#goro action figure

[dread-red-queen]

🚫 Do Not Re-Upload/Edit My Shots/Art Without My Permission🚫

             [Pillowfort][Instagram][Tumblr][AO3][Nexus][Ko-Fi]

found the NPC figure props pack and decided to have a little fun at Goro's expense bless him, sometimes he questions his life choices and why he married her XD

[majimemegoro]

His new home btw

[avocadoonthetrain]

Flat-assed import husband has finally arrived 😍

[cultofthewyrm]

For anyone who missed the P5 Nendoroids the first time around

[animefigured]

Ryuu ga Gotoku - Majima Goro - 1/6 (Asmus Toys)

[cyberpunkv-diary]

I fixed my Takemura figure face because he was looking weird.

[comicchannel]

Funko Pop Games Mortal Kombat X Goro - 256

Link para compra BR: https://amzn.to/3EJf2nG

Buy here: https://amzn.to/454SgBy

[hifugoro]

Picturing Ren eventually distancing himself from Akechi after accepting Maruki’s deal.. Picturing him weighing the idea of them not being friends anymore in his head the night of 2/2—since he figures that Akechi wouldn’t want to—and slowly becoming more resolute to do it himself after seeing Akechi back to detective prince mode….

“Have your regrets begun?” is a scalding line in it’s own context of Akechi being gone but I think it applies twice as much in this scenario. Is Akechi really happy here? Was his TV persona drawing upon a place of real joy, or is this Maruki’s vision of a Happy Goro Akechi? Or, worse, Akechi had an OkumuraMadarame™ pulled on him. Ren’s wish was granted before he spent any time with the “real” Akechi (in quotes because I have other unrelated thoughts on his behavior during 3rd semester) in a way that didn’t end with one of them dying. Therefore it’s an admittedly reasonable assumption that those feelings of closeness came solely from Akechi’s other personality. There’s also the Vey Important dialogue with Maruki where Ren can say his heart aches when he gets betrayed. And I mean. You know.

So, let’s switch him back to the polite Akechi who would never betray anyone. He’s alive because Maruki wants him to live a good life as well, sure, but him being here was Ren’s wish. As messed up as it is it’s pretty obvious who comes first and foremost. Maruki thinks all happiness is real, even if it means entirely destroying who you are, anyway.

And I don’t think Ren would be able to come to terms with that. He’d try to reason it with himself for the first few weeks (maybe Akechi didn’t really think he was too unlovable to show any real parts of himself to the public. maybe this is genuine) but it wouldn’t work in the end. It doesn’t help that Akechi hadn’t even been angry when he said their deal was off, he just looked hurt. Acting like nothing is wrong after betraying someone like that, whether they remember or not, just isn’t something Ren could do forever.

So he doesn’t. He stops going to see him. Stops returning Akechi’s texts. Doesn’t reply to the follow up texts of Akechi being confused as to why they suddenly aren’t speaking anymore. He can’t even imagine going to the jazz club, the real Akechi’s safe haven, after everything is finished. The other thieves may talk about Akechi from time to time since they’re all friends now, which hurts him to hear, but guilt can’t be outweighed that easily.

Damning the entire world to save one person who didn’t even want to be saved is a selfish action born entirely of Ren’s own feelings towards letting Akechi die again. Does following that up with a selfless one—letting him drift away even if he desperately wants to reach out, because Ren knows Akechi wouldn’t realistically forgive him for taking the deal—cancel it out? Does it make anything better? Does it matter?

And at the end of the day, Akechi’s pain over losing the closest relationship he has likely wouldn’t even last. Sadness doesn’t mean anything here. After a while, Ren probably won’t even be missed. Maybe he realizes that this is the case and commits to it anyway. A roundabout apology for something Akechi doesn’t even know he did

[skania]

Let's talk about Aqua "using" Akane

So Aqua makes a very big deal about "using" Akane, but... did he actually use her at all?

I mean, he makes it quite clear that he is only keeping her close because she's useful, right?

So, what is Akane useful for, exactly?

Aqua's entire premise is that Akane understands Ai better than he does. He can't lose Akane because she may help him figure out Ai and find out who his dad is.

But we never, ever see Aqua asking Akane questions about Ai. At the contrary, most of his time with Akane is spent either on Aqua and Akane helping each other, or on Aqua talking to Akane about himself rather than about Ai.

(Spoilers for the entire manga below the cut!)

Let's take the TB arc for example, since this is the arc where Aqua and Akane interact again. What do we see?

First, Aqua helps Akane voice her concerns about the script:

Then he helps solve the disconnect between the ones in charge of the script and the original author, thus doing Akane and everyone involved a big service:

Then he helps Akane win against Kana, going as far as to agree to do emotional acting in order to accomplish it:

And then he helps Akane draw Kana out into the spotlight:

In other words: Aqua spends the entire arc working as a team with Akane. He makes no effort to use her at all.

