January Event: Fade to Black

[lifeaftr_mods]

JANUARY EVENT: FADE TO BLACK

Who: Anyone and everyone!
What: Your true self comes to roost
When: January 21st - 23rd; January 25th - 28th
Where: All over!
Warnings: Dark subjects such as violence and self-destruction are likely to come to the forefront - please mark your content accordingly!

Down in that Darkness

This log is primarily for the Shadow and Light portions of the event, for ease and convenience. Your Shadow can be either the Persona-inspired sort - a "brutal, bitterly honest recreation of a character's worst flaws, darkest fears, and deepest secrets" - or the edgier, more laughable variant. The Lights, on the other hand, will do their utmost to convince their real selves of their best qualities, no matter how little they want to hear them.

Remember that the Shadows will be present from January 21st to January 23rd, and the Lights will be present from January 25th to January 28th.

On January 25th, we will post a separate log for Rejection Rooms!

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Some useful links, for reference:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Post
[ ♆ ] Rejection Room Sign-Ups; remember to note your interest in these as soon as possible!
[ ♆ ] Deaths Page; death penalties have been reduced for the duration of this event, but still do let us know if your character dies regardless!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] January 20th: The monthly Storytelling occurs.
[ ♆ ] January 21st: Shadows of both initial variants appear.
[ ♆ ] January 23rd: Shadows of both initial variants disappear.
[ ♆ ] January 25th Lights and Rejection Rooms appear.
[ ♆ ] January 28th: Lights and Rejection Rooms dissipate. Those still trapped in their Rejection Rooms by the event's end will suffer a character death.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[thermalwind]

I'm great! [He laughs and spreads his hands apart. He pushes his hair out of his face and falls into an almost lazy stance.]

I'm also not the real Keith, just his good side. The 'Light' within I guess. [Light Keith flashes her a grin as he raises his arms over his head in a stretch.]

No need to lie to you. Don't see the point. The real Keith is here...somewhere. He's avoiding me.

[antepone]

[ She doesn't think she's ever seen him smile like that, or heard him laugh like that. It's nice, honestly. But... it makes her sad, too. She wonders what weighs on his heart so heavily that she's never seen him like this. ]

He's avoiding you?

[ She frowns, as if she isn't doing the same with hers. She hasn't run into it yet.... but she doesn't particularly want to. Mira isn't certain if Keith's reasons are the same as her own, but as for her?

She doesn't want to be reminded of the fact that her Light is better. That she can't be better, even with that light within her, because that darkness stifles it. Snuffs it out, makes it hard to be. ]

Why?

[thermalwind]

[He studies her closely when she frowns. He can tell she's thinking but not what. Her question is met with a small nod. None of the pieces of Keith ever find words as vital.

Yet, he does take a moment of pausing to think over how to word his answer. Impulsive he might be at times, this is something best said with a little care.]

I'm everything he used to believe he didn't have. Shiro saw it. [He frames Shiro's name like something precious. He is. His Shiro is dear to him in too many ways to count.]

Others told him he didn't have it. He's on the other side of that and he accepts what's good about him exists...but it's not easy for him to face it.

[He raises his left eyebrow and shrugs, visibly calm and collected.]

Seems like a lot of you aren't comfortable with us. We're the best parts of you. Is that scary?

[antepone]

Oh... So.... He accepts it, but has a hard time when it's so visible.

[ She admires Keith. It's why she had asked him to help. She's glad for it, and honestly, she might envy him a bit.

He's also shockingly perceptive. Mira hesitates and looks away, off to the side. ]

I... maybe a little. It's... hard for me to accept that part, because...

[ She trails off. ]

... Nevermind. It's not really fair to unload everything onto you.

[thermalwind]

[He watches her again with obvious concern in the set of his brows. His serenity has slipped to a quiet thoughtfulness as his brows come down.]

I’m here for whatever you want to talk about. And yeah, he doesn’t like facing the visible presentation of his best. He knows ans accepts himself as he is. One side or the other being shown is like ripping away part of the balance he’s come to have.

He worked very hard to achieve that balance.

[antepone]

[ She's quiet, for a very long time. Mira mulls over his words. They're friends, aren't they? She thinks so. She hopes so. And friends... they won't care about what she can do, right?

Finally, she looks at him. ]

... Okay. If you're sure.

[thermalwind]

I wouldn't offer if I wasn't.

[Keith goes still and watchful. He's perfectly relaxed, waiting for whatever she wants to say.]

I only give what I know I can.

[antepone]

[ Ah. She manages to smile, and Mira nods. He really is good. She counts herself lucky that she met him, that he's her friend. ]

Maybe... we should sit down first.

[thermalwind]

Back here. There’s some rocks we can sit on. [Keith draws back to some wide flat stones and sits down on the farther one. The warmth of the sun makes it a pleasant spot.]

Does this work?

[antepone]

[ She takes a seat on the warm rocks, and she pulls her knees up to her chest. ]

It does. Thank you.

