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Chapter 161: 10/26-10/27: Phamily Pheud This update covers content from Parts 130-131 of the original LP.   You took off somewhere during the festival, huh… I tried to find you, but I gave up pretty quickly. Yeah, sorry, I was breaking it down. Futaba? What are you doing here to in front of the store? I needed to calm my brain. My thoughts were getting out of hand. Not just Akechi, but other stuff too. We’re in deep trouble unless we can do something soon. Yeah, we’re kinda hosed. Especially if I’m right about that thing… Why are you playing coy? Ugh, whatever, I don’t care. But anyway, I was just thinking about going inside, so your timing is perfect. Let’s go. Why so insistent on going in with me? Ooh, is there a surprise party? But it’s not even my birthday! Well, probably, I don’t actually know when my birthday is… You’re so weird.Music: Desire   The mass media has been causing quite a commotion lately. “No Countermeasure for the Phantom Thieves,” “The Sorry State of the Police,” “Destruction of Safety”… Sir… Hold on, I’m not done. “Phantom Thieves Still on the Loose,” “Police Can’t Find Their Asses With Both Hands,” “We’re All Gonna loving Die…” Those last couple got spicy. So, how goes the investigation? You find any *clues*. Nothing yet, sir… Wow, I guess I was wrong to trust a *woman* with this… Sir, it’s been a week. I need more time! Excuses, excuses. I had high expectations for you, but if things continue like this, your career here is done. Sir! I need to see this through! This case is important to me! I know, I know… You’ve been looking into this for a while. If you can actually somehow manage an arrest, I’ve made special arrangements for you to question them personally. Does that satisfy you? Niijima-san… We can’t let this case carry over into the term of the new prime minister. It’ll be an embarrassment for… whoever that may be. Wait, what does that me— Doesn’t matter! Just get results! Failure is not an option. Take whatever measures you need, no matter how… bold. Just get it done. I understand. Oh, before you go… if something… *unexpected* happens, contact me immediately. What do you mean by unexpected? You’ll know. And again, I said failure isn’t an option, so make sure you keep that instruction in mind. Now get the gently caress out of my office.Quick side note: these two lines in the actual script, which I’ve isolated from the original LP, make no goddamn sense to me.  What on Earth does Sae mean by “…To you, sir?”   (over the phone) God, I can just tell you’re making that loving face right now. Sojiro?  I was cleaning up… and found this.Music: Tension  ……! I found this… calling card… in your room while cleaning up. What is it? That’s… …… I knew it. This isn’t fake, is it? Why did you keep it!? It had sentimental value…! Explain. Explain… Can’t tell me? Well, seeing as how this clearly has nothing to do with me, I should probably just head upstairs. Seeya, Soj’! Don’t be like that! Help her! *sigh* Fine. I can explain it. Hm…? Well, then go ahead. Is this real? Was a “change of heart” triggered in you, Futaba? *sob* How about it? …Ever since… Mom died… there was… no exit… …I was trapped… in a labyrinth of… my heart… I knew I… had to leave it… but I couldn’t do it… by myself… Futaba… I don’t really understand all that poetic language… Where’d you pick that up, anyway…? But I can try to hear you out, at least.Music: Alleycat  The Phantom Thieves… saved me… They stole… my messed up heart… It’s the same as Mom’s research… They changed… my cognition… *sobbing* Seriously? …… Wakaba’s research about altering one’s cognition… I wondered about it myself too, but still… So you’ve been suspicious about this for a while, eh? When’d you catch on? That beach trip was just too much, too fast. The doctors had all given up, but somehow you kids managed to get her out of her shell in a week? I rationalized it away by thinking kids her own age would be better support than adults, but as I watched these tabloids day in, day out, I had the realization that her case seemed similar to what was happening with these Phantom Thieves. …Wow. I’m still your guardian, you know. I’d never overlook such a drastic change in your behavior. Sojiro… But to think that Wakaba’s research and the Phantom Thieves changing hearts were about the same thing. *sigh* Back in the day, I worked for the government. That’s how I met Wakaba, actually. I was the liaison between the country and Wakaba’s lab. Anyway, we were out drinking once, and she said something odd… She said that she might die soon… I laughed it off in the moment… But sure enough, she did… I failed her. And now, if anything were to happen to you, I’d be letting her down. There’s something I want to ask you, Maaku. Not loving how the conversation has suddenly turned to me, but… okay, shoot. Judging from your attitude, you knew about this calling card, didn’t you? You should’ve known that Futaba had a change of heart through the Phantom Thieves as well. …Is there a connection between you and them? The first incident of a change of heart was a teacher at your school. The kid who brought that painting here was a pupil of that artist who had a change of heart, wasn’t he? And then there’s Futaba… You always seem to be linked to these incidents somehow… Got anything to say? Seems like you already have the answer. …You think this is a game? You know what people call them? Criminals. Why did you introduce such dangerous people to Futaba!?  You’re wrong! I reached out to them for help! Maaku only stole my heart because I asked him to! …Asked? Stole? Way to go… Oof… Sorry. Don’t worry, you’re in eternal second place in the “blowing our cover” competition behind Ryuji. You’re at one to his, like, four. Wait, are you saying that he’s the one who changed your heart? He doesn’t just deal with the Phantom Thieves… he’s actually one of them? You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you? …Surpriiiiise, heh? Are you serious? You… really are a phantom thief? For crying out loud… Sojiro… So basically, I’ve been sheltering a phantom thief for the last six months? And on top of that, Futaba’s involved too… This… really isn’t funny… I… I need to find the person who killed Mom! Wait… killed…? She was killed! I… remember it now. Stop this nonsense! Why won’t you believe me!? Are you the same as everyone else? Didn’t you know already!? The way Mom died wasn’t normal! Didn’t you notice that her research was stolen by someone!? Sojiro…! Honestly, I’m still just in disbelief about a lot of this. She predicted her own suspicious death and you just laughed? And then when it happened, you didn’t think anything else of it? I thought it was suicide… Or maybe, I wanted to believe that, to feel less guilty and powerless… Of course it was fishy… but I had no power. All I could do was run away, hide, and end up here, as just some old loser running a café. And then I took you in out of my own selfish need to atone. All this crap you’ve been burdened with… it’s my fault. It’s not your fault, Sojiro. I acted all big, lectured, even yelled at you kids… And I end up getting consoled by her. God… Real pathetic, aren’t I? You can make it up to me by giving me an allowance. Nice try. It’s not your fault, Sojiro! Blame whoever killed Mom! …… …I see. *nods* What’s with the sour looks on your faces? Relax. I’m not gonna report you or kick you out… even if you are the Phantom Thieves. Who’d believe me anyway, right? I couldn’t explain it if I wanted to. Let me just say one thing though. Immediately back out of a fight you can’t win. Relax, old man. I’m about seventeen. I can never die. Don’t you get it? If by chance you pissed off the same guys that killed Wakaba… Then they’re not someone that kids like you can deal with. Listen to reason, all right? We’re done talking about this. C’mon, time to eat. All that yelling’s gotten me hungry. Phew… If he turned us in, that would’ve jeopardized our operation. …Still, we should tell the others about what just happened. Music: Suspicion   Ryuji, you know you’re not allowed to say that. I’m telling. Huh!? Please don’t… Wait, are you OK? He didn’t report you or anything? We likely wouldn’t be receiving these messages if Maaku was not OK. I had a feeling that Boss was no ordinary man…  But he didn’t recommend you turn yourself in, did he? I think in that case we can consider him a new ally. I’m more curious about what he mentioned to you. You mean how our enemy might be the same people who targeted Futaba’s mother? Yes. She was killed by mental shutdown, the same method used by the culprit we pursue now. Wait a second though… Didn’t you say Boss had to “run from it all”…? Does that mean someone was trying to stop the news from getting out? Who could do that…? …Who do you think the culprit could be? I’d say we’ll probably find out… very soon. I’m gonna punch you if you don’t stop doing that. Me as well. Likewise. I’d have to imagine that the culprit is someone powerful, if they were able to scare off a government official… Wait a sec! If you’re right, then wouldn’t the police be working for ‘em too!? …That’s not impossible. This is getting too big for me to even think about… Can we really win this? We’re gonna win, no matter what! *nod*Music: Beneath the Mask    All this happened because I kept the calling card… …… Is Sojiro still awake? This is kind of awkward…  Wait, shouldn’t you sleep on the sofa, so that Futaba can go ahead and sleep on the bed? …… Night.And so Futaba rejects our kind offer.     Anon: bring on the breakdowns~! Early Morning Music: Alleycat  …… Now, back to the Phantom Thieves. You idiots love this poo poo, right? Anyway, they’re murderers. The police have designated the Phantom Thieves as the country’s most wanted fugitives… And have decided to reward anyone with information leading to the capture of the Phantom Thieves. Hey, look at this. Anyone who provides information leading to an arrest will be offered a reward of thirty million yen… And don’t even think about claiming that, folks. That reward is MINE! *ahem* Such a high bounty reveals how unusual and desperate the situation is for the police. If I turn you in, I apparently get thirty million yen. That could get you a lot of coffee beans, or whatever the hell you spend your money on. Joking again? Do you understand your situation at all? This reward is going to make everyone care about hunting you down. Every day, everywhere. Even at school. …Why did this happen? For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. You don’t need to apologize. Well, how do I put this…? I’m sorry I didn’t realize it. It’s also my responsibility that this happened. All I can do now is give you shelter. Just don’t become desperate and do something reckless, all right? Just… believe in me, okay? I won’t sell you out. As long as you’re here, there’s nothing to worry about.  I feel bad about what we’ve done to the chief. I’m responsible too. Really? What did you do? Hocked up a hairball on his coat. UGH  Go away! I’m never happy to see you!  With this, the Phantom Thieves have become public enemy number one. (over the phone) Yes, hopefully this will draw them into our trap… at which point, I will no longer have to call you every five minutes. *chuckle* Exactly. …That will be when their curtain falls. Music: Suspicion   Akechi suggested they go to this school, right? (Pallid Fella) Go nuts, buddy. I’ll mourn you after the Phantom Thieves make your brain explode or whatever. But, 30 million yen, man… Just let me dream a little.Early Morning → Afternoon   I had braced myself for this possibility… Actually having a wanted notice out for us feels kinda weird…  I’m not sure we’re gonna get away this time. Our backs are truly against the wall now. Discussing it here won’t do us any good though. Let’s talk more in person. >You guys think they’ll let me collect on that reward, or nah? No one responded. I sense they didn’t think that was very funny…Afternoon → After School Music: Desire   …Well, this sucks. That reward is pretty big. They’re treating us like major criminals… I’m positive now… We were definitely set up. All of this was orchestrated to make the Phantom Thieves famous, then to get us to target Okumura… All so they could lay the blame on us for the mental shutdowns. So, was all of it fake? Were the people we thought were corrupt not? Was this all pointless? Relax, you’re spiraling into doubt. There’s no reason to believe the Madarame and Kaneshiro cases were anything but coincidental. The only way that would make any sense at all would be if Yusuke and I were in on it.     *collective gasp* *glares at Makoto* Makoto… How could you!? I wasn’t seriously proposing that as a possibility! My point is, those cases were completely separate from this plot! *ahem* Likewise, the incident with Mr. Kamoshida was too directly connected to us to be orchestrated. I believe only the Medjed and Okumura cases were involved with this plot. Oh yeah? What if, like, Madarame and Kaneshiro were doing money laundering for the real mastermind? What is your point, exactly? …That would be pretty crazy, right? Yes, mostly because it would make no sense at all. Is there a reason you’re bringing this up? …I withdraw my theory. …Back on topic, whoever is behind this conspiracy has clearly invested a lot of time and money into it. The fake Medjed, hacking the rankings… They likely engineered the Phantom Thieves fad themselves as well. I doubt President Okumura was their only target here… meaning that we’ll be blamed for many more deaths than just his—maybe even *all* psychotic breakdowns, past and future…  I *said* we shouldn’t rush into this carelessly! What, you’re blaming me for this!? You agreed too, dude! And besides, we had to help Haru! I’m sorry… I decided my father was a criminal and forced you all into helping me get rid of my fiancé. If I had only been able to cope… Haru, your dad *was* a criminal. Just because we took him down for your sake doesn’t mean he didn’t need to be taken down. And you shouldn’t have to “cope” with that poo poo. It’s really not your fault, Haru. I should have spoken up too when the principal died! Huh? Spoken up? To who? About what? Look, man, I’m just trying to do the “I am Spartacus” thing. It seemed like the right time for it… Dammit! *punches couch repeatedly* This is bullshit! God! Rgh, fu— *Ryuji.* You know the rules. Also, if you punch that couch again I’m gonna make you replace it. Raaaaaagh! Ryuji! Taking out your frustration on things doesn’t help anyone! Hey, what do you think, Maaku? …Why did we lose? What did we do wrong? If you’re asking how they got us, well, we fell right into their meticulously-laid trap. If you’re asking what we could have done differently, probably nothing short of abandoning Haru. And I dunno about you, but that doesn’t feel like a real option. But we only had our attention turned to Okumura in the first place because we had lost sight of our mission and were only focusing on our status and the adulation of the masses… Well, that’s not really true either. We picked Okumura because his name was on Makoto’s sister’s mental shutdown suspect list, remember? The rankings were a pleasant coincidence at the time. Hell, half of us still didn’t want to target Okumura even after his name came up *because* the public frenzy was so hot, so I really disagree with framing this as an act of unchecked hubris. Then… what is there to learn from this? I dunno. Don’t do it again, I guess? Right… It’s somewhat frustrating that we can’t even blame this on losing sight of our original cause, then… Well, that would be a weird thing for you to say anyway, Haru, because this was your first one. I can’t believe this…! I’m so frustrated right now! I have all this energy and I feel like it’s just gonna burst out of me any second! I wanna do something about this, but I have no idea what… Yeah. We’ll be in deep water at this rate… However, we have no idea who we’re up against… and whether they’re an individual or an organization. Furthermore, they must be in a position of power, or have powerful backers, if they can go so far. Are we really a match for this? Should we… end this now? I mean, things might get worse for everyone… poo poo *is* getting pretty bad right now… So… should we just give up? I never said that.Music: Disquiet  Sure, we’ve been forced into a corner, but that’s the perfect opportunity to make our grand, triumphant comeback. To escape from this trap. To snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. To, at the last possible second, swipe hope from the buffet plate of despair. To— These metaphors are nice and all, but what are you actually suggesting we do here? Simple. We can’t turn away and hide now. Yeah… Running away with our tails between our legs is exactly what they want… We’d be dumping everything we stand for just to save our own asses! …I see. I take back what I just said! I can’t let it end like this! Absolutely not like this! Looks like we’re settled on “what” we want to do. All that’s left is “how” we go about it… Yeah… After School → Evening Music: Beneath the Mask    Bein’ framed, and the added bounty… It all felt like such bullshit. I lost it… I’m sorry. It’s fine. I’m going to hold you to what I said about the couch if it happens again, though. Fair ‘nough, I guess. We’re wanted criminals now… Maybe I haven’t changed at all since that time we went up against Kamoshida… I wanted to be a phantom thief because I thought even someone like me could be a hero… It made me so happy to be depended on. Guess it all went straight to my head. I thought I could do anythin’ if it was for justice. But that’d make me no different from our targets… I called them shitbags, but I must be the shittiest of shitbags. I can’t even joke about it… You gonna quit, then? Because I’m sure one of our benchwarmers would love to take your place. Maaku… Heh, you’re right. I can start by changin’ who I am now. Thanks, Maaku. I feel like I can think straight now. Oh—I scared Haru and Futaba, didn’t I…? I’ll have to apologize to them soon. Seeya! Music: Suspicion   He wants us to gather at Leblanc tomorrow after school. >How does he know this is our hideout? Did you tell him? Yes, but also it’s extremely obvious and I suspect he already knew, so relax. Who does he think he is, trying to boss us around like that!? Tomorrow…? That’s sudden. This is directly after the reward announcement. There must be a calculated reason for this too. >You’re saying he’s taking advantage when we’re most likely to give in, huh? That sounds like him. Tomorrow, we need to be of one mind. No more fighting. We’ll talk more tomorrow. …We’ve reached a crucial moment. There’s no point fretting about it now though. Let’s just stay calm and wait for tomorrow.Music: Beneath the Mask     Heh. It looks like you’re still calm enough to be making jokes…  Akechi tomorrow!  I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you. I knew making you our leader was the right call. We consulted a profiling expert for his analysis… He determined that “they’re either in their 20s to 30s, or in their 40s to 50s.” They’re so far off the mark… Were they even trying?Feels like the easiest profiling job in the world, considering that the first target was a high school teacher, and they still hosed it up.           Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)     Casanova? Psh… Seems to me he was more like a shameless pervert than a stud. Well, at least you’ve learned more about the nuances of sex appeal.Maaku gains Charm +3. Music: Beneath the Mask     All right. I’ll see you later.Line Changes!!!! The confrontation with Sojiro on 10/26 has quite a few changes I noticed while editing this one. All the ones I noticed were changes to Sojiro’s dialogue, which makes sense because he gets the lion’s share of the meat of this conversation. First off, Sojiro’s line “Is it something that you can’t explain?” has become “Can’t tell me?” Good change. When Sojiro is telling Maaku and Futaba about Wakaba’s death, the line “That… she might soon die in an odd way.” is now “…that one of these days, she might die a bizarre death.” I get the change, “soon die” is a little awkward and “odd” isn’t quite strong enough an adjective here. Next, Sojiro’s line “These people are called criminals by the general public.” is now “You know what people call them? Criminals.” Much, much better now. Likewise, Sojiro’s line about running away after Wakaba’s death, “And the outcome of that… was me spending my retirement here.” has now become “Run away, hide… and end up here, as some old guy running a café.” There’s nothing wrong with the old line, but the new one is definitely an improvement. It flows very naturally from the preceding line and captures the tragedy of Sojiro’s character much more powerfully than the original. Similarly, the very next line after that, “Also the reason I took custody of you was… me trying to selfishly atone for what happened to Wakaba.” is now “To be frank, I took you in for my own good. Like it’d somehow make up for what I’d done.” Same deal as the last one, a straight improvement for much the same reason. A few lines later, Sojiro says, “And in the end, I’m the one being consoled. I’m hopeless and a laughingstock, aren’t I?” That line is now “And I end up getting consoled by her. God… Real pathetic, aren’t I?” The editor in me isn’t so hot on how in the new version Sojiro switches from referring to both Maaku and Futaba in the preceding line to only Futaba in this one, but I think the change is still strong because it gets rid of the awkward wordiness of the original line and gets to the heart of what it’s trying to express much more succinctly. Finally, a line from a different scene! In the group talk on 10/27, Ryuji’s line “That’s the same as dumping our aesthetics again ‘cause we only care about our own hides!” is now “We’d be dumping everything we stand for just to save our own asses!” The original line was terrible, and this one is good. Arist fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Mar 27, 2024 |
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Nov 24, 2023 22:51
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Arist posted:
"if something unexpected happens contact me immediately" so sae is basically saying "...[You want me to report] to you, sir?" It's an awkward couple of lines but it makes sense to me
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Nov 24, 2023 23:10
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Arist posted:
The profiling expert might be thinking of a fellow teacher who are in the age range of 20s-50s. Nonetheless, the probability of a student knowing about Kamoshida's abuse is more likely to be a student than a teacher or adult.
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Nov 25, 2023 00:10
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Arist posted:
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Nov 25, 2023 00:21
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I mean, he's an execrable little man, which is enough for me. I can throw virtual tomatoes at him just fine.
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Nov 25, 2023 00:24
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I always felt weird about the "where did we go wrong?" freakout session here, because, as you point out, Okumura was a valid target for so many reasons, and the Thieves were hesitant to act until they could unite behind a victim with a deadline, but on the other hand, it would be a poo poo scene if their convictions weren't momentarily shaken by becoming Tokyo's most wanted. I mean their actual mistake was failing to consider that anyone who knew the truth behind the mental shutdowns, but wasn't personally causing them, was never going to be allowed to spill the beans. I don't know if addressing that would annoy me less, though.
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Nov 25, 2023 00:42
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I doubt it will happen, but maybe Royal will add a cognitive SIU Director boss fight to Shido's Palace.
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Nov 25, 2023 00:45
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quote:
... I'm trying to delete it.
