Makoto Niijima (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
studdedcouncilprez) wrote2018-03-25 05:57 pm
studdedcouncilprez) wrote2018-03-25 05:57 pm
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melodiesofeternity
Character
Name: Makoto Niijima
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Canon: Persona 5
Canon Point: Post-game, after the road trip to drive the protagonist back home.
History: Persona 5
Personality: When we first met Makoto she was the ideal honor student class president. She was ardent in her studies, was meticulous in planning and organizing, took on jobs nobody else wanted, and listened diligently to what adults told her to do. What she didn’t realize at the time was that she was doing this at the expense of her true ambitions, goals, and desires. While outwardly she seemed ambitious, this was a front. In reality, she only allowed herself to be led by adults so that she wouldn’t be a disturbance or a nuisance. She believed living this way was necessary and noble given her family circumstances. When Makoto was 15 her father and only living parent was killed. Since, her older sister Sae took Makoto in and was taking care of her. The timing couldn’t be worse: Sae was a 21-year-old district prosecutor who had only just started her career. With so much on her sister’s plate, Makoto did not want to place any more burdens on her than was necessary. This consideration trickled into other aspects of her life. Since living with Sae, she put her past goal of being a police officer on hold in order to be the ‘good girl’ her sister and teachers wanted. Makoto’s life became a moment-by-moment routine of keeping her head down, acing her exams, and staying out of trouble... that was sufficient. However, she was not happy. Her suppressed soul was crying out: to be heard, to be true, to be just, and to belong.
The awakening that turned her away from this unauthentic way of life occurred when she realized that the greed and pride of the adults she wanted to please was dangerous. They could take advantage of her desire to be seen as good. The Phantom Thieves—a group of vigilantes who somehow caused villains to confess their crimes with a “change of heart”—were supposedly responsible for the sudden confession from the coach of Shujin Academy to abuse and sexual misconduct. Believing that students were somehow involved in this confession, the principal of Shujin assigned Makoto with the unreasonable task of determining who the Phantom Thieves were. In exchange, the principal promised her a letter of recommendation to any college of her choice. Were she to refuse his offer, he would use his influence to make her failure reflect badly on her beloved older sister, Sae. Diligent as always, Makoto’s investigation uncovered not only that the principal was aware of the coach’s misdeeds, but the students at Shujin were also getting roped into a fraud and blackmail scam by a criminal organization. When she brought both of these discoveries to the attention of her principal, he rebuked the accusation and put more pressure on her to resolve the problem of the fraud on her own. Her principal’s selfishness and unwillingness to help the students at her school made Makoto confront a serious question: was the principal of Shujin acting for the benefit of the students of his school, or were the Phantom Thieves right? Whose justice was genuine?
With nowhere else to turn, increasing pressure to achieve in her investigation, and harsh criticism that her presence was viewed as unnecessary, Makoto had her back against the wall and was desperate to prove herself. With a little bit of creative blackmail thanks to one of the Phantom Thieves’ more outspoken members, she brought the problem of the criminal organization to the attention of the Phantom Thieves and demanded their cooperation. They could agree to help her or she would disclose the evidence that verified their identity to the public. While the threat was genuine, in truth Makoto’s heart was starting to change. If the adults were not going to help the students that were in need, then perhaps the Phantom Thieves’ own brand of justice was what was necessary. She found her answer during their investigation of the criminal group. Due to her own reckless desire to prove herself, she found herself facing off against the inner darkness of the crime boss. When he threatened to ruin her sister’s reputation unless she agreed to sell her body, her mask of rebellion manifested. With a desire to never again be led by the wills of others, she tore away her mask and unveiled her Persona—the manifestation of her true desires. In that moment she forged her own justice and vowed retribution to anyone that caused others pain and believed themselves above morality.
With her help, the Phantom Thieves were ultimately able to defeat the crime boss and resolve the issues of the fraud. Makoto recognized that in spite of her initial skepticism, the Phantom Thieves were true and just in their desires to reform society. Seeing them as allies, she decided to join them. Makoto quickly distinguished herself as the team's strategist. Originally, the thieves had the passion and the knowledge to steal the distorted desires of criminals, but were acting impulsively and performing operations with only a vague plan of stealing "treasure." As an organized and driven honor student, Makoto saw that acting with such a lack of foresight was extremely dangerous. While outwardly aloof and dispassionate, in actuality she is quietly kind and wise: her sage advice, clear priorities, and setting boundaries were her subtle way of making sure that at the end of the day her team was safe and succeeding as thieves and at school. She genuinely cares about the well-being of her group and classmates. This strict kindness continued within the group as another way of looking out for them.
