#this is like me with layer cake in p5

[detective-prince-enthusiast]

have we considered that changing seasons especially in reload is like. one of the best persona 3 songs.

Love this song

[sleepychillcow]

C10: It’s a Rainy Day, Be Sure to Pack an Umbrella! (P5 Fanfic)

Areum walks quicker trying to outpace the incoming rain, dark clouds gathering behind her like a threat. The cafe is still a couple blocks away and she curses herself for walking instead of taking the subway. She convinced herself the distance between her workplace and the cafe wouldn’t take long before the rain came in. When the first heavy droplets come down hard smacking against her coat, she runs to duck under the nearest overhang she can find in front of a shuttered storefront. 

Shaking the water off her sleeves, she tucks herself tighter into her coat. She’s glad she wrapped a longer, chocolate-brown leather coat over her collared, soft-button dark neutral dress. It’s short though, so between the hem of the skirt and her boots that stop nearly to her knees, her skin is freezing. She crosses her arms, partly from the cold and she catches in the corner of her gaze that the ends of her dark hair are beginning to curl from the mist of the rain. 

‘So much for styling it.’ She thinks to herself. There’s no hope of the rain lightening anytime soon, so she chooses to enjoy it from the dry shade instead. The glass storefronts all reflect the streaky gray world around her, droplets sliding down the glass in rivulets. People are rushing to get inside, clearing the sidewalks. 

“Hey.” The voice is so soft it nearly gets swallowed by the pounding of the rain. Areum whips her head to her right, startled. Ren stands a few feet away, adorned in his chef jacket and an umbrella in his hand. Ren tilts his head towards the rain as he looks at her. “Where are you headed?”

“The Black Kettle? It’s supposed to be a cafe.” Areum answers, and Ren nods in recognition, then gestures for her to come over. “Come on, it’s the same way I’m heading.”

“You sure? I’d hate for you to get wet because I got caught in the rain.” She says, eyeing the smaller umbrella. Without answering, Ren steps in front of her and tilts the umbrella, offering her shelter for her walk.

She slips under, shoulder to shoulder with him. It’s a small radius for two people, but it’s better than getting pelted by water. As they walk, Areum asks, “Heading to cooking class?”

“Mhm, today we’re making Japanese-French fusions.” Areum whistles, and he continues. “I think I’ll try making a matcha mille cake.”

“The crepe cake, right? Seems easy enough.” Areum’s assumption is quickly met with a head shake from Ren and a soft laugh.

“Every crepe has to be identical, even thickness and exact size. Each layer of cream in between has to be smooth, thin, and even. Chill it wrong and it’ll sag. It’s all about patience. It may be repetitive, but 20 crepes require precision.” Ren lists out all the factors.

“Sounds like you’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

“I have,” he admits, “that’s what the lessons are for.”

“Well if it tastes anything like those cookies you made me, I’m already a big fan of Patissier Amamiya.” Ren chuckles. “Thanks for the cookies, by the way.”

“I’m glad Goro got them to you safely.” Ren mentions. “What are you headed to the cafe for?”

“To meet Goro, actually.” Her voice flattens a little at the admission. Ren picks up on it.

“So you’re friends now?” Ren asks, and Areum can tell the question is targeted.

She gives a half-smile. “Something like that.” A small part of Areum grins in defiance as she says it. Not that Goro should mind her answer, since she’s such a bad liar.

“Hmm.” Ren doesn’t say more for a moment, but he does meet her eyes before he mutters to himself, “maybe that’s a good thing for him…”

Goro sees them before they notice him. He watches them from beneath an awning at a toy store. The first thing he notes is the shared umbrella, too small for two, really. Ren’s holding it, angling the awning closer to her side so the corners of his hair drip water down on his right shoulder. Areum is about to say something sharp, as her face takes on that sarcastic expression she wears so often with him. Ren listens to whatever she says, his face softening in amusement. There’s an endearing look in his eye as Ren listens to her speak.

Goro quickly takes in Areum, her boots splashing gently through the puddles on the sidewalk, the hem of her dress swaying slightly with each shift of her legs as she walks. Her jacket is glossy in the light, baggier to contrast her bodycon outfit. It’s tailored and prim, but the boots give a slightly commanding edge every time they click against the ground. The outfit is meant to say ‘I want you to think I’m put together.’ A sweet aesthetic lie.

‘Fitting.’ Goro thinks. 

It’s Areum that catches sight of Goro first between the two of them. Her easy, warm expression shifts into something halfway between surprise and annoyance when she identifies him under the narrow brick awning.

Goro is in his charcoal wool overcoat, a midnight blue turtleneck sweater underneath, with slim black trousers to match his black gloves and chelsea boots. Everything on him is sharply tailored, down to the double-breasted silhouette. It’s meant to read ‘composed, authoritative, and theatrical in its restraint.’

‘Perfect for a boy trying to hide knives with charm.’ Areum thinks. That image is slightly ruined by the rain though, as his hair is soaked through, dripping and sticking to his skin like glue. His coat is soaked at the top, clinging to his shoulders and shielding the rest of him from the cold wet.

Ren only notices him after following her gaze, a small grin coming to his lips. He says something to Areum that leaves her wide-eyed before shuffling over to Goro and waving. “Admiring the weather?” Ren teases. 

“How romantic.” Goro ignores Ren to tilt his head at them, his voice light but heavily sarcastic. His remark is pointed and there’s an unreadable glint in his eyes as he looks at them.

Heat rises to her cheeks against her will and she glares at Goro, but Ren just quietly snickers, a slight grin quirking his lips again. “Come on, let’s get you both inside.” The offer makes Areum side-eye Ren. The umbrella is already a tight fit. With three, it’s even tighter. 

Goro hesitates for a heartbeat, but Ren waves him over insistently, teasing him with a promise that neither of them will bite unless asked. The sultry undertone catches Areum’s attention and she arches a brow at Ren’s interesting demeanor with Goro. Goro ignores Ren, taking a place on Areum’s left and Ren hands the umbrella to her. 

The walk to the cafe is awkward. Ren and Goro are tall men, so Areum has to hold it up quite high. She’s also stuck in the middle, so she’s sandwiched between their arms. When the wind picks up, Ren has to snatch the rod of the umbrella above her head for a moment to keep it straight. When they finally arrive in front of the cafe and Areum can finally lower the umbrella, she mutters as she hands it over to Ren, “Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.” 

“Not at all.” Ren says in a deadpan voice, then points across the street with his thumb. “I’ll be going that way then.”

Areum looks across the street to see a cooking school with a big window that shows off the interior. As Ren shakes off the water from his umbrella, Areum turns to glare at Goro. 

‘Right across the street? Really?’ She thinks, glaring so hard she hopes the words translate over to him. ‘Not friends, huh? Yet he knows Ren’s hectic schedule.’

Goro trains his face to remain neutral, but the glint in his eyes betrays him. It’s obvious Goro planned for this coincidence. Knowing that now, Areum pivots back to Ren. “Heyyy Ren, you’ve got some time before class starts, right? Want to grab a quick drink inside with us before you head over?” Areum will be damned if she doesn’t delay her inevitable hangout with Goro.

“Sure, I haven’t tried the new roast here yet.” Ren obliges her, closing the umbrella completely and stepping ahead to open the door for Areum and Goro.

At the counter, she can’t concentrate on reading the menu. Instead, she’s wondering how she ended up in a cafe stuck between her roommate and the guy she caught secretly banging his teacher in the bathroom. They’re not under the umbrella anymore, yet she’s still squeezed between both of their shoulders. 

She’s brought back to attention when Ren says, “I’ll take my coffee black please. Areum, what would you like?”

“U-uhh…” Areum flounders, her eyes darting across the menu as the barista and the boys wait on her. Eventually, Ren and Goro both speak up at the same time.

“What about the strawberry matcha latte?” Ren offers.

“She’ll have the strawberry matcha latte.” Goro states for her. 

“That does sound good…hey, wait!” Areum spins to look at Goro. “Don’t order for me. What if I didn’t want that?” 

Goro ignores her and pulls out his card to pay, then pulls his hand back. He grins like he’s preparing to piss her off and adds, “we’ll also have chocolate covered strawberries and the mille-feuille.” 

“How’d you know I like –” Areum stops herself. “Nevermind…I’m not eating the cake though.”

“That one is for me.” Goro responds.

“How did you know she loves chocolate-covered strawberries, Goro?” Ren tries to keep an innocent face as he asks, but there’s a smirk curving his lips as he asks.

“Observation.” Goro keeps his answer short as the barista holds out Ren’s drink for him.

