THE SHADOW BOX
I'll Face Myself...
I'll Face Myself...
As you might have seen (or can see right there), Glitnir's Wonder has a unique device for people looking to test themselves or do a little self-exploration called the Shadow Box. This thread is essentially a sign-up thread with information on just what you're getting into. If you'd like to experiment with your character's hidden darkness, read ahead!
(This thread is mostly complete, but also a bit under construction; expect updates periodically as questions and tweaks roll in.)
1. What is the Shadow Box?
The Shadow Box is a boxy device on Glitnir's Wonder. When someone opens the box, they get scanned, and the Shadow Box produces something called a Shadow.
2. What is a Shadow?
On the surface, a Shadow is a doppelganger of your character. They may be wearing different clothing from your character, typically something that draws attention to a character's issue or uncertainty, and they have golden eyes (red eyes if your character's eyes are already yellow/gold). For example, Glitnir's Shadow was wearing his Page attire to emphasize his uncertainty and failure to truly develop as a Knight, even after all his research. Beyond the surface, Shadows are intended to be manifestations of everything that your character is hiding, particularly if it is negative. If it's a concept that your character doesn't want out in the open or is wrestling with emotionally, their Shadow will bring it up.
3. What happens during a Shadow confrontation?
After the Shadow manifests, it will confront your character on their flaws, negative aspects, and desires. It's up to you how your character reacts; it's entirely possible that your character could accept themselves right away and skip the fight sequence entirely (though I imagine that would be very difficult on the first try). If your character denies that the Shadow is a part of themselves, the confrontation goes on to a second phase: the doppelganger shifts into a monstrous form, and the fight begins in earnest. The fight can end one of two ways: your character can defeat their Shadow and have them revert back into their normal form, or Glitnir (or Cornelius, his ancestor) can perform an emergency shutdown if it looks like your character is really getting beat up.
There are two things you should be aware of: if your character still denies their Shadow after winning the fight, the Shadow will power up again and the fight will restart, looping endlessly until the character accepts their Shadow (or until Glitnir shuts the thing down and tells them to go have a good long think about themselves). Also, the Shadow becomes more powerful and more dangerous the more the characters denies it, so do keep that in mind while running your "boss fight."
4. Logistically, how will this work?
First, you will sign up in this thread by filling out the form below, and then I will drop you into a slot. Glitnir can go to his Wonder twice a week, so there will be two slots per week; if a week's slots are full, you'll get plopped into the next week's slots.
When the time for your Shadow confrontation comes, your character and Glitnir can meet and talk about the Shadow Box (we can either handwave prior meetings or set up prior RPs if you don't want your character to go up to Glitnir's Wonder immediately after learning about the Shadow Box). Glitnir will take your character up to his Wonder and set up the Shadow Box (probably with his ancestor's help), and the confrontation will begin. Here's where things get a little fuzzy and will probably be tweaked after playtesting. Glitnir will not really be interfering with Shadow fights aside from emergency shutdowns, so you might very well be writing your Shadow confrontation as something like a solo in the thread. If you want to break it up for a comment or reaction from Glitnir, that's fine, but I think that this part will mostly be in the player's domain.
After the fight, anything can happen, really- your character can talk to Glitnir for a bit, demand to be taken home, so on and so forth.
5. I want to sign up!
Righto! Here's the form. Fill this out and post it, and I'll plop you into a slot! In case you're wondering why so much information is needed, it's just a check to make sure you've done your homework and know what you're doing. I can help you with stuff, of course, but you know your character the best!
[b]I'll Face Myself![/b]
[b]Player:[/b] [Who are you?]
[b]Character:[/b] [Who's facing their Shadow?]
[b]Character's Issues:[/b] [What is your character hiding or struggling with that their Shadow will confront them on?]
[b]Battle Flow:[/b] [How will the Shadow faceoff go? Will it end in an emergency stop or a victory?]
[b]Shadow Design:[/b] [Optional- I can help you with this if you'd like. What will your character's Shadow look like- both in human form and in monster form?]
[b]Player:[/b] [Who are you?]
[b]Character:[/b] [Who's facing their Shadow?]
[b]Character's Issues:[/b] [What is your character hiding or struggling with that their Shadow will confront them on?]
[b]Battle Flow:[/b] [How will the Shadow faceoff go? Will it end in an emergency stop or a victory?]
[b]Shadow Design:[/b] [Optional- I can help you with this if you'd like. What will your character's Shadow look like- both in human form and in monster form?]
