#ok i know joker and akechi are like

[fakecats]

once i really get into my p5r replay i am going to go So hard trying to explore the different character dynamics other than joker and akechi sorry

[sunset-bridge]

i wanna rest in your light

[koipalm]

my like i guess take/personal view of joker is that he's only able to help akechi because the other phantom thieves showed him kindness and love,

if we use the chain metaphor joker locked his heart away , he felt mad, betrayed and confused , and just to me joker at the start is a very just cold person,

but then he meets the thieves and little by little his chains begin to break then he meets akechi and a river suddenly overflowing, its very sudden and hard to control because he realizes he finally can allow himself to love

if that make sense fghgjkll;

i like that idea, but i also like the idea that its a two way street! im of the unpopular opinion that akechi likely wouldnt have done the same thing if he had been afforded the same thing in jokers shoes & circumstances. I say this because as joker people reaching out to you is just as important as reaching out to them and helping and spending time with them and connecting to them. theoretically in the game dynamics you could claim that joker is partially (or only) doing this to gain the confidante points and power up, but to me i only see that as a dynamic of the persona games. i really do feel storywise like joker is reaching out to others because he cares and wants to help them..... for example, even if the player themselves does not want to help a confidante, jokers dialogue options dont allow for that!

in contrast, i do think akechi was not in the worst possible position that he couldnt have "gone back" in a sense and reached out for help and helped other people too. of course, we dont have an inside look on akechi's life, but even at a more shallow look at things it does seem that he had options to turn back and he didn't. from his position as a detective, i think he would have had a lot of connections both from his work and even in the metaverse of finding people that could have helped him. i personally think that this mentality of akechis is interesting and kind of funny that he wanted revenge so bad that he was willing to forsake everything else. of course, its all up for interpretation....

but yeah, i really do think that his case was not necessarily a case of "i had to do this and there was no other choice because the adults made me" like mishima, but more of him actively, choice by choice, damning himself. of course, i dont think that his story can be divorced from adults using and abusing kids, but again, to me, PERSONALLY i see akechi as the type to throw others under the bus until the system eventually turns on him. in the end i also dont see akechi as genuinely remorseful of his actions, in that he actively grieves and regrets the lives hes taken. i think that he regrets the path that his life took and the fact that he was used in turn, but i think theres a kind of disconnect: he may regret that he killed, but i dont think he feels for the life that was lost, both with the mental shutdowns and the psychotic breaks, or the collateral damage.

even in third semester, (and while again. it can be argued that theyre shadows and not people, or that he is simply blowing off steam) it really does feel like he wants to cause harm. and i dont see a change like 'i want to hurt someone/something' -> 'im hurting someone/something because im pissed about being used by someone' BUT ONCE AGAIN. my personal opinion. i think hes a ruthless kind of guy.

in the end with all this being said, i cant be certain that in jokers shoes he would act similarly or that in better circumstances he would act as kind! that isnt to say that i think akechi was always doomed to be an asshole and he could never reach out and be kind, or hell that the system wasnt to blame for him turning out this way. but i DO think the system was not the only thing to blame! i think he made a lot of choices and felt that he had no other path or choice, so he didnt LOOK. but even at the end joker and the rest of the phantom thieves reach out despite ALL that he has done. he was irrevocably a murderer, and a hand was still extended....

[dragon-zena]

im very ambivalent towards p5 aus where a PT has a palace because sometimes theyre done so well and get to the root of that person's feelings towards themselves and the people around them, and other times it's like. 1) out of character, 2) out of context, 3) needlessly cruel?

[leonawriter]

Who Killed Goro Akechi?

Titled thus because I was just going through the scene right after Mementos merges with reality, after they've failed to defeat the grail, and "Igor" tells Akira that he's lost the game.

And I'm like, ok, I've seen this a fair few times before. I know the script.

But then I was paying attention, and I just went WAIT WAIT WAIT HANG ON A MINUTE HERE.

"In accordance to the game's rules, the defeated must pay a price."

"Your life is forfeit."

"I sentence you to be executed."

And I was just... hang on. There's been more than one player in the game. If we go back to the earlier lines, "Igor" also says "You were mean to bring change to mankind, but it seems that was too much for you."

In a sense, all of this could also be applied to Goro Akechi.

Akechi was also forcing mankind to react and to change, albeit via chaos and uncertainty rather than encouraging people to stand on their own two feet the way the Phantom Thieves were trying to.

And what happens in the engine room?

Akechi loses the game.

He realises that Akira and the PT fooled him, and when he tries to get the better of them one last time, he fails. We often talk about how after he was defeated he "almost went over to their side" - but isn't that another aspect of his "defeat" in Yaldabaoth's eyes? Akechi admits, effectively, that he accepts the Phantom Thieves' way of doing things over his own.

And it's here that we get Cognitive Akechi, who comes in and starts talking about how the Captain (Shido) sees him, gives him an option to rejoin (or for the PT to switch sides), and.... hm, isn't that familiar?

Here's Caroline saying "If that's what our master wishes..." with Akira having a response tree of-

-"You're going to execute me?" -"Are you serious?" -or just plain being unable to speak (he could also be unspeakably angry, but he seems far more scared than angry, here).

Next, Akira refuses to die, because he has people relying on him.

I'm reminded of how with Akechi, once he's behind that bulkhead door, if you haven't finished his confidant he'll say something to the effect of "So my final enemy is a puppet of myself, how fitting."

If you have maxed his confidant? You get Joker telling him he can't die yet, as he has a promise to fulfil ("I'll hold onto your glove") with the implication that it's something that Akechi can use as motivation to want to keep living.

In both, it's "I can't die, I have a reason to live, and that reason is at least one other person."

When the twin wardens try to "execute" Akira, now in his Joker attire as his will of rebellion has manifested, Justine says "If our master orders so... then it cannot be helped..."

I'm reminded of how Cognitive Akechi was a being of pure servitude toward his Captain (master), Shido. If the Captain willed it, he'd even die for him.

