#stop saying akechi wanted to kill shido

[clowningclownn]

saw this dumbass post on twt comparing ken and akechi, basically saying how ken immediately tried killing shinjiro but akechi took so many years and wasnt able to kill shido and i just wanna say

akechis plan was never to kill shido, it was to make him suffer the same way akechi and his mother did. to strip him of everything shido thought made him- him. to turn him from a big strong man to absolutely nothing. that was his revenge. he was never a killer, he was taken advantage of. he was an imperfect victim, a child who a monster got his hands on.

[gamequoteshowdown]

Quote 1: "You're just a corpse who doesn't know he's dead" - Valter, Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones

Quote 2: "Teammates!? Friends!? To hell with that! Why am I inferior to you!? I was extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image! So someone would want me around! I am an ace detective! A celebrity! But you… You're just some criminal trash living in an attic!? So how!? How does someone like you have things I don't!? How can such a worthless piece of trash be more special than me!?" - Goro Akechi, Persona 5

Propganda

Quote 1: Valter has a lot of really fun lines but this one goes the hardest. He says it to Seth as Seth is fleeing with Eirika. Valter has the upperhand, he just invaded the capital and killed the king. It's such an excellent threat to two people fleeing from the horrors of war, especially because Valter actively hunts them. That is truly how he feels about Seth. Also because Valter is a cocky bastard. - Submitter

Quote 2: THE VOICE ACTING! MY GOD THE VOICE ACTING! Ok im gonna try and keep this short but this is by far my favourite Akechi moment in the whole game. Akechi is one of my favourite characters in all of Persona but I HATED him before this, like full out despied him. But this whole monologue changed my mind. He is so broken and just wants to have a normal life but that has all been robbed from him because of Shido. He has nothing. He is nothing. He is holding on to those last strands of his previous life because it was all fake so how could it be wrong? How could something he put so much work into being perfect not be right? Ok I gotta stop but PLEASE listen to the clip (link). - Mod Chaos

[vashtijoy]

thank you for such a comprehensive answer! does make me wonder though — the game clearly has no qualms with saying that akechi did kill people directly and did cause deaths indirectly (e.g. the bus incident explicitly stated to have caused fatalities). so why on earth does p5 say the subway train derailment caused no deaths?? this is probably a very weird detail to zero in, but i feel like a heavier train in an enclosed space carrying more people than a bus is much more dangerous. ngl it broke my immersion on my first playthrough a little lol

I know what you mean, lol. Tbh, Akechi is obviously intended to be sympathetic—to be the worst case example of what happens when a kid is exploited by rotten adults and has nobody to help them.

This is why there are so many parallels between his tragic backstory and the stories of a lot of the PTs—he has Futaba's abusive family background, Ryuji's single mom, Yusuke's orphanhood and exploitative father figure, Haru's terrible father, and I'm sure there's something there for Makoto as well.

This is why, at the end of the engine room, he's met not with condemnation but with grace and understanding. This is why, though he does feel sorry for himself at the end and mourn what he's lost, he doesn't squirm and beg and justify himself like the earlier palace bosses—with the exception of Sae. This is why he gets a dramatic self-sacrifice and gets to come back as an antihero, who goes all-out to save the world at the cost of his life in passing, because it's in his personal interests to do so. Akechi is intended to have been sinned against as much, or more, than he has sinned.

At the end of the day, Akechi is a Phantom Thief, even though he's not really on the team, doesn't align with their motives, and almost nobody really likes him—just like them, he's a kid who was placed in an impossible situation, and they all get that. Even while they understand the reality of who he is and what he's done.

This raises the complicated "is he a victim" question again, of course, and the reality is that he's both a victim and perpetrator—like, of course, most criminals. Akechi isn't special. His backstory lets us understand what he's done; it doesn't undo it—and he knows that.

So what's going on, if I can go all Doylian for a second, is that there's an attempt to soft-soap the reality of what Akechi does—to keep him sympathetic. He doesn't shoot people in real life, for instance (with two notable attempted exceptions)—he gives them "mental shutdowns", giving him a layer of insulation from not only the physical reality of murder, but the moral reality of it.

Like the moment he sees Futaba unexpectedly in Leblanc, and ends up chattering oh shit, you're Wakaba Isshiki's— Like the moment on 10/11 that he walks up to Sae to see what she has on her laptop, and it's the Okumura death video, and he nearly vomits; he claps a hand over his eyes, and only then moves it to cover his mouth.

This is the reason he's so visibly unsettled a lot of the time in the interrogation room, why he stares at that dead guard wide-eyed for so long, and stares at dead "Joker" for so long during that cutaway to Sojiro that the gun stops smoking. He is—and we are—almost always insulated from the reality of his acts. tl;dr: you aren't meant to have to think too much about what it means that the pretty boy is a murderer and terrorist, if you don't want to. And that's fine! There is no wrong way to understand the game, no wrong way to play. A huge part of interpreting a work of fiction is what we bring to it ourselves.

But if you want to dig into that reality, it is there to be found. The fact that psychotic breakdowns obviously can be fatal, that Akechi performs them for Shido from the start, from two years before canon. That he performs so many of them that he becomes a detective, to make sure they're properly "cleaned up" himself. The fact that he makes two of the Phantom Thieves orphans. That Shido considers "proper use of the Metaverse" to be eliminating those in his way. That he sells Akechi's services to anyone suitably wealthy and controllable he can find. That, at the start of the game, all of Tokyo is terrified of this plague of accidents, of psychotic breakdowns, and that, per Sae, the incidents have been going on at least since Wakaba Isshiki died—two years before canon.

You also have things like the fact that he clearly negotiates what he does, as you can see in the post-interrogation room conversations with Shido—he can talk his way out of kill orders, or postpone them, as long as he doesn't push it, and he does this. There's no reason to think this isn't part of their dynamic all along. Shido manipulates Akechi with praise, sure, but Akechi also manipulates Shido as much as he can get away with.

