#any scene with Ryuji and the girl thieves is ruined by

[cryptofadventure]

🌻

new ask game send me a 🌻 and ill just tell you whatever the fuck i want

Ok so I'm a persona fan yeah?

I got into the series when 5 came out so naturally I played that first right????

....

How come I felt so fucking cheated when I played through Persona 4?

P4 has a better story, better humor execution, better relationships, better suspense, just better everything save for aesthetics (bc the concept of mysterious thieves and the use of symbolism got me in a chokehold). Dude I'm sorry but as much as I love the Phantom thieves their friendships weren't nearly as close as the Investigation Team and there were times where they were downright malicious to each other (and by that I usually mean Atlus trying to be """funny"" and shit on Ryuji in an uncalled for manner while Morgana is allowed to be a fucking massive creep).

Morgana is fucking disgusting and completely unlikeable and you cannot change my mind, Shido was a hallow villian that pales in comparison to Adachi, they fucked up how cool Akechi's character COULD HAVE BEEN for making him snitch on himself so fucking fast, Okumura's palace was complete dog shit, and Haru was completely robbed of a character from Mona having his little piss fit that literally added nothing to the story but a headache.

Teddie was so fucking loveable and silly I literally cannot understand why people hated him. Dude his ''''weird behavior''' he learned from Yosuke and Yukiko specifically and several of the first dungeons were promiscuous and this mfer has NEVER talked to another person before you expect him NOT to pick up on what he sees his friends doing??? And he never soley went after the girls he did this to EVERYBODY no one was safe from his weird flirting and that's what made it funny vs Mona who literally sexually harrasses a sexual harassment victim at any given moment that's supposed to be his friend and acts like a incel constantly. Him being the 'being of hope' and being this fucking disgusting and selfish is fucking laughable. Fuck that cat.

But moving on since I can literally complain about Mona's character for hours; Shido is weak as fuck. Bro Adachi had LAYERS like an onion bro. He was just a everyday guy and that's what made it fucked up; ANYONE could have fallen down that road. A perfect example is Yosuke; a kid down on his luck, treated like shit no matter how hard he tries, and is consumed by boredom. Had Yosuke's parents not loved him and had ne not met his friends he could have became an Adachi himself. Adachi does a good job at making you feel bad...to a degree. Like bro it sucks your parents didn't give a shit about you, it sucks you made a tiny mistake and got shipped out to the middle of nowhere, and it sucks your love life is non-existent but you ain't had to kill anybody lmao. Also you like him once he pulls the chad move of 'oh man is THAT what i used to sound like??? You're cringe, kill yourself.' to a actual god WHILE it's beating his ass.

In addition I'm so ass mad they removed the cut scenes that gave the Will Seeds has so much more story purpose. I think it's extremely important to see how the villians get to the way they are bc no one is just born fucking evil. They were all just normal people at some point that started tumbling down the wrong road. One I can easily talk about is Kaneshiro. Where I live, gang activity is rampant; you don't just choose that lifestyle. It's a lifestyle your pressured into, or you feel you have no choice, or you are influenced by your media/friends/family. It's hardly ever something you want to do (instagram mfers with guns and drugs that say they're about that life aren't. it's a front to look cool they'd die here in seconds). He was pushed around in a low income neighborhood presumably by other gangsters and he had no choice but to fall inline and when you see YOUR opportunity to be the big dog you take it because it's a dog eat dog world..but that still don't make you a sad beanie baby. You're still a monster for ruining other people's lives by repeating history.

Showing that would have made every villain so much stronger than what they are.

Having Akechi snitch on himself so fast and even without the pancake thing it was blaringly obvious he was a antagonist. How he hated them so passionately, even for his image, didn't make much for a surprise. Also going on about characters; Makoto's hate isn't deserved full stop. 'oH BuT She WantS To Be A pOlIce OffIcer She'S meAn TO TThe GrouP SHe'S a BoOtLiCkEr' shut the fuck up Stacey you on;t hate the police bc you think it's cool but if you were robbed you'd call for 911 before anyone else. Makoto's character was so painful; imagine you lose the parent you were so close to and never met the other and on top of that you have to watch your only sibling turn into a abusive, selfish monster that treats you like shit. And it doesn't stop there, because you're pressured to be the embodiment of the nerd emoji other students hate you and adults take advantage of you. Bro the principal literally went 'I'll destroy your college future if you don't figure out a case the police can't solve'. Bro WHAT.

Also Ryuji was done dirty, Kamoshida was also his villian not just Ann's. I don't care he was still assulted too; homie teased this kid about his drunk dad beating him in front of EVERYONE and broke his leg knowing FULL WELL he's not academically capable and can't go to college any other way that sports now he has to be uncertain about his future.

eh, where was I? I forgot. In short: Persona 4 handled everything better than 5 ever could and it makes me so sad bc 5 has such a good premise and aesthetic. It honestly makes me wanna re-write a good chunk of it and apply it to my P5 blog to satisfy the dweeb in me.

Oh bonus:

If you think Maruki is morally worse than Shido soley bc you're an Akechi simp I think your brain is smoother than a jar of fucking peanut butter and that you've the intelligence of a rock.

#ooc #i lost track lemme cut it here #Im sorry i love Persona but soemtimes it shits the bed hard

[the-name-is-loser]

Me: Wow i sure do love persona Ryuji is definitely best boi I sure hope nothing happens to him

Atlus, holding a list of bad character writing cliches: yes keep cursing yourself fool

#persona 5 #I love P5 i really do #but atlus sucks ass at writing characters well #any scene with Ryuji and the girl thieves is ruined by #Ryuji doing his absolute best to be a Straight Man (tm) #and the girl thieves aren’t better because physical abuse isn’t cute <3 #this is why I conditionally love the phantom thieves #sometimes they are precious babies #other times perverse and abusive trash #except Sophia she will forever be babey in my heart #loser’s liddol rambles

[auncyen]

Overload, pt 3

"This is just a scene that's already in the game," I said. "You're changing something that bugged you in canon, and now it's Sae talking to Ryuji and Ann instead of Sae talking to Ren, but still, most of what Sae has to say was in canon. How bad can it be?" ...Ha. Ha ha.

