#Shujin high students

[otaku553]

Hi I am back at it again with the crossovers

Thinking very hard about the persona games lately,,,,,,

So I will admit this was just an excuse kind of to draw them modern au style with the shujin uniforms lmao I do not actually have concrete story ideas because while I do think luffy would definitely be team leader and probably a wild card I think if he were in the setting of p5 he probably wouldn’t get arrested just by sheer force of will (and probably ample amounts of legal help from high places given his family)

But thinking about it, the straw hat crew is about the right size for a persona team?? And they’ve got a navigator with Nami and everything! I think early game luffy would be a physical attacker with lightning immunity, zoro would have garu as a starting attack and slash attacks, and nami would have zio as a starting attack but mostly be geared towards support and navigation. Still no ideas what their actual personas would be though

I do want to expand on this with more of the team! I think it would be fun for Sanji to be a kosei student and franky, brook, and robin to be in their third year at shujin. Brook would definitely have some affinity for ice, but im not as sure about franky or robin. Chopper would maybe be homeschooled under Dr. Kureha and a year or 2 younger than the rest of the team

Anyways this piece is just a small proof of concept for what I’m visualizing in my mind lmao the designs aren’t finalized or anything. Do let me know if you have any ideas for their personas!

[vashtijoy]

translation booboos: sae on 4/11

So just after you and Ryuji carelessly stumble into Kamoshida's Palace on 4/11, you have an interlude with Sae that opens that arc. During it, she says this:

This sounds a little odd, not least because Sae is not asking Joker about the changes of heart, but about something called "the psychotic breakdown incidents". We know Kamoshida didn't have a psychotic breakdown... right? Does Sae not know the difference? Does she know something we don't?

Turns out something else entirely is going on:

Sae ニュースでも取り上げられたし、犠牲者には君の高校の保護者もいた。 nyuusu demo toriagareta shi, giseisha ni wa kimi no koukou no hogosha mo ita It was all over the news, and one of the victims included a teacher at your high school. The news even covered it, and the casualties even included the [parent or guardian of a student] at your high school.

Yeah. Sae is not referencing Kamoshida at all. She is referencing Okumura. We can tell this from more than one thing in this sentence.

First of all, of course, the word 保護者 hogosha does not mean "teacher"—it means the parent or guardian of a child, for instance at a school. But secondly... a 犠牲者 giseisha is not a victim; that's 被害者 higaisha. A giseisha is a casualty.

The person Sae is referencing, who is not a teacher at Shujin but the parent of a student there, died of the incidents. And we know that Kamoshida didn't die. It's Okumura who dies, who is the parent of a student at the school, and it's Okumura Sae is referencing here.

You may also be asking why Sae says "psychotic breakdown", when we know Okumura has a mental shutdown:

Sae 巷で『精神暴走事件』なんて呼ばれてる騒ぎ、知ってるわね。 chimata de “seishin bousou jiken” nante yobareteru sawagi, shitteru wa ne I assume you know of the uproar that the public calls the "psychotic breakdown incidents."

She says chimata de seishin bousou jiken nante yobareteru, "the psychotic breakdown incidents, as they are called among the public". nante is used to quote, and often has something of a dismissive air. Sae knows the difference between a mental shutdown and a psychotic breakdown—but the public don't.

That fact informs everything you hear about the two from NPCs and in gossip—they confuse the two and mix them together. You need a very fine-toothed comb to parse out fact from rumour.

revision history

Click here for the latest version.

v1.0 (2024/09/26)—first posted.

[red-hot-kick]

Theory: Ryuji was popular, before.

I'm not entirely sure if anyone has really talked about this but I maintain my interpretation that, in the canon of Persona 5, Ryuji used to be very (or at least moderately) popular prior to the events of the story.

This is something I've gotten into before when talking to friends who like the game and the character, but I haven't really considered writing it down until now. The main argument I have is based on three things:

Things Ryuji alluded to in canon (but no one believed him on)

The deliberate choice of making him a track athlete

Typecasting for voice actors

1: "There were girls all over me!"

I don't really have the time to go on a deep dive through all the instances in which he hints at his reputation before the Kamoshida incident, but I think the most clear-cut representation of this was during the scene where he and Ann spend the day with Futaba during her post-palace social rehabilitation:

So here's the thing...I don't think he's lying about this. Nobody in the room would be that impressed to find out whether Ryuji was popular since they are already friends (or in Mona's case, he really just doesn't care), so it wouldn't make sense for him to lie.

Regarding everyone's reactions though, here's my impression: Ann was simply not aware of what was going on with the track team, being predominantly focused on dealing with rumors, her friendship with Shiho, and her modeling career (and eventually Kamoshida's advances once he started doing that shit) and she mentions a few times that she and Ryuji weren't actually close before joining the PT; they were just in the same class in middle school. Futaba hasn't interacted with anyone her age in years and isn't the most reliable source when it comes to what people generally find attractive; just because she doesn't have any interest in Ryuji doesn't mean that nobody her age would. And Morgana is a cat that brags constantly about how cool he is, so he shouldn't be throwing rocks.

There are many other times in the game when you get little glimpses of his social savvy, and from my understanding of Royal (I'm an OG vanilla P5 player and haven't done 3rd-semester yet, so don't kill me) when the track team returns to "how it was", he is getting along extremely well with everyone. Not only was he the team's ace: this kid was also expected to become the captain by his senior year (as briefly mentioned when he bumps into his former senpai at the gym, iirc). That's huge! If his team held him in such high regard, then the general student body of Shujin surely had a similar opinion. This brings me to my next point:

2: Girls like boys that run fast(???)

This is honestly something that baffles me. It's also really difficult for me to substantiate; any source material on this is obviously in Japanese and if I could find any of it, I sure as hell can't read it. The only English-language source I know of I cannot find anymore; I think it was an old Tofugu article? However. If you've watched any romance anime set in a high school during the last 20 years, you might have seen this trope at some point: the school sports festival is happening, and the relay race is kind of a huge deal (it's the final event! a make-or-break moment for the class!). The boy thinks to himself "If I win this race, I'll be able to win her heart/ask her out/etc." Low-stakes drama ensues. Maybe a confession happens.

This is (from what I've been told) based on a long-standing trend of girls and women self-reporting in surveys about how, oftentimes, their crushes in junior or senior high school were simply "the boy who ran the fastest in the races". I have no idea what this means in a broader cultural context. It makes no goddamn sense to me at all. Do not cite me on this. But I think it's worth keeping in mind, even if it's almost entirely speculative (and possibly outdated) information. And even if it's just based on rumors, don't you think it's pretty in-character for Ryuji to go for a track scholarship—despite being adept at other sports like baseball and football/soccer, as mentioned in P5 and P5D—because he was aware of the potential of being more popular with girls? Of course, his priority would be getting the scholarship and paying his way through school to lighten his mother's burden, but hey, getting a girlfriend on the way up wouldn't be half bad!

I think this could also inform us as to why Kamoshida (as a predator who wanted attention from high school girls) felt so threatened by the track team in particular, and why he felt a need to specifically knock Ryuji down a peg and sought out a weakness to do so (as opposed to targeting any of the probably just-as-popular boys on the many other athletic teams and clubs in the school). Just some food for thought on this one! Also, if anyone can find a source or has any insight on the relay race thing, please share. I am so confused about it.

3: Typecasting

So this is something that you really only notice if you are very into keeping up with seiyuu in Japan. I am not one of those people. But I do have some favorite voice actors! One of these being Mamoru Miyano.

So I freakin' love this dude. He's voiced a lot of my favorite characters, sings incredibly well, and has an unreal sense of comedy. He's stated in interviews that his acting inspiration is Jim Carrey, and let me tell you: it shows. He is also quite consistently typecast into certain roles, predominantly as princely pretty-boy types, Coolguys, or complete fucking nutcases. Sometimes all three at the same time (shoutout to my boy Ling FMA!)

ATLUS definitely cast him for P5 because of his comedic chops. But I think they also cast him because having him voice someone like Ryuji is a great way to subvert expectations for the player. I think it's supposed to give you whiplash—"what do you mean the voice of LIGHT FUCKING YAGAMI is coming out of this guy's mouth?" "why does the delinquent character sound like king of the host club Tamaki Suou?" "isn't that Rin Matsuoka's voice?" etc. etc. etc.

(here's a quick list, just to really get the idea across. maybe you recognize a few.)

