#check out persona 5 royals it's a really good game

[zetsubobu]

I have such a good idea for an au but aaaaa that means actually drawing it which will take so long

being creative with limited motivation/time to draw can be such a curse sometimes

[theminecraftbee]

having read the content warnings, do you have any personal recommendations on which game to start with? i know p5 is super popular (and 50% off right now) but is there anything about p3 or 4 that would make you say to go for those first?

the answer is "it depends"! honestly, if persona 5 royal is currently 50% off (and i checked, it is currently only 30 dollars on steam, it is actually 50% off), that is a good starting point; there are a LOT of persona fans who would argue with me, but it's the one that REALLY made the series blow up for a reason. it is the most polished of the games, the most likely to make someone who isn't already a jrpg fan like the game (despite it being an EXTREMELY jrpg jrpg, it is like, a known fact that a lot of people play it and go "ohhhh that's why people like it"), and the gameplay is the smoothest and easiest for newcomers.

that said, some additional data points:

you want persona 5 royal, persona 4 golden, or persona 3 reload; that last one is going to be a controversial statement but for someone new to the series, reload is going to be a much easier entry point than trying to play portable (although persona 3 portable is MUCH cheaper, lol), as it has a LOT of modern quality-of-life improvements.

honestly if you just want the cheapest entry point into the series, persona 4 golden is only 20 bucks on steam even when it's not on sale, and is only 13 bucks at the moment. it has a lot more janky elements that reload and royal both have smoothed out, but i personally label persona 4 as my favorite because the characters, man. the characters, the atmosphere, yes, even the high quantities of weird anime bullshit side episodes, i love all of it. it doesn't have the same modern flare and polish as the newer games but it's still got a lot of what makes persona persona. just, uh, be aware the boss design in that game is... questionable at best. (surely, giving this boss more hp makes for a more interesting fight, right?)

persona 3 reload is what i direct you towards if you SPECIFICALLY want to play persona 3. i'll say that storyline-wise, persona 3 probably has the tightest/most effective storytelling. that said, reload is. sigh. 70 dollars. which may VERY WELL NOT BE WORTH IT TO YOU, especially given that portable, for all portable is super, super jank as a port, is only thirteen. the main differences, for the record, is that reload looks and plays so much nicer, actually has cutscenes, is fully voice-acted, and has a LOT of combat and exploration tweaks that make the dungeon crawling way less of a chore.

that said, persona 5 royal? STILL probably my recommendation for a first persona game. it's got flash, panache, a pretty smooth combat system, it's easier for beginners, it takes a lot fewer Very Questionable Writing Swings than p4 (i love p4 it's my favorite but you may have noticed how many caveats i keep throwing at it, curse of my favorite being Like That), and more than anything: palaces are just so much better than the randomly-generated dungeons of p3 and p4. like, if you've only played p5: mementos is basically what EVERY dungeon is like in p3 and p4. you now understand why palaces are such an improvement. you will probably like this one the most as a new persona fan! i just wanted to offer the other options to you as well.

[starrulet]

My Experience with P5R

So, I went into this game with Zero Knowledge™ of what it held. I only bought it, because I knew you got to play as a phantom thief, everyone loves Joker and everyone had at one point called it the Perfect Game™ (oh, and it was on sale).

First Playthrough

Start up game. Absolute banger of a first hour. Everything is on point, this truly is the Perfect Game™ when it comes to graphical interface. Also, hands down best intro segment I have ever played. Immediately 100% invested in the game.

I write my name. I'm too lazy to look up something authentically Japanese online, so I name him KURO KNIGHT. I do not realize that small caps were available and this does haunt me for the next 100+ hours.

I discover the ability to "befriend" shadows. I attempt to befriend every shadow I meet.

Igor tells me to kill two of my personas. I am heartbroken and horrified by their execution. I absolutely hate the function and vow to never use it.

(Arsène is never sacrificed. At the time, I did not know this is uncommon for the first playthrough).

I max out the amount of personas I can currently have. I am heartbroken. I want to befriend all the shadows, but the game won't let me.

I am introduced to social stats. I make the wild assumption that these will passively effect the story for good/bad endings, as well as chances of success in Palaces (e.g. charm will increase likelihood of befriending a shadow, knowledge improves Third Eye, etc.), instead of being a "you must have stat 4 to pass to the next story segment" role. I immediately start investing hard on maxing my stats.

I do not know how to check Confidant Availability on the map. I only go to meet confidants if they've texted me.

(As you can imagine, this will royally screw me over later)

A teacher smacks me in the head with a piece of chalk. I'm told if I improve my proficiency, I can dodge it. Guess which social stat I start heavily investing in.

I am introduced to Maruki. I am told I have until November to max my relationship with him. He is immediately given priority over all other Confidants. Keep in mind, I only meet confidants if they text me.

I meet Kasumi. I'm not that interested in her, until I realize she only has a 5-star confidant bond. I decide to max her out, because that will be easy to reach.

I reluctantly start executing personas. Arsène is never executed, even though he's becoming so weak, I can no longer use him in fights.

While on the main menu, I notice Joker's shoes for the first time. And then I check and yes. Joker has the worst shoes in existence. I hate them. Everything about his phantom thief outfit is on point, except for those monstrosities.

I go ballistic over no one asking why "Pleasant Boy" heard their conversation about pancakes. I am angry. Enraged. I want answers, but the characters don't seem to catch onto the pancakes. I am deeply upset.

This is when I start questioning the intelligence and competence of the Phantom Thieves. It will effect how I perceive them later on.

I officially meet Akechi. I instantly take a strong liking to him, because he is the absolute WORST person to befriend as a phantom thief. The pancake thing makes me also super suspicious of him, further adding to him being a BAD person to befriend.

Akechi gives me the Sleuthing Instinct Skill. Akechi is instantly my favourite Confidant and I am determined to unlock the rest of the skills on his Confidant route.

A teacher throws chalk at me. I dodge. The whole class is amazed. I'm smug about it.

I meet "Becky". I die of second-hand embarrassment.

Why can I not gift Morgana sushi when I want to? Let me feed my cat sushi.

Every new palace, the Phantom Thieves are like "No! They don't have a persona, they can't help!" and "Leave it to us experienced pro phantom thieves B) ", only to end up relying on the formally non-persona user. I really don't feel like they're competent, since they suck at protecting civilians so much, that the civilian has to awaken a persona to save everyone or they'll all die.

I finally have enough guts to call up "Becky". When she arrives, the second-hand embarrassment is so strong, I exit the game without saving and have to replay the last two in-game weeks.

I realize that Yusuke, Makoto and Futaba are not listed as my Confidants. I panic and despair. I have failed my friends.

(I am unaware that minimal confidant bond does not mean we are not in-game friends and that not maxing out a Confidant Bond does not have too much impact on the story...)

The first time I ram into a shadow with the van, I burst into laughter. It was entirely unexpected.

I befriend Chihaya. I can't help but notice how much of a Meet-Cute this is and decide that I will pursue a relationship with her.

In Hawaii, I spend the day with Mishima and Ryuji. I am unaware that this is because I failed to develop higher bonds with other Confidants.

I get my first part-time jobs to complete Mementos quests. I wonder why anyone would bother with jobs, since you can get more money in Mementos than at work.

It starts occurring to me, that maybe I'm not supposed to blast through palaces in one run. There are benefits to multiple visits. I continue to complete palaces in one run.

I get stuck on my second boss - Haru's dad. Even grinding in Mementos does not save the day. I look up advice online.

I go out of my way to meet Hifumi. I cry. I want to max out her bond, she's instantly proven herself so useful.

I defeat the boss by the skin of my teeth. I never want to face that boss again.

Akechi officially joins the team. I am ecstatic, but I am dreading it. I love him, but I still have that pancake thing in my head and I am fully aware that the rest of the Phantom Thieves do not like him. AT ALL. Which can only mean the narrative has labelled him a bad guy (otherwise they would have quickly warmed up to him, like they did with Haru), which means he is only temporarily on the team, which means he will do something nefarious because the narrative said he must. Also, he is conspicuously the only one wearing white as a main colour. So. Further fuel for the "not part of the group!!!" fire. I am deeply upset by this. I still love him, even though I know I will have to soon accept his role in the narrative, whatever that may be.

A teacher throws chalk at me. I'm one step away from maxing out proficiency. It smacks into my face. The cold war wasn't over after all. The teacher has improved his aim.

I try to start a Confidant bond with Haru. She snaps at me and I'm so terrified by the reaction from the otherwise sweet and polite girl, I never attempt to talk to her again.

"I hate you." Akechi, as your only friend, please go see a therapist.

It's November and I haven't maxed out my relationship with Maruki. I am not getting opportunities to do so via text. I despair, because Maruki has grown to be a favourite of mine.

Maruki wants to bid me personally farewell. My Confidant Bond with him maxes out during our tearful goodbyes. I whoop and cheer that I got to the end of his Confidant route, oblivious to what this means.

