Simulacrum

"Maybe it was some kind of nightmare. He'd been trapped in illusions before, but this felt like none of them."

A Persona 4 Fanfic written by Zephyran.

In 2018, Main character Souji Seta returns to Inaba after studying in America, only to find that no one in Inaba remembers who he is. In his quest to solve the new mystery, he'll make unexpected allies and find himself on the wrong side of both friends and family (such as his thirteen year old cousin Nanako, who is disturbingly good at wielding a knife)... while powerful beings watch their new game unfold."

Thus begins Simulacrum, wherein Souji finds himself in a suddenly alien Inaba, where everyone is either a complete stranger or suspicious of him, thanks to the influence of mysterious "Memflies". Pretty soon, he (and the party regaining their memories) find out that the Memflies are the opening shots of a divine war, with the stakes being the very future of humanity...

The story continues in its sequel, Solipsis.

This fanfic provides examples of:

 * A God Am I: Chapter 13 is actually called "God Complex".
 * Nearly happens to
 * The Atoner:  finally gets a chance to make up for his mistakes.
 * Badass Decay: Souji suffers from this, a little. However, it's justified
 * That being said, he's still a Badass.
 * Big Good:
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: The villains like to use this tactic; some are just more subtle than others.
 * Continuity Nod / Shout Out: Margaret offhandedly references the events of Persona 3 and even Persona 4's New Game Plus. As for Loki when his role in the plot is over...

"Yosuke: Okay
 * Darker and Edgier: Well, more consistently Dark and Edgy than the game. It's on a much more compressed timeframe, for starters, and stuff hits Persona 3-tier depressing pretty early on.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: It's a touch bitersweet, but definitely falls into this category (for the main characters anyway).
 * The Empath:  gains the ability to sense a persons thoughts or emotions, much to Souji's annoyance.
 * Fake Memories: The plot revolves around the use of this, and Laser Guided Amnesia, on the entire town of Inaba.
 * The Fellowship Has Ended: In the sequel, everyone on the team has moved on and are living fairly normal lives.
 * Fighting From the Inside:
 * Get a Hold of Yourself Man: Happens right before the confrontation with the Big Bad, by way of
 * Grand Theft Me:
 * Happily Married: Thus far in the sequel, the two couples we have seen have either been this trope, or have subverted it.
 * Heel Realization:
 * Heroic BSOD / Despair Event Horizon: After enduring quite a lot of emotional trauma  Souji finally cracks after   He crashes Hard, and hits the edge of the Despair Event Horizon at the same time.
 * almost crosses the Despair Event Horizon when she realizes that.
 * He's Back: Souji pulls an utterly EPIC one after the aforementioned Heroic BSOD.
 * Mind you, it still takes him a while before he's back to his old self.
 * Hurting Hero: Souji.
 * Jerkass Gods: Oh yes.
 * Though there is one who is firmly on the side of the main characters.
 * Love Triangle: Played rather interestingly with Souji, Yukiko, and Rise (Souji and Yukiko had been a couple, but had grown distant for various reasons).
 * The Man Behind the Man: Has as many as the game did:.
 * The Mole:
 * Mind Rape: ALL the main characters experience this in some form or fashion, as the antagonists manipulate their memories and feelings to either break their will and/or get them to destroy each other.
 * Nice Job Breaking It Hero: While he meant well,  ends up pushing the stressed out Souji past the breaking point.
 * Not So Stoic: A major theme in the story is that even the composed, calm Souji has his limits and weaknesses.
 * At the beginning of chapter 11, he finally reaches the end of his patience and comes close to beating the crap out of Yosuke (who was under the effect of the "Memflies" and acting hostile towards him) before his friends (who have recovered their memories) stop him. He calms down after a few moments; but Rise notes that "she had never seen him lose his cool like that before".
 * Only Mostly Dead:
 * Secret Secret Keeper: Used in an interesting way, as it's mixed with Unwitting Pawn.
 * Seen It All: In chapter 20, Yosuke walks in late (due to bad weather) after the rest of the cast have had the whole plot explained to them. His reaction after being brought up to speed?
 * Seen It All: In chapter 20, Yosuke walks in late (due to bad weather) after the rest of the cast have had the whole plot explained to them. His reaction after being brought up to speed?

Chie: What? Just "okay"?

Yosuke: (shrug) Sure. I mean, I think I'm past the point of not believing something because it's unbelievable, you know? So you tell me That about cover it?"

Yosuke: (another shrug) "Pretty typical for this group."

"Souji: Let's just say that, since I've been here, I've been thrown out of a store (by Yosuke), almost been pepper sprayed (by Nanako), and a cop (Chie) nearly dumped my dinner in my lap, all just for trying to talk to people I used to know."
 * Shut UP Hannibal: Dojima's CMoA comes when he does this
 * Through His Stomach: A clever variation. Since none of the girls are good cooks (still), Rise gets wise and instead gets Souji to teach her how to cook. Yukiko later remarks: "I wish I had thought of that!"
 * Took a Level In Badass:.
 * Understatement: "This... is not... good." Said by Souji
 * Trauma Conga Line: Some highlights of Souji's first day back in Inaba:


 * And it just gets worse for him
 * Villain Exit Stage Left: . Then again, he's, what do you expect?
 * What the Hell Hero:
 * Wig Dress Accent: Pretty much the entirety of somewhat pointless yet very effective disguise.
 * The Woobie: Oh, God. About the only character who doesn't come off as being at least somewhat pitiable is, and that's only because of his actions.
 * Souji and Naoto get the worst of it.