GRAVEYARD ✨

[probe]

POPULATION: GHOST TOWN

You die - and then you wake up.

For a second, it feels as though you can't breathe, and then your head breaks the surface. You crawl out of a pool of blood and into a large, crystalline room. Moving images play across the crystal walls, and if you watch close enough, you'll realize that you're seeing the land of the living; a familiar space station with familiar faces. You can watch these images for as long as you'd like - there are several very large benches (as in, you have to climb them to sit on them) around the room for you to rest on while you do.

Regardless of how you died, it seems as though you're not quite gone completely. You're in one piece, at least. That's good news. However, your surroundings are not exactly what you remember.

When you exit the first room, a bleak, empty city sprawls out ahead of you.

The city itself is large. The framework of it seems to tower higher and higher than you can see, up into the black opal sky that shivers and curls every so often. A river entirely made of blood runs through the city, winding around buildings and ending at the crystal room. The most noticeable thing about the buildings themselves is the fact that thorny vines made of pure white steel dig into the walls and floor, cracking the foundations.

The residential building is worn down and old. It's two floors, and has a few small studio apartments built for one or two people to live in. The beds are extremely uncomfortable. It has a communal area downstairs, but the TV is broken, and the couches are torn apart. Sometimes, this building feels obscenely hot in temperature, and smells like rotten eggs.

The grocery store is your typical convenience store. There's a large selection of food in this area, but it all tastes the same - like chalk. On top of this, every so often there will be bloodstains on the walls, the floor, and the displays. They change in size and location, each time you enter the store.

The clothing store is thrifty in nature. All the clothes here are uncomfortable and scratchy, and don't fit quite right. While you're here, time feels... weird. Distorted, almost dreamy. As you're picking out clothes and trying them on (no money needed, just take what you want), you swear you can hear a gunshot in the distance.

Enjoy your time in this city, and remember...your story isn't quite over yet.

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WEEK THREE, WEDNESDAY: LIGHT READING

[probe]

A THING: WEDNESDAY

[later on Wednesday, everyone in the graveyard will receive a notification asking them to come to the viewing room! all the crystal panes reflect a library for the moment; they will return to their normal state once everyone has been addressed. despair is here with a series of e-readers in various colors, corresponding with the avatars' sigils.]

As you have all made your opinions abundantly clear, I am aware you have... some difficulty finding ways in which to indulge here. While under most circumstances a lack of creativity would not be my problem, I suppose it would not be remiss to offer you some aid in getting started.

[he gestures to the colored devices.]

Choose the sin of your preference, and activate the corresponding device for a fitting enough opportunity. It need not be the one you are aligned with, if your inclinations lie elsewhere.

[welcome to your first graveyard minievent! upon choosing their sin, characters will be transported to a fitting setting to act upon that form of indulgence when they activate their chosen e-reader.

please choose groups of 2, though a group of 3 is acceptable if an odd number of people participate! comment here with your members and chosen sin (one per group) and receive an assignment! reporting will be done as normal in your indulgence report, due at the usual time on sunday.]

[bachelorbored]

Kaz and Hk-47, Sloth!

[probe]

When they activate a grey e-reader, text rapidly scrolls across it before the screen becomes blindingly bright. Once they can see again, they will abruptly find themselves... not in the city at all? Their surroundings have changed, and they will be in a lavish fairytale castle geared toward various slothly indulgences. There are impossibly comfortable beds to snooze in (no peas included), castle staff to take care of all of the cooking, cleaning, and other tasks, ample plush places to lounge... there are even offices with lots of paperwork piled up that may be comfortably ignored.

Occasionally someone will mention a very pressing matter happening somewhere outside-- a dragon or an invasion or something, but there's nothing here to make you deal with it. Ignore it all you want.

[bachelorbored]

Yes! Yes!

[kaz is flitting from one completely ignorable task to the next, the beds, the actual, real staff that are doing everything, the pillows and work to ignore, pumping his fists.]

This [he gestures around him, arms open wide] is what I've been waiting for!

Come on, HK! Let's get stuck into it! No time to waste like the present!

[with a running leap, kaz throws himself into a pile of cushions, and just... melts.]

Ahh. No obligations! This is what life is all about!

[executeprogramming]

[there is no response to kaz's excitement, because at some point shortly after arriving HK just powered himself down entirely

his eyes have shut off and he's motionless...robosleep?]

