InsaneJournal

Reversing female characterization tropes! P3P speculation!
So, I am all over this and the like. In light of the OP animation and the conspicuous placement of Fuuka and Aigis (as well as the inclusion of Jung & the butterfly effect in the text); I began speculating. Here are my posts ganked from a GameFAQs thread I made concerning such.

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So, we've seen that in the new OP animation; there's quite a few (or at least two) distinct differences in the mirror images. While the Shinji/Mysterious-Other-Guy/Ken one is interesting; the one that really has me interested are the two parallels between Aigis and Fuuka.

The most telling part is near the end of the entire OP, where everyone is mirrored left and right - except for Fuuka and Aigis, who move as though they're mirror images of each other.

It makes me wonder (read: hope) that Fuuka takes a more prominent role as a plot-inducing character. She may not be playable (though that would be a welcome development), but having a more notable role wouldn't hurt (and she wasn't exactly lacking in terms of characterization in the first one; she functioned more-or-less as the one who didn't have major issues for most of the game).

Also, it'd be badass if she more-or-less fell in love with the MShe as Aigis did with MC. I mean, Fuuka was pretty (wonderfully) gay in the MC story - she was all turned on with Mitsuru's smooth skin, Natsuki; hell, even the FES thing with Yukari stripping her...

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What about US GAY PEOPLE who would love to play any side and have legitimate fantasies like FUUKA FALLING IN LOVE WITH MSHE being affirmed? Or are you saying you speak for all girls, ergo making women who are attracted to women whom play video games invisible?

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Its alright; I'm sorry I resorted to such a tone so quickly. I'm relatively wary of the double-standard-institutional-sexism-and-homophobia thats pretty endemic to alot of GameFAQS, but thats no excuse for the way I behaved.

See, I don't think that possibility is stupid. Personally, Fuuka reads as a character who will or would very much 'come out' in the future. There were the hints I listed above, and a few others I can't recall right now. This isn't to say there's a checklist (there's no 'BAM' 'BAM' 'BAM' 'LBGT-IDENTITY'), but rather she exhibits quite a few traits that other characters whom've come out in fictional media have displayed. Its not just me, myself and quite a few of my friends (lesbian, gay men, bi women, etc.) whom have seen the game feel Fuuka, of all the cast, is the one most likely to come out (in terms of, like I said, borderline-standardized cues from a to-be-gay character).

From the Answer, I felt it was relatively clear that Aigis was in love with the MC (whether or not 'in love' is romantic or sexual in nature, but she's pretty clearly loving him). Even with that development, she shared a very specific bond with the MC - that in which she is the person who actively tied him to his past. I think it would be sweet for the MShe to develop such a bond with Fuuka, who was generally left out in terms of major emotional pairings via endgame (of course, this was a positive element too; as Fuuka was pretty clearly the one character who was healthiest about approaching a life outside of SEES). And if it were romantic, I don't see a problem with that - almost all of the social links developed could recognizably lead to romantic bonds anyway; they all lead to such a close bond that a romantic development from such a deep friendship wouldn't be unthinkable.

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Well, I believe that actually may happen. Maybe for some reason, Natsuki as a character is eliminated from the game - and then the closest bond that Fuuka develops in-story is with MShe. Subsequently, perhaps Aigis may have a different role entirely -

This is (major), speculation, but... we've seen that Pharos and Ryoji still retain a male form in the MShe side; and (in terms of visual design) one can infer that their appearances are predicated on their physical connection to MC... I think that (especially in relation to the various text in the OP that others have wonderfully documented) the MC (with messiah-like abilities) actually may have created this sort of alternate version of himself in order to find a way in which in some world, he didn't have to sacrifice himself and could live in the world with his friends. MShe's story may actually be that.

But before I get sidetracked, having MShe's closest bond be with Fuuka isn't something improbable. They just have to write-out Natsuki.

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If it is that, they may justify it with something like - he can create alternate realities, but he can only put the pieces together; he can't control the outcome. It makes sense, in terms of physics and the like. But if they do as such; I really hope they have some sort of acknowledgment from him (or Pharos or the like); something along the lines of not regretting the choices he made because making choices and doing is living, ergo he can live his life with regret because he remains fully committed to his choices.

He's allowed to see what could have happened, but all the memories of his life are so precious that even if he could take the chance and relive his life without making that sacrifice - he wouldn't make that choice, because he was happy and proud of the life he lived. Or something along those lines.

With the Fuuka falling for Jin; I actually had a similar idea if not with Yukari. Remove the MC and alot of her own character development (outside of what she growth she causes in Mitsuru) is removed. In order for Yukari to grow into a healthy person (as opposed to the relatively selfish person she was in the beginning of the game), she may need a development a la Junpei with Chidori. Ergo, Jin and Yukari.

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That's exactly why - remove Natsuki, and some key elements of Fuuka's development are removed. Replace Natsuki with the MShe, and Fuuka's emotional foil is you!

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I was thinking about xxxHolic and TC myself when the OP came out - animations like such are incredibly deliberate; and what alot of people consider aesthetic are actually very specifically decided clues. Direction and such - all the work put into animation we don't consider - actually contribute to it. Add this to the we-now-realize-lampshading in the original P3 OP and I think alot of the terms they shared are intentional in their choice.

And that idea makes much, much more sense - Elizabeth actually being the one beyond this alternate reality, because if things such as a death or the like occur in the universe; we don't have Messiah-Minato claiming responsibility as it was Elizabeth. This keeps all the MC canon in place, etc.

I doubt that MShe's story will have the same ending, because consistently the Persona narratives have presented what-appears-to-be a trope-filled story and then subverted it like mad. It's a very, very common trope that female characters in RPGs (and narratives overall) are often sacrifical lambs (self-chosen or otherwise) to caretake for the entire world, or be gate keepers (barrier maidens). If anything, Atlus - whose games have always subverted stereotypical female characterization, or at least really expanded on them - will turn the 'sacrificing one's soul' part right on its head.

But even if this does end up being the same story with a few changes, I won't mind because P3's narrative is that good already.