Up Against The Echo In The Mirror

[monochromatically]

Who; Anyone!
What; Mirrorverse swap Logs
Where; Around Aterat ( will be replied to with account signalinterference) and the Mirrorverse (will be replied to with Mono’s regular account monochromatically )
When; Early October for a full week
Warnings; A very tall man for the Aterat side, probably warnings for stalking if he decides your character is a problem and violence if a fight breaks out. Might be some fighting on the Mirrorverse side as well if Mono and whoever he meets run into something bad.
NOTE; For info please see his journal at this link HERE.



Mono in the Mirror World Log - OTA

Mono hadn’t meant to slip through the mirror. In fact, he made it a habit to avoid mirrors in general for his own awkward feelings towards his reflection, even before the weird portal mirrors had appeared in Aterat. When the portal mirrors had appeared and Mono had randomly caught sight of his reflection once or twice, an anxious feeling always welled up inside him. He still saw himself, everyone did, it was just that Mono’s other self did not look like Mono as he did now... Instead it was the too tall, imposing, looming figure he had feared for a long time... Still did, if only in a slightly different way.

So Mono had avoided crossing in front of the mirror portals or getting close to them as much as possible. It was fairly easy. It wasn’t like the televisions in his world. Those beckoned to him and demanded his attention in order to open the door and let that version of himself free.

It worked out well enough until suddenly it didn’t. His powers had been acting up a little more in the last month for reasons he didn’t know or understand... without even trying to do anything with his ability, reaching for a mug of cocoa had caused it to fly off the end table and across the floor. With a yelp, the boy had hurried to clean up… only to trip and tumble through the mirror.

Leaving Mono's ever present moth friend to flutter about frantically, trying to figure out where her dear little friend had gone...

... Now he was stuck wandering a gloomy, unfamiliar city. If Mono were honest, the energy of the place and way things looked reminded him a little too much of his world in the worst ways. It hadn’t taken long for the boy to fall back on old instincts. Moving cautiously, keeping close to cover and making as little noise as possible when he explored to try to find a way out.

Mono was hesitant to approach anyone, choosing to sneak about from building to building above. Using various (sometimes risky) methods to move across larger gaps. Sometimes… Sometimes there’s a wistful feeling that distracts him, thinking of times when he had someone there to help make things a little easier. He tries to dash those thoughts immediately though, because it’s hard to not think about how poorly that ended for him last time… No, it was better to work alone in these kinds of places.

Doesn’t stop the boy from being curious, though, as he spots a familiar figure that he didn’t expect to see here. He isn’t innocent or naïve enough to approach immediately, though. He needs to make sure they are who they look like. Not whatever strange version exists in this world… And if it is an alternate version of someone, he at least needs to know they aren’t dangerous.

(ooc: Mono will probably be the first to approach your character, so feel free to write your character exploring the mirror verse in whatever way you like. If you want something different, I’m game for that! If you want your character to notice him first, that’s cool too, but his reactions will vary if addressed or approached directly. This goes for Aterat people he knows or the mirror versions of them! :D)




Thin Man Wandering Aterat - Option A - OTA

It’s too… something. Colourful? Noisy? … Alive? He hadn’t cared for the other place he was on the other side of the mirror. Nothing for him to do, no way to reach viewers in the usual manner, but he’d still carved out a little portion of the city to loom about in without bothering much with the others that had arrived there given teamwork was a joke that he'd been the punchline of so long ago... He respected the other powerful arrivals boundaries and (mostly) didn't bother with anyone more than strictly necessary. In that way, it wasn’t entirely unlike his world, where the monsters each ruled over their particular location. The Pale City was his, The Maw was The Lady’s (though from what he could spy from the few televisions there… that may have changed) and so on and so forth.

Still… Clearly no one on the other side of the mirror or in this more lively world had ever been touched by that which everyone, even he himself, was meant to be led by. Hard to tell if it was disappointment or jealousy that he felt as he considered that, but he decided on disgust in the end.

Oh, there was one or two things he did find he favourable about all this, though. The Tell-Phone for one. A fascinating device, so different from the useless hunks of plastic that sat around in his world. These were small, portable… And capable of broadcasting video across some kind of network by anyone who happened to have one. Everyone was easy to reach out to. Accessible anytime, anywhere! How much easier, how much faster, would spreading the signal be for him and the Eye if they had something like this to work with instead of just the television?

