ApocalypticFish
Been reflecting lately.
[X] "We... we could take the path to our left?"
Persona: A Less-Than Cinematic Tale (Starring Hikari of PQ2)
- Thread starter SeekerofDreams
- Start date
-
- Tags
- persona dreams nightmares
Prologue: Tsukane
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Tsukane Akabori looked over his assortment of cardboard boxes with a smile on his face. Clothes, check. Computer, check. Viola, check.
There was only one hurdle left to deal with. "Are you sure you want to study music?"
He groaned, wishing his scarf would just expand and swallow him whole. "Don't you think it's a bit late to keep asking that?" He'd gotten a full scholarship for Kusoka University's music program. He'd sent back his acceptance, registered for classes, picked out a room in the dorms... and today was moving day. The time to back out had passed long ago.
"But there's no money in it," His mother huffed. "Not every musician makes it big. Some of them just end up addicted to drugs and dying in gutters."
Yes, he'd seen the same documentaries as she did. But that was a rockstar thing. Since when did any of that apply to violists?
Worse than the ridiculousness of it all was the fact that he knew she believed everything she was saying. She genuinely thought that him playing the viola professionally was going to lead to his death at age twenty-five of a drug overdose. Some days, it seemed like she thought everything would lead to that.
If anything, the only thing currently pushing him towards drugs was her constant doomsaying. "Look, Dad said it was fine, didn't he?" Sort of. Kind of. Maybe.
"To an extent." At least now, any worries she talked about would remain firmly within the grounds of reality. It didn't make dealing with them any easier. "But that's why you shouldn't study music."
"Because he didn't rip up my acceptance letter before I could see it?" He knew that wasn't the reason. He just tried to ignore the actual reason, because if all went well it would never be a consideration.
But his mother had never been so kind. "Because if you fail, you will no longer be our son." She said it so simply, like there was no other way things could be.
She said it with the surety that he'd fail, and that this was the last time she'd ever speak to him, at least as a mother. When she got pessimistic about something, there was no way to talk her out of it. Even once everything turned out okay, she'd still insist it was only because of luck.
It was annoying at the best of times. Trains functioned perfectly fine without crashing almost every day. Attending rock concerts didn't instantly consign someone to a life of addiction, let alone classical ones. The psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns had never made it anywhere near Okina. Her having a panic attack about those things just worried everyone around her.
But this was something real. These were consequences Tsukane could acknowledge as a big deal.
The only way a musician would ever be accepted in the Akabori family was if he became rich and famous. He was told that even making the attempt was insolence, that believing in himself was the ultimate act of disrespect for his ancestors.
He believed it, but that was also why he was doing it in the first place. His ancestors just didn't like it when people believed differently to them. So if they didn't believe in him, it was evil in their minds for anyone else to do so.
Especially the person they would never believe in.
His father hadn't even been bothered to see him off. Just said "I enjoyed having you as my son," at dinner the night before, like that changing was inevitable.
Maybe it was.
But Tsukane didn't like to think about that.
The first thing he had to do, once he'd settled into the university, was help his roommate unpack. Because he'd asked, and it was the polite thing to do, and it would be nice to live with someone who didn't think he was worthless from day one.
This idea worked out until they reached the stairwell, at which point a very ugly fact reared its head.
Tsukane's arm strength left a lot to be desired. "Kota, hold it steadier, or I'll-" The box slipped from his hands. It tumbled down the stairs, crashing as it hit the bottom. "...That, I guess. What did you put in these boxes, anyway? They weigh more than my computer does!" With how Kazamu dressed himself, they might also have been more expensive.
He sniffed haughtily. "I'm not sure how much it matters to you, Akabori." Definitely a rich kid, if he was this used to looking down on everyone.
"It'll be set up in our room, I'm pretty sure that means it matters to me." What if there wasn't enough space? What if it attracted thieves who thought a viola alone wasn't a good enough prize?
...And now he just sounded like his mother. That was probably a sign he was worrying too much.
"And in that case, you'll see it once it's opened. Assuming you haven't broken it with your clumsiness..." Still, they both picked up the box again, and this time made it up the stairwell without dropping it again.
