#if you send me stuff i gotta send back ;))

[crescentfool]

I noticed you're a Ryomina!!! How did you get into it? And do you have any good fanfics/doujinshi you can advice me to read? ANYTHING on Ryomina actually? I'm dying for anything about them!!! Thanks!!

yes!!! it's me!!! i'm ryomina fan (one of many)!!! thank you for visiting my askbox, i'll do my best to answer all of the questions because it always makes me happy to see that ryomina sparks joy for people! :D

...this got really long because i like linking to things, so i'm putting it under a read more (IM VERY NORMAL ABOUT THEM)

how did i get into it? i got into persona 3 around august 2021 through the movies- at the time my only experience with the persona series was with P5R / P5S / P5D. p3 was the one that interested me the most (i thought minato was very pretty + i caught wind that the themes of the game were very resonant with people). i picked the movies over the game because i'm a guy who plays games at a snails pace, haha.

admittedly, i did latch onto ryomina because of the scenes in the third and fourth movie (i have mentioned in the tags of this art i drew how much i felt like i was exploding and blasting off to the moon watching it).

but what really dug me into the ryomina hole (and what has kept me there) was thinking about how much ryoji encapsulates the themes of p3- and how interconnected his fate is with minato. i wrote some musings about their dynamic here, if you're interested!

tl;dr: what if we were both boys and we were mirror images of each other and i inherited your kindness and looks but god doomed our narrative even though we're soulmates

on ryomina fanworks recommendations:

regarding fics: i'm going to assume that you've probably read the fics that have the highest kudo ratings on them, so i won't really be listing those.

a personal favorite fic that i always hold close to my heart is Eurydice's Vow by crescentmoontea, which explores the idea of ryomina in p5r's third semester. this was the first fic i read about ryomina and it made me tear up lots...

i also think a lot about I Alone Await You by Nail_gun, literally scrumptious writing that captures the ryomina dynamic so so well. actually check out Nail_gun's other ryomina fics while you're at it too!

other fun fic i'm fond of: can't get my mind out of those memories (what were they?) by foxmulder_whereartthou. ryoji being homeless lives rent free in my head and it's all because of this fic. there's a bunch of other fun ryominas from the same author too (i still need to read them)

BkZa555 also has some fun AU scenarios if you're into that too, notably with Zagreus (P5-Setting, Ryoji focus) and The Definition of Insanity (TIME LOOP fuckery!), but they're currently ongoing.

these were some ones that came to my mind first- as i have the strongest recollection reading them. admittedly i haven't really been reading fic this year, so i don't have many recommendations from fic that came out this year. but if you're so inclined to let ryomina consume your soul, i definitely recommend giving the newer works in the ryomina tag a look-see and see if it strikes your fancy!

as a side note, i do have a few ryomina fics that i've bookmarked on my ao3 here, though i have to say that i'm not sure how well they hold up in terms of like... what i would seek out of a fic these days. but they made past me happy so i bookmarked them, LOL. it's kind of outdated (my collection of fic recs has my old username *disintegrates*).

regarding doujinshi: i have not read all the ryomina doujinshi available, but as a starting point, please take a look at this list from pandora-scans from livejournal!

notably, this is where you can find the strawberry-chan say good bye doujin- which features a small and cute comic from shuji sogabe (the p3/p4 manga artist), as well as other artists. the existence of this doujinshi is the funniest thing to me because it's like "HEY if you're wondering what the volume 8 cover is really gay it's because sogabe contributed to a ryomina doujin." this fact makes my head spin (positive). it explains a lot about the manga.

regarding persona side material:

i know you didn't ask for these but i thought that i mine as well list these too, since i feel that the side materials have some fun expansions on ryoji and minato's interactions. i haven't... watched/read all of these but, hey, i like to share these things!

for comic anthologies for the persona series (some of which have ryoji!). if you're interested in reading them, here's a scanlation index from maboroshi-no on tumblr. i don't think this is a comprehensive list, but i think it will be a great starting point!

for some translations of the persona 3 drama cds, check out imaginary-numbers on dreamwidth! ryoji and minato interactions can specifically be found in the persona 3 character drama cd vol. 1, and for the audio + english subs, you can watch this video on youtube:

and ohh the musical. ryoji singing and dancing gives me so much joy. i haven't watched the musical in it's entirety (only fragments), but here are some links that may be of interest to you:

Ao no Kakusei (The Blue Awakening), Sakuya version - playlist for the first p3 musical, translated by Phoenix Maiika.

