#i definitely want to have a way to turn personas into skill cards i regret getting rid of media on yosuke's sub persona...

[crest-of-gautier]

WE FUCKING GOT IT!!!!! after three hours i have 100%'d the group date cafe!

unfortunately, i think i was the one eating dirt from making yosuke into my destined partner... (though tbh i wasn't expecting much, it's yosuke, he was being yosuke and i'm not surprised, though it does make me wonder if he exhibits the same behavior to souji).

in any case, some notes about the second item that we got from the end of the dungeon... it won't be that coherent i'm still processing da information...

i have to say i was REALLY surprised with rei's reaction to zen opening the chest... like honestly that whole dialogue exchange was so intriguing to me! honestly, too intriguing, that i feel that i'll need a few days to process, let it sit, you know the deal.

the way where the items at the end of each labryinth trigger some form of memories to zen (but seemingly none for rei, albeit... rei's "memories" seem to be more gut reactions coming back than actual tangible information)... it really interests me!

i find it very interesting that zen mentions that the items belong to rei (niko the rabbit, as well as the toy ring). i'm going to operate on the assumption that what zen said is true because... to me, if you're amnesiac and slowly getting your memories back... i don't really see any reason to lie about it? if anything i'd imagine the other way to handle it would be to withhold the revelations you got (and ofc some other way of reacting that im probably not thinking of at the moment).

with this in mind, it makes me ask a few questions...

how did rei's belongings end up in the depths of the labryinths?

what is the significance of keeping these items tucked away and protected by the guardians? does zen and/or rei regaining their memories pose some threat to the state of the world/this distortion? (we know that it's finite, that's what margaret said) (i almost think that rei getting her items back could possibly heal the distortion, but not before zen and rei have a sob story once they both get their memories back? idk man i don't have much to work with)

the way in which rei reacted in this scene really struck me... i know i said that earlier but. damn. here's my livereact from obsidian because i was so. shocked. it felt really? refreshing? to see rei emote in such a way. but also mildly terrifying because she's been like " YAY FOOD! wait did you mean this food? (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ" for most of the game so far. like holy shit.

rei's outburst is... a lot to take in, i do think that it gives some credence to my trains of thought that, hey! zen might be part of some kind of terrifying entity/the one that's created this distortion, if rei had such a reaction here. it really makes me curious how much emotion these next two items will stir up. will rei say more emotionally charged things? what other cryptic information will zen reveal?

i do like this direction though- that it's possible that even if zen desires to protect rei, and take responsibility for her wellbeing, zen pre-memory loss might've caused rei great suffering. it's a fun flavor!

i do feel that i tend to fixate on the question of "what is zen" a lot more than "what is rei," but. i think seeing that these items supposedly belong to her... and that elizabeth mentions that you wouldn't normally find living humans here... hm. i almost want to say that she's dead and that she died before the events of the game?

i liked that when chie saw the ring- she noted that it was a toy ring and that it's something you'd find at fairs. so it made me think back to the theme-ing of this world- how it's a cultural festival. i'm still not entirely certain of the significance but maybe it's something that rei wanted to see? or maybe she died here? idk. i don't really have a way to intuit rei's cause of death if she's... well, dead, but. i'm. definitely interested in seeing if there's (future) information i can use to figure this out.

OH and one last thing- i think it'd be interesting if whenever zen and rei get their memories back, they leave the party or are forced to by god knows what. unfortunately i don't think they'd do that because zen and rei, gameplay-wise, are the low-maintenance characters, but!! i'd love to be proven wrong (but i'd still enjoy them leaving the party lololol)

in any case!!! this was a good session of pq. i definitely want to play more and see what the other labryinths have to tell because i need more information in order to speculate. i think im at least 40% done with the game :D and it'll probably take me another 35 hours at minimum to finish this game, i think?

[sou-ver-2-0]

I was thinking of an AU, where the death game is created by Sou and set up in Shin's favor. I don't have it well developed yet, but I thought it might be something you'd find interesting!

I definitely find that idea interesting!! I wish you luck in developing that idea further!

For canon, I’m attached to the theory that the Man from the Memorandum is the mastermind of the Death Game, and that his favored candidate is Sara, leaving Shin in the dust. But I really love the idea that Sou could parallel the Memorandum Man in this regard, and that his favored candidate is Shin! An AU where Sou is the mastermind himself sounds delicious as candy to me.

