Vandalizing the Neighborhood

It's 3 am and pitch black outside. The perfect hour for mischief. And on the menu for tonight? Tagging a few bare walls. They look so empty and sad with nothing on them. You already packed a selection of rattlecans and are ready to go. [[Bail out.]] [[Invite a friend.]] [[Head out alone.]]

This was a dumb idea right from the start! Someone is bound to catch you doing this and then what? Will you escalate to petty theft next? Assault? Murder?? No, that isn't where you want to go. (if: $companion is 100)[You text your friend that it's off and you can't go through with it tonight. He responds that he's relieved and was just doing this to impress you.] This was probably the best option. You ought to go to bed then. You have school in the morning. [[Open your eyes.]]

(set: $companion to 100) You promised your best pal, Alex, you would take him along. You may be a deviant but you're not about to break a promise. You shoot him a text to meet you at the spot you've chosen to vandalize. [[Bail out.]] [[Head out.]]

You promised your friend you would take him with you tonight. But you could tell he was just trying to impress you. It wouldn't work anyway so you wont involve him tonight. You gather your things and trek to the wall you've targeted for tonight. [[Ready to go.->Head out.]]

**THE END** Thank you for playing!

(if: $companion is 100)[Alex is already there when you arrive. He greets you with his usual doofy smile. You two immediately set off to work.] Your selected canvas is a concrete wall near a convenience store. It's shielded from the street well enough that you can easily escape should a car come by. And yet it's still visible to the world at large. What's the point of grafiti if no one sees it, right? Your canvas is ready for you. With what will you fill it? [[Write your name.]] [[Draw something profane.]] [[Paint something beautiful.]] [[Paint something evocative.]]

(set: $claim to 100) What is it about blank spaces that make us want to fill them? Even if it is with a word or a name in someone's poor handwriting? Putting your name on the wall lends you some feeling of ownership over an unclaimed area. This section of wall now unofficially belongs to you. (if: $companion is 100)[Alex adds his name and the words "wuz here" to the wall in big block letters. Claiming a piece of wall together seems to bring you two closer together.] [[Get out of here.]]

(set: $destroy to 100) No one ever accused you of being a Michaelangelo. You're here for mischief. You fill your canvas with a crude representation of a dick. Something about defacing property like this brings a sense of power. No one holds the reigns on you. (if: $companion is 100)[Your drawing seems to have brought out the miscreant in Alex. He takes the can from you and adds a pair of breasts and a funny face to your own drawing. The effect is quite silly.] [[Get out of here.]]

(set: $beauty to 100) Plain walls are just so drab. This town is your home and anything you can do to make it beautiful is well worth the risk of doing so illegally. Your vision for a beautiful town will always include this painting. (if: $companion is 100)[Alex doesn't contribute a whole lot to your artistic expression but he always watches you work. He makes himself useful by handing you fresh rattlecans and not much else. However little help you need, it's something of a comfort to have someone there to view your process. Not many people get to watch an artist at work, creating a world. Becoming the god of that world. It's something to behold. Your reflection on this is cut short when you finish your painting.] It is of no deep signifigance but your sense of color and framing bring a breath of fresh air to this little corner. The scene is a pond that simply gushes with life and splendor. Lavish greenery surrounds your pond. Cattails, heavy with the weight of their seeds, dip themselves into the water. Lily pads and lotus blossoms sprawl across your pond's surface, giving much needed shade to the inhabitants of the water. Tiny wildflowers give the impression of their existence in the grass. Drifting just beneath the surface, but only visible to those who look for it, is a plethora of fish and underwater life. No one water creature makes its presence known or can indeed be identified but one still knows they're there, ready to scatter should one draw too near. If one knows just where to look, one can spot a heron roosting in the tall grass. It seems at peace. (if: $companion is 100)[Alex congratulates you on another job well done. Beautifying our town is an important contribution and he seems glad to be a part of it.] [[Get out of here.]]

(set: $express to 100) Your mother always told you if you have to draw, do it on paper. Unfortunately, she does not understand. Your art needs to be free, to be viewed! Simply stashing it in a book diminishes its gravitas. Putting your painting up for the world to see is the only way to do it justice. (if: $companion is 100)[Alex doesn't contribute a whole lot to your artistic expression but he always watches you work. He makes himself useful by handing you fresh rattlecans and not much else. However little help you need, it's something of a comfort to have someone there to view your process. Not many people get to watch an artist at work, creating a world. Becoming the god of that world. It's something to behold. Your reflection on this is cut short when you finish your painting.] The finished product is as haunting as it is thought-provoking. A woman sits in the foreground clutching a bullet wound on her chest. Her expression betrays her fear and sadness. Her eyes tell you she has been betrayed by someone she trusts. Her blood makes you realize she is not long for this earth. It's all over for her. She is slipping away under the red and blue glow of a police cruiser. Silhouetted against the glow, one can see an officer. A faint puff of smoke rises from the gun in his hand. His stance is cold. He took this beautiful woman away from this world. Because of his actions, she is no longer with us. (if: $companion is 100)[Alex marvels at your handiwork. The vague morning twilight gives the impression of a tear running down his cheek. It may not have been so it's best not to probe deeper into it.] [[Get out of here.]]

(if: $beauty is 100)[It's time to leave. Hopefully whoever owns this wall appreciates that your intent was just to beautify the neighborhood.](if: $express is 100)[Your message has been delivered. It's time to get away from it before its recipiants can attribute it to you. Your message may or may not effect a change but the important thing is that you delivered](if: $destroy is 100)[Take that, society! It's time to bail before a cop rolls up.](if: $claim is 100)[Take that, society! It's time to bail before a cop shows up.] (if: $companion is 100)[Alex walks you home and bids you goodbye. He tells you he can't wait to hang out again.] Tonight was a complete success. [[Open your eyes.]]