#as i get forced into learning more and more about the metaverse i don't want to sound either totally for it or against it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chronicbeans · 1 year

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I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but can I please ask for a yandere Ren from Persona 5 with a Yuutsu darling

And where he starts to grow attached to her and one day he confesses his feelings and she accepts but on the condition he'll marry her

Yuutsu is an OC of mine and you can find more information on her at my posts here on Tumblr I'm sorry if this sounds weird and you don't have to take this request if you don't want to

Of course! I'll try my best, since this is my first time writing for an OC that isn't my own. From what I could gather, she seems like a very soft-spoken and nice person, that is willing to put others over herself. If this isn't entirely accurate, I apologize!

Of course, just so everyone knows, Yuutsu belongs to the lovely @nunezs-stuff !

Yandere Ren Amamiya x Yuutsu (OC)

TW: Stalking, Mentions of Past Abuse, False Criminal Accusations, Bullying, Intimidation

It was entirely a coincidence that Ren met Yuutsu that day. Being extremely late to the first day of school does make it harder to properly meet your classmates, as well as secure a poor first impression, but Yuutsu seemed to not only be happy to meet him... But completely alright with his tardiness and the unsavory rumors floating about. A girl as soft-spoken as her having no problem with such a disturbing rumor about him was a shock, to say the least, for Ren. That, and the fact that she seemed to go out of her way at times to talk with him.

Asking how he is feeling, making sure the rumors aren't getting to him, and even asking for the truth from HIM. Not from the teachers, not from the other students, but the center of attention, himself. When he explained how the accusations against him were false, but he was still charged for the crime, he was sure Yuutsu wouldn't believe him... but she did. She did, and it struck a chord somewhere inside of him. An odd chord that made his heart flutter, as if a million pink butterflies made a home inside of it, and it was ready to burst at any moment.

Once that chord was struck, he started acting different. When the teachers would mention anything about her hair being dyed, he defended Yuutsu. She is expressing herself. Her outfits and hair hold no weight in whether or not she gets good grades, so why should it matter? She's doing well in school, as far as he knows, so it clearly isn't holding her back. Any student who says a thing wrong about her gets intimidated by him. Sure, he may not LOOK tough, but he has a criminal record. Even if Yuutsu knows that he didn't commit the crime, most of the other students don't. As far as they know, when they see him march up to them and give them a stern talking to, it's the equivalent of a thug approaching them to beat them down. No one will say a word about her, her interests, or anything else revolving around her on his watch.

Wherever Yuutsu goes, Ren follows. If the school schedule and Cafe Leblanc' opening and closing times don't get in the way, he will be there. In fact, he may even invite her to try out some of the coffee and curry at Cafe Leblanc. He doesn't see why not... It would save him the time of finding out her schedule, then finding her wherever she is at to go see her.

When he unlocks his persona and the ability to go into the Metaverse, everything gets worse. He now has a tool which could be used to get to know her, without having to follow her around. He'll do as much digging as the Metaverse let's him. Does Yuutsu have a shadow in the Metaverse? Does she have a palace? If so, what is it? What caused it? What can he learn about her from it?

It's at this point, Yuutsu most likely realizes that something is off. Ren looks more tired than usual. He seems to know more about her than he should. She never told him about what her parents did. About the horrible expectations they forced upon her, or what happened with her mother. Ren knows, however, having slipped up when trying to get her to relax and take a break from studying before she hurts herself. After having enough of... whatever was happening, she decides to confront him about it.

Sitting in a booth at Cafe Leblanc, she pops a question "Ren, we are friends, right? Can you tell me how you know about my parents. I don't remember telling you about them." Everything is silent, before she opens her mouth to repeat the question, wondering if he just didn't hear her. She's proven wrong, however, when Ren cuts her off.

"Look... Yuutsu, I know I'm not the most exciting guy. If anything, I'd say I'm pretty ordinary compared to a few of our classmates. I have my ways of figuring things out, however, that I can't really explain... If I tried, I am pretty sure you wouldn't believe me. I can tell you WHY I learned about your parents, though." He makes his way out from behind the counter, continuing to speak as he sits down across from her. "I love you. I love you so much. You are so kind, no matter what happens. You accept those that don't fit in with what society considers normal or decent. You dress how you want, act how you want, and pay no mind to those who tell you not to do that. I love you, so much, I can't even describe it. I think about you everyday, worrying about you, and try my best to do what I can to help you when you are in need. I love you, Yuutsu."

She tenses as he suddenly places his hand on top of hers, finishing his confession by saying "I wanted to make sure everything was okay at home. Now that I know the struggle you have gone through, alongside the fact that you have stayed so kind when some others let those experiences change them for the worst, I find you even more beautiful than before. Yuutsu, will you please be my girlfriend?"

There is a thick silence in the air. For a second, Ren fears the worst: she'll reject him- no, she'll FEAR him. She'll FEAR him like all the others in their school. However, she shocks him. Instead of saying something like "No... you're scaring me." or "Get away from me! How did you get that information?!", she looks him in the eyes, making a proposition.

"I'll be your girlfriend, if we get married in the future. The near future, preferably. Marriage is very important to me, so I want to make sure our priorities when it comes to our relationship don't conflict."

His eyes widen, a grin forming as he quickly responds "Of course! That's what I was hoping to hear, actually! I'd love to get married! Should we start planning now, so we can be prepared for when we can afford it? I'll even make a savings account for it. I love you so much, I can't wait to get married!"

