#where somehow akechi lives

[thesoundofmadness]

I can't live blog my daydreams huh

[astrxealis]

good morning 🥺

[discotenny]

Lost you once

After your death, Akechi struggles to make the right choice.

Goro Akechi x Reader <3k words, angst, P5R spoilers, acceptance of death, Akechi cries a lot>

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It’s the first time he sees you in months and it feels just like the first time he ever met you.

You’re lost in the station, looking around in confusion as you try to decipher signs that don’t look familiar. You accidentally bump into him and Akechi has to stop himself from letting out a yell, to stop himself from unleashing the culmination of a bad day onto some unsuspecting stranger.

Besides, you were already terrified enough, having gotten off at the wrong stop with little to no money left on your train card.

You chided yourself while explaining the situation to him- rambling self deprecating thoughts about being stupid for not refilling your balance, for falling asleep on your original train ride, and for bumping into him from behind.

He thought you were pathetic at the first meeting. A bumbling idiot, sweating with every word you rambled out- he had to hold himself back from letting his inner annoyance leak into his eyes.

Something about you sparked something strange within him. You reminded him a little too much of who he once was. And maybe that’s why he helped you that day. Why he bought you a ticket to Yongen-Jaya. Why he sat next to you on the train. And why he let himself accept your thank you gift of a half finished pack of gum.

Akechi made a joke that just one piece would have been less sad than a half eaten pack and he could see your lip tremble at his words. Akechi chose to ignore the strange guilt that came with the sight.

Following that, you promised one day you’d give him a proper thank you gift the next time you saw him. Akechi didn’t really believe there would be a next meeting, but it didn’t hurt to entertain the thought.

It’s the first time he sees you in months and it feels like the first time he saved you.

In another stroke of bad luck (or maybe fate), you find yourself falling into the Metaverse as you run away from some creeps trying to rope you into a ponzi scheme.

You’re terrified, shaking at the surreal and unfamiliar setting of a twisted version of Shibuya. From the corner of your eye you see running figures of blacks and reds. Out of instinct you hide, afraid of whatever monsters this strange world possesses.

That’s where he finds you. Hiding in an alleyway from sentient ATMs and shadowy businessmen. You’re just as scared as the first time he saw you, even more so in fact.

Once again he finds you pathetic, shaking like a leaf in the wind. But the sight of someone like you alive in the metaverse is a fascinating one he can’t help but admire. Deep inside he wonders if you’re different from others, but he squishes that thought.

He would have just killed you there, had you not immediately jumped into his arms when he first spotted you. Even worse- you had somehow guessed his identity under the mask- claiming the surprised sound he made was the exact same as the one from the train station.

He had every reason to kill you then and there, end your existence as he continued his mission to run away from the thieves, and no one would be the wiser as to where a pathetic nobody like you ended up.

Yet he didn’t. And that might’ve been the worst mistake of his life.

Because maybe if he killed you he wouldn’t have gone to dinner with you after. Maybe he wouldn’t have taken you home. Maybe he wouldn’t have spoken more and more with you.

Maybe if he killed you then he wouldn’t have fallen in love with you.

Maybe he wouldn’t desire your touch through every hour of every day. Maybe he wouldn’t go to sleep drifting to dreams of you. Maybe he wouldn’t live the rest of his days craving your form.

And maybe if he killed you, he wouldn’t have lost you.

It’s the first time he sees you in months and the way you run into his arms has never felt so wrong.

The last time he held you, he knew it would be the last. He spent the day showering you in love, kissing you all over, holding you as to savor everything you had to offer. He wanted you to feel safe in his last moments with you, how you always felt when you were by his side.

Going into Shido’s palace, he had every intention of never coming back.

He expected you to be devastated. Spend days crying in your bed over his disappearance. Be upset, maybe even angry at the thought of him abandoning you for his selfish goals. He expected you would be devastated, but he also expected you would move on eventually. That maybe your anger towards him would turn to hate, that your upset would turn to disdain. That you would look upon his imprint on your life as a dark part you would never long for again.

It’s for the best, he said to himself. As always, he ignored the guilt that came with knowing he would cause you turmoil.

But Akechi never expected you to come to Ren, begging him to help him. He never expected you to force them to take you, for you to venture willingly into the dangerous world of the metaverse- just for him.

Akechi looked into your eyes through his red mask and saw a flash of bravery that was never there before. The spark made him stop in his tracks, pause in his monologue, freeze over as he realized the best of you only came when he was at his worst.

But the guilt is squashed as soon as Ren opens his mouth. And all hell breaks loose.

The battle between the thieves and himself is something he wishes you never saw. Seeing his humanity break, letting loose the feelings he tried to keep you safe from, his desperation to prove he was worth living-

He tried not to look at you throughout the struggle. If he did, he knew his resolve would fall apart and he’d do nothing more than cry in your arms.

As he stands beaten and defeated in front of you and the thieves, he still doesn’t meet your eyes. Even as you try and comfort him with words of love and assurance the ringing in his ears tunes them out. He doesn’t hear your chiding, your cries, and he certainly doesn’t hear the first “I love you” towards him that slips past your lips.

As he accepts his defeat and his own inferiority, he notices a familiar presence creep out from the shadows.

The foul words that his shadow spits out make Akechi want to claw out of his own skin. Towards the thieves, towards himself, towards you- horrible words and terrible truths fill the air. Things he tried so desperately to hide from you.

His killings, his past, his life as a living puppet for Shido to toy with as he pleases- all of it is laid out for you to hear.

He notices the pistol attached to the shadow’s waist and recognizes the glint in his empty eyes. He swallows the defiance that rises from his throat, the part of him that wants to prove the monster in front of him wrong. Through it all Akechi realizes this is where he dies.

Acceptance is what causes him to raise his own gun towards the him in front of him.

And when his gun raises, you run.

It happens in a flash.

Two gunshots.

One towards him, one towards the button to raise the wall that separates him and the thieves.

Two people move.

You push him out of the way, he falls to the ground.

One wall.

And he can’t see you anymore.

Laughter in a mockery of his own fills the side of the wall inaccessible to him, descending in tone as they slowly disappear into the floor along with the source. Your shocked gasps and painful winces follow in turn.

He screams until his throat is raw, pounding at the wall as he tries to claw his way to the other side. He promised your safety, not this.

You speak to him the best you can, over the pain in your stomach and the agony in his heart. Shakiness lines your voice as you chide him, telling him to shut up and listen to you. Through your sentences you cry. And you let out the second “I love you” directed towards him, and the first “I love you” he actually hears.

By the time he can reply with his own declaration you don’t have it in you to answer. And despite his acceptance of his own death just seconds prior, acceptance at his own survival makes him want to do nothing but scream.

The months that follow leave him hollow, an empty shell at who he once was. He watches from the sidelines as the thieves save the world. He watches from the streets as Maruki makes a mockery of Tokyo.

And Akechi watches as you cry into his scarf, scared and terrified just as he remembered you to be the first time he met you. He holds you and he knows this isn’t supposed to be. He shuts his eyes tightly, squeezing your shaking form.

Akechi brings you to Ren because he doesn’t know what else to do.

But Ren’s changed. There’s a new sense of melancholy that’s settled in his soul, different from the overwhelming grief that’s taken over Akechi’s. The first words he speaks explain everything about this ‘new’ him.

“So this is what he meant.” Monotone. Void of all the underlying confidence and ego he used to carry himself with. Filled with nothing but acceptance of something the two of you cannot comprehend. Ren urges the two of you to come inside Leblanc and sit with him at a booth.

Akechi takes the inside of the seat and you grasp his hand as you sit down. After a moment of silence you’re the one that chooses to speak first.

“Why am I here?” The crack in your voice makes Akechi want to shatter.

You look up at Ren and your eyes plead in desperation for an answer. Akechi can’t help but look away, staring at the table as he refuses to bear witness to the cruelty of your situation.

Ren sighs and twiddles his thumbs on the wood. “Maruki came by yesterday. He offered me something in exchange for allowing him to merge mementos and reality together. I-”

Akechi sees red and stands up, letting go of your hand, pointing an accusatory finger towards Ren. “So you let this happen? You allowed him to do this?!”

“I didn’t! But I woke up this morning and everything… Everyone was different. All of my- our friends are somehow in these idealized, contradictory lives. It doesn’t make any sense… And I- I don’t know how to fix this.”

“And why aren’t you the only one affected huh? He offered you something but you’re still here-”

“It’s this. He offered me this.”

The walls of the cafe seem to dissipate as you soak in the information Ren just revealed. Akechi quiets, eyes widening as his hands fall to his sides. Ren looks away, a grimace finding itself on his features.

“I just wanted you to be happy, both of you. All of us. You shouldn’t have been involved from the start y/n. I- I shouldn’t have brought you with us and I regret it every single fucking day. It was my fault, I’m sor-”

You reach over the table and place a comforting hand on his own. “Please don’t apologize.” Despite the sadness that laces your words you’re smiling.

Ren returns your smile with a solemn one. He turns to Akechi, “When you disappeared after it felt like that dream was as good as gone. I didn’t know you were even alive until today…”

“So by bringing me back Maruki thought that would…”

“Fix us…” Akechi cuts in and his hands are shaking. The anger that claws up his body is familiar. It’s visceral, and he still refuses to look at you. “That bastard…”

The two of you leave Leblanc shortly after, accepting an invitation to come back tomorrow to discuss the situation further with Ren. The streets are quiet as Akechi leads you home, holding your hand but not looking at your stare.

“Goro…” He doesn’t need to meet your eyes to know you’re looking at him in pity. “I…” Your hesitation makes his throat close. Are you scared of what he might do? Are you thinking back to the last time you saw him angry? The last time you saw him ever?

“I… don’t want you to accept this reality.”

“What?” The smile that finds itself on his face is a front for his disbelief. His eyes are closed despite turning towards you and that makes you frown.

“Look at me, Goro.”

