personavelvetroomdr | [EVENT] Memory Tapes

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[EVENT] Memory Tapes

On the morning of November 21st, denizens in the Velvet Room will awake to a message on their phones or by their bedsides in an envelope. Perhaps even on their computer screens.

Greetings! If you've received this message, then you've been selected as a participant in a new activity to strengthen bonds within this community. In order to facilitate connections with your fellow residents, we advise you to watch this video. Watch it and return the tape to its rightful owner. If you lacked the means to watch VHS tapes before, we have provided you with the necessary equipment. Failure to do so may put your own memories at risk. Do not be selfish, lest you find yourself struggling to recall crucial moments of your life. You have no way of knowing which memories have been shared, so ask yourself if it is worth the risk to selfishly hoard another's secrets.

They will soon find a VHS tape, with a case that gives off a soft, blue glow to symbolize its importance. If they lack a TV or VCR, they will find one in their living space.

What they do is up to them, but they should heed the warning, if they value their own memories.

[For links to characters' memories, please see this post in the OOC comm. Have fun!]

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"She struggled. I know that, but we still had our dream." That's... That's what matters. The bond they shared. "We argued more as we got older, and we didn't always see eye to eye, but I still loved her. And I still wanted to talk to her, like old times..."

And now she can't.

"If nothing else, in my experience it fosters a better understanding of the people you end up sharing with. Though... I don't know what the old man is thinking, handling it the way he's doing it."

He slid the tape across the table. "In any case, I'm curious what it is of mine you saw."

"Your Yoshizawa was very kind to your Shadow, even though he kept saying terrible things about himself. She seemed to understand you on a deeper level and was willing to look at that Shadow without fear..." She stares down at the table, blowing a soft sigh. "I know Shadows can be hostile. They can say terrible things. I can understand why the other Yoshizawa reacted poorly to what her sister's Shadow said, but to kill her..."

I'm surprised she'd show so much mercy to a murderer.

[Really, the lack of judgment from Shinjiro is just as offputting. Is he not at all concerned?]

He breathed outwards, hearing that. "I... yeah. I was... going through a lot. I've told others this story, but- Goro Akechi... died, in my timeline. To Shido, he was a useful tool, an effective killer, and a disposable asset. His last action was trying to shield the Phantoms from harm, in spite of everything- and then, when our Maruki inherited a power he never should have... possibly because of his bond with our Ren- he created me."

It wasn't a happy story, but he'd recounted it so often now the sting had faded. "What he was doing wasn't... good. Sumire... lost her sister in a terrible accident, for which she blamed herself. She wished that she had died, and her sister had lived. So he... made her believe she was her sister. That she was Kasumi. He could... have helped her heal. But instead he decided it was more convenient to erase a girl who was, despite her protestations to the contrary, kind, and talented, and intelligent, with dreams and a personality of her own- in favor of her more confident and popular twin. And she wasn't the only one. He tried doing it to the Phantoms. He tried doing it to me, and I think the only thing that stopped him was how badly Ren wanted me to be allowed to be... me. He wanted to do that to the entire world. Just... erase their pain."

"We faced him. We stopped him. Ren nearly didn't, once... Maruki revealed to us both that if he failed, if his hold on the cognitive world was released- I would vanish. I would die. We argued about it. But in the end, he accepted that whatever happiness I would have on the other side, if we took that deal- it wouldn't be me, experiencing it. I fought Maruki, fully expecting to die. And I very much did. I felt myself unravel as the Palace collapsed- but then... I woke up. In a place not unlike this one. People from many worlds and many timelines had also been dragged there, all with the knowledge that this- was just a shared dream. In the end, they would wake up, and as pleasant as it was, it would eventually fade. I didn't... take it well. I don't think I would've held it together, if... Ren and Sumire hadn't made it there with me, somehow."

"I believed... that my life could end at any moment. I would awaken, or Ren would, and I would cease to be. I was convinced that my life was completely meaningless. That Shadow was... everything I tried to repress, because it was easier to pretend that I didn't care. That that... wasn't hurting me. My emotions, my attachments, my... growing realization that I had never, once, been allowed to be 'me'. Everything about me was manufactured, shaped by somebody else. I didn't even have a way of knowing for sure whether anything I felt or remembered actually happened. Whether any of it was real. Sumire..."

He sighed quietly, ran his fingers through his hair. "Sumire never hesitated. She knew I was... a complicated person to like. Knew I was dangerous and unstable, but she... took my hand. She wanted to be my friend, in spite of everything. Wanted to help me through my- identity crisis, because she knew what it was like, to not know who you are, to doubt the accuracy of your own senses and memory. She was my friend. One of the most incredible people I've ever met, and... I loved her. Dearly. Platonically, I mean- I am... very sure now, that I'm not interested in women- but I wish I'd told her that, honestly."

I got somebody killed and she forgave me faster than I could ever forgive myself. [Even now he's mostly settled on 'it as an accident.' And that's to say nothing of Ken causing most of the circumstances in which Shinji got shot in the first place.]

Besides, after the shit her grandfather and Ikutsuki pulled... she's the type to vet things thoroughly, but also know when someone was more a victim than not.

