Persona: The Beautiful
- Thread starter ArlequineLunaire
- Start date
- Fantasy Modern
- Location
- Germany
[X] "Ace of Hearts". Himawari on your mind, what else could you choose?
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Yeah, probably about time to finish up with Himawari.
Anyway, I'm happy that Reina is still holding herself relatively well given the circumstances, or think of others on the whole Jack deal. It really does feel like she has grown quite a bit recently.
Meanwhile we have the Aces dropping to the Lust Arcana. It is probably the most appropriate option for them.
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Yeah, probably about time to finish up with Himawari.
Anyway, I'm happy that Reina is still holding herself relatively well given the circumstances, or think of others on the whole Jack deal. It really does feel like she has grown quite a bit recently.
Meanwhile we have the Aces dropping to the Lust Arcana. It is probably the most appropriate option for them.
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hmm, what do people think about me going with the word 'Lust' over 'Hunger', which is the term Persona usually uses (which is weird, since the games have no problem saying the word 'lust' elsewhere) even though Lust's closer to the actual Arcana?
Also, one thing I didn't notice until much later was how 'All-Aces' is one letter removed from 'All-Ages', which is... ironic considering what they get up to.
The first of side-stories I'll be writing up in return for PA2's Utena omake should hopefully be later today, well, today over here that is.
By now I feel the whole 'explaining away deaths' thing has become normalised enough that I sort of take it for granted, but I should remember to address that in the next story post, and that sounds like as good an explanation as any.
Also, one thing I didn't notice until much later was how 'All-Aces' is one letter removed from 'All-Ages', which is... ironic considering what they get up to.
The first of side-stories I'll be writing up in return for PA2's Utena omake should hopefully be later today, well, today over here that is.
By now I feel the whole 'explaining away deaths' thing has become normalised enough that I sort of take it for granted, but I should remember to address that in the next story post, and that sounds like as good an explanation as any.
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- Location
- Head in the clouds
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
I don't know what else best fits but this is a conversation that not only do I want to have but feels important to have as well as interesting.
On the interesting note... See the thing that struck me with everything is that Himawari getting expelled may have been the best route for her. Because so far she's the only one of the Aces to get out of the school alive. I can see her getting concerned for Haruka due to having the perspective to really understand that everyone connecting to the board is dying, and why. She of all people will know that because she got scared of all the other Aces when Rin died. Which... yeah. Eitaro only didn't kill Haruka because she killed him first. Melissa and Kikuko were willing to kill each other and Kikuko did kill Melissa. And again while in character no one's said that Azuma killed Rin - there's reason why the quest players think he did.
Also if it was not shadow Kikuko that started the fight - Azuma is my personal suspect. His puppeteer/theater motif fits extremely well with manipulating others. And he was putting himself between Haruka and the board.
Important - there's two elements to this. One is just the context and history involved. Himawari is one of three survivor's of the original Aces. And is likely going to be the last one still alive of the lot. The only reason that being an Ace has a 50/50 survival rate right now is because Haruka was just inducted. Azuma doesn't see Haruka as an entity on the board. Which means his last remaining target is Kikuko, who is so unstable her Shadow is on the field unless she reaccepted it, which I sincerely doubt happened. It might be possible to get Kikuko out of this alive, but the thread will have to be lucky and smart I think. Or Azuma finding an option to kick Kikuko out of school to get her off the board I guess. Azuma I straight up expect is going to die because death is one of the few ways for someone to be removed from the board. And there's exactly zero ways for Azuma having full control of the board to be any good.
For a thematic standpoint Himawari has a ton of weight - and is also filling the narrative role of being the last surviving witness to what used to be with the Aces. Before Rin died. If there are any similarities with the events between Rin's death and recent events Himawari was present for the first and has knowledge from everyone who kept in contact with her from the school as to what happened elsewhere. It would fit the themes of the quest that the power someone has on the Board is not the end all be all for someone forgotten/overlooked to be able to give crucial information because they were there, they saw, still live and that matters.
Even if the above is not true - we need that conversation with who is essentially the Game Master (... Okay if we have a mystery "Who was Morrigan" during the quest ala Persona 4 I'm voting for Council President, just saying that now) to find out what it means if someone wins the board. Because it's down to the wire.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
I don't know what else best fits but this is a conversation that not only do I want to have but feels important to have as well as interesting.
On the interesting note... See the thing that struck me with everything is that Himawari getting expelled may have been the best route for her. Because so far she's the only one of the Aces to get out of the school alive. I can see her getting concerned for Haruka due to having the perspective to really understand that everyone connecting to the board is dying, and why. She of all people will know that because she got scared of all the other Aces when Rin died. Which... yeah. Eitaro only didn't kill Haruka because she killed him first. Melissa and Kikuko were willing to kill each other and Kikuko did kill Melissa. And again while in character no one's said that Azuma killed Rin - there's reason why the quest players think he did.
Also if it was not shadow Kikuko that started the fight - Azuma is my personal suspect. His puppeteer/theater motif fits extremely well with manipulating others. And he was putting himself between Haruka and the board.
Important - there's two elements to this. One is just the context and history involved. Himawari is one of three survivor's of the original Aces. And is likely going to be the last one still alive of the lot. The only reason that being an Ace has a 50/50 survival rate right now is because Haruka was just inducted. Azuma doesn't see Haruka as an entity on the board. Which means his last remaining target is Kikuko, who is so unstable her Shadow is on the field unless she reaccepted it, which I sincerely doubt happened. It might be possible to get Kikuko out of this alive, but the thread will have to be lucky and smart I think. Or Azuma finding an option to kick Kikuko out of school to get her off the board I guess. Azuma I straight up expect is going to die because death is one of the few ways for someone to be removed from the board. And there's exactly zero ways for Azuma having full control of the board to be any good.
For a thematic standpoint Himawari has a ton of weight - and is also filling the narrative role of being the last surviving witness to what used to be with the Aces. Before Rin died. If there are any similarities with the events between Rin's death and recent events Himawari was present for the first and has knowledge from everyone who kept in contact with her from the school as to what happened elsewhere. It would fit the themes of the quest that the power someone has on the Board is not the end all be all for someone forgotten/overlooked to be able to give crucial information because they were there, they saw, still live and that matters.
Even if the above is not true - we need that conversation with who is essentially the Game Master (... Okay if we have a mystery "Who was Morrigan" during the quest ala Persona 4 I'm voting for Council President, just saying that now) to find out what it means if someone wins the board. Because it's down to the wire.
- Location
- Germany
It doesn't make much of a difference to me. As you said, it fits the Arcana. The one point I could think off against the desicion is that back as Eitaro's funeral, the Aces had somewhat of a seven deadly sins roll call, so Lust might sound like it's associated more with Gakuto than the Aces in general. Then again, between Lust and Gluttony, Hunger is arguably only marginally better in that regard.
Well, I imagine Azuma and Kikuko would like to think that their influence will be felt through the ages. If nothing else, it makes a decent pun on a coming of age story.
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
While it was mentioned in conjunction with Gakuto, I did say that Azuma's funeral speech (which I'm surprised at the moment that people actually remember, I guess it was vaguely in the back of my own head) was mostly flowery emptiness, and that you could pin quite a few of the classic sins (or kleshas if you'd like) on any number of Aces.
July 4th, Shadow Melissa AU
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
As Shadow Kikuko was gaining on her, Melissa continuing to collapse into utter panic eventually reached breaking point, as she too was consumed by her own Shadow.
Her usual flawless skin started quickly rotting, becoming a poisonous, almost glowing green crawling and puppeteered by insects which, on closer inspection, you could see were some colony of bees or wasps. Her strawberry blonde hair started to shrivel up, and in its place a wig of molten gold was congealed on. Finally, black liquid resembling oil began drooling out of her mouth and eyes, and you hoped it wasn't actual oil given Shadow Kikuko's fire.
"I am a Shadow, the true self," the remains of Melissa creaked out "Every object breaks, every love leaves, every life withers. If this is what I am reduced to, I'll drag everyone down with me!"
As Shadow Melissa had to be pulled around by the insects infesting her body, she gradually raised her gnarled hand at Shadow Kikuko and fired off a nuclear explosion, knocking the fiery warrior back and creating another gaping white hole in the floor.
Shadow Kikuko in return shrieked at this, and started fire-dashing sideways in a circular path, before heating up all ten of her finger-swords and slashing wildly at Melissa.
Shadow Melissa was able to block her heated flurry to a good extent, by lifting up her chainsaw, now fused to her hand by the dripping oil, to use its blade as a makeshift shield. However, Shadow Kikuko was swift enough that eventually some of her sword slashes got through, shredding Melissa's polluted green skin and leaving her spinning to the side.
That may have not been the most sound tactic, as slashing at Melissa's animated corpse caused a whole swarm of insects to fly out and barrage Kikuko. While they proved barely effective against Kikuko's flames and porcelain skin, they were able to fly in through her insides and clog up her rib-cage guns.
