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event } take me down to paradise city (part one)
WHO: All passengers signed up to skate on over to Xanadu.
WHAT: Ya (fake) dead. Enjoy your (fake) afterlife!
WHERE: Anywhere in the city!
WHEN: First week of the event (Feb. 20-27).
WARNINGS: Add these to your comment subject lines as needed! Please don’t get yourself killed right away but if you can’t resist please make sure to fill out the death page.
You return to consciousness bathed in pleasantly glowing light and find yourself seated in a comfortable chair in the center of an arena. There’s soft, dreamy pop music playing quietly, and you feel calm, entirely at peace despite your strange surroundings. You feel no reason to stir from your chair or investigate what’s happening - probably because you’ve been drugged into a docile state. Don’t worry, it’ll wear off eventually. For now, you feel content to sit and wait for what happens next.
While you wait, if you look around, you’ll see the stadium seats are packed with people, their chatter a quiet hum behind the music. There is a raised platform in front of you where three people of ambiguous gender dressed in regal robes are seated in high-backed chairs, and above them, some kind of hovering screen displays a generic welcome message in stark lettering. You’ll also discover that you are one of several people seated in the center of the arena. Again, you may wonder where you are and why you’re here, since you don’t remember arriving, but you do not feel any initiative to find the answers to those questions. All will be answered in time.
A triumphant fanfare sounds, and the arena goes quiet, still except for the person on the platform seated in the middle, who stands and steps forward. They give a hearty welcome to the crowd gathered, and an extra special welcome to the small group on the ground, then introduce themself and the other two as the City Council, a group appointed to ensure everything here is kept in smooth running order. This city, they explain, is called Xanadu, and it is a place of perfect bliss that is home to only the most exemplary individuals who have moved to the next stage of their existence - in other words, the afterlife. Yes, you are all dead, but you have been given a place in paradise for the rest of eternity. Isn’t that nice?
The crowd in the stadium breaks into a wave of thunderous applause, soon quieted by the Council member speaking with a wave of their hand. They continue, explaining that you’ll be shown to your new homes and introduced to your soulmates, a partner who has been determined as perfectly compatible with each individual’s essence. A small group of volunteers has gathered at the base of the podium, ready to guide each pair to their new home as they’re called forward, one by one:
Julia Bellamy and Lady
Near and Matt
Mammon and Alex Reagan
Juuzou Suzuya and Kankri Vantas
Murmur and Jonathan Sims
Congratulations, and again, welcome to Xanadu!
Volunteers lead each pair of soulmates to one of the small, pastel-colored houses situated in a cul-de-sac in one of the nearby neighborhoods. Furnishings and the shag carpeting inside are plain and beige, but the volunteer-guide explains that they can be personalized to the inhabitants’ liking by making requests from the magic closet. These closets will instantly produce clothing and whatever other items you’d like. Likewise, whatever foods you most desire will be found in the fridge or cooking in the oven whenever you ask for it. Both the closets and the kitchens run on technology that is new to Xanadu, and some of the kinks still need to be worked out, so requested items may not be exactly as you asked for. But hey, you’re in paradise! You’ll be fine.
The guide goes on to explain that there isn’t much in the way of technology to be found anywhere in the city - no phones, no computers, and none of the stresses that come as part of the package, and requests for such items from the closets will encounter errors. This is all for the common good, of course. But who needs electronic devices when you have a beautiful city to explore? The city itself is massive, designed in a glitzy late 70s-early 80s roller disco aesthetic, enclosed in a shimmering golden dome, full of glittering skyscrapers and lush public gardens. Soft rock music floats through the air via hidden speakers to set the mood. The weather here is always pleasantly perfect early summer, and the atmosphere is pristine - not a single trace of smog or other pollution. That’s because there are no manufacturing plants or vehicles to be found anywhere in the city. Modes of transportation in Xanadu are pedal bicycles, your own two feet, and roller skates. Strap on a pair and roll around the neighborhoods, or to cover longer distances, head down to an electric rail station, where you will strap in and be pulled along to your destination on your skates at high speed.
