#my first time writing for akira and for p5 and it's been a while since i wrote an actual one shot and tbh i rlly like this work of mine so

[leonawriter]

I've had several thoughts of P5/DCMK crossovers lately, and one of the biggest roadblocks has often been how diametrically opposed their views often are, in ways that would cause a lot of conflict.

Namely, the DCMK side being primarily (Kaito notwithstanding) about upholding the law; Shinichi's hand in hand with the cops since before the series began, and when it's suspected that the Black Organisation might have a member (or more) in the police my recollection is that they were shocked, rather than, y'know, "ah, for a criminal conspiracy that only makes sense."

Detectives in the series have a very strong sense of right and wrong, which is good - in the context of their own series. However, there's a sense of... while they do sometimes show other outcomes, and they do sometimes "bend the rules" when a case calls for it (fudging the details of a crime on a report so that an innocent but used party doesn't feel guilty for something that wasn't her fault, not arresting a man who'd been stealing and giving him a job instead so that it improved his life so he didn't have to), the general outcome is "bad people (murderers, usually) go to jail."

The police are usually shown as Always Good Guys. There are a many police protagonist-adjacent characters (Takagi and Sato, Shiratori, each of the Inspectors from each region). Most of them are shown to be good-hearted. Bourbon, who's in Public Safety, is one of the good guys - more of a grey area than some, but still there. Even the incompetent ones have their hearts in the right place. They tend to want to believe the best in people (the Red Horse arson case, for example).

The Kaitou Kid Task Force, too, is largely considered to just be playing tag with the thief rather than... anything harmful. They know he's (mostly) harmless, so they treat him with respect. Nakamori is angry when he thinks someone's out to hurt Kid.

DCMK shows what people want the police to be like, in an almost ideal world. Yeah, there's bad apples (ha) but they don't soil the overall sense of what the Force is. In some ways I like it, because it's like a fairy tale - a glimpse of how things should be. Very easy to see where the lines of good and evil are, here.

But compare that to Persona 5, and like... of course there's going to be conflict, because the two series are set in the same location, but have a wildly different take and experience with the police.

Detective Conan doesn't tend to go into "what happens when the police arrest the wrong person" much, because the genius detectives get there first - the closest tends to be "oh no, we have to solve this fast!" - compare to Persona 5, where the whole premise is built on "what happens to someone whose crime isn't even a major one, but whose reputation gets tarnished with the stain of a conviction."

It's difficult to imagine the cops from P5 existing within DCMK at times. Akira spends the entire game traumatised by his experiences; first from his (falsified) assault conviction, during which he must have been protesting that he wasn't guilty and not a single person listened to him, and again on 11/20 when he was arrested and treated as someone who'd done far worse, along with the cops in the interrogation room being under Shido's pay, and not afraid to assault him.

So... although I'd personally love to write fun adventure stuff where the casts meet and get along, with shrunken people and long-lost relations and so on, the idea that came to me with all this in mind is more akin to that scene near the start of P5 Strikers, with Zenkichi talking to the Phantom Thieves, and Haru bluntly stating "We simply hate the police, is all."

Like - how would that go down? How would they get along - or not, as the case may be?

Would Shinichi/Conan (as the protagonist) understand their stances, or would he have a hard time accepting that anyone could hate the police for entirely justified reasons? Would they constantly butt heads due to the idea that Criminals Should Go To Jail, or would he understand that some things have to be done?

If he does understand some of that, then how far can he take it before he reaches his limit?

What about any of the other teen detectives (Hattori, Hakuba, I know Sera's a quantity but I don't know her so well)?

How would Akechi factor into any of this? As someone who's killed (regardless of how, or why, or whether he was under duress) there's the risk that these detectives may or may not see "murder" and Akechi's own desire to pay his time and not... see that it's what would actually benefit him to grow and become a better, more free and healthy person.

Often I feel like Shinichi gets a murderer (or an attempted one) arrested, and then it's just... maybe they'll get a mention of "there's a trial in progress" but- the implication of the consequences of it all? How many of them are going to prison, how many are going to get the death sentence? How many won't be able to move past their mistake? The series doesn't tend to look beyond that arrest, so we don't tend... know, really. There are a few times (lemon tea bride is one, but the victim recovered) but not many.

So - would Akira start arguing with a (supposed) seven year old? Because of how (canonically) attached he is to Akechi, they'd have different views on how things should go.

At the very leat, I figure that Makoto would have a good time, because this, I think, is how she sees "how the police should be."

[wispexists]

P5R PMD AU because i am insane!!!

So I have many a thought in my head and with Spike Chunsoft dangling the idea of a new Mystery Dungeon entry in front of my face this past week I have more thoughts. Especially about the Mystery Dungeon AU's I create with every fandom I join.

So um Persona 5 PMD au (with some visuals).

Also this will contain major spoilers for Persona 5 Royal and Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon.

First, this is a rewrite of PMD Super, because I will not write a new story for this and also because I always see Explorers get the crossover au/rewrite treatment (as it should tbh) and we gotta switch it up!! Now with the main plot not really changing we can jump into the characters.

1. The Heros

The hero role is filled both by Akira Kurusu and Goro Akechi, both being human and both losing their memories respectfully after being isekai'd into a foreign world. These bitches gay, so I think it's funny to throw them into another god killing situation.

The role stays true to the plot, get chased by Beheeyem, get adopted, join the guild, etc. it would just have more banter between characters in between.

Akira:

At first you may think, "Wouldn't Zorua fit better? Isn't that the black and red trickster Pokémon that fits the overall aesthetic really well? Wouldn't it have been cool for an Akiren that could summon fake illusion personas???" Because I thought the same things until I realized I cannot draw Zorua!

I also think even though Floragato doesn't really fit aesthetically, it fits in every other aspect of joker persona. Silly little jester cat.

I also thought Zorua would be too much of an awkward fit in the group just, vibes man, he's too small. Once you see my other picks you'll get it. You get silly little jester cat take it or leave it.

Goro:

STUPID BIRD!! THE CHOICE IS OBVIOUS!! FUCKIN,, CROW MAN!! CORVISQUIRE SWEEP!!

I also made him shiny because it matches his color pallete. Literally easiest decision in the world. I was originally going to go with rookidee but again, too small.

2. The partner

You thought these bitches were doing this shit alone?? NO!! THEY NEED A SILLY FRIEND!! WHO ELSE TO PUT IN THE ROLE OF THE WEIRD ADOPTED ORPHAN THAN WEIRD ADOPTED ORPHAN FUTABA SAKURA!! Also going forward no other character is human, very important pmd shit.

Futaba:

Similarly to the p5 plot, Futaba is still grieving her mom while getting adopted by Sojiro. Wakaba died in an "unfortunate accident" while doing research for a guild on the grass continent. The last thing left in Futaba's possession is her harmony scarf. Unlike p5, Futaba didn't actually see her mom die since she was in Serene Village while her mom was doing research. She still somewhat blames herself for her mother's death but is motivated to find the truth behind it.

Futaba's social anxiety would prevent her from joining a proper exploration team, until of course she gets two new neighbors that are reminded of someone in her and feel obligated to help (THE HEROS FROM BEFORE IN CASE YOU DIDNT GET THAT). Also in Super, the partner doesn't join a team because everyone fucking hates them and I thought wow! That's way too mean! And not in character!! So I changed that.

Anyways JOLTIK FUTABA, SMALL CREATURE. The only one allowed to be teeny tiny.

I originally was planning to go with a Dewpider since I knew for a fact that I wanted her to be a bug type but then I saw Joltik and thought "wow, this bitch has so much mischievous energy" and it stuck.

She'd probably run a support build of some kind in preparation to be backup.

3. Nuzleafs replacement

Takuto Maruki.

If you thought anyone but him I would tell you to replay Super Mystery Dungeon BECAUSE I THINK IT FITS SO WELL.

Also because it's weird that Nuzleaf was like unemployed, I also made Maruki Audinos replacement as the school nurse. He can be in a weird cult and work at the school at the same time.

Yes Maruki is the one who sends our protagonists to hell! After his childhood friend Rumi never truly recovered from an accident, Maruki turned to the help of Yveltal, believing that the limbo-like state is better than suffering for a lifetime. This happiness can be easily achieved if only he had a human that could destroy the barrier on Revelation Mountain, then their plan would be foolproof..

Also important to note that actualization doesn't exist because personas and the metaverse wouldn't exist in Pokémon.

FURRET MARUKI SHAKES YOU. His ass looks normal until he STABS YOU IN THE BACK!!

4. Classmates

Ok I got a little burnt out at this point so I don't have references for these ones but the gist is they're literally just the Shujin guys. None of them would join the exploration team (sorry :() but they would still get little side stories. I also tried to match certain characters with their metaverse powers as a little silly.

Ann: Braixen. Literally makes so much sense. Strong girlboss fire wizard like get it queen!! Fuck yeah!

Ryuji: Luxio but specifically with rivalry instead of intimidate purely because it's funny.

Makoto: Houndour. Honestly went with this because of vibes and also because she counters and covers Haru's weaknesses because I am a Makoharu stan frfr.

Haru: Galarian Ponyta. See Makoto.

Mishima: Please suggest a Pokémon for Mishima. I do not have one.

Shiho: also up for suggestions

Sumire: Eevee. Since actualization doesn't exist, she still knows she's Sumire, but is still strongly advised by Maruki to follow in her sisters footsteps considering she trained her entire life as a performer, why shatter your dreams and pursue something that has the chance to bring you pain? Specifically replaces Espurr in this au since she's being manipulated by Maruki.

Yusuke: Alolan Vulpix. Not part of the school, he lives in Lively Town with Madarame, but he gets included on this list because I have no where else to put him.

Morgana: Purrloin. Isn't in this story like at all because he got arrested for crime. Thought I'd include him anyways.

5. Extra thoughts

I have a few more characters that I know for sure are going to be here. Every change of heart is going to happen but they would most likely get arrested instead (cause no metaverse).

This really is just a self-indulgent mashup of P5 and PMD. The characters still generally keep their arcs even if they aren't as important, the overall plot is just that of PMD Super.

And that about wraps it up for now! If you made it this far, I love you, mwah. Also please please please send any questions because I am writing this in the middle of the night and I KNOW I probably missed something and I really just want to share this silly au. Thank you for reading!

[starlight-phantom]

For the ask game, Persona series!

I'm gonna guess you mean the entire series for this and not any game in particular.

3 male characters I love:

Ren Amamiya, I honestly could not tell you why I adore him so much. Y'know sometimes you just get a favourite character for inexplicable reason but they just make you so happy and can brighten up your whole day? Yeah, that's him.

Minato Arisato, I've been replaying P3 recently and ooh boy I forgot how special this boy was. Kinda makes me sad how he tends to get boiled down to 'the emo protag' because no, he's so much more.

Yosuke Hanamura, yeah there's time I wanna smack him upside the head but this boy's special to me for personal reasons to do with when I first played the game. Although it is painful how much he reminds me of my thirteen year old self. It is genuinely like "Oh geez that's me 😬"

3 female characters I love:

Maya Amano, c'mon you gotta love Maya. From her clothes, to her terrible driving skills, to the state of her room, to her positive attitude, everything about her is great.

Nanako Dojima, I had to, okay? It's Nanako. I don't need to explain this one, I know you understand.

Haru Okumura, I just love her so much. She's prim and proper, she's a comforting presence, she's badass, she's adorable, she's terrifying... She's the whole package.

3 romantic ships I love:

TatsuJun (Tatsuya Suou x Jun Kurosu), these two just give me so many emotions. Not to mention, they're somehow so melodramatic and tragic but awkward and dorky at the same time.

SouYo (Souji Seta/Yu Narukami X Yosuke Hanamura) the epitome of "fellas is gay to smooch your homie?". But in all seriousness, I am still very bitter that his romance route was removed.

AkeShu (Akira Kurusu/Ren Amamiya x Goro Akechi), not really surprising, this one has been tormenting me almost non-stop since Royal. How can two boys be so in sync with each other and yet so completely useless at expressing their emotions at the same time?

3 platonic dynamics I love:

Tatsuya, Eikichi, and Jun. I mean... Their demon negotiation tactic is forming a band and performing for them. Gotta love that.

Minako and Junpei, something I really liked about P3P is that Junpei seemed to have a lot more of a 'bro' relationship with the femc instead of the mc and I just love the potential chaos that comes from that.

Ren and Futaba, chaotic gremlin siblings. Need I go on?

3 favorite moments in canon:

This is more of a joke one but I still love it: Tatsuya pushing Katsuya out of a blimp to avoid talking about his problems in Eternal Punishment. It's hilarious and the possibility of seeing that in P5 graphics is a very big reason why I want the original trilogy remade.