I’ll leave it to you to work out the finer details of your AU. But, maybe it will inspire you if I share some of the ideas @novatoast and I have come up with for our:

“Sou/Midori wants Shin to live” Theory

This theory is a villain stan’s fever dream, but we do have some evidence for it. The basic principles of this theory are that:

Sou might have died for Shin, or else, that he died knowing that his death would give Shin a fighting chance.

Midori is leaving gifts for Shin, and so the “weakest candidate” ends up having a shocking number of advantages.

I already discussed some ways the first point could work in my “Midori is Meister’s Son Theory” post. The basic argument for it is that Original Sou parallels Kai, and if Kai died entrusting his “hopes and regrets” to Sara, it is possible that Sou died entrusting his own name to Shin. Midori the doll even claims, “I gave Sou to Shin.”

The obvious counterargument against this theory is that Midori also states that he wanted to kill Shin himself! You know, “since he was going to die anyway.” To explain this contradiction, I previously speculated that Midori could have lost his “positive emotions” for Shin, to parallel how Rio Ranger lost his own “positive emotions.” Recently, I thought of a different explanation: notably, Midori only says this line in the “Kanna lives” route. It’s possible that Nankidai is setting up a surprise in this route that the person Midori really wants to kill is Kanna, for taking “his Shin” away from him. Another explanation is that Midori is furious at Shin for throwing away all his chances at survival, and this line reflects his anger.

Am I reaching? Obviously, yes. This is the theory where I dial up my self-indulgence to eleven.

Anyway! Isn’t it funny how Shin keeps getting all these gifts and advantages? What if Midori was giving them to him??

1. The name ‘Sou Hiyori’: Midori claims that he gave Sou to Shin! Sou is the name of a villain who lies and uses people. It’s the name of a strong man who has the potential to win. The previous Death Game winner may have even been the role of “The Villain,” so it can be done!

2. The laptop: Shin finds the Hidden Room with the laptop, and he even comments that it may be a gift from the kidnappers. To me, Shin’s dialogue sounds like someone who is used to being toyed with. However, the laptop is undeniably useful to Shin. Firstly, it contains incriminating evidence against Kai, helping to ensure Kai’s death in the First Main Game instead of Shin. Secondly, the laptop proves Shin’s usefulness to the group as a computer hacker, giving him a lifeline he could seize…if he so desired.

3. The gift of knowledge: Before the First Main Game, Shin somehow knew about the Sacrifice Card! And other details about the Main Game! He uses this knowledge to isolate Kanna and trick her—underhanded tactics he surely picked up from his relationship with Sou. Shin also uses this knowledge to devise a strategy to draw out the Sage, while protecting himself and Kanna by acting outrageous enough that they could have each been the Sacrifice.

4. The laptop charger: Wowowow isn’t that convenient?? Isn’t that just what we all needed to keep using the laptop, that precious item which highlights Shin’s invaluable skillset? And Shin just found a charger lying around? Wow!

5. The stun gun: Shin mysteriously got himself a weapon!! Where the hell did you get that, Shin? That’s clearly an unfair advantage!

6. Kugie’s smartphone: I love the implications that Midori may have intended Kugie’s smartphone—with the cruel message—to be a present for Shin, to corner Kanna even further. Notably, Shin and Kanna found the room first, but they were too scared to go inside, and so Sara ended up picking up the phone. Ultimately, Shin used the smartphone to try to boost Kanna’s self-esteem, and he tried to hide the fact that he cared about her. (Though Kanna figured it out anyway.)

With these gifts falling into his lap, Shin entered the Second Main Game with a Strong Persona; a henchman who was willing to die for him; and with everyone recognizing how indispensable his computer hacking skills were. He had so many advantages.

And then he throws them all away.

He gives up on lying about his name, because he wants to be able to trust people again.

He uses all his wiles to try to save Kanna, even at the cost of his own life.

He argues that you should not vote for the “useless” child, and that you should instead vote for the “hated” villain, himself.

If Shin had simply kept up the selfish Sou Hiyori persona, he could have survived!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Sou/Midori had also given up everything for Shin? That he may have had logical reasons for being so cruel to Shin, to try to make Shin a “strong” person? Because he thought that was the only way his kind-hearted, “weak” friend could live?

