Disclaimer: None of the authors own any of the referenced properties.
[Persona 2]
Eikichi's Awakening
Author: me (HelenTheMoon aka Lermis)
Tatsuya sure as hell did not expect the sight that greeted him this morning.
He Awoke as usual – on his original reality, if the lack of the brand on his forearm was any indication – and went to school as usual. He had Pinged this morning too and got back a couple of responses; one definitely from Igor.
So he dodged his entire family – feeling especially bad for ditching his brother, but it wasn't the brother he fought with – and rode his motorcycle to school…
And saw Eikichi "Michel" Mishina crying rivers on his knees.
"I'm so, so, SO SORRY, MIYABI! I-I heard you were at S-Sevens a-and I heard from Jun who heard from Gin-em that y-you've been doing b-bad and it-it was HORRIBLE and it's be-because of me-"
"Michel, calm down please, you're making a scene…"
He sure was. He was on his knees in front of his ex-girlfriend and dear sweetheart Miyabi Hanakouji, yelling stuttering apologies while Jun was trying to calm him down. The poor girl for her part was stunned while a whole crowd of students had gathered to see what the fuss was all about.
This had never happened in the loops before.
Tatsuya left his bike in a corner and easily made his way through the crowd, reaching the center where Eikichi was still apologizing to a panicking Miyabi.
He easily pulled Jun aside, and flicked his lighter. Jun tapped his watch in response.
Good. That was their signal. He was Awake.
He leaned to his ear.
"What's going on here?"
"Michel showed up at five in the morning to ask me what's happening…"
"Wait, he's Awake!?"
"Yeah, and he got to my house to find me because of the Joker thing, and I told him that we're back in time and he started asking if everyone was okay and… I didn't really finish explaining."
"You didn't finish?"
"No. As soon as I told him that there's no emblem curse he remembered Hanakouji-san and rushed here."
"…And you couldn't stop him."
"No. I tried, but…"
Tatsuya barely resisted the urge to facepalm.
Of course Eikichi would do this. Of course. His old friend was an absolute sweetheart, and he was an absolute idiot.
"EIKICHI-KUN!"
And now Hanakouji-san had thrown herself into his arms crying just as much. Why should anyone expect anything different?
"I-I forgive you, it was my fault!"
"No, it was my fault…"
Jun let a heavy sigh. "I wonder what rumors will come out of that…"
Tatsuya flicked his lighter. "I give it two hours."
Jun looked at him curiously. "That long?"
"I'm talking about the whole city, not just the schools."
"Yes, you have a point."
Somebody was bound to post about this incident to Baofu's rumor website. Tatsuya could just imagine the flashy wire-tapper chewing his cigarettes in annoyance from his dingy conspiracy room.
Or maybe Baofu would admire Eikichi's guts for actually apologizing in public in the first place. Tatsuya sure did.
"…Should we drag him off?"
"Eh, give it a few more minutes. We still have some time before the first bell."
Yeah. That sounded good.
Tatsuya was so glad to have Eikichi back.
[Persona 4], [Doki Doki Literature Club]
Tea Time
Author: Venku
Sayori Awoke. Gathering her thoughts, the first thing she did was to send a ping. Deep meditative breaths to help center herself were started while she awaited for a response. Five responses greeted her inquiry. One eyebrow was lifted as she paused. "Guest loopers." she mused before slowly leaving the house.
Not seeing MC outside waiting for her was different but not worrying. "Variant loop" she replied with a pause, pulling an apple out of her backpack. Nothing else was thought of as she picked out a book from her Pocket and began to read while on her way to school. It was one of the treatise Twilight did concerning Magic and the Multiverse and there were some things which were confusing.
Entering the club room to see who else was there, she paused as she heard whispers inside.
"Aw. C'mon Naoto! They have a cooking stove here. Surely they wouldn't mind if I whipped up a batch of cookies!" she heard a male voice speak.
"Kanji-kun! We're guests here in this Branch." a woman with a rich alto responded. "Shouldn't we wait until we see whom the local Anchor is?"
"Anchor?" the man added with a bit of a small grunt. "Pfft. Fine. Whatever. Freakin' bullshit though because the stove is just TOO CUTE…"
At that bit Sayori opened the door and paused as she looked at the two who spoke. Apparently the person who was supposed to replace MC this loop was a taller man with dark black hair. Broad shouldered with a well defined physique, he wore the uniform jacket draped over his shoulder.
Standing next to him was a smaller woman dressed in a two piece suit. Her close cropped hair barely extended past her shoulders, and framed her face. Though the suit was something one of the male teachers would be wearing, her body was definitely not male. Internally Sayori sighed as she hoped Natsuki wouldn't be jealous of this person.
"Hi!" Sayori greeted the two visitors. Instantly the Face of the Literature Club smiled as she looked at both of them. "I can tell by your speech that time may be a bit off for you. Am I correct?"
Uh..uh yeah." the man replied as he dropped the jacket and began to speak. "It seems like..ah hell. Yeah we're Loopers as well"
The other woman, this Naoto, sighed as she looked back at Sayori. "My apologies. Normally we'd have a different passcode used in case we're in our baseline loop"
"Right. But c'mon. She just outed herself too!" Kanji griped as he paused a moment. "Alright. Damn that seems like something a "Moronji" as Rise-san would say huh." His next words caused Naoto to facepalm. Looking upward at the tree, he replied "Hey you stupid tree! I don't like being forcibly reminded I was a dumbass! Got it?"
Sayori laughed with Kanji's response. "It's ok. We're used to variants as well. One of ours is usually the victim of variant loops" she added. Clearing her throat, she added "I am Sayori of the Looping Literature Club. Our anchor as well as the other members will be arriving soon, if you want to hold off on introductions?" The two visitors nodded her head. She paused as she addressed this 'Kanji'. "And your friend's right. Monika, Yuri or I wouldn't care if you used the stove to bake. In fact..." her stomach growled at the thought. "But our fourth member might beat you on the head repeatedly with her Bakabane."
Sayori, while personally thinking that Natsuki's kanabo name was cute, had seen her utilize the weapon numerous times. For the sake of politeness to the new visitors, the Vice President of the Looping Literature club figured one warning might be sufficient. Anything else would be at the hands of their resident baker.
…
Kanji's sheepish response as well as Naoto's laugh let her know the implied warning and greeting were well received.
