#🌸 ~ persona 5 verse ~ 🌸

[sylviareviar]

For anyone curious about Sylvia as Star, the Phantom Thief...

Here's her in a Persona 5 Tactica art style. I made this when Tactica had just come out and I was in love with the art style then.

I also have her as normal in Tactica style, too. And yes, these were done entirely by me.

[sylviareviar]

Five of Cups Upright - Regret, Pessimism, and Failure

This just wasn't her day. Getting injured in PE, embarrassing herself in front of classmates, forgetting assignments... It wasn't like her to forget assignments. She always, always made sure to be as careful and punctual as she could. It was a miracle no one looked down on her for what she did.

It wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything, but every little inconvenience came closer and closer to setting off her waterworks. She grew more and more frustrated, especially with herself. Her failure was what caused this.

While she struggled to comfort herself, surrounded by people in Shibuya, she was surprised to find a familiar face among the crowd. Teddie seemed rather jolly today. Perhaps it was a bit selfish, but she was too stressed to care right now, and immediately made a beeline for him.

"Teddie! Teddie!" she called. The moment the bear turned around, she enveloped him in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're here... I really needed this..."

send me  ‘🃏 !’  and i’ll write you a starter using a tarot card as the inspiration !

can either be pulled from a physical deck, or be randomised using a website. the reading of the card can be as literal or as interpretative as the mun chooses.

[sylviareviar]

[[via @shockingxpicaresque]] Rosie, why are there stories online about the Kid and Sweetheart doing the do??? ((Referring to Goro and Akiren))

"Stories about Ren-Ren and Akechi-san?" Sylvia asked, tilting her head. "Doing the... 'do'? Why would people write stories about teenage kids? I know they're older than me, but isn't that weird? Maybe you should stay off the Internet, Pikachu..."

Then she paused and thought about it.

"Unless... you mean stories of Joker and Crow. In which case, yeah, I, um... unfortunately could see it. People love a good enemies-to-lovers. And, uh, I speak as people. I also love enemies-to-lovers, when it's done right. People love the tension, the heart-racing, and especially the opposing dynamic. Dark versus light, good versus evil, friend versus foe, prince versus thief... The appeal of opposites attracting is pretty strong. I think it's because people like the idea of two characters who are so different, yet destined to fall in love anyway. Honestly, it's not a bad thing. With how dark the world can get, searching for love is a pretty common escape. And for some, who struggle with loving mentally, I guess they prefer the physical parts of it more. I couldn't imagine that, though... I mean, I could, but I don't want to."

"Ren-Ren is my friend. I'll support him in whatever decision he makes. As for Akechi-san... I'd like to help save him. I might not be a Phantom Thief, but I'd at least like to consider myself their ally. I'm not comfortable yet with rebelling against society, since I don't know what I'm rebelling against or what I stand for. The Phantom Thieves seem so sure of themselves... I'm jealous of that, and I know it couldn't have been easy for them to get there. So it's about time I put in the work, too. Then, maybe, when I'm strong enough, I could join them with real purpose this time, rather than blindly following along for no reason other than joining the bandwagon."

[sylviareviar]

"I think it's broken." (yusuke casually mentions his arm's broken)

"What?! We have to go to a hospital! This is really serious, Senpai!" Sylvia approached him with worry in her eyes, frantically examining his arm. Yusuke had taken off his blazer for her to get a better look. Knowing him, he probably got it fighting on the street or something-- though she didn't know much about Yusuke's lifestyle to know if that was actually true or if those were just rumors.

Gingerly, she attempted to touch the arm, running her fingers as gently as she could down the swollen part of his forearm. It looked... horrible. The skin was bruised and blue, and from the looks of it, he may not be able to use his arm for a little while. Just imagining the kind of pain he must've been in physically hurt her. There must've been stinging from the mere contact of her fingers, sharp stabbing pains from wherever the bone was broken... It must've been difficult to use his fingers, or even move it. If she had been in his position, she'd have been sobbing from the pain. But here Yusuke was, just playing it cool, pretending it was nothing.

Her heart ached. Her mind filled with the pain that must've been flooding Yusuke and she found herself twisting away in agony, avoiding looking at him. There was work that needed to be done.

"Let's go. You can walk, right? We're not calling an ambulance." Lord knows ambulances were too expensive, anyway. She threw her purse over her shoulder and stormed off. Dammit, now that she'd imagined it, it was hard to get that pain out of her head.

[sylviareviar]

"Hey Princess...what's a Hannukah?"

"You don't know what Hanukkah is?" she asked, surprised. "I wonder if they don't teach about Hanukkah here..." She wasn't judging by any means. If Yusuke was asking because he didn't know, then all she had to do was explain.

"Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that goes by its own calendar. Usually it lands somewhere in December, but there are times that it'll last until January, or even start in late November. Since the holiday was coming up, I did some research to reaffirm why we celebrate."

