002 | Video/Action | Open

[tryingitall]

[Balthazar pops up in the feed looking drawn and stressed-out, his voice terse and sharp.] I have a question. Has anyone out there with peculiar weaknesses tried them on their own Shadow? Out of curiosity. Living with them indefinitely seems a bit--

[The voice of his Shadow comes from offscreen, but close.] Draw your sword. Let's try it. I won't even fight back.

[Flinch. The angel's eyes lock on the screen as he attempts to ignore the antics of his duplicate self in the background.] --seems a bit of a tall order, when they're so utterly determined to needle us.

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you're a coward. Well, never mind. At least you know I won't stab you in the back, either.

[His jaw twitches, and he goes on through gritted teeth.] Mostly, I'm curious whether spells and sigils can trap them effectively, but mine seems determined to stay close and disrupt my concentration.

Haha! Get it? Because stab--

[The sound cuts off abruptly, and a hand covers the video screen while Balthazar waits for replies.]


((OOC note: Still studying for my test, so replies will be very slow, but I will get to tags when I can.))

❦ 003: Voices from the Shadows. | [Video/Action]

[kissedawake]

[Ever since the day that she had revealed the truth about Cora to Henry, that scene had replayed over and over in her mind. The way that things had been left between them...it left her without a trace of inner peace.

Which is why, when the yellow-eyed figure appeared in her room in the early morning hours, she perceived it to be merely an element of a nightmare. A figment of her imagination brought about by her innermost thoughts. She was no stranger to nightmares, and the way that this...shadow made her feel? Surely it was all in her head.

But alas, she couldn't have been more wrong.

The feed flashes on, right in the midst of the madness.]

Give it up! You'll never gain back that innocent boy's trust. It's simply too far gone, just face the facts! He will never again see you in the same light. His pure, innocent grandmother now has the blood of a victim on her hands...

[Holding her head, she tries to block out the shadow's taunts, but she's being bombarded by them from all fronts. The shadow is positively relentless, seemingly feeding on her fears and on any and every sliver of an insecurity that it can attach itself to. She speaks out in desperation, growing tired of the shadow's presence.]

Enough! I made a mistake, and I'm suffering the consequences.

[Feeling her anguish, the shadow guffaws, obviously pleased at the reaction that it received. Mary Margaret is not one who is quick to outburst, and it knows this.]

And what about that pretty little heart of yours, hm? It's getting blacker and blacker with your every breath, dear. Why, I'll bet that our little talk with Henry even tarnished it a little. You're destroying yourself from the inside out.

[She places a hand over her heart, feeling its rhythmic beat, now speaking on the defensive.]

I won't make the mistake of resorting to darkness again...not under any circumstances.

[The shadow scoffs, shooting her an incredulous look.]

You know what I see? I see a pretty face. A mask, if you ask me. You're becoming a mirror image of the one who's life you stole! Just wait and see, honey.

[She's half listening, trying without success to distance herself from the being.]

((OOC: Mary Margaret can be found just about anywhere during this event, wandering around in an attempt to get the shadow off of her back. Just let me know where you're meeting her, and we'll go from there!))

005 video;

[absolutelynot]

[ so the last few days have been... different, to say the least. she’d found one of the most important people in her life -- the most important person, not counting her father -- and now it seemed they were on that second week. like clockwork, dean had told her. it seemed he was correct in that.

for most of the weekend, she’ll be ignoring her shadow as best she can. so when she addresses the network, she’s aimed the camera away from from both shadows currently occupying the room and she looks a bit worn. ]

I know some of you are aware of his arrival but I wanted to make it clear to those of you who haven’t noticed: a friend and colleague of mine has arrived. His name is Dr. James Watson and I assure you all he is quite the gentleman.

Is he? Or is he humoring you?

[ she ignores that quip. ]

I would also like to apologize for any inconvenience or … difficulty any of you experienced upon his arrival.