What's more, all the occasions he had to get Akane's insight about Ai? He uses them to give Akane insight about himself instead.

Which is ironic, because we eventually find out that he even went as far as planting a GPS on her sometime after Love Now, in the off-chance Akane came in contact with the culprit. He obviously was pretty serious about making the most of Akane's deduction skills...

... but how was Akane supposed to deduce anything when Aqua never gave her any info? After all, Aqua only shares that information with Akane after he thinks his revenge is over and he has no use for her anymore.

Which means that, up to the point where Aqua temporarily drops his revenge plans, we don't actually see him using Akane at all.

Despite this, we still see Aqua going on and on about how he has "used" Akane.

So, let's take a closer look at all the ways he has "used" Akane, shall we?

• "About my father" is the simplest one, since that's what Aqua wanted to use Akane for in the first place. Except that, as we saw, things don't go quite as planned and he literally doesn't do anything to have Akane find his dad.

So yes, Aqua did intend to use Akane to find his dad, but he doesn't actually put her to use. In fact, Akane finds him all on her own by pure chance much, much later.

• "The corpse" is a very interesting one, because by Aqua's own admission, he trusted Akane's capabilities enough to think she may be able to find his corpse, and fed her information to help her achieve this.

This is indeed true, except for two things. One, when Aqua starts looking for the corpse, he actually tells Akane to stay behind. She's the one that chooses to follow after him. Aqua makes it sound like Akane finding his corpse was his goal from the get-go, but his actions are at odd with his words.

Secondly, Aqua stops looking for the corpse the moment Akane suggests it may be buried, but he still takes her to Goro's house either way.

Nothing he tells her about Goro is relevant to the search of his corpse. It's completely irrelevant, in fact. But Aqua still opens up to her, sharing everything about Goro, from his upbringing to his goals to his feelings.

Once again, his words say one thing, but his actions tell a different story. Akane is the first person Aqua has opened up to about Goro, and he does so without any ulterior motive.

Which leads me to the way Aqua has "used" Akane:

• "And many other things."

This is what Aqua means by "many other things". Ever since that day, Akane has been giving Aqua emotional support and he has come to treasure it, so much so that it "saves him little by little".

I'd even say he has come to rely on it, as his monologue later shows.

Now, you may say, but isn't receiving and giving emotional support a normal part of every relationship?

And you'd be completely right! But Aqua isn't a normal guy.

Aqua is guilt-ridden to the point he is in pain whenever he enjoys anything. Since the guilt he feels colors basically everything he sees, it permeates his relationship with Akane as well.

Instead of seeing all the good he has done for her, he just sees all the ways he ties her down.

Instead of seeing how much of himself he has shared with her, he focuses on what he has kept from her.

He is such a guilt-ridden, self-deprecating person that he even apologizes when Akane finds his corpse. As if getting murdered and not being found for 20+ years was his fault!

Akane puts it best: Aqua is always trying to carry the burden on his own, always acting like every wrong is his fault.

It's no surprise then that Aqua feels guilty over allowing himself to cherish Akane's support. It's also no surprise that he tries to paint it negatively as him "using" her, because Aqua has been trying to convince himself that his relationship with Akane is a lie.

If he repeats it enough, if he makes his every action about using Akane, then it will be easier for him to let go of her — even when that becomes the last thing he wants to do.

This all comes to a head in Chapter 98, where we see Aqua cutting ties with Akane to keep her safe. This was the perfect time to use Akane, for real this time — but "using" Akane has become a lie that he can't keep up any longer.

Akane has become too important to him. So important in fact, that leaving her side marks the moment he makes a wrong turn and gives himself into the darkness of his revenge.

TL;DR Aqua did want to use Akane, but he never gets around to it. He comes to rely on her emotional support and feels so guilty for it that he sees that as "using" her. Ironically, by the time Akane becomes the perfect "tool" for him to use in his quest for revenge, she matters too much to him and he lets her go to keep her safe. In fact, Akane only makes herself "useful" to him by pure chance! lol

[amiedeselfes]

Time for a whole new headcanon because I'm a little insane over akeshu but what's new. (please don't take me that seriously)

So I was thinking, we all know Goro comes to the PTS saying he gained Robin Hood by facing "Black Mask" during Okumura Palace.

What if once again Goro was saying a half-truth half-lie?

Hear me out. Let's imagine how Goro only got one persona at first but this one is actually Loki. He always had this one within him. He didn't made any close bonds with anyone and never got any other persona.

But then Amamiya Ren happened. And Goro got closer to that enigmatic boy he couldn't really figure out and who was challenging him and his ideas. He got a close bond. One he can't ignore. One who makes him doubt over his own goals even if he won't give them up.

One who questions his justice.

From this sole bond he gained, it made him doubt over what he wants, over what Loki represents. It made him question his own actions. From there, he awoke once again. Robin Hood came to life, fruit of doubts and his own lies and Ren's bond with him.

