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valeriefauxnom · 2 months

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Dragalia's Knights of Glory art

Now, it's been gone over how Dragalia Lost actually used quite a bit of inspiration from one of Cygames' previous works, Knights of Glory, for anything from character designs to dragons.

Of course, this showed up quite literally with characters like Lea when they quite literally just had the "Knights of Glory" showcase, but it also showed up in characters ranging from Jakob to Mikoto to Jurota (also showcasing the alighting butterfly blade, also in Dragalia):

However funny it is to see who we came to know as different characters in a different media, though, the dragons are 10x funnier to look at.

You see, it seemed that Knights of Glory had a certain 'evolution system' to dragons, where they'd develop and grow more fancy, if they weren't inexplicably transforming into an attractive humanoid woman because of course-

And oh boy, we can kinda see alternative evolutionary paths for the Greatwyrms.

There's Midgardsormr, who seems to most closely resemble the fully evolved form from the start...(he also gained an element, as this dragon line apparently has no element!)

Mercury, who is in her middle phase:

Imagine a hydra Mercury!

...Brunhilda? Not very sure on this one. She might just be a new design, but here's my best guess for what dragon they might have been inspired from:

Of course, in her 'final form' if this was a dragon they used as inspiration.

Jupiter, whom I'd almost put in his middle stage for closeness of design:

Last but not least, poor Zodiark, who really got hammered with the skeletal dragon design and is also in his middle stage and is also drooling 24/7:

Where is his stomach? Where are his organs? Why is he bipedal?? He lost some bulk in his transition to Dragalia, too. Honestly, I like Dragalia Zodiark more than his inspiration here.

That's enough of full evolutionary trees for now, though.

Some other funny ones to me include:

-Silke turning into a skeletal horse on her final evolution:

-Baby Leviathan going :-D all the time:

-Baby Poseidon (honestly a lot of the babies are funny since we only knew their final forms, typically);

-Possibly Cat Sìth inspiration???

-Baby Zephyr:

-Baby Nidhogg, sitting all prim and proper and ready to watch Euden die still:

-Teenage...Satan? Having a evil little :) face going on there...

Speaking of, quite a few of the dragons were actually repurposed into bosses, as with Satan above, like everyone's favorite:

(We must not let Phraeganoth be revived! ...Until Bondforged Zethia's story, at least).

Might be a stretch here, but maaaaaybe a bit of Kai Yan in here?

The Hypnos/Thanatos/Mega Monarch Emile line's general design:

This is getting long enough as it is, but if you want to see a mix of some old with a lot of new art that they might have used as inspiration for more dragons/adventurers, here's the link I used to the collections of KoG artwork that people were able to preserve:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DragaliaLost/comments/9rtlnz/knights_of_glory_albums/

Hopefully you find it just as interesting and funny as I did perusing the old art!

#dragalia lost #dragalia #knights of glory #Sylvia is also unfortunately one of the ones to be hit by the 'inexplicably now a humanoid woman' for her final alas.#At least Dragalia even vaguely tried to balance it out with quite a few male humanoid dragons?#A different artbook but one of Dragalia's earlier drafts for Mars was a cool more salamander-esque dragon. Almost sad they didn't go with #...that one instead of Red Midgardsormr (he really does look like Red Mids underneath all that!). Yeah sure maybe thematic symbolism #representing the clash of ideals between Leonidas and Euden but still!

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seekers-who-are-lovers · 3 months

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Some thoughts about things on Bang Bravern… (bit long, sorry)

Why do I clock the German major general Heidemarie as a lesbian?

So what if “ga-ga-pi” is some kind of a code, similar to Morse code or the binary code? Lulu has her “ga-ga-pi.” The other Deathdrive has its “ga-ga-ga. Pi-ga-ga-ga-pi. Pi-ga-ga-pi-ga.” The sequence is different in order to convey another meaning. The only solution is how to interpret it. Or perhaps, I am just overthinking.

So what are the Death Drives?

From the series’s glossary:

Death Drives : A mysterious mechanical life form that suddenly attacked the earth. Their goal is to achieve the best "death" that each of them wants. They came to this earth around all the galaxies in search of an existence that will fulfil their wishes.

Those drives sound like a part of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis’ theory, the theory of pleasure principle (Lustprinzip).

Did Masami Obari, the director, turn to the Austrian psychoanalyst to gather the blueprint for his latest work?

(I know that Freud doesn’t have many fans among the Tumblr folks. But he “is” my neighbour. After having seen “Freud’s Vanished Neighbors” and read an article that the Viennese didn’t accept him as part of the community because he was not born in Austria and had Jewish family, and was still referred to as “Zugeraster,” a derogatory term for an outsider, he earned my respect and like everyone who was born centuries ago had other mentality that was not at all fitting in the modern era.)

Deathdrives, or death drives, in Freudian psychoanalytical universe, mean Thanatos, Todestrieb in German, is a term that describes: the drive toward death and destruction, often expressed through behaviors such as aggression, repetition compulsion, and self-destructiveness.

From Freud’s book, “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” :

Our departure point was the great antithesis of life drives and death drives. Object-love itself shows us a second such polarity – that of love (affection) and hate (aggression). What if we succeeded in connecting these two polarities, what if we succeeded in tracing one back to the other! We have always acknowledged a sadistic component in the sexual drive; as we know, this component can develop a life of its own and turn into a perversion that dominates a person's entire sexual life. It also occurs as a dominant partial drive in one of those forms of organization of sexual life that I have termed ‘pre-genital’. But how could we possibly suppose that the sadistic drive, which aims to harm its object, derives from Eros, the preserver of life? Isn't it altogether plausible to suppose that this sadism is actually a death drive that has been ousted from the ego at the instance of the narcissistic libido, and as a result only becomes apparent in conjunction with the object?

So you have the enemies, the Death Drives, ready to destroy the humans, and Bravern on the other with the quality of being the Eros. The sentient robot’s ethos is to save the humanity first. All the while obsessing with his pilot, Ao Isami. Obsession and kindness overlapping.

@whypolar analysed their names, then doing some googling of the meanings of both Isami and Lewis’ names, it seems the two share the same description. Yours truly is not at all a Japanese language expert, this website suggests that Isami has 21 variations in kanji.

勇 means "bravery, courage."

Brave - Showing courage and strength in the face of danger or difficulty.

Daring - Willing to take risks and try new things.

Strong - Having great physical or mental power.

Courageous - Having or showing courage in the face of danger or difficulty.

Resolute - Firmly determined to do something.

Soldier - A person who serves in an army.

It describes Isami’s personality perfectly!

Lewis, on the other hand…

From the celebrated author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, to lauded actor Daniel-Day Lewis, a boy called Lewis is in good company! Lewis is of German origin and means "Renowned warrior." It has many variations in Latin, French, and Gaelic languages that all point to the same sentiment of “strength” and “courage”. With the name Lewis, you can hope to instill your baby boy with a fearless optimism for life.

All three of them—Bravern, Isami and Lewis—are “strong and courageous.”

#bang brave bang bravern #yuuki bakuhatsu bang bravern #ao isami #lewis smith #isami x lewis #heidemarie #death drive #sigmund freud #masami obari #bravern thoughts

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victimsofyaoipoll · 10 months

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Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Megaera

She's the First of the Furies, which means she's in charge of punishing tormented souls in Hades. She is canonically the ex-girlfriend of the playable protagonist, Zagreus, and one of his three love interests he can romance in the game. Despite the fact that Megaera and Zagreus canonically had a very messy (but passionate) relationship prior to the events of the game, in fanworks she's often shoehorned into the role of wingwoman and/or Mean Lesbian (tm) in favor of the pairing up Zagreus with another of his love interests (the grumpy but affectionate Death Incarnate, Thanatos). The Thanatos/Zagreus pairing is massively more popular than any pairing featuring Megaera...despite the fact that in the game, Thanatos/Megaera/Zagreus is not only totally plausible, but entirely possible to achieve within canon. Literally, a throuple situation is achievable in game, and she still gets sidelined. Fanworks also have a tendency to paint the Megaera/Zagreus relationship as purely sexual and therefore not as "deep" or "romantic" as Thanatos/Zagreus, despite, again, plenty of in-game dialogue and events that indicate both Megaera and Thanatos have fallen in love with Zagreus on their own terms. Justice for Megaera.

she's one of two romanceable characters by the bi male protagonist and the other one is a man. people will write literal essays about the protag's relationship with his male love interest but she is reduced to "haha she pegs him. step on me" despite being an extremely interesting and multifaceted character in her own right. also people try to claim her ship is incest because in original greek myth she was the daughter of nyx who raised the protagonist and he believed she was his mother for a long time but their relationship was changed to be a boss/employee one in hades. and the protag's male love interest actually IS the biological child of the protag's foster mother but nobody wants to talk about that lmao....love you meg

There's so little fan content of her or the canon ot3 she's in because everyone just focuses on the 2 dudes 😔

Meryl Stryfe

Specifically in the 1998 anime she was made to be the love interest to the protagonist, Vash the Stampede. However, upon the introduction of the morally questionable gun-for-hire traveling priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood, few people have must interest in letting such a heteronormative pairing slide. Meryl is pushed on Vash, and Wolfwood is pushed on Meryl's coworker and best friend Milly Thompson, and that simply won't DO. Meryl is often depicted as bitchy and uptight, or on the flip side used as a wingwoman to nudge the two boys together. Fortunately they are not too unkind and will pair her with her partner Milly rather than writing her off completely, but it's hard to say she's as beloved as the true tragic and doomed-by-the-narrative romance of the story.

fandom loves to either act like she doesnt exist or make her the wingman friend

She’s sooo spunky and actually isn’t technically even a romantic interest of the male lead in the manga so it’s dumb how ignored she always is. She’s committed to her job, she loves danger, and she has ten billion guns on her at all times

#poll #round 1 #megaera #hades supergiant #hades game #meryl stryfe #trigun

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h0ney-gl0ws · 1 year

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Hi! I was wondering if I could request Hades boys (Zag, Than, and Hypnos) x reader hcs where the reader loves to bake? ^^ Thank you!

Yes you can! Awww this is such a cute request! Thank you for the request, and your patience lol.

Word Count (Approx): 1,080

Hades Boys! With an s/o who loves to bake!

