This is a short preview of the kind of thing to expect, when I eventually get around to writing the "Ugly People Must Suffer" fellow up. It shows the Meta angle it'll take, angled via the POV of the Phantom Thieves. In the actual story, it'll be entirely from the POV of Panther, though.
This isn't the greatest thing ever, since I wrote it just as a quick "expect this" thing. This actual Morgana-POV bit won't be a part of the actual story. (This is one of those things, where I'm kinda trying to get across a visual & audible experience of the Phantom Thieves confusion during a very bombastic performance, with the minimal text options I've got. I try and do this kind of thing a lot, and it gets mixed results, but basically this whole scene is written to sorta be an imagined experience, rather than a story.
On that note: Play a Persona Super Live performance of Rivers in the Desert when reading the later half of this)
[ POV – Morgana ]
…
Lady Ann…
I can't stop thinking about Lady Ann's distressed, hate-filled eyes. They had none of the kindness or beauty I've always come to expect from them.
Jeez, Lady Ann…why…?
Why do you feel like this-? What has made you so…so unhappy…?
Am I…really the reason…? Am I the one at fault, after all…?
Is it true that I've always hurt you? That I've been the one to defile everything that...makes you a happy person...?
…
Ngh? No wait a minute—
"W-What the—Why am I still alive…?"
I snap my eyes open—
"Huh?"
I can see nothing but darkness, but I can just about make out that I'm on a stage of some kind…
No, wait, how…am I even still here? The last thing I can remember is…is that demonic version of Lady Ann, coursing my body with pain from her strange power.
Then things just went blank—and…before long, I realised I could think again. I became aware of my own consciousness.
"H-Hey, Mona, are you there?"
That's Skull's voice, but I can't see him—It's impossible to make out anything in this darkness.
"Skull! Oh thank goodness you're okay!"
"Mona, Skull, I'm so glad!" exclaims Noir, "I was so worried about you two!"
"Hey, what the hell even happened?" Skull asks, "what the hell did that psychotic nutcase do?"
"I don't know, but I get the feeling things aren't over quite yet…" comments Queen.
"Oh, Queen! Thank goodness!"
"Don't forget about me! I'm here too!" yells out Oracle.
"What about Fox? Are you there?"
There's no reply—
"I guess not…"
"Hey, Sophie!" Oracle yells out, "if you're there, say something okay?"
Once again, there's no reply.
"Hm, I guess not all of us are here, then…" Queen says.
"But where IS here—Like, I can't see jack frickin shit!" whines a frustrated Skull.
"It's not just that I can't see…" Noir says, softly, "I…don't really feel like I'm actually…physically present…if you know what I mean…"
Strangely, I do. I feel kind of the same way. It's like I'm in a void—I can feel myself, but I don't FEEL myself…
"Okay, seriously, are we in purgatory, or something?" Skull asks, "I mean, that psycho version of Panther DID friggin' suffocate me to death…"
Yeah…
She did that because she thought Skull was abusing her by oogling over her. I mean, in a way I get it, but…
-No, I can't think about that right now. I need to focus on our circumstances here…
"What was up with that, anyway?" asks Oracle, "she was acting like she was being written by someone who totally didn't get her character at all!"
Er, what? You do know Lady Ann's a real person, right…?
"Yeah, she went mad, thinking we were all abusing her, or something…" Noir says.
…
I can't help but feel guilty.
If that was really…how she felt, then—I mean, maybe we really were at fault in this…
Maybe Lady Ann had a reason to be so Angry at us all…
"Plus she called us all 'ugly-sympathisers'…" adds Queen, "and from what I could tell, she appeared to house strong hatred for everyone who doesn't match her vision of beauty."
"Yeah, she was being really full of herself...Like, did you hear all that 'I'M BEAUTY ITSELF, I HATE EVERYONE WHO ISN'T ME, ALL UGLINESS NEEDS TO DIE' stuff?"
Jeez, Oracle, that impression of Lady Ann was horrible…
"She…was being so cruel…Treating us like we don't care about her…" Noir says, sadly. "The worst part, though, is that she ended up ruining poor Alice in the process…"
Lady Ann…Why did you suddenly change? Where did that bitter negativity come from?
Is it true that we were treating you badly? Maybe it is, but even so…To just…throw our efforts back in our faces is…
We all care about you. I know I do—I would never want Lady Ann to get hurt. I would never do that on purpose. But maybe I do it by accident sometimes…
Perhaps…just perhaps…
Or could this all be a cognitive version of Lady Ann? Or maybe she as changed against her will with a change of heart?
