No frills, no flavor, no smut, just

[butcherpete]

The STRAIGHT-UP DEATH meme

1. Pick a character.
2. Put their name and subject line in the header.
3. Tagging people: RNG or just pick one below. Needless to say, this meme may contain TRIGGERS for death, violence and suicide.
4. Posting people: the person who tagged you is now DYING.
5. Have fun.

OPTIONS: Illness: Self-explanatory. You're on your deathbed from a long and drawn-out illness. Time to call someone to your side for comfort, or for a confession... I Cannot Self Terminate: Maybe they're horribly injured, or maybe they've been mutated into a horrific monster. Either way, they can't tell anyone that they want to die--though no one doubts it. Will you be the one to take mercy on them? Execution: Once again, self-explanatory. You fought the law and the law won. This is probably the last time anyone will see you...or is the other character your executioner? Secretly Dying: Letting your friends and family know that you're terminally ill, or have been marked for death, or have a curse placed on you? No way. You'd rather keep them at ease. But all lies exist to be found out... And Make You Watch: This person has hurt you in every possible way, but you can't bring yourself to kill them...looks like there's no recourse but to kill yourself. But before you do it, there's just one way you can twist the knife a little... Bungled Suicide: You don't want to die, but can't think of any way to live. Fortunately, one of your friends has stumbled in at just the right time... Murder: Pretty self-explanatory. One of your characters is trying to kill the other. Fatal Accident: Drowned? Caught in a fire? Happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? All accidents and unhappy, untimely ends go here. Duel to the Death: You, sir/madam, have been offended in every possible way, and it's time to settle this once and for all. Old Age: Well, you've had a good run, haven't you? Somehow you managed to avoid all the other pitfalls your friends have, but everybody has to pay the piper eventually... Ghost: You're already dead. But you had some unfinished business to attend to, so you're making just one last visit... Other: Make up something or combine two or three!

Comments

[penumbrae]

[Karen instantly whips around when he drops the bomb, her eyes staring at him in a mix of disbelief, shock and anger. Just what in the hell was he doing and, more importantly, did he really think she would let him get away with that?]

That's it? [She takes a single step forward, partially to keep her balance (the unexpected shift had thrown her off a bit) and partially because she very much wanted to launch herself at him and do something-- anything that went beyond words alone. Alas, words were all she could muster at the time.] You're planning to simply slide into the shadows until life is done with you? That's the best you can come up with?

[twotwoed]

[That's it. He stands up, a very, VERY incensed expression on his face. He's...just completely lost it by now.]

That's the best I can come up with because there isn't really anything else left. What can I do? Engineer some asinine way for me to go out in a blaze of glory? It'd be just as stupidly faked as the rest of my life was. Should I try to find a cure? It might not even be there and I haven't even sorted out the matter of who's going to care for my Pokemon, because for all I know I might have a matter of weeks.

[And he takes a deep breath. Physically, he's been growing steadily worse as well, and it's starting to show.]

I know what I'm doing is pathetic. I know there's probably a half a million more dignified ways to go out, thank you very much for reminding me.

[The look on his face mellows out a little. It's clear he regrets his words, and maybe he hasn't been himself, but good lord, he's not going to use that as an excuse.]

I'm sorry I'm not meeting your expectations. I'm not even meeting my own, either, this is what I've come to. Do you think I like it?! If I go for the full run and this thing takes its course, I lose everything.

Every bit of sentimental garbage that makes up whatever can be called my personality, too, not just biological functions. The body can live without the mind, but I happen to think that's even worse than just dying.

I won't even remember your name.

That is not what I want.

[It's a little more than that, too: if he's going to die, he wants it on his own fucking terms. However gruesome that may be.

He's not entirely sure if she'd understand.]

[penumbrae]

But I will still remember!

[It is the first time in years since Karen last raised her tone by that many octaves, and even then it barely qualifies as a yell. The words come from behind gritted teeth, and her hands are, once again, balling into fists, closed so tightly that it wouldn't be surprising to find red marks on her palms later; to those who knew her well - and Will certainly did - it was clear she was trying oh so hard to cling to that last bit of cool composure she normally presented herself in, but it was growing steadily harder not to give in to a whim and--

--no, absolutely not. There had to be an alternative, anything that wouldn't lead her to the one outcome she was striving to avoid. And what follows next will have to work.]

Now, you listen to me. [She closes the gap between them at last, grabbing the psychic by his collar with the kind of physical prowess to make even Bruno proud - it was enough to lift Will to a semi-seated position, Karen herself using one knee on the mattress for support.] I don't care if your body shuts down, or about how pathetic you sound. I don't even care if you forget my name. Because that is the one part of this whole ordeal you can't change by yourself.

[By this point, she has abandoned all pretenses of speaking on behalf of their colleagues; this was all very much Karen.]

But if you leave behind the people who care for you before it's time, if you willingly abandon the people who have contributed to your so-called sentimental garbage and will still remember you every single day of their lives, all for the sake of your selfish reasons? That will be all your doing, and your doing alone. That, I will not forgive.

[And perhaps she wouldn't forgive herself for that burning sensation in her eyes, either. Ah, so much for fighting the tears.]

[twotwoed]

[Truth be told, Karen, you're not the only one who's fighting back tears, although his...took a while. He's just kind of numb at the moment.]

I'm not even sure what I want to do anymore.

Maybe I should stop pretending I know.

[penumbrae]

All the more reason for you to ask for help, idiot.

[It's odd for her to call him that, seeing as Karen is not one to usually insult others. But that might be because she also usually kept enough distance as a safety measure, a way to avoid the inevitable attachment to things and people from this world, and the psychic trainer just so happened to be one the exceptions to her rule.]

