[ Jason cursing "Satan" which is just you, Anna, is very funny. Joonghyuk doesn't react when the jack comes out of the box. He frowns deeper, finding the expression on it disturbing. There's a thought—why do westerners make clowns so scary? Clowns were fine. They are generally harmless. But they made the clowns evil?
He's pensive... Thinking on what he saw. Jason's whole body reacted to this simple box, this punishment that set him off-kilter. For now, he doesn't comment on it. ]
How are you going to do that?
[ Devil shadows are cheering and the one they deem Satan is just floating around. ]
You're giving them too much power over you.
[ Satan who isn't Anna but now me throws something over to Jason. It unravels to be a large black door. It's ornate, sparkling like a starry sky... It gives off a primordial aura. Joonghyuk frowns deeply. ]
[He throws both pieces of the box down in opposite directions and starts stalking in Satan’s direction. It annoys him that Joonghyuk sounds exactly like Bruce. That is something Bruce would tell him. Something Bruce has. Because Jason is the live wire of the bunch. Hot headed and easily emotional.
And he is deadass going to throw fists with fake Satan in this stupid ass mental trauma door in this hotel.
But he stops when he gets tossed… a door? He glares at Satan. Points at his own eyes with two fingers, then points at Satan.
[ Joonghyuk is also hotheaded and volatile, but it's difficult to channel into that when this is some trick room. Maybe if he was years younger. Instead, he watches Jason stalk after fake Satan like a big cat in a zoo enclosure, object of malicious intent out of reach.
At the bottom of this gate, a black liquid starts oozing out. ]
Open it.
[ They might as well get this over with, yet Joonghyuk doesn't want to approach it. ]
He wants to tell Joonghyuk to open it if he wants it opened so bad, but there's no point. Begrudgingly, he gives up (for now) on stupid Satan and moves over to the black, starry void of a door. He's, like, careful of the weird goop coming out of it.
What the fck is that.]
If another clown jumps out, I'm going to stop being completely civil.
It is weird starry goop. A very pretty sludge, but it feels like no one should be looking at it. ]
I'll stab it.
[ The last thing he wants is to get clowned during punishment. When Jason opens it, black tentacles burst out of the gate, wriggling and glitching at certain areas like they are not meant to be perceived. They launch and wrap around his wrists and ankles to yank him into different directions, whispering in a hiss as more sludge floods the platform. Hands reach out of the dark growing pool and the sludge takes a form similar to people, distorted and vengeful or sorrowful as they reach out to him. The murmurs are inaudible, even worse it's grating on the ears if one strains, but it can be sensed.
How could you forget us? How could you have abandoned us? You will be miserable for as long as you live. Live. Live. Live. ]
[ Never mind. Jason calling it the hentai club makes him want to die. Just let the demented tentacles take him. Unlike Jason, he resists less. The tentacles now become chains and lock with a metal clink. ]
Don't call it that. That is not what this is.
[ There is a sound of crying child beyond the door... Then the door abruptly closes.
And they're kicked out of the room. Back in the hall now. ]
It's not my fault it couldn't pick something other than tentacles--HEY!
[The second they become chains, Jason loses all sense of domestication and starts becoming totally feral for some strange(?) reason. There's still a lot of confident, trained fight in him, but his attempt to get away is slightly more chaotic.
The crying kid? Doesn't help at all. He thinks he's about to be unhinged forever until the door slams shut, and they are tossed back out into the hallway.
He has actually broken out into a cold sweat, and stands there trying to level out his breathing and his heartbeat. His hands take turns rubbing at his forearms like he's trying to wipe away the feeling of having something there.]
[ Damn. This is sure something! I know a bit about Jason so this makes sense, but Joonghyuk doesn't know shit. He can at least see Jason's reaction, which helps him subdue his own pooling unsettled and displeased emotions. Those chains used to fill him with endless hatred and rage, but he can't find it in him. Not after the sound of a child.
Still, Satan has to die, and he tries to open the door again despite the trauma laid upon them both. It stays locked this time, which earns a solid and loud kick from him. Dislike. ]
I should be asking you that.
[ He looks at him as he rubs his own wrists. You look like a mess. ]
Surprisingly, Jason reaches out to grab Joonghyuk briefly by the arm when the dude tries to get back in through the door. To, like, keep him from doing that stupid shit. He doesn't bother holding on or anything, though.]
