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Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


Let's not, please. PMs, maybe.

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Rawkking
Sep 4, 2011

Arist posted:

Yeah, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to change his mind… But at this rate, you won’t be able to continue your investigation… What do you think, kid?



I need to do something about the chief and help her...
Ughhh, I’m gonna die…



I choose to believe that lala-chan absolutely knows we're a phantom thief.

RedMagus
Nov 16, 2005

Male....Female...what does it matter? Power is beautiful, and I've got the power!
Grimey Drawer
The option to date someone way inappropriate for the situation is there because "Gotta give that replay value", and from some light textbook reading there's some really weird social norms in Japan on the idea of consenting sex and finding a partner.

I can totally see why though she'd be receptive to it. After years of feeling like complete poo poo, someone believed in her, supported her, and helped her feel like she was worth something. That kind of desperation and positive reinforcement is something you really tend to cling to, and makes for bad decision making.

RedMagus fucked around with this message at 23:25 on May 22, 2018

Epicmissingno
Jul 1, 2017

Thank gooness we all get along so well!

Rawkking posted:

I choose to believe that lala-chan absolutely knows we're a phantom thief.

Come on, everyone Maaku's helping is bound to know he's a phantom thief. Asking for a person's full name in such a suspicious way makes it incredibly obvious that either he's a phantom thief or he's going to post on the Phan-site about it. Heaven forbid he could use the information he already has to investigate who it could be. It's especially jarring in situations like this where this guy is a higher-up on a prominent magazine. And people say that Ryuji is too obvious...

Tenebrais
Sep 2, 2011

I don't think anyone else knows the Phantom Thieves need someone's full name, do they? I'd imagine if it does raise a red flag, given why Maaku is here in the first place, they'd be expecting him to attack them or something.

amigolupus
Aug 25, 2017

Arist posted:




Hah, my bad. I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought we should be friends, since we’re both gamers. The name’s Takekuma. I make a living from gaming, more or less. Ever heard of me?




...Yeah, you’re the guy from all those videos online!

So I'm guessing Mr. Popular Twitch Streamer here just presented themselves as the bad guy of Shinya's link and that he's the one Phantom Thieves have to steal their heart? Because if he is, then that's kind of sidestepping the issue of Shinya's mom or that he's being badly bullied at school. It would've been more interesting instead if was about how wrong it is to change the heart of the bullies since they're just kids, and what the group can do to help Shinya out instead.

...Though I imagine that'd just end up with them stealing Shinya's mom's heart.

Wiseblood
Dec 31, 2000

This part of Shinya's confidant link feels very Persona 3.

GhostStalker
Mar 26, 2010

Guys, find a woman who looks at you the way GhostStalker looks at every bald, obese, single 58 year old accountant from Tulsa who managed to win $4,000 by not wagering on a Final Jeopardy triple stumper.

Arist posted:

1) This is a game for horny teenage boys. I love it, but it's true.
2) Possibly. Not immediately, at any rate.

Guess this is why my Kawakami entry in the contest didn't win. The dialogue thing from her Confidant that I was gonna use as the entry hasn't happened yet, but since you avoided that choice like you mentioned, I don't think it's gonna show?

Funky Valentine
Feb 26, 2014

Dojyaa~an

Wiseblood posted:

This part of Shinya's confidant link feels very Persona 3.

Maaku is going to approve of Shinya's plan to run away from home in the next SL Rank.

Rawkking
Sep 4, 2011

Epicmissingno posted:

Come on, everyone Maaku's helping is bound to know he's a phantom thief. Asking for a person's full name in such a suspicious way makes it incredibly obvious that either he's a phantom thief or he's going to post on the Phan-site about it. Heaven forbid he could use the information he already has to investigate who it could be. It's especially jarring in situations like this where this guy is a higher-up on a prominent magazine. And people say that Ryuji is too obvious...

Okay fine. I choose to believe Lala-chan knew we were a phantom thief about five seconds after they met us.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


I actually really like Kawakami and in real life I’d want to date her so that’s why I picked her on my playthrough.

The presentation of the choice also helps because it’s very much the Player Character convincing her and her rightly saying it’s a bad idea. I believe it’s three romance based dialogue choices compared to the one or two most other confidants have.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Persona 3 and 4 had a thing about the student and techer relationship not working out, but now it's a thing here? :psyduck:

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Persona 3 and 4 had a thing about the student and techer relationship not working out, but now it's a thing here? :psyduck:

This is the game about rebellion against society and doing what you feel is right even when told it is wrong or to ignore a problem. The previous games did not have that theme, nor did they have a female social link with a teacher last I remember.

Although that does bring up a sort of weird thought about Persona 3-5, no birthday parties for the MC. That could’ve been a fun thing.

W.T. Fits
Apr 21, 2010

Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.

Lord_Magmar posted:

This is the game about rebellion against society and doing what you feel is right even when told it is wrong or to ignore a problem. The previous games did not have that theme, nor did they have a female social link with a teacher last I remember.

3 does, but you don't find out that it's your teacher until you're partway through the link due to you meeting them and getting to know them anonymously in an online game at the start of the link. And you never actually meet with them in person for your link events, so dating never comes up.

Gruckles
Mar 11, 2013

Atlus were cowards to not let us date Morooka.

