Part 29: Entry Twenty-Four: August 23rd, 2009

Entry 24: August 23rd, 2009

Mood: Depressed
Music: Evanescence

My summer vacation is slowly ebbing away like my precious life's blood! Woe, woe!

Y'know, I can't even act emo anymore these days. All I can do is sit and watch astounded at how ridiculous my life really is. Tell you what, let's go over it together.



For instance, my MMO partner Maya is actually my composition teacher at school who harbors a secret desire to fuck my brains out. Well, it's not secret enough that she won't tell people on the Internet about it, but...yeah.



On the other hand, we have Kenji, who harbors a secret desire to fuck his teacher's brains out. I really think there's something in the water around here.



I've just been getting by, myself. Going to movies here and there, hanging out with friends, the usual.



The best part about that? "The usual" for me entails going out and fighting horrible monsters from another dimension twice a week or so. I guess it's better than gym class.



I usually accomplish this demonslaying by summoning women in various states of undress by plugging myself in the head. Metaphorically, of course. Evokers don't actually shoot anything, but it looks realistic enough.



In a recent hilarious development, I gained the power to raise the dead by committing metaphorical suicide. Nietzsche would love this.



Other exciting Persona include Sati, a goddess of longevity...



...and Titan, the god of linebackers.



Also Ose, another goddamned furry.




There's a lot of deep symbolism behind our method of combat, though, don't get me wrong. "GIANT SNAKES THAT EAT PEOPLE", er, Yamatano-orochi, is clearly a manifestation of some frightening sliver of my soul, not, y'know, a bunch of giant snakes that eat people.



Not to mention that creating Personas is a very exact science, which amounts to "stick them together and hope they don't become a horrible blob monster."



The fact that we do this all the goddamn time means that we're actually getting pretty good at it - I even managed to increase my Persona stock again.



Oh, let's not forget that my dog has the same psychic powers I do and can use them to summon the unholy powers of darkness to defeat our enemies. That's important. Check it out:

Koromaru is Awesome 1
Koromaru is Awesome 2
Koromaru is Awesome 3



So I, along with my dog, a battle droid, and several other upstanding citizens, climb up a tower full of monsters which is actually just our high school.




We find valuable treasures, like plastic mirrors.




Well, I can't actually be bitter about finding awesome swords like this. My life was slightly less of a goddamned mess from the moment I found this thing.



We also use complex battle tactics like "listen to the dog when we're fighting for our lives" to ensure our survival.



You know what's funny, though? Things always seem to work out. It's like Lassie if Lassie could kill you with mind bullets.

Tartarus Boss 10 - Magical Magi



Anyway, enough description. After we took down the poorly-named magician Shadows, we headed home, and I went online the next day.




Maya: ...i should apologize. about, uh...all that stuff I said o_O;; remember how i said i would send our chat log to the admins before? >_>



Looks like you're safe from prosecution, then.

Maya: i read over our chat log and i didn't like waht i saw =/ what kind fo person plays an MMO jus to bitch about coworkers? -_-



Maya: u shouldn't have had to put up w/me doin that. im sry m(__)m sum teacher i am, rite? =/




...I actually realized I'd miss having someone to MMO with. It might sound kind of pathetic, but she's still a person on the other end of the screen. I told her how I felt.



Maya: since nobody can see my face on teh intarweb, i could be mean...=( so i jus have to look @ myself in the mirror and make it rite! ^_^



Maya: tatsuya taught me to be thoughtful even when im not around ppl =)

Did I? I wasn't trying to. I was just being a friend.




I guess that IS what friends do, though...






(Whenever you max out a Social Link, you unlock that Arcana's "ultimate" Persona. These tend to range in level from the low 50s to the high 70s, so we won't be seeing them in action for awhile, but it's good to know we'll eventually have the option. We'll look at these Personas in more detail when we can actually use them.)





(Maxed Social Links are permanent; you can no longer hang out with that person, because you've achieved the closest possible relationship you can have with them. Warm fuzzies all around!)



(Arahabaki is an ancient Japanese god, and is also one of the more popular choices for a party member in Nocturne due to his being completely fucking broken there.)



