Shinjiro Aragaki (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mortal_son) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genessia2017-09-23 02:43 pm
mortal_son) wrote in genessia2017-09-23 02:43 pm
010 | my reflection wraps and pulls me under
(( OOC: Please read the warning post for this plot before tagging.
This one is especially heavy on the suicidal ideation, the negative self-talk, and themes of abandonment. ))
[ ACTION ]
[ Catch-all for the TV World ]
(( OOC: Please note for the dungeons I DO NOT expect these to be threaded out blow-by-blow. Tags can be about the aftermath of the dungeons, or reactions going in, if you want to use those prompts at all. Handwaving is encouraged. ))
[ OUTSIDE THE ARCHWAY ]
There are probably a Guardian and some deputies here. They might have some issues with people gathering here, or trying to get in.
[ INSIDE THE ARCHWAY - CROSSROADS ]
In the fog, there's a crossroads with four paths branching off.
The widest path leads to a building, which kind of looks like the apartment Shinjiro and Akihiko share right now in Genessia. That door is locked with three keys.
The path to the left leads to a building Akihiko would find familiar. It's an orphanage.
The path to the right leads to a structure which seems to be a mashup between the highschool in Iwatodai and the dorms that SEES lived in.
The narrowest path leads right past the building. It appears to go into a warren of alleyways.
[ INSIDE THE ORPHANAGE ]
Right when you get in, you hear a woman's voice saying, "You're just too much trouble." It's not a voice Akihiko would recognize.
The first floor is filled with whispering adult voices, harsh and judgmental. They're not clear enough to be heard right away. When you find the stairs, they've resolved themselves at last. "Undesirable." "Troublemaker." "Thief." "Bully." "Too aggressive." "Looks suspicious." "Not that one."
The second floor is distinctly hotter than the first. The rooms begin to fill with smoke. There's crying of children in the corridors, and by the final room - which has the first key - the whole dungeon is on fire.
In that last room, when the chest is opened, they can hear Shinjiro's very young voice. "I didn't really want this to happen. I didn't. It wasn't my fault!"
This dungeon drops a lot of Goho-M and Revival Beads.
[ INSIDE THE SCHOOL + DORM ]
When you open the door, you hear the principal say, "Delinquent."
The first floor appears to be just the school. But the corridors are tight, growing tighter, and the ceilings seem to get lower and lower. A shadow eventually can easily block the entire hallway. All around are whispers and snickering, and disapproving coughing. This building doesn't appear to have any distinct voices, one way or another.
By the time you get to the stairs, you almost need to crouch.
The second floor is the dorm. These appear to be spaced just like the actual dorm hallways, and the ceilings are the right height, too. But there are shadows everywhere.
Eventually, one will knock you into a wall. The wall completely collapses, and the sound it makes is a mix of Mrs. Amada and Ken Amada's screams.
After the first wall, the corridors seem to narrow exponentially. Knocking down more walls causes repeats of those screams, but. At least it's easier to move around over rubble?
The final room has the voice of Shadow!Shinji call out - "No, no it's not possible - no -"
This dungeon drops a lot of Goho-M and Revival Beads. It also drops an axe.(Not funny, TV World.)
[ INSIDE THE ALLEYWAYS ]
This is a straight-up labyrinth, single floor.
It's freezing in the alleys. Shadows seem to come out of nowhere and ambush the party easily. There aren't distinct voices here - just shouts, and laughter, and indistinct pleading.
As they go through the alleys, it gets colder and colder. It also grows darker. It gets even harder to see the shadows, and eventually, you'll need to find the light of your cell phone to get by.
This dungeon drops a lot of Goho-M and Revival Beads. The shadows also seem unusually fond of casting Marin Karin on the party.
[ INSIDE THE SAFEHOUSE ]
This is Shinjiro and Akihiko's apartment, all right. Except the floor is littered with empty prescription pill bottles, hundreds of them. It's hard not to step on them. The door to Akihiko's room is locked. The bathroom is trashed, the mirror smashed.
Shinjiro's room is where you find them both, Shadow and Persona-user. This room is also pretty wrecked. Here the empty prescription bottle count is highest.
Shinjiro is tied up, back against the wall, sitting on his bed. The Shadow is pacing the room, kicking about empty bottles as he goes. His eyes are red, like he'd been crying, but he looks furious. He's holding an axe, and gesturing with it at Shinjiro.
