#it's every shinjiro fan's favorite day of the year

[scarletwritesshit]

💭 Kotone Shiomi x Shinjiro Aragaki 💭 Dreams of a Dead Man

I hear that kid speakin’.

"Shinjiro...I…I didn’t mean...for things to end up like this!"

At least he’s still got his humanity left in him. Kid’s got it far too rough for someone his age. And I can’t blame him. I’d do the same thing if I was in his shoes.

Sounds like he’s cryin’ his eyes out. Not like I can do anything about it. Better if he burns it out of his system this way instead of grabbin’ a gun and releasin’ his tears in the form of a bullet shot through someone’s skull. Nothing worse than two me’s running around.

Kotone, I’m putting him in your hands. Keep this boy’s head on straight.

"Damn it Shinji! Why did you do that? Why did you do such a thing?"

All right, Aki. Don’t bang the damn table with your fists. That ain’t helpin’ either of us.

"If only I was stronger. Then I wouldn’t have had to lose yet another friend!"

Stronger for what? To punch the damn bullet outta the air? Sounds like you’re the madman here. And quit moping around like I’m dead. I can still hear you. Just can’t smack you upside the head like you need right now.

…Don’t blame yourself. I protected the kid out of my own volition. He’s not the one who deserved to die that night, no matter his intentions.

"It’s too dreary in here. I bought you some flowers to brighten the place up."

Thanks. Not like I’ve noticed. Or even can notice.

"They wouldn’t let me bring Koromaru along, otherwise, I would’ve bought him in to say hi."

Ah...the poor boy. I hope he’s doin’ well. He wouldn’t be able to survive Fuuka’s cooking.

"He’s been whining at his bowl every day, so I know you’ve been sneaking him a meal every evening…”

...Shut it.

"...but we’ve tried sparing him a few table scraps and he just looks up and whines. He doesn’t even lift his head off of the ground. Aigis can’t even get a word out of him."

You tryin’ to rip my already bloody heart out?

"I think he misses you, Shinji."

Girl, I know he misses me. But what the hell can I do about it? Thats right; jack shit. I can’t even go tell Koro-chan myself that I’m still kickin’.

"I don’t think he’ll believe me even if I tell him I’ve personally seen you alive, but I’ll make sure he knows that your battle isn’t over."

You know me too well.

"I should probably get going before one of the nurses drag me out for overstaying my welcome. Not like you can hear me, but I love you, Shinji."

I love you too. Dammit.

"Still slacking, are you? Now’s the time to wake up if you plan on it."

Seems like you only got more annoying as time went on. Guess that’s what happens when you don’t got someone to punch some sense into ya.

And I’m not the one slacking. This shitty body of mine is. Otherwise, I would’ve given you a nice helping of a well-deserved knuckle sandwich a long-ass time ago.

"In all seriousness, the opportunities that we get to come visit you are few and far between. Things have not been looking up out there."

Out of my control. And I am too tired for your shit. Good night.

"This could be the last time I ever see you, and I wish it could’ve been under better circumstances.”

Last time? What the hell do you mean last time?

"Tomorrow’s the Promised Day....”

What the fuck is the “Promised Day?”

“…where we aim to put an end to Nyx once and for all.”

Who the fuck is Nyx? Never mind, why the hell am I even bothering with wondering?

“If we were to fail, anything and everything living will be annihilated in an instant. Nobody will even know The Fall is happening."

Lucky for you, I’m about as good as a dead man.

"I want to stay with you just a little while longer. I really do. But I kinda snuck away from the team just to see you."

Well, get back out there. It’ll make me feel better knowing you’re out there kickin’ ass. They need ya. I don’t need you.

"It’s not fair Shinji! I wanted more time! Why did he have to take you away from me!?"

Life isn’t fair to any of us. If it were, then that kid would still have a mom and a bunch of junkies wouldn’t be on the loose shootin’ people. Hell, I want to lift my stupid hand to wipe those stupid tears off of your face, but I can’t do shit.

