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.

△ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ △ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ △

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.

△ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ △ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ △

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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.

[ Wow, Mutsu, would you please let him be properly ashamed of himself? ]

I damaged you, you know! I tried to cut off your hands -- you could at least be a little angry about that, dumbass!

[ Whoops. ]

--Sorry, Aruji.

[ Didn't mean to cuss. ]

( No!! Because he's Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki and he believes everyone should be proud and shameless in life. Unless you're the Shinsengumi then you can probably stand to be knocked down a few pegs just to keep you grounded. )

And I told ya that was nothing! ( Really! He's sitting back down, legs crossed and arms folded into his sleeve. ) Besides! What's being angry gonna do to help right now, huh?

( Except he's definitely getting worked up because for all of his talk about hating fighting, he's an aggressive spirit. )

"Mutsunokami-san, Yamanbagiri-san, that's enough, please." ( Don't fight. ) "I agree, there's nothing to apologize for but if you feel like it, I won't stop you so consider this an apology accepted."

( Mutsu groans, )

Fine, fine. It's alright. So what now? As much as I'd like to keep going like nothing happened... we gotta find out what happened in the first place.

( Hana nods and she begins to explain. She'll have to take a closer look at his later so it's probably best to go to repairs for now. She'll undo the bindings and the tsuka to see. She'll take his sword apart but she won't be dismantling him. She makes sure that distinction is made clear. )

"It won't be comfortable, I'm afraid..."

( Mutsu nods. )

Yeah, you're gonna be feeling real vulnerable and open... ( He's been heavily injured before and experienced something similar enough. ) But you'll be in good hands so ya don't gotta worry.

Fine.

[ Grumble. If Aruji won't let him apologize then he'll quit apologizing but he doesn't like it!

He likes the idea of being taken apart even less -- partly because Hana reassures him that she'll put him back together once she's finished examining him. He'd almost rather she just dismantled him and was done with it if he's honest, though of course he can't possibly say that to her or to anyone else. But also because...he doesn't like the sound of feeling vulnerable and open. Not even in Aruji's no doubt capable hands. ]

I... [ Glancing at Mutsu again -- Mutsu goes on sorties sometimes, and so far Chougi's been limited to the citadel since being stationed here. Mutsu has been damaged and repaired by this master. Chougi hasn't, and even if he were to go on sorties, coming back damaged is something to be avoided at all costs. Being repaired isn't comfortable, he knows, but at least then it's necessary. To be taken apart for any other reason beyond dismantling is... ]

Is it...really necessary?

[ He's nervous. Even with Hana at the helm. ]

"I don't know."

( She lowers her head some because she has to be honest but she doesn't like the truth either. She isn't sure if this is necessary. She has to do everything she can to make sure Chougi is taken care of though.

Meanwhile, Mutsu is quiet, acting as casual as ever though, anyone who really knows him will be able to tell he's taking this as seriously as the next person. He just doesn't like to show it. As the first sword at the citadel, it's his job to keep everyone's spirits and morale up. He catches Chougi's eyes on him and he watches the exchange between the two, )

....

( He stretches and groans loudly, )

Well, we'll just have to find out then, won't we? ( He'll cheer them both up. ) Even if you're figuring out things as ya go, you're still going.

( And he turns to Chougi, giving him a confident grin, )

So you heard the master. It's off to repairs for you and me!

( Even if he was supposed to go on a mission later, oh well. )

[ It's fine, it's fine, Aruji can rearrange the lists and someone will take Mutsu's place on the team. Fortunately, there are plenty of capable swords, and everyone is willing to chip in to help out.

Anyway, Chougi finally nods reluctantly. He'll go, because Aruji has told him to, he's just very uncertain about it.

Mutsu, on the other hand... ]

You should have been in repairs a while ago!

[ Ah, there he is. There's snippy Chougi. Where'd you go, buddy?

Also let's just ignore the part where if Moots had been in repairs, Chougi probably would have gotten to Aruji, because that just doesn't bear thinking about. ]

What if Aruji hadn't noticed and you'd gone on your mission anyway? You could have been a liability. It's a good thing she saw you!