Akechi says we should leave stealing the treasure to the last second. The team instantly agrees. I get mad, because when I try to do that, the team nags at me and complains that we should really do this ASAP, but when Akechi suggests it, it's fine-

The police raid Sae's palace and I assume they're cognitions from the nearby cognitive police station, not real police. From that, I deduce that the interrogation scene is taking place in the Metaverse and not the real world.

Yeah. I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't right either.

Endgame spoilers under the cut.

Endgame

The game keeps telling me to think carefully about my choices. I become paranoid. I am in interrogation and I become confused.

I am so confused by the game, I start thinking that maybe my instincts are wrong, and I end up ratting out my friends while being interrogated.

Sensing this was the Wrong Option, I exit the game and reload the last save file without finding out if it really was the wrong option.

I was right. It was the Wrong Option, since I am now watching the Right Option unfold. I am frustrated, because if the game hadn't been so insistent I "think carefully" and "consider my actions seriously", I would have instinctively not named my allies. BUT because it was nagging me, I thought if I went with the obvious option, I'd end up with the bad ending.

I'm an overthinker, ok.

Akechi comes to kill me. He looks utterly unhinged, to the point it crosses over into hilarity.

(Akechi gets one(1) plus point for looking incredible while killing the policeman. Like, that was insanely slick. Several thousand minus points for killing Joker though. And then nudging his head to check if he's dead, like Akechi, you shot him through the head what do you expect-)

It turns out, the Phantom Thieves did know about the pancake thing. But I'm 60+ hours into the game at this point and I do not have the mental capacity to retcon that much time to fit this reveal into a cohesive story. As such, despite making sense and the game setting up for this, my brain does not completely accept this plot reveal.

In other words, I would have strongly preferred it if we continued having 100% of the protagonists' perspective, instead of the 90% we ended up having, to keep the 10% (knowledge that Akechi will betray them, and the plan to fool Akechi) secret.

Like, no. We didn't need that to be a "plot twist". It was obvious from the start. Just admit it upfront next time.

I also don't buy into the Phantom Thieves being smart enough to concoct such a plan, because they've been making things up as they go along since Day 1 and have been heavily reliant on picking up new team members to survive Palaces and defeat Bosses. As said. By not addressing the pancake thing, my opinion of them being competent phantom thieves was shattered. I can't unsee their shortcomings, even if the pancake thing wasn't a shortcoming after all.

A part of me feels icky, because I know my first choice had been the bad ending. It now feels like the bad ending was the true ending, and I've cheated my way out of it, so the good ending that I'm approaching does not feel earned. The feeling hangs over me for a while.

Even though KURO is not dead, his absence in day-to-day life is shocking. It leaves a really big impact and a sense of dread.

I like KURO's incognito civilian clothes until I realize he's got nothing on under the grey hoodie. Child. Put some layers on. It's winter. What the heck, are you trying to die of hypothermia or something.

I miss Akechi. Not because I actually miss him, I miss what he contributed to the group: Getting the others to get all the way off my back about leaving the heist to the last minute.

"No guys, we can't go to Shido's palace until I've made enough coffee and curry! Yes, I'm serious!!!"

The Phantom Thieves are turned into mice. This is one of the best things to happen in-game.

Akechi has a psychotic breakdown in the engine room. I repeat to myself that this really could have been avoided if Akechi had just gone to a therapist.

Imagine my shock when I defeat Shido, but the game doesn't end. Staggering.

Igor orders Caroline and Justine to kill me. I panic, wondering if this was because I failed to max out my bonds with the Phantom Thieves and I am approaching a bad ending after all. Then I wonder if maybe this could be avoided if Caroline and Justine had a higher Confidant bond with me and I regret that it's still at an abysmal level 1.

It turns out that having level 1 doesn't stop the girls from apparently liking me. They cannot of their own free will kill me. I'm glad that it doesn't matter that I only have a level 1 bond with them, but this still feels jarring. My mind still equates bonds to levels of friendship, meaning we're still barely acquaintances at best. Plot armour for Joker has kicked in hard.

I make the wrong assumption that maxing out bonds has no impact on the overall story.

I am surprised that Morgana is not - in fact - human. At some point I had convinced myself he was a teen persona user, stuck in a coma. Or that he is the persona of a persona user, sent loose to help his persona user wake up again. I don't know when I developed that theory, but it's so strong that the truth throws me.

Unlike the pancake twist, I accept this "twist" without issue.

Over the course of the game, I have been strengthening Arsène like crazy. He is my strongest persona and has inherited many powerful abilities from the persona sacrificed for him.

I head into the final battle with Arsène equipped. It's satisfying to kinda defeat the final boss with him.

There's something kinda depressing about the cutscenes in the final boss battle. Almost like my confidants are... absent...

I am overjoyed when Akechi is confirmed to have survived, as he turns himself over to the police. I assume this is the result of maxing out my bond with him.

I love Morgana's cat portrait. No, I am not biased because he's a cat.

I assume the game will end. Then KURO wakes up in the counselling room. The game is not over yet.

Third Semester

Because I happened to max out my bonds with Akechi, Kasumi and Maruki, I get the third semester story part.

I am unaware of how lucky I am, considering I didn't max out any other bonds by December (outside of the automated bonds of Igor, Sae and Morgana).

I make use of the extra costumes the game has given me for the first time. I pretend there's an in-story reason: The alteration in the universe has also affected how they appear as phantom thieves. KURO is now running around in his starlight clothes, Akechi in the dance costume and Kasumi I'm never quite able to settle on. Why those particular clothes? I am unable to come up with a theory, beyond reality alteration.

I am thrilled that the game addressed Akechi's unhinged nature by having Kasumi question it, and didn't just act like nothing had happened.

I am delighted that, in Morgana and Futaba's absence, Akechi is my navigator. I have not enjoyed myself that much in a long time. He's terrible and that's what makes him perfect.

To be honest, it's in the third semester where Akechi is elevated to absolute favourite character in Persona 5. Prior to that, he was liked, but not favoured.

I am horrified that Maruki is the new bad guy. I am even more horrified by what they did to his hair.

I am glad that "Please see a therapist" is not something I can tell Akechi during the first and second semester, because - after what has happened to Maruki - Akechi would never let me live this down.

To be fair, Akechi would also accuse me of being a kleptomaniac, considering how I've picked every palace clean so far.

Genuinely shocked by the Sumire reveal.

Sumire apologizes for trying to kill KURO. I wish KURO had told her it's fine, because Akechi, his currently only other friend, also tried to kill him.

I spend third semester trying to max out my bonds with the Phantom Thieves and any other Confidants I haven't maxed yet.

I befriend Haru, but I never get passed level one with her.

I manage to get to level 9 with Chihaya. We become a couple. I assume.

I succeed in maxing out Takemi and Mishima's confidant bonds, but no one else.

I max out the Baton Pass with all Phantom Thieves (including Akechi and Sumire). I do this just because it's cool to have. I'm not thinking strategically.

During this semester I go to play billiards for the first time.

Because I'm playing billiards for the first time, KURO asks "What's a cue stick?" Meanwhile, Akechi - with whom KURO has played billiards several times, who KURO has even beaten at billiards - is just standing in the background. I pretend Akechi is exasperated.

I had already suspected it when it's revealed that Akechi is a cognition-human of the new reality. I am not surprised, since despite my love for Akechi, it feels like some of his nuance is gone as of the third semester. Him being a cognition built from people's perception of him (with heaviest influences being directly from KURO and the Phantom Thieves) explains that.

"This isn't trivial!" Mmh. Some grade-A angst right there, I love it.

Of course I choose to defeat Maruki. I may love Akechi, but not so much that I'd let everyone on the planet be brainwashed into someone's perception of true happiness. There's a difference between living and being alive. And also, Akechi doesn't want to live in this reality either, so....

I really, really hate Maruki's metaverse look. Like, at first, you think, well, a bit weird, but tolerable. Then you get glimpses of what's underneath the poncho and oh... oh no...

I am glad to have maxed out the Baton Pass with everyone, because this is the only reason I am able to beat Maruki.

Much like with all bosses from Okumura onwards, I win by the skin of my teeth. Unlike other bosses though, I get max HP and SP after completing a phase. I appreciate this, because otherwise I would have lost (most Phantom Thieves are in the low 80s, high 70s range).

I can't believe I end up in a fistfight with Maruki. They're not even attempting to dodge each other. It's like I'm watching an 18th century boxing match.

The Ending

It's Valentine's day. Chihaya doesn't give me anything. I am disgusted.

I'm told to say goodbye to all my friends. I exit and can only bid farewell to Sae, Takemi and Mishima. I am distraught.

Even though the cutscene has all the Phantom Thieves bidding me goodbye, I don't buy it. I couldn't bid them farewell on my last day, so this doesn't feel earned or real.

I realize I couldn't bid farewell because I didn't max out their bonds. So maxing out the bonds does have an affect on the story, just not one I could have predicted. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Maruki is a taxi driver. Dude. You have a university degree. You have a doctor title. Is this really all you could come up with?!

