bakerstreet | nothing in life in as ugly as death.

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nothing in life in as ugly as death.

The Last Words Meme

This is it. The final curtain. You're at the end of your life, and there's someone here you really, really need to say something to before you die.

HOW IT WORKS:

I.
Comment with your character. Using random.org or a similar site, the first character to post rolls for their cause of death and how long they have left to live. Or you can leave it blank and let the person commenting choose for you!

II.
Responding characters then roll for the relationship between the two of you. Optionally responding characters can also share your cause of death/time left to live or roll for their own, but that's not required. A living character caring for (or horribly mutilating) a dying one is fine, too.

III.
Tell the person what you need to tell them before you bite it.

CAUSE OF DEATH:

I.
Accidental. Nobody meant for this to happen, but it doesn't matter now. Due to negligance, arrogance or just plain bad luck, you've become gravely ill or injured and are now in your last moments. This covers all kinds of accidental deaths--strangulation, drowning, car accidents, unintentional beheadings, whatever you can think of.

II.
Murder. Somebody really didn't like you. Enough to kill you, it seems. You're now dead by someone else's hand. (Maybe even the person replying to you?) As with accidental death, this covers all types of intentional, malicious murder, regardless of method--so poisoning, stabbing, shooting, etc., all work here. Same with all the below options: any possible variation you can think of on it will work!

III.
Suicide. There is no hope for you, and no way out. You've reached the absolute bottom pits of despair, and the only recourse you have is to take your own life. Someone shows up to stop you... but they're too late to help you now.

IV.
Terminal illness. You have cancer, or tuberculosis, or cholera back when people got cholera. The doctors have done everything they could and it wasn't enough. The only thing to do now is give your loved ones the bad news.

V.
Starvation. So thirsty. So hungry. Maybe you've been traveling in the desert for hours, or maybe you're just really poor. Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter, because you're slowly wasting away until you're nothing but skin and bones.

VI.
Death in battle. You've died a hero's death, and gone out in a blaze of glory. Or maybe you were a coward who got shot for deserting? Either way, you're now a casualty of war. Will you be honored with a parade or scorned as a traitor to your country?

VII.
Natural causes. You've lived a long, happy life, and now your story is at an end. In a warm bed, surrounded by your family and friends, you peacefully drift off. Just make sure that you've made a will somewhere, or at least use your deathbed to set the record straight. Otherwise, who knows what kind of squabbles might errupt after you leave this world?

TIME LEFT:

I.
A few minutes. You're fading fast and you don't have much, well, any time left. Better tell the person with you that you love -- or despise-- them with your last breath, because you'll never have the chance otherwise.

II.
A few hours. You haven't got much time left. Is there someone you still need to kill? To kiss? Better do it quick. (Note: last kisses not recommended for people dying of highly contagious illnesses.)

III.
A few days. The doctors have given you the news, and it's not very good. You've only got a couple days left to live. You should start trying to make peace with people and saying your final goodbyes with the days you have left.

IV.
A few weeks. Take that vacation you've always wanted to go on but never had the chance to. Go do that thing you've never thought you'd be any good at. You've got only weeks left to live. Don't waste them.

V.
A few months. While you aren't quite on death's doorstep yet, your lifespan has still dwindled considerably from what you probably thought it would be. How are you going to spend your last few months on Earth? Making the world a better place and telling your family you love them? Or raising as much hell as possible?

RELATIONSHIP:

I.
Lovers. This is your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mistress - they were the person you wanted to spend your life with. Too bad you don't have much of a life to spend with them anymore.

II.
Siblings. Your beloved little or older sibling is just standing there, watching you slowly waste away before their eyes. Can you say anything to comfort them? Note that it doesn't necessarily have to be interpreted literally; adopted siblings and friends so close they might as well be siblings work too.

III.
Parent and child. Nothing is worse than a parent having to bury their child... except, maybe, a young child now alone in the world after losing their parent. As with the sibling prompt, this can be expanded to include parental figures and people who are LIKE a father/mother to you as well as actual biological parents.

