Integration Notes By Theme
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
"Are you aware that there are many 'selves' you harbor within you? The 'self' suffused with divine love... the 'self' capable of demonic cruelty... People live by wearing different masks. Your current self may be only one of those innumerable masks."
- --Philemon, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
It's been three years since the events of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, a.k.a. Persona 1. The bond between the group of St. Hermelin High School students who fielded the SEBEC Scandal and the Snow Queen Crisis remains, even if they've grown apart. Some of them have moved on with their lives as they've grown into adulthood, but for others, the strange events in Sumaru City, the continuation of the Dark Hour, and the Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns in Tokyo have started to draw them back.
- The characters of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona by and large haven't fought as much in three years. While they do gain a minor statistical advantage, they are by and large on the level of current PCs.
- The events of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona in both the Innocent Sin timeline and Eternal Punishment timeline were largely the same, with two key differences in the Eternal Punishment version: the Night Queen was much more powerful, and Takahisa Kandori was more apathetic and nihilistic when finally confronted. No one is aware of these differences.
- The 'Boy with Earring' is named Naoya Toudou here, taken from the Megami Ibunroku Persona manga. It is heavily recommended that any applicant for him or any other members of the cast read the manga for inspiration for their characters.
- While in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, characters being able to use multiple Personas is the norm, here the characters follow the modern Persona formula of utilizing their starter nearly the whole game before upgrading to their ultimate. Naoya Toudou was the Wild Card for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona's cast.
- The SEBEC Scandal has been a contributing factor in the political atmosphere of Persona 5 and the current state of affairs at the start of the game. The Snow Queen Crisis was reported on as well, but was viewed by the public as a minor, mostly forgotten footnote in the SEBEC Scandal.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment
"Worse than alone / Exiled. Worse than exiled / Dead. Worse than dead / Forgotten."
- --Maya Amano, quoting Le Calmant, Persona 2: Innocent Sin
"Now I know what is worse than being forgotten. It's... chaining down... others. Everyone... just... forget about me..."
- --Maya Amano, Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Despite the efforts of a group of young Persona-wielding friends, Nyarlathotep the Crawling Chaos won his wager with Philemon when Maya Amano was killed, fulfilling the prophecy of the Grand Cross and the end of the world. Immediately following this tragedy, Philemon made an offer to these heroic Persona Users: sacrifice their first meeting and everything that came after to turn back the hands of time and undo Nyarlathotep’s machinations, restoring the world. At least, that's how it was supposed to work out. Tatsuya Suou refused to forget, and in one grand act of will forced himself to remember. Now it's time for his punishment.
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin has already happened on Velvet Room MUSH, and that’s responsible for a lot of our framing here. Everyone is currently on the Eternal Punishment timeline, and barring the rare exception, that means they were a part of the events of Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Your characters do not remember this or anything about the alternate timeline.
- The only individual with accurate and complete recollection of these events is Tatsuya Suou. We ask that any Tatsuya player not define what these events were other than vague reference to canon until we say so. Due to how Eternal Punishment progresses, Tatsuya Suou may be applied for as 'Mythic' statistically.
- Tatsuya Sudou has imperfect knowledge of the alternate timeline due to the voices he hears (actually the warped whisperings of Nyarlathotep). He and Tatsuya Suou refer to the current timeline as "This Side" and the original one as the "Other Side." Neither is inclined to explain what they mean by that.
- No more Nazis, for obvious reasons. Instead, the Other Side featured the Order of the Reunion, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, who according to rumor survived and fled France with the Spear of Destiny to the USA. There, he found the Fountain of Youth and slowly rebuilt his forces over the years, until they reappeared during the events of Innocent Sin to fill the role that the Last Battalion canonically did.
- Tamaki Uchida and Chizuru Ishigami are both appable, but only as Persona Users. SMT-style Demon Summoning just isn't a thing in this setting. Onmyouji- and witch-style abilities are, but must still be flavored as requiring a Persona. A Chizuru player will be given certain additional information.
