livingdeadgirl: (Default)
Ami Aihara (Aradia Megido) ([personal profile] livingdeadgirl) wrote in [community profile] redshiftrp2019-12-18 12:57 pm

video; @aa [backdated to late November]

[ At first, the video doesn't actually show Ami's face. It's pointed down at a desk where her hands are resting, with a handmade wire bracelet on one wrist and her fingernails painted black. A Sharpie and a stack of index cards rests nearby. ]

Hey, guys. It's Ami. Hope you're all feeling better out there. That was a heck of a flu season, huh? Haha.

[ She takes a deep breath, bracing herself, but her voice sounds a little nervous nonetheless. ]

Aaaanyway. There's something I need to tell you all. [ Waves her hands - ] It's not bad, promise! It's just that ... some people have found it pretty alarming, and it's not really something I can keep to myself anymore. But since it's really weird and complicated, I figured I should give you some context.

[ She flips over the top index card in the stack, positioning it where the camera can see. ]

A stick-figure drawing of Ami flying through space in a UFO.

So the short version is, I am reincarnated from the soul of a dead alien.

[ quickly - ] Now before you say anything, yeah, I know that sounds like the most cringey, otherkin BS you have ever heard, but this is not me being crazy or delusional, I can prove it's for real. And I'm going to, at the end of the video. So hear me out.

[ She flips over the ensuing cards one at a time, providing commentary as she goes. It's like a Draw My Life, a little bit, if anybody remembers those. ]

A drawing of a sparkling fairy girl with horns.

My past self's name was Aradia. As previously stated, she was an alien. Specifically, they are called "trolls". [ apologetically- ] Which is a loaded term for some of you, I know, but ... they're not that. They're not infected or contagious or poisonous or anything, they just coincidentally happened to pick a really unfortunate name for themselves.

Also, they do not live under bridges. But they do hassle people over the Internet, that stereotype is a hundred percent true. Anyway!

Ami's face, cartoonishly confused. Her thought bubble contains Aradia, a ghost, a frog head, the astrological symbol for Aries, a stack of oddly shaped cards, a planet, a bee, and a whole lot of question marks.

Being what I am comes with a few wacky side effects. Like... I sometimes get these super vivid visions of my past. So if I randomly zone out in the middle of a conversation, it's probably that. Also, her life was really weird and I don't understand much of it yet. There's this whole "computer game that alters reality" thing, she was some kind of robot for a while... I dunno. It's even stranger to me, I promise.

Ami with superpower-like squiggles around her hands! Above her, a ghost, a car surrounded by some kind of energy, and a gear.

It also means I'm eventually gonna get her superpowers! I can already see ghosts like she could. She also had telekinesis and time powers, but alas, I have not unlocked those skill trees yet. I'm looking forward to it, though! Then I'll finally be able to keep up with the cool kids.

Oh - shout-out to my dude Spider-Man, by the way! Seriously, if you guys see Peter today, give him a hug or something, all right? He's been working his butt off lately, and also always, so let's show him some appreciation. [ two thumbs up! ]

Anyway, where was I. Powers... okay. For right now, the most relevant part iiiis ...

Ami in three stages, with helpful arrows in between: 1) normal, 2) normal but with horns and some changes to her face, and 3) Aradia.

I am gradually taking on Aradia's physical traits, too. Eventually, my body will become exactly like hers, squeedlyspooch and all. Which, uh... is gonna be interesting, not gonna lie! Haha... [ That's an understatement, it's actually kind of terrifying! ] ... But, it's also not as bad as it sounds. It doesn't hurt, and it's not contagious. A-and I'm still gonna be Ami on the other end! Just a slightly different Ami, who happens to also be Aradia.

[ After letting that all settle for a moment, she flips over the last card. ]

Handwritten text: 'face reveal!'

Now I know, it's a little unorthodox to do a face reveal for people who have seen your face already, so... I dunno, maybe I should have called it a Re-Reveal, I guess. [ laughs- ] It's fine, we'll fix it in post. Okay, gimme oooone second here...

[ Her hands reach up and pick up the camera, and the image jostles for a few seconds before coming to rest on her face. ]

A drawing of Ami, except in character it's a video. She looks pretty much the same as usual, except the whites of her eyes are yellow.

Okay. Hi, guys! This is me. No makeup, no filter, just... me.

[ It's ... really not that different from how she looked before? The whites of her eyes have turned yellow, but otherwise she still looks like a regular human teenager. And she already wore black lipstick most of the time, so that's not a phenomenal change. ]

[ A few seconds of awkward silence follow, buuut after a moment Ami straightens up her index cards and taps the stack on the table. ]

... Sooo, yeah! If you have any questions or anything, let me know in the comments. Or at dinner, if you want. Oh - and as always, be sure to like and subscribe! Haha, just kidding.
benhargreeves: (? are you kidding)

@lazarus | text --> private

[personal profile] benhargreeves 2019-12-19 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Proud of you, Ami.
I know posting this must have taken a lot of guts.

(Also if anybody at all gives you even the tiniest bit of grief about all this, just let me know.)
Edited 2019-12-19 22:46 (UTC)
benhargreeves: (! stay strong)

[personal profile] benhargreeves 2020-01-02 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Punch them? Who said anything about punching?
Ami: this is something you don't know about me, but you ought to be aware.

I am a national-level, gold-medal, champion guilt tripper.

I'm serious.
I will use my disappointed voice.
I will give them a lecture that will make them feel one inch tall.
I will shame them in ways they never even realized they could be shamed.
Edited 2020-01-02 21:11 (UTC)
benhargreeves: (>:| don't do a hit)

[personal profile] benhargreeves 2020-01-12 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
No need to apologize, I can guess how many times.
I have four brothers and you just described every single one of them.

I prefer the psychological approach. Way more devastating in the long run.

(I mean don't get me wrong I've lost my temper and thrown a punch once or twice, but it's never my first resort!
I punched Klaus once while I was still a ghost which shouldn't have even been possible.
But you just have to trust me that he really was standing on my very last nerve.)
benhargreeves: (! okay then)

[personal profile] benhargreeves 2020-01-19 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
Deserved it might be going a bit far.
I could have dealt with it better probably but we were both kind of going through a lot at the time.

We should tell each other more ghost stories. I haven't got any other former ghost friends. It weirds a lot of people out when I talk about it so... it would be cool, I think.
benhargreeves: (! silent stare)

[personal profile] benhargreeves 2020-02-08 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
Is your sister an addict, because that was sort of the provoking factor in this case....

[ Ben is somewhat curious what Ami's sister might have done to cause her impatience; Ami doesn't talk about her all that much. Or, like, barely at all. But Ben isn't sure how much that is her waiting to be asked and how much he should not poke at what might be painful scars. ]

It sucked but it was also half of my life.
Or not-life. Existence? Whatever word you want to use.
I was dead for 14 years, that's a long time not to talk about.

You're right, fun might not be the right word.
But even if your ghost stories aren't light fun fare, and you did stuff you aren't proud of.
Well, just remember you can talk to me about it, okay?
And I'll get it.