#or if you shoot another persona user with an evoker: like this

[shephar]

It came to me in a vision (hah).

Furina (Genshin Impact, what else did you expect at this point) x Persona 3 (Reload, specifically).

It's under the cut, seriously what do you expect. Spoilers for P5's Black Mask, and P3 in general, and the end of P2

Warnings: Canon-typical suicidal imagery, death, the everlooming concept of death being inevitable and unstoppable even with supercool magic powers : )

"Come! Typhon!"

Furina's a special case in terms of Persona Users, she's much like the Black Mask in that she has two Personae, except she's not a Wild Card, Furina's just fucked up.

Her main, damage dealing Persona is Oceanus, the Greek Titan of Seas(hah) and Waters. This form mainly uses Aquas*, Mudo/Ei, and Buff skills. Oceanus favors Attack and Speed.

Her secondary, support Persona is Poseidon, the Greek god of the Sea. This one uses Aquas*, Hama/Kou, and healing skills. Poseidon favors Defense and SP, having higher HP and SP stats than Oceanus.

*Aquas is actually a damage type from the Persona 1 and 2 games, which was later taken out for reasons I didn't know.

Side note, the Bless and Curse skills are blatantly just in reference to the Ousia and Pneuma blocks in Fontaine.

"Well, I'm going to die anyway, so why not join SEES?"

Furina, because I hate myself, is basically just dying throughout the story of P3. In the story it's theorized that it's because she has the two Personae and that normal, non-Wild Cards normally aren't able to handle more than one Persona at a time*.

However, that's completely incorrect the player will learn during her S.Link, she has two Personae because she's just fucked up and possibly because she's dying**.

*I HC this came to be because of the world split after P2 and thus the people in general left their original souls behind, only leaving with unknowingly a fragment of themselves after the Split.

**I've thought about what would happen if a P3 Persona User was literally just dying, completely unrelated to their Persona, and I've thought that they just get stronger, in this AU it may or may not have affected her ability to summon two Personae.

Or, maybe, the knowledge that even if shooting herself with the Evoker doesn't kill her, she will die due to whatever illness she has anyway. Who knows : ).

"Furina, a third year at Gekkoukan High, suffers from an unknown illness."

Her ultimate Persona is Odysseus. I was going to do Focalors but that's obvious so I didn't. Odysseus, instead of having Bless or Curse skills, has stronger Buff and Healing skills, like P5R's Neo Cadenza but it also heals 15 SP.

Odysseus has a high SP stat but lacks HP, instead favoring hitting incredibly hard with Aquas skills and making sure not to die with their Dia skills.

"Things are getting interesting! Let the show go on!"

Her Arcana is The Actor, which is much like the Jester in P4 in that it's another name for the Fool, in this AU, at least. Or the Star, depending on which you like more.

Her Tarot card is meant literally in that she's putting on an act of being happy all the time, because, you know, she's dying and fighting literal monsters from hell itself.

She's putting on a Persona, you could say. I'll see myself out-

"So what! If the world ends either way, I'm going out fighting. I won't keel over like an animal!"

When the Choice during Christmas comes around, she's very vocal and ready to fight Nyx even before anyone else gets the chance to contemplate it. She's been fighting for a happy ending her entire life, so of course she's going to fight even when it's hopeless.

If the player chooses to kill Ryoji, even after she loses her memory the S.Link will be permanently reversed unless you reload (hah) or do NG+

To her, not putting up a fight when both outcomes are equally terrible makes not a lick of sense.

"Truthfully, I thought Nyx would be... A lot scarier?"

Choosing to fight Nyx Avatar is how her Persona is evolved, her will to fight is fully realized.

"I feel a little stronger, but I think it's the adrenaline talking?"

The Ultimate Persona of the Actor Arcana is Focalors.

"It's strange, it feels like this year flew by. What... What did I do this year, anyway?"

She doesn't remember the Dark Hour immediately, however she remembers quicker than most. This is because she is Just Like That, AKA her natural affinity for both Curse and Bless/Light and Dark elements and her dual Persona is what makes her just a little less susceptible to her mind being messed with than the others.

She remembers after the P3 Protagonist, but a day or two before the other party members, basically.

"Close your eyes, we'll be here when you wake up."

Extras:

She is banned from the kitchen.

Her S.Link is night time only, and it's unlockable fairly quickly, not requiring any Social Stats, even raising the players Social Stats so they're optimal playthrough for Orpheus Telos isn't interrupted.

If her S.Link is done before completing Akinari's, they have an interaction where they chat about dying at a young age. Teehee.

She dies like a week after the Protagonist.

This took six hours since I'm working and easily distracted.

[katsona-the-katsequel]

P3 Q&A (Part 2)

Igor (from now on "🔵"): Well then, from here on, I'll be joining you as Igor, the owner of the Velvet Room.

Elizabeth (from now on "🦋"): I'm Elizabeth, the shadow owner of the Velvet Room, also known as the Elevator Girl, who always says "We're coming up."

🔵: After all, when it comes to explaining Persona, I guess it's our turn to do so.

🦋: I'm a grown man who stays holed up in the Velvet Room, so I hope I can be of some help.

🔵: Huh, Elizabeth?

🦋: My apologies. Just like Ikutsuki-sama and Aigis-sama, I am also a different existence from the main story. Please forgive any rude or inappropriate remarks.

🔵: Well, that's fine for now. Now, let us hear the voices of those who are lost.

Q. What exactly are Persona abilities?

🔵: Hmm. That's a question that could be considered the most basic of basics. As has already been explained, only those who face the death within themselves and try to use it to their advantage can adapt to the Dark Hour. And there are very few people who can wield that latent power that lies within themselves at will. These are people commonly known as Persona Users, and that latent power is what we call the Persona ability.

🦋: But what is it about a Persona that takes on the form of a god or a devil?

🔵: Well, you could say it's to control and use the power correctly. By giving a name and a form to what is essentially a vague power that exists in the chaotic unconscious, it becomes a power that can be used at the will of the Persona User. In that case, the power becomes more stable if it takes the form of a god or demon that already exists in legend or folklore.

Sometimes, the Persona is influenced by the inner thoughts of the person who has the ability, and takes on a form that suits each person. That is also what it means when we say that the Persona is "another version of yourself."

Q. What is the principle behind Persona summoning?

🦋: In the main story, all of the Persona Users use gun-shaped summoners.

🔵: Yes. Most of the other Persona Users I know summon theirs without relying on such devices, but that doesn't mean that the SEES members are inferior.

🦋: What do you mean?

🔵: I'm sure that the Persona Users who are active in the main story should be able to summon them on their own. In fact, Koromaru-sama was able to repel shadows even without an Evoker.

🦋: So does that mean the Evoker is a redundant system?

🔵: No, no. I think it's fine to think of it as a device to summon Personas more reliably and stably. So, the principle behind it is...

🦋: Like shooting yourself in the head and expelling the Persona inside your mind like a torpedo?

🔵: Is that a joke? Not at all. To begin with, bullets don't come out of that Evoker. But even if you know that bullets won't come out, putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger is not something you can do easily.

🦋: It certainly seems like a pretty frightening thing to do.

🔵: Yes, fear. That's the key. Feeling the fear of death makes people keenly aware of the unconscious, dark parts of their mind that they normally suppress. And at that moment, a hole is made in the threshold between the mind and the unconscious. Next, invisible "chains" are driven into the repressed interior of the mind, and the Persona lurking there is forcibly salvaged. You can't hear it unless you listen carefully, but that's why there's a very faint "sound of pulling chains" in the sound effect of the Persona summoning scene.

🦋: Holes and chains are pretty vague analogies, but what are the specific principles behind them...?

🔵: In fact, even the Kirijo Group, who developed the Evoker, does not know the most important part of it. It can be said to be the black box of the "Plumes of Dusk". This is a system discovered after trial and error, and only God knows if it will be solved in the future...

🦋: In other words, when I tried adding Plumes, Personas came out nicely. Lucky. What does that mean?

🔵: There's no substance to it.

Q. The Persona ability was given to us by Philemon, but what is the setting this time?

🔵: Although this latest work, "Persona 3," is a series game, it aims to go somewhere different from previous works in various aspects, and it can be said to have reached a wonderful place. The same can be said about this basic setting, and in this game, Persona abilities are awakened by oneself, not given by others. The will to fight against death and desperately try to live is the driving force behind awakening of Persona abilities in this game.

🦋: There seems to be an opinion that the butterfly that appears in the opening scene is Philemon-sama.

🔵: Hmm. The butterfly in the opening scene should be seen as an allegory of the Plumes of Dusk and Papillon Heart that are inside Aigis-sama. But it also symbolizes the golden butterfly that is the incarnation of Philemon-sama.

🦋: After all, Philemon-sama exists in all time and space...

🔵: That's true. Perhaps he was watching over this incident from somewhere. By the way, her strength in Monado led to the theory that Elizabeth was Philemon...

🦋: That's impossible. I can simply summon a slightly stronger Persona.

🔵: It's no wonder everyone gets fed up with the constant barrage of Megidolaon and Diarahan that comes out of "slightly stronger."

Q. The Velvet Room has many doors, but where do they lead?

🦋: Following the toilet is the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room..

🔵: I'm not sure what to say. I wonder what this collection-obsessed girl is lining up.

🦋: But you called yourself the Master of the Velvet Room in order to get the Universe card, didn't you? Besides, I think you'd want at least a toilet.

🔵: Just stop on the floor where the restroom is. Now, as for the doors, it's fair to say that this Velvet Room exists in the minds of those who have the right to enter it. In other words, that doors leads to the hearts of many people. Of course, it is hardly used nowadays, but it once welcomed the hearts of many people.

🦋: If you take a peek every now and then, you'll find something very interesting.

🔵: Hey, stop.

Q. Could you tell us more about Persona's design?

🔵: Let's take a short break here and answer some questions about the background setting. There are new designs by Shigenori Soejima for this work, and designs by Kazuma Kaneko, who has been familiar to us throughout the series...

