week one | match ceremony

[showhost]

The weather is temperate and mild for the match ceremony on this fine Saturday evening, and the crew leads everyone onto a balcony with a cute seating set-up of couches and love-seats. The vibes are Trendy. There are enough places to sit for everyone, but there are only two single chairs, so everyone else is gonna have to cozy up on the couch. Or you can cuddle up in the chairs. I’m not your mom. Also there is only one egg seat. There's mood lighting, like fairy lights.

To one side, there's a small stage of sorts, with a podium where the characters will place their hands to lock in their answers.

Wednesday and Ryuji are led off to the other side so that they can take a seat of honor over on a comfy couch to one side--close to the other contestants, but just far enough away that it's clear they're getting special treatment. Don't you wanna go to the Honeymoon Suite now? Huh???

Anyway.

There are non-alcoholic drinks for people to take at will (all the better to catch spittakes on camera), and the weather is breezy and nice.

And, standing in front of the makeshift stage, with a set of seven unlit lights behind him and one lit light, stands the Overseer. He is dressed the part, of course. He also... looks tired for a moment, but he snaps back to his Proper Hostly Character as soon as the cameras are properly on them and everyone is settled in.

He presses a hand to his chest, sweeping the other outwards.

"Welcome, everyone, to your first Match Ceremony!"

He beams, all classic Tsukasa Sparkles. "As your host, allow me to explain how this will work."

For... the audience mostly. Maybe also for Ryuji? He's not sure how many of the contestants still don't know. It's fine.

"The lights behind me represent each Perfect Match. If--no, when you manage to light every single one, you'll have won, and you will all receive your wishes. For each Perfect Match you find at this ceremony, a light will be lit! And it is your task to figure out which pairs led to those lights appearing."

He nods firmly, eyes and expression shining with confidence in the competitors sitting before him. "And you do not even have to worry about losing a wish this week! It isn't possible for you to have a blackout, since Miss Addams and Sakamoto were a Perfect Match. Congratulations!"

Get on with it, Tsukasa. He clears his throat, pauses just long enough for there to be an inevitable easy cut to commercial break when they edit this later, and then:

"We will begin this week with Team Wonder."

He extends his hand to Dorothea, the other pressed over his heart. "If the lovely Miss Arnault would come up to start us off...?"

Looks like it’s the moment of truth, so strap in.

--

The ceremony has finally arrived! Each character on Team Wonder will be called up in an order determined by the producers (read: rng'd). Each will get their own sub-toplevel that characters can react to at will.

After the matches have all been locked in, we will then find out just how many you all got right.

Otherwise, feel free to use this log for reactions/toplevels for pre- and post-ceremony, and anything else you please. The world of reality TV dating is yours to embrace.

Comments

[willandaway]

[. . .]

[there's a lot he needs to do right now, but--]

[after like. . . ten minutes or so (so Akechi can have a little bit of space), Will is going after him]

[boneface]

[ JUST...... FTR............ RYUJI NOTICES THIS AND FEELS A TYPE OF WAY, WILL ]

[willandaway]

[STOP HE CAN'T BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE, YOU'RE ON HIS LIST OF PEOPLE TO CHECK IN ON RYUJI!!!]

[boneface]

[ YEAH OKAY WHATEVER, BUD. OR NOT BUD. ]

[willandaway]

[WOW!!!]

[hey now that you've tagged me-- after [MUTTER MUMBLE INSERT TIME HERE] with Akechi, will is also!! actively looking for him!!!]

[boneface]

[ BUT I NEED TO GIVE AYA TIME TO MANIPULATE WILL PROPERLY!!!! ]

[willandaway]

[HE'S AN ATLUS PROTAG TOO HE ISN'T THAT EASILY MANIPULATED!!]

[but fine I can wait a bit, but points at eyes point at Ryuji WILL IS COMIN' FOR HIM!]

[boneface]

[ And now here is Ryuji!!! Jacket gone, tie loosened, he is eating a sandwich in the kitchen because he is still kind of Mad and food helps. At least Will can catch him before he and Wednesday leave back for the honeymoon suite...! ]

[willandaway]

[oh thank goodness; he was bit worried he would miss Ryuji before he departed. either way, he enters the kitchen quietly, slipping himself into the space next to Ryuji with elbows resting against the counter]

[he is quiet for a moment, but. . . then he speaks, gentle but audible]

How is your hand?

[punching can hurt. he knows!!]

