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“Who are you?” you gasp.

“A construct of the trial…nothing more.” The figure moans. It places its palm on your forehead. You find it cool to the touch, almost if it was made out of steel. “Now…tell me…the mask you wear to get through life…which one is it?”

“What?”

“You…did…not realize…before.” The figure continues. “But…soon, you will…have to.”

>Hanged Man (Survivability)
>Hierophant (No particular strengths or weaknesses)
>Hermit (Mental ailments)
>Fortune (Wind affinity, weak to electricity)
>Tower (Physically based, low magic potential)
>None of your damn business!

>>40766361
>>Hanged Man (Survivability)

>>40766361
>Hanged Man (Survivability)

>>40766361
>>Hermit (Mental ailments)
Always pick the mind-fuckery option

>>40766361
>>Hermit (Mental ailments)

We Support Class Bro now!

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
>None of your damn business

>>40766361
>>Hanged Man (Survivability)

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
>Tower (Physically based, low magic potential)

>Hanged Man (Survivability)

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
Hanged man.

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>>40766361
>>Hanged Man (Survivability)

>>40766361
>Hermit (Mental ailments)

>18 votes
>17 IPs

seems legit

>>40766361
>>Hanged Man (Survivability)

And now its 19 votes and 18 IPs!

>>40766755
Sounds like it'll be a sudden death vote off then.

>>40766755
The fact that the votes have been alternating didn't tip you off?

>>40766780
Sudden Death!
Sudden Death!

>>40766789
That's why I decided to count them in the first place.

>Tfw we cant be the fool.
Then who is the main character?!

>>40766755
I only count 17 votes, but that's still at least 1 obvious samefag.

>>40766802
Bring in the lion!

>>40766774
I want to actually switch this to
>None of your damn business!
becuase I don't want to support the samefaggers.

>>40766361
>>Tower (Physically based, low magic potential)

I know it won't matter but I still want to get a vote in.

>>40766885
No you can't! Don't you see we are about to have sudden death in the arena here?

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[In the past...]

You remember going to the doctor with your mother. You were eight years old. The past you didn’t like hospitals very much. They were too clean and shiny and it made your eyes hurt. Everyone there look miserable it put an absolute damper on your bright and cheerful youth.

“This way, Takashi.” Your mother had instructed in that ever so stern voice of hers. You had nodded and followed her. She took you to a small room where you lay down on a bed. A weird machine had scanned your body with flashing lights. The doctor read out the results displayed on the machine’s interface.

“Mrs Rumi Wakui. The results are in. Your son’s innate Arcana is…”

>Hermit
>Hanged Man

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40766944
>Hanged Man

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40766944
>>>Hermit

>>40766959
Invalid vote, asuming Final Destination

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40766969
Another invalid vote assuming Final Destination.
Also captcha is ice cream.

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40766944
>>Hermit

My vote will never matter.

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40767008
SIMPLY PUT >Hermit

>>40766944
>Hanged Man

>>40766944
>Hanged Man

>>40766944
>Hanged Man

>>40767008
>>40767032
Don't be that guy.

>>40766944
>Hermit

Hey thanks samefags, I came in late and you stalled the vote for me.

>>40766944
>>Hanged Man

Hermit:
>>40766951
>>40766964
>>40766976
>>40766978
>>40766990
>>40767013
>>40767060

Hanged:
>>40766961
>>40767033
>>40767039
>>40767043

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40766944
>Hermit

>Hanged Man

>>40766944
>Hanged Man

>>40766944
>Hermit

>>40767091
>None of your damn business!

Jesus, I come here and all the samefagging is toxic.

I think I understand why everyone has an instant aversion to avatarfags when they lack this baseline respect for other people's opinions.

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[Back in the present...]

>>Hermit (Mental ailments)

“Hermit: Wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat…I was right.” You see the figure smile and it is disturbing. “I found you…finally found the one I was looking for. The others…were weak. You, however, can…win. I’m so glad…”

“What the hell are you talking about?” You growl. This person, probably female, had guessed your innate Arcana. So what? What good did it do? It wasn’t like you could summon a Persona or anything.

“You are just like them. Pierced Ear, Bifurcated Duo, Great Seal, Myriad Truths, Phantom Thief and Last Word…”

“But you are weak…potential obscured by layers of filth…” That when the feeling of dread begins to rise. The figure reaches down and retrieve what appears to be a very large syringe containing a faintly glowing blue liquid. “So…I will make you strong…”

“What are you doing?” You shriek. The figure is lowering its metallic hand, reaching for the spot on your chest just above your heart. “Stop it!”

“Be well…”

“No!”

The figure stabs down with the needle and injects every last drop of the liquid into your heart.

For a brief, merciful moment nothing happens. Then your body begins to convulse. You undergo full-out nerve spasms as it thrashes around in its restraints. Your vision turns red and black. Blood pours out of your eyes, your nose and just about every pore in your body. It mixes with your tears, forming a disgusting stream of redness and salt.

You scream. It is not the voice of a newborn baby, or even a cry for pain. It is the sound of someone who has just discovered a new version of hell.

>>40767242
To be fair, both sides are being samefagged.

>>40767287
>To be fair, both sides are being samefagged.
Add in and neither side will admit to it and you have summarized quest voters in general.