For another... he was getting a rather interesting chance to stretch his legs for a lot longer than the usual cycles allowed at this point, and you didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If the eye ever did extend its reach to this place, well, he was here and he would answer to it again if needed… And it always needed him.

But for now...? For now, he was going to wander around. To see this other city that his smaller (naïve, stubborn, annoying…) self had been running around in for however long he’d been here.


Thin Man Wandering Aterat - Option B - OTA

So you made the mistake of going out too late at night, ignored the prickling sense of dread that crept up on you and now you’re being stalked through the streets of Aterat by a very imposing person… Are they a person? Perhaps an ‘entity’ was the better word for it. He certainly doesn’t move like a normal human. More like something out of a scary story, all tall and menacing and definitely threatening. It looked to be dressed like a detective from those old black and white films, but his skin was pale and his eyes sunken… Is he alive or is he the living dead? Whose to say? All you know is that you should probably focus on getting away rather than trying to strike up a conversation.

Unfortunately, every time you think you’ve lost him, there he is again. Sometimes he’s humming a low, ominous tune. His voice is raspy and harsh from a lack of use, and his gaze conveys a level of disgust with either the sight of you or the fact that you’re insisting on this pointless game of cat and mouse that you clearly can’t win.

What do you do? Do you try to escape into a building and hope he’s too tall to fit inside? Keep hoping that you lose him? Or do you stand your ground and see what happens? Up to you, hopefully at least one of these options is the right one.

(ooc: On the flip side, you could also go with your character intervening to be a big ol hero if the other way doesn't work for you)

Comments

Thin Man Wandering Aterat - Option A

[soulsword]

New faces weren't incredibly common in this place; almost to the point that Illyana had grown fairly confident that she knew everyone. She may not speak to most of them, but she at least could recognize them. This however, this was a face she didn't quite recognize, which was interesting at least. Even more interesting was the fact that there was something about him that she thought actually was familiar about him. Familiar in that strange way that was just on the tip of your tongue but impossible to place

Curiouser and curiouser.

With a tilt of her head she waved at this mysterious but familiar man. She put on the best smile she had, which all things considered wasn't too bad (if not a bit awkward). Look, you couldn't really expect much less than some awkward from someone that spent so much time in a hell dimension.

"Did you miss the welcoming committee?"

[signalinterference]

People didn’t often just… walk up to the man. Not on the other side of the mirror, and certainly not in his own world (if he wasn’t in the tower, and that was a small window most times). Most people went the other way and prayed to whatever deity that might be watching would let them give him the slip. Fools to think anyone was listening. Or at least anyone that would care to do anything about their predicament. The entity would only help them in that it would see them join it, or see them become something… more. Something useful. Something important. Like him.

One could debate on if the latter was lucky or not, but it mattered little.

The point was that someone was talking to him. He looked down below, his head tilting at an unsettling angle, and silence followed in place of a response. Watching Illyana as if trying to decide what he thought of her. Because that face… That face was familiar. He didn’t like that. He respected ‘Darkchild’ to an extent, dealt with her almost… civilly. They shared similar opinions about all of this, after all.

But like anyone in that other place? He didn’t trust her one bit. If only because trust was not something easily earned from him, not since the last time. So very, very long ago.

So… He found himself wondering what this one was like. If she were a problem needing a solution or not. His voice comes out in a raspy croak finally, rough from rare use. “A welcoming committee.” How… quaint. “That would be for people who just arrived.” He responded simply; it wasn’t a lie on a technicality. He’d only just gotten to this side of the mirror, but he’d been in the mirror world for enough time. Had watched through the mirrors that were doorways to here, while the little brat ran around here freely.

[soulsword]

"Oh? And you haven't?" She asked with a curious little headtilt. No, he hadn't just arrived. She was becoming more and more certain that she'd seen him before. Not just that she'd seen him, he looked like a description she'd heard of someone from Mono. Which could mean a number of this, none of which were good, though it was very curious. Was he from the strange mirror realm or from Mono's world? She wasn't even sure which one of those might result in the most trouble...

