Hey everybody! I’m kinda new at this community and I pretty much fell in love with the ideas, concepts and the activity you all perform here, at the start I need to say English isn’t my native language, since I’m from Brazil, so I’ll try my best here... I’m a long date fan of the Test Drive Franchise, I think since Test Drive 5 from the PSOne and I have a long date relationship with driving games and gameplay concepts and I’m here to share some of my ideas, and please be comfortable to speak your mind about what I’m going to say now!
First of all – I think the line of gameplay that TDU and TDU2 had was pretty cool, start from the bottom with some classic and/or affordable cars like the Mustang Fastback from TDU2 or the Alfa Romeo GT from TDU (please we need those cars in the new Test Drive, that Alfa was pretty sick!), also the license requirement was something that draws me back to the oldies Gran Turismo's and in my opinion was a nice touch to TDU2.
Another thing that I think was great and could have a comeback was the car club schemes from TDU at the PS2 version, it was so cool have clubs about specific cars like the Alfa Club, or the speedsters club – that could come with some kinda of benefits like the rookies receive some special livery and as you rank up you unlock special leagues like a Mercedes Championship to unlock and/or get a signature car from that brand or that segment of vehicles. The clubs could also be a place to see some exclusive cars and throws some parties or even some pink slips. Speaking about club ranks, maybe when you become the president you can change some of the style of the club facilities, like put some cars displays, select photos for the walls and promote events like the parties I was talking about. The club mechanics could also go a little bit deeper like you need to bring more people to see the cars, come to the events and even become members. You can try to attract some famous drivers to attract and that generate money to the club and more fame since become a big player in the media and at the motorsport scene was a thing at TDU2.
We really really need a good physics for this game, please focus on something more simulation-esque and like Driver San Francisco – that showboating driving skills that Tanner had was so funny! – I know isn’t the same kind of game but I think Driver nailed the arcade style but the cars doesn’t feel like had weight. Of course cars like a Chrysler 300C or a Lincoln Continental should been able to do all that things like Drifts or easily jump 300 meters of the ground, they need to ride like a comfortable and Softly car when you want and be a mad crazy demon when you floor it.
Talking about customization, we don’t need all that crazy Rocket Bunny widebodys, that’s not the spirit of TDU, we need to be able to choose the variant you want, like if you need a Challenger SRT or a Hellcat, you choose the rims, the body color, the vinyls colors, the interior color, the stitching, maybe what is written on your personal side skirt plate like the Aston Martin's and Ferrari’s. The performance upgrades could be something that you can lead to the brand preparator, like AMG and Brabus to Mercedes and Nismo to Nissan and you buy packages like was on the others Test Drive's but you can also tune at your desire things like tyres pressure, gear ratio, suspension height and stiffness etc.
The cosmetic clinic is pretty much mandatory, we have that since the original TDU! One thing that could be added to the clinic is to choose your body style like be fat or slim or even athletic. That could be worked in some kind of gym but I don’t think that make sense to TDU. We need back the clothing stores with all kind of style you want. If you want to wear your favorite car brand tshirts you can, if you want to stay classy and dress to impress you got it, if you want to be a rich farmer or something more Country be my guest, a rocker style, hip hop style, hipsters, chavs you have them all! And if you want to precisely choose what you want to wear and how you want to wear will be so cool! At least something like Saints Row 2 with lots of options. Maybe the clothes and the clothes stores could be attached to some kind of fame system, if you have enough fame you got some special attires or if you become a member of a club, you get a brand new clothing item of the car brand. The clothes could have some kind of effect depending on what you are doing, for example: if you are in a classic exotic race and you wear some classic race attire or wear some classy suit you got a little bonus for the appearance or you get more fans according to the way you drive and the way you dress yourself. That’s just an idea I had since fashion and racing can be related.
Please, please, please bring back the used car dealer! That was so cool! They can also add some Easter eggs like certain days special edition cars appears like GT4 had. I’ll be a good thing if we had some kind of influence meter with the car dealer owner, like when you build up the relation with him he shows you the “Special Stock” like classic race legends and some of then can have some scratches and some problems so he’ll make those cheaper and store at your garage till you got the parts to get them running. Maybe you can pay a little more to him to get all the pieces and repair the car so you can drive off your brand new classical legend or you can get the car the way that is and you can see if the others dealers have the parts you need. The scrap cars we had in TDU2 can also make another appearance on this system as the act like transplant cars to get parts. Once you have a special classic car and enough fame, maybe you got na invite to some special event or a special club, that kind of progression and the sensation of having something special I think is something powerful thinking about game design and gameplay.
The casino! Also some of the coolest things TDU2 had could came back! The special challenges with the podium car was the cherry on the top of the DLC, see that sick Audi R8 Spyder on the lobby was insane! The slots machine was pretty nice too and the way the casino worked was fine.
Motorcycles! The motorcycle community need some love that TDU and TDU2 doesn’t have to them! We need championships with motorcycles, challenges, rinding in convoy options at free roam online, waypoints to our journey, things like was on Forza Horizon 2 but in this case we can create. Motorcycle customization will be cool too, change the colors, change the exhaust and things like this, but nothing too crazy, things more simple and discreet like the cars, you can also, for example, buy a brand new Ducati Panigale and drop at the Ducati preparator to build a Panigale R or a kind of Moto GP bike.
The real estate and the houses was one of the things that blew my mind when I jumped for the first time at the TDU series, was so cool building your car collection from the ground in your own house that you need to buy with your own money, that take a big step into the simulation and satisfaction ground. The customization was cool too but we need to bring that to a new level, like adding some exterior customization like put some fountains at the front of your mansion, or designate parking spots outside to show off your cars, or bring one of your favorite car to your lounge and display at the center. At the interior we could designate spots to put some bars and some interactive objects would be welcome.
About car selection I don’t think it’s a big problem, we need the iconic sports cars like Audi TT from the 00’s, the Silvias, 350z and that kind of cars at the start and then advances to the Mercedes Slk, SL, AMG GT, X-Class, G63 etc. The modern Hyper and Supercars, the classics like classics rally cars like the Stratus, 034 Stradalle, the Fulvia. Modern classics like the Impreza, the Lancer Evo, Celica, Corolla WRC. And please, bring a whole squadron of SUVs we need the Rovers, the Mercs, the DBX, Escalades, the Bronco, maybe even the new GMC Hummer EV and that Nikola Truck. You all athe Kylo You all at the Kylotonn can ignore this car list, but please give me back the Spyker cars! That sweet and nasty piece of crazy design needs to be at every TDU!
Now about the police, I don’t have problem with them being at the game but that doesn’t make so much sense to me, specially at TDU2, they aren’t so challenging and we are part of a legit competition, maybe we could have some special right to speed at the place – I know this doesn’t make sense in the real world, but I think the police is pointless..
That’s some of my ideas, I know I’m just a nobody but I was just trying to help with something and please everybody give me your feedback, I love to hear what you think about this game, the concepts and ideas you all have!!

I Work at a Casino Where People Bet Their Bodies and Souls in Hopes of Riches and Power.

Parts: 2

There’s a place located far out in the roaming wilderness of Midwest America that is the gathering place for all kinds of beings, both supernatural and not. They flock to the establishment seeking nourishment, servitude, power, or just entertainment. The mad and the desperate, the downtrodden and the elite. All of them welcome in equal measure to gamble life, limb, soul, and eternity on a roll of the dice, a flip of the card, or a spin on the roulette in the Grand Paradiso. A casino unlike any other.
One that I have been working at for the better part of the past year or so. The things I’ve seen…the things I’ve done…they changed me. And that change was more than just skin deep. Allow me to start at the beginning. When my life had been given a new purpose, to serve the Grand Paradiso.

“You reckon this bitch gonna go for all that much. With how much Leon’s broken her in, she ain’t much a looker anymore.”
A man’s grimy voice spat out words in this all-encompassing darkness that surrounded me, the blood-soaked blindfold blocking out my vision.
“Not half as much as I’d have gotten had that fuckin’ mongrel kept it in his pants. Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on him, probably fuckin’ paid you off, right?” Another voice spoke up, this one sounding younger.
Beneath me, I could feel cold metal against my skin. My hands and legs bound together with zip-ties and the scent of blood filling my nostrils. The taste of wool on my tongue from the gag wrapped around my mouth.
“Ah…ya know it was an honest mistake. I jus’ went to take a piss. Shit happened is all.”
I tried to move my body, but every inch of it was in pain. Bruises and cigarette burns marred most of my body. I could run my tongue along the empty gap where a couple teeth used to be.
“Sure it did. You’re a real fuckin’ retard, you know that? Be happy she isn’t dead, you dumb fuck, hope you know this shit’s coming out of your cut.”
“That’s unfair now-” “Shut it! Be glad I’m paying you at all.”
Footsteps approached me, each step causing an echo to reverberate off the walls. The footsteps came to a stop right in front of me, and I felt a shoe touch my cheek and gently lift my head off the ground.
“Naomi…look at you now... can’t lie makes me happy seeing you on that side of the auction. Bet you’re feeling real miserable about not paying the boss his dues now, aren’t you? Don’t worry, though, as you know, he always gets his money. One way or another. Now then, sweetheart, it’s showtime. Try to be a little presentable for the good folks out there, huh?”
Suddenly whatever I was laying on started moving, the sounds of rusty wheels creaking as I was being forced towards some unknown destination. A door opened, and I could hear the indistinct chatter of a crowd of people over the creaking of the wheels. Soon I came to a stop, and the blindfold was taken off.
Light flooded my vision, and I immediately shut my eyes to stop the searing pain inflicted on my retinas. Squinting, I tried to look around and locate the sources of the voices but couldn’t make out much in the darkness beyond the stage I was on. Just the shifting shapes of silhouettes.
“Is this some kind of joke!? No one gonna pay a dime for this broad!” A voice yelled out from the crowd. “Yeah, who wants damaged goods! Bring out the next one already and quit wasting my time!”
“Now ladies and gentlemen calm down. Because of the condition of the property, the starting price will be adjusted. And I assure you besides the physical injuries they are healthy.” A new voice echoed over a set of loudspeakers. Looking to my right, I saw a well-dressed man holding a microphone and standing behind a small wooden podium.
“Now! We’ll start the bidding at one-thousand dollars. Any takers?!” The auctioneer’s voice boomed over the speakers as green circular lights with numbers on them began flashing out from the darkness.
I recognized them for what they were, scum with too much money on their hands trying to purchase humans. How many men and women had I led to this exact position, I wonder. I never thought that I’d eventually become one of the items. I’d have laughed about it had that gag not prevented me from doing so.
“We got one thousand, how about two thousand!? Two thousand! Three thousand, do I see four?”
Karma, I guess you could call it. Lord knows I’ve done my fair share of repugnant shit. Stuff was just now finally starting to come around for me, it seems. Not like I cared that much at the time. I was already a corpse on the inside. Cold, dead, emotionless. The only saving grace of my miserable existence being the soothing sensation of a needle in my veins.
“Nine thousand! Fifteen seems we might have a bit of a battle here on this one.” Suddenly a light lit up, showing an exorbitant number. “One-hundred thousand! Anyone else?!” The trash in the crowd began to chatter amongst each other louder. I was almost a little impressed someone wanted to spend that much on me. Then another light shined out from the darkness.
“Two-hundred and fifty thousand!”
“Quarter of a million for this garbage?!” “What a fucking dumbass!”
“Sold to number thirteen! Thank you all for participating! Now moving on to our next item.”
I was rolled off of the stage and thrown into this tiny damp room somewhere in the back corridors of the auction house. There was only a dim lightbulb, barely illuminating the small room with concrete walls, floor, and ceiling. Water dripped down from the ceiling, I felt it hitting my back as I laid there. Slowly I slid myself over to the wall and sat against it, my eyes trained on the door. Awaiting whatever fate was going to be looming for me outside this tiny room.
After what felt like hours, the door unlocked and swung open. Standing on the other side was a woman dressed in the attire of someone I’d expect to be a dealer at some Vegas casino table. She looked down at me with these cold, unfeeling eyes. She tossed some clothes in front of me and undid the zip-ties around my wrists and ankles.
“Get dressed.” The woman said curtly. I removed the gag from my mouth and tossed it aside, rubbing the skin on my wrists where the zip-ties had dug in and left marks. “Now. I’m not in the mood to wait.”
With a sigh, I picked up the clothes and started putting them on. They were a little oversized but felt better than wearing nothing at all. After I finished getting dressed, the woman exited the room and motioned her head for me to follow her. I had to admit she had a lot of trust in her, not even tying up my hands.
“You’d do well not to try anything stupid. I don’t have the patience for that.” The woman said. It was almost like she could read my mind.
“Just want me to be a good girl, huh? You got a name?” I asked, joining the woman out in the corridor.
“I didn’t buy you for you to ask questions.” The woman said. I shrugged.
“Not like I give a shit what you spent your money for.” I answered. A vague smile came across the woman’s face.
“That’s quite the attitude you have. You can call me Beatrix. Come along then.” The woman began walking down the corridor, and I followed after her.
“Not gonna ask my name?”
“I already know all about you, Naomi Straya. You’re a heroin-addicted gun for hire. That you find men reprehensible. That the first person you killed was a man who paid your mother to have sex with you. That you have a penchant for writing poetry and that you tried to commit suicide eight separate times the same way, yet never followed through with it. And that the woman you loved overdosed in your apartment bathtub two months ago. Every detail of your life, from the last meal you ate to how you got all those injuries, I know.”
I was at a loss for words at how nonchalantly the words flowed from Beatrix’s mouth. And at how correct she was about each thing she said. It shouldn’t have been possible that someone could know so much about me. It was crazy…insane even, yet she didn’t hesitate at all in her recollection of those events in my life.
“Wondering how I know all that? Don’t worry, it really doesn’t matter. Me knowing all of this information is going to be one of the least unsettling things you’re going to experience over these next coming months. If you manage to stick around that long...”
I followed Beatrix out to her car, she opened the passenger side door for me. Looking around the parking lot and out towards the surrounding trees, I wondered if I should make a run for the forest. Every instinct in my body told me to get as far away from this woman as I could, yet I couldn’t stop myself from shambling over to her. I hadn’t felt fear in a long time…but something about Beatrix sent shivers down my spine. Seeing that gentle smile on her face, I could tell she realized that too.
Once I was sitting inside the vehicle, Beatrix swung the door shut and made her way around to the driver’s side. She slid the key into the ignition, and we slowly pulled out onto the road. Driving through the pitch-black darkness of the woods with nothing to light the way except for the headlights.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, trying hard to dull the unease in my voice.
“You enjoy gambling, don’t you, Mrs. Straya?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Everything, my dear. Humans make gambles every day, whether they realize it or not. They gamble on getting that new job, they gamble on pursuing love, they gamble on their health, their education. So much of life is up to chance when you think about it. Then, of course, there is gambling for wealth. Like those thousands of dollars you gambled away to the man that led you to become nothing more than a piece of meat. To be treated any way your employer will see fit.”
“I have no intention of becoming somebody’s property, so whoever paid all that cash for me can go fuck himself.”
Beatrix let out a malicious giggle. “You don’t have any choice in the matter. Why haven’t you tried to run away yet, Naomi? You’ve been untied this whole time, why not try and crash the car, or jump out. Nothing is stopping you from escaping, so why are you still here sitting in that seat?”
She was right…why the fuck was I just sitting here? It made no sense even causing the car to crash shouldn’t have been something that I’d have been afraid of. For some reason, whenever the thought came up to try something, this unbearable dread consumed me. I just couldn’t bring myself to do anything. The moment I would go to try something, my body would lock up.
“There are things at work here beyond understanding. That free will you had have you wondered if it was ever really there? Naomi, you’re soon going to be where you belong. You’re new home and where you will work until the establishment no longer requires you.” Beatrix said.
The trees surrounding the road gave way to a clearing, and in front of us, a colossal building towered above the landscape. All across the structure were hundreds of lights and long stretches of rows and rows of illuminated windows. At the center of the building was a large sign that read “Grand Paradiso Casino.” A casino? Out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere? I was confident that there was no place like this around the area at all. I knew it like the back of my hand, there was no way I would miss something so huge. How the fuck was it here?
“Welcome to your new home.” Beatrix said, bringing the car to a stop at the entrance pavilion of the casino. The two of us exited the car, and she handed the keys to the valet who was waiting just next to the doors.
“Come along now, dear.”
I followed Beatrix inside of the casino and found myself standing in the middle of this grandiose gambling hall. Giant crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceiling, brightly illuminating the room. Masterfully crafted sculptures of figures I didn’t recognize overlooked the hall, jutting out from columns around the room. Not all of the sculptures look like…people either. Some depicted things that seemed inhuman and monster-like…others I’m not sure I could convey properly with words. An elegant pattern stretched out across the carpet floor, and this elegance extended to all of the gambling tables that were scattered across the hall.
The gambling hall was packed with people, both those filling up the tables and servers going around, taking orders for food and beverages. Something I noticed about a few of the people here was that their attire didn’t match up with the high-class aesthetic of the casino. Some were just wearing casual clothes, while others looked like they only had rags to wear.
There was something else wrong with the place. There were a number of people who looked to be missing bits and pieces of their bodies. Fingers, eyes, ears, whole hands or arms. Stationed at the few of the tables were these devices that looked more fit for a torture chamber. They certainly weren’t typical implements you’d see at your average gambling table. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t beginning to feel enticed by this place, with all of its oddities, and I couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
“I’ll take you to the employee quarters. It’s a bit of a walk, stay close and try not to get lost out here.” Beatrix said.
“Fuck! No! Just stay back! I ain’t losing you hear me!” A man jumped out of his chair in front of Beatrix and I. Pulling a handgun out from under his jacket, as the chair bounced across the carpet. The surrounding area in the hall got silent as everyone looked over at the commotion. No one looked afraid of what was unfolding, they were either uncomfortable, uncaring, or showed some curious interest in what was happening.
“It’s just one finger, bud. You don’t gotta get so upset.” One of the other patrons sitting at the table remarked with a grin.
“Sir, you already lost. Now payment is due. You should also be aware firearms are forbidden in the gambling hall.” The dealer at the table turned towards the man, looking him straight in the eye, not flinching at all with a gun aimed at his head. It was clear the guy had nerves of steel, he’d probably been in this situation a few times by the looks of things.
“I don’t care! Just stay the fuck away from me!” The man yelled, his finger shaking on the trigger.
The dealer took a step towards the man, and a shot echoed throughout the hall. The bullet pierced through the dealer’s forehead and ripped out the back of his skull. He stumbled back a step before glaring at the man. The hole in his head slowly closing up. The man’s mouth went agape as he proceeded to unload a couple of more shots into the dealer with no results.
“Sir, it is time for you to pay your debt.” The dealer said, his voice monotone.
I hadn’t noticed it, but two absurdly hulking security guards had appeared on either side of the man. The guards each had a cloth mask covering their entire heads, it was almost like a sack, with this deliberately stitched pattern of spirals etched into each of them. Beneath the fabric of the masks, I could see this undulating movement of something pressing against the cloth. It didn’t look like there were any eyeholes on the sacks, so I had to wonder how it was they were even able to see.
Upon noticing the guards, the man tried to turn his gun on them. He didn’t manage to get one shot off before one of the guards grabbed his arm, and a sickening snap was heard. The man dropped the gun to the floor as he was unceremoniously dragged away deeper into the hall, all the while screaming and pleading to those around for help. There was no sympathy to be had though, as everyone else just ignored him, or laughed at the man’s pain.
The dealer took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the blood from his face and got back to running the game at his table.
“Shall we continue on then?” Beatrix said, moving forward.
X

