say goodbye as we dance with the devil tonight, dont you dare look at him in the eye

Woe ryomina dump be upon yee 💙💛

Dumbasses in love

i love ryomina

no but seriously. even when i’m thinking about other things that captivate my interest, i find myself coming back to them and feeling like i fell down three whole flights of staircases every time i do. they are one of my favorite pairs in media and are very special to me.

it’s the way that ryoji and minato’s lives are inevitably intertwined with each other due to the circumstances 10 years ago on the moonlight bridge. without no minato, there is no ryoji. minato as he is today is because of ryoji. they have irreparably affected each other’s lives that you cannot discuss one without bringing up the other one.

ryoji mochizuki, who is death, pharos, thanatos, nyx avatar, the man of many names and identities, is the perfect summation of p3′s messages and themes.

minato arisato, the wildcard and protagonist, who has boundless kindness in his actions despite the unfortunate cards handed to him.

the two of them complement each other and tell a beautiful story from start to finish.

minato’s personas capture this perfectly. he awakens to orpheus, who’s flames burns bright, is snuffed out by thanatos during the encounter against the arcana magician. a visual precursor of the idea that ryoji stole from the life that minato could have had.

it’s the way that over the course of the game as minato interacts with pharos, talking throughout the dark hour, forging a bond that cannot be broken, that allows ryoji to exist. minato humanizes death.

november. the bells toll, calling the appriser. and yet, it’s peaceful... quiet, and full of life. ryoji, who breaks free from death’s chains, refusing his role, is given the chance to live for a month. to make the most of the humanity that minato has given him over those ten years. and what a life he lived. ryoji’s life is a reflection of what minato’s life could have been like in another universe.

it is the way the two of them are reflections of each other. ryoji with his hair down is just like minato. they are both stubbornly committed to choosing to be kind, to love life, yet are chained down by the cards the narrative dealt them with. they finish each other’s sentences, knowing each other intimately in a way no one else does.

how is that, a boy who lived for only one month, profoundly changes the course of the narrative? he is simultaneously relevant and irrelevant. blink, and you miss it, the beautiful life that he led.

ryoji is horrified at the revelations of being the appriser. he who so desperately wished to forget that his existence was meant to bring the end to all life, was unable to escape the inevitability of death. in a non-human way, of course. he becomes remorseful. a shadow of his brief time as a human who was enamored by the small beautiful things that life had to offer.

he is swallowed by grief. grief knowing that his very existence will take away not only minato’s life, but everyone else’s. the very thing that ryoji loved- life, fundamentally went against the role he was born for- to be the harbinger of death. and unable to grapple with this sadness he believes that the best thing for minato to do is to kill him, so that SEES can live in bliss not knowing about their inevitable end.

SEES is left rattled, calling into question what the meaning of life is and what they do when faced against the inevitability of death.

and!!! minato chooses!! for ryoji to live!! even in spite of what ryoji is MEANT to embody, minato still stubbornly chooses to defy death itself! and if that’s not cool i don’t know what is!! minato wants everyone to have the chance to live!!

so he climbs. he ascends tartarus, to meet ryoji, again, who is now the nyx avatar. and i just think there’s something so so beautiful about being able to use messiah, minato’s ultimate persona, against nyx avatar.

messiah, being the fusion of orpheus and thanatos is peak ryomina to me. because ryoji and minato have established an unbreakable bond from having been entwined for 10 years, minato still has a piece of death with him, and by proxy!! ryoji is able to defy and rebel against nyx trying to bring the fall! and i think that’s fucking cool shit if you ask me!

even when all of the arcanas have been gone through, it’s still not enough to stop the fall. and yet. minato knows. in the way that ryoji was sealed in minato 10 years ago by aigis... minato becomes the great seal so that everyone can live. it comes full circle.

march rolls around. he fulfills his promise to SEES on graduation day. minato dies from exhaustion. but goddamn does his sacrifice make me weep- he’s had such, such a tiring journey. he’s been through so many things because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. but at the end of it all, he’s reunited with ryoji in death.

