I will steal your distorted desires.

Akechi's wife

[akira-offical]

Pinned Post

The mod of this account uses the pronouns he/him, but Akira uses he/they. I can not for the life of me figure out the artists for the banner and pfp, but if somebody knows, pls tell me so I can credit them properly.

-----------------------------------

This is my version of the character Joker (Akira Kurusu) but I'll try to act as close to him in canon as possible personality wise (I might make him act silly cuz... he really is just a goofy goober). My Joker yearns quietly for Akechi specifically (@crowgoro-blogs) and is maybe dating him now question mark? married.

If anyone wants to do extensive rp and has questions, DM me and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

LORE ABOUT MY LITTLE GOOBER:

--Abusive and neglectful parents. He was treated like an afterthought and a menace by them. If anything went wrong in the household it was immediately blamed on him, even if he was innocent.

--Bisexual. He's had crushes on girls in the past, but is enamored with Akechi and desperately seeks his approval and love.

--People-pleaser. Like Akiren in the original game, my Joker sacrifices everything for the thieves and his other confidants. He never opens up to them about his own issues and puts on different masks to reflect each person's personality back to them so they feel more at ease. He only feels like he can be himself with Akechi.

--Formed a Palace shortly after Maruki's defeat. The culmination of stress and anxiety and feelings of guilt and worthlessness and depression compounded into one distorted desire: he wants to be loved the way he is. No masks, no hiding, just someone that accepts him for being himself. The problem is, he can't accept this desire and thinks he's a horrible person for wanting to be loved.

--His Palace was based loosely off a prison, located at Shibuya Station Square. The reason why the Palace formed there was because... dun dun dun... Akechi threw his glove at him there and told him he hated him! :D

--Akira viewed that place as a prison, because in addition to feeling trapped by his own desires, he couldn't stop reliving that night over and over in his head. He wished he could have done something, anything differently to avoid Akechi telling him that, but now realizes that the events of that night were for the best.

Updated:

--Akira's Palace is gone. He still struggles with his self-worth and self-sacrificial behavior, but finally knowing that Akechi loves him back has helped immensely. Arsene/Satanael has returned to his soul, but it'll take some time for Akira to get the hang of wielding multiple Personas again.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: I HAVE A CROW NOW AND MY JOKER IS A GOOD CATHOLIC BOY /j BUT HE WILL NOT FLIRT WITH OTHER VERSIONS OF CROW/AKECHI

[akira-offical]

starting a gofundme since akechi kicked me out, mostly to feed mona

gofundme canceled, akechi took me back surprisingly quick

[crowgoro-blogs]

only because your stupidity would kill you almost pathetically quickly if you were left to fend for yourself.

[akira-offical]

i'd like to protest, but I keep sneezing

once I recover though, you're getting the debate of a lifetime honey

[crowgoro-blogs]

i look forward to it, my esteemed rival boyfriend wife shit they all sound weird ...

ahem. my esteemed rival.

[akira-offical]

that sounds strange now that we reside together in a domicile but I fear I am too sick to ponder this, I will return henceforth to my slumber

[crowgoro-blogs]

you are not that eloquent... although i suppose i doappreciate that you're finally listening to me and resting.

[akira-offical]

starting a gofundme since akechi kicked me out, mostly to feed mona

gofundme canceled, akechi took me back surprisingly quick

[crowgoro-blogs]

only because your stupidity would kill you almost pathetically quickly if you were left to fend for yourself.

[akira-offical]

i'd like to protest, but I keep sneezing

once I recover though, you're getting the debate of a lifetime honey

[crowgoro-blogs]

i look forward to it, my esteemed rival boyfriend wife shit they all sound weird ...

ahem. my esteemed rival.

[akira-offical]

that sounds strange now that we reside together in a domicile but I fear I am too sick to ponder this, I will return henceforth to my slumber

[akira-offical]

starting a gofundme since akechi kicked me out, mostly to feed mona

gofundme canceled, akechi took me back surprisingly quick

[crowgoro-blogs]

only because your stupidity would kill you almost pathetically quickly if you were left to fend for yourself.

[akira-offical]

i'd like to protest, but I keep sneezing

once I recover though, you're getting the debate of a lifetime honey

[akira-offical]

starting a gofundme since akechi kicked me out, mostly to feed mona

gofundme canceled, akechi took me back surprisingly quick

[akira-offical]

jonkler do you have a skincare routine?

used to be water and a prayer, now I steal 'Kechi's leftover products from his detective prince days when he isn't paying attention

[viosumire-blogs]

blog intro~

hi everyone! i'm sumire, but you probably already know that... goro-senpai ( @crowgoro-blogs ) told me about tumblr and i wanted to give it a try! i'm here now, and i'll do my best to have fun with you all (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

maruki's defeat brought many changes to our world. for one, akira-senpai ( @akira-offical ) manifested a palace... but that was dealt with fairly quickly. with all the phantom thieves now focusing on their personal lives in their own way, we have a lot of free time on our hands!

hii i'm back with a sumi blog. ahaha. ha. i'm @gmtgab i'm the mod on both this blog and goro's one. send me an ask or dm on either blog if you have any questions queries comments or concerns.

☆ this is a post-maruki/3rd sem blog! ask her stuff! interactions are welcome, rp account or not

☆ i don't want goro or joker rp partners, but you can send me asks as them from another universe if you wanna, that's pretty fun

☆ while goro's 18 and accepts nsfw, sumire's a minor and any nsfw/sex asks will be deleted

☆ any and all pictures on this blog are mine unless stated otherwise. they're probably all from ireland and i'll probably say they're in japan... sorry lol😢

[akira-offical]

[crowgoro-blogs]

so you admit we're dating now? ;3

-- @akira-offical

go die, joker.

...yes, i suppose i do, as much as i'm reluctant to say it.

[akira-offical]

glad to see you're still upset at me for leaving my bed earlier, 'Kechi.

[crowgoro-blogs]

you couldn't have just called me to take care of things, could you?

stubborn... infuriating... idiotic... piece of shit. ❤️

[akira-offical]

love you too honey ❤️

[crowgoro-blogs]

so you admit we're dating now? ;3

-- @akira-offical

go die, joker.