There's also the SIU Director, on 7/10, complaining about how "he" (Akechi) is insufficiently brutal and doesn't come up with usably brutal plans. On the other hand, Akechi will, later, come up with the vicious detail of the plan to murder Joker in the interrogation room; that's his plan. He's told what to do (we join that incriminating phone call conveniently halfway), but he comes up with the details himself. He's on an arc, albeit one that isn't always obvious, and a large part of it is that Joker is slowly driving him out of his mind.

I just think Akechi is way more interesting, and that his manner and behaviour make far more sense, if he has done a lot of these things. The main thing that draws my eye is the visible lack of response he has to the atrocities he causes. Going back to that nice conversation you both have on 7/11, you know what he's almost certainly just done there? He's triggered the Goodness Foods car crash, which the evening news will report takes place at 8am on 7/11.

(and writing about this clarified so many things that it, again, became its own post oops.)

The crash kills four people. By the time you're on the train to school, the news is reporting this. Akechi seems completely fine with it all, better than fine—except there are tiny suggestions of something else, if you squint, something far below the numbness to what he does and what he's become; far below the bright surface. Something that will later be riveted in disbelief to the dead guard on the floor of the interrogation room.

That's interesting.

[narumika]

Howdy dear friend ! I came hare with a merely entreaty :)

May I ask for Headcaones for Akechi and Joker with girlfriend who have a white snake as a pet ?

(if it made ya that slightly uncomfortable dear author-san no need to write it!)

(I hope this help little bit when writing the HC: The snake name is Lotus, Lotus doesn't like to be away for her owner for to long always like to hang around her owner, like morgana Lotus always hides in that bag wanting to go with her owner everywhere she gose to, if Lotus sense any danger or a creepy won't stop bothering her owner she makes her apprench to be known with her wrapping herself around her owner neck and hissing at sort of danger that is bothering these two, if ever going to that mementos she becomes like Mona a chibi that talks she and her owner will no stop talking to each other because they finally could communicate with there own comfort being<3)

I'm sorry if this is to much for you, You can always decline this request if you want

Have Nice Day/Night!!

notes: this is so cute actually wait.... give her a little phantom thief outfit that would be so adorable

goro akechi/fem reader, joker/fem reader, fluff, spoiler warning!

JOKER/AKIRA KURUSU

you both bond over having a pet animals. mona and lotus. mona and lotus became friends because of how much you two would hang around each other.

in the metaverse, you and akira are the best duo. you're both able to gather intel stealthily and efficiently. the other phantom thieves would give lotus nicknames, and grow to become more calm around her.

at first, he would be a little worried due to the fact she was a snake, and could possibly kill you at any second, but when he saw how calm lotus was he wasn't as worried anymore. (still a little worried tho cause he has no idea if hes fair game or not. whoopsies!)

GORO AKECHI

thinks its cool. definitely the type of guy to look at it with a little smile like "hello there :)" and then lotus just starts hissing.

if you're working with the phantom thieves, he's kinda surprised but also expected it. he encourages you to "do the right thing and tell him who the leader is" and if you don't budge he just gives up. he will be back the next day to ask about it.

once he "joins", he's acts surprised at how lotus talks to him, but says a snarky response that sounds a little crueler than normal. before, he had to take the remarks he could hear and pretend he couldn't understand (assuming lotus can talk like morgana), but now he could talk back. he becomes so petty ugh i hate sassy men

when joker gets caught, you're just as worried as the rest of them but also a little hurt knowing your boyfriend was going to be the one to kill your best friend.

engine room scene is absolutely devastating. lotus tries to comfort you, but it's still difficult to move on even with the endless support you get. that just fuels your drive even more to bring shido to justice.

[icespur]

There are not enough Mpreg Parent Akeshu fics

I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed.

it's not like there's zero. There are some, but not nearly enough or I'm not looking in the right tags.

There's especially HUGE missed potential that not enough people utilize.

I've seen wholesome Akiren as a parent. Seems everyone is in agreement he'd be the chillest, awesomest, father.

But what about Akechi?

Goro "I had a bad childhood, no father figure, Mom passed away when I was young leaving me to grow up in either Foster Homes or the closest living relatives the Social Worker could track down. Who took me in but didn't want me. so I grew up to mask my true nature by being polite on the outside and a celebrity to get some form of positive attention, and I tracked down my deadbeat father who I'm going to ruin the life and career of out of spite and vengeance, for me and my late Mother." Akechi.

The man has childhood baggage, who knows how many young children he's interacted with as an adult. So his experience would range from "limited" to "none existent"

If one of these boys wouldn't take to being a parent well immediately, it would be Akechi. Like, the man is having an external crisis, he's not okay.

"I am the LAST person that should be a father. Do I look like fatherly material to you? I can't even recall the last time I interacted or made eye contact with an infant. Maybe I never did! I can do research and read books, I'm good at researching, I'm going to read the books no matter what but that can only help so much. I know what not to do, from my childhood. I'm going to try my best to do the exact opposite of what Shido did, but no parent is perfect, I could still screw the kid up! Not to mention I'm still processing the fact that MY RIVAL HAS A FUCKING FULLY FUNCTIONING UTERUS.

I knocked up my Rival

I knocked up the man I once shot in the head

I knocked---holy hell what have I done?

I've never been interested in Women, so I never thought I'd have to worry about accidentally planting a little me inside someone. Do you realize how many women I have turned down?

So here I was, thinking I'd be safe. That obviously nothing would come from indulging in a night of passion with my frustrating, Idiotic sexy, alluring, Rival.

But once again, you are just full of surprises apparently in the internal organs sense too because you can carry children and now both of us are unironically FUCKED."