So operation 'make a good impression' had been a resounding failure. What else was new?
Still, whatever the circumstances of his arrival, Tsukane's tale in regards to Kusoka truly began at a speech given by Negai Arimura.
"I hope that my efforts will not be wasted in bringing all of your dreams to life." For the first time, it felt like the person saying it truly believed it could happen.
"Do you hear that, Kota?" He whispered. "She believes in us!"
"She probably just says this every year." He was probably right. There didn't have to be anything special about this.
But it felt special to him. Those words ingrained themselves in his thoughts, until there was no way he could escape them.
Arimura-san believed in him. She was the only person who did, but still, there was someone who believed in him. Someone who thought his big dreams could become a reality.
...Since when was having both an enjoyable career and a loving family a big dream?
...It didn't matter. Even if his parents didn't believe in him, Arimura-san did. He just had to trust that her vision for the future was one that would come true.
When the speech finally let out, Tsukane started to yawn. It... probably didn't mean anything. Just a result of staying up all night worrying about the future. It would be fine.
Everything would be just fine.
That thought made it easier to sleep at night.
And easier.
And easier.
Until he found himself in a dream that he had no desire to wake up from.
There was only one hurdle left to deal with. "Are you sure you want to study music?"
He groaned, wishing his scarf would just expand and swallow him whole. "Don't you think it's a bit late to keep asking that?" He'd gotten a full scholarship for Kusoka University's music program. He'd sent back his acceptance, registered for classes, picked out a room in the dorms... and today was moving day. The time to back out had passed long ago.
"But there's no money in it," His mother huffed. "Not every musician makes it big. Some of them just end up addicted to drugs and dying in gutters."
Yes, he'd seen the same documentaries as she did. But that was a rockstar thing. Since when did any of that apply to violists?
Worse than the ridiculousness of it all was the fact that he knew she believed everything she was saying. She genuinely thought that him playing the viola professionally was going to lead to his death at age twenty-five of a drug overdose. Some days, it seemed like she thought everything would lead to that.
If anything, the only thing currently pushing him towards drugs was her constant doomsaying. "Look, Dad said it was fine, didn't he?" Sort of. Kind of. Maybe.
"To an extent." At least now, any worries she talked about would remain firmly within the grounds of reality. It didn't make dealing with them any easier. "But that's why you shouldn't study music."
"Because he didn't rip up my acceptance letter before I could see it?" He knew that wasn't the reason. He just tried to ignore the actual reason, because if all went well it would never be a consideration.
But his mother had never been so kind. "Because if you fail, you will no longer be our son." She said it so simply, like there was no other way things could be.
She said it with the surety that he'd fail, and that this was the last time she'd ever speak to him, at least as a mother. When she got pessimistic about something, there was no way to talk her out of it. Even once everything turned out okay, she'd still insist it was only because of luck.
It was annoying at the best of times. Trains functioned perfectly fine without crashing almost every day. Attending rock concerts didn't instantly consign someone to a life of addiction, let alone classical ones. The psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns had never made it anywhere near Okina. Her having a panic attack about those things just worried everyone around her.
But this was something real. These were consequences Tsukane could acknowledge as a big deal.
The only way a musician would ever be accepted in the Akabori family was if he became rich and famous. He was told that even making the attempt was insolence, that believing in himself was the ultimate act of disrespect for his ancestors.
He believed it, but that was also why he was doing it in the first place. His ancestors just didn't like it when people believed differently to them. So if they didn't believe in him, it was evil in their minds for anyone else to do so.
Especially the person they would never believe in.
His father hadn't even been bothered to see him off. Just said "I enjoyed having you as my son," at dinner the night before, like that changing was inevitable.
Maybe it was.
But Tsukane didn't like to think about that.
The first thing he had to do, once he'd settled into the university, was help his roommate unpack. Because he'd asked, and it was the polite thing to do, and it would be nice to live with someone who didn't think he was worthless from day one.
This idea worked out until they reached the stairwell, at which point a very ugly fact reared its head.
