So, I don’t want this arcanaswap/fateswap/whatever you would like to call it to go nowhere in my mind. So headcanon posts for the characters! Going through the arcana in order, almost completely!
This post will include headcanons for Fool!Ryoji Mochizuki, Fool/Aeon Slink!Metis, Fool!Naoto Shirogane, Aeon!Kanami Mashita, and Fool!Haru Okumura. 8 for playable characters (in their game of origin), 4 for slinks/others.
It’ll be under the cut!
Ryoji Mochizuki:
Very flirty like in canon, but doesn’t act on the flirting himself. He has a hard time rejecting someone if they confess first, though.
Pansexual. Can date anyone around his age.
He’s afraid of Hierophant!Mitsuru and Emperor!Shinjiro. He often vents to Lovers!Akihiko and Magician!Ken about that fact.
Doesn’t understand why Metis is so keen on protecting him, he doesn’t see himself as someone worth protecting.
Minato or Hamuko can take the role of canon Ryoji, depending on what weapon he chose in the context. It also affects a few of his Social Links (i.e. Star is Empress!Yukari and Moon is Hierophant!Mitsuru when Hamuko is in the role of canon Ryoji, while Star!Maiko and Moon!Mamoru take the role in Minato’s).
He catches onto the fact he’s going to die pretty quickly when shit hits the fan in December. He’s scared of that fact, but doesn’t tell anyone about it.
Elizabeth and Theo would both have the potential to be his attendants. Either way he finds their real-world antics to be hilarious.
Passes away right before everyone sans Metis makes it to the roof.
Metis:
More emotional than canon Aigis, she tries to hide the fact she loses her emotions in The Answer portion of this AU.
More violent, doesn’t realize she is being violent. The “switch” that’s supposed to keep her from attacking humans was broken in her first fight with death.
Curious about the world and attaches herself to other SEES members to try and learn. Lovers!Akihiko and Empress!Yukari are the ones she attaches to the most if you leave Ryoji out.
Way too intense when it comes to saving her “brother” in Persona 4 Arena. Emperor!Shinjiro and Empress!Yukari have to try and tell her to calm down.
Despite her more emotional state, she doesn’t understand death and how it can affect human beings past them being “sad”.
Has a penchant for getting herself hurt in battle. Priestess!Chidori basically has a mini-repair station at the dorms.
Dislikes bridges, it takes her a while to put a finger on where the dislike came from.
More likely to come to conflict with the other members of SEES during The Answer portion of this AU. She understands that fighting has to happen sometimes.
Naoto Shirogane:
Her family is still one known for detective work, but she doesn’t seem to have the same interest in that line of work. She just wants to focus on her studies.
Bisexual - Can date anyone around her age.
Wears shorts under any and everything to make herself more comfortable. Skirts, dresses, pants, even shorts? More shorts are underneath.
Tries to keep herself calm in stressful situations, but sweats a lot when it gets bad. This is often pointed out to her.
Despite having no interest in detective work, she has amazing deducing skills and figures out a lot about what’s going on in the spin offs fairly quickly.
Margaret is her attendant, Naoto can’t say she fully likes Margaret. Something about her makes Naoto uncomfortable, even though she knows there’s nothing wrong with her.
Doesn’t like Hierophant!Sayoko’s drinking buddy, Adachi, at all. She knows there’s a good reason for it from early on.
Still uses a gun, it was a keepsake from her grandfather. She always lies that it’s just a model gun.
Agatha (Kanami Mashita):
She takes on a role similar to canon Marie, an amnesiac who has a larger link to the plot than one might originally think.
Comes across as shy and nervous at first, but when she warms up she gets very cheery and energetic. Seems to especially like hanging out with Naoto.
Looks up to Margaret as an older-sister figure. Igor’s weird, but she likes him too.
The fog makes her a lot grumpier than usual. She always apologizes, but she just doesn’t get why it makes her feel so off.
