#i. — magician.

[blue-bird-lamentation]

Day 27 of SMTober - Magician

[persona-arcanas]

[MAGICIAN SERIES] After a short break (had to move), here's Junpei Iori! This guy's probably got the most fleshed out character arc in any Persona game bar maaaaybe the Persona 1 gang. I love him and Chidori <3

[iptosi]

@sociallinked sent:＂ ' quick legs iori ' ? ch'yeah right more like ' never moves stupei ' you barely move quick even to get in line for bread in the morning & then complain there wasn't any left, idiot.＂

“Uuuugh, always bustin’ my balls, Yuka-tan…don’t y’get tired of being so damn pretentious?”

A groan left him, hands resting behind his head as he listened to her insult him again—time after time, he couldn’t do anything without getting judged by her! Though it was easy to brush it off sometimes—other times, he would bottle it up and forget to deal with it—causing him to crack slowly like glass slowly getting pressure pushed into it.

He had an idea, though! Something to say that would really catch her off guard. A brow raised slightly as he looked to Yukari, head tilting slightly.

“At least I know how to talk to girls! Whose the one with a girlfriend, huh?” Ah, the shit-eating grin had appeared. “Y’know, if ya really need help scoring chicks, Yuka-tan—I can give you some tips!” At least the conversation is pulling away from the whole ‘quick legs’ thing.

[catsdisco]

@foolsdeath sent: ❛ you pierce my soul. i am half agony, half hope… i have loved none but you. ❜   ( chidori @ junpei... im sorry this just gave me major chidori vibes i must give u )

He knows that the way she speaks is much different then other people—it’s almost poetic, really. Though sometimes the words that Chidori says to him make his stomach churn in a way that makes him nervous. The last thing he ever wanted to do was cause her any sort of pain—and it was difficult not to take her so literally sometimes.

A hand nervously rubs the back of his neck as colour dusts his cheeks, nervous laughter causing his shoulders to shake as negative thoughts start to intrude his mind; trying to cloud it as he averts his gaze to the side. ‘Is she happy’? That’s all he wanted for her—was to bring her some sort of happiness. He knew she loved him—she had told him—not just now, but countless times before.

So why was he doubting himself?

“Chidori,” calloused fingers gently took her delicate hands into his own; thumbs brushing against her knuckles gently as his gaze focuses on her hands rather then looking her in the eye; brows knit together in thought as he tries to muster his words; a shaky exhale leaving him.

“Y’know I love you too, right? Are…Are you happy? With me?”

[mysticfyres]

Persona 3 But Better Social Links

After playing through both P3P (femc) and P3R, I have some OPINIONS on socials links, and what I think each game got right and wrong. So here are my thoughts, and tarot card assignments:

The Fool - SEES

Holding infinite potential, but ignorant of the perils that lay ahead...SEES is truly the perfect choice for the Fool. No notes.

2. The Magician - Junepei Iori

The Magician card represents outstanding willpower, and a person who has all the potential they need to succeed, even if they don't realize it. And that's Junpei in a nutshell. Plus, Junpei as the magician means we don't have to deal with Kenji and all his weird teacher romance nonsense, which is a win in my book.

3. The High Priestess - Fuuka Yamagishi

The High Priestess card represents passivity, reflection, and intuition, which is perfect for our quiet navigator. Another perfect choice.

4. The Empress - Mitsuru Kirijo

The Empress represents a strong feminine power, and is associated with love, security, romance, art, and business. So, Mitsuru in a nutshell. Another great choice.

5. The Emperor - Shuji Ikutsuki

The Emperor represents a male father figure, as well as authority, power, and leadership. As the overseer of SEES and most present parental figure in the game, Ikutski deserves this role. Plus, developing a relationship with Ikutski outside of his occasional background appearances will make his role in the final act of the story all the more impactful.

Sorry to all Odagiri lovers out there, I think Ikutski just works better.

6. The Hierophant - Bunkichi and Mitsuko

The Hierophant represents education, marriage, guidance, and tradition. As our functional grandparents, whom have strong ties to Gekkoukan High School (a place of LEARNING), Bunkichi and Mitsuko check all the boxes for the Hierophant. Plus this whole social link is so wholesome, I could never replace them.

7. The Lovers - Yukari Takeba

The Lovers represents relationships, choices, falling in love, communication, and honesty. As someone who always speaks her mind, follows her heart, and is a popular romance choice for male mc, Yukari is another great default choice. Plus, her color scheme is pink and red, she is all about that lovergirl energy.

8. The Chariot - Kazushi Miyamoto

The Chariot represents overcoming conflicts, ambition, and drive, all perfectly encapsulated by Miyamoto's aspirations. As much as I love Rio, the other tarot cards give us our fill of stories about leadership and the desire for acceptance, so I think Miyamoto is the more interesting option here.

9. Justice - Ken Amada

Justice represents balance, fairness, and responsibility. In the most literal sense, Ken's story is about seeking justice for the loss of his mother, and as such he's a wonderful choice for justice. The only flaw with his social link is that it includes the option to flirt with him (ew) but as long as you take that out, it's a great narrative. As much as I love Chihiro, Ken just makes the most sense here.

10. The Hermit - Saori Hasegawa

The Hermit represents loneliness, meditation, and withdrawal from society. Saori's emotional distance from her other classmates, and struggles with bullying, perfectly represents both a self-induced and socially-induced isolation that is paramount to the hermit card. Plus, Saori's story gives use to the library, which is otherwise fairly underutilized in Persona 3's stories.