Tsukane's arm strength left a lot to be desired. "Kota, hold it steadier, or I'll-" The box slipped from his hands. It tumbled down the stairs, crashing as it hit the bottom. "...That, I guess. What did you put in these boxes, anyway? They weigh more than my computer does!" With how Kazamu dressed himself, they might also have been more expensive.
He sniffed haughtily. "I'm not sure how much it matters to you, Akabori." Definitely a rich kid, if he was this used to looking down on everyone.
"It'll be set up in our room, I'm pretty sure that means it matters to me." What if there wasn't enough space? What if it attracted thieves who thought a viola alone wasn't a good enough prize?
...And now he just sounded like his mother. That was probably a sign he was worrying too much.
"And in that case, you'll see it once it's opened. Assuming you haven't broken it with your clumsiness..." Still, they both picked up the box again, and this time made it up the stairwell without dropping it again.
So operation 'make a good impression' had been a resounding failure. What else was new?
Still, whatever the circumstances of his arrival, Tsukane's tale in regards to Kusoka truly began at a speech given by Negai Arimura.
"I hope that my efforts will not be wasted in bringing all of your dreams to life." For the first time, it felt like the person saying it truly believed it could happen.
"Do you hear that, Kota?" He whispered. "She believes in us!"
"She probably just says this every year." He was probably right. There didn't have to be anything special about this.
But it felt special to him. Those words ingrained themselves in his thoughts, until there was no way he could escape them.
Arimura-san believed in him. She was the only person who did, but still, there was someone who believed in him. Someone who thought his big dreams could become a reality.
...Since when was having both an enjoyable career and a loving family a big dream?
...It didn't matter. Even if his parents didn't believe in him, Arimura-san did. He just had to trust that her vision for the future was one that would come true.
When the speech finally let out, Tsukane started to yawn. It... probably didn't mean anything. Just a result of staying up all night worrying about the future. It would be fine.
Everything would be just fine.
That thought made it easier to sleep at night.
And easier.
And easier.
Until he found himself in a dream that he had no desire to wake up from.
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
On to the next puzzle!
Something a bit more puzzle-like this time, it'll be great!
-Vote Closed!-
Something a bit more puzzle-like this time, it'll be great!
Junessic Land First Visit- Part 4
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
"We... we could take the path to our left?" Hikari suggested. "It doesn't feel like it goes very far, but... it also won't take too much time." They'd used the entrance to Phantasmagoria inside the dorm, so they didn't have to worry about getting locked out, but she was worried about the idea of being in the jungle at night.
"What if there's nothing there?" Tsukane asked.
"Then... I guess there's nothing there." But no one came up with a good argument for taking the other path, especially since they had no idea what was beyond it.
They started heading back, and eventually the buzzing of electricity stopped. "Query: Where do you think the key will be?"
"The... key?"
"In the last area we explored, the keys forward were not found in the rooms they unlocked." Well, when she thought about it like that... the only real option was that it was somewhere in Theater Four. The main theater had already been thoroughly explored.
The thought of taking something from one movie to use in another... that could be a plot all on its own. She'd have to write it down for later. "If it's not here, we'll look in the other theater." Or maybe the backstage of Tsukane's area? That might have had something.
...It also had Overseer Eye, though. So that would be the strategy of last resort.
The four of them reached the portal clearing and immediately turned left. The path would take them behind the portal, which was an entirely novel experience.
"It is good that you are here," Ribbon told Tsukane. "With you, we may now exploit the weakness of certain Shadows."
What happened when a Shadow's weakness was attacked, anyway? Hikari probably should have started worrying about that sooner, but it hadn't mattered. It was something that, until now, they hadn't really been able to do.
Now they could. She wondered if she was supposed to be excited to find out.
Tsukane adjusted his scarf. "Can the two of you not do that?"
"My abilities are specifically to hinder the opponent. IW-5's powers are also strictly non-elemental." She stepped on a leaf. It crunched under her feet. "If we ran into something that could not be harmed by physical attacks, we would be unable to defend ourselves."
...There were Shadows that couldn't be hurt by physical attacks? Then again, Ribbon's construction was surprisingly sturdy...
"I think we could have figured something out," Shinjiro said. "There's recipe books behind the counter at the concession stand. Admittedly, I don't know where we'd find half those ingredients, but it'd be something."