He wishes he was this elegant virtuous prince for Ren. He wishes he was truly fitting for their odd group, looking for true justice. He wishes he was a rebel over the rest of the society instead of trying to fit in for his revenge and his father.

Sadly Robin Hood won't linger for long, Goro chooses his revenge no matter what. But it is there, already blooming in his heart of a villain.

[thedaythatwas]

don't mind me, I'm just thinking about how much akechi would probably hate the fact that people defend his actions with some form of the argument "he was so young when he first started killing, he was taken advantage of and groomed by shido, etc."

this is going to be a long one, so let me add a page break real quick:

let me be clear: he was! the last thing I want to do is diminish akechi's agency, but when you are a young teenager there is absolutely no reason an adult in your life should be encouraging you to commit murder for their political gain. that feels... self evident? we know that akechi was young when he killed wakaba isshiki. shido saw an opportunity, and he took advantage of it. he's scummy. absolutely zero argument there.

still, it is integral to understanding akechi's character to remember that he viewed himself as taking advantage of shido throughout their relationship. he was aware that shido was using him, but he viewed himself as using shido right back. in his head, he had complete control of the situation, and his actions therein. for all accounts and purposes, he did! we all have control over our actions. akechi didn't need to do anything. we also know that he was eager to follow shido's orders, not for the sake of the orders themselves, but for his belief that his plan would end with shido utterly defeated and betrayed, groveling and desperate and recognizing akechi for everything he was. valuable. someone who maybe, shido shouldn't have abandoned.

so he was meticulous. perfect, and beyond reproach. we can see it in the interrogation room, when he shoots "akira." it's clear that he's still playing their game (asking akira if he's "figured it out yet"), but when he goes in for the kill, akechi is cold. we know that he cares about akira, but he puts any feelings that he might have aside for the sake of his ultimate goal. nothing is more important than ingratiating himself to shido and subsequently ruining him.

akechi's desire for revenge is complicated. yes, he wants to hurt shido, but more than that, he just wants to prove he's worth something to the man that ruined his life. he hates shido, and he needs him to see that he should have done better by him. he needs to be loved, even if that desire ends up twisted. we've all been there, yeah? it makes a lot of sense, all things considered. this in mind, it's pretty clear that akechi did not have nearly as much control over his relationship with shido as he thought he did. but I digress.

so, back to akechi defense. akechi sees himself as the sole perpetrator of his actions. technically, he was. but he was still taken advantage of. those truths can coexist.

that doesn't mean their coexistence is easy to digest. in the third semester, akechi acknowledges that he was manipulated by shido. arguably, his defining characteristic during the third semester is his refusal to be under someone else's control again, even at the cost of his own existence. still, he regrets the fact that he let himself be manipulated more than he regrets his own actions. for those, he seems unapologetic.

the crux of the issue here is akechi's acknowledgement that he let himself be controlled. that itself is a form of agency. allowing himself to be influenced was his own fault. at least, that's how I suspect he sees it. he can't allow it to not be his fault. that would be too hopeless for him to process.

akechi is angry, and sure as hell, he lets everyone know it. third semester akechi is absolutely awful in a completely different way from base game akechi (and I say this in the most affectionate way possible). as much as goro akechi hates the world, he hates goro akechi. anger internalized is rarely solely internal, likewise, anger externalized is rarely solely external. anger is also often a mask. the black mask is angry in the same way that the detective prince is polite to a tee. neither persona (no pun intended) is complete.

(after all, we know that akechi has feelings other than anger, even if he tries to downplay them. he turns himself into the police in akira's stead. he may not harbor affection for the rest of the thieves, but he certainly feels something for akira. call it respect. call it a need to be seen. call it love. I think that those are all pretty similar in the mind of our guy in question.)

the way I read it, akechi is his own worst enemy, and consciously or not, it seems that he sees himself that way as well.

to claim that akechi isn't accountable for his actions under shido would grate at him because, well, it just isn't true! at least not entirely. the argument that he was manipulated? it wouldn't work either, because akechi sees himself as at fault for that too.

the guy has issues. and isn't that what makes him compelling?

anyway! that's enough for today. perhaps I'll continue this later. believe it or not, I still have things to say!

[icespur]

You know what I love that I don't see enough of?

AU fanart and fanfics where Shido raises Goro.

There's one that I love called Ruin or Glory, where Shido is a doting single Dad, which is precious, but might I suggest an alternate scenario?

Begrudging DadShido who got forced into the father role after Goro's mom dies in childbirth. The Doctors tracked him down and went "Hey, Prime Minister deadbeat, come get your fucking newborn." leaving Shido no choice but to drive to the hospital to take custody of his "consequences of his fucking actions, maybe this'll make you think twice before refusing a condom before calling over your favorite Health Maid" child.

