#persona 5 x translation

[dream-meister-translations]

PERSONA 5 : THE PHANTOM X

PERSONA 5 : THE PHANTOM X BETA - PART 6

━

As Wonder leaves the classroom, he is greeted by the girl with pigtails. 

TOMOKO NOGE : Ah...It seems I keep running into you today.

TOMOKO NOGE : Arai rushed off to the cafeteria. She said if she didn't get the sandwich she wanted, it would sell out fast. This kind of thing always reminds me of when we were still athletes....

WONDER : When you were still athletes?

TOMOKO NOGE : Yeah, Arai and I used to play baseball together. But...For some reason, she gave up on it. Since then, she hasn't been quite the same. She's been a lot more cheerful lately, though. It puts my mind at ease.

TOMOKO NOGE : Ah~ Maybe it's because you're sitting next to her in class?

WONDER : I think it's all thanks to you, Tomoko.

TOMOKO NOGE : That's not true...All I can do is be there for her when she needs me...Ah! Sorry! I've said too much. Are you heading to get lunch too? Where do you usually eat?

WONDER : On the rooftop.

TOMOKO NOGE : If you're going to the rooftop, just take those stairs right over there. Haha, are you the type who enjoys eating food alone, Wonder? We have someone like that in our class as well. Anyway, I need to go find Arai, see you later!

With that, Tomoko fixes her glasses and walks away.

-

When Wonder arrives on the rooftop he is met by a guy who is eating a cup of noodles on a bench. The guy has spiked blue hair and looks like a delinquent. When the guy spots Wonder he leaves. 

WONDER : (What he was eating smells good...)

WONDER : (Where's Ruferu...)

Ruferu flies down from the sky and perches on the railing.

RUFERU : I'm here! As agreed, it is time I answer your questions. About that place you saw yesterday, that is what we call the Metaverse and those monsters are what we call Shadows. What I have to say is tough to understand. You ready?

WONDER : I'm ready.

-

Ruferu and Wonder are now seated on the bench talking. 

RUFERU : Well then, first things first, about the Metaverse. It's a space that materializes from the collective unconscious of humanity. If you consider the real world the "surface," then you can consider the Metaverse a deeper "inner" world existing on parallel lines. 

RUFERU : You can think of it as a cognitive world where human consciousnesses are all mixed together.

WONDER : Cognitive world?

RUFERU : It's how people perceive the real world. Maybe that's easier to understand? The Metaverse is a dark, twisted version of our own. This means that the current humans living in Tokyo cannot perceive any hope from the world. 

RUFERU : As for why that is, you already understand, correct?

WONDER : Because human desires have been taken away?

RUFERU : Precisely! You're quite clever. Then I'll continue. 

RUFERU : In the other world, there are entities called Shadows. There are two types of these. The first type was those enemies that attacked us without warning. Those guys aren't human. They're more like monsters triggered by desires.

RUFERU : The second type is different...Those shadows are a second side to a human in the real world. Symbols of their dark and twisted hearts. It's the embodiment of desires hidden in a human's heart. In other words, "another self." 

WONDER : Could it be...

RUFERU : You should already understand. After all, you already awakened your Shadow as a Persona. 

RUFERU : But not everyone has the same ability you have. They can't all control their inner selves. If for some reason desires become twisted, their Shadow will lose control...Even in the real world, they will harm others without hesitation.

RUFERU : In conclusion, when someone's Shadow loses control it is considered the mastermind who exploits desires in the other world. At least that's my speculation. 

WONDER : Is that really what's happening...?

RUFERU : Indeed. It may be difficult to wrap your head around, but it's the truth. What's even worse is that when a human's Shadow loses control, the monstrous Shadows are also effected. They will continue to drain the desires from the real world until there are none left. 

WONDER : (.........)

RUFERU : I don't know everything yet. That's why we need to explore and understand that other world in detail. Although it's a bit soon, let's change the topic to work. 

WONDER : Work?

RUFERU : Yup! I have high hopes for you! I'm hoping that you'll work with me and become a Phantom Thief. As for what you will be stealing, you've already figured that out, haven't you? 

WONDER : This is all too sudden...

RUFERU : Opportunities always come suddenly~ But, I get it. It's a lot to take in at once. Let's leave it at that for now. I'll explain more once you find the target. It will be more efficient that way. I'll be waiting for you in Shibuya after school. 

RUFERU : To steal back what humanity has lost....That is the Phantom Thief's goal. I'll give you some guidance along the way. See ya later.

WONDER : I didn't say I'd help! 

RUFERU : Oh!? Don't you suddenly go backing out on me! I finally set up a cool pose to take off...Ah, whatever, we can talk about it later!

With that, Ruferu flies away. 

WONDER : (..........)

WONDER : (The Metaverse and Shadows....To steal back what was lost...A Phantom Thief...? Ugh...Lunch break is almost over, I'd better hurry to the cafeteria!)

