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dervival posted:Huh, is that the only sunday the jazz club offers that drink, or just the first opportunity? That's a huge oversight in my opinion if it's the former. Arist posted:
But he will not because that makes more work to develop and draw more backgrounds of Akihabara.
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May 1, 2023 07:38
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 10:22 |
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Chapter 122: 9/5: Thunderbirds Are Go (New) Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)    Can we just skip through this? Feels like the “unanimous” thing is really more of a formality at this point. I don’t think we should be— Eh, it’s fine. I trust Maaku to get us some good targets. Rattle ‘em off and let’s get to it. *sigh* Fine… First up: Land speculator chasing out an old couple running the movie theater in Yongen. Very well. I will go along with this. Next: the guardians of Kawakami’s former student, who have been blackmailing her over his tragic death. Wait, how did he die!? Wasn’t her fault. Next! Very well. I will go along with this. Next target is Hifumi Togo’s stage mother, who is controlling her life and pressuring her to throw her big match. You’re friends with Hifumi, right? You sure this is okay? Can’t hear you, moving on! Very well. I will go along with this. Okay, last up is a cheating gamer terrorizing the Gun About leaderboards. Wait, what? This hardly seems— Uhh, dude… Relax, it’ll be fine. I got this one direct from Mishima. How is that better!? Very well. I will go along with thi— Yusuke, shut up. Anyway, don’tsayanythingifwe’redoingitthreetwoone! No takesies backsies! Oh, wait, sorry guys, I gotta take care of something real quick. I’ll be like, an hour at most. Just, uh… stay here, all right? An *hour*!? What do you need to do, man? Uhh… Nothing. That’s not good enough. Tell us. Fine, I’ll be honest. I’m running out of money so I need to go see a fortuneteller in Shinjuku to boost my earnings today.  So, let me get this straight: you’re low on cash, so you’re going to make a round trip over to Shinjuku so you can pay a fortuneteller what, 3000 yen, and somehow this will translate into step 3: profit? 5000 yen, actually. This sounds like a scam. What? Nooooo. Well… I mean… She has conned me out of 100,000 yen before… but I’m *pretty* sure she’s on the level now. Oh, just go…What, you think I forgot to activate Money Reading and had to reload an old save when I entered Mementos? Never.  Well, let’s head in.    Music: Mementos    It’s coming from below!   Music: Suspicion   It’s gotten even bigger.  This happened because we stole another Treasure… right?  I feel like it’s gonna keep gettin’ bigger and bigger.  (examining phone) I don’t think Mementos’ territorial expansion is caused by us stealing a Treasure. I bet it’s things like the number of searches for “Phantom Thieves,” the ranking of trending words… And the access counter on Mishima’s website and stuff. Even now, it’s slowly expanding.  The more we become the topic of conversation, the more Mementos spreads? Maybe it’s the other way around… Whaddya mean? We’re the ones expanding it… Or perhaps, Mementos grants further passage as we become more prevalent in the general public’s cognition. Queen, that’s exactly what Oracle and Fox said. That’s not “the other way around” at all. Like… gettin’ free admission for bein’ popular?  That’s rather well-put.  For real? That’s amazin’! Actually, you’re amazin’, Futaba! How’d you figure that out? Code names. Piece of cake.  I didn’t know at all… What have I been doing…? Good question. Try harder, cat.    Let’s fuse. Music: Aria of the Soul  We’re making Thunderbird from Anzu and Take-Minakata.    You able to use power of spirit bird!? Thunderbird is a legendary creature from Native American folklore, especially important in the art, songs, and oral histories of Pacific Northwest Coast cultures, as well as being found in the traditions of the American Southwest and Great Plains peoples. They are believed to create thunder and stir wind with the beating of their enormous wings.    While we’re here, we also sacrifice Andras into our Kaiwan so the latter finally learns Psiodyne.  We’re also going to give the Level 30 Trial battle another shot while we’re here.  We do eventually get to the second reward (barely), but after eight (!) attempts over the course of thirty minutes, I give up for now on getting the final reward.  Let’s just go after our first target. Music: Desire   Money, money, money! Hurry and pay us your money! It’s your “responsibility”! God, it’s Chihaya all over again… Teachers should be happy to pay us money! Just like Taiki! Why go to school when you could be working to pay us!? One time I got a C+ in History and now I will destroy all those elitist teachers! I’ll give you three guesses how this one goes, and the first two don’t count. Music: Sunset Bridge  You’re looking down on me, too? Deep down inside, you’re laughing at me, aren’t you…? Yes. We need tawdry consumerist baubles or we’re worthless… We’re terrible… We worked Taiki to the bone when we gained custody of him to make up for how his rich parents looked down on us… It felt nice to see him gradually break down from working so much… Jesus christ. Queen, can I kill them? No. But I want to!   