#thief nanako au

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PART 2 OF THE PERSONA 4 + 5 AU BC I HAVE IDEEEEEAAAAAS!

Part 1 is right here in case the post got drowned in other posts .

Aight, so. Ideas involving the Thieves and Investigation Team after encountering the Dark Priest and Shadow Akechi.

During the fight, Shadow Akechi starts summoning other shadows and just starts causing them to suffer psychotic breakdowns against the Phantom Thieves while the Dark Priest fights off the Investigation Team. Unfortunately for the IT it’s been a good while since they’ve actually worked together and done anything in the TV World which is a huge difference to how the Phantom Thieves are just clearing out the groups of shadows that keep coming.

The Priest meanwhile is giving the IT a hard time, monologueing about how hypocritical they are, and just going on a tangent in just how they kept refusing to see the blatant truths right in front of the - about Akiren being the cryptid and other things that they really shouldn’t know about their personal lives.

It eventually ends when Shadow Akechi starts to rant on about how futile it is to deny their lose, and the Priest declares how they will bring them all to true justice, just as they have done for the past year.

So with the plot out of the way we can have the character interactions we want/never knew we needed. (All of which may or may not already be on @ren-amamiyaa ‘s blog) Aka the Kanji and Kanji 2.0 discussion of loving their moms and being gud bois, Ann and Rise going into topics of how they act in the work place and their social lives (remember how Rise as identity issues bc of her career ATLUS YOU NEVER RESOLVED THAT!), and the inevitable Naoto + Yu becoming incredibly destroyed at the fact that the Inaba PD screwed Akiren over and were under Shido’s thumb (I known this is really empty and sparse but just try and fill in the blanks here). Oh yeah and Teddie and Morgana being sorta-kinda-like Shadows and THAT talk happening.

So ya know how I said that the IT are a bit disfunctional now and are barely holding on together to save Nanako? Well imagine how they’re law abiding natures handle with the PT if they were “True Good” citizens, since they kinda are only law abiders (except Yosuke and Kanji but we forgive them). They might renew their bonds and friendships and form new ones with the kiddos, or they might seperate from e/o bc they realize they’re all really different people with different ideals and ways of life with the only trait they share being that they have personas and live in Inaba... and the team just gets woooooorse since now they realize they have no real reason to be “friends” and Yu is crying a storm behind his Narukami Deadpan Mask^tm.

Anyway here’s where things become Persona. The only way out is through the TV the Thieves came though bc Fallen Heaven (new name for new development and its open again hush) (also everyone ran into e/o in Magatsu Inaba ok? ok) but it has become completely different than what it once was when the kids went through it. Now the place is just filled with broken ruins, dark patchy dried grass, dried up rivers that used to flow through the place, cloudy skies and heavy rain are just pouring throughout the entire place. And amongst the ruins there these little buildings scatterd throughout the place ranging from nice looking nursery homes to rotting wooden shacks. Akechi goes silent and still every time they run into one of these places and says nothing about it to the others.

Oh did I mention that bc Nanako loves Loveline and Akechi is a Detective Prince (”You’re not the Detective Prince, Naoto is.” “That title never really held any worth to me nor did it really mattter in anyway.” “Well you’ll always be the true one and only Prince.” “They always like this?” “Honestly we have no idea with Moronji and Naoto.”) there are P U Z Z L E S and C A S E S to solve? Why? Atlus and Persona that’s why andnotbcimgraspingstrawsherre !

The Thieves + Akechi go through these places to find clues on not just this weird TV world but also about that Priest (bonus if we find anything on Akechi to help him) while the IT go off to find Nanako. Shadow Akechi keeps running into the Thieves when they find pieces to the puzzle, about the missing girl, about Akechi himself since he (begrudgingly) is starting to let them in for realzies, how Adachi killed people with help from a god (”Sounds about right” says Joker, Bowl Cut and co probably when through something along the lines of his adventure) etc etc. As they go through things, the buildings start to have mini Palace epsiodes and self destruct, Fallen Heaven looking very slightly more cleaned up each time to it looking less dark and Akechy (badum dsh) and back its ruined state.

With the Team they end up finding out Heaven is either big bc of Akechi’s influence, or it’s a lot longer than they remember. They mainly clear out shadows that end up showing up, but they’re all scared and hesitant to approach them, almost like they’re trying to run and hide to live another day. They only realize this when the run into a Shadow in a hallway instead of a closed room where it just books it. But wait that wasn’t a Treasure Hand the group realizes thanks to Yosuke’s astute observations on the Shadows and the Set. Eventually they find the glass panes of Nanako’s memories and realize they kinda ruined her a bit with keeping her in the dark. I mean what were they suppose to do, tell her about how she got kidnapped, thrown into the tv, got put into a life threatening situation with a monster formed from repressed emotions that put her in the hospital and then DIED FOR A FEW MINUTES WHILE THEY ALL ALMOST MURDERED A MAN?!!??!

