Week 13 Story: Akira in Wonderland

(Photo from Pinterest)

One afternoon, Akira decided to go for a walk. He was still fairly new to the city, and thought it would be a good idea to get more familiar with his surroundings. He was walking through an empty alley. Empty except for a black cat that was walking on two feet.

“Oh no,” said the cat. “I’m going to be late! Everyone will be angry with me!”

Akira thought this was rather strange, so he decided to follow the cat. As soon as the world started twisting around him, he remembered that he had met that cat before. In that strange place he accidentally wound up in on the way home from school the other day, the Metaverse. He had no idea what that place was, but when they got home, the app on his phone had welcomed them back to the real world.

By “them” he meant himself and that weird kid Ryuji from school. The one his homeroom teacher told him to stay away from. Akira was in enough trouble already and didn’t need to hang out with a delinquent. Naturally, they ended up together in that strange world.

It was taking forever to land in that place, so Akira started thinking about all kinds of stuff. I hope I’m not gone too long this time. I wonder if Sojiro will miss me if I am. Who will help him make the curry if I’m not there? Will he be able to handle the shop if I’m not there to do the dishes? he thought.

He also started to think about that kid Ryuji again. And the weird cat-monster they had met the last time they ended up here. He wished he hadn’t followed it, at least not by himself.

When he finally landed, Akira caught a glimpse of the cat. Morgana, was it? He decided to follow, and found himself in a hall full of doors. The table in the center of the hall had a very small key on it. Too small for the doors. Akira looked around some more, eventually finding a small vent with a lock on it. Peering through the vent, he could see that there was a magical looking garden down below, but there was no way he would fit through the vent.

Akira returned to the table and noticed a small bottle of potion labeled “drink me.” He shrugged and decided to go for it. It tastes like Sojiro’s special curry! There was a loud popping sound, and Akira turned into a rat. I suppose I’ll fit through the vent now, he thought with a tiny rat frown.

When he ran over to the vent, he realized that he forgot the key. Akira ran back to the table and realized that he was a tiny rat that would never reach the key. Luckily, there was a little piece of cake under the table. Akira the rat took a nibble. It tasted like coffee. Jamaican Blue! How delicious! He thought. There was another loud pop, and Akira turned back into a human. He grabbed the key, took the last swig of the potion, turned back into a rat, and scampered back to the vent. He ran through and jumped down into the garden, landing with a thud.

When he got there, he was not alone. The garden was filled with all of his friends; Skull, Panther, Fox, Oracle, Queen, Noir, Crow, and even Mona, the cat.

“Joker?” asked Fox the rat. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m not sure. A minute ago I thought I had just arrived in Tokyo, but now… I know all of you.”

“What, did you eat some bad curry this morning or something?” Skull the rat asked. “You’ve been in Tokyo for months, now.”

“We’re in a palace,” said Mona, that cat who was now a rat.

“Hey guys?” Panther asked. “How are we going to open that door over there with our, umm, paws?” asked Panther.

“That is prepawsterous,” said Fox.

That was when Akira woke up. He sure hoped it was only a dream, or else he was going to have to listen to Yusuke’s terrible rat puns in real life, too.

(Photo from Polygon)

Author’s Note:

This story is based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. In the original story, Alice follows a talking rabbit down a rabbit hole and ends up in a hall of doors. The tiny key on the table opens a very small, hidden door that Alice can’t fit through. She drinks the potion to become small, forgets the key, eats cake to become very tall, and eventually gets the door open. She goes on to have many adventures in her strange world. My retelling is based on characters from the game Persona 5. The main character, Akira (Joker), is dreaming that he followed a talking cat into the Metaverse, a cognitive world inside people’s minds. In his reality, he knows the cat, and the other people who have turned into rats are his teammates, the Phantom Thieves. When he realizes that he knows them all, his friend Yusuke (also known as Fox) makes a terrible rat pun, waking him from the dream. In the game, there is a part of the cognitive world that they enter where devices turn them into rats, and they can crawl through small vents to get to new places. It becomes a very long puzzle, because rats can’t open doors. I thought that if Akira ended up in a sort of Wonderland, he would turn into a rat, which would make his life much more complicated.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Web Source.

Week 10 Story: Return of The Sun

(Photo from Pinterest)

The Phantom Thieves were in a strange part of the Metaverse where the sun didn’t shine. All they had was starlight.

“What are we supposed to do about this?” Noir asked. “We can barely see anything.”

“Maybe there’s something we can do to restore the light,” Mona, the cat, said.

“I will take care of it,” Joker said.

“What are you planning to do,” Noir asked with wide eyes.

Joker smirked. “I’m going to steal it back.”

“Hey, can I come with?” Skull asked. “I’m bored.”

Joker shrugged, and the two went off in search of the light. They glimpsed some rays on a hilltop near a cabin. A man was shoveling snow out front. Each heap of snow he threw into the air completely blocked out the sun. Joker noticed a ball of light by the cabin’s door, and smiled. “Excuse me, sir,” he said. Can we trouble you for a cup of coffee? It’s very cold outside and we’d love to warm up.”

“What? You’re thinking about coffee of all things in a place like this?” Skull asked.

Joker held a finger to his lips, then turned back to the man.

“Oh, I suppose,” he replied. “Come into the cabin.” He dropped the shovel and walked to the door. Joker snatched the ball of light and started running back down the hill.