At first, Shido considers this baby a nuisance, an obstacle. Because juggling a baby while working on a Political Career was not part of the damn plan! But, very slowly--he starts to warm up to his son. It takes a long while, it's practically a character arc because Shido is so damn stubborn and stoic, but it eventually happens.

Which is fine, because reluctant DadShido is the funny part.

If he isn't bald already, Goro is going to make him bald from the stress.

For the most part, Shido hires Nannies to watch and care for Goro so he doesn't have to deal with him. But what about when there's no Nanny available leaving Shido little choice but to interact and cater to Baby Goro?

I think it's safe to say this man has no experience with babies, so he's struggling.

The hospital staff did give him a quick crash course on the basics when he first claimed Goro, so he's not completely incompetent.

He didn't pick up on the secret cry language of infants, though. So he's often irritated, struggling on how to get his screeching infant to shut up, and tries everything until he gets it right after the fifth try that Goro was screaming his little lungs out just trying to communicate to Dad that he's fucking starving.

When he gets a little older, Goro's cry translations update from:

"Father, I require food"

"Father, I am in agony, my butt feels icky and I don't like it, change me! (I may or may not take the opportunity to piss on you)"

To:

"I have decided I hate my crib. I will not stand for sleeping in this thing. I require human warmth to slumber, specifically your warmth." Where Shido has to lie down and hold Goro against his chest to get the clingy brat to fall asleep while Shido, dead tired, just stares up at the ceiling questioning his life decisions that lead to this moment.

When Goro becomes old enough to become mobile, he gets into everything. Anything and everything he can reach or get his little pudgy hands on. Shido better start baby-proofing, and fast!

Even though Shido isn't the most affectionate father, Baby Goro adores him and Shido has no idea why. Goro's practically Shido's little shadow, where Papa goes, he must go, whether Papa wants him to or not! Shido soon learns that one of the prices of being a parent to a curious clingy infant is "privacy and personal space is dead." Because God forbid he closes the bathroom door to take a shower or take a piss, or leave Goro in another room while he locks himself in his office to do important business stuff.

Goro will sit outside the closed Bathroom, lightly shoving and hitting the door with his tiny hands, confused and frustrated as to why this darn wooden blockage won't let him pass when he can hear Papa doing things in there without him!

For working at home, Shido makes the stupid mistake of leaving Goro in a playpen, so he can go to his office to work.

Shido greatly underestimates his little troublemaker's intelligence though, because after witnessing Shido close and lock the playpen gate enough times, Goro figures out how to open it, leaving him with free unattended reign to the Apartment!

As you can imagine, he does what any infant would do, get into shit.

That keeps him occupied for a good while, but eventually, he gets bored, misses Papa, and waddles his way to Shido's closed Office door. He tries pounding and pushing on the door, but to no avail, and he's too small to reach the doorknob yet. He toddles off to fetch a stool and drags it to the Office door to help him reach the doorknob.

Shido is typing on his computer, enjoying the calm, when he hears the doorknob followed by a thud of the door being roughly pushed open.

"Papa!" A very happy Goro squeals from the now open doorway on top of his stool upon spotting Shido.

Shido lets out a resigned sigh as his toddler cheerfully waddles over to him, most likely to demand uppies.

On days Shido goes to the Official Office, what if he's put into a situation where once again there are no available sitters, so Shido has to take Goro to work with him?

Shido sitting at a conference table, talking about important matters, while at the same time, Goro is chilling in a baby carrier strapped to Shido's chest.

Unfortunately for Shido, Goro is in his babbling phase and seems to want to contribute to whatever he and his associates are currently discussing because between his monologue Goro chimes in with incomprehensible babbles and gurgles.

Give me cute Baby Goro and Dad Shido fanart and fanfics. I need more, gimme!

[gay-dorito-dust]

Wednesday Addams, with a Male!Reader that is like Goro Majima

Just wanna know how much of pure wackiness it can get at Nevermore especially with our main characters bc of Y/N.

I’m doing this in a headcannon format cuz I’ve got some ideas on the chaos Majima!Reader would get into. Most of these are pranks but some (like maybe 2/3) are references to the shit he’s done in the games. (1. dressed up as a girl. 2.hide in a trash can for Kiriyu and 3. driving a vehicle into a building.)

Also warning: quite fucking long cuz I went away with the fairies a little bit.

I feel like when you first met Wednesday you were laying down in a makeshift grave you’ve dug yourself on school grounds. Why? It doesn’t really matter as for the reasoning behind the action since you did things purely by impulse. many people have decided to give up in trying to figure you out because your personality often changed on a dime; making you quite the dangerous enigma.

Also some rules were set in place because of you. What an icon. We love to see it.

“What is your purpose?”

“I dunno.” You shrug, beaming up at her with a crazed grin.

