#Shinjiro and his son ken

[nejishadow]

I wanted to be a cool kid too and make some edits of stuff that made me think of Them

For the last chart, I had a hard time deciding for Ken, cause originally I had him Crpytid Depression, but Yukari fit it more vs Genius ADHD/Autism. Works out somewhat, since Ken is in the same line as Aki and Shinji.

Some of the others could be one box or another, but I wanted each one to get a unique box / I wanted to try and fill the whole chart. I think I'm happy where they are!

All of these guys need A Break

[nejishadow]

@shadowfreak98 behold

did y’a see that shinji?

[phantom-thieves-official]

Do you ever think about how Shinji and Akinari are the moon and sun social links, respectively. How the sun and moon are typically considered opposites (in general culture if not in tarot).

Do you ever think about how they're both dying - one willingly, as a result of his own actions; and one unwillingly, a victim of circumstance. How Akinari spends the better part of his social link lamenting his lot in life and hating his body; angry and searching for reason in his illness. Desperate to know why him, why this body, why is this all happening? While Shinjiro knowingly takes the suppressants that are destroying his body and slowly killing him; thinking this is how it should be, this is right. He's dying because he chose to be; he's dying because he wants it that way. One dying and hating the fate he's been dealt, wondering why it had to be him of all the unlucky people in the world. And one dying because he decided he should, because he chose to; he decided that of all the people on the planet that it should be him. 'Why does it have to be me?' vs 'Of course, it should be me.'

Do you ever think about how Akinari finally decides that the meaning of his life depends on what he does with it - his legacy is his story, which he spent his final months working on. And Shinji's decided his life carries meaning only with his death - he's wasting the time until it's over, isolating himself and hanging out behind the station alone. And then when he does die, it's to save Ken. He wronged Ken so badly, the only way to make it right is to die. The ultimate in self-sacrifice as repentance. Akinari dies having accepted his fate and contented with his life; Shinji dies still full of so much guilt and regret. Akinari's life is, for him, defined by what he did while he was alive. How he spent those precious moments. Shinji's is defined by what he does when he dies - how can he ever right the mistakes he's made; how can he ever be absolved of his sins in any other way?

Do you ever think about how Shinji is wrong? About how his inaction, wasting away until it's all over, taking the pills that are slowly killing him - none of it fixes anything. Do you ever think about how Ken's actually upset to learn Shinji is dying; he's upset that no matter what he does, Shinji would die anyways. Do you ever think about how it's not his inaction and his death that changes Ken, but it's the one action Shinji did finally take - protecting Ken from Takaya. If Shinji had sat around and wasted away until his body gave out, it wouldn't have done anything. He thinks it's repentance but it's not. He could have died any other way and Ken wouldn't have been changed. And after years of inaction and waiting for it to finally end, Shinji finally, finally took an action - he saved Ken from Takaya - and that's what changed Ken? Not Shinji's death, but his desire to protect Ken. Proven in portable, where Ken still undergoes his evolution even if Shinji doesn't die. He never had to die to repent. He just couldn't conceptualize such an idea.

How Shinji was so off base, but Akinari eventually figured it out. How even in their final moments, they remained opposites - Shinji dies never realizing the truth of the matter; never realizing his life and his actions mean more and fix more than his death ever could, while Akinari passes away knowing his life was made by how he spent it. Shinji thought he knew what his life's meaning was, but he was wrong. Akinari died knowing for sure he was right about his. Only one of them ever gets to really figure it out.

Do you ever think about how they're similar, too? How they both leave behind someone who goes on to live for them? How Akinari's mother says she's going to travel, and eat delicious foods, and do all the things her son couldn't do, and take those experiences with her to tell him about when they meet again. How Ken goes on to fight Nyx; to eliminate the Dark Hour; for Shinji. How Ken says 'I'm fighting for him, now, too."

The sun and the moon, alike and yet opposites in so many ways. Do you ever think about it.