🦋: So, let's start with the new Persona designed by Soejima.

🔵: The defining feature of Soejima's Personas is their robotic, inorganic design. This is a reflection of the Persona's role as an armor for the soul. It is also interesting that all of the Personas designed by Soejima are wearing masks.

🦋: Speaking of masks, shadows also wear a mask that corresponds to their Arcana, so is there any connection?

🔵: Well, that is nothing short of an eternal mystery, though perhaps it will one day be revealed.

🦋: Since this is something that is usually hidden deep in one's heart, I sincerely hope that the truth isn't that they're is simply shy.

🔵: Also, many of you may have noticed this, but the designs of the Personas possessed by everyone except the protagonist, before and after awakening, often contain the same parts. It's a good idea to take a closer look and compare them.

🦋: In some cases, such as Polydeuces and Caesar, not even a trace of the original remains.

🔵: Silence is golden, Elizabeth.

🦋: Putting that aside, when I asked Mr. Soejima about the origins of his art, he said that he didn't study art professionally, but was heavily influenced by the manga he read a long time ago.

🔵: Oh, that's interesting.

🦋: He was particularly fond of Comic NORA (a monthly magazine published by Gakken, first published in 1986 and ceased publication in 1998).

🔵: Also... isn't it a pretty obscure manga?

🦋: However, this manga also features illustrations and character designs by Urushibara Satoshi, the art director for the classic RPG "Growlanser" from Atlus. It's an unexpected connection in an unexpected place.

Q. When you were making the game, how did you make each Persona correspond to each arcana?

🔵: This is the result of such hard work by the staff in charge that it is hard to talk about it without crying.

🦋: Igor-sama, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration...?

🔵: No no. This is not an exaggeration at all. First of all, the cause of the difficulties is the fusion system that is a specialty of the Megaten series.

This fusion table summarizes the fusion rules, but it doesn't just mechanically assign Arcana randomly. In addition to matching the type of what Arcana will become if you fuse this Arcana with that one, you also need to take into account the level and strength of the Personas before and after the fusion, so it requires a lot of patient trial and error.

🦋: That certainly seems difficult.

🔵: On top of that, we have to assign each Persona to an appropriate arcana, which is a lot of work. Sometimes, in the case of demons or Personas that appear in multiple games, the Arcana (race) and abilities change from game to game, but this is also the result of careful consideration of the balance for each game.

🦋: Okuninushi, who was a silver/ice type in "Kuzunoha Raidou", has become a Persona whose specialty is fire in this game, so we shouldn't complain.

🔵: It's a taboo word.

🦋: However, it seems difficult to make it match the type so easily. For example, I wonder why Legion, who is known as an evil spirit in other works, belongs to the Fool?

🔵: The staff member in charge said that since the Fool is an Arcana that represents various possibilities and many sides, Legion, which has many faces, was thought to be appropriate.

🦋: I see. I understand now.

Q. That aside, who are Igor and Elizabeth?

🔵: Also, this is a really sudden question.

🦋: I'm simply Elizabeth.

🔵: If you're talking about the original source, I can tell you a little bit, is that okay?

🦋: Is there an original source?

🔵: Yes, there is. During the development of the first game in the series, Megami Ibunroku Persona, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner was also being developed at almost the same time. At this time, it was decided to create a new character to take on the role of fusion in the fusion location known as the "Cathedral of Shadows" in previous games. The inspiration for this came from the classic horror story, Frankenstein, in which artificial monsters are created through the power of chemistry.

🦋: Certainly, there are some similarities to the fusion system.

🔵: As a result, in "Devil Summoner," the character "Victor" was born from Dr. Frankenstein's full name, Victor Frankenstein, and in "Persona," I, "Igor," was born from the name of a man who works as a servant for Dr. Frankenstein.

🦋: This is my first time appearing in the series. Is there any reason for this?

🔵: In "The Bride of Frankenstein," the sequel to the aforementioned "Frankenstein," the beautiful woman created as the bride for the artificial monster is, quite simply, named Elizabeth.

🦋: - Well, that's an honor.

🔵: Well... in the movie, she is killed shortly after being created.

🦋: …Megidolaon…

🔵: Please, don't hit me.

<- Previous ● Next ->

[n0-1r]

Personas/Personae whatever

Note: I dont proofread and i have not played a persona game in a good while so feel free to correct me or something

Very minor spoilers for Persona 1 (mention of a certain death at the start of the game), 5 (mention of a major (unnamed) villain's persona)

So what is a persona? According to Jungian Psychology, everyone has masks, personas if you will, in life. It's pretty complicated but basically these beings they’re awakening to are representations of their personality.

Each character has an arcana eg. Naoya being an Emperor and his persona is a protective diety, which basically sums up their personality, then they have sub-arcana, these can be interpreted as their other masks. You can put on a personality that isn’t your own when you’re talking to someone you don’t like, you put on another personality when you’re public speaking ect. but these masks aren't authentically you, you may be able to portray this mask but perhaps not as comfortably than being yourself. This concept is expressed in the oldsona games with party members having a main arcana and therefore be able to utilise a persona's skills to the fullest and various sub-arcana they may use well but not perfectly. Additionally there may be arcana/masks characters are weak in using/portraying and can only use a few skills or none at all.

The modern persona games include the concept of a 'wild-card', a persona user who is able to wield all (most) personas with ease and reducing everyone else to one arcana and one persona (until they evolve but are still only restricted to the use of one persona). These wildcards are typically of the 'Fool' arcana (jack of all trades, master of none arcana basically) and are therefore, able gain this ability to mask as whoever, supported by the silent-protagonist style of character these are (the heros the other wildcards are just cooler ig) and the (i don't want to say dating-sim-esque but it kinda is) gameplay.

Awakening to a persona is like showing how you: Embrace who you are, Gain courage to face death, the truth, your oppressors ect. You gain a persona (in modern iterations) by facing death and being able to shoot an Evoker, accepting your shadow (personas are essentially tamed shadows) or standing up to your oppressor. Unless you have the ability to wield multiple personas. I guess using your persona in battle is like standing up for yourself, you're facing mind monsters with your 'true self'.

Similar to shadows, personas are monsters from various mythos (with of course the exception of Yamaoka which is an analysis for another day) but may have variations in appearance. For example, Loki, recently there has been two variations of Loki in one game, DLC of Persona 5's Loki and the typical Loki you would see in an SMT game. These show how a persona is definitely not like SMT demons and that personas/shadows can be interpreted differently between people. There have also been multiple cases of various characters sharing personas.

[shadow-scenarios]

Hi! So.. can you please write a phantom thieves + goro reacting that their S/o summoning their persona by evoker? ^~^

Hello slowkib !!

So, I didn’t actually know what an Evoker was until now... Is Persona 3 okay???? It’s very cool how they just shoot themselves but I really wasn’t expecting it.

I’m gonna do what I’ve seen other blogs do and make the reader one of the younger members of the P3 team { I think someone told me there was a character called Ken who is similar? }.

{ Now I kinda wanna play P3... I haven’t even finished P4G yet. }

- Nexus.

Joker { Akira Kurusu }

✧ Akira is concerned when they do not change into a Metaverse outfit. They had told him that they were a Persona user & that they wanted to help serve justice to those that deserved it. So that was why they were in Mementos, ready to complete requests & train. Although he would love the idea of fighting with his significant other, he is not quite sure how they would summon their Persona without a mask?

✧ When the Phantom Thieves are ambushed by a group of Shadows, they pulled out a gun. Internally, he was glad that they were prepared. At least someone went around preparing appropriately. Then he watches them place it to their head & shoot themself... Which summons their Persona?

✧ At the end of the battle, he is confused & worried. He asks a lot of questions about the Evoker but he thinks that it is a pretty cool thing to do, even if it looks to be rather dangerous.

Skull { Ryuji Sakamoto }

✧ When he was told that they would have a new member joining them, Ryuji never expected it to be his significant other. Though he was somewhat concerned for their safety, he was happy to have another person on the team to fight with. Beforehand they had told him that they summoned their Persona in a different way but he never expected... This.

✧ They had gained the advantage over the Shadows, a suprise attack so to speak. Watching them put a gun to their head, he called out asking what they were doing just as they pulled the trigger. Bright light caused Skull to look away just for a moment & when he came back to, their Persona was just there.

✧ He is actually rather creeped out about the fact that they have to shoot themselves. What if they accidentally kill themselves? Though they tell him that they are not afraid of death & that it is inevitable, Ryuji is still incredibly worried whenever they have to summon it.

Panther { Ann Takamaki }

✧ Ann’s significant other found out about the Metaverse entirely by accident when the Phantom Theives dragged them in. Though they were used to seeing the giant tower of Tartarus, the walls of Mementos were much different. Before they could ask what was going on, the others had already descended. So they followed. Was this the Dark Hour? They were unsure but investigating was definitely important. As they progressed, Shadows attacked but they were an experienced Persona user so they dealt with those with ease.

✧ When Oracle pointed out that there was another presence on this floor, everyone tensed up. Perhaps this was the person causing the mental shutdowns. Slowly, they approched onto a group of Shadows that were being wiped out with elemental attacks. From the carnage Ann watched as they used their Evoker with expertise.

✧ Afterwards she rushes over, surprised. Explaining everything, the Phantom Thieves eventually come to the conclusion that they should join the team because they are a rather powerful Persona user.

Fox { Yusuke Kitagawa }

✧ A chance encounter in the Metaverse was how Fox discovered that they used their Evoker in such a way. When they were ambushed by strong looking Shadows, things were not looking good. Panther was bleeding out & even he felt that at any moment he would topple over from exhaustion.

✧ So when there was the sound of someone yelling faintly in the distance & a gunshot, he had never expected for a Shadow about to strike him down to be instantly crushed into pieces. Within the same moment, all of the other enemies were defeated & the only thing left was his significant other holding a gun to their head.

