Persona 5.5: Reign of Terror

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"There's a crime spree on, and what do these ne'er-do-wells target? Your very mind! Yes, lock...
Threadmarks Sidestory Informational
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Intro: Road to Redemption.
  • Threadmarks
    • ArlequineLunaire

    ArlequineLunaire

    Agonised Orange (Avatar drawn by moi)
    Content Promotion
    Location
    The Hall of Completed Quest Fame
    Pronouns
    She/Her
    "There's a crime spree on, and what do these ne'er-do-wells target? Your very mind! Yes, lock your house, turn off the computer, and yet you still won't be safe from the Phantom Thieves"

    "You would've seen them in the news lately: 'Phantom Thieves'. But what exactly do those words mean? Well, the trend originated in Japan, where-"​
    ​
    "This is an outrage, this is a disgrace! Phantom Thieves? My God, is this what America has devolved into?!"​

    "The media's just trying to use all this talk 'Phantom Thieves' to distract you from their real agenda..."​
    ​
    "Tonight's top story is Phantom Thievery. Yes, this is the world we live in, where American crime is now aping old French crime novels. Or 70s Japanese comics, take your pick."
    ​

    ​

    This is my story, a story I was shaking in my boots to even tell, but I figured someone had to, and it might as well be me if the record's gonna be set straight.
    My name's-

    [ ] Write-in.
    (Examples: Marty/i Scorer, Leon/a Sergius, Octavia/n Baron, Kyrie Xiang)

    I was eighteen year old-​
    [ ] Female.
    [ ] Male.
    [ ] Male to Female Transgender.
    [ ] Female to Male Transgender.
    [ ] Androgynous.

    [ ] African-
    [ ] Arab-
    [ ] Asian-
    [ ] Caucasian-
    [ ] Hispanic-
    [ ] Jewish-
    [ ] Write-in.
    - American, sitting by myself there in the back of that cab, swiping over my smartphone while the driver turned the radio every other second to random stations, each on-air and online news report going on about a crime spree so wide-reaching I'd done my part in it.

    Until recently, I'd been one of those infamous 'Phantom Thieves'. Really, most students back at my old high school were, everyone I knew was into it, and who could blame to us? We thought it was our only real chance to strike back at society, to get back at everyone and everything that'd rigged the system against us, denied us our future.

    You may think it silly of me, but I seriously believed that. Well I did back when the movement was still young anyway, when all the possibilities were still open, when it felt like a Phantom Thief was someone who could go anywhere and do anything.
    Then I learned that 'Anything' also meant 'Anything Bad', as my stupid self had been naive and excited enough to not think of how stealing 'treasures' from people's minds, our license to brainwash, could be seriously abused. When it stopped being about justice and starting being about silencing and controlling people, I knew we'd gone too far. Yes, I'd gone too far too, I won't pretend I was innocent in any of this.

    Eventually I broke down and confessed to my parents, and they responded by no less than having me transferred all the way across the country, to-
    [ ] New York City.
    [ ] Los Angeles.
    [ ] San Francisco.
    [ ] Chicago.
    [ ] Las Vegas.
    [ ] Write-in.
    They'd figured the further away I was, the less likely I'd get mixed up in 'that sort of crowd' again, and the sooner I'd be back to my 'normal' self.

    I took in comfort in one thing though. Since I'd never been more than a low-ranking pickpocket in his eyes, there was a chance my old Boss of the Gang, er, 'Thieves' Guild' I'd been in would barely notice my departure. I hoped, as Guilds didn't take kindly to potential snitches.

    I did keep two things from my thieving days however. The first was an App on my phone, the 'Meta-Navigator' that let me enter into the Sea of Souls, where everyone' hearts resided, so as thieves we could do the dirty deed of stealing the 'treasures' that people prized the most. I could never trust the cops with it, and I couldn't hand it back my old gang either, as you don't just 'resign' from a Thieves' Guild. Feh, couldn't even delete the damn thing, just kept popping back.

    The other was my Mask, the dormant form of my 'Persona', the manifestation of the Soul that was a Phantom Thief's coup de grace. Much as I wanted as little to do with being a Thief or breaking into anyone's mind anymore, I knew from first-hand experience that your 'Persona' really was a part of you, so there was no way I would just hand mine over, not to the Gang, my parents, the police, even my old friends...

    On my mask there was a number and a word, both of which marked the 'Arcana' (something I'd put no stock in before becoming a Thief) I was told I fell under:
    [ ] Write-in any number between I and XX, 'abnormal' Arcana like Aeon allowed.

    "Hey, ya dozing off back there?" my cab driver had to call out. I shook my head and said I was fine, he just grunted and went back to the sub he ate despite still driving.

    Point was, I really did think my thieving days were over...
    ​
    I am a Sinner
    Who's probably gonna Sin again
    Lord forgive me.    ​

    QM's Note: Might be starting this Quest up a little bit early, but thought 'eh, what the hell'.
    Might be looking for a co-QM, to help smooth over a few remaining things and possibly take over from me in case I run out of steam. Not just anyone of course, would have top be someone I'm reasonably familiar with.

    Edit: Xalgeon now appointed co-QM (should've typed this up here earlier).

