#p5 protagonist palace au

[unfortunately-i-love-it]

yeah so uh, Shadow Joker eh? 

this whole thing started with me thinking about a PhantomThief!Mishima, and then i started drawing stuff based off this one fic i read and then we got to here. oh well 

i might turn this into a comic maybe??? depends on how hard finals slaughter me, but I’ll cross that bridge when i get to it 

also here’s the lore on this guy cuz i legit spent too much mental energy scraping through the wiki figuring out how shadows and personas work and then coming up with a way it could work for joker 

Basically, since someone’s shadow is a manifestation of their distorted desires, then a Shadow Joker, would be the manifestation of the protagonist’s (I’m gonna call him Ren from here on. cool? cool) distorted desires. What might those be? Well, during his awakening, Arsene notes Ren’s strong desire to help people and makes him think about whether the resolve he’s shown in the past was valid or not. This becomes the basis of the rebellious will that allows him to forge a contract with Arsene. But now with Shadow Joker, that desire to help people has been distorted into a kind of mix of hero and savior complex. So instead of just helping people in need, on some subconscious level he has started to see himself as the only one that can help and save people. 

In personality he’s about the same as regular Joker. But that’s only at first glance. He’s much more unpredictable and dangerous, basically taking the whole “wildcard” thing very literally. I’d also like to think that all of Joker’s theatrics become even more emphasized with Shadow Joker.  

For his palace I was thinking of him seeing the whole of Tokyo as his stage, wherein he’s an actor in a play of which he is the hero. For this I was kinda looking to the “The show’s over” on his all out attack screen, as well as hero = play, play = theatre, theatre = stage, and all that jazz. I’m still not exactly sure on how it’d look; maybe just the city as it is at night with open stages everywhere, spotlights floating through the dark nigh sky both as aesthetic as well as acting as traps for the thieves to avoid, so if you step into one of them the security level goes up. Or maybe each area that they go through would be like a different part of a theatre, so the treasure room would be Shadow Joker’s changing room and the final confrontation would be on a grand stage, idk. One thing is though, I think that his Palace Tokyo would feel really empty. Like there’d be people, but they’ll be more like faceless ghosts kinda milling about, so not at all like the ATM-guys or robots in Kaneshira and Okumura’s palaces. Also probably no cognitive versions of the other thieves or anyone else he knows, as I was thinking that Shadow Joker would be going by an “I don’t need anyone but myself” idea, and since he’s the all-powerful hero he doesn’t need “sidekicks”.

His treasure is his Phantom Thieves mask, as that would be the source of his distorted desire to help, cuz it’s the thing that represents him getting his persona and being able to help people on a larger scale in the first place. 

When the other thieves first enter the palace, they won’t be in their thief outfits, as i think Shadow Joker’s desire to help would still outweigh him seeing them as a threat -- plus they’re people he knows. He’d talk and interact with them like regular Joker would, but maybe a bit more openly and with more theatrics, so the other thieves will have some trouble with thinking of him as a legit threat and not just their pal who’s a bit too quirked up. But when Shadow Joker realizes that they’re here to steal his mask, the switch flips completely, and the others have to really scramble to get out with their lives.

Then follows the general infiltration thing and blah blah blah. For the infiltration I thought it’d be neat if they go through all the different districts (that are walkable in-game) and the safe-rooms would be the areas where confidants hang out -- The Untouchable in Shibuya, Crossroads Bar in Shinjuku, Gigolo Arcade in Akihabara, Takemi Medical Clinic in Yongen-Jaya, etc. 

There might also be a progression reason for which the gang will have to go into Shinjuku Academy, wherein the safe-rooms would be Ren’s classroom and the roof. Maybe there’s something in the school that they need to clear before they can progress through Aoyama-Itchome and go to Shibuya, idk.

The treasure room would be in the Leblanc attic (because ofc). 