"When did ya get here then?"

[signalinterference]

“No.” He responded simply. The curiosity in her expression is noted with a slight annoyance. She was being nosy, the man didn’t like nosy. It meant she probably wasn’t the type to just let things go, and not letting things go probably meant she’d cause him trouble sooner or later. Did he do something about that now…? Or did he wait and see?

Probably best to wait and see… Get an idea of what she would do if she did catch on to the fact that he truly didn’t belong.

His dead-eyed stare narrowed to something more calculating before he continued with a vagueness that’s tone hinted at the idea that she should drop the line of questioning. “Long enough ago that I don’t need a welcome.”

[soulsword]

"No. Such a simple but serious answer! So to the point!" She picked up on the annoyance and did what Illyana did best: decided that annoying someone was the best way to handle the situation. One day she'd probably figure out that didn't have to always be her solution to things, but today wasn't that day. Today was the day she stuck with the idea that if she had the opportunity to annoy someone, particularly someone that seemed just a bit sinister, then she'd take it.

"Not a great conversationalist, are you?" That seemed to be an understatement. Though she got the impression that it was more that he didn't want to be a conversationist. He wanted her to drop the questions. So she'd just ask more. "Are you sure? Welcomes can be pretty great."

[signalinterference]

No, the man wasn’t a great conversationalist. To be fair to him, though, who would he have been talking to regularly before arriving in the place on the other side of the mirror or here? His irritation grew a little more evident, not in his expression so much as the slightly heavier atmosphere around them. “If you don't like that, maybe you should go find someone who is.” He continued, looking for a crack in her expression.

“Do I seem unsure.” No, he is not unsure. He is quite sure of his opinion. Though, admittedly, few would openly welcome him to their space willingly. “Maybe you should find someone who needs one.”

[soulsword]

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She replied with a tsk tsk click of her tongue. The atmosphere shift felt strange, there was no denying that, but somehow that just made Illyana want to press the entire thing all the more. "We don't get enough people for me to just go find someone else." She gave him a little shrug to accompany the statement, one that she thought might have looked mildly innocent.

"Hmm, no. I guess you seem pretty sure. Almost like you already know about this place. Just curious, how do you feel about mirrors?" You know, just your average regular type of question to ask, right ?

[soulsword]

This was not a life; of that the Darkchild was most certain. Once she had been free, the Sorceress Supreme of Limbo and of Earth itself. Her armies had conquered all and they would spread further. That had been her plan at least, her true hearts desire. But it seemed that was not to be. Instead she was here trapped inside this disgusting muted cold realm. Trapped while her pathetic other ran free.

That was the true insult of it all. That snowflake lived free out there, free to come and go anywhere of her own choice, and she squandered that freedom. She squandered it on pathetic things like friendships, guilt, and other horrid feelings. With the power she had she could easily overtake Aterat itself, she could flood it with the demons of Limbo and take it's power for herself. Surely, with that power, she could return herself to her world of origins. Or...perhaps to all worlds. There was so much power to be found here and yet she refused to reach for it.

Disgusting.

Utterly disgusting and disappointing.

She was currently brooding over that as she sulked throughout the mirrorverse with her tail lashing about it obvious anger. Both her hands were on her hips as her hooves made a loud clicking sound that echoed here and there. One of these days she was going to find a way out and then she'd take that power. She'd find her freedom, a return to her life.

[monochromatically]

Mono had happened upon the sight that was both… Familiar and unfamiliar. It would have been a comfort to see his friend here. Illyana, after all, was probably the person he trusted most since arriving at Aterat. They shared certain similarities that made her more relatable than some, and she’d never lied or let him down in the past like some people.

But this was not the Illyana he knew. The boy could tell that much easily. She looked different, and something in the way she moved and carried herself set off something in Mono’s head. Like the hairs raising on your arms when there was something to be feared. You just… Got a feeling when you were used to living the way he had. He wouldn’t have walked up to any of the people in his world as he did in Aterat, and he wouldn’t walk up to anyone here now.

Not without making sure.

So, the boy took off carefully, falling into old habits as easily as breathing. Keeping to shadows, watching his footfall, and watching for anything he might step on or knock over by a mistake that would draw attention.

