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megaderping · 6 months ago

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A while ago, I made a post going into parts of the missable Sae Palace arc text messages, such as these:

However, that post neglected to include a full transcript. I have since transcribed all of these texts, which occur on 10/30, 11/3, 11/7, and 11/11. You must not infiltrate Sae's Palace until after these dates in order to get these.

Transcripts below the cut! Crossposted to the P5 sub.

The first of these texts takes place on 10/30. You will miss this text if you infiltrate the Palace on the first available day.

Ryuji: Yo, Akechi.

Akechi: What is it?

Ryuji: You got any idea who the true culprit might be?

Futaba: Oh yeah! You said you saw a masked guy, right?

Haru: I wanted to ask about that too.

Futaba: Did you really see him? The masked guy's gotta be the true culprit, right?

Akechi: If this so-called true culprit is acting alone, then there can be no mistake about it.

Futaba: I see.

Yusuke: The next question is, who is that masked man?

Akechi: Unfortunately, I do not know that much.

Futaba: Ugh, you're useless.

Akechi: That is quite harsh.

Futaba: Aw, you're making me blush!

Ann: That wasn't a compliment...

Akechi: At this point, I have yet to even grasp any clues. But once this is dealt with, I will surely capture him. I promise you that.

We'll be counting on you.

Akechi: Perfect. Leave it to me. It may sound somewhat odd for me to say this, but I am an exceptional detective. I assure you, I will catch this culprit. Look forward to it.

Can you do it?

Akechi: Hm? Do you not trust me?

[The rest plays out the same as the other option.]

What's funny about this exchange is how the Thieves know Akechi's deal and are just playing along. It makes some of the reactions (especially from Haru and Futaba) read as comically passive aggressive. However, the more interesting texts start coming on 11/03, 11/07, and 11/11.

Starting with 11/03.

Ryuji: Goddamit. People're acting like we were the ones who killed 'em.

Yusuke: I have even heard them say we are assassins hired to deal with psychotic breakdown victims.

Ann: Ugh, that's obviously not what we're trying to do.

Akechi: This must be part of the plan to shift blame onto the Phantom Thieves. After all, the true culprit is the one killing the people on that ranking list.

This is unforgivable

Akechi: Indeed. I have no intentions of letting this slide.

This is total BS

Akechi: But that is the truth for the general public at the moment.

[Both lead to...]

Futaba: Man, this culprit guy really won't let up. I don't remember ever doing anything that'd make someone hate us THIS much.

Haru: He used my father as well...

Akechi: I cannot fathom what his motive may be... We will just have to capture and interrogate him.

Makoto: But before that, we need to change my sister's heart. That's our first step toward stopping him.

Akechi: I must agree. The true culprit will be caught, but before that we must deal with Sae-san. If ranking is being taken into consideration, perhaps I will be targeted too... Just kidding.

This tells us that Shido is deliberately having Akechi target high ranking targets on the PhanSite in order to terrify the public with abhorrent acts of violence, much like he did in April. It's a way to make people feel scared and more reliant on Shido to be the change that Japan needs. But if you secure the treasure as quickly as possible, you will miss this added information that really deepens how cruel he truly is by ordering hits just to paint a convenient narrative.

And this is definitely Shido's idea, because on 11/7 we get this gem...

Haru: Do you think the culprit could be someone at our school?

Yusuke: That seems somewhat sudden.

Haru: I mean, didn't they find a calling card in Principal Kobayakawa's office? I thought you had suggested that idea yourself, Yusuke.

Yusuke: That was just a generalization.

Haru: But if Mako-chan noticed what was going on with you guys, somebody else might have too.

Ann: So you think that "somebody else" is trying to frame us? What's gotten into you so suddenly?

Haru: Nothing has gotten into me. I just think there's a chance the culprit is related to Shujin...

You might be right. / There's no way.

[Both get the same response:]

Yusuke: What is all of this about? It's too soon to be jumping to conclusions like this.

Haru: Well, I was hoping to hear a professional opinion on the matter... What are your thoughts, Akechi-kun?

Akechi: The possibility is not zero, but it does seem a bit unlikely.

Haru: Why do you ask?

Akechi: A normal person would never do such a thing. They would have no reason to callously murder your principal.

Haru: And what if they weren't normal?

Akechi: Are you implying they kill for the sheer pleasure of it?

Haru: No, not like that. What I mean is, you need certain special abilities to navigate through that world, yes?

Akechi: Ah, so you're saying the culprit is a Persona-user.

Haru: Yes.

Akehci: I see... How perceptive. Truthfully, I was considering that possibility myself. But it is difficult to think they have ties to Shujin Academy.

Haru: Why?

Akechi: There would be no motive for them to carry out such a cruel plot. Clearly our culprit is acting behind the scenes to accomplish some grand objective. He likely has accomplices. It is even possible that he is being controlled by someone.

Makoto: Controlled? By whom?

Akechi: If I knew that, I do not think we would be in this much trouble.

Haru: I see... So even someone like you doesn't know, Akechi-kun.

Futaba: Looks like our genius detective's not so much of a genius after all.

Akechi: Haha, harsh as always. If there is one thing I know, it is that the culprit behind all of this is extremely shrewd. But don't worry. I will catch him, no matter what it takes.

I'm looking forward to that. / I wonder if you can do it.

Akechi: More importantly, we need to focus on changing Sae-san's heart for the time being. If we cannot do that, everything we have done will be for naught. We absolutely must succeed here.

There is so much to unpack here. By far, it's my favorite of these texts because of the light it sheds on Akechi's motivations and intentions. First, we have Haru pressing the subject. She clearly wants to squeeze answers out of Akechi. She's subtly putting him on the spot because she knows...

But Akechi lets slip that no, actually, he doesn't do this for pleasure. That actually, he is being controlled and that the true mastermind is someone shrewd that he intends to take down. Amidst all of Akechi's lies and platitudes during this part of the story, we see a crack in his perfectly prepared mask. In a way, this is the most honest we've seen Akechi outside of his Royal confidant and on 8/28 and 9/3. In a way, he's sharing little slivers of himself with the rest of the team (either begrudgingly or for reasons he doesn't fully understand) the way he already has with Joker.

And it actually explains a few things that happen later. Namely, the way he downplays the need to kill the other Phantom Thieves until after the election (keep in mind, he does intend to knock Shido down from his pedestal) as well as treating Morgana as "just a cat." Obviously, this doesn't absolve Akechi of his guilt, but it does make it clear that he isn't as remorseless as a lot of people believe, even if no amount of sunk cost fallacy is gonna undo the damage he's done.

Hell, when combined with his lamentation that he didn't meet Joker years ago in the engine room and his reaction to Morgana explaining changes of heart, these texts further solidify that his feelings toward both Joker and the Thieves are extremely complex and absurdly messy.

Plus we get Haru and Futaba both taking shots at him, which is fun and also extremely deserved. :p

Moving on, there's one final missable November text on 11/11. It goes as follows:

Akechi: So, about the investigation... It seems they have no evidence that can truly be called as such.

Ryuji: Well duh.

Akechi: However, it seems they have no intentions of changing their plans.

Ann: They're going to investigate at both Shujin Academy and Leblanc, right?

Akechi: Indeed.

Makoto: Hm. I can understand Shujin... But why Leblanc?

Akechi: The key is Wakaba Isshiki.

Futaba: Is it cause of my mom's research?

Akechi: Correct. Her study of cognitive psience is closely connected to this case. Of that, there can be no doubt.

Futaba: Then this guy's really the mastermind behind all of this?

Akechi: That would be the case. There can be no mistake... The one who erased cognitive psience from this world is surely the culprit behind everything.

Makoto: And getting rid of the research was the only way they could use its powers?

Akechi: How perceptive of you. Yes, that is the only logical conclusion. Both Sae-san and I were searching for clues about that research. But just as we were about to deepen our investigation, this commotion began. And to make things even more troublesome... There was only one person with strong connections to both Shujin Academy and Leblanc. And that person turned out to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

Yusuke: So the culprit had calculated all of this in advance?

Akechi: Heavens no. That would be impossible. This was a miracle created by the coinciding of multiple chance situations.

Ryuji: Dude, you hear that? He says you got miraculously bad luck. Don't that make you feel good?

I'm so lucky.

Ryuji: Y'know, shitty luck is still luck.

That's not funny.

Ryuji: C'mon, you gotta be able to laugh it off at this point.

Haru: Yes, your luck really is impressive.

Akechi: At any rate, that's the current state of things. And that's why we must obstruct the investigation at all costs.

Makoto: Yes, that's our intention.

Once again, we have Akechi laying it on thick that Shido is the one behind everything, as he was the one who ordered the hit on Wakaba, stole her research, and had his own research team develop it further. And keep in mind, Shido's own words, first on 11/21...

"Those who get in the way must be eliminated at times—that's the correct way to use the Metaverse."

And later, his Shadow states, "Moreover, it was thanks to me that Akechi was able to properly use his power to begin with."

So we know that even the idea of inducing mental shutdowns came from him, even if Akechi offered his Metaverse abilities as part of his stupid revenge plan.

What this shows is Akechi wants to hint that there is this bigger puppet master, even if he's going to betray the Thieves, and this is actually really consistent with his Royal confidant. In Rank 7, he uses a billiard games as a metaphor for the upcoming betrayal kill and gives Joker an out, even if he's much happier if you assert your rivalry instead. This makes his warnings about the connections to Wakaba carry a very similar feeling, and since these texts were in Vanilla, it's likely that the Royal confidant built on this foundation.

But then there's the fact that the Thieves are fully in the know that Akechi is going to betray them, so it recontextualizes all these texts where they are genuinely trying to squeeze as much info out of him as they can and likely having to restrain themselves hard (especially Futaba and Haru).

And all of this you will never see unless you delay the infiltration until 11/12. So, the next time you play Persona 5 Royal, it might be worthwhile to delay Sae's Palace to see these in-game! They're really cool and it's a shame they aren't scripted events.

#persona 5 #goro akechi #akechi goro #p5 akechi #phantom thieves #haru okumura #futaba sakura #character analysis #p5 meta #persona 5 royal #p5r #akechi #masayoshi shido

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themememerchant · 3 months ago

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Persona 5 Arcana Swap: Queenpin Of The Metaverse

I had this idea when I was awake one night and before I knew it I was opening a google doc to start writing a new Arcana Swap fic.

I have A LOT of ideas for all of the characters involved in this. Mostly revolving around various 'what-ifs' and headcanons I have in regards to the original story of P5R.

There's still a lot of kinks I Ned to iron out, specifically the confidants.