[sleeps-au-bag]

so my theater teacher was playing the lightning thief musical sountrack in class and it gave me an idea.

persona 3 x percy jackson but somethings up.

kotone and makoto take the place of percy, they're the twin children of poseidon. don't mention how they both seem fond of the myth of orpheus and eurydice.

junpei is a son of hermes who doesn't seem to trust luke. don't mention how many times he's almost said trismegistus instead of hermes.

yukari is a daughter of aphrodite who often butts heads with her own siblings. don't mention how she feels closer to isis than she does to her own mother.

fuuka is a daughter of athena who's never really seen outside of campfire time. don't mention how she feels a call to juno, not during this time of hatred between greeks and romans.

akihiko is a son of ares who sides with the twins during clarisse's welcome "ceremony". don't mention how he whispers caesar before each fight.

mitsuru is a daughter of hecate who commands battles as though she's a daughter of ares instead. don't mention how she searches all she can about information over artemisia.

aigis takes the place of annabeth, daughter of athena. don't mention how she feels as though something should come when she says her own mother's name.

ken is a son of nemesis who doesn't feel as vengeful as he feels his mother would like. don't mention how he feels much safer under the protection of kala-nemi than other gods.

shinjiro is an unclaimed son who wanders around the camp with koromaru in tow. don't mention how he feels like castor, not truly feeling like a half-blood.

chidori is a daughter of hypnos who claims to be on luke's side. don't mention how the longer she stays, the more she feels like medea.

don't mention the extra hour in the day, don't mention the room beyond dream and reality, don't mention how mechanical aigis looks, don't mention how shinjiro and ken wander off from camp during the night, don't mention anything at all. don't mention.

who knew they'd all grow close enough to be friends?

[personaaceinthehole]

Ken and Akechi's relationship

Alright so, I've wanted to clarify a couple of things regarding Ken and Akechi's relationship in Ace in the Hole, since I've been receiving a few comments who are a little disappointed where Ken and Akechi stand at the end of Chapter 56.

First of all, Ken and Akechi's familial relationship is supposed to serve as a foil to Ken's other important relationships, i.e. with SEES and the Phantom Thieves as a whole.

Ken and Shinjiro's relationship is familial, a weird mish-mash of father/son and brotherly. Their paths crossed because of Hikari's death and Shinjiro initially started looking after Ken out of guilt. But by the time of AITH, that's not the case. They're very close and look out for one another. They see each other as family. Ken gives Shinjiro his mother's old ring to show how far they've come too.

Ken also states repeatedly that he views SEES as a whole as his older siblings. This is why the first Full Deck chapter is named Thicker Than Blood. Sometimes blood relatives will hurt you, but your true friends will always have your back. That's one of the reasons why I show Ken's uncle in the story too, to further enforce how blood family can treat you poorly.

Ken and Akechi's relationships to the PTs have their similarities but the difference in how they evolved is due to the choices they made. Ken and Akechi both lie to the PTs about their intentions when they join the team. But Ken opens up to the PTs and Akechi closes himself off, and that makes the difference.

Ken and Akechi's familial relationship is a foil to the bonds that Ken creates, both pre-story and during story. On top of that, I made their mothers twins to further enforce the paths they could've taken.

Ken and Akechi's relationship was negative from the get-go. In Chapter 3, their first interaction is Akechi instigating Ken's awakening in the Meta-verse and then attempting to kill Ken. Their first meeting as civilians isn't much better either. Akechi quickly irritates Ken. There's also an undercurrent of Akechi toying with him, as Ken is unaware that this is the black masked Persona-user who attempted to kill him.

This continues throughout the story. Ken and Akechi's interactions are standoffish, and Akechi is shown to be dismissive of Ken. He outright admits that he's jealous that Ken is secure in that Shinjiro wants him in his life and that he has things that Akechi lacks.

Then Goro's eyes happened to drift over to Amada. He felt yet another stab of jealousy.

Damn him. Why did he have to be so lucky? His guardian, Aragaki, was in his mid-twenties. And judging from Amada and Aragaki's behavior, Amada had been under his custody for years now.

Amada didn't have to worry about angering Aragaki and getting kicked to the curb. Hell, Amada purposely needled the older man. Aragaki wanted to take care of him.

And Amada's father may have not wanted to be a father, but Amada had the blessing of legitimacy. He may have lost his mother early in life, but he had countless blessings dropped into his lap.

Ken has his own biases too, of course, and he didn't get close to Akechi, like he did with the rest of the PTs. But this is why there was an establishment of Sae caring for Akechi, to contrast his relationship with Ken. And that's why Sae is able to get through to Akechi, whereas Ken can't, because of their past friendship.

Ken and Akechi's relationship has a lot of baggage. There's a lot of harmful things that Akechi did, like being complacent in Ken's kidnapping, outright stalking Ken, and two attempts of killing Ken, not counting the stuff he did in canon.