#Persona 5 #persona 5 royal #persona 5 ren #ren amamiya #canon x oc #yandere persona 5

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willel · 1 year

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I agree with you that it’s not like we have all the pieces and it’s a matter of guessing how they could tell a consistent story all taken together. That said, I think that Henry’s life in 1959, the origin of the indigo program and dimension X seem to have something in common, and it’s about the origin and the nature of the powers of the "numbers" and how it relates to other dimensions, something that Brenner may have known or guessed bf anyone else. So it goes beyond El, or Will or even Henry maybe, and that’s why Willel fighting Vecna seems like a side or secondary plot to me that I’m less excited about post S4. Unless it’s the only way to learn about the missing pieces?

Ah, you speak of the theories of where powers originate? I know people speculate that their power is from Dimension X/The Upside Down, but that particular theory doesn't quite mesh with me.

I only say that because we know the Duffers were deeply inspired by Stephen King and they even mention multiple of his novels as inspiration. They're even heading a new movie/series I think for one of his books.

Here's how powers usually originate in Stephen's universe, I'm sure you'll find some similarities:

The Shining

Carrie

Firestarter

As you can see, powers are something that manifests naturally but can also be triggered or forced to "awaken" with government experiments ad drugs. Just like Stranger Things.

Maybe the ST writers will tie the origin of powers to Dimension X/The Upside Down but I don't think they have to.

People with powers are the equivalent of mutants from X-Men. There's not really a rhyme or reason why people are mutants, it just kinda happens and can cause all kinds of disasters if not controlled properly.

As for Dr. Brenner, he was a very smart man but also very ignorant. I think if he knew Dimension X/The Upside Down existed, he wouldn't have so haphazardly threw his experiments in a room together or made the most powerful one an attendant for the rest of them. Brenner wanted to be somebody by being the master of all these children who actually could've been somebody if not for him.

I don't think he knew it existed until El yeeted Henry to another dimension. But once he learned it existed, he spent all his time training her to interact with it someday (while also training her to be a spy for the government, as his contract probably requires)

Brenner is dead and the government probably burned all their documentation about the Upside Down a long time ago. Henry is pissed off and isn't going to just nicely answer any questions the protags might have.

If there are more answers to learn about the Upside Down, then those answers will have to come about through the combined effort of Will and El. Will especially is deeply connected to that place even if he doesn't want to be. El can dive into memories and get answers from Henry by force if it comes to that. The only other way I can think of is if Owens knows something more (which I'm 100% sure he does) and he becomes the exposition dump...but I think it'd be a lot more entertaining for Will and El to accidentally learn things along the way rather than just being told by someone.

As for Dimension X/The Upside Down itself, I have written theories about what it is. I basically see if like... well here's an example. Have you ever played a Persona game? Namely Persona 5 in this case since it's much more obvious. No spoilers, but in the game, the protagonists can enter a rift called the "Metaverse". The Metaverse is formed by the collective thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc of humanity. It shifts and changes based on the general sentiment of people living in the area. They can be dramatic changes or little changes. The protags can enter the Metaverse and track down the avatar of someone in the real world and cure them of whatever feelings or thoughts are bringing them down.

That is how I view the Upside Down/Dimension X. It is like a natural part of the world just under the surface that can be changed and shaped if the person shaping it is strong enough to do so.

That is a key component in the "Will has creation powers" theory in that he accidentally shaped the Upside Down into what it is today during a moment of panic, just like how El accidentally opened the mother gate in season 1 while she was panicking.

Everyone might be subconsciously aware that such a place exists (religious people may refer to it as hell). Everyone's probably subconsciously connected to that place as it is a natural part of their world? Who can say.

While I don't think Dimension X/The Upside Down is the source of power, I do of course think a lot will be revealed about it next season and it ties Will, El, and Henry's story together. But I don't know how far that "story" really goes or if the connection existed before 1979 when El opened the first tear.

Okee rambling over~

#ask #Anonymous #stranger things #theory

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coldcanadianwinters · 1 year

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Bad Dog Bites and Original Bad Dog Bites!

oooooo baby okay okay SO STRAP IN FOR A LONG EXPLANATION HAHA I'll put it under a read-more bc I KINDA WENT BUCKWILD WITH THIS EXPLANATION I'M SORRY JUBES

:') I'M JUST EXCITED

To preface, I actually lied when I replied to your post first - in fact SIX of those fics are crossovers between the two Personas that I've played (4 and 5) lmfao and that includes both versions of BDB :)

Originally, the fic was supposed to take place immediately after Royal, and Akechi's alive and contacted by Sae bc my theory is that it was her officers that was escorting him back to somewhere when you catch a glimpse of him at the very end of the game through the train window. The idea was that, now that she's transitioning to being a defense lawyer, Sae's noticing a lot more of an uptick in corruption through the government, and especially noticing shit to do with the shadow world, whether that be Metaverse or otherwise. So she's bringing in the guy who's in hiding and who she can like use some leverage over (seeing as the Phantom Thieves are supposed to be disbanded now and they're going their separate ways so she can't just employ them for this) and who also has Persona powers, and ask him to help her deal with this. But she also knows that the shadow world is dangerous to deal with on its own... and I know that the government has records of Naoto having Persona powers (thank you beginning of P4 Arena lmfao - I haven't finished watching the playthrough that I found of that one tho bc I realised that P4A has so many spoilers for P3 and I don't want that yet soooo I'll just have to wait until after I play P3 to finish that vid haha), so to help him, she calls in the first Detective Prince.

