Phantom Dumbasses
is a Persona 5 Fan Fic made by Cipherian. It is a Chat Fic that covers the events of the vanilla game of Persona 5, with the added change that the Persona 5 protagonist, Ren Amamiya, was basically raised by predominantly the Persona 4 cast but also by the Persona 3 cast once they meet in the events in Persona 4 Arena.
The Parent Squad is ready to move out, and never mess with the Girls 'less you wish to be unconscious...
WARNING Below this point are the tropes and spoilers found in Phantom Dumbasses:
- Abusive Parents: Ren's parents neglected him, and Yukiko later reveals they beat him. Its later elaborated that Ren's parents treat him like a stress reliever than an actual child and when Ren learns that they have a Shadow in Mementos, he made plans to try a change of heart on them so he can leave them for good and stay with his Family of Choice.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Futaba first contacts Ren as Alibaba during the Madarame arc, while Ren starts gardening with Haru during the Kaneshiro arc.
- Adaptational Personality Change:
- In the original game, the Phantom Thieves generally ignored Morgana's behaviour towards Ann. Here, after Ryuji and Ann come clean about their relationship, the rest of the Phantom Thieves openly discuss Morgana's behaviour and generally treat him as an Abhorrent Admirer.
- In the original game, Mishima is a Dogged Nice Guy who runs the Phantom Afficionado website and whose ego starts to run out of control as the Phantom Thieves achieve more fame and notoriety, prompting the team to track his Shadow down in the Metaverse and set him back on to the right path. Here, elements of Entitled to Have You are added to his character through an unrequited crush on Shiho, and the Honorary True Companion element of his character is toned down in favor of playing him as The Friend No One Likes to the majority of the Phantom Thieves. Additionally, whilst he was forced into spreading news of Ren's criminall record around Shujin by Kamoshida in canon, here he brings it up to Shiho by his own volition in an attempt to sour their relationship after finding out that the two had started dating - making him a less sympathetic individual than the original game.
- Adaptational Sexuality:
- Minako, Mitsuru, Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko are all homosexual in this story.
- Ren and Futaba are both bisexual.
- Makoto and Haru are revealed to eventually become a lesbian couple in the second Christmas chapter, before Makoto comes out and Haru is brought into the team.
- Ascended Extra: Shiho is much more prominent in this story than in the original game, where her attempted suicide after Kamoshida’s abuse spurs the Phantom Thieves into action before leaving Shujin during Ann’s confidant. Here, she's the Love Interest to Ren and both Secret-Keeper and Honorary True Companion to the Phantom Thieves. Additionally, she only transfers to Kosei, rather than to another school outside of Tokyo.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: The Phantom Thieves group chat will occasionally go off the rails on unrelated tangents because they get distracted by something else.
- Breather Episode: Chapter 42, after several heavier chapters featuring the death of Haru's father, the aftermath of that event, and the Phantom Thieves dealing with Ren's abusive parents, is a return to silliness as the Phantom Thieves prepare for their fall midterms and Ren rants about coleslaw.
- Christmas Episode:
- Chapter 8 jumps ahead to the aftermath of Yaldaboath's defeat in Persona 5; because of this, Cipherian notes that the chapter is effectively non-canon to avoid spoiling anything that was yet to come in the story.
- Chapter 25 is set one year after the defeat of Yaldaboath and features the Phantom Thieves heading to Iwatodai for the holidays. Similarly, chapter 37 is set the following year, and features everyone converging on Inaba, whilst chapter 43 is set the year after that and features the Phantom Thieves reuniting for the holidays. Both chapters are stated to be canonical to the timeline.
- Creepypasta: In-Universe, Ren, Ryuji and Ann discuss starting such a meme about Ren due to his notoriety around Shujin as "The Transfer Student."
- Demoted to Extra:
- The majority of the fic is told through the various group chat logs that everyone is part of, so Morgana doesn’t have much of a role due to being a cat.
- Akechi receives significantly less build-up than in the original game, due to the format of the story.
- Did Not Think This Through: Yusuke sold his fridge. As he lives in the Kosei dorms, the fridge is actually property of the school, and not his to sell - something Makoto has to explain to him.Blue Artist: I do believe this is an appropriate time to announce that I am in a situation that Ryuji or Ren would call "Fucked".
- Dies Differently In The Adaptation: Kunikazu Okumura does not sustain a mental shutdown because Joker noticed the Black Mask and confronted them while the rest of the Thieves changed Okumura's heart. He still dies during his press conference, but this time it's due to his water being spiked with arsenic.
- Everyone Can See It:
- The mutual attraction between Ren and Shiho is so obvious Futaba picks it up just by seeing how they text each other.
- Makoto's crush on Haru is immediately picked up on by the other Thieves.
- Shiho had realised Ryuji and Ann's mutual attraction long before Ren arrived at Shujin, her reaction to finding out that they'd become a couple is to simply declare "Finally!"
- Family of Choice: Ren considers the P4 and P3 casts as his family rather than his biological ones.
- Foreshadowing: There are numerous instances where Ann and Ryuji are both conspicuously absent from the group chat at the same time, before it’s revealed that they have begun dating.
- History Repeats: Mitsuru reaches out to Haru after her father is killed and she has to assume control of her family's business as a third year high school student, recognising that she went through the same situation herself.
