Phantom Thieves International

In the days leading up to the Pray-In, Shinji somehow managed to acquire a fairly large stack of tickets and distributed them among any Phantom Thieves, with a not-so-gentle reminder that it would be in their best interest to check it out. For those who accept the responsibility, they'll find themselves at the church Thursday afternoon awaiting the service.

The crowd wasn’t huge, but it was enough to fill an entire section, though one may have a sneaky suspicion from the amount of charter buses in the parking lot that a fair amount of the faithful aren’t even local.

Instrumental hymns are piped through the speakers as the final set up was underway, primarily gathering the children’s choir - a couple children could be seen literally having to be dragged into place, a couple prodded to keep moving, as the Reverend spoke to men with scary shiny sunglasses in low tones, his wife sitting prim in position.

Once all the children were put into position, the music cuts - there’s a moment of feedback squealing as James Poplett tests his microphone, starting with a thanks for the faithful attendants, and a reminder of how Jesus loves a generous follower, and to tip what money they could spare for the Tend the Flock to save the little children, and that after the pray-in, if anyone wishes so, the good reverend will lay hands to channel the miracle of god to allow the power of positive energy to heal them.

For the thieves who found themselves listening, it end up being mostly a blur - a call for Christian Soldiers to pray away the evils of society, and to safeguard the little children from degenerates and immorality, and that while America may fall under the sway of a perverted agenda, that it is not the time to give up, that it is the time to open one’s heart, hands, and wallets to the Lord to fight back.

Thankfully the long sermons were broken up as the children were instructed to sing relevant hymns, instructed by Tamara Poplett. As the event starts to wrap up, Reverend Poplett announces that the government will be renewing their contract with the Child Protective Services at the end of the month. As he announces it, Tamara prodded some of the older children from the choir to come forward, placing a microphone close to their face - someone with sharp ears may hear an extremely soft ‘go on, just like the rehearsal’ before the children brought forward start to talk about how the charity saved them from the foster system.

Once finally - finally the event is over, people started to mill their way out, and with a line forming for Poplett’s personal touch, and other members of the congregation gathered to discuss how the Pray-In went, this might be a good time to start snooping around.

The Nav activates, awaiting your information.

“Input Coordinates.”

Accepted Keywords:

Person: James Poplett and Tamara Poplett

Location: Shepherd of Our Flock Mission

Distortion: Military Base

“This is Candace Sierra of Wolf News, Today, Reverend James Poplett, Minister of the the Shepherd of Our Flock Mission has announced a press conference in light of recent events, announcing a benefit pray-in at STAPLES stadium. We will present the Reverend’s words shortly.

[The image of a man in the corner zooms in to fill the screen, revealing him at a podium, with a well-dressed woman in a pillbox hat standing right next to him, and behind him is a motley lot of children that are elementary school-aged, dressed in choir robes, they seem unusually still for their age, some even seem to be staring off into space, as two middle-aged ladies ushered them to their positions while James speaks to a crowd of people]



People of Los Angeles, People of the city of angels, We have seen since the first of this year a rise in sin, in hatred, and most of all idolatry - the worship of symbols over the good of the human soul!

While it is easy to say that a man like Woodward is responsible for the evils that has come out, he is but only a branch, no - a leaf upon a great and twisted tree tended to by the devil and his minions, both willing and unwitting.

Who is serving the devil, might you ask? Look around and you shall see them all over, my friends, my fellow children of God above! In this very city named for the messengers of the almighty, we have the godless industry, Hollywood pushing the empty and hedonistic lifestyles onto our children, onto our impressible innocent souls, seducing them with wealth, tempting them with flesh, gore, and immorality, subverting The Lord’s plan for our youth. And the devil laughs as he waves these promises to the souls he led astray and then yank them out from under them, and already under his sway, these misguided youths have turned from God and lashed out at those around them, and the Godless Hollywood have the nerve to condemn the acts that are ultimately their creation!

[There’s a ruckus as his audience cheers, he waits, then gestures for them to fall silent]

Now, my congregation, and all those with a righteous soul or wish to repent of your sin, It shall on the Fifteenth, it shall be an Ides of March for the wicked - On that day we will hold a mass prayer in the stadium where many in this city had worshipped false icons, and we shall pray and fast and pray for the souls of the entire city. It is a hard task, the Lord had gave unto me, to save the soul of a city long written off as a Sodom, but I will promise that if you are faithful, the Lord will answer!

Every ticket bought will go not to me, not the church, but to the children, The Tend to the Flock Charity has taken in hundreds of unwanted, unloved children from home wracked with sin and trouble, know that as you pray for the Lord Jesus to save our souls, every penny you give will give these poor children new life and with God’s Grace, new homes. AMEN!

[There’s a murmur of Amens and the scene cuts back to Cadance as he turns to apparently direct the children to sing]



The Event will be held on March 15th, and the Tickets will range from $50 to $200, with higher brackets including special gifts in thanks. Tend to the Flock is currently in contract with the state of California to help with the overcrowded foster system, a move that has some atheist organizations criticizing as a blurring the line between church and state, while others pointed out that the aid of this charitable organization has alleviated a lot of pressure and stress upon many of the employees.

In other news, Todd Woodrow Jr has plead guilty to multiple counts of criminal conspiracy and they will announce his sentencing later today, legal experts say that his involvement will likely invoke California’s Hate Crime provisions, and may affect the length of the time, if any he may serve for his role in instigating the attacks.