...yes, i suppose i do, as much as i'm reluctant to say it.

[akira-offical]

glad to see you're still upset at me for leaving my bed earlier, 'Kechi.

[akira-offical]

tried to get out of bed to get myself water and a snack and akechi dragged me back kicking and screaming and lectured me for the next half hour about being a reckless idiot and how he was going to smother me with a pillow if he caught me doing it again

#marriage goals

[akira-offical]

i love you.

And I love you random person.

But my heart's taken by Akechi, literally. ;p

[akira-offical]

I would like to make a request to the Phantom Thieves of hearts.

Take my heart.

My name will remain confidential, but I want you to take my heart. I feel worthless, especially after losing all my friends and even my girlfriend. I'm tired.

I'm begging you, Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Sincerely, a dreaming devil

I will... certainly do my best. I'm kind of bedridden right now, but I'll pass things along to the other Thieves.

[akira-offical]

so.. now that you and akechi are "married" per say.. are you gonna make out?

um

maybe?

[akira-offical]

don't tell akechi I have my phone rn I'm supposed to be resting and recovering from my injuries and not yammering about how he kissed my forehead

[crowgoro-blogs]

Goro's phone abruptly starts wildly going off.

-- Crow?! Akechi?! Are you there?

It's Futaba, who's somehow managed to hack into Goro's phone to spam him with half-crazed messages.

(yes it's me)

sakura? how did you...?! whatever...

what is it? i'm a very busy person (lie), you understand. i can't just... drop everything, or leave my phone to your mercy for a very long time.

be quick with whatever you've bothered me for.

[akira-offical]

--Akira told us he has a Palace, and what his keywords were, but then he vanished! Nothing's getting through to his phone, and we think he went in there alone.

--I messaged you because you were the last person he contacted before us, not that I wanted to, but I'm worried about him.

[crowgoro-blogs]

...right.

well, what do you want me to do? if you've seen that i was his last contacted, you've seen our messages. i want nothing to do with him. i can't even help.

i'll block this number if you try to reach me again.

[akira-offical]

--Omg you're pathetic. Thought you might have changed your tune a little bit considering you helped him fight against Maruki and didn't kill him in the process, but I guess not.

--...

--His keywords are 'Shibuya Station Square', and 'Prison'.

--But we're getting him back with or without you.

[crowgoro-blogs]

*with some deliberation and annoyance, akechi decides...

not to follow the thieves into the damn palace. it'd practically be his death wish in this state, for fucks' sake, and joker... joker's psyche should be nothing if not hostile towards his rival, especially now.*

fine! i may be pathetic, but he's pathetic-er! damn it that was so cringe

*he saves the location on his Nav anyway.*

[akira-offical]

--I actually didn't expect you to help, and ya proved me right. Thanks, Akechi.

*Within a few seconds, Goro's screen suddenly goes blank and when his phone returns to normal, all history of his messages with Futaba have been wiped completely.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

...?!

*not a single moment is wasted. actually, maybe a few moments are wasted. goro takes some time to scream, kick his phone against the wall, and choke his pillow before finally getting over himself and activating the Nav on his now-partially mangled phone.*

*materialising in the Metaverse, he's in no way surprised when he stays in his civilian outfit while futaba, who he finds only a few metres away, has already donned her own costume. he quickly hides behind a pillar-structure to avoid their gaze.*

[akira-offical]

*Futaba's in her Persona, fingers dancing over holographic screens and keyboards as she tries to direct the rest of the Phantom Thieves through the dark, gritty labyrinthine prison building of Akira's Palace.*

"I can sense his life signal," she says into her comms, presumably to the other Thieves. "It's weak, which means he's much farther in than you guys are, but he's alive."

[crowgoro-blogs]

*scowling, goro kicks at the pillar he's hiding behind, starts channeling hateful thoughts towards akira through his brain, anything to make this palace register him as a threat despite being without personae. no such luck.*

"What the fuck is wrong with this Palace?" he mutters a bit too loudly. Looking closer at Futaba's screens, he can make out a map of negligible size and health bars that seem to get progressively lower as time goes by.

[akira-offical]

*Futaba's too focused on trying to keep tabs on Akira, so she doesn't hear Goro's irritated mumbles. Suddenly, a flashing red light appears on the screen monitoring what Goro presumes to be Akira's HP.*

"Crap! Nonono, guys, you'd better hurry! Akira's HP just dropped to critical levels!"

*Frantically, she tries to direct the other Thieves quickly to Akira's location, but they likely won't reach him in time as a group.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*trying and failing to materialise his metaverse costume just once more with a pointed 'fuck you' at the wall, he bites the bullet and steps out to confront futaba.*

"Oracle. Are you in any need of assistance?" The nerves make him sound too formal and he can feel his face flush before he even finishes speaking. "I... don't have feel like using Hereward, but I can help with Nav duties if you wish."

[akira-offical]

*Futaba pauses for the briefest second, actually shocked that Goro's here, but she snaps out a request immediately, driven by her worry for Akira, the closest thing to a brother she's ever had.*

"Tell these idiots to get their crap together before he dies, please. My sweet voice can only do so much in place of someone who's hatred incarnate," she says half-sarcastically.

At least she doesn't seem upset that he's here, helping.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"R-right..." Goro mumbles, lifting a hand to his head and imitating someone speaking into an earpiece. "Uh... all you useless thieves really need to get a move on!"

*there's no response, obviously, as the thieves don't hear goro speaking at thin air. after a moment, goro mumbles something vulgar under his breath and drops his hand back to his side.*

[akira-offical]

*Futaba blinks at his half-hearted effort and shakes her head.*

"Wow. That was pathetic. Thought you had more cuss words in you," she replies before turning back to monitoring Akira's HP, which has dipped even further than before.

*A small red dot, which Goro can only assume is Akira, is moving slowly away from the area it had been in. Looking around, there's a small side entrance into the Palace that looks like it could be a faster route to where Akira is. Meanwhile, the Thieves have gotten confused somehow and gone down the complete opposite direction that Futaba told them to go in, drawing a frustrated groan from the orange-haired girl.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*while futaba is distracted dealing with the idiots, goro slips away unnoticed into the side entrance. the thought of going into a palace without a persona, hell, without a gun or blade, makes him want to turn back immediately but he's nothing if not stubborn.*

"Damn it, Joker, this all could have been avoided if you had just..."