This one feels similar, because the twins were never supposed to have "execution" as part of their duties at all, and both parties were pushed into a sense of unfailing loyalty to someone who never cared for them, and who warped their duties to something wrong.

In fact, I just went back to confirm the lines for Cognitive Akechi, and-

Yup.

Top is Cognitive Akechi saying "Captain Shido's orders... He has no need for losers." and the lower one is "Igor" saying "You have lost the game."

Basically, the same lines.

To the point that...

Cognitive Akechi: "Here, I'll give you one last chance. Shoot them."

God of Control: "I shall grant you an opportunity to make a deal with me."

Both times, it's clear that this is the wrong thing to do, and in both cases, the person being offered rejects said deal entirely - Akechi by shooting the switch to activate the bulkhead door, making it impossible for his cognitive self to attack the Phantom Thieves, and Akira by denying Yaldabaoth and reaffirming his bonds with the Thieves once he's told that they're also there.

I titled the post the way I did, because the way Shido is used by Yaldabaoth, I would not be surprised if Cognitive Akechi isn't just a product of Shido's mind protecting him against threats from, say, his own attack dog, but also?

This is Yaldabaoth's way to quite literally execute the first piece he started to play with, since Goro Akechi had failed as a Trickster and had "lost the game" - and as he and cognitive Akechi both say, losers end up dead.

So the question is - who really killed Akechi? Was it Shido's cognition? Was it Yaldabaoth? And was that cognition even an original part of Shido's palace in the first place, to that extent? How much was it "appropriated" at the "right" time, here?

There are far too many coincidences for me to pass it off as such

But the highlight for me at least, is this:

In both terms of Akira and Akechi's "executions," it's their sense of thinking and feeling that "I can't die, I have a reason to live, and that reason is at least one other person" that keeps them alive. And to the point, it's what keeps Akira's sense of rebellion so strong, and against nigh insurmountable odds.

If anything, it supports the fact that with Akechi's confidant maxed, he really does live, because that, too, echoes Akira's experience in the Velvet Room not even a full month later.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Ok, I think I have a pretty good idea of why a lot of Akechi's dialogue is... like that.

So, even before his confidant truly started, I noticed that he has a real knack for directing the flow of a conversation. This is very fitting for someone who is both a detective and skilled at interviews - when there is a topic and a goal, Akechi is in his element.

All this to say, he's actually kind of controlling when it comes to conversational flow. He probes for information, or turns the conversation around to a particular topic, usually the Phantom Thieves. He manages to take a few of Joker's dialogue options and spin them so they sound mildly incriminating in the context he's placed them in - the only way to truly get around this is to pick answers that feign indifference, and even then, that's more than a bit telling. He's clearly very good at this kind of thing.

But then, we get conversations where either Joker does something he didn't expect, or else he doesn't have a particular goal in mind - and the conversation stutters. In the first instance, Joker does something (a particularly egregious example is putting his glasses on him and fluffing his hair in rank 3) which both leaves him wrong-footed and no longer in perfect control of the situation. He just kind of... freezes, for awhile. It's hilarious. He has no idea how to respond.

He picks up control again in the phone call afterwards, having chosen to play into it, turning this "fooling the crowds" into a kind of game or secret between them. Nice save.

But in instances where there isn't an obvious topic and the goal is somewhat nebulous, for instance, that one Leblanc scene, it becomes pretty apparent that Akechi doesn't have the right "script" to go off of. Again, it's particularly notable in that scene, because I'm fairly sure he didn't have any specific reason to be at Leblanc, other than him looking for a quiet spot now that public opinion has turned on him. And because there isn't anything specific he's digging for, he kind of just ends up throwing things at the wall to see what will stick. Probing for any kind of recognizable reaction that he can jump on and work with, and that just doesn't really happen in this scene.

He references Sae, a woman in a respectable position, to Sojiro, but instead of that netting a welcome, it earns his ire, given Sae's recent actions against him. He then tries to greet Joker, his... rival? friend? enemy? person who at least seems to somewhat enjoy spending time with him? But Joker's responses are somewhat short, and Akechi practically wilts. He tries to commiserate by oversharing. He tries to involve Futaba and reaches out for the only topic of interest he can think of around "young people". He compliments the coffee. He compliments Joker. He tries to invoke that connection between them. None of it is really sticking, nor does it serve as a jumping off point for him to steer the conversation, or even really start one.

So, he basically just ends up having a one-sided chat with himself and then leaves. Hilarious. Also a little sad, if I'm being honest. It's really giving "guy with no friends who only knows how to speak to adults" energy. If there's no specific purpose to the exchange, or he is not in control of its direction, he seems to be kind of out of his depth. He succeeds only in being a little awkward and confusing, more than anything.

[miitokii]

ok so imagine if joker killed someone and the guilt stained his hands with blood forever

so he understands why akechi wears gloves all the time lol

btw i traced the hands from an anime called Beyond the Boundary (just search anime bloody hands and it’s like the first result), i wanted to focus more on the effect and the expression

also have some drawings of akechi i did with a different fit. imagine if joker had a dream with akechi in it with phantom thief outfit before akechi revealed his persona to the thieves lol

ALSO if you want more context for the joker killing someone idea, and an edit i did with these drawings to please the instagram algorithm, please see under the cut

ok so i was thinking about the PT’s plan against Akechi, and a common gripe i see is how the cognitions don’t die like that in other palaces, they just dissipate into black smoke. BUT ALSO other palace rulers don’t really see people as actual people unlike Sae.

so Kamoshida sees people as nothing more than dolls/slaves he can use how he wants, hence cognitive Ann just dissipates when sliced (a puppet with cut strings is useless). Okumura sees people as robots so cognitive Haru explodes because she’s a robot. Kaneshiro sees people as ATMs so they just malfunction and break down.

i imagine the cognitions in Madarame’s palace are kinda just like… 3D living statues, just there to admire Madarame’s work, so if they were killed they’d probably dissipate or crumble like Kamoshida’s. and obviously there are no cognitions in Futaba’s palace (apart from Wakaba, who has a whole boss) because she’s a shut in.

anyway, the PT would notice that cognitions have different behaviour even in death depending on the palace ruler, so to confirm the plan would work, they would have to kill a cognition to see what happens in Sae’s palace. Makoto is probably sure her sister still sees people as people so it would work, but she also knows it’s vital they check this. in a way it would ease her too, since it would be confirmation.

and of course Joker being the leader he is would volunteer to do the ‘deed’. so he kills an innocent, harmless, cognitive person, watches them beg for their life as he holds a gun to their head and fires. he knows it’s just a cognition so it’s irrational, but the guilt he feels is all the same, especially as he watches the cognition slump to the floor just like a real corpse and bleed out onto the floor. Unlike other cognitions in other palaces it doesn’t dissipate after a while, it stays there, because Sae, how distorted she may be, still sees people as people, in life or death.