- There is a field on the Character Application of what wish your character had at the end of the Innocent Sin timeline for the Eternal Punishment timeline. If you wish to define how things have changed for your character from the prior timeline to this one here in the application phase, you are more welcome to, but if it involves another player, it must be approved by them.
- However, we will NOT ever return to the Innocent Sin timeline. This would result in the end of the world, so it just won't happen. Consequently, your character will almost certainly never be able to remember it. This is essentially a creative writing exercise to help you define how things are different for your character now, not an invitation to actualize it in play.
- Lisa Silverman, Eikichi Mishina, and Jun Kashihara (a.k.a. Jun Kurosu) are available for application and can potentially wield Personas. However, the nature of the storyline necessitates that not all three can regain their memories. Note: in canon, restoration of memories is fully treated as an intense negative to the character's psyche rather than a positive, given the Buddhist themes of attachment as suffering.
- Restoration of memories for other characters outside of Persona 2: Innocent Sin FCs is largely unavailable. The reason why no character will want this will be discussed once we are ready to reveal more of Velvet Room MUSH's thematic conceits.
- The start of the Eternal Punishment plot may be somewhat variable depending on the desires of what members of the cast are successfully applied for, but it won’t start any earlier than Maya burning the Sevens emblem or any later than the conclusion of the Morimoto Sanitarium.
- While in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment, characters being able to use multiple Personas is the norm, here the characters follow the modern Persona formula of utilizing their starter nearly the whole game before upgrading to their ultimate. Tatsuya Suou was the Wild Card (Fool) in Innocent Sin, while Maya was Moon Arcana; as of Eternal Punishment, that power has been passed to Maya Amano, and Tatsuya is now Sun Arcana.
Persona 3
"Man cannot face death without first finding meaning in life."
- --Takaya Sakaki, Persona 3
Ten Years Ago, the Kirijo Group unleashed a terrible tragedy on Tatsumi Port Island that shattered space and time, created the Dark Hour, and released countless Shadows upon the innocent civilians of this place... However, you must still go to school today.
And every day after. Dealing with tragedy and grief is the name of the game for the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), a group of young teens brought together by the events of ten years ago to clean up the Kirijo Group's mess. For that reason, they've been exploring the looming citadel of Tartarus that appears every night out of their school, executing Shadows, and trying to find the means to erase the Dark Hour once and for all.
But not everyone is on board with this idea. The Dark Hour is considered a blessing to a group of young Persona Users known as Strega, who desire only to wield their powers with absolute freedom. They take poorly to anyone who wants to steal that from them.
- The Dark Hour is worldwide. Shadows and Apathy Syndrome are everywhere as a result. It is at its worst in Tatsumi Port Island, but by and large the worldwide community does not understand it’s the epicenter of the phenomenon or how it came to be, as the Kirijo Group has covered up the incident to allow them more leeway to deal with it without government oversight.
- Persona User communities worldwide have banded together loosely to combat Shadows during the Dark Hour. Indeed, there are Shadow 'nests' all over the world as supernatural entities elsewhere take advantage of the Dark Hour for their own ends. Many of these Persona communities would be quite upset at the Kirijo Group if they realized that they were responsible for the Dark Hour.
- Full Moon Major Arcana Shadows do not solely have to appear in Tatsumi Port Island, and can do so anywhere in Japan. However, they naturally gravitate towards Tartarus if they're not defeated after their appearance. This is a very bad thing for anyone that's on the way.
- Male MC and Female MC are both appable at the start of Velvet Room MUSH. It's recommended given the nature of their roles that they be fraternal twin siblings. The names of the MCs are Minato Arisato and Minako Arisato for the purposes of this game.
- Aigis is not available for application at game start. Once the Persona 3 cast is ready for Yakushima, she'll open for applications. Other Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons from the Kirijo Group are not available at game start, but may become available later in the game's life cycle. Update: As of 10/15/25, Aigis is now available for application.