The game ends, I get the extra cutscene with Akechi and KURO seeing himself as Joker in the reflection. I interpret this as 1: Akechi is alive in some shape or form (with how and why being up in the air), and 2: the Metaverse cannot be destroyed, but the Phantom Thieves actions have lead to it being purged and cleaned. Hopefully, it will be healthier this time.

First Playthrough took me 110 hours.

NewGame+

I start the game so I can say goodbye to my friends. Yes. I am so mad that I couldn't say goodbye to Ryuji (and tbh, specifically Ryuji), I am replaying the entire game.

For real, if I'd been able to bid farewell to Ryuji in the first playthrough, I wouldn't have bothered with NewGame+.

And yes I've only mentioned Ryuji like a handful of times, but that's because I didn't really need to. Everyone loves him. It's a given.

I set the game to safety mode, because I just want the story.

This time I put a bit more effort into Joker's civilian name. I've grown attached to Kuro, even though I'm fairly certain that's not a name in Japan. In NewGame+ his name is Kuro Kichihei.

I enter my first battle in the Kamoshida's palace. I am frustrated that my stats are so low.

I realize I can equip end-game gear.

I'm crying, the shadows stand no chance.

I am too powerful. I fail to befriend shadows. I am forced to execute Arsène. This hurts.

I see the cutscene for executing Arsène for the first time. The Best Boy was with me to the very end in the first playthrough. It hurts to see him leave so soon in another timeline.

"It's no use! They're too powerful!!" Morgana cries. We have taken 2 HP damage.

I kinda wish I had set the game to easy mode, because I have a strong desire to know if this would be just as easy in normal mode.

I am determined to max out all bonds I form. While reading an online guide, I learn about checking Confidants Availability on the map. I feel like an idiot. I knew the blue rectangles meant a confidant was there, I didn't know they may offer up more information.

I discover there is a Confidant I have never even met in the First Playthrough. I go out of my way to befriend him. It's Yoshida.

Befriending him is... kinda stalker-y. Because I first find out where he frequents, get a job there to talk to him, and then I'm able to open up the confidant route. Like. I- I stalked him. So I could befriend him. No matter how you slice it, it's creepy.

I am in Madarame's boss battle. I am using personas at levels way higher than me, than the palace. I throw fire at all Madarames, the fire Madarames reflect it back at me. I am insta-killed. It's the only time I've died in the second playthrough.

I'm befriending and levelling up all previous Confidants, even though I know some of their skills carried over to NewGame+. I plan on befriending Chihaya again too, even though I'm going to pursue Makoto this time.

I do not open up the route with Chihaya.

I do open up Kawakami's route. I emotionally distance myself from the game to do so.

I discover I really love Kawakami and relate to her. It's unfortunate that the guy helping her is a minor and her student.

I spend a day hanging out with Ryuji. He mentions that his favourite characters are the rival characters. Um. Ryuji. Are you sure about that. Are you sure about that-

I open up Haru's route. She doesn't snap at me when I talk with her. I'm relieved.

As I finish Makoto's route, I suddenly wish I hadn't started a relationship with her. Because as she's pouring her heart out, this feels like she needed a friend, not a boyfriend. It's too late now though.

Meanwhile, I'm in Haru's early stages and I am displeased by the fact that she's still with her fiancé. My sympathy is not very high.

I finally understand why the Phantom Thieves kept asking me how I felt about the plan for Sae's palace. They weren't worried about the palace, or working with Akechi, they were worried about Akechi freaking murdering me.

Why is it an option to date Futaba if Sojiro is against it? Don't go against your dad's wishes, man.

Because I am weak, when Akechi sends me a text, asking me to hang out two days before he will murder me, I agree. Even though there are other Confidants whose bonds are ready to level up. Even though I've already maxed out my relationship with him. Even though it only unlocks a bless skill he will not have in the third semester. Akechi is still the favourite and does, in fact, get special treatment as a result.

As the Phantom Thieves re-explain how they suspected and tricked Akechi, I am able to better accept it and see how it fits into the story, partly because it's taken me 30 hours to get to this point, instead of 60.

I may accept the twist better, but the distaste remains and so I'm still not wholly happy with it. Maybe it's favouritism though. No. Who am I kidding. At this point, it's definitely favouritism. It's rarely strong enough to break the narrative though, so. Idk what you did Akechi, but you did it right.

I learn that if you have high bonds with non-PT Confidants prior to having to pretend to be dead, they will all reach out to you, to know that you're still alive. This made me very happy. And I did think it was strange in the first playthrough that no one outside the Phantom Thieves seemed all that bothered that I was dead.

There is substantial fear that I won't max out all my bonds before the end of the game.

I am particularly terrified that I will fail to max-out Haru and Shinya.

NewGame+ : Endgame

I enter Shido's palace. For the first time, I am no longer killing enemies with guns and attacks alone. Still wiping the floor with them though.

Haru seems to laugh at all my jokes. I wonder why Haru, Kuro and Akechi are not a more common trio in the fandom. You just know Kuro will tell a terrible joke, which Akechi will reasonably not find funny, but Haru finds hilarious, bursting into laughter, further exasperating him. I mean, tell me you don't see it. Tell me.

I max out the technical skill in billiards. I wish I could switch to normal, to see what the difference is (considering I never even touched it in the first playthrough).

Turns out I didn't need to worry about Haru. She maxed out within ten days.

At level 9, I'm thinking "Wow. Joker and Haru are such good friends :) " Then I reject her and she runs away. I suddenly feel bad that I'm already dating Makoto. So far, the only other confidant that got sad about rejection was Takemi. And she swallowed it like a champ.

I finally start exploring Shido's palace. I skip dialogue and cutscenes, so when Ann asks me if I remembered the plan, I answered "I forgot, actually...", making her exasperated. I have discovered being dumb is way more fun than being a know-it-all.

I rewatch Akechi's confrontation and once again feel second-hand embarrassment for the boy. This really could have been avoided if you went to therapy like a normal person.

I didn't notice how cool Akechi choosing to side with the Phantom Thieves was during first playthrough. I'm able to appreciate it this time.

Shido demands that Akechi be brought to him. Sorry Shido, unless Akechi somehow managed to drag himself out of the metaverse, you're not finding the body. Assuming he died. If he didn't die, well. Brace yourself, you're in for a shock either way.

Actually, that opens up a can of worms. What does happen to a being of the real world, if they were to die in the metaverse? They're a physical being, surely they can't just stay there? ? ?

I attempt to open up Chihaya's route, even though we're days away from the final boss battle. I forgot that there was a lot of running back and forth to unlock her confidant bond.

In other words, I do not achieve what I set out to do.

I've maxed out all my bonds, prior to the final boss fight. Except with Futuba and Kawakami. I accept my losses and wonder if I have time to max out three confidant bonds in the third semester.

I get a lot of new cutscenes in the boss battle, because I maxed out most of my bonds. Too bad I am not as invested in the story this time and so it's more of an annoyance than an "oh cool, so happy my friends back me :) " moment.

I'm in the boss battle. I defeat the god of control very quickly, it's laughably easy.

It's why I call BS when the plot demands the Phantom Thieves are exhausted and low energy, so that the crowd can overwhelmingly cheer them on.

My Phantom Thieves were still on max health and their SP was still fairly high. We didn't need popularity to mop the floor with the god of control.

From what I gather, Akechi is the absolute first sign of reality manipulation. Everything else follows after Akechi appears. That's weird. I wonder if there may have been other hints I missed, but I don't think so. Wait. Does Kasumi count?

It's the first time I get to spend christmas eve with a gf, instead of Sojiro and Futaba. It's surprisingly sweet and I stop regretting dating Makoto. Idk, I feel Joker and Makoto work well together.

"My sis told me last night [about Akechi]!" Yeah, right Makoto. I know you spent last night with Joker, you totally heard it from your sister and not him.

Tbh, with the way the story works, it seems that Joker and Makoto are in a secret relationship. Which I'm fine with, secret relationships are like. One of my favourite shipping dynamics.

NewGame+ : 3rd Semester

It seems I'm very heavily invested in the third semester, because I don't skip nearly as many cutscenes.

I wonder what it would be like to play P5 and go out of my way to be as hostile as possible to Akechi. Like, avoid him at all costs and always shoot him down. I doubt it makes a difference to the story.

Can you even unlock third semester if you don't max out Akechi?

I change their uniforms again, because I like pretending that third semester also affects how their metaverse selves appear. And the explanation for a more casual look? Maruki wants them to be ordinary teenagers, without the pressure of having to save the world. So their phantom thief clothes are partially affected by that (which does work, since Kuro's starlight clothes look like a more casual version of his phantom thief clothes, etc.)

Akechi: "I think we handled that rather well!" Akechi killed the shadow in one attack. Kasumi and I did nothing, just stood by and watched. Let me repeat that, we didn't do anything. There was no we, Akechi.