He doesn’t want to. The last time he stared at you up close was the morning of your last. The last time he looked in your eyes was moments before your passing. The last time he looked in your eyes was the day a part of him died.

But your hand gently grasps his chin and forces him to drown. He can’t stop the tears that fall from his eyes as his eyes finally meet your own.

“Reject this, please…”

Akechi doesn’t say more because if he does it’ll be a verbal acknowledgement that you weren’t supposed to be here. He doesn’t say more because if he does he doesn’t know what’s going to happen to you.

He was supposed to be your protector, but he’s reduced to a shaking child desperate to cling onto the one source of love in his life. The more you take him into your hold the more he crumples, letting out sobs in a reply he can’t bring himself to speak. He must look pathetic, he thinks to himself.

“I-”

Your hand comes to his head, caressing his hair as he cries. Through sniffles and hiccups he allows himself to hug you back.

“I’m so, so sorry,” His voice is lined with water as he feels himself begin to grovel.

“I know,” your voice is soft yet all it serves is to intensify his turmoil.

“I don’t want to lose you again, I-”

“It’s alright.”

“Is it selfish that I want to say no?”

You pull away from him, holding him by the shoulders and looking up at him with your wonderful, shining eyes.

“It’s not selfish Goro. It’s just love.”

You kiss him, and your lips are just as soft as he remembers them to be. The same lips that would bring him out of nightmares and darkness. The same lips that would manifest a sense of love for himself that never existed without your presence. It’s innocence that lines your movements, just like the innocence that has followed you since the first day he ever met you.

When you draw back to take a breath he finds himself chasing after you in desperation. His hand comes to your chin as he tries to pull you closer to him, to try and merge your souls so yours can’t escape from his again.

There’s a sick feeling in his stomach that if your lips represent innocence, his represents the ever growing darkness seeping out from within him. With the merger of your love, Akechi doesn’t want to know if the product is something that can withstand what has to come next.

His lips supplement all the words he refuses to say. They pour apologies into your being and with every movement he hopes you understand just how much he missed you and how much he needed you.

When you part you’re panting, staring up at him in awe and wonder and it makes him want to sob.

“I…” Akechi wants to move away from your gaze, from any possible judgment he feels you may let out. Ironically, it’s the intensity of your look that keeps him chained to eye contact. “I cannot live in a world without you.”

“But you have to.”

He can’t bring himself to say that he knows but you know it’s there anyways.

“It’s going to be okay Goro.”

“How do you know that? It hasn’t been okay since… I haven’t been okay since.”

“I know because I believe in you,” your thumb rubs his cheek, red from the cold and tears. “I know you think that what happened is your fault but it was my choice Goro. You can’t take that away just so you can deny yourself the chance to live.”

The shine in your eyes is unmistakable. The same look you gave him before he never saw you again, bravery. Akechi grabs your hand because he knows what’s going to happen next.

“You can’t do this,” he chokes up, “You can’t sacrifice yourself again for me.”

You take a step back, still holding onto his cheek and looking at him with those incredible, shining eyes. “I love you, Goro.”

“I love you too. I love you, I love you, I-” He hopes if he repeats it enough it’ll convince you to stay.

“And because I love you, I can’t stand to see you this way.”

You kiss his cheek for one more time and whisper in his ear.

“Live your life Goro. Help Ren and save the world. And when we see each other again, tell me everything,” your lips leave his cheek so gently it's like you were never there.

“I will, I promise, I promise you I will,” his gaze glosses over as he takes in all of your form. Your warmth, your eyes, your kindness, your lips, your bravery, your smile, all of you. Akechi closes his eyes and there’s a silent I love you that doesn’t need to be said.

The embrace of your arms dissipates, his hand closes around nothing, and all that’s left in your wake is the glitter of sparkle and shine. It’s the last time he ever sees you in this life, but it’s nothing like the first time he lost you.

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RAHHHHHHh !!!!! I hope you guys enjoyed this !!!! I enjoyed writing this GOD I LOVE MT BAB TGEFUWHFIWEHFJQI !!!

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

The Lipless Man: From the casebook of Akechi Kogoro

Translated by Alexis J Brown

[His] thirst for revenge had been inhuman. He was either insane or pure evil. A vampire that fed on fear. How could any harbour such hatred, no matter how badly they felt wronged? Tsunekawa, and even Akechi, recoiled at his speech, which sounded like a curse reverberating from the bowels of hell.

People can bear any horror, no matter how terrifying, as long as it remains in sight. But when something dematerialises before their eyes, like white breath on a frosty day, panic can take hold in an instant.

‘I’ve a funny feeling you’ve both been pulling my leg,’ the Inspector said, strolling in the direction of the temple gate. ‘Both of us?’ Akechi asked, smiling in his customary way. ‘You and the lipless man.’ ‘Ha! What an extraordinary idea!’ ‘It’s like the two of you are playing your own peculiar game. Every hunch you’ve had has been miraculously spot on. And as for the ghoul, somehow he knew it would be you who’d dig up that coffin. He predicted as much in his letter. How could that be, unless you’d both planned it in advance?’ It was not obvious whether the Inspector was joking or not. He looked at Akechi with an unnatural smirk on his lips. ‘Maybe we’re the same person. Like in one of Maurice LeBlanc’s Lupin stories. By day, I’m an amateur detective, by night, a murderous fiend. What a set-up!’ Akechi laughed, long and loud, and eventually Tsunekawa had to join in. ‘Speaking of works of fiction,’ the Inspector said at last, ‘This case has had its own cast of bohemian characters. Artists, writers, and the lipless man himself.’ ‘That may well be intentional. Great criminals have fantastical ambitions...'

There is a dark side to life. An evil lurking in the shadows. Whatever horrors envisaged by the most demonic poet, they're nothing to what takes place in reality.

For hardcore Edogawa Ranpo fans:

One character in this story appears to be loosely based on Edogawa Ranpo himself! Sonoda Kokkō, a writer of detective fiction, is described in the novel as follows:

It appeared Sonoda Kokkō had written bizarre short stories for a select audience with a taste for his brand of grotesque nonsense. He’d produced one piece of fiction a year, often surprising his editors who’d completely forgotten about him. Nobody had known where he lived or what he looked like; not anyone at the magazine that published his fiction, and certainly not the general public. His manuscripts were never sent from the same post office twice, and his fee had always gone back to whatever post office that had been. His landlord and neighbours hadn’t even been aware he was a writer. He’d no friends, and had always kept his doors and windows locked whether he was in or out. All anyone knew about him was that he’d been a loner. ‘The property we searched was in a very desolate part of Ikebukuro. A small detached house. When we looked inside, it was like wandering around a haunted mansion. There were skeletons hanging in the closets, dolls heads, wet with red ink, left on all the tables, and coloured woodblock prints of the most bloodcurdling scenes plastered on every wall. I’m sure you get the picture.’ ‘Fascinating,’ Akechi nodded keenly. ‘His shelves were filled with books on criminology, criminal history, and true crime stories. In the drawers of his desk were pages and pages of unfinished manuscripts...

At one point in The Lipless Man, a story written by Sonoda Kokkō is referenced and used to discover the hiding place of the book's villain. I won't spoil the surprise entirely, but the short story by Sonoda Kokkō is remarkably similar to a famous story written by Edogawa Ranpo!

The Lipless Man was published in 1930, and four years later Edogawa Ranpo moved to a home in Ikebukuro where he lived for the next 31 years. The building where he lived is now The Edogawa Rampo Memorial Center for Popular Culture Studies (The Edogawa Rampo Residence). You can find learn more at their website: https://english.rikkyo.ac.jp/research/research_institutes/rampo.html

[leonawriter]

Just thinking again of post-canon/college era Futaba and Yusuke renting an apartment together because there's no one else who knows their habits like they do.

Neither of them are good at this! Futaba once sold the rights to a mobile game because she didn't want the hassle of managing it, and Yusuke is very much himself at finances at all. But somehow (with help from their friends) they make it work.

Futaba would live off of instant noodles if she was left to her own devices, and Yusuke would just forget to eat at all - but they can afford to get fresh ingredients, and Futaba's learned how to make Wakaba's curry and Yusuke is almost as good at coffee as Akira, and they've both picked up a few things here and there. They remind each other.

Yusuke gets paints all over the place. There are murals on the walls (they don't know what they'll do about, when it comes to moving to another place. The deposit is gone). There are sketches of the entire team on the walls, and a few print-outs that are a collaborative effort. Futaba's lost more socks to stepping in things she shouldn't have than she'd like to think about, and a few pieces of clothing were permanently changed as a result of one project or another.

There are Featherman figures in odd places of their home, kept carefully. Some are very expensive, and have untold stories of being presents or apology gifts from Yusuke, Akira, Akechi. There's an entire costume displayed in the living room complete with helmet that's show-accurate because it was a gift from one of the actors after they were introduced by Feather Pink.

Yusuke might have his own area for his art (and leave half of it in places it shouldn't be), but Futaba's got the office, which has all of her old setup plus some. Where once she would have had yellow tape saying "keep out," now it says "top secret" for the way she'll work on Shadow Ops projects alongside her personal projects and college work.

It's a mess. They still argue. But it's home.

[sharkdenwrites]

Hello, Hello! (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

May I request "Can I call you tonight" w Goro Akechi with a female Reader ?

A/N - oml, sorry this took me so long to get out, I was in China to see my grandparents until today and wrote this is a haze in between naps on my 13 hour flight on the way back. It wasn't what I was originally planning to go with, but I like this version better :3

CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT - AKECHI x FEM!READER (Request 1)

cw: none rating: G

Akechi was screwed. He really messed up this time.

His finger hovered over your name in his phone. Instantly falling for you was a mistake, a gross miscalculation that had his mind and heart in conflict. He knew it was a bad idea, letting his emotions get the better of him. That didn't change the fact that he had added a little heart to your contact info.

You reminded him of Robin Hood with your pure heart and good intentions.

