Personatown: Beginnings
Mar. 20th, 2014 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerAnd this would be why there are two episodes today. (It would have been much closer to the first if I'd not deleted the internet. I figured out how to un-delete it, so it's all fine now. ;) Man, though, having no internet, it's a crazy world.)
I was just talking with my mates and one of them brought up City of Heroes. I wasn't happy, but I thought I'd gotten over it.
Considering the emotions I felt again, I was wrong. After which my muses went nuts. This took very little time to write. Resulting in this, Personatown.
It's going to have at least some of all of the Persona series (and possibly Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha, not sure on that part). All together in one place. It'll have references, but very little will look exactly like it did in the games. The style is somewhat new for me, too, but I'm cool with it.
Note: THIS MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE PERSONA SERIES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK SHOULD YOU DISLIKE SPOILERS.
I have plans for Personatown. Big plans. But it takes more than just one person to make a city. I don't care how long later it is, I'm completely fine with it, so comment with anything you feel like. Go crazy. If you have any references you'd like me to bring in or must-have villain groups or other superhero or Persona things, feel free to comment all over everything.
Main Points:
Persona Superhero AU
Summary: Yosuke's up to something.
Word Count: 2700
Rating: K
Dedicated to City of Heroes. Paragon City will live on through its heroes.
"Wha? Oh, no, sorry, I can't study tonight. I had plans."
He tries not to move too much. Even this is a bit of a risk, but it's one he's taken a hundred times before and maybe it's the confidence that makes him fearless. It helps that this is an ordinary student's phone, that he's speaking about mundane topics, that he's in his white fur coat with a student's bag over his shoulder. If they thoroughly searched the bag….now that might be a problem. It's a risk, but a calculated one.
"Well, that's your fault for not asking, isn't it?"
The upside to this plan, of course, was that if he was caught, out here at least, he wouldn't be shot on sight. He wouldn't gather any undue attention, in fact. Just another college student (which he was, so that wasn't even a lie, persay, merely a misdirection) who'd happened to wander into the wrong area and who could be easily persuaded to move. Not even a college student who'd seen something he shouldn't, so he'd likely be fine if he stuck in their heads as a goofy attendee of the nearby Seven Sisters University. Memorable enough that they'd hopefully remember him as a harmless kid, but not much more than that.
That was, if he got caught. He didn't particularly intend to get caught, but if he did, well. It didn't hurt to have a backup plan in place.
The downside was that he couldn't use this version of a disguise too much. Above all else, he couldn't let himself come to SEBEC's attention as 'that University student Hanamura Yosuke who's always hanging around the SEBEC branch in question shortly before it's broken into'. He'd escaped their less-than-desirable scrutiny once before. Never again.
He chuckled. "What sort of plans? Junpei, I can't tell you that, mainly 'cause you're you." His roommate was great, but sometimes a bit too nosy. Which is why he absolutely had to have a second place to stash all his stuff. The Hanamura from five years ago probably would have been shocked at how easy it was, to lead this double life. This Hanamura didn't bat any number of longer-than-usual eyelashes at it1.
Now he winked, even though the guy couldn't see it. "Nah, man, I'm sparing you the gory details. It's nowhere near as fun as it sounds, believe me."
Movement. His target was going in. "Oh, hey, Iori-kun, I gotta go. No idea when I'll be back. Hey, I promise for tomorrow, okay, even if it takes all night to pound the science into your thick skull. See ya."
No cameras or other equipment around. Cool. Well, here goes.
He glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then hoisted the prettily decorated manhole cover up (I'm pretty sure that's Jiraiya), he thought with amusement, (It's a wonder they haven't paid to have it redecorated yet) and carefully set it aside. He descended a little before replacing the cover. The area plummeted into darkness. An ordinary person would have trouble seeing, but he had no issue going the rest of the way down the ladder. Yes, the sewers stank, but the smell was far less troublesome than the security measures overhead.
He opened his bag, revealing the white trenchcoat, green-tipped pants with matching green shoes, the red scarf and golden, v-shaped visor.
