#shin megami tensei iva

[lemmon-grove]

I would like to push my they/them Nanashi agenda to the masses

i am a pretty big fan of the people in my inbox who now exclusively refer to flynn with she/her

[furinana]

SMTIV's hilarious extortion mechanic and its meme status in the Japanese fandom

The grey morality of the alignments has nothing against pure greed.

[spoilers for both SMTIV and SMTIVA ahead]

1) Rundown

In Shin Megami Tensei IV, after purchasing the Fundraise App from Burroughs, Flynn will be able to request Macca from foes during battle. -> Foes will give Macca in small increments, at which point you can ask for more or stop talking and accept what you've been given. -> They may become infuriated upon being asked for Macca or repeatedly asked and attack the party. -> Occasionally, they will even simply give up and grant you a large sum.

2) Explanation

The rewards you get from only killing enemies are much more scarce in SMTIV compared to previous titles. Money is needed for buying good gear and filling your demon compendium, so you can understand how pivotal for game completion farming for Macca is in SMTIV. Hence the option for earning much faster through the Fundraise App.

On an additional note, the best way to take advantage of this method is through inflicting the enemy with the bind ailment before asking them, as it'll work 100% of the time with three turns worth of money without a chance of being attacked. Also, since enemies don't have a money limit, you can repeatedly fundraise from the same target as long as it's afflicted with the status.

Comic by みゃべ. This is a redraw of this meme

Flynn's boldness goes so far that not only random encounter demons but even story bosses can be targeted as well, including past companions:

3) Fan response

This uniquely cruel feature shocked Japanese fans so much that Flynn became commonly referred as a カツアゲ王 Extortion King .

@kingyo_neko "I don't think there's a more ruthless extortion king than Flynn. Unlike the first SMT protagonist, who only targeted Temple Knights, Flynn is an indiscriminate street attacker."

@ametoya "Someone said that Demi-fiend was the King of Chaos while Flynn is the King of Extortion."

To such an extent that many became flabbergasted by the contrast of how his personality was handled in SMTIVA:

@Fomalhaut15 "It makes me sick to my stomach to see Flynn, who has been mercilessly extorting his enemies previously, being called a star of hope and a hero by those around him."

@kakougg "The Flynn I know was a guy whose hobby was extorting demons, I don't think he was any sort of savior" @kuuusuke009 "The image of Flynn was of a protagonist without personality, but in SMTIVA he has become an eloquent young man, and I thought 'You lying bastard… you took off your pants and tried to stick something up your nose, beat up hunters in the tournament, and even tied up demons and robbed them…!'"

@sanbonosrmkr "Me playing SMTIVA: 'The Flynn I know extorted even the weak, and was merciless even to his peers…! He's a murderer, he's not a sociable, righteous person!'"

@kitaonglacier "Frankly, the only thing Flynn should be respected for are his extortion skills."

4) The junior extortionist continuing the legacy

While Nanashi's negotiation apps decreased in quantity (Dagda probably doesn't want you fooling around compared to Burroughs), Nanashi's greediness doesn't leave the older protagonist to shame.

In fact, the amount of fundraising targets is even bigger than the previous title's, with grunts from Ashura-kai and Ring of Gaea being particular examples of which Flynn couldn't dialogue previously while Nanashi is able to not only talk but do it in a threatening tone:

And if you thought that becoming a savior made Flynn give up on his old ways, you couldn't be more wrong! Flynn's (in)fame regarding stealing only became stronger with SMTIVA's release:

5) Flynn and Nanashi's fund partnership

Translation of SMTIVA's official guide, page 45:

> Additional funds provided by Flynn

While accompanying you in the Bonds or Massacre Route, Flynn will provide additional funds if you're successful in fundraising.

You can earn more money in the Bonds route, however Flynn will only follow you in YHVH's Universe. In the Massacre route, you earn less money but Flynn will accompany you wherever you go.

When farming for money (whether for the Demon Compendium or to purchase equipment), it's a good idea to make use of Flynn.

