#patchy babbles

This AU's setting would condense most of the notable SW planets into continents/countries/cities on one planet; there wouldn't be any space travel, though technology would probably be better than in a medieval fantasy setting. Dragons are rare and I'm thinking the knowledge of their intelligence and that they can also be people is not well-known (either a closely guarded secret or actively suppressed)--and they're also being actively hunted by the Republic/Empire under the justification that dragons are extremely dangerous (this is Palpatine's fault, and he has far more nefarious reasons for hunting them down). I haven't worked out all the worldbuilding details, but I think the Jedi are a subset of dragons who serve as guardians where they can; recently, though, they've been forced to hide due to being hunted.

In this world, Cody and Rex are wardens (possibly heading up a small group of rangers) of a large woody/mountainous area bordering a very rural town far from the center of the Republic; the land was claimed and the town founded by the Mereel-Fett family after unrest in Mandalore forced Jaster Mereel (Jango Fett's adoptive father, Cody and Rex's grandfather) and his clan to leave. Mandalorians have a complicated history with dragons, but Jaster liked to tell stories about Tarre Vizla, a Mandalorian leader long ago who either was close friends with a dragon or was a dragon himself; details passed down through the centuries seem unclear. Jango's never been that interested in the tales, but Rex and especially Cody enjoyed them growing up.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka moved to the town together pretty recently; I think Obi-Wan runs a bookshop (or maybe a small library? A fusion of the two?), while Anakin works as a mechanic who's teaching Ahsoka the trade as well. Cody likes to read and chats with Obi-Wan when he stops by for books, while Rex brings the rangers' equipment to Anakin and Ahsoka for professional servicing (Rex tinkers a bit himself, but Anakin's a wizard) and they become fast friends. Of course, the friendly neighborhood bookkeeper and mechanics don't tell anyone that they're also dragons, including the Fetts, but Cody and Rex find out the truth eventually.

The only thing I actually started writing for this beyond notes is a scene just after Obi-Wan (in dragon form) fights Grievous (also a dragon but not a Jedi) somewhere deep in the Fetts' protected area. Cody had been doing a sweep/patrol at the time and witnessed at least part of the fight, and he goes to investigate the aftermath.

Warning that it's more gruesome than I usually go, what with blood and a dead dragon. This is just also the most snippable portion of what little I have, I think.

There is a deafening thud, and then— Silence. Cody slowly approaches the edge of the ravine and looks down. A hulking white shape lies still at the base of the rocky slope, red pooling under its gash-ridden body. It’s hard to tell from a distance what precisely killed it, but the lack of motion and abundance of blood suggest that either it’s dead or will be soon. Partially obscured, a smaller brown shape lies behind the great white beast, closer to the river; it seems similarly bloodied and still. Cody feels a pang of sorrow—that one had saved his life, whether intentionally or not. …Better make sure they’re dead, lest any survivors roam too close to town. Cody picks his way carefully down the side of the ravine, shifting between stepping and climbing as needed. When he’s made it to the bottom, he draws his rifle and approaches the white dragon. There is no movement between its sharply defined ribs, and up close Cody can see where the base of its throat has been torn open by—well, horns or claws, most likely. He follows the long neck up to the head, where dull yellow eyes stare sightlessly out from behind a gaping maw. Cody prods its nose lightly with the tip of his rifle. No response. Tempting as it still is to put a bolt in its skull, he’s hunted enough himself to know what death looks like. There’s no need. He steps around the body of the beast toward the visible back of the brown one. One of its wings lies bent at an unnatural angle behind it, and— It’s breathing, quick and labored. Not moving otherwise, but still alive, at least for now.

