Welcome once again to the Best Kill and Best Death Awards. As always, the rules:
1. In this thread, you may post as an anonymous guest to select one student to receive the day's Best Kill Award, and one handler to receive the Best Death Award. Prizes will be given out in-character for BKA, consisting of a weapon and food, and out-of-character for BDA, consisting of a quote from their character to be displayed on the board index until the next BDA is awarded.
2. You may only vote while logged out. You can identify yourself in your vote if you want, but you may not claim to be another handler.
3. You may only vote once, and you may not vote for yourself in either category. Staff can see IP addresses, and we will check them if we have reason to suspect shenanigans.
4. You must provide reasoning with your vote for why you think your choices deserve the award. Votes with no reasoning will not be counted.
5. Don't be a jerk. You can explain why some scenes are your favorites without tearing others down.
6. Make sure that your answers are clear; please don't use any formatting that might cause votes to be miscounted or left out.
7. Please be sure to read every kill and death before voting, please vote for your genuine favorites rather than just voting for your friends, and please don't campaign for awards in the chat or otherwise try to influence the vote.
And your Best Kill and Best Death contestants:
BEST KILL AWARD:
Tirzah Foss for killing Wyatt Carter
Justin Greene for killing Nia Karahalios
Justin Greene for killing Johnny Silva Ruiz
BEST DEATH AWARD:
MK Kilmarnock for the death of Wyatt Carter
Polybius for the death of Charelle Chernyshyova
Maraoone for the death of Aditi Sharma
Fenris for the death of Nia Karahalios
Jilly for the death of Johnny Silva Ruiz
Voting will run for five days. Votes will remain hidden until time is up, and the winners will be declared in the following announcement.
V7 BKA/BDA Voting: December 2019 and January 2020
-
Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
-
Mr. Guesty
BKA: Justin for Nia
What I particularly enjoyed about the scene at the lake was the messiness of it all. There are pretty, clean kills, and then there's the circus of highly human dysfunction that went down here. A particular strength of Justin's in that his narrative always, always sells the idea that he's in way over his head, marching on down the best course he can find but with that uneasy understanding that there's actually a much, much better course just out of his line of sight. His killing of Nia gets the edge because of a few specific beat moments--the pause when Justin half expects to be shot, the way she freezes up in the final culimination her crumbling facade or being a being or pure logic--and also because...
BDA: Jilly for Johnny
What a difference a few words can make! In versions past I have had, let us charitably say, mixed feelings about some of the more prominent minimal deaths. Johnny's manages to avoid historical pitfalls, however, by virtue of setup and execution. While the death itself is a line, it's been prepared in a careful, considered fashion. His demise is not a throwaway moment, but an inevitability that we nonetheless did not expect. When Johnny says "Oh, this may be it," we doubt him, because he's not rolled. This makes the abrupt termination pack far more oomph; the reader is denied the chance to ease into it that a more traditional death would provide. At the same time, the specifics give Johnny a final moment of unhinged triumph, a haunting image that tells only what's most important, what we should, perhaps, remember him by.
What I particularly enjoyed about the scene at the lake was the messiness of it all. There are pretty, clean kills, and then there's the circus of highly human dysfunction that went down here. A particular strength of Justin's in that his narrative always, always sells the idea that he's in way over his head, marching on down the best course he can find but with that uneasy understanding that there's actually a much, much better course just out of his line of sight. His killing of Nia gets the edge because of a few specific beat moments--the pause when Justin half expects to be shot, the way she freezes up in the final culimination her crumbling facade or being a being or pure logic--and also because...
BDA: Jilly for Johnny
What a difference a few words can make! In versions past I have had, let us charitably say, mixed feelings about some of the more prominent minimal deaths. Johnny's manages to avoid historical pitfalls, however, by virtue of setup and execution. While the death itself is a line, it's been prepared in a careful, considered fashion. His demise is not a throwaway moment, but an inevitability that we nonetheless did not expect. When Johnny says "Oh, this may be it," we doubt him, because he's not rolled. This makes the abrupt termination pack far more oomph; the reader is denied the chance to ease into it that a more traditional death would provide. At the same time, the specifics give Johnny a final moment of unhinged triumph, a haunting image that tells only what's most important, what we should, perhaps, remember him by.