"I'm not going to force this on you, I just thought you deserved to know. If you don't want to we can--"

"Pfft, HAHAHAHA. You say that like it's an actual option. Do I need to remind you what my upbringing was like? I'm not repeating the same mistakes, I'm not leaving. Granted you are obviously in a better financial situation and have a proper support group unlike my Mother. But if I decide to leave now, or stay but run later down the line, what's stopping our child from living in a constant internal state of guilt and loneliness, which will eventually evolve into anger and spite and once they're of age to move out, make it their mission to hunt me down and enter a false work alliance so they can gain my trust enough to eventually betray and torture me. Or just flat out kill me. And You know what? I wouldn't blame them! I'd kill me too if I could. I can't let that happen, I refuse to put a child with my D.N.A. through what I went through. So we are moving in and getting married (oh my god, I have to move in and marry my Rival) Because that's what Japanese family laws all encourage. And I'm going to internally pray and wish that I don't somehow manage to fuck up an innocent being that belongs to us, even though I have no idea what I am doing. Did I mention I have zero experience with babies and children?"

Point is, parentGoro! Has so much potential and it should be a crime that there are so little fics exploring that.

[not-a-bit-good]

Still playing Persona 5 Royal. Got to the entertainment hall in Shido's palace, and the game asks me if I'm SURE I want to go downstairs. I save and say yes, of course.

Now, this is a first time playthrough. I've been spoiled many things about the game, but I absolutely did not expect an Akechi cutscene there.

And I love this cutscene, for many reasons.

First off, this is a TV interview with Akechi - no doubt he planned on profiting off of Joker's arrest and death from the start.

More importantly, we get to see Akechi's inner monologue - and he looks so damn sad for most of it. He says he wanted to be relied on and needed (which makes him a perfect foil for the protagonist). And what's striking, to me, is that he still uses his sad/down-looking sprite when he says he 'managed to dispose of any who got in [his] way'. This proves that he at least has regrets about the people he killed/mentally shut down, if not remorse.

And Akechi only stops looking sad when thinking '... All that remains is to tell him.' Guess he's thinking about Shido there, but not sure I this means he unconsciously wants his approval, or is just determined to get his revenge.

Also love that he didn't immediately question feeling 'dizzy' when he killed Joker('s cognition) - which was actually because of, you know, the remotely-activated metaverse nav. Instead he explains it to the TV hosts as 'Perhaps my mind was worked up due to the major task I had undertaken...' Sure, buddy. It's not that you were a little shaken from shooting someone you like (and who did all your available confident hangouts on my playthrough) in the head.

It's also fun seeing Akechi start to suspect he's been tricked because of a phone ringing in the audience - he is smart, after all.

[argentsunshine]

adding to persona but good au :

the interrogation room actually makes sense and the pt's actually stop being assholes to kechi and pay attention to him practically telling him whats happening to him/him silently begging for help (gee i wonder who else did that but became a pt. hmm...) in the gc conversations and everything..

you see i find this interesting because - compared to Akechi's behaviour - the Thieves are actually pretty chill to him, by which I mean that if futaba or haru just straight up killed him they'd still have the moral high ground compared to him. some of the Thieves have less good reasons for being openly antagonistic towards him, but none of them has a reason worse than "actively plotted to kill one of our best friends" so i think being a bit prickly is understandable. also, just on an interpersonal level, he's just kind of a dick a lot of the time, especially towards people he thinks are dumber than he is, which is most people.

it's also basically impossible that he would have accepted help in sae's palace, even if the Thieves had had all the pieces - he's so resistant to being helped that he tries to kill them all multiple times in the engine room. he's so deep into the sunk cost fallacy - he's dedicated years of his life to this plan, done things that he's clearly not comfortable with, and put so much power in Shido's hands that he has to follow through with it. he's so deep in the sunk cost fallacy that he doesn't even seem to consider that Shido might get rid of him first until that fact is literally pointing a cognitive gun in his face.

but i do think the question of how people treat akechi is interesting! on the level of questions that most people actually have to deal with, how do you treat someone who's clearly suffering in some way but has decided to make this your problem? on a more societal justice level, what do you do when someone with no access to justice within the system resorts to illegal means? if someone commits a crime can what they've done be evaluated separately from their upbringing? can justice be left in the hands of the people harmed or should it be impartial? what's the purpose of the justice system and what's the purpose of punishment? if someone in a vulnerable situation is manipulated into hurting someone, where does the blame lie? where do you draw the line?

also you could argue there's shades of misogyny in the fact that futaba and haru's pain is treated as ignorable because akechi is also suffering. i think it's interesting to examine it in terms of them being able to break the cycle where akechi won't let himself, and what that takes, mentally

now none of this is to say that i don't think people should like akechi or want better for him - i think actually moralising about people liking fictional murderers is boring, and if anyone rbs this from me going "and that's why akechi should die <3" will get blocked - i just think that as a character he raises a lot of interesting questions about. well. justice. and the way people view others. (i have a lot of thoughts about him and "unsympathetic" mental illness symptoms, because my own mental illness often presents in ways that make me hard to deal with, though obviously on a lesser scale) i keep getting worried someday someone's gonna put me in Nerd Jail for getting excessively... (waves hand at the previous paragraphs) about all this.

i mean at the end of the day do what you want and think what you want. i just think it's inherently more interesting to examine things

in conclusion:

[stargirlboyfriend]

something so terrible and tender about being willing to throw away the entire world for just a chance at the one you love staying alive. even if it means going against everything he stands for.

i don't know, i think about it a lot. they just feel so real, in a way that an explicitly canon relationship wouldn't be able to. there's something so awful about being akira and having to go home at the end of the day knowing that the person you care about is probably dead.

the one you care for more than anything else, to the point where your core wish, the thing you want more than anything else, is some variation of "i want him to be alive and well," or "i want him to be happy" (underlying connotation of "with me.") the way i interpreted it — he could have wished for anything else, but that's his deepest desire. to see akechi happy, and free to be his true self.

and your choices are —

1: risk losing him, risk him dying a second time and knowing that you did nothing because that was his wish. he wanted to die. he would rather be dead than controlled once again.