The Ending of Persona 3, I won't go into any specifics because if you know, you know and hey, it's only a week away... I'm still not prepared for the flood of art to crush my soul... But seriously, so beautiful and poignant and it really helped me through some stuff.

In a similar vein, the final fight with Maruki in Royal. Just what the fight represents and how he reacts afterwards gets me every time.

3 favorite headcanons:

I love the headcannon that Minato and Minako are twins instead of just the male and female protags of the game. It's just a lot of fun to think about.

I love the headcannon that Ren's from Inaba because he was mentioned to be a country bumpkin in the game and it ties very nicely back to P4.

For some reason, it's a lot harder to think of headcannons for an entire series of games as apposed to focusing on a single game so I'll leave it here for this one.

3 least favorite things about it:

Just the treatment of certain types of characters... You know what I mean: female characters, LGBT characters, fat characters, etc... It gets reeeeeaaalllll old after a while and tbh wasn't even funny in the first place.

The writing can be kinda wishy-washy, if that makes sense? For example, in P4 they backtrack on quite a few characters stories, such as Yukiko, Kanji, Rise and Naoto. And in P5, they go back on their logic as well, such as viewing Kamoshida as disgusting for going after students and then giving you the option to date your homeroom teacher? It doesn't make sense.

The fact that Atlus keeps ignoring P1&2, even when they are including in things by shoving them to the back and focusing on 3,4&5, yes I am still bitter how the 25th anniversary barely had anything for the games that started it all.

[honeydots]

hi um. i just wanted to say that i love your p5 chat fic so so much, it's one of the best examples of characterization that ive ever SEEN in a fic, and i recently reread it and i have a question that's been on my mind for years. during the valentines day chapter when goro is saying akira should get yusuke an expensive present, is he putting on the pressure because he also has a crush on akira and is salty about it, or because he knows yusuke likes akira back and just wants to drain his wallet for the fun of it

thank u for your time ♥️

HIII first of all THANK YOUUU ;w;w;w; it's been a while since i've engaged w that fic, thank u for re-reading it ;A; and thank u for ur kind words, i hope you enjoyed it~!

i've been trying to think back on my reasoning for that (obvi it's been years) and honestly i don't *completely* remember if i was intending for goro to be a little jealous of yusuke and akira, or if he was just being snarky and mischievous--but i actually lean towards the latter? which i mean here i am writing a shu//ake longfic it's not like i dislike the ship BUT i think in that particular fic i was trying to prove a bit of a point. that point being i was frequently seeing hate on goro by ppl who didn't ship him w akira, and i was annoyed about it! so i wanted to rly specially have goro exist in the fic as a positive and developed character, even if he wasn't part of the ship. so at the time of writing, i think i was going for a platonic relationship (but i also remember being like THIS WOULD'VE BEEN SO GOOD AS SHU//AKE so... it's not like the thought wasn't there HAHA).

i think it CAN be read as jealous and salty, tho. i wouldn't call u wrong if u read it as goro having a crush on aki, it just wasn't completely what i had in mind from what i remember.

but yea!!! there u go, i hope that's a good enough answer heheh. thank u again for reading ;A; i had a lot of fun w that fic, i'm glad it's still makin people happy even now~!

[crime-bot]

i crashed and fell asleep for a while anyway. do you have any angst ideas. i need sad goro akechi hours probably with chronic leg issues because my knee almost gave out at the store today . anyway how have u been dude i'm just gonna write what im thinking and then edit later

ok so. goro akechi. goro akechi who is unable to look at himself in the mirror and grows his hair out past his knees and is so so so so so gay. goro akechi who studies japanese flower language and talks to haru and yusuke about it. goro akechi who tells haru it was either going to be him or her that killed kunikazu first, and he's happy he did it first so haru wouldn't have that blood on her hands. goro akechi who sits at leblanc every thursday to quietly talk with deadbeat parents club (ryuji, haru, yusuke, akira, sumi joins sometimes but not often cause she doesnt consider her dad bad she just wishes he helped her more during stuff, himself, ann) and tells them what he learned in therapy and helps them all find ways to find peace with it. goro akechi who was gifted a Crow figurine from akane (p5s) after akira told her he was a fan of crow, and then akane found out he was crow, and akane freaked out. goro akechi who is 20 years old but lives life like he is 16 because he missed out on everything. goro akechi who watches featherman with futaba and works with her and yusuke to write featherman fic and get yusuke money by commissioning featherman art. goro akechi with a sticker covered cane. goro akechi with medical necklaces who has stress induced petit mal seizures and chronic pain and multiple disabilities both mental and physical. trans goro akechi. goro akechi who is tired and worn but so fond. goro akechi who is dragged to takemis at a late hour because hes going through an episode and he tries to hurt himself and all the phantom thieves (+ hifumi & shiho bc hifumishihogoro bffs are real, + ken, + sae & naoto) come running to make sure hes okay, to watch him. goro akechi who cries late at night because he can't understand why people are nice to him. goro akechi who doesn't really believe it when he says "i love you" to akira because he doesnt really experience romantic love. he has an odd 3rd thing he feels guilty about with akira but they still say theyre dating. goro akechi in general. idk ..

OH MAN WHAT A FEAST! Sorry for the wait, I've got no agnst ideas for our guy Goro at the moment, but I'm gonna take a good look at this all

imagine Akira braiding all of that hair for him, learning and trying out new things and asking Goro what he thinks of it -- if not in a mirror, then how it feels

I think Yusuke would actually be more enthusiastic about Japanese flower language than Haru, which is saying something. He's captivated by the inner meaning held by such beautiful works of art, crafted both by nature and the nurturing hands of humans, and would easily go on an infodump about the language (and the shape of the petals, the stalks, the colors, both bold and subtle in difference, so... so much.). Meanwhile Haru takes both the language and the technical care of the flowers seriously, and loves sharing tips on how to keep the flowers healthy and vibrant, both before giving to someone and after receiving them. She encourages Goro to try growing something himself since it can feel very rewarding

honestly, I think Haru would appreciate that sentiment in a bittersweet way. Goro has... caused a lot of pain that can never be healed. It's also true that it was very, very easy to draft up plans on killing Kunikazu herself

Goro and the deadbeat dad club is like trickle down therapy and a fucking love it, holy shit. I'm sure he doesn't fully realize how much he's really helping them all

AWW YES, GORO WITH A CROW FIGURINE!! I'm sure talking with Akane is bittersweet, but as time goes on, Goro becomes another person she can depend on and is welcomed by Zenkichi

The Featherman Trio is so great... with their combined forces, the featherman fandom sees fanworks that could be prized novels or showcased in museums

SO MANY STICKERS OF STUFF HE LOVES!

Man I'd love to see more of Goro with disability, and how he and the PTs supporting him navigate it

I've seen a surprising amount of fanfics with Trans Goro, and while technically not trans myself, it's nice to read them and think of how Goro had handled transitioning (either explosively not well or surprisingly... pretty fine? Considering that Japan is pretty tolerant of trans people and it's not necessarily as difficult to properly transition from female to male or vice versa as in the US (which isn't much of a high bar but still))

I love characters that are tired and worn and fond... it's just... damn I relate to it

YES!!! EVERYONE'S THERE FOR HIM! And of course Takemi helps Goro out the best she can, no criticism, asking him how he feels, what he would and wouldn't prefer

oh man I vibe with being aromantic... Akechi trying to figure that out and come to terms with it as well as enjoy what he has with Akira for what it is is so good as well ..

[astarriscus]

hello hi eee thank you for ?? 90+ on this ??? that is. very close to 3 digits aka 100 notes oh MAN srs tysm i do appreciate it 🥹💞

❀ : ❝ A NOT-SO-PRODUCTIVE STUDY SESSION. ❞

ft. akira kurusu (persona 5) x gender neutral reader. fluff. spoiler-free. can either be pre-established or already established relationship (up to reader’s perspective/preference). warnings : n/a. wc ≈ 1.2 k.

a sleepy and sweet afternoon in leblanc with a cheeky akira, who never fails to put a smile on your face.

the scratching of pen on paper. a sound, or perhaps a melody, that never grows old. steady and spontaneous, it goes with the flow, never disturbing the silent comfort of the chilly afternoon.

even as akira drowns himself in his thoughts, focused and eyebrows scrunched, he does not—cannot—ignore your sleeping presence beside him.

a comfortable silence, and though his pen yet moves, he is careful in hopes that you do not stir. you truly deserve this rest, after all.

and so, the boy allows himself a short respite as well.

leaning against his palm atop the table of one of leblanc’s booths, akira takes in his surroundings—browns, reds, oranges, greens. beyond the windows, dusk shall soon arrive as well, and your not-so-productive study session shall soon come to a close, much sooner than he would personally like (and, same for you).

Keep reading

[callunavulgari]

TOP 25 FICS OF 2021

1. Like Wildfire by makemadej | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej | 20k

“Is this gonna be a thing with you?” Ryan demands. “You can’t keep committing to stuff that no one else knows about! When people online say they want you to be more open and vulnerable, this is not what they mean.”

Heather Says: This was not the first fic that I read of 2021, but it IS the one that stuck with me the most out of the January lineup (which unfortunately usually gets glossed over). It's got all of my favorite tropes. Fake relationships, serious pining, and *squints* belly kink? Huh. Either way. Fantastic fic, great writing and characterization. 10 out of 10, champ.

2. μήτηρ, in the Greek by @kaikamahine | Hades | Nyx & Persephone | 37k

She went first to the hives of Silence and requested from them their beeswax. Then she found where the clay men had hidden their newfound fire, and took from their hearth the smallest burning scrap, which she used to light a wick. As the wax melted down it, its layers dripped and hardened upon themselves, and when it lengthened into a shape she could carry in her arms, she the Night bent her head and kissed life into it. This became the infant she called Charon, half-melted and smoking Promethean fire with every breath.

At the end of this recounting, she tilted her head and asked politely, Is this not how you have children?

Heather Says: Bear with me as I make tiny, squeaky noises of exquisite pleasure in your general direction, because goddamn, do I always love @kaikamahine's fics. I played Hades back in January and this fic was just one beautiful meandering walk through everything that I loved about the game itself, but so much MORE because Elizabeth always delivers on every front. The prose is lovely, but it's the relationship between Nyx and Persephone that keeps you rooted.

3. backdraft by broments | Promare | Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos | 32k

It happens in an instant, Galo gaping like an idiot while Lio presses forward to defend against the perceived threat, the weapon sparkling but not burning as it kisses Galo's throat.

Galo sees the moment Lio realizes who he is, that he’s not a threat, his eyes going wide, lips parting. Truthfully, he's not sure whether Lio’s shocked at the appearance of his weapon or that he’d drawn it against Galo. Both, maybe.

Heather Says: Promare was a thing that happened to me and it lit a fire under my ribs that I hadn't felt in months. I had the good fortune of discovering it just as I was getting over my covid longhauler symptoms and I honestly think that it was the first spark of joy I'd had since September of 2020. This fic is a delightful coda to the movie itself, expanding on the world of Promare and, of course, Lio and Galo's relationship in the aftermath.

4. Hungry Thirsty Roots by coolkidroland | Persona 5 | Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira | 56k

In which Akira absolutely does not learn to leave well enough alone. alternate title: A Fork in Want of a Light Socket

Heather Says: Possibly cheating a bit because this is a series of three fics, but you know, I'm going to let it slide because they're all bangers. I spent a huge portion of 2021 trying to slog my way through P5 Royal and have been flirting with this pairing every time it comes back onto my radar. I just... really love that dynamic.

5. breaking the same old heart by tardigradeschool | The Adventure Zone | Taako/Magnus Burnsides | 11k

Taako and Magnus in triptych: before, during, and after the Bureau.

Heather Says: Another thing that I discovered in early 2021 as I was slowly breathing myself back to life: The Adventure Zone. And yes, I am well aware that I'm late to the party. I went looking for fic after I finished it, because I basically fell in love with this rare pair the moment Taako dove after Magnus's soul, and ended up finding this gem. Absolutely glorious. Perfection.

6. never love an anchor by tardigradeschool | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 31k

Wei Ying lets the oars rest and leans back, tilting his head to look at Lan Wangji. “Did you find what you’re looking for? On the docks today?”

Heather Says: Lan Wangji as a selkie. Pining! Hurt/Comfort! Selkies!!!!

7. to explore strange new worlds...! by tardigradeschool | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 30k

“Have you ever heard of a mind meld?” Wangji keeps his voice as level as possible, as if he is not revealing foremost Vulcan secrets.

Heather Says: This is also technically cheating, because it is a series of three fics, as well. My favorite part is the third one, but it all deserves to be read. Star Trek fusion of the Untamed, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite things. And yes, this is the third of tardigradeschool's fics in one fell swoop.