ALSO even when cognitive Ren and the guard dissipate after a while, it’s not because they’re cognitions, it’s because Sae has by then found out the whole thing was a ploy. she now knows both Ren and the guard are very much alive - so then of course the corpses would disappear

leave out the Joker kills a cognition bit (let’s say they were confident enough in their reasoning) and it could basically be canon

lol anyway yeah i wrote that in a fic and wanted to draw it in a sort of quick sketch lol

anyway here’s the edit lol

[corviiids]

hi rook sorrgy I'm back but I've been thinking about your akeshu as girls genderfuckery tweet for 20 million years. idk if you can share anything in good faith here on the Tumblr corner of the internet (if not then by all means ignore this) but if you did I'd owe you perhaps my entire soul!! thank you very much either way :3

i would LOVE to talk about this thank you so much for asking

[under the cut in case anyone would not like to see genderfuckery stuff]

okay so first of all.

on the topic of boobs

this is important to lead with do you understand. most of the akeshu as girls stuff ive seen around has akc as flat-chested and ren as boobed. and that's valid i support that. but personally. personally to me. i think it's the opposite. tbe reason (well one reason) i think it's the opposite is because i think girlren is a little rat of a creature and akechi who is prim and feminine and perfect is so FUCKING angry about her crush on ren like she's barely surviving it and then this is the nail in the coffin. she's like why can't i stop thinking about that messy unassuming thing. she doesn't even have boobs

my other reasons for tihs are that i think joker is more androgynous charm while akechi is more feminine/masculine duality i think this makes sense to nobody else. i think ren regardless of agab is riding the rail of the gender spectrum 🛹 while akc is collecting extremes of gender presentation like they're pokemon do you understand. are we on the same page here. ren being into drag is important to me for this reason (again regardless of agab). meanwhile akechi having very clear feminine secondary sex characteristics but presenting gradually more and more masculine in terms of clothing/hair/personal style etc. is also extremely important to me. and that includes being biog of tity while her style veers more and more into masc as time goes on

ok

the detective prince

i think girl akechi (at 17-18) presents very femininely because it's what's effective for her. i would call her style................... kawaii corporate chic. does that make sense for everyone. it's like schoolgirl girlboss. she has a bow instead of a tie but it's a very classy one not a kitschy one. smart blazer, uniform pleated skirt, patent leather shoes, u know the drill BUT. people still call her the detective prince. this is VERY IMPORTANT to me. no detective princess. only detective prince. do you understand the importance of the genderfuckery of a super feminine girl being called by masculine terms. to me. we're continuing the legacy set by my hero naoto shirogane bigender queeng. bigender kin. bigender genderneutral non-monarchical ruler

i think by third sem girl akechi is starting to dress more androgynously/masculinely. more pants. i think her third sem outfit is unchanged from canon. just a smart coat, sweater, buttondown, slacks. postcanon she gets a haircut.

just trying to live an honest student life

ren is like so fundamentallyuncomfortable with the fact of his existence at the beginning of canon so to me girlren is like... she dresses like she's trying to hide in her clothes. messy hair. i have no strong feelings about whetehr her hair should be long or short, or whether it's loose or pulled into a tail, but i know it's messsy. untamed curls. and she uses it to hide her face. none of her clothes fit. she's in oversized everything. i have a very clear image in my head of a ren idle animation where she leans down to pull up her leggings because they keep falling down. she also has terrible posture. she's androgynous at this stage not on purpose but because she's too self conscious to like... exist... and present... in any notable way at all

i think as she gets more confident and as the year progresses she starts to dress more distinctively. i like the idea of her getting more comfortable prettying up. maybe working at crossroads helps her with this 🤔 i dont know how to explain this but i think she's still feminine in a gentlemanly chivalrous way rather than a girly cute way. girlren has that same steady calming vibe that guy ren does

joker & crow

crow has a magical girl skirt. i have a drawing of this but im too self conscious about my own lack of drawing skill to show it off so i cropped out the key part and put it into an ms paint void in the distance as my visual aid

there. i hope this is illustrative

i think given girl akechi's use of her feminine charms to gain popularity, her hero complex would be similarly gendered given we have confirmation that robin hood represents not (only) heroics for altruistic reasons but also the theatre of being seen doing good. there's a real drama element to the idea of a magical girl transformation that i honestly wish we got for male crow too. i always am depressed that we don't get to see much theatre for akechi's initial appearance as crow and summoning of robin hood, anyway, girlcrow has ribbons and a capelet that flap in non-existent wind.

black mask's outfit is unchanged from canon. i'd like it to look a little less stupid but that has nothing to do with gender i just want it to look a little less stupid.

joker's outfit is also unchanged from canon. listen. im back on my bullshit. in the metaverse her behaviour gets more feminine and more sly and confident than in reality. she's got that femme fatale shit going on. however, she is still a gentleman thief. she has the long coat. she has the poofy trousers. she has the waistcoat. she's still smirking and fixing her gloves and flipping her knife and doing that thing that canon ren does where he lifts his chin and does the little "come on" thing with her fingers. do you understand? do you understand me

[homoeroticbetrayal]

Iconic Homerotice Betrayals: Round 3

Poll Directory

Context:

Akechi/Joker

Summarized by Anonymous Contributor

Ok so Akira(you the player) are the leader of a group of thieves (who are doing good for society) but there are more sinister things happening that also get attributed to your group.