Hikari wanted to see that recipe book. Maybe the ingredients were something she could find around Kusoka? It couldn't hurt to take a peek, at least. "If I knew what they were... I could look for them." With her powers or otherwise. It didn't really matter which.
"...I think that'd only help if you speak science gibberish." Maybe, but she had the internet. With that and Gullveig by her side, her information gathering powers were unstoppable!
...At least until she hit some form of paywall. That was also a very real possibility.
At first glance, it seemed that they'd stumbled into some form of storage area. Metal boxes littered the clearing in red, blue, and yellow. Some of them had rusty locks with keyholes, while others were exposed to the elements. There were spots on them that looked like they'd once had labels, but they'd long been worn away by the ravages of time.
Aside from boxes, the clearing was also full of butterflies. A single Shadow mask laid on the ground, surrounded by pink bodies that fluttered lightly in their sleep. Tsukane stopped in his tracks. "...Wait, is that all one Shadow?"
Hikari nodded. There was only one mask, after all. "It looks like it's sleeping." They probably wouldn't disturb it if they stuck to the edges of the clearing, but it might be risky to open the boxes. She had no idea how well this Shadow could hear.
"...I've never seen one like this before," Shinjiro admitted. "I mean, I never saw that toy Shadow as an actual Shadow before, either, but..."
Tsukane blinked. "Toy Shadow?"
"Do you know about Lexies?" Hikari asked. "You know... the creepy little dolls? There was a horror movie, and they started making toys right after." Those toys were marketed to a much younger audience than the movie's rating would allow, but... such was the ways of merchandise.
"...There's a movie about those things?" Shinjiro's voice wasn't quite loud enough to wake the butterflies, but... it was close. She could tell.
"Apparently. I was, um... too young to see it while it was in theaters, but the reviews are pretty good." She'd considered watching it as research for a haunted house for her school's Culture Festival, but the rest of the class hadn't been willing to go along with it. In hindsight, they'd probably had the right idea. "If there's an actual projector here, we could probably watch it."
But hypothetical movie nights could wait. Right then, there was a butterfly and some boxes.
[ ] Hikari started by scanning...
-[ ] The boxes.
-[ ] The butterflies.
[ ] They decided to open...
-[ ] A red box.
-[ ] A blue box.
-[ ] A yellow box.
[ ] Could they make this go faster if they killed the butterflies?
-[ ][Party Member] Act Freely.
-[ ][Party Member] Full Assault.
-[ ][Party Member] Guard.
-[ ][Ribbon] Orgia Mode.
-[ ][Party Member] Heal/Support.
-[ ][Party Member] Debilitate.
"What if there's nothing there?" Tsukane asked.
"Then... I guess there's nothing there." But no one came up with a good argument for taking the other path, especially since they had no idea what was beyond it.
They started heading back, and eventually the buzzing of electricity stopped. "Query: Where do you think the key will be?"
"The... key?"
"In the last area we explored, the keys forward were not found in the rooms they unlocked." Well, when she thought about it like that... the only real option was that it was somewhere in Theater Four. The main theater had already been thoroughly explored.
The thought of taking something from one movie to use in another... that could be a plot all on its own. She'd have to write it down for later. "If it's not here, we'll look in the other theater." Or maybe the backstage of Tsukane's area? That might have had something.
...It also had Overseer Eye, though. So that would be the strategy of last resort.
The four of them reached the portal clearing and immediately turned left. The path would take them behind the portal, which was an entirely novel experience.
"It is good that you are here," Ribbon told Tsukane. "With you, we may now exploit the weakness of certain Shadows."
What happened when a Shadow's weakness was attacked, anyway? Hikari probably should have started worrying about that sooner, but it hadn't mattered. It was something that, until now, they hadn't really been able to do.
Now they could. She wondered if she was supposed to be excited to find out.
Tsukane adjusted his scarf. "Can the two of you not do that?"
"My abilities are specifically to hinder the opponent. IW-5's powers are also strictly non-elemental." She stepped on a leaf. It crunched under her feet. "If we ran into something that could not be harmed by physical attacks, we would be unable to defend ourselves."