For the boss battle, when the other thieves try to steal his treasure but get caught on the way out (cuz that’s what always happens to these fools), Shadow Joker takes the mask from them and actually uses it in the battle, which allows him to switch between a number of different personas as a mechanic. Their levels and attack would be comparatively lower that the thieves’, but the sheer number of skills at his disposal as well as his unpredictability would be trouble enough. 

there might also be a phase two, where he rips off the mask he’s wearing and replaces it with his original phantom thieves one, and ends up transforming into a fusion of himself and Arsene, so now he’d be technically using only one persona, but with higher stats 

(also i was entertaining the thought of this being the general theme of the palace and this being the theme of the final confrontation. i feel like the first one’s just kinda eerie enough to suit prowling through your friend’s subconscious)

and then pertaining to the design itself, i was basing it off of the regular Joker outfit but spiced up with more flamboyance, because to Ren, Joker would be like the epitome of him feeling like a hero. I kept the mask on to also keep that Joker vibe going, however i made it a more extravagant variation on the original, to kinda push the theatre vibe. I also gave him a cape -- i think that one’s self-explanatory. The walking stick is to give him even more flair, but also uh, concealed weapons is like the perfect Shadow Joker thing to do. Basically think of Lucious Malfoy’s wand-walking stick but with a dagger instead of a wand.

anyway I want it to be clear for the record that I have never once looked up the shadow joker tag on here before i started drawing this but i’m glad we all share the same braincell when it comes to his outfit, fellas 

(also holy FUCK @waifujuju‘s Shadow Joker design is so fucking clever, i am in awe)

that PhantomThief!Mishima thing is still in the works by the way, though i’ve hit a roadblock trying to come up with a persona for him. So far i’ve been thinking of something along the lines of Merlin but idk, it doesn’t seem rebellious enough so the only thing that fits is the vibes, and even that’s a maybe. this whole process has also been exacerbated by the fact that i’ve got a really cool costume going for him that involves a bolt-action rifle which i am very fond of and very reluctant to let go off. all this to say, if you’ve got any ideas please shoot me a message or write a comment cuz rn my brain is kinda frying itself trying to think through this. ty

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

shuakeweek2022 - day seven - mythology

a scene from my akechi palace au

The Shadow Loki's speech reaches a climax. He points a finger at the cognitive being dressed in long robes. "Odin." Akechi's voice is dripping with poison at the word. "I endured years of torture thanks to you. You took everything from me!"

He steps forward, getting into Odin's face. "And now," he says, pronouncing each word with care, inserting as much vitriol into each syllable as humanly possible, "I will take everything from you and your precious gods."

Akechi's Shadow turns to the audience, a wide grin across his face as he spreads his arms open wide. "At long last," booms Shadow Akechi's voice across the auditorium, "Ragnarok has come!"

The Shadow's gaze moves past the stage, past the audience, past the balcony. And then, somehow, those golden eyes meet Joker's, despite the oppressive darkness of the auditorium. Joker lets out a ragged breath involuntarily, as though Akechi's Shadow has ripped all the air from his lungs with a single gaze.

Any doubt is erased when Shadow Akechi's gleeful smile turns predatory. A shiver runs down Joker's spine, spreading through his whole body, and he whispers, "Akechi." And Joker can swear that the Shadow hears him, those golden eyes gleaming under the spotlight, visible even here at the back of the auditorium.

The Shadow turns away, continuing his speech to Odin and leaving Joker behind in that space where all that existed was himself and the Shadow of his rival. "You good, Joker?" asks Skull with a gentle nudge in Joker's side.

"We need to leave," Joker says, still staring at the Shadow Loki. "He saw me. He knows we're here."

[marshmallowchaos]

Information sheet for my Palace ruler Akira au plus some of my crossover au mixed in

[peachiime]

> be me > make p5 au where the palace rulers and the phantom thieves swap places > obsess over the idea of kamoshida (protagonist) and kaneshiro (first male party member/best bro) being cringefail loser boyfriends instead of working on any actual important aspects of said au HELP

[sketchy--akechi]

I'm actually really interested in this Au! but i have a few questions since it seems i don't have the full picture of the story, I hope thats ok.

So is the real Akira trapped in the palace by shadow Akira, or is it more like Akira is still in the real world just stuck in the fantasy?

Is the Akechi the story follows the real Akechi, the one who died, who got wiped away after Maruki's defeat (still fighting him so try not to spoil things) or is this Akechi also an illusion of the palace but with the good soul Akira knows Akechi has?

Are there ideas for a possible boss fight if this palace was in the game? Like a gimmick that reflects how Shadow Akira feels about Akechi, like he summons a cognitive Akechi that he takes health from, or Shadow Akira summons a cog! Akechi but its one of those enemies that explodes when defeated.

