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seangelfish · 11 months

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Make me laugh!

Ibara Saegusa x Platonic! Reader (Also Platonic! Eden x Reader)

Genre/s: Fluff

Word count: 2,084

Plot/summary: Eden and Ra*bits were participating in a game show called Bogie Time and you had a part in it as well. Your task for the idols was to make you laugh. You wondered how Ibara, your childhood friend, was going to take this...

After their previous round, Ibara had taken a break on his bed, his arm covering his eyes as he muttered complaints to himself. Hajime watched him quietly, wondering if his teammate was alright.

“Um… Saegusa-san,” he began. “Are you okay?”

Ibara sighed, but assured him that he was fine. He just didn’t want to be a part of this game show. They were already so far into it though, so sulking at this point was pathetic.

Ibara got up from his bed and walked over to the table in the middle of the room to join Hajime, who was already on his phone looking at the new announcement.

“This one’s from (Y/N),” Hajime stated which caused a furrowed eyebrow from Ibara.

“(Y/N), huh…?” Ibara murmured. “Whatever game she brings up might be bad…”

Ibara knew everything about you, being childhood friends after all. He was always by your side, but not until you decided to attend Yumenosaki instead of Shuuetsu. Of course, he didn’t mind it, and he even helped you with your application. So, it was a pleasant surprise you decided to apply for Cos Pro instead of the other three agencies. You were his closest friend, one that he loves dearly.

But knowing you, you might make his experience at Bogie Time even worse.

Hajime giggled nervously, “I-I’ll just read it.”

Ibara listened attentively as Hajime read the announcement out loud:

“(Y/N), an idol and producer at Cos Pro, has tasked the participants to make her laugh!”

Ibara blinked and stared at Hajime for him to continue, but that was the end of the announcement.

“‘To make her laugh,’” Ibara quoted. “I think I know where this is going.”

Hajime smiled, “So do I.”

The next day, the participants gathered around together at the Bogie Time stage. Hiyori did his bit with introducing the new episode, and afterwards, Jun introduced you to the audience.

“Hello, everyone!” you greeted excitedly, both to the participants and to the audience. “How are we feeling today?”

Ibara sighed, “(Y/N), please don’t act like the host.”

“Oh, my beloved Ibara,” you teased. “I was just having fun, hehe!”

The rest of the Eden members were happy to see you. You were really close to them and you would annoy them a lot with work at Cos Pro. You knew of Ra*bits too, since you attended Yumenosaki, so you immediately latched yourself onto Hajime who didn’t mind the affection.

“Anyways,” you began, letting go of the Ra*bits member. “The task I want you to do today is to make me laugh! So, let me tell you my rules…”

You proceeded with your conditions:

• Make (Y/N) laugh in under 30 seconds. Each member of a team has one chance.

• You can make (Y/N) laugh by the means of your actions or words, but you mustn't touch her (i.e. tickling).

• If you successfully make (Y/N) laugh, you earn 800 points. If you don’t by the time 30 seconds are up, you lose 300 points.

“That seems easy enough,” commented Jun.

“Mhmm,” Ibara agreed.

And as they both seemed like they read each other’s mind, they said, “Because (Y/N) laughs at almost everything.”

The first team to go up against you was Team God, Nagisa and Mitsuru.

“Are you ready for this, (Y/N)?!” exclaimed Mitsuru excitedly.

You would’ve smiled at his enthusiasm, but you were already in the zone of not trying to laugh, so you nodded eagerly without the emotion.

“Give it your best, Tenma-kun,” said Nagisa.

"Alright, here I go!" Mitsuru began. "Try to guess who I'm impersonating, (Y/N)!"

Oooh, an impersonation? you thought. That's a clever idea.

Mitsuru got into position. His eyes were closed as he took in a deep breath. Then out of nowhere, he went, "Waa! I need to get these done before the deadline which is months away! I'm going to keep working even when I need rest!"

Mitsuru was running around the place, pretending that he was working on a clipboard. This made you smile slightly as you already knew the person he was trying to imitate.

You burst out laughing when Mitsuru pretended to drop his 'glasses' and tried to find them on the floor.

"HAHAHA!" you laughed. "It's Tsumugi, right?!"

Mitsuru stopped acting to tell you that your answer was correct. He was indeed impersonating Tsumugi Aoba, his senior that he was roommates with.

"And Team God is awarded 800 points!" announced Hiyori. "This challenge seems easy, but we can't underestimate Cos Pro's beloved idol and producer. Maybe things will get harder! Who knows?"

It was Nagisa's chance to make you laugh. As he was getting into position, Ibara whispered his thoughts to Hajime.

"We might have a chance to come back around," he told him.

Hajime nodded in agreement, "Yes, I won't let you down!"

It wasn't hard for Nagisa to make you smile. He was so effortlessly funny without meaning to be. He was thinking of what to do to make you laugh, but you had immediately started giggling at his thinking expression.

"(Y/N), you didn't even give me a chance," he said, but he wasn't annoyed or anything. Nagisa gave you a soft smile as you spouted out your apologies.

In the end, Team God was awarded 1600 points. When it was Team Bunny's turn, Hiyori and Nazuna had a different strategy in mind. Hiyori was hoping to just tickle you, but Nazuna had to remind him that they weren't allowed touching. So, they ended up trying to woo you instead.

Now this was hilarious. Although you didn't laugh at Hiyori's attempt at wooing you, you couldn't stop your chuckles from escaping when it was Nazuna's turn.

"(Y/N), no fair!" Hiyori cried. "You didn't laugh when it was my turn!"

"That's because you always act that way around me!" you retorted back. "But Nazuna acting like that? That was so unexpected, hahaha!"

Nazuna was kind of embarrassed, but he was also proud of himself. Team Bunny was rewarded 800 points, but they technically only went up 500 points since Hiyori lost the 300.

Team Hyena was the same because you were finally getting serious. You laughed at the joke Tomoya tried telling you, but you kept a deadpan expression when it was Jun's turn.

"(Y/N), are you doing this on purpose?" Jun asked you, ruffling your hair in teasing frustration. "You tried your hardest to not laugh at my joke, I saw you!"

"No, it just wasn't funny!" you lied.

Lastly, it was Team Snakey's turn. Hajime had already thought of something to make you laugh with, but Ibara was still having trouble.

"You can do what I do!" suggested Hajime. "Just follow my lead!"

Ibara was surprised at the confidence his teammate was emitting.

"Alright, let's see what you have to offer," he said with a smile. "Good luck."

Hajime approached you, but stopped a metre away from you. He took in a deep breath and you could see that he was kind of nervous.

You can do it, Hajime! you cheered on in your mind.

Hajime suddenly straightened his back and saluted, "totsugeki; shinryaku; seiha!" at the top of his voice. The other participants were quiet and so were you. This wasn't what they expected coming from a little guy like Hajime.

But after a few seconds of Hajime trying to impersonate his teammate, you started laughing and wouldn't stop. You tried to cover your mouth and everything, even slight tears started to form in your eyes.

Ibara was absolutely baffled.

"HAHAHA!" you guffawed. "That was amazing, Hajime! I'm literally crying...! You did so well. I loved it! You sound so much like Ibara, hahaha!"

Ibara was kind of irked by your reaction, but Hajime was proud that he was able to make you laugh.

"T-Thank you, (Y/N)-san!" he replied happily.

The other Eden members had let out chuckles too. They agreed with your statement that Hajime did sound like Ibara. Unfortunately for Ibara, he couldn't defend himself as he was on TV, so he stayed quiet.

Hajime noticed his teammate's reaction and tried apologising, but Ibara was having none of it.

"Don't apologise," he said. "You did a good job. You actually did nail that impression."

"Oh! Um, thank you, Saegusa-san!"

"Alright, it's my turn now," Ibara sighed as he approached you.

"Yes, good luck!" cheered Hajime. "You can do it!"