"I'm not the best at reciting history, but from what I understand, there was a long war against the Jewish trying to convert them from their religion, and they ended up winning. As a result of the war, they needed to cleanse the temple and repair their homes. They needed oil to burn and cleanse the temple, but they only had enough to last a day. However, miraculously, that oil burned for eight days, which bought them ample time to find and gather more. According to Britannica, it was the only oil that wasn't desecrated by their enemies. The Jewish people considered the miracle of the oil to be an act of God and now, we celebrate with setting up a menorah on the proper day."

"A menorah has nine candle holders, all neatly in a row. The center one, we call the Shamash, and we use it to light the other candles. On every consecutive day, you light that many candles. So on the first day, you light one candle and the Shamash, then on the second day you bring that up to two, then three, and so on. This goes on for eight days. Today, people celebrate by playing dreidel, which is like this gambling game for chocolate coins called gelt. People also hold banquets, celebrate at their respective synagogues, and spend time with their family. Like, Challah bread, for example, is a staple of this time of year."

"Honestly, though, I don't celebrate because of my religion or anything. I'm not the type to even admit God exists. I just do it because my family does it, and I enjoy spending time with them. It's less a religious tradition for me and more a family one. But because I've spent my whole life celebrating Hanukkah, I'm a little uncomfortable celebrating Christmas. Which is weird, considering I have very similar traditions as Christmas, but just push them to New Year's instead because of my Russian heritage."

[sylviareviar]

"Sorry...!" Sylvia whimpered, ducking her head down in embarrassment at Yusuke's comment. She suddenly felt sheepish and ashamed for judging it so harshly.

As an apology, she left a hefty tip for the employees. It wasn't required in Japan, unlike in America, but she felt especially bad about dissing the food when she was just here to play games and have some fun, and the employees ahd no fault in this. Even Japan had its bad foods sometimes, and that was okay.

The rest of the day flew by them. Yusuke made certain to make good on his promise to wink now and again and force a compliment from her because of the wager they made, but she didn't really mind. After a little while, she got accustomed to her senpai joking around.

They left the arcade around the time the sun was setting, so Sylvia had to be quick with her errands, but she hadn't wanted to let him go just yet. Yusuke stayed with her even as she boarded a train to Jinbocho, and walked her all the way to the dorm building she was staying in. Naturally, he wasn't surprised to find out she was staying in the "Nerdy District".

When they reached the building, Sylvia pulled a card out of her wallet and used it to open the door to the lobby. Yusuke was looking up at the building, seemingly a little impressed.

"It's a pretty old building, and the dorm rooms are kinda tiny. But I don't mind; they're cozy, and the landlady is really nice to me. She notices I don't always have breakfast, so she makes me omurice. It's really good."

She pushed the door open, though it took a bit of force from her because of how heavy it was, then turned to Yusuke with a cheerful grin and a happy wave.

"I had a lot of fun today, Senpai! Thank you!" she beamed. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. I can't wait to hang out again!"

It was ‘clear’ some of the workers within the dining area, whether they were cleaning tables or sweeping the floor they could hear her comments over the insistent beeping and whatnot coming from downstairs. While they couldn’t exactly DISAGREE with her, it still stung them just a little bit as some of them thought perhaps they’ve made the whole pizza experience that much better, but she wasn’t wrong about the crust in any way, flakey is definitely the word to describe it.

━━   ❝   𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧' '𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐡.   ❞  Yusuke’s words left him happily in fact. But he could eat this pizza much easier because of his own upbringing, hell sometimes he’d even have to eat cold ramen, dry ramen for that matter when he was MUCH YOUNGER during one of his mother’s more busier hours. “Ya know, I didn’t mind payin’ for ya either. Also, one day ya gotta tell me about this Chicago Pizza, cause I think I can make it jus’ as good as they could.” Confident in his statement as he leaves his seat.

From here, it was just the walk home and Yusuke had no problems escorting her. Considering she IS FROM OUT OF TOWN it’d probably be much safer considering how people got with tourists after the sun’s setting or down. Around Yusuke, she wouldn’t have to deal with any stalker, any creep wanting to ask her anything because they simply feared Yusuke would ATTACK THEM UNPROVOKED. It was somethin’ of a rumor going on about him in both his new school life and old street life.

“H’alright with your guidance I’m guessin’ this is where you’re stayin’. Not bad, I’m stayin’ in a little apartment complex back in Yongen. Really haven’t seen this side of town in awhile really. But hey, hope ya had fun today with the school’s delinquent, I’ll definitely see at school tomorrow cause..ya know I owe you a lunch.” But she shouldn’t count on seeing him the day after that..or the one AFTER THAT.

[sylviareviar]

"Tonight's the first night of Hanukkah! I'm no baker, so I don't know how to make challah bread, but I do have a menorah I brought with me and these candles. Here's to our survival!"