In happier news, it may not be St. Patrick’s Day yet, but all pubs are stocking up on Guiness and Corned Beef, while the Irish population of Los Angeles pales compare to other cities, that doesn’t stop people from celebrating, however, is it right for those without Irish ancestry to want to kiss the blarney stone? We’ll head over to our panelists to discuss the issue.

[The city has been holding it's breath the last several days, as the deadline for the rally was drawing close, but the day before - anyone watching the news will get a newsflash]



“This is Candace Sierra with breaking news. Todd Woodward Jr, the controversial leader of Fight for America has been arrested on several charges involving the assault on New Year’s Eve and the rash of vandalism in Chinatown, Japantown, and K-Town. Here is our on-the-scene footage of his arrest at UCLA.”

[The image flicks, and a shaky shot of Todd can be seen, as he’s being guided towards a squad car, the man was clearly in tears as a reporter rushes in, putting a microphone to his face, while one of the officers tries to push it away. The man’s eyes widen at the sight of the microphone and immediately starts to babble]



“I’m so sorry, I’ve been a horrible person - I’m sorry…”

[The footage cuts out, returning Candance to the screen]



“Todd Woodward Jr. has according to our sources confessed to the hate-motivated crimes plaguing the city, admitting that he has directed his members, and associates from other Alt-Right groups to vandalize specific targets. We managed to get in touch, and this is what he has to say to our very own Ralph Caruso:”

[The screen cuts, depicting an old-style landline phone, and a picture of Todd Woodward Jr’s face, his speech is repeated on screen in text for those who find the audio quality insufficient]



TODD: “I’m the one who called the police. I could no longer stand the person that I was. I didn’t like anyone who wasn’t like me, I especially didn’t like those asians, I always felt like they were always doing better than me, getting special treatment, I thought if I made them scared, if I get them to get out of our country, that I’d get something over them. So I told my boys, go ahead and beat them if they can get away with it, then to torch their houses, threaten, but make sure they didn’t do anything to trace it back to us. We had something much worse planned, but - that won’t happen now.

RALPH: What made you change your mind?

TODD: I guess, I just saw the light…? I don’t know, Ralph, but that feeling of guilt came up, and I realized, I was hurting people who did nothing to me, for really petty reasons. I can’t expect anyone to forgive me, or Fight for America - but the least I could is to stop this, to end this horrible nonsense. Not only have I have turned myself in, I have officially chosen to disband my organization.

[The screen cuts back to Cadance, who is trying to keep a neutral face, but her brows furrow in uncertainty as she briefly glances to something off screen before speaking]




“And that was Todd Woodrow Jr’s confession, so to speak, but now the question arises of what suddenly brought an about-face to a public figure notorious for being a straight shooter. Now we’ll go to Mike for the weather, so are we finally getting some sunshine?”

[Then it went on, business as usual, but now with Todd Woodrow Jr. in custody, and suddenly disavowing his alt-right views, the wind has been knocked out of the sails, and those who stubbornly held on to join the rally found themselves severely outnumbered and their cries falling on disinterested ears.

Congratulations, Thieves - you have knocked down a voice of bigotry and prevented an ugly rally from taking place! Rest up while you can, you earned it]

Anyone visiting the safehouse during the latter part of Valentine's Day will find that Shinji has continued his yearly tradition of going out later in the day and buying up about a metric ton of discounted candy and putting it out on the tables. It's pretty much open season, a little "thank you" for everyone who's been working so hard.

Feel free to help yourself and get to know your fellow thieves. Or sit down and take a load off, currently playing is an old movie about a huge mass of muscles vaguely shaped like a man with a bad accent fighting an invisible murderalien in the jungle. Festive!

“This is Candace Sierra with Wolf News. We’re here again with a special feature on Todd Woodrow Jr. His club, Fight for America, is planning a rally for February 28th right here on the UCLA campus. Todd, what can you tell me about this rally?”



“Thanks Candace. Our rally, Fight to be Right, is our answer to the neo-liberal infection that has taken over college campuses across the country. We conservatives have been silenced and denigrated by the liberal elites for far too long, and we’re here to push back against their narrative of erasure and silencing! We’re going to blow the lid off these safe spaces and remind folks what real America looks like!”



“That’s fantastic! Sounds like it will be quite a gathering.”



“Absolutely! Several groups have already pledged to join our cause, including the Citizens for an Armed America, the Freedom Militia, and Bikers for Jesus. We’re going to show this campus that we will not be silenced any longer!”

The interview, a complete fluff piece, continues for some time but what is most striking is the hollow, malicious smile barely concealed by a veneer of false sincerity painted on Todd’s face.

In the metaverse, the Parade Grounds have accelerated to a fever pitch. The tanks swerve and dive around the pathways as the Shadow of Todd extols his “virtues” on the podium with greater fervor.

[We will commence with the action logs for the February Palace event. Due to this post going live later than anticipated, players will have until March 1st at 11:59 PM EST to resolve their threads. All threads below will be marked with the group that has been selected to take part in it, as well as the opening scenario and who is going to be running it (if anybody). On your first tag, please indicate the Persona you are bringing with you if you have any available through Social Links or Player Plots besides your own. For threads run by Moderators, we will be tagging to advance it once every 24 hours and we recommend players running threads do the same.

Due to the amount of sign-ups and the requirements of completion for the current plot, we are not running a Calling Card plot segment this month, the cards will be considered to have already been sent at a timely manner and will be noted in the current events.

The Palace is ICly assumed to take place over the course of a few nights as the Phantom Thieves are able to congregate and assail it, characters are still free to make IC posts or plots not pertaining to the main Palace during this month.]