(no subject)

[makopoison]

.

the death meme


(TRIGGER WARNING. This meme deals heavy with death and also possibly with strong violence or with suicide/depression. If you are not comfortable reading about that, please PLEASE do not proceed further.)

This is it. The final curtain. You're at the end of your life, and there's someone here you really, really need to say something to before you die.


CAUSE OF DEATH

1 - Accidental. Nobody meant for this to happen, but it doesn't matter now. Due to negligence, arrogance or just plain bad luck, you've become gravely ill or injured and are now in your last moments. This covers all kinds of accidental deaths--strangulation, drowning, car accidents, unintentional beheadings, whatever you can think of.

2 - Murder. Somebody really didn't like you. Enough to kill you, it seems. You're now dead by someone else's hand. (Maybe even the person replying to you?) As with accidental death, this covers all types of intentional, malicious murder, regardless of method--so poisoning, stabbing, shooting, etc., all work here. Same with all the below options: any possible variation you can think of on it will work!

3 - Suicide. There is no hope for you, and no way out. You've reached the absolute bottom pits of despair, and the only recourse you have is to take your own life. Someone shows up to stop you... but they're too late to help you now.

4 - Terminal illness. You have cancer, or tuberculosis, or cholera back when people got cholera. The doctors have done everything they could and it wasn't enough. The only thing to do now is give your loved ones the bad news.

5 - Starvation. So thirsty. So hungry. Maybe you've been traveling in the desert for hours, or maybe you're just really poor. Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter, because you're slowly wasting away until you're nothing but skin and bones.

6 - Death in battle. You've died a hero's death, and gone out in a blaze of glory. Or maybe you were a coward who got shot for deserting? Either way, you're now a casualty of war. Will you be honored with a parade or scorned as a traitor to your country?

7 - Natural causes. You've lived a long, happy life, and now your story is at an end. In a warm bed, surrounded by your family and friends, you peacefully drift off. Just make sure that you've made a will somewhere, or at least use your deathbed to set the record straight. Otherwise, who knows what kind of squabbles might errupt after you leave this world?

TIME LEFT

1 - A few minutes. You're fading fast and you don't have much, well, any time left. Better tell the person with you that you love -- or despise -- them with your last breath, because you'll never have the chance otherwise.

2 - A few hours. You haven't got much time left. Is there someone you still need to kill? To kiss? Better do it quick. (Note: last kisses not recommended for people dying of highly contagious illnesses.)

3 - A few days. The doctors have given you the news, and it's not very good. You've only got a couple days left to live. You should start trying to make peace with people and saying your final goodbyes with the days you have left.

4 - A few weeks. Take that vacation you've always wanted to go on but never had the chance to. Go do that thing you've never thought you'd be any good at. You've got only weeks left to live. Don't waste them.

5 - A few months. While you aren't quite on death's doorstep yet, your lifespan has still dwindled considerably from what you probably thought it would be. How are you going to spend your last few months on Earth? Making the world a better place and telling your family you love them? Or raising as much hell as possible?

RELATIONSHIP

1 - Lovers. This is your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mistress, whatever you call them they were the person you wanted to spend your life with. Too bad you don't have much of a life to spend with them anymore.

2 - Siblings. Your beloved little or older sibling is just standing there, watching you slowly waste away before their eyes. Can you say anything to comfort them? Note that it doesn't necessarily have to be interpreted literally; adopted siblings and friends so close they might as well be siblings work too.

3 - Parent and child. Nothing is worse than a parent having to bury their child... except, maybe, a young child now alone in the world after losing their parent. As with the sibling prompt, this can be expanded to include parental figures and people who are LIKE a father/mother to you as well as actual biological parents.

4 - Co-workers, teammates or classmates. You were fighting for the same side. Or you worked together in the same office for years. Or they sat behind you in biology all semester. However you met, how do your react when you find out someone who used to be a fixture in your life is going to die?

