The fact the shadow has to jump in and stop us makes me think this whole approach - finding Sinon and fighting her - was *not* was the players were supposed to do in order to save her.
While the dice say otherwise, the shadow interrupt feels like players being yanked back from making a critical mistake by the GM.
So, I'm just going to ask - what was the correct process to wake Sinon up?
The Shadow interrupt is partly my way of forcing the Nervegear issue into the narrative. I won't say there's a mistake, I'll just say the one thing that I didn't expect is that to some degree I expected a diplomacy option to comment or accuse Sinon of using a NerveGeat. The Shadow is just now making explicit what was once implicit.
I didn't have things planned out that closely, though I did intend on the fight to end in some climax, the shape of which would vary based on how things progressed.
Like if Hama was selected from the start, DG Aimo would not have been dispelled and the whole fight would've been trying to reach Aimo to Hama it. Probably the biggest breakpoint was whether you went for Sinon or Aimopotis to start.
Or if you completely kicked Sinon's ass I did plan on a different finale too.
I hesitate to suggest a right way. Though I we'll say about the current scenario Sinon can be convinced with just words, I have a few pre canned expectations but anything can work if it's reasoned or well argued.
I voted to Make her see, alright. But the OP confirmed it's possible to dissuade her with only words...
So I will make a try.
[x] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[x] "Shino...look at yourself. Not what Xaxa sells you, your true self. Once you pull the trigger, once you strike onward and attempt to end this...there's no way back. If you do so...then hold yourself accountable for every act you take."
Aside from the Stress gain, I'm also hesitant to use Third Eye in this situation because it might not be available for the confrontation with Death Gun if we use it here...
If the combat cheat sheet is to be trusted, we have 6 CHT dice (1 from Kuro's native CHT, 3 from Putana, and 2 from the Gravity Saber, although that last one might only apply to ability use) to oppose Sinon's 5 CHT dice with her advantage nullified, so just trying to face-tank the Mudoon is a risky proposition, especially if the +2 from Gravity Saber only counts for ability use, in which case...yikes.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time
-[X] "Shino...I'm sorry, for not noticing that were alone all this time. You don't have to go it alone, not anymore. I tried that once, and it...wasn't fun. True strength isn't just the ability to do things on your own. You have to know when to rely on others when you can't do something or face something on your own. You can rely on me...lean on me if you have to, and I won't mind. So please Shino...don't do this. You'll regret it for the rest of your life." *offer her your hand*
I don't know if this is too long or too short, but it's what I'm throwing in the ring, because I think Shino's loneliness is something that hasn't really been touched on and is likely a sore point for her, even if she doesn't realize it.
Ah, crap. I think I know what's going on. I completely underestimated what a Death Gun Persona was, I thought it was just like the JOKER infection but it's even worse. It internalizes the Real Deal nonsense so much that if you die in the game you're weak so it's only fitting that you die in real life and Sinon's wearing a NearvGear and in a very public tournament.
This was XaXa's plan all along. He couldn't count on random belief letting him kill someone through GGO so he had someone awaken a Death Gun Persona which would ensure they would die no matter what in a very public area which would increase the belief that anyone can die playing the game and I fell for it completely. As much as it galls me to say it that was a brilliant maneuver by XaXa.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
While Nephren-Ka will most likely save Sinon I want to throw my hat into the ring. The thing is that I don't think a moral appeal will work on Sinon right now we need to make a philosophical appeal. And the main ideal that Sinon knows from us is survival. While survival has been framed badly by the votes I don't think it was completely wrong.
Because Hiyori survived an impossible situation she was able to pick herself up and add to herself and grow, learning from the past, instead of cutting away from herself until only kill or be killed remains something not just against good sense and ethics but the survival we preached to Sinon back then. And by doing so we show how our own view of survival has grown beyond surviving for the sake of it that Shadow Lux preached back then. We are now the light standing against the darkness.
Ah, crap. I think I know what's going on. I completely underestimated what a Death Gun Persona was, I thought it was just like the JOKER infection but it's even worse. It internalizes the Real Deal nonsense so much that if you die in the game you're weak so it's only fitting that you die in real life and Sinon's wearing a NearvGear and in a very public tournament.