Who had the motivation to give the weakest candidate so many advantages? Might Shin have had his own “hero in the shadows,” similar to how Kai was looking out for Sara…but more like a “devil in the shadows” looking out for him?

…On the one hand, I don’t want to get my hopes up too high for Midori. He’s honestly a flat character so far. But he has so much potential!!

The way I’m envisioning this theory, Sou/Midori could be trying to foil Meister’s hopes that Sara will win. (Though it’s certainly possible that Sou/Midori is simply playing into Meister’s hands, or else that he’s dutifully following instructions. We just don’t know.) What makes this theory so fun to me is that I love rebellious villains trying to overthrow the system. I also like the idea that Sou/Midori could turn out to be shockingly “concerned for Shin’s welfare,” but without ever understanding what Shin really needed from him as a friend. That Sou could have approached “saving Shin” from a point of view that is still selfish and cruel. That his actions still harmed Shin, because he never cared what Shin himself wanted.

Going back to your AU though!! If Sou Hiyori is the Mastermind himself? I feel like he could give Shin even more advantages! That sounds like such a cool premise to me. I’m sorry that I hijacked your ask to talk about this theory, haha, but I hope you found it interesting. Good luck!

[burnedbyshoto]

villain!Uraraka Ochako

a/n: so a little backside, villain!uraraka happens because she can not help with her parents expenses fast enough, so she heads to the villains in search of help because the heroes don’t want to help...

SFW:

A = Affection (How affectionate are they with a s/o?)

Villain uraraka is a teaser. She’s very affectionate or not at all. Ultimately it falls on to however she’s feeling

B = Breath (What could their s/o do to take their breath away?)

If you’re a goody-two-shoes, it’s sticking by her side through all the bad. She underestimated your ability to stick around

If you’re a villain too, honestly there’s something sadistically wonderful about you committing a large crime for her.

C = Cuddling (Do they cuddle? If they do, how and when do they cuddle?)

She’s a fucking cat. You want cuddles, she won’t give it to you. But the second you need to get going or are now busy, she’s suddenly in your arms cooing and being loving.

D = Dream (What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

The perfect crime lol jk she wants to eventually settle down with you where she’s no longer reliant on her villainous lifestyle to keep herself and you in a steady financial setting

E = Effort (How much effort do they put into a relationship?)

She acts like she could give less than a fuck, but she cares a lot, so much

F = Fear (What do they do if their s/o is scared? How do they handle it?)

It’s the only time she’ll be super soft with you. She’ll hold you close, have your head buried into her chest as she whispers about how she’ll never let anything fucking hurt you ever again if they want to live

G = Gifts (What type of gifts do they give their s/o? Do they want a gift in return?)

She will give you whatever she finds off the streets. Villain!uraraka is crazy about what she buys, it is why she became a villain after all, so she gifts you small things that are nice!

She won’t say no to a present, but just give her mochi

H = Hugs (Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

She’ll hug you! Just… not that often

I = Intimacy (How romantic are they? Do they have problems with intimacy?)

Can be romantic, but doesn’t be romantic often. Has issues with intimacy but nothing too prohibiting that will keep her from loving you when needed.

J = Jealous (Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?)

Jealous ass motherfucker. She will fight anyone who stares at you suggestively, she doesn’t care at all.

K = Kiss (Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

Isn’t one for making out unless jealous. She is into the soft pecks and slow kisses that last under five seconds, she doesn’t want to build that intimacy ya feel? And if she goes a day without kissing you (given that the two of you see each other) there’s something wrong

L = Love (When do they say they love you? How often do they say it? Do they prefer to say or show it?)

She won’t say it first, and even if she is in love with you after you say it to her, don’t expect a response until 7 months later. She says it on occasion, mostly when she feels at loss.

M = Marriage (Do they want to get married? If so, what kind of ceremony?)

Wants to be an older couple getting married, like in her 40’s with her life of crime. It’ll be super small, just the two of you and the closest of friends.

N = Night out (What type of dates do they like to go on? How often do they like to go on them?)

She enjoys at home dinner dates with the candle lit experience and a bottle of wine between the two of you.

O = Out of the Ordinary (What’s something they don’t normally do with/for their s/o?)

Won’t show pda in public unless necessary. While she’s not ashamed of her pathway in life, she doesn’t want people connecting you to her for blackmail

P =Playful (Are they playful in a relationship? If so, how do they play around/mess with their s/o?)

