Who; Yusuke and you!
What; Two open logs and one network
Where; All over the city
When; Early may
Warnings; Yusuke is bad at managing his own health/eating habits but otherwise nothing. I will update if anything major comes up in a thread.

( I can also do personalized starters if you want! just let me know either on Discord: WhimsicalSpook#8219 or Plurk: whimsicalspook You are also welcome to throw a starter at me if you want, I don't bite!)



1. The Arrival - Bump into him all over the city! - OTA

“This an interesting shade…” A tall, willowy young man commented absentmindedly as Raimon made his escape from the many questions that had been thrown at him moments before he handed over the welcome-bag.

It was as though he’d wandered through the looking glass… Which, to be fair, wasn’t really that strange of an idea given the way his life had progressed of late. Still, this… Didn’t look right. It was far different from Tokyo even with just a vague glance, and it certainly wasn’t mementos… At first the teen thought perhaps he’d slipped into a palace- it had happened to him once before after all, but it didn’t have the right… energy.

There were people walking around, people of substance and life. Not shadows, not a representation of how a palace's ruler saw them… Just people going about their daily business. If it weren’t for the setting, one could easily believe there was nothing strange going on. There was, though, and it was puzzling…

But also beautiful, in a way. The aesthetic of this land was somewhere between a historic drama and a fantasy, like out of a video game he’d could imagine a friend of his playing. But it was intriguing, so much so that Yusuke wasn’t really paying attention to where he walked.

He was too caught up in picking out details and perhaps how he’d approach capturing it in a piece… Not smart, no, he should be paying more attention… Or freaking out… And maybe he would, at some point, but even then? The truth would always be stranger than fiction, and he had already accepted the idea of strange worlds other than his own that were beyond understanding.


2. Network Introduction - Audio - OTA

Good afternoon, everyone.

[ A smooth, mannerly tone is heard across the network. A new one, certainly, and this is confirmed a moment later. ]

My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, and I’ve only just arrived this morning. Forgive me for asking questions that I expect most are tired of hearing by now, but I am still trying to work some things about this place out. I have managed to learn a few things around the city, so I will try to limit my inquiries to the necessities.

I’ve heard that there are some rather unpleasant creatures and entities that reside in this city, and I should think that having a means of defense and assisting in defending others would be smart. Is there a preferred weapons dealer in the city, preferably one that would carry or willing to secure a sword of my preference?

[ He wants to get his hands on a katana rather quickly, if he can. No, the teen hadn’t yet considered what that might cost. He’ll figure that out later… as per usual. ]

I’ve also been informed that there are others here who have experience with other worlds and realities than their own, and I confess I’m rather curious to hear about such things. [ Not because he has experience with such things himself. Nope. Not at all. Not him. He’s not hoping one of these people will be someone he knows, even if he hasn’t spotted familiar names on the contact list… But still, from what he’d heard it was worth asking. Yusuke moved on rather quickly to… justify his question. ] You see, I hope that hearing such things will assist me in understanding and being prepared for what I may see or encounter here… And as an artist, I can’t help but wonder what inspiration I might draw from such stories and experiences.

With that out of the way, thank you for any answers you may be so kind as to provide me. I look forward to becoming acquainted with my fellow arrivals.


3. Feed the Artist - Few days after his arrival, the market - OTA

Yusuke was settling in as well as could be expected in this strange world. Better, perhaps, than some who were plucked out of their own lives and dropped into this one. He was at least somewhat familiar with alternate worlds and realities. Monsters and quests and magic weren’t unknown to him, given his time with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

What was probably going less well than other arrivals was he didn’t do particularly well when left to his own devices for too long. Yusuke was reasonably mature for his age, even more so than some of his teammates… But the teen did have some flaws that were a bit detrimental to his own health. The first thing the young man had done upon arriving was get carried away with new projects, inspired by the sights in this world and the unique aesthetic and beauty that could be found here. So desperate to move past his art slump, and eager to catch the beauty and the emotions that could be evoked by various sights and settings, he had quickly drained his funds on supplies.

This meant a lack of money for necessities like food and other comforts, but it hadn’t really mattered too much to him when he considered it after the fact. The orphanage provided three meals a day, so he could get food easily enough… The problem was, one had to remember they were hungry and to be mindful of the time to get said meals.

Yusuke was not known for being particularly good at remembering these things. Oftentimes his teammates had to pitch in to offer him something or ask him to stay to have some curry and coffee at Leblanc’s free of charge…

There was no one here to be pester him to take care of himself, though, and so he’d fallen rather easily into old habits. Put other things off for the sake of creating what he hoped would be a masterpiece. Art takes dedication and sacrifice, Yusuke. You want to succeed, don’t you? You want to create a masterpiece worthy of praise, so keep working.

