baby you're a firework

Trik Sparks SHSL Pyrotechnician

[dangansuffering]

Spin the Wheel...

Welcome, subject, to the WonderDome…

You are one of a select group chosen for our revolutionary new experiment, a massive undertaking in a state-of-the-art facility! Isn’t that exciting? 

What’s that…? You want to know why you were chosen? Well, naturally we selected only the best test subjects for our work. A unique pool of candidates, pulled from the student body of the most prestigious school in the world! Anyway, you really don’t have anything to worry about. After all, you have wonderful odds of making it out alive!

In one piece, though… that’s a different matter.

[Dangan Suffering is a DR OC RP Group inspired by The Suffering Game arc in The Adventure Zone. 16-18 Hope’s Peak University Students are trapped in the WonderDome, exact location unknown, and must play a horrifying game of death and torment to have any hope of escape…]

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

ABOUT || FAQ || RULES || APP || ARTIST APP || SUBMIT || NAV

[verdant-gardens]

Homecoming | Endgame Part 5

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

It still takes a while, and doubtless the ride is a slightly awkward one for some parties, perhaps there’s even more some people want to say - but Trik seems finished, ensconced in the little group of those closest to him. And it’s clear that if nothing else, the majority believe or at least support him. When it comes to it, at the end, he does have a point… it’s over now. They survived, they’re going home. Whether you believe him or not, what’s done is done. Any words that might have changed things were already spoken, or too late now. Hanesuke has remained quiet this entire time. He stares off at the city as it goes up in flames, smoke curls in a thick column through the water off the coast, which is weird isn’t it? The column is lazily drifting up, no urgency to it, no real reason to go up other than it’s smoke, and that’s what smoke does. The dreams of his friends and himself sink beneath the waves and that’s okay? After Everything that happened he didn’t really want the gardens to survive. Ayame was gone, Yui was gone, his work was gone. Hanesuke should have been sadder than he was, if anything he’s melancholic over everything. He feels a longing, perhaps a wish that everything had worked out. Still, the real question was where was there to go from here. Finally the submarine begins to rise through the waters, higher and higher as they grow shallower until it arrives at a dock. Only when the destroyed city is out of sight and the trip is over does he look away from the porthole he’s seated next to. He looks over his shoulder at the kids that disembarked from the submarine, Alive. The doors open again and despite any reservations any of you had about the trip, you’re here. You’ve arrived safely on shore, and as soon as you’ve all left the sub you find there’s a crowd waiting - emergency response teams and authorities, potentially family as well. In a rush to seize this freedom you all disembark - and as soon as the last of the class has stepped out the submarine closes up again suddenly and sinks back into the water. There’s a lot of shouting about this from the authorities, but ultimately the sub won’t be caught, although traces of wreckage of it will later be recovered along the coast. EMTs hurry to examine you all, trying to insist on bringing anyone with injuries or showing signs of shock into ambulances for treatment. Trik refuses to be separated from his friends though, and stays close to the group. Press teams have arrived and the authorities are distracted by keeping them back - it seems like you’ll all have a brief reprieve before the questions start. At some point when the initial excitement has calmed, perhaps half an hour or so later, along the edges of the perimeter a black Rolls-Royce pulls up, and Trik perks up immediately upon seeing it. The driver steps out and opens the back door, and out of it steps Trik Sparks. For a moment there’s a surreal jolt to the world, until the startling similarity is mitigated by taking in the obvious differences that show this isn’t a copy of Trik. The height and facial features and hair are all the same, strikingly identical, except that this person has two eyes, bright and sharp and the same pale electric yellow as Trik’s. In addition to this, she’s wearing an elegantly tailored suit that clings to her subtle curves, and her make-up is more understated. There’s only a few seconds to take this in before Trik is breaking away - racing across the dividing distance and weaving past the police to throw himself into his sister’s arms, the two of them laughing and clinging to each other as they spin around and start babbling in rapid Irish. Amidst this exuberant joy Trik suddenly turns and reaches out towards the rest of you, his one-eyed gaze darting between Karl and Yasu and Jet in particular, his extended hand an offer. An even more clear one as he waves it lightly towards himself, beckoning them to come over, to follow. A few of the authorities attempt to speak up, but Princess responds to them with a firm tone and a strict glance, bringing up words like Attorneys and Legal Department and Lawsuit that make them back off quickly. As for the rest of you… eventually you’re all brought to a hospital, families and concerned loved ones either traveling with you or meeting you there. The coming days will be a jarring return to life and reality, with much to contend with, but at least it won’t be something faced alone. There’s still a bit more. It turns out that clips of footage had been released periodically during the game to the public - fortunately not enough to expose anything personal you’d rather be kept hidden, but enough that the world has some idea of what went on down there and what you’ve all been through. In some ways this is a relief - it means you don’t have to explain as much to the authorities as you might have otherwise, there aren’t as many questions to answer, and the matter of the various deaths and murders is already considered solved. On the other hand, evidence of what Nata’s father was guilty of was among the footage and information released, which may be something of a mixed blessing for her. Further evidence in the form of correspondence, financial trails, and experimental plans are found to implicate Tamatsuki Corp. and AlterMech - Sen’s and Komugi’s respective family companies. The ultimate conclusion is that the blame for the entire Verdant Gardens Tragedy, as the media calls it, will be placed squarely on their shoulders. Both companies very quickly go under. Iron Grip Industries, led by its new young CEO, the brilliant Saoirse Ainbheartach, known as ‘Seerie’ to her friends and ‘Princess’ to her twin brother, takes an active role in handling the economic fallout. IGI also assists generously in the conservation efforts to evaluate and rectify any environmental damage caused by Verdant Gardens’ collapse - which turns out to be surprisingly minimal, considering the city’s location was deliberately chosen to have the least impact and the destruction was largely contained by the dome until the last minute. Junji Nakaura is hired as the Lead Consulting Conservationist for the clean-up and containment. Slowly but surely, over time, things begin to return to some state of normalcy…

[verdant-gardens]

