Let's say I really wanted to reduce the number of children who die in car accidents. Car accidents are really bad, right? Nobody disagrees about that. And it would be much better for both the environment and the kids' health if they spent more time walking, or taking the bus. Perfectly reasonable. More cars off the road, safer roads, fewer kids getting hurt, healthier kids. A win-win!
Therefore, let's ban children from traveling by car and require all cars to have a scanner on the door that scans the government ID of everyone who gets in the car to make sure no kids are in there. After all, kids get hurt in car accidents all the time! We need to ban this right away!
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So, I love Futaba. She is my second favorite character in P5Rābehind only Akechi, of courseāand I just love her so much. I think she's beautiful autistic, depression, and trauma representation. One day I'll write something that's entirely focused about how much I love her, but, unfortunately, this isn't that.
Because as much as I love Futaba, I have one problem with her. She's conventionally attractive. Now, that's not to go all Masayoshi Shido on you all and rant about how hot she is or whatever. That is not the perspective I'm attempting to argue. When I say conventional, that is the extent of it.
What I mean instead is that this girl has been in a depressive, near suicidal coma for over a year at the point that we meet her in game. Her diet entirely consists of packaged ramen and curry. She gets no exercise. So why does she look like that?
I am no stranger to depressive, near suicidal comas. And though mine hasn't/haven't been as intense or self-destructive as Futaba's was, they still managed to have a profound effect on my conventional attractiveness. When I lost interest in life outside my roomāsomewhere around the age of tenāI gained a hell of a lot of weight, weight that I still haven't lost. I lost the ability to take care of myself, not only living in filth like Futaba but being a byproduct of it as well, brushing my teeth once every month and showering once every few weeks. I had no energy to invest in creating my personal style nor in putting on an outfit everyday more complicated than a t-shirt and pants.
But Futaba's design doesn't reflect this at all. She's a skinny queen with good enough positive body image to have her entire stomach out when she's a palace ruler and to wear short-shorts when she's normal. Her hair is long, sure, but still straight and contained and pretty. She has a full-fledged sense of style and a signature outfit that must be five or six steps (thigh highs, tank top, shorts, shoulderless t-shirt, giant ass boots, and optionally a jacket). We see that her room is a total mess, but we never really hear those same traits applied to her, and so we never know how her hygiene has taken a hit.
Now, I am not Futaba. Her experiences are not my own and they don't need to be. Maybe she under-ate instead of over-eating and that's why she's so skinny. Maybe her hair just falls like that naturally. Maybe one of the only things she did with her limited energy was develop her style and then put it on everyday (even though no one would see her). Maybe she's really into body hygiene but just doesn't care about environmental hygiene. But a.) you can see how it gets more and more farcical as we go along, right? and b.) why does it have to be this way?
Why can't Futaba have gained weight? Why can't she wear the least flattering outfit of all time? Why can't her hair and body be a mess? Why can't her body reflect the turmoil her mind has been through? Why is the message she puts into the world "yes you can find happiness even through crippling depression and yes there is joy on the other side, but only if you're conventionally attractive."?
The answer to all of these questions, of course, is money. She has to sell figurines and pins and plushes. She has to be cute enough to get people who don't suffer from depression to relate to her and therefore want to save her and therefore keep playing the game. She has to be marketable, no matter the cost to her story.
Look, I love Futaba. And, more importantly, I think her story is amazing. I will always say that she is fantastic autistic, depression, and trauma representation based on the contents of her story. But she is not only her story. She is also her design, and I don't think her design succeeds at conveying her story. I think there is a version of Futaba out there where she's a bit chubby, a bit messy, a bit unimpressive looking, and she's worth the love and care that the Phantom Thieves give her all the same. I'd like to know that I'm worth the same. Wouldn't you?
A while ago, I made a post going into parts of the missable Sae Palace arc text messages, such as these:
However, that post neglected to include a full transcript. I have since transcribed all of these texts, which occur on 10/30, 11/3, 11/7, and 11/11. You must not infiltrate Sae's Palace until after these dates in order to get these.
Transcripts below the cut! Crossposted to the P5 sub.
The first of these texts takes place on 10/30. You will miss this text if you infiltrate the Palace on the first available day.
--
Ryuji: Yo, Akechi.
Akechi: What is it?
Ryuji: You got any idea who the true culprit might be?
