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Shin Persona Evangelion [NGE/Persona Fusion]

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Beware uncharted lands, for there be spoilers afoot!
  • Informational
    • This may seem like it's overdue, but based on a comment I recently received elsewhere, apparently the fact that there will be spoilers to both the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and the events of various games in the Persona Series (including but not limited to Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4, and Persona 5) wasn't made clear just by how the plot has unveiled.

    So I'm placing a sticky post for this message: if you have not watched the original Evangelion anime, or if you have not played the Persona games — especially P3, P4, P5, and their updated re-releases — then take note that this story contains spoilers to all of them. Read at your own risk.

    /that should do it
    //right?
    ///right??
     
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  • Informational
    • Wow. I knew Gendo and Rei's relationship got strained during this whole debacle. But not to the point that Gendo would be willing to fully embrace his role as a complete soulless monster and emotionally hurt the one who was supposed to be his surrogate daughter in a past life by callously calling her out for her own mistakes. If this doesn't already show how much Gendo has fallen even further as a person, I don't know what will.
     
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    Even if she has Lilith's soul, Rei is a clone of Yui. So for Gendo to treat her like this, when he once saw Yui, the light of his life, in Rei… he's really gone off the deep end.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "...in other news, the Second Child has made it to NERV-02. She'll be assisting Director Ikutsuki with Project Prometheus before making her way to Japan."

    "Project Prometheus...I am unfamiliar with the term." Then again, she tried not to think about Shuji Ikutsuki on the best of days. He was...an unsettling individual, at the best of times.

    "They involve the use of the remnants."

    Rei went quiet, pondering how Gendo had enunciated the term; he could only be referring to...those who had been Lost. No; those who had been Sacrifices. (Lingering memories, carried on by nothing more than forgotten momentum; how many had completely faded away, lost to all...?) "I see," she repeated. (It was a safe and simple phrase, giving away only that she had observed the words spoken...giving no insight as to what she truly felt within.)

    Finishing the last of his fish, Gendo — with all the aplomb of someone wondering if they had left the refrigerator opened — idly wondered, "it would be a curious thing if you were to go there and see the faces of those youths from Sumaru City—"

    His words were interrupted by the impact of ceramics against flesh, followed by the dull thud of porcelain upon the table.
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    I know Rei says the Usurper sacrificing them is impossible, but Gendo is flat out taunting her now.

    Someone give her a hug.
     
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    neogoki said:
    Counter-Point: are you REALLY that? Free of illusions and self-deception? Perfectly aware of yourself?
    I think not.
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    He's still, at his core, the same pitiful little man trying to make himself seem big and intimidating towards those he does not wish to get close to, which, as of the start of his awareness, is pretty much everyone. Only he has pretty much deluded himself into thinking he knows all there is to know about himself, when in reality, deep down he rejects who he could be as a person and refuses to grow beyond such petty and immature mentality.
     
    NGSoares said:
    Even if she has Lilith's soul, Rei is a clone of Yui. So for Gendo to treat her like this, when he once saw Yui, the light of his life, in Rei… he's really gone off the deep end.



    I know Rei says the Usurper sacrificing them is impossible, but Gendo is flat out taunting her now.

    Someone give her a hug.
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    neogoki said:
    Counter-Point: are you REALLY that? Free of illusions and self-deception? Perfectly aware of yourself?
    I think not.
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    jj_789 said:
    He's still, at his core, the same pitiful little man trying to make himself seem big and intimidating towards those he does not wish to get close to, which, as of the start of his awareness, is pretty much everyone. Only he has pretty much deluded himself into thinking he knows all there is to know about himself, when in reality, deep down he rejects who he could be as a person and refuses to grow beyond such petty and immature mentality.
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    Vajrei said:
    At this point, I think this version of Gendo is the kind of person who wants to watch the world burn.
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    I think we all got an inkling of what Gendo Ikari was like from these scenes (listed in chronological order):

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Rei narrowed her eyes at the expression on the Commander's face. "That look does not become you."

    "Neither does your stoicism," he replied. "It's an interesting mask. Do you find it nostalgic?"

    "...despite your words, you persist as I have."

    "Only so that I can see your face at the very end, when that which you've placed your hope in fails."

    She briefly inhaled, collecting her thoughts, letting those churning waters still in the face of one she had once devoted herself to-

    xxxx

    The Beast within wailed.​

    xxxx

    -no. She would not allow herself to ponder the alternatives. That way lied madness. "You hope as much as I do, that your son will succeed."

    At this, Gendo's expression cooled. "...'hope' would be a very strong word."

    "Then what word would be fitting?"

    "To believe that he will do what must be done is to believe in a fantasy."

    "...your demeanor will not change anything regarding the fate of Yui Ikari." There was a sudden change in pressure, as the man's tempestuous mind weighed on the cognitive realm; if nothing else, that aspect of him was still dangerous. Sheer spite had tempered it into a deadly blade. Still, she did not relent. "You know that I speak the truth."

    "...just as you know that I speak the truth, when I say that he is not the salvation you have hoped for." That pressure slowly faded.

    "I do not share your cynicism." She quietly stood up, lightly bowing towards him. "Today, we shall begin training Shinji Ikari in earnest. He will be ready...if nothing else, be assured that I will make certain of that." She slowly turned, walking away.

    The Commander had once last parting shot. "Does the fear keep you up at night?" A beat. "The fear that he will show his true colors? That he will prove your faith in him wrong?"

    "...I do not feel such fear."

    A bitter chuckle. "If there's one thing I never raised you to be, Rei Ayanami...it was a liar."

    "...you never raised me at all," she calmly retorted. "You never raised anyone or anything. Not even yourself." She left the office, electing to walk within the boundary of the physical. Her mind inwardly roiled, and her spirit...well, it went without saying. Before she realized it, she found herself sitting on a toilet in a bathroom stall. The porcelain was cold, numbing; her hands fell upon her knees, gripping at the bare flesh.

    An acceptable feeling. It helped her to subdue the torment that Gendo Ikari's words had stirred.

    xxxx

    The Beast shed tears of blood.

    "He is right, you know."

    The blood threatened to consume them both, as always.

    "We cannot be forgiven."

    Her voice was drowned by Despair.

    "We are forever damned..."    ​

    xxxx

    ...that may be so. Yet to fail...to turn her back on humanity...to let the current course continue...it would only solidify her sin. I must atone. There was a brief twinge, as her nails managed to pierce the skin on her legs. It would heal, before the Saturday classes started.

    Perhaps it would be okay, to simply rest here until it was time for homeroom.

    I wish I could cry.

    Crying sounded so wonderful.
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Sokila bit her lip.

    "...your papa..."

    She looked worried.

    "Why does he feel that way...?"

    She sounded confused. Concerned? Or...anxious?

    "...why wouldn't a papa like his son...?"

    She stared at him with innocent curiosity.

    "Do you know why?"

    The faint haze of blue began to brighten-    ​

    xxxx

    /Thursday: June 18, 2015/

    /NERV, Tokyo-3/

    There was a subtle beep-beep that aroused Shinji Ikari from his slumber. Where...? What happened...?

    Beep-beep.

    The sheets...the bed he was lying in...the tang of disinfectant in the air...it evoked the feeling of a hospital. Why am I here...?

    Beep-beep.

    Wait. The Angel...he had fought it....it had called itself Shamshel...

    Beep-beep.

    He had...defeated it...and then...there had been the feeling of sand, the scent of lake water...and the strange impression of blue velvet...?

    Beep-beep.

    How long-?

    "It's strange, how impulses work."

    That voice. It was...

    "For what reason, do certain ideas come to mind? For what reason do we act on them?"

    ...father...?

    "A curious thought. I wonder if it's ever occurred to you."



    Shinji finally mustered the will to open his eyes, regardless of how much that by itself made him want to go back to sleep. Gendo Ikari was sitting beside his bed; with legs crossed and hands folded over his knee, the orange shades still hid all aspects of his expression, for his lips were set into the shape of stoic neutrality. The strange impression of his father observing an old carpet stain somehow came to mind, nonetheless. "...hn?" He tried to speak, but only managed a curious grunt.

    "You faced an Angel." A mere statement of fact.

    He managed a slight nod. He didn't trust himself to talk.

    "I wonder..." He calmly extended a gloved hand, placing it besides his face. It was...an unusual gesture, for how gentle it was. It would have seemed...affectionate, coming from anyone else. That his father was doing it made this entire scenario seem like something out of a dream.

    Shinji wasn't complaining.

    "Did you experience pain?"

    Shinji briefly nodded, relishing the touch on his face, even if it was mitigated by the white glove.

    "I see."

    His father's hand slowly shifted to the top of his hand, lightly rubbing his hair.

    "...good."

    Without hesitation, Gendo's hand clenched tight.

    "I hope it hurt."

    Shinji's eyes shot wide open, as his father's hand began to twist with such violence; was he trying to rip his hair out-?!

    "It must have gone deep. I want you to remember it."

    Whatever he had endured against Shamshel, it rendered him unable to move his limbs or even resist. That by itself made the stark pain in his scalp even worse, as tears began to form in his eyes.

    "Relish that pain. LIVE by it." The aloof serenity of the man's face didn't match the utter spite in his voice. "And then perhaps you'll understand." With a harsh shove, Gendo pushed his head back onto the bed; the release allowed Shinji to gasp with relief, even as the agony lingered. His father calmly stood up, walking away as though nothing had just happened.

    Confusion. Resentment. Frustration. Anger. All of those feelings and more were pushed away by an overarching need for clarity. "...why...?" he managed to croak out.

    Gendo Ikari paused, not even turning back. "...why, you ask?" he said, with all the nonchalance of someone discussing the weather. "That you need to ask is proof enough that you would not understand." A brief pause. For dramatic effect? To gather his thoughts? Shinji had no way of knowing. "The day you understand why...I'll expect an apology. But I doubt I'll ever get one." And with those words, Gendo stepped beyond the doorway, leaving him behind.

    Shinji managed enough energy to scowl.

    The Beast hissed and snarled; with white-hot rage, it shrieked.​

    That alone was too much. Devoured by exhaustion, Shinji closed his eyes, and blessedly lost consciousness.
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    As they had spoken, the voices from Shinji's hospital room continued to filter through. "...did...did my father visit earlier...?"

    "As far as I'm aware, no. His schedule is packed with meetings this morning."

    "...oh...okay."

    Rei raised a slim eyebrow. The Commander did not respond. "...did you?"

    "Would the truth change anything?"

    This, more than anything else, was why she despaired interacting with Gendo Ikari: his relationship with his son was, if nothing else...painfully complicated. "...I no longer ask much from you." Or of him, frankly. They were both useful to each other, up to a particular point. "But why?" Such a simple question, laden with meaning.

    "Because part of him still desires my love. Nothing more, and nothing less."

    ...how cruel. And pitiful.

    It was at that precise moment, like a bomb going off, that her cell phone vibrated.

    "Don't mind me. Pick it up," said Gendo, almost sounding like a challenge. "Put it on speaker."

    Rei quietly withdrew her phone, which was still vibrating; she did not recognize the number. Who could it be? she thought, not showing any sort of panic. What would happen, would happen. With a placid movement, she picked up the call. "Hello?"

    "Anata no, terefon ni, Jika-netto Tanaka~! Mi-n-na no, yoku no tomo! "



    "It's truly your lucky day!" exclaimed a boisterous, cocky man over the speakers. "Because now you've unlocked the door to great deals and great prices with Tanaka's Portable Commodities!"

    "Granter of your desires~" cooed his backup chorus of female singers.

    Rei decisively ended the call at once. All of the prior tension in the room had died with swift and brutal vengeance. "...my apologies sir."

    To her everlasting shock, he calmly replied, "I would advise that you don't turn down a good deal without at least investigating it first." He calmly raised one of his hands, readjusting his distinctive shades. "It's where I got these in bulk."

    Rei did not know whether he was serious or joking. That, more than anything else, flummoxed her beyond belief.

    And apparently, that's all Gendo Ikari needed from her, as if this brief moment of confusion was a reward of some sort. "You're dismissed, Rei," said the Commander.

    "...yes sir," she numbly said, slowly rising to leave the man's office. What just happened? She turned his words over in her head, wondering if there was anything more to what he had said...or, if he had intentionally toyed with her paranoia for his own amusement.

    Either one was likely.
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    /Gendo Ikari's Office, NERV/



    "So, the boy and the A.T. agent reported seeing the same microscopic entities emerging from the Shadows?" inquired Gendo Ikari, hands tented in front of his face. "A manifestation perceptible by a non-Evangelion-user?"