The goofs and gaffs were gonna come from the fact that, if they met in canon (PQ2 doesn't count in this situation bc I haven't played it yet LMAO), they would immediately hate each other hsgfh and then they'd slowly grow to trust each other in combat, even if they do absolutely hate each other, and it would come to a head when they get surrounded, probably in the TV World bc they're gonna be bouncing back and forth between each other's worlds (and the P3 shadow world - Tartarus? - but I first gotta play that game first *squeezes my hands into fists* so) and are forced to perform a Showtime where, since both of them and their Personas can learn Megidolaon, they basically do this little theatrical show of 'hey I can do things better than you watch!' and then annihilate the surroundings and the shadows by using that move at once together. And then after that they would have to deal with the fact that hey, the other one actually is willing to work with me and keep the both of us from getting killed... huh....

I thought it was a cool idea, though like the majority of the plot is wholly obscured to me bc I didn't really have an end goal besides making Akechi eventually go back to Leblanc and see the P5 protag again, though maybe it could be something similar to P5 where they take down a major political figure? or like the lead scientist trying to use the shadows for their own evil will or something, and I also didn't have most of the middle stuff ready, just like key scenes that I'd dreamt up and stuff haha

But then the second version, which is the one just titled Bad Dog Bites now, has some different stuff going on - this time, it's 4 years after the end of P5, so Akechi's been in hiding for a while after having survived back then, and he's probably doing something but he's really secretive and on the dl about it. He doesn't want to be found by the authorities so he changes address and phone number constantly, I've written him relatively ooc rn but I'm working on fixing that lmfao, he's got some shit to deal with and he definitely doesn't want to be found by the former Phantom Thieves.

The idea is the fic opens up in Akechi's current apartment, and he's doing something at his desk that the audience isn't allowed to fully know about yet, when someone knocks on his door. He's obviously suspicious, and when he goes to peek through his peep hole and then after crack the door with the chain in, Naoto is there, and when he lets the original DP in, they explain to him (after some like banter, immediate hate bc they would hate each other hghs, and some coaxing of information) that they've been hired to help hunt him down (and though they don't say by who, Naoto was def hired by the P5 protag, but like 3-ish years ago, so instead of telling him that, Naoto tells him they were hired recently by Sae, bc that'll also technically be true).

Actually, I might add in, too, that the TV World fog was seeping into Akechi's apartment and that helped Naoto hunt him down? I think that could be interesting... and Akechi doesn't notice bc it's been a slow build, but something across Japan has been causing the walls of the TV World to thin (and maybe also the Metaverse and Tartarus bounds) and let them seep into the real world, which of course is a problem. This'll tie well into my plan for this fic too - the pair of Detective Princes get contracted to dive into the various shadow worlds at random by government agents so that scientists can test the reactions of Shadows and stuff, etc etc basically they gotta play along until they can target the head of this evil government snake organization and take it down together swiftly and effectively, giving info back to Sae for safekeeping and occasionally bumping into other major characters from the games. And at the end, they find where all three of these shadow worlds are converged and have to fight the big bad boss down there to separate Tartarus, the TV World, and the Metaverse again and also separate all three from the real world once more.

There'll be changing perspectives between Akechi's pov and Naoto's pov, changing probably either chapter to chapter or every other chapter, depending on the vibes haha, and in the end, when they do take down the big bad (both of the shadow worlds and the head organizer of this whole thing who's trying to control the shadow worlds), or maybe after, then Akechi is forced to realise that hey actually living in isolation like he had been sucks shit and makes plans to meet up with the p5 protag. Maybe he even does meet up with him, at the end of the fic, I haven't decided yet haha

I'll still be keeping the Showtime idea that I had bc ngl that scene drove a lot of my want to write this fic in the first place, though I still gotta finagle a way of making it written out as cool as it was in my head without being either over- or under-explained and flashy, idk haha, but beyond that and Naoto and Akechi forced to work together their plots were gonna be actually really different. Plus, I figured I could maybe do more with their characters, because for Akechi it's 4 years later so he's like 20-21, but for Naoto, it's been a Hot Minute since they've had to go about doing shadow world stuff I think (though maybe I'm wrong and they've been doing shadow world stuff this whole time! idk), so they're now 24-25 and Working Through It haha

Anyways! That's the whole idea 🫠 I know this was a really long reply but I just,,, I've been thinking about this fic a whole bunch haha

There's still some things I gotta tweak out still, and I gotta actually write the damned thing too, but! There ya go haha

#Person #Persona 4 #Persona 5 #Goro Akechi #Naoto Shirogane #it be runnin through my head like a track race #:)

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cookiecomics · 5 months

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idk what else to tell you about for bm shiho and goro au.. 3rd sem would be way different without the threat of goros life being not there in this, and shiho added to the mix so maruki wouldn't be able to "fix" anns reality, so i have no idea tbh.. hmmm. brain storm brain storm.

shiho introduces goro to yuuki, i know that much, and they become pretty good friends-- and in turn, yuuki introduces both of them to eiko, who introduces them to hifumi, who eiko met at the bookstore when searching to buy makoto stuff, and thats the entirety of the friendgroup (mainly formed after everything is ended and they're all back to "normal" lives-- the metaverse never truly went away, but it's changed, and soon the pts + bms end up working with the shadow operatives.. because all the games are connected and shadow ops goro & shiho.)..

eiko and hifumi eventually get together, both harboring a little crush on makoto after hifumi was introduced to her, and shiho and ann are together, yuuki and ken (from p3, who is only 22? days younger than goro, so in p5 after june 24th he'd be 18 and a 3rd year in hs like goro) get together, and akira/pego and goro obviously.

