#same with the rest of the phantom thieves

[katsona-the-katsequel]

On second thought, maybe Haru would be a reserve member as well

Characters I would agree are members of the Shadow Ops

(Besides the P3 cast)

Tamaki Uchida

Eriko Kirishima

Kei Nanjo

Ulala Serizawa

Baofu

Yu Narukami

Yosuke Hanamura

Teddie

IF the Phantom Thieves were recruited:

Akira Kurusu

Morgana

Ryuji Sakamoto

(Goro Akechi if he's alive)

[eggs-can-draw]

Poppin smth over

[hifugoro]

thinking sooooo hard about the removed akechi mementos request. not only because we got to see him Ace Detective-ing (peak!) but because the moral of it all is so. Akechi. very long rant incoming

one of the major things that I think sets him apart from the rest of the thieves is that he doesn’t believe that circumstances lessen the effects of actions. like at all. there are multiple examples of this but the cutscene during marukis fight where he’s the only one to keep attacking (and him being the only one to show outright disdain towards maruki in general) + the thieves den conversation with yusuke about shido / madarame (Y: “Perhaps there was a certain misstep in his life that eventually led him so astray.” A: “So you’re saying he may not have been truly evil? Your drivel’s as outlandish as always…”) are ones that stand out to me most. he doesn’t care about what causes bad people to be the way they are, and he doesn’t care what otherwise good people’s intentions are when they do bad things. the act itself is what matters

it goes without saying that this extends to himself, I mean he outright states that he cant comprehend the phantom thieves not just killing him after the engine room fight. he didn’t mean that as a “wow... I can’t believe you’re being so nice to little old me….” moment. it was him being genuinely confused as to why they’re still trying to get him on their side. because he didn’t say anything he said to gain pity points with them, nor does he think the things he said deserve enough pity points to spare his life

and then you have this mementos request. in which a corrupt diet member has a son with his mistress, who subsequently commits suicide, and then falsely accuses the son of a crime many years down the line. “you all want to help that poor victim, don’t you?” akechi says. the poor victim, who was enacting a revenge plot on his criminal father that made him into a criminal as well. huh.

again, this is all coming from the guy who like a month ago, got a heartfelt speech about how he can still come back from what he’s done because the thieves can understand where he’s coming from. this happens at (arguably) his emotional lowest, where it probably hits harder than it could at any other time. and this is his direct response to that. this is him saying, in essence, that their kind words at the end were nonsensical, because his circumstances Don’t Matter

after he sends these texts, morgana goes “But akechi is just like him…” because it’s true, but that’s the Point. It makes no difference that akechi can empathize, and place himself directly in toji’s shoes. he had a hunch about the truth the entire time, and he still aided in making toji’s act of extortion exposed. understanding the viewpoint of someone who does bad things Does Not Matter to him

and that, to me, is what his sense of justice is at it’s core. which is why in the end, he doesn’t have that same sympathy for himself that everyone else does. he killed people. end of story. no other notes

and my god! I really wish they kept this in, because it really hammers in that extra layer he has to him. atlus do you hate me

[megaderping]

A while ago, I made a post going into parts of the missable Sae Palace arc text messages, such as these:

However, that post neglected to include a full transcript. I have since transcribed all of these texts, which occur on 10/30, 11/3, 11/7, and 11/11. You must not infiltrate Sae's Palace until after these dates in order to get these.

Transcripts below the cut! Crossposted to the P5 sub.

The first of these texts takes place on 10/30. You will miss this text if you infiltrate the Palace on the first available day.

--

Ryuji: Yo, Akechi.

Akechi: What is it?

Ryuji: You got any idea who the true culprit might be?

Futaba: Oh yeah! You said you saw a masked guy, right?

Haru: I wanted to ask about that too.

Futaba: Did you really see him? The masked guy's gotta be the true culprit, right?

Akechi: If this so-called true culprit is acting alone, then there can be no mistake about it.

Futaba: I see.

Yusuke: The next question is, who is that masked man?

Akechi: Unfortunately, I do not know that much.

Futaba: Ugh, you're useless.

Akechi: That is quite harsh.

Futaba: Aw, you're making me blush!

Ann: That wasn't a compliment...

Akechi: At this point, I have yet to even grasp any clues. But once this is dealt with, I will surely capture him. I promise you that.

We'll be counting on you.

Akechi: Perfect. Leave it to me. It may sound somewhat odd for me to say this, but I am an exceptional detective. I assure you, I will catch this culprit. Look forward to it.

Can you do it?

Akechi: Hm? Do you not trust me?

[The rest plays out the same as the other option.]

--

What's funny about this exchange is how the Thieves know Akechi's deal and are just playing along. It makes some of the reactions (especially from Haru and Futaba) read as comically passive aggressive. However, the more interesting texts start coming on 11/03, 11/07, and 11/11.

Starting with 11/03.

--

Ryuji: Goddamit. People're acting like we were the ones who killed 'em.

Yusuke: I have even heard them say we are assassins hired to deal with psychotic breakdown victims.

Ann: Ugh, that's obviously not what we're trying to do.

Akechi: This must be part of the plan to shift blame onto the Phantom Thieves. After all, the true culprit is the one killing the people on that ranking list.

This is unforgivable

Akechi: Indeed. I have no intentions of letting this slide.

This is total BS

Akechi: But that is the truth for the general public at the moment.

[Both lead to...]

Futaba: Man, this culprit guy really won't let up. I don't remember ever doing anything that'd make someone hate us THIS much.

Haru: He used my father as well...

Akechi: I cannot fathom what his motive may be... We will just have to capture and interrogate him.

Makoto: But before that, we need to change my sister's heart. That's our first step toward stopping him.

Akechi: I must agree. The true culprit will be caught, but before that we must deal with Sae-san. If ranking is being taken into consideration, perhaps I will be targeted too... Just kidding.

--

This tells us that Shido is deliberately having Akechi target high ranking targets on the PhanSite in order to terrify the public with abhorrent acts of violence, much like he did in April. It's a way to make people feel scared and more reliant on Shido to be the change that Japan needs. But if you secure the treasure as quickly as possible, you will miss this added information that really deepens how cruel he truly is by ordering hits just to paint a convenient narrative.

And this is definitely Shido's idea, because on 11/7 we get this gem...

--

Haru: Do you think the culprit could be someone at our school?

Yusuke: That seems somewhat sudden.

Haru: I mean, didn't they find a calling card in Principal Kobayakawa's office? I thought you had suggested that idea yourself, Yusuke.

Yusuke: That was just a generalization.

Haru: But if Mako-chan noticed what was going on with you guys, somebody else might have too.

Ann: So you think that "somebody else" is trying to frame us? What's gotten into you so suddenly?

Haru: Nothing has gotten into me. I just think there's a chance the culprit is related to Shujin...

You might be right. / There's no way.

[Both get the same response:]

Yusuke: What is all of this about? It's too soon to be jumping to conclusions like this.

Haru: Well, I was hoping to hear a professional opinion on the matter... What are your thoughts, Akechi-kun?

Akechi: The possibility is not zero, but it does seem a bit unlikely.

Haru: Why do you ask?

Akechi: A normal person would never do such a thing. They would have no reason to callously murder your principal.

Haru: And what if they weren't normal?

Akechi: Are you implying they kill for the sheer pleasure of it?

Haru: No, not like that. What I mean is, you need certain special abilities to navigate through that world, yes?

Akechi: Ah, so you're saying the culprit is a Persona-user.

Haru: Yes.

Akehci: I see... How perceptive. Truthfully, I was considering that possibility myself. But it is difficult to think they have ties to Shujin Academy.

Haru: Why?

Akechi: There would be no motive for them to carry out such a cruel plot. Clearly our culprit is acting behind the scenes to accomplish some grand objective. He likely has accomplices. It is even possible that he is being controlled by someone.

