#Yusuke investigating her crimes

[jilted-love]

I keep seeing Yusuke and Grell together. What if I start shipping them?

[maespri]

let's talk about the many crimes of the phantom thieves

hello and welcome to me detailing the many crimes of the persona 5 royal teenagers... my dearest friend and i got bored and decided to make a list of every crime they could potentially be charged with, and i thought i'd post it to get other people's thoughts (in case i missed any) + laugh about the insane shit they've pulled off.

lets go!!!

before we get into this: we did not count crimes that were committed within the metaverse, as it wouldn't be possible to really charge the phantom thieves. the only exception to this is goro. we counted his metaverse crimes because it made his laundry list of crimes funnier. that's all.

p.s.: i love studying criminology, but i know i'm not an expert by any means. if i mess something up, miss a crime, etc.- let me know!

now, let's get into it, in order from least to most crimes!

sumi yoshizawa commits zero crimes.

good for her... good for her...

ann takamaki commits one crime: battery.

aside from ryuji and haru (who also only commit one crime), ann has the shortest list of crimes with just one: battery. it's a stretch for sure, but technically, she does slap ryuji after shido's palace, and that does qualify as battery. good on her otherwise.

ryuji sakamoto commits one crime: assault.

side note for anyone who doesn't know: assault and battery are two different things. assault is the threat, battery is the action. for example: if i tell someone i'm going to punch them, that is assault. if i actually do punch them, that is battery. that's often why the two go hand-in-hand.

ryuji threatens people quite a bit, but we actually couldn't think of any instances where he goes through with said threats, excluding him punching kamoshida. because that happened pre-canon, however, and because kamoshida clearly didn't charge ryuji, we didn't count it.

haru okumura commits one crime: perjury.

haru lies to sae when being questioned about her father's death. and yes, lying to a prosecutor during a criminal investigation does count as lying to law enforcement in general.

makoto niijima commits three crimes: blackmail, hacking, and theft.

blackmail: makoto approaches the phantom thieves and blackmails them with a video of them stating their identities, threatening to leak it if they do not meet her demands.

hacking: makoto intentionally manipulates sae's laptop in order to steal documents from it.

theft: makoto steals confidential documents from sae's laptop.

ren amamiya/akira kurusu/the protagonist/joker commits three crimes: improperly bringing an animal onto public transportation, resisting arrest, and breaking and entering.

improperly bringing an animal onto public transportation: animals are allowed on most subways in japan if they are documented, in a proper carrier, and, at times, have been paid for with a proper fee. joker brings morgana onto the train every day without doing anything of the sort.

resisting arrest: joker runs from the police and attempts to escape when surrounded outside of sae's palace.

breaking and entering: in one of yusuke's later confidant events, joker picks the lock to madarame's house and enters.

yusuke kitagawa commits four crimes: plagiarism (charges would likely be dropped, however!), stalking, solicitation, and trespassing.

plagiarism: this one was really interesting to discuss with my buddy. yusuke does commit plagiarism by willingly handing over his artwork to madarame and allowing him to claim it as his own. however, it can be argued that he did so because he was being manipulated, abused, and was under duress* (madarame essentially claimed he would end up on the streets if he did not hand over his art). it can also be argued that because yusuke did not place any copyright infringement on his paintings, it wasn't really plagiarism. therefore, this charge would likely be dropped, either on the basis of insufficient evidence and/or his being under duress.

stalking: yusuke does stalk ann for a few days before speaking to her. because this action causes distress to ann (shown by her mentioning yusuke following her around a few days prior, as well as her initial reaction to meeting him), it falls under the category of stalking.

solicitation: yusuke solicits joker to commit the crime of breaking into madarame's house in one of his confidant events.

trespassing: when joker does break into madarame's house for him, yusuke enters.

*under duress: constraint illegally exercised to force someone to perform an act (AKA, forcing somebody to do something illegal via threats, blackmail, manipulation, guilt-tripping, etc.)

futaba sakura commits eight crimes: wiretapping, non-consensual surveillance, espionage, truancy, hacking, tampering, theft, and blackmail.

wiretapping: futaba hacks into phone lines (most notably, ren and akechi's) and listens in on conversations.

non-consensual surveillance: futaba tracks the GPS on a few people's phones.

espionage: futaba spies on people.

truancy: we don't know the full extent, but it is implied that futaba has missed a lot of school, which is a crime.

hacking: i hope i don't have to explain this one HAHA.

tampering: to send shido's calling card, futaba tampers with all the big screens around japan, which is tampering with property.

theft: futaba has stolen plenty of information, classified or not classified, from a loooot of different people.

blackmail: when she first asks the phantom thieves to change her heart, she does so through blackmailing them, threatening to reveal their identities if they don't do it.

goro akechi commits twelve crimes: attempted first-degree murder, mass first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, conspiracy, fraud, aiding and abetting, terrorism, assault, battery, perjury, blackmail, and obstruction of justice.

attempted first-degree murder: whilst akechi technically doesn't kill joker, he does try to, which means he can be charged with this.

mass first-degree murder: akechi murders. a LOT of people. which falls under this category.

unlawful possession of a firearm: in order to kill joker, akechi steals a gun from a police officer.

conspiracy: akechi states his plans to murder joker and plots it out in advance for a long, long, time.

fraud: faking joker's death certificate is a form of fraud.

aiding and abetting: helping shido kill people is aiding and abetting.

terrorism: terrorism is defined as "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims." akechi's actions fall under this category.

assault: akechi throws plenty of threats people's ways!

battery: and follows through on many of them.

perjury: akechi lies to all sorts of law enforcement around him, most notably sae and the guard outside of joker's interrogation room.

blackmail: akechi threatens to leak the identities of the phantom thieves if they don't infiltrate sae's palace.

obstruction of justice: by lying about what he knew about the phantom thieves, withholding information from law enforcement, and overall just completely messing with the case, akechi commits obstruction of justice.

that's it!

thank you for reading thank you for joining us joy to the world... shoutout again to my wonderful friend for being these guys' defense attorney's

BYE!!

[rindomness]

PERSONA 5 FIC MASTERLIST

Because it turns out I've written a lot of these. Here we go!

A Liar's Guide to Hatred - finished, 19,535 words

Five years after the end of Persona 5 Royal, Akechi walks back into Akira's life by way of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it set of encounters. Akira decides to investigate. Part of to my enemies.

Dandelion - finished, 3,136 words

Set during A Liar's Guide to Hatred. Akechi and Yusuke have an enlightening discussion on the nature of sidewalk weeds, Akechi's card, and other things. Part of to my enemies.

On Pitch(And Other Flammable Substances) - finished, 3,531 words

Homestuck troll AU. Akkira Kurusu visits a TV studio with his friends Ann and Ryujii and meets up-and-coming tealblood star, Gorroh Akechi. A pitch crush is developed.

Darling, You're Made Of Lies - finished, 7,433 words

The Adventure Zone: Steeplechase AU. Akira is a very successful thief working in the Steeplechase park's underground, and Goro Akechi is the park's resident media darling. Things, of course, aren't that simple.

Burn Into the Night - finished, 9,448 words

Promare AU. Goro Akechi works in Promepolis's Burning Rescue, all the while hiding his Burnish status. Meanwhile, Akira Kurusu leads the charge for Burnish rights as the leader of the group Phantom Burnish. Their meeting changes everything.

All The Words I Couldn't Say - finished, 12,936 words

In the engine room of Shido's Palace, Joker jumps the door before it can close, dying while defending Crow. This changes everything, and nothing, when January rolls around.

Coming Alive - finished, 2,689 words

Some time after the end of Persona 5 Royal, Akira sees Akechi at a party. They leave and chat. Written for the ShuAkeShu Rivals zine.

To Make Sure It Wasn't Goodbye - finished, 8,933 words

Snapshots examining Akira Kurusu's attraction--or lack thereof. Demiromantic headcanon character study focusing on Akira and his relationship to Goro Akechi.

'Cause You're Only Going Up From Here - finished, 3,183 words

Futaba Isshiki gets accused of a crime she did not commit and is arrested for it. A brand-new assault on her record, she moves to Tokyo to live with her mom's friend, Sojiro Sakura. Part of Phantom Shuffle AU.

Betcha Won't Believe It But You Kinda Set Me Free - finished, 15,963 words

Three years after the end of Persona 5 Royal, Ryuji Sakamoto gets his first apartment. His roommate is... unexpectedly, Goro Akechi. Follows the adventures of Ryuji and Akechi getting used to each other. Part of Ryuji Roommates.

My Feet Are Buried In The Sand - finished, 1,466 words

During the events of Persona 5, Futaba Sakura asks for help from the Phantom Thieves. She's not really expecting any of the answers she gets.

In Search of Summer Secrets - finished, 4,424 words

Gravity Falls AU. Futaba and Akira Kurusu take a trip up to Gravity Falls, Oregon for the summer to live with their family friend, Sojiro Sakura. They meet some gnomes in the process.

Where I Am Going Is Right Where I Am - finished, 27,384 words

When Akira Kurusu moves back to Tokyo permanently, he has to come to terms with the ways he's been both dealing with and avoiding his trauma. Part of Ryuji Roommates.

Loop - finished, 1,906 words

In Stars and Time AU. Akira wakes up after dying for the first time. Part of In Stars and Time AU.

Why Can't We Just Pretend - finished, 5,340 words, explicit

Femshuake. Akechi challenges Akira to a duel in Mementos, and things get a little bit sidetracked.

Take A Look At This Through Gwyllion Eyes - finished, 6,018 words

Akechi and Sumire go to a haunted house that is, perhaps, hiding some secrets, and tell Akira about the experience after it's all over.

Rest In Peace (Or Pieces) - finished, 8,396 words

Goro Akechi is being haunted.

And In Walked A Witch - finished, 2,348 words

Futaba loses her familiar and asks a local nymph for help. Written for the Monster Mash exchange.

Shoot Me, Love Me, Kill Me - finished, 2,675 words

Sburb AU. Akechi helps Akira godtier.

Walk Softly On This Earth - finished, 2,132 words

In Stars and Time AU. Akira learns more about Akechi following their duel. Part of In Stars and Time AU.

Ghosts and Clouds and Nameless Things - in progress, 23,883 words

Akira Kurusu doesn't remember anything past the last three months. One day, he meets someone from his forgotten past.

[symphonic-scream]

I would like to hear how he met them.

:)

This part of the au is, for the most part, the most angsty? And it's barely. Just cause I'm keeping everything else as, comfort feeling

SO HERE'S HOW EVERYONE MET AKIRA IN THE PHANTOM QUEERS AU

In chronological order

Futaba!

Futaba was already living with Sojiro when Akira got in trouble in his hometown. Sojiro was reluctant to take in a second kid while trying his best to parent Futaba, but they assure him he's doing great and they don't need all his time and attention

So Akira comes into their lives, and when he catches Futaba struggling to make ramen at 2 am, he gives them a hand and. Siblings for life

RYUJI

They met on the train first! They were standing beside each other, did the bro nod, went about their day. Then a day later they were both at the same beef bowl place. Another nod. Then the DVD rental. The restaurant. Fishing-

After a week they both decided destiny wanted them to be bros! Ryuji was crushing a bit at first too ngl

ANN

Ryuji introduced them! He invited Akira to Girls and Gays night (their night out drinking during uni) and that's when they all first found Crossroads! Akira was taken immediately and would return each night until Lala agreed to hire him, and it also cemented his friendship with Ann

Yusuke!!

