agatha sheridan. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
badluckhealer) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
destinystrings2013-12-30 08:45 am
badluckhealer) wrote in destinystrings2013-12-30 08:45 am
Entry tags:
[backdated to December 20] my loving heart, lost in the dark
Who: Agatha Sheridan, Shadow Agatha Sheridan, open
Where: Gemini district. 13th Hour. Outside the Mictlan.Heaven or Hell, Let's Rock!
Summary: A really long overdue confrontation - and not just because it's backdated.
Warnings: Frank discussion of a really shitty childhood, probably some talk of violence in there too. Oh, and there's gonna be a Shadow fight. That too....and the Shadow is one chatty little thing.
[She shouldn't be doing this. She knows that. Getting involved is against the rules Mother taught her. The rules of the family, the first rules she ever knew. Don't get involved. Just stay out of the way and don't start anything. And yet here she is, at the only place she can guess her Shadow would be.
And she's guessed correctly, given the other Agatha waving at her cheerily.]
Hello~
...
[The almost puppetlike Shadow seems unfazed by the lack of reply.]
Let me guess - oh wait, it isn't a guess - you're trying not to start anything, right~? The main directives that bitch taught us: neutrality, secrecy, stoicism, aidi-
...Don't insult Mother.
[The Shadow just sighs and shakes her head, throwing up her arms in a very 'whatcha gonna do' way. The real Agatha, on the other hand, just has her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed - subtle hints of anger, but very real.]
It isn't like you're not thinking it! I'm you, you know. And let's face it, didn't you always resent that witchy woman for how she treated you? Like you weren't even h-u-m-a-n. And it never got any better, did it~?
...Be quiet...
You're doing a pretty bad job of this whole "accept yourself" thing! But then, a puppet shouldn't even bother with that, right~? Puppets don't feel, they don't hurt, it's okay to make them bear the wounds of others! It's okay for them to be alone and never learn how to feel anything! As long as it does what it's supposed to do, it's okay, right~? And that's why you just. Can't. Accept. Change. Now can you~? It's just like the Other Ancestor said, you know, there's already a ton of healers here! We're completely redundant, us Sheridans, and you know it! But you just can't accept it now can you~?
We are not--
We are. Totally, totally redundant. There's no point to continuing as you did before...but you can't accept it! Because blah blah, duties of a child of the First City, blah blah, gotta make up for the first murder and all the other bullshit our other ancestors pulled, blah blah blah. I mean really, the Other Ancestor doesn't even seem to care, to say nothing of the one from our world? What's the point?
... Do not discuss things like this wh-
Where other people can hear them, right? That's mommy dearest speaking. Not you. Don't you have opinions and feelings of your own? Well, of course, otherwise I wouldn't be here! [The Shadow grins brashly.] So~? You still don't know anything about yourself, do you? You won't let yourself know, will you? I'm right, aren't I?
... [The real Agatha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knows she's supposed to just accept the Shadow. She knows this. That's what the guy on the network said. She has to just accept it. ... But it's...]
I can't...I can't!
[It's probably the first time she's outright howled in pain in years. The Shadow pauses at that, blinking, before looking...oddly gentle.]
...Wow. All of that pain, all of that misery...It's probably better if you don't have to deal with it anymore, huh? The truth is, you should've just stayed that smiling little girl who wanted to play at being a bird...but life made it otherwise. It's okay, I'll end it for you now.
[And just like that, a ragged, tattered version of Armaiti is summoned - along with the true one, in self-defense.
Round 1, start.]
Where: Gemini district. 13th Hour. Outside the Mictlan.
Summary: A really long overdue confrontation - and not just because it's backdated.
Warnings: Frank discussion of a really shitty childhood, probably some talk of violence in there too. Oh, and there's gonna be a Shadow fight. That too....and the Shadow is one chatty little thing.