Makoto: Controlled? By whom?

Akechi: If I knew that, I do not think we would be in this much trouble.

Haru: I see... So even someone like you doesn't know, Akechi-kun.

Futaba: Looks like our genius detective's not so much of a genius after all.

Akechi: Haha, harsh as always. If there is one thing I know, it is that the culprit behind all of this is extremely shrewd. But don't worry. I will catch him, no matter what it takes.

I'm looking forward to that. / I wonder if you can do it.

Akechi: More importantly, we need to focus on changing Sae-san's heart for the time being. If we cannot do that, everything we have done will be for naught. We absolutely must succeed here.

--

There is so much to unpack here. By far, it's my favorite of these texts because of the light it sheds on Akechi's motivations and intentions. First, we have Haru pressing the subject. She clearly wants to squeeze answers out of Akechi. She's subtly putting him on the spot because she knows...

But Akechi lets slip that no, actually, he doesn't do this for pleasure. That actually, he is being controlled and that the true mastermind is someone shrewd that he intends to take down. Amidst all of Akechi's lies and platitudes during this part of the story, we see a crack in his perfectly prepared mask. In a way, this is the most honest we've seen Akechi outside of his Royal confidant and on 8/28 and 9/3. In a way, he's sharing little slivers of himself with the rest of the team (either begrudgingly or for reasons he doesn't fully understand) the way he already has with Joker.

And it actually explains a few things that happen later. Namely, the way he downplays the need to kill the other Phantom Thieves until after the election (keep in mind, he does intend to knock Shido down from his pedestal) as well as treating Morgana as "just a cat." Obviously, this doesn't absolve Akechi of his guilt, but it does make it clear that he isn't as remorseless as a lot of people believe, even if no amount of sunk cost fallacy is gonna undo the damage he's done.

Hell, when combined with his lamentation that he didn't meet Joker years ago in the engine room and his reaction to Morgana explaining changes of heart, these texts further solidify that his feelings toward both Joker and the Thieves are extremely complex and absurdly messy.

Plus we get Haru and Futaba both taking shots at him, which is fun and also extremely deserved. :p

Moving on, there's one final missable November text on 11/11. It goes as follows:

--

Akechi: So, about the investigation... It seems they have no evidence that can truly be called as such.

Ryuji: Well duh.

Akechi: However, it seems they have no intentions of changing their plans.

Ann: They're going to investigate at both Shujin Academy and Leblanc, right?

Akechi: Indeed.

Makoto: Hm. I can understand Shujin... But why Leblanc?

Akechi: The key is Wakaba Isshiki.

Futaba: Is it cause of my mom's research?

Akechi: Correct. Her study of cognitive psience is closely connected to this case. Of that, there can be no doubt.

Futaba: Then this guy's really the mastermind behind all of this?

Akechi: That would be the case. There can be no mistake... The one who erased cognitive psience from this world is surely the culprit behind everything.

Makoto: And getting rid of the research was the only way they could use its powers?

Akechi: How perceptive of you. Yes, that is the only logical conclusion. Both Sae-san and I were searching for clues about that research. But just as we were about to deepen our investigation, this commotion began. And to make things even more troublesome... There was only one person with strong connections to both Shujin Academy and Leblanc. And that person turned out to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

Yusuke: So the culprit had calculated all of this in advance?

Akechi: Heavens no. That would be impossible. This was a miracle created by the coinciding of multiple chance situations.

Ryuji: Dude, you hear that? He says you got miraculously bad luck. Don't that make you feel good?

I'm so lucky.

Ryuji: Y'know, shitty luck is still luck.

That's not funny.

Ryuji: C'mon, you gotta be able to laugh it off at this point.

Haru: Yes, your luck really is impressive.

Akechi: At any rate, that's the current state of things. And that's why we must obstruct the investigation at all costs.

Makoto: Yes, that's our intention.

--

Once again, we have Akechi laying it on thick that Shido is the one behind everything, as he was the one who ordered the hit on Wakaba, stole her research, and had his own research team develop it further. And keep in mind, Shido's own words, first on 11/21...

"Those who get in the way must be eliminated at times—that's the correct way to use the Metaverse."

And later, his Shadow states, "Moreover, it was thanks to me that Akechi was able to properly use his power to begin with."

So we know that even the idea of inducing mental shutdowns came from him, even if Akechi offered his Metaverse abilities as part of his stupid revenge plan.

What this shows is Akechi wants to hint that there is this bigger puppet master, even if he's going to betray the Thieves, and this is actually really consistent with his Royal confidant. In Rank 7, he uses a billiard games as a metaphor for the upcoming betrayal kill and gives Joker an out, even if he's much happier if you assert your rivalry instead. This makes his warnings about the connections to Wakaba carry a very similar feeling, and since these texts were in Vanilla, it's likely that the Royal confidant built on this foundation.

But then there's the fact that the Thieves are fully in the know that Akechi is going to betray them, so it recontextualizes all these texts where they are genuinely trying to squeeze as much info out of him as they can and likely having to restrain themselves hard (especially Futaba and Haru).

And all of this you will never see unless you delay the infiltration until 11/12. So, the next time you play Persona 5 Royal, it might be worthwhile to delay Sae's Palace to see these in-game! They're really cool and it's a shame they aren't scripted events.

[floweryfandomnerd]

@akechi-stole-my-heart with the great addition in the tags <3 your analysis is so good

Has anyone else noticed that Akechi is literally the combination of the Phantom Thieves' personal stories? Like he has basically lived through their trauma collectively.

Examples I guess:

Ren: Wild Card, manipulated by god(s) in a game, wronged by the justice system and society

Ryuji: Raised by a poor single mom, forced to endure hardships for her sake, abused by those in power

Ann: social outcast for her birth status, struggles in the entertainment industry

Yusuke: Lost his mother at a young age, placed into an abusive foster home, father figure used him and manipulated him

Makoto: High expectations, no tolerance for failure from those above her, wears a mask over her true self in order to be more "socially acceptable", constantly considered a burden to those who have to care for her

Futaba: blamed for her mother's death, lives with the guilt of her mother's death

Haru: Cartoonishly evil capitalist father

[emilianatsuki]

One of my favorite things about how Persona 5 portrays Ren is that much like the rest of The Phantom Thieves he has his own issues he's struggling with. However unlike the rest he never really faces them outright until the fear of losing Akechi overtakes his mind.

Akechi is a physical representation of what Joker could turn out to be if he didn't have the support of his friends and new found family. However he's also a physical representation and reminder to Ren that he hasn't faced his issues outright. He just bottles them away.

This is a big reason the ending of both Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal make me emotional. The development he receives from his time as a Phantom Thief is pushed down since he doesn't have the same support he had the previous year.

We can see in Persona 5 Strikers how Ren relapses into using his fake glasses a mask and coping mechanism due to his struggles at being perceived after his trauma from the times he tried to help people in the past.

Ren also loses the one person in the world who truly understood him. Akechi is gone the moment he found comfort and understanding with him. Unlike other Persona protagonists Ren's fate is tragic but in a realistic way. I just wish he was allowed to be happy.

[knnichs]

if you could be mine, if we could be us

— wherein he realizes that he's fallen in love with you.

c. akira, akechi, ryuji, yusuke

t. fluff, gn!reader, reader is a member of the phantom thieves and is a persona user, joker & akira have incredibly opposite personalities (tad bit exaggerated), kamoshida & madarame mention (sorry), yusuke forgives madarame, minor spoilers for akechi & yusuke, no/very little dialogue, wc: 1.5k

The mementos may not be the best time to think about it, but Akira can’t help but blush. He finally noticed that he has feelings for his best friend.

After hearing the rest of the group tease him about having a soft spot for you—you would expect the leader of the Phantom Thieves to be a little smart, but he’s surprisingly unfazed that they realized it before he did.