I just love the idea of the Au and I REALLY want to know more about it!

Sure, thank you for your interest!! 🙏 Akira is actually trapped in the palace! I imagine he went there on his own accord, and was then manipulated by his own shadow to stay. The longer he stays, the more difficult it becomes for him to leave the palace again. The story follows the real Akechi, but there is also a cognitive Akechi in Joker's palace who he mostly interacts with until the real Akechi finds him (the ballroom dancing scene for example is about cognitive Akechi). That part I'm still trying to figure out! Someone in a previous ask suggested that the palace consists of Akira's memories regarding Akechi and I think that's a cool idea, and it would definitely make sense for cognitive Akechi to be a possible boss, together with Shadow Akira himself. In the end the palace is built on Akira's self-loathing and has the goal to kill him, so anything that fits with that theme could be a potential boss. Enemies the Phantom Thieves have faced previously, people who Akira couldn't save, maybe even his parents if I lean into the popular "P5 protagonist has bad parents" trope - but most importantly cognitive Akechi who blames Akira for his death, and Shadow Akira who wants to kill him for the same reason.

Feel free to ask more if anything is unclear! Love to talk about this AU 🙏

[phoenixcatch7]

I'm making a persona 5 au of svsss (au in that it was the modern world that was the au, and sy brought something along with him), and I'm having a lot of fun with it!

Sy dies the same way as in canon, but this time as the leader/a member of the Chinese branch of phantom thieves (when and how a Chinese branch was made can be handwaved). He's a fellow wild card, a fool arcana, he's got third eye and a fully realised but unawakened persona.

When he awakes in sqq's body, he starts on as canon, but starts to notice strange fluctuations on qj that indicate the presence of the meta verse - and not only that, but a palace. The system notices the mysterious appearance of a new program it can't delete - the meta nav.

Without the key words, however, Sqq can't get in. He can't find who it belongs to, nor what it might be. One thing is for certain though: lbh cannot find out. The blackened protagonist with free reign of the meta verse? An undoubtedly powerful persona of his own?? It'd be the breakdown incidents all over again! He wouldn't stand a chance!

It takes a lot of arguing with the system about narrative directions and plot holes for it to not direct him to the nearest ripple in reality. In dreams, igor agrees (he has a lot to say about his new situation, but Sqq kinda ignores it).

Then, one day, he finds a fluctuation strong enough to fit a human, and slips right through, his scifi fantasy ninja outfit appears in flames, and he is faced with the distortion of qing jing peak - roiling dark clouds, bamboo towering impossibly far over his head, brown leaves thick on the ground and a thunderous gong ringing from somewhere down the path.

A coliseum.

Screams ring out, metal clashes, beasts roar.

And standing in front of the metal grill gate, tall and bedazzled in riches and more unmarked than shen yuan has ever seen him, is shen qingqiu.

-

What is persona if not themes of the inner self and fighting literal inner demons and learning to love, both yourself and others, and overcoming tragedy?

There are some things I'm still unsure of, but I really want to explore the idea of the ghost of sj lingering on, still haunting the narrative and how that affects everyone. Normally, when a palace ruler is killed, their palace crumbles as well, but with Sqq still walking around and the systems intervention with his soul (having not died then in canon) the original goods wouldn't be fully gone.

The soul is! It's not sjs ghost, but rather his shadow. Real souls cannot live in the meta verse. But with the real deal gone, sy would be unable to affect him in order to make his way through the palace to the treasure the way a normal heist would go. Instead, he'd have to learn about sj himself, uncovering secrets and dispelling rumours. As the new Sqq, he would have to change his perspective and uncover the story behind the scum villain in order to progress. Remove the distorted perspective from himself.

Mini bosses would be a bad faith interpretation of yqy from sjs perspective, qiu haitang as she was at the manor. Enemies would be the coliseum guards and jailers, the shadow populace qj disciples in general misery, often forced to fight each other or monsters as sj watches on from the top seat. Nyy would sit with him. Poor shadow lbh would be a prime gladiator slave, suffering constant defeat. Sin: envy. I really want to focus on the fact he is both abuser and survivor, and his 'I suffered, thus so should you' thing. A bit like p5 strikers in that.