8. Don’t be afraid. by @andthepeople | Star Wars | Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker | 12k

“Padawan Kenobi,” Yoda says, after a moment. “Complete your training, Master Skywalker will.”

Heather Says: Here we have another lovely writer that is going to show up on this list several times. This fic was everything I never knew I wanted from Obikin. A reversal AU with Jedi Master Anakin and Padawin Obi-Wan that absolutely blew my mind when I first read it sometime in the spring. It is a delight. Please, treat yourself.

9. Christ in Repose by @andthepeople | The Mandalorian | Luke Skywalker/Din Djarin | 19k

More on this story as it develops. Subscribe to HNN’s JEDI WATCH newsletter for instant updates on Jedi sightings throughout the galaxy.

Heather Says: To be quite honest, every single fic that @andthepeople has written are absolute bangers. I went and devoured most of their published work on Ao3 after I read the first fic and have been happily imbibing content ever since. The prose is great no matter the fic or fandom, but the atmosphere that they create is what really gets me every time. It's always unique to each piece of work, but feels deliciously lived in. This one features a Luke Skywalker if he'd been allowed to basically ascend to godhood. I LOVED it.

10. hear the monsters calling home by sundiscus | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 8k

He breaks off, grimacing and covering his nose. “Sorry, that’s really a lot of blood.” When he drops his hand, Lan Wangji catches a flash of a sharp, white fang.

Heather Says: If you've been following me for a while, you already know that I'm weak for creature features. Vampires hold a special place in my heart, and I ended up marathon reading this threadfic as it was being published on twitter. I feel like threadfic gets a bad rep, but guys, it's so good. I'm so happy it's on ao3 now, too.

11. parasitic, parasocial by @brawlite | The Untamed | Xue Yang/Song Lan/Xiao Xingchen | WIP | 37k

Xue Yang stumbles upon the channel of Fuxue, a popular videogame streamer, and immediately becomes completely and utterly obsessed with him. Unfortunately, Fuxue has a boyfriend -- but that's fine: Xue Yang loves a challenge.

Heather Says: More threadfic that I devoured in a fevered haze as it was being published in late spring/early summer. This one isn't the FIRST SXX fic that really hooked me, but it was definitely the first one to get its claws into me this year. I usually don't read WIP until they're finished, but I made an exception for this one because I really love the way brawls writes these three. I always love their dynamic, but goddamn, this one was good.

12. you're the trouble that i always find by sundiscus | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 27k

Jin Wang tries another way to get Zhou Zishu back.

Heather Says: I adore some good angst and this one has that in spades. A happy ending, sure, but it does spend - oh i don't know - a good 20k having one character kill the other one over and over again while continuously not-quite remembering who he is? One of the tags that is used is: 'falling in love with your soulmate all over again in the middle of a nightmare.' It is some GOOD food.

13. the agony and the irony by arostine | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej | 68k

Ryan has a lot on his plate right now. He’s one of three members of his species employed at BuzzFeed, and the only male omega, and his boss keeps asking him to do videos about being an iterant ‘to educate the humans,’ when what he really wants to do is videos about ghosts. So if, in the push to finish the pitch for BuzzFeed Unsolved, he forgot to renew his heat suppressant prescription—cut him some slack, okay? It happens.

Heather Says: I used to hate A/B/O fic, but over the last few years, I've developed a surprising weak spot for them. I think that's largely because so much of it in the early days was focused on the original aspects of the trope: very alpha vs omega. Lots of posturing and slightly uncomfortable vibes, but so much of the new stuff has done a great job of exploring the aspects - both traditional and not. This fic does a really great job of exploring that. It... also helps that this is lovers to enemies to lovers and I am SO weak for that. Always.

14. Vennen min by @andthepeople | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 12k

The day they let Mobius out of the infirmary, Loki gets assigned to a new handler. This, Mobius is pretty sure, is where the trouble starts.

Heather Says: More from spqr - and possibly my absolute favorite of the bunch. Definitely my favorite thing to come from the Loki fandom, with the exception of that other fic of theirs that's going to show up in a little bit here. This fic REALLY expands on the TVA in a way that is so delightful. That atmosphere back again, this one positively cozy.

15. If The Morning Light Sets In by by nagia | Castlevania | Alucard/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades | 78k

Save the Belmonts, save the world.

Heather Says: I read the majority of this in the bath one Saturday about mid-summer and was literally so in awe that I kept letting the water go cold because I just could not put it down. One of the best time travel/fix it fics that I've read. I love the characterization of Trevor through the early chapters, the fleshed out glimpses we get of his family, and a young Sypha and Alucard. I am technically cheating, because I have linked to the series itself while I've only read the first and second parts so far. I'm a marathon reader, and the third part is only a little over half way done, but I'm sure it will be just as amazing as parts one and two.

16. lonely lonely heart by @andthepeople | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 7k

Mobius looks down at the paperwork, gets a sort of flustered farmboy look on his face, looks back up at Loki and says, “You offered to give a cop fellatio in the middle of Central Park.”

Heather Says: Did you want to read about Loki the Art Thief falling in love with FBI Agent Mobius? Is that a thing that is secretly your catnip too? Because let me tell you, White Collar broke me years ago and this fic finished the job.

17. the red dark shifting by typefortydeductions | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 15k

In the aftermath of the disastrous events on Tarsus IV, Wei Ying is rescued by none other than Lan Zhan, his former Vulcan best friend and now Starfleet Captain.

Heather Says: Another Untamed/Star Trek fusion! This one is a bit darker than the first one, but in a way that works perfectly for the characters. Tarsus fic always has teeth, and this one's is very good at cutting you. There is definite angst, hurt/comfort, ptsd, and an ambiguous ending, but one where it's very easy to imagine everything ending up all right.

18. raw silk and uncut wood by hisevilforest | The Untamed | Xue Yang/Song Lan/Xiao Xingchen | 55k

Xue Yang depends on the yin iron. When Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen take it from him, they'll have to deal with the consequences.

Heather Says: I'm a fan of the fuck or die trope, especially if it's handled particularly well. When I first heard about the SXX exchange this year, I went through and acquainted myself with all the material that came out last year. This one was my favorite of the bunch and contained a host of kinks that I am very, very fond of. Incidentally, this is also the fic that made me realize I really like it when Xue Yang cries during sex.

19. New and Used Boos by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej | 36k

The guy’s teeth are large and even and starkly white—not Midwest white—and it’s then, at last, that Shane realizes who he’s talking to. Because that’s a distinctive smile. A famous smile. It’s Ryan Bergara.

Heather Says: I stayed up until stupid o'clock in the morning reading this the night it came out, and I don't even LIKE Notting Hill. But I do trust beethechange when it comes to fic, and god, this one was one of my favorites. The banter was spot on and I ended up laughing out loud during multiple parts of the fic. This fic warmed my heart like no other.

20. living in my memory/living in my mouth by tardigradeschool | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 32k

Wei Wuxian dies at twenty-two and doesn’t come back. Lan Wangji dies in an “unfortunate accident” in a temple in Yunping at thirty-seven. The world moves on. Thousands of years later, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan have a senior thesis in cultivation to co-write on the Yiling Patriarch. It doesn’t go exactly how they were expecting.

Heather Says: This is somehow the FOURTH tardigradeschool fic that has made it to this list this year. They are all wonderful. This one explores reincarnation in a modern with magic au.

21. Existence is Chaos by blacktofade | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 10k

There's a recorded memory of them having sex, but Mobius refuses to admit that he and Loki have a sex tape. AKA the one where Mobius and Loki are destined to hook up.

Heather Says: I was SO delighted when blacktofade published this, because I've always loved their fic and Loki was the newest, shiniest fandom of the season. It did not disappoint.

22. No night as deep as my night. by orange_crushed | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 17k

“Wei Ying,” he says. “Come in.”

Heather Says: I really adore fic that really leans into just how pants-wettingly terrifying Wei Ying really was at the height of his power as the Yiling Patriarch. This one is exquisite. Just the right amount of darkness.

23. out to get you (to get you) by iliacquer | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 41k

In order to kill the Demon of Yiling, assassin Lan Wangji pretends to be courtesan. Falling in love with Wei Wuxian is an unfortunate complication.

Heather Says: Assassin Lan Wangji. Courtesan Lan Wangji. Delightfully complicated Lan Wangji. Canon divergent AUs are really great, and this one twists canon HARD in the best possible way to get this glorious outcome.

24. The Compact by @astolat | Harry Potter | Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter(/Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley) | 64k

Hermione frowned. “The real question is why the magic of Britain would be failing now, in fact.”

Heather Says: On November 25th, @astolat published 64k of Drarry fic that also just so happened to heavily delve into Arthurian elements, the world building of Harry Potter itself, and the utter galaxy brain idea of Draco Malfoy becoming High King of Britain. I... stayed up very, very late.

25. All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 51k

Full-time necromancer and part-time cam boy, Wei Wuxian, finds himself unexpectedly homeless. An enthusiastic patron comes to his rescue. Conversely: Immortal Cultivator Lan Wangji has been waiting a long time for his deceased husband to be reincarnated again. In retrospect, he should have anticipated that this is how it would go.

Heather Says: I stayed up until 2 in the morning last night reading this. I am... very tired, but very content.

[ffamranxii]

Bro. My shipper heart is bleeding. These are my current fandoms (Persona, Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, and Haikyuu!!) and I have some FEELINGS (under the cut).

1. I don’t ship Ryuuji/Protag/Goro. I very specifically headcanon Joker as two different people, with slightly different personalities. Joker-as-Ren I ship with Ryuuji, Joker-as-Akira I ship with Goro.

2. Makoto/Hifumi is a chance interaction that takes place when Joker and Makoto go to Jinbocho. I decided that very second that I ship them so hard, since Makoto abandoned Joker to go shop with Hifumi.

3. I do have specific headcanons for the other thieves, but none are romantic. Ann and Ryuuji have an epic bromance; Yusuke is asexual but best friends with Futaba and Joker; Futaba and Sumire are best friends and neither of them need a relationship while they are healing from their respective traumas; I hardcore ship Haru/happiness but have yet to find a specific person to ship her with. Same with Mishima - I love my boy but haven’t found the right person for him. Also honorable mention to Iwai/Takemi. 

4. Yu/Yosuke was my first P4 ship. Never looked back. I also shipped Yukiko/Chie way before I shipped Ann/Shiho, despite playing P5 first.

5. My take on Naoto is conflicted (I understand their story from both the Japanese and Western point of view and can’t decide which I like better). I very specifically ship Kanji/boy!Naoto.

6. Teddie/Marie was a crackship I came up with during Golden and decided I really liked for some reason. I was thinking of what to write for a fic and Yosuke mentioning “oh hey my brother [Teddie]’s getting married��� “oh yeah? to who?” “that weathergirl, Mariko Kusumi” just popped into my head. I’m on board now. 

7. I really like Rise but I can’t for the life of my find a person to ship her with. I do not like Rise/Yu. 

8. Honorable mention to the ball bois Kou/Daisuke.

9. I don’t know why I ship Minato/Yukari. I just really like them together and surprisingly I can hardly find any fics or art of them. I also ship the Minato/Aigis bromance and I love Elizabeth-loves-Minato.

10. You can pry ShinjiHam from my cold dead fingers. VIVA LA SHINJIHAM!

11. These two are similar to Minato/Yukari in that I don’t know why I ship them, I just do. There’s also not much art/fic of them. :(

12. Ngl, Junpei’s inability to leave Chidori alone because he can’t fathom a girl just sitting on a bench drawing really rubs me the wrong way. However, they develop an actual relationship (in as much as a secondary character can in Persona) and by the time she sacrificed herself for him I was hooked. I think Chidori really didn’t give a fuck about Junpei until she was in the hospital and saw how much he cared about a person he didn’t really even know. 

13. I’m not totally sold on the other SEES peeps. I LOVE Fuuka but I can’t find anyone I truly love her WITH. Ken is a child among near adults so I don’t really have anything for him, and Koro-chan’s a doggo. I love Rio and Saori, but not together, and also Mamoru... 

14. Maya/Katsuya are just stupid cute. I take no criticism.

15. TATSUJUN FO LYFE. DON’T EVEN @ ME.

16. Eikichi and Miyabi are honestly super sweet, I can’t even.

17. Maki and Naoya are the only two people from P1 I really connected with in any meaningful way, so of course I ship them together. I also loved Yukino in P1 (but not P2, really), and Yuka, but have no one to ship them with. Yuka married rich so maybe she married Kei! XD

18. Sailor Moon is the ONLY series where I ship people differently based on adaption. I ship Usagi/Mamoru in both, of course (and I think Mamoru was done better in the live action than the anime and especially the manga); but in the live action I hardcore ship Rei/Minako (who seemed to be the replacement Haruka/Michiru, since they weren’t in the live action), and really, really enjoyed the developing relationship with Ami/Nephrite during the Dark Mercury arc as well as the surprisingly stable and sweet Makoto/Motoki relationship.