He was wandering around looking for inspiration for a new portfolio piece between his first and second year, the theme being queer identities and young expressionism. So. He wandered into Crossroads and met Akira, or rather Aki-chan. Very early into drag too

After a night long conversation and a date set up for Akira to do a little modeling for Yusuke, he had him meet the others and it was history from there

GORO

There was a police investigation at Crossroads one fall. One of the regulars- an older business man -had been caught doing some insider trading and pretty much everyone associated with Crossroads had to be spoken to to see if they'd been spilled to

Akira was interviewed by the PI on retainer. In drag. They didn't get along at first, but once Akira dropped his Aki-chan act and was Stinky Crime Boy persona, well. Goro was quick to agree to meet up another time for a drink on the house

MAKOTO AND HARU!

So. This one is a little longer? And this is the. Angst part of the post but just a bit

Makoto was out with some of her classmates after a tough exam in their course when she runs into some old, acquaintances from middle school. From when she was just starting to transition. You can probably see where it's going

She ducks into Crossroads to get away, hands shaking as she texts Haru the address, with an apology for interrupting her later cooking class when Akira kindly guides her to a back table, getting her a glass of water

He's in drag, lays on the usual attitude but a little lightly, and Makoto mumbles out a "sorry I have a girlfriend" and he just "great. I have a boyfriend. Wanna gush about her to feel better?"

And when Haru bursts in looking for a shaken Makoto she finds her love half sloshed in a back booth with Akira, both half in tears as they share photos of their partners

They end up keeping in touch and even remaining friends!

And of course, Hifumi wanders into Crossroads trying to find herself. But that's been knew

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 234: All Kinds of People

The Thieves returned to Leblanc, exhausted after the day’s events. Sojiro was behind the counter, while Sae was sitting at the counter. “You look a little more tired than usual,” Sojiro remarked.

“How did it go?” Sae asked.

“Well…” Makoto answered, “it…was ultimately successful in figuring out our plan of attack.”

“Hm,” Sae sighed. “I know that feeling. Still, good job. At least you didn’t end up pulling teeth and getting nowhere.”

“Um, teeth?” Ryuji wondered.

“It’s an expression, Ryuji,” Morgana chimed in. “It means ‘to do something that is difficult and frustrating’.”

“Oh,” Ryuji said.

“Well, have a seat,” Sojiro said.The Thieves did so. “You know, you have exemplary timing. I was just getting ready to make Miss Niijima here something.”

Just then, the door opened once again. Everyone turned to the door and froze. At the door was Officer Jin Hayashi, Ren’s new parole officer. “Hello,” he said. He walked up to the counter. “I’m feeling a little hungry, and so I thought I should try this curry.”

“Hmmmm,” Sojiro grunted. “I swear the sign said closed.”

“Did it?” Jin said. “I just saw a bunch of kids come in, so I thought it was open.”

“I see,” Sojiro replied.

Jin glanced over to see Sae. Sae was alarmed, as Jin took a second look at her. “Hey wait a second…” Sae gulped. “Aren’t you that Sae Niijima character that the news is saying killed the SIU director?”

“Crap!” Ryuji muttered.

“What do we do?” Makoto panicked.

Jin looked over at The Thieves. “So then, that means…you must be The Phantom Thieves.” There was a silence, as their whole effort to get Shido appeared to have stopped before it could start in earnest. In their panic, they froze completely. “That is AMAZING!” The Thieves broke out of the stunned state and now appeared to be confused. “I have to say, I’m a huge fan.”

“Wait,” Haru said, “you’re a police officer, right?”

Jin nodded. “That’s correct. But don’t let that fool you. I’ve been a supporter since day one.”

“May I ask why?” Sumire wondered.

“Well, it’s a few reasons,” Jin said. “Some of them personal, but I have to tell you one story. The day after Kamoshida confessed his crimes, the school of a daughter of a friend of mine had a copycat calling card calling out their school’s history teacher for similar conduct. There was an investigation, and he was soon arrested. You gave whoever put up that card the courage to speak out about that atrocity. From one purveyor of justice to another, that’s really something.”

“Woah…” Ann said, tears slowly streaming down her face. “That’s…amazing…”

“Forgive me for asking,” Yusuke said, “but how do we know this isn’t a ruse?”

Jin smirked. “Well, I can see why you might think that, but I have reason to doubt some of my fellow officers. For a start, I heard two of them talking about a plan to arrest someone to get them out of the way. When I took that to my captain, he told me that I was ‘working too much’ and ‘seeing things that weren’t there’, and so he took me off the beat and transferred me to being a parole officer.”

“I gotta say,” Ren interjected, “my last parole officer had a similar, but sort of the opposite story. He wanted to be part of that gang, but due to his incompetence, he was also relegated to parole officer.”

“Huh,” Jin said. “How interesting. Do you know who might be directing those officers to do all of that?”

“We just found out for ourselves,” Jose said. “But we’re working on it.”

“I see,” Jin responded.

“Wait!” Futaba said. “These people killed my mom! We’re just accepting that this isn’t a trick right away?! How can we be so sure?”

“It’s not,” Sae countered. "I know he's on the level."

Jin looked over at her. “Oh? Do tell.”

“Well for starters, I’m a trained prosecutor,” Sae said. “I know how to look for lies and inconsistencies. And while he might be a bit peculiar, he hasn’t told a lie so far. But also…I know what it feels like to be ostracized by your peers for having an independent streak. I was never the most popular person at the SIU. Part of that was my age, part of that was my gender, and part of that was my skill. But the thing that sets off people in that kind of work is working outside of the confines of the rest of the group. And I see that in you.”

Jin smiled. “Wow. It’s like you really get me.”

“Well, we have to make sure that we can unravel this conspiracy,” Sae said. “Otherwise I’ll still be wanted, and we’ll be under the thumb of a grade-A asshole! So I had to bring my A-game.”

“I see,” Jin said. He turned back to Futaba. “I apologize about your mother. I know it can be hard when a child loses their parent.”

Futaba was taken aback. “I, uh…thanks...”

“So,” Ren interjected, “what is going to happen if you aren’t turning us in?”

“Well, as your parole officer, I can keep all this under wraps,” Jin said.

“In case we fail, you’ll get dragged along down with us,” Ren reminded him.

Jin nodded. “I’d rather have you guys as company than some officers who distort what justice is.”

“Otherwise you wouldn’t be here now, would you,” Sae said.

“See, you get it,” Jin replied. “Although, I do have to ask…you didn’t kill the director, did you?”

“No,” Sae admitted. “He killed himself.”

“Oh,” Jin replied, surprised. “That is bold if I do say so myself.” He turned to Sojiro. “So, are we good on that curry? I can take it to go, if you want to keep things on the DL.”

Sojiro nodded. “Despite my appearance, I’m adept at telling when people are lying too. From what I can tell, you’re not a liar.”

“Thanks,” Jin said. “And I’ll pay for everyone else here as well.”

“Um,” Haru interjected. “We don’t us-”

“Thanks,” Futaba interrupted. She gestured to Haru to be quiet.

Sojiro nodded. “Thank you.” He began to cook.

“Mind if I help?” Ren asked.

“Sure,” Sojiro said. “I don’t mind, if you’re up for it.” Ren got behind the counter to help.

After getting his curry in a box, Jin said “Thanks. I’ll come by and tell you how it is.”

“You know, you do have my number,” Sojiro said.

“True,” Jin said. “But I think it’s rude not complimenting the chef personally.”

Sojiro smirked. “You are a strange, yet oddly refined man.”

“Well, I try,” Jin said. “Take care! And remember!” He tapped his nose twice. “Later!” He left.

Ren smirked, and then started to head back to help Sojiro prepare everyone else’s meals. However, she was interrupted by a loud sigh from Sae. She turned towards her. “Are you alright?”

Sae was stunned. “Oh, uh, well, I just find him fascinating. It’s interesting. I see a lot of myself in him. Being left out and relegated to work by yourself, feeling like everyone else is kind of against you. I get it. But at the same time, he and I took two different paths. I became stone cold, while he seems like the kind of person who can light up a room. I mean, I guess my job was more competitive than his, but I also feel like I lost a part of myself in that.”

Ren felt Sae’s words. “You know,” she began, “I feel that. Back in my hometown, people started turning on me for being ‘weird’ and ‘aggressive’ and ‘a freak’. So I pretended that it didn’t bother me. And then it stopped being pretend. And it was only when I came here that I realized how much it bothered me because I wasn’t bothered here as much.”

“Hm,” Sae responded. “What changed?”

“Well, I met people willing to be my friends,” Ren said. “And slowly over time, I learned to let go of things.”

“I bet being given supernatural powers helped with that,” Sae remarked.

“Well, yes and no,” Ren said. “I mean, it’s cool and all, but I had to get stronger myself to wield them effectively. I’m playing with people’s hearts. If my heart wasn’t strong enough to face an ever growing hatred and malaise, I’d fold like an omelet with a bad poker hand.”

“Huh,” Sae said. “You know, I think my job had me doing the opposite.”

“How do you figure?” Ren said.

“People would plead with me to hear them out,” Sae said. “It was one sob story after the next. My mother was a defense attorney, and she told me that people are human and just sometimes make mistakes. My father was like that too when it came to his work. And yet, I felt like I had to turn my emotions off and ignore people’s humanity just to stay ahead.”

She let out another sigh. “I tried my best to be lenient with people who I knew weren’t guilty, but it’s hard to convince the system that someone wasn’t guilty if all you have is an emotion. I had grand designs of a world where I could get in and change the system. But it just felt like the system was eating me alive. And now it’s out to get me.”

“Well…” Ren remarked, “I mean sometimes that’s just what you need.” Sae was confused. “I mean, look at me: I was arrested on false charges, and now I feel like I’m living my best life. Perhaps you just need a new lease on life to shake those emotions out of you again.”

Sae smirked. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She took a deep breath. “You know, I think once the dust has settled, I might become a defense attorney. Like my mom.”

Ren smiled back. “Well good luck with that.”

“You know,” Sae said, “I usually wasn’t one for luck before; it felt like getting wished ‘luck’ undermined my merit. But I’m feeling a little more loose and accepting.”

“I mean, flipping it on its head for a minute,” Ren said, “I’m sure you’re more than capable, so all that’s left is luck.”

“Hm,” Sae replied. “I see. That is an interesting way to look at it. Well then, I wish you luck in figuring this out.”

Ren giggled. Thanks.

Judgement-Sae Niijima: Rank 2

“I should get back to helping Sojiro,” Ren noted. Sae nodded, and Ren continued helping Sojiro.

Once their dinner was ready, The Thieves sat and discussed the day’s events. “So,” Sumire said, “it seems like this palace will just be a matter of finding the people Shido trusts and getting their letters of recommendation. Although that seems easier said than done.”

“I agree,” Morgana said. “Especially with a man like Shido. If he’s willing to kill people to achieve his goals, the people he trusts have to be really crafty.”

“I don’t know if he trusts them fully,” Jose said, “but he trusts them enough.”

“I think I agree,” Ann said. “I mean, all of his guests were wearing masks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had one too if we manage to spot him.”

“I don’t know if that will happen,” Haru warned. “I think he is on to us to some degree. Plus he’s generally paranoid. I think he’ll only come out if he absolutely has to.”

“I think Haru’s right,” Futaba said. “I mean, he has my mom’s research. He has some level of knowledge of what goes on on the other side. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see him.”

“Regardless, we have another obstacle to contend with,” Makoto reminded them. “Akechi is controlling this palace. And if it weren’t for Morgana, he’d be controlling us.”

“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “Thanks for that.”

“Hm hm. No problem,” Morgana replied.

“But how do we get Akechi to not hinder our infiltration?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, I assume if we put on a good enough show, he’ll let us do as we please,” Yusuke said.

“But what does that mean?” Jose said.

“Do you have any idea Lena?” Ren asked.