“Ohhhh, now I get it,” Skull said. He started to run after Joker, then stopped and grabbed the shovel. “Hey, we’re gonna borrow this, mister, thanks!”

The two thieves ran all the way down the hill, breaking off pieces of the light ball and dropping them every so often. When they reached the others, they had created days and nights in the palace.

“Oh, thank you! That’s so much better!” Noir said happily.

“I think we should leave, though,” Mona said. “I’m pretty sure that shovel Skull took was the treasure, this place is about the crumble!”

They ran as fast as they could, escaping to the real world just in time. “That light thing you did was really cool, Joker, but I guess it was for nothing since the palace doesn’t exist anymore,” said Mona.

Skull smiled sheepishly. “Oops. That was my bad.”

(Photo from Pinterest)

Author’s note:

This story is based on The Bringing of the Light by Raven from Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson. In the original, the sun stops shining in a village. A boy says he can get it back, and turns into Raven. He finds a man at the top of a hill shoveling snow, which is blocking the light. He tells the man he wants to live with him since his village is too dark. When the man agrees and invites him in, he steals the ball of light by the porch and the shovels and runs back towards the village, breaking off pieces of light every so often, creating days and nights. The man chases after him, but because he is Raven, the boy quickly flies away. I have used characters from the game Persona 5 in my retelling. In the game, a group called the Phantom Thieves can enter a cognitive world in people’s minds called the Metaverse. A particular person’s cognitive world is referred to as a palace. To create a change of heart in a person who has gone astray, the thieves have to steal the core of the palace, called its treasure. I thought it would be fun to set this story in the Metaverse where the sun could go missing. The thieves end up stealing the light back, but also take the shovel, which turns out to be the treasure. When the treasure is taken, the palace crumbles and ceases to exist.

The Bringing of the Light by Raven from Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson. Web Source.

Week 9 Story: The Thief Who Drew Cats

(Photo from Persona Central)

Yusuke Kitagawa had been drawing since he was a young boy. He could barely remember his mother, as she passed away when he was just three years old. Raised by his art teacher, he was rarely without a paintbrush in his hand.

When he became Fox of the Phantom Thieves, he found that he could only draw cats. Black cats, orange cats, striped cats, fat cats, cats in bowties, cats wearing bandanas. The last he attributed to his teammate Morgana’s influence. Morgana was cute both in cat form and in the Metaverse where he walked on two legs, with his adorable yellow bandana.

Yusuke became frustrated with his inability to draw anything else. He decided to ask his friends for advice. “What should I draw? It must be something aesthetically pleasing.”

“You should draw Morgana,” Akira said with a smile.

“What?! Why the hell would he want to draw Mona?” Ryuji asked. “You’re really strange, dude.”

“I think a sunrise would be really beautiful,” Ann contributed.

“Aha! I know what to do now! I have to go, I must paint!” And with that, Yusuke was gone. The next morning he was the proud craftsman of a lovely painting… of Morgana watching the sun rise.

He stopped by the cafe to show Akira his painting. “I don’t understand,” he said. “I can’t seem to stop drawing cats.”

“What’s wrong with cats?” Akira asked. “I think it’s a great painting, don’t you Morgana?”

“Yes, well he did paint my good side, that’s for sure!” Morgana said with a wink.

(Photo by Candra at Deviantart)

Depressed by his strange art slump, Yusuke visited the church for inspiration. He told the priest of his troubles while he was there. “Why don’t you stay with me at the church for a while,” the priest offered. “I can teach you to paint the angels and the sun and all of the prophets.” Yusuke agreed. He packed a bag and spent a week living with the priest. He learned to draw all of the things he was promised, and more, but also still couldn’t stop drawing cats. When the week was up, the priest frowned. “I think you will make a fine artist someday, but for now, maybe you should go draw cat portraits or something."

This put Yusuke in an even more gloomy mood. He was afraid to go back home. What if the others were ashamed of his failure? No, he wouldn’t go back until he succeeded in creating art that didn’t have cats in it.

As he walked aimlessly, he came across another church. This one was strange, full of cobwebs and dust and empty of people. “I wonder where the priest has gone?” Yusuke thought. “Perhaps I will clean up for him while I wait.” He spent hours cleaning the church, sweeping away the dust and the webs. When he finished, he was very tired. “I think I will lay down for awhile. I want to feel rested when the priest comes back, so I can ask him to teach me to paint something besides cats.” Before he went to sleep, he drew one more cat picture, a lovely portrait of Morgana in his yellow bandana on the wall.

(Photo by blazpu on Deviantart)

Yusuke heard terrible screams in the night. It sounded like animals fighting. He rushed out to see what was going on. He found a huge, dead rat in the middle of the floor, and noticed that his portrait of Morgana was now covered in blood. “My god! The drawing must have come to life and killed the rat!” Yusuke exclaimed.

Just then, Morgana popped off the wall, solid and made of flesh and blood. “What are you doing, you idiot! Why did you summon me here? And why are you in the Metaverse alone?” Morgana asked.

“Summon you? Metaverse? Wait…” Yusuke felt confused as he tried to absorb what had happened. “I accidentally activated the MetaNav and entered the Metaverse?” he asked the cat.

“Yep. Then I guess you drew me on the wall, and I ended up here, too. Just in time, that huge rat monster was about to eat you.”