"I'm not going to let you! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!" the Shadow shouts, sounding a mix between anguished and furious.
As a counterpoint, Shinjiro almost looks bored, slumped in his bindings against the wall. He doesn't look at the Shadow. "Can you just get it over with?"
But then he notices you all there, in the doorway, and his eyes go wide. "Shit."
The Shadow turns, looks at you, and almost looks ... hopeful?
Or maybe he just hopes to use his axe. He runs a thumb over it, thoughtfully.
(( OOC: The boss fight will be "unlocked" in this thread after a) a character calls out what Shinjiro is denying about himself, and b) Shinjiro denies it. Actual fight can be handwaved. ))
[ AFTER THE BOSS FIGHT ]
(( OOC: Descriptive text will be unlocked in a post below after the boss fight. ))
This one is especially heavy on the suicidal ideation, the negative self-talk, and themes of abandonment. ))
[ ACTION ]
[ Catch-all for the TV World ]
(( OOC: Please note for the dungeons I DO NOT expect these to be threaded out blow-by-blow. Tags can be about the aftermath of the dungeons, or reactions going in, if you want to use those prompts at all. Handwaving is encouraged. ))
[ OUTSIDE THE ARCHWAY ]
There are probably a Guardian and some deputies here. They might have some issues with people gathering here, or trying to get in.
[ INSIDE THE ARCHWAY - CROSSROADS ]
In the fog, there's a crossroads with four paths branching off.
The widest path leads to a building, which kind of looks like the apartment Shinjiro and Akihiko share right now in Genessia. That door is locked with three keys.
The path to the left leads to a building Akihiko would find familiar. It's an orphanage.
The path to the right leads to a structure which seems to be a mashup between the highschool in Iwatodai and the dorms that SEES lived in.
The narrowest path leads right past the building. It appears to go into a warren of alleyways.
[ INSIDE THE ORPHANAGE ]
Right when you get in, you hear a woman's voice saying, "You're just too much trouble." It's not a voice Akihiko would recognize.
The first floor is filled with whispering adult voices, harsh and judgmental. They're not clear enough to be heard right away. When you find the stairs, they've resolved themselves at last. "Undesirable." "Troublemaker." "Thief." "Bully." "Too aggressive." "Looks suspicious." "Not that one."
The second floor is distinctly hotter than the first. The rooms begin to fill with smoke. There's crying of children in the corridors, and by the final room - which has the first key - the whole dungeon is on fire.
In that last room, when the chest is opened, they can hear Shinjiro's very young voice. "I didn't really want this to happen. I didn't. It wasn't my fault!"
This dungeon drops a lot of Goho-M and Revival Beads.
[ INSIDE THE SCHOOL + DORM ]
When you open the door, you hear the principal say, "Delinquent."
The first floor appears to be just the school. But the corridors are tight, growing tighter, and the ceilings seem to get lower and lower. A shadow eventually can easily block the entire hallway. All around are whispers and snickering, and disapproving coughing. This building doesn't appear to have any distinct voices, one way or another.
By the time you get to the stairs, you almost need to crouch.
The second floor is the dorm. These appear to be spaced just like the actual dorm hallways, and the ceilings are the right height, too. But there are shadows everywhere.
Eventually, one will knock you into a wall. The wall completely collapses, and the sound it makes is a mix of Mrs. Amada and Ken Amada's screams.
After the first wall, the corridors seem to narrow exponentially. Knocking down more walls causes repeats of those screams, but. At least it's easier to move around over rubble?
The final room has the voice of Shadow!Shinji call out - "No, no it's not possible - no -"
This dungeon drops a lot of Goho-M and Revival Beads. It also drops an axe.
[ INSIDE THE ALLEYWAYS ]
This is a straight-up labyrinth, single floor.
It's freezing in the alleys. Shadows seem to come out of nowhere and ambush the party easily. There aren't distinct voices here - just shouts, and laughter, and indistinct pleading.
As they go through the alleys, it gets colder and colder. It also grows darker. It gets even harder to see the shadows, and eventually, you'll need to find the light of your cell phone to get by.
This dungeon drops a lot of Goho-M and Revival Beads. The shadows also seem unusually fond of casting Marin Karin on the party.
