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megaten: akira kurusu

[OPEN] 1/1: Personal Shadow Event

SHAPESHIFTER

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→ PART ONE: REAL WORLD

On the morning of January 1st, someone wakes up in Akira Kurusu’s bed. It’s not Akira Kurusu. It looks exactly like him, talks with his voice, reads as him at a cellular and spiritual level on any supernatural or mundane tests. But it’s not Akira Kurusu.

During the daytime of the 1st and 2nd, he calls in sick to whatever work obligations he may have that day, and then leaves. On the first day he heads into town, making a point to avoid any other Persona-users he sees. There is definitely some picking fights with villagers who offend him, which is not unusual for Akira as of late, and the NPCs will complain to each other and the Persona-users about that awful boy with the glasses. On the second day, he will instead fuck off willingly into the ice-cold wilderness, looking around the mountains.

Things get worse during Lockdown. Both nights, the Nasty Crimeboy can be found skulking around town during Lockdown instead of in the dungeons like usual. He’s deliberately being stealthy and covering his tracks, even though the only people who are here to see him are a bunch of children who collectively share three brain cells, and Rio. On the first night he breaks into shops and takes their inventory, ostensibly for the purpose of obtaining things he needs that the villagers refuse to sell to him. Seamsters are missing a few winter garments, blacksmiths are down a pair of very high quality daggers and a sword, and the one gun shop in town is missing some of its stock of ammo — some for handguns, but some for other kinds too, so it’s not immediately apparent who took them. If someone checks Akira’s car in the Velvet Room after Lockdown, however, they will find the stolen goods hidden in various spots there.

Sometimes he gets in… other places. On the second night, both the mayor’s house and the police station are broken into. The mayor’s house is almost comedically simple to enter, because he has very little in the way of home security, and what he does have is completely useless during a Lockdown where he’s not physically there. Either way, the Crimeboy mostly takes any cash he can find from the mayor as well as valuables that could be inconspicuously sold to the shady folks who peddle phosphorus.

The station is unfortunately better protected, so eventually the Crimeboy realizes he has little option but brute force — so he locates the police chief’s office from the outside, and uses Mara to smash a hole in that wall. (The crash can be heard by any Persona-using prisoners who happen to be in the station at this time.) The next morning, the chief’s office looks like a tornado came through it. All cash and valuables either stolen or destroyed, all locked drawers or containers picked open, and so on. The chief’s desk has had everything knocked off of it onto the floor, and the word ROTTEN is carved deeply into the top of the wooden desk.

After Lockdown on the morning of January 3rd, the boy is nowhere to be seen or detected. You start to think that maybe something is wrong.

→ PART TWO: METAVERSE

School dungeon, third floor.

The entire floor is still on fire, but now there’s a new reason — lightning bolts. There is no rain; they just come down from the smoking skies. They strike environment, Persona-user, and Shadow alike, and become more and more frequent as you approach the palace. Some of the Shadows and FOEs are now on fire, having been struck by the bolts; their HP is lower, but their Attack is higher, and every hit has a chance of additional Fire damage. Any semblance of order that the FOEs may have had is gone, and they are now running around and attacking indiscriminately.

KOPPA TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Wind	Weak Dark
These Tengu-based Shadows will flee once they see any sight of danger, including (especially) the lighting bolts. This means they tend to stay at the start of the floor, where the bolts are less common. They will fly high into the air and blow people away by conjuring large gusts of wind with their wings. They don't have a lot of attacks and their defense is low, so they are easy enough to defeat, assuming that they don't fly away first. Curiously enough, none of the other Shadows or F.O.E.s pay them much attention... A Tengu mask and a blank scroll can be collected as loot.

CHIMERA
Type F.O.E.	Null Fire, Light	Weak None
Larger than any other Shadow, these F.O.E.s act as guards of the dungeon. While the Shadows are the disposable troops that wander the area and simply attack whomever they see, the F.O.E.s specifically seek out intruders and attack with the sole purpose of killing them. They lurk throughout the dungeons, using their many eyes and noses to track down Persona users and charge without hesitation when they spot one. Also, they are on fire. Their physical strength is tremendous and a single swipe of their mighty paws or talons will surely knock out anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with their training. They are unaffected by fire or light-based attacks and they have no weaknesses. If a Chimera is on fire, its HP is not reduced at all, but its Attack is still higher and there’s still a chance of burn if it hits you. You might be strong enough to take them on, but these things are no joke…

Even from a distance, it becomes obvious that the palace is also on fire. Lightning strikes this building more than anywhere else. The gates around the palace have transformed, each stake now looking like the ribcage bone of some giant creature curling out from the ground. The gate itself hangs open and unattended.

