minutemen | 2 ❀ bad end meme

2 ❀ bad end meme

❝ANOTHER BAD END MEME❞

A popular fan theory is that the enemy swords you fight are actually your swords from an alternate universe who wished to change history. For this meme, feel free to make up your own starters or use one of the prompts below. Remember to state if your character is corrupted, not, or if you have no preference.

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1. How could you let this happen? They wanted to be left alone, their mood was poor, and maybe you should have noticed the signs but now that you have, it’s too late. They can’t stop these thoughts in their head and something in their soul has turned dark and ugly. Is it too late? Maybe you can get through to them… if not, are you ready to draw your sword?

2. Possession. Even the smallest trace of doubt can attract them— evil spirits. Once the dark spirit has latched on to your soul, it takes over and consumes you. Maybe the possession is gradual or maybe it happens suddenly. All you know is that everyone has regrets and anyone can doubt… this could happen to anyone.

3. In a moment. You've been assigned on a mission. It's nothing surprising but this is one that hits a little closer to the heart and not in a good way. It's natural to wonder what you would do if you could go back in time and change a certain thing. But right now, it's actually in your power to make it happen. Can you do it? And if you do, can you deal with the consequences?

4. Becoming your own enemy. Your mission is to go back in time and let things happen as they were meant to be but their fall into despair was never supposed to happen, right? And so you went back in time to prevent their misfortunes but you keep failing again and again until, this time, you think you’ve got it. This time, you’ll be able to save your friend - but will you be able to save yourself too?

5. Reborn again. When destroyed in battle, the sword disappears only to return again anew. You can’t choose the fate you’re born with though and this time, someone has returned… on the wrong side.

6. The other side. But there are three sides to this war, aren't there? You are the third side: the Kebiishi. This army thinks they're preserving history but you know better, don't you? It's not their fault... the only history they know is the history they ruined. The saniwa's army doesn't know how to stop and that's why it's up to you to put an end to them.

7. Actually not so innocent. You don't even realize you're doing it. You go to sleep, you black out, and the next thing you know, there's blood on your sword. But from what? How? Did you do it? You don't... remember doing this but everyone is saying you did something wrong. But you're innocent! You swear!

8. The cure is ineffective. They saved you. You'd turned on them before and you were forced to commit grave sins against your will but they saved you. They stopped you. Your soul was purified by the saniwa sage. Did it hurt? Maybe you remember. Maybe you don't. But all that matters you thought you were saved... until it became clear that you weren't. You're living on borrowed time. You're a ticking time bomb. Are you ready for part two?

9. Wildcard. Bring the pain. Make your own/mix and match.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( Mutsu's eyes widen and he reacts quickly, rushing forward, one hand outstretched to stop Chougi, )

No!

You can fight this! Yamanbagiri, listen to me.

( An assassin in a dark room. A sword that failed to protect. He can do this. History doesn't have to repeat. )

[ This isn't the same history, Mutsu. ]

I... have to get it out.

[ Every word is a struggle. ]

It won't leave. I have to get it out.

[ It's fine, it's fine. He won't break (probably), and he can be repaired, right? ]

There's gotta be another way.

( He's hurting. He can tell that Chougi is hurting and he gives the other spirit's arm a firm squeeze, )

Ya don't need swords or guns to fight every time. ( Listen to the heart, to what it says and how it feels. It can't lead you wrong, even when the spirit and mind are twisted, if the heart is good, it will lead you right. He truly believes this. ) C'mon, aren't you always going on about how good ya are? You're gonna let something like this get the better on ya? You're stronger than that.

It's not--

[ How good he is? Let's something like this get the better of him? Chougi looks at Mutsu's bloodied hand and can't meet his eyes again. Don't you see he already let it get the better of him? He already lost to it.

Half the citadel already dislikes him and now he's just proven he's not even trustworthy. ]

It's fine, I'll just need repairs. Not a big deal. You need them, too.

( His eyes meet Chougi's. As usual, they're bright and honest, always focused on what's in front of him, )

It's not fine. ( He's going to reach to try and grab Chougi's sword now. ) Give me your sword.

I'll take ya to the master and they'll help.

[ Chougi lets him grab it. The...thing inside him is still boiling, still howling for him to get on with it, cut him down, stop this talking and end it! but the shame of attacking and wounding a comrade is currently a lot stronger. ]

I damaged you. You need repairs first.

[ He damaged Mutsunokami. His grip tightens on the sword. ]

Aruji is busy. Let me handle this. I can handle this.

( No offense but he's just going to quickly take it and drop it onto the ground out of reach. )

She's never too busy for us.

( Even if she really is busy, she'd certainly make time for something like this. So Mutsu is just going to start dragging Chougi down the hallway, )

Don't worry about me. I've gotten way worse before so it'll be okay.

( Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, )

Right, right, even if you can handle this, that doesn't mean ya have to do it alone.