and makoharu, futasumi, ryukita make up the rest of the thieves. eventually goro's friend group (shiho, hifumi, ken, eiko, & yuuki) merges with the PT friendgroup, all of them knowing eachother either by attending shujin (excluding hifumi & ken), by akira (yuuki & hifumi), or by another thief (shiho w/ ann, & eiko w/ makoto), and this merging of friendgroups cause yuuki, hifumi, & eiko to actually learn abt the metaverse and such. ken already knows abt it, working for the shadow ops and being a former SEES member n such. yuuki joins the group of hackers working with the shadow ops and helps make prototypes (such as sophia from strikers an actual body), and takes over futaba's job spying on people for PT-only related things when she's been overworking herself. hifumi and ken help navigate out plans and eiko helps with creations of outfits in case they want to do the video calling cards again, or if they need an alternative outfit (such as akira's in mm), shiho and goro dealing with the more... gorey aspects of the shadow operatives and PTs, because, sometimes, death happens, no matter if the "PTs don't kill" or whatever. if someone needs a scare but not enough to kill, those 2 are who you call. they're a force to be reckoned with.

sorry it took me so long to answer !!! i was moving and hung over!!! but just know i want to put this whole au in my mouth. I've never heard of Ken and Mishima as a ship so im really curious about more of that

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aurosoul · 2 years

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perhaps im being a luddite but all this AR VR immersive reality stuff is... kind of frightening? i know there's a lot of really good benefits to it when it comes to disability and such so it's a complex thing but man. i already feel i have too much screen in my life as is and the idea of making it even *more* immersive and having to Enter it to partake in it just... ugh

oh man no you're absolutely right to feel this way, and you're not the only one feeling it either.

addressing this fear was a huge part of what people were talking about in this space - there was an entire talk dedicated specifically to avoiding a "HYPER-REALITY"-esque future, and also for making sure people still have privacy, bodily autonomy, and free control over HOW exactly they want to interact with this new tech

the idea is that the ever-increasing amounts of screen time demanded of us are bad, and that we need to find a better way to interact with the digital world as it continues to expand... because, well....... it sure is continuing to expand.

the idealized dream I'm seeing from the 'metaverse' people is that everyone wants it to be........ an easier way of accessing digital information? a way of bringing it more seamlessly out of our screens, so that we spend less time in front of them and more time interacting with the world?

one example I saw was a minimalist AR display of a cookie recipe that made measurements hover over their related ingredients, so that you spend less time looking at a recipe on your phone and more time actually cooking. another is an example of, instead of Zoom meetings where everyone is stuck at their computers for hours, you meet in a virtual space where you can stand up, walk around, and share (virtual) things with each other by actually handing them to someone instead of using a mouse and keyboard

at the end of the day I have no idea how any of this will shake out in practice - I'm just a concept artist who's suddenly found themselves designing for these virtual worlds - but you're not wrong.

if history tells us anything it's that advertisements and corporations WILL find ways to make things worse, and that the information super highway will still have huge problems with misinfo and right-wing radicalization - BUT...... despite everything, it's still an absolute wonder that we can walk around carrying the entirety of all the world's knowledge and connection to other human beings inside our pocket. we're just still working out the kinks around the fact that our brains aren't built to process all that information at once.

ultimately, for better and worse, technology marches forward... and it's up to us as individuals to figure out the best ways to use it for good, and to protect ourselves from its negative aspects

#incessant meowing #long post #SORRY I WROTE A NOVEL I JUST HAVE A LOT OF COMPLICATED THOUGHTS TOO #as i get forced into learning more and more about the metaverse i don't want to sound either totally for it or against it #because it's given me an amazing new career in 3d concept art #where i can work standing up inside a virtual world of my own creation #with my clients inside this world WITH me giving feedback #which is just. it's unreal!! it's pure science fiction!!!!#but at the same time i KNOW the threat of looming cyberpunk dystopia #the one thing i would say as the world of the metaverse keeps coming closer #is to keep speaking up about privacy and accessibility in virtual spaces!#and to keep informed on what data is being taken from you and to protect yourself whenever possible #we are all going to have to learn tech literacy and data protection #which we should all be doing anyways because smartphones and websites and browsers are spying on us already #this shift has been happening for a long time and we are just recently hitting a crest in the wave

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salexectrian-heir · 3 years

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the 2/2 time travel fic

happy 2/2! here is the first chapter of this fic idea i posted about a little while ago

First chapter below | ao3 link in notes

Akira had been dreading the conversation with Maruki.

Not because he was having second thoughts--no, Akira was steadfast in his resolve that this reality was a mistake. His resolution hadn’t come without a price, of course. His friends were being robbed of their dreams, their happiness no matter how false it was in nature...and Akira would have to bear the burden of knowing he was the one who ultimately was going to destroy it all. And even though the thieves and his rival were on board with its destruction, Akira knew that the decision had taken a piece of them with it. It had required a sacrifice from them all. And that ate Akira alive, knowing that they all had a taste of what could have--

No, Akira couldn't think like that. It would only make everything he had to do that much harder.

Somehow, out of all the betrayals he had experienced this year, Maruki’s was by far the most painful.

Maruki had held space for Akira when Akira had needed it most. Akira rarely entrusted others with his needs, having been burned too many times before this point to forge that kind of fragile, vulnerable, two-way connection with someone else. But Maruki had felt safe enough to confide in, and in turn made Akira feel seen, feel validated. Had respected Akira’s opinions and sought them out instead of admonishing him for sharing his perspective. Against his better judgement, Akira had opened his heart.