Zagreus Zagreus first found out you loved to bake when you got hired to be an assistant to the head chef.

Your services to the lounge made it much more livelier than usual. Many of the shades who had no interest in food before, just had to see what the fuss was about with your baked goods. They were the talk of the house for quite some time after all.

And Zagreus doesnt let you forget that fact, reminding you constantly about how good your treats are, emphasizing how popular they are, as well as relaying the compliments he’s heard in whispers amongst the shades.

One day (or night) he asks that you teach him your ways. He knows how much baking means to you and wants to be able to share in that special little hobby of yours.

Of course Zagreus’ attempts end up with a fire, a horribly charred lump of something that was meant to be bread, and another hefty work load for Dusa in order to clean up the lounge…again. (You offer your best cupcakes as an apology to her afterwards haha)

The fire fiasco also got Zagreus banned from stepping foot into the kitchen again at the insistence of the head chef.

Zagreus would miss being able to steal tastes of your baked treats (and seeing you at work ofc) so much, that he commissioned the house contractor to start selling your treats in Charon’s shops. That way when he’s on his runs he can have a little reminder, and assist from you along the way.

He even took one of your recipes all the way to Eurydice, in return she gave him one of hers for you to try out. You were so impressed by her recipe, the goods made from it tasted like nothing you’ve ever had before! From then on Zagreus became a bit of a messenger between you two, he’d gift you one of Eurydice’s recipes when she gave them to him and you send her one back. You formed a cherished friendship over the shared love of creating food even without having met face to face.

You made sure to express your gratitude to Zagreus for taking interest in your hobby, connecting you to new friends in the afterlife, as well as being a great partner by giving him all the treats he could ever ask for, but the only treat he really needs in the end is you :)

Thanatos Thanatos was never one for sweets. The taste was too intense and the pure sugary monstrosities reminded him way too much of the surface. Bright, euphoric in the moment, but also very bad for you. All in all he can’t stand the stuff.

So when you first told him about your hobby he admits he had some concern. He’s seen what treats do to mortals first hand and does not understand the appeal.

Until, one day or night he returned to his usual spot in the house, and upon the polished round table that Zagreus got him was a basket of freshly baked bread rolls. In his hasty opposition to sweet foods he forgot that not all baked goods were of the sweet variety. Your baking opened a new door for him that day.

He praised your baking skills the next day. Expressing his gratitude of you accommodating his culinary preferences. You told him that’s what partners are for! That you want to be able to share this part of you with him and are overjoyed that he liked them. He laughs at your enthusiasm telling you he would happily accept any more treats you decided to make him.

And make him things you did, from breads to pastries to savory pies you made him all sorts of amazing goodies. Thanatos thanked you profusely after each gift, pressing tender kisses to your temple.

One evening, he admitted that he didn’t always hate sweets. When he was younger he actually liked a few of them, but after seeing greedy mortals, stuffing their faces and throwing away much excess while others starved and perished. Sweets never quite tasted the same, becoming a suffocating syrupy substance that he cant handle, but he was willing to try again if you made it.

You told him he doesn’t have to try your sweets and you wouldn’t be offended if he didn’t, but he assured you he wanted to, that anything important to you was important to him. And besides if he likes someone as sweet as you then he can handle any sweet treat you make.

Hypnos Alright, Hypnos sleeps a lot so there not a lot of time for him to eat the goods you make. He claims that the sugar would have him awake for weeks and he’d hate to have that happen. So he appreciates your hobby in a different way.

For instance he loves just watching you bake. The way your hands move so gracefully as well as confidently is super soothing. Your so precise in everything you do its very impressive to watch. You often catch him leaning against the edge of the counter your working on, fast asleep after a few minutes of watching you bake. You find it really cute how much he admires you ^-^

Not even to mention the smell! When Hypnos cuddles with you after you’ve been working a long shift with sweets and freshly baked goods, he practically feels as if he was in Olympus! Nuzzling his nose into your hair he can just fall asleep relishing in your sweet scent as he holds you close.

Well, eventually you are able to catch him at a time where you can convince him to actually enjoy your baked goods. And he was right… He talked faster than usual that day, and was way more clingy than you were used too. Why he rivaled Hermes in how fast he completed his work. His sugar rush antics made quite the entertaining feat. I don’t think he nodded off once for quite a while after that.

But when he did crash, he crashed It caused quite the backup in his work, and he wasn’t allowed to have your treats over a certain sugar level after that. Ordered by Lord Hades himself XD.

But Hypnos doesn’t mind, you’re the only sugar he needs in his life :P

#hades #zagreus x reader #zagreus hades #thanatos x reader #thanatos hades #hypnos x reader #hypnos hades #request #h0ney gl0ws works!#headcanon

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p3ta · 18 days

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gotta send Ryoji Mochizuki

Thanks for the ask! Hope your day's going well, fellow Ryoji enjoyer.

Spoilers below for P2, P3, P4, and P5R.

Send me one of these here!

First, I want to give some thoughts on his character as a whole. For the certain type of character he is (doomed, remorseful harbinger), Ryoji Mochizuki is perfect. I don't think there's a better Persona twist than his reveal as the the Appriser/Death, the thirteenth Arcana Shadow. Just because a twist is easy to see coming doesn't make it less impactful, and I particularly enjoy the way Persona 3 distills information to the player in allotments. Even knowing that, Ryoji managed to surprise me with how much more he was. And fittingly, a lot of Ryoji's characterization bounces back to the P3 Hero, and vice versa.

On top of that, Nyx Avatar is my favorite final boss in the entire Persona series and unsettled me out the first time. I'd still say that Nyx Avatar causes me more fear than the Reaper, who I'd comparatively describe as inciting panic rather than fear.

Ryoji is frequently compared to Kaworu from Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), and, well. Yeah. I believe I read that in a developer interview that the P3 dev team deliberately took inspiration from NGE but I'm unable to find a source at hand, so don't quote me on that. Between the two, I prefer Ryoji. He is the strongest out of the character type for me.

favorite thing about them

His layers! Ryoji is one of those late game characters who comes in and recontextualizes all the information you've learned thus far. It's why I love watching the Dictionary update throughout a playthrough. I understand why people are put off by the way he's introduced as a serial flirt, but Reload made it much more textually clear that this isn't his true personality, nor his intentions. Ryoji is proto-Teddie (Japanese Teddie, anyway); a fully formed individual who sprang into existence seeking connection. However, where Teddie's isolation and lack of identity are his defining characteristics, Ryoji's are moored in how connected he is with P3 Hero.

Ryoji ultimately only exists because of that connection, that little bit of humanity he's been given, but that's also what prevents him from being fully human. He's had a role to play since his inception, and he can't avoid that even with his newfound connections.

Ryoji's present throughout the entire story. You've got Pharos at the very beginning with the contract running errands for the Velvet Room (I like it more and more that I think about it. Picture Elizabeth or Igor having to explain to this terrifying child what he has to say. Or maybe he knew what to say all along! He has been waiting ten years), Thanatos tearing himself out of Orpheus (by far the best Persona awakening in the series and a textual highlight for what an alien force he is), and a crucial lynchpin event for Yukari's backstory, Mitsuru's backstory, as well as the crucial event for Aigis and P3 Hero.

There is no version of Persona 3 without Ryoji and I'm all the happier for it. Genuinely, if something's confusing with P3's story, there's 90% chance the answer is Ryoji or one of his many numerous forms. The remaining 10% is the Kirijo Group. That said, we don't get a lot of time with Ryoji. Ultimately, he's a part of P3 Hero and you're left to extrapolate exactly how much of each other you believe they've influenced.

Sogabe, the P3 & P4 mangaka, chose to highlight how similar Ryoji and P3 Hero look. I consider it an essential element of their relationship together.

least favorite thing about them

It'd be cheating to say nothing, wouldn't it? I'd say that his design is easy to mock and hard to get right in fanart. Between Ryoji's forehead and very Axel Kingdom Hearts approach towards long limbs – and legs in specific – the movies did not help with this. I've read reviews saying how the higher budget allowed for the characters to be more consistently on model, and thus look better, but I fervently disagree. That boy is mostly leg. Late 00s and early 10s anime art Looked Like That, though. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for some of it.

But I love how Ryoji looks and wouldn't change it for the world. Silly slick-backed hair boy. It is funny how whenever Persona wants a villain with sympathetic qualities, they slick back the protagonist's hair (Philemon and Maruki come to mind).

Reload fixed ("fixed") this anyway but making him much fluffier in his portraits and giving his skin some color! He's achingly soft in that game.

favorite line

There's many iconic ones I could pick but I'm going to go with a new one from Reload:

It's so small, it's so playful! I like that if you choose to start an exchange he finishes the bit. It says a lot about him in such a succinct way.

Even more so when you consider the reason he came here was for Junpei's sake. Being able to balance joking around while keeping a touch of concern endears me beyond belief. Thank you, Reload.

brOTP

Junpei & Ryoji. It's not even close. This was the one element I was hoping Reload would show more and I was not disappointed! The dynamic is good for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is that despite Junpei's Persona being Magician Arcana, he is not the P3 Hero's Magician Social Link. Junpei is not the male protagonist's best friend. He clearly wants to be, but his frustration is palpable. The P3 Hero is cool, charming, and everything that Junpei plays second fiddle to, but he won't even acknowledge him. But what if there were a more likeable version of the Hero?

Instant friendship. Those two are besties from day one, where Ryoji has all the qualities but none of the knowledge, and so their dynamic is a much more even one. To me, it indicates how well Junpei and the P3 Hero might have gotten along had he not carried Death inside him for ten years. It's a brief window into another world.

There's also the fact that Ryoji, Death, befriends Junpei so close to when Takaya shoots him and he perishes. His character arc is defined by change, this act being what radically transforms his soul, and what's one of the meanings of the Death Tarot? It's like universal foreshadowing. It's funny to me too that the Magician Arcana Shadow is the one Thanatos tore to pieces. Growth for Ryoji too.

As an aside, I miss the dynamic movements from the PS2 cutscenes. Junpei being so quick to drown Ryoji is nowhere comparable to him covering Ryoji's mouth.