There isn't really Ken "rejecting" Akechi as family. As of right now, there's just too many complicated feelings for Ken. He doesn't know what to feel at the moment, if he wants Akechi in his life or not. But that's also why I decided to leave it open-ended, for reader interpretation, if whether or not they do start over after Akechi's finished his jail sentence. But that's also why Sae has mentioned that she will continue to visit Akechi in jail and at the very least, Akechi will have Sae, no matter what.

Also feel free to send in asks, if you need clarification on how I've written Ken and Akechi's relationship. I'd be happy to elaborate.

[volkodava]

Hello my Tumblr friends! Some of you liked the idea of Postapocalypse!AU, as well as the Junpei design I drew earlier. So I pulled myself together and drew portraits for the entire main cast of characters. I must say that they here are closer to the age of P4AU. It was challenging but fun to come up with designs and backstories for them that overlapped with the originals. Although I still haven't thought through some details… But I hope you will enjoy!

FeMC/Minako/Kotone

Yes, this AU uses a female protagonist. She emerged from the Wasteland and all she knows is that she had some important mission. She is cheerful and always believes in the best. There are "XXII"-shaped scars on both sides of her head, similar to a brand. She seems to know what this is supposed to mean, but she won't tell anyone.

Status: Unknown

Yukari

The best long-range power of SEES. She lost her father due to the fault of Mitsuru's father. She was looking for Mitsuru to take revenge, but instead she found her best friend. She can often be bitchy and sometimes too straightforward, but no one heals other people’s wounds better than her. She received a scar on her face from an unsuccessfully broken bow string.

Status: Alive

Junpei

He makes bad jokes and swears a lot to hide his insecurities. Creates chaos almost everywhere it appears. He seems rude and ill-mannered, although he is a hopeless romantic at heart. But if you really make him angry, he destroys everything in his path (ask Takaya and Jin, oh no, sorry, no one will ask them anymore). Ultimately, his concern for Chidori allows him to shed his clown mask and show a different side of himself.

Status: Alive

Fuuka

A mechanic girl found by SEES in a sand labyrinth. She suffers from strabismus, but this did not stop her from completely restoring Aigis and collecting several more useful items for SEES. Has a phenomenal memory. Probably the only one who never started a conflict first.

Status: Alive

Aigis/A.I.G.I.S.

Initially, it was a cleaning robot, on which someone put a yellow wig and a ribbon. It rusted in a landfill for a long time until FeMС found it. Gradually he begins to become interested in the world around him and acquires a desire to find out what a person is and how to be one.

Status: Functioning

Mitsuru

Official leader of SEES. Several years ago, during a shelter fire, she lost her father and was injured herself. She hides the burned part of her face under her hair. She is cold and difficult to compromise, but always acts as a negotiator between gangs of raiders, trying to extract the maximum benefit. Has many useful connections in Port Island.

Status: Alive

Akihiko

Fan of fights without rules. More reasonable and less impulsive than Junpei, but if the two of them are together, then somewhere nearby there is trouble that they got into. Lost his little sister in a shelter fire and still tries to drown out those memories with alcohol. He often misses Shinjiro. Perhaps he was Mitsuru's partner a couple of times, but in the Wasteland no one cares who sleeps with whom.

Status: Alive

Shinjiro

A wandering raider that periodically joins SEES and then leaves. Akihiko's former friend. Little emotional. Lost an eye in one of the raider skirmishes. He tends to evaluate people by their usefulness to society, but in the end he admits that he was wrong too often. For some time he was dependent on Strega's help, but later this developed into enmity. Alas, this did not end well.

Status: Dead

Ken

Practically the “son of the regiment”, he was found at one of the temporary sites along with the body of his deceased mother and taken into the care of SEES. Refused to move to Port Island, choosing to stay in the shelter. Having already seen a lot of things he shouldn't have seen, he wants to become stronger to change the world. Gets close to Shinjiro, reading him as a fatherly/brotherly figure. Nevertheless, he gets very angry when he is overprotected.

Status: Alive

Koromaru

Good boy. One day he just showed up at the shelter and everyone just accepted it. He warned everyone about the attacks several times, after which he received a collar and his own bowl. A good fighter, he always follows those who go on forays into the Wasteland. Perhaps the only one who simply enjoys life.