*as goro traverses into the palace proper, he begins to doubt his initial impression of the palace - from the outside, the jail looks inconspicuous and almost dilapidated, yet the interior exhibits sprawling gardens and a chessboard-patterned floor. the various inmates in cells, variations of akira, rattle at their bars as he walks past with varying reactions. akira, in all his glory, crouches near-dead at the centre of what seems to be a common hallway within the prison, his shadow looming over him.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira's Shadow looks down at the real Akira with disdain, golden yellow eyes glowing menacingly as it kicks Akira in the chest. Akira lets out a quiet, strangled sound of pain before falling over onto his side in a crumpled heap, his black tailcoat fanned out around him. His breaths came in short, shallow wheezes from the wounds he's suffered, and the kick to his ribs wasn't helping matters.*

*Shadow Akira crouches down to Akira's level, playing with his fluffy black hair in a mockingly sweet way.*

"You're truly selfish... you truly might be the only person ever to conceive a Palace just because you can't get over your schoolboy crush for someone that hates you... how pathetic."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Hey!" Goro calls out, brow furrowed in a way he hopes is intimidating to Akira's shadow. Pointedly looking away from the real Akira, he continues, "What the hell are you doing to him?"

*goro can't believe he's doing this. he's used to solo palace excursions, but who knows how powerful a wildcard's shadow can be? he can only hope the thieves get here in time to fight this thing before it gets angry.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira's Shadow glances briefly at Goro, then snatches the real Akira's dagger and nudges him over so he's laying on his back, utterly defenseless. With a cruel smile, Shadow Akira steps onto the real Akira's side, the heel of his boot digging into an open wound that's still bleeding sluggishly onto the floor and making the real Akira cry out weakly in agony.*

"I'm putting him in his place, dear detective," Akira's Shadow purred. "Someone has to."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"You're only making things worse for both of you," Goro grits out, still averting his gaze from Akira. "Where's your Treasure? The rest of the Thieves are here too, you know, because you... er, the real you, didn't listen to your 'dear detective'."

*he discreetly pats down his pockets for a healing bead or goho-m for akira, but apparently his luck truly has run out for the day. not that he had any to begin with.*

"Why are you the one to decide where Akira's place is, anyway?"

[akira-offical]

"Because I'm him and he is me," Shadow Akira says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It's shocking that you decided to be as reckless and him and not bring anything to help. But I suppose your hatred for us surpasses your precious logic."

*Shadow Akira keeps his heel lodged in Akira's side wound, drawing pained whimpers from his real counterpart every time his weight shifts.*

"Though I wonder... would you feel anything at all if I killed him right here, in front of you?"

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Of course I would!" he blurts put, his mouth running away from him as he finally looks at the real Akira. He's already said what he's said, so he may as well dig his grave a little deeper: "I... I would. I'd feel hurt and angry at... at you, but also at myself for not stopping you."

*goro sniffs, a faint murmur of 'ware wa nanji, nanji wa ware' echoing through his mind. seeing akira on the ground does things to him, and he can't help but spill his heart out.*

"I never hated Akira. Never. I just couldn't help but act so harshly around him because... he... you challenged me in such a way that had me truly helpless." He stepped forward, only vaguely aware of how strange it was that the shadow wasn't attacking him. "Nobody hates you. In fact, I'd bet everything on the fact that those thieves out there love you."

[akira-offical]

*Akira's Shadow narrows his eyes at Goro, removing his foot from Akira's wound and letting the real Akira wheeze and cough from relief. But instead of backing down fully, Shadow Akira grabs Akira's hair firmly and yanks him up, pressing the dagger he had taken against Akira's throat.*

"Of course they love us," Shadow Akira says calmly, ignoring Akira's panicked breaths as cold metal pressed dangerously close to his carotid. "Or rather, they love the parts of us that we show them. They love that we take care of their problems and never ask anything of them in return."

*The real Akira is trembling now, the most panicked Goro has ever seen him, a single tear escaping his dark gray eyes as a thin bead of blood appears on his exposed neck. But even with his death looming so close, Akira doesn't look at Goro at all, like he's ashamed this is even happening in front of the brunette. Like he expected to die alone.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Stop it!" he yells again, chest heaving. "That... that's not true. You know that's not true, you're not that stupid yet."

*he knows it's a weak argument, he knows, logically, nothing he can say will truly get through to the shadow, and yet what else is there to do? akira's one hit away from dead and the thieves seem to have no intention of showing up any time soon. this close to akira, he sees the resignation in his eyes, and for a moment he wonders if he really should have let him die. no, this is the right thing to do. akira has people who love him - goro loves him. would he ever know?*

[akira-offical]

*Akira opens his mouth as if to speak, and Shadow Akira immediately digs the dagger in deeper, just enough to keep him silent.*

"Hush. You lost your chance to speak when you gave into your despair, little thief," Shadow Akira hisses, golden eyes flashing dangerously. "This is my show now, Akira. You've lost."

*A thin line of blood runs down Akira's neck, and Akira obediently stays quiet, hanging his head so Goro can't see his expression anymore. His body still shakes, gashes on his arms and sides and legs sluggishly bleeding and bruises littering his body, peeking out from where his Metaverse outfit was torn. Even if Goro manages to talk down Shadow Akira, the real Akira may very well bleed out from his injuries long before help arrives.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*goro looks around the area for any sign of backup, but to no avail. without their leader, coupled by the fact that they are months out of practice from the metaverse, the thives truly are lost. he scowls, staring down shadow akira once more.*

"Why, exactly, did you materialise?" he asks the shadow, for lack of anything better to say. "What 'despair' gripped Joker so harshly that you had to separate from and torture him like this?"

