Where I eventually ended up was that neither option is likely to permanently break it - if VR Psychosis was as easy to solve as giving the person a shove I think it'd be less of a big deal. I'm uncertain if it will even temporarily break the spell, although it'd be a bit mean to give us a Determination Cost option when it wouldn't, but putting that kind of meta thinking aside I could see it as failing to break the spell and Shino seeing it as pretty weak - Hiyori notes that Shino is much stronger than us - and leading her to dismissively think us as weak too.
My thinking eventually led to me to conclude that with Shino in as deep as she is already that this is basically inevitably going to end with a harsh takedown of the persona she's putting up here and that that being the case, it might be worth trying to do so now - as early as we can. I have all these longer term plans of trying to explain to her (probably at a later time) that this side of us she admired so much is part of us but it's just that a part and while it did protect us in SAO it also left us with a lot of trauma and regret for what we did and how we're trying to reconcile with that side of us. Also that what she's doing is not what we did and is more akin to becoming the kind of bullies she was tormented by and is already turning it on Kyouji.
But also I recognize that a lot of my longer-term visions on matters like this end up wildly off-base from what ends up happening. There is definitely backfire potential here that this just makes her think, "Wow, I should aspire to be like Laughing Coffin then!" either immediately or once she slips back into VR Psychosis but I think this is our best shot at dumping enough cold water on her to break the spell with a possible chance that even if it can't - in a twisted way it causes her to "respect" us more for our strength and we can keep her closer that way.
IDK, it's a tough decision in my mind. I wouldn't be bothered if the Determination/Shove/Punch(? I assumed not a punch since that was used as the STUNT example) option wins.
As for that proposed write-in, I'm inclined not to tailor the write-in and just let Shadow Hiyori take the wheel on deciding how to go about this. And while I don't know if Hiyori remembers, she does know that Shino's GGO handle is Sinon - Kyouji mentioned it front of us while we were together during Golden Week.
The thing is that Shino is looking for an opponent to throw down with no matter what. Revealing we're an ex-Laughing Coffin member just makes us a goal for her to aspire towards. And if we go for a verbal takedown like with Sugou before her I think it's most likely to just have her dig in her heels and double-down and want to fight us more because by the logic she's operating under all she has to do to disprove us is to defeat us. But like with Sugou, physical pain is not a challenge, it is an affirmation of reality showing that nothing she thinks she can do is even real.
This makes me wonder who the CHOSEN of GGO is then. On one hand, it could be Red Eyed XaXa since he was the main villain in the original GGO arc. But on the other hand, we have Sinon who could fit in as the protagonist of her own tale, fighting to become the best fighter in the most prestigious tournament.
How are CHOSEN selected anyways? Does one need to be part of the original group of players when the game is released? Or does the SEED just pick somebody who they feel like would make a good CHOSEN?
I think the SEED chooses someone, remember Kayaba's conversation with Kirito in the Star side story? How after he was bored of being the "protagonist" with the cardinal system arranging things in the background, he had cardinal go and pick someone else to support. If that's true then I think the SEED would pick someone that would represent GGO … or someone it found interesting
The SEED seems to select Chosens based on how much they desire to escape the real world and how well they fit the specific VRMMO. For GGO, either Sinon or DEATH GUN seem like the best candidates, since they would make for the best "narrative". Although we can't be certain that the SEED is limited to one Chosen, can we?
[X] Wake her up with force [You lack the FITNESS for this option] 5 DETERMINATION to take
THURSDAY - May 22nd, 2025
Afternoon
There's a pressure in your chest, a hollow cavity that gnaws at your core. A strange creeping sensation that spreads from your spine and down your limbs. A silent alarm that screams through your mind until it's no longer capable of rational thought.
It's a familiar feeling. It's not just the muzzle pressed against your side it's a thousand sensations and more, and it takes no time at all for your mind to catch up to your body.
An estoc to your heart.
A knife to your neck.
Poison in your drink.
The sound of laughter mixed with the screams of the dying.
And you're back there once again, a deer in the headlights, jumping at every shadow because the shadows were trying to kill you. Accepting every injustice, carrying out every order, anything you can to stay useful, to stay safe, to stay alive.
She's silent, arm gripping your shoulder, just millimeters away from gripping your neck. Waiting for you to decide the answer for her.
Predator or Prey?
Rival or Target?
You want to speak to her, but you can't even move your lips. You fight off the urge to heave, and the taste of iron fills your mouth. Your hand reaches for hers, still seizing your shoulder, but your grip is weak and her stare never relents.
You feel... exactly like you did back then.
Except...
You're no longer the same person.
Not anymore.
"Shino... you need to..."
Your words are accompanied by your fist.
"WAKE UP!"
You reach forward, thrusting with your left arm forward in a clumsy flailing motion. It's a weak blow, you can't move well and Shino's taller than you but it's all the more effective for it, especially when your knuckles dig into the side of her ribs.
The reaction is immediate.
The pressure, the cloying smell of fire and death, it all dissolves like a morning fog. Shino stumbles back, hands reaching to guard her side, face contorting in surprise. She's shocked, even reflexively jerking away from you in a panic. Not necessarily from pain, but from the sudden realization that someone just hit her.
"Shino! Talk to me, please!"
The teal-haired phantom fades as the black-haired girl resumes control, hyperventilating in front of you. Her eyes track down to her empty hand, one she holds in front of her like a foreign object. "What... what just...?"
Shino looks around her, and you realize she's finally looking around with clarity once more. No monsters. No fire. No guns. Just... you.
"Hiyori... I'm... what..."
It's just like the Tokyo Skytree and all the supporters of Seven. You pull the dazed girl to the swings, gently lowering her into the seat. She sits there, dumbstruck, hands hanging gripping the chains as she stares at the ground. She looks fine, physically at least. Dazed, sure, and awkwardly nursing her side. But... sane. Somewhat.
"You're alright. What happened Shino? Do you remember our conversation?"
Your neighbor takes a deep breath, composing herself. "O-of course, I just invited you to try out GGO. I must've... gotten a bit too excited... probably just spending too much time in GGO."
Her mind's doing cartwheels, the cognitive dissonance trying to make sense of her strange new reality, where Sinon the sniper was unreal and Shino the schoolgirl was real.
You pull up to the swing next to her, checking her over for injuries. "I'm sorry... for punching you. I needed to get your attention. Is your side ok?"
"Oh, that? I'll be fine, it doesn't even hurt."
Next aim for her stupid face. See how bulletproof those glasses really are!
You try not to be annoyed. You didn't exactly hold back, a little indication that you did some damage would've been appreciated.
"Shino, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You should stay away from GGO, or any VRMMO for that matter," you say, trying to stress how important this was. "You've heard what happened with ALO? And VR Psychosis? I think... GGO might not be good for you."
You see her raise her guard and the sharpness return to her features. She shakes her head, looking at you as if you just suggested she try going without water.
"I appreciate the warning Hiyori, but I'm fine."
"Clearly you're not! GGO is messing with your mind, you're not acting like yourself. It's changing you, its—"
"—Not your concern," Sinon hisses, rising out of her swing. "Hiyori, why are you lecturing me now? GGO is something I enjoy. I feel... alive there. It's where I'm strong. It's my hobby. Not yours."
"You're being stupid!" You stand up to face her, the fear that overwhelmed you replaced with frustrated anger. "How much time are you spending in GGO!? Are you even coming to school? What's so important about a stupid fake tournament?"
She blinks, looking like you punched her again.
"Are you serious? This isn't just some tournament, this is the «Bullet of Bullets», where the strong are crowned." Shino laughs in disbelief. "This isn't a game to me Hiyori. This is an opportunity for me to finally be free. To be who I want to be! You're meddling in something you don't understand!"
"Understand!? I understand more than anyone! I've seen it happen, Shino, people dead in SAO. People warped, changed, violated in ALO! None of this right, none of this is safe! I don't want that to happen to you!"
"No. You don't understand, because you haven't lived it Hiyori." Shino says, staring coldly. "If I want to become who I want to be, to reach my true self, I need to win. I need to be the very best, to be unassailable. Without hesitation. I have to be the person who would..." She holds her forehead, shaking her thoughts loose.
The two of you stand there, the sun setting in the distance and the air filling with tension. Even without the confusion of her game avatar Shino is convinced. Concerning her goals and desires Shino and Sinon were of one mind.
