#which means i'm about to get to 1) akechi and 2) having a lot of emotions about makoto so! stay tuned!

[sunriseinorbit]

yusuke was literally erased from the sayuri, his mother's final gift to him and the only thing he has to remember her by, for profit and greed and fame and vanity and just because madarame could, it's no fucking wonder he's so afraid of creating art for material gain during his confidant

[vashtijoy]

terms of address: maruki

I was asked how the squad refer to Maruki, so here goes.

first, the normies

Many of the cast refer to Maruki exclusively as "Dr. Maruki": 丸喜先生 Maruki-sensei. These mentions are universally in kanji.

Ann has 41 of these, and often uses sensei by itself;

Haru has 26 of these, and uses sensei alone a couple of times, during Maruki's Palace;

Makoto has 27 of these. She uses sensei alone quite often;

Yoshizawa has 41 of these total, 14 as Kasumi and 27 as Sumire. She calls Maruki just sensei often.

Noticing anything? Yeah: they're all the girls. These particular characters consistently seem to have relatively colourless and unmarked speech. This may in itself, of course, be a form of marking, since expectations around gendered speech in Japan can be so strong.

the relatively boring

Ren appears to always use "Maruki", apart from one instance very early on when an option, "Ask about the counsellor", includes Maruki-sensei. He also always uses kanji; protagonists don't have to be polite.

He calls Maruki sensei alone once, during his confidant. Kawakami gets it more often, while Takemi gets it constantly.

slightly more edgy

While Futaba always uses "Dr. Maruki", she slurs it a little, making it slangier: 丸喜せんせー Maruki-sensee. She always uses kanji for "Maruki", except in the text chat after he visits Shujin, where she's only heard his name spoken!—which is a cute detail. Occasionally she uses せんせー sensee by itself, which is distinct from her 先生 sensei meaning "a teacher".

Ryuji, again, virtually always makes it "Dr. Maruki", usually Maruki-sensei in kanji; a few mentions very early on, when they're still talking about the new counsellor guy, are just straight "Maruki". Also, in his counselling session, Ryuji almost just calls him that!—ultimately deciding to make it "Dr. Maruki":

Ryuji なあ、丸喜⋯センセーってよ、よく『変わってる』って言われね? naa, maruki... sensee tte yo, yoku "kawatteru" tte iwarene? Hey, Dr. Maru— ah, I mean, Doc. Anyone ever tell you you're kinda… not normal?

The meaning is a little lost in translation here, with Ryuji cutting from the normal form of address to a nickname. Also, in Maruki's Palace, he recognises Maruki on one of the videotapes, and starts off in hiragana before finishing in kanji. It feels a bit as if he isn't initially sure what he's seeing:

Ryuji まるき… 丸喜先生？ maruki... maruki-sensei? Maruki... Dr. Maruki?

He uses sensei by itself a couple of times, far fewer than you might expect; his "Doc" is usually either glossed in, or was originally Maruki-sensei, "Dr. Maruki".

He also uses 大先生 daisensei, "great leader/teacher/artist" etc, as a term of abuse, aimed at palace bosses such as Shido and Madarame. 獅童大先生 shidou-daisensei—"that stuck-up bastard Shido!".

the slightly outlandish...

Morgana overwhelmingly uses katakana for names, and Maruki is no exception. He talks about him a lot, always in katakana, as ���ルキ Maruki. He never uses any honorifics for him.

He has only one use of kanji, 丸喜 Maruki, in "will you meet with this confidant?" text, around I think rank 5, which looks like it may be a slip.

the strangely polite...

Akechi, of course, fails to grace Maruki with his title of "doctor"; he's just plain "Maruki". The localisation sometimes makes it "Dr. Maruki", but that's a gloss; Akechi never once uses sensei (or any other honorific) about him.

But he uses an honorific to Maruki, once:

That "isn't that right" is ですよね desu yo ne, which might seem startlingly polite for third semester Akechi. In fact, he's rather consistent about his masu forms to Maruki—and only to Maruki—during the third semester.

He has no uses of desu or -masu/-masen, for instance, to anyone else in the third semester. It's actually rather cute, because it makes it clear a number of his lines in the 1/2 and 1/9 Palace are directed not to Ren or Yoshizawa, as it might seem, but to Maruki.

So this looks like a sardonic little aside, and I'm sure there's a lot of that in it—"Maruki-san". But this is also the only time Akechi ever addresses Maruki by name. And since he has all these desu and -masu forms going on around Maruki, then maybe he just calls him Maruki-san, full stop.

Did I mention he's a weird boy?

...and the downright weird

That leaves us with Yusuke, who (as nobody will be surprised to hear) does his own thing that raises some fascinating possibilities.

Yusuke only appears to address Maruki by name once, when they first meet in the courtyard, and as you'd expect, he calls him sensei—丸喜拓人先生 Maruki Takuto-sensei, "You are Dr. Takuto Maruki, correct?".

But every other time Yusuke uses sensei in the script? He's referring not to Maruki, of course, but to his sensei, Madarame. That initial approach to Maruki, stranger to stranger, face to face, is the only time he uses it to anyone else.

So what does Yusuke call Maruki? He calls him 丸喜氏 Maruki-shi.

what is shi

氏 shi is a very formal and exclusively third-person term, usually seen in writing, or heard from newsreaders. It's often translated "Mr X", which can be very odd to hear in media that retains honorifics like -san and -kun; "Mr. Akechi's coming on!" is an example, from 6/10. And Akechi is, in fact, usually mentioned as Akechi-shi on the evening news.

Yusuke's Maruki-shi is universally translated as "Dr. Maruki", as if he'd just said Maruki-sensei like everyone else. Which is a little bit of a shame.

Yusuke also uses shi for one other person—the art patron Kawanabe, in his confidant, before you meet up at the sushi bar. Most of the rest of the time, before and after, Yusuke just calls Kawanabe "Kawanabe" in third-person, with no title; he pulls out a Kawanabe-san at rank 10, after he's won the contest—face to face, of course, since shi is only third-person.

On the other hand, Yusuke never mentions Maruki at all without a title.

the other time yusuke uses sensei

Okay, I lied: Yusuke has one other instance of Maruki-sensei. This, like Morgana's single lapse into kanji, is in prompt text: "Are we going to Maruki's Palace today?" Again, I think this is likely an error.

revision history

Click here for the latest version.

v1.0 (2023/12/29)—first posted.

