Colors Flying High - Let's Play Persona 5 Royal

The next time Morgana starts getting too horny I’m just going to imagine John Persona hitting play on the DVD player and turning up the volume on Upper Gun or Marageddon to drown Morgana out.

wait why does the cat have a code name they’re a cat they don’t have ID no one outside the mind palace is going to believe the cat is stealing their secrets

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Morgana is under the impression he has a human form that requires an identity to keep safe, one day.

I’d say something incisive, but I already said

three weeks ago, and that kind of covers everything.

Atlus give me a 20 million dollars and I’ll make Persona 6 it will be much better. It won’t sell as well. And it won’t do as well critically either. But in some numinous way it will be much better I promise trust me.

Oof, these new changes just look tedious. Just reading through this boss mechanic just made me tired and want to go to bed early.

Both Ryuji and Ann are written to be kind of really, really stupid at times, like, stupid to the point of farce and it really annoys me when their extremely stupid moments show up. It makes me miss the hell out of Eikichi and his dumb, narcissistic self, because he was still compelling and interesting as a character. Ryuji and Ann just make me utterly annoyed when they act stupid.

You also put into words why the shadow confrontations in P5 annoyed me: None of these people are real! You’re yelling at things which don’t really exist, and the people those shadows belong to don’t even realise you’re doing it. It just feels strange to watch these people get mad at essentially imaginary friends.

damn it persona 5.

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Hell give ME 20 million dollars and I WILL make a critically acclaimed P6. Do it Atlus, cowards!

Eeeh… there’s some support that says that the Shadow is cognizant of the real world and vice versa. Whenever you send the calling card and the person flashes to their Shadow self, and how the specifics ordered to the Shadow gets translated to the flesh when they confess. I don’t think it’s as pointless as it could be.

That being said it would be better if it was more clearly them so they’d get the shouting down they deserve.

Click Here for Update 23

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I forgot to mention what we did at night on 5/25. The answer was crafting, and this was done for a specific purpose - so that we could hit Proficiency 3 in time for a couple of upcoming events.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: No! You were supposed to take Morgana to horny jail, not me!

Igor: “You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation. It’s a delightful thing indeed.”

Justine: “Our master is pleased. You should be honored, inmate.”

Igor: “However, that man’s remarks are concerning. It seems another has made their way into the Metaverse.”

Igor: “That is beyond my knowledge… but your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly… that is for certain. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes for you.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We reach Rank 4, which does fuck all except give us more bonus EXP when fusing Fool arcana Personas.

Yusuke: “I’m calling about Madarame’s state. For the time being, he hasn’t suffered a mental shutdown. Other than that, his demeanor seems to have softened a bit. Is that the change of heart?”

Yusuke: “I see… I was curious and looked into Kamoshida as well. It’s as if he was an entirely different person. Will the same be true for Sensei?”

Yusuke: “…I’m sorry to have taken your time. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Good- Oh. I’ll try asking him about the black-masked intruder from the Palace when the time is right.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m not entirely sure why he’d even bother, given that Madarame doesn’t know what happened in his brain dungeon.

Yusuke: “Goodbye then. This time for sure.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is the game’s not-so-subtle way of letting us know we can start Yoshida’s confidant today. We will be doing that.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Got that, Andrew Allanson?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: What’s funny is I almost guarantee he played this before YIIK released and still plagiarized anyway.

Kawakami: “It’s so annoying dealing with copyright crap these days… oh yeah, did you know this? You know the Arsene Lupin series by Maurice Leblanc?”

Kawakami: “Leblanc once had a famous detective character from another series appear in one of the Lupin stories. Now then… Kurusu-kun. Do you know which author Leblanc borrowed from?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I do! I do! I actually know this one without having to look it up! It’s what makes his estate a bunch of hypocrites!

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Let’s do the wrong ones first. Gaston Leroux was a French journalist and author who is most famous for writing The Phantom of the Opera in 1910.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Edgar Wallace was a British writer who is mostly known for writing the script to King Kong.

Kawakami: “Oh, do you like mystery novels? Yes, the answer is the author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle.”

Kawakami: “It was the ultimate showdown between the definitive gentleman thief and the famous detective.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It’s several hundred pages of Arsene Lupin fucking clowning on Holmes and ends with Holmes nearly catching him but Lupin ultimately winning.

Kawakami: “Apparently, Leblanc changed the name of his version of Sherlock Holmes when Doyle complained. He changed it to “Herlock Sholmes.” He just moved the S to the start of his last name.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is true. I bought an anthology of Lupin stories, and Lupin vs. Herlock was in it. What’s funny is that the edition I have half-asses it so you’ll see Holmes referred to by his proper name half the time.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I should mention as well that Leblanc’s estate sued TMS (the production company for Lupin III) when they attempted to bring Lupin III to the west. Fuck those assholes.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This ranks up our knowledge, which we will absolutely need soon.

Kawakami: “Both Lupin and Holmes would go on to appear in a number of other works… but those were homages, not plagiarism.”

Kawakami: “Now, Arsene Lupin is synonymous with the idea of a ‘phantom thief’. He’s recognized all over the world.”

Morgana: “Wow, it looks like some phantom thieves never go out of style!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: John Persona looks at his cat and goes “Those were the horny police, coming to take you to horny jail.”

Morgana: “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!? I was in serious trouble, you know!”

Morgana: “Some girl had this crazy look in her eyes, and she was chasing me around, calling me a ‘snowball’ or something…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: When exactly was he away from Joker long enough for this to happen?

Morgana: “I wonder if she’s been going after other cats and snatching them up like she tried with me… try checking the Phan-Site and see if anyone’s saying anything about it.”

Morgana: “Hmm, maybe it’s just not a well-known problem yet? The only victims are cats, so I suppose that could be the case. Let’s try asking around in Yongen and see if we can find the culprit.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: And now we have to investigate the stupid kidnapping. I hope we’re doing this so we can give Morgana to the kidnappers and then get Elly in the party. I’d settle for Tatsuya or Yukino.

Morgana: “A bunch of cats…? Hey, she might be talking about that catnapping case. Let’s ask her for more information.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: John Persona hands her Morgana. “Here. You can have this cat. Be sure to blast this air horn at him every five minutes.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: My cat does both of those things. All the time. Even at 5AM, when the bastard knows I’m trying to sleep.

Morgana: “Hmm… doesn’t look like we can learn anything else from her. Let’s get out of here and go over what we know so far.”

Morgana: “So here’s what we learned from that mother and child… this ‘Aino’ lady suddenly adopted a lot of cats. There’s concern about the noise at night and shedding. The cats might be acting that way because they’re stressed.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: They’re acting that way because ‘Aino’ is an alias for Claire Redfield, and Chris comes pounding on the door every night begging her to get with Leon.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: “Leon, you have to do something! My sister just got another cat, and she named this one Albert Whisker! Leon!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We also have to talk to this guy. I’ll cut some of the dialog because a lot of it is just stuff we already know.

Morgana: “Not only are other cats suffering, but she’s also hurting people too… the Aino household was the one that suddenly got a lot of cats, right? That’s got to be our target.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Before we go spend time with Ryuji, we have one last thing to do, and that’s change books at the library.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Remember how when we studied in the library during the Kamoshida arc, we got 3 knowledge and 2 guts instead of 5 knowledge? Yeah, we can’t do that anymore. The school library is basically pointless now.

Ryuji: “It’s pay per visit, so you don’t gotta worry about any bullshit contracts or nothing.”

Ryuji: “The equipment’s kinda crappy, but they got tons of variety. Plus, it’s real damn cheap. Totally worth it, even without a pool or hot tub.”

Ryuji: “Oh yeah! You bring your stuff?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It is incredibly fucking dumb that there is a “correct” choice here. The bottom option is worth 3 points, the top only 2. I picked the wrong one the first time, which would be a permafuck had I not immediately noticed it.

Ryuji: “Hell yeah, man. If you wanna beef up, you gotta - wait, that ain’t it!”

Ryuji: “I’m talkin’ about spare undies! Gettin’ back into your sweaty clothes after a nice hot shower is like, the grossest goddamn thing.”

Ryuji: “…Oh, but don’t get your hopes up. No way I’m gonna let you use mine. Anyways, let’s head in.”

Ryuji: “Phew… my form’s… comin’ back… but I don’t got… any stamina…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I mean, obviously the Scout from TF2. I seriously have like a dozen of these that people on the old 4chan TF2 servers made that never got put on YouTube, plus some that were.

Ryuji: “I’ve been tryin’ to come up with some cool new slang. Maybe it’ll catch on!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Is this one of those Volvic YTPs in game form?

Ryuji: “Him? He’s, uh… a friend! By the time he showed up, the track team was already… well, y’know.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He says this like Joker’s his boyfriend and he’s embarrassed to say it.

Ryuji: “Eh, I’m managin’… how ‘bout you, Senpai? You still runnin’?”

Ryuji: “About that, I’m real sorry…”

Ryuji: “That’s ‘cause you needed him to write your letter of rec, right? You were just lookin’ out for your future… but I still managed to eff it up anyways.”

Ryuji: “Senpai…”

Ryuji: “For real!?”

Ryuji: “…Nobody told me about that.”

Ryuji: “Yamauchi…? Hold up, THAT Yamauchi!?”

Ryuji: “He is?”

Ryuji: “…Yeah.”

Ryuji: “Good for them.”

Ryuji: “Nah, not really… for real though, I’m glad the team’s comin’ back. It’s sweet that Nakaoka and them can start trainin’ again.”

Ryuji: “But I’m still worried 'bout their advisor, Yamauchi. He’s basically like a mini-Kamoshida.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He only kicked a box of puppies and didn’t flip them off first.

Ryuji: “Basically. He’d always yell at us at practice, but then be a huge kiss-ass when our parents were around.”

Ryuji: “Ugh, I can’t believe a moron like that’s gonna be advisin’ the track team. He doesn’t even teach PE!”

Ryuji: “…He’s gotta be up to something. I’ll do some research… there’s a chance I’m gonna need your help too, mkay?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might notice that Ryuji’s entire confidant is very Kamoshida-centric. This is because of some weird planning on Atlus’s part. As far as I know, it’s actually possible to get him to Rank 9 before you even go to the museum the first time.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The LP of the base game on the archive does this, and that’s why I didn’t back down when that person started an LP of this game after I did - we’re going for 100% and doing that would be a permafuck due to not having enough time to get Dr. Femdom to the level we need her at before the third dungeon.

Ryuji: “All right, we don’t got time to be messin’ around here anymore! Let’s head home! Wait, I gotta shower first!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We already established this! Also have this one.

Ryuji: “About that stuff today… I can’t really let myself be happy about the track team startin’ up again.”

Ryuji: “Like I said earlier, there’s just somethin’ fishy about Yamauchi bein’ the advisor. But I mean, if anything happens, I know you got my back. So I ain’t too worried!”

Ryuji: “Thanks, man! I knew I could count on you! I mean, we don’t know for sure if anythin’ sketchy’s goin’ on. But when I get these gut feelings… they’re usually right.”

Ryuji: “Well, if I hear anything, I’ll hit you up. Okay, later!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He is, and we’re going there. But first…

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Not only is there a crossword, there’s also the TV quiz show.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I looked this one up just to see if I’d get any results that weren’t guides to this game, and surprisingly I did. What the game doesn’t mention is that most of the time, that phrase was used to justify things like the Salem Witch Trials.

Morgana: “I’m surprised you knew that. Did you just guess? Torture, though - that’s pretty brutal.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Yoshida always says the same three lines when you talk to him, so I’ll just skip them.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I’d love to help you though… how shall I teach you? …It’s time for my speech. Let’s talk about this later.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “They lack jobs, security, savings… the next generation will lead us into the future and yet they have no plan for how to arrive there.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Yes, let’s.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “No…! T-that was… all in the past…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Yes, but I cannot say that to the crowd before an election. Regardless, whenever someone calls me ‘No-Good Tora’, I panic.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I went through quite an ordeal 20 years ago… let me explain. I used to be a member of the National Diet. I was elected during the rise of the ‘Kuramoto Children’. We were backed by powerful Diet members.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Weirdly, this is something that Atlus made up wholesale and has no relation to actual Japanese politics, so far as I can tell.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “This was about 20 years ago. I was very inexperienced back then, both as a politician, as well as a human being.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “That inexperience led me to be involved in a series of major political scandals. People refer to my blunders as ‘No-Good Tora’s Three Strikes’.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “The first was being caught missing a legislative meeting to take a personal vacation. Then, I was accused of embezzling a large sum of money from the party… giving me two strikes.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: What’s funny is that in Connecticut, we actually have a politician who was convicted on multiple corruption charges who is now the mayor of Bridgeport. No, I’m not making that up.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The best part is that there’s apparently still an active FBI investigation into an entirely new set of corruption charges now that he’s mayor again. Who would’ve guessed?