    "I believe so," answered Rei Ayanami.

    "Hmm. A manner of control common to all Angels, or unique?"

    "...I believe it's a unique one," she hypothesized. "The Second Child has reported encounters of more than one Acolyte's Shadow bound to another; the method of fusion was different, though I don't recall her observations perfectly."

    "I'm sure," he stoically said, somehow sounding condescending without even a single change of tone. "And the Reaper as well..."

    "I do not believe that they are aware of Ikari's true presence as of yet."

    The man chuckled darkly. It was a deeply unpleasant sound. "Not even you are that naive." Spite trickled into his voice. "Or are you so desperate that hope has driven you to delusion?"

    She breathed calmly. She would not allow him to get under her skin. "...it is truly sad, what madness has driven you to become."

    "I've accepted my own faults; it's tempered my expectations."

    "No; you've only surrendered to them."

    "And yet only disappointment will await you."

    "...I...I can understand why you believe he will fail." It was a fear that she did not want to acknowledge, deep down. If she did...the temptation to succumb to despair...no. No. She would not. "And yet you have the capacity to help. Why, when you have suffered as I have?"

    "...why, you ask? I never knew you could be so pompous." A disgusting sneer roared across his lips, contorting his entire expression into something ugly. "He had his chance. He squandered it because of his own cowardice. He chose to turn away from the consequences of his actions; for that, he'll have nothing from me but contempt."

    "...even at the expense of your own life? Your own future?"

    The man's sneer lessened into a bitter smile. "I'm already doomed. We all are. Mankind has no time left...no time to give...nothing at all. This is our lot."

    "And yet you go through the motions, as an actor reading from a script. Why?"

    "So I can see him fail...and so I can see the look on your face when you realize just how hopeless your efforts have been."

    Honestly, Rei didn't know why she continued to subject herself to conversations with this broken wretch. Perhaps she herself was broken as well...but in an altogether different way. "I pity you."

    "Your pity lost its value long ago." His face went slack, once more returning to its familiar stoic nature. "Be on the lookout for the Angels. You're dismissed, Rei."

    "Understood sir." Thus did she depart, leaving the man to wallow in the darkness of both his office and his mind...which was fine by her. She had plenty of darkness of her own to spare; she didn't need Gendo Ikari's on top of it.
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    /Hakone Detention House, Downtown Tokyo-3/

    ...

    "You seem relatively well."

    Tokita jolted up at the voice, looking towards the window (blocked, naturally, to keep him from seeing a hint of daylight); standing in front of it was an aloof figure. In the darkness, he could barely make out the red turtleneck sweater and a pair of distinctive orange shades. "What the...who are...?" Wait a second. "...Gendo Ikari?"

    "I've gleaned a few details regarding your JET ALONE project, based on the reports that came across my desk. An interesting endeavor, to be sure."

    Tokita impulsively stood, looking around with a panic; the door to his cell was closed. How did he get in here?! "What's going on?"

    "I couldn't help but wonder about your decision to sacrifice your own Shadow, however...what does it imply, when a man has the means to see the parts of himself that he doesn't want to acknowledge...and orders it tossed into the proverbial blender?" His shades seemed to gleam impossibly bright in the darkness. "Some would call that the mark of a coward. Or perhaps you saw your Shadow, and were terrified about that part of yourself? About what it implied about you?"

    He was talking. A lot. And quite loudly too. Why haven't the guards heard him?! "...what do you want, Ikari? Are you here to lord Evangelion's success over me? For that matter, what favors did you cash in to get in here?!"

    "There's no need for such vainglory. You ultimately matter very little in the grand scheme of things. But there's information you may have that I want to know." He quietly used one hand to readjust the bridge of his glasses. "Katsuragi's preliminary report mentioned something about Private Noboru Hanamura's Shadow. Namely, that you told her that his Shadow had managed to escape the Cognitive Protection Center during the last new moon...a fact that wasn't released to the public. So how did you find out?"

    Tokita kept his mouth shut. It was just another interrogation.

    "...not going to be cooperative? Fair enough. Your cooperation isn't necessary."

    Shlyoop.



    There was an oddly wet sound, as a spectral hand - translucent, pale, like a ghostly corpse - phased through Ikari's torso, reaching into Tokita and clenching tightly. The man grimaced, as though his metaphorical heart were being held in a vise-grip. "What..." he managed to choke out.

    "Regardless of what you do to your Shadow...it is a part of you. It will always be a part of you. And that connection leaves you vulnerable," coolly said Gendo.

    (Meanwhile, within NERV Headquarters on the other side of Tokyo-3, Mana Kirishima slowly twisted and turned, feeling a vague sense of unease. When she awoke, she would think of it as nothing more than a nightmare.)

    Tokita didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt way too long, and why hadn't the guards come by yet?!?! "Ah..." He wanted to scream. WHY COULDN'T HE SCREAM.

    "Hmm," casually remarked Ikari, uncaring for the ghostly hand emerging from his own chest. "I see. So that was your source...not a true concern, in all honesty. But that connection might come out during your interrogation...and it would be quite inconvenient."

    "So...that's...it...?" Why was it so hard to breathe? What was Ikari doing to him?! "...just going...to kill me...?"

    "On the contrary. Killing you would result in Mana Kirishima's death. Why deprive my son of a useful tool?"

    It was a reassuringly human answer. "...so...even you care...for your own progeny...to some extent..."

    "That notion of yours is born from nothing more than foolish sentiments, I assure you. I want him to possess every single advantage he could reasonably attain to...so that he can reach the greatest heights. That way, his inevitable fall will be all the more crushing."

    The words were understandable, but their meaning was so foreign as to be nonsensical. The amount of spite in that last word by itself was so immense, so terrifying, that Tokita could barely fathom it. "...what...why...who...what are you...?"

    "Someone who merely knows the truth of this world, nothing more." The spectral hand suddenly clutched even harder, eliciting a fresh gasp of pain from Tokita. "You won't die. But you might wish you had. Perhaps, if you ever awaken again...this will only seem like a bad dream." Without warning, the ghostly limb yanked Tokita forward, pulling him into Ikari's torso, into someplace impossibly large and impossibly deep and IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE HOW WAS THIS HAPPENING?!

    Shiro Tokita's scream of terror echoed into the depths of oblivion.

    xxxx

    No one outside of Tokita's cell heard what had transpired.

    Minutes later, when the clock struck 0700, morning roll call began in the detention house.

    The guards would open his cell to find that its lone occupant was gone, with no sign that he had ever been there save for some rumpled bedding.

    xxxx

    At the very instant Tokita met his fate: back at NERV Headquarters, Gendo Ikari - sitting in his office, quietly reading Dr. Akagi's preliminary findings regarding Kirishima and her weapons, as he had been for the past hour - shivered unnoticeably. "...hmm." That had been a fairly uneventful visit, all things considered. At least that loose end's been taken care of.

    And so the Commander of NERV continued on with his day.
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    /Gendo Ikari's Office, NERV/

    The Commander of NERV quietly reviewed the after-action report and summarized debriefing from Director Maruki, covering the fine points Shinji Ikari's recent foray to America. Of particular note was a bit of a postscript, written freely by Takuto Maruki.

    Overall, I find his disposition to be relatively stable given his recent ascendance as an Evangelion-user, yet there's always opportunity for improvement. He seemed to respond quite well to positive reinforcement. I'm not exactly sure why you two were separated for so many years (not that it's my business to pry any further), but I sincerely believe he would benefit greatly from any encouragement on your part. — Director Maruki

    An altogether reasonable remark, all things considered. It was one that he promptly decided to ignore. He is growing in aptitude. The upcoming new moon would provide greater clarity as to where they stood in the grand scheme of things...and now his main terminal was getting pinged through the packet delivery service. His personal number was not included within the main NERV directory; as such, any and all calls and texts were routed through the MAGI and displayed on his terminal (which he was free to respond or reject at his leisure). As it stood, there were very few people who actually knew how to call him directly. Thus, it was no big surprise to see a text from his son displaying on the monitor.

    Shinji Ikari: hello father
    Shinji Ikari: futaba maruki sent me a bunch of pictures of mom
    Shinji Ikari: i hope you like them

    Attached were well over thirty scanned photographs of Yui Ikari in her youth, from childhood to her teen years. They were of a wholesome time. A more pleasant time.

    Gendo reached for his phone. "Call Shinji Ikari," he said aloud. His administrative privileges were such that a name was all it took for his device to dial any NERV-issued phone.

    xxxx

    Shinji actually jolted from shock when an unknown number called him. By impulse, he answered. "Uh, hello?"

    "Shinji."

    "...father...?" he murmured, almost in a stupor. Did he actually...?

    "You can keep any future photos of Yui for yourself, from Futaba Maruki or otherwise. I'll have nothing to do with them."

    The quiet sound of the line going dead was downright thunderous. Shinji blinked, staring dumbly at his smartphone. Did...did that just happen...?

    xxxx

    His Other sighed with remorse.

    The Beast merely sneered. "You labor in vain."    ​

    xxxx

    Shinji couldn't help but scowl as he looked up at the darkening sky. The dying light...what a fitting metaphor. Why...WHY...?

    No answer would come.

    Thus did Shinji resign himself to continuing on back to his dorm room.

    xxxx

    Gendo quietly placed his phone down before leaking back at the terminal; a single photo of a preadolescent Yui — beaming cheerfully at the camera — seemed to mock him.

    (The thing that wore his wife's face smirked knowingly. "You know that I speak the truth. Stop deluding yourself.")​

    He ruthlessly deleted the photos and the texts from his son, his face a picture of stoic composure. Inwardly...

    xxxx

    The jealous creature growled.

    "A mere shade. A falsehood. It could never compare..."

    He crouched down, guarding a mass of emotion and memory and cognition.

    "...not to her...NEVER to her..."    ​

    xxxx

    ...well, his inward disposition was always an unpleasant one.

    Thus did Commander Ikari continue on through the night, giving no more thought to his son.
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Honestly, Shinji wondered why his father kept his office so...dark; as it was, the only lights came from his computer monitors, casting the man in a stark and ghostly glow. Yet, somehow, the thought of turning the lights on seemed...unnatural, in this place.

    The Beast's grin bore splatters of red blood.

    "It is his way..."

    A streak of light briefly illuminated the shadows around them.

    "...because in the light, he would be so very SMALL."    ​

    "...I received a letter, from my old sensei," he finally said. "He invited me to come visit his home in the Aida District. During the summer break, that is."

    "Indeed." An affirmation, a statement; not a query for additional information.

    "Since I can...well, teleport, thanks to Evangelion...if I'm needed for something, I can be anywhere in a flash."

    "This desire to visit is a curious one, given how you dropped everything at a moment's notice to come here."

    Shinji grimaced. "...I came here because you asked me to come." (Because he's your father, and because you still want him to love you.)

    "And what reasons have I given you to stay? You've already gathered that I hate you." He said those words (those awful, awful words) with such detachment that he wondered if the man even believed them. "Any rational individual would have given up long before now to seek greener pastures. Why haven't you?"

    Shinji's right hand clenched impulsively, unseen by either individual. "...because..."

    His Other placed a hand upon his fist.

    "He's trying to bait you. Don't fall for it."    ​

    "...because I still have hope."

    Gendo coolly regarded him for a few seconds, before stoically answering, "I would believe that, were it not for the scent of anxiety and unease that clings to you now...like the stench of a rotting corpse." (He wished that his father would remove his hands from in front of his mouth; it was so unnerving to hear the man talk without seeing any change of expression.) "You've learned something...significant, haven't you: something terrifying. And so your first impulse is to run away to someplace...familiar. More comfortable. Am I wrong?"

    Shinji didn't want to show how deep those words hit. Marie...she said that he wasn't in league with the Usurper, or the Angels...does that mean he knows...? "...how...how much do you know..." About the Usurper. About the War in Heaven. About the One Who Sat Upon the Throne. "...about them?"

    Gendo snorted. "They are simply seeking to fulfill their interests using whatever means are available to them. Even if I despise them, I cannot begrudge them for doing something that is reasonable in their eyes. They are simply being true to who they are...and what they want. It is more than what I can say about you."

    "...huh?" he uttered, caught flat-footed by the sudden vindictiveness.

    "...you got what you wanted...after everything, you had it all...and then you threw it away." The man sounded like he was on the verge of spitting, yet his facial expression still remained unchanged. "And yet you have the gall to ask me such questions when you can't even remember. So you'll have to forgive me if my capacity for caring is somewhat...limited."

    "...what do you mean?" What was his father talking about? "What don't I remember?"

