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renxamamiya · 3 years

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The Sins of Your Mistakes Weigh Heavily On My Soul

A03 Link Here

My half of a tradefic with @wildcard-rumi. This is based on my Theatre of Mirrors AU and her Takuto is Ren's Dad AU, specifically on her 'Buried Memories' series.

Go have a read of her AU, it's amazing and I love it. As for people waiting for Theatre of Mirrors don't worry, I've been busy/exhausted with other personal projects and life that I haven't really got the time/motivation to write it. But I will hopefully put something out before March!

Sumire: Hello, Dr. Maruki-San Sumire: Can you come to Leblanc today? There’s something we need your help with. Sumire: It’s about Ren.

---

Takuto stared at Sumire’s message on his phone, his fingers awkwardly tapping against the hardwood that made the Leblanc counter. It had been a while since he’d met the rest of the thieves; more than a year had passed since he’d tried to force a false reality to the whole of humanity, one where there was no concept of pain, only placid happiness in which the wildest dreams had come true. It came with a price: the stagnation of humanity, one where no one had to struggle, had to fight for what they wanted. He did it out of kindness, of course; to save everyone from the pain he experienced, from the pain his son had to endure... Looking back upon his mistake, he found it ironic that his sole reason to plunge humanity in a reality of ignorant bliss was the one who unravelled his plans at the seams.

It wasn’t as if Ren didn’t have his share of anguish, yet Takuto was too aware he had condemned his son to nothing but suffering. A clumsy night in the early hours during his time in college, Ren having to grow up without a traditional, nuclear family... Him having to witness Rumi’s death, traumatized, only then to have his memories wiped... Takuto still found the memory of Ren in the hospital room hard to swallow, the time where he’d used his Persona’s powers to alter reality, to make him happy. Reflecting upon it with his changed heart, he now realised that his good intentions would have led humanity into a Hellish existence; though he didn’t regret it one bit as he wouldn’t have reunited with his son in the first place.

He nestled the cup of coffee he had close to him, taking a sip from it, savouring the complex flavours intertwined with the tangy bitterness of the roast. Sakura-san had kindly brewed a cup for him to enjoy before closing the shop temporarily for his meeting with Ren’s friends, Takuto graciously accepting the cup and paying for it, waiting anxiously for the group to arrive. A ring of the bell caught his attention, Takuto whipping his head to see Sumire’s eyes peering from the frames of her glasses. She smiled upon seeing him, rushing into the quiet cafe followed by the other thieves before giving him a quick bow, “Good morning, Maruki-sensei,” she greeted, and Takuto laughed at her extreme politeness.

“You don’t have to be so formal, Yoshizawa-san,” Maruki laughed, “I’m not your teacher anymore, and I did come here because you asked, after all,”

He looked over to the rest of the group, the thieves minus Sumire sitting in the booths, their faces solemn as they looked away from his gaze. Takuto frowned; he had spotted Morgana quietly curled on Haru’s lap, the girl running her fingers in his fur absent-mindedly, looking worried at the cat with worry. Another sweep of the room with his eyes, distress welling inside him. Before Sumire could even speak, having noticed his panicked expression he asked out loud to the room: “Where’s Ren? Has something happened to him?”

“That’s... what we want to talk to you about,” Makoto said, yet she found it hard to look Takuto in the eyes. The feeling of unease between the thieves grew between them, the worried glances they exchanged only made him more anxious.

“What happened? Is he okay?” he stuttered, jumping from his seat, “Did he get into some sort of trouble? Is he in danger?” Each time he asked them the group winced, Sumire’s cheerful expression evaporated as she watched Takuto beg for any sort of information, each question curling the corners of her frown deeper on her face, “I need to know, please tell me: what is going on?”

“It’s... hard to say,” Ann replied to his plea, “It... he...”

“Ren’s gotta Palace,” Ryuji huffed, stoic at Takuto’s shocked reaction, “We’ve been infiltration’ it for some time now,”

“He has a Palace?!” Takuto’s eyes widened, shocked at this revelation, “W-when did he get one? Does that mean that world... the Metaverse came back? How-”

“We don’t know,” Makoto tried her best in answering him, her voice understanding at his floundering confusion, “We don’t know when the Palace had been formed, but when it did fully form it brought back the Metaverse with it,”

“And Mementos too,” Futaba added, “The whole thing, and his Shadow has been manipulating it too for his own goals,”

“Just like...” Takuto swallowed, still bewildered at this newfound knowledge, “But why? Do any of you know?”

“He has mentioned a performance of some kind,” Yusuke said, “One ‘of a lifetime’, it isn’t wrong to suspect his plans with Mementos had something to do with it,”

“Have you noticed something with the public, Maruki-san?” Haru asked him, her expression curious, “We’ve been noticing ourselves the renewed interest in the Phantom Thieves out in public, even selling Phantom Thief merchandise again,”

“I... I have,” Takuto swallowed, loosening the buttons of his coat, his hands shaking in the warm air of the cafe, “I’ve heard things on the radio about the Phantom Thieves; passengers would always mention about them to me, but I always thought it was because of the anniversary of your first heist that brought interest back. Kamoshida, right?”

Ryuji and Ann cringed at the mention of Kamoshida, Takuto immediately regretting his words, “S-so anyway, where is Ren? He has a Palace, but I assume-”

“He’s trapped inside of it,” Takuto whipped his head to look at the cat, Morgana, rising from his listless nap upon Haru’s lap to talk to him, “For some reason his shadow’s keeping him in there. No idea why, but what we do know is that he’s kept at the top floor,”

“Trapped inside...” Takuto repeated under his breath, rolling the words on his tongue as he tried desperately to even comprehend the situation. Heavy silence soon fell amongst the group. Takuto bit his lip, was he the one who caused this?

Makoto cleared her throat, snapping the room back into attention “There’s a vital area of the Palace he refuses to open up for any of us, Takuto. Anyone but you, that is, according to his shadow,”

Takuto looked at her in thought, contemplating her words, they churned in his mind. He looked at the polished floor of the cafe, his lips pursed. He curled his fingers into a fist, his chest tightened, Takuto blinking the tears from his eyes as they arose.

He looked back up at the thieves, their eyes filled with hope, pleading for him to assist them in saving his son.

“Alright, I’ll go with you to his Palace; Ren’s Palace,” he said.

---

“Is this?”

Takuto gazed at the foyer before him, watching the humanoid cognitions before him, all of them chatting to and fro, paying no mind to the thieves, all of them wearing masks. Light from the scarlet day of the outside shone wonderfully through the stained-glass windows. He gazed uneasily at the statue that nestled itself between the two ascending stairs, gulping down the stress and anxiety he felt, staring at an uncharacteristically pompous statue of his son.

“The Palace is becoming more unstable with each trial we complete,” Goro informed him, Takuto still bewildered by the mere fact that he was alive, and more importantly, helping the thieves with their infiltration, “I’d advise you to keep your wits and do whatever the shadow wants you to do, we can’t risk it prematurely collapsing,”

Takuto nodded, intimidated by the former detective, barely hiding the disdain he felt towards the former councillor. He had almost condemned the entirety of reality to one of false bliss, forcing his wants onto the entirety of reality. He also understood Goro still felt bitter towards him with erasing Ren’s memories, making him suffer, the infallible leader a mess in the confrontation of his recollections, having no way to cope with any of them. Sure, he had come out on top of them, able to power through his relieved anguish of losing Rumi, of losing his father, of having to witness her...

“It certainly has seen better days,” the bespectacled man sighed. He could still see signs of grandiose and luxury in the untended chaos of the tatters and scratches that accented each curtain and carpet, as if abandoned and allowed to rot with time. A part of him still wanted to deny the sight before him, still rationalised that nothing about this was real, that his son was back in reality, that he was safe, that this was some sick prank conjured up by his friends.

All those wishful thoughts Takuto had mustered quickly dashed when he saw the figure stood before them. Waiting.

“-And remember, refer to him as Joker, not Ren,” Goro hissed in his ear, “All we can do is appease him unless... well, I don’t suppose you’d like to end up as a corpse, would you?”

“I- Thank you, Akechi-san,” Takuto gulped, nodding in acknowledgement of Goro’s warning before turning towards his son. Though they were meters apart it felt like they were looking across the maw of a canyon. With a step, and then another, Takuto walked towards his son.

“Hello, dad,”

“Hello, Joker,” Takuto responded to the shadow’s greeting, already unnerved by his eyes, no longer grey but golden. Was this a shadow his friends constantly mentioned about, the dark, repressed side of the individual? Takuto had never gotten a chance to meet such a being, the ruler of his own distortions, he was the one who sat atop of his warped heart, ruling them with a gentle hand. He had his familiar outfit on, his will of rebellion, Takuto recalling seeing it when the thieves confronted him to change his heart. Though it was the differences that unsettled him: his dapper vest shining in scarlet red, his mask, black and golden, greatly increased the eerie glow of his eyes, “You wanted to see me?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I want to see my own father,” Joker said, words dripping with sarcasm, “It’s been a while since we last sat down and talked, I’m really starting to miss it a lot,”

“Likewise?” Takuto said cautiously, fearful of what the shadow’ll do to him if he misspoke, “I would like to spend some time catching up with you, if that is your reason for summoning me of course,”

“It was! You know me so well, father,” Joker smiled, and hand raised and the click of his fingers, a door swung open among the foyer, “Come, come with me, we have a lot to talk about I’m sure,”

---

The theatre room led him into nothing but a featureless void Takuto discovered, empty as if he was transported to another world. The Phantom Thieves, Ren’s friends, did warn him about the possible dangers that he had to face, Takuto still willing to plunge into whatever trial Ren - Joker - wanted him to face. The shadow unnerved him yes; he reasoned that anyone would be uncomfortable with the confrontation with the shadow of a loved one, their dark, inner thoughts giving shape in a distorted environment. A ‘Palace’ the thieves called it. Walking in the directionless void he hoped deeply his knowledge of the Metaverse could aid him in whatever Joker wanted him to endure. He had to save his son from himself, and this time he wasn’t going to run away from him, Takuto told himself.

“Daddy?”

Takuto’s heart jumped in his throat, him turning instinctively towards the sound of a child whimpering in the darkness. The voice was familiar, too familiar, a beacon that guided Takuto in the dark, or a lure to ensnare him into the jaws of his doom, Takuto rushing towards it with haste all the same.

“Daddy? Where are you?”

“Ren!” Takuto shouted, clambering toward the terrified child, tripping on his own feet with every other stride he took in a desperate, maddened haste to reach his crying son. He didn’t consider the possibility of the apparition of his crying son to be a trap, only instinct carried him forward until he approached the small cognition.

Grey, watery eyes full of innocence stared back at him, the small form of Ren clutching tightly onto a distinct plush of a cat. Takuto’s heart melted as he knelt to his level to address the boy, to show him that he meant no harm, the boy shying away into the fur of his toy.

“I’m here for you, Ren,” Takuto cooed, reaching out his arms towards the frightened boy. The young Ren stopped his crying. He looked at Takuto’s inviting, outstretched arms; and then at him, Takuto gave him a smile that radiated safety and love.

“Who-who are you?” from the stuttering, fearful cognition was the reaction that Takuto did not expect, his face falling in confusion, his bemusement matched with the smaller Ren that stared blankly back at him. Takuto tenderly brushed the mess of hair away from Ren’s eyes.

“I-I’m your dad,” Takuto said reassuringly, yet the cracks of his tone betrayed the melancholic feelings that welled inside of him. To see those grey eyes gaze upon him, wide and curious and with wholly innocence broke his heart, “There’s no need to be scared, Ren. I’m here now, I’ll protect you,”

Young Ren looked at him, slightly backing away from the unfamiliar, familiar man in front of him, “I... I don’t... I don’t remember, if you’re my dad I don’t remember you! I don’t-”

“Hey, calm down,” Takuto said, yet he respected the distance Ren had put between them, “It’s alright to forget sometimes, which is why we need others to help us remember,”

“I-”

“Do you trust me, Ren?” Takuto asked the frightened child. Young Ren looked at him hesitantly, clutching the stuffed toy in his arms closer against his chest. He looked down onto the floor, pausing in contemplation.

“I... Guess so,” Young Ren mumbled shyly, eyes flickering between the floor and Takuto that reminded the bespectacled man so much about Ren in his younger years. He gestured for the child to sit down in front of him, Young Ren doing so obediently, the both of them folding their legs as they sat cross-legged on the murky floor.

“Now, do you remember anything about your father?” Takuto asked, adopting a more professional persona with inquiring the boy, “Anything at all?”

“Well, I think he wears glasses,” Young Ren started, curling his small thumb and finger before holding them up to his face, peering into the holes he had made with his hands, “They’re really big on his face. He wears them a lot, and I barely see him take them off,”

“That’s good, what else do you remember?” Takuto asks, amazed at Ren’s recollection, the boy knitting his eyebrows in concentration.

“And... He had brown hair,” Ren recalled, his hands moving to his head, “Brown hair that was really long and wavy, but not too long like a girl’s. He also had brown eyes... and...”

“And?”

“He would watch Featherman with me,” Ren said, “Every Saturday, he would wake up just to watch Featherman with me. I would always ask which Featherman he liked the best a-and he would ask me who was mine, and it was-”

“Featherman Red,” Takuto finished, Young Ren’s eyes widening, “I remember. I’ve always remembered,”

“A-and,” Ren continued, his cheeks slightly flushed against his skin, “I remember whenever he came home he would always bring apples! He’s not good at cooking them, but I didn’t mind eating them anyway, because he would always bring home the really tasty ones,”

And the child continued his recollection, Takuto’s small smile that sat on his lips grew a little wider with each detail Ren managed to recall, the excitement in his eyes growing more and more, and Takuto wondered if the child was even aware of how much he recalled. Yet whenever Takuto asked for the child of his father’s name he merely blinked at Takuto.

“I don’t remember my daddy’s name,” Young Ren shook his head, his disappointment reflecting Takuto’s, “I’m trying really hard, I am!”

“I know you are,” Takuto sighed, resting a hand upon his shoulder, giving the small child a reassuring smile. Yet, as defiant as his grown-up self, Young Ren shook his hand away.

“But, there’s one name I do remember.” Young Ren mumbled under his breath. Takuto’s eyes widened, a sudden drop of water dropped upon his head. Carefully reaching over the moist patch of his hair he looked at his fingers. Nothing. He looked up. Only the black that characterized their surroundings present. He turned to look back at the boy.

“What name is it?” Takuto asked, Young Ren squeezed his eyes shut.

“I... it’s someone close to dad,” he mumbled. More droplets of phantom liquid dripped upon him, “Someone... I.... don’t remember,” The child began to panic, “I... I can’t remember it anymore. I can’t, I’m-”

“There, there,” Takuto cooed, brushing away Ren’s tears, ignoring the storming of the invisible rain on his person that only increased in ferocity, “It’s okay. Just do like what we did with your dad, okay?”

“O-okay,” Young Ren said, trying hard to salvage a mask of bravery, looking at Takuto with red, blotched eyes “I mean... I don’t have a lot of memories of her...”

“Her..?” Takuto feared he knew who the young boy was referring to, the invisible storm now pouring magnitudes onto him, unrelenting, the liquid thumping hard against his frame, his hearing starting to be muffled by the roar of rushing water, “Ren, maybe we should-”

“She had big eyes-” Young Ren began to recite, Takuto grabbing tightly onto his shoulders, his pleas for the boy to stop falling on death ears.

“-and she was smart, and nice-” Young Ren continued, oblivious to the panicking Takuto that desperately pleaded with him to stop.

It smelled. Everything smelled rancid, like something rotten, something foul, something metallic. But it was as if Ren was painfully unaware of the speckles of red splattered on his face.

“-and, and she had red hair!”

Takuto recognised the expression the young boy suddenly snapped into, grey eyes once filled with ignorance now watered with fear and distress. The memories of the break-in, the blood, the red. The child stumbled back away from Takuto, both of them shocked that the ground seemed to ripple under them.

“Ren!” was all Takuto could utter until a shrill shriek spilled from Ren’s lips. More blood dripped down from the sky, the child turned and tripped against his feet and fell onto the ground. Takuto reached for Ren but stopped.

Rumi. Rumi was in the reflection, so many copies of her, eye wide and afraid, blood gushing from her red locks, Takuto speechless, the only sound coming from his lips were the terrified whimpers that bubbled up from his tight throat. He too soon stumbled onto his knees, his own distressed reflection mirrored back at him, Takuto’s traumatic expression staring back at him among the mosaic of Rumi’s last moments. He dared not to look at the scene above him.