File: takashi_downwards_eye.jpg (430 KB, 1280x720)

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Take being inflicted with third-degree burns, mix in dirty, broken glass shredding your underbelly, drop in a few magnitudes of dissolving slowly in a vat full of hyper-concentrated sulphuric acid and multiply by the factor of getting electrocuted from ten different directions at once. Finally, raise it to the power of having over hundred cuts spread throughout your body, blood leaking like a dam, with a pile of industrial-grade salt rubbed on every single one of them.

Time slows to a crawl. It appears to stretch on forever. You cannot comprehend anything. All except the figure standing over you, gazing down at your agonized form with those intense blue eyes.

Finally, after so long, the pain ends. You fall into unconsciousness for the second time that day.

“Good…luck…”

…

>>Takashi: Wake up.

You awaken. This is starting to get repetitive. You slowly rise to your feet, clutching against a dirty concrete wall.

“That…what was that? Was it a nightmare?”

You survey your surroundings and come to a conclusion.

“No. This is real. All of it was real.” The Shadows, the liquid, the torture. “What a disaster this day turned out to be…” You can't help but laugh bitterly.

Dammit.

You walk forward. Strangely enough, your legs feel okay. So do your arms and your torso. You head is as clear as day. There isn’t anything holding your thought processes back.

Your foot hits something on the ground. What is it?

>A pair of boxing gloves.
>A pair of knuckledusters.
>A training manual for unarmed combat.
>A gun.
>Nothing at all.

>>40767257
We have a beautiful mind.

>>40767386
>Steel Toed Combat Boots.

>>40767386
>Nothing at all

>>40767386
>>A gun.

>>40767386
>A pair of knuckledusters.

>>40767386
>Nothing at all.

>>40767386
>>A pair of knuckledusters.

>>40767386
>A pair of knuckledusters.

>>40767386
>>A training manual for unarmed combat.

>>40767386
>A pair of knuckledusters.

>>40767386
>>A gun.

>>40767405
backing, kick combat is best combat, and those'll be useful in other ways

>>40767386
>A pair of knuckledusters.

>>40767386
I kinda like
>Steel Toed Combat Boots.

>>40767386
Knuckledusters.

>>40767386
>>A pair of knuckledusters

>>40767386
>>A gun.

>>40767405
...fuck it, i'll back it

>>40767405
Not my first choice but my first choice has no chance of winning so I'll back it.

>>40767386
>>40767405
Am ok with that aswell

>training manual for unarmed combat

>>40767386
>3 different hand-to-hand options
>and...a gun

I'm confused. Is it an Evoker?

[Tiebreaker]
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767622
Neither

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767609
We chose Don't need a weapon to hurt you in chargen.

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767622
>>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Boots

>>40767622
>>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767654
Exactly, the ranged option lost so it's weird that there's a gun as one of the choices here.

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767689
It's weird that we chose a weapon at all. We already voted against it last thread.

>>40767622
Just saying, knuckle-duster have a really high chance to break the users fingers

>>40767689
>>40767724
You don't understand the word need, do you?

>>40767726
Not when we have fucking super powers

>>40767726
That's why they're good for bleeding.

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>Non-samefagged votes

Boots:
>>40767633
>>40767660
>>40767669
>>40767692
>>40767703
>>40767711

Knuckles:
>>40767640
>>40767644
>>40767661
>>40767708

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

File: DXMD.gif (1.93 MB, 540x720)

1.93 MB GIF

>>40767726
What about knuckledusters made in the year of our lord 2129?

Actually, now that I think of it, there's way cooler futuristic weapon upgrades if we vote for fist weapons.

>>40767622
>>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767622
>Steel-toed combat boots (good for kicking and hiking)

>>40767817
And you think they won't have stuff for legs? I want to be able to move silently and run ridiculously fast etc. Hell who's to say there isn't some sort of insane high-jump, or warp-step technology

>>40767622
>Knuckledusters (good for punching and bleeding)

You know steel toe caps arent very good weapons. You arent supposed to kick shit with your toes in the first place and your own toes get forced up against the steel. plus they are a lot easier to get than brass knucks so we should get the knuckles now and just go to a shop and buy a pair of shoes later.

>>40767941
Kind of moot, if we were trying to be practical with our voting we would've grabbed the gun.

>>40767941
>not wanting morphically-soled futureboots which actively shift to suit the surface we're using them on
>not wanting boots that let us walk on walls and ceilings and give no fucks
>not wanting jet boots that shift into a more aerodynamic shape while in flight
By coincidence, or by design, our rocket kicks will also be similarly pointed.

>>40767981
At least knuckle dusters are actual weapons. Might as well vote for a hard hat for headbutting.
>>40767989
Why would not picking work boots lock you out of future science legs?

>>40767941
And we're playing a character who so far has avoided all physical conflict, the knuckles are horrible for him.

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>>A pair of steel-tipped combat boots

What are these things doing here? You crouch down on the ground and inspect them. They’re the type of footwear Shizuka wears on her Shadow-extermination missions. She once mentioned they were good for kicking foes to submission and hiking over rocky terrain. The hard soles could leave serious bruises. Not that Shizuka employed a kicking style in combat—she preferred to bash her enemies to death with stop signs.

