Fanfic / Lotus, Violet and Cherry Blossoms

This page contains unmarked spoilers for Persona 5 Royal. You Have Been Warned!

Lotus, Violet and Cherry Blossoms is an adaptation of the ‘Third Semester Arc’ in Persona 5 Royal, as well as a slice of life fic which continues well after the canon story ends written by Deathmanstratos. It is a story that focuses on Ren Amamiya and Sumire Yoshizawa’s relationship, with the premise that they entered a relationship before the Niijima heist, while Sumire was actualized to live as her deceased twin sister, Kasumi Yoshizawa.

The story follows the Third Semester Arc closely while focusing on Ren and Sumire’s relationship. The story then turns into a slice of life fic after the canon story ends as it follows Ren and Sumire growing closer together while working toward fulfilling their dreams and aspirations.

The spin-off, Lotus, Violet and University, is a series of side stories depicting the main cast during their time in university.

The sequel, Flourishing Cherry Blossoms, follows Ren and Sumire's eldest daughter, Yuki, as she goes through middle school, as well as growing up and living life alongside her younger siblings, Kasumi and Akira.

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Lotus, Violet And Cherry Blossoms

Lotus, Violet and Cherry Blossoms and its spin-off have examples of:

• Adaptation Expansion: Ren and Sumire’s inner thoughts about one another is given more focus here, as well as them going on dates that aren’t possible in-game.
• Adapted Out: The plot of Persona 5 Strikers was skipped when Ren returns to visit Tokyo for summer break, which wasn't released in the west around the time when the summer break chapters were uploaded. According to invokedWord of God, a key reason why the plot of Strikers was not included was because, and to quote: "It doesn't include Sumire so I'm salty."
• Author Appeal: The song that plays for Sumire's final performance at the 2024 Olympics is "Arigatou, Daisuki" by Minori Chihara, the ending theme of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan. The author is also a fan of Yuki Nagato.
  • Sumire even names her first daughter "Yuki". In-universe, it is a reference to them falling in love during the snowy 2017 winter, during the end of Royal's story.
• Babies Ever After: Maruki and Rumi eventually marry and have a daughter. Later, Sumire becomes pregnant with Ren's daughter in Chapter 74 and gives birth to her in Chapter 75. At the end of chapter 79, Sumire reveals that she is pregnant with twins. Ryuji and Sakiya have a girl of their own in Chapter 77. By the epilogue, Ryuji reveals that Sakiya gave birth to 4 more children during the time skip, while Futaba and Hanako adopted a son the same age as Yuki.
• Babysitting Episode: Ren and Sumire babysit Maruki and Rumi's newborn daughter for a day. While Sumire has had plenty of experience taking care of children and has little trouble with looking after the baby, Ren doesn't have that experience and internally panics almost the entire time. Sumire had to teach him the basics of taking care of a baby.
• Badass Bookworm:
  • Sakiya, a history buff, owns a vast collection of history books, and is often found reading when she should be doing other chores. However, she is still an ace at rhythmic gymnastics, able to place above Sumire in their first meet together. By the end of the story, she retires from gymnastics and gets a new job as a history teacher.
  • Hanako also qualifies, being autistic and an otaku for rhythmic gymnastics and anime, but is just as talented as the other gymnasts in the story.
• Big Eater:
  • Sumire, like in canon and much to Ren’s continued amazement. To the dismay of Ren and his wallet, this trait turns out to be hereditary.
  • Sakiya is also big eater, since she follows much the same training regimen as Sumire. The two girls engage in eating contests with each other from time to time.
• Bland-Name Product: Throughout the course of the story, characters play video games such as "Beat Sword" and "Façade 5" (see Celebrity Paradox below).
• Blind Without 'Em: Sumire, and eventually her daughter Yuki.
• Book Ends: The fic begins with Ren asking Sumire (albeit while she is actualized as Kasumi) out to a ball near the Buchiko statue in Shibuya. The fic ends twenty-one years later with Ren and Sumire getting their picture taken near the same statue alongside their three children.
• But Not Too Foreign: Sakiya Archambeau, an original character created for this story, is Japanese-French. As the story progresses, she eventually converts to full Japanese citizenship.
• Call-Back: In chapter 74, Sumire surprises Ren by sneaking up behind her and going "Konnichi... wa!", just as she had done to him during the Hawaii trip in Royal's Japanese dub.
• Canon Immigrant: In chapter 64, Ren briefly sees a white-haired man, implied to be the protagonist of Persona 4, in a crowd.
• Cast Full of Gay: With the exception of Sumire, all of the female Phantom Thieves end up in relationships with women.
• Catapult Nightmare: Ren does this in chapter 52, after dreaming of Akechi confronting him over his Chronic Hero Syndrome and then killing him.