But the general idea of the phantom thieves has been sorted out in a way that I think I'm pretty satisfied with.

So keep in mind that some of these ideas may change later as I think of new plot threads to introduce, but for the most part the stories of the new Phantom Thieves of Hearts has been pretty well thought out.

So here we go! Introducing...

My Arcana Swapped Phantom Thieves:

Sumire Yoshizawa-Maruki - The Fool

Codename: Queenpin

Persona: Queenie

Despite being the protagonist and the fool, she doesn't have the wildcard ability, since I don't feel the need to include it from a literary standpoint.

MUCH different than her canon counterpart in behavior, as well as the fact that my version of her is trans and autistic (ME?! PROJECTING?! NOOO...)

The story of her arrest is that she came from an abusive household, one day she punched her father in a fit of rage while he insulted her for not being as good as her sister. The next night, the police crash into her room claiming they had an anonymous tip that Sumire had guns and narcotics in her possession, sure enough, when they searched her backpack, that's exactly what they found.

Her parents also hired someone to rig the trial she was forced to attend, they made it so they would be able to disown Sumire and people would think it was her own fault for being a criminal. When everything was said and done, her parents were all too happy to package her stuff up and send her to live with a foster caretaker to the other side of Tokyo.

After Sumire got to experience true freedom when she stood up to her parents, even if only for a moment, she vowed to never let people walk on her again. Which is exactly how her persona is able to coax her into having an awakening.

She's much less blindly polite than her canon counterpart. She's not insulting people left and right or anything, but she can and will call someone out on their bullshit. She's also not above some light jabs with her friends.

She flirts with every cute girl or hot guy with all the confidence of a maxed charm stat, but she immediately turns into a blushing puddle if anyone actually flirts back.

Growing up with strict parents who were trying to raise a perfect Olympic gymnast leaves her to feel the need to ask permission for the littlest things from any adults near her. She's fine in a room with just her friends or other kids, but when an adult is in the room she goes stiff and doesn't speak unless spoken to, the other thieves compare it to her almost going into a trance.

On the note from the above statement, she feels a little weird about being around people her age that are fine with acting relaxed around adults. it almost triggers a flight or fight or freeze response when one of the thieves so much as moves when an adult is talking.

She eventually starts a running gag with the thieves of calling Principal Kobayakawa, "Principal Humpty-Dumpty".

Her persona Queenie is called the godmother of Harlem, similar to how Arsene was called the pillager of twilight in the original. Queenie was the alias of an early 20th century mob boss, a woman who's own gang was so strong that she was able to keep Harlem clear of much more dangerous threats, she also employed many Harlem citizens with positions in her numbers-game schemes.

Queenie helps Sumire remain attached to reality whenever she's having a particularly rough time. Going from such a strict household to total freedom can give you some serious whiplash, so Queenie makes sure Sumire doesn't completely lose her mind from the sudden shift, while simultaneously helping her learn more about freedom.

Goro - The Magician

Codename: Ace

Persona: Sherlock Holmes

An ally who helps Sumire and Makoto by providing the information on palaces and changes of heart.

He doesn't fully take canon Mona's place, as he is completely human rather than the embodiment of humanity's hope. He does act as the resident expert on the metaverse due to the fact that he was once involved in the research of cogninitve psience, specifically, he was the first successful case of a person being transported to the metaverse when he was 13. Unfortunately, he ended up being trapped in Mementos for around 4 months without knowing how to escape.

The distortions of the metaverse affected him by turning his skin pure white with constantly changing black patterns, similar to Loki's design, he also has large crow wings on his back. In the real world, his skin turns it's normal color and his wings and dazzle-camouflage turn into tattoos all over his body.

He obviously doesn't have the ability to make people turn violent like he did in canon, nor does he have the ability to hold more than one persona. He's simply a guy who happens to know a lot about the metaverse and chooses to use that knowledge to fulfill his long-lost childhood dream of becoming a hero, he also has the hopes of making his mom proud from heaven.

Despite not going down the path of becoming a personal hit man for Shido, he still keeps his patented Goro snark that he had in the canon third semester. Though it's in much more of a-"I'm to tired to be polite"- way, and less of a-"Fuck you, just let me die already"-way.

My favorite line I've written for him so far is: "I'm Joe Schmoe from Shits-ville, DOES IT MATTER?!"

^This is right after Makoto tries to ask who he is.

Since he doesn't take on a different form in this AU, it means that he can't transform into a bus like Mona can. But he IS able to conjure a rather large trolley car thanks to his distortions giving him an understanding of how Mementos functions on a fundamental level

There's a running gag between the phantom thieves that Goro is homeless,-(think that one bit between Dream and Technoblade)-since nobody has ever actually seen where Goro lives. He likes to join in on the joke sometimes by coming up with increasingly ridiculous excuses as to why they can't come over.

^"Sorry, my house just got destroyed by an asteroid the other day. That's the third time this week too...OH WELL!"

His persona is Sherlock Holmes, not because he's a detective, but because in the early writings, Holmes was described as being a "Bohemian Genius", as well as being very antisocial and more like a renegade P.I. rather a straight-laced detective.

Holmes basically acts as Goro's impulse control, he also helps Goro realize whenever he needs to actually talk to his friends instead of being a smartass 24/7.

Makoto Niijima - The Chariot

Codename: Panda

Persona: Shek Yeung

Sumire's first friend at Shujin Academy, as well as the one who helps her investigate the newfound metaverse with Goro.

She used to be the same "good-girl type of pushover" that she was in canon, until her first day of high school when Kamoshida reeled her in as his newest catch. Halfway through her second year, she decided enough was enough and confronted Kamoshida about how he treated the students, unfortunately, Kamoshida being Kamoshida, tried to sexually assault her while in the student council room. She fought back at him, but he overpowered her and did the same thing that was implied to have happened to Suzui in canon.

After Makoto recovered from the...incident, she tried going straight to the principal about the issues, but he shut her down and called her delusional for insinuating that Mr. Kamoshida could have done something like that. Before she knew what was happening, her position as student council president went out the window, and she was suddenly known as "The girl who tried to whore herself out to Kamoshida-sensei"

To Makoto, it was almost liberating to have all of the expectations of the student council ripped off of her back-(minus the sexual assault part). She turned lemons into lemonade and decided that if people were going to give her dirty looks, she might as well have fun while doing it! So she dyed her hair all kinds of colors (mostly blonde), ditched the school blazer in favour of a customized bomber jacket, and fully embraced becoming a sukeban.

She swears a LOT, more than even Ryuji did in canon.

Chie had steak, Ryuji had ramen, and Makoto has pocky sticks. She always has at least two boxes on her person at all times, and always has one in her mouth, only eating it if shit starts to get real. If she looks you dead in the eye and starts chewing her pocky, you better start running before she swallows...

Makoto has, and will continue to start fights whenever some punk-ass thinks they can get away with being transphobic or ableist to Sumire, or any of the other thieves for that matter.

Less of an overprotective-mom and more like a badass-mom who's fresh out of jail. She's very lax most time but will instantly get on your ass if you do something stupid enough.

Her persona, Shek Yeung, was a woman from a brothel who married a pirate. After the death of her husband, she took his place as the captain of the Guangdong Pirate federation, who ravaged the coast of South China.

Shek Yeung helps Makoto fill the void that was left when Sae stopped trying to talk to her, acting as a big sister that supports Makoto when she can't support herself. She reminds Makoto to give herself some time to be selfish, as well as helping her be more open about what she actually wants in life.

Futaba Ishiki-Sakura - The Lovers

Codename: Rumor

Persona: Cleopatra

The chaotic gremlin child who unfortunately gets caught in Kamoshida's perverted grip when she first starts high school.

She joins the group a lot earlier than canon Ann did, mostly because she's a lot more pragmatic when thinking of solutions to her problems. She realizes pretty quickly that Sumire, Makoto, and "The guy with the weird tattoos" are scheming something that has to do with Kamoshida's obvious crimes, and she's not going to sit back and be a victim while everyone else starts taking action.

She overhears the three talking about how they need "-a third member to safely explore the palace." and decides to come to them directly.

^"Look, I don't care if you're blackmailing him, or planning to break his knees with a bat. Whatever it is you're doing, count me in!"

Her story doesn't revolve around being a shut-in,-(Though she still has social anxiety)-but rather that these new people she's met are really the first to actually make her feel valued as a person, and that she is someone worthy of respect.

Since she's not a shut-in, she's a lot less savvy when it comes to hacking and data mining, but she's sort of like the middle man between the thieves and some more...questionable sources of intelligence and resources. Whenever there comes a time for needing to analyze data, Futaba adjusts her glasses and calmly states: "Hehehe...I think I know a guy for that..." Nobody wants to ask what exactly she means by that, and it's probably for the best they don't know.

She has at least 157 different accounts built for browsing the dark web without the risk of collecting viruses or privacy-invasion. All of which have multiple fake IDs, credit cards, cryptocurrency, and other things necessary for her shady connections.

Her mom isn't dead in this AU, she was able to safely go into hiding with the help of Sojiro, whom she is now engaged to. Futaba has some repressed mommy issues since she still feels neglected from her mom needing to work, as well as her new fiance sweeping her off her feet at every turn.

Cleopatra, who needs no introduction, was the final Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. She was sought after by ancient rulers far and wide for her beauty, yet only in the modern day did people actually appreciate her for her intelligence and leadership.

Cleopatra sort of fills the motherly roll Futaba's needed for a long time, it's very helpful since Cleo knows exactly what Futaba needs to hear when she's upset. She praises Futaba for her work with the phantom thieves, gives Futaba reassurance on her appearance and behavior, and helps calm Futaba down from her frequent anxiety attacks.

Futaba once started bawling her eyes out in her sleep when she talked with her persona in a dream, and Cleo said: "I am very proud of you, Futaba...I love you..."

Yuuki Mishima - The Sun

Codename: Trickster

Persona: Geronimo

The fifth and final member of the founding phantom thieves.

He-(sort of)-takes the place of Shiho in this AU, where he has a breakdown on the school rooftop and strongly considers jumping, luckily Sumire, Makoto, and Futaba are able to shove their way through the crowd so they can talk him down and help him.

The story is that Kamoshida, after the gang starts screwing around with the stuff in his palace, finally snaps and decides that merely beating poor innocent Yuuki is not enough for him anymore. So he calls Yuuki into his office one day and decides to "Try something different..."

After the whole mess on the rooftop happens, the gang decides that Yuuki deserves to get some revenge on Kamoshida for what he did. They bring him into the palace and, sure enough, after seeing just how Kamoshida treats not just him, but the whole school, he awakens out of pure anger and desire to be a hero for once.