Futaba: Oh yeah! You said you saw a masked guy, right?
Haru: I wanted to ask about that too.
Futaba: Did you really see him? The masked guy's gotta be the true culprit, right?
Akechi: If this so-called true culprit is acting alone, then there can be no mistake about it.
Futaba: I see.
Yusuke: The next question is, who is that masked man?
Akechi: Unfortunately, I do not know that much.
Futaba: Ugh, you're useless.
Akechi: That is quite harsh.
Futaba: Aw, you're making me blush!
Ann: That wasn't a compliment...
Akechi: At this point, I have yet to even grasp any clues. But once this is dealt with, I will surely capture him. I promise you that.
We'll be counting on you.
Akechi: Perfect. Leave it to me. It may sound somewhat odd for me to say this, but I am an exceptional detective. I assure you, I will catch this culprit. Look forward to it.
Can you do it?
Akechi: Hm? Do you not trust me?
[The rest plays out the same as the other option.]
--
What's funny about this exchange is how the Thieves know Akechi's deal and are just playing along. It makes some of the reactions (especially from Haru and Futaba) read as comically passive aggressive. However, the more interesting texts start coming on 11/03, 11/07, and 11/11.
Starting with 11/03.
--
Ryuji: Goddamit. People're acting like we were the ones who killed 'em.
Yusuke: I have even heard them say we are assassins hired to deal with psychotic breakdown victims.
Ann: Ugh, that's obviously not what we're trying to do.
Akechi: This must be part of the plan to shift blame onto the Phantom Thieves. After all, the true culprit is the one killing the people on that ranking list.
This is unforgivable
Akechi: Indeed. I have no intentions of letting this slide.
This is total BS
Akechi: But that is the truth for the general public at the moment.
[Both lead to...]
Futaba: Man, this culprit guy really won't let up. I don't remember ever doing anything that'd make someone hate us THIS much.
Haru: He used my father as well...
Akechi: I cannot fathom what his motive may be... We will just have to capture and interrogate him.
Makoto: But before that, we need to change my sister's heart. That's our first step toward stopping him.
Akechi: I must agree. The true culprit will be caught, but before that we must deal with Sae-san. If ranking is being taken into consideration, perhaps I will be targeted too... Just kidding.
--
This tells us that Shido is deliberately having Akechi target high ranking targets on the PhanSite in order to terrify the public with abhorrent acts of violence, much like he did in April. It's a way to make people feel scared and more reliant on Shido to be the change that Japan needs. But if you secure the treasure as quickly as possible, you will miss this added information that really deepens how cruel he truly is by ordering hits just to paint a convenient narrative.
And this is definitely Shido's idea, because on 11/7 we get this gem...
--
Haru: Do you think the culprit could be someone at our school?
Yusuke: That seems somewhat sudden.
Haru: I mean, didn't they find a calling card in Principal Kobayakawa's office? I thought you had suggested that idea yourself, Yusuke.
Yusuke: That was just a generalization.
Haru: But if Mako-chan noticed what was going on with you guys, somebody else might have too.
Ann: So you think that "somebody else" is trying to frame us? What's gotten into you so suddenly?
Haru: Nothing has gotten into me. I just think there's a chance the culprit is related to Shujin...
You might be right. / There's no way.
[Both get the same response:]
Yusuke: What is all of this about? It's too soon to be jumping to conclusions like this.
Haru: Well, I was hoping to hear a professional opinion on the matter... What are your thoughts, Akechi-kun?
Akechi: The possibility is not zero, but it does seem a bit unlikely.
Haru: Why do you ask?
Akechi: A normal person would never do such a thing. They would have no reason to callously murder your principal.
Haru: And what if they weren't normal?
Akechi: Are you implying they kill for the sheer pleasure of it?
Haru: No, not like that. What I mean is, you need certain special abilities to navigate through that world, yes?
Akechi: Ah, so you're saying the culprit is a Persona-user.
Haru: Yes.
Akehci: I see... How perceptive. Truthfully, I was considering that possibility myself. But it is difficult to think they have ties to Shujin Academy.
Haru: Why?
Akechi: There would be no motive for them to carry out such a cruel plot. Clearly our culprit is acting behind the scenes to accomplish some grand objective. He likely has accomplices. It is even possible that he is being controlled by someone.
Makoto: Controlled? By whom?