Areum doesn’t realize there’s two girls seated farther away in the cafe until she hears their loud whispers. “Hey, isn’t that…?” One of them points in their direction, somewhere between her and Ren. 

“The criminal transfer guy from high school?”

“Yeah, that’s totally him!”

“Didn’t he, like, assault someone?”

Ren stiffens next to her, his shoulders going rigid as the air drains from him. Areum realizes they’re talking about him.

“Nah, I heard he killed the guy.”

“No way. I heard it was gang violence. How’d he even get into Shujin? I don’t know why they let him in.”

“They were just using him for that rehab PR bullshit. Like putting a stray dog in a uniform.” The girls giggle to themselves. 

Areum freezes when she sees the deep shame in Ren’s eyes as his body folds in like he’s trying to disappear inside his own skin. The look in his face builds something in her chest. Not pity. Not sadness. Rage. 

She doesn’t expect it—the heat in her cheeks and throat hits her so fast it catches her off guard. Her vision sharpens and every giggle from across the room feels like a slap. It isn’t like her to get this angry. But seeing him like that? Folded in on himself like he deserved it? That’s what does it. All she can think about is how fiercely she wants to make them shut up.

She turns to look directly at the girls, stepping over to them. “Excuse me? You.” She calls out to them sharply, her voice slicing through their laughter. The girls stop to whip their heads over to her, startled like they’ve been caught passing notes in class. “I don’t know who you think you’re whispering about, but have some goddamn decorum. Didn’t anyone raise you right?” 

Ren is silent behind her. One of the girls looks flustered at being reprimanded, but the other one is gaping at her, confused. “What, are you his girlfriend or something?”

“No,” Areum tilts her head, smiling now, “but I will be the girl who catches an assault charge in this cafe if you keep running your mouth.” Areum places a hand on her hip. 

The girls go wide-eyed and are stock still in their chairs. Areum continues staring at them and then looks at them expectantly. When they give her confused and frantic glances, she makes a shooing motion at them. 

 They mutter apologies as they rise in their chairs to scamper away through the exit. Areum hears Goro saying something to the barista in the background.

Areum follows the girls with her eyes until they’ve walked past the windows before she looks back at Ren, who still looks a bit wide-eyed, but at her this time. Areum places her hands over her mouth and rushes over to him, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think or ask, that might’ve been too –”

“No.” Ren shakes his head slowly, and places a shaky hand on her elbow. His voice is soft, but steady. “Thank you. Really.”

“Are you sure?” Areum presses, and Ren takes a deep breath to help lower his shoulders back down. 

“Yeah.” Ren gives her one last glance. “I’ll leave you two to your day. I’ll see you at home later?” Areum catches the underlying message and nods. Ren holds his cup up in Goro’s direction. “Thanks.”

As Ren disappears across the street, Goro casually walks over and claims the seat directly next to the giant window. The window directly across from the cooking school. Right in Ren’s line of sight. 

“Really? Can you be any less subtle?” Areum mutters, following him with her drink in hand. Goro pulls her chair out for her before seating himself and she slumps in the seat across from him. “You planned this so he’d have to see us together the entire time?”

Goro shrugs, sipping his iced americano. “Coincidence.”

“You’re a shitty liar.” Areum glares at him over the rim of her cup. The next few minutes are spent in silence, Areum and Goro sitting across from each other as if they’re strangers. Areum fiddles with the straw of her drink as Goro watches her closely, waiting for some reaction to dissect.

“Sooo…is this how you hang out with all of your friends or am I just special?” Areum jokes, trying to ease the tension. Goro doesn’t laugh, staring at her as if she didn’t say anything at all.

“You’re quite brazen when you want to be.” He declared instead. “I had to promise the barista you wouldn’t threaten any more of the customers.”

“You say that like I’m not usually.” Areum challenges, and Goro doesn’t immediately respond.

“You seemed quite meek around your boyfriend.” Goro mentions, and pretends to hide his next statement behind his mug as he takes a sip but Areum hears it loud and clear. “You ran to him with your tail between your legs.”

“If all you’re going to do for the next hour is insult me, I’m leaving.” Areum grabs her drink off the table and starts to push her chair back, so Goro puts his hands up as if he’s been caught red-handed. 

“I’m sorry. I thought our newfound friendship was sharing observations.” Goro explains. 

Areum leans forward, letting him know what she’s saying is serious. “Our little back and forths? My relationship is not a topic you get to dissect. Got it?”

“Got it.” Goro doesn’t hesitate to respond. 

The silence settles again, making room for the sound of the rain pattering on the window and the clinking of cups and metal behind the counter. Areum peers across the street at the cooking school and Ren is at his station, dripping crepe batter into a pan and using his utensil to plate them. As he waits for them to cook, he repeatedly glances up to watch Areum and Goro. A few times, Areum locks eyes with Ren, but he’s too far away for her to read the expression on his face. “So you already planned my run-in with Ren, why are you making him watch us the entire time? Simply hanging out would’ve been enough.”

“If I told you I’d orchestrated this, would you have agreed to come?” Goro answers her question with his own.

“Fair.” She agrees. “Why do you care so much if Ren finds out the truth anyways? Ren would never tell anyone, he really likes you…for some reason.” 

“Because it’s none of his business who I’m dating.” 

“Or you don’t want him to disapprove?”

“I don’t care what he thinks.”

“Clearly you do if you’re going to all the trouble of convincing him we’re friends and rubbing it in his face.” He doesn’t say anything. “So how did you end up with your teacher?”

“Let’s both agree that our relationships are off-limits.” 

Areum shrugs. “Fine, excuse me for making conversation. Okay, why did you become a famous detective?”

“So I could kill someone.” Areum chokes on her drink, coughing as Goro doesn’t even bother looking at her as he says that.

“Wait, are you being serious?” Goro continues to give her a plain expression. “Did you?...Like, kill them I mean?”

A muscle in Goro’s jaw ticks just barely. “No. Ren meddled so I didn’t.”

Areum opens her mouth and narrows her eyes in confusion before putting her hand up. “You know what, nope. I’m not touching that one with a ten foot pole. I give up.”

Goro raises an eyebrow, and his lips twitch faintly, deciding to finally throw her a conversational bone. “Do you often blindly rush to the defense of others like that?” Areum scowls harmlessly at him. “Most people don’t leap into battle for someone else’ reputation unless they care.”

“Ren’s not most people.” Ren is kind to everyone, even tactless gossipers who don’t deserve it.

“No. He’s not.” Finally something they agree on. Goro says it simply, but there’s an edge under it. Like he knows it and resents it a little. Like he’s testing that thought with her and watching how it lands. Areum’s unsure why he’s poking it at her to affirm something, but before she can figure it out, her phone buzzes.

She almost doesn’t look. When she pulls the phone out of her pocket, the name Junho flashes on the screen and her body tenses like he’s pulling a wire tugging at her spine.

<Are you free to talk soon?>

The quiet hum in the café becomes deafening. Her chest tightens. She hasn’t heard from him in weeks—not a single text, no calls, not even passive aggressive ones. She spent days twisting herself up in knots over it, then more days peeling herself back out. She should feel relieved he’s finally reached out, but she doesn’t. She feels on edge, uneased by the cold seeping into her bones. Areum hadn’t realized she felt such peace in his absence, not having to justify who she was hanging out with or where she was going. All that is shattered by a single text. 

Her jaw clenches. She locks her phone screen quickly, shoving it under her thigh like she can crush the thought of him with the weight of her own body.

Goro notices. She doesn’t say a word, but his eyes flicker to her face and then back to his cup. He doesn’t ask, instead sliding the box of chocolate-covered strawberries across the table until they’re in front of her. And it feels like the kindest thing he could’ve done. 

She exhales slowly. “Thanks. For the…food.” She gestures lamely toward the strawberries. “It was a douche move ordering for me, but I appreciate the gesture.”

“You’re welcome.” His tone is level, unreadable. He continues sipping on his drink, observing her. After he places his drink down, he removes one of his gloves, slowly and precisely pulling each finger before picking up the fork for his cake.

“Okay, don’t make it weird.” Areum bites into one of the strawberries, avoiding his gaze. They eat in silence again, the sound of his fork quietly scraping the plate of his cake filling the gaps again. It isn’t until they’re both finished when Areum notices Goro gazing out the window, thinking deeply about something. 

“Do you think some people inflict punishments upon themselves to make up for their shortcomings?” There’s an odd stillness in his voice when the question catches her off guard. She can’t completely discern if the question is about her, Ren, or himself. His gaze remains fixed outside, watching the rain only grow heavier, blurring the world beyond the glass. His expression is stiff, as though the question came from somewhere deeper than expected.