This is obviously a non-comprehensive list, but something that a lot of the characters he's voiced over the years have in common is that they were considered cool, handsome, or popular. Not just for fans, but within the canon of their stories! So...what does that mean? What does that say about how we should see Ryuji?

I think players are supposed to expect that he will fall into one of those categories too, and then be surprised to find that it's not the case—that he's been isolated and made bitter and resigned by what happened to him the year before.

Speaking of his tone, I think it's very telling that Ryuji actually forgets to keep up the delinquent act a lot in the original JP audio, which unfortunately doesn't really carry over in the ENG translation. The delivery of his JP lines sounds a bit more subdued in comparison too—yeah he's got a lot of energy and is very hotheaded, but when he gets to talking about serious shit, he sounds a lot more regretful and melancholy as opposed to the EN delivery which depicts him as more resentful and outwardly angry. I think before Shit Went Down, he probably had the Coolguy vibe. Still a bit of a rowdy idiot and a showoff, but I think he probably came across to most people as a very friendly, sincere, and popular guy.

So yeah, the girls probably were all over him, at least for a short while.

[symphonic-scream]

Fool Makoto AU; Haru Okumura, the Lovers, aka 'Polaris'

I'm going to do a post like this for each of the thieves and confidants for this au cause I'm taking this one Long Run and thought it was fitting to start with Haru cause today (Dec 5) is her birthday!!

These posts will have little headings so it's more organized

Haru before the plot

So, let's start with some background lore. Haru's mom died of natural illness when she was young, and it's been her and her dad, on their own, ever since. She remembers Sunday mornings, cooking with him, before Big Bang really took off. She loves food, but starts to lose her love when the comments on her weight and size start up around age 9

Cause people can be cruel, sometimes

And, her dad gets distant. He's rarely home, and when he is, he's talking about the business, and as she gets older, how she can help. He gets her into Shujin with plans of getting her into Shido's internship program, as he's decided a future in politics is how she can help the company best

It's not what she wants, but she goes along with it. The internship isnt what it's meant to be, and Shido's advances make her skin crawl, and she's so far been able to keep him at bay. One morning, she's walking to school in the rain, with her umbrella, and sees an unfamiliar student in the same uniform. Before she can ask anything, he pulls up, kicks his son out of the car, and invites her into his front seat.

His hand is on her knee for the drive to school.

Her and Goro, they were close in middle school. Two outcast kids, so they got along. They barely talk now, just about internship stuff

So yeah then, it's plot stuff. Makoto and Goro start investigating after stumbling into the Palace, and Haru notices something's up real fast, and wants in. She expects them to say no, so she follows them, winding up in the palace. They don't notice, and neither does the small orange haired girl with them, not until Haru's been captured by the "Servants" there, and she has her Persona Awakening moment

Haru's Persona, Element, and Weapon

For Haru's persona I've selected Hypatia! She's the first non-mythical female astronomer! Her magic type is Ice, though she primarily deals heavy physical damage and defense buffs for her teammates

For fer physical weapon, I'm giving her a two-handed hammer weapon type. It's a reference to tenderizing meat as a chef for her, and she'd have battle lines like "now you're seeing stars" and "light out" or "nighty night"

For her gun weapon, hers will be a Carbine. No real reason really

Haru's Phantom Thief Identity; Polaris

Her codename as a thief is Polaris! It's the north Star, and fits with the overall theme of stars and space I'm giving her, kinda as a reference to the Okumura Palace in Persona 5

For her mask, I'm going with a Masquerade style, in black with lilac stars over it

The rest of her outfit is still kind of French inspired, like Noir's. White button up shirt that's like her canon one, with a silver ascot. A black vest/bodice kinda piece with silver buttons and accents, lilac and silver stars speckling it. Over it, a long, dark purple overcoat left open, with shoulder pieces and elbow pieces in silver, along with long, silver gloves. Pants are high waisted slacks, with knee high boots like the kind musketeers wear, in black (there are golden stars on the bottom of the soles). A top her head is a dark purple tricorne hat with an eight-pointed silver star on the very top

I'll have a reference photo to the outfit this is based on under the cut, at the very end in case I didn't describe it quite right

Haru's Social Link

As the Lovers, the overall theme of her Social Link with Makoto is reigniting her passion for her art. Why? In Persona 4, Rise's is about finding a reason to return to the stage, and in Persona 5, Ann's ultimately leads to her having a new drive for modeling

So for Haru in this au, it starts as lessons in teaching Makoto to cook. As a bonus, hanging out with Haru also gives Makoto a dish that'll either heal HP or SP in Mementos. During their lessons, Haru slowly talks about how she used to cook with her parents, and how she's always wanted to do it as her job. But, she doesn't want to let her dad down

Over the ten parts, she'd remember why she loved cooking in the first place, and Makoto would support her in cooking a three course meal for her father when he's in town again to show him where her passion lies, and reveal she wants to do culinary school

He says yes of course. And, also, the romance point in her link would be around rank 5-6, since I'm making her the canon love interest for this au, and want to have them established by sumner

Haru's Outfits

As a second year at Shujin, Haru starts off wearing the uniform fully and properly, as is required for her internship. After ousting Shido, however, she changes her look.

For the Spring, Fall, and Winter, she wears a lilac knit sweater with a standard collar under her blazer, with a silver necklace bearing a star shaped charm. She wears her skirt normally, with knee-high cat socks and chunky white sneakers, hand painted stars drawn on them

For the summer, she wears her sweater around her neck, and wears lower socks

Her Spring and Fall outfit out of school is a light coloured blouse, tucked into some darker, high waisted shorts. She's still got the high kitty socks and chunky shoes, but adds a purple cardigan over the look

For the summer, she wears a summer dress with a ribbon belt tied into a large bow. The ribbon would be dark pink maybe, and the dress would have a soft floral pattern

For the winter, she has a big indigo peacoat, her earmuffs and mittens in matching light purples, and wears thicker tights or something like leggings under a flowy skirt, i don't know the terms well but I think it would be like a soft pleated? Goes down just below her knees. Also, after Dec 5, she starts wearing a star barrette in her hair

Outside of school, typically her hair is up in a ponytail, like in her Cheerleader outfit from P5 Dancing

Haru in Strikers

So, Strikers happens in the same year it does for P5, so a year and a bit after this au. Cause in this au, Makoto, Haru, and Goro are second years. Also, Strikers is in the winter. It's a winter break trip

Haru is in her first year of culinary school, and loving it. She and Makoto have an apartment in their college city, haven't picked it yet, and. Haru can drive. Kinda

Sae taught both Makoto and Haru to drive, so while Haru does tend to speed a bit, she and Makoto trade off driving for Strikers.

Her outfit will feature a cozy sweater, her star necklace and barrette, her hair up and longer. She'd wear a casual dress under her sweater, and her kitty socks would have evolved into fun, shorter food socks she'd been gifted by the other Thieves

-

Putting in a cut, below will be extra details, comments, and ref images!

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK PLEASE! I'd love some feedback on my Lovers Haru, and this au as a whole. Also, who should I do a big post for next?

Among the thieves, besides her partner, Haru is closest with the Emperor, Ryuji, and the Priestess, Ren. She's also friends with the Moon arcana, Akira.

Her and Ryuji go to the gym together sometimes, and go test out odd food stops together. Ryuji is the closest to another foodie in the group, and Haru always brings him bentos made from her leftovers for his next school day

She, Ren, and Akira all get each other. They're former child stars, and she's got a rich and kinda famous dad. For them, it's nice having someone understand. She chills with them at their dad's coffee shop, Leblanc, and they talk shit about rich people together

She grows close to Morgana during the Royal Semester, since they're both concerned about Makoto, but want to respect her need to have some self-growth time with the other Royal Trio members.

Adding in my headcanons that Haru loves meats and seafood. Goro and Futaba jokingly call her a Carnivore, and at the buffet, she grabs a big plate of shrimp, some steak, and some melt-in-your-mouth- fatty pork

Because her dad is gone a lot, she would sleep over at the Takemi household a lot. Especially once she's dating Makoto. She enjoys getting to cook for more than herself when she wakes early to make breakfast, and practically preens at the praise from Makoto, Sae, Tae, and lil Morgana

Okay so here's the ref that inspired Thief Haru in this

And here's the hairstyle I mentioned from Dancing

[spaced-out-muses]

I’ve been thinking about it since watching @tres-fidelis play more P5R two nights ago, but I think it’s extremely funny how I ended up putting Taro and Mishima on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Like, I’m probably a broken record by now, but Taro Knows™, at least when it comes to our dear protagonist. Mishima figured it out, being one of the first ones to do so. Makoto figured it out. Yoshida figured it out, and I don’t doubt there could be others we just don’t see/I’m not currently aware of. In my mind, it doesn’t seem too far fetched that the guy sitting behind the protagonist would figure out his big ol secret. And honestly, in terms of the game specifically, I’m (lovingly) surprised no one else figured it out bc of Ryuji “GUYS WE’RE PHANTOM THIEVES” Sakamoto.