✧ Weeks later, Yusuke does not stop talking about how the Evoker is such a beautiful metaphor for accepting death. The next few pieces have his teachers concerned, as they theme around the ideas of death & acceptance of death.

Queen { Makoto Niijima }

✧ Out of everyone, Makoto is absolutely the most confused when they put a gun to their head during the first infiltration into Kaneshiro’s Palace. Though she had not yet awakened to her Persona, she did not understand why their way of summoning was much different when the guns in this world were obviously supposed to embody real guns.

✧ Even after gaining Johanna, Queen worries a lot about her significant other shooting themselves accidentally. Though she hypothesises that because they believe that is what they see the Evoker functioning as, there is still a doubt in the back of her mind that something could happen if they were to change their own cognition by accident.

Oracle { Futaba Sakura }

✧ It takes a while for her to confess it but Futaba cannot hide the fact that she is a Phantom Thief from her significant other any long. Keeping secrets has always been difficult. So when she sits them down to explain about the Metaverse, there is an expectation that they will believe her to be crazy or insane.

✧ Shock sets in for them first, as they realise that there is another world filled with Shadows. Despite the fact that they do not seem to be dangerous, it still fills them with a sense of dread. In return for her trust, they tell her their own story about how they joined SEES.

✧ Looking at the Evoker makes her feel rather uncomfortable but she investigates it anyway because it could be useful in the field of Cognitive Pscience, though it is soon cleared up that it has nothing to do with it.

Noir { Haru Okumura }

✧ Out of everything, Haru is actually one of the more relaxed people about the way they summon their Persona. Though the metaphor of accepting death somewhat goes over her head, watching her significant other eradicate Shadows in style was super cool!!

✧ Please keep a hold onto the Evoker, otherwise Haru may try to summon Milady through the gun. Explaining that these two ways of summoning are very different because they have to put themselves through immense amounts of stress in order to do so will cause her to immediately apologise for being so insensitive.

✧ Overall, she is strangely okay with it which is rather strange but Haru never seems to hold any worried about them. After all, they are rather capable in battle.

Crow { Goro Akechi }

✧ Nothing gets past this detective. Though his significant other was definitely not a Phantom Thief, there was definitely something off about them. Perhaps it was the glimmer in their eyes... So when he found a strange gun in their shared apartment, he was more than ready to question them when they got home.

✧ As soon as they got home, Akechi was questioning them & holding the weapon in his hand. Initially they were shocked that he had found it but they soon offered their explanation about Shadows, Personas, Tartarus & SEES. Though it sounded like complete fiction, there were correlations to that of the Metaverse. He is completely shocked to hear that they summon their Persona by shooting themselves & accepting death.

✧ Secretly, he thinks that it is really cool but he simply keeps up that fake smile, telling them that they both have a similar power...

Word Count: 1.2k

Publish Date: 19.10.20

[raguna-blade]

So carrying on the shared symbol thing with persona games, here’s a fun one that probably needs more time in the oven but hey, can come back later with later revelations

So, here’s one that technically shows up in the first game but doesn’t really become a thing until (I am assuming, i still need to actually play the first few and finish most of them but whatever) Persona 3

Evokers! Also known as guns. Specifically hand guns, but I think that’s the least important detail when one of the big symbols of your game is shooting yourself in the head to summon mythic figures.

So Evokers. In game, and as per the wiki, they are supposed to function by more or less...making you face mortality and the fact that you’re going to die for real.

By simulating shooting yourself in the face. It’s a good thing that the Kirijo group already got their mad science comeuppance because man, that’s kinda...

But hey, the logic and rules at play here do seem to be consistent across the games. To Summon a persona requires, apparently, a huge amount of stress and or trauma to activate properly, and the Evokers are a fast way to do that that isn’t, comparatively anyway, super duper traumatic. It’s free artificial trauma for everyone that is comparatively less permanent.

Which...Well I don’t believe that for a second considering SEES is one big trauma center. I don’t think there is a single person in that group who is trauma free really. Nobody is free of it, even the dog.

I mean maybe the protag, but they come off as super depressed to me.

But for the moment let’s accept that as true. If i’m wrong i’m wrong, but I think i’m right and i want to get to the juicy stuff.

So given evokers function by applying trauma directly to the soul to summon yon persona, I think it’s obvious then what guns are SUPPOSED to represent right?

Trauma. But not just any kind of trauma no. Remember, Evokers are supposed to basically be going Hey Trauma But For A REASON. To Summon a Persona. A persona which is used to protect yourself from something (Shadows technically, but A persona is a mask used to face life’s struggles as the games are so fond of reminding us.)

So, Guns are Trauma Turned Towards Protecting Yourself from...something. My understanding of psych stuff is you know, layman, but basically it’s an active self defense mechanism. Or at least turning that pain on outside hurty things.

So if this holds true as a consistent and shared symbol going forward, we should expect that everyone who uses a gun is both

A: Traumatized in some manner.

2: Actively Defending themselves possibly by literally using that trauma against things.

Which i’m sure is totally a healthy thing to be doing. Has to be. Can’t not be right?

I can see no possible way in which using your trauma like a club against the world can possibly backfire on you.

SO!

Who uses guns in the series going forward.

In Persona 4, We have two for sure, maybe a third. That is Naoto, Adachi, and Maybe Dojima (I assume he HAS a gun, but I don’t think he’s ever shown using it. I’m going to assume for the moment this is true as fits the analysis, cause it fits well enough, but if he actually pulls it out ehh)

Persona 5 has uh...literally all of the phantom thieves. Technically not morganna, but if you think a slingshot isn’t basically a fire arm, well sure technically but also you can absolutely kill someone with a slingshot don’t get it twisted. But yeah, all of the phantom thieves and ESPECIALLY Akechi, since he uses a real one. Well, sans Futaba, but we’ll get there.

And do these individuals demonstrate being both traumatized AND using that as some kind of defense mechanism...?

yeh.

So start with P4. Now compare the other persona users in 3-5, the group in 4 is actually really well adjusted. Like yeah, you have some elements of stress and being an outcast and elements of weird harrowing stuff happening to them sure. I mean if nothing else they’re in the middle of a murder mystery with a serial killer in town, that’s stressful for anyone, let alone the weird supernatural shit on top of it, and then there’s the more mundane stressors.

But...Uh...Largely, they’re handling it pretty well actually. Protag was pretty alright moving to town and seems to get along with people well. Yosuke had the dislike of being in town but he had friends, he wasn’t really hated or anything. Chie is pretty alright, Yukiko is stressed but not exactly freaking out, Kanji has some shame going on however you want to frame that i’m told it reads different for japanese audiences though it’s not mutually exclusive, Teddie DID in fact have an existential crisis but that’s not really the same thing i think, Rise is hella stressed, and then there’s naoto who uh.

Kid’s got some problems. They’re also the only one who uses a gun So Hey First stop.

So depending on how you want to read it, Naoto is either dealing with some trans issues or just aggressive and unending misogyny given their profession. Personally while i can see the naoto is trans reading, the game doesn’t explicitly come out with that as the issue, while it DOES with the misogyny so I’m going with that. If you do think it’s more that than what i’m going with, you can easily sub it in I think since from what i’ve heard on the subject suggests it very much CAN be traumatizing dealing with that in society....And also because it’d still feed back into the misogyny thing so it comes back to that anyway.

Regardless. This is a thorny enough issue really, so i’ll strive to not fuck up but please forgive me if I do cause it’s not intentional.

What do we see with Naoto? They’re a genuinely skilled, talented and experienced detective, and at a really young age. Their skills are undeniable really, and they’ve got acclaim and real accomplishments under their belt.

They are also, apparently, belittled constantly because they’re read as female and that is apparently far far more important than their skill. Because of that they’re belittled, talked down to and dismissed purely because of that.

And Naoto is fucking tired of it. So much so that they do everything in their power to present as male and believe they should straight up just...cut out whatever lady aspects are there and just go full dude.

Which here you get two really radically(?) different readings depending on if you fall on the Naoto is Trans and so fucking tired of the misogyny vs Naoto Is fucking Tired of the misogyny and so damn desperate.

In case A, Naoto genuinely believes they’re a dude, and genuinely believes duding it up will solve their problem....But they’re rejecting that part of themselves actively, and refusing to acknowledge it at all. That’s a problem for him, if only because actively rejecting a part of yourself is by no means a healthy thing, especially when it keeps getting brought up constantly in your line of work (I can only imagine how much this would suck to be dismissed because people think you’re a girl when you’re a guy but also you’re denying that you’re a guy and recognize that even if you were outwardly a guy they would STILL dismiss you as a girl even though you’re not. Just typing that out is...yech.)

In Case B, you have a still tired of the dismissal, but also they think they radically need to change their body and gender just to get anywhere in the world which is egregiously fucked up because you know. She’s good at her job! Why should she HAVE to be a dude to get anything done? It’s fucked up.

But they’re a gunman! So...i mean i guess it’s obvious what the trauma at play here is, it’s gender related regardless of how you slice it and how is it used...? Naoto disguises (or “disguises”) themselves as a guy, actively using the thing that they’re being traumatized by to fight back against the world in some way.

I mean as thorny as the issue is in the reading it, the outcome is at least simple enough under the shared symbols thing.

Ok, but what about Adachi...? Welllllllllllllllllll

Adachi is definitely traumatized I think but it's not in the kind of way that's sharp and specific. I'm cribbing a bit off of [https://youtu.be/8qG8Mqe_1v8] with their description of how Adachi reacts to the Scoobies calling him out.

To summarize and or paraphrase, it's not that there's a specific thing that broke Adachi down. It's that he's trapped in a job he hates, or at least without the possibility of improvement. He's shoved in a backwater town when he's a city boy. He feels ignored, he doesn't like the people around him very much, he's got basically no money, he has no significant other, he has to just keep going and existing day in and day out and it's...