[sylviareviar]

[flirts with her openly] "I owe ya one." He spoke showing her the results of his test. Something he would have probably gotten an even LOWER score on but thanks to her tutoring he at the very least manages an average passing score which showed that he wasn't much empty-headed as the teachers would like him to believe but he simply needed an instructor to understand the way he absorbs academic information. "How about as thanks-" Yusuke leans over to her, his cocky smirk apparent on his face whilst leaning a hand against the locker's surface. "I take ya out on a date."

"Lemme see it lemme see it-- YES! Oh, congratulations, Yusuke! I'm so proud of y--" A hand landed on the locker beside her, and suddenly Yusuke was leaning close to her. His face was a respectful distance away, but Yusuke's shoulder was close to hers, and Sylvia had a clear view of his chest and neck. He wasn't leaning too far in, but he had poked his hand through the bubble that was her personal space, He had a sly grin on his lips, a cocky gait, and he perhaps even looked a little happy about his higher grade.

Sylvia glanced up at him, thoroughly flustered and red-faced. "I-- I-- um. A d-d-d-date...? W-with me?"

[sylviareviar]

@phantomuheist - Long Time No See

"Oh, I couldn't trouble you. I appreciate it, but--"

She paused, stopping herself from finishing her sentence, because it wasn't the truth. As much as humility was appreciated in Japan, Akira was different. He never expected her to put on a face, or to adhere to subtle rules she never knew existed.

Akira was kind and understanding; that was what she admired the most about him. She appreciated his empathy, and so for once, rather than pushing him away, she decided it would probably be best to take him up on his offer.

"Um... Actually, I'm not going home just yet, but... I'd still like your company, if that's okay with you. Could we maybe go to the park in Inokashira? It's so peaceful there, and... I'd like to chat a bit more."

[sylviareviar]

"Hm? Oh-- No, no no no, i-it's nothing! Promise! I..." She hesitated, looking down and blushing. "Um, I-I was just... s-staring..." She hadn't expected to be so close on the train, but perhaps she should have. It was sort of rush hour, after all. When the train made one of its stops, people stepped off, thankfully allowing her and Ryuji some space to breathe. She turned away, still blushing. It wasn't exactly a huge deal, since Ryuji was well aware she liked him, but for some reason, she still felt shy.

When they were given that space and Sylvia pulled away just slightly, she did so reluctantly, already missing his warmth. It felt nice to just be close like they were. She could even hear his heartbeat before. Ryuji was warm and safe, and she liked it. But she also wanted to be conscious of proper manners in public. Unlike the United States, Japan was a lot more judgmental of what people did in public, since it was a shared space. Rightfully so, honestly.

Even still, that sense of longing remained. She fidgeted nervously, waiting for the train to announce its arrival to Shibuya.

"Oi, I'm coming already, Sylvia....!" He holds up his hands, never thinking that someone would be able to match him in terms of both eagerness and impatience but it seemed as though Sylvia had him beat right now.

As they boarded the train, he kept his hand tightly holding Sylvia's as he allowed her to lead the way, pushing past the crowds of people trying to find their seats and as they stood so close together, he tried not to get too flustered knowing their close proximity was only because of the amount of people on the train.

Whilst Sylvia seemed preoccupied in her own excitement and humming some tune, he decided to reach for his phone and distract himself by scrolling through reels and pictures - even firing off a few texts letting friends know where he currently was - once or twice the thought did cross his mind to ask Sylvia for a selfie together but given how packed the train was, that probably wasn't the best idea just now.

Lowering his phone, he tilted his head to the side as Sylvia seemed to be staring at him really intently and he couldn't help but feel a little self conscious wondering if he'd forgotten to wash his face that morning or something. Was there something weird about his appearance...? Surely, Sylvia would have said so - but then again, Sylvia was a nice person maybe she wouldn't. He tried to bite down on his lower lip and ignore it but after several seconds of this, he shifted and asked with some apprehension.

"Is there something on my face...?"

[sylviareviar]

Graveyard Rumors - @electricea

"Supposedly, the ghost that haunts Shujin's halls at night rests here, and becomes visible on foggy nights in October," Sylvia explained, lifting her flashlight to get a better view. The light reflected from the wispy clouds surrounding the dark graveyard, leaving a somber and eerie mood. "I say it's probably just someone visiting their loved one, but they can never be sure. The teachers got worried these rumors would scare other students or distract them from their classes, so they asked student council to look into it. Buuuut, then student council didn't want to, so I volunteered instead."

It seemed like a silly rumor, but the area was located near Aoyama-Itchome, which made a lot of people nervous with the upcoming spooky season. Sylvia was never a fan of Halloween because she got easily frightened by jump-scares from Halloween decorations, so thankfully, this Halloween was rather tame in comparison. Being in Japan, after all, it seemed the holiday wasn't celebrated nearly as fervently as in the United States, something she was actually grateful for.