    His Other and the Beast were both silent.​

    "Now, what would be the point in telling you everything? Those fragile things that you call a mind and a body...I doubt they'd have the wherewithal to withstand the revelation. And after everything that's happened, such an end would be...distasteful." The man finally leaned back, revealing the flat line of his lips: a sign of disinterest or barely constrained fury, Shinji couldn't tell. "So go ahead: take a summer vacation. Take some 'friends', if you so desire. Go play at being a decent human being. It'll only make the moment you break even more of a spectacle than it otherwise would be."

    "...father...what did I do to make you hate me...?"

    "You'll remember...eventually. And when you do, I'll look for the impact crater and devastation that you leave behind."

    Shinji impulsively grit his teeth.

    The Beast suddenly began to tremble with rage-induced seizures.

    "    Kill him kill him kill him KILL HIM KILL HIM-!"​

    "...why...why are you like this...?"

    Finally, the man showed a hint of emotion: a bitter smirk, that belonged to someone far older than either of them. "Because...for the first time in a long time, seeing YOU..." There was so much emphasis placed on that last word. "...it only reminds me of how much of myself I can see in you, especially in retrospect...and I know how that story ends." The man promptly turned away towards of his monitors, and began typing on his keyboard. "You're dismissed."

    Shinji grimaced as he stood up, wishing he could see whatever his expression looked like right now; was it full of hatred for his father? Grief? Disappointment? He couldn't tell. I...I got permission to visit my sensei, he tried to assure himself. He had gotten what he wanted. He had even come to understand his father a little more...

    (Yet that increased knowledge came with its own costs.)

    (Even now, you still want him to love you. That's why it hurts so much.)

    With a frustrated sigh, he turned away and left.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "Commander Ikari will see you now, Kurosawa-san," said the secretary sitting beyond the rather plain door leading into his office.

    Nodding, Kurosawa — quietly turning on an audio recorder within the pocket of his suit jacket — rose to his feet, reaching for the handle of the single door. Strange, he couldn't help but muse. You'd think someone with Ikari's level of authority would have something more grandiose.

    As he entered Gendo Ikari's office, it looked remarkably...pedestrian. Despite the unusually high ceiling, the overall decor — metal filing cabinets along the walls, the single desk holding a trio of monitors, and a pair of empty chairs in front of said desk — was utterly spartan. The man himself was still typing away, doing whatever work the Commander of NERV did on a daily basis. "Greetings, Agent Kurosawa. To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the Public Security Division's Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office?"

    Kurosawa took one of the empty chairs, staring Ikari square in the eye. "Just to ask some questions on behalf of the government."

    "To what end?"

    "To ensure that the most recent asset for Project E is being utilized properly."

    Gendo calmly adjusted his glasses, which were rendered opaque due to the light from his computer monitors. "Interesting. I assume you must have some concerns about what may have happened with the Ai ferry? You would have to speak with either the Third Child or his compatriots who were with him on that day, as I have no direct knowledge of the matter."

    "Surely you would have received a report of some sorts."

    "Naturally. My opinion would still be less relevant than theirs."

    Kurosawa frowned at Ikari's utter nonchalance. "And once you heard, you didn't consider recalling him to Tokyo-3 at all?"

    "Why should I? As an Evangelion-user, he can be anywhere within the world within relative swiftness. As far as Japan is concerned, he can traverse entire prefectures in mere minutes. What benefit would pulling him back from his summer vacation have?"

    "Notwithstanding the logic behind letting an Evangelion-user have such leeway?" criticized Kurosawa. "There's the fact that he's now been documented behaving in a highly irresponsible manner. Or has the footage of him fighting a member of Strega in a yakuza fight club not yet made it to you?"

    "I was forwarded the stories, so I am aware. I'm assuming there were mitigating circumstances."

    "Like what?"

    "I'm not going to guess at the cost of being wrong. If you want the particulars about said circumstances, you will have to ask the people who were there."

    Kurosawa couldn't help but sneer. "Really? You surprise me, Gendo Ikari: to think that the head of one of the world's most powerful NGOs would be marred by such a base vice."

    With gloved hands folded in front of his mouth, Kurosawa couldn't see if his barbed words had elicited a reaction. "Enlighten me, Agent: what vice am I afflicted with?"

    "To let a child subject to the provisions of the Cognitive Service Act behave with such license? To act so cavalierly in the face of legitimate questions about his movements and behavior? To not subject him to the same rigor that the First and Second Children have?" Kurosawa leaned forward, letting as much disgust as he could muster show. "I'm talking about nepotism, Ikari. It's utterly unbecoming."

    There was a moment of silence, from the Commander.


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPUXsqshayk

    Then...there was a chuckle. "How interesting...how very interesting." He chuckled some more.

    "What's so funny?"

    "I suppose the data fits...but your interpretation, your model, is badly skewed. The boy would likely break if subjected to the same pace that Ayanami and Sohryu are under; some would consider it only natural, for one who has possessed his Evangelion for just over two months." There was sudden chill in the air; not as if the air conditioner had been turned on, but rather as though ambient heat itself had started to leak away. "But the charge of nepotism...it's utterly hilarious."

    Leaning back with rising confusion, Kurosawa recalled his conversations with Fuyutsuki-sensei and Lorenz-sensei from just yesterday. Sensing an opportunity, he asked, "such venom...would it have anything to do with your missing wife, I wonder?"

    The lights began to flicker, seemingly of their own volition. "...how...interesting," he repeated. "A mere peon, fumbling in the dark, reaching for any light that he can..."

    Principal Lorenz's comment about Gendo Ikari and spite were beginning to make more sense. "Tell me this, then." Trying to ignore the sudden dread (the lights are flickering. Why can't you get out of your seat?) in his heart, Kurosawa pressed on. "If it's not nepotism...then why do you allow him such freedom? Why would you let such a powerful asset have so much liberty, if not out of fatherly love?"

    "Love...love...love," Ikari practically spat. The lights of the office went dark, and all Kurosawa could see was Ikari himself, starkly lit by his monitors; the reflection in his shades now seemed piercing and all-encompassing. "What a loaded word, tossed about so callously by fools with no concept of its depths; as if such a word could describe what I feel for Shinji Ikari."

    "Then what do you feel?"

    "Contempt, my dear Kurosawa." He finally lowered his hands, revealing (oh gods why WHY WHY) a manic grin, teeth bared with rage. "For what that child has done," he said, practically spitting out the word 'child', "he deserves to suffer. He deserves more than that; he deserves to die a thousand times over, to live a million times over as a shameful thing that experiences only torment and agony with every single breath. For all the pain that he allowed to fester, he deserves to rot for eternity. If it were within my power, I would show him all the blessings that he holds dear and rip them away, just so he could even begin to realize the magnitude of his sin. Do you truly think you understand hatred or rage, my dear Kurosawa?" Rising to his feet, in the sudden abyss of the office, Kurosawa felt like he was about to be devoured. "You could not even fathom the depths of my wrath...and for that, you should feel fortunate."

    Kurosawa — somehow, somehow — gulped. "Then...why-?"

    "BECAUSE," thundered Gendo, his rage ascending into sheer mania. "Because...despite ALL of that, Fate is cruel. Destiny is a torturer. For all that that boy shouldn't matter...that weak, spineless, loveless, and craven wretch is somehow at the center of everything. He always is...and he always will be. So what choice is there, but to let him ascend to the greatest possible heights of glory?! What better victory would there be, than to let the proverbial Icarus soar to the heavens...only for his wings to burn, and his fatal descent be all the more horrific because of it!" The man was now talking in nothing but screams and roars. "THAT, my dear Kurosawa, is what I live for...and no matter what happens to the rest of this world, everyone knows at the very depths of their being that Shinji Ikari will do as he wills...and that there's NOTHING to be done about it...other than to sit back...relax...and wait for the moment where, as he inevitably descends to the darkest pits of despair, he comes to realize...that the apple never falls far from the tree it came from."

    As if a switch were flipped, the lights came back on, and the strange distortions vanished. Gendo Ikari was sitting calmly at his desk, typing away at his computer. "I believe that should suffice to answer your questions, Agent Kurosawa. Have a good day."

    "...but..." What had just happened? "...but..." Was...was that even real?

    "As I said before...any questions on your particular subjects will be better answered by Shinji Ikari and his traveling companions. Have a good day."

    Recognizing a clear dismissal, Kurosawa — with clammy hands and nervous sweat on his brow — left Ikari's office, closing the door shut behind him. Looking towards the secretary, he asked, "did...you hear any shouting, just now?"

    The woman looked at him with utter bewilderment. "Shouting?"

    "...never mind." Almost in a daze, he skipped the elevators and went straight for the stairwells, taking slow and measured steps downward. With hands that couldn't stop fidgeting, he pulled the recorder out of his jacket and wound it back to the beginning. Pressing the 'play' button, there was only...white noise. No voices, for however many minutes he had talked to Ikari.

    Hirofumi Kurosawa was well and truly dumbfounded. What...happened...? Did...did I hallucinate that...?

    (Hallucinate?)

    (Hallucinate what?)

    By the time he reached the bottom, Kurosawa had convinced himself that he had imagined the whole thing.

    By the time he was handing in his visitor's badge at the main lobby, Kurosawa had forgotten that there had even been something unsettling to begin with.

    By the time he walked out the door of NERV HQ, Kurosawa was thoroughly convinced that his interview with Gendo Ikari — so utterly, painstakingly normal and boring! — hadn't turned up anything useful. "Well," he muttered to himself (all with a professional confidence that had been unknowingly lacking mere minutes ago), "looks like my next stop is going to be Nishiawakura..."

    Thus, Agent Kurosawa departed, utterly certain in his mind of the facts, dead set on his current course of action...and yet, oddly enough, somewhat disturbed and uneasy for a reason he couldn't even hope to identify.
    Click to expand...
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    /remember
    //judging by some of his internal monologue
    ///Gendo has a Persona
    ////so at some point, he confronted something about himself that he previously refused to acknowledge
    /////whatever could that be, I wonder...?
    //////and this has been your semi-regular "Author Reminder Post" :V
     
    When the time comes, I don't want to see Gendo get redeemed, because he is beyond redemption. I want to see an Ace Attorney style massive breakdown as his whole world comes crashing down around him.
     
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    8/20 - Late Morning
  • Threadmarks
    • Rei didn't stop walking, even when getting onto the elevator; so frustrated was she that she continued pacing in the cab, trying to retain control over her own agitation. Even with her face set into a familiar mask of stoicism, she felt the internal storm within.

    Her Other looked in a mirror, and saw a tiny face look back.

    "There was some truth, to what Gendo Ikari said."

    She took a photo of that face, to preserve it in time.

    "There is a difference between being ignorant of your emotions...and simply trying to keep a leash on them."    ​

    In a way, she envied her former ignorance from her 'first' life; born and raised in a realm detached from normal human existence, she had possessed very little knowledge in how to handle her concerns, her fears, her worries, her confusion, and her anger; hiding it all under a blanket called 'stoic apathy' and binding herself to humanity via Evangelion had been her means of navigating the contours of life with some success (for however much that had counted).

    The Beast sighed, staring at the ruins of an ancient city.

    "Very generous of you, to call such interactions 'success'..."    ​

    But now? She had seen too much; experienced too much; lived too much.

    Ignorance was no longer an option for her; naivete had long been cast aside. She knew how to categorize the emotions within her, and that knowledge came with a cost. Sometimes...I wish I couldn't feel...

    "Ayanami-san?"

    Rei slowly turned, even as she took in her current location with her peripheral vision; she had already walked several blocks from NERV Headquarters, and when crossing a building corner had inadvertently come across Hikari Horaki. The Class Representative was dressed in casual clothing — a long yellow skirt/overall combo, under which she wore a short-sleeved shirt with horizontal white and blue stripes — and held a note pad in her hand. "Hello Horaki-san."

    "...why are you in your school uniform?" she asked, confusedly.

    Rei looked down at her clothes. "Replacing my school uniform if damaged is more...convenient. I prefer not to endanger what other personal articles I do possess."

    "...ah. Right. Your extracurricular work." Looking down at her list, Horaki said, "um...I was actually going to grab lunch before continuing with my errands. My older sister is supervising my little sister while she has a playdate with friends, so I thought I'd get some shopping done. Do...you want accompany me?" Tilting her head, Horaki added, "you...look like you could use some company, if you don't mind my saying so," she said, pulling on a bit of her 'Class Rep' tone.

    Rei thought about it.