“Forgive me, Morgana, and thank you for saving me.”

“Anytime. But we should probably go home, now. Akira will be worried.”

On the way out of the church, they ran into the priest Yusuke had been waiting for, and he paid Yusuke 100 yen for his cat drawing that saved the church from the rat monster.

When they returned to the real world, Yusuke told his friends the tale of how he got paid 100 yen for his portrait of Morgana. From then on, the Phantom Thieves referred to him as the Thief Who Drew Cats.

Author’s Note:

This story is a retelling of The Painter of Cats from Japanese folk stories and fairy tales, by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet. In the original story, a young boy drives his parents crazy by doing nothing but draw cats. When he draws a cat on his mother’s sash for her kimono, they get angry and send him to live with a priest. He studies and learns from the priest, and enjoys the work, but he still draws cats. The priest becomes angry when he draws cats on the walls of the temple and sends him away. The boy is afraid to face his parents, so he decides to look for another temple. He finds one that is dirty and empty. He cleans it up, draws cats on the wall, and goes to sleep. In the night, he hears animals fighting. A huge rat goblin is dead on the floor in the morning, and his cat pictures are covered in blood. He assumes they must have killed the rat. The priests are grateful and pay him 20 yen for saving their church from the rat goblin. In the future, he tells his art students that the first piece of art he sold was a picture of cats for 20 yen, and they call him the Painter of Cats. In this retelling, I have used characters from the game Persona 5. Yusuke is an artist who is having a slump and asks his friends what he should paint. One of the options for Akira (the main protagonist of the game) to answer with is that he should paint the cat, Morgana. In the game, their group called the Phantom Thieves have the ability to enter a cognitive world called the Metaverse. I thought it would be fun if Yusuke accidentally entered that world, and his drawing lured Morgana the cat in as well, to fight with the rat.

The Painter of Cats from Japanese folk stories and fairy tales, by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet. Web Source.

Week 7 Story: Coffee and Curry

“Akira,” Sojiro began. “I have a favor to ask.”

Akira looked up. He was curious about what his guardian could possibly need his help with, besides washing dishes in the cafe. “Do you want me to brew the coffee?” he asked hopefully.

“No, no, I can handle that myself. Besides, you’re still learning.”

“I could start the curry, then. You taught me the special recipe and I’ve gotten much better at making it.”

“It’s not like that,” Sojiro said, looking serious. “It’s my daughter, Futaba.”

“You… have a daughter? Why am I just finding out about this now?” Akira looked at his cat, Morgana. The cat just shrugged and went back to grooming. “Sojiro?”

“It’s a long story! Futaba isn’t well. Her mother committed suicide a couple of years ago, and it’s always been hard for her. Over the past 6 months, it’s gotten much worse. She refuses to leave her room at all.”

“Oh,” Akira said gently. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He looked down for a moment, feeling awkward. Then he raised his head defiantly. “Wait a minute, what exactly do you think I can do about it?”

“Oh, come on. I know there are things you aren’t telling me. Things that you can do. Stuff like those ridiculous Phantom Thieves that are always on the news.”

“You think I’m-”

“No. Let’s just leave it be. I don’t want to know anything more than I have to, alright?”

Akira nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Just help me out! If you save Futaba, I’ll… give you her hand in marriage or something.”

Akira and Morgana went up to their room in the attic. The cat spoke, referring to Akira by his codename. “So what are we going to do, Joker? We’re going to help Futaba, aren’t we? It sounds like she might be in serious trouble.”

“I agree,” Akira replied. He opened the MetaNav and spoke the name ‘Futaba Sakura’ into it, instantly getting a hit. “She has a palace. It sounds like we might need to change her heart. I’ll contact the other Thieves right away.”

(Photo from Megami Tensei Wiki)

It turned out that Futaba wanted to leave her palace. She wanted to heal her heart. But she was trapped inside by a shadow called Yamata no Orochi, the eight-forked serpent. Joker sent the rest of his teammates to deal with finding a route to Futaba’s treasure. “I need your help with a special task, Mona”, he said to the cat.

“Anything you need!” Mona replied. “So what’s the plan?”

“We’re going to trick the serpent,” Joker replied. “See those eight doors? The snake will be coming to this very spot. We’re going to put out some bait to slow it down,” he said with a mischievous smile.

“What kind of bait?” Mona asked. Joker opened his bag. He pulled out 8 bowls, a big container, and a thermos. “Wait, did you seriously bring a bunch of coffee and curry with you?”

Joker nodded. “The curry should make it feel full, slowing it down. Least that’s what it always does to me when I eat it. And the coffee will make it feel hyper and dizzy.”

“I see,” said Mona. “So we’re going to feed half of its heads the curry, and half the coffee, to confuse it, right?”

“Right!” Joker exclaimed with a brilliant smile.

And so they put out bowls of coffee and curry. Joker and Mona waited patiently in the shadows. Then the serpent came and ate the curry, and drank the coffee. It became sluggish and dizzy, losing motor control due to the conflicting states it was in. Joker began shooting some of the heads, while Mona aimed his slingshot at the others. Before long it was knocked down, and Joker dealt it the final blow with his knife. When it was quiet again, a short girl with long, orange hair emerged. She gave Joker a shy smile. “Thanks! You saved my life.”