“I think…” Areum starts, then pauses. “…Yes.” she says at last, her voice quiet. “I think some people convince themselves they deserve to hurt out of guilt. Like if they can punish themselves first, it keeps anyone else from doing it.”

Her gaze remains on him, but his eyes stay on the storm. “It’s not always about guilt. Sometimes it’s control. If you decide the rules, even if they’re unfair, at least you’re the one enforcing them.”

‘Control. A good word to describe Goro Akechi.’ She thinks. The conversation dies shortly after, never picked up again. Areum sits with Goro watching the rain until it lightens and all that’s left are the grey clouds and wet pavement.

When they part ways, Goro offers to walk her to the station, but she hesitates before shaking her head. “No, I need some air and time to think. Thanks though.” She gives him a soft smile, a genuine one. Goro doesn’t push further on it, just nodding and watching her make her way down the misty street. 

She walks slowly, her head full of the possibilities of what Junho will say to her. A few moments later, her phone buzzes and she expects another message from Junho, but is pleasantly surprised to see a text from Ren.

<Thanks again for earlier. It means a lot to me.>

She stares at her screen and smiles. It reminds her that today is more than just a message from Junho. She feels like she’s gotten a peek into Ren’s mind and even Goro’s. Ren’s selfless, helpful nature makes more sense to her now. The way he keeps his head down, remains quiet, and works himself so hard. He’s not just polite, he’s making up for something society decided made him ‘less than.’

Areum has no idea on the details of why the girls called him a criminal, but she knows with certainty that Ren is trying so hard to be good. He is good. He remains good in a world that likely punished him for breathing wrong.

She takes her time typing her reply to him. <You don’t have to thank me for that. What I did is the least of what you deserve. Anytime for you, roomie.>

She may have a clear picture of Ren now, but Goro is still a mystery. A friendlier one now, hopefully.

[willczek-art]

Speedpaint of -> this piece!<-

I think this is the first one that’s digitally sketched too! :D

[marzely]

So I was thinking in any persona game you've played were there areas you would hang out in a bit longer than needed or took some time in just because you liked the song that played?

Like for me I liked to takes some time buying/selling equipment in p5 cause Layer Cake is a jam. The same for Hyme of the Soul I always hummed along so I liked to spend more time fusing personas just to listen to it.

[its-marounda]

With the recent p5 arts, do you have any pudgesona headcanons? Or specific scenarios you enjoy? Love to hear em all :3c

okay there’s a lot here so let’s get cracking, gonna focus on the boys for now since I’m guessing that’s what got people interested all of a sudden. I’ll probably make another post for them. (And scenarios are just a whole other can of worms so they’ll be their own posts too lmao)

Okay first up, body type headcanons:

Ryuji is probably the least likely to gain a huge amount of weight, but when he does he’s got something of an apple shape - it mainly goes to his stomach.

Mishima is somewhat of an hourglass shape, with an equal level of fat shared between lower and upper body. But he’s also less likely to get large.

Akechi (yes I have to include him or people will kill me) is bell shaped.

Yusuke, if he can afford, gains all his weight in his lower body. He’s a very pear shaped boy. (this usually means he gets stuck in vents while in the metaverse and as such the phantom thieves have a “Yusuke goes last” policy)

Akira/Ren is bell shaped - he’s bottom heavy for sure, but it definitely goes to his belly as much as his butt. And he tends to get the biggest when he does gain weight, so he has a generous layer of fat over most of his body regardless of body type.

Next is food and appetite headcanons:

Akechi loves sweet stuff, even when it very clearly has an effect on his body; he will gladly devour pastries and pancakes (especially crepes, he loves going to crepe houses). Much like Ann he can devour a cake with no issue. However unlike Ann he has more control over himself and will tend to gain nowhere near as much as some of the other Phantom Thieves.

Once he manages to become more confident in himself, Mishima will eat just fine; he has what other people would probably consider a “normal” appetite and tastes. (Because of this he tends to gravitate towards being a feeder over being a feedee, if a submissive one.)

Ryuji eats like an athlete even though he’s not really able to compete like he used to - he loves his beef bowls and meaty festival foods. If it has a high protein content and is tasty, he’ll eat it. And he can eat a lot, without even needing much of a push from the others to do so. While he doesn’t gain weight, he’s the most likely to get stuffed to the brim on a regular basis.

Yusuke requires some gentle prodding to eat more than a few mouthfuls. He tends to just eat whatever is put in from of him as long as it looks aesthetically pleasing. This means that he tends to prefer home-cooked or restaurant food over fast food or microwave stuff. However he does eat a lot of instant ramen due to his lack of money to spend on things other than art supplies.

Akira/Ren is definitely a glutton, and just loves food in general. It really doesn’t take much to get him to chow down, as seen when he manages to destroy every single challenge Big Bang Burger puts in front of him. This also makes him the easiest to feed, as you can just keep putting food into his mouth and he will eat. He also has an inhuman capacity, as nobody can seem to actually fill him completely. 

Feederism Role Headcanons;

Akechi: Tends to be a dominant feeder - he likes having a level of control over the size of his partners.

Mishima: A submissive feeder - he likes his partner to be full and happy, and if that means an extra layer of pudge who is he to complain.

Ryuji: sometimes a feeder, sometimes a feedee, but only casually. He likes being stuffed himself, but he doesn’t really have any desire to gain weight nor does he seem to be able to. He’s great at getting other people to eat though. (Evidence: his egging on of Akira when they have ramen after their first day of School)

Yusuke: a feedee/feeder switch, leaning on the side of feeder - he appreciates the aesthetics of fat, and desires to explore it. When on his own and with enough money for food he’d explore it himself, but when he’s in a feederism relationship he’d prefer to see how it develops on the body of his partner. Loves to use said partners as practice for drawing/painting larger figures.

Akira/Ren: feedee/feeder switch, but often forced into the role of feedee. He’s just... so easy to feed that his partner just goes to town. However, his large appetite (that only grows the bigger he gets) tends to rub off on his partners, who soon find themselves also getting fed and growing (so in actuality Akira is a mutual gainer).

Size Headcanons; (in order of smallest to largest)

Akechi is the least likely to get fat, purely because he’s aware enough to know when he’s getting too fat for his liking. Once he’s found his ideal weight he tends to stay there. 

Mishima only tends to get slightly pudgy, and he’s good at keeping on top of it by buying better fitting clothing.

Yusuke can get chubby, but nowhere near as big as some of his peers. His lack of appetite and preference for his partners to be bigger tends to be the reasoning behind it.

If Ryuji gets fat, he gets decently big. He ends up looking like the typical ex-jock; stocky, but with a noticeable gut.

Akira... hoo boy. He’s not only the most likely to get fat, he usually ends up enormous. At minimum he gets to 200lbs, but most often manages to get much, much bigger than that thanks to his partners and wildcard stomach capacity.

if there’s anything you guys think I’ve left out please let me know.

[endwalkr]

also Persona!! The whole series!

ngl i dont know a lot at all abt persona games besides 5 so im just gonna do p5 if thats ok! :D also id like to give a shoutout to the fucking bass player for this game… what a fucking legend hskjdghkshdk

Fav Character Theme: hmmmm theres not really any character specific themes in this game? so im gonna just pretend layer cake is iwai’s theme and choose that one khgshkdsg like i love the complete mood shift right after the intro!!!