God it's so fucking soul killing.

It's not like his childhood was better apparently, in that it basically was a prelude to adult hood but also unlike then, he didn't have the supposed promise of do well in school and get cool shit that was summarily broken.

So what's a guy who's made to feel worthless, made to feel like a nobody, made to feel utterly disenfranchised, and has actual evidence to support some of this (keep in mind the reason he got reassigned did involve him screwing up somehow, though I don't think it's explained what or how) going to react when given the ability to act out with no consequences, or seemingly?

Well, I imagine that you would see them do some fucked up shit really. We've seen people in real life do things just as bad if not worse, and the exact way he wields his trauma is well...sadly understandable to anyone.

Though another interesting shared thing, which I neglected earlier and MAY share into the Gun Imagery is a sense of isolation. Which...Actually. Actually may track. Evokers are used by well...ritualistically killing yourself, which is for all the harm it throws out to everyone connected to you, is also a very solitary act. And in both cases here, the characters are in a very real way killing their true selves in order to deal with the world (In adachis case by presenting a fake version of himself and in Naoto's case by actively rejecting a part of themselves however you want to spin that one)

This does raise a question of the SEES gang having elements of isolation which off hand I want to say yes that's the case across the board, and only by coming together do they win but I also legitimately cannot recall how it plays out beyond the minimal We're The Only Ones Capable of Dealing With This thing which isn't quite the same thing. The ritualized killing yourself still stands so that's still in play really, and i'll keep an eye on it going forward.

I should probably ALSO keep an eye on the uh...Suicide aspects. Even looking back at Naoto and Adachi they have elements of it, although more figurative than literal. Both very much have a life is over thing related to their careers and where they end up when first introduced, so it's not an unreasonable call though the strict actual read of suicide suicide is...Hmmm...

Well I suppose Adachi's chunk of the world is accessed through the noose room if I recall, so that might not be quite as empty a connection, while Naoto's secret lab thing may not be quite as on the nose it does focus on a destruction of self in some way given the way a lot of those secret labs go about doing things in those shows.

That is, there's generally one of two outcomes. Either the Evil Org creates a mindless/corrupted pawn to use whatever their powers/abilities are for the organization (see every monster of the week) OR they create a hero/renegade warrior that uses those very same powers they were imbued with against them....Which suddenly makes me wonder if the the ambiguity of if Naoto's transness vs woman in male spaces thing is intentional in regards to how to read that section. If so that's actually clever as hell because then either way you want to read it the literal what's going on with their shadow (body modification either to become their true self and the rejection of that or to be able to actually be respected for their work and the implied destruction of self that's going on there) it reads as this is bad so...Kudos.

Anyway, off topic, maybe another day.

All this said, this leads to Dojima who SHOULD have a gun and probably does, but...never uses it that I can recall, not once. Doesn't even show up with a gun if memory serves.

It's not that he's not traumatized. He most definitely does have some shit kicking around what with the dead wife, disconnect from his daughter and all that, but he never really...weaponizes it does he? He never turns it on others, never uses it to isolate, none of that. Which is interesting because as a Cop I think we can safely say he SHOULD have a gun of some flavor right? That does seem to be the vibe, and yet he doesn't freak out. The reason why is heartfully straightforward though.

Nanako. He can't exactly revel in his hurt and lash out at folks with it. Like yes, he's not winning parent of the year at the start of the game by a long shot, but frankly emotionally distant and neglectful after your wife died but still trying (failing but trying, critically, the trying) is not the worst spot to be in, no way. And he takes to reorienting things quite well once he get's the additional stability in his life Yu and (at least in part) Adachi.

Which, really, is what also ended up saving the SEES members. Not Yu, but the fact that they managed to form genuine connections with each other that let them get past the hurt and not be taken up and swallowed by it. It's why Adachi ended up going the way he did because he really DIDN'T forge those connections, and because of the whole everything he couldn't really get out of that loop and fix himself up.

I mean Izanami's game basically threw two whole ass people into the deep end of their problems but this ain't about her right now.

So ok, that's the group from 4 and right now this is feeling pretty consistent.

So let's get to the group that has literally every party member carrying with The Phantom Thieves.

So...again, to bring it back, Guns symbolically here are weaponized trauma right? They're using that to strike back against what's threatening you, often by using it against them.

Now, there are variances with the phantom thieves for sure, and the most relevant and DIRECT one is that all of them, every last one, is an outcast of some flavor from the social norms, and this has screwed with them something fierce. Now it's not as apparent or visible in all cases, but I'll get into specifics as we go down the list, but I want to say this at the top because it fundamentally comes down to Because Of this outcast status, this particular form of trauma, they became the Phantom Thieves, and in doing so struck back against the society that hurt them, with the intent to inspire those like them.

Well not Akechi, but his specific issues at least nominally align I guess.

Anyway. I won't go into as much detail here, but I feel it's worth pointing out that their Phantom Thieves Personas are probably the cleanest way to point out how they go about weaponizing their various more personalized traumas to protect themselves and fight back.

Joker: Accused of a crime he didn't commit, sent to a city away from his family and friends, said to be a violent felon...Like it's not exactly brought up in the game in part because he's a silent protag but Joker absolutely had his life ruined. Like full stop, his world fell apart over night, not because he did something wrong but because he tried to do the right thing. And then Kamoshida happened which basically took boyo from being merely fucked over to losing what little he had left (where what he had left was a friend of a friend of his folks taking him in and shoving him in a drafty attic)

And then from said trauma he created the well...Joker Persona. Someone who emphatically is a criminal, the kind of guy who is actually pretty ominous when you consider the knife,gun and dark outfit combo making him look like some kind of assassin. That he helps people is probably a small miracle really.

But by the same token, it's blatantly clear the persona that he pretends at school is not his true self either. He has to hide himself, make himself look small and innocent and as unthreatening as humanly possible. He's not, by any means but...

Morgana: Imagine you wake up one day and you remember maybe your name, a few random bits of information, and nothing else except that you were (probably) a human and now decidedly are not. That's...Rough man. It's just rough to deal with and it's awful, and then you just keep getting hit with that fact over and over and over again. Mona's pretty straightforward, but it tracks that they would make themselves out to be the cool collected sort that they do (even though they botch it nigh constantly). If you can't remember anything about yourself, make yourself out to be the coolest smartest most talented type right?

Ryuji: He literally had an authority figure not only mock his family situation, he straight up broke his leg, killed his dream of running track, ostracized him from his friends and peers, put more pressure on his mom. He was reduced to a thug and his response to that was, apparently, let me be a (diet) delinquent then. It's not like he did anything bad really but he certainly stopped giving any kind of a shit to the world. His attitude got turned up for sure. This got more emphasized with the Actual Skull persona as a phantom thief, where he's far more intimidating, outright hostile and violent (A bat and a shotgun? yee)

Ann: I mean there's the obvious sexual assault, her friend attempting suicide, etc, but i've seen it pointed out that a good chunk of Ann's problems are also based in the fact that she's white in japan, so basically she straight up has to deal with racism too. It's why she's considered the sexy one for example (girls like her are easy you understand) so it's...well. How the game handles (or doesn't) that aside, the persona she ends up developing first off a very blithe sort of vibe to how the world views her (seen in her confidant arc) before ultimately gravitating to having more active control over her image and consciously choosing how the world will view her instead of them making the choice themselves.

Yusuke: Abusive parents (which is damn near a theme with the phantom thieves. Families being broken or Abusive which is hm) who actively stole his work, and he knew about it. It very clearly messes with his art and his relationship to this thing that he loves, and even after knowing how his adoptive dad was abusing him and other students and making a mockery of art...To which he actively throws himself into Art EVEN HARDER than before, as a dedicated fuck you on the subject. Actually straightforward, which is perhaps weird for Yusuke, but hey they can't all require deeper reading.

Makoto: Makoto's deal is a bit more complicated but boils down to She's tired of having all these expectations pushed onto her and dictating the exact kind of person she should be. Always the good girl, always kind and elegant, soft spoken, I mean she knows aikido and is supposed to be good with it. Which is why she turns that around is basically Lord Humongous, albeit less jacked dude in bondage gear and more Badass Violence Biker. Just let it all out and take no shit from anyone ever. Again straightforward enough.

Futaba: Now...Here's a weird one to say because it's...She doesn't have a gun. I mean we could probably make a fair enough statement, if an absolutely buckwild one, that she does not at this point have a trauma. Or at least, not one that is weaponized. Because well...Her issues were very self focused. She thought her mom killed herself because of her, and that almost made her (futaba) kill herself. That's not a great place to be, but it's not like she ever takes her dead mom issues out on the world. She doesn't even really take her extreme social issues out on the world. If anything she pretty much...Has them and kind of deals with them quietly.

I suppose you could say that her weapon of choice is the computer. It's no gun, obviously, but unlike everyone else up til this point she also doesn't really...hide herself. There's no fake persona (in the not summoned beings of myth and story) that she presents to the world. She's decisively genuine about everything, and pretty much the only difference between her and her Oracle persona is neat goggles yeah? Which makes her an interesting pair with Maruki who we'll get to later as another gun not haver.

Haru: Kind of a complicated one, though also kinda straightforward. She's ostracized from her father and finds the abuse that he's laying down on the people who work for them abhorent, which is bad enough, that kind of realization that your life is built on the suffering of others. There's also the uh...It's not strictly this because arranged marriages are very much business affairs more than romance, but the way it's portrayed definitely reads as her dad selling her which is you know. Not...ideal, though her specific reservations there seemed less the arranged marriage (it's business she get's it) but more the dude was an creep and also again the abuse. The family motto being betray anyone to get ahead (paraphrased to hell and back) also suggests some not so great things really, though her bond with her dad did seem to be genuinely strong, which is why her reaction is tada heroine of justice.

