Yikes, I type this out and I have maybe 2100 words in Chapter 55, but I thought about this getting dressed this morning and made the decision to do it. So, I'm starting this note page on March 9th, 2021. 

This book was started on April 25th, 2020. I had sat for a couple months and was like 'Do I wanna do this? I don't wanna go on Quotev... I really like Yusuke and my Wattpad page is dead' My sister had played this wack ass game called Persona 5 and I went from 'That gay ass art kid is something' to 'That gay ass art kid is hot as FUCK'

That's one of the reasons lol. I also, now that I look back on it, this book was written as a coping method because, even though I was flat out denying it, my relationship was falling apart and I was babysitting an 18 year old who had his heart broken, so my nights were spent lonely and just straight up not having a good time. 

Then I looked at my sister and I was like 'Hey, should I do this?'

"Lol yeah"

"okay alright then."

I put it together and I had the original cover and I looked at spazzidy and I said "Hey I suck at titles"

"Uh, it's Yusuke, so call it Proof Among Paintings or something"

So, it was called Proof Among Paintings. I started it at 10:30ish on April 25th, 2020, and the opening, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 were published by... 3:30 on the 26th? Sometime during 3 am.

Another one of these things with talking about this book was the fact all of this is spontaneous. I walked into this book and I was like "Lol, I might make Y/N related to Yuki, but she'd be too young to be his little sister based on the fact his parents were killed in a wreck in '99, and she wouldn't be born til 2000" Thus, you became the younger cousin. 

Spontaneity was also the fact I wasn't planning on Y/N to be a Persona user; the plot would be second hand plot and the relationship developing with Yusuke was supposed to be the main plot. Then it mixed together and it stuck. Then I sat on my bed in my Clayton house and I was like "Dude I think we're gonna make her a Persona user." I moved in May and originally, Y/N was to be outfitted with an astronomer Persona, then it became the ability to be passive in power, then aggressive in power. Mina Harker from Brahm Stoker's Dracula was who I was looking for. She had the ability to find Dracula when put in a trance, but otherwise, she was just on the hunt for the vampire.

Mina's design, if I remember correctly, was just simplistic with her hair down, pale in complexion and the cliched black heels with the cut witch dress, 'triangles on the bottom' kind of get up. Something that was sort of plain, but at the same time, memorable enough and visually appealing that you'd remember when you read it. 

Y/N's outfit design was written on a whim also. I sat in bed for twenty minutes trying to decide what fit and what didn't. I've read Persona books where they have these extravagant outfits, with skirts for the sense of sex appeal or whatnot. But then it occurs to me, as a girl, that fighting in a skirt would suck major ass. I also sat there and planned for an outfit that fit multiple body types.

Another thing with Y/N's is the fact that, depending on who you are as a reader, you can picture your physical self in the story, or just an OC. When designing Y/N's outfit for her Persona, I wanted something classy that would fit all body types. There are people who are incredibly skinny, not incredibly skinny and people in between. As someone in between those two types, I pictured the swirled shirt and dress pants and decided 'Well, it fits what I think I'd look like and I'm not the skinniest crayon in the box, so I think this is okay'

And then I really, really liked it. 

This was the design behind that outfit, and then the decision for heels was also cool because I really like heels. They got changed to flats because those seemed better to jump in, and all these people do a shit ton of jumping. Phantom Thieves, smh. 

BRUH IT IS THE 26th! I KNOW THIS ISN'T EVEN PUBLISHED YET BUT I LOVE THIS STUPID BOOK TO DEATH! DUDE I'D DIE FOR THIS BOOK.

I know it's up there but like... A year ago, I was just in a bad spot. Like, my close friend at that time, we'll call him Mack, had been dumped by a girl he'd been in love with since 6th grade or whatever and I'd been sitting on Snapchat for three weeks until 1 or 2 in the morning letting him ramble on about his broken heart. And I was sitting there, waiting on something from my YouTube feed, waiting for my now ex boyfriend to pay some attention to me lol. I'd been replaced at that point by his friends and I was just like: "Shit, he won't pay any attention to me and I just feel sad."