He felt so bad lying to you.

Previously, before meeting you, he hadn't found a good reason to live. Sure, he was playing Shido's game, but things had only grown more complicated with the development in Sae Niijima's Palace. In that wretched casino, he'd seen the worst of his senior colleague's psyche, the manifestation of her desires led astray. Between that and meeting that bastard Ren Amamiya, he'd begin to question whether what he was doing was actually worth it.

Then you'd bumped into him at his favorite jazz club. You had a gig lined up as a guest singer with Lyn, the usual vocalist. He discovered that you were a vocal student, one of the most promising soprano singers in Tokyo at the moment. He was entranced by your voice, like a songbird with an innocent twinkle in your words.

What was he supposed to do? You were everything he wasn't, what with your flowing ensemble of multilayered skirts and sleeveless blouse. You were even decorated with little hummingbirds, which helped project your picture of freedom and purity. Your hair was done up in a half-up-half-down bun with two hair sticks that twisted around themselves and ended in pearls. Everything about you screamed "good."

He was enamored, but kept his distance that night. Just his luck that you'd run straight into him as he was slinking out of the club.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir! I wasn't watching where I was going, my apologies." You had bowed deeply before meeting his inquisitive gaze, voice ringing sweetly through the empty hallway. Akechi held his breath, expecting you to recognize him and start bothering him for an autograph.

"You're Goro Akechi, right? Fancy meeting you here! What a funny circumstance." Giggling, you had straightened up and offered a hand out in a gesture of goodwill. "I thought a great detective like you would be busy solving Japan's next biggest case, but I'm honored you had time to come to my show!"

"Actually, it really is a funny circumstance. I usually come here on Fridays to wind down after a hard week. I had no idea there'd be a different performer this time!" He turned up the charm, not wanting to let down someone so humble. "I can't say I was disappointed, though!"

There was that laugh again, carrying through the quiet space around the two of you. It sounded like starlight looked, bright yet gentle.

Akechi winked, much like he did for his fangirls, but it felt less disingenuous somehow.

"Who do I owe this pleasure and an amazing performance to?"

You gave him your name. Your last name caught his ear, foreign yet beautiful.

Finch. You certainly lived up to your surname.

"Well, Ms. Finch, that was certainly the most enjoyable evening I've had in a while."

You laughed, melodic and soft, hardly more than a breath, and gave him a stunning smile. Akechi noticed that you had a beauty mark to the right of your lower lip.

"Thank you so much! It was actually my first gig, so I was nervous. Glad I didn't disappoint, though!" You blushed lightly and averted your eyes.

Oh, you were too cute. Akechi could almost forget that he was a criminal with how innocently you smiled at him.

"If I may be so forward, I'd love to get to know you more. Could I be so bold as to ask for your number?" Lord, his heart never fluttered like this before. It was almost like your presence could take away his pain, if just for a moment.

You had agreed in the end, but not before flushing a bright red and stammering out an enthusiastic reply.

Now, here he was, the Detective Prince, reduced to a yearning mess. That interaction had been two nights ago. It was Monday now, which meant that he had failed to work up the nerve to text first for a whole 72 hours. He was pathetic.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and hit sent on the message he had been typing and re-typing for nearly half an hour at this point.

Hello, this is Goro Akechi. Apologies for waiting so long to text you. Would I be able to call you tonight?

If falling in love with you was his biggest mistake, then so be it.

[immortalmsmoon]

hiii<3333 love ur work especially ur persona 5 works hope your request box is still open <33

can i request how akechi wedding would be and how domestic life will be ?

hope u have a great day (and happy late new years!!!!)

Domestic Life With Akechi

Goro Akechi

A/N: Guys I'm back?? sorry i was gone so long!!! finally have motivation to write again. Thank you so much for the request!

Warnings: FLUFFFFF

Wordcount: 497

definitely proposed to you, and refused to have it any other way. he had a plan, and their was no way he was doing anything else

it was really sweet honestly...so much bad stuff has happened in his life, he's ready for a break

made sure everything was perfect, and of course it was

probably took you to a flower field or somewhere the two of you could have some privacy

he's so used to having people fangirl over him, and sometimes he doesn't mind, but this is one of the few exceptions where he doesn't want anyone to interfere, or see it happen, really. he knew you'd probably like the privacy as well

not very awkward before and whilst proposing, but very much so afterwards. happy, but awkward nonetheless.

one of few times he actually gets flustered. he prepares this cute little speech, and he's not used to expressing that much emotion.

when you guys finally get married he is honestly so excited. he may not show it that much, but he really is.

again, everything is perfect. he's very organized about all of this.

also again, a cute private venue is where you get married. probably in a field with one of those white arch thingy's above you. a couple of your friends, your family, and maybe one or two of his friends. Akira probably end's up being best man, unless you have someone in mind.

you guys have a quiet but fun wedding, dance a bit, you know, the works.

he's not super romantic until you guys have some privacy, aka after the wedding.

he's uncharacteristically romantic, mainly because he never really saw a day like this coming, and he is truly so happy and lucky to have a s/o like you.

very sweet and kind of clingy. makes you food, and the two of you have a nice romantic night, ending it off with a nice bath.

now, when it comes to domesticity, its a lot of small stuff.

again, Akechi's not big on being physically affectionate, or even verbally. he usually shows you in acts, big or small.

he likes to make you breakfast when he doesn't have work, and prepare bath's for you after long days.

sometimes he'll pick up some stuff he knew you wanted or needed from the store and nonchalantly leave them on the counter for you.

does a lot of chores, and the two of you kind of have a little schedule for who does what and when.

also shows his love in the moments that the two of you have together.

he's pretty busy, but he always makes time to spend with you.

all of his dates are memorable or meaningful somehow, even if its just a visit to the jazz club. you always end up with a couple polaroid pictures or some little knickknack that the two of you picked up on your journey.

domestic live with Akechi is really calm and nice, and rarely is there many problems between the two of you.

[scarletwritesshit]

⌛ Goro Akechi x Ren Amamiya ⌛ Takuto Maruki's Shuake Fanfiction

He had the ability to rewrite this reality in whatever way that he saw fit. The chance for everyone to live out their wildest dreams, regain what they thought was forever lost, free themselves of burdens plaguing their waking life, Maruki could do it all.

That is, if they choose to accept this new reality as their own. Maruki could appear sweeten the deal a little, perhaps exaggerating things just a tiny bit to encourage their acceptance. He had already won the others over fairly easily, but convincing both Akechi and Ren to accept his perfect world was especially important to him. From the start, he was well aware that something was brewing between those two, something that would blossom into far more than a tragic tale of two enemies turned best friends.

And what if could make that little something come to light, with a tad bit of prodding from him of course? So far, his little taste of reality manipulating tricks have proven quite successful with Sumire. Now, with having a grander scale to work with, the lives of the locals, soon to be the world’s, were practically his to toy with as he saw fit. In fact, there was no practically about it. It was his reality after all, and anything would soon be possible as long as he scored those few words of acceptance.

His reality opened up a never-ending realm of possibilities for him to explore, or for Ren and Akechi, he meant. Maruki knew quite well that their ultimate desires were to see each other again, alive, well, and within each other’s’ reach. Their bond was strong, despite the shaky history they have had in the past, and it was a buildup of these unfortunate events that lead to them ultimately becoming forced apart. Maruki wanted to amend this, and he was confident in his ability to execute his masterful plan. With Akechi back from the grave and within Ren’s reach, how could the two of them possibly decline his offer.

And Maruki’s mind was overflowing with so many possibilities for the two of them that he just had to spin his chair around and grab a spare piece of paper that was on his desk and begin furiously writing away. So many “alternate universes” that could become definitive reality at his command. His hands were trembling with excitement, but he had to keep himself composed, otherwise, these spur of the moment ideas of his would soon be taking up a section of reality all by themselves.

Coffee shop reality? That option quite honestly felt the most plausible. Ren as the barista at Leblanc, Akechi as a regular customer, it all felt so believable and perfect.

But why settle with something so mundane and predictable, when control of life itself was in his hands? Maruki could shake things up a little, and put Akechi in charge of the café instead. Or, both of them could work behind the counter together.

Why should he settle for something as average as a coffee shop alternate reality, where practically anything was possible if he decided that it was in their best interest? He pushed up his glasses and tapped his fingers together, expanding his thinking beyond what was just “plausible.”

Forget the limits of Japan law, why not take things a step further by putting Ren and Akechi together in a mafia reality? That’d be far more entertaining than just a run-of-the-mill coffee shop. And since it is his world with his rules, he could guide them on a path to make sure the police never, ever interrupt their devious little schemes. Oho, how entertaining that would be for all three of them.

But why stop at the limits of what would be considered plausible reality? Why not shake things up a little with a bit of fantasy? Like, a prince and his knight, perhaps? Maruki had no idea, at the moment anyways, on how to construct a fantasy universe with the current limits of Shibuya. With the Personas that ran free through the area, he could make something work. Somehow. At least their assistance would make the transition to heroic knight and prince in distress a somewhat smoother and less…immersion breaking, perhaps?

But who would fill which role, he wondered. He tapped his pen on his desk as his frantic writing temporarily ceased so that he may take a moment to carefully think things over. Would Akechi be the one in distress? He was under Shido’s strict control for almost the entirety of his life, and he didn’t exactly have the capability of breaking free all by himself. Then again, Ren, too, was a prisoner to both the law and Mementos, and he wasn’t exactly the definition of a gallant knight in shining armor all things considered. Well, in the sense of the “real” world he wasn’t, and with a little bit of help from Maruki, he could tweak a couple of small details to make things play out in their (his) favor.

He furiously scribbled his ideas for this reality off to the side, lest his buildup of thoughts begin to fade. In the midst of him jotting down notes, it hit him: why was he investing this much thought into an idea that he wasn’t even sure that he was going to execute, let alone have the ability to? He still had plenty of possibilities left to explore, with many of them reaching beyond the limit of his own imagination.