“Seems like a waste of a grave.” She said, watching as you dug yourself out with a grunt, uncaring of the dirt that clung to your clothes nor how it got under your nails from your climb out. She the noticed you kneeling down next to the grave and pulling out your signature metal bat. Her dark eyes brightened with intrigue.

“Were you planning on burying someone alive?” Wednesday questions with slight interest. You shrug again before looking down at the grave that you suddenly grown bored of and sighed, hauling your bat so that it rested against your shoulder as you walked off. “It’s all yours, I’ve grown bored and besides Weems says I should reconsider the type of pranks I pull but,” you turned to look at Wednesday over your shoulder, “where’s the fun in that.” You flashed another crazed grin before walking off to who knows where, “See ya new kid.”

“It’s Wednesday-.” She goes to tell you but you seemed to have disappeared without much of a trace. Xavier, who was passing by, notes her confusion and the empty 6ft plot of dug up soil next to her and immediately knew you were behind such an expression.

“You met y/n. Didn’t you?” He asked her.

“Is that his name, he’s quite the character.” Wednesday mused, your unpredictable nature and aloof personality made you stand out even in a school for outcasts. Your mental state must be quite the minefield for Kinbott to navigate if digging up plots of land for a prank was your rendition of fun.

Xavier scoffs, “you could say that again, he once put an eyesore of a canvas in my art studio one day and when I got a loser look at it. Y/n opened his eyes, scaring me shitless, before jumped away from the canvas, his whole body was caked from head to toe in paint, and pushed me over my stool with the end of his metal bat.” Xavier subconsciously rubbed the small of his back. “Bastard then ran out of the shed, laughing hysterically…fucking psycho.”

“Interesting, maybe this school won’t be so dull as I first interpreted.” Wednesday said, uncaring of the story Xavier was telling her before walking off, leaving him befuddled. Afterwards Wednesday would asked Enid, Ajax, Eugene, hell evenTyler about you to which they were all quick to look in every direction incase you were somehow nearby before speaking their peace about you.

Enid said that you were a loose cannon, an unstoppable force of pure chaos. Yet you had a charm that would swoon boys, girls and others alike and make everyone forget that your mind was the equivalent of a bagful of rabid raccoons; You protected those who needed to be protected even though your methods were quite…extreme, seeing as your weapons of choice was a metal bat that didn’t bend after a couple of bludgeoning blows and a collection of knives. This earned you the monicure of ‘the mad dog of Nevermore.’

You scared the poor daylights out of her and Yoko one day by dressing yourself up in a white wedding gown you somehow obtained, splashed large quantities of red food dye across it to make it look like bloodstains; you even went as far as to buy a reduced Halloween makeup kit to replicate slash marks across your neck and face whilst also putting in milky white eye contacts. You had a story made up and everything about being a poor innocent normie who got stood up at the alter by her husband and then was later killed by something beastly. (It was a bear but you liked to keep it anonymous for more authenticity.)

Before this however, you told this story to the girls one night at a campfire and with the help of some of your friends in making bushes rustle, twigs snapping and other various noises. You then ventured into the woods to ‘investigate’ much to Yoko and Enid’s dismay before quickly changing and hastily putting on a wig ontop of your head and rushing back out towards the campfire, screaming. Sending the poor girls running to their shared tent. When they found that it was just you, they gave you the silent treatment for such a cruel prank.

Ajax would find you chill for the most part but once you frightened him so badly by sneaking into the shower room late one night and stuffing yourself into a cramp bin where you stayed hidden until he got out of the shower, jumping out screaming ‘boo!’ Ajax was taken off guard that badly that he accidentally stoned not just you but himself by looking directly in the mirror. Oops.

Eugene actually had nothing but good things to say about you, funnily enough to Wednesday’s surprise. At this point she found out that you were quite the trickster and an advent fan for the morbid and the macabre. However Eugene’s tales concerning you were times where you brutally beaten up normies and bullies alike for picking on him. You even suggested that he helped you in getting even by setting up a bucket load of pollen/honey that once it’s contents were dumped upon their intended victims, Eugene would them send out a small swarm of bees to chase the off.

You treated Eugene like a little brother and so whoever messed with him, messes with you also; Eugene couldn’t help but view you as the brother he always wanted. While that didn’t mean he was exempt from your shenanigans but you tended to hold yourself back when it came to Eugene. Everyone left Eugene alone because of you and in payment, Eugene would often gift you a bottle of honey as a thank you for standing by him no matter what.

Tyler doesn’t like you.

You don’t like Tyler and you made that evidently clear by doing things like breaking into Weathervane and badly busting up the coffee machine or stealing sums of money out of the area where the bottom drawer of the registers were kept, so that when he opens up in the morning he’d be in big shit with his shift manager. Did you potentially get put into jail for this? Maybe but that nor Principle Weems’ warnings of your potential expulsion did nothing to deter you from fucking shit up for Jericho and it’s residence.