General Worldbuilding

I really don’t have a cohesive plot in mind, as I’ve just been mashing P4, P5, and BNHA together in my head, but I think this would need a unique set-up rather than just following one of the games (P3 might have been a useful influence, too, but I haven’t played or watched a playthrough of that one; I also know next to nothing about P1 and P2)

no idea how specifically the Metaverse works in this setting, but All for One is using it for his evil ends and doing something nasty with fusions and people and Shadows

I tried picking an arcana for most of the characters based on the descriptions from the Megami Tensei wiki, and also tried coming up with general themes for what some of their confidants and persona abilities might look like, but a lot of it is fairly bare-bones

party’s main personas are their hero forms (so Deku, Uravity, etc.) because I’m too lazy to go find important figures from literature/mythology, and also because it’s BNHA, so, y’know, heroes; maybe their personas would be in-universe comic book characters or something

costume change in the Metaverse might be subtle (if it exists at all), like the addition of one accessory? Maybe gauntlets if there’s some kind of “reaching out” theme?

I don’t know what their weapons are, but I don’t think these kids have guns

currently I’m basing combat elements off of the ones in P5, and the general plot set-up (vague as it is) is centered around the usual “group of 8-ish teens form a team to fight Shadows and eventually save the world”; as a result, most of the adults are unaware of the Metaverse

a different set-up could have the adults more involved from the get-go as trained Shadow-fighters (and possibly instructors for those with the right potential), but most of the following ideas won’t be based on that

Party Members

Midoriya Izuku (Fool, World)

protagonist (probably the most talkative Persona protag there would be); excellent at analyzing up personas’ strengths and weaknesses

since moving to the game’s setting seems to be how most Persona games start, maybe the Midoriyas just finished moving (perhaps to go to UA, or possibly to escape/get distance from Aldera if we want some more dramatic backstory)

quirks aren’t a thing so he wasn’t bullied specifically for being quirkless, but he was definitely still bullied a lot

maybe dreams of becoming a comic creator and making stories with heroes like All Might

his story would probably involve gaining self-confidence and making good, wholesome connections with people (saving others like one of the heroes he looks up to, but also letting himself be saved, too, though in what capacity exactly I don’t know)

persona abilities: phys, wind (air smashes) and possibly almighty later?

Uraraka Ochako (Star)

first and best friend, saves Izuku from tripping and they hit it off

she either takes up aikido sometime during the story or already takes it (could be a different martial art, too, or more general self-defense)

confidant: probably has to do with her habit of shoving down her troubles to help others, and learning to let go of that mask

persona abilities: maybe nuke (I sorta just think it’d be fun and the closest to being space-related) or bless, phys (maybe moreso late-game?), team buffs; wind if Izuku doesn’t already have it covered

Iida Tenya (Justice)

class representative alongside Yaomomo, probably does his best to help Izuku settle in (though this would make more sense if the Midoriyas moved in the middle of the school year or for second year)

the Stain arc is probably a thing, possibly modified but honestly maybe not by a whole lot

confidant: likely dealing more with the aftermath of the Stain arc

persona abilities: maybe elec (mostly because it’s not covered by anyone else), single-target healing, other than that I dunno

Asui Tsuyu (Temperance)

she and Uraraka may already be friends

might be among of the first “victims” for whatever’s going on?

confidant: balancing her responsibilities taking care of her siblings and doing school and Metaverse things?

persona abilities: uhhh good question, probably healing and utility plus one of the elements

Todoroki Shouto (Fortune? Hanged Man?)

father is a rich, well-known politician or businessman, though I don’t know how exactly the All Might rivalry will tie in; perhaps an actor instead?

dunno how Midoriya gets through to Shouto this time or what specifically about but he does

I also don’t know what his persona’s name would be, since his hero name is just his name

confidant: presumably dealing with family issues, maybe with Shouto’s siblings?

persona abilities: fire and ice, maybe some strong healing late-game?