Ao no Kakusei (The Blue Awakening), Kotone version - playlist for the femc version!! also translated by Phoenix Maiika on YouTube.

Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade (English Subtitles) - playlist by rumio!

P3 Weird Musical DVD & Soundtrack Booklet Scans by rumio_k - twitter thread that links to these funsies, if you don't have twitter, here's the publicly shared drive link.

god. these sure are a lot of links, huh? i hope you enjoy them- pick and choose whatever sounds most appealing! (if this overwhelmed you im sorry GKLHLDH i just like being very comprehensive in my answers about things so i got carried away).

and as a reminder, you (and anyone else reading) are always welcome to browse my tags/archive and reblog things from there anytime! i have... nearly 300 ryomina posts which, while mostly consists of art, has a few fics, meta, hcs, gifs, memes, and whatnot scattered about.

or browse the minato and ryoji tags too! there's.. nearly 1k minato. and 500 ish ryoji. and they're going to keep on growing because i can't stop being obsessed with archiving these things. god help me i am so deep in this hole called ryomina hell and now you're here too. welcome aboard!

there's always going to be a lot of fun ways to enjoy rotating ryomina around in one's brain, i think- they're a pairing with such fun symbolic imagery that is So Deep (to me) but ALSO they're immensely hilarious and weird guys (affectionate). so i love to share these things in hopes that it gives you joy too! they are the most couple ever (to me) (i'm biased)

thank you again for the ask! i hope it can satiate your need for more ryomina, and be a nice aide in exploring the p3 fanspace :)

[edwinisms]

see I can’t accept charles’ comic background and socioeconomic status as canon for the show because if I did that would mean the whole group would be a bunch of rich kids and that’s a horrifying concept

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

I am at 59k on this Ninjago fic i swear I'll finish it this month I will work on nothing else I am going to finish this--

[fuwaprince]

Yes, society runs on the kindness of seemingly uncompensated labor. But I promise, if you stick around and stick with it- you will be compensated with the most fulfilling and meaningful life. With the richness of empathic regeneration. It will go beyond thank you. Beyond hugs and friendship and even love. Being kind to each other is the whole point. The sum of the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.

Voluntary kindness is EVERYTHING. Today I shared kisses (the chocolate kind) with a few ladies at school.... then a very kind lady with pink hair gave me an ice cream sandwich (she didn't charge me anything :'3 which was a surprise)... and then ANOTHER kind lady came into THAT kind lady's shop just to gift her sweet grapes that she mentioned she grew out of her backyard!!! Then guess what???

The cycle continues!!!!! And we're all so grateful and smiling. We're all so much happier than we would've been just buying these things because we had to for ourselves. Everything tastes better when they're coming from someone who thinks of you and cares. I love people.

I'm hopeful for dream weavers making this happen. College students voluntarily sharing pages of textbooks and lab manuals. Kids voluntarily sharing their toys. Strangers sharing benches and holding doors open for each other. It's all in the spirit of KINDNESS. I'm so proud of the camaraderie I've seen within society and to be a part of it. I'm proud of whoever is reading this for all the nice things they've done on earth too. It might seem unnoticed or uncompensated for now but hold onto this vision. It's a positive feedback loop. It's symbiosis. It's mutual aid. It's humanity! I'm so grateful to play a part.

[moldypoff]

HEHEHEHEHEHEBBEHXIRJWW W IM SOO GLAD UR BACKKKKKKK AHBDJEUVUUVUUVUV IM MISSED YOU N UR ART AND I LOVE YOUUUUUUU

I’M HAPPY TO BE BACK AAAAAAA

I forgot how fun art can be! Especially now that I’m not stressing for it to be perfect and not having any work to worry abt B)

I LOVE YOU TOO‼️‼️‼️

[greetingsfromuranus]

Man nobody told me the comedown from a manic episode lasts like a year

Makes sense now I guess lmao

[micamone]

hey guys

[kimmkitsuragi]

can i pelease get. anything

[savage-rhi]