OTP

Hmm. This might take a second. I wonder what pairing I might like with Ryoji. Here's an unrelated picture of Messiah:

You know, Messiah is one of those Personas that has only grown on me more as time passes. My favorite of the final protagonist ones, due in part to how you have to fuse him yourself. Orpheus, the starting Persona, combined with the power of Thanatos, the penultimate manifestation of the Death Arcana. They compliment each other beautifully, and regardless of if you the player create him, he is always the true final Persona, the final result of the Judgement Arcana.

They are inevitable.

Of course it's Ryoji and P3 Hero. How could it be anything else? These two make me sick with joy. Death has a clear favorite and in the end, gets to keep him forever.

nOTP

It's funny, because I can't think of any serious pairing with Ryoji that I wouldn't view as a crack ship? I can't see any version of Ryoji with anyone but the P3 Hero nor can I take that relationship seriously. The only other being Ryoji has an established relationship with is Aigis, and that ship comes across as black comedy. I mean, there's also Ryoji and the P3 Heroine, who he is undoubtedly head over heels for, but I see her as heavily preferring Aigis. Oops.

Wait, I did remember one! Ryoji and Junpei! I'll admit, maybe it's the sheer "dudebro" vibe of their relationship, but people pairing these two was not an outcome I expected from Reload. I've seen it enough to know those who like it aren't joking, either.

It's funny, because they're both soul-taken at the tail end of their friendship (Ryoji with P3 Hero and Junpei with Chidori) so I guess I wasn't looking for it? Then again I can't see Junpei Iori kissing a man in general. If there's a Ryoji pairing that isn't my thing, these two are the Most not my thing.

random headcanon

Ryoji memory backfill!

I've seen multiple interpretations for how Ryoji's sudden transfer, housing, and parental situations were never questioned. I like exploring this for myself, especially from Ryoji's perspective. Ryoji fully believes himself to be human until 12/2's Dark Hour. So, how does he reconcile his own situation?

This headcanon states that whenever Ryoji is prompted to answer on where he lives, what he likes, or where he went to school before, he'll often "backfill" what memories he think should be there. If it's something he should reasonably know, it'll be there.

In-game you can see a couple instances of Ryoji being stumped at simple questions, like where his class trip was going to be, but excelling at others, such as when he asks Mitsuru out to a restaurant date. According to the headcanon, he failed the class trip question because it wasn't something he anticipated, but he knew a date location because it was essential to his personality. Ryoji Mochizuki is a hearthrob, it wouldn't make sense if he didn't. So he does.

I like to think Reload Ryoji's phone is another example of this backfill, though this one spills over into material items. Ryoji thinks he should have a phone and knows he should ask for others' numbers, but when he reaches for it on his first day it isn't there.

His inconsistencies are fun.

Rapid fire small ones: his favorite color is blue, he likes sunrises but not sunsets, and he's good with children.

unpopular opinion

This may be the most unpopular opinion I have in general, but I don't believe Ryoji is bisexual. Or rather, I don't necessarily believe he must be bisexual. It's not like I'm trying to shirk representation, but I think there are so many fascinating ways that you can analyze orientation for a character. Same with gender.

Ryoji, through my interpretation, is someone who could only love the protagonist. And it doesn't have to be a sexual kind of love. There's an entire spectrum of identities in our culture that we've labeled for what Ryoji's experiences could be. It brings me joy to be able to think about how – even if Ryoji knew about these identities – he'd define himself. On top of that, would how he define himself be accurate? Would he have misunderstandings about his own identity?

There tends to be a large backlash when someone even suggests a different label for a character with one widely agreed upon, which means my gender and sexuality thoughts stay hidden away. I'm more than aware of those that insist any hint of same-sex attraction is obviously platonic and fans are reading too much into things. I'd never want to take away from an individual identifying with a character for what a fandom settles on calling them.

Though one note: it's interesting to me that from the collective opinion I've seen, people have latched onto bisexual as a label rather than pansexual despite them ostensibly meaning the same thing. Something something changing social climate. Anyway. Play around with character gender and sexuality. It's good for you.

song i associate with them

Auld Lang Syne.

For old acquaintance be forgot

And ne'er brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot

In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne

It's a traditional New Year's celebration song. Auld Lang Syne essentially means "for old time's sake". It originates from a precursor to Scottish, and exists as a fossil word inside this otherwise Standard English prose. I find it sweet how this little, historic piece gets to survive through something that redefines it.

favorite picture of them

Well, that was a lot. If you have a keen eye, you might've already noticed I've been dropping in pictures so I'll keep this part concise.

My favorite pictures of Ryoji are his portraits:

Sweet. Fluffy. Endlessly endeared by the way his hair flairs out. A much clearer heart shape for his face. Perfection. Special mention to his startled expression. His eyes get small and I get happy, simple as that.

Although, I'll never forgive Reload for dropping his Messiah pose:

There's an element to this portrait that's a little more unearthly, but earnest. Visually, his eyes are also a clearer parallel to Aigis's in this version.

Thank you for reading all the way through! And thank you again for the ask. I'm not sure if you were expecting an essay, but I think that about sums it up.

Have a picture of Ryoji nui + charm!

#asks #ryoji mochizuki #🔫#🌕#it took me eleven days to answer this that does not bode well for the others #elle-p's nomenclature is spreading #thanks Ver!#happy mochizuki monday #very-lucky

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i-bring-crack · 8 months

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For every other media I post/reblog about that isn't about SL, I'm in fact thinking of all of them as SL AU's

Hades game— Suho as the prince of hades trying to get out of hades with the help of the other gods(monarchs) in order to see his mom Haein. But of course his father and king of the Underworld will not make him cross to the otherside which is why he puts him over so many trials. (Chaos as Ashborn and like Jinchul as Nyx is so overly great like please. Also thanatos being Ryo trying to hide his feelings for him. Miho as one of the furies, you know which one 👀 if you know the game. And also the monarchs as gods skdnks Zeus=Antares, Tarnak=Dionysious, Raikan=Ares, Queresha=Athena or Demeter, maybe Arsha=Artemis, Sillad=Poseidon, ect ect.)

Fnaf— Animatronic Jinwoo and the gang of S ranks, to keep it simple its just Haein, Jongin, Yoonho who is out of commission in his pirate crove, and oh boy does it get creepy for security guard Jinchul, trying to outrun these monsters mixed with the souls of dead people, while in the day trying to find out who was the said person who did those killings.

Faith— Jinchul (sowy boy) trying to prevent the destruction of the world by excorsising demons. And guess whose the most frequent soul that appears here (nah its haein possessed by Antares) he is working with father gunhee too and I think this whole thing will be neat hahah (jinwoo you are also on the suffered path)

Villains are destined to die— Haein is transmigrated to a fantasy world of an otome game as the adopted Lady of the Dragonblood family and villainess soon be killed. (Father Antares, Older brothers Jongin and Kihoon uhu uhu). But she doesn't want to die, cuz you know, death, so instead she does her best avoid all of her death scenarios and in the end gets to surprisingly fall in love with the tyrant crown prince Jinwoo (sjsj letting yall know Jinchul is winter and tends to see haein in a more platonic light than romantic. Also I don't know who eckles might be... but it has to hurt. )

Good omens—okay could work with SL Ragnarok but could also work as Jinho/Jinwoo fluff and feels. Jinwoo is a fallen angel and Jinho is an angel, both have occasionally met in a lot of centuries and have sincerely started developing feelings for each other, especially after they have to stop the antichrist (ummm suho) from bringing Armageddon. (Hahaha Jongin beelzebub and Yoonho Gabriel. Gunhee as metatron. Haein as the new angel intern ahaha.)

Edit two more into the pile:

Tgcf— Ascended ex crown prince Woo Jinchul for the third time having the favor and love of Ghost King Jinwoo for 800 years and then getting dangled up in all kinds of drama as soon as he is back on heaven.

SVSSS— Jinchul wakes up as the infamous horrible shizun of the protagonist Jinwoo and decides that this time he is going to spoil the protagonist and care for him unlike the former villain, even while the system is actively out to get him for being ooc!

#solo leveling #sung jin woo #cha hae in #choi jong in #woo jin chul #baek yoon ho #VERYWHERE IS LITERED WITH CHOIBAEK #EVERYWHERE #sl monarchs #sung su ho #yoo jin ho

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moonfruito · 1 year

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Hey! I want to start jrwi, but idk where to begin. Any advice?

:D !!! oh the IMMENSE joy i felt receiving this ask !! i am about to ramble a little a lot - if anything does not make sense then feel free to ask more questions :))

the main campaign of just roll with it is riptide, a pirate campaign dmed by grizzly set in the world of mana, where the planet is nearly all water save for some scattered islands. the characters are gillion tidestrider, a triton paladin/sorcerer played by charlie slimecicle, chip, a human rogue played by bizly and jay ferin, a human ranger played by condifiction. there's a playlist with all the episodes on so it's pretty simple :)

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i have found that my irl friends who have never watched dnd podcasts before have struggled to get past the first arc, around the ep11-14 mark, but i see from a peek at your bio that you're a critical role fan so you'll probably have no issue :) the earlier episodes are slower to start but they're still great! the quality does improve a lot as time goes, naturally.

there's also two prequel episodes for riptide which you don't need to watch, but they're worth noting if you want to go back to them after you catch up like i did, or you could watch them before if you want a bit of extra lore context.

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that's probably all the information you need to get started, but i am going to give you some more information about the patreon campaigns as well - you don't have to pay attention to all this if you want to just keep it simple! i just feel like giving a full beginner's guide for no reason lmao

for all three of the campaigns i'm about to talk about, it is $5 a month - obviously not asking you to just jump right in and give them money but i do very highly recommend it if you find you enjoy this podcast!! it's a fairly low cost for a lot of great quality content.

prime defenders is the main patreon campaign, and it's a mutants and masterminds superhero campaign dmed by bizly. the characters are teenaged boys with superpowers, enlisted to help defend the world of prime. charlie plays william wisp, who has ghost powers, grizzly plays dakota cole, who has super strength and does martial arts, and condi plays vyncent sol, who's from another world and has people living inside his brain? i don't really know how to explain that one uhhh the first five episodes are available for free - won't link each because it'll clog up the post but here's the first one. decent place to start if you're considering getting the patreon, although similarly to riptide the beginning episodes are a little slower as they start around the same time.