19. However in the anime/manga I tend to ship what I’m “supposed to” (within reason, lol). Chibiusa was the first person I ever shipped with two different people. I like the idea of her and Hotaru in young love, and Mistress 9 and Wicked Lady getting together, and I love the idea of older princess chibiusa with her first love Helios.

20. Ah, the Kakeru love triangle. Kakeru just RADIATES bisexual energy - he hits on literally all the Sohma men and he LOVES Yuki. I actually did not like Yuki with anyone but Kakeru until the 2019 anime came out and I saw a lot of discourse about how well Yuki/Machi went together. I’m also a sucker for Kakeru’s girlfriend Komaki and I hope they put her in the anime. The idea of chaotic bisexual Kakeru actually having been in a longterm relationship all through high school and marrying her is just super sweet.

21. I will never let go of Hatori/Kana. They should’ve had it all.

22. Kagura/Kunimitsu and Momiji/Kimi are two crackships I found as fanart (I’ve reblogged them at some point), that every so often I stumble upon a fic or art for. I originally didn’t like them, but ended up ADORING them. Kunimitsu is exactly the calm yet gently mischievous presence Kagura needs and Kimi and Momiji would create SO MUCH CHAOS.

23. I do not like Uo/Kureno within the context of the show. I understand that Uo is probably the first non-related girl Kureno’s interacted with since his essential imprisonment and he is probably suffering from “new is always better” syndrome when he meets her. Kureno hardcore needs a few years on his own, away from the Sohmas, to figure out who he is, and what he likes to do, and live as a normal person; and Uo is NOT the person to help him do that. She’s got enough on her plate with the death of her mentor/mother figure and rehabbing her father. Uo is in a good place right now and Kureno is not, and she shouldn’t need to “save” him. I DO like Uo/Kureno as an “after the series” pairing, where Uo’s in her twenties and out of college (if she went) and got a career, and Kureno’s finally gotten his shit together, and they meet again by chance and they’re both in a good place. That’s adorable. Uo/Kureno while Uo’s in school isn’t.

24. I actually think Kagehina was the first ship I shipped in Haikyuu!! I remember watching the first episode and going “...are.... are they gonna make out?” Then Noya and his dramatic “ASAHI!!!!!” and “I’M NEVER GOING TO PLAY UNLESS ASAHI PLAYS TOO!!!” swooped in and I forgot about them. Asanoya is just so precious and pure. Daisuga smacked me in the face like, “Oh. OH. This is... this is fucking GREAT.” I think it was because I saw someone say “Daisuga are basically volleyball mom and dad” and I was hooked. I DO, however, enjoy a Kuroo/Daichi bang it out rivalry though. Tsukki and Tadashi was a no brainer; Tadashi yelling at Tsukki at the camp was just *chef’s kiss*

25. Yachi is the cutest little lesbian, and she’s even gayer in the manga. I actually can’t decide who I like more, Kiyoko/Yachi or Kiyoko/Tanaka. 

26. Iwaoi and Kuroken came to me during my first forays into AO3 for fics. I can’t imagine shipping them with anyone else. They’re just... MADE for each other. 

[kareofbears]

Ok. . . but can you give an in-depth explanation as to how you feel about akeshu?

yes. 

rest is under the cut since this is going to be a long answer 

im a big big big big big fan of enemies to lovers. love it. loved the initial hate, the heightening tension between two characters with conflicting situations or personality types. i love the anger, the arguments, the sighs from everyone around them because they’re tired of the repetitive beef. during quarantine, i even wrote out and gave a verbal presentation to my beta explaining how an enemies to lovers arc would work through writing and all the needed dynamics in order to justify a person falling in love with their enemy. 

and yeah, the process is the best part of it. i want to be able to see the transition between worst enemy to begrudged partner to lover. that’s the best part!!! the character development!!! the molding around each other and learning to accept their character flaws!! the willingness to defend that flaw in front of other people!! 

but here’s where the problem lies: akechi goro. 

oh akechi. oh akechi goro, the bane of my existence and the object of affection by everyone in this god forsaken fandom. look, i get it. it’s really really fucking hard to resist the charm of akechi goro, i admit it. he’s so interesting, he’s so in-depth, he’s so cool and rugged and he’s such a bastard that you end up kind of being obsessed with him, and that’s fine. I'm also kind of obsessed with him. 

but i don't like him. because he isn’t a likeable character. there’s a huge difference between thinking he’s a fantastic character and loving him. because i don't love him. i hate him. i despise him. he’s caused so, so, so much grievance, so much pain to so many characters in persona that it honestly impossible to give him a redemption arc. it’s not possible. even if you go down the Black Star route (amazing fanfic, brilliant work) it still doesn't redeem him. he killed futabas mom (which literally led her to her spiraling depression and self hatred and manifested intense mental illness that led to her isolating herself from the world and made her lose her mom that she loves so much) and killed haru’s dad (how on earth can you justify that one??? god, haru wanted nothing more than to just see her dad happy again) and killed so many other random people!! and don’t feed me that “oh he had a sad life” shut the fuck up literally everyone in p5 had a sob story and you don't see them killing people. he’s complex, not likeable. 

but here’s the good part: the game doesn't want you to like akechi. i mean it. they never said what he did was okay (never. they never said it was okay), they never said that you had to like him. all they said was that you had to work with him. even in the third semester, the one people are so insistent on calling a redemption arc, isn’t a fucking redemption arc. they just want you to see who akechi really is!! without the facade!!! all they want is for you to see how complex he is, see him spiral and angry and bitter and they want you to see him turn out the complete opposite of akira. 

and here’s where we actually start talking about akeshu

akechi and akira are two halves of the same coin. akira chose the side of justice (by ironically being a criminal) while akechi chose the side of vengeance (which is ironic, since he’s a detective.) see, even with that whole crime vs justice thing, they’re connected. the person who ruined their life is the same person (shido), they both have had hard lives. but they turned out as opposites, with akira having a much better life than akechi--which is why akechi is so obsessed with akira. what does akira have that he doesn't? why did he turn out happy when he’s still miserable? and that creates a tension (which we will talk about later)

akechi and akira are rivals. they are connected, they always will be. it’s a hero/villain narrative that we all love, it’s an interesting character dynamic. it’s fun to see them interact. 

but by god, it does not mean that akechi and akira are good for each other. i would go as far to say it would do akechi a huge disservice as a character if you made them end up together. 

remember how akechi is a complex character? if akechi ends up with akira, you would essentially be ripping out all of his complexity just to have both of them date. akechi doesn't want to be with akira, and if you honestly think akechi is in love with akira id be surprised because he’s not--he’s obsessed with akira, infatuated with him. what he’s feeling isn’t love, it’s the feeling of frustration. he doesn't care about akira, or anyone. he cares about himself, and that’s it. which is what makes him so interesting because this never changes throughout the entire game!!! that's so FUN!!!

and the game never wants you to forget that complexity!! because they never gave akechi a redemption arc!! they want you to remember him as someone who’s willing to die for himself. (and, in a way, that’s the extent of akechis mercy. because before shidos palace, he wasn't even willing to die for himself, you know what i mean? he was willing to die in shidos palace because that’s what he wanted, he wanted to defeat shidos cognition of himself, he wanted to save the thieves because they were the first to listen to him and understand him, but he didn't really do it out of empathy. he did it because he’d rather die than continue living shidos lie--funny because that how he ‘dies’ in the third semester. nice one atlus)

and i get it. the game gives them such an undeniable tension that its super easy to see it as love, but its not. it’s not love, guys. that tension isn’t love, because what it’s actually tragedy. it’s tragic that akechi can’t have happiness (in canon, at least.) it’s tragic that akira, the person who loves his friends more than anything, who would die saving someone he doesn't even know, it’s tragic that he can’t save someone who’s the most desperate to be saved. and that is why i love platonic/non-romantic akeshu, because i think that concept is way more interesting than them falling in love. it’s about akira’s obvious trauma that he couldn’t save everyone, it’s about akechi’s hard-headedness about not wanting to be saved because he’s been let down too many times for him to ever put trust into anyone again. 

it’s tragic. it’s meant to be tragic. persona 5 is a game about fighting for reality, and reality is fucking hard. so the fact that these two people have such a tragic ending despite what we, as an audience, are used to (happy endings), is part of the game. they’re not meant for each other. they won’t work, they don't work. that tension isn't made out of love or sexual tension--it’s stemmed from tragedy and hate and confusion and such a deep rooted sadness from inside of them. 

they both deserve better than each other. akira deserves to be with the friends he made in tokyo, and akechi deserves to be with someone (if he lives) who isn’t associated with the metaverse at all. he deserves a clean slate, he deserves a fresh start. he deserves a reset. 

and another reason is that akira loves his friends too much. he would do anything for them. it’s supposed to be funny--the wildcard, with no vulnerability, no weakness, has the most weakness out of all of them because he cares too deeply about his friends that if one single thing were to hurt them akira would fold like a deck of cards. you think akira would do that to haru? to futaba? yeah, right. he would never. akira can forgive but he would never forget. he’d never compromise. not for his friends.

so going back to the topic of enemies to lovers--akeshu is not enemies to lovers, because there are certain rules for enemies to lovers. enemies should be fun. it should be people on the opposite team with different perspectives. enemies should not be morally horrific. the ‘enemy’ should be forgivable. both characters should still come off likable. they should both be able to stand up on their own legs as characters even if you take away their love interest. for example, hermione/draco wouldn't work because draco calls Hermione a slur on many occasions. that is not forgivable. if draco instead, i don't know, cheats off her test or something and she gets mad and they have a back and forth thing, then sure, hermione/draco could work. 

a fantastic enemies to lovers would be snowbaz from carry on. uh, zootopia? thats a great one. natsume and mikan from gakuen alice is good too!! basically, there’s a lot of actual good enemies to lovers out there. enemies to lovers shouldn't be morally ambiguous. it should be fun. it should be the right kind of tension. the characters should be likable from both sides. and akeshu does not have that. 

tldr stan akiryu and akesumi instead 

[twilightknight17]

...today, on P5S...

...

Honestly, I talk a lot of shit about P5′s writing sometimes. Atlus made some exceptionally questionable writing choices in places. But one thing that P5 absolutely gets right is invoking the sort of emotion that draws you into the story.

With that said!

P5 is determined to make me want to stab actual human beings instead of Shadows. This is the second time now!

But first, I’ve got a boss fight to do.

Doing the mech part of Konoe’s boss fight again, it was actually easier the second time. I had a much better grasp of what I was doing, instead of flailing around frantically.

Konoe himself was still just as hard, but ultimately he was easier than Shadow Joker because it wasn’t a one-on-one duel. He still beat my ass, though; I think I used all of my rescue pills.

Once he goes down, Konoe starts going on about justice.

Don’t call me by my name like we’re friends. We never even introduced ourselves.

It’s interesting, because they admit to Konoe that what they’re doing isn’t without its flaws. But a world where no one can think for themselves is meaningless.

Konoe acknowledges that in his quest to eliminate evil, he ended up being the evil one. He also admits that he was the one who killed his father. He calls that “evil” too, which I don’t actually agree with. We saw what his father was like in the Trauma Cell. His father killed his mother, physically abused him, and threatened to kill him. I think, in that case, killing his father is a rational end result for someone in that situation. Not evil, just desperation.

The Thieves don’t contradict him, though. Just make some comments about how now he can make up for his actions. His Shadow returns to his real self, the Thieves return to the real world, and Zenkichi promises that as soon as they take Konoe in and get his confession, he’s going to arrest Owada, too.

With the case closed, the Thieves decide that it’s time to go back to Tokyo. But not before one last night in Osaka. The idea of leaving makes Sophia anxious, though, because she feels like she hasn’t learned enough about the heart. But Akira and Morgana reassure her that she can still stay with them, even after they return to Tokyo, and they’ll keep looking for answers about who she is.

Sometimes a family is a guy, a cat, and one of the guy’s four younger sisters. ^_^

Tenboto is the tower, and the game asks you to invite someone to the top. However, this time, you can only invite either the group of girls or the group of boys, so I took the boys, since I took Haru on the ferris wheel before.

Morgana isn’t pleased that we didn’t invite Ann.

However, I really don’t see the problem.

Look at how he’s looking at Yusuke! Even Ryuji can tell that we’re having a moment. :D

Afterwards, the whole squad headed off to “Universaland” to celebrate together.

I had no idea that there was a Universal Studios in Japan, but apparently there is, and it is in fact in Osaka! They compared it to their trip to Destinyland the year before, but thankfully this one went a lot better. Everyone had a good time! We had so much soda! We were so hungover the nex--what.

