Wellll Now! Toxic ShuAke/AkeShu Fans Be Getting Mad At P5X Lately! My Joker Arc/Spite Mode Activate!

Wellll now! Toxic ShuAke/AkeShu fans be getting mad at P5X lately! My Joker arc/Spite mode activate! (/hj)

More stuff for this AU!

Ichinose's (canonically almost non-existent) Character Arc/Redemption

Erm, ok so… I have an idea for Ichinose for my rewrite AU… Namely with how her dynamic with Sophia would play out (which I felt was badly executed and unintentionally gave a poor message in the process) along with adding screentime so that the twist can have more of a punch? A play-by-play: +I'm considering having her be more involved with the Thieves. Namely the Osaka arc where she can bond and connect with them more, maybe even feeling internal hesitation towards her goal. Also her and Maruki and becoming besties is a bonus thing (and since HaseMaru is a main pairing, Zenkichi will probably be a little jelly which gives the group fodder to tease him a bit). +Adding to the bonding, her backstory will probably be discussed earlier (inspired by one of the criticisms I've seen with her) but still kinda vague. Hell I'll throw in a bonus HC/theory that she can't have children which drove her further in the deep end since she wanted to start a family and gets further ostracized (b/c Japanese societal standards for women). +Her and Sophia's dynamic is a little tricky to explain I'll admit but I'll try: Basically I'm gonna have Sophia not be SUPER forgiving for what Ichinose did to her. Like show empathy but still set boundaries and hesitation in reconnecting sort of deal? Basically have it be gradual as opposed to immediate and abrupt/rushed. +Her deciding to join Ichinose on her journey would be the first step to forgiving her and giving that end credits image more impact/meaningfulness. It would be an attempt tho since I still wanna stick to Strikers' themes but at the same time the message for Sophia and Ichinose's conflict felt a little… Iffy. Like give the idea of a child being unsure whether they want to reconnect with a parent who hurt them really badly. Give more nuance. +Also I'm gonna have Ichinose being reluctant to reprogram Sophia to kill the Thieves because that was another reason I had trouble feeling sympathetic to her. It all just felt too rushed a bit. +But yeah other than smaller tweaks such as her reputation taking a small hit after trying to turn herself in (Maruki would try to lighten the mood by mentioning that he tried to do the same thing but got the same response but hey at least like him she can start with a newer slate), that's really it.

New Persona/Outfit for Akechi

+So I couldn't help but wonder: Should I give Akechi a new Persona in my AU? I'm already considering giving him a new outfit (probably controversially since I maaaay steer away from Crow motifs to represent his new lease on life but idk yet) but idk on a new Persona at first. The candidates so far were Hades or Dr. Jekyll (Bless and Curse specialty like Robin Hood. Curse representing the Mr. Hyde personality and Bless representing Jekyll) +I finally decided on Jekyll since this all sounded very much like Akechi:

+(tw for suicide mention) And of course at the end of the novel, while as Hyde, he ends his own life as a way to stop Hyde from completely taking over. Akechi attempted to sacrifice himself in the Engine Room. +So him gaining Jekyll would be more symbolic of him fully embracing both his good and dark sides (even the depraved aspects of the latter) like Hereward (which would be visualized by Hereward transforming into Jekyll to showcase the start of a clean slate).

+I kinda want to follow up on the glove thing too, the promise of a rematch. Perhaps that would be a boiling point, especially when Futaba, Haru, and Maruki (each one having confronted Akechi for how his actions (indirect or otherwise) negatively effected their lives even if it's just his ties to Shido) enter the picture to protect Joker. +Oh and he's getting a scythe as a new melee weapon! No further comment!

Joker's Family Life

Still a W.I.P. but I may add a small arc with Joker regarding his family life and breaking out of it. Cliche I know but I can't ignore that call! +Ft. Papa Wolf Zenkichi and Protective Maruki! And PegoRyu! +So far I'm leaning towards him being half-french with a perfectionist single mother. My HCs for his family life has definitely changed over the years for sure! +Of course this would come in the form of a small detour after getting a call from her to come to her this instant. He initially refuses but then complies in an almost OOC fashion to the team (even Akechi doesn't have any snark to throw at him). +It would definitely on a happy note for sure but definite angst all around! +It's more like just breaking from the usual formula starting with Zenkichi (having an abusive mom in me and Creepy's Prison of Grief fic) and now suddenly Joker because it'd be interesting to explore. I guess in the case of this AU it'd be a bonding moment for them and Joker would then be like, "Two new dads?!"

That ONE SCENE!!