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this one i'd personally recommend watching after you finish the other campaigns, simply because it's the longest of the patreon campaigns, but it is very great! <33 it also has two prequel episodes which are for free - similarly not required watching but good fun nonetheless!

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apotheosis is a fifteen episode-long mini-campaign where the players go around and kill all the gods, dmed by condi. peter sqloint is a human possessed by an archangel played by charlie, rumi is a changeling bard/warlock who is chasing visions played by grizzly and thanatos is a very intense and murderous war forged played by bizly. first episode is available for free, and it is essentially the compiled session zeroes of their individual characters.

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this campaign is, in my personal opinion, the best place to start for patreon because of the shorter length and how easy and quick it is to get into. if this was not a patreon campaign i would recommend this as the best place to start jrwi, honestly, because the shorter length means everything's more packed in and faster-paced and it helps you get into the swing of things and get the satisfaction of watching through all of it, while also showcasing the potential of the episodes to come later in the longer campaigns.

blood in the bayou is a four episode-long call of cthulhu campaign set in galloway, louisiana in the 1980s, dmed by charlie, where three old friends reunite and discover their hometown's local horrors. kian stone, a big city rockstar, is played grizzly, timothy rand, a stoner still living with his parents, is played by bizly, and rolan deep, a lawyer, is played by condi. it is audio-only and has higher quality sound design and an original soundtrack. pretty different for the other campaigns but so well-made. good place to start with patreon as well! the first episode is available for free too <3

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and that's all for the recent stuff! there were a couple other campaigns from years back that never got finished and never will get finished and some scattered oneshots but i hope that was all helpful in some way!! i hope you have a great time watching jrwi and that you'll fall in love with this podcast like i and many other people have! <33 really happy to see you interested - lot of love has been put into this show and each of the campaigns really are so good :) again, if you have any more questions then go ahead and ask!! i'm always happy to help :D

also if anyone wants to rb this for other potential jrwi watchers then feel free to ?? idk if anyone was considering that but y'know the recent influx of qsmp charlie fans might have some takers and the jrwi propaganda machine never stops

#jrwi #jrwi riptide #jrwi bitb #just roll with it #jrwi pd #jrwi prime defenders #jrwi blood in the bayou #blood in the bayou #prime defenders #my textpost #jrwi apotheosis #just roll with it apotheosis

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silenced-judgement · 14 days

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Thanatos

So, now that I have this tumblr blog set up for myself, I wanted to share some things that have happened to me. I've seen people on here post about how Thanatos has come to them in a dream, and that's something I have experienced at least perhaps three times? The first time he had chosen to appear looking very similar to the design of the character from the game Hades; his skin tone around the same, the same exact outfit, except he was still also how he's described in Greek texts and legends; with black hair and black feathered wings. I had asked him through tarot the next day if he had done that on purpose as a way to kind of make it obvious to me who he was or just decided to do so to mess with me, in which his answer was that he had done so just to mess with me. The second time he came to me in a dream, I literally don't remember anything that happened, I just remember him being there looking like himself but in an outfit that I tried my best to replicate through drawing. Third time he came to me in a dream, he wasn't actually there, but at the end of the dream I just remember some butterflies coming over to me and landing on me and my instant reaction in the dream was to go; "Hi Than!" in response.

Thanatos does actually try to avoid my dreams, which is kind of sad because a lot of the times I'm lacking motivation to grab my Tarot and interact with him through them, and my Autism and ADHD doesn't help with that either and I've told him he can try and interact with me through dreams. It's just, my dreams have always been a chaotic mess; I could be dreaming about Minecraft and then the next thing I know it's no longer Minecraft related and I'm suddenly somewhere else. Thanatos literally had gotten lost within my first dream in no less than 10 minutes.

Either way, my art style is obviously a bit far from realistic, but yeah, Thanatos is a pretty boy and he knows it.

#hellenic deities #deity work #greek gods #greek deity #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polythiest #hellenism #hellenic pagan #silencedjudgement deity work #thanatos devotee #thanatos worship #silencedjudgement art #i love how pretty he looks and i want to give him headpats #my boyfriend is also a bit jealous of thanatos and i find it hilarious #like you tell me to take care of him and expect me not to become clingy #thanatos will literally sit in my bedroom with me because i said he can

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wanderingbards · 1 month

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Fun poll time!

(Note: This is just for fun. I could not fit The Suckening boys on this poll as I only had 12 options. I will also be making this exact poll but who the fandom treats the worst.)

#just roll with it #jrwi prime defenders #jrwi riptide #jrwi apotheosis #jrwi blood in the bayou

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mercityart · 2 years

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So, I've been thinking and I wanna do a creepypasta x y/n type thing, if y'all could send requests n stuff that'd be awesome. For now tho, let's start simple.

Tw: these characters are mentally unwell individuals who don't typically have the means for therapy or medication, they aren't meant to be perfect, and just like so many other ppl they can be toxic and exhibit bad behavior such as self harm, possessiveness and so much more.

WHAT TYPE OF LOVER THEY ARE.

Toby- ooooh boy buckle up for this one. Toby is extremely sweet, almost sickeningly so if we are being honest. However, he does have really bad episodes. Toby has many mental issues, some being schizophrenia and bpd(borderline personality disorder), along with bipolar. His mood can switch so quick and violently it's nauseating. He has episodes he has little to no memory of and severely struggles with self harm, eating disorders and much more. He does not mean to hurt himself and/or others. He tries his best to treat you like a prince/princess/royalty/etc. He loves to take you on hikes and anything physically active and outside, always having far too much energy. He's the type of lover who will carry you on his back or shoulders if you are too exhausted or even hurt. Speaking of which, never tell him you are hurt or gods forbid it's the end of the world. He will baby tf outta you. He's the true definition of "golden retriever boyfriend". Although I see him more as a rednecks bullybreed in my opinion. Sweet, smiley, overly energetic, smart but super ditzy but will bite someone if told to, forever loyal. During episodes where he's super down just rub his back and hum to him, don't force him to do stuff and take everything at one miniscule step at a time, instead of thinking "just take a shower then rest before something else" think "ok, turn on the water, see how far you can go and if you are too tired that's ok, I'll help you, if you just don't wanna, that's ok I'm here let's watch or listen to music". Honestly he just needs a lot more love. He will be protective, playful and always willing to help. A good boy.

Tim- Oh dear Thanatos give me strength. This man is such a softy for his lover(s). He has such a gruff exterior and will always display it, however, when it comes to you that'll soften significantly. You are baby. That's that. He will treat you as his equal, always. This is good and bad though as he will forget that you aren't used to the shit he goes through as the unfortunate victim of the Operator. Don't get me wrong, he will eventually realize but it takes his brain a lil bit of calibrating first. For example, he can say something super insensitive then after a few minutes he's all, "aw shit, darlin I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that, are you ok? What I meant was-" He tries his damnedest I swear, he's just a mentally ill southern man, he ain't the brightest at times but he tries. Now, he can have a temper but rest assured it's unlikely he'll ever lay a hand on you, some other poor soul? Maybe, but definitely not you. He may slam a door or stomp about but he won't even breathe on you. Sometimes though, after a really rough day he can end up in a screaming match with you, but he'll try and make up for it like crazy. Breakfast in bed, more per names, maybe an "I love you" he seldom gives, hell he may even slow dance with you in the kitchen while you guys make food. This mf do be making dad jokes like crazy, he's toughen up a lot since marble hornets but he's still Tim. He's a goofball at times. And let's not forget whats also not battery powered. Cue the music. He loves sitting out on the porch or the windowsill strumming at his guitar or ukalele while writing lil lyrics, later presenting you with his song once it's finished. Also, he gives the best hugs, we love our strong short chubby king.

Brian- look at this hunk of a man. He is like a mix of Tim and Toby. He's smart, calculating, absolutely charming, but he can also be tough, silly and oh so caring. He will always throw around jokes and give the biggest smug grin afterwards showing his gorgeous smile(the cute Lil tooth gaaap) He loves to pick you up and swing you around with his big strong arms. Actually, he loves showing off for you in general when he can. He's really fit, constantly working out, but it's a bit unhealthy, hence why he's so obviously muscular. He doesn't eat a healthy amount and excercises too much, unlike Tim who is just as strong bit looks less fit. This man is the definition of a highschool Jock except he's actually super fucking smart. Now, be aware he's a psychology major, he can be very quite at times and is able to analyze every move you make. He is extremely protective, at times to the point of possessiveness but sometimes it's as though he couldn't really give af. He is an absolute beast of a man, he will use his extreme height, broadness and muscle mass to his advantage. However he is so soft with you. If y'all fight though he is not going to hesitate to pick you up and put you over his shoulders, put you somewhere soft and quiet and then leave for a few hours to cool down. He isn't prone to violence but be careful, if he snaps he blacks out and even Tim would panic in that scenario. He does do everything he can in his power to prevent this from happening, taking medication, smoking weed, going on a long hike, taking anger out on trees, etc. Tbh him and Tim are like dads.

Jeff- Jeff, oh boy. Now, he is definitely a lil rat bastard, as most short trans men(such as myself) are, but xe's not as bad as you may think. Honestly he likely will treat you like a best friend. It will make some morbid jokes, smoke with you if you want, do some stupid shit like vandalism, he don't give af. Xe is very into alternative fashion and music, if you enjoy doing makeup and all sorts of artsy stuff count him in. He won't hesitate to put you in a headlock btw. He will 100000% throw you around and wrestle with you for shits n giggles. It is also, surprisingly a hopeless romantic. He may act all cool on the outside, or at least try, but xe honestly is all heart eyes at the smallest bs. He is so supportive in his own way, saying stuff like "babe, I promise you, you have the absolutely fffffffffattest ass I have ever seen. You is THICC!" Also, please please please pleeeeease call xem "baby boy", "handsome" or even "bunny", he will absolutely melt, and do this while playing with it's hair while he's sitting down playing on his phone between your legs while yet on the couch? Aaaagbkghklg. This man will do anything you want istg. Also, hope you like dogs bc he's got two. Smile dog(aka smiles) and smiley. I know. So creative right? It didn't want to rename them after finding them so he just stuck with it, but he dies tend to call smiles princess though. Also, will absolutely make you his favorite food growing up that his madre made growing up, empanada.

