Embrace Your Isekai Fantasies // Locked to mountainfoggedlotus

[fogboundcrow]

This is it! Raven's chance to help the younger Ren experience his powers as a Persona user. They can fight together. Explore together. It's going to be great.

But the Metaverse is too unpredictable, and the Dark Hour fairly dangerous. So, naturally, the TV world is the best bet.

Thus, Raven leads his young compatriot to the Junes Electronics Department. How convenient that there's a little rack of glasses near the flatscreen TVs with a cute Teddie cutout nearby.

Raven glances at the selection. "You'll want to take one of these before we step inside. It'll help you see through the fog."

Comments

[fogboundcrow]

"Odd. I happen to think quite a lot. You could say it's my default state..."

But perhaps something about Ren's thoughts is interfering with his summoning ability? Raven taps his chin, mulling it over. "Is something on your mind?"

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Millipede problem, Wormwood grumbles in his mind. You were thinking too much about how to do something; you couldn't do it.

"I'm not a bug," Ren snips to the air.

And yet. In Ren's mind, Wormwood taps his long black fingers, partly covered with silver gauntlets, to his chin.

"Oh, come on. You're not a bug either."

[fogboundcrow]

"I'd still appreciate you if you were a bug." It's just an offhand comment. Blame Akira-kun. He's the one who asked about worms, after all. "I suppose you could stand to go with the flow..."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"Now I'm just thinking of all the bugs I've flushed down the toilet." Ren blows a puff of air out. "Okay," he addresses his Persona aloud. "Now that you're here...why aren't you showing up?"

Wormwood meets him with silence.

Then:

I don't know.

"What do you MEAN you don't know?"

I art thou, remember. I don't really know things you don't.

"You know how to cast spells and speak English. You know tons of things I don't."

This is...different. His own mind's going shifty on him, great. Ask Raven how persona-related things work here.

He grumps, but obliges. "How do personas work here?"

[fogboundcrow]

"You call your Persona, and typically a card materializes that you crush in your hand. Getting the handshake should have enabled you to summon with ease the way that it did for Yu. The only reason I struggled was due to the immense internal conflict within me..."

But Ren shouldn't be like that. He's a far more normal preteen boy. By all accounts, shouldn't it be like breathing?

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"No. He means like...foundational values, n stuff. We're still getting mad to frick things up, right?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Well, most of my teammates had to face their repressed feelings to awaken, as I said before. I'm not even certain if Yu had to reflect on his values, but he was in a position where he was desperate to fight for a greater cause, I suppose..."

And protect his friends. That likely also had a hand in his awakening.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"Hmm." Ren closes his eyes. "What could I be repressing..."

Well, if you're asking me--

"I'm not asking you."

I'd say you are, since you are asking yourself.

"Shut up."

[fogboundcrow]

"Perhaps you ought to listen to your Persona. It may make it easier to summon him."

For now, Raven leans against a wall, arms and legs crossed in an attempt to look cool and composed.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Like I've been saying. I art thou.

"Yeah, I got that part."

I don't think you have.

A chill goes down Ren's spine. He goes very, very still. "What do you mean?"

I mean...I AM you. You-you, not. Ugh. Wormwood paces around in his chest. Not just...ugh. You're special. Clawed hands press flat against a barrier in his mind. This isn't some...video game where you can PRETEND to be special. He's scratching against a cliff now, like a particularly agitated cat. I AM you. This is REAL. You deserve good things, not the...Special version of you in your mind.

"Ow. Stop clawing..."

It's TRUE!

[fogboundcrow]

"Perhaps we should find a place to sit down?"

Raven's Shadow hums in the back of his mind.

There's a door around the corner with a chest and no Shadows present.

"Ah, excellent." Raven takes a few steps forward, motioning for Ren to follow.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"Wormwood's being prickly," Ren complains, following Raven, heavily distracted by the demon in his mind. "All bark and all bite. He's getting upset."

Because you're not accepting the truth!

"I am!"

[fogboundcrow]

When they reach the door, Raven holds it for Ren. "Could you at least explain what you're arguing about? It may make it easier to understand and offer advice."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Tell him, Wormwood glowers in his mind. Tell him the truth.

"He's saying stuff like...'you're not accepting the truth'."

Tell him more!

"Ow. He's like...scratching in my mind. And yelling. I'm not accepting myself, or something..."

[fogboundcrow]

Hmm... Concerning, certainly. Raven glances across the room. There really is nothing but an unopened chest.

So he takes a seat beside that chest and pats an empty place on the floor.

"Is there something about yourself that you're not especially proud of?"

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"No, I like myself," Ren protests. "I just--"

Crack. Something breaks inside Ren and crawls out of him like a wave of puke crawls up his throat, wrong and convulsing, and--

"--Don't think I'm worth being special."

Wormwood, looking exactly like him except for the yellow eyes, stares at him. Grumpily.

[fogboundcrow]

Oh.

Did Ren's Persona just... revert into a Shadow? Are his insecurities truly so deep?

It takes a moment for Raven to process before he gets up, moves closer.

"Why don't you think you're worthwhile?"

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"Oh, now you're here." If Wormwood's gonna be grumpy, Ren'll be grumpy too.

"I don't know, maybe it's because you have the worst case of...what do you call it? Protagonist impostor syndrome?" Wormwood glowers in return. "I'm the manifestation of your soul. I don't know why you're not getting that. I am you."

[fogboundcrow]

"Amamiya-kun, you need to stay calm. Whatever you do, don't reject your Shadow." Or Persona. Or whatever. Either way, they really don't want this to escalate when it's just the two of them. "I know it can be hard to hear such harsh words, but you shouldn't run from those feelings."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"My Shadow is my shadow," Ren huffs. "It's me. You're me, ok?"

"I'm you. All of you." Wormwood runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. "All of you is experiencing this. Not just the." He tugs at his tufts. "Image of yourself in your head. You're not getting that..."

[fogboundcrow]

"...Is it that he's not fully processing his circumstances?" Raven asks his Shadow, because chances are that's the best way to get an honest answer.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Wormwood turns to Raven. "Tell him that he deserves to have fancy magic powers."

[fogboundcrow]

"Of course he deserves 'fancy magic powers'!" Raven scowls, cheeks puffed up in a pout. "If your older self can become some dashing Phantom Thief, then you're more than capable and deserving."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Ren flinches. "That's older me, though..."

[fogboundcrow]

Ah. Raven winces. Perhaps he misspoke, given his own insecurities regarding Crow.

"But he used to be you, which means you have that same potential. And you don't have to go about things the exact same way. You don't have to aspire to be him, but you also should give yourself more credit." Taking a chance, he reaches for Ren's shoulder. "But I do understand. After all, Crow seems so untouchable."