✝ even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death ✝ heart game

[wwjd]

**TW: please note general potential warnings for murder, rape, suicide/mentions of suicide, gore, disturbing content/imagery, death, animal cruelty, cannibalism. This list will be updated as needed! Do not hesitate to PM me if something you aren't comfortable with ever comes up!**

[You’re suddenly in an open, expansive room. It’s huge. If you’re familiar with the setting or have the ability to compare it to something similar, it’s like the interior of a church—pews surround you, all centered around an altar, and all of the normal religious paraphernalia—Bibles, baptismal tools, sacramental wine and bread—is present as well, in its expected place for a church or set up on a table before the altar. The area is for the most part so dark, however, that you cannot clearly see around you for farther than a few feet. It feels like nighttime, but, well, you can’t look beyond the shadows to spy the windows to know for sure...

In this deep darkness, the well-lit altar is like a beacon. Blazing candles encircle it, and you can perceive at least four human-shaped figures standing upon it. Are they alive? Watch long enough, and you’ll understand that they don’t move, shift, or even breathe.

Also, you are dressed like an angel. ( 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 ) Have fun!

You are directly in the middle of the central aisle, one that leads to the altar. What will you do?]

((game notes!

1) you are welcome to tag in at any time. this heart game will be running from december 10th to december 16th! please realize i have rl responsibilities and will not always be available to tag during the mornings/afternoons of every day, but in general i will be around.

2) my goal is to get everyone to at least one "room" outside of the church, but if that doesn't happen, it's okay! c:

3) this is my first time running a game thing/heart game, so if you notice any major problems or just want to check in with me about something, please do! i am doing my best (exercise_smiley)

4) again, i take comfort levels seriously. never hesitate to pm me if something is too squicky for you. i will change it right away!))

Comments

[wwjd]

[Nothing happens in response to the laughter echoing against the walls. You are, however, still bloody and carrying a knife, in addition to being dressed as an angel.

You don't know what it is, but some sort of presence calls you forward, imperceptibly. A long, dingy hallway is in front of you. There are also stairs behind you, but it appears they've collapsed? It's as if someone destroyed the stone staircase.]

[ofobedience]

[the blood doesn't seem to perturb him in the least, and the knife might come in handy-- but the desire to move forward is vaguely unsettling, somehow.

he'll begin to move forward despite that, though, heading in the direction that most compels him]

[wwjd]

[It's a long hallway. The smell becomes worse and worse the farther you travel.]

[ofobedience]

[the smell is strong and his senses sharp and it makes him think of--

(severed limbs strewn around like oversized doll parts bodies piled up high enough to climb)

-- something. but he'll keep going. moving towards it]

[wwjd]

[Can you walk on slime, in those heels?

It suddenly feels as if sticky, slippery grime is coating the already slick and cold stone floor beneath your shoes. It's like walking on butter. There's about equal chances that you could slip,

—or, well,

that you can be caught by the solid gooeyness smearing itself across the floor, because it also has a feeling of thickness to it.]

[ofobedience]

[to be quite honest with you, he's really struggling with the heels and only gets a few steps in before he's slipping, landing hard on his hands and knees in that muck. the knife slides out of his grip when he puts out both palms to catch himself]

Ugh.

[wwjd]

[Ugh is right.

The slippery filth feels like moss, like it will adhere to your skin and rot you from the outside in. You feel disgusted. You want to vomit.]

[ofobedience]

Ugh!.

[and he does feel disgusted, nauseated. quickly he tries to stand up again, to brush as much of the stuff off him as he can. almost panicked]

sorry i missed this!

[wwjd]

[Well, I mean, you could try to stand, but it will still be really slippery in those heels. Do you try to power through with the heels?

Or go for a different tactic?

Also, the goop doesn't come off. It just moves to your hands as you attempt to brush it off, sticking to those, instead.]

it's cool! I was sleeping anyway

[ofobedience]

[do the shoes come off? he's gonna try doing that. he could crawl, but really he wants this stuff on him as little as possible. ugh ugh]

i try to do them all in order and i just have no idea what happened, i think my brain farted

[wwjd]

[Yes, they do.

The floor is still slick and disgusting beneath your tights, but it isn't quite as impossible to walk this way. You could crawl... Anyway, the hallway has not yet ended, and it's not clear how far you have to go.]

it happens! <3

[ofobedience]

[heels off and he's trying to walk, face contorted in an expression of disgust, one foot placed carefully in front of the other as he tries to ensure he doesn't slip again.

but he keeps going. pushes on.]

<3

[wwjd]

[The sticky filthiness piles on thicker and thicker as you advance. Eventually, it is coating the walls, dripping from the ceiling. The odor of rancid meat rotting—decaying, falling apart and composing—is everywhere.]

[ofobedience]

[this...is utterly vile. it's all he can do to prevent himself from gagging, and he can't even cover his face because some of the stuff is still on his hands. honestly he'd consider turning back if he hadn't already come so far, and so the best he can do is grit is teeth and keep trying to move forward. try not to throw up.]

*decomposing, rather lol

[wwjd]

[Soon, you feel the brush of a light, quickly-fading wind against you, from the front. Is it possible for a breath of air to be less than fresh? ... If so, this is it. But, I mean. It is moving air rather than stagnant smells, so there's that.

You sense that the hallway widens just ahead of you, and it opens into a greater room.]

I knew what you meant <3

[ofobedience]

[even a less than fresh breath of air is better than this rot, and he'll move towards it readily, into the widening room ahead]

[wwjd]

[It's too dark to see right away, but inside your mind you hear child-like voices saying,

help

help

help.]

[ofobedience]

[...it strikes a chord in him, something pulling taught in his chest, and he pauses. the voices are in his mind, but--]

...Hello?

[wwjd]

[No answer.]

[ofobedience]

[....all right. well. he's gonna walk a little further into the room, then]

[wwjd]

[When your eyes finally adjust to the light, you can see that there are what appear to be coffins, lining the expansive chamber in two rows.

Some of the lids are hanging off, half on, or tipped to the ground. Others still cover their interiors.

The presence of death is undeniable. Nothing is alive here—

but at the same time, nothing is really dead? Hm.]

[ofobedience]

[well, that's not ominous at all. gonna...tentatively head over to take a closer look at the coffins.]

[wwjd]

[The first coffin you examine has its lid half-covering it.

When you peer inside, you will see Lilith of Larkspur. —But, ah, she looks rather lifeless.]

[ofobedience]

[that abruptly sends him stumbling back with a small strangled sound and a quick thudding of the heart, but then he takes a breath. tries to assure himself that it isn't her. not really.

still...he steps closer again, reaches out to touch her with the tips of his outstretched fingers]

....Lilith?

[wwjd]

[It looks like her. A perfect likeness. She's just... not moving. Her eyes are wide open and glassy.

She's also naked, I mean, that's kind of weird.]