#Goth Haru is real guys

[kurumeuruki]

So I had this random idea since spooky month is coming and all and

PT TEAM MASQUERADE OUTFITS LETS GOOOOOOOOOO

Closeups:

[arcplaysgames]

I just get the impression that Akechi is Reverie's Mean Bitch Boyfriend and everyone in the Thieves is baffled that they are going out because what the fuck does Reverie see in this guy. And all the girls are like "ooooooh. Okay."

But Akechi just speaks to Reverie on another level. So much of Reverie's life is being contained and not causing too much trouble because his probation thing, but Akechi is like a total fucking asshole and responds best when Reverie is an asshole right back, and like. Man. I get it. I really get it lmao.

Its easy to imagine Reverie hanging out with the gang and saying something just a little too Fucking Mean and they're like "did you have lunch with Akechi" and he's like ".... Oh. Yeah. Whoops. Sorry, I'll dial it back."

MEANWHILE out lil sister is having a hard time. Like, man, not to diminish the pain anyone went through because Maruki's deal, but Yusuke and Futaba and Haru in particular have it really goddamn rough and it's painful.

I love every moment that the game lets you be understanding and empathetic with Futaba.

This moment in particular should be stamped on the brain of everyone who has mental illness. Futaba tries to tell Reverie he should be mad at her, because she's angry with herself and wants to sublimate that emotion onto others. She wants him to be mad at her because then it's almost easier to deal with all of this happening. It's a situation where kindness almost hurts more than the reprimand, but kindness is still what's needed.

persona 5 royal where has this writing been!!!!!! i'm yelling

Anyway, Futaba pops her final persona. Glow down. I want A Dark Planet Lit By Daft Punk again. 8C It's fine, it's not terrible, the reference is neat, but also sigh.

I do like the Technomancy vibe of Futaba. The framing of her work that way is neat.

Next up is my man Yusuke and okay, one: Yusuke's winter outfit is FLY AS HELL, look at that. Look at how gorgeous that jacket is, with the ink bottle teal and the bold buttons and the skinny jeans. Amazing, truly.

Two, this room makes me want to scream. There is a cardboard box of fruit that makes me think he walked through a park and just picked stuff to eat and then decided it was all too photogenic so its set aside for a still life. The supplies on the floor, the canvases blocking his fucking storage space, this is all just pitch fucking perfect.

Love that he's a prospit dream honestly.

I'll be real, going to every Thief and having them apologize to Reverie for falling for Maruki's trick is a little bit blah, but the extra details for each is fun. The moment when Yusuke is so ashamed he won't even look at Reverie is nice and heartfelt.

funny how when i talk to futaba the game always gives me the exact options i wanna say but never with yusuke

sigh

oh my dear fucking god

i mean. wow. i don't really see Yusuke's soul in the Pimpdaddy Maestro of the Techno Goth Club?

This one is even more baffling than the Susano-o persona for him, so I'm just. Yeah. OKay.

To be clear: This design is amazing, I love it, I LOVE THE SHOES, LOOK AT THOSE FUCKING SHOES. but wow. Yusuke huh. Okay. I miss Goemon.

that said he gets Heat Riser But For The Whole Party and wow holy shit that's so powerful

Ryuji time. Once again the game gives me the option I want.

Listen. I am mad at how not gay this game is. If Ryuji was the only gay option, I'd still go stag. Or date Haru. (man i shoulda dated Haru)

anyway Ryuji's is particularly blah but the only amusing moment is when he decides his punishment is to do standing squats until Reverie says he can stop

opens mouth

shuts mouth

Nah I'll save my thoughts on Ryuji for later.

anyway Ryuji's persona has joined the 1% i guess bc he's on a yacht now.

That or he won a free boat ride for three. Where is T-Pain.

Haru confirmed for Prospit, as if there was any doubt.

Her room makes me nervous tbh, like, I feel like I'm in a southern furniture showroom. Did HGTV do this, Haru?

LOVE THIS SENTIMENT. I love that when kindness is offered she is flat out like "Thank you but that's not what I need right now." That's powerful tbh, I love it.

HARU GETS TO SAY THE THESIS OF THE PLOTLINE OUT LOUD.

So fucking what if you put a band aid on everyone's fucking problems? New problems will arise. Do you intend to delete each and every one?

This shit reminds me of rich and powerful people who are born into it and haven't experienced hardship for the majority of their lives, so when something mildly inconvenient happens, they treat it like a federal fucking issue because they have no skills to handle anything.

Maruki's plan is to basically eviscerate everyone's personal growth in perpetuity. Like, as you walk around Shibuya and stuff, you do actually overhear people concerned about all this happiness and the lack of contrasts.

I mean, I'm a depressed poor sick queer who grew up in a trailer park. There are moments in my past that define me and they are Not Good moments. I would still not take Maruki's deal.

Maruki needed to meet Toranosuke honestly and talk about societal reform. You know Tora is one of those "what if we gave addicts places to live for free and created a UBI" people.

GLOW DOWN. There was nowhere to go but down when you have the literal best persona in the main cast. But also that Life Wall is amazing.

I overwrote Psy Amp for it. I am dedicated to my build on Haru. She walks up and its time for the Gun Show. I wish she got Akechi's Riot Gun skill, you have NO idea. She'd tear shit UP and give Myriad Truths a run for its money.

anyway here is Futaba and Ann petting Morgana. shout out to Akechi all the way in the back trying to ignore everyone.

ANYWAY we're at the end of this post and I'm gonna complain about Ryuji, feel free to peace out.

So Persona really likes having the one party member who is kind of stupid. Just... not book smart and always doing poorly in class and always missing out on vital information. It's good joke fodder, I get it.

In P4, that was Kanji and Chie, and in P3 it was Junpei. I respect and love these characters, and I have been banging my head against why I just! I just hate Ryuji! I really do! I have never disliked a persona character this much yet!

