[EVENT] Memory Tapes

[vrdr_mods]

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!]

Comments

[mirrorkechi]

He carefully picks up the tape from the table and tucks it under his arm. Raising a brow at Maruki.

“It’s a nice wish, but unfortunately reality isn’t as kind. I’m used to the cruelty, wishing something didn’t happen won’t fix things, and what I’ve been threw is why I am the person I am today. You can wish it didn’t happen but it did, and I wouldn’t take that away” there’s a lot of things hes done he wished he could take back, but life is never so kind.
And going back further, had things been different for his mother…
He doubts he’d recognize the person he’d become if things changed.

“If someone doesn’t have the strength to perceiver then shouldn’t they rely on others for support?” He asks, curious of this line of thinking from maruki. “Of course, there will be those who stubbornly insist to go it alone, but having support certainly helps” it took him a little too long to admit that, even a little. He shakes his head, people are different, Futaba couldn’t have escaped her palace alone, Hannei likely couldn’t rebuild a life for herself alone, and Akechi…
Well, he’d be a lot more tangled than he is if he was totally alone.

But right, the tapes contents. He takes in a breath and evens his expression.
“Right, of course, if you could give me a few details of the memory you saw, I’m sure I’ll piece together what’s on this tape from there. Then I suppose I can elaborate on what I feel comfortable sharing” or maybe justify himself, he doesn’t care much about what this man might think of him, but he’d rather squash any inaccuracies in his head before he gets some reason to pity him, or worse, think of him as a charity case.
Ugh, he’s going to get a headache at this rate.

1/2

[takutomaruki]

Maruki’s smile didn’t falter—not exactly. It remained warm, easy, the kind of expression that had coaxed so many people into lowering their walls. It wasn’t forced, nor was it insincere. It simply was. A mask in its own right, though not one designed to deceive, only to welcome.

Akechi’s words carried a certain resolve, that much was clear. There was no wistful longing in his tone, no lingering on what could have been—only the acceptance of what was. Maruki had heard similar things before, from so many Akechis, but this one…

This one was measured. Thoughtful.

And yet, in his insistence that reality’s cruelty had made him who he was, Maruki could hear something else. Something just beneath the surface.

Before he could let himself linger too long on that, Akechi’s next question struck him.

"If someone doesn’t have the strength to persevere, then shouldn’t they rely on others for support?"

Now that was interesting.

Maruki tilted his head, his gaze taking on a thoughtful glint. “Of course, support can make all the difference,” he mused. His tone was light, inviting, carrying no trace of judgment. “People aren’t meant to endure everything alone, no matter how much they try. It’s admirable, certainly—but even the strongest foundations crack under enough weight.”

He gave a short, almost self-deprecating chuckle. "That's the whole point of my counselling. To prevent that crack. To lift someone up before the ground under their feet shatters and they find themselves falling."

2/2

[takutomaruki]

And yet…

He let the moment hang, studying Akechi carefully before leaning forward, elbows resting against the table.

“You asked me about the tape,” he said, voice still gentle but carrying an undeniable shift. “But let me ask you something first.”

His fingers tapped idly against his own curled up fist, a casual gesture that belied the intent behind his words.

“If I told you that I’ve pushed my body past its limits—far beyond anything it should have been able to endure—because of an eldritch, god-like Persona whispering into my mind…” His voice trailed off for a beat, then continued, still light but edged with something else. “That it spoke to me in ways I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. That it filled my head with thoughts, memories of past actions I will never be sure I’ve committed.”

His smile remained, but there was something unreadable in his eyes now. “If I told you that every waking moment feels like a headache I can’t rid myself of—this festering, gnawing thing at the edges of my mind…” He exhaled, feigning a kind of casual exasperation, as if he were merely discussing a mild inconvenience rather than something deeply, viscerally wrong.

“…Would you support me?”

He let the question settle between them, tilting his head slightly. “Would you believe me, even? Would you stand by me, knowing that?”

There was no hostility in his voice. No accusation. Only something dangerously close to amusement, as though he were humoring his own words rather than expecting any real answer.