Persona: Shadows of the Mind

[Unionhack]

Well that's the cool thing about the Arcana, multiple ones can suit the same person. It all just depends on how you interpret it. I still think you guys chose well.

It wouldn't be Persona if we didn't have someone who was Japanese, after all!

Cool, then Saturday it is. Looking forward to it, peeps.

[Rook]

I think I've done this right. I've never had the chance to play any of the games, but they've always seemed interesting.

Hidden:

Name: James Cothran

Age: 16

Nationality: American

Sex: Male

Academic Class: Junior

Campus Involvement: Soccer (Midfielder)

Living Situation: Campus - Lavoie Dormitory

Major Arcana: The Fool

Persona: Phaeton

Strong Element: Fire

Weak Element: Lightning

Appearance: James' hair is dark brown and of medium length, and his eyes vaugely resemble hazel in color. His build is rather long and lanky, and he is sporting a fresh tan from his vacation back home in the States.

Persona Appearance: Phaeton manifests as a handsome youth with "skin" made of tarnished bronze. Phaeton is garbed in a traditional white chiton and rides upon the winged horse, Pyrois, one of the mythical bearers of the sun chariot.

Personality: Though his birth has given James access to opportunities many could only dream of, James neglects to completely avail himself of such benefits. . He spurns the restrictive expectancies that he perceives to be thrust upon him, preferring to strike out on his own path, but in doing so, he fails to have an actual, serious plan for his life. Whatever plans he does formulate are subject to his whimsy. His ambitions are mercurial and his interests are usually limited to simple dabbling. James' grade performance is acceptable, though nothing special and likely worse than they could be if he took his studies more seriously.

James is both friendly and generous, but these virtues are corrupted by his foolishness, allowing others to take advantage of his naivety. He is frequently broke due to his reckless imprudence. However, his family's wealth is often a source of embarassment for him, and he has resolved to keep the true extent of it hidden from his classmates.

Backstory:

Spoiler:

James Cothran was born in California, in the rural area of the San Joaquin Valley. The youngest child of U.S. Congressman George Cothran, the patriarch of an old and wealthy family, James has lived a life of privliege and prosperity, but with great privliege comes great expectations. His older brother is an up-and-coming politician and his older sister is studying for her law degree. Meanwhile, James as earned a reputation as a mercurial neer-do-well and has been in and out of trouble since the 3rd grade. While he's never comitted a serious offence, James' youthful ardor reflects poorly upon his family and his own political prospects, which his father desires for him to achieve. However, James has no interest in pursuing public office or wealth and disdaining the great expectations which have been thrust upon him.

Eventually, James' father decided that moving his son out of the country might cure his chronic foolishness and set his priorities straight. In this way did James Cothran come to Horizon Academy, and it remains to be seen what will prevail: the demands of his family or his own wayward nature.

Items, Possessions: School Uniform, Smartphone, a satchel holding numerous miscellaneous items (pens, pencils, etc.).

Relationships:
George Cothran (Father): A wealthy United States Congressman representing California's 22nd district. He loves his son, but despairs for his recklesness. He wishes for his youngest son to follow in the footsteps of his older siblings, but fears James' lack of seriousness will cripple him.

Mary Cothran: (Mother): The high-school sweetheart and wife of George. She is concerned about James' political future, but disapproves of his devil-may-care attitude. She hopes that he will straighten out with age and distance from his old life.

Robert Cothran: (Brother): The oldest child, Robert takes after his father in his intelligence and ambition and is currently pursuing a position in the state legislature. His relationship with James is strained, as the two are quite unalike.

Angela Cothran (Sister): The middle child of the Cothram family, Angela is pursuing a law degree at Stanford University. Though she is more friendly with James than Robert, her studies keep her too busy for much interaction.

[Unionhack]

Oh snap, welcome aboard! Accepted and added to the roster.

[Cassandra]

The 13th works for me, so long as we start in the afternoon. I work Saturday mornings.

[Unionhack]

Believe me when I tell you I'm probably not going to be awake Saturday morning. :P Afternoon it is, and I won't be posting so fast as to exclude anyone.

[Unionhack]

Spoiler:

SURPRISE EARLY START LOSERS

Okay but on the reals, this is more of a like a pseudo start like I did a couple of years ago with my old Fire Emblem RP. It's just gonna be some character interaction, to get your feet wet before the RP actually starts. Participation is optional, but I just wanted to provide a platform since it's only 3 days away and I'm very excited to see what you guys can do.