-

As Wonder is rushing down the staircase, he suddenly bumps into Arai, sending him and his phone flying. Arai, noticing his phone is flying across the hallway, leaps to catch it before it breaks. Then she stands up and brushes her skirt while Wonder is still laying on the ground, blushing and rubbing the back of her head.

MOTOHA ARAI : Sorry about that, Wonder, I was lost in thought and didn't notice you were there. Ah, actually, it was you I was thinking about....

WONDER : Yeah...I'm sorry, too.

MOTOHA ARAI : Ah...Right! Almost forgot. You dropped this! I caught it in time so it shouldn't be damaged or anything. 

She hands Wonder's phone to him.

MOTOHA ARAI : Huh!? That icon...

Riko Tanemura approaches with a hand on her hip, glaring at them. 

RIKO TANEMURA : Please refrain from performing diving catches in the hallways. 

MOTOHA ARAI : Ah...Sorry, Riko senpai. It's just that Wonder almost dropped his phone...

RIKO TANEMURA : It seems you still have the ability to win the Best Nine award to this day.

MOTOHA ARAI : That was years ago...

RIKO TANEMURA : Oh you...

She looks at Wonder. 

RIKO TANEMURA : You're the one from before...

WONDER : Thank you again.

RIKO TANEMURA : I just did what I had to do. By the way, you seem different from before. No, maybe it's just my imagination. Anyway, it's almost time for fifth period. Don't be late, both of you. 

WONDER : (...I seem different now....She's right...It feels like I can take the initiative now...Is it because my desires have no longer been stolen...?)

MOTOHA ARAI : You okay? You've been zoning out for a sec. Fifth period is in the science lab, right? We'd better hurry up! 

WONDER : (I guess I'll have to just give up on eating lunch today...)

-

After the final class of the day, Wonder stands to his feet and leaves the classroom, thinking to himself,

WONDER : (That's right, Ruferu said he'd wait for me in Shibuya...)

Behind him, Arai pulls out her cellphone. 

MOTOHA ARAI : Wonder has the same icon on his phone...No matter how many times I delete this darn thing...I asked around school, but nobody knows what it is. Why does Wonder have it on his phone?

MOTOHA ARAI : The way he disappeared and reappeared yesterday...How does he do it?

Tomoko approaches Arai and she puts her phone away.

MOTOHA ARAI : Hey, Tomoko, isn't there a club activity today?

TOMOKO NOGE : The club room is under repair, so it got cancelled. It's been a while since we walked home together, how about it? 

MOTOHA ARAI : Sure, let's do it! 

[corvus-detritus]

.... Mona (And Cattle) 🥺 Little guys... They could never make me hate you 🙏

[p5x-theories]

Another Thieves Den interaction, this time with Crow and Joker!

[ebenvonak]

To every persona 5X player who downloaded/is thinking of downloading the English translation mod to their pc!!:

Do not download it. It's a virus idk if the creator is aware (tbh they probably are lol) but I had my computer fixed a bit ago and the person who had fixed it told me I had a virus from a program called "english translator persona 5 x". If your computer freezes then I can say it's from the mod. As soon as your computer freezes the creator of the mod can look into your computer and take your personal information. I got p5x without the mod and it didn't freeze even once. I suggest waiting for the official global release and not download this mod.

[indecisive-v]

forgive me, i've really gone down the p5x rabbit hole now

[lopjh]

P5X Tomoko Noge/Moko Gameplay Details

Role: Support

---------------

Stats (Level 1):

Health: 207

Attack: 60

Defense: 48

Speed: 101

Persona Trait (Awareness Level 0):

The Gift of the Forest:

At the beginning of her turn, Tomoko gains a number of [Green Leaves] corresponding to the number of enemies on the field. Each [Green Leaf] increases Effect Hit Rate of the party by 13%, with a Max of 3 Stacks. Every 3 [Green Leaf] Tomoko gets, will give her a [Ye Ming Minor] state, which powers up her skills.

-----------

Awareness Levels:

When "Hymm of the Leaf Flute" is used, every [Green Leaf] consumed increases the target's Effect Hit Rate by (20% Tomoko's Effect Hit Rate), for 1 round.

Skill Levels of "Melody of Thought" and "Good Night Song" are increased by 2 Levels.

After "Hymm of the Leaf Flute" is used, gain 1 [Green Leaf].

Skill Levels of "Hymm of the Leaf Flute" and "Combat Skills" are increased by 2 Levels.

After using Highlight, increases damage received by enemies by an additional 25% for 1 round.

After an enemy is affected by Tomoko's Sleep effect, the next damage it receives will be increased by 30%.