He's much more jokey than canon, usually opting to make hilariously bad puns and occasional innuendos. He also has no idea about anything involving the real world.

^Yuuki: "I'm inside her heart-shaped-box." ^Futaba: "You know what that means right?" ^Yuuki: "No actually I just know it's a song-" ^Makoto: "JESUS FUCKING CHRIST YUUKI!"

He's just about as awkward as he is in canon, but rather than being treated like shit for it, his awkward jokes are usually just met with a slight pat on the shoulder and a comforting "......we'll work on it, sweetie" from Sumire or Makoto.

He still creates, opens, and monitors the phansite on his downtime. Futaba and Sophia usually help him with how often the requests get backed up.

Even though some of his jokes end up falling flat, he's still really good at coming up with zingers on the spot. The thieves have dubbed him as "The official phantom-comedian", to the point that he, Akira, Futaba, and Sophia all collectively come together to annoy the shit out of Goro

His persona is Geronimo of the Bedonkohe band of the Chirihacua Apache, an American-Indian shaman who fought against Spanish soldiers after his family was murdered. He was said to have converged with a spirit to become immune to bullets, and it took all of 5,000 U.S. soldiers to drag him back to the San Carlos reservation, which he escaped later again

Geronimo fucking loves Yuuki's stupid-ass jokes and will always be his #1 fan, but despite Yuuki's quips, Geronimo knows he's hiding a lot of pain from what he went through with Kamoshida, so he always encourages his other self to admit there's nothing wrong with being upset or afraid because of the circumstances.

Akira Amamiya - The Emperor

Codename: Ghoul

Persona: Brutus

The pupil of Madarame who writes poems, plays, and dables in art which Madarame, of course, plagiarizes from him.

The thieves hear about how Akira is the only pupil who has not left Madarame from another source, and they try to ask him about the plagiarism and accusations of abuse. Akira, of course, denies all of it, but the thieves can see that there's something in his eyes begging for an escape from his situation.

Things pretty much proceed as they do in canon with Madarame's palace, but rather than the whole "Nude painting incident", Sumire pretends to go on a date with Akira at his shack so Goro can sneak in and open the necessary door to help their progress. Madarame comes home, Akira has a panic attack, and they discover the room with the supposedly stolen painting and it's copies before dipping into the metaverse to escape the security.

The painting that Akira is obsessed with isn't the Sayouri, but rather, a self portrait of his father. Akira, of course, has no idea until Madarame's shadow reveals this at the end, but it explains Akira's fascination with it.

Even though he is a gifted painter, he is much more interested with acting and script-writing. He is 100% a gayass theater kid who joins Yuuki's bad jokes to give people headaches.

He is the king of random talents and parlor tricks; he can do a hand stand walk, write and type with his feet, he's very good with sleight of hand tricks, and can even use throwing knives to catch flies.

He's personality is pretty much that of Gomez Addams, he's a hopeless romantic who flirts with anyone and anything that moves, and is constantly down to do the weirdest shit for his loved ones.

His persona is Brutus, the trusted ally of Julius Caesar who later joined a conspiracy to end his life for the benefit of Rome. He realized that Caesar was a dictator and decided to side with his own lofty ideals and morals. He is best known for his role in the Shakespearean play: 'The Tragedy of Julius Caesar'.

Akira often consults Brutus whenever he faces a complicated situation that requires thinking of things from a different perspective, Brutus, being a master of rationalization, is always there to give Akira a push in the direction that will certainly benefit him in the long run, even if Akira doesn't like it.

Sophia Ishiki-Sakura - The Star

Codename: Rogue

Persona: Peter Pan

A 10 year old girl whose abusive mother was run clean-over by a truck 10 months before the events of the story-(not Ichinose). She spent the last several months being tossed around the abysmal foster care system until she ended up at the Ishiki-Sakura household with Futaba. When she moves in, Futaba's meta-nav pings in on a "semi-palace" that has begun forming.

The thieves begin brainstorming ideas on how to help Sophia, then Goro chimes in with: "Why don't we just help her confront her shadow?" and the rest of the team's like: "...what?". So Goro gives the gist that, theoretically, someone can change their own heart by directly confronting their shadow. The thieves decide they have no other choice to prevent Sophia from becoming fully distorted, and bring her into the semi-palace.

Things happen, Sophia awakens to her persona on the 2nd visit with the help of her shadow, but the semi-palace doesn't disappear. The thieves learn that the semi-palace is actually ruled by a cognition, (similar to canon Futaba), she confronts it and is able to change her own heart. After everything is said and done, she basically twists the thieves arms until they allow her to become a permanent member.

Sophia becomes much happier after her semi-palace is destroyed, up until then she was the poster child for gifted kids who were forced to grow up too fast. Her shadow and persona helped her tap into her inner child, now she gets a lot more enjoyment from being so smart, while still acting like a dumbass kid sometimes.

She goes to Shujin with the rest of the thieves, she was actually smart enough to skip a few grades and go straight to being a first-year.

She's basically the thieves collective little sister. Sumire and her bond over being neurodivergent and stim together, Makoto takes her out for rides on her motorcycle, Futaba is actually her sister and they bond over making immature jokes, Akira and her have actually started a club within the thieves for trauma dumping about abusive parents, and Yuuki and her bond over a shared experience with being sheltered and needing to learn more about real life.

As for her and Goro's relationship...

^Goro: "I've only had Sophia for less than a day, but if anything happened to her, I would kill every shadow in Mementos and then myself."

Her persona is Peter Pan, the forever child who resides in the fantastical world of Neverland, where he leads the group of lost boys and learned magic from sprites. His childishness is meant to be depicted as negative, but here is something to be said for seeing even life itself as another grand adventure.

Even after the thieves take her in as one of them, she still has a lot of trouble with allowing herself to act and play like a little kid, Pan is usually the one to help her indulge in those things she feels ashamed of. He acts like the reverse version of impulse control, encouraging Sophia to enjoy herself with dumb fun instead of trying to live up to her reputation as a gifted kid, Sophia of course, is grateful and tries to listen to his advice.

Haru Okumura - The High Priestess

Codename: Vigilante

Persona: Calamity Jane

She takes the place of Kobayakawa's lap dog, but not by being the student council president, she is simply encouraged by most people in her life to "-have good connections early on." Most of the pressure she experiences comes from her father, who is no stranger to cooking the books.

Unlike canon Makoto, she is much more reluctant to blindly follow the orders of the teachers, but she feels as though she doesn't have a choice in regards to what she does. Mostly in the fact that Kobayakawa has close ties to her father, and threatens to speak to him unless Haru spies on the new transfer student he's obsessed with trying to expel.

Haru befriends Sumire under false pretenses, but goes back on her spying when she learns that Kobayakawa has a personal connection to a local "mafia" and has been exploiting the student body for a long time now. So she goes to Sumire and the thieves to come clean, as well as ask them to change the principal's heart.

Eventually, the thieves need Haru's help with proceeding through the palace, in doing so, she awakens to her persona and begins working towards earning the thieves' trust once again.

Once she gains their trust, she officially joins the thieves as a valued friend. They all forgive her fairly quickly once they proceed further in Kobayakawa's palace

She's slightly more unhinged than she is in canon, constantly saying the most out-of-pocket shit you've ever heard.

^Haru: "Do you think stabbing someone in the dark could be used as a legal loophole for assault?"

She and Goro are absolute besties in this AU. They constantly shit talk random people behind their back, especially the people whose hearts the thieves have changed. She also does this with Sumire and the "Principal Humpty-Dumpty" joke.

She and Ann have a secret "shit-talking-tea-date" that nobody else is allowed to know about. They talk about the stunts pulled by the other thieves.

If Makoto is the fresh-outta-jail mom, Haru is 100% the sassy aunt who encourages her nieces and nephews schemes in an effort to mess with the mother. In most cases, Haru usually just sits back and watches the chaos while calmly sipping a cup of tea.

Calamity Jane was an old West heroine who got her name for her reckless nature on the battlefield, as well as being known for riding straight into an enemy ambush to save her ally. She was a heedless, foul-mouthed, and heavily opinionated woman who made her name famous with her sharpshooting skills.

Whereas many of the thieves directly consult their personas for help, Jane acts more like a spectator with a bucket of popcorn while Haru hilariously flails around without contributing anything to creating a solution. If Jane is really feeling like a nuisance, she will interject with the most batshit things at the worst times.

^Haru: *Taking a test and trying to remember the answer* ^Jane: "Pssst-I think the answer is 25..." ^Haru: ".......this is an English test, Jane..."

Yusuke Maruki - The Hermit

Codename: Prophet

Persona: Paimon

Maruki's son whom he adopted in secret after the suspicious death of Yusuke's mother.

Things happen in a similar manner as canon, medjed threatens everyone, Futaba tries and fails to find a way to stop them, Yusuke contacts them under the alias of "Avra" saying that he can help them track down the one responsible for the threats if they change the heart of Yusuke Maruki.

Sumire investigates, finds out about Yusuke's story, and her and the thieves agree to change Yusuke's heart for him.

His palace takes the form of haunted catacombs, with a cognitions of the men in black suits being the true rulers, while his shadow is an imprisoned spirit who's desperate for freedom.

Sophia proposes that since the circumstances are similar, they could just bring Yusuke into his own palace to confront this shadow like she did. Goro interjects, saying that Sophie's semi-palace was no where near as large or dangerous as a full-blown palace, meaning that things are more likely to escalate poorly.

Yusuke comes in on his own during the thieves' heist, he awakens, and the team has a brand new navigator on their side.

Even though he is similar to canon Futaba with hacking skills, he has much more of an occult aesthetic rather than being a super-nerd. He simply picked up coding and hacking as a hobby when he ran out of books to read.

He's still as eccentric as ever, constantly joining Akira in being a drama queen about everything. He 100% knows how to commit to the bit.

Somehow he is even more deadpaningly hilarious than canon. Contending with Haru for saying the most out-of-pocket things, causing people's heads to turn.

^Futaba: "Why do you always say the most outta-pocket shit?!"

^Yusuke: *Deadly serious voice* "It would appear that the pocket has barely been opened at this point..."

His persona Paimon is the ninth spirit listed in the Ars Goetia, as well as a revered king of hell. Said to be a master of "all matter of secret things", he will bestow his conjurer with otherworldly knowledge whenever summoned.

Jane is a spectator who enjoys Haru's lighthearted suffering, and Paimon is a spectator who constantly wants to bash his head against a wall for all the things Yusuke is clueless about. He constantly has to put up with an antisocial teenager who can't so much as read a subway map correctly, despite living in Tokyo his whole life. Paimon is also forced to suffer second-hand embarrassment when his other self unknowingly drops the ball when talking to people.