[ She hesitates. It's clear that she doesn't know how to start. She stays quiet for a while, then takes a deep breath and stretches her legs out in front of her. ]

First... I've been keeping something from a lot of you. I was scared to tell you all, because I didn't know how you'd react. I can feel the emotions of those around me. Usually... I try to keep up a sort of-- I guess a shield. I don't think it's fair to pry like that.

[thermalwind]

It’s part of who you are, right? There’s nothing wrong with that and you respect me enough to shield. Even if you couldn’t that’s just part of you. Like being half human is part of who I am.

[He smiles, trying to be reassuring. He sucks at words but he’s good with body language. He crosses one leg over the other and puts his hands behind him. There’s no fast way to be battle ready like this. Then he frowns and his brows come down.]

Does that affect you when you need to protect yourself?

[antepone]

Of course I do. We're friends. I couldn't invade your privacy like that... not-- intentionally, at least.

[ She bites her lip, glances away. ]

Sometimes it does. Sometimes, when I meet someone or something new, it's hard to close myself off. And in stressful situations, it's hard to stay focused.

I'm... still trying to figure how to deal with it.

[thermalwind]

[He sits up and leans forward, his concern in his eyes. How can he help?] Until you do...ask for help. If you tag him into a fight he won't ask questions. He'll just help.

Or even a conversation, he'll take point. You're his student and friend. He takes that very seriously.

[antepone]

... Really?

[ She's still surprised. She knows Keith wants to help, but she's surprised nonetheless. And when he says that she's his friend... she's caught in a wave of emotion. Mira bites her lip to keep herself as composed as she can; she can feel her throat start to tighten. ]

He's my friend, too. Sometimes I still can't believe it, though.

[thermalwind]

[He gets up from the rock and walks over to hers sitting down beside her. He says nothing at first.]

That's okay. Just know he'll be there for you. He's very good at being loyal to people who deserve it. [He looks up at the sky to give her a little privacy to handle that.]

...He didn't have a good childhood. So he tries to give back what kindness he gets.

[antepone]

[ She doesn't mind that he moves closer. Rather, she welcomes it. She's always been someone who craves closeness, even if a part of her is scared of it.

Mira considers his words, and she curls her hands into fists. She isn't sure what to say... and even more so when he tells her that. ]

... I think we have more in common than I realized. [ She looks to him with a tremulous smile. ] I'm not used to opening up to people... but... I want to try. With him, with Lance, Allura... all of my friends here.

[thermalwind]

He's not used to it either. But once you have his loyalty...you have it. Rarely does he waver. It takes a great deal to make him consider that.

[Light Keith leans back with his hands behind him and shuts his eyes.]

As long as you try, people will meet you halfway. Everyone here has been very friendly and willing to reach out to each other...as far as he knows.

[antepone]

Well... I hope I'd never do anything to make him consider it.

[ Even if she's faced her fears, they still weigh on her heart. It's irrational, and she knows it, but she worries sometimes that something will happen to make people dislike her.

But so far, that hasn't happened. So she thinks, maybe, it'll be okay. ]

You're right. Everyone here has been wonderful. [ Something occurs to her, though, and she frowns. ] Or... mostly everyone.

[thermalwind]

Mostly everyone. [He agrees as he looks up at the sky over their heads.] It takes more than most can achieve to lose his loyalty. Don't worry. You're not the kind of person that could do that.

[He fully intends to find Keith later and make him see and hear him. There's no way that can be avoided now. Nor should it be.]

Some how...it will be okay. We just have to keep moving until it's better. We can make it that way.

[antepone]

[ Oh... Mira looks stunned for a few moments before she smiles. ]

You know... I think I'm starting to realize that. And with friends like you, Allura, Lance, Tim and Ren... and so many others, it'll definitely be okay.

[thermalwind]

And when it's not we'll work together until it is. [He looks at her and smiles, confident and reassuring. The light is relaxed as he looks to the right.]

...I bet Keith is in the trees or some form of cover. The Blades took a want and turned it into a skill.

[antepone]

You're all really stubborn. And... apparently, so am I.

[ She frowns a little as she thinks about her shadow. It's... it's not something she's happy about, even if she knows it's a part of her. ]

Really? [ The light pulls her from her thoughts. ] ... I think I'll try to find him.

[thermalwind]

[He slips off the rock and walks over to the nearest tree brushing aside some dirt to reveal a sharp slice into the tree itself.] Look for these.

He's been using these to mark different areas. ...you should ask him about tracking training some time. It will make it easier to find when you need him. He likes keeping people he cares about safe. Part of the...Galra in us. The stronger we are, the more we want to protect those close to us.

The stronger they are, the more we feel we did our job.

[antepone]

[ She follows, and when she sees the mark, she nods. ]

Tracking training... I'll ask. [ Keith isn't just strong; he's resourceful, too, and he has such a warm heart. Anything he's willing to teach her, she'll do her best to learn. ] Is... that why he's spending so much time helping me? Because he wants to protect me by teaching me?

[thermalwind]

[The light nods to her, his grin a radiant light. He's so glad she understands.] That's exactly why. Danger will find you.

There's no way to stop that. But he can prepare you for it and that...that's how he protects as best as he can. He does it to Lance too to help him. Don't think Lance realizes that yet. Or just how much of a friend he made in him.