While they go through the Set they start to hear voices of other people, a lot of people actually. They all sound like the people who ended up having extreme changes of character, and it sounds like they’re all pleading for... something. Truth? Justice? They can’t tell if it’s either of those things or just mmishmashed mumbles of the people. Anyways they evntually enter some sort of chapel room of the Fallen Heaven with these human Shadows of the people have extreme changes of character. They see that Nanako’s Shadow is in the center of all these people and starts to reveal all of the doubts and emotions she has been feeling over the years about the Investigation Team. It ruins the IT, especially Yu as he basically learns that his Lil’ Sis hates him and wants nothing to do with him anymore. Cue the Shadows melting (screaming and crying bc they do that apparantly) and a fight against uh-duuuuh I dunno... (*flings dart at board*) an angel. What angel? UUhhhhh... fallen... yeeee... canyoutellimrunningouttasteam

After the battle ends, the shadows all seperate and Nanako’s Shadow is nowhere to be seen amongst the ruined churchy room.

Annnnnd now Im burned out and need to think thimgs over again. Thanks to listening to my ramblings on @ren-amamiyaa‘s amazing AUs and community, and I’ll probably make the next ramble post... eventually... theoretically...

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@ren-amamiyaa and their (he/she?) Golden Heist, Thief Nanako and Cryptid Chaser aus flooded my brain and now Im making this post bc I cant fit all of this in asks!!!

All right, so, idea. Cryptid Chasers, Thief Nanako and Golden Heist are all connected righr???

CC acts as a prequel, TN becomes the inbetween starring Nanako and Akechi, and GH stars a broken and older IT and slightly jaded PT.

So far CC has Yosuke and Naoto forming the brotp that fanon wanted through silly Saturday Night Ghost Chasers Shenanigans, Akiren is bein' a lil shit at midnight bc he needs an outlet and exercise to Phantom Thief. While this goes on, Akechi's ghost/spirit/rement/heart/whatever pulls pranks and shenans along with Joker (hiwever that happens).

As the Cryptid Chasers keep going out of their way to confront Joker about Arsene (bc even he likes to mess around) the other IT in Inaba start to try and stop them from disrupting the peace (read : harassing a known criminal) and this somehow leads to a falling out. Mayhaps Naoto and Yosuke break a few laws and Chie busts them, Kanji wants to know why theyre stalking his student/protege, and Yukiko just wants to keep the rumors about the inn in check bc jfc Yosuke STOP SCREECHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IN THE LOBBY THERE IS NO GHOST ON THE TV!

Maybe eventually they call it quits or dont bc Naoto dug this hole too deep to climb out themself and Yosuke is having the time of his life since Partner isnt around and hasn't come back to visit yet (Not sayin' souyo is canon and there but-). And the Cryptid Chasers arc probably ends here with there being some animosity towards their shenanigans , but the IT are all still friends.

Now fast forward to like, uhhh (*flings dart at wall of calendars*) 2014 during winter and Akiren's cryptid acts are now fully accepted and maybe exposed, who knows. Nanako is like 10 ~ 12 (P5 is maybe three/five years post P4 I believe) and is just going through the motions of public education. I.E. go to class, do work, get good grades. Dojima is still the same as he was before Yu came but is at least doing better at being a dad, not much but better. Yosuke and Ted aren't around as much bc Junes, Chie is transferred to Tokyo, Yukiko is busy managing the Inn, and Kanji is busy with work (as a teacher and crafts business owner). Rise unfortunately cant come visit and Big Bro now visits every other year.

Nanako starts to look back and wonder how things started to fall apart amongst the group and recalls that "delinquent" who came back at the same time the Cryptid^tm showed up and ruined the group. So now she starts to remember the good times when Big Bro came by and starts to notice some blanks around winter... Why was she in the hospital when she got kidnapled? Why does she remember these weird flashes of Big Bro and his friends and some monster?? And how come she tried to ask them anything about it they brushed her off each time???

The TV in her room flashes and soon she starts hearing things. She starts to move closer to the tv, as if she was in some sort of trance, as the sounds start to become voices to her. When she's directly infront of the screen she sees something... someone on it...

Nanako doesnt show up for breakast, or to school, and nobody seems to have seen her.

A full year passes on after that day. It starts off with a big search party of the IT and Social Links for the first two months, then after ankther three something stange happens... are people forgetting that Nanako existed or something? Everybody's starting to act like completely different peoplw than who they are too, some even end up hospitalozed due to severe headaches and such, and start claiming that Nanako was never around when she vanished or that she left Inaba or was already deamed dead or missing. This rings alarms in the IT's mimds as they search for answers, eventually all fully reuniting for the first time in years/months.