*not a moment should be wasted, goro knows, every second spent stalling is a second akira spends dying, but...*

[akira-offical]

*Shadow Akira's attention is drawn back to Goro at the brunette's harsh words. He smiles, almost like Akira's very real, very rare genuine smile, but tinged with an edge of manic energy that even Goro shudders slightly at.*

"His self-hatred, of course," Akira's Shadow replies smoothly, still holding Akira close so his real self wouldn't try something stupid like squirming away from the dagger. "In the end, his desire to be loved by you wasn't enough to destroy his self-loathing, his anxieties, his depression. In fact, they mixed together quite nicely. The seeds of this Palace, and of myself, were formed at the precise moment you told him that you hated him, and grew steadily while Maruki was in power."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Loved... by me?" The notion excites disgusts him.

*goro steps closer once more, mere inches sway from shadow akira. the vision of a dark mass wielding a bow and arrow flickers behind him. akira... his rival, his closest confidant, his best friend wants to be loved by him? his heart is set aflame - perhaps not fully in a bad way - and he feel his persona awaken from its slumber.*

"He is loved by me. Of course he is, he's the closest thing I have to an equal." His voice shakes, but it isn't hesitant at all. "I hated him then, when I was... like that, under Shido's thumb. I hated you because you stood for everything I couldn't have and would never be. But..."

*the specter behind him shifts into something recognisable at last: hereward, but holding robin hood's bow. a hand on goro's shoulder and a whispered diarahan manages to heal akira before his shadow can react.*

"I love you now."

[akira-offical]

*The healing spell doesn't fix everything, but it gives Akira enough regained strength to grab his dagger from his Shadow and wrestle himself away. He pants with exertion already just from pushing his strained body further, but he has no opportunity to recover as Shadow Akira lunges at him with a frustrated scream, his hands elongating into claws like Arsene has.*

"Shit—" Akira curses before barely dodging, the flaps of his tailcoat fanning out behind him while he tries to get to a vantage point.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Aki... Joker!" Goro gasps, hands clawing at his face desperately for a mask that doesn't appear. In this state it's only so long before Akira's caged in again, and he won't do much good if Hereward still won't listen to him properly.

*the sound of footsteps and voices filter down the hallway at last, but are still too far away for goro to fully back down.*

"Fuck... fuck!" he yells, simply resorting to running forward and tackling a still-clawed Shadow Akira to the ground. Still, his costume does not materialise as he is not deemed a threat, and still Shadow Akira focuses solely on his real-life counterpart.

[akira-offical]

*Akira freezes for a moment at the sight of Goro attempting to tackle his Shadow, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Goro literally said 'I love you' a few seconds ago, but there was no time to think about that now.*

If my Shadow's only focused on attacking me, and Akechi's not being seen as a threat, then...

*Akira's eyes widen with sudden understanding.*

"Akechi! Forget him, attack me!"

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Eh?! Are you insane, Joker? That sounds like a ‐" Goro yelps and cuts himself off as Shadow Akira's claws flail near his face, and resigns himself to whatever absurd plan Akira just cooked up in his mind. "ugh, you better know what you're doing!"

*with great effort, goro digs out his Ancient Day gun - thank the gods his weapons inventory finally seems to be intact despite his annoyingly silent persona - and manages to graze Akira's shoulder with a bullet.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira stumbles back from the bullet's graze, some blood splattering on the floor from the new wound. He bites back a cry of pain and grabs his shoulder, stemming the flow as the bullet leaves a hole in the wall behind him. Shadow Akira shrieks at the sight of the real Akira being hurt by someone other than him, and finally turns his attention on Goro, raking his claws across the brunette's shoulder and bucking him off. It seems Akira's Palace now views Goro as a threat, finally.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*goro grunts as he truly gets into the fight, cackling with pent-up and manic rage that finally has an outlet.*

I am thou, and thou art— "Shut up!" he screams through his laughter, hunching over and ripping off his mask in a spray of blood. "And now..."

*searching for shadow akira through his bangs, they lock eyes, and he yells a Hereward, Debilitate!*

[akira-offical]

*Akira stares for a moment, delighted to see that Goro's back to his maniacal fighting again, before running up behind his Shadow and stabbing it in the back with his Phoenix Dagger. He may not be at his full strength without his Personas still, but there's no way in hell that he's going to let Goro do all the work. He's not gonna be the helpless damsel anymore if he can help it.*

*Shadow Akira lets out an unearthly shriek of pain and twists around on Akira, clawing at his face. Akira dodges, pulling the dagger out, but nearly buckles to his knees as a sudden, searing pain shoots through his spine.*

"Ghrk—!" Akira manages to get out of the way of his Shadow's next attack, but with difficulty.

I am him... he is me... Shadow Akira had said.

Is that why stabbing him in the back wound up with me getting hurt too? Akira wonders, grasping his dagger tighter so he wouldn't let go. But Goro had hurt Shadow Akira earlier, and nothing had happened to Akira then.

So what was going on?

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Joker!" Goro calls out, tossing a Bead in his direction. Okay, not the best stuff, but it's better than nothing!

*upon seeing how akira reacted to shadow akira's injury, goro refrains from attacking him for a few turns. however, as he observes more closely, he realises that the 'friendly fire' only affects the true akira...*

"Megidolaon!" he yells. Thankfully, his theory was right - it is only Akira getting his attacks reflected. "Shit, Joker, get back up!"

[akira-offical]

"Trying," Akira managed through gritted teeth, rolling away to dodge another swipe of Shadow Akira's claws.

*Akira raises his dagger to fend Shadow Akira off when he pounces, but he lets out a hiss of pain when the dagger pierces through some of Shadow Akira's claw, and affects his own hand as well.*

Of course I'm a sitting duck against myself, Akira thought miserably.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Stop—" Goro runs over to pierce Shadow Akira in the thigh, "trying—" A crazed yell of Come, Hereward! "to help! I've got it under control - fuck!"

*shadow akira pushes goro away, but in their frenzied movements, the shadow's singular glove is pulled off. a glove goro recognises as his own... and suddenly the palace's security somehow feels as if it's skyrocketed higher than 100%.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira looks briefly mortified at the sight of Goro's glove, but there's no time to think about it. Shadow Akira seems to get more frenzied, his attention diverted between Goro and the real Akira, and Akira manages to shove his Shadow off of him and get out of Goro's attack range so the brunette can whale on the Shadow.*

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?!" Akira wheezes, out of breath. "I'm useless... fuck, I'm useless again."