Though I do enjoy Maya's story and find her a pretty fascinating Hermit, I think Saori's just works a tad bit better. Plus, we once again avoid a teacher-student relationship by cutting Maya out, which is another win in my book.

11. Fortune - Ryoji Mochizuki

Fortune represents change, destiny, and luck, which is perfect for one of the final characters we meet in the narrative, and whose destiny is deeply intertwined with our own. In a perfect world, I would like about half of this social link to fill up when we meet with him as Pharos, and the other half to fill during hangouts in his fully realized form.

While I will miss Keisuke, I think Ryoji is just an overall better and more interesting fit for the arcana.

12. Strength - Koromaru

Strength represents confidence, courage, and vitality, and there's no one more full of life (and cuteness) than Koromaru. Plus, the willpower it takes to go on fighting after losing the closest person in your life, and also summon/fully control a persona, is nothing to scoff at.

It truly pains me to cut out Yuko here, but what can I say, Koromaru is best boy.

13. The Hanged Man - Maiko Oohashi

The Hanged Man represents lack of control, letting go, or the inability to change. As a child, Maiko holds no control over her parents' looming divorce, and seeks to fight against it by running away. However, it's only a matter of time before she is forced to accept it and adapt, which is the very essence of the hanged man. A perfect choice for the tarot.

14. Death - Strega

Death represents endings, morality, and letting go of earthly attachments, which is basically the recruitment statement of Strega. Each encounter with the group in story missions could fill their social link, where even if we don't necessarily feel "closer" to them, we feel as though we better understand their principles. Plus if SEES gets an arcana, I think Strega should too.

Though I'd feel bad about cutting Pharos out of his Death arcana, I'd rather he just get fortune along with Ryoji instead (see #11).

15. Temperance - Bebe (Andre Laurent Jean Geraux)

Temperance represents alchemy, harmony, balance, and moderation, all the sort of things I would hope to learn in a home economics class. Bebe's presence gives purpose to the home economics area of the school, and likewise gives an interesting peak into Japan's perspective on foreigners. A well-rounded character and a fascinating person, Bebe is a great pick for Temperance.

16. The Devil - President Tanaka

The Devil represents materialism, temptation, fear, and enslavement; basically all the principles seedy businessmen subscribe to. A perfect representation of the dark and superficial sides of capitalism, Tanaka was a perfect choice for the devil.

17. The Tower - Tartarus

The Tower represents catastrophe, destruction, and change, all things Tartarus's very presence quite literally brings upon the world. Each ascended block in Tartarus could unlock a new level of the social link, as we learn more about the nature of the dungeon and its influence. Plus, Tartarus is quite literally a tower, it just makes sense.

Though this cuts out Mutatsu, I honestly don't find him to be a particularly important character, despite how entertaining he is.

18. The Star - Akihiko Sanada

The Star represents good health, hope, and inspiration, perfect for the sporty and ever-aspirational boxer. Other star symbolism works great for Akihiko as well: he is famous throughout the school for his talent (star = famous person), and he is the first to rally his strength after loss to unlock his ultimate persona (star = guiding light).

Though Hayase has some great star symbolism as well, we already have a track club member on our tarot roster with Miyamoto. Plus, I really like the idea of every member of SEES getting a social link.

19. The Moon - Shinjiro Aragaki

The Moon represents deception, fear, and unhappiness. While he isn't necessarily hiding it, Shinjiro's storyline contains a number of surprising reveals, including his connection to Ken and his ultimate fate. There is additional symbolism with Shinjiro and Akihiko representing the moon and star(s), both flourishing in darkness but taking different paths.

Plus the alternate option for the moon is Nozomi, who I actively hate. So Shinjiro absolutely gets this social link.

20. The Sun - Akinari Kamiki

The sun represents enlightenment, vitality, and happiness, which is a bit ironic for a character whose health is rapidly failing. However Kamiki's wise and gentle nature, and his hope that persists despite his fate, is a great representation of the sun.

21. Judgement - Chihiro Fushimi

Judgement represents awakening, decision-making, and transition, which is exactly what Chihiro's story is all about. She transitions from a shy introvert who has trouble talking to men to a confident student council treasurer. She likewise enacts "judgement" on the professor who irresponsibly handles the school funds, matching the literal definition of the card.

Judgement was previously leveled as you ascended the final floors of Tartarus, but with the dungeon assigned to the Tower card, that leaves this open for Chihiro. Which honestly, I think works way better.

22. The World - Aigis

The world represents achievement, fulfillment, and when reversed, delayed success. Though the protagonist is the catalyst for most of the events of Persona 3, Aigis is the one who sees through the defeat of the shadows. Though she fails in her original encounter with death, through her support of the protagonist she is eventually successful (delayed success). Likewise, after the passing of the protagonist, Aigis is the one who takes up the reigns in The Answer, holding multiple personas and leading the charge against Erebus. Though hard fought, she also achieves her goals of respect and personhood in her eventual life as a normal schoolgirl.

The world doesn't really appear in Persona 3, but Aigis deserves it. Plus it puts a nice conclusion to my list, so there.