Recently, you saw how Joker had been more of a show-off during battle. With flashy moves and unnecessary very cliche lines when interrogating a shadow, (which you are very sure he practiced in front of the bathroom mirror in Leblanc) all while having the energy to have a signature finishing move when defeating an opponent. He becomes more chatty, more confident—more cocky. You love seeing Joker enjoying his time, but in all honesty it’s a bit unsettling. The usually quiet-but-snarky leader is suddenly talkative. What happened?

As a joke, you confronted him about it in a teasing manner. “Joker, somethin’ good happen?” You would say. All you will get is a smile as he waves off the question, “Nothing specific happened.”

Unfortunately, as soon as you return to reality, he will continue back to his usual self. It’s as if a shift happened to his entire personality as soon as he had the mask on. The truth is, being in the metaverse does somewhat help with how he is feeling. It gives him the confidence boost he needs to be just the tiniest bit more like a guy you could only read in books. He still acts like a proper gentleman, even in reality, but his metaverse self—Joker, is exactly the kind of person who would unironically steal your heart. Being on television and having fangirls of his own, you would at least expect him to take advantage of his charm just to impress you, no?

Akechi isn’t surprised. Not the slightest bit.

You were always willing to help him with academics—despite him already being smart to handle his studies and detective work. You say it’s so that he doesn’t go home so tired all the time. Each time he smiles and refuses your offer, saying he’s able to perfectly balance his work life with his school curriculars. Though this does lead to him being over exhausted one too many times.

You end up visiting Akechi in his apartment when you find the time, inviting him to a night out to destress. There is a slim chance you will find him in a vulnerable state; Drowsy and tired, heavy eyebags from another night of staying up. Maybe he hasn’t slept at all and has to decline your offer to take time to rest. Sometimes he is in a good mood, having free time after accomplishing another case and telling you about it as he invites you to his room. Other times he is incredibly busy, schedule packed with deadlines racking up. He’s exhausted and doesn’t have enough social battery to hang out with someone for the whole day, and you completely understand that. Being a student, a detective, and a celebrity all at once is overwhelming.

You do your best to show that you care about him with those little gestures. Copying notes he might’ve missed, saving presentations, and making reviewers for him to easily study when finals are near. He’s incredibly thankful for that, and in turn, he shows that he notices those gestures of yours by doing the same thing to you. He’s never had anyone that cared about him this much, and that alone is enough reason for him to slowly fall in love with you. Akechi would pick up little details and your small quirks and keep them in mind—your go-to drink, favorite restaurant, how you act when you’re especially stressed, he takes lots of mental notes on your behavior so he is well prepared to handle your little emotional outbursts.

He finds it easy to charm people with his looks and very outgoing personality, he has used this to try and woo you to like him—maybe your actions towards him had some sort of meaning and that you liked him. Unfortunately, it completely backfired. He ended up catching feelings for you in the process as soon as he saw you as someone who liked him for who he was. For some odd reason, this detective is not exactly good with love.

Ryuji gets nervous around you. Sweaty palms and stuttering sentences—you have this effect on him and he can’t break out of it.

You outshone the sun with your presence alone. He is very much so affected by it, Ryuji has never noticed this before with anyone else he’s been with. You were kind, compassionate, you loved helping people around you. Seeing how you were as eager to take Kamoshida down with him—with the rest of the Thieves—made him think that the two of you were on the same page when it came to thinking.

Ryuji is… Not the best person to rely on for academics, but he surely makes up for it with other things. With his (pretty much) outgoing personality, he does find it easier to invite you out to little “friendly” dates, he’d say. Having Ryuji as your food buddy is a good experience, and having him as a friend is an even better one. When you’re in an especially rough slump, he’s willing to be there by your side as a personal hype man. He would say he delivers the best pep talks and speeches, putting corny jokes into them to lighten the mood, and it’s safe to say that you laugh easier with him too.

He’s good at cheering you up, he doesn’t like seeing you in a tough spot. He loves your company too—so to see or even hear that anything bad happened to you is a no-go for him. It takes a while for it to register that he started having feelings for you, he’s pretty oblivious, even to himself. So you may need to initiate the first move at times. Once it’s hit him, he’ll be a little bit more extra clingy, but a little distant at the same time. He’s a bit overwhelmed with the butterflies you give him, but give it time and he’ll do his best to make a move on you too.

Yusuke wonders if you’re sick of him yet.

He’s constantly asking you to model for his paintings, constantly bugging you to go with him to visit parks and shrines. Museum trips are definitely a must when you meet with him, and you most likely have to pay for the entrance fee as well. And the food, and the little souvenirs they have. (Well, the souvenirs were your choice. You thought he would appreciate the gift.) With him being short on money because of his passion, he understands if you ever stop wanting to respond to his messages. Surprisingly, you do not. You plan some of those hangouts yourself—and Yusuke is, well… Touched, you could say.

He shows his appreciation by being a little more open with you, trusting you with more of his feelings; ranting to you about certain missions you did in the mementos or how Joker is a bad driver, maybe how his art block is eating him alive and it's frustrating how he can’t find the proper inspiration. One topic about Madarame, how he still found the will to forgive him even after all he did to him and his mother. You listened, of course, and you’re glad he openly trusts you with these kinds of things.

Another way he shows that he is appreciative of what you do is with gifts. Traditional boxes of chocolates or handmade letters (made to look like calling cards) for holiday greetings, portraits of you, sketches of you, doodles of you… Suddenly everything about his life has been about you. He doesn’t dare show his sketchbook to everyone, god forbid. But you do notice him excessively asking you to pose in front of a gorgeous scenery in the park as he scribbles on a notepad. Weeks later, you never really see him make a painting of it despite saying so. He says it’s only to gain motivation, or to get himself warmed up to draw again—but truth be told; You just looked as gorgeous as the flowers that bloom in the bushes behind you, the clear, blue lake, and the sunny weather itself. Everything started to remind him of you, and he can’t help but pull up his contacts on his phone and call you again to have an “inspiration” walk.

this was absolutely adorable to write. can you tell who my favorite character is sob... anyway! this is my official debut to being a persona author too,, erm requests are open heart for persona 5! maybe not 3 yet. because i am in the very early stages.. ignore how i tagged this like an ao3 fi

[azrielhours]

Company of Phantoms

Azriel x Reader

Word count: 2k

Synopsis: Azriel has a crush that's overtaking his life. He's so obsessed with her that he starts hallucinating her lol.

A/N: inspired partly by The Haunting of Hill House and this

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Azriel sat and watched, thanked the Mother for all his training for the privilege it allowed him to take her in. Hell—if all the knowledge he possessed peaked and surrendered to this, the holy act of observing her, if this was all it was good for, Azriel would be content. He even felt lighter about the horrors of his past, felt an absolved ease knowing it all would end with this act of penitence. An arm’s-length indulgence.   

With her.

But she was starlight, an ectoplasmic celestial body that glowed. She smiled so big and bright it made his breath catch. He’d have to look away sometimes to relieve the ache she carved into his chest.  

If she shone any less, it would be an act of mercy.

But Azriel had always veered on the side of masochism.

He was afraid his darkness would make her wink out. Didn’t want to be the cause of her dimming. Would never dream of contaminating that joy. Even when she’d smile at him, even when he’d struggle to return it, left instead with the sight of hers faltering at his coldness.

He could stand the shame sluicing through his chest cavity, take the sting of hurt all for the assurance he’d insist to himself—that this was the noble thing.

Everyone adored her, and it was what she deserved. The foul-mouthed temptress she was, making males redden at the dirty jokes she told, laughing bright and beautiful. The empathy she dealt like medicine that drew friends to her like a siren luring sailors. Secret keeper. Rhys doted on her, bought her jewelry to watch her face light up. Azriel never missed how his brother’s face would crinkle with adoration, with the ease of loving her when she opened his stream of gifts.