"I... I should go back before the others notice I’ve snuck out."

Damn straight. Give em’ hell girl.

"Ah...I meant to visit you sooner, but I’ve been tired. So very, very tired."

Huh. Guessing y’all won seeing how that wasn’t the last time you’ve spoken to me. Unless we’re in purgatory or some shit. But I doubt it. Still don’t got a body worth a damn.

That doesn’t mean you can go tumblin’ onto me. But, I suppose I’ll give you a break, since it’s you.

"Finishing out the year has been exhausting, but the seniors are graduating tomorrow. I’ve had to hang in there for their sake as I wouldn’t miss their ceremony for the life of me."

So Aki and Mitsuru are all grown up now, eh? Crazy how time flies when a man’s down in the dumps.

"I feel like I could sleep forever."

Me too girl.

"But I won’t. I refuse. As long as you don’t."

...

"…I should go before I fall asleep here with you."

Go rest. We’ll see each other again soon enough.

"Aragaki-senpai, I hope you don’t mind me visiting again."

Doesn’t matter if I did or didn’t. Can’t do anything about it regardless.

"Kotone...Kotone asked me to deliver this in her steed. She felt bad about giving back your watch only for it to be destroyed, so she got you a new one."

There ain’t nothing for her to feel bad about. I would have bled out 20 times over if it weren’t for having that thing back.

"I’m sorry. I’ll leave now."

Kid, there’s nothing for you to feel bad for either. You ain’t the one that pulled the trigger.

…Damn. Can’t believe he’s still cryin’ over that.

It’s a good thing in a way. He’s still young. Shows he hasn’t strayed from the right path just yet.

Kotone must’ve done a damn good job of keeping him on track. I’m going to have to thank her once I figure out how to use my damn body again.

[still-breathing-au-p3r]

Seemingly satisfied, Kirijo-san addresses the whole team at once.

An uncomfortable quiet settles over the room. Shinjiro gets it. S.E.E.S. had given them a purpose, and as glad as everyone is to see the end of the Dark Hour, having that purpose pulled out from under your feet isn’t easy. He knows it’s got to be especially rough for Aki, with the bullheaded focus he always throws himself at a goal with. He can’t even imagine how much tougher it is for Kirijo, who’s been fighting her way to this moment for most of her life.

He’s not one-hundred percent sure how everyone else truly feels about it, but as for himself? Shinjiro can easily say he won’t miss it.

He hadn’t picked up an evoker that first time with any kind of greater purpose in mind, and he hadn’t been looking for one either. All that’d mattered to him was having Aki’s back if he was hellbent on putting himself in harm’s way.

Maybe at one point he’d started to feel some sense of duty about getting rid of the Dark Hour, but that was a long time ago. Two years is more than long enough for the idea of “duty” to start looking worthless in retrospect. 

And it wasn’t like he’d come back because he’d suddenly found that drive again, either– that had been about settling his debts. If anything he did also helped Aki and Kirijo get rid of the Dark Hour, then he was glad to do it, but that wasn’t his battle to win anymore.

The triumph and normalcy Kirijo-san mentions next don’t feel like his prizes to claim either. He still doesn’t know whether he’ll even get to, let alone what to do with them if he does– but no one else seems to, either. If he asked Aki or Kirijo about it, they’d probably answer with some cheesy declaration that they’ll ‘figure it out together.’ He can practically hear exactly how they’d say it.

…He can’t deny though, that being clueless together does sound less daunting than being clueless alone.

He’s been getting more and more sentimental these days. He isn’t sure how he feels about that.

Kirijo crisply banishes the growing awkwardness before it can put down roots, and finally they settle in to eat. The fish tastes every bit as good as it looks– it’s the best he’s ever had, no question.

