Velvet Room MUSH Wiki - User contributions [en]

2026-05-23: There is no box

2026-05-23T21:08:00Z

Mesarthim: Created page with "* '''Cutscene: There is no box''' * '''Cast:''' Futaba Sakura * '''Where:''' The Palace of Futaba Sakura * '''OOC Date:''' 2026-05-23 * '''IC Date:''' Tue, Nov 13 2012 * '''Summary''': ''Shadow Futaba becomes extremely angry, and for once, it goes somewhere.'' The Shadow of Futaba Sakura stood, in a room in a tomb in a place that wasn't anywhere at all. She stared at an open box. There had been no one in the tomb for days, now, as far as the Shadow could tell. (The..."

* '''Cutscene: There is no box'''
* '''Cast:''' [[Futaba Sakura]]
* '''Where:''' The Palace of Futaba Sakura
* '''OOC Date:''' 2026-05-23
* '''IC Date:''' Tue, Nov 13 2012
* '''Summary''': ''Shadow Futaba becomes extremely angry, and for once, it goes somewhere.''

The Shadow of Futaba Sakura stood, in a room in a tomb in a place that wasn't anywhere at all. She stared at an open box.

There had been no one in the tomb for days, now, as far as the Shadow could tell. (The sun did not move; where does one day end and another begin?) Only her, and the murmuring distant handful of Shadows, wandering in their corners. The great alarm had ended. Quiet had returned.

Now that Shadow Futaba knew what disruption was, the peace of old seemed like a thin memory. Somehow, despite perfect recall, it was distant, grayer.

It made the Shadow angry, but then, so did a lot of things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeqNDE90Pvs

She could remember her injuries. There were ninety-two such items, from before all of the ruckus began, and sometimes Shadow Futaba counted them to pass the time. A dozen or so were rather murky, from her infancy. Others were in fine focus and more poignant: denied trips, the mockery of her peers, a raised voice, a cancelled television program. Each of them stuck in her mind, a splinter in a finger, a knife stabbed into a great tree trunk, an etching in granite.

One or two were the Shadow's own.

One was undeniably the Shadow's. Though it had not been apparent to either the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, nor to other interloping parties, Shadow Futaba could not touch things. Or, to describe it in strict terms, she could not exert meaningful force against other objects. Her own hair, her glasses, her headdress; these she could touch, maneuver, adjust. The tomb walls, the statues, the Shadows, the scatterings of treasure like the plundered box before her: these were only sensations to her. She could be acted upon; yet she could not act.

They could hurt her back, of course. The scuffs and marks on her arms and legs had healed some time ago, but the Shadow remembered them, for they were hurts, and she nurtured a brood of hurts. Gnawing at herself in this tomb of her inevitable demise, she faced a bleak future, or none at all, and she had hoped and planned for the latter, as far as she hoped at all.

The ninety-third was different. The ninety-third was new, for one thing; for another, though only the Shadow had heard it, it was equally hers and 'that girl's,' of the Shadow and the Futaba Sakura in the world of the living (for now).

For another, she had thought of it in advance. With no power to influence the world, with no strength, the impotent fury of the Shadow had been interrupted by long thought and introspection. What else was there to do, count the grains of sand? She had always had a certain industrious character. There was enough honest, enough rigor of thought, in her to separate out the imagined and possible hurts, the wounds-that-truly-were, from the wounds-that-might-happen-if-something-preceded-it. If she'd included all of THOSE, the list would be in the low tens of thousands. Not, of course, that she was counting.

But what had moved that wound from the list of might-bes and maybes into the burning, agonizing litany of that-which-was had come from the lips of that interloper. The man in the black mask. The man who had *frightened* the Shadow, a sensation wholly unfamiliar to her. She had often thought of death and oblivion with something like hope, or at least the anticipation of relief; instead, she had been *afraid*.

Afraid that she would know and not-know; that she would perish in ignorance, collapsing into a mirror-shard box of confused agony before oblivion came, in a hospital ward or in a street crossing of her own, daughter following in mother's footsteps.

Afraid that it might instead be an eternal moment of death. Oblivion is one thing: to experience one's final moment as a melting idee-fixe and never know otherwise held far subtler terrors.

Afraid that she would know, but only to know that there would be no revenge.

Once the Phantom Thieves and the man in the black mask had left, the Shadow had taken some time to find calm enough to think, to focus, to plan. At that point, she had set out to systematically try to manipulate her environment, ghostly and accursed impotence be damned. About sixty attempts to leverage her perceptions of touch to some manipulation of objects, however paltry, met with no success whatsoever. Commanding the Shadows did not work, either: she could get their attention, but they did not take her commands, obedient to either her subconscious (the Shadow of the Shadow, thought Shadow Futaba, with a certain sardonic irritation) or their own whims.

Several hundred more had been attempted invocations. Futaba's hungry reading of gorgeously photographic books on the histories of the Pharaohs and their tombs had shown her a number of invocations, prayers, and sorceries, many of which the Futaba Sakura of the world of flesh had not recognized. The Shadow had a different perspective, but all of them had been useless; the sole exception, on excited repetition, had been a false positive. A cognitive snake had slithered at a fortuitous time. Nothing more than that.

A number of theoretical approaches were developed, frozen in several different stages of refinement, tested systematically. None did anything. All of them only reinforced the helplessness of Shadow Futaba.

She was down to this. A crude effort indeed, and a forlorn hope, but the presence of hexadecimal logic in this chamber -- a puzzle that the Phantom Thieves had somehow, miraculously, solved without grinding aeonic experimentation -- put the idea in her head, and she was, after all, the Ruler of this Palace, was she not? It was her right to try. If it ripped space itself open and led to a swift and sorry end, at least it had been by her own hand.

She had spoken charms and spells in all the languages she knew; Python and perl, emacs and powershell. Anything at all to try and evoke a change. These too, were nothing.

It was, to be frank, starting to ''piss her off.''

But Shadow Futaba had nothing else to do, and so, she stared at the box. Zero to one. One to zero. It would have to be one or the other. It was interchangeable in a sense; depended on whether the 'rest state' of the box was to be closed or to be open. She had, at least, satisfied herself that it was not some more complex object.

There was nothing else. The Shadow might draw a little cold comfort, to know that there was only the dire potentiality of nothing, dead end, no hope, only hoping that the Phantom Thieves or Mr. Laurent might, in a miraculous last ditch, accomplish something - a reprieve, maybe, if not salvation. (Though Shadow Futaba did not have a consciously high opinion of anyone, even herself, she had to admit that however hapless her other self was, she had at least been able to call for help, and some of it had arrived. It was at least one up on the Shadow, tomb or otherwise.)

But instead she only felt *irritation*. A great helpless fury was kindling inside of her. The emotional acid seemed to flow upwards and it was all aimed at the box. A simple thing, honestly quite sumptuous, clad in precious metals - gold, to some extent, at least. How dare it? How dare this simple box, with its plundered simple contents, resist her? At all of this, at the final redoubt, with only forlorn hopes and the certainty of death for her company, would this crude object defy her?

Shadow Futaba remembered the yawning black void of the gun's mouth, and the grinning face beyond it.

Her hands squeezed fists. Thin, small, useless fists, but fists nonetheless. That sensation was growing hotter. If she stopped this non-effort she would throw herself against the side of the sarcophagous the box was in, beating it with futile, forceless arms. She might break and wound herself, even tear her frail body to shreds in her tantrum. She might die; or worse, live on, un-dead and mutilated.

Slowly, distantly, the Shadow became aware of her heartbeat. It was a brief and interesting thought - she didn't think she had one - but it grew and grew, hastening in force and acceleration as the world seemed to shrink and telescope, that box rising in its simple, empty mockery to engulf the entire field of view before her eyes.

Another short, sharp escalation. She could taste bile at the back of her throat. The Shadow was aware her chest was heaving; she'd hunched forwards. A sudden visitor would have seen her wide-eyed face wracked with a terrible rage. A few subtle wisps of violet light radiated out around her, but these dim gutterings threw no heat or force. It only burned its bearer all the faster.

Faster and hotter, hotter and faster.

He did this, thought the Shadow.

I could have rested forever, awaiting the end, but he did this.

He did this to me, Shadow Futaba thought, remembering the face of the black mask.

HE KILLED MY MOTHER

Shadow Futaba's face twisted and SOMETHING came out; it stuttered through the world, like a blow from every direction and none falling upon the Shadow. She fell to her hands and knees with sudden, terrible weakness; vomited some strange black fluid; felt her head scream as if every tooth and every nerve was on fire; and then she fell to the stone floor, and was silent.

(In the world of the real, Futaba Sakura felt a sudden dizziness. Her heart rate spiked. She turned away from the computer, stood up, found she couldn't quite do it. She lurched towards her bed, making it most of the way, sprawling belly-down mostly-atop it. For a few moments she wondered if she was going to die, before falling into a swoon of her own.)

Time passed, as it always does.

Shadow Futaba felt it pass. The pain faded, like frost on a cold spring's morning.

If she had died, it was not different from where she had been before, and eventually, she moved one arm. An hour or so later, she got both hands under her and pushed herself up. Head resting against the side of the sarcophagus, she rested for another moment or twenty before she brought up one hand.

Grasping the lid of the empty sarcophagus, Shadow Futaba pulled herself up. She exerted no force on the sarcophagus, but she was moving her own body, and she could not muster herself to fade into nothingness. Not right now. If she did, she might simply disappear, she feared. Feared?

Shadow Futaba reached her feet, and stared at the wall of the tomb chamber for moments longer. A little more, and she could stand on her own. Shaking still, but upright. Whatever had happened, she had survived it.

Shadow Futaba's head tilted down; her eyes turned faster. She looked within the sarcophagus.

The box was closed, and seemed good as new.

There were few of the higher sentiments in Shadow Futaba; even their appearance was largely from deficiencies in other motivators, or several negative vectors interacting alchemically into something conditionally positive. In the main, her spite had sustained her. Looking at the box, and its objective, concrete reality, something new entered the Shadow's mind: Hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4W8QWdFd2E

The world *could* change.