Akechi really does just straight-up peace out and let Joker fight Kasumi by himself. And then appears in the background after the battle, like he'd been helping in some shape, way or form.

It's still very funny to see Akechi go full-on villain in his showtime with Joker, while wearing a hat with HERO written on it in big, golden letters.

It stings to lose Akechi as navigator so soon, but because we're all way higher levels than we were in the first playthough (we're steadily approaching 90), the segment where he's navigator is much shorter.

Kinda weird how Akechi is open and even pushes for teamwork this time, when he strongly rejected it in December. :/ Almost like... This might not be the real Akechi...

I finish Kawakami's route. It's sweet. I'm really glad I swallowed my second-hand embarrassment, because this was worth it.

The NewGame+ was worth it, because lemme tell you, those third persona awakenings are hitting me right in the heart. Ryuji almost made me cry.

Yusuke's third awakening is so great, it's easily tied with Ryuji for best third awakening.

Really wish I could tell my friends that considering how I've forgiven Akechi, who not only betrayed me, but actually tried to murder me, I'm pretty sure I can get over them ignoring me for a few days.

I mean, the bar to upset Kuro is pretty freaking high. Akechi can potentially have failed to reach it, depending on how snarky and hostile the player wants to be towards him, but in both of my playthroughs he hasn't.

Hey, has anyone decided to keep Maruki's reality, purely to spite Akechi? Asking for a friend.

I now have a new fear: Failing to max out Futaba in time. I consider it a minor loss though.

I ask Haru to grow moonlight carrots. It's the first time I've asked her to grow anything. I promptly forget about them and never collect them.

Akechi and Ryuji argue while at Maruki's palace. And I have to decide whose side I want to take. As much as I favour Akechi, when we get down to it, I will always side with Ryuji. Also, Akechi getting flummoxed by my behaviour will never not be funny.

I finally befriend Chihaya. With 14 days left before the ultimate final boss battle. But I have nothing else to do in the evenings now, so I might as well try. As exepected, it doesn't get far.

There are nine days left and I have not yet maxed out Sumire or Futaba. The fear of failing is becoming increasingly real and intense.

It's kinda funny. In the First Playthrough, Joker had a supporting role in battle, reviving, healing and using support skills. He also specialized in Bless and Lightning attacks, and switched between personas frequently. In NewGame+ he's become a tank, specialized in Almighty and Curse attacks, and only uses, like, two personas really. It's such a stark contrast, almost like they're different people.

I'm ranking up Futaba and. Oh. Oh no. She has a crush.

What is it with men head-patting women as romantic gestures in Japanese media, that's always been so creepy to me.

Sumire confesses to Joker, which good on her, she's the only one to have done so. But I still wouldn't date her. Feels like a saviour crush, and I'm not into that jazz.

I fail to max out Futaba, but I'm ok with that. Sorry Futaba (and technically Chihaya).

Hey, if Maruki could bring back Okumura and Futaba's mum (and maybe Akechi), why couldn't he bring back the real Kasumi? Pretty sure that would relieve Sumire more than imposing a fake Kasumi personality onto Sumire. Or even switching out Kasumi for Sumire. Like, what's up with that.

Also, do dead people get their desires fulfilled? I imagine not. Which might be why Akechi is dead set on rejecting the reality. He's real enough to behave similar or identically to the real Akechi, and therefore aware enough to see that everyone has their "desires" fulfilled, except his. Unless his wish was to not go to prison, but he could have avoided that by just. Not taking Joker's place.

Or maybe it was that his crimes had never happened? Which kinda does work, seeing as he was released by the police and his crimes "swept under the rug". He doesn't act like someone that wishes he hadn't committed his crimes...

I just assume Akechi's deepest desire is not having a dead mum. Or a dad that actually loves him. So. You know. Sorry Akechi, even in the dream reality, you don't get a living mum or loving dad. Be grateful to be alive.

The fistfight at the end is just as stupid as it was the first time around. Don't get me wrong - I love that it's there. It's glorious. But still stupid.

Ok, the "Free Kuro from Juvie" is way more positive and uplifting when it isn't just Mishima alone in the street, trying to get Joker out of prison and Takemi giving one(1) interview. I am so glad I decided for NewGame+.

Ohya's freaking awesome. Love her.

Valentine's Day is too cute when you're spending it with someone.

It's February the 15th and I am being A M B U S H E D.

White Day is also very cute and very different when you've got someone to spend it with.

I do miss being able to give Sijiro something on White Day though. He deserves chocolate.

Kinda weird that the game keeps asking me who I want to romance, when. I've only romanced Makoto. Because I am loyal.

I can bid my friends farewell! Yay!!!! I'm finally happy.

Based on online advice, I go to the jazz club. And Kuro. Kuro. What do you mean you weren't Akechi's friend. You were the closest thing he had to a friend. That makes you his friend by virtue of being closer to him than anyone else.

I am so glad I chased up Kawakami. Her story was one of the best in-game. No, I'm not biased because I'm a teacher too. I'm not.

Move over Akechi, I have a new favourite and her name is Ohya. You go, you beautiful, independent, alcohol-loving lady!

When talking to confidants, I love that there's implication that the adventure won't actually stop for Kuro. At least, that's my interpretation, since it nicely builds into my head canon that Akechi is alive and that Mementos is purged, not erased (again, Akechi couldn't have died, or it'd be in the news...)

The game ends. I can start another NewGame+, this time with all stats already maxed out and over 6 million yen in my pocket. I don't, because I basically got the satisfying end what I wanted.

Idk, maybe in a year or something. Might replay it then, on higher difficulty.

Second playthrough took me 50 hours.

Man, that was wild.

[gamercats-fight]

Morgana from Person 5 vs Krampy from Cattails: Wildwood Story. Vote for your fav!!

Need help picking? Check down here!

Morgana - P-Studio - 2016 - Anthropomorphic tuxedo cat:

-If we’re including his abilities in Mementos/Palaces then he has a clear advantage of being able to use his persona to cast spells as well as fight. He also uses a curved sword and a slingshot. If hurt he also has healing spells. His appearance in this form is mascot-esque, but don’t let his big head fool you—he’s quite agile. Having a persona at all grants the wielder extreme abilities. Fast enough to dodge lightning, take incredible damage and even able to fight against gods. This strength is only granted in places they can summon their persona, i.e. not the real world.

Even in his cat form while in the real world, he is extremely dexterous: able to pick locks. He’s also taken a kick from a guy and having a metal briefcase land directly on his head following a bit of a fall. Not altogether impressive but still something for a cat to endure. He’s also smarter than the average cat, giving him a nice advantage.

He does eventually become human in Persona 5 Royal, but is just a cat at the end of the original game.

-He can turn into a car and run over any competition. He’s a master thief and fought god once. Also he has a slingshot.

-1: THIS CAT IS A HEALER! He gets the best healing spell in the entire game and when I got it on him, I don't think he ever left my party

2: THIS CAT CARES ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING! It's become a meme at this point, but Mona wants you to go to sleep >:(

(P5 Spoilers Beyond this Point)

3: THIS CAT IS THE COLLECTIVE HOPE OF HUMMANITY! It's explained late game, but Morgana was created through the last scraps of humanities hope against the false god that the party eventually fights

4: THIS CAT EXPOSED A MURDERER! Its not important but the scene IS funny so I feel obligated to mention it.

THIS CAT IS YOUR BUDDY AND I LOVE HIM AND WILL DEFEND HIM WITH MY DYING BREATH!!!!

-Everyone hates him for the stupid “go to sleep” mechanic + some of his issues with another character but he’s such a good boy i love him so much. he’s always with you, helping you out and supporting you! plus he’s so little brother coded oh my god. baby. baby boy. spoilers for p5: also he’s literally the manifestation of hope like guys. hope is a cat. hope is stored in the cat.

Krampy - Falcon Development - 2023 - Gray tabby medicine cat

-He's so autism

-Cattails is like Stardew Valley for warrior cat fans, and Krampy is a fan favorite for several good reasons. He's a kind of eccentric medieval doctor who also has trouble relating to other cats because of his weird experiments and love of leeches, but that passion also makes him very charming as a character. He's got a tendency to ramble and tell long stories and is just really wholesome all around. Also he wears a plague doctor mask which is just a really cool design choice.

-The iconic doctor of the Mystic Colony. Who doesn't want a medicine cat with a plague mask?? And they are a real character too. Some of their best quotes:

"“Actually, I don't believe we've been introduced. I am Krampy the doctor, and don't worry! I am not a bird. Although when I had that concussion, I did think I was... ... What was I saying again?"

“Greetings young kitten. Do you mind if I put leeches on your tail? It's for science. And, I think it would be funny. Or I could do it to myself... But then what will I do tomorrow?"

“I think you should wear a beaky mask, it will protect you in this world. I wish not to see my friends hurt. Although that is bad for business... bit of a double-edged sword. Don’t get hurt too often!”

