Persona: Rejuvenation

Breezeton, Illinois: Once a flourishing center of manufacturing and agriculture on the winding Mississippi river, Breezeton has since fallen far, suffering from a loss of jobs and a rising crime rate (including an opioid crisis). This, coupled with the flight of the younger population as they set off for greener pastures in Chicago and beyond, has left Breezeton fractured as townfolk turn on each other in a mindless hunt for someone to blame. Discord and strife run amok on the streets as the farming and industrial sectors wither away, not helped as the latter uses automation to replace workers and leave them out of jobs...

This deepening divide has created a new Cognitive World: the Memetic Wild. Here creatures called Shadows lurk, that bare fang and claw indiscriminately at one another. If left unchecked this world, as well as the creatures inside, will help perpetuate the cycle of hatred inside Breezeton until the city is brought to ruin.

There is hope, though. A young woman who carries the power of The Fool has returned to the town she was born in. With this power, she is able to manifest a ‘Persona’—a creature formed by the part of one’s heart and personality that has conquered hate and division. As she grows into this power, gaining understanding and strength, she will gather friends and allies to help her rebuild her home city and fight the darkness threatening to destroy what she holds dear.

The world, however, is not changed by violence alone. To succeed in their quest those fighting the Shadows will have to overcome mistrust and hate to bring new innovation and businesses to the city. Be it restarting the local newspaper or reinvigorating the lackluster Harvest Festival. They will need to learn how to wield their Persona and enlist help from ‘Pillars', people who have special ties to the Memetic Wild despite being unable to summon a Persona, for only through healing divisions will they be able to restore the city to its former glory.

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This is, you guessed it, a Persona game! Taking elements from installments 4 and 5, this game combines them with the theme of ‘Community.’ While Breezeton’s community has developed into one that cuts down those who do not conform our characters will represent the oppressed who are willing to fight for their rights and home. Communities can be built or destroyed, can be changed and renewed, and it is up to your characters and their Social Links to see change and renewal occur on Breezeton’s streets.

Every triumph will open up more of the Memetic Wild to 'civilization' - Repairing Breezeton's roads in Real Life will make travel in the Wild easier and faster while saving/opening businesses will cause milder, more benign Shadows to open shops. Items and treasure acquired in the Memetic Wild also become real in the physical world, thus boosting your purchasing power. But be warned, spending too much will get the IRS after you IRL!

Note however that to prevent PC glut, only 8 PCs will be allowed besides the Wild Card, and the selection process is first-come, first-serve (it originally wasn't going to be, but now it is). However, the GMs reserve the right to reject profiles that aren't just written well.

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Important Places in Breezeton (Population, 15,000):

WIP

Rider Conglomerate Local HQ: The Rider Conglomerate was once Breezeton's source of life, the main provider of jobs for many of its people. But then it was purchased by a group of businessmen, some from out-of-state, others from foreign countries, and these men and women began to introduce increased automation to maximize profit. This meant that many workers became unnecessary, and the resulting layoffs were a major factor in the town's decline. Now, Rider Conglomerate is the most hated presence in Breezeton, with the resentment it causes being reflected in the Memetic Wild...

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Pillars (Modified Social Links/Confidants)

The Party as a whole are tasked with connecting with the Pillars of the community, special NPCs that range from a journalist trying to restart the town paper, or a cafe owner trying to rescue their family's establishment from extinction. Any party member can start a Social Link with the Pillar, and any party can advance said Social Link to gain benefits. However, receiving said benefits is done differently from other Persona RPs - A PC who hasn't taken part in acquiring or advancing Social Links has to interact with the Pillar and prove to her that she's part of the same group as the other Persona Users in order to get benefits.

Pillar Benefits

But what are said benefits? What exactly do you get from the Pillars of the community? Well, you get three kinds. Town Perks include a place to meet, excuse notes that allow you to skip entire days of school, and eventually free/cheap transportation around the city. Memetic Wild Perks are much the same, with the ability to create safe places in the area, teleport to any area you've already gone to (this requires the entire Party to interact with the Pillar who grants this Perk to use), and of course, have 'friendly' Shadows open up shops. The third sort of benefits you get from Pillars are Party Ties, where with each bond you form, the entire party's individual Personae and the Wild Card's multiple ones become stronger as long as they interact with the relevant Pillar.