Believe What You Will | Endgame Part 4

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

The submarine continues to cut through the water at a steady pace as the others begin to respond and react. Trik stands firm, though his shoulders curl in a bit and his expression falls again as Nata begins speaking. He looks first puzzled, like a dog that can’t understand why it’s being kicked, and then resigned, and then just tired. When Joben speaks up, though, he straightens up again ever so slightly, giving the other boy a grateful nod, and then - Yasu is at his side. Of course he is. A small, soft smile ghosts across his face at his best friend’s support, and he murmurs, “Yeah, me too.” Even taking a hand out of his hoodie pocket for a moment to pet Yasu’s hair. Sora is talking but though he looks up and listens to her, he doesn’t seem as affected as he was by Nata’s anger. And then Karl is next to him as well, and Jet too, on either side, holding him so tightly and Trik feels the odd sting of tears in his eyes for what must be the thousandth time over the last few weeks or however long it’s been. A lifetime, it feels like. He holds them, too - squeezes Jet’s hand back and says softly, “Don’t hurt her, she’s upset, no one has to get hurt.” and puts his other hand on Karl’s shoulder and, not for the first time, wishes he had another set of arms to pull Yasu closer with. If they could all be in one big hug for the foreseeable future, that’d be great. But there’s still a little more talking to be done. He hears Junji speak up on his behalf as well, and gives them another of his small hesitant smiles, like he’s still half-expecting to be attacked instead at any second. But that’s not going to happen now. His boys are with him, protecting him. It looks like he really… he really is safe. Jack has something to say but Trik appears neither bothered nor surprised by that. Why would he expect him to do anything but assume the worst at this point? It didn’t matter. What Teru has to say is far more important to him, and that’s it, everyone’s had a chance now, so it looks like it’s his turn to speak again. “Karl did confirm my innocence,” he says to Sora first, though she isn’t looking at him. He might as well explain. “And Jet and Yasu could have, too. They all know I stayed in one of their rooms every night for the entire game - and even the week before it. I hate bein’ alone. But how could I be sure you’d take that seriously after the last trial? Ya already knew we’d lie for each other, and I was scared.” This is easy, this is true. It’s also hard, it makes him anxious, but he doesn’t feel as vulnerable or exposed as he would have without Karl and Jet and Yasu around him. Without Joben and Junji and Teru supporting him. The next part is still a little harder, but Trik knows what to say. “No, Teru, I wouldn’t do that to you.” He shakes his head. “The first I heard the name mentioned was from UL, if it was brought up earlier I didn’t notice or I guess I must’ve forgot, but even then… we didn’t get given the opportunity to use anythin’ until the next trial, after Ayame’s body was found. Before that we didn’t even know the one responsible was one o’ us, so what was I supposed to say? ‘Hey for some reason my Da’s company got mentioned’? How would that have ended anythin’ sooner? For all I knew it wasn’t even relevant. All UL said was that ya found some info on it, which like, it’s a company, it sells products. Maybe some o’ them were bought for this place or left around, I didn’t know. An’ I didn’t understand what it had to do with anythin’ until the last trial an’ by then if I’d said somethin’…” He makes a little gesture towards the small group of doubters, though his gaze has moved to Nata, and he seems to be addressing her directly. “I do know how far ya said you’d go to get me back to my sister, but I trusted ya with personal stuff about me before an’ ya used it against me in public. And now you’re doin’ it again. We barely got it right as it is an’ you’re sayin’ it woulda been ‘better for me’ if my Da were guilty? He wasn’t. Sen was. This’s exactly what I meant when I said I was scared. If we’d gotten it wrong then we all might’ve died! That’s not exactly better for me! My Da isn’t here. He wouldn’t have been suspected, I would have, just because o’ the connection, an’ we would’ve spent the whole trial arguin’ that and gotten it wrong an’ probably died. I’m sorry I’m not the trustin’ sort, but we got confirmation it was Sen, we’re all alive and goin’ free now an’ ya still are actin’ like this… I’m used to people turning on me, I didn’t have any reason to think this would be different… but ya know…” He calms slowly, taking a deep breath and looking around at the ones who are supporting him, his friends, his loves, his family. “I guess it is.” He says softly, wonderingly even. There’s a strange feeling in his chest, a fullness that’s almost painful and even now so much is still new and alarming, but he thinks… this is okay. He can be okay with this. He isn’t the same person he was when all this started, and that’s a good thing, even if it hurts. “I just wish it had been different with you, too.” Trik looks to Nata again, and there’s no anger from him, no harshness, only disappointment mixing with resignation. “But I get it. It’s okay to be upset, we’re all upset. An’ Sen’s gone an’ ya weren’t satisfied with that solution, so ya want someone t’blame who’s here. Ya want to hate me. That’s fine, I’m used to that, too. So if it helps… go ahead an’ hate me. But know this - all those lives you’re talkin’ about? I didn’t take any o’ them. I didn’t kill a single person durin’ this game.” He pauses to take a deep breath and let it out in a cleansing sigh. “Anyway… that’s all. I don’t wanna argue anymore or talk anymore, I’m tired an’ the trial’s over an’ we got it right. I just wanna go home, an’ I’m sure everyone else does, too. So…” He tugs his boys back over to the seats they’d been clustered in and waits until they’re all seated and pressed together once more. “Let’s just do that. Let’s go home.”

[verdant-gardens]

Cold Iron | Endgame Part 3

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

As you all absorb everything that has just happened, a somewhat rushed and surreal end to an experience that felt like a lifetime, a silence settles briefly over the ferry. After any echoes from the destruction of Verdant Gardens have faded, someone finally speaks up.

“So, hey I… I didn’t want to say anythin’ during the trial, in case it derailed shit or made ya all suspect…” It’s Trik Sparks, standing up somewhat unsteadily from his seat near the front of the submarine. He clears his throat, looking around at you with an expression of open relief, and a touch of sheepishness.