Leave it. I'm not following your ass back through the door with Satan's asshole. [He's had ENOUGH.] You first, tough guy.
[ Hello? He is somewhat surprised by the touch, so he goes stiff before shaking it off. He isn't going to try breaking down the door and making it worse.
Joonghyuk... Stays silent... because Jason really says things. His lips press into a thin line when he's pressed. ]
[THEY ARE BOTH SO INSUFFERABLE. This really is the exact same energy he and Bruce have at all times. They just do not get along unless they are beating the shit out of someone else. Funny.
He turns away from Joonghyuk and keeps going, but... down the hallway of doors and not out of it.]
[ He sees him go down the hallway of doors like an IDIOT. Niah, who seemed to be waiting in the hallway, trails after Jason and boops his hand with his muzzle. This dog-sized sparkly wolf is trying to tell him to SLOW DOWN, but cutely.
Joonghyuk stays where he is, watching the other man just pace. ]
[Nooooooooooooooooooooo. WHY IS THERE A WOLF DOG?! The boop startles him at first, but then he just looks disgruntled at the fact he is a dog man and there is a dog-sized wolf. He has also stopped. To look at the sparkly wolf. Pup...]
You aren't interested in trading.
[The wolf came to him first, so he doesn't bother asking. He simply reaches out carefully to let the dog sniff him before giving some pets if it wants.]
[ Because Niah is luggage and he's here now. It looks like this has worked to Niah and Joonghyuk's favor. This wolf is black, but his fur sparkles like the starry sky. ]
If I wasn't, I wouldn't have mentioned it.
[ Niah sniffs his fingers and stays, deeming Jason not a threat (for now). ]
[Joonghyuk does not deserve a cute and cool wolf like this, Jason thinks, but he does not say this because the wolf has placated him momentarily. Don't just say FOR NOW. Wow.
[ Is he going to pet the dog? Niah is just here. If Jason doesn't, the wolf will gently bite his hand, making sure it doesn't hurt, and tug back a little. Away from the doors, fool!!
Also, that is bad, but he doesn't offer pity. ]
The tentacles and monsters were people from different worldlines, specifically the worlds I abandoned when I regressed. They turned into that. [ ... ] The chains are probably a metaphor.
[STOP, HE DID PET THE DOG! After being sniffed checked, he gave it some attention. DON'T BITE HIS HAND. He will just give it more attention to make up for the idea he didn't give it attention initially despite being a dog man.
It's fine, it's fine. He isn't going into anymore doors! (For now.)]
Sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo. You regress in age, or do you mean regressed through time? Not a fan of the chains; I don't care if they're a metaphor.
[ It is a gentle play bite. Good. Niah is pleased that Jason isn’t being an idiot without Joonghyuk. If they choose to both make bad choices, then wolf can’t do much about it. ]
The original term means to go back in time, like loading your last save file now with the knowledge and experience you gained from your last playthrough.
It isn’t so simple. If you’re familiar with quantum physics, then you can consider each regression creates a new timeline—or that you hop to an alternate reality.
[He sort of gets it actually. It isn't so far-fetched for him thankfully. Hooray in being a really good modern. It comes in handy......sometimes. He looks like he might say something else, but then he doesn't.]
Yeah. He held my mom hostage, then tortured me when I got there before blowing us both up.
[ If Jason looked or even implied he was a non-modern, Joonghyuk wouldn’t even try to explain. The effort isn’t worth it.
Damn… A child and mom. Kaboom. His expression doesn’t budge. Niah, on the other hand, will lick Jason’s fingers—animals SENSE sadness. He wants to ask certain questions, but the most important one is: ]
[ Niah allows, getting fluffed and panting as a dog does. This makes Joonghyuk squint, but he doesn’t comment on it. ]
The clown killed their apprentice and his mother.
[ Joonghyuk is like ??? Why would you let that go, but he tries to move his thoughts around. This time there’s more consideration. Why wouldn’t someone kill—sometimes just to kill? What is the point of a no killing rule? ]
… Justice and doing good must still mean something where you’re from.