Fictional Pop Culture and Brands

2026-04-19T01:19:08Z

Mesarthim: goin down to front range. gonna have myself a time. (new show added based on emergent RP!)

This is a non-exhaustive list of various in-universe pieces of pop culture, brands, celebrities, places, items, and so on. Entries may be added as we think of them or as they get ICly released. Players may add entries of their own, but please don't edit already existing entries. If you see something that you think is wrong or should be changed, please send a request to staff.

== Fashion ==

; Rosa Candida (Persona 2)
: A fashionable boutique in Sumaru City's Aoba Ward that sells a variety of stylish clothes and accessories. Rumor has it they also sell quality armor.

; Croco Fur (Persona 4)
: A clothing store in Okina City that offers a wide range of outfits and accessories, from bags to boots, swimsuits to Halloween costumes. Run by Reiko Osa, charismatic fashionista.

; Tsurukame Diamond (Persona 5)
: A jewelry store in the Shibuya Underground Mall.

; Furugi no Neuchi (Persona 5)
: A vintage clothing store in Kichijoji. The perfect place to do some thrifting or sell old, unwanted clothes.

; Adios Shoes (Persona 3)
: A cheap knock-off of a more popular brand; sold by Tanaka's Amazing Commodities. Say "goodbye" to your foes.

; Baipas (Persona 4)
: A brand of sports bags that's similar to Adidas, right up to the logo.

== Entertainment ==

=== Music ===

; Giga Macho CD (Persona 2)
: Hosts a big CD store, production studio, and flamboyant radio DJ wearing a red hoodie and shades known as 'Meteor Masa,' who hosts 'Meteor Masa to the Max.'

; Kenneth Arnold (Persona 3)
: A CD and DVD chain store that has a location within Paulownia Mall.

; Babel Records Music Store (Persona 5)
: A CD and DVD store in the Shibuya Underground Mall.

; Gas Chamber (Persona 2)
: The band of Kasugayama High's Leader, Eikichi Mishina, who is the lead singer. Not yet fully formed, as Eikichi is still scouting members... and getting the members he does have to learn how to play instruments. It's not a failure, it's pre-successful.

; Muses (Persona 2)
: A hot new three-member idol group that's been successfully hyped by their manager, Ginji Sasaki. Many people are very excited for their upcoming debut.

; Hug-My-Heart (Persona 5)
: Debut single by a boy band.

; 3SHINE
: An idol trio from the 90's known briefly for the bittersweet hit 「ＡＮＯＴＨＥＲ♩ＬＩＦＥ」, but disbanded in 2007 after the lead singer died in a car crash.

; Hatsune Kiku (Persona 4 Dancing All Night)
: The Vocaloid Virtual Idol is one of the most recognizable Japanese Pop Culture Icons of the past few years.

=== Video/Computer Games ===

; Groove On Fight (Persona 1)
: Atlus fighting game.

; Innocent Sin Online (Persona 3)
: A mysterious MMO that's been running for years, it tells a fictionalized larger than life version of the Innocent Story version with Tatsuya and Maya. How it came about in this world is a mystery. (Don't use this to establish knowing things about the Other Side. Just don't.)

; Condemnation of Witchcraft (Persona 3 - Original)
: The new biggest MMO that everyone is leaving Innocent Sin Online for due to all the gold farmers and dupers. Affectionately known as CoW by its fans, it's a game wherein the Holy Empire of Sturmward fights the Witch Queen and her coven of 'The Abhorred'. A PvE game with PvP elements.

; Game Parade Games
: House of the Deceased - A horror game with terrifying zombies. Raises Guts.
: Real Wheel Racing - An intense racing game. Raises the equipped Persona's agility.
: Print Club - A purikura-style booth. Raises charm.
: High School of Youth - Dating sim game. Raises Charm.
: You're the Answer - Quiz show-style arcade game. Raises Academics.
: Punch Boxer - Fighting Arcade game. Raises the equipped Persona's strength.
: Edgar's House of Fortunes - Fortune-telling tarot game. Raise the equipped Persona's Magic.
: Super Game Spaceshot - Space shooter.

; Computer Software
:Lessons in Etiquette - PC software for learning manners that will charm others.
:Virtual Diet - PC software for helping you attain a beautiful body via watching videos.
:Language Made Easy - PC Software for learning English through pictures and images.
:Animal Othello - PC software for children. Adults need courage to play this.
:TypinGhoul - PC software that requires courage to defeat zombies through typing.
:Muscle Boot Camp - PC Software for learning how to effectively strengthen your muscles.
:Mindful Boot Camp - PC Software for growing your mind through meditation.
:Umiushi Fan Book - For those who love beef bowls. Has a membership code for the official site.

; Photochop (Persona Q)
: Graphics editor that has become the most used digital art software in the world. Due to image manipulation that is then posted online becoming so ubiquitous, the program has popularized the slang term 'Photochopped' worldwide.

; Star Forneus (Persona 5)
: Retro console shooting game with a space theme.

; Super Bash Bros. (Persona 5)
: Long-running crossover Versus Battle game. 'Challenger Approaching!'

; Gambla Goemon (Persona 5)
: A game about a notorious thief who fell into the depths of hell… Demons make you gamble with games of chance to pass through gates in hell and move on to further challenges.

; Stray Sheep Dolls (Persona 5)
: A puzzle game about sheep. Now with more off-kilter gender commentary! Procreate or else!

; Featherman Seeker (Persona 5)
: A retro game based on the popular long-running tokusatsu show, Phoenix Rangers Featherman. It follows the story of Gray Pigeon and their mentor-guided training to acquire power that will rival the Phoenix Rangers.

; Matador <nowiki>re:fancio</nowiki> (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A video game about a skeletal bullfighter who must find a way to fancy up his life. May or may not be looking for a nice candelabra.

; Drake Adventure (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A massively popular and influential JRPG series, with cute monsters and a cartoonish medieval fantasy vibe. It is currently on its ninth entry.

; Night Parade (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A classic fighting game series by the Motojima Corporation, known for its theme of supernatural yokai and their hunters as the fighters. Latest release is Ultimate Night Parade 4 Remix Lightning Edition.

; Stiletta (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A much-beloved urban fantasy action-adventure game about a stylish succubus who fights to find her lost memories using her transforming hair and weaponized heels. Utterly fabulous. The hotly-anticipated sequel has recently been announced.

; The Epic of Zerta (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: An action roleplaying/puzzle game series centred around the Triangular Force, made up of the Angle of Strength, the Angle of Knowledge, and the Angle of Bravery. These games follow the hero, Tie, as he eternally saves Princess Zerta from the evil King Gammon. (In some entries, he's King Gammonturf. Using the wrong name can and has caused epic flame wars.)

; Tetraitis (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A puzzle game where you need to match four blocks to clear them. Apparently, it was named because the creator was so feverishly invested in playing an alpha build he almost didn't finish the game at all.

=== Other Games ===
; Hammerstrike - War in the 42nd Millenium (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A grimdark franchise originating from the west, centring around numerous spacefaring factions warring for control over the galaxy. While it started as a tabletop wargame using handpainted miniatures, a multitude of books, animations, and games have come out for it since its inception the late 1980s.

; Faerie<nowiki>:</nowiki> The Beckoning (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A card game centred around lands, creatures, and magical spells, with a great amount of depth. The lore centres around the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae and their various adventures. New card sets are released each year!

=== Books and Manga ===

; Bookworms (Persona 3)
: A small but robust bookstore in the Iwatodai Strip Mall, owned and run by an elderly married couple, Bunkichi and Mitsuko Kitamura.

; Taiheido Bookstore (Persona 5)
: A bookstore on Shibuya Central Street with shelves also available outside the entrance.

; Rubber-Armed Pitcher Hero (Persona 4)
: Sports shounen manga about baseball.

; Witch Detective (Persona 4)
: A ploddingly written romantic comedy manga about a girl on her first day of school in a new town. Vampires are involved.

; The Great Thief (Persona 5)
: The story of Arsène Lupin, greatest thief of all time.

; Zorro the Outlaw (Persona 5)
: The story of Zorro, the dashing masked vigilante.

; Pirate Legend (Persona 5)
: The story of Captain Kidd, a Scottish-American privateer.

; The Alluring Dancer (Persona 5)
: The story of Carmen, an opera about a seductive Romani woman.

; The Gallant Rogue (Persona 5)
: The story of Goemon Ishikawa, a legendary outlaw hero.

; Speed Reader (Persona 5)
: A book that gives the reader tips on how to read more quickly and efficiently.

;The Whimsy of Orange Streets (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:An older romantic comedy manga about a old fashioned high school student in a love triangle with two delinquents. Reading it might help you understand relationships better.

;Dragon Sphere X (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:A martial arts manga that takes inspiration from Journey to the West. Probably helps your Guts.

; Titanomachy (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: An enormously popular mecha franchise that draws heavily from Greek mythology for inspiration. Having been around for close to 30 years, it has spawned numerous films, anime, and manga series, as well as a plethora of different model kits.

=== TV Shows ===

; Scarlet (Persona 5)
: DVD/Blu-Ray rental store. Has a very generous membership plan for students.

; Phoenix Ranger Featherman (Persona 2)
: Long-running tokusatsu franchise with tons of seasons, movies, and extensive merchandising. Much beloved by the Japanese youth.

; Tanaka's Amazing Commodities (Persona 3)
: A home shopping program hosted by Tanaka, who is also the CEO of the company. Its jingle: "Here comes Tanakaaaaa~ Over the airwaves to youuuuu~ Granter of your desires!" Sells a wide range of products, from high quality to possibly less-than-stellar knock-offs. Things go quick, so buy buy buy!

; Wraith (Persona 5)
: TV show about a woman who can speak to ghosts.