IV.
Co-workers, teammates or classmates. You were fighting for the same side. Or you worked together in the same office for years. Or they sat behind you in biology all semester. However you met, how do your react when you find out someone who used to be a fixture in your life is going to die?

V.
Friends. You're the best of friends! You go everywhere together, know all each other's secrets, and are never seen apart. At least, you didn't use to be. Now one of you is dying and the other one is left alone in the world. Or maybe you're dying together. Wait, is that better or worse?

VI.
Bitter enemies. You hate, hate, hate this person. In fact, maybe you killed them. Or they killed you. Or maybe nobody killed anybody and they're just bitter that Mother Nature got to you before they did. Regardless, they want to confront you one last time before you bite it, if only to rub your nose in your imminent demise and their ability to outlive you.

Stolen from memebells.

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[Will automatically roll, unless you'd rather! Open to anything.]

[Lurks here, waiting for your roll and set up. Baww...]

[It was the hardest Janet had ever fought. Thor himself said that she was one of the finest warriors he had ever shared the field with and Janet took that compliment to heart, even as the paramedics wheeled her away.

She had never been frail. Tiny, yes, and oftentimes pocket-sized, but she was resilient. She is resilient. And certainly not stupid. She knows what the doctors and nurses have discussed amongst themselves. She knows she doesn't have much longer to live, not with her wounds. And, god, to think she had once thought herself invincible - but there are some things that even she can't escape.

For now, she lays in her hospital bed, pale, bangs pushed to the side, cropped hair loose and damp from her last face wash. She stares at the tiles above her head and counts them backwards and forwards. Waiting.]

[He was in another state at the time, way too far away to know what was going on until it was too late. Too deep into the job to have contact with the others. When he had returned to see the others in varying states of battered or bruised his heart fell, though he didn't show it.]

[When Director Fury informed him about Janet however, it showed, for a brief moment, it showed. He had clearance to see her, as long as he didn't upset her too badly. The first night he saw her she was still out of it, so he sat beside her bed for a very long time before being called out by the Director.]

[Returning now he stepped in the door silently, looking in first to stare, to see if she was awake or moving. They said she wouldn't live long. There were only days. Days. She was stronger then they expected, wasn't she? But Phil was still worried.]

I see you're awake... [his voice felt faint, even to himself. Stepping in closer, hands clasped in front he came towards her bed.]

[Too much internal bleeding. If Hank hadn't pulled her out so quickly, she might have died then and there. But in her heart, she knows the struggle was worth it, flying towards the foreign beast while. Tony had weakly joked that 'Tinkerbell' could have taken him out herself if they let her.

And then she was cast aside. Once she had grown to full size and stopped moving, they all knew something had gone terribly wrong.

So here she is now, smiling weakly at him, struggling to lift a hand tied down by too many doodads. Her arms feel like lead so she drops them both.] Been awake. Hiya.

[It was hard to keep some form of composure. Times like this were tough as it was, but they were saying there was no cute. No magical Pym science, or wonderful wonder serum to fix this. No nano bots to slip in and sort it all out. Just Janet and internal bleeding and the inevitable end.]

[When she dropped her hands he stepped closer, hand reaching out to take hers within his. Holding it with both hands.] Janet, I...

[his phone beeped, causing his words to cut off mid thought. It was his phone that pulled him away from her already. When she was still out of it. How long had he been gone? How much of her awake did he miss?]

[He reached up, not caring if it was Director Fury or not, and took the ear piece out, disconnected it from his phone, and turned it off to stand by. Rubbing her hand carefully, as long as it didn't hurt her, he stood by.]

I... heard you fought well. [it wasn't what he wanted to say, but it would do... for now]

[She turns her head ever so slightly to look at him, a dark bruise over her normally rosy cheek. Opening her mouth to say something, she closes it quickly, just as the phone goes off. No offense taken. It is his job and she knows how he hurts inside, despite his cool, collected exterior. What she hates the most is that she is the source of most of this pain.

She turns her hand in his finally, slowly, palm against his, her fingernails still with their chipped red polish. Always one concerned with outward appearances, she's at least thankful that she nurse complied and applied her trademark raspberry-colored lipstick. Color. Color was always necessary with Janet.]