“Look, I just want to explain that Iron Grip Industries couldn’t actually have had anythin’ to do with this. Like, ya all know Sen an’ Komugi are the ones who did this now, so… it should be safe to tell ya that I think Sen was tryin’ to frame me. See, Iron Grip Industries is actually my father’s company. Though it’s more of a conglomerate. It’s kind of a mega-corp, encompasses a lot o’ other companies an’ manufacturin’ and… ugh I won’t get into it, but bottom line is that among other shit it’s one o’ the biggest weapons manufacturin’ companies in the Western hemisphere, with some holdings in Japan. So it makes sense that Sen would want to take us out, especially if he was plannin’ on restartin’ with his own company, or buyin’ into Komugi’s. They could make a goddamn sickening fortune in the stock market if nothin’ else, with that kind o’ move. Destabilize a lot o’ shit.”

He’s talking a bit faster and his gaze moves between all of you and there’s something almost… pleading in it, as he meets each of your eyes.

“You guys understand why I didn’t bring it up earlier, right? I know I’ve told some lies an’ done some shit before, I wouldn’t blame any of ya for not trustin’ me, so I had to keep quiet. I had to make sure we stayed on the right track. And we did! We got it right! We’re all free now! So… that’s all. And I’m sorry I didn’t explain sooner, I was just… really scared. Okay? I admit it. I was scared. I didn’t want to lose anyone else.” Trik lets out a heavy breath, then runs a hand through his hair and grins hopefully around the room.

“Alright, glad that’s off my chest. Jesus. Uh, so, how’s everyone feelin’…?”

It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, if somewhat startling, and something about Trik’s demeanor and attitude really does seem in earnest. Convincing, even. And yet many of you feel as if there’s some sort of choice being posed here. It’s a simple question though, really, requiring only a simple answer to move on. Do you believe him, or not?

> BELIEVE HIM

> DON’T BELIEVE HIM

[verdant-gardens]

Escape | Endgame Part 2

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

“Feel free to ask questions if you don’t mind wasting your time, but I probably won’t answer, you’re all obviously smart enough to have figured this shit out anyway. Bye.”

And just like that, Sen’s image on the screen glitches and clicks off, replaced by a digital counter starting at 30:00 and going down… 29:59… 29:58…

All at once there’s a faint click! and the watches that have been on your wrists for the entirety of the game suddenly spring open, most falling off and dropping to the floor. Immediately after this there’s a hum and the sound of the elevator doors opening. The elevators have resumed operation, though the robots don’t make any effort to force the students into them. In fact, all around the city the bots have either disappeared or are in the process of zooming around, some clearly malfunctioning, running into walls or each other. None of them appear to have any interest in any of the class.

While there’s a clear and pressing time limit - the countdown is flashing on every screen you pass by - it’s possible to hurry and grab a few things or perhaps hastily pack together your more important luggage if you choose. Hanesuke is ready to go by the ocean entrance. In fact it seems he spent the trial gathering what he considered the important stuff. He’s furiously typing away on a computer in the lobby. Who knows what he’s doing but it doesn’t seem to be stopping the countdown. He’s not interested in saving the city it seems. Whatever the rest of you are doing with your less-than-thirty-minutes it’s a good idea not to linger too long.

Sooner or later you’ll all need to gather at the Ocean Entrance on the Shopping Center Level. True to what Ayame - or AIyame - said, there’s an undersea ferry, a submarine, waiting for you there that’s big enough to accommodate the whole class… so plenty of room for those of it who have survived. Filing on board, even with any luggage or belongings everyone has brought with them, there’s a strange sense of emptiness. The driver’s seat of the ferry is blocked off by a door, a separate part of the ship, but whether there’s anyone there or whether it’s being auto-piloted is uncertain. All you know is that this is it, this is your escape. The doors close once everyone is inside, and quickly and smoothly the sub slides into the water and out of the city… it doesn’t seem to be moving very fast, but there’s nevertheless plenty of distance between your vessel and the city when you see the first of the explosions go off.

Watching through the porthole windows of the undersea ferry, you see fire blooming impossibly under the waves. First through the windows of the dome, buildings and structures collapsing into flaming rubble, and then cracks in the dome itself. Fire shoots out in bursts quickly smothered by the water, the full force of the ocean crashing in and obliterating Verdant Gardens, turning it into just another wreckage graveyard at the bottom of the sea… while the survivors of the class are carried away into the depths.

[verdant-gardens]

The Final Countdown | Endgame Part 1

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

After the long pause wherein you all have a chance to talk and regain some bearings, the screens flicker on again, this time with a different but still familiar face. Sen Tamatsuki, the apparent Mastermind himself.

“I really didn’t expect you all to figure it out, especially with the steps I took to frame… well, it doesn’t matter now. Cat’s out of the bag. I was planning on wrapping things up after this but Ayame somehow locked in some of the programming, and now there’s a countdown that looks like it’s connected to the explosives rigged around the city. You all have about half an hour to get out, guess you’d better hope that sub is waiting for you at the Dock. You can sure try swimming if you don’t mind the fact that we’re at the bottom of the ocean and you’d drown in seconds, or you can stay here and blow up if you’d prefer, have fun with that.”

“As for me… I’m going to try to override the lockout to get myself uploaded back into one of the robots, otherwise my execution will be the servers blowing up along with everything else. I hope you all weren’t expecting something more theatrical.”

[verdant-gardens]

Last Minute Lore(tm) | Trik and Jack | Trial Results + Angery Argument

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

Yasu needs comfort and Trik has priorities, so he ignores everything that isn’t his best friend or the screens around them. It seems like the time for the trial has run out, and his heart is pounding so hard in his chest that he can feel it in his throat. Even as he strokes Yasu’s hair and murmurs soft reassuring things to him, Trik’s eyes keep darting around the screens anxiously. The theories felt right, or at least plausible, but… was it Sen, or Komugi? Should he have voted for her instead of him?