[melodiclune]

Boo!!! Have a curse on ye!!!

To breakth the spell, name thou mutuals and what you like about them!!!

(not all of them. Minimum 5)

Melmel do you hate me. What if I forget someone. They're gonna hate me forever. I'm literally going to go through my mutuals list and have to do this. FEAR. PLEASE I DON'T MEAN TO FORGET ANYONE I SWEAR I LIKE ALL OF YOU OR ELSE WE WOULDN'T BE MUTUALS

1. Marigolds Buddies, 2. Discord Gang, 3. Blue Lock Gang

1. @noname-nonartist Hi you're the menace to society and thorn in my side (affectionate) for the past three years. Your art is stunning and you're an awesome person to talk to and it's always a chill great time when I get to brainrot with you over ShuAke. Even if I'm not into Project Sekai it's hilarious seeing how into it you are and I'm happy for you

@himi-wiz Do I really need to tell you what I like about you? You already know my heart inside out, there's really not much else to say. I love you to the moon and back. Drink water, Fool.

@sunflowerswithtea MY TEA BUDDY you're the best friend I've had in our academic suffering together. I'm so proud of you, you never give up and try your hardest in everything. You're one of the actual nicest people I know :> I love waking up to your absolute spam of texts on discord even if we don't share the same fandoms atm! I know for a fact that you're going to drag me back into MLB with you though. FEAR.

2.

@rainingstorms1220 Total bean. Take care of yourself more. Your art is stunning, you have some amazing stories and I can't wait to see more of them. Despite all your downs you've never given up, always held your head high, and you're one of the most dedicated, passionate people I know. You're welcome for the hermitcraft brainrot <3 Love you lots Stormy

@chibihobbitlore MARIAAAA MY BELOVED Your art is inspirationally beautiful!! You're so positive every time I talk to you, one of the nicest people ever and it's always such a nice time hanging out with you. Bullying Elder with you is one of my favourite past times :DDDD You're not on Tumblr much but seeing you on discord always makes me go "!!! HI MARI ILY" hehehehe

@eldestofdragon You. You are most definitely not on Tumblr much, part of why I'm tagging you here. Little shit. You're witty, always pull a laugh out of me every time we talk, and I love hearing you ramble about your DnD campaigns and lore filled stories. You're not positive, but you're not negative either, which is right up my alley when I need someone to talk to. <3 I'll see you on discord later today! Worry less, sleep more.

@a-mel-tomelts Menace to society x2. Do I need to tell you too, why I love you? You're witty, happy, excitable and so passionate about the stuff you love. Despite your ups and downs every time I get to chat to you about our shared interests and experiences it's always a great time. Hange to my Levi, Sumi to my Akechi. Nothing else says it better! :D You already know why I love you, twat, ask me on discord if you want details again

3.

@someprettyname THE most chaotic person I know. Passionate, determined, steadfast, and really proud of what you stand for. It's really nice to see that. Every time I open tumblr and see like 30 texts in my message box I'm like "oh no, what's happened to nami this time," and no matter what I see, I like chatting with you when I get the chance <3 Seeing you in my notifs always makes me happy

@blue-thief I swear sometimes it's like we're telepathic with how often we have the same views on things. It's always great chatting chaos or media analysis with you. It's so easy to fall into conversation with you, and seeing you be so certain in your skin sometimes is honestly really nice. You care about your friends so much it's so wholesome. I hope your exam went okay!! I hope I can support you in any way you need from me :3 I'M STILL WAITING ON THAT ASK I SENT TO BE ANSWERED, BEN /j

@zendersenders Fellow Rinsagi enjoyer, again shares a lot of the same views as me so it's always a super fun conversation to have. Fanfic buddy, I have almost dragged you into Persona hell with me. Whenever I see you in my notifications it's like "oh hey, zender's here!! hi!! :DDDD" little dopamine hit. You're a total sweetheart. Except when you decide to terrorise me with Mel, then not so much smh

@galaxynajma Fellow birb enjoyer, has the same media taste as I do which is great to see on my dash, one of the most lovely people on this damned website. One of the rare other KaiSae enjoyers. Talking to Najma is like.. a peaceful chat on a picnic blanket, with a clear sky and cool lemonade in our hands. It's like a moment of reprieve amongst all the chaos of the Blue Lock community. I love these moments dearly :>

@getosugurusbangs Plushie Menace #1. A great person to talk to, even with all the chaos that you dump into my inbox lmao. One of the few people here that understands my Persona references!! I haven't interacted you with much outside of that, but the little interaction we've had has been absolutely lovely. We seem to have the same media taste again, although I'm not too surprised considering everything else hehehe. Your art is absolutely beautiful!! It has a uniquely Eli flavour to it that I always love seeing on my dash :D

I got Kitkat, Elle, and Chen on discord so that this post doesn't get ridiculously long 😭 I should've done the discord people on discord too but it's too late now I'm too far into this.

Good lord. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone? If I have, my deepest apologies, send me a DM or a reply or something and I'll reply immediately or else I will be a very very sad Lune

MEL YOU LITTLE SHIT JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I POST THIS AND FINALLY LOG BACK ONTO DISCORD TO RIP INTO YOU ABOUT THIS

[arcplaysgames]

(I don't actually know if Strikers does anything with tarot but anyway) Which game, as a whole, do you think uses the tarot theming the best? Whether it be individual arcana assignments or links to the plot or just vibes - I know you've spoken of inidividual S-Link meanings but I don't think a big-picture comparison was ever done.

hmmm okay lets do a basic round up

I am going to... give points

+ 2 (GREAT job) + 1 (They tried!) + 0 (phoned it in/makes no sense) - 1 (ACTIVELY BAD CHOICE)

Fool: SEES (P3) vs Investigation Team (P4) vs Notigor (P5) Gonna give P3 and P4 0 points bc these do nothing, but P5 gets -1 bc what the fuck

Magician: Junpei Iori (P3) vs Yosuke Hanamura (P4) vs Morgana (P5) Both P3 and P5 get +2 for AMAZING Magicians. P4 gets a 0.

