#Ryuji would treat him just like the rest of the PTs

[xpiester333x]

Another day, another discussion in the Thieves Den to rip out my heart.

I love Ryuji so much.

[theloganator101]

The Phantom Thieves relationship with Izuku (how I think it would be if he was a part of this group):

Ren/Akira-Probably the closest relationship with Ren being like an older brother to Izuku. Because of Ren's ability to connect with various people throughout the game, both in his own group and with others like a politician, he and Izuku would have a strong bond with Ren laying the groundwork for Izuku to become stronger, more confident in himself, and more importantly, understanding that he is not worthless and is a hero, even if he was Quirkless.

Ryuji-A total bro who would not be afraid to speak his mind about how Izuku was treated horribly in his life. And he certainly won't stand by and let Bakugo talk down to Izuku (and he isn't afraid to throw hands for his friends).

Ann-I can see her being a good friend and someone who Izuku admires for being so extroverted and not afraid to break societal norms in regards to wearing something unique with her school uniform. Like Ryuji, she ain't gonna sit by and let Izuku get bullied by Bakugo (meaning unlike Class 1-A, she and the rest of the PT won't be blind).

Morgana-Morgana would have absolute faith in Izuku's abilities, complimenting him like he does for Joker (even saying that Izuku has leadership skills and could be a good leader if he had the confidence).

Yusuke-Yusuke's a weird case due to how...eccentric he is about his art but he definitely would bond with Izuku and would help him when he is having self-doubt.

Makoto-I think these two would have a close relationship with Makoto admiring how smart and resourceful Izuku is and the two being the group's strategists. (I did read a Fanfiction story that shows a cute relationship between them but unfortunately, that Fanfiction had Bakugo become a Phantom Thief which just ruined the whole story).

Futaba-These two definitely would have a close relationship and even relate to each other with how they were treated in life. And they both would absolutely bond over being total weebs.

Haru-She'd act as a protective older sister who's just the sweetest and will always try to encourage Izuku, helping him with his confidence issues.

Kasumi-A cute friendship with Kasumi also wanting to help Izuku with his confidence issues (and with Izuku subtly helping with hers) and having her be his trainer in acrobatics.

I had to say this because one of your previous posts mentioned how the Straw Hat Pirates and Phantom Thieves would be better friends to Izuku than Class 1-A and as I had played through almost all of Persona 5, I absolutely agree. The PTs wouldn't ignore the obvious problems Izuku had and actually try to help him, won't exclude him or make him feel inferior, will actually try to build up his confidence and trust in them, and most importantly, they will not have any crap from Bakugo.

^^^

[royalbilliards]

A quick addition to this actually, because I just thought about it, we see Vague glimpses of Maruki’s therapy sessions with other Shujin attending (and Yusuke. I guess) members of the phantom thieves, and I feel as though someone would try use the stilted awkward nature of those sessions to say that Maruki is a bad therapist, firstly, every first appointment with a therapist is stilted and awkward, especially if you’ve never had therapy before, especially if the reason you need to attend therapy to begin with comes from being hurt by adults who were meant to protect you or look out for you. The rest of the PT don’t know or trust Maruki, and they don’t think they need the therapy, I mean, they’re doing fine! And they have Joker! (Sarcasm).

The reason the PT never go back for therapy appointments with Maruki is because they don’t believe they need them, and they’re fine at handling their problems on their own. Ann and Ryuji are forced to go to at least one therapy session, and neither of them like or enjoy being forced to do something they don’t want to. Makoto believes she’s more than capable of handling herself, due to being raised almost entirely by her sister after their dad passed away, and because of how Sae treats her. Haru either has a therapist she pays for, or also believes she’s not as affected as she is/ has Joker to vent to. And all the PT use the metaverse to let out emotions and feelings they aren’t allowed to/ can’t express in their day to day lives. Yusuke doesn’t have access to Maruki like the rest of the PT do, but he seems to at least appreciate what Maruki does even if he has his qualms about it being subjecting to another persons will, but honestly that could just mean that the form of therapy Maruki provides, isn’t one that meshes with Yusuke, CBT doesn’t work for everyone, it doesn’t work for me, and finding a therapist that will help you in the way you want is important.

Ultimately, the PT don’t think they need help (when they do) and Joker doesn’t Have anyone who he can talk to about his own issues, because he mirrors everyone around him (because of his anxiety and self-worth issues) so it makes sense out of all of them, Joker is the only one to keep up consistent therapy sessions with Maruki.

i would LOVE to hear your opinion on maruki's therapy bc i see a lot of ppl saying he sucked as a therapist and i've never seen one so i can't really say anything with certainty...... but idk, i want joker to have at least an okay therapist just because it's a nice touch. also i think it's more satisfying narratively when maruki is someone joker can lean on for support and get attached to, but then has to oppose because shitty actualization. idk. pathetic wet man makes me go brrrrrr

Welcome to the autism zone.

So a lot of my thoughts on maruki’s therapy comes from my own experiences with a therapist in the past (I’m trying to get a new one right now) but. A lot of what Maruki’s ‘confidant perks’ and what they’re called suggest he’s giving Joker treatment for anxiety and depression, which makes a lot of sense given the way he acts in public outside of the joker persona, and the situation he’s in at Shujin (being bullied, for lack of a better term because it’s 5 am and I just woke up, and ostracised due to Kamoshida spilling his criminal record).

Practices like mindfulness and wakefulness sound like bullshit when you first have to start them, mostly because of the names, but the practices themselves are grounding techniques, being able to be present in your body, aware of your surroundings, and not letting yourself spiral via panic or depression and stuff. Detox is a term for drug addiction and alcoholism rehab, they’re not exactly practices we know Joker needs help with, but they’re most likely preventative measures, so that he doesn’t go Down those paths BECAUSE of his situation, which honestly makes sense, depression, anxiety, bullying from peers and the rest of it, including his criminal record and the way Japan treats students with criminal records, it makes sense that Joker could have easily gone down those routes if he didn’t have his friends and the metaverse to blow off steam and have an outlet for his emotions that he isn’t allowed to have in his day to day life. Flow is also a form of therapy treatment for handling depression, and mostly focus’ on capturing moments of positive mental states and allowing yourself to be completely focused and involved in Enjoyable activities that make you happy.

Because all of these therapy treatments that we get named from his confidant perks are Real therapy treatments that both Work and are widely used to treat specific mental health problems (Depression, Anxiety and Self-worth) we get both an insight into how Joker is actually feeling about things outside of what he shows and how useful these techniques are in his actual day to day life, because he’s using them to handle stressful situations in the metaverse.

There’s also the fact that Before everything, and AFTER everything, Joker doesn’t seem to hold much animosity towards Maruki, yes Akechi does and he’s Totally allowed to hate him, but neither Yoshizawa or Joker do, when Yoshizawa is more than justified in being angry and frustrated with him. And it might just be due to the abysmal lack of characterisation Yoshizawa gets, but mostly she seems like she too, like Joker, WANTS to help him, because we know that Maruki himself struggles with Self-worth problems, delusions of grandeur, a messiah complex (in both definitions of the term) anxiety and depression (along with a few other spicier things I don’t feel like mentioning because I’d need to bring up the psa’s on how demonised disorders need to be treated with respect since no one can do that on the internet). But there doesn’t seem to Be animosity between the three of them. Mostly just worry about someone they both cared about, and trusted.

There’s also the fact that, Jokers interactions with Maruki do not End After you help him with his research, we’re just cut off from the interaction at that point, because Joker in canon is explaining to Sae other more important things, he probably doesn’t feel the need to tell her the confidential therapy treatment he’s receiving at school. Their interaction continues, we get a fade to black, so it’s obvious he is getting actual therapy treatment, but Maruki has probably picked up on Jokers earth shattering savior complex and is easing him into the idea of therapeutic treatment by having him assist in his research, so Joker is more inclined to accept the help, since it’s a Transaction to Joker. If Maruki had more time to be Jokers therapist, and I assume he would have at some point Offered to continue his work as Jokers therapist after his tenure at Shujin ending, he would have eventually been able to work on that with Joker, and weaned him off Needing to help people all the time, and viewing social interactions as a transactional thing.

Anyways, yeah, I don’t think Maruki is a bad therapist outside of the horrors, I think people just don’t think about it because it isn’t spoon fed to them in a social link interaction, which is where the assumption that he’s Only using Joker as a sounding board comes from. But what would I know I just did media studies and have a special interest in analysing media, SHRUG

[kurutabaa]

hi i discovered ur blog and its my new fave thing ever! may i req for a ryuji version of the "friend trying to pair up with his future s/o" thing u did? i feel like ann would fit as scheming matchmaker. (or u can pick whoever though) im such a loser for this idea, it's genius. i love ryuji so 👁👄👁 totally self indulgent

Ann Trying to Pair up Ryuji with his Future S/O!

Did I hear Ann the matchmaker and Ryuji as the matchmaker victim?! Yesyes!! I would be happy enough to do a lot more of these “Friend Pairing up Someone with Future S/O” scenarios!! Plus, Ann is the freaking best and I adore her~

(Futaba/Akira version of this scenario here!)

Ann Takamaki + Ryuji Sakamoto!

Featuring Ann as the Matchmaker and Ryuji + S/O as her target~

As the whole “Futaba pairing up Akira and his S/O together” situation died down, Ann noticed something similar to that with you and Ryuji.

She noticed how Ryuji would act stupider than he normally was around you. How he would try to say something cool but fail horribly, the way he tried to avoid eye contact with you and how he wouldn’t dare get closer then a meter towards you.

Although Ann had no solid evidence for any feelings, she realized this was Ryuji we were talking about. She needed to get her hands dirty.

After this realization, Ann will immediately interrogate Ryuji, wether it’d be at the lockers, cafeteria, or courtyard, she needs some answers.

“Hey, Sakamoto. What’s up with you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“How stupid are you? I’m obviously talking about Y/N, it’s pretty obvious that you have feelings for them.”

“What?! W-Where did you get bullshit like that?!”

“Don’t play dumb with me! Now, I’m gonna help you win their heart, got it?”

Will definitely somehow rope in Akira the PT Girls into her schemes. Wether it’d be for date ideas or scheming “We’re just hanging out but this is totally meant to be a date!” plans.

Depending on which person you hang out with a lot, she’ll tell them to ask you what you think of Ryuji and to tell her afterwards.

When it turns out that you do have feelings for Ryuji, she’s now extremely adamant on getting you two together.

Will either tell you or Ryuji to ask one another if they want to go out for lunch, but most likely Ryuji has to do it.

It would be the end of class, you would be unknowingly packing your bag as Ann gives a thumbs up of approval to Ryuji. He uncomfortably walks his way towards you and calls out your name.

“Ryuji? What’s up?”

“I-I was wondering if..”

He looks for help to Ann, which he now realises that the entire PT group is now spying on the two of them. Thanks, Ann.

“U-Uh, I need some help with studying, so I’m wondering if you would hang out for a bit afterschool.”

Ryuji audibly hears the Phantom Theif members sighing in relief.

“Oh! Sure thing, where do you want to meet?”

“What about the ramen shop in Shibuya? My treat!”

“Alright! We can go on the train together to Shibuya, then!”

“C-Cool beans!”

As soon as he walked away, he was internally celebrating and had the goofiest smile on his face.

Ann will assign the guys to “prep” Ryuji for their study date while she takes the girls to “help” S/O

What do the guys do to prep Ryuji? Well, everyone gives him strange dating advice, besides Akira who now has some experience in being in a relationship.

“I get it, I get it! I won’t say anything stupid, now can ya stop pestering me?”