Which, I just realized this and I gotta point it out, actually lines up MARVELOUSLY with Morgana and Zorro. Wealthy Individual who see's the crimes and evil deeds of the world and decides to mask up and fight the crime they cannot contest with their unmasked face, warring against the system that enriched them at presumable cost to themselves because it's the right thing to do? Beautiful. Probably should look into that more. But yeah.

Sumire: I mean...I mean she basically straight up says I think I was second best to my sister in everyway and then I got her killed and her reaction to that was Let Me Be My Sister and well...yeah that's exactly how she dealt with her trauma, albeit with a little bit of magic help. And Perhaps most notably, this is almost the most explicit demonstration of Evoker Gun Antics because She Creates a Persona (“Kasumi”) To Protect Herself (alldattrauma.exe) by using that trauma (dead sister) against the world (Literally everyone else) it's...Actually a really clean example I think?

Akechi: Last but not least of the gun havers, Akechi who uh...Outcast because of family reasons (single mom, Dad's a creep) in a way that just...We don't actually ever get the details I don't think, but the way he reacts to it I think makes it clear that his whole life was basically a string of kick this kid while he's down, keep him outside the system, and of course the persona he ends up creating, both of them, end up being one the charming charismatic prince who seeks justice and a bloodthirsty lunatic, neither of which accurately reflect his true self I don't think. Aspects of it sure, but not completely. If pressed, I would say that the Akechi we see in the Third Semester is probably the closest even though he's probably a dream Akechi, being someone who does have a distinct judgement for what is right and wrong but also, critically, can and will shoot you in the face cackling as his plans come together. Rather like Joker actually, which is appropriate given their mirrored trickster roles, and the general shape of their outcomes (both get their smuggery on when things go to plan)

Anyway, the way he reacts to being forced to live an outcast is as mentioned, let me get back into that system, let me be part of it and all that.

And last but not least

Maruki: Now...He doesn't have a gun. It doesn't quite match up with the symbol thing which I think at this point is established enough that it's probably some kind of thing, but what I find interesting is that...he fits MOST of the criteria right? Definitely has a trauma that shaped how he reacted to the world and yet, it's not weaponized right? It doesn't well...evoke a different persona from him. It's not weaponized to protect him and that seems odd right? He ends up with a Palace right?

Sure. But I want to go back to what i'm proposing the Evokers Represent.

Trauma, A Destruction of the Self (Suicide literal or figurative), Isolation, and weaponizing your trauma to protect against the world...And he only actually tracks to the Trauma part of that. He IS hurt for sure, no question. He is fighting back against the world in his own way for sure, what with Azathoth and his mind whammy, and I would say that the nature of it is directing how he's doing things (no more pain for anyone yeah sure)

But where it falls apart, and actually DOES line up with the guns as metaphor for those things mentioned, is that he doesn't really Isolate. He doesn't present a fake self to protect himself. He doesn't destroy an aspect of himself to protect himself. No, he's extremely upfront that “No this is bullshit, it should change, fuck this noise, I'll do what I can with what I can and oh hey godlike power now I can help everyone”

Which cool, except that apparently in the Stay in Maruki's world ending he kinda fades into the background, which suggests the self destruction but no, not even then really. Like I know I made a bit of meta about him obscuring himself and kinda fading away as a person, but I don't think it's strictly meant to be get rid of yourself so much focus on the message and not the messenger. You can throw your mask away. No more pretending. You don't have to hurt anymore. As the song goes.

And it's worth pointing out that, in comparison to literally everyone else on this list, Maruki is unambiguously a healthier person mentally by a long shot. Shady antics with Sumire aside, He genuinely wants to help people, he want's them to be better the right way ideally but if he had the means to do it of course he'd just hot delete those deeply traumatic and life shattering pains that they couldn't overcome. Then he does get that ability. And Then he does do that.

Anyway, the ramblings on long enough, and I kinda feel i'm drifting, but yeah. Think this is another symbol that tracks (I probably wanna check out Persona Q and Q2, but what I know on those does have it break down a bit but they're also not mainline games so I'm not sure how to square that so....)

[shadowtarot]

Its Mitsuru and Yu? Throw in Koromaru? Lol... Ren fighting the It and SO? Sign me up!!!

Thieves In Inaba Part 11!

TV World, Central Hub

A calling card has been left right in the center of the entrance that reads as follows:

Yu Narukami, the try hard pursuer of Truth. You who wish to expose us but yet have fallen so far. If you’re so desperate to find us out, then we challenge you. Come to the lake on the far end of this realm. Alone. Then perhaps you’ll get a chance.

From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

“Dude! A legit calling card!” Yosuke says excitedly. “Damn this is cool….”

“Focus, Yosuke. This could possibly be a trap.” Yu pockets the card.

“Indeed, but it’s also very likely that they don’t want too many eyes on them. If we want to resolve this fast, perhaps you should go along.” Mitsuru states.

“But Mitsuru-san, is it not too risky?” Aigis worries. “Perhaps we should at least follow far behind.”

“If that’s what you wish, then go ahead. But I think I’ll be fine.” Yu smiles. 

With that, Naukami heads out. The others following a different path to the lake.

Joker awaits upon a large rock, casually tossing his knife in the air and catching it. Yu soon arrives.

“Geez, kept a guy waiting.” He smirks. “So, you’re the one leading this search huh? Interesting…”

“Enough fooling around ‘Joker’, we’re going to unmask you this time.” Yu states, drawing his katana and pointing it at him.

“Oh? That’s how it’s gonna be huh? Good. I haven’t had a nice fight in a while anyway. COME ARSENE!”

“IZANAGI!”

The Persona clash, sparks and shadows filing the air as Ren and Yu exchange strikes with knife and sword. Ren smirks, using his free hand to draw his pistol. 

“!” Yu flinches, granting Ren the chance to deliver a swift kick to the stoumach.

“NGH! Fine then…PERSONA CHANGE! BLACK FROST!”

“I knew it, COME ALICE!”

Black Frost attempts to freeze Ren in his tracks, but he’s able to narrowly back flip out of the way, the lake instead getting frozen.

Alice then smirks, casting Play With Me. 

Yu tries to dodge it the best he can, but Black Frost takes the hit instaid, the Persona glitching like a TV from the damage.

“Agh!”

“Had enough, city boy?” Joker smirks, tossing his knife in the air before catching it and pointing it straight at Yu’s neck.

“No…because I’m not alone. NOW!”

The rest of the Investigation Team and Shadow Opritives comes out of hiding.

“Ha, sly. I like it. But don’t think I didn’t plan ahead.” Ren snaps his fingers and Promethius descends, bringing with it the remainder of the Phantom Thieves.

“Alright guys, It’s Show Time! “

Futaba boosts everyone, and the true fight begins.

Ren goes back to fighting Yu, as Ryuji attempts to fight off both Junpei and Yosuke. 

The sword and knife clash once more, scraping as they both try to overpower the other. 

“So, you’re a wild card too huh? How come you’re not showing your full potential then?” Joker smirks.

“Same could be asked for you, Phantom Thief.”

Meanwhile, Ryuji is struggling with Junpei and Yosuke. 

“I’m so not gonna get shocked by you this time!” Yosuke proclaims, trying to break through Ryuji’s constant blocking.

“If you say so, Junes Prince. SAITEN TENSEI!” 

Ryuji’s Persona uses God’s Hand on Yosuke, sending him flying straight into the frozen lake. “Ha look at that, he was right.”

Junpei strikes Ryuji from behind. “Ha! Did you see that? Huh?” But the small victory is short lived as an attack from Makoto’s Persona shoots off at Iori.

Queen herself, is trying to fend off Chie and Akihiko who have her trapped on both sides. 

“Huh, so you fight with Akido hm? This is going to be an interesting match then!” Akihiko smirks. “Satanoka, will you continue to asist me?”

“Uh, of course!” She smirks.

“Do your worst!” Makoto gets into a fighting stance. “ANAT!” 

Yusuke is fending off Aigis and Kanji. “One of these two doesn’t seem human, Oracle! Can I get an analysis please?” 

“The other one is an android of sorts! She’s armed to the teeth! Find some way to stop her movements! Then the other guy should be a piece of cake.” 

Yusuke is blocking as many shots as he can and nods. “KAMU-SUSANO!”

He casts bufudine on Aigis, managing to freeze her in place.

“Junpei, I require thawing out!” She calls.

“Oh crap! Be right there!” He reaches for his Evoker, but Ryuji knocks it out of his hand with a swift club strike.“Shit!”

“Not happen’.”

Kanji grits his teeth. “The ice should thaw after a while! I got it from here!” He dashes after Yusuke.

“Oh please.” Yusuke manages to hook Kanji’s chair with his Katana.

“What the-”

“If you took combat more seriously, you’d use a harder to counter weapon.” With that, he flings his weapon to the side. 

Haru is trying to fend off Naoto and and Mitsuru. “Oh dear….one has fire arms and the other swords. They have both long range and short range covered….”

“Surrender now, Phantom Thief.” Naoto states. 

“Never! After everything that’s happened, we’re not going to give up! Come Milady!” 

Haru’s Persona fires at Naoto while Haru herself tries to fight off Mitsuru.

“You have some skill with that axe, but do you believe it is enough?” Mitsuru smirks, taking out her evoker.

“Those guns…that must be how your group calls your Persona…”

Milady fires a shot at Mitsuru. “Well I won’t give you the chance!”

“Artemisia!” Mitsuru attempts to cast Marin Karin but to no avail. “Hm…fine then. Freeze!” She goes for Bufudine. 

“NOIR!”

Morgana jumps in the way of the attack and gets frozen.

“Oh no, Mona-chan!” 

Teddie and Koromaru corner the frozen cat. 

“Ehehe, should we go for it Koromaru? It’s a Beary good opportunity!” 

“Not if I have a say in it!” Futaba unfreezes and heals Morgana. “Go get ‘em Mona!”

“Nyeheheh, never underestimate the teamwork of Phantom Thieves!”

The not-cat clashes with the dog and bear.