Part 1 | Part 2

#persona 5 #sae niijima #makoto niijima #ann takamaki #ryuji sakamoto #pretty sure sae wasn't popular in leblanc on christmas #in this fic she's just unpopular a little sooner #overload

[it-will-not-last-the-night]

Blegh

In terms of Persona 5 I’d been riding high mostly since P5D. I’d been positive mostly over it because P5D and fan-generated content had been lovely overall and really engaging and enjoyable. It had helped me forget that the main game itself seriously does upset me at times and I have a less than ideal opinion of it.

*Sigh*

Now I’m starting to feel like that again. Both announcements of today have left brought back to mind some of my biggest problems with Persona 5 and the way Atlus writes in general. What are they? A bit of a lesson then in me;

For myself there are three events in Persona 5 that I really REALLY just consider outright despicable. In no order they are; 1) Two homosexual adult males being negatively stereotyped as child molesters targeting Ryuji 2) Ryuji’s friends responding to one of the greatest acts of selflessness in the entire story by physically abusing Ryuji and 3) The Valentine’s Day event making Canon that Akira/Ren is horrible, Sojiro is horrible and that Atlus thinks all the girls are vapid idiots. 

‘Magical Valentine’ raises an issue I’ve always had but makes it even more forceful. You see in the game the Valentine’s Event is only ‘optionally’ canon. You can play a canonical run-through and not have it occur. So you can, legitimately, without needing headcanon or fanon, just have your own canon playthrough in which the girls are not vapid idiots. The anime however, now, makes it that, for the Animation, it is canon that Akira/Ren is an awful person and that the girls are vapid idiots. Oh and that Sojiro is just literally the worst like...like he is scum in this event. As bas as Akira/Ren is (and he’s bad in this version!) the bigger problem I think a LOT of people forget about the Valentine’s Harem Route is that it literally casts Sojiro as a Guardian of Futaba who would lie to conceal her boyfriend’s infidelities...even when said infidelities LITERALLY CAUSE FUTABA TO CRY! 

So the animation is now making it canon that; 1) Akira/Ren sees no reason he has to be honest or forthright with any females in his life 2) Sojiro holds such low regard for his daughter he will aide Akira/Ren in an ongoing deception and emotional manipulation of her RIGHT AFTER SHE OVERCAME A SUICIDAL PHASE OF HER LIFE and 3) That Ann, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Takemi, Kawakami, Ohya, Hifumi and Chihaya all fall in love with the exact same person and are literally when confronted with incontervertible evidence of his infedilities not only tricked into instantly accepting that them all bringing him chocolate on Valentine’s Day was a ‘misunderstanding’ but, in the case of the Phantom Thieves members, this has so little impact on them that mere days later they have no reaction.

AKA the ending Valentine’s Harem Route basically says: “Akira/Ren successfully cheated on all the girls in his life, and is free to continue to do so since they are so stupid that they could be convinced to assume it was a ‘misunderstanding’ even under the most blatantly false of pretext,” the ending basically gives carte blanche to say that Akira/Ren will probably keep cheating on the women in his life because, well, they’re so stupid that even if they all end up right in front of him, confessing their love for him to each other’s faces...they somehow think this was a ‘misunderstanding’?

That’s gonna be canon now for the animation. Not ‘optional’ canon, just...just outright canon. Literally everything in the Canon is soured now. Did you like Ren’s bond with Ann in the foregoing episodes? Well bad news; Ren literally is willing to commit to an intimate relationship with her and then emotionally cheat on her with several different women at once. Did you like how Ren played a pivotal role in building Futaba’s character and helping her grow out of her emotional turmoil? Well sucks for you cause Ren is literally willing to lie to this girl’s face and tell her he loves her whilst carrying on behind her back with numerous other women.

It sort of goes without saying that this kinda wrecks P5A completely since, canonically, Akira/Ren is now just an irredeemable asshole and the female characters are reduced to stock harem-style idiot love interests with basically 0 individuality because everyone has to love the Protagonist (self-insert!).

But when you think about it even in the original game...this was a problem. Sure you could choose not to do it...but you could also choose to do it. This means, technically, as far as Atlus’ writing is concerned, canonically Akira/Ren has it in him to be a complete asshole with no respect for women or his friends...and the females in the game are all vapid idiots. That’s technically canon since that’s required for the Valentine’s Route to work.

Oh, also, that Sojiro is the worst. The worst.

The Valentine’s Harem Event, like the Ryuji abusing event post Shido’s Palace. does irrevocable damage to the characters and the content itself, kinda ruining it since for it to be canon...well it means the characters are terrible people or stupid. Why I sort of have to choose to ignore them to actually like the story.

Of course what does all this writing have in common? It’s a JOKE! Haha! Ryuji’s being abused, isn’t this funny? Haha! The girls are all vapid idiots and Joker’s such a chick magnet they have no varying tastes in partner at all! Haha! Gay men want to force Ryuji to undress for them! 

Isn’t this funny? I mean, no, of course not. In almost all these cases the ‘humour’ is...someone suffering. A common retort I then see is; it’s not canon, its just for a joke.

But the problem is it is, all, strictly canon. I could definitely understand if these things were packaged as clear ‘not canon’ events. 

