ｇｒａｖｅｙａｒｄ

[judgejudy]

GRAVEYARD You remember dying. It's vivid and real, and you can absolutely remember taking your last breath. By all measures, that should have been the end. And yet, like waking from a deep sleep, you awake in a comfortable bed in a quaint little bedroom, and outside the window, you can see an even more quaint little neighborhood. You can get up to explore, but before you leave the bedroom, the radio inside flickers to life. "Good morning," Judy says, calm as ever, "Let me first say that I'm sorry that we've deceived you—" Because indeed, the more you look at this little neighborhood, the more it may feel familiar to you. It's almost like this was the kind of life you had before you ended up in the complex. Though as Judy explains, it wasn't a complex at all. The complex was something called a Vault, and the Vault was meant to protect you from the cataclysmic war that nearly wiped out humanity on the surface. You were kept safe. In a sense. It seems that the Vaults ultimately weren't much of protection in the first place. But Judy has done her best to ensure that your death in the Vault wasn't truly the end. Because of the nature of what was done to you, she was able to back up your existence in the servers that support the Vault. Strictly speaking, that's where you are now. You're a digital construct, and this neighborhood is Judy's idea of how to sustain you in the coming decades. That is the downside here, of course. All you can do is simply wait for someone to discover these servers, hoping they haven't failed by then. Perhaps there might be a way for you to return to the living then... Though for now, that's a distant dream. The neighborhood is small, but clearly will allow every person their own little home when they perish. There's a chance to expand it to include whatever amenities you may dream up, and there may already be some here. In addition, you can always watch the Vault to see how they're doing. There's a television in each home, and through it, you might understand how Judy can see so much. Flipping through the channels gives you a view of nearly every room in the Vault, at least until curfew falls. It's quality entertainment, since it gives you a way to keep tabs on the living. So, how will you spend your time? — OOC Explanation

Comments

[encored]

[Charles remembers dying well, but it's not the first time he had come close to death.

When he wakes up, his memories come rushing back to him. He can recall his own family, distant and foreign. He remembers growing up alone with few acquaintances, no friends, parents who were more interested in their work than in raising a child. He remembers his surrogate family - the opportunity he'd been presented with. A path to move forward as the war grew closer. He was young but he was intelligent, and he understood the importance of early mobilization. He remembers Solomon, who he never got along with. He remembers Van, who he had gotten along with too well.

And he remembers Diva.

He had actually known someone here all along, but he hadn't been able to remember because of the stupid way this Vault had functioned. He'd feel betrayed, but honestly, he can't muster up any sort of anger or disgust or even agitation. He feels ancient in his youth, and as he walks outside of his cookie-cutter home into the unfamiliar terrain, he's more like a ghost than he's ever been.]

[madamemoiselle]

[ When she wakes, it's with a shocked, rattling breath, because in a flash, the hit of the hammer feels like it transitions into something else. It's not something she could describe well even if she wanted to, but far more than the hammer, this is painful.

Memories surge back to the forefront of her mind and mix together. She remembers a tower, but now she knows that it was the opposite. It was a place not unlike this. She remembers dreaming of seeing the sky there. But there are those newer, fake memories, and she dreams of seeing the ground. She knows which ones are real all at once, but it's unbearable and overwhelming, and the first thing Diva does as she wakes in an unfamiliar bed and hears Judy drone on is cry. Her hands come up to her eyes, and she presses her palms over them like the pressure might get it to stop. Each memory that trickles back is... sad. It's so sad, but in that, there is at least one relief that she can find in it.

She's finally free, isn't she?

It takes her longer than Charles, most likely, because there's a lot for her to parse through, but eventually, she wanders to the door of the little house. She opens it and looks out, and her eyes immediately turn to the sky. She stares at it for several long moments, but a flicker of movement catches her attention across the way. Her heart feels like it swells up and leaps into her throat, but she takes a few quick steps from the front step onto the little paved sidewalk that leads to the gate of the eerily perfect white picket fence. ]

Charles?