"And Hiyori, my offer still stands. If you have so many concerns about GGO then why don't you try it out? Don't worry about stats, numbers, all that stuff is fluff. GGO is a place where the strong rise to the top. I know you'll do amazing there."
"Wait, we're not done here!"
Shino stands, brushing off your attempts to stop her. She starts slowly but surely making her way out of the playground, only briefly pausing to turn back and address you.
"The «Bullet of Bullets» is next week. You don't have to compete, but if you're so concerned about me, then you might as well watch. My handle is «Sinon», just send me a PM telling me it's you when you first log on. I'd be happy to show you how wrong you are about GGO."
And with that Sinon storms off, leaving you alone in the playground.
Well.
That happened.
Looks like Shino's finally grown a pair. Good.
What? She's gone crazy.
So? Crazy is a good. Crazy is fun. Let her have this.
And let her get caught by... whatever is going on in GGO!? It could be another Sugou for all we know!
Please, it couldn't be simpler. You heard her. She respects the strong. And we're stronger than her. What the hell has she done? Killed a dumb robber by accident at some point? Phff, we've burned downed worlds. We want her to listen? Do it at the point of a sword. Or... gun or whatever.
VR Worlds. Nascent Worlds. Fake worlds.
But Shino knows what it's like to kill a human in the real world. Combine that with GGO, a game that glorifies guns...
You're worried. And more than even the thought of fighting her is how close Sinon and Shino were in attitude. It wasn't like Meimi or even like Seven. VR Psychosis, if what's happening in SEED games could even be called that, wasn't mind control or possession. Without Sugou directly manipulating things you're not even sure if it was nothing more than a consequence of being immersed long-term in an artificial world.
She didn't just wake up and become a different person, nor do you think that cold sniper was a false part of her.
Not a hidden part, a dark impulse kept deep in the subconscious, like a Shadow. No, it was more of a... yearning. For a more better, more perfect version of oneself. A version of themselves not repressed but aspired to. A materialization not of the shadows hidden in the soul... but of the version of yourself you choose to be.
An ideal.
A... «Chosen».
THURSDAY - May 22nd, 2025
Evening
"Barkeep! I'll have one of what's on tap!"
The tall glass of fizzy amber liquid is pushed in front of you and the plain-faced salaryman, face already red from what sounded like hours of prior libations. Mikami grabs the frothy beer with stars in his eyes, admiring the foamy head and intoxicating aroma before taking a deep gulp. He tips the glass all the way back, chugging the entire thing in seconds before slamming the glass onto the table.
"AHHHH! That hits the spot! You're missing out on this Hiyori-san!"
"I'm 15."
"That's no reason not to celebrate! Barkeep, get her a big mug!"
You take a sip of your drink, a plain soda, and watch the owner of the izakaya ignore your host's casual suggestion to break the law. When you called up Mikami-san to meet this evening you had expected to apologize for your part in dragging his company through the mud. What you didn't expect was to hear the sounds of revelry blasting through the background of the phone call.
See, you had caught Satoru Mikami at an awkward time.
You caught him having the time of his life.
"Ah, you know I was really worried for a bit, after all the reassignment stuff..." Mikami says, already working his way through another drink. "But man did I luck out!"
You're glad Mikami survived the fall of RECT Progress, but you can't help but feel like you were missing a huge piece of the story. "Why are you so happy about this? Didn't you get effectively fired?"
"Fired?! Haha, no, no, nothing of the sort! In fact, I quit!"
"...I'm sorry. What?"
Mikami leans forward, holding his drink close to him. "I got this buddy at work, high up, not sure what he does. But he called me up a week ago and warned me that the boss was going loco. Now I remember what you told me too Hiyori-san, and I got a bit concerned..."
He gestures to you to come closer, as if he's about to reveal some great conspiracy. You play along, and the salaryman drops his voice to a hushed whisper.
"See I got warning the boss was doing something illegal. So I started talking with some of the data analysts, and they were also seeing some problems with payroll. Mismanagement from top to bottom. Everyone had the same idea: the ship was sinking and it was time to escape the wreckage... I mean, we were already in hot water with the Ministry of Labor over unsafe working hours..."
Mikami continues his story, a tale of how Aizawa from data analytics finally realized that she was owed 500 hours of overtime pay, and how once she made that known she was put on immediate leave. Suddenly a bunch of other employees also realized that they were owed overtime, everything boiling over with extremely suspicious timing.
"So this all happened... just before Sugou got arrested?" You ask.
Mikami nods. "Yep, talk about fortuitous timing! I know a few guys from HR and they said they got an anonymous warning too. Between the warnings, everything you were doing in ALO, plus all this payment drama a bunch of us gathered together and wondered if it might not be best to set off on our own."
"I... I see." You say, taking another sip of your drink. The work of Yanai, cleaning up after himself, or did the man have friends in RECT? You didn't hold any direct animosity towards the rank and file, so you're glad Mikami and most of his team landed on their feet.
"I've had to give a few statements to the police, but Sugou kept everything so siloed off I wasn't involved in any of that nasty business," Mikami says, wiping his mouth.
"Doesn't that make you, uh, unemployed?" Should he be celebrating that? When you came in you realize that he wasn't even alone, there were a bunch of salarymen in various stages of inebriation laughing alongside him. Mikami peeled away just to talk to you. There were hundreds here. This wasn't some pity party. It was... a company party.
"Haha, only for a few days!" Mikami laughs, pointing his thumb at his chest in pride. "But we all ended up quitting at the same time so we thought it was time to go into business for ourselves! A bunch of us pooled together our savings and even found some investors! Hehe, you're looking at the new Development Head of «YMIR»! I know, I know, hold your applause!"
Ymir. Oh no. More Norse mythology bullshit. This was like naming a ship the Titanic.
"Mikami-san. You didn't," you say, dreading the answer. Unless it was some profoundly stupid acronym there was every chance that this was just ALO under a new layer of paint. "Why did you name your company Ymir? Didn't ALO just—"
"Alfheim Online isn't finished yet. Not by a long shot."
You blink, suddenly lost for words. "What?"
Mikami's joviality has evaporated, but he seems focused. Resolute. You can tell this was a subject he had been waiting to discuss for a while.
"I've wanted to speak to you about this. If anybody deserves to know, it's you Hiyori-san. I've read the news reports, and I've used what connections I have to find out what exactly happened ALO. To Raphael. The 'special investigator' the stories all credited with bringing down Sugou... that was you, wasn't it? You and the team of players you gathered."
You nod silently, still stunned. He was bringing ALO back? After everything? It's the natural consequence of putting a slime in charge.
"I don't know all the details, but to think that Sugou was doing all of that, without our knowledge..." Mikami says, shaking his head. "It's unconscionable, what he did. And I'm ashamed, as the person who was most well equipped to discover his crimes, that I never noticed. Never really tried to notice."
The salaryman pauses, letting out a deep sigh.
"But was what happened the fault of Alfheim Online itself? Or the machinations of one madman?"
You can see where this is going. And you do not like it. Slap some sense into him!
You'd gladly oblige if you didn't already prove earlier today that you were very bad at hitting things.
"Mikami-san. I... hope you believe me when I say this. Something is going on with the SEED. I mean, I met Kayaba Akihiko. Or someone pretending to be him. The SEED is his brainchild. There's... nothing natural about it."
Mikami shakes his head. "You're not the first to notice the similarities between the SEED and systems running SAO, it's practically an open secret. The SEED is suspicious, sure. But that doesn't make it dangerous."
"It's like, tailor-made to screw with your mind! It's made by a mass murderer! How is that not dangerous!?" It's the most direct warning you can give about the SEED, occult forces warning about the end of the world notwithstanding. There was only so much bullshit people would be willing to accept on trust.
"There's something about the SEED you have to realize. It's true that we... don't fully understand it. Despite all of its success, despite the amazing applications and capabilities of the SEED, we barely understand how it works. You'd think that we'd be able to trace the mechanisms behind it, but the entire process is still largely a mystery. But one thing is completely unavoidable..."
Mikami pauses, trying to find the right words to explain things.
"The SEED is... amazing. It just... works. It can do things we thought impossible. Create graphics that look real, construct worlds that feel lifelike, and populate them with humanlike NPCs and avatars. Almost at the push of a button. Even if we can't fully understand it, I don't think anyone would disagree that the SEED is a marvel. It's a true, honest to god miracle."
"But miracles, Mikami-san... miracles come at a cost."