I always fight well, buddy. [She whispers, understanding. She feels a little like Snow White trapped in her glass coffin, seeing all but unable to react. At least she has her agent prince at her side.]

[He shouldn't have let them pull him away though. What if he had missed it all together. Missed her being awake and talking. Maybe it would have been easier though, but he didn't care for easy.]

[With a careful move he reached a foot out and toed a chair closer, inching down into it like he had before, seated on the edge of it, and leaning on her bed, hands holding her hand warmly. He wasn't sure what to say to her. He wanted to speak to her about other things. Important things but...]

I know. As well as any of them. Thor was singing your praises in the most boisterous of ways today though. [No doubt wishing her safe passage to Valhalla or something like that. Phil had tuned Thor out after a while.]

[That got a laugh out of her, her tinkling laugh, soon clouded by a cough. She closed her eyes a moment to calm herself, her pulse, her nerves. She wanted to laugh more. She wasn't ready to stop.]

I wish I heard that. He'll raise a glass of mead to me, I know. [Janet opened her eyes and smiled gently at him, only the fondest gaze in her blue eyes. Her affection for him was no secret, as discrete as she had tried to be.]

'The Lady Janet,' [She began in her best imitation of his voice, albeit a quieter version.] 'I like her. I wish to carry her in the palm of my hand.'

[He would have laughed too, but her coughing made him try to hold her hand a bit more tightly, trying to help steady her in impossible ways. He was trying to smile for her, but that was hard.]

[When had he become so attached to her? All those random little things they shared in common. The movies and the songs and Singing in the Rain. She got him to do things no one else had ever seeing (like dance. Just for her). He'd become so attached that the thought of her dying had him feeling empty already.]

Careful. [he soothed, raising her hand in his and kissing the back of a knuckle.] The Lady Janet, I always liked the sound of that.

[The kiss to her hand, though a small gesture, brought her an even greater comfort and she almost cried at the sudden rush of emotion. 'I don't want to go, Phil,' she wanted to say, 'I need to stay for you, for Hank, for everyone. I need to stay.'

But she didn't say that. She struggled through another smile and managed to squeeze his hand gently.] Lady Janet of the House of Van Dyne and Sir Phil, Son of Coul. A weird little fairytale.

Someone should write a musical.

[He was glad no one else was around. He had her all to himself right now and he could just be Phil. No one but her to be strong for. No one around to see what he's like around her. Just her and him and the precious minutes ticking away.]

It would be impossible to cast. I can't think of anyone suitable enough to play the leading ladies part. [Corny and a odd attempt at humor, Phil didn't have his heart into it. He didn't want her to go. He wasn't ready to let her go. It took him long enough to let her in. Took him long enough to allow himself to try for her attention. Now that he had her he had to let her go?]

[He didn't want to. He wasn't ready for that.]

[Phil wasn't known for actually having a life outside of work. Sure, there had been a cellist once, but his work ethics had pushed her to moving back to Portland. There had been others before. Failed attempts of having a normal life, but work always pushed that away fast. Funny how finding someone personal... in the same place he worked made things a whole lot easier.]

Easy. [She continued the joke with ease. That was just how they were.] Just cast Meryl Streep and be done with it.

[If only this was fake, if this was some plan concocted by Director Fury as a diversion. But it wasn't. And the deeper she sank into the reality of the situation, the hollower she felt inside. Janet slowly brought his hand to her lips to press a small kiss there, leaving her lip mark just above the curve between his thumb and index finger. A silent gesture of reassurance.]

How long can you stay?

Classy, yes, but not right. Not perfect enough. [Joking with ease, sure, but he still didn't feel as if his heart was into it. He as trying very hard to stay composed around her. To smile and make light of things, when all he wanted to do was lay his head down beside her and please to some God somewhere to not take her.]

[When she kissed his hand, leaving the little raspberry mark on his skin he smiled at her. He was good at keeping composed and his trademark amused looks on his face. He was good at hiding how he really felt. Right now it was very hard to do. She doubtlessly could read him like a book at the moment, though he fought to keep that smile for her]

I'm not going anywhere. The Director can do without me for a while. I'll stay as long as you want me to. [he already disabled his phone anyhow. At this moment there were four new messages and three texts already gathering and he didn't care.]