Fav Area Theme: honestly i love all the palace themes a lot except for the museum palace one? idk its not bad but its just not my favorite. if i had to choose my favorite its the whims of fate cuz it just goes hard like that shgskjhgs

Fav Battle Theme: i guess this answer doesnt count because its a remix from the dancing games but i rly like that version of blooming villain!!!!!! it sounds like it comes straight out of hyrule warriors and i fucking love that style of music :D and GOD that thing it does from 1:00 to 1:04 is SNKGJSK YEAHHHHHH

Fav Boss/Final Boss Theme: brooo the yaldabaoth battle theme is rly good sgsjgjs BUT also rivers in the desert…. god this ost is so fantastic

Personal Fav Theme: this may be because im arranging it for our band now but god im on a wake up get up get out there kick lately hdjhskghksh but life will change is rly good too :DDD HOLY FUC K EDIT I FORGOT ABOUT COLORS FLYING HIGH IM LISTENING TO IT RN AND IM GOING BUCKWILD

A song you didn’t like at first but grew to like: hm i cant actually think of any songs for this! i guess layer cake, the first time i heard that i was like uhhhh… that sounds unpleasant…. and then once the intro was over i went OH OOH OHHH OKAY 

One of the first songs you heard from the game: i went into p5 blind so i had never heard any songs before! so technically it’s wugugot ;) i think the first song that i got stuck in my head was last surprise :D (oh the delicious tritone in the bass at the start shgjkshgk)

A song that gets you pumped: life will change!!!!! its a good thing the ‘’lets get this bread!’’ theme rly gets me hyped skjghskgksk but also wugugot. i listen to that when im traveling by train cuz im always a lil anxious when i have to but its sooooo motivating!!!! like every time i go out and im listening to it im just like…. YEAHH….. IVE WOKEN UP….. IVE GOTTEN UP…… AND IM GETTING OUT THERE!!!!!!!!! tokyo daylight and tokyo emergency are also fantastic walking around themes… its like the beat was made for walking hgkshgksdk

A song that makes you happy: all the chill hanging out songs :D WAIT NO wicked plan is my favorite fucking thing about the entire game shgshgk it caught me so off guard the first time because its so silly (also the bass notes sound like the mario underground theme)

A song that makes you sad: p5 isnt a super sad game to me? but that one scene where you know who ascends to the sky and the piano version of hoshi to bokura to plays makes me :( OH GOD IM LISTENING TO IT NOW AND OH SHIT

The song you like least from the game: i usually dont like the ‘’hurry up! there’s a time limit!’’ themes in games because they freak me out so i guess thats the case here too lol

[scarffles]

About Me Meme!

tagged by: @hot-for-justice (Thanks so much!! This was fun!)

rules: tag 9 people u wanna get to know better

relationship status: Taken! Living with my bf 

chapstick or lipstick: Chapstick, but honestly I don’t like the feel of either. Chapstick just helps more than lipstick

favorite colors: Blue, white, purple

last song i listened to: Layer Cake from the P5 soundtrack. (it’s good for testing if your speakers work!!)

last movie i saw: I... Don’t remember. But I’m going to be watching Your Name soon, as we got it on bluray!

top 3 tv shows: Star Wars Rebels and Clone Wars, Brooklyn 99, Narcos

top 3 bands/artists: Walk The Moon, Two Door Cinema Club, Owl City (Linked to some of my fave songs by them!)

books i’m currently reading: Currently my sit-down book is Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. I like re-reading it because, well, I love the books and it makes me nostalgic. I’m always passively reading My Hero Academia though, I lost count of how many time I’ve reread that.

I tag: @toshiyaargh @yukiranine @hornsoverhooves @your-toku-mom @toetappinsilence @yung-monday @spectrumbunny @tangelojack @hybbat

[bicep-naruto]

all the persona 5/akechi related asks ;)

General P5 asks:

1. Favorite dungeon/Palace

Probably Kamoshida’s or Shido’s cuz the music and scenery was noice2. Least favorite dungeon/Palace

Kaneshiro’s cuz it was just,,, a lot man

3. Favorite character besides Goro

RYUJIIIIIIIII4. Least favorite character

Ann? I don’t hate her but like I don’t particularly like her either5. Things you thought were strongest about P5’s writing 

I really like all of the different small details and just like mannerisms they included6. Things you thought were weakest about P5’s writing

The fact that they thought “every girl had to look ‘cute’” (what does that even mean???????) and the fact that the main character couldn’t be bisexual7. How you would “fix” P5

Probably expand on Goro’s story and you know,,, NOT FORGET ABOUT HIM????? and idk make rejections possible if the protag is a jerk? and have gay relationships possible8. What do you think about Dancing Star Night?

YEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIII9. Favorite Persona (of the party’s)

I like Arsene quite a lot and Johanna is pretty cool~~~10. Least favorite Persona (of the party’s)

I can’t have a least favorite they’re all wonderful11. Favorite boss battle

Goro...12. Least favorite boss battle 

The twins hhhh13. Favorite tracks on the OST

I like Beneath the Mask and Layer Cake a lot uwu14. Favorite party member confidant

Haru’s conversations are really interesting!!! (And Ryuji’s too of course)15. Favorite non-party member confidant

Hifumi!! She’s passionate about what she does and I like that a lot16. Least favorite party member confidant

I didn’t like Makoto’s because like,,, idk how to explain ,,17. Least favorite non-party member confidant

Ohya just because man18. Favorite character design

Yusuke is designed very beautifully as well as Hifumi!!19. Where were you when you got your copy of Persona 5? As somebody who played both Persona 3 and 4, were you freaking out on release day?

I was at home, and it was a birthday gift!! I was freaking out months before the release hehe20. How has the game impacted your life?

It makes me look at the world differently in a way and how it’s actually pretty accurate to what happens irl

Akechi-related asks:

1. First impression of him (before the game was released)

Beautiful boy2. When was the moment you decided he was your favorite character?

Hmm,, probably the second playthrough? I could see how soft spoken he was and I could understand his character better3. If there was one thing you could change about his character arc, what would it be?

Maybe for him like,, not to die?4. Which Metaverse outfit of his do you prefer? 

Both are quite... interesting5. What are your favorite aspects of each design?

THE MASK ON THE FIRST ONE HHH and for the second one the mask as well...6. What do you think of his beta designs?

The first drawing reminded me of a male Makoto, and the second one looks like Haru’s male hairstyle and it’s adorable ahh7. One positive trait of his you identify with 

He tries to stay positive8. One negative trait you identify with 

The fact that he just wants to be acknowledged9. His eyes: red or brown?

They both look noice man10. If you’d had your choice, around what time would he have joined the Phantom Thieves?

Around Madarame’s palace11. How do you feel about the infamous pancake meme?

Beautiful, the best thing I’ve ever seen tbh12. Favorite aspect of how the fandom treats him 

I love how fond they are of him!!13. Least favorite aspect of how the fandom treats him 

I understand both sides but they don’t have to be a jerk about it lmao14. Sexuality headcanons

Disastrous bisexual 15. If Akira was out of the picture, who would you ship him with?

Maybe Makoto?16. Why do you like shuake?

It’s just really cute how they tease each other and how shy they are around each other sometimes? it’s really pure 17. (NSFW) What’s their dynamic in bed?

goro is bigger boy (both age and height wise) than akira so...18. What’s the most controversial opinion/headcanon you have about Goro’s character?

none really19. What’s your favorite thing to see in fanworks involving Goro?

THE BOY BEING HAPPY AND ENJOYING HIMSELF20. “Discourse”/nasty behavior in the Goro fandom that really needs to stop

when people say he was unnecessary and got what was coming :((

@boof-kun thank you for asking <3

[sound-tracker-flac]

Persona 5 Soundtrack Review

The Soul of Style

Persona fans had been waiting for Shoji Meguro (目黒将司) for eight years, the long eight years between Persona 4 and the long-awaited release across two generations, Persona 5. Meguro had risen to widespread prominence with the Persona 3 soundtrack, a refreshing compilation of US pop and J-pop; to this day, it remains among my favorite gaming soundtracks. Persona 5 was a runaway hit upon release both in Japan and globally, bringing the unique, stylish mix of JRPG and Visual Novel to a worldwide audience. The only question remains: has Meguro recreated the musical success of his previous works?

Packaging and Design

Wow. Just…wow. For a series exuberant with style, with P5 being arguably the most stylish entry thus far, the physical copy did not disappoint. Few soundtrack packages wow me, but this one has got to be one of the best things in my collection.

Each of the three CDs were adorned with the bombastic artwork from Shigenori Soejima (副島 成記). The sheen and superb print quality made them feel like collector’s items.

The treasure in this palace*, however, was the booklet. I was glad to see the trend of increasingly detailed booklets in physical soundtracks; this one had a great deal of behind-the-scenes material. Booklets like these add so much value to the soundtrack.

*I’m sorry

It’s got lyrics to all the vocal tracks. Also, more of Soejima’s amazing artwork.

This…this was the Inception-level treasure inside the treasure inside the Palace. The composers’ commentary on quite a few tracks that spans two spreads. Plus, this spread features best (party) girl. (I went with Hifumi #sorrynotsorry)

The soundtrack is available digitally for $29 (on iTunes, at least) but I highly, highly recommend the physical copy of the soundtrack for its incredible value and insight into the music.