There’s smoke pouring out of the palace windows, and the tallest tower has fallen off, lying in a blazing heap in the courtyard below. Investigating this tower will take you to the empty boss room where the Daitengu used to be, but there’s nothing of note there. The front entrance of the palace itself is clearly where you need to go; forget about sneaking in the side, because the front doors have transformed into an accursed portal, the strange obsidian-like material creeping into the stone walls like a virus.

Upon entering, the interior of the palace has changed drastically, and there’s nowhere to go but down. There is only one spiral path apart from a straight drop down the middle; it’s a very long one that leaves you in an indefensible position, and hiding in the darkness, the tobi tengu are all waiting to ambush you from land and air. Sometimes if you look over you can see their eyes staring from within a spinal column.

TOBI TENGU
Type Shadow	Resists Light, Wind	Weak Ice
Although they are solidary creatures, this Shadow is accomplanied by smaller versions of itself. It strays away from the other packs of Shadows and spends its company with a minimum of one to a maximum of three mini-versions, flying around the lower depths of the dungeon. It doesn't attack characters directly. Instead, it uses its mini-versions to cast a wide range of status ailments that either causes team members to fight among themselves or hinders their progress, such as sleep, confusion, charm, or rage. After you are incapacitated, it will rush in with Dark-based attacks, but as soon as you are able to snap out of your afflictions, it will retreat and send its minions to immobilize you and your team once more. A Tengu mask and magical healing leaves can be collected as loot. The masks they wear and drop are different than normal, but Crow’s is by far the most common.

If you can make it past all the birdfolk and ominous skeleton imagery, you’ll reach the bottom, where that awful orange glow comes from. It’s a vague approximation of Tokyo, where the sky is searing orange and all of the buildings are built out of that same black and red-veined obsidian material. There are giant bones sticking out of the ground and snaking through buildings, reaching up into the sky, some of them even taller than the full size skyscrapers around them. Somewhere in this hellhole, if you search for long enough, you’ll find a boy in a long black coat…

→ PART THREE: NOTES

⬥ ICly, this dungeon appears on January 1st, and one way or the other the event will conclude by the 5th, though of course you can backtag and fit things into this span of time.
⬥ There are certain conditions that must be achieved for this event's good ending. Failing to meet these conditions will not result in Akira's ego-death; rather, it will result in Joker becoming a permanent fixture of the game.
⬥ Since Joker and Akira share a body, any damage Joker sustains will of course affect Akira long-term as well. Killing Joker is not recommended.
⬥ The Nasty Crimeboy will be evasive and try to get out of all conversations with others as quickly as possible, but if you would like to speak to him, let me know and we can set up a toplevel.
⬥ Ganba, everyone.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Joroko... please... Toki's not the only one who's suspicious, because there's Ala squinting up at him not really believing that he understands anything and is just saying it to appease her or something. Ala wasn't there for Rei's Shadow and nor was she there for Kido's, but she was there for Sherry 2.0 who also struggled with a host who had given up the will to live, and if this is what Toki means by giving up, she thinks he's wrong.

Akira is filled with so much spite and anger, that there is no way he would give up and die. Everybody has their own personal problems that leads to a Shadow, and his isn't this. ]

I want to talk to him too, but... Are you guys friends? You and Akira, and Arsène, and Sandalphon, and everybody?

[Toki is considering giving up more like giving in. To anything. The opposite of fighting, or caring. He's getting better at expressing himself, but now he tends not to give things enough context, instead of spouting so much extraneous information. One day, he'll find a balance.

He's very generous with the term "friend". Anyone Toki talks to and likes is a friend. Anyone who's nice to him, or acknowledges his existence. That's how he ends up with friends like Kano and Jolyne. Despite not spending a lot of time with him, Toki has shared the most about himself with Akira. Willingly, anyway. Terry maybe knows more by pinpointing, or Ala from Kano.

But Akira is someone Toki has feelings for, someone he knows was struggling here, who was... afraid maybe, of what he'd return to, and angry over how things went for him, and for Toki. Toki doesn't know what happened to Akira in Tokyo, or before Hirajiro, but he knows it left an enduring mark.]

Yes. He's my friend. And... Sandalphon.

[Somewhat. He's never met Arsene or the other Personas.]