[Joonghyuk can squint all he wants. Jason likes dogs, so this wolf, who has been nice to him also, will get some affectionate petting. The funnier thing is that Jason has learned already these are daemons, so he, like, halfway knows what he's doing here. And he's doing it on purpose.]
It's not justice, it's cowardice. And ego. [Joonghyuk can see where Jason stands on this matter, at least.] It only means something to him. And maybe the police commissioner.
[And the other Bats, but Joonghyuk doesn't need to know he has about eight adoptive and non-adoptive siblings.]
He thinks the killing makes you no better than them, no matter who it is. Even a psychotic clown who doesn't care about anything but seeing what sadistic buttons he can push.
[ Jason. Well, Niah doesn't mind, him not being much of a daemon anymore.
It's interesting to hear this coming from someone who seems to care about people's well-being, but it makes sense. Sometimes you care too much. Joonghyuk understands nobility—he has seen it. He has also seen it crumble, but... ]
The blood on your hands doesn't always define you. You have to be a privileged fool to think it's black and white.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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He's pensive... Thinking on what he saw. Jason's whole body reacted to this simple box, this punishment that set him off-kilter. For now, he doesn't comment on it. ]
How are you going to do that?
[ Devil shadows are cheering and the one they deem Satan is just floating around. ]
You're giving them too much power over you.
[ Satan who isn't Anna but now me throws something over to Jason. It unravels to be a large black door. It's ornate, sparkling like a starry sky... It gives off a primordial aura. Joonghyuk frowns deeply. ]
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Like this.
[He throws both pieces of the box down in opposite directions and starts stalking in Satan’s direction. It annoys him that Joonghyuk sounds exactly like Bruce. That is something Bruce would tell him. Something Bruce has. Because Jason is the live wire of the bunch. Hot headed and easily emotional.
And he is deadass going to throw fists with fake Satan in this stupid ass mental trauma door in this hotel.
But he stops when he gets tossed… a door? He glares at Satan. Points at his own eyes with two fingers, then points at Satan.
Then he glances at Joonghyuk.]
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At the bottom of this gate, a black liquid starts oozing out. ]
Open it.
[ They might as well get this over with, yet Joonghyuk doesn't want to approach it. ]
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He wants to tell Joonghyuk to open it if he wants it opened so bad, but there's no point. Begrudgingly, he gives up (for now) on stupid Satan and moves over to the black, starry void of a door. He's, like, careful of the weird goop coming out of it.
What the fck is that.]
If another clown jumps out, I'm going to stop being completely civil.
[He opens it.]
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It is weird starry goop. A very pretty sludge, but it feels like no one should be looking at it. ]
I'll stab it.
[ The last thing he wants is to get clowned during punishment. When Jason opens it, black tentacles burst out of the gate, wriggling and glitching at certain areas like they are not meant to be perceived. They launch and wrap around his wrists and ankles to yank him into different directions, whispering in a hiss as more sludge floods the platform. Hands reach out of the dark growing pool and the sludge takes a form similar to people, distorted and vengeful or sorrowful as they reach out to him. The murmurs are inaudible, even worse it's grating on the ears if one strains, but it can be sensed.
How could you forget us? How could you have abandoned us? You will be miserable for as long as you live. Live. Live. Live. ]
Never mind. We're killing that one.
[ SATAN HAS TO DIE ]
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But he is a tank, so he digs his feet and legs into the ground and uses his weight to make himself as immovable as possible.]
You could have agreed with me a little sooner, asshole!
[He bends his arms and makes an attempt to twist away.] Dammit, I didn't sign up for the hentai club. [NO TENTACLES.
BUT YES TO KILLING SATAN.]
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Don't call it that. That is not what this is.
[ There is a sound of crying child beyond the door... Then the door abruptly closes.
And they're kicked out of the room. Back in the hall now. ]
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[The second they become chains, Jason loses all sense of domestication and starts becoming totally feral for some strange(?) reason. There's still a lot of confident, trained fight in him, but his attempt to get away is slightly more chaotic.
The crying kid? Doesn't help at all. He thinks he's about to be unhinged forever until the door slams shut, and they are tossed back out into the hallway.
He has actually broken out into a cold sweat, and stands there trying to level out his breathing and his heartbeat. His hands take turns rubbing at his forearms like he's trying to wipe away the feeling of having something there.]