---------

Active Skills:

Melody of Thought(Level 1): Deals (48% Attack Power) Psi damage to all enemies, and increases damage to enemies suffering mental abnormalities by 50%. Gain 1 [Green Leaf]. [20 SP]

Good Night Song(Level 1): Inflicts (32% Chance) Sleep on a foe for 1 round. When using this skill, if Tomoko has [Ye Ming Minor], the probability of sleep increases by 48%. [20 SP]

Hymm of the Leaf Flute(Level 1): Increases damage caused by an ally by 15%, and consume all [Green Leaves] on Tomoko. Each [Green Leaf] consumed increases the damage by an additional (0.23% for every 10% of Tomoko's Effect Hit Rate; Max: 4.5%) [22 SP]

HIGHLIGHT(Level 1): Inflicts (51.2% Chance) Sleep on all enemies for 2 turns and increases damage they receive by 10.9% for 1 turn.

Passive Skills:

Fantasy(Level 1): Increases the damage mentally abnormal enemies receive by 8%.

Pursue(Level 1): When using "Hymm of the Leaf Flute", if there are 3 [Green Leaves] on Tomoko, there is a fixed 33% chance to to dispel a random negative on the target.

----------

Weapons(Base Level/Transformation):

Double Dagger (2 Star):

Health: 82

Attack: 24

Defense: 19

Attack increased by 11.3%.

Ode to the Double Blade (3 Star):

Health: 98

Attack: 28

Defense: 23

When inflicting Sleep, Effect Hit Rate is increased by 27.1%

Shadow Dance Double Crown (4 Star):

Health: 131

Attack: 38

Defense: 30

Attack increased by 12.0%. After inflicting Sleep, the defense of the sleeping enemy is reduced by 10.8% for 1 round.

Dream Weaver (5 Star):

Health: 164

Attack: 48

Defense: 38

Effect Hit Rate increased by 36.0%. When [Green Leaf] is consumed, the target ally's Attack will be increased by 26.0% for 2 rounds. When [Ye Ming Minor] is consumed, the Attack of all allies will be increased by 38.0% for 1 round.

----------

Analysis

Tomoko is in a weird place, being an alright Support, but with a niche in increasing the Effect Hit Rate of allies. For the allies, that do care about getting effects inflicted on allies, this can greatly help consistentcy, however, they are also giving up much more pottentially useful support such as Bui's much better Attack buffs and Critical Hit rate boosts, or Leo's Shields. She can still be very useful, she's just a bit more niche than Leo or Bui, who's niches are much more generally useful and applicable to most characters in a way that helps push damage or protecting benchmark, which will be seen as more important and trackable than consistency.

Good Teams to use Kotomo in are:

Kotomo - Riddle - Haru:

A very powerful Mono-Psi team. Kotomo helps Haru inflict her [Special Treatment] on foes, which sets up her gameplan to deal major enemies to foes with her Firearm. She also sets up Sleep, which will further increases Haru's damage due to the foe having a mental abnormality. Riddle's effect resistance debuffs on foe's makes Kotomo and Haru work extremely well together, with Kotomo's Attack buffs and Riddles wide variety of debuffs lets Haru shine. Probably one of her best teams.

Kotomo - Riddle - Closer:

Kotomo buffs up Closer with Attack and Effect Hit increases, while Riddle applys many debuffs on the enemy, including Effect Resistance . This allows her to get off consistently strong damage with her [Conductive] spreading to many foes. May prove frail without a dedicated tank to help them out, or a healer.

[ennaakat]

First look at Yaoling's character art with some brief info about her:

Born in Sichuan, China. She's now a college freshman in Japan.

She's an outgoing and generous person who is carefree and also sometimes childish.

Her Persona is Meng Po

[larranciaa]

[nicorenarin]

Why P5X's third arc changed everything.

There are huge spoilers for the narrative of 'Chapter 3: Concert for Rulebreakers' & 'Chapter 4: Gluttony's Finale' below, please proceed with caution. This also contains mentions of abuse, suicide and trauma.

It's no secret that I'm very passionate about Persona 5: The Phantom X, what many may see as a simple "cash-grab gacha game", I instead see it as what may potentially be one of the greatest narratives Atlus has told across their various series. This includes mainline Persona, Shin Megami Tensei and even the recently released Metaphor: ReFantazio, my second favourite game of all time.

This all started with the release of P5X's third arc, focusing on the palace of Kumi Katayama, the protagonist's homeroom teacher, and a teaching consultant at Kokatsu Academy, Kei Akashi. Without diving into too much detail, the palace itself is a first in the series in that it is technically shared by two people. Whilst the main body of the palace reflects the desires of Katayama, it's secretly being manipulated and usurped by Akashi, who has his own section of the palace known as the 'Control Centre of Gluttony', with Katayama's section being labelled as the 'Dam of Wrath'.

To sum things up early, this is one of the best arcs in the entire Persona series, and it comes from the silly mobile gacha game. I'm sure all those weird Atlus fans are probably having a stroke right now upon hearing those words, but don't threat, I'm here to explain my reasoning without giving too much away if you wanted to experience it for yourself. I will be using screenshots from the blog 'P5X Theories', an excellent blog that does a wonderful job at reporting news and translating various pieces of information about the game, please consider giving them a follow.

