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Oh gracious, I turn a blind eye for just a sexond and the second post fills up! Darlings, sweetpeas, do please forgive my tardiness. I bring you now our third installment of the fantasticousity, and would indeed love to, ah, beg your pardon in being so late about it.
SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 4 KINK MEME
PART THREE
In this scintillating post ( Read more... )
SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 4 KINK MEME
PART THREE
In this scintillating post ( Read more... )
Meeting his new caretakers, an uncle he barely remembered and a young girl that seemed rather afraid of him. That much was the same.
Starting a new school - Class 2-1 at Yasogami High - and going through the motions. That much was the same.
Having strange dreams of a velvet limousine, putting your hand inside a TV and awakening to a new power to save your first friend in the town of Inaba?
…not the same.
- - -
12/04
[ Lunchtime]
Souji turned in his seat as he felt a tap on his shoulder; an attractive brunette girl was sitting behind him, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms. Souji noticed she seemed almost bored as she looked him over appraisingly.
“You’re the new student…Souji, right?” she asked. Souji nodded. “Nice to meet you, I guess. I figure if I’ve got to look at the back of your head for the rest of the year, we may as well get along.”
Souji simply smiled back, nodding; his courage seemed to swell - she was very pretty, after all - and he asked her out, right then and there. Ai gave a light, tinkling laugh, definitely aimed at him rather than with him.
“You wish.” she smirked. Silence held for a few moments as Souji internally recovered from the loss before she spoke up again. “…hey. Has anyone told you about that Midnight Channel rumour yet?”
- - -
12/05
[After School]
Their second venture into the TV, Ai sticking oddly close to him. A surging power within him as they stood in front of a twisted version of the Konishi liquor store, and the sudden feeling of knowledge as the card floated in front of him. Souji smiled. Suddenly Igor’s words made sense.
He knew what he had to do.
Unfortunately, things only got worse from there. Souji took Ai’s hands in his as they entered the red-and-black vortex, going to who knows where.
The inside of the store betrayed more and more about this strange TV world; Ai was confronted by a mocking doppelganger that all the screaming in the world didn’t seem to budge. Laughter danced in the shadow’s yellow eyes as it stood there, throwing taunt after taunt at the shaking girl.
“C’mon, boys! Miss Piggyhara’s all dolled up and ready to take. You. On!”
“I’m so fat and ugly…nobody will ever love me unless I’m pretty!”
“Like, hi! I’ll be your little skank today! Just give me money and you can do aaaanything you want~”
“Don’t deny it, Piggy. I’m you, and you’re me~”
He could feel Ai’s hand clench around his - once, hard - before she let go and stomped right up to the Shadow, yelling in his face.
“No! You’re not me!”
Cackling laughter and an explosion of a substance Souji couldn’t identify. A monster beyond thinking stood before him, a flowing green dress sticking tightly to something which looked human…its features were warped, twisted, framed by billowing brown hair flapping behind its head. A too-small mask was held tightly over its face, attempting to hide pig ears and a snout to no avail. Souji barely had time to lift his weapon - a crowbar, grabbed from inside the twisted store; they hadn’t prepared, they should have done better - before the creature attacked, screaming his name.
- - -
Ai picked herself up after it was over, holding onto one arm where she’d fallen too heavily. She glared daggers at her Shadow, now pacified, but spoke in a calmer voice than he’d ever heard her use.
“Fine.” she said, sighing. “Maybe I do think all that stuff…maybe I do want people to like me. I was sick of being that fat girl that everyone made fun of. Losing that…it made me a better person. But I guess I never really got any better, huh…?”
Souji spoke up. “You’re trying your best.”
Ai sighed again, nodded at her Shadow. “Fine. You’re me. Is that what you want to hear?”
The Shadow nodded back; there was a shimmer of light and the feeling of something changing, and a beautiful woman in a green dress floated above Ai, wings fluttering a few times before it changed again, into a card that drifted down to the floor. A hush fell over the room.