Meanwhile, Ann is trying to keep dodging arrow fire and Staff strikes. “Geez, you both sure are persistent.”

A fan is thrown at her. “Hm, that defiantly should have hit.” Yukiko says, taking out another combat fan. 

“Uh guys? I’m a bit out numbered here?” Ann says. 

“Don’t worry Panther! I’m on my way!” Ryuji starts to move to her location but is blocked by Trismegistus and Takehaya Susano-o. “Shit! Fine then!” Skull takes out his Shotgun and opens fire.

Back to Ren and Yu, the two keep clashing. “Your friends sure are strong, Narukami.” The Phantom smirks. “I’m impressed. But just because you’re strong, doesn’t mean you’ll win.”

“Talk is one thing, Joker. I’m curious to see how the Phantom Thieves’ mysterious leader earned the title.” Yu has Izanagi electrify his blade.

“Ha, if you insist.”

Rise and Fuuka both gasp.

“Sempai! The power coming from their leader..whatever Persona he’s trying to call out…it’s nothing like the previous ones he’s called out!”

Futaba laughs. “It’s about to be game over for you all!”

“Partner, get outta there!”

“Narukami!”

“Ravage them..Satanael! 

Ren’s ultimate Persona descends. With a cocky smirk, the Thief leader aims his gun at Yu. “Checkmate, Narukami.”

“This power…this guy really is just like our Sensei…” Teddie states, blocking strikes from Morgana as he watches.

“Damnit! We can’t do this….unless…YU! DO IT!” Yosuke calls out.

“Right. Come! Izanagi-no-Okami!” Yu brings fourth his own ultimate Persona.

Light and Darkness clash, as Ren and Yu exchange blows. Now strengthened by their Persona, their attacks hit harder. The offshoots of their clash hitting the other fights around them.

“Geez! This is getting risky to stay near!” Chie yells. “But I’m not gonna give up! We will protect Inaba!”

The whole group nods to Chie’s statement.

Satanael fires at Izanagi-no-Okami, who uses it’s staff to block the shots much as it’s user blocks Ren’s shots with his katana. 

“For the sake of my friends! I WILL NOT LOSE!” They both yell at each other. 

[vitalpen]

Persona 5: Remember the Reaper Pt 4

(So hey, remember me?  Remember this?  Remember this awesome art made for this?! I do!  And now I’m back after taking way too long!  Part 4 is ready to roll, starting off with an exchange that I agonized over for several days.  Hope you enjoy!)

Joker took a reflexive step back.

Apparently, that was the wrong move, because the cold smile only widened.  “Oh?  A curious reaction.  Surely, you know by now, there’s nowhere to run back to.”

Joker had a feeling, but he had to get eyes on the wall that had replaced the staircase before he admitted it. “Who are you?”  Joker demanded, trying not to let the creeping dread into his voice.

“A memory of the dead,” the man replied vaguely, smile seemingly permanent on his face. “A fleeting existence at the edge of the world’s memory.  Just as everything else here.” He spread his arms out and glanced around, gesturing toward their surroundings.  "Except of course," his eyes landed back on Joker, "for you."

"Yeah, and I'm feeling real special," Joker snarked.

"As you should," the pale man laughed, "after all, it's not often one is allowed to experience memories that aren't theirs."

"And whose memory are you?"

"Whose indeed," the man's smile widened further.  "A question you've no doubt been asking since you arrived here.  Who would remember such odd architecture?  These infinite, winding halls?"

"Oh, buddy," Joker's hands tightened into fists, "you have no idea how sick I am of people being vague when I ask them questions."  He stood as threateningly as one could against a man with a gun.

The pale man didn't answer.  Instead, he took a step forward.

Joker took another step back.

With clearly defined, punctuated movements, the man wrapped his fingers around the revolver's handle, and tugged it from the belt.  “Would you care to join us?  Here in this labyrinthine recollection?  Recalled only by a select few?”  He pulled the hammer back and steadied his arm.

Joker's heart pounded like a drum, he was stuck in a hallway, way too far to have any chance of making it to the guy before he shot.  All he could do was stare in horror as the man's hand tensed, and it slowly pulled the trigger.

Click.

He flinched hard and his heart skipped a beat as he prepared for death.  But there was no shot.  After a moment, Joker opened his eyes, finding the man still pointing the gun at him. The hammer was no longer pulled back.

The pale man chuckled.  “Feeling a little skittish, are we?”

Joker’s eyes narrowed and he bluntly replied, “You aimed a gun at me.”

“Are you so afraid of death?”

Joker didn’t answer.  He wasn’t playing into this psycho’s game. Instead, he looked at the four way intersection they were in, taking account of every detail that he could of the creepy purple architecture.

There was an odd gurgling growl, identical to the one that he’d heard upon first stepping into this place.  He didn’t think the pale man’s smile could get any bigger, but it found a way.  “Do you hear them?  Man’s folly, crawling to get you.”  The gun went back into his belt and he turned around.  “You’d best start running, they’ll be here soon.”  In only a couple seconds, he had disappeared into the dark entirely.

What replaced him was a set of glowing dots.  It wasn't hard to figure out that they were eyes.  More pairs quickly joined the first.  They varied a little in height, but all of them were fairly close to the ground.  With a wet slap, a hand came down on the floor out of the dark.   As soon as it found a grip, it began pulling the attached body forward.  The creature was a strange, darkly color blob, half melted.  Its other hand came forward, gripped the floor, and pulled itself further along.  Quickly more hands joined it in the light, revealing more than a dozen other identical creatures.

Strange and alien as they looked, joke knew a shadow when he saw one.

“Oh crap” Joker muttered.  He took several more steps back and was given an abrupt reminder that the stairs were still gone.  "Oh, crap!"  He frantically scanned the area, evaluating the left and right pathways.  Without a second thought (or a first one honestly), he took off sprinting toward the shadows.  In response, the shadows heaved themselves forward, lunging to head him off. At the last moment, Joker hung a right, barely dodging a swipe aimed at his head.

Then he sprinted.  The heavy impact of each step echoed as he ran through this new, equally unwelcoming environment.  Behind him, the shadows desperately hauled after him, reaching out with enraged gurgles.  He was only barely faster than them; he was gaining distance, but not nearly fast enough to lose them.  The shadows showed no sign of slowing down either.  They were going to chase him until they caught him.

It was even more impossible to keep track of where he was in this place than in the school.  The abstract gothic patterns around him were entirely foreign, there was no way to figure out where anything was.

Already, his legs ached with fatigue, his arms felt heavier, and his lungs burned.  He needed a plan.  He needed a weapon.  He needed his persona.  But none of the above was coming to him.  He was lost, on his own, getting tired, and with a horde of shadows stampeding after him.

“Wait, the gun!”  Joker pulled out the SEES gun and aimed it backwards, pulling the trigger.

Nothing.

“You know, I guess it’s my fault for hoping this thing did anything!”  He growled to himself.  He started hanging turns whenever he saw them, desperately trying anything he could come up with to lose the shadows.  He didn’t even try to keep track of which ones he took, he was plenty lost already, couldn’t get much more.

He didn't know how long or far he ran, but the next time he had a conscious thought was when a sound caught his attention. Somewhere off in the distance, a motorcycle revved its engine.

“What the…?”  Joker couldn’t tell where it came from, but he definitely heard it. Makoto?  Much has he didn’t want his friends out here looking for him, Johana splattering these things all over the walls sounded really good right about now. He looked back to check the shadows, still there.  

And so was the bike.

It wasn’t Johana, but it clearly didn’t care about the shadows either.  It cut right through one, sending bits of black slime flying as it did.  Joker hugged the wall, but didn’t stop running. As the bike neared him, he got a better look at the rider.  White shirt, black skirt, red armband.  That was all he made out before it as passed, heading down the hallway in front of him and turning a corner.

He’d seen that arm band before.  Dark hair, Junpei, Yukari, and Akihiko had all been wearing one.  “Mitsuru?” He wondered.  She was the only one he hadn’t seen yet.  Unless that was Fuuka.  “No, that was Mitsuru,” he decided.  She sounded like the type.

The train of thought couldn’t get much further, the sound of a crash saw to that.  “Uh oh.”  Joker forced himself to move just a little faster, heading for the turn the bike had taken.

What he found was only half what he expected.  The bike had indeed crashed, pieces of it were scattered across the floor away from the main wreck.  But there was no sign of the rider.  What there was, was a massive bubble, just sitting in the hallway, spanning nearly the entire width.

Joker couldn’t say what made him choose running into the bubble as his course of action, but that’s what he did. He ran right into it, literally. He passed through the surface with no resistance.  With no impact, he ended up stumbling a few steps forward before regaining his balance.

There was a moment of confusion, followed by the terror-filled moment of realizing he’d stopped running, followed by several thunks.  He turned back to look at the shadows, who had all run into the bubble too.  But unlike him, they couldn’t get through. Joker stared at them for a moment as they relentlessly charged into the bubble again and again.  Finally processing the fact that he was safe, he fell to the ground, panting heavily as he caught his breath.  The agony of fatigue took a good couple minutes to subside,

The bubble held against the shadows, for the moment at least.  That gave him time to examine the new landmark.  It was definitely the motorcycle from before.  It was mounted with some weird-looking electrical equipment on the back.  He couldn’t tell what any of it did.  The bike was damaged, something had hit it hard.  There were two crowns stuck into the blown out tires.  Joker tried to pull them out, get something sharp to fight with, but they didn’t budge.

A noise caught his attention. Static.  Among the equipment, there was a small radio that still seemed to be working.  Static was coming through the speakers, cutting for just fractions of a second to let a voice through.

Galvanized, Joker grabbed the radio and frantically started messing with the dial.  It took several minutes, but he managed to start making out full words. The voice coming through was Mitsuru Kirijo.  There was still way too much static to hear full sentences, but he managed to make out the words “Akihiko” and “Shadows” in the voice of Mitsuru Kirijo.