Oxxidation
Jul 22, 2007

Gruckles posted:

Atlus were cowards to not let us date Morooka.

he could fly you to the moon on that overjet

Drakenel
Dec 2, 2008

The glow is a guide, my friend. Though it falls to you to avert catastrophe, you will never fight alone.

Gruckles posted:

Atlus were cowards to not let us date Morooka.

EVERYONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WHORE! ESPECIALLY YOU, PROTAGONIST-KUN~

Haifisch
Nov 13, 2010

Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!



Taco Defender

W.T. Fits posted:

3 does, but you don't find out that it's your teacher until you're partway through the link due to you meeting them and getting to know them anonymously in an online game at the start of the link. And you never actually meet with them in person for your link events, so dating never comes up.
Although you get one of the best scenes in the game when you visit her during the postgame(basically an extended "oh, poo poo" from her).

Hunt11
Jul 24, 2013

Grimey Drawer

Haifisch posted:

Although you get one of the best scenes in the game when you visit her during the postgame(basically an extended "oh, poo poo" from her).

Because most of the time she was talking about how much she wanted to gently caress you.

amigolupus
Aug 25, 2017

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Persona 3 and 4 had a thing about the student and techer relationship not working out, but now it's a thing here? :psyduck:

I find it even weirder that dating Kawakami's even an option considering the first arc is all about a teacher abusing their position to sexually abuse his female students. It's like nobody even stopped to even think that it may have been sliiiiiiightly tone-deaf to the themes of the game.

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

amigolupus posted:

It's like nobody even stopped to even think that it may have been sliiiiiiightly tone-deaf to the themes of the game.

That describes significantly more of this game than just "you can date your teacher".

cdyoung
Mar 2, 2012

amigolupus posted:


I don't know if it was intentional, but this feels like a rehash of the Suou brothers plot from Persona 2. The biggest difference being that the part where their father was killed was actually integrated in the main plot, and that Katsuya is an actual mature adult who isn't an awful person to his sibling and everyone around him.

Their father wasn't killed, he was drummed out of the police force and forced to retire early via a contrived, fake scandle that ruined his creditability, when Katsuya was taken off the JOKER case, one of the slleezeballs suggested he take his father fishing.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


amigolupus posted:

I find it even weirder that dating Kawakami's even an option considering the first arc is all about a teacher abusing their position to sexually abuse his female students. It's like nobody even stopped to even think that it may have been sliiiiiiightly tone-deaf to the themes of the game.

I've mentioned it before but this is like the difference between Kamoshida perving on Ann and other Teenage Girls (Bad), and Ryuji doing it (Okay, maybe?) because of the whole power interaction and so on and so forth. At least that's how I see it in regards to what the writers think.

In the case of Kawakami there's a lot of weird power structures going on, technically you have more power over her than she does over you given the whole getting payed by a student to work as a maid thing. Furthermore by the time you date her you've likely spent several months actually building a relationship, whereas Kamoshida did no such thing and literally just abused students out of a sense of power.

In the end the difference is that Kawakami is assumedly an equal relationship between two people who know enough about each other to make that decision, Kamoshida with his students was one man forcing them into sleeping with him via his position and basically being an awful person.

But also yes, it is very tone deaf. I can just almost see why it might not be seen as such outside.

GunnerJ
Aug 1, 2005

Do you think this is funny?

amigolupus posted:

I find it even weirder that dating Kawakami's even an option considering the first arc is all about a teacher abusing their position to sexually abuse his female students. It's like nobody even stopped to even think that it may have been sliiiiiiightly tone-deaf to the themes of the game.

People pretty commonly (and erroneously) think that it's different for boys.

Stephen9001
Oct 28, 2013

GunnerJ posted:

People pretty commonly (and erroneously) think that it's different for boys.

Tell me about it. I've heard so many stories of a female teacher "having relations" with a male pupil, and though there are plenty of people who get outraged at them, there are less than if the genders were reversed, and there are also plenty of people who try to defend it, or take the approach from that one South Park episode and act like this means the kid was lucky. It's frankly kind of disgusting.

In story, in this game, since it's the student initiating it, and since they're a teenager, not a straight up child, it's less bad, but still kinda hosed up, even in the context of "I've learned your worst secrets and shame, and have helped you with your problems", which is usually a solid start for a relationship.

I can have moments of... eccentricity and sometimes be quite curious about things. Please forgive me if I do something foolish or rude.

Stephen9001 fucked around with this message at 12:57 on May 23, 2018

Ubiquitous_
Nov 20, 2013

by Reene

amigolupus posted:

I find it even weirder that dating Kawakami's even an option considering the first arc is all about a teacher abusing their position to sexually abuse his female students. It's like nobody even stopped to even think that it may have been sliiiiiiightly tone-deaf to the themes of the game.

The comments on any article where the female teacher is hot will most commonly be, "I wish I was that lucky in school." I've seen these comments even if the boy was thirteen years old.

There's very few people who understand that this tends to mess with these boys psychologically for the rest of their lives, and will damage their future relationships. You'll only really see other women disgusted by these encounters, which is sad.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


Ubiquitous_ posted:

The comments on any article where the female teacher is hot will most commonly be, "I wish I was that lucky in school." I've seen these comments even if the boy was thirteen years old.