“Titania…?” Ai whispered, before she collapsed to the floor.
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[Early Morning]
“Hey, uh…thanks.”
“For what?”
“Don’t be an ass, Souji. For…helping me. In there.”
“…it was nothing.”
“Hmph. Whatever. Don’t take the thanks. Like I care.”
Souji smiled, a voice resounding in his head, the possibilities of the Moon Arcana opening before him.
[Evening]
Souji blinked as the image on the TV swam into focus. A woman, definitely, somewhere in her early-thirties, chatting happily to the camera as kids ran around her. Periodically, she would pick one up - usually the boy in the blue and red shirt - and hurl him as far away as she could manage, never losing that charming smile.
The shock only wore off as his phone buzzed in his pocket, the TV screen back to its regular, reassuring darkness. Maybe Ai would have a better idea of what…whatever that was, was.
…wasn’t that woman on the news a few nights ago?
- - -
17/04
[After School]
The news that morning was like a punch to the gut; neighbours had been alerted by a panicking child, left alone in the house. His stepmother, Eri Minami, had been kidnapped, and from the photo that the news showed, there was no doubt in Souji’s mind that it was the same person who had been shown on the Midnight Channel the night before.
“We need to help her.” Souji said, turned around in his seat after class.
Ai’s lips twisted, not too enamoured by the idea. Souji stared at her until she cracked.
This time, they’d need real weapons.
- - -
19/04
[After School]
Souji nearly toppled forward as Daisuke clapped him on the back, grinning wide. Ai sighed from her position on a nearby bench, legs folded and foot tapping; Souji couldn’t help but notice how much she’d been hanging around with him lately.
“Glad to have you on the team, dude!” Daisuke grinned. “We ain’t that great yet, but now we have you on the team, I’m sure we’ll start kickin’ ass!”
Souji smiled back, nodding at his classmate. Daisuke was certainly enthusiastic…he’d be sure to come to practice often. They passed soccer conversation back and forth for a few minutes before Ai got tired of waiting, standing up to hurry over the field towards them.
“Are you gonna stand there and talk all day? Don’t we have to go inside the TV, Souji?”
Souji started, whipping his head around to stare at her. Had she just…in front of Daisuke?
“…inside the TV?” Daisuke echoed. “What, are you guys fixin’ up a flatscreen or something?”
“Uh…yeah, Daisuke.” Ai said, her laugh almost a snort. “That’s totally it.”
“Oh, then I’ll come along with you!” he grinned, raising a hand to his chest. “I’ve fixed up a coupla those things before.”
Souji bit down a sigh. So much for helping Minami-san today…
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Can't wait to see where you take this, anon!
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At times, she is tempted to rewrite it a bit.
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Little tiny detail, Ai must have a veeeery big TV with all the money her family has *hint hint*
I can't wait for more, you are doing great so far.
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And I'm actually in the Kou camp myself, buuuut. Well. You'll see.
~~
21/04
Early Morning]
The beat of steady running caught Souji’s attention as Daisuke hurried up behind him, easily falling into step beside him. The boy gave a big grin, shouldering his backpack.
“Morning, dude! Great day for soccer, huh?” he laughed. Souji nodded in response, smiling, and eventually Daisuke’s expression died down into something almost thoughtful. “Hey, can I, uh…ask you something?”
Souji blinked. “Sure.”
Daisuke struggled with his words for awhile. “Are you and Ai, uh…like…”
“…like?”
“…nah, it’s nothing, man.” Daisuke grinned, clapping him on the back. “Ain’t any of my business, anyway.”
[After School]
“Ugh! Would you go away, Daisuke? We’ve got something to do here, ya know!”
To his credit, Daisuke actually leaned back at the ferocity of Ai’s verbal assault, backing up against the big-screen TV in pride of place in Junes’ electronics department. Ai huffed, folding her arms again.
“Hey, I was just passing by!” Daisuke protested, frowning. “You guys said you were gonna go inside TVs, and I figured I could give you a hand…what’s so wrong with that?”