...There were Shadows that couldn't be hurt by physical attacks? Then again, Ribbon's construction was surprisingly sturdy...
"I think we could have figured something out," Shinjiro said. "There's recipe books behind the counter at the concession stand. Admittedly, I don't know where we'd find half those ingredients, but it'd be something."
Hikari wanted to see that recipe book. Maybe the ingredients were something she could find around Kusoka? It couldn't hurt to take a peek, at least. "If I knew what they were... I could look for them." With her powers or otherwise. It didn't really matter which.
"...I think that'd only help if you speak science gibberish." Maybe, but she had the internet. With that and Gullveig by her side, her information gathering powers were unstoppable!
...At least until she hit some form of paywall. That was also a very real possibility.
At first glance, it seemed that they'd stumbled into some form of storage area. Metal boxes littered the clearing in red, blue, and yellow. Some of them had rusty locks with keyholes, while others were exposed to the elements. There were spots on them that looked like they'd once had labels, but they'd long been worn away by the ravages of time.
Aside from boxes, the clearing was also full of butterflies. A single Shadow mask laid on the ground, surrounded by pink bodies that fluttered lightly in their sleep. Tsukane stopped in his tracks. "...Wait, is that all one Shadow?"
Hikari nodded. There was only one mask, after all. "It looks like it's sleeping." They probably wouldn't disturb it if they stuck to the edges of the clearing, but it might be risky to open the boxes. She had no idea how well this Shadow could hear.
"...I've never seen one like this before," Shinjiro admitted. "I mean, I never saw that toy Shadow as an actual Shadow before, either, but..."
Tsukane blinked. "Toy Shadow?"
"Do you know about Lexies?" Hikari asked. "You know... the creepy little dolls? There was a horror movie, and they started making toys right after." Those toys were marketed to a much younger audience than the movie's rating would allow, but... such was the ways of merchandise.
"...There's a movie about those things?" Shinjiro's voice wasn't quite loud enough to wake the butterflies, but... it was close. She could tell.
"Apparently. I was, um... too young to see it while it was in theaters, but the reviews are pretty good." She'd considered watching it as research for a haunted house for her school's Culture Festival, but the rest of the class hadn't been willing to go along with it. In hindsight, they'd probably had the right idea. "If there's an actual projector here, we could probably watch it."
But hypothetical movie nights could wait. Right then, there was a butterfly and some boxes.
[ ] Hikari started by scanning...
-[ ] The boxes.
-[ ] The butterflies.
[ ] They decided to open...
-[ ] A red box.
-[ ] A blue box.
-[ ] A yellow box.
[ ] Could they make this go faster if they killed the butterflies?
-[ ][Party Member] Act Freely.
-[ ][Party Member] Full Assault.
-[ ][Party Member] Guard.
-[ ][Ribbon] Orgia Mode.
-[ ][Party Member] Heal/Support.
-[ ][Party Member] Debilitate.
ApocalypticFish
Been reflecting lately.
Hmm. Red, blue and yellow boxes, some with locks. None of them have labels anymore, but they did at one point.
Red is the color I generally associate with toolboxes, though I'm not sure how widespread that is, and from the sounds of it the boxes don't appear especially different from each other on the outside.
Shadow whichappears to just be a bunch of butterflies, currently asleep. Wait, no, I'm dumb, it's the pink bodies around the shadow, probably? Did find an earlier mention of a butterfly shadow, though. Not too much is coming to mind for me, and none of what is seems relevant.
I'm tempted to start by scanning the butterflies or the boxes, but really I'd be fine with looking through any of the boxes too. Maybe both, if allowed.
For now,
[X] Hikari started by scanning...
-[X] The butterflies.
Red is the color I generally associate with toolboxes, though I'm not sure how widespread that is, and from the sounds of it the boxes don't appear especially different from each other on the outside.
Shadow which
I'm tempted to start by scanning the butterflies or the boxes, but really I'd be fine with looking through any of the boxes too. Maybe both, if allowed.
For now,
[X] Hikari started by scanning...
-[X] The butterflies.
