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King Aquila + Observation = Aquila Manifestation???

The big reveal in SMTIV Apocalypse is that through observation, that is humanity's shared understanding, the supernatural beings we know as gods and demons are shaped and given physical form. This is the case for even human mythological figures, so that's why there's a bunch of Cu Chulainn running around Tokyo.

Something I've wondered is, can that be applied to King Aquila?

First off, observation does not apply to real humans. If everyone believes someone is alive, and he's actually dead, he doesn't get to be alive again (sorry Nanashi). So real deal Aquila is not going to be rising from the dead anytime soon.

But what about the concept of King Aquila, not the CDF traitor who simultaneously joined the angels while working against them, but the perfect hero king in Mikado lore who went on adventures and was loved by everyone?

Mikado has had a thousand years of telling the same unified concept of King Aquila. That's plenty enough time and people (at least half of humanity's remaining population is my guess) for this concept to be formed into a demon. If Mothman can do it, why not Aquila?

Something to consider is would King Aquila be a one demon deal like Odin, or are there gonna be multiple like most demons?

If multiple, they'd be a lot more jarring in Mikado. They'd be a constant source of rumors that he never died after all, or even that he's returned from the dead. Sightings all over the place. Annoying because none of the samurai ever want to get rid of one, but Aquila has returned rumors stir up the populace too much.

If multiple, I think they'd be really funny in Tokyo. Nobody connects CDF Akira to the King Aquilas because too different, except for Fujiwara and Skins, who are just. Head in hands. No idea why this is happening, can't tell anyone else their problems, can only commiserate together. Classic Akira.

They jumpscare the shit out of the Samurai though. If they're one of the general hostile mobs roaming the streets of Tokyo I can definitely see one of the samurai going "omg it's King Aquila hi" and then gets ganked. My bet's on Jonathan.

Also if any of them ever meet Nanashi can they tell?? Like demons recognize when another one of them is in your team, and Nanashi is...kind of like that? I guess? Like oh, it's another King Aquila like me, but smaller. Here, have some healing. Maybe a Life Stone. Join your team? But I'm already there, aren't I?

In Metaphor one of the first things your fairy companion does is warn you it's racist in the city. Your protag's hick ass is still in "I'm a JRPG protagonist in the tutorial I don't know what a sword is" mode and she goes hey. Hey. It's gonna get real in there.

And it does! There's one side quest where you have to buy something and the seller goes "Yeah so the price is usually cheaper but I'm going to make it more expensive just for you. Hey don't be ungrateful, usually I don't sell to your kind at all."

There's an inn where if you talk to the staff they go "we're not racist but the customers don't want to see a certain kind of people around here, so unfortunately minorities need not apply. Please leave."

One of the most common dialogues you overhear from NPCs is wondering what the hell are you doing here, get away from them. There are many variations of this!

The most obvious moment is actually the first scene, where they're hanging a guy for stealing who's saying he's innocent and everyone's laughing it off, and your fairy goes "yeah nobody's going to listen to him he's a minority" so it's implied they just grabbed the closest one to pin the theft on.

By the end of the demo there's a point where the protagonist can be asked how he's holding up with all the racism. The very first option is "I hate this place".

Metaphor Refantazio is an upcoming JRPG from the makers of the hit video game series Persona that boasts an immersive experience of racial discrimination

Flynn likes Nanashi's eyebrows. They're all scrunkly! They make him look extra cool and fierce! When he smiles the eyebrows are a charm point!

Then one day Nanashi buys a new wig that doesn't cover his brows. He decides that since he's already doing the rest of his face he might as well shape his eyebrows too.

When Flynn sees he gets all quiet and sulky and sad, which for him is standing in one spot and staring off into the distance, the picture of melancholic contemplation. Life has once again taken something precious away from him, woe is Flynn.

The next morning Nanashi asks Asahi if he can borrow her eyebrow pencil. No he can't just wait to go out and buy one later in the day, he has to draw his eyebrows back in before Flynn wakes up. Shut up Asahi stop laughing.

Steady

Flynn can hold a sword and shoot a gun no problem but is clumsy at smaller, more delicate tasks like baiting a fish hook. This was never an issue growing up because Issachar was always there to help him, hand reaching out while Flynn fumbled. They were thick as thieves, Issachar helping Flynn so he wouldn't fall behind in his chores, Flynn personable enough to always get them out of trouble. He will always associate fishing with the peace and contentment found in his childhood.

Nanashi was a sickly child growing up, so wasn't expected to do the more physical chores other children did in the shelter. Instead he was tasked with taking apart small relics, which led to an interest in understanding how relics work and what life was like before the apocalypse. He probably would've ended up as an apprentice to the relics repairman if it wasn't for Asahi pulling him along in her dream to become a Hunter.

Now when Flynn goes fishing it's always Nanashi who comes along. Nanashi reads while Flynn fishes but always pauses to bait his hook when needed. It's a peaceful reprieve from the dangerous lives of a Hunter and a Samurai. They don't talk much on these retreats, but the ripples of the lake and the steady pressure of Nanashi's back against his is enough for Flynn to wish for these moments to last forever.

Flynn watches while Nanashi fixes relics. He sets up a record player then sets the music to play low, so low that he'd still be able to hear someone walk past outside. Nanashi works and the only sounds are the gentle clinks and tremors of old things being taken apart and the music that Boss had passed onto him. He doesn't ask anything out of Flynn except his presence, enough for Nanashi to lift his guard and fall into the familiar pattern of dismantle, diagnose, fix and reassemble. Flynn can't take his eyes off him when he's like this, caught on nimble hands and relaxed shoulders and a focused gaze, clear and steady. Quietly they sit, ankles brushing beneath the table, and Flynn thinks I think I can fall in love.