…
To Kanji's benefit, when Natsuki arrived she didn't immediately smack him on the head for messing with her stove. She did, however, glare and mutter at him while checking to be sure it still was at the right settings.
When she was satisfied the "idiot" didn't mess with her stove, Natsuki joined the others around a small table. Yuri had already broken open one of her reserve tea stashes from when she visited Iroh in a Loop and was already pouring tea into six separate cups. Sayori was idly doodling on a notepad while Monika was engaged in chatter with the blue haired woman.
Once Natsuki sat down, the blue haired woman cleared her throat. "I do apologize," she began softly. "But if this is the same Looping Literature club I heard about…" and at this the four Dokis lifted their eyebrows as Naoto turned her gaze to Sayori. "...is your animosity with those of my branch related to the Kirijo group or everyone from Amala?"
"Oh yeah!" Kanji chimed in, removing the glasses from his nose. "It's a big deal with the Anchor even letting us know when he checks on us that..." and Kanji cleared his throat. "If you ever meet the Peach haired one, do give a better impression than Kirijo-san's initial."
Sayori's ears turned red for a moment as she idly touched her fingertips together and went "Ehhehhe." Meanwhile Monika just idly sipped her cup of tea while Yuri and Natsuki witnessed the exchange.
After some time passed, Sayori responded. "That depends. Do you utilize your same powers as that..." she paused, looking for the right words.
Naoto's eyes widened for a moment as she bowed in a formal apology. "Ah! It makes sense now…"
"I'm con-OOF..." Kanji began before Naoto elbowed him. She took over the response as she addressed Sayori. "Our Senpai, the one who is the leader in our Baseline, utilizes his powers by smashing a representation of the Tarot card. Another group utilizes the same ability by ripping a proverbial mask off their face. Two other groups just crush their fist in a gripping motion. Only the Kirijo Group utilizes the method which you find deplorable due to your Baseline, I assume?" she finished.
With a small nod of agreement from Sayori, Naoto continued. "Then please accept my apology for my brusqueness and rudeness. I will relay back to our Anchor the reason for your display of pique."
"What did you do, Sayori?" Monika whispered as the two visitors conferred for a moment.
"A lady has to have some secrets..heh. But this..." Sayori shrugged. "If they're not all like that branch..." Monika paled slightly as she looked at her second's eyes. The golden tinge against the irises began to slowly fade.
…
After that brief interlude, the remaining introductions went rather smoothly. Even though Naoto and Kanji were still slightly nervous around Sayori, the intermediate group were having a relatively civil discussion.
"I have to ask" Monika commented as she took a sip of her tea. "This is the first time I think I've ran into anyone from Amala. What is your baseline like?"
"That depends." Naoto responded. She nodded to Kanji. "For our baseline we investigate a serial killer that throws people into the TV."
"Excuse me, you said throw into the TV?" Yuri asked. While the group was still getting a generalized feel for each other she had pulled out some needlework and thread. A new hobby she had picked up when she last visited the Hellsing manor, surprisingly at the encouragement of Alucard. What surprised her even more was that Kanji had his own supplies. Yuri, Kanji and Natsuki were currently in a three man group, working on needlepoint and cross stitch.
"Uh huh!" Kanji commented. "See from what Senpai..that's Yu Narukami. Sometimes he's called Souji. Great guy. About my height with close cropped hair. Anyway what Senpai said is that the TV is like a gateway or some shit between our world and the Midnight Channel. Uhh..." he paused as he cursed after stabbing his finger. "Naoto, what did those Phantom Thieves call the Midnight Channel?"
"Gateway to the collective unconscious. Don't worry, I'll take over." Naoto responded affectionately. Taking a sip of her own tea, Naoto continued. "This Midnight Channel, which manifests as Mementos, Monad Mandala and other places in our Baseline connects the collective unconscious with the sea of souls. Does anyone here know of the Sea of Souls or that reference?"
Yuri nodded her head. "I've..heard of the phenomenon. A man who is like a father to me went to school to study psychology. One of the leading theories when he was in school is that according to Jung that there are components to a person. Their ego, or sense of identity. A personal unconscious which will shape that person and is an exchange from their experience and the collective unconscious stimuli which shapes." She took a small sip of her tea, biting back the fact Alucard referenced it as a load of bunk.
Naoto nodded her head. "A Persona, or a mask that they adapt to deal with the stimuli which they face, is when someone manages to suborn their will and realize that they have to overcome their base nature. Shadows are when a person gives rise to their base nature. Our baseline..." she paused for a moment. "Amala has two separate facets. One branch is where Mankind is always under battle from external forces. Angels and demons would use the souls of man as their army."
"But apparently..." Kanji interjected. "Our baseline, the other part of Amala, started off when the two assholes who would have pushed this battle got their asses kicked! So instead of this apocalyptic crap we just gotta deal with murders, death cultists and other rude people!"
Natsuki blinked. "Death cultists?" she asked.
"Oh yeah! That!" and Kanji nodded his head to Sayori. "The Kirijo group had to deal with death cultists which were trying to bring about the end of the world. Their field leader wound up in Baseline becoming a great... Naoto, what was the word?"
"Great Seal." Naoto replied as she watched the interaction.
"Oh yeah. Great Seal. While I can get where it might be offensive..." Kanji paused for a moment as he took a sip of tea. "There's this one girl which had some major issues with depression in her Baseline, and as a Phantom Thief, her and Okumura-san may share your views, Sayori, but depending on the exact nature of the threat..gotta fight fire with fire, y'know?"
"Doesn't excuse it but... I'll accept she had her reasons." Sayori remarked idly. There was something else which was troubling her. "Let's say that Kirijo did her..." she growled. "Her crap. How did you and the other group deal with and get this... Persona?"
"That's... a long story." Naoto replied meekly.
"We've got time," Monika replied.
…
"I see." Monika sighed as Naoto and Kanji explained their 'Awakening' process. "So you had to face personal truths about yourself that you rather others didn't see. And the..." she checked her notes. "Phantom Thieves had to be forced into a position where they either had to rebel against an authority or be killed.
Kanji nodded his head. He was holding the string that Natsuki was using to knit while they were amicably talking. Surprising both the Amala looper and the Dokis, Natsuki and Kanji were chatting almost as if they were family. Save for the occasional remarks from the tsundere and the hothead, they both found something they could bond over: Cuteness. Kanji had already gifted Natsuki some of the handmade finger puppets he had in his Pocket and Natsuki shared one of her cupcake recipes.