We don’t talk about the time you drove a forklift into Crackstone’s statue one Outreach day, toppling it over and cracking the head away from it’s body before using said head with the forklift and sending it crashing into the city hall. You got into some BIG trouble for that stunt.

No one knew how you became the person that you were but not many dared to ask in fear that it may bring up old wounds that you’d rather left alone. So when Wednesday decided that instead of deciding whether or not she should get close to you based solely on potentially fabled stories, she would go out of her way and join you in a joint effort of making the citizens of Jericho’s life absolute hell.

But there are days where she saw the softer side of you where you weren’t all crazy eyed or trigger happy. You were smart and willing aided her in her investigation about the Hyde and Laurel Gates; Even after nearly dying in the Gates’ family home. “Why are you still helping me? You nearly died.” She’d ask not long after Enid rightfully scolded her for being so careless with human life.

You shrugged, only to wince when you moved your clawed arm from protecting Wednesday. “I don’t mind getting a little hurt if it means bringing us closer to the truth and besides,” you pulled something out from your backpack, it was a small airtight sealed bag containing a clump of the Hydes fur, “I got you some more physical evidence.” Wednesday didn’t know whether to punch you for getting hurt in getting her more evidence or kiss you for getting hurt for her in getting more evidence.

[samasmith23]

A Study in Justice & Romance: Defending Makoto Niijima's Confidant Line

Regarding the romance options with Persona 5 Royal's confidant lines, I personally decided to have the protagonist, Joker, enter a relationship with Makoto Niijima during my initial playthrough.

In addition to Makoto & Joker having earnest & adorable chemistry together, but I chose to have the protagonist date Makoto because the latter ended up being my favorite character in the game overall due to her phenomenal arc as an intelligent socially awkward honors student who actively chooses to help victims of injustice as she gains the courage to stand up against the corrupt adults in her life who expect her to unquestioningly conform to societal norms. Developments that are greatly reflected through Makoto’s confidant line, or social link subplot.

While I’m aware that Makoto’s confidant line is not as well regarded by a sizable portion of P5’s fan base despite the character’s overwhelming popularity in general, I personally believe that Makoto’s confidant arc is criminally underrated! I loved seeing Joker spend free time with Makoto as she attempts to be more interactive & helpful to her peers as Student Council President. In particular, Joker assists Makoto’s efforts to help her new friend Eiko Takao escape an abusive relationship with a sleazy club host named Tsukasa. Essentially, Makoto’s confidant subplot functions as a great extension of her character development in the game’s main plot, since it further forces Makoto to reconcile with her past naivety to the interests & concerns of her fellow students despite her obvious book-smarts.

These developments come to a head during the Rank 9 scene of Makoto’s social link, wherein she confronts Eiko after she investigates her boyfriend and learns that Tsukasa has a reputation within the Tokyo underworld for forcing vulnerable girls into debt to exploit them both financially & sexually. Things come to a head though when a desperate Makoto literally tries to slap the lonely & confused Eiko back to reality while trying to convince the latter that her "boyfriend" is just a criminal trafficker. Heck, Makoto even almost attempts to directly physically challenge Tsukasa before Joker intervenes to protect his friend.

This scene is emblematic of both Makoto’s strong desire to bring about justice for victims of horrific crimes, as well as her own shortcomings derived from her social naivety & brash impulsiveness. Makoto later acknowledges to Joker that her slapping Eiko & trying to physically challenge Tsukasa is reflective of her tendency to not always consider the potential risks or consequences behind her actions in social situations before immediately acting on them. Character flaws that Makoto is determined to overcome after having spent the past several years of her teenage life suppressing her emotions to misguidedly appease authority figures in both her school & family life.

In essence, the Eiko situation is not the first time that Makoto is portrayed as acting so recklessly. Specifically, during the Kaneshiro arc of the game Makoto allowed herself to be captured to discover the location by the aforementioned money-grubbing Mafia boss when he began extorting students at Shujin Academy. Makoto was determined to prove her worth to others after being dismissed as "good girl type of pushover" and "useless" by individuals like Goro Akechi & Sae Niijima respectively, but Kaneshiro exploited Makoto's desperation by blackmailing both her and the Phantom Thieves into financial debt. While the game makes it clear that both Eiko's abusive "boyfriend" and the mobster Kaneshiro are fully to blame for their abhorrent actions, Makoto recognizes in both situations that she can act overly reckless due to having previously bottled up all her emotions to maintain a composed exterior because that’s what Japanese society expected from her as the traditional honors student who obediently followed the orders of authority figures, whether it be Shujin Academy's corrupt principal or her own older sister Sae (plus, I also personally headcanon Makoto’s lack of proper socialization skills and sometimes inappropriate reactions as her potentially being on the autism spectrum, similar to how her teammate Futaba Sakura is heavily autistic coded).