“Come on, we have to hurry and take the treasure!” Mona said excitedly. They joined the rest of the Phantom Thieves, finished the job, and headed home.

They arrived at the cafe just before closing. Akira and Futaba walked in together, with Morgana hitching a ride in Akira’s bag. Sojiro almost dropped the mug he was holding. “F-Futaba! I can’t believe it!”

“Curry please, Sojiro, I hunger!” Futaba announced, sitting at the counter. Akira sat beside her while Sojiro dished up two plates of his special curry for them. When they finished eating, Sojiro’s smile faded into one of shock.

“What’s wrong with your face?” Futaba asked.

“Oh, uh, I sort of… promised this guy your hand in marriage if he rescued you,” Sojiro replied with a blush.

Futaba looked at Akira. “Hmm. I might be down with that. I guess time will tell!”

(Photo from Pinterest)

Author’s Note:

This story is based on The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi from Romance of Old Japan by E. W. Champney and F. Champney. In the original version, the princess Kushinada-hime’s parents offer the god Susa-no-wo her hand in marriage if he saves her from the serpent. He leaves out 8 bowls of sake, and the snake becomes intoxicated. Susa-no-wo easily kills it, and marries the princess. I have based my retelling on characters from the game Persona 5. Akira (Joker) and Morgana (Mona) live in the attic of Sojiro Sakura’s cafe. In the game, his daughter Futaba asks Akira’s group of vigilantes, The Phantom Thieves, to change her heart. They have the ability to enter a cognitive world in people’s minds when their thoughts become distorted, using a navigation app on their phones. They steal the core of the distortion, thought of as a treasure, which triggers a “change of heart” by changing their cognition. In my version, I decided to mix the two together. One of the game's many enemies is Yamata no Orochi, who is based on the eight-forked serpent of Koshi. I thought it would be fun to have Sojiro offer Akira his daughter’s hand in marriage for saving her life. Since all they serve at the cafe is coffee and curry, I liked the idea of being able to slow down the snake with the things our heroes had on hand at the cafe.


The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi from Romance of Old Japan by E. W. Champney and F. Champney. Web Source.

Week 6 Story: A Fox and an Oracle

(Photo from Pinterest)

It came to be that The Phantom Thieves were inside a palace, fighting a group of shadows.

“Good job, Fox, that was quite witty of you,” said Mona after the battle was finished.

Oracle snorted. “Fox?! Witty? I’ll believe that when I see it!”

“Hey, now,” Fox responded. “That is rather closed minded of you. Of course I am witty. My name even implies it.”

“Your name implies it? Umm, HELLO! My name is Oracle. Now that implies wit. Stupid Inari,” muttered Oracle.

“I beg your pardon,” Fox said, his voice beginning to rise above its usual soft tone. “There is absolutely no way that you are more witty than I am.”

“Ha! No, I am not ok with that! I am No-K!” Oracle shouted. “I-I… I challenge you to a… battle of wits!”

“A battle of wits?” Fox let a nefarious chuckle escape. “I accept your challenge.”

Skull rolled his eyes. “Oh man, not this again. You guys, we’re gonna be here all day if we let these two go at it.”

Joker just shrugged.

“Seriously?” Skull whined. “But mom was supposed to make my favorite dinner tonight.” He sighed and walked off, sulking.

“I think it sounds like a fun idea!” said Noir cheerfully. “Although, I happen to think that you’re both quite witty.”

“Oh no no,” Oracle said in a singsong voice, wagging her finger. “We are most definitely not matched in wit.”

“Agreed,” said Fox. “We will compete to see who is the wittiest of all.”

“And I will emerge victorious!” Oracle announced boldly.

Joker put his hand on the top of her head, which barely reached the center of his chest. “Calm down,” he said softly.

So The Phantom Thieves thought about what kind of challenge they could do while exploring the palace.

“Oooh, I know!” Oracle exclaimed. “Let’s ask that shadow up there to help divide up our ‘children’ in the divorce,” she said slyly.

“What?! You and I married? How preposterous,” glared Fox.

“Actually, that’s pretty perfect,” Joker said quietly. “Whoever outsmarts the shadow wins the title of Wittiest Thief.”

“Oh yeah, great idea!” Panther said with a smile. “Then we can finally go home!”

Fox and Oracle approached the shadow together. “Should we hold hands?” asked Fox. “We’re supposed to be married, aren’t we?”

“Eww, no! We’re getting a divorce, remember?!” Oracle said under her breath.

Fox cleared his throat and spoke to the shadow. “Hello kind sir. Would you be able to lend us some assistance?”

Joker and the other Thieves held their breath around the corner. It was entirely possible that the shadow would simply attack them. Thankfully, they were prepared to intervene at a moment’s notice.

The shadow snarled and drew its weapon. “Ahh!” Fox yelled, startled. He wasn’t sure how, but he ended up crouched behind Oracle’s tiny figure.

Oracle was not shaken at all. “My, what a lovely sword you have there. Say, we were thinking, since you’re so dark, tall and handsome, maybe you can solve a little disagreement for us. My… husband and I are getting a divorce, and we can’t decide how to split up our seven, umm, children. Think you can help?” she said with a mischievous smile.

“She’s a much better actress than you, Panther,” Skull whispered in the shadows.

“Shut up!” Panther whispered back, elbowing Skull in the ribs.