[She shouldn't be doing this. She knows that. Getting involved is against the rules Mother taught her. The rules of the family, the first rules she ever knew. Don't get involved. Just stay out of the way and don't start anything. And yet here she is, at the only place she can guess her Shadow would be.
And she's guessed correctly, given the other Agatha waving at her cheerily.]
Hello~
...
[The almost puppetlike Shadow seems unfazed by the lack of reply.]
Let me guess - oh wait, it isn't a guess - you're trying not to start anything, right~? The main directives that bitch taught us: neutrality, secrecy, stoicism, aidi-
...Don't insult Mother.
[The Shadow just sighs and shakes her head, throwing up her arms in a very 'whatcha gonna do' way. The real Agatha, on the other hand, just has her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed - subtle hints of anger, but very real.]
It isn't like you're not thinking it! I'm you, you know. And let's face it, didn't you always resent that witchy woman for how she treated you? Like you weren't even h-u-m-a-n. And it never got any better, did it~?
...Be quiet...
You're doing a pretty bad job of this whole "accept yourself" thing! But then, a puppet shouldn't even bother with that, right~? Puppets don't feel, they don't hurt, it's okay to make them bear the wounds of others! It's okay for them to be alone and never learn how to feel anything! As long as it does what it's supposed to do, it's okay, right~? And that's why you just. Can't. Accept. Change. Now can you~? It's just like the Other Ancestor said, you know, there's already a ton of healers here! We're completely redundant, us Sheridans, and you know it! But you just can't accept it now can you~?
We are not--
We are. Totally, totally redundant. There's no point to continuing as you did before...but you can't accept it! Because blah blah, duties of a child of the First City, blah blah, gotta make up for the first murder and all the other bullshit our other ancestors pulled, blah blah blah. I mean really, the Other Ancestor doesn't even seem to care, to say nothing of the one from our world? What's the point?
... Do not discuss things like this wh-
Where other people can hear them, right? That's mommy dearest speaking. Not you. Don't you have opinions and feelings of your own? Well, of course, otherwise I wouldn't be here! [The Shadow grins brashly.] So~? You still don't know anything about yourself, do you? You won't let yourself know, will you? I'm right, aren't I?
... [The real Agatha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knows she's supposed to just accept the Shadow. She knows this. That's what the guy on the network said. She has to just accept it. ... But it's...]
I can't...I can't!
[It's probably the first time she's outright howled in pain in years. The Shadow pauses at that, blinking, before looking...oddly gentle.]
...Wow. All of that pain, all of that misery...It's probably better if you don't have to deal with it anymore, huh? The truth is, you should've just stayed that smiling little girl who wanted to play at being a bird...but life made it otherwise. It's okay, I'll end it for you now.
[And just like that, a ragged, tattered version of Armaiti is summoned - along with the true one, in self-defense.
Round 1, start.]
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Oh hey exploding chitin-sword out of nowhere impacting on the Shadow. Looks like Desco has mastered the surprise attack.
"You leave Aggie alone, stupidface dumbbutt!"
She has not, however, mastered the snappy one-liner.
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"What she said!"
Rangda moved first, aiming a powerful physical blow at the Shadow's Armaiti.
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Agatha - the real one - looks like she's about to cry, the crinkling around the eyes says as much. The Shadow, on the other hand, just rolls her eyes and...heals herself.
"You do realize you're not helping by doing this, right?"
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Floating over so she's near Actual Aggie and not Shadow Aggie, and then leveling an accusatory claw at the Shadow.
"Now! As Queen of Evil Deeds and Ruler of Earth, Desco orders you to stop infringing on Aggie's appearance! It is a felony to impersonate one of Desco's hand-picked midbosses!"
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Simplified logic, but maybe it worked? Possibly?
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That actually makes Agatha twitch because, well... "That's..."
"Just admit it already, why don't you? What, afraid that one-eyed bitch will somehow cross time and space just to disapprove? It isn't already fucking obvious that "Mother" never loved us?!"