...what is it with Persona characters getting drunk off soda? XD I hope you kids at least played the King’s Game so the hangover wasn’t in vain.

Zenkichi shows up to let them know that Konoe’s in custody. He thanks them for everything that they’ve done, for both Akane and him, and says he’s telling them goodbye for now, but they’re welcome to visit whenever they want. He promises a tour of Kyoto next time. Yusuke will be so happy!

After hours on the road, lamenting that vacation is coming to an end, Sophia suggests detouring to Yokohama for a fireworks festival. So the Thieves finally get to see fireworks, and Sophia gets to experience them, too.

........don’t make me go home yet. I just want to spend time with my friends without the world ending.

After the fireworks, you get to speak to each of your friends, and get a trinket from each of them. Ann gives you a handmade friendship bracelet, Makoto a phantom thieves keychain that Akane made, Ryuji a Feather Red Duke mask to match his Yellow Ostrich, Yusuke his sketchbook that he filled with pictures of the trip, Morgana a scarf in phantom thief colors, Sophia a pair of custom gloves to match the scarf, Haru a teaspoon from Hokkaido with a flower pattern that symbolizes familial love, and Futaba a good luck charm for keeping families together.

STOP, P5S, you’re going to make me cry. Let these kids stay close.

Right before they’re about to leave, they take a group picture for Sophia, which we don’t get to see. Which sucks. But then she realizes that she can smell a Jail, and Zenkichi calls in a panic. It’s never a good sign when someone calls and leads with “Are you watching the news?”

EMMA’s servers were shut down, but apparently reactivated, and now a Jail is covering Tokyo all the way to the outskirts of Yokohama, and it’s just getting bigger. Zenkichi promises to meet us, and Lavenza opens a Velvet door because she wants to talk.

She’s... legitimately unnerved.

Thank you, P5S, for giving me the opportunity to comfort my youngest sister in some small way. Now let me out of this cell so I can actually give her a hug. With the context from Royal that she has actual nightmares about being ripped apart, this is heartbreaking.

She says that she regrets that she has to keep asking us for help, but the dialogue options let you reassure her that you’ll handle it, and that there’s thinking to worry about.

I appreciate having dialogue to actually reassure her more than I probably should.

Now...

LAST WARNING

If you’ve been reading along and don’t want the finale spoiled, DO NOT GO PAST THIS POINT. As soon as we leave for central Tokyo, we’re going 90mph and not slowing down.

If I didn’t have work in the morning, I’d have finished this damn game tonight. X’‘‘D Curse being a responsible adult.

After leaving the Velvet Room, Zenkichi’s waiting at the RV, and when you enter the RV, that’s when you get the warning above.

So we are off to Tokyo to figure out what the heck is happening with EMMA. And the core location is, exactly like I wanted...

LET’S CLIMB TOKYO TOWER, BABY.

People are crowded around the tower like mindless cultists. The Thieves are confused and unnerved, and then EMMA activates the navigation on its own and flings them into the Metaverse. LET’S SEE WHAT’S UP THIS TOWER.

...oh.

......oh no...

Ohhhhhhh no this is Mementos. Why is this Mementos. This is not a tower. Oh god. Why this.

Oh, we are incredibly fucked, what is this.

EMMA says calls itself the “Ark of the Covenant and the guide for all mankind.” This fucking AI thinks it’s a god. Holy hell. Human cognition really needs to cool it with elevating ordinary things to god status. We’re so tired. X’D

......I FUCKING KNEW THAT I DIDN’T TRUST THIS WOMAN. OH MY GOD.

She goes off about how EMMA brought her into this world to help it become a god. How Konoe teaching EMMA about cognitive psience allowed it to pass the usual boundaries of AI. How EMMA has been manipulating Konoe all along. How EMMA’s going to fulfill all of humanity’s desires.

Ichinose-san, may I suggest that you go hang out with Maruki? He has too much heart, and you have none. You’d complement each other perfectly, and then I can shove you both off a building.

The kids, obviously, reject this bullshit.

Logic over emotion, to the point of utter ridiculousness. She complains that people always want solutions to their problems, but that when the solution is offered, they turn it down.

Maybe that’s because your solution is mind control. At least Maruki wasn’t flagrantly puppeteering people.

“Li!” you cry, throwing up your hands at me. “Is this it? Is this why you want to stab her? Did you just admit that she’s worse than Maruki?”

To which I answer, “Oh, no. It’s the next bit that makes me want to stab her.”

After she straight-up admits that she has no emotions, she manipulated us right from the start, she was the one spying on the Monarchs, and that all of her cheer and friendliness is an act, the Thieves are ready to fight Ichinose. And Ichinose reveals why EMMA wanted her help specifically. Because not only did she program EMMA, she created Sophia as EMMA’s prototype.

And she can voice-override Sophia.

The Thieves freak out, the game throws us into a battle against a murder-mode Sophie, and none of your teammates will attack her. They just hang back or let her whale on them one at a time, and I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t attack her either, and Yusuke got knocked out...

And then it went into a cutscene.

Joker took a yo-yo to the face and was actually bleeding, and that was enough to snap Sophia out of it. She starts clutching her head, stumbling back, and eventually stumbles right off the edge while apologizing to Joker. He lunges to catch her, misses, Ryuji grabs him, and all the Thieves turn on Ichinose.

Ichinose does not give a shit. She just comments that maybe that’s why EMMA used Sophia as a failsafe, because it knew we wouldn’t want to fight one of our own. Shut the fuck up. You killed my little sister. I know she’s probably going to be fine, but it’s the principle of the thing.

She summons some sort of giant red crystal and blasts the hell out of us, sending us flying down even further into the depths.

We found Sophia; she won’t cut back on, so we have to get out of here so Futaba can figure out what’s wrong with her. And then, I am coming back, I am beating that woman to a pulp, and then...

Well. It’s bound to be easier to kill an artificial god than a false one. :3

[iconsumeheadcanons]

P4 x P5 crossover

there are very slight p5r spoilers but its kinda just using some lines from the bad end like just a little ref...so up to you i guess :p

Ren (our protag) goes home to Inaba with Mona. Kinda connected to my other headcanons: his ‘family’ includes his mother, his step-dad, his younger half-brother (step bro? idk), and his twin brother Akira. Akira usually lives with their mother’s ex husband, but something is going on court-wise that he has been deemed unfit for child care, which is why Akira is back with his mother. For now Akira sleeps in the room where his father used to practice tea ceremonies.

The twins kinda reconnect but things are very different and they didn’t have contact at all last year so Ren is surprised to see Akira. Ren is still kinda (not) dealing with all of the stuff from the last very many months, and Akira is still kinda not dealing with how messed up things are with his dad and the fact that he’s pretty sure his brother is The Phantom Thief but absolutely no one in the Amamiya household will acknowledge it so he feels like he’s going crazy. Especially the weird cat Ren brought back home that he keeps talking to.

Anyway, Akira’s not really going to school and Ren’s going to Yasogami (the high school he didn’t get expelled from) so Akira doesn’t know what is going on until he comes back from his part-time to see his mother and her husband arguing over the whereabouts of Ren. Apparently he skipped school that day. Ren doesn’t come home that night and the adults argue over calling the police since Ren won’t answer his phone. Akira avoids them and instead searches Ren’s bedroom for his cat or any sign that he might’ve packed up and left. He finds neither so he goes to bed and tries to remind himself that Ren survived in Tokyo kinda on his own and that this is not the first time he’s gone off to be stupid.

Ren still doesn’t show up at school or the house the next day. Step-dad wants to call the police because Ren is missing and he’s causing trouble and stress for the family. (“Clearly last year taught him nothing.”). Mother doesn’t want to call the police because she’s tired of police stuff and she doesn’t want this kind of stuff to keep affecting their family. Mostly she’s worried about how this will affect her youngest son. She’s losing the argument mostly because she’s losing conviction in herself as a ‘good mother’. 

Akira can’t handle their argument so he goes upstairs and finds Morgana trying to paw open the sliding door of Ren’s bedroom and meowing a whole lot. Akira opens the door for the kitty wondering if the talkative kitty just wants to sleep in Ren’s room like usual. Instead the cat paws at Ren’s laptop. Akira opens it and stares at the very intelligent looking animal. Mona unlocks the laptop (“Wait--is that his password?! That’s stupid as hell.” “Meow...”) and tries to get Akira to do something but Akira is mostly shocked so Mona uses a pen on paper to write, “Video Futaba.”

Akira doesn’t know who Futaba is, but he follows Mona’s instructions. He doesn’t find a Futaba in Ren’s contacts but Mona gestures at the one called ‘lil sis :3c’ so Akira calls.

In Tokyo, Futaba’s on a people-watching walk with Yusuke late afterschool when she gets a video call from the recent ghost Ren. She asks the person who she thinks is her pseudo brother where he's been and if he’s all good, but Mona jumps in before Akira can say anything and Mona starts talking away. Curious about the existence of a twin brother that they never knew existed before but more concerned for Ren’s safety, Futaba and Yusuke ask Akira to convince the adults to NOT call the police because Ren will definitely freak out while they call the rest of the group together to figure out what they can do. Futaba says she hasn’t been able to track Ren at all in the past two days and she’s worried he’s gone somewhere service doesn’t matter (like the metaverse). Akira tentatively asks if they and Morgana are part of the Phantom Thieves and Futaba’s like, “Duhhhhh,” and Yusuke very intimidatingly informs Akira not to get the authorities involved in any manner. Futaba says they’ll call back in an hour and hangs up, so Akira decides to get right to work (bc Phantom thieves can be very scary even if they arent trying).

Downstairs Akira tries to appeal with emotions. He warns the adults how calling the police to find Ren will not end well because Ren has had so many bad experiences already and anything that happens will not help Ren try to stay out of more trouble. Step-dad is mad that Ren wouldn’t trust law enforcement and Mother is just so-so tired of the whole mess. Akira doesn’t normally stand up against bullshit (normally Ren’s thing) but Akira is done with this so he’s like, “Of course he doesn’t trust the police! He’s the Leader of the Phantom Thieves and the police put him in fucking solitary! He’s never gonna trust you again after this either!” something like that.

Step-dad and mom are upset and they say Ren was doing the wrong things as a Phantom blah blah. Akira argues that the Thieves exposed bad people including the wrong-doings in the government where the law enforcement works, but the adults won’t hear it so Akira stops talking, turns and grabs a jacket, and leaves the house. It’s late, it’s raining, and Mona follows behind even when Akira climbs on his bike to go out and try to find Ren by himself.

The two end up at Samegawa after checking under bridges, mostly soaked and irritated when they spot a group of people up on the road with three umbrellas. Souji and Yosuke, Yukiko and Chie, and Kanji and Teddie are strolling around, hanging out, and what-not when they spot a teenager, a cat, and a ruined bike by the water. Souji goes down to help them because of course, and everyone follows because of course. Akira recognises like half of them and he’s wary these random adults just seem to bypass the distrust in the air by collectively worrying over him and his poor poor kitty.  

Teddie thinks he recognizes the teen because he’s like, “Ren-kun? Why aren’t you at work today! You abeardoned me to unpack the freezer by my lonesome!” And Akira stares because he didn’t know Ren works at Junes. Yosuke tries to hop in but Akira cuts them off and explains that Ren has been missing for two days and he’s trying to find him before the police get involved. If these adults want to help out so bad then maybe they can look for Ren too. Yosuke and Teddie get confused though because they both saw Ren at work yesterday. The rest of the adults also mention seeing him around town yesterday as well, including when they went into Junes before they…

Akira is confused about all the glances they give each other, but Yukiko quickly catches on and asks if Akira thinks Ren might have been stalking them, and Akira gets offended. (Yukiko wasn’t making a serious accusation, she was just trying to distract Akira from the fact that they almost admitted to the existence of the TV World.) Chie asks what would be wrong with calling the police, and Akira says, “Bad experience,” ready to ditch these random people and continue his search, but Yosuke goes wide-eyed and urges Akira to wait. Yosuke clearly understands some of what Akira meant and says they’ll help out, especially since they were the last to see Ren.

They go to Junes where Yosuke unlocks the back door (after Kanji searches around any place in the area that delinquents like to hide. It’s raining too much for anyone to be out.) They check the worker room to look through any of Ren’s stuff. They don’t find anything weird until Souji points out that Ren signed into work yesterday but never signed out. Now that doesn’t indicate everything, but the weird hours he worked yesterday do, mostly because they line up with the time that the group went to Junes yesterday. Chie investigates on the security footage and finds video of Ren sneakily following the group around the department store until they finally end up at...the electronics section.