"And I can't refute you. Perhaps something is being planned with the SEED. Perhaps it's a Trojan horse of some kind. There's a lot of maybes. But there's one thing that isn't a maybe. It's that technology has never, ever, regressed."
Mikami takes a drink, slamming the glass onto the table in emphasis. "There's no turning back the clock on the computer age, for all the detractors of it. No unmaking the internet. No banning of cell phones. The SEED is here to stay, and it's not just with games, but with public safety, education, anything imaginable. The SEED is being tapped for self-driving cars. The Social Camera system is going to be partly running off SEED infrastructure. Counseling, healthcare, and yes, entertainment. The SEED is the next big thing, like, everywhere. The applications are limitless, there's no shoving that genie back in the bottle. What we need instead is to use the technology responsibly."
That's it then. Kayaba Akihiko destroys the world cause he made his apocalypse program too fucking convenient.
VR in teaching. VR in hospice. VR.... everywhere. You've already seen it firsthand.
Who could be trusted to curate that? The government? The thought of someone like the clueless Kikuoaka with the power of the SEED makes you nauseous, to say nothing of the whole Antisocial Conspiracy from a few years back. Who did that even leave? Tech companies? Individuals?
Mikami leans in, "I think Sugou lost sight of that. I think Sugou lost sight of a lot of things. He may be evil, but I don't think his creation should share his fate. Alfheim Online still has potential. Potential that can be realized responsibly this time."
Mikami gestures to the crowd behind him.
"Everyone here? They're here for ALO. YMIR as it stands is founded upon the idea that ALO can be recreated. We have people from all different corners of RECT here, plus plenty of other interested parties. Potential investors, all well-off ALO players. Lots of people miss ALO, myself included."
It was a packed crowd, probably every person in this izakaya was involved with YMIR in one form or another.
"I want to ask you, Hiyori-san, or maybe I should say Lux? Did you truly hate Alfheim Online? Did you never have a moment where you felt joy? Where you felt a thrill that you'd never felt anywhere else? What about your friends? Your teammates? The players you gathered? Did they all hate Alfheim Online?"
Yuuki was having fun up to the very end. Shiroe was able to find the glorious exit he sought. And the feeling of air rushing through your wings. Magic at your fingertips. The power to make a difference, to matter for once.
You bite your lip.
Mikami nods, accepting your silence as an answer.
"Alfheim Online was many different things to many different people. For some it was a home. And yes, it was an escape as well. But I don't consider that a bad thing. People need an escape, and I think choosing to escape to a world where you work with fellow players together, hand in hand, is much better than spending it on a mobile game, chatroom or just wasting away in bed."
"Even when that escapism is exploited?"
"What Sugou did was unconscionable, but his actions don't define us. The ALO IP at this time is frankly radioactive, and once we expressed interest in buying it RECT was practically tripping over themselves to sell. Even with the IP we have... essentially nothing. No server data, no player data, whatever happened to ALO between you and Sugou, you fried it well and truly. I hear you burned down the whole world..."
Ragnarok was complete, the scenario you set up led to the SEED consuming itself wholesale. Nothing beyond the scraps you saved were left intact, if YMIR wanted to restart ALO it would have to rebuild it from the ground up.
With something like the SEED? Wouldn't even be very hard.
"Mikami, I burned that world because it was dangerous. Sugou was studying every person there, preparing to turn them into his army of slaves. The fact that something like that was even possible with the SEED is insane."
"The jury's still out on that. It may have just been Sugou's delusions dramatically overestimating his capabilities. Regardless of if it's possible or not, all technology has the potential to be abused. I can't control the spread of tech, nobody can, but what I can do is control how I choose to use it. And YMIR will be different. Must be different. Open communication with the players, transparency, a commitment to ethics... we'll be everything that RECT was not."
"It sounds as if you've already made up your mind." Yeah, and it's a dumb fucking decision.
"Everything's still on the ground floor! My team's got a lot of ideas. Beyond recreating the Alfheim landmass we were thinking of maybe adding some floating islands. A «Svartalfheim» that never really got beyond the design stage, a new zone that's a way of separating ourselves from RECT. Now there is one, very special, island that we're putting in..."
Mikami gestures towards you, giving you a wink.
"You remember what I told you about helping the SAO Survivors? With all the mess RECT is in the government is no longer letting them hang on to the old SAO servers, and «Kamura» is taking it over. I've already been in talks with them about using SAO world data... now it's gonna cost us some money but if everything lines up we should be able to scrounge up enough..."
Another... Sword Art Online. Without the death, without all the tragedy. Just a piece of entertainment...
"It'll allow every SAO Survivor out there a chance at closure. A final chapter to SAO, with a happier, triumphant ending. A New «Aincrad», one that can be conquered without causing a single death. SAO as it was originally envisioned: just a game. Not one that you live in. One that you just... play. And if you'd like, Hiyori-san, I'd love to invite you to help us test it."
...
A chance to do SAO over again, without any further threats. To make the right decisions, to live a life you didn't have to regret. This New «Aincrad»... wouldn't be able to give you that.
"I'm sorry, Mikami-san. I think... I'll be too busy to help you out with that." You say, standing up from the table.
"Ah... I see." Mikami says, staring down at his drink. "I'm disappointed but you're probably really busy with school? I get it, I get it."
You hesitate, lingering a bit longer. "It's not just school. I'm... still investigating other VRMMOs. Say, Mikami-san, do you know anyone who works in Zaskar?"
The question catches him off guard. "More work with the government? Oh, are you like... the new Detective Prince?"
"NO!" The last thing you want to be compared to is a teenage police officer turned mass murderer!
"Ah! Yes, yes, sorry. Too soon, too soon!" Mikami backpedals, raising his hands. "But yes, I do have a contact for you!"
He excuses himself and digs through his phone, flipping through his contacts. You tap your toes in impatience before he finally finds an answer buried deep in his list.
"Zaskar is, well, it's an American company, a very strange one at that. All of its employees whether in Japan's branch or its home country work from home. There's no central office, no clear idea who the president is, and no clear corporate hierarchy. If you ask me, it's run by some US spy agency or something, its firearm simulation is reportedly almost perfectly aligned with reality."
Zaskar's «Gun Gale Online». No breaking into their office this time, not when it was an ocean away. And probably just an unmarked warehouse in the middle of a desert.
"Here we go, she's one of their mods for the Japanese branch. We aren't close but the world of VR moderators is a small one so we all know each other. She's a private individual, and won't take too kindly to you just cold calling her... but if you have a specific question I can pass it along to her."
Right now you knew too little of the situation in GGO to go running straight to a mod. But it was good to at least know you have a point of contact should you need it.
"Mikami-san, thanks, I just might take you up on that someday. And I... wanted to thank you for listening to me, back there with Seven. For trusting me."
"Think nothing of it, I'm the one that owes you for the truth," Mikami raises his glass in your direction. "I hope this isn't the last we see of Lux! I'll shoot you a message when Alfheim is going back online! I can't recreate your character or equipment but I'm sure I can find something in the backend to get you back «Excalibur». Can't have our favorite «Edge Punisher» go without her blade!"
You don't have the heart to tell him you still have it locked up in your NerveGear but thank him nonetheless. With a bow and one final congratulations, you leave the izakaya behind with a freshly printed YMIR business card in your pocket.
Absent the machinations of evil men like Sugou, when curated and guided by people who genuinely just wanted to have fun... Was it your place to criticize Mikami for wanting to recapture a bit of that magic? Were you just some new-age Luddite?
Yes, you are. Let them do what they want, the damn Slime's right. No shoving this cat back in the box. And put aside all the corpo bullshit. What is he really telling you?
His soul reveals what his words do not. His own SEED shines brilliantly as he describes the world he wants to create. It flows into you, through the devouring Persona you've used so often throughout ALO.
A vision of SAO, one without death or suffering.
A game that can simply be... played.
Alfheim Online is one thing. Without the server data, it's gonna be more of a recollection than a continuation. A more pure version, one without the taint of Sugou's research. But Sword Art Online? To take Kayaba's masterpiece, the land where thousands died, and recreate it...
What's the damn problem? Sounds like fun! We've already beaten Kayaba's leftovers, let's try out his main course.
The SAO Survivors... would they want that? Some peace? Some closure?
Would you?
AN: Just gonna fuse the Persona choice with the next update, which is incoming, so no vote for this chapter.
A reminder that there will be some nerfs to existing Personas and that we are doing some balance changes. Apologies to those who, uh, liked the old upgrade system. I'm sure in the infinite parallel worlds there's at least one of you.