The uncertainty lasts until Ayame appears on the screen, announcing the results… he wrinkles his nose a bit as she glitches out, and then sags with relief at the final verdict. So they were right! It was Sen! Duh, of course that was right. Now he felt foolish for even being worried, ugh, and if there was anything still questionable going on then… whatever, they could worry about it later. It was weird that they didn’t get more of an explanation, and that they were just being let go… but Trik is so fucking ready to be out of here that he doesn’t want to think of anything else. Probably just lingering paranoia.

“This is all fucked up, but Sora’s right. Much as I’d like to sweep this traumatic shit under the rug, I can’t. Like, partially ‘cause I’m down a fuckin’ eye an’ that’s gonna be a reminder every single second of every goddamn day, but also you’ve all like… had some serious emotional impacts on me. I think I might have grown as a person a wee bit an’ I blame all of you.” His tone is wry, but there’s a faint grin tugging at his lips as he helps guide Yasu to his feet again.

“So, and I swear this ain’t sarcastic, thank you. All o’ ya.” He gives warm nods around to all his classmates… almost all of them, anyway.

“Except you Giorno, you can choke.” Trik’s smile drops and his expression becomes a cold blank slate that he directs towards Jack. “Ya wanna dish out threats? Okay. Cool. Ya wanna murder me like ya murdered your own brother, Mr. DiCosta? I don’t really feel the need to keep your secret, actually, now that it comes to it, you filthy hypocritical traitor. Teru deserves to know the trash they’re holdin’ hands with. Your brother avenged your mum after your dad murdered her for tryin’ to leave him, an’ like a chip off the old block ya go an’ kill your brother too. Good fuckin’ job. Y'know, where I’m from, killin’ your siblings is heavily frowned upon.”

There’s a brief pause as he waits for that to sink in, Trik’s eyes narrowed and his tone is wry and disdainful as he continues.

“Now, I ain’t gonna attack ya, 'cause for whatever reason they like you. But if ya attack me, I will fight back. An’ what I said before still stands. I don’t care if you’re scared o’ me or not, I don’t need ya to be scared, I really cannot emphasize enough how much I do not care about a single one o’ your feelings or opinions. Anyone who would side with a domestic abuser over their own brother is not someone I’m impressed by. So as long as ya just make Teru happy, I’ll go about my life pretendin’ ya don’t exist. Don’t reply to me. Don’t talk to me. Either square up an’ come at me or just nod an’ go about your business. Anythin’ else is a waste of my time an’ yours. Oh, by the way- Teru, if ya ever get tired o’ this asshole, I got friends in the FBI who would probably love to put fratricidal garbage like him in prison. Fun fact, I’ve put a lot o’ criminals in prison. So y'know, that’d be no problem.”

Jack raises an eyebrow. So he really was going for it, huh? Really going to take that bait? How intriguing. He listens, an unimpressed look glazed over his face. At least, only for a moment. As the pyrotechnician continues, his expression contorts and he’s taken aback for a moment.

“Me, a traitor? I’m anything but!” He hisses, squeezing the hand in his own once more to keep himself at bay. “What, is that bologna seriously what th’damn dongle gave ya? M’dad was a good dad! He loved us! What are you fucking supposed tah do when you find your brother hanging over one of tha only people you’ve ever really loved with a knife, hah? He was the traitor. He was the one that betrayed my trust. So maybe that’s why I’m so skeptical about ya after last trial, ya fuckin’ Leprechaun.” He pauses for a moment, letting himself inhale deeply, to push any sort of rage away. Right now wasn’t the time to fight, despite desperately wanting to punch something, anything at all. His eye flickers down to the floor as his feet shift slightly, giving himself more sense of balance.

“And besides, he didn’t… M’dad didn’t kill m’mom over somethin’ petty like that. She betrayed us, betrayed th’family somehow, so she fuckin’ deserved it. That’s what he told me. He wouldn’t lie tah me about that.” His grip around Teru’s hand remains firm. The last thing he wanted was for some prick’s misconstrued information on him change anything here. “Though it’s a small group, almost everyone I’ve ever loved’s been taken away from me and I ain’t lettin’ ya do it to me again.”

Trik is still glaring, though he’s also still holding up Yasu. And as Jack talks his expression shifts to one of incredulity, and then a mixture of that and pity.

“Wait, seriously?” He tilts his head, eyebrows raising, “Ya seriously didn’t know your dad was a terrible fuckin’ person? Seriously? There was no reason for the info on that drive to be fake, I know for sure some was real, an’ you’re tryin’ to tell me your dad wouldn’t lie to ya but he made up some vague bullshit about her betrayin’ ya "somehow” an’, what, it never once occurred to ya that lack o’ detail was suspicious? Or that maybe your brother had a reason for killin’ him? Jesus and Mary. Did ya even ask your brother what happened? Did ya ever look into any of it? Or did ya just take a murderer’s word for everythin’ like a goddamn sucker? 'Oh sure I murdered your mum but she betrayed us so it’s fine, don’t ask how or why.’ Are you stupid? I ain’t tryin’ to take anyone from ya, I’m tryin’ to make sure someone who my friend is attached to isn’t gonna treat them the way your dad apparently treated his partners. An’ maybe if ya actually had two brain cells to rub together an’ used them ya wouldn’t have lost almost everyone ya loved, maybe you’d still have your brother if ya bothered to stop and think for five minutes. He didn’t betray you, but you didn’t even hesitate to murder him, did you? Wow. Just, fucking wow.“

At that point, Jack’s exasperation could only grow, before falling flat into pure disinterest.

“…You don’t fuckin’ know anything about m’family and the way I grew up so I’d suggest ya stop implyin’ I’m an idiot when I gotta be on m’tip-toes on who I trust constantly!” Jack groans, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “As I took it, Betrayal in a fuckin’ American mafia family can be a valid reason fer death. So fuck you for thinkin’ I should’ve questioned it. And what, would you fuckin’ stop and ask someone why they killed yer boyfriend, or any of yer family that you love, if ya just walked in on em doin’ such? No you fuckin’ wouldn’t, would ya? And even if m’dad did do shit like that, fuck you for assuming I’d ever do tha same. My dad loved tha both of us and maybe if my brother tried fucking talking tah me maybe I’d still have them both! I ain’t the one at fault here, I’m not a fucking imbecile! Quit tryna start shit. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna be the adult here, Love, and quit taking up to yer bullshit.”