“Subject one is asleep and well, Dr Maruki,”

“Was the actualisation successful?” his voice rang in his ears. Takuto blinked his watering eyes, adjusting his vision to the spotless white tiles that made up the room. The familiar, sterile smell of disinfectant stung his nostrils, Takuto barely making out the sweetness of forgotten flowers in bouquets that splashed colour among the featureless wall. He allowed himself time to collect himself; he looked at his hands, bloodless yet he swore he could still feel the liquid staining his hands.

“Yes, Dr Maruki,” the unfamiliar voice rang out. Takuto swallowed the bile that rose from his throat, allowing himself to collect his composure and strength before he stumbled onto his feet with great effort.

Suddenly he found himself in a chair, gazing at the two figures looking over a sleeping child. One was a faceless nurse, writing on a clipboard as she talked. The other was himself, “There seemed to be no complications with the procedure,” the nurse continued, the reflection of Takuto reaching down absent-mindedly to stroke the sleeping Ren’s hair, “He should be waking up at any moment,”

“Thank you,” the other Takuto smiled, “You may go now,”

The nurse nodded before dissipating into a thin cloud of smoke, the other Takuto sighing before turning to the sitting Takuto, looking at him soberly.

“It was...” Takuto croaked, the guilt of his past mistake tightening in his stomach, “I just wanted...”

“I’m sure he’ll understand,” the other Takuto said quietly, turning back to the sleeping form of Ren, white-gloved hands coiling around strands of black hair. Flashes of memories flickered from within Takuto’s vision. How his son’s face contorted in anguish at the recollection of memories, how desperate he was to forget, willing to battle his friends to preserve his own ignorance, the lingering gazes, hauntings of his own psychological pain that echoed from within his own eyes, “He’s such a strong child, even when staring at the face of danger he still puts on a brave face,”

“Yeah, he really-” he feels something wrapping tightly around Takuto’s wrists. He looked down; blackish-blue tendrils slid across his skin. Panic rises from his chest and tightens his throat; he struggles against the grip of the monster binding him.

“There’s one more thing I need to get rid of,” the other Takuto murmured, Takuto futilely thrashing against Azathoth’s hold. The cognitive double approached him; eyes unblinking under the thick frames of his glasses as he watched Takuto struggle against the cognitive Persona. A click of his fingers, and the tendrils encompassed all of Takuto’s body other than his face, “This is for my patient, for my son,”

“You’re making a mistake!” Takuto’s voice cracked, his appeals to his cognitive double fruitless as he saw him snap his fingers. He felt himself pulled down by the otherwise unseen demon, his feet slowly sinking into the floor, the cognitive Takuto watching him disappear with a blank face.

“This is for his own good,” the cognitive Takuto said absolutely, his expression unmoving while he watched Takuto sink into the ground, “He needs to forget, he needs to be unburdened by the memories of her death, and that includes removing you from his life,”

“But-”

“It’s the only way,” the cognition repeated to him, the scenery around him going monochrome, the doubles skin growing paler before everything started to fade into white “We both know it’s the right way,”

“We...” Takuto croaked through the tears that started to well in the corners of his eyes, trying desperately to blink them away, tearing his eyes from his cognitive double in shame, “I was... I was foolish to think that. All it did was cause Ren and I suffering...”

The cognition said nothing.

“I should have been there for him...” he choked, the tentacles that wrapped around him grew ever tighter, “But I was a coward. I-”

He turned his head to see nothing. Featureless white. His throat tightened. There was nothing; he was stuck, yet the tendrils continued to drag him down, deeper and deeper, his breaths quickened, he was panicking, fidgeting against his bonds. It was too much, he was growing increasingly fatigued, he needed to escape, he-

“Daddy?”

Ren’s confused voice rang out, and Takuto quickly lost consciousness, his vision turning black.

---

“-he the next patient?” a voice rang out from the fringes of his consciousness, so familiar to his ears. His eyelids were heavy. Takuto wanted to sleep.

“Yes, Dr Am-” another voice accompanied the stranger. His mouth was dry. He felt sick.

“-ki, Takuto,” the first voice chuckled, Takuto dragging himself from his uncomfortable slumber, wincing in pain at the bright light that assaulted his vision.

“Who... who are-?”

Takuto jolted awake in alarm. The voice... was Ren, the grey eyes of his son looking at him, tired and heavy. His hair was slicked back neatly, his outfit a white, spotless suit, his shirt collar propped neatly around his neck. “Where am I?”

“You’re in good hands, Mr Maruki,” Ren smiled at him. It unnerved Takuto; Ren’s eyes shimmering yet empty, the curl of his lips rehearsed and forced, his voice too calm for the situation they both found themselves in, “Don’t worry. Soon your troubles will all disappear,”

Ren’s words did nothing to soothe Takuto. He looked down to where he currently sat, a white throne under him. Takuto paled.

“Patient seems to be distressed due to the loss of his son,” Ren spoke, snapping his fingers to the same featureless nurse from before, who then handed him a clipboard, “unforeseen circumstances; it seemed that the little one had died during a failed robbery-”

Ren fiddled his hair in thought, tucking a stray strand behind his ear before continuing, “Patient seems to be in great psychological pain. Advisory procedure includes amnesia brought upon by actual-”

“Ren, please don’t,” Takuto cried, shaking his head furiously, “Please stop this madness, you’re making a-”

“Nurse, please make sure our patient here is secure!” Ren ordered the cognition, it nodded its head before lunging towards Takuto, its limbs sprouting from its form before pinning Takuto on the throne.

“Please, Mr Maruki,” Ren begged the thrashing Takuto, “Just calm down. I don’t want to cause you any more distress, the redhead was already enough trouble to treat,”

“Ren wait plea-”

A snap of his fingers. The entire amphitheatre rumbled violently, a great figure rose from behind Ren’s determined form, its golden skin and green eyes glowing in the light. Takuto sat there petrified, his mouth hung agape, his body quaked in fear, eyes wide as his forehead perspired with sweat, his mouth dry, his heart thumped with sickening speed, only able to hear it thrash in his chest as he gazed up upon the Persona who stared back at him with its unmoving face.

“Adam Kadmon,” Ren uttered his name, “You know what to do,”

A click of his gloved fingers, and Takuto’s vision was once more engulfed into black. ---

His brown eyes flickered open once more. Takuto rested his head on the featureless floor. He was back to where he started, the weird ethereal voice that Joker- no- his son had sent him to face the trial he so desperately wanted Takuto to endure. He wanted to go home, he wanted this madness to stop; he rose from the blackness, seeing that he was now palming wood, the walls surrounded him painted black while fluorescent light hung above his head.

“Was this...” he mumbled, yet the clicking of familiar heels made him snap to attention, hastily scrambling up to his feet, the shadow of his son walking towards him with hands in his pockets, golden eyes transfixed intently, emerging from the shadows of the empty room, him using his will upon the Palace they were currently in to convey his dramatic aura with persistent intimidation.

“Did you have fun, father?” Joker seethed, tongue rolling with each syllable as if the words were bitter to the taste. He looked pleased with himself, claiming his victory over his father, looking down at him with scorn, yet Takuto could see the agony that brewed in him by the quiver of his bottom lip, “I sure did, watching you flounder like that,”

“Was all of that how you truly felt?” Takuto meekly asked, watching how Joker swaggered towards him, avoiding the rhetorical inquiry from the shadow, “Everything I put you through... did you suffer that much?”

Takuto didn’t like how the corners of Joker’s mouth tugged higher, how his smile grew wider, thinner, his golden irises quivering in delight, how the white in his engulfed everything. Joker said nothing, his strides widening, Takuto’s feet firmly planted onto the floor.

“I-”

“The things I had to endure,” Joker roared, his expression unmoving yet his voice quaked with rage ill-fitting of the mask he wore, “The fights between my adopted parents, the stares and whispers I’d get from my classmates, the anguish I had to endure once I remembered. I kept-”

Joker’s facade slightly cracked, lines on his face, as if it were porcelain.

“I had nightmares” he cried, voice breaking, yet he betrayed no tears, “Nightmares from that day, seeing things that I couldn’t explain, seeing her dead, the blood... I always woke up in a cold sweat, never remembering why I was crying, I-”

Joker inched his face closer to Takuto’s with each word, stretching himself further upward, standing on the soles of his boots. What he didn’t expect from his rant was the arms that wrapped around him, the shadow pulled from his taunt into a comforting embrace, Takuto’s hand snaked to comb the strands of his unruly hair. Joker’s expression transitioned one from hate into befuddlement, feeling something hot drip down onto his grand, black coat.

“I’m sorry,” Takuto choked, bringing him in closer, undeterred by the mask poking painfully in his neck, “I’m sorry,” he repeated, grasping his son’s hair, palming it with long, tender strokes, “I couldn’t bear to look at you, you didn’t move, didn’t speak, I wanted you to get better, I thought-”

Takuto swallowed the bile that rose from his throat. He felt Joker’s body in his arms slump slightly, his head resting on his shoulder, “I’m sorry,”

The shadow said nothing, merely allowing himself to be held, his body limp, small heaves escaped from his throat every so often.

“Please, let us help you, Ren-”

The shadow snapped to attention, a hand around the scruff of Takuto’s jacket collar, tearing him away from the embrace they were locked in. In his shock, Takuto tried to escape from the grasp of the invisible assailant, only able to by slipping from the article of clothing, stumbling forward and running back to the hunched shadow, Joker’s gloved hands hiding his face. Yet as he got closer something stopped his advance; he collided into something, hard, yelping in agony as he clutched his nose, blinking to see that there was nothing in between them.

“You don’t get it, do you?” the shadow laughed while Takuto pressed his hands at the unseen barrier between them, the sound hollow, no joy in his words, “None of you do,”

The sound of trickling water filled the room, red swirled below Joker’s boots, Takuto confused and scared at the sight before him. It was like... It was like... “I’m going to make everything better,” Joker continued, peaking through the gap of his splayed hand on his face, “Heaven is nothing but a lie; I’m going to make a place where desires can truly be realised,”

“Ren, you don’t have to do this! Please,” Takuto begged, the red liquid rising rapidly up towards Joker’s hunched body, the shadow glaring at Takuto’s fearful form, “You’re making a mistake, Ren, don’t make the same mistake I did,”

“Of course I won’t,” Joker smiled as he stood up straight, the waters still rising, his facade perfect yet again, the calm on his face appearing so sudden that it terrified Takuto how easily Joker was able to slip back into calm, “I know a way to make them obey, all of them,”

“Is it true? Are you using-” the water was now up to his waist, Joker unfazed by the liquid slowly drowning him.

“A trickster never reveals his tricks,” Joker laughed, licking his lips while he watched Takuto squirm, “Not like I’ll tell you... any of you. You’ll just make everything more complicated, you’ll ruin all my plans, and the worst thing is the realisation that none of you care,”

“You’re destroying yourself in the process,” Takuto begged, his hands pressing against the glass, “Your friends have told me everything, each day your mental state is decaying further, this place is collapsing in upon itself. You’re losing yourself, Ren-”

“DON’T CALL ME BY THAT NAME,” Joker screeched, banging two of his fists onto the invisible barrier between them, Takuto clumsily stumbling back with shock, “I am not Ren, I’m not him, I am better, HIS better!” the red was now at his neck, the room shaking with invisible fury, “I will never go back to being him, Maruki, and you should realise that by now,”

“Ren-”

But it was too late, the shadow fully submerged in the red liquid, seemingly gone. Panic engulfed Takuto, him now thumping against the glass with his hands rolled into fists, desperate to save his son from the other side, “Ren!” he called out to no avail, continuing to pound against the barrier before him.

A subtle crack, and then another, then another. Takuto heard the trickling of water before he saw it, red liquid now bursting through the dam separating him and his son, the cascade of water spilling out like dominoes, and it wasn’t long for the barrier to completely break, the red torrent sweeping everything in his path up in its tide, taking Takuto with it.

---

A low rumble came from behind the theatre door, the thieves emerging from another one of Joker’s trials pitted against them, it swung from its hinges with Takuto being thrown outside of the room. He landed with an ‘oomph’ onto the carpeted floor, the group running towards him in shock and worry, though they could barely see a visible scratch on him.

“Maruki-san!” Sumire was the first to rush to his aid, kneeling next to the dazed brunette, blue flames dissipating her mask while her hands glowing with the familiar green of Diarahan, “Are you okay, are you hurt, what happened?”

“I’ll, I’ll be fine,” Takuto assured her gently dismissing her, trying hard to amass the strength to stand up on his own two feet, “I just... I just need a moment,”

“You don’t look fine,” Haru pointed out softly, “Are you sure you don’t need to rest? You look like you’ve been through a lot,”

“If it’s anything like the trials we have to endure, I’m surprised he came out unscathed,” Yusuke mumbled out loud, “Though then again, Ren is his son...”

“I didn’t do anything too taxing, haha,” Takuto weakly laughed, giving the thieves an unconvincing, weak smile, “It was... it was...”

His smile faded, his facade melted, looking down at the faded carpet below him, “I... I didn’t realise fully the pain I put him through,” he said, almost whispering, “He was suffering all that time. It’s my fault-”

“It isn’t your fault though,” Ann said earning perplexed looks from the thieves and an unamused glare from Goro, “I- I mean, it’s not just you who’s at fault here, Dr. Maruki,” she clarified, “I think we each all have something to do with making Ren’s Palace appear. We’re at fault too,”

“Yeah, it’s not like you were doin’ it for bad purposes too,” Ryuji interjected, “I mean, you did what you thought was right, right?”

“All of you are too forgiving,” Goro muttered.

Without warning the Palace started to quake, everyone thrown off from their feet as the walls started to shake, the chandeliers suspended above their heads rattling amongst the thundering rumble that consumed the premises.

“W-Why is the Palace acting up now?!” Morgana squeaked before falling onto his back, the others struggling to keep their balance, “I thought-”

“Ren’s not looking too good!” Futaba squeaked, fiddling and adjusting her headset as she looked over the information displayed by her Persona, “His vitals are falling fast!”

But Takuto didn’t pay attention to the panicked chatter of the thieves, looking down at his hands, mortified how the dull colour of the red carpet below his hands faded even further into a rotten brown. Lights flickered around him from above. It was a nightmare, the cognitive patrons screaming. He felt something small and dust-like trickle against his back.

The quake went as sudden as it came, the roar fading into deathly silent once more. Takuto peaked out from under his huddled hands that shielded him from above, eyes darting from side to side in a panic.

“W-what happened?” he asked the thieves who were trying to regain their footing, though he already suspected the answer.

“Ren’s getting worse,” Makoto answered his rhetorical question, and Takuto’s face flushed with dread. She looked at him, her eyes sympathetic behind her mask, “You should get out of here, it isn’t safe for you,”

“You’re... you’re right,” he sighed defeated, aware that if he had accompanied further than necessary, he would be nothing but dead weight. He didn’t have a Persona, no way to support the rest of the group within or outside of battles, sure to get in their way. He hung his head in defeat, carefully picking himself up from the floor, “Just... just make sure you do everything you can to save him... alright? He’s... he’s all I have left,”

The thieves nodded in response, yet their expressions conveyed the apprehensive outcome of their endeavour.

---

Ren said nothing, merely watched his shadow wandering throughout the grand space of the dressing room. His path was directionless, absent-mindedly walking in loops, circling the furniture, his stare unfocused and distant.

“Why?” was all Ren could ask, baffled by his own shadow, “Why do you keep lashing out?”

“He deserved it,” Joker reasoned, continuing his purposeless pace, the other cognitions that normally served him purposely out of sight, “They all do, Ren, why don’t you see that?”

“They don’t, they don’t, Joker,” Ren said, and Joker laughed bitterly, “You’re hurting them. You’re hurting the people I- we-”

“Did WE deserve what happened to us!?” Joker snapped at Ren, turning to him, venom in his expression, “Did WE deserve to forget Mom? To get carted off to someone else just like property, to have to endure our adopted parents and their wrath to only be thrown by the wayside, to have our father, LIE to us, to be USED by him for his actualization? DID we!? DID WE?!”

“Joke-”

“HE ABANDONED US!” Joker shrieked; the walls of the Palace quaked around him. His golden eyes welled with tears, pulsating with anguish and bitterness, “HE USED US AS A- A- A SICK GUINEA PIG! I am SICK of being used as a- as a- a- an OBJECT! Like I’m NOTHING!”

