Video | Open | Everything Is Fine

[huisclos]

[The white haired man in the image is both a little out of focus, and more than a little unsure what he's doing. Michael seems bemused, if not outright nervous. He'd been so terribly excited to go to Earth, and this... hasn't been what he expected.]

Yes, hello, is this thing on? Sorry--always wanted to say that. [He chuckles, before moving on.]

But really, is it? Oh, there we go. [Nothing changes about the feed, so it's hard to say what he thinks he accomplished.]

I don’t suppose anyone could tell me where I am? If you could just, direct me to a bus. Or a train? Maybe an ‘uber’.
Something that goes to-- [And here the camera shifts jarringly to a view of the grounds where he's been wandering, and there’s some rustling, like the owner of the voice might be looking through notes.]--”Phoenix, Arizona.”

[Because that's absolutely a place he can reach from wherever he's wound up, right? Of course it is. The portal was supposed to take him where he needed to go--and where he needed to go was a rather specific place and time on Earth--so it must have. If it were anywhere else, a Place or a Zone for instance, he'd know. All of this is just... a misunderstanding. Clearly. 

This is the face of a man who is trying desperately not to consider the possibility that something has gone very, very wrong.]

Comments

[huisclos]

[Oh he's definitely going to look for a way to weasel out of events, but the fact he needs to is disappointing. That said, he's intrigued by the rest. He's talked to one person who might be another demon, but he's not even sure about that yet.] Monsters? [He's mostly wondering to himself exactly what kind of things are here. He keeps listening.]

Someone mentioned that. Are they simulations? Other timelines? It sounded like people think they're 'part' of everyone. [The more he's getting over his shock at being here the more he wants to figure this out.]

[shrimpheavennow]

I...think they might literally just be our reflections, kinda? I mean, from what I remember of the movie, a lot of it was just things coming to life. Like cards and flowers and stuff. I don't think it was more complicated than that, really.

To be fair, I was super high when I last watched it but. Yeah. There's definitely something conspiracy-ish going on here, but it's all so...different from the rules you told us. Like, zombies are here. How do zombies fit into any of that Good Place/Bad Place shit?

[huisclos]

[Michael tries to come up with a good answer. Something authoritative or comforting or even something that makes him sound like he isn't exactly as lost as the humans--and he comes up short.]

They don't. This doesn't. None of this does. Either this is some kind of a test from the Judge or Shawn's finally gotten inventive or this... really does exist in some strand of the multiverse. And it shouldn't.

[He takes a deep breath, rubs a hand across his forehead.]
I'm as old as the universe, and I have no idea what's going on here.

[shrimpheavennow]

Fuuuck.

[Eleanor rubs a hand over her face.]

I was kind of hoping you'd at least recognize some of this? Like. Not really. But there was just enough hope there that this is still disappointing.

[This is why giving a shit about anything is so pointless.

BIG SIGH.]

Well! For now we follow the rules, I guess. Come on, you need a room.

[Eleanor grabs his arm and starts leading him into the mansion.]

[huisclos]

[Feeling like Eleanor is disappointed in him doesn't help matters, though for a moment he just reflects on the fact that he cares if a human is disappointed in him. Sometimes he's still not sure how he got to this point.]

Oh. Right. Yes.

[He still sounds... distracted, but he doesn't object to her leading him inside. At least, until he suddenly stops in his tracks.]

Are any of the others here? Chidi, Tahani, Jason?

[shrimpheavennow]

Nope. Just us. Nobody from the Bad Place, though, as far as I can tell. I mean, they'd definitely lie about it, but still. I've kept an eye out.

[She can tell he's really upset, and given how that's gone down before, she casts about trying to find something to make things sound less terrible.]

The closets kind of work like Janet do, though? That's...cool.

[huisclos]

Alright, that's something. The only thing that could make my day any better is Shawn.

[He's doing his best to stay calm, at the very least. One of the humans is alright, and that means things could be worse.]

The closets? [He's not sure if that makes anything less terrible, but he's curious now, which is still a good distraction.]

[shrimpheavennow]

Ah, here, I'll show you.

[Which means walking to the nearest room with a closet and standing in front of it, all things that are much less convenient than Janet, but whatever. It's something interesting to talk about compared to how they're trapped somewhere and maybe never going to get to the real Good Place.]

So, uh, think of something you want!

[She'll grab the door once he looks like he's got something in mind and open it up for him!]

[huisclos]

[It's definitely less convenient, but for moment he's curious enough that he just looks around as she leads him, asking a question now and then.

He looks at the closet for a moment, before deciding on something.

Considering what he was, he had any number of interesting and unusual options he could have thought of. Considering who he as, he chose none of them.

It appears he'd picked the paperclip collection from his office.]

[shrimpheavennow]

[...okay then.

God, she's surrounded by nerds.]

Goooood job, buddy. You uh, can do the same thing in the kitchen and dining room too. If you...do you eat? Like, to survive?

[huisclos]

[He either misses the tone, or ignores it.]

Not to survive, no. But I do like to. I'm starting to see why you guys are always chewing things.

[He's even picked up stress eating as a habit, but he's not going to point that out.]

Do you think it could make me a cup of antimatter? I could really use a pick-me-up after this morning.

[shrimpheavennow]

Uh. Probably. There are all kinds of people here. I met a zombie, even. Guess he's gotta eat too.

[Not that she's going to ask.]

You wanna go see before we get you a room?

[huisclos]

[He's really curious about the zombie, but one thing at a time.]

Yeah, let's do that.

[It's possible he's also trying to put off the idea of living in a room in this place, because that feels like settling for being stuck here, but it's also possible he just really needs the caffeine.]