Haru Okumura:
Didn’t end up in Tokyo because of being convicted of a crime. Still got in Shido’s way, but her father sent her away due to that being a risk to his future political career.
Lives with Hierophant!Sae and Hermit!Makoto in Sae’s actual home. She tries to stay out of the way when she first moves in.
Tried to garden when she was younger, but everything she touched seemed to die. Gave up on it, despite her love for it.
Pansexual - Can date anyone around her age.
Speaks a little French, picks her own code name based off her knowledge of the language. Suggests the french word for “Owl” for Empress!Hifumi. Everyone else thinks just going with Owl is better.
Kind to a flaw, she can’t keep her nose out of other’s business because she wants to help them. This has ended in her being burned more than a few times.
Suffers a lot of slips of the tongue when presented with someone even a little cute. Tries to cover it up but it never works.
Nervous about being the leader – She’s never seen herself as someone who can lead.
I was unhinged and started writing a ryomina fic while hyped up on greek mythology musicals and baja blast last night, so here are a few snippets...
Makoto gritted his teeth, and raised his evoker.
“Kohryu!”
Pain ricocheted through his head, but he was used to it by now. The golden dragon encircled Nyx’s Avatar, like the sun eclipsing the moon.
It lasted only for a moment though. With a swing of his massive blade, the dragon’s body shattered.
“I know you don’t want this Ryoji. You— you were the one who taught me how to live again. You wanted to live just as much as we did!”
A pause, then Ryoji’s voice reverberates from his mask-like face.
“Unfortunately, that was never possible for me. But— I treasure the time we shared, Makoto. Even as I am now.”
Makoto’s hand tightened around his sword. The air felt acrid, and his vision was starting to blur around the edges. He couldn’t fall though. Not now. Not while everyone was still fighting. They’d all chosen to face this fate together. He wouldn’t let it be in vain. All the memories they’d made— all the time they’d spent together—
Ryoji’s face— the way it was back then, flashes through his mind. The first night they met, staying at the inn at their class trip, quiet nights spent talking about anything under the moon, the brush of Ryoji’s fingers against his. How it felt when they kissed for the first time.
Makoto raised his evoker again.
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It was over.
Hand raised high, the world around Makoto and Nyx was enveloped in light. He couldn’t feel the pain from every attack he’d endured— his body screaming at him to survive. It was replaced by a gentle warmth. Bright and equally blinding. He could feel his consciousness start to ebb, but he could still sense Nyx there close by. Nyx— and the person that had become a part of her too.
“Nyx, I want to make a bargain with you.”
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Something brushed against his hand. The feeling was warm. Familiar. He looked over to see Makoto smiling at him gently. Makoto intertwined his fingers between Ryoji’s. Ryoji realized that his own fingers were trembling, but the trembling slowly ceased. Makoto had always been a calming presence. A reminder that he was real. He breathed a sigh.
“You did it.”
Makoto looked so tired. Had he always looked that way?
Makoto nodded.
“Yes.”
It was starting to come back to Ryoji.
“To do that though, you—“
“Yes.”
Softer this time.
Makoto leaned his head against Ryoji’s chest. He’d always been the shorter of the two of them. It felt comfortable. Right. Ryoji tentatively rested a hand on his back.
Ryoji realized how slow Makoto’s breaths were then.
“Makoto?”
Makoto wrapped his arms around Ryoji. He’d always been so warm. Alive. Ryoji returned the embrace, squeezing Makoto close. Makoto’s eyelids began to droop, and Ryoji could feel him smiling against his chest.
“Ryoji, we’re going to go to sleep for now. But someday, when the world doesn’t need me anymore, you’ll be free. Free to be yourself. Free to live.”
“Makoto, what do you mean? You know that’s impossible—“
Ryoji was supporting Makoto now. Holding him tight. He felt heavy. Dead weight. Ryoji didn’t understand. Couldn’t.