    (June the 11th. Although she ate lunch by herself, she was listening to the Class Representative providing advice to Shinji Ikari. "...I just want you to enjoy your life as a student. Truly, I do." Hikari glanced over in her direction; Ayanami pretended not to notice. "I'm aware that Ayanami does a lot of 'work' with NERV. And, judging by what little Fuyutsuki-sensei was allowed to tell me, you're in a similar situation." She looked back at him, looking slightly softer. "I don't want you to end up like her." When Ikari confusedly repeated the last words, Hikari elaborated with "like...like someone who's only going through the motions. Who doesn't appear to enjoy anything." Horaki frowned, briefly looking at the world beyond their class windows. "I can't claim to know her story. I've tried to get her to open up, but she remains closed off. It just seems...sad. That's all." Well...it's not like the Class Representative was wrong, per se.)​

    The fact that she had thrown most of her breakfast onto Gendo Ikari's face made the decision even easier. "...that sounds agreeable."

    And that was how Rei Ayanami and Hikari Horaki ended up at Suemitsu Gurume; Ayaname opted for pancakes topped with fruit and maple syrup, whilst Hikari was having a hamburg steak with steamed rice and mushroom sauce.


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j42rR92IX0

    "So...how have you been, Ayanami-san?" asked Hikari between bites.

    "I have been performing my duties adequately."

    "...that doesn't answer my question."

    Rei hummed, acknowledging the point. "I am...managing," she calmly admitted.

    "I...guess that's good," said Hikari, looking awkwardly around. "...how much can you tell me about your work...?"

    Rei knew enough about Hikari's mentality from other timelines that she saw to her true intent. "Are you curious about how Ikari-san and the others have been?"

    Hikari actually jolted in her seat. "Oh, um...ah..." The girl's shoulders hunched up, as though she had been caught doing something naughty. "Am...I that obvious...?"

    Rei didn't answer her question. "They have...been through quite an ordeal."

    "...I think I gathered as much..." admitted Hikari. "What with the Olympics...and whatever may have happened during the new moon as well..." Nervously cutting away at her hamburg steak, she added, "An officer of the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office actually visited my home on the 10th, to ask about Ikari-san. I've debated as to whether or not I should reach out to them...and then I worry about what I would even talk about..."

    "I see." Rei quietly bit into her pancakes, letting the ambience of the restaurant — the chatter of other patrons; the clatter of plates and silverware and chopsticks; the movement of servers back-and-forth from the kitchens — smother their mutual silence.

    "...should I try and reach out them?" asked Hikari. "I'm not sure; you surely have more experience with that, correct...?"

    "...that is not a decision I can make for you," remarked Rei, speaking honestly. "If you wish to follow up with them, to ask how they are doing...then that is your choice. If you would rather wait until they return, then that is also your choice."

    Hikari's slightly puffed out in the imitation of a pout. "That's not very helpful, Ayanami-san."

    "It is also the truth."

    "...I guess..."

    Ayanami thought she would do the young girl a favor. "...if you wish to open your heart up to them, understand that they may not be the same people."

    "What...what do you mean?"

    "During their summer vacation, Ikari-san, Aida-san, Suzuhara-san, Kirishima-san, and Yamagishi-san have...experienced many things. They have had many delights, and have endured many trials. Such experiences will have changed them...so do not be surprised. A lot can happen over the course of a single summer break."

    Hikari seemed genuinely perturbed by this concept, almost bizarrely so. (Had she made a miscalculation? Her interactions with Horaki-san outside of a classroom environment had been relatively uncommon, over the many timelines she had endured.) "...have they really gone through that much...?"

    "Such is the nature of the responsibilities that have come upon their shoulders," acknowledged Rei with a somber tone. "I have found out that they were involved in a battle that led to the death of two A.T. Agents. They will be attending their funeral today." At Hikari's look of shock and alarm, she added, "to understand how fragile life can be...and to experience the death of those close to you...that is something that changes everyone. The effects will only be more pronounced, given that they are of the age to ponder the true weight and heft of such concepts."

    "...is...is everyone okay...?" wondered Hikari. "They're...they're not hurt, are they?"

    "I do not know if they were physically injured; my missions had me elsewhere when this recent battle occurred. As for their mental or emotional state...that is something that you would have to ask for yourself." She tamped down on the instinct to meddle, for fear of inciting another action from the Usurper. I will trust in Ikari-kun.

    "...I see..." Hikari seemed rather flummoxed, anxious...and afraid? What did she have to fear for?

    "...whatever choice you make, do whatever you can live with," she offered as consolation. Finishing the last of her pancakes, she said, "I will charge my account with NERV for both of us."

    The words seemed to jolt Hikari out of her sover reverie, "Oh, you don't have to-!"

    "Thank you for your company," said Rei, ignoring Hikari's attempts at paying. "Have a pleasant day; I must return to my duties." With that said, she turned on her heel and walked away, telling their server to charge her NERV account — flashing her ID badge in the process — before leaving the restaurant. I will have to find an excuse to visit Nishiawakura in the near future...

    xx

    Hikari Horaki watched Rei depart with a forlorn gaze, feeling rather...unmoored. What...what have the others gone through since they left Tokyo-3...?

    (They would be changing without her presence; without her input; would they still be recognizable? Would they even need her help after such trials? Would school life seem like a mere chore, upon their return?)

    (You are superfluous.)

    Hikari grimaced, finishing the last of her steak; she had errands to finish, and a household to see to. Hopefully the herbal supplements will be in stock for dad...

    (Any little bit would help. Anything to be helpful; anything to make a difference.)

    (You labor in vain.)

    xxxx

    /it's strange how I've mapped Persona themes onto certain characters
    //Saeko-sensei's theme from P1 has become Mayumi's definitive theme
    ///whilst I've latched onto Hiiragi Psychotherapy from the P2 duology for Hikari
    ////if it works, it works *shrug*
     
    Last edited:
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    • 8/20 - Afternoon
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    • Khettien said:
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    *fixy fix*

    xxxx

    /Iwakuradera Temple, Nishiawakura, Okayama Prefecture/

    The ritual for the funeral was rather similar to that of the wake, at least at first: Buddhist priests chanted their sutras as the mourners (arranged in a similar seating arrangement as the day before), stepped up to burn incense and offer prayers. Even the offering of the kouden — the condolence money — was performed by those who either hadn't done so at the wake (or hadn't attended at all; the mere fact that the temple was within Nishiawakura made it easier for grateful villagers to attend, as compared to the wake), not that that stopped some from offering kouden a second time.

    (Misato had put her foot down while they were getting ready for the funeral, handing the five young teenagers envelopes with Yen notes already sealed inside. "The fact you kids felt mature enough to use your own funds was...well, it was very sweet of you. But damn it, let us adults provide for you somehow. You shouldn't have to do everything on your own.")​

    Kensuke Aida had not complained. (Neither had Shinji, but he didn't have much attachment to his own money anyhow, so either way was fine.)

    The differences lay in a few areas. First, the location: from the modern, almost office-like environment of the funeral home, to the ornate wooden halls and elaborate altar at the village's local temple.

    ("There actually used to be a second temple some years back," remarked Sojiro as they watched the caskets being unloaded from the funeral hearse. "It was actually right down the hill from my house...but it got busted by an Acolyte during Second Impact." Sighing deeply, the old man added, "it's all crazy...")​

    Second: there had been a brief 'discussion' with the priests before the ceremony with regards to the new name that was supposed to be given to the deceased, as part of some ancient Buddhist rite that was supposed to keep the dead from returning if their name was called...or something to that effect. (Though, in a world born from the Sea of Souls, did the principle even apply?) Ryuji Sakamoto had been fairly blunt when speaking for Yukari Amada and Chidori Iori.

    ("Eh, if they're so bored that they feel like coming back to haunt us, we sure as heck wouldn't mind. And if they come back as the 'big G' kind of Ghost...well, I guess we can hire guys like you to kick the crap out of 'em. Everyone wins!" said Ryuji with a cheeky grin. The priests looked somewhat scandalized, but they let the matter lie.)​

    Third: once the funeral ceremony ended, flowers and funeral wreaths were placed into Junpei and Ken's coffins, along with telegrams that had been sent from across the country to commemorate their passing from well-wishers. Such effects were accompanied by a few perishable possessions that the men had owned: a wooden baseball bat that had been Iori's as a teenager (kept in the DeLorean's trunk, funnily enough); a tiny keychain holding the figurine of an albino Shiba Inu (which Amada had apparently always kept in his pocket, surprisingly enough...and why did that image ring a bell...?); and other trinkets to that effect.

    Fourth: while the old crematorium and the caskets were prepared for the next step, those closest to the deceased — which, as yesterday, were comprised of the A.T. Agents, the Emporium, and the Featherman girls in addition to those of the 'Hakone Caravan' — retired to a separate part of the temple to partake of sushi and saké: a farewell feast, in the name of the departed. This time, more stories were shared, especially since Ryuji, Yukari, and Chidori were in attendance.

    xx

    "I was halfway convinced that Iori-san was stalking Yoshino-chan," diplomatically said Keisuke Hiraga, referring to the time of Junpei's dogged romantic pursuits.

    "I was completely convinced," griped Kyoka Hiraga.

    "...in retrospect, I think I appreciated his persistence," murmured Chidori, idly nibbling at her tuna roll.

    Ann Takamaki snorted. "Which he totally was. Persistent, that is..."

    xx

    "-still can't believe Junpei introduced himself by talking about my...assets," grumbled Yukari, her face slightly flushed.

    Misato raised her saké cup. "Let's be fair: you look great for your age. Not surprised that you would turn heads."

    Yusuke Kitagawa suddenly looked up. "...that reminds me-"

    "No, for the twentieth time: I will not model for you, Kitagawa-san," bluntly remarked Yukari.

    "Ah. Unfortunate."

    Hifumi Kitagawa lightly patted her husband's shoulder. "Perhaps you will be successful next time, dear."

    xx

    "He sure earned his Stupei nickname..." grumbled Yukari, now much more inebriated.

    "Junpei-kun was fond of nicknames in general," murmured Chidori, taking another sip of her saké; her face was close in color to her hair, now. "Despite his protests...I think he liked it."

    "...Ken was the same way. He grumbled about Junpei-kun's nicknames, but he dealt with it. Kind of like how a younger brother would put up with an older brother's teasing..." Sighing deeply, Yukari added, "I'm gonna miss those idiots..."

    The sudden swerve elicited a burst of tears from Rise Kujikawa.

    "Aw damn it, I was doing so well," growled Kanji, even as he also began to blubber.

    (Zenkichi Hasegawa idly glanced towards Sojiro Sakura. "Those two seem...pretty emotional," he whispered.)

    ("Having second thoughts about Kujikawa-san giving you her number?" quietly remarked Sojiro.)

    ("...not necessarily," he whispered back.)

    (Sojiro snorted under his breath.)

    xx

    Finally, the time came for the cremation, which was reserved for family witnesses; given the nature of their profession, this meant that Ryuji would be attending alongside Yukari and Chidori.

    (Ryuji glanced towards Toji. "Hey kid; you're welcome to come along if you'd like." The significance of this gesture was not lost on Suzuhara, who looked at his sensei with a stunned expression. After several seconds of silence, he shakily nodded before following Sakamoto towards the temple's crematorium.)​

    The more distant attendants had elected to depart at this point, with Ann, Rise, and Kyoka providing specialized catalogues so that they could choose gifts in return for their condolence money.

    "...this part always felt odd," remarked Kensuke, even as he browsed through the catalogue. "It makes the whole ceremony feel a lot more...transactional."

    "But it's for the family of the deceased to show gratitude for the generosity of those who provided condolence money," explained Mayumi, fiddling with the hand towel that had been provided as a starter gift for everyone who had visited.

    "I know that. Still doesn't make my observation any less accurate," he replied with a shrug. "I mean, who decided that the value of the return gift has to be about half of what the condolence amount was?"

    "Ritualized practice over many centuries, I assume," answered Mayumi.

    "...why exactly are money and gifts involved with a funeral anyhow?" asked Mana with genuine confusion. "I mean, it's not like it'll make up for the fact that the people who died are gone."

    Kensuke and Mayumi stared at her. "...I keep forgetting that you were literally raised in a band of nomadic orphans," remarked the bespectacled boy.

    "Aida-san!" chided Yamagishi.

    "What? I wasn't making fun of her, I was just making an observation!"

    Mana nodded. "He's right. What's the big deal?"

    Yamagishi sputtered, "I mean, j-just pointing it out like that is...well, rude!"

    "...it is?" asked Mana with a confused blink.