There's very few people who understand that this tends to mess with these boys psychologically for the rest of their lives, and will damage their future relationships. You'll only really see other women disgusted by these encounters, which is sad.

This is sadly true, I have less of an issue because of the way dating Kawakami is presented and how much the relationship develops outside of her being in a position of power over the MC, but that doesn't mean I think it should happen in real life or anything. It's the way the game presents it that makes it okay in the context of the game, to me.

Even with the Kamoshida stuff.

amigolupus
Aug 25, 2017

cdyoung posted:

Their father wasn't killed, he was drummed out of the police force and forced to retire early via a contrived, fake scandle that ruined his creditability, when Katsuya was taken off the JOKER case, one of the slleezeballs suggested he take his father fishing.

Oh wow, I forgot that their dad was actually still alive. That's a little weird, since we get to see the other party members' dads at some point, even in flashbacks. I think kid me thought the slezeball was telling Katsuya to go sleep with the fishes like his dad or something. :v:

Lord_Magmar posted:

This is sadly true, I have less of an issue because of the way dating Kawakami is presented and how much the relationship develops outside of her being in a position of power over the MC, but that doesn't mean I think it should happen in real life or anything. It's the way the game presents it that makes it okay in the context of the game, to me.

Even with the Kamoshida stuff.

For me, I don't like that dating Kawakami is even an option especially because of that awful poo poo with Kamoshida. I get that the game would present Maaku and Kawakami getting into a relationship in a different manner, but it still comes across to me as the writers wanting to have their cake and eat it too.

GunnerJ posted:

People pretty commonly (and erroneously) think that it's different for boys.

Everything I've heard about the director wouldn't surprise me that he thinks this way.

Deceitful Penguin
Feb 16, 2011

Arist posted:

What is it with this city and its sea of predators lying in wait to victimize women, monetarily or otherwise?
That is simply patriarchy everywhere; the same issues are prevalent everywhere in the world. Organized crime and the human trafficking of women is omnipresent, but it definitely ramps up in larger cities and more patriarchal cultures.

Guess what Japan has plenty of in both cases? I don't feel like throwing it out in this thread because it's a feel good thread about fighting the powa, but ~the water trade~ (ugh, that loving term) is loving poo poo in Japan in ways that are far-reaching and serious.

Arist posted:

We didn’t see it with Kawakami last update because I decided not to even entertain that option and picked a choice that bypassed the process entirely. Also, yes, Kawakami was dateable, gently caress me.
How old are these kids anyway? I remember in Uni most of our Japanese teachers were like, early twenties and for a lot of us studying, they were even younger than us

I don't know if it's that hosed up for a 17-18 year old to be loving a 25 year old, but then again Icelanders are not known for sweating the small stuff on poo poo like that

W.T. Fits
Apr 21, 2010

Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.

Deceitful Penguin posted:

That is simply patriarchy everywhere; the same issues are prevalent everywhere in the world. Organized crime and the human trafficking of women is omnipresent, but it definitely ramps up in larger cities and more patriarchal cultures.

Guess what Japan has plenty of in both cases? I don't feel like throwing it out in this thread because it's a feel good thread about fighting the powa, but ~the water trade~ (ugh, that loving term) is loving poo poo in Japan in ways that are far-reaching and serious.
How old are these kids anyway? I remember in Uni most of our Japanese teachers were like, early twenties and for a lot of us studying, they were even younger than us

I don't know if it's that hosed up for a 17-18 year old to be loving a 25 year old, but then again Icelanders are not known for sweating the small stuff on poo poo like that

I think the general rule of thumb when it comes to ages in these games is that first years in high school will be around 15-16, second years will be around 16-17, and third years will be 17-18. Futuba's slightly younger than the rest, I think she's probably only around 14-15.

It was easier to know how old everyone was in Persona 3 and Persona 4 because those characters had actual given birth dates and ages listed in supplemental material, and the events of those games specifically took place in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012.

ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.

W.T. Fits posted:

I think the general rule of thumb when it comes to ages in these games is that first years in high school will be around 15-16, second years will be around 16-17, and third years will be 17-18. Futuba's slightly younger than the rest, I think she's probably only around 14-15.

It was easier to know how old everyone was in Persona 3 and Persona 4 because those characters had actual given birth dates and ages listed in supplemental material, and the events of those games specifically took place in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012.

Not sure if it warrants a spoiler, but you can get news broadcasts that talk about what Chie/Yukiko/Rise are up to, so you can get a rough idea how far after P4 that P5 takes place.

Funky Valentine
Feb 26, 2014

Dojyaa~an

P5 implicitly takes place in 2016. The calendar matches up, Rise is mentioned as being 20, and it's 20 years after P1.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


The point of that though is that since there's no "official" year stated anywhere in-game and they go out of their way to obfuscate it, they're probably not going to confirm the characters' birthdays.

Arist fucked around with this message at 01:02 on May 24, 2018

GhostStalker
Mar 26, 2010

Guys, find a woman who looks at you the way GhostStalker looks at every bald, obese, single 58 year old accountant from Tulsa who managed to win $4,000 by not wagering on a Final Jeopardy triple stumper.