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Finally, I called a voter an idiot at an open forum which resulted in scandal… and strike three.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I was out… and branded a washed-up politician. You said you wanted to become a member of the Diet. But do you see the man before you?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We uh, never said that.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He could probably run for mayor of Hartford. They’d take him. Hell, he could even run for governor. Some of our longest-serving governors have been proven corrupt.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: If that doesn’t work, he could try running for state treasurer (alternate link).

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I’m happy to hear that, however… everyone says I have no chance to get elected, so why come to me?”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “You’re doing a good job of cheering me up… but you may be right. The most important part about giving a speech is believing in yourself. Perhaps one day, I will believe in myself… again.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “But you sure got me there. You’re a strange young man, Kurusu-kun. Very well. If learning how to give a great speech is what you seek, then I’d be happy to instruct you.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “In exchange, I would like for you to continue assisting me. Let’s get started, shall we?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You didn’t really think we’d get away without a dumbass Sae scene, did you?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Someone had to have taught you how to speak a language! You couldn’t have broken into a museum without knowing how to read! Who? I want names!

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Rank 1 gets us fuck all, but I think at Rank 2 or 4 we get an ability from Yoshida that doubles the amount of money we get in negotiations. Surprisingly, that’s not the best way to farm money.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The best way? Use Pulinpa and confuse a higher-level enemy, which gives them a chance every turn of dropping a huge amount of money.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “…Oh my, we’ve been talking for far too long. Let’s call it quits for today.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Ah, Kurusu-kun! I’m sorry, there’s something I forgot to mention. It’s about my speech schedules from this point on. Would you be willing to stick around to hear it?”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Quite a practical young man, eh? Well, I won’t take up too much of your time. I’ll be here giving my speeches every Sunday. You’re welcome to drop by and help whenever you’ve got the time.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “That’s all I wanted to say. Now, be careful on your way home.”

Yusuke: “Madarame’s ill, but the exhibit is still going strong. I can’t respect him as my sensei anymore… but it’s sad to think I don’t have a mentor anymore…”

Yusuke: “Talk…? To you? Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever had someone I could simply talk to. Well, perhaps I may need a sounding board sometime. I hope you’ll humor me then.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is the game telling you that Yusuke’s confidant is now available. We won’t be touching it until near the end of June.

Ryuji: “I need your help with something. I found this flyer stuffed in my mailbox.”

Ryuji: “A maid, dude! A MAID! Who’ll do ANYTHING for us! Right? …Right??”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Welcome to what is undoubtedly the horniest part of the game, and also the source of the best confidant in the game. Not necessarily writing-wise (it’s definitely not) but in terms of what it gives us.

Ryuji: “…You’re a guy, right? You know what I mean! Let’s give it a try! Yeah? Yeah!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m not sure whether this scene is better if you assume Joker is gay, or whether you assume he’s straight/bi but has just had enough of this shit with everyone around him being constantly horny.

Ryuji: “Luckily, some guy on my floor just moved out so there’s a vacant apartment in my complex. The key is behind the mailbox, so we can get in anytime. The landlord seriously doesn’t care.”

Ryuji: “The place is all set, so…”

Mishima: “…Get in on this?”

Ryuji: “Oh-ho! You mean you’re into this kinda stuff? Wow! Okaaay…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Just like Kurt Eichenwald, right?

Mishima: “What does it mean that they’ll do ‘anything’? And do the maids look exactly as they’re advertised? We need to determine whether or not this company just pretends to offer housekeeping services!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I feel like we need to get Sae in here. “You call yourself a warrior of justice, but you’re just horny, aren’t you? Someone had to have taught you how to be horny! You couldn’t simply have been horny yourself!”

Mishima: “I-I… just want to punish the bad guys! And in order to do that, I have to see it with my own eyes.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Seeing it as “punishing the bad guys” is a very uh… strange way to view masturbation.

Ryuji: “Yeah, we gotta see it with our own eyes. Every little detail… we’ll hafta do this at night, so let us know when you’re ready.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We’re doing this tonight, because we get bonus points for it.

Mishima: “So what’s the code name for this operation…? Hmm… since we’ll be watching them, it should be something like… ‘Operation Maidwatch’!”

Ryuji: “Nice! I like that!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: First though, we have to see a very different horny person, that being Dr. Femdom.

Tae: “If you’re feeling okay, you can go home now.”

Tae: “…What? Again? That’s, well… that ship’s already sailed, so…”

Tae:* sigh * “…What a pain.”

Tae: “Her dad’s been bringing her here to be treated, even though I referred them to another hospital. I even told them about the medical error I made…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It’s very strange to me that a choice like the one we saw at the start of Ryuji’s last confidant event matters, but this one doesn’t.

Tae: “Uh… the medical error was well-documented. Everyone in my field knows about it.”

Tae: “I led the development of a new drug for an incurable illness called ‘Crawford-Ende’s disease.’ Although I wasn’t the one who administered the medicine, it was the cause of the error.”

Tae: “With Crawford-Ende’s, certain cells indiscriminately attack other cells throughout the body. When it reaches the muscles, the patient slowly begins to die.”

Tae: “There hasn’t been much progress made on it - partly because there haven’t been many cases of it. I worked with a pharmaceutical company that had reached the final stage of production, but…”

Tae: “One day, I was suddenly removed from my position. The Chief of Staff Oyamada, my superior at the time, took over the entire operation.”

Tae: “I don’t know if he wanted the glory of developing a new drug or to become rich and famous, but… he made careless mistakes and rushed completion so he could use it on a patient named Miwa.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is going to be a running theme throughout the game, by the way. Nothing any of our confidants does wrong is ever their fault.

Tae: “Miwa-chan had a reaction and lapsed into critical condition. The chief panicked and laid the blame on me. Miwa-chan and her family resented me… no matter what I said, I couldn’t change how they felt about me.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This choice? Also doesn’t matter.

Tae: “Well, that doesn’t matter… the development of the medicine was suspended, so I had no reason to stay at that hospital. At least now I can keep working as a general practitioner, on my own terms… with my guinea pig.”

Tae: “That’s the new medicine I’ve been trying out on you. This version is in the final stage of testing. It searches for those cells that take the offensive and destroys them upon detection.”

Tae: “That’s why it’s harmless for people who don’t have the disease… probably.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: And then John Persona was a zombie.

Tae: “You have a lot of faith in me. Thank you, my little guinea pig. You’d better not flake on me this late in the game. I’m inching closer to the finish line, but I need your help to reach it.”

Tae: “In exchange, I can offer you medicine at a special price. I’m counting on you, guinea pig.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We can now purchase Tae’s accessories, which we’ll be using for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, they’re too expensive right now - we’ll get them at Rank 7 in a few weeks.

Tae: “It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with this kind of nuisance. It’s stressing me out. …Oh, sorry, that’s all I wanted to talk to you about. You can go home now.”

Tae: “Also, sorry for the long talk today. I wasn’t planning on telling you all that.”

Tae: “Yeah. You’re the first person I’ve really shared all that with. But… it was also a good reminder. This is something I have to do, as the Plague.”

Tae: “Thanks to you, the drug’s development is progressing very smoothly. If there are no issues with this latest sample, I think we’re right on the edge of finally finishing it…”

Tae: “…Oh, sorry, looks like I’ve got a patient. Maybe that girl and her dad came back. I have to go. See you later.”

Mishima: “I had pretty high hopes for them, but they turned out to be posers… the Phantom Thieves are true heroes though! I wanna help out however I can!”

Mishima: “So, we’re executing Operation Maidwatch tonight for sure, right?”

Mishima: “Sweet! I’ve been waiting for this!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That’s Akihiko’s line.

Mishima: “Wait, you already changed out of your uniform!? I guess that’s a pretty good idea… we’re meeting over at Sakamoto’s place, right? Let’s stop by mine beforehand so I can change too.”

Ryuji: “Operation Maidwatch, bro!”

Ryuji: “If it turns out to be sketchy, we can just bail. The apartment’s vacant, so it’s not like we’ll be messing with anyone’s home.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m only picking that one because it gives you three points to Ryuji’s confidant.

Ryuji: “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Mishima: “To think… Sakamoto has a brain. But if that’s the case, then…”

Ryuji: “Then…”

Mishima: “Yep!”

Ryuji: “Okay, give 'em a call!”

Ryuji: “Well, I guess he could do it too. Okay, go for it, Mishima.”

Mishima: “M-Me!? I-I’m not good with that kind stuff! Seriously! Please, Kurusu!”

Mishima: “They answered!”

Ryuji: “Shhh!”

Mishima: “S-Services…!”

Ryuji: “Anyone we want to request!? What should we do, Akira!?”

obs64 2020-11-08 21-04-25-22

Ryuji: “Shit… this is really happening…”

Mishima: “A maid’s ‘services’… hey, what should we have her do? I was thinking we start with some cooking… of course, I wouldn’t mind some of the other services either…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker looks at them and goes “I’m going to ask her to spray you both with a fire hose until you stop being so horny.”

Mishima: “…Should we hold a strategy meeting to discuss?”

Ryuji: “They said 20 minutes, right…? Ugh, I gotta use the bathroom.”

Mishima: “I-It’s almost time… you were in there for a while… are you okay? Hey, did you wash your hands?”

Ryuji: “… Huh? What? Who? Me?”

Mishima: “Y-You’re really nervous… ahaha… haha… uh…”

Mishima: “Are high school students even allowed to use this type of service?”

Ryuji: “Huh?”

Mishima: “What do you mean, ‘Huh’? You should’ve researched it! What if they find out who we are!?”

Ryuji: “H-How should I know!? But why would how old you are matter when it comes to housekeeping?”

Mishima: “We would’ve been screwed if your number had shown up on their caller ID…”

Mishima: “What!? Already!? She’s five minutes early! What do we do!? I’m not mentally prepared!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You want the maid!? You can’t handle the maid!

Ryuji: “I-I can’t do this! My stomach’s actin’ up! And my hands are all sweaty! Okay, you handle the rest… and don’t let her find out you’re a high school student.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The gay Joker is thinking entirely about Yusuke in a maid outfit. The straight/bi Joker is preparing to unleash roughly a month and a half of everyone around him being horny.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Gay Joker picks the second option just to see if Yusuke is secretly a maid. None of the choices matter for this one.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Anyway, meet Becky. She’s our newest confidant, and also the most important one.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Gay Joker turns and goes “Yeah, I need you to clean out my closet. My boyfriend’s in there.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: And then Joker was Kazuma Kiryu.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might ask why I’m not using a dialog portrait for Becky, and trust me, I will. Just give it a minute.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: So much for codename discipline.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Surprise! Becky is Kawakami. You haven’t seen the real terror yet though, and won’t until we get to the actual confidant event. This isn’t it - this just unlocks the ability to do it.

Becky: “This is our first meeting. Yes, the first time ever, Master. <3”

Becky: “Ugh… this is unbelievable… yes, it’s me… your homeroom teacher. …I’m so done. I can’t believe I got caught by some of my own students…”

Becky: “I should’ve taken a job outside of the city. But I needed it to be close to school so I could go there after I finished work. …Who did you hear about this from?”

Becky: “Ms. Chouno, the English teacher… she’s been snooping on all the teachers ever since that incident with Mr. Kamoshida. …Are you going to tell Ms. Chouno about this?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Have I mentioned that we can have Joker date Kawakami? That’s one of the ways this can end up. In fact, I’ll probably need to do a poll at the end of this update because that is how fast we max out her confidant.

Becky: “Hmm… it doesn’t seem like you’re playing dumb… in any case, I’ll get in big trouble if you tell on me. … Hey, if you’re going to side with a teacher, side with me. I’m in charge of your class, after all.”

Becky: “And if you promise not to tell Ms. Chouno about this, I’ll do anything for you!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I really don’t like that there’s no option to just be like “Whatever.”

Becky: “This isn’t even your home address to begin with, is it? I guess you at least thought about that. Well, I’ll promise to keep this a secret too… so why don’t we both forget this ever happened?”

Becky: “I’ll treat this as if you had canceled, so you won’t have to pay anything. Okay?”

Becky: “On that note, I’ll be leaving! Don’t say anything about this at school, okay!? Just act as if nothing ever happened! Got it? Okay, bye!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I know the update’s getting a little long, but we’re going to do the 28th because there’s a bunch of very long cutscenes coming up - including one that was added for Royal on the 30th.

Morgana: “Kawakami’s been driven into a corner by Chouno! Let’s talk to her to we can help her out.”

Kawakami: “As I’ve been saying… get home safely, Kurusu-kun. Well then, I have another matter to attend to, so I have to excuse myself…”

Chouno: “No! We’re not finished talking yet!”

Kawakami: “But I…”

Chouno: “There’s been a series of scandals on this campus. We’re all being called into question. And yet you leave work earlier than anyone - and you barely make it to the faculty meetings!”