Kei Akashi is introduced to us through the 'Dean of Academic Affairs', Yamanashi, who in secret is a lot more sinister than what's initially let on. Akashi has been hired as a consultant to spot problems within Kokatsu and create an environment that allows teachers to better educate its students. In actuality, Akashi was sent here by a mysterious figure known only as 'Magatsukami' to identify the Phantom Thieves. The stakes are high, but only to those in-the-know, our current Phantom Thieves don't have a clue that they're being targeted. It's why I much prefer this current group to our old set of thieves who got lost in the fame of it all, eventually becoming subservient to the internet masses.

The Phantom Thieves of Desire have a much more 'personal' connection to not only each other, but their targets. Kiuchi's career was unknowingly ended by a young Motoha, Miyazawa was nearly responsible for destroying the business of the man Shun saw as a father, and now... we come to Katayama. She's one of the more tragic characters in the series as a whole. Her palace is reminiscent to that of Futaba, born not from guilt of consequences, but of regret, fear, and anger towards her current situation.

Not before long, Akashi's influence is felt around the school. Despite his "lies" as a consultant, it's clear that he exists within the school to sew tension amongst its teachers, mainly that of Katayama, to the point where two girls who 'admire' Akashi call Katayama a 'tyrannical teacher' for simply wanting them to follow the rules. We are also introduced to the eventual newest member of the Phantom Thieves, Riko Tanemura, who has a close relationship with Katayama, having known her for a year or so at Kokatsu. Akashi calls Katayama's way of teaching as "outdated", and he supports the students more than anything. It's clear to both Katayama and the Phantom Thieves that if Akashi got his way, the students would be left to their own devices, potentially damaging their prospects of a future.

And that's what this arc is all about, creating a future for yourself and letting go of the past.

After some more gameplay, the Dam of Wrath is discovered, and it's clear that this belongs to Katayama, but that's not who they first discover in the palace... it's actually Shadow Akashi. Just like at Kokatsu, the dam is receiving advice from a consultant, Akashi, and in actuality, he is using the dam itself to power himself and his control centre. Just as Akashi feeds off of the negativity he creates from harassing Katayama, pushing her to her breaking point and causing her to get suspended, his shadow feeds off of her work in the dam and the workers alongside her. In this reality, Akashi rules over all. He is the judge, jury, and, executioner. During his final fight, Akashi continues struggling for control and power, he's absolutely obsessed with it. He goes down the same villain he was introduced as, and even when he tries apologising for his actions, the man who hired him attempts to have him killed off.

As we discover following the defeat of Shadow Katayama and Akashi's control centre officially opening up... Akashi himself is an extremely broken man. His career within the film industry was ruined after an affair amongst other issues, he eventually fell into a deep depression, consumed by nothing more than to want to lash out at the world. His philosophy gave to him by his superior, that the strong are meant to eat the weak, and it's through that he becomes a consultant, is recruited by Magatsukami, and is willing to do anything to out the Phantom Thieves.

Akashi was taught that he cannot fight back if he is too weak, and so he begins seeing himself as somebody who is strong. It's this philosophy he employs onto Katayama, mentally straining her to the point where it's reflected in Shadow Katayama's eventual transformation into her boss form. Akashi's tendrils piercing the body of Katayama, not draining her power, but giving her power, filling her with the rage that represents her own lashing out against the world. All in all, Akashi attempts to turn Katayama into a version of himself he never wishes to look back on, somebody abused by the powerful and manipulated to their whims. Whilst Akashi himself survived such an issue, potentially from an intervention by Magatsukami, Katayama... was not going to be so lucky.

We find out at some point in the story that Akashi had previous victims as a consultant, all of which had committed suicide. In a vision of Wonder's, he sees something disturbing, and even though I may not have understood the dialogue at the time, the voice acting and image is all I needed to see the put the pieces together.

Once again, just like he had previously, Wonder receives a vision of ruin. What could happen and what he can't let happen. After her suspension, the group end up finding Katayama at Crossroads, where she seems to be quite literally drinking away her troubles. With dialogue from Riko stating that "she was injected with too much power", it's clear what metaphor you can make from such a statement, what Akashi's influence pushed Katayama to do when she was not allowed to help give her students a future.

After her shadow falls, the group talk with Katayama, and they all still see her as their "teacher", their true mentor at Kokatsu. She's weeping at this point, calling herself a terrible teacher and attempting to own the labels that were placed upon her, and it once again links back to letting go of the past and embracing the future. Katayama was manipulated and verbally abused to the point where those lies manifested as reality in her mind, and soon lead to her shadow. The message of this first arc is simple; it's protecting your future. In regular Persona 5, we never had a ruler so personal to the group apart from maybe Sae, but that heist was more-so a well-thought out distraction. As P5X breaks away from doing "another Kamoshida" and "better Madarame", it shows the mainline series what Persona is sometimes missing and that's raw emotion. You feel so sorry for Katayama, and you want to kick the shit out of Akashi.