“Inside the TV?” Ai echoed, voice slowly growing more shrill. “I’ll show you inside the TV!”
Daisuke was shoved backwards before Souji could react, one hand brushing fatally close to the television screen. There was a strangled yell, abruptly cut off as Daisuke disappeared into the screen. Souji stared at Ai, at the TV, at Ai again.
“…oops.” Ai muttered. “I…guess we’d better go in and help him, huh?”
It was a long moment before Souji nodded. At least they’d had the foresight to bring their weapons this time…
- - -
Wind whipped around them as they climbed the dark mountain, winding pathways and caves taking them back and around before they could find somewhere to climb properly upward. The Shadows were different now, Teddie yelling advice in the background - and Ai often yelling back - about this and that. Shimmering fish Shadows, tiny cupid shadows in blue and red, faceless things speared together with their heads hung low; Ai and Souji cut their way through all of them, following the trail, looking for Daisuke.
Souji was surprised how competent Ai seemed to be with a crossbow, her bolts flying straight and true. He wondered whether she’d ever had practice before…the intense concentration on her face certainly seemed to suggest it.
They found Daisuke on the third floor, leaning against something that looked like it used to be a picnic table. The mountain arced up and away from them now, growing ever steeper; Souji felt his stomach drop as Daisuke slowly got to his feet.
“Guys…wh-what the hell is this?! I don’t…”
“You don’t know?” a masculine voice chucked from behind them. “Why, it’s the inner thoughts of a fucked-up mother, of course.”
Souji knew what he was going to see before he turned around. It didn’t make seeing yellow-eyed, grinning, wicked Daisuke any easier.
- - -
“I’m an idiot~ people only like me for my strength.”
“Once I get hurt, my life is over. Everything’s gonna be totally fucked.”
“Kou’s the only one I can trust…Kou’s the only one who won’t leave me…”
“Funny how we like playing with balls, huh? You really think that’s a coincidence? You’re a young man, after all…and you’re barely interested in girls as it is…”
“Hey, don’t get angry. I’m just saying what you’re thinking~ after all, I’m you, and you’re me~”
Souji braced himself for the scream, hefting the sword up in his hands.
“No, damnit! Fuck you!” Daisuke yelled, the mountain winds whipping in his face. “You’re not me!”
“Here we go again.” Ai grumbled, lifting her crossbow.
A huge, muscular man-thing rose up before them, covered in blue armour, its face masked by a lowered helmet. It flexed, cracked its neck, and drew an impossibly huge sword. Souji pushed his glasses further up his nose.
There was no time for this. There were people who needed his help.
The card shimmered in front of his eyes and Souji clenched his fist, Izanagi soaring to his aid once again.
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“Haha…sorry, guys…guess I slowed you down, huh? That ain’t what a teammate should do…”
“It’s fine.” Ai muttered, crouching at his side. “Not like we were on a time limit, anyway…”
Souji shot Ai a look before patting Daisuke on the shoulder. He looked utterly drained, just like Ai had when she got her Persona…he briefly wondered why that was before shaking it away. Not important.
“We need to go back and let Daisuke rest.” Souji stated, straightening up. Daisuke’s head shot up and he attempted to scramble to his feet, stammering refusals, but they were soon cut short by another pained groan. He fell to his knees heavily again.
“…I think you’re right.” Ai sighed. “C’mon, you idiot. Up and at ‘em.”
Daisuke nodded, getting to his feet. The mountain loomed behind them as Teddie led them back to the entrance to the world. Soon, Souji promised. We’ll save Minami-san as soon as we can.
23/04
[After School]
Souji’s finances were starting to run low, so he took a job with a day-care centre.
The gossip that assaulted him about Minami-san and her child was almost enough to knock him off his feet.
24/04
[Morning]
Pi pi pi pi pi pi pi…
“Ya know, Souji, I’ve got a pretty big TV in my house…wouldn’t it be better to go in through that? Maybe you could come over today and we could check it out?”
