Zenkichi Hasegawa - Tumblr Posts
So I just recently learned that the P5 Dialogue Generator now has Strikers characters, so I now have the opportunity to bring this old canon divergence AU to life! Basically, what if Zenkichi and Sophia joined before Third Semester (Twitter thread here)? I quickly put together the possible exchanges with Maruki during his boss fight if they were in the party.
Generator: Persona 5 Dialogue Generator (p5generator.com)
Zenkichi:
Sophia:
Ok so my overly analytical mind is going and now I wonder if this line...
...Was sort of foreshadowing this moment:
Like part of a convo between me and a Twitter mutual was, to summarize, on how the group slowly became less naive about the world as the game progresses and then I realized this: This naivete was used against them in this scene.
I still absolutely hated how the Thieves got captured in Kyoto. It just felt too contrived and dumb to me. Especially when they turn down a potentially good idea in favor of just charging in all at once for the flimsiest (very naive) reasons... BUT what if this was the moment their naivete screwed them over and came crashing down which caused them to start to really see Zenkichi's (and even Akechi's) points about them?
Like the whole moment where they were talking about what to do, in retrospect, can be an example of how their attempt at heroics are well-intentioned (true, Makoto shouldn't go out alone in fairness but putting out the whole team was very reckless) but ultimately didn't work out as they had hoped. Akane's case is a bit more different as she was being used there by the people they were chasing after but at the same time. They still got their own heroic/idealistic viewpoints used against them.
They even said something along the lines of, "If we don't help those in need, we're not really Phantom Thieves" throughout which was used as a primary reason for coming in all at once. That could be another look at the later deconstruction of their idealism/views as heroes of the story. I feel like after Kyoto, they eventually found a balance between their own and Zenkichi's (and, again, even Akechi's to an extent) views.
They will still fight against an unjust system but also be more careful of how they handle their attempts at heroics and that not everyone who is considered a "victim" is perfect or pure. They will get used if they're not careful. That and while people have had hard lots in life, their shitty actions and behavior in present day aren't exactly justified either. Akane was brainwashed more or less to be fair but still. Her behavior wasn't 100 percent justified either even if it's understandable.
I still hated that scene but with that in mind, it should've been better executed and less reliant on dumb luck if anything in hindsight. Like yes, use Friendship by going in together... And it fails. Unsurprisingly. What are you gonna do though? *Shrugs*
So... P5S AU where everything is the same except Zenkichi's hair turns completely white as a side effect of awakening to Valjean (mix of both the trauma and maybe using Fury?) which can also be a nod to the Les Misérables novel anyone? No joke, Valjean's hair apparently does turn white at one point in the book and it stays that way for the rest of the story (well, grey and then white according to one source).
"I know what I have to do now... Condemn the evil, and hunt them down!"
—Zenkichi Hasegawa
Happy Birthday Zenkichi Hasegawa/Wolf!!
(10/01/2022)
I suddenly thought about it again after a convo with my bf today: If Akane's Jail were to be fully developed, it would be natural if people had thought that the desires she steals would be to spread news about the PTs considering her hero worship of them (for the wrong reasons) along with trying to take down the police but... Considering the hidden symbolism of her Jail... What if she steals desires in order to build a new happier family? Replace the one she ended up losing in one fell swoop?
Idk, considering the Monarchs stealing desires stems from their trauma (Alice with ruining relationships along with wanting to be loved since she was robbed of one by petty bullies at one point, Natsume wanting to be recognized for his own talents and come out of a famous relative's shadow, etc. iirc) I feel like this reasoning for Akane to steal desires would make a bit more sense. That is if, again, it was fully developed.
Idk why but an AU where Akane's Jail was fully developed does sound interesting and I would love to write that as a next project since I have a basic idea put out here, just wouldn't be sure how to do that since it would imply that Konoe did that early and would probably make him less sympathetic unless he just was kept in the dark still by EMMA. That's the only issue since I don't want to make the guy look bad either.
(Would utilize these discussions/ideas I put out too: Alternate Ending, Shadow Akane reacting to Zen awakening, What happened after EMMA reached out to Akane??)
What could have been...
Honestly, I still can’t help but imagine what Akane’s Jail would be like if it was fully developed or enough time had passed for it to fully grow. Namely her Trauma Room/Cell and said Jail’s cores. I can see the cores being:
Some form of Phantom Thieves merch
Perhaps a family photo (namely when it was still happy) or just a photo of her mother
The last one is tough but maybe a clipping regarding Aoi’s death? Or perhaps something from her childhood (maybe when Zenkichi was more attentive)?
The Trauma Room is pretty easy: Normally I would have went with Aoi’s death but I can also see it being an argument she had with Zenkichi himself being her ultimate breaking point (where he was implied to have called her a burden (or that he should “find a better daughter” which was a different piece of info I found which I’m gonna safely assume was in the Japanese version since it wasn’t indicated or mentioned in the English version, I definitely heard that the translators changed a lot of the script so it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the case)) with a Shadow/Cognitive version of himself being the Warden/Lock Keeper. I can honestly see an animation of him finishing it off after fighting it before breaking down.
I would say maybe add another phase to her boss fight but I guess Atlus draws the line at fighting a kid character? Even though P5 had the PTs fight Akechi despite him being more or less a kid himself? Huh… I know P4 has you fight a classmate too so maybe a little hypocritical if that’s the case (keep in mind that Akane is about 14-15 years old and was going to enter high school soon). *shrugs*
Granted, I could definitely see why there wasn’t anything else added because there would have a lot more PAIN added to this arc. And there’s the fact that Zenkichi awakened there so he would have had so many of his trauma buttons pressed during this whole thing. Still, I can’t help but think about what could have been regardless. Especially due to the potential layers that could have been added to the characters.
Happy Birthday Zenkichi!
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]
Turns out that Transformers Prime has some funny (in and out of context) quotes and decided to fiddle with the P5 Dialogue generator:
(S1 Ep7)
(S1 Ep11)
(S1 Ep24)
(S1 Ep25)
(S3 Ep1)
(S3 Ep6)
Unrelated/random incorrect quotes:
(Source: Gravity Falls)
This would be Maruki if he were in the Okinawa arc right??
(Source: Unknown)
AkeSumi bonus!
(Source: Unknown)
Generator: Persona 5 Dialogue Generator (p5generator.com)
Today I bring you something... Cursed? Idk my hubby trimmed my hair and I was left alone on GIMP was the context. Ngl though, he did turn out adorable if I say so myself! ;)
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.
Persona 5 Strikers | ▶ dev. ATLUS
So I went mad with power and made a couple more aesthetic boards so enjoy! BeFunky link: Collage Maker: BeFunky - Create Photo Collages Online
AkeSumi board:
Hermit!Maruki from my own Arcana Swap AU: A shut-in researcher since a traumatic incident in college with Shibusawa occasionally stopping by to help him stay fed. His Persona is "Weishaupt" and is based on the founder of the Illuminati.
Justice!Zenkichi from the same AU: A celebrity Detective/Inspector who hides a dark secret. False Persona is Valjean and true Persona is Fenrir from Norse Mythology.
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!
Local Man Fucks Up Immensely: Definitely Going Into The Bartender’s Cringe Compilation.
(they haven’t left my brain)
If nobody draws Hasemaru, I’ll do it myself… old men yaoi 🤭😧🌸💗💕😨🙏💥
I’m obsessed with these tragic gay man
Redesigned Maruki’s metaverse outfit so he would fit the phantom thieves vibe. It’s like an au, where Maruki became a second adult phantom thief with Zenkichi.
(Basically I just fused his palace and metaverse looks lol)