Lord_Magmar posted:

I've mentioned it before but this is like the difference between Kamoshida perving on Ann and other Teenage Girls (Bad), and Ryuji doing it (Okay, maybe?) because of the whole power interaction and so on and so forth. At least that's how I see it in regards to what the writers think.

In the case of Kawakami there's a lot of weird power structures going on, technically you have more power over her than she does over you given the whole getting payed by a student to work as a maid thing. Furthermore by the time you date her you've likely spent several months actually building a relationship, whereas Kamoshida did no such thing and literally just abused students out of a sense of power.

In the end the difference is that Kawakami is assumedly an equal relationship between two people who know enough about each other to make that decision, Kamoshida with his students was one man forcing them into sleeping with him via his position and basically being an awful person.

But also yes, it is very tone deaf. I can just almost see why it might not be seen as such outside.

Yeah, same. Besides the whole "you both have power over each other" thing with her being your teacher but you hiring her out as a maid through a skeevy service, and getting to know each other outside of those relationships as she opens up about her problems and such to you, and all you've done to solve them, there's also the part where it's specifically you starting the relationship with her instead of the other way around which would make it feel a lot more predatory, especially after Kamoshida.

Arist posted:

The point of that though is that since there's no "official" year stated anywhere in-game and they go out of their way to obfuscate it, they're probably not going to confirm the characters' birthdays.

I'll check the art book the next time I see it for sale, they tend to put details like that there, like for the P3 and P4 ones I own.

Also, it always kinda broke my immersion that you don't celebrate birthdays of your party members in Persona games (since they almost always leave out the birthday of the protagonist so the players can self insert into them), I would think your crew would be a lot more tight than that. A small throwaway line on Social Links/Confidants or even incidental dialogue showing up on those specific days would be cool.

Funky Valentine
Feb 26, 2014

Dojyaa~an

They did confirm the party's birthdays.

Ryuji (July 3)
Ann (November 12)
Yusuke (January 28)
Makoto (April 23, which I'm pretty sure lines up with Kamoshida turning himself in lol)
Futaba (February 19)
Haru (December 5)

MC-kun and Morgana don't have birthdays because MC-kun is an extension of the player and Morgana is a cat.

Haifisch
Nov 13, 2010

Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!



Taco Defender
Ages aside, another huge problem with student/teacher relationships is the inherent power imbalance. This is also why those relationships are verboten in higher education(at least in the US) - sure, everyone involved is legally an adult, but the power issues remain.

You could argue that the situation here balances it by giving Maaku extra power on his side of the equation, what with him hiring Kawakami as a maid and knowing secrets that could get her shitcanned, but from my POV that just makes the whole thing even more hosed up. "I have these secrets hanging over your head, and you could ruin my grades and whatnot if you wanted to, so I guess we're even" doesn't exactly scream 'healthy relationship' to me.

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

It also just feels like it works better as a story if they're just friends? Like, it's way less hosed up if he just listens to her troubles when she's 'supposed' to be doing her lovely, demeaning side job he wasn't supposed to know about and they bond until he uses magic mind powers to unfuck some awful people and help her focus on the job she loves.

No need for a weird as hell unhealthy student-teacher relationship there. Just magic mind-control powers played out through stylish demon-stabbing.

ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.

Funky Valentine posted:

They did confirm the party's birthdays.

Ryuji (July 3)
Ann (November 12)
Yusuke (January 28)
Makoto (April 23, which I'm pretty sure lines up with Kamoshida turning himself in lol)
Futaba (February 19)
Haru (December 5)

MC-kun and Morgana don't have birthdays because MC-kun is an extension of the player and Morgana is a cat.

To add to that, Ryuji and Haru are the only ones that you can spend time with on their birthdays - Ann isn't available to hang out on hers, and the rest have their birthdays before they're recruited.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


Part 120: 10/6-10/8: The Hero Yuuki Mishima



Anon: hurry up n apologize, drat!

Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)




I actually hosed up here by not immediately purchasing the next book from Jinbocho, so we go for Cry of Cthulhu to compensate.

Music: Everyday Days



This is very detailed for a story about a fantasy world…



Music: So Boring



Having executed the royalty, the revolutionaries proceeded to take the courts under their control… All who opposed the revolution were executed. However, the revolutionaries, too, were then reviled as depots and executed by the public. All in all, more than two thousand nine hundred people were executed over the course of the revolution. The fac that this many executions were possible was actually due to one specific invention. Hamiru-kun. Take a look at this.




This might be my pick for easiest question in the game. You don’t have to know any metaphors or anything, just what that thing Caroline and Justine use to fuse Personas is.

That’s correct. By the way, the name “guillotine” comes from Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, the doctor who proposed the idea.



It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it embodied the French spirit of equality.

Maaku gains Knowledge +!.

Revolution is sometimes a bloody thing… The revolutionaries that rose up for freedom became despots themselves… It’s a common tale.
Our social reform doesn’t hurt anybody in the real world… It’s a bloodless revolution!

And it will all go perfectly as a result!

Music: Tokyo Daylight





We already have max Charm, so this book won’t really help us. We still buy it, though. We want the one available after it.






Iwai’s ready now.




After our training, I want to talk about the rumors surrounding Takekuma.