“Joker-”

“Stop denying that you feel this way,” the shadow squeaked, his red fingers intertwined in his black, dishevelled locks, “Stop it! It’s hopeless, Ren, you know that deep inside you don’t want to understand, you don’t want to forgive. That bastard-” another sob escaped from his throat, Joker choking on his tears and disgust, a familiar swell of power coursing through his being. Another shaky sigh. He could feel Ren finally coming to his senses, his lips curling upwards from the corners of his mouth, yet he barely felt any joy as he continued, “He’ll soon pay. They’ll all soon pay, and I’ll make sure that they’ll regret what they did to us.”

---

“Are you sure there’s nothing you can’t help with?”

Takuto looked at Sumire, she and Goro the only ones escorting Takuto onto the edges of the Palace’s domain. A weak, tired smile he wore as he shook his head, “I’ll be nothing but dead weight, Yoshizawa, and it looks like you all have everything under control,”

“At least we agree on something,” Goro hissed, arms crossed as he leaned his weight on one of his legs, “No Metaverse Powers or any standout physical strength. All you’ll be to us is a liability. Deadweight. A sitting duck-”

“I wonder why, Senpai,” Sumire pondered, “I mean, he should have his Persona at least, right?”

“I-”

“Regardless, I hope that I was able to help in some way,” Takuto interjected, tearing Sumire and Goro from their pondering, “But please... please save Ren,”

“We’re doing everything we can, Maruki-san,” Sumire nodded, “And if there’s any way you can help we’ll tell you, right, Akechi-senpai?”

“Actually, there is a way in which Maruki can help,” Goro mused, as he looked at the bespectacled man, “There something I was wondering about Joker’s plans,”

“You have my attention,”

Goro turned to look at the theatre before them. A moment passed, before he gazed back into his brown eyes, “I want you to see if there’s anything suspicious going on in the outside world, any changes at all in the public cognition. If you do, contact Yoshizawa, and she’ll contact me, am I clear?”

“Why? Are you suggesting-”

“Just do it,” Goro snapped, and without another word he turned on his heel, making his way back to the Palace. With an apology and a quick bow, Sumire too left Takuto alone at the cusp of the ethereal realm.

He watched them leave, disappearing into the Palace in front of him. His eyes trailed upwards. Towards the top floor of the accursed building, to where Ren was held against his own will by his own distorted thoughts.

“Hold on a little longer, Ren,” he croaked under his breath, unwilling to leave as he blinked the tears away from his welling eyes, “Just hold on a little longer, please.”

#persona #palace: theatre of mirrors #ren amamiya #takuto maruki #takuren au #dan's log #png #mine*#myfanfic #mywriting

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iconsumeheadcanons · 4 years

Text

persona characters autism headcanons!

hi im autistic and i started my day with sun so now im !!!!!!!!! some of these headcanons are from elsewhere on tumbr, but i dont know where :((( so i am hoping someone out there knows that n that everybody knows that i love them <3

(also go check out mollypaup and i think hypeswap if you havent already! they post some good stuff autism+adhd hc too!!! i think.. oh! and thieves-in-the-palace!!!)

Joker

there was some artwork from someone on tublr..where they pointed out that he doesnt really talk outside the metaverse so--hes hyperverbal as joker and just near nonverbal as akiren

he stims ALL THE TIME. that phone thing, the pencil thing, the little tappy tap of his foot, pulling at his bangs when hes embarrassed/smug. someone get him a fidget spinner. he’ll prob learn to do tricks with it

he probably sucks at focusing in class, like i know its just the game design but hes always surprised out of his daily “star out the window at the nearby office building” when his teachers ask him questions

mona mentions when the pt is at Wilton for the first time (after they run into shido) that joker eats like shit, and that could have multiple causes at the start of the story of course, but when i first played i thought that joker was a picky eater and that the variety (and amount of food) at the buffet would be an Ordeal...

tho mona makes that comment bc joker looked pale after having a little ptsd moment from shidos voice, but i didnt know that the first time i played

maybe when joker makes a face at ryuji putting so much ginger in his gyudon? joker probably does not like pickled ginger lol

his favortive foods are all spicy, which is why the curry he makes for his friends is always ‘overly spicy’, and why kasumi makes him a curry bento and joker kept going “...?” .... “....?!”

overly reflective glasses have been a great plus for him bc now he never has to make real eye contact every again!

mona Soft. play with Ann hair. maybe Braid. nice

puns (Gorou the Goroumet)

he has so many options to be straight up rude sometimes in game. he probably no clue on his own, which is why he defaults to Not Talking. people probably mention his constant scary face, which is just him being nonexpressive, squinting at all the fucking bright lights, and Tired

executive function who? we do everything last minute folks

high pain tolerance, which is why he was the kid that was always climbing trees in elementary school to get basketballs unstuck from the branches

his sixth sense lets him see treasure and possible places to climb/crawl bc 1. Shiny? Steal it. Steal it Now. and 2. Could i fit in that? Time to Find Out

probalby a bit of a klepto too oops. he’ll return it tho!! but he has to do it dramatically or he’ll die

cant sit properly to save his life

smells and touch are Great, they can keep him grounded when his brain goes off to police or dead rivals or guilt or

if a friend hung out with him and gave him total reigns of the agenda, he would choose to nap on the floor while his friend does something off to the side quietly

hyperfocuses on handy tasks (i.e. lockpicks, coffee brewing, cleaning, his part time jobs) and some things like movies and books. everything else is a tossup

his (normal) navigation app is his most used app bc he still doesnt know where hes going, even though he only goes to the same few places in the city

hates being sweaty, literally cannot stand it. probably double exhausted during the summer

but Needs Compression so hes often Struggling

Futaba

paraphrase from p5d “i have no motor skills so i cant play rhythm games :(” need i say more? (i will regardless)

echolalia all the time, from anime, memes, the PT

those headphones she wears all the time? noise cancelling ear protectors babey

only talks about her interests, “normal” talking is Not Easy, but she is still communicative w others despite her worries. shes not “hard to understand” at all but she feels the anxiety nonetheless

only talks informally, cannot talk ‘politely’ with out imitating someone around her

shes had meltdowns and anxiety attacks in game :( i relate so hard

Technology. thats it

def had an egypt phase that pops up every few months. probably came from yu-gi-oh

has Immune to Bright Lights buff. joker is very jealous

“Time to make like a tree and leave!” and 30 other iterations

video game metaphors are the only ones that makes sense to her

probably relates hard to robot characters in anime for their general androgyny and confusion about human emotions and connections

probably gets told that shes “too smart to be on the spectrum” by teachers >:( she fails their classes on purpose

wakaba’s autistic too that just how it is

the Connection that she establishes with Joker is so Warm. my life goals include adopting an older brother like futaba has lsdkfjslkfj

also eater of 5 foods only, i mean, she brings cup ramen to the beach. i just really admire her...

hides in small spaces for comfort

doesnt she have like uhhhhh hyperthymesia or something like that?

Yusuke

art

his entire social link is learning how humans work, which i relate

talks seriously all the time

“sarcasm? who is that? are you saying I was sarcastic?...how?”

cant remember to take care of his body, and madarame did not help with that either

lot of uncomfortable staring, hes overdoing the eye contact thingy

infodumps all the time, doesnt know hes doing it

needs a lot of support even if he doesnt think he deserves it. no one ever complains about helping him out tho

visual stims my friends

he didnt know that you could look up pictures on the internet but he does know you can stream live videos of waterfalls and fluffy animales!!

I am certainly in the mood

for something salty today.

he and joker are scared of math. numbers do not interact

Yusuke, futaba, and akiren are a trio and i know this bc their first day of non-thievery interacts is Akiren clearing Futabas room w/o permission, futaba hyperfocusing on destroying medjed, and yusuke rearranging futabas figurines so they are more visually appealing

morgana is a support friend for all of them bc igor knows they need it

Souji/Yu

yes, he mostly wears gray semi formal clothes bc parents tell him to, no, he will not changes this

Schedule or Death

“sorry, could you repeat that?” “huh? oh yeah, i was saying that--” “yeah that’d be cool.”

cats, fishing, he just likes to be quiet. you can literally spend a day at the beach just to think if you want, and that is what yu want

has a lot of scripts for things (of which he shares with nanako!) but if he runs out he just stops talking..

inaba is a godsend bc its so fucking quiet and warm

he Yearns to hold his friends hands, but he shies away from a lot of touch (excepting yosuke, teddie, and nanako)

Cooking and Cleaning makes the world better. he and joker vibe together with this

unlike akiren, he strong arms any executive dysfunction into Be Productive or Else. his punishment is feeling the pure anxiety of having to make up for ‘lost time’. (another symptom of his workaholic parents)

writes everything down, notes are very neat, has pages dedicated for bad doodles when hes not feeling his usual Super Classroom Focus

Cannot handle secondhand embarrassment (most often caused by yosuke) and will quietly slip away to random cats or origami folding

hungry, crunch crunch folks. probably needs chewelry bc he used to chew on his shirt collars when he was younger.

cleans up after everyone in the food court, constantly worries about them accidently hurting themselves. likely spends half of group conversations watching peoples hands

he canonically eats expired food, nanako plz help your brother

really clumsy, but people only notice after they decide that he is a cool person

video games are too chaotic for him

exhausted every night from the pure amount of masking he does, if a friend spends the night (or is like yosuke) they will know his more comfortable weirdo self (tho everyone knows hes a weirdo eventually)

hyperempathetic, sometimes just understands animals and children better than peeople his age or older

Yukiko

her jokes

she and souji get in ‘trouble’ together, she and joker commit crimes together

she and chie have to coordinate outfits, its important

actually understands metaphors, but does not understand people

like me, had no clue that creepy kid was flirting with her

she is very angry when she has meltdowns that might involve slamming doors and shouting. her parents call these ‘tantrums’ and ‘unfitting for a polite daughter’ but really thats because her meltdowns tend to be caused by arguments w her family after a long day of school and TV world traipsing

the metronome meme, except hers goes between Loudest Person in the Room to Quietest Pin Drop in the Planet. she is completely unaware of this

her atmosphere brightens when chie appears. that is not only the lesbian energy within her, but also because chie is like her Favorite Person

Cannot wear Pants. No (tho she wants to try it! but she puts them on and her soul instantly squashes)

happy flappy lesbian! watch out!

Naoto

the pouty face. all the time lskdfjlasdkf

hes really snappy sometimes and i love that for him. he and akechi should fight just to see what would happen (please read Bang Bang Shoot Shoot on AO3)

“do not touch me or my hat, thank you”

no one has ever seen him shutdown and no one ever will (except for his grandpa)(and kanji)(and rise)

probably likes certain food textures and will stand for nothing less, probably feels embarrassed about his preferences with friends

constantly jumps between ‘everybody hates me so i should act like them so they dont hate me’ to ‘i refuse to be anything but very comfortable as myself, and i dont care that im making you upset sir’

he and souji are the king and queen of subtle stims, but for unhappy reasons :(

does not make jokes. cannot joke around. understand? yes, do? no.

loose clothes are the only good clothes, but all tags and obtrusive seams will be obliterated by kanji tatsumi

not very empathetic so he probably comes off as an asshole to strangers (like when he throws away his classmates confession letters without reading them) but he tries so hard to sound comforting when his buds are struggling.

his understanding of others emotions/reactions come from his learning as a detective, which seems cold+clinical to others, especially compared to souji, whos completely unexpressive but very introverted people person

Hamuko/Minako/Kotone

big personality!! very people-oriented!! koromaru and her are buddies!! when shes having a real bad time, shes very quiet and expressions turn off

interrupts herself in the middle of conversations all the time. no one knows where shes coming from. her brains is thousands of km ahead of her body

bouncey legs, swingin arms, twirlly skirt, little somersaults! when will she stop? never!

very obvious music stims with her hands and arms! people are like “oh there she goes! happy as usual!” shes listening to minatos heavy metal playlist

switches from exhausted to excited within milliseconds. no one can predict, not even her

SEES has to ask her for context all the time cuz she’ll just continue shit from 2 weeks ago without warning

professionals will assume shes very childish bc of how chipper she is, but she is beyond mature for her age and only feels comfortable enough to have serious conversations if a person has proved themself able to handle it

collects every little thing. her room is a mess and she has to get rid of most of it every time she moves :(

hates cleaning! smells bad, feels bad hhhhhgggg

dont let mitsuru-senpai see her bedroom

gets lost in the middle of conversations with others bc shes thinking about a story connected to one(1) word that was said earlier

no sense of time and place, she just sees her friends and goes “ah, this is the right place, then” but junpei and akihiko are also lost so now theyre all screwed

Minato/Makoto/Sakuya

no talkies, no walkies

his story in the movies is him literally learning how to function around people he cares for

doesnt get jokes, expressions, body language, empathy, subtlety, metaphors, physical contact, or eye contact. aigis is probably the only person he truly understands right away

he is still nice to people because he doesnt see a reason not to be, but also he has very limited energy so only his senpai and old people get his most polite-kindnesses

cannot describe feelings for the life of him. the team wont know hes injured or sick until hes passed out

everything is too loud, time to drown it out with my loud ass music

rocking and chewing stims, ryoji is the first person to point him out for these subtle stims (not accusingly of course, just general pure curiosity and love for the uniqueness of humanity)

likes to cover his face with whatever is available, lives like a bat in a dark dry cave

will wear anything that has pockets and his blue/gray/black palette

sleepy at all times bc he never has much energy

when he was younger he probably needed a lot of support, especially after his parents died, because he wouldnt communicate like a neurotypical and would shutdown for hours in the middle of school without warning. probably missed a lot of lessons and field trips out of pure overstimulation

eating at all times. no preference, just whatevers closest

his meltdowns probalby include humming whining noises and curling up in a ball, which makes people want to touch him, but that is the LAST thing he wants. put a blanket on him! play some music! do not talk and do not expect him to speak

aigis is the only person who can touch him normally bc her hands are cold and he likes cold

never nude, feels mmmmmmmmm without clothes and probalby wears a full robe in the hotsprings

will not do things that take more than one step w/o someone else walking him thru it, which Same

#my writing #p3 #p4 #p5 #persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 5 #ren #futaba #souji #hamuko #minato #vibes straight thru the sun #i sincerely hope the read more works #im so srry for grammar problems #i literally cant read rn

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muzzleroars · 4 years

Note

with the daldabaoth au thing, imagine how hurt akira might be at first realizing goro wants to kill his dad :( he might even feel used like goro only liked him to get close to his dad

I ACCIDENTALLY JUST KIND OF RAMBLED ABOUT THIS AU BECAUSE I’VE BEEN LOVING IT SO LIKE. HERE’S SOME GODHUNTER DRAMA FOR YOU.