    The mutual banter between the trio prompted Shinji to walk outside, looking around with a pensive expression; further up the hill along a gravel pathway to his right, he could see the iconic monoliths representing family gravesites. The meeting hall where they had 'broken bread' together (which was a term he was confused as to the origin of, because they had eaten sushi, not bread) was situated just adjacent and beneath the cemetery grounds; looking to his left, at the line of trees blocking sight of the temple from the road, Misato was leaning against a tree; the black funeral garment and dark downturn hat cut a very different look compared to her red bomber jacket, brown dress, and red beret. (She looked as contemplative as he felt.)

    As he approached, she said, "it's been pretty hectic, hasn't it?"

    "...with the funeral, you mean?" asked Shinji.


    View: https://youtu.be/vdH9dnzzIpk

    "That's putting it mildly. Everything: the fact you got kidnapped by Mister P, the comeback of that strange Persona-user who kicked me to the curb...I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact we apparently got saved by an Angel. The collective of wacky artists almost seems mundane by comparison."

    Shinji couldn't disagree, so he opted for a topic that was more situational. "...have you experienced many funerals before, Misato-san?"

    The woman looked down at him with an odd expression, lips set into a slim line that expressed 'do I really want to talk about this' without a single word. Finally, she admitted, "not really. I guess I've been kind of lucky; most of the Agents I've personally worked with are pretty topnotch. The last funeral I can recall to any significant degree was my father's...and there wasn't even a body left to cremate."

    Shinji boggled. "Huh?"

    "I still owe you the story, don't I? I kind of left you hanging after talking about my mom back in July." Her sigh was forlorn, evoking memories of old pain; it reminded him of the times he sighed when thinking about his own father. "So. Dad saved me from Second Impact, I was an ungrateful little bitch to him...right. That's where we left off. His work with the Japan Metaphysical Research Agency kept him there most of the time, so I was left to stew in my own anger and fury...and with all the people that died during Second Impact, it's not like there was time or a place for therapists to care about a little kid when they had more important people to attend to. So whenever my father came home, he was the only outlet I had for all the venom inside me."

    The utter frankness of Misato's words was intimidating.

    The Beast chuckled.

    "Why should they be intimidating?"

    With a hearty exhale, noxious fumes escaped its throat.

    "You're all too familiar with how vicious the tongue can be..."    ​

    "...how did your father react?"

    "Didn't really react, to be honest. He just...took it. Accepted my anger, as though he deserved it. Which he kind of did, but it didn't excuse the way I treated him. The fact he didn't shout back or get angry at me, well...that only pissed me off even more. I really thought I hated him...because his damn work kept him away. I always wondered why he bothered saving me, if he wasn't ever going to be around?" Looking down at her clenched fist, Misato spoke through clenched teeth. "Then...three years later, like clockwork...on the third anniversary of Second Impact, there was a major incident of Angel Syndrome in Fujioka, centered around the Metaphysical Research Agency. And wouldn't you know, it was one of the rare instances where my father brought me along to work. He wanted to show me what he had been working on: a means of predicting where Angel Syndrome would occur, so that we could be proactive in both the real world and the cognitive world, instead of just reactive..." Snorting, she muttered, "heh...makes sense that the Angels would target that place, now that I think about it."

    Shinji had a grim feeling about what happened next. "And then...?"

    "As Acolytes tore through the facility, my father apologized to me; for being so distant, for not being a better husband to mom, for not being a good father to me...that's when he gave me this," she said, gesturing to the white cross hanging from her necklace. "He said that that all the fury I showed him was his 'penance', for his failures...that it was worth it, if his work could mean a safer world for me to live in." Gripping onto the cross as though it were her lifeline, Misato choked out, "What the hell was I supposed to say in response to that?"

    "...I don't know." (He had no context, because he sure couldn't conceive of his father doing the same thing.) "But...even if he was flawed, at least you saw part of the truth, right...?"

    Misato smiled bitterly, as though pleased by the idea. "That's what I tell myself..." Cursing under her breath, Misato used the back of her hand to rub at her eyes. "Damn it...the last words he said to me...were 'take care, my daughter'...and then he pushed me through secure doors, sealing himself inside the complex. But windows are still windows, even if they're made of some kind of reinforced polymer...so I was able to see my father get pulverized by an Acolyte before I was dragged away by military personnel." Her hand fell, limp and lifeless. "I watched the Metaphysical Research Agency get bombed to smithereens with excessive ordnance...but it did nothing for the hatred in my heart. Since my father wasn't a target...it transferred over to the Acolytes. To the cause of Angel Syndrome."

    "Misato-san..."

    She gingerly rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling wearily; she looked at him not as a mother would to a child, but from one comrade to another. "There was a mass funeral event, so it wasn't anything like this. Not like there was anything of my father's body left. But I didn't really think about it, because I found out about the Anti-Terror Task Force shortly thereafter...and by the end of 2004, I was a trainee." Looking back towards the Buddhist temple, she said, "I wonder what would have happened if I'd had the kind of closure with my parents that we're all getting with Junpei Iori and Ken Amada...I kinda envy Yukari-san and Chidori-san..."

    Summoning whatever determination he had, Shinji reached up with his other hand, resting it atop Misato's; though lacking in intimacy, he hoped that his strength, however meager, would transfer over as if by osmosis. "...would you be who you are now, Misato-san?"

    "...eh, probably not. I probably wouldn't have become an alcoholic, for starters. But them's the breaks, neh?" Grinning widely as though her smile was a mask, Misato added, "but either way, I worked with what I had...and I'd like to think my folks are happy, wherever they are. If I could resolve things with Kaji, find out about Mister P, and make sure you kids don't die before adulthood, I'd be just peachy!" Rubbing at his hair, she said, "Don't take life for granted, Shinji-kun...because you don't know if tomorrow will ever come. And once you're dead...that's that."

    His Other shook his head.

    "If only that were the case...    "​

    "...I'll make sure to remember that," he said, feeling honestly grateful for Misato's openness...

    xxxx

    /Sun
    //now at Rank 6
     
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    • 8/20 - Early Evening
  • Threadmarks
    • After over an hour and a half, the crematorium had done its work: Junpei and Ken's bodies had been reduced to ashes, leaving only pulverized bones, salt, and dusty minerals.

    Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.

    It was a sobering activity, for Yukari, Chidori, Ryuji, and Toji to pick at their bones, from the feet up to the skull fragments; using chopsticks, Ryuji and Yukari handled Ken's remains, whilst Toji and Chidori handled Junpei's. By the time the bones had been deposited into their respective urns, and the ashes had been scooped in on top of them, the sun had almost completely set.

    Thus concluded the funeral...according to the normal rites.

    "Well...time for their great send-off," remarked Ryuji with a weary grin, reaching into the pocket of his funeral suit for a familiar tin badge. "You ready ladies?" Yukari and Chidori nodded, placing a hand on his shoulders, whilst the urns rested in their arms. "Come on, Suzuhara-kun."

    "...where're we goin'?" he asked, hesitantly (even as he gripped his sensei's arm with both hands).

    Tapping his cane against the floor, Ryuji answered, "to fulfill the boys' last request."

    The priests — in the midst of cleaning the crematorium after its most recent use — looked upon them with alarm. "What are you-?"

    "Freelancer Ryuji Sakamoto, identification whiskey-tango-foxtrot-lambda-beep-boop-bop: activate cognitive tunneling!"

    "Cognitive tunneling: authorized."

    The bewildered expressions of the Buddhist priests faded away...

    zhuu

    zhuu

    ZHUU

    ZHUU    ​

    ...and gave way to the temple's cognitive double, looking even more elaborate and ostentatious in thought than in reality. A Daisoujou Archetype sat placidly by a stone oven, within which danced a Flaemis Archetype. "Ah, more visitors?" murmured the robed skeleton. "Are you here to accept death and embrace salvation?"

    "Maybe another time, gramps," remarked Ryuji, walking with more ease now that they were in the Metaverse. "Let's head on out."

    Yukari nodded, having been in the Metaverse before with Ken; Chidori moved with a bit more trepidation than normal, looking so uncertain that Toji impulsively said, "hey, it's not...well, okay, it is a crazy place. But you get used to it." The redhead said nothing, merely nodding along (even as her eyes noticed how his clothes had transformed into something far more elaborate, how his hands held a wooden staff where it hadn't before) before following Ryuji and Yukari.


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyqzDs6RdqM

    Yukari gazed at the red and black sky of the Metaverse with a tired eye. "Looks just like I remember..."

    Chidori, by comparison, seemed downright enraptured. "So this is the world my husband spent so much time in...Yusuke-kun would probably have a field day with this place..."

    Ryuji flexed his free hand, summoning Seiten Taisei. "All right...let's do this."

    "...ah. No wonder I often see a monkey when looking at you," murmured Chidori, taking in the sight of the cloud-riding Monkey King with a critical eye. Nonetheless, she handed over the urn containing Junpei's remains. "Make it...flashy." Yukari briefly hugged the urn holding Ken's ashes before doing the same; both urns fit comfortably within Seiten Taisei's left hand.

    Ryuji nodded gratefully, looking at his Persona with a critical eye. "You're up. Make it count."

    The Monkey King hooted, ascending into the air; Toji looked at the adults with confusion, asking, "What's he doing?"

    "...well, after a bunch of our old teammates passed in 2008, we survivors — Kenny, Junpei, and I — made a vow amongst ourselves about how to handle our remains" explained Ryuji. "We cleared it with our wives, just to make it official...but basically, you know how some people scatter their ashes over a mountain, or over the sea? Well...same idea. Except in the Metaverse." As Ryuji spoke, Seiten Taisei could be seen rearing his left hand. "We swore to make it a fitting memorial of our work...no matter which of us survived..."

    Seiten Taisei roared, "God's Hand!" A golden fist erupted into the sky, soaring as a rocket; in that hand were the remains of Junpei and Ken.

    "...and this how I told them that I'd send 'em off."

    Swinging his staff, Seiten Taisei howled, "Maziodyne!" Bolts of lightning emanated in swirling bolts, coating the titanic fist; the convergence of electromagnetic energy coincided with the explosion of God's Hand, culminating in flashy bursts of electricity and force; from their standpoint, it sounded like fireworks mixed with thunder.

    Ryuji grinned wearily, sounding much older than he looked. "Brought to the heavens by the Hand of God, and scattered to the winds by the storm...and so their remains will traverse the paths of cognition, leaving traces in man's memory that will never be forgotten...at least, that was our thinking. No idea if that's how it'll actually work."

    "...it seems...fitting," admitted Chidori, looking emotionally spent from utter catharsis.

    It was at this point — past the point of the wake, the funeral, the cremation, and the disposition of the remains per the wishes of the deceased — that Yukari finally allowed herself to break, falling to her knees and sobbing deeply. "He's gone...he's really gone..."

    Chidori immediately knelt down, embracing her fellow widow with empathy. "You can weep now, Yukari-san..."

    As the two women supported each other in their sorrow, Toji felt...uncomfortable, at how open the display was; almost as though he didn't belong. "...sensei."

    "Yeah?" asked Ryuji, keeping his eyes fixed towards the sky.

    "...how do you guys deal with death like this?"

    "Like it's supposed to be cool?" he guessed. "'Cause as far as send-offs go, this is pretty ballin' way to go, if I do say so myself."

    Toji shook his head (even though he privately agreed). "No. I mean...well, how do you plan for it like it's no big deal...?"

    Ryuji glanced at him, as though taking his measure. "...we've got no choice. After all...no one lives forever," he said, patting him on the shoulder with commiseration.

    Even knowing what he knew about the Sea of Souls...Toji knew that those words were true. "...yeah," he murmured, even as his mind fell back to the word that his peers had chosen for themselves. Statherós...steadfast...even in the face of death...because it comes for everyone eventually.

    (At that moment, for just a brief instant in time...the fear of death lost its sting.)

    xxxx

    /look at our boy, becoming more mature

    On a completely unrelated note, while I was in the midst of (very very slowly) crossposting my Destiny/Evangelion fusion to AO3, it occurred to me that I had used the title of 'Usurper' before with an entirely different character.

    I can only wonder what the Rei Ayanami of SPE would think about her counterpart from GONG.
     
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    • Vajrei said:
    That was quite the send off. I was also impressed with Toji remaining steadfast in the face of death.
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    A definite sign that the kids are maturing for the better, not just Shinji. And they have to, otherwise how else will they be able to deal with whatever fate has in store for them?
     