“You have the worst-smelling miasma I have ever smelled! I can smell you from miles away! Why don't you roll in some garbage? - It can only improve your odor, and you end up where you belong!"

[sometipsygnostalgic]

The WORST Persona Music

Crossposted from Reddit. Thankfully all the videos embedded properly on Tumblr, so you can have a live slug reaction to them.

Castle - Persona 4

The dungeon music from Persona 4 is hit and miss. The ones in the endgame are excellent, but the first few dungeons have.... really annoying repetitive music.

This track, Castle, from Yukiko's dungeon has a really nice quiet bit which is surrounded by agonizing repetitive synth noise.

The theme for Kanji's dungeon, Sauna, is also really annoying but not as grating to me. It at least feels like it should be suffocating, rather than accidentally being so.

Band song - Persona 4 Golden (Japanese version)

I think there are worse songs in the Persona 4 saga, and all of them are in the dancing games, but what makes this one egregious is you're pulled out of your normal activities to have this band meet moment, and Rise's singing isn't even that great. I do enjoy Laura Bailey's performance, but they didn't do her japanese actress much of a service. It sounds very out of tune.

Mementos - Persona 5

See, I actually like the Mementos more than the Tartarus theme. However... Tartarus's theme at least has the decency to evolve over time. Mementos's just stays like this forever in the original persona 5.

Persona 5 The Royal fixed this by making Mementos's theme evolve. I like Mementos's music in The Royal SIGNIFICANTLY MORE than Tartarus's theme in P3 Reload which drove me mildly insane by the end. It's too short.

Burning Men's Souls - Persona Trinity Soul

The funny part is that there isn't anything wrong with how this track SOUNDS. It's COMPLETLEY fine and a really good piece of music.

What's wrong is the lyrics. Oh dear god. It reminds me of the raps from Adventure Time's episode Son of Rap Bear.

"CHECK IT OUT, IM IN THE HOUSE LIKE CARPET!"

And with that, we can move onto the actually bad songs!

Shadow World (De De Mouse Remix) - Persona 4 Dancing

I have a special hatred for the persona dancing songs that are "remixes" of original songs that just slather another track on top of them. They all seem to be too busy and have the worst charting. Some of them work, like P3D's "Memories of You" Meguro Remix, but... Shadow World De De Mouse Remix doesn't even have any DANCING IN IT! How are you supposed to play to this monstrosity? It has a crappy video behind it instead. 0 out of 10 effort.

Mass Destruction (Remix) - Persona 3 Dancing

I am obsessed with this song. While most bad tracks have the reaction of "oh, I don't want to listen to that one again", this one? It is a masterpiece. Someone really thought that having epic death guitar behind Mass Destruction would make for a good dancing track.

The more you watch this video the more things wrong with it you find. The notes are so intense and almost impossible to hit, but they barely match the music at all. Nothing can path this atrocity. Ken tries dancing to this theme for about 0.5 seconds before he gives up and mashes his stick like an air guitar, and dances to some completely different song. By the end of it, the song has become keyboard mashing. You finish it. Finally you can breath.

I spent so much time trying to king crazy this song. Mass Destruction Remix has taken over my life. I listen to it again today. I end up making this post just so I can talk about it. Don't play Persona 3 Dancing. It will destroy you. All will submit to Mass Destruction Remix.

[snapscube]

i havent played very much of the turn based rpgs i've tried, and i think its because i'm not too used to the format. do you have any recommendations for someone who's new to jrpgs in general?

yes!! Yakuza Like a Dragon, Dragon Quest 11, and Persona 5 Royal are all games I think are GREAT for newcomers. And were also the 3 games that broke the barrier of enjoying traditional JRPGs for me!

Yakuza LAD is great because it’s an example of a long-running game franchise adopting turn-based RPG mechanics into an already existing gameplay loop, rather than the other way around, as previous games in the series were brawlers. That means it is HIGHLY approachable.

Persona 5 is, of course, WIDELY popular even among non-RPG-fanatics because of its emphasis on dating sim/visual novel elements alongside traditional JRPG gameplay. The game is like, only 50% dungeons and combat and the like. It is JAM-PACKED with a highly addictive social and time management gameplay loop where you build bonds, perform after-school activities, and learn more about the characters around you. And the work you put into the social aspects will ACTIVELY IMPROVE your experience in the RPG side of things, as you’ll unlock new abilities, bonuses, and all kinds of goodies!

and last but ABSOLUTELY NOT AT ALL LEAST, Dragon Quest 11 is the closest you can get to an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kind of modern JRPG. But that’s only because the Dragon Quest franchise basically created the JRPG genre, and they are DAMN good at it. DQ11 is one of the coziest, warmest, and most addictive games I’ve played in the past year. It’s a game that you can really just take your time with and soak in, and it’s always so welcoming once you come back to it. The story is simple, but in an inviting way that’s reminiscent of classic fantasy tropes, and it’s absolutely made by a wonderful cast of characters. And the combat, while admittedly simple, is EXTREMELY well tuned. Everything feels immensely satisfying. If you check it out, I would recommend making sure you get your hands on the “Definitive Edition”, as it features a better produced soundtrack than the original release!

Hope this helps!

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

my favorite persona 5 fics

a while ago i made a post that listed all the fics i'd read over the course of my first year in the persona 5 fandom that i enjoyed. i've been thinking about making a post of all the fics i've read since then, but i actually decided to do something different this time. if you want a complete list of every fic i've read and enjoyed, check out my bookmarks on ao3. this, on the other hand, is a list of only my absolute favorite fics. i will continue to update it as i read more fics that i love.

these are the fics that occupy my thoughts to this very day and changed my perception of these characters. that made me cry and laugh and changed me forever. in no particular order, without further ado, these are my favorite p5 fics of all time.

Daredevil, You've Hit the Wall

A Persona 5 Strikers rewrite with Sumire and Akechi. Cookie is a phenomenal writer, and she'll be showing up on this list at a later point. Her characterization of both Akira and Akechi are absolutely godly, and their arcs in this fic are incredibly satisfying for someone who loved Strikers but was left disappointed by the lack of Akechi.

Read this if you like Akira angst, want to see Akechi improve himself and befriend the Thieves (and all the complications that come with that), like Strikers (or don't like Strikers), or love akeshu. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Love is a game (and I only play to lose)

The worst possible outcome to the Interrogation Room. This one is Dark, but the akeshu is absolutely phenomenal. Definitely heed the tags, this one isn't for everyone, but I was hooked from beginning to end. While I don't normally read Hurt No Comfort, I am very glad I gave this one a chance.

watching all the stars burn out

Are you in need of some incredible Royal Trio polycule fluff and angst? Would you like to read some of the most in-character fic I've ever read? Are you in need of a good cry today? Well, then have I got a fic for you!

This is a beautiful, heartwrenching, very sweet Royal Trio polycule fic that takes place during the final week of January when Akechi tells Sumi and Akira about his impeding demise early. It's so good. I cried. You will too. And if you're scared, I promise there is so much fluff here too. My babies,,,

Interminable Ballistics

Time loop of the interrogation room scene. Akira and Akechi are Not Okay. This fic makes me go hnnngh it's so well written the prose is beautiful and everyone is so in character it hurts. I love my bois please someone get them therapy.

goro akechi's waxed asshole

Ehehehe yeah well. This one is nsfw, but it doesn't actually have a whole lot of sex. It's more of a character study than anything, and despite the title and crack concept, is actually really beautiful and sweet? If the title doesn't scare you off please check it out I promise it is incredibly good.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

AKESHU PIRATE AU!! Goro is a prisoner at a lighthouse and Akira is a pirate. The ways the author plays with their backstories in this AU is fascinating. I'm obsessed with this version of Akira and Goro and I really really wish a sequel existed that explored Sumire because my god-

If you like AUs, pirates, angst, and themes about self loathing and redemption, then check this one out. I think about it constantly.

Flight through fall

Okay....this one is probably the heaviest of all the fics on this list. Severe trigger warning for suicide, self harm, and medical stuff. It's...a lot. But it is also very very good. Akira is Not Doing Well after the events of Royal, and Akechi showing up in his life only makes things worse. This fic is not for everyone, but I personally found it very cathartic and poetic, to the point where I read it two times in a row.

Once More, With Feeling

Another akeshu timeloop, but this time, it's the day of the engine room scene. (I really like timeloop stories.) And then halfway through it also becomes a Palace fic (I won't say whose for the sake of spoilers). I love the characterization of Akechi and Akira here. The way they both handle the time loop is so very Them. It explores ideas of redemption, guilt, and finding a way to move on. I love this Akira so much please someone give him a hug <3

Falling Up

This is one of the only short one shots that have made such an impression on me to make it to this list. Akira and Akechi in the third semester. Akechi has...Feelings about having killed Akira. I don't want to say too much else for fear of giving too much away. Please read this. It's short and powerful and beautiful.

why don't we spin the wheel

Sae Niijima has a cognition of Akechi, and he's really fucked up. Please make sure to heed the warnings, this one's pretty violent. The exploration of Akechi is phenomenal and I think about the ending (and the rest of it) all of the time constantly.

