towerofanimus | 11th pokéball

Entry tags:

11th pokéball

Characters: Johtostuck John Egbert and you! (also Rose Lalonde, Dave Strider and OU John in the closed prompts)
Format:
Setting: Various floors
Summary: Catch all for Route_29 John for the event.
Warnings: nothing that i can really think of at the moment save for swearing?

A: Tuesday CLOSED TO ROSE AND DAVE
[It began with three. For the entire first day, they hadn't said anything. They just followed him, smiling, and somehow seeming unnervingly familiar. John did his best to ignore them, and for the most part, it worked. But as the whispers grew louder it became harder and harder for even John, with years of experience in tuning out unwanted sounds, to ignore.]

[Especially when he realized just WHY they had seemed so familiar.]

[John had accepted a while ago that he, Rose, and Dave were not all actually from the same instance of Johto. But this fact was unspoken and John never even gave it much thought.]

[But he couldn't ignore it now. None of them could, if Rose and Dave were going through the same thing.]

[For the millionth time since arriving here, John cursed the fact that their Pokégears did not work in the tower as he ran up the stairs to the second dorm block, his three shadows sticking close. Or at the very least, could the admins have given them walkie-talkies? Would that be so fucking terrible?]

[He knocks on the door of Rose's dorm room, hoping she's actually in there because he is really not in the mood for a game of tower-wide hide and seek right now.]

Rose? Rose are you in there?

B: Wednesday OPEN (floor of your choice!)
[With the help of Rose and Dave, John had managed to overcome the Rose and... Dave (and also Jade). Okay, yeah that sounds a little weird when you put it like that, but the ordeal was hardly a laughing matter. And for the remainder of Tuesday, John was relieved. If that's all he had to worry about, then it wasn't so bad after all. Haha, screw you, tower!]

[But things can never be that easy, and the next day John found himself followed by even MORE shadows than the day before. The Other Father, Luke Triton, Aradia, Jake, Jane, and... Vriska.]

[Hers was the worst. What a terrible moirail he was! She really should have known better than to enter that relationship with a human. You were supposed to protect her, John. And look at all that's left of her now, thanks to you!!]

[John can be found on various floors throughout the day, just wandering as he tries his best to ignore the shadows. It's not working though, as the blue in his collar (and his body itself during the glitches) gets lighter and lighter; and John himself looks more and more tired as the hours tick by.]

[Kid was pretty damn attached to Johto, and it shows.]

C: Wednesday, 10pm: CLOSED TO OU JOHN
[Maybe going to bed earlier will help with all this. Not that 10pm is really all THAT early but whatever, it's earlier than NORMAL and that's what counts. Maybe if he hadn't trudged his way up here so slowly, he would have gotten up here sooner. By now, his collar and body are both a rather alarming shade of pale blue. Because even if he did manage to have some upswings earlier in the day with the help of his friends, he also managed to attract one last shadow.]

[Scratch what he thought earlier about Vriska's being the worst.]

[Because John is positive that there could be nothing in this world worse than listening to his dad accuse him of not looking hard enough for him. Of forgetting about him entirely. He's not proud, son. He's not proud at all.]

[John can't even bring himself to care enough to open the door to his room. Instead, he falls back against the wall next to it and sinks to the floor.]

[Fuck. Everything.]

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[He kneels next to his alternate self, a worried look spreading quickly across his face. This is the first time he's actually seen the glamour fail before his own eyes. So it was pretty creepy.

John isn't fooling anyone.]

Yeah this totally looks like a pile of fun.

[He reaches to touch his alternate self on the shoulder.]

It totally is! Hehe... you missed a break in too. Mmm... [His eyes move from his alternate self's eyes to rove the general vicinity around him. For a moment, he almost looks worried. But it's hard to say whether or not he actually did.]

Looks like you don't have any groupies though. Good, means I don't have to worry about you.

[Because he wouldn't wish this on anybody. And they're basically the same guy, right? So... chances are high that his alternate self would have a Dad shadow too.]

Man, that definitely sounds like something of high interest to me. [He watches John look around for a moment before he finally takes a seat and crosses his legs. Why was he being so cautious? He doesn't understand. He probably won't understand.

Groupies?]

Nah, I'm alone right now. I don't know why you're worrying about me when you're the one who looks like he stepped straight out of Super Smash Brothers. It's kind of freaky. Anyway, I don't think you should be alone right now. Where is Rose, Jade, or either of the Daves? We could probably figure out a way to get you back to normal.