Ranking the P5R Party Members!

Howdhee-ho everyone!
So the other day I threw out a Ranking of all the Palaces, and before that one of all the Showtime attacks.
Today I’ll be tackling a ranking of the Phantom Thieves (except for Joker. Because that’s kind of unfair).
As usual, there are spoilers ahead. And this is all just my opinion. It’s cool if you disagree. In fact, if you disagree I’d love to hear your thoughts and reasons!
Anyway, before we begin I’m going to break down what these rankings are based on.
Story - How well are they integrated, and how good is their story.
Confidant - How good is it? Does it flow well?
Codename - Does it fit? Does it sound cool?
Attire - How cool and unique is their costume?
Usefulness - How good are they in combat?
Seems pretty straightforward. So without further ado, let us begin with number 9!
9 - Sumire Yoshizawa
And we’re already going to be controversial! Huzzah!
Look. I know a lot of people love her. But honestly she’s… not all that amazing in my opinion. Time to delve into why!
First off, her story. She is integrated into the story very poorly. She comes up for the odd scene here and there, but she never really does anything of any importance other than drop Kasumi’s pocketbook. But otherwise it REALLY feels like Atlus tried their absolute hardest to just not put her in the game. When she gets her powers she gives a lame excuse as to why she can’t join. Then when she wants to join we’re forced to turn her down with another lame excuse.
Once you get to Maruki’s Palace she becomes the focus… for about 20 minutes. The first like, tenth of the Palace is about her. But once you free her and she joins the Thieves, she unfortunately becomes a sort of background character. She doesn’t really have any motivations beyond “I want to beat Maruki” which is the same motivation everyone has.
I will say, though, that her first awakening is really good. It’s so different from all the other ones because, just like her cognition, it’s all an illusion. So her awakening has this cool illusory effect and the reason for it is basically because people keep telling her she isn’t Kasumi even though she thinks she is.
Now for her Confidant… half of it is worthless. And I mean that literally. Because the first 5 ranks are getting to know Kasumi, not Sumire. When she becomes Sumire again, she literally is the opposite of the first 5 ranks. That means you have half the time to get to know her. And it doesn’t have any real continuity to it. No real flowing, overarching story. It’s sort of just “Hang out with Sumire”. Kinda lame. Sorry.
Now, her Codename is Violet. And I get that “Sumire” in English is Violet but I don’t really see anything Violet about her. Her hair is red. Violets are… er… violet. Her clothes are black. I dunno. It’s just kinda weird. Like, it doesn’t really have anything to do with her. And I don’t feel like a translation is much of a codename.
Now for her attire. It’s cool. BUT… it’s also just fem-Joker. I know that was sort of her original concept. But I don’t really like it. I don’t like that her clothes are just Joker’s clothes but on a woman. Her mask is kinda cool though. And honestly I really like the rapier and rifle. It’s really damn sweet.
Finally; her usefulness in combat. She’s actually pretty solid, but that’s basically only because in the single Palace where she’s available almost every enemy is weak to Bless, which she has. She DOES have a heal ability and high crit though. So even if you’re using her, say, in Mementos or in the challenge battles she’s decent.
Overall; wasted potential. It’s a real shame too because I think if she were actually in this game I could end up liking her.
8 - Makoto Nijima
Hot take pt 2, Nuclear Damage Boogaloo!
Yeah listen. I’m one of the 4 people alive who doesn’t really like Makoto. I know everyone is going to yell at me and downvote this so hard I end up stuck in the chamber of the Holy Grail. But still. This is how I feel.
For story… here’s the thing. Makoto is introduced in a terrible way. As they say, first impressions are hard to erase. And her first impression is incredibly standoffish and rude. And honestly, her like second through fifteenth impressions follow suit. It’s either her being a bitch, or her being really dumb. Then she awakens to her Persona for… no real reason? I’ll get into it more later with other characters, but normally the awakening comes after a powerful realization. So, Ryuji learning that Kamoshida broke his leg on purpose, for fun. Or Ann learning Kamoshida raped Shiho. Makoto… doesn’t learn anything new. Kaneshiro just repeats that he expects to be paid his money. And after she awakens, much like Sumire is for Maruki, she’s not really relevant to the Palace. She doesn’t have some deep, backstory linked reason to take Kaneshiro down. So she just kind of falls in line with the rest of the crew. However, I will admit that she does hold down a pretty necessary place in the group. She essentially is the person forcing the plot forward when others get off track. I don’t really think this adds anything to her character, but I realize that without her it would just be “Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Futaba being meme lords while Morgana and Haru laugh to themselves about who knows what.”
And I think most people agree her confidant is bad. Like 80% of it is Makoto being super nosy and poking into a random NPCs personal life while Joker… is there. Like, Joker’s presence is irrelevant here. And unlike basically everyone else, she doesn’t learn anything. She just ends up being right. Her NPC friend’s boyfriend is just trying to sell her off as a prostitute. We don’t even really know how their friendship plays out after that. It just kind of abruptly ends and is pointless.
Her Codename is Queen. Because… she doesn’t play chess. Or Shogi. Nor is she royalty. Nor does she lead the team. Nor is her attire regal. Like the name has nothing to do with her as a character. So yeah. Pretty not great name.
Her Thief attire is… Okay? It's kind of bland. It's just like a grey leather armor set. I don't dislike it, but I do think it's a little uninspired. Oh. And I do truly hate her mask. It's like… And iron slab. That's all. Like I said, it's really not noteworthy.
And now her usefulness… Makoto is weird because her best build is having her be “just okay” at everything. You can build her to be a physical attacker. And she’ll be decent but never eclipse Ryuji. You can build her as a mage but she’ll never eclipse Ann. You can build her as a healer and she’ll never eclipse Morgana. It's best to just have her with decent magic, decent phys, and decent heals. But then… There's not really a reason to use her over the BETTER phys, magics, and healers.
So yeah. Makoto is… She's there. She is a part of the team.
7 - Haru Okumura
“Who is the real criminal here, in this building? Haru Okumura!”
I doubt this one will be as controversial. Unfortunately Haru got the short end when it comes to this game. Her presence (or lack thereof) isn't as bad as Sumire but it's pretty minimal.
So Haru is unfortunately barely involved in her own arc. She is overshadowed by Morgana until he rejoins. She then gets her time to shine when she awakens and then… That's it. That's all she does. It REALLY hurts honestly because I do like Haru. But she got screwed because they gave Morgana an arc here that I don't think he needed. Her awakening scene is really good though. But I’ll be ranking those another day.
Her confidant line is awesome though. Going with Haru and trying to guide her as she stumbles through running the company her father left behind is excellent. You really get a down to Earth view of her larger than life character as she struggles with real emotions. She deals with feeling she can't trust anyone while she tries to pick up the broken fragments of her life by befriending Joker. It's so good. Seriously. I love this confidant. Also vegetables.
Her codename is Noir, which means Black in French. And it’s to remind her that the Phantom Thieves are not necessarily morally good people. It’s interesting, and I think it fits the very French style of her attire. I like it, but I wish she had something more suiting. Though it IS better than Beauty Thief.
Haru’s thief clothes are also cool. They’re one of the only sets that isn't mostly black. Sure she has some black parts, but also some pink and white. And with most of the others having drab, black clothes it really stands apart. Plus her hat is absolutely awesome and looks fantastic. Her mask is cool too. It's the only one that doesn't seem kinda outlandish. And the whole ensemble fits the motif of the femme fatale.
And Haru is pretty useful, but not overly so. I mean, her magic and physical skills are just okay. But she has the two damage reflect skills which are awesome. Really helpful in a pinch. And her gun is great for tech attacks.
6 - Morgana
“Hey! Monamona!”
Now I don’t want anyone to think I dislike Morgana. Because I love my boy. But I do think he gets outshined by everyone else.
In the story, he is essentially the main driving force of the Thieves (and not just because he’s a car). Without Morgana the Thieves wouldn’t have started, and you’d have no idea how to do anything. Plus, he’s always there to provide his take on situations, and assist.
Well, except for one part. The main part that drags him down.
The Okumura arc and Morgana have been discussed into the ground. But if you want my brief take; I think he is definitely in the wrong in the argument, and I don’t really think he grows as a character. It’s more like he shrinks as a character then reverts back to normal.
Now, Morgana doesn’t really have a confidant line. He ranks up automatically. But honestly I don’t mind. Joker spends more time with Morgana than literally everyone else. So I think you get the equivalent feel from just always having him around.
Gods above I hate Morgana’s codename. Because it isn’t a codename. It’s a shortening of Morgana. That would be like someone named Robert going “So my codename is Rob”. Like… that’s not a codename. That isn’t how codenames work. DAMMIT RYUJI WHY COULDN’T YOU HAVE PICKED SOMETHING BETTER?! ...Ah well. This one sucks. Let’s move on.
His thief attire is great too. I kinda wish his head wasn’t so… bobble-heady. But I get that Japanese games tend to do that kind of thing. I do like how it’s essentially a fuzzy onesie with a hood though.
As for his use, remember how earlier I said speccing Makoto as a healer doesn’t eclipse Morgana? That’s still true… BUT… honestly Morgana isn’t that much better. Because healing isn’t related to stats. It’s more related to the abilities they get. And the only thing Morgana gets over Makoto is resurrection spells. Plus he’s super squishy. He has like 200 HP at level 99 which is basically nothing. If he gets hit by a lightning attack it’s basically over. And because his confidant is automatic, you don’t get a lot of his good abilities until later in the game.
Sorry, kitty. I still love you. But you ARE kinda useless…
5 - Yusuke Kitagawa
“A breathtaking sight!”
I love my boy Yusuke. It helps that he’s voiced by Matt Mercer, and that one of his battle lines is “How do you want to do this?” But honestly, Yusuke is one of my favorite characters.
Let’s start off as usual. Yusuke is first introduced as a sort of antagonist… well, it actually may be more accurate to say that WE are the antagonists. Yusuke really just wants to be left alone to make art at first and the Thieves kind of push themselves onto him. It’s a really interesting way to show how some people feel about the Thieves’ ideals. Basically, he doesn’t want to be saved but we want to save him. And while he’s a bit quirky, he is the best part of this arc. And his awakening is sick. as. fuck. Unfortunately though, I do think he falls off after his arc here. He quickly becomes “the guy who is there to just be quirky and weird”. And while that’s okay, I feel like he doesn’t really DO anything after Madarame’s arc wraps up.
I absolutely love his confidant line. Essentially Yusuke is in a slump. He can’t make any art because he feels his heart is clouded. So Joker begins going around with him to try to help him out. Some of the scenes are actually hilarious, like the boat scene, and the church scene. And some are very touching. The main events, too, are fantastic. The part where he presents his painting “Desire” and all the art snobs talk about how bad it is (which I don’t get at all. I think it’s a phenomenal painting) is great because it shows a different, more pessimistic side of Yusuke. Then at the end he takes that very same painting and makes a change to it, then renames it “Desire and Hope” (and it’s still awesome) and everyone praises it because he’s realized that his friends are his “hope” which will keep him from giving into his desires and becoming distorted. This shit is great. I love it. Probably one of my favorite confidant lines.
Obviously Fox works for Yusuke. Because his mask is a fox. It’s pretty self explanatory. It’s not amazing. It’s not bad. It just fits.
And Yusuke’s Thief Attire is awesome. It’s like a leather jacket with a massive collar. And his mask is fantastic. The only thing I don’t really like about his costume is the tail. Not because of how the tail looks, but because of its placement. It’s like… weirdly along his leg instead of in the center of his back. It’s just kind of off-center and it bothers me. But that’s just a bit of a nitpick. Otherwise I love his costume. In fact I think it’s my third favorite behind Akechi and… uh… Akechi. Eh. We’ll get to that later.
Now for his combat ability. By all rights Yusuke shouldn’t be that great. I mean, Ryuji does far more physical damage than him, and Ann does a lot more magic damage. He also doesn’t have any amazing buff or debuff skills. HOWEVER… this man crits more than a weighted 20-sided die. This could just be my own personal experience, but I swear every third physical attack from Yusuke is a crit. It’s bananas. So he’s great, if a bit unreliable, for setting up big Baton Pass damage.
