personavelvetroomdr | Entries tagged with user: willowandoak

[A message appears on the network one morning, not long after a certain Ren appears.

Not long after it goes up, some parts are edited out.]

Attention, "Crow" and "Joker." With the arrival of my Ren, we formally challenge you over your precious codenames. Let us prove to you that we are the ones worthy of the titles, while you are mere variations from a simpler, happier world. despite the power you wield. You may have seniority within this space, but we were forged in the fires of our hardships and have emerged on the other side of Maruki's reality. You two have likely grown soft from your domesticity. Perhaps you'll find us worthy opponents after all this stagnation. They say the spirit of competition can bring out one's best and their worst.

[Is it bold to proclaim the challenge over the network? Yes. But he'd have it no other way, really. Everyone deserves to know how serious they are.]

As for the rest of you, I'd like to start a little bonding exercise. Tell me something about yourself, and I'll tell you something about me in turn. Won't that be fun?

[It should be a simple way to start and prove that he's just as capable of "bonding" as Ren is.]

[ooc: Original parts of the message in strikethrough, with the edits after, if you want your character to have seen the original version.]

paradisefraught

Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.

Akira, holding onto the train pole with one hand, fishes out his phone. It's that one group chat again, huh...he swipes at it, getting the ghost notifications off his screen. Futaba won't let him leave it, even though like, half the messages are just random blank texts...and she was weird about it...it's part of her software testing, right?

The train rumbles. His phone buzzes. The world settles.

Right. The metal is cold against his left palm; he can feel it through the leather. Futaba likes programming. She does this kind of thing all the time. Isshiki-san isn't here to rein her in. She's on a business trip. Futaba misses her.

Buzz, buzz. Bu--

Missing your parents...Akira can't relate. If anything, his dad, Takuto...nah. Akira loves his dad.

Hey, dad. I'm on the train right now. Can you imagine a world where everyone who needed one could always get a seat? That's part of your research, right?

Hazy memories of toddling around an academic conference, youngest there by far, researchers taking an interest in such a young kid, and--

Message not sent. Retry?

Huh? Akira taps the retry button.

Nothing happens.

Maybe...the metro has iffy wi-fi connection sometimes, doesn't it? He just needs to get off the train and...

The room is blue. It's so blue. His lone gloved hand, grasping nothing, falls limp by his side.

This...isn't the train station.

shakenit

Well, since no one else has staked a claim to it, I guess I'll be Violet. I'm the new Sumire. You won't catch me putting my hair in that high ponytail any time soon, but I do sometimes braid it.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news in the middle of the holiday season, and this probably won't surprise many of you, but: Midnight-san is a hit in the Nav. I don't know her well enough to determine anything other than that.

I'm given to understand there are more urgent matters, and that's perfectly fine - when the time comes, I want to be there for Midnight-san like my friends at home were there for me, but to be able to do that, I need some training with my Persona. I've experienced about half of a proper battle before we had to change tactics, and I don't think we'll be cooking our way out of this one. If anyone would be willing to train with me, I'd greatly appreciate it; I'll try not to slow you down too much.

In the meantime, some advice for talking to Midnight-san until we can get her out of Dr. Maruki's fog: Don't use our names. I can speak from experience that she's likely incapable of hearing them properly - in the thick of it, I was Kasumi, and my dead sister was Sumire, no matter what anyone said to the contrary. She's likely to be applying that filter to everyone else's experiences as well. She did actually recognise me as myself, which could be because I'm not trying to mimic Kasumi's style anymore.

I don't know if I got through to her at all, or if I just made things worse, but from the looks of those notes she left on the board, 'better' is a long way off anyway.

vrdr_mods

In the morning, residents will receive a message on their phones, computers, or via a letter with a butterfly-shaped seal.

It reads:

To celebrate this time of giving and togetherness, our Master has set up a desk for you all to submit your deepest desires! We cannot grant every wish, as some are out of our hands or pose too great a risk to the safety of your fellow guests. With that being said, our Master will do everything he can to make your holiday dreams come true. So come one, come all! Let good tidings warm your hearts! Sincerely, Theodore

Those who venture into the Velvet Room will find a box on Igor's desk, with the image of Santigor's face. Igor himself is dressed festively for the occasion, and he's left a stack of paper and pens with instructions.

