This was a vision of Kanji after the boss fight with Chie's Shadow, back at home, exhausted, stressed out and writing up some ground rules for the future rescue team.
In brief: Rule 1: Don't go into a potentially dangerous situation alone. Rule 2: No school uniforms in combat! Rule 3: No real weapons in public / 3A: Keep them in a safe place. Rule 4: Split proceeds from missions. Keep your equipment up to date. Rule 5: Keep your mouths shut about shenanigans apart from in designated spots.
This was a vision from the Questing Country Jaunt. It's Kei's run on the Valence, using his Champion of Threads rope-slinging skills to navigate the tower leading to the treasure(s), wild and excited but exhausted.
This was a vision of the encounter with Mei in Misericordia while the city was burning, while she attempted to reassure Kanji of things but ended up just making him feel guilty about his lack of willpower when faced with the disaster at hand.
This is a vision of Kanji with his father back in Inaba. The older man is worried for his son, a little frustrated about how the boy's been dealing with things in school. He's trying to explain things and encourage him to get himself together sympathetically, but when he says "a man needs to be strong" to Kanji, the boy takes it the wrong way...
This is a vision of Kanji's conversation with Lupa following the Nova Venezia Jaunt - specifically, the point at which Lupa offered him membership of the new Wolves Tribe. Kanji's feeling confused but proud and glad to accept.
A heartfelt moment between Kanji and Yukiko. She's just driven a group of intruding TV types away from the Amagi Inn, her home, her business. He's impressed. And as they talk through the situation - how despite everything, and despite wanting to leave in the past, it's still important to her - the conversation takes a turn for the romantic...
This is highlights from Kanji's meetup with Cairbre. Notable are the moments when he actually starts to feel like he gets the Arcanum, his quip about "we're all wild cards compared to you, aren't we?", saying that he can't hate the horse any more...
In Newport - Kanji's in the coffee shop, stressing out about the thought that, yet again, the Jaunt seems to have gone to crap while he's investigating. He's listening for authority radio chatter and the sound of emergency services, half sure that something's going to be along any moment... He winds up having a conversation with Claudia - he half jokes about what he's doing, but she calls him out on not being as in as good a state as he claims to be, and talks him through it.
This comes from Kanji's younger days, while he's in school. He's trying to help a girl his age out, saying he's fixed a hole in her bag: however, she just looks at him like he's weird. Other kids start to gather round at the sight, and as word spreads, some of them start laughing at him, taunting him and calling him weird... He freaks out, smashes one of them in the face, and runs.
This is the failed run on Rescue Team!Naoto's dungeon.
The place is a maze, and the team need to backtrack and handle minibosses on their way; Kanji's relentlessly determined to push on even though he's exhausted, and he's point blank knocked out by an attack. The next thing he remembers is a blurry vision of the team gathered around him back in safety looking very sad and annoyed.
Kanji, about a year younger than when he'd started Travelling, going to face down a substantial biker gang on his own. His heart's racing but he's got to finish this somehow - it's been going on too long, ma's getting tired and sick from their noise. The leader taunts him, calling him 'Kan-chan' and implying he's useless, tells him to stop trying to talk them down.
Instead, Kanji grabs a metal shield from a nearby hiding place and starts to absolutely lay into them, unskilled but ferocious. Some of them run, and he's not escaping unharmed, but ... he's making a mess of some of them, including the gang's leader. Said leader eventually limps away giving him a mixture of frightened and horrified looks.
This is a moment of Karal stressing out at the end of the Haunted Isle Jaunt, after Malik's memorial Song. He feels like he can't do anything for his school, he's feeling sick, just about curled up on himself all around a rock outcrop. For a moment, he tries humming a slightly discordant melody, a human song - but he shakes his head and mutters curses under the waves. What good is he compared to a Siren?
This is Kanji's final showdown with Izanami. That is to say, with a towering and monstrous death goddess. He's staring her down, calling her out - telling her that everyone has the right to live their lives how they want, that it's up to them to discover it for themselves - the stress is on how people and bonds help others to discover what they are, and 'truth' is less emphasised. Kanji shoves his glasses back - a huge (about Izanami's size) Persona in white and gold emerges from nowhere and attacks her, with ribbons of light (not unlike those from his Champion skills) shooting forward to pierce through her... Myriad Lives, he knows.