Ann Takamaki - The Empress

Codename: Knight

Persona: St. Jeanne d'Arc

A friend of Sumire who has suspected her of being a phantom thief ever since the incident with Kamoshida, and later, the Principal. She later came to Sumire requesting that she change her mother's heart.

Instead of Okumura being the one who exploits workers and is involved with the mental shutdowns, Ann's mother is the CEO of a small-scale conglomerate who plans on ascending into politics.

Ann has known Sumire for a good minute, so she trusts her when it is resealed that she and her friends are the phantom thieves, but Ann still wants to see a change of heart in-person so she knows whether or not it is as justified as they say. It also helps that Ann has been hearing the faint voice of her persona over the course of a few months, so Sumire believes she can help with the awakening process.

The exact details of how the thieves prove their methods to Ann will be revealed later on, but the bottom line is that the thieves encounter another semi-palace that they need to take care of as quickly as possible.

Unbeknownst to the thieves, Ann has been very close to having an awakening and forming a semi-palace for several months, and she is beginning to reach the end of her rope. This all culminates in her trying to wrestle her own shadow to death whilst her persona tries to stop her.

When all the madness ends, Ann awakens, she helps the thieves destroy the semi-palace of their target, and she agrees to go forward with the plan to change her mother's heart.

She and Sumire bond over their conjoined "trans girl swag". She's pretty good with helping Sumire out with any lingering dysphoria that she's not comfortable about sharing with the rest of the thieves.

She has a weekly shit-talking session with Haru which usually happens over tea and sweets. They basically just talk about the stupidest things that the other thieves have attempted that week.

She and Futaba often unite to sow chaos amongst the group, they plot, they scheme, and then they make some popcorn to watch the chaos.

Her persona is St. Jeanne d'Arc, the woman in charge of flying the French flag before battles during the 100 years' war. Despite the fact that she had no formal position in the army, she was always found on bravely rushing to the battlefield, she was even known to give the troops tactical advice during meetings.

Jeanne is Ann's biggest enabler whenever she wants to have some harmless fun, basically, her favorite thing to say in response to Ann's ideas is: "Do it." But she also helps Ann come to terms with the fact that she needs to take responsibility and take things seriously.

Ryuji Sakamato - The Justice

Codename: Crook/Black mask

Persona(s): Nezumi Kozo/Maximilien

Takes the place of the culprit behind the mental shutdowns and rampage incidents, as well as taking the role of being the traitor who works with the conspiracy Shido runs.

His story is similar to canon Akechi, his mother was a prostitute who was killed by Shido one night. Ryuji, instead of becoming a detective, decided to become an extremist dedicated to bringing Shido, and the entire Japanese government, to it's knees.

He willingly signed up for some unethical cognitive psience research experiments so he could get close to Shido, there were other people who underwent the training, but Ryuji was the only one that actually survived long enough to gain his powers.

He climbed his way up the ladder until finally getting an audience with Shido, and he offered to become his hitman for the same reasons as canon Akechi. By this point in his life, Ryuji had become so jaded by everything he's been through, that he's convinced himself that everyone he killed needed to die for the greater good.

Ryuji's main cover story is that he's a justified rebel who uses graffiti art and peaceful protests to speak out against corruption, not only does this help him publicly detest the phantom thieves, but it helps Shido's reputation when they publicly join together around the election time.

He's not quite as irredeemable as canon Akechi, but when it does come time for him and the thieves to reunite in the 3rd semester, it basically boils down to: "YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GOOD PERSON! AND YOU ARE GONNA LIKE IT!!!"

During his "redemption" phase he still has to get over the fact that he's very cynical in how he views the world, as well as people in general. His philosophy is that since everybody has a shadow self, that means everyone is automatically at least a little evil.

He and Sumire have more of a "frenemies" type of relationship rather than the homoerotic undertones of canon Akechi and Joker. They insult and antagonize each other constantly, but Sumire is the only one Ryuji will allow it with, if it were anyone else insulting him, he's break their spine.

His "false" persona, Nezumi Kozo, was the "rat kid" who plagued noblemen across all of Japan during the Edo period. Even though his status as a vigilante is widely debated by historians, many folk songs and Kabuki plays portray him as an outlawed hero of justice.

His "true" persona is Maximilien, the man who was credited with leading the French reign of terror, which ended up being the most violent time of the French revolution. He encouraged the peasants and common folk to go on an execution spree against all royals, nobles, and anyone suspected of corruption. Ironically, he himself, was executed in July of 1794.

Nezumi Kozo started out as nothing more than a farce Ryuji created to help him get closer to the phantom thieves, a way to conceal his true nature. As the thieves helped him mentally recover from...everything, Nezumi seemed to gain consciousness, becoming his own separate entity from Maximilien and showing that Ryuji is on the right path and is dedicated to being better.

Maximilien is sort of like Ryuji's reluctant assistant who knows that what's happening is wrong, but is trying his best to support his friend in the hopes he will make the right choice in the end. As Ryuji becomes more distorted with the need for revenge, Maximilien talks to him less and less, and eventually Ryuji doesn't hear or see him unless he summons him in the metaverse.

Maximilien and Nezumi have a lot of friction when they need to share the space within Ryuji's heart, at first it's like the classic "angel and devil" situation. Luckily though, the two manage to work things out and work together to do their best for helping Ryuji becomes his best self.

That's all I'm going to be doing for now, I do plan on making bios for Morgana as the hope and Zenkichi as the charity, plus all of the confidants in royal, but I need to save that for another time.

This took way too long for me to make, but I'm very proud of it.

I do plan on making this full-blown story on ao3, and I'm working on the prologue right now. Hopefully I'll be able to start publishing chapters soon.

Until then,

Farewell bozos

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #arcana swap au #sumire yoshizawa #makoto niijima #goro akechi #futaba sakura #yuuki mishima #akira kurusu #ren amamiya #sophia p5s #haru okumura #yusuke kitagawa #ann takamaki #ryuji sakamoto #my au #p5r #role swap au

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swordsfaires · 3 months ago

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for love and country

rating: T

pairings: Persona 5 Protagonist/Goro Akechi, Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui, Ryuji Sakamoto/Haru Okumura

characters: Goro Akechi, Persona 5 Protagonist, Sophia, Ryuji Sakamoto, Haru Okumura, Ann Takamaki, Sumire Yoshizawa, Shiho Suzui, Futaba Sakura, Sojiro Sakura, Makoto Niijima, Sae Niijima, Yusuke Kitagawa, Hanae Oda, Zenkichi Hasegawa, Akane Hasegawa, Toshiro Kasukabe, Eri Natsuhara, Ichiryusai Madarame, Suguru Kamoshida, Junya Kaneshiro, Principal Kobayakawa

tags: silly premise treated (mostly) seriously, Alternate Universe - SPY x FAMILY Fusion, Inspired by SPY x FAMILY, Goro is Yor, Joker is Loid, Sophia is Anya, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Family, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, Family Bonding, First Dates, First Kiss, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Developing Relationship, Strangers to Lovers, everyone tagged is featured in some capacity! even if it’s just a one line reference, Akechi Goro and Sakura Futaba Are Half-Siblings, Based on chapters 1-3 of the manga

“Joker” is an international spy determined to stop his homeland from falling back into war. Goro Akechi, code name Thorn Prince, is an assassin dispatched to destroy traitors to the government. Sophia is a young orphaned girl with the gift of telepathy. All of their paths cross when Joker is assigned his latest mission: to marry and have a child in order to infiltrate Shujin Academy’s elite and cross paths with Hanae Oda, whose political provocations threaten to ignite the flames of war once more.

An Akeshuake Spy x Family AU written for the zine Every Universe, Every Lifetime with collaboration art done by Rain (@lowrezcats on Twitter)!

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izurusstuff · 3 months ago

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“Maybe I’m okay with accepting his deal…”

(SPOILERS FOR THIRD SEMESTER OF PERSONA 5 ROYAL!!!)

summary: phantom thief reader (gender neutral) x takuto maruki (but a secret relationship woahhh). yeah this involves guidance counselor x student reader but i’m having the reader be a third year or some sort of teaching assistant because the law and not being morally fucked up is cool!! also this is a bit all over the place so beware

message from izurusstuff: hey guys sorry it’s been crazy 🙏🏼🙏🏼 i’ve been super duper busy with university and i lost all motivation to write outside of academia (boooo, useless writing) but c.ai keeps annoying the hell out of me with “can i ask you a question?” so i decided to say fuck it and do it myself. also my life kinda got turned upside down because a hurricane wiped my hometown off the map so that’s not very fun :((

This all started the day Takuto Maruki was sent to Shujin Academy to console the victims of Suguru Kamoshida. Y/N wasn’t necessarily one of them, but they knew of what was happening since they were assisting some of the extracurricular teachers during that time. Honestly? If it weren’t for the Phantom Thieves, Y/N probably would’ve gone after Kamoshida anyway…

Yet some sort of fate led Y/N to cross the path of the Phantom Thieves— whether it was the work of some cruel deity or sheer bad luck, Y/N figured out the identity of all the Thieves and awakened to their persona after the death of Principal Kobayakawa (they accidentally got drawn in to Okumura’s palace). So when they noticed Dr. Maruki was researching cognitive pscience, Y/N warned the other Thieves. Apparently, Y/N was the last to know. They trusted Maruki wholeheartedly for some reason, which made Y/N even more cold to the poor guidance counsellor…

Then Okumura died. On live television, in front of his only daughter, he became the newest victim of a mental shutdown. Y/N’s trust in the Phantom Thieves went down the drain. Did they really kill Haru’s dad?! Why the HELL would they do that?! He wasn’t the best person, but to execute him in front of his daughter? Who WERE these people that Y/N was working with?

So now, they found comfort in the guidance counsellor they mistrusted at the beginning. Y/N would spend all their free time in the office of the tenured Maruki— and it was the most relaxing thing they experienced. He had snacks, juices, games, beds… everything; obviously he was a good listener too, so that made it easier. But what would never be easy to deal with was Maruki’s approaching departure— he was only contracted to be at Shujin for six months. And to make it worse? Y/N had fallen for him. Hard. But little did Y/N know that he felt the same…

“Takuto…” Y/N murmured, causing him to perk up with his eager brown eyes. And God… that smile… it could melt anyone’s heart…

“Hm? What is it, Y/N?” Maruki responded with a warm tone.

“I’m… going to really miss you. Do you have to leave?”