He grabbed the responder attached to the radio.  “Hey, can you hear me?  Hello? Mayday, mayday, is anyone there?!” The few seconds of solid static seemed like an eternity with the shadows still knocking at the barrier.  He was about to throw the thing to the floor in frustration.  But the sound of Mitsuru’s voice stopped him.

“Who CRRSH this?”

Adrenaline in full swing now, Joker talked as quickly and clearly as he could.  “My name is Joker, I’m a persona user like you, but I can’t use my persona here, I've got. I need to know how you summon it.”

“Do you CRRSH evoker CRRSH gun CRRSH.”

Gun?  Joker looked down at the SEES gun.  “What about it?  It doesn’t shoot.”

“I need CRRSH your head CRRSH trigger.”

Joker felt a pit form in his stomach. Even in its depleted form, the message was clear.  She was telling him to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger.  Despite the fact that he was fairly sure it wouldn’t fire, something about the idea made him shudder.  He cast his eyes down to the nonweapon in his hand.  For some reason it felt a little heavier than before, the polish looked a little darker.  Maybe it was the prospect of how he was apparently supposed to use it.  If this was still Mementos, then there was the chance it would fire, just like the model guns did.  But this wasn’t a model gun.  Hell, apparently it wasn’t even a gun.  And it hadn’t fired before.  But then, he’d seen lot of crazy shit in the past few months, maybe it only fired when pointed at him.  Was Mitsuru telling him to kill himself?

He growled and ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, he was thinking about this way too much.

The sound of a crack behind him drew his attention.  He slowly turned around to face the facts.  The bubble was starting to break.  “Uh-oh,” he said with a deadpan stare.  Time was up, he had to decide.  It was either use it and possibly kill himself, or not use it and guarantee the shadows would rip him apart.  “Well, here goes nothing.”  He faced the shadows taking the gun in his right hand.  With slow, reluctant movements, he raised it up and placed the barrel against his temple.  He breathed in, then out, then in again.  The world seemed to slow.  His hand tensed, he screwed his eyes shut, and he pulled the trigger.

Thou art not I, but I am still thine.  From the sea of another soul, I come forth.

There was no heat, no pain, no blacking out.  But there was the sound of a gunshot right in his ear, along with breaking glass.

The feeling that overtook him was different than what he was used to.  He was used to the pure rush of seemingly boundless power that came with summoning a persona.  But this felt… more controlled.  He was used to it bursting forth, rather than building up and flowing out.  The words he heard in his head just moments before seemed to hit the nail on the head.  This wasn’t his power.

At that moment, the shadows broke through the glass, swarming into the orb.  But before they could get any closer, three chords from a harp played behind him.  A wave of searing flames flowed forth, enveloping the shadows.  They writhed in the heat, quickly burning away into scorch marks on the ground.  Just like that, the threat was gone.  

Joker stood there for a moment, acclimating to the energy flowing through him.  Come to think of it, didn’t even know who he was summoning.  He turned around to face the persona and stopped.

He didn’t know this one.

Discovering new personas wasn’t uncommon, but typically he either met them as shadows, or through Caroline and Justine. Yet here he was, looking at a marionette-esque thing with a harp on its back.  The only one that had ever just shown up was Arsene.

And that probably meant something.

The static on the radio cut out abruptly, replaced by a hum.  Joker looked back at it.  The readings on the machines had all lip back up, and all said the same thing: “6/8: The Empress and the Emperor”.  A voice started coming out of the speakers, crystal clear, and not Mitsuru Kirijo.

“You know, one of the things that always made me laugh was just how much went wrong whenever the big shadows showed up. Fuuka was already in Tartarus. She’d been stuck there after some other girls locked her in the school gym at night.  Now those other girls were supposedly hearing ghosts and then ending up in the hospital.  That meant they were waking up during the dark hour.  One of the last ones, Natsuki was her name, we took her to the dorm  We had no idea what part of Tartarus the gym turned into, so the only way we were going to find her by doing the same thing. So, we broke into school.  Well, Junpei unlocked a door at least.”

As Dark Hair spoke, the persona faded away.

“So me, Akihiko, and Junpei head in to find Fuuka, Mitsuru and Yukari stay down below.  We find Fuuka just fine, but it was right after that that everything just went to hell.”  Dark Hair chuckled.  “On the way back, Akihiko puts it together than the big shadows come on the night of the full moon.  Guess what tonight was?  At that exact same moment, Mitsuru sends us a broken up transmission that they were under attack and that Natsuki had shown up.  Oh yeah, there were two shadows this time, because apparently they were going easy on us before.  We booked it back down there, took out the shadows and got acquainted with Fuuka’s persona.  From that point on, she took over for Mitsuru on being the navigator.  Which meant Mitsuru was coming with us.  Another month and two more shadows down.”

The moment he stopped, the static returned. There was no sign of Mitsuru’s voice either.  With the shadows gone, the only thing left to do next was move on.  Joker held tightened his grip on the evoker and walked away from the bike, feeling far more confident.

“His name is Orpheus, by the way.”

Joker spun around just as the lights on the radio finally died for good, with even the static going quiet.

[itsconstructiondigitalmarketing]

Top 10 most effective social media tips & tricks

You know it: as an entrepreneur you regularly see tips that you can use for your social media. Often there are so many tips that you can no longer see the forest for the trees and may therefore not be in action mode. Using social media in the right way is not about quantity, but about quality. In this blog I share 10 effective social media tips & tricks that you should know to use your social media well for optimal visibility of your company.

1. Bring focus

If you shoot at random, you won't hit anything. This also applies online. The social media is bursting at the seams with posts and contributions. The busier it gets, the more difficult it is to be found and seen. To ensure that you can still reach your ideal customers, you need to know everything about them.

This is possible, for example, with personal marketing. That is marketing aimed at one or more specific people in your audience. To do this, you create a fictional person on paper (or your computer) and bring it 'to life', as it were. You are very specific in the description of this person, your ideal customer.

In this way you get to know this fictional person so well that you know exactly what the person needs, wants, wants to read, wants to buy, wants to learn, what problems he / she has, what questions are involved, etc.

In addition to the target group you are targeting, the topic you post about is also important. Preferably choose a niche within your field about which you often share your expertise. It is not wise to talk about everything by betting broadly. Keep it small and go for that niche.

Have you not yet clarified your niche? Or do you want to refine your existing niche? Then answer the following questions

What topics am I passionate about?

In which fields do I see myself as an expert?

Which questions (within my field) are often asked of me?

2. It's all about timing

When is the best time to post a post or contribution? Actually, the answer to this question is different for everyone. In any case, it is important that you do not just put the posts online, but that you focus on certain moments that have been considered.

It is a matter of investigating for yourself when your target audience is online. Put yourself here again in your fans and followers. What does their daily routine look like? Take the persona you created again as a reference (see tip 1). What time does your persona get up? Does your persona work in the office or at home? How does your persona go to work? Does your persona have children? At what times are they likely to be online?

Then check when your posts get the most views and interaction. Test that for a while. Publish your content once on different days and times (morning or evening). Compare the results of your research and then draw your conclusions.

Different social platforms are also frequently visited at different times. Of course, there has been some research into the best times to post. This shows that it is best to post a message on LinkedIn, for example, on Thursday. The best times are between 7am and 8am in the morning or between 5pm and 6pm in the evening. Monday and Friday seem to be relatively less convenient.

Facebook peaks at around 9 a.m. and one at around 10 p.m. In winter, it is a little earlier in the evening.

Finally, you can also analyze the statistics. This gives you important information, such as about the times when your posts were viewed.

3. Vary the shape of your content

Use the different forms to make your content as attractive as possible to everyone. One prefers to watch videos, the other prefers to read and yet someone else would like to listen to your story in a podcast.

I will comment on videos here. Because using videos is a golden move on social media. They also say: content is king and video is queen. Because image and sound ensure that you attract plenty of attention. Provide content that stimulates your target group.

Or - even better - go for live videos: they provide much more interaction than regular videos. That doesn't have to be complicated. For example, answer a frequently asked question in a live video. You can create a series of single questions and answer a question every day in a live video. Simple, but effective.

By the way, pay attention to the use of links in your posts. The social media platforms preferably want the user to remain active on the platform for as long as possible. With a link in the post, the user may be gone in no time. So don't put too often links in your posts.

4. The title is gold

The title of your post or blog is very important. The reader decides at a glance whether he wants to continue reading or not. Therefore, use power words in the title. These attract attention, so that the reader 'lingers' and becomes curious. That is exactly what we want.

Power words often seem a bit exaggerated to you, but they do work. So use them. Take this title, for example: "7 Free Blogging Tools You Must Have Tried". You guessed the power words in this title. 'Free' and 'absolute' and indeed, 'must'.

The words in the example work as follows

personal: (which you absolutely ...).

decided: ('must have tried'). You are convinced.

emotional: absolutely.

powerful: Free.

Make sure every title you publish immediately contains at least one strong word or phrase. Finally, it is smart to include a good keyword in the title, which is searched by your target group.

5. Use exclusivity in a targeted manner

Exclusivity (or scarcity) is a very powerful marketing ploy. This principle works like a charm. Just add a counter to your offer that counts down. Scarcity fuels the well-known fear of missing out (or: FOMO). That's the fact that you can regret something you didn't do (quickly enough). Shops use it day in, day out. Because people start stocking up as soon as there is (in their opinion) a shortage. Just think of the recent events surrounding toilet paper in connection with Corona 😉

You can already create that scarcity with words in your text or on your image that reflect exclusivity for a certain group of people. For example, consider the following:

Only a limited number of places available.

Exclusive access.

Pre-order.

Only for members.

By only giving a certain group access to something, this group feels privileged. The same also applies to discounts, events or products that are made available exclusively for a specific target group. The great thing is that people from this group unconsciously associate this exclusivity with a positive feeling about you and your business.