[ She calls out, and her voice is more fragile than she means. But in that blur of memories that comes back to her, seeing someone familiar is enough to almost get her to cry again. ]

day six morning

[subsisted]

[ so lara's huddled around the television, arms folded and her expression solemn, especially upon seeing the body this morning. ]

Franziska...

[ like, she looks pretty torn up about this, but also, revenge is a dish best served cold. there isn't any pity, only thought in her face. honestly, if she'd been alive, she'd probably have... either defended fran with her life or tried to off her herself, depending on how things went. lara's not sure and the prospect of things swinging so wildly different is a bit terrifying. ]

That's the price you pay for speaking up, I suppose. Not a lot of blood... was she killed elsewhere?

[chiseler]

[Luke's right next to her watching the events play out, mouth drawn into a thin line…sort of. It's more of a thin smile, far more transparent in his feelings about the woman than Lara. It's clear that he's happy with himself and offers an idle shrug.]

Dunno. I will say that we never quite know what tools we're working with when hits are put out. And I'll also say I've been blocked out. [Here he looks troubled.] I can only see the same things you're seeing. I can't tap into the murders.

Could be head trauma? Elizabeth was supposed to kill us with a bat, remember?

JUDY

[judgejudy]

[ After the fourth trial and exciting execution, you'll see a woman you've never seen before in the cul-de-sac. She's well-dressed and made up, but she simply stands there, as if she's waiting for someone to approach. She's always smiling slightly, but the smile also seems fake.

If you come talk to her, you'll realize who she is as soon as she speaks, though. Her monotone voice is unmistakable. ]

[onepunchgirl]

You.

[Oh guess who is so fucking mad to wake up and find out she is in a Vault. That she didn't even remember she was thrown into a Vault to begin with - something that shouldn't even be possible.]

Judy, as Scribe of the Brotherhood of Steel, I demand to know what the purpose of this Vault is. I am certain you understand that the Vaults were not designed as playgrounds for mass murder.

[mitsubou]

[Mitsutada will carefully approach this creepo yet fashionable looking woman, since she's just... there, and he's woken up with a big infodump after he swore he got battered to death by a guy in a tacky outfit??? SO HE'S PRETTY CONFUSED, and looking for answers. This woman looks pretty official though.]

Um, hello? I don't remember seeing you around before --

[subsisted]

Would you prefer to be punched before or after I ask you how it is I manage to help the people who really need it?

[ just wonderin'. she's being polite, too. ]

[chiseler]

[Surprisingly, he doesn't exactly have a lot of ill-will toward her but he is giving her a vaguely unhappy look.]

What're you doing here. [Because really. Who else can this be?]

[jackhole]

[ SUP HOMEGIRL ]

Hey, hey! Judy!

[ here is a rhys, jogging forward with a delighted look on his face as he approaches her. look, they're together now! ]

Like the look. Was this really you before the whole brain thing or something you came up with?

[heroizes]

[ It definitely takes quite a while before Jack emerges from his house, but he does seem calm, maybe even surprisingly so. Though, granted, that might be why he stayed in his picture perfect house a little longer. There may have been some anger to work out, and there may be some broken furniture. It's cool.

Jack steps into the yard, and he'll probably go talk to... pretty much anyone, at this point. He doesn't exactly want to be alone, so if you look reasonably down with being approached? You are being approached. ]

So, sup, first of all. Second of all and way more importantly, want to go shoot some stuff?

[ Requesting a shooting range is one way to make friends and cope with your death, I guess. Maybe not a healthy way, but a way. ]

[subsisted]

[ okay. here we go. this is gonna be some heavy meta. are you ready for it? get ready. here it comes. she probably looks approachable because it's lara, and lara's not exactly the most.... least friendly looking person here. not to mention, jack was arguably the only person she had a good conversation with in their apartment. but still, here's the meta: lara is mad at jack for helping a staff member and then having the balls to die. so she does what she does when she is mad. ]

Not yet.

