aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 019 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 019 )

Test Drive Meme #19

Hello, and welcome to LifeAftr! We’re pleased that you’re expressing an interest in the game. Here, you can test the waters, gauge how your character may fare in the world of LifeAftr, and even gain some in-game incentives, if you so choose.

Remember that Reserves will open on January 17th, and Applications on January 24th!

Two important notes:

1. LifeAftr's test drives take place on the island of Mu, which exists apart from the real world and possesses a dream-like quality that characters are innately aware of from the moment they appear on its shores. No need to panic or fret. Dreams are odd things, after all - and anything can happen in them. Why would anyone question where their mind chooses to wander in its sleep?

2. Due to the nature of Mu, threads in our test drive can not only be accepted as thread samples in your application, but can be accepted as game canon as well. In fact, certain choices your character makes in Mu have the potential to bear in-game consequences, largely in the form of test drive reward items.

Let's Be Heroes
Back in December on the recent island of Maati, the Trial of the Brave was intended to challenge those who approached life with hesitation; the timid, the uncertain, and those who trend too easily toward inaction. Mu, of course, has a habit of neglecting the finer details. And thus...here you are, whether you need the intended lesson or not.

Armed with nothing more than a torch, a short sword, and the clothes on your back, you're sure to enjoy the scenic view of labyrinthine stone walls, low-hanging ceilings, sharp corners hiding all sorts of secrets, and a thick, foreboding darkness. Your light, and the torches of others making their way through the dark, are the only breaks in the seemingly uniform dark.

Those and the lights of the eyes of the other things down here with you, of course.

Hidden throughout the maze are scattered innumerable creatures, all of them happy to take advantage of those wandering about on their own. Nighthooks are fiendish, shadowy monsters that appear in the shape of a long-fingered hand. While they cannot physically hurt anything, they specialize in slinking out of the darkness to snuff out any light source they can find...like your torch, for example. Also abundand are the grimlings, hulking, dog-like creatures composed of a seaweed-like blackness and glowing coals for eyes. Should you come across one, several more are bound to be nearby, as they travel in packs. And they are always hungry.

For those lucky enough not to stumble across these creatures? Enjoy your stumble through the dark. There's an exit around here somewhere, if you look hard enough. Probably.

The Waiting Game
The second trial Mu has appropriated is the Trial of the Patient. This test was named for those who exhibit the very antithesis of patience, initially intended to draw in the brash, the reckless, those easily incited into action, and so on. Instead of a dark and lengthy maze, Mu has instead concocted a brightly lit room to test your patience, and lack thereof.

So you should have no trouble at all seeing the entirety of the expansive, gaping void that stretches between you and the only way out.

Stranded on a singular ledge, the space in which you wake is white and seemingly infinite. No ceilings or walls are visible, and peering over the edge of the small platform reveals no flooring below to catch you. The only distinct characteristics to this room are the door opposite you, positioned some couple hundred feet away. There's nothing for you to grab or cling to in order to make your way over there faster. In fact, nothing else seems to help, either. Flight, teleportation, gadgets, you name it - each attempt will inevitably fail, and give you just enough time to contemplate all the ways you went wrong as you go plummeting down (or is it up?) into that endless void. What a shame.

Luckily for you, this dream is happy to give you a second chance! And a third, and a fourth...and however many it takes, really. Those who fall will, just as the initial adrenaline shock starts to run out, abruptly find themselves standing right back on the platform where they started. Once again, they'll find themselves staring at that infuriating, impossible-to-reach door. Seems like you may be stuck where you are, for the time being.

We say "for the time being," because the other distinct attribute of this loosely defined room is a second platform, drifting steadily from the doorway to your position. Once it reaches you, you'll be able to climb aboard, and be safely ferried across the room to the exit you so greatly desire. Once it reaches you. Once it...well, it seems to be taking some time. A few minutes. An hour. Something in that ballpark, maybe. Got a good book on you? No? Guess you'll have to find some other way to wile away the time.