What she means is, she’s sorry I was particularly difficult and would you please not hold it over my head as she’s particularly attached to it..

[ that comment comes from off camera, from James if anyone heard him arrive last week. ]

Yes, thank you, Darling. [ as if it weren’t already obvious that she’s seeing someone and who it is, she’s throwing a pointed look to someone off-camera. ] I believe I’ll be keeping a rather close eye on him. He seems to hail from a point in time very close to my own. [ people who know her and where she’d just come from at her arrival can give an accurate guess that she means the war. ]

You’re afraid, afraid of losing--

[ ignoring that voice that is no longer in the back of her head. she does raise her voice a little, as though to drown out that stupid shadow voice. ]

I do hope this event won’t be too treacherous for us all, though if you have need of me, you will certainly be able to contact me with relative ease.

[ she gives a firm nod at that and turns it off. ]


( ooc: tags may come from either or both ♥ )

006 | Shadows | [Action/Video]

[geneticallyscrewed]

[Henry's been walking around the castle, trying to ditch the little yellow eyed clone who keeps whispering in his ear. If you walk past him, or hear the accidental feed, you'll hear some of Henry's current insecurities.]

Do you really think everything they told you this time was the truth? They lied before, they could lie again. And what about the others. If Mary Margaret did that and she's so pure of heart, imagine what David has done. Or your real parents. How can you prefer your adopted mother over them anyway? They brought you into the world, she just lied to you and caused misery to everyone you grew up knowing.

(OOC Note: Henry can be found almost anywhere in the castle so just say where you are in your subject line or tag and that's fine, so long as I know.)

[010 | Open | Video/Action] Little Soldier Boy

[freetobe]

[Castiel is moving along the hallways of the mansion, patrolling the building and subsequently the grounds. Occasionally, he stops his purposeful march to take flight, cross some distance with the beating of his wings. But always, always, there's this exact copy of him. Well. Not a perfect copy. More stiff, if that's possible, rigid, with hard and distant eyes. The words he speaks to Castiel vary, but the message is always the same. It's Friday, and Castiel itches for a way out.

He's the soldier Castiel was always supposed to be. Used to be.]

( Come Marching Home )

[Castiel stops by the edge of the sea, frowns at the rolling waves and pretends not to hear his own, cold and dispassionate voice remind him of who is was created to be. Lips pressed into a thin line, he addresses the network in a short video. A little behind him, his Shadow can be seen, cold and unfeeling and more stoic than even the real Castiel manages to be.]

You're a traitor, Castiel. You broke rank, you deserted, you rebelled, you're falling. For an inferior line of apes and the world they ravage. Why?

There has to be a way to silence them permanently. If you find one, contact me. 

[The video snaps shut just as the Shadow opens his mouth to speak more. Castiel, it seems, wants to limit the screen time of his true soldier-self, the one not sympathetic as much as possible.]

((ooc: Feel free to contact Castiel via video, or if you wish, encounter him anywhere on the mansion grounds or in the mansion itself while he pointedly tries not to acknowledge the company he's forced to keep. Warning: His mood is somewhat poor, and the Shadow will not judge humans/mortals kindly.))

[005 | Open | Video/Action] I Have To Howl

[childofthemoon]

 [So. Ruby's been going a bit mad, all cooped up in the clinic. Can't even leave the bed yet, her leg still all torn up and making pathetic progress at healing itself back up. Almost worse than worrying over that, though, is the fact that it's maddening and boring to lie in a bed all day for two weeks. When Ruby 2.0 appears, she's all but ready to dismiss her as some kind of weird 'bored out of her own head' hallucination. Only, well, the copy never leaves, and the whole thing is a bit... scary? Intimidating? 

It takes exactly one mention of Peter, and Ruby is diving for her device, plastering on a smile as she snaps on a video.]

So. Ah. I guess we managed to gain twins, huh? I'm kinda freaking out about mine.