"Yeah that's right," he replied to Monika's question. "Our Anchor... that long nose fellow..."
"Igor." Naoto corrected. She and Yuri were in a separate discussion over the benefits of revolvers, pistols and blades.
"Igor then. And what's with that name huh?" Kanji groused. "Anyway, Igor theorized that separate people required different catalysts to awaken and deal with their Ego. But the Ego had to be dealt with or..." he waved his hand. Unfortunately it interrupted the yarn Natsuki was using, causing her to miss a stitch.
"Watch it dummy!" Natsuki snapped.
"Watch it yourself, you pink haired cat!" Kanji replied. This met with a low warning growl from Natsuki and a small sigh from Naoto. "Kanji kun..." the woman replied softly. "Remember that Koromaru-san and Morgana had to get downright physical with you."
"Aww... Naoto! I can't help it! She's a bottle of badass adorable!"
This phrase mollified Natsuki some, though her cheeks turned pink. "Keep it up and I'll wanna see your Persona buddy!"
"Sounds... Obscene..." Yuri murmured languidly.
Monika sighed. "If you two are going to do that, do it in our Holodeck." she muttered. Turning to Naoto for a moment longer, she smiled. "Regardless. Welcome to the Looping Literature Club. Our baseline is more or less poetry writing…"
"...with a bad dating simulator underneath." Yuri grumbled.
Monika cleared her throat. "Right. Regardless since you're our guests here we can..work on the poetry if you like?"
Naoto nodded her head. The others had picked up that Kanji acted as the beast, or the brawn to Naoto's beauty, or brains. When queried earlier, she commented that save for variants both Kanji and Naoto spent their quality time together. "That sounds..fine. I'll have to say Kanji might not be the best..."
"...that's ok" Sayori interrupted. "Your friend looped into the main character of our baseline. It's..." she paused. "A difficult story on that but I can share if you'd come with me for a moment? And no, Monika... it's a personal question." she addressed the last bit to Monika who looked a bit confused.
"Yeah. Before we continue this, I do believe I have some questions for Kanji as well…" Yuri commented. The purple haired beauty went to where Natsuki and Kanji were bickering, while Sayori and Naoto disappeared to a side room for the moment.
Monika sighed. "I will not pry..." she muttered, while thinking this might be an interesting loop regardless.
[Persona 5]
Eternity
Author: Tetradrachm
"Why didn't you tell us what was going on?" Akira demanded.
Igor met his gaze calmly from across the refurbished Velvet Room, his smile unchanged. "I beg your pardon?"
"You should not speak to my master in such a way—" the unAwake Lavenza began.
"He means me no harm," Igor said to her placatingly. "But please, Trickster, continue."
Akira was still slightly unsettled by the true Igor, even after all this time, which is why it took him a moment to compose his thoughts for his answer. "You've been Awake and Looping every time I have, correct?" Igor nodded. "Why didn't you ever tell me, or any of us, about the Loops and why they were happening? Why did you leave us in the dark until we just happened to have a Fused Loop?"
Igor said nothing at first. "It was needed, Trickster. Do not trouble yourself with it further."
Something in his wispy voice was deadly serious, but Akira didn't particularly care. He'd never been one to give a damn about implied threats. "Do you understand the kind of pressure and stress it put on us? You must, because you must have been Awake the Loop that I had to come to terms with my Shadow—"
"I was," Igor said simply. "And are you not stronger and wiser for it?"
"It wouldn't have happened in the first place if you had just told us what was going on!"
Igor's smile almost slipped. "It was preparation."
When they said vague crap like this Akira almost couldn't tell him and Yaldabaoth apart. "Preparation for what?"
Igor's eyes narrowed. "Picture a void of absolute nothingness. No sensation, no experiences, nothing but the racing of your own mind. Picture it lasting for a hundred billion years, Trickster."
"Is that some kind of threat?"
"No. It's personal experience." Igor sighed and looked as distant as the strange creature could. "It is part of a particularly foul Variant Loop of an otherwise innocuous Branch, and it was the worst experience I have ever had in the Loops. Ultimate and what feels like eternal isolation...it is something that you may one day be forced to grapple with. As your Anchor, it is my duty to try and ready you for such a thing."
Akira tried to comprehend the logic and failed. "So you didn't tell us to keep us isolated? To prepare us for a completely different type of isolation? How is that an explanation?"
Igor splayed his hands. "It is the only explanation I have."
Akira stared at him for a moment, fists clenched, before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the Velvet Room.
Lavenza looked up at Igor, eyes wide. "What was that?"
"Eternity, my dear young woman," Igor answered. "It is a terrible thing."
[Persona 3], [Persona 4], [Doki Doki Literature Club]
Mystery Food X / It's Cooking Time!
Author: Venku
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
The person who spoke normally would not seem out of place in the classroom setting. A rather small woman of average build, her schoolgirl uniform was of a dark black with the emblem over the right breast and knee-length skirt. In fact, the only thing which might seem out of the ordinary was her close-cropped blue hair.
She was no ordinary student, however. She was Fuuka Yamagishi, Support Staff for the S.E.E.S. Looper of the Amala branch.
And she was talking to three other Loopers.
"Of course!" one of the other Loopers spoke. This woman was of average height, only slightly taller than Fuuka. With closed cropped brown hair and wearing a bright green sweater over her uniform, Chie Satonaka was mixing ingredients into a large bowl. "We make this food all the time for the others, isn't that right, Yukiko?"
"Mmhm" the woman standing next to her confirmed. From the same area as Chie, Yukiko Amagi was garbed in her typical schoolgirl ensemble. A bright red top fitting well against her frame, as well as the black hose and schooling skirt. "You have to make the food with love, right Chie?"
"Right Yukiko!" Chie responded. The pot on the stove simmered and was making itself into a dark amber color as Chie was adding mocha coffee and instant coffee to the grounds. "What else goes into curry?"
"Oh I got it!" The last member of this quartet was of average height. Although she was more proportionate in build than the others, her schoolgirl fuku did it's best to hide the frame. Dark black blouse, ankle-length skirt, and a yellow bandana were Rise Kujikawa's preference when it came to clothing. Her auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail as she added. "Be sure you add the flour for the roux. And the seasonings! Gives it the spice of life!"