How do the girls help you? Well, their actually a bit more helpful! Haru and Ann initiate on styling your school uniform a certain way to make it more flashing, and also attempt at styling your hair either by putting in cute hairclips or puffing it up.

Haru will also give you a pep talk before you go home!

“You can do it, Y/N! And if Ryuji-kun breaks your heart, he’ll feel the wrath of my axe!”

“R-Right..”

You meet up with Ryuji at the station, taking the train to Shibuya. It was hot and uncomfortable, being stuffed inbetween students and office workers like a sardine can sucked.

You two sighed in relief as you got off the train, then immediately losing eachother in the ocean of people.

After you two find eachother again, the both of you awkwardly agree to link eachothers arms in order to not lose eachother.

“J-Just hold onto my arm and you’ll be good, alright?”

It wasn’t as busy as you two walked down the streets of Shibuya, the two of you gleaming once you found the ramen place.

The two of you ordered your dishes and started some small talk, it wasn’t actually as awkward as Ryuji imagined it to be. Maybe he was just that comfortable with you to forget that this was supposed to be an awkward first date.

“Oh, you asked me to come here to study, right? So, what do you need help on? We have that English test coming up soon.”

“Huh? O-Oh! I didn’t actually needed to study.. I, uh..”

Yikes, he may have just dug himself a hole to confessing why he really wanted you here.

You noticed that he was hesitant on finishing his sentence, and your mind began to race. Wait, was this meant to be a date? Your cheeks flushed at his true intentions.

“Y-Y’know, if you wanted to hang out with me, you didn’t have to make up an excuse.. I-I would’ve said yes even if you asked me straightforward!”

It was silent for a few seconds, although you were in a public restaurant, it felt like the two of you were alone.

Ryuji finally broke the silence. “Y/N! Honestly, I..”

He got up suddenly, bending down onto the ground and bursting out,

“I like you! Please go out with me!”

Everyone stared at him strangely, did a highschooler just got onto the ground and confessed his feelings?

Speaking of everyone, Ann was intently watching with the rest of the Phantom Theives by her side once again. She is the matchmaker after all, it wouldn’t be efficient to leave the pair alone.

“What a flashy way to confess to someone.” Akira muttered.

“Shh! It’s gonna get good!” Futaba hushed him.

You felt embarrassed, speechless, but also quite flattered. You tried your best to look to answer.

“I-I like you too..!”

Ryuji looks up at you in shock, a blush spread across his cheeks

“F-For real?!”

You silently nod your head, while Ryuji has the biggest smile on his face. This strangely sweet moment only to be interrupted by a worker.

“Hey, kiddos, you either keep quiet or take your buisness somewhere else.”

“S-Sorry!” “Sorry!”

The rest of the date went off without a hitch! The two of you turning small talk into engaging conversations and not having a care in the world.

It was getting dark out, so the two of you went to the train station so you wouldn’t get stuck in Shibuya. Surprisingly enough, the Phantom Thieves were still keeping an eye on you two! Despite everyone else wanting to go home, Ann forced them to stay.

You and Ryuji stood in silence, the only thing you can hear is the echos of doors opening and closing, alongside the footsteps of busy people.

“Hey, Ryuji..”

“What’s up?”

You gulped, shyly fiddling with the straps of your uniform.

“Does this mean we’re dating now?”

Ryuji winced, trying to look for the right answer.

“I mean.. If you want to?”

You tried to hide the growing smile on your face, reaching your fingertips to interlock your hand with his.

“I’d like that.”

“C-Cool beans..!” He slightly squeezed your hand, his muscles soon relaxing.

[Extra]

“Well! My job here is done!” Ann patted down her uniform and grinned in pride. “I also snagged a video of this moment, too~”

“I hope their relationship goes well! We should probably leave them be now.” Haru excitingly said, her mind was running with cheesy romantic scenarios.

“Just make sure Ryuji or Y/N find it.” Akira chuckled at how prideful Ann seemed.

“Eh?! You recorded it? Let me see, let me see!” Futaba hurringly rushed to Ann’s side to take a glimpse of the video.

Afterwards, Ann will definitely tease you both with remarks of “It was so obvious you two liked eachother!” or “This bonehead here is too stupid to do it himself, so I had you help you two out.”

Ann is very happy for the two of you! She’ll prepare outfits for you whenever you and Ryuji go out and, if you’re a female, will do your makeup for you~

Dec 14 2020

Can I just say, this was so fun for me to write!!! I adore this prompt with all my heart and I hope you can tell I put my best effort into it! Please feel free to send in another Ryuji ask, this dork is adorable~

Thank you for Reading!

[shoichee]

Phantom Thieves of Hearts in KNB

Persona 5 x Kuroko no Basket crossover

[knb x s/o reader]

Headcanons on how KNB characters find out you were a member of the Phantom Thieves + what they do afterwards

Warning: very very brief mention of harassment/assault | mild spoilers up to Haru/mild insinuations of Akechi | mild spoilers of KNB’s “Last Game” movie

Part 2 is here! Part 3 is here!

Kuroko Tetsuya

you two started dating for a while, but recently, Kuroko began to notice out how you always seem to weasel your way out of group hangouts or turn down after school dates with him or just altogether disappeared without a trace/word

“Um, do you want to eat together at Maji Burger after school today?”

“Wahhh! I’m so sorry, Tetsu!” you hugged your boyfriend with regret before declining. “I already have plans today…”

or that one time when school ended and right when he turned to ask you if you wanted to walk home together, you were just… gone

you were becoming a Kuroko and he was worried

he tried to ask you about your behaviors but you always brushed him off or deflected the subject elsewhere

while he figured that he should wait before you were ready to tell him, he grew antsier as you grew busier and busier and had no time left for the two of you to hang out beyond just class

one day he decided to follow you using his lack of presence and unknowingly walked into the metaverse along with you

but he then sees your attire changed,

then some other people in costumes,

and weird monsters—

he was just standing behind a pillar the entire time and was waiting for the perfect time to go and confront you when you and the strange group encountered a hostile group of shadows and started battling like pros

his eyes were on you the entire time like: 👁🕳👁

you were so graceful, yet so fierce, and so badass—

after the whole battle, he sneaked up to you and tapped your shoulder for you to whirl around in complete shock

the other PT members were just as baffled about where he came from

Ryuji: “Quick, he’s an effin’ enemy shadow!”

Ann: “Ugh, Ryuji! Be quiet!”

Futaba: “Stuuuuupid, if he was a shadow I would’ve already alerted everyone.”

after Kuroko explains how he came over because he was worried about you as your boyfriend, everyone was gushing (Ryuji was salty that he doesn’t have a girlfriend still, and Yusuke was elated to have found his next art models)

after being sworn to secrecy and lowkey threatened by Haru and Makoto, Kuroko supports you from the shadows (ha ha, get it?)

he asks Riko to teach him how to do massages so he can massage your sore muscles after a rough metaverse run

it gives him more excuses to be with you and touch you and pamper you to his heart’s content

he may or may not have used massage times as an excuse to cuddle and smooch your neck and back

he sometimes asks you what his own “heart” looks like, and you assure him that he doesn’t have a palace because he’s the purest being ever

he pays more attention to the news regarding the PT and gets really worried when even the politicians get involved (you had to reassure him constantly)

he vibes super well with Joker because they’re the silent protagonists™️ with a sassy streak sometimes

he definitely bullies Ryuji, I can feel it

you actually teach him some of your own signature moves to help Kuroko develop new trump cards in future games (especially against Touou Academy)

he teaches you how to diminish your presence to sneak up on shadows even better than Joker’s ambushing

Kiyoshi Teppei 

this sweet man is so attentive to you and your needs, even if you didn’t ask anything of him

so when you came to watch the game between Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi, you were livid

he did not deserve this

even if you hated to watch the game, you stayed until the end, and after, you rushed to the lockers to check up on him

“Teppei! You idiot!” you were already tearing up. “You’re okay, right?”

you were holding his limbs and checking out all the wounds he was sporting

even when your boyfriend assured you, it went in one ear out the other

you were boiling in anger

he pinched your cheek

“I’m okay, (y/n).”

you grumbled and hesitatingly dropped the subject but that didn’t mean you wanted to drop the matter entirely

especially since you had the power to change other people’s hearts and their actions

but you didn’t want to bring it up to your PT members, since at first seemed more of a personal problem within the basketball matches rather than a widespread societal problem

that is, until Ryuji brought up that their own school’s basketball team got extremely roughed up and injured a couple weeks ago, but there were finally news of it coming out because the school tried to keep it quiet (but several students finally leaked the news out)

you then tentatively brought up about Seirin’s recent match

all of you guys did further research on the Kirisaki Daiichi basketball team’s history and you all found out how every basketball team they went against had their aces severely injured or taken out

time to change some hearts

mainly, the Kirisaki Daiichi starter players

luckily for you, Riko ordered Teppei to stay home for at least a few days to rest up before coming back to school, so you were free to do some thievery

you still visited Teppei’s home once or twice and brought snacks and balms (his grandparents love you)

so off the Phantom Thieves went, and you guys all went to work changing five hearts back to back

holy shit, their shadows in Mementos were just as brutal, all of them having their own special foul play or bad attitudes in some type of way even in combat (Yamazaki was the one who didn’t use foul play, but he had brute strength)

the PT succeeded in changing their hearts but got dark bruises and deep cuts in exchange

you in particular had it the worst

you took it upon yourself to play decoy/bait for all the shadows’s battles separately to let the other members finish it all of with All-Out-Attacks for each of them

you chuckled to yourself at how deja vu it all was to you, and you now kinda see what Teppei was talking about when he was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends

Haru was trying to wrap bandages on your forearms and lower biceps while Ann was applying alcohol to cuts on your legs and a few on your face

when you were treated, you were mostly fine, save for a few blue bruises peeking through everywhere and the abundance of white wraps around your limbs and a bandage or two plastered across your cheek

Joker ordered you to stay home for the next week, and you were fine with it; it would be way too suspicious to show up to school looking completely beaten up

so you were just chilling on the couch, flinching every now and then when your skin brushes over the fabric a little too fast or when your wounds touch anything, to be honest

meanwhile, Teppei was still at home recovering, but he pushed himself to at least be able to go to school starting the next day

day 2 crawled by, and now you’re really feeling the injuries now; everything was beyond sore and that didn’t even account for the natural exhaustion your body felt from coming back after a metaverse trip

in other words, you got double whammied and your body ached to move

you weren’t immobilized but you really preferred to sleep it off all day

you knew that at this time, Teppei would probably push himself to go to school today to see you, so you sighed before you reached for your phone

you texted Riko to tell Teppei that you had gotten sick IF he asked about you; you didn’t want to text Teppei directly because you knew he would immediately come over to your house and then see you in your state, but not letting anyone know where you were would send your poor boyfriend in a panic

you also didn’t want him to worry about you when he had his own body to worry about first

second day passed by without much incident surprisingly, and so you decided to check your phone to see a text from Riko from earlier:

I told Teppei not to bother you or visit you because you needed to recover without any distractions, and him coming over or texting you would just make you not get the rest you needed. Hope you get better soon!

Riko, the MVP

today’s the third day, and your wounds were still so obvious; Joker was right, you were gonna need at least a week

but being absent for a week was also suspicious in itself for student attendance

you heard a distinct knock knock on your house door and you knew you couldn’t avoid Teppei any longer

you shuffled yourself to the door, muttering a few curses of pain here and there before you quietly clicked the door open

when Teppei saw you littered in injuries, he was at first shocked, then confused, then heartbroken that you hid this all from him, and then furious

“Who did this to you?”