Another twitch. "...that's..."
"Why does it even matter...? We're just barely this side of human - that's what you've always thought about yourself, so stop denying it!" The Shadow folds her arms and shakes her head. "I've had ENOUGH of people interfering with me! Stop trying to change things!"
Watch out for the pepper spray, guys! ... At least real!Aggie's healing everyone though.
no subject
"YOG-SOTHOTH!"
What comes out is not her Persona, Yog Sothoth, but her true form, Yog-Sothoth.
(the naming convention is...not the best, but what can you do?)As the fifty-foot tall tentacled horror towers over the battlefield, the titanic golden eye set above the gaping maw narrows."Vanish, you faker!"
And with that, laser breath.
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"EEEEEENOOOOOOOOOUGH!" The Shadow staggers, the crazy smile on her face replaced by a snarl. "You can't defeat me! That's not how it works...that's not how it works! That's not what the rules say...And you're just going to change things?! It's not that easy! It's scary! How dare you do this to me?! I don't want to change! I don't want to get pulled in all these directions! It hurts! Just go away, all of you!"
... She's crying from sheer panic, the Shadow is, even as she heals her wounds.
I can't run from this anymore. Swallowing nervously, the real Agatha asks, "...does anyone have a - a weapon, of some kind?"
no subject
"Transform!"
There's a bright flash of light, and when it's over, Aggie is holding a battle axe.
no subject
Exactly what can Desco do? Now's not the time to ask. Midori is ready to heal now that Agatha's ready to attack.
no subject
The Shadow is reacting as anyone would when confronted with an axe. "E-error, error, this situation...it's out of parameters...Why?! I didn't do anything, I didn't do anything!!"
...Or not, considering it just smiled that screwed-up smile again. "Because I'm a coward who's too scared to live! Who doesn't want to live! Why live, right? It's too hard!"
Agatha pauses for a second, holding Desco-axe carefully. She takes a breath, closing her eyes as she figures out how to word it.
"...What the Shadow's saying...it's true, all of it. Exaggerated, but true. For the longest time I did not think I was human, thanks to Mother's teachings. It's still hard to accept it, and if I'd never come here, I probably wouldn't have had to think about it at all. It's difficult to change after being stuck in your ways for that long. It's difficult to start opening up to people after being told to stay closed for so long."
She pauses, opening her eyes to look at the Shadow (who's already healing up) and shaking her head a little. "I probably sound pretty dumb. I know that. ...But I think the people here with me will accept that, you know? If I try to relapse, they're going to drag me back out. I know that.
...I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if you're me, I'm not going to forgive you for hurting my friends and family. Shadow, either go quietly or be killed! Your choice!"
... The Shadow just laughs.
"Prove it, then. Prove that you're a better 'me', or I'll eat you alive! I can still take a few more beatdowns, after all! Tenacity runs in the blood, after all! I hope none of you jerks are plant-based~"
And the fight resumes, with an Agi aimed at the real Agatha and a Desco-axe aimed at the Shadow.
no subject
"Desco is made out of adorable violence, faker! Aggie! Desco has broken the seal on her strongest attack! Use Full Desco Burst!"
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Souji himself remains vigilant, staring down Aggie's other self, and trying to piece together how to resolve this.
thanks Walker for the description of this attack!
> To use Full Desco Burst, please throw Desco up and follow her.
...Uh, okay? This has got to be the weirdest - fine. Agatha throws axe-Desco up and jumps after her.
This is where shit gets weird, folks.
Somehow, Full Desco Burst entails axe-Desco and her wielder teleporting themselves and the enemy into SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE. Shadow Agatha is now on an asteroid.
The asteroid promptly gets blown up with lasers. Somehow the lasers are from the axe and its wielder.
Against all logic, they return to their previous places on the battlefield without any damage from being in space. As in, no asphyxiating, no pressure problems...nothing.
