Memory #14 - Admitting Tag is dead
Jul. 13th, 2013 09:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunny_earsForm: Wind-up horse statuette.
So, Vel is woken up by Torrey, and is cranky. Torrey presumably tells her that Jackie and Tad are here to see her and they won't go away and let her sleep. Velma feels like shit and wants coffee and sleep, which means dealing with her guests. Even if Jackie is her friend, and Tad is someone who gives her warm feelings, she is still cranky.
But something is wrong. Both of them are extremely serious, and that worries Velma, even through her tired 'I just woke up' feeling. She starts panicking and immediately assumes that Shit has Happened, and asks if something happened to Yelena or if 'someone died'.
Tad leads her to the couch and sits her down and he and Jackie explain that during a previous fight (with robots), Tad died. And Velma brought him back. And Velma has ben consciously denying that she was using her powers to keep him alive, because that means admitting he's dead. And that is why she has been feeling like shit; she's been constantly using a lot of power to animate Tad, and it will eventually kill her.
Velma denies it at first, because dammit, she doesn't want to lose Tad. And that just sounds... how could she do that? Tad tells her he doesn't want her to die just so he can have some extra time, and Jackie confirms use of mirrors to see what happens if Vel continues this. (Basically, if Vel dies while using her powers that way, she'll come back as an energy vampire; instead of giving life to the lifeless, she'll take life from the living to sustain herself. Actually this was one of the alternate versions Jackie warmed Vel not to touch in the mirrors, because all but one are Not Nice People.)
Vel is frightened and grieving, because she knows that stopping her powers would be like killing Tad, and that scares her. She is sick of being alone and isolated. And she already 'lost Yelena' and is afraid of losing her friends, and is willing to get herself killed so she doesn't end up alone.
Jackie realizes this is not going well, so she uses Vel's bathroom mirror to call Princess and come up with an alterante plan. And then they go visit Crystal Glitter Unicorn Cloud Castle (yes, that is its real name), Princess's pocket dimension. It looks like Disney hired Barbie and Lisa Frank as decorators. They also get ballgowns, because this dimension has standards.
A kangaroo footman leads them to a rather somber (and un-pink) set of doors that lead to a chapel. There's a glass coffin inside, and Princess in mourning colors. Tad is crying, and Velma is too. And she's not letting go of Tad's hand. Princess untwines Velma and Tad's hands and asks Vel if she can let go. Vel replies that she doesn't want to, and Princess tells her she didn't ask her that. Vel nods. Now that she's accepted what's going on, she can tell she's powering Tad's life.
Princess gives her condolences to Tad, and leads him towards the coffin. There is a bowl of apples and a spindle on a table, and Princess tells Tad to pick his poison and get ready to lie down and let the coffin close over him for protection. Tad says his goodbyes to Velma. Velma notes that 'true love's kiss' will wake him up, and checks with Tad that there's nothing he needs to tell her about that. They kiss and embrace, and Tad goes and gets an apple, which does its thing. The stress of the bond breaking causes Vel to faint...
... she sleeps for about twelve hours at Princess's place. In a giant daisy. She's ready to go kiss Tad on waking up, but Princess tells her that she should settle things with Aaron first, since she gets one shot at this, so any loose ends and ex-boyfriends should be cleared. Which... Velma can't deny.
Impact
Well, this will be awkward. See, so far Joy has had one (and a half) memories with her boyfriend, and in it he was basically part of Her Team. And the half memory was images of him as an ally. So, while in the memory, Velma is deeply fond of Tag, Joy doesn't know him and suddenly she realizes basically the only chance at life Tag has rests on her ability to be in love with him.
Also, while one of her previous memories confirms that Velveteen can animate more than toys, this cinches it -- if Joy wants, she could become a necromancer. Literally, if she wants. And a damn powerful one, considering that Tag was pretty much a normal, living human acting independently while Vel was animating him. While Joy has been pushing the limits of her powers (aka draw a face on it and see if my powers work), this is a limit she'll be reluctant to cross. Especially with this memory knowing that doing so will slowly kill her even at the height of her powers.
OTOH, if Joy has a strong enough desire (and a bit more of her powers back), she might be able to extend a teammate's conscious time in a deadly game, at least enough to walk them to a place where their body will be safe while they'll revive. This would not be good for Joy's sanity, but she now knows it is an option.
In general, trauma games where Joy has to make lethal decisions will be harder, especially if there is not team around.
On the positive side, Joy now knows a lot of princess tropes and fairy tales. And Bubbles will continue to remind her of Princess's alternate-universe double.
