minako arisato (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
complementing) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
recolle2017-08-26 06:19 pm
complementing) wrote in recolle2017-08-26 06:19 pm
Entry tags:
open || the irreplaceable people in our hearts
WHO: Minako Arisato and YOU
WHERE: Peach Beach and elsewhere
WHEN: August 26th and into September
WHAT: Grieving over the loss of a best friend. A ceremonial cremation at Peach Beach forward-dated to August 30th.
WARNINGS: Death. Message me at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
raynestorm if you'd like to work out a different scenario. Also a note: please feel free to create your own threads and/or threadjack for the cremation prompt, just write in the title if you'd prefer not to threadjack.
I. MISTIC
Gym, Utsuki Dojo, Hollingberry Field; August 26th to 29th
[The first thing Minako did after finding out Ryoji died was burst out of the hospital and beat up monsters with her bare hands. She's not quite as self-destructive now, but she's still pushing herself to the limits. You might encounter her either at: the gym, throwing her fists at a punching bag; the dojo, swinging a practice spear in shaky kata forms; or at Hollingberry Field, running on the track with sweat pouring down her face, but not stopping for a break at all.]
II. MEMORIES FROM 10 YEARS AGO
Expressive, Hollingberry Field, outside Minako's apartment; August 26th to 29th
[Otherwise...you might find her sitting at Expressive, nursing a cup of coffee, or at Hollingberry Field, sitting on the swing set. It's obvious that she's been crying, but it's in these moments, after she's physically exhausted her body, that she can truly start sorting through her thoughts and start the grieving process. Perhaps you'd like to join her. She wouldn't mind the company.
If you find her outside her apartment, she'll be sitting on the curb with her eyes closed, soaking up the sun with Koromaru beside her. An isopod plush is sitting in her lap, and if you're close enough, you might hear a quiet crinkle of paper beneath the sections of the isopod when she hugs it.]
III. KIMI NO KIOKU
Peach Beach; August 30th
[Minako has no idea how a real cremation is supposed to go, too young and traumatized at the time of her parents' death to remember. And honestly, she doesn't care. The ashes aren't from Ryoji's body anyways. That...will be for a later time. Today is instead her own personal good bye, and for anyone else coming. She's reserved one of the pits that's off to the side of the beach, relatively undisturbed by happy families spending one last summer day on the beach, and in it, she's burning a black kintsugi bowl. Its pair is sitting nearby.
Once the black bowl is completely burned, Minako scoops the ashes out and slides them into the white bowl before turning to the friends who have come to attend.]
There was a month a while back, when Retrospec was making our phones broadcast all of our deepest secrets and painful memories. Ryoji heard my secret that I...that I was afraid people don't like me unless I'm always smiling. That I hate burdening people with my thoughts for fear that they won't accept me anymore.
And what he did in answer...was to give me two bowls. In Japan, there's an art form of fixing broken pottery by fusing the pieces with gold-dusted lacquer. It's called kintsugi, and kintsugi pieces are considered to be more beautiful than the original, sometimes. He gave me them as a reminder that I...am perfect the way I am, broken pieces and all, because all of that, in the end, is still me. I am good enough. Me, simply being Minako Arisato, was enough for him.
[She's blinking rapidly now, tears forming and falling down her cheeks.]
I know now, seeing you all here, that he was right. That it's okay to rely on everyone else. Because everyone else is going through the same things I am. The same sadness and grief. I will-- [Her voice cracks, and she has to take a moment to collect herself.] I'll miss him so much. He was a part of me, and now that he's gone, I've become irreversibly broken again. But I'll be okay. He left me so many texts. [A watery laugh.] So many texts! And selfies, and notes, and little gifts. I won't ever be without reminders of him. But most of all, he left me the memories of his smiles and laughter. I'll use these to fuse myself together until I'm whole again.
I've burned the black bowl today...as my good bye to him. The two of us who were inseparable, now parted...but the friendship we shared can never be denied or forgotten.
[She turns to the ocean and walks to the edge, the tiny waves lapping at her sandaled feet. Scooping the ashes into her fingers, she gently blows them into the wind and whispers as they float away.]
Ryoji...are you listening? Thank you for putting me back together time and time again. Good bye.
[Anyone is free to come talk to her at any point after the ceremony. She is still nothing like the exuberant young woman she used to be, but she's more willing to respond now.]