Enter Akechi the famous charismatic detective who’s declared that he will catch you(you can probably already guess where this is going) When you first meet him it is already clear that something is very wrong under that obviously fake smile. Under your civilian identity you befriend him and slowly(or rather fast) he opens up to you showing more of his true self and what pains his heart. Even disclosing sensitive information that could bring him down. Of course this is all just lies he made up to get close to you right? Nope.

You see the betrayal coming from miles ahead. Not only does he betray you, he’s been the real culprit all along.

Despite knowing this loooong ahead you still take him on little gay dates to the aquarium, public bathhouse, pretending to shoot eachother, a café or try to impress him with your amazing darts skills. You may even willingly make wrong choices just for his approval (I did gdi Akechi I trusted you.) And when you come home he's already waiting for you.

After you survive him gleefully shooting you through the head(it makes sense in context) you meet again he admits that he wishes you’d have met earlier, confirming that your bond was genuine, that you could’ve been friends/partners(? It’s complicated) and he really meant it when he said you’re the only one he feels at ease with. But not without having a truly unhinged meltdown about it first, vehemently rejecting your offer to still be friends and turn over a new leaf. (so after he's attempted to kill you at least 2 times and is gearing up for making it 3)

Akechi betraying you is as much a betrayal of himself as it is one of you.

Bonus points:

other characters comment on you being the only one close to him

during one rank he confesses to you…. His hate?

as previously mentioned, your relationship ranks up after he shoots you in the head(you survive, it make sense in context)

he himself compares his betrayal of you to romance(yes after shooting you through the head). On live tv. In the same moment he reminds himself how he’s felt unwanted his entire life, like a reminder he killed the only person who ever made him wanted.

At the end you have the choice to stay in a perfect world where he is alive and never underwent any of the pain in his life turning him into a wholly different person, or let him die(again) as his true self. If you pick the former you can return the betrayal.

*vague description it’s complicated.

Read other summary here.

Homura/Madoka

Summary by Anonymous Contributor

This is the story of 3 betrayals :

1. Madoka and Homura meet and become best friends. Madoka believes in love and justice and helping people as a magical girl. But she gets killed. So Homura, loving her and believing in her cause, becomes a magical girl in order to time travel and save Madoka. Eventually, however, they find out they were being tricked all along, and none of what they thought they were fighting for is real. And this is BETRAYAL NUMBER 1: They've agreed to give up and just die/become monsters Together, when suddenly Madoka sacrifices herself to save Homura. As she is dying in Homura's arms she tells her she has a selfish goal: "you can travel in time, right ? Go back in time and warn me, stop me from getting tricked and becoming a magical girl."

2. So Homura goes back in time and tries to warn Madoka and their friends, but no one believes her. She can't save Madoka from her fate. So she time travels, again and again and again, trying desperately to save Madoka and failing every time, and becoming more and more estranged from her with every timeline. By the time we get to the timeline we know, she's done it so many times that she's become a stranger to Madoka, but Homura has become cold and hardened. It doesn't matter if Madoka doesn't love her anymore, all that matters is saving her. In the end, Homura's time travel has tied the strings of fate around Madoka so much, that Madoka bcomes the most powerful magical girl of all time and is able to essentially become a god, and rewrite the rules of the universe. She's created a better world, but at the cost of erasing her own human existence. Now no one will remember her except for Homura. As they are hugging naked in the cosmos, saying goodbye as the universe rewrites itself, Homura expresses how devastated she is by this turn of events. Madoka has saved her from the time loop she was in, but has sacrificed herself, and thereby Homura has failed to keep her promise of saving her. This is BETRAYAL NUMBER 2: Homura now has to live without Madoka, and all hope of keeping her promise to save her is lost.

3. And so we arrive at BETRAYAL NUMBER 3, the one they're most famous for : Homura tricks Madoka, and steals her godhood. Homura becomes the devil and undoes everything Madoka has fought for just to save Madoka and let her have a human existence, because she loves her that much. It's the ultimate betrayal because she destroys everything Madoka sacrificed herself for, she refuses to let her make the world better because selfishly, she loves Madoka so much she wants her to be able to exist.

[vashtijoy]

akechi + featherman

Ok so. My working theory re. Akechi’s awakening is that he awakens twice, like Yoshizawa—first to Robin Hood, and then later to Loki. I know there’s Word of God that he awakened to them both at the same time, but based on his third awakening sequence, if he did that, Robin Hood was first—note that Hereward is also, essentially, Dark Robin Hood, Batman to Robin’s Superman.

I don’t know if Akechi is a Featherman fan in canon (I can’t see him continuing to unironically enjoy tales of heroism and good triumphant, tbh), but he was one when he awakened, and in this post etc etc.

Here are the P5D Featherman costumes for Joker and Akechi. Note the very big, very obvious, very pointy gold wing motifs across the chest and on the belt buckle:

Now here's the boy, looking smug in his white crow suit. Do you see the gold wings on his collar, inside the edging braid? It's the same motif.

Now here's Robin Hood, being a whole lot less subtle about it. First, look at the gold feathers that form the bow. It's the same shape that forms the front of the Featherman suits. Second, zoom in a bit, and check out the feathered edging on the outsides of the R and H. Again, it's the same motif, the gold wings.

Lastly, of course: what's his codename? The one he picked for himself, the one he almost certainly had chosen when he walked in? It's Crow. Just like all the Feathermen, he's named for a bird. Whether he makes it "Feather Crow" in his head is something we will never know.

I strongly suspect that, if Akechi did awaken to Robin Hood first, he must have been like fourteen—for various lore reasons like the Velvet Room being stolen, P4 puts a hard floor on when Akechi can awaken for P5, otherwise I'd put it even younger. The whole white crow ensemble—the costume, the persona, the toy weapons—it's all so much like a child's will of rebellion, don't you think? And then, at some point, he changes so much that he awakens again, to Loki.