“I—uhhhhhhhhh—”

“... Why’d you hide this from me?”

he pushed the door further and let himself in, ignoring your weak protests

he gently scoops you up, gives you a forehead kiss, and walks you over to your room to gently place you on the edge of the bed; he settles himself on the floor beneath you

he looks up at you imploringly to tell him, his arms reaching up with his abnormally large hands to cup your cheeks, thumbing the bandaid on your cheek

“Please… tell me.”

he never uses pleas in these sorts of contexts because he’d feel like he would be pressuring/coercing you into doing something you weren’t comfortable with, but when he did, you knew he was serious, and your resolve easily crumbled

so you spent the rest of the day telling about your double life as the Phantom Thief while he hugged you from behind with his chin on your head

when you finished explaining the basic concepts and the steps to change a heart, Teppei grew silent until he said:

“You still haven’t told me where you got the bruises from.”

“Huh? Didn’t I just tell you that we have to literally battle shadow monsters to change people’s hearts?”

Teppei hums but he taps on the bandaid on your cheek

“You sound like you’ve been doing this for a while, yet this is the first time where you went absent from school, let alone sustain injuries to this degree.”

Shit, you were going to leave out stuff regarding the Kirisaki Daiichi, but sometimes, you forget that Teppei is actually quite sharp despite his oblivious demeanor

so you shyly confessed the rest of the events you hid from him, afraid of how he’ll react once he hears what they did in combat

“I see…” he trailed off, and you held your breath

“And from what you said, they’ll change?...”

you nodded and said, “They won’t be terrorizing any more basketball teams with their dirty plays.”

“That’s a relief,” he sighed. “Although…

I don’t like the idea of you being hurt by their hands.”

“Glad to know our feelings are mutual,” you dryly replied.

he gave a hearty laugh for the first time that day

“I guess so.”

first operation of business once you mostly recovered was to tell the PT that your boyfriend knew and how he came to know about them; everyone took it rather well once you explained yourself and trusted you to keep Teppei in check

thankfully, you don’t get those awful wounds again, but once in a while, when you do come in with a nasty bruise or two, Teppei comes into your house with takeout food and applies a bunch of ice packs for you

Aomine Daiki

you were really good at sports

like... really good at it

sometimes during PE, you would do random trickshots with the ball in the respective sport for the day, or you would do a rather skillful maneuvering to dodge incoming balls from other players, and Aomine LOVED watching his little significant other wiping the floor with your classmates

he, being way too excited at the possibility that you might actually be a challenge for him, challenged you to a one-on-one in basketball

on the street court, you moved as if you were one with the ball, guiding its course as you ducked under his protruding arm, sidestep him as you predicted his change of pace, doing really elaborate spins as you avoided him with ease

were you striking flamboyant poses every time you made a hoop??

he obviously won, but you gave him way too much trouble for someone who he hardly ever saw play basketball

“hey, were you secretly practicing basketball for years and you just never told me?”

you just shrugged and said that you sometimes played for fun with your relatives, but even Aomine, who’s a general idiot, didn’t 100% buy that reasoning 

he first thought you were just a Kise 2.0 who had the natural talent to copy and learn from people really fast… but the more he thought about it, the more it didn’t make any sense

where the fuck would you copy a spin-duck-juke-flip combo move? those movements were nowhere close to the orthodox forms of any sport

one day, while he was still thinking about you on the rooftop, he called Momoi

“Oi, Satsuki, research up my (y/n), yeah?”

after being startled out of her wits that he directly asked her for a favor, she went right to work, closely examining you during PE for the next few days

meanwhile, Aomine has just been poking and prodding about where you learned those moves (spoiler alert: he was clinging onto you and draping his lanky arms all over you to get you to fess up)

Momoi’s results: you were extremely agile and nimble like Aomine but you had a huge streak in creativity and craftiness, especially when outsmarting your “opponent”

you were pretty good at balancing your phantom thief life, love life, and school life (you always finished up homework during school, Aomine always naps up the rooftop in the evening and you had the free time to leave for your PT time)

however, when Aomine started getting clingier because he was so damn curious about you, you were no longer able to slip away and use the excuse of “I have a particular schedule and curfew because of my family” because he’d insist he’ll walk you

you then had the idea to let him walk you to your house first, then wait until he leaves, and then go meet up with the PT gang

it worked for a couple weeks, but the added physical work of walking to your home, and waiting for him to leave, and then you dashing to the hideout to make it on time really leaves you beyond exhausted especially after you go on dungeon grinds

in other words, you started sleeping in class a lot and slept on Aomine during lunchtime at the rooftop (which he at first did NOT complain)

he only really started being suspicious when you out-slept him; he’d always wake up in the evenings just to see you still snoozing

you overslept one evening and when you straightened yourself awake and checked your time, you visibly paled and in a panic, grabbed your bag and booked it without a goodbye

you forgot about a confused Aomine who was right next to you

as you dashed to your destination, he was right behind you, worried about what exactly happened that got you so distressed

you headed to a particular coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya (don’t worry, Touou Academy is located in Tokyo as well), and when you sharply rounded a corner, you activated the metaverse app, accidentally sucking in a trailing Aomine

“Wow,” Aomine whistled, after recovering from his shock from seeing you in a more extravagant/raunchier attire. “Babe, you look great.”

you inwardly sighed

out of all things, the first thing on his mind was how you looked, and definitely not the fact that the atmosphere was all distorted

“Daiki, sit tight… I’ll be back.” you pushed a protesting bluehead out of the metaverse before you turned to your PT friends who were watching the ordeal silently

“This looks like deja vu, doesn’t it Mona.”

“Ugh, I still haven’t forgotten what you did, Ryuji.”

“Lady Ann, I would never handle you like that—”

“Liar.”

you all did business as usual, and you asked Joker if you could at least explain to your boyfriend the basic going-ons; he nodded

the next day after the information sunk into Aomine’s dense head, he still wanted to see you in your phantom thief outfit (you smacked his arm)

still, it finally explained why you were unbelievably nimble

from now on, every free time you had together, he drags you to the court to play one-on-one’s; he might even practice and pick up some of your own moves to use in his games

when you’re exhausted (quite often), he always offers up his shoulder for you to sleep on, or even better, lets you sit between his legs as you lean against his chest, cradled between his arms

after Aomine dumps off his old porn mags to Ryuji, they suddenly become best friends JWBWITBWJ jk, but in all honesty, Aomine was surprised to see Ryuji expressing the same level of passion (about track) like Aomine does for basketball (apparently Yusuke’s passion for art flies over Aomine’s head because “I don’t get it, they’re just scribbles”)

you guys may or may not teach each other different parkour moves, just for fun

Midorima Shintarou

when you first met him, he found it super odd that you didn’t find his obsession with oha asa off-putting at all

sure, you raised a brow when you first found out, but you never really joked about it nor did you seem to care right after

“Is that your lucky charm today, Midorima?” indicating to his ziplock of herbs

“Yes.” he adjusted his frames “Today is an average day for cancers like me, nanodayo”

“Okay”

“Okay?” he thought, caught off guard not only at the fact that you were the first person to bring up that it was a lucky item in a conversation, but you being so casually accepting as well

usually people ask him the more logical question what the hell he was holding rather than if what he had was a lucky item

he chastised himself for overthinking, he probably had a particular reputation and thought rumors spread to most people about his oddities, and that you weren’t an exception

in truth, you saw way more concerning things than some green haired boy holding a phone book around

in other words, the only way to really make you shook is to just pull out something scarier than all those shadows from the metaverse

besides, Joker has a few weird inventory items of his own: moonlight carrots, random accessories and weird trinkets as weapons and gears… you name it, he’s got it all

honestly, Midorima just reminded you of Joker in terms of both of them having the weirdest items but then turning out to be unexpectedly useful sometimes, and you’re just really amused

Midorima would probably start crushing on you once he was panicking because he thought he was careless when losing his lucky item (in reality: Takao decided to fuck around with him), and after you noticed his visible distress, you offered your dried squid (which you coincidentally packed for lunch today as a snack)

you heard him mumbling about where the squid was and so you handed him your package and asked him if this was the lucky item for today

once he quickly nodded, you tossed it him and said that it was his to take

Midorima was sputtering, oh no

he’s fallen and he can’t get up

after beating the ever living shit out of Takao, he’d reluctantly confess that he’s “interested” in you; Takao got the memo and cackled

next few weeks pass by with you two making small talk before class and during breaks, with a snickering Takao always nearby

Takao, being wingman, invites you to watch a Shutoku home game (cue Midorima staring daggers)

so you showed up, and boy you were SHOOK

no shadow would ever be able to do some accurate shots and aiming like that

so it kind of became a ritual of yours to go to the home games whenever you can (if PT activities didn’t interfere), plus you’d figure Joker would do something similar to learn skills useful for the PT

so you decided to observe the team (mainly Midorima) and maybe watch their moves to see if you can apply them to battle

oh, why is he so good-looking even when he’s especially sweaty and—

Midorima will never admit it, but he always looks for your face when he walks into the court before he relaxes 

“Shin-chan, looking for your lover?”

“Shut up, Takao.” 

but his blushing gives him away so badly and Takao keeps busting out laughs, holding his stomach

your presence kinda became Midorima’s new lucky charm for the games

and you two got closer now that you had new topics to talk about (basketball and other hobbies)

it was only until Midorima asked about what you did in your free time that you stopped and just went silent, caught off guard that he was interested in your life beyond school

“Uhhhhhhh…” you couldn’t tell him you steal hearts on the downlow

“I just… do a lot of volunteering”

“Is that so, nanodayo.” he didn’t deliver it as a question, as he narrowed his eye at your reaction (where you were generally normally collected)

one day after school, when Midorima went to go look for you, he found you with Joker

and you looked very close with him

jealousy as green as his moppy hair reared its ugly head and he didn’t know whether to approach you or leave you be… until Takao pushed him from behind

“O-oi!”

“Ah, Midorima! There you are! I was waiting for you!” you called him over, while Joker was silently assessing the green-haired man from the glint of his frames

he awkwardly headed over to you, and you introduced Midorima and Joker together and you told Mido that Joker was a really good friend and coworker

“You work, nanodayo?”

wait wait wait shit that was a bad slipup—

“(y/n) works with me sometimes on several odd jobs around Tokyo—”

“A-and I volunteer afterwards!...”

Joker gives you a look of exasperation and “you suck ass at lying, holy crap”

you wanted to slowly introduce your crush to your PT friends, so you did, every week, you’d ask each one/two to come to Shutoku where you’d introduce them to Midorima

Midorima is secretly happy that you’re opening up about your personal life to him, although he constantly gets a naggy feeling that something wasn’t right, especially when your “friends” kept acting weird sometimes when he asked the specific questions of:

“Do you guys always hang out?”

“Where do you guys even meet up if I never saw (l/n) with you anywhere near Shutoku?”

“How’d you guys meet?”