Shadow Kikuko then began sputtering and what you could only call the porcelain-mech equivalent of choking, all while Shadow Melissa, slowly getting back into position, tried to collapse the ground beneath her with another nuclear blast. For a second it appeared Shadow Kikuko had fallen into the white void, but then saw her still hanging onto the precipice by one of her hand's swords.
She then blazed back with fire and leapt right out of that pit, before trying to descend like a homing fireball straight onto Melissa. Melissa raised both her chainsaw and her shotgun, also fused into her hands, upwards to block and deflect again, but Kikuko came down strong enough to knock her backwards, toppling her over the altar stage.
Melissa's husk then screamed and kicked Kikuko upwards, as Kikuko's sword-claws were still able to slash right across her. This time though, when those insects came flying up out at her, Kikuko breathed forth a torrent of flames to burn them all.
Seeing the two Aces' Shadows fighting right next to you, becoming harder to stay out of this conflict yourself, in desperation you headed over to the organ and pressed down as many keys as you could with your arms, which was some challenge as the keyboard had three rows to it on top of the bass key pedals down below. Either way, it was more than enough to shake the entire chapel cavern and dislodge a huge chunk of rock from right above the altar.
Shadow Melissa had stumbled out of the way, but Shadow Kikuko's volcanic frame was left to suddenly hold up the entire boulder, you could see her straining to keep it hoisted. Shadow Melissa was left scrambling backwards to dodge the boulder getting dropped on her by Kikuko, who instead pushed it over the altar and right into the organ itself, letting out a near deafening crunch as all the keys were played simultaneously in the instrument's final use before being crushed.
After that deafening noise, more falling debris came down and crashed through the floors until only the very edges of the cavern by its walls weren't part of the pit down into the white void. As you found yourself backing up against the wall, you at least saw that so much stalactites and debris had fallen down had some of it had formed a type of bridge over the pit, giving you slightly more room to maneuver.
Running up a wrong-way round escalator onto this bridge of debris, you swerved around to see that both Kikuko's and Melissa's Shadows had very much not fallen down into that white void, but that Shadow Kikuko was now using her swords to rock-climb her way up the walls, while Shadow Melissa had suddenly swarmed her way up to right in front of you.
You grabbed your left tonfa to block her chainsaw from coming down on you, but you saw then that it'd only hold for so long, as the chainsaw began gradually slicing through it. So you took your right tonfa and tried to strike Melissa in the bones, only for you to shriek as this just left your hand covered in those insects.
But that at moment, Rise then swooped in, you assumed all that crumbling of the cavern and ended up dragging her down here, as she had Kyutenno-Yamijo blast Shadow Melissa with Psiodyne, causing the Ace's husk to wail in agony.
"Oh no, two Shadow-selves at once, it's as bad as I feared" Rise muttered.
Meanwhile, Shadow Kikuko leapt off the wall to strike down at Melissa's Shadow, only for her to then get struck in midair by what looked like a flying train.
"I won't let you two kill each other!" Makoto roared out as she entered the Arena, before hissing "Although an expulsion or two is definitely in order".
However, this bridge of debris sure enough proved to be so unstable that you could feel it about to collapse into the void. Rise and Makoto having quickly retreated against the cave wall, Makoto even called forth Santabarbara again to give you something of a speedy lift off the debris.
The two Shadow-Aces weren't so fortunate, as a lunging Kikuko had gotten caught in a clash with Melissa just before the bridge started to collapse. When they could see it happen, it was too late, as Shadow Melissa's chainsaw had already lodged itself and was digging into Kikuko's porcelain shoulder, while Shadow Kikuko's blades had stuck themselves into Melissa's eye sockets and molten gold 'hair'.
Not able to draw apart fast enough, and you remembering that 'drag you all down' comment from Shadow Melissa, the two Aces fell together into the white void, till they faded out of your vision.
At least you had PITT's Escape Route on you to warp you, Rise, and Makoto to safety. However, as the deaths of all the Aces but one sank into you, that also raised the fear of what was now about to become of the Gameboard...
* * *
QM's Note: First of two Omake rewards for PA2's Utena AU. Also, following Chi You, Sebastos, and Rokujo-Aoi, Shadow Melissa's demon name is, probably expectedly, Ereshkigal.
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- Location
- USA
[x] "Ace of Fools". If that's allowed.
[x] Talk with Himawari.
[x] Talk with Himawari.
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ah yeah, at the moment we could use a couple more votes for the evening activity, since right now they're all tied at... one.
- Location
- United States
[X] "Ace of Hearts". Himawari on your mind, what else could you choose?
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Reclaiming Himawari's title certainly seems fitting, since we're about to complete her Social Link. And yeah, let's advance Hermit a little bit! I think Haruka would want some time to clear her head anyway. Also, Shadow Melissa was as awesomely creepy as I expected! Thank you so much!
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Reclaiming Himawari's title certainly seems fitting, since we're about to complete her Social Link. And yeah, let's advance Hermit a little bit! I think Haruka would want some time to clear her head anyway. Also, Shadow Melissa was as awesomely creepy as I expected! Thank you so much!
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Get to sleep.
[X] Get to sleep.
Vote closed
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
July 6th, Tower 8
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
[X] "Ace of Fools". If that's allowed.
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
You woke up groggily with Reina beside you that morning, the glare of the sunlight streaming in and searing your eyes due to the curtains not being put up yet. Given that Reina, in the middle of squeezing her pillow to the bone, was looking to be a pretty deep sleeper right now, you instead took the meantime to slowly get showered and dressed, right into your school uniform.
That did get you thinking, where exactly were you supposed to get breakfast? There were naturally vending machines and the school cafeteria around, but while you'd frequently made use of said machines, the cafeteria... less so, it was hard to imagine any of the other All-Aces, your fellow All-Aces it crept up on you, doing so.
Luckily you soon had an answer, as there came a knock on the door. "Er, coming!" you shouted out, as you did one last check on Reina only to see that she'd gotten out of bed by now, and was presumably showering herself.
Coast clear for now, you opened the door to find that Shinsuke had wheeled in what was basically a whole buffet for you. "Your first meal as the Ace of Fools I believe, Mademoiselle Haruka," he bowed before you "For the morning, we have prepared a selection of king crab, caviar, Kobe beef, and kaiseki garnish. Please, enjoy".
Your first meal as All-Ace had actually been a leftover chocolate bar, but you were pretty thankful to Shinsuke anyway, and bowed in return. Of course, he had to step back and politely say, "Really, please feel no pressure on your part to bow, you are my superior now after all".
As you just nodded at that, you then joined by an eager Reina, much more energetic than the snoring log she'd been a couple of minutes earlier, who stared wide-eyed at the smorgasbord Shinsuke had brought out. Since it was probably more than you could ever eat for breakfast, you happily gave her permission to also chow down.
[+1 to all stats]
In the Lounge that morning, you got more than a few stares from a risen early Kikuko, who has you had to expect whispered, "You know Nakamura, upon becoming an All-Ace, the least you could do is not continue to associate with a departed Ace's reject".
You'd be lying if you claimed those words didn't sting, but at the same time, it did in a roundabout way remind you that Kikuko, now being your equal or at least equal-er, no longer had the authority to control who you did and didn't hang out with. That was a... plus.
You definitely weren't prepared though for walking out of the Lounge to find yourself suddenly swarmed by your fellow students, a few of which you reminded yourself were even in the grade above. And of course, it wasn't just shouts of praise and disregard for your personal space (not that Hanataba couldn't be packed in tight on a normal day), but also some of it was, well, less than congratulatory.
"Don't tell me Melissa died for this. Hanataba's Golden Age is over"
In the midst of all these people, Azuma then strolled through and was easily able to get them all to stand back from you.
"Ah, how quaint. I see you are still getting used to the crowds," he smiled down at you as he guided you through, "No need to worry, you'll have more than enough opportunity to acclimatise to them".
In response, you just nodded at him before ducking into Class 2-C. But even there, you felt the eyes of the whole class upon you.
"Huh, new Ace in my class, don't know whether I should be, ahem, honoured or not. Either way, back off people, you're still dealing with the same old Haruka, no need to start treating her like she's from Saturn or wherever," Tanizawa-sensei had to speak up to get everyone to settle down.
Even as class returned to normal, Suzako still kept staring at you for a few seconds longer before she returned to her textbook. Yuya on the other end just sat still for a while, not looking like he was quite able to process this, before eventually starting schoolwork.
You could only imagine what the whole Melissa dying and you being the new Ace thing had to look like from outside. True, you could just ask Suzako and Yuya, but obviously not in the middle of class.
You then thought if there was anyone you could ask about becoming an Ace, it'd have to be Himawari and Lauryn, the two least Ace-like of the Aces. Then again, one was expelled and another dead before you even met her, but even that was still a step up on the likes of Azuma and Kikuko, and Kikuko particularly probably had a lot of her own baggage she needed to sort out.
