#Trial4

[touhou-memories]

Status screens - Lotus Land Story

If you play as usual on Normal/Hard/Lunatic difficulties and you start with 3 or less lives, the Clear Bonus!! screen will not contain any penalties. The difficulty bonus will be shown in green.

This post will contain references from both trial and full version. In the full version a 'Bomb Extend ! !' is awarded at the end of each stage with a status screen (excepting stage 6 and extra stage), shifting a bit the position of some rows on the status screen.

If you start with more than 3 lives, a corresponding penalty will be added. The more lives you start with, the greater the penalty. Similarly, if you Continue, a corresponding penalty will be added. The more times you Continue, the greater the penalty. Left side pictures are from the trial version, while the right side pictures are from the full version.

If you play on Easy, the difficulty bonus will be shown with red instead of green.

If you timeout the last attack of a boss, the difficulty bonus, the continue penalty (if existing) and the life penalty (if existing) are replaced by a failure multiplier of '× 0.0' ('Failed to exterminate evil spirit boss').

In the trial version (left side picture), defeating Elly will get you the 'Congratulation!!' screen with the ALL Clear bonus instead of the STAGE Bonus, since the trial ends at stage 3. In the full version (middle picture), defeating Elly will get you the 'Clear Bonus!!' screen and only when defeating Yuuka in stage 6 (right side picture) you will get the 'Congratulation!!" screen.

Timeouting Elly is a bit of unusual situation. If you timeout magenta phase 2/red phase 1 (as seen in /post/734827652809146368/), the bullets from the screen are cleared and you will get the difficulty multiplier. But if you timeout red phase 2, the bullets are not cleared and you will get the failure multiplier.

Left side picture is from timeouting Elly red phase 2 in the trial version, middle picture is from timeouting Elly red phase 2 in the full version and right side picture is from timeouting Yuuka's last attack from stage 6.

It doesn't matter if you kill or timeout Yuuka's last attack from stage 5 on Easy (or higher difficulties if you used Continue), you will not get any status screen. The screen will fade to black and you will get the bad ending scene. On Normal or higher difficulties, if you did not Continue, you get the status screen as usual and the game progresses to stage 6.

Losing your last life during stage 6 will also make the screen fade to black and you will not be able to Continue. There will be no status screen and you will see the bad ending instead.

The Extra stage 'Congratulation!!' screen does not contain any difficulty bonus. Compared to the regular stages, the 'Lives remaining in stock' multiplier is '× 30000' instead of '× 10000'. There cannot be any lives or continues penalties, so the only penalty would be if you timeout Gengetsu's last attack.

The extra stage status screens were taken from Miler's videos: youtube.com/watch?v=YnTcysxIsjU and youtube.com/watch?v=FMlBuQgrepc. Since the videos were stretched, the screenshots have been resized to match the style of the rest of screenshots from the post. Therefore, dimensions of these two screenshots are not 100% accurate.

This post is meant to be more of a visual reference of the 'Clear Bonus!!' and 'Congratulation!!' screens from Lotus Land Story. For technical details about how stuff is calculated on those status screens, please consult the wiki.

[truckreincarnation]

Phoenix Down | Chapter 4 End

The summoning circle fills with silence, as the end of Theophania’s execution plays. There’s nothing to say and nothing that can be done for her now. Regardless of her intentions, she was treated as harshly as the past murderers had been. The silence, however, does not last long. And of course it’s the worst person possible who interrupts.

“It always is such a pain to kill someone with the Rebirth Domain.” Calum gives a little huff of annoyance. He acts like he was bothered by this, not because someone died, but because the execution took longer than he wanted it to. Doesn’t he normally enjoy these with his friends? It’s this normally a celebration for him? Well, he quickly makes clear why.

“Now, I have a date to get ready for. Tree, make sure none of them follow me, I would hate to get blood on my shoes now.” He begins to walk off, only to realize he’s not received a reply. “Tree, speak when you are spoken to.”

Amber, tense from being directly addressed by him, forces out a weak, “Yes, your Majesty.”

“Good. Now keep them here for a few minutes while I return home.”

Kali bristles and trembles with rage, but bites her tongue to keep herself from speaking.

If you try to follow, if you try to hurt the king, you meet much the same fate that Avery did a few moments before Theophania’s execution. Wrapped in vines and unable to move. But once three minutes have passed, Amber releases you.

You are now free to return to what you were doing before, but do you really want to do that? Everything has soured now. The thought of returning to the manor might even be dreadful to you now, or perhaps you want to get farther from the tree, from this place. But you’re free to go now. If only you had more freedom in other regards.

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

Skill Issue - Ch4 Exe 2/2

(CW Loss of Limbs)

It’s difficult for Eiri to process where the hell they were dragged to at first glance, her vision taking a few moments to adjust to her surroundings. It’s… darker, darker than she would have expected, the only light in the first moments being faint purple wisps a fair distance away. After being given a few seconds for both her and Kenshin to adjust, however, a few things pop up around the two of them, each one lighting their surroundings, now recognizable to be some sort of cave, the way a computer screen lights a dark room.