He may or may not be forthcoming, but he will be cordial to all who speak with him. Should a wish fail, you will get as many chances as needed to settle upon an appropriate wish, but just one. The Christmas magic must be shared, after all!

Additionally, the various locations throughout the doors are seeing lovely snowfall and Christmas lights. Isn't it cozy?

[[ooc: Welcome to this year's Christmas Event! To give fair warning, not all wishes will be granted:

No bringing others in, or sending anyone home.
No harm to others or to oneself. Sorry, all y'all.
No bestowing godly powers, though varying one's Persona abilities (within normal parameters, such as gaining an upgrade, or even gaining a key to the Velvet Room, for wildcards only) is on the table, as are new Personas.
No weapons that aren't in line with ordinary in-game weapons—so yes, you can have a cool sword or gun with a cool buff or debuff, but no, you can't have an atom bomb to use on Igor.

If a character cannot write, they may wish by speaking to the box. If a character also cannot speak (hi, Koromaru), they may wish simply by focusing on the box.

For more info, refer to the OOC post.

If you submit a refused wish, the box will glow a sad blue, and Igor will be amused/unimpressed, as you see fit. You may submit wishes until one is accepted. Remember that characters in-game as of this post, who do not use their wish in this event, will wake on the morning of the 25th with a Wish Token on their person. The Wish Token is a version of Jose's star, identical in every detail, which can be activated at a later time and place of your choosing, for one Wish of the sort that would have been accepted by the box. Characters will not know in advance that this will happen, so no hoarding wishes.

Merry Christmas, season's greetings, and behave yourselves. ~~Probably~~]]

unit_8910_wolf

This place was...peculiar.

And that said a lot when Wolf was sure that he would never have to deal with absurdity again. A world enveloped by the shadows, riddled in the corpses of humanity itself where each day felt like their last. If it weren't for the chrome running underneath his skin, he isn't sure he would have lived more than a day breathing in the morning air without a gas mask and a gun because you never know when you can make eye contact with a shadow waiting to cannabalize away your very existence.

The worst part? That shadow could have worn the face of someone you lost in tragedy and more often than not- the tragic ones always stayed behind. Groaning within the lumps of black that crawled the abandoned earth.

Zenkichi didn't choose this.

And yet. Yet he had to live with it.

"There is an over-abundance of wildcards here. We need to get out of here so I can tamper with the network and narrow them down."

"Interesting," he raises a brow as he looks ahead at Igor. "Sure. This place isn't defined by time or matter. Makes sense. Reminds me of my service with PubSec." He scoffs as he gets up from the sofa and takes a look at the board.

"Unit #8910: we need to get to work. Stop loitering around ugh-"

"...someone took wolf."

Choice A: Going out In a Bang

It was business as usual at Big Bang Burger that nestled in the busy corners of Central Street. A faint hum of cheery but repetitive background music plays over the speakers, filling the air alongside the subtle sizzle of patties on the grill and the hiss of soda machines.

A small group of high school students in uniforms sits at one of the tables near the window. They chatter loudly about upcoming exams, one of them stabbing at the pile of fries on his tray absentmindedly. Nearby, an office worker in a wrinkled suit hunches over a single coffee, scrolling through his phone with tired eyes. He barely touches his half-eaten burger.

Zenkichi Hasegawa—Wolf—stood in the entryway, a man out of time and place. His long, tattered tailcoat swayed faintly as the overenthusiastic air conditioning washed over him, kicking up a faint ripple of dust from the folds. He adjusted the black tassels of his sleeves absentmindedly, but his gait faltered as his visor-like console headset flickered with low hums of static—clearly straining to process the normalcy of this environment.