Maya: i drew something in the sand for u, check the ground once i log off, k? ^^; its kinda embarassing but i worked real hard on it...if u upload a screenie to ur cellphone, u can keep it always!



Maya: remember, lets think positive!




And with that, she logged off for good.



There was a message in the sand where she had been standing.





(You get a souvenir item like this every time you max a Social Link; it is this item, not maxing the Link, that enables you to create the Link's "ultimate" Persona; this fact only matters if you're replaying the game, though.)



I knew I'd see her again, but...well, that'd be different, y'know?



Summer vacation continued and the days seemed to blend together...I took a nap one day and had a vision of Junpei taking a walk at Port Island Station.



Junpei: Shoot, it's already the 20th. Summer break's almost over...too bad there's nothin' to do. This place is so boring...

He kept walking...



...but crossed into the path of a strangely familiar girl.



Junpei: Uh...sorry.



He couldn't help but stare, though. Junpei's tact is his best quality by far.



Junpei: Dude, what's with that outfit...? And what the hell is she drawing...? Man, I'll never understand art. Oh well...



After I woke up, I tried to find something to do myself. Innocent Sin Online had been discontinued...



...so I went to see the old folks instead.



I did the same the next day.



Mitsuko: I understand their reasoning...but if that tree is removed, I feel like the memory of my son will vanish with it...



Bunkichi: So we went to the school to say goodbye, but that just reminded Mitsuko of our son's death...

I told them it'd be okay, though it was pretty hard given how shaken up they seemed to be.



Bunkichi: If you keep crying all the time, then what will your admirers think? Right, Minato-chan?

They really did seem to appreciate my efforts to help them, so there was that.




And also this.





You don't need a reason to help people!




...Well, actually, this is sort of a good reason. Yum, bread.



That night, I hung out with Mutatsu...



...and Maiko the next day. Like I said, the days just seem to melt together during summer vacation.



Yesterday night I went to go see Mutatsu again.



Mutatsu: Those folks downstairs, they're probably around your age, eh? It looks like they're havin' fun drinkin' and dancin', don't it? But if you look closely, their eyes say otherwise. I bet they come here to relieve stress, but I wonder if any one of 'em are actually enjoying themselves...stress won't go away unless you can take care of its source. You can forget about it, but it'll always come back.



Mutatsu: If those kids really wanna relax, we should switch the music to the Heart Sutra, and...




Mutatsu: I have a son...he's about the same age as those kids down there. He'll be 21 this year...if he's still alive, that is.

He seems to be treating me like I'm his son...




...which is honestly more sad than creepy.





I can't help but wonder what exactly happened between those two.



Mutatsu: Well, it's not like I've got high hopes for the future anyways...all things are unique, yet not singular. Oh, sorry kid, I'm done talkin'. Go home before it gets late, alright? ...I'll see ya later.



I remembered that I'd found the striped shirt guy's pen, and I decided to return it to him today.



Striped Shirt: Ah...welcome home, dear friend. ...Thank you for finding it for me.



Akinari: Have a seat if you'd like. I'll write something for the two of us.



Akinari: She was very...bright. Her face shone with the warm light of life.




Akinari: Misery is a harsh mistress. I feel as though I'm lying in an unyielding darkness. Can you understand how I feel?

Well, yeah, I used to write poetry like that too.



Akinari: ...




Akinari: Unless you're in my situation, you can't understand what it's like. But I prefer it that way. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. There isn't anything you can do to slow this down or make things better.




Akinari: I haven't spoken to someone my own age in a long time. ...It's natural for those in darkness to yearn for the world of light.





I'm...not sure what to think about this.




I'm fighting to save who I can, but I can't do anything for Akinari, and...it kinda hurts.



Akinari: I would rather you not come here ever again. You only live once, right? Why waste your life among the dying?



Ugh.



So yeah. Meeting Akinari put me in a dreary mood, and I wasn't even up for laughing at Aigis' questions when I got back. Instead, I'm up here blogging, and it's helped a little bit. I guess my life might be a goddamn ridiculous mess, but at least I've got one. Poor guy.

Anyway, I'm gonna go hang out with the others for awhile, but I'll write again soon. Later guys!

Coming up in the next entry: Hey, whatever happened to Cute Grade School Child?