Oh yeah this is... the first time you've seen it, isn't it? For the record, you look like that too, man. We should totally take advantage of this moment, break you the hammers. Since we didn't get the chance to the first time.

[Yes, John, just keep talking like everything is fine and you aren't half dead and you can't be fucked to do anything about that fact.]

But... I can't remember the last time I saw your Dave, at this point. And the others? They're... somewhere. I dunno. [He shrugs feebly.]

It's cool man. We can totally do all that stuff when you're not laying on the ground looking like you're about to give at any moment.

[John sighs and scoots a little closer, reaching forward to shift John onto his lap. Alternate John is a stupid asshole for looking like he's going to die. He isn't going to die. There is no way he can die right now.]

Eventually he'll come back. Fine. Then I'll stay here and we'll get you looking like new in no time, right?

[In this state,it's almost laughably easy for John to position his alternate self however he pleases. Seriously, dude, you could have stuck his thumb up his nose and met absolutely no resistance other than possibly a snide comment.]

Mmm... [He falls silent, the small smile he'd barely managed to muster fading away almost entirely as he stares at the ceiling.] Hey, John?

[If this didn't look really serious he might have actually done that. But for now he'll just card his hand through John's hair and sit there. He doesn't know what to do to help him.]

Yeah? [He looks down, making eye contact with his alternate self.]

[~~John das gay.~~]

You can't hear him, right?

Hear who, exactly?

[~~Shut the fuck up.~~]

[~~It's okay, because even though it's incredibly gay, he appreciates it. Feels good, man.~~]

[He closes his eyes and shakes his head. When he opens them again, his eyes seem overly bright.]

I didn't think you could, I just... had to be sure.

[~~Such a knucklehead. He didn't stop, jfc.~~.]

[He sighs and he's preparing for the worst. He doesn't want to think about John dying. But that is what this is looking like.]

Who are we talking about? You can't leave me hanging here man.

[For the briefest of moments, it almost seemed like the fluid in John's collar/body was starting to get a little brighter the more he and his alternate self talked. But that didn't really last long. And by now, it's almost completely clear.]

[This actually wasn't such a bad way to go though. Well, mostly. He wasn't in any physical pain, at least. But the shadow of his dad is still going on, still blaming him, still sounding so very un-dad like that you would think it would be easy for John to overcome this. But guilt is a powerful thing. He might have stood a chance of surviving this, had Dad not shown up. He has some pretty good friends in the tower, after all.]

[He shakes his head again.]

Don't want to jinx it. Last thing I want is for this to happen to you too. [He closes his eyes again, biting his lip in an attempt to keep himself from crying but a lone tear rolls down his cheek anyway.] Just... be happy that you can't hear him. That you aren't being followed too.

[And another tear.] I was doing so well, too. I thought we had them beat...

[John had a glimmer of hope. That maybe just maybe he would be able to save John. Talk him through it until someone could come help. But it went straight back to being really bad and not looking like John was going to make it.

He doesn't want to see the other die. It was watching himself die...basically.]

It won't happen to me, whatever is going on right now. I'm not hearing shit now and I won't hear shit when you don't die on me. [But John chokes up anyways. Seeing yourself cry is also a thing that is hard.]

You do have them beat. Don't let it get to you.

[John shakes his head again, tapping at the center button of his collar.]

How light is it now? [There's a tiny spot of pale blue in the center, and that's really it. The rest is all clear.] Pretty sure it's too late at this point. I don't know exactly what it is that drives them off. It's something to do with other people, but that's all I can tell.

It's kinda cliché, actually. It's like straight out of the mangas or something. Friendship chasing away the ghosts of your past. Because, in the end, the power of friendship conquers all, right? [By now, there's no stopping the tears quietly streaming down his face. But he keeps a smile on, despite the fact that his voice is starting to get a little shaky.] Queue ridiculously upbeat Japanese pop ending theme, we learned our lesson for the day. Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode of Nightmare Horrortower.

It's pretty light. Clear almost. But that just means you need your stuff changed right? We could probably get one of those dumb units to do that for us, right? They wouldn't possibly let you die over some collar shit. Come on we're gonna go do that and everything will be ace.