Entering into the Velvet Room, you again were faced with having to break the news to Lauryn and Popo about another Ace's death, on top of the maybe-good-news-maybe-not of you now being an Ace, though one still without an Empire.
"Hey there, um, how's things?" you tried to start off with, before sighing and saying, "Yeah, another Duel, another death. Melissa this time".
There was silence in the Velvet Room, before Lauryn outright said, "I never knew Melissa, she came in after I'd died, but at the same time, oh God. To think all this is really gonna end the way Azuma and Kikuko wanted it..."
"Miss 'Aruka," Popo then whimpered, before having to admit, "I always assumed that Mister Azuma yapping about Duels and even dying was just him tryin' to shape the Gameboard to fit his own designs, but... maybe it's on me. Maybe I really did just listen to the Boss Lady and obey without really thinking on what she said, that fightin' and killin' was what the Gameboard was all about all along, and I kept on telling meself it couldn't be.
I've met Mistress Morrigan, I know she can't be that bad a person but, agh, if she does confirm that is what the board's really about when you meet her, then... then I don't think I can go on doing all this, being the Emissary. But if I can't, w-what will I do? Like, what am I without the Gameboard?" Popo kept murmuring, spiralling further and further into his own thoughts.
"Look, Popo," you tried to say, "First thing you have to do is not beat yourself up that". That may have been perfectly sound advice normally, but when you then considered that Popo's very existence may hinge on his alliance to the Gameboard, those words now didn't seem so reassuring.
So you instead tried to approach him and said, "Hey, if Azuma's idea of what the Gameboard is were completely true, then I don't think it'd even have you as its Emissary in the first place. If it did, why would it have given you the ability to doubt it like this, hmmm? Wouldn't some unfeeling machine have been easier on its part?" You hoped Koyomi hadn't come with you on your phone into the Velvet Room to hear that last line.
Popo stopped cowering in the corner and then said, "That's right, Miss 'Aruka, I did say I know the Boss Lady and all, so even if there's a bunch of stuff I don't know about her and her vision, I'd wager that goes the exact same for Mister Azuma too!", straightening himself.
"To be honest, and well, please don't tell the Morrigan I said this," Lauryn had to say, "But if the gameboard really were meant to be that violent, to pit people against each other, it wouldn't have changed how I handled it and my Empire. The opposite really, I'd just become even more determined to act against it, regardless of the Morrigan".
You took all that in, even wishing a bit that you could've been brought into the All-Aces a little earlier, to have the role model you, er, still did but not in the same way. Ah, what you were saying?
Popo didn't appear exactly comfortable with Lauryn's stated defiance of the Morrigan, but did at least have to say, "Don't worry, Miss Rin, yer secret's safe with me".
"The Velvet Room is and has always been a neutral party, of course. My attendant's chance to speak up against the Gameboard's Overseer has long faded, but in return, her safety from her within this room can be guaranteed," Igor felt the need to go over.
That seemingly resolved, for now, you thought to move on to the next topic in mind. "Well, guess being down to only two Aces made Azuma and Kikuko feel a little well, exposed. So despite all their exclusivity, they decided it was finally time to, well, promote me to Ace. Ace of Fools specifically, came up with the title myself," you broke the news, but had to mention, "Still, no Empire to show for it, but hey, they don't have the Wild Card".
Popo only had so much of a window on school politics so wasn't sure how to respond, but Lauryn had to pause to take that in. "It's not as cushy as it looks, I'll say that much, but Haruka, ah. The students of Hanataba may seem, well, petty and cliquish, but I'd say that's always been a top-down poison. They need someone to set a good example for them, someone I don't think they've had in a long while. If you can be that person Haruka, well, then I can say some good came out of all of this".
Well, that's something, you had to think. "Thanks, Lauryn".
"The Gameboard is almost won, huh, it is strange and whatnot to think it's happening," Popo then started mumbling, before pleading, "I've got no idea what Miss Kikuko has in mind for it, but as for Mister Azuma... Miss 'Aruka, you have to stop him, i can tell for certain nothing good will come of him claiming the board!"
Popo didn't have to tell you that twice... but how would that even be possible? The best option would be to somehow get both Azuma and Kikuko expelled at once, which'd be nigh impossible given their families' status. Challenging either of them to a Duel was also off the table, as that'd just give the gameboard to the other. Maybe you could Duel both at once, but even if that was even allowed, would both of them ending up dead really be anything other than a last resort?
"I will, Popo," you ended up telling him, "Somehow".
- The Tower has Journeyed to Rank 8! -
"Ah, it would seem our guest's Persona capacity has increased," Igor commented, "You should now be able to stock twelve Personae at once, beyond some... exceptions, of course".
"Oh right, that reminds me Miss 'Aruka, you've got two more Personae right now linin' up," Popo went over.
'There was a Turtle by the name of Hanged Man Bert, and Bert the turtle was very alert;' a chorus from nowhere started singing as that one Shadow guarding Melissa's Arena appeared, 'When danger threatened him he never got hurt, he knew just what to do...'
Elements: Reflect Nuclear, Weak to Psy, Resist All other
Stats:
- Strength: |
- Cognition: |||
- Agility: |
- Luck: |||||
- Endurance: |||||
Skills: Rakukaja, Marakukaja, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, Regenerate 2
- Hanged Man Bonus: Amrita, War Cry
This was followed by a more normal Persona introduction.
"I am Strength Inanna-Ishtar, the volatile line between Love and War," said what had been Melissa's evolved Persona, "I will not miss this war's final battle for anything."
Elements: Absorb Nuclear, resist Physical and Gun, weak to Psy
Stats:
- Strength: |||||
- Cognition: ||||
- Agility: ||
- Luck: ||
- Endurance: ||
Skills: Freidyne, Grand Tack, Myriad Arrows, War Cry, Gigantic Fist
- Strength Bonus: Dekaja, Samarecarm
With the increased capacity, there was no pressing need to fuse anyone, but the option was always there:
[ ] Fool Theodora + Magician Arachne = Death+4 Hades (Curse and Fire)
- [ ] Switch in Albion
[ ] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty)
[ ] Magician Arachne + Moon Carmilla = Lovers+2 Galatea (Physical and Almighty)
- [ ] Switch in Prospero
[ ] Fortune Zoe + Sun Gawain = Star+4 Vainamoinen (Psy and Ice)
[ ] Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun)
[ ] Magician Arachne + Magician Prospero = Magician+8 Verdandi (Bless and Almighty)
[ ] Rebirth Izanagi + Hanged Man Bert = Devil+9 Erlik (Curse and Nuclear)
[ ] Hanged Man Bert + Magician Prospero = Empress+6 Echidna (Fire and Ice)
[ ] Hanged Man Bert + Fool Theodora = Tower+8 Susano'o (Wind and Electric)
[ ] Strength Ishtar + Hanged Man Bert = Temperance+5 Lugh (Bless and Wind)
[ ] Leave as you are
[ ] Write-in
[X] Check up on the Velvet Room, especially with Popo (Inanna-Ishtar and Bert the Turtle await, free action)
[X] "Ace of Fools". If that's allowed.
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Wednesday, July 6th
You woke up groggily with Reina beside you that morning, the glare of the sunlight streaming in and searing your eyes due to the curtains not being put up yet. Given that Reina, in the middle of squeezing her pillow to the bone, was looking to be a pretty deep sleeper right now, you instead took the meantime to slowly get showered and dressed, right into your school uniform.
That did get you thinking, where exactly were you supposed to get breakfast? There were naturally vending machines and the school cafeteria around, but while you'd frequently made use of said machines, the cafeteria... less so, it was hard to imagine any of the other All-Aces, your fellow All-Aces it crept up on you, doing so.
Luckily you soon had an answer, as there came a knock on the door. "Er, coming!" you shouted out, as you did one last check on Reina only to see that she'd gotten out of bed by now, and was presumably showering herself.
Coast clear for now, you opened the door to find that Shinsuke had wheeled in what was basically a whole buffet for you. "Your first meal as the Ace of Fools I believe, Mademoiselle Haruka," he bowed before you "For the morning, we have prepared a selection of king crab, caviar, Kobe beef, and kaiseki garnish. Please, enjoy".
Your first meal as All-Ace had actually been a leftover chocolate bar, but you were pretty thankful to Shinsuke anyway, and bowed in return. Of course, he had to step back and politely say, "Really, please feel no pressure on your part to bow, you are my superior now after all".
As you just nodded at that, you then joined by an eager Reina, much more energetic than the snoring log she'd been a couple of minutes earlier, who stared wide-eyed at the smorgasbord Shinsuke had brought out. Since it was probably more than you could ever eat for breakfast, you happily gave her permission to also chow down.
[+1 to all stats]
In the Lounge that morning, you got more than a few stares from a risen early Kikuko, who has you had to expect whispered, "You know Nakamura, upon becoming an All-Ace, the least you could do is not continue to associate with a departed Ace's reject".