(tangent here: i do sincerely believe that akechi's motivation there was a double-edged sword? is that how you use that phrase. i don't think so. double-sided coin maybe. two sides of the some coin.

anyways i think he had two reasons there — first and most obviously, he's fucking tired of being a puppet. of being a bargaining chip in some massive cosmic hellscape. it's happened several times at this point — shido, yaldaboath, and now maruki all using him as their pawns. he doesn't care if he dies, as long as he isn't under maruki's control.

secondly — his entire motivation for working himself to the literal bones (apple a day, anyone?) was for his revenge plot. television, keeping up appearances, school, assassinations, was all to get closer to shido so he could kill him once and for all.

but if he turned all that rage and fire inward, and burnt himself into a boy obsessed with revenge, what does he have left to live for? what sort of stable person would turn themselves psychotic in a last-ditch effort to stop the phantom thieves from keeping him from his literal lifelong goal of being the one to end shido?

anyways, that was a whole lot of talk to say i think he's suicidal. and needs to have a long, long, long talk with a trauma therapist.)

or 2: betray him, betray his most fundamental ideal and the thing he's been fighting against since he was a frightened little teenage boy offering his persona to shido as a way of getting his revenge the only way he could think of. and cling to the knowledge that he's going to hate you, for as long as he can think on his own, but he'll be alive.

i don't know where i'm going with this. 2/2 is such an incredibly insane thing to me like they really put that in there. they really just said hey you know what would make this new edition of the game great. giving this guy gut wrenching terrible grief and moral dilemmas and making him choose to possibly kill the one he cares about and connects with more genuinely than anyone else in the cast.

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

🍔

murder bfs au tag

Much like in canon, Makoto has been spying on the Thieves at Principal Kobayakawa's orders. She targets Haru as one of her suspects and tries questioning her, but she ends up invited out to tea instead. Haru and Makoto have tea together, and Makoto realizes that she must have the wrong person as her target and confesses she was suspecting Haru as a Phantom Thief. She apologizes for assuming something so terrible, and Haru says with a wide smile, "Oh! But I am a Phantom Thief! And say, I've been having a problem as of late, and perhaps you could help me with it." And Haru proceeds to drag Makoto to Mementos.

Haru explains her problem with being underpowered, and needing more power to keep leading the Phantom Thieves. Makoto is intelligent, so maybe she knows what she should do. Makoto, wondering if this is all some kind of prank, halfheartedly offers that returning to the place she first got her powers might help. Haru exclaims in delight that she must be right, and drags Makoto to Okumura's Palace.

In Okumura's Palace, Haru fails to Awaken to her powers fully and is defeated by the shadows. Shadow Okumura offers Makoto a position of power and promises to spare Haru if she simply steps in line. Instead, Makoto Awakens to her powers to protect Haru. It is Extremely Gay of her. Makoto and Haru barely escape with their lives. Haru feels guilty afterwards for endangering them both, but Makoto says that she owes Haru for making her realize her mistake in letting adults manipulate her. Haru insists on helping Makoto anyway, and Makoto admits there is a problem she's been having lately with a crime syndicate that has been targeting the students at Shujin. But when she looks up information online about it, she finds out that Kaneshiro is dead, and the rest of his syndicate is in shambles.

(With Akira's help, Akechi has been able to target many more people much more quickly, including Kaneshiro, who was becoming a problem to Shido by hoarding money Shido believed was rightfully his. Akira is the one to kill Kaneshiro himself.)

Makoto insists they prioritize Haru's situation above all else, and so the Thieves work together to change Okumura's heart. Haru's marriage to her fiance has been moved up because her father has sensed her rebellion and wants her completely under his control, and so they race against the clock to free Haru before it is too late. Haru finally fully Awakens to her powers, and she and Makoto become the Thieves' gay moms.

Unfortunately for everyone, Akira and Akechi are up to their own gay shenanigans. The two of them forge a plan in Leblanc while no one else is there to overhear them. Since Akira has been spying on the Thieves he knows they are planning to target Okumura next. Okumura is already a target of Shido's, since he's been abusing his Black Mask privileges and is becoming a threat to Shido himself. So, Akechi will kill Okumura, which will scare the Thieves off from changing any more hearts. The public will turn against them, and the Thieves will fade into obscurity, no longer a threat to Shido. They'll kill two birds with one stone.

Akira is uncertain--he doesn't want to kill Haru's father--but he knows this is the only way to save them. So he volunteers to kill Okumura himself, because if he's going to agree to this, he is going to bear the brunt of the moral burden himself or he can't justify it. And when the time finally comes, Akira kills Okumura's Shadow.

The plan goes perfectly. The public turns against the Thieves. Having only successfully changed two hearts at this point and without Akira's guidance, the Thieves believe they are at fault and they stop changing hearts--they even stop venturing into Mementos for smaller targets. At first, it seems like everything has gone according to plan. The Thieves are history, and Shido is--temporarily--happy.

But, of course, none of that is destined to last, as there is a certain gremlin hermit that overheard the truth who is desperate for her own change of heart.

[sunast0es]

I hate misreadings of Akechi SO fucking much man

P5 spoilers //

I could go on for days about how people literally just use him to project their little parental issues.. and like OK HE IS FICTION YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO THIS BUT I would be lying straight to your face if I told you it didn't make me so angry

I see so many like edits on tiktok about like how he's so sad and he's such a little angsty boy he totally hates himself way more than he ever hated shido ooughhh he probably blames himself.. LIKE NO? just like literally stop stop RIGHT there. If Akechi truely hated himself why would Igor CHOOSE him to represent the other side of the game? If Akechi hated himself why was he so determined to get his revenge?? Literally his DYING WISH was for the PT's to kill shido. Of course he's a little teen boy who's not afraid of death and he's got a few mental illnesses, he says he was an undesirable child but I think those words get really mixed up. Like yes he wasn't wanted by anyone as a kid and OFC that's going to mess you up big time.. but I don't think Akechi says those things because he agrees and hates himself. He only says and calls out the fact that no body knows because he's a celebrity.. in japan family is like a HUGE thing, if the masses knew that Akechi wasn't wanted or valued by a family then they absolutely would not be thinking so highly of him. That whole comment is, to him, just another layer of how much lying he's doing to everyone around him. His inner thoughts are a reflection of the fact that literally no one knows who he truely is. He's lying to the masses, he's lying to joker and he's especially lying to shido. I don't think he hates himself for it, I think he just thinks about it a lot. Imagine what that's got to feel like when you grew up not being loved but now ONLY to be loved for a facade you put on... THAT is what Akechi feels.