“Hmmmm,” Lena said. “I think he just wants to keep things interesting. He doesn’t like doing anything half-assed.”

“You know,” Ren said, “he told me something similar when we had our confrontation.”

“So, we just have to go above and beyond,” Morgana surmised.

“Ah yeah!” Ryuji cheered. “I can do that!”

“I think it’ll be kind of easy to do as well,” Haru said. “I mean, I don’t think Shido’s palace is going to be a walk in the park. There’s probably some form of devious trap that we need to figure out at some point.”

Makoto nodded. “Plus the shadows here will be tougher than ever before.”

“Not to mention those six people that he ‘trusts’,” Futaba added. “Getting their letters will be no simple task.”

“I see,” Yusuke siad. “In a way, this palace is an ouroboros. We have to keep things interesting, while at the same time, the palace itself will prove to be interesting.”

“That’s not to say that we should let the palace do the heavy lifting,” Sumire said. “Remember, we’re here to disrupt everything. We have to take everything that this palace has and one up it ourselves if we’re going to steal Shido’s heart.”

“Yeah!” Lena added. “And to break Goro out of this trance he’s in! I hate seeing him like this!”

“I think we all do,” Morgana said. “To some extent.”

“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “I get that he’s your boyfriend and all, but we all don’t want him to be like this.”

“I know,” Lena said. “Just like Goro should know that no matter how much Shido hurt him, he’s hurt other people as well. He’s not the only one who deserves revenge.”

“Well damn,” Ryuji replied.

Ann giggled. “You go girl!”

Ren smirked. “Well, it sounds like we have a plan. Of course, there are still complications, and we’re basically playing this by ear, but dammit if that’s not how we’ve always operated.” She raised her coffee cup. “To us!”

“To us!” Everyone else cheered. They then started eating.

Once they finished, as they were about to leave, Sumire stopped and said “Oh yeah. I wanted to ask Morgana something.”

“What is it?” Morgana asked.

“Well, when you introduced yourself to the crowd,” Sumire began, “you said you were The Left Hand of The Phantom Thieves.”

“Yeah?” Morgana said.

“Who’s the right hand?” Sumire asked.

“Oh yeah,” Makoto said. “That is a little peculiar.”

“Yeah, I’d thought you’d want to be the Right hand,” Ryuji said. “Or perhaps you’d rather I have it?”

“No way!” Ann said. “If anything, I’d get it! I was with her since the beginning.”

“Me too,” Ryuji countered.

“Not as much as I have,” Ann argued.

“Why don’t we ask Ren who it might be?” Jose interjected.

Everyone looked at Ren. She got a little flustered. “Well, to be honest, I kind of saw myself as being a first among equals.” She glanced at Morgana. “But I am curious to know who you think it is.”

Morgana shrugged. “When I said that, I was under the assumption Sumire was your Right Hand.”

“Huh?” Ryuji said.

“Oh, I get it!” Ann said.

“Is it not just because they’re dating?” Yusuke asked.

“Well, that is part of it,” Ann explained. “But it goes a little deeper. Like, in anime and television and stuff, someone’s right hand is the person that keeps the leader grounded. And Sumire always manages to help keep Ren…I was gonna say ‘straight’, but that might not be the optimal word here.”

“Focused?” Futaba suggested.

“Yeah,” Ann said. “That’s better.”

Haru giggled. “Well, I think it’s cute.”

Lena sighed. “It is. And I hope that Goro and I can get back there someday.”

Sumire consoled Lena. “I’m sure it’ll work out.”

Lena smiled. “Thanks.”

“Oh yeah…” Ryuji said. “I see what you mean now.”

“Glad you finally caught up,” Morgana teased.

“Well, better late than never, I suppose,” Ryuji replied.

Morgana was confused. “Why aren’t you flying off the handle?”

“Eh,” Ryuji shrugged. “I mean, you are right this time. If anyone were Ren’s right hand, it’d be Sumire. I can’t get mad at that.”

Morgana sighed. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”

Ann giggled. “It’s nice to see the two of you getting along.” Morgana and Ryuji smiled. Ren smirked. They then headed out to go home for the night.

As Ren entered her room, she closed the door. She started walking to her bed, but felt something. She turned back to see Eris standing before here. “Miss me?”

“What do you want?” Ren snided.

“Just to give you a fair warning,” Eris replied. “You’re on the precipice of taking down the people abusing the metaverse. Once that’s said and done, I won’t have anyone for you to go against.”

“Good,” Ren responded. “I don’t want to fight any more people you make into puppets. I’d rather take you down.”

Eris chuckled. “Famous last words.”

“Are you scared?” Ren said. “You keep wanting to talk me out of it, but you aren’t doing a good job.”

“Scared?” Eris scoffed. “Do you really think I have it in me to be scared? I’m aware of several thousand ways that everything could go wrong, and have seen it all play out. A devastating earthquake. A tsunami the size of Honshu. A conflict between gangs that catches everyone in the crossfire. Explosions at power plants. Every second everything has a chance to go wrong. I am not afraid of you fighting me. I think you’re afraid of fighting me. Because once you see the world for what it is, a tinderbox in which even the smallest ember can set the whole world on fire, you will not be able to handle what comes next.”

Ren rolled her eyes. “Well, seeing as I’ve faced complete ostracization in my home town, threats of sexual harassment, people abusing their power left and right, a little girl being framed for her mother’s death, a woman so badly pushed down by the world that she lashed out at the people she was supposed to help, the strings of a conspiracy that aims to take over this entire country, and several people me and my friends care about becoming shadows of their former selves at your hands, I will gladly step into that fire, because it won’t hurt half as bad as all of that.”

Eris leaned in. “You’re right. It’ll hurt ten times more.”

Ren was confused. “Why are you so sure?”

“I beg your pardon?” Eris replied.

“What makes you believe I cannot handle the truth?” Ren clarified. “The truth is everything I seek, be it good or bad. I mean, the bad stuff sucks, but I’d rather have it said to my face than hidden behind innuendo.”

“Hmmmmm,” Eris replied. “I still don’t know if you’re ready for the full truth, but I can give you another truth.”

Ren sighed. “I’ll take that, I suppose.”

Eris giggled. “It seems like you and Akechi were fated to fight.”

Ren was confused. “I’m not following.”

“You see,” Eris siad, “when it was Yaldabaoth’s game you were playing, he had plans on giving Akechi a persona too. His idea was that you and he would fight, with him representing order, and you representing chaos. Of course, when I took over, I saw no reason for him to have a persona. After all, if you and I are meant to spar, I don’t need to load the deck against you even more than it needed to be. 

However, his heart is strong. He was determined to get into Shido’s circle in order to exact the revenge he so desires. So even without a persona, he went into the lion’s den. And I knew that if Akechi were to execute his revenge, you and him would clash at some point. So even without his persona, he still wants to fight.”

“So, you just made him dependent on your power,” Ren retorted.

“You could say that,” Eris responded. “However, I think even without power, he still would have tried fighting you if you were going to go after Shido.”

“Maybe,” Ren said. “But we’ll never know. SInce you corrupted him and all.”

“Oh honey,” Eris said, condescendingly. “You know I always ask people if they want my power. They take it willingly. Well, except for you, of course.”

“So, you just prey on weak people,” Ren countered.

“Oh save it!” Eris said, annoyed. “Change doesn’t come from people who don’t want it.”

“But we don’t have to sink to your level to get it,” Ren replied.

“So, you’d rather play the game rules as written?” Eris siad. “Newsflash, that makes you no better than anyone at the top. It takes miracles to dislodge those people, not the rules.”

“Forgive me for not wanting to kill someone whenever something doesn’t go my way,” Ren remarked. “Yeah, some of those rules are dumb, but there are others that make sense. It’s a fine line, but ignoring everything and declaring yourself the new rulemaker makes you no better than anyone at the top.”

Eris sighed. “OK, you have to admit, this is getting old. Whether it’s true or not, do you have anything else?”

“My opinion of you is set in stone,” Ren said. “I’m sorry I don’t have any fresh criticism to offer. However, if you want something new, you can just tell me. You keep alluding to something big that’ll happen when we face off. Why not tell me now? If you want to shake things up, you can.”

Eris laughed. “Silly child. I keep telling you you’re not ready. But if you want me to pull back the curtain a little bit, I will agree with you that the truth is a powerful weapon. However, like most weapons, when it is pointed at you, you’ll do anything to get out of the way. And when I point the truth at you, you’ll be wishing for a lie to take it all away.”

“Hm,” Ren grunted. “You just don’t get it.” Eris was confused. “Truth is only a weapon if you’re afraid of it. I’m not afraid of the truth. If you pointed the truth at me right now, I wouldn’t flinch.”

“Heh heh heh,” Eris chuckled. “I see. I suppose you’ve always been intriguing. I’m still going to make you work to get to my truth, but I’ll pull back the curtain a little more: The human heart is nothing but chaos. Any sense of ‘order’ is just a chaos that got enforced enough times. I’m as bad as anyone of the palace rulers, but so are you. So is everyone. No one is pure. No one is righteous. We are all nothing but beings of impulse and fear.

The question never was ‘are you afraid of what’s inside of you if you let it out?’ The question has always been ‘are you more afraid of what’s inside you or what’s outside now?’ Because let’s face it, all the people that get ahead let it out. They focus their chaos and learn to control the world through the beast within. That’s all I want. I want everyone to unleash their beast within. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone started from equal footing? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all could take advantage of our inner strength?”

“Hm,” Ren smirked. “I’ve got to say, for being the emissary of chaos, that’s a weak answer.” Eris was confused.”The truth is a world like that would get boring. If the rules change every day because we’ve all let out our inner beast, then it wouldn’t be special. Variety is the spice of life. An idea is only crazy if we aren’t all insane. And yet, you come here with your false equivalence saying that everyone is bad just because they do stuff that is wrong.

Here’s my truth for you: The world we live in currently is already the embodiment of chaos. Everyone has different ideas and different reactions to everything. It’s a symphony of balancing between everyone’s wants and needs. Is it perfect? Of course not! But there are people who are willing to fight to make it better, and people fighting to make it worse. What you described is a world where everyone is a carbon copy of the next person. That sounds like mass order to me.” She grinned. “How’s it feel when the truth is pointed at you?”

Eris glared at her. She sighed. “Fine. You did tell me your opinion was set in stone anyway. I guess you can’t understand what is coming your way.”

“You could tell me,” Ren said.

“You’ll have to make things not fuzzy first,” Eris reminded her. “I could tell you, but it's still possible for you to fail here. And I don’t want to distract you further.” She pointed her blade at Ren. “Just a reminder: If you manage to unravel this conspiracy, it’ll just be you all versus me. I gave you plenty of chances to opt out. When I challenge you next time, I’ll bring my full force to bear, and I won’t let you wriggle out of this.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Ren countered.

Eris nodded. “You have been warned.”

Hunger-Eris: Rank 8

Eris disappeared. Ren sighed, exhausted from the day’s events. She got into her pajamas, and then into bed.

[nightlilly0110]

Saw the most rancid take of someone being like “I like the ending with Maruki’s reality better because everyone is happy” and I would like to point out that in that ending:

Sumire does not get to live as herself.

Kasumi is not resurrected despite Sumire’s grief and guilt surrounding her death (not to mention the grief her parents must have felt).

