this is so sad. king dice, play despacito.

[oh_worm]

[ Well, despite her feelings on the matter, Beth sets up another afterparty this week! It's much the same as the weeks before - salad, some hot dogs and hot dog-related products - and cheetos are conspicuously absent, at least as much as is possible. She can't stop people from bringing them, but she can make sure none are around at the start of things.

In addition, though, she went to the art room and grabbed a bunch of supplies! There's a table set up with a piece of paper labeling it "ART THERAPY ZONE." Another table has some small instruments on it, and is labelled "MUSIC THERAPY ZONE."

The food table is labeled "SALAD THERAPY ZONE," don't worry. ]

Comments

[in4apounding]

[Penny's veggie trays are absent from this particular party. Because she was busy hauling one of the washing machines over from Laundry Land to act as a podium. They should really probably just leave this one here if they can, if this is going to be a regular thing. It might not be heavy to her, but it's still pretty awkward.]

[Centipeedle gets dibs on speechifying at everyone because of out-of-character dibs, but after she's done, Penny steps up herself.]

Mister Backslide did some- honestly pretty terrible things. I don't know if he just couldn't take this place and snapped, or if he really was crazy and evil all along, but. The first few weeks here, when I thought I understood him at least a little, I thought maybe he was just trying make people laugh in the middle of such a horrible place. And- I didn't understand most of his jokes. ...Or any of them, I guess. And I don't think he knew when to stop. But, um.

I think we should try hanging onto that, even if it's not actually what Mister Backslide was trying to do and he really was just a bad person. Because this place is really, really awful? But if we try to make it- kind of- less awful? It means we haven't actually lost yet, I think. And I want to keep believing that even if it turns out to be not true.

...Plus it'll probably really annoy Mister Swackhammer, and that guy's a 01100100 01100001 01110010 01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 wad.

[Afterwards she's just kind of. Drifting? This wasn't a good trial, guys.]

How are you doing?

[treefetish]

... If I say something that's... really, really terrible, do you think you can try to not immediately judge me?

[studentbody]

What if....

[Cleo's sitting on the floor nearby, her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them to herself. It's hard to remember sometimes that despite coming off as a confident, mature, poised woman, she's actually just a teenage girl. A kid.]

What if we can't stop it? What if....we just keep dying every week, until we're all gone?

[carbonairhead]

[ Fizzy just...hm. She's around, that's what she's doing. Existing.

Zhu Li the puppy runs up to Penny, though, excited to get a pet. Everyone is alive to pet the dog. ]

[thegreateggscape]

[Ginger chews on a bit of salad therapy before responding to Penny's speech.]

I don't think there's much point in trying to understand him. [Picks at that salad.] But should we really try to make this place less awful? We all want to leave, don't we? Why focus on making it nicer to stay in?

[standsforrevenge]

[Meanwhile, Gandhi is in the WEED THERAPY ZONE, taking a hit with one hand and stuffing cheetos in his mouth with the other. He's dedicated to remaining stoned out of his mind for the rest of forever.]

[carbonairhead]

[ Clip-clop, clip-clop... ]

Don't you think we should leave that alone for awhile?

[studentbody]

[Eventually, Cleo flops down next to Gandhi, and holds out a hand.]

I think you have the right idea.

[in4apounding]

...Is that helping?

[She's really not sure she sees the appeal after all that. Not that she particularly did before.]

[thegreateggscape]

Is this really...appropriate?

[udderly]

[Otis is Noticably Absent from the party. He can be found in his room, lying on the bed and reading the letter Sarah Lynn wrote him. He's feeling some kinda way about it, but honestly he can't pin down what kinda way he feels.]

[carbonairhead]

[ Fizzy knocks with her hooves. ]

Otis? Otis, are you in there?

[thegreateggscape]

[Ginger lingers outside Otis' room for a moment, drawing up her wing in a fist to announce herself. She soon decides against it, and runs off.

Some 10-15 minutes later she returns with a smoothie, and knocks.]

It's Ginger.

[treefetish]

[she didn't know you could be so frustrated you don't even want to art. and yet. here she is.

god, she could use some weed right now.

instead, she's just. drawing. one line. very hard. until it goes straight through the paper and starts being more like carving into the table.]

[carbonairhead]

...Is it helping?

[oh_worm]

[ Ah, this is... ]

... hey.

[captain_cronch]

[Art friend isn't arting...that isn't right.

She makes a sad Ckrooor? noise as she offers a marker.]

[oh_worm]

[ Beth spends the party hanging out in the Therapy Zones. First the art therapy zone near the start of the party, where she's drawing a picture of... the sickest possible horse???, and some friends.

Later on she's in the music therapy zone, playing something on a guitar. It's a little sad? Not happy for sure, but Beth still looks put-together while she does it.

Even later on than that, though, after the party, Beth is just kind of. Lying on the ground, looking up at the ceiling. ]

art therapy zone

[carbonairhead]

[ Clip-clop, clip-clop. ]

Who's that?

art therapy zone

[codeofhero]

[Peers over. Hi, Beth, it's your friendly robo raptor.]

Hmm, are these your companions?

afterparty

[thegreateggscape]

[Ginger just kind leans over Beth's head to look down at her.]

Is everything alright?

[Redundant question, but, you know.]

[codeofhero]

[Dinobot is here! He'd almost immediately assumed his Beast Mode, grabs a hotdog from the table that he scarfs down in a couple bites, finds a good spot near the ART THERAPY ZONE where he plops down to watch the remaining group in relative quiet.

Relative, because if you're near, you might catch him remarking,]

Seems quieter already, now that he isn't here.

[in4apounding]

Hm.

[Okay the dinosaur thing is still super fucking cool and she'll definitely have to ask about it when she's not wrestling with Feelings.]

...I actually. Still sort of miss it. His- method nonsense. Even after seeing all that. Is that bad?

[carbonairhead]

...I wish he could've left Bojack and Sarah Lynn behind.

[captain_cronch]

[Centipeedle knows now that Dan...wasn't a good guy. She knows that everyone kind of basically hates him, deservedly so. But she can't bring herself to hate a guy that let her drive a car. He was weird, green, funny. All good qualities in someone you barely meet.

She can't forgive what he did, but she can at least do what he he would have done: give a eulogy his style. Centipeedle clears her throat and explains just what she said. She goes on in a series of gurgles and clicks: she remembers how he lit up everyone's face with weed that one time. That other time people got laid at a funeral allegedly. Something about adopting Otis? All the details he mentioned got fuzzy...

All this is done for a long time. In garbled Centi-ese.]

[in4apounding]

That was absolutely beautiful, probably, I think.