And I think the thing about Kanji and Junpei and the other Kinda Dumb characters is that they have low book smarts but they are often the most empathetic and emotionally intelligent characters in the game. Kanji was the fucking HEART of the party from the moment he joined onward, was always coming out and says profound shit, was the one who stepped up and was like "hey lets let Naoto and their shadow hash it out, we can handle the fight and this is going to help them." He was the kindest person in the party.

And Junpei, I still think that was some apex of writing, the time when Junpei was like "hey, I apologize for this thing I did to you, it was disrespectful and I'll do better." And his connection to Chidori was the rocket strapped to his arc. He was emotional and kind and he fucked up several times and he apologized for it.

Ryuji just. LACKS THAT ENTIRELY. He doesn't have that. He's not the emotional heart of the team, he struggles to be empathetic, he upsets people and gets off scott-free without an apology. He's treated like the Best Friend and its so completely unearned. I would not tell Ryuji shit about me because I have no confidence in him being cool. He is Yosuke Hanamura without the rebound, it's Joker Mode all the time.

The ball was so thoroughly dropped with Ryuji I'm kinda baffled, because Atlus is usually good at the Token Best Friend guy and making him one of the more complex characters in each game.

Maybe its because Joker himself is such a strong character that Ryuji doesn't need to act as the stand-in protagonist like Junpei and Yosuke did. Or, maybe it's because functionally Morgana fills Ryuji's role in the party instead so those emotionally intelligent moments are given to Morgana instead.

It's weird and frustrating and I am annoyed at Ryuji both in a Watsonian sense and a Doylist sense.

Okay that's enough hateration holleration in this dancery, lets do the Palace.

[uselesslesbiab]

How about hcs for the Phantom Thieves finding out Ren's been found out as their leader by like 9 people (one of which is an elementary schooler). I imagine they'd be cool with Sojiro knowing cause he's the group dad (no I will not accept otherwise) but they would not be cool about some of the others (especially if they find out some of the shit he's had to do for them).

Ooh I’ve had ideas about this for a long time and I wanted to write a full fic about it but I probably won’t any time soon. The idea was gonna be post interrogation scene Ren is forcibly put on bed rest so all his confidants come over to help him and the other phantom thieves out instead of Ren having to go see them. This might be a longer post so I guess I’ll separate the bullet points based on each phantom thief?? Just so I don’t forget anyone.

Morgana doesn’t get reactions for obvious reasons. Also this kinda turned into which confidants they would get along with the most oops. Mishima is also not mentioned since they all know that he knows and runs the Phan-site

Ryuji

His “For real?!” gets louder every time someone new walks in the door

He doesn’t really think it’s a big deal that these people know. If Ren trusts them, then he trusts them.

He’s super impressed by Shinya and they actually get along really well since Ryuji’s still a kid at heart. Shinya thinks his dyed hair and attitude is cool. (CEOs of cuffing their pants so high it looks ridiculous).

Chihaya scams him out of his money so fast it makes his head spin. Ren makes her give it back but his ego takes a beating.

Politics bore him to tears, but he likes the sound of Yoshida’s voice and the way he really listens to young people. “It’s like he totally gets us ya know? You’re alright old man!”

He has a nice talk with Kawakami where she apologizes for treating him like a troublemaker just because of what the other teachers said about him.

Ann

She’s extremely surprised and a little embarrassed that all these people know about them. “Ugh you’re worse at keeping this a secret than Ryuji!”

She starts complimenting Takemi’s goth fashion immediately and is totally in love with her style

She gets along well with Ohya too. The worlds of modeling and journalism are far from strangers, so they have a lot to talk about.

She gets along surprisingly well with Hifumi considering they’re almost polar opposites. Hifumi briefly mentions that she likes sweets and Ann invites her out for crepes on the spot.

Yusuke

Yusuke is disappointed in Ren of course and tells him as much, but he gets distracted before he can finish scolding him.

He’s absolutely fascinated by Chihaya and her fortune telling. He doesn’t have any money for her to take but she gives him a free reading anyway because he just looked so excited she couldn’t say no.

Yusuke and Hifumi really hit it off once they start talking about the phantom thieves and end up becoming good friends. She’s his first friend he’s ever made at school.

He calls Iwai a true artist when he sees his skill at making model guns. He demands to witness the entire crafting and detail process from start to finish. Iwai sees another kid with no parents and immediately goes into dad mode.

Makoto

Makoto isn’t angry, but she sure as hell isn’t happy either. As the strategist, she immediately recognizes and connects the confidants with the mementos targets that were troubling them.

She turns to Ren immediately and just goes “What in the hell is wrong with you”

After she gets over scolding him for being so reckless, she actually finds herself enjoying the company of Yoshida and Ohya especially

She talks to Yoshida and Ohya about her father and the injustice in the political system.

Makoto is really great with kids and Shinya kinda flocks over to her at some point and asks a bunch of questions about her role in the phantom thieves. Shooter arcade games are actually the only games she’s ever played, so they talk about Gun About strategy a lot.

Futaba

“Okay I got given so much much shit for letting Sojiro find out and Ren was doing this the whole time?!! You guys suck!”

She brags about her gaming skills to Shinya of course and challenges him to a Gun About competition.

Takemi sees her and immediately starts ranting off about how she needs to take care of her health and how her vitamin D is deficient and how she should get tested for this this and this and-

Futaba zones out but the feeling of having an adult female figure care about her well-being makes her smile.

Kawakami hears about her shut in nature and commits to tutoring her on the exact subjects she’ll need to know for the high school entrance exam. (Futaba may be incredibly smart but we all know the bullshit high school asks us to learn about. She doesn’t learn stuff she doesn’t have an interest in.)

Haru

Like Ryuji, she puts her faith in Ren and decides to trust these people.

She absolutely ADORES Iwai and his model guns. She fawns over their design and tries to pick up all the heaviest ones. He’s extremely flustered and thrown off at first because she’s this 5’2 tiny girl wearing a fluffy pink sweater and is rambling off facts she knows about all these guns.

Even so, Iwai is a dad at heart. The second he finds out she’s an orphan he practically adopts her on the spot. Haru is happy to finally have a male figure in her life that she can feel safe with and look up to.

