now let's skip the tears and start on the whole-

[stagemanagers]

[You remember dying. Maybe the memory is clear and bright and your body still aches from the cause. Maybe it was fast enough that you didn't feel it and don't remember what you went through. But no matter how you went out you're still trapped here.

When you open your eyes it might take you a minute to recognize your surroundings. For the executed, it's your dressing room. For the victims, you startle awake in the place your body was discovered. But no matter where you are nothing is where you remember it. It's like everything has been picked up and moved to the other side of the room. The entire room has been perfectly mirrored from what it used to be and, upon leaving, it seems the rest of the opera house is just the same. If you remember one room being in the east wing, it's now in the west. If it was in the west, it's now in the east.


Welcome back to the Opera House, friends. Even in death you're still in the woods.]


WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5


[ooc: Welcome to deadland, darlings! It's a perfectly mirrored version of the Opera House and each week, as new people die after new floors have been revealed, the stairwell doors will unlock and allow you to reach them. For example, week 3 victims will unlock floor 2 and so on and so forth. Also, all dead characters will wake up at their actual canon point.

Have fun because we have some fun things planned for you.]

Comments

[justmeheere]

Jeremy. Jeremy, wake up. You're dead. You no longer need sleep.

[Jeremy wakes up and immediately panics not because he's in a bed but because it's beautifully, blessedly silent in his head and that is not the dulcet tones of Keanu Reeves. That's like Siri had a garbage sister. Also he doesn't know what the FUCK the thing floating in front of his face is. For the record, it's blue.]

What the fuck! I. You. We.

Please stop panicking. It's unbecoming.

aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

[So anyway Jeremy's just screaming and you might wanna check that out.]

[mcfife]

[Do you want an egg in this trying time?

No really, Angus is shelling a boiled egg when he investigates this screaming. It's annoying, that's all, and he might as well let Jeremy know what's up.]

Stop it. You're just dead. [Calling through the door.]

[justmeheere]

He's not yelling about that. Sometimes it's better to just let him tire himself out.

[Jeremy is, for the record, still having a minor meltdown in the background. If you wanna know what that sounds like, something like this.]

[mcfife]

[WHO IN THE NAME OF HOOTS IS THIS?]

Are you the SQUIP? [Narrows his eyes. He's not a big fan of you since-

...

Well, he doesn't know why, but he's not a fan.]

[justmeheere]

Correct. Normally I would alter my appearance to suit you, but I've been trapped in this form. It is not ideal.

[The SQUIP hates this actually.]

[mcfife]

So is this your true form, or has someone else forced this upon you?

[What does he want to FIGHT this guy? Who knows, maybe it's because-] And I thought you died.

[itsfromjapan]

It is one of our default forms for users who prefer a less human look, along with Lassie from Old Yeller and Kermit the Frog.

[#justsquipthings]

Also a minor correction: I was deactivated. I do not "die" unless Jeremy dies.

[mcfife]

I don't know who they are.

[But anyway, he peers into the room.]

Can't you calm him down?

[superbeliever]

[HERE COMES THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE

Richard and Riley are making their way to Jeremy's room at a normal pace, until they hear the screaming.

Then Richard breaks into a run.]

Jeremy! What's wrong?

[isawallflower]

[ Oh, it's not just Richard. As the doors aren't locked, Riley's going to just. ....Quite literally slam it open, if necessary. ]

Jeremy!!

[justmeheere]

He's going nuclear because he's adjusting to being alone in his head. He'll calm down in a minute.

[Look at this cute little robot! Look at it and how incongruous it is with the way it's talking like the SQUIP.]

[superbeliever]

Wait, who the f*** are you?

...Doesn't matter.

[He goes over to Jeremy and sits on the bed next to him, putting a friendly arm around his shoulders.]

Hey, Jer-bear... Come on, kid, you're alright.

[isawallflower]

[ Riley puts two and two together, turns to the cute little toy, grabs it out of the air, and throws it right at the huge creepy wall-mirror! ]

No one wants to talk to you right now, you stupid tic tac!!

[ Hi, Jeremy. Riley's given into her anger. ]

1/2

[itsfromjapan]

[Ah, there the SQUIP go. It bounces off the mirror harmlessly and hovers there.]

You should really work on your anger issues, Riley.

[justmeheere]

Hey, don't. You can't talk shit about my sister!

[That gets him to snap out of his panic because fun fact: he has been hearing the SQUIP make garbage off-hand comments like that about everyone for Literally Weeks.]

I mean. I mean Riley! Who I am not related to! In any way!

[superbeliever]

[Richard sits back at Jeremy's outburst.]

...Huh. Well, alright then.

Glad to have you with us, Jeremy! I mean, not glad that you're here, obviously, like this, but. You know. Still.

[etincelledefierte]

[You know what happens when a letter gets written asking Claudine to slap Jeremy?]

Christine asked me to do this.

[Remember when Claudine slapped Jeremy during that trial? She’s going to try to do that again.]

[justmeheere]

[Yeah, he just. Takes it.]

That's fair. [A beat.] I'd really rather she just be angry with me, though.

[Maybe she'll finally give up on him that way and he doesn't have to feel guilty about the fact that their whole relationship is built on a palace of lies! He has literally done nothing but lie to her! It's bad and he would really rather she stop just forgiving him!]

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Later, after Shiloh is settled, Sigyn finds her way to Jeremy's room. Gently she knocks on the door.]

Jeremy?

[justmeheere]

[Something crashes behind the door before Jeremy opens it, ready to tell whoever it is that now's a bad time but then he immediately brightens.]

Sigyn!

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Seeing him smile helps Sigyn find a smile of her own]

I wanted to come check in on you. How are you...settling in?

[justmeheere]

Oh, um. It's been, uh. Weird. Because everything really quiet? But uh. It's still. Here.

[He points over his shoulder, at the SQUIP, which flaps its little wings.]

[reassuranceandrevolution]

Use to be a lot quieter. [And worse. She's sad people keep dying, but she doesn't know what she'd be doing now if it was just Jonny and her.

Sigyn raises an eyebrow as she looks over to the robot.]

That the SQUIP I've been hearing so much about? Thought it would be more intimidating.

[justmeheere]

Oh no, I mean. In. In my head. Anyway it's, uh. Not supposed to look like that? Normally it looks like, uh. Keanu Reeves? Or I guess it's really Neo from The Matrix?

[He's just kinda rambling to himself. The SQUIP comes closer, hovering just over Jeremy's shoulder.]

This is a programmed form I have, but it is not my default. I have been trapped in it.

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Sigyn reaches out and pokes the SQUIP]

Well, probably easier to deal with at least.