So yeah. I love Yusuke. I just wish he was more important in the story after his recruitment, and a little better in combat.
4 - Ryuji Sakamoto
“FOR REAL?!”
Ryuji gets my fourth spot. I love this boy. But he has one major thing holding him back.
His confidant is ass. But we’ll get to that.
We need to first start this properly. Ryuji is one of the main focuses of this story. I know a lot of people say he stops being relevant after Kamoshida but that’s… just… false? Like. Factually incorrect. I mean, just because his “arc” is done doesn’t mean he isn’t relevant to the plot anymore. He’s more relevant than anyone I have listed before him on this list.
I mean, let’s look at this factually. Ryuji is the primary force pushing to change Madarame’s heart. This isn’t really about Yusuke. But more about how he wants to take down evil people. Without Ryuji, we give up on Madarame when Yusuke decides to kick us out.
Without Ryuji, Makoto gets sold as a sex slave. Ryuji throws himself INTO TRAFFIC to save her. None of the rest of us were going to.
Without Ryuji, Haru’s fiance drags her off and we never help her or recruit her. Because Ryuji is the only one who stands up to him. Well… except for Morgana. But he gets kicked into a brick wall because he’s a cat.
Anyways, let’s talk about him in Kamoshida’s arc. I actually think this is where he’s the weakest. Because this arc is more about Ann than him. We establish that Ryuji wants to stop Kamoshida, and is upset that Kamoshida broke his leg. But that isn’t really his reasoning behind fighting Kamoshida. He wants to take him down for the same reason he wants to take down every Palace ruler. He hates people lording their power over others. I actually like that Ryuji doesn’t really change as a character either, because he is the most pure hearted boy in this game. He doesn’t need to change.
Anyway. His confidant sucks unfortunately. It’s not quite as bad as Makoto, but like hers, Joker isn’t really needed here. This whole thing is basically Ryuji dealing with the track team, who hates him. He does come to the realization that sometimes he needs to accept a loss so other people can feel better, and that he doesn’t need to be liked by everyone so long as his friends like him. It’s nice. But like I said, the storyline is sloppy and Joker being there doesn’t matter for like 90% of it.
Now Skull makes sense. Because his mask… is a skull. And his persona is a Pirate, which are famous for skull imagery. So uh. Ya’know. It works,
I love Ryuji’s Thief garb. It’s cool as shit. A leather jacket, necktie, his awesome mask, and the badass metal spikes on his back are sweet. My only complaint is the complaint I have with a lot of these. It’s… it’s just black. Like, I wish there was more coloration for these costumes. Most of them are like 95% black.
Finally, Ryuji is awesome in combat. He’s definitely the strongest as far as physical damage, he gets Charge to make his physical STRONGER, he has a ton of HP, and he has a full party attack up. As well as some decent lightning damage to hit weaknesses and baton pass but well...everyone has that. Even so, this dude is a heavy hitting tank. He does crazy damage with physical attacks. And he never leaves my team once he’s on… in fact, that’s the case with everyone on the team from here up.
So yeah. I love my son. Stop bullying Ryuji.
3 - Futaba Sakura
“Mwehehehe!”
Little sister gremlin gets the third spot and I love her. Futaba is one of my favorite characters in the game in general.
Firstly, her story is absolutely incredible. I think she has the most relation to her Arc because… well it's ABOUT her. Normally the arcs are about two or three people. For example, Madarame and Yusuke share and arc. Kamoshida, Ann, and Ryuji share an arc. But here this is 100% about Futaba. And I really like how it works. A girl whose mom was involved with dangerous people has her mind shut down while she’s walking with her young daughter. She collapses into the street and dies, and the daughter blames herself and shuts herself away from the world. It hurt the old heart. And even after she joins, Futaba maintains an important role. She fills the role of an informant. We need some info? Futaba’s on it. We need to get into a database? Futaba. We need to rig casino games? Futaba.
Her confidant line is also great. She’s spent years locked away and we need to help her break out of her shell by doing more and more difficult tasks. And it ends in the same location it begins, but with a totally different feeling. It’s a lot like Yusuke’s where he has a painting everyone hates, then one everyone loves. Futaba starts in Akihabara and is terrified of the crowds around her. But at the end she goes to Akihabara and spends hours there, completely on her own, because she was “having fun”. It’s awesome. The only thing I don’t like is the bit with Kana. There’s a part where, for whatever reason, she spies on a grade-school friend whose parents basically forced her into porn modeling. It’s weird, unnecessary, and barely related to the overall “plot” of her confidant.
Now as I said, Futaba plays the informant role. So Oracle works very well. It’s great too because it’s the only name besides Joker that isn’t super on the nose. Until this point we have Skull, Fox, and Panther, who are just named after their Masks, Queen whose name makes no sense, and Mona which is… just his name. Oracle is basically a metaphor for how she guides the party by examining their surroundings and working to guide them. It’s sweet.
Now, I really like her outfit. I think the cool tron looking stuff is great. It’s mostly black with these cool green lines that are fantastic. However… I hate her “mask”. Don’t get me wrong, I think the goggles fit her character. But they just looks do dumb. Like, they make her look like a frog. It kinda sucks.
And Futaba in combat is kind of weird. Because she doesn’t actually fight. Instead she offers party buffs or enemy debuffs as fights go on. She can do things like increase your attack, decrease enemy attack, heal you, give you SP, and more. She gets even more abilities in Royal which are amazing. Futaba plays a small but critical role here that can’t be filled by anyone else (Literally. Morgana tries for the first half of the game).
So Futaba is fantastic. The only things holding her back are her mask, and Kana.
2 - Ann Takamaki
“This beautiful rose has thorns!”
So this probably isn’t surprising since she’s my #2 spot on this list, but Ann is my, as the kids say, “Best girl”. She’s great. Honestly behind my #1 on this list I think she’s just outright the best character.
Time to delve in to why!
First, as I said before, the story of Kamoshida’s arc is very much about her. She is the person who has lost the most to him, and he is actively blackmailing and pressuring her the entire arc. Then, when her best friend tries to kill herself because Kamoshida is a dickhead, she goes into full on revenge mode. But she spares Kamoshida in the end. Not because she’d feel badly about killing him, but because she feels he needs to repent.
The rest of the game is spent with Ann being the kindest member of the team. However we still see that emotional volatility we saw with Kamoshida. For example, she is the person who fights to help Yusuke. Nobody else really seems to care about Yusuke one way or the other. But Ann wants to take down Madarame to help him. Even after the whole nude modeling fiasco. But when Madarame tricks them and reveals that he “killed” Yusuke’s mom, Ann gets PISSED. It’s clear she cares for other people to such an extent that seeing them being treated unfairly makes her angry. Heck, she’s the one who is pushing against Makoto the hardest at the beginning, but when Makoto gets in trouble, Ann is the first one to run after her, and then the first to befriend her and apologize. This continues for the rest of the game. Ann is fucking great. She’s seriously like the most emotional party member in the best way.
We see this more in her confidant, which I think is one of the best ones. It builds off of Kamoshida’s arc, with Shiho in the hospital. Ann is struggling because she wants to show Shiho that she has a “Strong heart” in order to inspire Shiho to get better. But she doesn’t really know how to go about this and asks Joker for help. After a run in with Mika (whose heart I am still upset we did not get to change) Ann decides she wants to be the #1 model around by trying her absolute hardest.
The rest of her confidant revolves around this. She wants to be the absolute best to inspire Shiho. At the end, she succeeds and Shiho not only recovers, but loves life again, all because of Ann.
Then, in her final rank, Ann decides that she wants to keep this drive to be the best. Not for Shiho or herself, but for anyone else who is downtrodden so she can show them that determination can get you anywhere. It’s so damn good.
Now, her Codename. Panther. Because her mask… is a cat mask. And her costume has a tail. That’s it. I dunno. It fits.
Now, I love her costume but not for the reasons you may expect. It is the ONLY costume where the primary color ISN’T. BLACK. There is NO black on her costume. And I also love the color scheme aside from that. The red looks fantastic, and the pink on her gloves is a good compliment. And honestly, I think her mask looks fantastic. It’s one of the best ones.
And finally, her combat skills. She was good in P5, but she is INCREDIBLE in P5R.
First, she is the highest magic damage dealer with a Severe multi-target attack, both fire boost and amp, and like, 85 magic at level 99. If you wanted you could throw on a charm or guard to bump that to 99.
She also gets concentrate so it’s even more ridiculous. And a FULL PARTY variant with her Tier 3 Persona.
She has sleep moves, which are the best for setting up technicals, meaning better baton passes
And she can heal if necessary.
Ann can literally destroy (everything). In my recent playthrough on hard she took out all of Yaldy’s arms during the ominous light converging phase (except the one immune to fire) in a single hit. It’s actually insane.
There is no reason not to use her. In fact, I’d argue she’s the single best party member for combat and honestly, it’s not even close.
Ann is amazing, and I wish more people realized that instead of going “LOL FANSERVICE CHARACTER”
1 - Goro Akechi
“That one got betrayed by its teammate! I wonder how THAT feels!”
Now, let me discuss the thing everyone is going to yell about. I know this is a list ranking the Thieves and he never officially joins but like… come on. He’s on the team for two full Palaces, and both of those Palaces heavily feature him. So I’m counting him. And I know people hate him. But he belongs in the #1 spot. Just follow me on this.
Firstly, the story is more about him than any character. Every single thing that happens up until Shido’s Palace begins involves Akechi. While the Thieves are slowly changing the cognition of the world to make life better, he’s off killing people like Wakaba, Okumura, and all of Shido’s political rivals. He’s involved with the Shujin Principal, who he kills. He was messing around in Madarame’s Palace, as well as Kaneshiros. He killed Futaba’s mom and set up the fake Medjed. He killed Okumura. He set the group up so he can kill Joker. This entire game is as much about him as it is Joker. Hell, Yaldy even selected him to be the anti-Joker. And in the final Palace, he’s got the most riding on it. He wants to beat Maruki KNOWING he’ll die because he doesn’t want others dictating his future.
Then we have his confidant in P5R it is AMAZING. Now, it is just a bunch of random hangouts. However what we see is him slowly coming to be friends with Joker. He sees Joker as a sort of friendly rival. Someone who can actually challenge him. But once Akechi learns that Joker is actually one of the Phantom Thieves he feels betrayed. He realizes the “friend” he made is actually his enemy, and someone he needs to kill. He grows a hate for Joker because his first and only friend turned out to be an enemy. It’s just insane. I love it.
Now his codename, Crow. It’s great because, at first, he says that it’s to disguise his true identity, but in actuality it’s to show his real identity underneath his disguise. Also, Crows are often called a “Murder” and well… you know what kind of person Akechi is.
His attire is also awesome. BOTH of them. I love his first one because it has an almost 1800’s military feel to it. It’s basically a white officer’s uniform with a badass red cape. I’m not the biggest fan of the mask here but I don’t dislike it.
His SECOND outfit, however… It’s so damn good. I don’t even care. He looks like fucking Darth Vader mixed with Spawn. It’s so cool. And the mask is amazing. It’s a black helmet that looks outright demonic. This shit is amazing.
Now for his use as a teammate.
In Sae’s Palace he’s insane. He has almighty attacks, as well as both curse and bless in the forms of normal attacks and insta-kills. And we know insta-kills are B U S T E D.
Then in Maruki’s Palace… holy hell.
So this is my experience and I’ve seen a lot of people disagree. But I’ve had him out damage Ryuji with physical attacks WITHOUT using charge. Laevetain and Riot Gun absolutely obliterate shit. And his ultimate power from his tier 3 is busted. It’s a colossal Almighty attack and it does SO. MUCH. DAMAGE.
Plus he has Debilitate which is just so good.
God. Akechi is amazing. He’s such a good anti-Hero and, I’d argue, probably the best character in the game. Though not necessarily the best *person* (That’s Ann. Fight me if you really want to).
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this, and have been enjoying these rankings. I’ve been having fun writing them and I like hearing you guys’ opinions. So throw your thoughts down below! I’d love to hear from you!
As for what comes next… I was thinking either Bosses, Awakenings, or Teammate Personas. What would you want to see? And do you guys have any ideas?