She’s too smart to fall for Chihaya’s traps but she indulges in the fortune telling anyway. Only as a subtle way to give her some money.

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

1, 8, 6, 17, 18, 21, 35, 40, 47, 55, 60, 62, 68, 85, 88, 94

@blind-mutant

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Coffee/tea cups! I love collecting them and I have twenty five different cups. My favourite is my Steven Universe and my alpaca one!

8. movies or tv shows?

Mostly tv shows because I love more content and if I don't like the movie then it's harder for me to sit through it but I still wanna, you know? And second seasons will always be better than sequels.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

I would say Tomboy? I wear a lot of shirts and hoodies and I don't have the emotional or mental strength to make enough effort to dress nice enough for grunge or pastel styles and I'd rather be in my pajaymas. My favourite item of clothing is a giant cat sweater I got from Japan that goes to my knees that's super fluffy and has paw coverings over my hands and even a tail with it.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

My trainers since I hate new shoes and I literally wore my last pair until water filled them sksksk it's either boots or trainers that I don't stop wearing.

18. ideal weather?

Thunderstorms! I love sitting inside with the rain pounding against my window and I always get excited when I hear thunder and see lighting out in the distance.

21. obsession from childhood?

You already know about MLP so,,,winnie the pooh. I love it. I'm so soft for Winnie and I cried when his movie came out, not to mention the fact that I own my prized Winnie the Pooh Tsum Tsum and kept all of my childhood books of him.

35. average time you fall asleep?

2am? I stay up to chat to everyone and in my worse nights when I'm really into a thread idea or I can't sleep then I'll stay up until 4am. Quarantine has made that habit much worse seeing as I don't have to get to much.

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

A student poured white board cleaner into my nineth English teacher's drink and she had to get her stomach pumped.

47. favorite type of cheese?

Mild cheddar! I'm sensitive to foods and also I'm that kid who if hungry and alone, I'd eat an entire block of cheese.

55. favorite fairy tale?

Little red riding hood! My dad used to tell me it and then have the big bad wolf eat everyone in the end because I always like him the most XD

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

O hh!! A classic Japanese school dorms and I'm the classical daydreaming student but soon there begins a series or supernatural events and I'm left in the centre of it as i increasingly wake up in odd places with torn clothes and....boy, I sure hope that's ketchup spilled on me....

62. seven characters you relate to?

1: Tulip from Infintiy train - we had the same situation with our parents and it was...nice to see someone deal with parents that don't care for each other anymore and it's nice to see it thought out carefully.

2: Steven from SU - Particularly in SuF. I'm rather calm for the most part and my parents often ranted about their problems to me and I felt like I had to take care of it. I don't get angry all that often but when I do it tends to be very explosive and I felt a lot like a monster as kid. Especially with his schools treated me by putting me outside or in an empty room for a few hours alone.

3: Coraline - The mother thing is obvious but we're also both very sarcastic and would absolutely love dancing rats and would absolutely go down a magic chimney for a magical world. Also talking cats!!

4: I feel like I need to include a ghibli character like @awkward-snake-girl did! So Haru from Cat returns - Both messes and we both like the idea of being able to nap all day as well as regretting somethings we could have done. The only difference is that I'm not a coward and I'd absolutely marry a cat.

5: Jaskier from the Witcher - Sometimes you just wanna go on adventures and write songs about the super ripped hot guy and I think that was pretty neat of Jaskier to follow his dreams for.

6: Sokka from Atla - Yeah absolutely vibes. We're the jokes and meat guys because I'm hysterical and I literally eat nothing but meat because I'm a carnivore apparently. The idiot of the group yet the one with the most common sense? At least online vs real life because I'm stuck with my mum who doesn't think dinosaurs existed and my friends over who was sexier; Pennywise or Ronald McDonald.

7: Jonathan Sims from Tma baby!!! I cannot say ENOUGH how thrilled I am to have actual ace representation that isn't a side character or a character that's often written as robotic or childish? A lot of ace people are expected to have no emotion or to not be ready for an adult spectrum of emotion (actually said to me once) so it was SO refreshing to have someone who's written out more than those two boxes! Plus Jonny allows everyone to explore the spectrum of asexualtiy with Jon so I get my repulsed Jon aND my sex positive Jon! Also horror podcast hnnng RIP to Jon but I would gave taken up those eyes baby.

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

Sakura sauce on Macdonald's. Oh my God don't put flowers on your macs.

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Mythology! There's so much exciting details in those and I'm always amazed that once people worshipped these gods.

88. your greatest wish?

I wish I didn't cry so easily.

94. favorite season?

Autumn! My birthday is in it and usually it's a nice mix of warm and cold enough that I can wear sweaters, not to mention Halloween is fun to look at, even if we don't celebrate it much in England.

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Free! S3

I will never get tired of Makoto offering Haru a hand out of the water

OMG I guess some things do change Makoto’s been dunked and I kinda love it

“I’m never gonna be a normal person” wow who is this this Goth Diet Haru

I love the phrase “hot minute” actually thank u for ur teen slang Asahi

Offering people his lecture notes and texting back right away will anyone ever be as good as Makoto? Trick question no

“I’m still young and innocent” “That’s a weird thing to say” I love that Haru’s meeting a bunch of people who aren’t used to his antics

This flashback seems to indicate that Haru felt Some Kinda Way about Ikuya which is weird because they look almost the same

“Don’t worry too much about the family” LMAO Sosuke has received a blessing from his cousin to follow Rin to Australia 

“Just inferior copies of Ikuya” that’d be more meaningful if Ikuya had done anything other than stare broodingly

It’s telling that the Iwatobi team is dressed like the Wiggles in this outro

All this outro really told me is that they aren’t really that good at differentiating main character design

“We have to try not to spoil them too much” I approve of Ikuya’s brother and his co-parenting buddy

“I’m not going to move ever again,” said Asahi, with the full confidence of a twelve-year-old boy who knows absolutely nothing about anything

Okay but for real Ikuya and Haru straight up look like siblings this weird rivalry energy on top of that fact is a little bit Much