Ibara stood in front of you and locked eyes with yours. You smiled at him, but in a way that would annoy him. You wondered what he was going to do for his act to make you laugh. You wondered whether he was able to make you laugh like the others because it was usually the other way around with your friendship with him.

And Ibara knew that too. You're the one who would try to make him laugh especially on rough days. You were a ray of sunshine and he was a dull, dark day that pretended to be sunny. He always appreciated your company and the warmth it provided him. But this time it was his turn to make you smile, and he really hoped you would smile from his words.

Despite Hajime's suggestion of just following his lead, Ibara decided not to do an impersonation of his teammate, and decided to do something more up your alley.

He decided to sing you one of your songs.

Yes, since you were an idol too at Cos Pro, you had songs of your own. You would usually write your own songs too, so they had a lot of meaning towards you. You gained a lot of popularity because of these songs as they were considered unique and new to the industry.

And Ibara was singing one of them right now — even dancing the choreography!

You were absolutely stunned and so were your fellow idols. They watched his performance without a word and when he was finished, he looked at you with a look that said, "So?"

You honestly didn't know how to react, but a smile appeared on your face and it wasn't because you found it funny though.

"That was so cute!" you laughed.

It was a genuine laugh, a laugh that told Ibara how much you appreciated him. Ibara stared at you in surprise. You actually liked that?

"That was a beautiful performance," you commented. "Let's collab together someday, okay?"

Ibara smiled, "I'll think about it."

Hajime congratulated Ibara on successfully making you laugh. The other members of Eden on the other hand teased him.

"With the challenge coming to an end, Team Snakey gained 1600 points!" Hiyori reported to the crowd. "We all did well everyone, so give yourself a round of applause!"

As Hiyori continued to announce who was in the lead (it wasn't Team Snakey), you walked over to Ibara to congratulate him.

"But we didn't win," he replied.

"Yeah, but it seemed like you were having fun there for a sec," you said. "I hope you continue to have fun. It's nice to see you act carefree, you know?"

He responded to your statement with a small smile.

[Extra]

A few days after all the stages have been completed, you found out that Ibara's team had lost. Hiyori had invited you to check out Ibara's punishment and of course you wanted to see what it was!

And there Ibara was, sitting at one of the tables wearing what seems to be a really cute outfit! He was also wearing extensions and jewellery. He really looked like a pretty girl!

You couldn't contain your excitement.

"Ibara, you look beautiful!" you squealed as you hugged him from behind before gasping at your inappropriate reaction. "Please cut that out!"

"Ugh, I hate this so much..." Ibara hissed from under his breath.

"But you really do look pretty," you tried complimenting.

"Yes, but a bunch of men had already approached me with greasy smiles... It was revolting," he started. "So I showed them no reaction whatsoever even when they called out to me."

You were about to say something to this, but he continued, "I bet that's how you feel almost everyday, right? I get it now. It's irritating."

You couldn't help but smile at this.

"Ibara, you've always been really understanding," you said. "It's something that I really like about you! But nevermind that, let's take a picture together! ...Please?!"

Ibara wouldn't allow it, but you took a quick selfie with him anyway. You were going to treasure this picture forever even if it angered him.

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | Rules

#enstars #ensemble stars #enstars x reader #ensemble stars x reader #ibara saegusa x reader #ibara x reader #ibara saegusa fanfic #enstars fanfic #ensesmble stars fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #x reader #ibara x reader fluff #ibara saegusa x reader fluff

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littleragondin · 3 months

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15 Day BL Challenge

The full challenge can be found here!

☆*:.｡. Day 4: Fave Ship Dynamic .｡.:*☆

This one was a perfect excuse to go look at about a hundred of this ‘fave ship dynamic’ drawings people did! I like to diversify my romance intake, and I’m easily pleased so I had a bit of a hard time picking.

I am gone for a good friends to lovers ship. When it’s well done, with all the angst of finding your feelings shifting, and the fear of losing what you have, the whole shebang?? I eat that up. We recently had a wonderful example of it with Kimi ni wa todokanai that I loved dearly.

I also think of Cake and Eiw in My Only 12%, or DNA says I love you (even if there is a lot of other stuff happening in this one).

Established couples ! I know romance mostly focuses on people getting together, but I have to say, I am a sucker for an established couple going through life – first coming to mind are Shiro and Kenji, from Kinou nani tabeta? (even if so far I only saw the first season, don't tell on me)

Other favorite are Maki and Haruta in Ossan's Love Returns, Park and Lee in My Secret Love, the Korean short film Secret Roommate. Even the boys in Don’t Say No, actually. I just like to see people navigating a relationship, be it early or late in the game, and all the domesticity that comes with it.

And I do love a good sunshine/grumpy pair, pretty classically, especially the ‘we are both hurt/traumatized’ flavor. One of my favorite pair is Korn and In from Until We Meet Again, my tragic lovers.

I’m also thinking of Nekoyashiki and Issei from Kabe Koji Nekoyashiki-kun desired to be recognized, Mitsuru/Koichi from Eien no Kinou (another tragic one), or Jiwoo/Seojoon from To My Star.

#BLChallenge2k24 #Kimi ni wa todokanai #Kinou nani tabeta #Until we Meet Again #I started making my list and at 12 favorites I had to trim a little lol #so I tried to work it backward from my favorites pairs to what dynamic they embody best

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houndfaker · 3 months

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weird swap au infodump incoming !!!

i was slightly anxious while thinking on other characters in the swap au but given i already made the decision to be a litte Weird with it i guess it’s not too much of an issue. everythings not really a 1:1 swap

not every single character has a swap because i want to center in on the primary cast. maybe that’ll change later and we’ll get ideas for less relevant characters and how we could change them around but for now try not to expect things like idk “ikutsuki and elizabeth swap” or some scary shit like that

i am admittedly struggling with what to do w the twins (the protags are twins in this au like with every other thing i make) outside of them still having the connecting line of losing their parents to an accident on moonlight bridge. they just didn’t get death sealed in them this time. but uh hey you don’t need that to happen to you for the events to result in Deep Issues. i think there IS something interesting there in that they wind up coming back to iwatodai all those years later, and they get roped into sees because of course they do. i think it’d be interesting to explore them through the lens of being normal party members at least. the only thing is that you don’t really get a solid ‘swap’ situation with them since mitsuru maintains some of their canon qualities while still not exactly moving from her typical role as heir to the kirijo group. more on that as me and the bestie talk details over

we actually are planning some pretty fun stuff with ryoji?? the wonderful thing is that ryoji is by all intents and purposes just a normal fucking guy in this au given all the appriser stuff goes to yukari. but as a general rundown here’s what he has going on

childhood friend to the twins, loves them dearly. was very sad when they moved after the accident, and overjoyed after they transferred back.

has a younger brother named pharos:)

the mochizuki family was close with the takebas, particularly eiichiro was close with them. you can imagine where im going with this. his death was a tragedy to them, but more than anything it spurs something on in ryoji as he grows older. the alignment of the accident resulting in eiichiro's death and the death of the twins' parents occurring in such a close span of time bothers ryoji. for something that had such a massive negative impact on the lives of two people that are insanely important to him to potentially have more behind it than meets the eye, it becomes a vague obsession. which of course, eventually leads him to sees.

his role replacing yukari in this au gives him a fraught relationship w mitsuru. his distrust is very…intimidating, because it’s not nearly as outright as canon yukari’s. when he’s pointing out inconsistencies in what info mitsuru lets them have, he’s calm, sporting a smile, but emitting coldness. mitsuru herself of course isn’t Unaware of the effect the kirijo group’s work has had on him, but i think being incapable of getting a proper read on ryoji a lot of the time definitely does her no favors.

next lets talk about aigis! i had a little too much fun adapting her.