The shadow considered Oracle’s proposal for a moment. If he agreed to divvy up these so called kids, he could kill all of the intruders at once, instead of just these two. “Fine. Take me to the children.”

“Oh, great, right this way!” Oracle said loudly with a plastic smile. Then she whispered to the others, “safe room, go go go!” She and Fox led the shadow back to the nearest safe room, where the rest of the Thieves had run to. Fox, still in a panic, ran into the room behind them. Oracle stayed at the open door. “So? What do you think?” She smiled brightly as she began to close the door.

“Wait, what are you doing?” the shadow yelled as she slammed the door. He tried to open it but the palace’s distortion was too weak inside the room. There was no way to get in, and the intruders got away.

“Not bad, right?” Oracle asked, beaming at Joker. He smiled back proudly. “Inari? Don’t you have something to say to me?” Oracle spun towards him. He towered over her in height, yet he looked incredibly small at the moment.

“You are in fact much wittier than I,” Fox said, bowing before her.

“Whoo hoo, now that’s what I like to hear!” Oracle shouted happily. The Thieves all shared a laugh together as they walked back to the subway.

(Photo by Freinoir Art)

Author’s Note:

This story is based on A Fox and His Wife from Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas. In the original, the characters are an actual fox and his wife. Mr. Fox brags about how witty he is, but when faced with a tiger he panics. His wife outsmarts the tiger, asking it to follow them back to their hole to help them divide their five children between them. The tiger figures eating 7 foxes is even better than eating two, and is fooled by her flattery, so he agrees. When they arrive, Mrs. Fox backs down the hole having outsmarted the tiger, as it can’t reach into such a small space. In my version, I have used characters from the game Persona 5. Fox and Oracle are constantly bickering, so I figured they would disagree on which one of them has more wit. In the game, the group they belong to, the Phantom Thieves, can enter into a person’s cognitive “palace” if said person develops a distortion. In the palace they would fight shadows, including the shadow self belonging to the palace owner. Rooms within the palace are referred to as safe rooms because the distortion is not as strong in those spots. This allows the Thieves to take refuge, because the shadows can’t follow them inside. I thought it would be fun to have Oracle live up to her wise name by outsmarting a shadow when she leads it to a safe room and slams the door in its face.


A Fox and His Wife from Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas. Web Source.

Week 5 Story: Crow's Great Sacrifice - Major Persona 5 Spoilers!

(Photo from Pinterest)

Crow had followed his plan to the letter, spending months getting close to Joker, followed by several weeks of making friends and teammates with the Phantom Thieves. He became much more emotionally invested in Joker than he had counted on. He started visiting the cafe more and more often, staying later into the evening in hopes of having a brief conversation with the boy before going home. Crow had never felt a real connection with anyone before. And yet he spent countless nights at the cafe waiting, then telling Joker way more about himself than he ever meant to. It made carrying out the plan much more difficult for Crow, but he went through with it anyway.

Crow was completely shocked to find out that Joker and the others had outsmarted him. He had been absolutely fooled by their plot. He expected to feel full of rage, but instead he felt… proud. Impressed. Awed. And when Joker tried to talk him down and change his mind, it made him very, very angry. They were inside his father’s palace. The man who rejected his mother and abandoned her. The one who never even knew he had a son, let alone cared about him. The one who had been using him to gain political favor. Using him to kill. The killing didn’t bother Crow anymore at this point, not really, but his ultimate goal of killing his father had to be achieved, no matter what. And so Joker stood before him, telling him to give it up, and all Crow could do was laugh.

He showed them all his true self, and his true powers. How interesting that he and Joker shared similar abilities. Was that why Crow felt so connected to him? But he didn’t have Crow’s true power, the ability to cause someone to go mad. To bring about a mental shutdown that ultimately led to their death. He showed the Phantom Thieves what he could do, that he was special, and they defeated him anyway. It made him feel sick and broken when they still begged him to let them help. When they forgave him for killing their loved ones, for trying to kill Joker. Until he became a Phantom Thief, Crow had no idea that there was another way, a way to change a heart instead of killing. If he had met them a few years ago when he first discovered his powers, things could have been completely different.

Crow was about to accept, he really was. Joker had promised that they could change his father’s heart together, that it didn’t have to end like this. That they didn’t have to be enemies. The boy tugged at his heart. No one else ever really had. Joker believed in him. That was when his father sent a cognitive version of himself to kill him. If he wasn’t going to follow orders, he would be eliminated, by another version of himself. He knew that the cognition would also kill Joker and the others after he was gone. That no longer felt like an acceptable outcome. His cognitive self shot at him, but he wasn’t done fighting yet. When the alarms began going off, he knew it was his turn to act like a leader for a change. His powers were the same as Joker’s, so that made them the same in other ways, didn’t it?

Joker held his hand out, begging him to do it together, but Crow shook his head. He fired his gun, causing a partition to come down between Crow and the shadows, and Joker and the Thieves. The side Crow was on would flood. Joker would be saved. “No!” Joker yelled in anguish. “Don’t do this! You can’t survive this on your own!” Joker and Crow each placed a hand on either side of the partition.

A shot was fired on Crow’s side, and Oracle screamed. “No! What happened!”

Joker spoke quietly. “He knew he couldn’t survive this, but he had to try. He had to try and do the right thing this time. There’s no way for us to get to him in time; if he wasn’t shot to death, he will drown.”

