Who knows what’s right? The lines keep getting thinner

[makejapangreat]

Who: Shido Masayoshi and whatever unfortunate soul decides to approach him (Open)
What: Shido is working himself to the bone via self-inflicted punishment
When: Early May (like 5/1 ~ 5/12 or thereabouts)
Where: Various
Warnings: Lots of badbrain stuff going on with Shido rn, including self-deprecation, possible thoughts of suicide


[Library]
[Off in the corner sits a man, pouring over a manner of books. The more the days go by, the more that energy and health is sapped from him. The bags under his eyes have been persistent since day one of arriving here, but the noticeable changes are that he does seem to be losing some weight, and perhaps becoming a bit pallid... Yet a fire burns behind his eyes as he reads at the library like clockwork, occasionally extending a hand, fingers tensing, trying to press themselves down on some invisible object. Very occasionally, if one just happens to be around at the right time of day, they might hear a singular "pop" of air in his direction. It's also possible, at times, to find him completely slumped over on the table he's at, asleep, often grunting and twitching in his sleep— it's clearly not very restful...

On a brighter now, later on in the week you might see a henohenomoheji drawn on the back of Shido's head? He doesn't seem to be aware of this...]

[Library - 5/7 (Closed to Izunia)]
[There's more than just a pop today. Today? There's an outright crackle and snap of electricity.

Followed by an agonized yell and the clatter of a chair.

Shido lays on the floor, breathing heavily, one arm desperately clutching at the other that spasms from the surge of electricity that had torn through it. And then something peculiar happens.

Shido laughs. An unsteady sort of laugh, but nevertheless.

Maybe he electrocuted himself so badly he fried his brain...]

[Outside]
[If you get extra lucky, you might catch Shido outside. Particularly, the spot he chooses to go is north, to the top of the Skyclimb Cliffs, where he looks out to the ocean. It seems, well... somewhat of a precarious place for someone to be, really. He seems to be awfully close to the edge at times, no sign of fear or wariness in his body. You might catch him looking down, as if considering something, but for the most part? His gaze remains on the endless blue.

And then, after about thirty minutes of this, he'll quietly turn and head back.]

Comments

[meowna]

.....What the hell!

[That answers that question. The answer is obviously Way Too Long. Excuse him while he marches over to very deliberately plop his butt down on your book, Shido.]

11 at night. I'm starting to question if you're really responsible enough to be allowed to manage your own schedule, if you can't take care of yourself properly.

[makejapangreat]

[He blinks in bemusement at this very stern cat.]

To be fair, I'm not particularly trying.

[meowna]

That's exactly the problem!

[Oh my god, you people. You people. Why are so many people here self-negligent or actively self-destructive?!]

Alright, come on. You're getting some dinner and going to bed.

[makejapangreat]

[?????]

But—

[meowna]

No buts! I said you're going to get some dinner and go to bed. Don't think I'm too small to be able to tip that chair over.

[Bossy cat is bossy, and can and will literally dump your ass out of your chair so you go do your chores take care of yourself like he ordered told you to.]

Do you even really want to learn magic, or did you just pick it at random as something to bang your head against?

[makejapangreat]

O-of course I want to learn.

[Gets... out of the chair? Is this really happening rn????]

[meowna]

[It is, in fact, really happening right now. There's a cat leading you to the kitchen while he lectures you.]

Then I'm not sure why you wouldn't have read this in your books, but listen up. Magic is energy. Specifically, it's energy that comes from you, your own mind and body, manifested in the world in ways our understanding of natural laws can't explain. Got it?

That means two very basic things for you. First, if you have no energy to burn, you can't use magic. The car won't run without gas. Second, if you manage to use more or stronger magic than you have energy for, it can have serious consequences for your health.

[He glances over his shoulder.]

That said, can you guess why all your practice is going so poorly?

[makejapangreat]

[Shido follows behind, almost in a daze, like this doesn't.. feel real? He's getting lectured by a cat telling him to take care of himself better after pulling him away from trying to learn magic?

... huh, on second thought, no wonder it feels surreal.]

I... thought I had plenty of energy. I'm hardly dying. [????????]