taking after canon kikuno's role, aigis was a human child sold to the kirijo group. she has a naturally-awoken persona (something something ergo research offers a higher payout to her parents because of this)

after the failure of the persona experiments resulting in strega, aigis is adopted by a handful of scientists from ergo research (this is essentially a timeline where the events of aigis the first mission dont happen, at least not the same way. i figured itd be fun to give the characters introduced in that game an active role in this au). she lives in yakushima with them.

her upbringing has left her socially awkward and distant, and trust is hard for her to fully feel. the intention on behalf of her guardians was to make sure she wouldnt have to give herself to the group as a weapon if she didnt want to, while having a family that cares for her and is able to meet her needs as someone with a very unique situation. she accompanies them if they need to do something during the dark hour because shes capable of protecting them with her persona.

aigis is still recruited to sees during the yakushima trip. a la the movie, she protects mitsuru and ryoji from a hoard of shadows after they leave the kirijo estate at night without their evokers. knowing of sees due to how long shes been in proximity to the group, she asks to be transferred into their unit so that she can help directly combat the dark hour so it wont be a danger to her family anymore. she would still very much view herself as a weapon raised by the kirijo group despite her adoptive family trying so hard to help her unlearn it. she experiences some pushback about it of course because its inadvertently feeding into something she is meant to be unlearning, but she wants strongly for it so its not like they can fully deny her.

thats everything we've got cemented so far...we still have to figure out the other members of sees that need swapping but for now you can have these doodles. a kiku + some concepts for human aigis and non-protag femc

#quinn moment #quinn drawings #<- ill figure it out one of these days.#open to suggestions as usual...#kym swap au

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detective-prince-enthusiast · 3 months

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hiii I’ve finally made my inevitable persona sideblog (main is @aritheartfreak ) so obligatory intro

-hi I’m ari :3

-despite the pfp and the username, this isn’t just a naoto blog djfjfjf I’ll talk about post about joke about make art about a bunch of em, I just love naoto the most

-uhh I’m trying to figure out how to play p1&p2 right now as well as Q&Q2 (I don’t own the correct consoles for these so I gotta figure it out)

-other than that! I’ve played every single game and spin-off and I love them dearly (though I THINK p4 is my favorite. Hard choice though).

-I love Naoto, obviously. my other favorites are Akihiko, Mitsuru, Yu, and Joker. But I love most characters and will talk about my thoughts on them!

-fun persona related fact about me I have written two academic essays on this series as well as two academic presentations

This is a new blog of course so I don’t have much content yet, but if you love persona or have a persona blog too sjdjdj feel free to interact! I don’t bite (at least in this context) and love talking about this series ! :3

#persona 4 #persona 3 #persona 5 #persona series #intro post

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buried-stars · 2 months

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this is days late but setsu and p3

hell yeah (under cut)

setsu

How I feel about this character: i love them so much dear god. theyre nonbinary. they’re stuck in a time loop. theyre your best friend and the only one who will ever understand your grief. even when it’s wrong, even when it’s painful, you want to protect them. theyre your partner 😭

All the people I ship romantically with this character: orchid & yuriko

My non-romantic OTP for this character: old guard (setsu raqio gina sq yuriko) has a very silly fun dynamic to me. besties/worsties forever

My unpopular opinion about this character: …? idk gnosia has like ten fans. theyre a lesbian

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: honestly i think setsu is the character with the most justice. like, they get to murder sha-ming. you’re able to save them. yippee

My OTP: setsu/orchid brings me to literal genuine tears

My OT3: don’t have one

Favorite character: it’s a tossup between shinji and yukari on any given day, i love them both so dearly

Least Favorite character: ikutsuki knows what he did.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): shinjiro/minako, yukari/mitsuru, minako/aigis, junpei/chidori, ryoji/minato

Character I would be best friends with: koromaru lmao. and i would probably get on with yukari and fuuka

A random thought: adult shinji is part of the shadow ops but he just works remotely since he can’t summon castor anymore (and for good reason lol) and has adopted a kid

An unpopular opinion: i will be an arisato twin truther until i die. oh and i think minako’s route is just infinitely better aside from That One Thing

My canon OTP: i think junpei/chidori is the only canon pair i like lol

Non-canon OTP: tossup btwn shinjiham and yukamitsu

Most badass character: aigis mitsuru and yukari are all up there

Pairing I am not a fan of: im not much for akihiko/shinji and i rly don’t like minato with yukari or aigis

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): ken amada. i don’t have to say anything else. we know.

Favourite friendship: yukari and junpei have some extremely funny interactions. besties who are also worsties who are still besties

#tysm!!!#asks

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postalninja · 1 year

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In the spirit of bothering mutuals (and if you don't mind my asking) I'm curious; who are your Persona ships? 🤔 Joker/Yusuke of course, but are there any others you feel strongly about? What made you start shipping them?

Hiii! Okay, so I have only played Persona 3 and 5 (and I love both of them dearly!) I mostly just ship with the protagonist because... I don't know, because he's the character I'm playing, I guess, so then I ship him with who I like ;) I just adore Yusuke, he is so adorable and oblivious and precious, and the way they teased us during his confidante arc without it paying off is just so unfair. Let me date the pretty artist boy, Atlus, I beg of you! As for P3, I have two ships with the protag. The first is Chihiro, because she reminds me of myself XD It's just cute. But really, REALLY - Mitsuru is where it's at. Like, I identify as heterosexual, but... I mean, MItsuru might be the proof that I'm actually bi, because she is so hot, omg! Oddly enough, though, I never actually finished the social link with her in the game, since you need to max out academics before you can date her, and I ran out of time. But yes, Mitsuru is best girl 1000% <3

#answering asks #tinygigas #persona 3 #persona 5 #yusuke kitawaga #mitsuru kirijo

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koiwaprimaveras · 1 year

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❥ about me

hi! i'm murr! you can call me anything you like, though. i'm a minor and i use he/meow/love/silly pronouns. i'm a transmasc lesbian that identifies with a boatload of xenogenders. i'm a scorpio sun, aries moon, and leo rising! i'm also an enfp but i don't really believe in that stuff.

i'm an alkaloidP, valkyrieP, and eichiP! my other favorites include: mitsuru, arashi, mama, adonis, souma, makoto, sora, tsukasa, and kaname! but i love everyone in enstars dearly.

i also like project sekai, vocaloid, love live, and a few other things! though enstars is my main interest. i've loved enstars for 4 whole years now! i'm a writer and artist in my free time.

i am a yumejoshi! i yume eichi tenshouin, and we've been together for 3 years!

#💌 ~ nav !#💌 ~ about me !

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princekirijo · 3 years

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Yo I just going through some of your Riku stuff and found those asks about Rumi being a Kirijo and then I started thinking: in that combined au thing with your Riku one and Rui's Takuto and Ren one, how the hell would Riku react to the whole Maruki situation? Like I dunno if you've read Rui's Buried Memories series but Maruki's clearly gone off the deep end and is really protective of his son. Like Riku would know this dude as his I guess uncle? In this au so I feel like he'd be like "I understand how you feel... But bro chill the fuck out"

OK ANON I AM VIBRATING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT HERE WE GO

It gets quite long my bad infodumping got the better of me again 💀 and ofc quick warning there's a lot of persona 5 royal spoilers ahead <3

Ok so I've actually been thinking about this a lot in the context of both the Kirijo Sisters AU (Mitsuru and Rumi are sisters and I think I might add this to the original Captain AU tbh) and also the Captain/Takuren dad AU (me and Rui's AU) and hoo boy do I have a lot of thoughts.

Now cut forward to the palace where they find out about Rumi and Riku is conflicted to say the least. He realizes his uncle has fucked him over by giving him a reality he DIDN'T want and he believes he kind of forced recovery on Rumi but at the same time he knows the pain Rumi was in and he can see why he did it. Important thing to mention here is that Riku has come to accept his trauma and realize that it hurt, yes but he got the help he needed and managed to work through it, making him a stronger person. Can you see how his ideals conflict heavily with Maruki's? Basically Riku would be angry but at the same time a little sympathetic? Like he understands wanting to fix everyone's problems by erasing all the pain but at the same time his pain and more specifically how he dealt with it has made him stronger.

