IF YOU HAVE PLAYED...
Persona 4 - You should be able to follow this fic just fine! You'll notice that... the plot is rather identical, but I wrote this for the sake of developing the DDR characters, not so much for a solvable mystery. I should note that for the most part, the previous characters will not appear in this fanfiction. I don't think I'll give Souji a girlfriend, we'll say he loved everyone equally. xD If you've never seen the DDR characters, neither has Souji so you can learn about them as he does. While I try to keep personalities and statuses canon, the relationships and interactions consist of a lot of misleading fan-made stuff. Again, you don't need any previous "Knowledge", but if you want the facts, you can totally check out the DDR websites. I haven't really picked which ending this fic takes place after, but one of the good ones. Forgive my lack of knowledge about tarot cards... I spent like an hour reading over which ones to use before I gave up.
DDR - A few technical lingoes will be funky, and I kinda suggest you look things and characters up if you get confused. There are also spoilers scattered throughout the fic, but while this makes more sense to P4 players, I'll keep in mind that the DDR readers will probably outnumber them. I'll try to avoid saying who the killer was in P4. Again, this is from the perspective of the main character who already experienced P4, so I don't want to spend a lot of time on backstory.
Those are prolly the only important notes that I can think of... so yeah. Here goes~
Another year, another relocation.
Years after the murder crimes in Inaba, you were going to a university in Japan, but you found out that you could study abroad that August in New York City, and you had to take a number of planes to make it there. You found yourself dozing off on the final plane...
"Welcome to the Velvet Room."
At first, you were puzzled, but then you remembered that voice. It was that of Igor, the strange man who helped you years before.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he said with a grin hidden somewhere under his awkwardly large nose. He sat in a chair with a table before him, and his set of blue cards were evenly scattered on the surface. You noticed you were in the same dark limousine you were in once before.
"I have called upon you once again, bearing news of upcoming events. I hope you haven't forgotten your contract, for I have a new prediction."
He waved his hand over a card to his left, or to your right.
"The Fool, in the upright position," he started. "A card to represent a new start... a journey that you must be the leader of, with no definite path. Hmm... another piece of your future..."
He flipped another card on the other side.
"The Magician," he said. "A symbol of power... power you must utilize to find the future you desire."
He folded his hands back under his chin. "I believe, with your skills and Personas, you will need to lead another journey, with new elements that may take you in a direction you didn't expect. Follow what you believe is right, and you will obtain the ideal ending to your journey."
He nodded. "I will bring you here again when I need to," he told you. "Until then... farewell..."
You bolted awake. You were definitely hoping for changes but... you weren't looking forward to studying and going through another journey with your Personas.
The thoughts left you wondering... how similar would this adventure be to your previous one? Would you run into Shadows again? Would you need to save people from their own dark sides?
And, the thought that left you the most concerned: would there be another string of murders...?
Surely, with your experiences, you could stop a potential killer in his tracks. You felt there was no point in worrying about it. You just had to watch your surroundings for any signs.
You had already looked ahead at what subway would get you to your destination. The short nap you took on the plane helped you make it through the last few steps to your new home; subway, to bus, to your dorm. You had packed as light as you could while still trying to survive a semester: two large wheeled suitcases of clothes and hygiene necessities, as well as your wallet with your newly obtained U.S. currency.
You were given the opportunity to meet a few other exchange students, but you didn't hang out for long due to the long ride. When you arrived in your dorm room, you were greeted by three other guys.
One of them was a boy that looked the same age or older than you. "Hey," he said, "are you the exchange student?"
You weren't completely confident in your English, but your Knowledge persevered and you successfully introduced yourself as Souji Seta.
The auburn haired boy smiled. "Cool. I'm Aaron Hendrix," he said. He pointed to a blonde boy who looked younger than you (but probably wasn't) playing video games. "He's Steve, and that guy," he pointed to another older, near-black haired boy who was reading, "is Robert. I guess the only thing we all have in common is we're all in college," he commented, shrugging. "But hey, we have an Asian here! You should help us all with our homework!"
"Leave 'im alone," the gamer commented playfully, "or he's gonna think we're all like you."
Well, he wasn't wrong; you were starting to get that impression.
"Don't -erk- listen to him, dude," Steve continued while playing a game, "if he needs help, just tell him to screw off."
Congratulations, you learned English slang on your first day of college life.
You told them all you were retiring to bed. On Monday, you would be starting your semester at this new school... what other people were you going to meet?
(The DDR characters and pretty much the actual story starts in the next chapter, I just wanted to get this intro sort of thing outta the way. The chapter schedule will be rather erratic, given that I haven't even finished this fanfic yet. I'm thinking when I finish a chapter or two, I'll revise an old one and then upload it. When school dtarts up again, though, expect this to come to a screeching halt soon after. Mm... feel like I'm missing something... I can't help but think I didn't revise this enough... well, until later~)