WEEK SEVEN

[lockdownmods]

[Week seven is here. Surely the course is drawing to a close soon? There are more places to explore, and there can't be that much more going on but...

The wall is actually very ominous now, like something has been awakened. The field is almost impossible to be near, that's how oppressive the wall is around it. There are also physical signs of darkness dotting the wall.

Welcome, you're almost near the end.]

LOCATIONS | PROFILES | HAN OFFICE HOURS | MEGUMI OFFICE HOURS

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

Comments

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

Clown..... are you publicly admitting my skill as writer?

[Poe's eyes light up. He can't help but look extremely pleased and just a tiny bit smug at the implied compliment.]

[sendintheclown]

[Well at least now he can actually see those eyes light up. He grins.]

I might be.

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

Well... I'm flattered to hear that.

[It's a massive opinion change from telling him to stop writing. He feels extremely vindicated in having caused that opinion change.]

Perhaps I'll have to show you some of the other things I've written sometime. You've only ever gotten to read two of my works.

[sendintheclown]

Maybe we could come up with another one together!

[Because that was pretty fun.]

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

I would like that. Last time.... it was fun.

[Last time was fun... and puts Gogol's more murderous tendencies to more productive uses. Does... that make Gogol his muse?]

[sendintheclown]

Wasn't it?

[Planning out and making something together was a pretty rewarding experience.]

I'm ready to inspire you at any time!

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

Should I start calling you Muse instead of Clown then?

[If there's one thing he appreciates about his friendship with Gogol, it's that he's gotten far more comfortable with teasing and joking... or at least trying. Also planning things out together was extremely rewarding last time.]

[sendintheclown]

I wouldn't stop you.

[Wink.]

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

Oh. Um.

[A blush spreads across his cheeks and his eyes can be seen widening slightly and darting around to look anywhere but Gogol. It's far easier to read Poe with his eyes visible.]

I... erm... just... uhm... when we're working on ah... projects. Is.. that.. ah... alright Cl- erm... M-muse?

[THIS BACKFIRED ON HIM SO HARD. Friendship is... so taxing...]

[sendintheclown]

[Being able to see the full extent of Poe's reaction is so rewarding. With both Gogol's eyes visible, it's clear how one doesn't light up as he grins, making for a slightly off putting look.]

Sure is!

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

[That's interesting to see his eyes like that. It's an nice encapsulation of Gogol's dual nature. It's aesthetically unique and it suits him. Poe is still blushing and stuttering as he tries to continue once he's finally able to mostly look at Gogol again.]

Okay... ah... erm... since last time we made a rather... death trap filled story... we should make something more... simple perhaps?

[sendintheclown]

But death traps are fun!

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

They are... but making a simpler death trap that is still interesting would be far more challenging.

[sendintheclown]

[He hums in thought.]

Alright. How about one featuring a tortured salaryman?

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

A mundane profession... but one ripe with the potential for corruption.

[He hums to himself in thought.]

Writing a story of someone's fall from grace is always entertaining.

[sendintheclown]

Have you ever worked an office job? They're soul crushing.

[and boy does he sound happy about it.]

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

I... have in a sense.

[Who exactly do you think handled most of The Guild's paperwork before Alcott joined??? It sure as hell wasn't Fitzgerald.]

It's one of the most repetitive and boring experiences known to man.

[sendintheclown]

Exactly! It wears down a man's humanity, reducing him to nothing but a cog in a machine, ready to be exploited!

[There's a gleeful malice to his words.]

Isn't that the perfect kind of setting for a horror story?

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

While I feel other authors have already well tread that ground.... I can't deny the appeal of a man being slowly worn down until he snaps.

[Writing a believable descent into insanity is always a fun task.]

[sendintheclown]

And what better an inspiration for such a tale than...

[From his pockets come a pair of glasses, and a black wig, and there they go onto Gogol's face.]

Our friend, Mr. Golyadkin?

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

Oh? Do elaborate.

[He's listening.]

[sendintheclown]

Picture this! A meek, timid man, downtrodden and abused by all his higher ups - so faceless and insignificant, he's never referred to by name!

[He tucks his hair underneath the wig to really get into it.]

Imagine all the resentment, all the anger that builds up within him! The spite and hatred towards those on the higher rungs of the social ladder!

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

That kind of spite... is the kind that leads to one fantasizing about burning the office building down while all your higher ups are inside.

[A wicked smile forms and his eyes sparkle with glee at the potential of this idea.]

I love it.

[sendintheclown]

Now! Consider the faceless Golyadkin. He is no one, and nothing, just a piece in a machine. His anger, therefore, is nothing to these people.

[Gogol's grinning, enjoying Poe's enthusiasm for his idea.]

So, in his anger, he stops being Golyadkin. He becomes someone else.

[blackcatintheruemorgue]

He becomes a hollow shell only interested in vengeance. A cog in the machine who wants to break it violently.

[This is a fun idea.]