IV. BECAUSE I WILL PROTECT YOU
Various; September onwards
[After the ceremonial cremation, Minako is...better. It's still so soon after Ryoji's passing, and there are many times where she'll suddenly hurry away, or hide her face as a bout of quiet crying starts. But she is Minako, and Minako wouldn't be herself if she wasn't helping others. She tells everyone at the cremation that she'll be available to talk to, if anyone else is seeking closure. Talking about her feelings has helped a lot in the past few days, and she wants to extend the same offer to others grieving.
She thinks...it's better to grieve together than alone.
So whether it's at her apartment, in a quiet bench at the park, or somewhere else-- if anyone asks, she'll come.
Or if you didn't want to ask...well. She made a note of who attended the cremation. She's going to check up on you eventually.]
WHERE: Peach Beach and elsewhere
WHEN: August 26th and into September
WHAT: Grieving over the loss of a best friend. A ceremonial cremation at Peach Beach forward-dated to August 30th.
WARNINGS: Death. Message me at
I. MISTIC
Gym, Utsuki Dojo, Hollingberry Field; August 26th to 29th
[The first thing Minako did after finding out Ryoji died was burst out of the hospital and beat up monsters with her bare hands. She's not quite as self-destructive now, but she's still pushing herself to the limits. You might encounter her either at: the gym, throwing her fists at a punching bag; the dojo, swinging a practice spear in shaky kata forms; or at Hollingberry Field, running on the track with sweat pouring down her face, but not stopping for a break at all.]
II. MEMORIES FROM 10 YEARS AGO
Expressive, Hollingberry Field, outside Minako's apartment; August 26th to 29th
[Otherwise...you might find her sitting at Expressive, nursing a cup of coffee, or at Hollingberry Field, sitting on the swing set. It's obvious that she's been crying, but it's in these moments, after she's physically exhausted her body, that she can truly start sorting through her thoughts and start the grieving process. Perhaps you'd like to join her. She wouldn't mind the company.
If you find her outside her apartment, she'll be sitting on the curb with her eyes closed, soaking up the sun with Koromaru beside her. An isopod plush is sitting in her lap, and if you're close enough, you might hear a quiet crinkle of paper beneath the sections of the isopod when she hugs it.]
III. KIMI NO KIOKU
Peach Beach; August 30th
[Minako has no idea how a real cremation is supposed to go, too young and traumatized at the time of her parents' death to remember. And honestly, she doesn't care. The ashes aren't from Ryoji's body anyways. That...will be for a later time. Today is instead her own personal good bye, and for anyone else coming. She's reserved one of the pits that's off to the side of the beach, relatively undisturbed by happy families spending one last summer day on the beach, and in it, she's burning a black kintsugi bowl. Its pair is sitting nearby.
Once the black bowl is completely burned, Minako scoops the ashes out and slides them into the white bowl before turning to the friends who have come to attend.]
There was a month a while back, when Retrospec was making our phones broadcast all of our deepest secrets and painful memories. Ryoji heard my secret that I...that I was afraid people don't like me unless I'm always smiling. That I hate burdening people with my thoughts for fear that they won't accept me anymore.
And what he did in answer...was to give me two bowls. In Japan, there's an art form of fixing broken pottery by fusing the pieces with gold-dusted lacquer. It's called kintsugi, and kintsugi pieces are considered to be more beautiful than the original, sometimes. He gave me them as a reminder that I...am perfect the way I am, broken pieces and all, because all of that, in the end, is still me. I am good enough. Me, simply being Minako Arisato, was enough for him.
[She's blinking rapidly now, tears forming and falling down her cheeks.]
I know now, seeing you all here, that he was right. That it's okay to rely on everyone else. Because everyone else is going through the same things I am. The same sadness and grief. I will-- [Her voice cracks, and she has to take a moment to collect herself.] I'll miss him so much. He was a part of me, and now that he's gone, I've become irreversibly broken again. But I'll be okay. He left me so many texts. [A watery laugh.] So many texts! And selfies, and notes, and little gifts. I won't ever be without reminders of him. But most of all, he left me the memories of his smiles and laughter. I'll use these to fuse myself together until I'm whole again.
I've burned the black bowl today...as my good bye to him. The two of us who were inseparable, now parted...but the friendship we shared can never be denied or forgotten.
[She turns to the ocean and walks to the edge, the tiny waves lapping at her sandaled feet. Scooping the ashes into her fingers, she gently blows them into the wind and whispers as they float away.]