This group ain’t nearly as slick as they try to be and I love them.

But anyway, Mishima, once figuring out who the Thieves were, went all in on trying to help. He set up the Phansite, he actively contacts the Protagonist to give info, he should have been a thief himself and he’s always so enthusiastic about it. He has full faith in the Thieves, they’ve got his full support, nothing could shake that. Like, even the shit with Okumura didn’t faze him!! Even when knowing the Protag’s record, he completely throws it out the window, puts his trust in the Phantom Thieves, and was the first one to go “This is BULLSHIT I know you guys didn’t do that.” He’s also the first one to suggest the damage control of taking on smaller requests to regain the public’s trust, like!!!

Boy is doing the best he can to help, he realized he's in control of his own fate after a few bumps in the road, and I adore him for it.

Taro… does Not do any of that. He didn’t even intend to find out, he just happened to get unlucky enough in seating placement. He wants NOTHING to do with the PT as things stand. This does put him in a difficult position since they’re students like him and knows he shares a class with at least one, and like. He doesn’t like, want to be an asshole, doesn’t want it to seem like he’s actively avoiding anyone. Hell! He doesn’t even disagree with what they’re doing, doesn’t care at the very worst. But at the same time he is acutely aware he’s a loose link and therefore assumes the larger the distance, the safer both parties will be.

You could probably argue he's helping by not snitching but that's the bare minimum.

His entire plan for surviving Shujin revolved around keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. While Mishima enthusiastically broke out of his shell once the Phantom Thieves showed up, Taro is aggressively retreating into it. He just wants to get through high school with as little excitement as possible, and though he’s technically failed step one we will perservere, damnit.

This is especially the case once Okumura kicks it, because like... Mishima is one case. He actively works to help the thieves, and is one of the people who was most impacted by their first heist. He has a reason to keep faith in them.

Taro doesn't. At least, not to the same extent.

Sure, the Thieves have changed hearts without issue plenty of times before. Sure, they saved the school from a tyranical PE teacher, outed a art thief, etc. etc. etc. But unfortunately, after Okumura, Taro is forced to remember the Protagonists record. And that... grinds things to a halt. Anxieties and a fresh wave of doubt bubble up. Any progress that could have happened on a personal scale is likely pushed back.

He wants to put faith in the PT, he really does. But until he can think things through or something, he's going to go back to keeping his distance for a while.

[saikolikes]

Aki’s P5R  fanfic recs! (part 2)

Hi and welcome to another one of my recs posts! As you can see, this is part two: part one of this post can be found HERE and includes fics I bookmarked between April 2019 and December 2020. This second post will deal with everything I bookmarked during 2021 and 2022 (... so yes, part 3 is bound to happen some times in the future)

Here a brief disclaimer:

Everything in here is spoiler for either P5 vanilla, Royal, or Strikers;

I won’t report the tags, as it would take too long, so if you’re interested in a fic, please open the link;

Fic recs obviously reflect my tastes and preferences. For example, I love suffering and I don’t like fluff or domestic works, so browse this list knowing that;

The stark majority of the works here is shuakeshu

If you want more recs you can find them in my bookmarks, most of them are public!

MY ONGOING RECS Again, I don't read a lot of ongoing works (although, admittedly more than in the past) and these are the ones I'm subscribed to that I'm adoring!

The Lovers, Reversed by salexectria, Terra5 (E) | Royalty a/b/o AU | akeshu | series in three parts, ongoing "A Thief is caught stealing from the Northern King, and is sentenced to death for his crimes. The Alpha Prince intervenes, but at what cost to them both?" What I love about this AU is the amount of politics and worldbuilding put into it, as well as the uniqueness of double povs who constantly switch from Akira to Goro creating one back and forth that acts literally like poking into their minds. Plus the slow burn and the pining are just on point.

never die when I'm dead by threerings (E) | Royal & post-Royal | akeshu | series in 2 parts, ongoing Two one shots featuring one of my absolute flavors of this ship: sad, intense and unhinged

IDC FOR UPDATES I resolved to defeat my abandoned-wip trauma one excellent fic at a time so here's a list of works that haven't been updated in a while or the author straight up confirmed they won't keep writing them, but they are so good you just have to read them and let them remodel you. Do it. Do it now.

the year of the knife by theexistentiallyqueer (M) | No powers AU | shuakeshu | 2 chapters "The plan for Akira's junior year of high school was to keep his head down and his nose clean, but he hadn't counted on his new high school having more trouble than it was worth--and he specifically didn't plan on Akechi Goro, the haughty, machiavellian vice president of Shujin Academy's student council, dragging him face-first into political scandal and a series of encounters that would change his life." Please let teq bring you through a journey of spot-on characterization and stunning prose that will rewire your brain chemistry completely. Their take on machiavellian Akechi is really good, and the snark Akira spits in this fic is really something I cherish.

kiss & cry by MajorGodComplex (T) | Figure skating AU | shuakeshu | 2 chapters "Goro’s first thought when he hits the ground is some combination of the words ‘shit fuck hell fucking bullshit bitch fuck motherfucking hell.’ His next thought is wondering whether Akira Kurusu, senior debut, constant thorn in Goro’s side, and the only person anyone this season seems to talk about, is also trying to land a quad axel at the moment." I don't know what to tell you, the prose of this one is so witty and funny you just have to read what's published of it as of now!

honeybrains by succubused (T) | Time loop | shuakeshu | 4 chapters "a chronicle of the twenty-fourth time akira kurusu lived through the month of january 2017" What can I say, I am really a sucker for time loops and this fic took me by the heart. Tagged as character study and with rights because the characterization here is very interesting!

in the snow globe by aminami (E) | Time travel | shuake | 1 chapter "It’s your heart,” Joker says like it’s the most obvious thing. “Your desires, your hopes, your fears. I’ll carry them with me always. My little snow globe." This fic will hurt you so badly but it will be so worth it, I swear. It's just so melancholic and tender and angsty and it carved a place in my heart.

my love has never lived indoors by rhodophytae (E) | a/b/o | shuake | 1 chapter "Ren Amamiya knows he's an alpha, and he's comfortable with that, but he's pretty sure that being an alpha is, well...different for him than it is for other people. He resigned himself a long time ago to the fact that he'd probably go his whole life without finding anyone else like him. And then he meets Goro Akechi." This fic has such an interesting take on omegaverse! Paired with a stellar characterization and delicious pining, it's no surprise it's a fic I will never forget.

GENERAL RECS The fics I’ve enjoyed the most and that I go back to reading sometimes.

how joker and crow survived the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 by shntlvs (T) | Royal | shuakeshu | series of 2 works "Escaping from Maruki's false reality gets interrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic." Could you have ever imagined reading a fic centered around the pandemic? Me neither, but this one and its sequel work so well and have very compelling bits of characterization for the boys. Unexpected premise, but I utterly loved it.

straw house, straw dog by caelam (T) | 3rd sem | gen | one shot "In the saccharine utopia of Maruki’s reality, Goro Akechi’s mother is still alive." I admittedly don't read too many fics with mamakechi so I won't claim to be an expert, but this one really left me impressed with how clear and tangible the tangle of feelings is.

Knight of Pentacles, King of Spades by Naometry (M) | Medieval AU | shuakeshu | 11 chapters "“Hifumi passed on your greetings,” Akira Kurusu says, fury simmering beneath his conversational tone. “And I’m polite enough to give you my own in person. So greetings, General Goro Akechi. I am the man who will kill you.”" I started reading this fic for the war captive trope but this story has so much more to it than just that. Nao's superb skill with writing violence and viciousness will have you thrust into a cruel world where two boys seem to be bound to kill each other... unless?