The seasonings, the roux, and the other flavors went into the bubbling pot on the stove. Enjoying the group camaraderie while this pot was cooking, none of the four Loopers were aware of the pending disaster.
…
Natsuki Awoke and sent out a Ping, as part and parcel of her standard response when awakening. While accessing her loop memories, and internally sighing when she realized it was a standard loop, she paused. Seven responses. "This should be interesting," the resident Tsundere of the Looping Literature Club replied.
Approaching the Club Room, which was the unofficial nexus for the Literature Club, she paused. There was a strange, offensive odor in the air. "Aw if the Tree is making a Ratsuki pun or a garbage pun I'mma just go read," she growled. Her speed picked up, intending to find and hopefully remove the source of the odor.
BOOM!
The reverberating shockwaves almost threw Natsuki off of her feet as the door to the club blew off its hinges. This caused the Doki to run inside. Already wondering if there was a violent Looper which would explain her multiple pings, she had already shifted into a fighting stance.
Instead of finding enemies she could pummel, all she could see was what looked like brown goop sprayed everywhere. The walls were coated with the sludge, the windows, and most telling of all were the four others standing there coated with the sludge.
"I thought you said you knew what you were doing?" the shortest of the girls wailed. Natsuki only noted that the woman's hair was blue. About the only thing she noted as she was just standing there, mouth agape at the carnage.
"Wait wait" the woman in the now muddy red top interrupted. "We're those who are adrif.."
"SAVE IT!" Natsuki barked as the four other women froze. "JUST SAVE IT. You...you destroyed the stove! What were you making?"
"...curry?" the auburn haired woman commented. "We...just thought it'd be a nice gesture."
Natsuki heard no more. Though she was quite annoyed with the scene before her, it took her a few moments before she could even respond.
Before she would continue, there was a small whisper as she asked a question. "Are you all loopy?" Natsuki asked, her voice calm.
Seeing the other four women nod, the resident tsundere spoke in a quiet whisper. "Alright. I really don't care what or how you do it but do try to clean up hm?" she replied before disappearing outside. "I need to gather myself, then we're going to have some lessons. I don't know what you thought you were doing, and I don't care what your plans were. When you destroyed my kitchen, you automatically signed up for my cooking lessons." And with that, Natsuki left the room, leaving the other Amala branch members with wide eyes and stained clothes.
Some time had passed as Natsuki walked back in. The room was making progress as each of the others were doing their best to clean up. Their outfits having been cleaned, Rise and Fuuka were working on scrubbing the walls while Chie was working on the ceiling. Yukiko had her hair in a bun, and was busy scrubbing the floors clean.
Recognizing one of their uniforms, Natsuki paused. "Amala branch loopers?" Receiving a confirmation nod, Natsuki continued as she moved most of the tables to the side. "Already know of your Persona ability. Naoto and Kanji were already here before and let us know." A small shake of her head. "But they didn't say how bad you all were at cooking." Ignoring the looks of hurt feelings, Natsuki made four separate stations with a table and a portable burner on each. "Alright. We're going to have Fun now" she added, facing each of the others with a toothy grin.
Fuuka gulped nervously.
…
"Do we even know what's going on?" Sayori asked as she and Monika had Awakened elsewhere and had felt the shockwave.
"No clue. The code showed damage from the club room but that's it." Monika replied as she opened the door. After not moving, Sayori gently nudged her friend before looking over her shoulder, curious as to what's inside.
The club apparently had all the tables moved to the side and four cooking stations were installed. At each station was a pot and an assortment of fresh vegetables. Each station was manned with a cook who was stirring contents in a pot, their gaze focused upon what was going in it.
Walking between them was Natsuki. The pink haired one had a hat on her head and a chef's apron on, both feminine and both practical.
"Listen up!" she growled as she walked between each woman. "I don't care what you called that crap you were making when I came in here. Don't care if your idiots in baseline can eat it. When you're in my kitchen, you're going to cook something passable. We're going to do this and do this until it's right!" When a loud hissing sound was heard behind her, Natsuki turned her head to the offender. "Satonaka! What did I say about adding Mocha to your curry?"
One of the loopers, the woman with short brown hair let loose a yelp when Natsuki turned on her. "Uh...not to?" Chie Satonaka responded in a meek voice.
"Then why are you adding it?" Natsuki asked.
"Because I like.." the other woman began.
"WRONG! Honestly it's like talking to a brick wall here" Natsuki added in a bit of a huff. Sweeping her arm out to where there was a giant disposal pain, she added. "Dispose of the curry and start again!" She interrupted Chie's attempted rebuttal with a promise. "Empty the curry or spend this loop running around the school nonstop."
Wisely, Chie said nothing as she emptied her prior cooking project. Nodding her head, Natsuki went to one of the other pots, this one in front of Fuuka.
"Very good Fuuka" Natsuki responded with a calm tone. "See what I said about being mindful of the spices? It's like computer programming. You've got to be sure your source code isn't corrupted."
This comment caused the other woman, this Fuuka to beam. "Thanks Natsuki!"
Rise and Yukiko were collaborating on their collective cooking and heard what Natsuki mentioned. "But I thought that spices just added flavor?" Rise asked, a bit confused.
"Honestly and you call yourself an Idol" Natsuki replied in a bit of an irritated voice. "You tell me you go to rehearsal and just butcher the lyrics without memorizing it?"
The exchange continued with none of the room's occupants having noticed Monika or Sayori. "Let's come back later.." Monika commented to Sayori who nodded her head. "I'd hate to interrupt what might be a good start."
Quietly, as Yuri had not arrived yet, both ladies closed the door and turned around. "I'll spend some time with Yuri," Sayori replied as she went off in one direction. "Stay nearby in case Natsuki is wondering where everyone's at?" Monika nodded her head in agreement as Sayori disappeared.
"Well, this loop should be interesting at least. Hopefully it'll taste good" Monika commented as she went into her room.
[Persona 5]
Second Lap – Ryouji's Awakening
Author: Tetradrachm
"Looking cool, Joker!" Morgana paused for a second and then burst into a hysterical mix of laughter and mewling.
"Damn right I do," Akira said coolly. He regarded himself in Leblanc's bathroom mirror once more now that the makeup and disguise was finished. All white foundation, bright red eyebrows and lips, a blue domino mask, and to top it off a frizzy rainbow wig.