Ah yes. The poor, pitiable Detective Prince...

[Of course it'd be something like that.]

Well, it's still preferable to prison. I just wonder how tightly she'll tie the leash.

Edited 2024-12-23 23:02 (UTC)

You sound like Ken. [That doesn't sound like a good thing - and indeed, in Shinji's eyes, it isn't.] Don't confuse empathy for pity.

No tighter than she absolutely has to. Otherwise it ain't much of a second chance.

Ken Amada, I presume?

[He's seen them around. Well, one of them, at any rate.]

I suppose that's reassuring to hear, though I trust you understand that I'll reserve judgment until I see for myself.

To her credit, Midnight tries to listen, she really does, but certain details make her wince, gripping her temple. Words become static. Names switch positions. Her brow tightens as she tries to make sense of it. He's... trying to say something about Maruki.

Some of it registers. The things about his existence, about his worries...

"...It's good that she was able to accept you. That all sounds so difficult to bear. Not knowing who you are, how much is real..."

Gah! This is... She shuts her eyes, takes a breath.

"But... I just don't see what's so wrong about a world without pain. I know Dr. Maruki would try his best to make it safe for everyone. He'd do everything he could to make everyone's dreams come true."

Oh, I agree. Even glowing and having a magical transformation like in a magical girl or sentai series would be preferable.

[Heh... Or like Persona evolution, perhaps. It's comparable enough.]

[Shinji nods.] The regular one's pretty close to the one I know back home. They've gotten their shit together, but it didn't start out well.

[To be fair, Shinji is responsible for Ken's mom's death.]

Good, you should. I can tell you she'll have your back till I'm blue in the face, but it can't and shouldn't mean shit until you see it for yourself.

The culprit is one piece of information where I'm... conflicted, because on one hand, it would make it easier to mitigate future killings, but on the other hand, we wouldn't arrive to the conclusion organically, and it might make us miss something crucial along the way.

[It's a tricky dilemma, and he leans back, eyes fixed on the TV, even though nothing's currently on the screen.]

...That could be either the funniest thing ever or the most horrifying.

[Depending on context and how it appears.]

[Ren nods.]

Right, potential time paradoxes or at least possibly accidentally making things worse.

I can see why, if you're comparing him to me. Not to mention the Amada with the scars...

[His overall demeanor spoke for itself. Their conversation still resurfaces in his mind somewhat frequently.]

Though, I'll admit, I'm surprised you're not defending your friend more staunchly.

"I think, ultimately, the issue is... what is it you give up, when you remove that? Peoples' values conflict. There's innately going to be situations where some people are going to be more content than others. In order to resolve that... Maruki, fundamentally, has to change people, with or without their consent. He has to wipe clean whoever they were, and replace them with a version of themselves that's less... complicated. It's not that Maruki, specifically, shouldn't have that power. It's that nobody should. The ability to enforce that, on the broad scale, is... terrifying."

He looked up to meet her eyes. "I saw your Awakening, Kasumi. It was... eye-opening. I'm not confident that what you remember is how it happened, based on... the way that memory played out. Jumping around, like a badly-cut film. Segments that felt... inserted. I don't know."

Yeah, well. I know she's a good person, but you don't. If I'd met her as an authority figure before I met her as a friend, I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her, either. Trust issues don't go away just because someone else tells you everything's fine.

[If anything, that's only likely to make them worse.]

"Our dream," she can't help but scoff. "Was that ever true? Did we ever know or did we just do it to make Kasumi happy?" Midnight probably won't even be able to decipher what she's saying. Not that it makes any sort of sense the other way around.

"And if you could talk to her what would you say?"

Kou has no patience for Maruki's little charade- this act of his. He tightens the grip on his sword as he watches the two interact growling.

"Then come out and face me. And I said, give me the tape. I'm done with your bullshit." He goes to take a step forward- even if this is just a cognitive projection, harming it should have some effect on the real Maruki- he's intent on forcing the issue, but-

He wavers when Maruki grabs the gun- Goro gun. It feels like yet another punch to the gut, his mouth dry- is Maruki going to shoot him with such a familiar weapon? What irony- how fucking hilarious. Kou really does hate this man, the way he shoves himself into other people's- into his thoughts, using them against him, and having the gall to act like he's the one above it all.

Then Maruki shoots the bloody old man, and the entire place screeches, loud enough that Kou's forced to cover his ears, feeling the vibrations echo through him like knives. It's dizzying, his ears ringing, not helped by his already exhausted state. Maruki's muttering and mumbling as Kou tries to regain his composure, the entire place slowly shifting, and Maruki slams through a wall- shit, he's so fucking out of practice. Palnatoke urges him on as he shakes his head. He can't lose Maruki here- not until he has his tape.

"Get back here!" he shouts, running after the cognitive Maruki, snarling. The walls tremble and change just like before- a Shujin where the walls scream, then a hospital where ichor paints the entire ward- doubtlessly trying to shatter Kou's already emotionally fragile state. Maruki keeps bursting through walls, and Kou follows on sheer willpower alone. Mementos, Shido's office, complete with a sneering, furious Shido, images of themselves simply taking the abuse. Something terrible crops up in Kou's throat, something that makes him feel so horrifically small- but he ignores it, forcing himself onwards-

The walls become metallic, and Kou's breath catches.