His sharp, calculating gaze swept over the patrons, lingering a beat too long. It was the sheer volume of people that unsettled him. Teenagers laughing. Workers existing. No one was screaming, no one was running for their lives. There weren’t any shadows hunched in the corners, whispering, or disfigured corpses left as grim reminders of what was lost. For someone who had spent years surviving in a wasteland where every movement could mean death, the packed yet blissfully mundane Big Bang Burger felt... claustrophobic.

His fingers twitched at his side. His weaponized arm was so used to pulling triggers that, for a moment, he almost scanned the room for hostiles.

“—No threats detected.”

The voice crackled softly in his ear, artificial and sweet. Akane’s voice—or, at least, the AI approximation of it. Damn Kirijo Group.

“Dad. Stop staring. You look like you’re about to vaporize a middle-schooler.”

Zenkichi blinked and scowled, tearing his gaze away from a startled teenage girl who was gripping her milkshake a little too tightly. He adjusted his collar in a gruff, performative way that didn’t fool anyone.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered under his breath. “Not my fault. I haven’t seen this many people in one place who aren’t trying to eat me alive.”

Slowly, cautiously, Zenkichi made his way to the counter. His steps were deliberate, too heavy, the clink of reinforced plating under his boots far too ominous for a place that offered combo deals. As he approached, he realized something bizarre: the crowd was... moving for him.

What the hell? Was he that intimidating? Patrons shifted nervously, parting like the Red Sea to let him through, avoiding eye contact as if he might detonate on sight. He tilted his head in confusion, throwing a hesitant glance over his shoulder.

“You, uh...” Zenkichi cleared his throat awkwardly. “No, you can go ahead. Don’t mind me.”

A young man in a suit and tie froze mid-step, locking eyes with him like a deer caught in headlights before shaking his head vigorously and darting back to his seat.

Zenkichi sighed. Great. Even in a world of synthetic peace, he was still the guy no one wanted to stand near.

“Oh my god, fine—fine, I’ll go ahead!” he grumbled loudly, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. “More burgers for me.”

His attempt at casual bravado was undercut by the sheer awkwardness of the moment, but he pushed forward, squinting at the glowing digital menu above the counter. Rows of pixelated burgers, fries, and soda flashed in neon brilliance, the cheerful cartoon mascot cheerily suggesting combo upgrades.

Zenkichi stared.

And stared.

And stared.

Choice B:

Tatsumi Port Island

The iconic architecture of Tatsumi Port Island felt pristine yet desolate, as if frozen just after a day’s end. Zenkichi wandered the eerily clean streets where not a single person remained—save for the massive Ferris wheel at the harbor, its lights flashing on and off, turning slowly despite the lack of power. He stood at its base, hands on his hips. “Yup. Definitely haunted,” he muttered before Akane’s voice chirped in his ear:

“Wild energy spike, Dad. Try the school grounds.”

He sighed loudly, trudging off. “High schools again? That’s where we’re looking for saviors of humanity? At least back in my day, kids weren’t summoning gods between exams.”

Still...this place was the basis of his company, wasn't it?

Choice C: NETWORK

Hello everyone,

I’m the 47th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, model "Unhuman." My unit's designation is #8910-Wolf, but if you want a nickname, you can just call me Wolf. Though, don't get too excited. Someone else already took that one. So, just to keep it simple, you can call me Zenkichi Hasegawa.

Now, judging from the looks of things, I wouldn't be surprised if there are other versions of me running around here. Not that I’m thrilled about it, but you never know with these kinds of situations. Used to work as a cop in the Public Safety Bureau... but not anymore, so don't go looking for some kind of badge-wielding vigilante. I read another guy getting butchered for exactly that so- let’s keep things civil, alright?

As for this place... I’ll be blunt: I’m still wrapping my head around just how bizarre this all is. It’s not exactly normal, and while I get why some of you might not be thrilled with my presence here, I’m not here to stir up trouble. So long as you don’t provoke me, I won’t be doing the same.

But listen up—the number of teenagers with multiple Personas running around? Yeah, I’m seriously concerned about that. It's one thing to be a kid, but to have this much power at that age? Wildcards in our world were people who had been trained years on end to perfect their personas and we have rare instances of them in my world. It makes me nervous. Not gonna lie.