“How long have you been friends?”

oh no, this was gonna go south for you fast

thankfully, your friends were decent actors (Ann, not you) 

Midorima really vibes with Yusuke’s wavelength, and Yusuke praises Midorima for “his expression of art through the use of his lucky charms”

Midorima feels weirdly happy that someone for the first time is unabashedly praising him about his superstitions LMAO

anywho, so you and Midorima were kind of in the “more than friends” situation as time went on, but he was still frustrated that he wasn’t exactly “close” to you emotionally; he knew you were hiding something from him

one day, you stopped coming to his games for 4 consecutive games

Midorima is kind of dying

he’s dying and really scared that you’re not into him or he did something wrong, but he’d rather die than ever admit it

one day you approached him really nervously, and ask him to come with you to an area in Shibuya aND HE THINKS YOU’RE GONNA BREAK UP WITH HIM EVEN THOUGH YOU GUYS AREN’T EVEN OFFICIAL

you start apologizing at the fact that you couldn’t come to his games and Midorima insisted it wasn’t a problem (yes it was, he was so stressed)

actually, for the past few weeks you were hoping your PT gang would approve Midorima and later on you hoped to tell him about your thievery with your friends’ approvals

you bring him to your PT gang and from there all of you explained what you all did, confessed what you all were hiding, etc. (they trusted him as per your begging and pleas)

you told Midorima that you couldn’t make his games recently because of those PT activities

he thought you all just lost it and he thought you were mixed up with some crackhead junkies and tried to pull your arm to leave ASAP

but Joker just gives a smirk before he activated the metanav and sucked everyone in

Midorima’s reaction is like Makoto’s when she first witnessed the metaverse

after the whole ordeal and him digesting the information, from that point on, he gives you small lucky items/charms and makes you take them along in your inventories “just in case” but we all know it’s because he’s worried for your safety

oh and you officially became a couple ( ˘ ³˘)♥

bonus: you pester Midorima to teach you how to “shoot” more accurately/farther to help with your PT battles especially in throwing projectiles like *model* daggers and shurikens

he gets along best with Yusuke and Makoto

Akashi Seijuro

so in this au, the PT gang more or less goes to Rakuzan with you or at least goes to a school near yours in Kyoto

this headcanon also takes place shortly after “Last Game,” so his “Oreshi” side reigns

so since the o.g. PT originated in a Kyoto school (in this AU, rather than Shujin Academy), Akashi, as student council president, had more or less heard it from the principal to be wary of this similar “prank” with other kids, and to give harsher discipline if anyone was caught doing so

honestly Akashi thought these people were really over-reacting to mere rumors, but he’ll do what he’s gotta do to maintain order at school

nothing escapes this guy’s eye, literally

he noticed how you’re paying more attention to any nearby conversations that mention the key phrase, “phantom thieves”

“Darling, is something the matter?”

“Oh, sorry, I was just curious in what they were saying,” you said, tugging his hand with yours as you walked on ahead

you weren’t lying at the moment, his eye didn’t see any signs that you often did when you do lie

you knew being a phantom thief while dating THE Akashi Seijuro was a suicide mission but you literally prayed to fucking Igor that your acting skills were sufficient enough in getting past his radar (you asked Joker to help you with this; never ask Ann for acting tips)

Joker suggested for you to try to give half truths, and when you give whole truths, to make them vague and casual enough

for the next month, it was all fine, Akashi hadn’t suspect a thing and things were going uphill for the phantom thieves as well

your group was getting coverage from even the big news channels

but if something grows popular, there’s bound to be gossip, malicious slander, and lies

Akashi was just getting overwhelmed by requests from administration and faculty to try to control the students’ enthusiasm for the PT and deter their efforts in openly showing support

of course, you help him with his paperwork often 

you’re just reading all these papers and you’re trying to stifle your laughs

“What’s so funny, love?” he teased, eyes narrowing affectionately at you

“They’re just really ridiculous.” you were honestly dying at the fact that some kids think the PT members were super spy agents from abroad sent to undermine society

and he had to admit, they were, and he responded with a light chuckle of his own

the next day, while you two were cooped up in the student council room to sort through papers, a female student timidly walked into the room and asked for help specifically from Akashi

a PE teacher was allegedly touching female students, and she happened to be one of the victims; none of the adults took her seriously so she hoped Akashi would appeal to them

you were next to him, gritting your teeth and digging your nails into your palms as you were hearing this scared girl being forced to turn to another peer because she couldn’t get help from any adults around

Akashi vows to make her request his top priority and you swore you found another reason to love this redhead of yours

as soon as the student left, Akashi squeezed your shoulder to comfort you and you put your own hand over his, squeezing it back

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me, my love.”

you smiled, although in your head, you’re planning to tell this to the PT to settle this in a different manner

mission success, you changed the heart of the teacher and news spread like wildfire in Rakuzan once he confessed and turned himself in

everyone hailed Akashi as a hero, since the female student thought he must’ve did something

Akashi might’ve talked to some other teachers to convince them to speak out the other day, but he didn’t do anything to warrant such a drastic change in the perpetrator’s behavior

he frowned; you were the only one with him at the time the student asked for help

as more news of PT pop up, this incident was too convenient to call it a coincidence 

it’s time that the two you had a talk

as he walked briskly around campus, trying to look for you, he noticed you and the PT gang together; he’s seen them around with you for the longest time and knew they were your friends, and none of them raised any alarms in his head… until now

“Hey, (y/n), are you sure it was okay to change his heart right after you heard that student’s request?”

“Yusuke, I… know it’d look really conspicuous considering the surge in news coverage,” you started. “But the point of us starting this thing was to help others in need! If we’re just waiting around to keep a low cover just for our own convenience, then what’s the point of being Phantom Thieves?”

Akashi stopped in his place, amazed at your resolve

“... Shall we finish the rest of the Memento requests?” a deep voice rang out, belonging to a certain ravenette, Joker

everyone nods, a unanimous decision 

the metanav activates, and Akashi immediately noticed the change in atmosphere 

he tried to escape it but once it activated, it already pulled him in

the PT members don’t notice him and they walked a few meters ahead onto the tracks, until Futaba cried out that there was a strong shadow

“Guys, careful! Powerful shadow detected right at the entrance of Mementos!”

“Bwah?—that’s impossible!” Morgana hopped to try to look at Futaba’s screen

as everyone runs back to the location, you gasped

“A-Akashi?”

no… there were two Akashi’s, one of them the real person, and the other his shadow

Akashi looks completely lost; it was like facing his “other” dominant self again except it wasn’t in his mind

it was real

“I thought we decided to become one again,” Akashi calmly spoke to his other self

“We have… but a part of you is hesitant to accept the new side that embodies both sides of the same coin that is you.”

“Isn’t that your significant other, (y/n)?” Makoto whispered, and you could only nod as your throat became dry

“Shouldn’t we help him?—” Haru started

“No,” you quietly whispered

it was something he needed to confront alone

Joker nods in understanding as everyone continued to watch, ready to jump in to help in case something goes awry

“You’re still afraid,” his shadow continued. “You still feel the guilt from how you treated others when you were me.”

Akashi said nothing, not denying a single thing the shadow said

“You’re correct, and while I am still wary of you,” he began. “I’m no longer alone. I have friends and a special someone to protect, and they would do the same for me.”

“What if you end up hurting them again? Maybe you’ll hurt your precious lover,” his shadow taunted

“Then they can deal with me however they see fit,” Akashi spoke with resolve. “Until then, I will be someone who will carry himself with dignity and share kindness with others like a true king.”

long story short, Akashi became a persona user after the iconic “I am thou, thou art I” monologue

Akashi took the pain of attaining the persona like a badass with such calmness; the only indication that gave away the fact that he was in pain was that he collapsed onto a knee and winced as he held his head with one hand, the other hand on the floor to stabilize himself

his mask would be like an extravagant masquerade ball mask, with three long, pointy feathers attached to the right side of the mask to give Akashi the silhouette that he’s wearing a tiny crown on the side of his head

Akashi’s attire would definitely have a blazer cape and a simple earring similar to Howl’s from Howl’s Moving Castle; lots of mahogany/burgundy/scarlet + browns color schemes

imagine after an All-Out-Attack, Akashi’s finishing screen says “My Orders Are Absolute” as you hear his voice say “Lower your head” over that

at first, Morgana suggested the codename as “King,” and while it would make sense, Makoto was already “Queen” and you rejected that idea on the spot for obvious reasons

Yusuke was very occupied gushing dramatically over Akashi’s PT outfit and how the colors just worked so well together with his hair too, and he suggested the name “Crimson” or “Scarlet”

it stuck (you can choose which you like better)

while Akashi isn’t an official member of the PT, he’s informed just as much as the official members, and he goes when he feels like the mission is a bit more dangerous than usual in order to protect you ｡•́‿•̀｡

he and Makoto would get along well since they’re both student council presidents and both love to strategize

however, Akashi is different; while Makoto analyzes shadow weaknesses, moves, and potential item drops, he provides position strategies since he noticed everyone just kind of stands adjacent to each other and directly in front of the enemy shadows

he likes to apply basketball systems of defense/offense depending on the situation of ambush to fully utilize each member’s abilities (like how he does with Rakuzan’s team)

once Joker introduces Akashi to Akechi and Hifumi, he’s over the moon

Akechi and Akashi are so similar in wit and personality (Bokushi side though, not as much the current Akashi) that Joker thinks he made the mistake of introducing two formidable figures together

he’s very impressed with Hifumi, and although he’ll still win the shogi matches against her, he acknowledges her as the best challenge he’s had since a long time 

you were kinda jealous that he was spending a lot of time with Hifumi playing back-to-back matches but he made it up to you with cuddles

you and Akashi are the power couple™️

imagine yours and Akashi’s showtime together !!

End Note: howdy there! if you would like to see more persona 5/knb crossover headcanons, just submit over names of other knb characters you would like to see this particular headcanon for hehe

[1eos]

on that one post u were like "i have to rewrite narratives to make them better" and im the same way, so i wanted to ask since youre playing p5 rn, what would you change about p5 to make it better? i love all the characters sm... but some of them r just handled so poorly cough cough ann... so im interested in hearing ur thoughts!!

oh im so glad u asked. after 300 hrs in persona 5 i have THOUGHTS. so i think p much every character in p5 has a p good introduction nd base but the nuance of their motivations nd growth go out of the window ESPECIALLY for ann nd ryuji. under the cut ofc bc im a long winded bitch 😔

i would rewrite everything abt ann post kamoshida tbh bc the whole thing abt the first arc was abt women nd kids being treated like objects just to treat her like an object the whole time? hell no. for one her pt outfit would NOT be that. i love a catsuit but the boob window was evil. nd ALSO i would have the male character NOT remark on her body as they get closer actually i would rewrite ryuji to not be flirty towards ann at all bc there's a moment where u find out they went to the same junior high nd knew each other nd i would rather have a kinda reunited sibling vibe bc ann’s whole thing is abt not feeling safe so for her friends to look down her shirt as a joke is.............no.

also her confidant would have to be kinda rewritten. again i think its weird for ann to lament abt her looks making her a target then her goal is to be a model....? nd she has no real drive for it? atlus basically just like to make lovers arcana girls famous PERSONALLY i would make ann’s route abt finding out what she actually wants to do bc she has no passion the way shiho had for volleyball nd finding out who she is beyond her looks nd beyond being shiho’s friend. like ann has no hobbies mentioned in game other than eating sweets nd not doing her homework but it always circle back to her weight 😐

nd bc of the above i would tweak yusukes introduction to be him either wanting to draw the protag bc atlus was so close to like........a good narrative on how artists should love the human body regardless of gender nd spare ann being treated as a walking pair of tits or just him wanting to draw her with her clothes ON nd it being a moment abt capturing inner nd outer beauty rather than tits

who else.........oh ryuji. im tired of atlus turning characters w unexplored trauma into comic relief. they do it to kanji too to the point where its homophobia nd its like.........why? nd there are so many moments where ryuji lashes out then APOLOGIZES bc he recognizes the behavior is bad nd its prime time to explore his relationship w his father. or even explore the relationship w the staff? like every teacher believed lies abt him AND the protag so eye think it wouldve been beneficial to get moments where the public opinion of both u nd ryuji changes for the better once kamoshida is exposed. 