Makoto pressed his ear against Ryoji’s chest, listening for something Ryoji knew wasn’t there. He’d done it many times before after they first kissed. It was a painful reminder of what could never be.
He’d felt drawn to Makoto from the beginning. From when he first came to be “Ryoji.”
“Until then, we’ll be together.”
They always had been.
The thought was comforting, but, for once, Ryoji didn’t know what lay at the end. And that terrified him.
“Makoto, tell me what’s going on. What did you do?!”
Makoto didn’t seem to hear him. Or didn’t care to answer. Instead, he said,
“I love you, Ryoji.”
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Ryoji awoke with a start. He reached out beside him, but his hand was only met by the wind.
Makoto.
Ryoji sat up and looked around. It took him a moment to recognize where he was. He was lying on a bench on the rooftop of Gekkoukan High. The sun had warmed the concrete, and cherry blossoms fluttered through the air. The rooftop was empty except for himself.
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“So he’s really gone then.”
Mitsuru crossed her arms.
“Everyone forgot what he did during the final dark hour. Even us. We were able to meet with him again, but… he never woke back up. Even after all these years.”
Ryoji paced around the command room. It was elegantly decorated, but judging by the state the rest of the dorm was in, it probably hadn’t been used for a long time. There was no need for it to have been with the dark hour gone.
“Is he still in the hospital?”
Ryoji blurted out the question, even though he knew it didn’t matter. Makoto wasn’t there, not really.
“Yes. Our best doctors are looking after him, but—“
Mitsuru closed her eyes. She reached into her bag and took out a bright pink compact mirror. She held it out to Ryoji.
“Look for yourself.”
Ryoji frown but did as she asked. His face paled as he saw what was in the mirror. Makoto’s eyes. Not Ryoji’s bright blue but instead that soft grey that he’d gazed into so many times before.
“I’ve contacted Yamigishi. I can’t confirm anything right now, but…”
You’ll be free.
“You all found a way to undo the great seal.”
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Ryoji made his way down the hallway and opened a familiar door. The room was dusty, but it looked exactly the same as the last time he’d seen it.
He walked over to the bed and sat down. It creaked in protest after years of disuse. He coughed as a layer of dust rose from the blanket. The sun illuminated the motes.
His vision blurred as the tears began to flow. He pushed them away with his hands. His quiet sobs echoed into the empty hallway. His shoulders trembled.
“Makoto, why did you—? Why didn’t you save yourself? Why me?”
Ryoji already knew the answer. Makoto had always been kind. He had loved those around him, even when he hadn’t been able to admit that to himself.
But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
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“Welcome to the velvet room.”
A high-pitched voice greeted him. Ryoji started at the sight of his surroundings. He was sat in a deep-blue cathedral. A full moon illuminated the interior through towering stained glass windows depicting a giant door. An organ stood against the wall below, and above that organ hung a familiar figure. Makoto.
Ryoji bolted up from his pew.
No.
It was a statue, he realized. One that depicted Makoto crucified and bound in chains. Even without having seen it himself, Ryoji knew.
The great seal.
Makoto’s friends had undone the great seal. It couldn’t be him. Yet Ryoji couldn’t look away.
“My my, I never expected that one of Nyx’s children would be a guest of mine.”
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A figure stepped out from the shadows of the cathedral’s pillars. Ryoji’s breath caught in his throat.
It was Makoto. But it wasn’t the Makoto he’d known. This Makoto had platinum-blonde hair and golden eyes. He was dressed in the same deep blue as the rest of the room.
He held out a red, leather-bound booklet in one gloved hand. The booklet floated in the air before him and opened to a page labeled “contract.”
“It’s nothing to be afraid of... It just says that you will accept the results of your actions from this point forward.”
Makoto’s voice is soft and emotionless. It reminded Ryoji of when they first met. Back when he was still Pharos. There was no recognition in his eye.