It hurts to think about him awakening that young, already hiding hate and rejection and crushing loneliness behind his smiling good-boy mask, already obsessed with revenge, but relatively innocent and not beyond hope. I feel like his first awakening gives him a chance to do better—and he doesn't take it, or can't take it, or something happens that makes it impossible for him to take it.

Maybe the second awakening comes when he chooses to be a perpetrator and hurt others, rather than be a victim who gets hurt by others, but there are as many theories about Loki and Robin Hood as there are Akechi fans. And of course, if that theory stands up, then something must have happened to Akechi that finally killed his hope that people might one day want him, if he could only be good enough. Something that finally fixed his course, and sent him off to Shido prepared to do whatever was necessary.

And the rest we know.

[three--rings]

Jack and Joker ep 2

Okay, actually my Persona 5 obsession with this show is like, wait, okay yeah the plot is different, but here's how shuake can still win this...

So you've got the noble charismatic thief character who is determined to win over/reform the hardened criminal/corrupted youth. Totally a Joker/Akechi style dynamic. With a different backstory, sure. But I've not given up all hope that someone DID actually decide to make P5 into an actual BL at some point back in this show's dna.

Lol he's claiming he lost everything in Dogecoin, huh? Lol, this is extra funny considering I knew someone who was all in on Dogecoin...

Oh GOD I like how flirty Joker is being in this fight. This is, unfortunately, so much my shit.

Honestly I have to say it's a little disappointing that Jack is still good at heart and not really corrupted by the last 5 years. But whatever, FINE.

Look, COME ON:

Like I know the term Phantom Thief is used outside of Persona 5 and it's at least a translation of a common at least Japanese phrase. But like, The Phantom Thief Joker? That's fucking P5, baby!!

Ok this show is a LOT of fun and I hope they keep on hitting their mark.

[kroosluvr]

i'm genuinely curious I WANT YOU to outline how the shu/ake/sumi romance/and-or/situationship would unfurl in a post-p5r reality (where akechi lives, of course). what are the bullet points for what would happen between them. would they have a falling out. are they doomed. would they be horrible at communicating. would they finally be good at it. which pairing comes together first, if any at all. or would all 3 pairings happen at the same time at the same pace. or are they all in a limbo, not romantic nor platonic but a secret third thing.

OMG HI. HIIIII ok so. i havent actually thought about it that much (SURPRISING I KNOW) because i honestly suck ass at timelines (in regards to canon. tennis au on the other hand...) BUT I WILL DO MY BEST a lot of this is loose too.... im totally up for most anything but this is how i see it most of hte time heheeh (TY FOR THE ASK I LOVE THINKIJGN ABT THESE 3.)

this is .. kinda.. long.. ahem

pre-p5r: sumire is acquainted with goro thru her dad's show: they're not friends, but she's talked with him more than her sister. so when goro meets 'kasumi' at the cafe something strikes him as odd but it doesn't quite register: like ehhhh well why should i care / maybe my memory is just wrong / not worth my time

during p5r: 'kasumi' has a crush on akira, a kind of on-the-surface adoration of "wow i think you're really cool and we get along well!" nothing that's super advanced on or anything, and akira doesn't see her as anything beyond friends anyway.

she drops the crush upon reverting back to sumire, and it builds slowly over the course of 3rd sem but is also never really actualized - like she likes him ok whatever but then what..??

3rd sem (long winter au): long winter barebones: maruki's idealized world starts like on christmas or smth (havent thought this out TOO much LOL) and royaltrio-centric part of 3rd sem lasts for quite a while, at least 3 weeks-1 month. how does this work w the timeline i have no idea. BUT it leads to tense moments like spending new years together with the idealized thieves and trying to stay upbeat during all that, all the attempts and failures at breaking them out of it, and a LOT of tension during this time.

they argue and fight and are irritated with each other a lot of the time (goro the most vocal abt it obviously, sumire kind of drawing back into herself, and akira doing his best to stay optimistic. i think when akira starts to lose his spark is when the others r like oh we gotta make up for that slack and they finally up their game a bit) and yeah even sumire argues with akira and with goro and etc. im figuring this out PROMSIE ill come up w stuff and draw comic/write fic for it...

also 1/9 sumire fight is probably the beginning moment when goro starts to respect sumire more/see her more as a friend/comrade than a teammate. bc she almost kills joker and then him LMAO really giving them a run for their money... and also he really sees the pain she feels at being herself and resonates with it, either unconsciously or consciously

also upon seeing her Past broadcasted on maruki live television:tm: he makes the connection and is like oh so that's what happened. so all this time she was just masquerading as someone else. hmmm

anyway they're all very fragile and scared and sad during 3rd sem so they stick to eachother closely bc they're all they got to lean on. i think they have a lot of skinship during this time? handholding hugs leaning on each other sleeping in the same room (they hang out at leblanc A LOT bc 1) they're kind of afraid of being alone during this time 2) they're afraid of the OTHERS being alone during this time 3) leblanc is "untouched", compared to other parts of maruki's reality. can u imagine if even goro's apartment suddenly became nice overnight LMAO) but its like no feelings attached, just pure comfort kinda thing

kissing could also happen during this time but also no feelings attached, purely Why the hell not etc sort of vibe.

also goro and sumire get on first name basis during this time. this comic i drew w goro dying in my head which is Why he initiates first-name basis, but we can operate off the idea that he thought he'd die but somehow magically didnt. YAY!

but they have impeccable communication w each other and are very honest with their feelings. (goro avoids talking about his past tho. so maybe not THAT honest.) but they all achieve a really strong understanding of each other to survive maruki's winter wonderland...

i do think they develop feelings for each other during this time but they're all confused whether it's feelings of like comfort/security with each other or like romance/yay. so like nightmare situationship basically. so they all individually decide to hold on to this happiness while it lasts bc they sure as hell know it won't last (when have any of them been able to keep good things)