; The X-Folders (Persona 5)
: Sci-fi investigation TV show. The opening theme involves a spooky whistle.

; Bubbly Hills 90210 (Persona 5)
: A Western teen romantic drama TV show set in the ritzy upscale neighborhood of Bubbly Hills.

; ICU (Persona 5)
: Medical drama show about high stakes saves in the emergency ward.

; The Running Dead (Persona 5)
: Zombie drama about fast zombies. Humans in this drama are the real monsters.

; Mouse M.D. (Persona 5)
: A maverick rodent's medical heroics. Learn about true kindness.

; D. Housewives (Persona 5)
: Women's stories of love and passion.

; 31 (Persona 5)
: A writer and editor battle looming deadlines. Praised for its gutsy tension.

; Tee (Persona 5)
: A teacher helps revive a near defunct high school golf team.

; Not-so-hot Betsy (Persona 5)
: A TV show that tells the story of a homely girl who captivates people with her inner charm.

; Jail Break (Persona 5)
: A jailbreak TV drama.

; Fist of the Phantom Star (Persona 5)
: A post apocalyptic martial arts retro anime that codified a lot of Shounen tropes. Contains numerous beefy men rescuing beautiful women from their rivals.

;Yureka Six (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:An anime about growing up in a war torn world of robots, aliens, and flying skateboards. The main character starts off as rather childish but grows mature through facing the shortcomings of adults.

;Front Range (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: An American cartoon series set in Colorado. The story material is often topical to American events, usually obscene, and once in a while funny. Explaining episode plots sounds like gibberish. The Japanese fandom tends to focus on the BL potential of the male leads, all schoolchildren in a quiet mountain town.<br />
=== Movies ===

; Climax Theater (Persona 2)
: Sumaru City movie theater where rumors have made the films occasionally quite strange.

; Screen Shot (Persona 3)
: Movie theater chain throughout Japan.

; Friday in a certain day (Persona 3)
: A film starring Catherine Billey. Its tagline is, "Fans of a Dutch soccer team, Americans heading off to war are facing." Yes, just that.

; The more than dreamin (Persona 3)
: A film about an alien visitor.

; Detonator (Persona 3)
: Starring Sharon Waxman and Craig.S.Smith. Its tagline is, "A troubling trend for a Dutch." It's a film about boxing! (It references Lennox Lewis and Andrew Golata's boxing match.)

; Worst Detective (Persona 3)
: A film noir about a detective who is terrible at his job.

; Loan of the Rings (Persona 4)
: Fantasy epic film.

; Dumminator II (Persona 4)
: Film on… Why?

; Trial of the Dragon (Persona 4)
: Kung fu epic film.

; My Neighbor Dodoro (Persona 5 - Original)
: A classic heartwarming children's movie about two young sisters meeting a big yellow bird and having adventures together. Includes a cat that is also a large vehicle.

; Tanktop Millionaire (Persona 5)
: Movie about a scrappy kid who came from the slums to win big on a quiz show.

; The Cake Knight Rises (Persona 5)
: A cake-themed vigilante avenges a friend who was wronged by a psychopathic baker. It's a ridiculous film, but the protagonist's passion to fight for his friend is touching.

; Like a Dragon (Persona 5)
: Yakuza action film.

; Mes Miserables (Persona 5)
: Apparently just like the real work except with even more theological commentary. (A bishop is the antagonist rather than Javert.)

; Pach-Saw (Persona 5)
: Horror film involving an elephant and torture elements.

; Wild Max (Persona Q2)
: Post-Apocalyptic film series praised for it's fight choreography in vehicles.

; [[SMILE (2012)]] (Velvet Room MUSH - Persona 2/Original)
: A slasher movie released at the end of August 2012, starring Junko Kurosu as the killer. Part crime movie, part suspense horror, part slasher, noted for it's well executed twists in an otherwise kind of schlocky but fun slasher.

== Food and Drink ==

=== Vending Machine Beverages ===
; First Appeared in Persona 3
: Aguafeena - Extensively purified tap water.
: BauerBar - Keeps you going for 24 hours straight.
: Cielo Mist - Beverage imported from Jamaica.
: Cylon Tea - Comes in 12 different varieties.
: Definitely Lemonade - A fresh, lemon-based drink. A bit watery.
: Dr. Salt - Salty soda. Popular, but an acquired taste.
: Fountain Dew - A disturbingly yellow soft drink.
: Happiness Water - Water that tastes like happiness.
: Mad Bull - A mildly bitter beverage with a flavorful kick.
: Moonkist - Soda with the slogan, "Kist my full moon!"
: Nastea - Tea that tastes great, despite its name.
: SoBay - Popular tea often auctioned online.
: Starvicks - Famous coffee, mixed with cough syrup.
: 1UP - Soft drink coveted by old-school gamers.
: 4biotic Pack - A set of 4 probiotic drinks.

; First Appeared in Persona 4
: Dokudami Tea - An herbal tea good for detoxes.
: Dr. Salt NEO - An intensely carbonated beverage.
: Orange Smash - A refreshing citrus beverage.
: Second Maid - A cold beverage that got heated.
: TaP Soda - Old-fashioned fizzy beverage.

; First Appeared in Persona 5
: Arginade - Contains arginine.
: Chunky Potage - You can never drink all the kernels.
: Creature - A drink that blows away sleepiness.
: Durian-au-Lait - Made from the king of fruits.
: Earl Green - A blend of Eastern and Western tea.
: Joylent - Unsettlingly nutritious.
: Manta - Makes you want to dance all night.
: Muscle Tea - Popular tea often sold online.
: Oh! Shiruko - So good it makes you say, "Oh!"
: Udagawa Soda - Triple-filtered carbonated Shibuya water.
: Udagawa Water - Triple-filtered Shibuya river water.
: Ultimate Amazake - Makes you think you're drunk.
: Water of Rebirth - Blended with placenta.

=== Dining Out ===

; Peace Diner (Persona 1/Persona 2)
: Franchise that serves mostly fast food; there's a branch in Yumezaki's Yumezaki Center. Rumormonger Chikarin can be found here almost daily working on the Sevens school newspaper. The part timer at the register loves Japanese period dramas, and so talks like a ninja. Menu: Peace Burger, Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Burger, Peace Double Meat, Big Peace Burger, Fries, Peace Shake, Value Meal.

; Gatten Sushi (Persona 2)
: Popular sushi shop in Rengedai's Lotus Mall, run by the Mishina family. Head chef is Kankichi Mishina. It's the popular hangout of Rumormonger Kenta "Toro" Yokouchi, whose favorite sushi is the olive flounder fish fin, despite his nickname meaning Fatty Tuna. Menu: Tuna, Squid, Sweet Shrimp, Eel, Sea Urchin, Salmon Roe, Fish Fin, Fatty Tuna.

; Double Slash (Persona 2)
: Internet cafe in Aoba's Aoba Way that offers a surprisingly robust menu of drinks, snacks and even meals. The teenager who mans the counter is pretty lazy. Menu: Coffee, Cafe au Lait, Milk Tea, Herbal Tea, Double Sandwich, Pizza Toast, Spaghetti, Curry Rice.

; Jolly Roger (Persona 2)
: Pirate-themed restaurant in Konan's Seaside Mall. The rumormongering proprietor is sad and trades in rumors as a balm for the sea, to which he can no longer return. Menu: Coffee Blend, Tea Blend, Veggie Juice, Special Cocoa, Baked Apple Pie, Chocolate Cookie, Brown Rice Curry, Pirate’s Set.

; Clair De Lune (Persona 2)
: Classy French restaurant in Narumi's Hotel Pleiades, served by Garçon Soejima. May or may not also sell top-notch armor on the sly. Menu: Vichyssoise, Escabèche, Cassoulet, Brochette, Brandade, Bouillabaisse, Ballotine, Navarin.

; Wilduck Burger (Persona 3)
: A fast food burger chain with a location in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. The mainline item is the Mystery Burger for those with the Guts to try it.

; Hagakure Ramen (Persona 3)
: A ramen restaurant in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. Their mainline item, the Pork Ramen, is full of collagen to make the eater's skin silky smooth and Charming.

; Wakatsu Kitchen (Persona 3)
: A sushi restaurant in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. The seafood in their Prodigy Platter is healthy and full of omega-3s--the perfect brain food to help the Academically challenged.

; Yon-Germain Bakery (Persona 5)
: A small bakery located at the Ginza Line Gate at Shibuya Station. Perfect for when you need to grab a snack in between train transfers. Menu: Sandwich, Fruit Danish, Moist Katsu Bun (rainy day special), Melon Pan (summer-only; limited product).

; Bikkuri Boy (Persona 5)
: A spacious family diner located up a stairwell off Central Street in Shibuya. Practically deserted when it rains, so you can concentrate extra-well for study sessions in between meals. Menu: Hot Coffee (coffee with free refills), Surprise Sando (crayfish paste sandwich), Nostalgic Steak (salisbury steak like grandma made), Frui-Tea (tea made with lots of fruit), Totem Pole (tower of ice cream).

; Big Bang Burger (Persona 5)
: A fast food chain with a location on Shibuya Central Street that holds the Big Bang Challenge, wherein people can become a 2nd Mate, 1st Mate, or Captain by completing various stages. Menu: Big Bang Burger, Saturn Fries, Venus Salad (fruit salad), Earth Burger (seasonal spring offering with veggies), Moon Burger (seasonal autumn offering where the egg looks like the moon).

; Ore no Beko (Persona 5)
: Beef bowl restaurant on Shibuya Central Street. The beef part is pre-made so a worker only has to assemble and serve a bowl.

; Wilton Hotel (Persona 5)
: Upscale hotel chain with a location in Shibuya. Known for its high-priced gourmet buffet.

; Melty Donut (Persona 5)
: A donut franchise popular with cops, lawyers, and security guards.

; Katsuo Shokudo (Original)
: A mom-and-pop restaurant in Inaba, well-known to locals for its excellent food. Or it was, as with the declining Inaban economy, it finally had to close its doors in early 2010. The owner and primary cook, Hideji Aoki, moved away to the big city with his daughter Hibari.

