Smolstarthief - You're A Loser, Baby!

やっときたああああ

just me and a vulgar boy 

p5: joker’s crescent

sometimes the amount of love i have for pegoryu frightens the shit out of me, but then i remember the reasons WHY i love them and my passion is flamed ever brighter i swear to god

like, everyone knows how MC comes to his current situation: he’s walking home, hears a literal assault situation happening, and instead of minding his own business like any apparent indifferent bystander, steps in to defend the person unable to defend themselves. he doesn’t truly think, doesn’t calculate the pros and cons of what his actions may cause– MC just does, because it’s the right thing to do, the moral thing to do, this is what justice should be. this moral goodness costs MC; he gets charged with assault, has a criminal record now, and gets sent to an extremely different environment as punishment under the guise of ‘reintegrating back into society as a civil human being’

and it’s fucking horrible. the game starts off meeting sojiro, who is jaded and basically wary of MC, everyone and their mother has heard rumors of MC’s ‘actions’ and is downright antagonizing of him, if not scared shitless by his reputation. even his parents are mysteriously silent, only sending his belongings to tokyo, no messages, no phone calls, nothing– as if MC’s actions were truly shameful on their image

MC is alone, truly alone, in an environment that is already set up against him. no friends or family back in his old town to support him and have his back.

how do you, as MC, NOT feel resentful? Upset? disillusioned? we have been taught to do the right thing, to help people, because that’s just right, that’s what society should be like. that there is a clear distinction of what is evil, and what is good, and you should strive to be good. but instead, the one time MC does something that is right and just, it backfires horribly and under human law he is condemned, morality be damned. 

like, how do you as MC not feel bitter and fucked up, knowing that people now don’t want to help you because of your reputation, knowing that the one time you did try to help, you get curb stomped instead. how do you not lose your faith in society? like i don’t know about you guys, but if i was MC, that would’ve been my supervillain origin story i swear to god

MC starts his new life, and tries to find his new school– and meets Ryuji Sakamoto. and boy, is that meeting what really sets up the theme of the whole damn game.

Ryuji comes off vulgar, loud, a delinquent. his hair is bright ass blonde, he’s eye-catching, and not in the best of ways. everything about him screams trouble and annoying. the thing is, Ryuji knows it too. he knows he’s seen as a delinquent, that not a lot of people likes him and thinks him cumbersome. he knows. and doesn’t give two shits. you meet him, and think, oh my god this guy is going to make my reputation worse (which, Ryuji fucking acknowledges sheepishly later)

and despite all of those preconceptions, this vulgar boy becomes the catalyst, the reason WHY the game runs the way it does– all because of his kindness, his inherent goodness.

you two accidentally wander into the metaverse, face a distortion of Kamoshida, and it’s a fucking terrifying situation– and Ryuji is the one to tell you to run. MC is essentially a complete stranger, a person that could have already heard about Ryuji’s reputation and could have had preconceived notions– and it just doesn’t matter. Ryuji is terrified, and still screams for MC to book it, even when the sword is pointed at Ryuji’s throat. he just does what he feels and thinks is right

is it any wonder that MC awakens his persona at that moment, to jump in to defend and fight?

even after that harrowing experience, even after Morgana appears, strikes an antagonizing relationship with Ryuji, and confirm thus far that only MC and Morgana have personas that could be utilized, Ryuji was still intent on helping.

even if he couldn’t fight, he could memorize the distorted students’ faces, could supply some health items and weapons, could find that will to want to help those that couldn’t help themselves. you later learn that this situation is even more personal– Ryuji had been physically abused and later crippled by Kamoshida himself, and his reputation went downhill after trying to stand up for himself. and you think, jesus, out of everyone, ryuji should have the biggest red flags of “maybe i shouldn’t interfere anymore because last time it cost me my leg, scholarship, and reputation in the school.” but he doesn’t give a SHIT, he’s doing what’s RIGHT. he’s seeking justice for the students that needed it. 

and even when we learn more, meeting Ann, finding out about Shiho, have more stakes to be motivated into defeating Kamoshida– you cannot deny that Ryuji is the one to help set up the foundation of the phantom thieves.

Help those who cannot help themselves. 

Something that MC holds close to heart, cost him dearly, and is now the running goal for the whole game. 

how can you NOT love Ryuji?

and god, sure, after that first dungeon, his character arc is twisted so bad in favor of the other plot and other characters– but god, look, it’s that first dungeon that is so important, that establishes who he is as a person, and later his confidant in helping his old team, nothing about himself.

he’s kind, he’s protective. he’s the first one to reach a hand out to MC as a person. he’s the first one to get defensive and stay angry for MC’s situation and sake. he’s the only confidant that doesn’t require plot progression or skill advancements – he’s ready af to hang with you and be by your side. even when MC gets popular, there is no jealousy, just pure contentment. Ryuji holds MC in high regard, but still looks at him like a human being– a fellow delinquent. he really doesn’t expect much, except friendship out of MC. to a lot of the other confidants, i feel like MC stands for so many different things: hero, potential change, leader, guide, etc. And sure, Ryuji sees all of that in MC, but he still saw him a person first, someone enough to protect and hell, die for, even when that was not the best nor wanted option.

and it’s also just, the two work so well together and off one another. MC’s whole theme, whole situation, is about being imprisoned. Hell, even the room in his heart was a damn prison (of course, not of his own machinations or whatever). and ryuji is all about freedom, either in saying MC makes him feel free, or his Arcana stating that he’s all about the power to “freedom”, like idk bout you, but that is literally some poetry shit right there. ryuji looks at MC and thinks freedom and belonging, and i’m just. how tf does MC not love him, how is ryuji not romanceable option (or even, just treated better as a character, jesus christ). how does no one look at Ryuji and realize that he literally help lead the way through the game, as befitting of the chariot arcana, that his will and actions reignited something back in MC to awaken his own persona, to want to do good and damn the consequences, as he once did before the criminal record

literally the pegoryu ship is

can’t date men tho rite

They're not silly at all! They look great! 😊

Headers using the art of the city that’s on the screen showing the date changing. Kinda silly, but here they are nonetheless. Free to use, no credit needed!