nd honestly that dumbass part of the game where morgana leaves the party couldve been ryuji. i think it wouldve been justified to have him blowing up after the nth time he was treated as a joke or throwaway despite having as much emotional baggage as the rest of them. like ryuji is the first one to stand up to men who bother the girls nd they rag on him for nooooooo reason i think calling everyone out on being so callous nd treating him like comic relief wouldve been better nd it still couldve segued into getting haru bc after he stormed out he couldve seen haru w her shit stain of a fiance nd then jumped in to save her from him..........like i see the vision

akechi............................................................my biggest gripe w the game. akechi is such a weak villain until the very end nd ik atlus wanted to recreate the iconic narrative foil between the p4 protag nd adachi but it doesnt work 😭😭😭 for one akechi is bland nd has no real personality besides being sneaky but WE AS THE AUDIENCE DON’T EVEN GET THAT. actually no first of all making akechi a detective was so fucking stupid like again....they just wanted to recreate naoto from persona 4 but worse. 

i would double down on making akechi joker’s other half. have him be another normal student that stumbled upon powers nd double down on him being fake!!!!!! have him help the party one minute just to actively put them in harms way there was no real rivalry btwn u nd akechi which is why facing him in the end fell flat other than the great voice acting nd twist of him having multiple personas but like......we need more hints! imagine akechi hinting that he sees the velvet room? 

also his route being automatic 🤮 ik p5 was bogged down w links but in my p5 akechi is a night slink thats kinda offputting? like u don’t get closer to him per se but u do see more sides of him nd he can even give u a fake request nd when u go into the metaverse he’s there nd its even weirder. wasted potential with that one

that’s p much all of my big changes other than no kawakami or ohya romance fakfajfkafjakkjf thank u for reading all of this im sorry i talk so much

[akechicrimes]

so i wanted to talk about why i really like the way royal portrays the interactions between haru, futaba, and akechi.

in royal, insofar as i can see, haru is treats akechi with a sort of kindly polite working relationship. i actually cannot determine whether or not that’s because it’s akechi, or if it’s just because he’s a boy. her relationships with girls tend to be focused on spreading positivity and being kind, while she doesnt seem to be anything less than formal and shy with the boys--except mona, of course, but that’s a little different because he’s a talking cat.

futaba, on the other hand, seems to treat him like a potential traitor for comedic effect, which i can’t imagine she’d be doing if she thought he was going to betray them for real. (we already know what futaba did when she knew akechi was going to betray them, which was put everything on lockdown and bug his phone.) on the other hand, people do tend to make jokes about things that worry them, so akechi’s betrayal does seem to be on her mind either way.

haru is, notably, the first person to advocate for bringing akechi on the team, seconded by futaba. both of them cite the fact that they need the manpower, and both of them seem to be of the opinion that if he betrays them again, they’ll just squash him like they did the first time.

which is a very notable difference from the direction fandom interpreted that relationship. and i like the way that fandom interpreted haru and futaba as potentially never forgiving akechi for what he did, but i do think there’s a lot of merit in royal’s take.

in royal, haru and futaba’s concern seems to be primarily that he’ll backstab them again. specifically, when they’re discussing akechi joining the PT a second time, both of them reference akechi’s betrayal rather than necessarily his murders.

for some reason, the issues with wakaba and okumura aren’t even on the table. even when futaba and haru talk about losing their parents a second time in their third-tier awakenings, they talk generally about losing someone they love, like they’d died of illness, or an accident, or natural causes--like it was something unfortunate for which nobody is really to blame.

to be fair, it seems that they’ve already blamed someone: shido, who’s in jail. the situation has been resolved. they’ve done what they can to hold the people accountable to task. futaba at one point specifically says that shido is the one who killed her mother. i don’t think haru gets as far as saying “shido killed my father,” but considering the way she behaves in royal, i’m going to wager she’s on a similar page. 

the stance here seems to be that although akechi may have really truly and outrageously fucked up, the deaths of wakaba and okumura are still ultimately shido’s fault. shido was the one who ordered those hits, for one. for two, shido’s the person who created and masterminded the entire government conspiracy that eventually led to both wakaba and okumura being silenced for what they know. and, considering that okumura was the one ordering literal assassinations of his business rivals to grow his own business through his connection with shido’s conspiracy, and that okumura was assassinated because shido’s conspiracy cut him loose, we should also be fair and add that okumura’s death was partly his own fault anyway.

so, from what i can see, the attitude isn’t necessarily that haru and futaba have completely forgotten that akechi is technically the person who shot and killed their parents. but they’re also very aware that the situation was more complicated than that, that shido is primarily responsible, that akechi was a victim in his own ways, and, at the end of the day, they kind of do need him to get back to reality. 

the vibe is almost like, sort of like the p5 fandom, the PT don’t really know what to do with akechi. he’s not outright a villain. he’s not one of the PT. they’re sympathetic, although understanding that he’s done terrible things. what’re you supposed to do with that?

i think, in particular, this is reflective of a very interesting dynamic that’s widespread across royal: everyone in royal seems to be much more forgiving of akechi than akechi is.

forgiving might be a too strong of a word, but at the very least, the phantom thieves’ treatment of akechi is almost hilariously understated considering what he’s done. they sometimes rib him in mementos, but not really any more seriously than they rib, say, ryuji. there’s several mementos dialogues where people make small talk with him--nothing super personal, but general platitudes that you’d exchange with someone you don’t know extremely well, like talking about your health and good sleep. they’re notably wary of him as a potential threat on several occasions, but obviously not so wary that ann won’t cheerily talk to him about thrift-shopping. 

as uncomfortable as i imagine those group dynamics must be, from an outside perspective it’s fucking hilarious because akechi is literally just the awkward villain-turned-friend that sometimes they invite out to parties but he just stands there awkwardly in the corner because nobody knows what to fucking do with him, least of all akechi himself. 

but from a more serious perspective, i do think that again, there’s a bigger issue at play. 

saying “akechi is not the one who killed okumura, it was shido” erases the fact that akechi was--apparently--willingly involved in the operation. i think royal makes it clear that he had mixed feelings on it, and wanted to back out of it on several instances (see: his confidant with akira where he hints at bad things to come, and warns akira not to proceed), but in the end, he did still go along with it. he sure did walk into that interrogation room and make the conscious decision to shoot joker in the head. in the end, even if it wasn’t enough to refuse shido’s orders, akechi still did have some measure of agency.

in order to respect that akechi did have agency in the situation, that means he needs to be held accountable for his piece of it, which means that he feels he needs to be held accountable and tried before the law. 

so, any amount of apparent forgiveness from the phantom thieves--particularly from haru and futaba--would seem like they’re ignoring that he was (or at least felt like) a willing participant in shido’s conspiracy. 

(i would go into a further discussion about how in royal, akechi seems to hold agency as a good purely in and of itself. agency should not be given up under any circumstance, even if the rewards for doing so are immense. it doesn’t matter if maruki is solving worldwide problems with his gigantic dreamworld palace, what matters is that it’s removing free will and the ability to make your own decisions for your own life. akechi holds that nothing is worth losing your agency--nothing, not even a perfect happy end. it means a lot to him. enough that he’d insist on it, even if it means that this means insisting that he should be held accountable for all his bad decisions and murders.)

that, in turn, probably explains a lot about akechi’s insistence on returning to reality, his insistence on going to trial and being held accountable in joker’s stead, his stand-off-ish behavior with the rest of the phantom thieves. haru’s and futaba’s and the phantom thieves’ general willingness to shift the blame onto shido goes against akechi’s own insistence on himself as a meaningful actor in his own life. 

...in any event. with that analysis of royal’s character interactions out of the way, i sort of do want to address the fact that some people are unhappy that royal did not address wakaba’s and okumura’s deaths more, or centralize haru and futaba’s losses in royal’s narrative. i’ve seen 1000 takes and 1000 fanfics in which futaba and haru hold akechi accountable for their parents’ deaths and do not forgive him for it. akechi is, quite literally, the person who pulled the trigger on both of their parents, so it’s fair. and i’ve seen a lot of fanfics and fans who’ve built up haru’s and futaba’s entire characterizations on their inability to forgive akechi.

i’ve seen discourse saying that “even if it’s not really akechi’s fault that okumura died, haru’s feelings are still valid.” which is also true, of course. she did grieve over her father, and in some universes, haru would not come to the conclusion that shido is primarily to blame. i think there’s a really compelling story in which haru knows logically that her father died because of his own mistakes, flirted with a government-wide killing ring and got hiimself killed for it, and she knows that it’s shido who killed okumura, but she still cannot find it in herself to really forgive akechi. it’s a very good and cool angle that i personally like a lot.

i like those stories too, is what i’m saying. it’s not the route that royal went with, clearly. but i sort of wanted to throw my hat in the ring about why i think that the interactions between haru, futaba, akechi, and the general PT in royal are also interesting in their own right.

EDIT: literally JUST saw this really good compilation post of haru and akechi’s mementos dialogue!!!

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Was reading your response to the Okumura Ryuji/Morgana fight, and the way the person worded Ryuji's character made me wanna ask... Do you think a bad fanbase is a fair reason to dislike a character? I've heard people say things like "no look at the character too", but... For example, I'm very neutral on Ryuji. When he's good, hes SO GOOD, EXCELLENT BOY, but Ann is my favorite girl. Guess who he pervs on exclusively and is rude to all the time? I've never seen his fans talk about (1/2 sorry)

His rude behavior, or his pervy tendencies, or his more selfish desires regarding the PT. That's fine!! Not everyone wants to constantly talk about bad things their fave has done!!! But people referring to him as a "woman respecting king" so insistently rubs me the wrong way, since he treats Ann Like That. That, and (more personal) i remember making a post/ask thing once about my grievances with Ryuji, esp his perv stuff, and the fans that interacted very aggressively denied his behavior (2/3)

And it even turned into a big discourse on the blog I submitted it to (it was that one confession blog). All the people that responded and just tried moving the arguments to "well Yusuke did this-" or even tried to push blame on Ann "she was asking for it" just kinda cemented my already growing dislike for Ryuji. Super sorry this is so long!!! Final question: is a bad fanbase a fair reason for disliking a character? (3/3)

Don’t say sorry about multiple sent asks, I don’t mind kfdsjla;fja As for the answer, I want to say yes and no, but really it’s just “yes with a side note attached.” Yeah, it’s ok to not like a char because of their fans, but I think it’s as long as you know why you dislike the char beyond the fans (well tbh, imo it’s usually the crazy fans so I think stans is a better word, but even then there’s diff stans). And tbh, I....can’t....think of a character I don’t like that the fandom/fanbase does....but I know nothing about the char all the while (closest and most recent example this....is....I know people dislike that grey haired moe blob on twitter even tho I don’t think they watched the show, and while I’m not a fan of the moeblobness I don’t know anything about the char so I’m personally not upset). I can only name chars I don’t like because of what happens in the text, fandom be damned (but sometimes they don’t help). Which is why it’s a yes with a side note. If you don’t like the char despite not knowing them.....probably get to know the char first even if your impression is clouded by the fandom....at least you gave the char a chance. 