Your phone is ringing. Just who could be calling you? Your reach into your pocket and retrieve it.

“Welcome, player, to the exclusive AETHER beta!” A cheerful, girlish voice sounds out of the speakers. “This is a brand-new, genre-defying video game combining the best parts of survival games, RPGs, first person shooters, spectacle fighters and most importantly of all immersive simulation games. The developers…” A burst of static hisses from your phone and you wince. The voice then continues. “…spent around sixty years making this experience. Your hearts and minds have been put into this project, so we hope you enjoy this game to the very end!”

You don’t understand what the hell this girl is saying. But by god are you glad to hear another voice.

“Hello? Who is this?” You call into your phone.

“The tutorial mission will now commence! Thanks to our technology and engine, every tutorial mission is different for every player. Your current objective to make your way to the safe zone. Upon completion you will receive money and experience. Now, to get started, please pick up your weapon from the ground and equip it!”

You are completely lost. So lost, that you obey the voice without much resistance. You put on the combat boots. They are a perfect fit, suspiciously so.

>>40768026
But boots are better? By what logic?

>>40768054
At least a good pair of boots can get some use.

>>40768073
I doubt there is much need for boots in a city. Might help if a shadow tries to stand on our toes I guess.

>>40768054
Also they don't scream weapon.

Not like we're never gunna find ourselves another weapon

>>40768097
Because they aren't weapons.
>>40768110
We haven't found a weapon yet.

>>40768088
There's always need for proper footwear.

>>40768122
No point in being salty. Just roll with it (Its what im doing)

>>40768088
Yes, but boots are good for walking, whereas knuckles can only bash someone's face in.

It's like you've never gone hiking with a shitty pair of too-small boots before.

>>40768088
What makes you think we're getting back to the city any time soon? we appear to be stuck in a video game.
Also, if the QM gives us a kick-based fighting style, it probably won't suck ass "because realism"

>>40768156
Sounds about right

>>40768156
Seeing as we are getting invaded by shadows we probably want something to bash faces in.
>>40768166
If you wanted a kick based fighting style you should have gone for shin pads or shoes with extendable knives even. Kicking with your toes is a good way to break toes.

>>40768210
>Kicking with your toes is a good way to break toes.
Just like punching with a knucklebrace is a good way to break your fingers?

>>40768210
And fighting with a knuckle-duster is a great way to break your fingers. I don't think TT is going to enforce complete realism.

It's Persona, you guys are overthinking it. The stuff that you normal attack with is always silly. You should've voted for the gun if you wanted ~REALISM~ to prevail.

>>40768240
Exactly, it's a game. TT is probably going to do his best to make sure that combat is in general balanced. He's not an asshole.

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You guess these things could be used a weapon? The techniques to kick an enemy to death are lost on you.

“Congratulations! You have equipped your first weapon. Over the course of the game, you will encounter many different types of weapons. Ranged, melee, magic…there are all different sorts! Some can be crafted, others found in the game world. There are shops that sell weapons and armor. More on that later.” The tutorial voice says, cheerful. “Now, it is time to head out into the game world. Please exit the alleyway.”

You have no idea what is going on. But it’s not like you have a choice, do you? Sighing, you step forward and follow the path to the end. Now that you think of it, why is this place so dark? Why does the road look like nobody has stepped here for at least a hundred years? Why is it that is dead quiet, like someone sucked all the life out of the world with a sort of nefarious contraption?

You leave the alleyway and come into the light. Or rather, the startling absence of it.

“The game world of the AETHER beta is called the Blackened Void. Its size and content is randomly generated from parameters such as difficulty, society and the number of future players. Right now, you are currently in the main hub of the Blackened Void. Please consult the AETHER application to find out its name.”

The skies are covered with dark, grey clouds. Ruin stretches to as far as the eye can see. The buildings are dilapidated, chunks torn off and toppled to the earth below. The roads are cracked. Metal posts and signs are rusted over. There are no signs of life, just an endless mass of dust, concrete, broken steel and disaster.

“What…what is this?”

Your trembling hands make their way to the phone. A map has appeared on the screen.

>SECTOR ZERO: THE FORGOTTEN CITY

“Please input some feedback. We are constantly seeking to improve the experience for our consumers!”

>Shit game, 0/10.
>I want to go home.
>Disregard the voice, search around instead.
>Custom option.

As the guy who wrote in boots in the first place. I just wanted us to do kucking combat. I wasnt focused on the immediate practicality of the boots but I figured that "rule of cool" would apply just a bit due to this being Persona.

Sorry for starting a war over the proper way to beat people up.

>>40768261
>>Disregard the voice, search around instead.

>>40768261
>Custom option.
>A guide on how this works would be helpful

>>40768261
>Needs a better tutorial.
>Not the worst game I've ever played. 2/10.
>Search around.

>>40768261
>A guide on how this works would be helpful

>>40768235
>>40768237
Kicking with your toes is more like trying to stab a fucker with your fingers than punching. I have played many games of football with steel toe caps on and it was uncomfortable as fuck.
>>40768240
I couldn't give a shit about realism but basically every weapon but the fans would make more sense. You can mess someone up with a chair.