Either way I think Riku would ultimately be pretty angry at Maruki. Unlike the other thieves I can't see Riku going to therapy sessions with Maruki because I feel like Mitsuru would get him the best professional therapist she can to make sure that he gets the treatment that he needs. So Maruki hasn't seen Riku since he was Rumi's lonely nephew (similar to Mitsuru he didn't have many friends growing up). However he does know that Riku's friends with the thieves because they keep mentioning him. Maruki then decides that he will include Riku in the "phantom thieves getting their ideal reality" thing BUT he bases it off younger Riku would want. Which is being happy at home in Port Island explaining his third semester which I've talked more in depth about here (possibly a little outdated but the idea is the same).

For the Takuren Dad/Captain AU I feel like while Riku is angry/upset at Maruki, ultimately? He'd be more concerned about Ren because he knows how hard this is for him considering you know that's his dad. So he'd put aside his own feelings (hmmm who does that sound like) and support Ren and be there for his cousin who he cares for dearly.

As for the Buried Memories AU now THIS is juicy because I love this AU. OK so if I remember correctly Rumi straight up dies in this AU. So like I felt it was like important to mention that Riku would be really upset because he loved his aunt and ofc Mitsuru herself would be devastated because she's lost ANOTHER family member (and also her mother too because I imagine they share a mom and that's how they're related). And actually? I think Riku would be more angry in this AU. Because Ren was quite close to him and he felt like he finally had a friend. Then that gets taken away from him and he's even MORE lonely than he was before. So he finds out what Maruki did and I guess he sees it as Maruki almost abandoning Ren? He tries to understand because he doesn't want to hate his uncle completely but he can't help but feel he turned his back on Ren, instead of helping him through the trauma he just erases it and leaves him? Which actually even though it's not necessarily the same could be an interesting little parallel with Riku and Mitsuru in that she immediately gets him help and sticks with him (idk I'm kinda spitballing here). His reaction would probably be similar to Goro's actually but more raw I guess because Ren's his cousin.

These are my main thoughts at the minute there's a few loopholes here and there but I'm having so much fun thinking about this AU. Thanks for the ask <3

#persona 5 royal spoilers #asks #anonymous #persona 5 au #kirijo sisters au #captain/takuren dad au #riku kirijo #ren amamiya #takuto maruki #oc tag #au tag #that's enough tags i think #BUT THIS WAS SO FUN THANK YOU ANON ILY #it took me a while to answer because i went back and reread buried memories to rejog my own memory 💀#its so good honestly i love it #but tldr:#riku is angry at maruki but can also sympathize with the pain he's in and will ultimately put aside his own feels to help ren #although he does seem a little too eager to agree with Goro's idea to shoot him 💀#also like i was dead serious when i said that im thinking of implementing the kirijo sisters au into the main base one #because it would be so interesting and make a lot of sense #my other idea was having minako (who's a teacher at shujin replacing Kamoshita) recommending maruki to mitsuru for Riku's therapy #but i do think this one makes far more sense #either way lots and lots of pain :')#also i was writing this at different points because i kept getting interrupted so my bad if this seems disjointed 💀#and last thing but the words 'i was going through your riku stuff' made my day thank you anon ily

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mrsmarymorstan · 4 years

Note

My bf and I recently read the furuba manga (it was a re-read for me) and he asked me why we see so less of Ritsu and I’m wondering about that too now. Do you have any thoughts? ;-;

Please Note -- I use he/him for Ritsu because those are the pronouns he chooses to use himself, even whilst wearing furisode. If you choose different pronouns for him, that is fine and dandy and I respect that. Please respect me using he/him too. Someone using he/him is also no indicator as to their gender identity, just pronoun use.

Takaya-sensei did say in one of the side panels that she wished to tell more of Ritsu’s story, but that she didn’t have time once the ball was rolling on everything else. Ritsu’s story is his own, it’s very much in line with everything in Fruits Basket and I love him dearly, but because he’s not directly impacted by the events of the main ongoing story line RE: Tohru recovering from her grief, Kyo being in love but destined to be trapped in a cage, Yuki gaining confidence and making friends in the process, and Shigure being a Bastard Man, there’s no clear way to work him into the story.

He’s very much the outsider of the group. Takaya-sensei even says that Ritsu spends most of his time learning how to run the Hot Spring; so we can’t even really just drop in on him at the Main Estate for whatever reason.

It’s sad, but out of everyone in the story I feel as though Ritsu as a character exists just to fill out the numbers. That isn’t to say I don’t love him! He’s wonderful and I hope we get some more OVA of how his relationship with Mitsuru is developing! However I don’t know where/when that OVA would be put into place in order to make narrative sense...

Even the Mayuko/Hatori storyline exists to enhance Shigure’s backstory and motivations. So, again, I can’t see any way in which you could flit over to Ritsu’s story arc without the narrative getting super complex and messy. You feel me?

#replies #fruits basket #furuba #ritsu sohma #furuba manga spoilers #donotleaveliketherain

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it-will-not-last-the-night · 4 years

Text

PQ2 - End

As I did expect; making sure I was able to comfortably beat the Velvet Rangers first did mean Enlil, though visually impressive, wasn’t a difficult fight. I simply equipped Ryuji with the Omnipotent Orb and had him All Guard every turn and this left Enlil unable to do anything whilst the Joker, Mitsuru, Chie and Ann wailed on them.

The ending was honestly good though, very emotional, heart-tugging, I honestly haven’t had this much fun finishing a game since J.J. Macfield and the Island of the Missing.

PQ2 is honestly a gem I feel. Beyond fun mechanics that I found easy to get back into even after long gaps, it balances the character development of an enormous cast very successfully, with only some issues.

Even though I knew nothing of P3 or P4 the game conveys their characters in a way I found enjoyable and easy to sink into, and that is really no small feat considering that the cast is, honestly, just insanely large by the end.

I enjoyed Enlil as an antagonist for the most part, though they could definitely have used a little more substance in the plot, but this game, overall, was less focused on it’s villain and more on it’s protagonist, and that’s fine.

To that end Hikari: the game is honestly the story of her character development and I loved her. It’s a pity we don’t see much of her in the fandom, because I honestly adore Hikari and find her enchanting and relatable in a number of ways.

Her farewell to the friends she made at the finale of the game was genuinely touching.

In general the farewells at the end are emotional, and I enjoyed them all, event he little nod to Akechi’s own mixed feelings, clearly dealing with something, as he is the most hesitant of the Phantom Thieves to finally exit the theatre after they have learned they will forget everything once they are outside. A nice touch!

Of course, because it is me, I do wish to gush briefly about Ryuji: OH MY GOSH I love his dynamic with Hikari? But, also, I just love him in this game? He comes across in PQ2 as if he has matured from his incarnation in the vanilla game. Not only is he the character, along with Futaba, who spends the most time supporting and speaking with Hikari, but even in the ending when most of the Thieves all express varying degrees of excitement or forced enthusiasm about returning home, Ryuji is the one who most noticeably feels sad about the whole affair, expressing how he suddenly misses everything they’d gone through.

On the note of Ryuji and Hikari’s bond: I had thought it mostly just an accidental outgrowth of Ryuji’s common role as an externalization of Joker’s words, but when I watch the ending perhaps it is more intentional than I thought. Noticeably Futaba and Ryuji deliver the closing lines to Hikari, Ryuji is the one who, as she tears up, tells her to remember to keep her promise to invite them to see her movies and in the post-credits scene Ryuji is the character who feels they NEED to see her movie when they find a flyer for it, going so far as to clutch at his head because he, without knowing why, just knows he HAS to go do this. Furthermore, the cutscene as Hikari says her final goodbye and leaves, is framed around a small group of characters: Ryuji, Futaba, P3FemPC, Yukari, Mitsuru and Morgana. Among those Ryuji, Futaba and P3FemPC are the characters with the largest interaction with Hikari throughout the game, and I honestly have adored those four together.