Science fiction, restaurant, wild west, time travel, the possibility of different realities felt endless, and once he had freed himself from the concept of being logically possible, Maruki went wild filling up pages upon pages with possible directions to take the relationship of Ren and Akechi. He had found himself quite invested in the two of them, as something about their tragic blossoming relationship and unique circumstances bought so much joy to him. Though he was watching them from the sidelines with practically the seat of an almighty god, he found entertainment in leaving both sides alone to stray on their own tragic path. If it were not for them, Maruki would’ve bought the reality they once knew to ruins quite some time ago. His own morbid curiosity led him to waiting perhaps a little bit too late, and in an unfortunate twist of fate, Akechi sacrificed himself for his newfound group of friends.

This, however, was no big worry for Maruki. Just write him back into the story that was his reality, and continue toying with him and his beloved Ren as he pleased. And why should he settle on just one idea? One clear word of acceptance from both of them was enough to grant him all the power he could possibly want to lead their lives astray in different ways, subtitle to them, yet drastic from Maruki’s perspective. Now that’s what he was talking about.

All he had to do now was convince them to accept his reality as their own. He already promised them a perfect life with all of their wishes coming true, yes, but what about all of these…bonuses? Proposing these alternate paths was indeed an option, though if they were aware of how much power Maruki actually held over them, it would make them far more likely to decline. Perhaps he should only mention his little “tricks” should the situation become dire and he was on his last hope for convincing them to accept his reality.

Looking at the sheer number of ideas that he scribbled down, Maruki sat back in the chair and began to think to himself. Perhaps he did indeed allow himself to get a little carried away with this brainstorming. After all, considering how rebellious Ren was, there was a chance that not even his love for Akechi could convince him to succumb to his perfect reality. Akechi was no easy soul to convince either, as after the treachery of his life, there was the distinct possibility that his sole desire was to be left to rest.

Maruki was already investing a lot of effort into something that was so easily shut down with a simple word of rejection. He, however, was going to make sure both Ren and Akechi accepted no matter what.

The world would soon be his playground, and he wanted to assure his grasp on reality with just a tad bit of bribery for the pair who posed him the greatest threat.

[hillbilly---man]

A list of my works on AO3

(they're all Saiki K fics at the moment but I'll add fandom categories to this post if I ever get a new interest lol)

It doesn't fit my plans; it's something I don't understand

Published July 11, 2021

Summary: Saiki is fascinated by Satou Hiroshi, and the people around him start to see that this might be more than just a platonic curiosity.

What is this feeling called love?

[Notes: Bittersweet ending. Nobody gets together. My insistence on theming these early fics after songs is pretty embarrassing now. I'm not proud of my writing here but the story is ok. I might rewrite it someday. Not bad for my first fic since like 2003 though]

Something Changed

Published August 11, 2021

Summary: Aiura wrote a letter to her soulmate the night before they were supposed to meet.

She's predicted a lot of things... how could she have gotten this one wrong?

[Notes: Another sad ending. The format of this is almost entirely an excited letter about the future Aiura imagined that would never come to pass. Not really much of a story happening here tbh]

Won't it be strange when we're all fully grown?

Published August 28, 2021 (INCOMPLETE)

Summary: With graduation quickly approaching, the psychics of PK Academy (and Akechi) worry that they'll drift apart. Luckily, they come up with an idea.

"Let's all meet up in the year 2030!"

A lot can change in a decade.

[Notes: Kind of like a psychicker class reunion where they're all adults with jobs and everything catching up. Future chapters were going to have almost a Scooby Doo vibe (with a twist reveal at the end about Aiura's husband!) I abandoned it because I posted some art and someone called my art creepy and it made the whole fic feel bad to think about. Maybe I'll get back to it someday. It's cool to see how quickly my writing improved. I was also super proud of how well I wrote Akechi's dialogue here]

Hotel Valentine

Published September 24, 2021

Summary: Toritsuka Reita is a pretty lucky guy. He somehow managed to not get expelled from PK Academy, he graduated, and he's avoided creeping on any living girls for a few months. To celebrate, the PK Psychics paid for a one-night stay in the fanciest hotel in Tokyo so Reita can creep on the ghost girl of his dreams. Pretty lucky, right?

Too bad things aren't going his way. He's being ignored by the staff, he's bored out of his mind, and he can't find the ghost girl anywhere. Some vacation, huh?

[Notes: Spoiler: Toritsuka's a ghost stuck in a nice hotel. This is based on a concept album that most of you have never heard but hear me out! It really has nothing to do with the Cibo Matto album of the same title except that the chapters are named after the songs and there are fun Easter eggs for fans of the album. Another slightly sad ending but not too bad]

Coffee & TV

Published August 27th, 2022

Summary: The new silence in her house felt heavy on Kumi's shoulders. Everything reminded her of Kumagoro... especially her grandson Kusuo, who has been coming to visit more often than ever before.

[Notes: this is my least popular finished fic and I understand why. It's about grief and the loss of a grandparent. It's about the unique pain that a psychic would have after failing to prevent that death. There's a sad twist that TBH I think I was a little too subtle with. One of my favorites]

Friendly Fire

Published January 8, 2023

Summary: Being an adult is great until the Problems start. Good grief.

30-year-old Kusuo's psychic powers have been pretty well controlled for over a decade. Why are things starting to go haywire all of a sudden?

[Notes: Friendly Fire my fucking beloved!! In this fic, Saiki gets essentially psychic multiple sclerosis and has to deal with some complicated emotions. I don't think it's a masterpiece or anything but it was cathartic to write and I'm in love with the versions of these characters that I wrote here. So much so that I'm writing a sequel just so I can write more of them. Also, FINALLY a happy ending!!]

Ramen Ikouze?

Published April 28, 2023

Summary: After being dragged to get ramen with Nendou every week, Kusuo starts to realize that it's not so bad after all.

[Notes: I love Nendou, he's so good. This fic is very cute and about their friendship. A couple of fun twists]

Saiki has Plans?

Published May 2, 2023

Summary: Saiki mentions having plans after school, and the overactive imaginations at PK Academy work themselves into a fuss trying to imagine what he could be doing.

[Notes: This fic follows around a bunch of Saiki's classmates as they gossip and snoop to find out what he's up to. It's my most popular fic for some reason]

A Bright Flash

Published May 13, 2023

Summary: Saiki develops an annoying new ability, and through some comedy series logic is forced to tell Teruhashi about it. She tries to be a good ally to her "newly psychic" crush.

[Notes: Teruhashi accidentally finds out about Saiki's new power and he's like "fine. I'm a psychic. But it's just this one power and nothing else."]

Heat Wave

Published June 6, 2023

Summary: There's a historic heat wave in Hidariwakibara, and some of our favorite PK Academy students end up running into each other while taking refuge from the hot weather.

A series of four standalone (but connected) stories taking place at the same time:

Aiura has a vision of disaster, and she and Nendou try to stop it

Yumehara gives Toritsuka some advice to improve his game

Akechi meets Teruhashi's brother

Saiki really wants some shaved ice from the kakigori stand where Mera is working

[Notes: The summary explains it well but also I weaved so many connections between the chapters (that are all happening at roughly the same time). It was also a lot of fun writing interactions between characters that didn't get much in canon. Also you can tell it was hot as hell when I wrote it because I definitely gave Saiki some kind of psychic heat intolerance lol]

Immunity

Published July 6, 2023

Summary: She didn't know why, but Kokomi was finally able to see the truth.

Why Saiki seemed to appear and disappear without explanation. Why it seemed like he always knew what she was planning. Why he wore those weird hairpins.

It was all so obvious now.

Saiki had psychic powers.

[Notes: The veil is lifted suddenly and all the truths that Saiki kept locked behind his mind control were revealed to Teruhashi. He and Aiura have a chat with her about it. Also this was the first fic of mine that an IRL friend read (to my knowledge) and his comment was something like "I don't know anything about your boy but he sounds autistic and gnc" and I took that as a fucking compliment! You know you've written Saiki right when people can see that shit from space]

The Disastrous Financial Situation of Saiki K

Published August 9, 2023 (IN PROGRESS)

Summary: Adjusting to his new limitations has been annoying, and now Kusuo (age 31) needs a car to get around.

Unfortunately, taking time off work has drained his savings.

How is he going to get the money for a car now?

[Notes: This is my sequel to Friendly Fire but it's a lot lighter in nature. 100-Yen-Man goes around doing stuff for Saiki's friends. There are mentions of his disability from Friendly Fire and it's plot relevant but I think you can catch on even if you didn't read the original. I haven't updated in a while but I am actively working on it!! A Yumehara and Makino chapter next and then a Toritsuka chapter after that. TBH this isn't my best work and it's pretty unpopular but I'm having fun and that's all that counts)

[justanothershippingcan]

It makes me almost laugh how, even after P5R, some genuinely believe Akiren and Akechi hate each other. It’s just so baffling to me when (and this isn’t even everything):

1) The whole beginning of their confidant (and Akiren still going out with Akechi for eight whole ranks) implies in a not-even-subtle way that Akiren knew. He knew from the very start that Akechi was someone at the very least dangerous due to his detective work, and even more so with the full-on certainty (basically) that Akechi had already been into the metaverse. Yet the full true ending requires that the whole confidant has been completed and truly, besides an initial attempt to understand the danger the PTs were getting into with Akechi, Akiren/Akechi’s whole outings were... dates. The most normal of dates, aside from Rank 7 (which is where, again, not even so subtly, Goro “mentions” the whole assassination ordeal and an aborted-from-the-start possible accomplice route) and ofc Rank 8. Akiren didn’t have much to gain from them, besides possibly understanding... well, Akechi as a person. And also, Akiren is kind of an appreciator of the fine art of danger, he likes the thrill of it. He loves the rivalry they have. 