and i think this is why ryomina continues to evoke so much emotions for me, to this day. the relationship that they have embodies so much of persona 3′s messages and themes that it makes me feel like a microwave with nothing running in it.

p3′s message is very hopeful, for me. my favorite takeaway from it is that even if death is inevitable, appreciating the life that we were given and choosing to live as best as we can with kindness (even if we can’t feasibly do everything), is just? really nice? and you see this manifest in both ryoji and minato’s personalities and what they do for the other characters.

ryomina just feels so distinct to me, the flavor that their relationship ties back to my favorite takeaways from this game and im just!!  god!! i love you minato arisato! i love you ryoji mochizuki! im so glad that i could meet them! i’m happy that they changed my life! they made me want to appreciate the connections in life even if they were fleeting! they made me!! want to pay attention to the good moments in life and cherish them!

i love ryomina so much!!! i’m so glad that these two could bring so much joy into my life! and i hope that others can have this joy too! 💛💙

💙💛 Hello!

We're planning to host a Ryomina Ship Week that will run throughout November 9 - November 15.

If you are interested, we would appreciate it if you could fill in this interest check, your feedback helps! 💙💛

Reblogs are appreciated!

Hi! I am a huge fan of your work! (Especially winter is a lovely season for romance and funerals; you really know how to make a guy cry!)

I wish there was more ryomina content out there, so would it be possible to write a pinning Makoto that’s in denial about his feelings for Ryoji (first love sorta vibes?!?!)? (Crushing on the popular guy?!?). He could have internalised homophobia or he could just straight up just be in denial, but I’ll leave that up to you!

Thank you for reading this request and I hope you have a wonderful day!

I’m so happy you enjoy my fanfic! WISRF is my baby rn, and I hope you don’t mind the super slow updates, I’m doing my best with it. In the meantime, I hope this holds you over, because! Oh my god, if you want more Ryomina content?? You came to the right lady!! I love these two with such an aggressive love. For example! When I finished this one, I had to click off of Tumblr so I didn’t post it too early. I ITCHED to post it. I don’t care if this is super polished, it’s not the fanfic. I can be a bit more lenient. I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the change of pace.

So! It’s a bit vague, but I went ahead and implied Minato’s a bit of a yandere for Ryoji as well as in denial.

Winter was probably Minato’s favorite season. The way the sunlight made blankets of snow sparkle like a sea of diamonds, the crispness of the air, the excuse to wear comfier clothes and stay under warm blankets, how peacefully quiet everything was due to the birds and animals either hibernating, hiding from the ice, or south for the season. It was all a blissful reprieve from the torturous heat of summer or the pollen-choked air of the spring months. Not to mention, Ryoji mochizuki had transferred to gekkoukan in those colder months.

Ryoji Mochizuki. Tall, around 5’11, with dark brown hair that was brushed back from his round, cheerful face as if his styling routine included putting his face in front of a high power fan. Paired with gorgeous blue eyes like two pools of the world’s most refreshing water, and it wasn’t a surprise that the charming trasnfer student had become Gekkoukan’s most popular student in the few weeks he’d been there. Which, was a feat, with how beloved Akihiko was. Yet, even with the fighter’s adorable, oblivious charms, when Ryoji had come to school, he’d taken the hearts of the student body like an expert phantom thief.

Or, well, at least, 99% of the student body adored the man. Minato Arisato was no stranger to charming playboys and their faux innocent, lovey-dovey antics, so Ryoji’s sugary magnetism was useless against the deadpan emo. No matter how soft those lovely sapphire eyes got when the brunette looked at him.

Or...that’s what Minato told himself each day when he heard one of his classmates whisper about some new facet of sex appeal the boy had. Irritation was what he claimed as the cause for how much he hated when he saw Ryoji out on a date with a classmate. Jealousy? No. Minato Arisato hated other people, they grated on his nerves without fail, so there was no way in hell he had any warm feelings that would stem something like jealousy. Right?