Ripples by Riona (T) | gen | canon compliant | one shot "Ten people know exactly who the news is talking about, and now they’re going to have to deal with that." A peek into the heads of 10 of Joker's confidants upon learning about his death. The fic I would never imagined myself reading, but I did because it was recced to me, and now I'm recc'ing it to you, too.

When Your Eyes Meet Mine by seths_dream (E) | no powers AU | shuake | one shot "The way the bellboy lingered on him made his heart jolt, made him think that maybe, maybe the bellboy was looking at Goro the same way Goro was looking at him." I've lost count of how many times I read this fic because the horny is just so juicy, it's unironically one of the fics I come back to when I need to remind myself how to write horny stuff. (the same author also wrote this delicious pegoryu that you have to read)

a study in what not to say by succubused (T) | 3rd sem | shuake | one shot "Akira has finally had enough of Akechi's bullshit; they resolve it the only ways they know how." If you like the boys being really nasty to each other, this fic is a must. It has excellent dialogue, dynamics, and a tad of homoerotic wound tending which can't hurt no one!

MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITES The fics that rewired my brain chemistry, took my heart out, slapped it, put it back, and left me a whole new person.

27 steps to seduce a crow by relationshipcrimes (G) | Royal | shuakeshu | one shot "A handy bullet-pointed list on how to flirt with, seduce, and keep your local Akechi Goro." Still to this day, I think of this fic in terms of Goro's characterization. If I have a thing for post-canon shuake chasing each other, it's probably due to this one.

The Brigverse by TzviaAriella (E but most works are M) | Pirates AU | akeshuake | series, ongoing I admittedly don't care that much about pirates but the og fic from this series (A Brig Too Far) was being passed on so much that I gave it a try and. Oh boy. Not only is the characterization impeccable, the story compelling, and the action thrilling, but at least one scene and/or line from each work in this series has altered my brain permanently. I am a new person after reading Brigverse.

wild and free by bangandawhimper (E) | a/b/o | shuakeshu | one shot "Akira Kurusu hasn’t always been an omega. But now everyone he meets in this city assumes he’s an omega. He’s treated like an omega. He feels like an omega. He knows he feels like an omega because he remembers what it was to be an alpha." This work might have my favourite take ever on shuakeshu omegaverse, it's so fitting for them, so thought out, and the characterization is so on point... my god. Read this fic now.

The Diamond Chest by kinneas (E) | post-Royal | shuakeshu | 3 chapters, complete "Who says you have to see Morgana speak in the Metaverse before you can hear him in the real world? Not the few hundred officers who arrested Ren in Sae’s Palace two years ago, that’s for sure." Honestly everything kinnes writes is gold but I'm shouting this fic out because I reread more than a few scenes from this fic more than once, and it's a 100k-words baby. I am a sucker for heist stories, I am a sucker for dealing with trauma in very tangible ways, and I'm a sucker for kinneas' characterization of the boys.

before midnight by specterthief (Not rated) | 3rd sem, canon compliant | gen | one shot "“I—” Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Sumire sets down her chopsticks and rubs her face with both hands. “Um—who told you I was going to training camp?” (On January 9th, Sumire goes home.)" This is the stellar Sumire characterization fic you're looking for. Read this. Read this right now.

I HOPE THIS DOESN'T AWAKEN SOMETHING IN ME (DELUSIONAL) I clicked on these fics solely due to my trust in the authors/the summary/one rec and now I find myself with a new kink. Thanks.

Containment Breach by salexectria (E) | Space pirates AU | akeshu | one shot Akira gets stranded on an abandoned spaceship seemingly infested by a terrifying creature. He finds the lonely survivor of the crew and they begrudgingly start to work together to contact help and survive. I am just going to say that I clicked for salex's name, I stayed for the stellar characterization, pining and top-tier bantering, and got overwhelmed by the tentacle sex. (/pos)

it takes two by lumensd (E) | 3rd sem | akeshu | two-shots By all means, this series has some things I usually am not interested in (phone sex, degradation) but Jay is so skilled and his akeshus are so fucked in the head that now I've signed up for the masochist Joker agenda. Hurray!

i dream of you draped in wires by rime (E) | 3rd sem | akeshu | one shot "Maruki's Shadows don't want to fight; they just want to collect data. Wait, are those cat ears?" You would think a work with the tag "catboy shibari gunplay fuckordie" can't be too serious. Wrong! Excellent character study attack 🔪🔪🔪 (from the same author there's also this P5 vanilla fic that is excellent)

Darken my doorway by EnlacingLines (E) | 3rd sem-post canon | akeshu | one shot ""I don’t need to test my theory. You should be thanking me, really. Opening this door for you.” “A door to what?” Akira says, exasperated by just how self congratulatory Goro still sounds.“ Submission.” Or: I am a firm switch shuake shipper, I don't vibe with too-extreme dynamics *proceeds to go ballistics over this fic regardless*, *awakens to the wonder of d/s a lil fucked up dynamics*

[mayadoesfandomstuff]

Do you think that maybe, perhaps by November or December, Akira/Ren's reputation could have gone from "high range Yakuza who trafficks elephant tusks" to "bad boy with a heart of gold?"

Or would that not happen in an asian prep school?

(Speaking as an American who is fascinated by other cultures. These aren't the sorts of details I can find elsewhere.)

"Bad boys" aren't really a thing in Asian prep schools. In fact, I don't think it's much of a thing at all in the context of Asia or at least where I'm from. The most "bad boy" thing I've encountered is more from celebrities trying to make that as their image, so it's highly unlikely for this to even happen to a regular person, let alone in a prep school.

When you're given a reputation, it's stuck really. The most that could happen is proooobably your reputation easing out if you've proven you're not that bad of a person and that you're misunderstood but that doesn't mean that the bad stuff completely goes away.

From experience, I've been viewed as hostile and dangerous by new people who later on just changed their perspective to say I'm not that bad after knowing me for a few days/weeks. Teachers could also ease up for a while too but they could still talk about some shady stuff you did before to other teachers. Your reputation could eventually shift to less "dangerous problem case" to "troubled kid who means well but ends up with problems".

At most, it's possible that Akira/Ren would be seen as "not as bad as the rumors say" and end up with the "troubled kid who means well but keeps ending up with problems" reputation by a part of the school, while some of the other students might still circulate the old rumors even if he hasn't really done anything that would prove them. Teachers might say that either the rumors were overblown or he's at least changed since then but to keep their guard up.

The best case scenario for him really is that some other controversy comes along and that people forget his name when talking about the rumors and it's circulated around more as "Hey have you heard Shujin has a student that's..." without any direct association to him.

That's at least my experience with things like this in my own prep school.

[demifiendrsa]

Persona 3 Reload | Meet the S.E.E.S. Trailer

Japanese version

Battle BGM & Gameplay Reveal

Japanese with English subs version

Persona 3 Reload will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store) February 2, 2024 worldwide. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pass.

The game will be available in the following editions:

Physical Editions

Standard Edition ($69.99)

Base Game

Aigis Edition

Base game

Collector’s box

Art book

Two-disc soundtrack CD

Aigis figure

Downloadable Content Pack – Includes all purchasable additional content for the game. (“Persona 5 Royal Phantom Thieves Costume Set,” “Persona 5 Royal Shujin Academy Costume Set,” “Persona 5 Royal Persona Set 1,” “Persona 5 Royal Persona Set 2,” “Persona 5 Royal Background Music Set,” “Persona 4 Golden Yasogami High Costume Set,” “Persona 4 Golden Persona Set”).

Digital Editions

Standard Edition ($69.99)

Base game

Digital Deluxe Edition ($79.99)

Base game

Digital art book – Filled with 64 pages of character art, concept art, backgrounds and other illustrations from the game.

Digital soundtrack – Listen to newly arranged tracks from the original Persona 3 plus all new tracks from Persona 3 Reload, presented by the ATLUS Sound Team for a total of 60 new songs.

Digital Premium Edition ($99.99)

Base game

Digital art book

Digital soundtrack

Downloadable Content Pack

Users who pre-order any version of the game will receive the “Persona 4 Background Music Set,” which features the following additional tracks:

“A New World Fool”

“I’ll Face Myself -Battle-“

“The Fog”

“Reach Out to the Truth”

“Results”

“Time To Make History”

Latest details

■ Characters

Koromaru (voiced by Shinya Takahashi in Japanese)

A dog who awakens to the power of Persona after a tragic event. Since his original owner—the priest of the dorm’s neighboring Naganaki Shrine—had passed away, the protagonist and friends take him in as a full-fledged member of S.E.E.S.