3rd sem: the thieves join yay! i think they'd notice that the 3 of them have become very close-knit (bouncing off eachother insanely well in battle, talk to eachother casually, and are generally pretty affectionate with each other. weird but ok! at least they (akira goro.) aren't trying to kill each other all the time.

this is also nice for sumire bc she had those 3-4 weeks to kinda Figure herself (sumire) out btwn akira and goro so she's less like down in the dumps about not being 'kasumi' anymore and more secure in herself and stuff like that. yay!

they beat maruki and stuff. YAY!

post-p5r: akira moves back to his hometown for 3rd year of highschool and college, goro is who-knows-where (i imagine he gets back on his feet of his own making and then goes abroad for school somehow. idk just seems like smth he'd do esp since i think he'd avoid everyone during this time) and sumire stays at shujin for 2-3rd year, then probably goes to a uni in japan but goes abroad for 1-2 yrs (gymnastics and etc.)

the "goro doesn't die and reunites with akira/sumi" timeline

goro, walking into leblanc on 2/4 or whatever: hi guys i didn't die actually

sumire: haha why would u silly? lol

akira: WHAT THE FUCK

the end.

i think they do go to separate universities though and theyre like damn wait i miss those guys but they go thru school and keep pretty decent contact w each other and see each other during vacations and stuff when they can and then when they come back to tokyo it's like no time has passed btwn them and they just pick up where 3rd sem left off but like better and happier and more peaceful. YAY!

i haven't really thought of how they "CONFESS" or whatever but i think all of them just feel (TWINGE OF JEALOUSY) at the idea of any of them dating someone else so theyre like ok well thats that i guess. we're a thing now (they refuse to use any other terms like that i think. For a while at least. until maybe one of the thieves etc gets engaged/married and then theyre like ok we can grow up about this. but basically they're just A Thing and Offlimits:tm: and etc.)

COMMUNICATION IS GOOD HERE!!!! i think for sh/uakes/umi i prefer them becoming a Thing at once rather than 1 couple happening first (esp since i like the idea of "none of them rlly understand romance and stuff so they just say 'fuck it' and become Thing" like thats kinda funny asf to me.)

i also feel like to anyone else they just seem like a group of besties until u see exchanged kisses or hugs or interlocked arms/hands and ur like wait....? hm. well idk. (bc they don't either. no one has any idea)

the "goro doesn't die and avoids them" timeline

also in my head sumire doesn't endeavor for the olympics/world stage/international fame and just kinda sticks around national rankings while she still figures herself out (in this timeline. also probably true for the other one but shrug IT CLD GO EITHER WAY I THINK)

somewhat relevant is my shsm fic where i elaborate on sumire's emotions more during this time (especially while thinking goro's dead). <- actually this is pretty recommended cele sumire reading bc this basically totally encapsulates how i see her. the first oneshot is 6k words tho ITS A MOUTHFUL.. SORRY

she and akira drift farrrr apart. she feels extremely guilty and also bitter and frustrated about goro's death and the fact that akira didn't tell her (or goro, in fact.) and he feels guilty and sad about it too, that he should have done something? anything? for him or for her, and he couldn't figure it out and now its over. so now the two of them r grappling w this and trying to overcome it and forget each other even tho the memories during 3rd sem, although painful and haunting, still were sweet and nice and they don't want to forget but they HAVE TO MOVE ON... RIGHT....

meanwhile goro's probably thinking like "damn i miss those guys." but they also think he's dead so hes also like "this is stupid i have to move on(?) Or whatever." ok imma be honest i didnt really think THAT much into goro's thinking during this time (YET.) bc i think he'd be floundering a LOT with everything during his life and being kinda just miserable.

also during this time they try to date other people and it all is miserable and falls apart and also they havent forgotten about the other two so theyre like fuck.

akira - 25~, sumire - 24~, goro - 26~, eventually goro moves back to tokyo and kinda just goes about his life hoping he'll see them again. or maybe find out what they were up to and finally get some closure. wow he does! they kinda all go back to tokyo at the same time wow shocker soulmate things IM JOKINGGGG but they all kinda hold that sentimentality of ok so much time has passed maybe i'll feel better about this place now. and then when they run into each other again its like no time has passed at all. HAPPY ENDING YAY!

communication is less good in this timeline now they're healing from the "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD" stuff. so thats a whole nother can of worms. probably ironically in this universe they try to actualyl figure out how this whole romance thing works so they can label each other as partners and be like OK DONT RUN OFF AGAIN. ANY OF U!!! DO NOT!!!!

ok this shit is so long im so sorry. HI. SDGSHKJFHJKDSHG THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE ASK IM BAWLING i really havent thought much of post-3rd sem stuff as u can tell........... but i WILL ipromise.

edit: LAST ADDENDUM im very passionate abt shsm being nightmare situationship. guys who never got together but got divorced 50 times. sh/uake fits into this category as well i think. i can also kinda see ak/esumi like that but ironically i feel like they'd have the most stable situationship out of the 3 individual ships..... idk.. need to let it all cook in my head a bit more BUT VERY PASSIONATE ABT THE SHSM THING.