The voice in his head insisted, a lingering mindset he hadn’t put behind him, as his stomach growled loudly from where he was sitting on a bench as he sketched out a scene before him. The scene was of the market, bustling with life and energy. He frowned every so often, brows knitting lightly and muttering about someone moving before he could finish capturing their pose. “Stop moving, please!” He uttered more audibly as he felt the piece slowly falling apart in front of him, desperate to at least finish outlining the scene he wanted to paint. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad if he hadn’t been struggling with his own focus.

Some annoyed glances were cast in the teen’s direction for speaking up, and for the odd insistence in his tone. He noticed it after the fact and winced as he heard someone call him weird. The insult stung a bit, and he cast a glare in their direction on instinct. But he was reminded of a moment with the phantom’s leader when someone asked them to not be rude and to be mindful of those around them. Right… He was being rude again… But did no one understand he was trying to capture something beautiful? The energy and simple joys of life, even in the simplest moment of picking up food for meals with your loved one or looking at gifts, supporting passionate craftsman selling their wares.


For Enis

Yusuke blinked, realizing she was trying to explain the concept to him, so he offered a smile from under his mask and shook his head lightly. “Oh, no, I do know the definition of the word quite well, but thank you. I suppose I was only amused by the idea of it.” The particular irony to the idea, he supposed, though it didn’t cross his mind to explain. He was too distracted by the whispers and the woman standing before him who seemed to have answers.

“Clearly more than I was informed of when I arrived earlier…” He murmured thoughtfully, eyes wandering for a moment to the shadows again. “You’re right, of course, teamwork would be ideal when facing an unknown in the dark…” And all of this was terribly unknown compared to the strange places he was already used to. “But I’m not exactly alone, am I?” He said, more to himself than to Enis. He meant Goemon, of course, but she could take him to mean that she was there now as well.

Still, he would be smarter to not wander until he had a weapon of sorts for the occasion that calling upon an ice spell with Goemon would be foolhardy and potentially damaging to a small space. Folding his arms, one resting under his chin as he did his best to ignore the incessant sounds in the night as he opened his mouth to continue asking her about the ‘things that went bump in the night.’

But then the light catching in her eyes distracted him. “Like illuminated jewels… Such a mysterious air. I should like to capture it on canvas.” He commented with distraction, probably without the lead up that one should to suggesting such a thing, but he was blunt and to the point as ever. Thought too much of art and never considered how his words might sound.


For Mitsuru

“No… I expect that answers aren’t about to be spread out on a table for us to pick through like at a buffet, either.” Things were never so easy, and with the way this was all turning out… Even if a buffet would be nice. Both one of information and food, now that he thought about it.

“Most people are complicated in general, I think. Hard to figure out… And never what you think they are based on first impressions.” Or they were, but they were more than their first impressions and should not be lumped into a trait alone. The amount of blunders from making such assumptions was a bit steep on his part, he supposed in hindsight. “Had it been a while since you’d seen him, even before here?” Perhaps that was why it was complicated, now that he thought about it. If it was the case, then all the better that they had the chance to meet here… right? A chance to reconnect, and some comfort in an unfamiliar world and situation where things seemed very uncertain to him after only a few hours here.

What would he ask them if he could talk to them? A great many things, Yusuke supposed, if they weren’t anyone he knew… But if he ended up knowing said person somehow, perhaps the questions would be different. Best to keep those thoughts separate, the teen realized, to avoid… complicating things. Playing oblivious and unknowledgeable. That was more fitting, and he expected most of his team would agree. “I’d want to ask them more about this other reality they’ve been to… To find out if there are any similarities between that one and this?” He placed his hand under his chin, nodding slightly as he continued. “I suppose I’d also want to ask about these creatures tied to human emotions. Sounds rather…” Familiar. “Fanciful, and hard to not ponder over what that means and what they might be like.”

Yusuke hadn’t really considered his question might be a difficult one to answer. Even when she paused and seemed to break off her sentence midway for a few moments, it left him a little puzzled. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, when she continued instead and his mouth closed again and he tilted his head thoughtfully. For someone her age, the teen guessed a few years older than him at most, being in charge of the entire Kirijo Group would be an enormous responsibility and weight… The expectations placed upon someone in her position were probably more difficult than he could understand, really… “I see… That is quite the responsibility.” So he offered her a careful nod. “I believe you make a good point, though I hadn’t thought of it. It isn’t as though we’ve brought more with us to this world than our memories, talents and a few meager belongings… Simply people with pasts that hold no bearing here.”