Additionally, the player learns throughout Makoto's confidant arc that her personal sense of justice is heavily inspired by her late father, who in addition to being a single parent who raised Makoto & Sae all by himself following their mother's passing, was a law enforcer who was tragically assassinated while attempting to shut down a human trafficking ring in Tokyo's red-light district. Makoto grew up with an idealistic perception of her father, seeing him as someone who worked tirelessly to protect the victims of horrific crimes exactly like those that Makoto's friend Eiko is at risk of falling prey to in the present day. However, Makoto briefly lost sight of her justice due to the increasing societal pressures that both she and her sister faced following their father's passing. In addition to Sae being forced to stressfully work up the ranks as a legal prosecutor for Japan's Special Investigation Team (SIU) in a sexist male-dominated industry (and her own sense of justice becoming heavily distorted in the process), Makoto herself misguidedly believed that like she had to be the unquestioningly obedient honor's student to not dishonor her older sister's status (which would only increase Sae's stress).

It's only upon awakening her persona, Johana, during the Kaneshiro arc and discovering her inner resolve as a member of the rebellious Phantom Thieves, that Makoto begins reevaluating her passion for studying. Remembering her father's advice, "The most important part of your life is how you choose to live it," Makoto's confidant line is about rediscovering her idea of justice by actively choosing to become more socially involved with the interests and needs of her fellow classmates. Furthermore, it is Makoto's experiences with Eiko in particular that inspire her to want to continue studying not simply because it’s what is expected of her in a patriarchal capitalist society, but because she wants to utilize her knowledge & intellect to protect her fellow students from the world's injustices. This is a goal that Makoto understands that she can’t achieve if she’s all alone, which leads her to actively choose to have Joker help her become more socially interactive and on the level of her peers. 

If I did have one criticism of Makoto’s confidant line, however, its her ultimate decision to academically pursue a career of becoming a police commissioner. While I do understand that Makoto simply wants to continue what she views as her father’s legacy of bringing justice to the victims of some of Japan’s most underreported crimes like sexual assault & human trafficking (which is sadly accurate IRL as well…), her wanting to become a police commissioner to achieve that goal does feel somewhat at odds with P5 Royal’s in-depth condemnations of systemic corruption throughout society, INCLUDING law enforcement. Police corruption is reflected in various examples throughout the game, including Makoto’s older sister Sae having a palace in the Metaverse after her heart became distorted when she actively enabled Japan’s infamous 99% criminal conviction rate to advance her own career as an SIU prosecutor, as well as both the Japanese police and SIU being under the direct payroll of one of the game’s main antagonists, the ultra-nationalist fascist politician Masayoshi Shido,

Despite my objections, I do strongly disagree with critics who argue that this single uncomfortable oversight in Makoto’s otherwise phenomenal confidant arc automatically “regresses/undoes all of her character growth.” As overly naive and idealistic Makoto's career goals & perception of her late father are, they do still make sense from both a narrative and character perspective. The core theme Persona 5 Royal is about reforming society through finding the willpower to stand up against & change the hearts of corrupt authority figures & systems. This is something that Makoto repeatedly demonstrates through her actions as a Phantom Thief, whether it be through emulating her late father’s sacrifice when she rescues Eiko from a human trafficker, her changing Sae’s distorted heart when the latter’s sense of justice is negatively influenced by corrupt bureaucracy, to her opposing the aforementioned Shido’s vast political conspiracy. In this regard, I choose to adopt a more charitable reading of Makoto’s future career dreams by interpreting her as continuing to be a Phantom Thief while eventually growing up into a figure like Batman’s Commissioner James Gordon, who is similarly portrayed as actively fighting against systemic corruption within both Gotham City’s police department & its other bureaucratic institutions (in contrast to a negative example like Harry Potter, who never even tries to reform the Wizarding World’s corrupt status quo and ultimately becomes a slave-owning wizard cop after Voldemort’s defeat). After all, Makoto herself freely acknowledges right before the base game’s final boss battle with Yaldaboth (a false god that serves as the physical embodiment of the corrupt status quo itself), that:

“Victory against a single criminal is meaningless… the true enemy is society itself. Regardless, this isn’t a situation with a straightforward answer. But even if there is no clear solution, I’ll just have to make one… with my own two hands. Before [the Phantom Thieves] came along, my life was defined by rules, set on a path of someone else’s choosing… but only a true loser would live such a rigid life! I… I will win… even if it means going up against the entire world!”

In large measure, it was Makoto's actively willingness to actively strive for positive change within both herself and society as a whole, combined with her keen intellect & altruistic passion for justice despite her social awkwardness & naivety, that ultimately factored into my decision to select the romance option with Makoto’s confidant line. In my playthrough of P5 Royal, I had Joker offer to to become Makoto’s “study partner” when she questions if she’ll ever truly understand romance after a heartbroken Eiko accused Makoto of being doomed to “flunk a test about love.”