She was easy to love.

It was like she was slotted just right to each person.

He often wondered how she would mould to him should he ever open up, to return her generous smiles that had begun growing seldom.

She was soft with Feyre, creative and adventurous. Often found up to various artistic schemes no one else understood, discussing motifs and strokes, tragedy and yearning. Gone for hours to emerge with bright eyes and paint smears.

She cried to Cassian, and it was an effort to reign in Azriel’s envy, to listen to the drowning voice of reason telling him to be glad she was being comforted rather than to rage at his thieving brother as he’d stroke away her tears with gentler hands than those dealt to him in his life. She’d lie next to Nesta on her heavier days. Read to her, talk about foreshadowing and hope that made Nesta’s eyes light up.

It was always light brought to others. Her contagious aura.

And damn him, it was like his youth all over again, watching his brothers care for Mor, watching how she fit seamlessly.

How she chose Cassian. Never him. How she cried to Rhys, never him.

It seemed Azriel would always be haunted by the ghosts of his past.

And damn him for still possessing that otherness that punctured holes in his chest then, the same holes now that made it impossible to heave in a full breath, to sleep soundly. An undead soldier. It’d been weeks of this incessant torment. His heart would palpitate til his body perceived a threat. No sleep in the night—thoughts of her haunted him, taunting—so he’d pace like a lingering spirit.

He could see her always.

In the dark quiet of the house, there’d be a flash of silk around corners. Someone tossing hair over a shoulder. The echo of a laugh in another hallway. He’d creep to it, try to spy it out only to be met with empty corners.

Yet there in his peripherals, at the ends of hallways in the dark—

Again and again—glimpses.

His ghost.

His bed had become a grave, no peace found in it to rest. No food for the dead, only scraps—libations offered into the fire that was his belly. In the fleeting moments of rest, oftentimes in armchairs in all the wrong rooms, he’d meet her. She glowed even there, that phantom halo that marked a ghost. A beacon of light to his shadowy storm. She’d hold his hands and love him. And when he’d fade back to consciousness, in the early morning hours, if he sat still long enough, he knew he would hear her murmurs echoing down the halls.

Azriel wanted with all his might, wanted like it was his purpose.

Wanted like it could possibly mean something. Do something.

Wanting was all Azriel knew.

Beneath his shadows, beneath the contained lethal capacity of his body, any semblance of sanity, beneath ancient bone and immortal rot, he wondered if his soul was made purely of desire.

It made sense then, he supposed, that if he was wanting at his basest self, he would dream about nothing more than to have the unattainable. A ghost.

A wish.

It was impossible to eat. Sleeplessness stole his appetite. He consumed coffee in the morning and drank on an empty stomach in the evening. Nesta saw—she knew, pressing fruit and bread in his hand sometimes, but mostly she was quiet, which Azriel thanked her for in equal silence.

Tell her, Az, she whispered once. He’d shaken his head, and that was that.

Sometimes when everyone was home, he could pretend like it didn’t exist, the pull to her. He’d try to relax in his flesh and participate in having a family, but then she’d walk into the room, having just come home from somewhere Azriel knew every detail about.

The effort to not stare, to not care nor assess, to calm his heart, his mind—the shift out of the state of pretended calmness to an even worse pretence of calmness—the stream of thoughts that would pummel his brain would jolt so violently, the wanting was so violent that Feyre would flinch.

He couldn’t stand it—the lying. He knew everyone was doing it. Pretending they didn’t see what haunted him. At the first damned prod of a dark talon at his mind, Azriel stood, leaving. Ignoring how she peered at him with a pinch between her brows, stepping out of the path.

Azriel exhaled, watched his breath curl in the cool night air. Closed his eyes in exasperation as he heard footsteps approaching on the balcony. Whatever wise words Rhys may attempt to offer could be shoved up—

“Azriel,” Feyre spoke gently.

He turned, taking in his High Lady. “Feyre, I don’t really—”

“Az,” she cut him off, “I—don’t mean to pry. But you’re not—” she exhaled. “I know you haven’t been eating, and Rhys says—”

“It’s fine, Feyre,” he said softly. It was his own fault for not reigning in his thoughts. He wondered how much more he’d been broadcasting in his state, made clumsy by restlessness. If Feyre knew of the glimpses he trailed after at night—the ghost chasing.

She frowned, concern swimming in her eyes. Insomnia can cause hallucinations, she spoke gently into his mind.

Azriel scoffed. “I’m not hallucinating.”

Feyre stepped closer, caressing his elbow. “You know, if you’d just talk to her—”

“I can’t.”

She paused for a beat. “I can help put you to sleep, if you want.”

He just shook his head. Feyre accepted his boundary, leaving him to linger in his purgatory. He stayed, breathing in the cold until things quieted in the house.

Re-entering the emptied lounge, he sat, meeting wakefulness like a reluctant ally. His shadows curled at his cold ears. In her room, they informed. Saying goodnight.

Azriel listened to the sounds of his family settling in. He closed his eyes, envisioned how she might look, if she was perhaps brushing her hair, how she might look in the dim glow of a faelight. Settled and safe. Or—even better, he imagined her coming down, seeking him out. How lovely she’d look descending the stairs. If he focused hard enough, he could make out the sound—

Azriel opened his eyes, awaiting the gentle creak of wood.

His heart skipped a beat. Was she indeed coming to him?

He rose, quietly making his way to the stairs, wanting to see her descend to him.

Her steps were growing closer, and Azriel peered up the darkened stairwell—

She must’ve turned around, but Azriel caught the glow of an aura at the top, around the corner.

He made his way up, listening with all his might.

There—the rustle of silk. He sent his shadows ahead in the dark, not wanting to frighten her.

Clear, they whispered. He stalked down the hall, turning corners, walking past the low chatter behind various bedroom doors. He was nearly at the end of the hall when—

At her door, a shadow curled at his ear. Azriel frowned, if she was at her door, how could she—

A soft feminine laugh made him turn. Nothing, but he was sure—

There was that silk again, trailing around a corner.

Azriel blinked, making his way over. She was looking for him, he was certain.

More pacing around the darkened halls, trying to catch sight of that silk again.

Azriel.

He froze.

She’d called him.

A few walls over, he could recognize that voice. He whipped his head in the direction, creeping over.

Nothing.

Azriel.

There—again, he turned the other direction, blindly following.

Azriel.

He walked faster, his shadows swarming all around his body and up the walls, trying to catch his name.

Azriel.

Azriel.

“Azriel?”

He jolted, turning to the source.

Y/N stood in her doorway directly to his side, making him halt in his tracking. She took in the agitated churning of his shadows, burying him in darkness.

She was—there she was.

Azriel took a step toward her. She’d called him.

“Y/N,” he breathed.

She looked up at him wide-eyed. “Are you—alright?”

He assessed her. She—how could she be here so quickly, if he’d seen—

He looked around the hall, trying to make it make sense. He frowned, turning back to her. She was partially behind the threshold of the door, apprehension tensing her form under his scrutiny, the restlessness marking darkness beneath his eyes.

He was making her nervous.

Azriel immediately reigned in his shadows, relaxing his stance to a neutral posture rather than his previous mid-prowl stride, tucking his hands behind his back.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke gently. “I thought I…did I wake you?”

She shook her head, stepping more fully in the doorway, making Azriel relax. “No, I—your shadows were under my door, and when I came to them, I could hear…someone wandering outside.”

Azriel blinked. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

She bit her lip, assessing him. “It’s alright. Why were you pacing?”

“I, uh—I couldn’t sleep.”

She nodded. “I heard Rhys tell Feyre you’ve been having trouble sleeping,” she said quietly.

Azriel’s shoulders slumped, his head dipped in confirmation.