[ATTACK] [ACT] [RUN]

… And most importantly, a health bar above the three options each of them now had. As she reaches out to inspect these, she notices something already in her hands: a lance. Not exactly the type of weapon she’d assign herself in a game like this, but she’ll take it. Glancing back at Kenshin, she notices him now brandishing a sword himself. The weapons do absolutely nothing to put her at any sort of ease, but she needs to swallow her dread, if only to not make Kenshin panic as well.

Before things can go to hell, she taps at her health bar a few times, her worry now mixing with confusion and amusement as she confirms that wow, that is an actual physical object, huh. The buttons likely are, too. Its texture is like glass, she notes as the purple glow starts making its way closer.

Kenshin begins bracing himself first, he needs to be prepared not only for his own punishment, but to do what he can to protect Eiri from hers too. Gently, he shakes Eiri’s shoulder, bringing her attention to the figure now almost in front of them. A humanoid creature made up of purple wisps, confined to an impenetrable looking suit of armor.

A boss fight… Eiri would find it almost a cute setup for the gamer duo, if not for the fact that it’s designed explicitly to maim them both. Thrown together in half an hour, she assumes that most, if not all of what's around the two of them are reused assets, likely from the game that everyone here is accustomed to playtesting by now.

She doesn't have the time or energy to think it over too much- or maybe she does have the time, the figure doesn't seem to intend to attack until they move first. Guess they've got the first turn here. With a sigh, Eiri steels herself, about to move with the intention of getting this over with as fast as possible, this isn't going to be kind, she doesn't expect any mercy short of just not dying. Not for herself, at least. Maybe if she rushes in and beats the boss while taking all the damage herself, Kenshin could still get out unscathed. Unlikely, but there's a chance, isn't there?

Yet, before Eiri could take off running, Kenshin holds his arm out, promptly stopping her. Of course some sort of plan was needed, but there was one thing that needed to be considered. 

This shit is rigged.

This is their punishment, right? It was designed so that they would be injured, so of course that this enemy would probably be their downfall. The sisters have designed this for them to get hurt, so of course this is rigged. 

…so what now?

It was obvious that they had to beat this guy, or at least try to survive. Maybe their health bars were to monitor how bad of an injury it was. Yeah, yeah that had to be it.

So maybe here, facing some minimal injury would be fine, compared to the real world. Maybe facing some danger would be enough to be freed.

Aim for the least amount of damage. Face a minimal injury here, face the consequences later. Pain is inevitable, but if they work for it then they'll be able to get away with having very little taken from them. Easier said than done, of course, but it's good to keep in mind.

Nodding, Kenshin drops his arm, both keeping that idea as the battle menu opens once more. Without hesitation, Eiri selects the ATTACK button, proceeding toward the enemy as Kenshin selects ACT. Even now, taking the more peaceful way out. From there, she begins to strike, repeatedly trying to slash and stab at the open parts of the armor. Much to her surprise, she seems to be doing damage, backed up by his support. It's weaker than they expected, Eiri's attacks actually pushing them forward rather than just slightly chipping away at its health.

Yet came the counterattacks, as Eiri began taking damage as the armor continued to slash and strike with their blade. As it turns out, she's weaker than expected, too, as she accumulates a collection of cuts and scrapes that whittle away her health more than she was anticipating for them to. She's losing steam quickly, her lack of energy hadn't been fixed at all after being sent in here. With the way things are now, falling would just put Kenshin in danger, and he'd likely drag her out once her health got below halfway anyhow, so…

A quick glance back notifies him that she needs some backup, as much as he doesn’t wish to. Knowing he can’t exactly stand idle at the moment, knowing there isn’t exactly a peaceful way out, Kenshin selects the ATTACK button as well, changing over.

Soon enough the battle rages on. The sound of weaponry clanking against armor resounds as the two continue to strike. Blows were exchanged, assumedly dealing damage to the armored enemy as they counter-struck the duo. Slashing, stabbing, any way to knock this thing down. Eiri would assume that this guy was simply weak, only dealing scratches and cuts as their HP steadily drained.

This is how it should be, right?

The longer they fought, the more sluggish the enemy got, slowing their attacks and dealing even less damage. Noting how close they were to the end, Eiri goes for a stab, piercing the armored menace. As she pulls out her lance, the enemy begins to buckle, before crumbling into pieces on the floor. All that remained was the armor.

Thank god.

Fully out of breath, Eiri falls to her knees, needing a minute to recover. A quick check confirms that they've both completed their goals of retaining more than half their health. Whatever repercussions they face because of their results shouldn't be too awful, then, if their wishful thinking turned out to be accurate.

Either way, it's over now, isn't it? She should feel relieved, both of them should. It doesn't hurt too much right now, maybe because of the nature of the creature's attacks, or maybe because of something that should put her back on edge, but after fighting and fighting she feels like maybe, just maybe, they've managed to earn their safety. 

However, before they could celebrate, Kenshin noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Movement, coming from the remains of armored pieces on the floor. Purple, wispy-like smoke continued to appear from it, engulfing the various pieces and stretching through it all-

Almost like the creature was reforming.