Soundtrack Review

This soundtrack is three discs of Acid Jazz Bliss. The genre, being a mix of jazz, soul, funk and disco, defines Persona 5. The series features themes of duality: with P3, life and death, P4 being deception and revelation; P5′s is injustice and freedom. As such, the soundtrack for each entry needed tonal diversity for the scenarios in their respective thematic spectrums. It may be that jazz was inevitable, given traditional associations between jazz and gentlemen thieves like Lupin III (which the game references often) and Ocean’s Eleven. Considering that Acid Jazz had slowly faded out near the end of the 90s, Meguro’s choice was surprising. Nevertheless, the genre as a musical theme to P5 was a damn near perfect choice—the soul and funk aspects of the genre allowed for Meguro to capture the essence of the “melancholy”* and “unrefined/not-yet-mature”* nature of the protagonist and, consequently, the game.

The defining example of this slow-burning, bluesy emotion was my favorite track, “Beneath the Mask.”

This theme and its permutations was the nighttime theme of P5, playing whenever the protagonist returned home to cafe LeBlanc. Performed in a melancholic G Minor, the slow jam of this theme stylishly captured the emotion of winding down when one finally gets home after a day’s work. The two defining instruments of the soundtrack—namely, the bass and the electric piano—sets the slow, smooth swing of this theme. Lyn, the stunning vocalist of the soundtrack, shows off her fantastic range and nuance in this track. She begins with a soft, conversational tone in the midrange, rising to the main motif “I’m a Shapeshifter…” in the treble G with a held-back falsetto, then dropping down to the Contralto G as the motif section ends. “Beneath the Mask” dances between Lyn and the instruments taking the lead, making for a superb background theme that I never tire to listen to. The lyrics, too, made for a wonderfully forlorn piece:

I’m a Shapeshifter At Poe’s masquerade Hiding both face and mind All free for you to draw I’m a Shapeshifter Have no face to show Please don’t take off my mask Revealing dark

I suspect that, had another composer-vocalist combination attempted the piece with these lyrics, it would have been too campy. But Meguro’s composition and Lyn’s dynamic Contralto voice sculpted it into a beautiful slow jam. I am a huge fan of Lyn’s trail-off on the word “shapeshifter” at 3:42—that little touch gives this theme so much more soul.

Meguro commented on this piece:

“Of all the vocal tracks we have made, Lyn’s performance was my favorite in this one. Also, her singing ability was really amazing. The shuffle (swing) tempo made this a really difficult piece to sing, but she shone through.”*

*Shoji Meguro, Persona 5 Soundtrack Booklet 

Other noteworthy slow pieces in the OST are “Confession/Secret,” a theme filled with low-key emotional tension brought on by the drums while being encapsulated by a methodic distortion, and “Alleycat,” which was led by two different styles of electric piano. The latter actually reminds me of old Japanese TV dramas because of how melodramatic it was, but quite fitting, given the scenarios it played in. “Sunset Bridge” also served as an excellent accompanying piece to the denouement of each story arc. With these pieces in the soundtrack, Meguro has shown his mastery of the electric piano. The sound of the instrument is almost always soft, but he created these calm pieces with their own nuances to fit their respective scenarios. 

Above all, the soundtrack is chill and sassy. Given that a great deal of Persona titles take place in visual novel sequences, it became paramount to engage the player with the feeling of the setting. Luckily, like P3 and P4 before it, Meguro succeeded with flying colors once more, P5 perhaps being the best due to its thematic consistency.

Acid Jazz allows for flexibility in the intensity of different tracks while tying them together with a thematic overtone. “Break it Down,” for instance, played Marcia Moderato (~85bpm) and “My Homie,” played Andante (~75bpm) at different scenarios while hanging out with friends, as different tempots are required for their respective levels of activity. Even classroom-related themes like “Is It Boring” and “Life Goes On” were not, well, boring, though I found myself wondering why I stressed out over taking goddamn tests in a game after I had graduated my schooling in real life. 

An interesting musical element that occurs throughout these themes as well as many tracks, by the way, was the use of grace notes, when a note is played immediately next to another that is not accounted for in the bar note tempo. Grace notes are a staple in different types of blues and jazz, allowing for more improvisation, fluidity, and freedom. Fitting, then, for “freedom” was one theme of Persona 5.

I miss these guys. Source: https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=59685294

Furthermore, the disco and funk elements of Acid gives power to higher-intensity tracks. “Tokyo Emergency” draws a convincing picture of the metropolitan rush in the capital city; from the nonstop swarm of orderly pedestrians to the maze-like train stations, the theme captures the energy of Tokyo in full funk fashion. “Layer Cake,” a personal favorite, is weird from the outset, not unlike the shady in-game airsoft store “Untouchable” filled with an odd air the moment you step in it. The ominous intro with the spider-like accompanying rhythm in the background and discordant four-note structure creeped me out, but quickly settled into a rhythmic jam led by the guitar and bass, revealing the owner’s passion and expertise under a hardened exterior. 

The key themes of the soundtrack, however, really…uh…stole my heart*. “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out there” was the first theme from Persona 5 heard around world upon its trailer debut. From then on I knew P5 to be another top-tier soundtrack. This track starts with simple opening with just three instruments, an elevation by the synth strings, followed by Lyn’s powerful voice. This theme, along with “Life Will Change,” forms a two-movement structure that encapsulates the theme and aesthetics of Persona 5. The realities of life are often a source of disillusionment for young adults—corruption, exploitation, all fueled by greed—and the party members of the game were no exception. But the youthful energy of this musical motif marvelously brought forth the ultimate message of Persona 5: not “life might change,” not “life can change,” but “Life WILL change” upon us putting ourselves out there.

As a (relatively) young person who has seen his fair share of woes in the world, the negativity of the world gets me down sometimes. But P5 reminded me that, as long as I still draw breath, I can do something about it. Life is what we make of it, so make the most of it.

*I’m sorry

And by “make the most of it,” I meant doing this to your SO.

The battle theme “Last Surprise” was also yet another superb fight track from Meguro. It was so good, I almost never saw it coming*. Lyn really shone in this piece for her unbeatable vocal range. She began with an almost conversational tone with swing, then quickly rose to her full strength upon all instruments coming to a full stop, entering the main motif, then softening with the lyricless “oooooh”s. The three sections made for excellent loops, which lessen the monotony of repetition.

*I’m sorry

Pieces of Meguro’s distinct personal style of rock still pepper throughout the soundtrack. The miniboss theme “Will Power” and the boss theme “Blooming Villain” are both very Meguro-rock, with a strong lead-up and distinct main motif carried by the riff. Meguro said of “Blooming Villain” in particular that he liked the “ta-ta-ta-ta” (four-beat drum tuplet) coupled with the guitar. An interesting piece as almost each bar of the first movement was defined by this drum tuplet and shaped the very melody itself.

A Persona (and Meguro, for that matter) signature, nonetheless, is an awesome final boss battle theme, and the flagship for all the action pieces in P5 did not disappoint. “Rivers in the Desert” carries with it all the weight and momentum of the decisive moment. Carrying the tradition since P3, the primary antagonist (often the second-to-last boss) is the main fulcrum of conflict. The False Messiah from 3, the real murderer from 4, and now with 5, the encounter was the most personal out of all of them, for injustice was wrought upon the player on an intimate level. “Rivers in the Desert” elevates that climax to a new degree; the namesake of the song harkens back to the theme of “Life Will Change,” and the way the party changes lives is by bringing humanity to a place seemingly desolate of it. Not only that, but the lyrics illustrate the mindset of the protagonist in the first person: 

I’m keeping the balance, but I’m standing on razor’s edge now Move quick, or my life is over One strike, just a feint, then… I’m outta his field of vision

Meguro gave more praise to Lyn for this piece, stating that the A Major was difficult to perform in along with the five-track instruments as well as the chorus. “Rivers in the Desert” is a beautiful combination of instruments, lyrics, and Lyn’s voice. Even though it doesn’t quite hit the heights of “Battle for Everyone’s Souls” from P3 for me, it is certainly a magnificent boss theme.

I have two very minor gripes with the soundtrack, the first being its mixing. For the Acid Jazz genre and performance of the bass (instrument), the lower end of the audio spectrum probably should have been more pronounced. I have to clarify that I am not a fan off exaggerated, bloated bass a la early Beats headphones, but in several P5 tracks the midrange is a little overwhelming when an extension towards the lower end would have been more appropriate. The electronic piano and other synth elements are often dominant in the midrange; the bass and parts of the percussion gets lost in that sound range, and mixing it “true” as it did rendered some tracks that are supposed to be heavier ended up a little less impactful. This is, however, minor, and most audiophiles will prefer this mix as the treble is preserved for percussion and Lyn’s vocals. For a home theater system with a dedicated, powered amplifier, I would recommend finding a good LFE crossover point in which the “twang” of the bass hits the activation and leave everything else for a more impactful experience. That is not to say to listen to this soundtrack with headphones or speakers that overexaggerate the bass, as the treble will fall off a cliff on those systems, losing the fidelity of Lyn’s performances.