One day, 23 hours, and 39 minutes for votes.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
-
SOMBERLUPINE
Fuck me but there are some spectacular scenes in here. From the tragedy of Yellow Light to a death that made me fucking nostalgic in Greatest Man to the silent, stretching tension of Dog Day Afternoon.
Best Kill I gotta give to Tirzah. As much as I enjoyed Dog Days, this is the kill that really got me. Everything about the scene hurts in the best way. Also, on a more dickish note, I love the idea of the terrorists giving a BKA for a mercy-kill just to be dicks.
BDA is almost a tie for me to both our tragedies in Yellow Light, but ultimately Poly clinches it for me. The imagery or being trapped in the burning house is haunting. It only works as well as it does because of the back and forth with Maraoone (hence the tie: everything Aditi says hurts), but if I have to choose, it's gotta be Charelle.
Best Kill I gotta give to Tirzah. As much as I enjoyed Dog Days, this is the kill that really got me. Everything about the scene hurts in the best way. Also, on a more dickish note, I love the idea of the terrorists giving a BKA for a mercy-kill just to be dicks.
BDA is almost a tie for me to both our tragedies in Yellow Light, but ultimately Poly clinches it for me. The imagery or being trapped in the burning house is haunting. It only works as well as it does because of the back and forth with Maraoone (hence the tie: everything Aditi says hurts), but if I have to choose, it's gotta be Charelle.
-
firsttimelongtime
Don't usually vote but limited field meant a limited effort in the moment before the deadline! Also had read a lot of these in the moment so rereading wasn't so hard!
BKA
Justin on Johnny
I almost feel bad that this scene is gonna end up cannibalizing itself a bit but I think it really was a great one regardless. The Nia part was very poignant and super well written, very high tension and action--but it is the exclamation point of Johnny's death. That finisher that to me sticks out in my memory. Very good on both Jilly and Ricky's part.
BDA
Wyatt
I think the thought of a Wyatt quote thread is my biggest motivating factor here but beyond that the whole lead up and hopelessness followed by the resilience of spirit at the end is what makes this death worthwhile to me. Wyatt is Wyatt to the very end. On another note, the meta textual has been brought up a lot as of late and people are doing a lot of weird things. Ricky has expressed in chat a bit of an insecurity about Wyatt being a JJ Stern type who didn't live up to the hype--I think he addresses that insecurity in the text by having Wyatt regale us with a pre-game tale. In the end, Wyatt ends as he began: offensive and vulgar. Maybe he didn't live up to the "hype" , but he was Wyatt to the end.
BKA
Justin on Johnny
I almost feel bad that this scene is gonna end up cannibalizing itself a bit but I think it really was a great one regardless. The Nia part was very poignant and super well written, very high tension and action--but it is the exclamation point of Johnny's death. That finisher that to me sticks out in my memory. Very good on both Jilly and Ricky's part.
BDA
Wyatt
I think the thought of a Wyatt quote thread is my biggest motivating factor here but beyond that the whole lead up and hopelessness followed by the resilience of spirit at the end is what makes this death worthwhile to me. Wyatt is Wyatt to the very end. On another note, the meta textual has been brought up a lot as of late and people are doing a lot of weird things. Ricky has expressed in chat a bit of an insecurity about Wyatt being a JJ Stern type who didn't live up to the hype--I think he addresses that insecurity in the text by having Wyatt regale us with a pre-game tale. In the end, Wyatt ends as he began: offensive and vulgar. Maybe he didn't live up to the "hype" , but he was Wyatt to the end.
-
werft
BKA: Tirzah Foss for killing Wyatt Carter
Tirzah killing Wyatt was the most understated kill of the cycle, but it was also the most emotionally resonant. Rugga's use of minimalism really works for this scene as every action Tirzah takes is very clear and tells the story of how she doesn't want to have to kill Wyatt even if it is a mercy. It's very evocative and effective.
BDA: Maraoone for the death of Aditi Sharma
Aditi was doomed as soon as she set the plan up, but the tragedy was that while we knew that she didn't. Additionally while we knew the plan would work the way the scene played around with the audience expectations as Charelle's death comes in an unexpected way. Once it's clear the plan didn't work seeing Aditi process that is very impactful and showed a lot of good character work by Mara. The touch of Aditi trying to cause as damage as possible once she realises she's failed is another nice touch that sells the moment.