The Thieves all mourned the loss of their friend, and promised to change his father’s heart.

(Photo from Pinterest)

Author’s Note:

This story is a retelling of The Crow that Thought It Knew from Eastern Stories and Legends by Shedlock. In the original, Buddha becomes a crow named Viraka, and a crow named Savitthaka pledges to be his servant in exchange for some of the fish that Viraka brings up from the bottom of the water. Savitthaka doesn’t understand that Viraka is a marsh crow and he is not. He thinks that because they look the same, he can do the things Viraka does. He tells Viraka that he will get his own fish from now on, and dives into the lake and drowns even after Viraka warns him. When Savitthaka’s wife asks Viraka where he has gone, he replies with the following:

"He was not born to dive beneath the wave,

But what he could not do he needs must try;

So the poor bird has found a watery grave,

Entangled in the weeds, and left to die.”

This made me think of the ending to Crow’s story in the game Persona 5. I have not really changed much about the way it happens, so it is sort of a retelling of its own.

“The Crow that Thought It Knew” from Eastern Stories and Legends by Shedlock. Web Source.

Week 4 Story: Behind the Mask

(Photo from Pinterest)

When Lady Ann entered the castle by accident, she had no idea she would become the thief called Panther. Even less clear was that she would end up falling head over heals for the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Joker. Ann had never fit in at school in Japan. She was foreign and beautiful with long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Everyone made the assumption that she was stuck up and thought she was better than everyone. Other than Shiho who had made friends with her and was the only person who never seemed to care about Ann’s appearance, she was friendless.

She had followed two boys towards the school, and accidentally ended up somewhere else. A castle? She didn’t understand the half of what was going on, but the volleyball coach who had been harassing Ann and Shiho, Kamoshida, was there. He was decked out in a pair of pink boxers, a royal looking robe and a crown, and ordering a bunch of shadow monsters to kill her. Ann had been so confused, but eventually her anger got the best of her and the spirit of rebellion within her released her persona, Carmen. That was how Ann had become a member of the Phantom Thieves, along with the two boys she had followed there. She was certain the blonde one was Ryuji. He talked like a fool and had the same build and mannerisms. Ann didn’t really consider him a friend, but they had gone to middle school together, so she was well aware of how be sounded and behaved. For some reason, they were using code names. Ryuji was known in this world as Skull, the weird cat-looking thing was Mona, and the leader was called Joker.

They all had on masks and costumes, so it was difficult to tell who Joker really was. He wasn’t someone too familiar. But he was beautiful and charismatic. The way he held himself confidently, how he athletically leaped from the chandeliers, and how gracefully he flipped his body into action when fighting the shadows. It was all perfection in Ann’s eyes. She wanted badly to know who he was.

When they took a break in a safe room, she playfully tried to raise his mask. She just wanted a peek at what else was behind there, other than those piercing grey eyes. But his hand shot out, preventing her from removing the mask, accompanied by a quiet but firm “no”.

As they continued to explore the castle, watching Joker slink through the shadows was enticing. Each time she got a glance at him in the light, Ann couldn’t keep her eyes off of the way he moved, perplexed at who he could be. Ryuji had no friends, at least not since the track team had been disbanded. Mona kept engaging her in conversation, giving her lessons about the world, but Ann couldn’t stay focused on the cat.

When the group was finally too tired to continue for the day, they exited the Metaverse. She was shocked to find herself back in normal clothing, standing beside Ryuji, an actual kitty cat, and that new transfer student that sat behind her in homeroom. “Wait, seriously?! Kurusu, right? The transfer student?”

“Akira,” he replied with a soft smile. “Do you like coffee?” he asked. ‘I live above a cafe.” He took her arm and they began walking.

“Ugh!” Ryuji called after them. “Coffee is so bitter! Guess I’ll catch you at school tomorrow!”

The cat ran at their heels, trying desperately to keep up. “Slow down, Akira! I live at the cafe, too, Lady Ann! I can’t wait to show you our room!”

(Photo by Autumn-Sacura)

Author’s Note:

This story is based on Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius. In the original, Psyche is not allowed to see what her husband looks like. Her jealous sisters talk her into peeking at him while he sleeps. She is afraid he might be some sort of monster and plans to kill him, but she instead finds the handsome Cupid asleep in her bed. He wakes, and his mother Venus is angry when she finds out about his involvement with the beautiful mortal girl she hates. Venus makes Psyche complete impossible tasks and still won’t allow her to be with Cupid. In the end, Jupiter allows them to marry and forces Venus to accept it. For my retelling, I have again used characters from the game Persona 5. When Ann accidentally stumbles into the Metaverse, the others are wearing costumes and masks. She’s quick to figure out who Ryuji is, but Joker is more of a mystery until they return to the real world. I thought it would be fun to play with that, keeping her in the dark for awhile.


"Cupid and Psyche" from The Golden Ass by Apuleius. Web Source.

Week 3 Story: Manifested Mice Taste Better Than Nothing

(Photo by Aosora Aoi)

Morgana had been living happily in the attic above the cafe with Akira for some time now. Despite how much he wished to be a human, living as Akira’s companion made being a cat not so bad. The only problem was the food situation. Meals were already somewhat scarce, with Sojiro only providing two plates of cat food for Morgana and a plate of curry at breakfast for Akira. As the Phantom Thieves had been taking on more difficult targets, most of their money went to better weapons and armor, and higher quality healing items. Also as time went on, the cafe saw less customers come through the door. They eventually were reduced to one plate of cat food and a smaller plate of curry each day.