• Celebrity Paradox: In chapter 42, Futaba and Hanako play a video game called "Façade 5", which is essentially a Bland-Name Product version of Persona 5... within Persona 5's own universe. Some gymnasts even perform to songs from the real P5, presented as though they came from "Façade 5".
• Christmas Episode: Several chapters take place in the days up to or during Christmas, in particular chapters 43, 44, and 74.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Ren develops this while over the course of his therapist internship under Dr. Maruki, and it becomes the source of his stress later on. Sumire, Morgana, and Maruki help him come to his Self-Care Epiphany.
• Crippling Overspecialization: As the three main gymnasts are introduced, their focus on certain apparatuses (the ribbon for Sumire, clubs for Sakiya, and the ball and hoop for Hanako) over others hampers their all-around competition results. Over the course of the story, they all take time to train in the others.
• D-Cup Distress: Hanako's voluptuous figure is uncommon against the petite standards of other rhythmic gymnasts, and she frets about this from time to time.
• Dead Guy Junior: Ren and Sumire name their second daughter, 'Kasumi'.
• Disabled in the Adaptation: Downplayed example. Sumire wears actual glasses during her gymnastics routines, unlike in canon where she swaps her glasses with contacts for her routines.
• Door Stopper: Clocking in at 80 chapters and over half a million words, Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms is the Fan Fic equivalent of one. And that's not even including its spin-off stories!
• Drunk on Malts: When Ren takes Sumire to a date at the Crossroads bar, she swiftly appears to become drunk despite the both of them only drinking water (as both of them are underage).
• Failed Future Forecast: This fic predicted Real Life rhythmic gymnasts Dina and Arina Averina of Russia to win silver and gold medals, respectively, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with Hanako taking bronze. Later on, at Paris 2024, Linoy Ashram of Israel would win bronze, Sakiya silver, and Sumire gold. However, when the actual Tokyo Olympics eventually took place in 2021, Ashram took gold over the Averina twins in a surprise upset, and would retire from gymnastics in April 2022.
• Foreign Cuss Word: Having been raised in France, Sakiya occasionally uses French swear words.
• Foreshadowing: Akechi gives a chilling one to Ren about his true fate.
  Akechi: I’m glad that she’s decided to continue her life as Sumire. It goes to show how flawed Maruki’s thinking really is. It gives me a warm feeling in my cold, dead heart.
• Grand Romantic Gesture: Ren asks Sumire to marry him at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after she wins the gold medal for the All-Around Rhythmic Gymnastics, in front of a live audience and being filmed on camera for the entire world to see. Sumire says yes.
• Heroic BSoD:
  • During her early competitions, Sumire expresses doubts and insecurity about her abilities, which hinder her performances further.
  • In a comical example in chapter 41, Ren "stops working" when Sumire brings up their promise to marry each other.
• High-School Sweethearts: By the epilogue, Ren and Sumire are 37 and 36 years old respectively, and have been together since high school.
• Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Hanako, in chapter 69. She makes a New Year's resolution to practice singing.
• Homemade Sweater from Hell: At the end of chapter 43, Sumire buys several ugly Christmas sweaters for herself and Ren, which they wind up wearing in the following chapter and others set during later Christmas times.
• I Have No Son!: Hanako's parents disown her after she not only tells them that she will not follow in her mother's footsteps but also when she tells them that she is gay and is dating Futaba.
  • In contrast, Futaba, Makoto, and Haru experience no such hardships from their loved ones upon coming out, nor does Ren when he makes up with his own parents.
• Killed Off for Real: Goro Akechi dies when the metaverse collapses for the last time in chapter 20, and he stays dead for the rest of the fic. He does make a cameo appearance in chapter 52 during Ren's Nightmare Sequence.
• Like Father, Like Son: In the epilogue, Sumire's second daughter, Kasumi, decides she wants to be like her mother, and become a rhythmic gymnast and eventually take the world stage.
  • Following in her father's footsteps, Futaba adopts a son sometime during the time skip.
• Mistaken for Pregnant: In chapter 70, when Sakiya attempts to make an announcement to her friends, Futaba interrupts and assumes she had been knocked up. Sakiya is quick to shoot down the thought, since getting pregnant at that point would take her out of her gymnastics career.
• Mythology Gag: Ren and Sumire name their first son, 'Akira'. Joker's civilian name in the Persona 5 manga is 'Akira Kurusu'.
• No Nudity Taboo: Due to her French upbringing, Sakiya is far more casual when it comes to nudity in the home, much to Sumire's embarrassment when she stays over at her and Ren's apartment.