[Janet had gotten very good at reading Phil, weakening resolve or not. She wasn't normally perceptive, but had somehow turned into the subtleties in his expression. But that was love for you.

And as soon as he finished that last sentence, she could feel herself crumbling into a million pieces, her face contorting into an indiscernible expression. A struggle. Finally, a tear and a sniffle, a gasp for air.]

As - as long as I want, huh. [It hurt inside in more ways than one, more than the bleeding or the bruises or the broken foot. The only thing that was on her mind was how he would cope when all was said and done.]

I just - I just want to go home.

[There were very few people he had taken any form of connection to. Clint and Nat being two of them. Pepper had proved to be a good friend. The rest of the Avengers were always going to be there at his back, even Stark. Out of all those people, only a few would ever, at any point in his life, see him slowly break down.]

[He couldn't say 'until you sleep' because that sounded like he would leave as soon as she closed her eyes. He wouldn't say 'until you go' because... he didn't want her to go. 'For as long as you want' was the best he could give her, though he didn't mean to make her cry.]

[With his free hand he reached up, thumb softly, barely touching her cheek, smoothed away the tears, his fingers sliding in over her cheek so carefully.] It's okay. It'll be okay. It'll... It'll be okay. I'll take you home. As soon as you're able. As soon as they let me. I'll take you home.

[Ah... he slipped a little there, struggling to hold back the nonsense. They both knew she wasn't going to be able to go. That she wasn't going to hold on long. It was a nice thought though. He didn't mean to give in to the emotions though. He wanted to stay strong for her. Not be some mess at the side of her bed. That wasn't like him, or at least not like people thought was like him.]

[He would cope. There were plenty of people around him that would help. It would just take a long moment is all. A long moment and diving head first into work again.]

[She sniffled again, appreciating the gesture. Anything for him to be close, honestly - Janet hoped he could just sleep here next to her until she had to ...

No, don't think about that right now. Go back to making jokes about musicals.

Lifting a hand again, she reached up to take his, blinking away the lingering tears in her eyes. A more confident look entered her gaze and she squeezed his hand.]

Just remember that I love you. [If that was going to be one of his last memories of her, she refused to have it filled with waterworks. That wasn't how Janet ever was. She was bubbly and always laughing. Not this weak, sad version sitting before him.]

[Jokes and laughing was hard though. And lets not start in on the thoughts of guilt he might already be having. If he had been there could he have helped some how? Been buzzing in her hear like he does with Clint and others. Make sure someone got to her the moment she was thrown? Got her out of there faster? Anything? He knew it wouldn't have changed the outcome, but he would have been here sooner, right?]

[As she said she loved him he smiled for her. More then a forced smile, something much more truthful and caring. The L word. It wasn't something he said often. At least not in voice. He said it in other ways generally, like the things he did or the looks he gave. It wasn't unheard of, of course, but when he did say it he truly meant it.

[Drawing her other hand back to him he kissed her knuckles once gain, holding her hand close.] I won't forget. That would be impossible. I love you too, remember.

[he was sure he felt his phone shift again. He ignored it, feeling annoyed that anyone would bother him right now. The world could be breaking apart at the moment and he wouldn't care.]

[She raised a hand again, slipping it out of his fingers to slowly press her palms over his chest, first over the buzzing of his phone. With a small smile, she let her fingers wander under the material of his suit and right over his heart, wanting to feel it beat under her hands once more.]

Thank you.

[For this visit, for looking out for her - and for everything else. But all those little details went unsaid. They didn't need to be reiterated, not today. His smile made her feel light inside, one last breath of renewal, enough to keep her running until the very last second.]