She nodded again in thought, peering up at him again with that wonder. Azriel should’ve taken Feyre up on her offer, should’ve known better. He should apologize again and stop bothering her— “Would you, um, like to come in?”

Azriel’s breath caught.

She shifted her weight. “If—if you can’t sleep, I mean—I’m awake, and—”

“Yes,” he said.

Surprise lit up her eyes despite her offer, and she nodded and stepped aside to let him in.

Azriel’s heart was in his throat. His sleep-deprived state blurred the edges of his reserve, but he allowed himself to take the opportunity.

In her room, he took in the warm space. She closed the door behind him and came to stand beside him. She was indeed in a nightgown, hair unbound, glowing as usual. He averted his gaze when she blushed beneath his stare.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I haven’t had much rest lately.”

“That’s okay,” she said, stepping closer. “I know, I—usually I can hear you pacing at night,” she confessed. He hadn’t realized he’d been that overt. She beckoned him to walk to her bed, perching at the end of it. She smiled, gently patting the space next to her.

Azriel swallowed, making his way to her.

She looked to her bed and back at the Spymaster. “I, uh—you do look tired, Azriel.”

“Do I?” he was pleasantly surprised to find contentment in her space—in her presence. The longest he’d ever spoken to her, and it turned out to be easier than breathing.

“Mhm,” she nodded, taking him in. She raised a hand to his face, tracing the bruises beneath his eyes with gentle fingertips. “Poor thing,” she breathed, frowning. “I know how hard it can be to have insomnia.”

She lowered her hand, clasping them in her lap. She looked to the pillows again, then back to him. Azriel resisted the upward tug of his lips, seeing how long it would take her to invite him to sleep.

How careless did sleeplessness make him, indeed.

He simply nodded. “It is hard.”

“It helps if you feel someone,” she spoke softly, blushing. “I sometimes sleep with one of the girls.”

Azriel hummed in thought.

“Or—you know, we can get you a sleeping tonic.”

“We could try that.”

She suddenly averted his gaze, crossing her arms across her abdomen. In a small voice, she said, “I know you don’t—like me, Azriel, but—”

He frowned. “I do like you,” he interjected.

She paused, meeting his gaze. “You do?” The vulnerability swimming in her eyes made him shift closer to her on the bed.

“I do.” He thanked the Mother for the inhibition of his judgement.

She was silent for a beat. “But—you leave the rooms I enter,” she said in that small voice.

Azriel’s heart broke. He dared to reach a hand out, gently taking hers. “It’s—it’s because I like you,” he said lowly.

Her mouth parted in an o shape, and she squeezed his hand, a small smile overtaking her lovely face.

“You were my ghost,” he muttered.

Confusion drew her brows together. “What?”

Azriel smiled, a laziness creeping up his body that he’d missed for weeks. “I’ll explain it in the morning.”

Her brows shot up, pink tinting her cheeks. “In the morning?” Another glance to the bed.

Azriel laughed. “Unless you want to hear it now.”

She smiled, tentative and sweet, shaking her head. “The morning will do.” She rose, taking his hands in both of hers, prompting him to rise. He held her stare, let her pull him to the head of her bed. She tugged back the covers, sliding under and patting the space next to her again.

Azriel toed off his shoes, took off his outermost layers, placing his belt and various assets onto her dresser. She pulled her knees to her chest, watching intently as he offloaded in her space, basking in the belonging.

When he at last slid beneath the cover, he lay on his back next to her. She reached for his hand beneath the covers, clasping it. Without saying a word, he squeezed her hand. He felt the tension seep out of his body, felt heaviness in his eyelids that matched the one in his chest. She shuffled closer to him so they lay shoulder to shoulder. He didn’t dare move, let her settle against his arm, still only holding his hand under the covers.

As rest crept up on him for the first time in weeks, his restless thoughts were calmed by the warmth of her presence, the kindness he allowed himself to finally taste.

“You know,” she muttered in the dark. “With all your pacing, I was beginning to wonder if this place was haunted.”

Azriel huffed out a laugh. “Imagine that.”

He could hear the smile on her lips. “Guess it was just our sneaky Shadowsinger.”

Azriel shook his head, smiling. “Guess so.”

She turned, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Goodnight Azriel.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

~

taglist: @iimisty-a @feyretopia @aroseinvelaris @cullenswife @reiincarnatiion @sfhsgrad-blog @answer-the-sirens @mrstangerinejohnson @marigold-morelli @courtofjurdan @azriels-mate123 @emotionless-lover @marina468 @slvtherinseeker @owllover123 @banasheefan56 @nyotamalfoy

[frickingnerd]

no more what ifs

pairing: akira kurusu / ren amamiya / joker x gn!reader

summary: a look inside akira's diary reveals all the thoughts the boy has had about you, including his feelings for you..

tags: wholesome & silly fluff, use of y/n, confession, kissing

"oooh, what's this~?"

akira and you had been waiting for the rest of the phantom thieves to join the two of you at leblanc and while you were upstairs, in his room, you were checking out the interior, when you came across a little notebook. 

"huh?"

akira had been too busy looking at his phone, exchanging messages with ryuji in the group chat, to notice the little book in your hands. by the time he looked up and spotted it in your hands, it was already too late and you were flipping through the pages of it. 

"w-wait, that's not something you should be seeing!"

he shouldn't have said that, because now you knew you had to find out what he was keeping a secret in here! 

"is this a diary?"

you turned one page after another at a rapid speed, just glancing at the pages, before moving on to the next one, before you found a certain side that caught your attention. 

"you looked so pretty today, y/n. i could barely look at you, without my face turning red. though i wished i could see you like this more often. your beauty had me captivated and i could swear i feel in love with you even further"

you quietly read the words out loud, your cheeks turning red as you realized what you were just reading. was this a confession? 

"y/n, give me that!"

akira had gotten up by now, quickly snatching the notebook from your hands. his face almost had the same color as yours – a dark red! just by seeing your face, akira knew that you had read at least one of his confessions he had written down in his notebook. 

"s-sorry, i… i didn't know that you…"

"can we just… forget about this?"

akira sighed softly and stepped back, letting himself fall onto his bed. 

"n-no, i–"

his eyes widened as you told him no. why wouldn't you want to forget this? it was absolutely embarrassing, having his crush find out he liked them thanks to his unfiltered thoughts being written down like this. 

"i don't want to forget…"

"and why wouldn't you…?"

akira could swear that your red cheeks darkened even more. 

"because… what you wrote there was really sweet. and… sometimes, i have similar thoughts. about you…"

now akira was the one who could swear his cheeks somehow got even more red.

"you do…?" he got up from his bed again, slowly walking towards you. 

"i do…" the gap between you closed and akira now stood in front of you, smiling down on you. 

"then… would you mind if i… kissed you?"

if you had flipped down a few pages further, you would've seen more of his unfiltered thoughts about you, including a detailed paragraph about how kissable your lips looked. 

"only if i get to read a bit more from your diary~" akira chuckled and leaned in, his lips hovering close to yours. 

"deal~" he whispered, before gently pressing his lips onto yours. 

[cake-apostate]

You know what would be fun? If having a Persona leaked into the rest of your life. Well, maybe not for the users, but it would be fun for us.

In Persona 2, Reiji Kido and Kenta Yokouchi are both door-to-door salesmen who work for the same company, but Kenta is successful where Reiji is not. Kenta’s Persona Mara induces greed in customers, while Reiji’s Persona Mot induces fear.

Imagine if we saw that elsewhere. Like, what if having a Persona made you fluent in the language they’d know? (And you didn’t lose it if you got an Ultimate Persona?)

Since all the starting Personas in Persona 3 are Greek, SEES uses Ancient Greek to pass messages during the day. Sometimes at the dorm, they wind up chatting and don’t realize that they switched to Greek; this happens a few times when Ryoji is over.

