Persona Dancing: Stripping in Daylight

Author's note: If it isn't obvious, this particular branch of this interactive is intended to take place in the "Dancing" spinoff series for Persona. At the time of writing this covers Persona 4: Dancing All Night; Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight; and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. The premise of this story begins not long after the conclusion of 'Starlight' and will be drawing from events of all three games. Full disclosure, I haven't played the series and am mostly operating on information I have found on wikis and videos of other players who are better at rhythm games than me. Apologies in advances if I get the details wrong here and there, assuming anyone besides me cares about how accurate this is. Anyway, on to the story....

It began like most intrusions from the collective ****. An idle rumor, an urban legend of a cursed video on the internet showcasing a mysterious Midnight Stage. Anyone who viewed the strange video after midnight would disappear mysteriously. Who could have known there was a grain of truth in the rumor? The Midnight Stage was in fact a trap created by an entity known as Mikuratana-no-Kami, one of many composite creations of the subconscious desires of mankind. She had created a world within the Sea of Souls in which Shadows were bound by mysterious ribbons and **** to dance eternally. Those who viewed the online video, in particular idols and other performers, were drawn into that world and made to dance along with the monsters.

Was it mere coincidence that drew in the group of Persona Users that called themselves the Investigation Team? Or is it the fate of those who can call upon their inner selves to intervene wherever the Shadows threaten? Such questions are best left to the agents of the Velvet Room. Suffice to say, when the Midnight Stage began targeting Kanami Mashita (a friend and one time rival of the Investigation Team's navigator, Rise Kujikawa) and the rest of idol group called Kanamin's Kitchen, it drew the notice of Investigators. Finding the rules of the Stage rather...unique even by the standards of the Sea of Souls, the team ultimately defeated the entity and freed those she had captured...through the power of dance.

The denizens of the Velvet Room were inspired by these events and decided to hold a strange competition of their own. Elizabeth and Lavenza, two entities in the 'family' of odd beings known as the Sisters of Power were the respective guides for two teams of persona users known as SEES and the Phantom Thieves, respectively. The fact that this competition took place entirely in dreams and utterly defied the laws of time and space didn't matter to the sisters, nor apparently was it important to anyone to actually 'win' the competition since it was ultimately declared a draw. The event was 'broadcast' into the dreams of everyone sleeping in the two respective time periods, but the events were erased from their minds upon awakening. Or so they promised.

Recently memories of the dreams have begun to seep back into the minds of the three teams. Chronologically, it wasn't in fact very long ago that the Phantom Thieves 'performed' their 'dream dance', although vague memories of SEES' performance from many years ago are also emerging. Oddly, these memories began to surface around the time a strange solar event began to take place. For brief periods every few days for the past several weeks the sun has been experience something like a solar eclipse. This has baffled astronomers the world over, since as far as anyone can tell there are no celestial bodies large enough to obstruct the Sun due to pass between the Earth and its Star, let alone the dozens that would account for these events. The best guess of science is that a large object such as a comet or meteor must have recently broken up and debris is passing between the two bodies, though there have not yet been visual confirmations of this.

Unperturbed by these strange events, Takura Productions is currently hosting what promises to be their biggest event yet! Of course, idol superstars such as Kanamin Kitchen and Rise Fujikawa will be in attendance! In addition, such notable celebrities as Phoenix Ranger star Yukari Takeba and detective 'Prince' Naoto Shirogane and olympic medalist Sumire Yoshizawa will also be guest starring! The show has even invited up and coming talent such as magazine model Ann Takamaki. With such patronage as the Junes Superstore, Kirijo Group International, and the Big Bang Burger Company this promises to be an event not to miss. Certainly none of those on stage or their close associates in the audience are going to pass it up!

Of course, some people are protesting. Certain Shinto priests are even whispering that Amaterasu, the japanese goddess of the Sun, will be offended. According to Japanese mythology, Amaterasu once became so offended after a fight with her siblings that she hid herself away in a cave and refused to leave. As with most such myths, the Earth did not do well without any sunlight, so the gods conspired to persuade her to leave. Nothing worked until one of the goddesses elected to starts dancing on tables and stripping off her clothes. The resultant party finally piqued Amaterasu's curiosity, and seeing the naked goddess persuaded her to leave. The sacred dance called the Kagura comes from this myth. Rumor has it Amaterasu is once again turning her face away from Earth and must be appeased. Only priestesses who can channel the divine can perform the Kagura, of course. Now, one could argue that a persona user, whose other self typically takes the form of a god or goddess, is indeed someone who can channel the divine. If an entity similar to Mikuratana-no-Kami wanted to **** anyone to dance a new Kagura to appease the Sun, the ladies of the assembled teams would be an excellent choice to serve in that capacity.

But of course, these are all just rumors and urban legends. What are the odds there is any truth behind them?