[lacystar]

The shido exposee recording is so funny to me. Futaba has been preparing this for a while yet the rest of the PTs had no idea. But the entire plan is the video which is voiced over and recording of the PTs?? Unless what she was doing behind their backs was figuring out how to hack the broadcasts, which, ok maybe? But it really seems like she’s saying she’s prepared the video so I like to think she made AIs of their voices and made them do AI covers of her script like ppl do with characters and songs. But there’s elaborate animations and to prove they’re all alive they all stand in silhouette INCLUDING morgana and nobody asks about the tiny catshaped monster thing?? JOKER SHOWS HIS ENTIRE FACE TO PROVE HES ALIVE BUT NOBODY KNOWS HES THE LEADER OF THE PTS SO WHATS THE POINT?? THEY COULDVE HAD ANYONE DO IT AND LIED AND SAID THEY WERE THE LEADER?? THE ONLY THING THAT WOJLD DO IS SHOW AKECHI SPECIFICALLY JOKER IS ALIVE TO MAKE HIM INTERVENE AHAIN?? WAS THAT ON PURPOSE??? BC NOBODY ELSE WJO WOULD RECOGNIZE JOKER CPULD GET INTO THE METABERSE EXCEPT HIM. DID HE WANT HIM TO COME AFTER HIM,,? “HEY FUTABA DURING THIS PART LETS HAVE ME COME INTO THE LIFHT AND TALK SO MY GAY BF WILL KNOW IM OK”??? BUT SLSO IT JUST DOXXES HIM SO HE COJLD EASILY GET RECOGNIZED IN PUBLIC AFTER THIS?? HOW IS HIS LIFE NOT RUINED??? HIS GOICE ISNT PITCHED UP OR DOWN LIKE THE OTHERS?? YUSUKE SOUNDS SO WEIRD?? I CANNOT TELL IF RYUJI OR ANN IS THE FIRST ONE WHO TALKS. HOW DID FUTABA START MAKING THIS. THE SINGLE TIME JOKER STRINGS MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE TOGETHER IS HERE AND THE RESR OF THE GAME ITS JUST LIKE A WORD OR TWO. HOW DID FUTABA MAKE THIS .

[yusuke-of-valla]

Cats In The Cradle

A/N: I was cleaning out my drive again and found a fun little chat fic I forgot about!

AO3

Futaba: @everyone

Futaba: Guys.

Futaba: Inari’s on the Phan Site

Ryuji: What?

Yusuke: ?

Futaba: “Kitagawa Yusuke keeps having his demon cat attack unsuspecting students”

Ann: lol what?

Akira: Links

Futaba: https://www.phansite.jp/forums/post/20004563

Futaba: apparently the cat just jumps on people’s lunches

Makoto: do they mean Morgana?

Akira: Morgana’s never attacked anyone

Yusuke: The poster probably means Vincent

Yusuke: Which is preposterous, because Vincent mostly just sits in the corner unless he wants pets. He’s certainly not a demon.

Yusuke: Who could look at this face and call him a demon cat

Yusuke: IMG_20170116_1345.jpeg

Sumire: AWWWWWWW

Sumire: he’s such a cute kitty, is he a tabby?

Yusuke: Yes, though I wouldn’t call him a “kitty,” He’s around 13.

Sumire: all cats are kitties. Also tell him I love him

Yusuke: will do.

Akira: I didn’t know you had another cat.

Ryuji: Is Mona jealous?

Akira: He says he isn’t

Yusuke: Vincent used to hang out around the shack and I’d see him on the way to school. Then a few weeks after I moved into the dorms, he just showed up.

Sumire: awwwwwwwww

Makoto: They allow you to have pets in the dorm?

Yusuke: Well the dorm I’m in specifically is the “pet dorm” for students who want to have pets and keep the separate from students who have allergies or just don’t want to live near them

Yusuke: It was the only dorm that still had a room on such short notice.

Ann: Oh that’s so cool!

Akira: Is that why you were allowed to keep your lobsters?

Ryuji: Oh yeah, how are they doing?

Yusuke: Da Vinci and Rembrandt are doing well

Yusuke: IMG_20170116_1356.jpeg

Sumire: AWWWWWWW

Akechi: They’re just lobsters

Sumire: they’re adorable >:T

Akechi: :/

Haru: Sorry to get off topic but did anyone else read that full post?

Futaba: Nah, I just saw the title and texted everyone

Akechi: Wow. This person hates your guts

Yusuke: Huh, odd.

Ryuji: Wait, the way Akechi hates Akira’s guts or the way he hates other people’s guts?

Akechi: what?

Sumire: Definitely the way he hates Maruki

Akechi: Wait what does that mean

Yusuke: I believe they mean is the commentor’s hatred of me laced with homoeroticism or not

Akechi: MY HATRED OF JOKER IS NOT LACED WITH HOMOEROTICISM

Sumire: No need to get so worked up, we aren’t saying you want to have hate sex with him or anything

Ryuji: I am 100% saying that

Sumire: It just could go either way sometimes the way you talk about him

Akechi: I hate all of you

Ann: But not the way you hate Akira, which is the point

Akechi has left the chat

Makoto: Anyway

Makoto: Is this worth looking into?

Yusuke: Probably not.

Yusuke: They haven’t tried anything directly, we should just consider it a troll or vent comment.

Yusuke: I can hardly think of anything I’ve done to warrant this ire though

Futaba: reading between the lines, sounds like Vincent gets out and bothers him when he shit talks you and now he’s convinced you’re doing this somehow

Yusuke: I don’t think Vincent is that smart, he just likes that I feed him.

Sumire: Shush! He loves you and is defending you from bullies!

Yusuke: that’s a pleasant thought :)

Sumire: You should bring him to the cafe and he can hang out with Mona!

Haru: Do you think he’d wear cute outfits?

Akira: Mona wants to pick out the outfits if he’s wearing anything.

Ann: Oh I know a place that makes little cat-shaped macarons!

Sumire: Cat playdate! Cat playdate!

Akira: Cat playdate! Cat playdate!

Yusuke: Vincent seems ok with it.

Ann: Cat playdate!

Haru: Cat playdate!

Makoto: Cat playdate?

Ryuji: Cat playdate!

[awriternamedart]

“I'd thought you'd continue to avoid me. This rapid change in behavior is rather annoying, you know.”

Ryuji settled for glaring at the guy, not missing the way Akechi’s lips curled up at the sight. There seemed to be little to no end to their bickering, but Akechi assumed it was for the best.

To avoid meaningless conversation would be preferable. There was no need to compromise their mission sooner.

Which is why he was caught off guard when Skull had practically taken him by the arm and dragged him off during a recon meeting at the Palace entrance. So far, he had been one of the more.. agitated of the group, though he supposed that was to be expected. Kurusu’s right hand was an unwaveringly loyal dog.

