deleons | The Limbo Meme

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limbo meme

The Limbo Meme

Congratulations, you are dead.

You’re not sure how it happened, or maybe you are. Was it a hero’s death, or the desperate last moments of a coward? Maybe you died to protect someone, maybe you fell on your own sword, maybe you passed away peacefully in your bed one night, or maybe you were taken out by force. Whatever the reason, you are now neither here nor there, no pearly gates or brimstone in sight. This is what they call “limbo”, a liminal space made not to exist in, but to pass through on your way to a more finite destination. Even so, there’s no telling how long you might be stuck here, nor who you might encounter.

Directions:
-create a top level, either blank or with a prompt or preferences
-select a number, letter, or combination of the two from the lists below if you wish
-tag others and enjoy being dead
(OTA all canon characters and OCs)

Optional Prompts
How long have you been here?

1. Newly dead; You haven’t been here long. Maybe you don’t remember how you got here, or maybe you do. You might be scared, confused, disheartened, or even relieved. You’re not the only one drifting through this strange place, so maybe you should ask a familiar - or unfamiliar - face what’s going on.

2. Getting your footing; You’re not exactly a seasoned death veteran, but you’ve been here a while, and whether you like it or not, you’re almost starting to get used to this place - but when will it be time to move on? And who’s that new person who just arrived? That person in the corner has been here as long as you have, if not longer. Maybe you should talk to them.

3. A seasoned spirit; You’ve been here for years, or decades, or centuries. Perhaps you’ve learned how to drift in and out with how long you’ve been dwelling in this strange place. You could give a newbie some advice, or maybe ease the frustration of someone who has been here not quite long enough to accept what their existence has become - that they’ll become you. Then again, maybe you’re just angry you’re still stuck here at all.

What are you doing?

A. Asking questions; How did you get here? How did you die? Will you ever see your family or friends again? Is that one of them? When will you move on to the next stage? Who’s that weird guy standing in the corner over there? You’ve got questions and you want answers.

B. Facing your killer; You know how you got here, you know who’s responsible, but do you know exactly what you’d have to say to them if you saw them? Well, you better figure it out - they’re standing right in front of you.

C. Facing your victim; Well, this is awkward. At some point in the past, you made a decision, and now that decision has quite literally come back to haunt you. The person for whom’s death you are responsible is standing right in front of you, and they are probably going to want some answers

D. A familiar face; Maybe you’re new here, or maybe you’ve been here for years; either way, you’ve just seen a familiar face, whether it be a long lost loved one, or someone you never expected to follow you so soon in death. What will you say to them?

E. Wildcard; Go crazy! Any number of things can happen when your soul is trapped between dimensions. Strike up a conversation with a stranger, explore any strange new powers you might discover as a ghost, haunt one of the living, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[No tricks here, though when Ren appears a few feet behind Ryuji, he looks just as confused - and tired, so tired he can hardly stand up straight, just as if all the life has been drained out of him.

[It has, but he hasn’t fully realized that yet.]

Ryuji...?

[His voice is hoarse and weak when he speaks, sounding quite unlike it usually does, though not unlike what it did in the interrogation room - which, is that last thing he can remember.]

[ he was so close to giving up on his search when he hears that voice—so familiar and yet, not at all—coming from behind. he jolts, spinning around to find the source.

?! ]

Ren?! Geeez, don't scare me like that! Wh—

[ at first he's relieved to see a familiar face, but his relief quickly fades only to be replaced with a deep sense of dread upon seeing his friend's battered body, hunched over like he could pass out any moment. and those bruises.

something's wrong. so terribly wrong. why is he so beat up?

no...that can't be it

he tries to force a smile ]

What happened to you, man? You look like shit.

[ nice way to greet your dead friend, Sakamoto ]

[Ren’s brow is furrowed. He tries to suck in a breath through his teeth, expecting his body to ache with it, but neither the breath nor the aching comes; even so, he still can’t seem to stand up straight.

[He’s so tired...What happened? He can hardly remember. Why can’t he remember? The drugs? There were drugs, but he feels like that’s not it...

[This is different. He shakes his head weakly.]

The room...[That’s all he can remember.]

... [ he grumbles. his hunch was unfortunately right, but for his friend's sake he refrains from getting too angry; or at the very least not letting his anger show too much. besides, there are more important things to worry about right now.

instinctively, Ryuji starts to reach out for the other boy to offer himself up as support so he can help Ren sit down, but then immediately stops himself. with the condition he's in a sudden, unexpected touch—no matter how well meaning Ryuji's intentions are—might scare him.

instead he motions to his friend that maybe they should both sit down. there's no use in standing anyway. ]

You didn't see anyone else in that room, didya?