Maybe I'll write more one day, mainly covering Riko Tanemura's second awakening and why it's so important, but with all the discourse still surrounding P5X, I wanted to talk about how much this arc truly impacted me. This is what Persona should be. Strip the tropes, the wacky bullshit, the jokes, and bring it down to earth. If the story continues upon these beats, choosing a more typical RPG-style of storytelling as opposed to sticking with the main formula, we might be looking at an all-timer.

And hey, what did you think was going to happen when they got the writers of Royal's Third Semester to make their own version of Persona 5?

[semprelibera]

Because most of their terms are untranslatable in languages with grammatical gender, which the majority of the world speaks, and because I have noticed that monolingual Anglophones tend to associate feminine and masculine qualities to inanimate objects in ways that people who speak (not necessarily natively) gendered languages would never do.

Neo-pronous/NB ideology literally wouldn't exist if most native English speaker weren't monolingual

[dream-meister-translations]

PERSONA 5 : THE PHANTOM X

PERSONA 5 : THE PHANTOM X BETA - PART 10

━

RUFERU : To think you’re spacing out in a place like this… What’s going on?

WONDER : …Like an idol group…

RUFERU : That… Doesn’t answer my question…

RUFERU : Or maybe you’re just speaking a language far beyond my comprehension? …Or you’ve given up on talking to me entirely…

RUFERU : You looked tired…

RUFERU : Spending all day at school only to be attacked by Shadows the second you get out… Must be tough…

RUFERU : In that case, lemme do you a favor.

Ruferu does a backflip, landing in a cool guy pose with his arms, uhh… wings? Crossed. 

RUFERU : Consider this an honor.

RUFERU : ‘Cuz you’ll be the first human to ever lay eyes upon this form, Wonder.

RUFERU : Trans… Form!!

A gust of wind seems to envelop Ruferu as he leaps into the air, a flash of light wrapping around him before a small Renault 4 lands between the rails of the train track.

RUFERU : Phew! All set!

WONDER : Ruferu? Is that you?

RUFERU : You remember what I told you, right? About how people’s perception can impact the metaverse?

RUFERU : Well, there’s actually a very prevalent notion around here that animals also serve as a means of transportation.

RUFERU : As for why I look like this in particular… I have no idea…

RUFERU : Come on, get in. Even a living car still needs a driver.

Wonder gets in.

WONDER : I’ve never driven a car before…

RUFERU : Oh, it’s easy. Just start the engine, hit the gas, and steer til we’re where we need to be!

RUFERU : Don’t worry. I’m always here to help!

RUFERU : See! Exactly like that! Okay, let’s get going!

RUFERU : Next stop! The deepest depths of cognitive space. Once we're close to our destination, I'll let you know.

They set off deeper into the tunnel, following the train tracks until another group of Shadows spawns from the ground to block their way ahead.

RUFERU :  Shadows ahead! And so is our destination, so get ready. We’re gonna have to blast our way through.

RUFERU : Their numbers are fewer than before but that doesn’t mean we can let our guards down!

As the fight begins, the newly manifested Phantom Thief Idol appears alongside him in the battle, much to the confusion of Ruferu.

RUFERU : Who’s that? A new kind of enemy?!

WONDER : They’re my Phantom Thief Idols.

RUFERU : Seems you have it all figured out. So I’ll leave them under your command. For now, let’s take down these Shadows!

With the aid of the Phantom Thief Idol, Wonder and Ruferu make short work of their assailants.

RUFERU : Okay, coast is clear.

RUFERU : So what did you call them? Your idol?

WONDER : Phantom Thief Idol, yes.

RUFERU : Hm. You say that like they hold some significance to you. Oh, well, not like it’s any of my business.

RUFERU : Oh? So you’re saying they’re a Cognitive Entity with powers akin to that of a Persona user? Have to say, I didn’t expect you to employ such a creative strategy..

RUFERU : In any case, it’s as I said earlier. I’ll leave the management and command of these Idols to you.

With that, Ruferu turns back into a car. Beep. Beep.

RUFERU : Okay, let’s keep pushing forward…

━

Meanwhile in Shibuya, Motoha and Tomoko are standing in the town square, next to the statue of Hachiko, a Japanese Akita whom, for nine years following the death of his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, continued to wait for Ueno to come back home.

MOTOHA ARAI : Is this about a guy?

TOMOKO NOGE : U-Um…

MOTOHA ARAI : Who is it? Anyone I know?

TOMOKO NOGE : About that…

Tomoko clasps her hands together nervously, as if in pleading prayer to Motoha.

MOTOHA ARAI : I knew it. You’ve always been easy to read Tomoko. So you’ve finally found someone you like half as much as you like baseball, huh?

TOMOKO NOGE : I-I wouldn’t go so far as to say I like him! I just said I’m KIND of interested in him… That’s all!