Shinjiro stays where he is, but most of the rest of the team wanders around playing musical chairs with who they’re talking to and what kind of sushi is within grabbing distance. At one point Arisato sits next to him, eyeballing several pieces of tuna philosophically for nearly a full minute before finally choosing one. 

He still doesn’t eat it right away. Instead he examines it like he’s getting ready to paint a portrait. He’s still looking at the fish when he speaks to Shinjiro.

Arisato just shrugs, ambivalent as always, and finally eats his sushi now that he’s memorized it. He didn’t deny it, which Shinjiro is going to accept as an admission whether Arisato likes it or not. It’s still annoying how unbothered he is about the whole thing– about most things. What Shinjiro wouldn’t give to be able to tap into a little bit of that kind of nonchalance on command.

Arisato moves on to scrutinize the grilled eel next and Aki immediately takes his place and reignites an old favorite argument of theirs over the merits of tuna versus salmon.

Junpei suggests taking a photo to commemorate the evening, then promptly turns it into a disaster– which probably makes it the best possible representation of this pack of absolute weirdos. He’s never been a fan of getting his picture taken, but… he does kind of want a copy of this one.

The night goes on. The sushi dwindles and so does the conversation as everyone starts settling into a state of well-fed zen. Shinjiro crosses his arms loosely and lets his head loll to rest on the back of the couch. He feels satiated and drowsy, and so content that it kind of loops back around to be a little alarming from just how unfamiliar he’s become with the feeling.

Everyone else on the team offers some kind of agreement, except for Koromaru. While Takeba scolds Junpei over trying to give a dog raw fish, Koromaru slinks over to sit on Shinjiro’s feet and sulk. 

He rubs one of Koro’s velvet soft ears between his thumb and forefinger and mumbles a promise to make him something special tomorrow.

He looks over to Arisato, who offers nothing but a stone-faced thumbs-up. Shinjiro rolls his eyes. Arisato adds a second thumbs-up and exactly zero changes to his expression. Typical.

They laugh and Koromaru yips happily, his tail wagging a mile a minute.

Like someone just opened a door and let in a gust of chill November air, a thin shiver skims its way over Shinjiro’s back, leaving his muscles tense in its wake. The feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong resurfaces with a vengeance. 

Shinjiro glances at the clock– one minute left.

He’s not the only one feeling all kinds of anxious– in the back of his head he can feel his Persona, still as a frozen pond but uneasy and alert. Aki catches his gaze and they share a knowing look. They’re both thinking the same thing.

The last second until midnight trips past.

The Dark Hour descends.

[fire-emblem-poll]

My personal game recommendation!

Note: some of these games I have not finished and they aren’t in a particular order!

#1 My Time at Sandrock

It’s a game set in the desert in a post apocalyptic world! You as a builder help the people in the town and uncover the secrets.

Plus you can marry others in the town, personally I have yet to marry anyone but I’m working on it with Fang, Unsuur, and Logan (still haven’t decided)

I haven’t finished this game I’m currently stuck on the rat queen battle.

Where I play it: Switch (like most games on this list)

#2 Unpacking

I mostly got this game because it was on sale, and let me tell you it’s such a comfort game for me!

Whenever I need to wind down for bed I put this on and play for a level or two! It’s helped me with my anxiety as well!

Where I play it: Switch

#3 Persona 3-5

Now I have yet to play Reload so don’t spoil anything for me! I got into Persona 5 Royal first, due to a friend lending me their copy. To put it lightly I couldn’t put it down! I really like Yusuke!

Persona 3 is special to me, it honestly made me think on every action I took. Especially with Shinjiro, my favorite persona character, i can’t wait to play Reload when I can!

Persona 4 is a mixed bag for me. I haven’t finished it yet and I don’t think I’m going to. I do like Kanji!

Where I played: Switch

#4 Hades

Pretty simple premise: Escape from the underworld to see your mother. And get powerful through every play through.