He couldn't see the colours very clearly, of course. But all the same he knew the items intimately. He'd worn them on many occasions, and slipping them on felt more natural…well, more natural than his everyday gear, for instance.
Once done, he grabbed the things he needed for this little expedition and slid them into the inner pockets, patting them to make sure they were secure before folding his normal clothes and setting them within the bag, which he laid at the bottom of the ladder.
Not for the first time, he was thankful for the specially designed visor. It also served as headphones, allowing him to listen to music the entire time-on low, of course, as he couldn’t afford to miss any important noises that might warn him of upcoming dangers-but they helped keep his nervousness to a minimum, help his mind and body to be as tightly focused as his will.
As he continued down the sewer tunnel, he reached a point where his instincts warned him to slow down. He did and narrowed his eyes, then grinned-a more feral grin than he'd allowed himself above ground.
They were faint, but he could see the glowing red lines that warned of security measures. He crouched, resting easily on the balls of his feet as he surveyed the challenge before him, sharp eyes missing nothing.
Then he stood, stretched, and began to move through the area, fluidly, effortlessly, hands interchangeable with feet as he somersaulted, flipped, crouched, and wove his way through a dimly lit red maze.
He eventually landed, giddy with the challenge, and paused for a moment to catch his breath, eyes glinting with the thrill.
The path after that was fairly smooth, littered with disappointingly less challenging security. And as much as he wanted to show off, due to his avoiding the cameras, he didn't have an audience. He reluctantly conceded after reaching the SEBEC access hatch that he didn't want to run into any trouble after that. His veins sang with the exhilaration, but he wasn't reckless enough to let even that override the cold determination that had come to rule his life.
It only took a little trip down Memory Lane for him to cool off, after which he climbed the ladder. A keypad password was required to get the hatch to open without an alarm, but after the last raid just a few short days ago that was child's play. SEBEC really was too predictable. With Jiraiya's campaign against them, they'd stepped up from switching the code every month to every week, but that was still too slow to keep up with the vigilante.
He entered the code and the screen flashed green, accompanied by the telltale *click* of the hatch unlocking. If they wanted to, they could at least remove the light so as to leave the person inputting the numbers completely clueless as to whether a silent alarm had been triggered, but it wasn't as if a SEBEC security suggestions site existed, and he wasn't about to help them make it more difficult for him to break in, no matter how insulting they were being to his professional pride. Once through, the obsessive streamlining again made things easy, as the layout of the facility only superficially changed from site to site.
Ikutsuki Shūji, Director of Operations. A certainly suspicious character, given that he'd resigned from the Kirijo Group and been accepted at SEBEC practically immediately-and on the same day as Kirijo Takeharu was discovered murdered. The man seemed affable and awfully fond of bad puns, but something about the entire situation set Hanamura's teeth on edge. For the most part, the man had been holed up in top-secret labs that not even he'd wanted to go near, but the man had finally been transferred to this facility. Jiraiya wanted a friendly word, maybe see what's what. To go through processing, he should be…just around the corner…
And instead a blue, white, and red blur was speeding at him. He flipped backwards, landing with one hand balancing against the ground, the other reflexively throwing one of his throwing stars at the shape. It growled at him. Seriously?
"You scratched my bear-eutiful fur! I hope you're ready for the grizzly situation you've gotten yourself in!" Bear puns. And that suit. There's only one person that could possibly be.
The superhero, Teddie. No one really knew what he was, and he looked ridiculous, but Hanamura knew better than to underestimate the guy. That was the easy one-way ticket to Tartarus Prison, and he definitely didn't want to go there.
So Kandori recruited backup. Great.
"Surrender now, Jiraiya."
Izanagi? Now he's extra famous. Takahisa Kandori really went all out….not that that should surprise me. This is SEBEC after all.
Grey eyes regarded him thoughtfully, but the figure didn't move to draw the huge sword slung over his back.
Well, at least the guy's a snazzy dresser. Clawed gauntlets, a signature black jacket, and mask—which almost looked like a hockey mask. Maybe it had been, and had been modified. It depended on how much money Izanagi had to spare, from whatever he did when he wasn't doing hero work.