Music: Mementos – Upper Layer   As before, Mementos scan lets us just skip any floors where it activates. Unfortunately, this is less of a boon in Royal because each floor has at least one stamp we need to activate.  Here, we hold up a Sui-Ki and move in for an All-Out Attack.         That’s right, Oracle gets her own Finishing Touch in Royal, even if it’s completely random if we get hers or someone else’s. Neat. And yes, I do believe that text reads “Git Gud.”   Fusion alarm!  We have 19 Lockpicks right now, and we’re going to spend a bunch today. Here, we get a Homunculus, which is an item that can eat an instant kill move for a party member instead of letting them die.     We go for the Black Kotagana and the Model Gun, plus a Blank Card.  We also increase our Money Rewards to 160%.   New to Royal are these occasional special floors with gimmick layouts. They can’t have Jose or secret stamp podium spawns, and a lot of them don’t even have chests. They’re mostly just kind of annoying to run into. While on the subject of stamp podiums, we’re going to try to get all the ones in this block before moving on to the one we just unlocked. This is pretty annoying because you’re not guaranteed to get a secret stamp podium spawn on each floor. Even if you were guaranteed to get one every floor, there still wouldn’t be enough podiums to max out the block without backtracking. This block has 20 stamps and 10 floors. One of those is the exit, which is guaranteed to have one podium, and the other is the rest area, which likewise only has one. That means even if we got an extra podium spawn in every normal floor, we’d still only have 18 out of the 20 we need. This just means we’re going to be going back and forth between the last few floors of this block until we get them all. Why am I being so persistent about getting all these podiums? Well, it’s really mainly just because I want to.  At our next Jose visit, we get four Blank Cards.      At level 36, we choose not to have Queen learn Defense Master.     Just going about our business in Mementos…  OH GOD QUICKSAND  (It’s really loving me up here that there isn’t even really, like, an effect for this)  So, we just got sucked down to a lower floor. It’s pretty rare that this happens. This is maybe the third time it’s ever happened to me across all my playthroughs. But hey, we’re right next to a treasure chest!  This Idaten Ofuda is a party-wide Agility boost for three turns.  There’s something I want to show off about Mona and Panther’s Showtime. After you do it…   …their pictures in their status screens change to the ones from the Showtime. Pretty cool.    And we finally finish getting all the stamps.  Another Homunculus.       We’ve already seen Sexy Technique♥ before in the LP, but it activates so rarely that I feel the need to point it out here.  Open another chest, get a Holy Shroud. This is an item that has a medium chance of doing a Bless instant-kill to all foes. For those of you who don’t remember, instant kills are a remnant of Persona 3 and 4, where they were the only skills of the Light and Darkness types that became Bless and Curse in P5. They have a low hit rate, but that hit rate is boosted massively when the enemy is weak to the respective element.  Music: Desire   Gonna force that old couple off their property to make money! Hell yeah! This guy is more annoying than the Takases were, at least. Music: Keeper of Lust     Worth noting that we get our first activation of Moral Support here, though.  Also, Fox is already doing some good damage with Charge. Music: Sunset Bridge  I’m sowwy… Oh, whatever.  Music: Mementos – Upper Layer   Sweet, now we can keep movin’. Just be careful, okay? The deeper we go, the stronger the enemies get. Music: Mementos – Middle Layer We’ve entered a new set of two layers, so there’s a new Mementos theme.   That’s a sign of how much more twisted this place is. I’m sure the Shadows here are stronger, too. Yeah, and looks like there are more enemies here than there were up above. Be careful, okay?  I don’t usually bother pointing out when Joker’s Personas get new skills, but Marakunda on our beast of a Kaiwan is pretty good so I made an exception.    Goemon learns Counterstrike to replace Counter.   We invest some stamps into increasing the item rewards from x7 to x8.  New selection at the flower shop, as well. We buy a Rasetsu Ofuda (party-wide Attack boost for three turns) and an Ambergris EN (incense that increases Endurance for Personas in Lockdown).   To himself? No. He’s always with me.   Another Holy Shroud from a locked chest.  Huh, another waiting room? Didn’t this one show up quicker than the last one we saw? Oh, this is great! I’ve been wanting to take a break!   Music: Desire   I love cheating! Oh boy! You’ll never be able to wound me! I seriously can’t believe we’re wasting our time on this… Music: Keeper of Lust   Hahaha! I’m strong! I’m the most powerful! Ain’t no matter what you throw my way, you won’t put a scratch on me!    Uhh, this isn’t working! What the hell!? I told you it’s useless! There’s no way you can win against me!  