Is a teasing almost mean person in the relationship, like you know she’s not being serious but… there are times where its like… okay… 

Q = Questions (Do they ask their s/o their opinion on things? Do they share theirs?)

Asks for opinions in the way where you think its about hypothetical. Unless you press hard on it, she won’t give you hers.

R = Random (How spontaneous is their relationship? Do they do things on the spot or plan ahead?)

Its very spontaneous or super predictable. Uraraka becomes more spontaneous when danger lurks, so you’ve associated spontaneity with bad things...

S = Sleep (How do they sleep with their s/o?)

She’ll sleep with her mittened hand touching you, but always wakes up to find herself ontop of you

T = Trust (How much do they trust their s/o?)

She trusts you with her life, hands down. She won’t admit it, but its true

U = Unique (What makes them unique as a s/o?)

She does a lot of little things that you initially pass over. She leaves enough water in the kettle for you to use, cereal never runs out, and how she cleans the place when you’re unable to. She does a lot of small things that you don’t notice until she’s gone for weeks and suddenly you realize that for the first time ever you’re having to figure out where the stored paper towels are

V = Vulnerable (How long until they can be vulnerable around their s/o? What are they like in this state?)

A long ass time, so so so long. Probably around three years together does she finally let you see parts of her that you didn’t know existed.

When she’s in this state it sort of scares you; she’s not a big crier but she’s so empty and broken looking...

W = Wild Card (Get a random domestic headcanon of the character of your choice)

She really wants to raise kids with you, but has no idea how to ask you about it, nor does she feel ready to bring up a kid with her lifestyle

X = X-Ray (What would they do if their s/o got injured?)

Takes care of you in a super tsundere way

“You hurt yourself idiot.” 

“I didn’t see i was walking into the pole…”

“And guess who needs to fucking watch over you now!”

Kinda pampers you ngl

Y = Yuck (Do they have any pet peeves about their s/o? Are there any habits that might bother their s/o?)

Hates complaining about her villain ways, she informed you beforehand, so if you complain about it she goes a bit feral

Z = Zeal (Are they passionate as a s/o? Do they want or like passion?)

Not super passionate but is never ever going to deny any sort of love from you as long as you initiate it during a time she can handle it

NSFW:

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Super duper sleepy, you’re the one really in charge of cleaning up, but she makes sure to tell you that she appreciates it when you wipe come off her legs

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Is a tits girl because she really loves how weightless they seem when she’s tribbing into your clit

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

Loves smearing your come against your thighs, like for some reason after the two of you come, she’ll drag herself against your inner thigh. There’s something so great about seeing her slick against your leg

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Wants to watch someone fuck you in front of her one day. To see you whining and sobbing due to someone elses manipulation wishing it was her.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Not that experienced, and she’s very awkward in the beginning despite her attempt to hide it with a dominatrix persona. It takes a few months, but she will learn how to do things correctly

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

She loves tribbing you, it’s the best way to watch your tits bounce around

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

Not humorous at all, is very very serious. 

The only time she laughs in bed is a clear sign to you that you’re in trouble...

H = Hair (How well-groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Is sorta trimmed, the tiniest bit bushy down there because she doesn’t have the time to properly keep it up

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

Sex is the one place where she is intimate. Sex to her isn’t something you throw around even if she sleeps around to gather information, but with you, it’s special and intimate so you better be fully into it as well

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Will masturbate when the two of you go weeks without seeing each other. It’s always while you’re on the phone with her, and she can’t help but feel the need to touch herself as you talk happily about your day

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

She’s a dom in bed: torture play, definitely fucking you while weightless, exhibitionism, cuckholding, blindfolds

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

In your bed because your mattress is so soft and you have a trillion pillows and it makes everything so much nicer as it gets kinkier 

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Her vital need to see you turning into jelly because of her manipulation, she loves seeing your eyes cross, face red, panting, and drooling

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Roleplay. She doesn’t like it especially as most role play dichotomy focuses around good and bad and well, she doesn’t want to be reminded of that in the bedroom.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

She will give you the best oral. She doesn’t like receiving it at all though, something about how she doesn’t like the sensation.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Fast and somehow sensual. She’s gotten really good at figuring out what exactly to do to make you scream her name, but it’s sensual. It makes your face heat in up in the raw intimacy she has while fucking you into the next millennium