To those complaining about 'realism':
We are in a world where physical manifestations of human personality which possess supernatural abilities is extremely common, we were just attacked by weird shadow-type thingies (technical term), and we've been dragged into an immersive alternate reality game by the most persistent malware in the universe.
And you say that using a pair of steel-toed boots in combat is 'unrealistic'.

>>40768261
>Shit game, 0/10
"When I get back, I am going to write the most scathing review in the history of critical thought. Your ears - if you HAVE any - will spontaneously combust from the sheer force of my criticism. Mark my fucking words."

>>40768261
>Shit game, 0/10.
>Disregard the voice, search around instead.

>>40768261
>>Custom option.
>A guide on how this works would be helpful and search around.

didn't we initially pick that we don't need a weapon?

in which case, nabbing a free new pair of boots was a solid decision as we can just unarmed it all the way

>>40768309
*Applause for well-structured argument that makes sense* seriously, this is the internet, you deserve a medal for that.

>>40768343
don't need a weapon just means we can fuck someone up with our fists/feet. Doesn't mean we can't augment those fists/feet.

>>40768308
>I couldn't give a shit about realism
>but basically every weapon but the fans would make more sense. You can mess someone up with a chair.
>Kicking with your toes is more like trying to stab a fucker with your fingers than punching.
Son, clearly you are indeed giving a shit about realism. And while I too appreciate a little verisimilitude, you need to calm down. The choice is made, and it won't affect us negatively, and if it still kills the quest for you, you're not obliged to continue reading.

>>40768261
Supporting >>40768309

>>40768309
While I'm all for hating this thing, maybe we shouldn't piss off the AI system that may or may not be able to drown us in baddies?

>>40768368
Not denying that, just pointing out that not picking up the knuckledusters aint that devastating in our circumstances. We can still fistfight.

>>40768369
Its just silly to me. Plus unless persona magic lets him learn martial arts, which is a distinct possibility I suppose, he wont be able to do anything much with them other than kick shadows in the shins, what if the shadows don't even have shins anon!?
>>40768413
Should hold a rock or a roll of pennies or something.

>>40768434
Yes, but this is a persona game. Shin kicking will probably still reduce hp

>>40768261
>>Disregard the voice, search around instead.

>>40768413
Honestly? I'd rather focus completely on leg combat. I like the mental image of a smug bastard who never stops smiling, and doesn't even need to take his hands out of his pockets to kick your ass. Training the legs in a fantasy setting tends to have some advantages. Being able to walk on air, kick through steel, etc.

>>40768434
He likely doesn't have any training in punching shit either, though. If we wanted to actually know what we're doing, we probably ought to have picked the manual.

And if kicking would be ineffective, surely punching would be similarly useless?

>>40768491
>a smug bastard who never stops smiling, and doesn't even need to take his hands out of his pockets to kick your ass
I gotta say, that sounds pretty awesome

Let others have their fancy weapons and moves. We gunna be the best, taking enemies out left/right/centre with a swift kick to the shins

>>40768491
>>40768511
Fuck off Hazama, I'm on to your tricks.

>>40768491
Fair enough. Sounds rather fun

>>40768491
>a smug bastard who never stops smiling, and doesn't even need to take his hands out of his pockets to kick your ass
Only if he never actually kicks you either until he gets serious, and mostly dodges your attacks with superhuman leaps and rolls as he leads you ever deeper into the traps he has already laid.

>>40768511
If this character ever is forced into a physical fight, I'd consider it a defeat no matter the outcome.

>>40768494
Its easier to punch than kick. There is a lot more in throwing a good kick and you want to be fairly flexible or have some practice if you want to kick higher than your waist.

>>40768520
>Boss battle
>Huge evil villain speech
>The others are readying their weapons etc.
>We just stroll on up and kick him in the dick
>When he's down we just kick him in the ribs repeatedly until he dies
>>40768491
>>40768553
awesome

>>40768494
>>40768563
though you could bust your knuckles I suppose. Still at least you would be able to run away with broken knuckles.

>>40768556
Well then, with our leg focus it makes us all the better at running away too. Legs>Fists. Now get to squats.

>>40768563
Proceed to aim for the shin or groin and run. No one's saying we're gonna be kicking people in the face from second one.

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>>Write scathing review

Oh, so this piece of junk wants you to give it some feedback, huh? You are beyond pissed now. First it hijacks your phone, then it sends Shadows after you, tortures you, dumps you into generic post-apocalyptic city #29 and now it want to know your opinion. Your fear is briefly overwhelmed by your anger. Your raise your fingers and begin the art of rapid touch-screen typing.

‘When I get back home, I am going to write the most scathing review in the history of critical thought. Your ears, if you have any, will explode from the sheer force of my criticism. Bankruptcy will be immediate. Mark my fucking words.’

You pause for a moment.

‘Also, no android idols. This game is terrible, -1/10.’

There. That’ll show them.

“Thank you for your feedback. We greatly appreciate it! It shall be processed in…” More static emerges. “…years!”

>>40768580
>all while singing "These Boots Are Made For Walking"

>>40768580
>What, why are you guys looking at me like that. You weren't seriously gonna wait for him to stop talking were you?
>Dude, that was inhuman
>Do I look like I give a fuck?

>>40768580
You get it

>>40768580
>Not manipulating someone else to kick him in the groin for us

>>40768556
Get ready for a whole fucking quest full of failure then.