    To recap, the choices in this first post are:
    [ ] Choose Name.
    [ ] Choose Gender.
    [ ] Choose Race.
    [ ] Choose City.
    [ ] Choose Arcana.
    [ ] Choose Life.​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Cast of Characters
  • Informational
    • Sarah Kanizuki
    Age: 18.
    Gender: Female.
    Ethnicity: Asian-American.
    Appearance: Pink-and-black hair in a ponytail, frilly and flowery dress.
    Religion: ???
    Orientation: ???
    Residence: Burbank, Los Angeles County
    Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

    Strength: Puny
    Magic: Novice
    Endurance: Fragile
    Agility: Snail
    Luck: Cursed

    Guts: Milquetoast
    Knowledge: Oblivious
    Kindness: Inoffensive
    Proficiency: Bumbling
    Charm: Existent.

    Alias: ???, formerly 'No. 17'
    Role: Thief.
    Weapon: Sword-cane.
    Gun: ???
    Mask: Butterfly.
    Arcana: XVII Star.
    Persona: Alice.
    - Appearance: A young girl grown to remarkable size standing on a mushroom, her dress decorated like a pack of cards, a pocket-watch for an eye, wielding a croquet mallet and a teapot.
    - Resistances: Mind, Curse
    - Weaknesses: Bless
    - Skills: Psi, Bash, Makanda, Tarukaja, Mudo

    Roles remaining:
    - Mastermind.
    - Muscle.
    - Con Artist.
    - Counterfeiter.
    - Disguise Master.
    - Analyst.
    - Getaway Driver.
    - Hacker.
    - Insider.

    Felicia Lucas
    Fellow classmate, leather-jacketed girl with stark white hair. According to Gene she's just come back from juvenile hall, on charges of arson. Probably best to keep my distance.

    Amelia Crawford
    Slim to the point of scrawny punk girl, avid about skateboarding and according to Gene, a somewhat infamous graffiti artist who goes by 'Babel'. Her personality at least seems more approachable than Felicia's.

    Bertrand Stevens
    Apathetic boy wearing stitched together clothes, likely second-hand, who also absolutely reeks, not that he minds. I'm actually concerned he might be homeless.

    Tiffany Ellen
    Goth girl with pitch-black clothes and lipstick, piercings, the works. However, her actual personality, when Felicia and Amelia even give her the chance to talk, comes off as quite mild-mannered.

    Ruth Andersen
    Local sports star at San Leonardo's, hasn't outright said anything but appears to be transgender, male-to-female.

    Horace Chandler
    My Homeroom teacher at San Leonardo's. Pretty strict and humorless it looks like, not someone to get on the bad side of.

    Valerie Bailey
    Red-haired, pink-shirted science teacher at San Leonardo's. Way more bubbly and enthusiastic than Horace, though maybe a bit too much in the opposite direction?

    Gene Frank Harry
    African-American cop trying to investigate reports of drug-dealing Thieves around my school. Might not be getting along with the rest of the police. Comes off nice, but could be hiding something?

    Hotaru & Junichi Kanizuki
    My Grandma & Grandpa. Used to be Burbank animators, now all that's left of that time is a memorabilia shop they run. Offered to take me in during my time in LA, which I learned might be because Grandma thinks my presence may help stabilize Grandpa's... senility.
     
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  • Informational
    • [X] Valkyrie St. Victor
    [X] Female.
    [X] African-
    [X] Chicago.
    [X] II - The High Priestess
     
    [X] Sarah Kanazuki
    [X] Female
    [X] Asian-
    [X] Los Angeles
    [X] XVII - The Star
     
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    [X] Wei Zhou
    [X] Male
    [X] Asian
    [X] Los Angeles
    [X] VIII - Strength
     
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    [X] Max Varela.
    [X] Female to Male Transgender..
    [X] Hispanic.
    [X] New York City.
    [X] XVI - The Tower.

    You still need a Co-GM @Lapin Lune?
     
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    Xalgeon said:
    You still need a Co-GM @Lapin Lune?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Did think to ask you back in the SMT Ideas thread, but thought you might now be a bit occupied with A Fool of a Minor Suit and By the Neon Light of the Grail. But if you're still free, being Co-QM would mainly entail helping me assign Arcana to characters, feedback on whether spoiler-y ideas for upcoming plot points and characters are any good or not, and filling in for when I can't make the next update on schedule (Edit: Maybe help with some Stats stuff should I incorporate them).

    Speaking of the SMT Ideas Thread, I once said that our MC would've stolen their old Boss' Velvet Room Contract. Not sure if that'd still be a thing now, since my idea of the MC shifted from 'still a thief, just trying to get away from their old gang' to 'former thief who ends up being dragged back in to thievery'.
     
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    Lapin Lune said:
    Did think to ask you back in the SMT Ideas thread, but thought you might now be a bit occupied with A Fool of a Minor Suit and By the Light of the Neon Grail. But if you're still free, being Co-QM would mainly entail helping me assign Arcana to characters, feedback on whether spoiler-y ideas for upcoming plot points and characters are any good or not, and filling in for when I can't make the next update on schedule.

    Speaking of the SMT Ideas Thread, I once said that our MC would've stolen their old Boss' Velvet Room Contract. Not sure if that'd still be a thing now, since my idea of the MC shifted from 'still a thief, just trying to get away from their old gang' to 'former thief who ends up being dragged back in to thievery'.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm up for it. I pratically live on this site. Besides, this won't be my first Co-GM gig, I regularly help out Novus Ordo Mundi and he's never complained, even when I ask for feedback.
     
    A chance to be a hispanic character? I've never felt so included :lol. But I doubt SV will go male sooo...

    [X] Alicia Nieves
    [X] Female.
    [X] Hispanic.
    [X] New York City.
    [X] XVII - The Star
     
    Okay Xalgeon, welcome aboard!

    Anyway, since Sarah Kanazuki's in a pretty clear lead, would people prefer it if I call the vote half an hour from now, or wait another day before that?
     
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