[Rose and Rosie voice] It’ll never work out their hair is the same colour  

“Is Haru the guy who was all dressed up and riding a camel in the recruiting video we saw?” UNBELIEVABLE their Arabian Nights outro from S1 was actually their recruitment video Iwatobi do u take constructive criticism

“I’ll even be good enough to compete against you” how many rivals does one young man really need my god

Hey Trenchcoat Man maybe introduce yourself before telling these teens how to live their lives

Dude you’re so controlling trying to prevent Ikuya from seeing his friends

Ahhhhh I love Haru being in touch with his emotions and apologizing to Ikuya tbh I give Makoto and Rin a lot of the credit for his ability to communicate lmao 

“I’d prefer you didn’t keep him too long” listen I get where you might be coming from since Haru hurt Ikuya’s feelings but also stop that

“Thought I’d give you a wake-up call” I really don’t like the vibe of Hiyori

“Japanese guy! Friend of yours, maybe?” An accurate representation of what it’s like to hang out with white people lmao

There’s a different vibe from a teenager who giggles about swimmers’ muscles to an adult swim coach who is coaching swimming at a university giggling about swimmers’ muscles put that away Mikhail

Hiyori gives me the straight up heebie jeebies every time he opens his mouth

I can’t read Japanese but I have to assume Rin was gonna call Haru and reminisce about their bed sharing night lmao

Natsuya is some kinda Swimming Capitalist Nomad I’m not mad about it

“How many of these dreams do you have?” that’s valid lmao Rin has #calledout for being a rival slut

“His face told me that what matters most to him is not here” I can’t tell if this is a reference to Ikuya or to Natsuya’s white-haired rival-friend-boyfriend-probably

You know what, in the context of this show: Boyfriend 

“Hey, calm down. Listen, Archerfish--” HARU PLS

I don’t know Misae but the fact she calls her boyfriend Archerfish has already won me over

Hiyori would you fucking stop interfering this isn’t fair to Ikuya

“Ikuya’s too busy to waste his time reminiscing on childish things” well that should be Ikuya’s decision shouldn’t it like not 2 get 2 real but this is all the markers of an abusive relationship if someone does this to you please tell someone

God this stubbly weird man and his ominous advice STILL without any introduction 

“I’m getting sick of hearing you speak for Ikuya like you’re his damn boss” ME TOO ASAHI

YOU CANNOT DECIDE WHO IKUYA’S FRIENDS ARE HIYORI YOU ABSOLUTE SHITPRETZEL 

HA Ikuya knows you’ve been giving the boys the runaround fuckweasel

“If I swim with Tono, maybe it’ll help me understand him” Makoto coming after jerks with his best weapon: empathy <3

“People you swim with all seem to end up suffering, don’t they” LISTEN YOU ASSBANANA IT’S NOT HARU’S FAULT THAT PEOPLE GET OBSESSED WITH HIM HE’S JUST A GOOD SWIMMER

Omg I enjoy the drama of Sosuke interacting with the one (1) person in Japan who has seen Rin lately 

“I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed there isn’t a single pudgy person here” like I know this is probably gonna be a running gag for their opposite body preferences but it’s also a self-burn for the creators of this show only drawing different scales of one body type

I really do love that Rei is swim team captain now my boy has come so far

Oh Romio is there anyone in this swim universe that doesn’t have some kind of Traumatizing Swim Experience 

“Think about what your reason for jumping in is” Sosuke’s advice sounds like beautiful nonsense I don’t know how that’s supposed to help him concentrate on start times

Lmao I love this Overbearing Friend Gesture of Shizuru and Nagisa putting seaweed on Romio and Rei’s plates without asking kjhfkghfghfk

“Actually, if you don’t mind, we have a proposition” $500 says that Nagisa and Rei are about to propose a relay race

Update from 8 minutes later: Someone owes me $500

“Can you tell how proud I am?” Natsuya is such a good big brother <3

 Hahahaha “a guy he wants to swim with again some day” Natsuya is also a good wingman for Rin lmao

Based on his inner monologue Sosuke should also be a swimming coach except in the vein of Cryptic Trench Coat Stubble Man who just offers random unsolicited advice to any teenage swimmer he passes by in the street 

“I’m so proud of you” jgjhgjhg Shizuru I love you and your tears for Romio

What kind of child welfare laws are there in Japan that Hiyori’s parents were allowed to just leave him alone in the park

“When I saw [Haru] again, the weakness I thought I left behind came flooding back to me” the moral of this story is that competitive swimming makes you gay

Ikuya used to be fun and sweet lmao what made you so broody my dude

Lmao @ Hiyori being mad that Ikuya thinks of Haru as his Prince Eric instead of him 

Wow I love Nao being a guiding force for this group of nerds

“I’m not hearting anything for you” Asahi understands Stranger Danger

It took Ryuji a solid six eps to even get a name u’d expect him to have a more important character connection than Rin’s Swim Coach’s Rival

“Then you should start swimming other stuff” I Love Misaki, Adopted Child of Haru and Makoto 

Well this wistful playground vibe has taken a strange turn

“It’s none of your damn business okay!!” TONO JUST GOT DUMPED HA

KJGHKJGH THE RAGE IN HARU’S VOICE ABOUT THE MACKEREL

Ryuji: He can just buy me dinner or something. I’m not picky. As long as it’s not mackerel

Haru [through gritted teeth]: I’m ready when you are

AH I LOVE KISUMI AND ASAHI BABYSITTING TSUKUSHI

“After all we’ve been through, why does it have to be like this?” U MADE IT LIKE THIS HIYORI

HAHAHAHAH Makoto and Ryuji had a standoff of wills and Ryuji lost

“Maybe it’s time for you to approach things more seriously” Nao has declared it’s time to stop sowing your wild oats and settle down Natsuya

Kazuma only shows up to remind Sosuke he is free to run away to swim whenever

“Hope you’re well” “Hey relax I’m not your dad” [Natsuya immediately begins acting like their dad]

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH GO HARU LEADING HIS CATEGORY

“I don’t think he’s all that bad of a guy” that’s Stockholm Syndrome Ikuya

I’m glad Ikuya is finally fucking having a meaningful conversation with his friends

“In the water I’m alone. No one’s gonna save me” Get therapy Ikuya!!!