[ Ala here has met none of Akira's Personas and has only talked with the man himself all of once, but as far as she's concerned, somebody is a friend the moment you decide it, so the clear and confident "yes" makes her smile and leaves no room for doubt. Friends want to help each other, and they want the best for each other, and that's what really matters here. It's why Ala had gone to talk to Terry's Shadow way back then, and was on the side of Vassago taking over because that's what she thought was best. She wants the best for Akira. She wants to see a sunrise together. So it looks like she and Toki are on the same page. ]

Okay! Let's go talk with Akira~ Joroko, you're very strong, right? I can cover for you and Toki and keep you safe, but I can't fight very well.

Okay!

[Ala's enthusiasm gives him a little more confidence in this endeavour. Joroko isn't very strong. She has weaker stats, and not too many powerful spells.]

"I am... sufficient."

Joroko!

[Toki screeches internally. Joroko sounds so indifferent to things lately and he doesn't know what's wrong with her.]

She'll be fine, Ala! Onward!

[He waves his hand vaguely, because he doesn't know where they're going.]

[ The two of them are going to get torn apart by Akira's Personas if it comes to it, so Ala's just hoping it never comes to it, with her having starter stats that make it so even Joroko feels super strong to her. Sufficient is good enough for what they're doing, in either case, which is simply reaching Akira inside the palace. It'll be fine if they work together, which... they are not doing, and it's very obvious to Ala who doesn't move at all despite Toki's gestures for them to get going. ]

Are you two fi— ahh!

[ Another lightning strike flashes through the sky and sears the side of Ala's leg, which could've been much worse if she hadn't moved at the same time. She grits her teeth and trots over to a patch of burning something and crouches there, letting the fire heal her, and looks over at Toki and Joroko again. ]

You better not be doing anything to make Joroko upset, Toki! Anyways... I really don't like the weather here, so let's try to get to the building as quickly as possible, okay? I'm going to be up front, and you guys follow me, okay?

Wait! What happened!? Are you okay!

[Ala's shout throws him off, and then she seems... okay? Did something attack? And now somehow it's turned around on him, and Toki has no idea what he's been doing to Joroko; is it his fault she's upset about something?]

Joroko, whatever I did, I'm sorry! But it's not time for this now!

[The shrieking is not going over well with her. She decides Toki doesn't really need to help here, and he will be dragged behind her in a web net. She will see this through and get him where he wants to go, because she still loves him, but she is displeased.]

"Lead the way."

[Joroko will spam Psycho Blast when any Shadows get too close, and do her best to anticipate attacks that might catch Ala off guard.]

[ Whatever's going on between them, they'd better sort it out soon because this whole dungeon is a reminder of how quickly things could go south. But Toki is right in that this isn't the time and the longer they stand here, the greater chance they'll all get zapped because it's the one thing Ala can't protect them from and she stares up at the sky with furrowed brows for a beat before looking back down at the two of them and giving them a smile. ]

I'm okay. Do you hear that rumbling and crackling, Toki? That's thunder and lightning, so we gotta be careful and get through this quick. Don't worry about hitting me either, Joroko! If either of you need me, give me a shout!

[ aka, she's not going to walk right in front of them, but quite a ways ahead, turning from person to smoke to the large form of the original Vassago with sharp teeth and beating wings that draws the attention of the other Shadows, but not matter how hard they try to bite at her and spit fire in her face, nothing seems to leave a mark, and all of this just heals her instead and more than makes up for what damage she takes from the lightning. In this way, they can make it to the palace, Ala drawing Shadows to her while Joroko's Psycho Blasts them and Ala gets nicely healed from that too.

Once upon a time, Ala laughed in Terry's face and called him a masochist, but this is what it's like, huh ]

[This is going better than expected. Joroko delights in her new level of psychic power, striking at Shadows without lifting a finger. She doesn't have to waste her energy with healing either, as Ala can take care of herself in that department.

When a Chimera appears, that's an image she makes sure to project to Toki... also delighting in the scream that follows.]

[ In the flurry of fur and jaws and snapping beaks, it's hard to tell if any Shadows are getting past her, but when she hears Toki's scream, Ala lifts up out of the crowd with a beat of wings that shakes off what Shadow gunk stubbornly clings to her and looks around to see what's wrong. A Chimera isn't something she or Joroko should fight head on, incredible beast as it is, and it's a lot faster than she is— with one lunge, it could get at Joroko and Toki before Joroko can launch an attack or Ala jump in there to intercept it.

So

she casts wolvaan, turning the Chimera into a leonberger, which is unfortunately a giant dog so still fairly dangerous, but there are now much less eyes and wings and number of jaws to deal with. ]

[Joroko cuts off her psychic link with Toki as the Chimera turns into that giant of a dog. It would scare Toki as well, but Joroko isn't stupid enough to continue her tormenting when it was almost her downfall. The thing is on fire and getting closer, and Joroko opts for physical fighting, stabbing into its fur and soft flesh with her legs.