=== Bars and Pubs ===

; Izakaya Shiraishi (Persona 2)
: An Izakaya bar in Hirasaka's Kameya Alley that absolutely doesn't serve ramen--except for banana ramen. Rumor has it the proprietress, Ma'am, is a former spy that can give tips on finding anyone. Hangout of Rumormonger Toku-san. Menu: Edamame, Yakitori, Sesame Chicken, Oden, Red Bean Gyoza, Banana Ramen, Beer, Sake.

; Parabellum (Persona 2)
: A noir-ish bar in Aoba's Aoba Way with an elderly gentleman barkeeper who makes firearms-themed cocktails. Rumor has it they also secretly sell weapons. Menu: Revolver, Double Action, Magnum, Bullet Core, Browning Power, Angel Trigger, Tilt Barrel, Derringer.

; Ebony (Persona 2)
: Classy bar in Narumi's Hotel Pleiades, run by a rumor-lovin' bartender who's as quick with a rumor or a story as she is with a cocktail. Menu: On the Rocks, Between the Sheets, Gimlet, Blue Lagoon, Green Eyes, Mockingbird, Angel's Kiss, Spritzer.

; Crossroads Bar (Persona 5)
: An adult entertainment bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The bartender and owner is Lala Escargot; the shop logo includes a snail. On top of wines, beers, and cocktails, there are a few snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available.

; Izakaya Nichinan (Original)
: An izakaya in Konan Ward. Known more for its beer selection than its food, it gets most of its business from younger office workers who live in the ward.

== Pharmacies and Convenience Stores ==

; Yin and Yang (Persona 1)
: Convenience store chain. They'll sell you medicine, and if you get friendly with the owner, they might let you see their collection of airsoft guns too. Yin and Yang stores operate in supernatural spaces, too -- and under those conditions, they'll sell you ''real'' weapons.

; Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy (Persona 1)
: Vibes less like they're gonna conquer the world, unlike the Sumaru City branch. Has an infectious theme song explaining what each item they sell does.

; Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy (Persona 2)
: Drugstore chain throughout Sumaru City. All the shopkeepers look the same, and are open about being sisters. Don't worry about the music overhead or why it has a different style in each store, just don't.

; Mayo Mart (Persona 4)
: A 24-hour konbini (Japanese convenience store) in Inaba.

; 777 (Persona 5)
: Convenience store chain with special sales on all days ending in 7. Pronounced 'Triple Seven.'

== Other Notable Shops ==

; GOLD Gym (Persona 2)
: Major gym workout chain with locations throughout the world.

; Kaori (Persona 2)
: Perfume and aromatherapy shop in Rengedai; scents that cleanse the soul, perhaps more literally than you'd think...

; Padparadscha (Persona 2)
: Jewelry store in Hotel Pleiades in Narumi.

; Rafflesia (Persona 3)
: Floral shop franchise throughout Japan; has various smaller branches everywhere. Sometimes includes services where they'll grow and nurture your plants for you.

; Junes Department Store (Persona 4)
: Department megastore chain. The jingle goes: 'Every day's great at your Junes!' A new store is presently being built in Inaba -- look forward to the grand opening!

; Moel Gas Station (Persona 4)
: A gas station chain where one can go to fuel up one’s vehicle. May or may not have a grey-haired gas station attendant, or job openings.

; Untouchable Airsoft Shop (Persona 5)
: A military-esque airsoft shop in a back alley off Shibuya Central Street. Although all their goods are models, the proprietor, Iwai, has a scary look.

; Electronics Superstore Akindo (Persona 5)
: A huge electronics store in Akihabara.

; De La Mancha (Inspired by Soul Hackers 2)
: Or just Mancha. A chain discount store that sells just about everything, from groceries to electronics to clothing. Notorious for overloaded shelves so they can offer more products. Very lucky shoppers may occasionally find a cognitively useful item buried in there, whether a consumable, equipment, or even a card!

== Services and Appointments ==

; Hiiragi Psychotherapy (Persona 2)
: Run by Dr. Reiko, located in Seaside Mall.

; Sumaru Genie (Persona 2)
: Fortune-teller based in Seaside Mall who goes by the same name as the store. Her fortunes stopped coming true after Wang Long fortune-telling rose into prominence.

; Time Castle (Persona 2)
: Clock shop run by the eclectic Time Count, a man who acts the part of a Victorian gentleman who gets a little intense sometimes. Offers Skill Card services.

; Tominaga Chiropractic (Persona 2)
: Run by Mr. Tomi, a bombastic chiropractor trained in the US who has a US-themed 'flair' to his personality. He utilizes his ultimate technique, the Gold Finger, to adjust any spine, satisfaction guaranteed.

== Housing ==

; Lunar Palace (Persona 2)
: Apartment complex chain; there's one such apartment building in Konan. Maya Amano, Ulala Serizawa, and Shiori Miyashiro live there.

== Famous People ==

; Eriko "Elly" Kirishima (Persona 1)
: Popular rising model. Her hobby is the occult and she gives no comment on any potential boyfriend situation.

; Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi (Persona 1)
: Talk show host. He's known for his boisterous laughter and nonstop jokes.

; Junko Kurosu (Persona 2)
: Veteran actress who's been in the profession for decades. She doesn't get quite as many roles now that she's in her 40s with a son who's nearly an adult, but she's still going strong.

; President Tanaka (Persona 3)
: CEO of and host to a TV home shopping show every Sunday morning, both of which are called Tanaka's Amazing Commodities.

; Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)
: The first Detective Prince, who comes from a famous detective family and has been solving crimes across the country for years from a very young age.

; Rise Kujikawa (Persona 4)
: A popular middle school-aged rookie idol who's appeared in a few commercials so far.

; Goro Akechi (Persona 5)
: The second Detective Prince, sometimes called the Second Coming of the Detective Prince. A rookie compared to Naoto Shirogane, but nonetheless a high schooler who solves crimes for the police and gets consulted all the time.

; Ann Takamaki (Persona 5)
: An exotically beautiful model of mixed Japanese, American, and Finnish descent.

; Mika (Persona 5)
: A budding model, just starting out in the industry.

; Suguru Kamoshida (Persona 5)
: A professional athlete who won the gold medal for volleyball in the 2008 Summer Olympics and was teaching gym at Shujin Academy until recently. He turned himself in for abusing his students after he received a strange calling card from someone(s) calling themselves the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

; Ichiryusai Madarame (Persona 5)
: A famous artist celebrated for his incredibly broad range of styles. He recently confessed that his "range" was actually plagiarized from his various students, again after receiving a strange calling card from the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

; Subaru Amamiya (Persona 5 - Original)
: The soft-spoken and stern Mayor of Inaba, elected for four terms and presently trying for a fifth. He doesn't speak of [[Ren Amamiya|his son]] often. It's rumoured that he has greater politicial ambitions than being the Mayor of a small town. His wife Akira often acts as his unofficial assistant.

;Gozaburou "Zabu" Gessou (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:Talk show host and media personality. "Good Evening, Sumaru" is his show focusing on the weird rumors and happenings of Sumaru. He is also the son of a once influential political family whose patriarch died under mysterious circumstances.

[[Category: Setting]]

2026-03-13: I Emailed a Professor and Screwed Up!? The Time I Wrote Some Ill-Advised Emails

2026-03-14T04:41:26Z

Mesarthim: local child emails noted professor

* '''Log: I Emailed a Professor and Screwed Up!? The Time I Wrote Some Ill-Advised Emails'''
* '''Cast:''' [[Laurent Fontaine]], [[Futaba Sakura]]
* '''Where:''' The Internet - Tokyo Zone
* '''OOC Date:''' March 12, 2026
* '''IC Date:''' October 9, 2012... approximately
* '''Summary''': ''Futaba sees a professor on TV and asks questions during a good moment. It does not appear to help. Unless...?''

----<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

One day, an email comes.

TO: Professor Laurent FROM: meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp RE: archeology

> hi

Not the most auspicious part of the email, but it's also not the entire thing.

> i saw the show about your dig in ichigoro castle and it was really impressive stuff because you really brought it to life and I wanted to say I liked it! > the history of afterlife and occult beliefs is really interesting but it can be kind of hard to study because unless its like tombs or funerary bronzes or whatever people don't really put it outthere > more and more goes online but it's hard to get all the way through you know? > do you edit wakapedia articles on your subjects? > you also really got the story across and i thought of wakapedia because a lot of novels and anime on wakapedia are like > summarized > and its usually really basic stuff but it's also sort of like you can see the entire sweep insomething you DID know and i thought it was a lot like that > like you could really see what was going on and the heroism was just completely obliterated > that really spoke to me > what other countries have you done digs at? were they all this cool? > how do you not get sunburned?

There is no signature.

Futaba actually wrote that email at like 5:10 AM before going to bed for the 'night,' and she was probably READY to go to bed at 3 AM but had some very urgent anime to watch. That show with the sad magical girls with the big woobie hamster cheeks. It's only twelve episodes.

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent, mysteriously, is quick to respond to emails. (He wants to keep students' ratings of him hi.)

TO: meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp FROM: fontaine.laurent@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp

> Bonjour!

It's written out in Western text. The rest is in kanji (and hiragana and katakana as necessary).

> Thank you very much. I've also found it very rewarding to study, but you're right that people often do not put it out there. I've found a reluctance to speak of (and write about) death. I do try to put my research out there, but most of it is in books and academic journals. However, I do have a blog here: it-belongs-in-le-museum.u-tokyo.ac.jp > I haven't edited wakapedia but I do think it's a valuable resource. Wakapedia has rules against adding original research though which is most of what I do. > I'm glad I could communicate it effectively! > I've done studies across the globe. France, Germany, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, China, and Indonesia are some of the ones that stand out. > I get sunburned frequently but I think all of them are very cool and rewarding. Tres magnifique, you might say! They're cool in different ways. > Which country is your favorite?