>>40768605
>not 'Ain't That a Kick in the Head'

>>40768589
>shall be processed in… “…years!”
Wow that is fast!

>>40768605
>>40768614
They get it

File: treasure_chest.png (815 KB, 1389x903)

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>>Search around.

The phone has given you no instructions. So you decide to wander around. The air is chock full of soot. It makes you cough several times. A lamp flickers dimly before shutting down completely. Sucks, you would’ve needed the light.

You see something rectangular in the distance, through the haze, lying in the middle of the road. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a treasure chest. There is no lock. It is ready for opening. What will you do with it?

>Open it.
>Don’t open it!
>Inspect it.
>Custom option.

>>40768621
>not just throwing every status effect under the sun at people
We should learn bad breath.

>>40768580
>>40768605
>>40768614
>And we have the same damn smile on our face the whole time
>>40768645
>Inspect it.
always search for traps

>>40768621
If were not gona do the kicking then why even wear the boots? And besides.

>Not wanting to be able to say you defeated the BBEG with a swift kick to the sack.

>>40768645
>Open it.

>>40768645
>>Open it.

>>40768645
>Custom Option
Kick it.

>>40768645
>Inspect it
But don't touch it! for all you know it's a mimic!

>>40768645
>Inspect it.
If the chain curls backwards its a mimic, forwards and it is legit!

>>40768645
>Kick it.
We got these boots for a reason.

It's probably not kicking random shit in lieu of inspecting it, but why not kick random shit when you can kick random shit?

>>40768645
>>Open it.
Lets see what happens

>>40768645
>Inspect it.
>Move to one side
>Kick it

>>40768645
>>Inspect it.

>>40768645
>>Inspect it.
Traps, mimic and others.

>>40768645
>Kick it open

>>40768645
>Inspect it.
I check for traps!

>>40768645
>Custom option.
Kick it

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>>40768580
>>40768605
>>40768614
>>40768657
I don't have an appropriate picture for how fucking hard i'm laughing, so have an Alucard instead

>>40768645
>Custom option.
Kick it open WHILE STANDING ON THE SIDE

File: 1434818771772.png (16 KB, 162x145)

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>>40768605
>Not these boots are made for stomping

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>>40768645
>Inspect it.

By Jove, we're now in an MMO! I wonder what could be behind this.

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>yfw your kicking style is defeated because the other guy is standing too close to you
Styles revolving around a single form of attack are inferior. Unless its grappling.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZljpTx_tJ78
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7an-BB4-lLA
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaj6YGOLskQ
We'll have a good soundtrack, at least.

>>40768826
That's when we apply liberal amounts of our knee to the other guy's groin area.

>>40768826
Grappling is a bit more broad than one form isn't it, much more versatile as well,

>>40768826
Reckon we could still hit dem shins

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>>40768826
Have you ever played a persona game? Obviously not, but for your information one of the main characters attacks entirely by kicking people. Another uses a god damn fan and another uses chairs and shit.

Yeah. Copying Chie with her shoes of doom wasn't my intent but I'll go along with it and hope we can change it later. Also magic is where it's at.

>>40768851
>That's when we apply liberal amounts of our knee to the other guy's groin area.
What if they dont have groins?
>>40768885
Chie knows kung fu nigger. And more stuff can happen here than in a video game.

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>>Inspect it.

Years of mucking around the house, watching films and reading e-books have taught you that treasure chests are rarely to be as straightforward as they seem. Forward chain, backwards chain. Rows of teeth jutting through the lid, the monster revealing its true form and chomping the poor unlucky bastard in half. Granted, games don’t usually throw curveballs out this early, but who knows what AETHER could do?

There is no chain on the treasure chest. It isn’t moving either. It is made out of wood and somehow has rotted in this decaying city. The wood is polished, too.

YOU THERE. CHILD.

>>Kick it.

You raise your new boots and give it a gentle kick. The treasure chest tips over, spilling its contents onto the dusty ground.

You receive a hiking backpack and a first-aid kit. In an age where humans possessed supernatural powers, nearly all traditional diseases had been vanquished off the face of the earth. Spells such as the Dia class or the Amrita class meant that tasks such healing wounds, mending broken bones or curing poison became far easier. Of course, this miracle brought forth other nasty Persona-related diseases, but that’s a topic for another time...

LISTEN TO ME.

“Congratulations! You have opened your first treasure chest. Treasure chests are scattered all across the Blackened Void, each one containing useful items. There are certain types of chests, which you will find out later. Do be wary of monsters disguised as chests. And if you open too many rare chests in a single day…well, that’s a surprise!”

You put on the backpack and shove the first-aid kit and your old sneakers within. You are starting to really get used to this whole game thing, and it kinda disturbs you.

“AETHER is a game that refuses to hold your hand! We have disabled objective markers in our latest build and replaced them with simple descriptions. That way, your success will be all the more rewarding!”

>>40768885
You realize we're eventually going to have to fight that person. I can see it now.
>Chie just chasing us around but never catching up, trying to actually land an attack
>Us just running around like the mad march hare on crack, talking Chie into either helping us or committing suicide over the course of the fight
It will be glorious

>>40769009
>being able to out run chie
Yeah good luck with that. Although considering she would be over a hundred years old by now we could probably do it.