Profile for Artoria Pendragon (Ruler)

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水著獅子王。その名には三つの意味がある。第一に、絢爛ラスベガスを支配するカジノ群の頂點であるカジノ・キャメロットの支配人。第二に、水著剣豪七色勝負こと水著剣豪御前試合の、御前試合たる所以―――すなわち一夏の思い出として己が水著と己が剣を競い合う水著剣豪たちを見守る主催者。第三に、夏の裝いに姿を変えたランサー・アルトリア。
いわゆる第六特異點における『獅子王』とは完全な別人なので、注意されたい。

Swimsuit Lion King. The meaning behind this name is threefold.Firstly, the one who reigns over Casino Camelot, the apex among the Casinos dominating dazzling Las Vegas.Secondly, the patron of the battle royale match of the Swimsuit Swordmasters — the Swimsuit Swordmasters Seven-coloured Showdown; who watches over the swimsuit swordmasters competing with swimsuits and blades for a single summer’s memory.Thirdly, Lancer Artoria who changed into Summer Attire.
As the saying goes, this is an entirely different individual from the ‘Lion King’ from the Sixth Singularity.Thus, please pay attention.

Bond 1

身長／體重：171cm・57kg？出典：アーサー王伝説地域：イギリス屬性：秩序・夏性別：女性持ち前の勝負勘、洞察力、精神力により、ベガス最強のディーラーとしても君臨している。彼女の前ではどんなイカサマも見破られ、どんな幸運持ちも膝を屈するのみだ。

Height/Weight: 171 cm 57kg?Origins: Arthurian LegendRegion: EnglandAlignment: Lawful SummerSex: Female
With her innate gambling sense, perception and mental strength, she reigns as Vegas’ strongest dealer.Before her, any tricks are laid bare, and even the luckiest are brought to their knees.

Bond 2

基本的にはランサー時と同一人物。ただし、オフなので多少は羽を伸ばしても構うまいと無意識下で考えているため、水著剣豪七色勝負に関係ない部分では多少言動がゆるい。
なお、ランサーでなくなったため愛馬ドゥン・スタリオンの姿は傍らにない。かの白馬は消滅した訳ではなく、カルデアの厩舎エリアで休んでいる姿が目撃されている。現界用の魔力はどうなっているのだろうか？不明である。

Basically the same person from when she was a Lancer. However, probably due to her subconscious thought that it’s okay to relax since she’s off-duty, her actions and words regarding topics aside from the Swimsuit Swordmasters Seven-coloured Showdown are a bit more laid back.
Also, the figure of her beloved steed Dun Stallion is no longer at her side, now that she is not a Lancer. That white horse has not vanished, and could be seen resting in Chaldea’s stable area. Where does it get the Prana to manifest itself? It remains a mystery.

Bond 3

○ロイヤルバニー：Ａ王の頭上に輝くモノを見よ、あれは何だ！獣が如き耳！ならばかつてブリテンに姿を現せし咆え唸る獣の怨み、呪詛の類がアーサー王を襲ったとでも言うのか。恐るべきは唸る獣、おお、千數百年を経て王へと牙を突き立てようとは……。 ―――いいえ違います。我らが王は、バニーガールなるものにご興味を抱かれたのです。ほう。ではあのお姿はもしや。 ―――はい。仮裝にて。左様か。
○ロイヤルカード：Ｃ＋王がお投げになっておられるのは短刀の類、ではないな。あれは札か？ ―――はい。カジノディーラーたるものカードの扱いには長けておかねばならぬ、と王は仰せです。時に、カジノというものは遊戯場であると聞く。 ―――そうですね。あの投擲ぶりは敵の撃滅を目的としたものに見えるが。 ―――酔客の撃退などであのようになさるおつもりなのでは。左様か……。

Royal Bunny: A There’s something shiny atop the King’s head, what is that! Ears reminiscent of an animal! So it must be a curse or the lingering resentment of a snarling beast hailing from Britain ages ago, which afflicts King Arthur. What terrifying, snarling beast it must be, oh my, for it to bare its fangs at the King even after Millenia has passed …
— — — No that’s not true. Our King has simply taken an interest in that which is known as Bunny Girls.
Huuh. Then don’t tell me that look is.
— — — Yes. A costume.
As I thought.
Royal Card: C+ That which the King has taking to throwing, does not appear to be the likes of daggers. Is that a card?
— — — Yes. As a Casino Dealer, one must perfect one’s handling of cards, as the King decreed.
At times, I have heard that Casinos are places of merriment.
— — — That is right.
Though it appears that the method of throwing has the enemy’s annihilation as an objective.
— — — May I humbly suggest that it is intended for the expulsion of intoxicated guests.
As I thought …

Bond 4

○獅子の騎士：Ｂかつて、ユーウェイン卿は獅子と共に戦ったという。ならば主君たる我らの王が光の獅子を操ることに何の不思議があろう。或いは霊基変換の折、本來であればユーウェイン卿が所有するはずのスキルを、王はあえて自らの能力として選択したのやもしれん。 ―――そういうこともあるかもしれませんね。うむ。

Knight of Lion: B

In the past, it is said that Sir Ywain fought alongside lions.Thus, is there any need for surprise that, as his Liege, our King controls lions of light. Or perhaps, on the brink of changing Saint Graphs, the King selected as her own the skill that was meant to belong to Sir Ywain.
— — — That could also be the case.
Umu.

Bond 5

『燦々とあれ、我が輝きの広間』ランク：Ａ＋種別：対軍寶具レンジ：１～９９最大捕捉：３００人
ブライト・エハングウェン。水上を徵く高機動型大広間エハングウェンを一時的に実體化させ、特大の魔力光を敵陣全體へと撃ち放つ、アルトリア・ルーラーこと水著獅子王最大の攻撃。過去のエハングウェンにこのような航行能力や砲撃能力が存在していたのかどうかは不明であるが、彼女の口振りからするに「やったことはないが」「できないことはない」ぐらいのものである模様。一方、砲撃に関しては「実は仕込んだロンゴミニアドでやっているのではないか」「実はランサーの時と同じ寶具なのではないか」という疑惑もある。これについて、彼女は黙して一切を語らない。

Shine Brilliantly, Radiant Hall of Mine
Rank: A+
Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm
Range: 1 ~ 99
Maximum Targets: 300
Temporarily materialising the High-Mobility Hall Ehangwen that reigns the seas, striking all enemies with an extra-large Prana beam, the greatest attack by Swimsuit Lion King — Artoria Ruler. While it is unknown whether the previous Ehangwen possessed cruising or bombardment capabilities of any sort, in her own words ‘while it hasn’t been done’ ’there’s nothing it can’t do’ or something of that sort.
On the other hand, regarding bombardment, one might wonder ‘isn’t it actually the Rhongoyniad that’s installed doing that’ or ‘Isn’t it actually the same Noble Phantasm from when you were a Lancer’. Regarding that, she remains silent and says nothing.

Bond 5 (After clearing Summer 2019)

水着獅子王、アルトリア・ルーラーは本気でバカンスを愉しむつもりでいる。これは珍しいことである。基本的に彼女は常在戦場、オフのない、ひたすらに真面目に戦い続ける英霊だからだ。だが、それが…… 謎のお兄さんことマーリンの悪戯じみた仕掛けにより、全力でバカンスに挑む水着獅子王となってしまった。
マスターは心せねばならない。彼女は本気である。普段の生真面目さそのままに、全力でバカンスを愉しもうとする彼女は、一切の手を抜かないだろう。さあ――― 全身全霊で！遊べ！

The Swimsuit Lion King, Artoria Ruler seriously intends to enjoy her vacation.
This is a rare occurrence indeed.
Generally, as someone constantly on the battlefield, she is a singleminded Heroic Spirit who repeatedly enters the fray, fighting earnestly with no breaks in between.
However, that has been…
With a Mysterious Onii-san Merlin pulling a practical joke of sorts, she has taken up the challenge of a vacation wholeheartedly as the Swimsuit Lion King.
The Master would do well to pay attention.
She is serious about this.
As with her usually strait-laced self, while she is enjoying her vacation with all her might, there would be absolutely no corners cut.
Now —
Pouring in your entire body and soul! Have Fun!

Bond CE

キラキラと煌めく黃金のルーレット。世界にひとつしかないその遊戯盤は、カジノ・キャメロットの象徴とも言える。
この盤に惹かれる者は多い。初めてカジノ・キャメロットを訪れた客は、ほぼ必ずこの盤でルーレットを遊ぶのだという。
この盤が――― かつてキャメロットに在りし円卓を模していることに、果たして気付く者はいるだろうか。無論、アロハ騎士たちは知っている。主たる水著獅子王もまた知っている。
とある異世界の聖剣使いは、この盤を目にして、十秒ほど動きを止めていたという。

A shining, golden Roulette.
The only game wheel of its kind in the world, it could even be said to symbolise Casino Camelot.
Many are drawn to this wheel. It was said that nearly all first-time visitors to Casino Camelot would try their hand at this wheel.
This wheel is — That it was modelled upon the round table that used to be in Camelot, unsurprisingly, was picked up by some. Of course, the Aloha knights knew of it. And Swimsuit Lion King as their Liege knew of it as well.
A certain wielder of a Holy Sword from a different world was, upon setting eyes on it, rendered motionless for nearly 10 seconds.
TL Note: Thanks to u/Konchew for his input on a significant portion of the Profile.
Edit: adjusted name of her Noble Phantasm Edit #2: Added event clear unlock, and bond CE text

Inside Underground NY Poker #9

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Previous: Inside Underground NY Poker #8
Spades — 1.8
Walking into a casino, for the first time, can be quite an overwhelming experience. There’s so much going on — all of the flashing lights, various sounds, the diverse amount of people flowing throughout, the list goes on. No matter where you look, there’s always something going on that can potentially pique your curiosity. Of course, at this time in the midsummer of 2007, I hadn’t a clue of what to expect. I had yet to step foot inside a real casino.

When Chris called and invited me to go with him on a road trip up to Turning Stone, my mood was not only of excitement, it was also flowing with curiosity. I figured that making the drive up to Turning Stone would not only be a great deal of fun, but would also be an excellent opportunity to learn more about professional casino poker.

During my phone conversation with Chris, we agreed that we would make the road trip up there after we finished our Sunday shifts at Spades. This gave us about 24 hours to gather up our buddies and put together a crew. Our main goal was to crush some live action cash games there, but we also wanted to let loose and party. I didn’t yet know it, but my version of partying was vastly different from Chris’ version.

I made some calls and sent some texts, and not too long after, had a few of my closest friends confirm that they were going to come on the trip. I was the youngest of my social circle in high school, still being only 17 at the time. All of the other guys were already 18, so legally, they wouldn’t have a problem at Turning Stone.

If you don’t know, Turning Stone Resort & Casino is located on an Indian Reservation, and as such, the gambling laws of New York state do not apply there — the legal gambling age there is 18, as set by the law of the land.

Now, since I was still only 17, this presented a potential problem. However, I looked a bit older than I actually was, and I also had a fake ID that I had been using for a while. Chris was also incredibly confident that it wouldn’t be a problem whatsoever — he even offered to lay me a bet with 3 to 1 odds for $100, that at no point would I be unable play because of my age. I declined the bet of course, not wanting to jinx myself.

In 2007, Turning Stone was a “dry” casino, which meant that they didn’t serve any alcohol. However, you were allowed to bring your own, and could indulge yourself to your own desire. As of today, this is no longer the case, but that’s the way it was back then.

We calculated that the drive would take us about 4.5 hours, not entirely too long by road trip standards, but could be enough of a mental strain that could potentially effect our ability to play poker, upon arrival. Given that both Chris and I would be dealing right up until our departure, we had made arrangements to take two cars in order to accommodate our entire crew. In exchange for each of us paying for the gas and tolls on the drive up to Turning Stone, neither of us would have to drive — this would allow us to rest up a bit.

My group of buddies consisted of four of my closest friends — Brian, Theo, Max, and Scott. I had brought Theo around to Spades more than a few times, and he regularly played poker, unlike the others. However, he wasn’t very good, but he was very lucky, and he had no interest in studying the game. He got better the more he played, but was by all means, a fish. He loved to gamble, and blackjack was his favorite game — most likely not a coincidence.

I had invited Andy to tag along as well, but he wasn’t interested and declined — he instead made me a standing offer, an open invitation if you will, to go crush poker in Atlantic City, where there was better action and nicer casinos. However, the offer was only good if we would be going to seriously grind poker. This was an offer that I would later redeem.

Chris had assembled his boys just as I had — three experienced poker players and gamblers, each in their early 20’s, just like Chris. The youngest of his crew was Rich, who was 21, and the two others were Derek and Joe, either 23 or 24 years old.

Finally, our plans were set and the rooms were booked. We’d all be staying for 3 nights and 2 days in two, separate, 2 queen bed suites. I was anxious, yet excited, and I seriously wanted to book a win in the poker room, considering it would be my first casino poker room session.

Sunday finally arrives, and I had decided to wake up a few hours early so that I could stock up on booze and weed. My buddies and I had agreed to split the cost of everything — 4 bottles of Smirnoff, an ounce of Sour Diesel, and four 24-packs of Coors Light. In retrospect, this was probably entirely too much for 3 nights at a casino, but what did we know? I wasn’t a big smoker at the time, although I would partake, but I did enjoy drinking when the time was appropriate to let loose.

While on my way driving to Spades, I hear my phone ring — it’s Chris.

“Hey dude, you on your way to the club?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in about 15 minutes. I just finished running some last minute errands, stocked up on booze and weed for the trip.”

“Awesome. I’m good to go on my end, too. By the way, my plan is to splash around in the $1/$2 or $2/$5 games Turning Stone spreads. I’m bringing $10k.”

“What?! $10k??? Why?!”

“Well, dude, I’m gonna hit the pits too and play some blackjack and craps. We’ll crush some poker first, then afterwards maybe you’ll hit the pits with me.”