Akechi is implied to have been mind-wiped/had his personality altered since he’s back to being Pleasant Boy in that ending. (Maruki doesn’t even acknowledge Akechi’s crimes in the 2/2 confrontation, only stating the relationship between him and Joker is “a detective and a phantom thief” and not the layers of it)

Maruki also says in the final fight that this is the only way for Akechi to atone for what he did (ignoring for a minute that he might be dead) implying that he thinks the only way Akechi can become a better person is if he’s forced to

Akechi’s mother, who was half the reason for his revenge against Shido (ie. The Goddamn Plot of Persona 5), was not resurrected. Akechi didn’t get a wish at all considering him being alive is Joker’s wish and he believes that he should be punished for his crimes so letting him out of custody was also not his wish.

The Phantom Thieves (from the shrine scene) are implied to only know each other in passing because all their time as thieves never happened

Yusuke’s artistic ambition is something he gets from his mother/he makes art because of his mother and Maruki didn’t bother to resurrect her but instead gives him back Madarame, his abusive guardian

Haru’s mother is not resurrected despite her also being deceased, only her father, same with Makoto and Sae’s mother.

An NPC during the investigation portion of third semester states that recently he can “pick up any girl he wants” which has terrifying implications.

The homeless man you can sometimes get info from is still homeless in the new reality and has dialogue that questions why he was forgotten.

One of Yusuke’s classmates was forced (by Maruki’s actualization) to quit painting and take up archery because he was “better” at it than painting (which in Maruki’s mind makes him happy)

The fact that you can still do Mementos requests during third semester clearly means that people are not living in a perfect, happy world, ffs

*saw trap voice* Hello Persona YouTuber. It has come to my attention that you have spent way to long praising Maruki and his 'noble ambitions', however you fail to mention Sumire even once, even calling her Kasumi despite it being clear that this was a spoiler filled video.

Before you is a Google doc. You have thirty minutes to write a thesis statement about Sumire and her inclusion in Royal, including her relationship with Maruki or the Bear Trap goes off

[onlymurdersintheafterparty]

6 International Mystery/Thriller Films to Watch on Netflix

Recently I've been trying to get more into the international side of Netflix to see what hidden gems exist in the other countries and they've got quite a bit! I decided to watch 10 films that grabbed my interest and made a list of recommendations. That being said, here's my list of 10 mystery films to check out on Netflix.

1. Murder Mubarak

Country: India

Language: Hindi

Director: Homi Adajania

When a murder occurs at a high end establishment called The Royal Delhi Club, ACP Bavani Singh and his sidekick officer Padam are on the case. To me this movie was a pretty solid whodunnit. ACP Singh and Padam gave me big Poirot & Chief Inspector Japp vibes and the club setting and its employees and wealthy guests gave me Knives Out vibes. It was kind of predictable but even then I found myself unsure who the murderer was. There was a brief graphic scene showing a dead cat as well as some shots of the same cat unconscious so just a heads up if you decide to watch it.

2. In Love and Deep Water

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Director: Yusuke Taki

Suguru Ubukata is a butler on a cruise ship that takes his job very seriously. A 42 day voyage that should go smoothly gets messy when not only does he discover his girlfriend is having an affair, there’s a murder that takes place on the night that the ship sets sail. It’s more romance than mystery in my opinion because a lot of focus is on the budding romance between Suguru and Chizuru Banjaku, the girlfriend of Suguru’s girlfriend’s lover.

3. A Deadly Invitation

Country: Mexico

Language: Spanish

Director: José Manuel Cravioto

Agatha Hernandez, a true crime fan and co-host of a podcast called Unsolved Crimes, unexpectedly gets an invitation to visit her estranged sister Olivia at her mansion. The reason for the invite? Olivia wants to play a deadly game. She lays everyone’s dirty secrets out on the table and the reasons they would have to kill each other. To no one’s surprise Olivia is dead before morning and it’s up to Agatha to solve the murder. It gives me The Last of Sheila (1973) vibes because of the similarities such as the secrets being revealed by the host on a yacht, but I think overall it does end up being it's own film. It's a straightforward mystery with minimal violence and gore and in my opinion has a satisfiable ending.

4. The Lost Patient

Country: France

Language: French

Director: Christophe Charrier

Thomas Grimaud, a 19 year old, falls into a coma for 3 years after his entire family is murdered except for his sister who disappeared without a trace. When he awakens he has no memory of what happened or where his sister is. With the help of a psychologist, Thomas tries to piece together what happened to his family. To be honest the film is a bit predictable but even then I found the ending to be a little bit confusing. It resembles the plot of a film that came out a couple of years before and I don’t want to spoil it so if you’re interested it’s listed at the end of this post.

5. The Postcard Killings

Country: England

Language: English

Director: Danis Tanović

Jacob Kanon, a detective with the NYPD, travels to London to find answers after his daughter and her husband are killed there while on their honeymoon. The police refuse to give out answers and when discovering that their deaths were committed by a serial killer who targets other newlyweds and leaves a signature post card, Jacob decides to investigate on his own. When an American journalist Désirée Lombard receives a postcard in Sweden, Jacob seeks her help to track down the killer and get justice for his daughter and all of the other victims. As Jacob closes in on the killer’s identity it becomes a game of cat and mouse and a race to prevent another couple’s death.

TW: Body Horror

6. Killer Book Club

Country: Spain

Language: Spanish

Director: Carlos Alonso-Ojea

A group of college students with a book club for horror novels are stalked by a killer in a clown suit after a revenge prank leads to a death. The killer clown is writing a story about the murder and devotes each chapter to one of the club members being punished killed. The concept of a horror book club being the target of a killer is an interesting new take on the slasher film genre. Since it’s a slasher film you can expect a lot of gory scenes. Some parts of the movie were predictable but I don’t think it took away from what was a simple slasher film.

TW: Sexual Assault

SPOILERS FOR THE LOST PATIENT

The movie that the Lost Patient resembles and imo executes the amnesia aspect and plot twist way better is Forgotten (2017) also on Netflix and starring Kang Ha-Neul.

[misedejem]

I drew some little concepts of older Phantom Thieves for my future headcanons~

I'll add a little write-up about each of them in under the cut (don't read if you haven't finished Royal)

Joker goes to culinary school after graduating, and has various jobs throughout his 20s working as a chef in various small establishments - first Haru's cafe, and Leblanc, and then outside of his friends and family. He wants a quiet life after all the chaos is over.

Morgana, I like to imagine will stick around as long as people remember him. He'll be Joker's companion for life, though he spends the time that Joker is in college living with Futaba after the college discovers him and makes him leave.

Ryuji is eventually able to take up running more seriously again, with therapy and treatments on his leg going well, though he doesn't end up taking it on as a competitive career. He actually ends up running a charity foundation for struggling kids. Basically, during his recovery, he meets a kid with a very similar story to his, and ends up setting up an after school group to help kids who might not otherwise get the opportunity to do what they want to do. It's just sports at first, but soon it becomes a much bigger thing.

Ann studies fashion in college, and takes on modelling and eventually acting as a career (she definitely gets to play a villainess in a kids' show), and once she's older, she starts supporting younger models and designers all over the world.

Makoto does not end up with the police. She realises the hard way that her ideals do not align with them, when a confrontation with a corrupt higher-up ends up with her being kicked from her education.  A few months prior, however, the Phantom Thieves had helped the Shadow Operatives clean up an incident in Tokyo, and it is through them that Makoto finds a new path: working for the Shirogane private detective agency, which specialised in investigating Shadow incidents.

Yusuke continues to study art and hone his skills, becoming a name well known across Japan. He even dabbles with teaching and mentorship when Ryuji reaches out to him to help teach art at his foundation. and once he is financially sound, he provides funding for their classes too. He becomes the person Madarame should have been.

Futaba also ends up working with the Shadow Ops after college, helping them to expand on her mother's research, as well as their research into AI and technology. She ends up bonding a lot more with Yusuke when their friends move away, and they get a place together as roommates.

Haru does what she sets out to do, and opens her quaint little cafe chain after she graduates college. She ends up involved in most of her friends' endeavours, however, by her insistence to throw money at them. She ends up working very closely with Ryuji in particular.

Akechi's story is ambiguous, I know, but I want him to interact with the P3/P4 kids and there was that one scene that was apparently cut where he ends up in rehabilitation. So that happens. And eventually, as he recovers, he starts working with the people who helped him.  The Shadow Ops, however, do still consult with him as a detective. They are aware of the crimes he committed, certainly, but the fact remains that he is a detective with extensive knowledge of the metaverse, in a world where more people like Shido are cropping up constantly.  He does not want another Shido. He is trying, in some small way, to atone even slightly for what he did in the past. And the lead detective who works for the Shadow Operatives - Naoto - is a genuine source of inspiration for him. So despite everything, he agrees to help.

Finally, Sumire continues to train in gymnastics, spending her twenties competing and even getting to represent Japan in global competitions. In her thirties, she slows down a bit, trying her hand at coaching, and eventually finding her feet as a nutritionist for athletes. Also, Sumi and Ren are the first of the Phantom Thieves to get married, rekindling a relationship they had in high school after college.

[satoshi-mochida]

Publisher and developer Spike Chunsoft have released AI: The Somnium Files for Xbox One and Windows 10 via Microsoft Store for $39.99, as well as via Xbox Game Pass.

AI: The Somnium Files first launched for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on September 17, 2019.

Here is an overview of the game, via Spike Chunsoft

About

The mind never lies…

In a near-future Tokyo, Special Agent Kaname Date is on the case of a mysterious serial killer. Date must investigate crime scenes as well as dreams on the hunt for clues. From the mind of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escape series director), with character design by the Yusuke Kozaki (No More Heroes, Fire Emblem series), a thrilling neo-noir detective adventure is about to unfold.

Story

One rainy night in November, a woman’s body is found at an abandoned theme park, mounted on a merry-go-round horse. She had been stabbed repeatedly, and her left eye was gouged out.

Kaname Date of the Metropolitan Police Department arrives on the scene. He recognizes the woman. Suddenly, he hears a noise from inside the merry-go-round.

He breaks into the merry-go-round’s central column to find a young girl. And in her hands, she grips a bloody ice pick…

[brokenhardies]

Updated Fool!Yusuke AU - The Thieves of Vice

So i did some reworking of my Arcanaswap -- not all the arcanas are swapped (three of the confidants stay the same, while ‘Igor’s is altered to match his role in the story) BUT the Phantom Thieves are swapped, with the exception of Morgana - sorry buddy :(. So here’s the team! Let’s go! 