>>40769052
I never actually played the games, I have no idea how old she'd be. You have to admit though, funny mental image.

>>40769076
Pretty sure persona 4 took place in the 21st century anyway.

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>Head northwards to the safe zone! Reward: 6000 Macca and 6 Build EXP.

“Guess I have no choice, huh?” You mutter to yourself. Adjusting the backpack over your shoulder, you set off. Past the ruins, dried-out husks of cars, ashes in the air and faded signs.

HERMIT. THAT WAS YOU.

You walk underneath the clouded skies, so heavy they blot out the sun.

INTROSPECTION, FORGING ONE’S OWN PATH…

You walk and walk.

…BEHIND THE SCENES. UNTOLD WISDOM. SUPPORTING THE HEROES.

Yeah.

FORNEUS, IPPON-DATARA, LAMIA, MOTHMAN, TARAKA, NEBIROS, KUMBHANDA…

You’re not going to lie.

…ARAHABAKI. THE END OF THE PATH. WHAT YOU ONCE WERE.

This is as boring as hell.

CHANGE. OCCURRED IN YOUR SOUL. ONE OF A KIND. THAT IS YOU.

You’re not entirely sure what you were expecting, but it wasn’t this. How long have you been walking for? Time seems to be meaningless here.

You sigh.

Then a gurgling sound appears from behind you. You freeze dead in your tracks. Slowly, you turn around to see shadows moving along the ground. Something rises out with a plop. A blue mask, with the Roman numeral ‘I’ inscribed on it.

“Oh shit…”

Shadows.

>Run
>Kick them.
>Guard.
>Custom option.

>>40769165
>Kick them
CHUCK NORRIS ROUNDHOUSE KICK!

>>40769165
Curb stomp that fucker.

>>40769165
>>Kick them.

>>40769165
>Stomp on the head
>Kick them.
>Kick them
>Holy fucking hell kick the shit out of them until they die

>>40769165
>Kick them. Repeatedly. In the face.

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>>40769165
>Kick them.
Its time

>>40769165
>Run
What are our surroundings like? Anything we can use against it? Taking it head-on is a last resort.

>>40769165
>>Kick them.
Aim for the shin or shin analogue!

>>40769165
>>Kick them.

>>40769165
>Kick them
"THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING, AND THAT'S JUST WHAT THEY'LL DO, MOTHER FUCKER!"

>>40769187
>ROUNDHOUSE KICK!
> The techniques to kick an enemy to death are lost on you.
>>40769206
You want to run into more and have to fight two at once?

>>40769165
>Run

>>40769165
>Run

>>40768614
Later, back at the base, two of our teammates have a discussion.
>You saw that right?
>Yeah, it creeped the hell out of me, he just kept fucking smiling the entire time
>Did you hear him singing? I swear I heard him singing
>We appear seemingly out of nowhere
>Hey guys whatcha talkin about?
>GAH!

>>40769208
But anon it doesn't have shins! It doesn't even have legs! I warned you, I warned you about shins!

>>40769223
The point is to not have to 'fight' at all. Whatever happened to the smug-bastard-man-with-the-plan we were going for?

>>40769246
Go for the eyes Boo, Go for the eyes!

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>>40769165
>KICK THEM

time to git gud scrube

>>40769255
These appear to be the lowest level enemies, smug bastard is still the plan, but it helps if you have combat talent to actually back up the smugness. Gotta farm that XP
>>40769244
kek

>>40769255
>Running from baby level shadows

Having a plan isnt the same as being a coward.

>>40769255
Thats a silly plan. Evil monsters created out of the evil in human hearts have trapped you in a game where they can spawn as many monsters as they want. You cant talk down a shadow.

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>>40769255
We have to get exp somehow, and right now we're alone.

Everyone starts somewhere, anon.

>>40769255
Shadows don't really care if you have a silver tongue. They're more focused on eviscerating you.

>>40769290
yeah, be able to talk someone into suicide is all well and good for the humans, but we still need to be able to kick monsters into a goo

>>40769255
We can't really be a smug bastard at these things right now. We CAN, however, be guy-with-a-pair-of-heavy-boots at it.

>>40769312
Talking people into suicide is probably really hard and requires an extended period of time and knowledge of them. I mean, what do you do if they just don't listen to you?

>>40769311
>>40769334
Which is why I suggested using the environment against them as opposed to actually having to kick them manually. Still counts as a win, right?

>>40769348
It was just an extreme example.

>>40769351
Might as well just kick them at that point.

>>40769165
>Kick them
In the Shin Megami Tensai

>>40768580
I have to say, if we don't do this at least once, I will be extremely disappointed.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO6LWQhvzRw

“Oh no! Shadows have appeared! They are just one of the groups of enemies lurking inside the Blackened Void. It seems like that you need to defeat them in order to advance, so get to it!”

“Wait, there’s no tutorial on telling me how to fight?” You yell, “Are you serious!”

“The tutorial will resume once all Shadows have been defeated. Until then, don’t die!”

ZERO. INFINITE. THE VOID FROM WHICH ALL THINGS BEGIN.

Oh my god. You have no combat skills whatsoever. A long time ago, you asked Shizuka to teach you how to fight. That was before you realized there was absolutely no hope of you gaining a Persona. Once you found out…your motivation dropped to rock bottom.