Chouno: “Explain yourself! Don’t tell me you’re out running around at night!?”

Morgana: “Kawakami’s being grilled by Chouno. She said she’d do anything if we helped her out, so let’s clear up Chouno’s suspicions.”

Chouno: “The school’s closing soon, Mr. Kurusu. Head on home before it gets late. Or did you need something from Ms. Kawakami?”

Chouno: “…What?”

Chouno: “Another question?”

Kawakami: “Th-that’s right! Kurusu-kun’s questions are complicated, so I take time at night to help him…”

Chouno: “So you’re giving individual lessons outside of school hours, hm? What passion! You are the ideal teacher! A passionate teacher is exactly what we need at this school. I’m sorry for suspecting you.”

Chouno: “Well then, keep up the hard work, you two.”

Kawakami: “She just kind of convinced herself… but that did clear up her suspicion, so… thanks. Could you come with me for a bit?”

Kawakami: “This is the address and phone number of my night job.”

Kawakami: “Call at night and request me. Just be careful that it doesn’t show up in your call history though, okay?”

Morgana: “Yeah, you did it! No call history means a public telephone. Let’s call from Leblanc’s yellow phone. Let’s call Kawakami when you’re free, and invite her to meet you at your room!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker immediately reaches for the air horn.

Kawakami: “Okay, I have to go.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We’ll see it in the next update, but calling Kawakami costs 5000 yen. This is one of the reasons I had to grind so much money. Next up is Ann.

Ann: “This place seriously feels amazing. It’s not even that far from Shibuya, but it feels so different here. You know, Tokyo is so strange. There are tons of people and tons of stores, yet there are still duck-filled parks here too.”

Ann: “It has everything… but it feels like I can’t understand any of it. It’s honestly kinda scary.”

Ann: “Oh, right. You only just moved here, Akira. When I first got here, I had a super tough time adjusting. It’s so crowded, and everyone walks really fast… like they’re angry or something.”

Ann: "Even at school, I was only ever the ‘foreigner’. Nobody really knew me; they just spread rumors. I thought maybe my looks were the problem. I even considered dyeing my hair black to match everyone else…’

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Most foreigners are gaijin. Ann is a gaij-ann.

Ann: "But that was when Shiho talked to me. The first thing she said was ‘Takamaki-san, your paintings suck.’ "

9_2iVBrO_400x400: All of the answers here count, by the way.

Ann: “I thought she was just making fun of me like everyone else, but that wasn’t her intention. According to her, they were so bad that she just HAD to tell me. Pretty mean, huh?”

Ann: “Still, that was the first time someone here talked to me without mentioning my looks. We sorta just grew closer after that… and Shiho’s been my best friend ever since.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Do you see what I mean when I say Ann’s confidant is as much about Shiho as it is about her?

Ann: “That’s not why we’re here though! There’s something else I need to talk to you about! Do you remember what I told you the last time we came here? About the female thief in the anime I used to watch? Well, I thought of something!”

Ann: “You know how the villains in those shows are always going on about world domination? Well, even though they get beaten by the heroes every time, they never give up.”

Ann: “That means they must have really solid hearts… and that’s why I’m going to try and learn from them!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR YOUR HEARTS! RIP AND TEAR!

Ann: “Right? So I’ve decided… I’m gonna star in action movies!”

Ann: “Thanks! Your support really helps! All right, I’m making this my ultimate goal for the future. You know, I’ve never really thought about what I wanted to do in life… but now I have an objective!”

Ann: “And that only happened because of talking to you, Akira! Thanks!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is a new ability that was added in Royal. I have no idea how well it works.

Ann: “Well, if I want to be in action movies, I’ll need to work on my actions! I wonder how many sit-ups I’ll have to do…”

Ann: “Wait, Ryuji said he knows a good gym! I should ask him for advice! Oh, and I need to tell Shiho that I have a new goal! She’ll definitely be happy to hear that!”

Ann: “So I’d like to think I’m pretty athletic. Like, I don’t hate exercise or anything… but I’m exhausted just from running to the station earlier. Maybe I’ve gotta train my body along with my heart.”

Ann: “Do you do anything to train your body?”

Ann: “So that’s pretty much your lifestyle? You don’t, like… do squats in class or anything, right? …Oof, my thighs are hurting just thinking about it.”

Ann: “Okay, first I need to research what kind of training’s best for me! For now, I’ll just do some curls with a water bottle. I already drank it halfway, but… better than nothing, right?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: What is she, Spongebob?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: She did, but it’s BURGER TIME.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The burger challenge gets you 2 points in guts if you can’t finish it, or 2 points in everything if you do.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There’s three levels of burger, and each one requires higher levels of Knowledge, Proficiency, and Guts. The first one requires I think level 2 in all of them.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I have to wonder if the girl behind Joker is meant to look like Tamaki or not. She obviously can’t be Tamaki, because Tamaki is in her mid-40s at this point. Most of the SMT If and P1 cast are.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I could eat that burger without even trying.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: For doing this, we get a stat increase, an accessory (I forget what it does) and a couple of healing items. Not bad for 500 yen.

obs64 2020-11-08 21-20-16-06

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This also ranks up Guts to 3.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is our first instance of a text event where you’re forced to choose right away. If you choose right away to go, you get a bonus point to any related confidants - in this case we’d get it for both Ann and Ryuji.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You’ll notice that we haven’t yet gotten to a point where I’ve had to do a confidant but not get a rank-up out of it. This is how we manage that.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Naturally, I choose to go right away. This unlocks Harajuku as a destination.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Next time, we’ll see Kawakami turn into a horrible anime gremlin, start a new confidant, go baneposting, and then re-visit Mementos and maybe grind some more money.

The cat has a code name because he’s trying too hard to be cool.

Oh trust me, it’s one of those things where I absolutely should’ve been able to win it by having Matador use Makouha and then have Ann use Maragi until everything died, but then it wasn’t.

The worst part is that Ann and Ryuji kind of become less and less plot-relevant as the game goes on. Thats one of the big complaints I’ve seen about this game - they’re more or less replaced by the characters that come in later.

They’re not connected on a level where they share pain or anything. You’ll see this much later in the game, near the end.

Anyway, with that done, we have a choice to make. I saw that people were… disappointed… that you can’t date Yusuke. I may or may not have already been in contact with several artists (including Eligap, who did the Jun picture for the Innocent Sin LP, as well as a second artist) to get art commissioned for an alternate romance route involving Yusuke.

So here’s my question:

Is Joker Gay?

  • Joker is straight (or bi)
  • Joker is gay (or bi)

0 voters

On a side note, should you choose the second option, one of the artists I’ve been in contact with has offered a free single-character “chibi” pic in addition to the one I’d be commissioning. I’ll leave what that is up to you - it doesn’t have to be from P5.

Legitimately, they have given us an answer to this. While he was going around setting up the Calling Cards.

Been awhile since I got to do one of these! Le Soleil, the Sun itself. It is kind of hard not to go wrong with this one, it’s almost always positive. The shining rays come down and bring about positive change, self confidence, and contentment. It also specifically can refer to positivity in construction, symbolically or otherwise. You are “building” a structurally sound foundation on which to continue your journey through the tarot of life.

Tora’s role as a confident, it seems, fits this well. He is the Sun, giving us the building blocks to create a stable self for us, but in turn we are the Sun for him, helping remind him of his ideals and helping stir up that confidence in himself. What’s interesting to me is that given his past failures, it seems like Tora’s kinda fallen down on his path through life, but the Sun governs him so fully that, beyond the silly nickname that has torn his soul, he genuinely does not give up hope. It’s cool!

Art wise, P5’s corrupted Soleil is PRETTY explicit. It speaks to an overbearing sun, with a nasty grin and devilish Shadow eyes, baring down on the world. The baby and horse are bones, and no sunflowers are in sight; just a brick wall. Foundation, but at what cost? Security, but with the ever-present heat of having to keep it going baring down on you. It’s rather interesting a take!

It’s also the wrong picture. Ooops!

Also this backstory for Takemi is weird because… like, even assuming it got back that this experimental drug had errors in it due to her specifically, it’s an experimental drug. You kinda… get what you get when you say okay to something like that. The doctor who forced the drug along is an ass, but it feels like this is a non issue.

… wait so it’s actually a prostitute thing? What the fuck. Not that that’s bad or anything but what the fuck video game?!

I can feel the emotional dead-zone of the employee who says this every day because they have to.

I’m going to go Yes, or bi leaning towards men. And also, regardless of the result, and I know you’ll likely be showing it for completion sake, whatever happens we’re not having Kawakami as our canon love interest do not fuck your teacher it’s gross as hell. Especially in this weird as shit blackmailing her situation, ESPECIALLY in a game that OPENS with “hey teacher fucking student is super bad actaully”. Let’s just not do that!

As for the chibi art if you go that route, obviously the answer is we need a Morgana esque Timrod to get drawn. A mascot’d up Saturn wearing sunglasses standing on a dreamcast.

Yeah. This game does a lot of that. Hashino’s not a great writer.

I actually looked this up - not for this LP, but for when I was playing Yakuza 7. There’s a lot of debate as to what Kawakami actually is and whether or not she’s actually a prostitute (at least, the way we’d understand that term in English). The answer is kind of complicated, and I’m going to try to keep it as academic as possible.

Japan has a law known as the Anti-Prostitution Act that dates to 1956. The way it’s been interpreted is that it bans paying for sex directly, but its definition of sex is basically “vaginal intercourse” and nothing else. This means that the Japanese use the word “prostitution” differently than we would in English: only people in violation of the Anti-Prostitution Act are committing “prostitution”.

In the original Japanese script, Kawakami uses the word “fuzoku” (風俗) to describe what she does. That word can be used to describe a whole lot of things, some of which we would not consider prostitution even in the western world. This can include things like slapping a customer in the face, letting a customer rest their head on your lap, stripping, or any number of other activities that are definitely sexual but not actually sex.

Fuzoku ALSO encompasses things that the English language would definitely understand to be prostitution: namely any sex act that isn’t vaginal penetration. So there’s really a gigantic window there in terms of what it is she could actually be doing. She’s definitely not like a hostess - there’s a separate Japanese word for that.

The game does some kind of weird mental gymnastics to assure you that Kawakami is not a sex worker - even under the English definition of prostitution. In reality, it’s very unlikely that Kawakami would not be doing acts that would be considered prostitution in an English-speaking country.

However, for purposes of the plot, she’s basically an anime maid who gets paid solely to be an anime maid, and her “extra services” are probably things like talking dirty to the customer or letting them have a look at certain things. She also does massages - not the erotic kind - and this is actually what makes her the most valuable confidant in the game.

All I know is that if I had a lady dressed like a maid and talking like an anime catgirl show up at my door, I’d immediately close the door and reconsider my life choices.

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Click Here for Update 24

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It’s the 29th, and we’re headed right to Harajuku. Today and the 30th are basically going to be extended cutscenes.

Ann: “I had a photoshoot nearby, so I figured, why not?”

Ryuji: “But why Harajuku, Mishima?”

Mishima: “Well, Harajuku’s this big cultural hub, right? People from all over the world come here. So that means there might be all kinds of international villains walking around in broad daylight!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m sure there’s just tons of corrupt executives walking around Tokyo’s main fashion district.

Ann: “I dunno if I get that logic…”

Mishima: “Uh, for example… oh, check that guy out! He’s definitely suspicious! I mean, who wears black leather longcoats at this time of year!? He’s gotta be shady!”

Mishima: “And all those belts must be supplies so he can tie people up… oh man… do you think he’s an escaped convict?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It’s just a Final Fantasy protagonist.

Ann: “No, I’m pretty sure that’s just a goth style.”

Mishima: “But my phantom thief senses are tingling! Don’t you think he’s suspicious, Kurusu?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I don’t get why the game does this. Mishima’s confidant advances solely based on the number of sidequests you’ve done. There’s no way to get points to his confidant. People have datamined the game to confirm this - that’s where those unused will seed cutscenes came from.

Mishima: “…Look, that’s not important! You know what I mean!”

Ryuji: “If you think he’s that suspicious, then go talk to him.”

Mishima: “Huh? Me?”

Ryuji: "You’re the one who’s all hyped up about this investigation, right? So hey. Go up to the guy and ask. ‘Yo, Captain Trenchcoat! Sorry to bother you, but are you an escaped convict?’ "

Mishima: “You’ve got to be kidding! He’d have that belt around my neck before I even finished talking!”

Ann: * sigh * “It’s normal to see people dressed in unusual clothes around here.”

Ann: “Honestly, I think it’s kinda cool. Like they’ve got the confidence to wear whatever they want, you know? Like… nothing’s gonna keep them from expressing their own style.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: When I was in high school, there was this group of kids who wandered the halls dressed like the agents from The Matrix. I still have no idea what they were doing - this was years after the movie had come out.