Either way, I…I felt so hurt by what you said to me, Lady Ann…—
And I thought that you…had true beauty inside of your heart…I thought you wanted to be a ray of light for others, who might not have confidence to express themselves.
Did I get her all wrong? Or maybe…I'm getting what he feels now wrong. Maybe there's a kind motivation in there, somewhere?
No, this is Lady Ann I'm talking about. Of COURSE there's a kind motivation…! Lady Ann is…she's…too beautiful, inside and out, for me to believe otherwise…
I don't care what anyone says—I don't care what I witnessed back then, in the metaverse. I know…that Lady Ann wants to genuinely help others.
So if that's true, maybe…maybe her 'hatred for ugly people' is something I should try and understand…
"Just what the heck does that weird version of her get off acting like she's some messiah of beauty, or something?" asks Oracle.
"I mean…Lady Ann IS beautiful, but…" I trail off, with a sigh.
"Well, she IS a model, after all…" Queen says.
"I thought she always wanted to help others with that modelling…?" comments Noir, "to…act as a guiding light, right…?"
"Right, because she was always held back by being judged and stuff, so she wanted to…you know, express that confidence, to herself, and others, I guess."
Skull's assessment of Lady Ann seems like it makes basic sense, but…
"Yeah, when you put it that way, that…" Queen seemingly struggles for the right wording, "…weird Alice-Ann thing really did seem to be counter to everything the Ann we know wants to achieve. It's kind of unreal, in a way."
It does SEEM that way, on a surface level, but…
I can't help but feel like, maybe, we're not understanding Lady Ann's thoughts that well; like we're viewing her on a very…surface level.
Is that the 'abuse' that she feels we've been subjecting her to…?
"Do you think that version of Ann was fake, somehow?" asks Skull.
"But she definitely wasn't a Shadow, is the thing," says Queen, "because she didn't have the typical golden eyes."
"Erm, is it a rule that they have to have those?" asks a bewildered Skull.
"Well, either way, there's definitely something strange going on here—"
I'm interrupted by a sudden murmur of indistinct voices. A whole bundle of voices.
"W-Whoa, what's that?" Skull exclaims, "i-is someone there?"
No, not just voices…It's a bunch of white noise. What is that? It reminds me of something you'd hear from a concert venue…
…
"Laaaaadies and gentlemen!"
A loud voice suddenly booms out—It's female, and sounds like an announcement.
"For one night only, it's the one, the ooooonlllly…!"
All of a sudden, the entire area around me is lit up—As though someone has turned on a stage light.
I put my hands up to shield my eyes—And when I squint, I suddenly gasp.
"W-Wha-?!"
"The real-life Phantom Thieves…!"
A heavy bass thumps out—Although that's all but drowned out by wild cheering of the crowd.
"W-What is—"
Me and the others are stood on a stage of a packed concert venue.
"Ack! WAY too big of a crowd…!" Oracle yells—
I can barely hear her, though, over the ear-piercing white noise. It's almost defening.
"W-What is going on?" exclaims Queen.
"I-I don't know, but holy shit, would you look at all those people…" says Skull.
It is an outstandingly large crowd—And they're all waving light sticks in the air, in a frenzy of excitement.
It's at that moment that I realise I can actually feel my body again—I look down and…
"Ack! I'm in my Metaverse form…!"
Wait, but—Does that mean this is the Metaverse?
"Why are all these people in the—"
"Welcome, Phantom Thieves!
Welcome to…Persona Super Live, 20XX! Now, let's rock!"
"P-P…Persona…" I bewilderedly Mutter.
"S-Super Live…?" finishes a just as bewildered Noir"
Spotlights flicker on various areas of the stage—First one to my right. I spin to look, instinctively, and there's a woman stood there, with a microphone in her hand.
Another one flicks on behind us all—The group all spin on our heels, and there's a full on band—
"W-What the-!"
The band begins performing, starting up some sort of pop-rock song.
Strangely, as the bass kicks in, I…feel like it's bizarrely familiar…
"G-Guys, let's g-get off stage…!" Oracle yells out, "s-seriously, I think I'm gonna faint at this rate…!"
It's now, or it's never, and I've got to make my decision
This time it could be my moment
Is this a mirage or a chance to fulfil my mission?
Well, I can sympathise with her on that…On my part, though, that's more due to the bright flashy strop effects. The entire venue is darkened, with the strops giving the entire venue a dissing effect, particularly given my head is already thumping.