Here’s an example; the Blazblue game series has ‘joke’ endings which are explicitly not canon but usually feature bizarre or ‘funny’ scenes. One of said scenes is a reoccuring bit in which the protagonist Ragna is made to wear glasses that causes the female cast to all fall in love with him. Putting aside the fact for the moment that, to me, this still isn’t funny since its treating the Mind Rape of the entire female cast as a ‘joke’ the fact remains that it is, however, not canon. The creators make sure that nothing that happens here technically infringes on or diminished the canon character content by making it explicitly non-canon.

Persona 5, both the game and now the Animation, take no such efforts. There are no efforts to make clear that Ryuji being beaten up is a ‘comedic non-canon overreaction’ or that Akira/Ren being a womanizing prick and Sojiro being the WORST are just ‘comedic non-canon skits’ all these are played as explicitly, irrefutably, canon. That is how the characters are, as far as Atlus is concerned. That is their opinions, their beliefs etc.

Is it weird that P5 Dancing has the best, most wholesome, most healthy characterization of the entire Persona 5 Franchise? I suppose maybe the mangas are good to, I must admit I’ve never read any of them since from what I can tell Ryuji is basically ignored in all of them in favour of focus on the girls.

Atlus has a writing problem and that problem is centered I fear on a simple fact; the protagonist is a self-insert who is assumed to be a self-insert for a very specific formula; a young male who sees female characters as things he wishes to collect for himself and wants to feel adored by. Almost all of the major writing problems stem from this; Girls seem exploited or turned into vapid haremettes? Well, obviously, gotta appeal to that ‘chick magnet’ fantasy. Homosexuality is cast as negative or frightning? Well, obviously, the fantasy being appealed to is explicitly heterosexual in nature, everything else is ‘icky’. Other males seem to constantly be the butt of a joke or consistently shown up compared to the protagonist? Naturally since the fantasy is about making the player feel like ‘the man’ and all other men are simply lame by comparison so that the girls will only love the protagonist (the self-insert).

What really bums me out about all of this is that Atlus can write such amazing scenes as Ryuji’s ‘the place I belong is next to you,’ but then in that same game or anime have the Valentine’s Event and the Ship scene. I imagine in part this is due to it being a game first, story second, so they feel there are ‘beats’ that need to be there (the loser must be made fun of, the protagonist must get all the girls) even if, from a storyboarding point of view...it just makes the characters look A) Very inconsistent in personality and attitude (Ren’s infamous standing up for a stranger being assaulted but then instantly refusing to step in to help Ryuji in Shinjuku) or B) Like massive asshats (The entire Valentine’s Event from Ren and Sojiro’s perspectives.

It is just...its sad. I want to like this story because there is legitimately good characters and writing but...in the name of appealing to the lowest common denominator it gets weighted down by stuff which is explicitly canon and makes the characters awful. 

It really makes it tough to like it at times.

*Sigh*

At the end of the day I don’t know how to handle this. Accepting its canon makes a lot of people awful or stupid. Headcanoning it away is fine but...then I gotta accept I don’t like Persona 5 per say, I like what I, or other fans, create from Persona 5.

Also can we please just be able to date Ryuji. Please Atlus. We don’t need another female character to be another fangirl for Joker, to be another vapid idiot who can be duped by the WORST Sojiro, please Atlus, please. Please. There are ENOUGH love interests Atlus, please try perhaps instead stop treating women like little toys for a protagonist to effortlessly collect and dupe. 

Watching all the Persona 5 Girls (sans Sae) in the Valentine’s Event is painful. They are characters I like, many of them have good writing...and then they are reduced to props to make a player feel “Oh yeah! Such a chick magnet! They all want me! Women are simply a commodity by which I inflate my own sense of self-worth since having multiple of them attracted to me and betrayed by me makes me feel as if this is a positive development and not a negative one!”

And I do mean that seriously. Look at most content or statements around the Valentine’s Event. They frame it positively. The ‘harem’ ending, Joker is such a ‘chick magnet’ and so ‘alpha’ etc. etc. 

Terrible emotional betrayal? Deep seated trust issues? Sojiro treating his own daughter like garbage? Ignored because ‘Joker is a PLAYER! WOOO!” And this is overall seen as a positive development. 

By now I’ve rambled on ridiculously long but if I must have a conclusion it is thus; Please give us a Female Protagonist who can date the other boys and stop selling this sexist approach where non-protagonist males and all females serve the same purpose; inflating the ego of the player character. 

#persona 5 #p5 #persona 5 the animation #p5a #akira kusuru #kusuru akira #ren amamiya #amamiya ren #joker #phantom thieves of heart #phantom thieves #sojiro sakura #sakura sojiro #sojiro

[shadowtarot]

The White Raven: Emergence

Well I said that blog exclusive fics would start to come out! And well here she be. This is an AU....sorta. Takes place Post P5 and this will be separated into parts each with their own subtitles. Spoilers abound!

Day two of Spring Break. Normally, this would be a relaxed day for high schoolers. Go to work, catch a movie, hang out with friends. Something. But, for those of who had experienced that other world? It’s hard to shake the feeling of being watched. Not just being watched by Shido’s left over cronies but metaphorically by the expecting public. After a full year of going in and out of the cognitive world, The Phantom Thieves just can’t get used to being your average teen or young adult. Talk of their exploits can be heard now and again as Ryuji Sakomoto, formerly known as Skull, walks though Shibuya on the way to the local arcade.

“Were you there when that big calling card hit? That was like...the coolest of the cool!”

“The Phantom Thief leader testified against Shido right? But they never showed his face on TV!”

“Uh, but we saw his face on the video card? ...although there was a mask...”

Typical talk. As to be expected, no one recalled the true final heist the group had done. In which Ren, formerly known as Joker, saved the world from Ruin with the power granted to him by the public.

“SAKAMOTO!”

Well...a few did remember...

