends up in the tv and the whole deal with his shadow is that he feels he isn't good enough for the girls. also maybe his persona could be samael. thank you

Persona will be unspecified for anyone else who wants to read. Also Samael is already in the game, that feels cheap to me.

Also sorry for not writing a request at all yesterday, had motivation/writer's block issues but we're back now.

Chie is quick to panic the moment she sees you show up on the Midnight Channel. It only gets worse when she immediately calls you and there's no answer. Safe to say, she doesn't sleep that night.

-The first thing she does at class is bring it up. The rest of the IT is very likely familiar with you already in some way or another, even if you're not one of them. Though from the looks of things that may be about to change.

-Her anxiety only gets even worse when her most dreaded moment arrives, meeting your Shadow. It quickly goes from dreaded to appalled when she hears what it has to say.

-You Shadow openly taunts you about knowing deep down you weren't good enough. You were so weak compared to Chie, she oughta ditch and find someone else not as sad and pathetic as you.

-You of course try to put up a strong front in front of your girlfriend and friends and deny your Shadow, leading it to transform and attack. Really this isn't the worst outcome for Chie, most other people would kill to literally kick their S/O's insecurities about themselves in the face. It's surprisingly cathartic despite the situation.

-To put a stop to everything, you need to confront your real feelings about yourself in front of everyone, regardless of how uncomfortable it is, and you're awarded with a Persona.

-As soon as you're out of the TV world and you're alone Chie immediately slaps you for ever doubting yourself like that. Partly out of anger and partly out of concern to get you out of that train of thought.

-She hugs you right after and promises that you are in fact good enough for her, and she'll do anything to make you see that. It won't be easy, but everything she's done for you today is at least a good start.

-Anxiety and worry immediately find themselves welling up uncomfortably inside Yukiko as she sees your Shadow on the TV, claiming to know a huge secret. What could you possibly be hiding from her?

-Regardless of her feelings of fear as to what that may be, she has to push on, considering your life is now on the line here.

-Her feeling of nervousness only gets worse and worse as the team progresses through the dungeon, and by the time they reach your Shadow her heart feels as if it's trying to escape.

-It's then that your Shadow reveals the secret it teased. It lays your feelings out plain in front of everyone, saying that you didn't deserve someone so perfect like Yukiko. You'd be better off just dying so that she could find someone better for her.

-So that was the secret. She has a few things on her on mind to share, but that can wait until your life isn't in mortal danger. She attacks your Shadow relentlessly, about to do her damndest to make sure it feels how much she really loves you, make it feel it so much that it burns.

-You eventually have to fess up how you feel, swallowing your pride in front of everyone. Hey, at least you get a cool Persona out of it.

-Once you're safe and sound back in the real world, Yukiko hesitantly confronts you, asking if everything your Shadow said was true. You have no choice now but to be honest. You ask her if she really thinks that you're enough for someone like her.

-She's equal parts flattered and concerned that you hold her in such higher regards than yourself to this degree. With a slightly embarrassed demeanor, she assures you that you are in fact enough to make her happy, and she'll do anything to make you sure of that too.

-The first thing going through Rise's head as she sees you on the Midnight Channel is probably something along the lines of "Oh hell no". Both in a fearful way and an angry way.

-Never before has she been so frustrated about not having a combat Persona. This is the one time she actually wishes to be out on the front lines fighting, however her Persona isn't specced for that much to her chagrin.

-Upon finally reaching you and your Shadow she's the first to warn you about it and try urging you to accept it. However this proves to be to little avail.

-Both of you are caught off guard as it spouts out your insecurities about your relationship straight to your faces, making some grim jokes about Rise ditching you and getting into a scandal with some other idol that isn't so much of a wimp.

-If Rise had the capability to slap your Shadow, it would've gotten launched out the window. Unfortunately all she can do now is support the rest of the IT to hopefully do that for her.

-She's demanding rather assertively for you to accept your Shadow. Despite how embarrassed you feel right now, there's no hiding from it anymore, and you have to accept those feeling as a part of you, giving your your Persona.