She doesn't relish in the kill, scurrying out of the way before another Chimera comes along, preferring to retreat and focus her efforts on the other Shadows of lesser power while continuing her trek to the palace.]

[ The stab gives Ala time to regroup too, catching up to the Chimera dog and wrapping her arms around it— more like it immediately clamp its jaws down on her arm that causes this wonderful warmth to spread down her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, but she does her best not to just stand there and enjoy it while tugging the FOE away and back to the other Shadows. You're so heavy, dog... She wishes Terry hadn't asked for his knife back.

It's so much harder fighting and looking after others at the same time; when it was just her and Kano, he would either be right there by her side or otherwise somewhere safe and using his illusions to orchestrate the battlefield for her, but with Toki and Joroko, there's no such tactic possible.

The priority is keeping Toki safe, because he's a human and humans die too easily, so Ala lets the Chimera go and charms it, and then looks for other Chimeras to charm. If Joroko's dealing with the weaker Shadows, then all Ala needs to do is take control of the Chimeras who are naturally the strongest of anything else on this floor and will wipe out all the other Shadows too, greatly thinning the numbers while she runs forward again and hopes Toki will be getting to the palace entrance soon. ]

[With the palace in sight and a lot of energy expended on the Shadows, Joroko runs for the entrance. Her tactic has changed to simply shooting webs at the remaining Shadows, only slowing them down slightly, but she's saving what power she has left in case it goes poorly inside.

Upon entering, Joroko assesses the seemingly daunting climb down, and it doesn't phase her. It will take longer to go down the spiral stairs of massive stones, so she's jumping across the glowing abyss to the spine of some large creature and will climb down that instead. If she can make it past the mini tengu with their status ailments.]

[ Ala makes sure Joroko and Toki are safely inside the palace before bringing up the rear and slipping in after them, watching the Chimeras tear apart the other Shadows and it looks like they're too busy to give chase. ]

Joroko! I can fly- let me carry Toki!

[ He's just dangling there in a net??? He's going to fall and plummet to his death and that's what they have to worry about, not the mini tengu's status ailments. ]

[Toki is absolutely just dangling in the net. It's spinning a little with each step Joroko takes, and he's getting sick from the movement. Joroko looks over at Ala and blinks all of her eyes independently. Then she smiles.]

You want him? Alight~!

[Joroko releases the web strand, and there goes the net, down into the pit to who knows where. No one really dies in the dungeons, do they? Toki screams like he's already dying, though.]

Catch~!

[ Joroko!!! Ala lets out a strangled shout as she lunges forward to try and catch Toki, but she's too slow and he's already falling and there's no way she'd be able to fly and catch him and maneuver down there, so instead, she disappears into a puff of black smoke and reappears inside the pit below Toki, transforming into a large snake that coils up longer and larger to break Toki's fall, wrap around him, and slither on up back to the surface again where she dumps him on the ground and turns into a human to undo the netting around him. ]

What did you do to Joroko!?

[ HOW'D YOU PISS HER OFF SO MUCH SHE WANTS TO KILL YOU?? Whatever happened must have been 100% Toki's fault, because Ala is a Persona stan. ]

We're not going anywhere until you apologize, Toki!

[Toki has no idea what's happening. He's falling and then caught by... something... and falling upwards? Everything is disorienting. When he's back on solid ground, he tries to catch his breath from screaming and panicking. Until Ala yells.]

What? But I...

[Joroko has been in a mood lately, and it's taken a while for Toki to pick up on the extent of it. He knows she's a little jealous of Rei and also hurt that it moved so fast and he never asked her advice. That can't be all, can it? Joroko is emotional like him, it's true, and those kind of feelings run deep... Toki shakes his head.]

Okay! Maybe, hear me out here... maybe she got brain damage from the surgery, like she's from that part of me that got messed up?

[But then he remembers where they are.]

We don't have time for this!

[ Ala makes a face at the suggestion that it's the fault of brain damage, but... maybe, actually? If Orien somehow messed up Toki's prefrontal cortex, there's a lot about personality and cognition and all that good stuff up front that is maybe sort of linked to Personas which are supposed to draw from personality and souls and stuff? It's confusing. She doesn't often sit here and contemplate her own existence.