[bachelorbored]

[it takes

it takes a while for kaz to notice

until he opens one lounging eye and realizes the droid never pillowjumped with him.]

HK?

[he pushes himself up on to his elbows, looking around.]

Ah! There you are! Uh.

[and walking over, stands over him, arms crossed.]

What are you doing? That's definitely not how you get your sloth on! I'm a professional, you know? Hey!

[executeprogramming]

[slowly, the eyes light back up]

Response: Given there are ample servants and seemingly little-to-no violence occurring, I assumed I was not needed and powered down.

Query: Do you need something killed?

[bachelorbored]

In this case? Only metaphorically!

HK, my ever-present stalking shadow, we are here to kill time itself!

[executeprogramming]

[he looks around their surroundings and, bemused, slowly pulls out his rifle...?]

Clarification: You wish to destroy this area's time-keeping devices? For purposes of infiltration so that the authorities cannot identify the timeline of our attack?

[brightred]

Grell and Steven, lust~

[probe]

When they activate a pink e-reader, text rapidly scrolls across it before the screen becomes blindingly bright. Once they can see again, they will abruptly find themselves... not in the city at all? Their surroundings have changed, and they will be in a romance novel setting! You can choose the scenery, but wherever they go, one thing holds true: the NPCs present in the setting behave exactly like the two of them are romance novel protagonists. They're ready to swoon, be swept off their feet, or even to pop up at convenient times for added drama! Additionally, they will both find they can suit whatever tropes are necessary-- if they decide they're rich, for example, the setting will provide. They won't want for anything to enable some indulgence here.

[kokytos]

[ Wow the worst (Steven other groups are dealing with giant fire-breathing dragons and killer robots and more) THE WORST. It looks like the two of them get to be very nice socialites, probably on some quest about learning to be less of a money-having dick and love someone from the average populace because love is worth more than money. Or something like that. Barf.

They're at some kind of nice charity event. Steven blearily blinks down at his casual graveyard uniform being replaced with a snappier suit than usual, and at the white cloth-covered table with the ridiculous cocktails and donation signs next to them. He glances and squints into the crowd. He catches some random girl staring at him, who immediately turns cherry red and looks away. ]

What in the fresh hell.

[brightred]

[Grell makes a startled noise at the shift in scenery, as her suit transforms to a more setting-appropriate red dress.]

What the hell! [She says, nearly in unison with Steven, as a man who looks like he probably has more money than sense looks her over and raises his glass to her with a little nod.]

Ugh, do they expect us to socialize? [She has not been feeling socializing this week. She's been feeling "lie on a couch and complain about everything" this week.]

[kokytos]

I don't know. [ He runs a hand through his hair -- wow, slicked back and neat. They really are just taking away all of his casual rights. He doesn't particularly like wearing his hair like this because it definitely makes him look older, but if the stage demands it... ]

I don't know. Looks like we're some kind of big shots, here. You think if we just chat and ignore everything, it'll go away eventually?

We don't exactly have a clear goal.

[brightred]

Well, we are supposed to indulge. [And she's absolutely looking him over right now. He's not a bad-looking man, that's for sure.]

[kokytos]

[ Sorry Grell, but the Weekly Effect and the circumstances of his death have still got him down. He's still annoyed and irritable, so it's a slight hurdle. ]

Indulge in what, is our goal supposed to be that we're supposed to seduce [ he did not say "romance" ] one of these people... is that it?

You did pick Lust. Figure the goal would be to do something about this scenario they gave us, because if it was with each other, then we could do that whenever in our own free time.

[brightred]

I was hoping for something that would help, [love hotel with a hot guy? Yes please.]

If we're supposed to seduce one of these people, why send us in as a pair? [Wait she has an idea. She grins.] Unless we're supposed to turn this place into one~ big~ orgy~

[holeful]

Fukuda, Vlad, and Luca for Wrath!

[probe]

When they activate a red e-reader, text rapidly scrolls across it before the screen becomes blindingly bright. Once they can see again, they will abruptly find themselves... not in the city at all? Their surroundings have changed, and they will be in... hmm. Theirs seems to be the most malleable setting, reacting to their opinions and desires, but it will only put them in their least favorite book settings. Hate romance novels? You're suddenly in the middle of one. Can't stand fantasy or sci-fi? Prepare for dragons and aliens. If they attempt to influence the setting, it will just continue to give them things they don't want! It's like this place is trying to piss them off.