-Once you're finally back in the real world, Rise drags you out somewhere you can be alone with her and immediately traps you in a bone crushing hug on the verge of tears. She's calling you an idiot for ever thinking you're not good enough, especially when she makes it so clear how much she cares about you.

-Despite the slightly harsh words, you're her idiot, and she'd rather have no one else by her side. She doesn't let you leave her sight until she can say with confidence you're sure of that, too.

-Naoto is stunned upon seeing you on the TV. She just sits there, completely appalled as she watches you announce the revealing of some big secret it's about to reveal.

-Despite the situation she does her best to keep her cool. She's rather new to the team so no one knows who you are but once she explains you're her S/O they quickly realize the gravity of the situation and waste no time in jumping into the TV.

-She immediately asks Yu for her to be on the frontlines, wishing to take charge in this mission to save her S/O. He thankfully agrees despite her inexperience. She's more than smart enough to lead the charge, knowing the intricacies of your dungeon since she's the only one who knows you so much.

-They soon find your Shadow holding you hostage, seemingly expecting the group to show up. It's cool and collected, no sign of nervousness upon seeing them.

-It seems oddly intent upon breaking you and Naoto up throwing out all your insecurities for everyone to hear.

-She had been suspecting something was up for a while now, but not something this extreme. The time to talk about that was later though, there was a fight to be had. She expected you wouldn't accept these feelings were real right off the bat.

-Reluctantly and with a heavy sigh, you come to accept your Shadow and the unfortunate truths it speaks.

-Naoto, now armed with new knowledge, confronts you on what your Shadow had said. Had you really felt that you didn't deserve her? If anything she should be feeling that way. She knows her work prevents her from making as much time with you as she ought to, she was worried she hadn't been giving you enough.

-The two of you can finally be refreshingly honest with each other. If anything, your relationship is even stronger than before, finally knowing the depths of how much you two truly admire one another, and you both can feel secure in knowing that you feel the same way.

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Hiyah! Do you have any Persona fic recs? 👀

Long ago I made a Rec List, but that's lost to the abyss of Tumblr's awful search mechanism, so here's a new one. You didn't specify, so I included a little of every game. Each game is indicated by a specific color: 🟠 for P2 (both of them), 🔵 for P3, 🟡 for P4 and 🔴 for P5. Each one of these fics really stayed with me for a reason, so I heavily recommend you at least give them a chance.

Dust in the Air Suspended by @stealthnoodle 🟠

The dead timeline lives on, and Katsuya Suou stubbornly persists in it. His brother is determined to do better.

Gardenia by LunaDePlata 🟠

Jun can't sleep, and neither can his thoughts. A short vent piece.

heaven by [Orphan :(] 🟠

Lisa didn’t understand how Tatsuya could trust Jun so easily while she still woke from nightmare after nightmare of Joker’s piercing stare and twisted grin. She didn’t understand the pain in her chest when she saw the two of them linger at one another’s side, either.

under the mask by gaytimetraveller 🟠

Joker grants wishes, Joker receives calls (not always pleasant), Joker despairs.

maybe Death wants to be saved, too by @senblades 🔵

In December of 2009, Makoto Yuki slits Death’s throat in his bedroom. --- In January of 2010, Makoto Yuki meets an odd boy in a yellow scarf, haunting the entrance to Gekkoukan like a phantom. (The world is ending, and all Ryoji Mochizuki can do is watch)

No Ghosts, No Mistletoe by @stealthnoodle 🔵

If anyone asks, Junpei is technically spending Christmas Eve with a girl. It's just not anything like a date.

Threnody by @laora-ryn 🔵

In February, Nozomi shares a meal with Minato. [You know,” Minato says suddenly, “I had a twin sister.”]

All That Remains by @laora-ryn 🔵 ft. 🟡🔴

An exploration of the end of Persona 3, its aftermath, and those he left behind.

Equal or Lesser Value by Lisse 🔵 ft. 🟡

The wrong family dies on Moonlight Bridge.

A Barrel in the Sea by signalbeam 🟡

Post-game. Yukiko tells her parents about her relationship with Chie, and after the resulting fight, takes refuge in the Dojima residence.

