#NPC- CYNICISM OR OPTIMISM

[soulsbetrayed]

NPCs you'll see on my end (Assistant Librarians)

Kieran- One of Gebura's Assistant Librarians and the only one she thinks can keep it together when she's away. Acts as the impromptu leader of the Assistant Librarians on the floor. Argues with Tully and Richter consistently. Ends up getting the short end of the stick when put against Galatea. Hangs out with Netzach's group during downtime

Galatea- One of Yesod's Assistants. Her attitude is very reminiscent of her boss' 'Yesod the Viper' persona, stern rigid and unyielding . Downright despises Kieran for an incident neither want to elaborate on involving an Abnormality nearly killing them both. Is usually seen bumming around Chesed's floor during downtime between Receptions. Real name unknown, the name Galatea refers to her pale skin

Skuld, Verdandi, and Urdr- A trio of Assistant Librarians working under Netzach who answer to Durga. They have succumbed to resignation as they did before when they were still members of the Safety Team. Out of the three Skuld is the only male. When you put fire under them they can put as much work as they can. "Out of the fry pan and into the fire" is their general motto. May or may not be biologically related to each other. One of them is usually seen in the Floor of Philosophy trying to sober up with tea, very rarely all three of them are there at once

Richter- One of two apocryphal Assistant Librarians belonging to the Floor of Mythology and Lore the other being his partner Aetulia. His face is heavily scarred from the many corporate wars he participated in. Formerly a corporate headhunter working under the call sign of Yoshitsune. Hard of hearing for the most part. Very verbose and poetic. Tends to be around Tiphereth to aid her in any work she's short staffed for. Very fatherly to her and Tully. Tends to refer to the Patron Librarians as Lord or Lady respectively depending on who it is.

Dinah- One of the few Assistant Librarians from the Floor of Religion any one sees at any given moment. Has a glass half empty outlook on life. Tends to debate both Hokma and Yesod during down time. Comes off as smug and rather sure of themself much to the irritation of their peers. Cannot get along with either Kieran or Galatea and keeps away from them. Somehow is much more understanding than they let on

[awkwardnoob]

I probably sound like a broken record, but I love Alfyn. I love how the game treats Alfyn. And so, I’m going on a a whole thing again. I’m not sorry.

His class? He’s a healer, and there are two healer types in the game. One is Alfyn, and the other is Ophilia. Ophilia is your run of the mill, sweet girl magic based healer, while Alfyn’s healing is based on actual medicine and science. At first it seems that Alfyn only does single target large heals, while Ophilia does AoE heals that heal less. You’d think which healer you want is based on play style. WRONG. Alfyn has concoct. Concoct allows Alfyn to grant team healing/revival like Ophilia (doing more HP than her to boot), AND it allows him to make his status ailment cure party wide (Ophilia can’t cure status ailments AT ALL, nor can she prevent them), + SP, + BP. He can even add health regen with the right mix! So the actual doctor, who trained and has an education in healing people, is the better healer. It’s amazing, it’s wonderful, I fucking love it. They could have had Ophilia steam roll Alfyn’s healing, but they didn’t. There is a reason doctors exist in this world and everything isn’t just left to the clerics.

He’s a healer who can fight. He’s built like a lumberjack and he knows how to use that axe he carries. He doesn’t depend on the others in the party to soak up hits while he sits all squishy in the back, tossing out a heal every now and again. When he ain’t busy being a doctor, he’s playing matchmaker between his axe and the enemy’s face. Enemies regularly hit Alfyn, watch him not even flinch, then whimper in terror as he counter attacks. Plus, the idea behind empoison just hammers in what he is. He knows what to do to heal people, and he also knows what NOT to do, which he can then use deliberately to bring the pain.

He’s a nice, generous guy and this isn’t treated like Alfyn is a fucking idiot who should swallow a heavy dose of cynicism. The rest of the party members love him instead of finding him annoying. His path action is built on him being a likable dude. Where Cyrus interrogates people, Alfyn is just such a nice dude that people naturally trust him and want to tell him everything they know. There is a man who sells market trends to merchants as his lively hood, and he freely gives this info to Alfyn just because Alfyn had a friendly lil chat with him. It works on perfectly good people, and ALSO shady people like criminals. You know, the kind of people who need to keep their shady dealings a secret? Not from Alfyn you don’t. Countless NPCs in the game for Alfyn to glean info from, several of which are criminals (Mr. Trust-Issues-for-days Therion in his chapter 1 amongst them), and Alfyn’s endless kindness and boundless optimism only backfires on him ONCE. ONE TIME in the entire game and all its chapters, and only One. Single. Person. ever betrays Alfyn’s. And they don’t change Alfyn! By the end of his story, Alfyn reaffirms that he’s RIGHT to do what he does. He doesn’t become Mr. “I’m a fucking idiot who thinks cynicism = maturity and some people deserve to die actually”

Alfyn is just a great character who subverts a lot of the usual stuff and anyone who thinks he’s boring is wrong and clearly smoking something.

