VitaVitaAR

Strange Gospel: A heavily Persona-inspired Urban Fantasy RP interest check

Some say it’s an app downloaded onto your phone, that you can only access at midnight. Others say it’s a website that you can only see if you click a link left behind by someone who has died. Still others say that it’s the name of a mysterious Line account that you can contact by sending one message a day for three days, offering up your life…

But no matter what version of the rumor you believe, there’s one consistent aspect of it that remains true in every version. If you download the app, visit the website, or contact the account on Line, you will receive a message from a week into the future. A video, depicting events that have yet to come to pass, but will.

They call it Strange Gospel. A popular new urban legend among students, and it’s not difficult to see why. The idea of being able to see the future is exciting. A prediction about your love life? The topics that will be on the next quiz? Seeing if you have a stroke of good luck in the future?

Of course, someone would want to be able to access that information. Of course, someone would want to look into their future.

Of course, it’s only a rumor. A fun little game of searching for something that ultimately can’t possibly exist, to occupy time between school, homework, and other free time activities. Trying to get down to the bottom of the mystery of Strange Gospel is just as popular among students as the idea of actually using its mysterious future-telling activities.

For the students of Yamamura High School, it’s no different. It’s likely the majority of the student body, by this point, has at least spent a little bit of time looking into the impossible rumor of a future-telling app, or website, or Line account.

You’re one of the ones who found it.

A late night. A mysterious link left behind by someone who’s been dead for years. The English text that scrawled across the black screen read “Strange Gospel”.

Staying up until midnight and discovering a download page for an app you’ve never seen before. A black screen with those ghostly white characters reading “Strange Gospel”.

After sending the third message on Line, receiving a response the very next day. The name of the account was “Strange Gospel”.

Regardless of what version of the rumor you used, you found it.

Your reward for doing so was just as promised: A video of the future. Whatever happened between viewing it and the same day next week, it would come to pass. You experienced it, first-hand.

It was true.

Strange Gospel was real.

Maybe you were in a rush to use it again. Maybe you were scared to.

But somehow it found you instead. This time, it showed you a new video.

Shadows falling over a full moon. A pitch black tower standing before it. A white mask bearing a thin smile with empty eyes.

Blood.

It was only then that the first disappearance occurred.

Other students who had used Strange Gospel vanishing without a trace, two weeks after their prediction came true. Law enforcement is involved, now, but so far they’ve been unable to find any leads.

Maybe you’re scared. Maybe you think it’s not connected at all. Maybe you’re still in disbelief, denial that something like this could even exist. Maybe you believe the rumors that a strange figure in a trench coat supposedly seen on late nights is involved in this.

But there can be no doubt.

The moment you used Strange Gospel, your life changed.

Soon you’ll learn why.

---

The A.A.S is running out of time.

They’ve been working behind the scenes, trying to crush the appearance of the Strange Gospel and slow it down, buy more time, find more candidates to scale the tower and stop the Dead End from coming to pass.

But reality is starting to set in.

The situation has been deteriorating. Now the disappearances have started. The number of people who have actually found Strange Gospel has grown.

They’ve tried to stem the bleeding. Even if they can only reach so far, they’ve been doing all the can to try and recruit anyone with the necessary capabilities.

Time is short.

They need more recruits, more who can descend into the eternal night and scale the spire, to bring and end to things before it’s too late. With every passing day, the situation becomes more desperate. So few people can do what they need of them, and they can only look for so long before time runs out.

But maybe, just maybe, they’ll find you.

---

Falling down.

Again and again.

She tries again.

She fails.

It’s the reason she exists. The reason she’s here. There’s no other purpose to her existence than this one.

Everyone else is gone. She’s the only one.

She tries again.

She fails.

Every night.

Even if she’s alone, she has no choice. She can’t stop.

She tries again.

She fails.

If she doesn’t succeed, everything will end. If she doesn’t break through, she knows exactly what will happen.

So she has to keep going.

She tries again.

---

So this is a revival of a much older concept, with me refining it and being a lot more honest about the fact it’s pretty much just Persona with the numbers filed off. Since I want avoid the baggage of working with the already-established setting, plus my own knowledge of the wider series being a bit more limited, I decided against attempting a direct Persona RP and instead reviving a concept that I’d initially come up with for similar reasons.