Status: Alive

[starclast]

Impossible Happiness AU 😇💖😄

Minato-after giving half of his life to the Great Seal, he for sure will die sooner than any of his friends...still, keeps enjoying every moment till the day they finally have to part.

Aigis-though not officially his wife, stays by Minato's side and keeps Ryoji in check. After a certain incident, she and Minato ended up *adopting* a kid who now she is very protective of.

Ryoji-lost its memories and connection to death. his body is still half shadow/half human, so although he doesn't remember or needs it, he can still manifest a little bit of power if necessary. Lives with Minato, Aigis and their adopted son as a *troublesome uncle* in words of everyone.

Mitsuru-proud leader of the Kirijo group and the Shadow Operatives, still, makes sure to have time for her kids and show them how much important they are to her. Works hard everyday to make a better world for her children and the future generations.

Akihiko-renown police officer of Tatsumi Port Island by now, working side by side with Kurosawa even to this day. Makes sure to pass time with their children every chance he can and talk to Mitsuru so she doesn't keep things to herself.

Shinjiro-his life was saved by the clock the twins returned him. Thanks to the intervention of Circe*, he was able to survive even to the side-effects of the pills...at the cost of losing all his memories since he became a persona user and not being able to summon one anymore. Life is pretty confusing sometimes, but thanks to Aki, Ken and Fuuka's help he still manages to go on. Now works as a cook in a small familiar restaurant well known and loved by everyone around Tatsumi Port Island.

Fuuka-works at what she loves and is best at, always being by the side of those who need her. After a looong time of helping each other (and receive a couple more of cooking classes), she and Shinji started dating and are now married with a cute little daughter to take care of. She is the most sweet and supportive mother any kid could ask for.

Minako-like her twin, she will die sooner than everyone else...still, makes sure to make the best of everyday along her dear friends and family. Cheerful and full of energy as ever, her smile keeps makin everyone moving forward no matter what comes their way.

Junpei-with an stable *job* and a fulfilling part time job training a little baseball team, a beautiful wife and a cute daughter by his side, you can be sure he is just the happiest man alive. Sometimes this happiness seems almost like a dream, but even so...he cherishes it with all his heart.

[nero-vanderwolf]

Shinjiro knew something was wrong the moment Ken came downstairs.

He looked like a living corpse. His skin was pale and clammy, his eyes were dark and sunken, and his hair was a mess. Shinji wondered if he slept at all last night as he put the plate of warm pancakes down on the table.

“Mornin’, kid. You okay?” He asked, brows furrowed. Was Ken sick? He had seemed fine last night.

“...It’s October 4th,” Ken muttered, curling into himself and leaving the pancakes untouched. Shinji paused, then sat down next to him.

“...So it is. Wanna talk?”

Ken considered it for a moment, before wrapping his little arms around Shinji and burying his face in his shirt.

“I know it’s been two years but... I still blame myself,” Ken said, his voice trembling and muffled.

Shinji hugged Ken close, rubbed circles into his back. “Hey, hey... It’s okay. Look at me.”

Ken lifted his head, looking up at Shinji with watery eyes.

“I know how hard it is to move past something like that. But I forgave you a long time ago. There’s no point in beating yourself up over the what-ifs. I’m alive, I’m here, and I’m happy. Quit blaming yourself for what happened, okay? You weren’t the one firin’ those bullets, last I checked.”

Ken’s lower lip trembled, and he blinked away his tears. “But... You almost died because of me! How could you ever forgive me?”

Shinji brushed away the stray tears on the kid’s- his kid’s- face, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Because you were a kid who thought he was doing the right thing. You saw the man who killed your mother, and you wanted revenge. I would too, if I was in your position. I don’t blame you.”

Ken scrunched his nose up. “You killing her was an accident! Dad told me in the hospital...”

Shinji smiled. “You almost killing me could be classified the same way. Listen. The past is gone. It’s done. You can’t change it. But you can change the future. So how about every year, we do something fun on October 4th? Change what you associate it with?”

Ken fell silent for a moment, thinking. His hands, still tiny compared to his dads’, still clung to Shinji’s shirt. Then, finally, he nodded.

“Okay. Okay! Yeah, we- we can do something fun. Do you wanna go now?”

Shinji glanced at the front door. “Wanna wait till Dad and Goro get back and make a day of it?”