Running at almost top speed, Yuki Mishima, the proud admin of the Phan-site and author of the in progress Phantom Thieves Documentary, reached Ryuji who was just a few steps from entering the Arcade building. Panting, Mishima looks up to his friend with a grin. “I...need to...tell you..something. It’s big.”

“Geez dude, you don’t need to run at me like that. It’s spring break. Relax!” Ryuji laughs. “But if it’s important, let’s go into Big Bang.” With that, the blond boy leads Mishima into the nearby Big Bang Burger.

After placing an order and sitting down, Mishima takes out his cellphone and unlocks it. Without looking up from his screen, he begins to talk. “So I decided to look up what was currently trending on web searches right? Basic stuff I do when I get bored. Well...the top search for japan is: The White Raven.”

“The...what?” Ryuji blinks, confusion all over his face. “Is...it some chickflick you want to go to or..”

“NO! It’s nothing like that. But I did have a similar reaction. So I looked it up. Apparently it’s a handle of a new hacker. They’ve been leaking a lot of data on Shido connected individuals and posting them where the world can see.”

“This fast? Or...has it been going on for a while?”

Mishima shakes his head. “It’s been going on since February, but only got big after whole web pages got corrupted and altered with the supposed mark of this hacker.” He pulls up one such page, which is littered with information about the dark deeds done by the group with a Raven holding a knife in it’s beak spread across the page.

“Not very clean work. It’s like the desk of a middle schooler.” Ryuji laughs. “But this really is ‘effed up. Are you trying to imply that this...Raven chick is inspired by us?”

“Well...no one knows if the Raven is a guy or girl at this point. They are anonymous after all. But unlike Medjed it is a single person.” Mishima bounces in his seat. “So...you think you guys could unmask them? It would be cool and-”

“Mishima, you know what my answer is going to be. Our group disbanded, and if we acted without the consent of every person who has ties to the name we’d just end up hurting them.”

The blue haired boy hangs his head. “I...I know. I just thought it’d be cool is all.”

A couple a few seats down starts to talk.

“Say, I’ve always wondered why that Phantom Thief kid had to testify. Didn’t another name come up during the trial?”

“Well, the name was never publicly stated, just the gender and the general mention that he was a big figure for the three years that made up Shido’s big rise up.”

Ryuji winces hearing the statement. He knew who it was...and why he couldn’t testify.

“Sakamoto? I didn’t offend you did I?” Mishima asks, snapping Ryuji back to reality.

“Oh uh....no! I’m cool, no worries.” He laughs it off, regaining his former composure. “But, yeah sorry we can’t really stab at it like you want us to. We could do independent looks, but nothing under our old banner m’kay?”

Mishima nods rapidly. “Yes sir! Uh...Sakamoto?”

Ryuji laughs. “Dude, you don’t have to be so formal anymore. Just call me Ryuji.”

“Yeah yet you call me by my last name still so...”

“...I guess we should both change that then huh, Yuki?” He snickers, trying his best to lighten the mood. Mishima thankfully laughs with him.

“Right, Ryuji.” The Admin nods, a smile reappearing on his face.

“Anyhow, what were you gonna say?” Ryuji tilts his head in questioning, much like a dog would tilt it’s head to listen more closely.

“Oh! There’s someone in a hood staring at us.” Mishima states way too casually for what just came out of his mouth.

At this hour, the sun had set just enough that it was starting to get dark. A chill running up his spine, Ryuji slowly turned to look out the window his back was facing. And once it was in full view...like Mishima had said there was a hooded figure in a worn hoodie staring at them. Due to the spring rain and the general crowd, it was hard to make out the person’s facail features. Just the worn hoodie and the tattered jeans.

But just as quickly as this person was seen, did they vanish into the mess of the crowd. It felt like a scene from a horror film. And Ryuji was not okay with this at all. But in his tense state, he had seemingly been prepared to summon his Persona. Which of course, isn’t possible anymore.

“Uh...Ryuji? You okay? You looked ready to cast something just now.” Yuki laughs, covering his mouth. “I thought you said what you guys did to kill that huge god thing can’t be done since he was the source or whatever.”

Red starts to form on Ryuji’s cheeks. “R-Right.. It’s just....when you’ve been on high alert for so long and you’ve been used to doing shit like that...the habits don’t just go away overnight. I mean just last week you got upset when we didn’t fulfill any requests even though you know full ‘n well we can’t do ‘em anymore.”

“True, true. I guess we just gotta work on helping people the normal boring way huh?” He smiles

Their food soon comes, and the serious meeting turns into a casual conversation about School and life in general. But the thought about the hooded figure...and this White Raven, lingered in Ryuji’s head.

That night, Ryuji lies in his bed and takes out his cellphone. He had promised Mishima that he and the others would at least poke around and see what they can dig up. The logical person to contact first is Futaba. But knowing Ryuji, there’s someone else he’d much rather tell first.

Ryuji: Hey man, did you hear about this crazy new hacker?

Ren: Another hacker? You sure this one is legit?

Ryuji: Totally. It’s a single guy...or uh...girl.

Ren: Any more...relevant information?

Ryuji: Well they’ve been exposing Shido followers left and right

Ren: Good. The trial didn’t let names go public when it was reported on just on the sheer amount of companies and public offices that were involved.

Ryuji: So...you’re not worried? Like...at all?

Ren: Not at the moment. They’re a new “Hacker of Justice” or whatever. But I know what ‘re gonna ask.

Ryuji: I want to keep tabs

Ren: You want to keep tabs

Ren:  See? Knew it. It’s just the Thief instinct kicking up I bet. Just poke Futaba and she can probably do what’s needed.

Ryuji: I will I will. Just wanted to touch base and all.

Futaba: Touch base. He hasn’t even been gone a full 24 hours, Ryuji.