MOTOHA ARAI : Okay, then why don’t we find somewhere to sit and chat rather than standing here?

Tomoko follows Motoha’s lead as she guides them to one of the benches in the town square… However as the camera pans, it reveals Kiuchi, who catches sight of them…

TAKEYUKI KIUCHI : Oh?

TAKEYUKI KIUCHI : That girl… It’s her…

━

Meanwhile, back in the Cognitive World, Wonder and Ruferu can be seen approaching a miasma of black and crimson energy.

RUFERU : If my intel’s correct… Then it should be right around here…

WONDER : And if it’s wrong?

RUFERU : I was born in this world. I’ve learned a thing or two about its structure in my time.

RUFERU : I can hear their heartfelt desires calling out to me from the rest of society’s collective consciousness.

RUFERU : Of course, as a part of that collective consciousness, you can’t hear these voices, but I can use them to gather vital information that will help us in our investigation.

RUFERU : And the voices are telling me… It’s right around… Here… Oh?

RUFERU : There we go! Kiuchi’s Palace should be right up ahead.

WONDER : Palace?

RUFERU : Even in the vast expanse of the Metaverse, it is possible for one's distorted desires to materialize in this realm, given enough power and influence over society.

RUFERU : From the perspective of the human Shadow driven by the cognition of their own desires, they may also see this as a ‘stronghold’ for seizing and protecting themselves from the erroneous desires of others.

RUFERU : Within the grounds of his Palace, Kiuchi is an absolute tyrant, ruling over even the Shadows manifesting within.

RUFERU : As such, this Palace is our destination. That is to say… We have work to do.

RUFERU : Come, Wonder.

Continuing to lead the way, Ruferu steps inside the miasma. Wonder follows as they step inside the Palace of Takeyuki--

[flowersforthemachines]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thank you @biowaredisasterbisexual and @basedonconjecture for the tag <3

tagging @cogandstar @dellamortethelesser @rookamell @whispersleo in a gentle non-pushy way

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Thirty-six! I'm a bit sad that I missed the last round number and didn't celebrate. Getting to the next one will take a while.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

256, 701. Mostly in one-shots.

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Shiva (258), What I'd Love to Hear You Say (233), First Bloom (188, E-rated; don't click unprepared), Something Comforting (155), Extra Steps (132; also E-rated).

None of the DA fics made the list... Maybe one day.

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Dragon Age, Persona 5 and 3, Zero Escape, Cyberpunk 2077.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! Though I personally find it quite difficult to do. I always feel I can never express my gratitude to the commenter in a sufficient way (their comment will probably always mean more to me than my reply could to them. that sort of thing).

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Yeahhhhh At the End of Her World is taking that title. Team S: Suspicion [A Dead End] is *very* close, though, but I consider it more violent than angsty.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Different Tide, but Still the Same Ocean, probably. Like, imagine getting back your lover who you thought was dead? That's probably the nicest thing I've done to my characters like ever. (note that the death was canonical, I didn't kill the guy. only brought him back)

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9) Do you write smut?

Smut makes up 30k words out of my total word count (scattered across 4 fics). Though I have a complicated relationship with all those fics since I typically write smut when I'm Going Through Things, and the association makes it hard to look at them afterwards (there is only one of these 4 fics that I can willingly re-read).

10) Do you write crossovers?

Do fusions count? I've written a Nier x Persona 5 fusion, and a Zero: Escape x Persona 5 fusion.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. Hopefully my knowledge is correct ^_^

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I got a request for it once! Though I don't believe it ever went anywhere.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

There is a co-written draft about two characters exchanging letters (akesumi, btw). I wrote one character's letters (Akechi), and my partner wrote the other's (Sumire). Just a draft, though, it's not finished.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

You can't make me choose, and I won't. (SilverV, probably)

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ghilasara & Illario fic (platonic. friendship only) ... At a glance, it looks like the hardest idea I have right now. I'm afraid the world may never see my vision.

16) What are your writing strengths?

An author whom I respect a lot (<3) once said this about my dialogue: "I feel like I’m watching an arthouse movie or listening to a fantastic radio play."

Which is how I've come to think that I'm good at writing dialogue. Probably.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Visual descriptions my beloathed <3

It's very hard to make my aphantasiac mind care for them. Like I can't see anything in my head anyway, why should I bother describing the appearance of things, it's all the same to me. I couldn't describe a landscape to save my life (though sometimes I try, out of obligation).

Aphantasia also makes it hard for me to write action scenes since, well, I can't imagine them taking place, so I always have the question "Is it even realistic for someone to move this way?" stuck in my mind. This also applies to simple action. I did once break down in tears trying to write characters sitting on a couch pondering "b-but where would all the hands go........."