The plot would be basically Sqq handling both the canon events of svsss and also his investigation into sj, tracing paper trails of slave documents, hunting for potential secrets in the bamboo house, learning about the ghost backstab incident from lqg (which leads him to airplane), building up the courage to go down and talk to the brothel ladies, carefully teasing bits of history out of yqy. Also beating up shadows with a jojo stand and a .7 calibre sniper rifle he can fire like an automatic in his spare time. (if you don't know, persona lets you hold shadows at gunpoint for cash and items, but also flirt, threaten and bribe. Also you can ambush them and sometimes collect them like pokemon it's fun.)

The final battle would have the palace ruler sj transform into his final form (I'm thinking something with chains) but there absolutely has to be a human duel for the first phase, xiu ya to xiu ya. The surrendering of the crown would end in a hug, and sj performing a sincere but bastardised version of the peak lord crowning ceremony before he dissipates, and the coliseum starting to crumble and burn. As for the treasure... In the distorted world, an elaborate peak lord ceremonial crown, in the real world, an old, worn hair ribbon.

If I wrote it, I'd probably keep it shorter. Just the one palace, maybe sqh awakens his persona by virtue of being squirrelly and getting on his last nerve™. I'm thinking of the 'what don't I dare when it comes to you?!' because if that isn't a persona awakening scene I don't know what is. Conquering the bamboo palace would free qj from some 'unnamable' dark cloud and just in time to push lbh in the abyss (the palace time limit bring that sjs spirit would cruelly push lbh into the abyss rather than sy doing it (and being kinder about it)).

If it was longer, more persona users would awaken, despite sqq's best attempts. Liu qingge, ning yingying, shang qinghua obviously, gongyi xiao, zhuzhi lang maybe (they'd both live). A real motley crew. There'd be more palaces along the journey, each with it's own deadline - old palace master, lbh (though his palace would have the gimmick of being actually xin mo's), tianlang Jun, qiu haitang. Sj would still be the overarching palace, this time being the only one without a deadline maybe, and the story would end with a 'not sj' reveal for the new phantom thieves (with a side order of 'we already know and care for you anyway').

A sequel would be shorter: sy visits qiong ding for the first time since its all calmed down and realises that the distortions of a palace are still there, that they weren't a product of the bamboo palace. Yqy has a palace (because you can't tell me that man is mentally well). For a side of angst maybe the sy reveal was more open secret for the need to knows rather than strictly 'whoever witnessed two identical versions of Sqq trying to kill each other' and Yqy develops the palace as a result of not taking that well.

In comparison to the others, Yqy is the strongest cultivator alive, has been sitting on a soul deep distortion and trauma for decades since childhood, recently went through a heartbreaking reveal pointed directly at every single one of those issues, and oh yeah, has his soul directly bound to xuan su.

His palace's difficulty level is nightmarish. The corrupt version of the lingxi caves is a terrifying subterranean crawl through blood soaked caverns and bottomless pits. The gimmick is that near everything wants to suck your soul out. The only saving grace is that distortions are not inherently malicious, and they manage to lever that to their advantage. Unlike the others, yqys palace does not focus on him abusing his power over others - quite the opposite, in fact.

Through murals, echoing voices, and what sy and sqh remember, they piece together his own heart demons. It's scary - outwardly, the sect leader is fine, clear headed, going about his days just fine. The bloodied caverns he sees the world through tell a different story. To gain access it's a long process of easing out stories, working through his deeply ingrained self reliance, helping him work up to confessing the truth of xuan su. Not only to xiao jius shrine, but to his closest martial siblings as well, allowing him to be vulnerable and protected as he never has been.

But Yqy follows them into the palace, curious as to why they visit his peak every day. It's unstable, very dangerous for a person to meet their shadow, but it's too late. Yqy meets his shadow self, small and furious and stuck through with a thousand swords he uses to his advantage, and does the impossible.

A palace ruler awakens a persona.

Even as a trained group, the life force powered xuan su boosted shadow is too strong - they've already failed to defeat it once. Yue qingyuan, breathing grief like air but finally ready to heal, stands for himself. Rips off the smiling mask he's been hiding behind since he was five years old and freshly a big brother. His persona is magnificent.