Ryuji realizes that English class is suddenly a lot easier with Captain Kidd. He understands everything the teacher says! Except his teacher has no idea how to grade his essays, which appear to have been written on Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Not just language things, too. There’s some inconvenient stuff as well.

One fine spring day, Sae asks Makoto why she hasn’t cooked meat in weeks, and Makoto can’t answer. It’s only after she checks the calendar that she realizes that it’s Lent, when meat is traditionally forbidden.

It turns out that Makoto’s been subconsciously following rules laid down by the Church, because of Johanna. She doesn’t get the rules that interfere with her own set of morals, such as anything involving the subjugation of women, nor ones that are unavoidable, such as not wearing mixed fabrics, but she does wind up following the rest. When she goes grocery shopping, she doesn’t think, “I will not cook meat,” she thinks, “fish would be good for dinner.”

Yusuke can’t stand hot baths anymore, because Goemon was executed by being boiled alive. Luckily, he’s not bothered by cold anymore.

Tatsuya and Katsuya wake up at dawn every morning because of Apollo and Helios, which is good for early shifts, but they also tend to start fading after sunset. Maya, on the other hand, now has a seemingly erratic sleep schedule because the moon rises and sets at different times.

Baofu is always late because like Odysseus, something always stalls him. 

Some of the Phantom Thieves, and also Jun and Junpei, keep finding their hands in other peoples’ pockets because their Personas were pickpockets. Or they don’t notice at all and find stuff in their bags that they don’t remember buying. Yusuke finds that he keeps giving money to beggars, but it’s always money that he doesn’t remember stealing, since Goemon gave back to the poor.

But there’s fun stuff, too.

Futaba now knows dark magic. She almost makes a prototype Demon Summoning Program, but gets bored halfway through and stops. It is implied that this was divine intervention; the Nahobino is seem outside her window, sighing in relief.

Junpei starts brewing potions as energy drinks and sleep aids, since Hermes Trismegistus is an alchemist.

Jun subconsciously bends time around himself, so he’s never late, never has to wait long, and he always gets his homework and paperwork done much faster. However, he knows that his bosses usually measure work done by time spent, so he’s figured out how to work around that.

One day, the modeling company asks Ann to show off her special talent, and since ‘whip techniques’ gets vetoed, she blurts out that she sings. The manager expects some cute pop music, and is startled when she starts bellowing Italian opera.

[katsona-the-katsequel]

If we were to seriously consider a Protag Swap AU, then most of the protags are fucked.

Let's consider P5 for this scenario, since its the most well-known story. The protags considered are Naoya, Tatsuya, Maya, Minato, Kotone, and Yu (and remember, the events of P5 also shape them as they go). Of course, all of them defended the woman and got sued.

I can see everyone but Maya becoming friends with Ryuji and Ann. Those two would get babysitter vibes from Maya instead of reliable older sister (sorry, queen, but maybe you shouldn't have unironically adviced them to Live, Laugh, Love. You're also not a student and have nothing to do with Shujin). We only have Naoya, Tatsuya, Minato, Kotone, and Yu left.

Out of all of them, only Minato, Kotone and Yu would give Akechi the time of day. The rest were either weirded out by his attitude, too annoyed by his plastic smile, or decided it wasn't worth it to get too close to someone investigating the Phantom Thieves (or all of them at the same time). Without the Akechi confidant, the others lost a lot of intel and clues the Phantom Thieves actually got to put the pieces of the mystery together and an ally for the Third Semester.

Kotone never began the Kawakami confidant due to not being invited to Operation Maidwatch. Shame, because she would have reacted a lot like Akira did in lots of main events. I also don't want to put her through the interrogation torture.

Now that I think about it, Yu would have been a smidge more reluctant about the regular Change of Hearts business that the Phantom Thieves undertook. If the circumstances and story aligns, he would go with it in the end, but the entire story and general vibes wouldn't have the same impact than when Akira did it. Minato's Joker is a bit more stoic and way less flashy and passionate about the Phantom Thieves' mission, seeing more like a necessary duty.

In the end, only Akira could do it.

[illubean]

can i request a chrollo x reader where reader was one of his childhood friends back in meteor city, but she died (up to you how!) and he still dreams about her? possibly her appearance being grown to what chrollo imagines she’d look like now? only if you’re comfortable with the request ♡ i love your writing so much!

Remembrance

Characters: Chrollo Lucilfer Type: Angst, Oneshot, Fem!Reader

reader is basically Sarasa here...

Warnings: mentions of kidnapping?/death, description of a dead body, spoilers for Chrollo's background

Not a day goes by where Chrollo doesn't think about you.

You two were as thick as thieves, growing up together in the slums of Meteor City. Though you guys had nothing, you always managed to find ways to have fun and stay happy. Your beaming, bright smile is something that's stuck in the back of Chrollo's mind for all of these years. You used to stand up to the bigger kids who liked to pick on him, and in turn Chrollo helped you learn how to read and write.

Once you guys got a little older, Chrollo had started his little acting troupe, you being there to support him every step of the way. Though you weren't formally part of the group, you would tag along with them and managed to become good friends with the rest of them. One of the things Chrollo liked most about you was how kind you were. You were the sweetest girl anyone could possibly have the pleasure of meeting and he loved that about you.

Which is why he was infuriated after finding out what happened to you.

It wasn't unusual for child traffickers to make their way through meteor city, especially considering that none of it's residents have any sort of legal documentation. They just so happened to be passing through while you were exploring on your own. Being the ever naive little girl you were, you didn't think much when some men claiming to be refugees stopped you and asked for directions to the nearest normal city.

Out of the kindness of your heart, you led them to the outskirts of a forest and told them that the fastest way to modern civilization was to cut through it.

Your best quality ended up being your biggest weakness that day.

After catching wind of your disappearance, Chrollo and the troupe split up in order to try and find you. They searched the forest for hours and when they had finally found you, Chrollo's heart dropped to his ass. Your body was laying beneath a large willow tree, nearly mutilated beyond recognition while your lifeless eyes stared back at him, glazed over. Never in his life has Chrollo felt so many emotions at once the way he did in that moment.

In the years following your passing, Chrollo frequently had dreams of you. The pain they brought him left him restless. Even up until he had a hard time sleeping in fear of reliving those memories of you again.

After some time had passed, Chrollo became the renowned leader of the notorious gang The Phantom Troupe. Though the night terrors of you had stopped some time ago, Chrollo never forgot you. How could he? You meant everything to him.

Every so often he would visit your grave with a few of the original troupe members. Other times he would visit alone and tell you all about what has happened since you've been gone.

It wasn't up until recently had the dreams of you resurfaced, but this time they were different. They didn't bring immense pain or remind him of how you looked the day he found you dead, but rather images of what could've been had you survived. You appeared in his dreams all grown up, being much taller than you were before with h/c hair that was longer/shorter than he remembered. Many things about your appearance had changed, but one thing that stayed the same was your bright smile you'd always seemed to wear.

Upon having this dream for the first time Chrollo shot up from his slumber in a cold sweat. He looked around the room before bringing his hands to his face, resting his head in them as he let out a deep sigh. Knowing he couldn't return to sleep any time soon, Chrollo stepped out of the room of the hotel he'd rented onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette and leaning against the railing. He enjoyed the light breeze and sounds of the city beneath him, looking out over all the bright lights and night bustle.

His moment of peace was brief however, being interrupted by a voice he'd never heard before.

"I've missed you, Chrollo."

The addressed man whipped his head around in shock, only to see that there was no one behind him. Letting out another sigh, he rubbed his eyes and put his cigarette out before returning to his room, pondering on how he would spend the rest of his night.

The next few times he had these dreams they had only gotten worse. They would show him what could've been. The life he could've had. What you could've had. Who you could've been.

