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hikikomortisUser Name/Nick: Ki
User DW: N/A
E-mail/Plurk/Discord/PM to a character journal/alternate method of contact: Plurk: karmacitadel
Other Characters Currently In-Game: N/A
Character Name: Idia Shroud
Series: Twisted Wonderland
Age: 18
From When?: Late in Book 6 of canon, when trying to open the Underworld Gate to release the Phantoms trapped there. The previous Overblot victims, plus other students, defeat Overblotted Idia and Phantom Ortho (his little brother). In an AU from canon, Idia pushes himself too far and the Overblot drains his magic, killing him as his body falls into the Underworld.
Inmate Justification: Idia has severe PTSD and survivor’s guilt over the death of his younger brother. At the time of his death he was trying to open the Underworld to flood the whole world with Phantoms, which would kill all life. This was in hopes that in a dead world, he could be reunited with Ortho, as the dead can’t return to the living world.
Arrival: Idia agreed to come willingly, however he's not happy about it. He only sees it as an opportunity to try another way to restore his brother's life.
Abilities/Powers:
Any of his magic can be nerfed or removed, including his ability to imbue magic into tech. Elemental spells can be reduced back to level 1 with no bonus buffs/debuffs available. As for his tech skills, they're really only limited by lack of materials and opportunity.
Inmate Information:
Idia's most serious crime basically amounts to an attempted global genocide. He was going to open the Underworld Gate to unleash all the Phantoms locked in the deepest part of Tartarus, and those Phantoms feed on both magic and negative energy. While mages would be a primary target for the Phantoms due to their magic, even mundane humans have negative emotions/energy that can fuel them. Once a victim is completely drained, they die and also become a Phantom, perpetuating the cycle. Idia's sole purpose in this was to allow the soul of his dead brother, who had become a Phantom, to exist in the outside world. His willingness to sacrifice an entire world of innocent people for his brother is heartbreaking but still horrific.
In the process of executing his duties as acting director of STYX (the secret group researching blot and Phantoms), he had the previous overblotters forcefully kidnapped (doing physical harm to several of them when they resisted) and put through testing that was both physically and mentally taxing. Though the "subjects" managed to bully him in return, Idia still caused most of them distress during the 24 hour testing period. After testing was complete, the subjects were meant to have their memories of the experience wiped and be returned to their school none the worse for wear, but just before then things went awry: the Phantom Ortho managed to take over the robotic Ortho, and when Idia realized his brother's corrupted soul was present his plans changed. As the Phantom's negative influence overwhelmed him, Idia's plans went from simple testing to the drive to destroy as he allowed himself to Overblot.
All of this-- the existence of Phantom Ortho, Idia's withdrawal from society, his survivor's guilt and PTSD-- comes from a single incident when he was seven years old. The Shroud curse means Idia has to take over his family's research, as the curse needs constant blot to feed upon lest it burn away magic to the point of death. His path in life has been set since before he was born, so when his 5 year old brother suggested they go on an adventure before they were too old to leave, Idia jumped at the chance. He used his hacking skills to breach STYX security so they could leave, but that allowed someone else the chance to unseal Tartarus and release Phantoms from captivity. One of those Phantoms attacked the brothers, and when Idia woke up Ortho was gone. Blaming himself, Idia spent the next two years in complete isolation, building a robot version of Ortho to emulate his lost brother. Though he was scolded by everyone for such a taboo act, Idia already knew it was wrong but had no other way to cope with his guilt.
Overall, Idia is introverted to the extreme, gloomy, uncertain, pessimistic, and cynical. He speaks in a flat monotone most of the time, except when speaking about gaming or another of his hyperfixations. Then he adopts a sudden, almost manic personality, talking rapidly while grinning and making some pretty unsettling expressions. He can switch back to his gloomy self just as abruptly if he or someone else says something that crashes his mood. Part of this extreme depressive personality is due to the Shroud curse: as blot is not only magical waste but also negative emotions/energy and the curse is designed to burn blot, the mind of one cursed tends toward extreme negativity. His father and paternal grandmother both had the curse and a very similar personality, though Idia's depression is greatly exacerbated by his trauma.
Idia tends to use a lot of slang, especially internet and gamer speak. He is often blunt to the point of rudeness, as he lacks social skills after so many years of isolation. He can also come across as lazy or unmotivated unless something interests him, in which case he will not allow anyone else to complete the task. When he is motivated, he is an extreme perfectionist and not above bragging about his skills. Insulting something he enjoys can bring on an instant fiery anger (accompanied by his calmly burning blue fire-hair going wild and orange-red!) and he will swiftly crush the offending party in the most effective way possible. After that, he will inform the offender(s) just how they failed and why, in detail. Whether they admire or scorn him for it doesn't matter to Idia, only that they try harder not to disgrace themselves with a poor attempt.