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Rules

1.) No godmodding, powerplaying, metagaming, etc. etc.
2.) This RP is not 18+. Gay and Straight romance is permitted, but any NSFW content goes to PMs.
3.) No OOC feuding! If you must argue, be respectful. IC, meanwhile, you can hate each other as much as you like as long as it doesn't seep over to OOC.
4.) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time.
5.) There can only be one 'Mascot' character, and said Mascot character must not come from an IRL meme (especially as only a few memes are meant to be cute).

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Name and Age: Ariel Fitzherbert, 21

Physical Appearance:



Personality: Right now, Ariel's current mood is anger and resentment at getting passed over by the Rider Conglomerate, as well as a certainty that this was because of the strength of her competitor's connections instead of actual ability. This feeling of being 'cheated' also dovetails with her feeling that she was passed over because she was a local of the town, even though that should have been an advantage. Though aware of her talents and clearly not humble, Ariel possesses a strong civic loyalty towards the place she was born in and returned to after long years of international study, loyalty only strengthened by her absence from it.

Mundane Skills: Ariel is experienced in computer programming and cyber-security, able to lead an IT team to secure entire companies' mainframes, design websites, and provide tech support to consumers. Unlike most other people of her professional class, she is also good with a gun and has hunted Feral Pigs along with her father in her youth, and knows how to drive rougher vehicles like tractors and SUVs as well as the sleeker sort of car. She also knows the basics of Art and Architecture, as some of her prospective clients wanted good-looking website art and 3D models of planned buildings.

Arcana: Fool.

Persona: Fortuna



Elemental Strength: Wind.
Elemental Weakness: Electricity.

Memetic Wild Weapons: Hunting Rifle, Plasma Saber.

Short Bio: Ariel Fitzherbert was born in Breezeton itself, to loving parents who ran a small restaurant together. Her intelligence was noticed from an early age, leading to isolation from other children from the start, isolation lightened by the presence of her father and frequent hunting trips to eliminate the local meneace of feral pigs. Her father was a shining beacon in her life, and she later regarded him as the most important person in her upbringing. But nevertheless, as she grew up, her skill and experience with computers grew, and it eventually drew the attention of a prestigious NGO that searched for young talent everywhere they can find it.

Leaving was hard, especially as it was at sixteen, when people like her should be enjoying life, but Ariel knew the benefits by now. Her parents' restaurant was failing and so was the town, and she knew that whatever happened, she was going to need a way to help it. And so she left for the East Coast, and later Britain and Japan, expanding her horizons at prestigious universities as she learned the pleasures of the educated and professional life. Part of her was glad to finally have peers, to be part of a world that was sophisticated and subtle, intelligent and worldly. News of what was happening in her town reached her, but she began to worry less and less.

Then her father died, reminding her of her obligations to home. She returned home for the funeral, during which she saw what was happening to Breezeton firsthand. An increase in drug abuse, less-safe streets, young people fleeing, it was a disaster. At least the Rider Conglomerate was still going strong, with its products even reaching the countries she studied in - Wasn't that a boon? Either way, perhaps she should seek a job in it after she finished her education.

And Ariel did just that, but after taking a few job interviews, during which she behaved as professionally as possible, Rider Conglomerate decided to give the job she wanted to another person from out-of-state, Ephraim Thompson. It was then that she actually inquired as to what Rider Conglomerate was doing, which was using automation and new technology not to benefit people, but to reduce jobs and drive out people she'd known since childhood, with her mother only being safe because Rider had not gotten to her block yet.

This town was dying and Rider Conglomerate was clearly profiting from that. She would not take it lying down.

7/12/19 - Added Pillars and 'Pillar Benefits'!

6/30/2020 - Oh, I also updated the pictures 7 months ago!

1/18/2021 - Might set the RP in a 'No-COVID' universe.

4/13/2023 - It seems this RP Idea might be servicible.