Retreat!Music: Mementos  I don’t understand… It was quite vexing, wasn’t it… How could he dodge all of our attacks? No, I mean… Why did he have a Transatlantic accent? And how, even with that accent, was he talking like a cowboy? That’s not the important part, idiot! Whatever. He was dodging our shots because he’s a cheater. I guess the cheats made him feel so invincible that feeling carried over even to his Shadow, or something. We’ll have to figure out a way to break through his cheats on our own time. Joker, we’ll entrust you with that task. Naturally. I have to do everything around here, after all. Great, I’m even getting Phantom Thieves *homework* now… Still very annoying that it kicks you all the way out to the lobby. Oh well, at least we can take care of the alarm now. Music: Aria of the Soul  First up, use the Electric Chair to get Triple Down from Shiki-Ouji,    Next, get Rising Slash from Inugami.     Uh-oh!      Welp, that sucks.  Let’s just head back in and get the last target. Music: Mementos – Middle Layer  This is the sixth area on this floor, but counting the entire Palace… it’s the thirty-third one.  Thirty-three areas? I’m starting to feel kind of overwhelmed… Just how big IS this place? Who knows? This whole place, its overall structure… It’s all a mystery. Oh well. Just, uh, hang in there!    Music: Desire    After everything I did for Hifumi as her mother, she should be overjoyed to serve me! She’s my ticket to happiness once she gains fame! That’s a hosed up way to think about your daughter. It’s not like it was even through skill that she rose through the ranks. I fixed most of those matches, and I pressured and destroyed her rivals! It’s me she has to thank for her success! I even sold those stories to the weekly magazines to build her profile! I’m so close to my dreams! One last step and I’m there! So don’t you dare get in the way of this! Music: Keeper of Lust   Glad we picked up those Homunculuses. …I know the correct plural form is “Homunculi,” but I’m using it as a proper noun so I need to preserve the whole word for recognition’s sake. Anyway, this boss is mildly troublesome. She knows Agidyne and Maragion, so she can pretty easily lay Fox out, and she’s resistant to Fire, so our decision to bring Panther is regrettable. She’s weak to Bless though, and we have plenty of Personas with Makouga to take advantage of that. Panther can also Tarunda her to temper the loads of damage she’s throwing out.  Zorro learns Magarula, which we slot in to replace Magaru.  We also give Panther Fire Boost, which replaces Ambient Aid. Ambient Aid isn’t very good, but you may still wonder why I didn’t immediately ditch Fire Break, given how often I kvetch about the Break skills. Well—and this is going to be rather embarrassing—in my attempts at the Level 30 Trial battle in the Velvet Room, I actually ended up finding a pretty decent use for Fire Break. See, the Black Ooze in the first wave of that fight is immune to everything and the intended way to defeat it is to deal a ton of damage to the Disaster Shadow in the same wave. However, I was trying to defeat it with Mona, our worst damage dealer by far, for his 8x Takedown damage bonus in that fight, so I often wasn’t dealing enough damage to the Disaster Shadow to kill the Black Ooze. But if I used Panther’s Fire Break, I could simply kill it with Fire spells if the Disaster Shadow failed. So, basically, I felt a weird sort of debt to Fire Break and wanted to give it its due, at least for now. We’ll still get rid of it, but later. Music: Sunset Bridge  I never meant to make Hifumi unhappy, but when she won that competition in grade school she started being called a genius, and I couldn’t get it out of my head… I just felt I had to use her because I could never win on my own. I’m such a horrible mother. I’m sorry, Hifumi…   We’re going to at least continue down to the next end point while we’re here. Music: Mementos – Middle Layer  Chewing Soul is a 100 SP recovery item. Pretty good.   Fox, how are you even turning it on?  Either way, I’m glad we can take a breather. Let’s not miss the opportunity.  All right, we can’t be losin’ our nerve now! We’re goin’ in! A Bead fully restores one ally’s HP.  Queen learns Mafreila to replace Mafrei.  We see Jose and increase our item rewards from x8 to x10, and while we’re at his shop we buy a Chewing Soul and a Kongou Ofuda (full party Defense boost).  Very glad that battles we skip with Skull’s Insta-Kill Confidant ability can activate the fusion alarm, otherwise we’d never get it in here.  I’m sure what we’re seeking is close. We’re almost there!  While negotiating with this Thoth, we get a Thieves’ Den award for frequent negotiation. I say “frequent,” but we really don’t do it that much.  Here’s another weird gimmick floor layout.  Let’s check it out, Joker. So, we got 18/25 of the stamps in Akzeriyyuth.  Guess this wall’s a no-go unless we can get more people to accept us…  Hey, can’t you just use your Oracle power or whatever to do something about it? Prolly not. I’m not some kinda god, you know?  