Ken nodded again, this time with a watery smile on his face. Shinji longed to take back all the pain he caused Ken, but he knew that was just wishful thinking. He couldn’t change the past, but he could change the future. So he was going to put on a brave face for his family, for his sons, and carry on.

He was going to live. And that was how it was supposed to be.

oh my god... ken and shinji discussing the events(tm) is what i needed. i needed them to resolve what happened. to make sure that neither of them felt guilty or sad. they're a family now and they gotta work out their problems and AAYGGH i love them!!! and the fact that they're going to take the date that's usually negative and make it a celebration. something fun.

[beezonia]

Been thinking more about the persona eah au

——

P3 - (cast would be around late twenties early 30s maybe???)

Hamuko and Minato were children of Cinderella (well it’s were in Hamuko’s case since she’s the one who died at midnight in reference to them only having a year to fulfil their goal of protecting the universe this was her fate instead of loosing a shoe)

Minato then went into hiding after his sister died so the next cinderella isn’t clear or there is none (if minato had a kid they have not made themselves known)

Mitsuru is the child of the snow queen now ruler of the land of winter

Akihiko is the current good king (he was Hamuko’s partner before she died which was before their legacy day kinda) Lives with his daughter Inko in the palace

Yukari is the daughter of Goldiockes and is now a reporter herself (still grieving over hamuko, she was her closest friend) also may be married to Mitsuru

Junpei is sort of like a mix between humpty dumpty and another knight (I don’t know if he followed his destiny or not but ik he’s a free spirit in this)

Or he’s the son of the boy who cried Wolf I feel like that would suit him or we make him one of the cards from Alice in wonderland????

Fuuka is the daughter of Beauty (Beauty and the beast) she’s the current Queen of the Thorn kingdom

Shinjiro is the son of the physician from godfather death (he’s ironically still alive 12 years after his legacy day)

Lives in Akihiko’s kingdom

Ken is the son of Hansel (hasn’t started at eah yet)

Koromaru (Kinda like the hound from Fox and the hound ik it’s not a fairy tale but my brainrot couldn’t think of anything else) lives with Fuuka at the moment but Yukari and Shinjiro will take him when they visit

These guys do tend to get together sometimes (minato may join them but he usually comes on the anniversary of his sisters death)

Junpei and Yukari are the ones who have a good solid relationship after their year graduated

Akihiko, Mitsuru and Shinjiro are second

But they’ve all been through a hell of a lot in their past and this whole thing with Akechi going against his destiny is making them slightly deranged

[purrsona-animals]

Ken plz?

General thoughts on them:

I love him a lot. His whole story is so tragic but also so hopeful in a way that makes me tear up if I think about it. Despite the fact he is so young, the game still treats his struggles and story seriously, and I appreciate that

Sexuality & gender headcanons:

Hmm... I'm not sure actually, haven't really thought about any of that with him. He/him in terms of pronouns

Who I ship them with, if anyone:

No one, I don't think I need to explain why

Random headcanons I have about them:

Not a groundbreaking thing to think, but the headcanon of Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Ken having a fathers and son dynamic in a universe where Shinji lived is very sweet. I was unsure of it at first, but due to how quickly Ken realized Shinji dying wasn't a good thing I feel like they could've worked through things if Shinjiro survived

Animal they are in my animalified AU:

He is a dog, more specifically a Golden Retriever and Husky mix. I didn't feel like a Golden Retriever on it's own fit him fully, but I felt like Husky fits him great alongside Golden Retriever

Reason for their Warrior Cat AU name:

His warrior cats name is Acornkit, which I picked because colouration, and the fact that acorns have tough outer shells, short answer to why being story symbolism. I can go more into detail about my current ideas for his story in the WC AU if anyone is curious but I don't want these sections to be to long and it's similar enough to canon that you get it

Any extra thoughts about them:

I'm happy none of the others got outwardly hostile towards him after what happened to Shinjiro, I was very worried they were going to so I'm very glad they didn't

------------------------

Send me a P3 character's name, and I'll answer these questions with them!

[nejishadow]

Variety post / "catching up with what's in my folder" edition

Aka the majority of my ship edits continue to be akishinji (not sorry)

Plus a kenjikoto for like the 5 shippers out there, I seriously wanna see their dynamic explored more so I'm providing fuel lol

[proxythe]

shinji canonically handsome, huge, bulky, intimidating … we need more people to talk about this…

[beantothemax]

“Fuuka! Good to see you again!”

Aki steps aside, a familiar face walking through the door.