YEA that’s pretty much exactly how it goes ;o; akira is really fascinated by humanity and he loves to make friends, he loves to help people with his unique perspective, but he’s also definitely very guarded considering he knows what would happen if anyone found out who he is. so, very much like in canon, akira is great at getting others to open up to him, but he rarely does the same in return, too afraid that any personal details will be looked into and he’ll be discovered by the wrong people. as a cognitive being, akira does have a little bit of insight into the emotions and motivations of others, but being in reality really messes with his ability to be totally accurate (yaldabaoth retains this ability to a much higher degree, but he still has plenty of trouble himself as surviving in reality presents different issues for him), so he’s navigating social relationships with a lot less insight than he’s used to. initially he gains an interest in goro due to his minor celebrity status (akira is obviously drawn to popularity due to the public’s influence), and goro is interested in turn for, again, the same reasons in canon: akira is fascinating to speak with and his opinions often surprise goro. despite the fact that he really does seem to be a trend follower, goro notes that he often has very different ideas than most on whatever topic is popular, waxing incredibly philosophical about different viral trends in a way that’s oddly intriguing. and for his part, akira sees a perception in goro that’s rare for humans, an unparalleled acumen and the ability to mold himself to what the public wants in an utterly flawless way in order to achieve his fame while the real goro remains far and away from that persona. they both begin opening up to each other, letting their guards down, and it’s the exact perceptive nature that akira admires in goro that leads him to become suspicious of who akira really is. after all, despite their growing intimacy, goro never even learns where akira lives, let alone goes to see it, and akira has nothing to say of his family, his history, or his personal life. his friends at school know nothing either - ryuji and ann both shrug their shoulders to the questions, saying they’ve never seen akira’s home...although he has mentioned his dad once or twice, mostly about how he has a strict curfew and couldn’t stay out with them. it’s the most goro’s heard too...and he knows it’s not right, but he goes to dig into akira’s school records to find the information scant and impossible, fake addresses and fake names, “akira kurusu” not seeming to exist outside of shujin academy’s files along with the parent listed. neither of them exist...and goro understands the metaverse, having to achieve the fame he has in order to travel to the depths and find the shrine that had been abandoned - akira, obsessed by trends in a way that seems unnatural given the opinions and intelligence he’s demonstrated time and again. he almost wonders if akira himself might be god, but why would he go around inserting himself into humanity so openly? goro spends time debating how to question him without arousing suspicion, but once he receives intel that it’s suspected god has a child, he’s almost certain that’s exactly who akira is and the father he only mentions in passing, the one who’s never been seen or heard from himself, must be the creature goro’s looking for.

it marks a shift in their relationship, goro hesitating in his mission for such personal, sentimental reasons, but no one else has a clue where to find god or his child, so he does have the luxury of keeping his silence for a time. however, akira notices the shift, sensitive to emotion and intention, and he begins to feel something...wrong about goro, flashes of anger, hatred, disgust directed toward akira...feelings of grief and guilt that come with them and it frightens him, it makes him distance himself from goro despite the pain it causes him. goro almost figures it’s for the best...yet he knows if he makes his move, if he tells the organization he works for that he found him, akira will suffer too, he’ll be ended with his father. so he tells himself he needs to be sure, that akira will only be killed if he truly is god’s child and this isn’t all a mistake that could see his life taken for no reason, so all that’s left to find is where he truly lives and confront whatever’s inside for himself. it’s stupid, it doesn’t make sense, if he does find himself in god’s residence, he’ll only have himself to kill that miserable creature without knowing what it might be capable of. yet...he tracks akira, follows him and finds his home over the course of days as akira often takes multiple and ever changing lines to arrive in his neighborhood, a precaution that makes goro’s heart sink as it only serves to be another nail in this coffin. but once he knows, all it takes is going to the home when akira isn’t present, forcing himself in and quietly, quickly with wide eyes and sweating palms searching each room...but when the upper floors yield nothing, he realizes all that’s left is the basement...and of course that thing would live in the basement, he’s seen the throne it kept in the bowels of that dungeon it called home. yaldabaoth had sensed goro’s presence long before he forces open that door, however, an unwelcome and unknown human filled with such conflicting emotions they induce a headache in the god. and in truth, that irrationality and unpredictability is somehow worse than a human totally intent on killing him - it makes motivations unclear, it makes the ailing god more agitated than he should be, and it’s an emotion not lost on akira, who rarely feels anything but composure from his father. how stupid had he been, he thinks, rushing home as fast as he can, he knew something was wrong with goro, he knew he had said too much and felt that sudden shift of emotion between them but he ignored it, he just tried to run instead of alerting his father to his missteps so that they might have left this city. but...he had hoped to be wrong, that he was reading things wrong as he so often does and besides...his father would be safe, he’s too powerful to fall isn’t he? (but akira knows being in reality has made him sick, he knows his father doesn’t admit to the weakness, he hides it from his child, but existing like this poisoning him)

and what can goro do? the basement is dark, dingy like the endless halls of mementos, but he knows he’s found god long before he actually sees him, feeling sick and repulsed, the sense of wrongness, of trespassing, of walking into see something his entire body rejects to experiencing...it all pales to actually laying eyes on the being they’ve been looking for, however, a poor parody of humanity. its eyes all lock onto him, six of them on its face, an additional four on each hand that it uses to observe him too, its mouths full of sharp teeth, body covered in dizzying geometric patterns that disappear under the vestments of a priest. goro hadn’t known what to expect but the sheer size of it is even overwhelming, just tall enough to fall into an uncanny valley, its skin a true white with shocks of blood that burns an angry red (but it can’t be blood, can it?) and hair that turns to feathers at its tips, something that tried so much to be human but has failed. yet yaldabaoth doesn’t move, he observes goro quietly as he senses the mix of emotion from him, an intent to kill being overridden by something else, at least for now. even as goro draws a weapon, levels it at the deity that refuses to move, he can’t pull the trigger on it, knowing he would lose akira too...but how can he sacrifice his autonomy and everyone else’s to a monster? he tries to speak to it but it doesn’t answer, although he can see that the mouths on either side of its face twitch into different expressions occasionally...and he can’t stand that indifference, that silence, the creature that created them and abandoned them without care...the creature that surely had made him suffer so without a second thought. his mind makes up, motivation and rage clicking into place and only then does yaldabaoth move, a split second before goro’s reflexes can fire on him and it only serves to piss him off more - this thing knows how he feels, it’s reading him and only stayed still until now because it sensed his indecision, his hesitation....his hesitation for his son’s sake. its eyes narrow by fractions and those toothy mouths smile while it seems the other frowns deeper, obviously now understanding the source of goro’s conflicted emotion the moment he thinks of akira. the god finally opens its mouth but just as quickly it seems to think better of it, an action that rattles goro before he hears the basement door slam open again and almost in an instant, in a moment too impossibly fast, his gun is now pointed at akira. his eyes are nothing like they had been before, that composure, the cool sharpness of them replaced by pain, by hatred, by the red sting of tears in betrayal, of righteous anger and animal-like fear for an entire existence threatened, the panic of survival and the hurt of that panic coming from someone you had trusted so much more than any other. goro can’t stand it, he knows what akira thinks now without a single word traded between them...a godhunter that had used him to track his prey, the deity that now grabs akira with all four hands to remove him from the line of fire and the first words goro hears him speak tell his child to run, to find somewhere far from this city, but akira refuses. this is all his fault. he led a hunter here to his father, a father that’s only here as he is now because he won’t leave akira on his own, but when he and goro look at each other once more, akira pushed back and partially hidden, goro’s gun lowering inch by inch, what can they do? one of them should die here, yet in that instant they reach an impossible impasse, neither of them willing to sacrifice the other despite being so opposed to one another. the god is silent, watching goro closely in his unpredictable indecision once more...but goro can’t raise his gun against akira and this monster...the thing all of humanity wants dead now shielding the boy he loves, so where does that leave the hunter? he has to leave, has to run from them and escape that horrifying, suffocating basement, escape his own hesitation and the revelation that he has fallen in love with something that isn’t even human, the spawn of that repulsive god. he can’t sacrifice his own need for revenge, the need to free humanity from an oppressive will, but he can’t sacrifice akira either...and things only get more complicated from there.

#THIS WAS SO LONG WHAT THE FUCK #can u tell i really love this au??? god i need to learn to shut up #things get very tense but...#goro learns yaldy could effectively hide from humans in his inert form as the grail #but he doesn't as that would leave akira on his own and vulnerable #however yaldy's not doing too hot #and goro also knows he doesn't give akira any freedom...akira's not totally happy #THERE'S A LOT AND IT'S ALL COMPLICATED ESP YALDABAOTH UGH #p5 #akira kurusu #goro akechi #yaldabaoth #shuake #bad end family #Anonymous

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auncyen · 4 years

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So this is kind of inspired by i can take you to the place of delight by futuresoon, a Maruki/Akira horror story that is horror because it is Maruki/Akira.

The writing is very good and I am on tenterhooks about whether it’ll end okay or end in a nightmare so I have kind of been wanting to write Ren’s friends learning he’s in a relationship like that and being protective of him. (Although whether he accepts that protection is...well it’s not promising.)

“You two have fun!” Morgana told Ren and Ann outside the diner, his tail twitching curiously. “Ren--relax and show Lady Ann a good time, will you? You’ve been twitchy all day.”

Ann glanced at Ren as he sighed. He had been really tense sitting behind her in class, but she had a pretty good idea why. She tried to give him a reassuring smile and gestured for him to follow her into the diner, where a waitress showed them to a booth. She placed an order for Frui-Tea, which Ren copied.

“So what’s this about?” Ren asked after the waitress walked away. His tone was brusque, and he immediately caught it, wincing. “Sorry. Morgana’s right, I’ve been--off. I guess this Palace is finally getting to me.”

It was a good excuse; Ann wouldn’t be surprised if the Palace was part of her friend’s stress. Especially considering...what awaited him when they finished. “Haha, yeah, this one’s been tough, hasn’t it?” she said cheerfully, playing along for the moment. “I’ll tell you in a sec, but first, can you turn your phone off?”

They’d told Futaba that spying on other people’s phones was invasive. Futaba had told them she’d be negligent not keeping tabs on them when they seemed to be taking on a government conspiracy. ...The same conspiracy that had killed Futaba’s mother. They’d reached a compromise that they’d turn off their phones whenever they really needed privacy, and Futaba was not to ask any questions about the blackout or do any hacking to get around it. So far that seemed to be working. And it needed to keep working for this, because Ann would be livid if Futaba tried to circumvent the agreement on this particular conversation.

Ren looked more concerned now, taking his phone out so that she could see he was powering it down. He placed it on the table. “Is everything ok, Ann?”

She took out her own phone so he could see she was turning it off too, laid it next to his phone, and then pushed both phones next to the wall of the booth. ...And then laid her sweatshirt over both devices, though she wasn’t 100% sure that would muffle the sound enough if they somehow turned back on. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Futaba! ...Except it kind of was, exactly, that she didn’t trust Futaba not to hack things she’d been told not to hack. She trusted Futaba with her life in the Metaverse. Phones were a completely different story. “I think I should be asking you that,” she told Ren.

He looked at her with confusion, and she bit her lip, not sure how to start this topic. Then he let out a soft breath of surprise. “You saw me in the nurse’s office this morning,” he said, sinking back into his seat and folding his arms. Still on guard. “Your hoodie was up, so I didn’t recognize you from behind.”

“I was still chilly when I got back in the building,” Ann mumbled, and tugged on a blonde pigtail awkwardly. Dammit, she’d known this conversation was going to be tough. For both of them. “But yes, I saw you and Maruki,” she said firmly, to shut down any doubt about what she’d seen. “And--I’m sorry.”

Ren blinked in surprise. “Uh.” He chuckled, the laughter itself a bit confused. “Ann, I know you weren’t trying to spy or anything, or you wouldn’t have opened the door and then ran like that. I’m just glad it was you and not another girl. I was expecting the rumor mill to explode by lunch time. Followed by Maruki getting fired and me getting expelled.”

The way he said that almost made it sound Maruki getting fired would be a bad thing. Ann had only run because walking in on Ren making out with someone was not something she’d been planning to do. The second she’d calmed down from the surprise enough to register the someone shoving his tongue down Ren’s throat was their counselor, the man who was supposed to be helping students recover after another faculty member had turned himself in for sexually harassing minors, was the instant her rage had skyrocketed. She’d wanted a literal firing. “No, I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were in trouble,” she said. “I think--I think I get why you didn’t tell us--there’s a lot going on, right? But Ren, we can make time to help you.”

The way Ren was looking at her so uncertainly made her insides twist. It wasn’t too different from how Shiho had looked sometimes. It made Ann feel like she had a mild bufu spell arcing through her body, a chilling frisson at the back of her head that dripped down into cold dread in her gut. He might have kept quiet for other reasons too. He didn’t like asking for help much. Did--did he feel ashamed because of the position Maruki had him in? Because of what their counselor had done to him?

God, she wanted to set the man on fire. “Look, I don’t mean--I’m not planning to tell anyone else about this.” She had, nearly. She’d had her phone out to text Makoto about the whole thing before she stopped and considered Ren’s privacy. Then she’d used her phone for something else. “But when you turn your phone back on, you can check the metanav...or maybe you already know? Maruki’s a hit.” Ren’s gray eyes widened in surprise, and Ann nodded, feeling more confident. He just hadn’t known there was a way they could help him out of the situation. “Even if you don’t want to tell the others about...what’s going on, let’s just tell them we heard rumors he was doing this sort of thing! There’s no way anyone would stand for it, so you don’t have to be hurt by a scumbag like him!”

“Takuto’s...distorted...?” Ren murmured, and that was weird, hearing him using Maruki’s personal name. He slowly shook his head. “Ann...are you sure it’s the right person on the Nav? Or...no, actually, I can believe he might be distorted...but you’ve got the wrong idea.”

That feeling of ice in her stomach was back. “Uh,” Ann choked out. “I think I got a pretty clear look at the situation this morning. I’m sure it’s him on the Metanav. Though...I haven’t figured out where the distortion’s located, yet.” She’d tried every location she could think of on school grounds. No dice. All those were in Sae’s Palace. “But still, I’m sure. We can help you, Ren. Let’s steal his heart.”

“I already did that,” Ren said with a wry smile. “Ann, seriously. It’s okay. I didn’t tell you guys about Maruki because I knew everyone would get upset about it after what happened with Kamoshida. And sure enough...” His lips twitched in that nervous half-smile again before he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. Finally, he looked her in the eyes again. “Thank you for worrying about me, Ann. You’re a really good friend. And...it is concerning that he’s distorted. But I think I have an idea what his fixation is, and it’s nothing like Kamoshida’s. I’ll try to help him work through it. He didn’t pressure me into the relationship. I’m okay, Ann.”

Ann stared at him. “You think...it’s okay...that he’s distorted? And having relationships with students?”

“Not so loud,” Ren said, looking around. He leaned forward. “You know distortions aren’t always malicious. And he isn’t having relationships with students. Just with me. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but everything is fine.”

Ann took a deep breath.

Panther added a few more agidynes to the total pain she’d wreak on that man’s shadow when she found it.

#persona 5 #ren amamiya #ann takamaki #p5r spoilers

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vgckwb · 3 years

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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 25: Girl Talk

Monday morning, the student council president, Makoto Nijima, was called to the principal’s office. “You wanted to see me sir?”

“Ah, Nijima-san” Kobayakawa said. “I have a very important job for you.”

“Really? But midterms are coming up” Makoto replied.

“I’ve seen your grades,” Kobayakawa said. “You don’t need to worry about that. Besides, this assignment will probably extend beyond that.”

“Really?” Makoto asked. “Well, what is this assignment?”

Kobayakawa pulled up a copy of Kamoshida’s calling card. “You’re familiar with this, correct?”

Makoto was shocked. “That was the calling card sent to Mr. Kamoshida by those rumored Phantom Thieves.”

“Exactly,” Kobayakawa said. “I want you to investigate to see if there is any truth to these Phantom Thieves.”

Makoto was confused. “But sir, why?”

Kobayakawa glared. “As you know, this school has a reputation to uphold. If it were overrun with criminals, well, I honestly wouldn’t know what would happen.”

“What about Kamoshida?” Makoto retorted. “Wasn’t he a criminal?”

“Well…” Kobayakawa stammered, “what happened with Mr. Kamoshida was unfortunate, but we had no idea what was happening.” Makoto was still hesitant. “You know, your sister is very prestigious. And I can write you a letter of recommendation to any college you want so you can be just like that. All I’m asking you to do is this.”

Makoto was concerned about Mr. Kobayakawa’s tone, but she had questions of her own about the Phantom Thieves. As much as she was concerned, she looked at Principal Kobayakawa and said “Very well, I will give it a shot.”

“Thank you Nijima-san” Kobayakawa said, smiling. “I’m expecting great things from you.” Makoto nervously walked out. Kobayakawa got a call. “Yes... I’m on it. I have my most trusted person on it. If these Phantom Thieves do exist, I will flush them out for sure… Of course. You will hear from me right away… Thank you sir.”

Meanwhile, just outside, Makoto was wondering to herself. “How am I supposed to find them? They’re called ‘Phantom Thieves’ not ‘Here We Are Now Thieves.’” She sighed. “Well, I do want to figure this out for myself. If Principal Kobayakawa is allowing me the go-ahead, I might as well take advantage of it.” She started walking. “Now, how to begin this investigation.”

After school, Ren was gathering her things to leave. “Hey” Ann said, approaching her. “Um, can we go to the park? Just the two of us?”

Ren nodded. “Sure. But, uh, you’re going to need to lead the way.”

Ann giggled. “Right. Follow me.” The two of them left for the park. They found themselves sitting in front of a lustrous body of water. “It’s amazing, right?” Ann noted. Ren looked at her. “I mean, Tokyo is the dictionary definition of a modern city, but it still has places like this where you can admire nature.”

Ren smiled at that notion. “While I appreciate that, I’m guessing you didn’t call me out here to admire nature.”

“Heh. You got me” Ann said. “It’s just, last night when you asked us if we’d still be your friend if none of this had happened, well… I’m kind of wondering the same thing.” Ren was confused and concerned.