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My first thought on the color of the boxes is the color themes of Persona 3, 4, and 5 (3 being Blue, 4 being Yellow, and 5 being Red.) If forced to choose which is correct here, I'd lean towards Yellow as the film we jumped in - Junessic Land - is the P4-themed of the movies. Do I feel confident enough in that hunch to go right to picking that box? Not really. For one thing I don't remember the gameplay details of how you progressed through PQ2 pretty much at all anymore - I can't rule out that there actually is a hint that lies in the actual game that would apply here.
FWIW, the terminal/box we just left was green - so if I'm actually over-complicating this and it's simply combining colors we'd be talking Yellow + Blue. ...But there's also no guarantee this is related to that.
I'm really tempted to throw caution to the wind and just go for Yellow and then reevaluate from there, but... I'm still nervous lol.
[X] Hikari started by scanning...
-[X] The boxes.
FWIW, the terminal/box we just left was green - so if I'm actually over-complicating this and it's simply combining colors we'd be talking Yellow + Blue. ...But there's also no guarantee this is related to that.
I'm really tempted to throw caution to the wind and just go for Yellow and then reevaluate from there, but... I'm still nervous lol.
[X] Hikari started by scanning...
-[X] The boxes.
ApocalypticFish
Been reflecting lately.
Was rereading, encountered this. Might be relevant to the boxes somehow, probably just coincidence (or a reference to P3, P4, and P5's associated colors, as Alcor pointed out)
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SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Let's look at some boxes!
They need to be looked at very carefully!
-Vote Closed!-
They need to be looked at very carefully!
Junessic Land First Visit- Part 5
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Hikari took a step back, so her summoning of Gullveig had less risk of waking the butterflies. In a flash of blue light, the film reels appeared before her, and the conversation the others were having was ignored in favor of closely examining the boxes and their contents.
The red boxes were locked, and filled with frozen meat. She tried asking for more detail on what kind of meat it was, but the only response she got back was 'meat.'
This was incredibly disturbing, and until she found something in the area that explicitly required the use of this meat, she was going to try not to think about it too deeply.
The blue boxes had rust creeping up their sides, which might have been why they weren't being used for meat storage, if anything in this world had to make sense. They were also stacked precariously on top of each other in a sort of pyramid. The spots that used to be the labels seemed to be in the shape of a hazard symbol, if she squinted at them hard enough.
Looking into them... Hikari couldn't actually see anything. For the boxes on the outer layer, this was because they were empty, their tops open and exposed to the elements..
But the one in the middle... It was like a void, drawing her senses toward it, but never quite reaching the center. Occasionally, she saw something that could be interpreted as light reflecting off of metal, but it always disappeared too quickly to make anything of it.
It reminded her of the box that had contained Overseer Eye.
Still, metal boxes were much heavier than cardboard ones, and there were a lot of other boxes surrounding that one. Whatever was inside was unlikely to do anything unless they went out of their way to make it happen.
As for the yellow boxes... their contents were layered over and over each other, mixing them in a way that left their exact indentity obscure. However, Hikari could tell that, at the very bottom, there was something made of rubber. In addition, as a whole, the boxes' contents were giving an overwhelming impression of 'not wet.'
Why that would be an impression anything gave off, she had no idea. For most things, 'not wet' was the default.
She had to admit, though, it was still less ominous than just 'meat.'
She'd been too tired to really dream for most of her time in Kusoka, but she had to admit that line of red boxes was going to haunt her nightmares, alongside 'giant invisible head surrounded by eyes' and 'her aunt and uncle finding out where she was going to school and deciding to pay a visit.'
Still... there were boxes, and they were probably meant to be opened. Not that she had a key for the red ones, and the blue ones felt like they could be left alone... but still, boxes!
[ ] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
[ ] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to fight the butterflies.
-[ ][Party Member] Act Freely.
-[ ][Party Member] Full Assault.
-[ ][Party Member] Guard.
-[ ][Ribbon] Orgia Mode.
-[ ][Party Member] Heal/Support.
-[ ][Party Member] Debilitate.
[ ] Suppressing her hesitation, Hikari...
-[ ] Asked if anyone could break a lock on a red box.
-[ ] Went to open a yellow box.
[ ] Since nothing in the boxes seemed immediately useful, Hikari decided to call it a day.
