YMMV / Crimson AU

• Captain Obvious Reveal:
  • The true contents of Madarame's vault being the original Sayuri and the copies he based on it. The only reason it's in a secret vault instead of just hidden in a backroom is to give Madarame a bit of Adaptational Intelligence and connect him more closely to The Conspiracy.
  • If you've played the game, the true identity of Ali Baba is not going to come as a surprise. The focus is more on the Thieves working slowly toward an Internal Reveal.
• Catharsis Factor: Even more than in canon. We don't just get to see the targets break down and beg to be punished for their crimes — we actually follow their thought processes as their hearts change. It makes the comeuppance for bastards like Kamoshida even sweeter.
• Complacent Gaming Syndrome: In-universe, Akira begins to wonder if his plans are starting to rely too much on Morgana being undetectable.
• Diagnosed by the Audience:
  • Compared to the game and anime, Akira Kurusu here suffers from more paranoia and anxiety, and is prone to panic attacks when he feels overwhelmed.
  • As in canon, both Yusuke and Futaba can be seen as having some autism spectrum traits.
• Escapist Character: Averted hard. If the fic could be summed up in a single thematic statement, it would be: "No matter how much fun he seems to be having from the outside, you would not want to actually be Joker."
• Funny Moments: When Daisuke Takanashi gets his calling card, he sets up a throwaway account on the school messaging boards to try to figure out how to stop it. Nobody is fooled.
  Yooooooo is this Takanashi
  LOLOLOLOLOL Holy shit this is totally Takanashi
  (Did you get a Calling Card?)
  RIP TO DAISUKE TAKANASHI
  (Lol you suck anyway Takanashi)
• Jerkass Woobie: Sugimura. As the group traverses his palace, it slowly transforms from a hardened military fortress into a crude approximation of a child's toy box, showing how Sugimura never managed to mature beyond his childhood bully phase. Upon Haru showing his shadow kindness, Sugimura admits that he hates behaving like he does but doesn't know any other way to live.
• One-Scene Wonder: Kai, the Dragon Syndicate member executed by Kaneshiro. Despite facing death by power drill, Kai has the iron balls to mock Kaneshiro for not having him killed with the mysterious powers Kaneshiro is always bragging about. This becomes important Foreshadowing that proves Kaneshiro is not the real man behind the mental shutdowns.
• Ship-to-Ship Combat: There's the usual fodder for Joker/Ann vs. Joker/Makoto arguments, but this fic goes above and beyond by actually using it as a plot point.
• Shocking Moments:
  • The deaths of both Madarame and Sugimura coming moments after their changes of heart.
  • The Reveal that the death of Akihiko Niijima was not an accident.
• The Woobie: Daiki Aoe tragically expands on the effects of a psychotic breakdown and how they affect the person in question. He was originally one of Madarame's apprentices who had outlived his usefulness and turned to drugs to cope, but Akechi kept tabs on him as a contingency plan against Madarame. When Madarame has his change of heart, Akechi triggers a psychotic breakdown in Aoe to get him to silence Madarame. When recounting his recollection of events to Ohya in prison, he can only recall being at work one day and then suddenly finding himself in a police car in the aftermath of killing a man in broad daylight. Akechi and Shido's comments on the matter drive home that an innocent victim's life was completely ruined for no reason other than the ambition and hatred of two men he never wronged, and that he has ultimately been reduced to collateral damage in Madarame's story.