I’m currently still playing Hades a bit! Though this game does hold some sentimental value in my heart since it was one of the two games that helped me get with my boyfriend. I have escaped twice and like most Hades fans I really really like Thanatos, I even have a charm of him on my bookbag!

Where I play: Switch

#5 Honkai Star Rail

You discover secrets of the express and the worlds you go to!

I don’t play this a ton anymore, I mostly just do my login stuff and some other housekeeping things. But I do enjoy it!

My current team is: Sampo, Gepard, Loucha, and Dr Ratio. Though Lunae gets swapped in sometimes.

Where I play: IPad

#6 Mortal Kombat 1

I’ll be real I have yet to beat the story mode but I’m close! I’m someone who got the worse copy from playing on Switch, which I regret every day.

My current main is Johnny Cage and Kenshi but I’m trying to learn Syzoth since I like his play style! I’m too scared of actual people to do online stuff.

Where I play: Switch (sadly)

#6 Story of Seasons

So this is technically three games, I haven’t played the DS one.

Basically you just farm and gather materials to make your town better or just make friends! You can get married as well. I got married to Doctor (FoMT), Iori (PoOT), and Matthew (AWL).

I actually got my boyfriend into these games! It’s really fun! These games were kinda how I found my niche with games!

Where I play: Switch

#7 South Park: Fractured But Whole

I’m not even gonna explain this story it’s so fuckin weird. But it was my introduction to South Park! It’s really fun and the battle mechanics remind me of FE. And it’s super inclusive while still being South Park.

I’ve completed two play throughs of this but I will warn you. For switch the loading times are a bit longer! This is basically 15 year old me’s nostalgia.

Where I played: Switch

(I ofc have played other games but I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you to play AC:NH, Cult of the Lamb, or Ace Attorney)

Also don’t let other people tell you what you can or can’t post. Also if you tell people to only post certain things: Fuck you genuinely.

[ancient-day]

i know we talk about our ships literally all the time but you have the best thots so! your favorite p3 ship and your least favorite p5 ship for your ask game?

Ashe out here asking the Tough Questions, but I'll do my best!

[ Kotone/Shinjiro ]

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Shinji's always been one of my favorite (if not my favorite) P3 characters, so just having the option was pretty predictable for me to get attached, but then the SL itself was just. So sweet? She can go all ten ranks without romancing him, and even if it's obvious he's developing FeelingsTM, they're not the focus. Kotone helps him be the person he wants to be, and he looks out for her and supports her the best he can. It was kinda no question to do the silly "Lovers" rank with those two after maxing out because it just made sense (plus, I love to get my heart crushed by the inevitable tragedy. clearly.).

What are your favorite things about the ship?

The mutual support is a huge reason why I got attached (I think about Shinji's smiling sprite asking her about her day and genuinely enjoying listening to her and asking her to keep going), so that plus the potential. I remember when I played P3P that I turned down every Christmas invitation because in my heart, Kotone went to visit Shinji in the hospital often and would let herself be vulnerable in those moments alone with him, even if he couldn't answer.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not sure if it's unpopular, but I really don't like when I see them depicted as like... Tragic Man and Manic Pixie Dream Girl or whatever 'cause I definitely don't see 'em that way. Or if he's always like NO FUN ALLOWED 'cause yeah he's a worrier and would express that she shouldn't go run off and do reckless shit, but I think he'd hate to be controlling, y'know?

P5 is a lil more complicated 'cause I have four ships blocked because I dislike them all for essentially the same reasons, but I'll just talk about one of 'em 'cause it has both that common reason plus other issues.

[ Goro/Sumi ]

Don’t Ship It

Why don’t you ship it?

