History Fanfic / SittingBehindYou

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: Ren was born and raised in [[VideoGame/Persona4 Inaba]] before having to move to Tokyo in the aftermath of his false arrest.

** Ren owns a "[[BlandNameProduct PlayBox 5]]" console, an obvious knock off of the Platform/PlayStation5 which didn't release until 2020.

* InSeriesNickname: Ren is called a nickname by Yusuke ("Renpai"), Ryuji ("Renren"), Sojiro ("Kid"), and Takemi ("guinea pig").

* RunningGag: Whenever Kasumi appears in the story, it usually ends with Ren snubbing her for Makoto or some other important matter.

** Ren owns a "[[BlandNameProduct PlayBox 5]]" console, which clearly based off of the Platform/PlayStation5 which didn't release until 2020.

* VengefulVendingMachine: During the Alibaba arc, Ryuji gets his arm stuck in a vending machine trying to get a stuck [[BlandNameProduct Second Maid]] for Ann.

* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: DiscussedTrope. When trying to sooth his girlfriend's concerns, Ren notes that unlike in an anime, the student council doesn't work that way in real life, so Makoto could not have done anything about Kamoshida.

* ExtranormalInstitute: According to Yusuke, the pain of stepping on hot sand in Futaba's cognitive world is nothing compared to the entry exam for an art scholarship at Kosei, which involves painting whilst standing upon simmering coals. While its left ambiguous if Yusuke was joking, Hifumi later tells Ren that gym class is exclusively paintball and airsoft, Valedictorians are chosen via lottery instead of academic accomplishments and instead of dissecting frogs or sheep eyes in biology class Kosei apparently has arrangements with several morgues to instead dissect ''actual human cadavers''.

* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: DiscussedTrope. Ren notes that they don't have one, so Makoto could not have done anything about Kamoshida.
--> '''Ren''': This isn't an anime where the student council president can fire teachers.

* AdaptationalBadass: Ren uses Yoshitsune, specifically his [[BladeSpam Hassou Tobi]] SignatureMove, to breeze through enemies.

** Ren is initially appointed as Treasurer of the Student Council at Makoto's recommendation, although she's able to manipulate Kobayakawa into promoting him to Vice President by painting it as an idea to get the students to stop talking about Kamoshida. In ''Persona 5'', Ren's involvement with the Student Council begins and ends with Makoto, never once being able to join it.

*** The use of ඞ (along with Futaba's Shadow occasionally moaning out "Amogus") both originate from 2018's ''VideoGame/AmongUs'' (although [[Memes/AmongUs the game's meme culture]] wouldn't form until the early 2020s.

* InterruptedDeclarationOfLove: Morgana interrupts Makoto's declaration in chapter 44.
--> '''Makoto''': Ren, I'm without a doubt in lo-
--> '''Morgana''': You're not in bed?!

* MundaneUtility: Ann uses Carmen's fire abilities to reheat a plate of curry in a safe room in Futaba's Palace.

* AnachronismStew:
** While ''Persona 5'' is all but stated to take place in 2016 Ren owns a "[[BlandNameProduct PlayBox 5]]" console, clearly based off of the Platform/PlayStation5 which didn't release until 2020.
** The hieroglyphics in Futaba's Palace are actually internet memes. Among the memes mentioned are the [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/virgin-vs-chad Virgin vs. Chad]] which didn't spread until 2017 and the use of ඞ (along with Futaba's Shadow occasionally moaning out "Amogus"), both of which originate from 2018's ''VideoGame/AmongUs'' (although [[Memes/AmongUs the game's memedom]] wouldn't be established until the early 2020s).

* BlandNameProduct: Hatchet Body Spray instead of Axe.

* MythologyGag: In a game of "Would You Rather?", Makoto asks Ren if she would rather be in the same class as Ryuji or Ann. Ren picks Ann.

* SecretRelationship: Ren and Makoto's relationship is this until the end of summer although by that point, EveryoneCanSeeIt.

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Aside from imagining Ren as a third year instead of a second year student, the story's main premise may as well be a WhatIf tale of Makoto being ''the'' [[PromotedToLoveInterest canon love interest]].

* CounterfeitCash: Like in canon, Kaneshiro's treasure turns out to be a briefcase of fake money. Unlike in canon, [[spoiler:Ren uses their ignorance of the human world to get the twins to accept the fake money so he can buy more Personas with it. ''It works.'']]