5 - Friends. You're the best of friends! You go everywhere together, know all each other's secrets, and are never seen apart. At least, you didn't use to be. Now one of you is dying and the other one is left alone in the world. Or maybe you're dying together. Wait, is that better or worse?

6 - Bitter enemies. You hate, hate, HATE this person. In fact, maybe you killed them. Or they killed you. Or maybe nobody killed anybody and they're just bitter that Mother Nature got to you before they did. Regardless, they want to confront you one last time before you bite it, if only to rub your nose in your imminent demise and their ability to outlive you.


✗✗✗

HOW IT WORKS:
1. This is where I am changing it up. Feel free to choose how you are going to die, just be sure to list the closest matching categories in your subject bar, along with your character and their series.

If you are having trouble coming up with a prompt or situation, feel free to use the random number generator. Or if you rather just take a risk feel free

2. Responding characters then roll for the relationship between the two of you. Optionally responding characters can also share your cause of death/time left to live or roll for their own, but that's not required. A living character caring for (or horribly mutilating) a dying one is fine, too.

However, considering this is in our RP feel free to have your characters keep their CR, just make sure to inform the person which ever way you're going with it before responding!

3. Tell the person what you need to tell them before you bite it.

4. Have fun!

✗✗✗

ETC

Other relationships -- such as murderer/victim, doctor/patient, etc. -- can be added in along with the randomized relationships at your whim if you feel the need, or even used to replace the relationships under that heading. Just, check with the other player first if you're going to do something extreme to their character! Or, in the case of canonmates, if you want to ignore the table and just go with your characters' canon relationship, you certainly can do that as well.

Also, if you would prefer to ignore the table entirely and just play out your own death scenario, feel free! This is a meme, so rules are pretty lax. If you like, you can also replace "death" with some other irreversible, negative scenario, such as being trapped in another dimension. The main point is that the characters conversing will never get the chance to talk to one another again, so you better make the last things you say to them count.

Immortal characters can be AU'd into non-immortals or otherwise made to fit the settings however their muns would desire. Also, if you get a death prompt and a time limit that don't make sense together you can either interpret the prompt as liberally as necessary to make it make sense OR you can simply roll the time left again until you get a time limit that makes more sense! :3

- reposted from here.

Comments

[makopoison]

[ cloud can't fully comprehend what is happening. where he is. why he's here, why there's water falling from the sky and there's a sea of red mud surrounding them. part of him knows that this is a battlefield and that they are survivors, but the rest can't pull the pieces together. the world is noise, terrifying and vast.

and zack is the only constant. familiar and soothing even like this. the blonde reaches out with a clumsy hand to touch his hand, brows knitting together when his fingers touch blood. ]

Nn...

[ he starts to tug his hand away, the feeling of hot blood against his frigid skin is almost too much.

but he stops.

together again. zack fair had said that faithful day, holding an arm up for a fistbump. those words had never had been spoken with a smile before, with no hint of disdain at his continued presence. there had been no surrepiticious glance to the side, hoping someone else would take the assignment. no ease back, he hadn't wiped his hand like cloud was something infectious and unpleasant to touch.

if he pulls his hand away from the sticky red mess, he thinks he'd be doing zack a disservice. instead he curls his fingers around his. the words zack's speaking only make a little sense, meaning only understood by the warmth in his gentle voice, but he has enough in him to parrot them back. ]

Still... with....

[unattainables]

Attaboy...

[ zack tries to smile wider. even the smallest of responses from cloud that are even remotely coherent are a big deal to zack, so this should be something to celebrate, right? yeah—celebrate. because they're alive, and... everything's going to be okay. zack's head turns a little to the side to keep the rain out of his eyes, his grin partly a wince. in another universe, this would be it for him. but he can keep going, just a little longer. just—in a minute. catch his breath. gather his strength.

he's a little numb, but he can feel cloud squeezing his hand and he squeezes back, his grip weak. gonna need to work on that if he wants to pick up his sword and walk away from here. he can do it, really. just need a minute. just a minute. ]

We're gonna—go home. I'm just taking a little rest. Don't worry about a thing, okay? I'll get us there. Just need...