While Eiri was still catching her breath and basking in their victory, Kenshin steps back, before his gaze quickly darts to her once the armored phantom was back standing. This battle wasn’t done. The second phase had just begun.

And she hadn’t realized.

Soon enough, the armor began to raise their sword once more, proceeding towards Eiri. Ready to strike her down. No, no they, they should have won- they should have-

Suddenly, a booming voice grabs the Vtuber’s attention.

“EIRI- LOOK OUT-”

Before she could even process it, Kenshin had bounded back over to her. Instead of guarding with his sword, or trying to get her out of the way, she could only spin around to watch the enemy bring down its sword-

Slicing through Kenshin’s right arm.

“Wh- what did you-”

He had body blocked her, he had stood in the way to save her, and because of that he… 

He suffered more than just a light injury.

Eiri’s vision began to blur, panic now forming in her blood as she eyed the spot that was hit. Without a voice, she helplessly watches as Kenshin spins around, smiling slightly to mask the pain. At least she’s safe, at least she’s without injury. Maybe, just maybe, she can get out without suffering the same fate.

But before she could reach out to him, Kenshin’s eyes roll back, promptly collapsing on the floor. Eiri’s eyes flicker up to his health bar, quickly draining. With each second, more and more cracks began to form in it, his life fading and fading away-

And as soon as it reached empty, the cracks became too strong.

Just like that, she could only watch his health bar shatter into bits, collapsing.

No. No nonono-

It was already hard to breathe, watching her friend’s lifeforce slip through her fingers, before her scared, empty eyes go back to the floor.

Why did she look there.

Just like that, Eiri’s heart stops, seeing the sight before her. Unlike before, Kenshin was now back in his normal attire. No armor, no weapon in sight, everything had reverted-

…except for the bloody remains where his arm should be. As that crimson color continued to flood more and more across the floor.

This isn't right, if nothing else, they promised non-lethal. She trusted that, so why is he unmoving on the ground now? Why is the game treating him as if he's dead? She drops herself down next to him, reaching out to find a pulse, her hands shaking as she feels them get coated in blood- his blood. This was promised not to kill them, either of them, the group paid so much to guarantee no death, so even if her panic is too much to let her fully confirm, there's no way this could have killed him.

She's just too overwhelmed by the feeling of her own heart beating so hard in her chest it almost hurts, a forceful reminder of her own life as her best friend bleeds out beneath her. Her breathing is nothing more than desperate gasps for air at this point, her vision blurring as she can barely bring herself to stand back up.

She needs to get him out of here, if she can end the fight now then she can get the bleeding to stop and he'll be back in a place where he can recover.

She had to get out of here.

She had to run.

> [RUN] > [RUN] > [RUN]

Holding Kenshin's still attached hand, she uses her own free hand to mash against the [RUN] button with increasing desperation. The light fades for half a second with each press, showing that it registers the touch, yet nothing happens. Why give them the option if they can't fucking use it?! Please, she just needs to get him out. If they can run only for her to get dragged back by her fucking self then that's fine, just let him leave, PLEASE.

She can hardly make out the words on the buttons anymore, vision too blurred from her tears as she slams her hand against the same button, over and over, knowing nothing will come from it, until-

There's a dull pain in the palm of her hand, as if she's cut herself on a piece of glass. The monster's sword is mere centimeters away from her, brought down with a force hard enough to crack the stone ground in the little space between them.

Just like Kenshin's health bar, her only option of escape had been smashed to pieces. She can't be sure whether it was a taunt or a show of impatience as the armored creature moves back to where it was before, waiting for her to make a proper move.

What else was there left to do except fight?

Shakily, Eiri climbs back to her feet, gripping her lance with one hand. She had to fight, she had to keep at it, she couldn’t run away now. With one step, she approaches the armored enemy, and then again, slowly picking up speed. As she grows closer, she pulls her arm back as her brow furrows, before plunging the spear into the armor.

… But this isn’t some video game, is it?

You’re not going to win out of determination, or rage, or panic.

This game has been rigged from the start. You knew that.

She knew, and still let herself be stupid enough to believe in any kind of slight mercy.

Instead of damaging like last time, the lance’s head plinks off the armor. Nothing. No scratches, no dents. Nothing.

…

You were bound to lose since you made that choice.

Eiri stares in dismay, feeling her throat close up at the fact she wasn’t doing damage now. Of course, that first phase was all false hope. They needed to toy with the two of them first, let them believe in a happy end before dragging it away. This is what she deserves, isn't it? Because she's weak? Because she's letting herself openly panic, openly cry? Wouldn't it have been easier for everyone if they just let her die instead? Wouldn't that be more deserved than dragging Kenshin into this, too? Instead of combatting those questions, she could hardly notice the enemy pull back, winding up their sword arm-

Before proceeding to do one more quick slice. Just like last time, except now faster than she could react.

Cutting down, the sound of splintering wood resounds in Eiri’s ears as her face shifts into shock. The pain slowly begins to mold in her right arm, before suddenly firing up as her eyes fall on what was once there. 