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Nov 25, 2023 00:57
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Arist posted:
I love this running gag you've added (among several others) to this particular runthrough, but I love this line because to me, it implies that the reason Shido calls the SIU director so often is so the latter can get his villainous exposition out of his system so they don't gently caress up and do it in public.
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Nov 25, 2023 02:56
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Does the SIU Director ever get a name? Or is he just his job?
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Nov 26, 2023 00:59
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he doesn't deserve a name
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Nov 26, 2023 01:00
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SIU Director is his legal name, he's a nepo baby
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Nov 26, 2023 03:53
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Zulily Zoetrope posted:I always felt weird about the "where did we go wrong?" freakout session here, because, as you point out, Okumura was a valid target for so many reasons, and the Thieves were hesitant to act until they could unite behind a victim with a deadline, but on the other hand, it would be a poo poo scene if their convictions weren't momentarily shaken by becoming Tokyo's most wanted. It’s not communicated well, but their hubris was mostly about thinking they can be rebels and heroes forever. A plot is always about two opposite values; here it’s Rebellion vs. Conformity. Before this point, they had it both, and even slightly started sliding towards Conformity because of the public approval. After Kamoshida, they never went for a target beloved so much that going against them seemed like social suicide; soon, they became the beloved heroes of Japan, and everyone going against them looked bad in comparison. This is the point in the plot where the main characters get a crushing defeat and learns that they were wrong this entire time. They can’t threaten the elite of their country and rake in popularity forever, because the masses are the ones who prop the elite up. A natural consequence of their actions is someone taking their hard-earned reputation and making them into villains. Their main fault was mostly ignoring it. They never cared to follow the Black Mask’s trail, even when two different Shadow Selves told them about him. They walked into Shido’s trap blindly, never figuring out that this is the first time someone else will definitely know whose palace they would target and being able to actually interrupt them. Hell, they didn’t even bother to wait for Okumura’s Shadow to disappear. And, of course, for the most of the game, they never tried too hard to hide their identities, because they didn’t really need to. Going after Okumura wasn’t their choice, but doing this in such a harebrained way absolutely was.
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Nov 26, 2023 09:19
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Arist posted:Line Changes!!!! i always knew atlus was always weird with translating (especially with the usage of honorifics when you play P4G with the Japanese voice track, i can never get over that) but i never really knew how "awkward" OG P5 was until now.
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Nov 26, 2023 14:54
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rannum posted:"if something unexpected happens contact me immediately" so sae is basically saying "...[You want me to report] to you, sir?" It is weird because you can understand it via context clues but it doesn't make sense as written. That said, the real awkward thing about it to me is that uh, no poo poo, why wouldn't she? Sae has this reaction like it's weird, why would she need any specific orders about reporting to her superior if something weird goes down? I mean I could see it being weird if she were way lower on the totem pole in the organization, but we've only ever seen her reporting to him.
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Nov 26, 2023 21:18
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Chapter 162: 10/28-10/29: Shifting Gears This update covers content from Parts 131-132 of the original LP. Since the last update, I passed my driver’s test! I am now legally a car. I would post a picture of it, but I don’t want to doxx myself, so instead here’s this cool figure of Bridget from Guilty Gear I got recently:  Cool, right? So far I like having it a lot better than I like having the ability to operate a non-commercial motor vehicle.  — DELETED BY ADMIN — Early Morning  *nervously probing audience response* Criminals are… bad? *cheering* That’s right! We have to stop those evil criminals! The government isn’t doing anything about all this mindcrime going on! Only I can! We need a new government that’s willing to take the appropriate measures to combat these mental shutdowns! We will stop the party responsible! Who is not me, by the way! *more cheering* Let us end this chaos through my hands and yours! (Older Employee) Seems like the ruling party is splitting up to form a new party, with him as the leader. (Younger Employee) I never vote, but I’ll vote for this man for sure! You don’t vote!? That kind of complacency slides our country irrevocably towards fascism! I’m voting *for* the fascist, though…Thank god, I avoided making a(n explicit) Trump joke there. You’re all welcome. Early Morning → After School Music: Suspicion   Hello, everyone. Let’s just get right to business. Yeah, we’d all rather not smell your cop stench for longer n’ we hafta. I’m fine with your cop stench, personally. But only yours. Anyway, what does your “cooperation” entail? You’ve no doubt seen the bounty for information by now… The police are clearly quite desperate to make an arrest. Or at least, Sae-san is. It’s not a bad strategy either. She’s making headlines with the arrest warrant, and then using incentives to acquire testimony. It would almost be enough to work… …If the Phantom Thieves were explicable by natural law. But we’re not, so she’s up poo poo creek. True. I’m the only one who’s ascertained your true identities. However, the groundwork for fabricating testimonies and concocting a culprit are underway. We don’t care about that self-gratification. Get on with it. That’s not true. We care a *little.* Quiet, you! I’ll be blunt. I’m thinking of triggering a change of heart in Sae-san. I’ve already discovered that she has a Palace. …… Huh? Really? If this is just to prevent the investigation from overstepping its bounds, that seems like overkill. Could one person really act so brazenly under such strict oversight? Yusuke, what have I been shouting directly into your ears through cupped hands for months? We’ve been over this. They’re all just as corrupt. As remiss as I am to admit it, he has a point. This case is a major embarrassment to the country at large, and those in charge of the investigation are under immense pressure to settle it once and for all. As long as Sae-san is able to resolve it, no one will care if the culprit is innocent, or that false evidence was used. No… They’re completely rotten! My objective is to find the true culprit. That must be the case for all of you too. However, the current situation is extremely bad. If worst comes to worst, someone unrelated will be set up as the culprit, huh? Our only solution to this is to make Sae-san come to her senses. If she’s in her right mind, she can stop this situation. Her sense of justice wouldn’t allow it. If we don’t do this, then the truth will never come to light, and an innocent civilian will have their life destroyed… That would be just *awful*. *snicker* Terrible, even! I couldn’t bear that, my *ethics* are just too strong! I mean, I guess I can understand how you feel. And changing Sae-san’s heart will be to protect her as well. How do you mean? If the true culprit were to learn that she’s responsible for the investigation… what would happen? I’m certain they’ll aim for her life. She’s the perfect target to place blame on the Phantom Thieves. …… In fact, the culprit may be making plans to target her as we speak… that handsome fiend! So how about it? Will you agree to my plan? Even though you’re particular about being just, you’re willing to get your hands dirty? It can’t be helped in order to ascertain the truth. There is also one more merit in changing Sae-san’s heart. Hm? What’s that? She’ll be a fine warning to others not to meddle with you any further. They can’t go public if someone in the investigation has a change of heart. It’d show their corruption. All that’s left from there is for me to discover the identity of the true culprit. ……  What do you mean? You’re gonna tell us to announce our disbandment once the real culprit is arrested… aren’t you? Ding ding ding! As expected from a Niijima. So, how about it? I think it’s a pretty good deal for both of us, myself. I have to admit, it’s a well-thought-out plan… It takes everything into consideration, even ending the Phantom Thieves. Oh, you flatter me. I’m gonna *flatten* you in a second… Why are you willing to do all this, Akechi-kun? Why do you seek justice? Because of sickening human beings… Yes. My contempt for such people drives my sense of justice. It isn’t some grand reason like society’s sake or some lofty ideal. It’s simply an absurd grudge… and extremely personal.Music: Confession/Secret Dude… Sounds dark and mysterious. I’m into it. You know, doesn’t he remind you of us? You mean, fighting in the shadows against the ills of society due to a tragic past where he was harmed by a nefarious adult? …I dunno, Ann. I don’t really see the resemblance. Besides, he’s a cop. Maybe we are similar, actually… That might be why I chose to ask this of you… So please, cooperate with me to change Sae-san’s heart. …Yeah, sure, okay. Fantastic! Dude, you’re blackmailin’ us. We don’t got another option. Still, I was worried. My mission can’t succeed without your help, after all. …Huh, now that I’m looking for it, he does say a lot of suspicious poo poo. Hm? Did you say something? Your hair is so luxurious. What conditioner do you use? Oh, this? Thank you for noticing! I have a hookup with a custom-order job for my unique and delicate follicles. I could give you my specialist’s number but I doubt it would have the same effect. Darn. Go make out somewhere else, you guys! The Phantom Thieves will be disbanded, and everything will work out… I pray it does. Mako-chan… I’m okay. I never mentioned it, but… I joined the Phantom Thieves in the first place because I had a heart I wanted to change… hers. I hoped the day where it became necessary would never come, but it seems it has. I even knew she’s had a Palace for months. I didn’t tell you because it was selfish… and also, because I was scared to look into it any further. I didn’t know what I’d uncover… Why don’t we try going there now to scope the place out? A lot of this will be new to me, so I’d like to get myself accustomed to it too. I-I’m sorry. I actually have plans today. You have plans? But you’re a nerd! How very unlike you, Makoto. Is something the matter? Shut up! It’s private! I see… How unfortunate. We’ll try tomorrow, then. I’m sorry, everyone.We’ll never actually find out what these plans are, but my honest guess is that she just needs time to accept this plan.  