Classic clash of headcanon immediately since I hc Goro as gay, but their dynamic/potential does nothing for me in general. Usually I'm not a fan of m/f ships with the whole "grumpy man/sweet girl" dynamic, and I just can't see either of them going for it. Sumi ships for me are rough because I know she's only a year or two under the characters, which ordinarily really wouldn't be an issue at all, but because she spent almost a whole year of her life pretending to be someone else and only very recently returned to herself, she... comes off as much younger than she is. I just don't think they have that kind of chemistry, and I think it'd do more harm to them both than good.

What would have made you like it?

Not really sure there's anything that would've made me like them, but maybe I could understand it more if they had more going for them than "Goro didn't want her to die." (I completely understand shipping things based on potential, so I get it, but for me personally I tend to need some real Stand Out Moments)

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I think they're both great characters who could certainly relate to each other! I really, really love the idea of them being friends, and I think they could easily bond over similar feelings of wishing they were someone else/feelings of inferiority. I wish Royal had given them more time to get to know each other as their real selves in the third semester because it would've greatly benefited them both. If only we got a 3rd semester update scene of the trio at the cafe, now with all masks dropped and able to be more honest with each other, but alas.

[doktorpeace]

coffee emoji + Persona

I’m a big fan of Persona as an overall series, I actually just started Innocent Sin the other day so I can finally get P2 under my belt. As a whole the mainline franchise does a great job writing meaningful stories full of great character interactions which all serve to accent each entry’s core themes. Persona 3 has some of the strongest and most consistent writing of any RPG I've ever played with regards to quality and execution on its themes, which is a big part of why it's my favorite one. All of the members of SEES change meaningfully as characters by the end of just the base game, not to mention additional content like The Answer, or the Persona 4 Arena Duology (which, funnily, are way better through the lenses of the P3 cast than the P4 cast), and especially more niche but still canon content like the Drama CDs which do a great job of filling the listener in on what the other members do while Minato is away or sick or asleep. Spoilers: They're really gay and not in a queerbaiting way either. Did you ever think it's out of nowhere that Yukari and Mitsuru are dating at the end of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax? These explain how they started dating and also talk about Akihiko and Shinjiro's relationship in romantic terms, comparing it directly to Junpei and Chidori's. Basically, Junpei is canonically the Token Straight of SEES and I think that's wonderful.That said the franchise really botches it at times. Persona 4 especially fucks up by directly undermining its own core theme of ‘Be true to yourself’ with its treatment of almost every playable character. Like, seriously: Yukiko decides to abandon her dreams to do what she's told when that's what her whole social link is about not doing. Kanji is openly bisexual now but his sexuality still treated as a joke by Yosuke and Teddie. Rise decides to abandon her beliefs and just keep working in the idol industry because other people want her to. Yosuke was written as a closeted gay teenager but had all of his gay content locked away from access despite being finished and on the disc. And most especially Naoto, who they build up as a very good representation of a trans man with a strong personal narrative arc but the INSTANT he joins your party everyone's like "But you're really a girl, right?" and then in order to get him to date you you have to CONSTANTLY undermine his gender identity and what he's comfortable with. It's shitty content and really inexcusable regardless of what game it were to be in but ESPECIALLY because of this game's core themes.And that all is genuinely really sad and infuriating because 4′s plot and all of its NPC social links are REALLY good! There’s still a lot to enjoy there but like, damn if it isn’t disheartening how they got so scared to letting characters meaningfully change and/or be gay that they were actively willing to ruin the main theme of the game. The franchise after 3 really kind of has an issue with letting playable characters meaningfully grow and change and also with LGBT content in general, with some minor examples being good like Lala Escargot, but otherwise just removing it altogether unless it's for Jokes™ which aren't funny and are based on annoying stereotypes. Not even 3 is perfect about this but at least almost every adult member of SEES is canonically LGBT and good representation so I can kind of excuse how bad that one scene is. I've heard 2 is