I honestly have no idea why I am typing this, the game is dated and I believe interest in it limited, but I’d recommend any fan of Persona who hasn’t given it a try to do so, if only because the story and characters are honestly well executed, better in many ways than Vanilla.

To be frank; whilst Vanilla has moments that legitimately make me depressed, the scene in Shinjuku and the scene after Shido’s Ship, even at it’s worst PQ2 never has it’s characters be that mean to each other. Even when they jibe or insult they never cross a line to abusing or accosting, and they never all single out one character to relentlessly, constantly, deride.

A breath of fresh air really!

Anyway; I loved the game, I had fun, now I guess I wait for Scramble to become available, and I hope we get to see more of the P5 cast still in future (ALSO ATLUS JUST LET ME HOOK THE PT’S UP WITH EACH OTHER OR DATE THE BOYS PLEASE I WANT TO GIVE THEM LOVE TOO THEY DESERVE IT).

For fun below the divide I’m just gonna mention the relationships, romantic or platonic I’m not going to bother much with a distinction, I really have come to like following this game even though, I am sure, they are all crack.

Enjoy:

Chie/Yukiko: Whether best friends or girlfriends no pair of characters in the P4 cast seemed to, from the outset, come across as obviously as if they are close. The two seem to complement each other well, know each other well and play off each other well and are always delightful and entertaining to watch.

Mitsuru/Junpei: I talked about this one before; I just honestly loved their Ticket and found it endearing how both, in their interactions with each other, were almost Tsundere-ish in admitting to private desires to get along, and take care of each other dearly, but struggling to break through the shell of the other to confess this.

Ryuji/Hikari: Talked about this one at massive length already; suffice to say I honestly loved their interactions so much and, along with Ryuji’s interactions with Sophia I have seen now in Scramble, Ryuji radiates enormous, powerful, Big Brother/Father energy. Which I think is great? What better arc for Ryuji than, a person who’s life is overshadowed by his awful father, to turn out to be a wonderful father himself.

Yusuke/Yukiko: These two just get each other. Honestly they just click. They tune in to the same cosmic wavelength and leave everyone confused as they naturally just synch up. It is a pity as the game enters its later stages we see less of them, in the early game they are a treat.

Ken/Akechi: Ken and Akechi just are perfect, wonderful, foils to each other and it’s almost a pity the game can’t actually go the full way with it because Akechi’s secret can’t come out. This leaves it as a tease, the suggestion, of what could be, but that’s still plenty good. I also find it always interesting to see Ryuji and Akechi, two boys heavily formed by an abusive father, both in their own explicit words state outright they relate themselves to Ken in some way. With Akechi, because he is so good at wearing masks, I wonder how true it is when he relates himself to Ken, it’d be interesting to know if this is one of his lies to maintain his façade, or a bit of his true self creeping out as it often does.

Joker/Junpei: I don’t know why I like these two? But Joker comes across as really fond and supportive of him with his consistent chances to shout out “Junpei! Master Detective!”

Yukari/Junpei: As I said in my head I go back-and-forth whether this would be endearing or a toxic hate-love relationship. There’s no denying, though, that these two interact more with each other than anyone else in the P3 cast, they’re the Yukiko/Chie in that sense, if Yukiko/Chie consisted of a lot of barbs and harsh words. We actually get a glimpse of what, I feel, is a healthier dynamic for the two in P3FemPC’s world in the epilogue, where Yukari is still barbed but rather than deflating Junpei ripostes back, this automatically makes it seem less mean-spirited heckling and more two people, comfortable with each other, bantering.

Futaba/Hikari: This one is the obvious choice since the game is obviously going out of it’s way to make this an important relationship. Futaba sees herself in Hikari and appoints herself like an older sister to help her. It is adorable and amazing character development as the socially reclusive and shy Futaba clearly forces herself out of her comfort zone to prove to Hikari that she can change and that she is not a lost cause. Along with Hikari it is, perhaps, Futaba who is the true MVP of this entire game.

Futaba/P3FemPC: Futaba gets some lovely Sister-like sequences with the incredibly fun and social P3FemPC, who Futaba is clearly in awe of. It is a pity that these really only happen in the early game, I’d love for them to continue, but P3FemPC as the big, fun, sister figure of Futaba is fun.

Ryuji/Yukiko: This one is just because the ending of Haru and Yukiko’s ticket has one of the funniest bit ever when Haru and Yukiko decide they want to ‘play’ with Ryuji and Yosuke. Yukiko’s ‘Will you devote all of your being to the name of the Amagi Family?’ is wonderful and I can just imagine Ryuji’s reaction to such a frank proposition.

Mitsuru/P3FemPC: This one was actually surprising to me but Mitsuru really has something of an almost maternal instinct for P3FemPC. She seeks to console her and let her know she is valued, even if Mitsuru is poor at expressions of affection, as seen in Junpei’s case as well. In many ways it strikes me as a more sympathetic Sae/Makoto. Mitsuru clearly cares for the P3FemPC and is aware of her disconsolate feelings, but struggles to find the words to comfort her, but doesn’t let that stop her trying.

#persona 5 #persona #p5 #pq2 #hikari

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pulaasul · 4 years

Text

Rairyu - SAO 3

[lit. Thunder Dragon] Ryuji and Futaba promised to meet in Sword Art Online with Ryuji going in first to scout for suitable grinding areas. However, before Futaba could get into the game, Sojiro stopped her and revealed to her the status of Sword Art Online as a Death Game. [Prologue is an entry for #kissryujiday]

C1 I C2 I C3 I C4 I C5

AO3 I FFN

----------

Ryuji has just arrived at Medai village after partying up with some of the players. He could admit that they were fun to be around.

He had just checked in to the inn when he heard a voice. “Sakamoto!”

Ryuji was immediately on alert when he heard his last name being called. As far as he knew, he didn’t tell anyone his real name and somehow someone was using that to call him.

“Sakamoto, Can you hear me?” The voice asked.

“Who’re you?!” Ryuji asked. “How’d you know my name?!”

“Ryuji relax.” Ryuji heard his best friend’s name.

“R-ren? You logged into the game too?” Ryuji immediately asked. “Where are you now?”

“Relax Ryuji.” Ren repeated. “I’m outside the game.” He answered the question. “We’re using someone’s Persona to communicate with you.”

“Someone can use their Persona in the real world?!” Ryuji uttered out in bewilderment. “That’s… No, I need to ask you one thing.”

“If it’s about me, I’m with Ren.” Futaba immediately replied.

“That’s a relief.” Ryuji slumped on a chair. “How about Mom? Is she okay? Should I…”

“Don’t you dare Ryuji Sakamoto!” Anne immediately cut off Ryuji’s question. “She’s listening to your words now.”

“C-crap!”

“Ryu-kun.” Ryuji heard his mother’s voice. “Would you really leave me?”

“N-no! Ma!” Ryuji sputtered. “I-it’s not wha-what you think.” He tried to reason out. “I-it’s just that I don’t want to be a burden to you anymore than I already am.”

“Ryu-kun, you’re all I have left.” Ryuji’s mother sobbed. “You’re not a burden to me, you never were.”

“I-I… I know that.” Ryuji sighed. “I know that but it doesn’t help that I’ve been giving you problems ever since Pa left us.”

“Ryu-kun, how many times do I have to tell you?” Ryuji’s mother chided gently. “What happened to us, you weren’t at fault at all.” She stated firmly. “Your deadbeat of a father decided to beat you, to beat us. Kamoshida was at fault for leaking personal information and provoking you that resulted in your broken your leg, and now Kayaba is the one at fault for trapping you and 10,000 others in that game.”