[snapzback]

before resetting in 2018, snaps was different. he was incredibly cynical. his life had been torn apart by Joker, his Chara, who was more akin to UT’s Flowey. They’d reset over and over and over and over, just to mess with the game as much as possible.

( WARNING: IMAGE HEAVY POST! some gifs! )

This is them, and Snaps. When they’d first met, Snaps was a lot different. More sanslike, but also, more emotional, more feeling.  The crown he has originally belonged to Chara.

Chara had become fascinated by the game--mostly because no matter how many times they reset, Snaps always seemed to have new dialogue and methods to mess around with them. Sometimes, SNaps would kill them as soon as they left the Ruins. Just to keep things fresh. This unfortunately made Chara reset more and more.

The fact that nobody else would seem to change, while Snaps was the only one who could see the difference... could realize resets and loads were happening... It made him bitter and cynical. Sometimes, he’d play with Chara... and they became “friends”, but the worst kind.

What’s the point in caring about NPCs anyway?

Eventually, he met people who did understand. He lived on the surface, and he messed around with people he shouldn’t have. Hurt people, deeply. Betrayed their trust and he realized that consequences mattered. He learned how to be friends with others, he learned that not everyone was uncaring. He could heal.

He could be loved. He could learn to love again.

And then Joker came back.

They came back to play all over again. And Snaps had to act like he was glad to see them--when really, he hit the lowest point of his depression. It all came rushing back to him, that he’d never be happy, that he’d be trapped. When Joker would LOAD the file, it affected only his timeline. He could be enjoying hanging out with friends, and suddenly, he’d be glitching out from a triple LOAD.

Joker would send horrific images like this just for shock value. Snaps’ friends, his lovers had to see it. There really was no escaping this. His optimism plummeted into the negatives, and he tried anything to escape--but Joker wouldn’t let him die, either.

Eventually, his best friend, Saffron, came up with some idea to trap Joker--

Even though SNaps had lost both of his partners with the way his trauma had affected him (he’d defaced one of his lovers’ entire home, and the other he chased away with his self destructive behavior), Saffron never gave up on him. They devised a plan together, to prevent Joker from resetting ever again.

Joker, seeing Snaps so sad, was convinced... that Snaps could be fixed. That he was broken by all of these irrelevant people. They could fix him by resetting everything and starting over.

But instead, Joker was the one who was trapped--Saffron and his Chara had found a way to mess with values, and remove Joker’s ability to flub the code-- no more resets and no more loads. Joker, realizing what was happening, activated one. last. reset.

Snaps reached out to Saffron, their hands nearly touching--

Snaps was gone, and Saffron lost his best friend.

By the time he came back... Snaps was different.

He wasn’t a masochist anymore, he wasn’t trying to get people hurt or fatally injured--he wasn’t making jokes that would give nightmares to cynical folks. He was much more excitable, much more friendly in his own reserved way. He was touch averse--he was asexual, too. The idea of getting into a romantic relationship full of touching, kissing, snuggling made his figurative skin crawl.

And he had absolutely zero idea who Saffron was, despite always being able to remember Resets before. Something was different, this time.

Saffron attempted to befriend this strange excitable ferret man, and Snaps... inexplicably, felt safe around him. He couldn’t figure out why... but he did. People know him, and he seems to shrug it off, but...

He still feels like he’s missing something, sometimes.

As for Joker?

[ ████ █████ ████ ████ ]

I like to think that Snaps changed because people believed in him. He had friends, who really really did care about him. He has friends now who love him, even if he’s the worst.

And even though parts of him want to give up, even now... he doesn’t want to lose what he worked so hard for, even if he doesn’t remember it.

[thewookieruns]

2, 3, 7, 13, 22!

Sorry this took so long! I’ve been a bit of a mess lately...

2) Favorite faction?

- This might be a little unpopular, but I really like The Brotherhood of Steel. Iron Man has been my favorite super hero since about 2005, and the BoS give me the chance to be Iron Man for a hot second. I also really like their asthetic. To quote the Honest Trailer for Fallout 4, “they’re huge d*cks but give you a bunch of cool sh*t to play with.”

3) Who do you usually romance?

- I’m a little weird; I’ve only ever completed one play through of Fallout 4, and I romanced all of the female companions. Piper was the first, followed by Curie, with poor Cait bringing up the rear. I’ll generally say Piper, though.

7) If you could, what NPC would you romance?

- Scribe Haylen, easily. I feel like a lot of the companions have a slightly cynical/jaded view of the Commonwealth, but Haylen has a sense of optimism.

13) Two companions that would make the best OTP?

- Danse and Curie. @tea-petty wrote a really good series titled Sacred Heart that told the story of the two synths coming to terms who they are and falling in love as they come to fully embrace who they are.

22) Favorite quote from a companion/NPC?

- “Hey, chin up. I know the night just got darker, but it won’t last forever.” ~Nick Valentine

More questions here!

[kxllerblond]

↪ @borneguilt​ asked;; #22 && #39

#22.  Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner?