[ just need a minute. he tries to make it kinda—subtle, the way he coughs, spits up blood. that's harder to do than you'd think. ]

[makopoison]

We're going to... Go home...

[ why isn't he getting up? zack has been taking rests more and more frequently, their journey has slowed considerably in the last few months. he's looked more tired, more haggard.

he feels so fragile.

the blonde's eyes track the trickle of red down his chin. the blonde's blank eyes start to register something like worry. ]

Don't worry... Just need...

[unattainables]

Just a minute...

[ zack allows himself the benefit of closing his eyes. just for a moment, not a minute. he can't stay here like this, but he doesn't feel like he can move. it's painful, yeah—really painful. but mostly he just feels weak, tired, numb. cold. er, damp. his smile fades when he closes his eyes, and for a worrisome second it feels like his consciousness might fade with it. but he blinks his eyes hard, opens them again. no time for resting. ]

Alright, minute's up.

[ he tries to move—legs first. his brain says bend your knee, but his body only twitches, at best. takes a wet, gurgling breath, blood oozing from his lips, and tries again. this time, his leg bends. that's one. that's a start. his smile is almost entirely grimace, but his eyes find cloud's face. ]

Gettin' there...

[makopoison]

[ something is wrong. something is really, really wrong. cloud blinks and reaches up with his free hand to rub the rain out of his eyes, slowly registering the tiny holes peppering zack's body without its blur.

he squeezes his hand. this time with a little more purpose, groaning in distress.]

There...

[ he can't figure out how to move his limbs to help, but he wants to. ]

[unattainables]

[ it may not be much, but it's encouragement all the same. zack could really use a cheerleader right now, and this is... well, it's something. his smile softens, but he can't let himself get swept up in fondness now. not when he's got a task that needs doing. with some force of effort, he bends his other leg, both boots flat on the ground. then, with his free hand, pushes himself to bend his arm and struggles to get up.

he can't do it. he gets an inch off the ground and slumps back in the mud, grunting, biting back his pain so cloud won't fret. ]

It's okay, everything's okay.

[ is that for cloud, or himself? breathless, blinded by the agony, he tries again. this time, he manages to prop himself up on his elbow. his wounds are gushing blood, and he's going very pale, very fast. but he's up. sitting up, at sort of. he stays there like that, brow creased. tries to catch his breath through all the blood, gurgling, rasping. he lifts the hand cloud is holding and directs him to put it on his shoulder. ]

Okay, Cloud. Push. Help me out, here.

[ not that he can really do anything, but the sentiment will help him. it will. ]

[makopoison]

[ directions are easy to follow. cloud does as he's told, going silent as he struggles to process the situation they've found themselves in. zack is hurt.

very hurt. hurt worse than he was that night. he's pale and weak and unable to stand.

on the other hand, once he gets his feet under him on the muddy ground, cloud finds its easy to rise. zack's weight is barely anything. has he always been so thin, so frail? ]

Help?

[unattainables]

Just a little push, ngh... that's it, you got it.

[ look at him go! if only zack could get up that easily. he'd love to take the time to be proud of him, but he has to focus on forcing himself onto his feet. he uses cloud's leverage and the sword still in his hand, the blade scraping and sliding in the mud. once he gets his weight underneath him, he plunges it into the earth and uses it as a crutch, breathless, shaking. bleeding so, so much. the droplets patter down as steadily as the rain.

but he's on his feet. the worst is over, right? ]

Good job, buddy. Now we just gotta—over that hill. Homeward bound.

[ the distance is a classic so close, yet so far. they'd be there in no time, but his body wants to give up and fail on him even just thinking about starting down the cliffs. ]

[makopoison]

Homeward bound.

[ he sounds a little more awake. sharper than he has in months - since before that last round of experiments that had robbed him of his mind, leaving him little better than the living dead.

someone will be there. someone who can help. someone who isn't in a white labcoat, armed with scalpels and a cruel smile. cloud hesitates just a moment, trying to remember how to move.

but then he stats walking. ]

[unattainables]

Heh... someone's eager. Don't leave me behind, okay?