You'd be lying if you claimed those words didn't sting, but at the same time, it did in a roundabout way remind you that Kikuko, now being your equal or at least equal-er, no longer had the authority to control who you did and didn't hang out with. That was a... plus.
You definitely weren't prepared though for walking out of the Lounge to find yourself suddenly swarmed by your fellow students, a few of which you reminded yourself were even in the grade above. And of course, it wasn't just shouts of praise and disregard for your personal space (not that Hanataba couldn't be packed in tight on a normal day), but also some of it was, well, less than congratulatory.
"Oh, I thought someone special was gonna be the new Ace, but it's just that Jack who's been leeching off them"
"Seriously, did Azuma lose his mind? I never got what he saw in this girl"
"Don't tell me Melissa died for this. Hanataba's Golden Age is over"
In the midst of all these people, Azuma then strolled through and was easily able to get them all to stand back from you.
"Ah, how quaint. I see you are still getting used to the crowds," he smiled down at you as he guided you through, "No need to worry, you'll have more than enough opportunity to acclimatise to them".
In response, you just nodded at him before ducking into Class 2-C. But even there, you felt the eyes of the whole class upon you.
"Huh, new Ace in my class, don't know whether I should be, ahem, honoured or not. Either way, back off people, you're still dealing with the same old Haruka, no need to start treating her like she's from Saturn or wherever," Tanizawa-sensei had to speak up to get everyone to settle down.
Even as class returned to normal, Suzako still kept staring at you for a few seconds longer before she returned to her textbook. Yuya on the other end just sat still for a while, not looking like he was quite able to process this, before eventually starting schoolwork.
You could only imagine what the whole Melissa dying and you being the new Ace thing had to look like from outside. True, you could just ask Suzako and Yuya, but obviously not in the middle of class.
You then thought if there was anyone you could ask about becoming an Ace, it'd have to be Himawari and Lauryn, the two least Ace-like of the Aces. Then again, one was expelled and another dead before you even met her, but even that was still a step up on the likes of Azuma and Kikuko, and Kikuko particularly probably had a lot of her own baggage she needed to sort out.
Entering into the Velvet Room, you again were faced with having to break the news to Lauryn and Popo about another Ace's death, on top of the maybe-good-news-maybe-not of you now being an Ace, though one still without an Empire.
"Hey there, um, how's things?" you tried to start off with, before sighing and saying, "Yeah, another Duel, another death. Melissa this time".
There was silence in the Velvet Room, before Lauryn outright said, "I never knew Melissa, she came in after I'd died, but at the same time, oh God. To think all this is really gonna end the way Azuma and Kikuko wanted it..."
"Miss 'Aruka," Popo then whimpered, before having to admit, "I always assumed that Mister Azuma yapping about Duels and even dying was just him tryin' to shape the Gameboard to fit his own designs, but... maybe it's on me. Maybe I really did just listen to the Boss Lady and obey without really thinking on what she said, that fightin' and killin' was what the Gameboard was all about all along, and I kept on telling meself it couldn't be.
I've met Mistress Morrigan, I know she can't be that bad a person but, agh, if she does confirm that is what the board's really about when you meet her, then... then I don't think I can go on doing all this, being the Emissary. But if I can't, w-what will I do? Like, what am I without the Gameboard?" Popo kept murmuring, spiralling further and further into his own thoughts.
"Look, Popo," you tried to say, "First thing you have to do is not beat yourself up that". That may have been perfectly sound advice normally, but when you then considered that Popo's very existence may hinge on his alliance to the Gameboard, those words now didn't seem so reassuring.
So you instead tried to approach him and said, "Hey, if Azuma's idea of what the Gameboard is were completely true, then I don't think it'd even have you as its Emissary in the first place. If it did, why would it have given you the ability to doubt it like this, hmmm? Wouldn't some unfeeling machine have been easier on its part?" You hoped Koyomi hadn't come with you on your phone into the Velvet Room to hear that last line.
Popo stopped cowering in the corner and then said, "That's right, Miss 'Aruka, I did say I know the Boss Lady and all, so even if there's a bunch of stuff I don't know about her and her vision, I'd wager that goes the exact same for Mister Azuma too!", straightening himself.
"To be honest, and well, please don't tell the Morrigan I said this," Lauryn had to say, "But if the gameboard really were meant to be that violent, to pit people against each other, it wouldn't have changed how I handled it and my Empire. The opposite really, I'd just become even more determined to act against it, regardless of the Morrigan".
You took all that in, even wishing a bit that you could've been brought into the All-Aces a little earlier, to have the role model you, er, still did but not in the same way. Ah, what you were saying?
Popo didn't appear exactly comfortable with Lauryn's stated defiance of the Morrigan, but did at least have to say, "Don't worry, Miss Rin, yer secret's safe with me".
"The Velvet Room is and has always been a neutral party, of course. My attendant's chance to speak up against the Gameboard's Overseer has long faded, but in return, her safety from her within this room can be guaranteed," Igor felt the need to go over.
That seemingly resolved, for now, you thought to move on to the next topic in mind. "Well, guess being down to only two Aces made Azuma and Kikuko feel a little well, exposed. So despite all their exclusivity, they decided it was finally time to, well, promote me to Ace. Ace of Fools specifically, came up with the title myself," you broke the news, but had to mention, "Still, no Empire to show for it, but hey, they don't have the Wild Card".
Popo only had so much of a window on school politics so wasn't sure how to respond, but Lauryn had to pause to take that in. "It's not as cushy as it looks, I'll say that much, but Haruka, ah. The students of Hanataba may seem, well, petty and cliquish, but I'd say that's always been a top-down poison. They need someone to set a good example for them, someone I don't think they've had in a long while. If you can be that person Haruka, well, then I can say some good came out of all of this".
Well, that's something, you had to think. "Thanks, Lauryn".
"The Gameboard is almost won, huh, it is strange and whatnot to think it's happening," Popo then started mumbling, before pleading, "I've got no idea what Miss Kikuko has in mind for it, but as for Mister Azuma... Miss 'Aruka, you have to stop him, i can tell for certain nothing good will come of him claiming the board!"
Popo didn't have to tell you that twice... but how would that even be possible? The best option would be to somehow get both Azuma and Kikuko expelled at once, which'd be nigh impossible given their families' status. Challenging either of them to a Duel was also off the table, as that'd just give the gameboard to the other. Maybe you could Duel both at once, but even if that was even allowed, would both of them ending up dead really be anything other than a last resort?
"I will, Popo," you ended up telling him, "Somehow".
- The Tower has Journeyed to Rank 8! -
"Ah, it would seem our guest's Persona capacity has increased," Igor commented, "You should now be able to stock twelve Personae at once, beyond some... exceptions, of course".
"Oh right, that reminds me Miss 'Aruka, you've got two more Personae right now linin' up," Popo went over.
'There was a Turtle by the name of Hanged Man Bert, and Bert the turtle was very alert;' a chorus from nowhere started singing as that one Shadow guarding Melissa's Arena appeared, 'When danger threatened him he never got hurt, he knew just what to do...'
Elements: Reflect Nuclear, Weak to Psy, Resist All other
Stats:
- Strength: |
- Cognition: |||
- Agility: |
- Luck: |||||
- Endurance: |||||
Skills: Rakukaja, Marakukaja, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, Regenerate 2
- Hanged Man Bonus: Amrita, War Cry
This was followed by a more normal Persona introduction.
"I am Strength Inanna-Ishtar, the volatile line between Love and War," said what had been Melissa's evolved Persona, "I will not miss this war's final battle for anything."
Elements: Absorb Nuclear, resist Physical and Gun, weak to Psy
Stats:
- Strength: |||||
- Cognition: ||||
- Agility: ||
- Luck: ||
- Endurance: ||
Skills: Freidyne, Grand Tack, Myriad Arrows, War Cry, Gigantic Fist
- Strength Bonus: Dekaja, Samarecarm
With the increased capacity, there was no pressing need to fuse anyone, but the option was always there:
[ ] Fool Theodora + Magician Arachne = Death+4 Hades (Curse and Fire)
- [ ] Switch in Albion
[ ] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty)
[ ] Magician Arachne + Moon Carmilla = Lovers+2 Galatea (Physical and Almighty)
- [ ] Switch in Prospero
[ ] Fortune Zoe + Sun Gawain = Star+4 Vainamoinen (Psy and Ice)
[ ] Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun)
[ ] Magician Arachne + Magician Prospero = Magician+8 Verdandi (Bless and Almighty)
[ ] Rebirth Izanagi + Hanged Man Bert = Devil+9 Erlik (Curse and Nuclear)
[ ] Hanged Man Bert + Magician Prospero = Empress+6 Echidna (Fire and Ice)
[ ] Hanged Man Bert + Fool Theodora = Tower+8 Susano'o (Wind and Electric)
[ ] Strength Ishtar + Hanged Man Bert = Temperance+5 Lugh (Bless and Wind)
[ ] Leave as you are
[ ] Write-in
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- Location
- Germany
[X] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty), resummon Ishtar, Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun), resummon Ishtar.