[It doesn’t take much for Ren to sit down; in fact, he all but falls to the ground, weak knees buckling in welcome at the opportunity for rest. He flops down onto the ground, knees drawn up to his chest, his arms draped over them. He hangs his head between them, squeezing his eyes shut.

[Someone else? He glances up at Ryuji, brows pinched together again, and then he nods his head.

[There was someone else. Cops, guards, Sae Nijima, and then...

[A phone. What about a phone? Why is he thinking of a phone now? He lets his head droop between his knees again and shakes it. Sae Nijima, a phone...and then...]

Akechi...?

[He says it so softly that it’s hard even for him to hear, but once he does say it, the memory he’d been clinging to becomes clearer. Akechi Goro, in the interrogation room, with a gun ~~just like a game of Clue~~.

[But what next? That phone...]

[ seeing his leader slump to the ground so lifelessly, it pains Ryuji to see him like that. it's disconcerting. unnerving. heartbreaking even. the sight conjures up familiar scene in the blond's mind. memories that he'd much rather forget. Ryuji crouches down in front of Ren, expecting a familiar ache in his knee as he bends down but...? there's nothing. not even a twinge of pain. he raises an eyebrow briefly but, nevermind that right now.

[ Ren's voice is so weak on top of being muffled that Ryuji can hardly make out the name he said. he has an idea on who could have possibly done this, though just to be sure... ]

He did this to you, didn't he?

[ his voice is laced with so much contempt when he says 'he'. ]

[He did this to you, didn’t he? Did what to him? Akechi Goro, the interrogation room, a gun...

[And that phone. Sae Nijima. He’d asked her to do something with the phone. But what?

[Akechi Goro, the interrogation room, a gun, a guard - but not for long - and then...

[When Ren lifts his head to meet Ryuji’s gaze again, his eyes are pleading. Akechi Goro, the gun...He doesn’t want to believe it, but as the edges of his memory become clearer, he realizes...

[And then he nods - one weak, distant nod. Akechi Goro...even given all the differences between them...why? Why would he?]

He...shot me.

...

[ hold the fuck up... ]

[ no...no no no no no.

that can't be right.

that wasn't supposed to happen. at least it wasn't really supposed to happen. Ren was supposed to make it out. they were all supposed to make it out. they did make it out, didn't they? they had to have. how else would Ren be sitting right in front of him?

how...? ]

Are you...for real? [he says softly. barely above a whisper.

[ in addition to getting the crap beat out of him he was also shot? Ryuji tries to keep his composure, at least keep it together well enough so as not to fly off the handle. he's livid but, something in the way Ren looks at him, eyes so full of hurt and desperation as he pieces together what happened to him, keeps him from losing it.

besides, Ren isn't who he should direct his anger towards. ]

He shot you? Like he— [ the word gets caught in his throat. go on, Sakamoto. say it. ]...killed you?

[Ren swallows down something hard in his throat, a feeble hand lifting to touch at his forehead. No wound, but...he can remember at least that piece of it clearly now - Akechi holding a gun to his head, the sound of the safety clicking off...

[Killed him? It still hasn’t occurred to Ren that this is even something the Thieves had considered a possibility. Akechi - he wasn’t one of them, but did he really have it in him to...? And does that mean that Ren is...?

[And if Ren is, and Ryuji is here talking to him, then...Where is here, and what—-]

What happened to you?

[His eyes are dead set on Ryuji now, a new brand of alarm burning behind his irises that holds no more concern for himself; even so, he looks a bit panicked.

[Ryuji...No, not Ryuji. He wasn’t supposed to—- None of them were supposed to—-

[Suddenly, Ren jumps up from where he’s sitting, swaying dangerously when he does so. He shakes his head, glances around him and tries to get an idea of where they are, what’s going on.

[No...no, no, no, no. This has to be some sort of mistake. White hot anger burns in Ren’s gut when he speaks next, and it bleeds easily into his voice.]

What did he do?

[ Ryuji had always been a bit apprehensive of Akechi, all too familiar with the type of person he is, but even he held out hope that maybe the Detective Prince wouldn't actually betray their trust. that maybe the act he put on the for crowd wasn't completely fake. Ryuji desperately wanted to believe that Akechi was a good guy; not so much for his sake but for Ren's. ]

[ he winces a little at the question.

what happened to you?

he tries to retrace his steps. he was definitely still in Sae's palace before waking up here. but the last thing he remembers seeing is, ah—!

no time to really contemplate that it seems. panicked, Ryuji scrambles to his feet when he sees Ren jump up so suddenly. he holds out his arms in an attempt to catch him. ]

Hey, hey! Take it easy, man! Take it easy. Don't worry about me right now.

