Overview

I have been having a hard time choosing new characters to try to get this club moving. So I'll look for member input on what I should try to focus on.

Going to give this another shot. Going to dig deep into all my stuff, see if I can find another character or two, see if we can get some new blood in here to get it going too.

Okay, finally came up with another male character. Though it feels like cheating to a degree (an RPG main character more defined by the player than a pre-established character). Original Name: Yamashita Kazuki Original Gender and Did it Change: Male, no. Original Age: 23 Character They Changed/Are Changing Into: "The Avatar" (main character of RPG game "Ultima". Does not have an official name, technically became officially male only in the last 2 games of the series but could have been female, or in one game "other", before that). Is the Physical Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes Is the Mental Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Complete Physical Description (height, hair/eyes, anything else you might want to include and only for characters who have not completed the change): If the Change is Complete and They Have Power(s), Do They Have Some Role in Maintaining the Masquerade, and if so, What Role(s): Powers in this case is limited to the setting's magic, and while natural talent is needed to use it, also a requires a spell book/reagents. He has a mixed role in instructing new people going through the masquerade and dealing with those who try to break it. Short Bio: Kazuki was a lost young man, did not strongly believe in anything, did not have a job he enjoyed, just lived life one day from another without seeing any larger purpose. He was contracted by a masquerade recruiter, to experiment with a less defined sort of change, to a character who less defined and closer to the player. In this case a character who started on very primitive game as an adventuring sort of hero but with the option if taking the characters dark ways to achieve the goal (while not necessary, frequent stealing was almost encouraged and killing was occasionally necessary and otherwise unpunished as long as you could run away from the town/castle guards, or possibly fight them if you were strong enough). After that one game was about becoming the Avatar (of Virtue) a sort of moral role model and example for the people of the setting and then after that dealing with other problems/threats as the Avatar. It was an interesting idea, and after Kazuki was convinced enough that it just might actually work, he gave it a try. Going deep through the series one more time and thinking like his character when he was not playing, meditating on the virtues (an actual game mechanic, in this case only missing the dedicated shrines that would normally done at). His version was one who got his hands dirty in the early games, making redemption more necessary. The first hint it started to work was when he started feeling actual guilt for those actions and could picture the people involved. It was a mixed blessing. He started to feel a purpose but felt strong need to atone for crimes that were originally committed against pixels. Now he is on the front lines of the masquerade in several sense. Enforcing it and helping newer people adjust to it. He is a leader of sorts, though not at the top of the unofficial chain of command. More comparable to a front line officer, a leader of small teams as he was in his adventures. He is a man who has seen and performed both good and evil, though he has seen and fought evil much worse than his own as well. Sexual Orientation: Straight

Finally came up with a male character, one who would probably fit in a more advisory position, or overseeing the masquerade. Original Name: Nakashima Takashi Original Gender and Did it Change: Male, no. Original Age: 18. Character They Changed/Are Changing Into: Kaos/'The Ancient One' (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors, using original and dub names, as most people aware of it are probably aware of the dub, though its probably rather obscure either way to younger people). Is the Physical Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes. Is the Mental Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes. Physical Description (height, hair/eyes, anything else you might want to include and only for characters who have not completed the change): N/A If the Change is Complete and They Have Power(s), Do They Have Some Role in Maintaining the Masquerade, and if so, What Role(s): His role is an observer/enforcer of sorts. To find those on verge of breaking it and 'bring them back to the light', punish those who have already broken it and aid others who are involved in enforcement. Short Bio: Takashi was someone who had always felt somewhat lost in life. He could find ways to occupy himself, but deep down it felt like something missing. That should be some higher purpose. It was the sort of thing he occasionally complained about various places online. It was the sort of thing those involved in the masquerade kept an eye out for. One of them anonymously contacted him and after speaking with him a bit, felt safe to bring him in on the secret. Takashi was obviously skeptical at first, but eventually he decided to give it a shot and settled on a character that was mysterious but clearly had a purpose and the proper motivations. The biggest trouble was Kaos was a rater mysterious character, little known about who he was really was. But being a monkish character, Takashi figured it was best to approach it from a more unconventional method. To meditate, try to find the mystery that was Kaos. It was not an easy process, but over time it came to him. Voices in his heads, visions. It was lie the person who introduced him to everything said. It was a gradual process, but gradually the old him disappeared further into the background. His memories and some of the personality were still there, but he no longer considered himself 'Nakashima Takashi'. Now he was Kaos. Kaos, now in a world similar yet distinct from his own. Had some understanding of the situation. He waited until he was contacted by others who had gone through the process, as he assumed they would. He listened to them explain the situation and the hidden society he was now part of. When offered, he accepted the role they suggested. To help maintain the masquerade and guide those who were new to it. Especially those who chose characters more in need of guidance and advice than one like him. It was a role especially different from what he had lived before. He has now been at it for sometime, one who observes quietly from the shadows and acts when needed. Sexual Orientation: Straight.