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

She loves slamming you into a small closet and finger fucking you while on route to somewhere important! As long as no one sees you going into the closet she’ll mark you in there with no regret.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

She’s very into experimenting. Always trying to figure out what works best between the two of you, but once you hit the area of your sex life you two very much love, experimenting fades out but returns every so often just to keep the two of you on your toes

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Can last two rounds at most, she just gets so tired from fucking

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Her favorite toy to use is the double-ended dildo because she knows how to manipulate it to give you all the pleasure despite the two of you having bought it so that you both could feel good under your request, but no, uraraka knows her way around it

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Only when she’s upset will she tease or when it involves a new thing you two are trying, other than that she’s very direct.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Its soft noises. Not that loud, but if they’re heard no one would think she’s possibly having sex. It’s the weirdest most alluring thing ever.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

The best sex the two of you had was when you both got high one night, the two of you went four rounds together and came so many times that your bodies were sore for the remainder of the week

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants/shirts, picture or words)

She’s a smaller cup. B-cup at best. Her nipples are a soft shade of pink and they look weightless as an effect of her quirk, but they’re actually quite dense.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Is a very “depending on her mood” type of lover. Some weeks you will fuck fifteen times in seven days, and others she’ll hold your hand once. Very dependent on what’s going on.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

Takes her 2 minutes to pass out. It exhausts her so much that you always will tease her for it.

[persona-minty]

One way I think the “Hamuko Arisato is Sae Niijima” AU could work.

Hamuko and Minato are twins who both live through the original car accident. A little while before the accident they get a little sister, and their parents name her Makoto.

After the accident Makoto is taken in by another family, a very loving family, while the twins stay together as is customary. Minato and Hamuko grow up together, and they go through the events of Persona 3 together.

At the end, Minato is the one who becomes the Great Seal. Hamuko is left behind.

Hamuko, along with the rest of SEES, mourns Minato’s death heavily until the Answer. They all set out with a lighter and more hopeful outlook after the Answer, but Hamuko, who lived her entire life with Minato by her side, is still obviously affected.

(Spoilers for the Answer) The knowledge that Minato is still technically alive and could be brought back initially makes Hamuko feel hopeful, but soon that knowledge also begins holding her back. She feels like she would be abandoning the brother she loved so much if she forgot about him and moved on with her life, so she begins to fixate on the idea of not abandoning him and pouring all of her effort into helping free him from Erebus, and therefore the Great Seal.

Assuming that Persona 5 takes place in 2016, it’s only a bit of a stretch to place Hamuko in Sae’s age range as she’d  be around 23-24 in 2016 and Sae is probably 25-28. We’ll put Hamuko-as-Sae at 24 years of age. This means hardly anything, but I see it as a good detail because it means if Makoto was born only a little while before the accident than the timelines could match up. It also means that Hamuko would be around 21 when Makoto’s father died.

So Hamuko finishes her third year of high school with love and support from SEES, but university forces them all to go their separate ways. They keep in touch and for the most part things go well. Hamuko tries to share her thoughts and feelings about Minato’s death, but he’s a sensitive topic for all of them and is unintentionally shut down by whoever she tries to bring it up with, making her keep her feelings to herself in a less than healthy way. She blames herself for his death, thinks it should have been her, begins to remember him in the way we remember all dead people dear to us by thinking less and less about his flaws and more about his virtues. She misses him a lot and because of the way he is still technically alive it is hard for her to mourn him healthily because it feels a bit like giving up on him. All of the members of SEES struggle with this, but Hamuko struggles with it the most because while the rest of SEES only knew him for one year, she knew him her entire life.

The Shadow Operatives are established, and Hamuko becomes a card carrying member.

At around 21, her third year of university, she is securely on the path to becoming a prosecutor, though she is still in university. She learns that her by-blood younger sister Makoto just lost her father, the last of her adoptive family, and after a lot of deliberation she leaps through several legal hoops with her knowledge of law and a bit of help from Mitsuru and her influence in oder to become Makoto’s legal guardian.

In the beginning things are great for both of them. Outwardly Hamuko seems very stable due to her confidence in herself, her capacity for self-improvement, her leadership skills, and her ability to make new friends at the drop of a hat (all things gained from her time as one of the leaders of SEES). At this point she is mostly keeping her negative thoughts about Minato’s death at bay, but she is not as over it as she should be considering the time elapsed since his death. This is not obvious from her outward demeanor. 