Ryuji: “Cool or not, they’re definitely not lettin’ anyone hold them back.”

Ann: “What do you think about unique fashion like this, Akira?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This answer gets us 3 points to both Ryuji and Ann’s confidant.

Ryuji: “Whoa, really!? I guess we can spend the day transforming you! I’m thinkin’ heart-shaped glasses, dye your hair red and blue… and we’ll get you a big puffy laminated coat.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I prefer my fashion of shirts I bought at speedrun marathons and clothes I’ve had since like 1998 that I’m never getting rid of.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Ann just looks at him and goes “We must consult THE COUNCIL”, then brings him to the secret cabal of lesbians who pull the strings of the underground fashion industry like a puppet.

Ann: “Anyway, no more judging people by their appearance. If they’re wearing what they want to wear, that’s something to admire.”

Ann: “Heck, I’d say it means they’re honest. Not like people who seem nice on the outside, but turn out terrible on the inside.”

Mishima: “I guess you’re right…”

Morgana: “Lady Ann is absolutely right. After all, I look like a cat, but I’m actually a dashing, noble gentleman!”

Ryuji: “Now that I think about it, it’s kinda Harajuku-ey to walk around with a cat in a bag.”

Ann: “True! He’s like a really specialized fashion accessory.”

Morgana: “Is… that a compliment? I guess you’re lucky, Akira. You can get popular just by having me around.”

Ryuji: “So, Mishima… I take it you don’t actually have any leads here.”

Mishima: “…Nope.”

Ann: “Yeah, figures. Well, as long as we’re here, let’s have some fun.”

Ryuji: “Then let’s get Akira dressed up! Oh, and Mishima too. Maybe Ann can get rid of your weird anti-Harajuku prejudice.”

Mishima: “Huh!? Me too!? …Actually… if I’ve got any hidden talent for fashion, this’d be the perfect chance to discover it.”

Ann: “All right! We can squeeze in a trip to the pet shop for Morgana!”

Morgana: “I’m not a pet!”

Mishima: “You know, Kurusu… sometimes it sounds like your cat’s really joining in on the conversation.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: No, that’d be Junko Enoshima. I hate Danganronpa so fucking much. It’s Ace Attorney with anime girls and a plot so dumb I dropped the first one before I even finished it.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Now that we’re done with Mishima’s bullshit, it’s time to get to the real goal of every Sunday: gripping and sipping.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Oh god dammit.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That’s the entire point! The movie’s shit! The only reason anyone remembers it is because of how fucking dumb it was!

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Wait, what? I don’t remember that… then again, the only things I really remember are the first five minutes and the “I was born in the darkness” thing.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I have absolutely no fucking idea why, but this gives us 5 points to kindness.

Ryuji: “How ‘bout you? Don’t these revenge movies make you feel somethin’?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: They do, specifically they make him feel like going on the internet and baneposting.

Ryuji: “Right!? This kinda thing is what the Phantom Thieves are doin’ too!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Shooting a man and then throwing him out of a plane?

Ryuji: “Aight, let’s get goin’. It was fun kickin’ it with you today!”

Kasumi: “Thank you for your concern. However, I really am in a hurry, so if you’d excuse me…”

Kasumi: “Like I said…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’d like to remind you that Not-Elly is 15.

Kasumi: “Stop it…”

Kasumi: “…!”

Kasumi: “Thank you so much! I’m sorry for the trouble!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Can you tell, by the way, that Not-Elly is supposed to be the canon love interest for Royal? She is.

Kasumi: “Yes, I’m fine now! It was pretty scary, though…”

Kasumi: “… Ah- um… may I ask you something? So… what made you step in to help me?”

Kasumi: “I… see. Well, I apologize for asking something so strange. You’re headed to the cleanup as well, right?”

Kasumi: “…The cleanup…?”

Kasumi: “I’m so sorry. I haven’t even thanked you properly yet!”

Kasumi: “Oh no! I forgot my gym clothes at school! I’ll see you at the cleanup, soon. We can talk more then, if you’d like.”

Ann: “Did you really come here from home in your gym clothes?”

Ann: “It must be so nice to be a guy…”

Ryuji: “Ain’t it normal? And uh, are you plannin’ on doin’ this cleanup in that outfit?”

Ann: “Of course not! I brought my gym clothes with me. I was gonna change in the bathroom, but now there’s a huge line.”

Ryuji: “Ohh, that makes sense. Sounds like it sucks to be a girl.”

Ryuji: “Dude, could you try pushin’ your way into our conversation a little less awkwardly next time?”

Mishima: “I bet some Kichijoji clean-freak hung paper dolls all over and prayed for clear skies today.”

Maruki: “Morning, everyone.”

Mishima: “Oh? Are you here for the cleanup too, Doc?”

Maruki: “You got it.”

Ryuji: “Uh, in those clothes?”

Maruki: “Oh, no. I’m in a different-”

Ann: “Prepping what?”

Maruki: “I’m part of the cooking crew. Hope you’re looking forward to a solid meal. See you all later.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The meal’s actually a soup, so it’s more a liquid meal.

Ryuji: “More like Dr. Popular…”

Mishima: “I’m sure the Phantom Thieves will be even bigger someday.”

Makoto: “Once the cleanup is completed, a lunch of miso soup with pork and vegetables will be served.”

Ann: “Ooh, pork miso soup! So that’s what Dr. Maruki’s fan club is making.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It honestly sounds kinda disgusting.

Mishima: “FYI, the school already assigned the groups at random. They’re four people apiece, boys and girls mixed.”

Makoto: “Now that these announcements have been made, please break into your groups and head to your assigned areas.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I looked, and Inokashira Park is actually not all that huge - at least, the actual park part of it isn’t. Most of it’s a zoo and athletic fields.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: On one level, I’m kind of glad that the reservoir area I’ve been walking through since COVID hit doesn’t have random cafes in it. On another…

Ryuji: “Alright, let’s just get this over with as fast as possible so we can chow down on that soup and get outta here!”

Ann: “Oh, nah…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Ann has to stop herself from tearing her shirt open like Superman and revealing the shirt underneath with “I’m the Husband” written on it. Naturally, Shiho has a matching one that reads “I’m the Wife”.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Oh look, it’s Haru.

Mishima: “Huh? Sure… Oh! Are you a collector?”

Mishima: “Huh, I didn’t know that… well, that sounds like an awesome way to bring more justice to the world!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Someone on /v/ pointed out once that Haru looks like a humanized version of Lady from Lady and the Tramp and oh god they’re so right.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I didn’t know what taro is - it’s a root vegetable that mostly grows in Asia and Africa that apparently tastes like a yam.

Maruki: “I do cook pretty often at home. Let me try this little technique here…”

Maruki: “Uh… sorry.”

Makoto: “Would the leader of each group please come and get the soup for their teams?”

Morgana: “I don’t know the best way to put it… but that sure was a crappy time out there.”

Kasumi: “Oh! I’ve finally found you. I was trying to find you so I could thank you properly for this morning.”

Kasumi: “So… where’d the other people in your group go?”

Kasumi: “Ah… I see. I’m in pretty much the same situation. If it’s all right with you, why don’t we eat our soup together?”

Kasumi: “I want to thank you again for this morning. That man was even more frightening than he might have appeared to you… so I truly appreciate with you did for me! Thank you so much.”

Kasumi: “Sorry, but I’m not even finished! There’s one more issue I need to address… I’m also sorry for what happened the other day!”

Kasumi: “…The run-in we had outside of the guidance office.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This happened over a month ago. Kamoshida was down by 04/28, and it’s now 05/30.

Kasumi: “Mr. Kamoshida had just told me about you a moment prior, so I sort of spoke without thinking there… I heard some of my classmates gossiping about you, too.”

Kasumi: “I was, but I haven’t paid it any real mind. I don’t like gossip and rumors and the like…”

Kasumi: “And I know this’ll sound strange since I just met you, but you don’t seem like the kind of person they describe. It’d be a different story if all those rumors were actually true, though.”

Kasumi: “What were all the crimes I’d heard? Burglary, murder, and… elephant tusk trafficking, was it?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: John Persona sweats a little and tries to hide the several-ton elephant that’s been just off-screen in every shot behind him.

Kasumi: * giggle * “Even I can tell you’re joking.”

Kasumi: “Hm? You know what, it just hit me - I haven’t even introduced myself yet!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I choose the formal option because that’s what Elly would want.

Kasumi: “Oh, I’m sorry to make you go first… Kurusu-senpai. Actually, there’s no need for you to be so polite - I am an underclassman, after all. I believe you already learned form our meeting at school that my-”

Morgana: “Wh-what the hell just happened!? …Oh, look.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Akira immediately calls Yusuke and tells him to get over here so he can hold him.

Kasumi: “Huh? I guess you sleuthed me out before I got to tell you. Well, you’ve cracked the case - I’m Kasumi Yoshizawa, a first-year!”

Kasumi: “Figured that out too, huh? Well, yes. I compete in gymnastics. It’s not that difficult once you get the hang of it - just a hop, skip, and a jump.”

Morgana: “Gymnastics, huh? Hey - don’t you think some of those moves would be awfully useful? I was just thinking about how the Phantom Thieves need to get some sweeter moves, too…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Remember the star we got from Jose? This ties in with that. We’ll see what it does in the next dungeon.

Kasumi: “What’s the matter, Kurusu-senpai? Wait… is there a cat somewhere around here?”

Kasumi: “Does that mean you’re in interested in gymnastics? That makes me so happy! I’d be honored if you’d allow me!”

Kasumi: “The only problem is… I have a favor to ask for myself as well - if you wouldn’t mind. Lately, I haven’t been getting the results I want from my performances, and I’m worried that I’m overthinking things.”

Kasumi: “So it would be wonderful if you could give me some advice whenever you have the time.”

Kasumi: “Sure I do! I’d love if you were willing to lend me an ear from time to time.”

Morgana: “I see… this sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me - what do you think?”

Kasumi: “Y-Yessir! …Wait, that’s a little overboard. But, I promise! I’ll glean as much as I can!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There’s a good 15 seconds of dead air here, which I like to think is Sae just going “Why am I asking these stupid fucking questions?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might notice something here - namely that there’s only five stars, as opposed to the usual 10 (or 11 for the party members) that we’d see with the others. There’s a reason for that: both a story one and because it had to be shorter than the rest in order for you to have enough time to max out all the confidants in one run.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: As a reminder, we HAVE TO max out Kasumi’s confidant before November in order to get to the new content in Royal.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might also notice that I don’t have a Faith persona on me right now. Thankfully, we’re JUST PAST the minimum level to get one: the earliest one available is Phoenix, at level 21.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Unlike the other arcana, Faith personas do not naturally spawn in any of the dungeons. We are going to need to manually fuse a Phoenix at some point. Thankfully, Phoenix is easily made from cheap materials: we need Kodama and a Pixie, both of which we can compendium summon.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The good news is that after this month, we basically put Dr. Femdom on hold for three months, so I can ditch Matador for Phoenix before the next dungeon.

Kasumi: “Oh, why don’t we exchange contact information?”

Kasumi: “Ha, it’s back! Okay, I’ll contat you when I’ve got free time, if that’s fine.”

Makoto: “Attention Shujin Academy students: the cleanup event will be ending momentarily. Please do not discard your trash in the bins here. Instead, bring your waste to the predetermined location for disposal.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Yeah, we’re gonna need that room to throw Makoto in there. Where she belongs.

Makoto: “After that, we will be officially releasing everyone for the day. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Kasumi: “Well, the cleanup seems to be finished. We’re already in our gym clothes - would you care for some basic training before we head home? Let’s start with some core exercises! Those are the foundation for staying in shape.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The reason we didn’t call last night was actually because we couldn’t - calling Kawakami requires rank 3 in guts.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He asks, as if he isn’t constantly horny for human women. Kawakami’s definitely not the best girl - a lot of people seem to like her, especially in Japan, but I didn’t.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: In fact, on my first run, Joker wound up with no one at all because I had pinned all my bets on Makoto being a short-haired Yukiko and dating only her. I was so fucking disappointed.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The way the vote is looking, it looks like we’re ending up with Yusuke anyway. I’m straight and I think I’d rather date him than any of the women in this game, unless you count Yukiko as being in the game via her cameo on the TV.

Becky: “…Oh wait, it’s you. Well, it’ll be 5,000 yen with the request fee included, you know. Is that okay with you?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I mean, no… not really. It wasn’t okay when Kamoshida did it.

Becky: “…Very well. I’ll head over right away then.”

Becky: “…Never mind. So, what kind of kid are you? The way you opposed Mr. Kamoshida, I’d say that you’re earnest and have a strong sense of justice.”

Becky: “That being said… you called a maid service and requested me?”

Becky: “I see… oh, that’s right. You have a criminal record… okay, then how about this? I’ll let you skip class a few times.”