Clark is about as closed off as anything but he does still have a few connections I've either developed with partners or shared universe NPCs. Friends need to be able to keep up with him intellectually, be soft and understanding with him, but also call him out on his bullshit. It also helps if he can relate to them in some way. @themelissapark​ has been a long time writing partner on this blog and Melissa is hands down the best example of his ideal friend. 

As far as lovers, I guess it’s the same qualifications but with a bit more push. You really need to be aggressive with forcing him from behind the walls he’s put up and almost bully him lol. He likes to pretend he’s unfeeling and detached but he’s not and romantic lovers almost need to prey on that and constantly remind him that he does in fact experience emotion like humans do and that it’s fine to be vulnerable. 

As far as purely sexual lovers, Clark doesn’t...care much since random partners like that are usually just being used as a meal or to further a goal by using his sexual prowess. Between his sexuality and half-incubus status, he doesn’t have many thoughts or preferences on these sorts.

39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?

Optimism and goody-two shoes mainly. He’s very much a cynic and will just go to town on those types. He also loves, LOVES to ridicule holier than tho types--humans but especially those supernatural beings that would look down on him. Though frankly, Clark can find something to ridicule with just about anyone. He finds complacency pretty stupid in powerful or old individuals. Someone bigger will always come along to topple you if you become too comfortable in your status. 

[damoselcastel]

Black Eagles, pt.7 (Silver Snow pt.1)

So we’ve gotten to the portion of the game that I actually cared about when advertising mentioned it: the War. No more playdates and school stuff (except yes, the Monastery mini-games are endless, despair)

Now, I’ve spoiled myself on almost all the plot and world META in this game. It probably would’ve been a blast to go blind, but I’m still having fun so it’s fine... but because of this, I decided not to go the true BE route, aka Edelgard’s route, just because of how sub optimally I flailed about ta the start. I’d lost Edelgard as my lord character and Hubert flew the coop with her... So after a fancy cutscene of Edelgard walking out in a huff, who shows up after Byleth wakes up from a half-decade long dirtnap? Seteth.

Seteth a character I quite like, but not one I’d call over powered. And with the way post time skip catapulted me into the middle of Mad Max: thieves den edition HOO BOY. Did I ever regret sticking Byleth into the Thief class to try and grind skills. I had to stick to the trees with my first 5 units, or the waves of archers, warriors, and assassins would pulverize them. Only when Ferdinand the tank, Linhardt the walking magic arsenal, and Deadeye Bernadetta showed up did it turn from cowarding into a real fight. Admittedly it was the first time since the bandit-massacre map that started as a challenge... this game is very FE9 in that once a unit’s strong, watch them roll up their corner of the map.

Then the true reunion took place, with all the kids giving a rundown of their various sad states as traitors to the imperial crown (Caspar was just wandering aimlessly for five years!?) and out of the bunch other than Petra and everything she’s risking as a political hostage, I respect Ferdinand’s stance most.

Not only did Edelgard rescind the Aegir family’s title and lands, but Ferdinand rallied what troops remained loyal and lead them against her forces, which I think was the only internal military opposition offered within the Empire. I’m honestly proud of this fictional character for standing up to say “no” rather than just running away. Interestingly, Ferdinand’s paralogue cannot be unlocked in the mirror of this route Crimson Flower, only outside it (and with Lysithea in the army). Ferdie really wishes he could step into those Lord boots, who would’ve thought I’d actually be wishing I could make him Emperor? (I scoffed at that advice box ask when he was a hot-blooded kid, but now...)

When you consider Adrestia has all the Crest bloodlines descended from the Saints (Indech, Macuil, Cichol, Cethleann, Serios) they should have some of the strongest ties to the Church and likely have invoked them as a basis for their legitimacy as rulers often. This was one reason I was baffled when as students none of them cited a reason beyond “the professor” for opposing Edelgard when she attacks the Monastery- there should’ve been MANY reasons for them not to agree. (if anything I’ll feel weird when I replay and Ferdinand’s gungho to destroy the House of the Goddess he so diligently attends and believes in) I know it’s mostly mechanics, but I feel like Edelgard’s heel turn against the church should’ve resulted in extremely messy in fighting spread across the Empire (though from BL we know there’s a lot of religious refugees).

A bunch of generic knight NPCs had flavor text for having been scattered because the Monastery fell, monks and nuns in particular having to go into hiding from the Empire’s forces. And Dorothea’s been looking after orphans, who y’know, used to be taken in/lived at the Monastery... speaking of Do, boy it seems that war’s taken a big toll on her, much more somber and tired sounding. More openly cynical? Cause she’s was quite cynical before, just hid it behind a smile. A knight who talks about how the Kingdom’s doomed to fall made me sad (especially since I’d stolen Felix who says “A country with no king has no future.”). Another NPC mentions how the neutral territories of Charon and Galatea are getting slowly eaten by imperial incursions, while the Alliance is very much at war within itself. Which are honestly all great conflicts to have during war time, things SHOULD suck!

So Seteth’s kept the Church an active organization but failed to rally war efforts and their big goal is find Rhea, because [redacted] reasons. So I guess that + defeating Edelgard are the big aims of this route. I’ve heard this route REALLY cribs on the plot points of Claude’s which is unfortunate, guess a route where you ally 3/4 factions was just not in the cards.