- Identical Stranger: Ren and Yukiko look a lot alike, and it's quite easy to assume they're related by blood rather than just in spirit.
- Idol Singer: Rise, of course, but Nanako has also become one after the events of Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
- In-Universe Soundtrack: The battle themes from the games are heard out of nowhere whenever a fight breaks out in any version of the Metaverse.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: Yu once threatened to break a thirteen-year-old's legs if it turned out he was after Nanako for her body. He backed down after the boy responded "So you mean I can't like a girl because I like her smile?"
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": As the Phantom Thieves learn about the various famous people Ren is connected to, this reaction occurs to varying degrees.
- Ann freaks out upon finding out Ren knows Risette.
- Most of the Phantom Thieves grew up on Phoenix Ranger Feathermen, so they all geek out when they learn Ren is related to Yukari through Minato.
- Makoto has this reaction upon finding out Naoto Shirogane is Ren’s cousin.
- Shinjiro is eventually revealed to be YouTuber hosting a cooking channel that Ryuji watches to help his mom with the cooking.
- Haru when Ren tells her Mitsuru wants to visit her.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Morgana is kept in the dark about Ryuji and Ann’s relationship, due to his own crush on her.
- Mythology Gag: During one of his tangents in the group chat, Ren decides that the boys should form a band called "Rythym Thieves" and assigns everyone the same instruments they play during the "Life Will Change" music video in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.
- Not Helping Your Case: When Mitsuru gifts Ren with 15 million yen to help his team, Ren immediately decides to give money to Yusuke so he can buy food, which Yusuke protests isn't necessary. When Ren responds by telling Yusuke to accept the money or he'll just fill his fridge himself, Yusuke freely admits that he sold the fridge.
- Oh, Crap, There Are Fanfics of Us!: Futaba discovers Phantom Thief-related smut on an Archive Of Our Own parody and decides to share it with the rest of the thieves.
- Pet the Dog: After Ryuji and Ann realise they need to come clean about their relationship, Ryuji privately messages Ren beforehand and tells him not to let Morgana look at the group chat, realising that he'd be crushed that Ann is dating someone.
- Reality Warper: Minato and Minako achieved this status after acquiring the Universe Arcana.
- Related in the Adaptation: Ren, Minato, Minako, Yu, Nanako, and Naoto are cousins.
- Rewatch Bonus: Minato spends the majority of his page time behaving in a fairly unhinged manner; Chapter 42 reveals that he regularly struggles with his mental health since giving up half of his soul to the Great Seal, and implies that his unhinged behaviour is a front he puts on to the majority of his friends with only Minako and Yukari knowing the truth.
- Running Gag:
- Ryuji swearing and Ann immediately following up with "He swear!"
- Ren misspelling a word and the rest of the Phantom Thieves immediately roasting him over it.
- Ren becoming a rambling Cloud Cuckoo Lander in the group chat whenever he's sleep deprived.
- Minato being rejected whenever he asks to see Mementos for himself.
- Saying Too Much:
- Akechi, as in canon, unwittingly outs himself as a Metaverse user by repeating something Morgana said.
- Alibaba outs herself as Futaba by saying “He's been nothing but nice to me" about Sojiro while trying to convince Ren to change her heart.
- She does this “again” later on by saying that “Ren isn’t dangerous” when trying to refute Sojiro saying, The Phantom Thieves are dangerous.”
- Secret-Keeper: Shiho is very much aware of the Phantom Thieves identities, having been told by Ren and Ann.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Shinjiro and Chidori both survived the events of Persona 3, as is possible in the Updated Rereleases.
- Because there were two Arisatos with the Wild Card and the Universe Arcana, neither had to give all of themselves to create the Great Seal. Ryoji survived as well, although it isn't explained how.
- Kasumi Yoshizawa never had her fatal car accident and thus is still with her sister.
- Spotting the Thread:
- As in canon, Ren immediately realises Akechi is a Metaverse user when he repeats something Morgana said; unlike in canon, he immediately notifies the Shadow Operatives so they can keep an eye on Akechi.
- The other Wild Cards and Marie immediately realise something is wrong with Igor when Ren describes him as having a deep, gravely voice. Doubly so once they learn about Ren's Third Eye — Igor granting an ability like that to a Fool at the start of his journey, rather than the end, is incredibly unlike him.
- Ren picks up on Morgana's insecurities after Makoto and Futaba join the team, and speaks to him about it before it builds to him quitting the team.
- The Phantom Thieves all pick up on Mishima’s increasing narcissistic behaviour, and discuss the matter after discovering he had made a Phantom Thieves forum without their knowledge.
- Superman Stays Out of Gotham: Mitsuru orders the Shadow Operatives not to interfere in Ren's Fool's Journey unless specifically requested, as it could prevent him from completing his Journey.
- Theme Twin Naming: Minato and Minako Arisato.
- X Days Since: Ren posts a "0 Days Without Nonsense" meme from SpongeBob SquarePants after Futaba manages to turn teasing him about rumors that he is a Technopath into conspiracy rambling.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: As the Phantom Thieves discuss Mishima's Phantom Thieves-centric website and forums, the conversation briefly goes off track to discuss whether their brand is just replacing "F" with "Ph" when appropriate.