That's because you don't want everyone to know you're a werewolf and did terrible things. You know. As a wolf. 

Shut up, freaking.... hell. Yeah, could... Guys, can someone come over here and, I don't know, shove a sock in her mouth, I can't exactly hobble over there and do it myself. 

Well, girl, when you fail - and I say when, not if - you certainly do it with a taste for the dramatic. 

.... On second thought...

[Yeah, she's... so not cool with this. Any of this.]

[002 | video]

[alwaysnext]

Look, I know it's annoying, having to babysit people who come out of nowhere and ruin your day. But locking them up or beating them around, that's not the solution.

But who lets a little attempted genocide get in the way of their domestic idyll?

[Luke sighs, and the camera swings as he tries to get his photo-bombing shadow out of shot.]

Just because they have our faces, it doesn't mean they are us. They're sentient people. We don't have to be cruel.

Did you get a badge when they made you the Wonderland moral high ground? Quick, someone name a time when a self-righteous lecture made people like you. Ego-trip, or what?

[Luke hangs his head for a long moment, and from his clenched hands looks, hypocritically, like he might be about to commit voluntary manslaughter.]

It's just talk.

[It's not clear if he's informing his audience of this, or his shadow, or himself. His yellow-eyed friend finally muscles onto the scene, successfully gaining control of the mobile and playing with all the settings, turning the screen yellow or fuzzy or upside down. Luke seems to have given up caring.]

Cheer up. Maybe you teenage angst'd some of them into submission.

( video + action )

[ahousedivided]

[ The America that's smiling into the screen looks pretty similar to the one everyone is used to. He looks cheerful. The uniform's different though; a darker blue. A rifled is propped next to him and he casually plays with the bayonet. He seems to be talking to someone off-screen. ]

C'mon now! We just wanted to say hi! You were enjoying us earlier. Who's to say someone else won't?

[ Another one appears next to him, dressed in grey and grinning just the same. Dear god there's two. ]

Oh right, 'cause you're ashamed!

That he likes us?

That no matter how many regrets start to pile up, no matter how much he wants to hate himself, he's always gonna love himself more!

Hard to be a hero when you're hardwired to always put yourself before anyone else!

Hard to be a hero when you're sending your own children to slaughter. But that's nothing new with you, is it? Road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Best book yourself a room!

[ The blue one starts prodding the grey one with his bayonet a little too hard. Then the device is grabbed away and the real America is seen scowling into the screen. ]

I got a two for the price of one deal. Think I liked it better when they were fightin' with each other instead of picking on me.

[ One of the Shadows scoffs. ]

Liar. The more we get along, the more you feel like you're holding yourself together. No matter how much anyone tells you otherwise: you're gonna be afraid that you'll be split apart. Can't stand losing anything, can you?

Always need more land and more power. Don't lie; that promise of gettin' to the top of the world is exciting.

And you're gonna do whatever it takes to get there! Like always.

[ Welp, his Shadows sure aren't any less chatty than he is. America looks dismayed for a moment, but quickly lets it go and sighs. ]

I'm goin' for a walk.

LET'S RIDE THE RAPTOR.

THAT'S-- [ the frustration fades quickly and he considers it. ] --actually not a bad idea. Okay.

[ If you thought this post was going to end on anything but a stupid note you were wrong. America and his Shadows will be riding around the mansion and grounds on a Utahraptor should you want to run into him. ]

[ 002 | Video/Action ]

[lightgunhustler]

[Jo has, for the most part, been trying to stick to her usual routine despite the fact that she's got a mouthy, yellow-eyed doppelganger following her around. It sure as hell isn't comfortable, and she's not doing much to hide the fact that she's irate and close to hitting her limit as far as tolerance, but all she can do to keep herself from snapping is keep herself occupied, which means she's finding all sorts of menial chores to do at the bar. She's leaning against the counter with a rag in one hand as the video feed opens, and over her shoulder, her Shadow can be seen casually examining the row of glasses on the shelf against the back wall.]