“I dunno, man. I’m only gonna bring $2k in total, and that’s for all my costs. Maybe I’ll assign half of that to my poker roll for the trip.”

“You should probably stick to $1/$2 then, and save some of your roll for blackjack, to try and run it up.”

“Alright, sounds good. I’ll see you at the club in a bit.”

I wasn’t convinced about hitting the pits to play table games, but then again, I surely wanted to make the most out of my first casino experience.

I arrive at Spades, set up for the Sunday afternoon tournament, and put in the hours for my shift. I wind up dealing the final table, and the tournament ends at around 11PM. Chris was dealing cash, but we had both made sure to get Vinny’s approval to leave early and take off for the next few days. It wasn’t really an issue for me, being that once the tournament was over, it meant my job was done, and I was free to have a good night. However, Chris made sure to get another dealer to cover for him, both the rest of the night and until we got back from our trip.

Chris and I walk outside to the parking lot — it’s time to go pick everyone up. We each get into our cars and drive off to scoop up each one of our buddies. An hour or so later, I shoot Chris a text letting him know that I’m about to start the drive up to Verona, NY, which was where Turning Stone is located. He responds, telling me that he had already started the journey about 10 minutes prior, and that he’ll call me when he gets there.

I have Theo take the wheel and get into the driver’s seat, as I jump into the back to close my eyes to try and clear my head for what’s about to come. Without making any stops, we finish the drive in just under 4.5 hours. We can see the illuminated, brightly colored sign — “Turning Stone Casino”, and my heart begins to pump just a little bit faster. I’m beginning to get excited. At this point, it was around 4:30AM. Sure, I was a bit tired, but the excitement and novelty of my first casino experience was keeping my adrenaline pumping.

I give Chris a call, letting him know that we’re about to park our car, and head into the casino towards the check-in area.

“Chris, we’re here man! This place is awesome!”

“I know dude, we got here about a half hour ago. I’m in my room changing, getting ready to go play some cards. Did you check-in yet?”

“Not yet, we’re about to head over to the check-in desk and get our room keys. I’m pretty tired man, are you sure it’s a good idea to go play right now?”

“Don’t worry about that, I already scoped out the room. There’s some good action going on in both $1/$2 and $2/$5. I already put our name’s on the lists. Text me when you’re done getting settled in, but drop by room after. Make sure you come alone.”

“Okay… I’m gonna tell my boys that we’re gonna play some poker for a little bit, while they hit the casino floor. My buddy Theo might want to join us. I’m not sure though, I have to ask him. My boys will probably want to get nice and toasty before they head out of the room.”

“Sounds good dude, don’t take too long. See you in a bit.”

My friend Scott handles the check-in, puts the incidentals coverage under his credit card, and I make sure to get a copy of the room key for myself. We head up to the room, we all change into presentable, formal, evening attire, and I crack open a beer, along with everyone else. I ask everyone what they plan on doing for the next few hours, while suggesting that I’ll be preoccupied playing cards in the poker room. This was nothing but expected, they all knew how often I played poker.

Everyone unanimously agrees that they want to hit the pits and gamble, of course, after they get hammered in the room. I casually ask Theo if he’s interested in playing poker with Chris and I, but he declines, saying that he’s not in the mood and would rather play tomorrow night, if at all.

I finish my beer, but not before forcing everyone to agree to a bet, in order to make things more interesting — whoever comes back to the room as the biggest loser gets $50 each from everyone else. We unanimously decide that it’s actually a decent idea, and everyone agrees. I leave our room and head towards Chris’ suite.

I arrive at Chris’ door, and I give it quick, but firm knock. A few seconds later, the door opens, and I find that there’s nobody in the room except Chris. All of his buddies had already gone downstairs, and were gambling on the casino floor. I tell him I’m pretty tired, and then I ask him why he wanted me to come alone.

“Chris, I’m pretty tired, man. You sure we should go play?”

“100%. I told you, I already scoped out the games that are running. The stacks are big and there’s some good money to be made.”

“Alright, fine. But, why did you want me to come here alone, by the way? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, dude. Here, I wanted to give you this. Take two of these, you’ll be in the zone while you play for the next 8 hours.”

“What kind of pills are these? What are they going to do?” — I had never really taken drugs or pills before, other than drinking and smoking weed occasionally. I did, however, try Mushrooms earlier during the summer, and that was fun, but was completely inexperienced when it came to pharmaceuticals, or any other drugs for that matter.

“It’s Adderall, it’s a stimulant. They’re 20mg each, take two of them. It’ll make you much more focused and able to concentrate on the game for the next 8 hours or so. You might feel a bit more chatty, and it’ll kill your appetite, but I promise you, it’ll give you an edge. All those players down there right now are tired and worn out from playing. These will put you in the zone, if you know what I mean.”

“Fuck it, I’ll give it a shot. We came to have a good time anyway. I’m not gonna lose control of myself, am I?”

“Hah, no, dude. It’s nothing like that. They prescribe this stuff to people who have trouble focusing and paying attention. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. You’ll feel them start to work in about 45 minutes to an hour.”

Chris hands me two, orange-colored, oval shaped pills, and I swallow them dry. I had stashed $1k into the safe in my room before I left, and I had the other $1k in my pocket. We leave his room and head downstairs to make our way through the casino and into the poker room.

I was in a state of awe. This was by far the biggest poker room I had ever been in, up until this point. There must have been at least 30 tables. There were only a handful of games going during our arrival, but still, seeing everything all neat, organized, and ready for action, made me think about what this place would be like during peak hours.

I check out the $1/$2 game that’s going, and I see that the buy-in structure is not at all what I was expecting. It’s a $50 min and $200 max. Sure, there’s a few deep stacks on the table, but I felt like this game was much smaller than what I was used to playing. I decide that it’s going to be far too difficult to make any significant amount of money, unless I end up on the good side of a cooler. Overall, it would be a bad move to sit in this game.

On the other hand, the $2/$5 game that was running had a $200 min and $500 max buy-in. This was definitely more up my alley. Several players had stacks with at least $1k, and the average was probably right around the max, conveniently right around $500. With several players sitting deep and a couple of short stacks on the table, I come to the conclusion that this is the game I want to play, as I’m fairly certain that I have a decent shot at making some money at this table.

Chris had already put our name’s on the lists for both games when he had arrived earlier, so it wasn’t too long until our names were called. We were going to be sitting at the same table, and of course, made an agreement that if we were to get heads-up in a hand, either of us would make only one bet, and then check it down the rest of the way if the other called the bet. We weren’t there to take each other’s rolls, but if there were other players in the hand, then we weren’t going to soft play each other, nor try and sandwich anyone out of a pot.

Finally, my name is called, about 20 minutes after Chris had taken his seat, and I head over to the cage to buy $500 worth of chips — $280 in red, $200 in green, and $20 in white. Something I’ve always liked doing, still to this day, is buying at least a full stack of $1 chips.

The poker room had relatively nice chips, and I found them to be most excellent. They had a comfortable weight, handled nicely, and displayed a decent aesthetic design on them. They were definitely of a higher quality than any of the chips that the underground clubs used. That’s not to say that the clubs used cheap chips — of course, a few did, however only the casinos would purchase Paulson chips, which are the industry standard, despite them costing over $1 each chip.

I take my seat at the table, and all of a sudden, I feel this intense rush of energy. It felt like someone had turned my brain up to 11. Woah — I felt my eyes widen.

I introduce myself to the table, and I notice that I’m much more talkative than my normal self. However, I was able to maintain and participate in a fully-engaged conversation, while not missing a single detail of the action that was unfolding during each hand. I could multi-task like never before. I was faster at thinking through hands, I noticed more tells being telegraphed than ever before, and I was aware of the fact that my observations were razor-sharp. It felt like I had been wearing blinders up until this point, and now they were gone.

I was more astute than I had ever been before, accurately being able to predict who was going to play a hand, and who was going to fold, before they even made their action. I was paying attention to the game in the same way I would as if I was dealing it. I’d observe each player in turn, then move on to the next when their action was made.

I would also catch things out of the corner of my eye — a player’s posture suddenly becoming erect, while they would then immediately try to look disinterested, as they used their hands to protect their cards in such a manner that was subtle, yet distinct from their normal method of handling their cards. It was blatantly obvious to me now, when a player would deviate from their normal patterns of playing, behaving, speaking, bet sizing, time usage, and so forth.

I was playing really well. All of my value bets were getting called, my bluffs were getting through, and alarm bells would ring in my head, either to alert me of a perfect spot to make a squeeze play, or if something about the hand didn’t “seem right”. Something I definitely noticed about the Adderall, was that it made me feel much more confident in the plays that I made. It was much easier to pull the trigger, and when I did, I felt certain that my timing was right.

My range was also wider than it normally was. I was playing more hands, going for thin value on the river when I would normally check back, and had no problem laying down strong hands preflop, when I was sure I was behind, but would normally be too stubborn to let it go.

My session was going very well. Incredibly well, in fact. I made several huge hero calls, and I applied intense pressure on opponents who I deemed capable of folding, only to pick up pots I could never win at showdown.

About 3.5 hours had gone by at this point, and within the last hour a new player had taken a seat. His name was Duke, at least, that’s what other players were calling him. This guy was super aggro. He was opening every other hand, raising every C-Bet a player would make, and would just bully people out of the pot by shoving the river or bombing the turn with a $300 bet.

The majority of the table was getting annoyed with Duke. Whenever they would fold, they felt like he was bluffing with air, however, when they would inevitably get frustrated and make the call, he would actually have it, and get massive value. During the course of about an hour, he amassed a stack totaling around $900. He had absolutely no fear, and the money at stake, to him, was evidently insignificant. From his perspective, it seemed as if he was playing for, what you and I, would consider pennies.

I folded quite a few strong hands to his preflop 3-bets — AQ, TT, 88, and QJs. I would open to $15 or $20, and he would re-pop me to 4x or 5x. I even open folded AKo on an Ace-high, 3-flush board on the turn when he check-raised me all-in, only to show me complete air.

That was enough for me, this wasn’t going to continue — not tonight. I had now decided that I was going to be as patient as necessary, and only get involved in a pot with him if the situation was favorable to trap him. You can’t bully a player when the money at stake means far less to him than it does to you. Subsequently, you can’t get value from that same player who is good enough to recognize that you’re only showing him aggression when you have it — they’ll just fold instead of blasting off, knowing that you’re praying that they’ll come over the top.

About an hour and a half later, it was around 10AM now, and I had built my stack up to around $1200. Duke was sitting on just about the same, though slightly less, about $1100. He was still bullying people out of pots, and the majority, if not everyone else at the table was clearly annoyed with him. Low limit players often become angry when they encounter an opponent whose style of play isn’t within the same paradigm as their own. The key is to be capable of adjusting your own style of play.

Finally, preparation meets opportunity, and I pick up pocket Aces in UTG+1. I raise to $15, and of course get 3-bet by Duke in the Lojack to $60. The button cold calls, and for a split-second, I almost 4-bet, but I resisted what almost felt like a reflex, and decided to just call.

The flop comes A5A — I flop Quad Aces! That was the first time I ever flopped quads, let alone quad aces. I stick to my game plan of trapping, and I check my quads over to Duke, who also checks. The button checks as well, and we see a turn of a black 4.

The board now being A5A4 rainbow — every fiber of my being is burning on the inside, trying to tell me to start getting some value and make a bet to build a pot. Again, I resist, and check it. Both Duke and the button check back.

The river comes in, a red 9. The complete board run-out is A5A49 rainbow.

I check, again, for the 3rd time. Duke fires out $200 into the pot of $187, the button snap folds, and I immediately snap-shove on him for a total of around $1140. He looks completely perplexed, and then goes deep into the tank. Not a single player had yet displayed this level of aggression against him.

He’s now been thinking for about 6 or 7 minutes, and he announces to the table that he’s sorry he’s taking so long, but he needs some more time and has a decision here. Some random player chimes in, telling him to take all the time he wants, it’s the biggest pot of the night.

Another 3 minutes go by, and I’m starting to get agitated now. It’s been at least 10 minutes, the dealer is clearly annoyed, enough is enough. I call for the clock. The floor comes over and gives Duke the “countdown” speech, informing him that he has 30 seconds to make a decision.

Before the floor even begins the countdown, Duke announces, “CALL”.

Under the influence of the Adderall, I assume, I inexplicably get the impulse to table my hand similar to the way a blackjack dealer would table their cards.

I pull both cards adjacent to each other, now sitting side by side. Using one finger, I flip one of the Aces face up, and then use that same Ace to slide it underneath the other, and flip up the remaining facedown Ace. I somehow managed to pull this off with such finesse, that it all happened in one, smooth, fluid motion. It was most certainly a rare form of poker showboating, and it was an incredibly cocky, and unnecessary thing to do, however I just couldn’t help myself. I had just decimated the guy who was running over every single player.

The entire table is shocked to see that I reveal flopped quad Aces. Even more surprised, is Duke. He is absolutely stunned to his core. He tables Jack high. I immediately stand up from my chair, and lean in closer towards the table, while rubbing my eyes to confirm — yes, indeed. Jack high.

“You triple checked flopped quad aces.” — the tone of his speech indicating a statement, not even close to what asking a question would sound like, as if he was in disbelief of what had just happened.

“Yes, sir.”

“I just called you with Jack high.” — again, it seemed as if he was confirming, for himself, the reality of the situation that had just occurred.

“Yeah, you did, but why?”

“I couldn’t put you on a hand, and I thought that you had finally had enough of me pushing you out of pots. It didn’t make sense, how could you have anything there when you checked the whole way?”

“I took a risk, and I just figured that you would eventually try and steal it.”

“I’m not even mad, kid. Well played, very clever. I salute you.”

The dealer ships me Duke’s entire stack, plus the pot, and I toss him two green birds. I quickly start to stack all of the chips while I fold the next hand, and then I get up from the table, as does Chris.

“Dude! What a sick fucking play! What in the fuck! Triple checking quad aces?!!?!?”

“I know, right? I was waiting all night for that moment. I got stupid lucky that he called. I have no idea why he called me with Jack high. I mean, I heard what he said, but still, why? How?”

“You figured him out, dude. Plain and simple. Really nice play, I’m impressed. I don’t think I could ever have triple checked that.”