No adult in Akira’s life had ever done that for him before. So of course learning that Maruki had taken those secrets spoken in confidence, manipulated them, and thought he knew what would be best not only for him but the world…something snapped in Akira.

And now, sitting across from the former “counselor” turned Self-Appointed Savior, Akira battled his warring emotions into submission. Into the familiar blank mask he wore outside the Metaverse to hide his true disposition. The mask he thought he would never have had to wield against the one adult he thought he would have never needed to hide from.

From the only adult he thought he could finally trust.

The calling card tucked in the inner pocket of his jacket was burning a hole through its thin fabric. Each controlled breath Akira took as he listened to Maruki explain himself pressed the blistering deadweight a little closer to the skin of his chest. The frail, last line of defense he had that separated the world from that bleeding and bruised muscle.

And right now, if he didn’t get rid of the card within the next few seconds he was sure the scent of his burning flesh would suffocate them all.

Maruki broke the lull that had settled between them first. His voice was gentle when he asked, “Are you sure you don't have any doubts, Kurusu-kun?”

Akira narrowed his eyes at the formality. They were past that. Way past that. “What do you mean, Maruki-sensei?” Akira responded sardonically.

The hand Maruki had wrapped around the mug of coffee Akira had made for him started a complicated beat against its porcelain surface as he studied Akira.

“ Akira,” he amended and started again, his eyes softening into something almost sorrowful. “More accurately, I should really be be asking 'do you two gentlemen have any doubts',” Maurki paused and glanced over his shoulder towards the cafe entrance.

“You're there, aren't you Ake”--the door to Leblanc nearly shattered on its hinges with the force of which it was thrown open--“chi-kun!?” Maruki stuttered out, his face swiftly morphing from melancholic to bewildered in the span of a second as he openly gawked at the entryway.

Akira blinked once. Did a double take. Then blinked once more.

Because it wasn’t Akechi who had just stormed into Leblanc.

Or, it was but...

“You,” a man who looked like the splitting image of a twenty-something, utterly irate Goro Akechi spat, his face contorting into a feral grimace as he pointed directly at Maruki.

Akira had seen the younger version of Akechi make that exact expression only one time before in the bowels of Shido’s palace. It was not something anyone wanted to be on the receiving end of.

There was a beat of absolute silence.

And then chaos erupted.

This older version of Akechi with murderous intent seething in his eyes launched himself at Maruki, barreling full force into their booth like a bull after the counselor’s throat. Maruki made a very undignified squeak at the sudden assault and tried to put as much space between him and the rampaging Older Akechi by scrambling further into the seat. Kicking wildly at him to try and stop the halestorm of blows reigning down from the furious Akechi-lookalike. It did little to deter the older detective prince. If anything it made him even angrier.

Meanwhile Morgana, who had relocated from sitting next to Akira to perching behind him on top of the booth, was yowling at ear piercing decibels. His fur also was comically puffed up, making him appear two times his normal size as he whipped his head back and forth between the attempted murder happening before them and Akira.

Who was sitting there with his coffee mug halfway to his mouth, watching everything unfold in a sort of detached awe.

A moment later the door was ripped open a second time and everything got a whole lot weirder.

Because it still wasn’t Akechi.

Instead, a very frazzled looking twenty-something version of himself tumbled through the door. He was out of breath, as if he had sprinted all the way here from...where ever the fuck he had come from. This older version of himself took one panicked survey of the room and promptly leapt into the chaos, snagging the Older Akechi around the waist in an attempt to slow his assault.

This older version of Akechi was taller, and had a bit more mass than his older self, but his older doppelganger didn’t let that stop him. He braced one boot against the seat of the booth and dug his other heel in the floor, leveraging the angle and gravity, to yank the Older Akechi off of the therapist’s lower half.

At this point, Akira noted, Maruki had effectively shoved himself so far back that he was half on the table with his back pressed against the window, fingers clumsily looking for the latch that would open it. In his haste to avoid the older Akechi’s swiping gloved fists, he knocked over the potted plant on the window sill. Soil cascaded across the table along with the poor upended plant and broken fragments of its pot.

Sojiro was going to kill him.

I should really be more concerned about all of this, Akira idly thought, flicking away a tiny ceramic shard. But he found it was hard to feel anything right now, as what he was watching seemed so surreal. I wonder if this is what disassociating feels like.

For the third time that evening the door to Leblanc was forced open with an unforgiving smack that sounded off over the cries and screams from the fight. The wall was surely dented at this point from the abuse. Akira vaguely wondered if the door hinges were going to survive the night.

This time it was the Akechi he had been expecting. Eighteen year old Goro Akechi stood in the doorway, gaping in utter shock at the pandemonium unfolding before them. Akira could practically see the formulaic equations running through and swirling around Akechi’s head, as he processed what was happening.

The younger Akechi simply mouthed, “What the fuck.” And continued not to move.

Akira’s attention was drawn back to the weird three sided battle happening literally two feet in front of him when he heard a pained gasp.

“Goro--plea--,” the older version of Akira wheezed, collapsing onto the floor after a sharp elbow connected with his sternum, “p-please--stop.”

The older version of Goro Akechi did not, in fact, stop. He in fact, got worse.

“Get back here you PIECE OF SHIT,” he bellowed, successfully grabbing hold of Maruki’s leg just as the counselor had managed to get his head and shoulders out the window.