2) I adore how dudebros many use the whole “I hate you” bit of Rank 8 as proof of Akechi’s hatred towards Akiren and... it is kinda funny. Because, yes, the sentiment is there, and Akechi isn’t utterly lying, but it requires a reading between the lines operation. Both Morgana and Maruki literally state, respectively that “Goro likes Joker” (OG Japanese Engine Room, translated in English as “You don’t hate Joker”, which still conveys the same meaning, albeit less strongly/forwardly) and that their relationship “ISN’T based on hatred, nor ill will”. 

What Goro defines as spite for Akiren as a person is mostly spite because of his envy. Envy because Joker is everything Goro could have been had he had a chance. Envy because Joker was luckier. Envy because Joker got what Akechi had been craving for the most: being loved by people around him for who he is. These same people are also ones that state how basically everything from Akechi’s mouth is a full on lie besides this one and only one, but I digress. A more normal line of thoughts linked to this is, well, Akechi’s whole assassination attempt as proof of his hatred again, which well, the assassination attempt is yikes on a healthy relationship perspective, but since I am not debating on whether their relationship is healthy or not as if enemies to lovers where the lovers attempt to kill each other isn’t a basis for many heterosexual classical literature romances as well, isn’t it pretty funny that Goro challenges Akiren to a duel just before that fateful day of November. And isn’t it even funnier how he wasn’t that surprised by Akiren surviving and even states,at max rank, how Akiren too isn’t satisfied with how they left it either. I wonder.

3) P5R whole, well, Royal part is literally Maruki creating a false reality for all the PTs and somehow people still believe Akiren hates Goro with the full-on knowledge that Akiren’s whole ideal (again ideal, wished for) reality is Goro living and working with the PTs. It’s Goro having a second chance. It’s Goro specifically being with him, playing Chess with him in the reserved space of Akiren’s attic (the window behind them is the same as Akiren’s attic), their card is the only one, besides Simping Morgana - where Ann isn’t even looking at him btw) - where two PTs are together). 

I have seen someone in a comment mention how this is proof Akiren wanted Akechi to pay for his crimes and being alive was so Goro could be sent to jail when? Literally Akechi isn’t allowed to go to jail in Maruki’s reality LMAO. Akiren could have asked for everything. Money, fame... yes, but we can state these aren’t truly Akiren-like wishes, right? So, not that. But how about... having a loving family that actually cares? Because no, I can’t believe parents who leave their child to a friend’s acquaintance are supposed to be good parents. But this is an HC, so let’s scrap that. Then there is it: clearing up his name. Making it so that all of his crimes would vanish completely, especially in a country like Japan where having a dirty record is utterly terrible. He would get rid of the side-looks, the prejudices, the suspicions possibly brewing in his home town about him being the worst of criminals at age 17/18. And yet. No. For sure we can say the PTs being all together is also accounted for in Akiren’s wish, possibly, but the thing is, Maruki doesn’t use that as a last resource. His ace in his sleeve was Akechi. Had always been.

4) Every single third awakening in the game is in each PT’s room. It’s somewhere private, somewhere which is only theirs, somewhere they can call home. Akechi’s initially, in early development as uncovered by Faz, was in Jazz Jin which, he himself admits, is kinda his place, a place where he unwinds and relaxes. Akin to, well, a bedroom. Yet, it was significantly changed. Changed to freaking Leblanc. And no, I don’t think it’s because of the coffee. 

5) You know the song No More What Ifs? The one which at first was in Proof Of Justice (which, by the way, either inspired the contents of the game or the Anime and P5R directors are besties, since what’s in there is basically Akechi’s P5R confidant condensed in 20 minutes of angsty gay longing footage) and then got put, as many other Proof of Justice related matters - as stated above -, in the game? It’s literally Akechi’s theme song. And it talks about him in every way (I can only be me... if you haven’t read Mementos Mission GO READ IT) and about someone else who brings joy to life (I wonder who that is)? Yes, well, the instrumental of it is the default song in the Thieves Den. Which. It’s defined as Akiren’s palace. 2+2=4 and in here Suspicious coincidences add up to just equal either fruity (for real) or still the undeniable fact that what these two share is a sentiment far, far from hatred.

[heartsaplenty]

Why had it taken him this long to reach out again.. The burning question on Ren's mind as he once more held a handwritten note, in the same place they had met before.

Akechi was here again too, sitting in another tree. Ren knew why. It was like a game to him, to see if Makoto could play hide and seek just as well as he had before. There was no doubt in either of their minds, deep down, that he would know exactly. Neither talked about him much until last night, but they both came up with the same words- albeit phrased just a bit differently.

Whoever this guy was, he was powerful. Powerful enough to cause over a week of rain. Stealthy enough to get past him, a master of the art. Who knew what else he was capable of, or what he could do if he set his mind to it.

Even lost in thought, he still heard those footsteps. Satanael pined and reached. It didn't hurt as bad this time, but it still shocked him just as much.

Unlike last time, this meeting was being held earlier in the day, yet as always, nobody would find it. It was a mini sanctuary, and briefly Ren had to wonder if that was a part of Makoto's doing. He knew one thing for sure though, if their meet ups were going to be more of a regular thing, the guy would need a nickname or something. Knowing two Makoto's was going to be a bit of a challenge.

He had to go back over his thoughts. He had never recided the meet ups were going to be regular.. It forced a head shake. Even just being slightly in his presence caused emotions to run wild.

"Is something wrong..?"

The voice came from right next to Ren, and it made him jump noticeably.

"Oh.. I thought I had given enough warning." A sigh followed. "Still so much to work on."

Relaxed again, Ren studied him before even thinking about answering. His heart beat fast, the shard inside pulsed faster. Yet, despite it all, he could see that Makoto looked much better than the first time they had met. He almost seemed.. Content. Things met his eyes. The slight smile connected this time.

"I was waiting for you." Ren found himself answering, the words leaving his mouth before he could even try to stop them.

Had he been waiting? Satanael sure had been, but everything was too muddled for introspection. It was just like last time.

"Sorry.. I was learning. Getting used to this world again. It's been ten years, Joker. I'm still missing a part of myself, but I'll never get that back. Not until we're done."

That sadness was back, and it washed over him as well. Joker tried so hard to fight through it. Make sense of his words.. Or at least remember them for later.

"My own team.. I want to be ready to face them. It's.... Hard. My place isn't here any more. I fulfilled my fate."

"Then... Why are you here?" Ren managed to ask, struggling against everything.

"I don't know. I still can't remember."

It was such a small amount of words, but they held an undeniable power over him. From afar, he heard a strangled gasp, meaning it had hit Akechi too.

Ren placed his hand atop Makoto's again. They were still so cold, and somehow still felt wet to the touch- though it was clear they weren't.

"Don't know.. How to help you. I want to.. I decided. Need to know though.. Where are you supposed to be?"

Makoto almost instantly perked up, looking Ren in the eyes. They were mystifying- even.. Hypnotizing.

"Protecting you. Protecting everyone. Part of me is still there. The part of me that lived."

"Do you.. Have your persona?"

Makoto laughed. Ren's heart soared again. He could swear that Satanael swooned. Seriously. What was wrong with him?

"That's a very hard question to answer, Joker. I.. I think so. The longer I'm here, the more I can feel again. Just the other day, I got my taste back."

He was giddy now. Good. He deserved to be. Ren didn't know how he knew that, it was more a strong feeling.

"What.. Happened to you?"

The question was meant with silence. Five seconds passed.. Then ten. Then a whole minute. Eventually, Ren understand what it meant.

"Sorry.. Sorry. Shouldn't ask, right? Rude of me."

".....It's okay." It was quiet. So quiet.. Ren flinched.

"It's not okay."

"You're right."

He should have known better.

"Me and Yu will meet up with you again soon. Can you do something for me, Joker?"

How could he ever say no?

"Yeah."

"One of my friends is in Shibuya right now. I'm not.. Ready yet, but if you could meet him, I will do what I can to help you, too."

"Will you tell me what he looks like?"

"Tall.. Brown messy hair. His name is Ken."

Makoto reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of paper that was slipped into Ren's hand.

"You can find him here."

"What do you want me to say?"

"You're Joker. You charmed a whole nation.. You don't need me to tell you that."

Makoto offered one more smile, before he started walking off. Just like that..

Ren reached out from behind him, a 'wait' on the tip of his tongue- but the ever so mysterious man just... Melted into the ground. He could only look on.

[vashtijoy]

ohhhhh would you mind sharing your akechi post-canon ideas and aus? 👀👀

Ahahaha oh god THANK YOU FOR ASKING

so with @nardaviel, I have this whole ... thing, where Akechi comes back from the third semester and finds himself alive, using the deleted kakekomidera scene, where the two people who remember him from childhood talk about him at the refuge. He heads back to Tokyo and turns himself in to get Ren out of detention, pretty much as on 12/24 though Ren doesn't know he's there, and then he spends a month in jail being interrogated and staring at the walls and quietly going mad.

At this point he gets swept up by Mitsuru, possibly through Sae (who knows about the shadow operatives), and offered a place with her. He takes great pleasure in telling her to shove it up her ass, and unfortunately at this point there's a whole "or we could ask Amamiya-kun" thing, and tl;dr a highly resentful Akechi ends up working for Mitsuru—probably in a very grey and joyless capacity for a while, because you'd have to be out of your mind to trust him with anything. The clip on 3/20 at the train station is him being transferred from police custody to, essentially, Mitsuru's custody. He's traded what was at least independence of a kind in prison for putting himself into the hands of another rich, powerful asshole who wants to use him, for the sake of the one person he cares about, and the irony alone is almost enough to make him throw himself in front of that train Ren's sitting in.

Meanwhile, Ren thinks Akechi is dead, and is having his whole thing, off in the ass end of nowhere by himself.... and two years pass, during which he returns to Tokyo to study. And that's when Ren Finds Akechi Again, in the street, and punches him in the face, because why the hell not. And then, after some fallout and Ren nearly getting arrested again, they slowly have a chance to find what they might have been.