Just...

What the hell is goin' on here?! You're not—!

You can't be! [ his voice is tinged with fear. fear mixed with denial and guilt. sooner or later they'll have to realize the situation they're in. ]

[The realization is slowly creeping up Ren’s spine even as Ryuji speaks, and the rage he feels beneath that only makes it worse. He does stumble a bit where he stands, but he needs no catching yet. His glare continues to search the area around him.

[That bastard. He’d betrayed them. He’d betrayed them all. It feels like all at once that Ren remembers the plan; yes, they always knew that this was going to happen. And they knew how they were going to stop it.

[But now it seems that...

[His voice sounds positively miserable when he speaks, weighed down by anger, shame, and disbelief.

[The phone...She never showed him the phone.]

It didn’t work...

[And now he...and Ryuji...his friends...

[Ren slumps down on one knee, head hung heavily, shoulders trembling with angels. No, no, no. This can’t be happening. It can’t be over, not like this.

[His fist finds the ground.]

No!

[ Ryuji's silent, biting his lip to hold back...something. he's not sure exactly what it is. a cry? a shout? he's so tense that he's shaking. fists clenched so tightly that his nails dig into the palms of his hands. he feels heartache, or at least an approximation to what heartache should feel like. he feels guilty. once again Ryuji's failed his teammates it seems.

"where did they go wrong?" he wonders

[ he tries to take in a deep breath, still clinging to the hope that maybe the Metaverse is playing some sick joke on them. or maybe he's dreaming. yeah. this has to be a dream, and eventually he'll wake up safe and sound in his bed. and yet, the breath never reaches his lungs.

...

again, defeated, Ryuji kneels to the ground. he can barely stand to look at Ren right now. ]

Heh, looks like I let ya down.

...we all did.

I'm sorry, man.

[Ren doesn’t move from his place on the ground, fist still tensed against it, body shaking with a miserable mix of anger, grief, and...

[Guilt. Hearing Ryuji’s soft words behind him, words of blame and self-depreciation - it’s too much to take, and Ren’s fist spreads out into a palm against the ground as he shakes his head.]

No...[It’s a whisper this time, and somehow, in a place where breath won’t come and where his body doesn’t ache despite his bruising, wet tears manage to splatter against the ground.]

I failed you...

[The phone. All he had to do was convince Nijima, and he couldn’t.

[Ryuji is dead, and the rest of his friends will no doubt be following.

[He’d killed them all.]

[ they can play the blame game all they want—they’ve got plenty of time now to hash this one out it seems—but deep down Ryuji knows that it’s not his fault. it’s no one’s fault except Akechi’s and yet, it still breaks him to hear that his leader, his best friend, thinks he failed him.

"I failed you…" the words sting deep within him. now Ryuji’s holding back his own tears. the last time he’d heard those words directed at him in apology they came from his mother.

…his mother…

a few tears escape from his eyes. feverishly Ryuji wipes at his face with the sleeve of his jacket, banishing the thought from his mind. ]

Renren…[ his voice is shaky.

Ryuji crawls to Ren’s side, placing a hand on the other boy’s back in hopes of consoling him. his touch seems uncharacteristically gentle, a stark contrast to the rough manhandling and heavy-handed pats on the back that Ren’s used to. it doesn't seem like much but it’s all he can think to do. it’s probably all he can do. ]

Don't be too hard on yourself, man. This ain't your fault.

[Beneath Ryuji’s touch, Ren’s shoulders are shaking. He lifts a hand from the ground to stubbornly wipe away his own tears, but it seems fruitless. He doesn’t want to look Ryuji in the eye. Ren is many things on the surface - mild, calm, excitable when the situation calls for it, funny in his own quiet way, etc.. Rarely does he show emotion like this, be it anger or sadness.

[But this place, Ryuji, his friends...Guilt churns viciously in his gut. It’s true that Akechi is the one to blame for this, and that betrayal burns deeply, but still, Ren blames himself. Of course he would. He’s supposed to be their leader, their guide, their stronghold, and now...]

I’m so sorry...

[It’s almost as if he hasn’t heard Ryuji’s words at all. Even if the guilt is misplaced, his own ring true. His voice sounds positively miserable.

[And to think what fate might have found the others. Ann, Makoto, Yusuke, Haru, Futaba.

[Imagining Sojiro without her causes him to double over like he’s in pain. How can a dead person feel nauseous.]

The others...? [His voice is pleading. Please tell him they got away. Please tell him it’s only them that have lost.]