Here once again, huh. He's not even surprised at this point, but that doesn't make it any less shocking, any less impactful. Tears prick at his eyes, and he forces them closed- but Goro's begging echoes in his ears, and he grits his teeth.

How much longer does he have to do this?

He opens his eyes just in time to watch Maruki disappear, muttering something or the other about Ren- or Akire- shit-, it doesn't matter-!

Face to face with him is another illusion of Goro.

And he's holding Kou's tape.

Edited 2024-12-24 14:15 (UTC)

A horrible feeling builds in Kou's throat. His lips tremble, and despair crawls up his chest as he lets out a horrified cackle that builds in volume.

~~Or is it a sob?~~

"Of course he'd do this," he mutters to himself, forcing his legs forwards- at least his fucking tape is here, now. "Fuck, what did I expect?"

"Indeed. What did you expect?" Kou startles as the cognition speaks, its voice mild, but friendly. "I could have given this to you earlier, you know?"

"What?"

The cognition smiles at him, tilting its head in a distinctly detective prince way that would charm anyone- if they didn't know better. "Of course, Kou-nii. You know I want what's best for you, right?"

Kou shudders as Goro's voice echoes off the walls again, howling in despair, how he doesn't want to die.

"Give me my tape," Kou commands, hoarsely, but the cognition only laughs.

"Oh, no- I can't, really. Not yet, anyway." It smiles at him. "You know what I want, right? What you want, most of all?"

Kou tastes bile in his throat.

"All you need to do is let yourself be cured," it says, and Kou grits his teeth. "You can have your tape, and then, we can be happy forever, without any pain to weigh us down.

"Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

It's horrible. The words that this- this caricature of his brother is spouting, with his voice, with his face, making Kou want to scream-

"My brother would never say that," he spits, and the cognition frowns sadly, demurely, before sighing.

"Seems you can't have your tape back yet, then."

Motherfu-

"Give it HERE!" Kou shouts, lurching forward with his sword, swinging it in a wide arc- but the cognition merely jumps- no, damn near floats backwards and out of the way, still holding Kou's tape, still looking like a kicked puppy with his brother's face, and Kou screams, trying again- only to be stopped in his tracks by a tentacle. It wraps around his sword arm, holding him in place, and the thing with Goro's face tuts in disappointment.

"How truly saddening," it sighs, giving him such a melancholic look that it scratches Kou raw under his skin, "you need only accept this- me, and we could have it all..."

Blue fire bursts out from behind it, and Kou's throat dries out as Loki's shadowy form- or an approximation, at least- hovers in the air, red-hot sword spinning.

"I suppose a little more persuasion is in order."

Kou's efforts to break free double, but the tentacle holds fast, and Goro's voice echoes-

"Eigaon."

Edited 2024-12-24 23:36 (UTC)

"I'd... try to understand how she felt. I'd want to hear it from her. Maybe, I wasn't good at listening before, but I'd want to do better."

But that's all hypothetical. Obviously, she can't do that anymore.

"You mean like Sparrow-san..." It's not lost on her how he's been affected, for better and for worse. It's... complicated, she knows. She feels for him, truly.

But her awakening...?

"But that doesn't make sense. I remember my awakening so clearly."

Akira lets out a soft laugh, the challenge gleaming in his eyes as he watches Akechi line up his shot. "No pressure, detective. All eyes are on you," he teases, leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed.

When Akechi just barely nails the triple 20, Akira gives a slow, exaggerated clap. "Bravo," he says with a smirk. "Guess I underestimated you. I'll have to try harder next round."

The two fall into an easy rhythm, tossing quips and trading playful jabs as they continue their game. The room fills with the soft hum of the dart machine and the occasional clink of darts hitting the board. Despite the casual air, there’s a tension just beneath the surface—an undercurrent of something unsaid between them.

As the second round winds down, Akira narrows his eyes at the board, calculating his final shot. He steps forward, holding his last dart, and lines it up carefully. A moment of silence falls over them, broken only by the faint buzz of the machine. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the dart soars through the air and lands perfectly on a triple 20.

The machine lets out a loud, celebratory cheer, lights flashing in vibrant colors as it declares him the winner. Akira grins triumphantly, turning to Akechi with a mock bow.

But as the cheer fades, Akira’s demeanor shifts. He studies Akechi for a long moment, the tension from before settling between them again.

"Hey," Akira says finally, his voice quieter now. "Do you want to try it?"

"My powers," Akira clarifies, his gaze steady. "The whole... time thing. Do you want to see what it's like?"

"And yet you aren't listening to me right now. You're just as self-absorbed and magnanimous as she is." Kasumi's right as the elder sister and all that fucking jazz. Midnight only wanted to her what would assuage her conscience and make her happy, she didn't want to truly listen or hear anything contradictory.

Just like the shadow that had given Sumire her Persona.

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[EVENT] Memory Tapes

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