High Priestess: Fuuka (P3) vs Yukiko (P4) vs Makoto (P5) P3 gets the +2 here. P4 gets a -1, Yukiko is a terrible choice. No opinion on Makoto but she doesn't seem like the right pick imo.

Empress: Mitsuru (P3) vs Margaret (P4) vs Haru (P5) I'll give P4 one point and P5 two points. Mits shoulda been Emperor.

Emperor: StuCo Guy (P3) vs Kanji (P4) vs Yusuke (P5) P4 gets +2 for a shockingly good Emperor. P5 gets a -1 for a shockingly bad Emperor.

Hierophant: Old Couple (P3) vs Dojima (P4) vs Sojiro (P5) P3 gets -1 and should feel lucky its only minus one. P4 and P5 get zero points.

Lovers: Yukari (P3) vs Rise (P4) vs Ann (P5) P3 gets the +2, P4 gets +1, P5 gets zero.

Chariot: Rio (P3) vs Chie (P4) vs Ryuji (P5) Everyone gets +1.

Strength: Koromaru (P3) vs Athletes (P4) vs Twin Wardens (P5) P3 gets +1, P4 gets fucking nothing, and P5 gets +2.

Hermit: Saori (P3) vs The Fox (P4) vs Futaba (P5) P3 gets +1, P4 gets -1 bc no that's not what Hermit is, and P5 gets +2 for nailing it.

Fortune: Ryoji (P3) vs Naoto (P4) vs Chihaya (P5) No points, everyone see me after class. Actually, no. P4 and P5 get -1.

Justice: Ken (P3) vs Nanako (P4) vs Akechi (P5) I AM GOING TO GIVE P5 +3 FOR AKECHI, FOR THE FIRST TIME PERSONA FUCKING DID ANYTHING WITH THE JUSTICE ARCANA. AND BOY THEY DID STUFF.

Hanged Man: Maiko (P3) vs Naoki??? (P4) vs Iwai (P5) P3 you get a -1, see me after class. Zero for the others.

Death: Pharos (P3) vs I HAVE NO IDEA (P4) vs Tae (P5) I refuse to give Pharos points, so fucking basic. P5 can have a point.

Temperance: UGH NO (P3) vs uh whoops (P4) vs Kawakami (P5) P3 what the fuck -1, +1 to P4 bc its boring but it fits, and Kawakami gets +2 for fucking nailing it.

Devil: Pres Tanaka (P3) vs that nurse??? (P4) vs Ohya (P5) I'm gonna skip this one bc I don't think I know enough about P4 and P5's to rate. And Tanaka fits but is just Fine. +0 to all.

Tower: Cool Monk (P3) vs uuuuh idk (P4) vs whoops x 2 (P5) Honestly, same as Devil. No points.

Star: Akihiko (P3) vs Teddie (P4) vs Hifumi (P5) FUCKING PLUS 3 TO TEDDIE FOR BEING A TREMENDOUS STAR. +1 to P3 for Akihiko. 0 to P5 bc I don't get the angle.

Moon: Shinjiro (P3) vs that one girl (P4) vs Mishima (P5) Fuck Mishimia. He's an amazing Moon. +2 to P5, zero to the others.

Sun: Akinari (P3) vs Yumi (P4) vs Yoshida (P5) -1 to P4 bc the Sun link sucks. +2 to P3 and P5 for AMAZING Sun links. Yoshida may be the most nuanced take on any NPC's Arcana.

Judgement: Nyx Squad (P3) vs Truth Dudes (P4) vs Sae (P5) P5 gets +1 bc at least they fucking tried, P3 and P4 were just tagged on and superfluous.

World/Universe: Reverie III vs Reverie IV vs Reverie V Reverie The Fourth loses HARD here bc the point of the World is coming to the end of a journey and being changed for it and he doesn't have enough personality to be changed. -1 to P4 Reverie the Third is a decent one who went through a lot and has enough personal stakes that I buy it. +1 to P3 I hate to say it but Reverie the Fifth gets +2. He feels the most complete of them all, so for the Arcana of Completion, or the Whole, it has to be him.

Okay I have no idea what that tallies up to, lemme see.

Persona 3: 10 points Persona 4: 4 points (OUCH) Persona 5: 19 FUCKING POINTS WOW THAT ISN'T EVEN CLOSE

My math might be wrong bc I suck at math (yay, dyscalculia) but that is a huge margin for error.

Honestly, makes sense. Like I said in the post-mortem, P5 succeeds in a lot of ways just for having actual adults available for the arcanas. P4 and P3 are so strongly limited to your classmates, there is only so many ways to make a high school student wacky and weird in a way congruent to their Arcana.

P5 has the worst Emperor in the series by far but it has the best Justice easily and possibly the best Sun and honestly a lot of the NPC SLinks are Just Really Good.

So yeah, P5 wins at something at last.

[b-else-writes]

The Great CLAMP Re-Read Part 2: Man of Many Faces

Part 1 (RG Veda)| Part 3 (Tokyo Babylon) | Part 4 (Duklyon) | Part 5 (Clamp Detectives)| Part 6 (Shirahime)| Part 7 (X)| Part 8 (Chunhyang) | Part 9 (Miyuki-chan)| Part 10 (Rayearth)|Part 11 (The One I Love)

Onto the next work in CLAMP's oeuvre, Man of Many Faces (technically the translated title should be 20 Faces, Please!!). This ran from 1990 to 1991, and it is wild to think that it was running concurrently with RG Veda (and Tokyo Babylon!) because it is SO tonally different. It is also technically CLAMP's first foray into shonen, running in Newtype magazine, although it feels like it's aimed younger. I had never knew it existed! It's one of the few CLAMP manga with no anime adaptations (it did have 2 drama CDs).

It's out of print and was released in English by Tokyopop in the early 2000s, in two volumes comprised of 11 chapters. I read this entirely online and would probably only hunt down a physical copy if I'm feeling like being a completionist. Spoilers? I guess?

Synopsis: Ijuin Akira is a precocious 9 year old at CLAMP School who leads a double life as the gentleman thief 20 Masks/Faces. As 20 Faces, Akira steals beautiful objects to satisfy the whims of his kleptomaniac two mothers. One day, Akira ends up in the bedroom of 5 year old Okawa Utako, sparking off a romantic comedy due to his double life and the nature of love!