So it looks like our promotion came with a nice boost to our capacity as well, that's always appreciated. And somehow I find myself fusing and resummoning Ishtar quite a bit.
The crowds kind of give me a bout of anxiety on Haruka's behalf though. Getting shoved into the center of attention can already be stressful enough when they aren't giving you the side eye about the death of another person.
Meanwhile, a lot of the mentions of Kikuko remind me that we should get around to talking with her sooner rather than later. She still isn't exactly my favourite person, but nothing good can come from letting her work through Melissa's death on her own. Chances are that she'll be on the chopping block faster than we'd like and at that point it might very well be too late to reach out to her.
That and in all honesty I am curious how exactly our interactions are going to change now that we're her fellow Ace. I'm not expecting a miracle, but if we're lucky she's going to be somewhat less dismissive of us.
So it looks like our promotion came with a nice boost to our capacity as well, that's always appreciated. And somehow I find myself fusing and resummoning Ishtar quite a bit.
The crowds kind of give me a bout of anxiety on Haruka's behalf though. Getting shoved into the center of attention can already be stressful enough when they aren't giving you the side eye about the death of another person.
Meanwhile, a lot of the mentions of Kikuko remind me that we should get around to talking with her sooner rather than later. She still isn't exactly my favourite person, but nothing good can come from letting her work through Melissa's death on her own. Chances are that she'll be on the chopping block faster than we'd like and at that point it might very well be too late to reach out to her.
That and in all honesty I am curious how exactly our interactions are going to change now that we're her fellow Ace. I'm not expecting a miracle, but if we're lucky she's going to be somewhat less dismissive of us.
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So the previous update was going to include the conclusion of Himawari's S. Link and the furthering of Koyomi's, however the update ended up going longer than I expected it to, so I decided to leave what would've been the second half of it for tomorrow's update (again, tomorrow in my timezone).
On another topic, I mentioned the VN Gekka Ryouran Romance (which my current avatar is from) all the way back at the start of this Quest... and it turns out there's (or at least was back in the early 2010s) a whole bunch of fans who shit on otherwise the most wholesome route (relatively) in the game, just because it's with a lesbian, even though all the other routes are with a bunch of abusers.
On another topic, I mentioned the VN Gekka Ryouran Romance (which my current avatar is from) all the way back at the start of this Quest... and it turns out there's (or at least was back in the early 2010s) a whole bunch of fans who shit on otherwise the most wholesome route (relatively) in the game, just because it's with a lesbian, even though all the other routes are with a bunch of abusers.
- Location
- United States
[X] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty) inherit Ziodyne, resummon Ishtar, Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun) inherit Counterstrike, resummon Ishtar, Magician Arachne + Magician Prospero = Magician+8 Verdandi (Bless and Almighty), resummon Arachne, Fool Albion + Magician Arachne = Death+4 Hades (Curse and Fire) inherit Mazionga and Diarama, resummon Arachne
Much more extensive Fusion roster, but I think that we have an opportunity to get some good coverage for new elements. And as much as I love Prospero, I think the time has indeed come for us to advance further beyond him. @Edgedancer, does this lineup work for you, or would you rather stick with your initial plan?
EDIT: New Fusion vote!
Much more extensive Fusion roster, but I think that we have an opportunity to get some good coverage for new elements. And as much as I love Prospero, I think the time has indeed come for us to advance further beyond him. @Edgedancer, does this lineup work for you, or would you rather stick with your initial plan?
EDIT: New Fusion vote!
Last edited:
- Location
- Germany
That's pretty fucked up. It also gives me the mental image of people dunking on Himawari so Haruka can go back to getting creeped on by Azuma. It's a kinda disturbing one to say the least.
Hm, it would mean fusing away our one mobility Persona in Arachne and I think her web slinging us during the cave in demonstrated how valuable that manuverability is even beyond her stats. So if we want Hades, I'd actually fuse away Albion. Absorbing Physical is nice, but against major opponents it only really works once until they know better at which point we may as well be using Tetrakarn, which stays on even after we switch Personas. Although, I'd still fuse Mazionga on Hades just because a Persona that likely has Fire defenses and Electric attacks might come in handy in a pinch.
Beyond that, I do want Nyarlathotep, he's kind of a big one. Plus, we alrady have a good ice Persona with Black Frost and Theodora for Psy anyway. With that in mind, I can offer:
[X] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty) inherit Ziodyne, resummon Ishtar, Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun) inherit Counterstrike, resummon Ishtar, Magician Arachne + Magician Prospero = Magician+8 Verdandi (Bless and Almighty), resummon Arachne, Fool Albion + Magician Arachne = Death+4 Hades (Curse and Fire) inherit Mazionga and Diarama, resummon Arachne
- Location
- United States
That works for me! Thank you so much, and I will be editing my vote accordingly!
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
[X] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty) inherit Ziodyne, resummon Ishtar, Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun) inherit Counterstrike, resummon Ishtar, Magician Arachne + Magician Prospero = Magician+8 Verdandi (Bless and Almighty), resummon Arachne, Fool Albion + Magician Arachne = Death+4 Hades (Curse and Fire) inherit Mazionga and Diarama, resummon Arachne
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Or by Gakuto, given that his face claim, and most of Azuma's, are from that VN. I haven't had Azuma at least show up naked and uninvited in Haruka's bed (that happens).
The VN was an inspiration on this Quest, which I said all the way back, but mostly as a reaction. Given the 'pretty abuser' thing and arguable Dark Academia classification, GRR I feel would be total Tumblr-bait if more people knew what it was.
Also, anyone here heard of the book The Secret History? I think the book was kinda obscure until it became the centrepiece of the Dark Academia aesthetic. It's also yet another parallel to this Quest.
Vote closed, Nyarlathotep, Dokuganryuu, Verdandi, and Hades intros
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
"Well met. I am Rebirth Nyarlathotep, the deepest darkness behind all faces," said a being akin to a stitched together cross of Maeda Iemitsu, Patrick Lilian, Sakurai Masamune (or at least him when younger?), and... your own father, "The game is afoot, so why not place your wager on Chaos?"
Elements: Absorbs Curse, resist Fire, Ice, Wind, and Electric, weak to Psy
Stats:
- Strength: ||||
- Cognition: |||
- Agility: |
- Luck: ||||
- Endurance: |||
Skills: Megidola, Eigaon, Mamudoon, Mind Charge, Shadow Kill
- Inherit Bonus: Ziodyne, Myriad Arrows
- Rebirth Bonus: Debilitate
"I am Moon Dokuganryuu, the undefeated samurai," said a samurai clad in the scales of a blue dragon, brandishing a heavy nodachi, miniature turrets on his shoulder-plates, a crescent moon adorning his helmet, and half his face lost to festering illness, "This azure crescent will not be outshined by any sun!"
Elements: Null Electric and Physical, resist Gun and Bless, weak to Nuclear and Wind
Stats:
- Strength: ||||
- Cognition: |||
- Agility: |||
- Luck: ||
- Endurance: |||
Skills: Tempest Slash, Grand Tack, War Cry, Ziodyne, Power Charge
- Inherit Bonus: Counterstrike, Dekaja
- Moon Bonus: Stagnant Air
"I am Magician Verdandi, one before whom gods tremble," said surprisingly what was otherwise a normal-looking Scandinavian woman, with a cream-coloured double-breasted trenchcoat, a flowing scarf, and bobbed red hair, "Do not dwell on the past or be intimidated by the future, there is only now"
Elements: Reflect Bless, null Psy and Curse, resist Wind and Gun, weak to Nuclear
Stats:
- Strength: |
- Cognition: ||||
- Agility: |||
- Luck: |||||
- Endurance: ||
Skills: Hamaon, Kougaon, Diarahan, Psiodyne, Makakaja
- Inherit Bonus: Sukukaja, Mind Charge
- Magician Bonus: Megidola
"I am Death Hades, king of all beneath the Earth," said a man with his face behind an iron canopy, donning a spiked red, black, and purple robe, holding six fruits in one hand and a two-pronged spear in the other, "The colour of pomegranates shall wash out the stain of your past life."
Elements: Absorb Curse, Null Fire and Ice, weak to Nuclear
Stats:
- Strength: |||
- Cognition: ||||
- Agility: |||
- Luck: |||
- Endurance: ||
Skills: Eigaon, Mamudoon, Agidyne, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn
- Inherit Bonus: Mazionga, Diarama
- Death Bonus: Vile Assault
Last edited:
July 6th, Devil MAX, Judgment 1, Hermit 3
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Strength Ishtar + Fortune Zoe = Rebirth+6 Nyarlathotep (Curse and Almighty) inherit Ziodyne, resummon Ishtar, Strength Ishtar + Sun Gawain = Moon+9 Dokuganryuu (Physical and Gun) inherit Counterstrike, resummon Ishtar, Magician Arachne + Magician Prospero = Magician+8 Verdandi (Bless and Almighty), resummon Arachne, Fool Albion + Magician Arachne = Death+4 Hades (Curse and Fire) inherit Mazionga and Diarama, resummon Arachne
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Your arrangement to meet up Himawari again was made somewhat awkward by a competing schedule, as you caught up with her at Café Okumura with, er, the lead singer of Corpse Corps, that war-themed band that Nightshade had gotten into an argument with back in Hakodate.