That's all I've got gamers. Let me know what you think :)

[venusinverted]

ayyyy, the Magician Arcana's done! Yuka Ayase, Junpei Iori, Yosuke Hanamura, and Mona/Morgana! This one flew by since it's only 4 characters, but it's my favorite mix of characters so far!

if you saw these before, that's because they're posted as I finish them over on @persona-arcanas. If you want any of these as a sticker or button, they're for sale over on my R-bubble! (so Im not shadowbanned lmao)

[arcplaysgames]

(I don't actually know if Strikers does anything with tarot but anyway) Which game, as a whole, do you think uses the tarot theming the best? Whether it be individual arcana assignments or links to the plot or just vibes - I know you've spoken of inidividual S-Link meanings but I don't think a big-picture comparison was ever done.

hmmm okay lets do a basic round up

I am going to... give points

+ 2 (GREAT job) + 1 (They tried!) + 0 (phoned it in/makes no sense) - 1 (ACTIVELY BAD CHOICE)

Fool: SEES (P3) vs Investigation Team (P4) vs Notigor (P5) Gonna give P3 and P4 0 points bc these do nothing, but P5 gets -1 bc what the fuck

Magician: Junpei Iori (P3) vs Yosuke Hanamura (P4) vs Morgana (P5) Both P3 and P5 get +2 for AMAZING Magicians. P4 gets a 0.

High Priestess: Fuuka (P3) vs Yukiko (P4) vs Makoto (P5) P3 gets the +2 here. P4 gets a -1, Yukiko is a terrible choice. No opinion on Makoto but she doesn't seem like the right pick imo.

Empress: Mitsuru (P3) vs Margaret (P4) vs Haru (P5) I'll give P4 one point and P5 two points. Mits shoulda been Emperor.

Emperor: StuCo Guy (P3) vs Kanji (P4) vs Yusuke (P5) P4 gets +2 for a shockingly good Emperor. P5 gets a -1 for a shockingly bad Emperor.

Hierophant: Old Couple (P3) vs Dojima (P4) vs Sojiro (P5) P3 gets -1 and should feel lucky its only minus one. P4 and P5 get zero points.

Lovers: Yukari (P3) vs Rise (P4) vs Ann (P5) P3 gets the +2, P4 gets +1, P5 gets zero.

Chariot: Rio (P3) vs Chie (P4) vs Ryuji (P5) Everyone gets +1.

Strength: Koromaru (P3) vs Athletes (P4) vs Twin Wardens (P5) P3 gets +1, P4 gets fucking nothing, and P5 gets +2.

Hermit: Saori (P3) vs The Fox (P4) vs Futaba (P5) P3 gets +1, P4 gets -1 bc no that's not what Hermit is, and P5 gets +2 for nailing it.

Fortune: Ryoji (P3) vs Naoto (P4) vs Chihaya (P5) No points, everyone see me after class. Actually, no. P4 and P5 get -1.

Justice: Ken (P3) vs Nanako (P4) vs Akechi (P5) I AM GOING TO GIVE P5 +3 FOR AKECHI, FOR THE FIRST TIME PERSONA FUCKING DID ANYTHING WITH THE JUSTICE ARCANA. AND BOY THEY DID STUFF.

Hanged Man: Maiko (P3) vs Naoki??? (P4) vs Iwai (P5) P3 you get a -1, see me after class. Zero for the others.

Death: Pharos (P3) vs I HAVE NO IDEA (P4) vs Tae (P5) I refuse to give Pharos points, so fucking basic. P5 can have a point.

Temperance: UGH NO (P3) vs uh whoops (P4) vs Kawakami (P5) P3 what the fuck -1, +1 to P4 bc its boring but it fits, and Kawakami gets +2 for fucking nailing it.

Devil: Pres Tanaka (P3) vs that nurse??? (P4) vs Ohya (P5) I'm gonna skip this one bc I don't think I know enough about P4 and P5's to rate. And Tanaka fits but is just Fine. +0 to all.

Tower: Cool Monk (P3) vs uuuuh idk (P4) vs whoops x 2 (P5) Honestly, same as Devil. No points.

Star: Akihiko (P3) vs Teddie (P4) vs Hifumi (P5) FUCKING PLUS 3 TO TEDDIE FOR BEING A TREMENDOUS STAR. +1 to P3 for Akihiko. 0 to P5 bc I don't get the angle.

Moon: Shinjiro (P3) vs that one girl (P4) vs Mishima (P5) Fuck Mishimia. He's an amazing Moon. +2 to P5, zero to the others.

Sun: Akinari (P3) vs Yumi (P4) vs Yoshida (P5) -1 to P4 bc the Sun link sucks. +2 to P3 and P5 for AMAZING Sun links. Yoshida may be the most nuanced take on any NPC's Arcana.

Judgement: Nyx Squad (P3) vs Truth Dudes (P4) vs Sae (P5) P5 gets +1 bc at least they fucking tried, P3 and P4 were just tagged on and superfluous.

World/Universe: Reverie III vs Reverie IV vs Reverie V Reverie The Fourth loses HARD here bc the point of the World is coming to the end of a journey and being changed for it and he doesn't have enough personality to be changed. -1 to P4 Reverie the Third is a decent one who went through a lot and has enough personal stakes that I buy it. +1 to P3 I hate to say it but Reverie the Fifth gets +2. He feels the most complete of them all, so for the Arcana of Completion, or the Whole, it has to be him.

