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Persona :: New Arcana
Welcome to Persona :: New Arcana! A Persona RPG site!
Welcome to New Arcana!
Welcome, Welcome! You've probably guessed by now, but this is a text-based Persona RPG site for Atlus fans, by Atlus fans. If you're new to Shin Megami Tensei, this place can still be for you, so no need to dash towards the doors! Your first stop should be the introduction board so we can introduce ourselves. Then right after that, feel free to go through our vital information to get a good feel of the site. We hope you enjoy your stay, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to post them here. Ciao!
Shin Megami Tensei and Persona belong to ATLUS. We own nothing, and have simply used their data to create a world of our own. They are the true geniuses behind the scenes.
Asteria "I have no interest in your justice or your freedom. I fight for those dear to me, not ideals."
The Biography
Birth Name: Asteria Evans Aliases: N/A Gender: Female Age: 31 Birth Day: July 16th Arcana: Empress Place of Residence: Vista Square Academy Semester: Teacher Class:
Sorority: N/A
Part/Full Time Job: Asteria is a government-employed scientist. In addition, she teaches demonology at Seven Stars Academy and is a Cadet on standby.
Appearance: Asteria's style and attire are rather... eccentric. She wears a zipperless black and purple coat which stretches all the way down to her feet, a white collared shirt with a pale red tie, some pointy black shoes, and a pair of opaque glasses with purple contact lens covering her naturally blue eyes underneath (both worn in spite of the fact that she has seemingly no vision problems whatsoever). She possesses long, blonde hair which reaches down to about her upper back, and atop her head rests a strange black hat that's actually her demon weapon. This hat of hers is half of the reason why she continues to sport this style; by dressing in such odd clothing, she makes the weapon stand out less than it would normally, thus allowing her to hide it in plain sight under the guise of just being another part of a weirdo's fashion statement. The other motivation she has for it is much less practical: she simply enjoys seeing the confused, amusing look on people's faces when they meet her for the first time.
As for height and weight, she's 5'6 and and weighs about 119 pounds.
Picture:
Alternate Appearance: N/A
Personality: At first glance Asteria's a very cold person. She doesn't seem to display much emotion and is downright stoic at times. No matter how bad things get or how desperate the people around her are, she always seems to remain calm and detached, rarely ever showing any signs of being fazed by the recent events and happenings across the city. As they say however, you can't judge a book by its cover. At her core, Asteria is a very caring and compassionate individual, perhaps even to a fault.
While it is true that she shows little in the way of warmth or jovial spirit, this isn't out of disdain or some kind of distrust of the people around her. The exact reasons why she tends to act this way aren't particularly consistent and vary from circumstance to circumstance, but there are a few universal reasons which apply to almost every situation. For starters, she's very much a professional person and focuses heavily on her work, much to the expense of her social life. As someone who spends almost her time attending to the duties and tasks of her career, she doesn't have much time to spare making idle chit-chat with the people around her and finds that acting the way she does usually keeps them from pestering or otherwise distracting her. Aside from that, there's also the notion of tough love: sometimes coddling a person can do more harm than good to them and Asteria is fully aware of that. As a very maternal person, she finds it considerably difficult to resist the desire to try and "fix" the problems in other people's lives head-on, so in an attempt to counteract that instinct she tries to place some figurative distance between herself and her friends.
Most of all though, there are the darker reasons. Much of the work Asteria does is... shall we say, far from pleasant, and the nature of those seedier, more secretive tasks she carries out has led her to develop a deep-seated sense of self-loathing. While she sees no other option and carries them out without hesitance, she still feels guilt for her actions nevertheless and thinks herself unworthy of most people's company. And that's not even beginning to mention the possibility that the person she's talking to one second could potentially end up being her next target or an enemy terrorist. Thus while she doesn't attempt to completely abstain from a social life (humans are social creatures after all), she does try to minimize her interactions with those around her and avoid displaying too much emotion.
Though this lifestyle might be (rightfully) seen as a sad way to live, it's not as if her existence is constant misery. Asteria takes joy primarily in the little things in life: a wry sense of humor, her daughter's morning smile, the look on a student's face when they see a passing grade on their test after a long night of studying, etc. Mellow might not be the right word to describe her, but she's certainly very down-to-earth, and after years spent devoting her life to a cause that ultimately amounted to nothing, she can't help but cherish the smaller things which so many often neglect. It's these things which keep her anchored, which help remind in her darkest moments why she keeps pressing on, why she doesn't just simply give up and abandon it all. In increasingly chaotic and tense times, she finds herself wishing that others too could understand the beauty in the mundane and ordinary.