Wasn’t Makoto acting a bit weird? Makoto’s always acting weird. Besides, this involves her sister, so that makes things double weird. Hmm… does double weird multiply the weirdness or cancel it out and become normal? I’ll have to think about this. Uh, okay… Regardless, it all starts tomorrow… I hope this goes well.Music: Interrogation Room    Goddammit, Akechi… Yeaaaaaah… Anyway… I had a Palace? Really? And the Phantom Thieves targeted me on Goro Akechi’s advice? And he had already experienced the Metaverse by the time of the Okumura case? That’s a lotta questions, but, uh… yeah, basically. Akechi’s attitude did shift radically around that time… but still, he never said a word. I can’t believe he’d keep this hidden from me… And that’s just one more oversight from me, considering Makoto seems to have been working with you… What an embarrassment for me the leader of this investigation… Hey, don’t feel too bad about it. We’re all really good at this. You got caught, didn’t you? Ouch. So you became convinced of another’s existence through the two mental shutdown cases. And if you were apprehended while falsely accused of those crimes, that villain would still be loose. That’s why you targeted me? Not for your own preservation? Ehhh… Little of column A, little of column B… But still, targeting me would only buy you time, no? The country was still hostile to your actions. Finding the culprit must have been your plan. Are you interrogating me or yourself here!? Wait… there’s also the possibility that this villain would come after me next if they were setting you all up, right? Yeah, basically. That was part of the calculus, I will admit. …Did Makoto come up with that speculation? Nope, that was Akechi. Sorry to disappoint. Oh… I’m feeling a bit woozy… Hey, don’t panic but I think I’m fading… I hope I have that pumpkin dream one last time… You need to keep your focus! It seems you’re completely worn out… But the look on your face isn’t one of defeat… Why is that…? I really like that pumpkin dream… But also… I still have a trick or two up my sleeve. You’ll see. I haven’t lost yet. …I’m amazed. It seems you can still talk. …Though you do seem equally delirious… When you were arrested, a man at the scene told you that you were “sold out,” correct? Those words normally hint at the existence of a traitor… However, if your story till now is true… one reason can be concluded. It’s frustrating to admit, but at a certain point—no, most likely from the start—I was a mere puppet… …Someone set up only to bear responsibility later. Someone “intended” your arrest, and the minimal staff directly involved were in their pocket. And, if that were to be true, I suppose justice would be on your side after all… Thanks, pretty lady. I’m tired now, I’m just gonna take a little nap… Do not do that. I *will* slap you awake, I doubt that’d even rate a mention with all the police brutality you’ve already experienced. Sae is slowly starting to accept the truth… I feel like my bond with Sae is growing deeper… No, I’m jumping to conclusions. I don’t believe your story yet. There’s something I need to confirm with you… Did you really change my heart? C’mon, just tell me. Pretty please? What happened in the time between entering my Palace and your arrest? Tell me everything.After School → Evening Music: Suspicion  What do you want now? I wanna watch anime. I think it would help our infiltration if you looked into Niijima’s work and relationships. Anything will do, public or private. We can’t afford to be caught off guard by a roadblock. That all? I can do that easy. Now, if you want something a bit more *lascivious*… What? No. What!? Intriguing… in a bad way, mind. Never mind that. We’ll be fine with the normal poo poo, thanks. Anyway, we’ve got one more task for you. It could be pure paranoia, but… We’ve got an Akechi-related job for you. He said something that didn’t make sense back at the festival and it’s drawn our attention. Ah, I see, you want to have him killed. Well, you’ve come to the right place. I’m something of an aficionado in the moist and lurid recesses of the dark web. So am I, but that’s not really what we had in mind. Your mission for tomorrow is just to sneak one of your bugs onto his phone without him noticing. Ugh. I consider this task beneath my talents… Come on, just do it. I’ll buy you an ice cream on the way back tonight. Roger! Futaba reporting in, boss! I’d say that was impressive… but it was really just kind of pathetic how quickly she folded. You gotta know how to grease the wheels. — DELETED BY ADMIN — Early Morning Music: Suspicion  (Train Monitor) No progress in finding the Phantom Thieves. Also, the government’s loving collapsing. We’re all hosed. Goodbye.Early Morning → Afternoon Music: So Boring   Oh, right, Akechi never told us where to go… We’re meeting at the courthouse. It’s in the government office district in Kasumigaseki. Never been over there before. Lotta government buildings around there. The police department, the Ministry of Justice, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, AND Public Security. Plus, the Diet Building’s near there too! We’ll be plunging head-first into enemy territory… We’ll meet Akechi there. Be on guard, everyone.Afternoon → After School  So, we’re at the courthouse… Being in such close proximity to the law makes me sick. Akechi, start the debrief before I puke.Music: Disquiet My contact with Sae-san has been limited, but I believe I have ascertained her plan. She will likely conduct an investigation at Shujin and the Sakura residence on the 20th. Welp, sounds like we’re all hosed. Except you, Yusuke, you’re home free. Would that it were under better circumstances… It seems our deadline is November 20th, then. Wait, I thought the authorities didn’t have any evidence of our true identities? They don’t. That’s the deadline before the police are forced to move on some random schmuck, and I’m not going to let that come to pass, so I’d just turn you all in before that. Your unflinching commitment to our cause is noted.The game itself never actually squares that plot hole I just had Makoto bring up, for the record! That said, the police do still have basically nothing to go on, so the operation shouldn’t take place before the 20th. Now, let’s get moving. A bunch of teenagers loitering in the government district is rather unusual and we don’t want to attract attention. *pulls out phone* *gasp* That’s— Huh? What about my smartphone?  Ah!Music: Wicked Plan You got any games on your phone!? Sorry… That’s Futaba for you. No social skills at all… *staring Akechi dead in the eye* Yeah, partially because my mom was murdered. Isn’t that weird, Akechi? How are you so proficient with my phone without even looking at it? I’m really smart. I’ve got you and your phone all figured out, mister. …Huh? Laying it on a little thick there, Futaba… Akechi, I’ll send everyone’s contact info to you later. After Futaba gives your phone back, whenever that may be. Done! Sorry, I just love looking at people’s phones. You can learn so much about a person from their apps. Oh, and what did you learn about me? *gives Akechi’s phone back* That you’re boring, mostly. No games at all on there. I did look in the contact list though. There’s a lotta calls with someone named “I Am Going To Kill This Man”. I… err… that’s… one of my superiors! It’s… an in-joke, you see! Oh, like that time Ryuji couldn’t remember the word “turtle” and Ann changed the name of the group chat to “shellman”! How long you gonna keep bringin’ that up!? R-Right…Music: Suspicion Then, shall we get started? We need to figure out what Makoto’s sis thinks this courthouse is, right? Hm… Well, she is fiercely competitive… perhaps she views it as… I already checked, it’s a casino. Candidate found. Oh… It’s no fun if you just tell us. Sorry, but I’ve known about this Palace for months. Did you really think I wouldn’t have already tried to figure out the distortion? Very good, Niijima-san. I can see Sae-san in you. Akechi, shut the gently caress up. Welp, it’s time we head in then. Beginning navigation.  Video: Sae’s Palace   Head right past there and keep a low profile.  Wait, I dropped my glasses! There’s no time! You can go back for them later!   Huh… What? Why…? This is… Let’s go.     Man, I can’t see poo poo! What are we looking at!? We can’t see anything either! There’s a *building* in the way! Why did we stop here!?I just want to point out that the “original” version of that scene is just complete nonsense, probably because it’s animated and was thus produced much earlier in development than everything around it. Why are they surprised that the courthouse is a casino!? They already knew it would be a casino! And I know this is just meant to make the “reveal” better, but why did they stop in the middle of the road to look at the casino when there’s a building there! Anyway, we didn’t cover all that much this time, but I doubt I would actually have the characters left to take this update to my originally planned stopping point, so that’s gonna do it. However, before we go, there’s another edition of… Line changes!!! In Shido’s speech at the start of the update on 10/28, his line “If this is a ship that’s bound to a rotting dock and destined to sink, we might as well destroy it once.” is now “We don’t have to go down with a sinking ship! We have the power to change this!” The original line is terrible and the bit where he says “we might as well destroy it once” sounds like he’s just doing it for shits and giggles like he’s on Jackass or something, not suggesting public policy. The new line is clearly better. During Akechi’s proposal to the group on 10/28, his line about changing Sae’s heart, “It will become a warning not to mess with us.” is now “She’ll be a fine warning to others not to meddle with you any further.” The original is a little stiff and the new one doesn’t have Akechi refer to himself as a member of the group, so I get it even if the new line still isn’t the most natural. It is worth noting that in the new version Robbie Daymond is getting very weirdly directed in the way he reads the line. He sounds very ominous whereas the rest of the conversation is downright cheery. In the same conversation, Makoto’s line “…Because I wanted to change my sister’s heart. I was hoping it’d never come to pass though.” is now “…Because I wanted to change my sister’s heart. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to it, though.” A very minor tweak there, and not really a necessary one in my opinion. During the Sae flash-forward on 10/28, her line “If this is all true, I’m appalled as the commander of this operation. I alone was kept in the dark…” is now “If this is all true, I was out of the loop the entire time I led the investigation. What a joke…” Definitely better. On 10/29 in Kasumigaseki, Akechi’s line “But this should be a substantially forced operation. I doubt it’ll take place before the 20th.” is now, “Still, there’ll be quite a bit of red tape involved. I doubt it’ll take place before the 20th.” “Forced operation” is pretty tortured phrasing, so it’s better now.
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Dec 2, 2023 22:50
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Finally, we've reached the tutorial section of the game. 
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Dec 2, 2023 23:20
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Arist posted:
I have a guess that the story originally revolves around the player figuring out who the traitor is and choosing which one of the party member betrayed the group, and various story elements like this one is supposed to sow doubt into who it might be (even though the current iteration of the story makes it fairly obvious).
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Dec 3, 2023 02:05
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Yeah, that's what I figured as well, particularly given that it comes right before the flash forward where Sae reminds you that there's a traitor. Makoto's mysterious plans had to be left in, because the game needed an excuse to delay the scouting operation by a day. Which I think is a good change on the whole. The traitor subplot was always a red herring to distract you from the actual upcoming plot twist, and Joker or the player trying to puzzle out which of his teammates has sold him out actively detracts from that reveal. In fact until just now I assumed Makoto was planning to meet with Futaba to iron out the actual plan, but it turns out Joker only loops in Futaba after that point, so  yeah she probably just needs a minute to get into the "walk into the physical manifestation of your only family member's trauma and punch all their darkest inner thoughts in the face" headspace.
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Dec 3, 2023 02:59
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That's almost certainly the actual reason and it's something I've believed for a while, but also I'm trying to find a diegetic reason
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Dec 3, 2023 03:01
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It's hilarious that the devs just gave up on trying to add justifications for Joker just not having glasses in the anime cutscenes at this point.
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Dec 3, 2023 03:13
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P5 absolutely is a game that needed a few edit passes through its script once its plot was fully nailed down. Or possibly it had a few too many editors who weren't on the same page.
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Dec 3, 2023 04:16
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Might as well bring up now: this upcoming stretch right before the casino heist is one of the #1 places where they've been jamming in sidestories and gacha collaborations. Persona Q2 takes place during a mementos run that the Thieves brought along Akechi to. Persona 5 Tactica DLC episode - Repaint Your Heart involves Yoshizawa and Joker stumbling across another case Akechi is working on simultaneously with this "deal" with the phantom thieves. (Being the fake Detective Prince is a busy job.) Another Eden x Persona 5R - Bound Wills and the Hollow Puppeteer takes place during a mementos run that the thieves didn't invite Akechi to despite him being available. Another Eden is also one of the few Gacha games that keeps its collabs permanently accessible. (It also has a 2nd P5 collab that pulls the thieves in from further on in the plot, which I won't discuss further until then.)