Clever, loyal, and friendly, he quickly becomes a beloved member of the group. He seems especially close to Aigis—who translates his barks—and Ken Amada, the elementary school student.

In battle, he wields a knife in his mouth. His unique Persona is Cerberus, specializing in dark skills.

Aigis (voiced by Dawn M. Bennett in English, Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese)

A man-made Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, 7th Generation. She joins S.E.E.S. as an android with a humanlike heart, granting her the power of Persona.

She harbors a mysterious attachment to the Protagonist from the first day they meet. Initially coming across as cold and robotic, she begins to discover more human emotions through her experiences with the group.

In battle, she fires off an arsenal of weapons built into her mechanical body. Her unique Persona is Palladion, specializing in physical and support skills.

Ken Amada (voiced by Justine Lee in English, Megumi Ogata in Japanese)

The youngest member of S.E.E.S.—a 5th grader at Gekkoukan Elementary. After losing his mother in an accident, he comes to live at the Iwatodai Dorm.

After awakening to his Persona abilities, he joins S.E.E.S. of his own accord. While he strives to act mature with his mannerisms, deep down he is still a child with a passion for superhero TV shows.

In battle, he holds a long spear in contrast to his short stature. His unique Persona is Nemesis, specializing in light skills.

Shinjiro Aragaki (voiced by Justice Slocum in English, Kazuya Nakai in Japanese)

A third-year at Gekkoukan High, though he can rarely be seen at school. He was a founding member of SEES alongside Mitsuru and Akihiko. After distancing himself for about two years, a certain turn of events convinces him to rejoin the group.

While unapproachable at first glance, beneath the gruff exterior is a gentle heart and a knack for cooking. He even has a soft spot for animals, doting on Koromaru when no one is looking.

In battle, he bludgeons with weapons like axes. His unique Persona is Castor, specializing in hard-hitting physical attacks.

■ Key Art and Protagonist’s Battle Uniform Revealed

In Persona 3 Reload, all members of the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.) now don new battle uniforms when taking on Tartarus.

The newly revealed key art depicts the protagonist in his new outfit alongside his Persona, Thanatos. The iconic S.E.E.S armbands have also been redesigned to match the updated battle uniform.

[djkibrit]

Persona Characters’ School Years (Party-members and Students Only)

So, as a result of curiosity, I decided to organize every student and/or party-member of the Persona series by the school grade they were in while their game happened!

- General Observations:

 1. I’ve only played Persona 1, 2 Duology and 4 as of now. So I’m not as familiar with P3 and P5 characters. With that in mind, I had to use the SMT Wiki to learn about every student present in the series and what grade they were. So, if you find any inaccuracies, feel free to correct me

EDIT: So, as expected, I did put something wrong (I'm very sorry). As @kotopeachii pointed out, Nozomi is actually a third-year, so I've edit this post to change the image and to correct calculations I've made (Once again, thank you very much for correcting my mistake, kotopeachii ^^)

 2. Also, I’m not considering characters found only in the spin-offs

 3. I only included the students and party-members since they are the main subject of this analysis (and it’s kind unnecessary to put every single adult in the series in this lol)

 4. I made this organization with this tier list made by miru (go check them out!). However the tier list didn’t contain all the characters I needed, so I edited the image and added the rest of the cast (I will put the “sprites” I made in Read More if anyone else want to use them)

 5. There are still some characters in the series we know are going to school during the games but which year they are in is still a mystery. They are: Tadashi Sotomi (the creator self-insert present in P1), Tsutomu Kurouri (better known as Devil Boy from P1), Ken (Eikichi’s friend from P2), Mamoru Hayase (the Star SL from P3)

 6. There are also characters that we can only discover their grade by analyzing information not found explicitly in the games. They can be found by examining: their birthdays (Tamaki from P1 and Mitsuo from P4) or some of their sprites (Yasuo and Sugimoto from P2)

- What Can We Learn From This:

(For the calculations of average, I’m using: Child = 0, First Year = 1, Second Year = 2, Third Year = 3, and Adult = 4. I’m not going to count the non-humans for this)

 1. The Persona Series is predominantly composed of 2nd Years (which make up for 60,7% of the characters included in this tier list). What makes a lot of sense since it’s the “middle” stage of high school, the one that symbolizes the transition of childhood to adulthood (one of the main theme of the series)

 2. The only cast to not include a 3rd Grade character (be it as a party-member or as an npc) is P1 while P4 is also one that doesn’t present a 3rd Year party-member. On the other hand, P4 is the only entry that had 1st Grade party-members in their base game (with Sumire only being added to P5 with Royal)

 3. Persona 1 is the only game to have an entire party made only by people in the same school year (with all the nine party-members not only being in their 2nd year but also being in the same class).

 4. Futaba is the only teenager party-member to not attend school during their main game. Although she starts going to Shujin Academy by the time P5 Strikers takes place (where she is in the 2nd Year)

 5. The oldest overhaul cast (including the adults) is obviously P2. However, even if not including characters that don’t go to school in this, P2 continues to be the oldest (with an average of 2,25)

 6. The oldest party is (to the surprise of none) the one from P2:EP (with an average of 3,86) and, if only counting party-members that are students, the oldest would be, by technicality, P2:EP again (since there’s only Tatsuya - a 3rd Year - although he kind of dropped out). If we were to considered only parties with more than one student, Persona 2 continues to be victories with P2:IS (that has an average of 2,5)

 7. The youngest overhaul cast (including children) is P4 (with an average of 1,81). And even when only counting party-members, P4 is still the youngest (with an average of 1,57), which makes a lot of sense since the IT has three 1st Years

 8. General Cast from youngest to oldest: P4 (1,81) < P1 (1,93) < P3 (2,04) < P5 (2,08) <  P2 (2,89)

 9. Party-members only from youngest to oldest: P4 (1,57) < P1 (2) < P3 (2,01) < P5 (2,11) <  P2:IS (3) < P2:EP (3,86)

- Obs: So, after the edit, P3 general cast (2,13) surpass P5 (2,08) if you exclude Ken

So here are the "sprites" I edited :D

[taldigi]

I see you are also hoping on the "Ren's hometown is Inaba" train. Any interactions between him and the P4 cast you think would be especially fun? Also, would you want them to hear Morgana or not?

So like, genuinely- I know it's not Inaba. It's not yellow enough to be Inaba. BUT on a like.. story level? It's a fun concept.

So I know that p1 and p2 tend to get a little overlooked, but from what I understand- it's established in one of those that the form that the metaverse/shadow realm takes is entirely dependent on the community and it's rumors. So if, theoretically... Ren were to enter the TV world, he wouldn't become Joker- and if someone from the investigation team were to enter the metaverse, they would get hero costumes. That's how I like to understand it.

It's.. I think p4 is 2011 and p5 is 2016-17? Rise turns 20 yeah? The latest I assume Ren returning would be 2018. Nanako is 7-8 in p4.. so... 14 at most, but using fiction magic and pushing her to 15 would make her a new High school student. Inaba is small & tight knit, so everyone is going to be suspicious of Ren.. except a handful of genuinely good-hearted people, and Nanako deffo ranks up there.

I think their friendship could be really fun. People who kinda had to raise themselves in a way and feel profoundly lonely with the people that mean most to them being far away. Piano and Coffee? Basically a walking jazz club already LMAO.

At least half the team would be away from inaba. Yu, Naoto and Rise for sure. I doubt Yukiko, Kanji or Yosuke would leave, since their families have established businesses.

Same with Teddie, who prolly would be happy still working at Junes.. tho, I can also see him with the gag that he has 100 small jobs and is everywhere all the time. Walk into a store? The cashier is Teddie. At the park? Who's cleaning but Teddie..? Maid Cafe? you know it's T- I also think other than Teddie they'd be too busy having to adult or university to be super involved.

I think I recall Chie is working with Dojima to become a detective/cop. I think Ren would kind of hate them, or at least would be insanely distrustful or wary. Which would be a great dichotomy considering that "worlds goodest girl Nanko" is hanging out with "phantom thief and serial mysterious theater kid Ren". Just a lot of odd little moments that could be really fun.

Nanako meets Ryuji when he's visiting (cause you can't seperate Ren and Ryuji for too long they'll die prolly) and keeps thinking of Kanji... Teddie calling him Kanji 2 and annoying him about it. ("Gah! I didn't think anyone could be more annoying than the cat!")

