"Megatron... Begone!" // "Pillage Him, Satanael! ...Begone!"

"Megatron... Begone!" // "Pillage him, Satanael! ...Begone!"

So here are some quick Aesthetic Boards I did based on an idea that hit me, Monarch Maruki and Sumire (more context further down below):

Monarch!Sumi Aesthetic Board with a fairytale/Swan Lake theme: "Shattered Princess KaSumire"

Monarch!Maruki: "Sorrowful Savior Takuto"

This was an idea that hit me while chatting on Discord: So basically, if you don't complete Maruki's Confidant you'll be barred from the 3rd Semester and get the Vanilla ending instead right? Wellll... Considering all that, this means that he and Sumi will be left to their own devices... As in their own problems won't be solved. Sumi would more or less remain in her Kasumi delusion until the filter potentially wears off and Maruki disappears to god knows where.

The unwitting inaction from Joker would then have MAJOR consequences in Strikers since that game can take place after either timeline... Either one or the other or even both fall prey to EMMA and become Monarchs themselves:

Maruki is self-explanatory as his desire to help people consumes him and kickstarts his self-destruction, warping his cognition and wanting to spread the Jail's influence further. People who have their desires stolen would just be mindlessly happy and "cured" of trauma or hardships (big or small). Much like canon, he thinks he's "helping" them. Maruki's "crown" would be a gold crown of thorns (biblical influence anyone?), representing his savior/martyr complex and how much he's really hurting. Removing it represents him renouncing his "godhood" and taking steps to move on and heal himself.

Sumi's is more or less revolving around herself and desperation to keep up the Kasumi filter/charade. Her own delusion and self-hatred festering. It's basically her living an ideal fairytale and not wanting to leave it. Anyone who got their desires stolen would join the Kasumi delusion. Basically, they all would view her as her dead sister and address her as such. Her "crown" would be her sister's red ribbon that her Shadow wears and then removes, symbolizing her finally letting go and developing her own identity and independence.

Idk, I just feel like with all horrifying implications that the now optional Vanilla ending are giving out... I feel like they would be easy prey to EMMA. Especially at their most vulnerable states. They both have the blueprints for having a Jail; Just need a design, layout, cores, trauma cells, etc.

So I remembered doing a bit of digging on the possible meanings behind the fox statues that take the forefront of Akane's Jail and found this:

This definitely paints the symbolism in both a heartbreaking and even small heartwarming light due to a convo I had with a Twitter mutual about them.

All of this would make sense considering that the main puzzle is reuniting the Mother and Father Fox statues to open a path. Which can represent how she felt like her family became broken after her mother died. She wanted it all to be fixed so badly. When it was happy.

It helps that the locations/shrines you have to pray to in order to reach the Mother Fox shrine and reunite the statues are labeled: "Couple," "Harmony," "Parental," "Daughter," and "Fortune" respectively.

(I thought that comment from Makoto was interesting to note)

Another thing is that the whole puzzle is also primarily triggered by locating and activating the Father Fox shrine first.

Her Jail in general is just so subtle with the symbolism compared to the other Monarchs but at the same time it can show her isolation and feeling closed-off/not being willing to open up about her trauma. Because to her, no will listen or believe her. So minus well just hide. Despite her apparent anger and hatred towards Zenkichi though, she just wants it all to be ok again deep down. She wants her father back, she wants her mother back, she wanted all the happiness back that was abruptly taken away from her that day.

This is further supported by her Shadow's dialogue as she disappears (how he had changed after Aoi died):

But a summary: Akane's Jail can actually be much deeper when you really think about it as it's more than just her obsession with the PTs. It's also about an angry but traumatized kid who probably wanted her whole family back but probably knows that it just isn't possible so resorted to unhealthy coping mechanisms and lashing out instead along with feeling alone and neglected as a result of her father's absence along with being denied justice for her loss for 2 years.

And that's also part of why her character hits so close to home along with Zenkichi. At least for me.

"A false god is slowly coming undone, a decaying gentle madman... How long will he continue to maintain his ideal world as it becomes real but he loses himself to self-destruction?"

So... Possessed Mooki anyone??

Also a couple alts w/o the glamour and bg! The tears are black and reminiscent of the mental shutdown symptoms. I also made him seem more thin, sickly, tired, and pale. Like he hasn't been taking care of himself AT ALL.

“Do you finally acknowledge your hubris? Despite your insistence that you’ve changed, you still refused help… You will surely fall to your own demise with charred wings if you keep up this charade… Do you still seek freedom? True salvation? Then I shall help you fly again… I am thou, thou art I… Rise above your torment and take flight once more!”

Was messing around on Befunky's collage maker and did a quick aesthetic board for PT Maruki (with a Persona based on Icarus) to compliment my Odile Sumi.

Persona 5 Strikers | ▶ dev. ATLUS