Votes closed, update soon.

Since this is a less crucial vote, thought I'd wrap it up after about a day. Next vote however, should have a bit more weight to it.
Adhoc vote count started by Lapin Lune on Apr 24, 2018 at 9:53 PM, finished with 7 posts and 6 votes.
 
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The Velvet Escape.
Heading up a short spiral staircase to a small tower at the back end of the house, I entered my new room and saw that my luggage had already been delivered there. As I began the arduous process of unpacking it all, it slightly relieved me that I was storing stuff like movies, TV shows and books more and more online these days, as that did help lighten the load, well, to an extent.

That business over, I wasted no time in crashing down on my bed, the sun had long gone down by now anyway (again, not like that meant much to the rest of LA). After calling out goodnight to my grandparents, I tried to rest peacefully, but well, just arriving in a new city to find that you're classmates with a convicted arsonist and there's this gang prowling around your school, all didn't make for some easy shut-eye.

And when I did get to sleep, well there was no way I could prepare for what'd be in my dreams...

-|-|-



I suddenly found myself in a dark, damp tunnel so tiny that it was more of a vent really. Crouching my way forward, I pulled an old, faded Tarot poster at the end of it to reveal a hazy, midnight blue jail cell beyond.

"Ah, welcome to the Velvet Room!" said the first of the prisoners within, a long-nosed, grey hair-ringed old man.

"So it looks like our escape tunnel has been able to reach the surface world" said the second, a pale blonde-haired, blue-clad young girl.

"The Velvet Room?" I gasped, as this was a place I'd certainly heard of. "No way, isn't this the place where rumors have it that Guild Bosses go to gain multiple Personae? If it is... what the hell I am doing here? I'm no Wild Card, I don't even want anything more to do with Phantom Thieves!".

"All shall be explained in due time, for none ever enter this Room truly by accident- hmm, best make yourself scarce" the long-nosed man, at the sound of footsteps coming this way, changed the subject on the spot. I scrambled to hide back behind the Tarot poster in the tunnel, as I heard a distorted voice to from outside order these prisoners to 'make with the fusions'.

After a bright flash of blue light and another, even more distorted proclaiming itself to be a Persona, I could hear those footsteps walk away again, with the girl prisoner's voice telling me "Do not fret, it is safe to emerge now".

As I slid back into the room, I was greeted with a spread of tarot cards on a low-lying table, and the words "As I was rudely interrupted before I could introduce ourselves, I am Igor, and this is my assistant Lavenza. Hmm, a quick fortune-telling shows for you...
Death: A great change, in your case an 'escape', the end of an old life and the beginning of the next, The Wheel of Fortune: It seems you cannot sidestep the path you were on so simply, and The Star: Nevertheless, you hold out hope for redemption".

"Unlike most of our guests, you already seem to have foreknowledge of the concept of the Velvet Room" Lavenza then addressed me "You claim to reject your Persona, but is that truly the best course of action, for is it not said 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste'?

It is true that your Persona was not originally granted by Satanael, the Incarnation of Desired Freedom who granted all the active Wild Cards their Personae. Still, is so much as an embodiment of human emotion not allowed to change its mind?".

"More than allowed, when the Freedom the First Thieves sought has been distorted into the very Chains they strove to break free of" Igor answered her. "Now, our unlikely guest, cast your mind back to when you first tore off the mask society had placed upon you, for that memory of what motivated you to begin with may be much needed by you again...".

The-the moment I first gained my Persona, when I truly became a Thief? Ah, my old Gang tore that apart long ago, but I can remember it was...

[ ] That I thought our government, our police, our corporations, were a bunch of no-good thieves themselves, so what would it hurt if I became one myself. The Michael Corleone answer, I guess.
[ ] Not even anything to do with Law or Justice really. I just wanted to assert my individuality, and the Phantom Thieves seemed like just the subculture in which to do that.
[ ] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
[ ] Write-in.

When I first tore off my-
[ ] Butterfly
[ ] Carnivale
[ ] Oni
[ ] Heart
[ ] Write-in.
-mask, the Persona that came out and spoke to me was:

[ ] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
[ ] A shining older man with wavy brown hair in a long, ruffled blue coat adorned with music notes, his face obscured by light and clouds, calling himself Valjean.
[ ] A dark-haired youth tied to a broken cross, his clothes ragged and dusty, his face and clawed hands shrouded by inky darkness, calling himself Lazarillo.
[ ] Write-in.
 
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[X] Not even anything to do with Law or Justice really. I just wanted to assert my individuality, and the Phantom Thieves seemed like just the subculture in which to do that.
[X] Carnivale
[X] A shining older man with wavy brown hair in a long, ruffled blue coat adorned with music notes, his face obscured by light and clouds, calling himself Valjean.
 
[X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.