[megaderping]

So much nasty Akechi hate on twitter today and it’s all the same BS. “He’s a serial killer who killed hundreds of people!!!” No, he’s an assassin, and where in the game did it say he killed hundreds?

“He killed Haru’s dad!”

Yes, but President Okumura ordered many of Akechi’s hits, worked his employees to death, was forcing his daughter into a loveless marriage with a man who clearly wanted her for her body, and was overall a terrible person. It would have been better for him to live with his change of heart and face his crimes, and Haru is right to grieve her father, but people ignore that Okumura was a shitty person who has many deaths on his hands.

Wakaba was entirely innocent, but Shido was the one who orchestrated her death, the fake suicide note, and shuffling Futaba through neglectful and abusive relatives on top of stealing her research. Kobayakawa and the SIU Director were shit people and while I think it woulda been better for them to live and face their crimes, their deaths were also ordered by Shido. He carried them out, certainly, and his plan was very reckless, but pretty much every Akechi fan likely is aware of this. It’s as bad as “Asgore kills kids lol”. Shido outright admits he instructed Akechi on how to use his abilities, threatens Akechi after the PT calling card by reminding him not to cross him... it’s such an awful, toxic power dynamic from which Akechi seemingly had no easy out, considering that Shido had a shit ton of powerful associates who, even after his change of heart, continue pulling strings. In both good endings of P5, they continue to pursue the Thieves.

Akechi got in too deep, and his murders were still murders, and yes, there was the attempted kill of Joker, but in Royal at least he tries to give Joker an out by offering him to work alongside him and ditch the thieves. The billiards hangout is also foreshadowing what he’s gonna have to do with Joker. Morgana calls out that he doesn’t really hate Joker, and in the end he does sacrifice himself and begs the PT to stop Shido.

...He also turns himself in, and instead of accepting an easy escape of consequences in Maruki’s reality, stands up to Maruki alongside the PT so they can return to their own reality, even if it means he could disappear. And, outside of True End with max confidant, he probably IS dead, and while it’s possible he survived in Max Confidant (devs even pointed out Maruki didn’t know if he died and that Akechi gets Endure if you max him), that doesn’t mean his crimes go away or everyone is bff with him.

Just baffles me that instead of shitting on the awful adults that molded Akechi into a killer, people shit on Akechi and his fans and use the same bland arguments.

Also... the “daddy issues” thing ignores the cultural context behind Akechi, like how awful life is for illegitimate children in Japan, how his mother took her own life, and just... yarrrrg. Nuanced and messy characters exist!

[detective-royalty-persona]

A TRAITOR'S CONFESSION - Mishima & Akechi Side Story

This AU side story’s storyline mirrors the dates of November 20 and January 2. If you haven’t played up to that point, it is recommended you don’t read.

Yuuki Mishima: … you know, Akechi-kun. I didn’t mean it to end up like this.

Goro Akechi: Save your breath, Mishima. If you’re going to kill me, you might as well get it over with.

Yuuki Mishima: I could, couldn’t I? But then you’d never know… you’d never know what I was going to tell you! What would be the point… what would be the point of selling you out to the police then? You’d die without knowing why I did what I did.

Goro Akechi: I didn’t expect you out of all people to be some traitor though. Or let me guess… your attachment to your identity as Aficionado was too strong?

Yuuki Mishima: You have a good deduction there, Akechi-kun. Tell me more.

Goro Akechi: Ever since you awakened your Persona, you’ve become more and more attached to being confident, well liked. That’s a very drastic change. My only conclusion is that you liked this new version of yourself, and wanted it to be your only self.

Yuuki Mishima: Well… yes if we’re being honest. However that’s not fully it. You know, from the first moment I saw you, I wanted to be by your side all the time. I wanted to defend you… but I couldn’t as some weak… puny… useless… tool.

Goro Akechi: Tool?

Yuuki Mishima: So after the Detectives put Kamoshida in jail, I wanted to be more than a useless tool! I wanted to help you out no matter what! And that’s what caused me to create my alter ego as Aficionado!

Goro Akechi: So… this all started with some obsession with me?

Yuuki Mishima: O-obsession? No, it was an admiration! I wanted to be just like you! And that’s what put all my emotions into becoming the most amazing anonymous guy online!

Goro Akechi: I see. And you kept that very same idea with your alias in the Detectives. It all makes sense. Except for one last thing.

Yuuki Mishima: Hm?

Goro Akechi: If you admire me so much, why did you turn traitor? Why are you pointing a gun at me?

Yuuki Mishima: Well… that wasn’t actually my fault. You see, my Aficionado identity changed the way I saw myself. And it was… twisted to say the least. That’s when someone came up to me. They said if I work for them and spy on the Detectives, they’d help me regulate the darkness in me.

Goro Akechi: This someone… that’s Masayoshi Shido, correct?

Yuuki Mishima: I’m amazed you got it right. Yes, Shido has been giving me medicine created from research into the cognitive world that makes me have the same characteristics of my identity as Aficionado, but keeps that dark, evil bit inside me.

Goro Akechi: So did he suggest you come here to kill me?

Yuuki Mishima: No, that was mine. I wanted to kill you myself. Not only do I get rid of the leader of the Detectives… but I get to defeat the only person I ever truly admired with my own hand.

Goro Akechi: Mishima-kun, you’re not even sounding like yourself! Whatever ‘medicine’ you’re taking clearly isn’t helping you.

Yuuki Mishima: Who cares? I’m just happy I get to see you die before my own eyes, the one I admire so much. Sweet dreams… Detective Prince.

. . .