Ryoji...are you listening? Thank you for putting me back together time and time again. Good bye.
[Anyone is free to come talk to her at any point after the ceremony. She is still nothing like the exuberant young woman she used to be, but she's more willing to respond now.]
IV. BECAUSE I WILL PROTECT YOU
Various; September onwards
[After the ceremonial cremation, Minako is...better. It's still so soon after Ryoji's passing, and there are many times where she'll suddenly hurry away, or hide her face as a bout of quiet crying starts. But she is Minako, and Minako wouldn't be herself if she wasn't helping others. She tells everyone at the cremation that she'll be available to talk to, if anyone else is seeking closure. Talking about her feelings has helped a lot in the past few days, and she wants to extend the same offer to others grieving.
She thinks...it's better to grieve together than alone.
So whether it's at her apartment, in a quiet bench at the park, or somewhere else-- if anyone asks, she'll come.
Or if you didn't want to ask...well. She made a note of who attended the cremation. She's going to check up on you eventually.]
no subject
[There was always something about beaches. Something happening on them, something to see there. With the ocean's return, it was almost—almost—normal again.
With a glaring omission.
Lucy didn't say anything during the ceremony. She didn't even say much that day. She only appeared, silently, when it was time to go. And she barely left Minako's side once they were at the beach, though she stayed more to the shadows during the speech.
After the ceremony, she gave Minako space. But she didn't go far, pacing an uneven, agitated line near the water's edge.]
IVish. (Closed to Minako)
[Lucy still didn't want to leave Minako's side, in the days afterwards. But she had other responsibilities, horribly pressing ones. She was already on thin ice at her job, for taking such a long hiatus. Asking for other days off was out of the question for months. But, whenever she could manage—breaks, split-shifts, trading hours—she was there again, hovering near her friend's shoulder.
This time was a park; quiet, mostly. There were people here, but mostly they were sticking to the pathways. Like Lucy was, following Minako like usual.
Quietly, she brushed her friend's elbow with her arm. She seemed to have slowed down for something.]
Are you okay, Minako?
no subject
Lucy doesn't carry much of that expectation, though. Minako can tell she's only hovering just to make sure nobody else bothers her while she readjusts to living without Ryoji. So walking Koromaru like this is a quiet affair instead of the usual chatting with neighbors and such.
She glances to her roommate and dips her head in a small nod.]
Korochan just wanted to smell the flowers.
[Dandelions.]
Those were his favorite.
no subject
There's a lot of those.
[She wouldn't have expected dandelions if Minako hadn't told her. They seemed so ubiquitous and everywhere she had stopped paying attention to them, though she didn't step on any of the cheerful yellow flowers on purpose.]
no subject
[Unlike Lucy, she has no compunctions about kneeling down to scratch Koromaru's ears, and he immediately leans into it, bumping his head under her chin.]
The color of sunshine and positivity.
no subject
Is that why he got the scarf? Or did that come first?
[She was...curious. She didn't want to set Minako off, but she wanted to know too. Things she never got the chance to ask or thought to in the first place.]
no subject
The yellow one? That was something he got from Retrospec. He was always wearing it in our visions of our other lives. The one before that was something Mrs. Mochizuki made for him.
no subject
Did he ever take it off?
[It was supposed to be humorous, or at least Lucy's attempt at it. She didn't recall Ryoji wearing that scarf when they jumped off the pier.]
no subject
Once it got hotter, yes. It just seemed like he ever took it off since he was only here for most of winter and spring...
[She swipes at the corners of her eyes.]
no subject
What flowers do you like, Minako?
no subject
[A sniffle. She's trying to get in control of herself, not wanting to worry Lucy too much.]
Sakura, through and through...but sunflowers are nice, too. And hydrangeas.
...what about you?
no subject
-wait Minako was still talking.]
Uh.
[Now Lucy did freeze, nudged a bit off-balance by the question.]
Lilies. The orange ones that are always growing on the side of the road.
no subject
[Dandelions and forget-me-nots and sunflowers and lilies.]
no subject
[Lucy's response was immediate. It was a nice thing; more colors to look at, even if it was getting late in the year Dandelions would do just fine, though. Nevermind what the neighbors thought.]
no subject
Do you want to plant them together?
no subject
Right now?
no subject
no subject
Okay.
[She reaches out to nudge Minako's shoulder, to urge her friend onward.]