One more thing: if anyone here has that EMMA app, do yourselves a favor and delete it. Trust me on this one. Where I’m from, that thing led to some serious hell for humanity. It’s part of why we ended up where we did, and I'm not about to let it happen again. Just... delete it, alright?

Anyway, I’ll leave it at that. Just don’t expect me to be a walking charity, but I’m not looking to start fights either.

Unit #8910: Zenkichi Hasegawa

tieflinglovers

They had just finished a gig for an informant and were on their way home. She closed her eyes for just a moment and then everything was blue. This was weird, even for the crew she normally kicks it with. Ann pulls out a copper wire and tries casting a message, but it seems that nobody can hear.

Hm. Okay. Time to look around on her own then.

Others can find her

A) At the conspiracy board

She finds the board in this strange blue room, but very little of it means anything to her. Personas? Multiple names? Tartarus? Metaverse? This isn't helping at all.

B)In Tokyo

The next place is much more disorienting. The buildings here tower above her, there are all kinds of dancing lights, there's some kind of metal carriages, and the people don't look like they're really people. Wherever she was, Ann was a long way from home.

dweebtective

Katsuya did not expect to return to the Velvet Room any time soon. They had defeated Nyarlathotep. Peace had returned to the world. He'd even reconnected with his brother on This Side, and though it was bittersweet knowing he had to part with the Tatsuya of the Other Side, he could only wish the best for his brother's parallel self.

But now, here he is, and the Velvet Room seems... different this time. Where are the Demon Painter, Nameless and Belladonna? Not to be rude, he lets Igor explain himself, but...

"I'm afraid I don't understand. Is the world in crisis again? You speak as though this is another parallel world..."

So is it the Other Side, or something else?

Igor simply chuckles, gesturing to the nearby board. "Perhaps this board will provide the answers you seek..."

"Understood. Thank you." And so Katsuya begins his investigation...

( Prompts below the cut! )

willowandoak

[ The following initial paragraph is added on December 19th, following Zenkichi's arrival. ]
NOTICE TO ALL NEWCOMERS: SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT AMADA, THE PLANNING, AND THE SITUATION EXCEPT IN THIS POST. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, ASK THEM HERE AND SOMEONE WILL ANSWER THEM. FOR FUCK'S SAKE *DON'T ASK PUBLICLY WHAT WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT IN LOCKED POSTS* hey everyone (except amada and kiddos) in case any of you aren't aware of the situation, one of the ken amadas killed falcon a couple days ago, then made a network post threatening the rest of us. so obv we need to neutralize him i made my own post to collect ideas abt how to do that. this is part 2, and i'm gonna update this one with new info so pls save it and come back to it ( info within )

gorobo

[CW: death, robotic gore]

Despair, the last thing he feels before death claims him. Falcon thought he could do it- seal away the evil he'd seen in this tape, it's what he was made for, after all.

But in the end, he was too weak. He was overwhelmed- destroyed in one single attack.

All that is left is some pieces of burnt scrap metal near the top level of Mementos, unrecognizable for what they once were.

------

Not long after the chaos of the memory tapes, a glow appears in the Velvet Room. At first, it doesn't look like much- it's hard to even tell what it is. Slowly but surely, however, wires, circuits, and other mechanical parts become discernible, though it still takes a long time before anything truly recognizable becomes apparent. Falcon's naked circuitry renders him barely identifiable, almost Terminator-like, a rather gruesome image without his mesh to hide all the machinery underneath.

At his desk, Igor's grinning, as always, although next to him is a frowning Margaret. She looks concerned as she watches the slowly regenerating body, her arms crossed, her spine straight.

"... This cannot continue," she says, "we still don't know how he got in. We gave him a chance, but..."

Igor hums, closing his buldging eyes.

"It seems we will need to take other measures." His eyes open again. "Margaret, if you please."

"Of course," she says, and turns around to leave.

Igor stays in his seat, watching as Falcon slowly regenerates from nothing.

warped_ken_amada

[Soon after a dead Falcon appears in the Velvet Room...]