The second is a series soundtrack staple and not necessarily in a good way, and that is the pronunciation of English in some of the lyrics. Shoji Meguro had been concerned about it since P3, with an embarrassing mistake in P4 (”give a shit” instead of “give a shot” in “Signs of Love;” this is remedied in the Persona 4 Dancing soundtrack). However, Lyn does an incredible job most of the time, and I don’t blame her for the very minor instances in which this happens in P5, as the tempo for some of these songs are indeed difficult.

It’s difficult to write about a soundtrack that has 104 tracks, but one thing is clear: the Persona 5 Original Soundtrack is a must buy for any Persona 5 fan and otherwise those who enjoy Acid Jazz. The value of the soundtrack is excellent with the insightful booklet and fantastic artwork. The soundtrack’s recording quality, bar my small complaint, records the performances in impeccable detail; “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There” deserves to be listened to in 24-bit fidelity. Most importantly, the consistent quality of the songs in the soundtrack has made it one of Shoji Meguro’s best works. On a side note, I was surprised to learn that Lyn herself said that P5 was not only her first foray into the Persona universe, but also her first soundtrack recording. All of her performance carry with it a sense of confidence, bombast and professionalism hard to find in vocals. I look forward to seeing her return to vocal work in soundtracks.

Now get out there and steal some hearts, everyone. Or maybe go to bed, I dunno.

Credit: @pipi_gogo 

The soundtrack can be found digitally on iTunes and the hard copy from Amazon and Amazon JP. I purchased the copy for myself and this review is not associated with Atlus, SEGA, nor any of the aforementioned companies.

[junkobears]

What do you like so much about Ann ? just being curious (ya can tag p5 spoilers if you wish so xD)

HMMM This is actually really hard to sum up anon, haha. She’s just like... THE character archetype I love. I’m only in August right now, just finished the fourth palace so no spoilers for beyond that! Read more cuz this got ridiculously long:

Ann’s basically been my favourite from the get-go, I mean she may as well be Junko cloned and transported to the Persona universe. But actually not a terrible person. So she had that going for her even before I actually started playing. Her design is so good!

But idk, she’s super cute and sweet, whilst also being awesome. Her just totally destroying Kamoshida is forever the best, and I’m so glad she didn’t ever forgive him for the absolute shit he pulled. She’s content with his endless suffering, and I can respect that. She’s always gonna be in my party for kickin’ ass! On that note she has the best fight dialogue by far. The ridiculous OH MAH GAWD!!! everytime she gets knocked down always gets me haha. And her All-Out Attack splash is the prettiest. But alongside those she’s just really goofy and has some of the best comedy scenes so far. The endless layers of clothes gag comes to mind immediately. That will never not be funny.

And I LOVE her interactions with all the other teens! She, Ryuji and the MC have a sweet friendship, her and Shiho are so goddamn cute and that Rank 9 Confidant scene with them legit made me tear up. Like that was some adorable gay shit, and an actual love confession from Shiho??? Why does Atlus even think the MC should be allowed to date Ann after that??? like what the hell. And I love her relationship with Makoto as well... the best senpai/kouhai crepes-eatin’ pair ever. These are my two OTPs in case you couldn’t tell haha.

Ann’s Confidant is by far my favourite as well so far... I just love how much she swings from being super insightful and serious about her aspirations and ideas about herself, but then swings back to wanting to get revenge on Mika and just wanting to give up modelling and go eat some cakes instead. And then she went off on a tangent about how much she loved and idolized that one female villain from her fave childhood anime and how much she respected her and wants to be like her even though she “wasn’t good per se”... like holy shit Ann. Relatable in every way possible?? And now I want to write Ann/Junko crossover ship fic. Look out for that maybe!? 

Also when I took her to Harajuku her choice of present to give me was a Rise Kujikawa poster of all things that she had a spare copy of, or something. Like c’mon Atlus, you’re fooling nobody with that heterosexual romantic option.

And these are all the carefully-analyzed, objectively correct reasons for why Ann Takamaki is the best P5. I hope this was a useful guide! ;D

[thebaalpit-blog]

I like P5 a lot (Spoilers)

So I finished P5 and now that i’ve come out of playing it twice, both in separate languages, I have a lot of wild opinions to go about so here we go. It should go without seeing I’m gonna talk about the game freely, but here’s a warning in case.

I would have to say I like the story of the game a lot, but I’m accounting for the first, fourth, and everything after the fifth arc. Kamoshida is an incredibly strong antagonist who does a million things for setting up the game very well, Sae and Futaba are great ways of showing that Changes of Hearts can happen to people on their own so long as they’re willing to make the change, and Goro and Shido are great personal antagonists for the group and Joker respectively. I like the final storyline a lot too with Yaldabaoth, but it’s very cheesy social commentary in a lot of ways and Yaldy himself isn’t a compelling antagonist so much as the idea that the strict social order that controlled Japan so strongly gave birth to his existence. I’m a big fan of stories that have weird realms or things going on because of the desires of a person being so strong they manifest out of the blue due to human sin and it’s part of the reason why P3 and P4 disappoint me on that front, because they’re largely god plots with very little of that, while P5 is a god plot but it is a god plot created by humans and their sin. While Yaldy himself isn’t particularly impressive, the desire that the Citizens of Tokyo had towards not wanting any part of society to break even a little bit being so strong it creates a god to ensure that never comes about, is and it’s wonderful when Joker summons Satanael to blow his fucking brains out.

I am a big fan of things generally considered to be evil or negative are framed as heroic or things people use to grow. So I appreciate that Joker and Arsene while both very menacing and demonic looking are the heroes of the story and his persona. Arsene especially has such an amazing design that I love looking at him and honestly want to get some sort of figure of him if one gets made. Joker is a fantastic way to make a quiet protagonist that also has a lot of character to him. Between his own backstory, the grudge with Shido, Goro being his foil, and his generally menacing demeanor combined with very theatric and over the top motions he makes, he has a ton of personality in him. The game in general does, but I was not expecting to love the Protagonist more than most of the main cast. His ultimate persona being Satanael is also fucking cool, because not only is the entire moment just an amazing thing and the scope of the whole fight is absolutely beautiful, but Satanael in gnosticism is the dude who is supposed to keep Yaldabaoth in check. So it’s awesome they played to the Trickster theme, the “Blacks are whites” mentality P5 has towards the protagonists, and the lore of the mythological figures themselves. It’s such a cool moment and the music that plays during the summoning is a great arrangement on the boss them that played prior. I can talk forever about Joker and his persona, but I need to talk about other stuff.

The main cast is great. I love Ryuji, he’s easily the best bro character of the games excepting maybe Eikichi. You get to see him grow from a bitter teenager with a huge chip on his shoulder, to a young man with a strong sense of self respect and justice. He gets into silly situations and can be stupid, but he’s a genuinely cool dude and I love him. Ann’s alright and she enhances Ryuji a bit too since they’re both old friends, but they can mess around with one another and it feels organic. I don’t think highly of her tbh, but she’s alright for the most part. Makoto is awesome, being Joker’s contemporary in the group. She’s smart, she has a good head on her shoulders, she kicks ass, and has an amazing outfit. It’s really cool that when they thought of a girl they would try to push as the romantic interest for Joker they made her as much of a character in the group as him. Yusuke’s hilarious, but also is one of the more emotional parts of the team. His interactions with Futaba are great and shows how his weird perspective connects with others. Futaba herself is a ton of fun with her goofy ass personality and smart ass comments. Haru I don’t care for much, but she’s got cool animations so I warmed up a bit to her over time.

The antagonists are all kind of a mixed bag, but the great ones are great. I won’t talk about Yaldy because I already mentioned his deal before. Kamoshida’s an immaculate piece of shit. I cannot tell you how happy I am that he is never once hidden in that aspect. If they had tried to hide his shitty attitude when adults or whatever were around it would cheapen the whole thing, but nope he’s just as shitty to you regardless of whose presence he’s in. It helps that he has such a connection to the school that he effects literally everyone there even the people who don’t associate with him. The underlying character depth also of him being a gold medalist who probably got fucked up by the societal and personal pressure of having to keep being the best giving him a warped perspective on others owing him for this is also great. He’s just got a ton of fucking great things about himself and a super easily punchable face. 