But, if that’s so, why does the mention of Ryoji going out on dates make you so aggressive? Orpheus asked, the epitome of that little voice in the back of your head that you fought to ignore. Although, does a crush really explain your feelings? What about how possessive you are of him? “Aren’t you cold, Funeral lily?” The words all but ripped the blue-haired teen away from his persona’s musings and brought him back to reality. The reality where Ryoji Mochizuki waited beside him for the train. Close enough for the shaggy-haired teen to smell how the various scents of food that had permeated the white dress shirt and black vest of his work uniform mingled with Ryoji’s peppermint-and-oleander-scented cologne. Which, meant he was too damned close. “I’m fine.” Minato said flatly before he stepped away to put a bit of distance between them. Some distance between himself and the irrational urge to brand the brunette’s cute ass. Yet, Ryoji didn’t seem to get that memo, because in the time it took the persona user to flick through a few of his songs, he became aware of the pretty boy’s body heat once again breath-tak- annoyinglyclose. “Personal space, Mochizuki.” “Are you sure? I didn’t see you grab a jacket after work tonight, and, I mean, it’s winter.” Ryoji pointed out. As if the midnight-haired teen hadn’t even spoken, and had somehow also missed the delicate flakes that drifted down from the darkened sky outside. “Yes I’m sure, and I don’t see youwith a coat either, so get off of my ass about it.” He snapped, yet when he looked back to glare at the teen who had stumbled into the shaggy-haired emo’s part time job, and just so happened to choose to work there as well, Ryoji’s blue eyes met his evil look with nothing but a warm sense of concern. The fact that the most popular boy in school had the absolute gall to look at him like that made Minato’s stomach churn. Though, that may have been caused by the swarm of butterflies he ignoring whenever he saw that addictive, sweet look.

Regardless of whatever confused feelings he harbored though, Ryoji still looked at him with undeniable softness in his gaze. A softness that Minato recognized from their first encounter outside of the very train station that they now stood in. A softness that drew Minato in like a warm hug in the chilled air of the winter night and blurred the prickly, hostile thoughts into simple white noise on that near-empty, slightly smelly boarding platform.

In fact, Minato had plenty of time while they waited for their train to notice just how soft Ryoji himself was. From that round face and dark, fluffy hair that looked feather-soft even before the blue-haired teen reached up to gently touch a stray strand that dared to fall into Ryoji’s sapphire eyes, to the warm body that he’d heard from the many girls was great to hold. And, that spark of jealousy was the dose of ice water that pulled Minato out of the trance he’d fallen into. So, the proximity of Ryoji’s face to his crashed down like a precariously balanced box at a sharp gust of wind and hit Minato right in the impulses. "Ah! Mina! What the hell?!” Ryoji yelped, his hand on his cheek as he stared at the midnight-haired emo who’d let those jealous, vicious urges slip just a bit. “I-I-I…” Sadly, when he tried to speak, shame choked the persona user worse than the stale, dank air of the dark hour, but he pushed the words out regardless. “I-I told you, personal space, god damn it! Listen!” “Motherfucker, you’rethe one who leaned in! I just met you in the middle!” Ryoji pointed out, but what was Minato to do? Confess to the jealousy he harbored towards all of the girls he heard talk about the brunette?

No. If he tried to explain the intricacies of his ‘jealousy’, he’d be forced to explain why the mere memory of his classmates harmlessly gossiping about Ryoji had driven him to sucker punch the man. He’d have to confront whatever those disgusting, squishy feelings were that Ryoji’s presence always seemed to dig up. And, the violent possessiveness that followed.

So, instead of doing any of that, Minato snarled, “I did not! Get your mind out of whatever pipedreams you have rattling around in that shallow ass head of yours.” And, while the look of hurt in Ryoji’s eyes stung, it stung far less than the humiliation of explaining himself. Especially since the train came along to rescue him from marinating in the kicked-puppy aura the captivating man gave off.

So, he simply ended the conversation with a huff, and put his music back on to drown out any other chance to converse.

Minato hated people. That included Ryoji Mochizuki as well.

minato (p3)

oh the he...the specialest boy.....!

Sexuality headcanon: gay but he's grayromantic about it. generally he'd rather Not.

