#i’m not really talking about naoto that’s a whole other can of worms a long way down the line

[a-sketchy]

persona misogyny is so fucking wild. ignoring literally everything else about the entire rest of the games, every single s.link with a female character is like “entirely for having been born a woman i have had to work twice as hard for a fraction of the benefit. even now, i am stripped of my agency in a position i never wanted in the first place” and/or “i’m put on a pedestal by the people in my life because of my looks. men see me as an object to be conquered, women hate me for ‘stealing’ ‘their’ men. if i’m withdrawn i’m a bitch, if i’m friendly i’m easy. because of this, i’m alone” and/or “because of my personality or hobby or lack of cooking skills, i feel like i’m failing at femininity. if being a woman is something i can fail at, then where does that leave me? i’m scared at the loss of my identity and place in society”

like very consistently they present female characters with complex thoughts towards their place in society as women, femininity as a whole, and facing issues stemming from misogyny, and then the payoff is always “my problems were entirely my own fault. i wasn’t strong enough, i was a coward. but now, i’m gonna work hard to be exactly what society expects me to be (which is what i want to be)! i’m gonna do better at femininity (which is still something tangible i can fail at)! i’m going to try hard at making friends (which was my fault for not doing)! all my problems are solved through personal responsibility (that im totally culpable for), effort (which i previously was not putting in), or you, a man! i am Happy and Satisfied with this outcome, can i be Your woman?”

and like hello? why are we here. what the fuck are we doing. why do we keep doing this every single time. can we not do the constant lukewarm attempts at criticizing misogyny so you can jerk off to your own thoughtfulness, while ultimately reinforcing patriarchal systems and brushing off any deeper misogyny-bred issues as a lack of deference to one’s rightful place in society? like maybe don’t do that? for fucking once? just an idea

#i’d really need to rewatch slinks to give more indepth thoughts or pull specific examples #but i’m right and i pace about it every day #i’m not really talking about naoto that’s a whole other can of worms a long way down the line #rambles #if persona’s all about wish fulfillment where’s my persona game where i can be a feminist huh #p4g posting #p3p posting #yeah both of those. i’m not far enough in p4 to have seen the payoff but i know that its fucking persona 4 #and jesus christ yukiko!! i only vaguely know of ai. chie in the main story/dialogue options you have #jesus christ the dialogue options. can you ask literally every girl if they have a boyfriend?? and ‘thats very feminine’ DIE #and man p3p. persona main plot misogyny is weird when you’re on the other side of it #it’s a very different experience being the one getting peeped on #and then saori. and mitsuru. and fuuka. kinda rio. idr a single thing about yukari’s slink i’m sorry but probably her too #also my vague recollection of p5 with haru. ann by default though idr her slink #and goddd of course the. everything else. i’m not touching on. main plot misogyny and inherent writing stuff and etc etc etc etc etc etc et #GOD. #persona is hell

[thermopylod]

Chapter 4. I decided to use the animation timeline for Nanako rather than the game one--it’s just so good, even if it really makes her recovery a little *too* miraculous :P

Snippet below.

Nanako’s recovery progressed slower than Yu would have liked. While she laid in that hospital bed, rarely waking up for longer than a few minutes at a time, the city filled with fog. The sun that had woken him up that first day after entering Nanako’s Heaven was nowhere to be seen anymore. It was all grey, all the time, like the day itself couldn’t quite drag itself out of bed.

Despite this, he managed to find some joy in the time he spent with his friends, and most particularly with Yosuke. Fighting side by side to free Nanako had gone a long way towards breaking down the wall that had built up between them.

“I never got a chance to say it, but thanks for all your help with Nanako’s rescue,” Yu told Yosuke one afternoon as they sat at the strange cafe in Okina, warming up after spending an hour at the arcade They’d been discussing the TV world, and how strange it was that the Shadows inside it seemed to grow stronger every time they met new ones. “I don’t know how I would have done it without you.”

“Huh? Oh… Don’t thank me, dude. I’m, um,” Yosuke hedged as he scratched at the back of his neck, a pink flush spreading across his nose, “I’m sorry I made you do everything on your own for Naoto’s Lab. It was really childish of me to let my jealousy get in the way of saving someone’s life.”

Jealousy? He couldn’t mean… no, of course not. “I was as much at fault as you were, please don’t blame yourself.”

Yosuke still looked embarrassed. “I’m just glad we got Nanako back safe and sound. Anyway, it was a team effort!”

Yu smiled at him across the table. “I’m very grateful to everybody. But without your help planning everything, and forcing me to stop, I would have endangered us all. I wasn’t in my right mind.” Yu let his expression grow more serious. “I couldn’t have saved her without you.”

Yosuke’s blush seemed to intensify. “Oh, come on. You’re our leader. You would have gotten through it. I just helped.”

Yu wanted to insist, but Yosuke’s reddened cheeks brought out the freckles that dusted them, and he found he’d entirely forgotten what he meant to say by the time he found his voice again.