[fine-not-fine]

My review of ONE

Hello I’m Andy and I’m going to give my full honest opinion about the things in ONE I love. It’s giving me a lot of hope and something to look forward to. So let’s get into it. Characters: OFF was full of interesting bosses and characters. ONE has even more. Playing as a child is not a new concept, but ONE pulls it off in the best way possible. Doux is the son of Zacharie which is a character we know well if you played or watched OFF. This introduces a familiar element with a new one. This sets an tone of learning, which is vital for these types of stories. The player slides in so smoothly into the situation. Each character is introduced formally, but not completely. Every interaction feels special. These characters are much more than their roles. Doux- I can’t get enough of this child. He has the traits that make him so lovable while avoiding most classic tropes. Doux isn’t subject to being ‘perfect’, but he doesn’t fall into a narrow track of a character must be extremely flawed or extremely perfect. He mannerisms come off as endearing and sometimes encouraging to the player. I’m not even fond of children, but god I love this kid. His intentions are so pure, I can’t help but want to follow. Doux’s large eyes and overall real toddler like appreance helps. It reminds you, you are indeed watching over a child. Doux manages to have a cute overlook despite some otherwise monster-like features with don’t overtake his prime look. Doux can just as easily became frightening, with a look that makes the player startled and beckons a need of carefulness, worrying about Doux’s safety. He becomes scary while still sympathic. Buttons- While a silent character, there is something sentimental about having him on your team. A gift from Zacharie and something just makes me feel like Buttons belongs. There’s not much personality here, but he’s a great companion and I love this little plush toy just being around for Doux. The design is simple but deeply reminiscent of a childhood doll. He stands out enough from normal specters, but fits in alongside them. Blight- This character came at just the right time. He starts off as a merchant and through the game provides a sense of progress. You get to see him in the world’s you pass. He’s not overbearing and shows some honest interaction later on. He’s not exposed right away which is something that happens a lot. Instead his reasoning and expotition are slowly added. He’s the big brother type that was needed. He’s the cynical to counteract Doux’s optimism. This gives the player two views of the world they explore in. Blight also provides a center point on which the world that Doux is unaware of. His design is one of the more complex but fitting. Blight’s design is burned into a feeling of struggle and suffering. He continues on with it regardless, but its very clear. His features all show a much darker tone to the world and one could happen in it. He also manages to very much appear like a mistake when compared to what he was made to be. This becomes him, he’s not a carbon copy. He’s Blight. Which is cleverly shown in small design choices like the longer ears and differencing in face. Viola- God I love this character so much. Her interactions are delightful, like every other character in this game. She’s friendly and has a wit to her that makes her charming. She takes the place of Blight as a merchant. Her story isn’t completely known yet, but it makes her quite the yarn to unspin. She’s a smile waiting every time you go and buy from her. Her all around interactions with the world ake her feel more than just a merchant, which is something I love in this game. Her color choices are spot the fuck on and I love it. Pink and blue stand out on her well, while also having those white and gray tones. She’s so different from the other characters but somehow fits in so well. Her strangeness is captured in her design fantastically. Goutte- This lil fucker was a great starting boss. He has enough connection to start the bat off but not too much to overload the player. Having a boss like this is ideal, as overloading the player in the beginning can leave story telling fuzzy. He had enough in him to make his interaction with you one that was mostly out of anger. Though once defeated the spite is somehwat distilled. This set up a good pathway to more complex and enriching bosses. A very simple design but an enjoyable one.  Chahal- This was a great boss to fight and a wonderful zone. He was satisftying to watch, which the inner workings showing a lot about him before even facing him. His brief moments of talking had clear motive. He seems so relaxed. His possible fear or regret make him quite the character to try and understand. The green in his design is very pleasing visually. It’s very interesting where the option could clearly have been blue, but green is very pleasant. He’s lightly pissed off in a relaxed or cocky form. I enjoy it. Oculi- A very cool and calculating figure that leads into a lot deeper plot. His design mixed with gray/red/blue is very nice. Despite his design he’s not nearly as vain or high and mighty as I expected, but the change is welcomed. He’s even calmer than Chahal. He knows things and I’m all for it.  Hathath- The most plot based boss at the best time. This is were the story is needed most and he directs it perfectly. His zone and him a very much tied together. The horror and his apathy are terrifying and it fuels the plotline well. He’s the boss I want to fight the most. His relationship with existance itself seems to reflect how he believes his zone should be. His full honesty on how fucked everything is, is pretty nice. His cloaked, bandaged appreance always feels as though he’s hiding himself or his real self.  Corpse Batter- Probably the most interesting spin on The Batter I’ve seen. He’s put in a morally gray way. His past crimes aren’t hidden, but he is not empty of all kindness. His design fucks me up too this day and shows so much about what’s changed. His add-ons are literally in his spine. His outfit if very befitting of a reaper type. Laisser- I favor this boy more than I should have. This is the character that effected me most. The way he talks and the way he ends up will eat me alive everytime. He appears lonely, easy to push around, and sad. He gains my sympathy quietly. His need to have a friend made Dopple. This dependence shows up between them, Laisser needing Dopple to have company and complete his tasks. I have a hard time faulting this character. From hair to clothes, I love how he looks. He’s cute and his stitch eye and heart are my favorite things. His hoodie is something I’d want to buy. He certainly seems older than Doux, but he still feels like he’s growing and maturing.  Doppledanger- One of the most fun and confusing characters. He’s fun to meet but extremely terrifying in using truama to try and snag Doux. His whole design feels like a mimic in the best way. He feels and looks like something not quite of flesh. His relationship with Laisser feels split. He cares for Laisser, but has a very cruel way of trying to get Laisser’s goat. His shifting masks and forms are my favorite parts.  Specters/Elsens/Frog people- I just felt like adding these guys because i could. They all feel natural in their enivornments and the have small traits that make them feel live like. They’re really fun for background npcs. Pacing: The pacing in this game is so perfect. Everything is put together so fucking well. It starts with a sense of very light dread which evolves into a sense of desperate hussle. None of the story is spoiled too early and there is enough smaller details sprinkled in. It takes awhile to get to the main plot but each section is full of stepping stones to get to each boss. The stakes get a lot higher as the plot continues. Each zone is different and full of activites and extras that take away from emptiness that a lot of games have, but in a useful or enriching way. Nothing feels rushed into place like someone ran out of time and pushed a zone or event forward. Everything happens in keen order.  Design: God where to I begin? Mostly this will be level design. Adding extra elements to the zones was a welcomed changed. The ice, the park, the extra worlds, everything! Colors are used to an absolute t and it’s beautiful. This game makes usual nasty colors look fantastic. The moving backgrounds in certain places and the added effects are a nice break from the straight and narrow. People seem to want to stick too closely to the original OFF and fear breaking the lines a little. This stuns creativity. ONE expands the world far beyond the original, making it easier to invest in. Most of the puzzles and challenges come in a wide varity and it different ways than expected.