*Shadow Akira finds another burst of energy at Akira's words and lunges at Goro.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

"JOKER!" Goro screeches as Shadow Akira narrowly misses slashing Goro's face. "If you don't recall, this is a space based on your cognition, so—" he screams out a Laevatinn, "—stop feeling sorry for yourself and think, um... I don't know, happy thoughts!"

*the massive blade from laevatinn creates a serious dent in the ground, shadow akira stays standing. that's fine, goro can work with a stubborn target. just a few hits to go.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira flinches at Goro's screech, but understands what he needs to do. He takes a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to calm, and tries thinking about when Goro said 'I love you now'. Goro didn't seem the type to lie about something sentimental like that, but he had seemed pretty desperate to get Akira's Shadow away from him, so it was entirely possible.*

"Son of a—" Akira cursed, running his gloved hands through his hair and immediately wincing when his fingers touched a wound on his head. "Akechi, did you... did you mean what you said earlier? About... you know?!"

[crowgoro-blogs]

*it takes a while for goro to get somewhere safe enough to answer akira, the shadow still throwing hits at him despite both of their dwindling health bars.*

"Of course I did! Do you take me for a liar, Joker?" he calls back, hands flexing at his sides as he surveys through his options. The gravity of his confession is outweighed by the adrenaline on the fight, but there's still a pink to his cheeks as the words escape him. Unloading the last of his bullets into the Shadow with little effect, he looks at Akira properly. "I always mean what I say. I meant it when I said I hated you in November, and I mean it now when I said that it's changed!"

[akira-offical]

*Akira is holding Goro's glove that was tugged off the Shadow's hand, and his heart stops as he realizes it was the truth. Holding his Treasure and finally hearing that he was loved for who he really was, whatever that might entail, made his doubts and fears settle, if only enough for the distortion to disappear. Akira's Shadow snarls, but as he reaches for Goro again, he suddenly vanishes in a pool of white shimmers that melds into Joker's domino mask and disappears.*

*Akira sucks in a large gasp for air at the feeling of his Shadow returning to him, but there's no time to relax; Akira's Palace is about to crumble.*

"Well, I guess I wasn't wrong about you hating me," Akira jokes weakly, hands shaking slightly from leftover adrenaline and pain from his wounds.

[crowgoro-blogs]

*goro's breath comes sharp and short as he stares at akira, then he suddenly pulls him into an awkward, uncomfortable hug that has each and every belt of his metaverse outfit digging into akira's skin. he pulls back after only a few seconds, scowling but holding tightly onto akira's hand.*

"You asshole," he mutters, looking anywhere but Akira's face. "Come on. This place is such a shithole, and the rest of your incompetent thieves are around here somewhere too, if you haven't forgotten. Plus, we need to get your injuries looked at."

*as the heat of the fight fades, goro's costume and persona behind him flicker and fade. he shudders as if something was ripped out of him again, but they're both too grateful that the day's events are done with to care.*

[akira-offical]

*Even with the belts of Goro's costume, Akira relishes the hug, the first physical contact he's had with anyone in a while that wasn't to bring him pain. Akira lets out a shaky breath and tries to get onto his feet, still clutching Goro's glove in his free hand, but he only manages to stand for a moment before his legs give out again and he collapses to his knees.*

"Shit... sorry, I know, I'm pathetic, just..." Akira manages through a wince, trying again to get back up.

[crowgoro-blogs]

*the firm grip goro has on akira's hand saves him from toppling to the floor altogether. he hoists akira up until they're chest to chest, then manoeuvres him to the side where goro supports akira by the arm.*

"Just nothing. Let's get out of here before your self loathing turns back into that hellspawn of a shadow." He moves slowly through the hallway, making sure not to jostle Akira too much while somehow still maintaining an irritated air.

[akira-offical]

*Akira limps through the corridor alongside Goro, trying to go as fast as he can with his injuries but it's hard work. Akira glances nervously at the walls of the Palace waiting for them to start cracking and crumbling, and instinctively trying to hobble faster despite being wounded so badly it felt like his entire body was on fire.*

"How long do you think we have?" Akira mumbles, not really expecting a non-sarcastic answer from Goro, but the words slip out before he can swallow them down.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"We don't have anything," he half grumbles, half spits out. "We have no time, no Goho-Ms, no recovery tools, and no—" he grunts as he weaves through a falling pillar, "no fucking patience!"

*after that, the journey to the palace entrance was spent in awkward silence save for the occasional 'watch out' or 'keep moving'. they reached the entrance, swiftly left the metaverse, and goro promptly pulled akira into another hug, this time for longer. he didn't even notice the mortified-slash-prematurely-grieving faces of the phantom thieves right behind him.*

[akira-offical]

Oh my god, two Akechi hugs in one day, Akira thinks dazedly.

*With all his effort, Akira hugs Goro back tightly, burying his face into the brunette's shoulder as he fights the urge to cry. Neither of them care that they were bloody and likely looked like they crawled out of hell, they're just relieved to have everything behind them now.*

"M'sorry," Akira mumbled into the fabric of Goro's blazer. "For everything. I should have listened to you, and I'm an idiot."

Akira pauses for a moment, then before Goro can respond, he whispers so the Phantom Thieves can't hear, "By the way... I love you too, Akechi."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Yeah, you should have," Goro snorts. He flicks Akira's forehead, then immediately soothes the area with a quick peck, causing the spectating Phantom Thieves to gasp.

"Never do anything like that again."

[akira-offical]

"Got it, leader," Akira teases playfully, hiding his embarrassment and flusteredness at being pecked on the forehead. "Though I might uh... might need to lay down. I feel... woozy."

*Akira finally faints from blood loss, dark gray eyes fluttering closed and collapses against Goro's chest.*

[akira-offical]

Where have your guts gone, Joker? Do you intend to keep running away all your life? Where is your spirit of rebellion?

Stand up and fight!

Be the change you want to see in the world!

No, I'm not running away anymore.

From now on, all potentially reckless and idiotic plans will be run through Akechi first.