Another undignified squeak escaped Maruki as his body was forcefully pulled back into the booth with a very painful looking jerk.

“A-Akechi-ku--” Maruki started to plead, but his voice cut off in a gurgle when the older Akechi managed to get both of his gloved hands around his throat.

It was at that moment his older self resurfaced in the fight. Hooking his arms under the older Akechi’s armpits, he twisted Akechi’s arms back, breaking his hold around the counselor’s throat and heaved the detective off Maruki.

“No!” the pinned Akechi cried, scrambling for purchase on Maruki’s sweater as he was tipped backwards.

The sound of stitches ripping followed the men as they tumbled backwards out of the booth and into a couple of the barstools behind them, which crashed to the ground in their wake. Maruki braced himself with one hand on the table and his other on the back of the booth to prevent himself from tipping into the writhing body pile on the floor. His sweater was stretched out and torn, hanging loosely off his neck.

Akira’s phone, which had also been on the table, lit up and started to incessantly vibrate. A stream of messages from Futaba were flooding in when Akira checked it. He elected to ignore those for now. Before flipping the screen down, Akira took note of the time.

23:58 PM.

Two more minutes until this shitshow of a day was over and the dawn of February Third would rise. Akira released a weary sigh and set his phone aside in favor of his now lukewarm coffee. God damn he wished he had something a little stronger than the Jamaican Blue Mountain brew he was sipping on to put up with all this bullshit.

Happy fucking Birthday to me, he thought as he raised his mug in mock cheers at the camera Futaba had installed in the corner of Leblanc’s seating area. Where he was one hundred percent certain she was watching in pure horror, given the messages he was still receiving making his phone vibrate and shimmy at his elbow.

Honestly after all this, Akira suspected nothing in this world could ever surprise him anymore.

“Aren’t you going to help?” Morgana’s voice cut through the static he hadn’t realized had been present in his ears.

From the floor, his older self was doing a much better job at dodging the older Akechi’s flying elbows with graceful dexterity, but Maruki somehow had strayed too close. He was now kneeling on the floor with his sweater once again in the older Akechi’s vice grip.

“He kind of deserves it,” Akira said flatly, setting down his mug.

Though Akira quickly changed his mind when Maruki started making gurgling noises again, which could only signify one thing.

The younger Akechi recovered from his stupefaction when he saw Akira move, and stepped in to assist. It required both Akira’s older self and the younger Akechi to hold back the raging older Akechi long enough for Akira to pull Maruki safely away. The older Akechi was then shoved against a wall, getting yelled at quite vehemently by his older self.

“Sorry about your sweater,” Akira said, after he turned away from the arguing dopplegangers.

Maurki plucked at the frayed neckline and chuckled a bit breathlessly. “It’s seen better days.”

Upon closer inspection, Maurki’s glasses were broken and sitting askew on his face. His lip also had been split at some point and was leaking a tiny trail of blood down his chin. Akira grabbed a bunch of napkins off the counter and held them out to Maruki, who accepted and thanked him with a slight bow of his head, pressing them to his mouth.

“Would someone kindly explain just what the fuck is going on,” the younger Akechi demanded in near hysterics (his Akechi, Akira’s mind unhelpfully supplied before Akira buried that thought deep down).

The older versions of themselves fell silent.

There was a deep sigh that sounded almost identical to the one Akira had made a few minutes ago.

“Let’s try this again,” Akira heard his voice say from across the room, “how about we all take a seat. Calmly.” There was a pregnant pause as his older self shot a pointed look at the Akechi who had been the source of the problems, and released him from the wall. “Like civil adults.”

“Fine,” the older Akechi said, adjusting the scarf around his neck and smoothing out the lapels of his rumpled grey peacoat before sliding into the booth, with his older self right behind.

Akira tugged on Maruki’s sleeve, gesturing to follow him into the seat across from their visitors. Akira went in first, sitting directly across from the older Akechi which left Maruki to sit opposite the other Akira.

It was probably safer for everyone this way.

The younger Akechi (his Akechi) elected to remain standing, leaning against the far counter with his arms crossed over his tan coat in an attempt to look imposing, but really he just looked uncomfortable in Akira’s opinion.

Once everyone had settled in, the older Akira turned to Maruki. A sad smile broke across his face as he said, softly, “Hello Takuto.”

Why hearing his voice say Maruki’s first name was the thing that finally made Akira realize just how absurd this whole situation was, that shocked Akira back into his body from the weird detached space he had been floating around in the past few minutes, Akira couldn’t tell you.

Panic clawed its way out of his chest and into his throat, making his breathing erratic and ragged. The calling card in his pocket now felt like molten metal encasing his chest. His mind was reeling, racing, splitting apart as it finally registered that the man sitting adjacent from him across the table looked Just. Like. Himself.

What the fuck? What the FUCK?? WHAT THE FUCK!?

Maruki looked between him and his older self. “Akira…can you please explain yourself?”

“Uhm, I have no idea what’s happening,” Akira managed to get out weakly, before realizing Maruki wasn’t speaking to him, but the older man sharing his face.

“I think it would make it easier if everyone referred to us by our surnames, and our younger selves by their given names, for clarity’s sake,” his older self said, glancing at Akira and then Goro standing by the counter. “Will that be a problem?”

“Yes,” Goro said testily.

“Get over it,” Akechi snapped at his younger self.