> Dr. Laurent Fontaine >Associate Professor of History > University of Tokyo

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

The emails from 'Meretseger' have an enthusiastic prolixity and a bunch of slightly-wrong but readable kanji picks. Often obscure ones. Still.

The reply comes 30 hours later. Around 11 AM the day after! What a reasonable hour to be writing.

TO: fontaine.laurent@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp FROM: meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp

> Bonjour professeur! (She used English letters for that.)

> people really don't like to deal with death I guess because it's one of those things its easy to kind of ignore or just think of it like you're removing someone like in a video game but the thing is that video games are not real? so even a shooting game, you know, its just characters > I heard they have target shooting things with people's faces on them in America 'o' > thank you for your blog by the way I was catching up on it!! > I hope everyone remembered to bring their files lol > so you've been basically everywhere except i guess antarctica or australia? I mean that basically covers it given the earth's balance of continental landmass > you can get really good sunscreen here though i've heard > so you should stock up!! are you staying at todai? did you get tenure there? > my favorite is absolutely egypt wwwwwwww (That's LOL, right there. But Laurent may have to ask someone.)

> where'd you dig in egypt??

The message remains unsigned.

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent is a little surprised when his phone chimes, later. He looks at it -- and it's about 45 minutes later that he responds. Then, he sits down on the subway.

TO: meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp FROM: fontaine.laurent@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp

> You're correct. There is a heavy psychological weight to death and loss. I think someone has to experience that to truly understand it... and many people hope to avoid thinking of such terrible things. I hope you've not had to face such hardships, though, meretseger. The world should be kinder. > I'm glad that you've enjoyed the blog. And yes, I have been most places. Australia... well, I've gone for conferences, but never done field work there. > I don't have tenure yet. But I hope to get it.

Laurent does lean over to ask a young man what it means. Mishima looks at him, stares for a moment, and then explains: "Uh, laughing."

"I see, I see..."

Then, Laurent finishes his message.

> I shall have to buy that sunscreen, then! I dug in the Valley of Kings, a few spots deeper in the Sahara, and catacombs in Alexandria and Cairo. I did once find a mummy's tomb. I also found an early version of the Book of the Dead, which was truly fascinating.

His usual signature is attached.

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

This one comes around dinnertime.

TO: fontaine.laurent@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp FROM: meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp

> yeah it makes sense because what I read is like there's petroglyphs but the aborigines didn't have like metal or stuff so a lot of what you'd fine is either really delicate or is like living memory. it's so sad to think about how many people there were who just died and we have no idea about them at all because that was like > the jomon people > i hope you get tenure though! you're really good at communicating unless there were like thirty retakes of that tv thing and they just picked the good one wwwwww i would def be like that > also oh man the rest of what you're saying that sounds amazingggggg i guess it was probably not like > blogged > but blogs are still pretty new so idk I can't blame you > so the valley of the kings is pretty obvious or should I say *THE GREAT AND MAJESTIC NECROPOLIS OF THE MILLIONS OF YEARS OF THE PHARAOH LIFE STRENGTH HEALTH IN THE WEST OF THEBES* ! ! ! > if anything i kind of wonder what your angle was because that seems like it was really well documented already? did you ever dig up deir el-medina, the place where the workers lived? i hear thats like one of our best looks at how people actually lived in egypt because they were so involved they DID leave a record > but they were also doing something really important? > what was different about the book of the dead version you found? just like different details or were there SECRET NEW PAGES > I really wanted to go out there sometime... it was actually how i learned about how to take care of your skin lol since I got told it is so harsh on you and that's even if you're like already really tan and I am definitely NOT > anyway > sorry to make you do all of this, are you even back at the school lol > it's just really neat and i never got to talk to an ACTUAL EGYPTOLOGIST BEFORE > did you have to bribe people for everything or is that like a myth

After dark, Futaba goes downstairs. Not just to raid the fridge. She's alone at home, so she just ends out looking at the back window for a moment, towards a fence, but the light is kind of nice. After about a quarter-hour, she goes back upstairs with a bowl of reheated curry and rice.

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent doesn't answer until a couple of hours /after/ dinner. Dinnertime is time to spend with his daughter, Isabeau, and that cannot be interrupted by work.

TO: meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp FROM: fontaine.laurent@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp

> It is a tragedy. There are ways to document living memory and stories but it is more difficult. The story changes with each telling and that makes their memory change too. > Thank you! It did not take thirty takes. Fortunately! I doubt they have the budget for it, either, ha ha! > It wasn't blogged unfortunately. And you're correct! The Valley of Kings involved revisiting several rooms to reinterpret the hieroglyphics. What I hoped to do was understand how the Book of the Dead and Egyptian funerary practices evolved. I also wanted to see how the common people held those beliefs -- the workers and the like. > The early version had similar ideas but you could see the way their beliefs evolved. There were not new pages, no, but this version viewed the barrier between life and death as more permeable. They believed in spirits of the departed being able to return more easily and that the living could more easily enter the land of the dead. > It is well worth a visit! I hope that you one day get a chance. There is nothing like travel. > I'm happy to share knowledge. I've returned to my home but it's a pleasure to talk. > And yes, I have had to bribe officials. It's often more annoying than glamorous, ha!

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

The next one comes at 2:03 AM.

That's a little worrisome coming from someone who is showing every sign of being, at best, a college student.

> yeah i guess now with recording and everything we can catch everything but is this the best time to catch it? > oh... that is actually super interesting though about the funerals. > we know how the kings and queens were buried but what about the other people? so much of what we know is from them too, but like if someone only knew about Japan because you found like... the country after literally everything burned down in a massive fire and nobody came back for a thousand years > you'd probably find the rotting remains of the buildings and like > stone buildings > probably some parts of the big cities > probably the nuclear plants and stuff. those big bronze buddhas. actually bronze would probably survive a lot. > i say probably a lot lol > do you think they were right about the barrier being permeable?

The follow up comes at 2:51 AM.

> hahaha I hit enter too soon > i kind of got into egypt stuff because my mother loved it. we were talking about going on a trip actually out there > so how did common people get buried? was there any hope for > ordinary people?

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent burns the midnight oil, but rarely that late. It isn't until the next morning -- 8:18 AM, after he arrived in his office and got settled -- that his response comes.

And after his brow furrows at the second message. These are more worrying.

> No... unfortunately, with recording, we're getting something imperfect at best. It is one of the great regrets of history. We only have a fragment of the story, and so much is lost. And so many people, too. > I hope that they are right. I think everyone would hope to see those they lost. But... I can't say for certain that it is the case. > You were? I hope that you can both go.

But, she wrote of her mother in the past tense. He knows what that may mean. Laurent hesitates, before he writes the last part.

> I wish the world were kinder. They viewed the afterlife, and the place one had in it, as a reflection of their status in life. I don't believe in that, myself. But the common people weren't afforded the same recognition when they passed on.

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

The response doesn't come that day.

Or that night.

Or the NEXT day! Until 3:19 AM.

> oh sorry I forgot to reply. > sometimes I think about how I have a good memory but that it kind of doesn't matter because at a certain point everything is perishable. even with our electronic media, CDs and LDs can go bad, magnetic tape can get erased if there's an EMP or something... > And of course whatever's in your brain is just gone > through your nose wwwwwwwww > anyway i dunno if I'd be taking any trips > just cause i'm curious > what kind of bribe budget do you need?

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

The response takes time, and that worries Laurent. It worries him the day that there is no response. When one comes, his email comes early: 6:43 a.m., a whole 13 minutes after his alarm.

And in a sense, he becomes the Hunter, then, rather than the professor. That protective instinct -- of someone that he suspects is a child -- kicks in.

> There is no need to apologize. > Preserving that information is important. It is a challenge... but we need to remember. It is the duty of the living. For those who came before us, to keep them alive.

He hesitates, then. Does he answer the bribe question? No -- no, he knows what he must do. He has to cut to the quick.

> Are you okay?

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

The response comes at 6:51 am.

> yeah I completely agree and I just wonder about it... you know about the golden record right? > that's like the ultimate memorial

Then Futaba at her desk reads the next words.

There is a hint of thin dawn light around the edges of her blackout curtain, the faintest and marginally visible space because she's never taken the trouble to go all of the way, to just put up flat opaque panels over her window, to really and permanently shut herself in.

She was stupid to do this. So stupid.

But if I stop now, reasons Futaba, breathing once every 1.5 seconds, he's going to panic. He's smart, he's a professor, and this is freemail, even with the proxy someone could trace. He's *at* a university, and he's from abroad, he might think this is some kind of terrorist thing and I was - no, they can't do that, they - could they? Could -

Futaba smells a familiar scent, now laden over myrrh and fine resins - at least, as Futaba imagines them, largely sandalwood.

She types more:

> no i'm fine i just stay up late > like since i keep odd hours and everything > you must be at the office already and stuff I bet you have classes wwwwwww

Futaba clicks send.

She immediately regrets it. Her legs come up; she hugs her knees.

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent is more than a professor, but Futaba doesn't know that.

By 7:04 a.m., when he replies, he has done a few things. The first is an email to work, apologizing that he will arrive late. The second is to start saving the messages to an external hard drive -- he has contacts who could trace them, if need be. The way she spoke to him... he fears the worst, and he approaches that with the same drive that he pursues a Quarry. > I see, I see! Well, a good night's sleep is important -- but it is always night somewhere on this earth. > I'll be going in later. > If you need help, you only have to ask.

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

The reply is at 7:07 AM.

> right? > i have to remember that one > yeah though I just don't think I'm going to Egypt. > Thank you for answering all of my questions! It's really cool that you're being able to do all of this and teach classes about it > (i know the classes are probably the hard one I saw that movie with the cup and stuff) > (they put like every movie ever on with subtitles)

Futaba's breathing slows down.

But not entirely.