Music: Alright (Elp Version)



I mean, I couldn’t do anything to him… There’s just no way.




It is pretty weird that this kid couldn’t even seem to hit Takekuma, but there’s plenty of reasonable explanations for that. Still, let’s play along.

I’ve been practicing a lot, after all. I’ve heard rumors about Takekuma! People say he uses cheat armor! You know what that is, right? He totally broke the rules by equipping it… I bet that’s why my usual shots didn’t work against him! That has to be the reason! But the next time we play… I’m definitely…





I’m gonna win next time! Just watch! The thing is… I told my mom about what happened with Takekuma… But…



She didn’t… really care. All she said was, “OK.”

Well, to be fair to her, most parents don’t really give two shits about the video games their children play.

It’s probably because I lost… She doesn’t like kids who lose.



My mom once told me that… We need to be strong, because it’s just the two of us. She said no one helps the weak. They just get preyed on… That’s why I wanna get stronger. Strong enough that we won’t get preyed on… Strong enough that WE’D be the predators…

This is getting uncomfortable!

That’s exactly who the Phantom Thieves are… the strongest… who can prey on anyone. Once I become the strongest, my mom will be able to count on me… The only way I can win is through games… That’s why I can’t lose. …… What should I do about Takekuma’s armor…? The strategy I used last time didn’t work…




...Thanks. ...You’re kinda like a big brother to me. I can talk to you about anything… I heard that that’s what it’s like to have a sibling…
I feel Shinya’s brotherly affection...



This one is straight-up incredible. It increases everyone’s number of bullets by a hell of a lot:
  • Maaku goes from 16 bullets to 32.
  • Ryuji goes from 8 to 16.
  • Morgana goes from 15 to 25.
  • Ann goes from 36 to 60.
  • Yusuke goes from 24 to 48.
  • Makoto goes from 12 to 24.
  • Haru goes from 6 to 12.
Now, it doesn’t improve anyone’s clip sizes, but it’s still really great. We haven’t been using guns too much because they’re honestly kind of lame for anything other than hitting weaknesses, but this is a great excuse to whip them out (uh, phrasing) more often. It’s also a great way to justify using Down Shot more often.

Takekuma better watch out…




Interacting with Shinya has made my heart grow… I feel like my Kindness has increased…

Maaku gains Kindness +3.

See you later!

Music: Beneath the Mask



Today, we take an in-depth look into Kunikazu Okumura, the man who made the chain what it is today. Mr. Okumura is well-connected in various industries, and it’s even rumored he may enter politics.
The news is talking about Haru’s dad. It seems he’s got influence in all sorts of different areas…



Ugh, my head hurts…
Sojiro seems concerned about Futaba’s uncle… Is it OK for me to stick my nose into Sojiro’s and Futaba’s problem…?

It’s never stopped you before, man.



...Hm? You look like you have something to say.



Well, I guess there’s no point in worrying. Help me clean up.



Whoa, what in the hell are you wearing, young lady!? Cover yourself up, good heavens!




Music: Alleycat

...How’d you get your hands on this stuff?
Hacking, of course! Uncle’s in loads of debt! He’ll never win in a suit against us now that we have all this data!



But…!
I’ve known all along how badly in debt he is. He’s not gonna try and take custody back, so don’t go doing stupid crap like this, OK?
But Sojiro…! I-I only did it ‘cause of all that stuff he said to you!
About that… I’ve been thinking. When push came to shove, I wasn’t there to help you… So, you know… maybe there’s somewhere better for you out there…
S-Somewhere better…? Am I not supposed to be here…? Am I just in the way…?

Smooth, Sojiro. Real nice.



You don’t want me either, Sojiro…!?
That’s not what I meant! I just think it might be better, for your own sake…



You can just stay here and play with your stupid coffee beans!



Hey! You get back here and apologize to the coffee beans right now! They are not stupid, and they’ve done nothing to deserve lip from you!



Makes sense though… You’re the ones who saved her, after all. ...Where did I go wrong?



I really did try to care for Futaba. ...Look where that got me though. I told myself she was the reason I kept making Wakaba’s curry here… but deep down, I think that was just an excuse to stay distant… At the end of the day, the coffee and the curry people love so much are both just… excuses.




I’m gonna go out for a smoke, try to cool off a bit. Sorry to lay this on you… but can you go after Futaba for me?





Yeah… Thanks… Y’know, Mom used to talk about Sojiro tons when I was little. How good he was at making curry, how interesting he was to talk to… I remember everything. I even remember how she smiled when she talked about him… Mom really liked Sojiro… …… I said some real mean stuff tonight. It’s not his fault Mom’s incident happened… It’s not his fault I shut myself away from the world… And because of me… Sojiro lost a crapton of money… I just thought I’d be able to stay here with him if my hacking worked…



Yeah… Yeah, you’re right.




Mm-hm…



Look, I’m sorry about what I said just now. And well… if it’s OK with you… I want you to stay here, forever.
Forever… ……
I know it might be more fun living with people your age like Maaku… But I’ll do my damnedest to see things from your perspective. So… will you stay with me?




H-Hey… Quit your laughing! *sigh* You’re as exhausting as ever.