You, you, you, you, you.

It was driving him mad. Tonight like any other, Chrollo lied restless, staring towards the ceiling. The soft pitter patter of rain soothed him as he started to relax. Until he heard the voice again.

"Look, we're all grown up."

Similar to the first night he shot up from the bed he was in, eyes frantically scanning the room before resting on the image of you his brain had created, standing in the corner of the darkened room. Chrollo rubbed his eyes before staring at you again before you spoke up once more.

"How have you been?"

Chrollo grit his teeth before chucking his pillow at you, only for your image to disappear as it made contact with the wall. Letting out a grunt, his tensed shoulders went slack just to stiffen back up at the sound of you again.

"What is it you're afraid of Chrollo?"

You appeared in the center of the room this time, closer than before.

"Didn't you miss me?"

Tearing the blanket off of himself he reaches to grab you only for you to disappear and reappear again, this time directly behind him. This went on for a few minutes, you appearing, Chrollo trying to hit you, just for you to disappear and move to another part of the room.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

With this demand Chrollo was now in the center of the room, looking towards the floor, distressed. The silence in the room was disrupted by nothing by the sound of his heavy breathing for a few moments, until you appeared before him one last time, being directly in front of him.

"I love you, Chrollo."

The man shot his fist towards where your face would be, only to hit nothing before he stormed out of the room. He ran through the rain for hours, with no destination in mind. He had hoped to escape his own thoughts and hallucinations this way, only for his feet to have managed to lead him back to that same willow tree.

Chrollo dropped to his knees as his tears mixed with the water droplets of the passing storm. In front of him stood a tattered wooden cross that had been stabbed into the dirt, which in messy carvings read

In remembrance of Y/n

[dailyadventureprompts]

Dungeon: The Tithing House

For decades the gang of highwaymen known as the Gallerwood Outlaws were famed and feared for equal measure, melting out of the forest to rob merchants, nobles, even mages, before vanishing back into the trees. Even after their awful deaths at the hand of a bountyhunter some years ago folk still sing of their deeds, and of the secret hideaway in which they stored their ill gotten gains.

Adventure Hooks:

Folk have been saying that the ghosts of the Gallerwood outlaws have been stalking the roads near where their bodies were hanged, still looking for one last haul. The party are tasked with investigating rumours after a fearful carter was set upon by these spectres, losing something precious in the process. This provides the excellent framing for a first adventure as each member of the party can be invested in retrieving something different out of the carter's cargo giving them a reason to work in the same direction.

As they investigate, the party will discover that these ghosts are infact local toughs who have dressed up and painted themselves phosphorescent cave lichen in order to shake down passers by. After giving them a thrashing and a Scooby-Doo unmasking, the party can retrieve the stolen goods and return to the inn for celebratory drinking. In the dead of night one of the party awakens to a shadowy figure looming at the foot of their bed, spectral face illuminated by the ghoul-light that flickers in the bowl of their pipe. Evidently the story of the party's antics has spread, and it appears one of the real ghosts of the Gallerwood wants a word.

Frauds and phantoms aside,  entirely possible for the party to stumble across the dungeon while exploring the surrounding swampland, only realizing it served as a bandit hideout after stumbling into the remnants of their camp. 

Setup: The ghost introduces himself as the late Cullen Carver, once founding and now final member of the Gallerwood outlaws. Cullen has an offer for the party, and is willing to guide them to the cache kept by his fellow bandits if they will perform for him a last request. As Cullen explains it, neither he nor the other outlaw spirits will be able to rest so long as there is no end to their tale, and there can be no end so long as the mystery of their hidden treasure remains unsolved in the common imagination.

Cullen is in high spirits despite being dead, so the party should expect some gallows humour as the hanged man leads them through the swamp's hazards, eventually arriving at the outlaw's secret base: The Tithing House, a long abandoned temple of Erathis concealed within the depths of the wilderness that's become infested with all sorts of mire creatures since the thieves met their end.

Challenges & Complications:

The Outlaws kept their treasure in the temple's crypts, and to access these the part are going to need to venture through the gauntlet of dark chambers and traps the bandits set up to keep eachother's hands out of the cookie jar. Cullen can help with some of these, but the whole point of the traps was to keep his fellow thieves honest. The only other way into the vault is through a heavily reinforced door, the key to which is currently in the possession of the bountyhunter who hung the Gallerwoods from trees in the firstplace.

While the party has the pick of spoils, Cullen points out a particular chest kept apart from the rest and calls upon them to fulfill their end of the bargain. This chest was Cullen's nestegg, put aside from numerous heists and robberies to be delivered to his wife and children in the event of his death. With no surviving highwaymen to carry out the promise Cullen's REAL unfinished business comes to light. The party can keep their word, or they can snipe the treasure for themselves, earning the spectre's undying enmity and curse to boot.

To get out of the the Tithing House the party will need to face off with a demon of avarice.. but not in the traditional form of bossfight. He'll approach just as they're leaving the dungeon, taking the form of a plump old man with a grandfatherly smile who wears the spotless robes of an Erathian friar despite the flooded cemetery in which they stand. He is all calm words and politeness, congratulating them on making off with such a fine haul and urging them to never mind that silly old ghost and his wishes, banishing Cullen beneath a nearby grave so that they can talk cordially. The Smiling Friar explains that he had a deal with the highwaymen; feeding off the greed of their crimes in exchange for concealing their hideaway and passage through the forest. There's no reason the party couldn't renew the deal, become the new band of legendary thieves, save that they'll have to forsake their ghostly guide and his last act of charity. Should they turn him down the Smiling Friar will call up the dead of the cemetery to slaughter them, clearing the way for the next band of ambitious treasurehunters.

Art 1 Art 2

[moonlit-doodles]

while recording another part for my p5r playthrough today, i went a little bit crazy over these two pieces of dialogue from his first counseling session with ann and akira respectively (which occur on the same day).

bear with me.

i really had to bite my tongue not to say anything about it since i'm trying to keep my playthrough spoiler-free - but this is textbook groomer behavior. calling a teenager mature for their age, expressing awe over how they've made it as far as they have, etc.

while i think that a lot of the maruki scenes with the rest of the phantom thieves after this are incredibly forced and really just used as a plot device to get third semester to work out the way it does, these two scenes (as well as ryuji's) really strike me because i feel like

- and, disclaimer, i do genuinely believe maruki to be a kind person, but i don't think he is a GOOD person because he enforces his kindness upon others rather than recognizing what the ideal outcome for THEIR LIVES is (not his own ideals!) -

i feel like maruki's discussions here with ann and akira are heartfelt and true. he really is trying to connect with them and help them, but his idea of help is different from theirs. he's prodding for their ideal, without recognizing that a teenager's idea of what is ideal may not necessarily line up with the words that come out of their mouth

and in pushing for this, he is grooming them to be more receptive to the way that he prods at them for their wishes and what he perceives as their ideal presentation of reality

this ramble of mine isn't exactly comprehensive and articulate but all this to say that maruki is outright grooming the phantom thieves, ESPECIALLY akira through the rest of his confidant

(discussion i had with one of my friends the other day)

i think my point is that maruki is NOT a saint by any means and in fact on replay when you know what his goals are he comes across as outright predatory even if you know that he IS trying to do what he believes is the kindest, most just thing. and somehow he really has spoken to people - not only the people in-game, but also the people in the fandom -

and it's BRILLIANT writing because he has captured the fandom in the same way he captured the phantom thieves. it's so incredible to have an antagonist who is genuine, heartfelt, and kind, and is truly trying to prevent the protagonists from being hurt, but he just doesn't understand that the things that hurt them to begin with are not only what made them strong but also what made them who they are

(from discussion with my rp partner about maruki and akira's likeness, & how much more like him maruki would have been had he the strength to overcome/overturn rumi's unjust fate)

maruki is INCREDIBLE and he is a STUNNING piece of writing and that's why he is such a powerful antagonist to round out an already brilliant work about the powers of love and grief, trust and loss...

i just think it's worthwhile to point out that from the very beginning he was looking for ways to excuse his own ideals as for the benefit of other people, mistaking words born from pain as the truth - as reality.

this game is so incredible and third semester does not let us down. there is SO MUCH to dig into and it's just..... incredible. truly.