[X] Carnivale

[X] A fair-skinned royal holding herself in casual manner, adorned in a purple dress flowing in a manner that was almost divine, wielding an equally majestic rapier that may or may not have doubled as her very arm she dubbed herself Marie Antoinette


Unlimited Homie Works
 
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As I began the arduous process of unpacking it all, it slightly revealed me that I was storing stuff like movies, TV shows and books more and more online these days
Crouching my way forward, I pulled an old, faded Tarot posterat the end of it to reveal a hazy, midnight blue jail cell beyond.
[x] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
[x] Carnivale
[x] A dark-haired youth tied to a broken cross, his clothes ragged and dusty, his face and clawed hands shrouded by inky darkness, calling himself Lazarillo.
 
[X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
[X] Butterfly
[X] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
 
[X] Not even anything to do with Law or Justice really. I just wanted to assert my individuality, and the Phantom Thieves seemed like just the subculture in which to do that.
[X] Carnivale
[X] A shining older man with wavy brown hair in a long, ruffled blue coat adorned with music notes, his face obscured by light and clouds, calling himself Valjean.
 
Alice is usually a high-ranking Death Persona, though that's obviously not the case here since your Arcana is Star and she's a possible starter here. Valjean and Lazarillo are both new to the Persona thing.

I didn't really want to tell people their Strengths and Weaknesses beforehand, as I'd personally prefer people pick them based on design and potential symbolism than mechanical stuff. But if you'd like to know Alice is Magic-based and learns Psi spells, Valjean's Endurance-based and learns Kouha while Lazarillo's Agility-based and learns Eiga.
 
[X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
[X] Butterfly
[X] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
 
[X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
[X] Butterfly
[X] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
 
[X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
[X] Butterfly
[X] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
 
Votes will be closed around half a day from now, currently need a tiebreaker between Butterfly and Carnivale masks.
Adhoc vote count started by Lapin Lune on Apr 26, 2018 at 8:12 AM, finished with 13 posts and 8 votes.

  • [X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
    [X] Carnivale
    [X] Butterfly
    [X] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
    [X] Not even anything to do with Law or Justice really. I just wanted to assert my individuality, and the Phantom Thieves seemed like just the subculture in which to do that.
    [X] A shining older man with wavy brown hair in a long, ruffled blue coat adorned with music notes, his face obscured by light and clouds, calling himself Valjean.
    [X] A fair-skinned royal holding herself in casual manner, adorned in a purple dress flowing in a manner that was almost divine, wielding an equally majestic rapier that may or may not have doubled as her very arm she dubbed herself Marie Antoinette
    [x] A dark-haired youth tied to a broken cross, his clothes ragged and dusty, his face and clawed hands shrouded by inky darkness, calling himself Lazarillo.
 
Votes locked. Rolling 1d2, 1 for Butterfly mask and 2 for Carnivale.
Adhoc vote count started by Lapin Lune on Apr 26, 2018 at 10:31 PM, finished with 14 posts and 8 votes.

  • [X] That I was afraid, of being exploited, being powerless beneath the system. That becoming a Thief was the only way I had up the ladder of authority.
    [X] Carnivale
    [X] Butterfly
    [X] A young girl grown to remarkable size, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot, calling herself Alice.
    [X] Not even anything to do with Law or Justice really. I just wanted to assert my individuality, and the Phantom Thieves seemed like just the subculture in which to do that.
    [X] A shining older man with wavy brown hair in a long, ruffled blue coat adorned with music notes, his face obscured by light and clouds, calling himself Valjean.
    [X] A fair-skinned royal holding herself in casual manner, adorned in a purple dress flowing in a manner that was almost divine, wielding an equally majestic rapier that may or may not have doubled as her very arm she dubbed herself Marie Antoinette
    [x] A dark-haired youth tied to a broken cross, his clothes ragged and dusty, his face and clawed hands shrouded by inky darkness, calling himself Lazarillo.
ArlequineLunaire threw 1 2-faced dice. Reason: Tiebreaker. Total: 1
1 1
 
Okay, Xalgeon quite nicely confirmed he's too caught up in things right now to write the next update, so I'll be trying to get around to finally writing it up myself.
 
Alice in a World Gone Mad.
I can remember those words, the first time I heard my inner voice, my Persona...

"This is a world gone mad! Are you going to let its insane ideas and lack of logic keep kicking you down, or are you going to raise your voice and call everyone out on their lies?"

I was in a 'Garden', almost a tangled jungle of poisonous plants and pesticides. Some other kids at school had taken me here, said this was the form of our Principal's distorted heart, what he really thought about helping students 'grow', and that as a Thief I could finally stand up for us students...