[ hey wow that's his

It's not like Chougi's shallow or anything, but Mutsu's always been good to him -- calling him by name, always friendly, never seems put off by it when Chougi's short-tempered (which, let's face it, is most of the time). He likes Mutsu, so he lets himself be dragged (still wants his sword back, tho) and doesn't even "ugh" about the hand squeeze. ]

I don't know how you do it.

[ He did just try to kill you, bro. ]

( When you're used to dealing with the brunt of Izuminokami and Nagasone's poorer moods, Chougi really isn't that out of his league. He doesn't look back at Chougi, )

What're ya going on about now?

( It sounds like Chougi... he think he can tell the difference. But he's going to be careful listening to whatever he says until he's received the help he needs. )

[ It's definitely Chougi. At least for now. Mostly, anyway, in the ways that count. No guarantees as they get closer to the saniwa's quarters, though. ]

You're always nice. Or maybe you're just an idiot.

[ There's the spirit again-- wait. Wait, no, that's still Chougi. ]

(He snorts, laughing at Chougi.)

Look who's being nice now.

(It's true. Mutsunokami is a kind spirit but he isn't always nice. He argues too much with the Shinsengumi and runs his mouth too freely. If he was truly being kind, he might bite his tongue a little more. He's honest and he believes in the best in people. He's a spirit filled with hope for the future and that is his greatest strength.

When they get to the saniwa's room, he doesn't waste time with formalities. He cuts right to it, explaining the best he can what happened which isn't very well. He isn't sure what happened at all, only that something did happen.

She needs to see his sword, she says, and she gets up to go retrieve it for herself before anyone else can handle it. Until then, she leaves the two alone.)

[ Chougi isn't any better at explaining it, he doesn't understand what's come over him any more than anybody else does, and besides that the more he tries to talk about it the harder it gets to talk about it.

By the time the saniwa leaves to retrieve Chougi's sword, he's full of an anger that he recognizes isn't his, so he's been keeping his mouth shut to try and keep it in check. Snapping at the one person who can definitely (probably, hopefully) fix this is not going to help his already bad situation. ]

You should get repaired already.

[ And not be here. ]

And leave ya alone?

(Nah, he's not going to do that. He can tell that something is still getting Chougi worked up and he isn't going to let him sort through that on his own. He won't let the saniwa figure it out on her own either.

He holds up his hand, still bleeding but a lot slower than it had been earlier. He's been stemming the flow with the sleeve of his kimono but it isn't super obvious considering it's already red.)

This is nothing so don't worry about it.

(Folding his hands into his sleeve,)

So... What were ya thinking?

[ The bleeding hand is not exactly reassuring!! Also he has to look away from it because the sight is making him feel twitchy and he's barely keeping this surprise desire for murder under control as is. ]

It's not you being damaged I'm worried about!

[ Translation: It's not Mutsu's current state of damage that concerns him, but potential future damage that could happen.

Chougi why can't you just say what you mean> ]

I'm thinking something's come over me I can't control and I don't know what it is, but it's obviously not friendly!

[ Less friendly than he already is, even. ]

And I'm trying to tell ya not to worry about me! ( He'll be fine. If something happens to him, he'll handle it! But that's in the future. Right now, Chougi is the one who's in trouble and he's the one that needs attention. ) I'm not going anywhere 'til we know what's really wrong.

And look, you weren't just talking nonsense back there. Whatever's wrong is using you and we gotta figure out how.

( It's then that the saniwa returns, sitting down in front of them with Chougi and Mutsunokami's sword. She returns Mutsu's sword to him but for Chougi... she holds onto it. She draws it and begins to check the blade for any blemishes or tarnish. )

"Mutsunokami-san is right. But we can get to that later. When did this start?"

( It looks like she overheard them. )

Right, right. Did this just come outta no where? Or were ya thinking about this for a while or something?

You--!

[ Mutsu, you dumbass, he's trying to be worried for you here. But Aruji is back and now he definitely can't say that, because the way he wants to say it involves a little more foul language than he wants to use around his master.

Grumble mumble. ]

If you mean have I been "thinking about murder for a while," no. At least I don't think so. Not more than usual!

[ Not really selling yourself there, Chougi.

But at least his blade is clean -- y'know, except for that slowly spreading black mark near the base of it. Take him apart and his inscription is going to look less etched and more, well, painted on with dark ink. That can't be good. Neither can the way Chougi's getting progressively antsier. ]

Maybe...maybe you should put me -- it -- down?

( What a good boy. )

What d'ya mean not more than usual!?

( Excuse you? Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki is feeling a concern? He can also see the black mark on the sword and he whispers lowly, )

Hey, Yamanbagiri, that doesn't look good.

( And he looks at Chougi, who seems to be getting worse and worse. He holds his own sword tightly in his hands, ready to put himself between Chougi and the saniwa if he has to, )

"I've never seen this before."