Akechi: If I knew that, I do not think we would be in this much trouble.
Haru: I see... So even someone like you doesn't know, Akechi-kun.
Futaba: Looks like our genius detective's not so much of a genius after all.
Akechi: Haha, harsh as always. If there is one thing I know, it is that the culprit behind all of this is extremely shrewd. But don't worry. I will catch him, no matter what it takes.
I'm looking forward to that. / I wonder if you can do it.
Akechi: More importantly, we need to focus on changing Sae-san's heart for the time being. If we cannot do that, everything we have done will be for naught. We absolutely must succeed here.
--
There is so much to unpack here. By far, it's my favorite of these texts because of the light it sheds on Akechi's motivations and intentions. First, we have Haru pressing the subject. She clearly wants to squeeze answers out of Akechi. She's subtly putting him on the spot because she knows...
But Akechi lets slip that no, actually, he doesn't do this for pleasure. That actually, he is being controlled and that the true mastermind is someone shrewd that he intends to take down. Amidst all of Akechi's lies and platitudes during this part of the story, we see a crack in his perfectly prepared mask. In a way, this is the most honest we've seen Akechi outside of his Royal confidant and on 8/28 and 9/3. In a way, he's sharing little slivers of himself with the rest of the team (either begrudgingly or for reasons he doesn't fully understand) the way he already has with Joker.
And it actually explains a few things that happen later. Namely, the way he downplays the need to kill the other Phantom Thieves until after the election (keep in mind, he does intend to knock Shido down from his pedestal) as well as treating Morgana as "just a cat." Obviously, this doesn't absolve Akechi of his guilt, but it does make it clear that he isn't as remorseless as a lot of people believe, even if no amount of sunk cost fallacy is gonna undo the damage he's done.
Hell, when combined with his lamentation that he didn't meet Joker years ago in the engine room and his reaction to Morgana explaining changes of heart, these texts further solidify that his feelings toward both Joker and the Thieves are extremely complex and absurdly messy.
Plus we get Haru and Futaba both taking shots at him, which is fun and also extremely deserved. :p
Moving on, there's one final missable November text on 11/11. It goes as follows:
--
Akechi: So, about the investigation... It seems they have no evidence that can truly be called as such.
Ryuji: Well duh.
Akechi: However, it seems they have no intentions of changing their plans.
Ann: They're going to investigate at both Shujin Academy and Leblanc, right?
Akechi: Indeed.
Makoto: Hm. I can understand Shujin... But why Leblanc?
Akechi: The key is Wakaba Isshiki.
Futaba: Is it cause of my mom's research?
Akechi: Correct. Her study of cognitive psience is closely connected to this case. Of that, there can be no doubt.
Futaba: Then this guy's really the mastermind behind all of this?
Akechi: That would be the case. There can be no mistake... The one who erased cognitive psience from this world is surely the culprit behind everything.
Makoto: And getting rid of the research was the only way they could use its powers?
Akechi: How perceptive of you. Yes, that is the only logical conclusion. Both Sae-san and I were searching for clues about that research. But just as we were about to deepen our investigation, this commotion began. And to make things even more troublesome... There was only one person with strong connections to both Shujin Academy and Leblanc. And that person turned out to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
Yusuke: So the culprit had calculated all of this in advance?
Akechi: Heavens no. That would be impossible. This was a miracle created by the coinciding of multiple chance situations.
Ryuji: Dude, you hear that? He says you got miraculously bad luck. Don't that make you feel good?
I'm so lucky.
Ryuji: Y'know, shitty luck is still luck.
That's not funny.
Ryuji: C'mon, you gotta be able to laugh it off at this point.
Haru: Yes, your luck really is impressive.
Akechi: At any rate, that's the current state of things. And that's why we must obstruct the investigation at all costs.
Makoto: Yes, that's our intention.
--
Once again, we have Akechi laying it on thick that Shido is the one behind everything, as he was the one who ordered the hit on Wakaba, stole her research, and had his own research team develop it further. And keep in mind, Shido's own words, first on 11/21...
"Those who get in the way must be eliminated at timesāthat's the correct way to use the Metaverse."
And later, his Shadow states, "Moreover, it was thanks to me that Akechi was able to properly use his power to begin with."
So we know that even the idea of inducing mental shutdowns came from him, even if Akechi offered his Metaverse abilities as part of his stupid revenge plan.