    Vajrei said:
    That was quite the send off. I was also impressed with Toji remaining steadfast in the face of death.
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    jj_789 said:
    A definite sign that the kids are maturing for the better, not just Shinji. And they have to, otherwise how else will they be able to deal with whatever fate has in store for them?
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    It's why I'm trying to go for a mix of how P3 handled the other cast members versus P4/P5: in P4/P5, a lot of personal issues (insofar as they weren't immediately part of the main plot) were reserved for their interactions with the Protagonist via the Social Link; P3, however, kept their biggest personal stories to be resolved within the main narrative itself (Second Awakening and all).

    I'd like to have a bit of both.
     
    DragonUnitOmega analyzes SPE: 7/7 - 7/8
  • Informational
    • Well. Certainly didn't expect to take a break from writing this. But with how things are now, this is probably gonna be more regular. Maybe. I don't know. We'll see. :V But for now! Here's the twenty fifith installment of Dragon Reviews and (Probably) Overanalyzes SPE. Once again, I had originally planned juat doing one day, but instead did two, because of course I did, so... -puts on review glasses- ...let's get started!

    7/7 Morning: Hakone Academy - 7/8 Evening (Japan Time): The Metaverse

    And we start off with Shinji with Toji, who's a bit annoyed, and more than a bit overwhelmed, at all the new changes to his predicament thanks to the events of yesterday. Shinji being Shinji wants to cheer him up a bit, and thankfully is successful, by using "tough words" on the runner, even if it's a bit awkward on Shinji's part.

    Unfortunately for Shinji, it gets more awkward for him as come lunchtime, both Hikari and Rei are sitting with Shinji after asking if they could discuss about the changes brought by recent events. And of course, even though it's completely innocent, Toji is glaring up a storm for it, the only thing stopping him is the fact he's on cafeteria duty. Which is good, because I'm sure Hikari wouldn't be happy about him making a ruckus considering she's asking about him through Shinji. Unfortunately, he can't say much, nor has the eloquency yet) to still answer despite that, and Rei isn't much help. But he still ends up giving an answer that more or less satisfies Hikari, aka "Why don't you ask him?" With that, and a bit of grumbling to herself, Hikari goes, leaving just Shinji and Rei, who pretty much says "be careful. You're important because of your power." Shinji's pretty bummed out about it and because of that, the two end up arranging to go out for some missions tomorrow.

    Also guess Kenny's training has been helping if he was able to drag Toji, the one who's more athletic than him, away. :V

    Before we move on though.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    (He had asked why Ayanami fought, on that day after the mission to Sapporo. "...redemption.Atonement. Absolution. Freedom." Her answer had been appropriately cryptic. "I...I fight so that all of this will end. That...is all I'll say for now.")​
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    Forgot a space.

    Anyways. Now we focus on Toji as he and Sae go to Kanamin's Kitchen (ha ha very funny...is Tamami the mascot? Assuming that the group is even together in this timeline of course) and we see Makoto is still a major dork because she picked some place waaaaaay too high end for even Sae, much less a high schooler like Toji. But that's blown over as Sae then goes after...RYUJI WHO IS ALSO HERE. YES. YES. YES. I LIKE HOW THIS IS GOING ALREADY AS RYUJI BEING RYUJI IS BEING SO COOL IN TOJI'S MIND TO PAY THE BILL AND CASUALLY COMPLIMENT THE TWO INTIMIDATING WOMEN. no it has nothing to do with me shipping ryuji and makoto. shush. they're not even close in age in this timeline. :V

    Before we continue that though...another intermission.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Makoto slightly flushed at his appreciative comment; Sae seemed unaffected judging by her scoff. Toji, meanwhile, watched the man's casual confidence and and couldn't help but marvel. Dude, who IS this guy?
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    One: extra and redundant "and".

    Two: Why one of the many best boys of Persona, Toji, that's who!

    And now back to Toji, where they're basically talking about his options now that he's a Persona user. The most obvious one is being a A.T. Agent but well it isn't exactly the best thing.

    But thankfully...RYUJI IS OFFERING TO TAKE HIM AS AN APPRENCTICE. YES.

    Of course Sae is understandably trying to, well, not have Toji bite off more than he can chew, but Ryuji goes to make some good points...before he asks Ryuji why he's helping him, a stranger. He has Toji think about over a meal but the boy still can't come up with a reason. But it was simple. He just wants to help, because that's what a man does. And Sae immediately recognizes the look on Toji's face when Ryuji says that: hero worship.

    As he should. :V

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    /dang it
    //I don't know what it was with middle-aged P5 characters
    ///but they keep kicking down the door
    ////yelling "I'M HERE TO BE UNREASONABLY DOPE!"
    ////and I'm like sure, why not
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    Becauss they're awesome and they know how to keep being awesome as they grow older so of course they're dope! Dur. :V

    neogoki said:
    why stop there, teach him how to supplex a TRAIN.
    PLUS ULTRA!
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    And sing in an opera production!

    And defeat a joke character turned god!

    Wait a minute.

    Ah never mind. I got a story to read.

    We don't see Toji's answer to Ryuji's offer right away as we cut to Shinji after he told the Track Club about the boy's absence and "making up for it" with his own running, but with the amazingness that is Ryuji, it's obvious what his answer was by the time he gets around to telling Kenny. Of course, Kenny is not happy about that, and tries to get back at his friend for getting his hopes up. While they're rough housing, Shinji wonders where Kaworu is before he ends up getting sidetracked by how to address him. He gets so sidetracked that Kenny actually snaps him out of it when he answers that it's Kaworu turn to do the laundry before before continuing on to (poorly) wrestle with Toji.

    Seeing as it's just their usual antics, Shinji decides to go to the Velvet Room. After a brief talk with Sokila about how they address each other because of the change with addressing Kaworu, he asks Igor what he really came here for: fusions.

    Aka one of my personal favorite parts of Persona. :V

    Seriously, I spend quite a while in the Velvet Room when I played 3-5 and Q2 because I really like the fusion system of the soft reboot games. The lack of that system is one of my biggest gripes with the older games, even though I do like them. But I digress.

    As with that, the day ends. Though I'm not yet done with the day.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Shinji stared briefly at the duo - no longer thinking that Aida-san was actually trying to kill Suzuhara-san, but was instead working out his frustration in a playfully painful manner, and why did he think that was normal? - before asking, "where's Nagisa-san?" He mentally corrected himself (it's Nagisa-kun...but he's not here, is he?) a couple of times (well, I said I would call him Nagisa-kun, it would be rude NOT to say it) before finally stopping because Kensuke was trying to talk.
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    Okay the first "error" is less "error" and more "gut instinct going nuts" and not in the mood to double check if that "where's" should be capitalized or not. :V

    The second error I'm definitely sure is an error though. The "i" in the "it's Nagisa-kun" isn't italicized.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    /and after the background check
    //Sae will be like
    ///"Damn it, he's actually perfect for Suzuhara-kun."
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    But of course he is! He's a former runner who loves meat and got his life ruined but then bounced back only to get stuck in a fake reality, just like Toji!

    Wait a minute.

    Ah never mind. That's the end of the intermission and thus the end of this day. It was shorter than I thought it'd be. Aaaand...that's why I decided to move on to the next day. So let's hop to it!

    Aaaaaand...it starts off with Rei dragging Shinji outta bed.

    Welp. What a way to start the day.

    Now what's the mission Re—

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "We are going to backup our peer. Her mission has gone awry in the American Southeast."

    Confusion roiled through him, because what peer could she have been referring to?

    "I am referring to the Second Child."    ​
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    —oh.

    Wait Asuka?!

    Boo ya! It's time to see Asuka!

    Er, I mean yeah she's in trouble...but still! Good thing Shinji fused new Personas last night!

    Also brief aside, I had originally read that as South America and then realized my mistake. XD

    But more importantly...

    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
    AT LAAAAAAAST!
    I GET TO SEE SISTER MARY IN ACTION!
    But first, a briefing about the situation. And it's not good. There were lots of Ghost sightings spotted, Asuka's been inside the Metaverse for a while without any contact and someone's hacked into the MAGI, meaning backup ain't gonna be easy to come by in the Metaverse. So Rei should help the forces in real world while Shinji looks for Asuka in the Metaverse. Now with their objectives (and guidance on how to find Asuka for Shinji, which can summed as "follow the screams"), Rei and Shinji leave to do them. And then we get to see Mary's fighting prowess! AW YEAH! LET'S GO. KICK SOME REAR ENDS AS THY LORD COMMANDS—wait what? No no no noooooo—oh come on! I wanted more! Damn it...

    Sighs... Fine... I guess it makes sense that Mary can't take the spotlight from Asuka...

    ONE DAY THOUGH. one day...

    Anyways! Intermission!

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    /so
    //Mari may have a bit of Fr. Alexander Anderson (of Hellsing fame) mixed
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    AurelioBahamut said:
    Why ever would you apologize for that? Father Anderson is perfectly fine and calm gentleman if you aren't an abomination in the eyes of God (in His war mode) and all that's good according to his order's beliefs.
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    neogoki said:
    Seconded, Father Anderson and his crew are as far I know the peak of badass Preachers in Fiction.
    No shame in getting influenced by them when designing a Church-powered Warrior that is not an idiot.
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    Well now I guess I need to read/see Hellsing to see how their Church stacks up against Nasuverse's seeing as I'm very biased towards them thanks to Ciel. :V

    I'd include Caren and Riesbyfe as to why but eh...as much as I like the former as a character...she isn't exactly someone you would wanna meet (let's just say we're lucky she only takes after the sadistic part of her father instead of the evil part entirely). :V meanwhile I still have yet to learn much of Riesbyfe at this point even though she seems cool...

    But I digress.

    Back to the story!

    Shinji be flying around with Andras and seeing the damage the Acolytes and so on are causing, but he has a mission to do, so he keeps looking for the MAGI. At least until he's near the Georgia Dome, where he them decides to engage an Acolyte's Shadow. His Persona doesn't do much however, but luckily for him...Asuka's there to save the day! And...quite an interesting getup. -takes notes- No I ain't gonna say anything about the symbolism. : V We got important things to worry about! Like snapping Shinji out of his stupor so he can heal her! With Media for some reason, when a simple Dia would've saved SP...but anyway!

    Shinji does that and still dazed by Asuka (i mean he's finding stuff about her cute), while she isn't exactly impressed with him, though somewhat a bit more understandably since they're in the middle of a mission. Still, she's bossy as she has them head inside and—

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "I wonder how long I can keep them occupied..." Adjusting his slim eyeglasses, he muttered, "Moros. Send some more Archetypes their way."
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    —OF COURSE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOOK THE MAGI DOWN, YOU HACK.

    Anyways...more bantering ensues as, well...

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    [...] she asked, "but seriously, why a shovel?"

    "I told you already, I don't know! I mean, why do you have an eyepatch?"

    "Wow, such a rude and OFFENSIVE boy, asking a lady about a crippling injury."

    "...you flipped your eyepatch open to glare at me. With both eyes."

    "..."

    "You're doing it right now!"

    "Whatever." With a haughty huff, she flipped her eyepatch back down.

    "...you don't know, do you?"
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    SPEOmake!Akira: Pfft. An eyepatch? That's got nothin' on my visor! It's waaaaay cooler!

    SPEOmake!Shin: This isn't a competition.

    SPEOmake!Akira: It is now!

    SPEOmake!Shin: You know she can just squish you with her Evangelion, right?

    SPEOmake!Akira: THEN BRING IT ON!

    SPEOmake!Shin: -akira weary sigh-...

    Ahem. As I was saying...

    ...they "ask" each other questions about their respective Metaverse appearances, leading to the very humoruous action of Asuka flipping up and down her eyepathx for the sake of a FULL POWER GLARE. But then they are beset by Sasquatch Archetypes (that I can't help but as Shocksquatch from Ben 10 Omiverse even though I don't they look even close), hit by Marin Karin. ...obviously the one who used it on them had Charm Boost and the highest probability Charm status effevt skill because otherwise I am surprised Marin Karin hit. :V But more importantly, Asuka decides to be "nice" and show how a veteran like her does it and summons her Persona, which...is... Matilda? I don't know any Matilda except from Shadows of Valentia so I doubt I know of her at all.

    And, switching over to intermission period, from the sounds of the origin bio...yeah no clue. But considering it's her Persona...hmm...I'm more inclined to not know more about it unlike Kenny's. For now.