Of course, Mono had been dealing with certain… difficulties in the last month. His powers were unstable, the signal flaring or an ability acting out without him even trying to use it. So… It might be a matter of time before his cover got blown without him trying to.

[soulsword]

There was something stirring in the shadows, something that seemed so very familiar with flitting about without catching attention. Naturally this drew her curiosity (and perhaps a bit of her ire) and so she moved to follow him. The most curious thing the Darkchild made note of was the strange pulsing of power that seemed to come from the little boy. After a fair amount of watching, without really trying to be subtle about it, she finally decided to say something.

"You don't belong here, do you?" There was an undeniable sinister quality to her voice. One that she did try to mask with a tilted smile. Truthfully though the smile might have only succeeded in making her seem even more sinister. The horns on her head probably didn't help that either.

"Then again, none of us really do..."

[monochromatically]

Being found out to be following alone was enough to make Mono a bit wary, keeping his distance from the figure that looked a lot like Illyana but was definitely not the one he knew. To suddenly be addressed by her made him more cautious as he studied the expression on Darkchild’s face carefully before he answered. Illyana’s tone always seemed nicer to him than the one directed at him now, and honestly it makes him wish he was back on the right side of the mirror more.

“No.” He responded quietly to the first question, tone quiet and static buzzing more thickly in his eyes as the power flared a bit thanks to his current instability. He wondered how easy it would be to lose someone in this place if he moved very quickly… The boy tilted his head, though, as Darkchild continued. She was right… No one really belonged here or at Aterat if everyone came from a different place before that… But of his options, his world here or Aterat proper… He preferred Aterat. “Guess not, but I don’t belong in a different kinda way.”

[soulsword]

"Oh, come now, don't be so quiet. I'm not scary, am I?" She grinned, revealing her animalistic like fangs. There was a twisted quality to the smile that definitely almost looked a bit more like a sneer. Maybe she should try to be more subtle, to blend in, to trick him into thinking she was just like her mirror counterpart. But...it'd been so long since she'd had a playmate here that she just couldn't help herself.

"Different kind of way?" she tilted her head to the right, going way too far as she bent that way and then righted herself. "What way is that then? Where do you belong little one?"

[monochromatically]

“I don’t know you, that’s all.” Mono responded quietly, not really sure if she found her scary or the fact that he didn’t know what she was like or what she would do as scary. Especially when she looked so similar to someone who he did trust. Maybe if she acted a little more like the Illyana he knew, he might have warmed up more easily… But then again, he knew about this place and the wariness was something he’d learned a long time ago in a place that reminded him a lot of this place as well.

“Not on this side of the mirror. I fell in.” He responded carefully. There was no point in lying, he thinks. It’s not like people on this side could switch without their counterpart falling in as well, right? At least that was how he’d heard it worked.

Option B flipped

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis knew this place was getting weird. Sometimes it still surprised him even after all of this time at how weird or creepy this place could get. Even if he told himself repeatedly that this was to be expected, especially at this time of year, it didn't help at times.

His green eyes had caught sight of a rather odd and stretched and unfamiliar figure stalking through the streets. Ignis had no idea who or what this thing or person was, but he was determined to keep someone safe from it. Unfortunately whenever he got a good hunt on, the entity disappeared entirely. However, that didn't deter him.

The humming was a bit unnerving, but he would never show it. His daggers weren't out yet, but they could be within a second or two. And when he did think he heard a voice coming from it, it was low and gravelly to his ears.

Turning another corner, Ignis again lost sight of his quarry.

Drat.

"Where in the devil have you gone to this time?" he asked in a low tone as his eyes searched for the thing.

[signalinterference]

Ah… When Mono switched back, he was going to be rather sorry to hear that Ignis had come across the older him. Especially to have come across him while the man was looming about, undoubtedly looking for someone to catch.

The man had been roaming as he looked for stray locals, absently wondering just how much of his power worked in this place. There was such an odd sensation of the lack on some points, being cut off from the tower and the way it amplified everything. No televisions to access, a place to drop off those collected to become something other than they had been or to join the viewers.