[crowgoro-blogs]

Goro's phone abruptly starts wildly going off.

-- Crow?! Akechi?! Are you there?

It's Futaba, who's somehow managed to hack into Goro's phone to spam him with half-crazed messages.

(yes it's me)

sakura? how did you...?! whatever...

what is it? i'm a very busy person (lie), you understand. i can't just... drop everything, or leave my phone to your mercy for a very long time.

be quick with whatever you've bothered me for.

[akira-offical]

--Akira told us he has a Palace, and what his keywords were, but then he vanished! Nothing's getting through to his phone, and we think he went in there alone.

--I messaged you because you were the last person he contacted before us, not that I wanted to, but I'm worried about him.

[crowgoro-blogs]

...right.

well, what do you want me to do? if you've seen that i was his last contacted, you've seen our messages. i want nothing to do with him. i can't even help.

i'll block this number if you try to reach me again.

[akira-offical]

--Omg you're pathetic. Thought you might have changed your tune a little bit considering you helped him fight against Maruki and didn't kill him in the process, but I guess not.

--...

--His keywords are 'Shibuya Station Square', and 'Prison'.

--But we're getting him back with or without you.

[crowgoro-blogs]

*with some deliberation and annoyance, akechi decides...

not to follow the thieves into the damn palace. it'd practically be his death wish in this state, for fucks' sake, and joker... joker's psyche should be nothing if not hostile towards his rival, especially now.*

fine! i may be pathetic, but he's pathetic-er! damn it that was so cringe

*he saves the location on his Nav anyway.*

[akira-offical]

--I actually didn't expect you to help, and ya proved me right. Thanks, Akechi.

*Within a few seconds, Goro's screen suddenly goes blank and when his phone returns to normal, all history of his messages with Futaba have been wiped completely.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

...?!

*not a single moment is wasted. actually, maybe a few moments are wasted. goro takes some time to scream, kick his phone against the wall, and choke his pillow before finally getting over himself and activating the Nav on his now-partially mangled phone.*

*materialising in the Metaverse, he's in no way surprised when he stays in his civilian outfit while futaba, who he finds only a few metres away, has already donned her own costume. he quickly hides behind a pillar-structure to avoid their gaze.*

[akira-offical]

*Futaba's in her Persona, fingers dancing over holographic screens and keyboards as she tries to direct the rest of the Phantom Thieves through the dark, gritty labyrinthine prison building of Akira's Palace.*

"I can sense his life signal," she says into her comms, presumably to the other Thieves. "It's weak, which means he's much farther in than you guys are, but he's alive."

[crowgoro-blogs]

*scowling, goro kicks at the pillar he's hiding behind, starts channeling hateful thoughts towards akira through his brain, anything to make this palace register him as a threat despite being without personae. no such luck.*

"What the fuck is wrong with this Palace?" he mutters a bit too loudly. Looking closer at Futaba's screens, he can make out a map of negligible size and health bars that seem to get progressively lower as time goes by.

[akira-offical]

*Futaba's too focused on trying to keep tabs on Akira, so she doesn't hear Goro's irritated mumbles. Suddenly, a flashing red light appears on the screen monitoring what Goro presumes to be Akira's HP.*

"Crap! Nonono, guys, you'd better hurry! Akira's HP just dropped to critical levels!"

*Frantically, she tries to direct the other Thieves quickly to Akira's location, but they likely won't reach him in time as a group.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*trying and failing to materialise his metaverse costume just once more with a pointed 'fuck you' at the wall, he bites the bullet and steps out to confront futaba.*

"Oracle. Are you in any need of assistance?" The nerves make him sound too formal and he can feel his face flush before he even finishes speaking. "I... don't have feel like using Hereward, but I can help with Nav duties if you wish."

[akira-offical]

*Futaba pauses for the briefest second, actually shocked that Goro's here, but she snaps out a request immediately, driven by her worry for Akira, the closest thing to a brother she's ever had.*

"Tell these idiots to get their crap together before he dies, please. My sweet voice can only do so much in place of someone who's hatred incarnate," she says half-sarcastically.

At least she doesn't seem upset that he's here, helping.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"R-right..." Goro mumbles, lifting a hand to his head and imitating someone speaking into an earpiece. "Uh... all you useless thieves really need to get a move on!"

*there's no response, obviously, as the thieves don't hear goro speaking at thin air. after a moment, goro mumbles something vulgar under his breath and drops his hand back to his side.*

[akira-offical]

*Futaba blinks at his half-hearted effort and shakes her head.*

"Wow. That was pathetic. Thought you had more cuss words in you," she replies before turning back to monitoring Akira's HP, which has dipped even further than before.

*A small red dot, which Goro can only assume is Akira, is moving slowly away from the area it had been in. Looking around, there's a small side entrance into the Palace that looks like it could be a faster route to where Akira is. Meanwhile, the Thieves have gotten confused somehow and gone down the complete opposite direction that Futaba told them to go in, drawing a frustrated groan from the orange-haired girl.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*while futaba is distracted dealing with the idiots, goro slips away unnoticed into the side entrance. the thought of going into a palace without a persona, hell, without a gun or blade, makes him want to turn back immediately but he's nothing if not stubborn.*

"Damn it, Joker, this all could have been avoided if you had just..."

*as goro traverses into the palace proper, he begins to doubt his initial impression of the palace - from the outside, the jail looks inconspicuous and almost dilapidated, yet the interior exhibits sprawling gardens and a chessboard-patterned floor. the various inmates in cells, variations of akira, rattle at their bars as he walks past with varying reactions. akira, in all his glory, crouches near-dead at the centre of what seems to be a common hallway within the prison, his shadow looming over him.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira's Shadow looks down at the real Akira with disdain, golden yellow eyes glowing menacingly as it kicks Akira in the chest. Akira lets out a quiet, strangled sound of pain before falling over onto his side in a crumpled heap, his black tailcoat fanned out around him. His breaths came in short, shallow wheezes from the wounds he's suffered, and the kick to his ribs wasn't helping matters.*

*Shadow Akira crouches down to Akira's level, playing with his fluffy black hair in a mockingly sweet way.*

"You're truly selfish... you truly might be the only person ever to conceive a Palace just because you can't get over your schoolboy crush for someone that hates you... how pathetic."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Hey!" Goro calls out, brow furrowed in a way he hopes is intimidating to Akira's shadow. Pointedly looking away from the real Akira, he continues, "What the hell are you doing to him?"