This was XaXa's plan all along. He couldn't count on random belief letting him kill someone through GGO so he had someone awaken a Death Gun Persona which would ensure they would die no matter what in a very public area which would increase the belief that anyone can die playing the game and I fell for it completely. As much as it galls me to say it that was a brilliant maneuver by XaXa.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
While Nephren-Ka will most likely save Sinon I want to throw my hat into the ring. The thing is that I don't think a moral appeal will work on Sinon right now we need to make a philosophical appeal. And the main ideal that Sinon knows from us is survival. While survival has been framed badly by the votes I don't think it was completely wrong.
Because Hiyori survived an impossible situation she was able to pick herself up and add to herself and grow, learning from the past, instead of cutting away from herself until only kill or be killed remains something not just against good sense and ethics but the survival we preached to Sinon back then. And by doing so we show how our own view of survival has grown beyond surviving for the sake of it that Shadow Lux preached back then. We are now the light standing against the darkness.
Only thing I'm worried about is that Helena is weak to curse, so if we do this and it fails, Mudoon is going to hit us with advantage. It's 5 CHT dice vs 5 (maybe 6) CHT dice for us, but with advantage on the enemy rolls.
Edit: It also says we're currently being hit with a Mudoon spell, so I don't think putting up a shield is going to be very effective.
Only thing I'm worried about is that Helena is weak to curse, so if we do this and it fails, Mudoon is going to hit us with advantage. It's 5 CHT dice vs 5 (maybe 6) CHT dice for us, but with advantage on the enemy rolls.
AN: I don't want to resolve this with a dice roll, but I'm willing to if need be. This is a Persona fanfiction, give me something dramatic to work with!
So I'm going for pure thematic drama here hoping that if I make sense both in rule of cool and in themes Pete will waive the dice and just give us the win because I gave him something juicy to work with.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
...eh. in for a penny... (disregard my previous vote.)
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
As someone who repeatedly has advocated for theatrics (Ragnarok, that time I wanted to drop a floating castle on a boss, etc.) this one feels like it stretches credulity to me a bit - and I considered some wacky ideas here before settling on Third Eye thinking it'd be the most emotionally theatrical/powerful solution (like using Helena's Enhance Armament that makes the target feel godlike on Sinon or lamenting we didn't have Cats equipped to have the most anticlimactic ending by teleporting a cat in to take the blow)
In the new mechanics briefing we got just above the new Compendium page sheet it just sounds like this isn't an interaction that would work. Sacred Arts v Core Protection Manipulation. Maybe it's a weird hill to die on, but eh - I also felt similarly about the Lightless Crypt option that was provided to us but gave that more of a pass because ETTEILLA nonsense.
As someone who repeatedly has advocated for theatrics (Ragnarok, that time I wanted to drop a floating castle on a boss, etc.) this one feels like it stretches credulity to me a bit - and I considered some wacky ideas here before settling on Third Eye thinking it'd be the most emotionally theatrical/powerful solution (like using Helena's Enhance Armament that makes the target feel godlike on Sinon or lamenting we didn't have Cats equipped to have the most anticlimatic ending by teleporting a cat in to take the blow)
In the new mechanics briefing we got just above the new Compendium page sheet it just sounds like this isn't an interaction that would work. Sacred Arts v Core Protection Manipulation. Maybe it's a weird hill to die on, but eh - I also felt similarly about the Lightless Crypt option that was provided to us but gave that more of a pass because ETTEILLA nonsense.
...Okay, didn't consider the cats angle. I love it but I will stand my ground and note you don't have the Persona ready.
Regarding using a magical light shield to block Mudo spells. Mechanically no, Mudo is a CHT type spell that deals with Fluctlight ID manipulation and Kouga is a physical magic element. I certainly will not let you block hama/mudo spells with Sacred Arts in routine combat especially when it steps on Tetraja's toes.
But this is a special circumstance, so I'd be interpreting it as less of casting a magic barrier and more of trying to directly incarnate a spiritual shield.
As someone who repeatedly has advocated for theatrics (Ragnarok, that time I wanted to drop a floating castle on a boss, etc.) this one feels like it stretches credulity to me a bit - and I considered some wacky ideas here before settling on Third Eye thinking it'd be the most emotionally theatrical/powerful solution (like using Helena's Enhance Armament that makes the target feel godlike on Sinon or lamenting we didn't have Cats equipped to have the most anticlimatic ending by teleporting a cat in to take the blow)
In the new mechanics briefing we got just above the new Compendium page sheet it just sounds like this isn't an interaction that would work. Sacred Arts v Core Protection Manipulation. Maybe it's a weird hill to die on, but eh - I also felt similarly about the Lightless Crypt option that was provided to us but gave that more of a pass because ETTEILLA nonsense.