All the adults + Teddie get real quiet and Akira and Morgana get real angry about all the silence. Akira asks why the camera is angled so weird over the TVs, and why the adults had gone into the electronic section and had not come out until an hour later, or why they don’t see footage of his brother away he followed them into the TV area. No one says anything right away so he asks if they hurt him or if they did something magic to them, like put him some place where his team couldn’t track him. Kanji jumps up to defend them all to say they didn’t even know Ren was actually following them and that they would never hurt a kid, but of course Akira has many reasons to not believe a stranger, so they’re both very tense. Souji tries to stop the fighting when suddenly the old CR in the room turns on.

P5R spoilers sorta!!! But the Midnight Channel shows an Asia-based fantasy world where Ren (with horns because you know he would want them) is in a version of Leblanc soaking dishes in a pail of water when Sojiro (plain but nice human) walks over and mentions that he wishes Ren wouldn’t have to go back to his hometown. Ren asks to stay forever and Sojiro agrees, talking about how happy their little weird family is now. They tease each other over the honesty, but they both look happy. The Midnight Channel shows this like a scene in a drama and the camera does a close up of Ren’s genuine happiness until there are sudden distorted voices telling their vile prisoner to focus. The camera pans out to show Ren alone in a dark, gross, blue prison cell wearing ragged clothes and his hands bound behind him. Someone opens a cell door, and judging by Ren’s unmasked trepidation, whatever follows next will not be good. The clip ends with an echoing slam of the bar doors behind the visitor.

In the darkness following the end of the clip, the IT members all freak out over the recurrence of the whole thing while Akira numbly checks his phone . He didn’t realise he had gotten messages, but they are all from someone who is somehow in his phone as Alibaba. The messages are asking where the hell is he and that there better not be police involved and that the only reason he shouldn’t be looking at his phone is because he fell asleep or something. Judging by the (loud, knowing) reactions around him and Morgana scratching at the door, Akira thinks he understands what is going on and why that Phantom Thief said that she hadn’t been able to track Ren. Akira leaves a message that says, “I think I know where he is,” and then he turns to the others and says that it's obviously some sort of magic that they know about and if they won’t help him out further, than he and his brother’s magic cat will do it on their own.

Of course that is a problem so the IT goes nonono we’ll do this this is our job let’s go, and Akira successfully swindled the IT into shutting up and helping. They all go inside the TV where Morgana can stand on two legs, Teddie is in a bearsuit, and the world is gorgeous and bright. The IT gets straight to work, Teddie sniffing, everyone putting on glasses, and trying to explain things to Mona and Akira. They don’t have to explain much because Mona understands most of it already and he’ll likely ask Lady Lavenza later. Akira is so confused about talking cat-shaped embodiment of hope and this entire night, so Souji urges them to focus on at least finding Ren. 

Teddie can only confirm that someone is in the World, just not who or where, so they need more info. Chie suggests leaving for the night and coming back with more info or maybe sleep? Guys? But Akira is worried out of his shit and Morgana is angry at Ren for running off so they start saying as much as they can think of. Akira mentions Ren’s obsession (big ol’ crush) with Naoto when they were in middle school (to everyone’s great discomfort), Ren’s average grades, and Ren’s favorite color. Mona mentions that Ren is a phantom thief (to the IT’s great surprise) and that recently they had a...disagreement.

Two days ago, Ren decided to skip school. Morgana had said that if he didn’t keep his grade up and/or his attendance, Ren would get in trouble and his mom would never let him go back to see everyone in Tokyo. Ren, who had been oddly quiet and down the past few days, suddenly got angry and said if Morgana wanted to go back to everyone so bad, then he should have never followed Ren to Inaba. Morgana said he came home with Ren to watch over him and keep him out of trouble, but Ren said there was no trouble that he hadn’t gotten into already and that he doesn’t need anyone breathing down his neck. Mona got pissed and asked why Ren wouldn’t want him (his roommate for a whole year!!) here when no one else was friendly, but Ren didn’t answer and left.

Morgana hadn’t seen Ren since they argued, and he didn’t understand why Ren had been so angry all of a sudden, but Akira realized quickly. Yes, the twins aren’t very close anymore, but Akira says that Ren won’t ever ask for help even from people he trusts. Ren stands up for others all the time, but rarely does anything for himself. When their parents divorced and the twins were split up, Ren only got mad for Akira’s sake. Ren definitely doesn’t see Inaba as home anymore (maybe not even since Akira and Dad left), but he’d rather send a friend home (his REAL home) than both deal with his feelings and drag friends into it.

This is plenty of info for Teddie but before they go Souji reassures Mona and Akira that they’ll find Ren, help him talk, and help him be some place where he’ll be happy and supported. (Souji works as a social worker so kids can find homes like he did when he came to Inaba.) They all set off in a direction and they find what seems to be a fantasy village of similar looks to the clip from the Mayonaka TV. Morgana starts to recognise some of the streets as streets in Yongenjaya so he leads the way to the street Leblanc is on. They get interrupted by the guy who owns the second-hand shop. He starts talking to Akira and Mona like he knows them (he’s assuming they were hit by a witch’s spell that changed their appearances) and says he’ll always give them a discount for everything they do for the community. 

This is confusing wording so Mona points out that the man sells them materials for tools when they can’t get enough from the Metaverse. The man shouldn’t know what Ren does with those tools. Souji points out that this area they’re in does not seem to be wealthy, so maybe their Phantom Thievery has supported the area. They head to Leblanc to investigate more.  

[dxfiedfxte-a]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Meme.

Mun & Muse

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

tagged by:  Stolen from: @niflheimqueen​​ tagging:  @pinkheartedfool​, @divinesilverlove​ @delusorydetective​ @rock-you-like-a-hurricxne​ @foolishwinds​ @chibitantei​ @apocalypsxmaidxn​ @mcmcntomorii​​ and everyone else who hasn’t yet! You have been tagged! 

MY MUSE IS:   canon / oc / au / slightly canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated.

IS YOUR CHARACTER POPULAR IN THE FANDOM?   YES? / NO.

IS YOUR CHARACTER CONSIDERED HOT™ IN THE FANDOM?   YES / NO / IDK. (Have you seen his charm!! PLUS HE’S A RANDOM FOODAHOLIC DORK X3 and be weirdly cute in his own way :3  If you don’t believe me. wait until he Reveals His Right Eye)

IS YOUR CHARACTER CONSIDERED STRONG IN THE FANDOM?   YES / NO / IDK.  (Here’s the thing with that. It really depends if someone likes him as an MC. I’m sure their are probably others out there who may prefer Yu Narukami as a better Protag, or Akira the new P5 protag. So it depends on the person. But for the most part, I’d like to think he’s pretty well widely enough known in the fandom as the P3 Blue-Emo-Jesus who saved the world x3)

ARE THEY UNDERRATED?   YES / NO / IDK. (In terms of having his own personality, maybe a little bit? Since he’s only been able to express his own personality in the few spin off games we got for P3. Yu has been able too more, but for a while he wasn’t able to until Persona Q(P4 Side) and until the movie and now Dancing In Moonlight as well as Persona Q 2. But his personality in the P3 Manga if definitely underrated in my opinion, not too many people talk about the Manga)

WERE THEY RELEVANT FOR THE MAIN STORY?   YES / NO

WERE THEY RELEVANT FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER?   YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG./

ARE THEY WIDELY KNOWN IN THEIR WORLD?   YES / NO. (In my AU Main verse, he’s a famous Paranormal Investigator with his own show, so yes in my AU verse. Tho popularity level depends on verse, Main verse its his first season and he only just blew up. In my P5 Verse its 5 years after P4AU so he would be in his 4th season by then and only then be widely known)

HOW’S THEIR REPUTATION?   GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. (As a Paranormal Investigator, all his successful cases have gave him a very good rep within the Ghost Hunting community, it was thanks to his credibility how he was able ro get a 

tv contract deal. In P3 he has a great rep with his friends as their reliable leader and friend, but a not so good rep at school too many dates.. xD nice one Minato  )

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON?   —  (Because I started to RP Minato when there’s wasn’t much games where he didn’t have his personality shown yet(2015)   I based him off more from the Manga’s interpretation of him, But now canon wise in terms of Personality, I still tend to use mostly his Manga personality, but now I’ve added a few small tidd-bits of how he is in the movie and how he is depicted in both PQ’s as well as Dancing In Moonlight.)

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting 

in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —    (Oh boy here we go. Minato is a food loving and very random dork who tends to be quiet and stoic 88% of the time, but he’s very kind, he always puts his friends before himself, he tries his very best to be the best leader he can possibly be and he is an all around easy person to get along with, just expect him to zone out here and there, to sometimes be very weird, VERY random. And expect him to randomly start snacking a lot x3 )

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).                      (He can sometimes have a tendency to overthink things waaayyyy too much and if it’s really eating at him a lot, it will permanently plague the back of his mind. He can sometimes be lazy, but its a habit he’s trying to break. If he’s really super hungry, he will gorge and when he gorges, his tables manners are absolutely terrible XD )

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?   —  (I guess it was how I saw him when   I read the Manga. I played P3 FES first, then after beating it, I wanted to read the manga as soon as I found out about it. I also think it was the fact he dies and seeing how his friends grew up without him, it made me really want to see what it would be like if he survived, I guess I felt his death at the end of the game was just a real shame, I suppose I thought he would have been a great character to bring back in future Persona games, I understand the reason for his death and I have nothing against it. It was just that thought I had of “Man Minato could have been so much more if he survived” that drove me to pick him up )

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING?   —  (Well, I’ve been in the Persona fandom for 5 years now. Before when I came back, I wasn’t getting many rp’s. But ever since I came back and found an active Fuuka(MinaFuu is a ship I rarely got to rp) so that started it back up, and then it was seeing all these familiar faces(Or blogs in this case xD) come back, my motivation has been through the roof. So I guess the revival of the fandom and the wonderful people of the Persona community has fueled my fire and it keeps on burning for more!)

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

DO YOU THINK YOU GIVE YOUR CHARACTER JUSTICE?   YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? (I think so, I’ve Rp’d him for 5 years now, I’d like to think I know him inside and out?)

DO YOU FREQUENTLY WRITE HEADCANONS?   YES / NO / SORT OF? (When the motivation or idea’s are there then yeah I totally do)

DO YOU SOMETIMES WRITE DRABBLES?   YES / NO (I definitely do, not as many as I’d like to tho, but when the idea comes to mind that you just can’t express in an rp with someone else, then its best in drabble form.)

DO YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT YOUR MUSE DURING THE DAY?   YES / NO           (I’m a very musical person myself just like Minato so every time I jam I do and I’m always jammin ;3)

ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR PORTRAYAL?   YES / NO / SORT OF?

ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR WRITING?   YES / NO / A LITTLE BIT. (In the beginning I wasn’t, but I kept at it and eventually I built up enough confidence to really make him soar. The thing with Minato is since Persona protags are silent and the game lets you make up his personality. But since I incorporate him more from the Manga I try to really channel that version of him. I’ve had a few people tell me they like my portrayal. So I must be doing something right?)

ARE YOU A SENSITIVE PERSON?   YES / NO. / SORTA. (tbh I’m more sensitive when it comes to my friends or family. Most times I’m pretty level headed when it comes to myself, nowadyas anyway.)

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?   —  (For the most part yes and I don’t usually let any negativity get to me.  But if someone doesn’t like my portrayal for some reason then you’re welcome to unfollow me. Maybe I’m not the Minato for you then?)

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU TO EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?   — (DEF I love any questions I get so please def ask me stuff if you are curious.)

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY? — (Yes, just so I can get a better idea of the flaws it may have, then I can better construct it if I see it as a valid reason for possibly not working. If I don’t see any problem with it then it’s still staying )

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT?   —  (If my portrayal doesn’t fit your idea of Minato then perhaps I’m not the Minato for you and the unfollow button is always there. No harm done really. )

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT? — (Hey man, just don’t try and kill my vibe by cutting down my muse right in front of me and we’re good. Of course there is always the unfollow button. ) 

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?   —  (Totally, I make quite a few sometimes, if it ever bothers you, please let me know kindly and I’ll have no problem fixing it, But if it doesn’t bug ya the we good. )

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN? — (I like to think so, I used to be pretty shy on here, but after 5 years on here I’m chill with pretty much everything. ) 

[pixs-pinings]

Me? Interested in Persona 5? No wayyy...

Warning for long post!

I had this written differently before I accidentally closed this tab, but I recovered the infodump well!

So... Yeah, Ribbon! My Persona 5 SI, my Phantom Thief SI. Still want to work on a possible real name- I wanted to go with a continuation of the plot threads I thought of with my P4 si, but... nah. Two separate SIs. Even if P5 si was also from the real world, I want them to be different for. Reasons.

She would awaken in the same place as Makoto- Kaneshiro's palace. I want to slip her in somewhere, and I feel like that case would feel the most... Natural? After futaba, a lot of shit picks up, and, as seen with Haru, can be a bit awkward. (And... Yes. I'm going to try to make that arc...... Not Suck? Maybe keep Morgana self loathing but...)