Feelings of disgust and annoyance at the very colourful window displays and evidence of life from the earlier hours everywhere, giving the impression that all was simply gone to sleep and it would all start again the next day. So productive, so lively, so wrong. He skipped forward, form stuttering slightly and appearing at the end of another street like an old film fast-forwarded.

His decrepit, gaunt form looming around a corner to see what was there, unaware that he had a tail… At the moment, but that could change easily if Ignis wasn’t lucky.

Drawing too close might make the Ignis’s phone act up. A static hiss would issue from its speakers as it reacted to the signal that the man gave off. The same signal Mono gave off, but larger and more potent.

Of course, it would also let Ignis know the man was near as easily as the ominous humming would, which he could use to his advantage. As long as the man didn't notice first.

[faithfulsupport]

He remained in hunter mode and was half wishing he had his daggers in his hands. It was a danger that he could hear and feel but as far as sight, his quarry was eluding him at the moment. He'd heard screams of people earlier but those had fallen silent and Ignis was wise to this place. But it was better that he was out here hunting and not his husband or the boy he cared for as a son.

Those phrases had been disagreed on by his other half and so Ignis hadn't uttered them.

There, he saw a shadow and he crouched down, moving as fast as he dared to it, attempting to get close enough to see what he was dealing with. "Stay where you are." Ignis stated in a low tone, as he continued to advance on the thing.

He summoned his daggers and kept the points behind him instead of in front as he moved closer.

[signalinterference]

The man’s form wavered slightly, slow, purposeful steps drawing him down the next street before it skipped forward again in a blur. There was still nothing here, nothing worth seeing. Apparently, he’d found the last stragglers of the evening earlier, and there were few left to be found from his wandering at this point. Such a pity…

A low, quiet voice catches his attention as it reaches his ears in the evening silence. Slowly the man turned in its direction, head canting to one side at a severe angle and looking around to see if it could spot the source. Steps carrying him closer to where Ignis was crouched low, the ominous humming resuming. Easier to hear as he drew nearer and alerting Ignis that perhaps his quarry had realized it was being followed.

Lamplight flickered and jumped as he passed it by, the air growing steadily heavy the nearer he got.

A crow that was pecking at something along the sidewalk instinctively took off, wings flapping as it took to the air… But slowed visible almost as though it were moving through molasses, time in the greater area around the man slowing to a crawl as the man defaulted to his usual tactics when dealing with those who weren’t viewers. The bird wasn’t something the entity was interested in, though. He was more interested in seeing if anyone had really dared to follow him.

[faithfulsupport]

The presence of the crow got Ignis' attention and he had heard that humming again. But at this point he would resume his stalking as soon as he could catch sight of it. He wasn't afraid of facing someone or of fighting, he was pretty damn efficient at it.

of course the low light wasn't helping and he had noticed how the air felt heavier, more oppressive and he didn't like that at all honestly. Still, he was a man on a mission and he was damned and determined to get this riddle figured out.

Daggers were out as Ignis crouched low to the ground. His arms crossed his face so that the weapons were right up near his face. And then he waited.

[signalinterference]

The crow’s ascent into the sky was so slow, even as it flapped its wings like something moving in slow motion. It wasn’t until it was rather high that its pace resumed at a normal speed and it disappeared into the night with a loud, displeased cawing sound once it was out of range of the man’s abilities.

If Ignis didn’t want to deal with that, he should keep a considerable amount of distance if he could. Of course, with the odd skipping motion of the man teleporting forward now and again, it was hard to manage that at times. The man had a long time to practice and perfect its skills in pursuit. One didn’t become the most feared entity of the Pale City otherwise.

As it approached, it continued to stare ahead. Eyes like dark pits, full of television static, took in the area before it. The humming finally faded to a stop, and a raspy croak of a voice was heard. “I know you’re there… Know that you’re following. Why.” The question is flat and rough, as though it wasn’t used to speaking to people, but there was a mild curiosity felt over the idea that anyone would stalk him instead of the other way around. It seemed a dumb decision to the man, but this world was so full of life and hope… It made them that way, he thinks.

Mono in the Mirror World Log

[moonlitrequiem]

Yin didn't even realize she was in Mirror World. She had thought she found a very narrow door way, and without checking with water first, she went through. Her body didn't feel any resistance, and her hands hadn't felt cool glass, either. It happened all too quickly and easily.