Gender headcanon: that man is so trans. he would wear the miku binder too i just know it

A ship I have with said character: ohoho...bankita.....best and worst accident of my life-! i spoke it into existence while trying to make a joke and now i'm down bad for them. it's so fucking wild because it can literally never work they are separated by time and space and DEATH but the short little time they do get together is so special and they are so fucking cute in persona q and what little i've seen of them in q2 too (wildcard buffet lives in my head rent free "i feel like i've gotten to know you way better" what are you two FUCKING talking about) i also love playing with them completely outside of canon they are like little dollies to me i will put them in Situations and make them be cute and soft and fluffy for absolutely no justifiable reason it's GREAT i need to write more for them they make me so happy they give me so much comfort they also break my little gay heart.

A brotp I have with said character: well we've already exited the realm of canon so i might as well stay here for a while and say akiren. they are just two silly little guys they have a lot of similarities but they have such wildly different outlooks on life that putting them together and making them talk is so much fun! i think akiren would be a good influence on minato honestly, he's so full of hope and he believes in people so much and i think that would help minato also come to his final stance of wanting to save humanity and give everyone a chance to live their lives a little quicker. half of the reason i came up with the Came Back Wrong au is because i want them to hang out together and i want akiren to have that chance to touch minato's heart. i dunno i just think they're neat and also they're both my favorite protags so!

A notp I have with said character: i was gonna say ryomina because i just can't get into it but you know what actually. no. aikoto. i can't fucking stand it i'm dreading meeting aigis in p3re because i know the game waifu baits her and i don't want to deal with it i hate it so much!!! i don't even feel like i can properly appreciate aigis as a character because i just keep thinking about how much they push her relationship with minato and ugh!!! persona really needs to stop putting in waifu bait characters i hate all of them. aigis and rise and honestly even sumi would be a lot more compelling if they didn't have this cloud of "the protagonist is Super Extra Special to me in a way that's clearly different from the rest of the team" hanging over them. i mean minato fucking dies in aigis's arms like what the fuck. (god bless p3p for letting it be anyone you romance on ng+ that was honestly really sweet and a massive improvement.) i probably wouldn't be so bitter about it if i wasn't aro but man. leave me alone. it's not even too terribly popular in fandom from what i've seen except among people who just like to take canon at face value because it really is essentially the canon pairing. exhausting. down with amatonormativity i'm so fucking tired

A random headcanon: oh my god i have so many (immediately forgets every single one). no but actually i think for now i will talk about how i think he takes a lot of comfort in the small little cafes and restaurants around the bay area. i'll never stop thinking about that time in pq where he sees a table set for tea in the middle of a MYSTERIOUS MAGIC LABYRINTH FULL OF SHADOWS and he's so out of it that he for a moment he believes he's at cafe chagall and drinks the tea without a second thought. like the fact that in this highly confusing and stressful situation he thinks of being at chagall i dunno it just reads to me as that being a safe space and a place of comfort for him. i love that he can work there now in p3re i love that he and akiren can bond over being baristas at a cafe

General opinion over said character: oh my god ohhhhh my fucking god he's the guy ever he's so so important to me he has been since i first discovered he existed even though i couldn't play p3 at the time he touched me in a way no other character has ever managed. he makes me feel so feral i'm rattling the bars of my cage i'm foaming at the mouth chomping at the bit etc etc i'm crazy i'm insane over him. he's my third favorite character of all time only behind the twins and honestly if enstars weren't my forever fandom and i didn't feel guilty about it i might say it's a three way tie for my number one. he's just like me fr (derogatory) he's my big brother he's my son he's everything to me!!!

What r your favourite ships for the p3 mcs ^v^

in game romancing, for minato i love yuko (& i like him w aigis but u know…) and for kotone i cant Not focus on aigis… even if i romance someone else For The Plot, shes still just dating aigis to me 😭 hamugis is my ultra fav pairing…

when im playing w them like little dolls in my head, for minato i love junmina too much, & i rly like ryomina too… for kotone, still loving hamugis with my entire heart, but i also LOVE yukaham <3 yukaham is so special to me… i am obsessed w them…

persona 3 for the ask game! <33

!!!! yayay ! ! !