“I do. I’m so sorry, Y/N. But being a counsellor isn’t my calling… I would gladly renegotiate my contract in order to spend more time with you, but-“ Wait. What? Did Maruki just confess to wanting to spend more time with Y/N?! They remained baffled but pulled him into a close hug nonetheless. Now both of them were blushing with their tears dusting their eyes.

“If I had the chance to change fate so we could have more time together, I absolutely would take it.” Maruki said, pulling them tighter into the embrace while cupping their face. He wiped their tears with the pads of his thumb before leaning into a passionate kiss with them. Ugh. Why couldn’t Y/N have sucked up their disdain for him sooner?! They couldn’t help but blame themself for the reason why they didn’t have more time together; tears fell even faster down Y/N’s cheeks while they reciprocated the kiss— a feeling so great, yet so painful.

“You won’t forget about me here, will you?”

“I could never forget about someone like you, Y/N.”

And that was the last time they had spoken in his office. Of course, they kept in contact while having their love blossom, but it never could replace how much Y/N craved to be held by Maruki again. Yes, he was off doing what he always wanted to, but Y/N couldn’t help how empty it felt without their new lover…

January 1st, 20XX.

While Y/N’s friends got to spend New Years and Christmas with their significant others, they remained lonely in their apartment. Sure, they texted Maruki and video called him multiple times, but it just… didn’t feel the same. So when the new year rolled around, Y/N didn’t feel anything other than the absence of their beloved Maruki.

Until they got a text.

“Hey, my Y/N! <3 I’m outside! I’m not sure whether or not you wanted iced coffee or hot, so I got both!”

It was from Maruki? He wasn’t supposed to be back in Tokyo for at LEAST two more months. Why was he outside? Was this a prank? Y/N rushed outside to see if it was some cruel joke, but it wasn’t. Maruki was in front of them, holding their favorite coffee in his gloved hands. They stared up at him in disbelief for a bit then pulled him in for a kiss. Then another text came in from Y/N’s… friend…? Enemy? What even was he? Not the point. It was Goro Akechi, who they all assumed to be dead since they literally saw his demise in his father’s palace.

“Please tell me you didn’t fall into this false reality too. Someone must be smart enough to tell that something’s off.”

Y/N looked at their phone, then back at Maruki in even more disbelief. This was reality, wasn’t it?

Y/N’s internal question was answered nearly soon after they thought of it— Okumura was nearby with his daughter, Haru.

What had Maruki done?

#persona 5 royal #persona 5 angst #persona 5 fluff #persona 5 au #smt persona #persona #persona 5 #persona 5 x reader #takuto maruki #takuto maruki x reader #phantom thieves #izurusstuff

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embretheworld · 4 months ago

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Principal Kobayakawa stop ruining everything for Makoto challenge. (IMPOSSIBLE)

#drawing #my art #art #fanart #p5r #persoan 5 #persona 5 royal #makoto #makoto niijima #principal kobayakawa #kobayakawa #p5 makoto #p5r makoto #p5r fanart

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vashtijoy · 2 years ago

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news from NG+: 7/9

So on 7/9, Akechi has his post-Kaneshiro-takedown flail about the PTs in the morning....

... only to then send you one of his obligatory text invitations in the evening—that's to say, he always texts you on 7/9, and he always has that tantrum in the morning.

For me, that text is confidant stage 4, but other examples of the 7/9 text I've seen have been non-rank-up invitations, I think because I blew him off for Kawakami that once. shamefaced sorry, Goro.

Do what you will with this information. I love that he's clearly been stewing about it all day. "I can't believe he's interfering with my plans/catching up with me/shitting up the Metaverse again/pushing me out of the public eye when I haven't been in it FIVE MINUTES/ugh that SHIT that piece of TRASH i HATE him i HA... this is absurd. I'm being absurd. I will ask him on a date. Yes. I will investigate him over crepes, he will never suspect a thing hahahAHAHA."

That corner he's tucked away in is the back of the Ginza Line Gate / Teikyu Building, by the way:

He's literally found a nice, friendly wall to tuck himself behind, to check his phone and have his tantrum. He's facing the stairs, but unless someone comes up the stairs, nobody can see him. Nice little detail.

Another nice detail is that I already had a feeling he uses the Ginza Line—it, of course, runs between Shibuya and Akasaka Mitsuke, where the TV studio is. By the time you get this sequence, you've probably already met Akechi at Yon Germain, which is further back in shot below the blue sign—so both his appearances at the station are here.

Actually, the station platform you run into him on is also the Ginza Line platform—Aoyama-Itchome (where Shujin is) is between Shibuya and Akasaka.

Those two women chattering in the background, by the way, are the Middle-Aged Lady and the Young-Looking Woman, the latter of which has a daughter at Shujin, and spends the year talking to her friend about how hot Akechi is and, apparently, stalking his ass:

Middle-Aged Lady: So Akechi-kun was saying on TV... The Phantom Thieves are dangerous, aren't they? Young-Looking Woman: Yeah, Akechi-kun! The way his eyes look to the side is pretty sexy... Young-Looking Woman: I love the way he runs his hands through his hair too... Middle-Aged Lady: Did you hear what I just said? You really like younger guys...

The last thing you might have missed on 7/9 is that, after his abortive conversation with Makoto earlier in the day ("the Phantom Thieves are justice and I'm afraid I know nothing c:"), and getting hung out to dry by the SIU Director, you can also find Principal Kobayakawa moping to himself on Harmony Alley:

So yeah, big conspiracy energy in Kichijoji on the evening of 7/9.

#persona 5 #p5 meta #goro akechi #the other weird as fuck thing tho #is that all the guides are like #'akechi is in kichijoji 3-5 evenings a week'#he's fucking not #i've seen him there like three times as of mid-july #he is BUSY BOY and not easy to get hold of

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symphonic-scream · 5 months ago

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Some Okujima/MakoHaru from the Transboy Haru arcana swap au

Okay so Makoto is just another schoolmate to them until Kobayakawa tells her he needs her to find out what they want and why they're connected to Kamoshida

So Makoto investigates.

Haru sniffs out how pathetic she is instantly and he just. "Goddamn. I need her to break"

Shiho: oh, that's Niijima-Senpai. She's just a puppet for the principal, thinks it'll get her into a good school.

Haru: "thinks"?

Shiho: ...the last two who did what she did? They work at Wild Duck burger.

Haru: that's not fair!

Futaba: well he let Kamoshida continue his bullshit, so I wouldn't expect him to be very fair

Haru: but what about Niijima? We can't just leave her to suffer...

Shiho: she got herself into this, I mean,, but. We can look into it, I guess

Shiho isn't super keen on helping Makoto at first. But then she finds out Makoto had actually tried to get the school to install an elevator while Shiho was recovering. And that Makoto nearly lost her spot for that

So then she's *extra* eager to help

Shiho: I couldn't see it, but she was always trying to help us, the other students... Fuck, and we screwed her over! We played into Kobayakawa's hand!

Cause his plan was to turn Makoto into a shell by distancing her from her peers and it worked

Until Haru and the gang trick her into going into the Metaverse and she awakens and goes to stay on the Yoshida couch while taking down the man that ruined her teen years

Makoto: I'm sorry I couldn't stop those rumours about you not being a guy

Haru: ...I am trans, like. For real

Makoto: ...oh. STILL-

Makoto all drowsy after their awakening, having to be half carried back to Yongen. Haru gets them a blanket and PJs from their basement and head back to the beef bowl shop

Makoto: hey, Yoshida,,

Haru: Haru. We're friends now

Makoto: r-right,, Haru,, thank you. For saving me

Haru: everyone deserves a chance, Makoto.

Makoto: ...yeah. I'll, see you in the morning,

Makoto is crushing instantly

Makoto hugs Haru on impulse when the change of heart takes place. Big, warm hug. Soft tears in his shoulder

The next day, Makoto comes to school from their first night back with Sae, proudly wearing a new pronoun pin and pants, and they look so at eade

Their social link with Haru is. Haru comes along while Makoto apologizes to their classmates and students they screwed over with Kobayakawa, and setting up for uni applications

And then the ROMANCE

Cause one student Makoto apologizes to is Eiko, who thanks Makoto for stopping her from ruining her life when they were friends as kids. And they keep talking. And Makoto invites Haru on a double date

Makoto: it, doesn't have to be romantic. But this is her first girlfriend and, we're the queerest people she knows- but- i wouldn't mind if it was romantic-

Haru: I'd love to go on a date with you

They kiss in an alley after the date, Makoto's back to a wall, arms around Haru's neck, basically making out, Haru's hands under their little dress sweater, just

Makoto: I've liked you since you first saved me,

Haru: damn,, I can't tell when I fell. Just, all I know is you make my stomach spin and my head float

Makoto: I can't wait to have things with you. Hand over my jacket when it's cold, cuddle with you in the mornings and evenings, to kiss you goodnight and good morning and-

Haru: you're hot

Post plot like. Man,,

Makoto wants to be a school administrator. To make things better. They're starting low, as an education assistant, and they excitedly tell the teachers about the vacation they're taking to help their husband heal from surgery, and then a small trip with their friends for a reunion

Haru, with his nice little neighbourhood restaurant and cafe, and scheduled dick surgery, all set for their first year post secondary school

They got married, went on a trip with their friends, and it was Strikers Strikers happens much later here for funnies and they meet the Shadow OPS fully

Haru and Makoto not having their own kids. But they babysit the three young children of a former teacher, his husband and their wife

Strikers but it's been like 4-5 years not like a few months and it's CRAZY

Makoto: damn, I almost missed this

Goro: LEAVE ME ALONE

Morgana: *loud eating noises*

Futaba: NEVER!!!!

The gives years later with Haru looking mostly the same but slightly more buff? And Makoto, dressing in darker, baggier clothes. With ties and sweaters for work and big tees and shit otherwise, Undercut with a lil ponytail with it, glasses

Makoto: this is my husband!

Haru: my partner,,,

Toranosuke being so excited to have more of his sons home. It's been just him and Morgana for a little while. Bear hugs Haru when he and Makoto come back for his surgery

Tora: my boy! Haru,, oh and Makoto! You both look so well, welcome home

Makoto always eats so well. They were just having instant ramen while living with Kobayakawa, and now? Haru is so loving and cooks to show love

They have their own little apartment in a smaller neighborhood, close to the smaller school Makoto works for, with Haru's diner at the end of the street

Makoto: ready for your dick surgery, babe?

Haru: I was born ready. Are you ready to deal with me post op?