Just to be clear; your characters have yet to experience 'Persona' or the other world and haven't an earthly clue what those things are. All will come in time.

Day -1: August 18th

Your bed is a welcome comfort on the night before registrations begin. Having finished your beforehand tasks of signing authorizations, submitting tuition information, and other duties, you lay down to sleep with your mind at ease; or so you thought.

As you lie about and struggle to drift to sleep, an eerie feeling gnaws at the back of your thoughts. Your room, normally a place of safety, begins to feel foreboding and predatory. Suddenly the feeling stops, and you feel at peace as you slip away to unconsciousness. In your barely lucid state, you fail to remember anything about the episode at all...

That was when you began to hear the piano.

YouTube Link

A soft piano melody begins to permeate your dreamlike thoughts. You fight to open your eyelids, and as you manage to bring your surroundings into view, a voice begins to sing in an operatic fashion.

You find yourself in a room sheathed entirely in deep blue. As you gradually come to, you manage to notice certain details of the room. You appear to be sitting in a desk in the middle of a school classroom. Though sparsely decorated, you can notice several things written on the blackboards. Each scribbling appears to be a word, corresponding to a different roman numeral.

0: The Fool
III: The Empress
VI: The Lovers
IX: The Hermit
XI: The Strength
XIV: The Temperance
XVII: The Star

You manage to tear your eyes away from the blackboard, and they fall instead at a figure sitting at a table sheathed in a cloth matching the blue hue of the rest of the room.

The figure is a man of almost comedic proportions, with bulging bloodshot eyes and a nose almost a foot long. He flashes a smile as he notices your attention, and you feel a sudden urgency as you realize that this man somehow knows nearly all there is to know about you.

"Welcome... to the Velvet Room." he speaks as he moves his ever-wide gaze to a crystal ball on his table, lightly stroking it with a gloved hand. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room open only to those who have signed a contract, binding them to the responsibility to their actions."

The apparent master of the Velvet Room gives a soft chuckle as he looks at you and around you. Your gaze follows his, and you notice other shadowy figures, befitting the shape of other human beings your age, sitting in nearby desks. You cannot make out just who they are or if they are even really there as opposed to being illusions of the mind.

"And such a grand number of guests. It is a sight I have not seen in some time." he continues. With the swipe of a hand, seven glowing cards begin to float in the air in a swirling circle. "My name is Igor, and I am the master of this place. It is my duty to oversee your growth, and to nurture your growing potential in the struggles to come."

You try to speak, but find yourself unable to do so; as if your entire body is fighting every ounce of control you have over it. Igor continues to speak. "I am pleased to see that you have taken this first step, but it is only the start of a long road, paved in secrets and hidden intentions. I look forward to seeing just how you face these challenges this coming year."

A sudden wave of lethargy overcomes you, and your vision begins to fade as your hearing begins to dull. Still, you hear Igor chuckle softly once again before bidding his farewell. "However, though your early awakening is a great joy to me, it is not yet time. Return now, and await our next meeting..."

You suddenly jolt awake in your bed, drenched in a cold sweat with the memory of the dream painfully fresh in your mind.

You do not sleep for the remainder of the night.

______________

Day 0: August 19th

Six students sit in a sparsely populated room at Horizon Academy. They have either come with their guardians or by their own volition to receive their class schedules, but due to apparent system error they have been sectioned off to a waiting room to await further instruction. The apparent failure of academic bureaucracy, it would seem...

James Cothran, Maria Parazza, Keira Swanson, Makoto Adiev, Max Delaney, and Kieran Ikeda find themselves situated in this waiting room. Each of them, restless from both a long waiting period and a sleepless night, find their fellow students to be in a similar situation to their own.

Spoiler:

Interact as you will if you want to! Those who don't will be treated as having simply been asleep. You had a rough night, after all...

[Baloth-Kul]

With a sigh of both boredom and exhaustion, Max kicked up his feet onto the armrest of an adjacent chair, now sitting sideways. He lazily brushed a hand through his blonde-and-pink hair. Max's gaze flicked over to Kieran Ikeda, and then up at the ceiling as he laid his head back.

"Uuuuuuugh."