She opens up a terminal window and starts tapping out some shell commands. Nothing is executed.

If he doesn't answer by 7:30 I'll just never write back, Futaba thinks.

Even though I want to.

She hugs her knees again.

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent reads the reply as soon as it comes in. He starts typing a moment later.

> I'm happy to answer questions! I'm lucky to do something I love. > You should go to Egypt. Holding onto those we lost is |

His phone rings. "Merde," he mutters, before he answers. "Hello? Yes--I'm sorry, something--the meeting with the donors is moved up?"

He hits save on the draft.

It is after that meeting, and a breakfast with donors to the department's funding, that Laurent responds from his office computer. It comes at 10:46 a.m.

> You should go to Egypt. Holding onto those we lost is best done with our actions, as well as our hearts.

<Pose Tracker> Futaba Sakura has posed.

When Laurent sends the message, it takes only a few seconds for the result to emerge.

Of course...

It isn't a message that was written by any anonymous person, hiding behind the name of a funeral goddess of ancient Egypt, the sort of information you'd have to be *immensely* well acquainted to know...

... or to know to go on a Wakapedia page for 'List of Egyptian gods and goddesses.'

> Address not found > Your message wasn't delivered to meretseger4649@freemail.co.jp because the address does not exist. > Please check your spelling of the email address. > _Click here to learn more_

At that time, Futaba is asleep, though she's only been asleep for half an hour.

It was only an automatic system. Of course, sometimes machines speak more than they were made to.

<Pose Tracker> Laurent Fontaine has posed.

Laurent stares at the automated message. Dread fills him, then. He saves the message, promptly. He glances out the door of his office; no one is coming by. He stands up and closes the door. When he sits back down at his desk, he is calm.

His eyes are hard, though. He channels his fear in a familiar way.

The hunt is on.

[OOC] Futaba Sakura says, "localization note: 4649 is used for pager code of yore, and further referents down the noisome streams of history, for 'yo ro shi ku' -> 'nice to meet you' This has been... Futaba Power Hour. Peace."

Blade World

2026-03-01T06:11:03Z

Mesarthim:

Welcome to BLADE WORLD! A game of exciting adventure that you can have with your friends, using nothing but your mutual cognitions - a multi-user shared hallucination that will while away the lazy hours while building all sorts of skills in the magical realm of Folderia. (What skills? Very important ones... Probably Understanding and Charm.)

While you are welcome to use Blade World as a stand in for tHe WoRlD's MoSt PoPuLaR rOlE-pLaYiNg GaMe, there are or will be Monads which are meant to portray a Blade World adventure. Before you start one of these, check out the material below.

You will have a secondary character, with FOUR PARTS! Don't worry - this won't take long. You can even make a scene out of creating these characters, if you want.

# Your Character's '''RACE'''. Currently, there are SIX races available. If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Human - You have probably met some of these in real life!
## Dwarf - Short, stout and tough, often grumpy and famed for their beards!
## Elf - Tall, graceful, and nigh-immortal, wise but emotionally reserved!
## Half-elf - The child of a Human and an Elf, you are tragically torn between two worlds while having all the benefits of both Human and Elf!
## Grass-Runner - Short, wily, and talented at infiltration, burglary and cooking. And good at running! This is absolutely not a hobbit, stop calling us Peter
## Kobold - Furry humanoids with dog heads and excellent smelling. Often looked down-upon by others.
# Your Character's '''CLASS'''. Currently, there are SIX classes available! Take note of their equipment, but it's just for flavor! If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Fighter - A bold and powerful person at arms. Whether leader, follower or member of the team, the Fighter is a good person to put in front. Uses a MIGHTY WEAPON and a set of STRONG ARMOR.
## Bard - A charming and amusing figure, bards combine style and panache with a rather flexible set of simple magics. Notorious for interpersonal drama and aesthetic performance. Uses a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT and a SHARP WEAPON.
## Ranger - A roamer of the wilderness, rangers are often gruff but know the ways of nature and living things quite profoundly. Likely to hold dramatic secrets. Uses an ANIMAL COMPANION and a RANGED WEAPON.
## Thief - Someone who specializes in acquisition of valuable goods through the secret ingredient of CRIME! Tends to overcome their worst impulses... but will it be too late? Uses a THIEF'S TOOL and a SNEAKY WEAPON.
## Sage - Someone whose scholarly studies have unlocked the secrets of the universe... and those of magic! But can you survive to do what must be done? Uses a MAGICAL FOCUS and a STAFF OF POWER.
## Priest - Someone dedicated to the service of others, including the highest powers of all... the gods! Often pure and sweet, may sometimes be shabby concealing a heart of shining gold. Uses a HOLY SYMBOL and a BLUNT WEAPON.
# Your Character's '''NAME'''. You will have to provide this yourself. I believe in you. (If you're stuck: Try spelling your character's name backwards by syllables! Example -> Hitomi -> Hi to mi -> Mitohi – it's fun and easy!)
# Your Character's '''PERSONALITY'''! Optional; can simply be 'doing what you would do.' If you want a cue, roll a D10 and consult this list:
## Calculating
## Gregarious
## Hotblooded
## Studious
## Taciturn
## Pious
## Heartfelt
## Ambitious
## Proud
## Can't be bothered

The Blade World Monads are written as if there is a single "narrator" GM, who is speaking the actions as well as setting the scene. Blade World Monads will lend themselves to having a unified voice for the GM, or having an NPC who is the purported GM who everyone's responding to. You can also use the more familiar round-robin method, if you prefer; Blade World supports this distributed play style! (In the real world TTRPG scene, shared GMing/GMless games are often kind of indie but are well known.)

You are also welcome to assume that Hitomi Mandai herself is GMing for you – even if I the player am not available! If you use the Hitomi Mandai option –

* Remember, she's a facilitating NPC! The cards are written to be in a "Hitomi voice" to some extent, but you're the stars! She won't play favorites. (Feel free to adapt the dialogue if another player is taking the role of the GM. You can assume having a photocopy of her module notes.)
* Hitomi can GM at the following locations (will be updated as necessary) - SEES-affiliated areas; the Cardboard Dragon
* If you use Hitomi as your GM: '''please @mail Hitomi who played in the session''', because she will have technically now met all of you! A link to the log would be awesome, as would any truly fantastic highlights.

'''OPTIONAL''' - You may want to make note of your character and track their progress and story... or just have "Bob the Elf" who your character whips out if Blade World's on the menu. Various items and power-ups can be part of the character's story, as can exciting mishaps and other, non-itemized rewards!

'''ALSO OPTIONAL''' - if you are interested in creating a Blade World Monad, feel free! I would appreciate if you hit me (Hitomi) up, of course.

'''FUN TRIVIA''' - Blade World is a bonafide, Monafied, Personafied version of Sword World, an RPG that emerged in Japan because AD&D's corporate owners did not successfully license the game line. You can read more about Sword World here, including a link to the fruits of an English translation project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_World_RPG

TTRPGs, often defined as "Table Talk RPGs" due to computer RPGs somewhat predating them, are fairly widespread in Japan, although a particular very prominent American game is not well known, nor are other innovative American TTRPGs such as the ''World of Darkness'', ''Exalted'', ''Rifts,'' and ''GURPS'' lines of RPGs. ''Call of Cthulhu'' is commonly known in the Japanese scene-- the on-grid equivalent is ''Klarkash-Ton'', which has a substantially different emphasis and will not necessarily provide you with a "cheat sheet" to Persona 2. However, this can explain tertiary references from enthusiast media if the need should arise.

Blade World (and most Japanese RPGs) use two six-sided dice for most rolls, rather than the more familiar D10s and D20s. <ref>this is true actually</ref>

Blade World

2025-11-25T02:02:51Z

Mesarthim:

Welcome to BLADE WORLD! A game of exciting adventure that you can have with your friends, using nothing but your mutual cognitions - a multi-user shared hallucination that will while away the lazy hours while building all sorts of skills in the magical realm of Folderia. (What skills? Very important ones... Probably Understanding and Charm.)

While you are welcome to use Blade World as a stand in for tHe WoRlD's MoSt PoPuLaR rOlE-pLaYiNg GaMe, there are or will be Monads which are meant to portray a Blade World adventure. Before you start one of these, check out the material below.

You will have a secondary character, with FOUR PARTS! Don't worry - this won't take long. You can even make a scene out of creating these characters, if you want.

# Your Character's '''RACE'''. Currently, there are SIX races available. If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Human - You have probably met some of these in real life!
## Dwarf - Short, stout and tough, often grumpy and famed for their beards!
## Elf - Tall, graceful, and nigh-immortal, wise but emotionally reserved!
## Half-elf - The child of a Human and an Elf, you are tragically torn between two worlds while having all the benefits of both Human and Elf!
## Grass-Runner - Short, wily, and talented at infiltration, burglary and cooking. And good at running! Original species - do not steal!
## Kobold - Furry humanoids with dog heads and excellent smelling. Often looked down-upon by others.
# Your Character's '''CLASS'''. Currently, there are SIX classes available! Take note of their equipment, but it's just for flavor! If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Fighter - A bold and powerful person at arms. Whether leader, follower or member of the team, the Fighter is a good person to put in front. Uses a MIGHTY WEAPON and a set of STRONG ARMOR.
## Bard - A charming and amusing figure, bards combine style and panache with a rather flexible set of simple magics. Notorious for interpersonal drama and aesthetic performance. Uses a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT and a SHARP WEAPON.
## Ranger - A roamer of the wilderness, rangers are often gruff but know the ways of nature and living things quite profoundly. Likely to hold dramatic secrets. Uses an ANIMAL COMPANION and a RANGED WEAPON.
## Thief - Someone who specializes in acquisition of valuable goods through the secret ingredient of CRIME! Tends to overcome their worst impulses... but will it be too late? Uses a THIEF'S TOOL and a SNEAKY WEAPON.
## Sage - Someone whose scholarly studies have unlocked the secrets of the universe... and those of magic! But can you survive to do what must be done? Uses a MAGICAL FOCUS and a STAFF OF POWER.
## Priest - Someone dedicated to the service of others, including the highest powers of all... the gods! Often pure and sweet, may sometimes be shabby concealing a heart of shining gold. Uses a HOLY SYMBOL and a BLUNT WEAPON.
# Your Character's '''NAME'''. You will have to provide this yourself. I believe in you. (If you're stuck: Try spelling your character's name backwards by syllables! Example -> Hitomi -> Hi to mi -> Mitohi – it's fun and easy!)
# Your Character's '''PERSONALITY'''! Optional; can simply be 'doing what you would do.' If you want a cue, roll a D10 and consult this list:
## Calculating
## Gregarious
## Hotblooded
## Studious
## Taciturn
## Pious
## Heartfelt
## Ambitious
## Proud
## Can't be bothered

The Blade World Monads are written as if there is a single "narrator" GM, who is speaking the actions as well as setting the scene. Blade World Monads will lend themselves to having a unified voice for the GM, or having an NPC who is the purported GM who everyone's responding to. You can also use the more familiar round-robin method, if you prefer; Blade World supports this distributed play style! (In the real world TTRPG scene, shared GMing/GMless games are often kind of indie but are well known.)