* TrueLovesKiss: When Ren is visiting the [[EldritchLocation Velvet Room]] and frozen in the real world, Makoto's kiss is powerful enough to draw him back. Caroline and Justine even notice.
--> '''Justine''': Your [[TarotMotifs Priestess]] is pulling you back at this very moment anyhow.

* CounterfeitCash: Kaneshiro's treasure turns into a briefcase of fake money, which Ren attempts to spend in the Velvet Room.
--> '''Caroline''': [[spoiler:Inmate! We've decided to accept this 'new money'!]]
* CripplingOverspecialization: Before Makoto joins the Thieves, Ren's entire fighting strategy was relying on Yoshitsune to the point where his entire fighting style was literally "[[AttackAttackAttack Hassou Tobi bitches!]]" while refusing to use other Personas. While PlayedForLaughs when the other Thieves offhandedly discuss when he runs into enemies that are immune to physical attacks, Makoto's outright aghast that Joker had no other strategy beyond using a massively powerful physical attack that [[CastFromHitPoints deals intense recoil damage]] which is described as if he's having his insides chopped up.

* IfIDoNotReturn: Ren to Makoto when he visits the Velvet Room in chapter 41. PlayedForLaughs, naturally.
--> '''Makoto''': I'm to stand next to you for fifteen minutes, and if you haven't "[[AirQuotes come back]]," I kiss you until you do?

* SecretRelationship: Ren and Makoto's relationship is this this until the end of summer although by that point, EveryoneCanSeeIt.

** Ren is initially appointed as Treasurer of the Student Council at Makoto's recommendation, although she's able to manipulate Kobayakawa into promoting him to Vice President by painting it as an idea to get the students to stop talking about Kamoshida. In ''Persona 5'' canon, Ren's involvement with the Student Council begins and ends with Makoto, never once being able to join it.

* CripplingOverspecialization: Before Makoto joins the Thieves, Ren's entire fighting strategy was relying on Yoshitsune to the point where his entire fighting style was literally "[[AttackAttackAttack Hassou Tobi bitches!]]" while refusing to use other Personas. While PlayedForLaughs when the other Thieves offhandedly discuss when he runs into enemies that are immune to physical attacks, Makoto's outright aghast that he had no other strategy beyond using a massively powerful physical attack that also harms Joker, who describes it as having his insides chopped up.

* ForgottenBirthday: Sae has forgotten Makoto's birthday at least two years in a row, with the [[GossipyHens other students]] know this and make gossip to this end, commenting that this happened last year too.

* SecretRelationship: Ren and Makoto's relationship is this this until the end of summer.

* ShoutOut: Yusuke quotes Film/AmericanPsycho when shopping for blank cards for copying skill cards.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: [[BlandNameProduct Manta]] for Ryuji and Ren to a lesser degree.
* VengefulVendingMachine: Ryuji gets his arm stuck in a vending machine trying to get a stuck [[BlandNameProduct Second Maid]].

* ShoutOut: Yusuke quotes [[Film/AmericanPsycho]] when shopping for blank cards for copying skill cards.

* StraightMan: Poor Ren is stuck trying to mediate the various eccentricities and quirks of his fellow Phantom Thieves.

* SilentTreatment: Ren's method of punishing Ryuji for violating MaleRestroomEtiquette while trying to investigate as to whether him and Makoto are actually dating or not.

--> ''Ren''' (thinking): [[InternalMonologue She's already 'doing' Ryuji, huh? Love that for her.]]

* AdaptationalBadass: Ren uses Yoshitsune, specifically his Hassou Tobi SignatureMove, to breeze through the enemies.

** Ren chooses to add Raoul to his his minuscule team of Personas after finally deciding to diversify his moveset. In the game proper, Raoul is a [=DLC=] exclusive Persona although can be purchased through the Compendium for cheap.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed with Ren, who's sarcasm is also leveled at his fellow Thieves on occasion and considers Akechi more of a creepy annoyance than his rival. However, Ren is described as having a "[[StraightMan tired dad]]" personality rather than being a plain unlikable asshole and is still an upstanding young man otherwise.

** Ren is initially appointed as Treasurer of the Student Council at Makoto's recommendation, although she's able to manipulate Kobayakawa into promoting him to Vice President by painting it as an idea to get the students to stop talking about Kamoshida. In ''Persona 5'' canon, Ren's involvement with the Student Council begins and ends with Makoto, never once being able to join it

* AscendedExtra: While a powerful Persona in its own right in the games, Yoshitsune plays the role of Ren's main Persona as [[DemotedToExtra he never summons back Arsene]] after Caroline & Justine force him to sacrifice him to demonstrate fusion.
* BadassBookworm: Ren is both the Trickster and a student who loves to study most subjects, with only a real disdain for writing essays. It's this quality that helps him bond with Makoto earlier in April.