Her HP bar begins to quickly drain, now suffering from the same grave injury. Shit they, they were trying to get out of here with minimal injuries, now they’re- Now they’re both without-

God she’s so sorry.

Before the camera can pan to her now missing arm, the screen goes dark…

… With the final thing heard being the sickening, horrified scream of pain that's been torn out of the fallen VTuber.

[vignetteofextinction]

No winning here | Hibiki | Trial 4 results reaction

A tie. That hadn't been an unexpected outcome for this, as Hibiki himself had noted in his final word before the results had come in. It was completely obvious who he had voted for in the end. He'd known that his vote would very much matter in this, and his decision had been at least somewhat calculated, even if he'd still been left deciding between which outcomes he was willing to have happen. So he'd picked one.

A three way tie though... That hadn't been something he expected, even if it didn't truly change the outcome in the end regardless. He waited with a calm but serious expression for the announcement for what that would mean and who it would effect, and... 

Again, it wasn't a totally unexpected outcome to have happened for Haruna to be picked instead of the other people who'd been voted for. It was random. He had been ready to face the consequences of his own actions in more ways than one... but it still hurt like a motherfucker. Hibiki clenched his teeth quietly and without further comment as he did his best to stay here in the moment, which had becoming increasingly difficult with the pure number of deaths that had happened lately that his mind wouldn't let him think was anything but his fault even if he logically knew it wasn't only his.

It still was his fault though. He didn't think there was any way of getting around that.

"Jesus fucking christ," he mutters to himself with a sigh right after the results. Then he looks at Haruna directly, not shying his eyes away in the slightest.

"You don't deserve this, and there's nothing I can say as an apology that can make it better. Just... let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

If she had any last requests, he'd make it happen at least. He's really not sure what else he can do at this point. He casts a glance at Verm when she speaks up about it being the fault of whoever had voted for Haruna, but doesn't comment.

As soon as he registers the fact that Verm is walking over to Wake Up Himiku and force her to have to live this too though, Hibiki immediately walks towards her podium as well. He hadn't been planning on waking her up for this, even without knowing who she'd voted for, but now that she was waking up he wanted to be there for her. He lets her take his arm. Her reaction… it’s all too familiar to him, and he understands completely.

To her question... 

"I'll tell you later," he says softly and quietly to her as he moves to hold her a bit better for support, and to allow her to have someone to hide behind if she wanted to. He's probably be here with her for the rest of their time here.

[happy-hollow-rpg]

Joy Ride - Ch 4 Execution

“Alright! I think that’s enough time, then...”

Was Treat really going to be the one to do this? All throughout this game, Trick had performed every expulsion herself as he’d watched on. It was hard to think of the cheerful boy as murderous despite his involvement in running the game, though most of you seemed to believe this punishment was justified anyways. 

“Sorry Mr. Santiago, but in place of Ms. Trick, I’ll be starting up your expulsion now! We didn’t have one of these last time, but I’m sure you all remember how these go.”

With a snap of his hand, a blue light envelopes Santiago and removes him from the room, similar to a reversal of Treat’s usual summoning magic you’ve seen him use for the gacha. Simultaneously, just how it had back before for Rada and Akira, the crystal balls in front of you have the faces in them fade out only to be replaced with a scene of the execution. Funny how looking at these small orbs gave you perfect clarity in what was happening.

When Santiago found himself in the village square, the burble of a chipped fountain in his ears and the smell of dust and mesquite in the air, it felt like a punch to the gut. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be here.

Pulse rising, he backed away from the center of town and looked around wildly. For all the time he’d spent here, he couldn’t remember the quickest way out. After all, he’d only had to take it once. Even so, his surroundings were all too familiar, even if there was something off about the storefronts, the cracked roads, the barren sky.

He finally picked a direction and started running. No sidewalks around here—just straight down the road, dodging parked cars and keeping well away from the wide-open doors on every side. As he darted past a rust bucket of a truck, its door flew open right in front of him. With a gasp, he dove, tumbling just under the door and rolling back onto his feet in one motion. As he surged forward, a tight band caught him across the ribs and held tight. He yelped, only just managing to stay on his feet. The force tightened, and he fumbled to locate it. There was a bright red strand of what must have been some kind of silk. Or, rather, silks—not his all-time favorite act, but one in his repertoire. He dug his fingers under its edge, scratching himself in the process, but the silks wouldn’t pull away.

Instead, they pulled him back. This time, he lost his footing with a yelp. His butt skidded on the pavement until he came to a sudden stop. Shaken up, he hurried to his feet and twisted to figure out what had tangled him up like this. The silks wound along the ground for such a distance he didn’t see them knotted firmly to the hitch of the truck until five shadows of people were already slipping into the cab. The doors slammed shut.

He swore and leapt for the truck bed as someone hit the gas. He slammed into the tailgate, but his grip failed when rust crumbled away in his hands. He fell with a cry. Asphalt spun away beneath him, scraping swaths of his back before he stumbled upright. The first several steps of keeping pace with the accelerating vehicle were clumsy, but soon he broke into a healthy sprint. The truck was already going too fast for him to stop to leap again. He’d just try to get this stupid thing off him while he ran—surely that piece of trash couldn’t go that much faster.

Still, he was gasping for breath, the stitch in his side only worsened by the silks cutting into his ribcage. As hard as he fumbled with the fabric, it refused to loosen. Nail marks stung along his sides and chest until he gave it up. Somehow the truck had gained speed, and it took all his strength to keep up now.

And then it wasn’t enough. The silks strained against him, and he went down. Ragged asphalt shredded through his shoulders as he desperately twisted to grasp the tie. Searing pain cut every surface that touched ground. Attempts to pull himself up the silks only strained the wounds worse. Even with so much left behind on the road, the blood smell choked him. He squeezed his eyes shut, but that did nothing to block it out.

The road dragged on, the occasional rock or hubcap crashing into his neck and shoulders. Thrashing desperately, he soon realized they’d pulled onto a lonely, straight stretch of road outside of town. Paling further, he struggled to get weight on his feet, to drag himself up somehow, to do something. But all he could do was writhe and scream until the truck veered off the road, sending dirt and weeds slashing into his wounds in the seconds before it crashed. Yanked off the ground, he slammed straight through the tailgate and into the glass of the cab. A moment later, his mangled body slid and fell into the trunk with a thud.

[danganww]

Take Me to Church

Jasper opened his eyes, looking around. He was in the woods, lying on the ground, with pebbles pressing into his skin through his clothes. He shifted, sitting up. He rubbed the back of his wrist against his eyes, wiping the remaining tears away. As he looked around, he realized he was lying on a small, dirt pathway. He stood and started to follow it. It lead out of the woods, and he could see a church rising up in the distance.

It was old, dark, with beautiful stained glass trying to make it seem welcoming. The sounds of organ music and soft voices singing hymns drifted out. Jasper froze, staring at it. No, it wasn’t welcoming. Terror flashed across his face as he stared at it, but he had no choice. He started for the door.

Upon opening it, you discover, along with Jasper, a bible study happening. Kids, looking around middle school aged, are seated in the front pews, while a man in a suit stands at the pulpit. He has his Bible open, and he’s reading a passage.

“[‘Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you,]’” the teacher recites in English. The children nod along. “[‘Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,’ declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.]”

Jasper walks forward, past empty pews. As he walks, his footsteps echo through the church. The children in their seats turn and look at him, staring at him.

“[Well, looks like we have a sinner before us,]” the teacher sneers. Jasper freezes. He’s near the front, near the third row of pews. The children are so close, staring him down, and their expressions turn to hatred.

“[Children, you know what we do with sinners.]”

Jasper blinks, and looks around the room. Slowly, the children raise their hymnals, and…

Rocks.

Thick, heavy rocks bigger than the tiny fists holding them.

And they cast their stones at Jasper, pelting him.

Jasper screams and falls to the ground as they rain down on him, bruises and welts forming under the impact from each rock. His hat falls abandoned beside him and he raises his arms, covering his head.

He glances up, seeing the teacher take careful, measured steps towards him. There’s a flash of silver as the teacher pulls a pair of long, sharp scissors from his pocket.

Jasper’s eyes go wide, and he stares straight ahead. He can’t move, the rocks are still raining down on him. He can feel blood in some places. The teacher stops in front of him. Jasper tilts his head up, watching him.

And then the teacher slams the scissors into Jasper’s back. Again, and again, and again, the man stabs Jasper in the back.

Jasper screams, flailing, trying to grab at his legs to stop him, but then it’s too late. His movements grow slower, and he slumps down.

The people are gone. Jasper lies in the middle of the church, blood pooling under his body.

Jasper Perry...

Noah Perry, the Super High School Level Banjoist, has been executed.

[happyhollow-mellowmarsh]

Shot Through the Heart - Chapter 4 Execution

As the time for goodbyes was running out, Kanade gave everyone in the room a somber wave before turning to face Hex. "Do your worst, Hexxy-pie." 

Hex snapped, rolling his eyes at the commentary, and Kanade warped out of your view, out of reach to anyone present. Upon her absence, a fog filled the classroom, projecting the scene of the execution before you. Swiping your hands through the fog did nothing to fade away the image.

Erika- no, she had been proven to be Kanade, hadn’t she?- opened her eyes to see...nothing out of the ordinary. Sunny streets, sidewalks and streets, buildings that she had seen in Nagasaki at some point or another, side by side comfortably, all mundane. But Kanade’s guard had not lowered, not a bit, knowing that she had been condemned to death, and instead the investigator had kept her eyes open as she had examined her surroundings.

The first thing of note: She was back in her regular outfit. The outfit she normally wore, sweater-coat fluttering behind her as she had twirled to examine herself, earrings having jumped slightly as Kanade frowned. Two: There had been nobody else, the woman alone on the streets that should have had some traffic, some people walking. It was good, at least, that nobody else was there, but it had also meant there’d be no obvious threat she could easily have prepared herself to fight.

Having seen no other option, Kanade had managed to force herself to walk forward, with only the slightest bit of fear obvious in her demeanor as she had gone down the sidewalk, humming some foreign tune to herself that she knew somebody else would have liked. 