Bakugou Katsuki (Chariot)

not really sure what I’d want to do with him plot-wise but I do think he’s a jock

his and Izuku’s relationship would probably still parallel their canon one, though the lack of quirks and heroes would mean some involved worldbuilding factors would need substitutes

confidant: superiority complex issues

persona abilities: nuke and fire, obviously, and this guy is all about offense

Shinsou (Tower?)

possibly also a new kid, has a reputation as a delinquent (maybe because of one or both of his parents being involved in shady stuff?)

wants to be a detective, looks up to Aizawa; his own personal sleuthing ends up getting him in trouble and/or involved with what Midoriya and the others are up to

honestly this whole thing started because I was imagining Shinsou being in the P5 protag’s situation of moving into the attic of a coffee shop run by Aizawa, but I couldn’t really imagine Shinsou filling Joker’s role or Aizawa just running a shop, so—well, now we’re here (edit: now that I think about it more Shinsou might actually be a pretty good fit for a Persona protag specifically because he’s kind of a loner and not the most extroverted person, as the protags tend to be relatively quiet, it’d just be a fair departure from BNHA narrative roles)

regardless, Aizawa will end up taking him under his wing in some capacity, whether adoption or just mentorship; in fact, maybe Shinsou started going to UA because he got taken in by Aizawa after an incident with his family, and some of the rumors around Shinsou are that he got put with the detective because he’s a troublemaker when it was really just what worked out best

confidant: probably dealing with whatever his shady family members are involved in, if it isn’t already resolved in the main plot

persona abilities: psy, curse, utility (especially debuffs and maybe some team barriers)

…aaand I dunno who the eighth party member would be. I’d want it to be one of the girls because we need more of them, but unfortunately BNHA is a quite a boys’ club. This is also the spot that would be filled by a (likely animal) mascot, but Nedzu is my only idea and I can’t imagine him as a party member. Maybe this spot goes to Yaomomo.

Misc. notes on the rest of Class 1-A (these are pretty sparse)

Yaoyorozu gives me Empress arcana vibes

Kirishima would probably make a good Strength arcana, too, or possibly Emperor

Kaminari makes me think very much of Yosuke and thus the Magician arcana, though his element would obviously be elec

Ashido could also fit Lovers maybe, but other than that I wouldn’t know what to do for her

Jirou could give the party music? No idea what the actual effect of this would be, though if this was a game I bet it’d be a function where you could listen to all the soundtracks as you unlocked them

apologies to Tokoyami, Shouji, Kouda, Sero, Hagakure, Ojiro, and anyone else I’m forgetting but I’ve got nothin’ else right now; there’s also not enough arcanas to give one to everyone anyways

Supporting Cast

Midoriya Inko (Priestess?)

gotta be honest I don’t know for sure what to do with her but I want her to be here

maybe she gives Izuku food (bentos, perhaps), and her katsudon would be one of the best HP and/or SP items in the setting

perhaps she’d have a confidant about making her own connections with people, though she’s probably still friends with the adult Bakugous

there’s likely also the element of her coming to terms with her son doing dangerous hero things, as in canon

Yagi Toshinori (Strength)

popular comic creator who was also once a popular actor or something until a (supposed) tragic accident?

definitely a (former?) persona-user, but can’t do much in the Metaverse now either due to health difficulties or some kind of trouble with the connection

maybe Izuku first stumbles into the Metaverse during an incident involving Yagi, and Izuku does some kind of selflessly heroic act (not sure if he unlocks his persona then or not, also not sure if Bakugou’s involved), and Yagi decides to mentor him

passing down a persona seems a little weird considering personas are so closely related to the self, but maybe there’s some kind of legacy in fighting Shadows that he’s passing along?

confidant: maybe helping him adjust to no longer being the main hero, or helping him forge or rekindle his own relationships

persona abilities: can’t fight much anymore, but used to be an absolute powerhouse with phys and almighty (ha)

Aizawa (Hierophant)