Tirzah killing Wyatt was the most understated kill of the cycle, but it was also the most emotionally resonant. Rugga's use of minimalism really works for this scene as every action Tirzah takes is very clear and tells the story of how she doesn't want to have to kill Wyatt even if it is a mercy. It's very evocative and effective.
BDA: Maraoone for the death of Aditi Sharma
Aditi was doomed as soon as she set the plan up, but the tragedy was that while we knew that she didn't. Additionally while we knew the plan would work the way the scene played around with the audience expectations as Charelle's death comes in an unexpected way. Once it's clear the plan didn't work seeing Aditi process that is very impactful and showed a lot of good character work by Mara. The touch of Aditi trying to cause as damage as possible once she realises she's failed is another nice touch that sells the moment.
-
B emoji movie
BKA for Tirzah Foss, BDA for Nia Karahalios
Both killer and death...er that I voted for commonly share the fact that their scenes emphasize the strength of their character voices and how they worked within the context of scenes.
Specifically in Nia's case, since the density of her prose doesn't necessarily lend itself the best to a theoretically quick cut action scene, but it works in this case because the cerebral quality of her writing is attached to reality but in a very abstract, analytical way. As always, of course, thus 'strong character voice'. Scene comes off as purposely slow in the passage of time, but still feels adrenaline-heavy due to the nature of Nia's analysis, even in her dying post there's a fair amount of strictly relevant environmental detail that continues to ground the general sense of the scene.
In Tirzah's case it's more clear-cut, the sort of being an accessory weapon to someone letting themselves die fits into her sparseness as a quirky but eerily so character. The back and forth and how she plays it out with a veneer of 'bored teen listening to some dude talk about himself' makes the gravity of the scene so quaint when it's anything but.
Both killer and death...er that I voted for commonly share the fact that their scenes emphasize the strength of their character voices and how they worked within the context of scenes.
Specifically in Nia's case, since the density of her prose doesn't necessarily lend itself the best to a theoretically quick cut action scene, but it works in this case because the cerebral quality of her writing is attached to reality but in a very abstract, analytical way. As always, of course, thus 'strong character voice'. Scene comes off as purposely slow in the passage of time, but still feels adrenaline-heavy due to the nature of Nia's analysis, even in her dying post there's a fair amount of strictly relevant environmental detail that continues to ground the general sense of the scene.
In Tirzah's case it's more clear-cut, the sort of being an accessory weapon to someone letting themselves die fits into her sparseness as a quirky but eerily so character. The back and forth and how she plays it out with a veneer of 'bored teen listening to some dude talk about himself' makes the gravity of the scene so quaint when it's anything but.
-
votey mcvoteface
Best Kill: Justin killing Nia. Justin's moments of unhinged violence interspersed with his conflicted feelings about the things he's doing and the people he's doing it to have been a real highlight of his character, and it was a highlight of the confrontation here. I always like these scuffles between lower-profile players, and Justin's perspective in this thread really nicely balanced the way he acknowledged seeing Nia as a human being and even someone he could possibly like versus his determination to do what he feels he has to do. The last line of his post before her death, where he thinks she's pretty while he's beating her to death with a tire iron, is nicely ironic in a way that's kind of hard to articulate.
Best Death: Jilly for the death of Johnny Ruiz. Speaking of unhinged, heeeere's Johnny. I really liked this unexpected death for a character like Johnny, for whom violence has come easily ever since pregame, and who has seemed to thrive on conflict throughout. You knew it was going to be his downfall eventually, and there's just something that gets me about a character who dies laughing. It just seems to ratchet up the violence of it a bit more for some reason. Jokes about Abel aside, Jilly has proven in V7 that he has a good eye for where a character's story could end that will have a meaningful impact, whether or not they're rolled.
Best Death: Jilly for the death of Johnny Ruiz. Speaking of unhinged, heeeere's Johnny. I really liked this unexpected death for a character like Johnny, for whom violence has come easily ever since pregame, and who has seemed to thrive on conflict throughout. You knew it was going to be his downfall eventually, and there's just something that gets me about a character who dies laughing. It just seems to ratchet up the violence of it a bit more for some reason. Jokes about Abel aside, Jilly has proven in V7 that he has a good eye for where a character's story could end that will have a meaningful impact, whether or not they're rolled.