Okay I have no idea what that tallies up to, lemme see.

Persona 3: 10 points Persona 4: 4 points (OUCH) Persona 5: 19 FUCKING POINTS WOW THAT ISN'T EVEN CLOSE

My math might be wrong bc I suck at math (yay, dyscalculia) but that is a huge margin for error.

Honestly, makes sense. Like I said in the post-mortem, P5 succeeds in a lot of ways just for having actual adults available for the arcanas. P4 and P3 are so strongly limited to your classmates, there is only so many ways to make a high school student wacky and weird in a way congruent to their Arcana.

P5 has the worst Emperor in the series by far but it has the best Justice easily and possibly the best Sun and honestly a lot of the NPC SLinks are Just Really Good.

So yeah, P5 wins at something at last.

[sir-incorrect]

been meaning to draw something w the (teammate) magicians forever bc it’s one of my favorite arcana... so here’s this! I Care Them...............

[mwoolf-art]

Tartarus exploration.

[p3shuffle]

Persona 3 Arcana Swap

0 THE FOOL: Junpei Iori

I THE MAGICIAN: Minato Arisato

II THE PRIESTESS: Minako Arisato

IV THE EMPEROR: Akihiko Sanada

VI THE LOVERS: Ken Amada

VII THE CHARIOT: Fuuka Yamagishi

VIII STRENGTH: Aigis

XI JUSTICE: Yukari Takeba

XVII THE STAR: Shinjiro Aragaki

XVII THE MOON: Mitsuru Kirijo

XX AEON: Koromaru

Junpei Iori as The Fool

Upon moving to Iwatodai after losing his father to an illness, Junpei is taking this transfer as a chance to find what his true calling in life. He knows that in him is a fighter, a hero; but due to his own insecurities, he doesn't explore his true potential. On the night Junpei awakened to his Persona, his sense of self had been reawakened. With his new found power, he befriends his peers in hopes that through these forming bonds, he might just be able to find himself.

Minato Arisato as The Magician

Unknowingly, he exudes an aura of calm optimism making Minato a down to Earth guy. He's part of the music club, where he plays guitar and piano. Being the older twin, he has a tendency to overthink and worry about his sister, despite the calm aura he gives off. This is because they lost their parents as children so they often rely on each other. However, he feels as though he relies on his sister more than she does because he sees her to be more mature than him. But that couldn't be more false, because she appreciates the fact that he cares about her.

Minako Arisato as The Priestess

Unlike her twin, Minako exudes a more introverted aura; she's soft spoken and often keeps to herself. She's always seen with a book, as she likes to read a lot. She reads all types of books, from classic novels to artsy poetry; so she's very knowledgeable about various topics. Just like Minato, she thinks that she relies more on her twin. She's thinks that because of her personality, and the fact they're orphans, he tends to protect her; making her feel like she's helpless and unable to help Minato. She's worried that he might stress himself out worrying about her, but again, that isn't true. Her brother is like this because they're each other's only family left.

Akihiko Sanada as The Emperor

Stern, mature and responsible are words that can describe Akihiko. Being the Student Council President, he sets out to be an example of excellence in Gekkoukan High. Despite being young, he has taken it upon himself to be a father figure for his younger sister Miki. He's been friends with Shinjiro for a long time and he's been aqquainted with Mitsuru since they were first years.

Ken Amada as The Lovers

Known to be a star player in soccer, Ken is approachable and popular in school. Though he can be sassy and sarcastic sometimes, he means well most of the time. He shares a strange friendship with Fuuka; they compete over everything, but still hang out all the time. Despite being surrounded by a lot of people, he feels lonely at times because his mother died when he was very young.

Fuuka Yamagishi as The Chariot

A member of the Girls' Volleyball team, Fuuka is spunky and is often challenging herself, whether it was related to volleyball or if it's a bet against Ken. She often stands up for those often get picked on as she used to be bullied herself. Fuuka believes that she has the guts to do anything so she wants to try everything at least once. 

Aigis as Strength

Previously owned by an optimistic young woman, Aigis is a Samoyed who wears a big red bow around her neck. She's seen to walk herself to the abandoned laboratory, seemingly waiting for her owner to be done with work. However, her owner tragically died in an accident in the lab.

Yukari Takeba as Justice

A student in Gekkoukan Elementary, Yukari is seen to be mature for her age. She's capable in household chores, this is because she lived with only her father before he died two years prior. Ken often sympathizes with her because he lost his mother at the same age she lost her father. Though she may not look like it, she enjoys Featherman R. She keeps it a secret though, because she think that it's only a boy's show and it's somewhat silly for her to still be watching those types of shows at her age.

Shinjiro Aragaki as The Star

President of the cooking club and popular among female students. Shinjiro is often seen as the big brother of the group, often offering to be a helping hand and always dotes on his peers. He always looks out for SEES and he's always ready to be confided in if they need him. He's been best friends with Akihiko since they were little, and he often nags him to relax and loosen up once in a while. He tends to check up on Mitsuru, because she has a tendency not to go home to the Kirijo Mansion and just stays wherever she wants.

Mitsuru Kirijo as The Moon

A closed off and aloof young lady, Mitsuru puts on this facade in order to hide her fear in becoming the next head of the Kirijo Group. After an unfortunate mission in which she caused the death of Yukari's father, she was at her breaking point and decided to quit SEES and avoid them completely. However, after learning that Yukari had awakened to a Persona of her own, Mitsuru decides to go back to fighting alongside the group.