First Impressions (Seventeen Variations) by jackdawq 🟡

It sucks to be the new transfer kid. Right?

Fusion Inheritance by @rabbitprint 🟡

In your first life, you're an asshole. There's no other way to describe it; even you would call it that.

I Have My Dead by signalbeam 🟡

Eight letters written from the Investigation Team to their families in the event of their deaths.

sentence by @corvus-corvus 🟡

Adachi rises to the balls of his feet for a better view. Yu knows they’re visiting a woman from the case files, but it’s only when Adachi mimes an exaggerated whistle that he knows it’s going to be a problem. "She told us to leave and we have other witnesses.” Yu holds out a light. Adachi breathes smoke until it ghosts over the beating sun. “She doesn’t know that.”

Lost Kingdoms by jackdawq 🟡 ft. 🔵

Every girl in Inaba likes Teddie; Port Island's no different.

A Year To Fill An Empty Home by @lostozian 🔴

The officer who came to explain the terms of the probation had a sad smile on his face the whole way through. He seemed like he was trying to be sympathetic at first, telling them about the mandatory school transfer and the probation terms, but when he got to the part about “removing Akira-kun from bad influences,” Chou couldn’t see the smile as anything less than sadistic. “I know you’re facing a lot of pain right now, Kurusu-san,” the officer had said. “But perhaps better parenting would have helped Akira-kun know that he shouldn’t assault people in the street.” OR, Takeshi and Chou Kurusu aren't bad people. They never stopped loving their son, not for a single second.

Falsities by Raaj 🔴

They keep saying you were sold out by a teammate. You can’t remember which one.

Killing Hope by Raaj 🔴

Akechi stops by Leblanc once after assassinating Amamiya, looking to find the last Phantom Thief.

Stumbling on the Chopping Block by vivvav 🔴

Even after Yaldabaoth leaves, the executions go on.

The Trickster's World by vivvav 🔴

The game has not played out how he imagined it would. Could the Trickster actually prevent humanity's ruin? Is it possible that Ren Amamiya truly poses a threat to his ascension? Only a journey into the boy's Cognition will tell.

marigolds by colbub 🔴 ft. 🔵🟡

Akechi meets a mysterious being chained to a door after death and gains a second chance.

Reflections by @senblades 🔵🟡🔴

In the space between dreams, there's time to think. And so, the attendants reflect; on the tragedies and triumphs their guests have left in their wake. On the saviour, the seeker, and the tricksters, and what facets of humanity they supposedly held in their depths. ___ The Velvet Room is a place of guidance. But what purpose does a guide serve once their role is complete?

Smart Kid by [Orphan :(] 🔵🔴

A troubled kid is brought into Officer Sanada Akihiko's office in the juvenile department, and Akihiko does his best to set him on the right path.

[a-sketchy]

i think yosuke would have the most excruciating #Ally phase right after realizing he sucks and right before actually figuring out/accepting that he’s bi. all “i’m sorry women. and gay people.” white knighting all over the place. a bunch of apologies with a thick layer of smarmy performance over some genuine guilt.

in terms of reactions to his apologies, chie would probably be like “what? what’s wrong with you? who are you and what did you do with the real yosuke?” just full of skepticism, yukiko would be like “huh? oh it’s fine,” and then unintentionally say something so backhanded it cuts yosuke to his very soul, rise would probably accept his apology with the grace and playfulness of an idol which makes him way too happy.

i think the smarm would mostly fall away when apologizing to kanji cause he’d probably feel far guiltier about that than the misogyny. and i think cause kanji is just the kindest guy in the world, he’d think on it a moment then accept yosuke’s apology outright, which would distress yosuke immensely.

something like “wait, just like that? but i said all those awful things to you!” and kanji’d be like “yeah, you did. i’m not gonna say that all that was fine actually, but if i see my friend earnestly tryin to make amends, what kinda guy would i be to spit in your face?”

“but, but, you’d be completely right to! i was horrible to you! time and time again! how can you forgive me that easily?!”

“you’re acting like you don’t WANT me to, man. whaddaya want me to say? should i punch you so you can feel like you earned it?”