"I’m sorry, fuck me for thinkin’ you should question why your own mother was murdered? Do ya even hear yourself?” Trik snaps right back, “I can’t believe your whole argument here is "sometimes murder is valid” like, yikes. So ya gotta 'be on your toes’ about who ya trust unless that person is your murderous father who is also apparently a criminal that loved his kids so much he made them complicit in his crimes. Yeah, you’re so wary but you trusted him without question. No, whatever, ya wanna add ignorant to brother-killer, have fun with that, ain’t my job to help ya work through your denial.  That’s your business. You say fuck me for assuming anythin’ about you an’ then turn right around an’ assume shit about me. You didn’t attack “someone” standing over your dad, you attacked your brother. And for your information I would actually not immediately murder my sister, or anyone else I love with no questions asked, if I saw her standing over someone’s body, no matter whose it was. But sure, you’re the adult here whining about how it’s not your fault you murdered your brother. I don’t know who ya think you’re kiddin’ here, or if you’re just tryin’ to convince yourself, an’ I don’t care. I already told ya to stop talkin’ to me or make good on those little threats of yours. So please, by all means, shut the fuck up.“ And with that he pointedly turns his attention back to Yasu, albeit keeping his right side towards Jack so he’ll still be in his peripherals.

Jack narrows his eyes once again, but does not speak. He isn’t about to pull back on his own remark, no, not when that’d make him look like a fool.  He asked for this, anyways, did he not? There were no regrets or arguments left. He couldn’t keep saying that 'you don’t get it’ despite that being the truth, as far as he was concerned. A cycle of the same thing over and over in front of so many people was the last thing he needed. His eyes, full of rage, only seem to simmer when he turns back to Teru to whisper something to them. They… they needed to hear this, but they didn’t need to see it.

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

“Time is up. The votes are in.”

Sen Tamatsuki - 4

Komugi Kururugi - 1

For a moment, she looks… sad. Disappointed almost. She opens her mouth to speak, then looks pained. The screen glitches, and her expression changes.

“I’m back~! Did you think putting me in the corner would change anything, TERU-chan? It’s not like you children are the only ones here…. oops! Almost gave away the surprise, ehehe… Although, I suppose some of you started to figure things out.”

“Too bad for me, I won’t get to see another death. You voted in the correct way. In a few moments, a submarine will be coming to take you all away. Good luck~”

[verdant-gardens]

Paranormal Activity | Trik | Re: Nata, Junji, Sora, Joben, Yasu, Karl

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

“I know it sounds super crazy, but… it does all fit, doesn’t it?” Trik nods towards Nata, “An’ like, even if some o’ ya still don’t buy into the ghost shit… that doesn’t mean that Sen or Komugi or both didn’t. Ayame’s dead, and Ayame’s in the computer. Apparently both an AI o’ her, and the real thing who’s tryin’ to help us.” It’s all pretty wild and he knows exactly how it sounds, but he also knows what he’s seen with the ouija boards. Different ouija boards used with and by different people to talk to different ghosts, but it had worked each time. Unless everyone was somehow in on this gag, it had to be true.

Which meant this wild theory could be, too.

“Don’t say that, Nata, we’re not gonna get it wrong.” Trik smacks a hand against his podium, frowning obstinately, “Even if we did, ya can’t just… sacrifice yourself like that, ya found more o’ this evidence stuff than any of us, we need you.”

Junji speaks up again, drawing his attention, and they’re making a surprising amount of sense. He’s not sure how right they are, but it’s at least on topic and has some solid reasoning, go shark kid.

“That’s a good point, too. She did have some pretty fancy prosthetics an’… hang on…” Trik trails off, then suddenly starts tapping at his wrist watch, opening up the roster app, “Hang on hang on - ah! Komugi Kururugi… fuck! Her dad owns an electronics and robotics company! Are you fucking kidding me, this has been here this whole time!?” Trik groans and presses his hands over his face. Of course. No wonder she’d been treating them all like they were idiots.

“I don’t remember everythin’ she said, I think I stopped payin’ attention ‘cause a lot was pure bullshit. She was definitely lyin’ about how she did the whole murder thing, wouldn’t surprise me if she lied about everythin’ else, too - but one thing does bug me… the graffiti in Goddess-chan’s room. Anyone else see that? Or remember it? I did bring it up back then. Komugi kept sayin’ she had no idea how Amami was involved, but she obviously killed her too, an’ the graffiti in her room matched paint cans in Komugi’s. It had to be her, an’ she would’ve had to paint that up before investigations started, which means she probably had a way o’ unlockin’ Amami’s door. So, if nothin’ else… I’m bettin’ the key was for real. Which, yeah, real fuckin’ suspicious thing to have. Just saying.”

It makes sense, it does, it’s all coming together. Confusing rollercoaster that it is… so many things just fit.

“Yasu, that’s… not a bad theory. It’s obvious the ones behind this definitely got control on the mind. There’s probably multiple reasons for doin’ this an’ for doin’ it the way they have - or maybe they’re just assholes. Either way…” He glances to Karl and nods, “Yeah. I think that’s gotta be the answer. Sen’s the one behind it an’ Komugi was an accomplice or partner or mole or whatever ya wanna call it.”

Some of Trik’s ramped up energy deflates and he presses a button on his podium with grim determination, then shuffles around UL’s hologram and podium to lean down and gently pet Yasu’s hair.

[verdant-gardens]

Wait That Unlocked A Memory | Trik | Re: Teru, Jack, Junji, Nata, Karl, Sora

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

Teru starts talking, their animation and energy is contagious and Trik listens with his eyebrows rising. It’s pretty wild, but it’s building off one of his theories as well… seems like some of what they’re throwing at the wall really might be sticking now. It also seems like Teru is doing more than throwing at the wall, they’ve really thought this out, and given that Trik has already accepted the Ghosts Are Real premise the rest of it isn’t that huge of a leap.