Fuuka walks in, bearing gifts and a smile. “Hello, Akihiko. Hello Shinjiro! Where’s Ken?”

Shinji relieves her of her burden- seriously, that girl works way too hard to begin with-, setting the (meticulously wrapped) presents on the table. “Upstairs with Goro, I think. Give me a sec, I’ll call ‘em down.”

Before he can, however, Ken comes bounding downstairs, Goro close behind. “Fuuka! Fuuka, you’re here!”

Ken wraps his tiny arms around Fuuka’s waist, Goro lingering by Shinji’s side. Fuuka smiles and hugs him, ruffling his hair.

“Hello, Ken. I missed you! Is that your brother?” Ken steps away, nodding and grabbing Goro’s hand.

“Mhm! This is Goro! Goro, this is Fuuka. She was part of SEES with us.”

Goro raises a hand timidly, shrinking into himself. Fuuka gives a little half-bow, still smiling. “It’s lovely to meet you, Goro-kun,” she said. Goro wrinkles his nose.

“You don’t have to call me that....” He mumbles, and Fuuka turns a faint shade of pink.

“I’m sorry. An old habit, I’m afraid. Oh! By the way, Yukari and Mitsuru should be here soon. I saw them in the northern shopping district on my way here.”

Aki grins, giving a little nod. “I’m surprised Mitsu could make it, with how busy she seems to be lately. I hope Yuka is reminding her to take breaks.”

Shinji rolls his eyes, nudging Aki in the side. “Sounds familiar. Wonder why.”

Aki doesn’t rise to the bait- gives him a sidelong glance that Shinji knows far too well to mean ‘later’- and instead brings Fuuka into a hug of his own.

“How have you been holding up, by the way? It’s been a little while since we’ve talked,” he asks, resting his forehead on hers. A love language that’s entirely Aki’- forehead touches.

Fuuka smiles, and parts. Aki lets her. “I’ve been well. I made a friend with my neighbor! She has a son. His name is Ryuji- he’s right around Goro’s age, I think. He reminds me of you, Akihiko.”

Aki laughs, and his hand finds Shinji’s. They entwine their fingers, as they offen do nowadays. A constant reminder to each other. A promise.

There’s a knock on the door, and Yukari and Mitsuru walk in- also bearing gifts. Shinji can’t help but wonder if Junpei and the twins are going to bring gifts, too. It isn’t even Christmas.

“Hey, everyone!” Yukari says, ever cheerful and ever lacking in sophistication. Shinji finds it a bit endearing, though. “Hello, Yukari-chan!” Fuuka says brightly, her and Shinji both helping their friends with their burdens.

“Hello everyone,” says Mitsuru, calmer- though she’s definitely still excited. The smile on her face says it all to Shinji and Aki, who have known her since they were children.

“Mitsuru! Yukari! Hi!” Ken is practically bouncing off the walls with excitement as he greets the old members of SEES. Shinji has to smile. It’s been a while since he saw the kid this ecstatic.

“...Hello,” Goro murmurs, clinging to Aki’s shirt. Aki places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing once, twice, three times. I love you.

“Is this Goro?” Mitsuru asks, looking at him. Goro shrinks further under her gaze. “It is,” Shinji confirms, and sees Goro straighten up a bit, a look of determination on his face.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Goro,” she says, nodding her head. Goro mirrors her.

“...You as well, Mitsuru-san,” he replies, his voice tight. Ken rolls his eyes and hugs Goro close.

“You sound like me when I was in elementary school! Hey, Dad, can we open one of our presents? Please?”

Shinji pauses. Would it help calm Goro down?

“Yeah, why not? Throw the paper away when you’re done, though.”

Goro immediately seizes a box from the table labelled with his name, plopping down and working at it, trying to do as little damage to the wrapping as possible. Shinji recognizes the handwriting as Mitsu’s, and wonders what the hell she could possibly have gotten the kids.

Before he can wonder too much, though, there’s more knocking on the door- accompanied by a flurry of barking and laughing.

Yukari opens the door, and there’s more laughing as she and Kotone rush in, Makoto and Junpei coming in a moment after, Koromaru trotting in the back.

Ken immediately hugs everyone, and hands Koromaru a dog biscuit from a jar in the kitchen. Koro barks his appreciation, and Junpei laughs.

“What, he gets a gift but we don’t?” He jokes, bringing Ken into another hug. Ken laughs, squirming away when Junpei starts noogying him.

