carnelian

[dramatispersonae]

[ The hill in the Ring dissolves, leaving you alone with your team in a soft, featureless grey space. The Dog's genderless, gentle "voice" speaks into all of your minds, less anxious and more confident now; confiding. ]

My name is The Dog Who Dies At The End Of The Story. I don't remember the name I had before that, and I didn't know what this one was either, not till I chose a new Master. I don't think I was supposed to do that, but I did, so here we are.

I understand being a dog, and sometimes dogs die. But I don't understand dying, even when I know what it is. . . and in order to make a choice about it, I need to catch answers. I've died over and over and not understood yet. Maybe some of you have, too. I wanted . . . to ask what you thought. . . ?

Thank you. . . I won't be able to answer for a little while, so if you would. . . please answer for me.

[ You know instinctively that while the Dog will not answer your words for a while, once it asks you its questions you will be able to speak your answers when you've reached a consensus and be heard. ]

Comments

round one part one

[dramatispersonae]

[ The questions click into your mind like pieces into a puzzle. You know that you must answer them together as a group. ]

In your story, you've just died. They're mourning you back where your body is, or they're not; I don't know how much they loved you in this story.

The rest of you is following a trail away. What's at the end of it?

something warm or something cold.

something close or something far.


something or nothing.

discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: discussion

[takeabow]

What the hell is this...

Re: discussion

[embracingly]

[ i don't know but i like helping people. ]

A quest to help him to the end!

answer

[dramatispersonae]

[ Please answer as a group if you choose to answer this question: one answer each for the three "or" choices. ]

Re: answer

[embracingly]

[ Carnelian chooses not to respond, but Tamaki writes instead: "It's not our place to say something we do not know for sure ourselves." ]

round one part two

[dramatispersonae]

Why did you answer that way? Is that how you think it is, or know it is? How are you sure? Or is it just what you want to be true... has someone you loved died, and now you hope they're there?

Please help me understand.

discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: discussion

[takeabow]

You said something good about why we didn't want to respond.

Re: discussion

[embracingly]

[ This makes him feel things he wasn't wanting to feel right now. So he pauses. ]

Do you want to add anything to it?

answer

[dramatispersonae]

[ Please answer as a group if you choose to answer this question: you can go into detail or not, but the thoughtfulness of your answer will affect your score and game results. ]

Re: answer

[embracingly]

Our answer hasn't changed.

We try not to think about death for our own reasons. It's not something we can escape, but there's more to our lives than how it ends. Right now, we have the present. We'd prefer to do something with the time we have now.

I can't speak for Nova and I won't. But for me I remember watching my mother be unable to leave her bed. She was too sick most days and that was most of my childhood. I hid trying to avoid her illness, but on some days she was able to go to the garden and play the piano. She told me she wasn't able to do much, so I should do it for her. That's when I decided to do everything I could to make her smile. Maybe I couldn't make her better, but if I lived to the fullest than that's what I could do for her.

round two

[dramatispersonae]

What does death mean to you? Is there ever a time to die?

discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: discussion

[embracingly]

...This is a trick question.

Re: discussion

[takeabow]

Everyone dies. But I'd like to not die before I know the people I want safe are safe.

answer

[dramatispersonae]

[ Please answer as a group if you choose to answer this question: you can go into detail or not, but the thoughtfulness of your answer will affect your score and game results. ]

Re: answer

[takeabow]

I'd like to not die before I know the people I want safe are safe. I'd like to protect everyone that I can, and keep fighting for them if I can't.

round three

[dramatispersonae]

Tell me about. . . the place you talked about in the first question, even if your answer was that it wasn't a place. What it looks like and feels like around you. Just so I can. . .

Thank you.

discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: discussion

[takeabow]

How do we describe nothing?

answer

[dramatispersonae]

Re: answer

[embracingly]

We can't really answer most of this at all. I hope you understand, but since the moments right now are what's most important to us... We want our future to be filled with the happiness of our loved ones. We want to see them healthy, successful, and smiling.

The thing we wish for most before we die is to see this achieved because they're what's most important to us right now.

result

[dramatispersonae]

Re: result

[dramatispersonae]

[ The gray space remains steady, neutral. It seems to be trying to do something, forming a wavering far-off image of someone... laughing...? Someone precious?

The picture disappears before you can be sure of it, though. You get a sense that you couldn't have reached the right place to see it anyway: here and now, you are alive. ]

((endgame.))