Under cut cause length (first few sentences in the first paragraph under the cut/tldr at the end gives you the answer a bit more in depth, the rest is rants related to that and why I get frustrated in a similar sense too, but yeah sorry if I repeat myself, I kinda jumped all over + my tendency to try to nail a point home I feel like might’ve had me repeat a bit more than usual akslfjdakfjaf):

I say this because.....it’s hard....it’s hard to keep them separated, unless you completely isolate yourself from the fandom (which is basically impossible if you wanna keep up with news, even the comment section is part of the fandom tbh...and you might be looking down their for diff reasons). And then.....well...the big reason....sometimes seeing the fans really highlights the reasons you dislike the char. That’s what happened to me and Makoto, specifically cause of....a certain fan (and buddy if you happen to see this, nothing against you, no bad blood, def won’t mention your name I respect you and the debates we had)....AND TO THE TUMBLR READERS WHO GET NERVOUS: It wasn’t on this website in case anyone is freaking out so if you’re thinking “Oh god it’s me” it is most likely not you (tho I think we do know each other on here cause of usernames/saw each other in passing but we def aren’t mutuals last time I checked), and while I do respect that person.......my god did they highlight the reasons I had issues with P5 and Makoto. Ironically in trying to defend her and show off her good sides, I realized the writing issues more and more and her bad sides became more glaring. It turned my frustrating dislike and attempt to try to work out my issues with her and P5 (ironically “working out” in hindsight would’ve been me....denying and refusing to look at P5′s flaws) into....well......the salt factory you know today. (same thing happens with like......Yukari and Junpei fans too tbh...that’s more recent tho, it feels like they are just downplaying their negatives constantly and I’m not about that). Basically, you probably have issues already, they are just more pronounced now. 

As for “look at the character”....you kinda already are doing that, and that’s probably where your existing issues originated from (tho if someone wants a more in depth reason as to why, while you DON’T OWE them an explanation, it is also hard for someone to understand your feelings and reasons if you don’t try to explain). 

As for Ryu, yea, I getcha, I like the guy, I’m neutral positive on him....was my best bro but he’s 2nd best thanks to post-Kamo writing. I like him because of his positives, but I always keep his negs in mind because. Cause like while I agree with the fans IT MAKES NO SENSE! P5′S WRITING IS BAD! it happened, same as I agree that Anne kicking Ryu’s ass, along with the other girls, is shitty. Hate the scene, and I accept that it happen (low key gonna start some kinda 2nd wave war with this bs cause the fandom be like that, but I’m really surprised no one took Anne smacking Ryu behind the neck cause he was being too loud as super offensive and abuse.......it’s def something a friend might do, not like belting him just a tap, and it’s framed as chill and also as warning him to reign in the volume control, but high key surprised no one has tried to cancel her cause of that). BUT that DOESN’T mean it erases all the creepy stuff he’s done. Is he the goodest boi when he’s being good? The best. Is he always a good boi? No, he def is not. And hearing that he is can be frustrating to people that do see his flaws (cause they are there). And like....you are 100% able to like a character despite and because of their flaws, while also accepting they have those flaws. I do it with Yosuke, Ryuji (for the most part), Teddie, Shinji, Ken, Kanji (when he’s not around Naoto, then he’s in a trash can for me), P1/2 casts, Aigis, Mitsuru, as long as the flaws are within reason and are treated pretty well....then I’m ok with it. (again, Kanji/Ryu have moments when I’m like....NOPE! but when they aren’t doing the bad thing I’m cool with them). As long as the flaws are withing reason (aka they aren’t making a jerk person out to be the person in the right, or the writing is trying to sweep what they did under the rug, or trying to force us into empathizing with them despite what they did while also trying ot sacrifice empathy towards another char.....*cough*Makoto/Yukari/Junpei*cough* if the writing isn’t doing that...... I’m probs neutral to pos on them). 

Like I’m fine if they are criticizing the writing and being like “Him doing this makes no sense cause it conflicts with the good boi we’ve already seen!” That’s a-ok! Not only do you recognize your char has flaws, you also are able to identify issues with the writing. But saying “so I’ll choose to ignore that scene” isn’t....ok. Because sadly it did happen, as contradictory it did happen. AU it all you want, but you have to accept it happened outside of that AU. Like, I don’t like the Mika conflict in Anne’s CoOp, by which I don’t like how it went down (100% fine with Mika, and there being conflict with her). How it the whole thing started doesn’t make sense if you put MainStory!Anne in her CoOp. MS!Anne can read the room and other people’s emotions (only other person capable of that is Haru, or at least with Mona), hell she was so good at it she noticed something was up with Shiho without Shiho telling her about it! The issue was the fact Anne’s not a mind reader and could only assume the issue Shiho was going through that Anne was aware of (and that was her spot on the team). Now MS!Anne is not like Yosuke, she doesn’t put her foot in her mouth. She’s not like Naoto who can’t read the room. She’s not super eloquent, but can empathize and when she can interact with people she can do it pretty well. So why the hell does she basically not think before talking and insult Mika? Sure Anne’s not GREAT at school, but she’s not a moron, she can talk to people. But her CoOp makes her a moron all around, 100% airhead, and that’s how her issues with Mika start, by not thinking before talking and accidentally insulting her via blatantly “not caring” about the job to a full time person......it’s stupid, it makes no sense, I hate it. But it’s there, the flaw might not be present in the main story, but for the all around character (cause CoOps are included) it is now and I just have to deal with it. We can bitch about it all day (and trust me I will) but it happened. Basically never frame it as “it didn’t happen,” but instead “It SHOULDN’T HAVE happened.” One is denial, the other is critiquing the text. 

Anyway my rant aside, yeah I hate it when...well Ren/Ryu/Yusuke (no one’s said Mona yet, cause....well yeah...which is good they haven’t labeled him as it yet tho), are labeled as “drinking respect women juice” and I’m like “I have one to a few women who would disagree.” I know some people will argue Goro is drinking it, and imo he’s not....he’s just eating the “I don’t discriminate sandwich” which is different. And yeah the “But Yusuke-” yeah yeah we’ll get to him, but right now we’re talking about RYUJI. I’m not a fan of derailing a topic *war flashbacks* *shivers* anyway. But yeah I remember that debate, I was probably one who was like “We’ll get to Yusuke but right now we’re talking about Ryuji” and pushing the blame onto Anne is disgusting and Kamo Arc!Ryuji would be very upset. >:( (btw high key I think I was the first one who started the first anti-makoto war wave with me saying “yeah Anne shouldn’t have apologized Makoto started it and blah blah she was an ass” not the exact words but basically just calling her out on her shitty behavior cause the game certainly didn’t......tho as Miley Cyrus would say.....”I didn’t mean to start a waaaaaar~!” I actually wrote my first Persona Problems on that topic.......but it got lost in the drafts....my photo examples kept getting messed up which is bad considering the whole post really relied on them....I should try to dig it up tbh....)

Tldr/short answer: Yeah, you probably already have issues with the char to begin with tbh, and the fanbase can highlight those issues more. It’s also hard to escape the fanbase (I see stuff I don’t wanna see despite trying my hardest to avoid certain circles, it just happens).

[it-will-not-last-the-night]

I don’t know

My emotions are opaque to me to an extent, that’s not surprising, I think everyone feels that way in some sense.

I just...I suppose I had forgotten how distressing I found Ryuji’s situation in the main game of P5 because for a long time when I thought of P5 all I’ve been thinking of is P5D and PQ2 and both do just treat him better. Even P5A did treat him better, removing any insinuation his closest friends would ever actually physically hurt him.

But as I’ve taken part in following people’s progress through Persona 5 The Royal, listened for leaks, kept my attention on it, followed it step-by-step...I find I once more just realized how very sad I find it.

I’m glad for fans of Akechi and Akechi/Ren because this game clearly decided they deserved a wealth of content, and that’s honestly good for them, they should enjoy it. Same for fans of Kasumi.

As someone who likes Ryuji though...I don’t know if P5R even adds a single new piece of content of anyone being nice to Ryuji for a change. Which means that, sadly, the negative is what stands out to me because, well, none of the PTs are treated as poorly by the rest as Ryuji is. Akechi is the only one comparable and he does actively try to murder them so it’s understandable, but even then, Akechi does at least get a wealth of new bonding content with Akira/Ren to somewhat offset this. 

Ryuji seems to get nothing but what he’s always had; he’s a joke, a loser, the butt of every joke and the friend singled out for derision and scorn.

Part of me wishes I’d never invested in Persona 5 as a fandom or Ryuji as a character. I like him, I really do, I draw enormous pleasure from my investment in him but, at the same time, my crushing awareness that this investment will likely never pay off in canon and, indeed, as time goes on in canon he will probably only accumulate more and more incidents in which his friends scorn and hurt him makes me fear it.

I just feel bad and don’t know. I just...wish something nice could happen to Ryuji for a change. That’s really as simple as it is. I just...wish there’d be a moment, in canon, of one of the Phantom Thieves, his friends, just honestly being nice, kind and friendly to him, tell him he’s not a useless idiot and that they appreciate him.

I just know it’ll never happen.

Having seen now past Christmas and seen the big twist (it honestly is exactly what you think it is) I feel pretty confident in saying there is no substantial or nice content for Ryuji added on at all in the game so I do not intend to get it. Again this is not a critique of the game, I’m sure it’s an improvement over the original, if anything maybe this is my realization just that if I could do things over I just would never have bought the game in the first place. 

[sassy-phantom-thieves]

Lucien’s Headcanons: The PT’s Have a Cold

Protagonist

Stays home from school

Don't ask me how that's okay with his probation & stuff

Wants to be left alone

Really cranky

Dramatic AF

“Just go... I’m only dying.”

Sojiro just leaves the meds with water on his desk

Morgana lectures him to no end

“I told you to bring an umbrella!”

This goes on until the meds kick in and he falls asleep.

Morgana tucks him in

Morgana

Outraged he even got sick

Whiney AF

“I shouldn't even be able to get sick!”

Literally won't shut up

*incessant cat noises*

Either too hot or cold

Mad he can't taste anything

Goes into the Metaverse and tries every cure ability he has

He thought that would work, It didn't

Ryuji

Stays home as well, unless he feels a little better than normal

Loud

Complain central

Doesn't want to take meds

Or go to a doctor

Will try some home remedies

Sticks tissues in this nostrils

Sleeps with his mouth open, drooling

Just kinda exists, moaning

“Ughhhhhhhh, why did this have to happen to meeee?”

Will 100% down a tablespoon of hot sauce to clear his sinuses

Ann

Stays home for a while, returns to school after lunch

Clingy AF

Wants to be taken care of

Will down all the meds

Including home remedies

Anything to make it stop

Will Eat Everything

*Incoherent mumbling about food*

“Mmmm, ramen... Sushi. Uhhh, burgers.”

Yusuke

No one's ever seen him sick

He locked himself in a room once and, presumably, waited it out

The entire group showed up to check on him

But he must have barricaded the door

Because Morana picked the lock and the still door wouldn't budge

Everyone was really concerned

He came out 3 days later totally fine

“I have never been sick and you can not prove anything.”

Makoto

Will go to school sick

She doesn't give a single fuck

All her whining is internal

Because Sae doesn't like it

But Sae will take care of her sister if she's not busy

Takes a shit ton of meds

Even to school

Everyone stays outta her way

Really, don't mess with her

She will destroy you

Futaba

She just goes back into hiding

Sojiro takes care of her

Gives her meds and checks up on her

Most of the time, she's in a coma-like-state

Really bad at focusing if awake

Prone to fever-induced-hallucinations

Will ask really weird questions

“How many golf balls will dance at the parade?”

“Please, go back to bed.”

Haru

Mopes around the house

Takes meds regularly

Sleeps with 5 pillows and 3 blankets

You'd think she sneezes really cute

She doesn't

it's almost painful to hear how hard she sneezes

She has maids & people to take care of her

They worry so much

She insists everything is fine

“Miss Okumura…”

“I’m okay, don't worry.”

Akechi

This boy is a mess

He was never taken care of or taught how to treat a cold

Either he takes all the meds he can find or none

Only goes places while sick, if he can cover it up

He has a reputation to uphold

If he can't cover it up, he plays it up for the media

He records a video for the tv station he was supposed to be on, after making himself look ‘cute sick’ and not 'deathly sick’

’“Ah, hello there. As you can see, I've come down with a pesky cold. Rest assured, I am doing everything in my power to get better and resume solving cases. I apologize for any inconvenience I might have caused.”