“Thanks, Chris. I think it was just the Adderall. I just felt like I absolutely knew that he was going to do exactly the same thing that he has been doing all night. Whenever he senses weakness, he bombs the river. I wasn’t expecting him at all to call my shove, but I knew that if I bet into two players while out of position, on an ace-paired board, after calling a 4x 3-bet from Duke with the button cold calling, they would both fold.”

“That actually makes a lot of sense. Great play, dude. Seriously, that was just sick. Let’s get out of here and see what the other guys are up to.”

Chris and I cash out, and we leave the poker room. I ran $500 up to about $2300. Chris booked a nice win himself, running $500 up to $1.1k. We both tipped the cashier behind the cage $10 each.

The two of us are still wired from the Adderall, but now only physically stimulated, and not at all under the influence whatsoever. Sleeping is not going to be an option, so we decide to head back to my room, and get to work on polishing off a few beers.

I insert the keycard into my room’s key slot, and slowly open the door, as I hear a circus of ruckus coming from inside the room.

All of the guys are inside — Theo, Brian, Max, Scott, Rich, Derek, and Joe — they’d gone through two bottles of Smirnoff, a bottle of Jameson that Rich had brought over, a 24-pack of Coors Light, a ton of the weed, and had now moved on to blow, which one of Chris’ buddies had scored from someone in the casino.

As far as I knew, none of my friends had ever done coke before. I certainly hadn’t. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves, though, and who was I to judge? I had just played an intensely long poker session on some drug I had never heard of before, I won a bunch of money, all was good, and so I just went with the flow and chalked it up to an isolated incident on a vacation-like casino trip.

I asked my boys who had lost the most money, both as a way to settle the bet, and to make a subtle brag about how much I had won playing poker. I wasn’t surprised at all — Brian was the biggest loser, totaling a net loss of a measly, yet exact, $100.

He was by far the cheapest person out of all of my friends. He would always argue down to the penny when it came to splitting checks, or getting reimbursed for fronting money for a purchase. Indeed, he sure was cheap, but he wasn’t at all stupid. He made sure that the other 3 guys — Theo, Max, and Scott — lost less than he did so that he could come out ahead on the bet. Of course, he took a gamble by not knowing the status of my winnings, but the worst that could happen was that he would either lose $100 or book a win taking a gamble with it. The 4 of us each paid up, $50 each, and he offset his $100 loss with a $200 gain, for a net profit of $100.

We all continued to drink, I tried a few lines myself, and everyone stayed up until the upcoming evening — it was now time to go gamble again. So, what did we do? We drank even more, smoked a blunt, and finished off the 8-ball of blow.

The 9 of us were thoroughly bombed. Any and all traces of our decision making skills were completely distorted.

Joe was playing $100 flips with Derek — they would cut a deck of cards and whoever cut to the higher card would win. Rich was playing beer pong with Scott for $50 a match, Theo, Max, and Brian were playing $20 rolls of C-Lo with dice that they had bought from the gift shop, and Chris and I were having a pipe dream discussion about how much we were going to win playing blackjack in the next hour.

About 30 minutes later, all of us, while undoubtedly lacking full consciousness, head down to the casino floor and make our way into the pits.

This time, I brought my entire roll, and so did Chris.

The first thing we did was stagger over to a roulette table, only to sloppily introduce ourselves to the dealer.

“Hey sweetheart, listen, we need your help. Black or red?”

“Are you trying to ask me whether I think you should bet on black or red?”

“Ya, of course. You know how you’ve been spinning that ball. Black or red? Which are you feeling?”

Chris and I both take out our rolls and count out $1,000 each.

“Whatever you pick, sweetheart. If we win, you get 10%. If we lose, you think you could get us a comp for 9 to the Wildflowers restaurant?”

“Put it on black, boys. How about we just concentrate on winning for the time being?”

“Let’s do it! $2,000 on black!”

With a quick flick of her forefinger, the dealer launches the tiny ball into motion, and it begins to spin around and around the track of the roulette wheel. The dealer waves her hand over the table to close the action.

“No more bets!”

To be continued…

Next: Inside Underground NY Poker #10

(June 6th) Kasumi Trailer Summary, Analysis and Speculation (spoilers for the main game)!

Edit X, 7th June 17:22 UTC: I made a ton of changes to this post that wouldn't fit, so check them out HERE once you're done! As always, let me know what else I need to add or fix!
Another trailer, another analysis!
I already uploaded an imgur album with preliminary translations and analyses that I'll be touching on, so check that out here!
I'll also be touching on some of the details/ theories mentioned in this master post. There's a lot to unpack there though, so I'll do my best to summarise the relevant stuff as best I can.
Finally, after posting my album u/LoliHunterXD posted a translation of the trailer, covering both spoken and text dialogue. They claim their Japanese isn't very good, but it's certainly better than mine and so I'll defer to their translations if they ever disagree with mine. Thank you, Hunter!
With the prerequisites out of the way, let's begin!
---
SCENE 1:
The trailer starts with a pretty intimidating line from Kasumi to pair with her intimidating walk:

Today, I'm saying goodbye to the me that is in-debt to anyone

Almost like she wants to make a clean sweep of anyone she's ever befriended (i.e. she sees friendships as debts). Thankfully, her last line casts this in a much more positive light, so we'll pick this up when we get there. The scene in question is in the Casino Palace (check the stickers on the walls and door behind the Shadow, who is also the guard-type from the Casino), where she walks past Joker to retrieve the rapier embedded in an enemy with a very stylish twirling kick. The bulk of the trailer starts once she grabs it, with the shot lingering on her hand as if to show her determination.
SCENE 2:
After the title card showing her name and VA, we get a much more pleasant scene of her and Joker at the batting cages (and we know it's just those two because we can see in Picture 3 in the album linked above that Morgana isn't in his bag - it looks quite hollow without it!) ...however, we can't say this is the batting cages anymore since this looks far more professional than the ones in Yongen-Jaya (the baseball fan outside it in the base game even comments on this if you talk to him). Are there two sets of cages now, with this being the more "advanced" one? We also know that P5R is getting a revamped trophy list: will the original "Get a home run" trophy now be replaced with a "Get a home run in [new location]'s batting cages" instead?
And where is this? As I said, the cages look far more professional than the old set and we already know we're getting a new location - Kichijoji - that's said to be a massive hub with many things to do, so I think it's safe to assume that's where this is taking place.
And what are the two of you doing here? There are multiple camera angles and the activity in question seems too involved to just be an ordinary hangout, so I believe this is a Confidant event: you've brought Kasumi here so she can try something she's always wanted to but never got the chance to try (like taking Makoto to the arcade and Haru to Leblanc) and the reason you're here and not Yongen-Jaya is because Kasumi lives in Kichijoji as implied in her dialogue in the aquarium hangout spot (tl;dr: because she "remembers" going there in the past) so likely asked you to take her to a spot she's always passed by but never had the time or courage to go on her own. (As for where Kasumi would live, I assume she's in one of the apartments of the complex you see in the background at the start of the P5R reveal trailer when Joker's on his phone.) I'll touch on this motivation later on so keep it in mind.
As for the scene in question, it's pretty clear that this is Kasumi's first try. She seems nervous at first if her referring to herself in the third person is any indicator (unless that's just how she does things ^{in which case, d'aww}) and despite her enthusiasm...doesn't even see the ball fly past her. Twice. ~~Meanwhile Joker just sits there not emoting at all.~~ Poor thing xD
From a technical standpoint, it's remarkable how well Kasumi's model is animated: her face changes from determined to shocked perfectly in sync with the scene and her sprites and she even looks back and forth quickly after missing the first ball and is just stunned silent after the next! ...however, the balls she misses disappear as soon as they hit the net, though there are already two balls on the ground when she starts, so the scene either ends here or she gets the third one - possibly after you give her some advice (of course, if you give her bad advice, she'll do it on her own and you won't get any affinity points. Meanie.)
SCENE 3:
This scene does two things. First, it reveals that Kasumi is utterly adorable. Second, it confirms that Kasumi will be in Hawaii (something I didn't realise until I took a closer look, myself).
How do we know this is Hawaii? The shop is called Aloha and most of the shoppers are Shujin students (which makes sense since they're tourists and would probably flood any nearby shops) and there's a palm tree on the right. Admittedly this could all just be a themed shop - complete with fake tree - in Kichijoji (which is what I initially thought myself), but the left side of the shop shows that they're also selling hawaiian shirts, sandals, sunglasses and hats, all of which would be very useful on the beach. The biggest giveaway however is the trio of caucasians on the left side - a man leaning on the sunglasses rack and the couple looking at flip flops. You don't see so many of those in one place anywhere else in P5!
So why is Kasumi here? If this were Kichijoji, I'd assume she was out for a jog and popped in for a drink, but Hawaii's quite the trek. Since she's an accomplished gymnast, it's possible that she's here for some sort of competition/ exhibition, hence the tracksuit (she could either be on her way to/ from a performance or exercising/ jogging). As for Joker's lack of reaction, it's possible he already knew she was here. Either they met on the day they arrived (or the second arrived, if they came to Hawaii at different times) or he knew before they even left. After all, Kasumi is clearly friends with him at this point so would absolutely let him know that she was going on a trip (or vice versa) and for them to realise they'd be there at the same time.
...but seriously, not reacting at all? I guess going to the Metaverse would make real world surprises less impactful. He can at least play along with her though: one of the options is "I'm surprised/ You surprised me", though since it isn't said with any punctuation I have to assume it's a very dry/ sarcastic response. (Also, Futaba will probably be very upset if she already knows Kasumi at this point since they're the same age, but it'd give her another reason to go back to school, so yay!)
Edit*7: Of course this serves the narrative too, since this way Futaba focuses entirely on parsing Sae's data and Morgana has nothing to do, which leads to his feelings of inadequacy by the time the team comes back from their trip. And to those of you who hoped Kasumi would be worked into the Hawaii trip, now she has! And since Joker and the others wouldn't care about any sports events happening near them, it makes sense that it wouldn't be brought up in the base game too! Also, if we're spending more time in Hawaii - or at least stopping by a store and maybe seeing Kasumi's performance/ competition - we have more opportunities to bump into Haru too!
SCENE 4:
Back in Japan, this scene is set in the cafe and also marks the first time we see Kasumi in truly "casual" clothing (since the other "casual" outfit she was in was a yellow button up shirt), which makes for a nice change. The polka dots make for a more childish appearance too, could this represent her feeling more free after spending time with Joker?
In any case, the scene starts with Kasumi thanking Joker for the meal. Considering she has three large plates, a small plate, a bowl and what appears to be a platter on her side of the table while he only has a cup...I feel sorry for his wallet! Joker even sweats about her eating so much and has the option to say the food was terrible, but doesn't (probably wise since Kasumi clearly liked it :P)
What's strange is that there's a cut in the conversation (the camera clearly cuts back to is default position) as Kasumi says her mind and body are fully recharged...only for her stomach to growl again. Cue the awkward silence, and just look at the wide open eyes on her face in Picture 13! :3
But that begs the question, is this just a running gag, or does she eat a lot because of all the activity she does? Could she also be comfort eating (though hopefully not with the vomiting sometimes associated with it)? While this could be a story event given the cut (which could have been to avoid revealing important character and/ or plot points), that you have the option to say something she'd disagree with (about the quality of the food) makes me wonder if this is a Confidant event instead.
SCENE 5:
This scene is very interesting for a number of reasons, as we'll get into. This part of the trailer starts with Kasumi's Awakening, but I want to discuss the enemy she's Awakening against first: as noted in this thread by u/zatifiend, the Shadow is Byakhee. What's interesting here (as explained incredibly well here by u/Questionable71) is that this is one of the henchmen for the main villain of Persona 2, Nyarlathotep, and an enemy-only Persona to boot. What's notable about this is that Nyarlathotep is the overarching villain of the entire Persona franchise (though he admittedly hasn't appeared since P2). I'm sceptical of the chances of him returning (though he'd be a logical next step after Yaldabaoth if the new Semester of the game intends to ramp up the stakes), but P5 already brought back Bless/ Curse non-instakill Skills and the Gun/ Psy/ Nuke elements from P1 and 2. Either Byakhee being here is a continuation of that "let's bring back old elements" mentality (for example, that he's fully yellow may just mean he's the Principal's Shadow or lackey, since he too wears all yellow and some people wanted him to have a Palace), or the returning elements were a sign that "we have plans for the old stuff".
Moving on, where is this taking place? It looks like the back vault at first glance, but there's way too many new elements for that theory to hold. The lighting during her Awakening looks like it comes from spotlights while the floor is marble, with floor lights outside of the darker regions. Do the lights indicate this is a performance hall of some kind, meaning this is indeed Kasumi's Palace and she's rebelling against the expectations put on her (which the lights could be symbolic of ~~if they're not simply there for dramatic effect to signify this as her Awakening scene~~) as a gymnast? I initially thought her Ruler would be her parent(s) as with Hifumi, but if it's indeed the Principal taking him out would also bring closure to everyone he hurt by only caring about his reputation, e.g. letting Kamoshida and the mafia have their way because he didn't want to get his hands dirty (keeping the kids quiet is probably the only reason he hired Takuto, now that I think about it).
In any case, we already knew Kasumi was a Thief by the Casino at least (since we had a screenshot of her there) and even got a clip of her there in this trailer, so we know for a fact that this Palace has been inserted into the main events of the game. The biggest stretch of time in the base game for such an addition would be In Summer. Perhaps her Ruler kept compelling her to compete or perform even during the break and this pushed her over the edge? And if it is the Principal and the Palace is the school again, it'd be interesting to see the same place warped in two different ways!
Back to Kasumi herself. As shown in Pictures 16 and 17, while she's initially angry when getting the mask, she smiles when pulling it off and is perfectly poised when doing so to boot. Even Haru only posed after summoning Miledy! Why is this so easy for her? We already know from the teaser that she's strong willed, is she so strong willed that she can smile through the pain, or is she smiling because she knows she's in the right/ now has the power to make things right?
You may remember the theory in the master post that Kasumi already tried changing hearts in the past and failed, which is why she keeps her head down (and maybe why she moved away since - again - she says she remembers the aquarium in Kichijoji from a seemingly long time ago). If that theory is true, maybe she smiles since she's just RE-Awakening a power she locked away in the past and so there is no pain? She could also be getting a new Persona to replace the old and she doesn't feel the pain because she's already "Awakened" before and is either immune to the pain now or expects it. And hey, if her first Persona represents her true beliefs (that happily happen to match the Thieves') it could even return as her Ultimate Persona (unlike with Goro, who got Robin Hood separately while already having Loki)!
Anyway, she Awakens to her Persona, who turns out to be Cendrillon, the French name for Cinderella. There's quite a bit to discuss here, so I'll give her her own section later and dive into combat now. Kasumi's and Cendrillon's models are incredibly well detailed here though - the Pros of only having to develop for the PS4 - and we may even reach the point where the in-game cutscenes look better than the anime ones!
In the gameplay footage she uses the Physical skill Heat Wave, a skill in the base game that inflicts Heavy damage to all foes at a cost of 20% of the user's HP. She has 379 HP after using it which puts her max HP (in this clip at least) at 474 when rounded to the nearest whole number. That's a lot of HP, so were we right in assuming she's indeed a Physical damage dealer?
Back to the combat. Byakhee is immune to Bless, Curse and Psy attacks and resistant to everything else in P2.*² If that's true here, then Kasumi's Critical Hit was the only way they could have knocked it down for an AoA. Again, ATLUS could have fixed her crit rate for this shot (and she has the Death Glare to justify the trickery) but all three shots of her in action have resulted in her getting a Critical Hit. Could she simply have Apt Pupil (and Fortified Moxy, though it wouldn't help in this boss battle) instead? Maybe even an upgraded version alongside it?
*² Kasumi deals 306 damage with her Critical Hit and this is enough to deplete half of Byakhee's health. While this may again be part of some technical wizardry or plain overlevelling on Joker and Morgana's part to make the footage more interesting (and Kasumi more powerful) it could also mean Byakhee isn't as powerful as he was before. Of course, this seems to be a boss version, and those have tweaked resistances anyway (though I don't remember anyone ever losing immunities/ resistances).
Anyway, we see that her pose when using Skills is just as fanciful as her others and his grace extends to her AoA, which is preceded by an extended animation a la the Twins', which features her ribbon dancing before the Finishing Touch screen - a nice way to confirm that she does indeed ribbon dance as her cosplayer did at the Persona Concert! As an aside, her pose in the prelude to the AoA is very similar to Joker's in that they both hold their right hands to their heads with fingers splayed (and having matching hai eye colours). Their outfits are similar, as are their Personas (as I'll get to later) so them mirroring each other even in the little things makes sense too!
The quote in her Finishing Touch is "Beauty is Devotion". What does this mean, since she doesn't seem shallow enough to think beauty is everything? Is she referring to the grace of her movements? In my character analysis I pointed out evidence to suggest she enjoyed gymnastics despite the pressure people put on her as a result; does this quote also mean she takes pride in her form and the work she puts into maintaining it? It would explain why she poses so extravagantly in battle (and when ripping her own face off)!
Also, she holds the end of her ribbon in her mouth as you would a rose while actual roses and rose petals adorn the screen. Does this mean anything or is it just an aesthetic - and coincidental - choice? Maybe her code name is indeed Rose? Let's not forget she has a silver one at her hip too!
SCENE 5: HOW/ WHERE DID IT HAPPEN?
Before we touch on the closing line of the trailer and Cendrillon, let's think about how this situation comes to be. While the stats could be inflated and other characters could have been removed from the cutscene to prevent spoiling anything, I'm going to take them at face value for this and assume that Joker and Kasumi stumble into a Palace at some point (incidentally, the fact that Joker can't simply leave and fetch the Thieves means this is a fixed sequence as with everyone's Awakenings save Yusuke). Also, the high stats for everyone means this must happen in the late game?
However, ATLUS has confirmed they're making it easier to level up, so I don't think we can make assumptions and use character stats as more than a vague metric for the current point in the game, so this could just as easily be in the mid-game (and indeed In Summer as suggested earlier). It's possible that Kasumi calls Joker out to talk through her problems with him and happens to mention the keywords for whoever's causing her problems like Ryuji did, and they wander into the new Palace (and get trapped inside, so they can't simply turn around) by accident. ~~Cue the "here we go again" meme from Joker.~~
Long story short, Joker and Morgana transform as soon as they enter and are outed as Thieves and Byakhee corners them when they try to escape. Obviously Kasumi has recognised signs of the person she hated while they traversed the Palace and Byakhee's taunting/ mocking pushes her over the edge and she decides to finally stand up for herself and any other victims, which Awakens her Persona. (By the way, Morgana seems shocked that she's Awakening. Is this just for dramatic tension, or did he and possibly Joker genuinely want to keep her safe, so seeing her "become a fighter" is upsetting to them?)
Going back to the Palace itself, Pictures 20 and 21 show a better view of the area where the Awakening and boss fight happen. There's a grand staircase as with a ballroom, but the floor is wooden with couches and a poster promoting good health on the right as you'd expect in any room you'd go to for exercising/ fitness classes - both things that would be relevant to Kasumi*³! Is it a mere coincidence that she Awakens in such a fitting area, or is this entire Palace all about her and thus its Ruler someone who has it out for - or tries to control - her specifically, like a parent? Considering most of the early game Palaces are about saving a specific victim with the Ruler's defeat simply helping others as a result (e.g. Kamoshida to avenge Shiho, Madarame to save Yusuke, etc.), having a Palace just to save Kasumi from being oppressed makes perfect sense and would fit in perfectly with the rest!
*³And combined with the ballroom staircase, maybe this room could symbolise some sort of (performance) hall for gymnastics events?
And finally, maybe the shot of Kasumi checking her phone at sunset in the April trailer is related to this? After all, Joker seems happy to see her and Morgana doesn't try to hide himself, which suggests they're both friends with her at this point. What if Kasumi is trying to see if their Change of Heart worked at that moment? They seem to be outside the school at the time, which would fit nicely with this theory if I was right the first time about the new Palace also being Shujin Academy :)
SCENE 6 (DIALOGUE):
As the Finishing Touch ends, Kasumi ends her narration from the start of the trailer ("First of all, let me introduce myself") with:

I've received a lot of help. Someday, I'd like to return the favor with the help of my sword. I can promise you that, so please don't forget!

This sounds like something she'd say to Joker, possibly right after Awakening given the reference to her sword. What if Joker's helped her many times (we saw them talking on at least two occasions outside the train station in May's trailers) even before helping her survive her Palace, which is why she makes such an earnest vow? And what if this help includes her Confidant events, if they're all about taking her to try new things in new locations? You'd have to know about those locations beforehand via books or other characters, but what if instead of receiving a Mementos Request you end up in a mini-Palace instead?
For example, Kasumi's talking about whoever wronged her and Joker asks for their name so he can tell the others, but doesn't realise his MetaNav has turned on and it sends them to a Palace right away? The marble floor in Kasumi's Awakening scene matches the white aesthetic of the new Mementos rooms, so maybe this will be our chance to see what a fledgling Palace looks like (assuming Joker, Morgana and Kasumi are able to complete it themselves)? Of course for this theory to work, Kasumi would have either already sent them a Calling Card equivalent or asked that the three of them deal with the target on their own (as with Futaba and her uncle) so that the others don't get involved. In other words, her Confidant's Rank 8 event would be much more elaborate than any other, but in return you'd get a full-fledged teammate instead of just a new ability! Maybe the screenshot of the full team in Mementos' entrance is when she's introduced to them?
CONNECTION TO THE OPENING SCENE:
That last line a sweet sentiment, but it may tie back into the very first scene of the trailer where she says she's "saying goodbye to the me that is in-debt to anyone". We all know the Palace ends with Joker using himself as bait to unravel the conspiracy, but what if Kasumi disagrees with this and - when the group scatters to avoid escape - she goes after him? There's a screenshot of the two alone in the Casino Palace fighting a Jatayu to corroborate this theory. What if the scene at the start of the trailer is Joker running into a Shadow and Kasumi (who has yet to catch up to him) throws her rapier ahead of her*¹ to kill it before it attacks him, telling Joker she's here to become a better person and pay off her debts as she retrieves it? This starts a small segment of the Palace where it's just the two of them and maybe Kasumi ends up captured alongside him as a consequence of her nobility? Or maybe even captured instead of him (though this would mean changing the prologue)? If my theory that she's an optional party member is correct, this would be similar to Marie in P4G: you have until a certain date to finish her Confidant and unlock an extended ending, otherwise you experience the original ending. Of course I could be entirely wrong about that part and Joker does simply help Kasumi out a lot in the base game, since they clearly have many scenes together - they have at least one scene together with Akechi that I haven't even mentiond yet, for example!
*¹ On closer observation, Kasumi's shadow still has the sword at her hip as she walks, but the camera angle changes just as it pans up to her hip so we can't tell if this is the case on her actual body too or just an animation bug. I still think the entire opening clip is part of the same scene though, only trimmed down to fit the length of her line. If she indeed has her sword with her at the start, it just means the quick cut to her kicking it back into her hand skipped the scene where she actually stabbed it to prove she was committed to seeing Joker home safely. ~~And the Shadow was too stunned by her entrance to move, which happens a lot in Persona 5. And understandably so!~~
Edit*8: For another opinion on this scene, look no further than this comment with a quote from u/Yeulia and their thoughts on what it could mean. Perhaps instead of being caught by the police in Joker's place, Kasumi could use the similarities in their Thief forms to act as bait if something goes wrong (and she's convinced to go along with the original plan)? And maybe this is the moment - especially the thought of Joker, someone she's no doubt very attached to and maybe even has a crush on at this point (or an actual relationship if you can get to her Rank 9 by this point and choose the romance option ~~and no, that isn't a "well, duh" option for everyone, even if most of this trailer is adorable moment after adorable moment~~) letting himself be arrested and subjected to who knows what for the greater good - that convinces her to side with the Thieves for good? Maybe this is also the point where she decides to hijack the Metaverse for their sake, or whatever it is that incites the strange events in the final three months of the game? After all, those changes may even start while Joker's still in the interrogation room; it's fitting that she'd act then, since that's when Joker's at his most vulnerable! It'd be very interesting if the "you need to max her Confidant before the Casino Heist" theory is correct because it means we'll see major divergences from the main story right away (maybe acting that particular moment is also what influences Akechi to work with them again?) And as mentioned in Edit 6 below, this may be part of the reason we don't know her Arcana yet. What if it signifies that she does indeed have such game changing power?
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CENDRILLON
As stated before, Cendrillon is the French version of Cinderella. Already there are similarities between her and Arsene as a result, just like their other selves! Both are French and dressed in high class attire - Arsene in a suit and cravat, Cendrillon in a dress and gem in her chest - and both are humanoids with very slender builds and realistic proportions. Lore-wise, the Cinderella story is actually incredibly old, with the earliest version of it - Rhodopis - originating sometime between 7 BC and 24 AD. This version tells of how a Greek courtesan's sandal was picked up by an eagle and dropped in the lap of the Pharoah in Memphis, who "stirred both by the beautiful shape of the sandal and by the strangeness of the occurrence, sent men in all directions into the country in quest of the woman who wore the sandal". She was found, brought to him and became his wife.
A very simple and bizarre story.
With a story that old, there are understandably many, many, many variations of it, too many too list! So I'll stick to Cendrillon herself from Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre, by Perrault. It was written in 1697 and introduced most of the elements we associate with the story today such as the Fairy Godmother and pumpkin carriage. The strange thing is that one of the morals of this version of the story was quite cynical:

without doubt it is a great advantage to have intelligence, courage, good breeding, and common sense. These, and similar talents come only from heaven, and it is good to have them. However, even these may fail to bring you success, without the blessing of a godfather or a godmother

Thankfully, Kasumi of course already has an answer to this in the form of her Persona (who happens to be Cinderella herself, funnily enough), who gives her the power to stand up for herself and fulfil her own version of justice.
As for the rest of the story, it's easy to draw parallels if we assume the theory about her being forced to compete for her family/ school is true. Society (the step-family) oppresses and forces her into a role she doesn't want, but in her darkest moment her Persona (Fairy Godmother) appears and gives her the chance to explore a whole new world and be herself/ do what she wants and thinks is right (the Metaverse/ royal ball). Going to this new world also gives her the chance to bond with someone who likes her for herself and through him can experience the things she never could on her own (Joker and her Confidant events like playing baseball/ the Prince and freedom). There's even a part in the initial reveal trailer where she dances in the middle of a crowd with all eyes on her, just as Cinderella had all eyes on her at the ball!
As for her Ultimate Persona? Well, it'd have to be a female mythological figure who escaped an oppressive life, while also being known for being a trickster. Any ideas?
Edit*3: The Morrígan/ Mór-Ríoghain is an Irish Goddess of war and fate - even called "the Phantom Queen!" - and may be a candidate for the first criteria since she's also known for her trickery (such as tricking the hero Cúchulainn into healing her injuries by disguising herself as an old woman). In fact, Morrigan is already a demon in the core SMT series, so we know ATLUS already knows about her (or were, at any rate). Another is the similarly named yet unrelated Morgan le Fay from Arthurian Legend. Morgan's character has been in a lot of flux throughout the ages, going from being a fairy to Arthur's sister to being good then evil and back again. However, she is both a trickster and - depending on the interpretation - was wronged by her family, though this also made her a traitor to Arthur. But this is also the version of the story where she returns to being on his side again and carrying him off to Avalon upon his near-death, which may mirror Kasumi betraying the group (with good intentions) and coming back to them - after all, they kept Akechi around! He may even be the one to point out that they'll take her back no matter what she's done - though hopefully won't mirror Arthur's death by killing off Joker.
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OTHER
The new song is a mystery for the most part, but the first and last lyrics are "You actually thought you could get away? Ah [...] don't think so!" and "I can change the world." Assuming this is Kasumi's theme song, it hints that she's very confident in her own abilities. This could just be the cockiness every Thief feels when they work, but could it also be an indicator that Kasumi is confident in her "real world" life too? Maybe even outside her skill in (and qualms with) gymnastics? And is this an innocent detail, or a sign that she already knows what being in the Metaverse is like (especially with "You actually thought you could get away?") or even that she has ulterior motives? Both lines are threats, after all! Even if she's saying she can "save the world" instead, it doesn't necessarily mean her definition of "saving something" is a healthy one! Remember how the original trailer started with her "taking everyone's dreams"? ~~I admit it'd hard to see someone this goofy and sweet as a villain though. Konichi...wa!~~
Edit*6:

Here's something I keep forgetting to mention (and have been meaning to say since the trailer dropped, so you can imagine how this makes me feel): we got Kasumi's Persona but not her Arcana. Why is that? I suspected they'd only show us one and that the Persona was most likely, but that was because I thought her Arcana may be a spoiler (indeed, an Arcana does say more about what someone can do than their Persona alone). So will she be an Aeon, a Jester or a completely different Arcana, like how Takuto uses a card from the Spanish Tarot?
Many people have noted that the shot of Kasumi Awakening here is different to the shot of her in the Metaverse in the April trailer. I stand by what I said before then that the latter is her losing her powe it deactivating due to shock. Specifically that it's either in the past and she witnessed the event that scared her into never standing up for herself against her family, teachers or even strangers ^{with Akechi possibly being responsible} OR when she's defeated and/ or shocked that her friends still believe in her after whatever she does in the new arc of the game!