Wow Haru joining a race purely to have an Emotional Confrontation with Ikuya is some kinda growth I’m just not sure what exactly

“That guy’s the only one anyone ever talks about” to be fair if your sample size is Iwatobi swimmers they are all a little in love with him

“That’s our BOYYYYYYYYYY” Aw Asahi <3 

Ghjkghk I love Makoto teasing Haru for being Ikuya’s hero

“Oh, you’re wise now?” AWWWW Ikuya is fun again good for him

 I know that Ikuya reaching out in friendship to Hiyori is supposed to be a sign of emotional security but I haven’t forgiven him for the way he’s manipulated Ikuya!!! Ur a seawitch not a Prince Eric!!! >:((((

I’m super thrown about them going straight from the qualifiers to the next race what will the last four episodes of this season be about

“I’ve been giving myself pep talks in the mirror. ‘I am a genius. I am a genius.’” HAHAHAHA I LIKE FUN IKUYA

“Looks like you beat me” “Just in free” Haru has released Ikuya into the universe for Hiyori and I don’t like it (for Ikuya’s sake) but that’s how it be I guess

How many siblings are there in the Mikoshiba family lmao there’s a new one every season 

“But gender doesn’t mean anything in a competition” I like u Lady Mikoshiba

“You mean you were Russian this whole time??” this is a lot to digest

I LOVE RIN’S PUDGY CAT STEVE LOL IS IT THE SAME IN JAPANESE

“The water likes you. I can tell” ALBERT PLS, Haru is already FULL-UP on homoerotic swim relationships

It’s killing me that they keep cutting to Makoto like Haru’s cheating on him though

Not to undermine the subplot of these last three episodes but hasn’t Haru... lost races before hgkjhgk

“I thought something soft and cute would help balance out that scary face of yours” omg STOP this cuteness 

Gghkhgk these flashbacks and Rin crying over Sosuke’s surgery are SO cute I never thought I would feel so proud of Rin way back in S1 he’s grown so much!!

Makoto being surrounded by ladybugs and butterflies like a wholeass Disney Prince

WHY are ALL of these swimming weirdos SOMEONE’S UNCLE

“You’re still as weird as ever, Haru’s the exact same way” I should start tracking how long in a conversation it takes characters to bring up Haru

Gnjghkjhg Makoto gets through to Haru in 0.5 seconds after two weeks of him ignoring his own coach. The power of fish metaphors and Love™

Kinda seems like they are setting it up like Makoto will also get to travel the world for swimming and let me say... I’m not mad about it

Update from like 2 minutes later: I WAS RIGHT

“That’s the evil king who wanted the magic lamp” the Arabian Nights references kill me every time 

Djkhdkjhd Ryuji labelling Mikhail in his phone as “Muscle Freak” that’s tru friendship

“You should say, ‘I’m totes hip with the kids, yo’” Ryuji pls 

“You’re so cute, you must be Iwatobi’s famous Kou” KHGKHGKJHKJ 3/3 MIKOSHIBA KNOCKOUT KOU

Awwwww Rei is so nervous for nationals my sweet baby boy

I ADORE that Rin and Haru are literally running across the city right before their most important meet bc they want to see their friends swim 

Rrgjhgr the one and only backstory in this show is former childhood friends and it applies to every single character

OMG Rei get his own flashback but with his boy Nagisa I love it

“I think he’d make a good rival for you actually” Makoto Tachibana: Rival Matchmaker

GOOD JOB BOYS U DID GOOD (ALSO TEAM PHOTO I WEEP)

“Try not to cry when I beat you” SOSUKEEEEEEEEEE

Wow this final episode is already clutching at my heart right out of the gate baby Haru 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Makoto letting four more boys pile into his one bedroom for the night bc he’s the Best Boy Alive

HJGHJKGH THIS EXCHANGE 

Mikhail: That’s what I call ‘totes hip with the kids’

Nearby youths: [Giggling]

Mikhail: [Soft indignant gasp] Ryuji!!

Natsuya and Ikuya have the cutest sibling relationship gjkghk THEY

The theme of this season is people hugging each other and crying over the lanes and I LOVE THAT 4 THEM

Rin and Haru and Makoto........... are good boys

“What is this, some kind of teen drama” that is exactly it, Rin

“He won’t stop talking about stupid crap like friendship and bonds” I love three (3) boys

Bonus: Out of Order Liveblog of Free! Take Your Marks + S3E0

Haru dropping his pants in Makoto’s apartment without the immediate context of them being near water was the most high stakes moment in this entire anime I had no idea where that was going

Haru leaving his apartment hunting until the day before he moves: Mood

Sidenote: Makoto and Haru going apartment hunting is domestic as HELL I love it

“The two of you are inseparable, huh?” “We’re friends, deal with it.” Let people be gay Kisumi 

Lmao @ Nagisa and Rei’s yoga pose video Iwatobi is the cutest swim team in the world 

“Then one day even those tears will dry out in the Tokyo desert” who hurt you, Ms. Amakata 

“Allow me to welcome you to Tokyo, the city where love and lust intertwine” Free! Love and Lust could really be a subtitle of this anime lmao

“I’m talking about the whole bunkbed situation, you know, top and bottom” lmao shout-out to Sloane for that one art

I love the wordless communication between Makoto and Haru (and for that matter, Sosuke and Rin) I’m so glad they worked things out

I’m also happy Rin and Kou are cool now they used to have quite a gap

“Rin wasn’t that honest with himself” rjghg Rin and Haru miss each other

“This is the one,” said Haru, next to Makoto, His Completely Platonic Best Friend Who Dreams About Them Sharing An Apartment and Dropping Trou