Similarly, she has no difficulties leading by example and following through on anything she is counted on to accomplish. She wants to be good and honorable for others’ sake. Once she saw the extent to which the principal was willing to sweep her students’ suffering under the rug, she was filled with hurt and outrage. While she may sometimes come across as a bit stiff and rigid, she tries to keep her expectations high but realistic. She's a firm believer in leading by example: any advice and suggestions she makes to others she would also be willing to do herself. When faced with a difficult encounter, Makoto’s first strategy is to try to break down the problem in manageable steps and to direct her teammates accordingly. Facing an extremely dangerous encounter only bolsters her resolve and focus to get the job done. Despite this, she is not completely unshakeable. Her composure will break when she has done everything she can think of doing or is facing an obstacle of such indomitable power that nothing seems capable of changing the worst outcome. When Makoto gets overwhelmed, chances are things have really gone to hell.
Since unlocking her persona and joining the Phantom Thieves, one of Makoto’s greatest driving forces is her sense of justice. Her transformation changed her from a person acting only to meet the expectations to one that lives by her own code, galvanized by her principles. Similarly, she will use her mind and wit for the benefit of others. She wants to be her best for the sake of her friends and to protect the people that count on her. She is patient and open-minded, but also staunchly defiant when confronted with injustice. While slow to anger, once a person has been determined to be an enemy, she will look for a way to bring their misdeeds to light. This drive carries over into her fighting the monsters of her world, where, among a group of highly competent fighters, Makoto's fighting style is described as "the most brutal of the group." Anyone who tries to live good and just lives will have Makoto as a champion of their cause. And any who are greedy, selfish, hurtful, and destructive will have an unchained terror that will not hold anything back in pursuit of their undoing.
While her desire to be diligent and thorough make her excellent in her role as the Phantom Thieves’ advisor, these qualities sometimes hinder her by making her perfectionistic and self-critical. She is serious to a fault, often having difficulty doing anything for herself or joining in when others have fun. She also has a tendency to expect too much of herself. She frequently tries to accomplish more than is actually healthy and gets frustrated when she falls short of her own expectations. In addition, she only recently started to recognize that her lifestyle of satisfying others’ expectations has caused her to be very restrained in her viewpoints and experiences. She has lived a sheltered high-performing student's life and has only just started to have friends with different interests and appreciate the silly things in life. This also extends into her emotions, as she may present herself as being calm and tranquil when in actuality she is a tempest of justified anger, concern, or fear. Sometimes this may make her seem standoffish to her friends, but whenever she is invited to participate in their fun she is not one to back down and usually finds a way to enjoy the experience.
Strengths: Kind, Wise
Weaknesses: Serious, Restrained
Kind/Neutral: Principled, Trustworthy
Samples: Makoto's Test Drive Top Level
Meeting Hunk and Red
Vaikuntha
Moogle Name: Kopuchi
Moogle Gender: Female
First Job: Monk
Second Job: Ninja
Name: Makoto Niijima
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Canon: Persona 5
Canon Point: Post-game, after the road trip to drive the protagonist back home.
History: Persona 5
Personality: When we first met Makoto she was the ideal honor student class president. She was ardent in her studies, was meticulous in planning and organizing, took on jobs nobody else wanted, and listened diligently to what adults told her to do. What she didn’t realize at the time was that she was doing this at the expense of her true ambitions, goals, and desires. While outwardly she seemed ambitious, this was a front. In reality, she only allowed herself to be led by adults so that she wouldn’t be a disturbance or a nuisance. She believed living this way was necessary and noble given her family circumstances. When Makoto was 15 her father and only living parent was killed. Since, her older sister Sae took Makoto in and was taking care of her. The timing couldn’t be worse: Sae was a 21-year-old district prosecutor who had only just started her career. With so much on her sister’s plate, Makoto did not want to place any more burdens on her than was necessary. This consideration trickled into other aspects of her life. Since living with Sae, she put her past goal of being a police officer on hold in order to be the ‘good girl’ her sister and teachers wanted. Makoto’s life became a moment-by-moment routine of keeping her head down, acing her exams, and staying out of trouble... that was sufficient. However, she was not happy. Her suppressed soul was crying out: to be heard, to be true, to be just, and to belong.
The awakening that turned her away from this unauthentic way of life occurred when she realized that the greed and pride of the adults she wanted to please was dangerous. They could take advantage of her desire to be seen as good. The Phantom Thieves—a group of vigilantes who somehow caused villains to confess their crimes with a “change of heart”—were supposedly responsible for the sudden confession from the coach of Shujin Academy to abuse and sexual misconduct. Believing that students were somehow involved in this confession, the principal of Shujin assigned Makoto with the unreasonable task of determining who the Phantom Thieves were. In exchange, the principal promised her a letter of recommendation to any college of her choice. Were she to refuse his offer, he would use his influence to make her failure reflect badly on her beloved older sister, Sae. Diligent as always, Makoto’s investigation uncovered not only that the principal was aware of the coach’s misdeeds, but the students at Shujin were also getting roped into a fraud and blackmail scam by a criminal organization. When she brought both of these discoveries to the attention of her principal, he rebuked the accusation and put more pressure on her to resolve the problem of the fraud on her own. Her principal’s selfishness and unwillingness to help the students at her school made Makoto confront a serious question: was the principal of Shujin acting for the benefit of the students of his school, or were the Phantom Thieves right? Whose justice was genuine?