( Her voice is quiet and she places a hand over the dark stain, trying to get a sense of the energy coming from it. )

Hey, don't touch it. Ya don't know--

( Too late. She's already pressed her fingers to the stain, a bright, warm light emitting from the tips of her fingers as she tries to purify the blade directly with her magic. )

[ It's fine, he only thinks about murder like. Once a day under normal circumstances, and never very seriously! Just things like "if he doesn't shut up, I'll kill him" and "I'm going to kill whoever ate the last strawberries." It's fine, this is fine. ]

No!!

[ Good thing Mutsu is between them, because the moment she touches the stain, Chougi throws himself toward her -- the thing inside him doesn't want to be burned out, and if she can purify it, it'll all be over, its chance to rid the citadel of swords lost.

Chougi's kept himself in check far longer than he thought he'd be able to, but he's lost control. All that built up murderous intent is now aimed at the saniwa. ]

( And any chance of Mutsu being gentle is out the window the moment Chougi lunges at the saniwa. He might not be the strongest sword in the citadel but he's always had fast reflexes, at least. He catches Chougi before he can get to the citadel and he's quick to throw himself on top of him, pushing him onto the ground. )

That's enough of that! ( He isn't going to get off of him, ) Get yourself together! That's aruji ya just tried to get at!

( And even if Chougi's quick to get riled up against other swords, he's always been decent around her.

Meanwhile, Hana's concentration breaks for a moment out of surprise. It takes her a moment to resume but... yes, she's doing something right. Whatever is wrong with Chougi, he wouldn't have done that if she was doing something wrong. So she'll focus more of her magic into the sword and begin to recite a prayer, )

I know you're fighting Yamanbagiri so keep it up. You're gonna be okay.

Get off!!

[ Right now it sure seems like Chougi's fighting Mutsu more than he's fighting with himself. He snarls at Mutsu, and as Hana's prayer continues his struggles intensify-- but his attention is split the wrong way. He's trying to get to Hana without also trying to get away from Mutsu, and the end result is that he fails at both. ]

Get off me, get off me!! I'll kill her!

[ He doesn't mean that. It's the last gasp of the thing inside him until -- his eyes flickering between red and blue for a moment -- the black stain is forced smaller and smaller and finally disappears.

When it goes, the fight goes out of him, too, and he lies still where he is, just panting. ]

( Mutsu presses down, putting his full weight on top of Chougi as he tries to keep him subdued. His eyes flash when he hears the mad ranting and for a moment, he considers drawing his sword but Chougi's eyes flicker. They flicker from red to blue and the struggling stops. He still doesn't get off of him, his hands pressing down against him hard into the ground.

With the black stain gone, the saniwa puts down the sword and quickly runs to a corner of her room. There's a sound like a drawer opening and she returns with an omamori to ward off evil. Kneeling down next to Chougi, she reaches between him and Mutsu to place the charm inside his coat. )

"Is he...?"

Hey. ( Mutsu snaps, giving Chougi a hard nudge, ) Say something.

[ At least give him a second to catch his breath, that was tiring! ]

I'm sorry--

[Said to Hana, because of all the things he could have done this ranks at the top of the list of awful things. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!

[ The not thinking about murder more than usual, he meant, but the wanting to kill her part, that wasn't him. He won't blame her at all if she dismantles him after this. ]

( There's no time to waste, Chougi! Let them know you're okay or not so they can decide what to do next quickly. Whatever Chougi says still isn't enough for Mutsu to get off of him. There's a confused look on his face like he isn't sure what to do now. Is it safe to get off? Will he try to hurt her still if he does?

He doesn't really have to make the decision though because Hana is moving him aside and leaning down to hug Chougi. )

"I know."

( Fine, he'll get off and he'll even try to help Chougi up, )

Right, right. Ya don't have to explain anything. Look, you're all better now so sit up.

( But a little more softly, )

How're ya feeling now?

[ No, no, that's all wrong, she isn't supposed to hug him. She's supposed to be angry, maybe even afraid. There should be talk of dismantling or otherwise sealing him away. Aruji, he just proved he isn't a good sword -- not even a safe one?!

Chougi lets Mutsu help him up but he stays on his knees, immediately bowing to both.

Look, he's a good boy who's maybe a little too aggressive about "regulations" sometimes and there's no way he's ending this without a formal apology. ]

Aruji, Mutsunokami, please forgive me! I--

[ He wants to say it won't happen again, but can he? With Aruji's omamori, maybe he's safe, but what if? ]

I'm sorry! I'm fine now!

[ His pride's been shredded, but other than that, he came out of it remarkably okay. ]

( Hana begins to speak but Mutsu beats her to it, cutting her off- )

Hey now... get up. ( He moves to lift him up, firmly but still gentle. ) I know you're probably still all worked up but ya gotta get it together. Take a breath.

"He's right. There's nothing to apologize for, Yamanbagiri-san."

Yeah. Would ya apologize 'cause you got a cold or something? You came down with something bad but it's not your fault.

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