actually quite progressive even by today's standards and from what I know about it it is, so I'm excited to see how it handles this kind of content.Honestly, Atlus used to be really cutting edge and daring with the kinds of themes and content they were willing to put into Persona but ever since 4 hit it big and the franchise got mainstream attention they've been kind of cowardly about it. P5 is a big step up from P4 in terms of overall writing quality, the party members are more interesting and are allowed to change at least a little bit by the game's end but it still fucks up more than I'd like. Its representation of mental illness and people on the spectrum are quite nice in my opinion but it still won't let you be gay even though Yusuke has the most unique dates of any character in the game! Come on, AT LEAST let us date Yusuke who already reads VERY MUCH as more than friends. Also make Ryuji a romance option and don't make Akechi a romance option because I don't want that shit. I want good characters to be romanceable.The spinoffs are all kinda just there to me. Like, they're a decent enough distraction but they absolutely do not have the love and quality put into the writing for me to really have much fun with them. Characters who were already kind of flat like Chie become really annoying and characters who WERE really well developed and three dimensional like Akihiko still get reduced to just 'Musclehead Protein Man' which is fucking stupid. Only P4A and P4AU really do any of the characters justice in terms of writing quality but even then only really the P3 Cast and Naoto get good and interesting story content. Everyone else just get schlock. So whatever. P4A and P4AU are super fun to play though, mechanically they did an excellent job realizing each character in a way that feels authentic to their personality, if not their gameplay niche, in their home games. I can only hope P5A doesn't have some bullshit timeline thing to get the P4 characters out of aging and advancing as people. They NEED the treatment P4A gave SEES. Show me out of shape middle manager at Junes 24 year old Yosuke, Atlus you fucking cowards. There's so much room for advancement and growth with these characters but at the same time I know they either won't do it by introducing some dumb timeline bullshit OR they'll fuck it up and like, make Naoto a big tiddie ultra femme looking person to REALLY try and tell us "NO REALLY NAOTO IS CIS IGNORE HIS ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC AND ALL OF HIS WRITING IN PERSONA 4 AND ALSO HOW IN PERSONA 4 GOLDEN WE LEANED EVEN HARDER INTO THE TRANS NARRATIVE WITH HIS ADDITIONAL CONTENT"You can always count on the gameplay to advance and get better at least, so that's nice. I'm not really gonna discuss that though other than to say P3 not letting you directly control party members serves its themes and writing well and isn't even hard to play around if you just use the Command Wheel to issue orders to your party members, the AI is pretty smart. Not Xenoblade Chronicles 1 smart, but still pretty fuckin' smart.Anyway, basically, I like Persona a lot as a franchise. It's a flawed franchise that I want and expect better out of than what it delivers in some aspects but on the whole it's hard to deny the quality of the overall products. I just hope that Atlus listens to the kind of feedback they've been getting in the last few years and really start becoming more daring again with the kind of content they put into the games again. Go harder on those themes and really challenge people's mindsets, this franchise has so much potential for that and it just scratches the surface really.Oh, also, Persona fans on the whole are some of the absolute dumbest motherfuckers I've ever seen on the internet. They'll really ignore blatant shit that's extremely clear just because it wasn't said in such plain wording a child would understand it while jumping through 70 mental rings to try and explain how Kanji isn't REALLY gay or how Naoto is ACTUALLY cis or how Akechi is actually the deepest most amazing character in the franchise, or whatever. That and/or they're just straight men who use the term 'waifu' and just reduce all of the female characters to 'which one do I want to fuck most' while ignoring everything else about the games because all they value these for are as dating simulators to try and fill the sad, gaping hole that is their social life. Some of them will actually get mad at people for discussing the psychological or political aspects of the series as if that's not what this IP is founded on because they're too stupid to think of anything other than which fictional underaged girl they want to fuck. Persona fans are fucking stupid and really make it embarrassing to like this franchise at times.This basically turned into me yelling about LGBT content in Persona but honestly that’s like, the aspect that needs the most constructive criticism. The psychological, theological, and political themes are generally really well handled. Worth discussion for sure but not what I want to talk about right now.