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Ryoji Mochizuki palace where it's not Tartarus but actually a Cathedral.

Everywhere you look, it's dedicated to the Great Seal. Stained glass windows made in their image line the walls, statues carved into a familiar teenager hung by chains. Their story is depicted like a religious text, with Ryoji himself as the devil. There to trick the seal into pursuing the full moon shadows, to lie his way into being the seal's friend, to tempt the Great Seal away from delivering salvation to the world. It does not matter that Ryoji was missing his memories, that he was doing whatever he could to help his dearest friend, he was always a monster. One that was unworthy of the Seal's forgiveness, of their mercy.

Ryoji's shadow can always be found crying in front of a depiction of the Great Seal. He begs for someone to please take their revenge, to punish him for what he's done, it's all his fault, he killed the Great Seal, they would still be alive if not for him. He cannot let you take his treasure, he cannot let you take away his guilt. When you fight Ryoji, he appears as a grotesque replica of the Nyx Avatar. There is no more elegance, no more ethereal beauty to be found in Nyx's Appraiser, he is simply a monster.

Ryoji's treasure is the protagonist's evoker. A representation of how they fought to save the world, and how they accepted death to do so. Ryoji could not accept that death, so he clung to it. He clung to their memory instead of facing them himself, because he felt too much guilt.

Name: Ryoji Mochizuki

Location: Gekkoukan High School's rooftop

Distortion: Cathedral of Grief

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We shall meet again someday...

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female makoto and ryoji doodles

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human like me

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the future I once dreamed of has long become the past

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Funny how while 'who is Eurydice' and 'who is the canon romance' are different questions they end up with the same answer(everybody, nobody, or Ryoji).

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The Moon and Buddhism (Persona 3)

Nothing long or expansive here; just a small thought that ocurred me while reading somethings in twitter X.

Did you know the full Moon is an importan piece of buddhist symbolism? As far as I know, it stands for the clarity derived from enlightenment, the "emptiness" that allows arhats (one who has achieved nirvana) to act as mirros of the world as large, fully understand and reflecting everything as it's without attachmment.

On the other hand, the Moon as a whole can also act as a symbol of transitoriness of reality.

Great Master Ma was unwell. The temple superintendent asked him, “Teacher, how has your venerable health been in recent days? The great master said, “Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha.”

Above is a small koan based on the death of the zen master, Ma. It's based in a small exterpt of the Sutra of Buddha's Names (which I couldn't find, pitifully), which explains that the Sun-Face Buddha is everlasting and timeless, while the Moon-Face Buddha is ephemeral and bound to samsara.

Furthermore, the full Moon is also related with the birth and death of the Siddharta Gautama, the historical buddha. Thus, the change and transformation are, ironically, constants within the illusory world, bounding even the mortal incarnations of all Buddhas (which yes, it's the meaning of the koan).

And with that, water enters, which is understood as a metaphorical mirror just like the Moon, as well as the purity and calmness inherent to "empty" world. The Boddhisattva Guanyin or Avalokiteshvara also reflects this on her common list of symbols and iconography, but that's more of a trivia.

There's no need to explain why Nyx is the Moon, nor why the (male) protagonist is the water (thanks to Reload). So, then... where does Ryoji fall? If he's neither the Moon nor the water/sea, then the only option is that he's the reflection of the Moon within the water, the illusion itself that arises from emptiness.

Ryoji was never intended to last. He couldn't. The entirety of him was an illusion that couldn't keep going, because it'd betray his existence as "conditioned" being, that he was a reflection of the ever-changing Moon.

And boy, he sure was aware that his being was just but an illusion, another "grain of sand" in the desert that's tossed around by the winds.

But that doesn't mean Ryoji was meaningless. Far from it, since it was him who personified the protagonist's attachment to life, the "golden seed" incubated within that acted as a gift to the world - the possibility to delay the Fall.

Normally, the Moon's reflection in the water doesn't affect either, just as the world doesn't affect its own emptiness. But it seems this one was exception.

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I haven't played Q or U2 recently enough to make a proper post about this but Rei/Zen and Sho/Minazuki both have parallels to Hero/Ryoji. And, at the end, both end up kind of absorbing the other(Zen and Rei go to the Sea of Souls/die properly together, and Minazuki does get absorbed into Sho, letting him use his Persona). What I'm saying is that Hero and Ryoji are together as the Great Seal.

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MiRROR

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bust up slots are all taken! simple character sketch is still open!