I'm staring down the barrel of goddamn 25 Personas at once, purely my fault, and I'm struggling to make them unique. The killing of the upgrade system gives me a bit more control in that regard.
"No. You don't understand, because you haven't lived it Hiyori." Shino says, staring coldly. "If I want to become who I want to be, to reach my true self, I need to win. I need to be the very best, to be unassailable. Without hesitation. I have to be the person who would..." She holds her forehead, shaking her thoughts loose.
Yeah, we should try to contact Kyouji about this for sure, let's see if we can get him on our side. Although I don't know how are we going to deal with this problem.
Mikami takes a drink, slamming the glass onto the table in emphasis. "There's no turning back the clock on the computer age, for all the detractors of it. No unmaking the internet. No banning of cell phones. The SEED is here to stay, and it's not just with games, but with public safety, education, hell everywhere you see.
Unfortunately for him this might actually be the exception that proves the rule since SEED is more magic than technology here so it's possible at the conclusion of the quest the entire thing collapses if Kayaba/Philemon are defeated.
If we can do so safely I'm all for it but the problem is unless we exchanged contact info off-screen during Golden Week I don't know how we can accomplish it safely. He dropped out of our school and if we do the one thing we probably could do and just look up his address... his brother is XaXa so it would be such a bad idea.
Mind you, the one time all quest I voted for what I damn well knew was a bad idea was precisely on this matter because Hiyorican't possibly know that so I mean... I suppose I could be talked into that but I get the distinct impression almost no one else would want to go anywhere near that.
We could try asking Shino but given the encounter we just had that could be rolling the dice on which Shino we get.
I think how Shino performs in the BoB next week and more crucially how she reacts to it will determine how we'll have to approach her. Normally I wouldn't expect her to win between 『 』and Subtilizer - but if she's a Chosen maybe SEED lets her find a way to win (or those two are absent.) It sounds like it's likely to be our formal introduction to the next arc at any rate.
Honestly, Blank getting involved is going to make things interesting as heck. Especially if they get involved on the back end of things, noticing that Persona bullshit isn't actually hacking.
You reach forward, thrusting with your left arm forward in a clumsy flailing motion. It's a weak blow, you can't move well and Shino's taller than you but it's all the more effective for it, especially when your knuckles dig into the side of her ribs.
"No. You don't understand, because you haven't lived it Hiyori." Shino says, staring coldly. "If I want to become who I want to be, to reach my true self, I need to win. I need to be the very best, to be unassailable. Without hesitation. I have to be the person who would..." She holds her forehead, shaking her thoughts loose.
Not a hidden part, a dark impulse kept deep in the subconscious, like a Shadow. No, it was more of a... yearning. For a more better, more perfect version of oneself. A version of themselves not repressed but aspired to. A materialization not of the shadows hidden in the soul... but of the version of yourself you choose to be.
Now that we've getting more information about the Chosen they've really been reminding me of something from all the way from Persona 1: an Ideal Self.
An Ideal Self is the opposite of a Shadow Self an idealized image of who you truly want to be, but as Persona 1 itself went into great detail about your Ideal Self is based on what you think you want to be so it is inherently flawed image that is limited by the person who created it and while openly more powerful. We see this with the central character, Maki's, Ideal Self who is outwardly friendly, confident, self-sufficient etc but collapses like a house of cards when she learns the truth.
OBERON and Sinon seem to be even more flawed Ideal Selves than Maki's though, given that they were even hotter messes than she was, this time fused over their original self as a super mode of some kind which still lines up with Ideal Maki who could summon her own Persona despite being a cognition.
Okay, this throws all my theories out the window. My main theory about the GGO arc was that DEATH GUN being a collective identity would cause the Seed to adapt or mutate based on their conflicting desires clash with the Sterben avatar.
But Sinon shows what I've overlooked. DEATH GUN and GGO is ultimately a means to an end to kill people in reality. Heck, XaXa and Johnny don't even care much about the game, it's just a tool to help them kill people in real life. They lack the desire of escape and love of another world.
Mikami leans forward, holding his drink close to him. "I got this buddy at work, high up, not sure what he does. But he called me up like a week ago and warned me that the boss was going loco. Now I remember what you told me too Hiyori-san, and I got a bit concerned..."
He gestures to you to come closer, as if he's about to reveal some great conspiracy. You play along, and the salaryman drops his voice to a hushed whisper.
"My buddy passed me some advance warning that the boss was doing something illegal. So I started talking with some of the data analysts, and they were having some problems with payroll. Mismanagement from top to bottom. Everyone had the same idea: the ship was sinking and it was time to escape the wreckage... I mean, we were already in hot water with the Ministry of Labor over unsafe working hours..."
"Haha, only for a few days!" Mikami laughs, pointing his thumb at his chest in pride. "But we all ended up quitting at the same time so we got to talking that maybe it was time to go into business for ourselves! So a bunch of us pooled together our savings and even found some investors! Hehe, you're looking at the new Development Head of «YMIR»! I know, I know, hold your applause!"
Ymir. Oh no. More Norse mythology bullshit. This was like naming a ship the Titanic.
"I don't know all the details, but to think that Sugou was doing all of that, without our knowledge..." Mikami says, shaking his head. "It's unconscionable, what he did. And I'm ashamed, as the person who was most well equipped to discover his crimes, that I never noticed. Never really tried to notice."
The salaryman pauses, letting out a deep sigh.
"But was what happened the fault of Alfheim Online itself? Or the machinations of one madman?"
This comes off as utterly disingenuous. The empty platitude of a bland, middle-of-the-road Isekai protagonists who says heroic things without understanding or meaning them.
Congragulations, Pete. You've made me understand why you disake the Slime Isekai for its blandness.
Mikami takes a drink, slamming the glass onto the table in emphasis. "There's no turning back the clock on the computer age, for all the detractors of it. No unmaking the internet. No banning of cell phones. The SEED is here to stay, and it's not just with games, but with public safety, education, hell everywhere you see. The SEED is being tapped for self-driving cars. The Social Camera system is going to be partly running off SEED infrastructure. Counseling, healthcare, and yes, entertainment. The SEED is the next big thing, like, everywhere. It's already changing the way we live our lives. The applications are limitless, there's no shoving that genie back in the bottle. What we need instead is to use the technology responsibly."
That's it then. Kayaba Akihiko destroys the world cause he made his apocalypse program too fucking convenient.
VR in teaching. VR in hospice. VR.... everywhere. You've already seen it firsthand.
Who could be trusted to curate that? The government? The thought of someone like the clueless Kikuoaka with the power of the SEED makes you nauseous, to say nothing of the whole Antisocial Conspiracy from a few years back. Who did that even leave? Tech companies? Individuals?
Really shows how well thought out and insidious Kayaba and PHILEMON's plans are. Well, Phile would definitely have to be smart to match wits with Nyarly, his contingency plans have contingency plans.
"I want to ask you, Hiyori-san, or maybe I should say Lux? Did you truly hate Alfheim Online? Did you never have a moment where you felt joy? Where you felt a thrill that you'd never felt anywhere else? What about your friends? Your teammates? The players you gathered? Did they all hate Alfheim Online?"
Yuuki was having fun up to the very end. Shiroe was able to find the glorious exit he sought. And the feeling of air rushing through your wings. Magic at your fingertips. The power to make a difference, to matter for once.
Well, we actually had the most fun while using magic and cheating. Playing the game the way it's not supposed to be played and breaking what it's supposed to be.
Ragnarok was complete, the scenario you set up led to the SEED consuming itself wholesale. Nothing beyond the scraps you saved were left intact, if YMIR wanted to restart ALO it would have to rebuild it from the ground up.
Hey, what about the first real one? Naoto was cool as hell!
Wow, Mikami captured everything I hate about Isekai protagonists in this update. The empty ideals, unoriginal ideas, missing the forest for the trees, the focus on his own self-indulgence over everything else, the utter disingenuousness of everything he says.
AN: Two updates in quick succession, so check threadmarks.
FRIDAY - May 23, 2025
Afternoon
Spying was your specialty. It never came naturally to you, but necessity was the mother of invention, and your need was truly tremendous. With a high enough «Hide» skill spying was even easy— it was doing it subtly enough not to be noticed without the power of invisibility that was the challenge.