And just in time, too, because, uh, turns out the meta verse is the systems doing, this time. And it's evil. I'm thinking a giant brainwashing vr-esque super computer. And they defeat it with the power of friendship and also lucifer.

[devil-of-the-field]

CFV Persona 5 AU

Let's talk about this one! Since this is my first post for this AU, it's mostly spoiler-free as per usual. For reference, here’s the quick summary I wrote before:

Kai moves to a new city for his second year of highschool to escape his past. Unfortunately for him, his normal highschool life already takes a turn for the worst on his first day, when he accidentally stumbles into a different dimension with his classmate, and comes across a talking cat rambling about “palaces” and “phantom thieves”. Despite wanting to stay out of all of this, Kai soon gets sucked into the world of phantom thievery, makes new friends, steals hearts, and maybe saves the world in the process.

This is a fun one. In case you don’t know anything about Persona 5, let me catch you up real quick:

What is Persona 5?

Persona 5: A short summary

Persona 5 is JRPG about a group of teenagers who stumble across an alternate universe called the Metaverse, where the distorted desires of corrupt adults materialize by distorting the places they reign over into so called “palaces”. But through the power of their rebellion against society, our teenage protags gain the power of the Persona, a materialization of their rebellious spirit, which gives them powers to fight in the other world and change the corrupt hearts of the adults.

Now, I don’t want to just copypaste the story of P5 for this AU. My goal is to create a story that can be read, understood and enjoyed by both Persona 5 and Cardfight Vanguard fans without prior knowledge of the other franchise, while still telling an original story. A tall order, I know. But I am nothing if not ambitious.

Characters

- in case you don’t know, the first 5 members of the Phantom Thieves are usually portrayed as its own very tight knitted group. So I thought it would fit really well if they were represented by Team Mates from Legion Mate! - every major character in the story is assigned one of the 22 Major Arcana (I don't have them all figured out yet, ideas welcome). This goes for all the teammates too. - there's 8 Phantom Thieves in canon (with some more additions in the extended universe). This AU will have up to 10 Phantom Thieves. Their identities are already set, but since a new Phantom Thief joins every arc, those would be spoilers, so you'll have to wait and see! - every teammate has a persona (aka a mythological figure, from things like history, religion, literature or even urban myths) that represents their inner self. I don't have them all figured out yet either, but I will likely be reusing already existing ones from the Persona wiki and only make up my own when necessary. Again, ideas welcome. - The magic attacks personas use have different elements. And every teammate has one assigned element. The elements in question are: Wind, Electricity, Fire, Ice, Nuclear, Psychic, Curse, Bless and Almighty. They are already assigned, but feel free to try and guess which character would fit what element! - Everyone's got weapons too. In game everyone has a melee weapon and a gun. I've still left that open, because finding 10 versions of each is bit intense, so I might given everyone either a melee weapon or a gun.

Kai

Arcana: The Fool (as all protags are)

Persona: ??? (as the protagonist, he's a Wildcard, so he has actually more than one persona unlike everyone else, but he would have an original one...)

Element: Fire(? again, he has unlimited personas, but the original one is probably a fire one)

Kai is new to the school here and just wants to be left alone, but then he runs into Miwa! And then they run into an alternate dimension by accident! Whoops. And then Kai awakens to a mystical power, and starts seeing a weird white-haired boy in his dreams talking about "rehabilitation" and "changing the world". He just wants to be left alone, but his new friends have other plans!

Kamui

Arcana: ??? (The Magician perhaps? or The Chariot...)

Persona: ??? (maybe Asura bc of Asura Kaiser, but that seems overpowered)

Element: Wind

so there is a VERY annoying character in the core five, and Kamui is the perfect character to parallel him. :) That character is a simp, and also a cat. So Kamui is a cat in this one. Don't ask. He's just been turned into a cat, and he wants to become a human again, and he simps for Emi. He already knows a bit about the Metaverse and is the second team member, and he works as the initial guide.

Miwa

Arcana: ??? (also a good candidate for Magician, or Lovers?)

Persona: ??? (This one is hard. He doesn't have distinctive avatar card)

Element: Electricity

Miwa gets sucked into the Metaverse alongside Kai on their first day of school. He keeps going along with all the crazy stuff of course, because it's Kai! He awakens to his persona on their second visit there to protect Kai. If it wasn't for him, Kai probably would just hanging out in his room all day (or on a random bench in a park, lol), but Miwa forces Kai to actually build relationships with others.