Koromaru as Aeon

Originally developed to aid in healthcare, Koromaru was modified to be able to fight off shadows. For seemingly unknown reasons, he feels a sense of belonging to Junpei. After SEES encounters Koromaru in Yakushima, he joins SEES and enrolls in Gekkoukan High School.

I hope you enjoyed this! There might be some plotholes, so I'll try my best to fix them if needed <33 Feel free to ask me stuff about this, I would be glad to answer some questions regarding the plot or the characters of this au!

~ sam :3c

[quote-ation]

God I'm gay for the Magician Arcana

edit: apparently Ryuji isn't the Magician Arcana. Beastiality is bad. Don't fuck cats.

[cantfoolajoker]

persona users and their arcanas

i compiled a list of all confirmed persona users (p1-p5s) and sorted them by arcana out of curiosity to see where most of the users are. the list goes in order starting with fool and ends with the unnumbered arcanas, and i believe i got every user we see, but i could definitely have missed a minor character or two.

some notes: - fool, magician, lovers, and fortune are tied for highest amount of users. temperance is the least with no users. - the only attendant that was counted was elizabeth due to her confirmed wildcard status in p4a2, which slots her as a persona user on level with aigis and other protagonists. - i tried to list any major discrepancies between arcanas. mainly, aigis (for having 3 different confirmed ones across wildcard, persona, and slink), akihiko and shinjiro (persona and slink), and adachi (arcana switches midway through). - arcanas that share numbers were merged, like magician/councillor and strength/hunger. - reverse persona users are also noted - sho is not a persona user, so he was not listed. minazuki is. labrys and shadow labrys are also separate entries for the same reason.

0. Fool (includes Jester) P3 Protag Tohru Adachi (P4G) Aigis (P4A(2)) Elizabeth (P4A2) P4 Protag P5 Protag

I. Magician (includes Councillor) Yuka Ayase (P1) Junpei Iori (P3) Yosuke Hanamura (P4) Morgana (P5) Takuto Maruki (P5R)

II. Priestess Maki Sonomura (P1) Fuuka Yamagishi (P3) Yukiko Amagi (P4) Makoto Niijima (P5)

III. Empress Yukino Mayuzumi (P1) Mitsuru Kirijo (P3) Haru Okumura (P5)

IV. Emperor P1 Protag Akihiko Sanada (P3 - By Persona) Kanji Tatsumi (P4) Yusuke Kitagawa (P5)

V. Hierophant (includes Priest) Kei Nanjo (P1) Shinjiro Aragaki (P3 - By Persona) Metis (P3 The Answer) Zenkichi Hasegawa (P5S)

VI. Lovers Lisa Silverman (P2IS) Ginji Sasaki (P2IS) / Reversed Yukari Takeba (P3) Rise Kujikawa (P4) Ann Takamaki (P5)

VII. Chariot Masao Inaba (P1) Aigis (P3 - By Persona) Chie Satonaka (P4) Ryuji Sakamoto (P5)

VIII. Justice Hidehiko Uesugi (P1) Katsuya Suou (P2EP) Ken Amada (P3P) Goro Akechi (P5)

IX. Hermit Jin Shirato (P3) Futaba Sakura (P5)

X. Fortune Jun Kurosu (P2IS) Takaya Sakaki (P3) Naoto Shirogane (P4) Labrys (P4A(2)) Shadow Labrys (P4A(2))

XI. Strength (includes Hunger) Koromaru (P3) Tohru Adachi (P4G)

XII. Hanged Man Baofu (P2EP) Chidori Yoshino (P3)

XIII. Death Reiji Kido (P1) Eikichi Mishina (P2IS) Elizabeth (P4A)

XIV. Temperance None

XV. Devil Reiji Kido (P1)

XVI. Tower Anna Yoshizaka (P2IS) / Reversed

XVII. Star Ulala Serizawa (P2EP) Akihiko Sanada (P3P) Teddie (P4)

XVIII. Moon Maya Amano (P2IS & P2EP) Akinari Hoshi (P2IS) / Reversed Shinjiro Aragaki (P3P) Minazuki ( P4A2)

XIX. Sun Tatsuya Suou (P2IS & P2EP) Tatsuya Suduo (P2IS) / Reversed

XX. Judgement (includes Aeon) Eriko Kirishima (P1) Aigis (P3)

UNNUMBERED. Sumire Yoshizawa / Faith (P5R) Sophia / Hope (P5S)

[skye-maxwell]

High School Jealousy

Persona 4 | Souyo | Rated G probably | AO3 Link

---

Ever since Souji met him in high school, Yosuke had always been very clear that he was interested in being in some sort of romantic relationship, seemingly with anyone who was cute enough and willing. 

Souji wasn’t sure why he had expected that to change after Yosuke came out in college.

When Yosuke called that day at lunchtime (a daily ritual so they could keep in touch even though they were at separate schools) with an unexpected declaration, Souji nearly knocked his bento box off the table.

“I met someone!”

Souji supposed it was his own fault, since he had never taken the plunge and pursued the relationship he wanted with Yosuke, even though he thought about it every single day since Yosuke told him he was bisexual a year prior and a lot of other days even before that. The timing and the circumstances just weren’t right though, plus there was the small issue of Souji never having officially come out himself. 