Speaking of gods… have you heard of the god who performed a lewd dance to open a sealed rock door? Hmmm… I think I see what you’re getting at. Go for it, Skull! I’m outta here.That was a weird, out-of-character moment for Queen, but it’s probably the most I’ve liked that character in a long while so I’m fine with it. Anyway, we just need to find Jose to spend our flowers, then we can head upstairs, take advantage of the fusion alarm, and bounce.  We buy an Ambergris ST and an Ambergris AG. I do forget to invest any more stamps while I’m here. Music: Aria of the Soul   We’ve got a hell of a lot of fusin’ to do, so let’s get right to it. First, Kikuri-Hime from Lamia and Take-Minakata.  Notably, this Persona is one level too high for Joker to fuse at the moment. However, we can simply pay 35200 yen out of our current total of… 711,076. Wait, what the gently caress!? That’s over ten times what we entered with! We didn’t even do that many All-Out Attacks to take advantage of Money Reading because we just Insta-Killed ninety percent of the Shadows in there! Holy poo poo! Anyway, we pay it.    I shall be your mask and guide you along the border between life and death… Kikuri-Hime is a priestess who mediated the confrontation between Izanagi and Izanami during their confrontation in the land of the dead. This action established the duty of the Miko, or Japanese priestess, of communicating with the netherworld on behalf of the living. She is also a goddess of matchmaking.  We let the skill Zionga change into Foul Breath.   Next, we use the Electric Chair to make Matarukaja from Eligor.   Next up, we fuse Decarabia from Mothman and Orthrus. We don’t actually really want Decarabia, but it’s a prerequisite to make a different Persona I want to fuse. Sorry, starfish guy.    The power of my star-shaped body shall now become a mask of yours.Decarabia is one of the seventy-two demons of the Goetia (number sixty-nine, in fact, nice), appearing as a pentacle. It is said to have the ability to shapeshift at will, and is the keeper of jewels and herbal lore.   We choose not to let Ominous Words change.   I then move on to the thing I actually wanted to fuse in the first place, Hell Biker from Archangel, Matador, and yes, Decarabia.  At least, that’s what I almost do, before I realize that not only am I about to use the guillotine for the third time during an alarm, I’m about to fuse an alarm result Persona, meaning that there’s absolutely no goddamn way this proceeds without incident. So I fuse this Unicorn instead from Kikuri-Hime and Decarabia, because I’m curious to see what happens if both of the input Personas come from an alarm.    As expected, an accident.   I shall become your mask and show you the authority I hold over the dogs of war…We get Red Rider, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, better known as War. I don’t really need to explain War’s deal, do I? He brings about war. The end.    So, we get all the Amp skills on one Persona. Eh, that’s okay I guess. I guess the answer to “what happens if both the Personas you’re fusing come from the current alarm?” is the same thing that happens if only one is.  Now we get to leave and re-enter.  Okay, now we can fuse that Hell Biker from Archangel, Matador, and Decarabia.     Hatred and violence are the best, don’t you think? Wear my mask and let’s kick it on over to hell!Hell Biker is just loving Ghost Rider. Well… okay, it’s slightly more complicated than that. In Japanese, his name is “Hell’s Angel,” which got changed for obvious reasons, so he’s probably a combination reference to both Ghost Rider and the Hell’s Angels.   And, before we leave… I know I’ve spent too much time trying to win this loving Trial battle. I know. But dammit, at this point it’s a matter of pride! Music: Prison Labor     Oh thank gently caress That Spiral Rasetsu Anklet we got from our victory gives the wearer Matarukaja, which is pretty worth it. Music: Mementos    Now returning to the real world from Mementos. Thank you for your hard work.Music: Triumph 
Arist fucked around with this message at 20:45 on May 1, 2023 |
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May 1, 2023 18:00
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There should be more Personas obviously based on cool comic book characters imho Like, Joker's Persona is just Arsène Lupin as a bird demon guy and that is way cooler than some mythological dork whose biggest claim to fame is braving the underworld to get his dead wife back.
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May 1, 2023 18:27
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Braving the underworld to get his dead wife back and FAILING.
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May 1, 2023 19:04
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Yusuke left the TV turned on and unplugs it to turn it off then when he plugs it back again it is already turned on.
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May 1, 2023 19:14
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I've encountered old TVs where some of the buttons on the monitor don't work, maybe channel changing is broken in addition to the remote being gone.
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May 1, 2023 19:40
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Arist posted:
 Yeah, that's pretty messed up, man.