[Aarah]

Keira sat cross-legged on one of the waiting room chairs. She had her phone in hand, scrolling down the screen now and then, as her eyes moved left to right, clearly reading something.
She let out a large yawn, covering her mouth half way through, before returning her sight back down to her phone.

A smile appeared on her face, then a moment later she moved her thumbs as she started to type out a text.

[Pilovv]

Makoto found the emptiest corner of the room, sitting away from everyone, looking as messy as she always did, looking down at the floor, still thinking about the weird dream. Some kid was being noisy... She let her hands rest on her lap.

[The-Shadow-One]

Kieran Ikeda kept his gaze on his phone, widdling away the time as he read on his phone. In particular a book entitled The Meaning of Dreams that slumber last night kept him up, a slightly shakey sigh came from his as he thought on it. "Great first day.."

[Unionhack]

Spoiler:

Here is TSD's character.

Name: Oscar Nigel Tarinson
Age:18
Nationality: British
Sex:Male
Academic Class: Senior
Campus Involvement: Sports (Boxing, Running, Swimming) and History (Warfare).
Living Situation: Martin Dorm
Major Arcana: Strength
Persona: Ares
Strong Element: Physical
Weak Element: Dark
Appearance: Oscar Nigel Tarinson is 5’8ft and of average figure. His face has even features but a bit of a large thin nose. His eyes are yellow and blue.(One yellow, one blue). His hair is always slicked back and is bright red. He is a bit on the pale side.
Persona Appearance: Ares stands at 6’5" and his build is musclar. His entire body is covered in black iron armour and his hair is styled in a tall bright red mohawk with a large beard that has several tied knots in it and reaches his chest. Ares wears a cloak that is dark red with two purple lines running down the middle of it and a white fist crushing a skull as an insignia. His eyes have a slight active glow to them and his voice is deep. Parts of his skin have a bit of a dark red tinge to it.
Personality: Oscar Nigel Tarinson is not afraid to get his hands dirty for the greater good. He has developed a sense of justice and always follows his heart. He is short tempered when it comes to dealing with bullies and can be very harsh. He lacks a sense of humour and can come off as a bit snobby. He finds it hard to make friends due to his blunt manner of speaking. One he purposely developed to break out of his heritage. He prefers to be alone but does not mind speaking to people and is always on the prowl looking to help others. He has lost his taste for material goods as a result of his history.
Backstory: The third son of the wealthy Tarinsons, Oscar was born into wealth and grew up in luxury. All of his needs were met and he was spoiled. The Tarinsons had made their fortune in coal before the mines were shut down and invested their wealth in the stock market. Life was well for Oscar until his 10th Birthday when he got into a fight and it resulted in Oscar being ganged up on by the rest of his brothers. It resulted in a few items being destroyed.

His parents were more annoyed about a priceless 16th century vase being destroyed then the fight and had him packed off to the boarding school as soon as he was old enough. That and they never quite liked how he turned out. They made it clear to him that he would be disowned and would be left to fend for himself once he was of age.

Once he arrived at the school, he slowly turned from a spoiled third son into a somewhat decent person and developed a taste for justice. He often fought bullies and it was common for him to be given detention as a result but it seemed that his heart grew during his time at Horizon and allowed him to become a decent man.
Items, Possessions: Nothing. He owns nothing apart from what is provided by Horzion and dislikes material goods.
Relationships: Oscar hates his family. He has purposefully forgotten the names of his brothers, Trevor, Luke, Alan and Richard. Along with refusing to ever mention or consider attempting to get back to them. His parents, Micheal and Lisa Tarinsons are dead to him.

As the gathered students lounged about in varying degrees of sleepiness, the door opened and another student stepped in; a young man, on the older spectrum of the student body, with slicked red hair and eyes of differing colors. He seemed to be another victim of the scheduling errors, made to spend this portion of his Sunday waiting for further instructions with the others.

[The SheoDovah]

Oscar Nigel Tarinson

Oscar did not care for material goods and always spent his time doing some form of physical activity. Jogging, boxing, staring at the sky. If it was simple and did not involve much, he was often seen doing it. It was common for him to drag an entire assignement out for as long as he could just to pass the time and always roamed the grounds looking for trouble. Not because he liked fighting but to remind bullies that someone was willing to pick on them. Many punches, kicks, insults, crotchpunches had been recieved by him and many times, he dished out the same but in his view, it was the biggest [&@%!] you he could deliver to his family by being a better man.