Goro’s eyes flared. “Why should I--”

“Because it's a trivial distinction and it doesn’t really matter,” Akechi spoke over him, flicking his eyes over to Maruki briefly, “not when we have more pressing issues to deal with. Stop being difficult.”

That’s kind of rich coming from you, Akira thought but did not say.

Goro huffed but didn’t push it any further, opting to glare balefully at himself. The tension rolling off of Goro was enough to make Akira squirm, even from the otherside of the room. Luckily Akechi remained unphased by the daggers being thrown in his direction.

“To keep it simple and state the obvious, we are you. We travelled from the future of the reality this idiot,” Akechi gestured at Maruki, “ wants to impose upon the world. We’re here to make sure it never actualizes, as something evidently went very wrong when we attempted to do the same ten years ago.”

Morgana’s exclamation of “Ten years?!” overlapped with Akira’s yelp (Morgana had reflexively dug his claws into Akira) and Goro’s “What do you mean, ‘something went wrong’?”

“Yes ten years Mona, and I mean it exactly how it sounds,” Akechi said in a clipped tone, clearly not willing to explain himself further.

Akira sucked in a breath through his teeth as Morgana retracted the claws he embedded from his shoulder and mumbled an apology in his ear.

“Our memories of what happened on February Third are...not intact,” Kurusu offered, earning a scowl from Akechi. “The last thing I remember is entering the palace...then… waking up in the new reality. Same for him,” Kurusu nodded in the direction of his boothmate, whose scowl deepened.

Maruki cleared his throat. “How did you time tra--”

“We aren’t telling you shit, what we’ve said is all you needed to know,” Akechi snarled, “so shut up, read the damn calling card, and then get out.”

“If you lived in my reality for that long, surely you found it enjoyable Akechi-kun, you--”

“Don’t assume you know anything about me,” he growled, “and don’t make me repeat myself.”

“You are both aware of what will happen if this reality--your reality, is destroyed...,” Maruki said slowly, gaze switching between the older boys emphatically.

“It was never ours,” Akechi was quick to shoot back.

Kurusu nodded. “We are fully aware and...deemed travelling here to end it worth the consequence.”

“Kurusu…” Maruki said, a mortified expression dawning on his face. “I suspected Akechi-kun might have felt this way given the conditions of his existence...but you too?”

“Wait, I don’t follow,” Akira spoke up, unease settling heavily into his gut like lead stone as he watched the varying expressions on the faces before him. They all know something I don’t. “Conditions of his existence…?”

“He hasn’t told me yet,” Kurusu said, suddenly avoiding Akira’s eyes, instead turning to face Akechi. “That...complicates things.”

Both Akechi and Kurusu exchanged a look, then glanced at Goro.

“I take it you haven’t shared anything with Akira either,” Akechi asked Goro--who eyes darted over to Akira before shaking his ‘no’ . “I guess that answers our question if we landed in the right timeline,” Akechi muttered, then sat up straight, leveling a look directly at Akira.

Akira’s heart rate spiked under the weight of the familiar yet so foreign maroon tinted gaze, and he was struck once again by how breathtakingly beautiful Akechi Goro was. Taking the time to look at this older version of his rival, Akira noticed the years had been kind to him. His cheekbones had become more prominent, defining his face with sharper angles that his shorter hair style complimented. Even if it was still a little mussed from the earlier fight.

Akira swallowed thickly. Whatever Akechi was about to say, he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good.

“What your esteemed counselor was most likely about to tell you before I”--he exhaled sharply--“lost my temper, was that in the true reality, we most likely died,” Akechi explained coolly, gesturing between himself and Goro on his right. “The only reason we’re here presumably is because it was your wish. And Maruki granted it.”

Something in Akira’s chest cracked painfully.

He desperately wanted Goro to meet his eyes, to look at him, to tell him it wasn’t true. That he escaped the night they fought in Shido’s palace . But he was still staring at his older self with an intensity that barred no distractions.

It couldn’t be true.

Akira had felt the warmth of Akechi’s body when they brushed shoulders on the subway, had watched as the clouds of his breath faded away into nothing in the cold January air when they loitered outside the Jazz Jin. Witnessed the blood rush to flush his face when Akira teased him over ridiculously sugary, overpriced drinks and soft music. Sensed the raw power in his presence when they would pull off a seamlessly synchronized attack in the metaverse together…

It couldn’t be… he couldn’t be...

Akira’s vision tunneled as he focused on his rival.

Goro brought his hand to his chin, falling into his typical thinking pose which Akira had always found endearing, but now was sending sharp pains through his chest. “I couldn’t find any conclusive evidence to support it, but given the gaps in my memory after my final fight with Akira, and Wakaba Isshiki and President Okumura’s suspicious reappearances…,” he trailed off with a shrug. “Occam’s razor.”

“The simplest explanation is often the correct one,” both Goro and Akechi said in tandem.

“Two of you.” Kurusu pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up into his fringe as he did, and muttered under his breath, “I have to deal with two of you for the next twenty-four hours.”

Akechi pinched Kurusu (who flinched) without breaking eye contact with Akira and continued on, “And then Maruki was going to bait you, Akira, into accepting his false paradise by dangling our life before you. Holding us hostage, essentially.”

“I wouldn’t have explained like that!” Maruki said defensively. “I was devastated when I learned what happened to you--err the two of you? That night in December. I don’t mean to make it seem like I am holding you both hostage--”

“But you are, and you did. ”

“Will, this Maruki hasn’t done it yet,” Kurusu quietly corrected Akechi.