1/2

Goro Akechi: … I didn’t expect I’d be running into the traitor again… that’s for sure.

Yuuki Mishima: Oh come on, Akechi-kun! You could stop calling me that! We have bigger problems to deal with. And besides… I didn’t… look. That’s all in the past, and you know now that in my right mind, I’d never do that!

Goro Akechi: I’m keeping an eye on you from now on though. That’s all I’m saying.

Yuuki Mishima: … fair enough… I suppose…

Goro Akechi: That sounds more like the Mishima I know.

[scarletwritesshit]

〆Goro Akechi x Sumire Yoshizawa 〆Who am I, if Not a Shell of my Former Self?

"I don’t remember who I am."

"You are Sumire, if I am not mistaken."

"Yes, but beyond my real name, I have no concept of myself. All I know is that I am the inferior Yoshizawa sibling."

"I have no conclusive solution for you there, as I hardly even see myself as anything other than my father’s plaything.”

Sumire and Akechi hoped that they still remained anchored in the true reality. No delusional therapists to turn Japan into a dystopia of perfection, no recorded existence of the Metaverse, just a detective recovering from years of abuse and an aspiring gymnast once again seeing the world through her own eyes. It felt real. They felt physically there. Then again, so did the last two realities they had experienced.

"It’s an awful feeling, isn’t it Akechi-senpai?" Sumire asked.

"No need to refer to me with such formalities. It matters not to me in a conversation with a friend. That aside, might I ask, what precisely are you referring to?"

"S-sorry…Goro. I keep forgetting that you’re not as uptight as you used to be. Uhm, anyways, what I meant was having to fake your entire self just to appeal to those who hold high expectations in you. You never really get to be yourself, and if you were someone before, all sense of that identity is lost."

"I am not sure if I can exactly relate in your case, seeing as how I was never someone to begin with," Akechi said, no longer bothering to hide his dejected attitude from her.

"Well, now that you’re free, you can act on your own terms to finally learn what the real Goro Akechi is like.”

"So, you’re saying that I should kill of my own free will..."

"N-no!" Sumire panicked. "Don’t you want to move on from being a killing machine?"

"I suppose that sounds appealing, but killing is the only thing that I know how to do skillfully.”

Sumire thought for a moment. How was she supposed to coax a former killer into becoming at least a semi functional human being? She didn’t even know where to begin with herself, let alone another scarred individual like Akechi. All of the activities that came to her mind was Kasumi this, Kasumi that. Nothing really screamed "Sumire, no, I would enjoy this."

Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity for them to rediscover themselves, together?

"The only thing that I know how to be is Kasumi. But there still has to be me in there somewhere, right? I-I apologize if I am speaking utter nonsense to you."

"You are making absolutely no sense" Akechi said, without hesitation. "What could you possibly mean by…having yourself inside of you somewhere?"

"Well, that’s what we are trying to find out, are we not? I gotta stop trying to be like Kasumi altogether, and you gotta find out who you truly are."

Akechi still could not seem to grasp this concept. It was all too unfamiliar to him, as he had known nothing but abuse for the entirety of his life. He was clearly confused, squinting his eyes at Sumire and skeptical of whether or not she actually knew what she was talking about.

How could she know what she speaks of? Sumire had absolutely no idea who Sumire was. She only knew Kasumi. What made her think that she had the ability to dictate who Akechi was? Shido had done that to him enough growing up, and he wasn’t about to allow yet another person define who he was.

Yet, he was at a loss of where to begin discovering his true self. He can't start with what he knew, as his goal was to break free of his reputation of being a killer. That was unfortunately all that he was capable of. Sumire must see something completely different in him. An actual human being beneath the wrongdoings he committed against his will. Akechi couldn’t understand why she viewed him in such a positive manner, or why her kindness was somehow getting to him.

"How should I expect you to know where to begin, when you don’t even know who you are yourself?" Akechi asked, clearly becoming frustrated with his inner turmoil.

"Well, I know that I am Sumire, and not my sister. That's enough of a start to separate reality from delusion, is it not?"

Akechi did not respond to Sumire’s question.

"And you know that you are no longer a pawn of Shido’s. You're a free man. At the core of this all, we're in the same situation. Practically blank slates."

"And how do you suppose we fill in the blanks of who we are?"

"Maybe we just...need to try a little bit of everything. No more being intimidated by life's potential; we just need to jump in and have at it!"

"You’re acting awfully enthusiastic for someone who was just freed from...possibly two layers of false realities?"

"I told you, I'm putting my life as Kasumi behind me. You aren’t going to get anywhere with a negative attitude like that!"

"I suppose I cannot allow myself to be weighed down by the chains that I have been freed from months ago."

"Exactly! You've made this much progress in rehab, so you cannot be stopped in your tracks now!"

Akechi quietly thought to himself for a moment. He had been undergoing extensive rehabilitation for a few months now, and he had a better grip on himself than when he was working under Shido. He felt more, down to earth, as one may say, but he could alas, not depend on others to hold his hand through life.  

It was his chance to carve a path for himself. All he needed to do was take the first strike. Yet as much as he may try to deny it, he could not resist the feeling of wanting to step into a new life with someone that he felt legitimately cared for him for the first time in his life.

After a moment of hesitation, Akechi nodded his head in agreement.

"And I refuse to stop."

Sumire seemed relieved to have finally gotten through to Akechi. He was a fairly reasonable man once he calmed himself down and collected his thoughts. For a brief moment, she was worried that he may snap and lose his temper like he was previously infamous for doing.

Akechi did not allow himself to lose his cool out of frustration. In fact, Sumire was fairly sure that was the calmest he had ever been during a disagreement of their views.

"That's good news!" she said, enthusiastically. "But I guess you are right about being at a loss of where to start."

"Well then, why don't we start together?" Akechi suggested.

"T-together? That's a rather surprising statement coming from you, Akechi! N-no offense intended, of course!"

"I mean it. We've been through this much for this long, so why not face what lies ahead as one? We may learn a thing or two about ourselves from each other."