The Story: There really....isn't one. Whatever it bills itself as, this is not a heist story. Man of Many Faces is pure fluff, basically a gag manga, which is what makes it so crazy that it was concurrent with the dark, fatalistic fantasy of RG Veda and the tragic urban fantasy of Tokyo Babylon - did CLAMP need a cute comedy as a mental break?

The chapters have a similar structure: Akira's two mothers spot something and cry "we want it!". Akira goes after the object and ends up entangled with Utako as they overcome the next (very low stakes) obstacle in their relationship. Akira often gets advice from his uncle and school pediatrician Akechi Shigetaka, while narrowly escaping his next door neighbour Kobayashi Ryusuke, who acts as the Inspector Javert. Along the way, he and Utako mediate on love and what makes a good man and good bride.

The story ends with the two getting married and still working to make sure that their relationship is always loving and new. It's a light, charming read (I was able to read the whole thing in about an hour) and it did make me smile a few times. The Christmas episode is particularly cute. Otherwise, the story is fine, just enough to string together the story that it doesn't implode from meandering fluff.

The Themes: Despite being so divorced from their serious works, I'd actually say you can see a lot of what would come to be CLAMP's attitude towards love - what makes a good love? Can love last forever and overcome all barriers? Are people destined for each other, and if so, does that make love easy? Some of the waxing poetic is very silly (Akechi once quotes the plot of Some Like It Hot, yes, the Marilyn Monroe film, to give advice) and very questionable, but there are some surprisingly nuanced takes too.

Namely, you are entitled to your feelings (very CLAMP), that nobody can fully know another person's heart (hello Tokyo Babylon) so we must remember we are two people and not lose ourselves in each other (X 1999??), be understanding and kind, and that love and people will change, and love is about meeting that new person each day, which is shockingly mature for CLAMP, who I had always taken to be rather fatalistic and immature in their romantic attitudes. I definitely walked away thinking that I hoped these two kids made it.

The Characters: It's an 11 chapter gag manga - the characters are thinly written. That doesn't mean they aren't charming. Utako is a rich brat but an adorable one, and Akira's maybe polyamorous mothers are very funny. Akechi and Ryusuke are especially funny, and Akira's father definitely leaves an impression. Akira himself is rather boring, he's a Mamoru with even less personality (interestingly this predates Sailor Moon by 2 years, but you can't read it without thinking of Tuxedo Mask!). They all serve their purpose, are funny and cute enough, but you're not going to be left contemplating them either.

The Art: It's very 90s shojo in style (despite being marketed for shonen) so it is competently drawn, comprehensible visual storytelling, and nice to look at, but it is not particularly transcendent, especially by CLAMP standards. The only time they really shine is in the splash pages, which are sooo delightfully sweet. Akira's mothers are very pretty, and Utako is cute, but the character designs are unremarkable despite the nice outfits. It also hits one of my irritations, which is that the backgrounds are very ill-defined and replaced by patterned screentones. In short, it is fine.

Questionable Elements: The way gender roles was discussed did not sit right with me. This was written in the 1990s in Japan so I am not surprised it is so "woman are emotional and crazy and end up as housewives" and shojo like it or not has a lot of sexism baked in so it didn't shock me, but it is disappointing and can make some of the advice and comments touted unpleasant. Also I see you CLAMP with Utako's first love being her teacher - at least he rejects her!

Overall: A little sidetrack in CLAMP's oeuvre as sweet as the pastries our couple enjoy. It's got enough genuine charm to get it across the line into enjoyable, but it's also perfectly obvious why it remains one of their most obscure works - you'll end with a smile, but it won't change your life. I wouldn't personally recommend it to anyone except diehard CLAMP fans. It's a nice sugary treat for a quick read and doesn't overstay its welcome, but only just.

[the-deli-delicatessen]

Nonono they DO have their Personas, they just attack different in this scenario

But AUGH Maruki being so ATTACHED to the smol player like 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 that's his BABY DAMMIT HE DOESN'T WANNA HURT THEM

But also AAA shadow fusion!! Like how I talked about Akira fusing with his Shadow to become BIG SCARY KAIJU BOI (i do wanna talk a lil more about that)

There are two points w this topic, 1. how it's done, and 2. the plot points in which it's used

Fusion between humans and Shadows is done similarly to how it's handled in the Velvet Room, with the Shadow in question being killed by a certain kind of weapon. Almost everything used to execute Shadows in the Velvet Room has the insignia on it, and I sorta take that as the visual signifier of something that can kill a Shadow for fusion. Shadow Joker can make weapons with his own version of the Velvet Room insignia as fusion weapons, it's red and upside down with an A instead of a V, and those can fuse a Shadow to a human's consciousness. Fused Shadows act as a sort of added alternate consciousness, and the effects of fusing multiple are... interesting.

When we first see fusion, it's with Maruki. Since it's only one Shadow generated from someone else's consciousness, it's more of a devil-on-the-shoulder type of situation. Its influence is undeniable, forcing acute awareness of how on guard Player is at any given moment, or if they're alone in a room together. Intrusive thoughts are prevalent, and they only get more frequent and severe if he's physically too close for too long, which causes Maruki a LOT of distress. On the other side of things, he would naturally want to distance himself as much as humanly possible from Player, for the sake of both their safety and his sanity, but here's the kicker, the fact that it's Akira's Palace as well as Player's. It gives him what I'm calling Joker Syndrome, aka an uncontrollable attachment to and severe emotional dependency on others who are close to you. Long story short, you don't see the people you care about, boom you're facing a slow descent into a complete depressive state, if you do see them, your brain pumps you with enough dopamine and serotonin to (figuratively) down a horse. You're essentially addicted to friendship, not unlike a certain someone (Akira).