The red boxes were locked, and filled with frozen meat. She tried asking for more detail on what kind of meat it was, but the only response she got back was 'meat.'
This was incredibly disturbing, and until she found something in the area that explicitly required the use of this meat, she was going to try not to think about it too deeply.
The blue boxes had rust creeping up their sides, which might have been why they weren't being used for meat storage, if anything in this world had to make sense. They were also stacked precariously on top of each other in a sort of pyramid. The spots that used to be the labels seemed to be in the shape of a hazard symbol, if she squinted at them hard enough.
Looking into them... Hikari couldn't actually see anything. For the boxes on the outer layer, this was because they were empty, their tops open and exposed to the elements..
But the one in the middle... It was like a void, drawing her senses toward it, but never quite reaching the center. Occasionally, she saw something that could be interpreted as light reflecting off of metal, but it always disappeared too quickly to make anything of it.
It reminded her of the box that had contained Overseer Eye.
Still, metal boxes were much heavier than cardboard ones, and there were a lot of other boxes surrounding that one. Whatever was inside was unlikely to do anything unless they went out of their way to make it happen.
As for the yellow boxes... their contents were layered over and over each other, mixing them in a way that left their exact indentity obscure. However, Hikari could tell that, at the very bottom, there was something made of rubber. In addition, as a whole, the boxes' contents were giving an overwhelming impression of 'not wet.'
Why that would be an impression anything gave off, she had no idea. For most things, 'not wet' was the default.
She had to admit, though, it was still less ominous than just 'meat.'
She'd been too tired to really dream for most of her time in Kusoka, but she had to admit that line of red boxes was going to haunt her nightmares, alongside 'giant invisible head surrounded by eyes' and 'her aunt and uncle finding out where she was going to school and deciding to pay a visit.'
Still... there were boxes, and they were probably meant to be opened. Not that she had a key for the red ones, and the blue ones felt like they could be left alone... but still, boxes!
[ ] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
[ ] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to fight the butterflies.
-[ ][Party Member] Act Freely.
-[ ][Party Member] Full Assault.
-[ ][Party Member] Guard.
-[ ][Ribbon] Orgia Mode.
-[ ][Party Member] Heal/Support.
-[ ][Party Member] Debilitate.
[ ] Suppressing her hesitation, Hikari...
-[ ] Asked if anyone could break a lock on a red box.
-[ ] Went to open a yellow box.
[ ] Since nothing in the boxes seemed immediately useful, Hikari decided to call it a day.
- Location
- Somewhere, presumably
[X] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
My thoughts on the yellow boxes: Rain gear or similar? The way the layers are described makes me think of fabric, and "Not Wet" could suggest water-repellent properties.
I get the feeling that whatever the rubber thing is, we're going to need it to deal with the electric fence.
My thoughts on the yellow boxes: Rain gear or similar? The way the layers are described makes me think of fabric, and "Not Wet" could suggest water-repellent properties.
I get the feeling that whatever the rubber thing is, we're going to need it to deal with the electric fence.
- Location
- Head in the clouds
[X] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
ApocalypticFish
Been reflecting lately.
Hm, weird. Well then...
[X] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
I want to know if we should prepare for the worst
[X] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
Would this 'Nakajima' happen to have a last name of 'Akemi'
I want to know if we should prepare for the worst
- Location
- Indonesia
Let's scan everything before doing anything else.
My vote:
[X] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
My vote:
[X] Now that she knew what was in the boxes, Hikari decided to scan the butterflies.
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Okay, we'll look at some butterflies!
They're very pretty butterflies, but how do they respond to people existing in their general vicinity?
-Vote Closed!-
They're very pretty butterflies, but how do they respond to people existing in their general vicinity?
Junessic Land First Visit- Part 6
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Figuring that the boxes wouldn't hold any more answers for her, Hikari moved her attention to the Shadow.
It was a single Shadow, the mask a core all of its butterfly bodies were surrounding to protect. For gathering information, it would be most efficient to focus on the mask. As always, the first thing she searched for would be a name.
Whimsical Papillon.