[meowna]

Ugh, you moron! You don't drink coffee because you're dying, do you? You drink it to wake you up and give you some quick energy! If you're too tired to do anything, then you eat a meal or get a good night's sleep, and you feel refreshed! You're obviously running on fumes right now--even if you understood magic perfectly, you're probably too weak to even light up a light bulb like this.

[makejapangreat]

I don't think a good night's sleep is in the cards for me right now.

[meowna]

Why not?

[Just gonna jump up onto the kitchen counter once they get in there. It's much easier to talk like this.]

Even if that's true, that doesn't stop you from eating.

[makejapangreat]

I've been plagued by constant nightmares for the past few weeks. I'm lucky if I manage to go three hours without waking up in a cold sweat.

[... ah.] ... I'm afraid my cooking skills are... lacking.

[meowna]

That's why microwaves exist, so you don't have to. I'm no Steel Chef myself, you know; even in my other form, I can't reach the counter.

[Can you imagine a cat trying to cook? Even the mascot form might burn himself trying to reach the stove knobs.

He should've known nightmares would be a problem after a Change of Heart, though..... it's just that he's never had any reason to care about that fact until now.]

Have you tried exercising before bed? Maybe wearing yourself out physically would help.

[makejapangreat]

[WELL... yes... and that's precisely what he's looking for now... he's going to take some of those pre-made mashed potatoes and some of the turkey and stuffing.]

... the contents of this fridge are...

[... they're. they're something, alright. But yes, he'll be going to microwave this now!]

I suppose it's worth a try.

[meowna]

Pretty wild, huh? I don't recognize some of the stuff in there, either.

[The important thing is that they have plenty of meat, though. Including lots of venison! He's a cat of simple pleasures: good food, good conversation, good sleep, and lots of badass crime leading to lots of sweet loot.]

[makejapangreat]

[A thought occurs to him, and then he looks at Morgana.]

... did you want some, by the way?

[meowna]

Sure! Never a bad time for a snack.

.....Well, almost never.

[Because occasionally, his teammates are crazy enough and desperate enough to do things like shotgun a soda or wolf down a whole carrot in the middle of battle. They're just lucky everyone is well-coordinated enough by now to mostly be able to cover for them.....]

[makejapangreat]

[He raises his eyebrow as he gets a little extra turkey from the fridge.]

"Almost" never?

[meowna]

Occasionally my friends try to eat or drink something in the middle of battle, or while we're walking around before we get to a safe place; it goes about as well as you'd expect, if we're caught or the rest of us don't manage to cover for them.

[makejapangreat]

[Shido just stares at Morgana for a long time....... before giving a hefty sigh and going to heat up the extra turkey in the microwave.]

Unbelievable.

[meowna]

They can make some pretty questionable choices sometimes.....

[Stop talking as though you're exempt from the group's stupidity, Morgana. You can be every bit as ridiculous as they are.]

They don't take risks like that for no reason, though. If you're too hungry, thirsty, or exhausted, there's no way you'll have enough energy to use your powers to defend yourself. Running out of steam in the middle of a fight is just bad news all around.

[makejapangreat]

It still sounds needlessly reckless. Why not just do it before the battle, or afterward?

[Ding! Food's done. He takes the small plate and sets it in front of Morgana on the counter.]

[meowna]

Because sometimes you're the one most effective against whatever's attacking you then and there, or people need healing immediately? I try to do it between battles, myself.

[Sniff sniff~ He'll take a bite before following up on that.]

If you're going to learn magic, it'll pay to learn about elemental affinities like that. Creatures can be weak or strong to different kinds of energies--sometimes they can even be healed by certain spells, or bounce them right back at you.

[makejapangreat]

... right. Of course.

[Because nothing can ever be simple. He decides to get himself a drink as well... cranberry juice, why not... and fills a second small bowl for Morgana with water, setting it wordlessly next to the other bowl.

For now, he's just going to take a seat and eat.]

[meowna]

Thanks.

[Nomnomnom~ It's a lot simpler than it could be right now, since Shido is a normal, squishy human still working on a single kind of elemental magic; Morgana won't bother with lecturing on anything more than the relevant stuff right now. Morgana, don't talk with your mouth full, that's rude.]

For the moment, just remember that your electricity should be especially effective against enemies with an affinity for wind--think mostly things with wings. Humans don't usually have elemental affinities on their own, so you shouldn't be especially vulnerable to or resistant to anything.