I LOVE STEVE THE FAT CAT. AN ICON. A BEAUTY. CHUNKY BABY

“The treasure is inside the red shark’s mouth” there is DEFINITELY a Rin joke to be made here and the writers knew it

I don’t know what I love about this more that Aii and Momo are TERRIBLE at scheming or that that they are throwing Rin and Sosuke together on White Day lmao

This team vacation... Sosuke giggling bc he was tickled... !!!!!!! THANKS

I’m loving all these teams getting presents for each other jkhgkjg

Oh am I finally going to understand this Momo and Capybara backstory

Lol @ Natsuya pouring his heart abt Nao to Sosuke wholly unsolicited

“What were you about to ask” “Oh, not anything important (I’ll wait for you Sosuke)”

OHHHHHHHHHH THE CHARM BACKSTORY SOSUKEEEEEEEEEE

Oh Christ alive am I about to watch the Arabian Nights recruitment film

Hhhgjgjhg I gather the only reason Haru got his license was to compete with Rin

“I’m the evil king who is after the lamp for his own selfish reasons” I hate this... but also... I love this???

“I am a mysterious peddler. I travel carrying mysterious bundles. While riding atop of my mysterious partner Chappy the Camel” HARU STOP

OH MAKOTO HONEY U POOR SOUL JHGKHFKJGH 

“Makoto. When I’m nervous I think about mackerel” I am going to expire

“I think the three of you should implement your own version of it” Fhjkhgk Haru is telling them to exploit their bodies for school recruitment but also that’s not really anything new so fair enough

Nagisa: Rei is Perfect Killer Muscles Handsome in my heart!!!!!!

“Maybe I’m never going to understand him” Omg @ The Jilted Middle School Exes of Haru Club

“How David had to give up his love.... And then Veronica, knowing they couldn’t see each other anymore” call me crazy but I think Rin is projecting his own issues onto A Rat’s Life LMAO

Tjehjkhkje Sosuke needing to call Rin bc he got lost on his way to the bathroom... Useless Husband Energy

HAHAH Rin is so upset thinking Momo and Kou are dating

At least Rin recognizes that he doesn’t get to decide who Kou dates he can only express his approval or disapproval

“Momotaru Mikoshiba is a man who lives by passion” gjhgjhg stop this

“Rin would never lose to a persimmon, ever!” MAKOTO R U OK

“You are not less than a persimmon!” THESE BOYS. U R SO DUMB BUT ALSO GET U A FRIEND LIKE THE IWATOBI SWIM CLUB

“It’s cool if you need to cry” “If you stay in the pool no one will ever notice your tears” I LOVE SOSUKE AND HARU TEAMING UP TO TEASE RIN

I also deeply appreciate that even though I’ve never heard their Japanese voices I know exactly who is saying what line in this outro just by dialogue and tone of voice

+

“I have a crippling fear of mascot costumes” “Then why did you take this job” kjhgkjhgkjh if that isn’t a work mood 

Wait... if Makoto is going to be the substitute wrestler... WILL HARU BE THE SUBSTITUTE MASCOT AHHHHHHHH

WAIT NO I HAVE GRAVELY AND HILARIOUSLY MISUNDERSTOOD MAKOTO IS GOING TO BE BOTH MASCOT AND WRESTLER

“Iwa means ‘boulder’ and ‘tobi’ means ‘black kite’ so it’s a boulder-headed bird!!” Well that’s more of an explanation for the appearance of the Iwatobi mascot than I ever expected, Nagisa

“You don’t have a crippling fear of mascot costumes, do you?” No but I have feeling Makoto is about to develop one

Oh it’s THIS FUCKPUDDLE who asked u to be here Hiyori

“I don’t exactly hate it” high praise Ikuya lmao

Thkjhtkjh I love Natsuya’s long distance relationship it’s sweet 

HAHAHA is the beak thing supposed to be a ploy so people see Makoto’s face

“I cannot let Haru see me like this” “Hi Makoto” HAHAHAHAH I LOVE THIS WHOLE INTERACTION AND ALSO HOW HARU JUST GOES ALONG WITH ALL OF IT

Also I don’t know how Makoto was planning to hide his identity after he was addressed as “Mr. Tachibana”

LMAO @ MAKOTO BEING RECOGNIZED BY HIS LEG MUSCLES I’M SCREAMING

“Hey Makoto, use a backstroke!!” HARU PLEASE

“Well done, you’ll be a great mascot someday” “Thanks? I think?” This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen and I loved it

Oh my goooood Haru bringing Makoto presents for his siblings.... they have ascended to the college relationship levels of Natsuya and Nao

Man Ikuya could not radiate stronger “leave me alone” vibes 

“Wow you boys make a dashing pair” you said it Suit Lady not me 

[poppopopopopi]

Persona 5 characters.

Protagonist: Real friend, always there for you, loves everyone.

Ann: That one girl who you can never get a hold of but also likes parks and crying.

Ryuji: swagger walk but surprise it’s crippling backstory time.

Yusuke: Hello children it is pain in the form of art

Akechi: What do you mean Blackmail isn’t friendship?

Futaba: TOKUSENTAI but on this weeks episode, I want to die.

Morgana: Did you know people mostly die in their sleep?

Haru: What is fun? Do poor people like it? Is it like a garden?

Makoto: Check out this book on why my sister is a horrible person.

Sae: WERE YOU BORN IN A HOUSE OF LIES?

Kawakami: I was born in a house of lies 

Iwai: The resident evil 4 merchant.

Takemi: goth gf 

Chihaya: MILF: Man I love Fortunes.

Caroline and Justine: GO TO JAIL but also check out this cool skeleton

Sojiro: Coffee Dad

Ohya: Drunk Mom

Hifumi: Life is like a box of Shogi

Mishima: Haha guys have you seen this meme?

Yoshida: Cartoon Mayor man

Shinya: The one dude who yells level up when he eats lunch.

Igor: I love my daughters

[ask-the-phan-site]

Phan Cam: Time Magic

WARNING: The identities of the Phantom Thieves might be shown. Read at your own risk.

>Shibuya at night. At the Buchiko statue, a tabby cat is waiting.