“Fuck… fuck that all sounds… right, like, you’re definitely on to somethin’ there. Oh shit an’ if he is plannin’ on switchin’ to a new company or whatever then like, that could be what that weird new logo thing is for? It’s not exactly good though, should probably consider hirin’ a graphic designer. But hell, maybe he’s got another back-up company or somethin’ too. Maybe he’s even tankin’ his old company on purpose to make way for the new one?” Trik suggests, on a roll now as he gestures excitedly. Bruh we share the same mentality. Jack scarcely gets a glance, the kind of disdainful side-glance that’s so heavily sarcastic and dismissive it really speaks for itself. 

“Everythin’ ya say just makes me think about what ya did. If Teru weren’t so fond o’ ya I’d tell everyone exactly how disgustin’ ya really are. Can’t believe I ever liked ya. Makes me sick to think about.” He shakes his head like a disapproving judge, and turns his attention to Junji instead.

“Wait… Komugi!” Trik straightens up and bops his palm against his forehead - proceeding to wince because his head is still a bit sensitive from, you know, major injury. “Shit- but that’s right, Komugi even told us all how she caused an explosion! An’ she had traces o’ chemicals in her room that could be used for explosives! Karl an’ I found ‘em durin’ that second investigation!” He can’t believe he forgot all this, but then, it had been quite some time ago now and he hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to her at all before her rollercoaster trial.

“Didn’t she also say somethin’ about havin’ a master key right before she was executed? Like that let her get into any room? That’s pretty fuckin’ weird, right? I never tried to speak to her ghost either but she died later then Sen so she coulda been fuckin’ with stuff while she was still alive and - Oh fuck, an’ was… I think she wore pearl earrings, too.” Trik is practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing lightly on his heels as it all comes back to him.

Everything Nata and Sora are saying keeps slotting in, he really feels like they’re putting things together here, at last, and he points at them excitedly, and then at Teru.

“You’re right! I mean, not the turning us into robots but like Teru said they could be usin’ us to experiment with shit! We’re goddamn lab rats!”

It’s only Karl’s point that makes him deflate a little, but Sora has an answer for that too, and Trik really hopes she’s right.

“Even if they don’t show up, if we get this right then maybe whatever programmin’ they left in place will kick in an’ let us out or somethin’? I dunno how it works but it sounds like real Ayame hijacked the system, so!”

[verdant-gardens]

Beyond the Veil | Trik | Re: Nata, Teru, Karl, Sora

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

Nata shouting is pretty justified actually, Trik was surprised at the pause that seemed to fall over the group. Some people were normally quiet during trials, but this was different than before, and she was right. It wasn’t fair to rely on two or three of them to solve everything…

Trik has also developed enough sense to look a bit sheepish at Teru’s response.

“Okay, fair point. I’ve got more reason than that to question her credibility, but I am in a glass house over here, so I’ll back off.” He even shoots Sora a somewhat apologetic glance, or what passes for one on him. Though he does tilt his head at her comment. “Actually I already knew that and I’m fine with it? I like Teru, an’ they like "Jack” for whatever reason, so. Yay for their proved innocence I guess.“ He actually does finger quotes when he says Jack’s name.

"Anyway, even if ya didn’t bring more earrings, Karl is right, there’s a jewelry store in the shopping center, anyone could’ve got pearls from there. Maybe it was even planted or something. I’m just throwin’ stuff at the wall to see what sticks. An’ don’t worry, I won’t go spreadin’ your business around unless I really think it’s necessary. I know you’re pissed at me an’ ya got a right to be, but I still like you.” He shrugs and leans on his podium, glancing around the room again, his gaze thoughtful as he examines his classmates. And the empty podiums as well. One of them… could it really be one of them…? It was so wild to think about. And yet…

“Sen’s spirit was definitely there at one point… Sora an’ I talked to him an’ Souko not long after the first trial. But here’s what confuses me - Ayame’s apparently been dead like, this whole time, right? But her ghost has also been missin’ this whole time, accordin’ to Kotone. An’ Teru tells us there was a programmed version o’ her so… this may be a wild genre-bending theory, but if Ayame’s really a ghost in the machine, if ya follow, then maybe Sen is, too? Maybe he didn’t fake his death, but… Souko said he wanted to die, right? He basically let her kill him. He planned it. What if the reason he was so gung ho for that was… he’d already prepared a program for his own ghost to inhabit. Ayame was the prototype, Sen’s the finished product. Just a theory. But it kinda explains why he’d suddenly disappear, doesn’t it?”

[verdant-gardens]

Probably The Worst Person To Have Found That Particular Thing | Trik | Re: Nata, Sora, Teru ATTN: Everyone, Sora

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

The latest ‘motive’ was a pretty big deviation from the established pattern - not that Trik was complaining. It was a hell of a lot better than nightmarish hallucinations or loved ones being threatened. Kind of sucked for Ayame, but he hadn’t known her well before this apparently-fake version of her started telling them all to kill each other, so it’s hard to muster up much horror or dismay. It’s much easier to feel optimistic, especially with the prospect of freedom ahead of them all at last. At last. Being able to leave this place… he can hardly wait.

Of course it’s not actually that simple. First they have to go through this whole trial process again, but hey, at least now they have plenty of practice. Most of Trik’s investigation had been taken up by some drama though, and near the end he’d hurried to find Karl and get him in his wheelchair so he wouldn’t be on his still healing feet for the whole trial. He takes his place at his own podium only after getting Karl to his, and giving him a quick parting kiss.

Eager to get to the Going Home part, Trik pays attention to everything being said, and Nata is in top form as usual.

“I didn’t find much myself,” He speaks up, “Had to talk to a few people so that kinda dragged me down, and I’ve been a bit slower than usual cause o’ the whole injury an’ pain meds thing. Sounds like Nata did the heavy liftin’ here anyway.” Probably he’d just been too slow, he can imagine she’d gotten the scoop on most of them. But maybe not on everything.

