#all my favourite characters are the same guy. dont get me started on goro akechi. not on his birthday

[corviiids]

(tags via @gaiusjuliuscaesar)

points at you. you understand.

the armour of achilles is kind of like a death note and this is going to sound crazy but hear me out. everyone who ever wears achilles’ armour dies. achilles (duh), patroclus (book 16 goes crazy) and hector. the armour of achilles also (at least imo) notably alters the behaviour of the people who wear it — achilles’ anger is literally his defining trait and when patroclus puts it on he begins behaving erratically eg taunting aeneas, mocking cebriones’ death. hector also begins to behave much more brashly, eg yelling at polydamas in book 18 for daring to suggest that perhaps going back into the citadel is a good idea. SIMILARLY the use of a death note 1) dooms the user to being killed by their shinigami and 2) seems to alter in some way light’s behaviour — he has the same ideals before and after he picks it up but the light we see at the start of the series and the light in the yotsuba arc has absolutely no interest in killing people and is deeply offended by the notion he could do so.

like obviously achilles’ armour does not kill people but like. it kinda kills people. like hear me out

ok no you're cooking though. like, i think the thing about the death note is not that it has a supernatural power to alter behaviour, i think what it does is present its user with power on a new scope beyond what they previously considered possible and the overwhelm of that is so dizzying and perspective-changing that it alters your perception of what matters and what's possible. it literally is hubris, thinking yourself totally above consequences, thinking purely in ideals, getting that big picture vision that obscures the danger of the means in favour of walking towards that bright and shiny end

i really LIKE your vision of achilles' armour as being somehow symbolic of that capacity achilles has for inhuman rage and vengeance like, you're kidding about it having supernatural powers but even if we look at it in a purely symbolic way and not supernatural, that's fun as hell. we can even take this further and apply it to the second set of armour too (the one thetis brings achilles after patroclus' death) and change the conditions not even to wearing the armour but simply contemplating owning it, because that ends up being the subject of the feud between odysseus and ajax, and ajax goes so mad with righteous grief and fury that he turns bloodthirsty, and then he kills himself over the resulting shame. how excellent is this armour as a symbol of the same rage and pride that killed achilles!! reaching for something you think you want and deserve, losing aspects of yourself to achieve it, and going mad with the injustice when you don't reach it

and then odysseus wins the armour and survives his journey........ but like, he doesn't keep the armour. he gives it to achilles' son.

[qualityrain]

I know like nothing abt persona but I wanna hear you talk about akechi goro. He's weird, I think I would like him.

this is like 2.3k words theres more to say about this silly guy but im out of juice also i did not proof read. also yk. p5 vanilla and p5 royal spoilers. also tw suicide mention

ok persona 5 royal is like a power fantasy game where you play as like a 16 yr old guy (who i will call akira), reform society and fight god. in the game akira gets wrongly accused of assault so he goes to tokyo for his probation and gains god powers and starts a group called the Phantom Thieves (PT) to change the hearts of shitty adults while gaining a found family in the process. so theres this thing called the metaverse and its like the cognition world where akira gets a persona which is a thing that represents your spirit of rebellion and is part of yourself and makes you mega cool and powerful. everybody can only have one persona except when god says so. so having more than one persona is a wildcard. akira and akechi are both wildcards. also theres his murderer in the metaverse causing mental shutdowns and is like killing people. 

Ok so akechi is a detective that is against the PT and thinks they are working outside the law and is supposed to catch them and becomes akiras friend after akira debates him on live television. akira knows that akechi is very much likely to be the murderer and akechi knows that akira is the PT leader. they become friends in the sense of the game mechanic called confidants and the higher the confidant level the closer you are to the character.  also akechi paraphrases hegel saying that advancement cannot occur without thesis and antithesis and thats their entire relationship in the whole game but im not getting into it because yk akechi

so like theyre using each other for information but not really because they dont talk abt the PT everytime they hang out so idk what they are doing. akechi thinks hes better than everyone and relies on himself so when akira is able to debate him hes like wow this is a worthy adversary!! also the stage play has a song abt this and its akechi going wow you are the one im waiting for, a worthy rival !! in my racing heart i wish for a competition with both our lives on the line. so yeah hes a little weirdo. 