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: This. is hard. either minako, minato, or aigis. theyre all. up there. i also adore yukari and chidori you know the drill

Least Favorite character: uhh idk the moon arcana guy was. painfully unfunny.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): In no particular order; hamugis, ryomina, jundori, yukamitsu, and akishinji (call me basic but theyre popular for a reason idk man,,,,)

Character I find most attractive: chidori pelase one chance chidori pelas.e...

Character I would marry: literally any of the girls i lvoe you guys ...

Character I would be best friends with: idk ! i feel like id get along well w yukari i love her vibes

A random thought: TORE ME APART. CANT EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS GAME WITHOUT GETTING SOSOSO SAD.

An unpopular opinion: refer to my last ask ,, idk . ig ill reiterate that chidori being alive is awesome

My canon OTP: jundori is the only canon one here, but i love them osososos much so ill take what i can get ! !

Non-canon OTP: HAMUGIS I LOVE YOU SO. DONT @ ME I HAVENT PLAYED THE FEMC ROUTE BUT I SEE THE VISION THEYRE SO REAL THEY INVENTED ROMANCE TRYST.

Most badass character: mhmhhhhhh mitsuru. love you babygirl

Pairing I am not a fan of: akihiko x mitsuru . what is that. nooo thank you

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): hm. well. i feel like everyone here is p well written except for the afformentioned moon arcana dude. seriously what were they thinking.

Favourite friendship: THIS IS HARD. uhh the second years have my heart they make me so sad. they deserved to be happy together hghghhhg

Ryomina for bliss 8,11,10,13,15,18,25,26,40

OTP Asks - Domestic Bliss Edition!

Let's sit here and say that this takes place in an AU where everyone gets to live. Okay? Okay. Let's go!

8. Who’s more likely to buy something that’s not on the shopping list?

That would be Ryoji. Minato writes out the list specifically so he knows what they need and what they don't. Ryoji sees the list as "this is what you have to get while there", so while he does manage to cross off everything, he does always come home with a few extra items in his bag.

10. When they moved in together, who moved into whose house? Or did they start fresh in a whole new place?

All things considered, both of them pretty much had to start off in a whole new place. Ryoji was pretty much homeless, and Minato didn't have much of a home to go back to. So the pair probably stayed at a friend's place while looking for one of their own after graduating.

11. Do they play music in the background while they’re just hanging out at home?

Absolutely. It's usually just Minato's playlist that's turned down so it's more of a soft background noise. The boy is a music man. It's hard to take that away from him. It also helps Ryoji to focus a little better when he's doing some sort of important task like a chore.

13. Do they share personal items like razors/hairbrushes/toothbrushes?

Nope! Ryoji was very adamant about that, and Minato was agreeable on it. There are instances where they'll accidentally use the other's razor or hairbrush or soap, but other than that, it's mostly separate because of their different hair and skin types.

15. Who goes to bed first?

Minato. Nowadays, his insomnia is just about gone so he's likely to collapse into bed first. He gets tired out more quickly.

18. What’s each person’s favorite place in their house?

There's a large window that lets in plenty of sunlight in their home. Minato likes to lay in that spot to take a np like he's some sort of cat. Ryoji, on the other hand, spends more time outside in the small yard that they have. I can see him taking care of a small garden for some reason. The irony in Death creating life. However, they both can agree that the bedroom is one of their favorite spots. It's calm and secluded, so the pair usually like to retreat in there to just relax after long and/or bad days.

25. Do they have an office or a study? Who spends more time there?

They do. It's split between the two of them and is usually meant specifically for Shadow Operatives work. Out of the both of them, it's Minato that usually spends more time in there trying to pull all-nighters when he no longer can. It's become no surprise to Ryoji to find Minato passed out at his desk anymore.

26. What’s the big item they had to compromise on to make room for when they moved in together? (Piano, pool table, bookcase etc)

There really weren't any big items that the pair had to compromise on. Neither of them had many belongings, so they pretty much had to buy all their own furniture. Mitsuru helped to pay for it, despite Minato's protests over the matter. ...now that I say it, Mitsuru paying for everything might've been the big thing that they had to compromise on.

