akechiās mementos dialogue in royal actually destroys me because he is CONSTANTLY trying to make conversation in the most awkward, sideways, emotionally constipated way imaginable. like after the reveal, after the masks are off (ha.) ,, he suddenly starts talking more casually and itās SO noticeable because for the first time heās not performing as the Detective Prince (or breaking down like in the boiler room) but he still doesnāt know how to connect with people directly. every conversation sounds like heās testing the waters. like heās trying to figure out how the others see him without outright asking.
āyou think iām frightening when i fight? well. iām afraid youāre just going to have to accept it.ā
RAGHHHHHH THAT IS LITERALLY HIM ASKING ādo you think iām scary?ā except he canāt ask it normally so he wraps it in sarcasm and arrogance instead. everything with akechi has to be hidden behind a faƧade even when heās trying to be genuine.
and then: ādo you prefer my previous outfit or this one?ā
why are you asking them which version of yourself they like better. why are you trying to see if this ārealā version of you is acceptable. he keeps tossing out these little indirect questions because he wants reassurance SO badly but would rather die than ask for it openly.
even āyou may not like working with me, but iām counting on your assistance until our goal is achievedā is him projecting his own fears first before anyone else can say them out loud. if he acknowledges the rejection possibility first, then it canāt hurt him as much. except it obviously still does.
and the NORMAL conversations make me even sadder somehow???
āi enjoy spending time in kichijoji. itās not very big, but there are plenty of trendy shops.ā
āiām getting a bit hungry. i shouldāve eaten beforehand.ā
āriding in the car may beat walking, but it doesnāt stop my legs from growing stiff and soreā¦ā
HEāS JUST TRYING TO TALK š heās trying so hard to participate in normal group conversation like a regular teenager and it feels painfully obvious that heās never really had this before. no wonder half his dialogue sounds slightly stiff,,,, he genuinely does not know how to do casual friendship naturally.
and āthis place is immense. if there werenāt train tracks everywhere, iād bring my bike here.ā
HELLO????? that line kills me actually because itās such a small normal thought. like you can so easily picture a world where akechi had friends to ride bikes with. where he got to be a normal kid saying dumb little comments to people he trusted instead of becomingā¦ all of this.
even his gratitude sounds careful:
āi meant to tell you, regarding shidoā¦ thank you for keeping your promise.ā
thereās something so restrained about it. he almost sounds surprised someone actually kept their word to him.
akechi spends basically the entire game (his life, really) constructing versions of himself for other people to consume, so royal letting him awkwardly ramble in mementos feels weirdly intimate?? if that makes sense?? heās still guarded, still deflecting, still hiding behind sarcasm, but underneath all of it thereās this desperate desire to be known. not admired. not idolized. justā¦ understood. underneath all the anger and ugliness and performance, thereās still a lonely kid trying to figure out how to talk to people. i love him so much. i hate him dearly. ugh.