Music: Sunset Bridge

I know I’ve caused you a lot of trouble… but I really do wanna be here. So, let’s keep living together.
Futaba…
Sorry for not saying that sooner. Oh, and… thanks for taking in someone as horrible as me.
...Are you sure I’m good enough?
I wouldn’t want anyone else.
Heh, no hesitation… Don’t come complaining to me if you regret it. …… Actually, I’m not gonna let you regret it. If you ever need help, just tell me. I might not be graceful… but I’ll be there to protect you. And you can stay with me for as long as you’d like. Forever, if you want.
Mm-hm, I will. ...Forever. I can’t wait to keep sorta living with you too, Maaku!

One big weird fake family we’ve got going on here. It’s loving great. :3:




I’m outta here! Byeee!



I didn’t stand up for Wakaba when I knew something was off… and I didn’t stand up for you either.



Instead, I went on and on about how you can’t fight back against the laws of our society… How you should just accept the hand you’re dealt in life… But those were mere excuses I made to keep myself in line. They gave me the easy way out I wanted so badly… ...Maybe instead of all that coffee crap, I should’ve been teaching you not to make the same mistakes I did. There I go, ranting again. But… I feel like I managed to put a lot behind me today. ...Thanks, for making me realize what’s really important in life.
I feel like my bond with Sojiro is growing deeper...



All right, I better head home too. Don’t stay up too late, OK? I don’t want you oversleeping.

And that’s one of my favorite Confidant events in the entire game. Except for this part:

I can see the compassion hidden beneath Sojiro’s actions… I feel my Kindness growing…

Motherfucker, I needed max Kindness just to get here. Maaku gains Kindness +3.



Anon: Took you long enough!
Anon: Our savior’s made a move!




What about the cops?

Anon: cmon, beg for forgiveness!
Anon: Here comes the apology rofl
Anon: stop fuckin around
Anon: an apology isn’t enough.


Really though, who are they?
If I met them, it would be love at first sight!
What are they waiting for? Hurry up and do it already!
Heroes have an obligation to rescue the weak.

Music: Tokyo Daylight






Hifumi’s a no-go.

Music: Butterfly Kiss



It’s easy to get sick in that in-between period as the seasons change, so be careful. You came because you saw my messages, right?



I’ve made progress with the medicine. Could you tag along for a bit?



I’m going to meet someone at Inokashira Park. It’s close, right? Let’s go.

Music: Sunset Bridge



Let me know if you need anything else.
Based on what I read in the findings summary you sent me, the results are truly amazing. We’ll perform one final exam with our equipment and we’ll be ready to treat Miwa-chan with it.
...Excellent. Then the rest is up to you.
So, this is the kid from your study, hm?
Yes, he’s my little guinea pig.

Still sends a chill down my spine even after all this time.

You certainly walked a dangerous line, but I’m sure you implemented the strictest of safety protocols.

I passed out several times, dog!

Please put some thought into the offer we discussed, will you…? All right, I’ll call you later.



He just so happened to be a year ahead of me in college. I told him everything since I was so close to perfecting the medicine. I have to thank you again. All this is thanks to you helping me with the clinical trials.




Although it was really fun for me. From my tour of their medical facility and discussions I had with their development team… I’m confident this will be a success, and they’ll complete development on schedule. The final result will be out of my hands though… if I don’t accept their offer, that is.



I was… recruited. He offered me the position of head of research and development at his hospital. ...Which means I’ll have to close my practice.



I start first thing next month. Unfortunately, Takemi Clinic of Internal Medicine will be gone.

What!? Where the hell am I gonna get drugs under-the-counter now?



I’ll urge my patients to transfer to that hospital, and I’ll be sure to give them priority there.



...Just kidding.



Music: Alright (Elp Version)

The part about being recruited is true, but I don’t intend to close my practice. I kind of like being a general practitioner. I’ll still work with them to develop new medicine though. Once the medicine’s perfected, I’ll be able to see Miwa-chan… and receive my reward: her smile. Oh, I need to give you your reward too. I’ll think of something to give my little guinea pig for holding up his end of the deal.
It feels like my bond with Takemi is growing even deeper...



You were really concerned when you thought I was going to close this office. I know you said it was for your entrance exams, but come on, really? I think it’s about time you started being honest with me. It’s OK. You can tell me. Why did you keep coming to me?



Here we go…

Why don’t you tell me the truth about why you kept coming to me?



IT WAS FOR MY EXAMS.

Is that so? Well, I can take a hint. It’s getting late… You should get going. Come visit anytime. I’ll see you later.

Music: Beneath the Mask



It’s all about looking fabulous and mysterious at the same time! Girls really like this look, huh?
Oh, sure. If I were twenty years younger, I wouldn’t mind a phantom thief stealing my heart… Hahaha.



The Phan-Site’s blowing up! Hey, I’d like to talk to you today about how I’m helping you guys. Do you have time?



Yeah, sure. Part of Mishima’s second chance has gotta be actually making time for him, after all.

Let’s go somewhere close then!




He said he wants me to stop by. Apparently he’s pretty close. It sounded serious… I don’t think we should ignore him. Can you come with me?



Music: Tension



...Mishima.



