Prison Of Grief - Tumblr Posts
The shadow meeting themselves
Got bored again and did a sprite edit of the mirror scene from the fanfic “Prison of Grief”
Ahhh my first actual post.
Anyway here is fanart for the fic The Prisoner of Grief by the cool @creepymarsh and @smolstarthief. This was a fun piece to do, my first fanart for any fic I read so woo!
Hope you go read the fic it’s a neat twist for a what-if about Zenkichi.
I also want to give special thanks to @creepymarsh because they gave me the courage to do this so, thank you for being so supportive of me :).
A Spotify Playlist for "The Prison of Grief" Fic!
This is a Spotify playlist I decided to do with input and suggestions from @creepymarsh!
The playlist cover was made in Canva
Chapter 2 WIP! Never thought I'd say this but... Poor Makoto...
A "Prison of Grief" chapter 2 WIP to show that it's not dead and it's almost done! Me and @creepymarsh decided to collaborate through Google Docs from this chapter onward since I kept getting held up by irl things so it was very much appreciated there! ^_^
Psst! New Chapter!
Hey-o! New chapter for Prison of Grief is FINALLY up! Feel free to check it out and thanks for being so patient!!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33833371/chapters/84113806
Sir Zenkichi Hasegawa, the prisoner of grief. The despair over your loss has made you not only lose sight of Justice, but also yourself. It has completely taken over you and is not only harming yourself, but also your loved ones as well in the process.
Therefore, we have decided that We will steal your treasure and release you from your prison.
From: The Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Randomly decided to do what Zenkichi's calling card would be like in a later chapter of "Prison of Grief." I tried to make it seem like Makoto wrote it or at least provided input for it since she knew him more than anyone in this AU.
Calling card base by Elmind on DeviantArt You can find the font here
Finally did them! Palace Owner Zenkichi Security Levels for Prison of Grief!
A chapter WIP? A chapter WIP!
Shadow Zenkichi being a harsh asshole? Shadow Zenkichi being a harsh asshole.
Small Valjean foreshadowing? Small Valjean foreshadowing!
“What’s your game here? You seem more sentient and self-aware than the other Shadows we’ve encountered.”
"Oh, so you’ve finally noticed. I've been here for years kid… It’s only now that it’s getting worse for him to handle… I mess with his head, his memories... I'm different, I'm aware of what he is doing and what you are all doing..."
Joker flinched when he sees the Shadow glitch a bit, the sound of chains rattling echoing in the area as he chuckled.
“He’ll have to snap eventually… I’m all he has right now… He needs to learn the harsh truth soon before his sanity destroys him completely…"
It's finally DONE! God damn! Sorry for the small signature, cautionary measure. But this is for a future scene in Prison of Grief.
Also, minor design changes too! Namely a brand involving Valjean's Prisoner number and I guess a small adjustment to the collar! Look at me and Creepy's precious asshole Shadow son!
Another Prison of Grief Ch. 3 WIP!
Consider this a slight rewrite of that exchange in Strikers but make Makoto come off as more understanding. It was HARD but I managed! Chapter is almost done!
FINALLY DONE AND POSTED!! Here you go guys!
HEED. THE. TAGS. AND. WARNINGS!!!
Here's my interpretation of Zenkichi's mother as she would appear in "Prison of Grief." Both normal and Cognition forms! More info under the cut! (tw: talks of various forms of abuse (namely child abuse and spousal/domestic abuse), mentions of victim blaming too)
Maki Hasegawa was a very cold and abusive woman to both her son and even her husband, Junichi. She controlled every aspect of Zenkichi's life and decisions. What he should look like (to the point of forcibly cutting his hair when he kept growing it out), who he interacts with, relationships, everything. She planned out his whole life to the letter. Why though? Because she didn't want to have him to begin with and she made sure he knew that whenever she got mad at him. That and having him took away any youth she had, prompting her to often dress up and go out every night even when Zenkichi would ask questions. Her husband could barely do anything and simply shuts down whenever Zenkichi gets scolded. He and Zenkichi did try to report her but were dismissed. They were ignored because no one would believe that the two were being abused, let alone by a woman and that they should just endure it. Zenkichi especially since he's still growing so therefore, he might have deserved it. She also NEVER approved of Aoi when Zenkichi met her as a child, thinking of her and her family as "bad influences" since meeting her provided the catalyst to him becoming more independent and regaining his own life. This whole experience became part of why Zenkichi decided to take up a career in law enforcement, so that no one would suffer the way he did. Especially because of societal stigmas. Junichi does eventually get him out and gain primary custody of him, but it still ended up going south for them before Zenkichi decided to cut BOTH of them out of his life.