"Oh hi there," that girl said to you in a cheerier voice than last time, "I'm Ayanami Yaeko, frontwoman of Corpse Corps, and you're Abyssa, right? Hey look, I really wasn't clear with Nightshade the last time we met. Like, I've got nothing against her, that whole 'band rivalry' was just meant as a publicity stunt but, well, we kinda ended up getting carried away."
"Ah, okay, well stuff like that isn't unheard of," you muttered back.
"Yeah, I'm embarrassed I didn't pick up on that," Himawari grinned awkwardly, "Oh, I should say that it's Himawari and Haruka offstage".
"Yep, got that. Reason I'm here is I heard your debut album, wow, and a live one too. That can't have been easy," Yaeko spoke up, "I mean, sound quality is, er, not promising, but I'll be charitable and assume that was what you were going for. All stuff that could be fixed with your next album anyway, but I guess it's too soon to be talking about that, huh?"
You and Himawari had to look at each other, at first saying nothing, before Himawari broke it to Yaeko, "Er, you see, the thing is... There's not gonna be a next album. Nightshade and the Lady Devils are, well, basically over".
Yaeko had to do a spit-take at that, before going "Wait, why? You were like, on the cusp of breaking through! I mean, breaking through would mean you'd have to deal with a bunch of arsehole fans, like we went with the war theme 'cause I liked machinery, but man does it bring out some weird creeps- ah, guess I'm rambling".
"For me it's, um, hard to explain," Himawari began, staring down "Way back, I like being Nightshade way more than being me because I thought, well, Nightshade could do anything, stand up to anyone. But the more I performed as her, well, the opposite happened. I started doing a whole bunch of stupid, self-harming things because I kept thinking it's exactly what Nightshade would do. I needed her to stand up to people, but... I couldn't stand up to her".
"So, um, you're gonna keep performing, right? But like, just as Himawari?" Yaeko had to ask, with you dreading that this meant the end of Nightshade altogether.
"Yes and no," Himawari surprised you by saying, "Like, if some small town Catholic girl like me can be a dark devil queen or whoever on stage, then I figured, I could be anyone on stage! Like, these are just off the top of my head, but I could be a singing gynoid, a witch's catgirl, the cosmic rockstar Symphonie Metallique, the possibilities are endless! Just as long as I'm the one who has the final say, and remember I don't have to be any one thing.
That's not to say I'll never be Nightshade ever again," Himawari then said, "She's a part of me, I could never get rid of her... just that I feel it's time to give another part of me the stage, they've been waiting a long while".
That made you feel relieved, and Yaeko had to smile too. She said, "Well, that's cool to hear. Ah, I kinda have to go now, booked to perform in Sapporo and stuff, but it was great I got a chance to clear things up with you. Looking forward to what you do next, Himawari!"
As Yaeko smiled and turned to leave, Himawari looked up at you and said, "Oh yeah, that reminds me. We mostly put our album up online, but I did personally print off a few physical copies. Here's yours, Haruka, and um, would you mind giving these three to Colette, Ryouko, and Tomomi?" she handed the copies of Alpha and Omega: Nightshade Live ft. The Lady Devils to you.
You smiled at her, saying, "Himawari... thank you. Ah, speaking of which there's been a lot going on in my world too, recently, stuff I kinda had to talk with you about alone. Melissa, well, she's..."
"Dead?" Himawari quickly filled in, "Sorry, I guess with the Gameboard that's what I've been trained to assume".
"No, you got it right the first time," you confirmed for her, "And well, giving all the absences, Azuma and Kikuko felt they needed to appoint a new Ace, and well, that left me by default. So yeah, I'm Ace of Fools now, er, so I was hoping for some advice".
"This, well, may be a bit tasteless of me to say, but I guess no longer having to deal with the greater Persona Game was one definite upside to being expelled," Himawari began, before she mumbled, "I felt like I barely knew Melissa really, like she was the last of the Aces to join, before you, then I got expelled, and now she's gone too. I wanna say something like 'If only things had gone better'... but I've got no idea how that could've happened. Oh, what advice then did you need?"
"Basic stuff, like decorum, dealing with constant onlookers, how to pick a Jack, y'know, all that," you went over.
Himawari seemed to struggle coming up with a reply to that, "I don't think the crowds around you, sycophants, stalkers, or people with a grudge, ever got any easier for me, I sort of just tuned them out and let Nightshade deal with them, at least in my head. An well, there were some girls in Choir who could've been my Jacks, as you can tell they cut off contact with me after my expulsion, hehe, but the only Jack I had was you, and you chose me.
Look, maybe I'm the wrong person to ask, but then again, what other option do you have? But you don't need me to tell you that being an Ace never worked out for me," she finished on.
"Yeah, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask," you sighed, before asking something else, "Hey, um, look, it's great that you have a future in mind for you singing, but... ah, what about those yakuza? Like, they kinda seem too big a detail to overlook".
"Oh, don't worry about them," Himawari laughed, "They abandoned me soon after my expulsion. Obviously, not that they're opposed to criminal behaviour, but they're definitely opposed to embarrassments, which is, well, what I was to them. It's my parents that are the issue," she mumbled, "Even if I've gone back to being a 'good girl', well, they still won't accept me. I'm now their ultimate disgrace no matter who I am from here."
Nevertheless, she then smiled, "Still, I know not everyone abandoned me after I was expelled, you, Colette, Tomomi, even Ryouko, I mean, I was the one who abandoned her, er, you could say. My point is, because people stood up for me when I was at my lowest, and still do... I just know I'm gonna be fine in the end!"
You could then see a blue aura glowing around Himawari, as Anastasia and another, glass-like, Persona rose up above her and were fused together in a blinding flash, combining into a glittering female knight with flowing orange hair and a belt of souls, pairs of wings made out of shields wrapping around her, carrying a lance like a giant icicle and a sword like a baton in her hands, sitting side-saddle atop a ghostly wolf.
"I am Devil Brynhildr, the valkyrie that heralds the end," her voice resounded, "The one who was Anastasia and Antoinette. Our voices in harmony shall sing the swan-song of the world."
She wasn't the only voice resounding in your head:
"Thou art I... I art thou
Though thy kingdom fall, thou hast gained a champion who shall not leave thy side
We bestow upon them a piece of thy crown,
And on thou, the road to Ahriman, Ultimate Persona of the Devil Arcana"
- The Devil Journeys Anew at Rank 10! -
You then heard the sound of a gate unlocking far in the distance, and one last ethereal voice saying, "Ace of Fools, I'm waiting. All secrets shall be revealed..."
"I am thou... Thou art I
Thou anointest a new Knight to defend thy Crown
Thou shalt take the mantle of the Judgment Arcana"
"Hey, Haruka, everything okay? You kinda spaced out there for a second," Himawari said, her eyes meeting yours.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," you just said, "Had a whole lot to think about. So, er..." you paused a little, "Before the stress of all this career-resuming stuff starts, mind one last jam session, maybe?"
"You're on!" Himawari and Nightshade beamed.
"You're taste in music is... intriguing. It does not otherwise match your appearance," Koyomi went on to tell you, you only realising to late that she'd probably stumbled onto your whole music gallery, on top of the jam session.
"Yeah, well, actually I don't think I have any taste in music, really," you had to admit, "People with much more opinions on it, like Himawari, Colette, and now Rise, kinda dictate what I listen to, even if I don't mean to.
Of course, at times I don't think that's such a problem. Like I wonder if feeling really strongly about music in turn means you feel really strongly about all the music you don't like, and that ends up making you both angry and miserable," you mused on.
"I was about to say that's one way in which I am fortunate, but not really," Koyomi remarked, the hologram leaping out of your phone, "I was not programmed to feel sadness, anger, or any other such emotion, there are not written in any of my ones and zeroes, and yet I have often felt them regardless".
"Dunno. Like, I'm not a neuropsychologist, even less a programmer, but it's like, er, if you can think and interpret stuff, then emotions are gonna come your way anyway," you tried to put your thoughts into words.
Kuchinashi being a mountain town meant there was only so much ground you could cover in an evening's walk, but Koyomi already familiar with your school, you thought you could at least fit in a good walk along the main shopping street, most of it old buildings perched along the river.
"So like, Kuchinashi's a mix of old Japanese architecture and western influences, like a lot of Hokkaido towns built around the 19th century," you gave your attempt at being a tour guide.