Makoto, in need of a support system after her father’s death, latches onto Hamuko and Hamuko does her best to support her. She contacts SEES less in order to give more time to Makoto, and any time she’s not dealing with university or studying for university she’s spending with Makoto. She helps her study, she encourages Makoto to reach for the sky (and student council president), and she is a very supportive friend and sister. She draws on Mitsuru a bit in order to support Makoto financially, and Mitsuru is, of course, totally cool with it. Hamuko regrets it a bit and promises to pay her back.

Once she becomes a prosecutor, things begin to turn a little sour, though it’s not immediate. Hamuko sees an opportunity in becoming a prosecutor: one by one, she can convict criminals and begin to make the world a better place. Unbeknownst to her, her subconscious has linked her job as a prosecutor to her unresolved feelings over Minato’s condition. Erebus is a monster formed out of humanity’s collective desire to die, and she sees the people she convicts as a part of that desire. Her subconscious tells her that if only she works hard enough, pours herself into her job enough, then maybe, just maybe, she’ll redeem herself from Minato’s death and perhaps one day get to see him again.

She she pours herself and all of her energy into her job. It’s not immediate—it’s actually a very slow process. But it does happen, and it does lead into the same sort of home situation we see in Persona 5. She has very little time for things like Makoto or her SEES friends, and what she does have she spends irritable and tired. She’s very serious in her job and with none of the brightness and humor she had in her youth. She barely has any contact with her SEES friends now, so they don’t notice, and despite looking up to her Makoto hasn’t known her long enough to know that she’s changed. The change was also pretty slow, and to Makoto it seems normal that Hamuko(/Sae) would be a bit cold because she’s been through a fair amount in life and she works very hard in order to support herself and Makoto.

Makoto views this fact with a bit of guilt, as she is aware that Hamuko did not have to go through so much effort to take Makoto in and support her and yet she did, and she was very nice about it. It’s only natural that she’d be a little stressed, and Makoto feels bad for not being more helpful. Hamuko has also never been cruel to Makoto up until the “useless” comment, which was said in a moment of great stress and anger. Although it does upset Makoto a lot more than Hamuko realizes, Makoto feels upset at the comment but not outright upset at Hamuko.

Now onto Hamuko’s palace. It could remain the casino for the same reasons it was a casino canonically, but I feel it’s more interesting to modify it. In a somewhat cliche move, I’m going to make it Tartarus.

Capitalizing on Hamuko’s unresolved issues with Minato’s death, Hamuko’s palace becomes Tartarus. All of the shadows look like shadows from Tartarus. Shadows like the Mayas wore masks, so I feel like it fits fairly well. Once the masks are removed they become the actual shadows/personas from Sae’s dungeon. The explanation I have for this is that Hamuko sees life as it is now exactly as she saw Tartarus: it’s a tower that she needs to climb or something that she needs to get through in order to get to the top. Her opponents are shadows, or the darker pieces of the human soul and psyche, which she needs to fight and kill in order to reach her goal. Her goal is, of course, the top of the tower, which symbolizes everything she wants. A happy life with her brother back, her friends around her, and her little sister happy and taken care of.

The treasure room is not at the top of the tower. It’s close though. I’d see it as Admah’s (Tartarus’ final block [the white one]) first floor. Hamuko’s palace Tartarus does not have as many floors as the actual Tartarus. It’s taller than the casino, but it’s floors are smaller, and there are floor bosses like in Tartarus. The Phantom Thieves, not knowing the proper name for it, refer to it as “the Tower” like the referred to Kamoshida’s palace as “the Castle”. That is also it’s key word in the Metaverse Navigator.

Hamuko’s Shadow can be seen in her SEES uniform. She looks nearly identical to how she looked back in 1999, except she is visibly older. Meaning she is wearing the Gekkokan uniform + armband, her hair up in her ponytail, her old headphones and MP3 plays, etc. She obviously has yellow eyes just as all the other shadows did.

I view her treasure as either being her or Minato’s MP3 players. Either one fits, but it may be more fitting to make it Minato’s to address her persistent issues with getting over his death. After all is said and done Makoto talks to her in length about her palace and treasure, and that helps Hamuko acknowledge all of her unresolved issues.