Although many in Endymion despise demons for the destruction caused during the Eternal Divide, Asteria is one who begs to differ (though not openly of course). While she has no particular love for them, she doesn't have any innate hatred or disdain for them either. She believes that they act and behave entirely according to instinct, treating the subject mostly with apathy and a little bit of purely scientific interest, though the more coherent and intelligible demons can make her second-guess herself on this theory of hers.
In her youth, she was an incredibly curious sort, always eager to figure out how devices work and to try to discover new uses for them. An insatiable lust for knowledge drove her in everything she did and she consumed information as eagerly as megalomaniacal CEOs in charge of mysterious corporations consume gods. While that passion gradually diminished as time went on, the fire of curiosity still burns brightly inside her (even if it does give off less light than before).
In the end, Asteria is a complex individual with many facets to her personality, and summing up her entire identity isn't exactly an easy task. However, these are a few of her defining traits, as well as some of her most noticeable. Truthfully, this is who she is deep down.
The Potential
Strengths: (Anything your character is skilled in, such as Martial Arts/ Drawing/ etc? You are allowed a maximum of five strengths and a minimum of three.)
—Strength Name: The Art Science of War —Description: Unlike normies who may only attack once with their soulbound weapon, Asteria can attack twice with it in a single turn thanks to quick-thinking and some basic combat training.
—Strength Name: Unquantifiable IQ —Description: Asteria's a naturally bright woman who had an excellent education which familiarized her with multiple different subjects and fields. As a result, she's a very knowledgeable person and can typically be relied on when the problem is an intellectual issue or challenge. [Asteria starts at rank 2 intelligence.]
—Strength Name: Azaptable —Description: Asteria has spent a lot of time around elecricity. She knows how dangerous it can be thanks to this and takes certain precautions when dealing with electrical attacks (even ones of a supernatural nature). She takes 10% less damage from Zio skills as a result.
—Strength Name: Doggo Enthusiast —Description: Asteria has a wide and vast array of useless trivia about dog breeds. She also has a bunch of gifs of dogs saved to her smartphone and by calling upon their mystical power can derail an awkward, unpleasant, or otherwise unwanted conversation.
—Strength Name: Researcher —Description: Asteria is in charge of a small, inconspicuous research facility in the Backlight where some interesting items are produced. It's not necessarily a shop in the traditional sense of the word, but there are some products and services there that can be purchased by the curious or savvy consumer.
----- ((A floating Strength is a strength you've gained inRP. For example, if you were on a Kendo team for some time, you'd naturally know Kendo which is where this strength would come in. However, be aware, it will not be as strong as any of your actual strengths and is a small plus)
—Floating Strength Name: —Description:
Weaknesses: (You must have the same amount of weaknesses as strengths. These weaknesses pertain to you and not your Persona. IE: Physically Weaker, lack of attention span, etc.)
—Weakness Name: Stoic —Description: As mentioned before, Asteria isn't the most expressive person in most cases (deliberately so). While her words may hold logical weight to them, it can be difficult to properly express her feelings and thoughts through them, at least in a way that others can understand and empathize with. [The amount of points toward expression Asteria receives is halved.]
—Weakness Name: Exhausted —Description: Because she spends so much of her time working, it's rare for Asteria to get a full night's sleep. Even in the midst of combat she runs the risk of dozing off making her sleep deprivation not just a threat to her health, but a direct danger to her life. Every four turns she has a 1 in 10 chance of accidentally falling asleep and a randomizer must be used to determine whether or not she manages to stay awake. If she dozes off then she can't take any action that turn and any attacks directed her way automatically hit. However, if the turn passes and no enemy took an action against her during this moment of weakness, she'll regain 5% of her SP as a side-benefit of acquiring some much-needed rest. [PvS Only]
—Weakness Name: Jumped the Gun —Description: Did you know that humans have an innate weakness to getting shot with a gun? I know, crazy right? Asteria's a human and she takes 10% more damage from them.
—Weakness Name: Demonic Wrath —Description: While in Last Life, the normally dormant Leto overtakes Asteria's mind and uses her body to furiously lash out at everything in her way. During this time guarding, healing, and other non-offensive actions can't be performed; the character must attack every single turn unless she is physically unable to or all enemies have been vanquished.