[ it's kind of a playful joke, but honestly, at this point—miracle of miracles, cloud's moving better than he is. zack has a fleeting thought—maybe that's for the best. let him go, let him get away. he'd be the one slowing them down now. if cloud can walk, sort of talk, if he's coming to, maybe he'll be alright. maybe it'd be better—

but then he talks himself out of it just as quickly. no, they've come this far. he can't give up. they'll get there together. at the very least, he has to make sure cloud goes the right way. has to make sure he's in good hands. someone that'll look after him, protect him... care for him. someone like—

yeah. they have to get there. zack pulls the buster sword free of the bloody, rain-soaked ground and can do little better than drag it along with him, too weak to lift it up. one foot in front of the other in staggering, stilted movements, his body bent forward, his arm curled around himself. unlike when he was laying there on the ground, he's not numb anymore. it hurts. it hurts, it hurts, it hurts so bad. ]

[makopoison]

Okay.

[ they just need to keep moving. one foot in front of the other. slowly, slowly, slowly. the sword is heavy and zack doesn't seem to be able to carry it effectively.

but it will be okay. once they get there. it will all be fine. it's all downhill from here, and the cliffs aren't too steep to walk down.

they're still a long way from midgar. ]

[unattainables]

[ it's a great plan, for a few yards. cloud walking ahead of him, almost like a vision in the rain. is it a dream? suddenly cloud's the one leading. walking on his own two feet. zack stumbles the whole way, slipping in the mud, torn between trying not to drag his sword, trying to keep all that wear, tear and rust off of it, and having no choice but to use it as a crutch. it's either that or leave it behind. he can't wear it on his back right now.

they make it down the first few hills, and those aren't so bad. but then the mud is slicker, the incline is steeper, and zack's just lost too much blood, can't get his footing, doesn't have the strength. the buster sword slips from his hands and his feet slide out from under him, falling over backwards and rolling before he can stop himself, hitting seemingly every jagged edge on his way down the cliff. it's not a long fall, but he's barely conscious when he comes to a stop at the next precipice, flat on his stomach, face-down in the dirt. ]

[makopoison]

[ no.

the world is too bright. too sharp. the haze from his mind is gone the moment he hears zack fall behind him, turning just in time to see him fall. all grace gone from his movements, each of them just a bitter struggle against the inevitable.

cloud's moving, trying to catch him - he misses a step, hits the ground and skids to a stop inches from zack's body.

his hands hover uselessly above him, taking in the depth of the injuries. hesitant to touch him, to cause more pain, but knowing he can't leave him.

midgar is so close.

they're so close.

they're going to be mercenaries. they're going to be fine, and safe, and together. his hand finally settles on zack's shoulder. ]

Z-Zack?

[unattainables]

[ zack comes around at the sound of his name, groaning. forgets, for a second, not to scare cloud with any overt expressions of pain. it's kind of hard to help it, after smashing into all those rocks, landing brutally on his stomach. limbs splayed, mouth full of blood and dirt. he grits his teeth, muscles tensing, but this time he can't make himself move. no chance he's getting back up right away. he takes gasping, wheezing, painful breaths, pressing his hands flat on the ground in front of him and then digging his nails in, agonized.

unlike back up on that hilltop, this isn't peaceful at all. he could've just closed his eyes and faded away. now he's suffering, going through hell. he still doesn't wish he'd stayed put, though. that would have been worse. ]

I-It's—okay. It's okay, Cloud...

[ it's really not. ]

[makopoison]

Don't... [ his tongue is heavy, the words almost impossible to form without hearing them first. ] lie.

[ he can't save him.

in a world without fate, one that he's free to shape, cloud strife is still unable to make a difference. the pain in zack's eyes is familiar by now, though it's the first time in years he's seen it without the wispy glow of mako and dirty glass between them. its brought into sharp focus, contorting his handsome features, and all the worse because he's never been this pale or this close to the brink before.

his hand covers one of zack's. eyes lifting to the skies, desperate and pleading.

shouting for help won't do them any good. ]

[unattainables]

Shh...