What the fuck was that?
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Still, Satan has to die, and he tries to open the door again despite the trauma laid upon them both. It stays locked this time, which earns a solid and loud kick from him. Dislike. ]
I should be asking you that.
[ He looks at him as he rubs his own wrists. You look like a mess. ]
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Surprisingly, Jason reaches out to grab Joonghyuk briefly by the arm when the dude tries to get back in through the door. To, like, keep him from doing that stupid shit. He doesn't bother holding on or anything, though.]
Leave it. I'm not following your ass back through the door with Satan's asshole. [He's had ENOUGH.] You first, tough guy.
[Explain the trauma.]
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Joonghyuk... Stays silent... because Jason really says things. His lips press into a thin line when he's pressed. ]
My story isn't free.
[ YOU FIRST, BITCH. god, they're insufferable. ]
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[THEY ARE BOTH SO INSUFFERABLE. This really is the exact same energy he and Bruce have at all times. They just do not get along unless they are beating the shit out of someone else. Funny.
He turns away from Joonghyuk and keeps going, but... down the hallway of doors and not out of it.]
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Joonghyuk stays where he is, watching the other man just pace. ]
We can trade.
[ Trauma for trauma. ]
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You aren't interested in trading.
[The wolf came to him first, so he doesn't bother asking. He simply reaches out carefully to let the dog sniff him before giving some pets if it wants.]
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If I wasn't, I wouldn't have mentioned it.
[ Niah sniffs his fingers and stays, deeming Jason not a threat (for now). ]
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He glances skeptically at Joonghyuk.]
A psycho killed me when I was a kid.
[But that's all he says.]
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Also, that is bad, but he doesn't offer pity. ]
The tentacles and monsters were people from different worldlines, specifically the worlds I abandoned when I regressed. They turned into that. [ ... ] The chains are probably a metaphor.
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It's fine, it's fine. He isn't going into anymore doors! (For now.)]
Sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo. You regress in age, or do you mean regressed through time? Not a fan of the chains; I don't care if they're a metaphor.
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The original term means to go back in time, like loading your last save file now with the knowledge and experience you gained from your last playthrough.
It isn’t so simple. If you’re familiar with quantum physics, then you can consider each regression creates a new timeline—or that you hop to an alternate reality.
[ Since Jason asked him a question: ]
Was it the clown?
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[He sort of gets it actually. It isn't so far-fetched for him thankfully. Hooray in being a really good modern. It comes in handy......sometimes. He looks like he might say something else, but then he doesn't.]
Yeah. He held my mom hostage, then tortured me when I got there before blowing us both up.
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[ If Jason looked or even implied he was a non-modern, Joonghyuk wouldn’t even try to explain. The effort isn’t worth it.
Damn… A child and mom. Kaboom. His expression doesn’t budge. Niah, on the other hand, will lick Jason’s fingers—animals SENSE sadness. He wants to ask certain questions, but the most important one is: ]
Did you kill the clown? Once you revived.
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No. [Haha.] Not because I didn't want to. My brain was scrambled. So it took... [...] ...a while for me to be myself.
My mentor is who the clown was really after. The unfortunate part? The mentor has a strict rule about not killing.
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The clown killed their apprentice and his mother.
[ Joonghyuk is like ??? Why would you let that go, but he tries to move his thoughts around. This time there’s more consideration. Why wouldn’t someone kill—sometimes just to kill? What is the point of a no killing rule? ]
… Justice and doing good must still mean something where you’re from.
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It's not justice, it's cowardice. And ego. [Joonghyuk can see where Jason stands on this matter, at least.] It only means something to him. And maybe the police commissioner.
[And the other Bats, but Joonghyuk doesn't need to know he has about eight adoptive and non-adoptive siblings.]
He thinks the killing makes you no better than them, no matter who it is. Even a psychotic clown who doesn't care about anything but seeing what sadistic buttons he can push.
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It's interesting to hear this coming from someone who seems to care about people's well-being, but it makes sense. Sometimes you care too much. Joonghyuk understands nobility—he has seen it. He has also seen it crumble, but... ]
The blood on your hands doesn't always define you. You have to be a privileged fool to think it's black and white.
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