Anime and Game Yu are crazy different, but I can see an event where he's visiting for some reason or another and it goes from "What do you MEAN nanako is hanging out with some delinquent guy several years her senior-" that results in the worlds most intense wildcard-to-wildcard staredown and ends with, "He's good but if she so much as frowns I'll find you and kill you myself "

Cultural exchange program but they go to Shujin. I think Ryuji moves to be closer to therapy I think, so it might just be Ann and Sumi they meet there, but it's a good excuse for a "return to tokyo" thing- and Ann gets to gush over Ren's Yasogami uniform (he wears it like Yu too- at least in the DLC, which is funny tbh.) IDK where Yu is from originally, but in the anime- at least, he has bags from Tokyo- and the wiki & online discussion come to a similar conclusion. It would be neat if they met up with him there too. bonus bonus points if he's aware of what happened in some capacity.

I know technically it's someone seeing Morgana talk and establishing that concept in their cognition which enables him to communicate, but also as long as someone's entered the TV world/Metaverse is a good enough reason. If not, at least Teddie- as a fellow Shadow-adjacent creature, should be able to understand him.

IDK those are my thouughhtsss. I only got into the anime so far, so I'm absolutely missing context and depth. I'd like to play P3 before P4- especially if they make a p4 "reload"

[p5x-theories]

So.... This has been on my mind for a while.... Does Shujin exist in Wonder's universe? What about Ren and his friends? Tae, Iwai and Chihaya are there and I know Wonder doesn't really have a reason to look into Shujin since he doesn't remember Joker after they leave the metaverse but I think it's still strange that we haven't seen any Shujin students walking around or being mentioned lol

Actually, I think I remember seeing some students in Shujin uniforms walking around as background NPCs in one or more of the beta tests, but they seem to have been removed in the open beta. It may have been a leftover of previous plans for the game, similar to Yukimi originally having a Kosei uniform model and portraits?

Either way, I think at this point the assumption is meant to be that it doesn't exist, like Big Bang Burger, since we've already been introduced to two other schools (Kokatsu and Kiga) to "replace" Shujin and Kosei. Then again, now that Kotone's been changed to be a high school student, they've kept it vague what school she actually attends, maybe she goes to Shujin or Kosei, haha? There really hasn't been any conclusive evidence either way as to whether those schools still exist.

As for Joker and the other P5 Thieves, the implication has certainly seemed to be that they don't exist, but we really don't know for sure about that one, either. At the very least, their lives must be pretty different- Leblanc seems like it might not exist in the way we know it in Wonder's universe (though we can't actually visit it, because we're transported to Joker's universe through it, haha), and Big Bang Burger has been explicitly stated to not exist at all. If the P5 Thieves do exist in Wonder's universe, they're probably different from the ones we know.

[vashtijoy]

Hey there! First off, I wanted to thank you for all your analyses and thoughts on P5 - they've really helped deepen my appreciation of this monster of a game! Now, onto the question (why yes I did create a Tumblr just to ask this, ha) - when do you think Akiren was arrested? I'd guess late March from context clues (or a little earlier if he's from a warmer place), but a couple weeks seems like a really quick turnaround to be placed in Sojiro's care. Curious to know what your thoughts are!

Wow, thank you! That's really kind of you. Great journal name, BTW.

I don't think it will have been two weeks. IMO it will have been some time the previous year, most likely in the summer holiday. Ren is out after dark, and he and the woman are both lightly dressed. You can see green leaves on the trees in the background—this is not definitive by any means, but by September, leaves on trees in P5 tend to have faded to brown, while in March the trees tend to be pink and in blossom.

(Also, notice how built-up this area is, and how tall the buildings are. A lot of people think Ren is from somewhere like Inaba, but this scene makes it look like he's from somewhere more like a regional capital.)

Ren is what's known as a "Type 1 Juvenile" (p. 123)—he's been sentenced to probation by the family/juvenile court, for at most until his 20th birthday. After a year, he can be discharged from probation if he's behaved himself:

If the probationer has complied with their conditions and has led a sound life for at least a year, the Director of the Probation Office can permit an early discharge.

Note that "live a sound life". We see it quite often in the top right-hand corner, as "live an honest student life". And that period of a year that Sojiro keeps bringing up is important—Ren won't have been allowed to sit around waiting for the new school year; he's likely just been sentenced, and reported in short order to Leblanc.

How long was the trial process? Ohya mentions in her confidant that she looked into Ren's conviction and thought it was obviously unsafe: "I have to say though, the ruling made in your case was really odd. Some kind of deal must have gone down behind the scenes to make sure that was the end result."

So it was probably rushed through. But it's Japan—even a rushed trial is going to chew up a fair amount of time. The prosecutors have to investigate and compile reports that make them look good and not corrupt, the trial date has to be set, the judge has to read everyone's reports and make a decision (Japanese trials are often essentially conducted on paper). Then there's sentencing and appeal. Then Ren's professional probation officer in his hometown (Sojiro is a volunteer probation officer, or VPO) has to find a school that will take him and a place for him to stay and (technically) receive guidance.

Could it be seven months or so, August-ish to March? Probably easily, yeah.

why doesn't he repeat a year

So if Ren is arrested around August 2015, and started his first year of high school in April 2015, why doesn't he repeat the year?

Well, first of all, do we know Ren is 16? Could he have been in his second year in his home town? I think we would have heard about this, honestly—someone would mention that he looks too old, or Kamoshida would have mentioned that the terrible transfer student is Repeating A Year. Ren likely is the same age as the rest of his year group.

While it's almost unheard-of for children in Japanese elementary and middle schools to repeat years, it's quite common in high schools. You can repeat for not getting good enough grades, or for poor attendance. But repeating must be approved. If you're seen as having, say, a poor attitude? You're likely to be politely told to shove it, and move up with the rest of your year.

I don't think we can fairly say that post-conviction Ren is perceived as having a good attitude. He certainly is not at Shujin. I think Kobayakawa threw him into the second year not caring too much if he sank or swam.

Ren also may not have been expelled from his original school until he was convicted—which would mean, based on this timeline, that he did get most of his first year of high school.

[webbedphantom]

Recon is Required

[Plotted Starter for @caramialunaestelle's Asuka]

He hated this. All of this.

He'd been hearing a lot more about NERV lately, and none of it was good. Granted, most of it was from less than reputable sources, but considering they had some seriously dangerous stuff in their arsenal to use against Angels... some of it seemed plausible.

However, that place was off the record. No public address, no list of employees, and even if he could manage to track it down, it was likely locked up tighter than the supervillains he took down. Which meant if he wanted to get a peek inside, he'd need more intel.

Which brings us to what it was that disgusted him so much. Using an innocent person to get said intel.

Rumors at Shujin spread like wildfire, and currently the one that was the talk of the town was that the newest transfer student worked at NERV. Which was... a bizarre claim to say the least. Why the hell would they have recruited a high school student??

Still, it was the only lead he had. And despite barely having said two words to the girl since she arrived, he needed to check it out. Which meant introducing himself, and trying to get whatever he could out of her, as subtly as possible.

Course, he also had some rumors spreading around about him. And they were much less appealing than being some government soldier. So if he wanted an in with the new girl, he'd have to get creative-

He waited until class was out for the day, borrowed a few textbooks from the library after "accidentally" leaning his bag in his locker, and then with them piled high in his arms, just so happened to bump into her while she was grabbing some things out of her locker, causing them both to drop whatever they were holding onto the floor, with him doing his best to "convincingly" stumble backwards and fall onto the floor.

Cliché, but it would get the ball rolling-

The fall might've been a little much... You don't exactly look like the scrawny nerd you used to be.

'Oh shut up! The uniform hides most of my build anyway-'

Not enough to stop the rumors about you being a career criminal-

... he had to give it to him. That was a fair point. Still he hoped this display might make him seem more harmless that said rumors might lead her to believe.

"O-oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

He quickly began to try to collect his things, while still trying to seem shaken by the impact.

"I forgot my bag, and I really need to study for the next exam, so I didn't see you there and-"

He shook his head. Probably wasn't the best idea to lean to heavily on the awkward nerd tropes-

"H-here, let me help. I-it's the least I can do."