Finally did an edit of how me and Creepy would imagine Zenkichi's father who will be featured in the next Prison of Grief chapter! I tried to make his normal self's eye color match the ones on Zenkichi's sprite. More under the cut!
(tw: talks of various forms of abuse (namely child abuse and spousal/domestic abuse), mentions of victim blaming too along with neglect) Compared to Maki, who was more wrathful in nature, Junichi Hasegawa is more regretful in nature. Regrets on how different things could have been had he noticed or acted sooner, had he not been so cold and distant. Needless to say, he was basically Zenkichi in present day with a lovely dose of history repeating itself which was the LAST THING Zenkichi wanted. Unlike Maki, he wanted to keep Zenkichi. He had hopes that maybe the situation would improve. But it didn't, in fact, it got worse. As a result, despite legitimately caring about him... He ended up also resenting the kid, treating him coldly at times. In his case, it's because he felt like said kid being born worsened the abuse. He had tried to report his wife, but it all fell on deaf ears. He's also not home often which unwittingly gave Maki free range to further torment Zenkichi, especially since he resembled Junichi a lot. It did come to a head when he finally puts his foot down and had Zenkichi be put under his care after some difficulty but there are still scars no matter what. He disapproves of Zenkichi wanting to take up a law enforcement career. He feels like the young man is setting himself up for disappointment (which to be fair DOES happen) due to being exposed to so much of the darkest parts of society and human nature. He ends up doing something in a misguided attempt to stop him from potentially making a poor decision (and to keep him safe in a way), which leads to a confrontation and then a full-blown argument. Junichi ends up saying something that ended up hurting Zenkichi badly (like with him and Akane). Zenkichi finally snaps at that and after storming off to cool down, Junichi is left with more regret but rationalizing that he's doing all this for his child's own good. Zenkichi severs ties with him along with his mother before he leaves for good. As you can see, it's pretty obvious where Zenkichi gets his self-loathing from. He just didn't expect to unwittingly act like the very people he hated as an adult and that fact tore him up inside even more.
Prison of Grief WIP time! So you all know that HC of Ren being a theater kid right? Or at least a fan of such? Figured I apply that here! But yeah, kid is starting to question shit after that encounter last chapter...
And chapter 4 is done and ready to go!!
Please read me and @creepymarsh's labor of love (and angst)!
The Prison of Grief - Chapter 5 - CreepyMarsh, Oo_Starchild_oO - Persona 5 [Archive of Our Own]
At long last it's finally here! And a couple days after his birthday too!
The Prison of Grief - Chapter 6 - CreepyMarsh, Oo_Starchild_oO - Persona 5 [Archive of Our Own]
Hello! I just read "Prison of Grief" today and I really enjoyed it but it hasn't been updated in a while so I wanted to ask if it's still being worked on? Thank you
Ooof! Don't worry! It's still alive and being worked on! The current chapter just had me and @creepymarsh stumped for a while along with irl things happening! We both feel really bad that it took so long but it should be out soon after we wrap it up (finally decided on where to stop), proofread it, and fill in any gaps in it. So sorry for long wait! All I can hint at is that this one is a huge doozy, utilizes a common Zenkichi HC, and that we're both pretty proud of it! ^_^
Psst! Hey guys... It's finally out! Heed the warnings! Parts of this chapter was primarily inspired by various works by illxmination. Namely, "Razor's Edge." so enjoy!