[His heart was beating a little bit fast. Fear, mostly, about losing her. If she was in pain or not. If she was happy or not. If she-- her thank you said a lot at least. He read a lot into it. All the little thing he thought she had wanted to say in two simple words. He wanted to tell her Don't go and had been saying it in his head for some time now. Don't go, don't go, don't go.... Instead he said:]

I'll be fine. [As he reached up to rest his hand on the back of her hand, holding it to his chest still, thumb rubbing over the back of it. His words trying to be somewhat encouraging to her. That he'll do alright... if she goes.] We'll be fine, Janet.

When this is over. You'll see. It'll be okay.

[The more he said it, the more she almost believed it herself. It was difficult not to, not when he looked so earnest sitting there with his hand over hers, enveloping her small fingers. She rubbed her thumb over his shirt, closing her eyes after a few blinks.]

The meds made me drowsy. [She murmured, still struggling not to give into its effects, wanting as much time with him as she could possibly muster.]

But I don't want to sleep.

[he just held her hand close. This was the best he could do to hold her. He couldn't wrap his arms around her and pull her close on the couch while watching some classics. He couldn't stand closely behind her, arms around her small form and smile behind her ear when no one was looking. He couldn't pick her up or curl up beside her or anything he could do before. Do when it was just them, private and happy.]

[It wasn't that he wanted to hide what they had either. The others knew. He was just... Coulson that way. He knew he should also tell the others to come visit. TO come say... say... --well to come see her. But he felt selfish right now, just holding her hand to his chest and watching her carefully.]

I know. I always hated those medications. [When he'd taken the hit given to him and as in a hospital bed for... so very long. He'd gone through a lot of in and outs too. If he could do it, surely she could.]

You... you don't have to sleep, if you don't want to. [wait, that was selfish, wasn't it.] But you shouldn't fight it, if you need it. I'll stay right here with you.

[She closed her eyes and envisioned all those little moments that had run through Phil's head, the first time they had watched a movie together, first kiss, first time she convinced him to dance with her. And that made her feel lighter, just thinking about their many firsts. How many others could say they had gone through all of that under a short amount of time? How many people, people much older than she was, could even say they'd loved someone?

She was lucky, in that respect.]

Gimme a few hours. [Janet murmured, giving herself over to sleep.] Love you.

[They had a lot of firsts in a short time, and he cherished all of them. He had the sinking feeling the doctors were right though and that was all he was going to have left.]

[When she asked for a few hours, he smiled at her, softly, but still a large put upon smile] Of course. Take all the time you need. I'll be right here when you wake.

[only... she wasn't going to wake, was she? He shifted to lean over her, looking down and giving her a smile before leaning in to give her a soft, light kiss.] Love you.

[The kiss left a smile on her lips as she drifted off. Each hour passed brought her a step closer to letting go. And she felt better knowing that he would be at her side until the end. Perhaps those days she'd spent struggling in her hospital bed meant she had only been struggling against the inevitable. And now that she had gotten this time with Phil ...

At least she could ready easy knowing that she had done something to make her father proud, her family, her friends - and him. It was honorable.

She was ready. As ready as she could be. Her hand twitched in his and she let herself drift into the misty unknown.]

;_; this sounds like a good idea and clearly needs to be done.

istillbelieveinheroes - 2012-06-06 06:15 (UTC) - Expand

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nothing in life in as ugly as death.

janet van dyne / avengers:emh

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battle | days | lovers (?) - :o

Daww, lovely. <3

This thread will be saad, but Coulson makes me happy <3

Glad I can bring tears and a smile to anyone's face <3

<33 Also their movie thread was so great!

I need to go back to that one. I got distracted xD

Oh, it's totally my turn to reply! Was distracted too XD

I just know I have a lot of replies to do over there. I didn't expect so many!

Well, who wouldn't want to watch musicals with Phil?

Oh gah, that tag nearly made me cry too ;___;

Curse you memeee for giving me a new ship only to hulksmash it apart.

Meme's are very good at turning green and mean in an instant.

Ha! Alas, I must turn in now, but will reply asap :*

Sleep for me as well. More replies when i get home from work xD

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and here i can't stop crying every time i go to tag...

;_; pretty sure we need to make up for the tears by playing out all the firsts we mentioned. yes.

;_; this sounds like a good idea and clearly needs to be done.