His fans eat it up

They send him get-well cards, chocolate, and stuff

Somehow, he still feels empty

[bonten-mikey]

Dazai and Akechi?

Thank you Tenko!! ily!!

Dazai;

How I feel about this character: I love him and I’m really proud of his development.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Aku, Kunikida, Oda, Yosano, Fyodor, and Chuuya a little (I don’t really like the ship as much anymore but they are cute together and there are some parts of it I still like.)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Atsushi and Ranpo

My unpopular opinion about this character: I really don’t like how he treats Aku even after leaving the mafia, I don’t see what Aku did to warrant that kind of behavior from Dazai. I also don’t like how he still holds a grudge with Ango after so long even after iirc Ango felt terrible for what happened.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I know we have a lot already but I wanna know more of his backstory. Why did he end up in the mafia at such a young age and where did he meet Mori? I have a lot of questions.

Goro:

How I feel about this character: I love him and he’s easily one of my top favorite characters from anything ever. I got into Persona bc of him!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: ME, Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Ryuji, Ann, and Sae

My unpopular opinion about this character: He isn’t that bad u guys are just mean  (fr tho idk if this counts as an opinion but he 100% loves all his fans you can’t convince me the boy who grew up w/o a family and who’s biggest wish is to be loved and wanted doesn’t adore the attention he gets from them and keeps all the gifts and letters they give them thanks for coming to my ted talk)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I realllllly wish he didn’t die. There was so much potential for the end and shido’s palace alone if he stayed alive. Even if it was just his cognition, I would’ve loved to see goro stand up to Shido and take him down. It would’ve been so badass had he been with the rest of the PT’s because I think it could’ve been a way to change his own heart (in a way since persona users don’t have palaces but I so wish he had one) also. Then there’s the whole holy grail business, I really wonder if Goro was aware of his part in the game. But we will never know…

[p5spoilersblog]

on goro akechi v2 ft screenshot evidence because people are misinterpreting like everything about him & spreading misinfo

1. He got his persona powers 2.5 years earlier than the rest of the cast, and that’s important. He was a lonely child who had gone through life with absolutely no one, having to be constantly reminded that no one ever wanted him. He had nothing in his heart but resentment for Shido because he didn’t know anything else. He approached Shido and offered to use his berserk powers(no murder involved) with the intent of stabbing him in the back later because he had nothing else to lose.

2. Shadow Shido openly brags about being the reason he was using his powers to kill, because they were Shido’s orders to begin with.

Shido also talks about continuing to use the cognitive world for evil, even when he had planned to have Akechi killed right after the election.

3. There was no way he could’ve known about the power to change hearts. Morgana is expressly the one who told Joker and Ryuji about it. Without Morgana, they wouldn’t have known. They had to take extra precaution to not trigger a mental shutdown in Kamoshida, because the method to it is pretty obtuse. There’s 2 points in the game where’s he upset about not having known about it earlier:

4. The mental shutdowns weren’t his idea, they were the orders of Shido and his political buddies. 

Here’s a compilation of evidence from the cruise ship of that: http://imgur.com/a/VE61s

So, yes, well established that everything was on Shido’s orders.

No, this doesn’t mean he’s 100% free of having to deal with the consequences of his actions, because he isn’t. He’s both a perpetrator and a victim, the game straight up calls him this.

The bulk of the blame should go to the person who actually wanted them dead rather than the hitman. In this case, the hitman was an abused kid who was in a do or die situation. No, the hitman is not totally innocent, this isn’t the point of this post.

(It’s worth nothing that if Shido wanted someone dead he more than likely would’ve found a way even if Akechi had tried to walk away. This is almost directly implied, as Shido talks about continuing to use the cognitive world after the election, when if everything had gone his way, he would’ve killed Akechi at that point anyway, as evidenced earlier in this post).

Here Shido offers a deal to the thieves, after Akechi was presumed dead, confirming that cognitive world things are going on with or without him. Along with a “those who disobey me must be eliminated.” The connection here is obvious.

In the text chat they have about him after sending the calling card, Haru says she thinks he was a victim too, Anne says he was a victim they couldn’t save. Ryuji says that while he can’t forgive him, he forgives Shido even less for warping him so badly. Makoto agrees with Ryuji. Morgana says that Akechi helped them all out in the end.

This should be obvious, his infiltration of the PT and assassination of Joker were on Shido’s orders. The first thing he does after Joker’s supposed death is call Shido and says that it’s done. The SIU director shows up occasionally talking to Shido on the phone talking about how their evil plan is going swimmingly, and at one point he even says “an idea so atrocious had to come from you(Shido).” Akechi was just a convenient tool to make that happen.

(The above cap is even before they learn that Shido was Akechi’s father).

It’s also worth noting that he got his powers earlier than the rest for a reason. As Lavenza revealed, he was cherry picked to be the one to oppose Joker. Akechi says that “be it god or demon, I finally had a chance” when he was talking about his revenge against Shido. Which, is fitting, considering Yaldabaoth chose him because he was a lonely kid with nothing but resentment in his heart. He had nothing to lose, he had no way of knowing how to change hearts, of course he went after Shido and made it worse for himself. It was rigged against him from the start.

To understand a bit more about the way he was treated and why he lashed out, I advise to read about the stigma of illegitimate kids in Japan and the treatment of orphans in Japan.

He was a child who had known absolutely nothing but neglect and abuse his entire life; he was a child who was at the tender age of 14-15 when he approached Shido. He wanted to lash out and didn’t have the means to do so. And because of who his father was, because he had absolutely no way of knowing how to change hearts, he could only make it worse for himself. He didn’t decide “I hate my dad so I’m gonna go kill people to get his attention” he decided, “I hate my dad and have absolutely nothing to lose so I’m going to approach him and try to backstab him later and get myself into a situation where I would either have to die or commit atrocities to keep on going.” (It’s unclear whether he knew that Shido would have him use his powers to kill. Shadow Shido brags about being the reason for it, though, as evidenced earlier).

And no, he isn’t without regret. 

Also, this Leblanc conversation post Okumura death.

The Leblanc conversation there also stands out because he goes on about it being the one place of comfort he had.

He wasn’t being 100% fake all the time. Morgana points out that he actually did like Joker, and it was true. That was the line that finally set him into full blown tantrum mode after his first boss fight. (The localization translated that as “You don’t hate Joker” when it should’ve been something more like “You cared for/grew fond of/liked Joker.)” (He also says that it helps that Sojiro treats him just like any other customer, which sticks out because he’s probably not used to being treated like an actual human being).

I think a lot of people’s problems is that they see him before and immediately after betrayal(when he’s talking to Shido) and think this means everything post betrayal was his “real self.” It wasn’t, he hates Shido, he wanted to ruin Shido, the evil villain act he put on in front of Shido was just as much of an act as he put on on TV. 

He openly laments that they couldn’t have met a few years earlier, because that’s the big difference between him and the PT. While the PT had each other and other people in their lives when they awakened their powers, Akechi had absolutely no one. He had gone through his entire life all by himself and thought he was fine on his own because he thought he could never have anyone accept him for who he actually is. And this goes well past the hitman working for Shido thing. He also thought that no one would accept him if they knew about his birth or his past; as said before, in Japan, being an illegitimate kid is highly stigmatized. In his TV monologue in the cruise ship, he thinks about that fact that none of the people in the audience know he’s an “unwanted child.” And the game makes a point of his fans turning on him whenever he made mistakes. Even the girl in your class who was always going on about how handsome he is said she was embarrassed to be his fan. The public is fickle, and didn’t care about him much or at all to begin with, just the mask he put on in front of them.

He thought he could never have real bonds because of his upbringing.

5. Shido would’ve killed him if he had tried to walk away. This is established after this line, after Shido was telling him to go “deal with anyone [Akechi finds] suspicious.” Akechi replied to this by saying that they should wait a week until after the election, after in Akechi’s mind, he wouldn’t have to listen to Shido anymore. (He was trying to stall)

“Do you know what it means to defy me?” is also a valid translation here. Right here it’s established that if he had tried to walk away, he would’ve been killed.

It’s also worth noting that Akechi said that as if he was terrified to question him.

No, I’m not saying he did nothing wrong at all. The fact that he did it at all disqualifies him from doing nothing wrong, but, it’s important to consider how little of a choice he had in his actions.

His real thief outfit is one striped like a prison outfit, with belts binding his limbs. The symbolism there is obvious.

The Design Works description for Loki is also worth bringing up:

"Loki's true form is unknown. I gave him a design in which you can't tell if more of the pattern is white or black, and I had thought of and considered giving him this feeling of not being able to tell which side he was on. The design motif is the "dazzle camoflauge" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage) that was used on WWI warships. The camoflauge was meant to make the size and shape of the warship difficult to discern. In addition to that, the horns that protrude from the eyes I based off a snail parasite, and it emphasizes the unpleasantness of this feeling of not knowing where the individual['s true self] is (like where the parasite ends and the host begins, I presume). I thought it might interesting if people could get this feeling of "who is the real you?", as Akechi might say.”

How little independence he actually had is the entire point.

6. Shido, deep down, knew Akechi was his son and used that to manipulate him. Shido says he suspected as much because Akechi resembles his mother. Shido admits to using his childish need for acceptance and praise to manipulate him(which also ties back into his lonely upbringing), it’s why Akechi thought that Shido trusted him. Like I said in the last post, he’s a worst case scenario for the subject matter the entire game covers - someone who was in a situation where he couldn’t do anything about ends up walking down the same path as his abusers when given the means to do something, because he had no positive influences or support system to know what to do otherwise. He had no way of knowing what to do.

He was a child who was abused and manipulated just as(if not moreso) by rotten adults just as everyone in the PT was. In the end, he wasn’t so different from them. The main difference is that he was cherry picked by a false god to be set on a bad path from the start.

If you wanna take all of this and say “cool motive, still murder” then fine. But, context is everything, especially when in context, he was in a do or die situation where he had to act as a hitman for the person who actually wanted the targets dead. Especially when the entire game is about abusive power dynamics, especially when it comes to the power adults have over the youth. Him being the only teenage antagonist is very, very relevant. It’s almost appalling how many people I see list a number of reasons to vehemently hate Akechi and then list Shido off in a passing “yeah that guy was a dick I guess” because that’s deliberately missing the point. In the end, he wasn’t so different than the PT. He was abused and manipulated by the rotten adults just as much(if not more so). The same rotten adult that also had a hand in the lives of other party members, even.

You don’t have to like him, you don’t even have to feel sympathy for him, but, the amount of people I’ve seen that nigh have to be deliberately misinterpreting his situation is kind of exhausting.

He goes after the PT in the cruise ship only after he learns that they were going after Shido. A big character fault is his pride, and he said how he wanted to be the one to “personally take responsibility for Masayoshi Shido by thrusting him into a living hell.” It was his literal life’s mission. He admitted he was jealous of Joker; he said that he was jealous because Joker’s heart was always free, and his wasn’t. He saw Joker as the epitome of everything he could never have; someone who was surrounded by comrades who cared about him and could be acknowledged as heroes. He clung to his want for revenge against Shido, he clung to his false fame because it brought him the praise and attention he’d been denied his whole life. His childish want for love & praise was another very fatal character flaw. Which, again, ties into his traumatic upbringing.

Then, in come Cognitive Akechi. Cognitive Akechi informs the real Akechi that Shido was going to kill him right after the election anyway, because he never had Shido’s trust to begin with. He never would’ve been able to take Shido down alone. He thought he was fine on his own because loneliness was the only thing he’d ever known.