When it's over, you're the start

Everyone starts to forget Akechi ever existed. This longer one shot made me fucking cry. It's so mean, incredibly mean, but don't worry, it has a happy ending. Nothing can erase the power of akeshu.

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away

A what-if Mamakechi didn't die, but instead was kidnapped by Shido and her suicide faked? The characterization for Misato (Mamakechi) is sooo good, and while this fic does travel some dark places, it ultimately does result in some heartwrenching comfort for both Goro and his mama. I love this fic so fucking much, Misato is such a fantastic interpretation of Goro's mother and the the angst is sublime.

the first step to find your way is to mark where you have been

The best Akechi Palace fic I've read by a landslide, to the point where it's inspired my own Akechi Palace fic quite a bit. I had my kink awakening thanks to this fic (while reading That Scene in the middle seat on an airplane. Sorry, strangers). It's mostly an Akechi character study and an incredibly good one at that. I wish it existed as a game. It did what p5t did with Toshiro with Akechi and it did it so incredibly well. This fic makes me insane. Read it.

Fools Rush In

Akira speedruns Akechi's confidant in a day. This is one of the first fics I ever read, and when I did, I went "this is it. this is Them." The characterization is *chef's kiss.* I'm running out of new ways to compliment incredible writing help-

Pleasant Boy

This fic should be required reading for all Goroboys. No one is allowed to have an opinion on him (especially in third sem) before reading this fic. Akechi is actualized by Maruki in third sem, and Akira hates it. I love this fic so much. It heavily inspired code violet and changed the way I look at and think about Goro forever and ever I love it so much read it read it read it

it takes a village

Or, as I like to call it, The Akechi Fic. I legit had a major hyperfixation on this fic to the point where I read it three times in a row. It's more or less a NG+ where everyone remembers except Akechi. It is quite literally everything you could ever want from an Akechi redemption fic. After reading this I wondered if I ever needed to read another fic about him in my life because everything I ever wanted had already been delivered. There are so many moments in this masterpiece that make me go completely insane. This is my favorite fic of all time. Read it. Read it read it read it Please

[arobinwithoutbatman]

6. What other fandoms are you in, apart from this one?

Ooohhhhhh you've opened a can of worms~

Actively consuming and making content for: Hades, Secret Histories (Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours, very good games, please check them out, they're very eldritch cosmic horror with absolutely fucking wild lore), Persona (especially 5, the vanilla game changed my life and I finally picked up Royal again today because I still haven't finished it), Watch Dogs (Legion is fun and Wrench and Josh from 2 both have my heart is anyone really surprised by this), Assassin's Creed (been following the series for years. My uncle gave me his copy of the first game for ps3, I then got 3 a few years later and I'm still making my way through Valhalla and will pick it up again when Ubisoft starts being less of a raging cunt), Alice in Wonderland (look I don't know how this one happened but it did, I do not control what the autism latches onto)

Quietly enjoying either because there's so little content or the fandom is small: The Sexy Brutale (indie game, time travel puzzle solver murder mystery, made me fucking sob), The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker (indie game, very fun, seriously why aren't there more FMV games out there), Strange Horticulture (puzzles and plants and English folklore fuck yeah), Nox Arcana (Gothic band and music producer, I've been following their music since I was a teenager they even made a retro point and click puzzle game called The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana based off of one of their albums and the sequel is coming soon), Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (indie game! Pixel art style! You design and read your own tarot cards! It's so fucking cool! Now I just gave to actually finish a save file!), Indie games in general (no really if it's got a decent story and is relatively accessible I'll probably give it a try)

Uhhhh... that's all I can think of rn

[raven]

what video games would u recommend. based on me seeing ur posts and thinking ur right even though i never know what youre talking about. also i have dogshit taste but i have good taste actually but its bad

OMG

hop on backloggd heres mine and heres my buddy rory's bc they make points too and are generally more serious than me so if you want to be serious u can go there. More under the cut bc i cant shut up 👍

otherwise my pretentious but #real and #true recs that i genuinely think everyone should play are disco elysium, pentiment, and kentucky route zero.

"theyre just good!" - who's lila?, the world ends with you, return of the obra dinn, hylics 2, portal 1&2, ghost trick, outer wilds (however outer wilds may be difficult for whatever reason- i recommend hollow_tones on twitch's streams although she has not streamed the dlc!)

series that have taken over my life for periods of time, for good or ill - dragon age (2 is my fav, all are worth playing, inquisition is dogshit storywise but has good gameplay, centrist liberal writers that make u want to bomb a church (for the record @ fbi this is a reference to the events of one of my favorite characters in the series, not real life. he was justified), ace attorney (1-3 are great with some questionable moments but apollo justice is the best overall game, 5&6 are some of the worst games ive played in my life, and the great ace attorney... exists), and persona (UGH). i can go more in depth about any of these, but i will go more in depth about persona because thats my current disorder and because theyre the most problematic, LOL. but dgmw da and aa are also problematic in many ways

persona - ive posted about it. im realizing i didnt talk about the misogyny in that post because i thought it was well known honestly but like. my god. the misogyny. especially persona 5 royal. dont play 4. or do, bc i need anyone to suffer as i have, but im serious. i feel like whatever people say, its worse. ive also posted about 4.

if you want to lose a week of your life in a "game for 16ish hours, sleep for 8ish hours, repeat" cycle play baldurs gate 3. its a fun game it takes up your time it has great mechanics! do not pay attention to character discourse baby.

if you like good gameplay, play dishonored 1&2

if you don't like good gameplay, play morrowind (this is kind of a joke in that i dont actually think morrowind has bad gameplay, but it still can be tedious.)

if you don't like good gameplay, play the persona 2 duology (this is not a joke, the gameplay in those games are actually bad.)

if you like gameplay, play any katamari game

also gonna plug one of my favorite genres, nonlinear visual novel adjacent games (lots of wordy, story-based segments but there are actual gameplay portions) these games also are not necessarily "good" but they are "fun": 999 (play on DS!!), ai the somnium files (note that this and 999 kind of require a... specific taste with the sexual humor) these games did have sequels but theyre all pretty bad for various reasons but check em out if you enjoyed the originals, paranormasight (one of the best ones in this genre imo), gnosia, 13 sentinels

also i have not hopped on final fantasy 7 (ORIGINAL) but i am about to hop on final fantasy 7 (ORIGINAL). and i am currently struggling against the current playing smt iii nocturne.

also, games that i have not played but interest me storywise and deserve honorable mentions are baroque (not really planning on playing but planning on watching stuff), pathologic classic (played a little and watched a full playthrough years ago, probably will get back to one day), pathologic 2 (never completed), fear and hunger (played for a few hours and decided to watch a playthrough instead), and fear and hunger 2 (not played but planning on playing bc ive heard its a little more user friendly than the original!)

so thats video games.

[gurokichi]

I could never become bored of you, not that easily, at least! You are my Bon, you can't get rid of me that easily <3

Yeah, I got 2 kitties! Both of them are boys, and their names are Pickle and Bean! Maybe one day you'll get to see pictures of them! I also have a dog, snails, isopod, beetles, chickens, and hermit crabs! Got a bit of a zoo around here!

I'll definitely watch some of your suggestions, and I will be sure to tell you my thoughts! Just another excuse to talk to you!

I will hopefully be posting on my blog again soon, and I am so excited to now that I know you will be watching my blog (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

I mainly read fiction, distopian, and horror/gore. But also, like when books have lgbt+ characters, and have read a few Manga! I just borrowed a book from a friend called "The Corpse Queen" by Heather M. Herrman, I strongly suggest it, I've also just started reading a GL Manga series called "Whisper Me a Love Song" and so far have been really enjoying it!!! I like plants in many ways, I learn about plants, I grow both indoor and outdoor plants, and I have a fascination with all living or once living things,,, and they happen to fit in that category too!!! I don't think I could pick just one flower as my favorite, but I do enjoy Asters a lot! Bleeding hearts? awe, it makes sense that a sweetie like you would love a poisonous flower!

What video games do you like to play? I'd love to hear all about your current favorite game! What part of history do you like so much? Oh and you collect things too! I would love to hear all about your little hoards 💕

-Dolly

I’M YOUR BON?? ASJHFSHBHKHGSGHFHJKSHLJS (＞＜)

Okay. Anyways. Sorry, got a lil excited there... I’m your Bon, and you’re my Doll!! All mine!!! I’m glad to hear that you wouldn’t get bored and leave. I’d do anything to make sure my precious doll stays with me!

AWH, they sound so darling. You have so many… how do you keep up with all of them??That’s really cool, though! You definitely have some uncommon pets.

I’m excited to hear your thoughts (๑>◡<๑)

I will definitely be watching my doll’s blog! How could I not? Anyone would find it hard to take their eyes off you. Besides, I’d love to see more of your posts when you decide to go back to it.