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Something I never cared about while I was writing for Persona, and something that I need to start thinking more actively about now. Still on the "gods, how do I put it in a fic in a nice cohesive way?" stage of thinking.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

I think that the first fandom would actually be Dragon Age. I have some drabbles about my OCs from around ~2018-2020, though those are just in my phone notes and I never published them anywhere.

First fandom I published a fic for is Mass Effect.

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I love all my children equal--At The End of Her World. Of course, it's At The End of Her World. Not in the least because I consider it my most successful imitation of the writing style that I really like (Another Country by James Baldwin marry meeee <3), so that's a point of pride for me personally. Plus, not to pat myself on the back, the concept is kind of cool. All hail the divorce ٩(＾◡＾✿)۶

[p5x-theories]

Here's the Version 3.0.1 trailer shown in the livestream yesterday, with English subtitles added by me!

[ebenvonak]

Quick update!!!

This person replied (shout out to them) I do believe that the mod is safe now but please still be careful. Apologies for spreading all this information I got genuinely just scared. and sorry for calling someone shady without knowing the context. Please do still stay safe and make sure you know what you download especially if you're having the freezing issue as I mentioned. Computers can't handle being restarted that much just because of it freezing and it can really do stuff to your computer if you're not careful. I sincerely apologize for my claims however.

To every persona 5X player who downloaded/is thinking of downloading the English translation mod to their pc!!:

Do not download it. It's a virus idk if the creator is aware (tbh they probably are lol) but I had my computer fixed a bit ago and the person who had fixed it told me I had a virus from a program called "english translator persona 5 x". If your computer freezes then I can say it's from the mod. As soon as your computer freezes the creator of the mod can look into your computer and take your personal information. I got p5x without the mod and it didn't freeze even once. I suggest waiting for the official global release and not download this mod.

[demial4]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

I have been inflicted with a tag game. How dare you? /j @sephirthoughts. My writing blog is @demialwrites in case there's any confusion for anyone

1) how many works do you have on ao3?

Around 165 (160, plus a few on a secret account)

2) what's your total ao3 word count?

489,451

3) what are your top five fics by kudos?

All from my Overwatch years:

It Will Be Okay Animal Drabbles Kitty Kompanion Hug Therapy Cornered

4) what fandoms do you write for?

Right now, it's just FF7. I would like to write for other fandoms (like Metaphor Refantazio or some more Persona 5) but I don't have the energy right now.

5) do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I do. I want validation but I'm also battling the fear of being perceived.

6) what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Emotional Touching (Overwatch). I killed the romantic lead at the end and didn't warn anyone. lol I'm more likely to tag that kind of thing now.

7) what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm not sure I believe in happy endings because life is more complicated than that so I haven't written many. Not sure which to peg as the one.

8) do you get hate on fics?

No. Not usually. I've had a couple of criticizing comments. One I ultimately decided was right (however, they threatened me with a bad reputation online and I did not react well to that) and the other, I decided later they could shove it. I gave a character asexuality and as someone who considers themselves on that spectrum, I didn't appreciate the criticism I received for how I wrote the character. I believe I should be able to explore and make mistakes, if a mistake was made. They did not approach me that way. Also, fuck, I love abusing characters??? Don't tell me I can't stretch armstrong these fuckers into whatever situation I want.

9) do you write smut?

OH BOY DO I

10) do you write crossovers?

I did twice. Both Overwatch/My Hero Acadamia. Did not realize I was heavy on the hero thing at the time!

11) have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, I don't think so.

12) have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13) have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Oh, yes!!! Another Overwatch fic, of course. I had a great time because I was quite close with that friend at the time. We've drifted apart since. I hope she's doing well.

14) what's your all time favorite ship?

Genji Shimada x Hanzo Shimada for, what I hope, is for obvious reasons. ;)

15) what's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Right now, it's Rufus vs Reeve. I love will-they-won't-they kind of stuff but I'm terrible at coming up with plot right now so it'll probably keep languishing.

16) what are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at dialogue because it's what I have the most practice writing.

17) what are your writing weaknesses?

I am terrible at description. I always had trouble expressing myself and writing long enough papers in high school/college so it's not a surprise I struggle with description.

18) thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Nope. I have anxiety about making a mistake. I suppose I could write some if it was a German character but making it sound natural and casual wouldn't be guaranteed.

19) first fandom you wrote for?

I recently remembered a fic I started as a younger teenager and I've forgotten the fandom. It was either Gundam, Power Rangers, or Animorphs.

20) favourite fic you've ever written?

Bless Me Father, For We Have Sinned.

Commissioned noncon with an evil priest character. Oh, my lord. lol It was just...wrong and juicy and straight smut. Loved writing it. It flowed out so easily. Something about writing a character that delights in abusing another person was refreshing and made me feel like a purring kitty.