I could add on more of Helena's belief gimmick to this. This is a battle of belief that our belief in survival--that we will survive--is superior to the kill or be killed nothingburger that is the Real Deal and at the same time our words and actions will convince the flailing Sinon of this as well thereby weakening the Mudoon.
Honestly, I'm not sure about this… but we don't have any options that don't have major drawbacks, and only one person gets to try again in the event that they die. It's risky, but I don't want to get caught flat footed later on and let someone die. We did choose the path of self-sacrifice over sacrificing others, after all.
[x] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
- [x] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
- [x] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
I could add on more of Helena's belief gimmick to this. This is a battle of belief that our belief in survival--that we will survive--is superior to the kill or be killed nothingburger that is the Real Deal and at the same time our words and actions will convince the flailing Sinon of this as well thereby weakening the Mudoon.
I dunno, I'm still getting the same kind of feeling that I had right before the mechanics reset where I tried to advocate for the plan to switch targets from Sinon to focusing on defeating Aimopotis because Hiyori's inner monologue at the time was sending me signals that we were making an error in focusing on defeating Sinon and playing into The Real Deal's definition of strength by trying to just overwhelm her.
Like... on a fundamental level we're still playing into the notion of strength being a contest of force. I'll grant that at least time it's at least not offense vs offense where we were trying to just flatten her with superior power and is more a strength v defense thing this time. But it's still portraying it as a contest of strength - in this case "Can Sinon's will to kill overpower our will to live?"
What appeals to me about the "Make Her See"/Third Eye option is that it completely upends the table on that notion. Rather than clashing wills at one another in a kind of "might makes right" sense and see who out-stats the other (Sinon fails to defeat us because we're stronger, but that isn't antithetical to The Real Deal, we haven't defeated that philosophy, just demonstrated that it didn't send its best messenger) - we turn the paradigm on its head and demonstrate "strength" as not a matter of opposition but of reaching out. After all, what takes more strength than to willingly expose your weakness and vulnerabilities to another person - especially when you can't be sure whether or not they'll just take the chance to trample on your feelings?
Is it because it incurs a point of STRESS from using Nephren-Ka? Because the vibes I've gotten over the course of this battle is to just never try to make a plan that uses Nephren-Ka or Archon unless we're in the arc's final battle. At least with the Ragnarok plan I had before I'll readily admit we had other ways to approach that battle, but this time we're gambling with a literal instant kill spell and having to use one of ETTEILLA's "oops" buttons which I'd argue is an even more limited resource.
I get the feeling that once we secure more income or stumble across a Social Link that gives relatively efficient options for reducing Stress (if such a Social Link exists among the...11 we haven't unlocked yet), we'll be be more open-minded to using Nephren-Ka or Archon, but outside of certain situations like this one it's not worth it because:
A) Reducing Stress eats into both our action economy and our cash, both of which are very crucial at all times
B) High Stress can lead to bad things, up to and including PERMANENTLY lowering social stats, which not only delays development of existing Social Links and the unlocking of new ones, QM has stated that we'll NEED our social stats to be as high as possible for the third arc (or at least, we should at least have Fitness be as high as we can get it before then)
Honestly...I feel like we didn't handle this situation well in general, and so we have to make a BIG gamble as a result.
Hopefully we can read the situation better in the future and avoid putting ourselves in situations like this.
The intent behind stress is again, something negligible at low levels but snowballing at high levels. In order to actually become affected you need to roll Nat 1s. Losing social stats, even at 4 Stress, is very, very statistically unlikely. But it does expose you to that danger the higher your stress is.
Ultimately whether it's worth it or not is up to the voters.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
[X] Engage in Diplomacy one final time.
-[X] "Sinon, remember when I beat Endou what I said strength is? It's to survive. The power to see tomorrow not so you can endure but to be more than your were the previous day, not cut yourself away. Like this!
-[X] Dramatically raise your hand and cast Kouga. Summon the Luminous Element in all of its glory to make a shield for both yourself and Sinon. Become a bulwark against the darkness from the power that you gained from living to see another day because you became more than what you were yesterday instead of just cutting yourself away into one single thing.