Now where things get even MORE interesting, it's when you factor in Palaces, or more specifically the corrupted Palace AND Maruki's Palace. You see, the Shadow from the corrupted Palace infiltrated Maruki's consciousness, right? So, that means that a piece of Player and Akira's own conjoined cognitions are a piece of his brain, thus linking them. Essentially, because of this, Maruki's Palace joins with the Corrupted Palace, making the whole thing EVEN BIGGER. I gotta make a diagram of the full Palace eventually but I hope you get it. The influence of the Shadow on this part of the Palace is very evident, like picture the Reaper mechanic in Mementos mixed with the gameplay of The Witch's House. All of this is just driving Maruki completely NUTS and when his Treasure is stolen the Shadow finally is destroyed and Maruki can CATCH A DAMN BREAK. (dw the Palace disappearing doesn't mean people like Akechi go back to dead because the script didn't really kill them off in the first place in Royal so they're just chilling off camera until the third semester. It's only in Vanilla P5 where they genuinely die.)

And after all, that fusion can go one of two ways.

Way 1: Shadow Akira baits all of the PTs into killing their Shadows

OR

Way 2:

I will go into this later because it is WAY longer

Anyways, the third time is Akira fusing with his own Shadow and being KAIJU BOI

So yeah there u go

slides in

You good to chat?

yeah bro 👁️👁️ i always got them on the mind. put any idea in front of me and i will bark and tear into it like a rabid dog

[leonawriter]

Low hanging fruit, but Akira and Akechi?

First impression

Akira: I did my best to go into the game with an open mind (though I'd already read a fic, and been aware of some art and stuff) so I guess my first impression was "quiet with hidden depths." Before I went through the game, I was one of those people who sometimes mistook shuake/akeshu art as soukoku.

Akechi: I already knew about him before going in, so I guess my first impression was "huh, interesting" and then at some point "I will literally fight for him, he's my kind of character" and then "[points at screen] it's HIM" and then "oooh, look at him go!" haha. I did have a (very short) period of being uncertain about him around the interrogation room, but. It was short.

Impression now

Akira: I can honestly say I never expected to like a protagonist as much as I do Akira. I love how I can enjoy most fandom takes on him (even if not all). Gay disaster. Thrillseeker and probably has some kind of Thing For Danger in general. Absolute sweetheart and best big brother figure. Has a Lot of Gender.

Akechi: omg he's just like me for real- no seriously. I see a lot of my own issues in him, just dialled up to eleven. I relate so hard. I love his tenacity and the way he goes "I'm done with letting myself be controlled." Also, he's Gay Disaster #1.

Favorite moment

Akira: It's hard to say? Off the top of my head, probably just "any moment where his actions are independent of the player." Stuff you can't control, because it shows he has a personality all of his own. More specifically... ok yeah I gotta go with "the world is going crazy, his cat is human, and Akira just keeps going "?" "!" "?!" at everything.

Akechi: Part of me wants to say "friends? teammates? to hell with that!" but it's not that. It's gotta actually be his speech/dialogue on 2/2. because the entire thing is saying "I will not allow myself to live a lie, I've done that, I've had it with it, I'm sick of it" and by god he's setting his boundaries. He's got this line in the sand and he's saying he needs his free will more than anything, and it's worth dying for. It just hit hard and is one of the things that's stuck so hard about him.

Idea for a story

HAHAHA. I have written SO MANY for these dumb kids, but I still have more.

Akira: Post-11/20 where he he accidentally keeps admitting he misses Akechi for whatever reasons come up. Which is more about Akira bonding and sharing stuff with his friends and teammates than it is Akechi, who'd mostly not be appearing in the fic.

Akechi: I have written two "Vampire Akechi" fics. I now have vague ideas for Werewolf Akechi. Every so often I also want to write something where he finds Mona when he ran away from home.

Unpopular opinion

Akira: Uh... probably that he'd actually go along with an accomplice route or willingly kill anyone, and that the Yaldy choice bad end isn't something I can easily see him doing. I see a lot of people liking these edgier ideas about him and I'm just... he's one angery boi, sure, and he might have thoughts and wonder about how things could go if he just went with his crush, or continued changing hearts like that, but. I don't think he'd do it.

Akechi: Where do I begin. I don't think either of his Personas are fake or manufactured, whether he got lab tested by Wakaba or not. I also don't think that he's trigger-happy about killing people, either; he sees it as a means to an end, but I don't think he ever wanted to be in this position, and he wound up just... getting used to it. On the flip side I also don't see him going "woe is me for I am a murderer and therefore monster" like... he knew what he was doing and if he was going to be like that in third sem or later then he likely wouldn't have got that far.

Favorite relationship

Akira: Not counting Akechi, I think I like seeing him hang out with Futaba the most? But also Ryuji and Sumire.

Akechi: Not counting Akira, it has to be a tie of Sumire and Futaba. Although I love watching him and Haru in the same room. The sparks flying (and him being intimidated by her) is fun both to read and to write. (I'd like to see more of him and the rest of the PT and also Sae in more than just roleswap/etc AUs too, though.)

Favorite headcanon

Akira: He arrives in Tokyo having internalised the idea from his home town and parents that he's supposed to grow up to get a good job, get married to a girl, have kids. He leaves Tokyo realising "oops I'm gay." (read: my playthrough has me see him as completely unhappy with the girls, only realising too late if he's committed himself. because of the sprites.)

Akechi: In any 'verse other than one that explicitly states he survived through other means (brought back via cognitive reasons like Morgana, or like in one of my recent fics) I like to believe that he survived the engine room through sheer persistence and a Goho-m, but stress and trauma and Call of Chaos (and maybe Maruki) made him forget those details.

Maybe it was low-hanging fruit but I take it anyway, so thanks for the ask~!

[allykakamatsu]

Fire Emblem Three Houses X Persona 5 Doodles

First post. So, a few nights ago I dreamt up an AU where the Phantom Thieves ended up in Garach Mach and I decided to come up with some art for it, along with some descriptions.

Black Eagles:

Ren Amamiya: Leader of the Phantom Thieves and the one most dead set in getting back home. Doesn't talk to too many people from Fodlán as a result, but gets along well with he faculty, especially Shamir. Also loves how many cats are at the monastery. Has the Crest of the Fool, a crest given to all wild cards that lets them use multiple personas. Is strong in swords, authority and bows and has no weaknesses or hidden talents.

Sumire Yoshizawa: Curently dating Ren. Wants to go back home but also really likes it here, especially the food meaning the kitchen staff have one more nightmare to deal with. Tries to get along well with all the Black Eagles but is best with Petra and Ferdinand. Has the minor crest of Aubin. Is strong in Swords, faith and flying, is bad at brawling and Heavy Armour, and has a hidden talent in lances granting the Sol combat art.