You can also use scarcity to promote your product / service. Imagine you are giving training soon. By indicating that only 7 places are available (of the 25), you create scarcity. People are now going to register earlier than they would if this was not listed.

You can also use special words with your promotion or offer. These are words that evoke a feeling of scarcity: think of 'limited edition', 'one-off offer' or 'only valid for 1 day'. After all, discounts are always good, as long as they are valid for a certain period. Pay attention to this and state this clearly. Make the most of this handy and simple social media marketing trick.

6. Make grateful and smart use of hook-up moments

Catch up moments are days on which you as an entrepreneur can jump in. A very famous one is of course Black Friday, or think of the usual holidays. Did you know that there are countless other options that you can tap into as an entrepreneur?

Keeping up with current events is a great smart way to work on your online visibility. Catch up moments are useful anyway to give you inspiration about which to post. In addition, current topics often have a higher reach. Social media - such as Facebook - often give priority to personal posts with current content.

It does require some creativity in the beginning, but you can probably find a hook for certain days on which you can pick up from your business. Often there is a twist.

7. Spread your opportunities and bet on multiple social media channels

There are now many different social media platforms on which you can work on your visibility with your ideal customer. Think of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. Even TikTok is already used for business.

Your ideal target group can often be found on multiple platforms. Make sure you can be found there and post regularly. Some entrepreneurs are only on LinkedIn, because according to them the target group is there.

Take HR managers, for example. You will indeed find it on LinkedIn. But: in their spare time they may also spend a lot of time on Pinterest for their hobby. Or on Facebook for social contacts or Instagram for inspiration. If they come across interesting information there for their work, it will certainly attract their attention (even if it is outside working hours).

Spread your opportunities and go for optimal visibility by profiling yourself on different platforms. It will take you more time, but if you do it right, it will definitely pay off.

In addition, it is not inconceivable that at some point a social platform can disappear again. Think of MySpace or Hyves. They were successful, but eventually stopped. That is another reason to spread your activities on social media platforms.

8. Interaction is the keyword

With interaction you involve your fans / followers in your company and that is of course what you want. Whatever you put in your post; always give people the opportunity to respond to that. There are many ways to generate interaction. You can do this in a simple way by asking a question . If you do not do this in your post, you deprive your fans / followers of the opportunity to respond.

Try to keep the question you ask accessible. As a rule, easy questions are always more responsive than difficult questions:

Who gives you inspiration?

What are you going to do this weekend?

Who would you prefer ...

Presenting a dilemma always works very well. That can be a dilemma of your own. Or a dilemma that one of your customers or your employees is struggling with. For example: which color, which slogan or which location. If you have physical products, it is nice to show pictures of the products.

Just ask for a like or comment. For some it can sometimes still be a barrier to ask for a like or a response. This is experienced as a bit loud and intrusive. In my experience, posts that explicitly ask for a like or comment have much higher engagement than comparable posts that don't.

Finally, a type of message with which you can also make nice posts: the 'Fill in on the dotted line' post . You start a sentence that ends with an open part. Then you ask your fans to complete this sentence. They feel heard and involved.

My favorite soup is …….

I like the summer because ……

My favorite relaxation time is….

The first thing I'm going to do in the garden this weekend is ……

Responses guaranteed!

9. You are your company

People do business with people. Everything you do (or don't do), say or write affects your audience. Your audience is going to like you, your company, your product, your brand if you are personal and yourself.

You are a brand yourself. This also applies to a company with several employees and even a large company. Because a company also has character. Just think of HEMA or Coca Cola.

So: your marketing stands or falls with… you! You are very important in your marketing. So stay authentic and be yourself. On social media it is very much appreciated when people are themselves. If they share joys and sorrows (personally and professionally). Because the more personal you are in your posts, the more comments, likes and shares you will get.

Just follow your intuition and let your 'authentic you' come back in all your content. Make sure you have a certain degree of recognizably. This can be done by choosing specific subjects and by using your corporate identity.

10. Use the power of repetition

Did you know that the best marketing has one central message, which is then explained in different perspectives, points of interest, interests and substantiation? In order to really stick, a message has to arrive at the recipient several times. If you want people to remember your message, you have to repeat it (more often).

Entrepreneurs think far too often: I have already posted that on my social media. Or: I've already written about that. Often a specific subject is only highlighted once. That's a shame. Because you can endlessly repeat your central message that you wanted to share.

You can easily reposition something that worked well. Look in your statistics for your posts that received a lot of responses and engagement. If necessary, take a different angle on that topic and post it again. Remember that your potential customer needs repetition to go for you.

Repetition also saves you a lot of work. Since those posts were already doing well, they will likely be well-received.

Repetition is a really powerful persuasion technique. Take advantage of that! Because repeating your message ensures that your audience will remember it better and it can help to convince them to go for your product / service. In addition, you create a positive feeling with your fans / followers with subtle repetition.

[visanimus]

Persona 3 reader x female Phantom Thieves

Small something since I wasn’t sure if people like Persona 3 anymore. Fem persona 3 reader x female Phantom Thieves. So suicide persona summoning warning incase.

~

| Futaba Sakura

• What the hell was wrong with you. How could you do such a thinking about leaving her behind?! Futaba was screaming insults at your dead corpse as she laid on the floor, watching shadows zoom in on your form. The smile you gave her as you lifted your skirt to bring out a gun to end it. Futaba saw you smile as you brought the cool metal up to the side of your head. “Don’t worry Fuatab-chan.” Her sweet voice called out before swiftly turning away.

• Closing her eyes, so she wouldn’t have to witness another death of someone close to her, she couldn’t watch her girlfriend die. Futaba couldn’t let her heart get hurt again. She waited for a blood curling scream of agony but heard of a contract being made, “I am thou…Thou art I” was your calm voice heard over the chaos of shadows swarming upon her love. She opened her eyes to you dodging attacks, giving expert commands as if this was a game and using tactics to narrow down weaknesses. Until it was over.

• Coming back to the real world she tackled you and curled up on her girlfriend’s lap, snuggling into her chest for warmth. That lasted for about 30 seconds before Futaba launched into a interrogation of what the hell she did to summon her persona. “It’s called a Evoker and it helps me summon my persona.” Futaba needed alot more data on this and why the summoning techniques were different. “I can only summon it when I accept my death.” Futaba cried until her girlfriend explained it a different way.

| Ann Takamaki

• Her screams pierced the air of Mementos. Her blue eyes expected to follow your body to hit the floor the moment you shot yourself in the head. If only you had given her time to save you. If only you had given her a chance to explain all this to you. If only you hadn’t chased her down into the lower levels of Mementos to chase their target down. The only dangerous thing was how high leveled the shadows became more dangerous down here.

• Hearing your voice as you screamed out a command to save yourself from a shadow that had slithered out of the darkness before Ann could make it to your side, out of range for her whip to fight back the shadow, before she could step in. She saw you pull out a gun, a real one, and shoot yourself to summon a ferocious beat that made chew toys out of the shadows that tried to kill you. She stood still in shock at what was happening before her. What was happening?

• You threw off your heels, as the heel snapped on one of them, and stood back up to finish off the rest of the monsters. Ann shook off her shock and ran to your side to help fight off the remaining shadows and drag you somewhere safe. She hugged you for a moment before standing back, trying to figure out what to say, “What did I just see? How? Just what?-” giggling you pressed your soft lips against her cheek, “I’m a persona user too. Just not like you or the rest of the Phantom Thieves.” You gave a her a cheeky smile before holding her hand and heading back to Leblanc.

| Makoto Niijima

• All she could do was run to you. That was it. Stopping dead in her tracks the moment she heard the bullet become released from it’s metal cage. Tears welled up in her eyes as she muffled the scream with her hands. The wicked smile you gave her as you pointed it under your jaw was something only you would do - you matched her level of crazy and free. The voice that screamed, “Persona!” a giant persona surrounded you, giving you a ethereal effect in a light blue glow.

• Makoto dried her eyes as she hoped to see your curvy figure’s back towards her. Her burgundy eyes locked onto the way your hair flowed in the wind as you have command, after command, that matched bullet, after bullet. The way you beat down all those shadows in Mementos, to save her after seeing her friends being worn down from a boss fight - they had barely scraped by from a Reaper battle. You reminded her of a Valkyrie in a war.

• Makoto watched as you simply, barely struggled, against the shadows of Mementos. Your pink lips smiled in her direction as your hurried by her side, skirt swishing,l from side to side, as you helped her up. “I know you have allot of questions Makoto. I know you’re worried but wait until you’re better for them. Just know that this is my Evoker, so I can summon my persona whenever I need to.” Makoto passed out. She couldn’t question how you got them out of there but did you did answer all her other questions pertaining to your persona skills.

| Haru Okumura

• Sinking to her knees the moment she saw that you held your fingers to your lips, a soft “Shhhh”, as your other hand supplied a gun to the side of your forehead. She held her breathe as you sent her sink before pulling the trigger. You had to protect her from the swarm of high level shadows in the palace when you had followed her and the rest of the Phantom Thieves. She stayed back to protect you until a shadow cut into her arm for a small gash.

• You have stepped up. You had ran, your heels clicking onto the pavement as you forced the shadows’ attention onto you. You had to protect her girlfriend and you would have to give up your secret to do so. Haru was worth it. There was no hesitation as you pulled the trigger, you would save the girl you loved. Haru watched as you summoned multiple personas to combat the shadows that descended upon you both as they alarmed more to come.

• Haru couldn’t help but feel amazed at how you were able to keep all those shadows at bay, without her help, until the rest of the group came back to save the both of you. Akira came in and helped her girlfriend, both worked well together as Makoto and Ann came and healed up her gash. “___ how are you able to use a persona?” Haru questioned as she ran to her lover’s side. Seeing you sheepish look as you showed her your gun, “This is my Evoker, it’s how I’m able to summon my persona.” You explained to Haru and the rest of the Phantom Thieves.