Look, Akiyama-kun says he’s not gonna be able to pay up this month. How ‘bout you spot him? That’s what friends’re for, right?
F-Friends?
Huh…? You guys ain’t friends?
Don’t try n’ mess with us, Akiyama… Is this loser s’posed to be the “friend” who was gonna help you!?
……
If you don’t got anything to do with this little bitch Akiyama, I suggest you get outta here. ...C’mon, Tohru. Looks like we’re just gonna have to go have a nice chat with that girlfriend of his.
P-Please, no! I’m begging you…!
Sorry, but you broke our promise. Now she’s gonna be the one to pay us back… if you catch my drift.

Ugh.

This is just what you get for tryin’ to screw us over.
Ahahaha! You’re so cruel, Yuuta-kun!
A-Akiyama-kun…



I don’t like where this is going...



Hahaha… I’m not sure. I can’t just abandon Akiyama-kun though. ...I think I have an idea. It’s risky… but it might just work. If anything happens to me, take care of Akiyama-kun, Hamiru.




Oh, for gently caress’s sake! Really, dude!? ...Sorry. I know you’re trying.

Huh? You’re still here…?
Run away, you idiot…



I’ve been taking a video of this whole conversation!
...Huh?
If you do anything to Akiyama-kun or his girlfriend, I’ll bring it straight to the police! Oh, and don’t get any ideas about breaking my phone. It backs up to the cloud automatically.
H-Hey, what should we do?

I like that the sidekick here is a total wuss.

We’ll be fine. The police ain’t gonna do poo poo ‘cause of a stupid little video. ...Why don’t you run along home to your anime girls? We don’t got time to deal with losers like you.

He besmirched the honor of the anime girls! He must be stopped!

Urgh…



Believe in yourself, Mishima!



Eh…?
Look, I know you guys are supposed to be tough and all… But are you sure it’s really worth getting arrested again over something like this? I mean, this video is definitely enough to get you guys busted given your previous criminal records.
How’d you know about that…!?
It doesn’t matter how. Just leave Akiyama-kun alone and we’ll be even! Then if you keep your word, I’ll delete the video. The backup too.
You’ll delete them now.
N-No!
……
U-Uh, Yuuta-kun…
...Tch, I’ve had enough of this poo poo.



Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)



My whole act would’ve broken down if they didn’t back off when they did. Hahaha… I really suck, huh?

Nah, you did good.




Dammit, man, why you gotta ruin it?

The truth is, I’ve dealt with enough bullying to know guys like that have probably been arrested at least once. Oh, and… thanks for sticking by me, Hamiru. We can’t let injustice like that go unchecked. I think I get it now… This feeling is what made me want to help you guys to begin with. That’s why I started the Phan-Site… To make sure that nobody has to go through stuff like this again!
Mishima seems extra motivated...



Akiyama-kun, are you OK? It looks like they really laid it on you…
Mishima… Why’d you help me?
Huh?
You didn’t need to get involved…
S-Sorry. It looked like you were really in trouble though… so I stepped up.



Sure, why not? They’re comparable levels of nerd.

…… ...Is that so?
Anyway, can you walk? Do you need us to call an ambulance?
...I’m fine. Just go.
...All right. Come on, Hamiru… See you later…



Anon: let’s hear from the workers!

Music: Tokyo Daylight



Mishima has new information for us. This will be the last request we receive from progressing his Confidant. Contrary to what I previously believed, you do not need to complete the requests as you receive them to progress the Confidant. Instead, you need to complete a certain number of the requests he’ll send you (so not ones for other Confidants) to unlock his final rank event. For context, we’ve done eleven such requests, which is already enough, but we’ll be doing the rest too.



Apparently this post was made by someone with ties to the banks and the finance sector.



Yeah, apparently even the police are having trouble catching him. He keeps changing his name and appearance to elude them. I guess he’s basically the man of a hundred faces. Not bad, huh? According to one particular post, he’s currently going by the name Fumio Akitsu. I went ahead and made a warning post about it… Is that OK? Either way, I’m sure it’ll be easy for #Millennials!
Wow, this is some good info, even for Mishima! Let’s discuss whether or not we go after this guy over at the hideout!







And Hifumi’s finally ready.

Music: Tokyo Emergency



Over by the batting cages, this guy informs us that the expert machine is now available.



I dug up all sorts of dirt… About Kana-chan, that is. Are you free? I wanna talk to you about.



...Thanks. Come on over to my room then. I’ll tell you there.



But… she never continued on to high school. I decided to do some digging into why that might be, and… well… The more I dug, the worse it got…




Music: Suspicion

Her parents are in heavy debt due to a gambling addiction. So… instead of sending her to school, they make her work to help try and pay it off. ...Apparently, they’re still having her model in strange clothes. They’re even selling the pictures now…

Man, this is… hosed.





She did!? Well, that settles it.

Based on the IP and other tracking data, I’m 99.9% sure it’s her. The post was basically just her asking us to make her parents have a change of heart… But she didn’t put their names. She might be a little hesitant. Or… she doesn’t totally believe in the Phantom Thieves yet. Either way, I have a solution.



Kouta Magario and Asami Magario. I got a hit for them from the Meta-Nav too… We can fix them. I’ve decided, Maaku… I wanna go to Mementos and change their hearts.

We could do that… or maybe we could just, like, kill them. I think it would work out great for everyone.