For Goro and Shido, they’re both great. Goro is a fantastic foil to Joker, also being a user of the Wild Card and a pawn of Shido’s due to wanting to be recognized by his dad. His being sent from home to home as an unwanted child has fucked him up so much he desires to see the destruction of the same society that allowed this to happen. At the same time though Goro only has two Persona, Loki and Robin Hood. The underlying implication of course being Goro has only ever had himself and never actually made connections with others so he has two Persona compared to Joker’s several. Shido on the other hand is a good antagonist for how militant he is and how business like he is when handling others. He doesn’t actually recognize the people he steps over in his path to success. He barely recognizes Goro looking like his mother and doesn’t even know Joker is the same child he got locked off into Shibuya. It shows his megalomania off very well that he ultimately created his own enemy and him killing literally everyone tying back to him characterizes perfectly how militant and cold he truly is. 

As for the rest of them. Sae is a good antagonist for her purposes, but she’s not as strong as the other three. Madarame has moments where they characterize him later, but them insisting on his murdering of Yusuke’s mom and his moustache twirling villainy combined with that makes him a very confusing and lame character. Kaneshiro has a minute of characterization, but is a fucking joke villain. Okumura is boring and has a nice moment of depth with the space station kit, but unfortunately he’s being a nothing character every other minute in the worst storyline of the game so rip.

The music in the game is really fantastic. Beneath the Mask and Rivers in the Desert are hands down two of the best tracks in Shoji Meguro’s history of music. Blooming Villain is my favorite non-final boss track in Persona. Layer Cake is CATCHY AS FUCK. Price and When My Mother Was Around are amazing dungeon tracks with Whims of Fate being even better than those two. There’s a lot of other great tracks as well, but I cannot list every single one.

The gameplay mechanics overall improved for the better in a lot of ways and Confidants are really cool too. I do have to say though some of the non-party member ones fall into a really lame pattern of “Character is griefed by other outside character in some way, go to mementos and get rid of them.” But the storylines more than often make up for them. Hifumi, Munehisa, Sadayo, and Toranosuke are some of the more memorable ones. 

If I have complaints though it’s that Mementos is fucking lame. Some of the dungeons are really boring or have lame gimmicks or are LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNG (Kaneshiro and Okumura’s palaces most notably). The story feels like it’s going nowhere for a while. Bosses are boring for the most part with really lame ass mid battle gimmicks, the Sphinx is an absolutely garbage boss fight too. The best bosses are probably Shido and Shadow Okumura, the former because of it not being a lame gimmick driven fight and the latter because you can find fun ways to negate entire legions of the robots. Shadow Madarame and Kamoshida are okay too, but they’re not remarkable or particularly interesting either. The designs on a lot of them are pretty lame too. Also Morgana needs to shut the fuck up about telling me to go to sleep. I love the little bastard, but jesus christ.

But yeah, those are my thoughts on P5. It’s a really cool game that I love a lot that honestly has a decent number of faults, but I don’t care about them which is surprising because I haven’t felt that strongly about a game since like... Metal Gear Rising. Not that those two have a lot of crossover sans the incredibly buff final boss politician with lyrical music in the back.

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen Rambles About Persona 5

AKA Allen’s Ramblings XVI, but... well, you guys know by now how I do things when tagging fandoms and everything. Anyway, I’ve played about 30 hours of Persona 5 and wanted to give my thoughts so far.

Now, I have been waiting to get my hands on Persona 5 for years. This game was suppose to come out years ago and we in the States finally have it. I gotta’ say, I was salivating when my preorder came in on time for once. The artbook, the CD, the Morgana Plushie, it just felt so unreal to have it all in my hands... but enough gushing and onto my thoughts. I’ll try to keep spoilers vague, but keep in might I’m at the third main dungeon by now. I know the Persona series is really big on not spoiling story-related matters, so I’ll be polite and tried my best to keep things general. Like when I talked about Tales of Berseria I’ll be breaking this down into the good points and not so good points, but first I need to talk about...

The Aesthetics

Oh Lord the aesthetics of this game. The cell-shaping, the red motif, the slickness of movement, the music. Everything just feels so smooth. Hell, this is gonna’ be a new tag for the blog now these are aesthetics are so good. I can’t just stick this one category and call it done, I need give this its own header to break down all I love about how this game looks and feels.

Relateable Topics

I have to say, I’m surprise how much I connected with a lot of the events happening in the game. This isn’t a story about accepting death, this isn’t a story about solving a murder, this is a story about kids trying to fix what they believe is a broken, corrupt world, and dammit you can just relate to that. Before you even begin the game it tells you none of the events in it are related to real life or real people, but Atlus is lying through their goddamn teeth if they think I couldn’t see this stuff happening for real if it hasn’t already. I won’t say what exactly happens, but every scandal that’s uncovered, every problem that’s seen, every case that’s been discussed in this game you can actually see happening in real life. Hell, I’m sure you could look online and see some articles talking about this stuff even here in the US. I won’t spoil anything yet, but... just trust me on this on.

Character Designs

The character designs look fantastic. I love everyone so far in both casual and Phantom Thief attire, with Ryuji and Morgana having my favorite designs. And I have to say, I’m rather surprised how much I like these two specifically, but I’ll get more into that later. Despite having a large amount of black for most characters, the designs really pop out. I’d say that’s due to a lot of the backgrounds being brightly colored, but still. I can’t wait to see other party members and how they look in game. The art book only does so much.

The Artbook

Not much to say here save for making a pun. The Aesthetics art book is... just a really good artbook with a lot of sketches, concept designs, and references in it. It’ll totally help for if I want to do fan art of these characters. And unlike SOME GAMES *cough*trailsofsteel*cough* this game doesn’t have blatant spoilers in their artbook and interviews. So yeah, points for the artbook, real nice.

THE MUSIC

I. Love. This. Soundtrack. I’m not music elitist, but the one thing that just makes me go nuts for any song is solid, audible bass, jazz, and brass. It’s why Persona has always had good music to me, and this entire soundtrack just hits every note in just the right way. This soundtrack is so good I could just... just... [RETRACTED] all over these songs. My favorites so far as Last Surprise, Layer Cake, and Rivers in the Desert... not that I’m far enough in the game to hear that last one, but... y’know.

Okay, so that’s it for the aesthetic, now onto the good points about the game as a whole.

The Good

The Intro

Thankfully, the intro of this game is not hours of hand-holding like in Persona 4. You are right into the action, and even after the intro stuff you still get a bit of freedom to move a little. I think only after a second play-through will tell how long your hand is held and how much freedom you truly have in the beginning, but for now I say this is leagues better than P4.

The Voice Cast

I haven’t heard the Japanese dub since I’ve always been dubs-over-subs, but the voice cast in English sounds great so far. My favorite so far has actually been Morgana and Ryuji, characters I didn’t think I’d like as much as I do right now. Ryuji is just the right mix punk kid and emotional softy that makes me really warm up to him, and Morgana’s cute, but confident sounding voice goes well with her personality. Major props to Cassandra Morris for voicing her. Wait a second... didn’t she do Asahina in Dangan Ronpa? No wonder I like her performance. And special shout out to Jamieson Price as Sojiro. I may not have gotten to hear him as Tager in BBCF, but at least I have hear him in this game. And while I’m talking about the voice cast I must admit that I have mixed feelings about Igor’s voice actor, I know why his voice was changed, but... I still prefer Dan Woren. Hopefully I’ll just get use to it.

Smoother/Faster Combat

The combat has definitely improved in both animations and overall feel. On the fly Persona swapping, lightning-fast menus, flashy as hell attack animations, this game has really improved in terms of quality with it’s combat. As someone playing this game since P3, the combat in that game was fine for turn based, but with this game I’m going to have some higher exceptions for future Turn Based RPG games, and the next SMT game especially in terms how combat feels.

Improved Social Links

The Confidant system is sooo much better than the other two games. Non-Party member social links finally have a higher purpose than just giving you better Personas during fusions. It feels so good to know that my allies don’t just help me with my fusions, but in the actual story as well. From selling you health items and weapons, increasing non-active party members EXP growth, improving the Phantom Thieves PR (and making dungeons easier to traverse through), and so on. It really feels like every person gives me an edge as a rebel of society. And the stories they’re telling so far have me interested. Again, spoilers, so I won’t go into detail, but just trust me on this one.

The Not So Good

Like with my Tales of Beresia Rambling, there are still some issues/critiques I have of this game as a fan. Again, I’ve played Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 4 Arena, Ultimax, and small handful of SMT games outside of the Persona series so these might just be nitpicks, but I still think they’re worth saying. And for the folks that have seen my Berseria rambling, these points are going to be much longer and more in depth by comparison. So... let’s get started with that.