40. Who’s more likely to invite other people over?

Ryoji~! Definitely Ryoji. Most of their friends from S.E.E.S. have permission to come over whenever so long as they let Minato and Ryoji know about it first. But when it comes down to it, Ryoji's often inviting someone over every other week for one reason or another. If they don't already have plans, Minato will usually leave the guest list for the holidays up to him.

Favorite Persona Ships?

i'm very basic lmao.

for p3 ryomina and ryoham are my bread and butter. i am so fucking normal about ryoji's relationship with the mc, whether it be the male or female choice bc either way it is so interesting to analyze. he's been there with the mc from the fucking start and neither of them realize it before it's too late. and that they only have so much time together and neither of them realize that before it's too late. it's so perfectly sweet and tragic i die every time i think about it.

for p4 i fucking love souyo. it's such a nice and sweet pairing with just the right amount of angst given how yosuke's characterization in the game easily allows for writers to give him a problem with internalization and explore how that affects his friendship with yu. i know i've done it, haha.

with p5 shuake is such an interesting pair to me bc like. they're rivals. they're besties. one hates the other but actually he's just really jealous of him. the other one has the choice to commit a really selfish and destructive act just to keep him alive. what i would give for a p5 femc that explores a romantic relationship with akechi just like p3 did for ryoji bc i know atlus wouldn't dare let us have queer romances...

3, 17, 18, and 19 for the ao3 wrapped :)

thanks for the ask!!! :D

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Ooh, this is a tough one. I'd have to say... either System Error or Always Wanna Play (But You Never Wanna Lose)! Both of them fought me lmao, but I'm very pleased with both results.

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Slightly predictable answer, perhaps, but Shinjiro! I just love trying to get in his head, he has such a casual and withdrawn yet introspective and caring voice... he always tries to act like he doesn't give a shit when really he gives Every Single Shit... I love himmm. And I also love how allergic he is to talking about his feelings <3

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Probably Jin, but that's from a fic that's not finished yet lmao. In published fics, the character I wrestled with the most was probably Mitsuru actually! She's generally very composed so I struggled to maintain a balance between her being overwhelmed by emotions and still staying in character :)

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Well... I won't lie and say I'm not gonna be dropping more AkiMina ShinjiMina and AkiShinjiMina stuff 😅 but I'm also working on a YukaHam piece right now that I really like, and perhaps some Hamugis and RyoMina if I'm as productive as I'd like to be next year <3

thank you again for the ask!!! this was rly fun <3

Moonlight Shadow

Series: Persona 3 Pairing: Minato Arisato/Ryoji Mochizuki Summary: Ryoji sees the blood and butterflies leading him to Minato knowing he can't do a thing. It doesn't stop him from going, up until he can't. Warnings: Allusions to suicide ideation, major character death Notes: ive fell into the hole that is the magnus archives and couldn't help applying end avatar imagery to ryoji because it fits so nicely. it's alright if you don't know anything about the series going into this it isn't really necessary. as usual, i simply like to think about ryoji being drawn to minato despite the circumstances of their existence.

thank you very much to ash who read it over and also suggested a title! it's apparently from a song called moonlight shadow by mike oldfield AO3

The night they meet is the first of many times Ryoji has attempted to stop Minato from reaching his end.

He’s been following the messy, complicated thread that ties them together, and gets as far as Iwatodai’s train station before he spots him. Over and over in his dreams, Ryoji has seen that dorm bathed in blood and surrounded by stark shadows. And as he gets closer, every time there is a trail of bright, blue butterflies leading him up the staircase and to Minato’s door.

His hand reaches for the knob, but just like all the times before, he opens the door and finds a corpse waiting for him. The second his foot breaches the threshold, butterflies burst from the figure on the bed and he wakes.

Ryoji doesn’t really know the person he’s been dreaming about, and yet, he does down to his very core.

So when he feels that same tug and sees the butterflies leading him to the station, it isn’t surprising to see Minato there. He doesn’t know where he’s trying to go this late, but Ryoji knows it can’t be anywhere else other than the dorm, however much Minato may want otherwise.