You find yourself regretting that decision.

But you have some steel-tipped boots? So you should be fine, right?

INNOCENCE, DIVINE MADNESS, INSPIRATION, CHAOS AND CREATIVITY.


No time to think, the Shadows are coming. You need to defend yourself. One of them lunges towards you. You rush forward and give it a hefty kick in the mask.

“Take that!”

The mask sinks below the inky murkiness of the Shadow’s body. There is silence for a moment. You wonder if your attack worked. The monster appears to stare at you. Then it reaches up with its arms and sends you flying with the force of its fists. You fly backwards, tumbling and tossing against the cracked ground until you come to rest against a section of a wall.

“Arrgh!”

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It hurts! You skin is torn and scratched. Your shoulder might be dislocated. Hang on, it isn’t. It just stings a lot.

HURRY UP. REALIZE WHO YOU ARE. WHAT YOU ARE. YOU WILL DIE OTHERWISE.

You stand up. You barely have time to think before the Shadows act again. This time, the second Shadow fires a lightning bolt at you. A Zio spell, the basic electrical attack possible.

You now realize how painful being electrocuted is. Spasms wreak havoc on your body.

You slump to the ground, sparks running haywire on your body. The Shadows loom closer, their masked frowns glaring into your eyesockets.

>Stand your ground.
>Reach into your pocket for your phone.
>Attempt to flee.
>Custom option.

>>40769544
>>Stand your ground.
>>Reach into your pocket for your phone.
Really no other choice at this point

>>40769544
>Stand your ground.
>Reach into your pocket for your phone

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>>40769544
>Stand your ground.
In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose. Surely something good will happen?

>>40769544
>Stand your ground.

>>40769544
>Stand your ground.

>>40769544
>>Stand your ground.
>>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

>>40769544
>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

>>40769544
>Stand your ground.
>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

Quick put it in a full nelson!

>>40769544
>Stand your ground.
>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

>>40769544
>>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

>>40769544
>Reach into your pocket for your phone.
Call big sister

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>>40769544
Come at me!

>>40769544
>Attempt to flee.

Wait, wouldn't the next logical step of evoking your Persona be fur suits?

>>40769544
>>Stand your ground.
>>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

>>40769544
>Stand your ground.
>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

>>40769564
This. The phone is going to be our envoker/card.

>Reach into your pocket for your phone.

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>>40769673
>Gun
>Tarot Card
>???Fursuit????

No.

>>40769693
Shit, I thought this was Persona Quest, not Yuuki Yuuna Quest.

>>40766325
persona quest, neat this aught to be a hilarious swagtastic journey

>>40769544
>Reach into your pocket for your phone

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>> Stand your ground.

Damn it. Is this where you are going to die? In a sick, twisted reality video game in front of humanity’s enemies? Does it even matter? You don’t have a Persona. You weren’t gifted. You were completely ordinary. You didn’t have any true friends, only a few casual acquaintances. Very few people would miss your existence once you were gone.

“Is this…really it?”

Shizuka…how would your beloved Nee-san react? She would definitely cry. So would your mother, as stoic and strict as she was. The last you saw your mother crying was when she found out you had zero potential to summon a Persona. She had been mourning the fact that you were part of the unlucky few, doomed to never achieve greatness in life.

“Nee-san, okaa-san…”

And very soon, she would weep over the lack of your existence.

…you guess Celeste Tachibana might feel a little sad. You wished you talked more to her. She sounded like a nice girl, after all.

>>Reach into the pocket for your phone.

If you’re going to die, the very least you could do is say goodbye. You sift through your trouser pockets, intending to give your precious family one final call.

You do not pull out your phone.

Instead, what you take out is a blank tarot card.

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>>40769832
>Instead, what you take out is a blank tarot card.

>>40769832
>Throw it in the garbage. How dare the fates mock us still!

>>40769870
Yeah how about we don't commit suicide

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>>40769832
FUCK YEAAAAAAH

>>40769832
So are we going to pick our Persona, or are you going to handle that?

>>40769910
We're a Hermit bro. Read the spoilers to find out what sort of Persona we're gonna get.

>>40769910
>>40769910
usually, a persons persona (or first persona in the fools case) is predetermined.

>>40769922
I know the Arcana, but what about the Persona itself? That's what I meant.

>>40769910
>Hermit, mental illness
I believe our persona might have something to do with that. I am absolutely fine with this. Smugsnake with silver tongue is awesome
>>40769932
The fool get's more than one? never played the games

>>40769922
But those are the generic ones. Were the PC man. Weve got to get something special.

>>40769946
The fool also gets the wild card. Which is a way of saying "Youre the player so you get to use ALL the personas."

>>40769954
He might very well let us pick from a list.

>>40769946
The fool gets every available persona from every arcana. as long as they can find or fuse the persona
Fuse meaning that multiple personas may be fused together to create a different one.

>>40769946
Yeah, the fool (The MC) can use every Persona by completing Social links.

>>40769954
Also he has a point, the Characters usually have some kind of cool Persona that represents them.

>>40769982
Well, we're a kick focused smugsnake who'll probably be doing a lot of manipulation, this should be fun.

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When did you pick this up? You don’t remember it at all. The headache is getting worse. Your vision is dimming and dipping.