So think of this as Urban Fantasy in the style of Persona. If that interests you, you’ve come to the right place! Expect lots of social interaction combined with spooky weird enemies in nightly visits to a bizarre mirror world with a massive tower known as the Apocrypha.

In terms of characters I’m not planning on accepting more than maybe six, seven at the most. I want this to be fairly character-focused, and if you want to join the party proper later on I’m fine with that as well.

I’m planning on player characters being students, and if you want you can already be a member of the Apocrypha Annihilation Agency which will already be active in Yamamura High School, trying to recruit more candidates who are capable of safely entering and leaving the shadowy mirror world of Asphodel to scale the Apocrypha tower and destroy it before it’s too late. I’ll probably only accept one character in this situation

Emotional baggage is a bonus for the narrative, so feel free to give your characters some issues they need to work out!

---

Fear and self-preservation are a natural part of life, and these elements are key to the summoning of an Echo, an entity that is a reflection of the user’s inner self. Echoes are the primary method through which the creatures inhabiting the Apocrypha can be combated, though they can also be harmed by physical damage.

I did say this was Persona with the numbers filed off.

Echoes take the form of an entity or even a weapon in some cases, but they are often influenced by mythological origins. They possess a variety of abilities comparable to magic, and can act semi-independently but are largely controlled directly by the user.

Characters will gain access to their Echo early on, as they join the main party. The character already associated with A.A.S may already have access to theirs. Echoes are activated by an Awakening Drive, resembling a USB inserted into the wrist.

---

• Name:
• Age: (Preferably High School age, discuss with me if you want anyone younger or older)
• Gender:
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Skills:
• Equipment: (Anything they tend to carry on them and any weapon they will bring aside from their Echo)
• Echo:
  • Name:
  • Appearance:
  • Abilities:
• Brief Backstory:

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Conscripts: I'm happy to answer any questions you might have! The OP's not as up to date as it should be, so I really need to get around to updating it. Until then, ask away!

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Conscripts: Orcs especially don't function like the other species in-setting for lore reasons and are both extremely uniform and extremely violent, so they're off the table.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Conscripts: Pretty much what Erode said.

Though there's male nagas they're not exclusively waifus.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Conscripts: It's open, and right now wouldn't be a bad time.

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

This was really happening, wasn't it?

This was actually real.

At first, when she suddenly remembered everything, she hoped it was some sort of strange dream. Then, when it became clear it wasn't, she hoped that it was some kind of bizarre coincidence and she hadn't actually been reincarnated as the protagonist of an otome game after having previously been a very much male university student. Maybe it was just a coincidentally similar world.

Those hopes were dashed when she entered the school. When she saw the people here. When she set foot in the courtyard.

The entrance ceremony was exactly as she remembered it from the intro to the game.

Matsuoka Ryouji, or rather Anne Marielle as she had been known for the past sixteen years in this world, now found herself standing in the aftermath of the intro to Starveil Academy.

In the world of the otome game Cross Heart Academy.

As its protagonist.

What this meant was hardly lost on her, as she anxiously eyed the crowds around her.

Perhaps being the 'generically cute every girl' would work to her advantage. Nevermind the fact that being a girl in the first place was a tremendously awkward experience(in away she was thankful for those sixteen years she spent without remembering her old life, because that meant that she'd not had an even rougher adjustment period). In the real world, she wouldn't be that noticeable. And this was real now, not an otome game where every guy was destined to notice her.

Surely it would work out differently, right? Even if that entrance ceremony had been identical.

Anne wasn't the type of person who had played this game for guys to fawn over her. If anything, back when she was Matsuoka Ryouji, it was only natural he was much more into some of the female characters. The protagonist herself was cute, albeit deliberately generically so. And there was that one teacher too.

There was no way she wanted to end up marrying some guy.

She wasn't going to pursue any route. This was absolute in her mind. This was a zero route game. She'd think about the other stuff when she had the chance, but the most immediate problem was ensuring none of them would approach her.

It couldn't be hard, right?

Anne sighed inwardly, relieved at her own hopefully-true assumption. That's right. In real life, as long as she made a good, solid rejection, guys like that would let it go, right?

Of course she'd have to be careful, in this world where status mattered so much, but all the protagonist's romance options were at least decent guys, right?