Naoto and Yosuke blame themselves bc they piece together her disappearance with the Cryptid + Ghost case and immediately get scolded for trying to pin their stupid kids game on a missing person's case - especially now with Nanako missing and possibly in danger again! Afterwards the IT are a bit on edge and a bit broken with the whole thing. Meanwhile Akechi can hear the tale ends of "missing person" and "literal disappearnace" and starts looking into this weird limbo metaverse he's in bc some shit is kinda fucked in here now for some reason. They're pretty much only together as a team to rescue Nanako.

GH in the PTs POV starts when Akiren invites the group to the Amagi Inn thanks to licrative money grin- I mean training. He comes clean into having seen something weird on the tv one late night and wants to let the gang know.

Midnight rolls around and Akechi shows up on the screen and the Thieves losing their shit is an understatement - numerous noise complaints were filed that night. Anyways Akechi decides to just play the role of "hey moron, some shits fucked come help fix it" and ends up informing them of a missing girl and this weird TV Mementos world he is in.

I would like to note that Akechi is not at all bitter or confused at everyone's circumstances in life, no of course not Joker stop crying I know its been a while but shutup theres a kid in trouble rn and youre the only ones who can possibly help her.

When the PT figure out a plan to reach this other world Goro is in (Arsene : THOUARTTHEESTICKYOURHANDINTHETVDOITDOITDOITDOIT) the IT eventually come to the very sad conclusion that Nanako moght be in the TV world and that opens a whole can of worms and burnable bridges to cross.

While in the TV world, I'd like to imagine that due to Akechi having been there for a good while it has been shaped to reflect his heart and be the new overall theme of that world. It all still looks like Inaba, but it all holds themes to Akechi and his no good terrible life. However due to Nanako having been in that world as a kid, and now for an uncertain amount of time, the world now holds motifs to the Heaven area from P4, but it's all sorta ruined and kinda darker.

When both teams get together and enter the weird Tele-Mentos world (IT in a Junes storage and PT at either Ren's pad [bc he moved out obvi] (OR bith teams enter from seperate TVs at the Inn so SHENANS!)) Yu and the IT go through Akechi's influenced world/TV Palace, finding out about his tragic backstory and involvement with the PT, but anything that can and could reveal their true identities is blurred and staticy or missing bc Akechi aint gonna snitch out who ruined his sperm donors life (also I guess saved the world too yeah). While going through the Palace the Team starts to think that finding Goro will just be an "if it happens" sort of deal bc he's been missing for years already, what if we just leave him here bc M U R D E R E R.

Cue a sudden appearance by someone in some sort of fallen angel garb who starts whipping out a full on Metal Gear Villain monologue about how hypocritical the IT are when they find the truth about Akechi's life and disappearance - they claimed to want to live in a world where no one hides in the fig, was that all a lie? Are they going back on their word, and hiding behind a shriud of lies and falsehoods once more? "You've gone and lied and hidden the truth already, what's to say you won't continue?"

Meanwhile Akiren and the Thieves enter at the very top of the Heaven TV Set and have to climb all the way down. As they do so they start seeing little murals or epitaphs about memories and people in this girls life. They see all of these memories of a happy girl who had such a loving family - both found and by blood. As they go further and further down the ruins start to look like an actual Heaven, and the scenary becomes more bright and colorful. Eventually they might run into Crow in his Black Mask clothes and give the bastard a slug on the arm and a group hug or two, bc man he doesn't deserve to suffer anymore like this.

Now that the Phantom Thieves have been reunited (Akechi : I can't leave this world The PT : FUCK, MORE PLOT) they end up thinking up ways to get Akechi out until this weird angel priest looking dude shows up and starts babling about how they are criminals and how they've done more bad than good and blah blah blah. Everyone is just all "We're the good guys, we do the right thing even if its morally grey/ambiguous!" and oh look! Another crazed maniac wants to kill us for our "injustice" *Crow has the decency to look away and not say anything* annnnnnd Heaven is locked off. Perfect.

Now maybe the Phantom Thieves and Investigation Team run into each other somewhere in Akechi's Palace and "You have Personas?!?!" "The hell is a Palace?" "YOU'RE THE CRYPTID OF INABA!!?!?" "And Im the 'Ghost' that follows him." "Wait you followed me as a ghost?" "WAIT WHY ARE THERE TWO AKECHIS??!??!!"

Oh yeah, Shadows... Akechi is still kinda in denial about the whole friends and justice thing...

And now the Dark Priest is back great ("Good name Skull" "Well I've got my moments right?").

Annnnnnnd now I have no idea what happens next and Im all burned out but AAAAAAAAA this entire AU crossover thing is so GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!