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May 1, 2023 21:31
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Chapter 123: 9/5-9/6: No Smoking After School → Evening Music: Beneath the Mask  Uh, yeah, where have you been? It’s the day after tomorrow. Yeah, and you never told me about it! I’m not giving you any money, okay? And don’t worry about getting me a souvenir or anything like that. Uh… I think I’ll be fine, Sojiro.  >It’s simple. We need to install cheats of our own. It’ll be an arms race to see who can be the biggest virgin. We can’t install cheats in real life… Wait, the Metaverse isn’t real life either. You get what I mean, though. >Well, then we clearly need to put this request off for a couple decades until we enter our inevitable cyberpunk dystopia and we can install programs into our minds to cheat at video games. I think I have a more practical solution. I’ve heard about this insanely talented gamer called “The King” somewhere in the city. If we can find him, maybe he could teach us a thing or two. Though, I hacked the Gun About servers but couldn’t pinpoint the arcade he goes to… Okay, maybe we could dig up some information about him at the arcades. >And by “we”, you of course mean “me.” Yep! Get to it, serf! I didn’t know someone could get famous just being good at a video game… In any case, we might be able to complete the request if we can find this “King.” With his help… we’ll crush that cheating jerk for sure!      It’s what we bought from Tanaka.   The Japan Meteorological Agency is concerned it will make landfall and is monitoring its path. A typhoon, huh? I hope the plane will be okay.  That means I won’t be seeing you guys for a while, right?  No… It’s nothing…      I had no idea that crane games were that fun!They’re really not.   Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)  Learning about the spirit of the samurai seems useful, but this book looks difficult…  I’m sure you must have a better understanding of the resolve that drives a bushido master.Maaku gains Guts +3. As a reminder, this is a stronger +3 than a normal +3 because it was a book with three segments instead of 2. To quantify that, a normal book gives 5 points, and this book gave 7.  Anon: PHANTOM THIEVES FTW!!! Early Morning Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)   You seem weirdly excited about being sweaty. Though even now, you do still have fangirls, don’t you? You know the rankings that are popular nowadays? Are you interested in them too? Rankings? Oh, you mean for Phantom Thieves targets? You could be a little more clear, you know… But, sure, I guess you could say I’m interested. I don’t blame you. Everyone’s paying attention to it. Did you know my name is listed too? It’s apparently due to my recent disapproval of the group. drat, bro. Sucks to be you, I guess.  How very ridiculous, wouldn’t you agree? Still, I thought that if I became a target, I could figure out their methods. The idea was appealing when I thought about it. Of course, there’s no guarantee I’d be safe. What is it with Detective Princes always offering themselves up as bait for mysterious criminals?  …Well, talking any more will make us late. See you later!  (Friendly Girl) It comes with a sticker, right? There’s so much Phantom Thieves merchandise all of a sudden. Though if you ask me, “Phantom Thieves” isn’t a very cool name. I dunno, I like it. It’s so mysterious. Do you think it’s a bad idea to post my own name to the Phan-Site to get a change of heart? I just want to meet the Phantom Thieves…Fad-Following Girl, nooooo! Early Morning → Morning Music: So Boring  I’m kinda hosed up right now because I’m pretty sure the last time we saw Maruki in real time was a few days after his voice actor died from cancer.  You leave tomorrow, right? It’ll take six or seven hours to get to Hawaii, so… It’ll be morning when you arrive. Oh yeah, watch out for that jetlag. Hawaii’s time is nineteen hours behind Japan’s time zone. Which means you’ll get there on the morning of the 7th. You’re leaving at night, but arriving in the morning of the 7th… That might be quite a shock to your systems. Jetlag is one thing, but our perception of time itself can become distorted sometimes. Have you ever looked at your watch and felt like the second hand stopped for longer than a second? Say, Hamiru-kun. Do you know the name of that phenomenon where the second hand looks like it’s stopped moving?  Yeah! That’s correct. When a person changes their viewpoint, there’s a moment of time that goes unaccounted for in their mind. In order to fill that blank, the brain experiences a fictional moment. That’s where this phenomenon comes from. The human brain really is incredible, right? It can make you feel like time has stopped.Maaku gains Knowledge +1. Oh, but my time’s already up. I want to hear all your stories when you get back, okay? Have fun! …You’re going to Hawaii tomorrow, huh. Don’t worry about the house. I’ll… well, me and Futaba can hold down the fort. Morning → Afternoon    I can’t wait! >Incorrect. Huh? Yeah, we’ll still be in Japan at that point… Ryuji! You know you’re not leaving until tomorrow night, right? Wait, for real!? Enough of the chitchat. You should be concentrating on class. I don’t care about that after what I just heard. I’m totally outta motivation to work… Sounds like business as usual… Welp, time to research sightseeing spots in Hawaii! You got over that pretty drat fast! Oh yeah, are there any famous places in Los Angeles? Hollywood! It has a vibrant art scene as well. I expect the trip will prove quite stimulating. That don’t hold a candle to Hawaii’s beaches though. There are a multitude of fabulous beaches near Los Angeles as well, you know. Huh? It’s close to the ocean? Do you… know where LA is? Well it’s the capital of America, so… in the middle somewhere? What about Hawaii? Dunno. Some ocean, I guess? You’re hopeless! How long are you all going to keep this up!? Good question. I think we’ve got something here, guys, but it’s a little too long for my personal tastes in vaudeville. We should rework this later. …Come on. Can’t you guys be more mature about this? Afternoon → After School Music: Tokyo Daylight   We’ve read the first book, so we’re going to head to Book Town.   