“I know but…”

“But nothing.” Ryuji’s mother sniffled.

“You’re already working for three or four jobs already.” Ryuji pointed out. “Hospital bills are crazy expensive.”

“If I may Sakamoto.” The voice from earlier intervened. “I promised your mother that she won’t be paying a single yen for your hospitalization.”

“What’s the catch?” Ryuji immediately questioned.

“It’s admirable that you immediately asked for the ‘catch’ if you will.” The unfamiliar female voice praised. “Being a phantom thief does wonders If I do say so myself.” The mirth in her voice could be heard. “To answer your question, I would like to have your mother work for the hospital you’ll be transferred to.”

“Umm guys, anything I’m missing here?”

“She’s Mitsuru Kirijo, the Kirijo Group’s CEO.” Haru answered. “We are using her Persona abilities to talk to you. Her ability also include scanning us and having Personas somehow revealed our status as Phantom Thieves.”

“Is everyone there?” Ryuji asked.

“Hello Ryuji.” Yusuke greeted. “Yes everyone’s here, including your mother.”

“To answer your question, Kirijo-san has asked your mother to transfer you to a different hospital.” Makoto shared. “On the grounds that you are a Persona-user.”

“The hell?!”

“She also revealed the risk of your unconsciousness being subjected to different experiments if they didn't intervene immediately.”

“Ma, you know I’d understand if…”

“Don’t you dare finish that thought Ryuji Sakamoto!”

Ryuji flinched at the use of his complete name. He was not ignorant of the fact that his mother loved him dearly. The sacrifices she took to raise him as a single mother, the dedication, the work…

He’s not blind.

“I know ma.” Ryuji sighed. “Just…” He gulped. “Think of yourself first before you think of me, alright?”

“We’ll take care of your mother Ryuji.” Ren promised. “You can count on that.”

“I’ll hold you to that man.” Ryuji smiled. “Convince her to…”

“We’re not going to do that.” Ren dismissed the thought. “Futaba was already distraught when you were trapped in the game alone.”

“Crap.”

“Crap’s a good word for it.” Morgana’s voice was heard.

“Even the cat’s there too?” Ryuji exclaimed. “How?”

“I have my ways.” Ren teased. “In any case Ryuji, we’ll wait how long it takes for you to escape that game.”

“I’m sorry but I have to cut this conversation short. It’s getting late, but let me leave a few words of advice, Sakamoto.” Mitsuru began. “Asking that of your friends and mother won’t bring relief to them. That only brings feelings of inadequacy and sadness to them.”

Ryuji noticed that the Kirijo’s voice held so much more than just the words of an adult telling a child off. He can feel that these words dug up something in her, experience perhaps.

“Ponder on those thoughts Sakamoto.”

Just like that, the link was cut off.

Ryuji sat on the bed for a while before lying on the bed.

He was thinking of the conversation that just happened. He was genuinely relieved that Futaba wasn’t able to log into the game. The one thing that bothered him was how his mother reacted to his thoughts.

Sure, he was the only thing left for her.

But…

But he can’t help but feel that he was burdening her with his situation.

Then there was Kirijo-san’s words.

He can’t help but feel that there was something more to the words she spoke.

“Hello! Anyone home” Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Ryuji prompted. “It’s open.”

A man wearing a cloth headband by his forehead peeked his head through the door.

“Klein!” Ryuji stood as he greeted the man with red hair. “There any changes?”

“Rairyu so-“ The man identified as Klein opened the door and immediately cut himself as soon as he saw tears falling from Ryuji’s eyes. “Hey what’s wrong?”

“Wha- huh?” Ryuji questioned. “W-Why am I crying?” He tried to wipe the tears off of his face.

“H-hey, it’s okay.” Klein immediately got Ryuji in a one-arm hug. “Whatever it is man, it’s going to be okay.”

“N-no, you don’t understand.” Ryuji tried to defend himself, still trying to wipe the tears from his face. “I didn’t mean to cry.”

“You can’t really mask your emotions here Rairyu.” Klein informed. “Found that out when the party was reminiscing on some old memories.” He chuckled as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.”

“For real?!” Ryuji looked at Klein in disbelief. “How convenient.” He remarked sarcastically.

“I don’t think so.” Klein shrugged. “Way I see it, it lets all to be honest with ourselves.” He admitted.

Ryuji continued to wipe the tears from his face as Klein watched it happen.

“Can I ask?”

“I just miss Ma and my friends, is all.” Ryuji sighed as he gave up trying to stop the tears. “I can’t help but feel that this whole situation is going to be a burden to her.” He admitted. “It really makes me wonder why she hadn’t pulled the plug and let my useless ass get fried by the NerveGear.”

“Didn’t know you carried something deep.” Klein’s eyes narrowed in concern. “I know about your reputation about talking to the people who despaired.” He squeezed Ryuji’s shoulder. “Didn’t know you also carried the same baggage around.”

“I see now.” Klein nodded knowingly.

“What do you see?”

“You’re the type of character who’s so loyal to their friends and family and forget about yourself.” Klein answered knowingly. “You’re the type of guy who’d do anything for his friends.”

“Wha- Huh? Where’d you get that?” Ryuji inquired.

“Considering your reputation and your tendency to help children, I’d say my impression of you is on point.”

“There’s nothing special in what I do.” Ryuji denied the praise. “I’m still someone dumb that’s managed to become a burden to his mother once more.”

“That’s where you’re wrong kid.” Klein ruffled Ryuji’s hair. “You inspire people, your words give them hope.”

“Am not a kid.” Ryuji grumbled.

“Really?” Klein chuckled. “I’m sorry if this seems rude, but how old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Still younger than me.” Klein chuckled. “Despite what you may think about yourself, you’re far from useless kid.” He grinned at the young boy. “You’ve helped a lot of children by putting them under the care of a makeshift orphanage and helped a lot of people from taking that drastic action.”

“For real?”

“For real!” Klein affirmed. “That’s not useless kid, that’s heroic.”

“I guess, it’s pretty heroic to stop people from doing that one thing.” Ryuji sheepishly smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Now don’t get your head big with that praise.” Klein teased.

“Thanks Klein.” Ryuji thanked the older man. “I guess I needed to hear that.”

“We all have our ups and downs kid.” Klein assured. “I have my days as well.”

“Did you need something else?” Ryuji asked.

“Right.” Klein nodded. “We’re bailing out on tomorrow’s side quest with you.” He admitted. “One of my party members suddenly got his weapon destroyed and we’re trying to find him a new one.” He added.

“No worries.” Ryuji assured. “You were the one who offered me a spot in your guild in the first place.” He smiled.” I can wait.”

“We’re still not a guild you know.” Klein corrected.

“I know that.” Ryuji nodded. “But I’ve seen people name their parties.” He pointed out. “I think that’s a sign as any that they’re going to form a guild once they reach the third floor.”

“Good point.” Klein nodded. “In any case, are you sure?”

“Yeah man.” Ryuji grinned. “There’s been a side quest that I’ve been meaning to get to for the children back at the Orphanage.”

“The one that gives cream as a reward?” Klein questioned.

“Nah, some of the older kids got that covered.” Ryuji shook his head. “I’m referring to the one with the Mosquito-Pig Boss.” He shared. “The reward was a few pieces of Ragout Rabbit meat.”

“Ugh.” Klein cringed. “That side quest was such a….” He trailed off as he shivered at the memory. “The money we got from selling all of them was worth it tho.” He sighed.

“Really?” Ryuji inquired. “Any tips for me?”

“It starts as a simple escort mission.” Klein shared. “Be prepared for any jump scares.” He shivered at the memory. “That boss almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Huh, when do you think we’ll party again?”

“Depends.” Klein stated as he walked to the room’s door. “We need to make sure that the weapon we buy is sturdy enough to last.”