Makoto: I was born to care for you

Naoto, Kanji, and Rise show up with their three crotch goblins to help out after, cause one of them has had said surgery and the other two? Were there to help heal

They have an older daughter and then two twin boys. The daughter is Kanji and Rise's, and the boys are Naoto and Rise's cause au magic trans people can have kids cause I said so

Rise: no, no- you can't climb on cousin Haru, he's not feeling well

Twin 1: is he sick?

Twin 2: is he dying?!

Naoto: hush, boys. Cousin Haru will be fine, you just can't climb on him. He had surgery

Daughter: oh! That's why he's got the ice on his lap?

Makoto: yup, and it's why everyone needs to be a little more quiet. We want him to heal well

The trio give Haru little forehead and top of head kisses. Cause they always saw him as like a little brother or little cousin

Makoto: my brave guy,

Haru: heyyyy!!! Doc,, thaz my partner,, they luuuuuuve me!

Makoto: oh, poor boy, they got you on the good stuff, huh?

Haru: I'm penis man now

Makoto: youre penis man now, yeah. Let's get you home, penis man

A few days after the nerves connect, they're on a train back to Yongen to stay with the Yoshida family once more, before they end up on a roadtrip that'll end with the world bringing back two lost souls

Anyways. Ywah

#transboy haru au #makoto niijima #haru okumura #okujima #makoharu #kannaorise

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thebigpapilio · 1 year ago

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so everyone knows my ASAU of Persona 5 Royal, A Righteous Rebellion. right? And we're all also aware of @scruffyturtles' Adult Confidant AU?

well I sorta fused them? tldr: i made a (mostly) Adult Confidant AU for ARR! Details below, if you're interested - and if you have any questions about it, please ask @rollthedice-playthecards or this blog here!

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ARR! CANON-STANDARD TRIGGER WARNINGS!

The Fool and Strength (i.e. Igor & Caroline/Justine/Lavenza) are the same. Otherwise, everyone's changed.

The World (i.e. Protagonist) is Tae Takemi!

Her parents were abusive shitheads to her, and she got into a program that helped her escape for Tokyo.

Her first Persona is Merit-Ptah, a fictitious woman purported to be a chief physician of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh and thus one of the oldest known women in medicine and science.

The Magician is Sadamu Niijima (transmasc!Sae)!

The home invasion that killed Mr. Niijima also led to his death, but Igor came upon his soul and reincarnated him into a hound (because of Shadow Sae's tattoos) for The Yaldabaoth Game™.

His first Persona is Turiddu, a Sicilian bandit whose gang was "legally held responsible" for a massacre, although the entirely of their role in it is disputed.

The Priestess is Sadayo Kawakami!

She was a member of Student Council, but when she brought up Kamoshida's abuse to Principal Omon "Bael" Kobayakawa, she lost her seat. Kobayakawa actually replaces Kaneshiro as the third major target.

Her first Persona is Elissa, legendary founder and queen of Carthage... oh, and I will be shipping her with Tae for my Kawakemi agenda. :)

The Empress is Chihaya Fukurai (Mifune)!

Yuichi "Mammon" Fukurai, her adoptive father, runs Fukurai Foods (Big Bang Burger's owner and more). Chihaya was setting up to inherit the business when Yuichi "changed his mind" and prepared to sell her off in an arranged marriage to Rikio Sugimura.

Her first Persona is Lakshmibai, an Indian rani who rebelled against the Bri'ish.

The Emperor is Sojiro Sakura!

He's a culinary prodigy studying under his adoptive parent (I haven't decided who yet, but they're Azazel) - a TV chef who runs a kids' competition a la Chopped Junior. They definitely abuse some of those kids.

His Initial Persona is Hamlet, the famous Shakespearean Prince of Denmark.

The Hierophant is Makoto Niijima, owner of Cafe Bianca.

She's been looking for her estranged younger "sister" for years now.

The Lovers is Munehisa Iwai!

Munehisa is Shujin’s star athlete. Excels in every sport in Shujin except volleyball, from which he was banned after standing up to Suguru "Asmodeus" Kamoshida.

Kaoru, his younger brother here, takes the role of Shiho, and Akimitsu Tsuda and Masa replace Nakaoka and Takeishi.

His Initial Persona is Barrow, a Great Depression-era criminal who robbed small stores, funeral homes and banks with his partner Ms. Parker.

The Chariot is Ichiko Ohya!

Leader of the photography club. She caught photos of Kamoshida’s dirty deeds in the past and is trying to find a way to expose them anonymously. Oh, and she has a long-distance girlfriend named Kayo.

Her Initial Persona is O'Malley, an Irish pirate queen so violent Elizabeth I considered sending the Royal Fleet after.

Justice is Toranosuke Yoshida!

I sort of split Goro's two roles in this AU. Toranosuke plays the Detective Prince trying to solve the case of mental shutdowns (+ the Phantom Thief case), but his brother-by-choice Benzo Kuramoto plays assassin and mental-shutdown-inducer for Masao Kuramoto, his grandfather. Tora joins the team in Oda's Palace, and they fight Benzo in Kuramoto's Palace - that's where Toranosuke achieves his Second Persona.

Speaking of Personas, his Initial one is Greenlefe, Robin Hood's second-in-command and the only one present at his death.

The Hermit is Takuto Niijima (Maruki)!

Makoto had a brief stint as a police officer, but after a influential asshole (Kuramoto) drove drunk and killed one Tomoyo Rumi, she attempted to dig into the situation and was dishonorably discharged. Soon after, she met Rumi's boyfriend, Takuto (an orphan with one shitty relative), and took him in.

He would be a third-year if he was still in school. He’s wasting away as he grieves Rumi's death. He can’t bring himself to kill himself, but he also doesn't want to be alive anymore.

His Initial Persona is Popol Vuh, a religious text of the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ Guatemalans.

The Fortune is Hifumi Hibino (Togo)!

After Mitsuyo disowned Hifumi for coming out as lesbian, Hifumi moved in with her wife Haru (they both end up with Makoto later). Hifumi took up busking/street shogi, not wanting to be reliant on Haru.

The Hanged Man is Akira Kurusu!

Not much for this guy right now - like Canon!Munehisa, he's an ex-yakuza who runs Indomptable, an airsoft store. Ren is his adoptive son.

Death is Sumire Yoshizawa!

A medical misdiagnosis (by her biological mother Yui, not that she knows it) left Sumire's sister in a coma. Ever since, Sumire can't see anyone unconscious without thinking of Kasumi.

Temperance is Ryuji Sakamoto!

An orphaned man who teaches PE at Shujin and moonlights in an escort service to take care of himself and his son Morgana.

Just after his college years, his mom's ex-husband killed her and then killed himself to escape the police, so he has no support system. Thus, he got himself into trouble with a duo of loan sharks so he could look presentable enough to replace Kamoshida.

He, Ann and Shiho were friends in high-school, but he never saw them again after graduating.

The Devil is Ann Takamaki!

An up-and-coming actress working hard to make it big. She's keeping her sexuality (and her girlfriends Shiho Suzui and Mika Abe) under wraps from everyone, including her manager.

At the end of the Confidant, she moves in with her old friend (and future boyfriend) Ryuji after Tae mentions him.

The Tower is Goro Shido (Akechi)!

Goro is a very temperamental young man with no methods of healthily and safely letting out his anger at the world and his shitty, abusive father.

After Shido's heart is changed, Ryuji (and Ann and Shiho) take Goro in.

The Star is Zenkichi Hasegawa!

Even if Zen doesn't know it, he's the best player in the shogi club at Kosei. It's discovered their "team" has been fixing matches, and Zenkichi is determined to find out who's cheating.

Jyun Owada, his senpai and club president, is jealous, and is trying to cause strife between him and his girlfriend Aoi to weaken him.

The Moon is Sophia Ichinose!

Sophia is a Greek immigrant who moved to Japan for work opportunities. She's Tae's science teacher, so Tae really likes her. Her daughter Kuon, however, has fallen in with a HORRIBLY nasty crowd - a bigoted group who hates (among other groups of people) Kuon's adoptive mother. Kuon, naturally, is conflicted, and this leads to conflict between her and Sophia.

The Sun is Haru Hibino!

A young politician whose bold eat-the-wealthy mentality does not sit well with older generations - for example, her father Kunikazu, who disowned her and silently smeared her campaigns so she'd waste her inheritance and never expose his criminality.

In the end of the whole story, Haru legalizes polyamorous marriage!

Judgement is Shinya Oda!

Uses they/them pronouns here.

After Shinya's mother Hanae was killed in cold blood, they joined the SIU to find the killer. She did something to piss off Kuramoto, though, so he and the director do everything they can to keep Shinya away from that.

The Faith is Wakaba Isshiki!

Daughter of Shujin's new counselor. A science prodigy.

I don't have much ideas for her yet, never mind her Personas.

The Councillor is Futaba Isshiki!

Shujin's aforementioned new counselor in the wake of Kamoshida's arrest. Believing the world to be "without life" without her deceased fiancee Kana, her Palace becomes a Graveyard, where she "raises the dead" by fixing their problems.

She only has one Persona - Chac Chel, an important Maya goddess of many things, most prominently both creation and destruction.

The Hope is Yuuki (Mishima)!

His ranged weapon is eye lasers. They use both he/him and they/them.

An A.I. made by Katsuo Akiyama, a regretful high-school bully who caused one of his victims to commit suicide.

Their first Persona is Thyrsus - a giant fennel staff that Yuuki uses like a weapon alongside the Persona aspect of it.

The Apostle is Yusuke Kitagawa!

The only original Phantom Thief to keep the power of Persona.

Ordered by Madarame Ichitaro (the killer of his mother and Police Commissioner) to investigate the Phantom Thieves after a series of mass heart-changings occur again.

Akane has a brother, Natsuhiko, and they share the Jail. Their mother, Takayo (Yusuke's beard) is still dead.

His Persona is Enjolras, and he later gets with Akira.

Lastly, a unique Arcana - The Actor, Morgana Sakamoto!

A theater prodigy at his school (not Shujin or Kosei) and Ryuji's son. He has no clues to his past before Ryuji, and he wants to know, but he also wants his dad to be happy. At the end of the Strikers arc, Lavenza becomes human, and he and Goro get the Sakamotos to adopt her as well.

Reminder once again to post any questions about this AU to @rollthedice-playthecards!

#thebigpapilio #adult confidant au #arcanaswap #arcana swap #arcana swap au #arcanaswap au #persona arcana swap #A Righteous Rebellion #Persona #Persona 5 #Persona 5 Royal #taewakami #kawakemi #makoharufumi #sojiro x wakaba #ichikayo #ryuannshiho #mikannshiho #sumire x sophia

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weloveakechi · 4 months ago

Text

As Dreamers Do Chapter 6

At last, Goro gets to do some investigating! And meet up with some characters we haven’t seen yet!