• Nightmare Sequence: Ren has one in Chapter 52 as part of his realization that he can't and doesn't have to save everyone through his work as a therapist.
• Official Couple: This fic has a few, despite being centred on Ren and Sumire.
  • Ren Amamiya and Sumire Yoshizawa, the main couple of the fic.
  • Makoto Niijima and Haru Okumura. During the summer of 2017, Haru announces to the group that she asked Makoto out, and she said yes. And two years later in 2019, Makoto and Haru announces that they are engaged and get married the following year.
  • Ann Takamaki and Shiho Suzui become a couple sometime before the vacation in Bali.
  • Takuto Maruki and Rumi. After the metaverse collapsed, Maruki's cognitive filter on Rumi became undone, and remembered everything she had forgotten. She sought him out a few months later and and the two get back together again.
  • Sakiya Archambeau and Ryuji Sakamoto.
  • Hanako Natsuki and Futaba Sakura.
• Original Character: This story introduces two Japanese gymnasts that Sumire meets and becomes friends with.
  • The first is Sakiya Archambeau. A half French, half Japanese gymnast who first meets Sumire at a Gymnastics Grand Prix in Thiais, France. The two become rivals, which Sumire notes is the first time she has had a proper rival in gymnastics, even if she considers Kasumi her rival posthumously. Sumire introduces Sakiya to the rest of the Phantom Thieves during a holiday to Bali, and eventually starts going out with Ryuji.
  • The second is Hanako Natsuki. A gymnast who becomes acquainted with Sumire, Ren and the rest of the thieves through pure coincidence. She meets Ren during a therapy session as he is training to be a therapist under Dr. Maruki’s supervision. Later that same day she recognizes Sumire and comes up to her and says hello. Later that day she meets Futaba in Akihabara, and the two quickly develop a friendship over their love of Feathermen. Eventually, Futaba invites Hanako to Leblanc for Sakiya’s birthday, where Hanako meets the rest of the Phantom thieves.
  • Eventually, a lot of the main cast have children as the story progresses.
    • Takuto and Rumi have a daughter, Etsuko Maruki.
    • Sumire gives birth to her and Ren's first daughter, Yuki Amamiya, a year after the 2024 Olympics. Then during the time skip, Sumire gives birth to a pair of fraternal twins. Akira Amamiya, Ren and Sumire's first son and Kasumi Amamiya, their second daughter.
    • Sakiya gets pregnant and gives birth to her and Ryuji's first daughter: Shizuku Sakamoto, followed by four unnamed children by the epilogue.
    • Sometime during the time skip, Hanako and Futaba adopt a son, Kenichi Sakura.
• Out-of-Genre Experience: While this fic does initially adapt the Third Semester Arc from the game, including the palace infiltrations and mementos explorations, the story eventually turns into a slice of life fic. Following the characters as they live their lives as the days go by.
• The Olympics: Ryuji and Hanako participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics while Sumire and Sakiya participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
• Parental Abandonment: Ren mentions that his parents didn’t attempt to help him when he was originally arrested. He says that they had no problems shipping him to Tokyo, saying that he wasn’t their problem, which made things difficult for Ren when he returned home when his probation ended. Ren also mentions that he took up multiple part-time jobs just to avoid his parents. It’s no wonder why Ren is eager to move out the same day he graduates high school. In Lotus, Violet and University, Ren and his parents mend their relationship and start anew, four years after Ren's initial arrest.
• Past Experience Nightmare: Ren has a nightmare where he relives his fight with Sumire in Maruki’s palace. Two years later, Ren has a nightmare of what happened on Christmas eve in 2016.
• Phenotype Stereotype: The Franco-Japanese Sakiya has dirty blonde hair, which is far more common among the former ethnicity than the latter.
• Precision F-Strike:
  • Futaba, a character who normally doesn’t use anything stronger than mild language, says "Let’s fuckin' gooooooooooooooooooooooo....!?" in her mind when her college friends drag her into a workout session in chapter 49. ^note Coincidentally, she winds up using the acronym "LFG" in canon, as part of her Requests in the English localization of Persona 5 Strikers.
  • Sakiya also lets out a couple of F-bombs in chapter 61 while dealing with the aftermath of her temporary breakup with Ryuji.
• Primal Fear: Ren has acrophobia (fear of heights). Sumire lulls him to sleep during a flight to France for one of Sumire’s gymnastics tournaments. Ren’s fear also ends up being a factor for what apartment Sumire and him choose to live in together. They end up choosing a first-floor apartment.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: Subverted in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. In-Universe, a news story from chapter 61 mentions that a disease had been contained within China and was "no longer a threat". This allows the 2020 Olympics to take place in-story as originally planned, whereas the Real Life games have been tentatively postponed by a year.