Ann continued. “On your first day of school, when we met at that crosswalk, and Kamoshida asked us both if we’d like a ride; back then I felt like I had no choice to do what he said. My best friend’s future was at his whim.

But you? You had no reason to jump in his car like you did. I should have stopped you. I should have told you after we got out. But then he...he…” Ann was tearing up.

Ren looked at her. “Are you worried about that?” she asked. Ann looked up. “Truth is, I jumped in his car because I was worried about you. I sensed you were nervous, so I came in to make sure nothing happened. And even if I hadn’t, Kamoshida knew about my past. He probably thought that made me an easy target.”

Ren looked at the water. “He might have been right. I wasn’t sure what to do in that moment. But I didn’t need to be.” She looked back to Ann. “Because I had you.”

Ann was shocked. Tears were still streaming down her face, but she started smiling. “Jerk” she said, shoving Ren, “Don’t make me cry like that.”

“Sorry,” Ren said, laughing a little.

Ann wiped her tears. “And you were worried about if we’d be friends if this whole metaverse thing hadn’t happened. You got into a stranger's car because you were worried about another stranger. I mean, I at least have to respect that.”

“Yeah, well, not everyone would,” Ren said. “I learned that first hand…”

Ann placed her hand on Ren’s back. “It’s OK. Once we sort out this metaverse thing, I’ll help you clear your name. And I’m sure everyone else will too.”

Ren smiled. “Thanks. But even before that, people still didn’t like me all that much in my hometown.”

“Is that what brought this up?” Ann asked.

“Kinda” Ren responded. “Last night as I got home, Sojiro told me my parents gave a description of my behavior to help him help me. They basically said I was anti-social, and thinking about it, they were right.”

“Man, that sucks” Ann said. “But I get that. Even in middle school, people only noticed me for my looks. Until one day in art class, Shiho came up to me and said ‘that painting is awful.’”

“Was it?” Ren asked.

“No!” Ann defended. “Well, I didn’t think so. But I barely managed to pass art that year, so who knows.” Ann smiled. “But it was the first time anyone had said anything to me that wasn’t about my looks. We got to talking, and quickly became friends.

Soon after, I met Ryuji. You should have seen him in middle school. His hair was still black. It’s kinda funny now. It was the three of us for a while, but then, well, you know…”

“Yeah,” Ren said. “Pardon me for asking, but if you don’t like people seeing you just for your looks, then why are you a model?”

“No, that’s a fair question,” Ann said. “Truth is, my parents are part of the company. I started because they wanted me to, but now… I don’t know. I’d hate to disappoint them, but at the same time,” she sighed, “I dunno, I guess I’m a little disinterested.”

“I see,” Ren said. “You know, people see people like us and make assumptions, but in reality we’re a lot more than that. To be fair, I guess everyone has a bit more depth than what we see. Heck, most people didn’t really see who Kamoshida was until we stepped in.”

Ann had a sudden realization. “You’re right!”

“I am?” Ren asked.

“Yeah!” Ann said, standing up. “If I want people to look at me differently, I have to change how they see me myself!” She stood for a second. She sat back down. “Although I have no idea how to do that…”

Ren chuckled. “Well, that in it of itself is a good place to start”

“Well, I wouldn’t have thought of it if we weren’t friends” Ann reminded her. “Ever since Kamoshida confessed, I’ve been feeling better. I remembered that I don’t need everyone to like me. I just need the people who see the real me to.” She looked at Ren. “I’m glad you see the real me.”

Ren smiled back at her. “I’m glad you see the real me as well.”

Lovers-Ann Takamaki: Rank 3

The two girls left the park. They promised each other to study, but one had an easier time keeping that promise than the other.

The next day after school as Ren was leaving class, Shiho walked up to her. “Hey” she said. “Do you have a bit of time? I mean, I know midterms start tomorrow, but I’d like to chat.”

Ren smiled. “Sure.”

“Great,” Shiho said. Shiho started walking, and Ren followed. They ended up in the gym. “So, um, I know this is a little sudden, but how good are you at volleyball?” Ren gave her a confused look. “It’s just, you know I want to bring the volleyball team back, but I can’t remember how good I am without Kamoshida breathing down my neck. So…”

Ren smiled. “I understand. Well, to be honest, basketball is more my sport, but I don’t think I’m particularly bad at volleyball.”

“Great,” Shiho said. “Can you help me set things up?” Ren nodded. The two of them changed into their gym clothes and set up a small volleyball court. They played some one on one volleyball. While Ren did manage to get some points in, it was evident that Shiho was the victor.

“Wow,” said Ren. “That was excellent Shiho. I’ve played against some pretty serious people before, but you’re second to none.” Ren looked over at Shiho, only to be surprised to find her crying.

Shiho glanced at Ren. “Huh? Oh, I’m sorry.” She wiped her tears. “It’s just… It’s been so long since I’ve felt this good after playing volleyball. I’d almost forgotten the feeling.” She sat down. Ren sat down next to her.

Shiho continued. “When Mr. Kamoshida came into the picture, I thought for sure things would get better. I mean, he was an Olympic medalist. I thought that meant he’d love the sport as much as I do. But no. Volleyball was just a means to an end for him.”

Shiho sighed. “I guess I went along with it for as long as I did because I felt like I had no other choice. But in hindsight, I guess I could have just left. I guess I could have told someone. I could have done… well, anything. But I fell in with some temptress saying I could make him pay…”

Ren looked her over. “Well, you know hindsight is 20/20” she began. “And especially in moments like that where you’re stressed out and can’t think straight, it can be hard to see all of the options in front of you.” Shiho listened, but didn’t quite believe Ren.

Ren noticed this, and continued. “Remember when Mr. Kamoshida called me into his office. He was pressuring me into, well, you know… If you and Ann hadn’t shown up, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Shiho’s interest was piqued. “Really? But you seem so sure of yourself.”

Ren smiled. “Believe me, all of us have moments of doubt. But the fact that you wanted to practice today means that Kamoshida didn’t extinguish that fire in you completely.”

Shiho smiled. “You’re right. I’ve never once doubted my love of volleyball, or my love of my friends. Despite Kamoshida fighting tooth and nail to destroy that, I still love them all.” She looked up at the ceiling. “It feels really good not to be running on empty.”

She stood up. “If I can convince everyone else of my passion, then I’m SURE I can bring the volleyball team back.” She offered her hand to Ren to help her up. Ren accepted. “Thank you for today. I can’t tell you how much I needed it.”

Hope-Shiho Suzui: Rank 2.

The girls put away the volleyball gear, changed back into their clothes, and parted ways. The next day was the beginning of midterms, so they decided to do some last minute studying.

#persona 5 #persona fanfiction #persona 5 royal #p5r #p5 femc #p5r rework #p5 rework #p5 #FeMC #female ren #ren amamiya #makoto niijima #kobayakawa #ann takamaki #shiho suzui

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txkeyourheart · 5 years

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@embellishedbookworm liked for a Starter!

Mementos is a world of its own; it runs beneath everything. Beside it. As Igor once said, it exists between dream and reality, mind and matter, it is a culmination of cognition, of people’s collective view of the world they exist in. For this reason, Mementos tends to differ just a little bit depending on the world it runs beneath. In the past, Joker wasn’t able to access the cognition of different worlds, and he isn’t sure why he can now, if it’s a change in the Metaverse or if it’s a change in he himself.

He’s good at recognizing when he’s stepped from his own world’s metaverse and into a foreign one, so when he does it this time, it doesn’t escape him, sometimes the change is so subtle it’s hard to sense, but this time, it’s really not.

A frog hops across the subway tracks. He has never seen a frog in Mementos.

Part of him almost wants to pick it up and, he doesn’t know, put it in his pocket? He probably shouldn’t though, it seems perfectly happy to simply...Frog, without being harassed by an adult man in a mask. Besides, it isn’t technically real. But it does tell him he’s probably somewhere very interesting, or at least, somewhere interesting enough to look at in person.

Most people need an outside way to enter the Metaverse, it used to be that Joker himself needed the navigator on his phone, and on habit he still keeps it with him, but he doesn’t technically need it anymore, he slips from one reality to the next with great ease. Despite his flamboyant manner of dress in the metaverse--the high collared coat, the mask, all of it--his clothing is a little more subdued when he exits.

Black jeans, black blazer buttoned up in red buttons, the sleeves of a white button up beneath just visible at the cuffs. Black dress shoes, glasses that he does not actually need to see. He took them up three years ago after an unfortunate incident because he figured they made him look more unassuming and nonthreatening. For some reason, they still tend to materialize even when he didn’t enter the Metaverse wearing them.

He looks to and fro, then tucks his hands into his pockets comfortably, his eyes find the nearest street sign and he sighs at the sight of it. English, huh? He can speak and read English reasonably well but, well, his friend Ann was always the one who helped with most of his group’s English speaking needs, and he’s kinda fallen off studying since his high school years. So he’s never truly thrilled to see that he’s going to have to try and not make a fool of himself with it.

Maybe it’s for this reason that, while he doesn’t look distressed standing there on the sidewalk staring at a street sign he can...Mostly, understand, he certainly looks terribly lost, less like someone who belongs here and more like a tourist who’s managed to lose their map and their group and their basic navigational skills.

For that matter, he isn’t sure where he is in the least, which makes sense.

The first person he asks for help brushes him off, rude. He watches them go and runs his fingers through his hair with a sigh before that same hand returns to its place in his pocket. Well, second time’s the charm.

This person, he thinks, looks much more friendly, hopefully. With their black hair and glasses, slightly taller than him but only just barely. At the very least Joker has the benefit of more or less looking like a very lost tourist or perhaps an equally lost college student rather than someone who just stumbled into a whole new universe and is now stumbling their way along like a, well, a fool.

“...Pardon me” His English is accented, but not enough so to be hard to understand. “Where is this?”

#embellishedbookworm

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thecorpulentbeagle · 5 years

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Okujima Week 2019: First Date

As many first date fanfictions are, this one-shot will probably be the most awkward. Hopefully, that means it’ll be funny!

Here is the fanfiction.net link.

Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Deals and Dates:

First Date

-Makoto-

Makoto could definitely handle this. Probably.

Internally, she was kicking herself. When she had made the deal with Ann and Ryuji, she had been somewhat confident that Ann wouldn’t be able to uphold her end of the deal. And Makoto knew for a fact that Ryuji could not hold up his end. Unfortunately, the student council president had been wrong on both counts.

She thought back to when the deal had originally been struck. It had been after a particularly strenuous study session at Leblanc, and most of the group had called it quits. Yusuke had trudged home first, saying that he needed to rest his brain before it overheated. Haru had left soon after, seeing as most of the material they had been studying had been for second-years. It was nice to have a refresher, of course, but it wasn’t really in the girl’s best interest to stay. Especially since everyone knew that these sessions were for two individuals in particular.

Once Akira and Futaba had called it a night, Makoto had honed in on the two individuals she was most concerned about. Ryuji appeared to be skimming through his cell phone, while Ann was unsuccessfully attempting to hide her magazine behind the cover of one of her textbooks.

The student council president had cleared her throat to get their attention, and the two had looked up simultaneously.

“Ah! Looks like the party’s over. Guess I’ll head home too.” Ryuji had stretched his arms above his head, groaning slightly as his shoulders popped.

“No kidding. Well, see ya later, Makoto!” Anna had chirped, packing up her things.

“No.” Makoto had grabbed onto both of their shoulders, forcing them to remain seated.

“The hell, Makoto?” Ryuji had snapped, struggling to escape her grasp.

“You two are not leaving until I’m sure that you won’t fail your upcoming exams,” Makoto had lectured. “You do want to avoid being held back, I assume?”

The two had looked down at their textbooks morosely, nodding glumly at their senpai.

It had been seeing their dejected looks that made Makoto do what she now regretted. She suggested that they could strike a deal in order to make the studying more exciting and worthwhile. If the two of them could earn at least a B or better, then she would do one thing for them. Whatever they wanted.

The two had looked at each other, eyes gleaming. When Makoto had asked what they had thought of, they said in unison, “Ask Haru on a date.”

Makoto had blushed, asking where on Earth they had gotten that idea. The two seniors were just friends after all.

“Oh please,” Ann had drawled. “We’ve both seen the way you look at her. To be honest, everyone has.”

At Makoto’s splutter, Ryuji had piled on. “Yeah! You’re always lookin’ at her with that soft sorta smile, and you always touch her.”

Makoto had to put her foot down at that point. “I do not touch Haru. That would be inappropriate.”

Ann had smacked Ryuji then. “Ignore how he phrased it. We’re not saying you touch her in a perverted way, though maybe you want to.” At Makoto’s glare, Ann had cleared her throat nervously. “A-anyway, we meant that you’re always giving her hugs, or holding her hand to comfort her.”

There had been a brief back and forth until Makoto could not deny what the two younger teens were saying. It appeared that the student council president had a soft spot for her classmate. Whether or not that meant her feelings were more than a simple crush was somewhat debatable.

So, the deal had been made. It seemed that Ryuji and Ann had desperately wanted one of their senpai to make some kind of move, and this deal was the best way to do it. Over the next few days, the two put their all into their studying, and even Makoto was impressed with their dedication. But still, there was no way that Ryuji could get anywhere close to a B. He’d either failed or barely passed all of his previous exams.

A few days after the exams, the results were posted. And Makoto couldn’t believe her eyes.

The two had both obtained B’s. Though Ryuji had just barely, he had done it nonetheless. After a fair amount of teasing at the expense of the student council president, they agreed that Makoto now had to ask Haru out on a date. It had to be this weekend, and it had to be a date and not just a friendly outing, but Makoto was free to come up with any other details.

“Damn those two,” Makoto murmured, drumming her fingers nervously on her desk. It was last period on a Saturday, meaning that Makoto was running out of time. The consequence of not following through on the deal was having the two blondes announce the girl’s feelings to the school, similar to how they sent out a calling card. Makoto could definitely not afford to have that happen. Who knew what her teachers would say? She shuddered to think how her sister would react.

Makoto was so distracted that she didn’t even notice that classes had ended for the day until she saw students all around her packing up and leaving the room. She quickly pulled her phone out of her bag, and tapped to the conversation chain that she had formed with Haru, triple-checking that none of the other Phantom Thieves were included. Even if the others evidently knew of her feelings, she didn’t feel comfortable broadcasting that fact quite yet.

She tapped out a quick message to the other girl, asking if she could meet up in the Student Council office. The other girl responded almost instantly, agreeing.

Having set in motion something Makoto had no hopes of controlling, the student council president stood up, shoving her phone into her bag.

“I’ve got this. No problem,” she muttered to herself as she traversed the hallways. “Just one date. It’s simple. If she says yes, then we hang out, and then we never have to do it again. If she says no, no big deal.” However, her heart appeared to disagree with her brain. It throbbed painfully at the thought of a rejection, and Makoto shook her head slightly. Why did she care so much if Haru said no? Were Makoto’s feelings really that deep?

“Yo! Makoto!” Said girl turned her head to see Ryuji and Ann walking up to her, the former waving his hand at her.

Her heart fell at the sight. Her confidence was already at an all-time low – she didn’t need the additional teasing. At this point, she was more likely to run screaming from the building than ask Haru on a date.

“Hello,” she said simply. When the two approached, Makoto saw that they were both grinning deviously.

“So, you have any plans for tomorrow, Makoto?” Ann asked, winking at her.

“Yes.” Makoto wasn’t going to give them any ammunition.

“With who?” Ryuji teased, kicking her shoe lightly with his own.

“You know very well. And besides, it’s ‘with whom’. Honestly, I have no idea how you managed to pass your exams, let alone obtain a decent grade.”

“Damn! She really is like a robot. No friendly back-and-forth, and correcting my grammar,” Ryuji muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Who told you about that?” Makoto demanded, looking between the two blondes.

“Who else? Akira knows everything.” Ann giggled.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Hey! Ease up, Prez!” Ryuji exclaimed. “You’re too damn serious for your own good sometimes.”

Makoto sighed, her nervous energy building and mostly rendering her incapable of speech.

“Makoto. Everything’s going to be fine.” Ann strode up beside her friend and slung an arm around her shoulders. “Even if she says no, it’s not like you won’t still be friends. Haru’s a nice person, you know? She’d never want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

“Unless they were from a shadow. Yeesh, she sometimes scares me when we’re in the Metaverse!” Ryuji laughed.