Artstyle: I could kiss ass about this style all day. It’s something very different from the standard and it works well with the themes. Everything can come off as cute or terrifying in the blink of an eye. It’s got a very memorable look and each new scene, object, or character brings out the style’s charm. I’ve always loved Fire’s art. Every character is strikingly different from each other.  Overview: ONE is one of my favorite games. It’s got a lot of OFF like mannerisms while having it’s own story, characters, and style that takes you throught the game. Even if OFF wasn’t really your thing I’m sure you could enjoy ONE.  Every inch of it is decorated in love and I am so in love with it. Explore the world and get wrapped up in a whole new story. Please give the creator lots of love! @chimakiisane has worked very hard on ONE and I completely adore it~ I know I repeated myself a lot through this review, but it’s wonderful and an expirence all on it’s own. 

[scatteredmartianthoughts]

Why Persona 5/Royal means so much to me and how I view my bonds (ADDENDUM: SPOILERS WILL BE INCLUDED - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

As I am writing this, I am 7 years past from conventional Australian high school life and just about a year past from graduating from university life. With adult life, it is tough to create time for yourself, let alone for your friends. Each and every one of us have different priorities: work, further studies, family, kids, bills to pay, etc. In addition, an actual health crisis in COVID-19 on top of the already giant wave of cynicism that we’re facing about the world from years prior makes the future seem pretty bleak. Wearing masks, following proper hygiene and especially social distancing is consistent globally (or at least should be while we’re still dealing with COVID-19). Sure, we can use technology as a way to connect, and it undeniably helps in maintaining our bonds, but it is not the same as actually being in person and spending time with them. With the epidemic putting a worldwide stranglehold on everyone, along with the stresses of growing up, creating and maintaining our bonds became a lot more difficult. So random question: What do you think of when someone brings up Persona 5 (P5) or Persona 5 Royal (P5R)? A masterclass of dynamic visuals and flair that is distinctive and aesthetically and thematically fitting our striking and rebellious protagonists in the Phantom Thieves? Top tier soundtrack? A fantastic turn based RPG system based on combos, follow-ups and support? Or maybe the personas themselves being the manifestations of the inner self and reflecting one’s inner strife and turmoil like dealing with death and grief (P3), or handling and understanding our true self (P4) or rebelling against corruption as we mature in an unjust world (P5)? All legitimate answers. Just a small addendum: P5R is an enhanced version of vanilla P5 that adds more personas, tweaks the combat and level up system to make it more seamless but compensates it with more intelligent A.I. and especially added story content (we’ll especially get to this part later). Yet, when I think about this game, I think about the social simulator aspect that works in tandem and beautifully complements the RPG gameplay where we explore the supernatural world of that particular Persona game. In both games, it acts as a way to worldbuild the busy streets and areas in and near Shibuya. You’ll encounter many different key support characters, within and outside the main cast of your group, the Phantom Thieves of Heart. By getting to know these characters and ranking up each confidant (maximum rank is 10 for each), you will be able to access a whole plethora of special abilities such as: learning new methods to down opponents instantaneously, access to personas only available by maximising each confidant’s rank, access to immensely helpful combat and support items and methods and especially the transforming your team member’s initial Personas into stronger forms. From a narrative perspective, you will get to know each character better, as they vent and confide their hopes, dreams, fears and desires whilst each of their stories fit with the major themes of maturation, finding your own road, rebellion and corruption. Yet, you can’t just immediately get to know all of them at once. In game, you’re just a transfer high school student. While you have free time, similar to real life, you have to make a choice on how to use it. Should you spend time getting to know a person? Or maybe level up one of your social stats like knowledge or kindness? Or working a casual job to get money? Maybe tackle one of those side missions?  There’s no “correct” choice on how you spend your time. Heck, it is even more interesting that these are all optional. It is up to you whether or not you get to learn these characters and get to know them. Some are completely missable if you don’t explore hard enough. Essentially, on one side, you’re just a normal high student that unfortunately was dealt a terrible hand and on the other, you’re the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Codename: Joker. Since P3, the social link/confidant system I just described uses a very interesting motif: the tarot card system. As the protagonist of your story, you are the Wild Card - Arcana Number 0: The Fool. In order to attain a form of enlightenment at journey’s end, also referred to as the World Arcana, you will encounter many other Arcana before reaching said end. Each significant social link/confidant you meet in-game, regardless if they become a party member or NPC, are each represented by one part of the Arcana series.  