[spextr1m]

Enemies to Lovers with... Joker aka Ren Amamiya!!

A/n: I wrote this at 6 AM yall

Contains: MASSIVE spoilers, ew Kamoshida, Shido's a shit, Reader being dense ANNND a simp

GN! Reader (Referred as "You" later "They/them")

-You're confused.

-When they gossiped about the new kid and referred him as "Punk kid" you imagine him being more scarier only you've met a timid dude with a criminal record, you like the rest would've get intimidated and stay away from him.

-Not to mention, Kamoshida gives you an ick especially what he did to girls

-Everytime Ren tries to approach you, you either flinched or ran away because you're worried that he'll rat you out to Kamoshida.

-After Kamoshida's heart changed, you're also 100% confused about Kamoshida so you'd think that it has to be a joke that there's no way someone is capable of changing hearts like admitting the crimes.

-The more Phantom Thieves have more members the more you're even more surprised (Although you secretly envies that you want to be part of them).

-You got this thinking, does Ren felt the same as you or...

-Nope, it's definitely one sided while you're scared of his reputation but he just teases the hell out of you.

-When he approaches only you squeaked which he finds it amusing.

-Of course, Ann will knock your sense out that Ren's more than the criminal

-"How am I supposed to know??" "He didn't do wrong!"

-You're also type of person who freaked out when Ren's gaze is so intense that your soul exits your body which also freaks out others about your shenanigans.

-But why's your heart beats so fast when it comes to him?

-Guess Ann's words struck on you.

-Ren will spend his time with you if you let him and show who he really is, so you accepted it bit reluctant. However you're shocked that he shows his different side to you, you're now convinced that he's innocent and Ann's influence cause you to become more opening to him.

-The more you spent your times with him, the more your heart beats so faster so bad that you want to kiss his grinning face but worries that he's not gonna like you back.

-But if you're in Metaverse, of course the dude will PROTECT you like a knight.

-Ironically Phantom Thieves adopt you and you're closest to Ann

-Of course you confess your confusing feelings to Ann that when you like his voice because it's soothing to hear unlike Morgana Crowds blocking their own thoughts then you wish that you want to help him so sooner if it weren't for Shido.

-Of course, Ann will help you out and now proud that you're accepting him as a person.

-Only you accidentally blunder that Ren is so pretty and looks handsome especially his grinning face to wipe it out to your other friend yk what's funnier

-He actually heard it.

-"I knew you like me so sooner." You notice a shadow towering you which makes your other friend nudging you out of "Way to go dude, you confessed your love to him" which you look at him with a biggest grin you've ever seen in your life.

"Damn it I thought I was sneaky!" Their face now have red dusting and their hands lightly balled fist, oh boy you're now redder than the usual.

-And yes, you two are now a thing because he stole your first kiss by kissing your lips (with consent ofc)

-You ended up defending him when someone threatens you about you dating a criminal.

-When you see him being badly beaten up, you're so worried that you want to punch someone in the face.

-Ever since Shido's now in bars, he's now freed man which you can't help but to cry in tears with happiness that your wishes.

[katze-thief]

five days for love confession

pairing: Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu x fem!reader

summary: Shujin Academy is holding its annual cultural festival, and it seems that five days of preparation is all it takes to make your crush fall in love with you.

chapter one: prologue

"five days for love confession" series' masterlist

It was a fact that Ren Amamiya did not have the best reputation at Shujin Academy.

Of course, this was due to his criminal record status, but it was more about the implications of it. He couldn’t say anything when a student treated him badly, or delivered lies in form of hot gossips around the student body. Ren heard it all — that, supposedly, he carried a knife around, that he committed audacious crimes frequently and even more. All lies, surely, however, due to the student body being formed of high-profile students, a single complain about his conduct towards other student could mean the end of probation for him. For the worse.

Because of his reputation (and uttermost lack of capacity of deniability), teachers felt that they could basically use Ren as a fix-it man in the organization of Shujin’s events. After all, why bother convincing students to participate and form a minimum quorum, if you can just place the same one? And it wasn’t different with the annual cultural festival of Shujin’s Academy. When he squished himself in between of the crowd of students to see the lists, his name was in almost every single one. Shocking news.

At the end of that evening, Ren, the rest of the Phantom Thieves, and you, were reunited at the attic of LeBlanc, a.k.a. Ren’s bedroom. After you all ate cookies, cake and drank coffee downstairs, now you were trying to figure out in which activities each one was, to assure he wouldn’t go through this utterly traumatizing experience of being at Shujin all day alone (as in the words of Ryuji). The cozy smell of coffee embalmed the place, as well as the woody scent, both so familiar for you.

“I’m in the dancing and musical arts’ front, doing ‘Legally Blonde’” Ann chuckled. She was sitting beside Makoto on the floor, as they made matching bracelets with beads. “It’s the first time Shujin does musicals, right?”

Makoto nodded, reorganizing the beads. “I’m responsible for the festival’s haunted house. Indeed, we only have me, the student council and Ren at this one.” Ren winced at the reminder of work. “You all should subscribe for this one. It’s still open.” She said, stern.

You played chess with Ren on the other side of the bedroom, while they talked and scribbled on paper. Both of you were sitting on his bed, as the checkered board stood on a pillow. Ren didn’t want them to take on more work just for his wellbeing, in fact, he made it clear that was against this whole commotion on LeBlanc. You, however, already expected the school counsellor to put him in every activity, so you secretly sent him a letter asking to be in the same activities as Ren, so he wouldn’t be alone (which may or may not be because of your, also secret, crush for him).

Ren moved the bishop and grinned “Checkmate.”

“How?” you said surprised, not even paying attention to the entire mess of a discussion that your friends were having over the schedule.

The fact was that Ren was terribly bad at chess, at least in comparison to you. He never win, so it was a small joke in between you two ever since you met. It was always the ‘It’ll probably happen when you win me on chess’ for impossible things. However, today’s Earth decided to debunk your saying.

Ren adjusted his glasses, proudly, and redid the sequence of movements of the game, but you could only notice the flicker of his bright eyes, how his wavy hair moved as he explained his thought behind his actions with his throaty voice and—

“Guys!” Ryuji yelled, which made all of you stop and stare at him. He was holding a sheet of paper, one from the pile of lists’ copies, and in his face was the pure look of horror. “I’m gonna cook curry. Cook curry. Wha’ the f-??”

“Let me guess, that’s another one for Ren too?” Yusuke joked, making everyone (except Ren) laugh.

“At least is one thing he actually can cook.” Morgana added, intensifying the laughs.

After that, everyone chatted for a while, before going away. You knew all of them were the Phantom Thieves, so when they stood up to leave, scary looking at the clock, you got it why too. The ‘We need to rest to enter another palace this weekend’ was always there, implicit, even though they didn’t share their plans as thieves with you. It was like those unreachable places in the dreams — you knew the Metaverse existed and knew that your friends frequented it and was behind all those events on the news, but it wasn’t tangible for you. You could never experience it with them, see by yourself. And in those times, you felt less of a part of the group than them.

On the ride home, as you reminisced the memories from the day, you almost gagged when you remembered what you did. “I’m going to work endlessly all week, all day, at Shujin, because of a boy??” you thought to yourself. And oddly, that thought didn’t even scare you.

Because it was Ren Amamiya the boy you were going to spend the longest week of your junior year of high school with.