I told ya this is nothing! ( Let it go already! He's snapping but really, it's good to hear Chougi acting a little more like his usual self. ) It'll take a lot more than something like this to mess up a mission.

( He keeps his injured hand tucked into the fold of his kimono but with his free hand, he gives Chougi a good, hard pat on the back as he starts to shepherd him off to the repair room. A little more quietly, )

I'm more worried about you if I'd just gone ahead. ( And back to his usual, loud tone. He laughs brightly, ) You'd probably end up bored outta your mind in repairs without some company!

So really, the lucky one's you!

[ Y'know, it's times like this that Chougi sees the value in that stupid blanket the fake is always wearing, because Mutsu's consideration is making him want to yank something over his head and hide. Especially when the hard pat makes him stumble and extra especially when Mutsu lowers his voice so nobody else can hear.

How dare he, honestly. ]

Shut up. Why are you always so loud?

[ Just admit you're thankful, Chougi. ]

(The real reason why Blanket is so slow to get rid of the hood: Mutsu is embarrassing him too much.)

No one ever listens to a quiet guy! (He's still loud.) Especially hard headed guys like you.

(He usually saves that particular jab for the Shinsengumi swords and he likes them... so consider this a compliment, Chougi! (don't)

When the get to the repairs room, he'll go ahead and pull out the seating cushions for the two of them meaning... he really sort of just tosses them at the floor at Chougi's feet so he can move to where he wants to. He'll also start digging around in one of the cupboards so he can start taking care of his cut. Yeah, Hana's magic will eventually kick in and it'll heal itself but for now, he'll have to at least get it cleaned and covered. At least this way, he'll be able to give Chougi a little bit of space to settle down too.)

You're gonna be here for a while, ya know. Probably 'til tomorrow.

(The process of taking apart Chougi's sword is going to take much longer than a simple healing prayer. )

[ Don't worry, he won't take that as a compliment....

But space isn't exactly what Chougi wants right now. He's anxious. He puts down one of the cushions and sits on it. Then gets up and rearranges. Then does it again. He can't settle down. ]

Hey. Mutsunokami. Has Aruji...disassembled you before?

[ She must have. Swords that come back too badly damaged get disassembled and taken to the blacksmith before the final work is done on them in the repair rooms, he knows that. But still. He's gotta ask. ]

( The wound now clean, he wraps the bandages around his hand. He glances over at Chougi when he keeps moving but he doesn't say anything. Some things are better left unsaid and there's no point picking at the small things. He'll say something when he's ready. That's the kind of situation this is, after all. )

... Kind of.

( He's putting everything back now. When he's finished, he goes digging through... another cabinet but he'll keep talking while he's going through that, )

She had to repair the handle once. It wasn't too bad... ( When he finally comes over, he's carrying a go table. ) She asked the smith for help since she wasn't used to it. She'll probably ask him for help again so don't worry about that.

( He'll place the white bowl on Chougi's side and the black bowl on his side. Yeah, they sure are going to play a game while they wait out their repairs!!! )

It felt real weird at first. Ya know like... it'd be real easy to just scrap me and get a whole new sword that isn't messed up. I kept thinking about why she'd wanna keep me and why she'd even bother keeping me around.

( A sword that had never cut before being summoned in this life. A sword that couldn't save a life. A sword that isn't as good as a gun.

Anyway, )

Black goes first.

( So he'll stare at the board a bit and try to figure out his move while Chougi is speaking. By the time Chougi finishes, he'll have placed his first piece. )

[ MmmmmNOPE DON'T LIKE IT. Don't wanna get taken apart!

Chougi touches the omamori inside his jacket and finally manages to sit still in front of the go board. ]

You're not messed up. You're kind and good at what we do and everyone loves you. Even those Shinsengumi idiots like you. Of course she'd want to repair you.

[ Bitter, much?

Chougi makes his own first move almost carelessly. ]

Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki is a good sword. Most citadels have one. More than one sometimes.

[ He's seen the records, back at headquarters. Maybe he's not the most popular, but he's certainly beloved in the citadels that have him. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject