FINALE

[whimsicalism]

End of the Tale

It's... over. Mostly, anyway. A decision has reluctantly been made by the group about the doll that started this mess and it seems that, perhaps, it's time to at least get a grip on what's going to come next. Not just for you but for everyone here. Nanami has cleared the way to the Academy and the Little Brothers are there to lend hands if needed against any stray monsters.

Take a deep breath of sea air. It's been a stressful seven weeks but maybe you'll be able to put all this behind you for good soon. It might take days, weeks, months, or even years yet... It's a small comfort but when the night comes it's a moonless night.

It seems the game of the Kaguya Doll is truly over for good.

OOC

Thank you for your participation in Round 2, everyone! This is your golden ending log. You may celebrate, cry, mock Kakuya or Father. Father is still in his cube and the sheep aren't exactly happy with him and will bring him up for you to throw water at. This is a post purely for Round 2. Tomorrow at 12 PST/3 EST we will be posting a reunion post for R1, R2, and castmates either played by other players in this game or NPCed by them. We hope you've enjoyed this round as much as we have.

Comments

there's a school uniform prompt and an off-the-chain iron maiden prompt in case you need 2 avoid

[holyironmade]

[Once the children have split up (particularly when it's verified that nothing funny happened during a certain five minute period), Jeanne is MIA for a good amount of time. It seems that she snuck off to take a nice long ablution of some sort, considering that there is a scent of lilacs over the expected odor of white roses. She had spent that whole confrontation in her vestless dress and with hair rather askew from recently being tossed out of Kakuriyo.

So a fresh option brought itself to her attention readily enough... the school uniform. She is pottering about the school gathering stuff in her little red backpack. It's really just like old times. Shamash is with her in medium-sized form. He is finally a little responsive, for example pointing his finger towards potential errors in Jeanne's letter. She's gathering stuff from her room, the memorial, the playground shed that served as the church, the classroom where she is also sitting at her desk looking over stuff in a notebook and writing some kind of letter, and the library, which is also a great place to stare meaningfully through the rungs of a ladder and think about the fact that she garroted a guy.]

---

[At some point after visiting the memorial, particularly on the ocean platform, she can be seen with the iron maiden finger trap on her left ring finger. A faint golden glow, similar to the accompanying Shamash himself, indicates that she is being healed continuously and will not scar. But you don't actually see her in this form for all that long at a time.]

Shamash! Partially Integrate in! Iron Maiden Finger Trap! New Oversoul: Thorn Maiden!

[Then she transforms into an outfit. The innermost layer is a very long magenta blouse-and-trousers set; the fabric is light and forms a loose puffy shape around the limbs, but is definitely opaque and solidly soft. Copper metal is the main additional material, similar to the iron maiden finger trap, but the spikes are pointing outward. Spiked boots, a lemniscate (cursive J) spiked collar that loops around her neck and her voluminous hair, and a bizarre spiked overdress. There's shoulder and elbow joints in the armor over the sleeves, some kind of X-shape over the chest underneath a bar covering the collarbone, and a wide, heavy skirt that suggests rose petals. Topping it all off is an intricate, glittering silver tiara with a crown-of-thorns motif. It is the terrifying fever dream of a cult survivor horse girl. The patterns might be physically impossible without magical energy induced floating.

While of course you can approach her just standing around like this, I can't overstate that she can be heard saying this dialogue several different times because she's going to have to re-transform every time someone wants to hug her or whatever. And there's quite a lot of time for that. Anyone can tell that Jeanne has not yet decided where she will go next.]

Memorial Wall

[violence_ensues]

[Adorabat manages to catch Jeanne at the Memorial wall she's been doing. She looks at Jeanne, then to the memorial wall. "NOT A MONSTIR".

Adorabat... still has a lot of mixed feelings. She understands that Jeanne did what she did to try and bring everyone back, but on the other wing... Big Bro was dead for a while. Adorabat can't just be angry.]

...I hope you like what I put for the memorial wall for you...

[holyironmade]

[Jeanne seems rather dead inside to be around the wall like this, meets Adorabat with blank eyes. What is the sunset for Carrie supposed to represent, the moment that the big bad vampires come out to play? It's not ugly or mean, far from it, but part of why Jeanne took her actions was because she thought there was no other way to break the cycle of trite afterparties that put a superhero-logo bandaid on their suffering. She leans down and picks up the finger trap, cradling it in her hand, looking down at it.]

You know, I was convinced for a moment that as ghosts we would possess these objects you so kindly prepared for us. It was a nice thought.

CW: Vague Mao Mao Spoilers

[violence_ensues]

[Adorabat's eyes drift to the weird finger trap thingy. Ghosts... Adorabat barely comprehends the concept. She's dealt with monsters and magic before, but she's never really had the chance to get to know what ghosts are. She was vaguely told the concept of ghosts, but nothing more than that.

As for possession, she's been through it twice now, apparently. She understands that concept more. Adorabat pokes Jeanne with a wing.]

But don't you want to be able to move? The things people put down aren't really able to...

[holyironmade]

We did not seem to have any better choices.

[She stares at Adorabat, clearly not taking well to being poked either.]

We had been killed. Our flautist ally had actually been manipulating us all along. That seemed worth conveying at any cost. I thought we were like her, could pass through things, but because we hadn't been able to do so yet, could not just pick a classmate's body and needed objects with which we had a personal connection.

[violence_ensues]

Oh. Yeah, That makes sense. Especially with the Heartscape showing Ao being shoved through the mirror.

[Adorabat rubs the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed. Not because of the poking thing, though. She has zero tact in order to register that was a wrong thing to do.]

The magic here is so different then what I'm used to at back at home... 'n I believe it's different in your world, too. In everyone's world. I dunno if I'm able to, but... maybe we can find some way to bring the Belief Magic back to our homes...? It's actually really cool. ...Or maybe your bringing people to life magic back to my world.

[holyironmade]

Cool? Perhaps this is because I did not see your grand battle, but it seems terrible to me. This belief magic. If there are no rules, then there are no limits. If we are toys to put back together at will, then we can be broken again. Is that not how Kakuya was able to come up with the most terrible things possible to threaten us? Is that not happening as we speak in that castle?

[Shamash speaks. His voice is like an evil cartoon baby.]

No kiss.

[violence_ensues]

Well, a hero doesn't torture innocent civilians or other heroes. Or other sheriffs! Then, they wouldn't be a hero at all, and I wanna be a hero!

[Adorabat turns to Shamash.]

Huh...? But why not?

cw graphic description of harm

[holyironmade]

[Jeanne leans in towards Shamash and they exchange words. Jeanne looks to Adorabat.]

What happened after your mother was killed? Was she buried? Cremated? God forbid... eaten?

CW: Mao Mao Spoilers

[violence_ensues]

[Adorabat pauses. She knows her mother died, she saw her get attacked by the monster, but... she didn't exactly have a front row seat. Tossed aside as her mother was captured into a hole small enough to escape the monster, Adorabat was told to run, to get her daddy... But Adorabat looked back and saw the monster barrel into her mother.

That was the last she ever saw of her. Tiny tears form at the edges of her eyes.]

...I... I don't know... W- we... We never found her body... or her bones.

cw graphic description of harm

[holyironmade]

[Oh... she's made Adorabat revisit the very worst experience of her entire short life. Jeanne is still getting used to the idea that this is bad. She scoops Adorabat up into her arms and squeezes her very close to her chest, like a teddy bear. After the young nonhuman girl seems to have calmed a bit, Jeanne softly says...]

Then her remains have most likely decomposed.

[Shamash:]

I heal bodies. I hurt bodies. Afterwards it's up to God. Or something like that.

CW: Mao Mao Spoilers

[violence_ensues]

[Adorabat's usually the one initiating the hugs, so when she gets scooped from the air into one, she lets out a small, surprised oop noise, but does manage to maneuver her wings into hugging Jeanne back. When the two are done speaking their pieces, Adorabat sighs. It sounds more like a sigh of disappointment rather than one of despair or sadness.]

Figures... Is there really no way to bring her back? Even with belief magic?

[holyironmade]

Oh, Adorabat, I do not know. So much has been possible here and out there. Perhaps you reall will. It is only that Shamash and I will not try.

May we continue to console you? To explain how this can ever be accepted?