"The category of 'Western' is quite broad. Perhaps you could narrow it down, say to French, German, Italian, Canadian, or suchlike?" Koyomi had to ask.
You shrugged and went, "No idea, even though I've lived here all my life. Ah, come on, think we went over this in school... uh, English and American, I guess? Okay, we do have a local history museum- oh wait, the place has like, the most irregular times, I'm betting it's shut right now," you groaned.
Tumbling Dice was already shut for the night, but you still could at least show Koyomi where it is. Well, she probably could use GPS or something to just find it herself, but it's the thought that counted.
"Okay, so this is where I sometimes work. Ah, guessing Gakuto told you all about games, right? 'Cept these aren't video games, they're-" you began, but Koyomi cut you off.
"Tabletop RPGs, yes, I have now downloaded all the necessary information," Koyomi spoke, before telling you, "Towards the end of my creator's, ah, lifespan, he personally felt overwhelmed by how far his backlog of computer games had grown. So as to remain current with the gaming community, he would often have me algorithmically complete most of them to the fullest percentage, including disseminating their coding, while he used titles he was more familiar with as a way to destress".
"Oh, right then. Er, I at least take it he paid you, somehow, for doing all his work for him?" you had to ask.
Koyomi remained silent at first, before saying, "He didn't see why I'd need to be paid, computer games are intended as entertainment, so I felt it was a privilege I was even getting to play them".
"Figures," you mumbled, before at least trying to lighten things with, "Ah, so what was your favourite out of all of them?"
"Favourite?" Koyomi paused, "What criteria in this case are we using to determine 'favourite'?"
"...Nevermind," you just let out.
After at least showing her where the town history museum was, closed as expected, you then showed her over to the town sweets shop where you knew Yuya worked... only to remember to late that AI don't eat.
"Consuming this food brings you pleasure, then? A pleasure I suppose I am inherently unable to experience," Koyomi sighed out.
"Yeah, well, holograms get to do cool stuff like phase through walls, so I'd say it evens out," you tried to cheer her up, before pointing to the window, "Confectioners can still put a lot of effort into the design of their candies, so you've still got that. Especially since most of these storefront candies are fake, being ads, so I can't eat them either. Hmm, think most of these fake foods come from the one town near Nagoya, forget the name though".
"Gujo-Hachiman," Koyomi was able to tell you after a quick search.
"Right, yeah, that place," you mumbled along.
Since she already knew the Arcade too, the last place you checked out were the clothes shops you'd frequented with Reina.
"Yeah, take it you can just alter your appearance whenever, but us fleshbags have to buy outfits, wigs, makeup, all that stuff if we wanna change how we look," you told her.
"I would not say places like these are useless to me, they can still serve as inspiration. For example," Koyomi looked at a yukata on a mannequin in the window, and within seconds had materialised it on top of herself.
Wait, you stopped to think, Is, is what she just did theft? I mean, the actual clothes are still there on that mannequin, so I guess not, but she has that outfit without paying for it, and- ugh, I'm probably just thinking too hard about this.
"Okay, this is hard to explain, but like, human legs can only walk so far before getting exhausted, and- well I guess you kinda have the same thing, but like you have to watch out for range instead, right?" you instead brought up a different topic with her.
"It can be an issue, but I can see you'd need to rest, and I ought to review security on my creator's computers. But I do feel positively about us having this experience," Koyomi said to you.
- The Hermit has Journeyed to Rank 3! -
"Er, yeah, me too," you just said back.
Well, tomorrow you felt you should get around to:
[ ] Checking up on Kikuko at the Tea Ceremony Club.
[ ] Taking Koyomi in to the Computer Club.
[ ] Practicing Cricket.
[ ] Class Repping for Ryouko.
[ ] Giving the Sweets Shop a proper visit.
[ ] Starting that new RPG at Tumbling Dice.
[ ] Gameboard:
- [ ] Write-in Empire
- [ ] Write-in Party
[ ] Write-in.
And in the evening:
[ ] Checking out Megumi's university.
[ ] Going over your room with Na-Rae.
[ ] Seeing what more you can show Koyomi.
[ ] Studying.
- [ ] Write-in study partner.
[ ] Sleeping, and dreaming.
[ ] Gameboard:
- [ ] Write-in Empire
- [ ] Write-in Party
[ ] Write-in.
[X] Talk with Himawari.
[X] Get to that town tour with Koyomi.
Your arrangement to meet up Himawari again was made somewhat awkward by a competing schedule, as you caught up with her at Café Okumura with, er, the lead singer of Corpse Corps, that war-themed band that Nightshade had gotten into an argument with back in Hakodate.
"Oh hi there," that girl said to you in a cheerier voice than last time, "I'm Ayanami Yaeko, frontwoman of Corpse Corps, and you're Abyssa, right? Hey look, I really wasn't clear with Nightshade the last time we met. Like, I've got nothing against her, that whole 'band rivalry' was just meant as a publicity stunt but, well, we kinda ended up getting carried away."
"Ah, okay, well stuff like that isn't unheard of," you muttered back.
"Yeah, I'm embarrassed I didn't pick up on that," Himawari grinned awkwardly, "Oh, I should say that it's Himawari and Haruka offstage".
"Yep, got that. Reason I'm here is I heard your debut album, wow, and a live one too. That can't have been easy," Yaeko spoke up, "I mean, sound quality is, er, not promising, but I'll be charitable and assume that was what you were going for. All stuff that could be fixed with your next album anyway, but I guess it's too soon to be talking about that, huh?"
You and Himawari had to look at each other, at first saying nothing, before Himawari broke it to Yaeko, "Er, you see, the thing is... There's not gonna be a next album. Nightshade and the Lady Devils are, well, basically over".
Yaeko had to do a spit-take at that, before going "Wait, why? You were like, on the cusp of breaking through! I mean, breaking through would mean you'd have to deal with a bunch of arsehole fans, like we went with the war theme 'cause I liked machinery, but man does it bring out some weird creeps- ah, guess I'm rambling".
"For me it's, um, hard to explain," Himawari began, staring down "Way back, I like being Nightshade way more than being me because I thought, well, Nightshade could do anything, stand up to anyone. But the more I performed as her, well, the opposite happened. I started doing a whole bunch of stupid, self-harming things because I kept thinking it's exactly what Nightshade would do. I needed her to stand up to people, but... I couldn't stand up to her".
"So, um, you're gonna keep performing, right? But like, just as Himawari?" Yaeko had to ask, with you dreading that this meant the end of Nightshade altogether.
"Yes and no," Himawari surprised you by saying, "Like, if some small town Catholic girl like me can be a dark devil queen or whoever on stage, then I figured, I could be anyone on stage! Like, these are just off the top of my head, but I could be a singing gynoid, a witch's catgirl, the cosmic rockstar Symphonie Metallique, the possibilities are endless! Just as long as I'm the one who has the final say, and remember I don't have to be any one thing.
That's not to say I'll never be Nightshade ever again," Himawari then said, "She's a part of me, I could never get rid of her... just that I feel it's time to give another part of me the stage, they've been waiting a long while".
That made you feel relieved, and Yaeko had to smile too. She said, "Well, that's cool to hear. Ah, I kinda have to go now, booked to perform in Sapporo and stuff, but it was great I got a chance to clear things up with you. Looking forward to what you do next, Himawari!"
As Yaeko smiled and turned to leave, Himawari looked up at you and said, "Oh yeah, that reminds me. We mostly put our album up online, but I did personally print off a few physical copies. Here's yours, Haruka, and um, would you mind giving these three to Colette, Ryouko, and Tomomi?" she handed the copies of Alpha and Omega: Nightshade Live ft. The Lady Devils to you.
You smiled at her, saying, "Himawari... thank you. Ah, speaking of which there's been a lot going on in my world too, recently, stuff I kinda had to talk with you about alone. Melissa, well, she's..."
"Dead?" Himawari quickly filled in, "Sorry, I guess with the Gameboard that's what I've been trained to assume".
"No, you got it right the first time," you confirmed for her, "And well, giving all the absences, Azuma and Kikuko felt they needed to appoint a new Ace, and well, that left me by default. So yeah, I'm Ace of Fools now, er, so I was hoping for some advice".
"This, well, may be a bit tasteless of me to say, but I guess no longer having to deal with the greater Persona Game was one definite upside to being expelled," Himawari began, before she mumbled, "I felt like I barely knew Melissa really, like she was the last of the Aces to join, before you, then I got expelled, and now she's gone too. I wanna say something like 'If only things had gone better'... but I've got no idea how that could've happened. Oh, what advice then did you need?"
"Basic stuff, like decorum, dealing with constant onlookers, how to pick a Jack, y'know, all that," you went over.
Himawari seemed to struggle coming up with a reply to that, "I don't think the crowds around you, sycophants, stalkers, or people with a grudge, ever got any easier for me, I sort of just tuned them out and let Nightshade deal with them, at least in my head. An well, there were some girls in Choir who could've been my Jacks, as you can tell they cut off contact with me after my expulsion, hehe, but the only Jack I had was you, and you chose me.