[boneface]

[ Ryuji is given pause when Will approaches and sits next to him and he glances at his hand, the knuckles a bit scraped and red from his punches. But it doesn't really bother him, he's done worse. Felt worse. He just sighs and shrugs. ]

S'fine. What do ya want, Will?

[ He saw you go after Akechi first, he's on guard a little now. ]

[willandaway]

[he can see those scratches and newly-forming bruises on Ryuji's knuckles, and with a small breath, he holds out his hand, fingers extended]

To make sure you're okay.

. . . can I see?

[he doesn't have the Healer on him, of course, so he can't do much. but he does at least want to assess the damage]

[boneface]

[ He'll hesitate for a moment but after a moment, he sets down his sandwich and holds out his hand for Will. He doesn't expect him to be able to do anything about it, not like if he went to seek out Josuke, but he doesn't think he should be allowed to heal up his knuckles that easily either. ]

I'm okay though, I am.

[willandaway]

[there's no immediate response. not until after Will carefully takes those fingers in his own, pulling Ryuji's hand forward so he can run a gentle touch across those bruises. tsk. . .]

Physically. . . yes.

[. . . yeah, this could be way worse. the damage is minimal; probably not even something he would need to draw the Healer out for. but he still doesn't want to leave it as is. with his grip still loosely wrapped around Ryuji's palm, he dips his other hand into his bag, pulling out a small bottle of salve that he begins to open up]

Emotionally, though-- I don't believe you.

[sorry Ryuji he is just being GENTLY AND BLUNTLY HONEST]

[flaweddetective]

[People in his space is, arguably, what he needs the least but this is a group of teenagers that don't know what to leave well enough alone. He's at least made it into the little bathroom to grab the concealer from his overnight bag and back to his little camp spot in the other room before Will finally finds him.

He's in the process of trying to hide the redness from the punch. It'll certainly bruise. Hopefully not swell. He can ice it tonight. It's where all his focus is going at present. If he doesn't he'll dwell. And if he dwells... He'll think about his mom. And like hell is he going down that pitfall tonight.]

What?

[It's more tired than irritated. He's trying to focus. Trying not to think about one thing too much and think a lot about other things. Like revenge. There's so much revenge to dish out. If he's going down he's taking everyone with him.]

[willandaway]

[fortunately for Akechi, Will isn't infringing on his immediate personal space. he stands near the door with one hand resting on the frame, the other at his side, fingers slightly resting against the hilt of his sword]

[. . . he doesn't know Akechi. he doesn't know him very well at all. he doesn't quite understand what kind of relationship he had with Ryuji, or why their conversation devolved into a brawl so quickly]

[as such. . . he has no words. and he is acutely aware of that fact]

. . . do you know how to wield a blade?

[he grasps at his scabbard and lifts his sword slightly, for emphasis]

[flaweddetective]

[Does he want to keep lying? Is there any benefit to it at all? He doesn't know... It might not matter with how he's intending to play the game from this point forward.

For now... he'll keep playing the part.]

No. They're not really a thing you just use in this day and age where I'm from.

[willandaway]

[fortunately for Akechi, Will has no reason to believe he is lying about this one specific thing. so he merely nods. . . then unsheathes his sword, gloved fingers holding the hilt tightly as he balances the flat of the blade against his other palm]

I learned at a young age. [he recalls those memories clearly-- drills in the middle of the forest alongside his best friend, who was leagues ahead of him in talent when it came to swordplay] . . . not all are as fortunate as I was, though.

Where I come from, not learning how to wield a weapon can be a death sentence.

[a sharp shing echoes in the room as Will suddenly slices the blade through the air, allowing it to come to rest at his side, light glinting off the metal]

The drills require strict mental focus. It's easy to get lost in hours of practice if one isn't paying attention.

Would you care for me to teach you?

[flaweddetective]

[Holy shit.]

No. [He bristles not completely wanting to bite at a peaceful hand but he doesn't really know how to do anything else but bare his teeth and do just that.] Look.

[He runs a hand through his hair and sighs.]

It's a wasted effort... If rumors are to believed I'm crazy and dangerous. [He waves a hand like ooooh spooky.] Teaching me how to use a sword would be seen as ill advised and compromise your peace with the other contestants.

I know where I stand. Where I've always stood. Alone. And that's where I'll stay.

[willandaway]

[PEACE HAS ALREADY BEEN COMPROMISED, AKECHI!!!]

Teaching you drills to help calm your mind and actually giving you a weapon are two different things.