To keep from going totally insane, he and Morgana came up with weird tricks and ways of running through Baseline to keep it entertaining. This time, he was taking a cue from his DC Branch...counterpart wasn't the right word, but it wasn't completely wrong, either. Instead of Phantom Thieves, he was suiting himself up as the Clown Prince of Hearts both in and out of the Metaverse when he could. The latter point definitely made things trickier, but that was part of the challenge.
Someone knocked energetically on the front door. Akira figured it was probably Sojiro; this Loop had only begun two days ago and the man didn't even trust him to go out at this time of night yet. Just to be sure, though, Morgana nodded at him and leapt off of the counter and out of the bathroom to check. Akira watched as he sniffed at the door.
"Uh...I think it's Ryuji," Morgana said uncertainly.
"Wha—Morgana!? Is that you?" Ryuji shouted through the door.
Akira and Morgana glanced at each other, shocked. Akira raced forward, forgetting himself for a moment in a surge of hope, and unlocked and yanked the door open.
"Woah, what the hell, man?" Ryuji exclaimed. He took a step back. "Who're—wait, Akira?"
It was then that Akira remembered what he looked like. "I—I can explain," he said, fully aware that he couldn't explain. "But wait, Ryuji, you remember me?"
Ryuji nodded eagerly. "Yeah, totally! But, but no one else remembers anything! Ann, the Prez—what's going on? Is this some kinda weird Metaverse shit?"
Morgana padded up beside them. "Trust me, it's way weirder than that."
"For real?"
Akira chuckled, but he almost felt like he could cry. "Let me change, and then we can go out to eat somewhere and talk about everything."
…
A few hours later, the group were full but busy at the usual ramen shop Akira sometimes worked at. Ryuji was visibly amazed at the explanations and goodies Akira and Morgana gave him—everything from unPocketed gadgets from their fellow Amala Loopers to five separate copies of Kamoshida's Treasure Akira had picked up in different Loops. He suspected Ryuji didn't totally understand everything they were saying about the multiverse, but it really didn't matter; Akira was just happy to finally explain it to him as an old friend, instead of a new one.
By now the conversation had shifted to slightly less serious matters. "So, everything fictional is real out there somewhere, huh?" Ryuji asked, picking up his third soda of the night. He popped the marble in and took a swig. "Does that mean the Phoenix Rangers are real out there, somewhere?"
"Sort of," Akira said. "They don't actually exist in the Hub on their own, or in other words they don't have their own Branch, but there's a whole Cluster of sentai Branches that are really similar to Phoenix Ranger. We haven't been to any of them yet, but Naoto told us they're a lot of fun."
"Oh, and the actual Phoenix Rangers can show up here too, in Variants," Morgana piped up from inside Akira's bag. "We might Wake Up one day and find ourselves the Phoenix Thieves, with transforming powers! Well, I already have transforming powers, but you know what I mean!"
"Wait, I thought Variants were when things just happened different? Like, I dunno...Kamoshida bein' a good guy, or somethin'?" He grimaced. "I can't even imagine that, though."
"Variants can be a lot of different things," Morgana explained. "Like reversed morality Variants, which is sort of like what you said but more intense, ooh! or Mini Me Variants, those are really strange..."
"Man, all this terminology is gettin' confusing," Ryuji groaned. "You guys are halfway to speaking a whole 'nother language! I feel like I'm back in English class."
"Come on, this isn't that complicated!" Morgana chided him. "We haven't even gotten into Pocket mechanics yet!"
Ryuji looked properly horrified.
"Don't worry," Akira said. "You're not supposed to get it all in one night. Understanding the Loops isn't some quick thing." He quirked a smile. "It takes a while to go crazy properly."
Ryuji narrowed his eyes. "Hey, yeah, that reminds me. What was actually up with the clown getup?"
Akira held eye contact, keeping his face entirely still. "It was because we live in a society."
"Huh?"
Morgana burst into giggling meows.
"Hey, wait," and Ryuji actually looked a little hurt, "are you makin' fun of me?"
"No, no, it's...a dumb Hub joke," Akira explained. "You know what? When we get back to Leblanc, we'll watch the movie I'm talking about, you'll get it."
"Heh. Thanks. I don't wanna be out of the loop—hey, get it? Loop? Eh..." Ryuji glanced to the side. "Gimme a sec. I gotta piss."
Akira only chuckled as Ryuji hurried to the bathroom. "He was chugging those sodas the whole time we've been here."
"Good old Ryuji..." Morgana agreed, then sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh, nothing," Morgana said hastily. Akira didn't dignify that with an answer, so after a moment Morgana continued, "Well, I'm glad he's Looping, but..." A whine entered his voice. "Why couldn't it have been Lady Ann instead?"
Akira, lightly, thumped Morgana on the back of the head.
[Persona]
The Edit – Monado Brane #1 – Troubling Portents
Author: Venku
Time itself was a funny thing.
Ever since Igor was visited by an avatar of Taira no Masakado, the anchor of the Amala Persona branch had discovered a few truths. Mankind always showed unlimited potential. There was always some malevolent entity which would come to cause problems, either due to the whims of man or from malice. Nobody knew what precisely the future held.
The fourth thing that Igor was having to admit: something, or someone, was doing it's absolute best to derail things.
Normally, the beginning of the branch would be a simple story. Takahashi Kandori, depending on the variant as Guy Shinjo, would on occasion be more aggressive in his attempts to use the DEVA system to take over his city. Mikage-cho would be encased in a bubble, and demons would be summoned which attacked everyone. Only by the intervention of Philemon and the 'Persona' game were people given a chance to fight back .
The bet between Philemon and Nyarlahotep was another matter, and something Igor didn't give much thought.
Those brave young men and women from St. Hermelin High School, led by that boy with an earring, rose up to the challenges admirably. Discovering and ending Kandori's manipulations, entering the DEVA system and dealing with the manifestation of despair from one of their own, were the typical events for this part of the branch. On occasion they would handle the rise of Nyx in the school and another would handle the DEVA situation. Such things would be the standard order of affairs.
Instead, someone was doing their absolute best to terminate the story.
If it was the Snow Queen variant, the final attempts to remove the remnants of the snow queen would meet with disaster. Either the Masked Girl or the Masked Boy would unleash a reality shaking spell which killed off the St. Hermelin crew, or the Snow Queen would speed up her possession of one of the teachers, heralding the end. In either event the loop would crash.