With nowhere else to turn, increasing pressure to achieve in her investigation, and harsh criticism that her presence was viewed as unnecessary, Makoto had her back against the wall and was desperate to prove herself. With a little bit of creative blackmail thanks to one of the Phantom Thieves’ more outspoken members, she brought the problem of the criminal organization to the attention of the Phantom Thieves and demanded their cooperation. They could agree to help her or she would disclose the evidence that verified their identity to the public. While the threat was genuine, in truth Makoto’s heart was starting to change. If the adults were not going to help the students that were in need, then perhaps the Phantom Thieves’ own brand of justice was what was necessary. She found her answer during their investigation of the criminal group. Due to her own reckless desire to prove herself, she found herself facing off against the inner darkness of the crime boss. When he threatened to ruin her sister’s reputation unless she agreed to sell her body, her mask of rebellion manifested. With a desire to never again be led by the wills of others, she tore away her mask and unveiled her Persona—the manifestation of her true desires. In that moment she forged her own justice and vowed retribution to anyone that caused others pain and believed themselves above morality.
With her help, the Phantom Thieves were ultimately able to defeat the crime boss and resolve the issues of the fraud. Makoto recognized that in spite of her initial skepticism, the Phantom Thieves were true and just in their desires to reform society. Seeing them as allies, she decided to join them. Makoto quickly distinguished herself as the team's strategist. Originally, the thieves had the passion and the knowledge to steal the distorted desires of criminals, but were acting impulsively and performing operations with only a vague plan of stealing "treasure." As an organized and driven honor student, Makoto saw that acting with such a lack of foresight was extremely dangerous. While outwardly aloof and dispassionate, in actuality she is quietly kind and wise: her sage advice, clear priorities, and setting boundaries were her subtle way of making sure that at the end of the day her team was safe and succeeding as thieves and at school. She genuinely cares about the well-being of her group and classmates. This strict kindness continued within the group as another way of looking out for them.
Similarly, she has no difficulties leading by example and following through on anything she is counted on to accomplish. She wants to be good and honorable for others’ sake. Once she saw the extent to which the principal was willing to sweep her students’ suffering under the rug, she was filled with hurt and outrage. While she may sometimes come across as a bit stiff and rigid, she tries to keep her expectations high but realistic. She's a firm believer in leading by example: any advice and suggestions she makes to others she would also be willing to do herself. When faced with a difficult encounter, Makoto’s first strategy is to try to break down the problem in manageable steps and to direct her teammates accordingly. Facing an extremely dangerous encounter only bolsters her resolve and focus to get the job done. Despite this, she is not completely unshakeable. Her composure will break when she has done everything she can think of doing or is facing an obstacle of such indomitable power that nothing seems capable of changing the worst outcome. When Makoto gets overwhelmed, chances are things have really gone to hell.
Since unlocking her persona and joining the Phantom Thieves, one of Makoto’s greatest driving forces is her sense of justice. Her transformation changed her from a person acting only to meet the expectations to one that lives by her own code, galvanized by her principles. Similarly, she will use her mind and wit for the benefit of others. She wants to be her best for the sake of her friends and to protect the people that count on her. She is patient and open-minded, but also staunchly defiant when confronted with injustice. While slow to anger, once a person has been determined to be an enemy, she will look for a way to bring their misdeeds to light. This drive carries over into her fighting the monsters of her world, where, among a group of highly competent fighters, Makoto's fighting style is described as "the most brutal of the group." Anyone who tries to live good and just lives will have Makoto as a champion of their cause. And any who are greedy, selfish, hurtful, and destructive will have an unchained terror that will not hold anything back in pursuit of their undoing.
While her desire to be diligent and thorough make her excellent in her role as the Phantom Thieves’ advisor, these qualities sometimes hinder her by making her perfectionistic and self-critical. She is serious to a fault, often having difficulty doing anything for herself or joining in when others have fun. She also has a tendency to expect too much of herself. She frequently tries to accomplish more than is actually healthy and gets frustrated when she falls short of her own expectations. In addition, she only recently started to recognize that her lifestyle of satisfying others’ expectations has caused her to be very restrained in her viewpoints and experiences. She has lived a sheltered high-performing student's life and has only just started to have friends with different interests and appreciate the silly things in life. This also extends into her emotions, as she may present herself as being calm and tranquil when in actuality she is a tempest of justified anger, concern, or fear. Sometimes this may make her seem standoffish to her friends, but whenever she is invited to participate in their fun she is not one to back down and usually finds a way to enjoy the experience.
Strengths: Kind, Wise
Weaknesses: Serious, Restrained
Kind/Neutral: Principled, Trustworthy
Samples: Makoto's Test Drive Top Level
Meeting Hunk and Red
Vaikuntha
Moogle Name: Kopuchi
Moogle Gender: Female
First Job: Monk
Second Job: Ninja