Misaki

Arcana: The High Priestess (? or the Empress, I'm not set yet)

Persona: Amaterasu (who else? She has been used as a persona before, but she fits Misaki so well)

Element: Psychic

Misaki is member number four. She's the smart one, who does analysis for the team. Miwa is the one who dragged her into the Metaverse on accident. She's overcoming her apathy and striving to get justice for others.

Naoki

Arcana: ??? (The Chariot perhaps?)

Persona: ??? (I have NO idea honestly)

Element: Fire

Naoki's the last core member to join. It's a typical Naoki moment, following people around and stumbling among them being cool and being like "I wanna do that too!". He has a strong sense of justice and is just and all around good bro. I really wanna expand on his relationship with Kai.

Other Notes

- Some non team member characters that Kai forms a relationship with (aka Confidants) are definitely Shin, Mamoru and Ryuzu Myojin. Those provide some perks to make the palace side of gameplay easier. Here it's more for just fun and character building. - A big aspect of P5 is the time management aspect. Do you go to the palace today, or hang out with your friends, or go somewhere to get your stats up? So I might let you, the audience, decide how Kai spends his days. That will mostly mean deciding who Kai will hang out with and form relationships with first. - I still need to figure out the owners of most of the palaces, aka the bad guys. That's the real sticking point. There's only so many human villains in CFV... I might have to take a Persona 4 approach if you know what I mean. - You might notice that there are some major character I haven't mentioned yet. Don't worry. Their time will come...

[jokerandtheaceofhearts]

I’m confused, so is the whole plot of this AU is that Akira is self-aware while Ren isn’t?

Yeah, basically, lol? Except Ren "can't" be self-aware to begin with? (explanation under the cut)

Ren lives in the "real-life" world that the game of P5R is based on (following the same general plot)... while Akira, up until this comic, has been actually in P5R, and aware of the fact that it's a video game. Ren had entirely free will during his run of the story, while Akira was forced to travel along the linear path set out for him, with his only choices being differences in dialogue and the rest of the time-management/confidant stuff.

Until, of course, Akira gets transferred into what is basically the real-world version of his PR5 playthrough (where all the people who were previously party-members and NPCs remember his behaviour as whatever choices he made in-game, which may differ from what Ren chose to do/say). Ren gets transferred to that world too, which is in the past in comparison to what he has experienced in his own world, which is currently right after the fourth Palace in the timeline. (Don't ask how the game of P5R can exist when Ren's world hasn't played out the story to its completion yet, you'll only give yourself a headache)

...Yeaaaah, it's a bit confusing, huh--?

The premise is so wacky because... the entire script is a Discord roleplay, where both of us had the P5 protagonist as a character (with me having the version that was in the game and aware of that, aka Akira) and we wanted them to meet so we could compare our portrayals! This wasn't intended to ever become public when we started it, so it only needed to make sense to us at the time of its creation.

I hope you can have fun regardless of the confusion!

[taitavva]

i actually have no idea the specifics of how his mom died but uh close enough

[sleep-deprived-onion]

I always enjoy it when in ‘Akechi has a palace’ fics Joker gets to speak with a cognitive version of Akechi’s mom.

[honeycirrus]

Chapter 2 is up!

[unfortunately-i-love-it]

i was supposed to be doing homework but here’s an akiren doodle instead 

also this is very vaguely related to this au but the text is like something i came up with in like 5 secs to fit the manga vibe so 

[helen-renee]

Day Three of Persona 5 AU Week:

Actual Phantom Thief AU | -character- Has a Palace AU | Celebrity AU | Fantasy AU

Akira wears a mask with everyone he speaks to and it's finally become too much for him to handle.

I got a bit lazy on this one 😅

@p5auweek

[sharkbaitsekki]

Human life is truly the most tragic comedy, a grand play made to entertain as its characters inevitably fall into ruin.

With only a week left before Sae Niijima's deadline, Akira incidentally discovers that Goro Akechi has a Palace. From there begins the race against time to save the boy hiding under countless masks, although whether he allows himself to be saved is a different story altogether.

[rainbowplane-writing]

After all these weeks I have finally finished The masquerade gambling!!!