@vicariousrufusenjoyer mind if I tag you? answer on whichever blog you feel is most fitting and anyone else. I don't know if I know you well enough to tag some of y'all yet

[lopjh]

P5X Soy/Shun Kanou Gameplay Details

Role: Tank

---------------

Stats (Level 1):

Health: 240

Attack: 57

Defense: 38

Speed: 102

Persona Trait (Awareness Level 0):

Game of the Brave:

Increased chance of being attacked by an enemy. After being attacked, obtain [Wild Savior]. At the end of Soy's turn, [Wild Savior] is consumed and he restores 30% of his lost health.

-----------

Awareness Levels:

While in the [Wild Savior] state, damage received is reduced by 8%.

Skill Levels of "Iceberg Shake" and "Vanguard Assault" are increased by 2 levels.

When Soy's health is below 50%, increases healing received by 25%.

Skill Levels of "Zero Healing" and "Combat Skills" are increased by 2 levels.

After using Highlight, reduce the damage taken by all allies by 12% for 2 rounds.

When Soy attacks an enemy while in the [Wild Savior] state, deals an additional (10% Max Health) damage to the enemy, and the same amount will be restored to Soy's health.

---------

Active Skills:

Iceberg Shake(Level 1): Deals (36.5% Max Health) Ice damage to an enemy, with a 70% chance to inflict Freeze on the target. [20 SP]

Vanguard Assault(Level 1): Deals (32% Max Health) Physical damage to an enemy, and reduces the target's defense by 13.4% for 2 rounds. When in the [Wild Savior] state, increases the defense reduction value to 26.9%. [9% HP]

Zero Healing(Level 1): Increases Max Health of all allies by (12.5% Soy's Max Health), and greatly increases the probability of Soy being attacked for 2 rounds. [24 SP]

HIGHLIGHT(Level 1): Deals (49.4% Max Health) Ice damage to an enemy, and increases Max Health of all allies by (7.6% Soy's Max Health) for 2 rounds.

Passive Skills:

Wild(Level 1): Number of bullets are increased by 6, and each bullet fired has a 3.3% fixed chance of dealing (9% Max Health) damage and reducing enemy defense by 15% for 3 rounds.

Bravery(Level 1): After using "Zero Healing", every time you are attacked there is a fixed 10% chance of triggering the recovery effect of [Wild Savior], for 2 rounds.

----------

Weapons(Base Level/Transformation):

Western Hand Axe (2 Star):

Health: 96

Attack: 22

Defense: 25

Max Health increased by 11.3%.

--------

Cast Iron Hand Axe (3 Star):

Health: 115

Attack: 27

Defense: 18

After using a skill that targets an ally, the ally with the lowest health receives a shield equal to (3.8% of their Max Health) for 2 rounds.

Devourer (4 Star):

Health: 153

Attack: 36

Defense: 24

Max Health increased by 12%. When in [Wild Savior], Max Health is increased by an additional 11%, and Effect Resistance is increased by 11%.

Ancestor Glacier (5 Star):

Health: 192

Attack: 45

Defense: 30

Max Health increased by 30%. When the recovery effect of [Wild Savior] is triggered, there is a 52% fixed chance that the ally with the lowest health will obtain the same effect. When Soy is attacked, the defense of the attacking enemy is reduced by 11.5% for 1 round.

----------

Analysis

As one of the 3 Tanks, and one of the 2 Ice Tanks, Soy fills his role of protecting the party very well. Compared to Yusuke, who is much more offensive focused, Soy has much more party support, with his Max Health buff working well with character such as Key to increase his [Holy Fire] DOT damage, or with Yuki and Akechi to make the most out of their Blessing buffs. His defense decreasing effects help him provide good support for DPS, even if it may pale in comparison to specialized defense debuffers such as Rin. At max investment, he can even serve as an off-healer, with a potential 100% chance to heal the ally with the lowest health with his [Wild Savior] recovery. He fits very well into squishy teams that need a lot of help surviving, something that Yusuke may not provide due to his focuses on counterattacks. As a free story based character, he will be very easy to train, so I'd recommend upgrading him to a decent level.

Recommended Teams:

Soy - Yuki - Akechi: Yuki and Akechi already work well together with stacking Blessing buffs, and Soy just makes the team have even more survivability. Yuki's shields and defense increases helps Soy survive when getting attacked by enemies, and his natural aggro draw + increased aggro from Wild Savior helps with consistently making sure Akechi and Yuki don't get hit before thay can set up their gameplans. Lacks as much pure burst damage compared to other setups, but it is very reliable and can help sustain through long or grueling fights.

Soy - Key - Ann: Replacing Cattle with Soy in the Mono-Fire team does lose out in Burn consistency to help Ann's attack buffs, and loses the Attack + Fire Damage increases from Cattle's [Star Fire] and Highlight, but it grants not only more survivability, but his max health buffs will help increase the DOT damage of Key's [Holy Fire], allowing for more sustained damage over longer fights. At high weapon investment, Soy's defense debuffing can almost match Cattle's pure attack increase, and his off-healing can help to mitigate the health loss from Key's [Sacrifice], even if not at the same rate as a dedicated healer.