“yes! no! i don’t know! i just—! i could never forgive me if i were in your position.”

“yeah, well. i’m not you, am i.”

[thebearme]

Thinking about Yu having a shadow + a palace is interesting because of the possibilities.

But here one idea for it:

Yu's shadow is a malformation of everyone's shadow.

Let's think about it!

Yosuke: The feeling of covering your feelings with surrounding yourself with people; to not be alone. Yu contently surrounding their self's with bonds to not be alone.

Chie: The feeling of surrounding yourself with people that NEED you. To make yourself feel superior and cover your inferiority. Yu is constantly surrounded by people who are willing to traumadump on to them, He is constantly surrounded by people who have "worster" problems then him. Which can easily turn into a "[Blank] has it worse then me" "compared to everyone else I have no issues".

Yukiko: Waiting and longingly wanting someone to SAVE you from your own helplessness. Yu's feeling of the town, their situation, the feeling of wanting to run away from there and go back home. OR! Yu hoping that somebody anybody would love him to get rid of this feeling of inadequates, to help him run away from the the expectations of everything.

Kanji: Hiding Your feelings (and sexuality) with machoness (or being a chad in this case) to protect yourself from denial of acceptance. Yu becoming a chad and is conveniently perfect at everything didn't come out of no where. It's a front that keeps people around, something that gives a machoman leader that no one question.

Rise: Willing change yourself to satisfy others in such big extent and losing yourself in the making. This can be it's own post but heres a summary. In every social link Yu has to say what the person want him to say, do what they want him to do instead of being their self or just being a regular friend. Yu has to be the PERFECT friend, the PERFECT leader, the PERFECT student, the PERFECT big bro, the PERFECT partner.

Naoto: Making yourself more MATURE to fit with the adult of society so you can be USEFUL and not just thrown away. If it wasn't a issue enough that Yu feels like that have the responsibility on fixing their friends problems then Yu fixing the adults problems as well is. Yu makes themselves more mature for their age to be relied on not just their friends but grownups as well.

Namatame: Helping people to the point where your superiority complex turns into a savior complex. In every social link Yu fixes the problems in that person's life.

Adachi: Interestingly enough Adachi motif is what I imagine Yu's original feelings about being in Inaba. Yu knows he's only going to be here for a year, they're not going to be here long. So what's the point of making friends and getting cozy with people if it's not going to matter in the end. Just get good grades, keep your head low and everything will be fine.

!BONUS! Mitsuo: This was explored in the anime but let me still cover this. The feeling that no matter how much effort Yu does to people please, to be useful, mature, manly and ect. It all didn't matter, all his friendships and bonds were just superficial, no matter what Yu will always be a empty human-being and no one would want to stay with a lying manipulative savior complex. So why try fighting it? just accept it, You'll always be alone.

All of this leads to my idea that Shadow Yu will hold much more respect for the IT then Yu but still babys everyone. Thinking that he's the ONLY one that can fix you by becoming what you want. Shadow Yu would constantly traps you, making sure you don't LEAVE the palace so you don't LEAVE HIM.

[daily-hanamura]

Love your analysis of Yosuke’s character, it’s so detailed and fun to read! I’m kinda curious, what are your thoughts on his characterization in the fighting and dancing games?

Waaah thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed them 💖

Oooh I actually LOVE his characterisation in p4d and p4au, probably because I think it brought out all my favourite parts of Yosuke and it really felt like Yosuke had matured a lot compared to his first appearance.

In P4A/U for example we see a lot of thoughts from other characters, and I really love that it's revealed how the others - not just Yu, but also Yukiko and Chie - rely on Yosuke a lot for emotional support, as the morale booster of the team, for direction when they don't know what to do, as the glue that keeps the group together, and it's so fantastic because it's so unlike how Yosuke sees himself. A lot of Yosuke's POV also reveals how much overthinking he does and how, despite his empathy in noticing when others are frustrated or worried, he feels like he doesn't do a very good job at cheering them up, even though when we look at their POVs we see that he did!! Both Yukiko and Chie call him up when they were worried about their friends going missing BECAUSE they feel better from talking to him!! Sorry but this particular factoid, this specific gap, sits in my head like a spitroast being rotated all the time because I cannot get over it. But he's trying though - we can see his motivations for the things that he says and how he tries to lighten the mood and yeah. It's great. I went into P4AU thinking it was going to be whatever but let me just say that was the game that triggered my single-minded obsession about Yosuke and the reason why this blog exists LOL like I was very much souyo and yosuke-brained aftert P4G but oh boy. P4AU tipped me over from obsessed to building this damn shrine for him :'D