Whimsical... she supposed that was a word that could be used to describe a bunch of butterflies. She couldn't believe a descriptive term used for Shadows actually made sense.
Lovers Arcana.
One of these days, she needed to look up what that meant.
Weak to Wind and Bless.
Huh. Multiple weaknesses. If only they had access to either of those elements, this Shadow would have been easy to defeat!
That was the basic information. "...What's a 'Shibaboo?'"
The other three shrugged. "Never heard of it," Shinjiro said.
"No Shadow has attempted to use it on me," Ribbon agreed.
Before Hikari could attempt to divine the purpose of this mysterious magic, something changed. The Whimsical Papillon began to stir.
...It would have been too much to hope that it just stayed asleep forever, wouldn't it? They could still get to the boxes before it woke up completely, but to leave after, they'd have to fight their way out. If they wanted to fight it, the best thing to do would be to attack now, while it was still drowsy.
[ ] Hikari decided there was nothing wrong with fighting the Shadow at its full strength. She'd go for a box first.
-[ ] Maybe they could do something about the locks on the red boxes.
-[ ] She was really interested in the contents of the yellow boxes...
[ ] If they attacked the Shadow while it was still waking up, maybe it wouldn't get the chance to fight back!
-[ ][Party Member] Act Freely.
-[ ][Party Member] Full Assault.
-[ ][Party Member] Guard.
-[ ][Ribbon] Orgia Mode.
-[ ][Party Member] Heal/Support.
-[ ][Party Member] Debilitate.
[ ] However interesting the boxes might have been, Hikari figured they weren't worth fighting over at the moment. She'd try again another day.
It was a single Shadow, the mask a core all of its butterfly bodies were surrounding to protect. For gathering information, it would be most efficient to focus on the mask. As always, the first thing she searched for would be a name.
Whimsical Papillon.
Whimsical... she supposed that was a word that could be used to describe a bunch of butterflies. She couldn't believe a descriptive term used for Shadows actually made sense.
Lovers Arcana.
One of these days, she needed to look up what that meant.
Weak to Wind and Bless.
Huh. Multiple weaknesses. If only they had access to either of those elements, this Shadow would have been easy to defeat!
That was the basic information. "...What's a 'Shibaboo?'"
The other three shrugged. "Never heard of it," Shinjiro said.
"No Shadow has attempted to use it on me," Ribbon agreed.
Before Hikari could attempt to divine the purpose of this mysterious magic, something changed. The Whimsical Papillon began to stir.
...It would have been too much to hope that it just stayed asleep forever, wouldn't it? They could still get to the boxes before it woke up completely, but to leave after, they'd have to fight their way out. If they wanted to fight it, the best thing to do would be to attack now, while it was still drowsy.
[ ] Hikari decided there was nothing wrong with fighting the Shadow at its full strength. She'd go for a box first.
-[ ] Maybe they could do something about the locks on the red boxes.
-[ ] She was really interested in the contents of the yellow boxes...
[ ] If they attacked the Shadow while it was still waking up, maybe it wouldn't get the chance to fight back!
-[ ][Party Member] Act Freely.
-[ ][Party Member] Full Assault.
-[ ][Party Member] Guard.
-[ ][Ribbon] Orgia Mode.
-[ ][Party Member] Heal/Support.
-[ ][Party Member] Debilitate.
[ ] However interesting the boxes might have been, Hikari figured they weren't worth fighting over at the moment. She'd try again another day.
- Location
- Indonesia
Quick, attack it while it's still drowsy!
My vote:
[X] If they attacked the Shadow while it was still waking up, maybe it wouldn't get the chance to fight back!
-[X][Shinjiro] Full Assault.
-[X][Ribbon] Debilitate.
-[X][Tsukane] Full Assault.
My vote:
[X] If they attacked the Shadow while it was still waking up, maybe it wouldn't get the chance to fight back!
-[X][Shinjiro] Full Assault.
-[X][Ribbon] Debilitate.
-[X][Tsukane] Full Assault.
- Location
- Indonesia
Also, since Tsukane has Agi and the Overseer Eye is weak to fire. It's safe to say we can come back to the backstage and grab the Flashlight. That should make avoiding future FOE's a lot easier.