...

>Suddenly, another cat showed up.

There you are. Been waiting long?

Cat: *meow*

>The rest of us showed up.

Okay, we’re here. Now what?

Cat: *meow*

Ryuji: Got any idea what it’s saying, Morgana?

Morgana: (agitated) Wait. You think that just because I look like a cat, I can understand cat? Do you have any idea how cliche that is?

So, you don’t know what it’s saying?

Morgana: Actually, ... I can. Which is scary, because I’m not suppose to understand it.

Cat: *meow*

Morgana: It said its master made it so I can understand him.

What kind of master give his pet the power to communicate with other beings?

Cat: *meow*

Morgana: He said, “First of all, I believe the word you are looking for is familiar. Not pet. And second, you saw what kind of master. He did send you that message.”

Well, when we got that envelope with that holographic message, it almost looked like... Magic.

Ann: What does this mean? Our latest request is from some kind of-

Cat: *meow*

Morgana: He says, “If you really want to know, quit yapping and follow me!”

>The cat urged us to follow it as it went the direction of Central Street.

Should we really be doing this. I have a bad feeling about that cat’s master. We don’t know what to expect.

Think of it this way, worst case scenario, it’s the Sanderson Sisters.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t the cat be black instead of ginger?

>We follow the cat to Central Street until we were in front of the diner.

Ryuji: What gives? We go to this diner all the time. Look... Umm...

Cat: *meow*

Morgana: It says its name is Teekl and you shouldn’t believe everything you see.

Makoto: All that from one meow? Than again, this is no ordinary person we’re dealing with.

Teekl: *meow*

Morgana: Teekl says to go to the vending machine and press the buttons in the order it tells you.

Akira: Alright.

>I press the buttons in the order Teekl tells me through Morgana. When I finish, there was a sudden rumble like a small earthquake, followed by a red glow coming from the diner steps. When it died down, the diner steps, which were normally yellow, were now red.

Ryuji: Whoa! When did the diner repainted their steps?

Makoto: I don’t think they did. It looks like the diner, but I think it’s someplace else.

>Teekl leads us up the steps to what indeed looked like the diner, but things were different. The usual yellow tint was now red with some red curtains. The motorcycle that occupied a chained up area was replaced by a cauldron where a group of oddly dressed people were gathered around it. Actually, there are other people here that were dressed in a similar manner. Some where dressed in dark clothing, some where dressed like goth or goth lolita, some where dressed in robes of red or gold, and some where dressed with pointed hats and cloaks. Some of these people were waving weird stick and actually made thing levitate and some transform things into other things. In fact, almost everything here looked almost as if by magic.

Yusuke: Are these... Witch and wizards?

>Everyone in the diner suddenly stopped what they were doing to look at us.

Well, looks like someone took a step out of bounds. What brings the Velvet Room’s latest gathering of brats to our place?

Phantom Thieves: ...

???????: Stuff it, Kuraishi. I had Teekl bring them here.

Kuraishi: Oh, I see. As you wish, ... Klarion sama.

Haru: Ack! So that’s why the name Teekl sounds familiar. It was you who’s been contacting us.

>Teekl runs to join its master.

What gave it away? The fact that I had Teekl you a black envelope with a magical hologram? Or that in my hologram, I had red flames coming out of my hands?

Haru: Maybe... Both?

Klarion: Heh! Scared are we? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you... Today anyway. Come. Sit with me.

>We cautiously sit with the witch boy as he ushered a waitress to bring us some drinks.

Klarion: Ever had Kappa Tea?

Yusuke: I don’t think so, but I have a feeling it has to do with the mythical kappa.

Ryuji: What's the kappa again?

Klarion: Seriously? You live in Japan. You’re Japanese. And yet you don’t know your country’s myths and legends?

Morgana: Ryuji’s not exactly the brightest one here.

Ryuji: Well, you’re not as knowledgeable as you claim yourself.

Morgana: Touche.

Yusuke: I’ll explain it to you. The kappa is a water demon that resemble a cross between a human and a turtle. It also has a bowl on its head that is filled with water. If you make it bow until all the water is gone from its bowl or pour it out, it will answer any question while it is drying up. But what does it have to do with this Kappa Tea?

Klarion: You take some water, your favorite tea herb, some lychee nut juice, and you mix and boil it together in... The bowl of the kappa’s severed head.

>We all went silent from the thought of such a beverage. A woman in the booth next to us noticed our expressions.

If it makes you feel any better, the kappas were already found dead when the heads were severed. So it’s humane.

Akira: Uh, thanks.

Waitress: Relax, kids, we also have a No-Maj menu. I’ll bring you some mineral water.

Ann: Really? Thanks.

Klarion: (sarcastic) And thank you, craft user, for ruining my vision of an inhumane drink.

Craft user: (also sarcastic) You’re welcome.

>A little later, the waitress comes back with our drinks.

Makoto: I never thought such a place with such people would be here. And we come to this diner a lot.

Klarion: Just goes to show you non magic people what you know.

Makoto: I see. But I think we should now get to the point. I’m guessing you invited us here for more than some drinks.

Klarion: You know that I’m part of a certain club.

Makoto: The Light? Yes.

Klarion: And you also know who else is on it?

Makoto: Yes. There’s Vandal Savage, Ra’s al Ghul, Queen Bee, the Brain, Black Manta...

Klarion: And let’s not forget... Lex Luthor.

Akira: I take it he’s the one you’re most concerned about.

Klarion: Lexy’s getting a little weary of me. I don’t know if it’s because of my childish appearance and attitude or he thinks it’s time the Light abandon magic for more scientific methods.

Yusuke: So you suspect he will do away with you?

Klarion: Don’t get me wrong. I knew one of these days, they were going to do to me the same thing they did to Ocean Master. But, just for some insurance, perhaps you can change is mind... By going into his Palace.

Ryuji: For real!? You want us to steal Lex Luthor’s heart? Wait. Does he even have a heart for us to steal?

Morgana: (agitated) And can’t you be anymore louder, Ryuji?