• Relationship Upgrade: In-game it is impossible to romance "Kasumi". Here, she and Ren confess their love for each other and enter a relationship before the Niijima heist.
• Running Gag:
  • Ren will often jokingly call Sumire his wife (years before they actually get married), much to her embarrassment.
  The Phantom Thieves catch up to Ren and Sumire after he used his grappling hook to take him and Sumire up to the top of Maruki’s palace.
  Ryuji: Ya couldn’t do that for everybody man?
  Ren: Reserved. Amamiyas only.
  Sumire: H-huh? S-s-senpai? W-wait… I-I’m not mentally prepared…
  Morgana: Hey! As your brother, I should count too!
  Ren: Oh, right. Sorry, reserved for my wife.
  Sumire: W-w-w-ife? Huh? S-senpai… I can’t take this embarrassment!
  • Ren lampshades this after his and Sumire's wedding, joking that they have already been married for years.
  • Futaba making an "inappropriate hand gesture" to imply sexual intercourse, frequently followed by intense blushing and stammering from Sumire.
• Shipper on Deck: In the epilogue, Futaba teases Ren and Sumire's oldest daughter, Yuki, for crushing on her and Hanako's adopted son, Kenichi, and vice versa.
• Shout-Out:
  • The fic features many Real Life rhythmic gymnastics events and competitors, such as Dina and Arina Averina, Aleksandra Soldatova, and Linoy Ashram.
  • Sakiya is a big fan of Iron Maiden, and the fic name-drops specific songs of theirs that she trains and performs to.
  • Futaba and Hanako take turns quoting catchphrases from One Piece in one of their text chats together.
  • Hanako strikes a pose from a "bizarre adventure anime" in one of her gymnastics routines.
  • At Makoto and Haru's wedding reception, Yusuke asks Sumire to "default dance" together.
  • Ren and Sumire's first daughter, Yuki, is possibly named after Yuki Nagato, another of the author's favorite characters (see Author Appeal above).
  • During a text chat in chapter 78, Futaba and Ryuji quote bits of the "Steamed Hams" scene from "22 Short Films About Springfield".
    Sumire: Hello, everyone. Would you all be able to video call later?
    Futaba: Ez
    Yusuke: I could from my phone. I do not own a computer.
    Futaba: How do you not own a computer in this year? At this time? At your house?
    Ryuji: Aurora borealis? I can video chat, yeah!
  • In chapter 80, Futaba says "wake the heck up, Samurai" to her son Kenichi, a sanitized quote from Cyberpunk 2077's 2019 trailer.
• Shown Their Work: The author demonstrates detailed knowledge of various topics that appear in the story, especially in regards to rhythmic gymnastics.
• Shrinking Violet: Hanako, due to her autistic nature, tends to shy away from social contact unless she manages to connect with them through her own interests, namely gymnastics and anime.
• Sick Episode: Sumire catches a serious cold in chapter 32. Ren nurses her back to health. Later on as a downplayed example, Ren manages to catch a cold, exactly a year later. And Sumire nurses him back to health.
• Spit Take: While Sumire is giving Sakiya a video tour of their apartment in Chapter 36, Ren does one when Sakiya comments that their bedroom is where they get the most exercise.
• Talking to the Dead: Sumire visits Kasumi's grave on the 13th of every month. She cleans the gravestone and typically tells Kasumi about what is currently happening in her life, and the progress she is making towards their dream of reaching number one in the world of gymnastics.
• The Glasses Gotta Go: Like in canon, Ren's glasses are fake, and he stops wearing them after his probation ends. Although he still does wear a pair from time to time.
• Time Skip: The fic is filled with small time skips ranging from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. The biggest time skip is between the final chapter and the epilogue, where 6 years has passed between the two chapters.
• Vacation Episode: The Phantom Thieves, along with Shiho and Sakiya take a week-long holiday in Bali, during August 2018.
• Wedding Episode: Makoto and Haru's wedding takes place in chapter 63.
  • Ren and Sumire get married in Chapter 76, followed by Ryuji and Sakiya in Chapter 77 and Futaba and Hanako in 78.

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BEWARE OF UNMARKED SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT, BOTH FOR THE ABOVE FIC AND THE SOURCE MATERIAL!

Flourishing Cherry Blossoms

Flourishing Cherry Blossoms has examples of:

• Biodata: By the year 2037, Biometric ID has become the norm in society, with facial recognition being used to unlock homes and being able to control home appliances with one's voice. However, according to Yuki, Japanese law states that one can't get a Biometric ID until they are at least seven years old.
• Flash Forward Fic: Takes place 20 years after the end of Persona 5 Royal.
• Like Father, Like Son: Yuki takes Morgana with her to school.
• New Technology Is Evil: Heavily downplayed. Sumire has a slight aversion to VR/AR and views it as a form of escaping reality. This is completely justified, given her own experiences of wanting to escape reality twenty years prior.