—Weakness Name: Unloyal —Description: While it's true that many Cadets serve the queen of their own volition and pride themselves on higher ideals, it's also true that Asteria is not one of those Cadets. She lacks the passionate feelings that many have concerning the struggle for chaos and order, instead acting purely in the interest of herself and her daughter Olivia. Because of this, it can be easier to temporarily sway her than it can be to do the same to her peers, meaning that charm skills have an additional 5% chance of success when used on her.
----- ((A floating weakness is one gained in RP. It could be a fear you inherited during RP, or an injury that hinders your character. Some can be temporary while others can be permanent.)
—Floating Weakness Name: —Description:
Demon Weapon: ((This is the both a Weapon and a Demon. You have a parasitic relationship with this Demon, and as such you will always want it near you as it is the source of your power. Unlike Soulbound Weapons, this Demon Weapon cannot be summoned and will always remain active, meaning you'll have to keep it on you at all times.))
Weapon Name: Leto Weapon Description: An absurdly eccentric and large hat that tends to draw a lot of attention to its wearer. It's about a foot long in width and is two feet long in height. Rabbit-like antennae rest at the top of it and droop downwards, each individual one about half a foot in length. Weapon Attack Type: Strike Weapon Element:
Side-Arm Weapon:
Side-Arm Name: Ortygia Prototype Pistol Side-Arm Description: A small, futuristic-looking gun. It has a built in data collecter which allows it to record information on its performance and effectiveness in combat, thereby allowing any future models to build off of and improve on its design. Side-Arm Image: Side-Arm Attack Type: Gun Side-Arm Style: Revolver - Single Shot - Accuracy is increased by 20%. Consumes only one type of ammo per use. Can shoot only one enemy at a time.
The Background
History: Born and raised in Endymion, Asteria was the only child of two well-intentioned but aloof parents. She was a prodigy who displayed excellence in her academics from an early age and who dedicated much of her time to studying in the hopes of earning the approval of her guardians. As a fast learner, she easily aced her way through her education, absorbing information like a sponge and gathering the attention (and sometimes admiration) of many of her teachers and peers. Outside of school she lived a fairly normal life; she wasn't a particularly special person and didn't draw much attention to herself. While she did have a wide circle of friends, she wasn't any sort of social butterfly, and overall didn't stand out too much among others her age. All things considered, she wasn't that much different from anyone else, and often found herself indulging in escapist fantasies of any kind to distract herself from a life she perceived as boring and mundane.
It wasn't until she got to university that things took a more interesting turn. On her way back to the dorms she overheard a debate between several other students about artificial intelligence and its capabilities, deciding to butt in and offer her own thoughts on the subject. The specifics of the conversation have long been lost to the recesses of her memory, but the significance it had remains clear. One of the people involved in the discussion was a boy named Adam and he found her perspective on the issue to be fascinating. It was this moment that served as the catalyst for their friendship and once they discovered that they both shared the same major (robotics) they began to work together as academic partners as well, studying alongside one another and in general aiding each other in their educational pursuits.
Were this any other story, this would have been the end of it; Asteria would have found a new friend and the two would have lent their aid to one another in their everyday lives. But the world isn't as simple as it seems on the surface and through sheer dumb luck Adam turned out to be more than just another student. Within the shadows of the pre-divide world there existed a handful of organizations which were aware of the existence of the supernatural and sought to exploit it to the best of their capabilities. Adam was the son of a woman who had dedicated her life to one of these organizations: a group known as Ortygia.
Ortygia was a small but powerful cabal of scientists, soldiers, and other specialists who dedicated their talents and lives to using the supernatural to aid the human race. Few among them had powers of their own, but all were aware of the existence of demons and other strange creatures, and they did their best to observe and control them. Sometimes this was at the behest of others such as governments or defense contractors, but for the most part this was an independent endeavour accomplished through their own resources and capabilities. It was through Adam that Ortygia learnt of Asteria and after some very careful consideration as well as several background checks, the higher-ups decided to extend a hand to her, offering her a place among them.