Demon conversations are still hit-or-miss with me. I like the idea of convince my enemies to my side, when it comes to fusing and hunting for the right Persona in those dungeons it can be a huge pain.

Money management is still balls hard in this game. I’d recommend demanding money every chance it comes along if you already have that particular persona and you don’t need the extra EXP. Trust me, it’ll disappear in a flash.

The early game is brutal. Story dungeon take longer that in past games, and with the small SP pool you have it’s gonna’ take several days to beat it. If you’re struggling through the first non-scripted major boss and even the boss of the dungeon, that’s normal as far as I’m concerned.

Social stats are back and they’re as annoying as ever. It was fine in P3 because their were just three and only effect you near mid/late-game. It was annoying in Persona 4 because they controlled not only social links, but better paying jobs as well (and again, money management is balls hard), as well as prevent certain dialogue options (which SUCKED). And again in this game certain dialogue options can’t be chosen if you don’t have the right stat level. This starts happening in the early game when all your stats are low, practically taunting you about your low level. That’s drives me up a goddamn wall. It doesn’t help that it took me until the second dungeon fully grasp which places upped which state and how. It took 15 hours to realize this shit... goddamn...

After playing Devil Survivor 2, seeing physical attacks that cast from HP for you not apply to your opponent annoys me to no end. This makes physical enemies very unfair and it’s part of what makes the early game so hellish. Those guys take out half your health and are still good to spam that crap.

The dungeons are a daytime option only, and that’s something that’s annoyed me since playing Persona 4. Persona 3 had this done best by having the dungeons at nighttime access, making balancing social life, grinding social stats, and grinding levels so much easier. I was hoping that’d be the case in P5 since “student by day, thief by night” was the tagline, but apparent it should be changed to “student by day, thief by the afternoon, too tired to grind social stats by night.”

As of the third dungeon, I feel like the game is really pushing me to clear the Palaces when I’m not prepared to. All my party members keep pushing me to hurry and clear them, and while that makes since in the story, it makes doing the actual prep work really hard. Also, the third dungeon/arc feels really hand-holding until the dungeon unlocked, which annoyed me a little.

Though not directly effecting the game, the whole Atlus-Streaming thing just... leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s a shame that those without access to the right system can’t enjoy the game with their favorite streamers/let’s players.

Yusuke’s inclusion and joining the party could had been written better, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter since I’m trying not to spoil the game past the first dungeon. Message me if you want the details.

The localization is... not good. I’m seeing a lot of “Mr., Mrs., and Miss” thrown in along with Japanese honorifics and it’s a bit emersion-breaking. A lot of the pronunciations could had been done better too. I still stand by the voice acting being good, but the directing and instructions feel a little... off. Maybe that’s because the game is based in Tokyo, which might be a little more culturally mixed, but compared to the other two games this feels messy.

A real minor nitpick, but I still have mixed feelings about the dungeon lair/prison theme of the new Velvet Room. I mean I get it, but it feels a little forced and heavy-handed to me.

So yeah, a few nitpicks aside, I’ve really been enjoying this game. If anyone has any advice for getting through the rest of the game or just some tips in general that don’t spoil the game too much please reblog and add them here. Personally, I’d wait for a guide to social linking and stat grinding before getting this game, but as a Persona fan, I say this game is good so far. Hopefully it gets better as I continue to play it.

[coddi-wom-ple-blog]

The foods that makes my day extra and my go-to food trip whenever I feel down, or in a budget, and craving on it.  So here are my list of the Top 5 best foods that I can’t live without! 

1. Korean Bbq 

The best Unli Korean bbq I’ve ever have is in Samgyupsalamat located in Malate Mabini BranchMabini St. Cor. Padre Faura St. Malate, Manila. Samgyupsal is often referred as the Korean bacon. They offer unlimited Samgyupsal including rice and side dishes. I like the price range of their buffet because the foods are worth the price. They offer Unlimited 1 for 449 php/head (5 Kinds of Pork) and Unlimited 2 for 499 php/head (9 Kinds of Beef & Pork). 

We ordered Unlimited 1 (because my cousins don’t like beef that night). Their food was awesome ('cause I love to eat). Servings were good for 2-3 persons. And they asked us also to choose what meat we want to be served first. The meat was cut so thinly that it rolled up like bacon when we started grilling it. It was yummy, and dipped in my favorite gochujang, we had no trouble finishing our first plate.The meat and pork is very fresh and when you cooked it, yes you’re the one who will cook your own meat and pork, it is very juicy and tender. The pinkish fresh look of pork and meat turns into a golden brown color that definitely looks satisfying. I am really a K-pop and K drama addict and I really want to try the Korean cuisine. I’ve learned how to eat this Korean foods, It was my pleasure to show Sheila how to wrap the meat and pork in lettuce and mix it with other side dishes. Their Side dishes includes a generous serving of lettuce, miso soup for each of us, rice, diced sweet potato, steamed egg, shredded raddish, kimchi and spicy seaweed but I was really looking forward to their Tteokbokki (a hot and spicy rice cake) and fish cakes. We almost had around 5 or 8 plates of meat and pork. It was really worth it. It took us 2 hours eating and chit chatting, it was a very fun and special because it was my birthday. We were totally satisfied and planning to come back and dig in again. 

2. Beef Noodle Pho

If you want something lightweight and easy to eat food, you can go to O Banh Mi located SM Fairview 2nd Floor near Forever 21. The noodle is very different than the usual noodle that we have here in the Philippines. They added lemon grass and a big portion of beef on it. The broth is not bland, I almost drink the broth like a beverage. This is really good especially when you feel cold, headache and if you want to relax your body and mind. The lemon grass really helps the noodle to spice it up and the beef is not that dry and it is very soft and easy to chew. The beef slices were tender and plentiful, the noodles are chewy and springy. 

3. S&R Pizza + Chicken + Unli Drinks

Fact#1: I love Pizza especially the Crust part.

Fact#3: I hate Cheese BUT!! 

My JHS friends invited me, We’ve ordered Cheese Pizza and Combo Pizza. At first I don’t want to try the Cheese Pizza but there is the other part of me that tempts me to get a slice. I tried the Cheese Pizza and surprisingly the crust is perfect and you know what? The cheese is pleasantly sweet and gloriously gooey. I never thought I could finish that long slice and I grabbed another slice of it. I enjoyed having this with hot sauce (Fact#4: I love spicy foods) they go really well together. The combo pizza is similar to the calzone vegetable in that it has vegetables but it is also loaded with more cheese. Unlike the pepperoni, cheese or garlic and shrimp pizzas, the combo pizza has 2 layers of cheese: one on top of the tomato base and then another layer covering the vegetables. I love how those ingredients complements and added more taste, it is not that oily and salty, they didn’t skimp on the ingredient It matches well with the unlimited access to any drink from their vending machines. Different Coca-Cola sodas and juices are available. 

Another must-try food in S&R is their Southern Style Fried Chicken, it is soft and juicy on the inside, and very crunchy on the outside! To top it off, it’s paired with their signature black pepper gravy and also there is unli gravy. If you’re hungry just like I was, you can always have both pizza and chicken plus Unli Drinks, At the same time!

4. Coffee Float + Sweet Soy Chicken Fillet McDo

You like the easy-to-look-for-food then this what I love to recommend and show you friends. I am a Coffee lover, it helps me to relax and energize at the same time. You cant taste the bitter taste of the coffee because of the vanilla ice cream and of course the chocolate syrup which complements well with the bitter taste because of the sweetness of the two. The Chicken fillet creation tastes a little sourer and spicy thanks to the hefty amount of black pepper they added to the sauce. I love how thick and soft the chicken fillet is.  It works well with the sweet-spicy kind of taste of the sauce. I also add the sauce in my rice because it also tastes good together with the Chicken Fillet. McDo’s Sweet Soy Chicken Fillet with rice is priced at P55 for the solo, P62 for the one with rice and a regular drink, and P92 for the Sweet Soy Chicken Fillet with rice and regular fries and drink. Add P5 to upgrade your plain rice to garlic rice. 

5. Lasagna

My most favorite Pasta of all time, Lasagna ala Pizza Hut. It is very affordable and they are really generous in giving that much of tomato-like-mixture sauce. The Plating is very appealing and presentable.  It tastes like a home cooked spaghetti but this one, the tomato sauce is different. It is much sweeter than the home cooked that I am eating.  Overall the lasagna is good especially when they gave us a mushroom soup. The Mushroom Soup is creamy and there is tofu and mushroom inside it. 

This is my TOP 5 BEST FOODS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT! 

Stay tuned for more blogs.