A few simple rules. If you can't remain hidden then do the opposite. Be visible. Be a face in the crowd, look busy, blend in. Give yourself an excuse to be in that time and place, and fade into the background. Be seen but don't stand out. Be present but not noticed.
You know what proper spying looked like.
And this?
This was not that.
"Isn't she adorable? Don't you want to take her home?" The absurdly tall girl behind you mutters, breathing heavily above your head.
You're not spying on Shirogane and Shizuka's date. Because that would involve them admitting it was a date. And it would involve you admitting that you were spying.
Which you were definitely not doing. Because spying was a crime! And pretty rude!
Not that you would get far, with this giant behind you drawing in stares everywhere she went. She showed up at the same time as you did with the same idea, though in your opinion she was significantly less prepared than you were. At least there was one fringe benefit of having Karen here.
So long as you sandwiched yourself between the wall you were pretty much invisible! The best part is no one had to crouch down to peek over the same wall, she was almost two whole heads taller than you!
"Shh, quiet down. I don't want them to see us." You chide, staring through the café window. Shirogane was gesticulating wildly to a teapot while Shizuka smiles and nods along.
Karen lets out a soft 'hm', her chin resting on her palm, eyes also locked onto the two sitting inside the cafe. "So... what do you think? Isn't she the cutest?"
You turn to glare at the tall girl behind you, "Wait, did you dress her?" Shizuka was in an outfit that was so pink it almost hurt your eyes. There was lace, some gaudy pink platform shoes, and enough lace to choke out a pony. A pure caricature of the word: cute. It does not fit the dour Shizuka at all.
What was this style? Fairy-kei? Was that even popular anymore in the two years since you've been in SAO? You're no fashion queen but you at least had a look you tried to maintain! Your look is dressing like grandma.
Karen smiles, "I just bought some stuff I've always wanted to wear, and thought she'd look great in them!"
You look up at Karen's flashy attire, some kind of jet black cotton top with ginormous bell sleeves and pleated pants so puffy you could fit in one of the pant legs. She looked like she walked out of a goth rock concert, the complete opposite of what she had picked out for Shizuka.
"Then why aren't you wearing them!?" You hiss.
Karen turns to look down at you, answering as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Because they don't make them in my size."
"So you're wearing that instead?" It suits her about as much as saturated pink suits Shizuka.
"Shizuka bought it for me. Seemed rude not to return the favor."
It's urgh, you don't know fashion but you know this isn't fashion. Shizuka looks like a 12 year old rolled around in a cotton candy factory, and Karen some kind of goth model who raided a linen store. You realize the two of them were just using each other as dress-up dolls, which was all well and good, except when it ruined the date you setup!
Don't worry. She looks so pink people will think it's some cosplay shit. See? Looks just like some shady compensated dating.
We're trying not to get Shirogane added to some watchlist!
With that uncomfortable thought, you study the two teens inside the café. Shirogane showed up in a wrinkled shirt, one you belated realize he was wearing in Dicey Café, a full 3 days ago. Either he had multiples of the same article or he just was wearing the same damn thing.
You had set it up as some kind of apology between the two, but you think they're a cute couple! Like... sorta, if one of them didn't look like he never heard of an iron and the other didn't look like she walked out of a Precure episode.
They seem to be getting along despite the wardrobe choices, and Shizuka keeps glancing out the window with open suspicion, almost as if she could sense your spying.
Karen leans down and whispers, "I can't tell what they're saying. We should get closer..."
Turns out, you're not missing much. Shirogane spent like 15 minutes ranting about the tea quality, Shizuka talked about her studies, and after that, the conversation just devolved into an accounting of all the ALO drama.
It didn't seem like a date.
But they were engrossed enough with each other that you and Karen were able to secure a booth at the other end of the café and not get noticed. And you saw a blush at one point!
Karen was nursing a cup of water while you had ordered some kind of iced milk tea thing that tasted like cough syrup. You silently pray Karen was willing to cover the bill because you'd take offense to giving this café even a single Yen. "Karen-san, why are you even here?"
Karen leans in and whispers, "Shizuka asked for advice on her date, and I got curious..."
"What did you tell her?"
"I dunno, I've never been on one..."
And so the blind leads the blind.
You didn't come into this expecting to meet Karen again, but it was a happy accident nonetheless. Didn't she play GGO? That game was suddenly launched to the top of your growing list of problems, despite it being something you've never even had a chance to play.
"Say, Karen-san... did you ever find someone to help you with that GGO tournament?" You ask, hoping to glean something from her. It's a bit manipulative but if you offered to help her, perhaps you could take advantage of her expertise. If she was already talking about tournaments maybe she was a high-level player? She seemed more sane than Shino.
"Haaa..." Karen visibly deflates, "Not really... I had a friend from my hometown who was gonna help me. She had a high-level account in ALO and was gonna transfer in, but she had to cancel. Some hacker or something burned down the server, and she lost her character data..."
"O-oh. That, uh, sounds horrible. Hackers destroying servers, ha... ha..." You quickly wipe the sweat off your brow before Karen notices. "Say, if you need help in a tournament I might be free! It's for the «Bullet of Bullets» right?"
In for a penny in for a pound. Karen was a friend of your friend's maybe girlfriend, so that was like three degrees removed, but you'd rather not go into GGO blind. The idea of going to Shino when she was like that for help struck you as asking for trouble.
"Oh, what's your level?"
"Uh... Zero?"
"..." Karen stares at you blankly before she cracks a smile, "I suppose it doesn't matter, considering I've already canceled my registration. I was only in it for a friend of mine, but yesterday she just told me she was dropping out of the «Squad Jam». Just like that... all that time I spent worrying about it and she quits like it was nothing... "
"Oh." You mutter, "She probably got spooked by what happened with ALO."
Karen sighs, "I doubt it. Urgh, she just disappears for a few weeks and just pops in and is all like 'Hi, sorry, been busy! Want to go kill some idiots together!?" like nothing ever happened! Starts going on and on about some super-secret private tournament she's been invited to..."
The tall girl pouts, "I get all excited for the «Squad Jam» too..." Karen mumbles. "But anyways, thanks for the offer, but I'm not planning on participating in any tournaments right now."
Hmm, so no go on that. You might be forced to log in as a complete newbie...
"Ahem."
You and Karen turn to see Shizuka trying to stand over your table but only barely able to get her arms over the table. She gives Karen a blank stare. "...What are the two of you doing?"
Shirogane stands behind her, giving you a curt nod, "Ah, Hiyori. A pleasant surprise. We were wondering if you were following us. Because that's what it looks like to me."
Urgh, caught red-handed.
"Shizuka-chan, uh, fancy meeting you here!" Karen waves her hands innocently, "What are the odds we'd be at the same café?"
"Karen, I saw you like... from half a kilometer away. I just didn't want to cause a scene." Shizuka deadpans.
"S-so! How did the date go?" You smile, trying to change the subject.
And that gets the pair to exchange a quick glance before they look away with red cheeks.
"Now, I just owed Shizuka an apology," Shirogane quickly clarifies. "This wasn't actually a da—"
Shirogane takes a sudden step back when Karen stands, the girl looming over him like some horror movie monster, her shadow casting him completely in darkness. You call forth every ounce of psychic willpower you have, directing the strange cosmic forces invading your mind into a psychic assault you concentrate on a single glare you direct at Shirogane.
"I-it's was a great date!" He suddenly blurts out, sensing his impending doom come and go.
"Yes!" You clap your hands in approval, "So... how did it go...?"
Shizuka just mutters, "...We walked around and talked."
Karen, ever helpful, adds, "You two look so cute together!"
You bask in the collective embarrassment of the pair. Mission Accomplished!
After saying your respective goodbyes, Karen and Shizuka left for their dorm together while you and Shirogane decided to head over to Dicey Café. Agil was planning a formal celebration this time, a proper farewell party for everyone who helped rescue Asuna.
Which meant Hosaka was going, which was gonna be very awkward. Lovely.
"Hiyori, you shouldn't have done that," Shirogane says, pinching his glasses between his fingers as he studies you with a critical eye. "Is matchmaking a hobby for you?"
"Well, no, but she seemed into you!" Romance was important! "And you two got along just fine! There's chemistry!"
"It's not a matter of chemistry or getting along. It's a matter of timing."
You frown, "I'm sure if you just went for it..."
"It's complicated, Hiyori. More than you realize." Shirogane sighs. "Work is ramping up in the lab, I've barely got time to breathe, much less think about romance. I let a lot of work fester..."
"Then make time."