Last chapter is out right now:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14592219/chapters/35371734

Thank you everyone who has been reading!

This chapter will not be as good as people would hope...

But with this my longest fic ever has come to an end! I have more things planned already, but I doubt I will ever get such a long fic running ever again.

It was real fun tho!

[kibastray]

Can Thieves Fix a Broken Heart?

Mlb x P5

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts go to Paris. 

This could be as a vacation or them setting up shop in a new location. (IDK yet)

The PToH do their thing. Going into the Metaverse and exploring both the Mementos and any Palaces they come across

It all goes well for the PToH team. 

The Akumas are weird. but it seems that Ladybug & Chat Noir can deal with them.

It helps the team find their next mark

Needless to say the Palaces the team come across in Paris are all unique compared to what they were in Japan. 

(while Japan were based off of the Seven Deadly Sins. It seems that Paris’ Palaces are based off Saints and Virtues... maybe could be fun)

One Palace they haven’t yet to find the treasure of belongs to one Lila Rossi. From what they have come to understand is that she has already been akumatized several times

Her Palace is what the team expects in all honesty

Ornate and shiny, full of fake gold and other such things

They have seen this type of person before back in Japan

To the team she is self-centered and views herself as a queen of her own little world

It will only be a matter of time before they find the treasure and can steal her treasure, changing her heart for the better hopefully 

For the most part the team adjust to Paris fairly quickly

That is until one day the get a notice from the Metaverse Navigator about a Palace that is near by. 

It is unprompted and has all three keywords needed to enter.

Name: Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Location: Boulangerire Patisserie

Distortion: St.(saint) Seraphim of Sarov Correctional

(personal note: idk any of the saints so please forgive me if this ins’t right. Reason why I chose this) 

1: it is the saint of self-control 

2: after google searching “saint of self-control” I found it and it spells S.o.S... which is perfect for this story

They all agree that having a Palace pop up unprompted AND already having all three keywords to enter is a bit odd, but they wave it off. 

because there is a lot in Paris that hasn’t made a lot of sense, so they don’t question it.

The thing about this Palace, it is MASSIVE. 

Biggest Palace in all of Paris. easily. Ranks up there pretty high when they compare it to all Palaces even including the ones from Japan.

It is themed like a Prison/insane asylum. 

This Palace is different from all others they have come across in Paris. 

Unlike others that show off its opulence in some way, this one doesn’t and even seems a bit bland with its brick and mortar.

The team get the feeling that this Palace is a subconsciously constructed one. Just like Futaba’s was

When they make it in the Palace their hearts sink into their stomachs

Every minor shadow of the Palace, more like Prison, is of the same girl.

And each and every one of them are held up in a room/jail cell. Each of the countless doors they have come across have a window looking in.

Some of the ones that stick out to the team are:

One is mad and hateful, bound in chains

She lashes out out anything she thinks could be dishonest

On the door is a phrase “Take the High Road.”

Another is scared and clearly trying to stop herself from crying at the jeers and insults blaring at her from the in-room speakers

the door says “Set a good example”

Another still is making all sorts of heart shaped things, obviously love struck for someone. 

but instead of giving them away she stacks them to the side with a sad expression 

On the door “don’t be jealous.”

Others range from a mad-hatter-esk girl worrying about maintaining schedules and deadlines, to a sleuth trying to find out ‘Who is he’

The last door they come across is the only double door so far

on one is the girl’s name “Marinette” on the other is the name of a local hero “Ladybug”

On Marinette’s door it says “Our everyday Ladybug” and on Ladybug’s it says “Must never faultier”

When the team go in they see a stage with two of girl on it. 

Marinette is keeping up a smile and using niceties while a ball and chain is on both ankles 

Ladybug is capturing an akuma, purifying it, then releasing it. 

With everything they have seen and with what is in front of them, the Team’s heart break a little

Every Palace before this one was of someone lording their position of power, or hiding a secret. 

this girl’s Palace doesn't show any desire at all. It looks to be actively policing any desire the girl may have.

This isn’t a Palace at all. this is a Prison locking and sealing away the very heart that created it.

The Thieves don’t get long to dwell on that revelation as a third version of the girl passes by them with a quick “Pardon monsieurs, mademoisells.”