*goro can't believe he's doing this. he's used to solo palace excursions, but who knows how powerful a wildcard's shadow can be? he can only hope the thieves get here in time to fight this thing before it gets angry.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira's Shadow glances briefly at Goro, then snatches the real Akira's dagger and nudges him over so he's laying on his back, utterly defenseless. With a cruel smile, Shadow Akira steps onto the real Akira's side, the heel of his boot digging into an open wound that's still bleeding sluggishly onto the floor and making the real Akira cry out weakly in agony.*

"I'm putting him in his place, dear detective," Akira's Shadow purred. "Someone has to."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"You're only making things worse for both of you," Goro grits out, still averting his gaze from Akira. "Where's your Treasure? The rest of the Thieves are here too, you know, because you... er, the real you, didn't listen to your 'dear detective'."

*he discreetly pats down his pockets for a healing bead or goho-m for akira, but apparently his luck truly has run out for the day. not that he had any to begin with.*

"Why are you the one to decide where Akira's place is, anyway?"

[akira-offical]

"Because I'm him and he is me," Shadow Akira says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It's shocking that you decided to be as reckless and him and not bring anything to help. But I suppose your hatred for us surpasses your precious logic."

*Shadow Akira keeps his heel lodged in Akira's side wound, drawing pained whimpers from his real counterpart every time his weight shifts.*

"Though I wonder... would you feel anything at all if I killed him right here, in front of you?"

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Of course I would!" he blurts put, his mouth running away from him as he finally looks at the real Akira. He's already said what he's said, so he may as well dig his grave a little deeper: "I... I would. I'd feel hurt and angry at... at you, but also at myself for not stopping you."

*goro sniffs, a faint murmur of 'ware wa nanji, nanji wa ware' echoing through his mind. seeing akira on the ground does things to him, and he can't help but spill his heart out.*

"I never hated Akira. Never. I just couldn't help but act so harshly around him because... he... you challenged me in such a way that had me truly helpless." He stepped forward, only vaguely aware of how strange it was that the shadow wasn't attacking him. "Nobody hates you. In fact, I'd bet everything on the fact that those thieves out there love you."

[akira-offical]

*Akira's Shadow narrows his eyes at Goro, removing his foot from Akira's wound and letting the real Akira wheeze and cough from relief. But instead of backing down fully, Shadow Akira grabs Akira's hair firmly and yanks him up, pressing the dagger he had taken against Akira's throat.*

"Of course they love us," Shadow Akira says calmly, ignoring Akira's panicked breaths as cold metal pressed dangerously close to his carotid. "Or rather, they love the parts of us that we show them. They love that we take care of their problems and never ask anything of them in return."

*The real Akira is trembling now, the most panicked Goro has ever seen him, a single tear escaping his dark gray eyes as a thin bead of blood appears on his exposed neck. But even with his death looming so close, Akira doesn't look at Goro at all, like he's ashamed this is even happening in front of the brunette. Like he expected to die alone.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Stop it!" he yells again, chest heaving. "That... that's not true. You know that's not true, you're not that stupid yet."

*he knows it's a weak argument, he knows, logically, nothing he can say will truly get through to the shadow, and yet what else is there to do? akira's one hit away from dead and the thieves seem to have no intention of showing up any time soon. this close to akira, he sees the resignation in his eyes, and for a moment he wonders if he really should have let him die. no, this is the right thing to do. akira has people who love him - goro loves him. would he ever know?*

[akira-offical]

*Akira opens his mouth as if to speak, and Shadow Akira immediately digs the dagger in deeper, just enough to keep him silent.*

"Hush. You lost your chance to speak when you gave into your despair, little thief," Shadow Akira hisses, golden eyes flashing dangerously. "This is my show now, Akira. You've lost."

*A thin line of blood runs down Akira's neck, and Akira obediently stays quiet, hanging his head so Goro can't see his expression anymore. His body still shakes, gashes on his arms and sides and legs sluggishly bleeding and bruises littering his body, peeking out from where his Metaverse outfit was torn. Even if Goro manages to talk down Shadow Akira, the real Akira may very well bleed out from his injuries long before help arrives.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*goro looks around the area for any sign of backup, but to no avail. without their leader, coupled by the fact that they are months out of practice from the metaverse, the thives truly are lost. he scowls, staring down shadow akira once more.*

"Why, exactly, did you materialise?" he asks the shadow, for lack of anything better to say. "What 'despair' gripped Joker so harshly that you had to separate from and torture him like this?"

*not a moment should be wasted, goro knows, every second spent stalling is a second akira spends dying, but...*

[akira-offical]

*Shadow Akira's attention is drawn back to Goro at the brunette's harsh words. He smiles, almost like Akira's very real, very rare genuine smile, but tinged with an edge of manic energy that even Goro shudders slightly at.*

"His self-hatred, of course," Akira's Shadow replies smoothly, still holding Akira close so his real self wouldn't try something stupid like squirming away from the dagger. "In the end, his desire to be loved by you wasn't enough to destroy his self-loathing, his anxieties, his depression. In fact, they mixed together quite nicely. The seeds of this Palace, and of myself, were formed at the precise moment you told him that you hated him, and grew steadily while Maruki was in power."

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Loved... by me?" The notion excites disgusts him.

*goro steps closer once more, mere inches sway from shadow akira. the vision of a dark mass wielding a bow and arrow flickers behind him. akira... his rival, his closest confidant, his best friend wants to be loved by him? his heart is set aflame - perhaps not fully in a bad way - and he feel his persona awaken from its slumber.*

"He is loved by me. Of course he is, he's the closest thing I have to an equal." His voice shakes, but it isn't hesitant at all. "I hated him then, when I was... like that, under Shido's thumb. I hated you because you stood for everything I couldn't have and would never be. But..."