This one went inactive for far too long, due to having a hard time thinking of another character or two and now the main other person also being probably too busy to do much here. But I had an idea or two for characters I am going to work on soon and decided to bring life back into the club in case anyone else was interested.

I thought I would add some more detail about the school while thinking about other character(s), since a number of characters will be focused there. Again, it is a boarding school. Isolated and gated in order to minimize unexpected visitors. All students live on dorms. The dorms have had some care put into them. Boys and girls are naturally separated, a separate building for each, and some intent is made to put distance between anyone who might already be rivals/enemies or seem likely to become such. Each room has two students assigned to it. The campus is designed to potentially hold several hundred students at one time (but this is one school in the entire world. While the population going through the changing is regularly growing and high school age characters are fairly popular, it is still a tiny tiny fraction of the entire population). It is a somewhat specialized school. While it does cover general education that would be covered by any other school, it also focuses on things specific to these students. Rules for how to behave under the masquerade and help learning use powers for those who have them but do not yet have full mastery. If the character's home setting was another world or a fictional Earth of another time period, there are also classes to help them adjust to their new homes. The memories of their previous life helps here, but it is safer to educate them as well. In the event fights break out, certain powered students and staff are designated to help keep things under control, to break up the fights and punish students if necessary. Dating is allowed and couples are encouraged to a degree with things like dances and other couple oriented activities. Only sex is officially forbidden, and while it is sometimes punished, it still happens frequently and there is an unspoken understanding that it happens often and most of it will not be caught or punished. With boys and girls of such an age, there are very few who won't break this rule over their time on campus, though the frequency varies significantly on an individual basis, as well as if they are willing to do it casually or only as part of a relationship.

I feel like I could’ve done a better job with the backstory, but I lacked much material to go off of in terms of personality. Though I hope it’s nice fur mew’re tastes!

Original Name: Eliot Dersinger Original Gender and Did it Change?: Male, changed into Female after transformation. Original Age: 21 Character They Changed/Are Changing Into: Elizabeth (Dungeon Maker)  Is the Physical Change Already Complete?: Yes Is the Mental Change Already Complete?: Yes Physical Description: Silver hair, 5’2 in height, crimson eyes with pale skin.  If the Change is Complete, what powers do they have, and do they have a role?: The change has left Elizabeth with a multitude of abilities. While originally started off weak, she now is one of the top staff of the Masquerade to gather intel. Her physical powers include increased strength to that of a very fit human and the ability to heal off of blood. Her true power shines within a personal dimension, which essentially is a physical portal that leads into her Dungeon. A large underground area which is filled with traps and monsters that guard the dimension in respective their rooms, this also serves as the place for her torturous schemes to be held. Short Bio: Elizabeth was once a optimistic male named Eliot who worked as a gas station worker, who was generally bored with his job but it never left any hardships besides the meager paycheck. He eventually stumbled upon a mobile game which he quickly grew to love, for he liked both the gameplay and a certain character from there. He gained habits of biting, staying inside during sunny days to play his game, as well as cutting off connections of his social life. One night, he felt strangely different. He suddenly felt the urge to ‘feed’ off of others, though he passed it off as one of his other weird things he thinks of. However as time passed, it came to the point in which had killed a civilian and drank the blood from them. The insatiable desire for the blood of others quickly caused him to be more sadistic, planning for the many other victims to come by. He was however caught in the act when he attempted to kill before getting caught by the police. He should’ve been sent to prison, though was somehow freed by the mysterious people who called themselves members of the masquerade. He was given the choice to either go along with their offer of changing into someone else and helping them be supplied with important information, or to be sent back to prison with his memories of this encounter erased. Deciding it would be better off to remain somewhat free, he decided to go along with the program of his change. Overtime, Eliot had taken the name of Elizabeth when the change had completed, a sadistic and blood thirsty vampiric being who is one the Masquerade staff to keep them supplied in information. Despite her job, she was asked to be a teacher at a special school for people like her, which she accepted as a chance to take a break off of the usual things she did. She always did wonder just how enjoyable her students would be like.  Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Ara Ara, don’t worry! I’ll have my female character be staff, and my male character be a student! I’ll try and make it soon, but I hope you don’t mind waiting in the meantime.