He always laughs deprecatingly at himself even in the post p4g games, like in P4D - when he dances well he has a line that's like, "not such a disappointment after all" and it, again, really shows how he has such a poor perception of himself that he doesn't see his own good points, like the fact that he held out the second longest during their dance training, losing only to Rise, as pointed out by Yu. He's naturally talented and keeps up well with everyone elses dance style, but he doesn't really notice that either? Also a side thing I find hilarious/cute/endearing in P4D is also how Kanji exposes Yosuke's idol-loving-hours and Yosuke gets extremely embarrassed about it, because at his heart Yosuke does still like that kind of (somewhat) superficial thing, but he doesn't want people to know! It's a stark contrast to how he was earlier in P4G where he's more open about checking out girls (again, the whole "is this overcompensation" vs "is this a product of bro culture from his childhood friends" is a conversation that we can have) but it's a reflection of how that kind of talk tapers out a lot as the game progresses, and P4D was really consistent with the kind of growth that P4G gave Yosuke, instead of reducing him into that best-bro-friend stereotype, and for a game that was actually so short in narrative substance compared to P4AU, it was great. (I'm also convinced that P4D was trying to tell us Yosuke and Yu were dating but I'm not going to start on that again LOL)

And I think ultimately the reason why I feel like P4AU and P4D showcased a lot of growth for Yosuke is in his relationships with other people, because as much as Yosuke worries about how he's remained static, I think the fact that the others treat him with such respect (like when the first years and Teddie acknowledge that Yosuke is basically the team wrangler, and the difference between Yosuke at the start of P4G/in Magician compared to P4AU/D was someone who had become a lot more receptive about forming genuine relationships with other people instead of just protecting himself by surrounding himself with superficial relationships and yeah. yeah.

[ribbononline]

Oh yeah! Since I have no clue if/when I'm ever finishing these and I've had them laying around for forever by now- here's the adult IT metaverse outfits I've made! They're all based on their ultimate personas and the concept of heros! Since these were made for an aged up p4 cast, these aren't quite what I'd put their during p4 time selves in- some changing more then others- but if you wanna follow me into design details, that'll all be under the cut!

First off to get em out of the way- Teddie is very largely the same as his p4 time metaverse outfit I made for him back here . The design is still meant to be inspired by magical girls, but the biggest change is that while the old one was meant to look like a magical girl protagonists outfit, this one I tried to lean a bit more into the older/more experienced cast member of the magical girl group type design. Overall a pretty minor change (and I will admit, largely because I'm still incredibly happy with that old design) but it felt fitting!

Chie and Yukiko were, as always when I work on them, designed to match. Their masks specifically mirror eachother with the opposites sides sticking out, and they both have a golden dragon pattern on their clothes as a reference to the twin dragons move! Chie was... honestly one where I had to sacrifice my goals a bit. Like mentioned before, these were meant specifically for an aged up cast. And while p4 era Chie I would absolutely imagine in a kung fu Chung-Li type outfit, we know what a more mature version of her action hero dreams look like; the police! And I.... really did not want to put her in a cop outfit, Ill be real. Instead I just tried focusing on making the outfit look more mature. Also tried to combine a practical and strong look with a more feminine aesthetic, since she struggles pretty badly with her femininity in p4 and I like to think she'd grow more comfortable with her own brand of it over time!

Yukiko is perhaps one of the most drastic one for changes compared to her younger self- if you asked me to design a p4 era outfit for her, it would look nothing like this, hah. Anyways, she's definitely inspired by onna-musha! Compared to Tomoe who was a full on commander of an army going out there, for Yukiko the idea was more the women taking up arms to protect their home when the battle comes their way. Fully having embraced the role she has as the next owner of the Amagi Inn and the responsibility and want to protect it, it's meant to be somewhat of an outing of that!