This is due to symbolsing on what kind of individual and personality they have but also what challenges they need help overcoming and what they represent to the in-game protagonist of each game. Mind you, it has been stressed that any character that fits any of the arcana cannot be those who will only be friends or acquaintances within a superficial nature. It has to be a close, trusting friendship that grows with effort and time. Here are some examples. Those who represent the Emperor are often male characters who try to control their own surroundings but are troubled by something(s) very personal and don’t know how to deal with it. Characters that fit the Temperance are those who struggle to find the harmony and balance that they desire. And those who suit the Hermit arcana tend to the smartest people that you will meet but tend to be introverts or those who desire more supportive roles. We’ve definitely met people within our lives that fit the criteria of the noted examples. Yet, by meeting these types of interesting people within our lives, through that time and effort, both sides can attain a form of wisdom and learn from each other. I’ll use an in-game example: Toranosuke Yoshida. To Joker, this confidant is represented by the Sun Arcana. Anyone from this group tends to be people who are on the surface have a sense of confidence, hope and optimism but ironically find themselves in terrible situations that constantly hurts their self-esteem, self worth and constantly questions their own purpose in life. For this game, he is an optional social link that can only be unlocked after taking on two shifts within the Beef Bowl job at Shibuya’s Central Street. He is an eldery gentleman and a politician who hopes to make amends for his terrible and corrupt mistakes of the past but also to make a positive change in a stagnant Japanese political system. He is seen making an earnest effort in giving speeches in front of a crowd near a subway’s gateway. Although demonstrating impressive speech-giving skills, as soon as a critical voice in the crowd shouts out “No-Good Tora”, his past regrets and lack of self-esteem shows and loses the crowd’s attention as he cracks under negative pressure. By meeting him, he found a youth who is willing to believe in his message, support him in his live speeches and also a hope of a younger generation that is willing to make a change. While the MC found a redeemed adult, after dealing with corrupt adults, and who is willing to learn about his diplomatic and speech-giving skills. As you rank up his confidant, you get to learn to negotiate with downed enemies for more money, rarer items and to possibly join your team, alongside unlocking the fusion recipe for the strongest Persona you can obtain from this Arcana: Asura. In the narrative sense, he starts to gain his confidence and learn on dealing with voices that are critical or even adverse to his live speeches and even flip the momentum back into his favour, while still being respectful and charismatic. In the conclusion of his confidant link (Rank 10), after several distinct story content relegated to his arc (which I won’t spoil), Yoshida gives a heartfelt speech in front of a larger, excited, more supportive crowd than from the past. Not about the current government. Not about his desire to be a part of the Diet Building. But about how he met this young man, although with different methodologies, is trying to reform the world. Yoshida admits that it seems like a tough mountain to cross. His anecdote gives an impression to the audience that this young man reinspired him to go for his aspirations and reminds them to go for it as well. Even though they can’t share the same path, Yoshida confidently states that they “will surely meet at the peak”. He admits from a previous speech that his efforts may not be heeded now but will hopefully be a stepping stone for future generations. Before that final speech, in private, he deduced that you were a member of the Phantom Thieves but won’t meddle in your affairs. If anything, he respects their tenacity and vision. It’s not even the most emotional nor most dramatically interesting confidant or story. Yet, it left me with an amazing impression that through weird, random scenarios and situations, you can meet people who are worth meeting and understanding. In greater reflection, although I am blessed to have both quality and quantity in terms of my major friends, if I were to apply this motif in how I view my bonds, I could say that each of their personalities and stories can represent each part of the arcana, with definitie overlap in notable places. With just some examples, with the people I’ve met, I’ve learned to be a bit more confident in my skills, embrace my tastes and hobbies and understand from their faults and failures as they have from learning from my own errors and mistakes. You could say that in my journey through life, to evolve from the Fool and learn some knowledge of the World, I encountered and befriended many people from many different backgrounds, cultures, tastes, personalities and worldviews and appreciated every single one of them. I hope that maybe by spending their time with me, they gained some sort of food-for-thought advice that may help them moving forward in conjunction with knowing they have a friend in me.

