Yaldabaoth - Tumblr Posts
Battle Against a False God
A conversation that will 100% (not) be in Persona 5 Scramble...
Morgana : Good to have you on the team Sophia
Sophia :Thank you, sir Morgana. Say, since we are all working together, maybe you can help me find my son.
Ann: Wait what?
Ryuji :You're a mom? For real!?
Yusuke : Forgive our surprise, You certainly don't seem like the type.
Futaba: I don't know, some people might be into that.
Makoto: Futaba!
Haru: Of course. We'd be happy to help you Sophie. What's his name.
Sophia : Yaldabaoth.
Everyone : * sweats audibly *
Ren thinking to himself : this complicates things.
I had a thought about Yaldabaoth in Persona 5...
Ok so you know how Joker summons Santanel to shoot him in the head? Well Santanel is a level 10 Persona from the Fool Arcana.... the same arcana your confidant with Yaldabaoth is.... the same arcana that maxes out when he reveals his true identity to you. So in other words, yaldabaoth's interactions with Ren, albiet small, were instrumental in his own death.
Although, while poetic, Yaldabaoth didn't really seem all shaken up about the fact that he was beaten. Aside from cursing out eager, he seemed congratulatory to Ren. It's kind of jarring considering how gung ho he was on ruling humanity a couple minutes ago.
What if his death was intentional on his part?
Deities from the collective unconscious don't start off completely mature. While they are aware of their general purpose and what they represent, they are unaware of the species of humanity and how to go about appeasing them. They are essentially blank slates personality wise.
So long before the events of P5, Igor actually took the being who would become known as Yaldabaoth in. Igor hoped that if he could somehow educate these aspects of humanity on human nature itself, he could avoid future disasters from occurring. However, this being would grow to hate the humans. They despised the sloth that they displayed as well as their twisted desires in which they indulge themselves with. And yet, these same people wanted a savior to lead them... or rather someone to selfishly think for them. Why would Igor want him to try and sympathize with creatures such as these? Creatures who created something like him so that they wouldn't have to think for themselves. It angered him. It drove him mad. It was this revelation that truly made the being hate humanity. So with no other options left, Igor decided to take a page from his master. He made a bet with the being he fostered, one that would determine whether or not humanity would rise above themselves or march towards ruin. Unfortunately for Igor, the being had become far too hateful to leave that up to chance. With the power given to him by humanity's twisted desires, he attacked Igor and imprisoned him deep within the velvet room. He then split Lavenza in two and wiped her memory as well as the other denezins of the Velvet Room. He wouldn't give humanity a chance, he would prove that they didn't deserve one. If they wanted a "savior", he would give them one. He would be a God. And if that didn't work, he would destroy them like they deserved. Destroy the beings that allowed something as disgusting as him to exist in the first place.
Dear persona fandom:
Yaldabaoth singing Shiny from Moana.
That is all
Whilst disguised as Igor, Yaldabaoth was super picky about managing his desk. Whenever Ren wasn't in the Velvet Room, he would constantly be moving the stuff on his desk to make sure it was straight. Caroline and Justine thought this was weird.
SCP Foundation art, Old Art Collection, CotBG and Sarkicism. Featuring Yaldabaoth, Mekhane, Grand Karcist Ion, Builder of God Bumaro & an Archon.
Based on:
Sarkicism Hub by Metaphysician
Church of the Broken God Hub by FortuneFavorsBold
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I think some people miss the fact that the Phantom Thieves are playing right into Yaldabaoth's hands when they change people's hearts. They're basically proving that people need someone else to act for them and that people aren't willing to solve their own problems. Just look at how they end up sending their targets back into the depths of Mementos.
Don't get me wrong, the Thieves are doing good by freeing people from Yaldy's control and from their selfish distorted desires (which are just another form of control), but they are also showing that people are unwilling to free themselves from Yaldy's control on their own. When people don't free themselves, they only end up being imprisoned even further by society. That's why all the morally redeemable characters in the game change their own hearts, and that's why the Bad Ending is Akira deciding to keep society just as it is under Yaldy's control, with the Phantom Thieves as heroes who continue to change the hearts of individuals, but society as a whole is kept stagnant for eternity.
This is also why the public's support for the Thieves is so important in the final battle. Without their support, the Thieves couldn't have defeated Yaldy, because the public needed to show that they wanted their hearts changed, that they didn't want to be controlled after all. They all needed to show a will of rebellion against their oppressor or the Phantom Thieves would have just become the same thing Yaldabaoth was doing by removing their free will. Prior to fighting Yaldy the PT don't respect the agency of their targets, and they solve other people's problems without thinking about how that might affect the person they're saving. By defeating Yaldabaoth, they let go of that power and give control back to the individuals of society so they can start to change their own lives again. The public shouldn't and can't rely on Yaldabaoth to solve their problems, and they shouldn't and can't rely on the Phantom Thieves to solve their problems either.
And again, don't get me wrong, Persona 5 says that it is good and even necessary to get help from others, but if you really want to improve your life you need to act for yourself. If society is going to improve people need to take destiny into their own hands. Persona 5 is about finding hope even in the darkest circumstances by forging connections with other people and refusing to let society crush you under its heel. But the key to this all is that you must choose to fight against the cruelties of society, even if it seems impossible. Hope for change can be seen by finding belonging with others and working together to change society for the better. In the words of Morgana:
"Even if you feel that only darkness lies ahead...as long as you hold hands together...see it through as one...the world will never end!"