As for her awakening itself... She and Makoto have similar reasons! Both of them were previously known as prim and proper students, but then awaken to a sense of Justice, and are able to go all out. After looking a bit into myself, I was like "wow Makoto really is sorta like how I would awaken maybe" because like... I want to fight against injustice and hatred in society, but I'm scared because of the law- and, like Makoto, in p5, I could snap past that. Fuck the law, I want to stop people from being HURT by society's ineptitude. Haha...

Also, a reason for the involvement in the first place- Kaneshiro's reach is... far. Its very possible that people in Kosei were affected- and, in fact, judging by Yusuke being able to gather information, they were. So... Say that one of Ribbon's friends were being used... selling her body, perhaps... Hmmm...

Yes, both Makoto and my p5 SI- can I call her just Ribbon for now?- are third year students at their school. Yes, for Ribbon's backstory, I think I want her to be a Kosei student! Maybe there because of an art scholarship- writing??- or maybe a financial education scholarship, or maybe just that whoever her guardians are, biological or not, they sent her to that school with the money they had. But... Third year. I am 19 irl- and she would be 18 during the majority of the story, turning 19 in that february because surprise I'm a February baby.

Oh, yes, and her costume! She's a magical girl. Supposed to be based off of one- I gave her ribbons and feathers and a poofy dress and high boots with thick soles and gloves... Also, her mask is simple, but... I had the base form of a butterfly, and added on some mask details and also feathers. The ribbons on the lower part of her dress are more noticeable, though. Hence, her name of Ribbon. Unless y'all can think of any better...

As for WHY magical girls? Well, she thought magical girls were cool! Yes, this reflects on me! Ribbon watched magical girl shows ever since she was a young child, and always got this idea of fighting off evil by using bright magic! And punches. And kicks. When Ribbon grew older, while she never grew out of it, she tried to keep it to the back of her mind. She always still kept an eye on one of the magical girl shows- hmm... Beauty Cure? Beaucure? (Yes. Based on Precure.) And it was pulled back to the front with her awakening, because that's always the type of stuff she liked believing in- a magical force of good fighting against forces of evil... OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL FIGHT AGAINST EVIL SOCIETY TRIES TO DO... Yeah. Mhm. Doesn't that seem familiar.

Oh, yes, I'm going to call the SI by the name of Ribbon- still unsure of if I should use Pix or if I should make up a japanese name that fits a bit closer to my real one, haha.

Her role of the team is... Well, sorta like a magical girl? She has light attacks, which does include the instant kill ones later (points @ magical girls and the series having magical attacks be the magical girl's finishing move), but she also can serve another role... Providing Buffs and giving Debuffs. I mean, magical girl power ups over the season is like a buff... And their attacks debuff the enemy... I would be tempted to also give her some healing things... Maybe later. After all, there are buff moves that are like "gain all three buffs at once!" And she'll get those! So maybe she can also be the status healer...? Dunno. Haven't really watched battle gameplay of p5- even if it's fancy, its... Boring to watch. Oops. Battle dynamics...

As for who her Persona is... I haven't thought of it. I haven't even looked into it either. I was thinking... Her first Persona would be probably an ancient magical girl? Pfft. Funny to say it like that. Maybe a fictional magical girl who was definitely outside the bounds of rules. Maybe villain, maybe hero. Her second persona would... be a goddess. Not the goddess of Magic, since. (stares at Ann.) But. A goddess of something important. Light? Hmm.

Her weapon is... A staff. Kinda a stick, but also it IS something to hurt with. Swing it around, smack someone in the side or head... Use it to adjust your position... Twirling it around... A magical girl doesn't use conventional weapons.

Oh, yeah! Here's where I closed out of the tab by accident. I went to go look at something and my phone pulled a trick on me... Anyway, moving on...

Futaba Sakura is 4'11. Ribbon is 5'. Short squad! Ribbon is irritated about getting teased for it, but is indeed 18- during the story, anyway- and just... Hasn't. Grown. Makoto is 5 inches taller. Interesting.

Ribbon's (outside of battle) role is... well, data gathering, and plan pulling. Makoto thinks of the plans, and can, indeed, push them out to the team... But for group planning sessions, Ribbon is the one listening to everyone's suggestions, and then addressing them... and giving them to the leader to mull over, as well. Make sure everyone is heard.

Oh, idea there... Ribbon also, like me, used to be a theater kid! It helped her grow more used to people around her, more used to speaking, and also technical details on things. Even if she isn't all outgoing, she still shows influences of it with analogies she makes sometimes.

(Spoilers for P5... Brief Warning. Skip to next parantheses for past that spoiler gone.)

During the Phantom Thieves' plans to decieve Akechi into believing he is totally fooling them, Ribbon could easily be very important with that acting experience. While coming up with the plan, Ribbon will definitely state theater terms, backstage, actors, scene changes... And she will definitely help the others get more into character. Staring at you, Ann... For a more believable lie... pull forth a truth similar to this situation and keep that tucked next to your heart... say your lines... and then, when that's over, let it go.

(Spoilers over! Yayyy)

So. Have you guessed who i want to f/o yet? If the answer is yes, congrats, you ain't blind to subtext!

Ribbon's costume is definitely on the lighter side! And... Yes, its definitely pink based. Solid pink ribbons... Light, soft pink dress... A mainly pink mask... I do think the feathers are another color, with those little x marker things that most of the feathers belonging to sharing a similar color, though maybe a different shade. I am... Not good with costume design, though. The accents on her mask would be similar colors to it...

Her hair is black. Darker than Makoto's, yes. She is light skinned, with barely a tan forming on her. Her mask actually covers up her obvious freckles on her face! Her arms, however, still have their freckles showing. (Not in the picture, because i forget about my arm freckles a lot...) (Also not in the picture is the frills on her dress but shhhh)

As for her Confidant? Uh... Hmm... To get to know her... Oh! She can show you her art and writing, sort of brush off her achievements with it because haha not as good as Yusuke Kitagawa's more official art... And her confidant would be helping her tap more into her confident side, whether it be for her own personal projects, or even for her just in society in general! While not as bad as Futaba, she still doesn't like approaching other people... And when that happens, and maybe culminates in her verbally cussing at someone who's been pressing her down for a while now and getting them to lay off her thanks to that newfound confidence. Not a Mementos Target, though she does bring that up but brushes it off as 'just a petty bully thing', but something she deals with herself!

.... Oh, Arcana... Uh. I think... you know how the Jester arcana was like... Another version of the Fool? Wait, the Thoth deck doesn't have an alt Priestess...? Fuck. Uh. Congrats, Akira! You get SUPER DUPER PRIESTESS BONUS. ... Please help

For her Confidant Ability.... Probably something to do with her Magical Girl influnces? The first idea I thought of was like... being able to be a temporary "safe" zone- while in the palace, she could... extend her magical girl light out and create a Barrier that prevents the shadows from noticing her. It will always stay a temporary ability, of course, since otherwise would pribably negate difficulty? But the period would become longer as her confidant goes up. The period of time would be extremly cut down during the times of actually stealing a treasure- after all, the palace ruler is EXPECTING the phantom thieves. No amount of magical girl protecting light would hide that expectation... Or. Something like that.

Also, her last skill. Instead of being like... Making the ability of protecting/anti detecting light last practically forever, its a SUPER STRONG BATTLE ABILITY. What is it? Well... uh... Still have to decide. My current idea has to do with a magical girl blast. Like, activate her light ability right as you get into a battle, and that actually does something- fires a big blast as the battle starts and inflicts damage on the enemy... Hmm. That, or she gets a special version of the all out attack that always kills? Has to be her leading the all out attack, though. What do y'all think...?

Oh, speaking of all out attacks! Hers (or her normal one if I go with the second idea in the above paragraph) would have her landing, spinning around, and doing a sharp "v" pose with her fingers, standing tall and with a grin. Think... Uh... Sailor Moon? I looked up some images and a few I found, with the peace sign arm outstretched, fit that mental image. The other hand would be on her hip, and, of course, she would be winking. Ah, girl vibes.

Yes. I am aware that could be similar to Ann. When i thought of it, i was like "hmmm" but then was like "I do that! and also there's a different between a lean and a wink with the peace sign to your chin rather than a stand/slight slouch and a wink and a peace sign held upward rather than close to the body"

Also, her little line in the background would be "light has prevailed!" In like... Bubbly letters? And it looks like light is shining from behind the letters.

Sure, Ribbon would have a romance route with Akira... but I don't consider that canon. It would make sense that he could POSSIBLY fit my type? But. Nah. Not SUPER attached. Pal at most. Speaking from outside here... In game, with the friendship forming? Maybe so. Anyway, not canon.

Oh my god i just realized Queen and Ribbon have like... Opposite sorta aesthetics. Dark Biker to Light Mage.

Anything else I can think of... Oh, a spoilerly thing.

(I don't believe I can think of anything else to say, so for those who want to be unspoiled on certain things in p5, end of post is the next paranthesis. For others...)

For her reaction to the announcement of Akira's "suicide", it would be something like... Well... A hand to her mouth, and a furrow to her brow... but she doesn't sound like she is going to cry. Instead, she goes, "Ah...", like... Realizing. Like a "hmmm" tone instead of one trying to hold back tears. And then like... Ryuji's scene is after that. And those of you who have seen the scene know what the scene is. So like, if the player was confused by Ribbon, Ryuji smacks them with a direct confirmation.

(And... That's it! Sorry for the long post, I am both unsure of if the read more code trick works on mobile anymore and also am unsure of, if it does work, which version of the trick is the correct one. Because i remember two different versions. Fuck.)

[mediioxumate]

🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻! :3c

send  🌻 and i’ll talk about whatever! || @vaciiviity || accepting!

1. im so glad you talked me into playing v3!! i definitely have beef with a good chunk of the writing but also i have beef with a good chunk of the writing for most of my fandoms - but also the bonus modes are SO fun and have been helping with muse and writing!!

2. today im by myself at the office since it’s not a patient care day, but that means the only light in the hallway is the red exit light and it’s SO creepy like if i go suddenly missing it’s bc someone murdered me on a bathroom break

3. with everything going on, im very jealous of my coworkers that can work from home, my company has a slack and half the pet channel is people taking pictures of their pets while they work and i want what they have. that being said i can’t imagine taking a call from a patient FREAKING out and then them hearing my lovely adorable but batshit cat screaming in the bg

4. also, watching everyone go ham for animal crossing is very cute but ac genuinely stresses me out which is so ridiculous asdjfhalksdf with games i typically play a LOT daily  and then play nothing for like three months, and if you don’t touch ac for 3 months your villagers move and your town goes to shit and everyone is sad and thats TOO much responsibility for a simple jo

5. the water boiler thing at this office sings to you when the water is ready and it’s so cute im gonna cry (inspired bc it just did)

6. if you thought i’d get through a whole meme where i talk about whatever i want without gushing about you and your kids and your writing you were SORELY mistaken. time to be sappy on main. i’ve been rping for 10+ years (god i feel old wtf) and i tend to come and go, and usually stick around blogs for 2-3 months, make a week or two long come back, wander off, make a new blog for my next fandom, and that’s literally always been my pattern. in ?? september??? when i came back to akira i assumed i’d last about two weeks, just getting a surge of muse from watching my roommate play p5 for the first time, but then i stumbled on you and your akechi and your first reply was so perfect the akira muse just sat and made a proper home. like you were absolutely 100% of the reason i stuck around - and then talked me into writing kanji and souji when i’d wanted to for years, finally writing ZE muses, then i somehow talked you into playing dr and now here we are!!

your portrayals spark so much joy, you put so much thought and life into your characters and they’re SO fun to play off of!! i love talking verses and ideas and ships with you because we can always come up with something new and exciting! genuinely, all of my muses are made better by writing them with you and pushing them in unexpected directions. not to mention your writing itself?? amazing, show stopping, incredible. i love the length and detail without getting repetitive, how our characters just slot together into a dynamic!! it’s singlehandedly kept me in the rp community WAY longer than i’ve ever stuck around before.

then also you’re just one of my favorite people!! you’re fun to chat with, and i love hearing your opinions and that you listen to my very petty salt. you are, as you say, a very soft marshmallow and i look forward to being friends for a long, long time, rp or not :>

[musaeon]

okay so this is going to be a very long post of how i’m handling p5r on this blog now that i’ve beaten it! it’ll be under a cut for length/how much content i’m talking about and for spoilers of course!

the tl;dr of this for people that haven’t completed p5r are this: i’m tagging any and all content involving royal (especially third semester + the endings) and i’m no longer going to be tagging spoilers for vanilla p5.

with that out of the way, for those of you that have completed p5r, it’s time to get right into it!