Becky: “It’s tough not having any place where you belong, isn’t it? However, I reserve the right to change my mind if your grades drop. And in exchange, you won’t tell anyone that I’m moonlighting as a maid. Sound good?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: John Persona looks her in the eyes and just goes “Every day I’m hustlin’.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is reason one why Kawakami’s confidant is mechanically the second best. Any time we have her class and there’s not a question, we can just do whatever. This doesn’t come up too often from what I remember, maybe four or five times, but that’s a handful of free chances for us to read a book.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: However, her real use comes at Rank 10, which is why we rush through her confidant so quickly. In fact, apart from letting us skip class and her Rank 10 ability, nothing she does is anything we’re ever going to use.

Becky: “Well, I guess I should get going. Oh, please request me if you need any help with your housework, okay?”

Becky: “Well, I mean… we know each other’s secret, and it would really put my mind at ease… besides, I’m, uh… I’m considered over the hill for this type of job, so I don’t get requested that often…”

Becky: “I’ll show my appreciation by making it easy for you to ditch class! Just think about it, okay?”

Becky: “Ugh… God, you have no idea how exhausting this job is… listen, promise me you won’t tell the school about this, okay? For both our sakes.”

Becky: “Absolutely no talking about maid stuff to anyone!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker immediately grabs his air horn and barricades himself in his room. Moments later, a series of messages appears in the John Persona group IM.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: “Help! Horrifying anime gremlin in cafe, barricaded upstairs, need help, send exorcist immediately!”

Becky: “What, you’re not even gonna play along? You’re killing me here…”

Becky: “…Well, I’m gonna head home. Oh, and don’t forget to study for your exams, okay? If you waste all your time playing around, your grades will suffer. See you later.”

Ryuji: “By the way, the exhibit’s 'til the end of this week, huh… we did what we could, and now we wait for results.”

Ryuji: “True, it’s important to take a breather after some hard work. But I feel like my body’ll be weaker if I play around too much.”

Inui: “I can’t go sea fishing because I get seasick easily. So much for my dream of being a sailor. Oh right. When people think of sailing the high seas, they tend to think of pirates.”

Inui: “Even though they’re ruffians who plunder other ships and coastal settlements through force… for some reason, they ended up getting romanticized.”

Inui: “Now then, Kurusu-kun. Do you know which peg-legged, parrot toting historical figure’s appearance became visual shorthand for pirates?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We already know who Captain Kidd was, and that he wasn’t much of a pirate. Anne Bonny was an Irish pirate, but didn’t have a prosthetic leg or a parrot.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: James Cook (aka Captain Cook) wasn’t even a pirate - he was a captain in the British navy who surveyed a lot of places - including Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Cook was also a dumbass who got clubbed to death trying to kidnap the King of Hawaii over a stolen boat - a boat that was only stolen because he’d incorrectly accused the Hawaiians of stealing it.

Inui: “That is correct. The answer is Long John Silver, a character from ‘Treasure Island’. The story of Long John Silver informed much of our modern view of pirates.”

Inui: “Unfortunately, he only exists in fiction. In terms of nonfictional pirates, well… Captain William Kidd made quite a name for himself, I’d say. Maybe you’re familiar with the story of his execution? How he declared that he hid all his treasure in one piece?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: No, that’d be One Piece. As in, the manga. Hashino had to have some kind of thing for it, because you can find devil fruit as a healing item as well.

Inui: “Though research seems to indicate that he didn’t actually have much. Still, several novels were written based on his legend, and people still look for his treasure today.”

Inui: “By the way, I’ve heard that there’s an island in Kyushu where Kidd’s treasure is said to sleep…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Just like I’m sure the ancient Mayans took boats all the way to Japan to build an exact replica of El Caracol on top of a mountain so they could use it to dock their spaceship.

Morgana: “Kidd’s secret treasure, huh… regardless of its actual worth, there’s still value in letting that many people dream about it.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We’re supposed to go to Mementos, but the thing is that we have to do “view requests” first and I kind of forgot to take some shots of that because about 80% of it was stuff we already know.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The only takeaway from it is that they don’t need to send a calling card for Mementos because apparently posting “We’re coming for you, motherfucker” on a forum is good enough.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Goho-M’s were a very useful item in Persona 4, because it let you go into a dungeon to do a sidequest and then immediately go back to the hub. They have to be crafted in this game, and aren’t as useful.

Skull: “Huh? Whaddya mean?”

Morgana: “Well, Mementos is affected by the emotions of the public.”

Panther: “Wait, so you’re saying… weather changes people’s feelings, and that in turn changes Mementos?”

Morgana: “Not just Mementos. The shadows inside too. The type of change will depend on what kind of weather it is. This might turn out to be useful.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There’s a tutorial pop-up here that explains that if you go into Mementos on a rainy day, you have a higher chance for enemies to call for help but also a higher item drop rate.

Skull: “What happens when there’s a ton of pollen?”

Morgana: “I’m not too sure… but the impact on Mementos is determined by how the public is feeling. How have other people been seeming to you?”

Panther: “Come to think of it, some of the kids in my class have bad allergies. They all seem really out of it. Apparently the medicine makes them feel sleepy…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: During pollen season, most of the shadows will be sleeping. Not that this matters - the area with enemies from Madarame’s palace still isn’t open yet, and the enemies in Kamoshida’s palace won’t even aggro us anymore.

Jose: “That one closed-up door’s finally opened. Are you the one who did that?”

Jose: “I knew it! Mementos filled me in on it. But thank you. I should be able to find more flowers deeper down. Well, I should get going. Good job!”

Skull: “We bumped into that guy again. Uh, what was his name?”

Panther: “You mean Jose, right? He’s such an adorable little kid, isn’t he?”

Morgana: “Panther!? I’m adorable too, you know!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker reaches for the air horn and then realizes that Morgana’s ears are on top of the van.

Panther: “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, he said he was looking for flowers and wanted our help, right? Sounds like he’ll reward us too. Doesn’t it seem like helping him would be worth it?”

Skull: “I guess. I am kinda curious about what we’ll get… why don’t we go look for him? He’s probably still around here.”

Morgana: “Looking for him is fine and all, but remember that it’s risky to stay in one area for too long. There’s this one really fearsome Shadow in Mementos… if we hang around too long, it’ll hunt us down.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Oh boy, this is my favorite part because it’s a Persona 2 reference. At least, if you ask the fans it is.

Skull: “Huh!? The hell’re you talkin’ about!? Why didn’t you tell us this before!?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The game does give you a small picture of the Reaper, but let me just get you a bigger one. The Reaper has been a thing since Persona 3, and was post-game content in Persona 4.

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9_2iVBrO_400x400: If you’ll notice, he’s got an outfit that looks remarkably similar to Tatsuya Sudou’s “King Leo” outfit that he wore in Innocent Sin.

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9_2iVBrO_400x400: Moreover, he’s missing the same eye that Sudou is.

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9_2iVBrO_400x400: The fan theory is that the Reaper was meant to be Sudou in Persona 3, but that got scrapped for some reason (read: Hashino). The design just kinda stuck around anyway.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: By the way, the Reaper was the best way to farm EXP in the base game. This is because in November and December, Flu Season rolls around and causes all enemies to die in three turns. This meant you could continually run into the Reaper and watch him auto-die, and then get a fuckload of EXP and money. They fixed that in Royal because we’re not allowed to have fun anymore.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I dicked around for a bit and grabbed some flowers - Jose will trade SP recovery items for them, but we won’t need those by the time we hit the third dungeon.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The annoying part is that Jose appears totally at random, and any flowers you collect disappear when you leave Mementos.

Jose: “Huh, whatcha got there? That’s really neat.”

Jose: “Wow, this is amazing. I recognize it from my studies! I’m feeling strong human desires coming from this accessory… but, it still hasn’t reached its full potential.”

Jose: “May I see it? I won’t do any damage to it. I promise.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker’s like “Uh, kid, you don’t want to know where that’s probably been.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Jose then upgrades our jackoff crystals into rings. Where the crystals mostly give passive bonuses, the rings also give a themed skill that costs a fuckoad of SP to use.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The Ring of Lust goes from giving Diarama as a skill to giving Champion’s Cup, which costs 10 SP to Diarama’s 7. It’s a single-target heal that also provides an attack boost, similar to the chalice in Kamoshida’s boss fight.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The Ring of Vanity is absolute hot garbage. Bleeding Dry Brush is a skill that is basically Tetrakarn and Makarakarn (which reflect one physical and one magic attack, though I forget which one does which) at the same time, only instead of reflecting it merely nulls a single attack. At 22 SP, this is solidly in the same category of “too high of an SP cost to be useful” that the ultimate Personas in P1 and P2 were. At least it still retains its passive of nulling weaknesses.

Jose: “Learning about desires also teaches me more about humans. Oh, that’s right - here, before I forget.”

Jose: “Remember when I told you I’d come up with a fun game for us to play in Mementos? I thought of this after seeing the subway in the other world. This’ll also prove that you’re checking for flowers in all sorts of places here.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I really like the UI for Jose’s shop. We can either trade flowers for items, or trade stamps for what is basically the Cheat Shop from Disgaea.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He mostly sells SP restoratives. I wound up buying a couple of Snuff Souls by the end of the run.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: On the Cognition side, we have the ability to increase EXP gain, money gain, and item drop rate. Each stamp we find is 1 point, and by the end I had enough to boost money twice and probably boost EXP once - I didn’t find Jose again after the second time.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: By the way, there’s an optional superboss if you get all of the stamps. I’ll be going for that. Chances are that the party probably won’t be strong enough to take on the Reaper though.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There’s a stamp station at the down stair on each level, plus one that’s just kind of randomly floating around. This might change in the later levels.

Skull: “Hey, looks like there’s a stamp thing here. Might be that stuff Jose was talkin’ about. Just lookin’ at it makes me want to get stampin’ like crazy.”

Morgana: “Skull… you’re such a caveman.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There’s two stamps in the very first area, so I went back and got those off-screen.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: In case you’re wondering, the trophy pop-up is for going to a floor with a “deviation”, which can cause different enemies to appear. This is the very first floor so I didn’t bother checking it out.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There are random party chat lines that will go off while you’re going through Mementos. I’ll post any I get, but I’m not going to go out of my way to find them all - there’s Youtube videos for that.

Morgana: “Mementos is different. While other Palaces exist because of just one person, this one’s from the public. From that perspective, it’d take more than a few intruders to make a mark on the security level.”

Morgana: “You’d have to do something so bad that the entire public sees you as an enemy. So… be careful, okay, Skull?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: So what you’re saying is that the party would need to dress as a highly political late-80s rap group? Who gets the giant clock necklace?

Skull: “Hey, shut up!”

Morgana: “I can sense our target somewhere in this area!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I found the target almost immediately, but then I dicked around for a bit getting stamps.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’d say it’s kind of out of character for Ryuji to be into JRPGs, but Dragon Quest is apparently very much all-encompassing in Japan, so I dunno.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: All I know is I tried DQ11 and it put me to sleep in a way that almost no other JRPG has.

Skull: “This guy’s bullyin’ is real bad. From what I hear, it’s mostly blackmail, takin’ money from people, that kinda thing.”

Panther: “If we don’t make him have a change of heart, his bullying might get even worse.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might notice that Yusuke has been absolutely silent since we got here. That’s because this entire area (including the two sidequests we’re here to do) was meant to be done before we fought Madarame.

Skull: “Let’s go.”

Skull: “That’s no reason! How’s it their fault when you don’t give 'em any choice, huh?”

Panther: “You’re the lowest of the low. Bullying people weaker than you, knowing they can’t fight back.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: It’s funny to me that he just kinda turns into a Jack Frost.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Half a round of gunfire (and an Agilao from Ann) later… shit, I forgot to mention that.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Basically, I went up against a Berith to see if I could shake him down for money the way we did to Shiki-Ouji. Unfortunately, that’s no longer possible: he will die in a single All-Out Attack now.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Ann leveled up and got Agilao, making her the first party member to learn a second-tier attack spell. Anyway, the Jack Frost is more or less toast at that point.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Then, someone (I think it was Yusuke) gets an attack off that causes Confusion. Confusion is how you want to farm money in Mementos: it gives the enemy a chance to throw money away each turn.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The mini-bosses from sidequests are especially good for this, but we can’t really confusion farm effectively because we still have limited SP. This will change by the next time we’re in Mementos.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Yusuke is rapidly catching up to the rest of the group. To be honest, I never really used him in the base game - my final party was Joker plus the three female party members.

Skull: “What’re you talkin’ about?”

Panther: “Oh, I get it now. There’s an even bigger bully - ordering this guy around - who’s behind all this.”

Skull: “Hey! Didn’t you just say it’s people’s own fault for not standin’ up for themselves?”

Morgana: “This guy… fickle fellow, isn’t he?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That’s one out of two. Let’s keep going.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Here’s the free-floating stamp thing I mentioned earlier.