-
Disco Janet
Best Kill Award: My vote this month is Tirzah Foss killing Wyatt Carter. It's absolutely not what I expected to happen to Wyatt in this game, and I'm super pleased at how emotional and touching the moment is. Tirzah really gives Wyatt the best way to go, and Wyatt shows real maturity and wisdom at the end. It's a real surprise, and I think it'll be interesting to see where Tirzah goes from here, so it gets my vote.
Best Death Award: Maraoone for the death of Aditi Sharma. Bad. Ass. I like that Aditi, although her plan went completely south, uses her last moments on Earth to stick it to the terrorists and to stay true to herself. She may not have gotten to end it on her exact terms, but she's still Aditi after all of that, and I think her final monologue is awesome. Congrats, Mara for such a good death post.
Best Death Award: Maraoone for the death of Aditi Sharma. Bad. Ass. I like that Aditi, although her plan went completely south, uses her last moments on Earth to stick it to the terrorists and to stay true to herself. She may not have gotten to end it on her exact terms, but she's still Aditi after all of that, and I think her final monologue is awesome. Congrats, Mara for such a good death post.
-
Werewolfbutts
Tirzah Foss for BKA: Tirzah was the perfect person to take Wyatt out of the game as they were together for a good while of the game and Rugga did a good job with her character in the scene with him. I actually felt like it was a very genuine move and it was definitely a great thread that stuck with me.
Wyatt Carter for BDA: Wyatt's death scene had a mixture of funny and sadness for me and the death is the one that I remembered more as time went on. MK did a great job of making me care for a character that I originally didn't think I would care for and Wyatt was definitely a character that went out like a badass.
Wyatt Carter for BDA: Wyatt's death scene had a mixture of funny and sadness for me and the death is the one that I remembered more as time went on. MK did a great job of making me care for a character that I originally didn't think I would care for and Wyatt was definitely a character that went out like a badass.
-
greenbae
BKA: Justin Greene for Nia. I'd vote for the whole scene if I could since the deaths feel linked, but Nia is a good representative. Tension between three people who all don't want a fight but all assume everybody else does is very compelling, and the way Nia goes out is a good exploitation of her flaws.
BDA: Jilly for Johnny. Gotta rep every part of this scene, and Johnny's maniacal breakdown facing death hit me good. Jilly is great at minimalist death posts and this might be his best yet.
BDA: Jilly for Johnny. Gotta rep every part of this scene, and Johnny's maniacal breakdown facing death hit me good. Jilly is great at minimalist death posts and this might be his best yet.
-
dlymbd
BKA: Justin Greene (for killing Nia Karahalios). Choosing Justin's kill here is honestly totally arbitrary as what I'm really voting for is his writing for the whole scene. Justin is a fascinating character who seems to keep stumbling into situations that force him to utilize his worst instincts; what strikes me most here is how little any of this is his fault, and how much that does not matter. Here he is acting wholly rationally, as the people he's attacking have given him no choice in the matter, and he's so hurt by what he has to do, but in a conflicted sort of way. Justin's constant internal turmoil about killing meshed with how solidly he is able to materialize the need to do so when he does in fact need to do so is just super compelling stuff. Despite now being the second most prolific living killer, you can really feel that Justin's not a bad person, and the fact that he's murdered people does not define him.
Feels weird giving honorable mentions here because there's only one other killer to talk about, but Tirzah's kill was also great and I was not sure who I was gonna vote for for a while.
BDA: Wyatt Carter. The rare single-handler BKA/BDA combo! I'm admittedly super biased here because Wyatt has been one of my favorite characters since pregame and I'm gonna be real and say I haven't read the whole fight scene that proceeds the death yet so I cannot judge based on that. But based solely off of the cooldown scene, with the creeping inevitability of Wyatt's death totally clear to both participants but both of them trying to maintain a cover of conversational normalcy, is really powerful. The ripple effect of this death will last for some time, both in terms of the people who have and will learn about it and in terms of Tirzah's own actions going forward. A fitting end to one of the biggest names on the island.
Again there's like three scenes and I just talked about the Justin/Nia/Johnny one a bunch so I wanna shout out the Aditi/Charelle scene here for being super uncomfortable to read in a compelling sorta way. Imagining both being trapped in a burning building knowing the one person who can save you can't save you, and being that person staring from the outside desperately trying not to react, is like. A lot.