> Conditions for Flynn to acquire additional funds

Route | Occurence conditions | Effect

Bonds route | Give the fishing hook to Flynn and it will always activate when Flynn is in-battle inside YHVH's Universe | 1.5 times the amount of money earned per successful fund

Massacre route | Activates with probability of 50% after fund. If the enemy becomes affected by the bind status, it will definitely be activated. | 0.5 times the amount of money earned per successful fund

[Recorded usage of both routes (please click to zoom in!). Asahi is the best partner for fundraising as she's the only one that won't hurt the enemy which means it'll stay alive for much longer to suck it dry.]

Fans absolutely couldn't leave this feature uncommented:

@atumiko "Whenever he acted all cool I'd be like 'I don't know such a beautiful Flynn... who the heck is this guy...' But when he started doing his extortion thing, I realized 'Ah... this is the Flynn I knew...'

Flynn not only hunts after targets to steal from but also occasionally gives you pocket money that must come from his pillaging. I think it's not right to praise this guy as a savior"

@mousugu26 "I was shocked when Flynn started raising my funds. It's unprecedented for the protagonist of a previous game to be treated like a mugger. So it's canon after all?"

@shibakani3baisu "I love Bonds Flynn's gentle voice when mugging..."

@0225And "I think I'd be happy if Flynn-senpai put me in a bind state then mugged me gently and pleasantly with his handsome voice."

@kitaonglacier "Flynn in SMTIV mugs with a dirty look on his face, but Flynn in SMTIVA mugs in a gentlemanly way.

The sequel made him ooze so much gentleness to the point of even turning him into the kind of person who gives the money they extorted to their junior."

@tohuyasan "I like how Flynn seemed to want to say 'You're still lenient, Nanashi' to Nanashi's extortion. #don'tyouhaveanymoreanymore*"

* Fans love to quote まだあるんじゃないか" (don't you have anymore?) and それだけかい (is that it?), the two sentences Flynn say during fundraising

@maida0493 "Flynn is the best, he doesn't forget his spirit of extortion even after becoming a Godslayer… He rips off his opponents with such a deep voice…"

@yokarebing "In my opinion, Flynn's voice when extorting doesn't sound threatening. It's a normal and soft voice that gives the impression he's smiling while doing it, which makes you feel he's a pro at this.

Flynn helps you with stealing funds so it's the best, I do nothing but mug people at this point. I don't care about YHVH, I just want to keep extorting others with Flynn for the rest of my life"

6) Fan names

The most popular fandom term that has been used since SMT4 is 緊縛ファンド kinbaku fando (bondage funds) for when you fundraise targets inflicted with the bind ailment. I once saw a Western fan referring to it as "Bind Fund" so there's your ENG equivalent

When referring to Nanashi receiving additional fundraising from Flynn, fans say 追いファンド oi fando (mugged funds). As shown above, the term used in the official guide is フリンによる追加ファンド Furin ni yoru tsuika fando (additional funds provided by Flynn). The nickname comes from turning 追加 tsuika (additional) into 追い oi, a shortened form of 追い銭 oisen which is part of the proverb 盗人に追い銭 nusubito ni oisen (additional fee to a thief), a saying for when you give the thief more on top of what was already stolen from you.

Now, to wrap this up...

There's something many wonder...

7) Why the need for the fishing hook in Bonds?

@yokarebing "At Lake Mikado, Issachar's ghost entrusts you with a fishing hook to give to Flynn as a keepsake ← Got it Give the fishing hook to Flynn ← Got it You are now guaranteed to get an additional extortion when extorting demons ← Why"

@nobe0202 "Why does Flynn, who was born in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado and lived a farming life in Kiccigiorgi, started extorting and currying favors as soon as he put on the Gauntlet?"

@kitaonglacier "That's probably a custom in his hometown as a form of a greeting"

@hnskk_ancyd "Flynn, a child that becomes an extortionist with an old playmate's memento"

@kuuusuke009 "I wonder if it was Issachar who taught Flynn how to extort money... ('w' ; )"

@Dunamis_Anthrax "Could it be that he had memories of extortion with Issachar and started doing it because he missed them?"

@vernogame "Issachar is the man who taught this devilish savior such a skill... Just how frightening is he...?"

@kuuusuke009 "Nanashi: 'The master who taught Flynn how to extort money must be a scary person.'"