The sound of a distant gunshot silences all.
The river, the island, the blasted landscape, and the totality of GGO fades away before you.
The world lies exposed, lines of red and black. That too fades away into nothingness. All traces of the «Main Visualizer» vanish.
There's nothing left. Just two fluctuating lights: one blue, pale, and welcoming death. The other burning blood red, awaiting to deliver it.
That... and you.
She stands before you, the motes of her soul dissolving away like ash in the breeze. There's no expression on her face. It's set in a stoic, flat cast that reveals absolutely nothing of what she feels. It's the version of Shino Asada waiting to be cast away with the pull of the trigger, the weakness to be purged by the Seventh Bullet.
You try to reach out to her but she scarcely recognizes your presence.
After what feels like hours Shino responds, but it's a voice that is alien to you. Tired, emotionless, and hollow, "The police said I was brave. The workers said I was a hero. The families said I saved lives. They said he deserved to die. They said I did the right thing. They said I was strong."
You try to get closer, but the distance between you refuses to close. "You don't need to do this to yourself."
Her scarf swirls into the air. The material fades into fluctuating lights, a wick burning down the remainder of her soul.
"Every night... I dream about the moment I pulled the trigger. I remember the weight in my hands. I remember the muzzle flash. I remember his empty eyes. Tell me, Hiyori. If I did the right thing, then why? Why does he still stalk my nightmares? Why won't Mom look at me? Why does everyone fear me?"
With every breath her body begins to shake, a crack running along her body like a piece of pottery breaking. The distant presence, that of death and determination, grows with each passing word. It's not enough just to stop her, you have to convince her that she doesn't need to do this, that her life need not revolve around the consequences of that one day. "Shino, you know all of those things aren't your fault. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have nothing you need to cut away! Please, listen!"
"I already know the answer. I can't handle the barbs, the ostracization, the ignorance. Because I'm weak. For one glorious moment I was strong, and I've spent my whole life running away from that fact. I see the truth now. Who I know I can be, the version of myself I know I can be. The true Sinon, ready to fire without hesitation." <Cut out your hesitation.>
It materializes on a bank of fog, gazing upon its old self through the lens of a sniper's scope. It sees you, the shape of Sinon's bloody ideal, twisted by the voice of man with Red Eyes.
"I don't need this guilt." <Cut out your guilt.>
"I don't need this weakness." <Cut out your weakness.>
"I will be proud. I will be ready to pull the trigger. I will be strong. I will be my true self. The Real Deal!" <Cut out your self.>
You stop moving. There's no point, not when something beyond mere distance separates you from her. The power of the final bullet, waiting to be unleashed, lies chambered in Death Gun's Anti-Materiel rifle.
Sinon looks on dispassionately. The last strand of her scarf turns to dust, floating away into the void. A pulsating red laser aligns between the distant sniper and Sinon's exposed head.
You take a single deep breath.
"Shino, do you remember what I said strength is? It's the power to survive."
If she's listening, if she's even capable of listening anymore, then that cold gaze gives no response. You don't stop, not when you know that the force within is growing. Sinon's will is to embody her twisted Ideal, even at the cost of all that she was.
"But it's not to endure. It doesn't mean accepting things as they are, it doesn't mean laying down and letting them bully you or ostracize you!"
To Shino this is all survival ever was. Of keeping her head down, letting the likes of Endou walk all over her. To sit and numbly ignore the barbs in the hopes that it proves that she's above it all, even when they bleed her dry piece by piece.
"Survive so that you can live to see tomorrow. Survive so you can be more than you were the previous day."
Death Gun will rip out the weak part of herself she so desires. But like death, it will have no regard for tomorrow. It will leave behind nothing but the cold sniper. Not the girl who helped you with your boxes, not the girl who invited you into her home, not the girl who welcomed you as her friend... The person left over will just be a walking husk devoid of the things that made her Shino Asada except for that one moment of violence.
"You can change. You can be more. You don't have to cut out that which you think is weak... it's a part of you too. You are more than just Death Gun."
The Shino before you has no answer. Her soul no longer has the desire to speak. The fluctuating lights dim and her teal eyes glaze over, and as one Shino falls another rises.