Good job everyone
Feels weird giving honorable mentions here because there's only one other killer to talk about, but Tirzah's kill was also great and I was not sure who I was gonna vote for for a while.
BDA: Wyatt Carter. The rare single-handler BKA/BDA combo! I'm admittedly super biased here because Wyatt has been one of my favorite characters since pregame and I'm gonna be real and say I haven't read the whole fight scene that proceeds the death yet so I cannot judge based on that. But based solely off of the cooldown scene, with the creeping inevitability of Wyatt's death totally clear to both participants but both of them trying to maintain a cover of conversational normalcy, is really powerful. The ripple effect of this death will last for some time, both in terms of the people who have and will learn about it and in terms of Tirzah's own actions going forward. A fitting end to one of the biggest names on the island.
Again there's like three scenes and I just talked about the Justin/Nia/Johnny one a bunch so I wanna shout out the Aditi/Charelle scene here for being super uncomfortable to read in a compelling sorta way. Imagining both being trapped in a burning building knowing the one person who can save you can't save you, and being that person staring from the outside desperately trying not to react, is like. A lot.
Good job everyone
-
Votinator3000
BKA: Justin for NIA
This was a great scene overall, and truly all three scenes this month were great. I'm going to go ahead and peg this kill as my favorite because I do enjoy the escalation of this thread. Everything just kind of falls apart and Justin's paranoia and desperation is a big part of moving things forward. He's weirdly sympathetic at times, but also chooses to go full steam ahead on things when he's in over his head. I thought this death was brutal and I loved the touch of him noticing that Nia is very pretty before the iron makes contact with her skull. Very cool slow build up of a thread with a brutal finish.
BDA: Aditi
I feel like I'm tired of giving Mara praise so please be less good in the future, thank you. Yellow Light is a tragedy and is a tragedy of my favorite kind. It's brutal to watch Charelle and Aditi try to do the right thing and it's especially heartbreaking to see Aidit as she is forced to watch it all fall apart. The set up is so clever and so sad, so I love it. Big big props to Charelle's death as she memes and tries to escape, slowly succumbing to smoke inhalation. Second honorable mention to Wyatt who had a strangely sweet, but fitting end.
This was a great scene overall, and truly all three scenes this month were great. I'm going to go ahead and peg this kill as my favorite because I do enjoy the escalation of this thread. Everything just kind of falls apart and Justin's paranoia and desperation is a big part of moving things forward. He's weirdly sympathetic at times, but also chooses to go full steam ahead on things when he's in over his head. I thought this death was brutal and I loved the touch of him noticing that Nia is very pretty before the iron makes contact with her skull. Very cool slow build up of a thread with a brutal finish.
BDA: Aditi
I feel like I'm tired of giving Mara praise so please be less good in the future, thank you. Yellow Light is a tragedy and is a tragedy of my favorite kind. It's brutal to watch Charelle and Aditi try to do the right thing and it's especially heartbreaking to see Aidit as she is forced to watch it all fall apart. The set up is so clever and so sad, so I love it. Big big props to Charelle's death as she memes and tries to escape, slowly succumbing to smoke inhalation. Second honorable mention to Wyatt who had a strangely sweet, but fitting end.
-
pm_if_ur_a_cryptid
BKA: Tirzah for killing Wyatt
The build up was very well done on both sides. The jokes and her slight emotions until the break out afterwards added a lot to the flavor.
BDA: Jilly for the death of Johnny
The last sentence is so simple and yet or that's why it stuck with me and I keep thinking about it. Let the boy howl some more. The whole scene really shows how a peaceful moment can turn into something cruel.
The build up was very well done on both sides. The jokes and her slight emotions until the break out afterwards added a lot to the flavor.
BDA: Jilly for the death of Johnny
The last sentence is so simple and yet or that's why it stuck with me and I keep thinking about it. Let the boy howl some more. The whole scene really shows how a peaceful moment can turn into something cruel.