What this shows is Akechi wants to hint that there is this bigger puppet master, even if he's going to betray the Thieves, and this is actually really consistent with his Royal confidant. In Rank 7, he uses a billiard games as a metaphor for the upcoming betrayal kill and gives Joker an out, even if he's much happier if you assert your rivalry instead. This makes his warnings about the connections to Wakaba carry a very similar feeling, and since these texts were in Vanilla, it's likely that the Royal confidant built on this foundation.
But then there's the fact that the Thieves are fully in the know that Akechi is going to betray them, so it recontextualizes all these texts where they are genuinely trying to squeeze as much info out of him as they can and likely having to restrain themselves hard (especially Futaba and Haru).
And all of this you will never see unless you delay the infiltration until 11/12. So, the next time you play Persona 5 Royal, it might be worthwhile to delay Sae's Palace to see these in-game! They're really cool and it's a shame they aren't scripted events.
Seeing people I know and like using AI is making me understand the protagonists of those old time sci fi dystopia's.
"Oh I don't normally use AI, I just wanted it to plan my trip"
You lived on this planet for decades, you know what you like, there are hundreds of websites where you can type into any search engine " things to do in [area]" and have at least a hundred different options.
"Oh I only use it so I can figure out what to make during the week with what I have"
The most popular website as you type in "recipes" into google have sections where you click dinner- quick and easy and those usually rely on staples + 1 or 2 items. I found 30 recipes on chicken alone.
"I had a writing idea, so I typed a few sentences into Chat GPT and I was able to write 20 pages with it."
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not fully related but thats also y when i see yall on here like āawww i wish we had purple people or people with horns or people with neon green eyesā¦.šā im like. yall cant even handle black peopleā¦yall cant even handle caring about people like 5 shades darker than youā¦.u want the world to be āwhimsicalā or whatever yet ur completely fine with white supremacy š evil ass individuals u cant handle a cyclops or a fairy u cant even handle hip hop!!!!
So. I went on a chess outing with a friend of mine today, and I came prepared. I love chess. I had my notes (in case I needed them), a large rulebook, and I was the one who brought the set. I'm the one who had all the pieces, all the stuff, and so on. My friend just brought themselves and played like a madman. They had no planning, no strategy, no nothing... But they won. They just had fun while competing, and I was striving to play perfectly.
What does this have to do with Shuake, though? Joker and Akechi are often shown with chess piece motifs, and they're often shown playing chess. They are chess pieces, to be quite honest, they're pawns for other people's games, they're queens who can move anyway they'd like, but they have no idea what King they're protecting. Be it humanity as a whole in Joker's case, or Yaldaboth's agenda in Akechi's (however unknowingly), they are both protecting something that their life revolves around.
Chess is a very intimate game. My friend and I both learned more about each other as we laughed over this game, watching me be driven mad by their nonsensical moves and baffled when they won. And as I watched them play far too aggressively for someone who ultimately has no other plan. I got a glimpse into their struggles (their inability to plan ahead), and they got a glimpse into mine (my overthinking).
In terms of Shuake, I imagine Joker learns about Akechi's volatile personality through Chess. I imagine Akechi to be a very aggressive player, and Joker too. I imagine they both spend a good amount of time fighting for the center of the board. I imagine Joker makes riskier moves and doesn't plan as far ahead as Akechi does. I think this would be where a lot of their information about each other's personalities beyond the masks they wear would be gathered.
God, I love chess. And I love Shuake. And I love my friends. I might write a chess fic as a gift for them; they don't even like Persona 5 that much and just know about it through me. Anyways, this is me being sappy. Enjoy my thoughts.
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Now, this may be a weird way to start a postā¦ but hear me out. We know Akechi has a condo (I believe this was in an interview or the art book? Canāt recall), and I see it thrown around that Akechi has an apartment, but something thatās never explicitly stated (to my knowledge) but collectively understood is that Akechiās home, whatever shape it takes, is bought by Shido and the building is likely full of Shidoās officials that may or may not be keeping eyes on Akechi.
I think the only time Akechi would spend there is when he actually has to sleep, or if he has late work. Nobody in their right mind is sleeping in mementos, unless you find a safe room, which is rare, unexplainable, and unpredictable. Especially if youāre alone in Mementos, which akechi so often is.