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Dec 3, 2023 05:27
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Persona Q2 is hilarious, because the other groups are mostly unaware of Akechi being a murderer (barring some things like Koromaru sensing Akechi's sad anime boy hours or Shinjiro getting a vague vibe from him), while the Phantom Thieves just have to hear everyone continually comment on what a reliable and trustworthy guy he is as they sit on the truth. You even get a number of dialogue options to have Joker be a dick to Akechi at the start when it's just the P5 cast.
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Dec 3, 2023 05:38
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-DELETED BY ADMIN-
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Dec 3, 2023 05:39
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MightyPretenders posted:Might as well bring up now: this upcoming stretch right before the casino heist is one of the #1 places where they've been jamming in sidestories and gacha collaborations.
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Dec 3, 2023 22:54
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kw0134 posted:P5 absolutely is a game that needed a few edit passes through its script once its plot was fully nailed down. Or possibly it had a few too many editors who weren't on the same page. Yeah, I get the feeling that it was a "too many cooks in the kitchen" kind of situation. I spent 10 minutes trying to think up a diegetic reason on why Joker wouldn't have his glasses other than "devs screwed up and didn't want the studio to re-animate the scene again"
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Dec 4, 2023 07:35
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Which is even funnier considering that glasses are one of the most easily edited in accessory in existence, not being far behind rings and earrings E: honestly I could probably make convincing frame edits with loving mspaint
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Dec 4, 2023 08:10
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kebyou posted:Yeah, I get the feeling that it was a "too many cooks in the kitchen" kind of situation. I spent 10 minutes trying to think up a diegetic reason on why Joker wouldn't have his glasses other than "devs screwed up and didn't want the studio to re-animate the scene again" IIRC, the cutscenes were created very early in development, for a storyline that ended up being very different than what we got. I guess Atlus decided to just use what they already paid for. I think it's been already discussed here or on the general Persona games thread that the original storyline likely involved a round-the-world trek (hence the Palaces looking like places found in different locations), but I also think it involved a Metaverse that was already merging with reality from the beginning of the game which is why you have the Kamoshida-with-yellow-eyes anime cutscene when Joker awakens as well as the casino cutscenes at the beginning that looked like it had actual people instead of Shadows.
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Dec 4, 2023 11:19
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AradoBalanga posted:So basically, if the P5 dancing game spinoff had an actual plot, this is roughly the point in the timeline where it'd be wedged into? Not quite, since Akechi wasn't part of the game (he was DLC, just like Shinjiro). It's actually explicitly set after the game; Joker mentions that Caroline and Justine are 'split again', to which they mention it's more convenient this way. This means that it's at least post Yaldabaoth with Lavenza having reformed (and with the ability to split back).
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Dec 4, 2023 14:44
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ApplesandOranges posted:Not quite, since Akechi wasn't part of the game (he was DLC, just like Shinjiro). It's actually explicitly set after the game; Joker mentions that Caroline and Justine are 'split again', to which they mention it's more convenient this way. This means that it's at least post Yaldabaoth with Lavenza having reformed (and with the ability to split back). Also, unless I'm much mistaken, the dancing games and Ultimax are the only Personas since Eternal Punishment which don't have the gang helping their new non-human friend find some humanity as a central plot point.
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Dec 4, 2023 23:36
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Chapter 163: 10/29: Casino Royal This update covers content from Part 132 of the original LP. Music: Disquiet   The courthouse is a casino… Yeah, we can see that. Alright, wiseass… That wasn’t sarcasm. I found my glasses, so I can see it now! Everywhere else seems to be a normal cityscape. What’s that over there? That’s the police station. I didn’t know that the station and the courthouse were next to each other. Our attire hasn’t changed… That must mean we aren’t considered threats or hostiles yet. Areas outside the courthouse must not warrant her attention. She does go to the police station often for her job though. Welp, the police station prolly won’t matter. Let’s ignore it. Anyway, our newcomer is going to need a code name. …Code name? Phantom thieves can’t go around usin’ their real names, right? It ain’t cool either. Hmm… How about “Karasu”? It’s the word for raven. …Are your clothes all black or something? The reverse, actually. If our code names are to hide our identities, wouldn’t that be better? Nope, won’t work. Everyone else’s is an English word. Um… Uh, except yours, Noir! Then let’s call him “Crow”! Alright then. Crow it is. Good choice. Only trustworthy people evoke crows. Now then, let’s head into the courthouse!Music: The Whims of Fate       Music: Disquiet   So, this means we’re acknowledged as a threat, correct? So, uh… what’s with the getup?   *stifled giggling* Hm? What about it? This is my mental image of justice. *snrk* Dude, you look like you’re leading a marching band that exclusively performs Christian rock covers. …As opposed to the rest of us, who look like we’re in the middle of the worst tokusatsu LARP of all time? Exactly. I see… Well, I can certainly bear a bit of good-natured ribbing from my colleagues… I shall endeavor to take it in stride, and give in return as good as I receive! The hell’s he talkin’ about…? My ribbing is not good-natured. It is targeted and malicious. Right… Just be careful with that mask or someone might get their eye poked out.  Even though we’re in a flashy casino? Niijima’s mental image of average people must not be very distorted. Does Crow need this stuff about cognitions explained to him at all? Don’t worry, I should be able to follow along just fine on my own. Good for you, ‘cause we’re not gonna tell you even if you do get confused. Ah! Hostility! This is my chance to return fire! Hm, what would be an appropriate response…? Oh, I know! Take your time. *ahem* Well, I’m fine with being the ignorant one here if it finally gives you a chance not to be the most clueless person in the room, Skull. Wow, drat. …Ouch. Enough joking around, you guys! Our deadline is the 20th. We need to secure our infiltration route before we send the calling card. So the calling card wasn’t merely for show? It’s a necessary step!?  Stop interrupting. M-My apologies. Well then… Let’s go.Music: The Whims of Fate   Before we start, let’s take another look at Crow’s Persona, Robin Hood, since it’s been about… oh, five years since we last did that. We’ve got the basics: Kouga and Eiga for Medium Bless and Curse coverage, plus Hamaon and Mudoon for instant-kills of the same. Megaton Raid is Severe Physical to one target, the Severe damage tier showing up much earlier than it does for Skull or Fox. There’s also Megidola, which is multi-target Almighty damage (a neutral damage type that isn’t possible to be negated or resisted in exchange for nothing being weak to it. It’s the same damage type used for All-Out Attacks, and fun fact: in Persona 3 and 4 there were actually occasional enemy types that resisted Almighty, making All-Out Attacks useless! Fun!). His last current skill is Fortify Spirit, which reduces his odds of getting inflicted with ailments. Not very useful, especially if Noir is in the party, because her Trait does the same thing for everyone. Anyway, he can use Curse despite being weak to it, which is nice.  Speaking of Traits, Robin Hood’s is Tactical Spirit, which gives a chance to reduce the SP cost of any ally’s support skills by half.  Let’s just make our way across this room.    Music: Desire   You’re after the Treasure, are you not? Come on down and I will tell you where it is. Wh-What!? We’re not going to fall for a trick like that… Oh, yes we are! I accept your terms! Very good. Come down and we’ll do this fair and square.  So you’ve come. The Treasure is located on the Manager’s Floor, at the highest point of this building. …Why are you telling us this? It’s as I said before… I wish to go about this in the fairest manner possible. First, I ask that you come up to my location. We will continue this there… *snaps fingers*      Yeah, that’s what elevators do, man…Music: The Whims of Fate   Let’s head into the safe room first. Music: Have a Short Rest     I might’ve mentioned forever ago that we can talk to certain party members in safe rooms now. It’s whatever.    The cool thing is that we can also get Yusuke to do some skill card duplication in here.  I choose Null Psy for… some reason. Apt Pupil, which dramatically increases Critical rate, would probably have been a better choice.    Music: The Whims of Fate  Well, let’s get back to it. Music: Suspicion   Member’s card? What’s that? In countries with legalized gambling, casinos tend to have membership systems like player’s clubs. There may even be specific areas of the casino reserved for certain membership ranks. That may be how things function here as well. I don’t really get it… but if we find one of these cards, you’re sayin’ we can use this, right? We might have a small problem on our hands before that…  As I expected. Registration will not be such a simple matter. She must be daring us to challenge the security of this place to make it to her. Tch, here it comes!   No need to worry. I’ll handle this. I need to prove my worth to you, after all. Oh, this should be good. I’ll make sure of it.Music: Will Power           When Crow says we can leave it to him, you’d expect this enemy to be weak to one of his chosen elements, right? Nope! It resists everything except Bless and Curse, and it nulls the latter of those last two. So not only do you have to trial-and-error his damage skills to find out which non-Almighty element this guy is vulnerable to, you don’t even get a knockdown when you finally guess right. Very annoying. Not a strong first impression, Crow.  That’s all you got, man? We didn’t even get to see you do a cool pose or nothin’! My apologies… This usually never happens… Well, you didn’t die, so we’ll count that as a win. I think that’s enough hazing for today, guys. We’ll pick back up with it next time. I actually suggest we break for today, everyone. It seems like the enemy is preparing to ambush us further ahead, and we have a good foundation for future infiltration now. Very well, I trust your experience and judgment. Let us do that.After School → Evening Music: Beneath the Mask   Suck-up. I agree. It’s not terribly flattering for you. >I *said* no more hazing for now. >Sorry about them. They just hate you, is all. I see… Well, I think I understand the basic mechanics of the change of heart now, at least. Don’t underestimate things. It’s always harder than it seems at first. I assure you, I am prepared for whatever may come. Niijima-san’s Shadow seemed super confident… It makes me worried… You’re right, we should be cautious. Very well. You will let me know when you enter the Palace, yes? No. Nah. Figure it out yourself. Silence, cop! >I’ll think about it. Then I’ll simply have to wait at Leblanc every day. >Jeez, it’s like we’re married. And as thrilling as that sounds, I’ll have to pass. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you in the know. Very good. I’ll work to fulfill your expectations of me. (talking to self) Yeah, I’m sure you will…    But I seriously believe the Phantom Thieves are innocent. By the way, I changed up the survey question. It’s already up in flames though. It’s a problem for me too if people don’t think the Phantom Thieves are heroes… Just try and clear the stigma on your name as soon as you can, OK? I’m counting on you!       It’s the stuff we ordered from Tanaka.    However… he’s not the only traitor! Revive and fight, Phoenix Rangers! Next episode… “You Again, Hawk?”     We don’t have any books we need to read right now, so I decide to try to train today… but we can’t, because this was technically a Metaverse day. Darn.   Let’s just read this one. Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)   This seems like a fun place to go with a special someone… …In any case, it’s not somewhere you’d want to go by yourself. Seaside Park seems to be a great place to go, day or night. It’s mainly a date spot, though. You should invite someone to go there, but… Hmm… Who would you choose?Music: Beneath the Mask   
Arist fucked around with this message at 06:12 on Dec 10, 2023 |
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Dec 9, 2023 20:29
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The camera angle is different, but the text box is the same
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Dec 10, 2023 00:21
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Arist posted:
He dissed Ryuji so hard that the main character had to remove his Phantom Thief disguise just to dramatically put it back on.
