#i was so hype for ryuji saving the squad and then my mood was just demolished

[goodestboyryuji]

ok OK SO i have so many feelings about the final palace like i truly....am losing part of my mind, in good ways but mostly bad ways

first of all: MUSIC. god all the palace music has been so good, but Futaba’s and Shido’s gotta take the cake. Really like Okumura’s too tho

second: as entertaining as the mouse parts were, i’m so impatient when you have to backtrack lmao it’s the platformer in me. if i leave a room, i don’t wanna have to go back

BUT NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT PARTS:

i’m a big fan over how the intro letters showed some growth in each of the characters, namely yusuke’s?? i just really liked how he was like ‘no’ and then ‘yes’ and then when the dude was like ‘ew’ he was like ‘well fuck you that’s my interpretation i’m not gonna change for you.’ as i mentioned before, i think ann’s could’ve been better, but i’m lovin how she literally just called that sicko out in front of everyone.  NOT a fan over how ryuji didn’t get one tho. i mean i suppose the end of the palace is his moment but they fucked that up so royally that i wish he’d been given more of a chance to show his strengths. i still think coming up with the plan was a good moment for him, but not good enough imo. 

akechi is.............not as sympathetic as tumblr made me think he’d be lmao like i totally have sympathy for him and i feel badly, i do wish things had gone differently, but if you say like...20 times how much you want to massacre a group of teenagers...it is hard for me to be like ‘aww sweet bb.’ i thought i was gonna end up being more into his character once i completed his arc than i actually am (again bc of tumblr and the way they baby him lol) but  makes it additionally hard to believe so many ppl hate ryuji but love akechi. like...i can’t believe that’s a thing tbh lmao ryuji could’ve EASILY been like akechi--they came from really similar circumstances--but ryuji found the light in life while akechi refused. 

ALSO, LIKE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, ryuji tries SO hard for akechi???? he speaks the most to him, is the most encouraging/pleading imo (”you have to be your own person!” is the line that stood out to me most, both for its literal words but also how he said them), and the only one to run to the door and slam his fists on it in desperation at the end. time and time again we’ve seen ryuji have an opinion on someone and then change it when he learns more about them, and he does this IMMEDIATELY, esp if they’re in danger. Ryuji is the one who disliked akechi the most of anyone--the spicy scene sticks out in my mind lol--but he doesn’t hesitate for a single second to try to help akechi when he’s basically having a breakdown. RYUJI. IS. SO. GOOD. fuck any other opinion tbh

I AM SO HERE FOR HERO RYUJI

can we just....LIKE???? they’re all gonna DIE and he’s like ‘i got this’ even tho he has a well-known leg injury that caused him to fall in the first palace and doesn’t even think twice. he just zooms off. AND HE’S SO GOOD! HE DOES IT!!! HE GETS THE BOAT!!!!!!!! AND HE JUST HANGS THERE, SMILING!!!!!!! SO HAPPY EVERYONE IS OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT EVEN URGING THEM TO HURRY EVEN THO EVERYTHING IS EXPLODING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i was CRYIN i am so proud of my bright and shiny son. also thanks to y’all’s warnings i 300% THOUGHT HE DIED SO THANKS FOR THAT. i literally jumped out of my seat and was like NO. i’ve avoided spoilers pretty well so i thought maybe??? looking back i think i deffo would’ve found out already since i’m all about ryuji and follow everyone else who is too lol but stILL!!!!!!!! i was...distraught. 

..but also....like......................................................i am OFFICIALLY removing from p5 canon the scene afterwards. like? what the FUCK is up atlus. no what did you DO dude. WHAT THE FUCK atlus????????????????? i’m straight up ready to fight.

WHAT KIND OF HORSESHIT????? it not only makes NOOOOOO FUCKING SENSE--like NO ONE would to do that to someone who almost DIED?? also i already really hate that trope of physical aggression towards an emotional situation. this is obvs hugely influenced by my own personal experience with that, but i’ve never been comfortable with it. it’s not a healthy way to treat someone or to treat your feelings. it was a perfect opportunity to show ryuji love and help him feel valued and respected, which would have been an incredible closing of his character arc and development, but instead they digressed all way back to BEFORE the first palace and treated him just as awfully as his previous trauma. it’s so disappointing.

not to mention the literal visual of ryuji just....slumped against the street pole, unresponsive, while everyone is like ‘ok so who’s hungry!!!!’ is just so..gross and disturbing. i know it’s “just a video game” but like..ryuji means so much to me so that was just really shitty. it would’ve been shitty if it was any other character too, but it esp sucked that it was ryuji. i dunno. just really not okay with it.

overall it was a good palace and i really enjoyed it, but the ending w/ ryuji was enough to sour it p heavily. i’m excite to finish the game tho!!! i hear there’s not much playing left even tho there are a few months left, so maybe i have less left than i think :(