Fun fact: She has two color schemes! Because uhh I did not know what to go for at all. Her ultimate persona is like a single solid color and I kind of panicked and just ended up winging the colorscheme. One is more red since, y'know, thats her color! The other is more white gold to match her actual persona better. Included at the end of this post for the curious

Rise was based on a greek goddess- though not any particular one, moreso how they're commonly depicteed in art and old statues. Pretty, holy, someone you'd go to for advice and help (someone just out of reach from the general public) It just felt like a good combination of something she'd like to be seen as and percieved as as well. She gets two outfits- for scan and fight mode! Kouzeon has no canon fight mode, thats just for Himiko, but man it exists in my heart. The transistion between the two is literally just her throwing off the long overskirt, hah.

How does her mask work? Excellent question. The p5 idea of having it there when vibing but gone when the persona is out feels a little awkward when her persona's whole thing is putting a visor over her face. Quite frankly I have no idea. Sorry folks. Have all concept sketches for the outfits I've done as compensation with a bonus Noot in there that I never continued on and finished.

[nero-vanderwolf]

One fact about Yu Narukami: He is hopelessly and utterly in love with his best friend. 

It started as nothing more than a classroom crush, developed after helping him out of the trash. Despite being hurt, the guy had still thanked him, still amiled and introduced himself. Yosuke, he had said. As they walked to school together, Yu repeated the name in his head. Yosuke. 

It was really just a nosedive from there. After the murders started up, the two partnered up to try and solve the case. They had discovered the TV world together, and Yosuke had had to face his Shadow- the manifestation of all of his worst thoughts and feelings. 

And yet Yu hadn’t felt an ounce of desire to run, to abandon Yosuke. No, instead he had felt the inexplicable urge to hug him close, promise they’d stay friends even if that awful thing came back. They’d stay partners. 

Fast forward to now, early September, and Yu is trying not to freak out, because it just so happens that he’s sharing a goddamned futon with his best friend- the guy he definitely doesn’t just have a crush on anymore. 

He holds Yosuke close, praying his heartbeat doesn’t give away how he feels. Earlier, in the spur of the moment, he had pulled Yosuke into a hug outside. Of course, he’d played it off as trying to warm Yosuke up- he had forgotten his jacket again. 

But Yosuke had tried to hug him again after he pulled away. Maybe Yu was (and still is) reading too far into it, but it’s still nice to pretend. 

Now, of course, Yosuke has been cuddling him for the past ten minutes and hasn’t made a single move to pull away except to shift occasionally. He seems perfectly content to lie here, but Yu feels himself growing restless. He’s debating saying something into the darkness, just to see if Yosuke is still awake, but his partner beats him to it. 

“Did you know your eyes change colors sometimes?” 

Yu, admittedly, has to take a moment to process what Yosuke just said. Of all the things he expected to leave his partner’s mouth, this... wasn’t one of them. 

“Do they?” He replies. They’re both murmuring, as though exchanging secrets that they only want themselves and the heavens to hear. 

Yosuke nods against him, the movement pressing into his chest. He hugs Yosuke just a bit tighter. 

“Yeah. Different shades of grey. When you’re happy, they’re this really pretty light shade. When you’re upset, they get all dark. I think it’s kinda cute.” 

Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait pause. Did Yosuke just call him cute? Just... tossed the word out there. He isn’t even backtracking, but Yu feels like every cognitive function has come screeching to a halt. 

And yet, he’s still functioning just enough to tease Yosuke. He can’t pass up a perfectly good opportunity, after all. 

“Really? Do you give that much thought to the rest of me?” He asks as Yosuke shifts himself again. Unfortunate timing for Yosuke, perfect timing for Yu- he comes up to eye-level with Yu just in time for him to see the blush bloom on Yosuke’s cheeks. 

“Wh- hey! I’m trying to be nice here!” He says, but Yu know he isn’t really angry. Just flustered. It’s cute. 