The romance option between Joker & Makoto just felt like a natural progression & culmination of the unique bond that the two formed during Makoto’s Confidant Line after joining the Phantom Thieves. Spending time with Joker whilst fighting against systemic corruption and "those rotten adults" in both the Metaverse and the real world helps Makoto realize her own personal sense of justice that is derived from her passion for studying, rather than distinct from it. Additionally, both Joker & Makoto have natural chemistry with each other as intelligent & capable leaders who possess a strong sense of justice (heck… Makoto rarely left my party during combat missions due to her strategic intellect in identifying enemies’ weaknesses as well as her balanced offensive & defensive abilities). Plus, their romantic dialogue & “studying” euphimisms are just hilariously adorable! It was a welcome change of pace to see Makoto be the one to take initiative and ask for consent in the relationship instead of Joker, since most media sadly still downplays or denies the reality that women have their own agency & desires regarding their sexuality.

But yeah, I definitely ship Makoto & Joker as my personal canon couple in Persona 5 Royal due to the former's rich character development & heartwarming chemistry with the main protagonist! While Makoto may have started the game as the "pushover good girl type" who blindly obeys the whims & expectations of the adults in her life simply because it is what society expects from her, she quickly evolves into the Phantom Thieves' strong-minded battle-strategist who is motivated by the unselfish desire to provide justice for the victims of society's injustices. Those elements, combined with Makoto's continual willingness to learn & improve upon her personal shortcomings, as well as her social awkwardness despite her book-smarts (which I heavily related to as someone on the autism spectrum who consistently earned all A's & B's back in high school and college), that made her the breakout character P5 Royal for me!

Overall, it was through completing Makoto's confidant line that I was able to gain a deeper understanding & appreciation of the ideals which define her signature "fist of justice," while also having my heartstrings tugged at as she chose to study areas in life that she lacked experience in such as romance.

[bayothemayo]

🎃Whumptober Day 5: Betrayal + Reluctant Whumper (Goro Akechi x Reader)🎃

You shift in the uncomfortable metal chair as you rub your bruise wrists. Your body aches from all the beating from those detectives. You can hear footsteps and a family voice.

Goro Akechi.

You see the door open to reveal the guard and Goro Akechi. Quickly Akechi took the guard's gun and shots him in the chest, causing you to flinch at the sudden action. The guard died instantly. You look at Akechi as your hands tightly grip your knees.

Akechi looks at you while holding up the gun, "Have you finally figure it out?" He stares at you blankly, but you can see a bit of sadness in his eyes. He got closer to you and leans over the table. Akechi lifts your chin and softly kiss your lips. You tensed up. He holds your chin as he puts his tongue into your mouth.

"M-Mmph~..." You quietly moan. You were still tense, but you were starting to blush. Akechi continues to make out with you as he slowly moves the gun and points the barrel against your head. You start to shake even more

He pulls back from kissing you, leaving a string of saliva, and he stares straight at your eyes, "Forgive me..."

BANG

[bitterseaproduction]

AU Idea #53 of the day: A Post-P5R story that just straight up recycles that River Song/The Twelfth Doctor episode. Some lingering Conspiracy agents or Metaverse threat trying to use Wild Cards as puppets for something swipe Joker and say their job is basically done since they can use him as bait to capture the last loose thread: Akechi Goro.

And Joker’s not shocked they’re claiming Akechi’s alive—he believes it himself down to the bone—but he laughs right in their faces for thinking AKECHI would risk capture for HIM.

And the enemy protests, say all data or whatnot point to Joker being his most important person! Joker darkly replies that’s a low bar (thanks to people like THEM) and means nothing. Akechi might save him out of context, might definitely risk his life for him, but he would never risk near-inevitable capture for him. He does not put Joker above his own goals or freedom. He never has.

And he’s not lying. Be it due to some sort of lie detector or just Joker’s vehemence, they can all tell he believes what he says.

They still flail, reach desperately for JOKER’S actions, how HE considers Akechi important! Loves him! Would do anything for him?! Very presumptuous of them, but Joker is deathly blank as he says he never claimed otherwise. And again, he’s not lying. And it’s terrifying, the pain-honed icy rage in Joker’s voice when he says they captured the wrong one. He laughs at his captors without a care and says it was their mistake, sorry, they should have tried it the other way around! That would work in an instant! But he gets why they didn’t, that Joker was easy to find, and Akechi was impossible. Because Akechi doesn’t want to be found—

Then he’s interrupted by one of his captors screaming, falling to the ground. A serrated blade sticking out of his back.

Joker stares, his mind frozen numb as he looks up from that blade, at the man standing behind the victim. At the man everyone around them is staring at. They all grapple for weapons that already brought JOKER down, and sirens are going off, and it could all fall apart in a heartbeat, and still the figure doesn’t move, stares back at Joker with a face half masked in black, and half unreadable.

And just before all hell breaks loose, they each find their voice. “Crow?”

“Hello, Joker.”