Smolstarthief - You're A Loser, Baby!

A random edit just because (that and potential profile pic)!

So.... Has anyone ever reached a realization that Kasumi's spirit appearing as the main basis for Cendrillon returning might actually symbolize her being more of Sumi's true fairy godmother character in her story as opposed to Maruki who was a more twisted version of that trope?

Like think about it for a sec... And this is coming from someone who adored the fairytale (Disney version especially) when they were little so... In any version, Cinderella's main traits are her selflessness and kindness along with bravery considering that despite the abuse she went through, she still stays kind and true to herself and does not let the abuse affect that. That's part of what makes her a rebel, albeit an unconventional kind.

Sumi has those traits deep down (showcased by the lead up to her false awakening which she spoke more as Sumire since as I've mentioned before, her ultimate breaking point was more about hurting and letting her loved ones like Maruki and Joker down. She was more concerned about them as opposed thinking about herself or the scholarship) but the biggest problem was that she wasn't being true to herself and acted selfishly, even preferring to run away from her problems instead.

The fairy godmother character shows up when Cinderella was nearing her lowest point. It was even sometimes interpreted that the godmother represents Cinderella being rewarded for her unending kindness and unselfishness, leading to her happy ending.

When Maruki helped like so, it made things worse for her but when Kasumi's spirit showed up... It made things better for her and helped kickstart her own happily ever after. Just like the actual fairy godmother!

Starting with bringing her Persona back and this was when Sumire regained the other traits she was starting to lack/lose and became more like Cinderella herself. She became brave enough to stand on her own feet and stop running, she shows more of her kindness to others and even Maruki despite what he did, and she became selfless by deciding to mourn and honor her sister properly by moving forward and not basically live as her for her own selfish reasons as that's what Kasumi would have actually wanted her to do.

In a sense, Maruki was unwittingly rewarding her selfish desires and enabling it. ("Accept this contract... The spell cast upon you.")

Kasumi's spirit on the other hand was rewarding her for being honest and not running anymore. ("Such tenacity... It seems to fit you better than ever before...")

Fiddled with more screenshots, this time it's ones I took from the opening:

Original versions:

2023-12-24

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE Y’ALL

The 3rd semester in Persona 5 Royal completely blew me away with all those story twists and revelations. As a little tribute to that awesome new part of the story, I made a wallpaper with Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Maruki. Two great new character additions for Persona 5. ;)