[He awkwardly maneuvers so that he can get the other John on his back.] We can talk about your manga fantasies when you're not sitting over there with some freaky ass clear liquid. [John is physically upset as he hoists his alternate self up. Tears already threatening to escape his eyes. He's holding it back.]

Edited 2013-08-14 05:35 (UTC)

Did you know it's clear by default? Or at least it is when it hits the air? Dave stole a jar of it and a bunch of other people did too...

[Once again, he doesn't protest at the change in positioning, and it's all too easy for John to get his smaller alt self onto his back.]

Maybe this isn't such a bad thing.

Interesting. But that means we need to get you somewhere and fast. It's cool man, we're gonna make it, and you're gonna be okay.

[John will have to take the elevators, right? Yeah that would definitely be the quickest way down.]

What, dying isn't so bad? No it's terrible.

No, I mean... losing the color. Maybe it's not a bad thing. Maybe I won't die. It's not like any of us actually know what this shit does, after all.

[Augh, elevators. John hasn't been on one of these in months. (being in the empty elevator shaft a few weeks ago totally doesn't count, okay?) But it's not like he cares enough to argue right now.]

[The small cluster of shadows follows them in, smiling and milling around the two boys. They're still talking to John, telling him a number of things that he doesn't want to hear and the little smile he had on his face previously disappears once more. He grimaces, making a small, strangled noise as fresh tears start falling again.]

I'm so tired, John.

But we don't know that so why don't we play it safe and not be stupid. I'm not going to be able to live with myself if I let you die. So for once, hey! I'm suggesting we don't do something outlandishly stupid!

[He knows this is a stretch. The tower has so many floors. Getting to where they needed to be was probably really far away and it would take a long time no matter how fast this elevator was going to go. He squeezes his alternate self's leg and shakes his head. He can feel the fresh tears on the back of his neck and he can't help but to give into it a little more and start letting actual tears flow.]

Whatever you do man, don't sleep. Just. Don't. Please.

[John shakes his head, sniffling. The tears are definitely messier now than they were before. None of that silently falling stuff now, his nose is even starting to run a little. Sorry about that, alt-self. Not that this should really surprise you.]

No, not like that. I'm tired of all this, of everything about this stupid shitty fucking tower. I want to go home.

[He feels bad that he keeps misinterpreting his alternate self, but there were so many meanings that could be put to one sentence. He doesn't mind that the other is crying all over him though. It's just the way they are.]

I want to go home too. But we can't. Not until we find a way to overthrow them.

[He hiccups before just outright breaking down entirely on John's shoulder, his father's words about what a disappointment he is ringing in his ears. For months, John has done everything he could to keep himself moving forward. He didn't have time to break down, and it's not like that would fix shit ANYWAY so what was the point?]

[All this time, he's been trying to keep himself upbeat and strong for the people he cares about. Because somebody has to do it. Somebody has to try and hold things together, even with the odds stacked so highly against them.]

[But in this elevator... he's alone save for himself. And try as he might to stay strong for his alt self, it's just not working anymore. A person can only take so much. At least other John won't judge him for it, right?]

I know! God I know just... fucking...

[John doesn't even know what he's trying to say anymore. For the first time since February, he feels completely and utterly helpless. And he hates it.]

[He wants to set John back around and just hug him. But he can't. He won't. He has to keep a steady hold on him until they can get somewhere that can help him. It was John's duty to protect the other while he was at his weakest. Even if he was physically and mentally becoming more and more upset himself.

The weight of what John was dealing with was coming down on him as well. He feels the stress. He feels the weight of all the odds against the other. He would go as far as to say that they have some twin telepathy. He knows how John is feeling and it is pretty fucking miserable right now. John is suffering not in a painful way, but an emotional way.]

We'll figure it out, John. We have to figure it out. It's going to be alright.

[John says nothing, opting instead to spend the next few minutes just crying his eyes out while he can. Because once they're out of this elevator and move past this shadow hurdle? It's back to all smiles all the time. Back to trying his best not to let anything bother him. Or at least, not letting it show when it does.]

[Eventually the tears become little more than dry sobs as John shudders against his alternate self. But still, he remains silent for now.]

[He comforts as he can. He doesn't know how to help someone who is already this far gone emotionally. But he definitely doesn't want to give up either. But it is getting way too quiet. He doesn't like that.

So he nudges the other's leg.]

Hey, John?

11th pokéball

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just...this icon forever i guess

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