[besides, he does not actually think Akechi-- "crazy" and "dangerous" as he may be-- would actually try to kill someone in an enclosed environment with MULTIPLE people ready and willing to stop him, that is just dumb!1]

[but he does give his sword one last easy swing through the air before gently inserting it back into its sheath]

[. . .]

You stand alone because it is easiest for you. Familiar. The path of least resistance.

Right?

[those are. . . the kind of vibes he got, based on their last conversation]

[flaweddetective]

The only person I've ever been able to count on is me. Being here doesn't change that. I thought for a little bit that it might be different. But out the gate I have someone howling that they know me. [He's still lying about that, yeah.] And any chances flew right out the window... All the undesirables being left on the ground left a pretty good impression of where a lot of us stood. Of where I stood.

I expected it. That's why I didn't put any stock in this. Why the wish is all that matters. And I'm going to use it to get as far away from everyone and everything I once knew.

[And hell, he doesn't even know if he wants that anymore. Revenge is far more interesting.]

I don't need sword practice or meditation or therapy. I need to get out of here as soon as possible and shelf the last chapter of this miserable life I'm living so I can be anyone else other than who I am now.

[willandaway]

[. . . ah]

[he sees]

[because after that spectacle. . . after getting to know Ryuji, and the few conversations with Akechi that have him wondering. . . and after the both of them have talked about an "alternate reality" with Will himself. . . he really does believe the two boys know each other. which means. . .]

[if Akechi blames his loss of hope on someone pretending to know him, when Akechi is actually the one pretending. . .]

[. . . it's self-sabotage. isn't it?]

. . . I can't imagine the despair you experienced to feel as though you have to keep people at such a distance.

[he doesn't mean that in a judgmental way, either. if anything. . . it kind of makes him sad. what kind of life had Akechi lived before coming here. . .?]

Was there really no one there for you when it mattered most?

[flaweddetective]

There for me when it mattered most? Tsk...

[What a fucking joke.]

There was no one there for me when I found my mother dead in our apartment in the worst part of town. No one was there when they whispered that it was my fault she was gone. That the strain of taking care of me was too much for her.

There was no one there when I got shoved from foster home to foster home to foster home...

There was no one there when I ran through mementos all on my own. Learning it and nearly dying hand in hand... There was on one there when things were cold and dark and wet and the world was fading from existence.

[God he feels like crying but he bursts into laughter instead, unhinged and broken sounding as it is, it is still a laugh.]

I am unwanted everywhere I go. Why would here be any different? Of course there would be someone that loathed my existence. That would make this as hard as possible. Why wouldn't there be? Nothing can ever be easy. Or simple.

So who fucking needs any of it? I got this far... I just need to go a little further. And I don't care what anyone says or what they think. I'll be completely free of all of it and this experience was just another stepping stone that is better off forgotten. Or we'll fail and good! Good! Who cares!? Friendship and love... What a fucking joke!

[willandaway]

[ooooooh this is the rant of someone who has been so burned by the world that he wants to watch it crash and burn, isn't it]

[. . . even if Will doesn't understand all of the words Akechi is using, he understands the basic gist of what is being said. his features flicker, brows knitting together, gaze narrowing. this. . . is familiar. this feels like--]

[. . .]

[he says nothing. he doesn't always have the right words, so. . . he isn't going to try to use them right now. instead. . .]

[he extends Akechi one gloved hand, palm facing forward]

[flaweddetective]

[An outstretched hand... (Like Joker's...) But trusting someone after a week. He can't imagine a greater error on his part. He's known these people for a week. He won't see any of them again in three more.

And he knows, without question, that he can't trust any of them. Not even this one. Not with his current compatriots and alliances.

So he shakes his head, pulling back much like an animal cornered. Nothing but fangs and claws and a deep distrust for humanity.]

I can't... You should just leave me alone.

[willandaway]

[Akechi pulls back, but Will does not, leaving his hand outstretched and his gaze level. truthfully, it matters not if Akechi takes it. whether he does or not. . . Will's mind is made up]

. . . the world is cruel and unkind. It's unfair to those who deserve it the least.

[and. . . boy, does Will know this firsthand. but the difference is. . . he did have someone there to reach for him when he needed it the most. without that. . . gosh. where would he be right now? in a similar boat to Akechi?]

[he will not deny Akechi the lifesaving kindness that he was afforded]

But you aren't alone. You may think you are-- you may prefer to believe that you are-- but one day. . .

I hope you can look up from your pain and see that there are those more than willing to stand with you.