Descent into Darkness

[bravenewmods]

As the characters arrive, they will find what appears to be a rather deep cavern. Upon entering, the caverns are quite narrow, with twists and turns everywhere and different tunnels that all seem to be interconnected. As characters travel deeper within the caverns, reality around them will start to warp, they will start to see and hear things that aren’t necessarily there - images of old enemies, past failures, voices of condemnation, visions that strike at the soul and core of the characters. Once this begins, it will only increase in power and volume, demanding it be confronted, lest they be trapped within these caves forever.

[OOC: This event will run for a week. All characters who enter the caves will be subject to some of their deepest fears, darkest demons, and most abject failures. To overcome them, characters must help each other out, finding their purpose through strength of character and resolve to move forward. In general, these visions should require characters to come to grips with themselves. Illusory images and voices can and will appear and can take any number of forms, depending on what is most appropriate to a character. Additionally, characters may thread with each other and are encouraged to help each other out to overcome these personal demons. For those who wish to take part, they are able and encouraged to narrate their own personal demons, which will be on display for everyone who enters their thread. IC threads may be made in this post.]

Comments

[nippy]

[ as if he had forgotten that Totsuka had ever even been there, Jack startles at the sound of someone else's footsteps. he turns, eyes wild for a moment before it is consumed by horror, mortification, an overwhelming fear about something - a look directed at Totsuka, and the realisation that the argument just then had an audience. ]

Tatara. This isn't— [ oh gods, Totsuka hadn't even known that he's a Homunculus. ] The things he's saying aren't true, he's just messing with me! No, I mean— I am a Homunculus... but anything else isn't real!

[ this is said with poor timing. suddenly, there is another voice coming through the tunnels of the caves, echoing as if from a distance but still very clear and very loud. but it isn't a new voice, as such - it's easily identified as Jack's.

even though all it does for the first, long moment is scream. the voice screams in what could be nothing else but pain, because it keeps going even when it cracks, when it must hurt to continue; sometimes it chokes, and always starts again before long. after some time without any words, there are breaks where Jack's hoarse voice begins to speak, desperate hysterical shrieks of: ] Stop! STOP IT! It hurts, it hurts! Stop stop stop, let me go! Please! PLEASE!

[ the real Jack makes a wounded noise, a strangled whine of grief and pain, and he whirls on the shadows; the ones that darken the tunnels, the corners of the cavern, anywhere. he blasts snow and frost at them to no avail. the screaming carries on regardless, and Jack flinches at every crescendo, every bout of frantic babbling and begging. with his attacks proven useless, he covers his face with his hands instead, shaking terribly. ]

What did the people of Union tell you? That what happens to Homunculi is "unfortunate"? "Troubling", they said. Not a single one of them understood, not at all. Did you hate them for it? [ Jack can't muster anything more than a furious groan through his gritted teeth. the Mage sighs. ] I'm not trying to hurt you, Jack... but you always have responded better to pain.

[ Jack tears his hands away from his face. this is too much, too much. aren't the nightmares enough? now he has to hear this with some— some stupid fake construct of the Moon Man, something that he's never had to deal with in his memories or his nightmares because he doesn't know any of this! he's only heard two words from his maker, he couldn't know his voice this well, and he never saw the Mage's damn face. barely saw him at all beyond those pale eyes always looking down at him. why is any of this happening to him? ]

What does this have to do with anything?! If you've got a point here, then I'm not seeing it!

I'm not surprised. You are rather wilfully blind. [ for the first time, the Moon Man turns his pale eyes on Totsuka. ] Can your friend help you, perhaps?

[imprudens]

[ It's terrible, and it jarrs him to hear. All that pain... more than he's ever been through, more than almost anyone he knows has been through. He watches, looks around for the origin of the voice only for his eyes to return to Jack, keening, cowering. Sometimes, he's had to pull himself together to face something more powerful than himself with no fear - he pulls from that same place now, too. Picks his way carefully into the cavern, towards Jack and the magus, and only looks at the latter when spoken to.

The suggestion gives him pause, but he also thinks he... it? may have a point. Sometimes people have difficulty seeing what's right in front of them. Sometimes they don't want to see. Totsuka finds he picks his words as carefully as his steps. ]

I'm not sure I can. But I can try.

[ And he doesn't continue until he's past the first ice spikes, frost crunching under his sneakers. ]

I think what he's getting at is that... well, that knowing won't make what you've gone through un-happen.