[ INSIDE THE SAFEHOUSE ]
This is Shinjiro and Akihiko's apartment, all right. Except the floor is littered with empty prescription pill bottles, hundreds of them. It's hard not to step on them. The door to Akihiko's room is locked. The bathroom is trashed, the mirror smashed.
Shinjiro's room is where you find them both, Shadow and Persona-user. This room is also pretty wrecked. Here the empty prescription bottle count is highest.
Shinjiro is tied up, back against the wall, sitting on his bed. The Shadow is pacing the room, kicking about empty bottles as he goes. His eyes are red, like he'd been crying, but he looks furious. He's holding an axe, and gesturing with it at Shinjiro.
"I'm not going to let you! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!" the Shadow shouts, sounding a mix between anguished and furious.
As a counterpoint, Shinjiro almost looks bored, slumped in his bindings against the wall. He doesn't look at the Shadow. "Can you just get it over with?"
But then he notices you all there, in the doorway, and his eyes go wide. "Shit."
The Shadow turns, looks at you, and almost looks ... hopeful?
Or maybe he just hopes to use his axe. He runs a thumb over it, thoughtfully.
(( OOC: The boss fight will be "unlocked" in this thread after a) a character calls out what Shinjiro is denying about himself, and b) Shinjiro denies it. Actual fight can be handwaved. ))
[ AFTER THE BOSS FIGHT ]
(( OOC: Descriptive text will be unlocked in a post below after the boss fight. ))
no subject
"Yeah. I feel the same way. I really don't want to fight you. Though...I'm guessing you don't want it that way. Do you really want revenge that badly?" The second 'you' of course, referring to the empowered Shadow-self of Shinjiro. Minato's tone was even and calm in most circumstances, but he found it hard to hold back. "I'd rather talk it out, while we still have a chance. But you're going to have to give him back, sooner or later."
All of them were right, but all means. It was up to the irrational Shadow to make the next move. He looks to the captured form of Shinjiro with equal concern. Was he willing sacrifice, like the Shadow mentioned or was he more of a prisoner? Or a hostage?
no subject
The Shadow ignored him, and turned to the others. That visage of fear was disappearing, returning to the cocky smile he wore before. "Damn right, we need to talk."
"Whether or not you fight me," the Shadow said, "is up to him."
Shinjiro pitched himself over with a shout of frustration. He was focused on the Shadow, but spoke to the others - "I can distract him -"
"Idiot!" The Shadow turned, and punched Shinjiro across the jaw with his off hand - the one not holding the axe. Shinjiro crashed against the wall all the same. "Sit down and - and fucking talk to me!"
"Go to hell," Shinjiro muttered, flexing his jaw.
"I hate you," the Shadow said.
"Feeling is mutual," Shinjiro shot back.
Well, this was going nowhere.
no subject
Akihiko winced at the punch. He probably could've moved fast enough to stop it, but he didn't think sudden movements would help the situation. Still, this felt eerily similar to the situation Labrys had found herself in not long ago... to him at least.
He stepped forward, making a motion signalling the others to hold their positions.
"He's right, y'know." Akihiko had ignored the shadow overtly, focusing solely on Shinjiro until he was standing side-by-side with the shadow. "We're only here to do something things get out of control... you need to talk to him Shinji... to yourself."
no subject
"To reject yourself is very lethal for a human. Eventually, anyway. I know what this place does to people. So you both need to talk to each other." She glared at both in turn. "Listening with genuine interest is as important as speaking. As well as finding compromise if you ever hope to consolidate this split."
no subject
He looks at the Shadow Shinjiro and his original, as if he's speaking to both of them at once. "You can't cover your eyes and plug your ears. Taking responsibility for what's happening is one thing. But change doesn't come on its own. It's difficult."
The blue-haired boy's emotions were still quite safely guarded, but the youkai's calming aura seems to have even penetrated his steely gaze.
"Lashing out at anyone, even yourself isn't going to do anything. It's not going to change what you felt or change you. Either of you." Minato steps forward and adds, watching the Shadow, this time. He's defiant, at least in a quiet sense, but his tone's firm.
"Life isn't fair. But you're going to have to move on. You've got a new life here, and wasting it like this is just repeating history. But I can't do that for you."
A pause. He motions from Shinjiro to Shinjiro's Shadow.
"Why should you let him run your life? If he's just part of you, you need him. But I think he ought to know who's in charge."