🫂😪

[bi-demon-ium]

listen. listen. take me up, cast me away. this phrase already drives me insane but in the context of this gifset? im spinning and spinning and spinning and sp

so like. okay. back to the basics. this is the phrase that's inscribed on either side of the blade of excalibur. yes, that excalibur, arthurian legend excalibur, the one from the lady of the lake (no, not the sword in the stone, they're different swords, yes i know it's confusing).

i'm not sure where this inscription first came into use, as most articles/information i can find just say "in multiple versions" the inscription or similar words to it are mentioned, although the only specific example i've found is tennyson's idylls of the king.

"[...] on one side, Graven in the oldest tongue of all this world, 'Take me,' but turn the blade and ye shall see, And written in the speech ye speak yourself, 'Cast me away!' And sad was Arthur's face Taking it, but old Merlin counselled him, 'Take thou and strike! the time to cast away Is yet far-off.' So this great brand the king Took, and by this will beat his foemen down." -- (Forgive me, I don't want to count all the lines and there are no line numbers, but I got the full text on Project Gutenberg.)

i also looked at Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur which is a pretty major text for popular/well-known Arthurian canon, and while there is an interesting exchange between Merlin and Arthur about swords and scabbards when Arthur takes up Excalibur that could certainly be relevant, there is no mention of the inscription on the blade.

but like, here's the thing. take me up, cast me away. it's about being willing to take up the mighty sword, to wear the heavy crown--take responsibility, take action, wield power and make hard choices. but it's also about knowing when to stop. not just when to take up the burden of power but when to let go of the joys of power. it's about knowing you can't fight fate: one day, the sword must be cast back into the lake. one day you will lose your power. one day camelot must fall, and arthur must die on the fields of camlann. in many ways, camelot was doomed from the start, from the very first time arthur drew the sword from the stone: because of the blood his father spilt, because of the fate that had been sealed long ago. it won't be for a long time, of course--galahad is unborn, the grail unfound, the heralds uncalled. guinevere is still loyal, if they're married at all, and lancelot might not have even arrived yet (i'm really not sure on the timeline, and even i were an expert i would doubt that there was anything consistent given all the different versions and contradicting tales that have been told over the years). but nonetheless, camelot will fall. take me up, cast me away: take power, but give it up, when it is time. take action, fight, but be willing to stop, too. stand up but know one day you must stand down, one day you will fall. take power. give it up. take responsibility. give it up. fight. surrender.

that may sound bleak, but you must remember: happy endings don't exist. it's about where you end the story--camelot lives many prosperous years before it inevitably crumbles. happy endings are just time. and if you stand up and fight--take up the sword--you can buy that time. the time to cast away is yet far off.

(as a quick digression, it's also very interesting to me that in tennyson's text, take me up is written in the oldest tongue known to this world, while cast me away is written in the common tongue arthur knows. i don't think i have the energy to get into this in depth but like. wow, right?)

now you might be thinking hey gert? gert? what the FUCK does this have to do with kate and martina. and i admit. i got a little side tracked because this shit makes me emo. i haven't even gotten into galahad and i won't for the sake of time and relativity to the main topic here. and like, sure, the themes of fate less important/prevalent here i think. but like. listen.

take responsibility. fight, when no one else will. stand even when you're alone. be independent. but also know when to stand down. know when you need help. take up the sword, even though you're so young, too young to be a soldier. but cast it away when you must, when you can. be a kid, too.

and then there's the double meaning: two abandoned children. take me up. cast me away.

ough.

[giselles-dumping-hat]

Can you guys tell that i just finished yttd and going on a brainrot rampage looking through posts in the main tag. Can you tell

[maxellminidisc]

My next batch of stickers is going to be SO fucking cute if I nail the execution

[weaponizedhorse]

you should definitely post a video of you masturbating onto the subreddit!!!

Big no lol

[sensitivegoblin]

Vent

Tw: sewerslide and SH

[narutomaki]

I'm very bad at 3d thinking to the point I sometimes struggle to put on a jacket right and now every night I have to figure out how to put a damn cpap mask on

it's 3 God damn straps you'd think it'd be easy

nope

[exopelagic]

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