She accepted, of course, and alongside Adam she rose through the ranks of the organization at an astounding pace. The woman made contributions to a multitude of different projects and as Ortygia grew more and more in power over time, she found that there was never any shortage of tasks for her to work on. Nevertheless, she only complained about this workload every once in a blue moon, perfectly content to devote almost all her time to furthering the goals and interests of her colleagues and superiors; she believed wholeheartedly in the cause of using these new discoveries to quietly guide and strengthen mankind, convinced that it was the key to changing the world for the better.
As time went on though, things got more and more extreme. There were changes in leadership and with them came shifts in the methodology employed by the group. It was a slow process and the differences were quite subtle at first, but by the end of it the activities of the group had become far less benevolent than before. While Ortygia remained true to its goals and aims, its moral restraints were laxed and it became much more aggressive in regard to its relationships with other similar factions. Eventually Asteria, who remained loyal to the group in spite of all this, was allowed complete control and supervision over a project for the first time.
Popularly referred to as "Cat's Cradle", it focused on the creation of Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons, though not just any kind. Rather, they were of a very... specific design. They were war machines made to look and behave like children, soldiers who wielded strength beyond that of any human's but appeared no different to enemy combatants than a normal child soldier. It was an experiment in psychological warfare intended to exploit the moral reservations of enemy combatants and cause them to potentially underestimate the unit due to its appearance. It took some time and there were some difficulties in getting a papillon heart to fit in such a small vessel, but ultimately it proved a success and the first of these new, experimental soldiers was "born" into the world.
Unit 0114IA or, as she eventually came to be called, Olivia. The team of researchers watched as a living, breathing being opened its eyes to the world for the very first time. A sense of triumphant joy filled their hearts, but something felt... off to Asteria. She watched as the child frantically and curiously looked around at her surroundings, trying to make sense of what was going on, a very human sense of confusion expressed clearly across her face. Though she tried to swallow down her reservations, she couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't right. Her stomach tied itself in knots as she attempted to press on with the project further until eventually, she couldn't take it any longer. She stormed out of the room and when she returned the next day she filed a report on the project's progress that demanded it be shut down.
She pulled every string she had, every bit of favor she had earned over the years to get it ended, all the while doing everything possible to keep her coworkers and colleagues away from the child. The reception was far from positive. Almost all of the scientists involved with the project protested her actions fervently and demanded to know why she was standing in the way of further progress on it. Some argued passionately about the possibility of using the results to minimize or even potentially outright end the practice of conscripting children; they insisted that it was ethically wrong to put an end to the tests when they were showing so much promise. Others talked about pragmatism and how valuable an asset they could be in carrying out Ortygia's agenda, often stressing how few natural Persona Users were among their ranks and raising concerns about the possibility of a full-on shadow war with the other few conglomerates in existence who sought to harness the supernatural for their own ends. There were a thousand different arguments raised, but Asteria remained adamant about her position, and in the end she managed to get her way. Cat's Cradle was shut down and 0114IA was placed in her custody.
At first Olivia was distrustful of her, but over time they grew to be a lot like mother and daughter. While Olivia's body didn't age, her mind did and she grew into a sophisticated artificial intelligence, effectively a walking supercomputer with the body and heart of a little kid. Seeing her develop over time with her own two eyes only further convinced Asteria that she had made the right decision and, as a side-effect, caused doubt and distrust of Ortygia to slowly begin festering within her heart. However, walking away from the organization would mean abandoning her life's work, not to mention that she doubted they'd let her go so easily after all the secrets and valuable information she acquired during her time there. So, convinced there was no other choice, she remained committed to the cause despite her hesitance.
Of course, Cat's Cradle wasn't the only project she was involved in, even if it was the one she had the most influence and oversight over. The Ortygia Group had many other uses for her talents too and one of these uses was the "K9" project. It was another endeavour dealing with Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons and like the other one involved an unorthodox design. The K9 units were (in case the name wasn't obvious) modelled after the bodies of canines, particularly dogs. The first of these new models, Selenus, proved to be quite a success, but his rebellious nature proved to be somewhat of an issue and reluctantly the decision was made to not give papillion hearts to future iterations of the K9 unit.
Like Olivia, he was placed in Asteria's custody, although unlike her he still was property of the Ortygia Group and was integral to an active project. Every now and then he'd be analyzed for data, but arguably more importantly, he'd be rented out temporarily to private contractors and government officials. While not an android like Olivia and more cold in demeanor, Asteria grew attached to her creation once again, and couldn't help but loathe the idea of him being sent out to kill in the name of people he didn't even know. And of course there was also the risks it posed to his life, a factor others didn't even consider for what they saw as a mindless tool. Even so, they managed to live as a strange sort of "family" for a time, or at least that's how Asteria saw it.