Behind him stood a woman in a pink and white dress with feathery fans and a pink face guard. Kunohana Sakuya, also known as the Blossom Princess. Most made the mistake of thinking she was just another frail healer, but that would only earn a razor fan to the face or a fire blast.
"I can understand the bear," he laughed, charging and ducking underneath the bear claw swiping at his face, "…but you two…what, is this facility expendable or something?"
The grey eyes narrowed. "You're dangerous enough. Saeki Electronics and Biological and Energy Corporation feels it wouldn’t be too dear of a sacrifice."
Jiraiya grinned, meeting bear claw with kunai. "Aww, I'm flattered. You sweet talker, you."
"As if Sensei would be interested in such an ursawful villain! Prebear to be arrested!"
Huh. I didn't know that Teddie was sweet on Izanagi. The things they edit out of the newspaper articles.
Still, there was one thing that he had to correct. "It's vigilante. Not villain. Get them straight or head back to hibernation."
"You still perform illegal activities, and we're here to stop you." The Blossom Princess spoke softly, but everyone could hear her perfectly.
"Well, okay, Ms. Serious, if that's the way you want to play it." I can't go easy on them; they'll pound me. And there are three of them. Whoever said heroes play fair? Of course, Izanagi's just watching, but I bet if I start beating one of his allies, he'll jump in real quick. If I wanna survive this, I can't fight fair either. Time to bring out the big guns.
He parried another attack, then spun, building up speed and momentum. Then, he used garu, a contained gust to blind them and push them away. He didn't bother to use those powers most of the time. The ability to call up wind was hardly discreet, and the more he remained unnoticed, the better.
Here was a different story. Here he didn't have to hold back, because they could take it. Here, he'd already been discovered, so he might as well give as good as he got. Here holding back would only make him lose. He planned on using the other powers, too—anything that might help him win, because if the heroes were defeated fighting him, so what? If he was defeated fighting them, on the other hand, that would change everything. He had more to lose. Which is why I won't lose.
The result was a definitely damaged wall. It spun off over the railing toward the waiting-room. Unfortunately, Ikutsuki wasn't trapped underneath the rubble, since he heard a cheery if shocked voice yelling something about "being floored". Not that Yosuke was the kind of guy to wish death on anyone, but he'd hardened, grown a little colder, and on the purely practical standpoint he suspected a lot of evil could probably be prevented if this man was out of the picture.
Still, he didn't waste much time thinking about that. He was already moving, using an illusion to hide himself in the confusion. Now if he could only escape, since he couldn't possibly complete the mission he'd come here to do in this state…
And then he screamed, loudly, desperately, like a man being tortured. (How are we, Hana-chan? Feeling better today? I have this nice new treatment that I think you'll be interest—)
And in that moment, everything cut out. The memory, the pain, the panic in his mind. He flashed icy cold, nothing, in this moment, of Yosuke left. This was Jiraiya, vigilante, without pity, mercy, or remorse. A man on a mission, and no one would stop him.
His consciousness returned to darkness. It allowed him a little while to think, plot, and reconstruct what had happened.
It wasn't Kunohana Sakuya's fire. He'd been burned before, and healed relatively quickly. He wasn't afraid of it. The bear hadn't done anything, which meant…
Izanagi. Zio. If anything could make him flash back to all those horrible months ago, it was being electrified.
Feeling returned first. The cold chill beneath his chin was unmistakeable—it was the feeling of a sword held lightly against his neck. A warning, not a threat—but still, one wrong move and he could have blood gushing from his slit throat all the same.
Then he could hear—the odd squeaking of the bear suit as Teddie moved-pacing or something. Teddie was weird.
"…and we'll hand him over to security…"
Fear thrilled through him. NO.
He jerked as if electrocuted again, and felt a little warmth trickling down his neck. His eyes flew wide open in surprise, causing shock to appear in grey pools that were usually still and calm.
"Slit my throat if you have to," he stated quietly, earnestly, staring hypnotically into Izanagi's face. "But don't do that. Please."
For a minute, he almost thinks he sees a semblance of understanding, pity, acceptance in those eyes, then any hope is swept away. They harden. "You will pay for your crimes, Jiraiya."