Ryuji: Oh. Sorry.

Klarion: Believe me, he does. Take his heart and my place with the Light will stay for at least a few years more. I’ll even reward you for it.

Yusuke: What kind of reward?

Klarion: I could tell you, but that would spoil the surprise.

Haru: Wait. We’re known all around and I have a feeling the group my father was with also had connections with the Light. So wouldn’t Luthor know about cognitive psience? He might be ready for us so stealing his Treasure would be impossible.

Klarion: Then take it when he doesn’t know about you.

Akira: What do you mean?

Klarion: You’ve already did this sort of thing twice already.

Akira: You mean time traveling? I don’t know. I’m afraid we’ve done enough. But if you really believe we should do this, I guess we can.

Klarion: Excellent.

Akira: I guess we should talk with Lavenza again.

Klarion: And while you’re doing that, I’ll look into the future.

Makoto: What do you mean?

Klarion: Like Raiden, I too receive vision of the future from my future self. I’ll let the me in the past know that you’re coming.

Morgana: Then it’s settled. We go into the past and take Lex Luthor’s heart.

>We all leave the diner. The craft user from before goes up to the waitress.

Craft user: No-Maj? You know we call them Muggles here, just like in Europe.

Waitress: What can I say, Robin? If a lot of people like the word No-Maj, might as well use it.

Robin: Either way, you got what you needed.

Waitress: Yes. Thanks for helping me make sure Klarion didn’t do anything to those kids.

Robin: Just one question though... How did you know Klarion was doing something like this?

>The waitress snaps her fingers... And resumes her true form.

Sorry. That’s top secret.

>One time trip thought the Velvet Room later, we found ourselves in front of LexCorp Tower in Metropolis in the year 2011. Before we knew it, the Klarion of that time arrived.

Past Klarion: So, you’re the Phantom Thieves future me told me so much about. So, how do we get your little heist started?

Ann: We’ve already found out his keywords: “Lex Luthor” and “LexCorp Towers”. Now we just need the distortion. What does Luthor see this place as? It has to be someplace where he sees himself as some kind of god. Even greater than Superman. Perhaps Olympus?

Nav: Conditions have not been met.

Yusuke: Not that. Maybe a command center like they do in the military.

Nav: Conditions have not been met.

Klarion: You know, a lot of us in the Light know about Superman’s hideout. Maybe that would be it.

Akira: Let’s see. Fortress of Solitude.

Nav: Candidate found.

Ryuji: Is this guy obsessed or what?

Nav: Beginning navigation.

>The usual red wave came over us and we found ourselves in a green version of the Fortress of Solitude.

Ryuji: See? Told you.

Makoto: But our clothes haven’t changed.

Futaba: No surprise. This is the past and he’s never heard of us so he doesn’t see us as a threat yet.

Ann: Well, if we haven’t found any Shadows yet, let’s take a look around.

>We take a look round the crystal fortress.

Yusuke: I can’t help but believe that this fortress is made of Kryptonite.

Ryuji: Seriously? Why does this guy hate Superman so much? Everyone loves that hero, almost as much Superboy.

Klarion: He’s just jealous. Anything Lex can do, Superman can do better.

Ryuji: You’re effin serious!? That’s bullshit!

Quite, Ryuji! If you keep yelling...

>Too late. Two security guard Shadows appeared.

Shadow 1: So these are the intruders we heard. You brats are disturbing Mr. Luthor.

Mona: See? I told you. 

Ryuji: You were yelling too, you know!?

Shadow 2: I see. If you’re not gonna leave quietly, then we'll make you leave quietly.

>The two Shadows then change forms.

>When the two Shadows changed, our thieves’ outfits appear.

Mona: Now he sees us as a threat. Everyone, get ready!

Oracle, see what they’re weak to.

Coming right up! Persona!

>Oracle’s Persona scans the Shadows.

Oracle: These guys are weak to Fire. Panther, this one's on you!

Coming right up! Persona!

Klarion: Mind if I join along? I have my own fiery touch and I’m itching to break stuff.

Panther: Be my guest.

>Panther’s Persona uses Agi while Klarion uses a fire spell. Both Shadows were down.

Hold Up!

Kusi Mitama 1: Please, don’t hurt us! If you let us go, we won’t tell Mr. Luthor anything!

Kusi Mitama 2: He’s right! We’ll do anything you say!

>Lend me your power. >Give me some money. >>I want an item.

Kusi Mitama 1: Fine! Here!

>They toss us a book and flee.

What’s this book for?

It looks like LexCorp Security Guard Manuel. Hmm. Joker, can I see that, please?

>I give the book to Queen. She flips through the pages until she finally found what she was looking for.

Queen: I knew it.

What is it, Queen?

Queen: This.

>Queen showed us the page in the book.

It’s a map of the fortress! This will make our heist much easier.

Queen: And it looks like the guards wrote some codes in the notes section. But only a few. Looks like we have to find some more guards with these books to figure out the full code.

Mona: I see. But we’ll think better after we leave for now.

Skull: Grr! These codes look effin hard! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but where’s Akechi when you need him?

Fox: Given the circumstances, a better choice right now would be Batman.

Klarion: Actually, I think I know someone more interesting than the bat.

>Wayne Manor in Gothem. In the manor’s gym, a certain young man was doing some acrobatics.

Just a little more...

>Dick then did a backward flip and landed perfectly on a mat.

Dick: If only I had that much concentration when he wanted to speak to-

>He was then interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Dick: Who’s there? Bruce? Alfred?

>But it was neither. It was...

Dick: Teekl!?

>Teekl entered the room with a black envelope in its mouth. It dropped it at Dick’s feet and disappeared in a red flash. Dick picked up the envelope. He knew it had to be a trap, but he knew he wouldn’t know until he opened it. So he did. He unfolded the letter and a hologram of Klarion appeared.

Klarion: Hello, Boy Blunder. Don’t worry, I don’t know your true identity and Teekl forgot where you live when I summoned him back. I have a proposition for you that you just can’t refuse.

>The heist will begin soon.