Panther: “They’re people… right?”

Morgana: “Well, I’d say they’re most likely Shadows…”

Skull: “What’re Shadows doin’ here? It’s not like they’re gonna be catchin’ a train or-”

Skull: “Hey, where’s that go?”

Morgana: “If I had to guess… I’d say into the deepest part of Mementos.”

Skull: “What? This place seriously doesn’t make any sense…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This’ll be sort of an ongoing plotline as we progress through Mementos.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is why Goho-Ms aren’t as useful as they were in P4. There’s save points all throughout Mementos, and you can use them to warp.

Morgana: “In Mementos, sometimes the road will be unnaturally blocked. The walls are pretty weak in those spots. I should be able to break through them no problem. If you see any while we’re exploring, try busting right through them!”

Panther: “Uh, just let us know before you do that… don’t go crashing into any walls before we can buckle up.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You know, now that I think about it… how do they get out of the van so fast?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I went ahead and used six stamps to buy two points in money - I forgot that the points needed to level it up go up as you get more stars. The first two are only three each.

Jose: “Just watch. I’ve learned all about this. You see, the cognition flowing through Mementos… it’s got these things that are similar to what you humans would call ‘pressure points’. So, if I do this…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Pressure points are not a real thing, by the way. That’s some jangly key man bullshit. They’re directly related to acupuncture, which at this point has been more or less debunked. There was a study in the early 2000s that basically found that it doesn’t matter where you put the needles for acupuncture.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There are spots in the body where there’s more nerves (and thus it’ll hurt more if you hit someone there) but that’s completely divorced from the jangly key man bullshit that is pressure points or chi or whatever you want to call it.

Jose: “There. That should’ve changed it for you. Don’t believe me? Just take a look for yourself.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Now, if I saw this, I would probably just grab a hammer and start smashing the floor at random in hopes that I could somehow get the world to believe that Wyoming isn’t real.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Our target isn’t on this floor, so I grab the stamps and leave.

Morgana: " ‘Other kitties’…? Hey, what are you talking about?"

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Aino is, of course, a Nekomata. We’ll see those as regular enemies pretty soon. With the party as overlevelled as they are, we devil bust this one down in no time.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Except instead of just killing it, we have to negotiate. There’s no way around this.

Morgana: “Joker, it seems like there’s something going on with this one. Maybe we should try talking to them. Okay, here’s what we know about her.”

Morgana: “She’s calling the cats she catnapped ‘snowballs’, the catnapped cats are ‘stressed out’… and lastly, the ‘pet owners are giving up’.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m pretty sure this is meant to be a reference to Paranoia Agent, but she sounds a lot like Nametame in P4.

Morgana: “What does she mean by snowballs? That’s so weird. Are all cats snowballs!?”

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Morgana: “They’ll die ‘too’? So the real Snowball is already gone? Okay, I think we’ve got this. She’s calm enough for us to talk to her now. Go for it, Joker!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is why I went for the money bonus. Look at all that goddamn money. That’s like… almost 1.5 Shiki-Oujis. That’s how I think of Japanese currency now, is in the number of Shiki-Oujis I’d need to kill.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Yeah, this is absolutely a reference to Paranoia Agent.

Morgana: “It’s brought you a lot of suffering, huh…”

Morgana: “It’s all right. You realized your mistake… just don’t do something like this again.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: There’s just one more thing I wanted to do, which is to grab this last stamp you can see here. Naturally, we can’t go any further because the next level only opens on June 6th.

Morgana: “Also, I overheard the owners talking… it sounds like Aino turned herself in. Once she pays for her crimes, apparently she’s going to volunteer to take care of stray cats.”

Morgana: “I agree! …I doubt she remembers me, but maybe I’ll go visit her someday. I made a promise, after all.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Before we finish the night off (we spend it studying), we have a crossword to do.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Next time, we’ll see what happens to Madarame… I think. There’s kind of a week time difference between the base game and Royal - if we were on the base game 100% route, we’d have just done Madarame’s boss fight today and the encounter with Kawakami in the hallway wouldn’t happen until 6/3.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Oh, and after the Mementos run, our total cash is, uh…

9_2iVBrO_400x400: A metric shitload.

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Looking pretty snazzy probably. Look sometimes well fitted suits and angular glasses just work man.

They… why did they… of all the things they could have done or referenced or made better in Royal, they choose to do this? Alright.

La Foi. Faith. The High Empress replacement in of the Visconti-Sforza deck. Faith is much like the High Priestess, representing secrecy and mystery in the form of a woman, though a bit more nebulous than the High Priestess herself. Ironically enough, the actual Faith card depicts a real ass woman; Sister Manfreda, a heretical female pope raised up by the Guglielmite sect of the Lombardy. Look I didn’t write Earth it’s not my fault. She was, as you would expect, set on fire by the Inquisition. Somewhat hilariously- she was part of the Visconti family, by distant relations.

A fun thing about the Visconti tarot. They do not have any numbers- an oddity in all but P5’s variant of Death within the Tarot. Additionally, the actual real life card quality of the Visconti tend to be not great? This is represented in P5 by Faith not having a number, not having the typical white border of the other Confidants, and by having the card be all ripped up. Jeez! Also art wise, Faith depicts exactly what you expect; lady pope. P5’s corruption gives us a skeletal popesse dancing with devils.

Oh god two of these in a row I mean hello. Temperance. Meaning abstinence, or general restraint, the card represents control, ability to manage things, and generally taking the reins of ones life. You have just passed Mort and thus received the ultimate change as you make your way down the Tarot, so now it is time to make your world yours. Of interesting note is that despite the obvious religious trappings, this is more of a secular themed card… unless you have reversed Temperance, in which case you’re goin’ in hard on that religion.

Kawakami as Temperance is interesting because it is a very… adult, and strange sort of Temperance. She is allowing you stronger control of your life in exchange for allowing her to have stronger control of hers. A give and take of Temperance. This is reflected in the card’s P5 based corruptions; the typically stalwart angel diluting some wine with water, representing control and stability, looks like a deviant wine mom pouring her fifth glass. Which honestly kinda fits Kawakami, it feels like? It’s this weird feeling of “ahaha, I’m an adult and in control of my life, which means I can do bad things ON PURPOSE!”. I kinda dig it, in a weird way. If Temperance means voluntary self-restraint, it can also mean voluntary non-restraint.

Sometimes Temperance is knowing your bad decision is at least YOUR bad decision.

And nothing of value was lost.

So she’s the junior who’s pure-hearted because she cares about kids and gets saved from a creep by the dark and mysterious upper classmen with the checkered past? I definitely feel like I skimmed over the summary of this romance manga, yeah.

Too bad she’s stuck with John Persona.

“I’m going to ask him about another accomplice and he’s just going to look at me and tell me their name is John Persona too. Why did I take this stupid case?”

1 Like

This game has a very strange obsession with making John Persona save women from being harassed by creepos. At least John Persona is an outstanding member of Society.

Thanks! I’d like to pretend she’s not.
I’m still kind of upset that I tricked myself into thinking Kasumi was going to be the fem protag, similar to how P3P had a female protag. They didn’t do it in persona 4, so idk why I’d think they’d do it in persona 5. (This obviously is no fault of Atlus, just my own hopeful dumb self.)

Your Shiho x Ann comments just make me wish it was canon. Curse you, Hashino.

okay, it’s kinda ridiculous how much the “no-good adults” thing is being said now. Not annoying, but silly.

I really do enjoy Jose and his design - he’s cute! Like a baby brother I gotta protect, or something. Tis a shame he’s connected with Mementos, because I really did not like that dungeon.

When I played the OG P5, I tried to drag Yusuke with me into every fight only to have to dump him soon enough because he was being a genuine liability. I also accidentally got rid of his Bufula with Mabufu when I didn’t mean to and I hadn’t saved in a while. Yusuke really did not serve me well, which is a shame because I love him.

Yeah, personally I don’t like that bit at all. I feel like it’s… just kind of unnecessary given everything else that’s in this game. The worst part of it is that there is a TON of dialog of people creeping on her that I haven’t been showing, but basically she’s all any male student at Shujin ever talks about.

Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve already coordinated the art for Yusuke’s Rank 9 Romance cutscene - the one that totally exists in Royal and that I didn’t have to commission art for. (I had to commission art for it.)

image

I was going to announce it later, but the Rank 9 cutscene is being done by Salty Vanilla (https://twitter.com/ssaltyvanilla).

So far, I’ve got a two-page comic for Rank 9, a one-page comic for Rank 4, a single image for Valentine’s Day (which is in Royal) and I’m planning on getting one for Rank … 5 or 6 as well. The Rank 4 comic is actually already mostly done, and it’s being done by Eligap - the same person who did the Jun/Tatsuya picture for Innocent Sin. I can’t link their twitter because it’s NSFW.

We’ll be seeing that… probably a ways from now.

2 Likes

I get where they’re coming from, given how the game started with him saving someone in a pretty comparable situation, but it would be cool to have other plots than “man save girl from assault”.

I said this with P2 but you’re doing gods work here. I’d write something myself but when it comes to writing, fan-fiction is one of my weaker aspects. I can’t really work with characters that aren’t mine…

Click Here for Update 25

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Weirdly, they don’t move the date for the end of the arc in Royal - I figured that one out pretty quick when I started recording again. I have no idea why.

Morgana: “Sorry, I couldn’t hold it in. You’ll have to make some kind of excuse for me.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is probably based on an event in 2012 where a Burger King employee posted pictures of himself standing in two plastic bins of lettuce. 4chan tracked him down and got him fired.

Morgana: “The Madarame exhibit goes on until June 5th… that’s the end of this week. We’ll show him what a change of heart means!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Today, we’re doing Ryuji’s confidant, and it’s here we’re going to hit a time gate. I forgot this was here.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That last one might seem like a typo given that it’s spelled “dachshund”, but I don’t think it’s actually a typo - it’s the localizers trying to convey how hard that word is to transliterate into katakana.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The term used in katakana is “dakusufunto”.

Ryuji: “Yeah, that’s him! Well, he’s gonna be the new track team advisor. He don’t give a rat’s ass about the sport though… or even the students.”

Ryuji: “So y’see, I heard this rumor… apparently, he’s got in trouble at school before with his drinkin’… but that hasn’t kept him from goin’ out.”

Ryuji: “I was thinkin’, maybe he’d let some shit slip when he’s drunk. We should totally try and tail him sometime. I’ll look into where he goes to drink.”

Ryuji: “What’s the plan for today though? You gonna train with me?”

Ryuji: “Let’s get changed then. We can meet at, uh… hmm, somewhere’s gotta be open. Let’s try lookin’ around at school.”

Ryuji: “I mean, we’d prolly run into Nakaoka and them if we stuck around here… you got any ideas?”

Ryuji: “You seriously think we’d get any trainin’ done there? I bet we’d just end up eatin’ ice cream and playin’ video games all day long. That’s just kinda what happens, y’know?”

Ryuji: “…Eh, I guess it won’t hurt to peek 'round the gym. If they ain’t here, maybe we can-”

Ryuji: “So what, you gonna ask him questions with your fists? And anyways, ain’t a three-on-one kinda cowardly?”

Ryuji: “Huh? That’s a load of bull!”

Ryuji: “That’s right! You’ve been trainin’ together for freakin’ forever! Plus, ain’t the track team comin’ back? You don’t gotta fight!”

Ryuji: “H-Hold up!”

Ryuji: “If you think that’s gonna make you feel better, go for it… but you’re gonna wish you didn’t. Trust me, it feels real bad lookin’ back on shitty stuff you’ve done.”

Ryuji: “Look… even if Nakaoka was workin’ with Kamoshida, ain’t it fine now? The bastard’s gone, so you guys can just put this crap behind you. There’s no reason to fight, yeah?”

Ryuji: “…Yamauchi?”

Ryuji: “…You okay? What the hell was that?”

Ryuji: “But…”

Ryuji: “…Yeah. If you told him, you told him. I’m over all that stuff with my parents anyways.”

Ryuji: “Besides… I’ve realized something, Nakaoka. I might’ve messed up with Kamoshida back then, but hangin’ on to the past ain’t gonna help anythin’.”

Ryuji: “I’m just gonna focus on bein’ myself now… on 'bein free.”

Ryuji: “Akira… you get what I’m tryin’ to say, yeah?”

Ryuji: “Right? He’s the one who wasn’t makin’ any sense.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker just looks at him and goes “Whoa, whoa, I have a boyfriend already.”

Ryuji: “Uhh, I don’t know how else to explain. I just feel… free.”

Ryuji: “What, we stuck on repeat or something? Hahaha!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Seriously, for a homophobe, Hashino sure is good at writing scenes that heavily imply his characters are gay.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Ryuji reaches Rank 6, and gets the best ability in the game. Harisen Recovery basically turns status effects cast by enemies into free turns - this will trigger almost every time someone gets hit with one and doesn’t take a turn.