By the time the orientation is over and the guide has departed, leaving you to get to know your soulmate and settle in to the comforts of eternal paradise, that drug you’d been given will have worn off. So, newlydeads, what will you do next?
WHAT: Ya (fake) dead. Enjoy your (fake) afterlife!
WHERE: Anywhere in the city!
WHEN: First week of the event (Feb. 20-27).
WARNINGS: Add these to your comment subject lines as needed! Please don’t get yourself killed right away but if you can’t resist please make sure to fill out the death page.
You return to consciousness bathed in pleasantly glowing light and find yourself seated in a comfortable chair in the center of an arena. There’s soft, dreamy pop music playing quietly, and you feel calm, entirely at peace despite your strange surroundings. You feel no reason to stir from your chair or investigate what’s happening - probably because you’ve been drugged into a docile state. Don’t worry, it’ll wear off eventually. For now, you feel content to sit and wait for what happens next.
While you wait, if you look around, you’ll see the stadium seats are packed with people, their chatter a quiet hum behind the music. There is a raised platform in front of you where three people of ambiguous gender dressed in regal robes are seated in high-backed chairs, and above them, some kind of hovering screen displays a generic welcome message in stark lettering. You’ll also discover that you are one of several people seated in the center of the arena. Again, you may wonder where you are and why you’re here, since you don’t remember arriving, but you do not feel any initiative to find the answers to those questions. All will be answered in time.
A triumphant fanfare sounds, and the arena goes quiet, still except for the person on the platform seated in the middle, who stands and steps forward. They give a hearty welcome to the crowd gathered, and an extra special welcome to the small group on the ground, then introduce themself and the other two as the City Council, a group appointed to ensure everything here is kept in smooth running order. This city, they explain, is called Xanadu, and it is a place of perfect bliss that is home to only the most exemplary individuals who have moved to the next stage of their existence - in other words, the afterlife. Yes, you are all dead, but you have been given a place in paradise for the rest of eternity. Isn’t that nice?
The crowd in the stadium breaks into a wave of thunderous applause, soon quieted by the Council member speaking with a wave of their hand. They continue, explaining that you’ll be shown to your new homes and introduced to your soulmates, a partner who has been determined as perfectly compatible with each individual’s essence. A small group of volunteers has gathered at the base of the podium, ready to guide each pair to their new home as they’re called forward, one by one:
Near and Matt
Mammon and Alex Reagan
Juuzou Suzuya and Kankri Vantas
Murmur and Jonathan Sims
Congratulations, and again, welcome to Xanadu!
Volunteers lead each pair of soulmates to one of the small, pastel-colored houses situated in a cul-de-sac in one of the nearby neighborhoods. Furnishings and the shag carpeting inside are plain and beige, but the volunteer-guide explains that they can be personalized to the inhabitants’ liking by making requests from the magic closet. These closets will instantly produce clothing and whatever other items you’d like. Likewise, whatever foods you most desire will be found in the fridge or cooking in the oven whenever you ask for it. Both the closets and the kitchens run on technology that is new to Xanadu, and some of the kinks still need to be worked out, so requested items may not be exactly as you asked for. But hey, you’re in paradise! You’ll be fine.
The guide goes on to explain that there isn’t much in the way of technology to be found anywhere in the city - no phones, no computers, and none of the stresses that come as part of the package, and requests for such items from the closets will encounter errors. This is all for the common good, of course. But who needs electronic devices when you have a beautiful city to explore? The city itself is massive, designed in a glitzy late 70s-early 80s roller disco aesthetic, enclosed in a shimmering golden dome, full of glittering skyscrapers and lush public gardens. Soft rock music floats through the air via hidden speakers to set the mood. The weather here is always pleasantly perfect early summer, and the atmosphere is pristine - not a single trace of smog or other pollution. That’s because there are no manufacturing plants or vehicles to be found anywhere in the city. Modes of transportation in Xanadu are pedal bicycles, your own two feet, and roller skates. Strap on a pair and roll around the neighborhoods, or to cover longer distances, head down to an electric rail station, where you will strap in and be pulled along to your destination on your skates at high speed.