Yu was distracted, between hospital visits and catching up on his studies, so he didn’t notice the pattern until Yosuke and Teddie came for dinner about a week later.

“I’ve had a lot of company for dinner lately,” he told Yosuke with a suspicious squint as they stood in the kitchen, Yosuke rinsing rice while Yu finished the curry he’d started earlier.

“Uh, haha, what are you talking about? We just randomly decided to come over!”

“Mm, randomly. Just like Kanji and Naoto decided to randomly bring some extra homemade soba yesterday, and Chie and Yukiko also randomly dropped by the day before that. And the day before that, I believe you brought Aiya’s.”

“Ah…” Yosuke chuckled awkwardly, “...you got me. When Teddie and I realised you’d been home alone this whole time, we had to do something…”

Yu couldn’t stop an exceedingly fond smile from worming its way onto his face. He quickly turned back towards his curry, hoping Yosuke hadn’t seen it.

“Thanks, Yosuke. I appreciate it. But maybe next time, don’t tell Chie and Yukiko? The stew they brought was… well. It ate a hole in the trash can,” he said, pointing to the evidence.

“Oh, no,” Yosuke said with a gasp. “I am so sorry, dude. How can I make it up to you?!”

“Maybe convince them I don’t need company anymore? Yukiko said something about a cake recipe she wanted to ‘improve on’...” Yu shuddered. “Oh, actually, that reminds me. We have leftovers from Kanji and Naoto’s visit for dessert.”

“Really?!” Yosuke exclaimed. “What did they make?”

“Strawberry fraisier,” Yu said, laughing at the way Yosuke’s expression lit up as he raced over to the fridge.

“Oh, man that looks amazing! I can’t believe you didn’t finish it.”

“Well, I had a suspicion I wouldn’t be eating dinner alone tonight, and I didn’t have time to make curry and dessert…”

“This was supposed to be about cheering you up, but you’re the one catering to us,” Yosuke frowned. “I feel bad.”

“No, don’t. I’m glad you and Teddie told everyone to visit. It really has been pretty lonely being all alone here.”

Yosuke gave him a strange look; a little like pity, but unexpectedly soft. Before Yu could decipher it, the rice cooker beeped, startling them both.

“Time to eat, I guess!” Yosuke said a little too quickly, like he was trying to cover something up. “Come set the table, Teddie!”

Before long, they were devouring the curry in front of a rerun of Featherman R. Yosuke and Teddie were taking turns shouting out the heroes’ lines while Yu looked on, amused; it seemed they must have watched the series often back at the Hanamura’s. He hadn’t thought too much about it—after all, Teddie had joined them in the real world only a short time before their falling out—but Yosuke and Teddie really seemed to treat each other like brothers. Despite the way Yosuke snapped at the bear whenever he made a mistake, and how Teddie took every opportunity to needle him, when it came down to it, they seemed to watch out for each other. It was very different from his relationship with Nanako, but he was glad they were there for each other in their own way.

While the team waited for Nanako to recover, they took some time to breathe. It seemed like they had finally, truly solved the case. There was something about the resolution of the case that kept nagging at Yu just a bit—something that seemed like it wasn’t quite right—but he tried to put it out of his mind, figuring it was just leftover anxiety, and focused on spending time with his friends. He, Teddie, Yosuke and Kanji spent a cold Sunday at the beach taking pictures and drinking hot chocolate, Yukiko taught him about the tea ceremony in exchange for his help with her cooking, and he got a fun, if exhausting, workout in with Chie, Kou and Daisuke.

After another long week, Nanako’s recovery had finally progressed to the point where the nurses were considering letting her come home. The whole team gathered at Junes the day before her expected return to plan out a homecoming party. They were discussing snacks and decorations when Yu suddenly remembered something.

“Oh! I need to get a new kotatsu!”

“For the party?”

“No, I mean, for Nanako in general. Ours wasn’t working when we took it out for the winter, and we were supposed to go get a new one together, but then she…”

Yosuke, sitting next to him, gave him a worried glance as he trailed off. “Well then, let’s go pick one out right now! I think we’re having a sale, so it’s perfect timing. Let’s go!”

Yu knew his enthusiasm was meant to distract him from Nanako’s kidnapping, but he was grateful for it all the same. Anyway, Nanako was ok, and she was going to be home very soon. There was no point fretting over what had happened now. He stood to follow Yosuke and the group, already picturing everyone gathered around the new kotatsu, with Nanako in his lap and delicious foods spread across the table. They were halfway across the food court when his phone rang in his pocket.

“Yu speaking?”

“Hey, Yu, it’s Adachi.”

“Oh, hello. Do you have a message from my uncle?”

“No, it’s… I want you to stay calm and listen to me, ok?”

[continued here]

#souyo #fanfic #persona 4 #souji seta #yu narukami #yosuke hanamura #nanako dojima #and all their friends