You are also welcome to assume that Hitomi Mandai herself is GMing for you – even if I the player am not available! If you use the Hitomi Mandai option –

* Remember, she's a facilitating NPC! The cards are written to be in a "Hitomi voice" to some extent, but you're the stars! She won't play favorites. (Feel free to adapt the dialogue if another player is taking the role of the GM. You can assume having a photocopy of her module notes.)
* Hitomi can GM at the following locations (will be updated as necessary) - SEES-affiliated areas; the Cardboard Dragon
* If you use Hitomi as your GM: '''please @mail Hitomi who played in the session''', because she will have technically now met all of you! A link to the log would be awesome, as would any truly fantastic highlights.

'''OPTIONAL''' - You may want to make note of your character and track their progress and story... or just have "Bob the Elf" who your character whips out if Blade World's on the menu. Various items and power-ups can be part of the character's story, as can exciting mishaps and other, non-itemized rewards!

'''ALSO OPTIONAL''' - if you are interested in creating a Blade World Monad, feel free! I would appreciate if you hit me (Hitomi) up, of course.

'''FUN TRIVIA''' - Blade World is a bonafide, Monafied, Personafied version of Sword World, an RPG that emerged in Japan because AD&D's corporate owners did not successfully license the game line. You can read more about Sword World here, including a link to the fruits of an English translation project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_World_RPG

TTRPGs, often defined as "Table Talk RPGs" due to computer RPGs somewhat predating them, are fairly widespread in Japan, although a particular very prominent American game is not well known, nor are other innovative American TTRPGs such as the ''World of Darkness'', ''Exalted'', ''Rifts,'' and ''GURPS'' lines of RPGs. ''Call of Cthulhu'' is commonly known in the Japanese scene-- the on-grid equivalent is ''Klarkash-Ton'', which has a substantially different emphasis and will not necessarily provide you with a "cheat sheet" to Persona 2. However, this can explain tertiary references from enthusiast media if the need should arise.

Blade World (and most Japanese RPGs) use two six-sided dice for most rolls, rather than the more familiar D10s and D20s. <ref>this is true actually</ref>

Blade World

2025-11-09T02:03:26Z

Mesarthim:

Welcome to BLADE WORLD! A game of exciting adventure that you can have with your friends, using nothing but your mutual cognitions - a multi-user shared hallucination that will while away the lazy hours while building all sorts of skills in the magical realm of Folderia. (What skills? Very important ones... Probably Understanding and Charm.)

While you are welcome to use Blade World as a stand in for tHe WoRlD's MoSt PoPuLaR rOlE-pLaYiNg GaMe, there are or will be Monads which are meant to portray a Blade World adventure/ Before you start one of these, check out the material below.

You will have a secondary character, with FOUR PARTS! Don't worry - this won't take long. You can even make a scene out of creating these characters, if you want.

# Your Character's '''RACE'''. Currently, there are SIX races available. If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Human - You have probably met some of these in real life!
## Dwarf - Short, stout and tough, often grumpy and famed for their beards!
## Elf - Tall, graceful, and nigh-immortal, wise but emotionally reserved!
## Half-elf - The child of a Human and an Elf, you are tragically torn between two worlds while having all the benefits of both Human and Elf!
## Grass-Runner - Short, wily, and talented at infiltration, burglary and cooking. And good at running! Original species - do not steal!
## Kobold - Furry humanoids with dog heads and excellent smelling. Often looked down-upon by others.
# Your Character's '''CLASS'''. Currently, there are SIX classes available! Take note of their equipment, but it's just for flavor! If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Fighter - A bold and powerful person at arms. Whether leader, follower or member of the team, the Fighter is a good person to put in front. Uses a MIGHTY WEAPON and a set of STRONG ARMOR.
## Bard - A charming and amusing figure, bards combine style and panache with a rather flexible set of simple magics. Notorious for interpersonal drama and aesthetic performance. Uses a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT and a SHARP WEAPON.
## Ranger - A roamer of the wilderness, rangers are often gruff but know the ways of nature and living things quite profoundly. Likely to hold dramatic secrets. Uses an ANIMAL COMPANION and a RANGED WEAPON.
## Thief - Someone who specializes in acquisition of valuable goods through the secret ingredient of CRIME! Tends to overcome their worst impulses... but will it be too late? Uses a THIEF'S TOOL and a SNEAKY WEAPON.
## Sage - Someone whose scholarly studies have unlocked the secrets of the universe... and those of magic! But can you survive to do what must be done? Uses a MAGICAL FOCUS and a STAFF OF POWER.
## Priest - Someone dedicated to the service of others, including the highest powers of all... the gods! Often pure and sweet, may sometimes be shabby concealing a heart of shining gold. Uses a HOLY SYMBOL and a BLUNT WEAPON.
# Your Character's '''NAME'''. You will have to provide this yourself. I believe in you. (If you're stuck: Try spelling your character's name backwards by syllables! Example -> Hitomi -> Hi to mi -> Mitohi – it's fun and easy!)
# Your Character's '''PERSONALITY'''! Optional; can simply be 'doing what you would do.' If you want a cue, roll a D10 and consult this list:
## Calculating
## Gregarious
## Hotblooded
## Studious
## Taciturn
## Pious
## Heartfelt
## Ambitious
## Proud
## Can't be bothered

The Blade World Monads are written as if there is a single "narrator" GM, who is speaking the actions as well as setting the scene. Blade World Monads will lend themselves to having a unified voice for the GM, or having an NPC who is the purported GM who everyone's responding to. You can also use the more familiar round-robin method, if you prefer; Blade World supports this distributed play style! (In the real world TTRPG scene, shared GMing/GMless games are often kind of indie but are well known.)

You are also welcome to assume that Hitomi Mandai herself is GMing for you – even if I the player am not available! If you use the Hitomi Mandai option –

* Remember, she's a facilitating NPC! The cards are written to be in a "Hitomi voice" to some extent, but you're the stars! She won't play favorites. (Feel free to adapt the dialogue if another player is taking the role of the GM. You can assume having a photocopy of her module notes.)
* Hitomi can GM at the following locations (will be updated as necessary) - SEES-affiliated areas; the Cardboard Dragon
* If you use Hitomi as your GM: '''please @mail Hitomi who played in the session''', because she will have technically now met all of you! A link to the log would be awesome, as would any truly fantastic highlights.

'''OPTIONAL''' - You may want to make note of your character and track their progress and story... or just have "Bob the Elf" who your character whips out if Blade World's on the menu. Various items and power-ups can be part of the character's story, as can exciting mishaps and other, non-itemized rewards!

'''ALSO OPTIONAL''' - if you are interested in creating a Blade World Monad, feel free! I would appreciate if you hit me (Hitomi) up, of course.

'''FUN TRIVIA''' - Blade World is a bonafide, Monafied, Personafied version of Sword World, an RPG that emerged in Japan because AD&D's corporate owners did not successfully license the game line. You can read more about Sword World here, including a link to the fruits of an English translation project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_World_RPG

TTRPGs, often defined as "Table Talk RPGs" due to computer RPGs somewhat predating them, are fairly widespread in Japan, although a particular very prominent American game is not well known, nor are other innovative American TTRPGs such as the ''World of Darkness'', ''Exalted'', ''Rifts,'' and ''GURPS'' lines of RPGs. ''Call of Cthulhu'' is commonly known in the Japanese scene-- the on-grid equivalent is ''Klarkash-Ton'', which has a substantially different emphasis and will not necessarily provide you with a "cheat sheet" to Persona 2. However, this can explain tertiary references from enthusiast media if the need should arise.

Blade World (and most Japanese RPGs) use two six-sided dice for most rolls, rather than the more familiar D10s and D20s. <ref>this is true actually</ref>

Blade World

2025-11-09T01:46:29Z

Mesarthim:

Welcome to BLADE WORLD! A game of exciting adventure that you can have with your friends, using nothing but your mutual cognitions - a multi-user shared hallucination that will while away the lazy hours while building all sorts of skills in the magical realm of Folderia. (What skills? Very important ones... Probably Understanding and Charm.)

While you are welcome to use Blade World as a stand in for tHe WoRlD's MoSt PoPuLaR rOlE-pLaYiNg GaMe, there are or will be Monads which are meant to portray a Blade World adventure/ Before you start one of these, check out the material below.

You will have a secondary character, with FOUR PARTS! Don't worry - this won't take long. You can even make a scene out of creating these characters, if you want.