Makoto nodded. She slowly eased out of Ann’s grip, straightening her collar that had been ruffled slightly at the other girl’s rough contact. “I see. I have to go now.”

“Oi! You’re not runnin’ away, are ya?” Ryuji teased as Makoto turned her back on the two, not wanting to keep Haru waiting.

“Of course not. A deal’s a deal.” The older girl shook her head as Ryuji and Ann laughed, and she couldn’t help but throw them an exasperated grin. Makoto had to admit, their teasing, even if it was at her own expense, was funny. And she knew deep down that she was a little bit excited about what was ahead.

Her pulse elevated, Makoto practically ran the rest of the way to the Student Council office, seeing that Haru was not yet there. Only Makoto had a key to the office, so she knew that Haru would have to be waiting outside the room if she were there.

She walked up to the door, lifting the key out of her bag, before stopping. She should probably meet Haru outside, and then maybe invite her in. Makoto didn’t think that she could handle waiting in a quiet room for her friend (and possibly, more than friend) to arrive. The loud hustle and bustle of the student body could distract her racing mind somewhat.

Fortunately, Makoto didn’t have to wait long. A cheery call of her name (or rather, her nickname) had her looking up from where she had been leaning against the wall. There was Haru, clad in her usual pink sweater. She looked as bright and happy as always, and Makoto found herself staring.

“Hello, Haru. I’m glad you could make it.” Makoto internally shook her head, refocusing her thoughts. She needed to be clear-headed to get through this without messing it up.

“Of course, Mako-chan! So, what’s up?” Haru tilted her head, curious.

Makoto turned and unlocked the door to the Student Council office, opening it. “Just a simple matter I’d like to discuss. If you’d follow me?” She walked in briskly.

“Sure…?” Haru sounded as uncertain as Makoto felt, and it made the student council president that much more nervous.

Once the two had made it inside, Makoto closed the door behind her. For a fleeting instant, she thought about locking the door so that no one could intrude, but that… would probably freak the other girl out.

Makoto indicated to one of the chairs at the table. “Please, have a seat.”

Haru grinned at her. “Am I in trouble?” Was it just Makoto’s imagination, or had Haru said that in a more… flirtatious tone of voice?

She cleared her throat. “Of course not. I’d just like for you to be comfortable.” She indicated the chair again, feeling very awkward while doing so. “Please.”

Haru nodded and said nothing further, taking the designated seat. Makoto sat down across from her, smoothing her skirt nervously.

“So, I imagine you must be curious about why I’ve called you in here.” Makoto figured she might as well start this conversation in the same way she started all of her other ones in this room.

“Mm.” Haru smiled at the other girl, her informal tone drastically clashing with Makoto’s. The student council president took it as a hint to ease up slightly and to just… act normally.

“Well… I was wondering if you were, perhaps, free tomorrow afternoon?” There – she’d gotten the ball rolling. She could feel her hands starting to sweat and tremble, so she threaded them together and placed them in front of her on the table, hoping Haru hadn’t noticed.

The other girl gave her a questioning look. “I don’t have anything in particular planned for then. Why?”

Makoto swallowed. “Um… if you’re not busy, as you seem to be indicating, it might be nice for us to… spend some time together. If you’d like to.”

Haru looked at Makoto closely, clearly thinking. Makoto found it difficult to maintain eye contact, but she didn’t want to appear too nervous. Though, for someone as intuitive as Haru, it was probably extremely obvious anyway.

“Is everything alright, Mako-chan? There’s no need to be so formal with me.” She gave a tired smile. “I deal with enough of that outside of school.”

“Y-yes.” Makoto cursed internally at the stutter in her voice. “I’m quite alright, Haru. I just…” Evidently, she couldn’t think of anything. It was strange. Makoto always had the ability to talk through a situation, and it was only on rare occasions where she would be tongue-tied. However, it seemed that Haru was having that effect on her more and more as of late. Or maybe ever since Ann and Ryuji had so rudely pointed out her potential attraction to the girl.

After a pause, it was clear that Makoto was not going to finish her thought. Haru seemed to sense this, so she jumped in. “To answer your question, I’d love for us to spend some time together. We rarely get a chance to, outside of… our other activities.” She inclined her head towards Makoto, clearly referencing their Phantom Thieves business.

“I agree.” Makoto smiled. It seemed that she had done it. Well, sort of. She had phrased it as more of a friendly get-together rather than a romantic excursion, but she could worry about that later. The two hashed out the specifics of where they were to meet, and at what time. It seemed that everything was going according to plan.

That was, until Haru added, “Then it’s a date!”

Makoto coughed, blushing heavily. “Date?”

Haru nodded. “Yes! I figured that was why you were so nervous. Why would you be so stressed about spending time together as friends?” She tilted her head. “Unless…” Her face suddenly fell. “I had the completely wrong idea, and now I’ve… oh.”

At Makoto’s lack of reaction, Haru began to ramble, “If I’ve assumed, please don’t give it a second thought. I… um…”

The student council president realized where her hesitation had driven the other girl to. Before Haru could get the actual wrong idea, Makoto reached out and grabbed one of her hands. Luckily, it seemed that her own had grown less sweaty and clammy. “Haru. You don’t have the wrong idea. At all.” She smiled nervously. “This was intended to be… asking you out. I… feel something towards you, something more than friendship. I’d like to explore it.” She squeezed the other girl’s hand. “I appreciate you taking the initiative. I don’t know if I would have been able to ask it outright.”

“I see…” Haru murmured, not unhappily. She returned the pressure, squeezing Makoto’s hand as well. “I’ll admit… I feel something for you as well… Makoto? Mako-chan? Um…” It seemed that Haru was struggling to figure out how she should address the other girl.

Makoto chuckled. “Mako-chan is fine. Actually, it makes me really happy when you use that nickname for me. It makes me feel… special. Close to you.”

Haru nodded. “Alright then! Mako-chan it is!” She rubbed Makoto’s hands vigorously. “And of course you’re special. Even if I didn’t have feelings for you.”

“Thank you, Haru.” The two sat there for a few moments, holding each other’s hands and smiling gently. It seemed that this had gone better than expected.

Much better.

And there we have it! I’m not sure if this is cheating, since they didn’t technically go on a date, but they discussed going on one (and the challenge didn’t specifically say that they had to be “on a date” – the subject of a date just had to be included). Plus, I kinda count some of my other stories (like the coffee one-shot from yesterday) as a sort-of date experience, so there ya go! If there is an Okujima Week 2020, maybe a continuation of this one-shot will be included.

Tomorrow is the last day. I hope everyone has had fun with this!

#okujima #okujima week #okujima week 2019 #makoto niijima #haru okumura #makoto x haru #haru x makoto #p5 #persona 5

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badlydrawndrawnings · 5 years

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Rewriting Goro

While Trying to Incorporate the Canon Parts (because I been wondering how the game could have kept Goro as in Canon while fixing the character/whole thing better).

Goro doesn’t think of his ‘didn’t think this plan out well’ plan of working with Shido in order to take him down and inadvertently becoming a supernatural hitman. Goro didn’t plan on killing him in canon, so it’s the same here. Since no one is taking down Shido and all the others rotten people, he’s going to do it. Goro still decides to become a teen detective. I headcanon Shido gave Goro some help with some influence and connections (Goro couldn’t get that famous with just faking a few cases + real work at times), and since Goro isn’t working with Shido in this rewrite, Goro is just a plain wannabe teen detective. However, he isn’t that bad, and while not on the levels of Naoto, he gets a new nickname different from canon: The Black and White Detective of the Law.

Goro sees the world as black and white: those that are guilty criminals, and the innocent people hurt by them. Goro is set on getting the guilty no matter wait. At the beginning, Goro arrest real criminals that escape their crimes. However, in some cases, Goro make a few known criminals psychotic, as the law fail to put them behind bars the first time around, meaning the second time is a 100% guarantee (arrest for new crimes people). Goro keeps an eye on Shido, who is slowly gaining power and influence. Eventually, Goro learns of Wakaba Isshiki, and due to a terrible mistake, is under the idea she’s willingly working with Shido (quite the opposite though, as she’s trying to stop him from getting her research). While trying to get her to be psychotic, Goro inadvertently injures Shadow!Wakaba, causing a much late mental shutdown. Ergo, Wakaba’s death still happen, and Goro has no idea he’s related to it.

Now, Shido been keeping an eye on rivals and allies, and he learns of Goro’s existence after Wakaba’s sudden death (Shido added the note for the sake of it). Shido has no idea Goro is his kid until some investigation, and he realize there’s no way he can get Goro to work with him. Not voluntary of course. Being the smart man that he is, Shido, with lots of help to make sure it won’t be trace back to himself, gets Goro to do his dirty work. Goro now takes down associates of criminals, believing them to be guilty, not knowing half the people he arrests are framed by Shido, since they’re (admitting guilty of very minor crimes) rivals/innocent people getting in the way. This is how Ohya’s partner ends up in her state: it’s in a similar way to Wakaba. Unknown to Shido, Goro manged to learn about Madarame, Kaneshiro, and Okumura, and Goro plans on taking the them all down, as they have some connection to Shido (Goro is now trying to exposure Shido the good old fashion way).

Of course, Goro’s plan get derail by the Phantom Thieves, as he plan on taking down Kamoshida. Goro doesn’t take their arrival of his world so great. 2.5 years down the drain, and they think changing their hearts will fix everything. To Goro, while the PT get the confess to their crimes, it’s not a true confession. Has it been truly justice, the criminals would be face with the reality of their crimes without any outside help to help them (Goro is totally ignoring he makes people go psychotic cuz he in denial). Goro first meets the PT in Madarame’s Palace, just when it collapses (because honestly the game did Black Mask’s threat level poorly; if you got someone like that, actually show him a few times to and maybe let them interact). Goro/Black Mask and Joker fight, and Black Mask swears he’ll take down Joker if it’s the last thing he’ll do (”I’ll won’t have some criminal trash get in the way of true Justice”, something like that). Now the PT is out looking for the Black Mask. With this rivalry/hatred in the Metaverse, Goro and the Phantom Thieves in the real world get along great...kind of.

Goro befriended Joker after learning about Shido’s drunken night and the ‘attack’ of the teenage delinquent (Goro sees Joker as innocent as mention above). Goro finds him at Cafe LeBlanc, and Joker starts the Confidant/Co-Op earlier. At this point, no one know Goro’s reputation, so the rest of the PT at this point (Ryuji and Anne, granted she does say Goro is familiar), are okay. It’s only after Madareme’s change of heart does it change at the TV Station. Goro calls them criminals, stating what they’re doing is wrong. It sours things, but Joker is still dead set on being Goro’s friend because he think Goro can change his black and white views. The rest of the PT (even those that join later) go ‘FINE”, and they use Goro as a mean to learn info about the problems of the police. In this world, Goro is just working with just the police, having no relationship with Sae (he knows of her, but they never talk as he’s at the bottom of the ladder). As such, Makoto’s issue/joining is still the same, sans Goro (Goro doesn’t know Sae, so he can’t really say much to Makoto).

It’s after Futaba’s Palace does the PT suspect Black Mask involved in Wakaba’s death. However, they know Black Mask isn’t working with the Conspiracy, as Shadow!Madarame and Shadow!Kaneshiro assumed the PT were allies with him. Thinking back to what he said about “Justice”, they realize the Black Mask’s justice became so skewered, he may have help caused Wakaba’s death, allowing the Conspiracy to play him. Maybe. Everyone is split. They don’t know if they’re being play, if their original assumption is right, or they should just ignore him because he’s actually not their priority at the moment since they haven’t seen or heard any trace of him in a while (they assumed he backed off). The fight of Ryuji and Morgana is more about what they’re going to do with Black Mask, as those two have the biggest different views: Ryuji and rest of PT are on team ignore him and Morgana on team being play. With being ‘abandon’ and his feeling less useful since no one is taking his word, Morgana leaves, trying to prove them wrong (so canon stuff here) in both ways.

Things go out of hand when it’s time to change Okumura’s Change of Heart, both the real and Metaverse world. In the real world, Goro confronts the PT earlier, showing the photo of them entering Okumura’s Palace. He’s upset with all of them, especially Joker, calling them out for befriending him just to get intel, and he runs away, ignoring Joker’s call. They’re scared that Goro, in his anger and ‘betrayal’ (from Goro’s POV), will turn the photo in. However, they still have to worry about Okumura, so they’re extra cautious if Goro accidentally turns them in on the day of the change of heart. While it goes as plan, the PT are soon met with the Black Mask, trying to make Okumura go psychotic. They have a brief fight, ending with Black Mask getting shot by one of the PT (I say Haru, grabbing Makoto’s gun to save her father), and Black Mask shoots Shadow!Okumura, killing him. Everyone FREAK OUT, including Black Mask. As the PT run away, Black Mask lingering behind, realizing what he had done.

So the PT is now worried about Goro turning them in, the Black Mask wanting to get them for shooting him, and the fact Black Mask did something that could affect the change of heart process. Like Canon, Okumura dies, and they figure the Black Mask has no idea this was even a thing (remember, everyone freaked out). They almost get hearts attacks when Goro meets them at the school festival, telling them he won’t turn them in..if they can prove him wrong. At the cafe, at the proper meeting, Goro tells them about how he be investigation a politician, and that he may be behind everything going on for the last few years, telling them there’s word of Sae being in his pocket, unwittingly at least. If they get a change of heart on Sae, he’ll deleted the photo,and he’ll give the name of the politician so they can change his heart. As they bring up the Black Mask, Goro tells them he saw them, and that he certain the person had no idea shooting Shadow!Okumura would lead to his death, and swears he’ll capture the criminal, turning him in when they save Sae.

Everyone does learn Goro is going to betray them to the Police (not the Conspiracy; they know he has a beef with it, especially with the politician leader. Their theories are wacky, with Ryuji having the wackiest of all: Goro is related to the guy) so he can reclaim his title (everyone see how ironic it is). So the plan is alter a bit: Get Sae’s Palace to sneak out the real Joker, distracting everyone with a fake (and Sae to be their ally). Also, the PT is bit nicer here canon since Goro isn’t trying to kill Joker, but it’s still an act. Joker is upset by this because he thinks he can get Goro to spot what’s he doing and let him (and the others) go free. On the day of the canon heist, they start things off as plan, but unknown to them, Shido deep’s pocket are with the police, and they plan on framing Goro for murdering Joker. However, luck is on the PT and Goro’s side...sort of. The PT are fed lies that Goro, aka Black Mask is working with the Conspiracy, and that he killed Joker, so everyone is angry at Goro for his ‘hypocrisy’. In truth, Goro manged to catch wind of the PT plan, and rescued Joker from getting a headshot, and the two have a heart to heart chat. Goro is upset this is the second time they the PT lied to him. Joker brings up how Goro did set a trap though, and Goro explain he was hoping to convince Sae to get Joker a light sentence, as Goro was going to give up all the info he has of the Conspiracy as well so the two can go to jail together in a rewritten rank eight:

Goro tells Joker about being Black Mask, how the Conspiracy -before it even became it- ruined his life, and the guilt for getting played by Conspiracy into killing, hurting,and arresting innocent people. He tells Joker to get the PT stand down. At this point, the news break out Joker is dead, so Goro suspects he’s being frame. Goro wants to take down the Conspiracy by himself, saying the PT brand of justice isn’t going to work in this case. So they part ways, and everyone is shock to see Joker alive. As Joker tells them what Goro told him, the mood is a bit sour, since they still think Goro is playing them. However, since their leader is alive, it’s a real 50/50 split. Excluding Joker, Anne, Yusuke, and Haru -she truly thinks now it was in accident, like Wakaba- believe Goro. Makoto, Morgana, and Futaba for not believing -she angry for what happened in her life after her mother’s death anf don’t believe it. Ryuji of all people is in the middle, as while he hates Goro, the story they hear doesn’t make too much so...if anything, he wants to hear it from Goro himself. Everyone can agree to take Shido’s heart (they figure it out) before Goro does his plan...whatever it is.

Everything follow canon, with a few differences. The Cleaner is more of Shido’s second hand here, and he doesn’t back down easy as the PT get the letters. He does a bad number on the PT, and they barely won. To make things worse, while trying to escape. they run into Goro . He complains to Joker for not telling the PT to stand down, since they’re going to ruin everything, and that he’s going to turn them in. The not believing Goro team call him out for ‘working’ with Shido and that he should turn himself in. Goro is upset at this accusation, telling everyone how he can he work for such a scumbag of a father. So everyone is going ‘wtf’, and Goro tells them how he’s the bastard child of Shido, and how he ruined his family life to where his mom killed herself (Ryuji feels vindicated).