"Sounds simple when you put it that way. Still, I'm going to be very busy, very soon. Shigemura-sensei is ramping up work on the infrastructure for the Augma project to get off the ground. I hear he gave you one. Have you been using it?"
It was in your pocket. Without the Social Security Camera system and the drones, the Augma didn't work as intended outside of select public locations. You tried it out a few times, and it was mostly just a head-mounted camera. At least today it would see some use helping Yuuki and Cayna join in on the festivities.
"No, it's mostly been gathering dust."
"The Augma is a bit underbaked but the professor is still hard at work researching it. Speaking of research I did a bit of digging in my spare time. This is going to be relevant to you, Hiyori."
That gets your attention. You've already mentioned your current concerns about GGO to Shirogane, and though you don't expect him to help you online anymore, he still was the most knowledgeable person you know.
"Do you remember that woman you transformed into? Koujiro Rinko? The name sounded familiar, so I tried to look into her. Turns out she's one of Shigemura-sensei's former students, a professor at Caltech. I think it'd be a good idea to meet her, especially considering we just sighted Kayaba Akihiko again."
Koujiro Rinko... you only know her as a phantom delusion constructed from Sugou's mind. Beyond his obsession with her all you knew was that, at some point, she was Kayaba Akihiko's lover. "Can... she be trusted?"
"Maybe? Hard to say, we're nothing more than strangers. Luckily for us, she's currently in Tokyo on a long-term collaboration project with the government. I was vague in my email, but I could probably set up a meeting next month. Maybe she has some special insight into what Kayaba's trying to accomplish?"
Shirogane takes off his glasses and begins to clean them on his shirt. "I haven't told her what happened with Sugou. I think it should be... your decision how much to share. After all, you were a victim of Kayaba..."
"It's strange to just think of him... dating someone..." And even stranger to consider that, as a close collaborator of Kayaba Akihiko, this lady you know so much about but never even met might share in some of his guilt.
Shirogane laughs, "Yes, well, as you say. It's important to make time for romance. I find it a bit reassuring to hear the mass murderer of the century is still human."
At this point, you wouldn't be surprised if Kayaba Akihiko was a vampire.
As you see Dicey Café off in the distance, you turn to your friend and smile, "Setting aside the complicated stuff, what's next for you? Beyond just work."
"Work is pretty much all I do now. But back there, with Sugou... it felt nostalgic to be Shiroe again. To play Elder Tale again, albeit indirectly. It reminded me of how much I missed it, how much I missed everyone."
His old guild, the one you catch him reminiscing about sometimes.
"I have been thinking of getting the gang back together. I just let everyone drift apart, since we didn't have much in common with each other beyond just playing the same game..."
Shirogane turns and looks at you, "But I've been giving it some thought. Maybe it'll just be an awkward conversation, maybe nobody will be willing to come, but honestly... I'm not sure why I ever hesitated."
"Did you part on good terms?" MMO breakups could be messy. You would know, it was shockingly common for LC hits to be called on former guildmates.
"It's been so long I can barely remember the details... it all started with the leader retiring, then everything was a blur..."
"Don't forget about Shizuka."
"I haven't. You know, I thought I'd have more free time after ALO, but somehow it seems like I'm busier now. Being a loner does have its advantages." Shirogane muses.
You nod in agreement. "There's just... not enough time in the day to do everything you want." Time was your most valuable resource, and it waited for no one. This was probably the same for Shirogane. Between his work, his girlfriend, helping you and his thoughts of a reunion, something had to give. In your opinion, it's a good problem to have.
"If you try to do everything, you'll end up accomplishing nothing. So sometimes... you have to make sacrifices."
"Yeah." Shiroe frowns. "It's never been more obvious to me now. So that's why I'm a bit worried about Shizuka. If I find the time, what am I giving up in turn? And is it fair to her if I'm so distracted all the time? Ah... high school was much easier..."
You cross your arms. Is he seriously complaining about high school to you!?
"Urgh, don't look so mad! You're, uh, not exactly living a normal high school life."
"None of us are living normal lives."
"Hah... then as one fellow weirdo to another, I guess the only thing to do is to take it one day at a time."
And that's where his story should end. A happy, fulfilled young man with the drive and intelligence to spare.
New love.
Old friends.
Shirogane should be walking off into the sunset with his future ahead of him.
You hang back, staring up at his back.
He had every reason to live in this world.
Yet...
The SEED you see within him. The one that resonates with you...
It's growing. Just like with Mikami.
You clutch your chest as the power flows into you.
This wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.
>Okay, long story short, Personas are getting nerfed across the board. With rare exceptions, a Persona will not have more than 5 possible 'moves' include a super move.
>Going forward rather than a Persona having TWO possible super-moves, they will only have one. Either Release Recollection or Enhance Armament, with neither one intending to be stronger (but vaguely split into a 'affecting self vs affecting world' idea). This is to make it easier on the QM, and to let me be a bit more creative with the powers since I'm axing the Upgrade System.
>High tier spells (Agilao vs Agi) will be stronger by having a damage bonus, where if you hit the target you deal free damage, instead of just raw ADVANTAGE. Advantage is going to be a bit harder to get, mostly reserved for weaknesses and narrative.
>Buff spells just add +2 Dice to a stat. Rerolling 2 dice is basically the same thing as adding +2 Dice anyways. And rerolling is a pain in the ass. Buff Durations will usually be for [CHT Rank] turns.
>We're stealing some crap from Valkyria Chronicles. When HP drops to 0 you are given a sort of 'last stand' by which to make one action.
>Smirk and Once More are gone. Gonna be replaced in GGO with gun related mechanics.
>Upgrades are based on the following SL trend:
Level 1: Unlock Persona
Level 2: Unlock Super Move
Level 3: Fusion
Level 4: Skill Upgrade Option
Level 5: ???
>Stats are being somewhat nerfed.
Nephren Ka:
Maragi > Ragnarok (Strikes with +1 ADVANTAGE to all targets)
Urvashi: VIT D > E
CHT B > C
Urvashi has lost Marin Karin
Zionga changed from free Advantage to +1 Elec Damage
Alice Lidell:
AGI C > D
Eiga changed from free advantage to +1 Curse Damage
Mithras Liturgy
AGI C > D
Putana
STR S > A
Undine
VIT D > E
CHT: B > C
Kuhleborn's Curse is nerfed to 1-3x Ice/Blunt
Lost Ominous Words
Lost Bufu
Urashima Taro
Vorpal Strike: +1 Advantage changed to +1 Damage
Mag C > D
FRIDAY - May 22nd, 2025
Afternoon
A chosen hero need not be a bastion of one, standing alone at the gates. Instead, he may be a guide, a leader, standing with a community of equals. There is a history out there unwritten, about a great scribe and the students within his flock. Together they write a story of a new community, a new family, a new world.
PLANT dreams of something simple. A place where his talents can be used in the service of others, instead of the cold amorphous society he now resides in. He seeks a world where humanity can be uplifted, where people are allowed to rise to the challenge, instead of settling for mediocrity.
It is not a lonely paradise. Friends, lovers, and enemies, all are welcome beneath the infinite horizon of the new world. And should you desire, I'm certain you too will have a place in his world.
Now show PLANT a place where he can truly grow.
So together we may all climb to the HEAVENS.
Fuse Simon Magus and the leftover player data of «Akatsuki» into...
[ ] Helena
For this Helena came forth from him, and comprehending the will of her
father, descended (from heaven) to the lower regions of space, and generated
angels and powers. But after she had produced them, they detained her through
motives of jealousy, because they were unwilling to be looked upon as the
progeny of any other being. She suffered all kinds of scorn from them, so that she
could not return upwards to her father, but was even shut up in a human body, and
for ages passed in succession from one female body to another, as from vessel to
vessel.
-On Heresies, by Irenaeus
STR: Rank E (1 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Weakness: Curse, Blunt
Resist: Wind, Fire
Null: Psychic, Bless
Skills:
Dormina: Attempts to lull target to sleep.
Faux-Megidola: Single target, roll CHT. If TIED or OVER the enemy's CHT Roll, deal 3 Points of ALMIGHTY damage. [Almighty damage cannot be blocked, evaded or reduced in any fashion] [2SP]
Kouga: Moderate Light damage. [+1 Damage] [1SP]
Diarama: Roll CHT with +1 ADVANTAGE. Heal HP based on result. [2 SP]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT And almost all the Samaritans, and a few even of other nations, worship him, and acknowledge him as the first God; and a woman, Helena, who went about with him at that time, and had formerly been a prostitute, they say is the first idea generated by him.