Liu- ah, big mans. Oooooweeeeee. Liu's side is very reserved and quiet. They will kiss your palms and watch you all puppy like when you talk. He isn't huge on talking as he found with Sully it leads to more arguing. He is a body mods artist so if you want tattoos, pricings, etc. You bet he's doing em. Any price of you he modifies he will kiss oh so sweetly, however, they prefer to reserve kisses for spots you dislike about yourself or past scars to remind you how much he loves and appreciates you. He loves to be big spoon but they prefers you two facing each other equally giving affection so he can see how you melt into him while you also can see just how much he cares about you. Due to their job he does get some big bucks so you better love being absolutely soiled and pampered. Anything you show even the slightest smidge of interest towards is yours now. Also, please do his makeup if you do yours in the morning. Having you sit in their lap doing eyeshadow while he rubs your sides his so therapeutic for him. Extremely gentle giant, his issue is they have a hard time communicating and shuts down when confronted. The best time way to deal with an issue is through notes. He likes to pass notes to one another before speaking and agreeing to a solution fully. They don't usually outwardly show if he's upset, but trust me, you will know. Sully doesn't keep his mouth shut ever.

Sully- Sully is very different from Liu. He's very outgoing and brutally honest, extremely blunt and talkative. He will be extremely wary of you at first, and he has severe, and I mean severe, commitment issues. They'll eventually come around though. They love to show you off, constantly holding you up on a shining pedistle for all to see. He likes to hype you tf up. They also love to dance with you, please dance to some Spanish music with them, it'll make their heart race. He also will give you so so so many kisses if you do anything to honor his heritage as his mother is Latina and he grew up around his Mexican family and even lived in Mexico part of his life growing up. If you sing porque te vas to him he will absolutely smother you with kisses. His favorite food was for sure tamales whilst Liu preferred mole.

Otis- Now, Otis is extremely reserved and can come off as cold when he's not masking. He does card though. She just has a hard time showing it he's not huge on giving physical affection or verbal. He typically shows his love through handmade gifts. He does enjoy cuddling on the couch after a rough day though. They don't hate physical or verbal affection, but growing up he was forced to give affection when he didn't want to and was more often shown "affection" through violence, not to mention she's worried that whatever you are wearing will set off their sensory issues. Otis will 10000% shut down if in a argument, but if anyone threatens him or puts hand on them, she will kick their ass no matter what. Otis is a big boy and exhibits behavior very similar to that of a cat. Her favorite thing to do is to sketch, draw, or paint you when you aren't paying attention. He just loves the way you look and the emotions he feels when observing the work they've created. On a really bad day the best thing for you two to do is take a bath bubble bath together surrounded by yummy smelling candles, ambient lighting, and of course having your skin touch hers. She loves the way your skin feels but hates clothes, if he had it her way he'd never wear clothes but sadly society says otherwise. Their thought process is(as is mine) nothing is innapropriate unless someone makes it innapropriate.

Jack (E.J.)- This man is very cold. He doesn't comprehend emotions as much as he used to before the incident. He loves observing you and trying to determine what emotions he is feeling in that moment. He is extremely blunt and anilitical, always saying whatever he is thinking to say. He struggles with having mercy on your emotions. He does apologize and feel guilty when he finds out it made you feel negatively and is always willing to learn and work things out. He wants you to feel safe, comfortable and loved with him. He believes he is a hard person to love due to his situation, believing he is a hideous monster. He severely lacks confidence and it takes a long time for him to even give you a peak at his skin, nevermind not wear his mask around you. He believes you are the most gorgeous person in exhistence and wholeheartedly believes it. He struggles a lot with his hair and it's very damaged. Jack, prior to the incident was a black man and as such his hair was extremely thick and had a super tight curl pattern. Now he typically keeps it straight, please teach him how to take care of his hair, he loves his natural hair but no one taught him how to take care of it as he was adopted by a racist white family growing up as a teen. give him some locks, cornrows, extensions, box braids, hell, teach him how to keep his hair in a natural state while styling. He loves you touching him and you doing his hair not only boosts his confidence but also is extremely therapeutic for him and he views it as romantic and affectionate. He loves to take care of you and you taking care of him makes his heart swell with love. This man is extremely loving, he won't be too clingy or overbearing, he respects your boundaries. He's simply content with the fact you don't hate or fear him. He does like to sneak up on you though. The little noises that come out of your mouth when you notice his large frame towering over you suddenly is both adorable and hilarious. You are his little rabbit, his mate, his lover, what more can I say?

For more scenarios and characters pls simply comment or send me it privetly as an ask or message.

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smokeybrandreviews · 3 months

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Festival Season

I am a massive fan of MegaTen games. I love everything about them; the battle systems, characters, and overall world. I fell in love with the summoning and fusion systems of these games almost immediately and longed for other franchises to do something similar. It was basically Digimon Fusion before Digimon was a thing. Who wouldn’t want to Lego two Pokemon into a goddamn MewTwo? The missus introduced me to this brave new world with the purchase of Digital Devil Saga so long ago. It was one of the first gifts I ever got her. Watching her play that sh*t really awakened something within me. It was like watching my kid brother playing Final Fantasy IX for the first time but with, you know, violent monstrosities. Way back then, during the golden age of the JRPG, on the PS2, we made it a point to play all of the obscure titles. Nippon Ichi and Atlus were our bread and butter. We had copies of Stella Deus, every DIsgaea available, and even Soul Nomad. No one talks about Soul Nomad. One day, she came home with Persona 3. On that list was Persona 3 vanilla. Bro, after we booted it up and those first few notes of Burn My Dread popped, I was hooked. I must have put three hundred hours into that game. I conquered everything I could in that game, romanced every option, and completed one hundred percent of that sh*t. I unlocked every Persona on just two runs and readily did it again when FES released. The Answer was kind if disappointing but I didn’t mind running through the enhanced world of P3 once again. And then I did it one more time when P3P dropped, though, admittedly, Portable is my least favorite of the lot. Persona 3 opened my eyes to a world of RPGs beyond just your Final Fantasys and Dragon Warriors. Because I enjoyed this one game so much, I was open to trying out others. I wouldn’t have touched Magna Carta if not for Persona. I would have missed out on Rogue Galaxy. Wouldn’t have given Shining Force EXA a second thought. If I had never played Persona 3, I would have never played 4 or 5, and that sh*t seems so bewildering to me because those games are some of my all-time favorites. In fact, for a long while, Persona 5 was my favorite of these games. I wrote a whole thing about, about how, while I loved 3, 5 was a close second. It had legitimately closed that gap after Royal dropped but then Persona 3 Reload was announced. Guess who pulled ahead once again.

I got Reload day one and immediately dove into to. It felt familiar, yet, new. It definitely got all the bells and whistles that made Persona 5 so enjoyable but was still definitely Persona 3. I got my copy for the PS4 so, while the presentation is loads better than the original, and it shows, it’s comparable to Persona 5. Having that “side-by-side” experience just solidifies that P3 IS my favorite Persona title and one of my all-time favorite games, period. I was a little bummed Burn My Dread wasn’t the opening song but Full Moon Full ain’t too shabby on its own. More than that, the quality of life changes are amazing. It’s the little things like the Online Saves or the fact you don't get fatigued in Tartarus anymore. I love how the original character designs got a remix, bringing them closer in line with that Persona 5 aesthetic, and boy do they steal from that P5 aesthetic let me tell you! The thing is, though, it feels full circle to me. I remember, way back when I was playing P5 (shout out to Tae Takemi, best girl in the entire game), that P5 feels like the spiritual successor to P3 in every way P4 is not. Don’t get me wrong, P4 is a classic, but it feels out of place in the trio, almost disconnected. Also, I remember hating Teddy. It’s like, did P3 influence P5, only to have that sh*t bleed back into Reload? I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I get to play Persona 3, on my PS4, with the look of Persona 5. I cannot stress how dope that is. Also, Satanael is DLC. You KNOW I bought due and have been decimating the early game! Thanatos is my second favorite Persona, always, Alice is the first (especially after I customize her), but Ren’s ultimate Persona is a strong third. Like, laughably so. There’s just something about summoning a Demon God that feels so…powerful. Also, you shoot God in the face. How can you not love that?

I’m ten hours into Reload and it is everything I ever dreamed a full-on Persona 3 remake should be. This isn’t that bait and switch FFVII pulled with Remake. No, for all intents and purposes, this IS Persona 3 but with modern game play and graphics. It’s like I’m popping ion the game for the very first time, damn near twenty years later. The Protagonist is as stoic as ever and the city of Tatsumi Port Island is alive with a vibrancy only the power of PS4 could bring. Building this game on the Unreal engine was a stroke of genius because the models are crisp, detailed, and fluid. There are so many little particle effects that make everything pop. The biggest upgrade is the UI. The thing is, I’m old as f*ck. I’ve been gaming since the old NES days. I’ve seen the evolution of video game and, for me, they peaked way back in the PS3 era. When P3 originally came out, I had no problem with how the title was presented. It got a little flashier with P3P and Persona 4 added their own flair, but Persona 5 really went in on the showmanship. P3R gets a bit of that and it goes a very long way to captivating the player. I thought modern hardware would affect the charm of these OG designs, but it doesn’t. It actually enhances them considerably. It’s subtle, but the bodies are longer, the eyes are smaller, and the overall proportions feel more realistic. I kind of love it. I also love the redesigns, so far. I mean, Mitsuru is gorgeous and I adore the new-ish Elizabeth model, but I’m holding judgment until the very end when I get to see Nyx again. And definitely get my ass throttled by her. Now, admittedly, not all that shimmers is gold. The fact that the Answer, the additional part of FES, isn’t included in what is a very obvious FES remake, kind of bones. I hear that it will be DLC down the line and that sucks. I like Metis. Her design was dope. I’m also not that huge a fan of Thanatos’ first reveal being made with in-game models. The visceral nature of that genesis feels lost when not in animation. It’s good in its own way but, goddamn, did that sh*t hit different way back when. These are, of course, superficial gripes because I am having the time of my life with this game! And it’s only the first play through. That New Game is about to slap crazy hard! I cannot wait to run it back with my heavy hitters on deck. Satanael be damned, getting Thanatos and my laughably OP Alice in the mix is going to be the best!