- OC Artificial Persona Users harmed by Kirijo Group experiments are not only allowed but encouraged. Many would align with Strega or the New World Order. No pre-established major ties to FCs are allowed, but 'being at the same lab in another place' is fine. A grudge against the Kirijo Group or even Shuji Ikutsuki to some degree is fine, so long as they do not understand his current motivations, only that he was a researcher at the Ergonomics Research Institute at Yakushima.
- The beginning of Persona 3's is potentially variable depending on which members of the cast get successfully apped, but we still start no earlier than after the defeat of the Priestess Shadow, and likely after the defeat of the Emperor/Empress Shadows unless a Fuuka apper would rather play the associated arc out on-screen. Minor plot points can potentially be massaged to help other cast members who otherwise join later in the game be part of the action right away.
- Despite Vincent Brooks appearing at the Club Escapade in Persona 3 Portable, Catherine is not integrated, and characters from the game are not available for integration.
Persona 4
"Do you seek the truth? If it's the truth you desire, then come and find me."
- --Unknown, Persona 4
Persona 4 will not be appable at the start of Velvet Room MUSH. That means it’ll be a long way off until its plot begins, currently planned to be the start of Season 2. This is partly to concentrate the overall MUSH plot in urban areas and keep the focus of the game tight in Season 1, and partly so that when Persona 4’s plot does kick off, it isn’t competing with up to three other mainline games for its moments to shine. As Velvet Room MUSH’s focus expands, it should become easier to do RP in isolated country towns like Inaba, and we want to give Persona 4 the love it deserves.
However, just because it’s not in focus right away doesn’t mean Inaba doesn’t exist... or that the fog won’t ever appear anywhere else. Applicants are welcome to acknowledge Inaba in their background if they wish, including having it be their hometown. Likewise, not everyone in the Persona 4 cast starts out in Inaba, so the game might occasionally see cameos of high-profile characters like Naoto Shirogane and Rise Kujikawa.
Persona 5
"The world is not as it should be. It’s filled with distortion, and ruin can no longer be avoided. Those who oppose fate and desire change… From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters. You are the Trickster… Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion."
- --Igor, Servant of Philemon
Several Tokyo teenagers wielding the Will of Rebellion have risen up against institutional corruption. Having formed the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, or The Phantoms for short, in order to change the hearts of the wicked, they have become popularized in society as mysterious picaresque heroes who can be relied upon when one is helplessly backed into a corner. Using the Phantom Aficionado Website, or Phan-Site for short, people can put in requests to change the hearts of someone in their life who is harming them and/or others.
Not everyone is in favor. Certain TV personalities say the Change of Heart Phenomenon is tantamount to criminal brainwashing, whereas others in power feel threatened by a prospective change of heart via the supernatural potential of Cognitive Psience that The Phantoms so casually seem to wield. As the Phantom Thieves catch the eyes of a massive conspiracy of corruption within the heart of Tokyo's power structure… a game begins, with the stakes being a world where people decide their own destiny.
- Kosei High, Yusuke Kitagawa and Hifumi Togo's school, has been rolled into Gekkoukan High School, including its renowned art program. It is not exclusively an art school, unlike in canon. Despite being in Tatsumi Port Island, it's less than an hour from the heart of Tokyo by monorail, then a transfer by high speed train.
- Goro Akechi's unnamed high school has been rolled into Seven Sisters High School.
- Shido, the Black Mask, and the Conspiracy have all been rolled into the New World Order as an allied but competing faction of authoritarian populism.
- What The Phantoms are up to at game open will partially depend on the desires of those who app into the cast. The default start will be the beginning of Kaneshiro's Palace, and one of the first scenes will be Makoto Niijima awakening to her Persona at its start. This part is non-negotiable.
- Futaba Sakura won't be open for application at the start of the game. She is just not a character with much space for play before her arc. She will open for application shortly after game start, once the Persona 5 cast is ready for Medjed.