[ the hush-sound is almost inaudible over the sound of the rain hitting the rocks around them, and it could just be another hiss of pain, for all the two of them know. cloud's hand is warm around his, and zack curls his fingers to squeeze it. he thinks, if he has the strength for that, he's got the strength to get back up. just one step at a time, just like before. this time his arms first, then his legs.

his body won't obey him. he makes a sound of exertion, grunting, desperate. lifts himself up just a little bit and collapses right back down.

he has to stop. he has to rest. just for a little while. then he'll try again. ]

Too bad we can't... get outta the rain...

[makopoison]

[ he keeps one hand in zack's and tries to use the other to tear his uniform - the material is durable, refusing to give way to his weak tugs. they have no materia, no potions, no bandages, nothing to staunch the bleeding. nothing to buy them more time.

rain hides the tears. it doesn't hide the way cloud's breath hitches around a sob he tries to suppress. he has to be strong, and confident. has to be the strong one - at least until they can get help. until someone comes. until someone finds them and

and he'd take going back to the labs over watching this happen.

another moment of futile tugging and then he's just shaking his head, over and over again, laying down in the mud next to his friend. ]

[unattainables]

[ zack lets his eyes close, then blinks them open again to find cloud's face enter his periphery again. tired, weak, bleeding out, all he can do is smile weakly, just a curl of the side of his mouth that isn't slammed down in the mud. his gloved fingers lift weakly to touch his cheek and all but slide off, back down to the ground. he's never seen his eyes look so bright, not since they got out. ]

You're gonna be okay. That's... not a lie.

[makopoison]

[ cloud catches his hand, holding it fast to his cheek. trying to will him to live, to will all of this ill-begotten strength to the one who deserves it. ]

Not... without you.

[unattainables]

I... ah, man...

[ he doesn't know what to tell him. whether to encourage him to be strong without him, or to try and reassure him that they'll both make it. he's going to die up here, he's pretty sure he's just going to die out here in the dirt, but he doesn't want to admit it. saying it means giving up. he can't give up. he needs to get cloud into the city. he needs to take him to the church. ]

Don't think about that, alright? Need you to be strong for me.

[makopoison]

You... said...

[ together. they were going to do this together. they're so close, so close and it can't end here. it can't end like this, zack deserves a life. ]

Won't... leave you.

[unattainables]

I know. I did say.

[ and he meant it, and he can't give up. cloud needs him.

he's starting to go numb again.

his body is screaming at him to stay down, rest, sleep, die but this can't be it, it can't. his brows draw together, pained or maybe determined. ]

You wanna try one more time? Help me up. I can—I'm good.

[makopoison]

[ he said. he said. cloud isn't a child anymore, he knows promises are just words and things change, but zack had promised. he nods, blinking hard to push back tears, and tries to manoever his friend onto his side so he can help him rise. ]

To... gether. We go to her... together.

[unattainables]

[ this time, it's nigh-on impossible for zack to hide his pain. rolling on his side, on his arm that may have been knocked out of its socket when he fell, flexing the muscles in his body needed to move when they're all popped full of grievously bleeding wounds—it's hell, it's torture. they should have just left him to die peacefully up at the top of that cliff. it would have been so swift and sweet, so painless. He was numb. almost comfortable, but for the rain in his eyes. he grits his teeth, grunts and barely contains his scream, breathless, struggling. pushing with his other arm to help roll himself over in spite of it, struggling not to tip over onto his back. both legs kick out and it's more like an insect flailing on its back before it curls up and dies than any use of his own strength, but somehow he manages to bend one knee and get his boot flat on the ground again, the other stretched out in front of him.

he's shaking when he finally comes to a stop, lifting his hand as high as he can get it for cloud to pull him up. no tears. if nothing else, he doesn't want cloud to see that. ]