Sumire felt like she was beginning to burn up. Face the rest of her life, with a boy who had already helped her through a rough couple of months? She did initially plan on working with him to figure out a sense of self-identity, but Sumire was thrown off guard by Akechi suggesting the idea himself.

The way he phrased it made Sumire think he had…slightly different intentions. Or maybe it could be her awkwardness influencing her perception of Akechi’s feelings. Though, who wouldn’t become flustered when their adorable, loyal friend suddenly says that they want to face the world with you together? Surely, he just means as friends, right? There's no way that he could have enough understanding to think that-

"Huuuh? Like, as in a rest of our lives kind of thing?" she asked, words practically falling out of her mouth.

Sumire must've caught Akechi off guard as well, or maybe he wasn’t aware of the extent of the words he was saying.

"I wouldn’t object. After all, we know each other better than ourselves."

"Senpai, d-do you know what you could possibly be implying here?"

"Sumire, if it’s one thing that we have learned from being dumped off here, it’s that we should listen to our heart, and not let the pressure of others define who we are. I can tell you, though it is not something that I fully understand myself, I find the strangest sense of comfort in talking with you."

Sumire was left completely speechless.

“It is merely a suggestion, but perhaps we can start by teaching each other what it’s like to be genuinely loved. No one else has tended to our emotional needs in such a way, correct? A great understanding seems to be present between us, something that I have learned is important in any form of relationship.”

"Ah...S-senpai?"

He pointed towards the calendar on the wall behind them. The date was February 14th, not even two weeks after Maruki falsely assumed that Akechi was being put to rest permanently. By this time, he had undergone months of rehabilitation in the true reality, and even though it was still sinking in after all that he had experienced in the Metaverse, Akechi trusted himself and his intellect enough to have a sneaking suspicion of what he was feeling for Sumire.

"It is Valentine’s Day, after all" he noted. "Even if it is just for today, I’d like to take the first steps to rediscovering our true selves, together."

Sumire had given up completely on words at this point. Her perception of those around her had clearly been warped, yet what good would she be if she continued to believe everything to be a lie? Akechi was speaking genuine words, and she would be in no right to show any disbelief, especially if it was from his heart.

Tears now building up in her eyes, she flung herself into his arms and held onto him tightly.

The unlikeliest of allies had found themselves to be more alike than they thought, so who was she to deny a sincere bond from someone who absolutely refused to leave her despite the rocky road that recovery has been?

“Akechi…” Sumire managed to say through her tears, “does this mean that you l-like me?”

“I wouldn’t say that like is the precise word that I would use here, but I think you got the idea,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.

If they wanted to heal from a lifetime trauma and emptiness, they would first have to learn to see themselves in a positive light.

And what better way to learn how to love than with someone close to you who felt exactly the same?

[webbedphantom]

So I wanna talk about this guy-

Meta Spider is one of the coolest concepts I've ever come up with, somewhat inspired by AUs where Joker or someone else gets Yaldy's power, as well as a very long and very epic fanfic where Yaldy possesses all the Thieves except Joker and tries to resume his plans. (I'd share what the fic was, but I can't remember what it was called sadly, which sucks because I never finished it-)

The idea here was also somewhat inspired by the beginning of NWH, where I was considering the idea of Aaron's identity being revealed, but the issue was that I didn't know how to walk that back tastefully. Keep in mind, NWH released before I'd started writing here, and Twitter doesn't exactly do the concept of verses.

The solution I came up with was simple, a deal with the devil. Which if you're at all familiar with Spider-Man comics, sounds really bad, but I promise this is better than that dumpster fire.

After Aaron begins to stress over how much his life is ruined, and how it has put all his friends in danger, Yaldabaoth appears with a deal. He will manipulate the minds of the masses to forget who Phantom Spider is, though he won't be able to do so for anyone with a Persona or anything similar, meaning the team, Akechi, Shido, and a few others would still remember. And the only thing he asks is to borrow Aaron's body for 24 hours, and more importantly, his innate connection to the Metaverse.

He doesn't agree easily, and he makes sure there are rules a limitations on what Yaldy can do during those 24 hours. Obviously, he's trying to fuse the worlds together, but do that in Aaron's body will require him to get his hands dirty, so he only agrees on a few conditions.

He cannot kill anyone

He cannot harm his friends

He will give Aaron a year to prepare. Not much point in reverting the status quo if he doesn't have time to enjoy it.

Yaldabaoth agrees to not harm his allies, as long as they don't get in his way. If they do, they're fair game, though he still cannot kill them. As for the year to prepare, Yaldabaoth will only agree to a month to get his things in order. He knows if he gives Aaron too long, he's likely to devise away to limit him even further.

Aaron reluctantly accepts.

He doesn't feel he has a choice. His identity being out puts everyone around him at risk. If he ever wants to be in their lives again, if he wants to keep them safe, he has to take this deal.

But he doesn't keep it a secret from them. As soon as the deal is made, he goes and he tells them about it. Obviously, they aren't particularly happy about this, but they understand why he agreed.

So they prepare. They all mark the day of the takeover on their calendars, and they gear up. They don't have to beat him, they just need to stall him.

Now the exact events of what happens during those 24 hours, I've never come up with. Mostly because since this was going to be an event, I was going to leave the details up to whoever I was writing with. But it's a really interesting idea, that I'd love to write sometime!

What I will say is that this would be a really tough fight. Once he knows the Thieves are trying to stop him, he isn't going to hold back much, he will hit them with everything he has as long as he knows they can take it. Aaron won't be able to resist his control, all he can do is nudge things a little to make sure he abides by the terms of the deal. And the only way he can get control back early is if Yaldabaoth breaks his word, which would involve either killing someone or harming one of Aaron's confidants who never got in his way, which aren't exactly ideal.

Last thing I'll say is while I don't have the specifics of the event laid out, I do know what happens if they succeed. Aaron gets his body back, and proceeds to pass the heck out for a few days. But when he wakes, he starts looking into those abilities Yaldabaoth used, to see if he can actually just... do that.