# Your Character's '''RACE'''. Currently, there are SIX races available. If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Human - You have probably met some of these in real life!
## Dwarf - Short, stout and tough, often grumpy and famed for their beards!
## Elf - Tall, graceful, and nigh-immortal, wise but emotionally reserved!
## Half-elf - The child of a Human and an Elf, you are tragically torn between two worlds while having all the benefits of both Human and Elf!
## Grass-Runner - Short, wily, and talented at infiltration, burglary and cooking. And good at running! Original species - do not steal!
## Kobold - Furry humanoids with dog heads and excellent smelling. Often looked down-upon by others.
# Your Character's '''CLASS'''. Currently, there are SIX classes available! Take note of their equipment, but it's just for flavor! If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Fighter - A bold and powerful person at arms. Whether leader, follower or member of the team, the Fighter is a good person to put in front. Uses a MIGHTY WEAPON and a set of STRONG ARMOR.
## Bard - A charming and amusing figure, bards combine style and panache with a rather flexible set of simple magics. Notorious for interpersonal drama and aesthetic performance. Uses a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT and a SHARP WEAPON.
## Ranger - A roamer of the wilderness, rangers are often gruff but know the ways of nature and living things quite profoundly. Likely to hold dramatic secrets. Uses an ANIMAL COMPANION and a RANGED WEAPON.
## Thief - Someone who specializes in acquisition of valuable goods through the secret ingredient of CRIME! Tends to overcome their worst impulses... but will it be too late? Uses a THIEF'S TOOL and a SNEAKY WEAPON.
## Sage - Someone whose scholarly studies have unlocked the secrets of the universe... and those of magic! But can you survive to do what must be done? Uses a MAGICAL FOCUS and a STAFF OF POWER.
## Priest - Someone dedicated to the service of others, including the highest powers of all... the gods! Often pure and sweet, may sometimes be shabby concealing a heart of shining gold. Uses a HOLY SYMBOL and a BLUNT WEAPON.
# Your Character's '''NAME'''. You will have to provide this yourself. I believe in you. (If you're stuck: Try spelling your character's name backwards by syllables! Example -> Hitomi -> Hi to mi -> Mitohi – it's fun and easy!)
# Your Character's '''PERSONALITY'''! Optional; can simply be 'doing what you would do.' If you want a cue, roll a D10 and consult this list:
## Calculating
## Gregarious
## Hotblooded
## Studious
## Taciturn
## Pious
## Heartfelt
## Ambitious
## Proud
## Can't be bothered

The Blade World Monads are written as if there is a single "narrator" GM, who is speaking the actions as well as setting the scene. Blade World Monads will lend themselves to having a unified voice for the GM, or having an NPC who is the purported GM who everyone's responding to. You can also use the more familiar round-robin method, if you prefer; Blade World supports this distributed play style! (In the real world TTRPG scene, shared GMing/GMless games are often kind of indie but are well known.)

You are also welcome to assume that Hitomi Mandai herself is GMing for you – even if I the player am not available! If you use the Hitomi Mandai option –

* Remember, she's a facilitating NPC! The cards are written to be in a "Hitomi voice" to some extent, but you're the stars! She won't play favorites. (Feel free to adapt the dialogue if another player is taking the role of the GM. You can assume having a photocopy of her module notes.)
* Hitomi can GM at the following locations (will be updated as necessary) - SEES-affiliated areas; the Cardboard Dragon
* If you use Hitomi as your GM: '''please @mail Hitomi who played in the session''', because she will have technically now met all of you! A link to the log would be awesome, as would any truly fantastic highlights.

'''OPTIONAL''' - You may want to make note of your character and track their progress and story... or just have "Bob the Elf" who your character whips out if Blade World's on the menu. Various items and power-ups can be part of the character's story, as can exciting mishaps and other, non-itemized rewards!

'''ALSO OPTIONAL''' - if you are interested in creating a Blade World Monad, feel free! I would appreciate if you hit me (Hitomi) up, of course.

'''FUN TRIVIA''' - Blade World is a bonafide, Monafied, Personafied version of Sword World, an RPG that emerged in Japan because AD&D's corporate owners did not successfully license the game line. You can read more about Sword World here, including a link to the fruits of an English translation project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_World_RPG

TTRPGs, often defined as "Table Talk RPGs" due to computer RPGs somewhat predating them, are fairly widespread in Japan, although a particular very prominent American game is not well known, nor are other innovative American TTRPGs such as the ''World of Darkness'', ''Exalted'', ''Rifts,'' and ''GURPS'' lines of RPGs. ''Call of Cthulhu'' is commonly known in the Japanese scene-- the on-grid equivalent is ''Klarkash-Ton'', which has a substantially different emphasis and will not necessarily provide you with a "cheat sheet" to Persona 2. However, this can explain tertiary references from enthusiast media if the need should arise.

Blade World

2025-11-09T01:45:11Z

Mesarthim: the nightmare begins

Welcome to BLADE WORLD! A game of exciting adventure that you can have with your friends, using nothing but your mutual cognitions - a multi-user shared hallucination that will while away the lazy hours while building all sorts of skills in the magical realm of Folderia. (What skills? Very important ones... Probably Understanding and Charm.)

While you are welcome to use Blade World as a stand in for tHe WoRlD's MoSt PoPuLaR rOlE-pLaYiNg GaMe, there are or will be Monads which are meant to portray a Blade World adventure/ Before you start one of these, check out the material below.

You will have a secondary character, with FOUR PARTS! Don't worry - this won't take long. You can even make a scene out of creating these characters, if you want.

# Your Character's '''RACE'''. Currently, there are SIX races available. If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Human - You have probably met some of these in real life!
## Dwarf - Short, stout and tough, often grumpy and famed for their beards!
## Elf - Tall, graceful, and nigh-immortal, wise but emotionally reserved!
## Half-elf - The child of a Human and an Elf, you are tragically torn between two worlds while having all the benefits of both Human and Elf!
## Grass-Runner - Short, wily, and talented at infiltration, burglary and cooking. And good at running! Original species - do not steal!
## Kobold - Furry humanoids with dog heads and excellent smelling. Often looked down-upon by others.
# Your Character's '''CLASS'''. Currently, there are SIX classes available! Take note of their equipment, but it's just for flavor! If you can't pick, roll a D6!
## Fighter - A bold and powerful person at arms. Whether leader, follower or member of the team, the Fighter is a good person to put in front. Uses a MIGHTY WEAPON and a set of STRONG ARMOR.
## Bard - A charming and amusing figure, bards combine style and panache with a rather flexible set of simple magics. Notorious for interpersonal drama and aesthetic performance. Uses a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT and a SHARP WEAPON.
## Ranger - A roamer of the wilderness, rangers are often gruff but know the ways of nature and living things quite profoundly. Likely to hold dramatic secrets. Uses an ANIMAL COMPANION and a RANGED WEAPON.
## Thief - Someone who specializes in acquisition of valuable goods through the secret ingredient of CRIME! Tends to overcome their worst impulses... but will it be too late? Uses a THIEF'S TOOL and a SNEAKY WEAPON.
## Sage - Someone whose scholarly studies have unlocked the secrets of the universe... and those of magic! But can you survive to do what must be done? Uses a MAGICAL FOCUS and a STAFF OF POWER.
## Priest - Someone dedicated to the service of others, including the highest powers of all... the gods! Often pure and sweet, may sometimes be shabby concealing a heart of shining gold. Uses a HOLY SYMBOL and a BLUNT WEAPON.
# Your Character's '''NAME'''. You will have to provide this yourself. I believe in you. (If you're stuck: Try spelling your character's name backwards by syllables! Example -> Hitomi -> Hi to mi -> Mitohi – it's fun and easy!)
# Your Character's '''PERSONALITY'''! Optional; can simply be 'doing what you would do.' If you want a cue, roll a D10 and consult this list:
## Calculating
## Gregarious
## Hotblooded
## Studious
## Taciturn
## Pious
## Heartfelt
## Ambitious
## Proud
## Can't be bothered

The Blade World Monads are written as if there is a single "narrator" GM, who is speaking the actions as well as setting the scene. Blade World Monads will lend themselves to having a unified voice for the GM, or having an NPC who is the purported GM who everyone's responding to. You can also use the more familiar round-robin method, if you prefer; Blade World supports this distributed play style! (In the real world TTRPG scene, shared GMing/GMless games are often kind of indie but are well known.)

You are also welcome to assume that Hitomi Mandai herself is GMing for you – even if I the player am not available! If you use the Hitomi Mandai option –

* Remember, she's a facilitating NPC! The cards are written to be in a "Hitomi voice" to some extent, but you're the stars! She won't play favorites. (Feel free to adapt the dialogue if another player is taking the role of the GM. You can assume having a photocopy of her module notes.)
* Hitomi can GM at the following locations (will be updated as necessary) - SEES-affiliated areas; the Cardboard Dragon
* If you use Hitomi as your GM: '''please @mail Hitomi who played in the session''', because she will have technically now met all of you! A link to the log would be awesome, as would any truly fantastic highlights.

'''OPTIONAL''' - You may want to make note of your character and track their progress and story... or just have "Bob the Elf" who your character whips out if Blade World's on the menu. Various items and power-ups can be part of the character's story, as can exciting mishaps and other, non-itemized rewards!

'''ALSO OPTIONAL''' - if you are interested in creating a Blade World Monad, feel free! I would appreciate if you hit me (Hitomi) up, of course.

'''FUN TRIVIA''' - Blade World is a bonafide, Monafied, Personafied version of Sword World, an RPG that emerged in Japan because AD&D's corporate owners did not successfully license the game line. You can read more about Sword World here, including a link to the fruits of an English translation project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_World_RPG

TTRPGs, often defined as "Table Talk RPGs" due to computer RPGs somewhat predating them, are fairly widespread in Japan, although a particular very prominent American game is not well known, nor are other innovative American TTRPGs such as the ''World of Darkness'', ''Exalted'', ''Rifts,'' and ''GURPS'' lines of RPGs. ''Call of Cthulhu'' is commonly known -- the on-grid equivalent is ''Klarkash-Ton'', which has a substantially different emphasis and will not necessarily provide you with a "cheat sheet" to Persona 2.