Should the Hermelin crew choose to pursue Kandori and the DEVA system, there would be other attempts to derail the situation. If the malevolent entity of one of the students did not go berserk and annihilate the party, the DEVA system would unexpectedly crash. Or Pandora, the ultimate expression of nihilism, would destroy all of Mikage-cho. Only by direct intervention, something against Igor's mandate, did the branch not crash.
Igor had spent time contemplating this situation, and in deep discussion with Philemon. While not looping himself, Philemon was aware of the loops and had adapted the mandate of the Velvet Room. While facilitating the guest's decisions and allowing them to make their own choices, the attendants, of which Igor was one, had the additional task of guaranteeing the loop did not crash.
Due to the discussion with Philemon, and personal interview of each of the St. Hermelin students who were looping, Igor had contemplated notifying Masakado of what was going on. The only thing stopping him was the fact that, for the moment, it appeared to be limited to one situation. Should more situations arise, he would be forced to act.
…
After the end of the previous loop, Igor realized there was a major situation going on.
The St. Hermelin loopers had noticed that things were out of the ordinary. 'Demons' summoned by Maki's abandonment and nihilism were acting aggressive. Kandori had deliberately attempted to sabotage their steps along the way. Even the Night Queen was doing her best to advance the end of the world.
The survivors of the Alaya Shrine incident, as well as close friends, a relative and a few others, were the second set of guests he would have to shepherd. Normally, their journey would consist of confronting Nyarlahotep and the manipulation of rumors, either via the Masked Circle or the "Joker" rumor which forced a person to be infected with the Joker Virus. This Joker Virus turned the person into an avatar of a killer in the community and served as a dual purpose for making them feel 'guilt'. Said Guilt could be harvested to bring about the end of the world.
Depending on the variation, the derailment would be manifested in other ways. As per the last example recorded, the "Joker" phenomenon would not leave the victim, forcing them to succumb to a horrendous death. The other members would arrive to deal with the manifestation of the Crawling Chaos, who broke the treaty with Philemon and directly intervened. Instead of facing their true self, Nyarlahotep would instead slaughter the party and trigger the end of the world. This would also indicate that the loop would end prematurely.
Alone in the Velvet Room, Igor was in deep discussion with a blue butterfly, the manifestation of Philemon. "I am aware" the man replied as he was intensely focused. "That humanity's fate is in their own hands. We are to facilitate and allow our guests to reach their own conclusions. But with Time lost in itself, is not this abrupt end of the world an issue to address as well?"
The butterfly hummed and pulsated, speaking in it's own language, a language Igor could understand. "True enough. I am aware of our neighbors in other branches and how this timeline came to be" Igor added. "I wonder if a problem in their world would manifest here."
With another pulse, Igor closed his eyes and listened. "I cannot call him directly but there are intermediaries" he explained, taking a guess as to what Philemon spoke. Pulling out his tarot deck, Igor centered his mind and drew, letting the Arcana speak from within.
"The Tower. Curious indeed. Portents of a great calamity" he commented, as the first card was pulled. "And while under the effects of the inverted Emperor. Someone in authority who abuses their trust?" Concerned with the card pulled, the man closed his eyes and sighed, pulling out the final card. The inverted Judgement. "Most peculiar," he added.
Turning to address the butterfly as he nodded his head, Igor spoke. "I will be using one of the methods Masakado advised should I ever need him. This indicates a major concern." The butterfly hovered briefly before floating on.
[Persona 5]
On The Brain
Author: Tetradrachm
The cognitive world was a strange and unstable place, in more ways than one. The details of how exactly it worked, from the influence it had on real world minds and vice versa to the actual science behind it, were completely Loop Variable. Still, though, it was consistent enough that the long years Akira and his friends spent exploring the Metaverse gave them pretty good insight on how to use it to their own ends.
Even when those ends were...unusual.
"They seriously didn't care about you making so many copies?" Ryuji asked dubiously. He glanced at the back of the Morgana van, loaded full with crates of paper flyers.
"So long as you have the money, they don't care. Same as a lot of the other small businesses in town." Akira shrugged. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and only half noticed the various small Shadows he hit as they sped through the subway tunnel. Even though Mementos changed shape each time they entered, he'd long since memorized its regular patterns, and it wasn't like anything down here threatened them anymore. It was still a good source of experience and items, though.
"Like Takemi, or Iwai," Ryuji realized.
"Iwai definitely, yeah...Takemi would definitely care, though. She puts up a front, but she's considerate underneath."
"Oh, yeah, sure, she's real considerate when she knocks you out with untested drugs."
"I'm pretty sure the first few times she does it each Loop, it's just a bitter sleeping drug," Akira explained. He'd realized a lot of little things about his Confidants over the years, and it was sort of rewarding to get to explain them to other people. "I don't think she actually starts testing her real stuff until later on—"
"Ugh!" Morgana interrupted them, voice echoing through the van. "Ptooey! I just got a pixie wing stuck in my grill! Joker, pay more attention to where we're going!"
"That was on purpose, though," Joker smirked.
"Well, maybe don't do it on purpose then!"
"Okay, but wait—where are we going?" Ryuji asked. "I get the idea behind it, but where do we need to go to do it?"
Now Akira's smirk stretched into a full-blown grin. "Somewhere it'll make the most impact."
…
"What in the world...?"
"Is it a new movie?"
"These weren't here an hour ago, I'm telling you!"
"There aren't any words on them, though..."
The three Awake Phantom Thieves watched the growing crowd gather around Shinjuku Station from a safe vantage point—namely, beneath Akira's invisibility cloak. He hadn't actually met any of the Hogwarts Loopers yet, but Yu had given him a spare he'd picked up from Harry a while back.
"Woof, I'm beat," Ryuji muttered. "Puttin' up hundreds of flyers isn't the same kind of endurance test as a long run, y'know? It's more of an arm workout, for one thing."
Akira agreed with him whole-heartedly—his arms ached—but he had an image to uphold, so instead of saying so he just smiled confidently. "But it's paying off."
"Oh, definitely," Morgana agreed. "Millions of commuters come through Shinjuku Station every day, and as long as we keep putting them up for a week or so the idea will sink into the public consciousness for sure!"