[ she raises her fist, reels it back and pushes all of her power into a hard jab at his face. there's room to dodge, of course, if he really wants to. he still ended up dead - as mad as she is, she's not going to give him that much grief. ]

[onepunchgirl]

[After her talk with Judy, Veronica needs to take her mind off how livid she is. Being killed is one thing, but to learn everyone had been trapped in a sick Enclave experiment had gone past her limit.

So what will she do? Well, she's going to do her duty and "test" the limits of this Vault. For reporting purposes of course (no not at all actually.) Which means you'll be seeing her...uh...punching shit. A lot of shit. Buildings, trees, cars--]

Fucking Enclave assholes.

[Yeah someone may want to talk to her.]

[heroizes]

[ As Jack approaches Veronica, he can basically only think "same," though he's already taken out his anger elsewhere. Considering he already destroyed part of his stupid little house in his anger earlier... Yeah, he gets it. He approaches with crossed arms, though he does keep a safe distance. He's already been punched once, and while he can't say it's that unfair, he's pretty sure Veronica might literally break his jaw, so.

Safe distance it is. ]

Yyyeah, same. [ Might as well just vocalize it, at least. ] Why're you so pissed at- Uh, what'd you just say? "Enclave"? Thought this was all friggin' Vault-Tec's fault for, y'know, being lying dickholes.

[mitsubou]

[Mitsutada is certainly not one to get angry very easily, but considering the circumstances surrounding his death, he's not a happy camper. Not to mention he left someone important behind as well, and can't even get his own justice because SOMEONE ELSE had to escape death at the trial.

So yeah. He's not in the best of moods right now and it's apparent to anyone that walks past him standing at the front of the theater. If you've seen him around the complex before, this is a pretty weird and unusual sight to behold.

That said, the best thing to do is either convince him to do something dangerous slash anger management-y, or just talk to him like a good person??]

[heroizes]

[ Considering Rhys had confessed to killing this guy, Jack definitely has some reservations in actually approaching him, but. There's definitely a distant sense of camaraderie here, even though Mitsutada might not feel the same. Jack breathes in as if steeling himself, but approaches with his hands tucked into his pockets as he tries to keep this casual. ]

Taking in the sights?

[ He opens up a conversation casually too, but don't be fooled, he's ready to book it if he has to... It's what he gets for trying to be nice!! After kind of being a dick. Whoops. ]

VTBBS

[judgejudy]

VTBBS

—

After Luke convinced Judy to give the dead a more frequent way of talking to the living, the Vault-Tec BBS is now open. If you would like to send a message to the living, please post your message under this header. Also, please use the following form, since it'll help me make sure I'm replying to the right place! There will be a new toplevel for this during each IC day for the living, and depending on how it's used here, you guys may also get a new toplevel. Unsure, we'll see.

— LINK ; link to the comment you would like to reply to

YOUR MESSAGE HERE

— <a href=>LINK</a> <font face=courier>MESSAGE HERE</font>

[chiseler]

— LINK

"...What if one of you was a staff member? What would happen then?"
Apparently the staff member would enter a death match. I can't believe you guys thought Parrish did it as a revenge kill for me. That's flattering, but proves you don't know him that well.
My turn: do you really think you guys know each other that well in the complex?

[heroizes]

— LINK

because you're a crazy asshole

also fuck you

[chiseler]

— LINK

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What do you think?

trial 5 party (?) time

[heroizes]

[ During the investigation, Jack had left his quaint little home, and so long as he could find you, he'll give a neighborly offer. They are all neighbors now after all, right? Weird. ]

Hey, so, kind of a weird thing to all gather 'round the TV to watch, realize that, but. Wanna come watch the trial later? Might, uh, be better to not watch it alone. Like, it's kinda weird. No judgement if you're not feeling it, though.