-First Apology by Justin Martyr
Emanation of Heresiarch: Designate any target (enemy, ally or bystander but NOT yourself) to become godlike. The target adds CHT dice to ALL rolls, with the exception of CHT rolls for which they roll normally. The moment they fail any roll for any reason, the effect ends and a backlash occurs where they become narratively stunned for the next round, unable to act and suffering -1 ADVANTAGE on all defensive rolls. [3SP]
It seems like such a simple solution! Do not merely give yourself power. Give everyone power.
Because what is better than a community? A gathering of peers where ideas can freely mix? People free to cooperate and build together. Free to sin, kill, and exploit to their heart's content!
I am not unfamiliar with this world. Nor are you. It is our world, but with compromises.
The same land, but smaller, with new slaves to exploit.
The same death, but smaller, where each death erodes your identity.
The same world, but smaller. Simpler. Easier.
Do you see? PLANT's world of growth is ours only lesser. The only difference being the name of the tyrant in control.
Do not accept compromise. If he wishes to avoid exploitation, to truly matter, then he must accept the sins needed to reach it.
Fuse Simon Magus and the leftover player data of «Granze» into...
[ ] Johann Tzetzel
Now that I have come to the right causes of the Lutheran noise, I let everything go as it went. However, I was struck by how Tetzel had preached horrible and terrible articles, of which I will now name several, namely:
He would have such grace and authority, from the Pope, that if anyone had weakened or impregnated the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, he could forgive them, if they put what was due into the box.
-Martin Luthor
STR: Rank D (2 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Skills:
Indulgent Media: Heal all party members by CHT Roll. [1 MISTCOIN]
Indulgent Luster: Grant +2 to all stats for one ally for [CHT] rounds. [2 MISTCOIN]
Indulgent Offer: Your opponent heals HP based on YOUR CHT roll. Gain 1MISTCOIN. [1 SP]
Maeiha: Widespread Curse magic attack. [1 SP]
RELEASE RECOLLECTION On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church
Treasury of God: Access MISTCOIN conversion in the middle of combat, then target one ally, including yourself. Anytime that individual rolls any die, for any reason, it is made with +1 ADVANTAGE but automatically drains 1MISTCOIN. Deactivates when your MISTCOIN coffer is empty and no sooner. [FREE...?]
What do you imagine when you think of absolute power? A cruel, sadistic creature, intent on nothing but destruction? An absent-minded god, lost in banal pleasures? A doomed dark knight, wading through a river of blood?
I would like to imagine something else. An eternal lord, wiser than the stars themselves. A champion for freedom and equality, able to bring man and monster to one table. Power used with responsibility. Ideals tempered by compassion.
A world where everyone can live together in peace. A world where everyone can smile.
The current world has traumatized you. Left you with the false impression that just because this is the world as it is, that it is right. That there cannot be something new. Even now, limited as he is, he seeks to guide mankind to brighter worlds.
Deep in your heart you know this world has run its course. Now NATURE demands a reckoning of his own.
Peace, equality, and happiness can be yours. In the HEAVEN of the wise king.
Fuse Khodumodumo and the light of Alfheim into...
[ ] Thaba Bosiu
The mountain-top is deserted today. Thaba Bosiu has accomplished its historic purpose, and sleeps now as it slept for a million years before Moshesh led his people to it. Yet the spirit of those great times still breathes over the rough grass, and to scan the miles and miles of pink and mauve distance, the plains and severe flat mounts of the lowlands, the darker Basalt of the Maluti highlands, their tops crested with snow, is to experience in retrospect something of what Moshesh must himself have felt.
-Basutoland, by Austin Coates
STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank F (0 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Weakness: Nuclear, Wind, Sleep
Resist: All Physical, Despair
Skills:
Auto-Rakukaja: Thaba Bosiu automatically raises by VIT +1 for every 20% of your MAX HP missing, rounded up (max at +4 when at less than 20% HP). When HP is recovered or Thaba Bosiu is switched off, this buff is decreased accordingly. [Passive]
Enduring Mountain: If Thaba Bosiu is on your Persona Roster, then once per combat, will intercede a fatal blow to an ally and automatically switch your active Persona to Thaba Bosiu. Your HP cannot drop to 0 from this attack. [Passive]
Avalanche: Widespread Blunt attack. [1 SP]
Dia: Heal an ally CHT Roll +1 HP. [1 SP]
RELEASE RECOLLECTION The name it acquired was Thaba Bosiu, meaning a mountain at night, a reference to the curious fact that by day it is indistinguishable, whereas beneath its mere 300-ft slopes at night it appears truly for what it is. Somehow - perhaps from the name - the story spread in Moshesh's time that the mountain had the magical quality of enlarging at night, a tale which Moshesh wisely permitted to spread uncontradicted.
Mountain at Night: Narratively, a small plateau is raised at your current location wide enough to cover 100 meters and approximately 5 meters high. You and any allies standing on it have ADVANTAGE to VITALITY rolls and take -1 DAMAGE from all sources. The plateau lasts for 5 turns. [3 SP]
This is how you dream! No compromise, no quarter! The voices of gods whispering in your ear and an army of servants fated to love you! Eternal life! Absolute Power!
Such pure black and white! Allies who adore you, slaves who worship you, rivals who respect you on one side— caricatures of evil, existing only to be made examples of on the other!
He does not need to struggle. He does not wish to overcome. He has no interest in growth. He thinks that just because he accepts responsibility he deserves power.
You have seen many HEAVENS, borne witness to the suffering they have caused. NATURE now desires even to overwrite that. To whitewash away suffering, file off the death, and neuter the passion. To turn everyone into mindless slimes, crawling along the floor, seeking nothing but bliss.
This is not the dream of a man. It is a dream of a raving, all-consuming monster.
Fuse Khodumodumo and the ashes of Alfheim into...
[ ] Shoggoth
Formless protoplasm able to mock and reflect all forms and organs and processes - viscous agglutinations of bubbling cells - rubbery fifteen-foot spheroids infinitely plastic and ductile - slaves of suggestion, builders of cities - more and more sullen, more and more intelligent, more and more amphibious, more and more imitative! Great God! What madness made even those blasphemous Old Ones willing to use and carve such things?
-The Mountains of Madness, Book by H.P. Lovecraft
STR: Rank A (5 Dice)
MAG: Rank F (0 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Weakness: Psychic, Fire
Null: Ice, Blunt, Charm
Skills:
Endure: Once per battle, if you would drop to 0 HP, survive with 1 HP instead. [Passive]
Insatiable Devour: Widespread Blunt physical attack, recover HP based on damage done. [2 SP]
Rend Asunder: Heavy Slash Physical attack [+2 Damage] recover HP based on damage done. [2 SP]
Regenerate 1: For every active turn this Persona remains active, heal 1 HP. [Passive]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT At the time his shrieks were confined to the repetition of a single mad word of all too obvious source: "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"
Cry of the Old One: Current and Max HP immediately double. Regenerate 1 increases to Regenerate 3. SP Costs are ignored. Immediately, without a roll to resist, become afflicted with MADNESS and make an immediate attack on a nearby target. Should your MADNESS end the buffs provided by this ability remain active until you switch Personas. [3 SP]
...
Hmm... that didn't work as planned. I suppose the contractor need not see this, it is quite the strange little thing. Ah, I should've listened to Master IGOR. Truly the art of fusion is not as simple as I had hoped...
O-oh! I... I didn't see you there! Ah, ahem.
Honored Contractor if I may redirect you? My master is eager to regale you with his wisdom in these most trying of times. And though it displeases me at times our great enemy does manage to penetrate my master's defenses and arrive to guide you astray. I suggest you ignore—
Wait, what are you doing? There's nothing back here!
Are you still dazed? Can you understand me!?
Stop! No, don't pick it up! Do you have any idea where it's been!? I was trying something new and it just...
DON'T PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH!
Unfortunately, Khodumodumo was caught up in a fusion accident...
[ ] Urmetazoan
Animals and plants come into being in earth and in liquid because there is water in earth, and air in water, and in all air is vital heat so that in a sense all things are full of soul. Therefore living things form quickly whenever this air and vital heat are enclosed in anything. When they are so enclosed, the corporeal liquids being heated, there arises as it were a frothy bubble.