“Dunno if anyone else saw it, or even how relevant it is, but… there was a flash drive in the server room, I plugged it into the computer in my room, a lot o’ the files wouldn’t open, probably corrupted or somethin’, but one did an’ it was a list of everyone’s secrets.” Trik fidgets around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out and holding up a thumb drive, which he sets on top of his podium. “Sorry to say I deleted it, so ya won’t find it there now. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do, but… if ya saw what some o’ those secrets were… well, I know at least some o’ ya understand why. It’s probably not much help anyway though - none of them mentioned anythin’ about startin’ this game or Iron Grip or Ayame. At most they show a few people here are definitely capable of lyin’ or killin’ people or both,” His gaze flicks around the room to a few faces in particular, but doesn’t linger long enough to track, “But… that’s about it. Plus if someone here’s really behind this they coulda easily put down a fake secret too for all I know, not like we got any way to verify. I will say this though - Sen’s secret was that he apparently sold weapons he designed to criminal organizations. It said it was real high tech shit that could bypass scanners, too, which is pretty wild. Oh, also, Nata an’ I tried talkin’ to Kotone a few days ago as well an’ she also said somethin’ about Ayame an’ Sen not bein’ there or bein’ gone, so I can confirm that, too.”

Frowning, he taps his fingers against his podium, glancing around and staring at Sora with an incredulous expression as she levels her attention towards Karl.

“Seriously…? Listen, Karl hasn’t left. I’m pretty sure I woulda noticed that, considerin’ how much time we spend together. Me an’ him an’ Jet have been stayin’ in Jet’s room for the last… ah…” Trik blinks, “While. Since before the last motive, I think. I’m bad at time, okay? Anyway, I don’t sleep that deep, an’ if I’d noticed him sneakin’ out to do secret submarine trips or whatever ya better believe I would’ve said somethin’ waaayyy earlier. I do got a limit on what I’m willin’ to overlook, believe it or not, an’ if I thought he was behind the whole threatening my sister thing I wouldn’t have stayed quiet. So I don’t know what this party stuff is about, but I definitely don’t believe it means Karl’s got anythin’ to do with this. Do ya have that receipt with ya? Does it have a date an’ time on it? I’m especially interested to know since you’ve made up evidence before. Oh yeah, speakin’ o’ that, you’re also the only one here I’ve seen wear pearls. Didn’t ya break one durin’ the last trial for that fake out thing? I think it was from a bracelet but that doesn’t mean ya don’t have earrings, too.”

[verdant-gardens]

Long Road Home | Trial Five Start

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

A soft bell chimes, and Ayame appears. The sadder one, the softer one. She takes a breath before speaking.

“It’s time. Please proceed to the elevators. This won’t be too different from normal. Except… soon you will be able to leave.”

Just like usual, the security bots soon show up to help you along, albeit less violently than before.

The elevator descends, the doors open. In the trial room, the holograms of your dead classmates still greet you, memories of what has happened here staring you right in the face. But soon it will be over. Soon you can go home.

If you win, that is.

[verdant-gardens]

End of the World | CH5 ‘Motive’

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

Right on schedule, the screens turn on a few days after the execution. However, Ayame’s face wasn’t filled with glee in response to the students’ suffering. Instead, she looked sad, even mournful. And it wasn’t another motive that her words promised.

“Students…. someone among you has… has betrayed you. They were the one who set this up, who made you all do this. They…. they killed me.”

The screen changes, showing an image of Ayame lying on the floor, a huge wound in her chest. Her corpse looks older than that of the recently-killed classmates.

“But… this can all end soon. If you find them, the one who did this, the one who killed me. Find them, and this can end. Gh - ” She cries out in pain, and the screen glitches like it had a few times in the past before shutting off.

[verdant-gardens]

Sunset | Trik | Trial End/Execution Reaction

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

It hurts. What Nata says, her words, they hurt, and Trik is no stranger to pain in any and all forms, but this… he laughs again. He can’t help it, it spills out all ragged and nervous, a frothy mess of giggles and sharp bursts and wheezing gasps. It’s just all so fucking horrible and funny and he can’t stand it. Literally cannot stand it, he sags and has to lean against the nearest podium - Yasu’s - and presses his hands over his face, shoulders shaking, and stays like that until he feels like he can breathe again.

This, he thinks, is exactly what he deserves.

God, there’s just so much, so much he could say, but he can’t. He doesn’t want to anyway, because what’s the point? Everything he does is wrong, always, that’s the habit he got into and it seems it’s not one he can break. Even when he finally kind of wants to. And isn’t that the funniest thing? Irony. What an asshole.

Undead Lullaby is dying. Trik didn’t even see the part when he was dragged off, but there he is, running around a video game set for all of them to see. It’s all a huge joke, and the only thing that keeps Trik from sinking into laughter again is that he has to help Yasu.

Feelings. Ugh.

He latches on to his dog boy, wraps his arms around Yasu’s head and hugs it firmly to his chest, keeps him from stolidly walking across the court room to do anything stupid. Keeps him blind to what’s happening to UL. Satoshi. That guy. When it’s all over and the elevator pings on, with for once no closing statements from Ayame, Trik shuffles over, dragging Yasu along with Clare’s help until he can drop him onto Karl’s lap and wheel them both onto the elevator, hissing at anyone else who comes close to stay back, wait their turn, don’t crowd the claustrophobic boy who just had to lose his boyfriend wasn’t that enough? Fuck off.

Fuck everything.

[verdant-gardens]

My Dear Sun | Chapter 4 Execution

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

Satoshi stands in the middle of an arena wearing mail and a tabard with a sun. Confused he lifts his hands looking at the shining chainmail, and his eyes slowly widen as he realizes what is going on.

The room vibrates with a chorus of moans, and from the shadows rise hollow undead. Their eyes are empty sockets, and they are little more than leather covering bones as they shuffle towards Satoshi.