Ren: Futaba..

Futaba: I know I know, I’ll leave.

Ryuji laughs, well at least now he doesn’t need to message Futaba about if if she’s already seen it.

“The White Raven huh? ...what a weird name.” Ryuji laughs as he turns his phone off for the night and goes to sleep.

#persona 5 #Ryuji Sakamoto #yuki mishima #ren amamiya #futaba sakura #shadow fics

[lovehotelreservation]

The Get Laid Cafe [1/3]

Summary: With no more fake Olympic gold medals or fancy yakuza briefcases to sell, the disbandment of the Phantom Thieves has been tough on your wallet--and your heart. Thankfully, a gig at one of Tokyo's most popular maid cafe has helped to fill the void in both.

That is, until four of your former fellow Phantom Thieves return home to attempt to convince you to consider a different occupation, if not just different clients.

Namely them.

Rating: PG-13* (Rating will go up to NC-17)

Series Pairing: Akechi/Akira/Reader/Ryuji/Yusuke

Chapter Pairing: Ryuji/Reader/Yusuke

[Part 2]

HELLO EVERYONE.

AND WELCOME TO MY MAGNUM LEWDUS.

Upon returning from a trip to Japan (and getting to marvel at P5′s irl reference for Yongenjaya), needless to say I was feeling extremely inspired to do something for the Phantom Guys--even more than when I finished the game back in spring and wrote out my “Guilty As Charged” series. With all those things considered, I ended up with what would’ve been my longest one-shot at around 18k words, which is quite a feat for me ngl!!!

To make things easier on my best friend and beta-reader and to finally have this out to you all, I decided to split the one-shot up. The entirety of this work is done, but the rest needs to be properly looked over before I go about posting. That said, I absolutely cannot wait to reveal what’s in store for this fic, which I am honestly so proud of and pleased with.

And thus, as always, I sincerely do hope you enjoy this lewd tale of mine! ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡

---------------

"If he wants to see you again, he better fork over the yen!"

Such was the company policy of the maid cafe Sheehk Me Out~! you had the utmost pleasure of working for, as per the vision of its owner and your boss Iyayo. Your workplace was notorious for imposing a charge on every single possible action that could be done within the restaurant and beyond. However, rather than this ruin any hopes of making a profit, your cafe had been ranked number 1 in Tokyo for 5 years now.

Surprisingly, this feat wasn't achieved through extra yakuza financial support, but the mere and simple fact that your cafe consistently had the cutest maids in the city and that men were willing to pay anything to even breathe the same air as them.

Your co-workers were utterly thrilled by this desperation, as it often led to receiving a one way ticket to a lap of luxury with every thirsty businessman that came crawling through the door. Though, more often than not, you heard all of the wild, kinky tales that other maids wound up getting into, often for the sake of siphoning every and any possible wallet dry.

Not that you were belittling them for doing so. If that was the choice of your fellow co-workers, then so be it.

You just had a different approach to your job, in that you took your boss's advice to a more extreme level as compared to the other maids: namely how you easily quadrupled your prices once customers got a little too handsy and attached. With the exception of one previous customer, this was your own little standard to work by, a safeguard that weeded out those who couldn't afford you, and those who get offended and storm off.

Aside from standard maid services--referring to clients as "master," preparing omurice, decorating Polaroid pictures of yourself--sweet talk, hugs, and kisses to the cheek were fine, but once you were getting requests for your phone number and offers to join your client in bed, you were then demanding mortgage and tuition payments.

Which, as noted in cutesy handwriting on the chalkboard sign that hung above the cashier area, was completely allowed by your cafe's policies.

In the scope of things, surely times have certainly changed since your Phantom Thief days, even if you were adamant to maintain and cherish the idea of being intimate with someone you loved most.

Though, for you, “someone” came in the form of four men who were no longer in Tokyo.

You were filled with a sense of contentment at the thought of a spiky-haired blonde running track at Osaka University with a cocky grin on his face while a blue-haired young man was aweing all the art professors at Kanazawa College of Art with his outlandishly elegant masterpieces. Without question, you knew the Japanese exchange student studying Western law at Oxford University was leaving everyone charmed, whereas the one who was attending Paris-Sorbonne University was exploring cafes and coffee shops during his breaks between classes.

While you missed each of them so much, the most important aspect of their absence was that they were left unaware of the job you had taken up since starting college, your tuition the main reason you decided to don the maid uniform.

And because you needed a distraction to keep your mind off of their absences.

You could already imagine their astonished uproar should they ever find about your new job. Yusuke would probably try to reason with you while Ryuji would come bursting through the cafe entrance and make a fuss to get you to quit. Not to say that Akechi and Akira wouldn’t also attempt to persuade you to take up another job, but knowing them, they'd have some elaborate form of sabotage up their sleeves.

The only ones who knew about and who you could confide in about your newfound employment were Ann, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with all of them still residing and studying in Tokyo.

For the most part, you received the support of the girls. Understandably so, however, Makoto was wary of your job at first, given with what happened with Eiko. However, when you told her how strict and uncompromising you were while remaining successful--even showing off the sizeable stack of tips that you earned over a single weekend--she was eventually put at ease.

Ann was proud of your hustle while Haru was pleased by the way you had your clients begging for the privilege to even eat out of your hand. Amidst working her way through high school, Futaba was eager to be your confidant, scoping out current trends in the maid cafe scene, from what kind of themes and actions were most popular to any fluctuations in target demographics among your customers.

Though your girls were happy to support you in any way they could--whether by acting as your customers when you were expecting some unruly regulars, or hearing you vent about the entitlement that some clients had towards you--it was Futaba who regularly assisted you with being a more effective and profitable maid.

However.

Unfortunately so.