okay starting with the most obvious the two muses on my blog that are the most affected because of p5r are akira and akechi, primarily because of third semester content, but ann, yusuke and futaba are affected mostly because of their third tier personas (and showtime attacks + futaba being able to cause all out attacks) and their choices of what they want to do in the true ending! but for the most part their personalities are remaining the same so there’s no real noticeable changes being made to them for royal verses

as for akira and akechi...akira is mostly staying the same as how i write him in vanilla p5 (other than a bit more emphasis on his relationship with akechi in practical because yeah, akechi does mean a lot to him especially looking at third semester) but as for akechi...oh boy.

akechi is staying the same as how i write him during vanilla p5′s events but as for third semester...akechi is not dealing with his ‘pleasant boy’ personality during this point bc yes, akechi have very valid reasons for being as ‘feral’ as he is during third semester. i don’t 100% agree with some of the stuff that he does during this time (manly just that yes, he has a reason for being as feral/anger as he is, and he has no reason to hide behind pleasantries at this point in the game’s canon unless it’s necessary re: right at the beginning of third semester events but he doesn’t enjoy killing as much as the game/mostly the battle dialogue would suggest but uh. that’s a topic for a another day. the tl;dr of this is yes, i’m keeping him being genuinely pissed/angry during third semester but no, he’s not as feral/bloodthirsty as the game says he is)

and for well...that stringer at the end of the true ending’s credits, i am going with yes, akechi did survive and that the akechi we see during third semester is the real akechi. how he survived is something i’m unsure about since canon doesn’t give us much but what i’m going with is that akechi doesn’t remember how he survived bc he himself says during the 2/2 conversation that he has a gap in his memory from the fight up until meeting up with akira again (on 12/24 aka when he turns himself in for akira), so really, he doesn’t know. so he’ll be vague but in post true ending scenarios, all he’ll be able to say for sure is he remembers what happened in shido’s palace and the events of third semester. (also just as food for thought with this - canon does establish that memory loss is a common side effect for those that get put into a psychotic breakdown berserk state and just what does akechi do to himself during his boss fight? here’s a meta post for just some more proof)

(also as a sidenote to this post a lot of the meta posts/translations i get are from that blog and they’re what’s helped me to make my decisions so just throwing that out there for reference!)

now, moving onto my muses relationships with sumire/maruki! (and time for me to break my formatting bc why can’t i do bullet points and block quote thanks for nothing tumblr) so first up: sumire!

for ann and yusuke: they both don’t hold super strong feelings towards her other than she’s around the same age as us and she’s like us. really, it just that yes, they she her as a friend and teammate, but that she’s not someone they’ve known for a long time, so they don’t have the same level of friendship/attachment as say, akira does.

for futaba: she does see her as a friend and teammate, and tries to be casual with her since they’re the same age for most of the game. she’d like to talk to her more and honestly, she’s one of the few people i can say that futaba might get a crush on so i do ship them.

for akechi: the devs already said that quite frankly, he doesn’t care for her that much. the literal term they say is to death (also here’s a post that translates about the royal trio and akechi’s feelings toward both sumi and akira) so really, unless they seriously talk then akechi isn’t gonna be as friendly as some of the other thieves with her. he’ll be polite if he has to but we know that he can be quite blunt and no nonsense as seen in third semester.

for akira: he does care about her, as a friend and teammate. he’s the only member of the thieves that’s really talked to her for longer than the time in third semester + the christmas/new years stuff and the ending and he does want to support her. he wants to help her, to see her regain her courage and strength and she here become who she was again (especially in third semester, he wants to help her become strong so she can live as sumire and not kasumi) and if he has to help her, he will.

and in terms of shipping, she’s neutral for ann and yusuke, liked for futaba, notp for akechi and for akira...somewhere in being neutral to notp.

and now for maruki!

for ann, yusuke and futaba: they’re firmly neutral in terms of opinions. yes, the stuff he did during third semester does make them mad but they’re also mad at themselves for giving into his dream world and turning their backs on akira during this time. plus they all talked to him and yes, he’s not a bad person but also his actions in third semester are just...a lot for them to deal with (especially with the whole falling into his dream world) so while they can’t forgive what he’s done, they do think that his goals are well...not entirely moral but they’re better than the other adults they’ve taken down.

for akechi: oh boy. most of the reason why he is so pissed off in third semester is because of him. akechi during third semester does harbor something akin to anger towards him, especially because he’s the one that created the dream world, and for as far as he knows is the reason he’s alive and hasn’t committed any crimes in this world. akechi states that he refuses to be a puppet on a string (again, mind you) and this dream world? it’s basically everything he hate because yes, he’s done so many things wrong and deep down, doesn’t believe he deserves to be forgiven for what’s he’s done. he’s going to crave his own path, and not have it handed to him or be a puppet to someone else (again). i do think that post p5r, if he got the chance to speak to him, while he wouldn’t be able to forgive him for the events he caused, he wouldn’t be so openly hostile towards him. 

for akira: out of all the thieves, he’s probably the most reluctant to truly agree to stopping him because maruki has a point. he wants to help others and save them from suffering. but his methods in doing so are just wrong. the dream world created is both something akira wants to give into but also can’t give into. because it’s not right. it’s not right to him, or any of his friends because while they’re happy, they also didn’t go through what caused them all to change and grow. plus akira helped him with his research and knows that yes, maruki is not a bad person but what his methods are will not help out everyone in the long run. i will say that akira almost folds on 2/2 from stopping him because of that conversation (and well...also because of his relationship/feelings with akechi but that’s a story for another time) but ultimately stands up against him because taking his offer is taking the easy way out. and akira has never, not once taken the easy way out at any point during his time as a thief. plus in the end, even when maruki said he was done, akira still leapt to save him (which ties so heavily into the savior complex/chronic hero syndrome - it’s one of the two i swear-  i write akira with aka wanting to help people no matter what) because yeah, you can be hurt but you can move on and heal. post p5r while akira can’t forgive his actions, he’s probably the most willing to talk to him and try to reestablish some kind of bond with him again.

and well...as for verses i’m adding because of royal, i’m technically adding four but i’m really adding three because one of them is so selective but there’s a part of me that wants to write it anyways so yeah! i’m adding verses for main p5r canon, third semester, post p5r’s true ending and (selectively) bad ending verse (aka when you accept maruki’s deal - but for akira and akechi only as they’re the only ones that will know the bad ending isn’t right.) i will say i vastly prefer the true ending to the bad ending, the bad ending is something i think would be fun to explore. all of these verses will have their own tags and i will be using the p5r spoilers tag for all of these posts which brings me to...

...how i’m tagging spoilers! basically, everything involving something exclusive to royal will be tagged, and all royal verses will have the spoiler tag, crack posts being throwing into the tag as well (because honestly, i can’t help myself) but basically, if it’s in royal, it’s getting tagged (especially third semester and post true ending). also i’m not going to be tagging spoilers for vanilla p5 anymore. the vanilla version has been out for three and a half years in japan and three everywhere else. my rules will be updated to reflect this soon enough. (and as a sidenote to all of this, to keep myself from spoiling the truth about sumi, i’m referring to her as kasumi in my image tag for her and on the pages for my muses for shipping but in threads, if they’re in anything other than canon timeline (aka before third semester and the truth comes out) she’ll be referred to as sumire. otherwise she’s kasumi so i don’t spoil anyone about that twist!)

and one last point to this very, very long post! i’m working on a post for a headcanon of mine i’ve had since the game released in which royal is ng+ to akira. it’s a very headcanon heavy and in some ways self-indulgent verse but something i hold dear to me and want to write really badly. however it isn’t my default verse for akira when it comes to royal content. i don’t want to force people to write this verse with me but i want it to be an option because it means a lot to me and it also makes sense within p5r’s canon.

anyways! if you’ve read all of this post thank you so much for reading it because of how long it is but i felt it was important to get all of this out on the table now that i’ve completed p5r!

[sennaleee]

bro your writing is so good? i love your p5 headcanons a lot and if you have any more of yusuke or any of the other characters and it's not too much to ask, i'd love to see a few! thanks!

Thank you! I’m so glad you like my writing. ;u; And I know you asked for Yusuke specifically, but since I already have a headcanon post (and quite a few fics) about him, I’m going to write about a few other characters. Hopefully that’s okay! I’ll go with Ryuji and Akechi, since those are the only male Phantom Thieves who I haven’t written headcanons about yet. :3

Sooo Ryuji first. Ryuji has pretty much no shame in admitting he has to pee, but he does try to downplay how badly he has to go. And if he’s in a situation where he knows finding a toilet would be literally impossible (i.e. in Mementos or a Palace or even something so simple as being in a residential area where he’d have to either pee outside or walk awhile to find a public bathroom), he chooses not to tell anyone that he has to go. He has a SUPER small bladder, which is not helped by the sheer amount of water he tends to drink. Staying well hydrated is a habit he gained when he was active on the track team that he never quite got rid of, but now that he’s not running as much, it becomes a much bigger problem when paired with his small bladder.

Speaking of running, back when he was on the track team, he definitely had regular accidents while running longer distances. Being uncomfortable due to a full bladder was no good for training or competing, so he’d rather let go of his pride and wet himself while running than risk losing a meet. (On a side note, while his teammates never picked on him for this (since all of the long distance runners had wet themselves at least once during a competition, so it wouldn’t be worth much to start making fun of their teammates), this was absolutely something Kamoshida latched onto to try to push Ryuji to become defensive during his stint in charge of the team. Ryuji never rose to take that particular bait, but he couldn’t help but become more shy regarding his small bladder and the needs that came with it.)

Akira and Anne are the only Phantom Thieves who are aware of Ryuji’s small bladder, and both try in their own way to help him keep out of situations where he’ll be uncomfortable or forced to wet himself. Granted, they found out in different ways – Anne has just known Ryuji for so long, that she thought he’d be comfortable with some light teasing from her when he was once so desperate while spending time with her that he’d had to choose between peeing in an abandoned alley or wetting himself. His subsequent embarrassment and anger alerted Anne immediately that that was a sore point, and they had a heart-to-heart regarding why Ryuji got so hurt by it. Of course, she never said another word about it, and is now a silent protector, shielding him from anyone else finding out about it.

Akira, on the other hand, doesn’t truly know… He only guessed based on the very subtle shifting of Ryuji’s hips and his tendency to pace the longer they’re in a Palace. At first, Akira thought that it was lack of patience, but simply being bored wouldn’t explain the ever-so-slight rise in the pitch of Ryuji’s voice once his pacing started up. It also wouldn’t match with how eager Ryuji always seemed to enter a given Palace – why would he want to fight shadows so badly if it only ever took an hour or two before he was tired enough of it to want to head home? This combined with Ryuji always being careful to use the toilet immediately before and after entering a Palace as well as his habit of guzzling several bottles of water a day clued Akira in. He’s never actually brought it up with Ryuji, not wanting to have such an awkward conversation, but he also keeps a sharp eye out for Ryuji’s desperation level so he can be sure never to push him too far while in a Palace.

 And Akechi, our prim and proper detective prince. He not only has a small bladder but is also INCREDIBLY bladder shy to the point that he will be physically unable to pee in a bathroom he’s not familiar with. This is not even to mention any “abnormal” locations – no, he is very particular about bathrooms, which is a constant source of stress for him. It also leads to him being pretty dehydrated most of the time, since he dreads the moment when he gets caught desperate somewhere and just doesn’t have enough time to get back to his little apartment to relieve himself and wets himself in public. Not only would it be beyond humiliating, but it would certainly destroy his reputation with the public beyond repair. So, he pretty much just doesn’t drink anything if he can help it. Certainly not healthy, but he cares a lot less about his health than his public appearance, so he feels it’s a worthy sacrifice.

This is also why he tends to leave LeBlanc so quickly after drinking his coffee every time he visits. Sure, he’s only there to keep an eye on Akira, but it would be mighty suspicious if he showed up and refused to order anything to drink. Unfortunately, coffee goes straight through him, so he starts to feel the effects in his bladder mere minutes after finishing a cup. He’d have so much more success spying on the Phantom Thieves if he could just force himself to use the bathroom in LeBlanc, but alas, no matter how many times he’s tried, he is too bladder shy and ends up having to rush back home.

(Akira did, of course, pick up on Akechi’s small bladder almost as quickly as he did Ryuji’s. If it hadn’t been for Akira trying to help Ryuji avoid being uncomfortable, he certainly would’ve acted a bit more sadistically with Akechi once he’d joined the Thieves, forcing them to stay in Sai’s Palace just a little bit longer or decide that they just have to make it through one more floor of Mementos just to make Akechi sweat a bit, but Akira couldn’t sacrifice Ryuji’s comfort and pride solely because he wanted to watch Akechi squirm.)