1/2
Hell, wasn't he the one who always said to Aki that he was stuck in the past?
Shinjiro rolled his eyes, and finally looked at his Shadow.
"Fine. You're supposed to be Castor, right? Who is part of me."
The Shadow looked hopeful, again.
"And, yeah, I know about that post you made, so."
"I get it. I'm a monster. There's a violent, awful part of me, who can go out of control. Who's put people in danger in the past - who even killed someone in the past."
Now, it seemed easier for Shinjiro to look at the Shadow, rather than his friends.
The hopefull expression on the Shadow's face was now gone, however.
"And. Yeah, I accept that. That's a part of me. That ain't ever goin away."
"That's a part of me. You, that monster, that murder, are a part of me."
He sighed, and closed his eyes. "And, whatever happens when this is over?"
He deserved it, Shinjiro thought. "That's just how it is."
2/3 I LIED
And then the Shadow yelled at Shinjiro, furious. "You fucking idiot!"
The Shadow tugged at his hair, frustrated. At least he seemed to have forgotten about his axe, at the moment. His eyes were wild.
"That is so not the goddamn point I could just. I could just scream, you absolute moron."
Remembering the axe, he pointed it at Shinjiro, face in a snarl. "Oh, listen to you. 'Whatever happens.' You just wanna fucking die!"
Shinjiro winced, and seemed to collapse in on himself. He didn't look at anyone, now.
"Well, I've got news for you, buddy. It was an accident. I've never been a murderer, idiot, because you've never been one. We didn't deserve the shit we've gotten in life. And we sure as hell don't deserve to die."
The Shadow's face was getting blotchy, too. "I don't wanna die. So, guess what, dumbass? That means you don't wanna die either."
Finally, Shinjiro said, "No."
The Shadow tilted his head. "What was that? Speak up."
Shinjiro still didn't look at any of them. "You're wrong. I - I know what happened, what I did. I shouldn't get away with it."
The Shadow gave a mocking, unconvincing smile. "You're really not bright, are you. I think it was a dumb accident. I think we should move on. That means you do, too."
Folding over, now, wishing he could do something with his arms, Shinjiro said, shaking his head, "No, no, that's not - you aren't me! You aren't!"
And then, the Shadow smiled.
3/3 BOSS FIGHT
"So sorry, guys. Guess you're gonna have to fight me after all."
First, the Shadow morphed into Castor, large, eyes glowing, and hair flowing behind him.
But he laughed, and gave an Evil Smile.
The figure dismounted from the skeletal horse - shook his head - and pulled out the spear from his chest.
The figure changed, growing more terrible-looking. The spear was now like a short sword, broken at the tip. The face morphed into something sinister, covered by a helmet. The hair flowed behind him along with a cape. He appeared to drip with blood and itchor.
"I AM THE SHADOW. THE TRUE SELF."
He began with casting Marakukaja on the party, though.
"AND I WILL BE DAMNED BEFORE I LET YOU DECIDE WE'RE BOTH BETTER OFF DEAD."
He then swung his sword.
Re: 3/3 BOSS FIGHT
He steps back and attempts to dodge the slash of the shadow's broken blade, even as he stumbles and gets knocked aside. He pulls himself to his feet and reaches for his Evoker, practically quick-drawing to his temple.
And he grins. He squeezes the trigger, ready for a long battle ahead.
"Thanatos!"
Behind Minato, rushing out to meet the Shadow Shinjiro is a macabre, bestial figure bearing an opened skull-mask for a face and a row of coffins at its back. The figure bears a serrated blade in its hands.
Thanatos quickly tries to find an opening to clash with the Shadow, screeching like a wild beast.
"Heh...See, that's where you're wrong. This'll be where you start really living for the first time. It's...about time, anyway!" He looks to the others.
"Let's do this, everyone. We're taking him back."
no subject
No. Stay focused!
"I came to talk! Not fight! This world is pressure and silence. I'm going to end up eating someone again!"
Wait, again?
She was near her limit of willpower already though. She so wanted to devour this being; to take in its range and sorrow. But she managed to refrain. For now. Support. That's what she needed to do.
Flying up and back, she spun evasively just in case, waving a hand and covering the battlefield in razor sharp brambles. They would attempt to wind their way up the shadow's legs causing a distress effect if not cut back or evaded.