An AU I thought of based on this is Nanashi gets isekaied (read: demon summoning accident) to Mikado Castle. The Samurai pull him in front of King Azahuya who takes one look at him and realizes he bears the marks of King Aquila (scar and eyebrows), prophecied to return at Mikado's darkest hour, whose true appearance has been kept secret by the royal family for generations to prevent pretenders.

Now knowing the worst time in the kingdom's history is happening right now, Azahuya presents Nanashi with Akira's gauntlet and starts work on uncovering what exactly might lead to Mikado's downfall.

Nanashi's connection to King Aquila is kept secret outside of Hope, tasked to train him so he can survive whatever is to come. However, unbeknownst to Azahuya there are others able to recognize Aquila's reincarnation. Soon enough a certain sister at the Monastery makes her move, and Nanashi finds himself wrapped in a conspiracy a thousand years in the making...

Do you think some Mikado citizens ever figured out they could get their original works published as long as they threw King Aquila in there somewhere? And how much of it was actually fanfiction about Aquila, Mikado's state-designated blorbo? It'd be really funny if Aquila also got "and he'll return in Mikado's darkest hour" like King Arthur. Like technically he did!

@thonkphonk

OK......... THE FAERIE QUEENE IS AN INTEREST OF MINE. I read Books 3 and 4 for a class called 'Violence and Romance in Renaissance Literature'. We spent a lot of time on it, because iirc the only other thing we read in the class at all was some Shakespeare. So it was actually mostly a class on the Faerie Queen books 3 and 4 lol (and all of my papers were on the Faerie Queene instead of Shakespeare lol).

The whole deal with the Faerie Queene is that the titular Queene is the goal of King Arthur's quest, and yet Arthur himself only has cameos in the stories because he is the 'main plot' where all the books have different main characters (and focuses on elaborating on various virtues that each main knight upholds--Arthur is the perfect knight, who extols all virtues, whereas all the characters in the books exist to define specific virtues--ex: Britomart represents Chastity, Artegall represents Justice, etc). And Spenser never actually finished the Faerie Queene, which is why Arthur's quest never gets full attention.

To apply this to SMTIV would be extremely fun.

Absolutely I could see so many stories about King Aquila's times. Especially since Mikado is trapped in this sort of medieval stone-age ('holy times' as viewed by angels) so its not even like stories about Aquila would be dated, it would be so easy to write stories of modern times with Aquila present. Or, even easier, would be his inclusion in these 'fairy-stories' the Luxurors know.

Aquila means so much to people despite having lived so long ago, I would assume his knights are known the same way Arthur's are (with people inventing new knights all the time, as with Arthurian legends as well). So people would toss Aquila into all this often while writing their own stories about the various knights (with a focus on those knights because, like Arthur's presentation in the Faerie Queene, Aquila would be the 'perfect' character, meaning that the stories are more interesting if they can be about the flaws of the others).

But 100% Aquila would always come in to save the day, or to approve of the resolution the story reaches, etc. I am so on board with that idea.

That being said, this would mean the angels likely erase much of this when they take over Mikado, Aquila' name remains on the Obelisk, but his statue is destroyed, so I imagine many of these books are just straight up burned. A few would survive though, less objectionable ones,but the angels hate the influence Aquila still has on the people, and how he is still venerated.

Also you are SO RIGHT about the 'once and future' thing. Like. This has no support in the game because the game is so nebulous about Nanashi's birth, but I do somewhat theorize he was born in Mikado? He's literally just found in Sky Tower, so I'm like, okay was he born there and brought down somehow? I would KILL to know anything about this because like. Ok, they found a baby. How did they find him? In the hands of a demon, dead humans, or just like, on the ground? Hello? Can I have some information please?

But I've always assumed Nanashi was born in Mikado and then SOMETHING was a reason for him to be carried below, and then discovered. Because like. we don't even know why the HUNTERS were in Sky Tower--most people knew about Medusa back then and wouldn't want to go, and people even assume Medusa works for Tayama (which is false--I theorize she worked for Akira but that isn't confirmed anywhere). but if people just assumed the Sky Tower was controlled by the Ashura-kai, I don't know why anyone would approach--they KNOW Medusa kills everyone up there.

and Nanashi of course is randomly discovered after Medusa is there, he's only born well after Akira establishes Mikado, so the Hunters have long-withdrawn from Sky Tower and like. what. is happening.

But yeah a prophecy about Aquila's return and somehow that also including the need for Nanashi to go below rather than above, there's some sect of people somewhere that know something, this is just, one of those many holes left open in the SMTIV world. so we are free to make theories and headcanons and I am so with it.

Thank you for sending this, this was so fun omg. I went on a bit of a ramble.

SMT PROTAGONIST EVOLUTION

SMTIV: Mostly masculine, but has ponytail

SMTIVA: Commonly mistaken for small lesbian

SMTV: It's hard to find the words to capture this. Uh, just check Pixiv. Don't do it in public.

Asahi has this really cute, hero worship senpai-kouhai thing going on with Isabeau. She saved her life, she's so strong and cool, Asahi wants to know more about her, Miss Isabeau! Great potential for Asahi and Isabeau to go off on their own with Asahi nursing a crush. Make them share a tent and have Isabeau gush to Asahi about Rose of Versailles. "But I think you're just as amazing Miss Isabeau, can't you see how you've inspired me?" Bedrolls right next to each other, leaning in close so they can read under the same lamp, Isabeau's heart thumps as she realizes how close Asahi has gotten...

Asahi's a gungho go-getter kind of girl, does she have what it takes to sweep Miss Isabeau off her feet?