It also includes Futaba having both of their phones bugged and intruding on every text conversation they ever have, Akechi having an ankle tag for years and some sophisticated electronic locks on his doors, some extremely nice grounds with flowering trees and streams and little bridges and shit, Haru somehow being the one to find Akechi first and keeping it to herself, the most nervous bookseller in Jimbocho, Ren taking over management of Leblanc, a ton of "I'm 20 and I've done everything I'll ever do", Prisoner Angst, I'm Not Dead Angst, Akechi's seething hatred of Mitsuru and his certainty that she is a Maruki-in-waiting or at least the centre of another grand conspiracy, a lot of takeout, some very well-compensated gate guards, and a stillborn plan for Ren and Goro to skip the country entirely and hide out in Argentina or somewhere.

And, here and there, on occasion, they get over themselves enough to make out.

Since you were kind enough to ask, here's a relevant fic snippet from my collection, below the cut.

. . .

The next Sunday, Akechi heads to Jimbocho, to go through the second-hand shops. It’s fine. Weird little antique shops selling fripperies from the 50s and 60s; curio shops full of absolutely tacky trash, one with its window displaying nothing but ceramic bears; and the bookshops, of course, the reason Akechi is really here. Though he toys with buying one of the ugly ceramic bears, just to smash it.

There’s also an otaku shop, full of tiny Western figures that you’re supposed to paint, the sort of thing Akechi thinks he’d be good at, if he gave a fuck. But he doesn’t go in; the shop is full of awkward-looking students his own age, stereotypical otakus. Even besides that, Akechi dislikes students; they remind him that he’s not in university himself. Like he’d expected to be. Or to live long enough.

So he gravitates back to the bookshops, leafing slowly through old texts with their subdued covers, or hardbacks with gilt; there are even some Meiji-era wasobon, in a glass cabinet, with their glued-paper spines and their titles on glued labels. He stares at those for quite a while, head tilted, wondering what they’d feel like in his hand. When he turns away, he feels much smaller, like when he was ten and he’d ride the bus here rather than go home.

It takes him quite a while to settle on only one purchase; he goes from shop to shop, keeping lists in his head, ticking off options here, discarding them there. He doesn’t realise he isn’t scowling, and he doesn’t think of it as a nice afternoon. But he also doesn’t think about the absolute fuckfest last week in Inaba, or how off-balance he’d felt when he stepped back into the cognitive world again for the first time, only to feel his ankle tag shift away along with the rest of his clothes.

If anything, he feels unsettled. Like nothing bad’s happening, and so that must be bad. He heads absently out of the last bookshop, with his lone purchase taped into a washi paper bag, thinking he’ll try one of the espresso shops that also litter the area, because coffee and books are so inescapably combined—

—when a hand like a steel claw closes on his wrist.

Akechi drops the book, spins all at once, still fast with a killer’s reflexes. He finds himself staring into a taut face, furious beneath its tangle of black hair, eyes sharp and accusing, crystals of black graphite shining in the sun. Amamiya Ren is staring at him, touching him, for fuck’s sake, and all at once Akechi feels like his guts have turned to leaking, toxic mercury.

“Akechi?” Ren is saying, in a barely-there voice.

“That’s my name,” Akechi says, considering the likelihood that he’ll have to break Ren’s arm to make him let go. “Let g—”

He doesn’t see Ren’s fist. It flies into his right cheek, totally untelegraphed, and he hits the street with a grunt. Fucking Joker, every time, ugh, he should have seen that—

“Ow,” he mutters. Passersby are clucking to each other, so disruptive of them; he hears worried footsteps at the door of the shop he just left. But mainly he hears Ren, bending over him to talk in a relentless undertone. “I thought you were dead,” he’s saying, all the worse for the lack of deliberate malice. “After everything, Akechi. You let me think you were dead again.”

Akechi lets his head drop back onto the kerb, because fuck getting up, he’ll just lie here in the gutter. “You sound so surprised.”

“You—” Ren jerks forward, looks like he thinks about throwing a kick. So it’s fortunate this is the moment the police arrive, a fat one and a tall one; honestly, Akechi thinks they breed them that way, in pairs. He feels a stab of vindictive satisfaction as the fat one grabs Ren by the wrists, until the colour drains from Ren’s face like someone’s pulled off one of his feet.

Akechi closes his eyes. “Wait,” he says, getting up with a wince and producing his police ID, haha, because he’s a shadow operative even if he’s the worst they have and a liability; he almost works with the police more than he works at the Kirijo compound, by now. The two beat cops go a bit bug-eyed, the idiots. “I’ll handle this,” Akechi says. “He’s just a little upset. Won’t happen again, will it?” He smiles at Ren, with a flash of sharp teeth, with the bruise rising on his cheekbone: play along.

Ren’s eyes burn, and for a moment it looks like he’ll say something graphic in fluent gutter trash, rather than obey; Akechi relates with his whole being. But then Ren looks down, sullen, and shakes his head: no. Akechi beams for the cops.

“You see,” he says. “Sorry to have troubled you both. He’s very emotional, it’s not really his fault. Thank you for your work….” And they float away, charmed by a few utterly rote words from a stranger with a confidential department ID. And then….

And then that just leaves Ren. Who is staring at Akechi in bitter silence, and obviously, beneath his flat expression, raging.

Someone appears at Akechi’s elbow. It’s the proprietor of the bookshop. “Your book,” he says nervously, handing Akechi the paper bag he dropped.

“Oh. Yes. Thank you,” Akechi says, taking it. The package is a little dented at one corner, but otherwise fine. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” He bows, and the shopkeeper bows and hurries away, and Akechi could just die, again, it’s all such a fucking—

Except that Ren is still there, staring at him with Joker’s eyes; with all that fury and force and—and something else, something brighter and deeper and so much worse. “Where are your glasses?” Akechi finds himself asking, switching his thicker, cheerful mask for his much more comfortable flat one.

“I don’t need them for you,” Ren says.

Fuck. “Well,” Akechi says, “I’m not dead. As we’ve established. And you’re not arrested. So I suggest we both go our—”

Ren steps forward, interrupting him. “I can’t believe you’re still doing the same old shit,” he says. “They let you work for the police? Are you going to be on TV again, next week?”

That’s too much; far too much from Ren, who has no idea of what he escaped, no idea Akechi paid his debt this way. His voice turns brittle. “Interesting that you assume I had a choice, Amamiya.” Ren flinches, peeping out through his own mask. Akechi lifts the book.

“I hope you haven’t damaged this.”

He wants to close his eyes. Instead, he turns away and starts walking, in silence. Ren ought to fuck off, but he’ll certainly follow; he’s just wired that way. The Jimbocho street feels soft and shaky, like Mementos did, except now Akechi’s too used to solid ground and it feels like his ankles will twist from under him at every moment.

Ren tags at his heels like a dog. “I’m not going anywhere, Akechi. You’ll have to kill me.”

Akechi pauses, almost glances back. “I can just arrest you.” Technically; somehow he’s never been put in a position where the right move would be an arrest.

“Yeah,” Ren is saying. “You just proved you won’t do that.”

Akechi presses a knuckle between his eyes, as he screws them shut. “What do you want? How did you even find me?”

“You don’t think I read?” Ren says, defensively, not looking around at the three bookshops within ten metres. “I just didn’t read around you.”

“I know you read,” Akechi says flatly. “I saw everything you did.”

He still hasn’t properly turned. He feels Ren’s eyes on the back of his neck, through his hair, through his shirt collar; he thinks he’d feel them through a brick fucking wall. “Hifumi saw you,” Ren says.

That’s when he turns, incredulous. Togo had seen him? And known who he was? “I’ve never spoken with Togo-san. How did she remember me?”

“Don’t ask me,” Ren says, with a weird light in his eye, like he’s pleased Akechi turned back to him. “Seems like it’s just a thing. My confidants—do you even know about those?—they all remember.”

For a moment he’s silent. “When everyone else has forgotten.”

“Yeah,” Ren says quietly. His hands have gone into his pockets. He’s taller than he was; his eyes are on a level with Akechi’s, now. Or is he just not slouching?

Akechi sighs. It makes sense. Togo, who Akechi had no connection with; who had no reason to share any of Okumura’s discretion. All of Amamiya’s little projects, remembering Akechi laughing like an idiot, playing the fool, bringing himself down on television.

He feels like he can’t think straight, like he always did. Like he wants to stay put, learning and listening, picking through every little detail Amamiya might or might not have dropped. “I’m sorry Mementos is gone,” he says. Ren looks back at him, unreadable. “Perhaps we could at least have beaten the shit out of each other.”

“Yeah,” Ren says, not laughing. “That might have helped.”

“It did help,” Akechi says abruptly. “Both times, in fact. Because I really never liked you, Amamiya.”

“I know,” Ren tells him, unaffected. “And here we both still are, I guess.” He stands there like someone’s dropped a block of concrete on the pavement. Like Akechi really would have to kill him, to make him give up or go away. And part of Akechi still wants to, while part of him wants this moment to linger. The two of them—one a hero and one, well, not exactly a hero—who entered the fire from opposite sides, and came out changed, together, and alone.

A coin flips. He feels Hereward’s resolve inside him.

“I was going for coffee,” he says, still curt. “Come, if you want. Or stand there like an idiot, till you get arrested again.”

He starts walking in the direction of the nearest coffee shop; it was that or let’s smash a ceramic bear. Ren follows. “A coffee shop?” he asks, at Akechi’s elbow now. “Is this your revenge?”

“Ren,” Akechi tells him, perfectly serious, “you have absolutely no idea.”

[nero-vanderwolf]

Everything was blurry.

Where the fuck was he...?

It wasn't until Ryuji heard voices that he remembered. The Phantom Thieves had had a sleepover at Leblanc after Yusuke had complained about an inability to sleep. Turned out, none of them could, so they met up at the little cafe and parked themselves in the attic.