Akechi plowed on, ignoring Kurusu’s comment, voice raising with each word he spoke, “You stripped us of our agency, forced us to play pretend in a world where you erased and repurposed parts of ourselves to fit your mold of perfection!”

Maruki winced.

Akechi trembled, barely able to contain anger, “I’ve spent enough of my life being manipulated by the will of men who think they own me, own the world. I refuse to live a moment longer in a reality concocted by someone else. I refuse.” His gloved fist slammed down on the table, causing the half-full mugs of forgotten coffee to rattle and send little splatters of dark liquid onto its surface.

Kurusu was quick to place his left hand over Akechi’s fist, who recoiled under the touch.

Akira stiffened at the sight of a thin band of silver on Kurusu’s finger, glinting under the soft lights overhead.

He’s married... I’m married?

Akechi started to pull away but then stopped, exhaling sharply. Kurusu ran his thumb over Akechi’s knuckles and his gloved fingers finally relaxed under Kurusu’s palm, splaying onto the table. He let Kurusu pull their hands off and out of sight.

“And.. you agree with this Kurusu?” Maruki asked after a few seconds of silence.

Kurusu took a steadying breath, and answered. “I do. And I understand that it means that I will also cease to exist.” A small smirk played on his lips. “At least this version of me.”

Maruki slumped back in defeat, staring unblinkingly at the droplets of coffee on the table. He swallowed, his jaw working for a moment before he nodded to himself. “Well then, I must accept that those are your decisions.” He looked up. “However, you don’t speak fo--”

“I also refuse to accept this farce of a life,” Goro interrupted, as if he had been waiting for Maruki to call on him. He turned his glare fully onto the former counselor and lifted his chin defiantly, “I’ve made my decision, and nothing you or anyone else says will change my mind.”

“Akira?” Maruki’s voice sounded so small and so far away, despite being right next to him. Akira turned in his seat, meeting Maruki’s pleading eyes. “Do you feel the same?”

Akira’s heart twisted in on itself.

Did he feel the same?

Before he couldn’t feel anything but now… it was as if his body was making up for the lost time. He was feeling too many things all at once.

If he rejected the reality Maruki was offering...it would mean…condemning them all to death.

From the corner of his eye, Akira took in the strange trio’s expressions. They all were mirrors of each other, all displaying their own versions of unwavering resolve and grim determination that Akira had walked into this conversation with--before everything had fallen apart.

A gentle nudge against the back of his head coupled with soothing purrs grounded Akira enough to stop his mind from spiraling any further. It also reminded him that it wasn’t just these lives who had a say in the fate of reality.

“I do,” he echoed his older self, and reached into his jacket pocket. Fire licked at his fingers as he peeled off the calling card that had melded into his skin and tossed it onto the table in front of Maruki.

Finally free of its oppressive, burning weight Akira took his first full breath since he came down the stairs from his room. Its phantom pain lingered, the skin too hot and tender where the card had laid over his heart. Akira flexed his fingers over the spot, hoping the friction would ease the discomfort. It didn’t. So he shoved his hand into his pants pocket and focused on regulating his breathing.

“I thought out of all people, you would understand,” Maruki said in the same small voice. Gently, he picked up the card and turned it over. “I’ve heard your calling. I’ll be waiting in the palace, as promised.”

When he stood up no one moved to stop him.

He met each of their eyes one last time and said, “If you don’t show, I’ll take that to mean you’ve accepted my reality.”

“We’ll be there,” Kurusu said with a conviction Akira had never heard himself use before. “See you tomorrow.”

“Ah, today, actually,” Maruki said, checking his watch. A heartbreaking smile formed on his face. “It’s probably not my place to say it, but Happ--.”

“Don’t you dare. Get. Out,” Akechi hissed venomously.

When the door clicked shut and the chimes ceased their ringing from Maruki’s exit, a collective sigh of relief seemed to ripple through the group. Akira let himself fall back against the booth, and was low key amused when he watched his older self do almost the exact same thing. Akechi gingerly leaned back as well, tension bleeding out from his tense shoulders as he eased himself down aside Kurusu. Kurusu reached out a hand and hesitated before tucking a short lock of hair behind Akechi's ear.

Akechi turned to him and whispered, “I can’t believe...that it worked."

“Believe it,” Kurusu matched his volume, and suddenly Akira felt like he was intruding on a private moment as their gazes lingered a little too long on each other.

“Are you, we...” Akira began uncertainly, “...friends then? In the future?”

Akira watched himself blush in real time.

“Ah. About that,” Kurusu said, fiddling with a piece of fringe as his cheeks continued to darken.

Akechi lifted his left hand and started tugging off his glove, one finger at a time. “In a manner of speaking.”

Akira’s heart kicked into high gear. Oh my god.

On Akechi’s ring finger was a thin silver band. Identical to the one on Kurusu’s hand--that he was now holding up beside Akechi’s.

Goro was the first to react. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Oh get over yourself,” Akechi chided, “you can quit pretending like you never--ouch !”

A sudden violent exchange under the table had Akira heavily suspecting his older self had stomped on Akechi’s foot.

Akechi glared at Kurusu. Kurusu glared right back.

“Would it kill you to be nice to yourself?”

Akechi crossed his arms. “Yes.”

“Uh,” Akira croaked, drawing everyone’s attention, “can we talk about how this happened?”

“You both probably have lots of questions,” Kurusu said, “So let’s start at the beginning. Goro, you might want to sit down for this.”

#akeshu #shuake #goro akechi #persona 5 royal #akira kurusu #goro akechi x akira kurusu #time travel

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