Ah, those are all good genres! Thank you for the recommendation, and I’ll check out the manga you mentioned later. Asters are gorgeous; my doll has great taste in flowers!!

I usually prefer games with long stories. I like RPGs and visual novels the most! I find pixel art really nice to look at, so a lot of my favorite games feature that. I’ve been playing through a farming sim called Fields of Mistria lately; it’s been really enjoyable so far! The best way I could describe it is as a mix of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. As for my current favorite games, they’re probably… Minecraft, Danganronpa, Persona 5 Royal, and Identity V. I’m not finished playing through P5R, but I like it so far. I’m currently replaying and trying to get all achievements in every Danganronpa game! I’ve finished Trigger Happy Havoc, and I’m now working on Goodbye Despair. Having a bit of trouble though, because I have a friend I’m sharing my Steam library with who is ALSO playing through the Danganronpa games. I can’t play the games until they get off, bleh. AH, I also started a playthrough of Red Dead Redemption 2. I suck ass at it. I ended up punching my horse when trying to get on it. I also drew my gun on it multiple times. So sorry to my horse, it did not deserve that. It took me like 10 minutes and frantic googling to figure out how to get back on my horse after I accidentally got off (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Do you play any videogames? If you do, I’d love to hear about what you like to play.

Ah, I just like history in general. I love to learn about things. Some things that caught my interest for awhile in the past though are torture/execution methods, the Chernobyl disaster, the Carrington event, WW2, old medical treatments, and Greek mythology. I haven’t been into history as much lately.. so I probably couldn’t explain anything here well.

I do collect stuff! I have a collection of various plushies, figurines, keychains, and knickknacks stored in my room. I think my favorite things that I own are probably my jar of uranium glass and this stunning piece of bismuth I got just a couple weeks ago. I’d like to start a full on collection of uranium glass, but that’s expensive, and I have no idea where I’d put it. Uranium glass is absolutely gorgeous, though! I hope to at least get a couple more pieces in the future.

[hamukosandwich]

Making Kasumi's Rifle from Persona 5 Royal

Here's a process log of making Violet's gun from Persona 5 Royal for my cosplay!

To start with, I looked up a bunch of pictures and combed through gameplay footage to try to find good reference pictures of her gun. The best reference turned out to be pictures of Amakuni's scale figure that included her gun since the photos had clear shots of the gun from the side.

2. Then I made a pattern in Photoshop by tracing a picture of the gun from the figure and printed it out at the scale that I wanted it to be. To size it accurately to my proportions, I used nifegun.com.

3. After that, I cut out 3 layers of 5mm foam for the main part of the gun and 3 layers of 3mm foam for the lever/trigger section. Here I had them pinned together so I could double check the thickness/scale before gluing it all together. (I didn't take a picture of this part, but I also carved out space inside the gun to fit two small PVC pipes taped on top of each other to make the barrel on the inside and to give the floppy EVA foam a stable core.)

4. I glued it all together with contact cement. Here I also used a dremel to carve an indent into the side of the barrel at the front end. I also tested the primer I was planning to use (black Plastidip) on the lever/trigger part at the bottom.

5. Ignore how crusty everything looks here LOL but this is the part where I experimented a lot on how to smooth out the seams on the top, front, and bottom of the gun. I'm not 100% happy with the level of smoothness I ended up with, but this was a last minute 1-week build before a con so I settled with a couple layers.

First I tried foam clay but had a lot of trouble sanding it because the brand I bought was super cheap/sticky and would not dry. Then I moved on to wood filler, which was slightly better and actually sandable but I still wasn't really liking the gritty texture. So as a last resort I ended up using Bondo glazing putty (which is super toxic and not fun to be around--wear a respirator!) since it's my go-to when I'm working with 3D printed props. Bondo ended up working the best, but I still want to keep experimenting with other less-toxic methods for future foam props...

I also added some more panels here on top and on the sides to add some dimension.

6. I spray painted the gun black and brown and added googly eyes for rivet-like details.

7. Finished the gun by adding all the rest of the details! Glued a black plastic gem onto the front of the barrel with hot glue for the front sight, bought some brass embellishments like the little framing piece on the stock and the metal rivet on the forestock, and hand-painted the filigree on the side of the gun with a gold paint pen.

(Photos by @wickedapricot on Instagram)

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it came out considering it was a one-week build and my first ever gun prop! This is also the second foam prop I've made, and I feel like I learned a lot from the process.

If I ever remake it, I'd really like to add a hinge to the lever to make it functional like it is in the game like in her introduction where she spins it by pulling the lever down. I'd also probably give myself like a month or more to work on it instead of a single week LOL I got so many mosquito bites from working on this in my hot garage at night in the summer 〒▽〒

If any other cosplayers are making her gun and want to use my pattern or have any questions about the materials/process, feel free to shoot me a message :^) I haven't seen any other cosplayers make her gun but it's such a cool design!

[mycomicbox]

Random Thoughts on Persona 5 Royal - Part 1

[Progress: May 2nd, 1st Palace conquered]

First, I want to explain my history with Persona 5. I tried playing the vanilla version the summer of 2019 on a PS3 emulator. It was mildly enjoyable, but the emulator had issues (lag spikes, graphical glitches, etc.). I didn't even make it halfway through the first Palace. So, I shelved it... until Persona 5 Royal got ported to Nintendo Switch in 2022. I bought it as soon as possible, but I was busy with other long-form RPGs, and I kept putting it off later and later. I played through Bravely Default II, Pokémon Violet, Final Fantasy VII, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and more. Now, that all changes.

I would also like to confess that I have been exposed to a few endgame spoilers in the last few years. Luckily, not too much, and I don't know jack shit about Royal's exclusive content (other than the important Confidants).

I've seen the opening to the vanilla game, but not Royal. It's pretty cool, though I do kind of miss Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There.

EVERYTHING IS RED.

I like how the game starts off with a media literacy check. "If you don't understand that this is fictional, then you're not allowed to play."

Flash-forward sequences, huh? That's a first for the series.

It's a bit jarring to go from PS2-era models to this.

Persona 4 Golden was a bit easy for my tastes, so I'll be playing on Hard mode, at least for bosses.

I'm liking Ryuji so far. Then again, I guess that was kind of expected, since he fills a similar "best bro" role to Yosuke and Junpei.

I want Ann's hoodie. I would wear that hoodie.

As I found out, Morgana has the same English VA as Edea from Bravely Default, so I can't help but hear Edea when Morgana speaks.

I do feel a bit of kinship with the small town of Inaba from Persona 4, but I've always been a sucker for that big city aesthetic.

Speaking of aesthetic, this game has been praised up and down for it, and it's easy to see why. Is there a name for this kind of style?

I like the chatter that you hear while walking around. It helps breathe some life into the overworld.

The controller vibrating when receiving messages is a really nice touch.

I don't remember buying any DLC... but I won't say no to extra stuff.

The gameplay is so much more fun than in the last two games. Palaces are super fun to sneak around in, and combat offers some new toys to play with (guns, Baton Passes, Hold Ups, new damage types, Technicals, etc.)

GUNS REFILL AFTER EVERY BATTLE. I don't remember much from my first try with the vanilla game, but I do remember being frustrated with how quickly you run out of ammo. This is such a nice change.

I'm gonna say it: Take Over > Last Surprise. Both slap though, as does the rest of the OST (as expected from a Persona game).

The contrast between Persona 4's introduction and Persona 5's is kind of hilarious? Like, Dojima is all friendly with Yu, and the Yasogami students talk about his good looks. Sojiro threatens to toss out Ren multiple times, and the Shujin students keep talking shit.

In this series, we've had themes of death, truth, and now rebellion. This game makes me want to buy a leather jacket and shove a boot up someone's ass.

Ann was the MVP in that boss fight. I would've been in a tight spot if not for her Tarunda.

Goddamn, the ending to the first arc was SO satisfying, and even a little bit therapeutic. In grade school, I've had some bad blood with awful teachers (granted, nowhere near as awful as Kamoshida, but still awful). Little me could've only dreamed of stealing hearts.

Mementos is coming soon, right? It's basically this game's equivalent to Persona 3's Tartarus.

[discododging]

Unpopular Opinion Alert

Spoilers for Persona 5 Royal

A lot of Persona 5 fanfic I read has Joker become a politician in the future after the games conclude, which is fair. But me, personally, just don't see it. He's been screwed over by the system too much and even if it eventually got sorted out, I think he'd come out of it with just a general distaste for politics. Additionally, Persona 5 Strikers shows us that yes, his identity as the leader of the Phantom Thieves IS known and I don't think people, despite all the good they've done, would elect one into ANY governmental position.

No. What I think Joker (or Akira as I'll be calling him for the rest of this essay) becomes is a Counselor/Therapist.

Let me explain how and why

We first have to explain why he becomes a counselor, in the form of Takuto Maruki, the owner of the final Palace and the only Royal exclusive one, the former Counselor of Shujin Academy..