[symphonic-scream]

Fool Makoto AU; Goro Akechi, the Chariot, aka "Rogue"

Y'all voted and wanted to see Goro next, so here we go! If you're interested in this arcana swap feel free to send me asks about it, and check out the au tag Fool Makoto

Let's get this show on the road

Goro before the plot

Alright. So Goro's mom? Alive. She's been getting a bit of child support money from Shido to remain hush hush about him having a bastard son, and doesn't tell Goro for a while. They're not well off, and she struggles to keep a steady job as she raises him, but they're surviving. Things are pretty okay for a while

He doesn't have many friends. His worry for his mom and anger at his unknown dad for leaving them makes him stand out from the other kids, and he spends his time studying, doing stuff around their apartment, and walking with his mom to the 777 for a special treat when he brings home a good grade

By middle school, he's got one person he'd call a friend. That Haru girl, who everyone is weird about cause her dad is famous or something. They sit at the back of the class, and partner up for projects. That's, about the extent of their friendship

Soon enough, things start to crumble. Goro's mom falls ill, and they don't have the money for her treatment.

So, taking matters into his own hands, he rummages through her records without her knowing, and finds the name of his father. Shido Masayoshi. He goes to him with his "evidence", and demands he help his mom. He won't do it for free, of course, being corrupt and shit. Goro has to agree to become his little attack dog, one of his "interns". This is how he gets into Shujin.

While the other interns are mostly young girls and sons of other famous people doing copies and shit, Goro gets tasks like digging up dirt on his competitors, and other shady things. He doesn't tell his mom the details, just that he got a job working for his dad to pay for her treatment

Then, well, one morning in his second year, he's being driven to school by his dad after going to threaten an opponent early in the morning, only to get kicked out into the rain so his dad can harass the Okumura girl in his car, and he meets Makoto

Goro's Persona, Element, and Weapon

For his Persona, Goro has Fawkes, named for Guy Fawkes. One of the conspirators to take out one of the former English Kings. As for his element, Goro uses Curse, specializing in magic damage and giving the team attack buffs, and Crit buffs later on

His physical weapon is the one-handed sword, much like his hero sword from the games. I couldn't just not give him a sword again

Goro's gun weapon is the Assault Rifle

Goro's Phantom Thief Identity; Rogue

So as a Phantom Thief, Goro goes by Rogue. His overall theming is that of an Antihero, partially inspired by Robin Hood for the reference to his canon persona. Well, one of them

As such, his mask is like a strip of fabric, looks like it's tied behind his head, but he can pull it off just as easy as the rest of them. It's dark black

The main part of his outfit is a hooded dark grey jacket, with a high collar and a big cross over for the buttons. He has dark red leather straps over his torso, and flared, dark red leather gloves. The buttons and accents on his jacket are black. The design of the buttons on his jacket are pointed, like arrows. His trousers are the same dark red as the straps and gloves, tucked into tall black boots.

Goro's Social Link

For the majority of his Social Link, Goro and Makoto are teaming up to solve a case at school, since someone has been taking things from students' shoe lockers. Through the installments, Goro talks about how he ended up working for his father, how he doesn't know what to do with his life since he only did that for his mom.

He also mentions a fear that he'll end up like his dad. Cause, he mentions he was good at it, and what if that means he's doomed to become slimy and corrupt like him?

That's not the case though. Goro finds that the thing he's good at is looking into things, and digging up clues and secrets. His ninth level hangout is spent at the Takemi house, where he ends up being offered a proper internship with Criminal Investigator Sae Takemi (The Hierophant).

Makoto and Goro find the culprit of the thefts at school and Goro is slightly disappointed the case is over. But ye, he learns that he won't become like his dad as long as he cares not to, and that he's not alone and all that

Goro's outfits

So just like Haru (the Lovers) and Makoto (the Fool), his uniform is worn perfectly until after the first palace, Shido, is over. Once he no longer has to maintain a perfect look to not make his father look bad, he adds a little flair.

He keeps his blazer open, and wears a dark red sweater vest over the white uniform shirt. He doesn't really change that much else for the spring/fall/winter. For summer, he swaps the uniform shirt for his own short sleeved polo shirt, in a maroon colour

For his spring/fall outfit, Goro wears a black collared shirt and brown trousers, with a red and grey patterned sweater over it. He has the sleeves of his sweater and shirt rolled up neatly, and the collar over the sweater perfectly

For the summer, he has tan khaki shorts, pressed with a crease down the front, and a dark grey crew neck sweater, the sleeves rolled up and folded all nice. He still wears loafers shoes, which are in nearly all of his outfits, but he has socks in that red and blue diamond pattern he wears on that sweater in the canon game

And finally, Goro winter fit. He has a beanie hat, which fits him real well, and is dark red. His coat is like a short trench, dark beige, over a white collared shirt and cricket style sweater, black, silver, and maroon. His black pants are pressed and creased again, and he's got a dark tartan scarf and dark leather gloves

Goro in Strikers

So in the main part of the au, Goro is in second year at Shujin, but for Strikers, he's in his first year of post-secondary. Also, it's winter. I wanted a bit of a jump here ehe

He dresses much the same, still in neat outfits with that dark academia look, but he's got a few silver piercings. He went and got them done with his mom, when she was officially in recovery in his final year. His jewelry look like little arrowheads, like the buttons on his thief outfit

He's much more settled, and has been happily working under Sae as an intern investigator. He's getting his degree in criminal justice and a minor in criminal psychology, and he attends school in Tokyo, unlike Makoto and Haru.

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I don't have any extra info or inspo images this time like with Haru, so I won't need a cut this time. I hope y'all like my Chariot Goro! Hes still a bit of a shit, don't worry, but he won't be as mad at the world. Still a little, but not to the murder extent.

I won't be running a poll for who's next since I still have the results of the last one, so I'll be working on that next post soon! As always, let me know what you think, and asks and comments are appreciated

[manias-wordcount]

Could I request Mishima from persona 5? Maybe the reader is very touchy with him, hugging and making flirty jokes with him and he’s kind of confused like: “is this a friend thing or?” ALSO IF MISHIMA SUBCONSCIOUSLY DOES SIMILAR THINGS (making lunches and other nice things) AND READER FEELS THE EXACT SAME WAY???? And they somehow tell each other how they felt???? Please and thank you I have brainrot

Hand in Hand (Yuuki Mishima x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗶 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝗱

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

“Yuuki, Come on!” 

  Things get a little complicated for him when it comes to you. They always have.

   “You said you were going to eat lunch with me! You promised!”

  On one hand, he tries to chalk this up to him not being used to being treated like this. It’s like he spent his entire life being bullied, used, or ignored. He can’t how many beatings he has taken. How many times he’s been overlooked. How many times he’s been taken advantage of just so someone else can succeed. It seemed so natural. Like a part of his life that he could never escape from. A part of his identity that he’ll never leave behind- no matter how hard he tries.

  It seemed like he was going to spend every day looking over his shoulder. Knowing that everyone who ever wants to be with him will want something from him. Knowing that all eyes that are looking for a punching bag will eventually land on him. And knowing that there will be so, so many people who will never know that this is happening. Because they refuse to acknowledge that it exists. That he exists. But then he started high school. 

  He starts over- and he meets you

  And that leads him to his other hand. That leads him to you, you, you

  First year: you walk in a week late from when classes start. And like everyone else, you had his attention captured. How could he not be entranced by the new student from a foreign country- not quite used to Japanese customs with a slight accent and all. But then you’re sat at the empty desk right next to him. And he’s tasked with showing you around and sharing his materials until you’re caught up to speed. And you cling to him.

  And he clings to you.

  And his second year has already started. But you’re still here. You’re still talking to him. You’re still hanging around him. And right now? You’re waiting impatiently by his desk after having called his name more than five times since he’s too distracted with his own thoughts of you to realize the real this is oh-so-close. Until now, that is.

  “Don’t worry, I’m coming. I didn’t forget.” He answers you easily once he’s regained his focus. His eyes train themselves on you and you look the same as you always do. Always the prettiest girl in Shujin. Always the prettiest girl he’s ever known. And so, a light smile comes across his face as his hand reaches out to ruffle your hair. It’s instinctive. Almost as instinctive as the way your face twists up in that cute pout of yours and you swat his hand away. But how could he fight it? How could he fight it when he’s talking with, dealing with, being with you. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”

  “Mmm,” You hum absently, adverting your gaze as if you’re thinking hard about something. In the meantime, he rises from his desk and shoots you a knowing look that you pretend to ignore. Instead, you offer to draw out your hum a second longer. And then another. And another. And one for good measure. As if he and all the other students still lurking around the two of you don’t already know what you’re about to say. “Apologies not accepted: I want a hug.”