I have observed this dimensional crossroads and I have been disappointed. So many of you have been blessed with great individual power, the ability to change the world, and you all squander it. Wake up! The world you are living in is based on nothing but lies! The "rules" and "morality" are not necessary things to live in society, but cowardly artifices used by weak men to exploit others despite their lack of strength! The root of everything, what allows you to take action, what arbitrates conflicts, is power. Even the modern societies of lies are based upon it! They rely on the collective power of the masses to uphold their rotten structure! But we are beyond that. A new age is beginning. The old world is dying, and a newer, fairer world dawns! The collective power of the masses which has allowed such perversion is weaker than our own individual, gifted power! Break the shackles of the old societies! Tear them apart! Rebuild them anew, under the rule of strength, as they were always meant to be! You who are gifted with strength, take your righftul places as rulers! Or oppose me if you wish, but be aware that I am in a league of my own. Your robotic friend thought himself strong, and look what happened to him. In the end, you are my inferiors. Keep that in mind, and we should get along fine.

vrdr_mods

On the morning of November 21st, denizens in the Velvet Room will awake to a message on their phones or by their bedsides in an envelope. Perhaps even on their computer screens.

Greetings! If you've received this message, then you've been selected as a participant in a new activity to strengthen bonds within this community. In order to facilitate connections with your fellow residents, we advise you to watch this video. Watch it and return the tape to its rightful owner. If you lacked the means to watch VHS tapes before, we have provided you with the necessary equipment. Failure to do so may put your own memories at risk. Do not be selfish, lest you find yourself struggling to recall crucial moments of your life. You have no way of knowing which memories have been shared, so ask yourself if it is worth the risk to selfishly hoard another's secrets.

They will soon find a VHS tape, with a case that gives off a soft, blue glow to symbolize its importance. If they lack a TV or VCR, they will find one in their living space.

What they do is up to them, but they should heed the warning, if they value their own memories.

[For links to characters' memories, please see this post in the OOC comm. Have fun!]

fogboundcrow

This is a matter of urgency. Do you, or do you not, believe that Featherman is relevant enough in the collective cognition to manifest as Personas? It stands to reason that it's possible, doesn't it? It's a long-lasting tokusatsu franchise that has touched the hearts and minds of children across generations. There are some Personas with utterly abhorrent forms. Completely obscene, even. Ergo, I don't think it's too much to ask for a Persona based on heroic symbols of justice.

youngestdawn

need to know for science

fogboundcrow

[A network post appears the day after the party.]

I'm worried about Crow. He needs help, but he won't admit it. He gives so much to other people and takes very little for himself. I feel like something needs to be done, but I'm not sure what I can do. It seems as though he needs a task, a goal. Something to stay focused. There's likely a deeper reason for why he exerts himself so extensively, but I don't know enough to say with certainty. If you don't like him, keep your opinions to yourself. This isn't a space to air your grievances. I'm trying to be constructive. EDIT: I just realized concealing this post from Crow was futile due to our memory link, so I'm removing the lock.

vrdr_mods

On the morning of August 9th, everyone will receive an invitation to a special get-together on the Nav.

It reads, "In honor of a year of bonds and irreplaceable memories, you are humbly invited to celebrate amongst your community. Dress as you like, and take pride in your personal progress. We even have awards to celebrate the tremendous growth of our residents."

Those who pass through the Velvet Room today will find themselves in a wide, grand ballroom not unlike the Halloween Party. There's a grand buffet of all manner of foods, both simple and lavish, as well as a multi-tiered cake with a plastic number 1 on top, such as you see on birthday cakes.

A wall can be found with a list of awards for characters and corresponding medals and trophies for them to take, should they so choose, such as Most Improved, Kindest, or whatever suits them the most—or perhaps they've received no award at all.

Bright and obnoxious banners and decorations hang overhead that say, 'HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!'

There's a dance floor, chairs for sitting and enjoying the atmosphere, and no shortage of activities, from a ballpit full of Gorbs, Rorbs, and Hee-horbs to a number of quirky arcade games and miscellaneous activities. Pin the nose on the Igor? Whack-a-Shido? Feel free to make up your own shenanigans.