They practically had an ocean of other girls to choose from, too.

Right?

Somehow her optimism was crumbling by the second.

Well, maybe if she made her way out of the courtyard as quickly as possible, to avoid even the slightest chance of a flag raising...

@PKMNB0Y

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"Ah..."

Their reverie towards the Princesses was difficult to maintain in the face of such information. Of course, as sheltered noble girls, none of them had witnessed first-hand the pain and suffering that could be brought by slavery. But they knew of it.

"My father is a minor knight under the crown, er, if you've heard of a Sir Galfont that's my father! Er..." Angenese paused for a moment, "He tells me stories, at times, never the details but... would you be happy to know he slew a slavery ring's captain, Sir Knight?"

She was uncertain what to say, but it was clear to at least two of the girls that Sir Gerard's mood had darkened as he spoke. While Angenese did love her father, his exploits felt more commonplace compared to that of the Iron Rose Knights. A keeper of the law was someone to be proud of, but the work of knights of legend felt more far away and exotic.

Tenessa remained silent, shifting uncomfortably, uncertain of what to say. Meanwhile, Violette said nothing as well, simply looking away quietly, awkwardly.

Perhaps she'd not had much to say to begin with.

@HereComesTheSnow

---

"Ah, my, I didn't expect such a display...!"

Still, the elder princess was clapping. Even if the bout had been short, a duel between two members of the most famous knight orders in all of Thaln was still something to behold. Elisandre had seen more than a few tournaments in her life, and the fights always seemed to last a little longer than that. But even if it seemed a bit brutal for a duel, no-one was seriously harmed, were they?

"Sir Renar, you said?" she continued, "I should like to thank him for his service personally, after I have spoken to your Knight-Captain."

Pausing a moment, she glanced town towards her younger sister, to see how she was doing after witnessing the duel. While her sister was also no stranger to such performances, at the same time she had seen her flinch and become anxious during some of the more intense bouts.

But it seemed Fionn's presence had worked wonders at keeping her young girl distracted.

"Oh, these are... they're the..." Princess Maletha's eyes shone slightly at the sight of candied fruits, "They're, um... I forgot the name, but they're from Ka... Ka... Kashahn, across the sea, right?"

The younger princess knew some exotic preserved fruits and other unfamiliar snacks from the Near East had been delivered recently, but she hadn't gotten to see them until now. Exotic candied fruits from Kashahn, in the south of that distant land, were quite different from the sweets she was used to. Her eyes wandered briefly to the tables, past the knight, before returning to them.

"Um, thank you! Thank you, Sir Fionn!" she nodded excitedly as she spoke, "I-I'll, I'll use your services wisely! You shall be my stalwart ball knight!"

She seemed at least a bit less anxious.

It was only natural that Veilena had observed the duel as well, arms folded and golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Those knights... hmmm," she cocked her head to one side, her pigtails bobbing as she did, "Curious that it was those two in particular."

"Ah? Why is that, Lady Cazt?" asked Elisandre.

"Nothing in particular, I suppose. At least, nothing important at the moment," the Cazt heir replied with a idle wave of her hand, "You know, your Highness, if I'm not mistaken, the two most senior knights in attendance are there as well."

"Ah...!"

It was only natural that the First Princess would immediately try to approach the vampire and the elf as soon as she spotted them.

@Creative Chaos@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@Saiyan@The Otter@Crimson Paladin@Psychic Loser@Richard Horthy@VahkiDane@Psyker Landshark

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Perhaps it was childish, but after her experience in the dreamworld Fio's patience had worn quite thin. Scowling at the bound Fomorian, she dipped one dainty hand into the dub of water and scooped out out, splashing it directly at her. Not much of it even made it to Cethlann, most of it simply splashed on the floor.

But it was enough to get her feelings across, and make her feel somewhat less irritated.

"You bit through the gag," she said, flatly. It was obvious, but the small witch's mind had been elsewhere when she emerged from the pool and so she hadn't even considered it until she was reminded of just how sharp the Fomorian's teeth looked, "It wasn't particularly durable, so with teeth like yours it wasn't an issue. I guess you couldn't stand not being able to speak, could you?"

Then again, she needed to eat as well.