Futaba was also the person who accidentally revealed your maid gig to Akira while he was confirming his return flight back to Tokyo for summer break.

So it came to be when you were working through a slow shift that Ryuji and Yusuke came bursting through the entrance.

It was a miracle that your tray of dirty plates and glasses didn’t fall and shatter on the ground.

Since Akira--along with Akechi--wasn't due back in Japan for another couple days, there was little surprise that he would reach out to Ryuji and Yusuke to check on you, as both were a mere shinkansen ride away from Tokyo.

As horrified as you were to see them, you were quick to notice that the two's widened gazes--whether boldly intentional or shyly not--were lingering upon and ogling you while you remained fully dressed in your cutesy maid attire. Considering that it was summer and you spent most of early afternoon outside to hand out fliers, you weren't wearing your white stockings, leaving your legs exposed.

You could see redness blossom and spread across Yusuke's pale cheeks while Ryuji's mouth was agape with shock and a hint of drool.

However, remembering that they were both here on a mission that was involving you, the blonde immediately wiped at his mouth, preparing to finally demand some answers.

Which you took as the cue to request your lunch break.

Though your day up until now was slow--thus making it easier for you to suddenly step out from your shift--the way you grabbed onto both Yusuke's and Ryuji's arms to quickly drag them back outside to the quaint, little garden space that was meant to be a break area for all the maids was anything but. The cutesy decor of the patio seating seemed to emphasize the awkward tension that hung in the air, and you still wearing your uniform didn't help either.

You released their arms, taking a step ahead of them. Reluctant didn't even begin to describe how unwilling you were to face them. However, knowing they wouldn't leave without having a word with you, your heels spun as you feigned cheerful confidence.

"Ryuji, Yusuke! Long time no see!" You chirped while clasping your hands tightly together, else risk having them wring together out of nervousness. "Didn't expect to see you two so soon."

The solemn discomfort on Yusuke's face while Ryuji attempted to keep composure told you exactly how this conversation was going to proceed.

You watched as the latter's arms quickly shot out, waving around in a wild, over-the-top gesture towards your body, all while his cheeks became burning red--whether out of anger or embarrassment, you could not tell. "And we didn't expect to see you like this! What's-- What's up with the maid get-up?!"

Though you groaned internally, you sighed out loud with exasperation while you attempted to remain unfazed, even if this exact reaction was what you had been dreading to possibly face one day. "My work uniform, Ryuji. That's all."

"'That's all?!'" Ryuji repeated incredulously, his eyes wide while they stared at you with disbelief. "We leave Tokyo for a semester and suddenly you're a cutesy maid now?! And you didn't even tell us?!"

Yusuke cleared his throat, his eyebrow lifting while he shot the blonde a look. "Honestly, I'm rather surprised you're acting this way, considering how much I've heard about that--what was it--that maid stakeout you did with Akira and that Mishima fellow, no?"

Now Ryuji's ears were red while his head snapped towards Yusuke. "That was high school and with a… stranger. This is college, this is our friend--there's a lot more at stake here, dude!" Huffing, his arms immediately folded across his chest, all the while maintaining a defensive front. "And don't act like I'm being too over the top about this! You were the one who ditched the night bus to hop onto a goddamn shinkansen to get back to Tokyo! That shit ain't cheap neither!"

Yusuke's collectedness broke, soon fumbling for anything to say in response.

Your inner despair deepened. Knowing Yusuke's frugal ways, for him to be so impulsive as to buy a last minute shinkansen ticket spoke and declared volumes of how affected he was by the news of your maid gig.

If these two were worked up to this degree, you only dreaded to soon have to be confronted by Akechi and Akira.

Admittedly though, it felt nice to have them worry and be this concerned about you. It brought back memories of whenever you were injured or put in peril while in the Metaverse, with any and all of the four taking immediate action to keep you safe and protected.

"You..." Yusuke began with a sigh, while his hand pressed against the side of his face, his head lowering in defeat, "You're not wrong, Ryuji..." His voice trailed off, as did his eyes while he looked towards you once again. Your name was uttered, all while his expression was that of apprehension, "You know that, while I would usually refrain from being too invasive, I..." Eyes shutting, his eyebrows furrowed together while he recalled back to when he heard the news. "I...I must admit that I was rather taken aback to hear from Akira about your new occupation."

While it was clear that he was concerned, his eyes opened once more as he thought back to the other emotion that he felt upon that announcement, his tone admonishing yet slightly wounded, "Or rather, the occupation that you've apparently been keeping a secret since near the beginning of the school year."

The guilt currently weighing on your shoulders became more burdensome.

Still, you maintained your composure as you obliged him and Ryuji with an explanation regarding why and how you were led to this job. Your college tuition needed to be paid off in some way--while still granting you enough funds for other bills, rent, and necessities, as well as leisure purposes--and there just so happened to be a job opening at the already popular maid cafe. With the hushed, giggly murmurs you heard from female classmates who snagged a job, it seemed to be a worthwhile position to take up.

Though, by Yusuke's and Ryuji's expressions, neither looked to be at ease just yet. If anything, they--having heard similar stories from classmates from mere observation--only grew more concerned as the job testimonies they witnessed usually involved a fellow student delighting herself in unsavory activities for extra yen.

Hence was why you were quick to add and explain the benefits to working the maid cafe job, especially one with such a rigid pricing policy. With the same reasoning you provided to Makoto, you emphasized that not only were you making even more money, but you were doing so without literally getting your hands dirty--despite that you playing extremely hard to get made you more of a desired candidate.

However, you couldn't quite get yourself to confess--nor would you ever--how you took up the maid gig to fill in the void that you wished to have filled by the two of them, along with Akira and Akechi, one that only grew once the four departed Tokyo to their respective colleges.