Assuming nobody out there as found a way to get these doubles to put a sock in it, I thought I'd let everyone know that the bar is still up and running in the event that anyone wants to do a little heavy drinking in an attempt to drown them out.

[The sharpness of her tone suggests that she's about ready to give in to that method, herself.]

Considering we're all in the same boat, there's no judgement here, just--

That's right. Chin up, Joanna Beth. Roll up your sleeves and pour a few drinks. That's all you're good for.

[She finds herself interrupted by her own Shadow, narrowing her eyes as she looks over her shoulder to shoot it a reproachful glare. She sets her jaw, pursing her lips as she turns her attention back to the feed.]

Anyway. I'll be here, if anyone needs anything.

Of course you could never make it as a hunter. You should have stayed at home where you belong. All you ever did was get in the way out there. That's why you got yourself killed. Face it. This is the only thing you're actually good at.

[Jo closes her eyes for a brief moment, sucking her teeth as she forces herself to swallow down the urge to snap back.]

On second thought, maybe we should just make things self-serve until this all blows over.

[The feed cuts out, but not before the viewer gets a glimpse of Jo's Shadow smirking broadly at her, looking incredibly satisfied with itself.]

[video]

[stoptheviolence]

[Do not attempt to adjust your television screen. Yes, you are seeing double. Yes, you probably are going crazy. But you're still seeing double.]

[Double Brittany's, that is. Each looking at the screen with a fairly cheerful smile. And a tophat.]

[~Cue Inexplicable Music coming from somewhere off-screen~]

♪-Shades of night are falling and I'm lonely
Standing on the corner feeling blue
Sweethearts out for fun-♪

[Brittany is first, but in the second half of the verse, her Shadow abruptly takes over in a similar, slightly distorted, but otherwise equally autotuned in-tune voice.]

♪-Pass me one by one
Guess I'll wind up like I always do
With only-♪

[The two of them start to harmonize, doing an impressive kickline to the beat]

♪-Me and my shadow
Strolling down the avenue
Me and my shadow
Not a soul to tell our troubles to
But when it's twelve a clock
We climb the stair
We never knock-♪

♪-'Cause nobody's there
Just me and my shadow-♪

♪-All alone and feeling--♪

[Here, Shadow Brittany suddenly stops.  Her faces falls, and within seconds, so does she.  Collapsing to her knees in a fit of inexplicable sobs.]

They hate me!  All of them!  They think I'm stupid and annoying and sometimes, they're even right!

[Brittany immediately comes to her Shadow's aid, looking distraught by the words but still trying to force a smile.]

No.  That's not true.

It is!  You know it is!

I...

[Lips pressing together, she looks away just as the camera decides to take pity on them both and cut out.]

accidental video;

[seekingsanity]

[When the feed comes on, the camera isn't angled at anything in particular. It's sitting next to Fuminori on his bed, so his body is blocking half of the shot. He's sitting with his elbows on his knees, holding a large, glowing syringe in one hand, but his face isn't visible.

His Shadow can be seen at the edge of the frame, in the background, leaning against the wall. Everything visible in the room has been painted in mottled colors that are mostly reminiscent of things that might come out of a recently dead body. Ceiling, walls, floor, furniture, even the window glass is covered in splotches and slashes of paint.]

It was a stupid idea from the start. [The Shadow's eyes are on the floor, his hands deep in his pockets. He sounds like this is something well known to both of them.] You won't eat for a week if you do it again, and it's not going to change anything in the long run.

It might.

[The Shadow laughs.] Sure. And they really are people under all that gore. Keep telling yourself that.

[Fuminori places the needle against his arm and holds it there for a minute, then makes a frustrated sound in his throat and gets up off the bed. His Shadow looks up and follows him off camera. The feed times out on its own.]