Haru Okumera: Despite being stressed that Okumera foods is currently without a CEO, is otherwise having a lot of fun in Fodlán. Thinks everyone is nice, but is particularly close with Caspar, Linhardt and Ashe. Has the minor crest of Glouster. Is strong in Axes, faith, reason and bows, is weak in authority, lances and swords, and has a hidden talent for brawling which gets her the Quick Riposte skill

Blue Lions:

Yusuke Kitagawa: Loves the monastery given how much inspiration it gives him, however due to a misunderstanding due to sketching without permission turned apology training session, he also has a lot of fun sparring with Felix. Due to hanging out with Felix a lot he is quite wary of Dimitri and also has to deal with a loli in his head though he doesn't mind too much. Has the Crest of Flames. Is strong in Swords, Faith and bows, is weak on axes and brawling, and has a hidden talent for reason getting him the defiant magic skill.

Goro Akechi: After Ren figured out he was still alive and tracked him down he begrudgingly rejoined the Phantom Thieves, just in time for their forced Fodlán trip. Not super crazy about the Monastary, but due to not having a positive connection to the present he has no strong desire to get back. When not getting dragged into group bonding sessions he's trying to help Dimitri not go down the same path he did. Has the minor Crest of the Fool and the minor Crest of Blaiddyd. Strong in Swords, reason, bows and authority, is weak to faith, axes and brawling, and has a hidden talent in faith granting the white magic crit +20% skill

Ann Takamiki: Isn't the biggest fan of being dragged back to the past, but since she knows it'll take a while to get back she's trying her best to roll with it. Gets along great with Annette and Mercedes, and surprisingly Dedue who she tries to help feel like he has more worth than just serving Dimitri. Has a minor Crest of Dominic. Is strong in swords, lances and authority, is weak to brawling and heavy armour, and has a hidden talent in flying granting the darting blow skill.

Golden Deer:

Ryuji Sakamoto: Wants to get back home so his mom doesn't get worried about him, but also kinda loves it at the monastary, cause the only people who judge him are the super stuck nobles unlike back in Japan, and has a great friendship with the rest of the Golden Deer, and even has a bit of a crush on Hilda. Doesn't have a crest but doesn't let it get to him. Is strong in axes, brawling and flying, is weak in faith and authority, and has a hidden talent for reason getting the dark magic avoid +20% skill.

Makoto Nijima: Very stressed about being stuck in the past, and as such does the most research into getting back, which often leads to her sneaking off to the Abyss to check its library once she finds it, leading to her befriending the Ashen Wolves. On top though she also gets along great with Lysethia and Ignaz, though she has some issues with Lorenz's flirting and Claude's scheming. Has a minor Crest of Timotheos. Is strong in Brawling, faith, authority and riding, is weak in lances and heavy armour, and has a hidden talent in reason gaining the Warding Blow Skill

Futaba Sakura: Is somewhat miserable due to being homesick and missing her technology, but is trying to make the best of the situation, which includes helping Claude with a dining hall raid which lead to the two becoming friends. Is also trying to help Marianne with her self esteem issues. Has the Crest of Blaiddyd. Is strong in reason, faith and flying, is weak in swords, axes and brawling, and has a hidden talent in bows granting the spark strike combat art which grants +3 might and deals adaptive damage.

Heroes Relic's, Sacred Weapons, Sacred Relics and Personal Weapons:

Staff of the Moon Thief: Arsene's cane that got turned from a pair of daggers to an actual cane. Grants whoever wields it +3 range on spells, and grants whoever has the crest of the fool recovers +10 hp at the start of every turn.

Fists of Thunder: Ryuji's personal weapon. Since he doesn't have a crest he had a pair of gauntlets custom made for him. They have the same night as steel gauntlets, the same weight as iron gauntlets, and also has adaptive damage.

Slasher: A sacred weapon of house Dominic. Think the rapier but just super effective against armour and has 1-2 range in exchange for loosing the cavalry effectiveness.

Sword of the Creator: Works just how it did originally, however im giving it 30 durability to start with and once it unlocks its full power it goes up to 50, cause 20 is NOT enough.

Azure Gem: The heroes relic of Timotheos. It's just like the Rafli Gem, but it cancels cavalry weaknesses instead of flying.

Ruler of Lion's Shield: Think the Aegis Shield, but with half the weight and a slight boost to its Pavise and Aigis effect in exchange for half the protection.

Wings of Dromi: It has the weight of a training sword, in exchange for barely better might, but it also works like psystrike in Pokémon, where even though it targets the defence stat, it calculates The damage based on magic instead of attack.

Axe of Ukomasara: Always found it weird that Lorenz wasn't strong in axes yet his house's sacred weapon was one. Welp, time for Haru to make up for that.

Lion's Falchion: Yeah I'm going to be blunt, think the royal sword from echoes, double lion and all, and add dragon effectiveness. Overkill, maybe. But on maddening overkill is kinda mandatory.

First Meeting:

Yusuke met Sothis in his dreams on the PT's first night. While they were both weirded out, Yusuke got inspired and decided to draw her and the bored Sothis agreed.

And that's it for now. If you liked let me know and maybe I'll do more.

[akechicrimes]

I'm a brand new goroboy and have questions if you don't mind answering any of them 1. Was everything that Akechi said about the PTs being unjust a part of his detective act or did he really believe that changing hearts was bad prior to the engine room? 2. When did he first suspect the PTs? Did he figure them out immediately at the TV station or did he just become interested in Joker cuz he's gay and figured it out afterwards lol. Basically who sussed who out first? (1/2)

hello welcome!!!!!! we are happy to have u!!!!!!!! 

unfortunately we dont have concrete answers to a lot of these, but i will do my best!!!! these are some really excellent questions so i want to do them justice. and by do them justice, i mean theyre under a cut because it got really long lmfao.

thanks for the ask–this was really fun to write, instead of doing literally any of the work that i was supposed to.

1. Was everything that Akechi said about the PTs being unjust a part of his detective act or did he really believe that changing hearts was bad prior to the engine room?