For the time spent with them as Phantom Thieves, you were sure that you would have eventually developed a Palace. By focusing your attention and offering your affection--however feigned it may be--to others, you felt that doing so helped stave away your desires, as you were too busy being huffy and annoyed over strangers who received your 'love' rather than feel heartbroken over remaining undecided over who to give it to, let alone have it be reciprocated in the first place.

The goofball troublemaker with a wandering eye that could never settle on one person, the eccentric artist whose heart was taken by the arts, the charming Detective Prince and his army of ever devoted fans, and the quiet but mischievous former leader of the Phantom Thieves.

Somehow, you harbored an abundance of love for each of them to take, knowing fully well how foolish and greedy you were being.

It was better to simply cherish your Phantom Thief days rather than expect anything more beyond friendship.

Even if, by the end of your explanation, Ryuji and Yusuke had yet to ease their concerned expressions, both protective with one being fierce in nature while the other was anxiousness.

The former's arms were folded across his chest, his head tilted slightly to the side while his eyes squinted, still not quite convinced. "So...this is all a money thing, right? But in a totally safe way, right?" His voice became tight as he continued, the thought making his hands clench and blood boil. "There ain't any dudes that are being gross and crossing the boundaries with you, right? 'Cause I'm gonna need some fuckin' names and addresses if that's the case!"

You drew up your hands in a defensive gesture, motioning for him to calm down, matched by your reassuring tone, "Ryuji, it's fine." Cracking a reassuring smile, you added, "I intimidate too many guys with my prices anyway, especially if they're being creeps."

"But what about those fuckers that can't ever take no for an answer and have the money to back it up? What do you then?" He went on, teeth gritting the more he imagined some persistent customer trying his damnedest to have your time.

"Then I'll just keep upping the price until they think of me as too much of a hassle to have," you responded, conveying your sincerity as that usually was what occurred. However, neither Ryuji nor Yusuke looked convinced--with ease, they could foresee someone absolutely not caring about your prices and becoming more aggressive to buy you over.

With a sigh, you continued, "Listen, I...I find a way around it, okay?" Your shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I know I can't control what kind of paying customers I end up dealing with, but I still have quotas to meet every month, so I can't be denying every patron that weirds me out--not immediately, at least." A sheepish smile tugged at your mouth. "It is what it is."

The two shared a look before they processed your words on their own. Ryuji's hands fell to his hips, his eyes shutting close while he tapped his foot, his expression that of frustration. Yusuke looked far more perplexed and conflicted, his eyebrows furrowing while he rested a finger to his chin, wondering just how to go about this situation.

"I mean you're not wrong but...Can't you..." Ryuji sounded defeated as he sighed, eyes opening to stare at you pleadingly wearily, "Can't you just go for a job that pays just as well but doesn't put you in the spotlight for a bunch of gross fucks?"

You shook your head, offering him an apologetic smile. "There's nothing in Tokyo that is as flexible with my school schedule and pays off my tuition as well as this place."

"In that case, then why don't we be your customers then?"

Stunned, you and Ryuji immediately turned towards Yusuke.

"Dude, you for real?!" Ryuji exclaimed, his jaw slack for a moment before it tightened up as a wide, toothy grin broke onto his features. "That's...that's actually not the worst idea that your weird ass has ever brought up!"

Yusuke shot him a glare, the only thing he would note regarding his friend's words before he faced you with a softer and compassionate expression. "As you would know, I understand the severity of maintaining a decent livelihood with little money like nothing else. Still, I just cannot help but remain worried over you."

He breathed out your name, "I trust you, really, I do. And I cherish the bond that we've formed. However..." His gentle tone became tinged with apprehension, the look on his face twisting as he too thought of guests being unruly with you, "I cannot say the same for your patrons, however well-intentioned they may appear. If being your patron means you can still be paid while protected by someone such as myself or the others, then I will gladly oblige."

"Yu...Yusuke," you gasped, astonished by his and Ryuji's display of concern and protectiveness for you, your heart set aflutter. The sensation of desire--platonic, as you interpreted it--brought forth a sense of bliss.

And yet, you couldn't help but feel as though you must decline.

Though the smile on his face was warm and gentle, the glint that soon formed in his eyes becoming increasingly fiery with passion, his gaze emboldened as he looked you over. More than once, more than twice, as though to take in and imprint you in his memory as much as possible.

"To be quite honest with you, seeing you like this I...I feel so..." The hand on his chin moved, his fingers pressing over his lips while heat rushed to his face in dizzying excitement, "...so genuinely inspired to create a piece on sensuality--as if I could finish it in a day!"

Suddenly, the congratulatory look on Ryuji's face soured into one of exasperated annoyance. "Ugh, here we fuckin' go..."

One of your hands was taken into both of his with urgency. You wanted to admire feeling the warm softness that enveloped your skin, somehow resisting the callousness that only a life dedicated to art would cause.

Earnestly, Yusuke peered into your eyes with his, an eager yet hopeful look displayed on his features. "If you don't mind, then perhaps after your shift, you can come to my place and be my model--in your uniform, if you would. Honestly, the more I look at you, the more I feel so capable of finishing within a night--"

"Yusuke."

You found yourself uttering his name in such a quick, sharp tone that caught you and the two young men by surprise.

But considering and knowing what Yusuke was trying to propose, you had to decline.

After all, the point of your maid job was to have a means to preoccupy your thoughts in lieu of not having all four to yourself--both physically and emotionally. You spent months crafting this special 'affection' to give to your customers, based off of what you wished to freely offer to your crushes.

If the likes of Ryuji, Yusuke, Akechi, and/or Akira were to delve and interact with your other self, then you would have no remedy for the inevitable ache of them leaving again for school, a reminder of how the affection you shared was by transaction and by them supporting you as a friend.