It was easy enough to forget why she was there, if she was honest, as she had walked along the street. Nothing of importance was happening, Kanade just humming as she had gone, fully intending on seeing this through, on trying to find a way to escape. It had felt like hour after hour, however, and it still had felt as though nothing was wrong. It’s in just a second, just a second, that Kanade had relaxed, before disaster had struck.

(TW: Drowning)

The water that had hit, the water that had seemingly toppled buildings out of nowhere, swept Kanade up before the girl had had time to react. There was nothing she could have done, having been swept up in rapid tides that wished to give no mercy, batting her body around as they had trampled over the poor unfortunate city layout. Kanade’s expression was panicked, pained, body having been flailing around as she had struggled for air. She had blindly reached out, trying to grasp anything when she had latched onto something, pulling-

A corpse stared back at her, a corpse that’s so familiar, the only thing grounding Kanade to reality the waves that had been forcing her forward, stealing air from her lungs as her vision swam in ways her body had been unable to-

With a gasp, the water had evaporated, suddenly letting Kanade take in air, the woman having been shaking as she had glanced around, panic written across her features as she remained prone on the ground. She had to move, but her body did not respond properly, instead shaking as she had to force herself, breathing unsteady, to look up-

Only to have seen a face staring back- a face belonging to a dead man. The panic she felt overtake her was indescribable, Kanade powerless to do anything as he, again, grabbed her wrists, and-

She can’t let go. She needs to grab it, needs to stop him firing it. She can’t die, she’s going to die, oh god she’s going to die, she doesn’t want to, please, please, PLEASE-

The grounding sensation this time is the one that leaves Kanade unable to do a thing, her head having been hit against the sidewalk she lay, multiple times, blood pooling. Dazed, confused, and unable to properly breath from the time she had spent in her own head, in a different time, sweat on her forehead that had not been there before sliding down to meet her blood.

The combination of her mental state and her physical wounds (wound? She did not possess the time needed to figure that one out) had caused her to lie there, regaining her senses and trying to force a trembling, uncooperative body to work with her. She was...She was here, not there. There was no gun. There was no struggle, not anymore. Kanade had just needed to promise herself that, to use the pain as a grounding reminder of the truth.

So, with that in mind, after several brutal minutes, she had finally lifted herself off the ground, ready to force herself to move-

BANG!

It was probably instant, judging by the way Kanade’s corpse had fallen right back down into the puddle of blood, eyes unseeing. It was for the better if it was.

Maybe then, she would not have been able to see the short figure grasping the familiar, cursed gun, the source of so much trauma and pain, with a smirk on their face, streaks of rainbow hair flailing behind them as they had left.

[melancholic-cloud]

Kumbaya

Two people had been killed. Things were ramping up, and it seemed that you were no closer to rescue than you were to begin with… Perhaps you were even further from it with the disappearance of Tomo and Hanami. You didn’t have the luxury of time to think about that, and perhaps that was the one thing saving your from falling into despair in that moment. You had not only one, but two murders to investigate, and you were hardly allotted more time than you had in the past. Either one of these murders would be difficult to solve… You’re left with no option but to investigate what you could, and hope for the best, hope you’d have enough time to find everything. “Students, your time is up. It’s time for the class trial. Congregate in the hub immediately or face punishment.” Was your hope enough? Once everyone arrives, the bear seems all too smug… Did he know something you didn’t? Obviously, but… Did he know something you couldn’t figure out? What if you got it wrong? What if you sent an innocent classmate to die because you didn’t try hard enough? What if- You arrived at your podium, and your senses returned to you. This was a trial. You’d done this before, and you’d survived every time prior to this… Why would this time be any different?

“Now that I have you all together, I have to say I’m at a loss for words… almost. I’m impressed with how industrious you lot are. Two deaths, and in a shorter turnaround than ever before! Keep it up! I’ll be expecting more out of all of you in the future.” He gave a posh laugh. “Ohoho~ That’s something you’ll learn eventually. Success doesn’t mean you get to enjoy your success. It’s merely a means to gain MORE work. It never ends. Never will. But when the alternative is failure… Can you really afford that?” “Anyway, you know the drill. Though I suppose this is a unique circumstance isn’t it? Very well. I will call for a seperate vote for each victim. That means you will get ONE vote per victim. Seems simple enough.” “And for the viewers at home… We’ve been at this for years. If I still have to explain it, you might not be bright enough for this kind of game.”

[server-i-blog]

Quench the Dragon's Flame | Chapter 4 | Execution

Before you could even say anything else, the ping pong player, along with Spec, were gone. You could only watch from your podiums as the horrors before you unfolded.

 The light shone down on Ryou, and only Ryou, like a spotlight.  His eyes snapped shut in response to the sudden light, but he opened them a sliver as he looked down, away from the light’s source.  He seemed to be sitting down on something firm -- a bench, maybe?  Probably not, given it wasn't close to the ground at all; his feet were dangling.  Across his lap ran a tight metal clamp, and two matching ones were over his wrists.  Looking confused, he tried to wriggle his left hand out of its clamp.  But, it was far too small for his hand to squeeze through, barely being bigger than Ryou's wrist.  Whatever was about to happen to him, he wasn't going anywhere.