(description inspired by @wildcard-rumi‘s own Arcanaswap AU)

Name: Yusuke Kitagawa

Arcana: Fool

Description:

Still Madarame’s student, still pretty much living under his abusive master’s thumb, but with a massive difference -- he winds up witnessing one of Madarame’s former students throw themselves in front of a train one morning, shaking him to his core and leading him to team up with Goro Akechi in investigating Madarame’s crimes. This leads to them discovering the cognitive world, as well as him awakening his persona. He leads the Phantom Thieves of Vice, with their goal of reforming society being at the forefront of their mission. Also winds up making way more friends than he thought he was going to

Name: Morgana

Arcana: Magician

Description:

Basically the same as canon, but is encountered in Madarame’s museum instead of Kamoshida’s castle. Is desperate to discover his identity, but hides his fears of what he truly is with gung ho arrogance and an almost obsessive crush on Makoto. He is knowledgable on the metaverse to a fault, but often doesn’t have any answers to the things the Thieves see. Has a rivalry with Goro. Lives in Yusuke’s dorm with him, as well as often being carted around in his school bag. Basically makes Yusuke broke at certain points :’D

Name: Goro Akechi

Arcana: Lovers

Description:

The Detective Prince of Kosei High, well renowed for solving a difficult case when he was only a child. He’s trying to keep himself ‘unknown’, but he’s ended up becoming a celebrity at the school, almost on the same level as idols. It’s his investigation of Madarame that leads to the cognitive world’s discovery. While he acts as a polite and mature young man in reality, in the metaverse he gets a chance to cut loose, leading him to accidentally scare the crap out of his fellow teammates -- aside from Yusuke, who just considers it ‘ordinary Akechi’

Name: Makoto Nijima

Arcana: Chariot

Description: 

Prior to her father’s passing, Makoto was an ordinary, if a little rigid teenager. Then her father died, causing her to mutate into a brash and standoffish delinquent type, who many consider the ‘devil’ of Shujin Academy for her short temper and violent streak. Although she’s outcasted by her peers, she doesn’t really care, and finds an odd kinship in Akechi, leading to her ending up in the metaverse with him and Yusuke. She takes the role of ‘strategist’ of the team, but her quick temper often ends the group up in trouble with shadows

Name: Akira Kurusu

Arcana: Emperor

Description:

The new transfer student at Shujin Academy, who is most well known for having a criminal record for assault. As a result, he doesn’t have many friends and often keeps to himself, often assuming that other people think of him as ‘dangerous’ for no reason. He tries to keep out of trouble, but it doesn’t quite work when he’s brought into Kobayakawa’s palace and becomes a member of the Phantom Thieves. In the metaverse, he’s a bit more cocksure and prideful, but is geniunely a chill dude to hang around. A bit of a class clown type, which is how he got the codename ‘Joker’ 

Name: Ryuji Sakamoto

Arcana: Priestess

Description:

Following his leg being broken by Kamoshida, Ryuji was used as Kobayakawa’s personal lap dog and preferred whipping boy. He mainly took the role due to the principal blackmailing him with rumours about Ryuji’s home life, but secretly resents the position he’s in. However, following Kobyakawa’s change of heart and subsequent stepping down, he’s transformed into a pariah by the students of Shujin, leading to him getting a ‘part time job’ with Kaneshiro. When the Phantom Thieves take on the mafia, they ask for his assistance in taking them down, causing him to join their ranks

Name: Futaba Isshiki 

Arcana: Empress

Description:

The daughter of a world renowned scientist who mysteriously died in a car accident. Futaba lives with Sojiro Sakura and acts as the class president of 1-B, while working as a hacker on the side. Her discovery of Okumura’s misdeeds leads her to confront the man herself, which doesn’t end well, as he forces her to use her hacking skills to ‘get rid’ of business enemies. Out of frustration, she’s the one to place a request on the phansite, which ends in her becoming a member of the Phantom Thieves, initially as a navigator. She has a small knowledge of cognitive psience, which is helpful while in the metaverse 

Name: Haru Okumura

Arcana: Hermit

Description:

Although she’s a third year student, not many people would know that, as Haru is basically forced to live in a gilded cage alongside her father as she waits for a forced political marriage. She’s kind of resigned herself to her position as being nothing more than the heir to the company, as well as a pawn in her father’s plans for political gain. When exploring Okumura’s palace, the Phantom Thieves need her help in unlocking a specific section of the palace, ending with her becoming a member of the team. She has a surprisingly strong sadistic streak, especially against shadows

Name: Ann Takamaki

Arcana: Justice

Description:

A second year student at Shujin Academy, a model, and the best friend of Shiho Suzui, who attempted suicide due to the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Kamoshida. Unknown to anyone, Ann secretly has been working with the Conspiracy to put Masayoshi Shido in power, working as the Black Mask and performing Mental Shutdowns, including killing the driver of the car that Futaba’s mother was in, and later killing the SIU Director when he fails to conform to Shido’s plans. Her bubbly, cheerful, outward appearance hides an empty shell that slowly gets filled with jealousy of Yusuke and the amount of bonds he’s created over his experience as a wild card, while she was used as a tool

[shadow-scenarios]

Hello~ may I ask for something slightly specific? I wanted to ask about a scenario in which the reader recently obtains the Meta-Nav but instead of the PT finding out first, Goro does. See, the reader and Goro have recently become acquaintances and reader thinks that the Meta-Nav is something related to illegal activity so she goes to consult their detective friend on this mysterious app! Haha, sorry if this is too specific ;-;

Hey there simulationone, this isn’t too specific!! I like creative ideas that change the plot & this has been my favourite request to write so far.

However, I did change the request slightly. I made it so that the Reader awakened to their Persona & gains the MetaNav!! I hope that’s alright with you. If not, feel free to message me again and I can rewrite it.

{ Post Writing Note: Well, I wrote way too much!! Sorry if there’s less Akechi content than you thought, I got hyperfixated on how it would affect the plot. I’d love to write a Part 2 full of angst with this, so feel free to request it!! }

- Nexus.

Dance with Justice | Goro Akechi

Life at Kosei High was predictable. Like a metronome. Constant pressure to be the best & high achievement boundaries, it was a wonder how she was ever accepted without some sort of moonlighting as a prodigy. These stories of mental shutdowns & psychotic breakdowns made the world look grim & everyone seemed desperate to escape it all.

Comfort was found in the Phantom Thieves and how they manipulated hearts. Dancing the line between immoral & illegal, it was a grey area where the who was less significant than the how. Society grasped onto them as miraculous saviours as they solved cases faster than regular forces ever could: Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Medjed. The world was taken by storm, these renegade rogues looking to change the world & it seemed they were no longer an urban legend.

Their downfall was unexpected, to say the least. Okumura was murdered in cold blood, his mental shutdown playing onscreen during an important meeting where he was about to reveal an important factor in solving this buck-wild case. A calling card was found at the residence, the sigil of their misdeeds. Just when the mystery was about to unravel, the threads gave way to a bigger problem: Did the Phantom Thieves cause the very shutdowns everyone was trying to escape?

Swiftly, the media capitalised. Labelling them as criminals, demanding their arrest. Everything shifted so quickly & she was caught up by the egregious claims of both sides. There was one thing for certain: The Phantoms Thieves had killed someone and regardless of their previous deeds, they needed to be brought to justice.

Naturally, the first viable suspect she found was Yusuke Kitagawa.

He was of the eccentric sort, gaining a scholarship through art. Everything the strange man did was usually for the sake of ‘ Finding true beauty! ’, which was slightly melodramatic. Before Madarame’s case, he was fixated on art singularly. Now? He seemed to have other priorities. Whenever someone would discuss the Phantom Thieves in an art lesson, there was a glimmer in his eye & the paintbrush that had been on the canvas stopped in order to listen in.

A victim of Madarame’s plagiarism, which gave a plausible motive. Despite this, nothing was concrete. She thought about her friend, Akechi. Was this how he solved crimes?

Obviously, the next step was to follow Yusuke around. Sneaking around was rather easy, all she had ever been known as by the student populace was ‘ the girl who was friends with Akechi! ’, so standing out was not much of a problem. There was not much abnormal. Despite being somewhat of a social outcast, he had a small circle of friends. Six in total.

Five of them were clearly wearing the Shujin Academy uniform on the day she spotted them. One was tall in stature with fluffy black hair & thick framed glasses. Reserved in nature but he always appeared to have some sort of witty comeback. Soon he became known as Akira.

Another one was a blonde, around the same height. He wore the uniform much like a delinquent alongside a yellow graphic tee. Obnoxiously loud, as it was never difficult to hear what he was saying even from far away. The person closest to him was Ann. She had platinum blonde hair tied back into pigtails & features of an American.

Makoto was next. Clearly more of a calculating type, she wore the uniform immaculately. Wearing her hair in a French-braid styled headband, she had maroon coloured eyes & was around average height. Most of the time, she was commenting on the boy’s behaviour.

Haru Okumura was someone recognisable due to the news about her father’s death, which was saddening. In her uniform, she wore a fluffy pink turtleneck alongside white tights with flower patterns.

Futaba was just as strange as Yusuke. She used a mixture of gamer jargon whenever she spoke and was never seen in a uniform. About middle school age, she carried around a set of headphones everywhere that regularly rested atop her maple coloured hair.

Stuffed inside of Akira’s bag was also a cat that they tried to hide. Key word: Tried. Six of them & a cat.

They frequented a local cafe in Shibuya, LeBlanc. It was a nice location & she had even gone in there once to listen in. Boss was kind, to say the least. He served coffee with a warm smile & the curry combined perfectly enough to encourage a smile out of her.

On a Friday, the cafe was busy. They had gathered at one table & chatted casually. Most of them looked forelorn. Akira eventually gestured for them to take the conversation outside, where they would disturb fewer people.

Following behind them, she paid Boss & followed, attempting to seem casual. They never noticed. Conspicuously trailing into an alleyway, Ryuji pulled out his phone. Listening in was difficult so she opted to pull out her own phone and record. One of them, presumably Akira, simply said “ Mementos. ”.

Mementos. That singular word triggered something & changed everything. As the world began to violently shift in a strange phenomena, hues of vermillion & mauve dotted her vision. It was hypnotic. Eventually, she snapped out of the trance.

Concealed by masks & flashy outfits were the suspicious group she had been following. It was blatantly obvious by their hair colours. However, the animated cat creature was a surprise. It was reminiscent of the cat Akira carried around but even stranger was that it talked. Then it turned into a bus. Which did not seem all that strange.

Inherently familiar with their environment, they sped off down the escalator, leaving her alone with her thoughts. There were so many reds & greys. Thick red veins ran through the sides in mangled forms. The wall behind her was dilapidated & the only way to proceed was the escalator in front of her.

A fatal mistake, really.

Recalling the details of the awakening are fuzzy at best. These lumbering creatures formed entirely out of shadow began to take notice of her unwanted presence. Cornered, desperate and alone. Insurmountable pain; the voice of someone almost familiar; then freedom & rebellion.

With the pact of her Persona, everything was clearer. Life had previously moved in rhetorical patterns, it was now a whimsical dance. Eliminating the so called enemies with a weapon in hand, she eventually found a way back to the surface. The door at the beginning looked to be a way out, so she threw caution to the wind & took the chance.

Fatigue came first in this dingy alleyway. Adrenaline had been fuelling the push to leave alongside her newly granted power and once that was gone, nothing would spare her from raw exhaustion. Checking her phone in the hopes of finding evidence, the video taken was still there, though it cut off as soon as anyone disappeared.

Even without evidence, she knew that this group was doing something illicit. So she texted the one person she trusted with this secret: Goro Akechi. He was a detective, surely he would have answers.

;; I must speak with you in person as soon as possible. It’s regarding the Phantom Thieves, I have some evidence for you. You’re investigating them, correct?

Knowing full well that Akechi lived a busy life, she did not expect a response for a while. After gathering the strength to stand once again, she headed home. It was the most exhausting experience ever, physically & emotionally. A few minutes after returning home, there was a response from Akechi.

I am indeed investigating them. If you have any evidence regarding them, would it not be more convenient for me to receive it via text? ;;

;; Yes, it would be, but I can barely even believe the evidence presented to me. It’s better for you to see it for yourself. Are you attending school tomorrow?

Indeed I am. Pulling away from the public eye has benefits. If you are free during lunch, we can meet on the rooftop and discuss the supposed evidence that you have found. Does that sound like a compromise? ;;

;; Alright. I’ll see you on the rooftop tomorrow.

The next day was filled with trepidation. Everyone seemed to be mulling about & with how slowly the clock was moving, it was if the school was in a state of chronostasis. Although she did not share many classes with Akechi, there had been a moment where she saw a mop of hazelnut brown hair amongst a crowd, so he was likely to be there.

Sitting on the rooftop alone was slightly boring but she understood why he was late. Every time lunch began, Akechi would be surrounded by people who wanted his attention. It must have been rather annoying.