However, if they need anything to interfere with the setting or make a rough situation worse, they will find it handily. There are always weapons, and they will find they can always start conflicts with the local NPCs if they choose to. In fact, they might find some of them are already inclined to be confrontational!

The setting can change all at once, or incorporate elements of more than one at a time as it reacts to what they'd hate.

[niceguyferatu]

[ Their shitty death hellscape is gone in a flash and replaced with...a city block? It's certainly not one that Vlad recognizes, but it looks so generic that it might just be any city at all.

He doesn't have much time to mull it over further, though, because suddenly an alarm starts blaring and a squad of four people hurry out of the bank further down the block, cackling with sacks full of money, their faces hidden by ski masks. Dollar bills litter the road behind them as they gleefully make their escape, when--

"Never fear, citizens!"

No one was really panicking, just...watching in confusion, but some muscular man in neon spandex and a chiseled jaw and perfectly coiffed hair is descending from the air, posing confidently in the middle of the street.

"I'll take care of this!"

Vlad smacks himself and drags his hand down his face.]

Oh, for the love of--really?

[notaccurate]

I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying this right now.

[Luca your brand

But no, while Luca is too busy taking in the sight of that spandex-clad generic hero, the four bad guys running down the street will start to panic.]

"Run! He's here!"

[And the hero just laughs a hearty laugh]

"HA! You cannot run from the gaze of JUSTICE!"

[And the hero shoots laser beams out of his eyes at the crooks. They scream as their clothes explode off of them.

Nothing else happens. They're just naked now. And screaming and crying as they try to run but are stuck making pinup model poses as they run.

And Luca's smile drops into a frown.]

[holeful]

[Fukuda is just standing there passively taking everything in because this week he has even less initiative than he normally does. He seems vaguely entertained by the show of super heroism, clapping when he arrives but then stopping when suddenly they are.... naked and posing?]

What... what's happening? I wasn't really paying attention to the instructions...
[He moves to hold onto Luca's sleeve with one hand. The super hero is easily able to catch up to the naked criminals because of their posing.

"I told you, villains! You cannot run! And now that I've caught you... it's time to die!"

And he pulls out a machete????]

... Should we help?

[niceguyferatu]

Help with what, exactly?

[ Vlad honestly can't even parse out who he'd want to help in this hot mess.

And it only becomes more of one when the superhero(?) cackles and begins slicing away at the robbers, rendering them as little more than screaming flesh chunks littered on the ground while blood spurts everywhere.

One of the robbers spots our three deadzos and begins crawling towards them along the ground very seductively. With one of his legs completely chopped off, it's a very bloody, very wiggly process. but also sexy.

"Please! You have to help us! We only wanted to raise enough money to buy enough milk for the baby orphans!" he cries.

Vlad only wrinkles his nose in disgust. What part is he disgusted by? Who knows. ]

[notaccurate]

[What is this. Luca does not want to be here. This is the worst.

He's going to stumble backwards a bit as the man crawls towards them, which makes him bump into Fukuda and try to push him back a bit too.]

Ah- sorry, we shouldn't get involved-

"NONSENSE!"

[That's the superhero, who seems to have taken notice of the trio.]

"Crime doesn't pay, and we should all fight it! Even weaklings like yourself have a place in the constant battle against evil!"

[The superhero is walking towards the three of them. Catwalking. He's walking like he's at a Vanity Fair event.]

[holeful]

[Fukuda is easy to push back. In fact, he likes that Luca's instinct is to help him? Having friends is nice. What's less nice is this machete wielding "super hero" coming after them? He doesnlt seem to be planning on hurting them though he's definitely... walking strangely.]

I don't know how you expect to win us over, talking like that... Mr Vlad and Luca aren't weaklings.
[Captain Laser Blade™ scoffs, and steps on the sexily crawling bleeding robber, turning his gaze down to shoot his laser eyes into the man's head. He slumps over, presumably dead??

"Only a weakling would let scum get this far! But with the right tutelage, even you three could become competent wards... And maybe more?"

He steps forward to clap Fukuda on the shoulder with his non-machete hand as he strikes an alluring pose. None of that really matters much though because then there's a whirring noise and the next moment Fukuda's sunk a power drill into Captain Laser Blade™'s head.]