I don’t think he’d be a teacher in this setting, so how about a detective, a la Dojima; doesn’t know about the Metaverse, but is trying to figure out incidents that are (unbeknownst to him) involving it

not sure if he’s a police detective or a private one; could be he’s private/consulting while Tsukauchi is a police detective or police chief

has a vested personal interest in any incidents involving kids, especially missing ones, due to past trauma (Oboro)

neighbor of the Midoriyas?

still becomes Eri’s guardian, somehow, and maybe whatever incident surrounds that is how he starts learning about the Metaverse

has an emergency foster license so he can help out kids who get caught up in bad situations, though the arrangement is usually temporary (note that I have no actual knowledge of how that kind of licensure works)

confidant: probably finding closure re: the loss of Oboro (although maybe Kurogiri can get a happier ending in this?)

persona abilities: I doubt he’d be a party member, and unless he was already in the know about or involved with the Metaverse I think he’d hate the place, but as far as fighting goes he’d be good at nullifying attacks and getting critical hits

it’d be really funny if he naturally nullified all elemental attacks by sheer virtue of “all of this is illogical and not real” but he can’t be that powerful

Eri (Death)

because I can’t imagine her as anything but the specialist magical little girl, she has some kind of connection to the Metaverse, like perhaps the ability to send people there at will (though she may not understand it herself); this, as in canon, is exploited by the yakuza and maybe caused some tragedy in her past

I don’t think she’s the way the party usually gets into the Metaverse, but she could happen to be involved in the first incident or one of the later ones

confidant: getting her used to life after rescue and helping her to not be afraid of her abilities or guilty about the past

Nedzu (Magician/Councillor?)

token animal mascot character???

definitely a Metaverse creature of some kind, but I’m tempted to have him still somehow be the principal of UA (UA would have to be a very strange school, though, which could be part of the plot)

maybe he’s a sort of Velvet Room attendant, though not limited to staying in the Velvet Room; I’d feel weird having him replace Igor completely, but he’s gotta have some behind-the-scenes knowledge and reasons to meddle/instruct, and I think he and Igor could have an interesting dynamic

Hatsume Mei (???)

weapons and armor creator

either she loves to makes model items (maybe as theater/film props?) or she’s just straight-up engineering fully functional weapons and armors to other children her age

Yamada Hizashi (Sun)

radio show host, of course!

if this was a game, some important events would be mentioned on his show, much like some things were talked about on televisions in P4 and P5

could still be an English teacher who thrives on MC’ing the pep rallies, but it’d feel a bit weird to have him be a teacher and not Aizawa, so he might be a full-time show host and entertainer

Kayama Nemuri (Lovers? Moon? Devil?)

I’m really not sure what to do with her, but maybe she’s a fairly famous model/actor/some other kind of entertainer who also does investigative work? Like a spy/informant for certain circles?? Modeling/acting/whatever would probably be enough on its own, though

another possibility is that she’s a perfume-seller, and these perfumes end up doubling as buff/debuff items in the Metaverse

Thirteen (???)

the science teacher maybe??

Snipe (???)

if this setting used fake guns like P5, Snipe would totally be the supplier, but I just can’t imagine Izuku with a gun

Villains

League of Villains

addressing them collectively because I don’t really wanna bother fleshing out the individual things

these would be the guys whose Shadows are the bosses

maybe a theme of this story would be reaching out to others, and so defeating the Shadows would open up opportunities to help them? Kind of like changing hearts in P5 but with more actual redemption, even if they still need to do time for whatever they’ve done

might not be just their Shadows that need to be fought, though; something is strange…

okay so @starlightvoidtwo mentioned the idea of them being Metaverse assassins like the Strega group from P3 (or Akechi from P5) and that seems like a perfect role for them

All for One

made his own Velvet Room and is fusing people with Shadows (Kurogiri), or somehow manipulating Metaverse powers (rest of the LoV), possibly to the point of (or at least aiming for) some real-world crossover?

as with canon, was thought to be defeated by All Might

I don’t know what his true nature is, if he started off human or was formed by the Metaverse