“You know where to reach me.” Ryuji grinned.

----------

Once Ryuji woke up, he immediately went south of Medai and talk to the quest giver at the edge of town. That was where the infamous Ragout Rabbit meat quest was found.

Ryuji looked around the town’s south gate, and there he found the fearful young man that was the quest giver.

He approached the young man.

“Hello young traveler, can you offer your assistance?” The young man started his spiel. “Father and Mother asked me to fetch some water by the river a few miles from here, however that place is crawling with monsters.”

As the man continued his spiel, Ryuji noticed that the young man was wearing a white long sleeved shirt under an open brown vest, brown pants and boots. The man was your typical poor man in those retro movies Morgana insisted they watched.

“With my mother and father both bedridden, it is up to me to fetch them and our land lord some water.”

A window popped up in front of Ryuji detailing about the quest he had intended to accept.

He was about to accept the quest when someone called out for him to stop.

“Stop!”

Ryuji looked in the direction of the voice, and there was a man with blue hair and wearing in what looks like a knight armor.

“You shouldn’t accept that quest.”

Ryuji raised an eyebrow at the statement.

“Not unless you have a party with you.” The man in armor finished as he made a gesture with his hand.

“Huh?” Ryuji tilted his head.

“It’s because when the rescue mission comes into play one of the party members gets kidnapped as well.” Another man, in the same armor albeit different in color, answered. “Frankly, some people almost died because they didn’t have a party with them.”

Ryuji nodded at the points, but he was still suspicious.

“Why stop me?” Ryuji asked. “I see you already have a party.”

“Why, because you’re Rairyu!” The man who called to him replied. “Frankly morale would go low if you’re killed in the game.”

“Do I really have that much of an impact on the whole game?” Ryuji questioned.

“You have no idea.” The man chuckled. “Some people have been emulating your example in trying to stop people from jumping off of the ledge.”

“They’re just trying to do right thing.” Ryuji denied the praise. “Like what I did.”

“In any case, why don’t you party with us?” The other man asked. “And we could do the quest together.”

“I guess.” Ryuji shrugged. “Just whoever gets whatever owns that alright?”

“Fine by me.”

A second window appeared before Ryuji then pressed the blue circle.

“Diavel, Darien, Shark, Katon?” Ryuji read the names that appeared.

“That’s us.” A man replied as he approached the group. “Shark.” He introduced himself.

“Diavel.” The man with blue hair spoke.

“Darien.” The other man who just arrived and slung his arm over Diavel’s shoulders.

“Katon.” A woman stated after jumping into Ryuji’s view.

“Rairyu.” Ryuji introduced himself. “I guess you already knew that.”

“The Vulgar Blonde Talker.” Katon grinned. “Got to say you’ve quite the name.”

“C’mon you have to agree that nickname sucked.” Ryuji pouted at the mention of his nickname.

Diavel’s party chuckled at Ryuji’s pout. They have an inkling towards the boy’s age and seeing his reaction just proved it.

“No worries.” Shark grinned. “It’s not like we’ll be using them.”

“Still, I would’ve loved something cooler.” Ryuji continued to pout.

“With you in our party, you can accept the side quest.” Diavel spoke.

Ryuji nodded as he pressed the blue circle on the remaining window.

---------

Ryuji’s party, alongside the quest giver, were walking towards the forest that housed a riverbank. The party chatted idly with each other in the party.

“We’re actually trying to find the floor dungeon leading to the floor boss room.” Diavel shared. “Some things changed in the first floor since the beta test.” He sighed. “I just hope our knowledge would be enough to escape the game.”

“You’re a beta tester?” Ryuji questioned. “That’s right, someone’s spreading some rumors back in the town of beginnings about how you guys abandoned newbies like us.” He shared.

“We beta-testers just ignore them.” Diavel shrugged. “We have compiled what we all found during the beta test up until the eleventh floor.” He stated as he retrieved a small book from his pants’ back pocket. “But as I stated earlier, things changed since the beta test.”

“For real?” Ryuji looked at the book with wide eyes. “This was legit?”

“You mean to say you didn’t buy one yourself Rairyu?” Diavel tilted his head in confusion.

“Figured it was some nobody who wanted to make a quick buck.” Ryuji admitted. “Even cautioned Sasha and the kids at the orphanage about it.”

Ryuji’s eyes widened in realization at what he just did.

“Crap!” Ryuji exclaimed. “We need to finish this quest quick I need to inform them about this.”

----------

“We’re nearing the forest.” The quest giver stated. “The open field to the forest doesn’t have any monsters in the area.” He informed the party. “Because nearby lords hire warriors and travelers such as yourselves to clean the open field leading to the forest every other day.”

“That’s why there were no monsters and warriors in the area.” Ryuji observed.

“However, the forest has lots of monsters.” The man shivered. “Most prominent are the Ramoos.” He shared.

“Ramoos?”

“They look like Frenzy Boars.” Katon supplied. “Only difference to the Frenzy Boars is that they’re brown and have larger tusks.” She added. “They’re also higher level than the Frenzy Boars.”

Before any of the other party members could interject the quest giver, the quest giver screamed in fear and ran towards the forest’s entrance.

“Look alive everyone!” Diavel announced. “Enemy encounter.”

Ryuji retrieved his Mace from his back and donned his usual fighting stance.

As soon as one of the Ramoos charged, Ryuji made his move as well. He intercepted the attack by swinging his mace before delivering a kick towards its face and bashed it once more with his weapon.

Ryuji jumped back and put his weapon over his shoulder as it glowed a yellow-ish glow before swinging it into flight, in a spinning manner, which hit a lot of the monsters in the area, including the one he was fighting.

Ryuji raised his hand and caught the flying weapon and proceeded to continue bashing his enemies with it.

Soon after, the party defeated the enemies they encountered.

“Nice throw Rairyu!” Shark complimented.

“How many times did you practice throwing your mace just to catch it by one hand?” Katon asked curiously. “Seriously, while the hammer, axe or mace does return to the owner, no one has been able to catch their weapon when it returns.”

“I never really practiced.” Ryuji admitted. “I’ve been grinding levels since the announcement.”

“On top of helping people and taking care of kids younger than you.” Darien commented.

“I didn’t care about the kids at first,” Ryuji admitted. “But some kids kinda bit off more than they could chew and I had to intervene.”

“Welp we’ve got Rairyu the heru with us!” Shark exclaimed.

“That doesn’t really work Shark.” Diavel shook his head. “Besides it’s He-ro, ro.” He corrected. “Not ru.”

“Awww.” Shark pouted. “You guys have shit taste in jokes.”

“Puns aren’t peak comedy material.” Diavel chuckled.

“Wouldn’t He-ryu have worked?” Ryuji tilted his head in confusion.

“Even Rairyu agrees.” Katon guffawed.

After a few moments of waiting, the party noticed that the quest giver didn’t come out of his hiding spot, merely observing what was happening on the now empty battlefield.

“Don’t worry.” Ryuji announced. “There are no more monsters around in the area.”

The young man hesitantly approached the group then suddenly ran towards Ryuji and hugged him.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! So much!” The quest giver gave Ryuji a smooch on the cheeks in between his expression of gratitude. “I didn’t know what I would’ve done without you travelers around.” He released the mace wielder from the hug. “I am so thankful that I hired you despite the landlord’s insistence not to.”

Ryuji stood stunned at the turn of events.

Sure he listened to the quest giver’s scripted spiel, but the sudden hug and kisses to his cheeks left him unable to process what just happened.

“Don’t overthink it.” Katon whispered. “Apparently this quest’s quest giver’s script is like that after witnessing its escorts defeat the first batch of Ramoos.”

“That was quite unexpected.” Ryuji admitted. “I’d imagine the female players would yell at his actions.”

“The quest giver usually gives out the hugs and kisses treatment to the person who accepted the quest.” Katon responded. “Coincidentally, only male players have been reported to accept the quest.” She added.