I'll think a bit about a male partner for that character. She could have a role like that, though she probably wouldn't be the only one involved in it. While you can do whatever you want with the eventual male character, it would be nice to have someone for the school girls to interact with too.

Ara Ara, first of all, I would like to apologize for my inactivity in this! I got caught up with other stuff, and forgot to make my first character. How ridiculous can I get? Anyhoo, welcome backsy! The character will be Female. Though I’ll probably add another that’s Male too. Gotta be equal ya know? I may, or may not add more, but that depends! Edit: I also would like to maybe have my female character be apart of the Masquerade, specifically as the Masquerade’s Information Gatherer. Someone who simple gathers valuable information, though mainly from people. Reason why I’m asking fur this is simply Beclaws I think there should be more major staff in the Masquerade. It wouldn’t really be much if only one or so people were in it right?

At this point I am thinking I am going to end up with a somewhat larger cast of characters, though only play a few at a time, alternating between them as it works for the story, or maybe a mix of a few consistently played longer term and others as side characters that come in and out of the story when appropriate. Will figure out the details as we actually play. Anyway, going to start with finishing up a school girl trio (Hikau, Ryuuko and Tomoko). Original Name: Yukimura Sakurako Original Gender and Did it Change: Female, no. Original Age: 16 Character They Changed/Are Changing Into: Matoi Ryuuko Is the Physical Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes. Is the Mental Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes. Physical Description (height, hair/eyes, anything else you might want to include and only for characters who have not completed the change): N/A If the Change is Complete and They Have Power(s), Do They Have Some Role in Maintaining the Masquerade, and if so, What Role(s): N/A. Still a high schooler. Short Bio: Sakurako’s involvement here is something of an example of networking within the masquerade. She had been a longtime friend of Emi (Hikaru) and when Emi was still very early in the process of her transformation, she got permission to tell her friend. Those responsible for maintaining the masquerade do not mind rumor and urban legend about the process spreading around the internet and other places. But they are very careful about letting more concrete information out and insist on people needing to get prior permission before revealing it in a way like this. Once she became aware of it, and convinced the process was real, it came time to pick a pick a character. She only had a few criteria in mind: She liked the character, it was a girl, it would be around the same age as Emi/Hikaru and have some power so they could theoretically fight together after graduation, if it became necessary. Putting all these factors together, she settled on Matoi Ryuuko. After the transformation was complete, Ryuuko found herself pestered by agents overseeing the masquerade and informing her of the rules and tge school she was being sent to. As someone who already had plenty of experience with weird schools, she was not as bothered as some people might have been. She even found the idea somewhat interesting as this school seemed to have an administration that was less likely to get under her skin and lead to fights. Sexual Orientation: Probably straight. Original Name: Tachibana Hiroto Original Gender and Did it Change: Male, yes. Original Age: 22 Character They Changed/Are Changing Into: Kuroki Tomoko Is the Physical Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes Is the Mental Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes Physical Description (height, hair/eyes, anything else you might want to include and only for characters who have not completed the change): N/A If the Change is Complete and They Have Power(s), Do They Have Some Role in Maintaining the Masquerade, and if so, What Role(s): N/A. High schooler, and no powers. Short Bio: As a social outcast who felt like he was going nowhere in life, it was perhaps a little easy for a man like Hiroko to make this choice and to find someone he identified a little too easily with. Other than the fact that Tomoko was a girl, he could very easily identify himself with a character like this in nearly every way and the transition went unusually quickly and easily. Awakened into the ‘real’ world, Tomoko found herself in a situation that was both comfortably and uncomfortably familiar. She was sort of disgusted about her past life, not sure what to think about someone who would actually want to become her, and especially that it was a man who made the choice (and believing subconsciously there were at least somewhat perverted motives behind that choice). She was quickly picked up by agents involved in supervising the masquerade, informed she was being transferred to a school for those like her and informed about other details of the masquerade. Already uncomfortable with ordinary school life and social activity in general, she is somewhat terrified of being transferred to a school where a significant number of the student population has various powers. There might be strict rules about the use of such power, but on campus those rules are rather relaxed, as long as their use is not obvious to those off campus. Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, with uncertain preference.

Got a little distracted, now I am back and thinking about a few more characters. I don't need to know too much detail about yours yet, but was wondering if that character was going to be male or female? Figured I might make an opposite gender partner for that character, since my first character is going to be focused on the school side of the story.