Still, it seemed the Halloween spirit persisted in other ways, and even Ryuji, whom she had thought would have been a bit braver than her, seemed nervous.

She turned to him with a gentle smile.

"It's okay if you're scared, Ryucchan. You can hold my hand; I don't mind. Just remember, there are no ghosts." Despite what she said, a heavy weight pressed down on her conscience. Sneaking into a hallowed ground in the middle of the night wasn't exactly honorable. Or legal. But the school asked her to do it, so she had no choice. She prayed that if any spirits really did exist in this area, they would forgive her, and did her best to move as respectfully as possible.

[sylviareviar]

How well do you know Persona!Sylvia?

I've changed the quiz everyone! Be forewarned, it's kinda dark at times because I sometimes reference Sylvia's Palace. Some of the questions are easy, some are hard. Let's see if you know them all!

[sylviareviar]

"Ah... Y-y'think? Still, 8 out of 10 is only a B. I wish I'd gotten an A on that quiz... Maybe it's because it's only been a few months...?"

"Although, I guess you could spin that monkey comment around another way. When I was little, Papa used to call me a little monkey sometimes, and I remember I didn't like it either. But then he explained to me it was just because I was so active and loved to climb on stuff. I could've been an acrobat if I'd kept at it, but then I started getting self-conscious and stopped. Come to think of it, I miss climbing. Maybe we should find someplace to just... climb trees or something, just for fun. The weather's been pretty forgiving lately."

[sylviareviar]

She was surprised for a second when Aaron called attention to her concern, but her gaze softened when she thought about it, and she shook her head. "(It's... It's okay,)" she decided. "(My brother is my concern, and he's not alone at home. He's got people who can help him. We... have our own things to attend to, anyway.)"

Then she paused and sighed. "(Although, I will give him a stern text about flirting with my friends. He's only doing this because he knows--)" Then she cut herself off and shook her head. "(Ugh. Honestly...)" This wasn't exactly Aaron's problem, so she didn't want to trouble him with it. And though she knew Jack wasn't being serious, she didn't want his joke to negatively affect her relationship with her new (and currently only) friend in Japan.

She sighed and leaned back in her seat, stretching. "(Jack's... a lot, for anyone who doesn't know him. He loves playing pranks and saying out-of-pocket things because he thinks it's funny. But don't let his act deceive you-- he's a total Robin Hood. He does stupid things for the funny, but he's actually got a strong sense of justice. He'd jump to my defense if it looked like I was getting bullied, even if it meant he'd hurt someone else or get in trouble for it. He's the kind of guy that, he doesn't actively seek out trouble, but has no problem causing it in retaliation. Out of the three of us, he's probably the strongest sibling-- comes with being the eldest, I guess. And... since he's the one who protects us the most, he's... probably the one who's been the most hurt in our family.)

"(I... I really miss him. I know I haven't been gone long, but... I'm not without my siblings for very long. This is the first time I've gone somewhere completely by myself...)"

He... did not know how to feel about that last minute flirtation. Sure, he didn't roll that way, and even if he had, he was pretty sure he only did that to get a reaction out of Sylvia.

But still, it definitely caught him off guard, and his brain struggled to process what had just occurred for the next minute or two.

"(He's... certainly a character, I'll give him that-)"

He did pause for a moment at the mention of inner demons. He could relate to that, in multiple levels besides the obvious. Though it did make him wonder just what had happened to them to cause this, especially with the way Sylvia seemed to reflect on it after the call had ended. You didn't have to be an Ace Detective to know that there was some trauma at the root of all of it.

The real question was... What could he do about it? Should he even do anything? Most people would just let it be, but... if there was any way he could provide even the smallest bit of comfort, he had to find it. That's just who he was.

The trick was figuring out how, without stepping too far out of line.

"A-ah, right. That's probably a good idea-"

They really should get back to their tutoring session, but... there was an opportunity here.

"Though, uh- (are you sure you don't need a break after all that? You seemed a bit worried about it, and it might be a bit too much to just jump back into things without taking some process.)"

"(I know we're not all that close, but we can talk about it if that'd help. Or just... talk about something else if it'd help you get your mind off it. Your call.)"

[sylviareviar]

"Mngh. Who called Ryuji a monkey. How dare they. Ryuji is a sunflower and a golden retriever. Anyone who says otherwise can fight me on it."

She's also furiously creating several reminders that Ryuji's birthday is not, in fact, in August, but July, and she feels like a horrible person for not knowing this.

[sylviareviar]

It's one of those days... In the real world, Sylvia is curled up in a ball at home, having called in sick from school. In the Church of Terror, Sylvia's Shadow is missing her right hand.

She has lost her motivation to draw or write anything anymore.