Yu smiles, his best ‘I-love-you-partner’ grin that he saves specially for Yosuke, and it works like a charm. He huffs, looking anywhere but at Yu as he settled down back into his arms. 

They’re still at eye-level with each other, though, and even the darkness of the room can’t hide the way Yosuke’s gaze flicks to Yu’s lips. For a second, Yu forgets how to breathe like a human person. 

“...Your smile,” Yosuke finally provides. Yu tilts his head into the pillow. His... smile? 

“Don’t look at me like that, it’s just- You have a lot of smiles for people, partner. You have this, like, default smile that you give people you don’t know, but with Chie and Yukiko and everyone else, it’s... softer. And-” 

He stops talking, face now bright red. Yu goes to pull away, give him some space to breathe, but Yosuke’s hand flies up and clutches his shoulder. 

“...And, uh... Sometimes it feels like you have one for me, too. Just for me,” he finishes off with a mumble. Yu can’t help the smile that creeps up his face. The one specially reserved for Yosuke. His best ‘I-love-you-partner’ grin that always works like a charm. 

“Well, you’d be right. I do,” he says, his voice not much more than a whisper. He can’t bring himself to speak much louder than this, scared of breaking whatever spell has caused them to spill their hearts like this. 

Yosuke brings his gaze back to Yu’s face. His expression is unbelievably soft, and Yu allows himself to think, even for just a moment, that this expression is just for him, like his smile is just for Yosuke. 

“You’re doing it. The smile,” he mutters. Their faces are close- for a moment, Yu wonders what it’d be like to kiss him. 

He drags his mind out of the gutter just long enough to reply. “Of course I am. It’s you.” 

Yosuke looks like he’s struggling for words. He opens his mouth for a moment, then closes it again. 

“Can I, uh... Do something?” He finally asks, and Yu doesn’t waste a second in nodding. 

“Go ahead. I trust you, partner,” he answers easily, and he’d swear on his Persona that Yosuke seemed to blush even more at his response. 

And of all the things he expected Yosuke to do, he didn’t expect him to tilt forward, pressing their lips together in a kiss. 

It isn’t magical or heavenly, but it’s Yosuke, his partner and best friend since what feels like forever. It’s Yosuke, and that’s more than Yu could ever ask for. 

After what feels both too short and too long a time, Yu has to pull away. His lungs are burning, as though Yosuke stole all the oxygen out of them. He doesn’t go far though- just rests his forehead against Yosuke’s, both panting. 

“I love you, partner. A lot,” Yosuke whispers, and Yu feels like his air has been stolen once again. Nevertheless, he replies in earnest. 

“I love you too, partner. A lot.” 

YAAAYYYY OMFGH HSHSBBHBSHEJRJDNOWNNDHRJSNSHEJDEJBDJENDJENDJDNWNWJSBDJKSMWNEBFIDIEHSJSNWKNWOMSBXJZJENDJSNENDJSOWNNDIXNEJDNRNFISNWNSBEKFNJRKAKWKDODNEJSJWKEKDOEJJDJDNSJXNSJKAKALEOXJNRUXENEIIDOEKEJRIKFJCKRORIWOUQOFNFNFBJSHEHWNDKENKSNDKENSBOSHNEHSKSBDB

THE SOUYO GET TO KISS AAHEBEEVEVBEBSBSBSJJDNJ823$:'nsken&£{~!~££+¥'AISHHKMEB&$&&&!/?/?!$@9288/$&&/! I FUCKIGN LOVE SOUYO SOUYO IS MY LIFE

IM EATING THIS UP AND LICKING THE PLATE LEAVING NO CRUMBS THEY KISS AND THEY REALIZE THEY HAVE MUTUAL FEELINGS!!!!!!!! GRRRAGHHH!!!!!!! "I TRUST YOU PARTNER" WHAT IF I FUCKING EXPLODED INTO 18 PIECES AND YU TEASING HIM WHILE ALSO NKT KNOWING IF HE HAS MUTUAL FEELINGS KMFBFBDHDNJDJEN

THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD CLAIRE