#third semester

[alexsiple]

january (an omen)

[lvndri]

pretend I'm not a day late

[artianwen]

You're in "the good place".

[monakisu]

maruki is such a dad. not a good one. just a dad

[flyingcrepe]

This came to me in a dream

[may-lutlone]

mfw at this point I can speedrun the shit out of this game for third semester 🧖‍♀️

I am way better at irl ink, maybe I should use it more often 😭😭😭

[ore-kitsune]

"Please... dont go"

forget always to share things here. SOrry

[t-rhyme]

"Or, are you really so spineless that you'd fold over some bullshit, trivial threat on my life?"

[poichanchan]

Akeshu swap!AU Akira doodles... 3rd semester ver

[cariffio]

// blood, spoilers

my greatest wish

[phantomtheive]

confrontation

[alexsiple]

MAYBE I’M A FOOL

[lvndri]

third semester btw. btw

[artianwen]

an apple a day

[specterthief]

The Spider and the Fly

in the english localization of persona 5 royal, when lavenza speculates that maruki may have used the counseling sessions to intentionally prime the phantom thieves to want his actualization, akechi references a 19th century children’s poem, the spider and the fly by mary howitt.

while this reference is only in the english version of the game (in japanese akechi merely remarks that the thieves all happily allowed themselves to be fooled) and the quote about the spider’s parlour is one of the most recognizable quotes in english literature, meaning any references other than this one are almost certainly coincidental, there are still some fascinating comparisons that can be drawn to the text of the poem and i’m going to go on about them for too long because of who i am as a person. enjoy!

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said a spider to a fly; " 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.

the first line, “will you walk into my parlour?” (often misquoted as “step into my parlour” or “come into my parlour”) is a quote associated with false offers of friendship, and fits perfectly with the realization that the thieves have just made in this scene and especially with akechi’s feelings about maruki—the idea that his help and friendship was always a trap, that, as lavenza suggests may be possible, he was manipulating his interactions with the thieves from the start for his own ends. (something that we know is at least partially true, from his admission that suspecting joker and his friends were the phantom thieves was his motivation for approaching them at all.)

(i also think it’s fitting of maruki that despite the fact that the line is often misquoted as a command by the spider, it’s originally actually phrased as a friendly question, the same as how he always leaves the idea of accepting his deal as a choice—even though he demonstrably has the power to force joker to comply, or erase the thieves from existence altogether.)

The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I have many pretty things to shew when you are there." "Oh no, no!" said the little fly, "to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

the way to the very heart of maruki’s palace is, in fact, up a winding staircase.

"I'm sure you must be weary, with soaring up so high, Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly. "There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin; And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in." "Oh no, no!" said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said, They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"

and in a very quick turn from a mundane detail to a very sinister one, the fly says that those who sleep in the spider’s bed never wake again; in the deadline ending, maruki puts joker into an endless sleep. he’s even surrounded by spiderwebs in the final cutscene. and as the spider worries about the fly’s weariness, claiming to genuinely be offering her rest, maruki bemoans that he’s made joker suffer by expecting him to make a decision—

—and lets him “rest” by removing his will to think and choose for himself altogether.

this also isn’t the only instance of him putting someone to sleep like this, as when he kidnaps sumire on 1/2, when joker and akechi return a week later, they find her asleep, having presumably been so since she was first knocked out (though it’s not strictly clear where he takes her or what’s happened to her in the last week.) in this scene, she only wakes from her sleep when maruki allows her.

and when they find her, the throne she’s sitting in is adorned with a veil... but one could also describe it as having a “pretty curtain drawn around.”

Said the cunning spider to the fly, "Dear friend, what shall I do, To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you? I have, within my pantry, good store of all that's nice; I'm sure you're very welcome – will you please to take a slice?" "Oh no, no!" said the little fly, "kind sir, that cannot be," I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see."

maruki repeatedly uses an offer of snacks to entice the thieves to come to counseling, and always gives joker snacks at the end of their sessions. food (particularly expensive food) as a means of him showing friendship to joker specifically also comes up in several of his confidant ranks, starting with the cookies in rank 5:

the fancy buffet he takes joker to in rank 8:

and the expensive tempura lunch they share in rank 10:

"Sweet creature!" said the spider, "you're witty and you're wise. How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes! I have a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf, If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself." "I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say, And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

maruki’s very complimentary of joker’s intelligence throughout his confidant, even from the first time they meet, especially when joker’s insight is something he can use in his research. while i don’t think this is strictly false flattery (his admiration of joker seems to be honest, and a deep investment in joker’s opinion is something that comes up in his private thoughts as they're shown in his journal) it is still relevant.

more relevant to the overall point about him orchestrating his interactions with the thieves, him being very quick to praise comes up with them in their sessions too, like here with ann:

and makoto:

and then as to the line about the fly “beholding herself”:

literally beholding herself, both her true and false self, is a repeated theme with sumire in maruki’s palace.

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den, For well he knew, the silly fly would soon come back again: So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner, sly, And set his table ready, to dine upon the fly.

maruki’s certainty that joker will come around to his reality comes up multiple times, with multiple deadlines for him to change his mind and come back to take his deal.

though perhaps the most apt is 2/2;

where “the silly fly would soon come back again” could more be linked to joker not taking the deal—and going up the winding stair to eden, where maruki is waiting to fight the thieves to the death.

Then he went out to his door again, and merrily did sing, "Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with the pearl and silver wing; Your robes are green and purple – there's a crest upon your head; Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead."

maruki specifically comments on joker’s eyes being bright, as the spider does the fly. while this is part of the spider’s flattery in the poem and here is part of the scene that’s probably the most honest maruki’s ever been, i couldn’t not point out the coincidence of him describing joker in almost the exact same words.

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly, Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by; With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew, Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue:– Thinking only of her crested head, poor foolish thing! – At last Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den, Within his little parlour – but she ne'er came out again! – And now, dear little children, who may this story read, To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed: Unto an evil counsellor, close heart, and ear, and eye, And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

this could again be compared to the sleep ending—

or the two difference scenes where sumire gets abruptly “held fast”—

but i think that line and the following ones about never returning from the spider’s parlour also fits the ending where you do take maruki’s deal, as according to lavenza, once mementos and reality fully merge again under his power, it will be impossible to escape or resist, even for the phantom thieves.

and indeed, the phantom thieves even seem to have forgotten who the anonymous “man wearing hat” is in that ending, meaning they may not even remember who they could fight back against if they wanted to. 

...and, of course, the “unto an evil counsellor” line speaks for itself. maruki is a counselor, and his confidant is the councilor arcana. the counselor who the thieves opened up to, who on some level was manipulating them from the very beginning, and uses their confidence in him to try and lure them, as akechi says, into the spider’s parlour—from where no one can escape.

[adam-sadmon]

So I've been getting back to my replay of Royal and left off before the first foray into Maruki's Palace. It's already one of my favourite segments in a videogame ever but, not speaking Japanese, I was curious and used Google Lens to try and translated some of the banners and signs in that opening segment I passed over the first time around, and jeeeeeeesus I'm immediately reminded why I fucking love Maruki

Maruki's Palace has such an uncanny way of getting under my skin not only in the faux-heavenly atmosphere re-appropriated from pure white to clinical white, from glorious gold to mechanical, but in the sense that moreso than any other palace (Futaba's as a runner up) Maruki's is the mind of a deeply damaged person.