Hello I'm opening Ko-fi c0mms again this! Bust up art. Can choose if cell-shaded or fully colored. Slots are limited up to 3 (for both styles together) and please read my ToS first before ordering! Simple character sketch are also open.

Terms of Service Ko-fi Comm Page

Thank you for taking interest! Please feel free to DM for questions.

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Hello I'm opening Ko-fi c0mms again this! Bust up art. Can choose if cell-shaded or fully colored. Slots are limited up to 3 (for both styles together) and please read my ToS first before ordering! Simple character sketch are also open.

Terms of Service Ko-fi Comm Page

Thank you for taking interest! Please feel free to DM for questions.

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a promise between us

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Thoughts of what once was Ryoji Mochizuki

...Just as I thought, you couldn't lay a finger on me. Maybe you began to love me because we met as friends. But as I've warned multiple times, what I as the 'Appriser' will give you is absolute death. It's not something that can be overcome through willpower or effort. The 'end' as the contrapostion to 'life', which every living thing has without exception, comes upon all human beings as an unavoidable decision. The 'death' that everyone should know but don't recognise as their own... when you all face it, you can't help but dread and depair over that overwhelming truth. So I at least wanted to let you forget about it all and have it come to an end. Only you, who raised me, had the power to make it happen. ...Even though it turned out like this, I'm glad to have met you. Until we meet again, take care. ...Best wishes in the coming year.

The desire of two boys who seek their former halves

Tonight, when the moon ascends in the sky, I will reunite with part of my former self on the tower's peak. Just as time flows and the seasons change, it's obvious that all living things are preparing to end, and that it is unavoidable. Though I know that, I still try to cling to a miracle that might happen. Until I witness true despair, I'm holding on to a sliver of hope... Shadows are born from people's hearts. And Personas are too; they are of the same essence. The only difference is if one has an intent. No matter how much of that power one might wield, what would be the reason to threaten that which is the root of existence, the Great Mother? How much can a tiny, foolish child who bares their fangs at the Fall, the name of the Great Mother, Nyx, do? ...If the future is to change, it's the power of will that's the source of Personas, the heart's bonds, that will push you forward. Now, let's head to that place to fullfill our duty. I, we, have shed tears about the premonition that this day will come ever since we were one.

⋯⋯やっぱり君は、僕に手を下せなかったね。僕たちが友だちとして出会ってしまったから、情が移っちゃったのかもしれないね。でも僕は何度も忠告した、「宣告者」である僕が連れてくる のは絶対の死だ。努力とか意志の力でなんとかできるようなもの じゃない。生きとし生けるものが例外なく持った、「生きる」��偶としての「終わり」が、避けようのない決定事項として、すべての人間の上に訪れるものだ。みんな知ってるはずなのに、自分のこととして認識しなかった「死」⋯⋯それを迎えたときに君たちは、その圧倒的な事実の前に恐怖し、絶望せずにはいられない。だから僕はせめて、すべてを忘れて終わりを迎えてもらおうと思った。僕を育ててくれた君にだけは、それを叶える力があったのだからね。⋯⋯こんな形になってしまったけど、君に出会えたこと、嬉しかった。つぎに逢うときまで元気で。⋯⋯よいお年を。

かつて望月綾時だったものの思い

かつての半身を求めるふたりの少年の想い

今夜、月が天に昇るとき、かつて自分の一部であったものと、あの塔の頂で再会する。時が流れるように、季節が巡るように、生きるものがその終わりに死を控えていることは自明のことで、それを避けることなんてできなしない。それをわかってはいても、それでもなお、起こるかもしれない奇跡にすがろうとする。本当の絶望を目にするまで、一縷の望みをついで��る⋯⋯。シャドウは人の心から生まれ出たものだ。そしてぺルソナもまた、それらと本質を一にするものだ。ちがうのはそこに本人の意思があるかどうかというだけ。その力をいくら振るおうとも、存在の根源、太母であるものの足元をおびやかせる道理などあるだろうか。滅びという名の大いなる母ニュクスに牙を剥くちっぽけで愚かな子供に、一体どれほどのことをできるというのか。⋯⋯未来が変わるというなら、その背中を押すのはペルソナの源となる意志の力、心の絆だ。さあ、与えられた役目を果たすために、その場所を目指そう。僕は、僕たちは、ひとつだったときから、この日が来る予感に涙を流していたんだから。

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Love how Nyx Avatar is a canon he/it. Noone knows this thing's pronouns.