    Shinji is, of course, surprised how such a larger than life girl has such a smaller than expected Persona. We also get a description of her and—

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Clad in a yellow cardigan of wool - its back patterned with numerous flowers, mostly chamomiles, edelweisses, hollyhocks, thymes, red tulips, and marigolds - the child struck a colorful figure,
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    -FLOWER LANGUAGE INTENSIFIES-
    -quickly searches meanings-

    Chamomiles: Rest, peace, poise, and calm
    Edelweiss: Purity and innocence
    Hollyhocks: Circle of life, ambition fertility, and abundance
    Thyme: Strength and fortitude
    Red tulip: Love (particularly the eternal kind and the one true love)
    Marigolds: Sun, power, light within a person and...a desired love, specifically a lost love.

    ...
    While I am happy to have more flower meanings to my memory because I'm a sucker for flower language and may be reading too much into this but...I DON'T LIKE WHAT MARIGOLDS COULD REPRESENT AND WHAT HOLLYHOCKS PROBABLY MOST LIKELY REPRESENTS CONSIDERING THE WIBBLY-WOBBLY TIMEY-WIMEY SHIT GOING ON.

    DARN YOU JOKE THEORY BEING TRUE.

    So to distract myself, I am going to point out that Matilda wears a colombina mask. Because that's the mask Akira wears in Refraction.

    Oh and that Matilda wrecks the Sasquatches, but that's to be expected. As is Asuka enjoying that she's "better" than Shinji as he asks questions, though Matilda tempers it a bit. When they get to the BIG RED DOORS, they get into a brief moment of banter that leads to Asuka kicking down the doors, because of course, and Hamlet being amused by Shinji's predicament, because of course.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    ..is it possible for someone to mock themselves without meaning it?
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    Refraction!Ren: -side glares at Arsène-

    Refraction!Arsène: "Now now, milord, that would be spoilers."

    Refraction!Ren: Doesn't mean I can't (mentally) glare at you.

    Refraction!Arsène: -smirks and bows- "I expect nothing less."

    Refraction!Ren: -unintelligible grumbling noises-

    Ahem. Anyways...take a shot for everytime i say that wordthey're inside and, yep, they're pretty much too late as Jin finished his work and is about to—

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "Bardiel...whenever you please. Moros, NOW!"
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    —Bardiel?!

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    In that same instant, the blue veins suddenly surged with bright light, drawing in the space around them like a vacuum-! "Oh Scheiße-!"

    In the very next instant, an unusual sensation erupted from her left side;
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    Yeah, so, we don't get much chance to really do anything about that as the MAGI go BOOM, the "cognitive shockwave" basically acts like a tsunami in the Metaverse, acts like the glitching effect in the Spider-Verse and lots of people becoming brain dead in the real world. Bardiel's quite happy about that.

    Gilgamesh Zero is quite amused about it.

    Yeah shut up G-Zero.
    I am, to put it lightly, quite cross with you after "Tartarus". So I am not happy to see even a glimpse of you.
    Even after thinking about it (though maybe I said this before...), we don't actually know if you and the Usurper are the same or if you're even causing all of this.
    But I am petty and mad over "Tartarus" so I'm gonna be the opposite of mature and blame you for now until proven otherwise. :V

    Ahem. Okay. Continuing on...Rei feels the shockwave and hurries up in her mission by...basically eating away at herself. Then we cut back to Shinji and Asuka landing...with the red head immediately asking how he did that. Shinji, of course, doesn't know, and Asuka, of course, doesn't believe him, but once again, Matilda tempers her away from what would've been an argument, instead making Asuka accept Shinji's "explanation", or rather lack of. Some more banter spurred from discussion over Jin being allied with Bardiel and then heading back to "base" before we then cut to...

    ...someone on a plane...? Now who could—

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "Yeah yeah, I know the drill...gotta wait for my chance...but waiting is so BORING...it's giving me a bad altitude...heheheheh...HEHAHAHAHAHA!"
    Click to expand...
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    OH MY FUCKING GOD IT'S SHO FUCKING MIKAZUKI. GOD FUCKING DAMN IT.

    As you can see I just flew off my seat when he sho-ed up, because I do like him...but DAMN IT. THIS ISN'T GOOD.

    AND THEN SOMEONE ASSOCIATED WITH G-ZERO WAS THERE TOO. GEE HOW NICE TO SEE... NOT.

    So gonna have mina-mize that by having pun with intermission time! :V

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Because of the amount of players now showing up, I figured this little post might be helpful. Here are the current factions at play within the world of SPE:
    Click to expand...
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    The factions, huh? Excuse me as I give them names that are amusing to me.

    Collective Insanity.

    The Velvet Blues     (if you can guess where specifically I got this from, I'd be surprised).

    The OP Mascot Squad.

    Substitute SMT Law Alliance     (yes i kmow the nge!angels ain't exactly lawful but i couldn't help perpetuate the "lawful is awful in smt" meme).

    G-Zero.

    Revolver Messiah     and Punching Glasses

    Proto Goro Man.

    And Tim the Enchanter and Boots Rip-Offs (if you can guess what I'm referencing, I'd be happy if you did).

    Okay. I feel better.

    Now to continue the story.

    Which isn't much. Just a debrief from Asuka to the American forces about what happened before ciel Mary does the same with Shinji and Rei...mostly Shinji. She tells us that timJin and boots rip-offsStrega have declared war on humanity and world will try (keyword "try") to decide how to deal with it. Oh and that there had been a break in at a cognitive prison nearby. ...yeah totally not important. Let's move on. :V So with it all done, Shinji wonders what now, and Asuka initially takes it as long term as she talks about dealing with boots rip-offsStrega but nah, Shinji just wants to go home...and not be late for school.

    The instant he mentions that, Asuka is bewildered and mad about him something so mundane.

    But:

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    "His circumstances...are different...from ours..." Rei Ayanami slowly sat up, her movements practically screaming (in monotone, because it was still Ayanami) exhaustion. "...after all...he has not been awake to Evangelion...for as long as us..."

    Asuka, apparently mollified by her 'technical' senpai, still had a retort in her. "All the more reason he shouldn't be bothering with that sort of baby Scheiße. Compared to holding off the threat of extinction, what kind of priority does school have?!"

    "Our pace...is not...his to bear...the power he wields would not be helped by it..."
    Click to expand...
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    Uh, okay, y'see here, Asuka, his Wild Card power is one that is fueled by genuine bonds and he's already formed several budding bonds at his school so it'd actually be a detriment if he pulled out but he doesn't really consciously know any of that and even if he did it's a power based on "the power of friendship" and "the power of love" so you probably wouldn't have believed it anyway because it's so "cliché". :V

    But we don't need to say anything close to that as Mary does the job of mollifying her this time. With a very, very sweet smile. And it works. So with that, and a quick report on the Evangelion users leaving from Mary to the others in the area, they bug out. Shinji and Rei meanwhile stay for a little bit so that the latter can rest and the former might be able to recuperate from yet another bond denied him (gee i wonder why...must not have either enough determination, charisma and/or another social stat entirely). After that, we cut to Asuka and Mary talking a bit on their way back to their "home", mainly how Asuka was snippy at him because of his abilities, particularly his Evangelion, but a gentle reminder from Mary makes her contemplate.

    Before we move on, yet another intermission.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    (Why would I even think that? What reason is there to think thar)
    Click to expand...
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    Typo.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    (He and Asuka had been back at the command outpost for not even three minutes when Rei Ayanami walked in, her arms caked with human blood up to her elbows. "The remaining Acolytes have been defeated," she tonelessly said...before falling asleep on her feet. Sister Mary quickly caught her before the unconscious girl fell to the ground.)
    Click to expand...
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    (It had nothing to do with the fact that, outside of the Metaverse, he was once more reduced to his sleeping clothes. Why didn't Ayanami let me at least bring something more appropriate? This was like a stereotypical nightmare, and he was living it!)
    Click to expand...
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    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    (I wonder why it shrinks while in the Metaverse...it looks better being this long. Not that he would EVER say that to her face, because he had a strange feeling it wouldn't go over well.)
    Click to expand...
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    For some reason these aren't centered...can't tell if that's on purpose or not, but considering your writing style, I'm assuming the lack of centering on these paragraphs is an error.

    And now back to the story with...oh gee, hey Takaya! Good to see ya...NOT. Anyways, he's talking with Jin, and they both know about Sho it seems. And—WAIT WHAT SHO'S "PATRON" IS ZERUEL?! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT... Great. Just fantastic. Now my only question (which I actually had since he first sho-ed up but didn't mention because it'd ruin the flow) is whether Minazuki is still with Sho or if he's now seperate from him because of all the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey shit.

    But more importantly...we now know for sure who took that prisoner Mary mentioned. And Takaya brought for Musashi and Keita to kill so that they may become stronger. And unfortunately, because they're tired being pulled around by the whims of fate, they do as Takaya asks.

    And with that, we're revealed that Junya Kaneshiro died.

    Along with an easy chance of dealing with the two brothers without conflict.

    But of course it was gonna end up this way! Because wherever Takaya is involved, shit shoots the fan. :V

    With that, it's the end of, as you said, quite an eventful day...and unfortunately for Shinji, not quite the end of it for him. But for now...

    Spoiler dodge roll: activate! :V
     
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  • Informational
    • DragonUnitOmega said:
    Forgot a space.
    Click to expand...
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    *fixes*

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    Anyways. Now we focus on Toji as he and Sae go to Kanamin's Kitchen (ha ha very funny...is Tamami the mascot? Assuming that the group is even together in this timeline of course)
    Click to expand...
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    They're all chefs. Kanamin is the head chef. :V

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    One: extra and redundant "and".
    Click to expand...
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    *fix-ology*

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    But thankfully...RYUJI IS OFFERING TO TAKE HIM AS AN APPRENCTICE. YES.

    Of course Sae is understandably trying to, well, not have Toji bite off more than he can chew, but Ryuji goes to make some good points...before he asks Ryuji why he's helping him, a stranger. He has Toji think about over a meal but the boy still can't come up with a reason. But it was simple. He just wants to help, because that's what a man does. And Sae immediately recognizes the look on Toji's face when Ryuji says that: hero worship.

    As he should. :V
    Click to expand...
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    To paraphrase Mona, "lookin' cool, Ryuji!"

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    Okay the first "error" is less "error" and more "gut instinct going nuts" and not in the mood to double check if that "where's" should be capitalized or not. :V

    The second error I'm definitely sure is an error though. The "i" in the "it's Nagisa-kun" isn't italicized.
    Click to expand...
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    Since it wasn't the beginning of a new sentence within the main sentence, I left "where's" uncapitalized.

    ...that being said, double-checking the actual rules of grammar shows that capitalization is the standard if the quoted portion is a complete sentence by itself (and isn't a sentence fragment or already interrupted mid-sentence)...so I think technically it should be capitalized.

    *sighs with irritation, because this is an error that's going to come up a lot...*

    *fixy-fix*

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    Also brief aside, I had originally read that as South America and then realized my mistake. XD
    Click to expand...
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    This will not be the last time that a South American country gets mentioned.

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
    AT LAAAAAAAST!
    I GET TO SEE SISTER MARY IN ACTION!

    ...

    AW YEAH! LET'S GO. KICK SOME REAR ENDS AS THY LORD COMMANDS—wait what? No no no noooooo—oh come on! I wanted more! Damn it...

    Sighs... Fine... I guess it makes sense that Mary can't take the spotlight from Asuka...

    ONE DAY THOUGH. one day...
    Click to expand...
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    Hopeful excitement followed by immediate disappointment: just like Konami fans. :V

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    Well now I guess I need to read/see Hellsing to see how their Church stacks up against Nasuverse's seeing as I'm very biased towards them thanks to Ciel. :V

    I'd include Caren and Riesbyfe as to why but eh...as much as I like the former as a character...she isn't exactly someone you would wanna meet (let's just say we're lucky she only takes after the sadistic part of her father instead of the evil part entirely). :V meanwhile I still have yet to learn much of Riesbyfe at this point even though she seems cool...
    Click to expand...
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    As far as memery goes, there's a pretty good Hellsing/Bloodborne quest on SV that stars Alexander Anderson: Anderson Quest: Killing Vampires and Werewolves and Leprechauns (Hellsing/Bloodborne)

    And this snippet from Hellsing Ultimate Abridged succinctly characterizes his essence:


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUcZi4J-Yws

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    Like snapping Shinji out of his stupor so he can heal her! With Media for some reason, when a simple Dia would've saved SP...but anyway!
    Click to expand...
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    Kinnara actually starts out with Media instead of Dia because in Persona 2, it had a skill called Soothing Melody or Healing Melody (depending on which game in the duology you have) that partially heals all members of the party. Hence Media instead of Dia. :V

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    ...obviously the one who used it on them had Charm Boost and the highest probability Charm status effevt skill because otherwise I am surprised Marin Karin hit. :V
    Click to expand...
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    Obviously, it's because Asuka isn't Mitsuru. :p

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    But more importantly, Asuka decides to be "nice" and show how a veteran like her does it and summons her Persona, which...is... Matilda? I don't know any Matilda except from Shadows of Valentia so I doubt I know of her at all.