* CatsHateWater: Ren gives Morgana a bath after [[spoiler: Morgana falls out of a boat and they nearly drown]] and Morgana is none too pleased.

* SecretRelationship: Ren and Makoto's relationship is this this until "the end of summer".

Based on Persona 5 Royal, this story focuses on Ren and Makoto's relationship. It changes Ren into a third-year student who sits behind Makoto and starts dating her earlier than possible in canon.

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Other than imagining Ren being a third year instead of a second year student, the story's main premise may as well be a WhatIf tale of Makoto being ''the'' [[PromotedToLoveInterest canon love interest]].

** In the original ''Persona 5'', Yoshitsune is only available upon reaching the seventh rank the Tower Arcana and could only be obtained through a Velvet Room advanced fusion that required advancing other Confidants. In the story, Yoshitsune is Ren's go-to Persona despite not having met Shinya yet.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed with Ren, who's sarcasm is also leveled at his fellow Thieves on occasion and considers Akechi more of a creepy annoyance than his rival. However, Ren's personality is more akin to being a [[StraightMan tired dad]] moreso than being a plain unlikable asshole and is still an upstanding young man otherwise.

** Ren is appointed as Treasurer of the Student Council at Makoto's recommendation, with Kobayakawa being manipulated to promoting him to Vice President by Makoto who painted it as an idea to get the students to stop talking about Kamoshida. In ''Persona 5'' canon, Ren's involvement with the Student Council begins and ends with Makoto, never once being able to join it

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed with Ren, who's sarcasm is also leveled at his fellow Thieves on occasion and considers Akechi more of a creepy annoyance than his rival. However, Ren's still an upstanding young man, just that his personality is more akin to being a [[StraightMan tired dad]] moreso than being a plain unlikable asshole.
* AdaptationalJobChange: Downplayed. Kawakami and all of Ren's other teachers in the game now all teach third year students instead of second years.

* ForgottenBirthday: Sae has forgotten Makoto's birthday at least two years in a row, with the [[GossipyHens other students]] know this and make gossip to this end, commenting that this happened last year too. However, Sae forgetting Makoto's birthday a second time kickstarts the romance between Ren and Makoto when he celebrates with her and is the only one to remember.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed with Ren, who's sarcasm can also be leveled at his fellow Thieves and considers Akechi more of a creepy annoyance than his rival. However, Ren's still an upstanding young man, just that his personality is more akin to being a [[StraightMan tired dad]] morso than being a plain unlikable asshole.

* BirthdayBeginning: The story opens with a ForgottenBirthday for Makoto. Ren finds out, leading to an impromptu birthday celebration (and date).

* CripplingOverspecialization: Before Makoto joins the Thieves, Ren's entire fighting strategy was relying on Yoshitsune to the point where his entire fighting style was literally "[[AttackAttackAttack Hassou Tobi bitches!]]" while refusing to use other Personas. While PlayedForLaughs when the other Thieves offhandedly discuss when he runs into enemies that are immune to physical attacks, Makoto's outright aghast that he had no other strategy beyond using a massively powerful physical attack that also harms Joker, who descibes it as having his insides chopped up.

* ForgottenBirthday: Makoto's birthday is forgotten by her sister. The [[GossipyHens other students]] know this and make gossip to this end, commenting that this happened last year too.

* RelationshipUpgrade: Ren and Makoto, in the first chapter.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Makoto investigating Ren is played for angst, straining their relationship.
* AdaptationalBadass: Ren uses Yoshitsune to breeze through the enemies.

* BadassBookworm: Ren is both the Trickster and a student who loves to study most subjects. This is used as a way to bond with Makoto earlier in the year.

* CannotSpitItOut: Ren to Makoto in chapter 38. He settles for "I'll miss you".

* CripplingOverspecialization: Ren's reliance on Yoshitsune. PlayedForLaughs when he runs into enemies that are immune to physical and refuses to use other Persona.
* DeadpanSnarker: Ren, especially his internal monologue.

* TheILoveYouStigma: Ren wonders if he is ready to say this in Chapter 38.

* NewGamePlus: Ren is noted to be playing on this mode, giving him lots of money and access to Yoshitsune.

* SilentTreatment: Ren's method of punishing Ryuji for violating MaleRestroomEtiquette.