Taking in a frustrated sigh, Akechi grimaced.

“Look, if Joker has put you up to this, we will drop it. I have no interest-”

“Akira didn't put me up for shit. ‘M doin this on my own, asshole.” Skull butted in immediately, slouching against the hedges. He seemed to scoff at the idea, almost. “He ain't like that. He'd talk to you himself.”

“Oh, I am fully aware of that.” Crow found himself acting haughty- it was one of the best ways to get under Skull’s skin. Not that it was hard to do, but his bursts of quick anger were quite refreshing. “But we really ought not waste meaningless time. We-”

“Oh, shut up, will ya? ‘M tryna apologize, damnit!”

..it was rare that someone other than Akira caught Akechi off guard.

“...excuse me?”

“Ugh- look, ok. Don't take this as me forgivin you or some bullshit like that.” Pushing off the hedge, Skull came around to face Crow, arms folded. “Knowin what you did to Futaba, Haru, and Akira? Like hell I'm ever forgivin you. But..”

He roughly scratched at his skull, grumbling.

“..Ya didn't feel like ya had a choice, didya.”

Akechi found himself momentarily stunned into silence.

“...how much did he tell you.”

“Hm? Who, Kira? Not much, nothin, actually. All I really know is he called me up after we took down that bastard and..” Something seemed to soften in Ryuji, the tenseness in his shoulders dying slightly as brown eyes sent a glance towards the leader of this ragtag band- one that he missed being sent back as he looked towards Akechi again. “..he mourned you, yknow.”

..what?

“...mourned?”

“Ya disappeared. Never showed up after Shido’s Palace was sent crashin. We all thought ya were.. yknow. We all kinda mourned you- I.. well, at least we regretted not turnin ‘round to save you.”

It took a few moments for the laughter to bubble up in Akechi’s throat.

“You?! Mourning me?!” How absurd!! These fools, mourning him?! He had betrayed them, attempted to trick them, pulled the trigger on two of their parents-!! And these fools mourned him?! “Don't try to coerce me with those pathetic lies! How could you even dream of mourning someone who played you from the start?!”

“Oh, shut up already!!” Skull's shout drew everyone's attention- anger scribbled across his tone in jagged strokes. Hands took Akechi’s shirt, dragging him forward in his anger so they were face to face- It took him two seconds to drop his voice as Akechi's crazed laughter was cut short. “You bastard- I watched him cry for you, and you fuckin laugh?!”

A sneer drew itself on Crow’s lips.

“Wasted tears.”

“You-!!"

“Skull.”

Both of them looked over as Joker approached them, his gray eyes ever piercing and wary. It was almost immediate, the way Ryuji scoffed and let go of Akechi, letting him stagger and catch his balance.

“Go back to your team, Kurusu- we’ve finished our conversation here.” Before Skull could open his mouth, Crow cut in, fixing his misshapen collar with a casual, snide smirk. Joker’s eyes were dragged to him, a mix of distrust and.. pain lingering in his gaze.

It made Akechi clench his teeth.

“...We’re heading to the Observatory safe room. We’ll go when the lineup forms.” His voice was clipped, but both Skull and Crow nodded nonetheless, waiting till Joker’s back was turned and heading back- Akechi about to follow.

“...Look, Akechi-”

“Don't.” Crow cut him off, turning to look at him sidelong. “I don't have time for your meaningless antics.”

“Cut it out with the bullshit already. Can't you see I'm at least tryin here?!”

“And I say we end this here. There's no point in-”

“Stop being such a pretentious ass and listen to me, damnit.”

Annoyance was rising in Akechi by the second. He simply did not know when to quit, did he? Couldn't he tell that Akechi was trying to spare him already?!

“Fine then. Spit it out, we are wasting precious time here.”

“Finally. Look- I aint about to try ‘n be your friend.” Coming up right beside Akechi, Ryuji slipped his hands in his pockets, kicking at the floor slightly. “But- ugh, I'm sorry for treatin ya like shit before. Again, I aint about to forgive ya either-! But we gotta work as a team here, for Yoshizawa and Akira.”

He stuck his hand out, shoving it between them. It was a jumpy, rough movement, almost as if it was forced.

“So.. truce, or whatever?"

Crow found himself staring. What kind of idiotic move was this, apologizing? To him?

He scoffed. Absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but pain would come of this.

…and yet he took his hand anyway, the two of them shaking before firmly pulling away.

“..Fine then. Ill accept your.. truce.” He rolled his eyes, wiping his hand off on his hip. “..that was a rather pathetic show, you know.”

“What was that, asshole?!”

-

An Attempt to Step Forward - awriternamedart

[monakisu]

i know ur a shuake fanboy buut do u have any thoughts on akekita? >_< (akechi n yusuke) im curious becuz not a lot of people ship it (within my knowledge) so 2 me itz like a small pearl in the vastness of the sea :3

IM BEING A NITPICKY BITCH BUT im an akeshu fanboy not shuake <<< ok ignore that ⚆_⚆💧 onto actually answering ur question:

i dont ship akekita but i like it a lot!! pretty much solely because one of my bffs ships it LOL. 90% of my worldview is derived from my friends so if they like something then Me Too (same thing for sumitaba (but i do hella ship that one 🎀🐹)). whenever i think of akekita i think of this one fic my friend talked about in which… oh my gosh my memory sucks… i think yusuke’s dorm BURNED DOWN?! so he rooms with goro but goro likes the situation too much so he keeps sabotaging and prolonging yusuke’s roommateship wahahaaha?? there might’ve been MORE arson involved?!? it’s so deviously in-character and hilarious and pathetic!!! so yes i enjoy akekita even if i’m normally leery of goro being shipped with anybody other than joker!!

i’m more curious than anything how akekita works tbh! i just dont know much about it beyond arson, so i’d like to hear its main appeal! ik akeshu’s main points are enemies to lovers and “two sides of the same coin” and toxic murderous fuckassery (´▽`ʃƪ)🩵