Ryuji: “Mannn, that was some funny shit. …So much for trainin’ though, huh? C’mon, let’s get out of here. Oooh, we should grab ramen on the way home!”

Ryuji: “All that mess with the track team… guess I was right about my gut feeling. And Nakaoka can get weirdly stubborn sometimes. He’ll keep his mouth shut whether or not someone’s punchin’ him.”

Ryuji: “Whoa, hey, that’s not what I’m saying! No violence, period! I thought you’re supposed to be the pacifist here!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I think he has pacifism and being gay confused.

Ryuji: “Look, I’m just sayin’ theres’ gotta be another way to solve this instead of just goin’ dark! And that bastard Yamauchi’s name came up again. I swear, somethin’ about that dude is so shady…”

Ryuji: “'Kay, that’s it. I’m gonna do a full investigation. I’ll hit you up if I find anything! Later!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We’ve done just enough sidequests to get Mishima to rank up. Mementos is going to be kind of an ongoing thing for confidants - each confidant (except Mishima, obviously) has a Mementos request that has to be done to progress with them.

Mishima: “You’d seriously look like a criminal if you had one of those allergy masks to go along with your cool glasses!”

Mishima: “So, you did the request I asked you to do. Thanks! Oh yeah! As your strategic image management rep, I thought I should come up with more ways to help you. Do you have time today?”

Mishima: “But we’re meeting up with some Phangirls today.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I have to wonder how this line works in Japanese, because the website isn’t called the same thing - it’s called “Kaito Onegai Channeru”, or “Ask The Phantom Thieves Channel” after 2ch.

Mishima: “All thieves are supposed to have some special ladies, right?”

Mishima: “Huh!? It’s too late to cancel though! I already confirmed with them!”

Mishima: “Basically, I met some cool girls on the Phan-site, and we thought it’d be fun to do an in-person meet-up. Oh, that reminds me, they think we’re just part of the Phandom.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: He does this when the website poll is at like… 7% popularity.

Mishima: “I made up this whole story about how we stumbled onto the Phan-Site one day, so let’s stick with that. Don’t spill the beans, okay?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might ask why I didn’t pick the third option given that the truth is that Joker is gay, but it’s clearly because he doesn’t want them to think he and Mishima are dating.

Mishima: “That’s what users of the Phan-Site call themselves! It’s really caught on as the forum’s gotten more popular. Either way, you should be excited about this! Mingling with your loyal supporters is a noble cause indeed!”

Mishima: “Plus, remember how I said I’d help publicize the Phantom Thieves? This is just the beginning! Though to be honest, I’ve never actually met someone from online in person.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I did once, the last time I went to Magfest. Wasn’t bad.

Mishima: “I wonder if I’ll be able to do it right… I did lots of research though. I know all about footing the bill and buying desserts for the girl. Apparently if things go well, you might even t-t-take her home…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This sounds like the infamous “dropped my spaghetti” copypasta from mid-2000s 4chan. You know, after it started going to shit.

Mishima: “Huh? It’s way past our meeting time…”

Mishima: “About our meet-up… you’re still at home!? And… what about your friend!?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: They could smell the incel from clear across Tokyo.

Mishima: “Wait, was that a train announcement? I could swear I just heard someone say ‘Shibuya’ over a loudspeaker. Are you close by?”

Mishima: “Huh? Oh, no! I’m not calling you a liar. Okay… yeah… maybe next time…”

Mishima: “S-So… both of them apparently got sick? They’re just gonna stay home. Ahaha… sigh it seemed like they were really into the idea on the forum… O-oh well… my bad!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Do you understand now why I absolutely hate Mishima as a character?

Mishima: “I was so busy with all the new forum posts, I didn’t have time to really vet them too much.”

Mishima: “Yeah, thanks. But all this aside, I have some really good info ready for you guys! I won’t let you down… I’ll prove just how useful I can be to the Phantom Thieves!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: More EXP is never a bad thing.

Mishima: “It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this though… I bet those girls would never have flaked on me if they knew I’m friends with the real live Phantom Thieves. sigh Being a guardian of justice isn’t so easy, huh…?”

Mishima: “People typically use an alias online, so a lot of them don’t hold back when they comment. Mmm, I thought it was going to be a great opportunity to hear their opinions on the Phantom Thieves…”

Mishima: “It’s always better to hear that kinda stuff in person, right?”

Mishima: “Yup, leave it to me! Next time, we’re gonna get some real hot gir- I mean, intel!”

Mishima: “All right, I"ll get back to modding. Trust me, everything’s going to turn out awesome! See ya!”

Makoto: “Why did Mr. Kamoshida change all of a sudden?”

Makoto: “Is that your hypothesis? It’s still too sudden… I believe it’s only natural to think that something must have caused it.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I like that she asks just as many stupid questions as her sister does.

Makoto: “…Well, that’s fine. Thanks for your valuable opinion. I’ll take it into account.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I wandered around the school for a while trying to find the person to talk to for this, and only found a bunch of NPCs who either love or hate Kasumi. Then I saw this…

9_2iVBrO_400x400: What is it with this game and like, every other person being a creep?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The actual person we need to talk to is just outside the school.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Fortunately, we won’t be going back to Mementos anytime soon - we still need to pick up a bunch of requests.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Our after-school period is going to be spent on our second to last visit to Dr. Femdom for a long time.

Tae: “…It was right in front of me, so…”

Tae: “I-I’m not shy.”

Tae: “sigh …What the heck?”

Tae: “…Thanks to you. There’s a lot of talk going around town about me, started by that girl and her dad… apparently, they’ve been telling everyone that I can make all these amazing medicines and remedies.”

Tae: “So now the number of patients I’m seeing has increased dramatically. I don’t know what some of these people are thinking, though. I’ve had a lot of crazy requests.”

Tae: “Like, yesterday a patient requested a ‘sweet-smelling’ compress. And the other day, I had a request for a ‘cold-buster’. Ha! A drug like that deserves a Nobel Prize.”

Tae: “Other requests have included hair and skin tonics… I even had to do a consultation about a cat… sheesh. It’s not like I’m some kind of genius doctor.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That last one was absolutely Joker trying to find a way to make Morgana less horny.

Tae: “What? Really? …Well, you’re entitled to your opinion. But a ‘town doctor’, huh?” That sort of lifestyle profession might’ve been possible for me at one time, but now…"

Tae: “Oh yeah, about those clinical trials… with so many new patients, it’s taking longer to analyze the data, so I’ll need to catch up. This is a bit on the stronger side, but I’m sure you’ll be okay.”

Tae: “It looks like that girl is going to make a full recovery. The treatment seems to be a good match for her. So at least I can breathe a little easier, for now.”

Tae: “Hopefully she’ll be able to attend school soon. …What are you so happy about? Are you excited for your next clinical trial? Well then, let’s have some fun.”

Tae: “I know it was probably a lot to handle. Considering I doubled the dosage and halved the activation time… but we’re so close. We’re right at the end of all this - I can feel it.”

Tae: “I need you to stick around for just a little bit longer. I hope you can handle it.”

Tae: “Well, aren’t you a little go-getter. If you’re that excited about it, maybe I’ll just give you a dose of everything and see how you hold up.”

Tae: “Well, I’ve got some catching up to do. I have to process today’s data as quickly as possible. Make sure to call if you ever feel sick, okay? Take care.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I just wanted to take a minute and show off Tae’s new inventory. We definitely want four of these, but they’ll be half-price once we hit Rank 7. The SP adhesives restore 3/5/7 SP a turn, and the HP adhesives do I think the same thing.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Back at Leblanc, we have a TV quiz to do.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m pretty sure the entire reason this question exists is to patch what people might’ve considered to be a plot hole later in the game.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: And now, it’s once again burger time.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The burger badges give you varying degrees of extra max HP, by the way. We’ll never use them.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I don’t know why they don’t use the dog’s real name. I doubt it’s copyrighted, since The World Ends With You uses it.

Kawakami: “I’m changing my lesson for today. Instead of a regular class, we’ll be reviewing last week’s materials. I suggest you listen carefully. But don’t think you can slack off, okay? I absolutely won’t allow it. No slacking off!”

Morgana: “Weird. She’s going totally against the curriculum. All that stuff about slacking off was a little odd too… wait a second… is this what she meant by ‘skipping class’?”

Morgana: “I would’ve thought she’d let you leave the room or something… but I guess you can’t really complain.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: While you can pick the “listen to the lecture” option to get knowledge points, the point gain on it is less than what we’d get by using the time to read - especially once we get to that speed reading book.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You might be wondering why we haven’t done the speed reading book, and here’s why - a bit later on, there’s a book that increases stat gains from reading. We can’t buy it yet.

Morgana: “Ishikawa Goemon was a thief without peer. So he was a hero of the common people, huh?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker immediately calls up Aino and tells her he’s got a Snowball for her, and it’s free so long as she keeps him away from human women.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is the game’s way of telling us that Ryuji’s confidant is time-gated. It’s weird because I know by this point, the LP on the archive had gone way beyond where we are in it.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I thought for a second this would explain how Morgana got kidnapped, only they’re two cities over.

Maruki: “To be honest, it’s been… kind of a relief. That whole mess with Kamoshida was the reason I was called here, after all…”

Maruki: “They warned me a lot of students had been impacted. I knew there would be a lot of free-floating anxiety. But when I actually got to talk to everyone, I was pleasantly suprised.”

Maruki: “Most of the things on everyone’s minds were college entrance exams, relationship problems… in other words, typical worries for high-school students. Some did open up about deeper issues, but not the majority.”

Maruki: “Some students were still struggling with scars from the incident, yes… but at the very least, I’m glad the ones who came to me have taken some steps towards recovery.”

Maruki: “Well, that’s not to say I’ve gotten a sense of every single student’s emotional state.”

Maruki: “Either way, I hope my worries end up being groundless after all. I know I’m not the most reliable guy, but remember you can always talk to me if something’s bothering you.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Joker just looks at him and says “Everyone around me is extremely horny. All the time.”

Maruki: “Having said that, it’s a little awkward that I have to ask for your help, but… you remember how I asked you to help me with my research?”

Maruki: “I said you’d be helping with my research, but don’t worry. It won’t be anything too difficult or intensive. I just need to listen to what I have to say, and work through some questions with me.”

Maruki: “But let’s see… maybe I should start at the beginning and tell you a little about what this research is for. What I’m studying now is pain felt in the mind. Or perhaps more fancifully, in the heart.”

Maruki: “Some specific things include the pain of someone saying hurtful things to you, or being separated from those you love. Maybe this would be clearer - pain defined by abstracts, like trauma or stress.”

Maruki: “Bodily, physical pain can be thought of as something necessary. An autonomic response to injury, illness, whatever. But what about pains felt in one’s heart?”

Maruki: “That pain isn’t born from any tangible problem in our bodies, right? It’s something strange and immaterial. I guess it goes to show that there are still a lot of mysteries in our own hearts and minds.”

Maruki: “And I… well, I want to learn more about these internal, psychological pains. Now, this is my question to you… when do you truly feel pain in your heart, Kurusu-kun?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: CRTs on the side of the road. Still hurts even though I have an OSSC and a capture card and even speedrunners are moving away from them because they’re a pain in the ass to bring to marathons.

Maruki: “I see… yes, I can sympathize there. Sometimes, all it takes is one betrayal for intense trust to turn into intense pain. It can be rough. It doesn’t feel good to struggle with pain in your heart.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: What I hate about Maruki, by the way, is that he’s kind of Persona 5’s Marie. His confidant events are usually among the longest ones in the game.

Maruki: “But with that in mind… how about the pain of a broken heart, then? After all, that kind of pain is only born because we fall in love, right? Do you have any thoughts on this kind of pain, Kurusu-kun?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I also am not a huge fan of how all of the confidant events in this game feel like they were written in such a way that Joker could not even be there and it would be pretty much the same.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Persona 4 was a little guilty of this at times, but the social link events in P4 were way shorter on average. What they’re trying to do though doesn’t really work with a blank slate protagonist.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The end result is that Maruki’s confidant is basically a plot dump for the new content in Royal, but Hashino tried to space it out to make it seem like less of a plot dump.

Maruki: “Hahaha… I never took you for a poet. But it’s a wonderful sentiment. A very positive way of looking at it. Internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Though some say it’s always coupled with other feelings…”

Maruki: “And I agree, of course. I think that’s a fair assessment.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This might be important. In fact, this one line is pretty much the only one that’s going to matter for this entire confidant. It also sounds an awful lot like Maki in Persona 1, doesn’t it?

Maruki: “…Mm. Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect, and in a way, they’re far more complex than physical injuries. That’s why I’m doing this research… to save people who are suffering from internal pain they keep holding onto.”

Maruki: “You helped me realize that purpose again. Thank you.”