Then we moved, and that seemed to be like... the beginning of change, I guess. I flunked the hell out of my APUSH exam but passed the class with flying colors. Rather, as close to flying colors as possible. 83 isn't bad. Covid shut everything down, I aged a whole year in lockdown. I know all of you did but like it wasn't fun smh. My Mom asked me what I wanted to do and I was like: "Look, I wanna see my boyfriend and have cheesecake." So I saw my boyfriend and ate cheesecake and had a cool ass time. Then senior year started and it was just like: 'Ew God my relationship is dying....' 

Late August, early September came around and I published the Okumura junk. And one of the commenters on it became my super super super close friend. Super close.

Yes hi it is me again, this time. It is....September 30, 2021. The epilogue was published less than ten minutes ago.

This whole notes page has been a work in progress for seven months now, and this will be the final contribution before I publish this page and close the writing portion of Proof Among Paintings. I realized there are some questions, loose plot ends, etc.

I'll write out some basic questions, and any I miss, comment them! I'll answer.

Why did you skip Yaldaboath?

By late August 2021, I was tired of writing this whole thing. My motivation was dying out and I was trying, but even I could tell that I wasn't putting as much effort in. I had a debate with my friend and she's like "Shido's out. Write the end. That's what you want to do." So, I did. It's a thousand words, there's a little bit of lore (ie, there are seventy chapters, so seventy paintings).

Why did Yusuke get shot in the hand?

Idk where else you want me to shoot him. And I'm pretty sure I would've been shot by several of you if Y/N got hurt again, and it was a plot twist. 

Why is this book so long?

Bitch please idk.

Will you do Yaldaboath?

Here's the thing. I will, but as a separate entity. I had also considered doing a Royal book, but my time is spent on writing for Persona 5 for right now. I love this game, I really do, but if I got tired of writing for Yusuke, I don't want to do that to Akira or Ryuji or Akechi. It isn't fair. That being said, if enough people really want me to write a Yaldaboath fight, or the Maruki fight from Royal, I will. 

What's next?

In terms of Persona, I am on and off considering an Akechi book. It'd be an AU, because my thoughts on an AU fit better. It's weird if I write something grungy and they're all 16. I would also like, if you all are interested in that, to please let me know. 
I am getting ready to release a Danganronpa V3 book. If you are interested in that, then by all means. Hopefully it comes out by Halloween. 

If I want something else like this, are there any recommendations?

Yes, but I have not been on here and read anything in a month. If you want a suggestion, I recommend 

-The Detective Princess by ElRottoSoldato 

-Dissonant Harmony by ivory_fox

-Anything by YukiKatsuki

The first one is well known, I think it's recommended when you read this one. I credit it as my inspiration in a way, and i surpassed it in reads. I feel like I should give it a good word.

The second one is written by my friend and she is very good at what she does. She updates often, I think biweekly. 

YukiKatsuki is an excellent writer. She has a book for every Persona 5 game released.

If there is anything else you'd like to know, feel free to DM me or leave a comment or what not. I appreciate the feedback, very much. 

As an audience, I would like to say thank you to you, ladies. There are also a handful of gentlemen that joined us, and last, but certainly not least, my non binary readers. It does not matter what you identify as, per se, but that you took time out of your busy lives to read this. Thirty-seven thousand reads does not come by me freaking out about grammar and 'Does it make sense'. Thank you for reading this hot garbage. 

Lastly, I said some time ago that, if Chapter 12 or something got 12 likes, I would post the theater monologue I did. So I guess, a face and voice reveal, but outdated. It's from 2020? May 2020, I think. NEVERMIND IT'S TWO DAYS YOUNGER THAN THIS BOOK.

Here y'all. I'd prefer if it didn't go viral. 

You guys take care now. I'm gonna publish this and probably go to sleep. I wish you all well, and thank you for reading this. 

-Katy/FZeroTrash