As he looked up, more spotlights lit up, one by one.  First a larger spotlight illuminated the area immediately around him, then the rest turned on in a line that stretched in front of him.  By now, his eyes had adjusted to the light, so he could finally get a good look at what he was in for.  The bench?  Actually a dunk tank board.  A huge vat of clear water loomed beneath Ryou, and the target that would send him plummeting in was held up off to the side.  Some distance in front of him was a table with a bucket of small balls in it, and Spec behind that.  They twirled a ping pong paddle in his hand menacingly, giving Ryou a malicious smile.

He could only watch as Spec picked up one of those balls, tossed it up in the air, and hit it towards the dunk tank.  But… It didn't go anywhere near the target.  Instead, it hit Ryou's cheek with a sickening smack.  Shocked (and now in pain), he looked with bewilderment at the ball that had just hit him.  It was only about the size of a ping pong ball, but the strength of its impact and its silver color told him that this ball could only be made of a strong metal.

There was a scraping sound in front of him, and Ryou looked up.  His face went pale, his eyes widened, and his lips pressed together as he saw what had made that noise: Spec bringing over a giant storage container, overflowing with the same kind of balls.

The balls began to fly at Ryou like a cloud of gnats, hitting just about every part of him they could reach.  Not even his dangling legs were spared, as balls crashed into them then plopped into the liquid below.  Ryou could have moved them, but he was too distracted by all the other metal ping pong balls aimed right at him to think about it.

Slowly, slowly, the onslaught began to taper off.  The sound of Spec hitting those balls was no longer a constant ringing, and Ryou was no longer obscured by a cloud of high-velocity metal.  Every bit of exposed skin (and probably even the skin you couldn't see) was covered in black and blue splotches.  Both his eyes were blackened, his nose was smashed and soaked with blood, and his mouth had a trail of blood leaking from it.  His chest was heaving slowly, and patches of blood were beginning to seep through his shirt.  Ryou's face was stuck in an expression of pain as the balls paused, glaring at the crystal-ball-headed figure before him.  Spec himself was grinning that same grin back at him, holding three final metal pong balls in his paw.

The end came quickly. Spec tossed those three balls up, and in one quick stroke, he sent them flying.  One hit Ryou square in the eye, one made a hard impact with his stomach… And the third finally hit the dunk tank’s target.  In a split second, Ryou's clamps released and his seat fell out from under him, sending him plunging into the vat below.  As soon as his head was below the surface, two sheets of metal slid out over top of the tank and locked, completely sealing him in.

Barely able to keep his eyes open, Ryou swam doggedly to claw at the junction between the two pieces of metal.  As he exerted energy to try and pry them apart, he subconsciously opened his mouth.  It took less than a second for Ryou's eyes to widen and his arms to stop what they were doing.  Just from getting it in his mouth, he knew exactly what it was.  It wasn’t the clear taste of water; it was the sickly sweet taste of antifreeze.

Once his mind had recovered from the shock, he started pounding at the tank, screaming as he tried to escape.  His frantic yells were soon mixed with terrified choking and desperate spluttering.  The ghastly cacophony went on for what seemed like forever, before finally fading off as Ryou's struggles grew weaker and weaker.  Though his eyes remained open, they turned dull and lifeless, his body sinking to the bottom of the tank.

Ryou Akiyama, SHSL Ping Pong Player, has been executed.

[budangskie]

☀😜 #trial4

[touhou-memories]

In the trial version of Lotus Land Story, if you lost you last life before completing the game, you would be prompted with the Name Registration screen, which is somehow similar (not identical) to the one from Story of Eastern Wonderland. If you 1CC'd the trial, you would be taken to the Score Name Registration screen instead.

In the full version, it didn't matter if you lost your last life before completing the game or if you 1CC'd it, you would be taken in both cases to the Score Name Registration Screen. As you can see, the position of the score and stage number has been slightly shifted to the right in the full version.

In the trial version, the position of the elements from the name registering menu is the same as in the HiScore one.

In the full version, the dots from Reimu scores are a bit more to the right in the name registering menu compared to the ones from the HiScore menu.

[truckreincarnation]

Keep On Truckin’ || Execution 4 [2/2]

Well, this was it. She was dying yet again. Maybe this time it would actually manage to be permanent. Wouldn't that be a novelty? At least if she were to rest in peace there was a chance she might've been able to see her beloved family and Calix again someday.

It was only that thought that kept her from being afraid.

She would miss the friends and companions she'd made here too, but she was assured that there would be plenty of people she would get to meet again. The different worlds may have kept them apart, but death separated no one.

Theophania was a bit curious on just what method they'd use to take her out. Poison was a favorite for nobles, but she'd died in a carriage accident before. Maybe they would torment her with visages of her loved ones. That would be a novelty. She'd already resolved herself not to believe any of the faces they showed her. If she couldn't go home, then there's no way they could be here to kill her, right?

But what were they going to use to torment her in her final moments?