Who knows? Perhaps you'll even meet a few unexpected guests.

[OOC: Happy anniversary, everyone! To celebrate, have a cute party mingle. We'll also have a thread where guest characters can show up. This is a great way to invite friends who may wanna see if they click with the community or to throw in characters just for fun, if you so choose.]

rookandhound

SETTLING IN
It's been an adjustment

Throughout the month of August, Wolf and Rookmon were going to be taking their time settling in. A place in Inaba had been selected- near the outskirts of town, with a porch overlooking the forested mountains, its size relatively small. It'd been fairly covered in wireless receivers and tech ~~stolen~~borrowed from Tokyo, the natural look of the place perhaps spoiled somewhat-

But for the time being, it seemed, this was home, and the pair could often be found, if they weren't inside, wandering Inaba, occasionally making visits to some of the shops in town to recover items of interest, or the occasional grocery run. He was even making inroads to acquiring a garden- though admittedly, he had no idea how to start doing that, and the project was currently in the 'dig up a big corner of the yard' phase.

RAIN
For some reason I think of home

It was early August, and pissing down rain. Some people would take that as an invitation to stay inside, watch television, maybe read a book. Instead, for reasons indiscernible to mere mortals, Wolf had chosen today, of all days, to stand perched on a rock in the middle of the Samegawa, holding a spear and watching the surface of the water like a hawk.

Rookmon, for his part, was maintaining a fire under a tree near the bank, seemingly quite content. Some modern conveniences had been observed- a beach umbrella had been commandeered to keep the rain off the fire- but it was, overall, quite the low-tech affair.

SPITE
Seriously thinking about doing a crime

Some days, though, he could be found in Chiyoda, apparently attempting to bore a hole through the National Diet Building with his eyes alone.

This was, of course, only a temporary state of affairs. By the middle of the month, he'd stopped with his weekly contemplations of the Diet Building, and by the end of it- it was in ruins. In the middle of the night, apparently, someone had come by and not so much blown up the building as disassembled it. The stone had been shattered, the wood all burned and steel or glass left molten or twisted beyond recognition, cars nearby smoking wreckage and barely half of the building even left recognizable.

The building was in the process of putting itself back together, of course, but that didn't stop it from looking as though a pissed-off kaiju had taken offense to its presence.

For some reason, in his day to day routine, Wolf seemed a lot happier, afterwards.

paysforall

Just out of interest -

Has anyone other than myself and the Ren who blew up part of Shinjuku some months back been doing any significant experiments on the cognitive properties of this space? If so, have you found out anything interesting?

I know there were a group of you training in that tower in Iwatodai, but did you find anything there of interest, or just Shadows to beat up?

For newer arrivals: Hello, this is Shrike, comparative senior citizen of whatever we're calling this place. I come and go, unlike most everyone else, on account of my job. It seems like it's been a few months again, though I did get a few updates on my phone while I was away.

And before you ask: I don't go home under my own power, much less have the ability to send you back. Sorry. Don't sign contracts with strange demigods unless you know what you're getting yourself into, and, in general, try not to die.

number_one_phan

“Oh come on, how did I manage to lose him this time?” Mishima pouted to himself as he continued down the alley he swore he saw Akechi disappear in. He must have gotten turned around somewhere though because the only door he was able to pass through lead him to a mysterious room decked all in blue and in the center sat a strange man with a disconcerting grin on his face.

“Velvet Room?” He parroted back, not really understanding what all of this meant. “W-wait between dream and reality?” His voice cracked in a way that made him cringe. Did he hit his head or something? He wasn’t sleeping just a minute ago… “But you don’t understand, sir! I have to get back right away. There is something important I need to do!” He tried explaining, but the mysterious man only chuckled at him and explained he should focus on making ‘bonds with others’, as if any new bonds could possibly outweigh the bond between him and Kurusu.

This was getting him no where, so after another minute of shock. “I need to get back out.” He repeated, turning to the door he had come through only for him to end up in the same exact room! Ok, he definitely had to be dreaming. If that was the case he didn’t have much choice but to go through one of the offered doors. But which one?