Also, screw robots. Screw robots in the exhaust port.
So, Vel is woken up by Torrey, and is cranky. Torrey presumably tells her that Jackie and Tad are here to see her and they won't go away and let her sleep. Velma feels like shit and wants coffee and sleep, which means dealing with her guests. Even if Jackie is her friend, and Tad is someone who gives her warm feelings, she is still cranky.
But something is wrong. Both of them are extremely serious, and that worries Velma, even through her tired 'I just woke up' feeling. She starts panicking and immediately assumes that Shit has Happened, and asks if something happened to Yelena or if 'someone died'.
Tad leads her to the couch and sits her down and he and Jackie explain that during a previous fight (with robots), Tad died. And Velma brought him back. And Velma has ben consciously denying that she was using her powers to keep him alive, because that means admitting he's dead. And that is why she has been feeling like shit; she's been constantly using a lot of power to animate Tad, and it will eventually kill her.
Velma denies it at first, because dammit, she doesn't want to lose Tad. And that just sounds... how could she do that? Tad tells her he doesn't want her to die just so he can have some extra time, and Jackie confirms use of mirrors to see what happens if Vel continues this. (Basically, if Vel dies while using her powers that way, she'll come back as an energy vampire; instead of giving life to the lifeless, she'll take life from the living to sustain herself. Actually this was one of the alternate versions Jackie warmed Vel not to touch in the mirrors, because all but one are Not Nice People.)
Vel is frightened and grieving, because she knows that stopping her powers would be like killing Tad, and that scares her. She is sick of being alone and isolated. And she already 'lost Yelena' and is afraid of losing her friends, and is willing to get herself killed so she doesn't end up alone.
Jackie realizes this is not going well, so she uses Vel's bathroom mirror to call Princess and come up with an alterante plan. And then they go visit Crystal Glitter Unicorn Cloud Castle (yes, that is its real name), Princess's pocket dimension. It looks like Disney hired Barbie and Lisa Frank as decorators. They also get ballgowns, because this dimension has standards.
A kangaroo footman leads them to a rather somber (and un-pink) set of doors that lead to a chapel. There's a glass coffin inside, and Princess in mourning colors. Tad is crying, and Velma is too. And she's not letting go of Tad's hand. Princess untwines Velma and Tad's hands and asks Vel if she can let go. Vel replies that she doesn't want to, and Princess tells her she didn't ask her that. Vel nods. Now that she's accepted what's going on, she can tell she's powering Tad's life.
Princess gives her condolences to Tad, and leads him towards the coffin. There is a bowl of apples and a spindle on a table, and Princess tells Tad to pick his poison and get ready to lie down and let the coffin close over him for protection. Tad says his goodbyes to Velma. Velma notes that 'true love's kiss' will wake him up, and checks with Tad that there's nothing he needs to tell her about that. They kiss and embrace, and Tad goes and gets an apple, which does its thing. The stress of the bond breaking causes Vel to faint...
... she sleeps for about twelve hours at Princess's place. In a giant daisy. She's ready to go kiss Tad on waking up, but Princess tells her that she should settle things with Aaron first, since she gets one shot at this, so any loose ends and ex-boyfriends should be cleared. Which... Velma can't deny.
Impact
Well, this will be awkward. See, so far Joy has had one (and a half) memories with her boyfriend, and in it he was basically part of Her Team. And the half memory was images of him as an ally. So, while in the memory, Velma is deeply fond of Tag, Joy doesn't know him and suddenly she realizes basically the only chance at life Tag has rests on her ability to be in love with him.
Also, while one of her previous memories confirms that Velveteen can animate more than toys, this cinches it -- if Joy wants, she could become a necromancer. Literally, if she wants. And a damn powerful one, considering that Tag was pretty much a normal, living human acting independently while Vel was animating him. While Joy has been pushing the limits of her powers (aka draw a face on it and see if my powers work), this is a limit she'll be reluctant to cross. Especially with this memory knowing that doing so will slowly kill her even at the height of her powers.
OTOH, if Joy has a strong enough desire (and a bit more of her powers back), she might be able to extend a teammate's conscious time in a deadly game, at least enough to walk them to a place where their body will be safe while they'll revive. This would not be good for Joy's sanity, but she now knows it is an option.
In general, trauma games where Joy has to make lethal decisions will be harder, especially if there is not team around.
On the positive side, Joy now knows a lot of princess tropes and fairy tales. And Bubbles will continue to remind her of Princess's alternate-universe double.
Also, screw robots. Screw robots in the exhaust port.