Then there is the ending of P5R’s 3rd semester. Exclusive to P5R, it can only be unlocked after meeting certain criteria. What I loved about this arc would be that it was largely teased and set up from previous moments in the game. Without spoiling the meat of the story of this arc, it added an intriguing layer of nuance and depth to the aforementioned themes surrounding the game and also added one more thought-provoking theme to the mix: stagnation. Before continuing, I think it is best to first address vanilla P5’s ending. Joker and the rest of the main cast finally helped stop a potentially world-ending crisis and retire from being Phantom Thieves. With the MC moving back home, instead of just saying one final goodbye, the group of friends offered to drive him back. On a near empty highway, the clear skies and the open breeze. The future doesn’t belong to anyone but ourselves and we can see how bright it is, together. Now let’s go to P5R’s two major endings. Yes, you heard me right. The final antagonist essentially created a world where the deepest wishes that a character has is granted and the greatest regret and/or wrong is corrected. For example: Haru has the close relationship with her father she always wanted...even though he died during the main story via previous events. Morgana finally got to be a human...even though it spits on his previous acceptance on what he actually is and his true role to the main cast. Essentially, everything seems so perfect yet everything feels so wrong. Before the final confrontation/boss battle, the final antagonist offers one final choice to the MC. Will you allow them to take over the world and allow yourself to live in their version of “paradise”? Or will you reject it, willing to go on and continue onwards and forge the path that you desire, even with problems persisting throughout? Let’s say you choose the former option, what happens? In summary, whilst on the surface seems like a joyous ending, is actually quite haunting on closer analysis. While the crew can still stay together, the MC doesn’t need to leave Shibuya, Akechi is alive and Kasumi is happy, it still seems off. Yes, the main cast gets their wishes but it also ignores the challenges and tribulations each member went through that built their inner strength and ideals. There's a group shot at the end at LeBlanc’s with everyone in frame. Everything feels right but the MC and Akechi are looking at you: the player. In this arc, they were the ones who, plotwise, were against the entire idea of submitting their future, morals and ideals for an easy way out. You gave up. Notice it says “END” at the bottom right? You chose a stagnant future. Nothing goes wrong but nothing progresses. A beautiful lie. There’s nothing beyond this. But what happens when you choose the latter option to reject? Post final battle, it is not only the final disbandment of the Phantom Thieves but also a parting of ways for the main cast. Ryuji is moving away in order to return back to the track team and have rehabilitation for his injured knee. Ann is planning to do some studying abroad for her future career. Yusuke has greater inspiration and motivation to return to painting. Makoto and Haru are planning to move away as well for their own higher education and individual career aspirations. Futaba finally breaks out of her shell and plans to enter high school and research cognitive psience in college. In his rejection of a false paradise, Akechi is finally able to rest in peace. Sumire, with a renewed heart, will no longer linger behind in her late sister’s accomplishments but achieve her own feats and achieve her and her own sister’s connected dreams. And finally, Joker will return to his hometown, with Morgana joining him. Instead of one final car ride together, Joker and Morgana, after saying their final goodbyes, take the bullet train home. To say that it is bittersweet and left me in shambles is an understatement. But yet, it is the perfect ending and an interesting twist to the original P5’s ending. It redefined the major theme of freedom. P5R took a bold approach in saying that we each have our unique path in life and must walk it, even if it may be “alone”. However, with the bonds that we’ve beautifully weaved, those that are true will always return to each other one day. In P5R’s true ending, it closes with “FIN”. Although it is finishing this story, there will be another tale right around the corner for us. It further re-emphasised and reminded me of my current viewpoint and situations with all of my friends as someone removed from both high school and university life and made their way into the real world. As I’ve explained before, it is nowhere near as easy as it once was. We are all no longer connected by a mutual place where we can easily just hang out and create random memories, where creating time is not a worry. That each of my closest friends, even with similar interests or dreams, have their own distinct aspirations and futures. Hell, I’ve made a lot of great friends but because of a number of reasons, I just felt time made us further distant from each other and making those fun times feel like several lifetimes ago. It feels disheartening and cruel but those who matter will find a way back or remain in contact. I want to share a small anecdote. I just randomly messaged one of my old childhood, primary school friends to see how they are going with life. What was supposed to be just a quick checkup between two old friends ended up being an impromptu, primary school reunion of up to 7 people (including myself). Mind you, I haven’t seen some of them in person for 5+ years. And yet, it is one of my favourite memories as of yet. We’re all walking different paths but felt amazing to see how each of them are going with their own personal journey and their growth. Just with this group, I have no clue when we’ll have something similar to this again but even if time may separate us for years, we’ll find a way back to hang out once more.