Content warning for this chapter it does include two scenes of implied/referenced suicide. Those take place just after Goro finishes speaking with Yoshizawa, and right after he’s done talking with Ryuji and Akira (the second scene is the last in the chapter). Please take care when reading.

First Chapter | AO3 Link

“Thank you so much for being willing to let me come ask some questions.” Goro’s best television smile is firmly in place as he shakes the hand of Principal Kobayakawa, head of Shujin academy in his office. It’s a few days after his conversation with Kurusu and Sakamoto and he’s finally managed to get a meeting set up.

Kobayakawa’s smile is as false as Goro’s, if for a different reason. Goro is here investigating, while the principal just wants to get Goro to join the school, “It’s not everyday we have interest from one of Japan’s finest! I can’t quite believe it myself, the next Detective Prince, interested in our school!”

Goro’s chuckle is light, disarming, “You have quite the reputation. Even the students at my current school can’t stop talking about Shujin’s volleyball team.”

The lies fall easily, smooth as butter. Feigning interest in the school is the quickest way for him to get his foot in the door, ask a variety of questions, and make his presence known without causing too much of a stir.

This is the kind of situation he needs to be delicate about. He can’t just burst in demanding answers about the rumored abuse the school's star coach is inflicting on his students. That would get him nowhere. Especially if the teachers and Principal are on his side the way the others believe.

“I’d love to see the gym, and even sit in on one of Mr. Kamoshida’s training sessions. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a fan.” His tone is just on the side of shyly interested to help make the lie more believable.

He knows he’s succeeded as soon as Kobayakawa nods, a wide smile on his face, it makes him look almost like a frog, “He is quite the player. We just knew hiring him would take our volleyball team to the top.” He checks something on his computer, “It looks like the team is in the middle of practice, why don’t I walk you over now? Then I’ll have one of our teachers give you the full tour. If you’d like, we’d love to have you sit in on a class or two.”

“I’d be delighted.”

There’s little special about the gym itself when Goro finally sees it. Not that Goro thought there’d be anything particularly unique about the location. It’s only been recently that they’ve started to shine in the world of sports. The only team that had ever really done notably well was the track team until Kamoshida was hired, since then the spotlight switched to volleyball, and the track team was dismantled. Learning that, and who was on it, gave Goro quite a bit of insight into Sakamoto’s reasons for being so focused on the man. Another victim in a long line of them, but one at least trying to do something about it.

As a school, Shujin is a good option for potential students. They turn out a higher than average graduation and acceptance rate to good colleges than many in their distinction. His research told him that students from Shujin often go on to be rather successful, which is another point in its favor. In fact, it’s a school Goro would have seriously considered in the past.

That said, some further digging indicated that despite their good standing, the school’s had a slight downward tick in graduations over the past couple years. It’s nothing too detrimental presently, but if not corrected will end up hurting the school’s reputation.

It’s surely why Kobayakawa has pushed so hard to put the school in the news, from hiring a gold medalist coach, to pushing a new honors student, and even taking in a troubled teen to give him a second chance. None of that solves the actual problem of failing grades or better providing for their teachers.

It does however, make complete sense as to why they’d turn a blind eye to Kamoshida’s blatant abuse of students.

The man in question is in the middle of shouting orders as they step into the gym. Facing away from them, he’s too busy pointing out flaws in various team members’ performances to notice the two people who have walked in.

“Umm, Coach–” One of the boys says.

“I said start again.” Kamoshida snaps, “Stop wasting time.”

Principal Kobayakawa clears his throat, “Excuse me.” He finally announces them.

Kamoshida turns on them, the annoyance on his face instantly wiping away as he catches sight of the visitors, “Principal Kobayakawa, what a surprise. Who is this with you?”

“This is Goro Akechi, he’s touring the school today as a potential transfer student.”

“Another one, huh.” Kamoshida says lightly, as he puts a hand out, “Looking to join the volleyball team?”

Goro takes it, Kamoshida’s grip on his hand is firm, almost too much so.

“I’ve heard so much about the team I had to take a look.”

Kamoshida laughs —a self assured sound if Goro’s ever heard one— before he leans over with a wink, “You don’t have to say it, I can read it all over your face, you’re a fan. Good to see you here. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like and observe.”

“We were going to do a more comprehensive tour after this.” The principal hedges, a little hesitant.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have one of the team escort him back your way when we’re done. That way he can get his full tour.” Kamoshida waves off his concern.

“Well, if you’re sure.” Kobayakawa turns to Goro, “I’ll leave you in Mr. Kamoshida’s capable hands. By the time you get back I’ll have a teacher lined up to walk you around.”

Goro gets little from the practice. Kamoshida’s on his best behavior with a stranger in the room, even if he doesn’t seem to realize just who Goro is. Some of the students do though, he catches a number of eyes lingering on him through the practice.

Even with no major hiccups, it’s not wasted time to be there. In fact, Goro’s done exactly what he set out to do: be seen by the volleyball students. If they want an opportunity to tell someone about their coach, he’s making himself as available as possible.

One of the girls volunteers to take him back to the front office, and after a nod from Kamoshida sidles up to Goro with a shy smile to take him back.

It turns out that no teachers are readily available to tour him around the school, a fact Goro could have told him before he’d left. Really, how someone so completely inept has stayed in Shido’s good graces so long baffles him.

Instead of a teacher, he called in one of the student council members. The president in fact.

Goro can’t help but shoot Sae Niijima’s little sister, Makoto, a wicked grin as she steps into the office.

“Hello, Niijima-san.” He gives her a little wave, deeply amused by this turn of events.

He won’t call what he has with Makoto Niijima a rivalry. It’s not that. But it isn’t nothing either. They pick at each other, prodding for weak spots, and viciously tug when they find one. It started as him teasing her a bit when she got jealous of how much time he spent with her sister, and over the years it’s evolved. If he were feeling gracious, he might label it almost akin to being siblings vying for a parents favor, with Sae-san as the parent.

“Akechi?” In her surprise she drops her normal insistence on honorifics.

Kobayakawa looks from one to the other before he nods, “Good, good. You both are already acquainted. I’d appreciate it if you’d continue Akechi-san’s tour of the school for me.”

“Tour, sir?”

Goro gives her a blinding grin, “I’m considering transferring here. My current school is being difficult regarding my schedule and workload as a detective. As I’d like to graduate, and continue working, I’m looking for options more amenable to my lifestyle.”

“I see.” She narrows her eyes in a way that screams doubt, but she can’t call him on the blatant lie here in front of Kobayakawa. Instead she matches his smile, all teeth and sarcasm, “Let’s get started.”

The moment they’re out of the office, with the door closed securely, Makoto spins on him, hands already on her hips, “Now tell me, what you’re actually doing here.”

He goes for the lie again, giving her a wide look as if to say ‘what are you talking about?’, “I told you, I’m observing the school as a potential transfer option. I’ve heard great things, and the overall caliber of student is–”

She throws up a hand, interrupting him, “It doesn’t make sense to switch in your last year.” Her interruption is refreshing. That’s something he likes about Makoto. No matter what good girl act she puts on for the rest of the world, she’s got a mean streak hiding, and he loves pulling back the cover to make it show.

“There’s obviously something else going on. Tell me, maybe I can help.”

He considers it. While she’s not on the team most impacted by Kamoshida, she is the Student Council President. She has clout with students, and might have already heard something. Still, it’s a little early to bring her into the investigation.

So he holds up a finger to his lips, winking, “I’m conducting an investigation. It’s still early, but I’ll be sure to consult you if the need arises.”

This seems to appease her somewhat, “Does my sister know about this?”

“No. I have yet to bring in either the prosecutor’s office or police. Students reached out to me about the issue, and until I have more I’d rather not complicate things.”

That gives her pause, enough that she stops in the hallway to glare at him. Her eyes flash, a theory developing about his investigation. Before she can press further, another voice cuts in.

“Akechi-sempai?”

They turn and find a first year student, hair bright red and pulled back into a ponytail that swings as she walks. She’s stepping out of an office, and heads towards them, face alight with recognition.

“Yoshizawa-san.” Goro greets, giving her a softer smile than he’d given Makoto, “I didn’t realize you attended Shujin.”

“Oh! Yes.” She perks up, “I just started on an Honors Scholarship.” Ah, so she’s the new honors student, he should have guessed.

They aren’t close. Goro knows Sumire Yoshizawa only in passing really. He’d met her and her sister through her father, and they’ve spent a little time stuck together on sets. Her there to visit with her father, Goro for shooting. There’s a lot of time between takes or news segments, and when there’s so few people in the whole building even close to the same age to talk to? You chat.

This Yoshizawa is in stark contrast to the one he’d seen recently. That girl couldn’t look Goro in the eyes, voice distant and broken, body curled in on itself like she was trying to disappear. It had been so similar to how he remembers looking the few times he’d let himself look at the mirror after his mother’s death, it had sent him reeling.

Experience tells him she shouldn’t look this good. Shouldn’t sound so normal. He doesn’t wish that kind of grief on her, but he knows better.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Makoto Nijima, the student council president.” Makoto holds out a hand for Yoshizawa to take, “If you need anything at all, Yoshizawa-san please feel free to reach out. Starting at a new school can be difficult, especially with all the expectations heaped on an honors student. I’m always happy to lend an ear if you need it.”

The other girl bows, hair swinging over her shoulder as she does so, “I’m honored, Nijima-sempai. Thank you so much!”

When she straightens, she tilts her head at Goro and asks, “Excuse me for asking, but why are you here, Akechi-sempai?”

“I’m also considering transferring to Shujin. Nijima-san has been gracious enough to give me a tour.” He tells her.

Yoshizawa clasps her hands together, face bright and delighted, “That would be wonderful, Senpai! I’d love it if someone I know also attends here. It will be such a great opportunity to get to know each other better.”

“How do you two know each other?” Makoto asks, her tone more pointed than curious.

“We met at the tv station my father owns. Akechi-senpai has been interviewed a few times there.” She turns back to him, “You have another coming up soon, right?”

He nods, “I have to send in my approval for the questions this evening.” He rubs the back of his neck, “It can be quite a lot sometimes. I’m grateful for your father’s support.”

“I think he’s taken a liking to you.” Yoshizawa says, clapping her hands together.

The false modesty got him what he’d wanted to hear, “I’m glad to hear it. I’m sorry to take up so much of your time, it has been wonderful to see you.”

“Likewise. Even if you don’t transfer to Shujin, we should talk more. Maybe I’ll see you at the interview?” Yoshizawa asks.