-
traindeath
this bda/bka took me a super long time to decide because pretty much everyone here did a solid job, but i think i've made my decision now.
bka: justin greene for killing nia karahlios
first of all, the flow of this thread is impeccable. like, i love how it slowly, slowly builds in tension, from the pieces being set in place for the first page, to the people slowly congregating, and then finally the shoe drops when johnny attacks justin. and, there is violence, there is action in this thread, but it ends with justin crying, sleeping among the havoc he has caused. it is not cool, or awesome, it is just devastating, and i feel that's what sotf would be like if it happened in real life. this thread is Amazing.
i think what gives this kill the edge over the other nominees is, like, i love the inevitability of it? which is contradictory given the point of this thread which is 'This Didn't Have To Happen,' but like, once the shoe drops, there's no other way for the scene to go. and it doesn't feel expected or cliched, it just feels like watching a car crash. what justin has gone through, the way his mindset is, has convinced him there is no other way for things to happen. people will always attack him, and he will always attack them back, and there's something so sad and compelling about that.
words are hard fgjkfglaag but yeah that's my vote.
honorable mention goes to literally everyone else up for nomination. justin/johnny was compelling to read because of the whole rawness of it all, the sheer rage in it. tirzah/wyatt is a scene i will talk about in a Bit
bda: nia karahlios
this death is both incredibly ironic and incredibly ic. nia, a character who is known for putting Logic and Rationalism into every single decision she makes, dies because she can't make a decision. the moment she stops putting her shield up, suppressing her thoughts, is the moment she dies. she knew that seeking company, not being alone, would risk her life, but she risked it anyways, and she paid for it. that, in concept alone, is really sad. the prose is incredibly beautiful
also even though i didnt send any votes its way (something which pains me so much), the tirzah/wyatt thread made me really really sad, which is amazing considering how sparse the posts in that thread are, considering for most of the thread it's just two people making small talk, double entendres. because underlying all that is the sense that this is all going to end permanently very soon. and they don't want it to end, but there is no other ending possible. so, tirzah just shoots wyatt in the middle of one of his stories, at his request. threads that make me sad are very, very rare, and only once or twice a version. bravo
bka: justin greene for killing nia karahlios
first of all, the flow of this thread is impeccable. like, i love how it slowly, slowly builds in tension, from the pieces being set in place for the first page, to the people slowly congregating, and then finally the shoe drops when johnny attacks justin. and, there is violence, there is action in this thread, but it ends with justin crying, sleeping among the havoc he has caused. it is not cool, or awesome, it is just devastating, and i feel that's what sotf would be like if it happened in real life. this thread is Amazing.
i think what gives this kill the edge over the other nominees is, like, i love the inevitability of it? which is contradictory given the point of this thread which is 'This Didn't Have To Happen,' but like, once the shoe drops, there's no other way for the scene to go. and it doesn't feel expected or cliched, it just feels like watching a car crash. what justin has gone through, the way his mindset is, has convinced him there is no other way for things to happen. people will always attack him, and he will always attack them back, and there's something so sad and compelling about that.
words are hard fgjkfglaag but yeah that's my vote.
honorable mention goes to literally everyone else up for nomination. justin/johnny was compelling to read because of the whole rawness of it all, the sheer rage in it. tirzah/wyatt is a scene i will talk about in a Bit
bda: nia karahlios
this death is both incredibly ironic and incredibly ic. nia, a character who is known for putting Logic and Rationalism into every single decision she makes, dies because she can't make a decision. the moment she stops putting her shield up, suppressing her thoughts, is the moment she dies. she knew that seeking company, not being alone, would risk her life, but she risked it anyways, and she paid for it. that, in concept alone, is really sad. the prose is incredibly beautiful
heartbreaking. as well as her last words. the deathpost really captures the sense of complete utter failure, and the disappointment that comes with it. she tried, but she failed.Her body clattered across the floor, too. Bathed in orange light, she heard only breathing. She would live to hear it stop. Hearing was the last sense to go.
She had wanted to be a doctor.
also even though i didnt send any votes its way (something which pains me so much), the tirzah/wyatt thread made me really really sad, which is amazing considering how sparse the posts in that thread are, considering for most of the thread it's just two people making small talk, double entendres. because underlying all that is the sense that this is all going to end permanently very soon. and they don't want it to end, but there is no other ending possible. so, tirzah just shoots wyatt in the middle of one of his stories, at his request. threads that make me sad are very, very rare, and only once or twice a version. bravo