You had to keep them at bay.

You had to keep them from seeing the secrets tucked away in your heart.

Though necessary for these reasons, your actions would be a mystifying moment in future recollection.

You didn't know if it was impulse from all the time spent working under Iyayo's money-gouging influence, or out of you trying to protect yourself from getting to attached to Yusuke while lamenting over your desires for Ryuji, Akira, and Akechi, but you soon found yourself looking directly into his eyes while blurting out the firm response of,

"Sorry Yusuke, I know we're friends and all, but if I'm going to be taking time to be posing for you, I have to get paid."

The air abruptly grew tense, with the stunned gasp let out by Yusuke and the aghast "Ooooo!" from Ryuji, whose eyes grew wide while he covered his open mouth with his fist.

While you wished to have not incited such a reaction, you refused to let yourself lose momentum. Much like you did in the Metaverse, once you exploited a weakness in your foe, you would seize the opportunity to keep forward without hesitation.

Even while your heart raced anxiously amidst your rebuttal, you lifted your shoulders in a shrug, an attempt to play off your refusal. "Not to say that I don't want to hang out, but I know at least 6 neets who'd give me their life savings if I just batted my eyelashes at them while wearing my maid outfit. My maid gig is what's keeping me going, but I prefer to keep my job and personal life separate--I just can't be doing special favors like that."

Yusuke looked paler than usual, his statuesque composure crumbling by the weighted swing of rejection. "But...my inspiration...!" He took a shaky step back, his arm half-raised in anguished disbelief.

There was suddenly a hand on his shoulder, which turn to a grinning Ryuji slinking an arm around his neck. "Yeah dude, but don't you know that money talks?"

While Yusuke's posture became slumped while sulking, Ryuji boasted a sudden air of confidence after seeing the opportunity here stood to be beneficial for both you and himself. Sweetly chirping out your name, he remarked, "Listen, help me help you, alright? Gimme a nice, little discount and I'll be happy to give you some spending money--"

"Sorry Ryuji. No discounts."

You shrugged.

Yusuke was released.

Ryuji was literally up in arms. Again.

Arms flailing about dramatically, he squawked with wide eyes, "No discounts?! Not even for friendship, former high school classmates, or old Phantom Thieves?! None?! I thought we were close!"

Smiling sheepishly, you reassured in a soft coo, "Of course we're close, Ryuji. But I just really like the money I've been getting, okay? I have at least four regulars who actually beg me to charge them more. It's quite fascinating to see."

"B-But...! That's...! All for one and one for all and that shit...!" Ryuji was at an utter loss for words, stumbling over his words more than he did on hurdles back during his track days when he and his teammates purposefully made themselves dizzy before running drills for their own stupid teenaged amusement.

Yusuke didn't have anything to say in response, still much too defeated from your rejection to even find comfort in witnessing Ryuji get denied.

As for you, your chest was still feeling tight with anxiousness, as everything seemed to be going your way, as painful as it was. However, not to fall back now, a hand moved to your hips as you hummed, "Now that I've explained everything, if you and Yusuke are done here, go along now and shoo." You gestured this with your fingers as you smiled teasingly. "Haru and Ann are planning an Ibiza trip for later this summer, and I need to get back to work and get some souvenir money!"

Ryuji wasn't having it.

"Why...Why the hell're you pushing us away all of a sudden?!" His words were bombastic, thundering in tone. As upset as he appeared, his voice also held a wounded edge. "We're just trying to help you out since you're so set on working this job! Did we do something to you because--shit...!" You noticed one of his hands curl up into a fist, which in turn moved to suddenly wipe at his flushed cheek. "And here I was all excited to see you again!"

You felt something within you twist painfully. Did you actually rile him up to the point that he was tearing up?

"That's enough, Ryuji."

So sudden, so smooth, like the blade of his katana during battle, Yusuke finally spoke up at last. Placing a hand on Ryuji's shoulder, he looked at him warningly, his eyes narrowed as though to admonish. "We must respect the decision of our friend..." Though having regained his composure, he sighed while his gaze softened with disappointment as they shifted back to you, "...even if we cannot fully comprehend the reasoning."

Your ache furthered.

"If you would excuse us," Yusuke murmured out your name while lowering his head slightly. As his eyes looked into yours yet again, he smiled gently, even if you could tell it was strained. "Until next time. I insist that we spend time together during this summer--truly, what I anticipated most upon my return was spending time with you once more."

Ryuji rubbed the back of his head, his gaze glancing to the side as he mumbled, "Yeah...see ya' around..." Ruffling his short, choppy blonde hair, he sighed before huffing, "I meant what I said, okay? I really wanna hang out with you." His lips fixing into a pout, he added, "Don't be too busy that we can't do just that, alright? Or I'm soliciting here-- Dude, wha--?!"

With Yusuke's hand clawing into his shoulder, Ryuji flailed as he was dragged along, scolded with the hushed grumble of "Do not make things worse for us! How else will we...?" Their voices trailed off as they left, leaving you alone.

Again.

Even if it was self-imposed.

Though you remained steadfast in your actions just now, it wasn't as though you felt better. But you kept Yusuke and Ryuji from getting tangled in your escapism, which was necessary for your own continued emotional wellbeing.

Albeit, it came at the cost of a reunion that left a bitter taste on your mouth. Though it had been a plausible outcome that you once thought over, it didn’t lessen the ache of actually experiencing it.

In consideration of that however...

You slumped onto one of the cutesy ornate benches, your face in your hands.

You'd certainly end up having a repeat of this once Akechi and Akira inevitably come to confront you.

And unsurprisingly, it did not take long for that to occur.

#yusuke kitagawa #ryuji sakamoto #persona 5 #reader insert #the get laid cafe #fic #management will return in a queue minutes