“The time has come…”

A soft voice is wisping through your ears. Who is it? A hallucination brought upon by your imminent death?

“Open thy eyes…”

Your sense of balance is falling. You threaten to topple over at any moment. In fact, that’s what you do. You collapse to your knees, your scratched and bleeding hands grasping at the earth. The Shadows are circling you, preparing to strike.

“I have always been with you…”

You close your eyes.

Time passes. A second. Two. Three. Five and ten.

And you begin to understand. It is an epiphany.

A low chuckle rises from your throat.

Of course! How could you have been so stupid? That blank tarot card had always been there. Always waiting, hidden in the depths of your soul. You were simply too blind in the past, too foolish to uncover its true potential. You open your eyes once more.

They are full of determination. You inspect the tarot card. It is blank as the void, without picture or number. Nothing is there. It is waiting for something to be inscribed on it.

The card suits you perfectly.

>>40769946
Everyone gets their own unique Persona, which while named after a mythological figure usually only has a vague resemblance to it. Wild Cards (which are usually but not always Fool Arcana) can summon generic Personas that are directly lifted from mythology.

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“I am thou…thou art I…”

You rise to your own two feet. Something is coming out of the blank tarot card. Blue and ethereal. It is wrapping around your body, comforting you in its embrace. The bleeding stops. Wounds close shut and heal. Fractured bones mend. Energy is revitalized.

“I cometh from the sea of thy soul…”

You step forward. Once, twice. You stare down the shadows.

And you give them the biggest shit-eating grin in your entire life.

>>40770035
>My Stand, Hermit Purple!

>>40770035
>And you give them the biggest shit-eating grin in your entire life.
YUP! THAT'S US! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED

>>40770035
The end!

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>>40770035
Went ahead and fixed that image for you

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>>Takashi: Awaken

“Persona!”

>>40770085
hype! hype! hype! hype! hype! hype!

>>40770085
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFkdcQgNJHo

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>>40770085
Lets do this shit.

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>>40770085
My body is ready!

>>40770129
You know, for having been based on a card game, (Or for having a card game based on it, I don't remember which came first.) That manga was always pretty damn hardcore. By the third book the pharaoh's already killed several people. They had it coming but still

>>40770162
>>40770138
>>40770110
>>40770085
[Next Time on Persona 2129]

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Your crush the card, and the air around you explodes. The blue aura bursts free, smashing into Shadows and sending them hurling backwards. They tumble across the rocky floor like weeds, skidding to a stop in front of a hollowed-out bus.

Power is flowing through your body. It is magic, the ability of demons and gods. Once held from you, it has burst out from the depths of your consciousness like oil rising from a well. The sensation is wonderful. You feel powerful, as if you were on cloud nine. You think you could run a million miles, punch a thousand stone blocks and swim the entirety of the Equator.

That is how great you feel right now.

Where has this been all your life?

The ethereal blue aura congeals in front of you and slowly floats to the ground. A demon steps out, grunting and snarling. A one-eyed, one-legged monster wearing a suit of armor and a pair of blacksmiths tools. It eyes the two Shadows, slowly and carefully.

“I am Ippon-Datara of the Fool Arcana…” the creature roars. “Thou has received permission to use my power…”

A Shadow decides to try its luck and lunges forward. The demon swings its gigantic hammer, smacking it back to where it came from.

You laugh. It echoes through the buildings and pierces the heavens. You can’t help yourself. Never before have you felt so elated.

The dice have been rolled and the tables turned. Fate is smiling in your direction.

You can win this.

A series of words float through your mind. Commands. You know them instantly. They are instinctive, ingrained within the very fibre of your existence.

>Agi
>Skull Cracker
>Pulinpa

>>40770279
Fire time

>>40770279
>Agi

>>40770279
>>Pulinpa

>>40770279
>SK-SK-SKULL CRACKER

>>40770279
>Skull Cracker

>>40770279
>>Skull Cracker
Cuz I don't know what the hell those other two mean.

>>40770279
>>Skull Cracker

>>40770279
>Agi
Can't go wrong with fire magic
But
>Ippon-Datara of the Fool Arcana
The fuck?

>>40770279
>Skull Cracker

>>40770279
>Agi
Burn them!

Skull cracker costs HP to use but has a chance to confuse the enemy.

>>40770279
>Agi

>>40770308
Agi is babby's first fire spell and Pulinpa is a status skill that inflict panic.

>>40770279
>>Skull Cracker

>>40770338
Skull cracker does damage, with a chance to confuse, but costs HP

>>40770327
We a wild card baby!

>>40770279
> “I am Ippon-Datara of the Fool Arcana…”
I think you mean the Hermit Arcana. He wasn't in the Fool Arcana.

>>40770327
>Ippon-Datara of the Fool Arcana
>The fuck?

I know right. Ippon-Datara is a Hermit card. Don't know why he is fool here... but then again we are Hermit...

>>40770279
We wild card now bitch!

>Pulinpa

This confuses things! Fuck yeah motherfucker!

>>40770349
Wait I thought we picked Hermit, is that just a typo?

>>40770279
>Pulinpa

>>40770279
>Agi
Fuck yeah, we wizard now.

>>40770372
Could be. Or it could be something weird going on. Let's find out.