Due to his family's curse and the hereditary bond of their duties, combined with the death of his brother, Idia's worldview is fairly well-defined: he HATES the world. He tightly controls anything he can as compensation for so much of the world lying out of his control. There are certain things he enjoys, like his games, inventing, and one particular idol group, but these are surface pleasures, escapism. They're not enough to mitigate his loathing for the existence that tied him down enough for him to wish for escape, a wish that led directly to him losing the only person he ever loved. Any participation in goings on around him is either grudging or a mask to conceal his disgusted ennui for the world, particularly after his defeat at STYX.
Path to Redemption: This version of Idia never got to reconcile his grief over his brother's death and his perceived role in it. Upon arrival he will be extremely bitter that his own death was "meaningless," accomplishing nothing toward his goals of either restoring Ortho or making the world a place where the Phantom version of Ortho could exist outside the Underworld. His sole intention, one way or another, was to be reunited with his brother, and on the Barge they are still kept apart.
First and foremost, Idia will need to accept that he cannot bring back the dead. He knows this to be true, but getting him to admit it (especially now) will be a hurdle. Secondarily, he will need to accept that his attempted destruction of the world was misguided and that being thwarted was a good thing for the sake of so many innocent lives. Overarching all of this, however, is his inherent suicidal ideation. Even in canon, he was ready to die so he could be with Ortho when the plan failed. Idia is genetically inclined to depression and introversion due to the effects of the Shroud curse, which makes all of the necessary steps toward his redemption that much more difficult.
Especially in the early stages, he will react to all Wardens with distrust, disdain, and outright distance, as he will perceive them as no different from the group in canon that fought him and Ortho (in fact, Jamil and Azul are two of that group). A Warden that is either extremely harsh or extremely kind might put his back against the wall even more, as his anxiety will lead to him locking up in fear under a rough hand, while kindness will bring suspicion and even a denial that he deserves compassion. Subtlety will likely achieve more success with Idia's naturally suspicious temperament. Obvious traditional therapy techniques such as profiling could work but again, they must be subtle or Idia will shut down. The best way to connect with Idia is shared interests, such as gaming, technical skills (programming, engineering), or even nerdy hobbies. He tends to hyperfixate on some things, and carefully feeding into that fixation can provide a doorstop to deeper access of his feelings.
History: https://twisted-wonderland.fandom.com/wiki/Idia_Shroud
(And an analysis of the events/motivations of the Ignihyde/Shroud brothers chapter of the game: https://raven-at-the-writing-desk.tumblr.com/post/684920741112741888/massive-spoilers-for-chapter-6-of-the-main)
Sample Network Entry: https://tlvgreatesthitsdw.dreamwidth.org/115994.html?thread=35631386#cmt35631386
Sample RP: https://tlvgreatesthitsdw.dreamwidth.org/115994.html?thread=35664154#cmt35664154
Special Notes: Idia’s hair is literal fire, though it acts like there is something hair-like incorporated into the mix as it can be styled and held. I play him as if he has colorless hair similar to a combination of… asbestos and silk, I guess? The fire also changes colors with his mental state and either dims or flares up with the intensity of those emotions. This is part of his hereditary curse, not necessarily part of his magic. Depowering him could douse his flames or not affect them.
(And somehow in all this I completely forgot that when he’s not bitter and angry, Idia suffers from extreme social anxiety. When not driven by strong emotions, he tends to communicate through artificial means like text to speech or avoid talking altogether.)
User DW: N/A
E-mail/Plurk/Discord/PM to a character journal/alternate method of contact: Plurk: karmacitadel
Other Characters Currently In-Game: N/A
Character Name: Idia Shroud
Series: Twisted Wonderland
Age: 18
From When?: Late in Book 6 of canon, when trying to open the Underworld Gate to release the Phantoms trapped there. The previous Overblot victims, plus other students, defeat Overblotted Idia and Phantom Ortho (his little brother). In an AU from canon, Idia pushes himself too far and the Overblot drains his magic, killing him as his body falls into the Underworld.
Inmate Justification: Idia has severe PTSD and survivor’s guilt over the death of his younger brother. At the time of his death he was trying to open the Underworld to flood the whole world with Phantoms, which would kill all life. This was in hopes that in a dead world, he could be reunited with Ortho, as the dead can’t return to the living world.
Arrival: Idia agreed to come willingly, however he's not happy about it. He only sees it as an opportunity to try another way to restore his brother's life.