But, I think that mementos is his living space for the most part. His apartment or condo is the third space, not mementos. Itās a place he goes after work or after school and uses, but doesnāt dwell in. Almost all other times, he is in mementos. Even if heās not there for a job.
The danger and violence of mementos is common, but it becomes predictable after a certain point. You learn weather patterns impact mementos, and you learn how to avoid shadows.
Itās safer than having bugs in your home that you know are there, but probably shouldnāt search for, because theyād be moved when you next left. You know thereās a camera somewhere, because Shido keeps mentioning things he shouldnāt know from your paperwork. Maybe itās above your desk, maybe itās behind it. Maybe itās not even a camera, but youāll never know.
Mementos at least has some reprieve, and no one can follow him in unless he specifically wants them to. And Shido wouldnāt risk unnecessary metaverse leaks.
Mementos is Akechiās safest space outside of Jazz Jin, or that darts and billiards place. Iād argue Akechi started doing most of his (not classified) police work there. He canāt stay too late at the precinct because, obviously, those things close. Jazz Jin is open all night.
If he DOES have classified work to do, thatās done in his apartment, condo, whatever. But everything else? Done in Jazz Jin if he can, if he canāt, itās done late at the precinct. But where he goes after work or school, or after reporting back to Shido about a mental shutdown? Itās not his condo, itās mementos. The violence can be controlled, and itās familiar. He likes it, even. If itās just shadows.
This is the true reason Joker is never invited to Akechiās house, beyond just the fact that itās an intimate space. Itās because Joker HAS seen Akechiās dwelling, actually. And itās the Hell beneath Tokyo.
The real kicker question is: Can Akechi ride those shadow trains we see in mementos? Can he do that? Can he hang off of them and hold on for dear life to speed up his process? Maybe. Not sure on that yet.
Thereās also the whole surface level of Mementos that Morgana says is safe. Their metaverse outfits donāt even appear up there.
Soā¦ yeah, I guess he does live there. Probably has a little spot somewhere on the surface level where he completely lets himself relax. And that may even be how he saw the Thieves the first time. I had always assumed that it was in Madarameās palace, but if he was just hanging out in Mementos and the Thieves barge in all loud with Morgana explaining the placeā¦
Well, it makes perfect sense and is now my headcanon
As much as I think Akechi hates romantic movies and stories (because he's cynical and he thinks that love like that isn't real or possible irl), I do think that he'd be a bit seduced by Joker the great Metaverse Phantom Thief...
Like you know what? Maybe it WOULD be nice to be targeted by this charming, dashing, mysterious Phantom Thief of Hearts, one who's a gentleman and who would bow down to kiss Akechi's hand and sweep him off his feet and into the night, away from all the awful shit going on in his life... Wouldn't that be nice?
And ofc Akechi hates that fantasy with a burning passion, he sees that desire as a temporary moment of weakness, but it keeps coming back to him when he's overhelmed and tired and it's lowkey easier to just let it play out in his mind rather than to fight it.
It makes Akechi feel like his own mind and heart are betraying him, he's embarassed that something so cheesy and naive has such a hold over him, but he can't really do anything about it... (Or doesn't want to, deep in his heart)
(No matter how much he'd like to deny it, at the end of the day he's just a highschool guy going through a teenage crush lmao).
As some of you know, due to the repeated surgeries and tumor removal in September and then February, my dad has been helping me with bills. I lost alot of income being unable to work for a period of time on top of not getting approved for my student loans.
Unfortunately, my dad is dealing with some difficulty with his accounts, and he's unable to send his portion in time ;3; any amount helps
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Would you look at that, I drew persona againā¦ and this time itās these two! Iām actually scared of the persona fandom but I will give you this as a peace offering, I know weāre not fighting butā¦ Also yes I promise I will play the other games too, Iām just waiting for sale.
I love Akechi and Jokerās weird āweāre enemies but not reallyā dynamic I enjoyed their interactions a lot while playing Royal. I am now sending this out into the wild as bait to catch stray Shuake fans.
I also drew this, you canāt blame me for finding charm in a nice little chase :P
hello hi inconsistent artstyle here, i rewatched proof of justice and saved many good arty arts and read fics and felt the urge 2 draw them so, Here They Are hello ladies pls kiss
Also, i might delete the ta- *gets shot by nobody gaf beam*
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