Souji frowned thoughtfully. “…didn’t Teddie say that different TVs led to different places? It might not lead us to that lobby.”
“Oh. Yeah. I suppose you’re right.”
That was odd, Souji thought as Ai descended into the usual chatter. Why did she seem so disappointed?
25/04
[Lunchtime]
“I’m thinking of joining the Drama Club.” Souji said, in between mouthfuls of ramen.
Ai frowned. “I’m not sure I like that, Souji…aren’t there a lot of girls in that club?”
Daisuke blinked, mouth still half-full of beef as he spoke. “Huh? Whaddaya mean?”
“…it’s nothing. Forget about it.”
26/04
[After School]
Daisuke was back on form, so they returned to the mountain, the tall athlete sporting a shiny new pair of greaves. Having three people made climbing easier; always having another person to watch your back, and someone to watch theirs, made teamwork more efficient as they plowed their way through the Shadows.
On the seventh floor, Minami’s Shadow threw a guardian up in front of them, a faceless female figure with a huge, amorphous burden on her back. The creature spat Agi after Agi as they attempted to survive; Daisuke finally got in close, delivering a vicious kick that sent the monster flying, splattering into its components against the far wall. Minami-san’s voice echoed through the mountain winds as they continued their climb, taunting them with promises of being a good mother, of being a good wife, of doing anything they wanted…
Daisuke’s face seemed bright red with more than just the cold by the time they reached the top floor. A blue butterfly brushed against Souji’s hand briefly and the determination welled within him. They would save Minami-san today, or die trying.
- - -
The top floor seemed a lot like the daycare centre, strangely; dark clouds rolled overhead, Minami-san on her knees in front of her Shadow, confidently smirking down at her as children ran around her feet.
“Your husband left you, your child hates you…boy, you just mess up everything, don’t you?”
“N-no…that’s not true…”
“Big, cold, empty house…you want to fill it with warmth, but you just don’t have the guts, do you? Hey, maybe you should throw out your little Yuu-kun and get a nice, young man, hm~?”
Souji and Daisuke flustered in unison as the Shadow turned its gaze upon them.
“Yeah~ young men are really energetic and devoted…they’d never leave you like that stupid fuckup of a husband!”
“He’s not…you’re lying!”
“Lying? Please. I’m you!”
“N-no…you’re not…”
“Hm~? Speak up, Eri! I think I hear Yuu-kun calling for…oh, wait. That’s his real mother. My baaaad…”
"Oh, shit." Daisuke muttered.
“No! You’re not me!”
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Don't we all try to do that? It's the "Argh, I've come so far already, I'm not going to loose another day!! Gather your money for the fox!" XD
Drama club? Really? I prefer Ayane all the way.
You are doing and aaaaawesome job anon!!!
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Hmm...now that I've gone through both Sun links, I, too, prefer Ayanae (which is funny, because she was the reason I flatout chose Drama Club the first playthrough). But Yumi would provide a starker dynamic, especially for Ai. ^_^; Can't wait to see what you do in that regard.
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Loving this so far, anon. I can't wait to see where this goes from here!
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The grateful smile Eri gave him once she had accepted herself - “You’re not alone”, he’d said - and had Sarasvati open up her mind to her new power only made it hurt a little more.
27/04
[After School]
“Oh, didn’t I tell you, Sensei? Those butterflies let you go right back to the top! You could’ve gone home and rested and saved Mina-chan completely refreshed!”
“…”
“…you hold him, I’ll hit him, dude.”
30/04
[Morning]
“Um, excuse me…”
Souji was surprised to see Minami-san waiting for the three of them at the school gates, looking rather nervous. She had given them a grateful smile when she saw them, one that spread across her whole face, even as her son - Yuuta, if he recalled right - stood a few feet away, looking up at the school.
“I just wanted to say thank you again…for the other day.” Eri said. “You really helped me out in there. I…can’t say too much in front of Yuu-kun, but…”
She took a fortifying breath; Souji found himself expecting what was to come.
“Even though I’m not sure what’s happening yet, if there’s anything I can do to help, please…I’ll be happy to do whatever you need.”
Souji smiled; the whole group made plans to meet at the school gates after school - Ai derisively called it their ‘rendevous point’ - until Eri suggested using her house. Apparently, it was only her and Yuu-kun in there, so they could speak freely.
“It’s a lot better than paying Junes prices for food, after all.” Eri smiled.
Souji could swear he saw hearts floating above Daisuke’s head at the mention of a free meal.
[After School]
Minami-san - no, no, Souji. She wanted you to call her Eri - only strengthened her resolve once Ai and him had explained the full situation for her. She might not be able to do much on the battlefield, she said, but the steel in her voice told Souji she’d be a valuable asset to the team.
The Fool and Temperance Arcanae sang in unison inside his head as Daisuke talked excitedly about Featherman R to Yuuta, swelling him with power.
04/05
[Daytime]
Seeing Nanako smile again after Dojima-san had abandoned their plans for Golden Week was like a ray of sunshine to him; he must have been smiling pretty widely as Daisuke introduced him to Yosuke Hanamura, the son of the guy that ran Junes.
Izanagi murmured in his mind that this boy was a classic example of the Magician Arcana; as outspoken and as eager to please as he seemed to be, Souji couldn’t help liking him.
He even tried not to laugh as Satonaka-san finally caught up to him in the food court - apparently he’d broken one of her DVDs a month before and been in hiding since then? - and given him the most vicious kick he’d even seen anyone give, soccer team or no soccer team.
05/05
[Daytime]
He decided to explore today. Inaba was a small town, certainly, but that didn’t mean there weren’t secret places. There were always secret places.
Secret places didn’t often include a fox offering healing services in a shrine in the middle of the shopping district, though. Perhaps he’d been looking in the wrong places beforehand.
He ran into Satonaka-san outside of Aiya and passed some time, helping himself float back down to normalcy. She seemed like a very nice girl - Chariot Arcana, Izanagi whispered, always there even when he had another Persona in his mind - but he picked his words carefully, just in case that kick he’d seen the other day was on a hair trigger.
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[After School]
He must have double booked himself at some point, Souji realised, Ai sitting on one side of him and Chie on the other as they all studied together. They got a lot of work done between the three of them, yes, but Ai seemed very easily exasperated as Chie struggled to work out certain problems.
The fact that she was glaring daggers at the other girl’s head every time she looked away certainly wasn’t helping.
14/05
[Afternoon]
You could hear the thud as Daisuke finished the last question of the last exam, his head dropping soundly onto the desk with an elongated groan. Souji bit back a chuckle as their homeroom teacher glared out at them. That wouldn’t be polite at all.
[Evening]
Souji squinted as the Midnight Channel swam into what could technically be called focus; this time, the victim seemed to be an older man, his arms folded, facing away from the TV…he looked oddly familiar. Who was that, anyway?
15/05
[Evening]
“…”
Pi pi pi pi pi pi…
“…hello?”
“Yo, it’s Daisuke! Was that…was that seriously old man Daidara on the screen?”
“…yeah. I think it was.”
“…”
“…”
“…hey, while I’ve got you…gotta question.”
“Mm?”
“Well, uh…you don’t hafta answer if you don’t want to. Just noticed recently you’ve been hangin’ out with Ai and Chie a lot…”
“…yes?”
“Haha! C’mon, dude! Which one are you diggin’ on? Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna tell ‘em.”
Souji considered.
“…”
17/05
[Daytime]
Ai seemed to staring at him more than the metalworks as they lingered in front of the bookstore; Chie had stopped in a few minutes earlier, and was already in an animated conversation with the redheaded man.
“…hey! Why do you keep looking at Satonaka, Souji-kun? Does she have food on her face or something?”
...oh, boy. Daisuke had told her.
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