So as yet, she didn't understand or know the different world she's currently wondering through. She does, however, notice it sounds quieter, feels empty to all of her senses she uses to avoid walking into others.

Finally, Yin stops, her lips almost purse together, tightly and expression almost seems to form, that is how confused she is. She doesn't speak, though, she puts her hands out and starts feeling around, searching for water or familiar landmarks. This would be why she doesn't notice Mono, first. Even if she had, she might have only approached and stood there silently in companionship instead of saying hello.

[monochromatically]

When Mono caught sight of someone that definitely appeared to be like someone from Aterat, he found himself a little distracted from the plan of: Find another mirror.

Instead he had stopped and begun to watch the familiar figure trying to find her way around below, still keeping quiet even as he leaned over the ledge of part of a building that was sticking out. Yin? Mono’s instincts were a bit at war, trying to decide if this was the Yin he knew or some other version of her… And if it was, were they were safe to approach?

Appearances could always be deceiving in his experience, and that even something as simple as an old school teacher could be hiding something monstrous.

But… As he quietly watched for a while, it was hard to deny that this seemed a lot like the Yin he knew… And she seemed more than a little unsure of herself as she tried to get around. If this were someone who dwelled in the mirror all the time, they would be able to get around easier, right? They would know where water could be found to use to see, surely… Hmm… Mono watched for another couple minutes, before he decided to test the waters. Still a little hesitant, he called out in a soft whispery voice (which is about as loud as the boy ever really got). “Hey…! Oi…!” and waited to see what the woman would do from his safe perch above.

[moonlitrequiem]

Her ability might come in handy to help them both find another mirror, if she can just find water, in that case.

This is, indeed, the Yin Mono knows, though unbeknownst to her, a different version is now running around Aterat in her place.

When she hears the familiar voice, Yin's head perks up. She doesn't look right at Mono's face, but Yin does turn in his direction as she softly asks, "Mono?" full of confusion.

[monochromatically]

Mono tilted his head for a moment, watching Yin’s reaction to his call for attention. The fact that she recognized his voice seemed like a good sign, if only because anyone who was of this place would be used to the other him… Who decidedly did not sound or look at all like him. Safe bet that if she knew him, it was the Yin he had gotten to know around Aterat.

The boy carefully dropped himself over the edge of the ledge, feet finding purchase in cracks or uneven bricks to use as footholds as he climbed down the wall. “Yup, it’s me. I’m up here, but I’m coming down.” He offered back in as quiet a tone as before. Safer to be quiet in places like this. No drawing attention from anyone but the people whose attention you wanted.

“How’d you end up through a mirror?” He asked, halfway down the wall. That made more sense to ask than ‘why’ because he doubted that she chose to be here any more than he did.

[moonlitrequiem]

If it was, in fact, the other Yin, Mono likely would have known by sight. Her expression, her tone of voice, her wicked smiles, the fact she can seem to see, so many things would give her away.

"Up," Yin's head turns up further, and her eyebrows furrow. What is he doing all the way up there?

Otherwise, Yin stays quiet and waits there for Mono.

"I am not sure. I felt a doorway. It has been unusually quiet since I went through it."

[monochromatically]

That would definitely be a big difference to note if he had come across her, certainly. But for now, he was relieved that he came across the Yin he knows. The comments get a slow response as he moved down the wall, quiet voice growing closer. “Yup, but I’m almost down.” Up had seemed like a better option to give the chance of avoiding the people that might be dangerous, and it gave him a better vantage point to see more.

She felt a doorway and went through it… Oh no, Mono thought to himself. He could see how easy it would be for that to happen! “Oh… I guess it does kinda feel like going through a door, since the glass doesn’t stop you when you touch it.” And since she didn’t see, then she couldn’t know it was a mirror in front of her instead of the door. “I kinda fell through to get here.”

Near the bottom, he dropped to land on the ground with a little thud, and straightened next to her. “It’s lots quieter than Aterat, though. So that’s why you didn’t hear much after you got here, I guess? I dunno why that is, though. But it reminds me a lot of where I came from.”