"I art thou, thou art I. I am Alice of the Star, the orderly rogue to a world ruled by Chaos. We will not have adults ruling over us like Kings or Gods!"
With that clothes flashed as I found myself dressed in...
[ ] A dark and frilly dress colored mostly black, with hints of purple and red, looking like Sailor Moon gone goth.
[ ] The red jacket, white trousers and gleaming epaulets of a French Revolutionary.
[ ] The ragged kimono, one sleeve loose, of a Ronin right out a Kurosawa film.
[ ] Write-in.

* * *​
Clutching my head as I recalled all of that, my eyes blinked open and I saw I'd forgotten that Igor and Lavenza were still right there.
At that moment I lost control of myself and blurted out "What the hell are you trying to do?! If whoever you two are think you can rope me back into being a Phantom Thief, forget it, I won't do it!", I nearly collapsed after all those words left me.

Yet at this, Igor just let out a low chuckle. "Oh, your country has more than enough aspiring rebels as it is, enough to make one wonder who is truly the Rebellion, and who is the Authority".

"All we're asking" Lavenza then stated "Is that if you've been given a gift, that you honour it by trying to do some good with it, not just letting your talent go to waste".

"But what, what do you even mean by that..." I muttered to myself, looking at the floor "What, do I go around stealing back from Thieves, is that what you're saying?".

"No, we never meant to imply a thing," Igor gave a reply to which I had to furrow my eyes at. "Still, if one must run from their destiny, it would indeed seem in their interests for that very destiny to not ensnare more unfortunate souls".

The sound of further footsteps started to approach.
"Either way, it might be best if you made your exit now, before one of the Wild Cards spots you here. We hope we can fully introduce to service to you the next time your path calls you here" Lavenza finished, and motioned me to scurry out back into the escape tunnel.

The otherworldly cell then faded away from me in a mush of blue lights and pigments, as I then woke to find myself back in my new bedroom, the rays of dawn already flooding in.

* * *
Having hastily packed my schoolbag and said goodbye to my grandparents, of which I think only Grandma was able to hear me, I stumbled my way off to my first day at San Leonardo's. Having to walk all the way there served as a reminder that maybe I should take up skateboarding with Amelia, if only to ease this process. Ease it eventually anyway, as images of me constantly slipping and hitting the sidewalk quickly entered my head.

While my walk to school that day was otherwise uninterrupted, I couldn't say the same for an unfortunate other few kids. I could already see, off in a nearby alley, a couple of students in already tattered SL uniforms, surrounded by some thugs with their faces concealed, one of whom had already pulled a gun out. I mean, Gene'd warned me that there was a gang targeting the school, but to see it in person... it was something I still hadn't gotten used to.

"We gave you low-lives what you wanted," the gangster with the gun snarled "Laziness keeping you from finishing your homework, we plucked that right out of your mind. Too nervous to ask girls out, we made off with all your inhibitions. All we ask," he spat out "Is that we are properly paid in return. So cough it up!" he loaded a bullet.

"Whoa whoa, easy now" I caught one of his fellow gang members saying, as I hid behind a nearby dumpster "No need for the violence in the, ahem, 'real world', don't want to paint a target on ourselves for the police do we? No, let's take this 'matter' into the other world, they can't track us there".

Wait, 'real world', 'other world', this bunch were Phantom Thieves? I reached for my phone and briefly activated the MetaNav, which showed for a second the Great Plains of Manifestos, and those thugs dressed in-
[ ] Vampire cloaks.
[ ] Superhero spandex.
[ ] Aztec-themed wrestling gear.

"Well now, ya just gonna be a rooted mushroom there, or would a young sprout trained to be an upholder of Justice insist on remaining blind?" I heard a strange, smoke-encrusted voice talking at me. I glanced around, but the only thing it could've come from was... a beret-wearing raven up in a nearby tree?

I, I really couldn't escape Phantom Thieves, could I? At least these guys looked like mere low-ranking thugs, heh, like I'd once been, hardly Wild Card Gang Bosses, but...
[ ] I felt like I should call on Amelia, safety in numbers.
[ ] Maybe I could try to get Ruth, as a star of the school the safety of students should be her concern.
[ ] If Gene happened to be around, maybe I could alert him of this. Would be nice to have an actually reasonable cop around.
[ ] I felt like I should call on Felicia Nope, nuh uh, no way. (Not enough Guts)
[ ] I didn't want to drag any more people into this, I could deal with these thugs well enough myself.
[ ] Write-in.​
 
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[X] The red jacket, white trousers and gleaming epaulets of a French Revolutionary.

[X] Vampire cloaks.

[X] I felt like I should call on Amelia, safety in numbers.
 
I feel like the Goth Sailormoon... almost fits. Fighting that fight, but for different reasons.

Ronin works because Wandering. *Shrug*

And I'm really tired otherwise these would be a lot more drawn out and articulated. Probably.

I... I get the feeling our character wouldn't call in others that could get hurt here. That's just the impression I've been getting. *Shrug*
 
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