[ And as promised, if you're so inclined, Jack will be sitting on his couch come the trial, popcorn even in hand. The couch is in pretty rough shape because he kind of kicked the shit out of it and broke the frame, but. There is other seating.

Might as well given peanut gallery commentary on the trial together, right? ]

[mitsubou]

[It's fine... he's late but it's fine, just pretend he was multitasking and then finally sat down for this. In the meantime, Mitsutada will grab a handful of popcorn and munch on it thoughtfully.]

Why is Rhys there.

[Why is anything happening the way it is. We died for this.]

For Luke (and anyone else who might want info?)

[onepunchgirl]

[So during the talk with the living, Luke said he wanted proof about the outside. Veronica will step aside to talk with him, afraid that publicly speaking could cause the others harm.]

Okay, so, this is a strange situation. I'm not sure how much of my memories are real, though I feel strongly confident that I am who I say I am. Take whatever I say into your own opinions.

[She crosses her arms and takes a small breath, knowing she'll probably be looked on dubiously.]

I'm...from outside. All of you should have entered the Vault before October 2077 - the time period the Great War began and promptly ended. Mainly because everyone shot nuclear warheads at each other like a bunch of fucking idiots. However, I'm from 2881. It's been well over a hundred years since the war, and humanity has survived.

[chiseler]

[He tilts his head carefully, listening to the information and trying to school his expression into something bored and uninterested. The truth is that he wants answers. He knows about life before, but...]

Then what was the point of us making vaults and everything? [It's clear that the "us" he's referring to isn't staff. It's something from a life before.] What can you tell me about the war and the life after that?

VTBBS DAY ELEVEN

[judgejudy]

VTBBS

—

As before, the VTBBS returns! Please use the following format:

— LINK

MESSAGE HERE

— <a href=>LINK</a> <font face=courier>MESSAGE HERE</font>

[jackhole]

— topic: DON'T KILL CIEL

SERIOUSLY. DON'T KILL HIM. YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET IT. LEAVE CIEL ALONE AND LET HIM HELP YOU INSTEAD!!!! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[jackhole]

[ okay, it took a while for rhys to leave his house since he sort of had to... deal with a problem. anyone passing by jack's house will hear a lot of yelling at first until it quiets down and then an hour or so later, rhys steps outside. he's fairly clean aside from the, uh, bandage on his nose because --

well, yes, rhys already got his nose broken even though he only just got here. that sure happened.

he'll stand in front of his and jack's house, arms crossed and frown on his face as he looks across the cul-de-sac and vaguely wonders what to do next. he's also kind of expecting someone else to jump out and attack him, really.

sup, y'all. reese is here too now. ]

[mitsubou]

[Two ooc days later and Mitsutada shows up for the beef.

Though, while he caught wind of Rhys's arrival earlier, he didn't actually go to seek him out and pick a bone with him since Mitsutada had better things to do. It's by pure chance that he manages to encounter Rhys again on his way back home.

While he first notices his general presence and starts to puff up in anger, he's only calmed by the sight of the bandage on his nose with the assumption that someone already beat Mitustada to the punch. Literally.]

Oh, wow. I see you had a rough greeting?

DAY TWELVE

[judgejudy]

[ During the night eleven, if you're paying attention, you might see Judy acting a bit strangely. She turns as if she hears something, jerky and uncertain, and then all of the sudden, completely freezes. She's unblinking, unbreathing, and can't be interacted with at all.

Just after that, everything disappears.

The cul-de-sac, the houses, literally everything in Judy's personal creation is gone, save for yourselves. You're all in some kind of void that's just empty. For about fifteen minutes, this is all there is.

But eventually, a simple terminal appears in the space.

This could be your last chance to communicate with the living. ]

[adlucem]

[Of course the afterlife is a black void with a terminal in it.

Of course.]