rank 2 (rank 1 is obtained instantly) is akechi and akira playing billards together because akechi only has hobbies that are considered high class and for talking with adults. ive seen somebody say hes rude to akira until akira notices that akechi is playing with his right hand instead of his left (hes left handed) and this proves to akechi that akira is indeed a worthy rival and so hes not rude to him anymore. akechi is intentionally handicapping himself so he says when akira is able to beat him using his right hand he will go all out. 

rank 3 is akechi taking akira to a cafe to eat. akechi is a celebrity and also has a food blog. he doesnt have a favourite food and pretends to have a sweet tooth for the masses. he goes to places to eat for the popularity not the food. i think in jpn he mentions how his fans only like him on a surface level and how they will all leave him eventually. his fans see him and akira ruffles akechis hair and lends him his glasses to disguise himself. akechi is like haha i didnt expect that but you know hes SEETHING inside so much that afterwards when he calls akira on the phone hes like haha you caught me off guard!!!(actually really pissed off) you and i are the same height maybe you can wear my clothes and nobody will be able to tell the difference haha wont it be fun :))) i will dictate everything like the hair (RLLY MAD ABT THE HAIR RUFFLING) and clothes!! 

ok i saw somebody say that akechi is a homme fatale and yeah. thats a thing. he apparently flirts more in the lower ranks? but i cant tell because yk aroace 

persona 5 is a game about masks and personas (shocker) akira has 2 main personas he has. the cool joker personality in the metaverse and the shy low key akira in the real world. akechi is the same with 2 main personas. the detective prince and the heartless murderer. akiras mask in the real world is represented by his glasses and lending it to akechi is like this intimate gesture that akira does for nobody else which leads to…..

rank 4 is akechi bringing akira to rhe jazz club where its akechis favourite place. somewhere he feels the most at home at. he says he cant cook for his life. like ei levels of cooking. so he just microwaves food at home 😭😭😭😭😭😭. the song that plays here is very much associated with akechi its called “no more what ifs” and its most applicable to akechi in third semester but the gist of it is akechi can only be who he is and regrets none of his choices. which is actually rlly funny when u realise akechi is barely a person because almost every part of him is carefully curated to be as likeable as possible. also akechi has like no friends its just akira. clown.

rank 5 is akechi bringing akira to play a gun game to make a haha im practicing to take you out (MURDER) joke. akechi says he used to play hero for his mother as a child. put a pin in this. also i forgot to say akechi is the justice arcana in this game but ppl also say he is the justice arcana reversed. he asks akira whats his idea of a hero and if akira says “a hero is somebody who sticks to their justice” and akechi replies “but if nobody wants it then isnt it empty self righteousness”. so akechi kills people for his justice………….so hates himself a lot. 

rank 6 is akechi and akira going to the bathhouse where akechi says his mother was a prostitute and his father ditched her when he found out she was pregnant so he is a bastard child. his mother also commits suicide because its very taboo to have a child without being married which led akechi to believe that hes an unwanted child. and he wants revenge on his piece of shit father. also after his mother died he was passed from foster home to foster home. theres this video that explains the cultural significance of akechis character so here u go https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia8D664sof8&pp=ygUYYWtlY2hpIGphcGFuZXNlIHduYWx5c2lz  akechi realises he shares too much and disappears for the next 2 months. 

he comes back to blackmail the PTs to join them and to kill akira.

rank 7. the plan to kill akira has been finalised. he asks akira out to play billards again. this time he tells akira whats going to happen but in billards. he says smth like u cant just land the ball in the hole like that you have to be precise and indirect. And how its like the “perfect crime”. the mental shutdowns that akechi is doing. hes not caught and nobody knows. he says that the ball is not easily controlled that despite the player having the best intentions the ball might strike unrelated objects in the path. this is about akechi who needs to kill akira to fulfil his goal of revenge to get the justice for his mother. akira beats akechi in this game of billards and akira asks akechi to join the PT. akechi responds by asking akira, in japanese, to toss his friends away like garbage to join him. you can date any female character in this game btw and the pop up to signify a romantic choice pops up here. the whole i need to choose my choice carefully thing. akechi is the only male character with that same pop up. no romance route but take that as you will.  the correct reply to akechis question in jpn is “akechi, you are my rival” if you agree to drop everybody and join akechi, he will stop you. i cannot remember what he says exactly in the english option and its hard to find a video that accepts this but the gist is that akechi has an expectation for akira as his rival. akira has to stick to his principle. this is what akechi expects of akira and he wont let akira stray from those principles. dropping everybody and joining akechi is breaking those principles and akechi wont allow it. theres more to this but my brain wont work its from fhis tumblr post https://www.tumblr.com/vashtijoy/725074969636274176/why-not-join-me-instead-akechis-invitation its like. akechi wanting an equal relationship with akira and not being co conspirators with a power imbalance