5. 10. 15. Minutes ticked by. During the winter, it was exceptionally cold so not a single soul came up. The chilly winter breeze nipped at her skin & for a moment she wondered if it was Akechi that she had seen. The brown hair easily could have been mistaken—

The creak of the door announced his presence. With a formal apology, he recalled how his teachers were intent on swarming him with catch up work that he would inevitably never complete. Dismissing it all & moving along with the subject, Akechi got straight to the point:

“ What was it you wished to speak to me about? ”, he asked.

“ I believe I have ascertained the identities of the Phantom Thieves, ” was the only reply she gave.

Looking astounded, he shifted his glove via force of habit & looked directly at her.

“ That’s quite the bold claim, ” he returned to a neutral expression as the mask of the Detective Prince slipped back on, “ Do you have any evidence? ”.

Recalling the story to the best of her ability was tedious. From the suspicious behaviour Yusuke had been demonstrating to the video evidence taken from her phone. Throughout the entire story, he maintained a neutral expression so she was never quite sure what to think.

“ Usually, I would disregard such stories as a strange dream or a vision you had & declare your footage as edited. However, I have... also had an encounter in this strange phenomena as well. ”

Everything began to make more sense as it was explained. Akechi rattled off about the cognitive world, Palaces, Personas & even how ‘ stealing someone’s heart ’ was possible. He explained that his plan was to lend the Phantom Thieves a hand in their next assignment & catch them in the very act. Specifically, their leader.

“ That explains a lot. Let me help you. I have a Persona as well & I can fight in that other world. I want to bring the Phantom Thieves to justice. They killed Okumura & many others if they are the ones behind the mental shutdowns. Tampering with the heart of another is wrong... ”

“... Alright. I suppose it will make things easier if it is the two of us. I hope you are a very good actor,” Akechi extended a reluctant hand for her to shake. His gaze was calculated, cold. Much different from his tone of voice. However, she took his hand & shook it.

With that, a contract was signed. Both herself & the detective would bring about the end of the Phantom Thieves.

Word Count: 1.9k

Publish Date: 27.09.20

[upbeatpianist]

okay so since it’s a real thing i’m using now i wanna go into detail abt kaede’s persona 5 verse

i dunno how long it’ll get so i’m puttin it under a cut just to be safe

kaede is a student of kosei high, having been accepted to the school on account of her talent with the piano. she has a full scholarship, though it’s dependent on her being able to perform recitals whenever she is asked to do so. she doesn’t mind, though, because she likes performing for people, after all.

i imagine she’s recruited to the phantom thieves between kaneshiro and futaba’s palaces. basically, by the time she joins, the phantom thieves are joker, ryuji, morgana, ann, yusuke, and makoto.

the killing game she went through still happened in this universe. it just wasn’t broadcast, and thus it was kept pretty secret from everyone. she can’t even remember how she got dragged into it, but she did. at the end of it all, she was one of only two survivors of the game; the other was tsumugi shirogane, the mastermind behind the game.

she is recruited into the phantom thieves when the group decides to investigate tsumugi’s palace, which she gets inadvertently dragged into when she stands a bit too close to the thieves as they enter the palace.

she always knew tsumugi didn’t regret what she did, but upon meeting her shadow and learning the true depths of her complete lack of guilt, kaede’s rebellious spirit finally flared to life, resulting in her awakening to her persona, athena.

her arcana is the chariot arcana, and unlike most chariot personas which specalize in physical skills, athena’s focus is wind skills.

after tsumugi is taken care of and confesses to the crime she committed, kaede decides to repay her gratitude to the thieves by becoming a permanent member of the group. she takes on the codename “ivory”, and joins the party from that point forward.

for a bonus point: during the third semester of persona 5 royal, kaede’s “ideal reality” in maruki’s world manifests as all the friends she lost in the killing game coming back to life. she would be one of the hardest people to convince to reject maruki’s reality, but after much heartache and hardship, she would eventually agree to put a stop to his plans.

[bluerosesonata]

A Window to the Soul: Game Mechanics and Characters in Ai: the Somnium Files

Spoiler-free!

Ai: The Somnium Files is an adventure game/visual novel for PC, PS4, and the Nintendo Switch by Spike Chunsoft in September 2019. Written and directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi, known for his Zero Escape Trilogy (999: Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors (DS), Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (DS), and Zero Time Dilemma (DS, PS Vita, PC), also available as the Zero Escape Trilogy on Steam and PS4), this game once again displays Uchikoshi’s signature combination of suspense, humor, and ludonarrative harmony that fans of his previous games are familiar with, alongside a cast of complex, compelling characters you’ll absolutely fall in love with.

For all my fellow Zero Escape fans, you probably remember the issues the series faced with financing, which ultimately lead to Uchikoshi helping to establish Spike Chunsoft and the eventual release of Zero Time Dilemma. In AitSF, more than ever, the fruits of that partnership are apparent. It feels we finally get to see a complete picture of Uchikoshi’s vision; Featuring fully animated 3d models, fully voiced dialogue, and some incredibly goofy and self-indulgent dance sequences, this murder mystery (and yes, it is a murder mystery) is absolutely worth it’s full price and your time.

The game has multiple endings (About 5, without checking), all leading up to and feeding into the true ending. One notable feature is that the timeline allows you to jump into previous played sections at any point of the chapter, and even provides summaries of the events that happened in each “node,” so unlike in the original 999,  you don’t need to replay through every scene of dialogue to get to each ending.

Rather than spend time analyzing the story itself- something that can’t be done to a satisfying level without spoiling the whole thing- I’ll just say that the way Uchikoshi literally has us get inside the heads of characters by “syncing” with them is a great story device, and is realized extremely well in the gameplay. For me, the Sync was used in all the right places to push me into genuinely caring about some characters, that, without the sync, I would be sympathetic to, but not feel a real sense of attachment towards.

What follows is a breakdown and analysis of how well the gameplay is designed, and some non-spoilery discussion of characterization and character design:

Mechanics:

The core gameplay loop can be broken into two parts: dialogue and investigation, and “syncing.”

The investigation portion of the game is similar to most adventure visual novels- investigating crime scenes, talking to NPCs to advance the story, examining your surroundings, and in my case, clicking on scenery over and over again to get funny flavor dialogue.

The flavor dialogue does not disappoint- and for me, the best minor feature included in the game ties to this. When you click on an object, you get an initial string of dialogue- but the indicator with the name of the object will only get grayed out once you’ve seen all the text related to that object. For some people, this might ruin the “fun” of clicking over and over again- like in 999, where some bits of dialogue would only display on the 9th time examining an object- but for me, it was a godsend, because I didn’t spend any time wondering if I missed anything funny.

The Sync gameplay loop is also mechanically brilliant. Part of the in-universe rules, which are emphasized over and over, is that the main character, Date, can only spend 6 minutes within the subject’s “Somnium”- the internal dreamscape of their mind- and that staying any longer could result in disastrous consequences. As such, each Somnium loop attempt can (hypothetically) be experienced in chunks of about 8-10 minutes. This set time frame makes it a breeze to play the game in small sections at a time and let your mind breathe a bit. The time limitation is challenging, but never infuriating; even when I messed up horribly and knew I had to restart a sync from the beginning, I would just use the time I had remaining to try out the goofier actions available to try out as puzzle solutions.

Somnium Files’ adaptability to being played in long sittings or in short bursts, while still maintaining an engaging, tense narrative is an incredible strength that not all games can boast of. Not a single part of the game felt like a slog or a chore to me, unlike a few puzzles in Zero Time Dilemma, where I ran into the perennial adventure game issue of  “okay, so I have this item, but where do I use it?”, “how the hell do I even solve this puzzle without a guide” (I didn’t), and “what do I need to do to unlock the next sequence?”

Characters

So let’s talk about these good characters. Some of you probably recognized the art style for the game’s key visual as the work of Yusuke Kozaki, best known by many as the head artist and character designer for Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem: Fates. Even in his work for the Fire Emblem franchise, you can tell he doesn’t care much for drawing armor- which puts him in the same club as literally every artist I know who draws Fire Emblem fan art. His designs really shine in a contemporary setting, with modern clothing, and really give the cast a unified, unique aesthetic. Moreover, the designs are beautifully translated into 3D as well.

For a game that was most likely well underway in development several years prior to the boom of the subgenre, the design for A-set, (AKA Iris), an in-game internet idol and streamer, is incredibly in line with those of many successful “Virtual Youtubers”- for that alone it deserves some accolades. Fittingly, as part of online promotion for the game, Chunsoft posted a series of video blogs starring  A-set, as if she were posting to her own channel. (I missed all of these, and that’s a real shame, because I think they would have gotten me excited for the game if I had been paying attention.)

Despite Iris’ obvious and engineered marketability, I think my favorite design of the game is Aiba, the AI partner of the main character, whose human form only appears in Somnium and in the realm world as an AR projection imposed in Date’s cybernetic eye. The way her arms fade into glowing, electronic “nerves” at her arms is a subtle reminder of her artificiality, but her design also doesn’t make her more playful and goofy behaviors jarring in the least.

As far as personalities go, I would say that Date, our protagonist, manages to hit the perfect median- maybe even fusion- between the past male protagonists in the Zero Escape trilogy. Junpei, Sigma, and Carlos were all likable in their own ways, as the narrative character, but all had a level of blandness to them. To me, they served more as vehicles for us to participate in the Nonary Games.

In contrast, Date feels very much like his own, established person, and that’s not only a huge strength, but central to the overall narrative. (For all non-ZE fans reading this review- I apologize for the heavy use of ZE comparisons here.) Like Sigma, Date is a bit of a perv, but unlike Sigma in Virtue’s Last Reward, I didn’t feel squicked out by his behavior; Like Carlos, he cares immensely for the people important to him, and puts their wellbeing first; Like Junpei, he’s, also, a loveable moron.

There are other characters- Mizuki in particular- whom I can’t speak too much about without spoiling some of the enjoyment of their character arcs, but all of them have incredibly good and complicated interpersonal relationships both with and outside of Date.

Lastly, there’s Aiba. A good companion character is worth their weight in gold. After all, most of the time, they’re who you spend most of your time with, and for that reason, the more “annoying” ones always catch more flac for being so. For me, Aiba easily slides into my top 10 favorite companion characters of all time, along such members as Maya Fey in the original Ace Attorney trilogy and Midna from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Most of the goofiest sequences in the game are instigated by her, and every time she’s on screen there’s bound to be something fun to do, not to mention the fact she’s our avatar used within Somnium. Combine that and her telepathic banter with Date, and you got a recipe for a dynamic duo.

In closing, every aspect of AitSF is absolutely delightful; It has tightly woven narrative gameplay, wonderful and complex characters, a storyline that, despite my best efforts, I couldn’t unravel the details of before they were revealed- and I didn’t even get into how great the voice acting is. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, self-contained game that you can beat in under 35 hours, Ai: The Somnium Files can’t be beat.

[ctl-yuejie]

i saw your post and was curious, what other japanese dramas do you enjoy? any personal faves you would recommend? ^^

heya ^^ oh my, dear anon. you opened the box of the pandora. because even though i’ll just give you the list on top of my head this is going to be long orz

my favourite drama can be sorted in the following categories:

- ridiculous school drama (with occasional dash of romance) which i watched   mostly in middleschool & highschool ®- slice of life drama with amazing houses, roommate shenanigans (S)- detective & crime drama with the occasional supernatural twist ©

(I will put a “holds up!” next to some older series which i’ve rewatched that are still great despite their age!)

. Gokusen, 2002 ®: the classic high-school delinquents meet a strong teacher and start to show their vulnerable side story. trope galore but it never gets old to see Yukie Nakama as Yankumi, grand-daughter of a Yakuza family beating the shit out of people. → holds up!