Everyone is now more or less on the same team, and they try to get Goro to rejoin the team to change Shido’s heart, since they didn’t actually kept their word to Goro. If they do that, Goro turns himself for the things he did as Black Mask. Goro doesn’t want too. Since at this point his black and white view is turning grey, he’s was hoping to maybe cling onto whatever he has left of his reputation. He doesn’t want to give into society’s view of his status of a bastard criminal, and they fight. The PT win the first time, and they try to get Goro to change his mind still, bringing up all of their misfortunes on how society tries to paint them the wrong way too. They’ll say they are willing to stand by his side, knowing how he was with no one for a long time It almost works, but Loki convinces Goro that it’s another trick like all the others, decides to summons Loki and becomes Black Mask, finally ‘accepting’ who he truly is.

Of course the PT beat his ass, and they still try to get Goro to rejoin them. Back to his senses, Goro does agrees, though he doesn’t look too convince it’s going to work out easy. As they all start to leave, freaking Cleaner comes back, with reinforcement. Goro, being the closest, tries to pull the stunt he does in canon (doesn’t help the Cleaner is actually targeting Goro) but the PT decide to help and they escape back to the real world. Goro is grateful and thanks them...and also ask for them to call Sae. He realize he’s more useful as a witness than taking down Shido, and that a change of heart, Shido will have supporters/allies to keep his plan up. So Goro is secretly arrested by the police, and he gives up all the information he has of Shido and the Conspiracy.

So Goro is out, leaving the boss fight as it is with Shido. As the PT confronts Shadow!Shido after finally defeating him, telling them about how Goro is his own son, and that how it’s his own flesh and blood that’s going to help take him down. As the Palace does his collapse, Shadow!Shido gets the last laugh, telling them that Goro is already dead the second he turned himself in, and that they’ll be joining him soon (cue cutscene of Goro getting a visitor). The PT escape the Palace (no one beats on Ryuji since everyone has important things to worry about, and it’s Ryuji who brings up after they meet up again). They contact Sae, and she’s upset, as it turns out Goro ‘killed’ himself, but all signs points to a murder. However, since Goro’s evidence he collect is still good, they can use it in Shido’s trial (it sucks that there’s no witness though to back the evidence up). Goro did left something behind for Joker, ranking up the Confidant/Co-op from the dead (idk the item. Thinking cuff links or the tie).

So everyone mourns Goro, and get the shock of their live when Shido admits to his crimes...including Goro, telling the world about his son and how manipulated from afar. So the PT has some hope justice will be done, but of course, there’s still the issue with Mementos and Yabadadoo. Speaking of which, learning the truth of that gets a stronger reaction, as everyone is upset Joker and Goro (and in some ways, everyone else), were pawns. For Goro, they realize he died believing everything will turn out fine (when it isn’t). Everything is the same as canon, and Joker turns himself in, more for Goro since died almost for nothing. And like canon, Joker gets out. Everything ends the same way like the game.

It’s honestly not the best rewrite, and the tweaks of the Confidant/Co-Op make no sense at times. However, Goro’s character is still the ‘same’ like canon, being the traitor while getting his story flesh out to be believable and make him more understandable. And he gets a solid conclusion. It’s not a great one, but it’s better than the AWOL Schrodinger Cat situation the game did.

#persona 5 #goro akechi #akechi goro #this is a text post #character rewrite #plot rewrite

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it-will-not-last-the-night · 7 years

Text

Ryuji + Ann

The writing for Ryuji and Ann’s relationship with each other in the first portion of the game (let’s say up to Kaneshiro’s Palace) is really, really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I think their relationship after that was written...poorly, but this post is going to be a positive post so I’ll focus today on what I liked.

First I want to give some background; when I first began playing Persona 5 I fell in love with Ryuji and Ann’s relationship and shipped both quite hard. I was really fond of them and felt the chemistry between them was incredible. It was the first time I’d witnessed, that I could remember, one of these traditional ‘slap-slap-kiss’-type relationships in media where I felt that it was executed well. Ann and Ryuji did take jabs at each other but it was always moderated, and the two always showed concious effort to back-off if they feared they’d offended, such as Ann instantly stopping ribbing Ryuji over the money she gave him at the Aquarium when he mentions it being for his mom. Ann instantly stops teasing him and says that after all they’ve been through they can call it equal, even showing gratitude to him.

So it was great! The two also didn’t needlessly physically beat each other up (a trope I hate) and for the first two Palace’s Ryuji’s objectification of Ann is incredibly underplayed, the most blatant example just being looking at her Panther outfit, commenting vaguely on it, but then when Ann asks him what he’s talking about he instantly drops the topic and does no more. Instead, in the first part, Ryuji shows borderline overprotective tendencies towards Ann.

So all this combined so that I really felt the two were a great pair (romantically or platonically, either worked I felt). However, sadly, their charm and relationship degrades sharply as the story goes on, for a number of reasons, and thus my special interest in it faded.

I still like it, but no more than I might like Ryuji/Akira, Ryuji/Makoto, Ryuji/Yusuke or Ryuji/Haru, for example.

So what drew me to their relationship so much in the beginning? Why is it so good? Everything below, note, applies only till the end of Madarame’s Palace.

Genuine Compassion: A common problem I have with the ‘beat each other up but like each other secretly’ trope is that it often feels to me as if there is no actual compassion from one or both of the sides. To be blunt if the only time you can be friendly and compassionate with someone is if they almost die then you’re probably not in a healthy relationship with that person. Ann and Ryuji display several times genuine compassion and gratitude for the other, and clearly hold the other in high esteem.

From Ann’s side she is quick to thank Ryuji for his assistance in the Metaverse, feeling truly indebted to him, and she similarly thanks him for his assurances that if Yusuke tries anything funny she just has to call and they’ll interfere to help her. Ann also is quick to worry about Ryuji when he is separated from the group.

Ryuji, meanwhile, comes across as protective of Ann to a degree which, honestly, wouldn’ t surprise me if he did, or once had, romantic or even familial feelings for Ann. He is the only boy at Shujin who seemingly does not assume Ann is sleeping around with Kamoshida for her own gain, instead insisting that Ann wouldn’t do that. Despite being someone who’s canonically meant to be very unobservant he’s quick to notice Ann in a crowe. He attempts to scare her off from following himself and Akira because, in his own words with a sad voice, he doesn’t want to have to take her somewhere she’ll be in danger and then he’s the only one of the PT’s who specifically contacts and informs Ann that she shouldn’t actually get naked for Yusuke and that if she needs help he’ll come.

Respect for feelings: In the beginning Ann and Ryuji ususally come across as if they pull their punches on purpose because they don’t actually want to hurt each other. They’re willing to still jab at each other, over the money he owes, over Yusuke’s obsession with the nude modelling, but are always quick to backtrack and offer serious or kind reassurances if they think the other person is truely troubled, as seen in Ann’s words about the borrowing of money, and Ryuji’s quickness to try to assure her she won’t have to get actually naked.

They can have fun: This is an important one because many stories struggle to make a couple interact outside of extreme situations. In a lot of stories romance and romantic confessions only occur in dramatic moments and a couple's interaction outside of those moments makes one not even suspect they're in a romantic relationship (P5 is also an example of this, once you are dating a girl you can practically go on never interacting with her again, making the relationship itself seem ridiculously shallow).

Ann and Ryuji have the capacity to simply talk and have fun together, seen very nicely in the Wilton Buffet when having their little play-argument over food, and are actually, until the end of Madarame’s Palace, very quick to gel with each other over any other PT’s, ganging up at both the Wilton Buffet and when Yusuke comes looking for a home and when organizing a party very quickly.

The two can casually interact and clearly enjoy casually interacting with each other. This is rare among the PT’s because we, sadly, only really see most of the others ever interacting in such a capacity with Akira. If we remove Akira the only comparable relationship I can think is their is some hinting of Makoto and Ann being capable of casual get-togethers and Futaba and Yusuke have the hints of a fun relationship which doesn’t get explored in depth (I think an easy solution the game should have employed is that Akira can do more group social events in which we see the PT’s interacting with each other, not just Akira, and the capacity for cross confidant S-Links).

Conclusion: Ann and Ryuji’s relationship in the first part of the game is actually really nice and fun. It can work both as friends or as two people with feelings for each other, whether those feelings be romantic or familial (Ann and Ryuji can honestly at times come across as if they might as well be a brother and sister). I loved it a lot, and I still think its part of why I enjoy the first part of the game way more than the latter parts.

It actually makes me wish we learned a bit more about their relationship prior to the beginning of the game. For example Ann doesn’t seem to ever even have realized that Ryuji suffered a major injury, or wrongful punishment at the hands of Kamoshida and, if one looks closely, Ann and Shiho’s indifference to Ryuji at the start can raise annoying inconsistencies in their character arcs.

Personally, in my headcannon, I would like to assume that Ann wanted to help Ryuji, and made an attempt at it, but Ryuji, being who he is and also being in the low point of his life, lashed out in some very major and terrible way, hurting Ann deeply enough that she was scared to try to help him again, and Ryuji felt guilty enough that he decided it’d be better for Ann to never interact with him again.

Then, on top of this, add that Ann herself was becoming a more and more hopeless person, watching Shiho unravel, feeling the need to curry favour with Kamoshida for her friend, Ann began to lose any of her own self-belief as well, so she never bothered trying again, and Ryuji tried to ignore her.

Honestly simply the character arc of Ann and Ryuji’s movement from friends, to ignoring each other, to friends again is something I find really interesting, and would love to have seen further developed.

Regardless of his real feelings, Ryuji, for example, clearly is ridiculously protective of Ann (which is why if you cheat on her I wish Ryuji would join in on the beating because that is exactly what his character would do. Hurting Ann? Treating Ann like a sexual commodity? That is probably one of the fastest ways to get Ryuji to beat you up).

#persona 5 #p5 #ann takamaki #ryuji sakamoto #platonic #familial #shipping

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ask-the-phan-site · 5 years

Text

Phan Cam: The Phantom Sharks of Hearts

>Fission City, California. We came here hoping to find a friend of our who went missing some time ago. Let’s hope we find him.

>At the airport, we were just getting our bags when we notice something... A woman with a sign that says “The SS present Ren and Party”.

Oh they do, do they?

I try to tell them. But they watched Saving Mr. Banks last night and couldn’t resist.

You must be Lena Mack. We were told about you from Shinya’s emails.

Lena: I am. I’m here to take you to them.

Alright. Is he okay?

Lena: If you can call what’s happened to him okay.

>Later on, we arrive at an underground lair. We were a bit surprised by the appearance of four muscular shark men.

So, these are the Street Sharks of Fission City. The Bolton Brothers.

So you know about us? About who we are.

Oracle: Well, mostly from what Max Modell told me. He told us at Horizon about Dr. Robert Bolton and his four sons, John, Bobby, Clint, and Cooper.

Actually, I like being called Coop. Or Big Slammu.

Ripster: And I’m known as Ripster.

Streex.

And I’m Jab.

I may not be a shark, but I’m a friend. They call me Bends.

It’s nice to meet you all.

>We introduce ourselves.

Ripster: Aren’t there suppose to be ten of you? The Detective Prince?

Akechi stayed behind. He wasn’t up for it.

...

Joker: What’s wrong?

Hmm? It’s nothing. Anyway, about Shinya.

??????: I kinda go by Kahuna now.

>Suddenly, someone came out of the shadows. Although he now is a shark man, I knew who this is.

I can understand why. Shark or not, it’s still you.

Kahuna: (at his mother’s request, we will not be showing him as a shark/human being, use your imagination) I’m glad to hear it.

Joker: Well what did you expect?

We have a strong bond, don’t we?

>I hand him back his GET SMOKED cap.

Kahuna: (smiling and putting his cap on) We do. How do I look?

Jab: Jawsome.

Jawsome?

Kahuna: It’s a long story.

Speaking of stories, what happened to you?

>Kahuna explains his story of what happened to him. About how he was abducted by a mad scientist and a group of has-been TV stars. How the scientist gene-slammed him into a shark.

Oracle: Anton Sevarius. I’ve heard about him online. Nothing good.

Bends: Same here. And we can’t cure your friend without suspecting that he might have tampered with the serum so that it might kill him or worse.

Queen: So you want us to go into his Palace and change his heart so he can turn him back.

Kahuna: I don’t think that will work. The man is as heartless as... Well, a Heartless.

That’s true. If we try to take the Treasure of someone who is heartless, their Shadow will die with their Palace. And you know what happens if someone’s Shadow dies.

Lena: Why... Actually, I don’t want to know.

Joker: Anyways, you said we can’t change Sevarius’s heart. Does this have something to do with this wolf hunt you mentioned?

Kahuna: Yes. I think Wolf of the Pack really didn’t enjoy doing something like this to kids... (offended) Which seems a bit rude since I’m already in middle school. Anyway, I think he might be the key in all of this.

Diego: But in case that doesn’t work, we could try and have Lady Ann use her magic to cure you.

Panther: I’m not sure if that might work. Headmistress Faragonda said that there are some things even magic can’t fix. I think mutation is one of them.

Ripster: We actually prefer to call it “gene-slamming”, but yeah, I had a feeling.

Queen: So we just have to take Wolf’s heart. I guess if we do that, that might somehow effect the other members of the Pack and we might find a way to change Kahuna back to himself. I think that might work.

Skull: How’d we do that? The only thing we know is that he was on TV. Nothin’ on his past at all.

Queen: That’s true. I doubt his two fellow Pack members, Jackal and Hyena, will say anything to us about him. Even their former leader, Fox, the wife of David Xanatos, might know but won’t tell us so easily. The only person left who might know and tell us is Dingo, but he’s a member of this group called the Redemption Squad and they’re pretty hard to contact.

Bends: But how do we find out who he is?

Joker: Oracle, do you think you can try finding out something?

Oracle: I doubt it. PackMedia Studios is the property of Xanatos Enterprises. The last time I tried to hack into their mainframe, I failed. Guess they had a feeling that one of these days, Medjed would try and hack into them and were well prepared.

Panther: Then what are we suppose to do, wait for an answer to come walking in?

?????: Why not? You never know.

>We quickly turn to see the new person that came in.

Jab: How did you get in here!?

You left your door open. And I know what you’re up to.

You do?

Woman in coat: Yes... I’m not going to say what it is, but I will have you this.

>She hands Oracle a flash drive.

Oracle: Thanks, er...

Woman in coat: Just call me Salli. We’ll be in touch soon.

>With that, Salli leaves.

Oracle: She’s a strange one.

Lena: We should at least see what she gave us.

>Oracle sticks the flash drive in her computer.

This is...

WOLF

Real name: Rolf Hakonson*

Birthday: January 5, 1957*

Birthplace: Gävle, Sweden*

Known family members:

Father (deceased, name withheld)*

Mother (deceased, name withheld)*

Sister (unknown, name withheld)*

Uncle (unknown, name withheld)*

Other uncle (deceased, name withheld)*

Hakon the Hated (ancestor, deceased)

Other relationships:

Jackal (teammate)

Hyena (teammate)

Coyote (on and off leader)

Fox (former teammate)

Dingo (former teammate)

Girlfriend (name unknown)

Occupation:

Mercenary

Actor (formally)

Stunt man (formally)

Hunter

Bio:

Rolf Hakonson was born on January 5, 1957 in Gävle, Sweden. The youngest to his older sister. Hakonson, like his father and uncles, was trained to be a mercenary since he was 13 years old. His first known job wan in unknown part of Denmark. At age 15, Hakonson and his family (save his uncles) moved to Los Angeles, California, United States of America after a botched job in the Czech Republic involving the deaths of 14 people, including the mother of a young Tomas Brod. Hakonson spent some time around Los Angeles, but his most favorite places were outside of the city, including Fission City. Including an old abandoned water treatment plant. At the age of 18, rival mercenaries invaded Hakonson’s home and took the lives of both his parents. Afterwords, his sister was sent back to Sweden to take care of their uncle after their other uncle was shot by an unknown party. Neither the sister or the uncle were seen again. Since then, Hakonson had been leaving on his own. At age 23, Hakonson had been working as a stunt man on certain television shows and movies while still working as a mercenary. At age 26, Hakonson began working for the newly created PackMedia Studios as a stunt man. However, a year later, the young head and star of PackMedia, already going by the name, Fox, became interested in his skills and recruited him to become a star in the studio’s newest series, The Den of Champions. This is how he gained the stage name, Wolf. Almost ten years later, Three more people came to work for PackMedia which formed a new show, The Pack.*

*Most of the information here were looked up online and made up. Including Wolf’s real name being just a joke by the creator of Gargoyles, Greg Weisman.