We can’t let them keep treating Kana-chan so horribly, right?





Oh, and since you’re gonna help me with this, I’ll have to return the favor. Hmhmhm… I’ll look extra hard for valuable stuff when we’re in the Metaverse! Well? Pretty good, huh!?
I can feel a strong bond of trust from Futaba…



This is honestly a pretty annoying ability. “Search objects” are objects in the field that spawn sellable loot (or occasionally a consumable item) that can be stolen. With this ability, they have a chance to respawn after every single battle. All of them. We’re going to see this a lot, is what I’m saying. The animation takes a few seconds, too. However, the real issue is that in Palaces we’re not actually backtracking all that often, meaning we’re not really going to have many opportunities to take advantage of this.

Welp, I’ll be counting on you! Let’s save Kana-chan!
I need to help Futaba put an end to this horrible parenting…
...Oh shoot, it’s getting late. Let us adjourn for today!



G-Goodnight.

Music: Beneath the Mask



Oh goddammit



You don’t even have anything new to say, piss off!



What could be in the food tray he had delivered to them!? Revive and fight, Phoenix Rangers! Next episode… “Grilled Gizzard is My Favorite—But it’s a Trap!”

Music: Layer Cake




...There’s somethin’ I need to talk to you about.



All right, come to the back.

Music: Suspicion



While you and Kaoru were over at that diner, I was out gettin’ info from a reliable source of mine. Turns out I guessed right. Tsuda was the one on the other end of that Hong Kong mafia deal. Apparently he paid them off for a huge arsenal of guns.



If he was smugglin’ all that poo poo in, why would he come to me askin’ for modified guns? I mean, don’t somethin’ about that seem off to you?




That piece of poo poo’s tryin’ to lord his position over me… but he ain’t got poo poo now! What I’m really sayin’ here is… I don’t think those Hong Kong guys ever delivered on their end of the deal. They prolly just took his money and flat out stiffed him on the guns. Masa told me somethin’ real weird back when you and Kaoru were over at the diner though. Apparently, the clan’s been treatin’ that Hong Kong transaction like some kinda massive business success. That means Tsuda’s been lyin’ to ’em this whole time… And now he’s tryin’ to use me to cover up his mistake.

Uhh, I thought you didn’t sell real guns? Y’know, they only look real? What is the yakuza gonna do with a bunch of airsoft weapons?



Even if I’m totally misunderstanding this dude’s plan, which seems likely, it doesn’t actually seem that smart to me. Even assuming Iwai is getting them real guns somehow, for the deal Tsuda likely had with the Hong Kong mafia you’d think there’d probably be a sizeable quantity of hardware. How would Iwai manage to replicate all that, on short notice, for free?



...Don’t matter now though. Everything’s gonna change once I tell the clan what’s up. Tsuda’s not gonna be able to keep intimidatin’ me anymore. And I’ll make sure Kaoru won’t get labeled, like I was… He’ll be a regular, respectable adult. Somethin’ I coulda never even dreamed of… I’m gonna have to talk to Tsuda himself first though. Gotta follow the yakuza code.

What!? No, this sounds like a great plan as long as your end goal is to be somewhere deep in the ocean. The loving “yakuza code,” are you kidding me!? You’re not even yakuza anymore!

…… Hey, I got a favor to ask of you. If anythin’ happens to me, take care of Kaoru, OK?

I’m seventeen, my dude. I’m not sure what you want me to do here.

…OK?



Yeah. I’d like to think he’s above thug poo poo like that… But if he wanted, he could get rid of me no problem. Unless I had some kinda witness with me, that is…

Oh gently caress no.

Wait a sec. I’ve got you.

poo poo



I want you to come talk to Tsuda with me. He’s not gonna dare lay a finger on a civilian kid. It’d cause way too many complications for him.

Are you sure about that? Because I’m not. I’ve got a record, you know. The authorities ain’t gonna give two shits about me.

If you come as my witness, things’ll be miles safer. ...All right then. It’s settled.

I didn’t say poo poo, rear end in a top hat!



Oh, and lemme think of a reward. Gotta thank you for the info, and for bein’ my witness. How ‘bout I work even harder on that special menu? That should be good for you, yeah?
*nods*

*sigh* Goddammit...

It feels like my bond with Iwai is growing even deeper...



We really gotta customize some guns at some point.

Well, I’ll hit you up when it’s time. Let’s do this, kid. Thanks for today.



Huh…? Who could that be at this hour…?

Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)



Okay, I know I decided to lighten up on you, Mishima, but I’m not sure I want to go to “Dome Town” with you.

Earlier I got some info that I can’t turn a blind eye to. I got us two passes. Wanna go and check it out tomorrow?



Actually, let’s do it. Mishima deserves something nice after playing hero and I deserve something nice before my imminent fitting for concrete shoes. Also I feel bad that he already bought the passes like the poor, lonely fool he is.



Dome Town is an amusement park, right? Tomorrow should be fun.

Arist fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Aug 28, 2019

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Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


Oh poo poo, I meant to post this before the update, whatever, but in reference to the previous conversation I was actually talking about the specific birth years, which I doubt will be revealed. The wiki just straight-up assumes they're around 1998-2001 depending on the character because of the implicit date of 2016.

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