#Persona #Persona 3 #Persona 3 Reload #MegaTen #Shin Megami Tensei

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happyk44 · 9 months

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Jason settled on the chair, looking relieved when he didn't sink through again. In his hand he held an obsidian chalice, the remains of the liquified burnt offering Nico used to summon him sloshing around inside. Jason was nothing if not proper to the rules.

Annoyingly so at times. Only came when formally summoned.

Nico had forcibly dragged him up by his hair once, just to hang out, and he just told him to call again the right way before disappearing back to the Underworld in ghostly smoke.

But luckily Jason didn't need much to be summoned. Leftovers of dinner, the dust at the bottom of a bag of chips, even just some water thrown into the little pit. These chats were a regular thing these days, typically once a week like clockwork.

A way to keep Jason involved in life.

Even if he wasn't alive anymore.

There was also a… selfish component. Sort of. For Nico.

The first time he called on Jason, he was in the Underworld. He’d been considering a… strange avenue to drown his sorrows over his breakup with Will. He chickened out of the thought shortly after but Jason was a good shoulder to cry on anyway.

It was tiresome, asking Will to please stop fucking flirting with guys in front of him. If it was behind his back, fine, whatever. He couldn’t see it, he wouldn’t have to deal with it. In front of him was just rude at that point. And Will always had his excuse.

After the millionth fucking time of dealing with Will openly ogling someone else, Nico snapped and called it quits there and then. He went home, sparred with Menoetes for an hour and then wandered into Elysium to cry on Macaria’s shoulder.

But she was out of the house at the time. Luckily Jason was there, bright faced as ever.

And always willing to listen.

He would never deny that Jason was attractive. And the thought had peeled into his head when he went home. Jason was a ghost. Nico controlled ghosts. And fucking ghosts wasn’t exactly… a weird thing for the Underworld crew to do.

As far as he knew, his dad didn’t really do it but Hades didn’t really fuck around anyway. But Thanatos, Hermes, Melinoe, even Persephone - ghostly sex wasn’t common but it wasn’t uncommon. Especially when it was a partner you loved.

That was Nico’s cut off point. The thing that led him to go fistfight his emotions with Menoetes.

Jason was not his boyfriend. Had never been his boyfriend. There were no romantic undertones between the two of them. Nico’s crush on him was relatively chill compared to his crush on other people - like Percy. Or Apollo. Or Anubis and Walt.

Controlling him to do something he would never do was… just morally and ethically fucked. Nico may not have been the best Catholic boy these days - fuck, he hadn’t been to church in nearly a century - but free will was still a valued concept of him.

Summoning ghosts for battle was different. Those souls wanted to fight or were indebted to fight.

Summoning Jason to fuck would be nothing like that.

It was nicer anyway. To cry on his shoulder about his shitty boyfriend who never respected his boundaries. Sure, it would’ve been comforting to kiss Jason and be held and caressed but being comforted with quiet words was good too.

After that, he summoned Jason regularly to catch-up. It wasn’t for that sexual intention anymore, but still selfish for Nico.

To have someone all to himself to talk to. Jason would ask about his friends and Nico would fill him in but he never really brought them in to talk and Jason seemed to get why because he never asked.

This was the first time he’d done it at camp, finally returning after picking up Thanatos’ kids, scrawny twins who threw rocks at Nico when he tried to break into their barricaded apartment.

He’d dropped them off a few days ago and promised to stick around, a big brother figure to their nervous natures. They got on well enough with their uncles and aunts in the Hypnos cabin but they were still wary of other people.

Nico had just gotten off the phone with Thanatos when he called Jason up. After a couple of slips through the chair, Jason was finally settled into it.

“So Macaria was talking about her baby brother and his adoption of some twins the other day,” he teased before inhaling the contents of his chalice. His form brightened with every sip until it was as solid as it could be and the chalice was empty on the floor by his chair.

Reclining on his side, the bed softened under Nico’s weight. “I didn’t adopt them. They just trust me more than other people. It’s just how it goes, you know? Their dad trusts my dad, they trust me, one big happy family.”

“Family sounds adopted.”

Nico threw a pillow at him. It sank right through. “Shut up.”

“It's a good thing!" Jason grinned, cheeky. “Everyone said you were a perpetual baby and now you’re finally growing up.” He threw another pillow at him. Jason squawked when it hit him square in the face this time. “I’m complimenting you!”

"You are not and you know it." Nico rolled onto his stomach to dig through his bag of chips on the floor.

"So. Back at camp." Jason got up, pillow in hand, and sat down by Nico's feet. "You talk to Will?"

Ah.

Nico shook his head. "I don't… really want to talk about Will. If that's okay."

Jason squeezed his ankle. "Of course." He laid the pillow against Nico's back. "You want to catch-up on what you've missed back home?"

It was funny how Jason called the Underworld home. Few people did that. Just the ones that lived there and some ghosts. Most of them had different names for it - heaven, hell, the Underworld, the final plane. Rarely home.

But Jason adapted easily. Home was wherever he felt comfortable. Or safe.

And that was nice. Someone else he knew who thought of home as home. Even Hazel didn’t call it that. At most it was “our father’s house”.

“Yeah.” Nico rolled onto his back and stretched. “Catch me up.”

What Jason caught him up on was standard stuff. Persephone snuck home for a couple days, his dad locked Hermes up for three days for being annoying, Thanatos visited his mom, Pasithea and Hypnos were on two week vacation to the wilderness. Their younger kids were being monitored by Zagreus, Melinoe and their grandmothers.

Typical.

“Oh!” Jason laid down beside him. “Did you know Melinoe fucks ghosts?”

“Yeah, I know. All of them have fucked a ghost at least once.” Nico snorted. "Mellie does it more often than everyone else but she’s the goddess of ghosts and she only likes very specific women so if they die, she’s not giving up on them for dying. Plus she takes people out for hauntings and getting in good with my sister is one way to guarantee nightly visits to the surface.” He locked one arm behind his head. “It’d be different if they were actively fucking corpses but a soul is a person.”

"Mmm, I dunno. I'd expect someone has fucked a corpse at least once."

Nico grimaced. "You're so gross."

Jason laughed and nuzzled his cheek. "I could be grosser, if I wanted."

Jason was cuddlier these days. He'd always been touchy but having died, he just seemed to lose his ability to restrain. Made sense in a way. Touch wasn't the same when you were dead.

He craved contact and didn't know when he'd be getting it again.

Nico ran his hand through Jason's hair. "Well, don't, weirdo."

He hummed loudly before rolling gently away. "You ever fuck a ghost?"

Nico nearly fell out of the bed in shock. His face burned. "What? No- oh my-" He socked Jason across his shoulder. "Jason!"

Sitting up, Jason laughed. "Relax, relax, it was just a question." He shrugged. "You go out on these long missions. Figured… you know, maybe you got lonely and… hooked up with someone."

Immediately Nico's mind raced to that day and his skin burned hotter. "I mean…" He swallowed thickly and squirmed. "I've thought about it."

"Yeah?" Jason laid back down as Nico sat above him, legs crossed. "With who?" He grinned cheeky again. "Achilles? He's pretty hot."

What?

Nico coughed. "You- you think-"

"Or maybe a godly boyfriend," Jason considered outloud. “Like Hyacinth. Well, maybe not Hyacinth. Apollo visits him. Did you know he was dating Thanatos?”

Pulling himself together, Nico nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I knew.”

They went on some kind of temporary split sometime in the late nineties after Apollo had gone on about “making a baby” for the tenth time and Thanatos got concerned about the seriousness in his voice about it. They’d gotten back together shortly after Apollo returned to godhood.

Nico stretched. “Yeah, um, they hooked up when my dad was trying to get some creature comforts for Persephone after they got married. These sunlit orbs for her room and garden. You’ve probably seen them. She put some of them in Elysium for the spirits there.”

“Oh, that’s what those are?” Jason tilted his head back. “I figured there was a reason they felt so familiar. Everyone likes to lay underneath them.”

He was quiet for a moment, Nico’s mind racing back to what he’d said about Achilles. Then his brain crashed when Jason asked, “Do you think they’ve fucked Hyacinth together?”

Extremely flustered, Nico pinched him. He squirmed under the touch but didn’t shy away from it. “What's up with you and ghost sex?”

Jason shrugged. He nipped at Nico’s fingers as they released him. “Melinoe was talking about a dead girlfriend of hers yesterday and it’s been on my mind. It’s not like I have much else going on. I’m dead. I spend all my time wandering the Underworld, talking to gods and spirits and waiting for you to call me.”

Oh.

Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s fine, Nico. I knew the decision I was making when I refused rebirth.” Jason closed his eyes. There was a weariness about him now, settled deep along his shoulders. Tense and uncomfortable. “Elysium just…"

The silence was nearly deafening. His pause pointed.

Elysium was a lovely place. Macaria put a lot of work into making it pretty, into ensuring everything worked smoothly, that the spirits who lived there were afforded nearly every comfort they had when alive.

She let families visit, friends visit. They were awarded front row seats to the quarterly shows Zagreus put on to entertain the masses.

But Jason's face was lit across with a quiet stress.

Elysium was as close to heaven as anything.

And Jason seemed to think it wasn't.

He shook his head. "It’s great and I’m happy I’m there. It’s just not… comfortable the way I thought it would be. Macaria says it’s something about my life ending too early, I didn’t get to complete the goals I wanted, missing my friends, family. I wasn’t ready to die.”

His eyes opened. The electric blue of them was dull. “She says it's normal. I just have to take time to get into a groove. Apparently it’s fifty-fifty who settles in right away and who takes a couple years to calm.”

Nico pulled his knees up to chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Maybe if I-" Nico sighed. "I can stop calling-"

Jason shot up sharply. "No." He took his hands. "I like when you call. And I asked Macaria. She said it had nothing to do with how I’m feeling and I was relieved. I don't get to see anyone else I love. I have to wait for them."

He tucked Nico's hair behind his ear. His hand slowly curved across Nico's jaw. A gentle smile slid across his face.

"I don't have to wait for you."

Nico swallowed thickly.

Jason was so close now, shifting so slow to get nearer that Nico wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't so hyper aware of Jason's presence.