Hm, so you finished reading Master Swordsman. Very impressive, considering how young you are. Well then, let me sell you a different book. *chuckle* Sorry, it sounds like I’m testing you. There’s one of these books for every social stat category, and we’re going to buy all of them, despite not needing points in anything other than Guts and Kindness. We just really want the reward at the end of this.  We’re then going to head over to Kichijoji and sell 15 of our assorted dirty clothes. Not all of them, just 15. We’re then going to spend the points we get from that on one Awakening Incense (cures all ailments for all allies) and two Ultimate Sprays (lowers all stats of one foe for three turns).    (Doting Father) I didn’t think those things would be so big… You still have to eat your dinner, too, okay? You’re in the middle of a growth spurt!  While we’re in Kichijoji, we buy a MA-EN incense from the incense shop.  We’re then going to go to the bullshit crystal healing store Stoneon and buy some of their accessories. They have accessories that each give one of the elemental amps, so we buy the ones for Fire, Psy, and Nuke. We also purchase all three of their Black Rocks.  (Commercial) A mysterious texture that melts in your mouth… before it captures your heart. So delicious, a phantom thief might target it. New Choco Macca. Get it now.  I’m supposed to believe a phantom thief would target that? They really want in on this fad. Well, it’s time to head into Freeside and meet The King. Tower 1: Part 105   (Loud Spectator) …That’s the King. Oh, I’ve heard about him. He’s just a little guy, huh? Must still be in grade school…Yep, he’s just a little guy. It’s his birthday and everything. He’s dual-wielding…? Yeah, he’s playing two opponents all by himself. And it’s still too easy for him. Well, I guess that’s that. The King may have some tips on how to defeat the cheater. I should negotiate with him… Music: Break it Down  …What do you want? You, child. Teach me your ways. …Nah. Sounds like too much work. Don’t take it personal; I turn everyone down… Later. I need to beat that cheater. Uh… at Gun About. Beat him at Gun About. …Yeah, that’s what I thought you meant? Weirdo. I get you, though. It makes me really mad when I see him cheating. But it doesn’t really matter, since I can still win against him. You’re probably plum outta luck, though. You mean “poo poo outta luck”? I’m not allowed to cuss, mister. Either way, I can’t let him keep cheating. Evil cannot be allowed to fester. Whoa, you sound like a Phantom Thief. Huh!? Oh! Uh, weird! Must be ‘cause I’m such a huge fan! Well, I think you’re kinda making a big deal outta nothing here. It’s just a video game. The real Phantom Thieves wouldn’t think it’s worth their time, right? *sweating* But, anyway, you’re a fan too? They’re so cool, right!? Wait… you’re not one of those *fake fans* who just hopped on the bandwagon lately, are you? Quick! Name three of their albums! Well, they came to my school, so that’s probably worth at least three of whatever you’re talking about. Oh, you go to Shujin Academy? Yeah, that was so awesome! Great, so please, help a fellow fan out. It sounds like a pain though… And what would I get out of it? Then let’s make a deal. I’ll do something for you. You’re really pushy, mister, and it’s honestly getting a little creepy. I’m a grade schooler, y’know. …Fine, you want a deal? How about this? I want to get to know the Phantom Thieves. You’re really twisting my arm, kid, but fine, I can make it happen. Yeah, I figured you’d give u— What!? I said I’ll do it. B-B-But they hide their identities! How are you going to introduce me to them? I’ll have them deliver a message just for you. But first, I need your name. Feels kinda weird asking for someone’s name when I’m not trying to change their heart… My name’s Shinya Oda. Tell the Phantom Thieves my name, and have them post it somewhere only they’d be able to access. That’ll be good enough as an autograph, and proof that they know my name.  We need something credible for this kid to believe us. Didn’t Futaba say she hacked into Gun About’s server or something? Let’s discuss this with Futaba. She might have a good idea. All right, I’ll be back soon. Wait, how soon? An hour, tops. Huh!?Music: Tokyo Daylight   So, did he tell you how to take down that cheater? Not yet. This genius promised he could meet the Phantom Thieves first. That was not the exact promise we exchanged! He wanted to “get to know” the Phantom Thieves, whatever that means. I promised to deliver a message from the Phantom Thieves addressed to him. That’s where you come in, Futaba. We need you to hack in to the Gun About server and leave a “calling card” with Shinya Oda’s name in it. What if I steal the home page? I already hacked it once leaving a message for that cheater! Ooh, and I can put our logo up and everything! Go nuts, it doesn’t really matter. Just wait until we give you the signal to start your hack. Affirmative! Geez, this is a lot of effort we’re expending for this one, huh? Anyway, I’m off. I’d stick around a bit but I got caught up on the way here and I’ve only got about… *checks phone* twenty-five minutes to get back to Akihabara? What…?  >Do it. Already done, heh! >I told you to wait… It’s a figure of speech!Music: What’s Going On?   A calling card? Is that it? You can just buy these… Read it. “Thanks for your support. Please help those in need. This is a promise to you from the Phantom Thieves: We’re going to post a secret message, just for you, on the game’s official website.”   