. Manhattan Love Story, 2003 (S): a gentleman of a barista starts to meddle in his customers lives so that they’ll finally get the time to appreciate his coffee. → holds up!

. Hana Yori Dango, 2005 (R): the classic. some parts are icky regarding the bullying but the most down-to-earth rendition of all the versions. → holds somewhat up!

. Kurosagi, 2006 (C): a swindler who swindles swindlers. besides the notorious Yamashita Tomohisa one of my favourite actors in his now 80s Yamazaki Tsutomu delivers a shakespearean performance. don’t remember much, only that Yamazaki Tsutomu is glorious. 

. My Boss! My Hero!, 2006 (R:) a 27 year old yakuza heir has to go back and finish high school. some weird age-gap thing going on but it is freaking hilarious (the infamous pudding run scene). me and my friends are still singing the ending song during karaoke.

. Nodame Cantabile, 2006 ®: hilarious rom-com set in a music college

. Hotaru no Hikari, 2007 (S): the love story is not that important (even though I love the main female character) because the real star of the series is the house!

. Bloody Monday, 2008 ©: gruesome crime series with college kids helping in an investigation. Michiko Kichise as one of the policewomen is brilliant. i have a crush on her. Hiroki Narimiya is very hot in this, my bi heart is happy.

. Love Shuffle, 2009 (S/R) - 4 people living on the same floor of an apartment complex decide to swap partners “for science”. stellar cast with my crush Karina, Shota Matsuda and more. rare occurrence of a well written gay main character, Shosuke Tanihara is great in this. tw: one plotline starts very dark, featuring themes of depression & suicidal thoughts → holds up!

. BOSS, 2009 ©: not only does this drama have Michiko Kichise (s.o.) but it is headlined by Yuki Amami. my favourite female character in jdrama land. she is strong, intelligent, weird af, slightly older than the average jdrama heroine, has platonic friendships with very hot guys and is herself very hot. one gay side-character who is sadly written underwhelmingly. → holds up!

. MR.BRAIN, 2009 ©: neurologists gets added to a major crime devision. the science in this doesn’t hold up but the cases are pretty rad (especially the piano one, episode 4 I think?) → holds up!

. Otomen, 2009 ®: guy who enjoys female coded hobbies such as knitting and playing with dolls tries to keep up a manly facade in school. some nonsense but I still live for Asuka Masamune’s “female” side. sadly a gay sub-plotline that doesn’t get handled well.

. Tumbling, 2010 ®: bad boy & high-school delinquent Wataru Azuma (Yusuke Yamamoto) joins the male rhythmic gymnastic team of his school to impress his crush on the women’s team and to appease his teachers. discusses toxic masculinity in a great way and has a really good gay subplot (with Daito Shunsuke) (if i recall everything correctly). the cast actually learned rhythmic gymnastics for this and this level of care & passion shows. → holds up!

. Atami no Sousakan, 2010 ©: maybe my favourite japanese drama ever. with the brilliant Odagiri Joe & Chiaki Kuriyama who play two detectives that get send to the small town of Minami-Atami to support the local police in a mysterious case of a vanishing school bus when some of the missing school girls return to town. turns out that the case is weird but the town and its people are even weirder. (i have hardly laughed so hard when watching a tv series) → fucking holds up!

. Asuko March, 2011 ®: due to bad grades Nao Yoshino has to enter a technical highschool and finds herself surrounded by only boys. the romantic plot is average but some great plotlines about emancipation and femininity. and Emi Takei in a working overall handling tools =

. Arakawa Under The Bridge, 2011 (idek what genre this is): this drama is just weird af and for that sole reason worth a watch. the soundtrack is also great.

. Ouran Highschool Host Club, 2011 ®: this drama is pure camp, allures to  some incesty/gay plotlines that are really not great when you think about it but its one of the best manga adaptations I know and just pure hilarity. also: Yusuke Yamamote is made for slapstick.

. Watashi ga Renai dekinai Riyuu, 2011 (S): again featuring my love Karina as a tomboy. fucking great portrayal of different kinds of women and their friendship plus a great house with roommate shenanigans and cooking. → holds up!

. Lucky Seven, 2012 ©: pretty standard detective drama but it features Eita and Nanako Matsushima as the female boss of the agency (who is another of my crushes)

. Switch Girl, 2012 (R): this drama is stupidly funny and while having a pretty traditional love story it features some nice thoughts on judging people by their appearance and beauty standards.

. Kagi no Kakatta Heya, 2012 ©: locked room mystery crime series.

. Soumato Kabushiki Gaisha, 2012 ©: a company that stores the film everyone sees before they die. the customers are able to watch their whole life on film, most of them discovering some very dark secrets about their lives. tw: suicide, abuse, generally quite heavy topics

. Toshi Densetsu no Onna, 2012 ©: a female detective connects her cases to mysterious urban legends to solve them. Masami Nagasawa’s outfits are the second star of the show.

. Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou, 2013 (C/S): mystery solving with the help of literature and placed in an old antique book store. what’s not to like.

. Yakou Kanransha, 2013 ©: two families living opposite of each other in an upscale neighborhood. one day a man is found murdered and everything is connected by a midnights ferries wheel.

. Summer Nude, 2013 (R/S):  Karina (again! i love her) as a famous cook who has to rebuild her life in a coastal town after some hiccups in her personal life. food and a town at the beach with Karina playing another tomboy role. i love it.

. Mahoro Eki Mae Bangaichi, 2013 (C/S): Eita plays a problem solver for hire in a weird neighborhood featuring the eclectic Ryuhei Matsuda. 

. River’s Edge Ookawabata Tanteisha, 2014 ©: aesthetic™ with my love Odagiri Joe.

. Gomen ne Seishun, 2014 (R/S): some catholic girls school vs boy school rivalry focused on the teachers with a mysterious case in the past. Hikari Mitsushima as the girl school’s teacher has amazing clothes.

. Koinaka, 2015 (R/S): two highschool sweethearts meeting again by chance. really quiet and sweet love story.

. Miss Sherlock, 2018 ©: a female sherlock. a female watson. solving crime. i wanted it to be more gay but the series is pretty solid. Yuko Takeuchi’s wardrobe is goals. also: Yuko Takeuchi is goals.

. What did you eat yesterday, 2019 (S): gay slice-of life series. still airing but so far I’m super happy. a couple in its 40s and their everyday life. food porn. also hilarious. (I might gif some more)

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 57: Ducks in a Row

That night. Sae stood in front of a doorway. She knocked. Naoko answered. “Ah, Sae. What brings you here?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” She shouted. She held up the manifesto. “Did you really think I wouldn’t know this was from you? I could turn you in, you know.”

Naoko looked at it. “Ah, I think I heard some of my buddies who are still on the force talking about this.”

“Cut the crap!” Sae said.

Naoko chuckled. “Sorry. But you can’t pin this on me with just this little note. Have you found any hard evidence that points this to me?” Sae glared at him. “Still, even if I was the one behind it, why bother coming to me at all?”

“I’m giving you a chance to stop,” Sae said. “As a courtesy to my father.”

“Heh,” Naoko said. “Classic Sae; always wanting to help others, but doesn’t know how to show it.”

“Forgive me for not be appreciative of premeditated murder” Sae shot back.

Naoko was impressed with Sae’s tenacity. But he was still unshaken from his new found path. “Tell me, is this manifesto the first new thing you’ve heard about Kaneshiro? At least for a while?”

“Why do you ask?” Sae responded.

“I’m just saying,” Naoko said. “Another trademark of Classic Sae is that you’re always so focused on everything else that you don’t know what’s going on in front of your own eyes.”

Sae got angrier. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Naoko chuckled. “How IS Makoto doing these days?”

Sae grabbed Naoko. “You leave her out of this!”

“How can I when she’s already in so deep?!” Naoko retorted. The two stared at each other for a while.

Eventually, Sae let go, and proceeded to leave. “I can’t protect you if you get caught, you know” she threatened before she got out of earshot. Naoko had a blank look on his face as he closed the door.

The next day, Makoto met with the student council. She stood firm. “OK. We’ve been looking into the incidents of students being harassed by gang members, and we’ve gotten rather far. However, I think we’ve reached the end of our capacity to do anything.” There were some murmurs, while Kisa looked disheartened. “However,” Makoto continued, causing Kisa to perk up a little, “I have given the information to people who can help solve the problem. So we can rest assured that this will be resolved. When is a little ambiguous, but it will be before exams. With that, you are dismissed.” Everyone nodded and broke off. Well, almost.

Kisa stood still as everyone left. When the last person left, she told Makoto. “Thank you.” Makoto nodded. Kisa left.

After Kisa left. Makoto loosened up a litte, then got serious. “The real fight starts now.”

After school, Ren messaged Makoto.

Ren: You busy?

Makoto: Not really. Why?

Ren: I was thinking we could head out as a group to get our facts straight.

Ren: And since you’re part of the group now…

Makoto: I see.

Makoto: I’m glad to.

Ren: Great!

Ren: I guess just meet us outside.

They put their phones away and met up; heading toward the access panel hideout. Once they arrived, Ren said “So, here we are. I know it’s not much, but it is what it is.”

“Huh,” Makoto said. “Isn’t this a bit open?”

“Well, that’s sort of the point,” Sumire said, defending the choice. “We’re essentially hiding in plain sight.”

“Right, but if someone is looking for you, they might not have to look all too hard,” Makoto said. “Before all of this, I have followed you here a few times in my investigations of you.”

“Oh” Sumire said, dejected.

“However, I think I may have a solution!” Makoto said. “Oh, but I’m new here. I might be overstepping my bounds a bit.”

Ren smiled. “Not at all. We’re a team here. Everyone’s input is valid.”

“Well, in that case, ” Makoto said, “I have an ice cream shop with our name on it.”

“Ummmm” Sumire said. “It’s not that I don’t like that idea, but we did discuss this before, and we decided that maybe going to a food place for our hideout might be a bit of a distraction.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I can see that” Makoto said. “Well, does anyone mind the hideout being in Kichijoji then? I know of a place there that could work.”

“Well, it IS a fair distance away,” Yusuke noted. “And I only have so much money…”

“Um, we can just use the Metaverse funds,” Ryuji said.

“Wait, that place gives out real money?” Makoto said. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Well, if it is, it’s too late now,” Ren said. “But I haven’t had any problems. It’s almost as if the economy is taking this all into consideration.”

“Well, I haven’t heard about any big economic problems…” Makoto thought. “So, I guess it’ll be alright.”

“Hold on,” Ann said. “While money might not be an issue, we’d have to go from Shibuya to Kichijoji, then back to Shibuya for any missions..”

“Oh. Right” Makoto said.

“Well, maybe we can go to this place just to hang out sometime” Ryuji offered.

Makoto smiled. “I’d like that.”

“So, I guess we’re staying here then,” Jose said. “Unless we have any other ideas.”

“I think here is fine for now,” Yusuke said. “But this Kaneshiro person IS a rather big fish. Once we change his heart, it might be a good idea to find someplace else to meet up.”

“That’s a good point,” Makoto said. “And if and when Naoko’s note goes public, that’ll only further fan the flames.”

“Speaking of Kaneshiro though,” Morgana interjected, “that’s something else we need to discuss. Our previous two big targets are ones at least some of us were familiar with. This will be the first time we’re going in mostly blind.”

“Yeah,” Ren said. “On the one hand, that’s a sort of comfort. We’re not learning anything deep and disgusting about someone we know already.”

“But on the other hand, that doesn’t prepare us well for what’s to come,” Sumire countered. “Which is a difficulty of its own.”

“True” Yusuke agreed. “Sometimes when you roll the iron dice, you come up snake eyes. So maybe some knowledge would be beneficial in tipping that scale.”