Theophania stood with her hands bound together along with her ankles. While she could hop away with some effort, Theophania thought it wise to wait and see what they were going to throw at her before she expended too much energy and…

What was that sound?

It was a sound she hadn't heard in quite some time. She'd almost forgotten it, but now that it was approaching, Theophania almost wanted to laugh.

Really, what else could she do when they were throwing something like this at her?

The sound of an automobile, specifically a truck, was barrelling towards her. She'd started by hearing the telltale sounds of an approaching engine, but she could see it getting closer and closer in the road.

It was a suitable end considering how many times she'd died and come back. Take her out with the classic isekai staple of a truck.

Theophania probably could have tried to hop out of the way, but what would even be the point? If the truck was determined to hit here, then no amount of panicked avoidance would change that. Instead, Theophania took a deep breath to steel her nerves and try to steady that fear in her heart.

That desire to live. The desperate desire to cling to life that every human had.

As strong as she pretended to be, Theophania was still afraid. She squeezed her eyes shut.

She could hear it getting closer and closer and closer until…

Nothing?

Just what was going on?

Theophania opened her eyes to see the truck had stopped just inches from her face. Why would they stop it? Did they want to run her over slowly? If that were the case, then she really would try to hop away!

Her confusion didn't last long, however, when a sharp pain pierced through her back and pinned her to the front of the truck.

"Wh…at…?" Theophania choked out a mouthful of blood and just barely managed to glance back to see the face of every person she'd ever loved gazing back.

Ultimately, it didn't matter who it was. The message was clear.

Stabbed in the back by those she held most dear.

"Hah…" She coughed out another mouthful of blood and the light started to fade.

Who knew dying could hurt this much?

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

And Then There Were Two - Ch4 Exe 1/2

It wasn’t EXACTLY thirty minutes, maybe a little more or a little less, but who was paying attention to the time anymore, anyway? Still, eventually the sisters’ tablets vibrated with a notification. An flipped her tablet screen on and read the message with a tiny sigh.

“Well, well, well. Fast and efficient as usual, I guess, though not without a bucketload of complaints. Ugh. So obnoxious. Anyway, they’re ready for you, soooo…. AION!”

With the press of a button, one of the purple digital screens slid open, and a tiny AION teetered out, heading towards Kenshin and Eiri with its hands out, preparing to escort them both through the gaping hole in the wall.

Neither Kenshin nor Eiri protested, with one keeping her head tilted towards the ground as she walked, and the other pausing to give a small wave of reassurance as he passed through the gap and out of sight.

The door slid shut as the walls returned to their normal array of shifting hues of purple. The pretty shades tinting the entire room don’t stay that way for terribly long, as within only a few minutes, the screens of the walls and ceiling light up like a video game’s display, depicting the events of the trial.

[vignetteofextinction]

Listen To Your Heart | Miyu | Trial 4-4 | RE: Verm

“I-I’m not against you!” Miyu found herself raising her voice a little. “I don’t wanna be against you, Vermie! I wanna be with you! I want there to be another way! I want there to be an answer that’s not you!”

She found herself clenching her fists.

“I might not ever know what memories you lost, but this isn’t you against the world here, not anymore! I want to help you, but I don’t know how-!”

“S-So please... if anyone found anything that could give us another explanation, I’m all ears. Anyone...?”

[danganww]

And the votes are in!

Kaguya Gomi - 1 Tadao Sayuki - 1 Horus Pleasant - 1  Kiku Fukui - 1

And the winner is...

Jasper Perry, with 8 votes!

[happyhollow-mellowmarsh]

Wrapping Up Loose Ends || Kanade Oshiro || Item Distribution

She doesn't want to let go of Fran or Kashmir at that moment, his pleas worse than any bullet. She had let so many people down, and this was just a reminder of somebody she cared for, somebody very dear to her, that had been hurt specifically because of her. Instead she just focuses on moving her hands to her pockets, again suppressing her own tears.

"You'll still be able to talk to me, okay? It's...It's just for a bit Fran."

She's not upset by Natalie's words at all, just giving her a small smile. That's better than what she would have thought she'd be told. She can manage to help, no matter what. She's sure of that.

And Nico....She hadn't expected to bond with him like that. Really, the fact they understood each other surprisingly well in such a short period of time felt odd, but she appreciated it nonetheless. That...She needed to hear that before she went, just in case.

"Thank you. He better not like you better than me though. I will find a way to win back his affection, mark my words, got it?"

Items though...

Right.

"Fran, Kashmir, you're getting a metal card each. I have one more but....I don't know, just a family thing, huh? One for each of us. Fran, you get 15 coins. Kash, you're getting 10. Nico, you're getting 4. Kashmir, you're also getting my coin."

Those are the only things she can think of in particular, letting out a shaky sigh. She quietly lays her remaining items out on the desk, knowing somebody will be able to grab them.

"The rest of you can decide who gets what. There's a plant caster card, equilibrium caster card, thread caster card, and a potion of detach."

...That's everything, isn't it? Nothing else that Kanade can do now but continue hugging the people she loves right now. Hopefully that's enough.