Just like they did on Medjed’s site! You were able to contact the real Phantom Thieves! How!? Trade secret, kid. They want to remain anonymous, then… That’s so cool… They sent me a message personally… This is amazing! I wasn’t expecting much from you, Hamiru-san, but you’re actually pretty cool. I wish I could have talked with them… but you completed your part of the deal, so I’ll teach you how to shoot.Music: Wicked Plan  You should be able to inflict a lot of damage to the cheater this way. …Let’s get started. Okay, just don’t get mad at me if I mess up. The other gamer I know can be surprisingly brutal when she’s mad. Don’t worry. Getting mad at video games is for people who are bad at them. I’m the best, so I never get mad. I’ll tell her you said that. Please don’t! You’re only doing half the technique! You gotta stop their movement, then go in for the kill! This is shockingly exhausting! I’m getting very sweaty! Who taught you how to shoot!? You, right now! Take this seriously, maggot! He’s almost like a different person when he gets mad. I think you’ll be able to beat that cheater now. Music: Break it Down (Elp Version) Sorry I got worked up back there… But I really think you have potential. More than most people, even! So how about this? I’ll give you more lessons on other moves I know, and you can tell me more about the Phantom Thieves! I have this ultimate trump card you’re not gonna believe! Sounds good. I’ve made a deal with Shinya…Music: Interrogation Room     The police who arrested you said you were a real crack shot. Who taught you how to handle that gun? How would the police have witnessed me firing that gun? Didn’t you say yourself it’s only a model? Err… Anyway, I’m self-taught in the school of firearms. What can I say? I’ve had a lot of practice with guns of the finger variety. That’s… really lame. No it’s not!Music: The Spirit   Down Shot, unlike regular guns in Royal, only recharges per infiltration, which is slightly annoying, but it’s still very good. Anyway, that’s not what I wanna talk about right now. What I wanna talk about is this:  I bought this Get Smoked hat like three or four years ago now, and I have never once worn it. It is absolutely covered in dust. I don’t even know why I bought it besides thinking “this would be a funny thing to have.” It’s not like I even can wear it! It’s a red baseball cap and I live in America, I’m not a psychopath! Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)   I gotta go. See ya later! Interacting with Shinya has made my heart grow… I feel like my Kindness has increased…Maaku gains Kindness +3.   I’m so glad I caught you. Hey, we should exchange IDs. It’s not like I’m here every day, so…    …There, got it. I’ll hit you up when I have time to train you in Gun About. See you later, Hamiru-san. After School → Evening Music: Beneath the Mask   Thank you. Take care of yourself, Yusuke. And Futaba, we’ll be relying on you for the analysis. Leave it to me. Just let us know if anything comes up, k? A-OK! Then off we go! Look after Morgana for us. Have a nice trip! You guys are still talking about that trip…?  Everything’s fine. You don’t need to worry about me…    …It’s nothing. Just go to sleep. …No, it’s nothing.   Jesus christ, I get it.  Uh… Never mind. Have fun on your trip… 
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May 5, 2023 21:02
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a little part of me wants a red baseball cap with "Nazi Punks gently caress Off" on it
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May 5, 2023 21:19
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Man I forgot that Shinya also didn't want anything to do with you until you hooked him up with the Phantom Thieves. Joker literally has no friends outside of being a Phantom Thief, other than Hifumi and Kasumi. and I guess he and Ryuji were kind of hitting it off before getting into the metaverse stuff.
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May 5, 2023 22:18
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Good lord Morgana, stop looking sad if you're not gonna say anything. But yes, Get Smoked kid is here. Props on not going for the obvious joke about a kid teaching you how to shoot.
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May 6, 2023 03:27
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Hellioning posted:Good lord Morgana, stop looking sad if you're not gonna say anything. Yeah, well... Arist posted:
I'm not sure I get credit for avoiding the obvious joke when the only reason I did was that I already made it five years ago. 
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May 6, 2023 04:01
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Either you taught yourself… or you had a capable coach by your side… Where did you learn how to handle a gun!?
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Zulily Zoetrope posted:Man I forgot that Shinya also didn't want anything to do with you until you hooked him up with the Phantom Thieves. Joker literally has no friends outside of being a Phantom Thief, other than Hifumi and Kasumi. and I guess he and Ryuji were kind of hitting it off before getting into the metaverse stuff. Does Mishima count as a friend?
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May 6, 2023 04:13
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Hellioning posted:Props on not going for the obvious joke about a kid teaching you how to shoot. 
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May 6, 2023 04:13
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Oh, wait, was that what was meant? Because yeah, I would not have gone for that joke. Not something I'm really eager to make funny even if it wasn't so regular an occurrence that any joke has the potential to misfire immediately based on that week's news.
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May 6, 2023 04:17
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Akechi is so bad at this that it's almost endearing.
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May 6, 2023 04:24
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ApplesandOranges posted:Does Mishima count as a friend? Ehhhh, they hang out sometimes. But he absolutely goes in the "wants nothing to do with Joker before getting the Phantom Thieves hookup" box.
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May 6, 2023 04:27
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Zulily Zoetrope posted:Ehhhh, they hang out sometimes. Well he does... kinda do stuff with him and Ryuji like the whole Becky setup? It's kinda hard to judge him for 'wants nothing to do with Joker before the Phantom Thieves hookup' since Kamoshida was physically bullying him? Like I wouldn't call him a friend-friend but they're like... work-friends. Fine as a default option when you have to do things together.
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May 6, 2023 05:31
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Oh I'm not saying Joker doesn't have friends, just that he has a real hard time making them without the context of the Phantom Thieves.