There had been a moment of peace there, with everyone piled together on the floor. Morgana had found his way into Ryuji’s lap, and there had been quiet. There had been calm. Morgana had even started purring when Ryuji scratched behind his ears, though Ryuji soared him from torment that night.

He and Ann had cuddled up together, Morgana still with Ryuji, and whispered between themselves until Ann started to yawn, at which point Ryuji fell silent to let her sleep.

Surrounded by his friends, he felt loved. But it also felt empty.

There should have been one more person there last night, there should have been one more body in a sleeping bag on the pile. It felt wrong without him. But Ryuji kept trying to appreciate what he had.

This morning, the girls were huddled by the staircase, dead silent. Yusuke was examining the things on Akira’s shelves, and Akira himself was presumably downstairs, judging by the way a voice echoed up to the attic.

“I don’t think you should be here right now,” his voice said, twinged with despair. He sounded reluctant, but firm. A tone Ryuji rarely heard him use.

Another voice, one that Ryuji had been convinced he would never hear again, wafted up in turn.

“I was important to them, too, Kusuru. I think- I think I earned a right to see them.”

“I know, I just- I’m sorry. It’s not what’s best right now. Especially Ryuji. He’s shattered by this. Give him a bit of time...” Akira’s voice was soft, pleading.

“Uh, what’s goin’ on?” Ryuji asked, standing by the staircase.

Ann shushed him, pale and wide-eyed. “Futaba thinks Akechi is back!” She hissed, and Ryuji stumbled like he’d been sucker-punched in the gut.

Akechi... Back? From the dead?

Akechi. Goro Akechi. The one he had convinced himself he’d never see again. The one he had accepted his feelings for.

That Akechi?

“Like- Goro Akechi? Crow? The Black Mask? That Akechi?” He asked, his voice trembling. If it was true, if Akechi had somehow lived and was in Cafè Leblanc as they spoke....

“Akira Kusuru, let me see the other Phantom Thieves!” Akechi yelled, presumably slamming his hand down on the table. The bell of the front door rang, and was followed by a deafening silence... Then rapid footsteps.

“Get up there, hurry!” Akira’s voice whisper-shouted, the footsteps growing closer.

And there they stood, Akira and Akechi, with their leader holding Crow’s wrist in a death grip.

“...Shit. Uh- Hi, everyone. Guess who’s back,” Akira mumbled, grinning sheepishly as he released Akechi’s wrist.

Ryuji hurled himself forward, clinging to the detective. If this was real, if he wasn’t dreaming...

“Jesus FUCKING hell, dude, you can’t just do that!” He said, stepping back and shaking Akechi by the shoulders. “You had us all convinced you were dead! I- We were all in mourning! You’re such a fucking-”

He cut himself off by hugging Akechi again, then stepping away as Ann rushed forward, also taking Akechi into a hug.

“You’re an asshole, Goro Akechi... But we’re so glad you’re back..” She mumbled, shoulders shaking with thinly-contained tears.

Yusuke took Akechi’s hand, ran a thumb over his knuckles. “Hm. So this is real.... I’m glad you’re safe, Akechi...”

Makoto was next to hug him. She was silent, but crying. She spoke no words, only hugged him, clung to his shirt like a lifeline.

Futaba punched him in the arm, scowling through a tear-stained face. “You scared us! I had written a damn obituary for you! Next time, warn us that you’re planning to fake your death!” Akechi winced, but nodded, before she hugged him and stepped away, standing with the fellow teary-eyed Makoto and Ann.

Haru regarded him with shiny eyes, before nodding. “You’re a fucking jerk and I don’t like you enough to hug you right now. I’m so, so glad you’re safe and I’m so, so mad at you right now. I’m happy you’re alive, Akechi-san.”

Akechi stood in the attic, clearly fighting back tears himself. “I’m alive. I’m... Terribly sorry to all of you. I did what I deemed necessary.”

Ryuji pulled him into one last hug, shaking with sobs. Goro Akechi, miracle of all miracles, lived another day.

“We love you, Akechi,” he whispered, leaving the necessary unsaid.

Akechi hugged back, burying his head in Ryuji’s shoulder. “I love you all, too,” he murmured, and Ryuji got the feeling that he knew exactly what was meant.

Miracle of all miracles, Goro Akechi was alive. And Ryuji was around to see it. To hear it. To feel it.

Ryuji Sakamoto was alive to see Goro Akechi live. That was a miracle enough.

haru swearing means everything to me. anyways. YEAAAHAHHHHAH AKECHI!!!!!!! actually wait if this is maruki's reality then thats fucked. ryuji just got the person he loved the most back. he doesnt have to feel guilt or grieve anymore and he can get back to living. but if its maruki's reality then hoo boy is this guy going to have a rough time (especially considering akira never tells the rest of the gang akechi is going to disappear) mav. mav. i will actually cry if you someday write a fic where ryuji realizes akechi is going to die again and actually has the chance to say goodbye this time. has the chance to say his true feelings. god.

[arcplaysgames]

I don't remember this at all so I don't even know if its part of The Lotus Tree or not, lmao, sorry Kasumi you are so boring up until, uuuuuuuuuuh about 40 minutes from now actually

So Reverie wakes up, happy new year, time to head downstairs to

no no no no no non on onojnkofidflasjk NO

NOOOOO

no!

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

no

inhales

okay.

I, in real life, staring at my Odin, literally out loud said, "Oh fuck ALL the way off."

Anyway, we meet up at the shrine by luck, hahhaaha what a crazy random happenstance.

Also: HARU! MY GOD! WHAT A KNOCKOUT! I feel like her kimono might cost more than my fucking car.

But there is already a very weird tension in the air when the group gets together. They all meet up at a shrine that has no visitors because it seems like no one in the world is wishing for anything because their lives are so perfect, so the crew is like "well! this was nice. uh see ya!" and the vibes are so bad. Immediately everything feels like a world encased in glass, like a pinned insect that just got a shot of euthanasia and is starting to lock into place.

It is fucking EERIE as shit.

oh my god I'm gonna sharpen an axe and cut down your Lotus Tree, Maruki, I swear to god

"Would you join the Phantom Thieves" as an indicator that all is perfect and no one needs to do anything is sure Something.

Somehow, just watch me, I will find a way to blame this all on Mishima again. I'm already trying to calculate the trajectory.

SPITTAKE

I FUCKIGN HOLLARED OH MY GOD

I don't want to sound like the average Atlus developer right now, Morgana, but I think you may have gained some weight.

Also, sidebar: COWARDS for changing Morgana's voice actor for this. COWARDS!!!!! Cassandra Lee Morris has been doing fucking WORK with this character, I literally would rather her continue voicing him with a pitch modulation effect than swapping the VA, /HISSES ANGRILY

Anyway. Reverie and I are both in complete unity at the moment because all of this is Fucked.

Again, me, IRL, shouting "NO" at my Odin.

oh i feel ill from this, this is horrendous. Maruki, you got a fucking storm coming, and i have a fusioned Izanagi-no-Okami with your name on it.

LOOK AT REVERIE HERE. So like I've ranted about how the P4MC was such a non-character while Reverie is so so much more. I can feel how freaked out he is even while he's still a mostly silent protagonist. The fear he feels as he tries to make sense of this situation and starts to wonder how far it spreads is fucking radiating from his posture and how he's watching everyone from over his popped collar and event he way he hasn't turned the chair around to face them, he is cheated away from everyone.

God, it's amazing. I have a lot of issues with P5R but the protagonist is a triumph.

Oh, immediately before he said a single fucking thing. He knows. He knows. He walks in and takes one look around and he knows.

Which in of itself is fascinating and I wanna sink my teeth into what that means.

Everyone in this world is getting their desires. No! No that's incorrect. What they are getting is their pain taken away. I remember Maruki's absolutely batshit closing speech as he left the school in November.

Everyone is getting a life where the biggest traumatic moments did not happen. Futaba never lost her mother and thus Sojiro never lost his best friend. Morgana gets to be human because he admires humans so much. Ryuji was never kicked off the track team. Haru never had the falling out that lead to her father's death.

But Reverie? I don't know what he gets. Before the switch flipped on the Lotus Tree, Sae revealed that the woman who was involved in Reverie's false assault accusation might testify, so his record might even be overturned.

So we have Reverie, and we have Akechi. The two Wild Cards who were puppets of a bored god (who, uh, since Philemon isn't actually involved in this I don't really know anymore what Yaldabaoth's whole deal was but whatever, lean with it rock with it).

I don't know if you can undo the trauma of being Goro Akechi.

... I'm thinking about Reverie, and about the constant drumbeat of his connection to Akechi. Wanting to keep a promise.

I just had a really horrible thought but also it's so gay that I dunno if Atlus would Go There. We'll see.

I know I have never been happier to see you. Been a while, Beige Boy. Love the outfit, actually, you look great in actual colors.

/points directly at this

Did Akechi survive or did Maruki being him back because Reverie had unfinished business with him.

That is my question.

Don't answer it, anyone, but what I am thinking is either Akechi will reveal how he survived the Palace (unlikely) or it turns out he fucking didn't and this was the start of the Lotus Tree.

Anyway, Akechi reveals that he was being questioned for the Shido stuff and then they just.... let him go. No charges. He's free. Which is impossible, obviously. And now Wakaba Isshiki is walking around alive.

that lil pose is so gay. i wonder if Akechi is meant to be Actually Gay. serious question. like, we got Actually Queer characters in P4 so we know the people at Atlus know gay people exist, but this game has been scrubbed clear of any queerness.

except Akechi has such intense gay vibes and, sure I'll say it, mannerisms that I wonder if he is subtextually meant to be gay. especially since to my recollection, every male character in this game has been mentioned to be attracted to women except him. like, I did notice that, thank you.