Look, maybe I'm the wrong person to ask, but then again, what other option do you have? But you don't need me to tell you that being an Ace never worked out for me," she finished on.
"Yeah, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask," you sighed, before asking something else, "Hey, um, look, it's great that you have a future in mind for you singing, but... ah, what about those yakuza? Like, they kinda seem too big a detail to overlook".
"Oh, don't worry about them," Himawari laughed, "They abandoned me soon after my expulsion. Obviously, not that they're opposed to criminal behaviour, but they're definitely opposed to embarrassments, which is, well, what I was to them. It's my parents that are the issue," she mumbled, "Even if I've gone back to being a 'good girl', well, they still won't accept me. I'm now their ultimate disgrace no matter who I am from here."
Nevertheless, she then smiled, "Still, I know not everyone abandoned me after I was expelled, you, Colette, Tomomi, even Ryouko, I mean, I was the one who abandoned her, er, you could say. My point is, because people stood up for me when I was at my lowest, and still do... I just know I'm gonna be fine in the end!"
You could then see a blue aura glowing around Himawari, as Anastasia and another, glass-like, Persona rose up above her and were fused together in a blinding flash, combining into a glittering female knight with flowing orange hair and a belt of souls, pairs of wings made out of shields wrapping around her, carrying a lance like a giant icicle and a sword like a baton in her hands, sitting side-saddle atop a ghostly wolf.
"I am Devil Brynhildr, the valkyrie that heralds the end," her voice resounded, "The one who was Anastasia and Antoinette. Our voices in harmony shall sing the swan-song of the world."
She wasn't the only voice resounding in your head:
"Thou art I... I art thou
Though thy kingdom fall, thou hast gained a champion who shall not leave thy side
We bestow upon them a piece of thy crown,
And on thou, the road to Ahriman, Ultimate Persona of the Devil Arcana"
- The Devil Journeys Anew at Rank 10! -
You then heard the sound of a gate unlocking far in the distance, and one last ethereal voice saying, "Ace of Fools, I'm waiting. All secrets shall be revealed..."
"I am thou... Thou art I
Thou anointest a new Knight to defend thy Crown
Thou shalt take the mantle of the Judgment Arcana"
"Hey, Haruka, everything okay? You kinda spaced out there for a second," Himawari said, her eyes meeting yours.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," you just said, "Had a whole lot to think about. So, er..." you paused a little, "Before the stress of all this career-resuming stuff starts, mind one last jam session, maybe?"
"You're on!" Himawari and Nightshade beamed.
"You're taste in music is... intriguing. It does not otherwise match your appearance," Koyomi went on to tell you, you only realising to late that she'd probably stumbled onto your whole music gallery, on top of the jam session.
"Yeah, well, actually I don't think I have any taste in music, really," you had to admit, "People with much more opinions on it, like Himawari, Colette, and now Rise, kinda dictate what I listen to, even if I don't mean to.
Of course, at times I don't think that's such a problem. Like I wonder if feeling really strongly about music in turn means you feel really strongly about all the music you don't like, and that ends up making you both angry and miserable," you mused on.
"I was about to say that's one way in which I am fortunate, but not really," Koyomi remarked, the hologram leaping out of your phone, "I was not programmed to feel sadness, anger, or any other such emotion, there are not written in any of my ones and zeroes, and yet I have often felt them regardless".
"Dunno. Like, I'm not a neuropsychologist, even less a programmer, but it's like, er, if you can think and interpret stuff, then emotions are gonna come your way anyway," you tried to put your thoughts into words.
Kuchinashi being a mountain town meant there was only so much ground you could cover in an evening's walk, but Koyomi already familiar with your school, you thought you could at least fit in a good walk along the main shopping street, most of it old buildings perched along the river.
"So like, Kuchinashi's a mix of old Japanese architecture and western influences, like a lot of Hokkaido towns built around the 19th century," you gave your attempt at being a tour guide.
"The category of 'Western' is quite broad. Perhaps you could narrow it down, say to French, German, Italian, Canadian, or suchlike?" Koyomi had to ask.
You shrugged and went, "No idea, even though I've lived here all my life. Ah, come on, think we went over this in school... uh, English and American, I guess? Okay, we do have a local history museum- oh wait, the place has like, the most irregular times, I'm betting it's shut right now," you groaned.
Tumbling Dice was already shut for the night, but you still could at least show Koyomi where it is. Well, she probably could use GPS or something to just find it herself, but it's the thought that counted.
"Okay, so this is where I sometimes work. Ah, guessing Gakuto told you all about games, right? 'Cept these aren't video games, they're-" you began, but Koyomi cut you off.
"Tabletop RPGs, yes, I have now downloaded all the necessary information," Koyomi spoke, before telling you, "Towards the end of my creator's, ah, lifespan, he personally felt overwhelmed by how far his backlog of computer games had grown. So as to remain current with the gaming community, he would often have me algorithmically complete most of them to the fullest percentage, including disseminating their coding, while he used titles he was more familiar with as a way to destress".
"Oh, right then. Er, I at least take it he paid you, somehow, for doing all his work for him?" you had to ask.
Koyomi remained silent at first, before saying, "He didn't see why I'd need to be paid, computer games are intended as entertainment, so I felt it was a privilege I was even getting to play them".
"Figures," you mumbled, before at least trying to lighten things with, "Ah, so what was your favourite out of all of them?"
"Favourite?" Koyomi paused, "What criteria in this case are we using to determine 'favourite'?"
"...Nevermind," you just let out.
After at least showing her where the town history museum was, closed as expected, you then showed her over to the town sweets shop where you knew Yuya worked... only to remember to late that AI don't eat.
"Consuming this food brings you pleasure, then? A pleasure I suppose I am inherently unable to experience," Koyomi sighed out.
"Yeah, well, holograms get to do cool stuff like phase through walls, so I'd say it evens out," you tried to cheer her up, before pointing to the window, "Confectioners can still put a lot of effort into the design of their candies, so you've still got that. Especially since most of these storefront candies are fake, being ads, so I can't eat them either. Hmm, think most of these fake foods come from the one town near Nagoya, forget the name though".
"Gujo-Hachiman," Koyomi was able to tell you after a quick search.
"Right, yeah, that place," you mumbled along.
Since she already knew the Arcade too, the last place you checked out were the clothes shops you'd frequented with Reina.
"Yeah, take it you can just alter your appearance whenever, but us fleshbags have to buy outfits, wigs, makeup, all that stuff if we wanna change how we look," you told her.
"I would not say places like these are useless to me, they can still serve as inspiration. For example," Koyomi looked at a yukata on a mannequin in the window, and within seconds had materialised it on top of herself.
Wait, you stopped to think, Is, is what she just did theft? I mean, the actual clothes are still there on that mannequin, so I guess not, but she has that outfit without paying for it, and- ugh, I'm probably just thinking too hard about this.
"Okay, this is hard to explain, but like, human legs can only walk so far before getting exhausted, and- well I guess you kinda have the same thing, but like you have to watch out for range instead, right?" you instead brought up a different topic with her.
"It can be an issue, but I can see you'd need to rest, and I ought to review security on my creator's computers. But I do feel positively about us having this experience," Koyomi said to you.
- The Hermit has Journeyed to Rank 3! -
"Er, yeah, me too," you just said back.
Well, tomorrow you felt you should get around to:
[ ] Checking up on Kikuko at the Tea Ceremony Club.
[ ] Taking Koyomi in to the Computer Club.
[ ] Practicing Cricket.
[ ] Class Repping for Ryouko.
[ ] Giving the Sweets Shop a proper visit.
[ ] Starting that new RPG at Tumbling Dice.
[ ] Gameboard:
- [ ] Write-in Empire
- [ ] Write-in Party
[ ] Write-in.
And in the evening:
[ ] Checking out Megumi's university.
[ ] Going over your room with Na-Rae.
[ ] Seeing what more you can show Koyomi.
[ ] Studying.
- [ ] Write-in study partner.
[ ] Sleeping, and dreaming.
[ ] Gameboard:
- [ ] Write-in Empire
- [ ] Write-in Party
[ ] Write-in.
Last edited:
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
[X] Giving the Sweets Shop a proper visit.
[X] Checking out Megumi's university.
[X] Rebirth Izanagi + Hanged Man Bert = Devil+10 Erlik (Curse and Nuclear) inherit Null Physical.
[X] Checking out Megumi's university.
[X] Rebirth Izanagi + Hanged Man Bert = Devil+10 Erlik (Curse and Nuclear) inherit Null Physical.
Last edited:
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Er yeah, noticed a slight problem. It appears the previous votes' fusion plan left you one Persona over the limit of Twelve (not counting Mayasura), so you might also have to vote to store a Persona.
Haruka can hold Personae over her limit, but uh, it can cause serious mental strain.
Haruka can hold Personae over her limit, but uh, it can cause serious mental strain.