“Perhaps.” Is all he allows.

They have only barely started the real tour when the hallway begins to flood with students. Doors crash open, and shouts echo around the once quiet halls as students and teachers alike fly out of classrooms and down the hall.

“Did you hear? She jumped.”

“I hope she’s okay.”

“What are we going to do?”

Makoto’s eyes flash and she grabs a student by the arm, yanking him back, “Who jumped? Where?”

The boy shoves a finger in the direction of the wave of students, “Some volleyball girl. Out there, by the courtyard.”

It is chaos, but both Goro and Makoto make it through the throng of students and teachers, pushing and elbowing their way to the courtyard. The noise is on the verge of being overwhelming. Goro’s stomach is clenched in a way that promises he’ll be sick if he stops to think about the girl’s actions too long.

He hasn’t worked a suicide case in his entier career as a high school detective.

He tried only one time.

“Move please. I’m on the student council.” Makoto says, trying to push through the wall of people in the courtyard. But they’re not budging, rooted to the ground as they play witness to the tragedy before them.

“Out of the way.” Goro snaps, the anger in his words clear and authoritative enough to send the students in front of them scrambling. Good. It’s obscene to stand around and watch something like this. The teachers should be doing a better job getting students back into their classrooms. Unless, the lot of them.

He ignores the sudden flare up of whispers about police and detectives as students begin to recognize him. If anything, he’ll use his fame in his favor if he needs to in order to quell the chaos a bit. For now, his focus is the girl.

He makes himself a shield to push Makoto through the crowd, along with himself until they drop into an open area, ringed by shocked students. A teacher, perhaps even a nurse, is kneeling by the fallen girl. Her hair is a different color from the one who took him to the office, which for some reason is a relief to him.

“Everyone take a few steps back.” He starts snapping orders, whirling on the crowd, “Open up a path for the paramedics to get through. Time is of the essence. You don’t want to be at fault for delaying help arriving.”

The whispers of his fame have done their work, weaving their way through enough of the crowd his words penetrate the awed spectacle of it all and has the crowd moving to follow his directions. A further explanation of his job as a detective gains him the allyship of a few teachers, and soon he’s managed to get the crowd under control.

As Goro works the crowd, he looks everywhere but the fallen girl. Guilt pools in his stomach like acid, bubbling and sharp. He’s certain he won’t sleep tonight.

His eyes catch on Kurusu and Sakamoto in the crowd. Sakamoto’s shock is clean on his face, along with outrage. Kurusu on the other hand is shattered, grief etched across his features in a way that Goro doesn’t think he’s ever seen before. Like he’s to blame for all this. Before he has time to gnaw on that particular piece of information, his attention is dragged aside again.

“Akechi, could you give us a hand?”

The next hour feels indeterminately long. He keeps busy making sure the girl, Shiho, and her friend, Ann, make it into the ambulance. He takes statements, and has to shoot down Principal Kobayakawa’s attempts at interference. Nothing will save the school’s reputation in his eyes now.

Not that it’s ever really mattered. The investigation is his main goal, and he hates how things have turned out so far. Goro might be willing to do a good many things that paint him as irredeemable, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see an innocent girl pushed to her limit like this by someone like Kamoshida.

The temptation to pull out his phone and use it to take him to the Metaverse where he can put a bullet between the eyes of Kamoshida’s Shadow is all too strong. The man deserves worse than that. Goro wants to take him apart piece by piece and listen to his screams as he begs for mercy. He can feel Loki humm at the thought, agreeing wholeheartedly.

He realizes he’s got his phone in his palm, as he turns it over and over, the device slipping easily against the smooth leather of his glove. It makes a little swishing noise as it moves. He wants to leave it face up, to wake up the screen and tap the MetaNav, the others had told him the keywords already, all he has to do is enter them.

He can feel Loki agreeing with the sentiment, buzzing and burning with the need to destroy. To step into Kamoshida’s life and turn it upside down.

A message buzzes through, stopping him from making any rash decisions.

Kurusu: Meet us in the courtyard by the vending machines.

Goro: On my way.

When he finds Kurusu and Sakamoto, the blond is pacing between a bench and vending machine, steps so loud Goro can hear them at a distance. He can hear the swearing whirlwind Sakamoto is whipping up as well. The boy has some truly creative expletives.

Sakamoto storms over to him the moment Goro’s close enough to be noticed, “We have to do something now!” He looks about a second away from shoving Goro, “I can’t let that monster hurt anyone else.”

Goro holds his hands out, trying to placate him, “Calm down.”

Sakamoto spins and slams his fist into one of the poles by them, metal ringing out with a hollow echo, “Ain’t no way I’m gonna calm down! If we had any doubts about going and changing his heart they’re all gone now. You get that right?”

“I do.” He says it as soothing as possible, tone gentle, understanding, “However, you agreed I could investigate him first.”

“And you spent all day doing that right? That’s why you were wandering around campus?” He drops his hand, and steps back towards Goro, “Well? Did you come up with anything concrete to nail that bastard?”

Goro’s lips press into a hard line, he knows what he’s about to say isn’t going to go over well.

“These things take time. I started—”

Sakamoto explodes, “We don’t have time for that! That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time! He’s hurting people, Akechi. Are you so heartless you’ll let that happen?!”

“You are very much wrong if you believe I do not care about his victims.” Goro’s voice has dropped to something dangerously quiet, “I did not become a detective for the fame. I did it to stop men like him from abusing their power and hurting more people. Imply I do not care again, Sakamoto and I will prove to you just how much I do.”

The other boy takes a few involuntary steps back, swallowing, “Sorry, dude. I know you do, you wouldn’t be tryin’ to help us if not. I’m just—” His face is red, hands balled into fists by his side, shaking, “We couldn’t do anything! Feeling so powerless effin’ sucks, especially when we have the power we need to force that scumbag to admit to all his crimes!”

Throughout their exchange, Kurusu has been surprisingly quiet. Goro turns his attention on the other boy, examining him with a close eye. He looks lost, gaze distant, somewhere far beyond them, the courtyard, and probably even the present.

“Kurusu?” Goro asks, “I understand what happened was shocking. If you need a moment—”

Even Sakamoto seems to pick up on Kurusu’s mood now, but has a different answer for it, “I think he’s also shocked about Kamoshida’s threat earlier.”

“What?” Goro snaps.

The other boy swallows, “Akira and I went to confront Kamoshida about what happened.”

Goro wants to throttle him, “A decidedly stupid idea.”

Sakamoto ignores his bottled fury, plowing forward with the explanation, “Us and Mishima. He’s on the volleyball team. Said Kamoshida called Shiho to his office this morning. Apparently she came out lookin’ white as a ghost.”

Goro can only imagine what kind of conversation might have taken place to drive the girl to attempt what she did today. He desperately wishes it had only stayed a conversation.

“That asshole all but confessed to abusing her and the others when we confronted him about it. Only we don’t have any proof so the creep decided to report us for assault at the next board meeting to get us all expelled. Akira here is on parole, if he’s expelled for something like that? That’s it for him.”

Parole? Goro takes that bit of information and tucks it away. It’ll make searching Kurusu’s history all the easier for him when he finally carves out a single second to actually do the thing. It makes a strange sort of sense, considering the sudden transfer and Kurusu’s caginess around it all.

Through the explanation, Kurusu hasn’t moved at all. Goro’s kept half an eye on him, even while fuming over the idiotic decision to confront Kamoshida. Looking a little closer now, it’s not shock on his face, but fury. Burning behind those gray eyes, a flame that won’t be snuffed.

Kurusu moves at last, squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw in a way that promises a fight if Goro dares argue even a moment, “I’m sorry Akechi, but we’re going to change Kamoshida’s heart.”

His tone isn’t sorry at all. It’s everything Goro has seen on his face and more. There’s no changing the resolve that has settled over the other boy, or his own need to see justice met at his own hands. Goro can understand that. He wishes he can change his mind, stop them all going down this path. Doing this will make things harder in the long run.

But he can’t say he’s not looking forward to facing Kamoshida’s Shadow and carving into him with his own two hands.

“I understand.” Goro nods, and Kurusu looks shocked, eyes going wide like he was ready to fight Goro tooth and nail on this.

Kurusu’s face relaxes into something thankful, “Good. Good, let’s go.”

“Tomorrow.” Goro insists, “You’re exhausted and emotional. Going in like this will only cause problems.”

Kurusu opens his mouth to argue and closes it again with a sigh, “Okay, tomorrow then.”

But he doesn’t have time to linger on it, Sakamoto and Morgana are already discussing a meeting time and location for the next day and Goro steps in to indicate that he should be able to meet at the school again.

Then, after they’ve settled on a time and place to meet. After he’s lingered long enough to make sure Kurusu actually leaves for home. After he tells the principal he’ll be back for a further investigation. That’s when Goro goes home.

That’s when he falls apart.

The shaking starts in his hands as he closes the door to the apartment. Fingers slipping on the lock as he attempts to turn it. It’s moved to his shoulders and back by the time he makes it through the living area towards his bedroom, and the attached bathroom.

By the time he reaches the bathroom his whole body is shaking.

He shakes and shudders as he drops to his knees and retches directly into the toilet. It’s mostly bial that comes up. He hasn’t had anything to eat today beyond an apple snatched at the station on his way to the school. He forgot a proper breakfast, and hasn’t been hungry since Shiho —that’s her name, that’s who he saw today collapsed on the ground, barely breathing— since she jumped. He’d hardly had any time to help her.

The retching doesn’t stop even after his stomach has emptied itself. Goro can’t stop it. Every time he thinks he’s done, he can’t help but see her again. Her dark hair, body crumpled, unmoving. It’s the girl until it stops being her.

It’s her until it’s his mother.

He flinches away from the shower curtain hanging beside him. Behind it, he knows what he’ll find. Tub full, water a murky pink as his mother —his mother— he retches again, chest heaving, stomach trying to turn itself inside out as he dry heaves, over and over and over again. His throat is raw. Tears stream from his eyes from the effort of it all.

At last, his stomach stills long enough for him to sit up a bit. As he does so he watches a tear slip from his eyes to hit the edge of the toilet, leaving a shining drop on the porcelain. Sweat beads at his forehead, and his chest hurts so bad he feels like he’s broken a rib, or pulled something. Blindly he reaches for the toilet paper and rips off a wad, rubbing first at his eyes and then his mouth.

He balls it up in his fist and leans back against the wall, chest heaving. Goro drags his knees up to his chest, and lets his head drop between them as sobs rattle his chest.

#goro akechi #persona 5 royal #persona 5 #akira kurusu #i need a fic tag #as dreamers do

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