“Do you think the chief will get some more customers soon?” Morgana asked one night as his stomach rumbled in hunger.

“No idea,” Akira responded. “Do you want me to find some extra time to work? That way we can buy some more food?”

“You already spend all of your time working when we’re not busy with the Phantom Thieves. I don’t know how you could possibly work any more than that.”

A few weeks later, Morgana was so hungry and tired from trying to scavenge for food that he couldn’t take it anymore. “I think it would be best if we ended our arrangement. There just isn’t enough food here for the both of us.”

“Mona, if you leave, this cat food will just go to waste. I’m… probably not going to eat it. And you’ll be even hungrier if you don’t eat it. It’s already nearly impossible to scavenge food around here, so you’ll be eating even less if you go.”

“The chief can save the money he would have spent on cat food, and use it to make more curry. Then you’ll be able to fight better because you’ll have more energy. I’ll just go somewhere where I can scavenge better. I am a cat after all! There must be a part of Tokyo that has plenty of mice for me to hunt!”

So Morgana left the next morning, after the breakfast that Akira insisted he eat. He wandered the districts of Tokyo in search of mice and scraps, be he was hardly able to find anything. It became apparent that the life of a stray cat was not good for Morgana. After about a week with little more than some water from a drainpipe, he had a brilliant idea! Morgana headed back to Shibuya, and pawed at the door to the Velvet Room. He had seen Akira go inside many times, and when he asked, Akira had told him about Igor. It was a magical place, so it was sure to have plenty of food, right? If not, it was possible it had a mouse problem. After a few minutes of pawing and meowing at the door, it was flung open.

“Please help, I’m so hungry!” Morgana whined.

“Welcome back to the Velvet Room,” the long-nosed man who must have been Igor said.

“Welcome… back?” Morgana asked.

Igor just shook his head. “You will understand in time. Is there something that I can help you with?”

“I.. I am starving and I can’t find food anywhere. I was hoping we could make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes. I was actually hoping that you might be having a problem with mice. I’m a… cat, so I could help you with that.”

“I see. And what would you get in exchange?”

“I would get nourishment from the mice, and perhaps you could spare a warm place to sleep?”

“Hmm… I believe I would find this agreeable,” Igor replied. “You can sleep on the bed in that cell.”

“Is that - I mean, that’s where Akira visits, isn’t it? He and I have ended our deal. I should probably try not to see him outside of our work as the Phantom Thieves,” Morgana said reluctantly.

“Then I will alert you before he enters the room, so you may hide in the back.”

Morgana nodded and walked into the cell. He curled up on the bed to take a nap. He was hungry, but the journey here left him feeling completely exhausted. Once Morgana was asleep, Igor quickly manifested a few mice for him to catch when he woke from his slumber.

Meanwhile, Akira was absolutely miserable without him. While he didn’t think of Morgana as a pet, he was his closest friend and Akira felt lonely without him. He continued to put a plate of cat food outside the shop each morning in case he was close by and hungry. Akira’s world no longer sparkled without his favorite companion at his side.

One day before a mission, he entered the Velvet Room. To his surprise, Morgana was curled up in a ball, sleeping on the bed in his cell. “Mona!” he shouted excitedly.

Morgana woke, startled. “Joker? What are you doing here?! I told you our arrangement is over! You should be home regaining your strength!”

“I don’t want to be home without you, Morgana. It’s just not the same. I have sold some of my armor and gotten some less expensive pieces. We’ll be able to afford more food now. Please come home?”

Morgana sighed. He had a hard time saying no to his best friend, especially when he looked all sad like that. “Fine! But as soon as we have enough extra, you’re buying me some sushi!” He talked tough, but on the inside he was touched that Akira would risk his safety to provide for him. They went home together, both happy to resume their arrangement.



Author's Note:

This story is based on a Jewish fairy tale called "The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog." In the original story, the dog and cat were named by Adam and get along like the best of friends, even sharing food with one another. When food becomes scarce, the cat insists they go their separate ways and agree to never meet again. This makes the dog sad, but he honors the cat's wishes. The cat ends up living in the house of Adam, hunting mice and is happy, forgetting all about the dog. The dog has a harder time finding food and shelter without harm coming to himself other animals. He eventually meets Adam, who insists he come live with him. When the cat sees him there he is angry and the two fight. This story is an explanation of why cats and dogs don't get along. In my retelling, I have again based my story on characters from the game Persona 5. Akira, the main character, and Morgana, the talking cat have made an arrangement to live together. For this story, I have exaggerated the fact that the cafe is low on customers, making food scarce. I thought it would be fun for Morgana to look for a home in the Velvet Room, a magical place where Akira goes for aid throughout the game. Igor, the magical man who is in charge of the Velvet Room, would have to manifest the mice to help Morgana, because there wouldn't be real mice running around a place that doesn't exist in reality. I changed the ending to get Akira and Morgana back together as they should be.


"The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog" from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa. Web Source.