*the specter behind him shifts into something recognisable at last: hereward, but holding robin hood's bow. a hand on goro's shoulder and a whispered diarahan manages to heal akira before his shadow can react.*

"I love you now."

[akira-offical]

*The healing spell doesn't fix everything, but it gives Akira enough regained strength to grab his dagger from his Shadow and wrestle himself away. He pants with exertion already just from pushing his strained body further, but he has no opportunity to recover as Shadow Akira lunges at him with a frustrated scream, his hands elongating into claws like Arsene has.*

"Shit—" Akira curses before barely dodging, the flaps of his tailcoat fanning out behind him while he tries to get to a vantage point.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Aki... Joker!" Goro gasps, hands clawing at his face desperately for a mask that doesn't appear. In this state it's only so long before Akira's caged in again, and he won't do much good if Hereward still won't listen to him properly.

*the sound of footsteps and voices filter down the hallway at last, but are still too far away for goro to fully back down.*

"Fuck... fuck!" he yells, simply resorting to running forward and tackling a still-clawed Shadow Akira to the ground. Still, his costume does not materialise as he is not deemed a threat, and still Shadow Akira focuses solely on his real-life counterpart.

[akira-offical]

*Akira freezes for a moment at the sight of Goro attempting to tackle his Shadow, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Goro literally said 'I love you' a few seconds ago, but there was no time to think about that now.*

If my Shadow's only focused on attacking me, and Akechi's not being seen as a threat, then...

*Akira's eyes widen with sudden understanding.*

"Akechi! Forget him, attack me!"

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Eh?! Are you insane, Joker? That sounds like a ‐" Goro yelps and cuts himself off as Shadow Akira's claws flail near his face, and resigns himself to whatever absurd plan Akira just cooked up in his mind. "ugh, you better know what you're doing!"

*with great effort, goro digs out his Ancient Day gun - thank the gods his weapons inventory finally seems to be intact despite his annoyingly silent persona - and manages to graze Akira's shoulder with a bullet.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira stumbles back from the bullet's graze, some blood splattering on the floor from the new wound. He bites back a cry of pain and grabs his shoulder, stemming the flow as the bullet leaves a hole in the wall behind him. Shadow Akira shrieks at the sight of the real Akira being hurt by someone other than him, and finally turns his attention on Goro, raking his claws across the brunette's shoulder and bucking him off. It seems Akira's Palace now views Goro as a threat, finally.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

*goro grunts as he truly gets into the fight, cackling with pent-up and manic rage that finally has an outlet.*

I am thou, and thou art— "Shut up!" he screams through his laughter, hunching over and ripping off his mask in a spray of blood. "And now..."

*searching for shadow akira through his bangs, they lock eyes, and he yells a Hereward, Debilitate!*

[akira-offical]

*Akira stares for a moment, delighted to see that Goro's back to his maniacal fighting again, before running up behind his Shadow and stabbing it in the back with his Phoenix Dagger. He may not be at his full strength without his Personas still, but there's no way in hell that he's going to let Goro do all the work. He's not gonna be the helpless damsel anymore if he can help it.*

*Shadow Akira lets out an unearthly shriek of pain and twists around on Akira, clawing at his face. Akira dodges, pulling the dagger out, but nearly buckles to his knees as a sudden, searing pain shoots through his spine.*

"Ghrk—!" Akira manages to get out of the way of his Shadow's next attack, but with difficulty.

I am him... he is me... Shadow Akira had said.

Is that why stabbing him in the back wound up with me getting hurt too? Akira wonders, grasping his dagger tighter so he wouldn't let go. But Goro had hurt Shadow Akira earlier, and nothing had happened to Akira then.

So what was going on?

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Joker!" Goro calls out, tossing a Bead in his direction. Okay, not the best stuff, but it's better than nothing!

*upon seeing how akira reacted to shadow akira's injury, goro refrains from attacking him for a few turns. however, as he observes more closely, he realises that the 'friendly fire' only affects the true akira...*

"Megidolaon!" he yells. Thankfully, his theory was right - it is only Akira getting his attacks reflected. "Shit, Joker, get back up!"

[akira-offical]

"Trying," Akira managed through gritted teeth, rolling away to dodge another swipe of Shadow Akira's claws.

*Akira raises his dagger to fend Shadow Akira off when he pounces, but he lets out a hiss of pain when the dagger pierces through some of Shadow Akira's claw, and affects his own hand as well.*

Of course I'm a sitting duck against myself, Akira thought miserably.

[crowgoro-blogs]

"Stop—" Goro runs over to pierce Shadow Akira in the thigh, "trying—" A crazed yell of Come, Hereward! "to help! I've got it under control - fuck!"

*shadow akira pushes goro away, but in their frenzied movements, the shadow's singular glove is pulled off. a glove goro recognises as his own... and suddenly the palace's security somehow feels as if it's skyrocketed higher than 100%.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira looks briefly mortified at the sight of Goro's glove, but there's no time to think about it. Shadow Akira seems to get more frenzied, his attention diverted between Goro and the real Akira, and Akira manages to shove his Shadow off of him and get out of Goro's attack range so the brunette can whale on the Shadow.*

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?!" Akira wheezes, out of breath. "I'm useless... fuck, I'm useless again."

*Shadow Akira finds another burst of energy at Akira's words and lunges at Goro.*

[crowgoro-blogs]

"JOKER!" Goro screeches as Shadow Akira narrowly misses slashing Goro's face. "If you don't recall, this is a space based on your cognition, so—" he screams out a Laevatinn, "—stop feeling sorry for yourself and think, um... I don't know, happy thoughts!"

*the massive blade from laevatinn creates a serious dent in the ground, shadow akira stays standing. that's fine, goro can work with a stubborn target. just a few hits to go.*

[akira-offical]

*Akira flinches at Goro's screech, but understands what he needs to do. He takes a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to calm, and tries thinking about when Goro said 'I love you now'. Goro didn't seem the type to lie about something sentimental like that, but he had seemed pretty desperate to get Akira's Shadow away from him, so it was entirely possible.*

"Son of a—" Akira cursed, running his gloved hands through his hair and immediately wincing when his fingers touched a wound on his head. "Akechi, did you... did you mean what you said earlier? About... you know?!"