The thing with the red eyes stares down its scope. GGO, the whispers of Death Gun, they've corrupted her soul just like the songs of Seven or the delusions of OBERON. Day after day, shot after shot, Shino has lived in a world where the only thing that matters is spilled blood. You see it for the monster it is, an unholy fusion of Shino's genuine desire to come to terms with own past, and this ugly obsession with death and conquest masquerading as strength.
You step forward, arms outstretched, placing yourself between Death Gun and her last target. It sees you and your futile attempt to stop it from shooting through Shino's soul. <You are weak.>
A glowing red dot runs up your left leg and lingers on your chest. A silent warning, Sinon's new self's last courtesy to her opponent, offering you one chance to step out of the way. The Seventh Bullet is already loaded. This thing that cuts through weakness, you know you will not be able to withstand it. <Leave. Do not return until you are strong.>
You look up at that cold, dead thing Shino wishes to become. You raise your arms, you open your hands... and you smile.
"No."
<Then die.>
All is drowned out by a thunderclap.
You call forth infinite light. Helena is beside you, her hand entwined with yours, and together you summon forth a brilliant shield to cast away the darkness.
System Call: Generate Luminous Element. Burst.
The bullet does not care. For it travels not through darkness, but from nothingness into nothingness. From soul to soul. You are laying bricks to block thoughts, building barriers to restrain a belief.
System Call: Generate Luminous Element. Form Element, Shield Shape.
You imagine the shape of the greatest bulwark. A towering, infinite shield, towering into the heavens. A castle and its battlements, a thousand-mile wall that wraps around an entire nation, a glimmering shield around the planet itself.
The bullet does not care.
System Call: Generate Luminous Element. Form Element, Fractal Shape.
You cast forth a hundred glimmering mirrors, a swarm of reflective surfaces to bend it from its course, to lose it in a hail of light. The white void erupts in an explosion of radiance, light covering every corner of Shino's soul, leaving not a single path for darkness to travel.
The bullet does not care.
...
The «Main Visualizer» is no longer relevant in this space. The most magnificent light, the greatest shield in the world, and it does nothing against a bullet targeting the soul. You cast away your Persona. It will not help you here, not anymore. Helena has never known sacrifice.
But then again, have you?
You who prioritized safety and survival over all else?
You who continued to live as hundreds died before you?
The image of a shield to cast away even Death. You search for it in your mind. Just as Shiroe and Yuuki did. When the walls of the world are weak, belief is all that matters. You have to imagine it. Incarnate it. A shield of your own belief.
You fill it with your commitment to be someone better. To be someone that you're not. To be a hero deserving of the name, to be who you choose to be instead of what you are.
If you are to have an Ideal, then let it be this.
The light intensifies. The bullet hangs for the briefest of moment.
You need an image. One of sacrifice, one of protection. An image that can stop Death.
You remember the victims of Laughing Coffin, choosing to sacrifice themselves to save each other, only to be slain regardless. The light dims.
You remember the ideal of Dr. Yakutani. The insanity of choosing to truly live for the greater good. The light dims.
You remember the thousands of Clearers, dying day by day to try to save you, all while you hunt them for sport. The light dims.
You remember sacrifice after sacrifice. Death after death. You try to find something to fill your shield, a belief you can hang on to. The light dims.
"Nice to meet you Lux!"
You... you don't want to remember...
But the image is clear. Of an ultimate, unassailable, shield. Of the one light so brilliant it casts away death itself.
"Hey, Lux, don't overthink it alright? I'm helping because I want to! That's all!"
Her arms wrap around you. You feel her warmth against your cheek. You know what comes next and you can do nothing to stop it.
"That's all you need! So long as you want to help, everything will work out!"
You fill the light with the memory of the girl with flowers in her hair. You fill it with her smile, with her laughter, and above all else, you fill it with the sight of her back, standing strong as the sword descends upon you.
The bullet strikes your chest. The bullet strikes Shino's soul. The bullet strikes the light.
And the bullet simply does not exist.
She turns around with a smile on her face, the gaping wound in her chest scintillating with radiant light.
"Next time, give me a smile? Okay?"
And then she is gone. Dissolved into a thousand pixels of fluctuating light.
Kuro has gained a new skill. «Incarnate: ???»: When the walls of the world come crumbling down, she will sacrifice herself for you. Over and over again.