He hesitated before the row, but ultimately walked through the one that seemed most familiar. He couldn’t say why one door in particular felt that way, it was just a gut reaction. Kurusu had said he needed to follow his instincts more, rather than ignore them.

~~~

Suddenly Mishima found himself back in the familiar streets of Shinjuku. “Thank goodness.” He let out a relieved sigh. Before he even took a breath in again he had his phone out, checking to see if he had missed anything dire. But no….no messages still. That was probably a good thing. Next he moved like clockwork to check the Phansite, in case anyone had a problem the Phantom Thieves absolutely needed to look into. It wouldn’t load. He refreshed the page, still nothing. Mishima sighed again, this time in annoyance as he was forced to go into his settings to turn off the wifi. There wouldn’t be anything he was connected to out here, he needed his 5G. But there was no 5G, there was no signal at all.

He let out a shameless scream.

How was he supposed to run the Phansite if he couldn’t get signal in the most well connected city in the country? He turned his phone off and back on again as he hurried towards home. Still no signal. Now though, the tech addicted teen noticed a new app on his home screen. One he knows he never downloaded himself. Curious, he opened it and was officially welcomed to the MetaNav.

From the looks of it, it was some sort of directions app but one that oddly seemed more focused on the bonus chat functions it had to offer. As if it was trying to be a message app as well. Oh well, at least it loaded quickly.

[Hello? Sorry new to this app v_v||| is anyone else in Tokyo experiencing a signal outage? This app works, but nothing else will]

rookandhound

Just for my own curiosity. Ages of everyone and how long you've been here. Apparently some of you have returned, so who's done that and come back?

shatteredtrickster

Akira's eyes fluttered open. He found himself staring at a familiar blue ceiling, one he had seen a dozen times. In truth, he wasn't surprised. How long had it been since he had last been summoned to the Velvet Room? If his memory was correct, it was the day before Akechi sold him and his team out...

Yet as he pushed himself up to his feet, he'd notice the lack of metal hitting metal or the stale smell that accompanied his usual prison cell. It... wasn't even a cell at all, not anymore. Though the layout of the Velvet Room was the same, there were no bars keeping him hostage. A single glance down allowed him to take in his altered attire; instead of being clad in rags suiting a prisoner, he had taken up the guise of his rebellious form. Perhaps this was due to the nature of his heart changing? Certainly Igor would explain. Looking up, Akira awaited an explanation, but the voice he heard from the long-nosed man was entirely foreign to him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room..." Igor began, speaking as if this were their first meeting. Akira saw none of the familiarity he expected of Igor, nor did he spot Caroline or Justine, who had always accompanied him before. As he took a few steps out of his 'cell', Akira took in the sight of five doors behind Igor. One called out to him; it was familiar, but it had been a while since he had laid eyes on that particular door. The door to Leblanc...

The others he couldn't pin down. A door adjacent felt familiar, but in a nostalgic way. It reminded him of home.

"If you have any concerns about the world from which you have come..." Igor continued as Akira turned his attention back to his guide. So, this was another world entirely. He needed answers. Besides the doors, what caught his eye was a board far too haphazard to be Igor's doing. He could see writing pinned to it. If Akechi were here, certainly he'd be able to figure out what had happened in an instant. But for now, however, Akira found himself alone.

Option 1: Akira approached the Conspiracy Board, gaze trailing across the various notes. There had to be something of use here...

Option 2: The best course of action would be to reunite with Akechi. Hopefully, that would be his Akechi, but even another version of him from another world should have some inkling of what was going on. Approaching the door to Tokyo, he'd step inside, finding himself on Central Street, dressed in his usual summer attire.

Option 3: Akira's eyes couldn't leave the door beside his own. Despite the pull of information or the desire to reunite with his one ally, he wanted to ease the curiosity in his heart. Opening the door to Inaba, he only felt his nostalgia growing stronger as the smells and sounds from his childhood spilled out. With one more step, he was through, unknowingly in a new time. His outfit returned to normal, becoming his typical summer outfit. Now where would his curiosity lead him...?