This is a heart to heart between Kanji and his mother - they're discussing the family's past, and how far he's come. She mentions that his father would be proud.
This is highlights of Kanji's time as the Green Illuminant's apprentice/babysitter. It's a bit of a mood whiplash, from the almost happy time spent working with her studying magic and watching baby gryphons, to the sudden shock of realising that Misericordia might just be in big trouble and rushing back to smoke and chaos...
This is Kanji's visit to the burned village of Higura, ransacked by imperial troops, its villagers left as sick trophies. He's feeling nauseated at the sight, angry, trying to press on, but he's also hearing his squad both in a similar state to him and swearing revenge on the attackers...
This is aboard the Empress of Moths, at the Jaunt's end; it's Kyan and Lapis, working together to process the tachyon song and communicate with the singer in the ship's engine. Desperate, wild hope at what could be the end of the line...
This is the Midnight Channel broadcast for Taka from the Rescue Team. It's a magician's show; the Shadow's boasting about its performance. How wonderful it'll be, how he's worked so hard for this moment. He finishes by claiming that it'll be the "best disappearing act ever". As the 'program' fades to static, Kanji dives for his phone and starts to ring around the group.
The happy reunion between KAN-3 and SHIRO on the Grid, after the two Programs have accepted how their changes of factions have worked well for them both.
The Rescue Team gathered together after they've talked to Namatame about just what his involvement in things was, why he would think it's a great idea to go around chucking people into the TV - and does he have any idea who the killer might have been, does he know who else has this skill... They're resolving to see this thing through to the end as a group.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
01: Magician - Area 1
In brief:
Rule 1: Don't go into a potentially dangerous situation alone.
Rule 2: No school uniforms in combat!
Rule 3: No real weapons in public / 3A: Keep them in a safe place.
Rule 4: Split proceeds from missions. Keep your equipment up to date.
Rule 5: Keep your mouths shut about shenanigans apart from in designated spots.
02: High Priestess - Area 2
03: Empress - Area 3
04: Emperor - Area 4
05: Hierophant - Area 2
06: Lovers - Area 2
07: Chariot - Area 4
08: Strength - Area 3
He winds up having a conversation with Claudia - he half jokes about what he's doing, but she calls him out on not being as in as good a state as he claims to be, and talks him through it.
09: Hermit - Area 4
He freaks out, smashes one of them in the face, and runs.
10: Wheel of Fortune - Area 3
The place is a maze, and the team need to backtrack and handle minibosses on their way; Kanji's relentlessly determined to push on even though he's exhausted, and he's point blank knocked out by an attack. The next thing he remembers is a blurry vision of the team gathered around him back in safety looking very sad and annoyed.
11: Justice - Area 4
Kanji, about a year younger than when he'd started Travelling, going to face down a substantial biker gang on his own. His heart's racing but he's got to finish this somehow - it's been going on too long, ma's getting tired and sick from their noise. The leader taunts him, calling him 'Kan-chan' and implying he's useless, tells him to stop trying to talk them down.
Instead, Kanji grabs a metal shield from a nearby hiding place and starts to absolutely lay into them, unskilled but ferocious. Some of them run, and he's not escaping unharmed, but ... he's making a mess of some of them, including the gang's leader. Said leader eventually limps away giving him a mixture of frightened and horrified looks.
12: Hanged Man - Area 1
13: Death - Area 1
He's staring her down, calling her out - telling her that everyone has the right to live their lives how they want, that it's up to them to discover it for themselves - the stress is on how people and bonds help others to discover what they are, and 'truth' is less emphasised. Kanji shoves his glasses back - a huge (about Izanami's size) Persona in white and gold emerges from nowhere and attacks her, with ribbons of light (not unlike those from his Champion skills) shooting forward to pierce through her... Myriad Lives, he knows.
14: Temperance - Area 1
15: Devil - Area 4
16: Tower - Area 4
17: Star - Area 2
18: Moon - Area 1
He finishes by claiming that it'll be the "best disappearing act ever".
As the 'program' fades to static, Kanji dives for his phone and starts to ring around the group.
19: Sun - Area 2
20: Judgement - Area 1
They're resolving to see this thing through to the end as a group.