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Dec 10, 2023 06:09
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Akechi’s codename, Crow, sounds like “kuro,” which means “black” in Japanese. They call him the black mask to his face
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Dec 10, 2023 15:27
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Then let’s call him “Crow”! Alright then. Crow it is. Hey did you guys know that a group of crows is called a mu- A GROUP OF BEST FRIENDS (heh, nailed it)
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Dec 10, 2023 18:36
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Chapter 164: 10/30: Cry, Uncle Anon: they’re def guilty Early Morning Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)     I don’t know what to do… Sorry to burden you with my troubles, Hamiru-san. Anyway, I’ll be at the arcade. Stop by if you want to train.  Just concentrate on your food. Come on, let’s finish eating and then send a reply once we go upstairs.Early Morning → Daytime   No matter what happens, we have to change her heart. >You gonna be all right? Not too late to back out, you know. Yes, it is. But I’ll be fine. I appreciate the concern. Actually, never mind. I find your sudden interest in my mental state rather suspicious. I expect you were preparing some kind of rhetorical trap for me, weren’t you? >What??? >No!!!! Well, if you do truly mean that, then I apologize for my paranoia. I know you love messing with me, but I shouldn’t have reacted like that to you asking if I was all right. But also, if you’re lying, please die. Ouch…Music: Tokyo Emergency     Don’t we have other priorities right now?   The only one who can rebuild this rotten world is… that man. You’re still blindly following the Phantom Thieves? They were nothing but a sweet, sinful trap. The Phantom Thieves played Robin Hood, but they committed those crimes just to please themselves. When they’re inevitably caught, it’ll be a poignant fall from grace, just like in the movies. With the attention he’s getting, you’ll know soon enough. He’s the real deal. His words have soul…This is like when someone tweets a screenshot of a movie you haven’t seen with an intriguing-yet-vague opinion about it and the tweet doesn’t contain the title of the loving movie. I know that sounds really, really specific but I see that poo poo like, once a week. The Phantom Thieves played Robin Hood, but they committed those crimes just to please themselves. When they’re inevitably caught, it’ll be a poignant fall from grace, just like in the movies. It’s believed that all of them have been caused by the Phantom Thieves. The public remains terrified of the cruel and inhumane acts the Phantom Thieves are committing. Dammit! What’s going on? None of that’s our fault!   (Talkative Old Man) The only one who’s giving us a reason to hope is that one politician. That Shido’s very competent. He worked his way up from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. More than anything, I can tell that he’s a good, upright, and honest man. I like him.  (Radio Announcer) Approval ratings remain low, and it seems like a dissolution of Parliament is inevitable… I’m not surprised. Politicians do nothing for us. That’s the way it’s always been.      Did… Did they scramble Kotaro’s brain because they’re bad people? (Gentle-Looking Mother) What? Who told you that? Don’t worry, everyone’s all right, okay?Music: Tokyo Daylight    (Young Rocker) I’m just singing! I don’t need anyone’s permission to rock out!  You’re gonna break your mother’s heart if you keep this up, kid. Um… We’ve had to tighten city security because of the Phantom Thieves case. Pack your things and be on your way.    (Middle-Aged Lady) What are you saying? Did something happen with your boyfriend? I told him my real age and apologized. And then he said, “No way”… I broke up with him! I guess being honest really isn’t worth it!    (Rookie Station Attendant) You think the town’s abuzz ‘cause of the bounty, Chief? That, and the change in government. I heard the newsstand lady talking about it. According to her, the tabloids are selling like hotcakes, so it must be what everyone’s in the mood for.   The surge of darkness spreads… Sun God… please come back…  Now that the Phantom Thieves have been covered by shadows, the world will fall into darkness… Sun God, the people are scared! Now is the time for you to shed your light on the path…  Didn’t you hear? The supposed apostles of the Sun God have fallen into darkness… Sun God, the people are scared! Now is the time for you to shed your light on the path…  This is terrible… *groan* …Even the Sun God has been consumed by the darkness… Sun God, the people are scared! Now is the time for you to shed your light on the path…   Observant readers have probably already noticed something that it took until this point in the recording to grab my attention.    Everyone’s wearing Halloween costumes! That’s so dumb! I love it! Why today, though!? It’s the 30th! Maybe it’s just because it’s Sunday, that would make sense.      His aura of popularity was on at full blast. He kinda had the same smell as you…  (Veteran Pick-Up Artist) …Who’d you go with? A girl? You did, didn’t you? Of course, I went with a girl. She’s a fan of Akechi, so…     hhhh I love it, especially during the upcoming season! And that’s why I need you to get something that’s trending right now. I heard it can be purchased from a vending machine somewhere.That’s not very helpful, my dude!  Well, as it turns out, we foresaw this event, so we already have one. Let’s give it to him.       Obviously, there’s no telling what’s inside this can… Which is why you’re about to go feed it to your child. A truly fascinating product. You always get everything I ask for. I look forward to our next trade.  The Angel Badge has the passive skill Angelic Grace attached to it. Angelic Grace doubles the user’s evasion rate versus all magic attacks except for instant-kills and Almighty. Decently handy, I’d say, but I generally prefer expanding an ally’s active skill repertoire to increase their elemental coverage over something like this. I equip it on Joker, but I honestly probably shouldn’t have. Matarukaja is much better to have in most situations.    Then we’re going to take a nice picture and post it online, so all my mom friends can see it!  (Mild-Mannered Dad) What, like matching outfits? Is that even a thing these days? Oh no, we’re not going to “match”… We’re going to “coordinate”! What’s hip now is a more relaxed style of matching, like the same top or denim jacket. (Bobbed-Hair Girl) Who cares? I’m cold. I wanna go home and play games.   (Muhen) What happened? I thought you were supportive of them. Now that I’m not working, I’ve got a lot of free time. It’s my bebop after retirement.Huh??? This may be unwanted advice, but… Even bebop was ad-libbing within certain rules. When your playing goes out of control, you just might destroy the song.    I’ve figured out where the Phantom Thieves’ hideout is. I can sell you ther info for a cheap price. Ah, don’t believe me, I see . I’ll have you know I’m pretty well-informed. They’re really close to here. Closer than you’d think. How about it? 50,000 yen? Hey, you ignoring me!? Huh!? Whoa! Wait a sec, you involved with the investigation or something!? …Heh, yeah right. A kid like you? I don’t even care. Just get outta here.   Amazingly, we’ve gotten five times more contract sign-ups this autumn than we did last year! That’s because people know that Wanna-B-Alert will protect you when evil suddenly strikes! To celebrate our high contract numbers with our customers, we’re giving away Wanna-Wanna-kun dolls!    It also seems suspicious though. Doesn’t this situation kind of feel like it was all set up? (Serious-Looking Lawyer) It’s probably the police sending a message. “This is what happens when you cross the authorities.” This whole thing even impacted the government. I doubt the police are looking forward to Christmas.    (Fast-Talking Man) The Phantom Thieves are all over the news. People on the internet are always talking about them. If I won that 30 million yen reward, I’d reserve the entire café and have a humongous party! Yeah, yeah. We’ll be waiting to welcome your arrival…    (Plump Man) No way. It’d never work. Did you forget? Guys like us make for some annoying enemies, but we’re pretty useless allies. You know what? That does sound like us, huh?  (Troubled Woman) Wha…? But we just signed the contract… You know… I never thought I’d say this, but I…  D-Don’t worry! I borrowed 1 million yen from my parents… The stock market’s small-time! I’ll win it big on the foreign exchange market! Celebrolution!Music: Tokyo Emergency  About my uncle, um… I wanna head into Mementos right now. Futaba and I will need to go into Mementos, just the two of us… It’ll be time-consuming and dangerous. Not an easy task… Thanks. This is a family issue, so I wanna do it alone with you. Oh, and I sent my uncle an anonymous letter, so the calling card part’s taken care of.Hierophant Rank 8.5: Part 136 Now, one thing we could and indeed, probably should go do today is unlock Haru’s Confidant so we can get right to making veggies. Unfortunately, I have to stick to the Confidant spreadsheet I made a while back. When I made that spreadsheet, I chose to postpone Haru’s Confidant unlock by a day to instead help Futaba with her uncle for Sojiro’s sake. The reason I didn’t just swap these two events is that Futaba’s regular Confidant isn’t available tomorrow, and I wasn’t sure if that meant she wouldn’t be available to help Sojiro that day either. I could have theoretically checked that out while recording this update, but it seemed like a lot of work for marginal gain so I didn’t bother. The good news is that I managed to fix the spreadsheet once again so that we can actually finish all the non-party Confidants before the deadline, which was the entire reason I made it in the first place, so that’s nice.  He’s saying, “money, money”… He forced Sojiro to pay back his debts. He made me go through horrible things, too. …Joker, make him have a change of heart!Music: Desire   I love money! Give me your money! Money, money money!!!!!!!!!! Wait, no, poo poo, that’s actually pretty much what he’s saying here. What am I supposed to do with this!? I give up! gently caress you! Hey, did you bring me money!? Why don’t you sell that stupid shop and give me the money? It’s consolation money! It’s reparations! You have to…! You have to give me your money! No, I don’t think I will. If I have enough money, I can keep gambling until I hit another jackpot! If you won’t give me any money, then I’m gonna destroy you!  I’m not getting destroyed by someone like him! Let’s go, Joker! Music: Keeper of Lust   In the original LP, I made a big deal out of this guy being pretty difficult. Maybe it was just my setup there failing me or maybe it’s the changes made in Royal, but either way, I didn’t have any real trouble with him this time around. I stuck primarily to Daisoujou for Makouga (lacking regular Kouga) and Agidyne. Daisoujou, handily, resists Physical, so the enemy’s Rising Slashes do very little damage. Daisoujou also has Diarahan, so I can fully heal whenever I want. I do dodge an attack or two as well thanks to Angelic Grace.   