“Hey, guys. Glad you could make it,” Aki says, and Kotone nods, taking her brother’s hand.

“Of course! We wouldn’t miss a reunion for the world! Would we?”

Makoto squeezes his sister’s hand. “We’re not technically supposed to be here. We’re supposed to be at home resting, but... What the Takamakis don’t know won’t hurt them.”

Kotone rolls her eyes. “You make it sound like we lied to them!”

Makoto gives her a look that Ken once dubbed the Sibling Glance. “We did.”

Kotone just smiles, engages in conversation with Aki and Fuuka. Apparently, Aigis couldn’t make it due to a malfunction in her system. Shinji quells the rush of worry that threatens to choke him. Aigis is tough, he reminds himself. She can handle a few technical issues.

Makoto meets Goro’s gaze, and Shinji knows enough about the two of them to sense mutual understanding. Makoto nods once, and Goro sits up a bit straighter. Shinji pretends not to notice.

Dinner and gifts pass by without a hitch. Movies are playing, and everyone is either squashed together on the couch, or piled on top of each other on the floor on what Goro and Kotone dubbed the Nest.

The Nest is a mass of blankets and pillows from throughout the house that Shinji and Fuuka constructed together, and he thinks it might just be the comfiest damn thing he’s ever laid in.

Maybe it’s because he built it with a friend. Maybe it’s because he’s laying in it with friends.

Maybe it’s because no matter what, he’s alive and happy and loved.

And Shinji thinks this might just be one of the best damn nights he’s ever spent with his family- his family- in his life.

WIudevh??!,,?,?,?,?.?.?.? AUSHQUAGHAH?????? EHEEM??!!,?,,?,?.?,?.?.?.?. MAVERICKSVCBXBDBXBSHXHDBX A

WAIAUAGH

TH. FUCKEIGN REUNION. AUGH. WHAT IF I DIED RIGHT NOW

[cantfoolajoker]

also little lion man by mumford & sons really is just a shinjiro song huh

[ragecndybars]

Everyone-Lives Post-Canon Headcanons

Shinjiro goes back to school, but it takes him two more years to graduate -- partially because he's just that behind and partially because he got shot and was in a coma for months; he's too sick to start third year over immediately, and when he does manage to go back, physical therapy and surprise hospital stays slow down his progress a lot. Under pressure from Mitsuru, the staff at Gekkoukan works with him a lot to get him the accommodations he needs to eventually graduate two years later.

The rest of SEES throws a massive party to celebrate his graduation, just as extravagant as they one they threw for all of the others' simultaneous graduation, and he acts all gruff and uncaring but Shinjiro is secretly really pleased -- he worked his ass off to graduate despite everything and it's nice for that to be acknowledged.

(Also, if you're keeping track, this does mean that he graduates the same year as Chihiro, and, yes, they do develop an unlikely friendship that stuns and confuses the rest of their class).

Afterwards, he passes through a couple of part-time jobs that he likes well enough -- things like delivery driving, working at a grocery store, etc. -- until he's recovered physically enough to get a full-time job, at which point he immediately applies as a chef. He struggles to get hired at first, but his skills really speak for themselves.

Minato and Kotone both manage to graduate at the same time as Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka, and Aigis, although they also need a fair amount of accommodations and help from the staff. The physical weakness and constant exhaustion stick with them throughout their third year, and while they'll be able to manage the worst symptoms with medication eventually, that will take years of rigorous experimental research from Kirijo Corp. first.

They both want to try out college, but they take a year after high school to just rest and learn to live with their chronic illness. I could see almost any area of study working for either of them, but I'm fond of the idea that Minato studies to become a veterinarian, while Kotone studies to become a journalist.

(And, yes -- they're both still way more involved in seemingly every facet of campus life than should be possible for a single human.)

Of course, all three of them are members of the Shadow Operatives as well, on-call for emergencies just like Akihiko. Minato and Kotone are still wildcards, although summoning Personas other than Orpheus, Messiah, and Thanatos has become a lot more difficult for them, and Shinjiro's Persona has evolved and stopped acting out since he came to terms with himself during a heavy conversation with Ken sometime after waking from his coma.

(Imagine you're a civilian, you end up entangled in some Shadow bullshit, and the people who show up to save your ass are a dude in an apron who keeps grumbling about having to miss a shift for this, that lady who's always on the news for digging up huge stories all over Japan, and the guy who gave your dog his rabies shot. And a shirtless buff man in a cape.)