    And, switching over to intermission period, from the sounds of the origin bio...yeah no clue. But considering it's her Persona...hmm...I'm more inclined to not know more about it unlike Kenny's. For now.
    Click to expand...
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    If you've seen any images or clips from this movie, you already know a bit about Matilda:



    DragonUnitOmega said:
    OH MY FUCKING GOD IT'S SHO FUCKING MIKAZUKI. GOD FUCKING DAMN IT.

    As you can see I just flew off my seat when he sho-ed up, because I do like him...but DAMN IT. THIS ISN'T GOOD.

    AND THEN SOMEONE ASSOCIATED WITH G-ZERO WAS THERE TOO. GEE HOW NICE TO SEE... NOT.

    So gonna have mina-mize that by having pun with intermission time! :V
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Oh I can tell you're going to have a lot of fun when he shows back up. :p



    DragonUnitOmega said:
    Typo.
    Click to expand...
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    *fixtopia*



    DragonUnitOmega said:
    For some reason these aren't centered...can't tell if that's on purpose or not, but considering your writing style, I'm assuming the lack of centering on these paragraphs is an error.
    Click to expand...
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    Those are actually intentional (and will become more common as time goes on), but the basic difference is as follows: the centered parentheses are meant to be strict flashbacks from the subjective perspective of the current narrator (which is Shinji in this case), which is why they never show their own internal monologue, and are strictly recalling events they previously observed.

    Parenthetical sections which aren't centered are meant to be either internal asides (such as a character thinking to themselves in a way that's not immediately 'present') or to highlight other conversations within the general area that are nonetheless not immediately apparent to the current narrator (such as for example, if Shinji were listening to Rei and Asuka speak, Mari might mutter under her breath about how very silly they're all being; since Shinji wouldn't hear it, Mari's bit would be in parentheses). Hope this clarifies.

    DragonUnitOmega said:
    But more importantly...we now know for sure who took that prisoner Mary mentioned. And Takaya brought for Musashi and Keita to kill so that they may become stronger. And unfortunately, because they're tired being pulled around by the whims of fate, they do as Takaya asks.
    Click to expand...
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    Musical segue to cap off this post!


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvfS5qNmxdw
     
    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    They're all chefs. Kanamin is the head chef. :V
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    Ah, okay... I figured if anyone was gonna be the mascot, it'd be her, considering her tendency to be unintentionally funny.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    This will not be the last time that a South American country gets mentioned.
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    I'll be playing this in the background should we visit Colombia. :V

    View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L74W7Ml9Yww
    yes it's just an excuse to plug in encanto
    no i don't care how tangential it is     :V

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Hopeful excitement followed by immediate disappointment: just like Konami fans. :V
    Click to expand...
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    GAAAAAAHHH NO DON'T MAKE ME THINK OF THE FACT THAT THERE PROBABLY BE MORE CASTLEVANIA GAMES AHHH.
    which reminds me i still need to play more...

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    As far as memery goes, there's a pretty good Hellsing/Bloodborne quest on SV that stars Alexander Anderson: Anderson Quest: Killing Vampires and Werewolves and Leprechauns (Hellsing/Bloodborne)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I'll save that for later then.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    And this snippet from Hellsing Ultimate Abridged succinctly characterizes his essence:


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUcZi4J-Yws
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...


    Huh. Okay. That was a completely different impression than I thought I'd have.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Kinnara actually starts out with Media instead of Dia because in Persona 2, it had a skill called Soothing Melody or Healing Melody (depending on which game in the duology you have) that partially heals all members of the party. Hence Media instead of Dia. :V
    Click to expand...
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    Ah, okay... Wait is Dia even a thing? -double checks- Okay it is.
    Yeeaaaah...just shows ya I only ever used Soothing/Healing Memory from Kinnara before ditching him for other Personas.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Obviously, it's because Asuka isn't Mitsuru. :p
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    Gosh dang it. Mitsuru! You gotta step up your game!

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    If you've seen any images or clips from this movie, you already know a bit about Matilda:

    Click to expand...
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    Yyyyyeeeaaahhh...nope. Never seen or heard of this film.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Oh I can tell you're going to have a lot of fun when he shows back up. :p
    Click to expand...
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    don't you mean "sho-s back up"? I'm gonna be on the edge of my seat then and keep a sharp eye out for him.

    Ultra Sonic 007 said:
    Those are actually intentional (and will become more common as time goes on), but the basic difference is as follows: the centered parentheses are meant to be strict flashbacks from the subjective perspective of the current narrator (which is Shinji in this case), which is why they never show their own internal monologue, and are strictly recalling events they previously observed.

    Parenthetical sections which aren't centered are meant to be either internal asides (such as a character thinking to themselves in a way that's not immediately 'present') or to highlight other conversations within the general area that are nonetheless not immediately apparent to the current narrator (such as for example, if Shinji were listening to Rei and Asuka speak, Mari might mutter under her breath about how very silly they're all being; since Shinji wouldn't hear it, Mari's bit would be in parentheses). Hope this clarifies.
    Click to expand...
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    Ah okay. Yeah that explains it well.
     
    8/20 - Evening to Late Night
  • Threadmarks
    • Once the quartet transitioned back from the Metaverse, most of their party briefly stopped by the Awakura Onsen to freshen up after the funeral's conclusion.

    xx

    Within the sauna, Yusuke looked pointedly at Ryuji and Kanji.

    "...what's with the look?" asked Ryuji.

    "...my apologies," murmured the artist, looking back and forth between the two. "I just thought that bleached blond hair would look rather appropriate on you both."

    Kanji rolled his eyes. "This again...?"

    Ryuji privately wondered how insightful Kitagawa-san was, because he had once dyed his hair blond as a punk of a teenager...

    xx

    Within the men's onsen, Zenkichi blinked. "...they actually wanted their ashes to be detonated by a God's Hand/Maziodyne combo...?"

    Toji nodded. "I know. Crazy, huh?"

    "It's their remains, so let them dispose of 'em how they want," remarked Ren. "At least it's a memory you'll carry with you."

    Suzuhara shrugged. "I guess..."

    Keisuke Hiraga, meanwhile, was staring at the bamboo divider wall. "...huh. Why does that one section look newer than the others...?"

    Images of an axe splitting through bamboo, and causing the rest of the wall to tumble over, flashed through Toji's mind. "...wouldn't be able to tell you," he muttered, sinking down to his chin so that the steam would hide the redness of his face.

    (Ren snorted under his breath.)

    xx

    /Meanwhile, within the women's onsen/

    "...so boss lady," murmured Ann, sidling up closer towards Yukari. "How are you feeling?"

    Sighing deeply, the widowed Amada smiled sadly. "I had a good cry, so...I'm managing."

    "Glad that you were able to get it out," remarked Rio, her long black hair wrapped in a towel.

    "And how about you, Chidori-chan?" asked Rise, wrapping an arm around the taciturn woman.

    "...beyond the sudden urge to draw a rock falling on you? I am doing fine." Chidori wrapped her hands around herself, as though she wished to be embraced. "Junpei-kun...is gone. But his memory will remain. And with all the sketches I've made of him...I will not be lacking for memories."

    Naoto nodded. "That's a very positive way of looking at it."

    Somewhat separate from the group, Kyoka Hiraga asked, "so, Iori: are you of sound mind to continue with the tour? Our partners won't allow you forty-nine days, after all."

    "...wow. Rude," grumbled Saki Konishi.

    "She does have a point," remarked Yukari, her expression settling into something more familiar to her Feathermen. "After all...the show must go on."

    "...well, Yukari-sensei's word is law," sagely said Hifumi Kitagawa.

    Thus did Yukari Amada and Chidori Iori prepare themselves to move forward with their lives, with all its joys and sorrows.

    xxxx

    Not everyone had elected to go to the onsen.

    (Sojiro Sakura had been rather...resigned, to one more night with a full house. "I might as well head home and get things ready for their return...")​

    Shinji, Kensuke, Mayumi, Mana, and Akane quietly walked around Nishiawakura, enjoying the slightly cooler air of the village.

    "...so, you guys are going to be leaving soon, right?" asked Akane. "Probably tomorrow?"

    Mayumi looked back at the local with a curious glance. "What do you mean?"

    Akane huffed, brushing at the fabric of her long black skirt. "Well, it's not like I couldn't hear everything that was being talked about from Commissioner Morooka..."

    "...oh yeah," murmured Kensuke, thinking back to the expletive-laden video message from the 18th. "Life doesn't wait for anyone, does it?"

    "...are you guys going to be okay...?" she asked.

    "Why wouldn't we?" answered Mana. "We're just going to talk to whoever Kurosawa's bosses are."

    Akane winced. "Well, it's the government...it's not that simple..."

    Sighing, Shinji spoke for them all. "Whatever happens will happen...but it's not like we can run away. It wouldn't do us any good if we did..."

    Akane looked at each of them individually before shaking her head. "I guess so. Just...be careful, okay? You've all made the summer break pretty interesting...I'd hate for anything to happen to you."

    Kensuke snorted. "Glad to know your concern for our wellbeing extends only to how much we entertain you," he said with a cheeky grin.

    "That's not what I mean and you know it!" protested Hasegawa, fists clenched at her sides.

    "We understand," said Mayumi, trying to defuse the tension. "August has been very eventful for all of us...it would be unfortunate if it had a bad ending."

    xx

    As the five teenagers conversed with each other, Hirofumi Kurosawa and Misato Katsuragi were following them from behind, separated by several meters. "Gotta say, from how Sakamoto-sun described it, I may have to request a similarly explosive send-off for when I die..."

    "Hmm."

    Misato shot the paranormal law enforcer a stink-eye. "You've been a right cheerful sort."

    "I've kept to myself because my contributions would not be appreciated by those who considered themselves kin to the departed," calmly explained Kurosawa, fiddling with his phone all the while. "Professional courtesy notwithstanding, I've been trying to coordinate our arrival at the capital city tomorrow."

    And wasn't that a lovely reminder of their current circumstances. "What do you think your superiors are going to recommend? They gonna try and conscript Shinji-kun, Mana-chan, and Yamagishi-san?"

    "I can't say one way or another. All I will say is that the lackadaisical approach taken with the Third Child will come to an end..." Kurosawa's face curdled with a severe frown. "...hmm."

    "What?"

    "...nothing. Just an odd feeling."

    "I've learned not to ignore 'odd feelings' in my line of work."

    "True...it's just that my normal update feeds from my coworkers stationed in Tokyo-2 stopped earlier today at some point during the funeral."

    Misato's eyes narrowed with alertness. "Is something going on in the capital?"

    "That's just it: no one is reporting anything amiss with regards to Tokyo-2. Had there been any sort of alert, my fellows who were stationed elsewhere would have sent a message of some kind. Local news from Nagano Prefecture likewise hasn't reported anything untoward..."

    "...that's fair enough." The Anti-Terror Task Force stationed out of Tokyo-2 would have also sent out an alert of some kind...right?

    (There was a strange sense of foreboding in the air, all of a sudden.)

    (You have a bad feeling about this...)

    "...I guess we'll find out tomorrow," she said with a halfhearted shrug.

    Kurosawa could only hum noncommittally.

    (Strangely enough, as if by some trick of the mind, the very concept of being proactive and digging into the matter themselves...just didn't quite occur to them...)

    xxxx

    As the night rolled on...a strange incident was occuring at Tokyo-2, hundreds of kilometers to the half-wing of east northeast...namely, a dense cloud of yellow fog that had emerged as if from nowhere, hours before.

    People on the outside did not regard it as anything strange...nor did they question why those who entered did not return.

    As such, no had a comment to make when Tohru Adachi casually walked out of its murky depths.


    View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-xBp38b4fg

    "Well...that was pretty invigorating," he admitted aloud, hands stuffed into his pockets. Glancing back at the great cloud (its billowy boundary coming with an eerie glow that dominated the dark as easily as a city skyline), he could only marvel at the subtle effects it was having on the local cognition. "Huh...now that's pretty nifty. If I didn't know any better, I'd be treating it like no big deal as well..." Well...it was bound to draw attention sooner or later. He'd already accomplished what he came here for. "It's too bad I've got places to be," he said to himself as he strolled into the night. Now...what should I do next...?

    Decisions, decisions...

    xxxx

    END OF 8/20/2015
     
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