Diego: (surprised) That’s... Oddly convenient.

Fox: I’m not sure. Can we really trust the information.

Joker: Only one way to find out.

>I take out my phone and open the Metaverse Navigator.

Joker: Rolf Hakonson. Water treatment plant.

Nav: Candidate found.

It’s a hit!

Streex: A hit? What does that mean? And what does that have to do with your smartphone?

Kahuna: It’s a long story.

Queen: We still need to confirm if this is really true. Are there any water treatment plants here in the city.

Streex: There are a lot here. But I think I know which one it might be. It’s not far from here. It’s been abandoned since our dad was a kid.

Joker: Right. Then I guess we’re off.

>With that, we leave. As we were leaving, Salli was watching us come outside... A shadow appears behind her.

Salli: Looks like they’re off.

???????: I am still not so sure about this. I still think we should join in.

Salli: Not just yet. We have our instructions.

>The figure then comes forward.

Very well. I trust you.

>Later at the water treatment plant.

Ripster: This is it.

Queen: How did you know about this?

Jap: Dr. Piranoid used it as a base for a while. But we managed to beat him out of it.

Streex: If Wolf is here, we’ll find him.

Fox: It might also be the location of his Palace. Now’s out chance.

Kahuna: I better be off. I’ve never been to “the place you go to steal people’s hearts”. I think it’s best to keep it that way.

Joker: Very well. You guys stay here and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Ripster: Right. Good luck, Phantom Thieves.

>With that, the Street Sharks walk away someplace.

Is everyone ready?

Phantom Thieves: Ready!

Joker: Den.

Nav: Candidate found. Beginning navigation.

>The familiar red wave passes over us. When it was over, the water treatment plant was replaced with a mountain with the same shape as the plant. At the foot of it, a large cave was open.

This looks like the place.

I think even before he became Wolf, he already saw this place as a den.

Well, mercenaries are known to sometimes be referred to as wolves.

I’m surprised you knew about that.

Oracle, can you at least give us an analysis of the place?

I’ll see what I can do. Persona!

>Necronomicon scans the area.

Oracle: It looks there are a couple of enemies at the entrance. Don’t worry, they’re not that strong.

We better be ready. It looks like they’ve spotted us.

>The two Shadows approach us. They both looked like vikings with wolf masks.

Shadow 1: What you want here, hunters!?

To take the Treasure, of course. A place like this has to have a big one.

Shadow 2: As if. Alpha Wolf would never allow that. Get lost.

Sorry, but there’s a friend of ours that needs our help and the answers to that are in that cave.

Shadow 1: In your dreams. You’ll have to get past!

>With that, the two Shadows change.

>Necronomicon scans the Shadows.

Oracle: They’re weak to Electricity. You also might get some results with Curse and Fire. Skull, think you can do it?

Skull: I’m up for it.

Joker: I’ll deal with Curses.

Panther: Leave Fire to me.

Queen: If they get Shocked or Burned, I could add technical damage.

Skull, Joker, Panther, and Queen: Persona!

>Mithra 1 uses Kouga on me. Luckily, I dodge it. Mirtha 2 uses Kouga on Panther. Captain Kidd uses Mazionga. Only one of them got hit. He then uses Zionga on the Mithra still standing. He was knocked down. We decide not to do an All-Out-Attack this time. Skull pases the baton to me and Arsene uses Maeiga. He does it again. Carmen uses Maragion. Johanna uses Vajra Blast. Mirthra 1 uses Kouga on me again. This time, it knocks me down. It attacks Skull next. Mirtha 2 also gets back up and uses Mahama. Luckily, it fails. Captain Kidd uses Matarukaja. I get back up and Arsene uses Dormin Rush. Both Mithras fall Asleep. Carmen uses Maragion. It was a technical hit and the awoken Mithras get Burned. Johanna uses Mafreila. It was also a technical hit. Mirtha 1 uses Mahama. It missed Skull and Queen and me and Panther were saved each by a Homunculus. The Burn eats at Mirtha 1′s health. Mirtha 2 uses Makouga. Luckily, I dodged it. The Burn eats at Mirtha 2′s health. Captain Kidd uses Mazionga. Both Mirthas are knocked down.

Skull: All right! Time for some pain!

>After the attack, the two Mirthas were still up, but now weaker.

Skull: Guess that means we’re doin’ the thing!

Queen: Indeed we are.

Skull: Then let’s do it!

WARNING: Spoiler ahead.

>With that, the two Mithras were gone.

Oracle: That was quick. I think it’s safe to assume that we should be able to use our Personas and get through this.

Queen: Right.

>Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. The entrance of the den closes up.

What the eff!?

Oracle: I’m sensing a change in cognition.

Royal: (shocked) Is something happening with Wolf in the real world?

Joker: Let’s head back and see.

>With that, we leave the Palace for now.

>Back in the real world, the Street Sharks were face to face... with Wolf.

So, this is the famous Street Sharks of Fission City. I knew it was a matter of time before you found my “den”.

Ripster: And you must be the furry ass washout.

Wolf: Stick and stone. Just hand over the kid.

Kahuna: As if I’d go with you. I thought you didn’t like the idea of mutating kids.

Wolf: ... Too many losses to the same enemy can make you do a lot of things you don’t normally do. The sooner you realize this, the better.

Big Slammu: I think you should go. You don’t want to know what happens when a wolf gets thrown into a shark tank.

Wolf: Heh! You really think you can speak to me that way?

>With a loud howl, Wolf transforms.

So, do you care to rephrase what you just said?

Jab: Bring. It. On.

>Then, a huge fight breaks out... In the end, the Street Sharks won.

Wolf: I’m... Not though yet!

>Wolf prepares to make one last strike...

BANG!

>The loud sound startles them. Several more shots are heard.

Wolf: We’re not done. We’ll see each other again soon.

>With that, Wolf runs into the plant and disappears in the darkness.

Bends: What was...

?????: You’re welcome.

>Me and the other P Thieves come out of the shadows. I had my gun out.

Joker: Even in the real world, a model gun can still be handy.

Ripster: I don’t normally approve the use of guns, but I’ll allow just this once.

Streex: So what have you learned?

Queen: It looks like it’s possible to steal Wolf’s heart. If he knows anything about how to save Kahuna, we might get it from him.

Kahuna: I hope you’re right. If what you said was true, Yuta doesn’t have much time. When is the operation?

Oracle: It’s the same day as the big match between Joe Akamine and Joe Yuuki.

Kahuna: (looking down) Now Yuta must really be nervous.

Ripster: What do you mean?

Kahuna: I’ll tell you on the way back. Right now, I’m hungry.

Oracle: Good, I’m up for pizza.

Street Sharks: Pizza!? Yuck!

I know some turtles who would beat you up for saying that.

Queen: Fine. We’ll have burgers.

...

Lena: What’s wrong, Haru?

Noir: The only burger shop nearest us on the way is... Big Bang Burger.

Diego: I’m sure it’ll be alright. You don’t have to come in.

Noir: I know. Thanks, Mona.

>With that, we leave. We’ll be back soon to take the Treasure.

>Meanwhile, inside the plant.

Wolf: (back in human form) Crap. What am I suppose to say to the doc now? How the heck am I suppose to catch that kid?

???: Through his friends, of course.

Wolf: What!? Who’s there!? I can smell you! You smell like... Death?

???: This is why I don’t like working with werewolves. Either way,

Wolf: What do you want?

???: You say you wish to capture the one that got away. I know how you can do that.

Wolf: ... I’m listing.

???: He called his friends from Japan. I think that’s how you can get to them.

Wolf: How so?

>The stranger then swoops down from the shadows... Like a bat.

Tell me, have you ever heard of the Phantom Thieves?

>To be continued...

#phantom thieves cam

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yuueimagine · 7 years

Note

HELLO! May I ask for the Phantom Thieves reacting to an s/o who is also a Persona user? Like, the s/o keeps it a secret until one day they see the Phantom Thieves going to Mementos and they tag along secretly? The Thieves are fighting Shadows and then BAM! A random s/o appears with a Persona!

Gotta be honest, I really like this prompt!

Akira:

He’s surprised at first but shakes it off for long enough to stand by his s/o’s side to fight the Shadow off.

When the fight is over, the first thing he wants to do is ask his s/o about their powers, but he knows it’s a conversation that will take a while so he waits until they reach a safe room to have it.

He’s pretty understanding if there are some details about their awakening that his s/o isn’t ready to share. He’s seen how deeply personal those moments can be. He also won’t ask any questions that he wouldn’t be willing to answer if they were turned on him.

If his s/o wanted to join the Phantom Thieves, he would be glad to have them so long as he thought they wanted to join for the right reasons. He would wait until they got back to the real world to bring it up with the rest of the Thieves and ask if they’d be all right with his s/o joining.

If they did join, Akira would treat them as he does other members of the group but perhaps be a bit more protective of them until he was sure that they were capable of handling themselves.

Ryuji:

It actually takes him a moment to realize that it’s his s/o who just showed up. And when he does realize? Total shock. His jaw goes slack and he just lets out a weak “For real?”

He’s majorly distracted for the rest of the fight, possibly even trying to grab his s/o’s hand and pull them away from the battle.

When the battle finally ends, his first priority is getting his s/o the hell out of the Metaverse, despite their protests that they can fight too. It’s not that he doesn’t trust them, but if he knew they were going into battle, there’s no way he’d be able to relax or focus on fighting.

If his s/o protested that they wanted to join the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji would be happy that they see value in what the Thieves do but too worried for their safety to be happy about the possibility of them joining and getting to spend more time with them.

If his s/o did end up joining despite all of Ryuji’s protests, Ryuji would spend a lot of time trying to protect them. Again, it’s not that he doesn’t trust them or thinks they’re weak, he just really wishes they didn’t have to fight.

Ann:

Like Ryuji, she doesn’t realize just who it was that showed up at first but the second she recognizes her s/o, she rushes to their side to help them finish off the Shadow.

The second they’re safe, she reaches out for her s/o to hug them and demands to know how they managed to follow her into the Metaverse. The answer is, of course, that they are a Persona user too. Ann can see that but the question came out anyway.

She’s willing to wait until they get back to the real world to have an in-depth discussion, but they do have that discussion. Ann hesitantly shares the details of her own awakening with her s/o. She really hopes they will share their own in return but she’s willing to wait longer if they aren’t ready.

If her s/o wanted to join the Phantom Thieves, Ann would worry a little but she’d be supportive of them and try to convince the others in the group to allow them to join. She knows how it is to feel like you have to fight and she’d rather her s/o fight with her than alone.

They would make quite the battle couple as Phantom Thieves. Always having each other’s back and rarely leaving each other’s side.

Yusuke:

He’s surprised, much more than shows on his face. But somehow the image his s/o creates while fighting outweighs the confusion and he finds himself desiring to capture their battling form in his artwork. He pushes that thought aside though to join his s/o and the other Phantom Thieves as they take down the Shadow.

He expresses some concern for his s/o after the battle, mostly because they had been separate from the group until the battle and if anything had happened to them, he wouldn’t have known or been able to help them.

Yusuke doesn’t tell his s/o not to come back to the Metaverse but implores them never to do so alone. It may be a cognitive world but the dangers are frighteningly real.

If his s/o wanted to join the Phantom Thieves officially, he wouldn’t mind. But if they didn’t, Yusuke would still want to come back to the Metaverse with them to try to paint them in their Metaverse outfit.

If his s/o did join the Phantom Thieves, Yusuke would be by their side in every battle. He would compliment their fighting form a lot, leading to a lot of “Get a room!” comments from Ryuji and Futaba.

Makoto:

Makoto’s surprise is instantly outweighed by her instinct to get in there and protect her s/o. She goes all out against the Shadow to beat it down quickly and get them out of immediate danger.

She goes full Mom Friend after the battle, checking to make sure that her s/o isn’t hurt and nearly demanding to know why they followed her and the other Phantom Thieves into the Metaverse without saying anything. She comes off as almost a little angry, but really she’s just worried.

If her s/o explained that they just followed because they were worried about her too, she’d sigh and give up her questioning because she knows that’s fair. The Metaverse is dangerous after all and their concern is warranted.

Makoto would explain her reasons for being a Phantom Thief to her s/o and hope that they would be able to understand why she does what she does. If they were moved enough by her own reasons to want to join as well, that’s more than she could have asked for.

If her s/o did join the Phantom Thieves, Makoto would be very protective of them during fights. Never enough to jeopardize the battle, but enough that it’s noticeable.

Futaba:

She senses her s/o’s presence before they show themselves for the fight. She’s been keeping an eye on them the whole time and when they jump into the fight, she provides them with the same support she does the Phantom Thieves.

When the fight is over, Futaba directs the group to a safe room and pulls her s/o aside to ask them why they followed the group without saying anything.

She’d be able to gauge her s/o’s power pretty well by what kind of readings she got from them, so she’d be less worried about them joining the Phantom Thieves if they wanted to since she could tell they’d be able to handle themselves.

If her s/o does end up joining the Thieves, Futaba teases them a little at first and calls them “newbie” a lot, but she really does her best to provide support to make the battles easier on them.

The s/o might become privy to a lot of activities Futaba takes part in that they weren’t before (i.e. hacking and stuff that she does for the Phantom Thieves) and it makes her very proud of herself to see the impressed look on their face.

Spoilers under the cut:

Haru:

Shocked to see her s/o here in the Metaverse and fighting a Shadow, their name falls softly from Haru’s lips before she shakes the feeling off and rushes in to fight herself.

When the fight is over, she asks her s/o what they’re doing there. Her worry is palpable. She’s already lost one loved one to this place and she doesn’t think she could stand to lose another.

If her s/o expressed an interest in joining the Phantom Thieves, Haru wouldn’t openly object but she would worry for them a lot until they’d proven that they could handle themselves in a battle.

If her s/o did join the Thieves, Haru would always be at their side, during battle and outside of it. Partially out of worry but also just because being close to them puts her at ease.

Haru’s s/o really gets to see a new side of her in the Metaverse. It changes how they think of her a bit, but in a good way.

Goro:

His first thought upon seeing his s/o in the Metaverse is “Guess I’m not the only one in this relationship who’s keeping secrets”. But he stands and fights by their side anyway.

He’s upset that they followed him without telling, almost a little angry about it, but he tries to frame it as concern for their well-being. It’s not entirely a lie because that is a part of it, at least.

Goro would firmly oppose his s/o if they expressed a desire to join the Phantom Thieves. He doesn’t want them involved in this for a lot of reasons.

If his s/o did join the Thieves despite all of his protests, Goro would have a lot of internal conflict (as if he didn’t have enough already). He still needs to betray the Phantom Thieves later, but he’d take more steps to ensure that the identities of everyone other than Akira were kept secret and safe for his s/o’s sake.

When his s/o first sees him in his black mask outfit, he expects a look of betrayal and disgust to show on his s/o’s face. He’s ready for that. What he’s not ready for is the flash of pain and understanding in their eyes as they grip their weapon and prepare to fight him.

Bonus Human!Morgana:

Rather than shocked at the sudden appearance of his s/o, Morgana is in awe of their competence. How had he not realized they had the potential until now? He still steps in to help them but he lets his s/o do what they can alone.

Rather than question their reasons for coming, Morgana wants to know more about his s/o’s Persona, it’s name, it’s abilities, how they awakened to it, all that stuff.

If his s/o wanted to join the Phantom Thieves, Morgana would be ecstatic. After all, that would mean he’d get to spend more time with his s/o and not keep them in the dark about this Thief activities anymore.

Morgana and his Phantom Thief s/o would be battle couple goals honestly. Constantly having each other’s backs, high-fives after every battle, and falling in love with each other all over again with each show of power.

Morgana would be a little hesitant to explain where he came from, but he’d really want his s/o to know. He’d share with them how he came into being and what he was created for and hope they’d still love him afterwards. (And of course, they would.)

#Persona 5 #Persona 5 Imagine #Persona 5 spoilers #Spoilers Under Cut #Akira Kurusu #Ryuji Sakamoto #Ann Takamaki #Yusuke Kitagawa #Makoto Niijima #Futaba Sakura #Haru Okumura #Goro Akechi #Morgana #Mod Sian

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