Oracle’s Support Plus procs for the first time here, reducing the enemy’s Defense.    I also have an Old Ghillie Vest equipped on Joker, which gives a low (10%) chance to repel a Physical attack, so he just blows himself up here.  Music: Sunset Bridge  Wakaba was smart and competent. I’m just a loser. I guess things would always turn out this way. You were thinking about Mom…? Even back then, I thought just being normal was okay… Then, my whole world changed when I won a lot of money through gambling. Everyone who thought I was worthless started being jealous of me. Haha… I couldn’t forget that feeling… It made me feel like I was smart and competent, like Wakaba! Well… sucks to suck, I guess. Yeah! That’s no excuse! Ha… Haha… You’re absolutely right… But maybe I’ve realized that too late… Futaba, I’m sorry… Forgive me, Wakaba… Uncle…  Now he won’t sue anyone, right? Sojiro’s safe now! Youji Isshiki seems to have had a change of heart. I should check on Sojiro… Daytime → Evening Music: Beneath the Mask  Well, how do I put this… I’m glad you made it home…   What is it? You got any idea who the true culprit might be?*long pause* No.*shorter pause* Is that all? I mean, I guess, yeah… Don’t worry. I’ll definitely catch him. I’m really good at my job. Please look forward to it. No wonder he’s a star detective. Even the way he talks about these things is different from us. What the gently caress are you talking about???  Offisherrrrr! I got ‘em! I caaaaaught a phannom thief! (Burly Officer) Okay, quiet down, sir. Sorry about this. Now let go of him, and we’ll get you home.  Offisher! I believe I jus’ won th’ thirty jillion yen rewarrrd. I caught… muh phannom thief. Okay, okay. Who are you talking to? There’s no one over there. Hmm? Wha’ are you sayin’? Are you shayin’ yer not a phannom thief? Can’t fool meee! Yer a phannom thief! Okay, stop right there. Let go of him and head on home, okay?  (Innocent Grade Schooler) What!? That sucks… All that time you spent studying hard was for nothing!  I hate it when our parents just make us study all the time! I’ll get them back for this. I’ll get back all the games and manga they threw out!  Reserved College Student is still missing.  (Partying College Student) Our club’s gonna bag that reward! Every one of us should be diggin’ up dirt on the Phantom Thieves!  Well, hold on now. We don’t want to put ourselves in any danger. Relax, buuuddy! We’re unstoppable!  (Elderly Office Worker) Those who are swayed by fads are fools. The people of this country will never learn.   (Sullen Office Worker) Our company’s been hurting financially too after investing in Phantom Thieves related stuff. We’re always the ones getting the short end of the stick. I’ve had enough of this. Politicians are also to blame. They’ve been ignoring that dangerous group for a long time.  (Sober Regular) Oh, it’s you. Your Japanese has gotten pretty decent.  I want to get better at speaking to customers. Communication is key. That’s why I started following current events more on the news.    Was he tryin’ to stop me through suicide or something? Heh, looks like he didn’t have the guts. Well, whatever. That guy’ll disappear soon enough. Then, it’ll just be me in this body. Heh heh.   (Rural Young Man) Does that mean ya finally wanna come back home to the country? No. I worked too hard to get here just to leave now. Just gotta hope they’re caught soon. I’ll keep ya safe. We’re all real worried ‘bout ya, y’know.  (Sake Reporter) *chuckle* I’m gonna have to decline. I just wanna drink with those guys. Bet I could make a scoop outta that article. *hiccup* Sheesh, I can never tell if you’re being serious or you’re just yanking my chain. Heh, I’m always serious. Serious at gettin’ drunk! *hiccup* He keeps trying to say they’re innocent. It gets us some pretty nasty looks while we’re out in public. (Tired Housewife) Uh-oh. Are you sure he hasn’t been brainwashed? They say they can manipulate people’s hearts, you know. S-Stop! Don’t say that… My son doesn’t really care about the Phantom Thieves… But you should keep an eye on your boy.  (Charismatic Manager) …What’s gotten into you? Well, it’s real frustratin’! You’ve worked so hard on this shop, but we keep losin’ to that big store… That’s why I figured we could start sellin’ stuff online! Hmmm… As much as I like your enthusiasm, we need to be realistic. (Dream-Chasing Girl) About that… You see, I think I really would rather stick to singing. Listen, this is just business as usual for the industry. You wanna survive in this world, don’t you? Then you need to be a star. You need to be entertaining. Just being able to sing ain’t good enough—got it? Oh hey, even the interstitial bits on the train when we move between regions of Tokyo are Halloween-themed!    (Innocent-Looking Woman) Ohmigod, um… There’s no need to try so hard. Besides, the Phantom Thieves are dangerous…  No, I’m gonna capture them all for you! Here’s 60,000 yen for today. Thank you… but, really, please don’t do anything rash…   We need to head to Book Town real quick now that we’ve read all the books we got here.   Oh…? It seems you’ve read all of the books in the shop… I underestimated you, old man.How on earth did you only have five different books!? My greatest treasure… Perhaps it would be all right to sell to you. Ooh, new Technical conditions. Let’s buy it.  Now, let’s head over to Jazz Jin.   We have more Futaba skills to unlock here, so we’ll pick her. Music: No More What Ifs     But, what do you think that three minutes actually means? Do they mean like, pour out the hot water after three minutes? Or is that the moment that all the water is supposed to already be gone? I want to eat them at their best…   It’s not bad spending a day outdoors every now and then… My thanks, Maaku!    Moral Support can now activate Masukunda, Marakunda, or now even Matarunda. Sweet.  But it ended up being pretty fun. Let’s go home, Maaku!
Arist fucked around with this message at 16:46 on Dec 14, 2023 |
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Dec 13, 2023 20:35
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Sharp Lawyer was always my favorite of the Eavesdrop NPCs. I find something very heartening about hearing someone totally unrelated to everything being able to smell the bullshit.
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Dec 14, 2023 12:41
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Arist posted:Wait, no, poo poo, that’s actually pretty much what he’s saying here. What am I supposed to do with this!? I give up! gently caress you! 
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Dec 14, 2023 19:52
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Chapter 165: 10/31: You’re Adopted (New, a bit) Merry Christmas. Here’s some more of this bullshit!  Anon: 30 million yen OMG XD Early Morning Music: Suspicion   My sister is… serious. Her determination to win this fight is reflected in that casino. She won’t be easy to beat. I know that better than anyone. I want to understand our situation as soon as possible. Let’s go to the Palace today. All right then, I’ll see you at the hideout after school. I’ll inform everyone too.Early Morning → Afternoon Music: My Homie   I’m changing my lesson for today. Instead of a regular class, we’ll be reviewing last week’s materials. I suggest you listen carefully. But don’t think you can slack off, okay? I absolutely won’t allow it. No slacking off! Kawakami’s been kind enough to give us this free time, so we’d better put it to good use. So, what’s the plan?   Even the smallest sound can seem frightening, depending on the situation…  I saw on the back that it’s banned from being sold… I’m not surprised though, given what we just read.You’re saying this book is contraband? Holy poo poo!   So, we’ve expanded our available Technical hits. Each mental ailment now has an additional element or two that can score a Technical off it. It’s nice, but I don’t think I ever took advantage of it in my normal playthrough because by this point ailments have already severely declined in usefulness. Also, I’m not gonna loving remember any of these new combinations, but at least the game will tell us itself when a Technical combo is available.   We should thank Kawakami for this later.Afternoon → After School Music: Tokyo Daylight  Okay, let’s head there now! Music: Wicked Plan  I didn’t realize we take the same train.You’re going directly from school to the same location. Why would you not take the same train? Haru… What a coincidence—I was just thinking of you. Oh, were you? Yep. How should I put this… Our battles from this point forward are only going to get tougher, right? So, I’ve been reflecting on our approaches to combat in the hopes of finding some new tactics. In the end, I came up with something, but I realized I’ll need your help with it. Sure! If I can be of any help, I’d love to work with you on this! I appreciate it. So… what I’m thinking is…  Mako-chan? Heh… Now that I think about it, this is probably going to sound rather absurd. Don’t worry. If it’s your idea, Mako-chan, I’m sure it’ll be great. I’m glad to hear you say that. Well, ready to hear it? So, any thoughts? What a great idea! I’d be honored to help. Oh, thank you. Well, I hope it works out. Mmhm, just leave it to me! But wow, Mako-chan… You come up with some pretty bold moves sometimes. I really look up to you for that. I’m not sure how that makes me feel, but thank you. The star will grant us our wish if it’s based on such a great plan. I’m positive! Music: Suspicion  Can we just get started? The forced investigation will take place on November 20th. That’s our deadline this time. Is there any possibility of that investigation being moved to an earlier date? I highly doubt it. How can you be so sure? Didn’t they want to catch us as soon as they possibly could? They may be corrupt, but they are still a bureaucracy. Certain steps must be taken in order to continue forward. Unless their situation becomes extremely dire, they won’t act with only circumstantial evidence. I’m impressed, detective man. You sure know a lot about internal affairs. Yes, he is quite promising. Well, this is purely a give-and-take relationship. You taught me the inner workings of the Phantom Thieves, so it’s only fair I return the favor. And I will be sure to contact everyone if the investigation team makes any odd movements. That would be helpful.Music: Tokyo Emergency  We’ve unlocked Makoto and Haru’s Showtime!  There’s the chart, updated with all our party connections. Poor Akechi and Maaku get nothing, huh?   Okay, that’s all we came to do. All right, good talk, that’ll do it for today. But you said we would go into the Palace today! No, I agreed with you that it would be a good idea to do that. I never said we would actually do it. I’m going to kill you. Bye, guys!Music: Tokyo Daylight        The first thing we do is get Yusuke to duplicate Matarukaja for us.    (Arrogant Housewife) I’m just glad the company survived in one piece—and that my family’s got plenty in our savings. By the by, how’s your guy? Oh, I’m sorry—should I not ask? Well, actually, because he helped with the case so much, they promoted him to CEO. Ohoho…She’s doing the ojou laugh, it’s loving over.  