Abilities/Powers:
- Basic TWST elemental magic - Fire, Aqua (water/ice), Flora (plant), and Cosmic/Void (sort of an element neutral type?). Elements in TWST are used on a rock-paper-scissors type of cycle (Fire beats Flora, Flora beats Water, Water beats Fire, with Cosmic purely neutral against the others and itself). Going by the number of each elemental spell on his entire pool of cards, Idia's elemental strengths are (from strongest to weakest) Aqua, Fire and Flora (tied), and Cosmic. His spells are all purely offensive, none of his cards offer any healing attributes, unlike some of Jamil or Azul's spells. Some have buffs to his offensive capabilities, reduce damage from enemies, reduce enemy attack power, or grant extra "hits" from the spell's attack (3 hits instead of 1 or 2). Rarely he will use spells that boost allies' elemental spells or remove debuffs from his allies.
- Genius-level skill in technomancy (combining magic and tech), combined with....
- General engineering/programming. With these skills and in defiance of death, Idia built the first successful technomantic humanoid to replicate his dead brother. While he considered this initial version of Ortho to be a poor imitation of life, what he accomplished as a child far outstripped anything seen in the magical engineering world. Ortho's code is a true AI, learning and improving independently until he developed something very close to a human personality. Idia also wrote what other techies considered to be an excellent piece of hacking tech that was used to bring down a major website... when he was 5. He considers it garbage, and has easily backed up that claim with increasingly advanced coding. He is a master hacker at the pinnacle of the digital underworld. While his more traditional magic skills have so far appeared to be on the high end of average with some peaks in specific areas, his technomantic skills are second to none. With the right tools and tech, Idia is able to imbue magic into machinery in ways that shock even his peers and professors at Night Raven College.
- He also possesses the following "mundane" magical skills that are part of standard NRC curriculum: flight (utilizing a broom, though he's one of the worst students in flight class), animal linguistics (talking to animals, prefers cats), alchemy (average to high average ability), summoning (best general curriculum skill, but not his best overall). Non-magical mundane skills are: Magic History knowledge (eidetic memory has allowed him to memorize lessons, though he finds them to be boring and tedious most of the time), mastery of most board games and video games, high level of strategic thinking, and extensive pop/otaku culture knowledge. His ability to survive on little to no sleep and a diet of mainly junk or convenience food might also be considered a mundane (if horrifyingly remarkable) skill.
Any of his magic can be nerfed or removed, including his ability to imbue magic into tech. Elemental spells can be reduced back to level 1 with no bonus buffs/debuffs available. As for his tech skills, they're really only limited by lack of materials and opportunity.
Inmate Information:
Idia's most serious crime basically amounts to an attempted global genocide. He was going to open the Underworld Gate to unleash all the Phantoms locked in the deepest part of Tartarus, and those Phantoms feed on both magic and negative energy. While mages would be a primary target for the Phantoms due to their magic, even mundane humans have negative emotions/energy that can fuel them. Once a victim is completely drained, they die and also become a Phantom, perpetuating the cycle. Idia's sole purpose in this was to allow the soul of his dead brother, who had become a Phantom, to exist in the outside world. His willingness to sacrifice an entire world of innocent people for his brother is heartbreaking but still horrific.
In the process of executing his duties as acting director of STYX (the secret group researching blot and Phantoms), he had the previous overblotters forcefully kidnapped (doing physical harm to several of them when they resisted) and put through testing that was both physically and mentally taxing. Though the "subjects" managed to bully him in return, Idia still caused most of them distress during the 24 hour testing period. After testing was complete, the subjects were meant to have their memories of the experience wiped and be returned to their school none the worse for wear, but just before then things went awry: the Phantom Ortho managed to take over the robotic Ortho, and when Idia realized his brother's corrupted soul was present his plans changed. As the Phantom's negative influence overwhelmed him, Idia's plans went from simple testing to the drive to destroy as he allowed himself to Overblot.
All of this-- the existence of Phantom Ortho, Idia's withdrawal from society, his survivor's guilt and PTSD-- comes from a single incident when he was seven years old. The Shroud curse means Idia has to take over his family's research, as the curse needs constant blot to feed upon lest it burn away magic to the point of death. His path in life has been set since before he was born, so when his 5 year old brother suggested they go on an adventure before they were too old to leave, Idia jumped at the chance. He used his hacking skills to breach STYX security so they could leave, but that allowed someone else the chance to unseal Tartarus and release Phantoms from captivity. One of those Phantoms attacked the brothers, and when Idia woke up Ortho was gone. Blaming himself, Idia spent the next two years in complete isolation, building a robot version of Ortho to emulate his lost brother. Though he was scolded by everyone for such a taboo act, Idia already knew it was wrong but had no other way to cope with his guilt.