I won't leave you to your own demise, Will. [Her grip on him looses just a little bit, though she doesn't move from her spot otherwise.] This is a packaged deal; you don't get to make stupid decisions and expect them to not affect everyone else. And you can't expect them to not fight for you, either.

[twotwoed]

I'll try not to say anything too rash anymore.

...I always did admire you.

[penumbrae]

If you think that was harsh, you should have let me carry on. [It's said in a slightly more playful tone, though it's also terribly serious; had they not come to this small truce, her words would probably have hurt them both beyond comparison.

His latter comment, however, prompts a weird mash of a smile and a smirk from her, along with a couple of tears trickling down her cheeks. Damn, he really was ridiculous and stupid sometimes. And she already missed him terribly.]

And you should know I can't be bought with cheap praise, either.

[twotwoed]

The funny thing is, I'm not trying to buy anyone.

I'm sure you're well aware of my tendency to act like a complete, fickle douchebag, but what I'm trying to say is that I'm being honest here.

[He's seldom vulgar, Karen, but when he does swear he makes it count.]

And I think out of all the colleagues I could possibly have this conversation with, I'd prefer it be you.

[penumbrae]

I know. [Said both in reference to his honesty and to everything else.] Although, if we're picking preferences, then I would much rather we never had to have this talk at all.

[And wasn't that the truth. Now that all animosities have cooled down, Karen can let go of his collar so he can sit however he finds more comfortable, her own back turned to him afterwards. There was still a lot to be said, and other things that would remain forever unspoken; either way, she found it easier to do if she didn't have to face him.]

I called you selfish, but I am the same. Ultimately, you're the only one who knows what's best for you, and I have no right to demand that you endure more than you can handle.

[She knows this, and she's been perfectly aware of it all along. It's just that it's impossibly hard to sit back and watch people make Bad Life Decisions when you care about them.]

[twotwoed]

I guess what I hate the most is that this thing acts like it has any right to kill me.

[Which is why he's going to deny it that right as much as he can.]

[penumbrae]

There is a lot to hate about this, but that is not going to change anything.

[Cold hard facts. Sometimes that's what she needs in order to cope, even though others might see it as insensitive. Oh, but she was so, so bad at offering comfort like most people would, and that was in no small amount due to the fact she rarely ever let others return the favor for her.]

The only thing that can be done now is to think about what we're going to do from now on.

[Said after a sigh, one hand wiping the last salty remainders off her face. Yes, Will, you heard that right; she has no intention of letting you deal with this by yourself. If neither death nor herself had any right over him, then her battles seemed somehow justified.]

[twotwoed]

If I'm gone, what do you plan to do?

[penumbrae]

That isn't really any of your concern. [Both because she doesn't quite know what she'll do without him (though refuses to admit it) and because he'll be gone, anyway.] Besides, it's you who we should be thinking about.

[twotwoed]

It is very much my concern!

[And he buries his face in his hands.]

I don't have much ahead of me left. But you...

[penumbrae]

[... oh, Will. Sometimes you make her wonder what you would do without her.]

Listen. [A sigh later, she turns to look at him again, though it's done in an unusual fashion: by bending her upper body backwards so he will be facing her down, her head almost on his lap. It was like watching a lazy feline moving, but the hand clawing at his was anything but sharp, gently pushing fingers aside.] I'll figure it out when I have to figure it out. But you're here right now, so now is not the time yet.

[Really, Will. Take it one day at the time.]

[twotwoed]

Well, first of all, I figured I'd give my girls a little break. I'm not in the right mind to train them as I am, and it's probably not the best thing to do if they'll have to adapt to someone new.

Otherwise? No idea.

[penumbrae]

Hmmm. [She mumbles to herself, eyes closed as she her arms now work as a makeshift pillow.] It might be best to leave them with someone they're already familiar with, so it won't be too much of a change.

[It still would be too much of a change.]

[twotwoed]

[That earns a small chuckle from him.]

If you're implying yourself, I can think of a million ways that could get interesting.

[penumbrae]

I wasn't. [Really, she could think of a million ways that would only make everyone hurt more when he's gone, but she wasn't about to tell him that. Let him have some fun while he still can.]

They wouldn't last a day against mine, anyway.

[twotwoed]

[This is a bad thing. He doesn't have any family, Karen, and very few of his friends have been that close.]

I had a feeling you'd say that. Funny thing is, I haven't exactly planned for this sort of occasion.

...I suppose I thought I'd go out from old age like everyone else?

Although if my two Xatu are going to go anywhere, it's back to the ruins.

[penumbrae]

[Yeah, she... also knows this, sob. Really, there's no use making things harder on him.]

I never said I wouldn't keep them, Will. They might not be my specialty, but I think I know a thing or two about taking good care of Pokemon.

[There's a beat, then she adds:] Besides, don't flatter yourself; with the way you had been handling the job, you might as well have the stamina of an old man.

[She doesn't mean his job at the Pokemon League, either, but a different kind of performance instead. All said in good (albeit forced) humor, of course.]

[twotwoed]

[He knows. You just made him giggle.]

I suppose if you really wanted, I could see if I had any last vestiges of youth left.

But I'm just tired these days.

[penumbrae]

If you're too tired for that, then you really must be dying.

[... what do you know, dark humor. Erm. It suits her, okay.]

[twotwoed]

Pffft. You know very well there's other things I live for.

But. Point taken.

[penumbrae]

I suppose. But that is certainly in the top five, right behind dropping innuendo at terribly inappropriate times.

[Such as, you know, when they're talking about his imminent death. In a way, that is actually a small comfort; it meant he was still alive, in more than just the physical sense.]