I asked the police, and that guy in the black suit I talked to the other day, but no one knows… Someone… Someone please tell me. What’s… What’s my name…     There’s a ton of theories that they’re connected to Shujin somehow. Do you know anything? (Easygoing Shujin Girl) I don’t… I don’t want to believe they’re at my school… Hey, try to look into it while you can. It’ll be too late if you have a psychotic breakdown…    (Calm Student) Ah, don’t say that. I get scared just by thinking they could be lurking nearby… I’ve been writing all over the Phan-Site, asking the Phantom Thieves to give themselves up.  It doesn’t seem like the police will catch them anytime soon. I wish Akechi-kun would save us…    Big Bang Burger is still open as usual, isn’t it? (Foodie Girl) Seems like they’re still around. The president passed away, but that alone won’t end the company. They’re selling limited items for the fall season, like the Moon Burger. It’s true that the employees did nothing wrong. I feel bad that the Phantom Thieves targeted them…    They can’t be forgiven if they caused those mental shutdowns. I’ll quote you in my article. I wonder what the truth really is. Discerning what’s true from what’s not is a real challenge…  I personally agree with you, but critics of the Phantom Thieves won’t change their minds easily. I wonder what the truth really is. Discerning what’s true from what’s not is a real challenge…  Yeah. We’re not getting all the important info we need since the mass media is unfairly biased. I wonder what the truth really is. Discerning what’s true from what’s not is a real challenge…     (Motivated First-Year) Um… I’d save it and live off the interest. That’s boring! Boring, but practical. Who knows what the new prime minister will do once he’s in office!     The thing is, this celebrity might actually be a criminal… What should I do? But then I—Um, I mean, my friend, might wind up in a lot of trouble. If the Phantom Thieves had just stayed heroes, I never would have had to deal with all this. Er, you know I was just talking about my friend, right? But then I—Um, I mean, my friend, would live each day in fear of being arrested. If the Phantom Thieves had just stayed heroes, I never would have had to deal with all this. Er, you know I was just talking about my friend, right? (Intense Soccer Player) It looks like the guys on my team have been studying different diets and workouts, too. It’s like they’ve all changed. Did the Phantom Thieves get to them all or something? No way, the Phantom Thieves are killers. They’d be dead by now if they were targeted by them.   (Kind Faculty Member) Yes, my heart jumped as well. I was really glad to see that Yoshizawa-san was in good spirits… I just wish those Phantom Thieves would get caught already. The police are useless. Always telling us what to do, but they can’t catch the Phantom Thieves…  (Student Athlete in a Jersey) Maybe the Phantom Thieves bribed him. I didn’t expect him to say they weren’t behind that murder. I can never understand what these smart people are thinking. (Refined Male Student) I’m certain. Many people can be counted among their victims. (Lazy Male Student) It’ll be so exciting once they get arrested. You think it’ll happen sometime this year? They announced that they’ve made progress in the investigation. It’s only a matter of time. (Tired-Looking Student) It’s our final struggle as high school students. Let’s study with all we’ve got until the exams! Let’s finally unlock Haru’s Confidant.    Huh? At a time like this…? Is this perhaps part of your grand infiltration strategy?  *giggle* You make it sound like it’s really important. I suppose relaxation is pretty vital at times like these…  This may be a good opportunity to deepen my bond with Haru… I’d like to stop by Leblanc today… Could you join me? Great! Let us go then.Empress Rank 1: Part 134 Music: What’s Going On?  It’s all good. Not like I have any customers to deal with. Oh, but when *I* say that, you get mad at me… Quiet, you. So… this is what you grew? Yes. I’d like an honest opinion from a culinary professional. “Culinary professional”? Well, I don’t know about *that*, but… You make coffee and curry, old man. Settle down. Stop interrupting or I’ll disown you. I didn’t even realize I was owned in the first place! Um, what about my vegetables…? Let me see… To be honest, both the taste and appearance are the opposite of what I’d call market-grade. What the hell does that mean? I think he’s saying they’re not ready… That said, I’m extremely impressed that you managed to grow anything at all on that rooftop. And while the taste wasn’t exactly up to snuff, there was something refreshing about the experience. Like when you take bitter medicine, if that makes sense. Hmmm… I first came across the plant in my house… It’s possible that it’s an experimental breed created for use at Okumura Foods… Are you saying these are GMOs!? What poison are you feeding us, Monsanto!? Oh, relax. They wouldn’t leave anything dangerous lying around… probably. Even still, aren’t these vegetables trade secrets or somesuch? Well, I’m the CEO now, so I say it’s fine. Fair enough, I suppose. Thank you very much for your input, Sakura-san. I’ll take note of what you told me. …He’s right. That was the same thought I had. I think I understand what Sakura-san meant when he said they were refreshing. The sun-bathed vegetables seem to fill me with energy… They may prove useful during Palace forays… Hey Haru, these sun-bathed vegetables seem to fill me with energy… They may prove useful during Palace forays. I agree! …I’m so happy. I didn’t expect this hobby of mine to provide value to the Phantom Thieves. This is actually the only thing I can honestly say I’m good at. That’s not true! There’s… uh… hm… Wait, you really can’t think of anything…? Well, that does it! I’m going to make myself useful with these vegetables! Hey, um… do you think you could help me out again sometime? Like you did today. Yeah, sure. It’s a deal *giggle* We’re like real phantom thieves! Okay, I’ll do my best from now on! Haru seems a little more enthusiastic than before…Music: Interrogation Room    It seems you were probing into a certain conglomerate. There’s the possibility you even infiltrated their company building. Perhaps some sort of connection… …Tell me about this person! …Not even close on that one. Completely missed the ball on their contributions to the operation. Really? Dammit… I don’t even think I’ve been inside the Okumura Foods building in real life…Music: The Spirit     Music: Wicked Plan   Oh! If there are any vegetables you’d like in particular, just let me know. I certainly have plenty of seeds, so if you have a preference, I’ll prioritize growing those first.  I may not be very good yet, but I’ll contribute to the Phantom Thieves in my own way. All right, I’m going home for the day. See you later.After School → Evening Music: Beneath the Mask  …Sorry. All I can do is welcome you home…  People desperate for protection from the Phantom Thieves are keeping security companies busy. Events this horrific only happen rarely in history, and the terror among the people is palpable. We’ve got a bounty on our heads. We don’t have a choice—we have to find who really did all this.  Music: Everyday Days      Easy.   Music: Beneath the Mask  …You’re not to blame. I’ll chase out anyone who says otherwise. Thanks. I’m letting you handle today’s curry.Hierophant Rank 9: Part 136   (Uptight Woman) Sojiro Sakura, I presume?Music: Suspicion  (Mild-Mannered Man) Our apologies for coming in so late. We’re investigators from the domestic affairs court. (Uptight Investigator) We’ve received a report that one of your customers was assaulted by the probationer working here. Moreover, this report stated that you are abusing your child… Futaba-san. Uncle sent his report to the police before we could make him have a change of heart…! (Mild-Mannered Investigator) However, the anonymity of the report has led us to question the validity of its content. May we have a word? It could have been anonymous for a good reason, you don’t know. *glares* Shutting up now. Ask your questions, I’ve got nothing to hide. Please, take a seat. You’re saying the report was falsified? It’s true that Futaba was something of a shut-in for a while, but she overcame that weakness with her own will. I wouldn’t give her *all* the credit… but that’s more or less the gist of it. (whispering) Don’t say things that are gonna confuse these people! It’s your neck on the line here, man! I’m sorry. I don’t know how to stop talking. It’s a nervous reflex. *sigh* Anyway, I would never abuse her. She’s like a daughter to me. But what of the compulsive talker here with the assault claim? He does have a criminal record… It’s a lie! The kid never laid a finger on that guy. He just stood in the way to try to protect Futaba. To he honest, Hamiru-kun, we looked into your current reputation at school… *gulp* Huh? Why do you all look like that? We didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Oh, that’s good. Are… are you sure, though? Um… moving on. It’s our job to make sure children like you are safe. Please, tell us how it is living with Sakura-san? It’s pretty cool, I guess. I mean, this place lacks basic amenities, but I’m getting all the curry I can eat, so that rocks. …Anything else? >He’s a bit of a nag. Sheesh, brutal as ever. And what do you think, Futaba-san? I’m… okay. Everyone helped me go outside again, and I’m not afraid anymore. Th-That’s why… I’m really happy living with my d-dad! Futaba… I see. It’s clear that you all are very, very strange, but there doesn’t seem to be any truth to the report we received. …Are you sure? Silence, rookie! Anyway, thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye. Sojiro, we did it!Music: Sunset Bridge Sojiro? >You have a great daughter. It’s not just her, idiot. There’s another pretty important person living here too. Yeah, yeah! He’s talking about you, Maaku! *sniff* This is ‘cause you punks just had to go and say all that cheesy stuff… Heard you loud and clear. I’ll never be nice to you ever again. It wasn’t cheesy! It was the truth! Anyways, I hungerrr! Gimme some curry! Heh, so much for the sentimental moment. All right, sit your butts down. This is where you two belong. Mweheh! C’mon, Maaku! It’s time to eat!  Say, Futaba… could you maybe… repeat what you said earlier, when you called me your dad…? Sorry, Boss, didn’t catch that! Tummy too grumbly! Got life-threatening hunger pangs here, need curry stat! Oh, never mind… Music: Alright (Elp Version)   I just wanted to talk. It’s hard to say some things in front of Futaba…  It’s kinda nice having someone to sit and eat with. Especially when she’s such a big fan of my cooking. God, I’m a joke. Getting all sentimental like this? At my age?  Bah… you know what, I’m gonna stop right there. Today’s been sappy enough.  Still, I guess there’s nothing wrong with a little sappiness now and then. Even from an old grump like me. Alright, I’m gonna head to sleep. Don’t catch a cold, okay? See you.
Arist fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Dec 26, 2023 |
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Dec 25, 2023 14:23
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