You don't understand. I've already paid, a price far greater than you even at your most cruel could imagine. Or perhaps And who will make SEBEC pay for its crimes?
But none of the words would have an effect. "Maybe," he acknowledged. "But not yet."
Izanagi's eyes widened as Jiraiya moved, catching the sword against the star shaped metal on his sleeve and twisting, so it flew out of Izanagi's surprised hands and into the wall. A simple gesture was enough to hide the true owner of any spilled blood. It'd been too long since a true fight. He'd lost the instincts on how to do it properly. He'd gotten used to using illusion for his stealthy missions, and he'd forgotten that it could be just as effective in combat.
He didn't even bother to craft a suitable image, something that made sense. He just let his mind run rampant, twisting reality as it was perceived, and pushed that image onto his enemies with all the strength his still recovering mind could muster.
The illusions were sufficient, for the time being. Izanagi staggered back, clawing at the mask. Teddie fell on his back, arms and legs flailing as he tried to get up, eventually calling out a plaintive "noooo." The Blossom Princess's eyes widened in horror, and she pulled up her fan to shield her face from whatever it was she saw. For the first time, Jiraiya felt the inexplicable urge to apologize, to tell them it'd all be okay, but those would be meaningless platitudes. Nothing he could say would make it right, and if he stayed longer, they could break through, and he'd be lost. Particularly if they were strong willed, as he expected was true of Izanagi.
Instead, he blasted a hole in the wall and walked over to it. He'd have to go a ways before it was safe to begin to trek back through the sewers to retrieve his stuff. As he turned to judge his approximate head start, he met the gaze of a helpless but aware grey eye, the other still covered by a grasping clawed hand. He winked and stepped back, feeling the rush of air, once again without a fear.
Chapter Notes:
1. This is a reference to my favorite Persona 4 Let's Play by NakaTeeleli and Elemental Ogre. Ogre is oddly fascinated with Yosuke's eyelashes.
2. Does anyone know the correct order of Kandori's name (i.e. which is his family name?) While they're at it, can anyone explain the first Persona game to me, because I watched a playthrough and I'm still not sure what happened.
!!!!
Date: 2014-03-21 05:49 am (UTC)...
Okay, calm down, probably, first of all. Second of all, yeah!
I love that you kept Yosuke's weakness. When are we going to learn more of his backstory?
Junpei as his roommate...the magicians have an apartment. *Grins* The puns, Ikutski, the interactions between Jiraiya and the supergroup, just general flailiness.
And that ending. I could basically watch this. I want to watch this. Why isn't this being animated already?
Requested: Maya as the intrepid reporter, and you could probably get some mileage out of Katsuya the cop, too. Supergroup wise, is it just the different Persona game groups as different supergroups within the city (modified a little, as I see with the vigilante thing...definitely not a direction I would've thought of going but still awesome!) Baofu as a contact?
Again, your tags are probably a little weird...Yosuke/Jiraiya could be construed as a relationship tag. Jiraiya!Yosuke maybe? Nitpicky stuff, but by this point you were probably just wanting to post it considering you deleted the internet. Thanks for putting it back good as new, though!
~lonelysouls
Re: !!!!
Date: 2014-03-23 02:38 am (UTC)As for your two favorite characters, I'm not entirely sure what they're up to. We may figure out as we go along. Or you could suggest things. /em wink
I'd love Persona 2 as an anime, but this would be pretty cool too, yeah. (Just the fact...they had a trailer and it looked so great.)
Like I also said, there are going to be a ton of little references and stuff.
Maya and Katsuya were planned from pretty much the beginning, because what superhero story is complete without the plucky reporter? Baofu though...I didn't think of, and he would be the really sketchy contact giving you all those weird missions.
NON SPOILERY SPOILER I HAVE PLANS FOR THE VELVET ROOM just as an example
It's not going to be as cut and dried as that. They're be interaction, etc, though the general core will remain the same. Modded, all mixed up, etc.
Thanks for spotting that tag thing.
You're welcome. I take care of the stuff I borrow. /em wink
~Dreamer~