Still, whoever this “someone” was that Yosuke “met,” Souji hated him. Yosuke was his, damn it. They were gonna figure things out eventually! They just needed some more time! 

“What’s he like?” Souji asked tightly, not relaying all the racing thoughts in his head but figuring he should at least know what he was up against. 

“Oh, it’s a girl. But anyways, I was just walking through campus, and I just felt this energy nearby, and suddenly I looked over, and this super cute girl was looking back at me! And then we both just walked toward each other, like we were drawn to each other, like something out of a movie. Isn’t that crazy? So we get to talking…” 

“Yosuke,” Souji interrupted. He didn’t want to hear this.

He had assumed his romantic rival would be a guy for some reason, but Yosuke was bisexual. Just hearing it was a girl transported Souji right back to those jealous high school days when Yosuke would flirt with Chie, Yukiko, Rise… heck, he had even been jealous of Kanami and Labrys, two of the most innocent beings in existence, one of whom was a literal robot. Stupid attractive, sunny Yosuke for having stupid chemistry with them…

“Hold on, you didn’t even let me get to the most important part! So we get to talking, and we find out we’re both—”

“No,” Souji stated firmly, not able to express himself more clearly in the moment.

“Huh? What do you mean ‘no’? Are you okay, Partner?”

Souji couldn’t bear to hear this, that Yosuke and this cute girl talked and found out they were both single, and he especially didn’t want to hear that they had made plans to go out, or that they already had gone out, or that they were boyfriend and girlfriend now…

“Souji?”

For once in his life, Souji didn’t care if it was rude or selfish or inappropriately possessive—he could not let this random girl have his Yosuke. 

“You still there, man?”

“Yeah,” Souji finally replied.

“Well stop spacing out, because I’m trying to tell you I met another Persona user!” 

“A… Persona user?” Souji said thickly as his brain backtracked through their conversation and all the conclusions he had jumped to.

“Yeah, dude! I don’t know how, but somehow we were able to sense each other’s presence even at a distance and even though we’d never met! Apparently her Persona is a wind-user too, and her arcana is the same as Rise’s, which is crazy because she totally gives off huge Rise vibes, y’know?”

Souji halfway tuned out as Yosuke continued to ramble about this girl and how she had been on a team that fought shadows in high school too…

Souji had wrongly assumed that Yosuke was interested in this girl and that their fateful meeting had been a romantic one, but in reality, Yosuke had just met another Persona user, which of course he would be excited to share with Souji.

Souji had only begun to berate himself when Yosuke dropped another bomb: “We made plans together this weekend!”

“What kind of plans?” Souji quickly asked, his thoughts doing yet another one-eighty. 

Just because Yosuke’s big reveal about the girl was that she was a Persona user didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in dating her! In fact, that would be even more reason to date her, because she could understand the things Yosuke had been through. Plus, he had called her ‘super cute,’ which was not good news for Souji.

“Two of her friends from her team are coming up to visit her this weekend, and we’re all gonna hang out! Her one friend, Fuuka, was their navigator just like Rise and is apparently some kind of tech wiz, and the guy, Junpei, he’s a Magician just like me!”

Souji grimaced. His potential romantic rivals were now two girls and a guy? And was that an extra spark of jealousy he felt just because Yosuke had merely mentioned Rise three times already in this conversation? This truly would not do.

“I’m coming. This weekend. I’m meeting them with you.”

“Oh, for real? I mean, yeah, that would be amazing! Yukari actually really wants to meet you! I of course told her all about you and how you’re my Partner and how you led the Investigation Team, and she said you remind her a lot of her old leader! He passed away unfortunately… but he had the wild card power too!”

“Yosuke, I’m gay.”

“Wh-what?! Are you serious? Is now really the time to—”

“Yes. Now is the time.”

“Okay? I mean, you know I support you, man. I know what it’s like, and I’m here for you—you know that. This just… this feels really sudden!”

“We’ll talk about it more this weekend," Souji decided, realizing at this point he didn’t have much more time to lose if he was going to make Yosuke his. 

“Yeah, of course, we can talk after we meet the other Persona users—”

“Before. I… want to talk to you before we meet them.”

“Okay, sure thing, Partner. Hey, thanks… for telling me.”

“I should have told you sooner.”

“It’s okay, man. Everyone’s process is different, y’know? And it’s not easy, that’s for damn sure, and it’s scary as hell.”

“There’s some other things I should have told you sooner. But I want to say them in person, so… wait for me a little bit longer, okay?”

Yosuke replied softly, “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll always keep waiting for you.”

Souji felt a warm little surge deep in his chest. Maybe he didn’t need to worry about these three new people in Yosuke’s life after all. 

“Partner? I’ve gotta go to class soon, but before I go, n-not that it really matters, like you totally don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but just out of curiosity… How long have you known? That you were, y’know…?”

“Since the summer of second year.”

“That long, huh?” Yosuke asked with a shaky laugh. “You knew way before I did, then. But I still came out first… it’s kinda funny if you think about it.”

“I’m not surprised. You’re the brave one.”

Yosuke laughed again, more heartily this time. “Well, in any case, I’m glad you were able to build up the courage between now and then, and like I said, I’m right here. For you. Uh, I’m here for you.”

“I’ll see if I can get a train in on Friday afternoon.”

“Okay. Let me know. I, um, really miss you. Yeah. I can’t wait to see you, Partner.”

