GAME OVER (S██'s Palace)

[pointzeropercent]

Comments

[pointzeropercent]

[He wanted a fight. He wanted to intimidate them, to force them to bend to his will. Only with complete control would Magenta have been satisfied.

He just wanted to survive. He wanted to be left alone, safe by himself, with nobody to harm him or bring him down anymore. Only with complete isolation would Teal have been satisfied.

But neither of them are getting what they want today. And, in one last attempt to refuse, the desks and chairs start flying at the party but will largely miss due to the frenzied nature of the attack (and also that 6 that I rolled).

In one last attempt to refute everyone's words, they both back away from Sayaka's hand and let out an anguished scream in unison, showing how close they are to realizing the truth about themselves.

Give them that last push. Save them from themselves.]

[beathollow]

...

Someone help me up.

[metagame]

I've got you.

[If someone helps him anyway. She does still weigh more than him.]

[beathollow]

( considering her eating habits that is actually very concerning. )

[metagame]

[somehow he escaped joshua's wild ride without anyone shoving food in his face after dragon group found out he weighs so little]

[beathollow]

( to be fair, the one most likely to do that was focused on her, and she (the second most likely to do that, hypocrite that she is) was mad at him. )

[metagame]

[heh heh heh]

[destage]

Please, let me.

[Sayaka will gladly help hoist Atem up!! Her sword swinging has at least ensured she's a little stronger than she would be normally, her arms aren't entirely noodles!

...

If we need to roll for it, granted, it'll take a couple of tries because her first try is a 6, but she'll be able to get it by the second-- (12)]

[beathollow]

( with their help, mafuyu gets to the fractured halves. she wants to smack them both.

she wants to cry and scream and tell them exactly how much they've hurt her, tonight.

instead, she just pulls them over, an arm around each of them. )

You're both so stupid. But I needed my own personified compassion to invite others into my heart for me, so I am, too.

It's over now. It didn't end the way you wanted it. But that just means you can find yourself a new path, in someplace kinder. But neither of you can do it alone.

[metagame]

[Atem follows shortly after her.]

I meant what I said... I was broken in half once, too. In some ways, I still am. If you remember how you fractured and anything else that happened here once we leave... I'll listen. I'll listen regardless, because I want to be your friend.

MAJORITY VOTE

[pointzeropercent]

[Scruffed and hugged, Teal and Magenta feel the fight leave them. The chains slip away, the desks slowly fall back to the ground, and Teal and Magenta welcome the embrace they had been avoiding.]

A kinder place...that doesn't sound too bad, right?

...mmm.

[A person isn't stagnant. Everything they experience throughout their lives shapes them in unpredictable ways. Nobody can deny the pain and suffering they went through in the death game, those scars will be carried with them for the rest of their lives. But at the same time, they cannot forget who they were before all of that suffering.

A shy yet kind person, one who doesn't forget his traumas, but is able to accept them as a part of him.

Teal and Magenta, while hugging Mafuyu, close their eyes as two halves of a person.

And then he opens his eyes again as one person, made whole by the efforts of a group who chose to care even when they didn't have to.]

[There's still one choice left to be made though. What will we call this person?]

Discussion

[pointzeropercent]

[beathollow]

I don't think the Sou he knew should be immortalized. At the same time, he did reject "Shin". ... Or, Magenta did. Teal seemed emotional earlier, being called that.

[finalmix]

[ might as well ask them directly, right? ]

What do you want to be called? I took on a new name, myself, seems like that might be a good idea for you both~

[ shrugs ]

[metagame]

I've said we should use his 'real' name... But I may have been careless. He should get to choose how he's called.

[moodwrecker]

[Oh good, she doesn't have to climb up after all. But- ugh, another decision?

She turns to the boy in front of them.]

Well? What do you want to be called?

There's Shin, or Sou, I guess. [She doesn't sound... super... enthused about that name for some mysterious reason.] Or- you could just go by something else entirely.

Nothing's stopping you anymore.

Vote

[pointzeropercent]

[prozaic]

No name, eh? Choose one for yourself-- you're not the only one here with a multitude of names.

[beathollow]

Shin Tsukimi.

Re: Vote

[moodwrecker]

Shin Tsukimi.

Results

[pointzeropercent]

[He had his doubts about taking up his old name. After everything that happened, did he even deserve to use it still? Would his parents still be happy to see him knowing how many people he got killed, even if indirectly?

But in the end, what matters the most is that he doesn't feel the need to carry Sou's name anymore. That name can belong to the real Sou Hiyori.

So now, Shin Tsukimi stands whole and ready to face the world. He's still got a lot of healing to do, but now that he's had his soul fixed and reclaimed his name he's on the right path. His heart feels lighter than it's felt in months. Maybe, someday, he'll be able to fully express his gratitude for being saved by everyone. But for now, there's one thing they still need to do.

Smiling, he looks back to the others.]

Ready to go back?

[And with that, they will all be able to leave the palace and return to the entertainment district they had come from.]

YOUR TURN TO DIE SHINE
GAME COMPLETE

[prozaic]

[Shalem manages to scruff both Teal and Magenta (17) like stray kittens.

Here. Yap more at them, they're going nowhere.]

[metagame]

[Despite knife cat energy in Shalem's future...]

Thank you for staying your hand.

[moodwrecker]

[It's okay she can still get hit with a soft "oof" (4).]

Come on... How long are you gonna stay up there?

[She tries to find a convenient handhold to climb up to them, but sadly she is blind (4).]

[destage]

[That scream is agonizing, and the chairs and the like even moreso. Sayaka almost flinches from it, but she tries her best to persist nonetheless.]

Sou-kun. Shin-kun. You've both been trying so hard to protect yourselves for so long, and I get it. I tried to do the same thing for a long time, even when I was here, because of everything I experienced in my own game and outside of it.

But there is so much out there still. People to meet, friends to make. People who are going to try and understand you, no matter what, and want to try for you. It's a lesson I've had to get drilled in my own head too, but...

You're not alone. You don't have to be, anymore. We want to help you both find a path that can make you both happy, if you'll let us.