... Though both Agathas seem to need to reboot after this flagrant breaking of the laws of physics. At least the Shadow isn't really doing anything right now, though?
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"Ahh, it's been so long since Desco got to bask in the cosmic radiance!"
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Midori stares for a second. And then grins.
"That was cool! And pretty weird, but cool!"
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"...I...uh."
...Yeah, he's got nothing.
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The Shadow has gone and thrown her hands up in the air in the universal gesture of I surrender!
"There are SO many things about what just happened that are NOT SUPPOSED TO BE POSSIBLE! Augh! This is insane! All of you are insane! That weird move is especially insane! I'm done!"
"...You're me, all right. But I want to protect these people; if you hadn't surrendered, then probably..." Agatha cuts herself off, shaking her head. "You get the picture."
"I'm done, I'm done!"
... with that, the Shadow disappears.
"...We won, right?"
I am attempting prose. This may be horrible.
This had been exactly what Jack didn't want happening.
When he had spotted the Shadow, he knew it wasn't the Agatha that he was used to -- but it was an Agatha that felt things, that voiced her opinion, that did all the things that he wished the true one would do.
He knew that he had to get the real Aggie -- his Aggie -- to resolve this matter non-violently, to see if her and her Shadow could come to terms with things.
Judging by the fight that was now raging nearby, that was not the case.
Jack dashes headlong into the clash of the twin Armaiti, just barely dodging an Agi thrown by True Agatha's Persona -- and spreads his arms out wide.
"Stop!"
dammit!
The Shadow growls in frustration. "HEY! Get outta the way! For crying out loud, you're not helping!"
I'M (not) SORRY...
"Look, I'm fine. But you -- both of you -- need to stop this. This is no way to do anything!"
you're damned right you're not
my tagsmolasses. "...I'm sorry, it's just--""--Change isn't that easy. Besides, everyone here knows the faker's gonna take too long with it, even if she does manage that whole "accept the Shadow" thing." Shadow Aggie tsks a little, waving one index finger in a very 'nope nope got it wrong' way. "It's much quicker to just eliminate the issue, don't you think? Pretty hilarious that the one who bleeds is the one who's fake!"
The Shadow cackles before trying to bum-rush Agatha - just a flat-out attempt at tackling the other girl. Thankfully, Aggie manages to dodge...barely. She did manage to get nicked on the side of her face--
But she's also bringing out her own can of pepper spray: the only kind of Fire that can get past Fire resistance. Is this going to be a pepper spray can duel? It just might be.
--I'm sorry for the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP-esque thing that's happening here--
How he manages to move that quick after sleeping an eternity, no one knows."Yes, change is hard. I get that -- but what does killing yourself solve, huh? NOTHING!" His gaze is leveled toward the Shadow, but it's clear that the meaning behind his words is aimed squarely toward the two of them. "Whether it be our bodies or our emotions, destroying a part of ourselves solves absolutely nothing."
--it's cool--
The Shadow's got her hands clutched over the sides of her head, gold eyes wide in rage and shock.
"The faker's lived this long not feeling anything, right? It's only fair - it's only fair...!"
This breakdown's been a long time coming.
no subject
Hey. Hey, Shadow Aggie.
Remember this guy? Remember his black coat-clad headgod? Remember how he was going to Power Slash you earlier in the week?
Well, guess what's headed your way now.
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That said, there's a mechanical screech as the Power Slash connects - but she heals it fast enough and fires an Agi back at the bowlcut protag.
The actual Agatha, of course, counters by sending a heal spell at the dude. 'Sup.
Zionga > Shadow Agatha -- let's try to make sure things are in order 8|a;
A bit of him wishes he had more than just Izanagi right now...but he'll have to make do. At his silent order, Izanagi stays on the attack, choosing to aim another searing thunderbolt at the Shadow Self.
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Though it may not be able to hold out forever if everyone keeps hitting it for more than it can heal.