Ah, gotcha! I will go forth to make my first character then! As for the power thing, I think I understand it now. Thinking back on my character, they could be one of the people to deal with unwanted witnesses, but I’ll leave that up to ya! Also heyaaaaaa! Leafers! Nice to meetcha! Glad to see this place is growing a tad bit more it seems!

Their power isn't necessarily weaker in one place over another (unless that was already part of said character's power). A combination of others willing to enforce the rules, with probably very harsh punishments for those who attempt to break the rules carelessly and/or blatantly, and an understanding by most of them that their lives will be easier by keeping the secret tends to be enough to keep order and keep the secret. Depending on how dark we want to go, things may get dangerous for accidental witnesses as well (possibly their memories of it get erased if someone is capable doing so, or they might be gotten rid of, or sent off somewhere they can't potentially reveal what they saw). The rules do allow them to be much relaxed about using their power if they are in certain places though (either the isolated places only can go, or remote regions that few or no people live in). The idea being more to give them a chance to relax and let off tension. I can think of a few characters that fit what you are describing, especially main characters of some games. If that is the sort of thing you mean, then the trick would be to behave how they imagine the character would. If there is any official background/past established for the character, focusing on that and how they think the character would act is key, act how they imagine daily life might be for a such a person and live it as best they can. The idea is to 'become' the character, to think and act like them as much as possible. For a few there is more flexibility on what that means than others.

Thank you very much! I can work with this for sure!

Don't have a lot of time left tonight, so I'm going to respond to this one right now and the previous message probably tomorrow, since that one might take more time to answer. Pictures aren't required, add them if you want for convenience but it should be easy enough for people to find pictures of the character(s) in question on their own if there aren't any here. You can choose the character(s) you want. Ideally it should be a character(s) from anime/manga or video games, but besides that pick whoever you want. As for connecting the dots, I'm not quite sure what information you are looking for, but hopefully should be able to do that once it is cleared up a little.

Hi, just a few questions before I get into this. Are pictures required? From what I understand, this is transformation. Do we choose the transformations? And lastly, I don't quite get this place. Could you connect the dots for me? Thank you for your time to answer these.

Sorry for the long wait! Though from what I can understand, the ones who have more power are: -Watched over more intently -Other people of similar power deal with them if they are out of hand -Backup for future threats others can’t handle I don’t think I understand their limit in power though. Their power would be limited to the minimum required to put down someone in danger of revealing everything and some more freedom in isolated bases that the average person has no entry point of. I only really understand that they have more power (maybe by not that much) if they are in their special place, but it will be more limited in the real world. I’m unsure what that limit is. Edit: Also question! I reaaaaaally like this one game recently, but the character I want to be (or characters since it applies to all of them) doesn’t quite have a official personality. The best I can do is go off of what I can see from official art, or fanart of others to get a glimpse at what they could be like. So I’m wondering if I could get a sort of reason they could possibly just ‘make’ a personality due to them not having any, or do some other thing that lets them go with the transformation process.

That's part of the logic behind the whole system. At least some of them realized they could be weaponized if the larger population became aware of them. With small armies of them potentially at war with each other, things could get out of hand very quickly. The powerful ones are watched more carefully, and others like them are expected to intervene if it looks like one will cause trouble. Their power would be limited to the minimum required to put down someone in danger of revealing everything and maybe some more freedom on those isolated bases the average person has no way of visiting. Also, if they can do this, there is a chance someone else could figure it out on their own and not be as careful about it or intentionally use it as a weapon. The ones with power are partially allowed as a backup against future threats that others might not be suited to fight.