“Well, from what Kisa has told me from her interaction, he’s really aggressive and belligerent,” Makoto explained. “He’s really more invested in his bottom line than anything, and he’ll do anything to get it.”

“You said you’ve done some research as well…” Ann added.

“Yes,” Makoto replied. “He’s a really big name in the criminal underworld. Although, from what I could tell, he’s a bit different from people you’d usually find down there.”

“How so?” Morgana asked.

“I’m not sure entirely, but from the looks of things, even some in the criminal underworld are afraid of him,” Makoto explained. “And those who aren’t seem almost disgusted with him.”

“Huh. Maybe this uniqueness might explain why HE’S the gangster with a palace” Jose rationalized.

“That’s not a bad assumption,” Ren said.

“Hm,” Ryuji grunted. “Sounds like this guy is gonna be coming at anyone who doesn’t like him with full force.”

“But at the same time, he sounds like he might have a few tricks up his sleeve,” Jose added.

“Yeah. Dude definitely fights dirty” Ryuji said.

“So we need a strong approach, but the ability to think on the fly,” Yusuke said. “Well, if that’s not Ren, I don’t know what is.”

“Aw, you’re making me blush” Ren said, grinning ear to ear. “But don’t just sing my praises.” She looked at Makoto. “Our newest recruit has that moxie in her too.”

Makoto was stunned. “Oh, well…”

“Don’t worry, it's a compliment” Ren said. “You’re one of us now.”

“Oh. Well then thank you” Makoto said, embarrassed about this for reasons she couldn’t explain.

“I think that’s everything we can surmise about Kaneshiro” Ann said. “So, what about Naoko?”

Makoto was surprised. “Oh, well, there’s a lot I know about him. In a lot of ways, he’s like a second father to me. He’s usually an affable person; that’s part of the reason he and my father worked so well together. My father was a little more reserved, but was always open to almost anything. They both knew when to take things seriously, but they also both knew when to crack jokes, or just have fun. Naoko was a bit more louder on that front though.

He’d come over sometimes, and we grew close. Eventually, we met his sister, and that’s when Kisa and I became friends. My father and Naoko would take us to the ice cream shop I mentioned earlier whenever they solved a big case. It was a nice little way of getting everyone in on the celebration.”

Makoto took a brief pause. “But when my father died in the line of duty, Naoko grew frustrated. He was upset not only by the loss of his partner and friend, but also that the police, the very institution he served, didn’t seem to take the investigation into it all that seriously. So, in a fury, he quit, and became a private investigator.”

“Woah,” Jose said.

“That’s quite a story…” Ann said.

After a moment of silence, Ryuji bursted out with “I’m sorry.” Everyone looked at him. “It’s just,” he sighed, “I told him about you, and Kisa, and then he figured it out, and it set him off on this crusade. If I hadn’t said anything…”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Sakamoto,” Makoto said. “Naoko is a brilliant detective. I’m sure he would have figured it out, especially if Kisa was involved.” Makoto grew serious again. “Naoko’s wife died of cancer four years into their marriage. So Kisa’s the closest thing he has to a child, so he’s very protective. My sister and I are the second closest, and he can be a bit protective with us too.”

“He’s lost his wife and his partner,” Yusuke remarked. “That’s...a lot to deal with…”

“But I get it,” Sumire said. “I’d hate to lose anyone else right now too…” Ren looked over, glanced around, and gave Sumire a gentle side-hug. Sumire smiled. “Thanks.”

“Right…” Makoto said, acknowledging she knows, but not actually saying anything.

After another silence, Jose summarized “So, Naoko is also bringing his full force to bear.”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Which means we need to swing for the fences ourselves. If we’re going to save Naoko and Kisa, and make Kaneshiro confess to his crimes, we CAN’T afford to slip up.”

Ren started up a slow clap. Pretty soon, the rest of the Phantom Thieves joined in, aside from Morgana because paws can’t clap, but he wanted to. “Spoken like a true leader,” Ren said.

“Oh” Makoto said, surprised and embarrassed. “But aren’t you the leader?”

“Of the Phantom Thieves, sure” Ren said. “But you’re the head of the student council, and I can see why now.”

“Speaking of, I should also apologize,” Ann said. “I was really frustrated with the whole Kamoshida thing, and I thought you were among the people who wouldn’t hear me when I was screaming, and I took out some of my frustration on you. But I realize now that you would. So, I’m sorry.”

Makoto walked up and gave Ann a hug. “It’s OK. I’m sure it wasn’t easy what you were going through. And I get it. You thought those things of me because someone wanted you to. But now I’m working on trying to find myself and stand up for who I am. If anything, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Ann broke out in tears and hugged Makoto back. After she finished crying, Ann grew determined. “I forgive you. You had a lot of pressure on you too. I can’t be mad at that. I know what that's like.”

Makoto smiled. “I forgive you too, Takamaki.”

Ann giggled. “Thanks. But, um, could you just call me Ann? And could I just call you Makoto?”

Makoto giggled in response. “I don’t see why not.” She looked over the group. “I think the offer extends to everyone as well. We’re all friends, right?”

“Of course,” Yusuke said.

“Uh-huh,” Jose said.

“Yeah!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“I’d like that,” Sumire said.

“I’ve been kind of doing it anyway,” Ren admitted.

“Heh heh” Morgana chuckled. “Makoto’s good for this world… But what do we call you, shall we say, professionally?”

“What?” Ryuji said.

“Her thief name…” Morgana said. “I was trying to be discreet.”

“You could just say it outright,” Ryuji fired back. “Only we can hear you, ya know.”

“Well, it’s still cool…” Morgana retorted.

“Hm, that is a good question, regardless” Ren said. She turned to Makoto. “Well what do you want to be?”

“Oh, what about ‘Biker’?” Ryuji suggested.

“Pass!” Makoto said. “It’s too obvious.”

“I agree,” Yusuke said.

“Your name is FOX’ Ryuji said. “If that’s not obvious…”

“It is,” Yusuke agreed. “But my name is reflective of a bold stroke, and as an artist, I prefer that boldness. But Makoto is more elegant and tactical. She should have a name that reflects as such.”

“Thank you, Yusuke,” Makoto said, smiling.

Ryuji hung his head. “One of these days, I really need to learn to shut my mouth.”

“Why not ‘Prez’?” Ann suggested. “Since she’s the student council president.”

“Well, that’s also a bit obvious,” Makoto informed her. “Just in a different direction.”

“Oh” Ann said.

“Heh heh” Ren chuckled. “Elegant? Tactical? I have a name that’s all that AND more.”

“Oh? By all means” Makoto invited.

“‘Queen’” Ren suggested.

Makoto thought about it. She smiled. “Queen it is.”

“Heh heh” Morgana chuckled. “I was just about to suggest that as well.” Ren raised her first up. Morgana bumped it with his paw.

“So, now that that’s all settled” Sumire said, “all that’s left is to finalize the end date.”

“Right,” Makoto said. “The note Naoko left was fairly clear. He’s going to find and kill Kaneshiro by the 11th of July. So, we have until then.”

“Well then, I suggest we get prepared,” Ren said. Everyone nodded. “Dismissed.” Everyone smiled and headed off in their own direction.

That night, at the Niijima household, Makoto and Sae were eating dinner. Sae was glancing at Makoto. Makoto took notice of this. “Is something on your mind?” Makoto asked.

Sae looked deep into her eyes. “Is there anything going on I should know about?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Makoto responded.

“Are you doing alright?” Sae continued. “Outside of school stuff?”

It took Makoto a second to realize. She read the manifesto too. Of course she would know Naoko wrote it. Does that mean she met with him? Makoto answered “Oh. Well, the truth is, there have been some incidents of gangsters harassing some of the students.”

Sae slammed the table. “What?”

“Ah,” Makoto yelped.

Sae glared at her, but slid her fist back down to her side. “Sorry. But why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, I wanted to gather as much information as I could before I told you…” Makoto said. “But things got out of hand, and in a desperate move…”

Sae was concerned. “What?”

“...I posted a message asking the Phantom Thieves for help,” Makoto finished.

“WHAT?!” Sae said, surprised.

“I know,” Makoto said. “It was dumb, but I didn’t know what else to do. But I realized I shouldn’t, and deleted the post like 15 minutes after I made it. But the Phantom Thieves took notice of it anyway, and started messaging me.”

“They MESSAGED you?” Sae said, still in disbelief.

Makoto nodded. “And they’re using some sort of advanced programming, so the messages were deleted. They really don’t want to leave a trace. So, they agreed to help me, and I helped them out too by giving them the information I collected.”

Sae looked at Makoto, and then the table. This SOUNDS a bit suspicious,  she looked back up, but I don’t think Makoto would lie about this kind of thing. Perhaps Naoko stumbled across the investigation the Phantom Thieves were making with Makoto’s information. If that’s the case, he might know who they are, or at least one of them. Still, I don’t think he’s in the mood to tell me right now. Sae sighed. “Well, I’m glad you told me the truth.”

Makoto sighed. “Thanks sis.”

“Just try to be more careful in the future,” Sae reminded her. “You might be safe now, but if things even remotely look like they might get out of hand, you come tell me right away. Or at least someone who can handle it.”

“Right…” Makoto said, feeling a sting that was unintended and unnoticed by Sae, but it hurt all the same.

Later, when Makoto was in her room, pondering her sister’s behavior and attitude, she thought aloud “Sis… You’ve changed too… I know the you I once knew is in there somewhere…” She glanced at her phone. Curious, she picked it up, loaded the Metaverse app, and gently whispered “Sae Niijima.”

“Match found” the phone responded. Makoto looked at it. Her sister’s name was in black, but unlike Kaneshiro’s the two following lines were also in black. Makoto was a little relieved, since no one was trying to actively kill her sister, but at the same time, she grew worried, since her sister had a palace of her own.

“Well… if no one’s trying to kill her…” Makoto said. “It might be better to hold onto this for now…” She set her phone down, changed into her pajamas, and got under her covers to go to sleep.

[enchantedbride]

Persona!Joey’s Significant Other

Name: Kosuke Ishikawa

Age: 30

Gender: Cis Male 

Orientation: Biromantic Gray Ace

Height: 6′ 4″

Build: Very Tall, Lean muscle (Wiry)

Birthday: 4/24 (Taurus Birth Sign)

Occupation: Detective (Private Investigator)

Hair: Black (medium length, often tied back)

Eyes: Dark Brown

Personality: Usually very serious and dedicated at doing their job well. Tends to be more focused on taking care of others than taking care of themselves. Is fiercely protective of friends and family, and is very affectionate towards them as well. Tends to be very socially adept in professional settings but awkward when it comes to more personally, free-form type of interactions. 

Family: His older sister and mother are still alive, although his father passed away when he was 17. His father way emotionally abusive and his sister managed to run away from home to go live with relatives and later attempted to try to get Kosuke to join her, but he stayed because he felt guilty about his mom to deal with his dad all alone. 

Additional Information: An independent investigator whose fallen from favor with the rise of Junior Detective Goro Akechi. Further still he fell from favor when he questioned a series of cases that were sealed, believed to have involved politician Masayoshi Shido. He was originally popular with the public for his calm, patient, and honest personality and talent for working with victims of crimes. 

He is friends with Sae Niijima and a friendly acquaintance of Toranosuke Yoshida and Sojiro Sakura.

He has struggled with his ace identity because of his upbringing by his father and because of attitudes he’s been exposed to in the past. As a result, he doesn’t really speak much about it accept to his girlfriend, a few close friends, and his sister.

He lives in an apartment with his girlfriend, Joey and assists her in seeking legal guardianship of Yusuke Kitagawa in the aftermath of the Madarame case.