- However, other parts are potentially negotiable. Haru Okumura can be applied for at game start. When the Palaces of their respective arcs open will depend on the players' desires during application and the consensus of other played members of the cast. More than one Palace can be accessible at a time; whether it's feasible for The Phantoms to immediately explore them or not is another story. The pacing of the plot can thus be adjusted to allow for players to let their characters join in on the adventures immediately if they desire.
- Likewise, Kasumi Yoshizawa can be applied for and awaken basically immediately if a player so desires. However, if one wanted her to also join the Phantom Thieves early, this may require heavy changes to her arc and the nature of it. Once again, applicants should reach out to cast members/fellow applicants to reach a consensus rather than deciding on this unilaterally.
- Persona 5 as a theme was not active during the Innocent Sin timeline, and any FC within the theme did not take part in the events occurring within Sumaru City as a Phantom Thief, though they may have been present as an unpowered citizen. The reasons for this will be revealed later as we unveil more of the thematic conceits of the game.
- OC Will of Rebellion PCs are encouraged; so are alternate OC Will of Rebellion groups of PCs. Neither The Phantoms nor the One in the Black Mask need to be the only Will of Rebellion Persona Users out there. The one behind it all is more than willing to activate others who serve as arguments for or against the salvation of humanity in their game.
- However, one may not app OCs directly into the Phantom Thieves of Hearts due to the personal nature of the group. If that's your desire, then please contact the players within that faction to discuss an arc of how they might join.
- Likewise, FCs within Persona 5 who are not Phantom Thieves may gain a Will of Rebellion of their own, but cannot be applied directly into the Phantom Thieves. That includes you, Mishima.
Persona 5 Tactica
"I'm scared that we're entering a world where corruption is free to flourish... And, even worse... I'm scared of becoming someone who's okay with that. So I fight because I refuse to give up and turn a blind eye to the injustices in my world."
- --Erina, Persona 5 Tactica
Stagnation rules over this world. In the face of injustice, many people keep their heads down in order to maintain the status quo. Few are inspired towards reform or revolution, but perhaps there is a reason for that. Perhaps it is a feature of this world, and everything is working exactly as intended. In order for there to be meaningful reform, the first revolution to occur must be within our hearts.
- Persona 5 Tactica's main plot takes place after the December portion of Persona 5's story and thus is not active at this time.
- ... However, Kingdoms themselves are active and available for players to participate in as an alternate means of awakening with the Will of Rebellion for both Original and Feature Characters.
- Characters of the same nature as Erina are inappable NPCs under the control of the player character who created them.
- Elements of the DLC prequel, Repaint Your Heart, are active at the start of Velvet Room MUSH. Guernica is available for application.
- Toshiro Kasukabe is not currently appable at this time. Staff will reveal when we will accept applications for him at the appropriate time.
- Salmael has been changed to Samael as their name here for cohesion in integration. It's for the best.
- Jerri and OC servants of Samael are appable as permanent characters, but must operate under similar rules as Teddie or Morgana even as antagonists. That means they must be playable outside of cognitive spaces, which requires a Persona. Forms of combat that are outside of the scope of using a Persona are only available as a final boss form, which would be the end of the road for these characters. For more on this, see: Nonhuman Characters.
Integrated Themes Not Applicable at This Time
- Persona 5 Tactica - Main Plot
- Persona 5: Strikers
- Persona 4
- Persona 4: Arena and Arena Ultimax
- Persona 4: Dancing All Night
- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (no FCs)
Themes Not Integrated and Inappable
- Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Persona (any) mobile phone spin-offs
- Shin Megami Tensei games and non-Persona spin-offs
- Shin Megami Tensei: if… (excepting Tamaki Uchida, who also appears in Persona 1 & 2)
- Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
- Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
- Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
- Tsumi to Batsu
- Persona X Detective
- Trinity Soul