I figure it makes sense to just list them all here as we and anyone else who might join later makes them. I'll just be adding one for now. I figure most of my characters will be post change, but may have one or two go through it as well. To avoid spoilers, I won't be saying much about the official story for the characters anyone is becoming has become/and focus on their previous identities and how they fit in this world. This bio will be longer than most others probably will be, since it partially includes an example of how someone goes through the change (though details will vary). Original Name: Yamaguchi Emi (just in case it hasn't been clear, I have been using the family name, given name order for Japanese names). Original Gender and Did it Change: Female, no. Original Age: 16 Character They Changed/Are Changing Into: Shidou Hikaru (Magic Knight Rayearth) Is the Physical Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes. Is the Mental Change Already Complete (if no, how far along is it?): Yes. Physical Description (height, hair/eyes, anything else you might want to include and only for characters who have not completed the change): If the Change is Complete and They Have Power(s), Do They Have Some Role in Maintaining the Masquerade, and if so, What Role(s): She has power, but not yet. Currently a student. Short Bio: Emi had been a quiet ordinary girl. Young as she was, she still felt restless and questioned what her purpose was. She was drawn to stories, especially of people her age, and girls her age, accomplishing heroic things. Hikaru in particular stood out, younger than her and appearing even younger than she looked. Someone who managed to save an entire fantasy world, with a degree of tragedy involved, that she was ultimately able to overcome. She was ultimately discovered as a candidate for the change online. Various online communities had been infiltrated by those working under the masquerade to evaluate the various members, starting online friendships, talking for a while. For the majority nothing comes out of it, it is determined they are either not committed enough or too risky to reveal the process to. Emi was viewed as a good option though. Her online friend invited her to meet at a convention, even mailed her a ticket. After arrival they spent a few hours doing ordinary things, until the pair was 'rewarded' with an option to visit a VIP area, which was said to have exclusive activities/merchandise. The two went back and Emi was introduced to a few who had already gone through the change and proved they were who they claimed to be. They told Emi she had been chosen to go through the process and that Hikaru had been evaluated to be the character she had most compatibility with. At first she did not know what to believe, was a little scared, especially that her old identity was going to essentially disappear and friends and family would never know the truth. Excitement, and a desire for purpose won out though. She was taken to an isolated location to begin the process, watched the series numerous times. Had her hair died red and given clothes that matched Hikaru's. The crucial first step was to learn to think and act like the character on a daily basis. Interact with people as if you were the character, to think of yourself as the character, go only by that name, avoid thinking about your old life. If you do this long enough, and with genuine desire to embrace the identity, eventually something snaps in your mind. Eventually it becomes natural, and you start to 'remember' things. It is a mix, you start to remember things in the stories as if they happened to you. If you watch/read the story at this point, you are hit with a sense of nostalgia and remember how it felt to experience those things, and various feelings you had about other characters as if they were your friends/rivals/enemies/lover. You also remember new things, other aspects of the character's life, things you never knew about them. It is a gradual process, the memories coming in fragments, personality and thought processes altering. At the same time your body gradually shifts to match the new identity and eventually a perfect match. Eventually, you still remember who you used to be, you know it used to be you, but can only think of that time as if it was a different person. You have in fact genuinely become the character and that is who you consider yourself to be. Now as Hikaru, she has been sent off to finish her education at the school intended for people like her. A place to learn how to blend in, coexist with other like her and to use her power discreetly but when necessary. In theory at least, she won't have to fight for a few more years and even then hopefully only fight to a limited degree. Unlike Emi, Hikaru is content with this. After everything she had gone through, she knows it is sometimes necessary to fight but it is something she would prefer to avoid. She wants to live the life of an ordinary girl, or at least as ordinary as possible in this world that is not her own, but similar to it and to see the interesting people she might meet at such a school. Sexual Orientation: Straight.

Under the specifics of the story, there are a few locations unique to story that may be worth mentioning. "Crossover High" (not the actual name, but possibly an in-universe nickname): A fairly popular choice for people going through the change are highschool characters. Sometimes these were people who were already high schoolers pre-change though there are also those who made themselves younger (even they were originally older, they are regressing to some degree and need to redo the experience for their new identity). To maintain the illusion, and properly educate those who were still high schoolers, a special school was set up for them. They were all combined into one school to keep them out of sight of others, and they are small enough in number that only one school is needed. It is probably a boarding school with on-campus dorms. Naturally, it is a rather unusual school. Isolated Hiding places: With the help of characters with significant power, it is possible for these characters to find sanctuaries outside of the reach of ordinary people where they can relax and temporarily forget many of the rules. Pocket dimensions, 'bases' on other worlds, things like that. There are at least several of these that can be developed along with the story. The only rule is that characters be discreet about moving to and from them. Alternative Conventions: Short term locations in this case. This is part of the process of finding people suitable to go through the change. It is like other conventions in most ways, and many of the staff and visitors don't realize anything unusual is going on. But they include a small number of people who have already gone through the change, pretending to be unusually good cosplayers/actors, possibly using their original name or some other alias, they interact with those around them and if they find someone promising, either take them in back to evaluate them more carefully/give them an idea of what might happen or get contact information and either contact them, or have someone else contact them, later.

Hoyaaaaa! Saw this thing and I love the stuff bout transformations! This idea I have thought bout before, but I forgot it a while back. Regardless, I’m interesting in trying this thing out!