In the end though, the tides of change took that away. One day the K9 units were all found destroyed and, according to the report she was given by the Ortygia Group, Selenus was among them. Olivia and Asteria were devastated needless to say, but the internal investigations yielded no perpetrator. Of course, the truth of the matter is more complex, but Ortygia knew very well that Asteria had an unfortunate habit of getting attached to her creations, so that truth remained concealed.
Time marched on and things continued as normally as they could. It all led up to one day: the Eternal Divide. In the course of a single night the world was plunged into chaos. Demons flooded into the world and Ortygia was gradually destroyed. Their facilities were raided and the people who operated them slaughtered; the madness and bloodshed that consumed the Earth made it impossible to establish contact with bases and operatives located in other continents. For all their experience with the supernatural, Ortygia knew little, and it suffered just as greatly as the rest of the world did. The organization was shattered into pieces and the survivors, Asteria and Olivia among them, scattered to the winds to walk their own path.
During the years after that, the two of them lived on their own for a short while, free of the group's watchful gaze and demands. It was a new chapter in their lives, albeit an oddly grim one. However, the other surviving members of Ortygia's branch in Endymion didn't sit idle. Many upon many of them (including some very high-ranking and influential officials) lent their aid to the queen and the Cadets in the hopes of restoring the city to its former glory and helping the people trapped there. During the initial years after the divide this didn't prove a problem for Asteria, but near the end of the fourth year after the divide she found herself contacted by a former friend of hers.
The remnants of the Ortygia Group needed all the help they could get and Adam was seeking it out from whatever former members he could find. Asteria, however, had grown tired of spending her life in service to such a shadowy organization; she had grown tired of pouring her hard work and time into aiding people who employed methods far too brutal for her liking. Unfortunately though, it wasn't that simple.
The law in Endymion was and remains that all people with supernatural powers have to enlist in the Cadets. While Olivia didn't have a Persona of her own, the papillon heart inside her meant she had the potential to awaken to one, and that alone was cause enough for her to be treated as a Psyche Terrorist. So, after informing Asteria of this, Adam gave her an ultimatum; she could either hand Olivia over to the Cadets or she could take her place. Her expertise on the supernatural made her an invaluable asset in the eyes of the government's science sector, not to mention that the Cadets were always accepting new members. And beyond that there was some less scrupulous tasks that needed to be carried out, tasks which were best handled by someone that the government had some kind of leash on -- and for Asteria, Olivia had become that leash.
With no other options, Asteria begrudgingly joined up with what was left of Endymion's Ortygia Group. She hasn't been quite the same ever since.
Last edited by Asteria on Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:07 am; edited 4 times in total
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Asteria Evans Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:07 pm
Most of the app looks fine.
However you cannot have strengths against orgia modes nor to create Forgottens and the like,etc. Simply not allowed.
Other than that most of this is appearing fine. The researcher shop however is pretty vague.
Asteria
Posts : 18 Join date : 2017-01-31
Subject: Re: Asteria Evans Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:54 am
Edited. As for the Researcher strength, that's actually intentional. The shop and the items it sells were already given the go-ahead by Gran and I didn't really see mentioning the specifics of them as necessary. However, I can go into more detail if need be.
Grantus
Posts : 6498 Join date : 2013-07-06 Age : 29
Subject: Re: Asteria Evans Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:57 am
I dont recall getting a message regarding a shop for this character unless you sent it to another staff member. If you want to send the shop to staff you can. But if you're doing more than selling specific items you need to elaborate.
For your soulbound you need to give it a length if it's able to extend on top of a strength to say it can.
Asteria
Posts : 18 Join date : 2017-01-31
Subject: Re: Asteria Evans Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:05 am
It's me Azami. This is just a new character of mine Gran. I'm assuming you just didn't make the connection (my bad, I should have clarified my identity earlier), but if that's not the case and you genuinely can't remember approving the shop then I can quote the logs for you and provide some screenshots.
Edited the soulbound dimensions. Hopefully it's alright now.
Grantus
Posts : 6498 Join date : 2013-07-06 Age : 29
Subject: Re: Asteria Evans Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:25 pm
Right, I remember. Just keep in mind you still need to send the final shop to staff so it can be officially approved. Your sheet is approved.
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