Comic by カイザー. Please don't share publicly my translation, as it could upset the original artist.

@vernogame "Issachar,

your will has now been passed on… ( ; ; )"

Epilogue

Jokes aside, one can't help but wonder... does the fact that both Flynn and Nanashi come from humble backgrounds give a nuanced interpretation of the canonicity of this feature?

Nanashi must've seen his own share of fraudsters while Flynn specially would need an extra income to save himself from eternal death.....

[rustoma]

Love how Nanashi is implied to be battle-pilled in some of the relic descriptions. Kid's ready to throw hands using some of the most mundane stuff laying around.

[rustyvanburace]

I cannot help but see some parallels between the kidnapping of Akira's sister in IV and Asahi's death in IVA.

Both girls are taken into an ovoidal vessel that would ferry them along with countless others to another world as part of a god's grander scheme. Akira's sister is kidnapped as one of God's Chosen and holed up in a giant cocoon, which in the main timeline did succeed in flying her off to what would eventually become the Kingdom of Mikado. Asahi was killed and her soul became one of the many others trapped in the Cosmic Egg, which would have led to the birth of a new universe that all the souls would be reborn into. Different circumstances and outcomes, but still the same idea.

There's unfortunately nothing that states or even directly implies that Asahi is or was ever intended to be the reincarnation of Akira's sister. But when considering her intrinsic closeness to Nanashi as foster siblings, how Nanashi is always made to keep an eye on her, and even just the parallels between the cocoon and Cosmic Egg, I think there is a reasonable degree of implicity that Asahi is or could be the reincarnation of her. At least, even as pure fanon it wouldn't be a far-fetched one.

Akira succeeded in reaching the Firmament, but because of the Tokyo-Mikado time dilation and the years it took to even dig through the ceiling, he never got to reunite with his sister as she would have already died a long time ago by then. The DLC timeline note in IVA's database states that 300 years had passed on the surface by the time Akira breached it.

In a way then, Akira and his sister are vindicated when Nanashi enters the Cosmic Egg and rescues Asahi in the Bonds route. Time is a flat circle.

[shelbswastaken]

Me and someone in the demon haunt discord came up with an smt iv au where everything is the same but the world outside of japan is fine and Stephen managed to jerry-rig an internet network for tokyo/mikado so the main characters have social media accs and I decided to sketch a silly scenario

[navarresimp]

I hope he rots in hell (Affectionately)

[newtypecosmonaut]

Nanashi should be vulnerable to hama.

[oozmium]

Don't think I've seen pictures of these circulating online, but they displayed posters for the jp releases of mainline smt games (except strange journey) at the Atlus/Sega AX booth.

Completely forgot to get close ups of smt 1, 2, and if posters but they were in the photo OP area and I didn't want to hinder their operations too much.

[vinegar-on-main]

@beantothemax @meme-boys-blog

Day 6 - Gloves

[cathedralofaudra]

Fanfiction!

My requests are OPEN

Welcome to my fanfic request/warning post!

Fandoms I write for:

Persona (2:IS - P5)

Death Note

Love & Deepspace

Shin Megami Tensei (IVA, Nocturne, Devil Survivor 1)

Devil May Cry

Pandora Hearts

Vocaloid

Warnings

THESE STORIES WILL BE DARK

Topics of SH and suicidal ideation

Mental Health issues WILL be present

I will NOT write

Non-con

Incest

Certain kinks

Request away!

[lemmon-grove]

Honestly, if Altus were to some how bring back both SmtIV’s and the early persona games in it’s 2023 game releases, I’d actually pay it some mind.

[furinana]

The subtle ways androgyny is used in SMTIV&A and its context in the franchise

What if I tell you... there's more characterization than it appears to be?

The most consistent trait among Megaten protagonists is certainly their androgyny. Fastidious fans would accept nothing less than the most beautiful eyelashes someone could have the privilege of being born with as it became a long defined characteristic in Kaneko's art.

Considering the franchise debuted with a main character described as a guy that would look good in a skirt, it's no wonder Kaneko (and later, Doi) had to follow the feminine-looking boy legacy:

However, this aspect is not actually that commonly depicted as a self-aware trait in the games. Attractive? Sure. Wooing ladies? Almost always. Specifically having a spotlight on the feminine features, though? Hardly any would be at par with our originator Nakajima.