You all know the one... The Kyoto bath house... One I think is personally worse than the Ryuji one but yeah. That's being redone! Summary: It's kinda inspired by a post here on Tumblr but it starts like normal except with Akechi and Maruki being a part of the guys' group. When the girls show up, Joker makes themselves known and they get confronted (poor Maruki just trying to stay out of it and covering his eyes). Thankfully Akechi intervenes before Makoto could even try anything and she forces herself calm and allows them to try and leave (Akechi also slightly calls out/snarks at Futaba's massive hypocrisy on calling them pervs when she tries to say the line). Something then happens which leads to Akechi getting splashed by Makoto when he pushes one of her buttons while leaving. His competitiveness kicks in and he splashes her back. One thing leads to another and everyone gets into a massive splash fight until they all get kicked out (Maruki gets the riot act as well since he's technically their chaperone). They bicker but then it turns into light hearted ribbing as they go back to their room. This would be one of the instances where Akechi starts to genuinely care about the other Thieves too since he actually enjoyed himself. Akechi actually feeling like a happy kid again for a moment? Insane! But also yeah, poor Mooki just trying to help explain while keeping his hands over his eyes is just a funny and adorable image too!

That's all I have the energy for! Enjoy while I go back to typing Prison of Grief with Creepy!

I'm still piecing together my own Strikers AU rewrite so here are the notes for Maruki, Sumi, and Akechi's roles:

Maruki

He quietly moved to Okinawa to work with Ubukata but then quit and became a recluse.

This was all due to his research getting found among Shido's stolen shit or something which led to him getting recruited as one of the scientists only to then bail when he saw what it all entailed and seeing it all firsthand. Basically the moment he entered the lab he immediately noped out, especially once he saw an experiment in action along with Ubukata's madness almost reflecting his own. He was also one of the scientists that tried to talk him out of it but was refused or even threatened. He ends up blocking out all memories of that lab due to trauma and hidden guilt for not freeing the desires there himself. Icarus, his new persona, would be calling out his cowardice and continuing the habit of running away from his problems along with his hubris. Also some (attempt at) slow burn HaseMaru. Joins after having a new awakening in the Okinawa Jail as both a fighter and an extra Navi.

Sumi

Sumi is visiting Tokyo for the summer at her Coach's suggestion albeit recovering but still dealing with things.

Still maintains her kind and empathetic attitude despite it and would be the first of the group to actively try to bond with Zenkichi, starting with helping him set up the calling cards in Sendai and then Sapporo. That bond later extends to Akane due to having traumas in common (this can also help her feel more closure for Kasumi's death since it would be a further indication that she's not alone). The initial concept was her struggling with Cendrillon before gaining Odile after a breaking point but I ultimately scrapped it. Potential AkeSumi too.

Akechi

Decided to let the others assume he's dead so that he can go take care of himself but then decides to investigate on his own initially.

I guess the best idea I could come up with regarding Akechi is that he's been slowly investigating the change of heart cases after seeing news reports and articles from rehab/shelter. He sets out after being deemed well enough to explore outside the facility as he tries to check out the locations. Not sure when he'd cross paths with the Thieves tho but I am thinking as early as Sendai or Sapporo. He would first appear watching Alice's calling card with a smirk before leaving, indicating slight nostalgia. He's also familiar with Zenkichi and his past due to previously working with Shido and would butt heads with him for his supposed cowardice ("Didn't think the big bad wolf would be tamed so easily"). I would probably attempt closure with him, Haru, and Futaba but how I'm not sure yet.

Sumi’s morning coffee

I am forever haunted by the irony that the form Alastor took in Hell is a deer due to his past as a serial killer (with a morality described as being supposedly like the titular character in "Dexter") aka the hunter that hunts his intended prey but now... He's BECOME the prey himself.

And boy does he clearly hate that fact. Being seen as weak and helpless. Adding to the irony is that the supposed cause of his death being due to a hunter mistaking him for a deer while he was occupied with burying a body. Basically the hunter became the prey! He prides himself as being powerful but then Adam nearly killing him gave him a nasty wake-up call. He flew too close to the sun and is slowly realizing it with the only option he felt that he had is breaking free from his own deal. That was his conclusion about solving that "problem." He's grown that desperate and hides it all with a smile at the same time.

To appear to be in control as he said to Charlie:

"Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath. A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that, no matter what comes your way, YOU'RE the one in control."

Idk man I'm just going feral with that sad irony along with adding a double whammy to his breakdown at the end of S1! Bro's going through things and plans to potentially double down despite him realizing that he's starting to care about everyone even just a little bit.

Season 2 is gonna tear me apart isn't it?

I'm not too proud of this sketch...I was rushing it for father's day. Well, I hope you like it, anyway!

As much as I love Fem!Alastor with long hair (or just Al with long hair in general) I can't help but imagine Fem!Al with a short flapper haircut instead (Charlie and Mimzy for examples). Mostly due to the time period and the style was more common back in 20s last I recall.

I dunno that's just something I think about since I've hardly seen such a design yet. I would say Al would have the style be a bit wavy of some sort? Or perhaps a wavy updo/bun? Fem!Al just fancies me as someone who is more practical and going against the traditional feminine norms back then which contributed to the style's popularity back in the day.