Akira glanced over the closest cluster of posters again, each with an identical image of a massive buffet laid out in the middle of the station—
…
—and a few weeks later, with a few reapplications of the flyers, the Thieves found it waiting for them in Mementos' Shinjuku.
"This is almost better than a Treasure!" Morgana exclaimed. He practically leapt, oversized head first, into a massive platter of tuna.
"It sure beats the buffet at the Wilton, that's for sure." Ryuji had already half-laden his own plate with fresh okonomiyaki and taiyaki. "No snobbish adults around, and we picked out all the food here!"
"Mission accomplished, boys," Akira crowed.
"I dunno that I'd want to do it again, though," Ryuji admitted around a bite of fried fish. "It was a lotta time and effort, and couldn't we just buy all this food like normal people, with all of our saved-up money?"
"For sure, but this way's funnier 'cause it's gonna leave Akechi scratching his head for weeks."
"Y'know, that's an excellent point."
[Persona 5]
Call Back – Ann's Awakening
Author: Venku
Being a biracial child in a foreign country is not an easy task. Ann Takamaki knew this first hand. While her skin color, blonde hair and model body would have her stand out in any crowd, she especially stood out in a land where ninety percent of the populace had variation of jet black hair. She knew this, however it still made things difficult in the long run.
As a result of being bullied and ostracized, Ann did not open up or make friends easy. Though her parents were quite wealthy, and she had access to whatever materialistic things she wanted, people as they were wont to do would spread rumors. This led to situations where she would be the brunt of the joke. Ostracized over things she had no control over.
Starting Shujin Academy, Ann was only able to make one friend. Even as Shiho Suzui told her that her paintings suck, they quickly bonded over being outcasts in a school set on tormenting them both. Both girls quickly found a kindred spirit in each other, and while others accused their relationship of being romantic, it was more than that. Anne found someone who treated her as a friend, and just liked her for her. Besides, one can love a friend without having it turn romantic, right?
Unfortunately, as people age, their bodies begin to change. Hormones, and the genetic lottery of their parents, begin to become apparent. While a trying time already, when your school is under the grips of someone who was an Olympian and his needs 'catered' to, life could and would be even harder.
Suguru Kamoshida, the volleyball coach of Shujin High, was one such person whom the spirit of hubris took root and flourished. A former professional athlete who was hired to coach the volleyball program, Kamoshida viewed the school as his own private grounds. Male students were brutalized at his hands while female students had "options" if he expressed interest.
Shiho was one such student whom Kamoshida focused his unnatural desires on. When Anne found out about this, she did everything within her power to try to deflect his attention. Fully aware that her reputation at the school suffered, she was more focused on protecting someone she cared about versus any damage to herself. However, even with noble intent, tragedy would sometimes strike.
…
What would be the cause of the tragedy would be Kamoshida's predatory advances. His lustful gaze already on poor Shiho, he had managed to place Ann in a Hobson's Choice: either sleep with him, thus tarnishing her reputation even further, or he would continue to pursue Shiho. For a good while she kept him at bay until one day when she rebuffed him. Either by wounded pride or by nothing more than his base nature, Kamoshida turned his gaze back to Shiho.
The next day, burdened by guilt as well as what happened to her, Shiho tried to take matters into her own hands. By fate or fortune, her attempt failed, and she was escorted to the hospital. Before she left, she had managed to divulge enough information that Ann was able to piece together the culprit. Enraged, her new focus was on bringing Kamoshida down. He would pay!
She had managed, later on the school day, to overhear a fateful conversation. Her old friend Ryuji Sakamoto, as well as the new transfer Akira Kurusu, were discussing 'exposing' Kamoshida. Interested, as their goals aligned with hers, she attempted to find out more information, and wound up being harshly rebuffed by Ryuji. Not letting their words deter her, she vowed to shadow them to see what was going on.
It was due to the shadowing of Ryuji and Akira that Ann was first introduced to the Metaverse. Curious as to why they would disappear down a side alley, she picked up speed to keep them in her sights. This would have the side effect of allowing Ann to travel when Ryuji and Akira, or Joker and Skull, used their navigational app on their phones to open a path to Kamoshida's palace.
Upon discovery, and the shock of seeing the two men in their outfits, Ann would later admit to being confused by everything. When Ryuji shoved her out of the way and 'out of danger' as he put it, she stumbled back to the alley, allegedly safe from the Metaverse. What neither party knew was that the same app on Ryuji and Akira's phone had appeared on Ann's. Throwing caution to the wind, she had touched the app and 'entered' by repeating the same words that she had overheard.
The one thing she had not grasped was that Ryuji and Akira were prepared for this strange castle, while she was not. She would be later cornered by a contingent of men in knightly armor, and 'escorted' for her own safety. Though she was confused as to why they kept on referring to her as 'Princess'.
She would later find herself on a St. Andrew's Cross, being harshly interrogated by Kamoshida, who chose to dress in a crown, robes and too tight underwear. Next to him was the strangest thing, a copy of herself wearing cat ears and a revealing two piece. Kamoshida was confirming what her darkest fears were, that what happened to Shiho 'was' her fault. The shame, and the guilt, were crashing down on Ann.
The timely intervention of Ryuji and Akira broke through the fog of guilt and shame. While Kamoshida and his knights were promising to end them, Akira's choice words about just why she was following them had resonated within Ann. Rising, rebelling, and screaming in pain and rage, she had heard a voice promise to give her 'power' to avenge her friend if she would but take it. Ann's only response?
"Come, Carmen!"
The arrival of that promised power helped Ann to break free of her bonds. Her 'Proof of Rebellion', her Persona, allowed for her to subdue and eliminate the carbon copy as well as to support the others in defeating the knights present.
After obtaining the required information of what was happening from Ryuji, Akira and the cat Morgana respectively, Ann joined the others in their attempt to change Kamoshida's heart. Dealing with the monstrosity when confronted with his actions, the four of them were successful in 'stealing' the symbol of his arrogance. When faced with the option of killing Kamoshida as she had suffered the most out of those present, Ann instead opted to let him live. Though it was the right thing to do, her reason was not pure. She would much rather he live with the shame and embarrassment of what he did.
…
Recovering, enjoying the fruits of their labors, the now four friends enjoyed a hearty feast at the Wilton Hotel. There they had determined to continue with their crusade, to change the corrupted hearts and minds of the adults around them. With her past of being the social outcast, Ann was able to insist on a few things if they required or wished her help. Primarily: Targets must be unanimous, and regardless of the side effects, helping people would be their priority. They also chose a name for themselves: the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, or Phantom Thieves.