Which includes Flynn. That being said, even if it's not brought up in the story, Flynn's androgyny is still touched upon not only in his profile notes in the SMTIV Artbook...

...but also in the way he's perceived in demon negotiations:

Excuse me!

Going from a stinky swordsman to bestie <333 in a flash.

Lham Dearg having this dialogue when the motherfucker shares the same hair lenght as Flynn is some double standards BS.

And then Chagrin-chan gives you a Detox solution.

However, you also have a chance of becoming a target of gender rivalry for this same answer:

No good, Chagrin-chan.

And then you have the rather unusually neutral way Flynn looks at relics:

You could argue that it’s due to Flynn being a country bumpkin born in an artificial world currently in its medieval period hence even basic concepts that he would know of would be interpreted differently when seeing their modern versions.

On another note, we also have to recognize that the location with the most conservative worldview is Mikado.

And yet, it's Nanashi the one with very gender-specific commentary:

A feasible counterpoint perhaps would lie on the possibility that Flynn didn’t grow with many women around him, specially ones that would invest in their own appearance which would be difficult considering their peasant background.

And an indoctrinated one on top of that.

Which isn't to say that there isn't makeup culture in Mikado though, as shown by Isabeau and Gabby.

Regarding Isabeau, I commented before that her choice of fashion seems to be more adapted to her own self-expression rather than a default way of presenting for either Luxurors or Samurai women. At any case, it's still part of a larger issue.

In fact, Luxurors and even monks from the Monastery weren't shown to be as anti-Unclean extremists as the Divine representatives themselves.

In the myth, Gabriel is a messenger who was entrusted to deliver several important messages on God’s behalf. Therefore, as Gabby, Gabriel acts as a mediator and makes God's message understandable to people through adapting her appearance to reach the most hearts as possible.

In other words, we have the picture of peasants being fairly ignorant of new technology (with Flynn among them) and only having the bare essentials while the higher caste thrives over luxuries to the point that becomes normalized what would be considered slightly sinful.

So much that even the angels had to tolerate it to a certain level in order to become close to humans and manipulate them.

Nanashi, on the other hand, meets so many ladies worried about their appearance all over the underground that he somehow ended up knowing more than Asahi even.

So essentially, Flynn "isn't familiar with female expression" but "effortlessly passes as a woman" regardless of what he's wearing while Nanashi "knows" and "plays around" with it like a costume.

And in both cases, it seemingly comes more "at the player's choice" rather than being done in an unsolicited way.

Doi's comments on SMTIVA's wardrobe convey that Nanashi is into wearing flashy clothes. Some fashionable, some dumb, some awfully absurd for anyone to wear in the middle of a war-like environment.

Nanashi basically wants to stand out. He fully knows he looks weird and is having a blast wearing flamboyant shit while fighting demons around Tokyo.

Meanwhile most of Flynn’s wardrobe are basically “gears that Flynn would consider useful for avoiding hazards while being ignorant of what the design means”.

Nanashi does it for fashion while Flynn does it for protection. This is also applied to the situations where the player "can choose" to act feminine: Nanashi crossdresses and wears make up while Flynn lets demons believe he's a woman to get a positive reaction in negotiations.

To summarize, Flynn was intended to be seen as an individual with both male and feminine traits (or the lack of both in some aspects) beyond just the stylistic choice of his androgynous design. While Nanashi is aware of gender roles and his social standing as a guy but also breaks expectations according to his own will.

These qualities are coherent to the lore of the story while simultaneously working on a gameplay perspective, as those are ways to bring diverse options for the average player while making female players also feel 'included' even if the protagonist is a boy (as emphasized by Doi himself), which is, to this day, an unbreakable tradition in mainline games:

Somehow, it turns out that Nakajima's legacy comes in handy with a seemingly unisex-presenting main character that is able to fill the gaps of an audience.

On an ending note, while we have yet to see a more complete official breakdown of SMTV's art direction through interviews, one can understandably connect a similar reasoning for the design choices behind Nahobino.