He realized what an idiot he was, he calls himself just that. He never could’ve done anything alone. Cognitive Akechi then gives him another chance to be the person Shido wants him to be.

And he turns around and shoots cognitive Goro, raises the partition wall, and says that if they had tried to fight cognitive Goro and his shadows while protecting him in his injured state and making sure he doesn’t get killed, they would’ve all been annihilated. He gave his life for the people that shattered his belief that the only way he could ever be accepted if he was putting on an act, in a final standoff against the manifestation of the puppet he used to be, and removed himself from the cycle of abuse instead of letting it go on any longer.

He was finally able to let go off his want for revenge and false flame he clung to because it brought him the praise and admiration he’d been denied so heavily as a child. Because in the end, he wasn’t so different from the rest of them, the difference was that he was cherry picked by a false god to be the bad guy. His death was nigh the only choice he’d ever been able to make for himself.

omake: his angry critical cutin and black actual outfit fit in far better with the PT than his white princely outfit and p3/p4 style cutin ever did

[neni-has-ascended]

Hi Neni. It may be a weird question but do you think, in Ryuji and Morgana's fight after Futaba's join, was Morgana's reaction exaggerated? I really want to like him but almost everyone seems to agree on it's unfair of him to take offense from Ryuji when he constantly treats Ryuji much worse.

Actually, I thought BOTH, Ryuji and Morgana were being absolute morons in that arc, except I found Ryuji even worse, because what he said about Morgana hit all of Morgana’s insecurities (which Ryuji already KNEW about), and not just in a nonchalant way (like Morgana’s teasing), but in a very blunt, striking, harsh way, that must have been like driving a wooden stake into the kitty’s heart.

I couldn’t help but keep comparing the whole thing to the interactions between Yosuke, Kanji and Teddie during P4, but even those never escalated as badly as this, and let me explain why: 

(What follows is a long rant about why Ryuji’s and Morgana’s relationship in that arc is beyond messed up, especially when compared to buddy-relationships in previous Persona games. Note that all of this is my opinion and if you disagree with me, okay. I don’t have a problem with people disagreeing with me. Nice? Nice.)

Back in P4, both, Teddie and Yosuke are very prone to teasing people, a habit Kanji eventually even gets in on when he realizes they’re not actually trying to anger each other (or him) but that it’s just friendly banter. So there exists something of a triangle of teasing between these three; they keep bantering about each other’s weak points, making quips and jokes at each other’s expense and occasionally get into fights. 

The fandom often eyed those three (and some of the girls) with suspicion because of this habit, questioning how exactly this is fair behavior of them, however, I know this behavior just all too well from my family and friends; They’re not trying to offend each other, they’re trying to keep each other’s guard low, so nobody feels like they have to put up a front towards each other. 

That’s why, no matter how bad the teasing get, they try to never take it to the point where they actually hurt each other, and when they do, they feel really sorry for it afterwards; for example Yosuke starts out teasing Teddie about his status as an empty suit in the beginning, however, after the encounter with Teddie’s Shadow, this immediately stops, and Yosuke actually becomes one of the most supportive people towards Teddie trying to live a fill life. Why? Because that moment, Yosuke realized how much Teddie was actually suffering because of his feelings of “being empty” and that making jokes about it was genuinely hurting him, rather than lightening the mood. 

Conversely, Yosuke never makes jokes about Kanji sexuality before they defeat his Shadow, only after. Why? Because at that point, Kanji had outright said that the thing that caused him to suffer wasn’t his sexuality, but his fear of being rejected for his personality. Note how Yosuke NEVER makes jokes about Kanji’s domestic skills or crafting skills; only the embarrassing incidents during the Shadow battles. (Now, the tent scene is a different issue entirely, since that was not teasing, but that belongs in a different post.)

Likewise, Kanji teases Yosuke about his own clumsiness and permanent foot-in-mouth syndrome as well as his inability to get a girlfriend, all things Kanji knows are embarrassing to Yosuke but not so much it’d actively hurt him (again, no teasing about him having illusions of grandeur or about Saki) and Teddie keeps teasing Yosuke and Kanji the same ways they teach each other, and in his case, Teddie even explicitly states a couple of times that he teases them in order to get scolded, because he loves provoking Kansai-style comedy routines with his friends. So basically, a balance exists between these three; They insult each other, but only as much as necessary to keep a casual, light mood among each other, even in dire times. Only rarely do they “brush” the red line, and when they do, they always learn from it and are supportive towards each other.

Now, back to Persona 5:

Yes; Morgana teases Ryuji a lot, but in his case, it actually seems pretty similar to the way in which Yosuke teases Teddie: Morgana always jabs at things Ryuji is NOT actively insecure about, just things that will make him slightly annoyed, embarrassed or defensive. He’s just jovially trying to get a reaction out of him, something that can be seen when paying attention to all the times Morgana actually praises Ryuji (yes, there are quite a few), all of which seem far more sincere than his teasing. At no point is Morgana actively being cruel to Ryuji; he’s just being a smug little shit for his (and the rest of the team’s) amusement. Remember, Morgana teases Ryuji about stuff like not being a genius, occasionally being a clutz and acting before thinking; we all know that Ryuji’s actual securities lie elsewhere; his inability to run like he used to, his feelings like he doesn’t belong anywhere anymore, feeling helpless in the face of injustice.... None of these are things Morgana ever attacks, because Morgana knows better than to be that cruel. 

Now, Ryuji was there when Morgana showed his first signs of weakness. He was there when Morgana started mumbling to himself about things he claimed to be absolutely sure of, he was there when Morgana started adding “probably”s to his sentences when talking about certain subjects. In other words: With just a little bit of thinking and consideration, Ryuji should KNOW that calling Morgana “useless” is just about the cruelest thing you can do to him. It’s the equivalent of calling Teddie an “empty shell” or calling Kanji a “gross boy”. It’s not a joke, it’s a cruel reminder of all the facts his internal Shadow probably keeps whispering into his ears at night; about having a mission he’ll never be able to fulfill, because he’s just a stupid, useless, small, weak cat, who can’t help the world, can’t help humans, can’t be like humans, can’t have ambitions and dreams and desires that will actually come true-

What I’m trying to say is, yes, Morgana has teased Ryuji a lot before. However, this is NOT what this fight was about. This was about Ryuji actively taunting Morgana with his greatest insecurity; an insecurity he should have known about at that point. I’m not saying that Ryuji was actively trying to hurt Morgana; I’m saying he didn’t think, charged into giving his two cents on the situation, bluntly, and without any consideration of who he was talking to, and it backfired spectacularly. Then, when all was said and done, he realized he made a mistake, yet refused to apologize for it, and that’s where I draw the line. 

That’s something NONE of the characters from previous games would never have done. You’d never find Eikichi or Lisa seriously hurting each other without apologizing or at least showing remorse or active support towards the other party afterwards. Same for Junpei and SEES. Same for the entire IT. 

In the entire series, Ryuji is the only character involved in a teasing-constellation so far, who’s actually seriously hurt another character with his teasing and has refused to be remorseful about it. 

Was Morgana a moron with the way he reacted to it, leaving the team and trying to do everything on his own, downright opposing and obstructing the others to a point? HELL YES. He could have seriously sabotaged the whole mission, let alone possibly getting himself and Haru killed. 

But the way Ryuji just refused to give a honest, heartfelt and non-backhanded apology to Morgana for his tease-gone-wrong, as well as his utter lack of caring for Morgana’s well-being in the time he’s MIA just baffled me. I’m sorry for my continued comparisons to P4, but it has to be here: Yosuke, the character who got teased the most by Teddie and also dished out the most teasing to Teddie out of everyone, was the one who was the most obviously terrified when Teddie suddenly went missing and didn’t answer their calls. He seemed to be minutes away from bawling right alongside Rise. 

Compare that to how Ryuji acts when Morgana goes missing and tell me again the IT has a messed up definition of friendship, while the PT are “perfect Nakama”. 

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

I can see why people would simply characterize as pervert and be done with it, despite the many instances where he's an anti pervert during Kamoshida.

and they overshadow a lot of good Ryuji moments like Ryuji tanking a freaking Vorpal blade for both Joker and Akechi in Royal. Or even Ryuji's save after Shido's palace started crumbling.

the only moment that's not overshadowed is the fact that he said fuck, like for a "pervert character" he almost always default to "eff" instead of fuck.

Not even Ryuji's saving of Joker when Sophia fell or the many moments Ryuji saves the phantom thieves really get enough praise because "pervert"

He is both it and not..... Kamo arc, his CoOp, and most of Strikers iirc he is very anti-pervert. But sadly 90% of Vanilla/Royal spends their time making out to be a perv, and the anime just you know....jumps right into it in the Kamo arc (a whole arc early), dunno how the rest went down but.....8U

And I really, REALLY hate how they make him pervy, esp aimed at Anne. But I like it when he's, you know, not that (tho in Strikers I'm like "hmmm don't wanna hear it hypocrite" but considering P5, that's probably like the nicest gloves I have kjdsa;fkj). But it's a moot point, he's still a char I look more fondly on with P5 than other's, caveats aside.

But yes, he does get the butt monkey joke a lot. In a sense he's in a same boat as Yosuke. Both will be the butt monkey, EVEN IF they are in the right/not doing anything bad/being helpful (really on full display for Yosuke in PQ1, despite being butt monkey at least the cast acknowledges how much they love him.....tho it's not till PQ2 that he, and Teddie, get some freaking dignity back TT0TT). Unlike Junpei who is a butt monkey cause he'll make stupid jokes, or he'll be an asshat and be like "I'm soooo jealous, but why can't anyone see how awesome I am???? *proceeds to be the walking fuck up that Atlus seems to think Yosuke/Ryu are*" AT LEAST, if memory serves (and tbh I tried blocking this game out), Strikers treats Ryu with a lot more dignity (and probs PQ2, but I wanted that blocked outta my mind too u_u).

NOW, did they utilize him to his fullest ability like any good writer would, esp if they saw the obvious parallels? No. No they did not. Akira should've been a slam dunk but nope. But what am I to expect when the same writers (maybe?) think Goro and MC should be opposites, when Ryu and Sumi are right there for Goro. Of course they are the same writers who don't think to you know.....add Ryu to the list of taking out (")shitbag(")family members. At least give me the excuse that "he's too far out of reach" but even then I'll have question (how far can the Metaverse extend in P5??? What's the distance??? Is it only Tokyo? Did we even try outside of Tokyo???? ANSWERS I NEED ANSWERS! D:<)

Jesus the fuck joke, who caaaaares! DX Have him say it, don't have him say it. I don't care, just do something with him!

That being said, maybe it's a godsend. Because I saw what happened with Yusuke and Strikers klfjdsjf;a Like listen, I don't like the guy either, but the difference between me and chars in the game (other me being real) is that.....I'm not his friend. PT really out there not acting like Yusuke is a friend flkj;ksfj; Jesus they did him dirty, but I'm fine with it. I'm surprised more people weren't klfjl;ajsdflja

Tbh Yusuke and Futaba are also perverts. "No I'm not! I just love art-" I don't care. Don't objectify your friends (Makoto-Pyramid, "I was looking at the Pyramid" Makoto's bra strap is not a pyramid) or people who aren't consenting to your (Anne-stripping) "art" maybe? And Futaba? Leave Anne and Mako alone, don't grab them jesus. We should've left you in a basement if you were gonna act like this. Elizabeth? Eliza-ah there you are, can you PLEASE send the gremlin back to the real world? She's making everyone uncomfortable. >_>