A river in a dry land
"Seriously, what is going on?!" yells Skull, "Why are we suddenly part of some concert?!"
The last ace in a lost head
"I don't know, but I don't THINK this is a dangerous situation…" says Queen.
A heartbeat for a tin man
"But didn't they introduce us as the Phantom Thieves?" I point out, "and why are all these people in the metaverse, anyway?"
Oasis in a singed land
No the better question is—how the hell did we end up here?
What happened after our confrontation with that Alice-Ann hybrid?
I'm keeping the balance, but I'm standing
On razor's edge now
Move quick or my life is over
One strike, just a feint, then
I'm out of his field of vision
As if answering to our bewilderment—
"HELLLLOOO PERSONA SUPER FANS!"
A voice echoes out—I takes me a moment to realise where it's coming from.
"IT'S THE MOST POPULAR PERSONA CHARACTER, AS VOTED BY YOU: SCHRODINGER'S PANTHER!"
"L-Look, there's someone over there!"
I look over to where Skull is pointing—and there she is, entering the stage from stage left.
Don't ask why I'm ready, but I'm ready
To strike him down now
A chance at a new start
There's no time for indecision
"L…Lady Ann…!"
"No, it's not Ann!" exclaims Queen, "this is…T-This is…"
That's not Lady-Ann…That's not even the fake Lady Ann we had just confronted in the Metaverse. It's…someone dressed as her…
"S-Someone…cosplaying as Alice-Ann…?!"
'Cosplaying'…?
A river in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet
Now we need it
A heartbeat for a tin man
"UGLY PEOPLE ARE SCUM! AREN'T THEY, PERSONA LIVE?!"
The crowd's already hectic cheering flairs up even more—
"W-…Wha…"
I feel like my head is gonna explode from confusion…!
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON…?!" yells Skull—so loudly, apparently, as to actually overshadow the wide noise of the music and yelling, and draw a look from the…Lady-Ann Cosplayer(?).
Oasis in a singed land
Remind us what we're here for
Creating new life
Creating rivers in the desert
It's hard to tell, but I think she's smirking.
"Let's put on a cacophobic show for them, Phantom Thieves!"
As she says that, I suddenly feel a thumping in my head—
"Ngh!"
I'm not the only one, either—The others appear to also feel the same thing.
"M-My head…! W-What is this?!"
I feel like…I'm about to forget something important…
My heart is a furnace
Hot as hell in my world of conflict
One goal is what keeps me going
Take back what I lost to
What is-?
"H-Hey, guys…! L-..Look…!"
Oracle points upwards, at a large screen that hangs over the stage.
"Isn't that us…?!"
The bosses of greed and fear, yeah
Don't ask why I'm ready, but I'm ready
To take them down now
The time for a new start
Is constantly drawing nearer
On the screen, footage is playing—Footage depicting me and my fellow Phantom Thieves, during our various misadventures.
"H-Hey, I remember that! H-How did they get footage of—"
"No, it's not footage!" Oracle yells, "look again!"
A river in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet
Now we need it
I blink my eyes—And when I do, it's almost like I clear away the fog…
"That's…anime versions of us…?"
Anime…versions…
A heartbeat for a tin man
Oasis in a singed land
Remind us what we're here for
Creating new life
Creating rivers in the desert
Of us…?
As I continue to watch the screen, the words "Persona 5: Cacophobia Ultimax Edition" in a fancy font flash onto the screen.
"P...Persona..five..."
I turn back to look at the crowd—and over at the Lady-Ann cosplayer…
I can suddenly see the reality of it all…I'm—
When a cool drop of water's all I need
Got to clear my head of anger and greed
A place to refresh
…We're…We're different to them. I can see that now.
They're all…strange—Strangely dull, strangely ordinary…
Heart and mind
Can I find some time
"N-No way…D-Don't tell me…"
In…
As I star dumbfounded at the crowd of bizarrely incongrous people, I begin to feel something claw at the pit of my stomach.
What…have we been taken to…?
Rivers in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet
Now we need it
And what's happened…to Lady Ann…?
Oh, Lady Ann…Where are you-? I just want to see you smile again…I want to see your happiness return to you…
A heartbeat for a tin man
Oasis in a singed land
Remind us what we're here for
…
No…I've not been…abusing her…
Have I…? Have I been treating her horribly all this time…?
Is the one in the wrong really…-Really me…?
Creating new life
Creating rivers in the desert
…
…