What are those abilities? Don't worry, I've got a post in the works that will explain exactly how powerful Aaron can be. (As well as explain why a lot of those powers won't be seen in a majority of his verses)

[ruiination]

What are Akira's thoughts towards Akechi from when he first meets him to the end of the 3rd Semester events.

// This is so complicated. @luzofstars

So basically... Akira thought Akechi was interesting. He found him to be interesting right from the start. He wanted to know how the investigation was going, so of course he would engage with him. It was thrilling to have a detective actively hunting him. It was exciting to talk to him. He never fully trusted Akechi. He knew they couldn't really be friends. But at the same time, he was interested in learning about him. What started as learning about the investigation became a desire to learn more about Akechi. He felt there was a certain fakeness in him, which he also saw in himself. Though he couldn't tell if he was projecting. He could tell there was something different about him.

So anyway. Akira is... despite acting quite distant and aloof, he gets very attached to people. He spent so much of his life totally alone that it is so easy for him to latch on to people and care about them. Despite it all, Akira did start to care about him. He enjoyed their little game. But he did actually start to give a shit about Akechi. There was so much he wanted to learn. And as he learned small things about him, he only wanted to learn more.

After he discovered that Akechi was the persona user in the black mask, his feelings hardly changed. He kinda knew he should have been disgusted and outraged. Akechi was a killer. And he WAS, to an extent. He was upset and hated the things that he had done. But that desire to understand was still there. He couldn't write him off. He wanted to know WHY. I would say that Akira genuinely felt a similar way for Akechi as he did for any confidant. And even after he had him arrested and "killed", he didn't hate him.

At the end of things, Akira genuinely cared a lot about him. Even if he knew it was stupid. Once he learned everything, Akira wanted to help him. Just like he had helped the others. He knew that, if things had been a little different, he could have been exactly like him. The ONLY difference is that he had Morgana to show him another way and his allies to help him. Akira saw Akechi as a lot like him. A kid that got fucked over by selfish adults. He didn't even care about Akechi being punished (because my Akira lowkey is a prison abolitionist lol i wonder why) and he just wanted to help him find his way to begin to make amends or even just... Live a life that wasn't totally dominated by Shido. Akira, aside from the gravity of his actions, saw Akechi as he saw the others. He wanted to help him. He didn't believe it was "too late" because he doesn't believe there IS a too late.

When Akechi fought them, Akira just wanted to subdue him. But when things got worse and Akechi sacrificed himself... It kinda broke something in him. Akira had NEVER known anyone that died before. He tried so hard to save him, and he slipped away. The guilt he felt was unbearable. He refused to speak about it with anyone. He genuinely grieved his friend. A victim he couldn't save. A boy that never had a chance. He spent a lot of time wondering what he could have done. There had to have been something.

And in the original Persona 5, that was where my hc ended. But Royal really vindicated my headcanons.

So in the third semester, Akira doesn't even question how Akechi survived. He quickly accepts it and goes along with him. He wanted him to survive, after all. He actually enjoys getting to be around him with no mask. Even if I feel like he certainly has to be the calm and rational one. He would probably vouch for him too, because Akechi is his friend. And he has to save him NOW. He can't lose him again.

Of course, the truth of Maruki reviving Akechi does cross his mind, but he quickly pushes it away. He refuses to accept it. And when it finally comes out that stopping Maruki will kill Akechi, he really does hesitate. Because Akira cares about him. Akira wants to help him. He doesn't want it to be too late. But in the end, he has to accept it. At least this time he has a real goodbye. He still isn't open about his feelings with him. But does he need to be? His one wish was to have him survive, after all? Akira, despite how much he wants him to live, lets Akechi have the choice. A choice he had never been given before. He won't take it away like everyone else in his life had. So Akira grieves Akechi again after the end, but he had closure so it doesn't destroy him like it did in my original post-game concept. And this time, he can do it far more openly.

[teddiesbestestpal]

Name: Tiefsee

Gender: Male

Age:??? Same age as Morgana

Species: Dumbo Octopus Esque Metaverse Creation

Appearance: In the Metaverse he appears as a short kinda Anthro version of a yellow dumbo octopus wearing a mostly brown with hints of light pinkish pirate outfit with his mask being a brown eyepatch on his right eye with a x symbol on it,, in the real world he appears as a much more realistic dumbo octopus although he can breathe without water he still likes being in water still and can be seen in a glass bowl, he has light reddish pink eyes, in his human form he gains in persona 5 royal from Maruki’s false reality

Personality: Tiefsee is very cocky full of himself and arrogant, he’s also very good at acting and putting on a good show, deep down he’s actually just lonely and wants some friends but he doesn’t know how to so he copied his fool ( Akechi’s behavior) of course he acts very Tsundere towards Morgana.

History: Tiefsee was created by Akechi using his Metaverse manipulation powers being based on a old plushie his mom gave to him before passing away, Tiefsee often helps Akechi during his missions in the Metaverse killing shadows while Akechi kills his target, Tiefsee is also very popular on social media with people knowing Tiefsee as Akechi’s special pet, finally Akiren decides to introduce Morgana to Tiefsee, at first Tiefsee tries to act like he hates Morgana because he knows they can’t be together because they are enemies, Which results in Tiefsee acting like a typical tsundere to Morgana which Morgana finds endearing, over time the two gets closer and Morgana stops simping for Ann and Tiefsee gets him to call him “Sir Tiefsee” eventually the two become close and start developing romantic feelings for each other, after Akechi’s death during Shido’s palace Tiefsee moves in with Morgana and Joker and Tiefsee is mourning Akechi’s death and Morgana comforts him, needless to say Tiefsee is more then relieved to see his former owner Akechi Goro return in the third semester they are very close after all.

Arcana: Temperance

Codename: Squire

Weapon: Anchor

Ranged weapon: Canonballs

Persona: Blackbeard ( initial persona) >>> Māui ( Ultimate Persona) >>> Edward ( Third Semester Persona)