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May 6, 2023 11:53
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Maybe Joker is, in fact, not cool but actually a loser???
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May 6, 2023 12:25
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He is branded as a dangerous criminal from day 1, which somewhat narrows the circle of his potential friends.
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May 6, 2023 12:43
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Rogue AI Goddess posted:He is branded as a dangerous criminal from day 1, which somewhat narrows the circle of his potential friends. There are also hints that the rest of his class/school has had it... implied... to them that being more welcoming and forthcoming to him than is strictly required by etiquette may have... detrimental... effects on their own school careers.
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May 6, 2023 18:21
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kaosdrachen posted:There are also hints that the rest of his class/school has had it... implied... to them that being more welcoming and forthcoming to him than is strictly required by etiquette may have... detrimental... effects on their own school careers. I can never stress enough how much of a bitch the conformism in Japanese society is. It just really sucks if you do anything out of line and you'll never be seen as anything human after.
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May 7, 2023 17:05
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Joker still kinda remains persona (heh) non grata though, even after Kamoshida and Kobayakawa are uh, removed from active oppressive roles.
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May 7, 2023 18:20
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No matter what, he's the convicted felon whose presence tends to taint anyone by association. So he's gonna be an outcast until the school deems him rehabilitated or whatever and he fucks on out of there. Even as late as Novemberish he's still "wow that felon who would shank you in a back alley knew that answer" in class.
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May 7, 2023 21:44
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ApplesandOranges posted:Joker still kinda remains persona (heh) non grata though, even after Kamoshida and Kobayakawa are uh, removed from active oppressive roles. Why wouldn't he? The damage is done, everyone knows he's a criminal.
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May 7, 2023 22:53
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ApplesandOranges posted:Joker still kinda remains persona (heh) non grata though, even after Kamoshida and Kobayakawa are uh, removed from active oppressive roles. "We never had these kind of troubles until that guy showed up..."
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May 7, 2023 22:59
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kw0134 posted:No matter what, he's the convicted felon whose presence tends to taint anyone by association. So he's gonna be an outcast until the school deems him rehabilitated or whatever and he fucks on out of there. Even as late as Novemberish he's still "wow that felon who would shank you in a back alley knew that answer" in class. Also he makes lockpicks and bombs in class and reads books and slacks off.
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May 8, 2023 08:38
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That's true, and also talks to his desk cat during exams. We never talk to Student Sitting Behind You but his solidarity is through the roof.
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May 8, 2023 08:49
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Zulily Zoetrope posted:We never talk to Student Sitting Behind You but his solidarity is through the roof. Yeah, he's an Honorary Phantom Thief for sure.
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May 8, 2023 13:12
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Lord_Magmar posted:Also he makes lockpicks and bombs in class and reads books and slacks off.
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May 8, 2023 16:17
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kw0134 posted:But somehow he always gets the top scores in exams which should make people question their own life choices. Don't underestimate people's ability to doublethink. If he was getting poor scores in exams, that would be proof that he's a nasty crime boy who doesn't care about his studies; his top scores instead prove that he's a nasty crime boy who is cheating like a maniac.
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May 8, 2023 18:27
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Arist posted:Oh, wait, was that what was meant? Because yeah, I would not have gone for that joke. Not something I'm really eager to make funny even if it wasn't so regular an occurrence that any joke has the potential to misfire immediately based on that week's news. No, I was going for the 'kid good at video games teaches you how to shoot in real life' joke. School shootings are also not funny.
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May 8, 2023 19:11
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Arist posted:Not something I'm really eager to make funny even if it wasn't so regular an occurrence that any joke has the potential to misfire immediately based on that week's news. 
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May 8, 2023 23:12
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Boo
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May 8, 2023 23:13
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TwoPair posted:Yeah, he's an Honorary Phantom Thief for sure. Or he's also afraid of getting shanked for snitching.
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May 9, 2023 04:02
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I just realized that every time Joker dodges a piece of chalk in class, it probably hits Guy Sitting Behind Him. Not cool Joker, you don't chalk a bro like that.
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May 9, 2023 04:33
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Student Sitting Behind You needs to work on his skills then.
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May 9, 2023 10:15
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ApplesandOranges posted:I just realized that every time Joker dodges a piece of chalk in class, it probably hits Guy Sitting Behind Him. I think given the angle Joker is compared to the teacher, it'd actually miss Guy Sitting Behind him. After all it's coming from the teacher's position at the front, which is in the middle of the room, whilst Joker is in the back left, the diagonal line of the chalk would put it somewhere further left of student sitting behind you.
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May 9, 2023 15:53
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Lord_Magmar posted:I think given the angle Joker is compared to the teacher, it'd actually miss Guy Sitting Behind him. After all it's coming from the teacher's position at the front, which is in the middle of the room, whilst Joker is in the back left, the diagonal line of the chalk would put it somewhere further left of student sitting behind you. It bounces off the window. Case closed. 
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May 9, 2023 16:01
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