“Don’t tell me, none of the male players punched the guy?”

“They were like you, too stunned at what happened.” Darien chuckled. “Even if they did try, their party did stop them.”

“One of the many reasons why a party is needed for this quest.” Diavel shrugged.

----------

The party, alongside the quest giver, continued their trek in the forest towards the river. They encountered a lot more of the Ramoos along the way, and made quick work with them.

“I can see the river!” The quest giver announced as he dashed towards the place.

“H-hey wait!” Ryuji called out.

“Don’t sweat it.” Diavel assured. “The guy always dashes to the river once it’s within his sight.”

“You’ve done this quest before?” Ryuji asked his companions.”

“Around five or so times.” Shark shrugged. “It’s one of the best ways to earn money.” He added. “Once you sell most of the rewards you get for this quest.”

“Ramoos meat would sell for 10 cor.” Katon supplied. “Considering the amount of Ramoos meat we’re getting in this quest, you could basically earn more or less 1,000 cor just by selling it.”

“Granted if we kill all the Ramoos we encounter in this quest.” Diavel added.

“For real?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “I had thought the money came from selling the loot we get from defeating the boss.”

Before anyone could even reply, they heard the quest giver shout in fear.

Ryuji and the rest of the party charged right ahead and there they saw the quest giver surrounded by fifteen Ramoos.

“Part of the quest?” Ryuji questioned.

“Pretty much.” Darien shrugged.

Like before, Ryuji was the first one to attack. He threw his mace at the Ramoos.

All fifteen Ramoos were hit and immediately charged at Ryuji to retaliate. They were intercepted by Diavel’s and Darien’s shields, while Katon threw picks at a few of them.

Shark on the other hand brandished his Cutlass and hit three of the monsters, earning their attention.

Diavel’s and Darien’s shields glowed blue before they slightly moved backwards and gave a mighty push, blowing the other twelve monsters away from the party, effectively dividing the enemies.

“We’ll take three each.” Diavel announced.

“Roger that!” Ryuji voiced as he charged at the three Ramoos that caught his eye.

As the party dealt with their own Ramoos problems, Ryuji was on his own dealing with his own share of monsters.

The Ramoos on the right blew out smoke from its snout before it charged at Ryuji.

The mace wielder used his weapon to catch the monster before throwing it off of himself. He immediately followed up by bashing his mace unto the monster who laid on top of the other then swung it to his left to hit the monster that came charging at him from there.

As the monsters struggled to get back up, Ryuji didn’t relent his attacks. He swung and bashed on the monsters before he pulled his mace and glowed yellow then swung it upwards then downwards, destroying the monsters.

Ryuji’s was about to rush to his party members aid but each of them were delivering their final blows to the last of their enemies.

Diavel with his sword.

Shark with his cutlass.

Katon with her dagger.

Darien with his Hammer.

“Thank you so much!” The quest giver expressed his gratitude.

However, this time, he immediately worked on filling the buckets he had with him with water from the river.

“At least he has his priorities straight.” Ryuji commented.

“That he does.” The other party members chuckled.

---------

Ryuji couldn’t believe his eyes when he witnessed the quest giver carry four buckets with water all by himself.

Sure he was wobbling as he walked but the fact of the matter was that he was carrying them all by himself.

“H-hey, would you like some help?” Ryuji asked the quest giver.

“Oh thank you!” The quest giver thanked Ryuji and gave him two buckets of water to carry. “You’re such sweetheart.” He praised before leading the group outside of the forest.

“You really can’t help yourself, can you Rairyu?” Diavel chuckled. “Helping others is in your nature.” He observed.

“Shaddap!” Ryuji pouted. “It’s the right thing to do.” He reasoned as he blushed

“That it is.” Katon grinned. “Look at him blush.” He chuckled as the rest of the party gave out a hearty laugh at his reactions.

----------

As the party and the quest giver exited the forest they talked idly as they continued their journey back to the town of Medai.

Suddenly, something descended from the sky and targeted the people who were carrying two buckets of water – Ryuji and the quest giver.

As that something descended rapidly, Darien immediately pushed Ryuji out of the way, getting himself and the quest giver captured by that Unidentified Flying Monster.

“Get back here!” Ryuji yelled

The mace wielder grabbed hold of his weapon, activated its skill, and threw it towards the flying monster.

But it fell towards the ground, failing to reach the intended target.

“Come back!” Ryuji growled as he dashed towards his weapon.

“Rairyu!” Diavel called out. “Pull yourself together!”

“Dude! That monster just took Darien with it!” Ryuji exclaimed. “We need to get him back!”

“Calm down.” Katon reiterated Diavel’s order. “Just calm down.”

“It’s part of the quest.” Shark informed. “Remember?”

Katon, Diavel and Shark looked at each other, wondering the extremeness of Ryuji’s reactions.

“P-part of the quest.” Ryuji repeated Shark’s words. “Part of the quest.” He stared once again as he calmed himself down.” Right, part of the quest.”

Ryuji shook his head as he repeated Shark’s words over and over again as he calmed down from his outburst. Somehow, he forgot about everything and his mind went back to when everything was about the Phantom Thieves: Their capture in Kamoshida’s palace, Makoto recklessly turned herself into bait to infiltrate Kaneshiro’s palace, Ren’s capture under Shido’s orders, everything.

His mind even wandered on Zenkichi’s arrest a few months back.

“S-sorry.” Ryuji apologized.” The monster was gunning for me and Darrien took my place.” He bowed before the other three in remorse.

“It’s okay.” Diavel nodded. “It’s one of the reason why we stopped you earlier.” He explained. “This quest really needs a party.”

“It should’ve been me.” Ryuji muttered to himself.

“No, Rairyu.” Katon interjected. “The four of us had done this quest a few times.” She shared. “The four of us have already experienced what it’s like to be captured by the monster.” She admitted. “Like we said, this quest really needed party members to bail both the captured quest giver and party member.”

“If you had gone solo, like others before you, you’d have a hard time defeating the boss.” Diavel added in. “Others before you escaped with more or less 10 hp left, failing the quest, while some were not so fortunate.” He continued somberly.

Ryuji wanted to interject when a rich-looking woman came running towards them.

“Please save my son!” The woman knelt before them. “He was just fetching some water for the family.” She explained.

“Where was your son taken Ma’am?” Diavel inquired.

“I just saw my son on the talons of the Swinebell.” The mother answered. “He’s probably taken to its nest.”

“Swinebell?” Ryuji inquired.

“A high level boss monster found in the first floor.” Shark whispered. “Some have taken to calling it The Mosquito-Pig monster.” He explained. “The boss for this quest.”

“Wait really?” Ryuji managed to blurt out. “We need to get there now!” He exclaimed as he made a mad dash towards a random direction.

“Do you even know where the nest is?” Katon asked.

Ryuji stopped dead on his tracks as he realized that he doesn’t have an answer to the question.

“You’re the reckless type, aren’t you?” Shark shook his head.

“Where do you reckon its nest is located ma’am?” Diavel asked the quest giver’s mother.

“Up on that hill.” The woman pointed at a nearby hill. “Please you just have to save my son!”

As soon as the woman’s spiel was done, a window appeared before Ryuji notifying him that the quest has been updated.

With the update, Ryuji knew of the location of the Swinebell’s nest by way of the mark on his over world map.

“It’s the same location as the first time we did the quest.” Katon pointed out. “This should be a piece of cake.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Shark immediately cut off Katon’s train of thought. “The quest update, also updated our maps and marked out-of-bounds places.” He continued. “Not to mention there seems to be a landslide that occurred on our usual hillside route.” He added.

“Crud.”

“Looks like we’ll be going a new way then.” Diavel shrugged. “Should serve as an experience.” He chuckled.

#ryuji sakamoto #persona 5 #sword art online #klein #diavel #tsuboi ryoutarou #rairyu #story

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