SHORT ANSWER: we don’t know.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: we can’t say for sure but there’s strong evidence that he was probably telling the truth, actually.

VERY LONG ANSWER: there’s strong evidence he both is and isn’t telling the truth in the TV studio scene, but with the qualifiers that (1) he never necessarily says theyre unjust, he says they’re dangerous. (2) he probably thinks the phantom thieves change hearts in the same way that he makes people go psychotic. (3) his sense of justice is basically entirely based on righting wrongs that have been committed against individuals, not what the law says. (also, when i say “individuals,” i mean himself.)

to the extent that he’s lying–he does say that they’re operating outside the law, and that they have unknown and apparently very effective power that cannot be stopped by traditional law enforcement. traditional justice says that if you operate outside the law, that makes you automatically bad. akechi is playing the part of someone who’s lawful good, so when he says, “they’re dangerous and operating outside the law,” he has to say, “that makes them unjust.”

to the extent that he’s telling the truth, that’s basically everything else he says. i do think those viewpoints are his own for a lot of reasons.

when he talks about the changes of heart, he makes it sound like it’s a thing that could just happen to anyone–even people who’ve done no wrong. when akira voices support for the PT, akechi argues back against akira to say “If [Ryuji’s] heart suddenly changed, wouldn’t you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?” like it could just happen to any random joe schmoe. he’s acting like someone could just one day change their entire attitude–possibly for the worse–resulting in terror amongst the population.

we have to keep in mind that at this point in time, akechi has no idea that you can steal treasure to change a person’s heart. he doesn’t even know treasure is a thing, let alone that you have to send a calling card to make it manifest. morgana is the person who knew all that stuff, and akechi definitely didnt have access to morgana when he started his hitman career.

so with the way that he’s talking about the changes of heart, i dont think he assumes that changes of heart always change the person for the better. he has no idea that it’s literally removing a person’s distorted desires. i’m like NINETY-FIVE PERCENT SURE that he thinks changes of heart operate in the same way that his psychotic abilities work: you cast a persona spell, and a person goes apeshit.

from his point of view, that’s kind of what’s happening. when akechi casts call of chaos, a person starts behaving in a way they never would under ordinary circumstances in the real world. the changes of heart really look exactly the same way to an outsider’s POV. and to akechi’s understanding, call of chaos can be cast on even good people. from the phantom thieves’ POV, only people who’re mega-dicks can have their hearts changed in the first place, because the requisite to have a palace is a certain level of distortion. (futaba, of course, proving that you don’t have to be a mega-dick to have a distortion, but the TV studio scene happens before futaba.)

akechi’s argument is that leaving that sort of power in just anyone’s hands is dangerous. because that’s a LOT of power for one person to have. akechi would know, considering that he’s in the same position. he’s wary of the fact that there’s no guarantee that that person will use it for good.

that, of course, brings us to the question of “well, what does akechi think ‘using power for good’ is in the first place?” does he think that the phantom thieves are using their powers for good? does he think he’s using his powers for good?

when asked why he seeks justice, akechi says: “Because of sickening human beings… Yes, my contempt for such people drives my sense of justice. It isn’t some grand reason like society’s sake or some lofty ideal. It’s simply an absurd grudge… and extremely personal.” 

the traditional, lawful-good way of thinking about justice is that if you operate outside the law, you’re automatically bad. but akechi’s sense of justice seems to be driven primarily from the hurts he’s suffered, the grudges he still bears, and his conviction that wrongs personally done against individuals should be righted. it’s an end-goal oriented sense of justice.

if wrong-doers are punished and the grudges are appeased, then justice is delivered. how that happens does not necessarily constitute justice. my best guess at this time is that he’d qualify a lot as “the ends justify the means,” since his concept of justice is end-goal oriented. 

of course, i think akechi definitely shows throughout the game that he knows that how you achieve those ends is… not irrelevant. i think his black mask outfit (and a bunch of other things he says) implies that he feels like he is a “villain” of sorts. he demonstrates feeling a type of way about killing okumura. he definitely knows that his actions are morally wrong under particular lenses. take a look at this section:

Akechi: Who cares? My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world. [referencing that all his victims were dicks who kind of deserved to get glocked]

Akechi: How is that any different from the Phantom Thieves?

Ann: We’re not murderers!

Akechi: (now looking kind of pissed) So what?! [launches into speil about how it’ll all be worth it when he exacts revenge on Shido]

obviously he knows that murder is morally indefensible. but i think he’s justified it to himself as either not so bad because he killed primarily corrupt people, and/or that it’d be worth it if he achieves revenge on shido. he’s doing some kind of weird karma cosmic-scale balancing of “how much can i get away with and still be able to call it justifiable and justice,” and it looks like his answer is “quite a fucking lot.”

ironically, this makes his views on justice fairly practical. rather than idealistically committed to some platonic edition of justice, he’s more of a “what do i need to do to get the goals i want achieved? what needs to happen to make sure that asshole abusers get what’s coming to them? what needs to happen to make sure that i get emotional closure?” the biggest issue with that is the danger of a Pyrrhic victory–the moment where the means so go far that the ends no longer justify them.

all of this is to say: when akechi is talking about the phantom thieves as potentially unjust, i dont think he has a problem with their methods. “methods” are like a knife–it’s about how you use it, and for what.

i think he knows that changing hearts, and turning people psychotic, is morally skeevy if your sense of justice is very puritanical, but his sense of justice isn’t puritanical. i think he’s wary of what they might be using their methods for. again: his big argument in the studio scene isnt necessarily that theyre unjust, only that they’re dangerous.

seriously, though–changing hearts is potentially a recipe for societal collapse if used the wrong way. imagine if the PT were more self-centered and they went the light yagami route with their new supernatural powers, maintaining peace and order through authoritarian fear. that is, actually, the entire premise of the P5 Vanilla Bad End, in which the PT enforce peace through relentlessly changing hearts and making people too terrified to keep committing crime. 

since his views on justice seem to be defined by what the end goal is, he’d have to know what those goals are before understanding if they’re “just” or “unjust”–which is probably why he keeps hounding akira for akira’s viewpoints on justice, tbh. the phantom thieves are only unjust if their end goal is unjust, not necessarily because of their methods. (see answer to question 2 for related/continued discussion.)