rank 8. akechi pulls a real ass gun on akira in the metaverse. they duel it out. akira wins. akechi is pissed. he hates that akira is catching up to him and could even be better rhan him. he tells akira. to be entirely honest with you. i hate you. your deft handling of your unfortunate circumstances, your uniqueness, your ability to surpass me- all of these irritate me….you’re the one person i refuse to lose too. and then he throws his glove at akira as physical evidence of them having a future duel. akira has gone through shit and has come out better than akechi. theyve both been screwed over by adults they both have masks but akira is the one with friends and everybody loves him while akechi is only loved when hes lying. to akechi its unfair and akira shows akechi that there is another way he couldve gotten revenge in a way without hurting others but he didnt know until hes in too deep and now he cant stop. 

akechi shoots fake akira in the head and hes silly about it. hes happy because he wins their duel but is also disappointed because he expected more of akira and hes kinda fucked up from it because he shot and killed his only friend and the first time he kills somebody irl but yk hes dealing with it (having a breakdown on main 

rank 9. akechi wishes he met akira earlier. that perhaps it would undoom him.

rank 10. the breakdown. akechi wants to be loved. at his core. the moment his mother died he internalised that he was unwanted and unloved and fakes his entire personality and everything so people would love him but its all fake and hes still feeling like hes better off dead. he saves the PT but doesnt save himself even when he can because he thinks he doesnt deserve to live. without his revenge akechi has nothing and it was his drive to continue living ever since he was a child theres nothing else he has to live for until akira gets rank 10 with him and akechi learns the ability endure to survive. its akira telling akechi. that akechi still has to keep to his promise of a second duel to akira that shows akechi that somebody cares and wants him around that he gains the will to survive. 

so akechi and akira are destined to be enemies by god and akechi was specifically chosen to represent humanity’s destruction but akira shoots god in the face so thats sorted out

third semester your therapist becomes god and now you’re in a reality where there is no pain. akechi takes akiras place in prison and gets released and hes really mad about it because he thinks he deserves punishment and everything bad to happen to him because he killed people. he joins the PT to defeat your therapist now god because akechi doesnt want to be manipulated ever again (see: him being manipulated his entire life) hes really unhinged in battle in third sem but yk. sillyguy things. akechi is less happy less fake more angry more asshole more tired in third semester. he drops most of the detective prince mask with the PT but drops it completely with akira. akechi knows that he is dead and is intentionally acting like a mega bitch to make everybody not care about him. your therapist is like wow akira i saw akechi die and brought him back to life for you <333 and akechi makes akira kill him <33333333 and doesnt expect akira to hesitate because akechi thinks that hes nothing to akira compared to everybody else <333 he still thinks that hes unloved <333333333333333 

so yeah akechi dies. wow end of game. except not (i pull out the red string) (joke) the true ending cutscene we see akechi walk past akiras train so hes still alive if hes rank 10 w joker 

ok now other silly things. akechi eats like one apple for lunch thats it. akechi wears sweater vests to match a previous famous detective from persona 4 (naoto!!). akechi cycles and does bouldering and his bicycle is not owned by him because everything he has is owned by his piece of shit father <3333 he has like 0 social skills he constantly tells akira hes sweaty. one day he sees akira on the train and doesnt even say hi just starts talking. akira says one (1) word and akechi is like wow what an eloquent response its rhe perfecr response its concise and keeps the conversation gojng you’re so amazing!!! akechi has two personas that awakened at the same time to show how conflicted he is with himself. one of his unused voicelines to the PT is asking what mask do they want him to wear. another unused voiceline is him saying my persona craves prey like the edgy kid he is. he the only character who insists on playing 701 darts which is the longest and hardest darts and intentionally shoots in a way that always ends on akiras turn so you have to get it right or else you lose everything. asshole. Unused darts dialogue where akira says “go go goro san” and akechi misses the dart and loses. silliest guy in persona 5 royal. 

EDIT: in one of the mangas akechi buys akira a bigass uncooked fish as like a gift or smth because he didnt know what to get. clown. clown. when u talk to akechi in game he sometimes says oh im waiting for somebody (LIE because he has NO FRIENDS) silliest guy