Souji smiled, feeling like a big dummy for ever doubting his Partner or what they had together. 

“Same here.”

---

“Hey, Takeba-senpai!” Yosuke called as he approached her, waving wildly with his free hand and pulling Souji alongside him. “And you must be Yamagishi-senpai and Iori-senpai! I’m Hanamura Yosuke, and this is my boyfriend, Seta Souji.”

[iptosi]

@foolisharcanum sent: she has him corned ! shoved into the wall by walking up to him alone, her face flush in annoyance. arm jutting out, finger pointed toward adonys off to the side no doubt clueless as to why the fool is so irritable. looking up at junpei as if she was about to smack him ! her voice loud, no doubt what words leave her cause their fellows to either groan or laugh. ＂junpei why the hell did he just say ' l plus ratio ' to me he doesn't even know what it means !＂

“Whooooa, HEY, I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” Hands shot up instantly, a pathetic way of defending himself and keeping some sort of space behind her—though when she expressed what she was so angry about, he couldn’t help but snicker.

If Adonys was gonna be in school, he had to know how teenagers their age talked! It was key to the android fitting in, right? Still he played innocent—“Hey, who said it was me who taught him that anyway!? He coulda heard it from someone else in school, y’know?”

“Junpei-san…correct me if I’m wrong, but this doesn’t seem very…’poggers’.”

There was a snicker that left Junpei—he was trying hard not to laugh—but got he felt like Minako was about to murder him on sight. Worth it, though.

[catsdisco]

“…Hey, you don’t think it’s too soon to ask a girl to marry me, do ya???”

[ffamranxii]

Finally updated my playables and arcana!

All relevant info under the cut! (There be spoilers)

UPDATED ARCANA

All confidants/social links from P3, P4, and P5. Also included the arcana for P1 and the P2 duology because I can never remember who’s what. Arcana did not exist in this framework for Shin Megami Tensei If...

FOOL

P3: - (technically this is SEES, but I did not include groups) (also the protagonists for P3-5, Elizabeth, and Aigis)

P4: Tohru Adachi. (Adachi technically holds two arcana, though he starts as one and becomes the other: the Hunger Arcana, which does not exist in a standard tarot deck, but comes from the Thoth deck. I did not include it because he switches from one arcana to the other)

P5: Igor

MAGICIAN

P1: Yuka Ayase

P3: Kenji Tomochika (male protagonist)/Junpei Iori (female protagonist)

P4: Yosuke Hanamura

P5: Morgana

COUNCILLOR

P5: Takuto Maruki (does not exist in standard tarot, from El Gran Tarot Esoterico) (Royal only)

HIGH PRIESTESS

P1: Maki Sonomura

P2: Maki Sonomura

P3: Fuuka Yamagishi

P4: Yukiko Amagi

P5: Makoto Niijima

EMPRESS

P1: Yukino Mayuzumi

P2: Yukino Mayuzumi

P3: Mitsuru Kirijo

P4: Margaret

P5: Haru Okumura

EMPEROR

P1: Naoya Toudou (P1 protagonist)

P3: Hidetoshi Odagiri

P4: Kanji Tatsumi

P5: Yusuke Kitagawa

PRIEST

P5: Zenkichi Hasegawa (does not exist in standard tarot deck, from Thoth deck) (Scramble only, no art available for card at time of posting)

HIEROPHANT

P1: Kei Nanjo

P2: Kei Nanjo

P3: Bunkichi and Mitsuko

P4: Ryotaro Dojima

P5: Sojiro Sakura

LOVERS

P2: Lisa Silverman/Ginji Sasaki

P3: Yukari Takeba

P4: Rise Kujikawa

P5: Ann Takamaki

CHARIOT

P1: Masao Inaba

P3: Kazushi Miyamoto (male protag)/Rio Iwasaki (female protag)

P4: Chie Satonaka

P5: Ryuji Sakamoto

JUSTICE

P1: Hidehiko Uesugi

P2: Katsuya Suou/Hidehiko Uesugi

P3: Chihiro Fushimi (male protag)/Ken Amada (female protag)

P4: Nanako Dojima

P5: Goro Akechi

HERMIT

P3: Isako Toriumi (male protag)/Saori Hasegawa (female protag)

P4: Fox

P5: Futaba Sakura

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

P2: Jun Kurosu

P3: Keisuke Hiraga (male protag)/Ryoji Mochizuki (female protag)

P4: Naoto Shirogane

P5: Chihaya Mifune

STRENGTH

P3: Yuko Nishiwaki (male protag)/Koromaru (female protag)

P4: Kou Ichijo (protag joins basketball)/Daisuke Nagase (protag joins soccer)

P5: Caroline and Justine

HANGED MAN

P2: Baofu/Yasuo Inoe

P3: Maiko Oohashi

P4: Naoki Konishi

P5: Munehisa Iwai

DEATH

P1: Reiji Kido*

P2: Eikichi Mishina/Hiroki Sugimoto

P3: Pharos

P4: Hisano Kuroda

P5: Tae Takemi

TEMPERANCE

P3: Andre Laurent Jean Gerraux

P4: Eri Minami

P5: Sadayo Kawakami

DEVIL

P1: Reiji Kido* (Reiji is the only canonical non-protagonist to hold more than one arcana at the same time. He is both Death and the Devil in P1, and makes a minor appearance in P2, where he is still Death and the Devil. However I didn’t have enough space to squish him into the Death slot for P2)