In the end, they talk and Minato goes home. The butterflies follow him inside the train terminal, and Ryoji knows he’s only put off the inevitable. It’s not his time yet though. And for that, he is grateful.

There is nothing he can do for the others he sees, and he knows as he closes his eyes, in hours they will be coffins, submerged in those inky shadows.

It’s futile to resist, and often times, he doesn’t try to intervene anymore. Something about Minato is elusively special though, so he becomes an exception. He doesn’t try to warn the business man who has a trail of growing shadows follow him, nor the woman in the white dress with long, red hair whose clothes have phantom blood on them.

Instead, he makes himself into Minato’s shadow. A harbinger, unwittingly putting off what he knows can’t really be avoided. He’ll hold onto him as long as he can, convince him to hang in there just a little longer. To see what’s in front of him and just how little time he really has left—how little time they all have left.

Every night, he still dreams of that boy surrounded by butterflies, and watches with a small, helpless smile because he knows he can’t save him.

As the leaves fall from the trees for good, there are no games or solution he has to offer for what is to come. Only a choice. He could never change things, but with his new awareness, perhaps he can provide brief solace.

“You won’t feel any pain. You can forget about it until the end.”

“I can’t.”

Ryoji wants to beg more for the one thing he feels he can finally give Minato. Every other thing he has given has also been temporary, but this kind of peace could be enough. He sees it now. The resolve to live even in the face of death. The acceptance of their coming fate. He’s done what he can, and merely grieves everything else he cannot change.

“When we meet next, it will be for the last time like this.”

“I know.”

Minato doesn’t say anything else, but as Ryoji leaves, he feels forgiven. They are the wings of the same butterfly, and it isn’t until their last meeting does he realize what choice Minato really made.

He may not be able to save Minato, but in the end he is able to give him enough mercy to help his friends. They will die here together—and in return, they will be spared.

thinking about normal childhood friends ryomina is so funny because you have pharos-as-kid-ryoji moving next door and being a little creep, like "hello new friend, i am climbing through your bedroom window at 3 am :)!" with uno cards in his hands as a peace offering. minato is 90% convinced he's a ghost that can only come by at night (ryoji is homeschooled and at this age does not know how to Not be a cryptic/socially inept dummy) until years later this weirdly familiar transfer student decides to glue himself to his side and just never leaves.

bonus: he only realizes ryoji = that one weird ghost kid because ryoji insists on a sleepover and somehow still has a dumb pair of striped pjs. cue existential crisis.

hi there anon!! thank you so much for the childhood friends AU concept! the childhood friends trope is one of my favorites and i quite love what you've outlined!

ryoji's antics are always incredibly amusing to me, regardless of what universe he shows up in! the fact that he'd show up only at 3am / night time makes me wonder that he has some form of insomnia that's persisted since childhood. though i love how with how you've translated this AU, you kept it consistent with canonverse! i'm honestly intrigued at HOW ryoji would learn to socialize after that point, lol. it's funny to me that with the way you wrote the ask, you've implied that ryoji has never thought to introduce his name properly because yay being socially inept. he really didn't know what he was doing 😔

i like to think that sometime after ryoji transfers to minato's school (and introduces himself), minato could poke fun at ryoji for his past self's decisions to go into his window at 3am LMAO. i feel that the energy of this conversation has the potential to be REALLY funny, with minato just deadpanning at him and ryoji is just "I WAS BORN TO MEET YOU!" (or something like that HAHA).

in any case!! i wish childhood friends ryomina all of the best sleepovers. i simply hope that the two of them have the opportunity to experience all the dumb things together and learn from each other as time passes on.

thank you again for the wonderful concept, anon! i hope that you're having a fantastic day, and thanks for the ryomina feels! 💛💙

RYOMINA

ryomina is literally the best persona pairing there is nothing anyone can say to change my mind about this they are SOULMATES 

Y'all...i kinda wanna write yandere ryoji content 😫 but I don't have any ideas for ryomina content of that flavor 🥺

Oh wait...yandere ryomina. Like, as a pair...