This would continue as their party grew. From Yusuke Kitagawa, the esoteric artist, to Makoto Nijima, the Student Council President who lived under an enormous shadow, Ann did her best to make the others feel welcome to the group, and continued as the 'voice of reason'. Later, with the addition of Futaba Sakura and Haru Okumura, Ann continued to be the 'Conscious' of the group as Makoto took up the reins as second in command and the voice of reason.
As in all groups, there would be ups and downs. The stopping of the 'Alibaba' hackers was met with the disaster of the CEO of Okumura Food's death. As the horrific fate claimed Kunikazu Okumura's life, the trust in the Phantom Thieves dwindled. This harsh public backlash as well as the gruesome fate of Haru's father forced each Thief to evaluate why they were participating in 'changing' the corrupt adult's hearts. For Ann it was simple. Strength for those who counted on her like Shiho, and for those whom she cared for, like Akira. Whether or not he felt the same way was his choice.
With each finding their own reason, the members resolved to see this through to the end. Even with the addition of Goro Akechi, who did not endear himself to the others, the Phantom Thieves did their best to change and steal the corrupted desires of shared targets. From Makoto's sister Sae Nijima, to the ringleader of the whole plot, Masayoshi Shido, the Phantom Thieves struck. As reality shifted and the False God Yaldabaoth attempted to impose his will on Tokyo, Ann was with her friends right unto the bitter end. She was one of those who stood in amazement as Akira summoned Sataniel, the ultimate personification of Rebellion, and cheered with the others as Yaldabaoth was defeated.
As with any major incident, there would be the 'aftereffects' to resolve. Akira, per the reformed Sae Nijima's summarization of facts, would have to return to jail so that the surviving members of the conspiracy would not target her or her friends. While she wanted to punch him for being so self-sacrificing, she joined the other Phantom Thieves and others to get Akira's case overturned.
Happily, Akira's charges were dismissed and she was with the others to celebrate upon his release. And when Akira had to return, she joined the other surviving Phantom Thieves in an impromptu road trip.
Thus was the life of Ann Takamaki and how her life was changed. She went to bed one night, exhausted but happy with the changes which had happened.
…
Funny thing about time being broken. Sometimes when you least expect it, you would discover that you get to relive what you'd rather not.
Instead of it being 2017, Ann woke back up in her parent's home. A quick glance of the phone showed that it was April, 2016.
"What in the world?" the young woman, Panther of the Phantom Thieves, muttered, as she looked at her phone. She scrolled through some things, like the photos and other memories she took during her time. Nothing was there. Not even the MetaNav app.
Concerned and wondering what was going on, the woman arose. As she got dressed one thing went through her mind. If things were as they appeared, she would stop Kamoshida and protect Shiho!
She raced out the door on her way to school, a plan already in motion.
…
Just as Ann thought, time had reset itself. Whatever God or Devil did this, she was offering silent thanks as she'd be able to right a few wrongs.
"Hi Ryuji!" she called out, having seen him run past her.
"Ann. Sorry can't talk running late!" Ryuji replied in a bit of a rush.
Sighing happily to herself as she continued, she paused to pick up a crepe from one of the local vendors. As she was doing this, a slick sports car drove up and the driver rolled down the window.
"Offer you a ride?" the voice, which made her spine stiffen, asked. She slowly turned around to see Kamoshida there, the same perverted leer on his face.
"Get lost, you creep!" she snapped as she continued walking. Doing her best to ignore his taunts and his leers, Ann continued with the rebuffing of Kamoshida's advances. Enraged, he shouted "You'll regret this" before rolling down the window and speeding off. This only seemed to steel Ann's resolve as she narrowed her eyes.
The one thing neither side noted during all of this? Akira Kurusu, with a cocked brow born of several decades of pattern recognition. With the odd exchange noted, he silently vowed to keep a sharp eye on the situation.
…
The urge to protect what one cares for is rather strong, especially armed with prior knowledge. While Ann was aware that Kamoshida needed to live to suffer, she wasn't going to let her friend get injured. Not on her watch.
Silently contemplating her next step while at lunch, she didn't notice the approach of Ryuji and Akira. Not until they sat right next to her.
"Ryuji! What..?" she asked in confusion.
Surprisingly it was the other boy who spoke. "I've..got a question" Akira replied as he pulled a can of Manta out of his bag and gave it to Ryuji. Ann declined a can herself while motioning for him to go on.
"Have you noted..strange situations going on?"
The melon bread dropped into its pan as Ann stared at Akira. "You mean you know what's going on?" she whispered in amazement.
"It's..complicated really. Tell me. What do you know of Norse Mythology, especially the World Tree…."
…
The conversation had to be spaced throughout the school day, and later resolved itself on top of the roof while sharing takeout. "You mean to tell me that our reality is a part of a cosmic computer program, and some jerk caused it to break?" Ann asked in confusion.
"Pretty much" Ryuji confirmed as he split a part of his burger with the cat which was in Akira's bag. After confirming that it was indeed Morgana, Ann cuddled the heck out of that cat, causing the cat to be flustered much to Akira's amusement.
"That's.." Ann was at a loss for words.
"Yeah that's messed up, right." Ryuji confirmed. "But..think about it like this. If we're awake and all that jazz we can stop some of the major problems."
"Like Shiho!" Ann gasped in understanding.
Akira nodded his head. "That's right. Sojiro, or Boss, the guy who runs Leblanc?" As Ann nodded her head in understanding, remembering Akira's temporary guardian, Akira spoke. "He's Awake this go round and agreed to take in Shiho for a few days. Futaba and Shiho are bonding over Featherman episodes."
Although her eyes shone with unshed tears, grateful that Shiho was safe, Ann paused for a moment. "Is..Futaba..?"
"Nah, not yet." Ryuji commented. He snapped his fingertips together before he turned to Akira and Morgana. "Hey! Let's go ahead and take care of Kamoshida!" he proposed. "And then Akira can show you tricks you need to learn, and have you meet one other person. Our Anchor." With the nonverbal agreement from Akira and Morgana, Ryuji turned his head to Ann. "Yo. You in?"
Ann smiled as she nodded her head. There was really one thing to say. "Ok."