"If you ever want to see anyone else-" He closed his eyes. "I mean, it's a grieving thing Dad implemented. You're not supposed to contact your deceased loved ones. Something about increased suicidal rates and intense bullying when we would stop assisting other people and-" He shook his head. "Whatever, I can summon you for the others. If you want."

"You know I'm a stickler for the rules," Jason said.

His voice was downturned, quietly distressed. As if he was disappointed in his choice. Stickler for the rules. Couldn't see his friends until they died. Or Nico summoned him in front of them.

Casual hauntings were allowed but Melinoe monitored that very strictly. You could hover over your loved one while they slept.

You couldn't have a long talk with them about their lives.

Nico was lucky. He lived in the Underworld. He'd see Jason regularly if he wanted anyway. And because of everything, he had mandatory sessions with Pasithea about his mental health. So his dad was okay with it. For the most part.

He pressed his hand against Jason's and leaned into the touch still pressed against his cheek. "If you ever change your mind, you know I'm happy to help."

"I know," Jason whispered. "It's what makes you so great."

Nico would've laughed if Jason hadn't kissed him.

#dated july 5th 2022 #from the twitter archives #happy talks pjo #jasico #jason grace #nico di angelo #is all romantic rn but lmao lemme tell you the intention gets worse :)#i really should get back to this at some point

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vampirecatboy · 7 months

Note

Hello yes tell us about cthonic gods please

ok ok so

clarification for those that need it: Cthonic deities in Greek Mythology are gods and goddesses and entities that reside in the Underworld

first off i want to say that Hades game was such a godsend for me, because to have such a popular, well-made piece of media that is all about my special interest is like the best gift an autistic person can get

i'll start with my two favorite boys: Hypnos and Thanatos

they are twins, first of all, two sons of Nyx, personification of night, and Erebus, who is darkness (i don't know if Hades game ever touched on this but Hypnos' mom was literally within shouting distance)

Thanatos hates mortals because they hate him (he is not the god of death he just is death, and not many mortals like death) and he hates the Olympians because they can't die, juries out on if he hates his own twin but there is this really cute painting that shows them asleep together, so i would guess ol Thanny is fond of his brother

now also the thing about Thanatos is that he is the personification of peaceful death, it's the furies who deal with violent death, like he's giving people a peaceful passing and they still hate him. death is death i suppose

also i know Thanatos is a love interest in Hades game, but in actual mythology he had no consorts and no children, truly aroace misanthropic king

now onto Hypnos, the personification of sleep, who did fuck, and had at least three children but i'll get to them in a sec

he lives in a grotto on the river Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, one of the five rivers of the Underworld (the others are the Styx, of course, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Acheron), he has his own court of minor gods and goddesses, including one of my personal favorites, Aergia, goddess of sloth and laziness, truly a "yes girl give us nothing!" moment honestly

there's also this story that i love, related to a mortal man who was also the lover of Selene, the moon. his name was Endymion, and in the more well known story, he was so beautiful when he slept, that Selene wanted to keep him in a state of eternal sleep, and they had 50 children, somehow, but the version of the story that i like (for reasons that will be very obvious lol) is that it was actually Hypnos who fell in love with him for the same reason as Selene, so he put Endymion into a state of eternal sleep, specifically with his eyes open, because he loved gazing into them (gay ass) no clue if their relationship was ever consummated like with Selene but one can imagine, this is Greek mythology after all

now Endymion wasn't the only lover Hypnos ever had, he also fell in love with one of Hera's graces (attendants?) whose name was Pasithea, and showing some remarkable restraint for a divine man in Greek myth, instead of abducting her or taking her by force, he asked Hera if he could marry her, and she agreed on the condition that he help turn the tide of the Trojan war (which is not my special interest so do not ask me about it, i know nothing lol)

with Pasithea, Hypnos had three sons, the most famous of which was Morpheus, god of dreams, his other two sons were Phobetor and Phantasos, but they all represent different aspects of dreaming, objects, beasts and people. Morpheus was specifically people in dreams, but he was the clear favorite and sort of took up the whole mantle from the other two Oneiroi

actually, addendum because i looked it up to check and the Oneiroi are the sons of Somnus, Hypnos' Roman equivalent, in Greek mythology they are his brothers. the rest of that is accurate though

so to summarize: Thanatos, aroace king, Hypnos, respectful if a bit weird bisexual, Aergia, just hangin' honestly

the twins have been depicted many ways, sometimes old men, sometimes babies, but i think most often they ended up being depicted as epheboi, teenagers

also it is very important that you know that Hypnos has head wings in a lot of his depictions, i forget if they depicted that in Hades but honestly who cares his design slaps either way

onto the most interesting thing for me about Hades game: Zagreus. he's obscure in Greek mythology, like all of Hades' alleged children, Macaria and Melinoe being the two i can remember. some scholars believe Zagreus to actually be Dionysus, because Dionysus also has ties to the underworld, i think in relation to his mother, like he had to rescue her from there or something? kind of a reverse of what Zagreus is trying to do in the game

i.... i think that's all the info i have to dump

i will not advocate for the accuracy of everything in this ramble (especially not the Zagreus/Dionysus bit, the stance among scholars might've changed since i acquired this information lol) but i certainly had fun thank you so much for asking me about this

#i'm sure you'll understand why this took so long to answer lol

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missingmywing · 6 months

Text

Much shorter today, but both soft and angsty.

Ryomina Day 2: Stargazing/First Kiss (Ao3 Link)

These are all going to be continuations of Day 1 because I wanna explore this au more.

The amount of flipflopping I did trying to figure out if it’s even possible to see the stars in Kyoto - even at the stargazing spots - was… a lot, and I still didn’t get a definitive answer. All the pictures I looked at said no, but I also acknowledge that cameras aren’t always great, and they are called stargazing lookouts on various tourist sites. And the game and movie both show stars at night so we’re going to set aside the potential realities of light pollution and say that you can. And the first day of the trip is a new moon too, so it’d be a waste not to take advantage of that.

The hiking trail Ryoji drags Minato up against his will:https://www.insidekyoto.com/shogunzuka-seiryuden-hike-chion-temple

Also as usual, the song I listened to while writing this:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox7Wt6fsm_A

Ryomina to Kimi no Na wa is somehow even more devastating.

~ ᙙᙖ ~

Minato had never really gotten attached to things before this year - aside from the mp3 player and Death/Thanatos - so he didn’t really miss anything from his childhood. But the one good thing that he could admit to missing, if he thought about it, was wandering the streets of Inagawa at night and looking up at the stars.

The green distortion of the dark hour tended to obscure the light of the stars, but even when it didn’t the light pollution of Tokyo not far away - plus Tatsumi Port Island itself - largely blocked them out.

Which meant that when they went to Kyoto for the school trip, Ryoji apparently decided on his own that that meant they should sneak out and go to the nearby Shogunzuka Seiryuden Temple to see if they could see any. Apparently it was the best lookout in the city, and a good place to stargaze.

Minato had his doubts given how bright the city was, but Ryoji seemed excited so he didn’t argue and just let the Shadow-turned-Persona-turned-boy sneak them out of the inn on the first night there to drag him on the long walk to the foot of the temple, then the half hour hike up to the temple itself.

If it had been anyone else Minato would have been annoyed and turned around. Ryoji was very lucky Minato liked him so much.

… especially after those six days where he’d been convinced that he’d lost him after Thanatos just vanished from his soul before Ryoji just showed up to school (which he still hadn’t explained and probably wouldn’t).

But Ryoji hadn’t let go of his hand the whole time they’d been walking, fingers intertwined and arms swinging as he chattered about the various things he’d been doing and exploring around Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island in the ten or so days he’d been consciously physical. It was almost surprising to hear how much he’d been doing without Minato - it had felt almost like they’d been glued together since the moment Ryoji walked into class with a grin and flirty line.

(It had taken an enormous amount of restraint for Minato not to throw himself out of desk and storm up to the front demanding to know where he’d been - the sudden flood of emotions he’d been struggling with since Thanatos vanished and suddenly whatever emotional suppression effect he’d had on Minato had vanished along with him had been difficult - but he’d managed to limit his reaction to a narrowed-eyed glare. They’d all thought Aigis was going to break cover and shoot him on the spot before she’d managed to get her own instinctual reaction under control.)

But they still spent a decent amount of time apart, given how busy Minato was helping various Social Links and Ryoji flirting his way through getting to know the entire school - how he was doing that without getting murdered by half the school population Minato neither knew nor cared - so it shouldn’t have been the surprise it was to realize that Ryoji somehow knew an entire year’s worth of drama that he hadn’t been around for.

Minato really didn’t care about the breakups and revenge plots and planned confessions of various couples around the school but Ryoji looked like he was having fun so he let him talk and only partially tuned him out.

When he’d come on the Kyoto trip he really hadn’t expected to be dragged on a multi-kilometer hike, but… well it wasn’t awful. The air was chilly enough that he wasn’t hot, and the months they’d spent sprinting up floor after floor of Tartarus meant he could easily handle the hike.

It just would have been nice to have some forewarning - or even just taken a taxi up.

But Ryoji was determined to have as many experiences as possible in the three months they had before The Fall, and Minato couldn’t fault him for it.

No one could escape time, not even the two of them, so they might as well make the most of it.

The downward turn of his thoughts must have been apparent to Ryoji - of course they were, he’d spent ten years sharing Minato’s soul - because the boy squeezed his hand with a sad smile and then yanked him forward.

Minato yelped and scrambled to catch his balance, and then they were running. Sprinting up the stairs, chilly autumn air whipping at their cheeks and red leaves and stone path blurring around them as Ryoji laughed and led the way and Minato couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed as he rushed to keep up.

It was exhausting and exhilarating, the world blurring and fading away until all he could feel were the pounding of his heart and the slap of his shoes against the stone pathway and Ryoji’s hand in his, all he could see was Ryoji’s beaming smile and eerie two-toned blue eyes glowing in the dark.

When they finally reached the top Minato had to stop and double over to clutch at his side as he gasped for breath. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how not human Ryoji was.

There was a reason only Aigis could keep up with him.

“Sorry,” the Shadow-turned-boy offered sheepishly. “You alright?”

“F-Fine,” Minato panted. “Just… just give me… a minute…” Too many nights running from the Reaper had given him stamina at least, and the sudden thought made him snort.