He was hoping to have spent today sleeping for a majority of it but his schedule had been set and he was rather annoyed about wasting his time. Granted, he had little to nothing to do but that was his choice. He elected to walk to the furthest corner of the room where he could observe everyone.

[Aarah]

Upon the sound of a door opening, Keira looked up to see if it was someone that was going to end their incessant waiting.
But unfortunately, it was just another student.

She watched him for a moment, then finished writing her text.
Her phone was then placed gingerly into her bag, which was wedged between her leg and the arm of the chair.

She yawned again, this time making an audible 'yuuuur' sound at the end. Shifting in her seat, she glanced casually around at the others seated.
This is so boring. Why's it take so long to get a stupid schedule?

[Cassandra]

Maria looked up from her book at the sound of the door. She let out an impatient sigh at the sight of yet another student, but took the interruption as an excuse to look around the room.

I wonder if I'll have classes with any of them... Hopefully not the guy with pink hair; he looks like trouble. That other guy's pretty cute, though.

After giving everyone else in the room a quick once-over, she went back to her reading.

[Pilovv]

Makoto's eye looked over at the door, only for another student to walk in. She was already getting a bad impression. Not wanting to draw any attention, she decided not to make a sigh and went back to staring at the floor until everything was finally sorted out. What a waste of a Sunday.

[The-Shadow-One]

Kieran glanced up, looking at Oscar. He recognised him from swimming. "Yo." He stated simply, making a simple nod before turning his gaze back to his studying on that strange dream last night, rubbing at his eyes.

[Aarah]

In her boredom, Keira discretely checked out each person in the room.
A funky lounger, a scruffy wallflower, a flame-haired vampire, a tanned señor, a señorita, and a kid. School diversity at its finest.

She looked around the room.
"Would it kill them to have a soda machine in here?" She directed her question to those seated closest to her.

[Pilovv]

But who are the people close to her? Either way, Makoto just kept her head down and stayed silent.

She just wanted to get her schedule so she could leave and go back to her dorm room. As per usual, the other students in the room liked to make plenty of noise. She didn't get it. She shuffled in her chair, a little bit closer to the wall.

[The SheoDovah]

Oscar Nigel Tarinson

Oscar saw Kieran's nod and nodded back. He continued to the furtherest corner of the room to observe everyone and if need be, beat up any bullies. Something he hoped he would not need to do but his view on people was a bit mixed.

[Cassandra]

Hidden:

I'm just assuming that this señorita is sitting near Keira.

Maria looked up at the sound of Keira's voice.

"I know, right? They aren't giving us the best first impression, just now."

[Aarah]

Keira grinned at Maria, glad to at least have someone to talk to to break up the silence of the room.
"They're probably off getting coffee or something, til one of them shouts 'oh my god, we forgot about those kids!'"
She held her hands up dramatically, speaking a little too loudly for a waiting room.

[Cassandra]

"I wouldn't be surprised," Maria chuckled. "So, what grade are you in?"

[Aarah]

"So, I'm a senior this year." Keira said with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Top of the school mountain, ready to fly off into the world next year."
She brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"I want to be a psychologist, so I'm hoping my grades are okay this year, so...might have to buckle down, but, you know, it's senior year...I don't want to be a bookish Betty the whole time, right?"

"How bout you?"

[Baloth-Kul]

Max briefly eyed both Keira and Maria as the two spoke. 'Soda'. That one's American, I'd bet. Other one's probably one of those large-and-in-charge sorts, but at least they're both more interesting than the furniture.

He stretched further back, craning his neck over the armrest of the other chair adjacent to him. With people secluding themselves away in corners or on their cellphones, there were few enough people to harass--well, or he could bug them anyway.

"What up, nerd?" Max asked lightheartedly of Kieran, looking at him upside down.

Hidden:

Basically him rn, except spilling across three chairs.

[Cassandra]

Maria glanced over at the sound of Max's voice, then returned her eyes to Keira.

"Oh, psychology. I'm looking into something similar, myself; social work. But I've got a little while, yet. I'm still a junior."

Hidden:

Other one's probably one of those large-and-in-charge sorts

You'd better not call her that to her face.