Maruki: “Of course! Thanks to you, I can articulate my thoughts for once!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: What the shit kind of therapist does all the talking anyway?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This… isn’t bad I guess. Charge is an ability that sacrifices a turn in order to give the next physical attack or skill 2.5x damage. Concentrate is the same but for magic.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The thing is that we won’t have access to either of those skills for a long time - the only party member who naturally learns Charge is Ryuji (at level 63) and the only party member who learns Concentrate is Ann (at level 63).

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The earliest Joker can get it is around level 40, but that’s only if you have the DLC that gives you the unique Personas from previous games. Fuck that shit.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Royal does add a way to get these skills on any party member, but only once and not for several more months.

Maruki: “Hm…? Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something…? Oh…! Your mental training! Oh, uh, no! I didn’t forget about our promise, of course!”

Maruki: “I’ll teach you tricks for mental discipline, and you help me with my research! Just like we decided, right? Now then… how about something like this today?”

Maruki: “I’m taking a breather. Just finished my last counseling session for the day. And I thought I’d thank you once again for your help earlier.”

Maruki: “Thanks. A lot of students came by to talk today. Hopefully they got something out of it.”

Maruki: “…But to be honest, it’s pretty tough juggling this job and my research at the same time. Thanks again for agreeing to help me out.”

Maruki: “I might be looking to you for help more frequently from now on. It’d mean a lot if you could lend a hand. All right, see you later.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Funny, you’d think it’d be “commissions closed”.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We will, of course, use our time at night to call our horrifying anime maid.

Becky: “If it’s for you, Master, I’ll happily be covered in dust! But then, doesn’t it pain your heart to see such a cute maid all dirty?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I had to pick the first option for points, but realistically I think we all know I’d pick the second one if I had an actual choice here. Joker is acting like the SCP Foundation in that he’s keeping the horrifying anime from the general public.

Becky: “Awww, Master! :heart: Even though your room is messy, your heart is so clean! I’ll go ahead and get this over with then!”

Becky: “I’m not allowed to work overtime during weekdays, so I rush to my part-time job after class ends. On my off days, I have to prepare pop quizzes and homework assignments.”

Becky: “And today, I had to clean bathtubs and walk dogs before coming here. There’s no time to rest… oh, speaking of pets, this room smells like a cat… I feed a lot of strays around my house.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Where is Morgana, anyway? You’d think he’d be all over this.

Becky: “I was surprised that you requested me. I didn’t think you actually would. You weren’t expecting to do anything weird with me, were you?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The next time Kawakami arrives, Joker puts up a giant neon sign reading “gay” with an arrow that somehow is constantly pointing at him. You know, just in case she doesn’t get it.

Becky: “As long as you understand… I know I’m in a maid outfit, but I’m still your teacher, so don’t get any funny ideas.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Something tells me that even if Joker was his own character, he wouldn’t be the Emmanuel Macron type.

Becky: “Besides, I try not to get too involved with my students, so… yawn I need a nap… sorry, just give me five minutes… maybe ten…”

Becky: “…Oh, hey, do you know of any part-time jobs that pay well? I assume you make a lot, since you can afford a maid service… well, let me know if you do.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: John Persona looks deep into her eyes and goes “I walk back and forth between two rooms and hold up an old man made of paper at gunpoint for money.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I’m pretty sure that’s how the Japanese economy works… or rather, doesn’t work. No one knows exactly where Shiki-Ouji gets his money from.

Becky: “Well… uh… it’s for my little sister!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is a mistranslation - in the American release, she’s known as “Mama Kawakami” and is raising money for her sick daughter. The Japanese release (Persona 5: Replicant) was the one where it was her sister, and she’s also much younger in that version.

Becky: “…Hello! Yes, I made the transfer… Not enough? But it was the same amount as last week! I- N-no… yes, I understand. Okay, goodbye…”

Becky: “Uhhh… Oh! W-Wrong number!”

Becky: “Hey, sorry to ask you all this out of the blue, but… do you happen to have one hundred thousand yen I could borrow?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Lady, we’ve got 500k and probably don’t need all of it before the next dungeon. Probably.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: By the way, if this entire thing sounds like a Yakuza sub-story, that’s because it basically is.

Becky: “Wait, n-never mind! Owing one of my students would be the worst… hey, you may have some money, but be mindful of how you spend it. You shouldn’t be wasting it on services like this…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: This is kind of like trying to argue economics with Mario, who makes his living smashing blocks until coins come out. I have a feeling the Mushroom Kingdom economy is a lot like Japan’s.

Becky: “…I need the money, so I do appreciate you requesting me. However, you’re my student, so if we were to get involved further, things would get complicated…”

Becky: “I did warn you! The rest is your responsibility! You’re a high schooler after all.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You know, I’d want to see a manga where something like Mementos exists in the real world, and people realize they can make more money just teleporting their car there and running over low-level demons for cash like Frank West in the maintenance tunnels than they do at work. Just kind of explore that concept and what it’d do to the world economy.

Becky: sigh “Three more to go… well, I’ll see you later, Master!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Oh shit, she’s gone full-on anime again! Seriously, I want Anime Kawakami to be an enemy in SMT V like the “Bodyconian” zombies in SMT I.

Becky: “Ugh… sorry. Part of the job. Okay, this is driving me insane, so I’m just going to drop the sales talk - crap… my manager’s coming!”

Becky: “…Um, well, I hope you’ll request me again sometime! Bye byeeee!”

Maruki: “But it’s times like these when you’ve just gotta push through the funk! Don’t let the weather get to you!”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Yep, sure is steamy and humid at a whole… 29 degrees. Fahrenheit.

Maruki: “Well, that as the plan, anyway. Then I got police officers asking what I was up to. Do I really look that suspicious?”

Maruki: “Oh, but speaking of looks… have any of you seen someone you thought was cute, and immediately decided they must be nice, too?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: You mean Elly? Or Yukiko?

Maruki: “That thought process is totally normal, if not always accurate. There’s even a name for it. Any guesses, Kurusu-kun? What do you think the name for this phenomenon is?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Seriously, why is it that apart from one time, every single time a teacher asks a question they ask Joker?

9_2iVBrO_400x400: The Pygmalion effect is a somewhat-discredited idea that the expectations someone has for you correspond to performance - high expectations mean higher performance and vice-versa.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: As far as I can tell, “destiny effect” isn’t really a thing. The closest thing I could find searching for it (other than guides to P5 and the other two answers being in related searches) is that it’s part of an idea called habitus that goes back to Aristotle but was popularized by a French philosopher by the name of Pierre Bourdieu. Habitus has a lot to do with things like how prejudices are passed down.

Maruki: “Correct! I’m surprised you knew. You get distracted by superficial qualities, and your broader perception of someone can get biased. Once you get that far, it’s hard to make totally objective judgments.”

Maruki: “Like ‘that person is quiet, so they must be scary.’ Stuff like that. The halo effect isn’t all bad, but… I recommend you give people the chance to define themselves instead of making snap judgments.”

Maruki: “After all, it’d be a shame if your biases kept you from noticing something truly wonderful about someone, right?”

Morgana: “Plenty of terrible people look perfectly decent on the outside. But Lady Ann looks perfect, and she IS perfect! Nyahaha…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: God dammit cat.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We spend the afternoon at the diner, since it’s raining out and that gets us more knowledge points than usual.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: I seriously feel like Featherman is just an ongoing proxy war between Jun and Lisa over Tatsuya.

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We have to call Kawakami again, because we need that Rank 10 bonus as quickly as possible.

Becky: “The high-end cup noodles really do make a difference, don’t they?”

Becky: “I thought you’d agree, Master! They are pretty complicated though… it says to drain the hot water once and leave the sauce packet on the lid so it gets warm…”

Becky: “Don’t request me if you’re going to complain. Besides, I thought I warned you already. Why would you request me again…?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: Seriously though, we’ve seen the whole “female character who is laughably bad at cooking” thing like a dozen times since Persona 3, and another two or three if you count Persona 1 and IS/EP.

Becky: “Hmm… are you sure that’s really the reason? …Well, I guess I’m in no position to complain, since I’m making money from it.”

Becky: yawn “I’m so tired… we had a faculty meeting just the other day. Why do they have to last so long? Thanks to the Phantom Thieves, the students have been really restless lately.”

Becky: “The teachers can’t agree on what to do with them or the Phantom Thieves. I wish they talked more about our bonus instead. I heard they might even cut the teachers’ salaries. I’m so sick of it…”

Becky: “Really? I’ll continue to serve you with all my might, Master! sigh …I’m going to be in trouble if I don’t pick up more shifts.”

Becky: “What…? How much!? I can’t… yes, but…! That… that’s true… sure.”

Becky: “Yes… Yes, I understand. Yes, it’s my responsibility, after all…”

Becky: “Oh, did you hear that? Haha… yeah, I’m a little behind on my sister’s medical bills.”

Becky: “Uh, apparently it’s some crazy incurable disease, so there’s a lot of fees and extra charges! That’s why it would really help if you requested me some more…”

Becky: “Oh, never mind. You’re my student. I can’t keep relying on you… ughh… what am I going to do now?”

Becky: “Anyway, it’s time for me to go. Hey, feel free to call me to do housework. It doesn’t have to be through the maid service. I live close by, so I can stop over whenever you need me. Besides, I’m worried that you can’t cook or do laundry because you don’t have your parents…”

Becky: “Oh, and if your friends suddenly come over, I can always leave out the back way.”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: We will never, EVER use this. It costs money, and soon we’ll be able to sell the dirty armor items we’ve been picking up for cash directly.

Becky: “* sigh * This isn’t how it was supposed to go… in any case, I need to talk to my boss about giving me more shifts. I need to get requested more…”

Becky: “Oh, is this Master? Thank you for using our service today! Wasn’t my meal so delicious? Could you taste all the love I put into it?”

Becky: “But you can’t just eat cup noodles, right? You need balanced nutrients! Maybe next time, you can try some of my “home-maid” cooking instead?”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That pun wouldn’t even work if spoken out loud unless you explained it afterward, in which case it REALLY wouldn’t work.

Becky: “Seriously though. You’re still young, so you really need to eat properly…”

Becky: “You can thank me once you start making actual improvements! …Uh, I mean - you’re so very welcomeee! :heart:

Becky: “…Um, I know this is kind of silly, but you really do need to eat healthy, okay? I mean, considering how much you spend on requesting me, you can probably afford some good food…”

9_2iVBrO_400x400: That’s as far as I’m going to go for this update, because the next day is another long cutscene. Next time, we’ll see Madarame cry on TV and make our first visit to Kichijoji, a new area for Royal.

Man, something about Ryuji’s S-link always annoys me but I have no clue what. Like it isn’t even that egregious, but I still get annoyed.

Hashino writing accidentally implied wlw/mlm characters reminds me of this musical movie that Björk was in where it was this very powerful movie about an immigrant woman struggling with being in a country where she doesn’t have the English education to help her son while also suffering from a severe mental illness. The director of the movie was accused constantly of being a sexist and Björk actually used to argue with him constantly even though he made an accidentally powerful woman-centric movie.

I like to call that instance “Accidental Bigoted Feminism”: when a person is so bigoted that they end up creating a powerful story of a marginalized person going through tough times and coming for the better out of it simply because the director/writer hates that group so much and everyone ends up constantly arguing over authorial intent vs. the actual content of the art-piece in question.

I don’t know why we can’t just have a normal ass cat that summons a persona, like Persona 3 did where it was just a non-talking dog with a persona. Can we not have annoying creeps like Teddie and Morgana? I’m begging?

Also, not being able to date Fake Artsy Jun Yusuke is still a crime. You are doing God’s work for that Yusuke x Akira artwork.

I think it’s the fact that Ryuji feels like a teenager as written by a bunch of old guys who have not even the slightest clue how actual teenagers behave. He doesn’t feel like a real person so much as he does some kind of weird anime stereotype. I seriously have never met a person who acts like he does, especially back when I was in high school.

Yeah, I honestly don’t know what the hell they were thinking from a design standpoint about Morgana. He doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the art style, and you’d think they would’ve learned from shit like Sonic 06 that having an animal character who is thirsty for a human woman is kinda creepy.

They did make the improvement of making the whole “Aren’t you tired? Let’s go to bed.” thing go away for the most part, but there’s still problems with him that go way beyond that.

It’s nothing, really. I figure that it’s worth it just in case Hashino sees it.

Oh, right. You may have noticed I changed my PFP - that’s because I had Salty Vanilla make a mascot for me. Part of it was that I had free art available, part of it was that I figured I should probably get away from using a Nintendo IP because of how lawsuit-happy they are.

He’s great and I love him.

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Can’t wait for someone to meet the John Persona and go “So uh… which uh… which one of you is the pacifist?” while John Persona and Morgana are recreating the end of Firstly Blood Part II when Rumbo is just blasting the command room with an M60 and going “ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”