Ryoji tilted his head questioningly.

Minato finally managed to straighten and begin to even out his breaths. “Usually I’m running away from the Reaper, not trying to catch up to him.”

That drew a startled laugh from Ryoji as he set his hands on his hips. “I’m not the Reaper! I mean I’m kind of similar I guess, but we’re still different! The Reaper doesn’t come from Nyx, I don’t think.”

“It doesn’t?”

“Not that I know of,” Ryoji shrugged. “I think it just comes from… elsewhere, like most Shadows,” he waved his hand vaguely in the air, “-and is drawn to places where Shadows gather.”

“Huh… well, you’re still kind of a reaper, even if you aren’t the Reaper.”

Ryoji stuck his tongue out at him. “Fair enough I guess. Now come on, we’re almost there!” He grabbed Minato’s hand and returned to pulling him forward towards the path opening up into the viewpoint area.

It was a small observational area overlooking the southern sector of Kyoto, and in the far distance he could even make out the glittering lights of Osaka in the clear, moonless night.

The important thing, though, was the endless expanse of stars above them that he hadn’t expected to see.

Minato stared wide-eyed, slowly walking forward towards the railing with Ryoji trailing behind him.

They weren’t quite as clear as they’d been in Inagawa, but they were there and sparkling like thousands of tiny fireflies in the far distance.

He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed being able to see them, and was even more startled by the sudden choking well of emotion rising from his chest to his throat and spilling out from his eyes. Was he really crying over the stars?

The sudden unpracticed ability to feel a full range of emotion again was becoming inconvenient.

He reached up to scrub at his eyes and tried not to jump when he felt arms wrap unexpected around his waist as Ryoji rested his chin on his shoulder.

“It’s fine, you know,” he murmured in his ear.

“They’re just stars,” Minato shot back, leaning into his hug. “They’re pretty, but it’s not worth crying over.”

“Isn’t it?” Ryoji countered. “You’ve missed them haven’t you. What wrong with that?”

… what indeed.

“It’s not like they’ve gone anywhere. I just couldn’t see them.”

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to miss them.”

Minato had a feeling they weren’t just talking about the stars anymore.

Sighing, Minato reached down to intertwine their fingers. “It’s still annoying that I can’t control my emotions anymore.”

Ryoji snorted and pressed his face to Minato’s shoulder. “You mean that you have emotions again. You’ll get used to it - they aren’t bad.”

“Easy for you to say.” But Minato didn’t argue with him, just tipped his head back to stare up at the stars and try to remember the patterns of constellations. He could remember a few, tracing their paths with his eyes, and it was comfortable in the silence between them as he looked up at the twinkling lights in the sky and Ryoji looked down at the glittering lights of the city.

“It’s ironic,” Ryoji murmured finally. “I bet none of the scientists ever thought that the personification of Death could learn to value life, could learn to want to live and want humanity to live. I love you and I love them, and ten years ago I couldn’t have even imagined that I would be able to.”

Minato tightened his grip reflexively, trying to ignore the sudden burning behind his eyes and throat at the reminder. “I bet they’d be mortified,” he murmured. “Strega and Ikutsuki sure were.”

A wet laugh tumbled from the boy behind him. “Yeah, yeah they were. But I do. I do want to live. I want to live, and keep learning about people, seeing how they live and what they think. And I want to keep waking up every day with you and going down to the lobby to eat breakfast that Shinji made everyone while Yukari and Junpei argue and Akihiko and Mitsuru ignore them, and Fuuka tries to keep the peace while Ken sneaks Koromaru food from his plate, and Aigis tries to figure out why they’re arguing this time.” He was shaking, burying his face in Minato’s shoulder to hide his tears. “I want to stay with you forever, just like this.”

The tears had won the battle against Minato and they streaked down his face and turned the stars above them into a blur. He swallowed the knot in his throat and whispered, “Me too. I don’t want you to leave me too. I want to keep you here.” Wanted to drag Thanatos back into his soul, entwine them so strongly once more that he couldn’t leave him behind again. But they both knew he couldn’t - Ryoji’s very existence was proof that Death was whole once more, and a single human soul couldn’t contain Death without destroying itself.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to let go either.

Minato turned suddenly, startling Ryoji into loosening his grip, until they were facing each other. And it was a whim, a thoughtless, desperate motion to connect them once more that made Minato reach up to wrap his arms around Ryoji’s neck and pull him down to press their lips together for the first time. Ryoji froze for a moment before clinging more tightly to Minato’s waist and pulling him as close as he could.

And the kiss was awkward, wet with their shared tears and neither knowing what exactly they were supposed to do, but that wasn’t the point of it. Minato just wanted to be as close to him as he could in that moment, even if he couldn’t rejoin their souls. So it was awkward and desperate and not really good but it made him feel a little better to know it wasn’t just him.

That they were still the same even broken apart as they were.

When they pulled apart Minato tucked his head against Ryoji’s neck and just breathed. Ryoji clung to him just as tightly as he matched their breaths and they stood there. Together.

It wasn’t fair, none of it was fair, but they both knew that. There was nothing they could do about it - time came for them all in the end and they couldn’t close their eyes and cover their ears to hide from it. All they could do was live as much as they could until the end.

Minato found himself being dragged down as Ryoji suddenly fell backwards, until they were both sprawled on the concrete staring up at the stars once more. Minato’s arm was used as Ryoji’s cushion and his head was tucked against his shoulder and it wasn’t the most comfortable position but he didn’t want to move.

They just laid there, Ryoji occasionally pointing up to draw his attention to a constellation he either remembered or made up, and it was the calmest Minato had felt in weeks.

Time ticked ever onward though, and eventually Ryoji sighed and turned to press his lips to Minato’s head and murmured, “It’s almost midnight. Once the Dark Hour hits, I can fly us back.” His lips pulled up into a small smirk. “Save you the exhaustion of walking anywhere.”

Minato had complained about long walks to places before, even in his head, and while he didn’t hate exercise he wasn’t particularly thrilled with it either. Any other time he’d have been relieved at the offer.

But right here and now, in this extended fragile moment between them, with time ticking ever forward against them, he wanted to draw this out a little longer. Pretend for as long as possible that it was just the two of them and they had infinite time ahead of them.

So he just shrugged and said, “I can walk.”

Ryoji’s raised brow almost immediately morphed into understanding - of course it did - and his expression softened into something warm and pained. “If you’re sure. If we get back during the Dark Hour maybe Mitsuru won’t lecture us too badly about sneaking out.”

“And who’s fault was that?”

“I’ll take responsibility!”

“Somehow I don’t think that will save us,” Minato sighed, reluctantly sitting up. “We should go then. It’s around an hour to walk back so we’ll be cutting it close even if we leave now.”

“Good point. If we get too close I’ll just fly us the rest of the way, though.” Ryoji stretched his arms over his head and hopped to his feet, offering a hand to Minato. He accepted it and was pulled easily to his feet - but stilled as Ryoji suddenly too the opportunity to lean down and press another soft kiss to his lips. It was short, only a lingering moment, but something about it made his throat tight again and he pressed their foreheads together.

They lingered for another minute before reluctantly parting and turning to walk back.

The Dark Hour hit somewhere along the way, but alone on the trails with no coffins or Shadows around it felt distant and unobtrusive. The minutes stretched long and comfortable between them just as Minato had hoped they would, until they finally reached the city and its many coffins again.

They did not manage to sneak back to their room without Mitsuru noticing, but for once she didn’t lecture them. Just gave them a knowing look and told them not to sneak off under the teachers’ supervision. She looked… tired.

But then, most of SEES did after the harrowing few weeks and many revelations and near-fatalities they’d had.

They both reminded each other to rest at the same moment, and Mitsuru laughed softly as her expression lightened. It made something ease in his own chest.

They made it back to their room without further incident - other than Junpei made an excessive show of scanning them up and down as though looking for signs of indecency which made Ryoji wink and laugh and Minato throw a pillow at him - before finally collapsing on a futon and passing out.

He distantly heard Junpei trying to tease them for sharing a futon, but Minato was already falling asleep and Ryoji was more than capable of keeping up with Junpei.

He didn’t see the big deal - they’d technically been sharing a futon or bed for years whenever Death manifested, and Ryoji had basically moved into his room in the dorms by this point. But those two seemed to have fun with it so… whatever.

Minato was just satisfied to have Ryoji’s warmth against him as he fell into sleep.

~ ᙙᙖ ~

Much shorter, and more bittersweet than outright angsty than the last one. And very obvious Ryomina rather than implied.

It is still pretty sad though, I know, but that’s unfortunately what happens when you take an angst writer and ask them to try and write fluff.

So it may be obvious by now, but the idea is that this is an everyone lives/no one (on our side) dies route. Ikutsuki, Takaya, and Jin still die, but Shinji (if you want to reference my other fic Numb that’s basically what happens in this route, except add in some flashbacks towards his cousin too), Chidori, and Mitsuru’s father survive because as soon as Minato wakes up with SEES on crosses and Aigis under control he and Thanatos flip out and Ikutsuki ends up with the controller destroyed and himself very very dead.

Evokers might help with Persona evocation, but they aren’t necessary when someone gets in an unstable enough mental state and also has an excessively powerful and autonomous Shadow-turned-Persona in their head. SEES gets a little scared but Thanatos has gone rogue before and never attacked them so…

It’s a whole ordeal but Ikutsuki is the only one that ends up dead, so win?

(The “no one dies” thing does apply to Minato and Ryoji too though so there’s a lot of existential angst here for something that’s not going to happen. Minato and Ryoji are going to pull a Yu and Marie, and Ryoji’s going to absorb Nyx while Minato connects to the Universe and helps him fundamentally change how the draw towards humanity’s death works. Ryoji’s an eventual inevitable heat death situation for humanity somewhere along the line, but that’s so far into the future it’s not even foreseeable so it’s fine.)

#ryominaweek2023 #ryomina #persona 3 #ryoji mochizuki #minato arisato #makoto yuuki #soft and sad is one of my favorite things to write #when you know you're on a clock slowly ticking down #the end clearly in sight #but you just want that clock to stop ticking #also they love each other #and minato is not used to having a full range of emotions after ten years hosting death so he's trying and failing to adjust to /that/#this may be a happy ending au but the characters sure don't know that lol

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