By the time the orientation is over and the guide has departed, leaving you to get to know your soulmate and settle in to the comforts of eternal paradise, that drug you’d been given will have worn off. So, newlydeads, what will you do next?
no subject
Detective-ing goes a long way when someone's obvious about their body language and dismay. He didn't even have to be a super-brain to understand it. "You alright?" in the classic meaning wherein he was sure the man was alright, just not alright.
no subject
Conveniently here was one now!
"Not particularly," His response in a flat monotone that didn't exactly match his rather tense body language. "What do you make of all this?"
no subject
He knew that wasn't what had been meant, but he came the few more steps closer to talk. "There's some cuties around so I guess it'll be alright." With a pause he tilted his head, more letting Murmur lead the conversation, which was a better way to find out what was in someone's head
for those of them without cool abilities. Matt definitely had more to say about the place, but gathering information was his job.no subject
"Does it not strike you as odd that Heaven would be so... limited?"
Outright insane is the word he'd like to use, but he'd rather not cause too much panic. As for the comment about cuties Murmur just shot him a clearly perplexed look as though he had absolutely no idea what the guy was talking about or why. Sorry, Matt, he's very clueless in that department. Murmur was pretty bad at leading as he did much the same as Matt, even if he did have sneaky cool abilities that allowed him to cheat. "Cuties aside, something isn't quite right about this situation. Don't you agree?"
Granted he knows it's off but he's not sure he can just come out and say 'this definitely isn't Heaven I would know.'
no subject
"Lightnings, noises and thunderings. Haven't heard 'em. Earth quake? Haven't felt 'em. Thanks Revelations. Psalms said God's pretty loud so that could've been old interpretation of loud speaker and the voice did sound pretty damn majestic if you ask me." No one asked him but if they did. "Multi crowned, white, blood dipped horses with fire eyes and names unspeakable to anyone but him followed by mirror image horses ridden by more white-clothed angels I don't see. They've probably figured out that dirt and war is hard to get out of white before we got here though 'cause the bible was written like... long time ago.
"I don't see any crystal cities or gemstones, but that could have been lost in translation or something King James decided should be in there. I don't remember twelve pearly gates with multi-layered stone walls around them. Don't remember some old guy telling me that I shouldn't have done half the shit I did with my life before I got back to what I needed to do." Looking upward, he gestured to the sun with one hand over his eyes to do it, "Looks like we got a sun so technically there should be a moon and I've seen its moving shadow so that indicates a rotation."
Looking back down he scanned the area again, "Small exploration but I don't see a giant tree I'm supposed to yank fruit off of and heal nations with leaves. I mean if you found that one I've got a few nations that need healing." With a shrug of his shoulders he turned his attention back to the guy with the simple question who got a very complex answer. "So I guess so if we're going off of classical representation of heaven but like I said I didn't ever think I'd like how it was I just hoped I would if I got there one day. Why?" Thank you for coming to his TEDx Talks.
See they could've been talking about the cuties.
no subject
Fascinating. Although, a point of interest: "They were most certainly not angels." He spoke with a certainty that didn't exactly sit with their circumstances. Moving on.
Again, as Matt continued, Murmur nodded. "Is it not strange to consider, however, that a being whose voice spoke into existence all we know and do not know would require something so mundane as a loud speaker to get his point across?" It didn't fit, is what he's saying.
"Fanciful and creative writing processes aside, let us return to something more testable. You are presently experiencing hunger, I trust you could also claim to be aware of both tactile sensation and temperature. Try pinching yourself, pain?" Because if these things existed it was highly unlikely anyone here was dead. Granted Murmur knew better, but it was the human he had to convince.
"Why? Simple, I believe we are being manipulated. To what end, the question remains, but I am quite certain we would be safe in assuming not one good for those of us swept up in all this nonsense."
Oh no this is much better than cuties.