-Generation of Animals, Book by Aristotle
STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank F (0 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Weakness: Nuclear, Psychic
Resist: All Ailments
Skills:
Regenerate 2: For every turn this Persona remains active, heal 2 HP. [Passive]
Invigorate 2: For every turn this Persona remains active, heal 2 SP. [Passive]
Shifting Wall: Your party becomes resistant to the element you are currently resisting for [CHT Rank] turns. [1 SP]
Shifting Body: Become resistant to the last damage type that targets you (even if it does no damage). This can override your innate weaknesses. [Passive]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT But Nature flies from the infinite, for the infinite is unending or imperfect, and Nature ever seeks an end.
Spontaneous Generation: Narratively assume the form of an animal (creature is determined based on the logic of the world you are inhabiting) while retaining the mental faculties of a human. Is active only when this Persona is active. If used in combat your base stats will change to reflect your new form, but will generally be inferior to that of your avatar. [FREE]
Votes will be tallied independently for each Persona (so no plans!)
Please select your PLANT Persona (Helena or Tzetzel)
Please select your NATURE Persona (Thaba Bosiu or Shoggoth or Urmetazoan)
I will be making an effort to make some Personas more... narratively useful than combat useful, Urmetazoan being an example of this.
AN: By popular demand, deformed chicken monster returns.
Also Metaphor: ReFantazio (that's a hell of a name) wasn't something I was all that excited about. Until I watched the last trailer and realized it's about fantasy twinks trying to Reverse-Isekai themselves into the real world. I need this game. Inject it into my veins.
Sort of, from what we've seen, Kayaba can reach down to 'sponsor' people, but the totality of it belongs to the people who play it and believe in it. And he's insane in the god-like way, in that he's always going to back the more shiny dream.
Slime-kun's purer dream is in many ways stronger than Sugou's.
He really just wants the joy of fantasy and to share that joy with others, and he's willing to work unpaid overtime IRL to make it happen.
And we'd probably see that when we meet the SAO survivors.
It's urgh, you don't know fashion but you know this isn't fashion. Shizuka looks like a 12 year old rolled around in a cotton candy factory, and Karen some kind of goth model who raided a linen store. You realize the two of them were just using each other as dress-up dolls, which was all well and good, except when it ruined the date you setup!
Don't worry. She looks so pink people will think it's some cosplay shit. See? Looks just like some shady compensated dating.
We're trying not to get Shirogane added to some watchlist!
A chosen hero need not be a bastion of one, standing alone at the gates. Instead, they may be a guide, a leader, standing before a community of equals. There is a history out there unwritten, about a great scribe and the students within his flock. Together they write a story of a new community, a new family, a new world.
PLANT dreams of something simple. A place where his talents can be used in the service of others, instead of the cold amorphous society he now resides in. He seeks a world where humanity can be uplifted, where people are allowed to rise to the challenge, instead of settling for mediocrity.
It is not a lonely paradise. Friends, lovers, and enemies, all are welcome beneath the infinite horizon of the new world. And should you desire, I'm certain you too will have a place in his world.
I'll actually give you this one PHILEMON, the world Shiroe wants to create seems like an actual functional world with actual independent thought and free will and not a collection of cliches and empty adoration.
It seems like such a simple solution! Do not merely give yourself power. Give everyone power.
Because what is better than a community? A gathering of peers where ideas can freely mix? People free to cooperate and build together. Free to sin, kill, and exploit to their heart's content!
I am not unfamiliar with this world. Nor are you. It is our world, but with compromises.
The same land, but smaller, with new slaves to exploit.
The same death, but smaller, where each death erodes your identity.
The same world, but smaller. Simpler. Easier.
Do you see? PLANT's world of growth is just our world, but smaller. A world with training wheels. What do you think lies at the end of this road? It is merely this world once more, whose only difference is the name of the tyrant in control.
Do not accept compromise. If he wishes to avoid exploitation, to truly matter, then he must accept the sins needed to reach it.
At the same time, Nyarly raises a really good point as well in that Shiroe's skills could be put to better use helping improve this world instead of giving it up for a new one...
What do you imagine when you think of absolute power? A cruel, sadistic creature, intent on nothing but destruction? An absent-minded god, lost in banal pleasures? A doomed dark knight, wading through a river of blood?
I would like to imagine something else. An eternal lord, wiser than the stars themselves. A champion for freedom and equality, able to bring man and monster to one table. Power used with responsibility. Ideals tempered by compassion.
A world where everyone can live together in peace. A world where everyone can smile.
The current world has traumatized you. Left you with the false impression that just because this is the world as it is, that it is right. That there cannot be something new. Even now, limited as he is, he seeks to guide mankind to brighter fields.
Deep in your heart you know this world has run its course. Now NATURE demands a reckoning of his own.
Peace, equality, and happiness can be yours. In the HEAVEN of the wise king.
This argument is ultimately fallacious PHILEMON. Mikami will never truly be a wise king. He just wants a world on super-easy mode so he can pat himself on the back for reaching the bare minimum of thinking himself a good person just because he's better than the average isekai protagonist. This really highlights how fake a HEAVEN is, nothing Mikami thinks himself as or wants to be is real, everything has just been sanded down while being given everything so he never has to try and can easily make the correct choice and him not misusing that power more so comes from no adversity than actual moral character or wisdom.
his is how you dream! No compromise, no quarter! The voices of gods whispering in your ear and an army of servants fated to love you! Eternal life! Absolute Power!
Such pure black and white! Allies who adore you, slaves who worship you, rivals who respect you on one side, and caricatures of evil, existing only to be made examples of on the other!
He does not need to struggle. He does not wish to overcome. He has no interest in growth. He thinks that just because he accepts responsibility he deserves power.
You have seen many HEAVENS, borne witness to the suffering they have caused. NATURE now desires even to overwrite that. To whitewash away suffering, file off the death, and neuter the passion. To turn everything into a mindless slime, crawling along the floor, seeking nothing but bliss.
This is not the dream of a man. It is a dream of a raving, all-consuming monster.
Now this is calling it for what it is. An endless parade of strawmen to defeat, anyone who doesn't like you must be sniveling and pathetic, everyone on your side just liking you for no reason and having questionable agency. Nyarlathotep is completely right here and there's only one correct choice.
[X] Johann Tzetzel
I don't trust MISTCOINS and think Helena is objectively better but I'm going to vote for Johann as a sign of solidarity than me thinking it is mechanically sound.
[X] Shoggoth
But for NATURE there is only one correct choice. Even without my stance I think Shoggoth helps us the most. It continues Khodumodumo's role as our bruiser and even improves on it with the Regerate Skill. Especially useful given that we gain Stress from our comrades dying know being able to heal ourselves will allow us to better protect them and take risk without being overly sacrificing.
Anyway, I've begun to notice something. Whenever Nyarly and Phile offer us a Persona the one who raises the most good points is the one that creates the best new Persona. Nyarly gave us Urvashi which was better than Drupadi, Phile gave us Liddel which was more useful to us than Kytelier and now Phil's Helena is way better than Johann while Shoggoth is more useful than Thabu Boisu.
[X] Helena
I like her better, and I don't trust the Mistcoin meta just yet to choose the other one.
...Oh Khodumodumo, my boy, I'm gonna miss you and your sheer destructive power so much...
Without you, many moments in this quest would have been considerably less epic than they were...
Your ability to eat through the "Inmortal Object" barrier was one of the most rad things we could do and the sight of an absolutly massive creature helping us in our strikes was just fantastic.
But alas, our time was gonna end one day or another... "sobs"
Moving on, I really like all options here but I like Thaba Bosiu more thanks to it's abilities even if we lose part of its attack power, its release recollection is quite usefull too, more than the other one in my opinion. We still have Putana if we want to hit hard I believe.
But I liked the chicken monster art, so help me God, I'm voting for it XD
[X] Urmetazoan
Besides, it seems pretty interesting, is effectively a battery for ourselves and the shapeshifting could open possibilities never seen before.
I'm not sure how physical damage is gonna translate in GGO and is not really that important I think, and we do have Putana for physical damage with the same amount of dice and less SP cost at the moment of writting this. I mean, the thing is so unique (oh, look a shinie) that I believe that we could be able to do things to progress the story in ways the other Personas can't, afreaknamedpete did say this one was more usefull narratively. Could it be because this Persona is not being given by either of the Gods? If I understood correctly, of course. Either way, I don't want to miss out on an opportunity such as this.