She tells the Phantom Thieves, including Makoto, about her past, about Tartarus, and about her brother, and about how he died and how she blames herself for that death. That puts two things in motion. One, Makoto is fully ready to help Hamuko change her heart the hard way and they have a more personal heart to heart in which there are apologies and personal growth. And two, Hamuko gets back in touch with the Shadow Operatives, who are clamoring to figure out What The Fuck happened in Tokyo with the metaverse leaking into the real world. She prepares to become a real member of the Shadow Operatives again in the near future, as she finally acknowledges that she needs support from the friends she accidentally cut off, and she means to become a sort of mediator between the Shadow Operatives and the Phantom Thieves until the groups merge. (This is a difficult issue because while both groups are persona-users, the Shadow Operatives are kind of an authority figure and the Phantom Thieves are a group specifically made to be a fuck you to corrupt authority figures. I also personally see the Shadow Operatives as having contact with the very high up figures in Japan’s authority, such as the Prime Minister, despite being a private organization, which could definitely be a problem.)

As for Hamuko’s appearance and name, she could have easily dyed her hair gray and changed her name, or it could still be red and her name could still be Hamuko since this is an AU. I see her changing her last name as a good way of demonstrating that she was serious about taking care of Makoto, and she could have changed her first name in the process or simply decided to begin going by Sae while her name was still Hamuko.

This was unedited which is why it’s getting a revisit tag slapped on it. I will probably come back to this again, but I don’t feel that it’s too shabby. If you want to talk about it at all or have any questions please (PLEASE!) message me either via ask if you want to be anonymous or with the actual messaging system and I will be so, so, so very happy to talk more about this AU at all. Same policy for any AU dumps I post in the future. Thank you for reading.

[akiharashizuka]

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS episode 6 thoughts

(Looks like I’m able to write this sooner than usual)

Idol!! Blue Angel

The title just happened to pop up when Akira was watching so focused his sister’s duel. Not much might be happening, but in episode 3 (if I remember correctly), some duelists were stopped from surfing the Data Storm because it’s too dangerous. That must have changed in the meantime, since it seems to be used freely now.

And one of the duelists who started using it is Blue Angel. I gotta give her credit for willing to try it and actually master it. She’s surfing with no sign of fear, which can mean that she practiced enough.

That was surprisingly fast. It was revealed in the preview for this episode as well, but I didn’t expect Kusanagi to figure it out in the first 4-5 minutes of the episode. 

And the surprised don’t end here. It turns out that Aoi is Akira’s sister-in-law. I’ve listened to the part a few times and I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. Not something to make fuss about, but it makes their background even more mysterious. I mean, them being in-laws means, most likely, that Aoi’s sister married Akira at some point, but something must have happened as to why she or her parents aren’t around. As for why they share the family name, it can be because of adoption. This situation, and actually the interactions between the Zaizens remind me so much of Byakuya and Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach.

I can give a few details about that, without revealing anything too significant for the plot , but if you don’t want to be spoiled, feel free to skip this paragraph. So, Rukia and her older sister, Hisana were pretty much by themselves in a rather deprived environment. At one point, Hisana ended up abandoning Rukia. Eventually, she married Byakuya (who is the next head of a distinguished household), but she regretted abandoning her sister and started searching for her. Hisana unfortunately died from an illness, without being able to find Rukia. Byakuya continued the search and managed to find her, so he adopted her as his younger sister, thus fulfilling his deceased wife’s wish (though not much is revealed, Byakuya and Hisana seemed to have had a loving relationship). As to why the Zaizens remind me so much of this, it’s because Byakuya was very cold and strict with Rukia. Heck, she was about to be executed right in front of his eyes, with him fully accepting that (there were some issues there, but better not get into too many details).

Sure, this is a complete different anime, so I don’t expect the writers to go the exact same route.

Now on more positive things, it so hilarious hearing Kusanagi and Ignis teasing Yūsaku about not being able to talk with girl xD

Still, he’s doing it in the end. I like how he’s just sitting there, while Ignis is doing the hard work.

But, following her around like that doesn’t sound like the best idea to me. I’m surprised no one mistook him for a stalker xD Guess Yūsaku is good at being stealthy.

I laughed so much when Yūsaku forgot who Shima was xD I know this is a common occurrence in anime, but it fits with his personality way too well.

Hmm, I wonder if he was acting like he didn’t know it was the Duel Club room...I mean, it’s written right on the door in a very visible place. Yep, definitely acting.