Koromaru stays in the dorm with the rest of SEES. After a year, it's only Ken, Shinjiro, and Koromaru left, which is awkward at first, but ends with Ken and Shinjiro growing so close that no one is surprised when Shinjiro adopts Ken a few years later. Ken keeps his last name, and they don't call each other "dad" or "son", but they both slip up occasionally -- Ken will call himself "Ken Aragaki", or Shinjiro will accidentally call Ken "my kid" instead of "the kid". Either one will stubbornly deny that it ever happened immediately afterwards.

Chidori! She's enrolled in school as well, but not high school -- she's taking a variety of online classes meant to help adults get their GED. Having lived such a tumultuous life with so little education, and now lacking so many memories as well, she struggles a lot with these classes. Junpei does everything he can to help her, which leads to him suddenly becoming a massively better student in his third year and shocking all the teachers by placing fairly high in his class. When people ask what changed, expecting him to say that he learned a life lesson or decided he wanted to go into an academic career, he's always happy to say that it was because he stayed up studying with his girlfriend.

They date for a very long time before ever getting engaged, mainly because it's such a big life change and Chidori is having trouble just adjusting to normal life without another wrench thrown in, but everyone around them constantly forgets that they're technically not married and refers to them as husband and wife, and they never correct them.

(When they do eventually get married years down the line, it's because something suddenly reminds them that, oh yeah, they're technically not married. Whoops. This is followed by an engagement that lasts barely two weeks and a slapdash wedding where they basically just invite their friends over and say, yep, we've finally made it official, now let's get takeout. Shinji refuses to get takeout on their fucking wedding and grumbles about needing more prior notice before putting together a feast himself. Minato and Kotone help as well, but Fuuka is only allowed to chop vegetables and stir whatever's on the stove.)

Usually, everyone's busy schedules keep them from being able to have large meet-ups, but, at the very least, every single year they all get together on March 5th. Sometimes they all have a party, or arrange some other festive activity. Sometimes they all just meet up in Iwatodai and talk quietly amongst each other until it's time to part ways again. None of them have ever missed it -- not even Mitsuru that time her phone was blowing up all day or Akihiko that time he forgot the date and had to buy a plane ticket from some random other passenger minutes before takeoff.

[incorrectallpersonaquotes]

Elizabeth: He's a soldier.

Oracle: A cowboy.

Yu: A samurai.

Jin: A #@&$.

Ikutsuki: A terribly complicated man.

Ryoji: As simple a man as you will ever meet.

Fox: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Kanji: A bonafide son of a bitch.

Aigis, translating: Koromaru says he's an amazing big brother.

Ken: A killer.

Minako: A helluva kisser.

Skull: A man with the soul of a beast.

Yosuke: ... even if he himself would never admit it.

Takaya: The fiercest of enemies.

Junpei: A leader. And a damn good one, even if he doesn't realize it.

Theodore: The scariest man I have ever met. And I have literally shaken hands with the devil.

Crow: The second toughest Persona user I know.

Joker: A thoroughly untrustworthy fella who I'd trust my life to any day of the week.

Aigis: A worse swimmer you would not want to meet.

Yukari: A bit of a jerk.

Chie: A damn card cheat. I don't care what he says.

Minato: A man who walks his own path. And walks it well.

Rise: A warthog. He smells exactly like a warthog.

Fuuka: I don't know that I'll ever get married. Because every time I meet a man, I can't help comparing them to him. And there's just no chance in hell they can ever measure up.

Mitsuru: He has never told me of his chilhood. To my knowledge, he has never told anyone. But it's obvious there is great tragedy there. He is, in general, a very sad and tragic man. Yet one who loves life. A man who is used to taking life and to having it taken from him know better than anyone the true value of living.

Akihiko: He's the man I know better than pretty much any other man alive. But I'll be damned if he doesn't still have the ability to surprise me. And not always in a good way.

Igor: I could tell you what I know of the man. Things I imagine how others do. But I must admit I am far more interested in hearing what you have to say.

Igor: So please, tell us, my dear.

Igor: What do YOU think of Shinjiro Aragaki?

Shinjiro: ...

Shinjiro: They're wrong. Every damn one of 'em.

Shinjiro: Except Aigis. I can't swim worth a damn.