Other than that she doesn’t pay them any attention 

This version of the girl is obviously the true shadow self of the poor girl

She looks well dressed and business like.

Similar to Caroline and Justine’s outfits if not a rank up from that though

No hat, but her hair is done up in a bun

A plain porcelain mask with a kind smile hides everything but her eyes

draped over her shoulders is a, shoulder length, cape that has the world’s continents stitched into it. 

She is the de facto warden of this Palace turned Prison

She addresses the two on stage with a cool and calm demeanor 

She tells them how to correct what they are doing and how to do it right

The pair on stage repeat their actions they did before as the warden has them do it again until it is perfect

The team can’t help but think that it is like a pair of puppets being placed and posed to be set in the perfect position

Seeing enough the Phantom Thieves try and deal with the warden

it could be through combat like the game, or just talking to her (either way it ends the same)

The mask falls off the warden and reveals the same girl they have seen this entire infiltration. 

When the mask hits the floor it flies straight to the Marinette on stage.

When it does the two girls outfits change instantly.

The new warden walks off the stage and chastises the new Marinette for loosing focus.

“if Ladybug can handle a jab like that, then so can you.”

It is a sickly calm to her voice when she speaks. (and it sounds wrong to the team)

The new Marinette gives a shaky “R-right” before she gets on stage and takes the old marinette’s place, practicing the same scene as before. 

The Warden looks at the band of thieves “How may I help you?”

with her yellow/golden glowing with intensity and the calm way she says it sends a chill up their spines.

“There must be some way I can help you correct those errant behaviors of yours.”

As she says that, and with her eyes on them, do the Phantom Thieves understand that this will be their toughest fight/heist yet. 

And they are right, because when they try and reengage the Warden they lose ground quickly and have to retreat. 

Each time they defeat a warden the mask flies to another Marinette and the fight starts anew with a refreshed Warden.

While running to safety a little red mote light leads them to a safe room.

the red light is formless (it’s Tikki, but they don’t know that)

She tells them that; she had been trying to help Marinette but there is only so much they can do to off set all the negativity/chaos in Marinette’s life. 

The team thank the little light and head out to find the treasure of this Prison

Sneaking around they meet other motes of light, all willing to help the team out (guardian Mari gets all the Kwami) 

Even with the help of the little lights the team still have to retreat and regroup from the Prison. Because the Warden is too strong any time they come across her

Once in the real world the team agree to learn more about this girl and how to help her.

To do that they need to get to know Marinette.

Skull and Panther meet her at the bakery. 

 ( Ryuji and Ann). as both can play off the tourist looking for good food and light conversation

They find her to be very nice and well meaning. even going as far as to offer places to visit in Paris

Fox and Queen meet her at school as teacher’s aids 

(Yusuke and Makoto) they are the most likely to be able to actually be of help to the teachers and students

They find her to be the class-president that rivals Queen’s own work ethic back when they were all still in school.

Noir and Crow meet her when she is touring the city.

 (Haru and Goro) are the best at one on ones in their own right.

Find out about her passion of being a fashion designer (maybe add in her sketches of the Phantom Thieves’ outfits with little changes here and there)

Oracle (Futaba) looks up her online presence

She finds out that Marinette is connected to every major personality that has roots in Paris some way or another. and that the girl’s fashion website is top tier.

Joker & Morgana (Protagonist and mascot) meet her during her nightly patrols as a hero.

Ladybug was suspicious of them at first but when they calmed her down and reassuring her that they aren’t akuma they find out exactly what is going on in Paris and find out who the main villain is. 

They all see the same thing however.

A young girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

Worse part is that she hides it so well behind that mask of hers. 

The one with a kind smile and friendly tone.

(side note just because I couldn’t figure out a way to put this in: the Phantom Thieves are immune to Hawkmoth. I am gonna say that their Personas keep them safe by destroying/purifying the akuma right away or hiding them from Hawkmoths perception)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would like to thank @miraculous786 for letting me bounce another idea off of them.

1) I don’t know to much about Persona 5, just the basics. 2) When I came up with this it turned into a POV from the Phantom Thieves 3) It is more geared to be a sad/angst fic, au, prompt. 4) anything that doesn’t make sense as far as references go (realworld or otherwise) is because it was the end result of a quick google search. Please forgive me if I don’t have it right.

Edit: reorganized things a bit.