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Thank you all so much for reading! Please let me know what I missed or need to fix and I'll do my best to update this as soon as I can in my own time as well!
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Edits:
June 6th
Edit 1, 12:35 UTC: Added the OTHER section, added a correction to "CONNECTION TO THE OPENING SCENE" and added a mention of Kasumi's head twitch (d'aww) in "SCENE 2".
Edit 2, 12:46 UTC: Fixed the second lyric from "'Cos" to "Ah [...] don't think so!" and added a note about Byakhee in "SCENE 5".
Edit 3, 13:58 UTC: Extended the end of the correction in Edit 1, Added two candidates for Kasumi's Ultimate Persona and added an alternate interpretation for the place Kasumi Awakens to her Persona (...and making the assumption that Byakhee is a boss only Persona and won't appear as a regular enemy, huh) in "SCENE 5: HOW/ WHERE DID IT HAPPEN?"
Edit 4: In this comment. 14:03 UTC. (And Edit 5 in the same comment. 14:19 UTC.)
Edit 6: Added two notes to the "OTHERS" section above and some blasphemy to SCENE 5 ("and we may even reach the point where the in-game cutscenes look better than the anime ones")! 15:38 UTC.
Edit 7: Added a paragraph to "SCENE 4". 15:52 UTC.
Edit 8: Added theories based on u/Yeulia's (as quoted in the comments). 16:101 UTC.
Edit 9: Added an Akechi mention to a theory in "OTHER"'s Edit 6! 16:17 UTC.
June 8th
Edit 11: Added some screencaps of her lightning fast 360* flip at the start of the trailer to the end of the album and on top of being an amazing flash of awesomeness from someone who already oozes it as much as she does adorableness, here's why I think it matters! Also, MysticDistance shared a rough transcription of the lyrics in the trailer. While I got everything the ending completely wrong, I still think the song is a huge case of Kasumi (and maybe the Thieves as a whole) boasting about how she completely dominates the opposition, so I think the rest of my commentary on the lyrics still holds water! 00:01 UTC.
June 9th
Edit 12: Added a short list of interesting details I and others have noticed, along with some speculation. Maybe they'll be relevant! 11:32 UTC.

Here's 20 Events For Your Weekend at VT, Blacksburg and the NRV...

For those looking for something to do locally this weekend, here's 20 events you can enjoy...
1. 2020 Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Challenge The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:00 - 7:00 PM Admission: Free The Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Challenge is a campus-wide, student startup competition that brings together successful alumni-entrepreneurs, industry partners, and students to showcase the best new ventures at Virginia Tech. Watch as interdisciplinary teams from across campus compete for the best business model and a chance to win up to $40,000 in cash awards and prizes! The Entrepreneur Challenge event features a showcase of the finalist teams from Virginia Tech along with a high-powered lineup of judges sharing their expertise and experience in the world of entrepreneurship. There will be free swag and giveaways for attendees. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539537
2. Alex & Andrew in Concert India Garden Restaurant, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 6:00 - 8:30 PM Admission: Free Alex & Andrew are a Jazz duet that “Jam” spoon out sweet guitar licks and spread on the charm based in the New River Valley region of Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=538480
3. Play: The Wolves Squires Studio Theatre, Virginia Tech Friday, February 21, 2020 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM General Public: $12.00, Students & Seniors: $10.00 The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts presents the play "The Wolves" which is an engaging, funny, and sometimes painful meditation on society, sex and soccer. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539448

4. 31st Anniversary Party at London Underground London Underground Pub, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 8:00 PM - 02:00 AM $3.00 cover London Underground Pub is celebrating their 31st Anniversary with a Birthday Party in Vegas. Featuring the live jazz stylings of the The Chinquapin Hunters, door prizes, food & drink specials, casino card games and a birthday champagne toast. There will be a Charity Black Jack table with guest dealer Michael Haberman with all proceeds benefiting the New River Land Trust and a Vegas-inspired menu and martini list. Must be 21 or older. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539284

5. Howlin' Mudbellies in Concert McClain's at First & Main, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $3.00 The Howlin' Mudbellies are a blues group performing rhythmic, percussive, shaking and grooving blues, from the deep south country to the rockin' city. Picking, slide, and finger style acoustic guitar, Dobro, thumping bass, and sometimes added kick of drums and harmonica. The Blacksburg band has shared the stage with blues and bluegrass legends like Bo Diddley, Willie Watson, Bob Margolin, John Hammond and the Nighthawks. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539643
6. 2020 Special Olympics New River Polar Plunge Festival Bisset Park, Radford Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM Minimum donation or total fundraising amount of $100.00 to plunge per person. Special Olympics Virginia along with the Radford City Police Department and Radford University presents the 2020 Special Olympics New River Polar Plunge Fest. Break out your swim trunks and get chilly with several hundred Special Olympics supporters in the New River. There will be a costume contest with prizes, DJ music to get you moving, plus free hot chocolate keeping you warm. It’s $100.00 to participate which benefit the Special Olympics and includes a Polar Plunge t-shirt. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539545

7. 2020 Soul Food Sampling St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Admission: $25.00 The Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation presents the 6th Annual Soul Food Sampling. The St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in Historic New Town will offer a Soul Food Sampling and presentation on the history and traditions of Soul Food. There are 3 time slots for the Tastings: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Today is the last day to sign-up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=536686
8. Gate 10 CD Release Party Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, February 22, 2020, 12:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Floyd Country Store presents the Gate 10 CD Release Party for their new album. Gate 10 is a high energy band hailing from the New River Valley region of Southwest Virginia. The band brings a classic and modern sound to bluegrass, gospel and country music. Gate 10 is excited to travel this musical journey with a hard driving, solid style, but one that is firmly rooted in traditions with their own innovative sound. Their stage presence is beyond their young years with their musicianship, vocals, and harmonies. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539372
9. Free Wheelchair Tennis Recreation Clinic Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center, Virginia Tech Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Virginia Tech Men's Tennis and Virginia Tech Rec Sports offer a Free Wheelchair Tennis Recreation Clinic. If you are a tennis fan and whether you are a wheelchair user or not, see what wheelchair tennis is all about. USTA National Manager and Head Coach for Team USA Wheelchair, Jason Harnett, will be here to help you learn about the history, the rules and get on the courts to try wheelchair tennis for yourself. The event is free and no pre-registration is required. All ages, skill levels and abilities are welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539458
10. Studio Ghibli Celebration Christiansburg Library, Christiansburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:30 - 2:30 PM Admission: Free Enjoy an afternoon of all things Studio Ghibli. Create Ghibli inspired crafts, enjoy Ghibli inspired snacks, as well as other tasty snacks from Japan, and even compete in a Ghibli themed Jeopardy tournament to get a chance to win a Ghibli themed door prize. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539540
11. 50s Night with Karaoke, Elvis & Marilyn Hwy 55, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 6:00 - 10:00 PM Food is 50% Off if Customers wear 1950s Attire, Admission is Free Elvis and Marilyn will be on hand and you can get in the spirit with your own 1950's attire to get 50% off your meal. In addition, get your photo on our red carpet and sing karaoke. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539538

12. Virginia Hollow in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Virginia Hollow is an Indie, Newgrass, Americana, Bluegrass and Folk Rock band from Floyd, Virginia. Their performances and music take you on a journey fraught with raw emotions and stories of love, trust, betrayal and longing. Rising Silo Brewery is a family-friendly, dog friendly vibe and all are welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=535687
13. Soul Party Dance Graduate Life Center Auditorium, Virginia Tech Saturday, February 22, 2020, 6:30 - 10:00 PM Admission: Free Solely Swing, Blacksburg Swing Dance and West Coast Swing Blacksburg present their Soul Party Dance. This 70s themed night will feature lessons in Blues and West Coast and plenty of soul music. Disco attire is not required, but is very much encouraged. Come out and boogie the night away. No partner or experience required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539749
14. Pakistani Student Alliance at Virginia Tech 2020 Culture Show Haymarket Theater, Virginia Tech Saturday, February 22, 2020, 7:00 - 10:30 PM Admission: Free Enjoy as Virginia Tech's Pakistani Student Alliance puts on a spectacular cultural event showcasing Pakistani dance, fashion and more. Admission is free and seating is limited to the first 450 attendees. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539459
15. 2020 Floyd Mardi Gras Costume Ball Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Saturday, February 22, 2020, 7:30 PM - 02:00 AM Pre-Festival Tickets: $20.00, At the Door: $25.00 The 11th Annual Mardi Gras Costume Ball, a fundraiser for Blue Mountain School, is an entire evening packed with enthralling musicians, tantalizing food, and magnificent fun. This years line-up includes music from Music Road Co. and The Ambassador, Her Majesty, DJ Step, a Krewe du Bleu pre-show dinner with Chef Richard Perry, and a Kiddy Gras Pajama Party for ages 3-12 down the road at the June Bug Center for kids (and parents) who want a fun night out. The Krewe du Bleu Dinner tickets are $65.00 and include entrance to the Costume Ball. The Kiddy Gras Pajama Party is $20.00 for the first child in a family and $15.00 for each additional child in advance. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=536601
16. Mardi Gras Party with Music from Sonic Camel McClain's at First & Main, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $3.00 Enjoy live music and Mardi Gras themed food and drink specials. Sonic Camel covers most eras and genres with tributes, requests, dancing, and laughs. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539536
17. Wave Nite XI featuring JKuch with 13 Performers The Milk Parlor, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 PM - 02:00 AM Admission: $5.00 Sine Wave Surfers presents Wave Nite XI featuring Buffalo, New York headliner JKuch. A total of 13 performers will take the stage including mister (Greensboro, NC), Electrobro (Blacksburg, VA), Johanna Vaughan (Blacksburg, VA), Glazed (Philadelphia, PA), Skelechrome (Christiansburg, VA) and Sleazy Lettuce (Charlottesville, VA) among others. Attendees must be 18 or older. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539454
18. Women's Basketball: UVA vs. Virginia Tech Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Tech Sunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 - 4:00 PM General Public: $10.00, Youth: $5.00 The Virginia Tech Women's Basketball team hosts ACC Conference opponent and in-state rival the University of Virginia. The first 500 fans will receive a maroon shaker. It's also a Youth Team Day. Local youth basketball teams are invited to attend free of charge, but must sign-up in advance. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=535897
19. Tackle The Tower Christiansburg Aquatic Center, Christiansburg Sunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 - 4:00 PM Daily Admission Fee: Ages 3 & Up: $5.00 Have you ever jumped from five meters in the air into 17 feet of water? Here is your chance to jump off the Aquatic Center's 3-meter board or 5-meter tower. Participants are required to pass a 25 yard swim test before diving. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539444

20. Roaring 20s Speakeasy Membership Drive: The 51 Club at The Shade Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum, Pulaski Sunday, February 23, 2020, 4:00 - 7:00 PM Individual Memberships start at $12.50, Special for the Event: Two Memberships for $20.00 Join the Ratcliffe Museum for a fun filled and educational evening at the museum for a membership drive event themed around the Roaring 20s Speakeasies. Learn about 1920s local Pulaski history, enjoy music, dancing, and finger foods inspired by the 1920s plus other surprises. Dress up in your best flappers or fall guys costumes or come as you are. A cash bar will be available for wine, but everything else is included with admission. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539642
Have a great weekend everyone and add any other events I missed.

casino dealer attire video

Casino games should be friendly and entertaining, both for you and the other players at the table. Don’t fly into a rage when you lose and start blaming the dealer or arguing with other players. Feb 1, 2018 - Fun ideas for a creative Halloween costume with a casino or gambling theme. . See more ideas about costumes, casino, creative halloween costumes. We offer ready-made specialized casino uniform pants and aprons with no pockets and dealer shirts in a wide array of bold colors. And when you need some custom alteration or embroidery we can manufacture garments just for you. Please call 888-992-4837 to receive more information about our custom casino uniform programs. 1-48 of 708 results for "casino costume" Skip to main search results Eligible for Free Shipping. Free Shipping by Amazon. Las Vegas Card Dealer Classic Visor Costume Hat, Green White, One Size. 3.6 out of 5 stars 62. $7.99 $ 7. 99. Get it as soon as Wed, Feb 10. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon Home / Products / dealer attire / Page 1 of 1 Filter by: Deluxe "Las Vegas" Casino Dealer Visor With Elastic Headband -Color Choice. $2.99. Deluxe Casino Dealer Visor With Elastic Headband. $2.99. Satin Black Banded Bow Tie. $4.59. More Information. Search; About Us; Home / Casino Party Decorations / dealer attire / Page 1 of 1 Filter by: All Casino Party Decorations baccarat bf blackjack layouts casino party decorations coin dispenser confetti craps layouts dealer attire multi-game layouts pai gow poker layouts roulette layouts slot machines specialty game layouts We also carry casino pants for men and women and casino skirts. No matter what your unique needs are, Sharper Uniforms has you covered with the best selection of casino uniforms. Men's Banded Collar Shirt. The Banded collar and Cafe shirts are our most popular shirts for restaurants. The shirt is very light, yet, very durable. We carry a good selection of casino theme apparel from hats, to beads , and casino dealer vests. Use a Plastic Dealer Visor and a Dealer's Arm Band to dress up like a casino dealer and greet your guests. If you want to look like a player at the casino check out our Card Suit Suspenders, and Plastic Dealer Visor. Then you can accest with some different party beads. Casino, Resort, Dealer Uniforms. Ask our experienced casino uniform experts for ideas on every position on your floor staff. Free advice, free samples. Like we said with the semiformal category, we think the attire outlined for this category is perfect for a nice evening at a casino, pretty much regardless of its caliber. You may want to skip the tie for the man and the jacket for the woman if you find yourselves at a lower-end venue, just to be comfortable.

Casino Party Decorations - dealer attire

casino dealer attire

casino dealer attire - win

Now I'd like to talk about this painting.

Wishlist/Gameplay ideas by a starter on this thread