[ as much as it pains him to hear, Ryuji gets it. he absolutely gets it. a part of him feels utterly useless though as he's unable to properly console his friend. another part wants to protest again, but he refrains from doing so and instead just lets Ren get his feelings out there. ]

Just let it all out, man.

[ they sit in silence for a moment. it's uncomfortably quiet aside from the choked cries coming from his friend, the atmosphere somehow even more oppressive than the Metaverse. Ryuji can feel the rage bubbling deep within him. any other time he’d be doing anything he could to try and tear this whole place down in search of an exit, anything to try and escape yet, the reluctant acceptance that he may truly be stuck here keeps him subdued—whether it be in defeat or from the crushing weight of his own exhaustion finally bearing down on him is anyone’s guess.

[ and he'd almost gotten used to the silence, but then his body stiffens at Ren's mention of "the others".

...

this whole time he’s been trying to make sense of what happened, but the sequence of events leading up to his death still remain a jumbled mess in his mind. even if he knew what happened, how can he be so sure their friends followed him here? maybe it's a blessing in disguise that he's not run into anyone else here though. at this point he's not sure if he could even handle seeing any of them right now. ]

I— [ the words dry up in his mouth. he feels bad. how would Ren react if he said he simply didn’t know? the alternative would be to lie, which wouldn’t bode well for him should they happen to run into anyone else, but considering Ren's current state speculating that the rest of their friends might have also perished in the casino seems like an even less ideal response. ]

I dunno. [ he sounds absolutely pitiful. as if he hasn't let down Ren enough already. ] No one else was around when I woke up.

[Ren’s throat feels dry and choked. He doesn’t blame Ryuji for not knowing. The circumstances of his own death, after all, are still quite blurry save for that one single image.

[Akechi Goro, a gun, the interrogation room, the safety clicking off...

[He shakes his head, voice positively miserable, anger mixed with something much heavier and more oppressive when he says:]

I’ll never forgive him...

[And then he sits up from the ground, pulls his knees up to his chest and buries his head in them. Where he can, he leans his body on Ryuji, exhaustion overcoming him again. He wants to say something else - anything else, anything that could even potentially communicate how he feels - but the words don’t come.

[So this is really happening...]

Ryu...

You don't gotta. If I ever see him again I'll— [ no no. he promised himself he wouldn't get too worked up; not that he really has the energy to right now anyway. instead he tries again to heave a sigh, again, despite being unable to draw in a breath. still, he commits to following through with the motion. a force of habit, one could say.

[ everything feels so heavy, both literally and figuratively, and the feeling of Ren leaning into makes him feel like he might topple over. he resists the urge and instead Ryuji shifts his weight, propping himself to give Ren a little more support. it's bittersweet, really. any other time Ren's presence would bring him a sense of relief, and to a certain degree it does, but Ryuji still can't help but feel that Ren shouldn't be here with him right now. he doesn't deserve to be here.

Ryuji wishes there was more he could do right now. more he could say. anything that might be able to comfort his friend. anything that might even cheer him up would be great. but what can he even say at a time like this?

[ this...really is it, huh? ]

It's okay, Ren. I'm right here.

[Ren lets his eyes fall closed. What else is there to say, then?]

I love you.

[He should know that, at least. Now more than ever. Let him take it as he will.]

You what—? [ Ryuji doesn't fully register the words that Ren's just said at first, and then it hits him all at once. oh. Ryuji bites his lip. three simple words, and yet they hold so much weight; especially now.

[ they'd only known each other for a little under year and yet, Ryuji felt that he already owed Ren so much—from saving his life in their encounter with shadow Kamoshida, to giving him a renewed sense of purpose, to simply being someone he knew he could lean on when he needed it. he was really starting to feel like he finally belonged somewhere. and yet, despite his gratitude, hearing his friend say those words to him still tears him up inside. was it guilt or shame he was feeling? what had he done to earn these words?

[ he grips Ren's shoulder a little tighter, pulling him closer. sure, he may be feeling unworthy but be that as it may, they're in this together. they always have been. ]

I...love you too, man. [ Ryuji's voice is weary, the words seeming to stumble from his mouth. Ren can take that how he will as well.

[ so this is where they're at now. in a way, being stuck in limbo with your best friend can't be too bad can it? ]

So what now?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Limbo Meme

time to hurt 1D

so you have chosen violence. very well

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1 / ? :(

2/3

3/3 sarah mclachlan in the arms of an angle :'/

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Morgana is not on that list and that is intentional

he went straight to hell it's okay

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I reemerge from the grave to body you with FEELINGS

I am now deceased (again)

bring us on home king (or don't idk. do what you want)