((ALSO, SIDEBAR: YOU KNOW WHAT I MISS FROM P3 AND P4? THE GIRLS HAVING CRUSHES ON EACH OTHER. I miss the casual flirtation and interest all the girls had together. That's also been stripped out of P5 and it sucks.))

anyway what the fuck was I saying. Akechi gay, he and Reverie need to investigate.

And then Kasumi calls to be like "heeeeeeeeeeey so sorry to bother you buuuuuut that palace we ran into at the stadium is back????? is that okay?"

Okay another thing, sorry that this post is like All About Akechi but

lmao Akechi without his mask is a delight. this man is a bitch and he does not give a fuck and nothing in this world or the next impresses him. it is for real so fun how his cadence and register have subtly changed, he doesn't soften his syllables as much anymore, and he is direct as a gunshot.

Between him and Maruki, this whole segment of the game is like Freaks Only, Normies GTFO and I am thrilled. I am a freak, it's me. This is for me.

[leonawriter]

One of my favourite ideas with regards to Ryoji is this sort of... thing where he can just exist outside of time somehow, because of how short a time he's allowed to exist in reality.

(massive spoilers for P3 onward past this point, obviously, if you haven't already gone through the game.)

[EDIT: I've cleaned it up a bit and edited and put it on AO3. So, if you want like... an entire extra scene plus some, go here.]

Which is great in theory, but a bit more complicated if you wanna put it into practice, other than going "well, he's here because... oh, a wizard did it." There are possibilities and plausibles, but they're frankly limited if you have (like me) a logical mind and a need for something to suspend your disbelief.

Except then I had a thought - Ryoji is also known as Death, or Thanatos. He takes on that role at the climax, even. So, I started thinking along those lines, and wound up with-

Ryoji the psychopomp. Ryoji, the grim reaper.

Not "the Reaper" as in the one that roams dungeons (he exists during P3 and is implied by design to be connected somehow to Tatsuya Sudou, anyway).

More like, that it's a case of "Life gave her creations to Death, no matter what they both knew would happen the moment he touched them."

Minato (or Kotone) dies on the school rooftop, and there he is, able to talk to them, and they're able to tell him that everything worked out, that everything will work out. Their spirit lingers at the Door, and they talk like it's passing notes in class.

A young girl finds herself on the receiving end of unwanted advances, and then she's somewhere strange, confronted with uncomfortable and unwanted truths, and then- then, there's a boy in a yellow scarf wanting to know all of the things that she loved about her life. At first it's strange, and more than a bit hard to think of things for this weird guy who she's never met before, but the more she talks the more she realises that she really did have things she treasured.

He thanks her for telling him, and as she makes her peace with the fact that this is it, he tells her that he'll keep them in his heart now, too.

Wakaba Isshikki knows about the cognitive realm - a little too much, perhaps, but not enough to stop. Enough, perhaps, to see the shadow of a boy following her for a day or two. Enough to feel as though she's already living on borrowed time, when she feels that surely she knows what's happening, and she simply... doesn't care.

She's a little wispy, still, when he leads what's left of her toward the Sea of Souls where she now belongs. He's concerned, and rightly so, about what that means. Wakaba's more worried about the kids.

(A few people don't get Ryoji. Those unhappy few get the floating mask of Death and a series of coffins to tell them that their time has come. For some it's because even in death they have no humility, and for others still it's simply easier, that way. Easier to not be Ryoji wile dealing with it, even if it would have been easier still to simply walk away and let them find their own way to the Sea.

But Kunikazu Okumura had sent so many his way, that it was only right that Death came to meet him personally.

"I didn't even get to finish my speech," the man said, blubbering after the towering figure that Death made.

You had a daughter, Death reminded him, and he was silent the rest of the way.)

Goro Akechi comes to, and the first thing he sees is a bright yellow scarf.

The first thing he does is swear, because boys with slicked-back hair wearing yellow scarves aren't supposed to exist when you're dead. The second thing he does is look around, and realise that you aren't really supposed to exist in a sea of stars and sit on nothing when you're alive, either.

"Please tell me this isn't the afterlife," he says, mostly because although he figured it could be worse - he could have found himself in hell, or surrounded by all of the people he'd killed over the years, all of the ones who had every reason to make his afterlife hell if it wasn't already - it could definitely be better.

"It is and it isn't," comes the cryptic answer. "Usually it is, more or less. Each of those lights represents a soul, after all." And there were so many of them. "But you're a special case! You're both dead and not dead right now, which, usually that doesn't happen? People can almost die but not actually die, but they aren't usually both at the same time, I mean."

"Maruki," Akechi practically spits out. "In that case, I'm surprised you're not inundated right now."

Blue eyes - far too blue to be human, they almost remind him of Morgana, and he was neither human nor a cat, apparently - duck down, glancing away.

"I felt what happened. Everyone caught up in a lie, completely oblivious... if the one controlling that power had wanted to bring ruin, then..." But he shakes his head, bringing himself out of his own thoughts. "It's a good thing that didn't happen, really! And- you're wrong, by the way."

"What?"

"Like I said, you're a special case. I've been able to talk to a lot of people, but I've never been able to ask anyone to send a message back before!"

"Back?" For a moment, Akechi is reduced to parroting back words. Surely they mean something, but the obvious meaning is impossible, and he can't think of anything else. "Who would someone like you even want to send a message to, anyway?"

"Would you believe me if I said they were old enemies, who were also old friends? But, I guess you've had a few of those yourself, right?"

"What would you even know about me?"

Akechi got a lopsided, bittersweet smile in return.

"I've been following you for a lot longer than I think we'd both have liked," come the words that send a shiver down his spine as instincts and senses that were rusty from disuse told him what that meant even as his more conscious mind shied away from the idea of it. "But I hope that after this, we won't be able to talk again for a long, long time."

Something tells Akechi that he's both in no danger whatsoever, and also that he really shouldn't refuse. He expects to be on a strict deadline (ha, dead) but time moves differently here, and apparently they have exactly as much time as they need. No more, and not a second less.

When he opens his eyes again, he can remember everything-

Someone really wanted you to live, Ryoji had said, with a teasing smile, and bright eyes.

It makes him feel small. It makes him feel indebted - to Akira, to Ryoji, in ways that he can't even begin to examine or think of how to repay. It makes him want to give it all back, so that he doesn't have to deal with it, but that would be purely theoretical and besides, he has promises to keep.

First, a debt to Akira, something that to Akechi feels like barely a drop in the ocean and that hopefully Akira and his friends will feel the correct amount of gratitude for.

Secondly-

"Hello- yes, this is Goro Akechi speaking. Is this Mitsuru Kirijo-san? I have a message to pass on to you. Are the names Ryoji Mochizuki and Minato Arisato familiar to you, at all?"

[princedetectives]

nanako is one of the most well written characters in persona 4

⚠️ major spoilers for p4 up to its 7th dungeon in here (yes im talking to you kaylingo)

ive been thinking about nanako a lot over the past few days and, man, i feel like she doesn't get enough appreciation. she rivals akechi as my favorite persona character ever because of how precious she is, yes, but also because her writing is so perfect.

because, let's be honest, a lot of parts of this game aged poorly, especially in a modern lens. i could make a list. i have made a list actually which i give to my friends who start p4 to warn them (hi kaylingo!). you know, like the bathhouse scenes, the poor representation, the countless times the female characters are treated weirdly. the fat girl who only exists for fatphobic jokes. i could go on. nanako is not included in this.

in fact, nanako is one of the most compassionately written characters i've seen. she is just as important to the whole investigation team as she is to yu. she is never treated as a hassle to watch over. she's actively included in things they do. everyone is gentle with her (her very first social link where yosuke finds out her mom is dead and so softly apologizes, the little things like that). everyone loves nanako. that's so important, both for her and the story as a whole.

the justice arcana

nanako being the justice arcana is pretty baffling at first. the wiki says it's thanks to her deep care about right and wrong, but to me that's not as satisfying as:

nanako reflects everyone's sense of justice

this is clearest during Heaven: nanako's death is the reason the investigation team turns murderous, desperate to avenge her. nanako ends up in danger thanks to nametame's skewed messiah complex. nanako being in danger gives dojima the energy to launch a desperate attempt to finally catch the culprit and save her, wrecking and getting terribly injured in the process. importantly, nanako being in danger is what gets adachi panicked enough to slip up and reveal himself as the killer, thus allowing justice to finally catch up to him.

seeing her like this makes every character's actions much more fascinating. she doesn't deserve anything happening to her in the slightest. it's unfair and unjust. everyone knows this. what we see during Heaven is each character's attempts to save her, even nametame.

Heaven is my favorite dungeon in the game. in my book it even beats every palace in persona 5. everyone's love of nanako is stronger than ever in the most painful way. there's so much raw emotion and it's so well written the entire way through.

a few characters specifically stick out to me, like naoto, who chides themself for not figuring out nanako could be in danger sooner and being the person to initially suggest turning murderous against nametame.

teddie, who's so distraught over the injustice of nanako's death and his inability to keep the promise that gave him a place in the world that he loses all will to live. he can only live in the human world with her around, and she only comes back to consciousness upon hearing his voice.

and adachi, who, in an episode of the golden anime, is seen muttering to himself alone in the hospital pushing the blame of everything onto yu (episode 6, i told you, yu. the anime is usually really dinky but that episode is genuinely a masterpiece somehow.), which further proves his warped perception of justice. because he cares about her too. the anime proves that to him, yu took his place in the dojima family, and he's extremely bitter about it.

in conclusion

nanako's role as the collective little sister is so important. she helps everyone throughout their social links and brings out the sides of people that wouldn't be seen otherwise. before Heaven, each dungeon was fairly impersonal, saving people they hadn't met before, which drastically changes with her kidnapping.

nanako gives everyone the strength to solve the case. she's the light that guides them to the clues they've been looking for throughout the past 8 months. nanako is the justice arcana because, without her, the case goes unsolved, and it's all thanks to the love everyone has for her. she's the best depiction of anything like this i've ever seen.