Overall, Idia is introverted to the extreme, gloomy, uncertain, pessimistic, and cynical. He speaks in a flat monotone most of the time, except when speaking about gaming or another of his hyperfixations. Then he adopts a sudden, almost manic personality, talking rapidly while grinning and making some pretty unsettling expressions. He can switch back to his gloomy self just as abruptly if he or someone else says something that crashes his mood. Part of this extreme depressive personality is due to the Shroud curse: as blot is not only magical waste but also negative emotions/energy and the curse is designed to burn blot, the mind of one cursed tends toward extreme negativity. His father and paternal grandmother both had the curse and a very similar personality, though Idia's depression is greatly exacerbated by his trauma.
Idia tends to use a lot of slang, especially internet and gamer speak. He is often blunt to the point of rudeness, as he lacks social skills after so many years of isolation. He can also come across as lazy or unmotivated unless something interests him, in which case he will not allow anyone else to complete the task. When he is motivated, he is an extreme perfectionist and not above bragging about his skills. Insulting something he enjoys can bring on an instant fiery anger (accompanied by his calmly burning blue fire-hair going wild and orange-red!) and he will swiftly crush the offending party in the most effective way possible. After that, he will inform the offender(s) just how they failed and why, in detail. Whether they admire or scorn him for it doesn't matter to Idia, only that they try harder not to disgrace themselves with a poor attempt.
Due to his family's curse and the hereditary bond of their duties, combined with the death of his brother, Idia's worldview is fairly well-defined: he HATES the world. He tightly controls anything he can as compensation for so much of the world lying out of his control. There are certain things he enjoys, like his games, inventing, and one particular idol group, but these are surface pleasures, escapism. They're not enough to mitigate his loathing for the existence that tied him down enough for him to wish for escape, a wish that led directly to him losing the only person he ever loved. Any participation in goings on around him is either grudging or a mask to conceal his disgusted ennui for the world, particularly after his defeat at STYX.
Path to Redemption: This version of Idia never got to reconcile his grief over his brother's death and his perceived role in it. Upon arrival he will be extremely bitter that his own death was "meaningless," accomplishing nothing toward his goals of either restoring Ortho or making the world a place where the Phantom version of Ortho could exist outside the Underworld. His sole intention, one way or another, was to be reunited with his brother, and on the Barge they are still kept apart.
First and foremost, Idia will need to accept that he cannot bring back the dead. He knows this to be true, but getting him to admit it (especially now) will be a hurdle. Secondarily, he will need to accept that his attempted destruction of the world was misguided and that being thwarted was a good thing for the sake of so many innocent lives. Overarching all of this, however, is his inherent suicidal ideation. Even in canon, he was ready to die so he could be with Ortho when the plan failed. Idia is genetically inclined to depression and introversion due to the effects of the Shroud curse, which makes all of the necessary steps toward his redemption that much more difficult.
Especially in the early stages, he will react to all Wardens with distrust, disdain, and outright distance, as he will perceive them as no different from the group in canon that fought him and Ortho (in fact, Jamil and Azul are two of that group). A Warden that is either extremely harsh or extremely kind might put his back against the wall even more, as his anxiety will lead to him locking up in fear under a rough hand, while kindness will bring suspicion and even a denial that he deserves compassion. Subtlety will likely achieve more success with Idia's naturally suspicious temperament. Obvious traditional therapy techniques such as profiling could work but again, they must be subtle or Idia will shut down. The best way to connect with Idia is shared interests, such as gaming, technical skills (programming, engineering), or even nerdy hobbies. He tends to hyperfixate on some things, and carefully feeding into that fixation can provide a doorstop to deeper access of his feelings.
History: https://twisted-wonderland.fandom.com/wiki/Idia_Shroud
(And an analysis of the events/motivations of the Ignihyde/Shroud brothers chapter of the game: https://raven-at-the-writing-desk.tumblr.com/post/684920741112741888/massive-spoilers-for-chapter-6-of-the-main)
Sample Network Entry: https://tlvgreatesthitsdw.dreamwidth.org/115994.html?thread=35631386#cmt35631386
Sample RP: https://tlvgreatesthitsdw.dreamwidth.org/115994.html?thread=35664154#cmt35664154
Special Notes: Idia’s hair is literal fire, though it acts like there is something hair-like incorporated into the mix as it can be styled and held. I play him as if he has colorless hair similar to a combination of… asbestos and silk, I guess? The fire also changes colors with his mental state and either dims or flares up with the intensity of those emotions. This is part of his hereditary curse, not necessarily part of his magic. Depowering him could douse his flames or not affect them.
(And somehow in all this I completely forgot that when he’s not bitter and angry, Idia suffers from extreme social anxiety. When not driven by strong emotions, he tends to communicate through artificial means like text to speech or avoid talking altogether.)