Pfff xD I didn’t know Ignis could imitate other people’s voices.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Yūsaku is formally introducing himself to the club member and is having a normal conversation with them.

Hmm, so they got the new model Duel Disks because of Aoi’s brother. I didn’t think he would do something like that. But I liked that Aoi sent him a glare when he said that. It didn’t look particularly frightening to me, but Shima shut up in fear, so it’s fine.

I kinda panicked when Aoi requested to see his deck, especially with that discussion about both Yūsaku and Playmaker using the old model. But of course, Yūsaku is smart so he has a spare.

Ok, I didn’t find Aoi asking to see his deck rude. She was polite enough in my opinion. But Shima on the other hand >_> He just snatched it and made fun of it. Ok, not many cards were shown, so he might have a point, but still. One of the cards shown, Black Pendant is actually pretty good in my opinion it’s a personal favorite). The Monster equipped with it gets 500 ATK. And, if it gets destroyed, the opponent receives 500 damage. Now I want to see him lose because of that effect xD

Anyway, I kinda like the club president. When he first appeared, I thought he might be either too serious, or somewhat like Shima, but is neither. I like how he keeps the other members in check and everyone listens to him. 

Well, not long ago the robot said that Akira will be late because he is working extra hours, but he actually made time to give her a call.

So, the fact that Aoi is Blue Angel isn’t that much of a secret here. And Akira seems completely against this. 

Hmm, aside from being acknowledged by her brother, I think there’s something more as to why she became a Charisma Duelist.

Ugh...if that expression was only in this scene, I would have let it be, but she kept it even when she logged in. It creeps me out for some reason.

This episode cracks me up way too much xD I mean, Aoi is challenging Playmaker, while he is just standing there calmly, eating a hot dog and just not caring xD

Wow. When I read the summary, I thought Specter might use some psychological tricks to convince Aoi to join their side, or just give very convincing reasons and make use of her naivety. However, it turns out that she isn’t naive at all. In fact, she was very smart to figure out that Specter isn’t her fan and that he actually is a Knight of Hanoi.

And, her kind of working for Hanoi is the result of this card, named Dark Angel. 

I’m not sure how does exactly work, but I can speculate something. Let’s not forget that the Knights of Hanoi are hackers. Also, cards are in digital format and Aoi’s Duel Disk has an AI. So, that Dark Angel card might be some kind of virus that corrupted the AI, and probably the account itself got affected. That might be why she was so confused after this.

I think my speculation might be right, mainly because Ignis noticed something wrong with the AI. And, I must say, it’s quite a change in personality there. Aoi seems like always though.

That conversation was interesting. People only approach Aoi in order to get the new Duel Disk or get a job at SOL, which is rather sad. No one cares about her, only her connection to SOL. Now that I think about it, Yūsaku also approached her to get info on his past and Kusanagi’s brother, which is not that different. It’s true that his goal isn’t that shallow, but still...Well, Yūsaku has his own morals, so I think finding this out might have an effect on him.

I’ve been debating a bit which screenshot to use for this part and I decided to go with this little troll. It was brilliant how, at the same time, he took revenge on Yūsaku and also informed him that the Knights of Hanoi are behind her. Sort of.

That face though xD 

Ok, there’s no doubt about it now. I’ve found my favorite VRAINS character. It’s not the type of character I usually fall for, so even I am surprised. But I’ve warmed up to Kusanagi quite a bit. And, I believe there is way more to him that has to be revealed.

I’d like to talk about how Aoi’s personality changes completely when she becomes Blue Angel. Sure, it’s a facade, since she acts like an idol. However, when the crowd started cheering and she displayed that big smile, I started thinking that it’s not just her pretending to be someone else. 

How do I explain this...her smile seemed genuine to me. Like, she really enjoys people cheering her on. I’m thinking that the Blue Angel persona is something she worked hard at building. Plus, she is a competent duelist, so she must have put some effort into polishing her skills. So, seeing that her hard work is widely appreciated must truly make her happy and that’s why she continues to be Blue Angel. It’s only a speculation, but I think I’m on to something here.

In the next episode we’ll see how the duel plays out. I’m a bit interested in Aoi’s deck. Usually, I’m not interested in Light fairy-type archetypes, but seeing that they are focused on dealing effect damage makes it a bit more unique.