The fanbase of the series combined with Persona has a male-to-female ratio of 40:60, to which confirms the feminine-looking boys indeed reach a bigger female audience than male.

As interesting as it is, one can't help but wonder if we would ever actually reach the other side of the gender spectrum in an actual title. We have horny mods, so there's that at least.

[vinegar-on-main]

OH SO MUCH VIOLENCE

She has connected the dots and shall be SO passive aggressive towards Dagda now!!!!!!!!

HELLO INBOX FIC JUMPSCARE

Damn this one took a little while, i cut an entire scene tbh mostly because it didn't fit the character... :( Obligatory @meme-boys-blog

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

A man was on his way back to Kinshicho. He hummed a tune while taking in his surroundings. With armored clothing, a gun, and a foreign weapon at his side, he wasn’t too out of place amongst the general public. Most would see that he’s a Hunter; and with the way he walked, a powerful one at that. Nobody else would be so casual in such an area, after all.

Kuzé had just gotten back from a small evening trip. A walk around Tokyo really cleared his mind. Not to mention help sort out the new information he learnt during the day. Dagda was a strange beast, only caring about restoring power by any means necessary. He was selfish, full of hate for the world, and even more for the gods that surround him. He eschewed allies, despite needing one to succeed in his goals. No doubt if Nanashi wasn’t so instrumental, he would have died as soon as he angered the High King.

A memory came to mind, unbidden. Danu shook her head, “So you play with him like a chess piece, solely to win your little game…” Dagda laughed at his mother, never truly reaching her eyes. “Game? This is something he chose. Accepting death? Or resurrect as my Godslayer? Though, I suppose it’s up for debate if he had any choice…” Kurokami jolted. So the child was dead? That explains the circumstances of his being handily. Asahi cried out in terror, an understandable fear. From her reaction to Adramelech a day ago, it appears that she would have died at the hands of him were it not for the High King’s questionable intervention. Another mystery solved, so it seemed. But one thing stood out: words that she originally passed aside as Dagda exaggerating the truth. “No longer human. Not angel, not demon. He is… my puppet.”

Kuzés eyes widened. Puppet… no. That word didn't fit. Yes, Dagda wanted to string Nanashi into doing his bidding, but it was not as if he was controlling him. He let the child go his own way, as long as he eventually did as he wanted. No, it was more he was filling the spaces inbetween. A soul like his was easy to push aside, easy to suppress. A will like Nanashi’s was strong, but it can be broken. A child’s mind was impressionable, and easy to mold. It was not lost on him how easily Nanashi folded to Dagda’s demands after Flynn was abducted.

A spark of anger at another memory kindled into a blazing flame. Droves of children climbing to a pale light flashed behind his mind’s eye. Screams howled in his ears born of unjust agony. A voice spoke above it all, highlighting all of the events in a pale glow:

"No cost too great."

Perhaps certain minds did think alike.

“A will like Nanashi’s was strong, but it could be broken. A child’s mind was impressionable, and easy to mold.” VINNY I AM GNAWING ON THE BARS TO MY ENCLOSURE FRANTICALLY!!!!!!!! NANASHI’S JUST A KID!!!!!!! SURE HE’S A KID WHO STANDS UP FOR HIS FRIENDS AND KNOWS THE RIGHT THING TO DO BUT A CHILD NONTHELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEING GUIDED AND PUPPETED BY ONE SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!! GAAAAH!!!!!!!!

AND THE PALE KING QUOTHEBCJSNFJSKXJ NSNXKKDMSMXNEJWJS!!!!,!,!:!.&:!.@/‘msncjslmdjxoans

VIOLENCE!!!!!

[rustyvanburace]

In the Neutral route, if you go speak with Fujiwara, he comments how he had met Akira in the past and actually got the idea to tunnel through the ceiling from him.

What I find very noteworthy here is the comment on Akira's age. I don't blame people for not knowing this, especially with IVA's backstory and concept art showing us an older Akira, but he was actually just a little boy at the time shit went down in Tokyo. And already had his own demon summoning program at that too!

[windupvivis]

smt:iva redraw (we love u flynn)

[navarresimp]

how to hold your Gaston correctly