Week 2 Story: The cat, the leader, and the blonde monkey

(Photo: screenshot from YouTube)

Once upon a time, a cat was stuck in a jail cell in the basement of a castle. He was angry and afraid and felt foolish for being caught. By chance, two boys walked by.

“Hey, hey!” called the cat. “Help! Please open the cell, the key is right there!”

The boys came to a stop, and gaped at the cat. He wasn’t your typical house cat. He was more of a “cat-like creature”. His head was rather round and large, and he stood on two feet.

“What the heck is that?!” exclaimed the blonde one. The dark haired one just shrugged. He seemed unbothered by the entire situation. It was clear from his behavior that he was the leader. He appeared collected and confident even though he was inside this dangerous world in someone’s mind.

“I think we should get going, man,” the blonde said to the leader. “They’re going to catch us if we don’t get out of here!”

The leader nodded, and they started to walk away. The cat began to panic. “W-Wait!” he shouted. He calmed himself, knowing that the only way to freedom was to trick the boys into letting him out. When he spoke again, his tone was smug. “You’re looking for the way out, right? I can show you if you let me out of here.”

The leader stopped, casually raising an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Yes!” the cat said eagerly. “I’d be happy to help you escape. I know my way all around this palace.”

“Hmm,” the leader said quietly. “How do we know you aren’t the enemy as well?”

“Of course I’m not! The enemy locked me up in this jail cell!”

“That’s true… although it’s also true that you’re locked up in a jail cell… “

“Huh?” asked the blonde. “Oh, right, and it’s some cat monster, so who knows what it’ll do if we let it out. It might even try to eat us for dinner!”

The cat rolled it’s eyes. “Why on earth would I eat you for dinner? And I am not a cat!”

The blonde began to walk away. “He totally looks like a cat, am I right? Come on man, let’s get out of here while we still can.”

“Wait! I can help. I promise you, I’m not a monster, and I’m not going to eat you. Please, open the cell and I’ll show you the way out.”

“I’m.. not sure what I should do,” the leader admitted quietly to the blonde. “But I think setting it free is the best way to go.” The leader picked the key up and opened the lock. The door swung open, and the cat pranced out.

“Mrowhowhowhow!” said the cat. “All that’s left now is to decide how best to have you two for dinner!”

“Wait, what?!” the blonde said incredulously. “I thought it said it didn’t want to eat us? And seriously, don’t cats eat fish or something?”

“For the millionth time, I am not a cat!” said the cat.

The blonde replied loudly. “I told you it’s just some stupid cat! It can’t help us escape, and now it wants to eat us!”

“What did you say, you stupid blonde monkey?!” the cat exclaimed angrily.

The leader stood back, quietly observing as the cat creature schooled the blonde. He seemed to have a desire to set the record straight, whether any of it made sense to the boys or not.

“I am no cat. I am a human! And I was going to help you escape, but because you’re such an idiot, now I’m going to eat you!”

“Wait, run that by me again? You’re totally not a human, you stupid monster cat,” said the blonde.

The cat took a deep breath, trying to calm itself before it spoke again. “I am not a cat. My name is Morgana. I am a human.”

“So wait, lemme get this straight,” the blonde said to the leader. “This cat came walking by, and you were in a cell, and..”

“No, you imbecile!” said the cat. “I am the cat!”

“Right, you’re a cat…”

“No, a human! I’m not a cat, I’m a human! And I was in the cell!”

“Right, you were in the cell,” the blonde said, nodding his head.

“And I was put in this cell -”

“How did you get in the cell, anyway?” the blonde asked.

“What?” said the cat. “The same way anyone does.”

“Sorry, I still don’t get it, what’s the same way anyone gets in the cell?” the blonde asked innocently.

The cat walked into the cell. “Like this! I walked in! Now do you get it?!”

The blonde pushed the cell door shut, smiling in satisfaction as it locked. “Ohhhhh, I get it now. Well, it’s been fun, cat. Let’s go, man.” He high fived the leader who smirked as the two boys turned and walked away.

“That’ll teach that stupid cat to call me an idiot,” the blonde mumbled.

“True. We should probably go back for him, though. He did say he knew the way out,” said the leader.

“Eh, let’s let him sweat it out for awhile. I kind of wanted to check this place out a little more before we leave, anyway.”

Author’s Note:

This story is based on The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal. In the original story, a tiger is trapped in a cage, and persuades a Brahman who walks by into letting him out. The tiger promises not to eat him, and to be his servant. The Brahman asks for advice on how to handle the situation after letting the tiger out and finding out he does intend to eat the Brahman. The jackal says he can’t understand the situation, so he goes to see for himself and asks questions. The tiger becomes frustrated by the jackal’s stupidity, and demonstrates how he got in the cage by stepping into it. The jackal outsmarts the tiger by closing the cage, and no one gets eaten. The setting of my story takes place in the game Persona 5, where the main character and his brand new friend Ryuji meet the cat Morgana in a cognitive world. Morgana is trapped in a jail cell and promises to help them escape if they let him out of the cell. In the game, they let him out, and he helps as promised. Throughout the game, Morgana picks on Ryuji for his lack of intelligence, so I thought it would be fun to see Ryuji outsmart the cat for a change. Morgana often refers to Ryuji as a "stupid, blonde monkey" when he doesn't understand something. Also, Morgana prefers sushi and cat food, and would not have eaten the boys.


“The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal” from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten. Web Source.