“Shit!” He backs up and nearly trips over a long sword. He grabs it and holds the plain looking weapon up when another hollow reaches for him. Lifting up his sword he tries to take advantage of the hollow’s reckless attack, but another knocks him to the ground.

From the wall a small crowd of desiccated undead babies burst forth, mouths open in silent wailing. One of them then pulls out a card with the word “n00b” written on it.

Gritting his teeth Satoshi kicks away his next attacker, and drops his sword as he desperately tries to run.

Claws dig into his side, and he bites back tears and he is able to dodge the next attack.

He can see the sun rising in the east.

Teeth sink into his shoulder, and Satoshi can only feel sick as the strange messengers are back again. Only this time the mummified babies are all holding signs saying “Git Gud”

“Shut up!” Satoshi shouted defensively, and changed his course to run towards the sun.

The confused messengers share glances and then all shrug.

The closer Satoshi gets to the sun the more it burns, and each breath gets more painful, but the creatures of the darkness don’t properly fear the sun.

Gnarled fingers grab him from both sides, and he feels a boney arm grab him in a choke hold.

He claws desperately at the leathery hide, but the grip only tightens.

The sun dims, and the ground beneath him melts into liquid darkness. His screams as the hollows let him go, and the darkness continues to pull him down. Like hollywood quicksand Satoshi has no chance, and the darkness envelopes him.

The messengers cheer and hold up cards like a morbid judges panel.

The cards all say “YOU DIED”

Satoshi Tsuzuki, SHSL Video Game Lore Expert, has been executed

[verdant-gardens]

No Right Answer | Trik | Re: Vote Results, Sora, Nata, Joben, Etc ATTN: Undead Lullaby

[triksparks]

verdant-gardens‌:

Trik doesn’t say anything else, just stays curled up in Karl’s arms, only semi-humoring Nata’s second attempt at checks. There’s nothing else he can say at this point that wouldn’t be meaningless repetition. He’s done everything he can. And it’s… just barely… not enough. The results come out and Trik’s gaze immediately flies to Yasu. One of the votes was for him, had he…? Did that mean he…? Whatever emotion is welling up stalls when Sora starts addressing him, and his attention transfers to her. He blinks at her, his head tilting, as if he were trying to decipher something in her words. At the reveal of the fake tooth he snorts, and then laughs. “Oh, pretty clever! Jesus and Mary, imagine if you were wrong! And you must’ve thought you could be, what a risk, that’s so gutsy! Bravo!” His voice is full of genuine admiration, although his amusement fades fast, flickers into a sigh. And it’s Nata that he looks at next, his expression… somewhere between confused, conflicted, and tired. “It wouldn’t have gotten everyone killed. I wasn’t even trying to kill Joben, I like Joben. I thought you guys were just being dramatic… Did you… really forget the rule? Ayame said it herself forever ago, if we get it wrong, someone random gets punished. One person. At random. Not who we vote for, and definitely not all of us.” He shifts a bit, starting to pick at his nails as he continues. “And it was still a risk, believe me, I know, but I… I had to, because… it’s my fault. Yasu and Karl were both ready to go from day one, they only waited because I asked them to, because I was scared of losing them. I hoped someone else would act, and someone did. You said the killer chose this, but he didn’t. He didn’t choose to die, he didn’t choose to be in this place, the only thing he chose was to save his sister - it wasn’t his fault the only way to do that was to kill someone. UL made the choice the rest of us were too scared to, he was brave while the rest of us were cowards, and now he has to be punished for that? When it wasn’t his fault he was forced into that choice in the first place? When all of us benefit from it? How is that fair? And it’s my fault. I held Yasu and Karl off because I didn’t want any of us to lose someone we loved… but now, because of that… Yasu’s losing someone he loves. He was ready to act to protect his family, and mine, and me, and Karl - he would have risked his life to make sure everyone I love was safe. So how… how could I do any less…? I meant what I said, I don’t even like UL much, and I wouldn’t have been happy if we’d got it wrong, no matter who else was picked. But I had to try. I’m a liar, and a traitor, that’s all true, but if I hadn’t betrayed you then I’d be betraying Yasu. Hate me if you want, I’m fine with that, but…” Trik’s voice is low and calm, though there’s still a puzzled, slow quality to it, as if he’s still coming to terms with all of this himself. It feels so strange, having to explain what had been a split second, almost intuitive choice. He honestly hadn’t known it was UL until the injuries had been discovered and then it was just - My fault - Yasu will be hurt - Maybe I can fix it. And the rest had been… he doesn’t do things halfway. If he’s in, he’s all in, that’s all there is to it. “I’m not angry at any of you. You did what you had to. So did I. So did UL, and Karl, and Yasu… I’m sure it’s harder to understand from your positions. But what I really don’t get is… why are you… acting like you won some sort of competition…? This wasn’t us trying to pull one over on you to feel smart. We were trying to save UL’s life. Maybe it meant risking ourselves and you too, but… I don’t know. I don’t know anymore. I have all these feelings I’ve never really had before and it’s really confusing, but for once in my life I wanted to do something that… felt right. And maybe it was actually wrong. If I ever had a moral compass it’s probably broken all to hell, so that doesn’t surprise me. But I couldn’t watch my best friend’s boyfriend get put on the chopping block, when all he was guilty of was being forced into an impossible choice the rest of us were too chickenshit to make, and not do something. So… I’m sorry for hurting people, I didn’t actually want to do that. But I did. I don’t know what else you expect me to say.“ After a moment, Trik takes another deep breath and slides off Karl’s lap, murmuring softly to him before he gets to his feet and walks around the courtroom to stand in front of Undead Lullaby and Yasu. “I’m sorry… Yasu, I’m sorry things happened like this. And UL… I’m sorry about this whole shitshow. I couldn’t save you, but if… if there’s anything else you want - assuming we somehow miraculously escape this place… is there anything else I could do for you? Set up a college fund for your sister, or something?” He looks Extremely Awkward and Uncomfortable, but he’s trying.