So she's not sure about this, but she's very sure when she places her hands on either of Toki's shoulders so he can't run off on his own, especially since she didn't set him down very far from the pit. ]

Joroko is important too! She's a part of you— she's more important than anything else to you. If you guys fight and form a Shadow, there's no way you can help Akira in that state. So please, don't push this aside and pretend it's not important.

I'm not saying it's not important, but-

[But Ala is right. He is. He's putting it off because he's not seeing Joroko on the same level as he did before. Whether it's because he's found someone else to put first, or because he no longer thinks the way he used to and practicality is winning over emotion; he's been treating her like a tool. She's been brushed aside gradually, in favor of not just Rei, but everyone. Every human, or robot. Toki brings her out now primarily to help him. They don't share conversations, when he used to talk to her and cry with her and be there for her, for that part of himself. Toki is a horrible, awful person.]

I need to talk to her!

[He tries to get away from Ala, to... somehow get to Joroko without killing himself.]

Joroko!

[ Yeah, damn right she's right. She has no idea what's up between the two of them, but Joroko is one of the few Personas who can actually speak and make it explicit what she thinks and feels and so there is no excuse for the lack of communication.

Behind Toki is the pit, though, so Ala keeps a firm grasp on his shoulders and turns him around to face Joroko before letting go and giving him a little shove towards his Persona. ]

She's right here, Toki. She never left your side.

[ She dragged you this entire way... and we're going to ignore the fact that she dropped him down the hole. ]

[Toki stumbles a little, which ruins his plan of a determined stride to Joroko.]

Joroko, I'm sorry I hurt you...

[She huffs and makes a loud "hmph" noise as she crosses her arms, but she's smiling. She knew he would crawl back to her. Toki tentatively reaches out for her.]

Really. I know I've been treating you badly and I don't have any excuses for it! It was wrong and I'm- I'm so...

[Then he's crying, and Joroko is immediately there to hug him and stroke his hair. Because he needs her. She wants to be needed.]

"We will talk about this."

Y-yes!

[ "I've been treating you badly" earns Toki an affronted look on Joroko's behalf, but he can't see and so it's wasted, set aside in favor of just standing back and watching Toki admit to his crimes. Instead of looking at Toki, Ala looks up at Joroko to silently ask if she's okay with this, the apology and the promise to talk about it later. Next time Ala sees the two of them and they haven't patched anything up, she's going to give Toki a noogie.

But for right now, she gives Joroko double thumbs up. She's happy for you!! Akira can wait; Joroko can take all the time she needs now, and when she's ready, then they can continue. ]

[Ala receives a thumbs-up in return. Joroko is accepting of this tearful apology, and there will be many more when they leave the dungeon. She will make Toki cry for hours, and then he she will be at the forefront of his thoughts again. Joroko will make sure of this.

Half of her eyes glance down at the pit. She doesn't know what's down there, and though she knows Toki wants to help his friend, Joroko doesn't think he'll do any good.]

"Toki~, I think we should go back. You'll only mess things up if you go storming down there to cry at him."

I won't cry! I was-

"You're crying now."

Not about Akira!

"Toki."

[She's pulling a little too hard on his hair now, and Toki is re-thinking his efforts here. He wants to talk to Akira, but would he make it worse?]

I...

If you meet any Shadow like this, they'll tear you apart at any sign of weakness.

[ Toki will absolutely make it worse and Joker is liable to make Toki cry even more and then Joroko will attempt to tear him apart and they will lose. This is Ala's projected timeline of events. At the same time, though- ]

...But you guys are friends, and I'm sure he'll appreciate you checking up on him. It's really your choice.

[Joroko has the same assessment of the situation as Ala. It will not go well. Toki was lucky with Rei. This could go that well, or it could be like his attempts at helping Kido. Nekogami killed him so quickly.]

It's my choice...

[It's his decision. He thinks back on what Akira told him about being convinced things were his fault, his choices, when they weren't. He'd only been manipulated into thinking they were. Like Joroko's trying to do now. Make him think without a doubt that leaving is what's best and that it's the only true option. Is she doing it on purpose, to make him think about it?]

I'm not leaving.

Okay.

[ Does Ala really care if Toki dies here? Yes and no... He's not her host, at any rate, and she trusts Joroko to haul him out of there if she's really opposed to it or things get too dangerous, and Ala will be there too to mediate if it comes to it. Though if they're battling, she's not going to be much help because she doesn't want to fight Personas.

She reaches out to pat Toki on the arm. ]

Do your best not to cry, Toki!

[ As if this is what will make or break his interaction with Akira. ]

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ PART ONE: REAL WORLD

→ PART TWO: METAVERSE

→ PART THREE: NOTES

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