  It’s almost uncanny how different you’ve made his life. 

  “You’ll get one later. Come on.” He says, reaching for the two homemade bento boxes in your hand. You let him take them from your grip with no complaint, and he balances them in on hand as he begins to walk past you and towards the door. You waste no time at all jogging after him once he’s more than a couple of paces away. And by the time you’re by his side, he’s ready for it. The feeling of your hand grabbing his. And his more than willingness to thread his fingers between yours. “Let’s go eat first.”

  “Mmm…okay!” 

  You’re cheering. You’re happy. You’re smiling at him. You’re more than content with being led by the hand, and he takes you both to your usual lunch spot. You always are. Always grabbing his hand. Always asking for hugs. Always kissing his cheek. Always being close. To you, it must be second nature. To be so warm. To be so inviting. To be so sweet. He wonders if you know. He wonders if you know how people look at the two of you when you pass by, hand in hand as you laugh that sweet little laugh of yours. He wonders if you know how people talk about you when you throw your arm on his shoulders when he’s at volleyball practice and tell him that you’re rooting for him- no matter what happens. He wonders. He wonders if you know.

  He wonders if you know how you make him feel. 

  He wonders if you know how you make him think

  Right now, you’re swinging your arm. It’s one connected to the hand that you share with him. So by extension, he’s swinging his arm too. And in the back of his mind, some part of him can’t help but wonder if everything you do to him is because that’s just who you are. Never for a moment does he ever think about you using him. It pains him too much. Because he knows he wouldn’t be able to stand it if it was you. Because he knows that just not you. But that doesn’t make things easy for him. That doesn’t make things easy for him at all.

  Because on the one hand, you’re you. You don’t know all the Japanese customs. You don’t know what all your gestures mean. All the weight it carries. How only certain actions are reserved for couples. How only certain actions are only reserved for private. It’s not your culture. It’s not what you grew up with. And he can’t blame you. He can’t blame you for not knowing all these things. Even if they make his heart race out of his chest like no one has ever done before.

   But on the other hand…maybe you do.

  Maybe you do know. Maybe you know exactly what you’re doing, and when you’re doing it. And that’s what makes things so complicated. That’s what makes you so complicated. And sure, over his time with you, he’s been able to more easily read you. He likes to think he knows what most of your jokes mean by now. He likes to think he can tell each and every time you want a hug or when you want to hold his hand. He even likes to think he can predict what exactly he has to do to get you to give him a kiss on the cheek. And spoiler alert: it’s not a lot. Not when it comes to you, at least. 

  So he wants to ask you. 

  He wants to ask you if your hugs mean what he wants them to mean. He wants to ask if you smile like that only for him. He wants to ask if you hold other boys' hands like this too. If you kiss other people’s cheeks with as much frequency. If you try to be close to others. Close to others like he wants to be close to you. Like he needs to be close to you.

  But he can’t. He can’t

  It hasn’t been long since he escaped the hole he used to reside in. The hole you helped him escape from. Even though he swears to himself that he’ll never tell you how bad it was. But he’s spent his life being nothing but a nobody. A pawn. A punching bag. A faceless, nameless nobody in the crowd. And he doesn’t want that anymore. He doesn’t. So maybe he’s scared. Maybe he’s too scared. Of returning to how things were. Of waking up to see things in shades of gray once more. Of having you disappear from his life. From his happiness. Forever. But he can’t help it. Just like he can’t ask you. 

  Just like he can’t lose you.

  So for now, he’s more than happy to turn to look at you with a smile, knowing that you’ll give him the biggest smile back he can muster. He’s more than happy to slow his steps a little more than he would in the past if it means that you’ll be able to match his stride more easily. And he’s more than happy to take your hand and give it a squeeze. Knowing that it’s his to hold. 

  And yours to squeeze back.

[satoshi-mochida]

Persona 3 Reload launches February 2, 2024

Gematsu Source

Persona 3 Reload will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on February 2, 2024 worldwide, ATLUS announced. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pass. Digital pre-orders are available now.

The game will be available in the following editions:

Physical Editions

-Standard Edition ($69.99)

Base Game

-Aigis Edition

Base game

Collector’s box

Art book

Two-disc soundtrack CD

Aigis figure

Downloadable Content Pack – Includes all purchasable additional content for the game. (“Persona 5 Royal Phantom Thieves Costume Set,” “Persona 5 Royal Shujin Academy Costume Set,” “Persona 5 Royal Persona Set 1,” “Persona 5 Royal Persona Set 2,” “Persona 5 Royal Background Music Set,” “Persona 4 Golden Yasogami High Costume Set,” “Persona 4 Golden Persona Set”).

Digital Editions

-Standard Edition ($69.99)

Base game

-Digital Deluxe Edition ($79.99)

Base game

Digital art book – Filled with 64 pages of character art, concept art, backgrounds and other illustrations from the game.

Digital soundtrack – Listen to newly arranged tracks from the original Persona 3 plus all new tracks from Persona 3 Reload, presented by the ATLUS Sound Team for a total of 60 new songs.

-Digital Premium Edition ($99.99)

Base game

Digital art book

Digital soundtrack

Downloadable Content Pack

Users who pre-order any version of the game will receive the “Persona 4 Background Music Set,” which features the following additional tracks:

“A New World Fool”

“I’ll Face Myself -Battle-“

“The Fog”

“Reach Out to the Truth”

“Results”

“Time To Make History”

Get the latest details below.

■ Characters

Koromaru (voiced by Shinya Takahashi in Japanese)

A dog who awakens to the power of Persona after a tragic event. Since his original owner—the priest of the dorm’s neighboring Naganaki Shrine—had passed away, the protagonist and friends take him in as a full-fledged member of S.E.E.S. Clever, loyal, and friendly, he quickly becomes a beloved member of the group. He seems especially close to Aigis—who translates his barks—and Ken Amada, the elementary school student. In battle, he wields a knife in his mouth. His unique Persona is Cerberus, specializing in dark skills.

Aigis (voiced by Dawn M. Bennett in English, Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese)

A man-made Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, 7th Generation. She joins S.E.E.S. as an android with a humanlike heart, granting her the power of Persona. She harbors a mysterious attachment to the Protagonist from the first day they meet. Initially coming across as cold and robotic, she begins to discover more human emotions through her experiences with the group. In battle, she fires off an arsenal of weapons built into her mechanical body. Her unique Persona is Palladion, specializing in physical and support skills.

Ken Amada (voiced by Justine Lee in English, Megumi Ogata in Japanese)

The youngest member of S.E.E.S.—a 5th grader at Gekkoukan Elementary. After losing his mother in an accident, he comes to live at the Iwatodai Dorm. After awakening to his Persona abilities, he joins S.E.E.S. of his own accord. While he strives to act mature with his mannerisms, deep down he is still a child with a passion for superhero TV shows. In battle, he holds a long spear in contrast to his short stature. His unique Persona is Nemesis, specializing in light skills.

Shinjiro Aragaki (voiced by Justice Slocum in English, Kazuya Nakai in Japanese)

A third-year at Gekkoukan High, though he can rarely be seen at school. He was a founding member of SEES alongside Mitsuru and Akihiko. After distancing himself for about two years, a certain turn of events convinces him to rejoin the group. While unapproachable at first glance, beneath the gruff exterior is a gentle heart and a knack for cooking. He even has a soft spot for animals, doting on Koromaru when no one is looking. In battle, he bludgeons with weapons like axes. His unique Persona is Castor, specializing in hard-hitting physical attacks.

■ Key Art and Protagonist’s Battle Uniform Revealed

In Persona 3 Reload, all members of the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.) now don new battle uniforms when taking on Tartarus.

Persona-3-Reload_2023_08-23-23_030.jpg (3456×4320) (gematsu.com)

The newly revealed key art depicts the protagonist in his new outfit alongside his Persona, Thanatos. The iconic S.E.E.S armbands have also been redesigned to match the updated battle uniform.

Persona-3-Reload_2023_08-23-23_031.png (3051×4320) (gematsu.com)

Watch a new set of trailers below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Meet The S.E.E.S. Trailer

English

Japanese

New Battle Theme Video: "It's Going Down Now"

English

Japanese

(Had to use just links for the last two pictures since only 30 pictures are allowed per post)