"I'm going to tell them to serve up whatever they feel like, then," she continued, before returning her attention to whoever was beyond the door.

"The prisoner needs food!" she called, as loudly as she could manage when her throat was still sore, "But don't you dare come in until I tell you!"

With her underclothes soaked, her insurance against someone barging in on her had become a liability. Left with no other options, she removed them and set them aside, thankful once again that the Fomorian was blindfolded and there was no way to see into the room from outside, before setting about to locate the nearest object she could dry herself off with.

@Rune_Alchemist

Echoes of a Moonless Night

"Figures," Akira commented with a frown, when Akio tried the door only to discover it was locked. Had the owner of the apartment actively attempted to make it more difficult for them to conduct their extermination, or had this been done by the grudges? Or was it an effort to keep something inside that hadn't been thought through?

The deceptively boyish young lady's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed inky darkness oozing out from around the frame of the door, looking almost like strands of hair.

"Akiraaaa, there's something really nasty beyond that door...!"

"I don't need you to tell me that!" she hissed at the spirit as her grip tightened on Hanamaru's hilt. With each thud on the door that followed, her body tensed just a little more. She narrowed her senses, focusing entirely on the very moment the door would open. Her left foot slid slowly back as she lowered her stance, eyes fixed firmly on the rattling door.

And then it exploded off of its hinges. Greasy black hair pooled on the floor, like pools of oil, as gangly pale limbs exploded through the air and lashed out towards the assembled attuned.

In the very same instant, Akira leaped back. In the very same motion, Hanamaru left its sheath, a sliver of moonlight cleaving through the air.

Then she landed two meters back.

Alongside her fell one of the pale limbs, trailing almost-black blood before hitting the ground, twitching and writhing. Drawing her blade and swinging in the same motion was practiced technique, one she had done plenty of times before. And this opponent was not trying to protect itself in the least.

Akira had known her strike would be successful the moment the door had been torn from its hinges.

"Blech, cutting through that felt awful!" came the spirit's voice with a loud complaint.

"Oh, please!" responded Akira, irritated as she sized up the grudge. Its form, or at least what could be seen of it, was a mass of vaguely feminine pale arms, surrounded by enormous amounts of stringy, greasy black hair. All of it looked slightly damp, and each of the hands sported chipped and cracked nails, some entirely uprooted.

"Don't tell me this sword hasn't cut plenty of grudges since you decided to possess it, this isn't even the first one I've faced since I started wielding it!" she continued in frustration. There were no obvious points of attack aside from the limbs.

"That doesn't mean I like it!"

Another limb lashed out towards her.

If that was how it was, then she'd have to start cutting. They all would.

This time she swung the blade upwards from a low stance, advancing in the very same moment. She caught the hand between the middle finger and the ring finger and parted it neatly up the middle until she reached the elbow, splattering black ichor to the ground.

@PKMNB0Y@Silverpaw@Vertigo

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

In spite of being surrounded by water, her throat felt dry. The protective sigils covering her body had done there job, but only barely. Her underclothing was soaked through, clinging to her body in a rather embarrassing fashion. Thankfully the only witness was blindfolded, and the person banging on the door hopefully wouldn't come barging through it.

"I-I'm fine!"

Her voice, unfortunately, didn't exactly convey that. Hoarse, and showing signs of her exhaustion, Fio stood up shakily, gulping in air. In spite of being completely soaked, she rather felt as if she needed a warm bath.

The Goddess of the Deep Lake. The eye that had fixed upon her.

There was much to think about. But more immediately, she had gained quite a bit of knowledge of the Fomorian and her interactions. The fact that she had been tied to the bizarre-three armed warrior, her name, the actions they'd been undertaking leading up to her capture...

The Sword Witch took a deep breath. If only it didn't feel like her throat was so raw.

She sighed.

"You may be a Fomorian, but starving a prisoner is something only a monster would do," she said, stepping out of the tub. Her bare feet felt cold on the prison floor, all the moreseo due to the water coating her.

She had to dry off and gather her clothing before the person outside barged in...

"... You'll get something to eat, Cethlann," continued Fio, giving the bound Fomorian a sideways glance, "And maybe I'll pass on a request for a specific meal if you tell me just how you tore away that gag."

@Rune_Alchemist