P3: President Tanaka

P4: Sayako Uehara

P5: Ichiko Ohya

TOWER

P1: Takahisa Kandori

P2: Anna Yoshizaka

P3: Mutatsu

P4: Shu Nakajima

P5: Shinya Oda

STAR

P2: Ulala Serizawa

P3: Mamoru Hayase (male protag)/Akihiko Sanada (female protag)

P4: Teddie

P5: Hifumi Togo

MOON

P2: Maya Amano

P3: Nozomi Suemitsu (male protag)/Shijiro Aragaki (female protag)

P4: Ai Ebihara

P5: Yuuki Mishima

SUN

P2: Tatsuya Suou/Tatsuya Sudou

P3: Akinari Kamiki

P4: Yumi Ozawa (protag joins drama)/Ayane Matsunaga (protag joins band)

P5: Toranosuke Yoshida

JUDGEMENT

P1: Eriko Kirishima

P2: Eriko Kirishima

P5: Sae Niijima 

AEON

P3: Aigis (does not exist in standard tarot, from Thoth deck)

P4: Marie (does not exist in standard tarot, from Thoth deck) (Golden only)

FAITH

P5: Kasumi/Sumire Yoshizawa (does not exist in standard tarot, from Visconti-Sforza deck) (Royal only)

HOPE

P5: Sophia (does not exist in standard tarot, from Visconti-Sforza deck) (Scramble only, no art available at time of posting)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ALL PLAYABLE AND IMPORTANT CHARACTERS

PERSONA 5 SCRAMBLE: THE PHANTOM STRIKERS

Sophia, Zenkichi Hasegawa

NOTE: P5S was released in Japan in February 2020.

PERSONA 5 THE ROYAL

Kasumi Yoshizawa 

TRIVIA: Kasumi’s real name is Sumire. She assumed the identity of her twin sister Kasumi after Kasumi’s tragic death.

PERSONA Q2

Hikari

PERSONA 5

Ren Amamiya / Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Morgana, Yusuke Kitagwa, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura, Goro Akechi

TRIVIA: The protagonist is named Ren Amamiya in the anime and Akira Kurusu in the manga. Futaba’s codename is Navi in Japanese and Oracle in English.

PERSONA 4 ARENA ULTIMAX

Labrys, Sho Minazuki

PERSONA 4 / PERSONA 4 THE GOLDEN

Yu Narukami / Souji Seta, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Teddie, Naoto Shirogane

TRIVIA: The protagonist is named Yu Narukami in the anime and Souji Seta in the manga. Teddie is named Kuma in Japan.

PERSONA Q

Zen, Rei

PERSONA 3 FES

Metis

PERSONA 3 PORTABLE

Minako Arisato / Hamuko Yuki / Kotone Shiomi

TRIVIA: The female protagonist has no canon name, but has been called Minako Arisato and Hamuko Yuki by fans, and Kotone Shiomi in the stage play.

PERSONA 3 

Minato Arisato / Makoto Yuki / Sakuya Shiomi, Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, Fuuka Yamagishi, Aigis / Aegis, Koromaru, Ken Amada, Shinjiro Aragaki

TRIVIA: The protagonist is named Minato Arisato in the manga, Makoto Yuki in the anime, and Sakuya Shiomi in the stage play. Aigis’s name is spelled Aegis in Japan.

PERSONA 2 ETERNAL PUNISHMENT

Maya Amano, Ulala Serizawa, Katsuya Suou, Baofu, Tatsuya Suou, Eriko Kirishima, Kei Nanjo

TRIVIA: Maya was a playable character in the first Persona 2 installment, as was Tatsuya. Eriko Kirishima and Kei Nanjo return from Persona 1.

PERSONA 2 INNOCENT SIN

Tatsuya Suou, Maya Amano, Lisa Silverman, Eikichi Mishina, Yukino Mayuzumi, Jun Kurosu

TRIVIA: Yukino Mayuzumi returns from Persona 1.

MEGUMI IBUNROKU PERSONA

Naoya Todo / Yuya Narumi / Jihei Suzakurin, Maki Sonomura, Masao Inaba, Kei Nanjo, Hidehiko Uesugi, Eriko Kirishima, Yuka Ayase, Reiji Kido, Yukino Mayuzumi

TRIVIA: The protagonist is only referred to as “the pierced boy” (Japanese)/”boy with earring” (English) within the games themselves; in the manga he is Naoya Todo, in the drama CD he is Yuya Narumi, and in the novel he is Jihei Suzakurin. Along with Maki, the protagonist makes a minor appearance in Persona 2, while Eriko, Kei, and Yukino return in P2 as playable characters once again.

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI IF…

Tamaki Uchida, Nobu Akiyama / Jin Aoki, Reiko Akanezawa, Yumi Shirakawa, Shinji Kuroi, Ideo Hazama, Akira Miyamoto

TRIVIA: SMT If… was released only in Japan and is considered the originator of the Persona series. The series features a protagonist whose gender is decided by the player, something not seen again until P3P, though the female protagonist is canon in the games and the male protagonist is canon in the manga. Tamaki makes a cameo appearance in P1 and P2. The male protagonist is called Nobu Akiyama in both the manga and its sequel and Jin Aoki in the novel.