2. When did he first suspect the PTs? Did he figure them out immediately at the TV station or did he just become interested in Joker cuz he’s gay and figured it out afterwards lol. Basically who sussed who out first?

SHORT ANSWER: i pretty sure atlus expects us to believe that he figured it from even before the TV showing–he figured it out when he overheard ryuji saying “It’s not easy being phantom thieves” when they were in the hallway. it’s the same time and place where akechi did his famous pancake fuck-up.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: the idea that akechi was just super horny for the guy who gave him shit on live TV and then realized that akira was a phantom thief later as a neat bonus is fuckign SENDING me.

VERY LONG ANSWER: because of the scene with ryuji, i’m pretty sure he knew that akira was a phantom thief, and also i’m half-convinced that he somehow got the TV host to specifically choose akira during the “ask the audience” portion of the show. it’s really too much of a coincidence. 

because of that, i think the other implication of the scene is that he wanted to see what akira was made of when he invited akira for a debate on live television, and was pleasantly surprised when akira had something very interesting to say on the topic of grey morality and achieving justice outside the law.

what’s interesting about that scene is that akechi becomes interested in akira regardless of what akira says about the phantom thieves. akira’s options are “They’re justice itself,” “They’re necessary,” and “They do more than the cops”–so it’s not like akira ever says that he dislikes the phantom thieves, but the level of support ranges and two of these imply a justification/reasoning for it. and then akechi fucking argues back on live television like this is some kind of debate, instead of a daytime talk show meant to distract bored housewives. 

like. akechi gets INTO it. justice is his THING. and here’s akira, who seems to be not only a metaverse user operating outside the law like akechi himself, but also has some pretty grey morality thoughts on what justice is and could be, also like akechi himself.

taking it as a given that he knows for a fact that akira is a phantom thief from the get-go, from even before the TV scene ever even happened, then akechi probably keeps hounding him because akechi’s interested in hearing akira’s reasons. he’s not fishing for evidence, since he already knows. this is very speculative, now, but my best guess is that he keeps hounding akira ever after this scene because he wants to compare notes, one vigilante to another, to hear how akira rationalizes his vigilante work as a type of justice. very possibly, he’s seeking reassurance to himself that his own actions are justifiable. (he certainly seems that way in P5R, especially when he wonders about if a “justice nobody wants” is really a true justice at all, or just someone being self-centered.)

so re: “did akechi figure him out or was he just gay,” the answer is. yes. akechi did figure him out, and also akira made him so intellectually horny on live television that he hounded the man down in public for follow-up dates. 

what a king.

3. Does Akechi have a Velvet Room? Does he experience rank ups with Joker and the game over stuff too? 

SHORT ANSWER: we don’t know. no, seriously, we have no idea.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: i’ve seen compelling takes on him having his own velvet room, and i think it’s thematically very fascinating if akechi is quite literally akira’s counterpart in terms of cosmic chess pieces, but i would be surprised if he did. but again, seriously, since there’s no confirmation on the matter, i say akechi’s potential velvet room is fair game.

VERY LONG ANSWER: lore-wise, i’m betting no. akechi was yaldabaoth’s piece, while akira was philemon’s (if i’m remembering my lore correctly). philemon provides the velvet room to aid the people he chooses–yaldabaoth has no such deal. the only reason why yaldo was in the velvet room in the first place was because he wanted to fuck over philemon’s chosen trickster.

it’s the same logic for why someone like adachi wouldn’t have a velvet room: while souji/yu, namatame, and adachi were all given the power to go into the tv world by izanami, only souji/yu was selected by philemon to save the world from ruin, and was accordingly given the resources and aid to do so.

secondary bonus: the psychotic ability/call of chaos just removes a person’s bonds in their heart, which makes them behave as if they were crazy. it’s the exact opposite of joker’s ability to create bonds. yaldabaoth’s one gift to his chosen chess piece was to essentially undo the very social links that make akira strong. so again, i’d be shocked if akechi experiences things like ranking up, or any sort of velvet room/persona fusing mechanic.

personally i think the loki/robin hood divide just happened because he awoke to a persona twice. awakening to your persona just happens at moments of rebellion and strong resolve, and canonically even other persona-users “awaken” (sorta) twice when you max their social link. i’m betting that he just had two moments of resolve: one in which he wanted to be a hero of justice, and one in which he decided he was going to tear shido to the ground no matter how far into villainy he had to go.

but as always, it’s not like there’s a hard consensus on the matter. 

4. How did he kill the shadows of people who don’t have a palace? Does *everyone* have a shadow in mementos?

SHORT ANSWER: he probably kills them in mementos, and also i think we’re expected to believe that literally everyone has a shadow in mementos.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: i’m almost certain that the mementos depths section of the game confirms that basically everyone’s shadows are in there somewhere, even if they’re just your average joe with no significant distortions. the palace ruler for that section is “the public,” and also we do see the shadows of palace rulers who’ve had their hearts changed in the mementos depths. so even if you’ve had your heart changed and are supposedly a perfectly good human being now, this evidently doesnt disqualify you for having a shadow in mementos.

VERY LONG ANSWER: morgana says that mementos is the collective distortion of everyone in the area, but not a lot more concretely than that. morgana also says that reality is fairly plastic and that reality is somewhat determined by how we perceive the world, so i think that we’re expected to believe that everyone has, to some degree, some level of distortion.

i could say that jungian theory, which is the theory that the persona series is based off of, says that everyone without exception has a shadow. but this seems a little bit of a doylist explanation. instead i’ll point to persona 3, in which people without shadows literally become comatose and apathetic husks of themselves. this is because having a shadow is actually a fairly important part of a person’s psyche, and not having one doesnt make you a good and perfect person, it makes you a nonfunctional vegetable incapable of cognitive thought.

so yeah, i’m pretty sure EVERYONE is in mementos. with the exception of the phantom thieves, because… i think we’re expected to believe that their personas are in some ways their shadows? but also their personas are like, real-life kinning mythological/fictional characters so hard that you bind them to your soul? frankly i’ve been confused about how shadows work ever since persona 5 had people’s eyes turn yellow when they go through their awakenings, since perosna 4 used to use that as a sign that the person was a shadow, so… maybe i have no idea what the fuck im talking about. LMFAO.