And a really shit one.

You might be asking: "Wait, what? I thought he was pretty good!" and if we're just using the scenes from before the Yaldaboth fight, you'd be right! Throughout the scenes we see of him interacting with the various members of our group, he's a pretty good one even with Yusuke/Futaba, two characters he wouldn't even know from the school. But that's where it ends.

Once we begin the Royal content, we meet Human Morgana. Ok, weird. We go out for the day, meet with friends, and holy fucking shit that is a dead woman sitting in LeBlanc.

Yes, let us talk about the elephant in the room: Wakaba Isshiki and Kunikazu Okumura. Two people who should be 6 feet under are currently just.. here. And then we see more weird and unusual things during our first venture into Makuki's Palace. With it all culminating in the reveal of the fact that he forced a poor girl into living as her dead sister for over half of the fucking year.

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Yeah, at the time he didn't know why he was able to do it, but he could CERTAINLY FUCKING TELL HE WAS THE REASON IT HAPPENED.

And now we get to why he's a shit councilor: forcing people to relive trauma. After we leave his Palace, we're given a week to talk to our friends and check on them. And almost every single one is happy, yes, but it's a false happiness that wouldn't last. It only takes all of 5 seconds for them to begin to realize their reality is false. It would've taken longer without Joker's help, but they 100% would've eventually realized they were living in a false reality.

Tragedy is an undeniable fact of life. It's as guaranteed as time and gravity. Just as the clock ticks forward and the apple falls down, bad things will happen. A good counselor would recognize this, and instead of vowing to make sure nothing bad ever happens, would vow to help people accept that bad things happen and be there for them as they go through it.

And that's when it struck me. Thats what Akira does.

In almost every confidant, he helps the people he meets get through the bad things in life. He helps Chihaya and Mishima gain their confidence. He helps Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, and Haru get through their issues. This pattern can be applied to every single confidant (sans Igor and Maruki, but both have their reasons)

And that's why I think he'd make a great counselor

[solidandsound]

*checks watch* oh my! it's time for my annual video game retrospective!!

My backlog goal for the year was to beat every game on my backlog that released pre-2004. That's mostly PS2 stuff with just a splash of Gamecube, and also includes some even older stuff that I added in to the backlog and played right away. PS2 and Gamecube will continue to be the backlog focus going into 2023. I tried to get a head start on those games this year as well, but I also moved house this year, and the retro stuff still has yet to be properly unpacked, so I'll have to tackle that in January. I will definitely be completing all my 2004-released games, but may not be able to squeeze in 2005 as well, as there are a lot of games I have to play for that year, and a lot of them are big JRPGs. We'll see what ends up getting done!

All in all, I completed 33 games this year, exactly the amount I beat last year! Most of the recent stuff was received for Christmas last year (a trend that will continue going forward, as that's about all I ever ask for), but there were also a handful of new acquisitions. Some were cheap indie games, two (new Kirby and new Splatoon) were purchases my bf made that I also enjoyed, one (Xenoblade Chronicles 3) was an actual new game purchased day one by me, and some were 3DS eShop purchases that I wanted to make before the eShop closes forever. As a result, I went on a bit of a Shin Megami Tensei kick this year! My favourite of those was Soul Hackers. I loved the writing, and the way it expressed the its demons' personalities. SMTIV was also great, and Strange Journey was good but wore thin after a while.

Here's some more of the stuff I really liked this year:

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Probably the best game I played this year and I beat it January 3rd! A lushly illustrated, gripping, touching adventure from Vanillaware. If you love sci-fi in any capacity, I am begging you to play this game.

Persona 5 Royal. I was honestly skeptical that I would find the new story content to be worth it over the original game, but it definitely was. It really deepened my appreciation for Akechi as a character.

Onimusha. Classic Resident Evil but with a katana! It rules!

Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings. If you have a high tolerance for old JRPG bullshit, Beginnings is great, and a much more solemn, melancholy experience than its better known sequel, which was not overhyped!

Etrian Odyssey Untold. Another happy 3DS eShop acquisition, there's nothing like mapping out a dungeon yourself as you explore it. If you haven't, you've gotta try one of these games before it's too late. I don't think the concept would work as well anywhere else but the 3DS.

Wild Arms 3. What a great cast of characters, and how refreshing to play a game that makes you pay attention to where you're going! If you crave relief from AAA map markers and waypoints, this is your game.

Dicey Dungeons. Everything I love about RPGs distilled into a very focused and charming experience. Great for that 'just one more run' feeling!

Honorable mentions: Paratopic, the horror game that feels the most like playing a horror film; Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, which I commend for daring to be different even if it didn't quite work for me; Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which weirdly felt like crossing classic Kirby with Kingdom Hearts; Xenoblade Chronicles 3, another great Xeno entry which I'm still processing, and still have some quests and DLC to do; and Yakuza Kiwami, more Yakuza goodness. If I keep beating one Yakuza game a year... I'll probably still be way behind because they announced two new ones this year lol.

Splatoon 3 can't be counted as completed, but I'm having loads of fun with it, way more than I expected! I wasn't sure if I would be into more Splatoon, as I thought it would just be more of the same, but there's enough variety to keep it feeling fresh, and some new systems for extrinsic motivation to persuade me to have fun, which is maybe all I needed.

Tears of the Kingdom comes out in 2023, and I might go on a bit of a Zelda kick to prepare (including Minish Cap, which I meant to play this year but didn't quite get to). I'm also stoked for Hades, Soul Hackers 2, Tales of Symphonia, Butterfly Soup 2, Persona 5 Strikers, and maybe I'll grab some more 3DS stuff, too, like SMTIV Apocalypse.

It's been a while since the PS5 came out, and it feels like it's finally getting some games worth considering the console for. Probably not this year, but maybe in 2024? Stay tuned to find out!

[gamercats-fight]

Mae Borowski from Night in the Woods vs Morgana from Person 5. Vote for your fav!!

Need help picking? Check down here!

Mae Borowski - Infinite Fall - 2017 - Anthropomorphic black cat:

-Has a bat and has taken down a cult.

-Debatable whether or not they’re *actually* a cat or if they’re just *represented* by a cat. Even if she is actually a cat i’m not sure if anthropomorphic cats would be allowed in this ruleset. This isn’t propaganda really i just genuinely don’t know if she would be allowed in this

-#pls vote mae she is The cat of all time#shes a college dropout she stopped a cult she saw a disembodied arm and poked it with a stick she hates cops she does knife fights for fun

Morgana - P-Studio - 2016 - Anthropomorphic tuxedo cat:

-If we’re including his abilities in Mementos/Palaces then he has a clear advantage of being able to use his persona to cast spells as well as fight. He also uses a curved sword and a slingshot. If hurt he also has healing spells. His appearance in this form is mascot-esque, but don’t let his big head fool you—he’s quite agile. Having a persona at all grants the wielder extreme abilities. Fast enough to dodge lightning, take incredible damage and even able to fight against gods. This strength is only granted in places they can summon their persona, i.e. not the real world.

Even in his cat form while in the real world, he is extremely dexterous: able to pick locks. He’s also taken a kick from a guy and having a metal briefcase land directly on his head following a bit of a fall. Not altogether impressive but still something for a cat to endure. He’s also smarter than the average cat, giving him a nice advantage.

He does eventually become human in Persona 5 Royal, but is just a cat at the end of the original game.

-He can turn into a car and run over any competition. He’s a master thief and fought god once. Also he has a slingshot.

-1: THIS CAT IS A HEALER! He gets the best healing spell in the entire game and when I got it on him, I don't think he ever left my party

2: THIS CAT CARES ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING! It's become a meme at this point, but Mona wants you to go to sleep >:(

(P5 Spoilers Beyond this Point)

3: THIS CAT IS THE COLLECTIVE HOPE OF HUMMANITY! It's explained late game, but Morgana was created through the last scraps of humanities hope against the false god that the party eventually fights

4: THIS CAT EXPOSED A MURDERER! Its not important but the scene IS funny so I feel obligated to mention it.

THIS CAT IS YOUR BUDDY AND I LOVE HIM AND WILL DEFEND HIM WITH MY DYING BREATH!!!!

-Everyone hates him for the stupid “go to sleep” mechanic + some of his issues with another character but he’s such a good boy i love him so much. he’s always with you, helping you out and supporting you! plus he’s so little brother coded oh my god. baby. baby boy. spoilers for p5: also he’s literally the manifestation of hope like guys. hope is a cat. hope is stored in the cat.

[blackchocobo16]

~Cozy evening~

⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯

It’s been so long since Christmas and only today I found out that in Disney Dreamlight Valley, if you check the Christmas Tree in the Castle, there are some gifts with some cute things. I love this cute detail~

I also started reading Persona 5 manga and I love it so much~ I played the original game and I have yet to play Royal, I heard it’s really good

⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯

Today’s New Year’s eve, I hope that 2023 will be a better year ✨