Another thing that this game helped reminded and re-emphasised me of, would be how important YOU play a part in your friend’s lives as they have to you. It sounds narcissistic but let me explain. In the game, at the very last day, you will say your final farewells to your teammates and all others who played a part within your journey. If you max ranked the confidants outside of the main cast, you definitely feel  the greater impact and appreciation of your effort. Kawakami is no longer bound to a double life and has her passion to teach again. Iwai doesn’t need to hide his Yakuza past nor how he brought in his adopted son and finally has a new chance to be the father he always wanted to be. Yoshida finally has the confidence to not only acknowledge and learn from his corrupt political past but also has the greater confidence to move forward and stand for the younger generation who aspire for a bright future. These are just some of the examples of your effort bearing fruit.  I will admit to doubting that my efforts are really helpful at all. I think for the most part, at best, I’ll just contribute a minor part to their happiness and/or growth. Yet, similar to the game, you will meet people that are legitimately grateful for your presence, time, effort and love. It is still crazy to me when someone affirms me and is grateful for my efforts when I spend time with them. That especially goes both ways as I feel immensely happy that there are those who are willing to take a risk and make time for some random idiot like myself and get to know me and who I am. Mind you, my love languages are Words of Affirmation and Quality Time. Regardless of whatever you believe in, may it be God, the universe or coincidence or dumb luck, it genuinely warms my heart and soul and eases my mind to know that effort to make time is worthwhile and to be acknowledged for my efforts; as if I met these people, and maybe even more, at the right place and at the right stage of my life. Regardless of when you met a close friend, do not underestimate your impact (something I still need to learn myself). You never know if what you do for them may be one of the things they need to see and hear.

Friendships and bonds are important.  It sounds so overly played that the moral goes beyond a cliche’ and became a meme. Yet, both iterations of Persona 5 was a game I needed for my post education life - entering the real/full time working world. In an era where the world seems so divided and that time has separated each of us to our unique paths and made each other so distant, P5 and P5R allowed me to reflect on how I viewed my own bonds with closest friends in a new era of my life. It made me appreciate my current bonds on a whole new level. I don’t know who needs to read this right now, but thank you for being there. Even if I just met you just the other day or we’ve been friends for many years, please know that I appreciate you for who you are and what you mean to me. Thank you for giving some part of your time to make mine feel just a bit more timeless. I hope, even in our twilight years, that we continue to make many memories and grow within our bonds. To those who I’ve failed, I apologise. I have no idea if we can reconnect and make it the way things as they were before or allow time to walk our own paths but I hope you will find the happiness you deserve. If we do reconnect, I’ll do my best to keep improving as a person and as a friend. Just know that you are not worthless and you’ll always have people that do desire to be with you. Even with more grim scenarios, I know you’ll meet people who WILL be there for you. It’s tough to execute in practice as we go forward but not impossible to make the time and effort. I want to end this blog with a quote from Ann to the player as the MC prepares to say goodbye to all his closest friends and confidants (via the new true ending from P5R): “I’ve gotta reach people. I wanna give someone hope - like you did for me. Thank you for all you’ve done. The days I spent with you were some of the brightest in my life. Once I’m a star, I’m gonna shine even brighter, though - so watch out for me!”

Addendum: Sorry for being so late on this post. A lot of stuff was happening on my end and I wanted to make sure whenever I write a blog post, I write with the right mindset as I want to make it as genuine as possible and speak from the heart. I hope you enjoyed reading through this one. Next to Super Mario Galaxy, Persona 5 (more so the Royal version) is one of my favourite games of all time (currently my 2nd at the time I’m writing this). I definitely wanted to discuss its impact on me, similar to Galaxy. Hope you guys are doing well and will look forward to my next discussion topics that lie ahead.

[csmeaner]

/post/,/ive-been-going-back-and-forth-for-weeks-now-on Yeah, I get your cynicism. I bounce between cynicism and boundless optimism.

To be clear, this would be a character development game based around a semi-closed species. You can make characters outside of the game but you pay if you want in-game characters. Then you play games and draw to develop your character. There's even a bunch of NPCs to "collect" to open more stuff up for you.

There's a handful of RPG elements such as story-driven development (some traits and activities open/close to a specific character depending on choices you make), and two different kinds of quests that give you items that are unobtainable otherwise.

Beta catches more problems but the site is as solid as you can expect at this point with only the dev to test it.

It started as just a Python-based copy of Lorekeeper, but I'm a bitch for scope creep so it became a lot more. Great portfolio piece that would be fun to see running IRL.

I dunno, it would just be nice to have something that's relaxed, relatively accessible, and fun given how modern CS is. It'd be for pocket money for the artists and portfolios for us all.

Aside from server costs and general site maintenance, now that I think of it, CS people are absolutely fucking insane and opening one sounds like a modern Pandora's box. 

that does sound fun but like all things on paper it sounds fun. also probably not a good idea to try and promo your stuff on a drama blog but uh best of luck to you