You, and whoever else you happen to be stuck with.

Water Rising
The island of Ensō is a relatively flat island, aside from a lone, steep mountain to the north. Mu is less so. It tends to mold itself to whatever shape best suits it, and in this case? It has chosen Ensō. And so that is where you find yourself - positioned at the base of its mountain, no less, only several feet up the beginnings of its slope. Unfortunately, there's not much time to take in the new scenery. Stretched out along the island's coast is a beach of glittering white sand. Further inland, the green sprawl of a jungle blots the horizon. But there's also plenty of ocean. And therein lies the problem.

Creeping through the treelines and rapidly pooling about the mountain's base, said ocean levels are rising quickly. Very quickly. Those who wish to stay and enjoy the view of an island underwater are welcome to it. For everyone else, the only other option is the obvious one: to climb.

To climb very, very quickly.

As luck would have it, the rising waters aren't the only danger present. Those too slow to escape its wrath will surely drown, but the higher up you go, the thinner the air becomes, and the more searing the heat. To the west, a crop of dangerous creatures known as lungblossoms claim the wooded thickets that offer reprieve from the intense and unrelenting rays of dream-sun. A confrontation with these living plants may expose you to hallucinogenic spores fit to fill your senses with horrific, nightmarish visions, so tread lightly...but not slowly.

At the mountain's very peak, an empty temple awaits those who can make it to the end of this terrible and impromptu gauntlet. It will provide shade and a space for the exhausted survivors to congregate. Tend to yourself and others, if you like- or head back out to locate those who haven't had such luck in reaching this haven.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

( NOTE: shiho's backstory involves sexual assault and abuse; i won't spring it on anyone, obviously, but just be aware of that! i'll warn for it if it comes up, but if you'd like to avoid that but still tag shiho, let me know at

sweetstacks. )

brave.
[ Shiho Suzui, sword and torch in hand... has never looked or felt more out of place. She's not even really sure why or how she's here, but she's here and... well. She guesses she has to do this. Whatever this is. She isn't sure, and she's definitely never used a sword before.

That, and the kneebrace she's wearing makes it difficult to move as quickly as she'd like. It's frustrating, but more than that, she's scared. Being in the dark like this... it makes her muscles seize up. She wants, desperately, to get out of here.

Shiho starts to move... and she lets out a terrified shriek when something snuffs out her torch. ]

No...!

lungblossoms.
[ She manages, somehow, to make it high up. It's slow going, and her whole body aches--she hasn't recovered, after all--and she's exhausted. Her stamina isn't what it used to be, after spending so long in the hospital.

She's moving slowly, too slowly, to avoid the spores she stumbles into. Shiho lets out a startled yell, but it only makes it worse. She's breathing in a lot, and she ends up falling to her knees, hands over her ears. ]

Help-- Ann--

Edited 2019-01-14 05:27 (UTC)

lets be heroes

[ For some reason it's like there's monsters in every corner of the room. Akira isn't sure what to do at first. He finds himself running down the hall, almost in a panic. This definitely isn't the first time he's seen a monster and it's not going to be the last either. These creatures are different from the ones he's used to and it makes him nervous. Akira arms himself with a sword and throws it at the next thing that moves. ]

Stop right there.

[ Is it a friend or another monster? He can't tell in this light. ]

waiting game

[ Akira's not a person who's known for his patience. People think he can do many things but being a man of virtue is not one of them. He clicks his tongue together in irritation, feeling rage fill his body.]

This must be a joke. Are you kidding me?

[ It's completely ridiculous. There's no way he can just keep waiting like this. By now he's started talking out loud to keep himself distracted from all of this. Everything's so white. He feels like he's about to drop dead from it.]

[ Well, Akira's been running around by himself like a complete idiot. He's got no idea what he's doing and he's starting to feel annoyed at himself for it. This place sucks. He immediately stops what he's doing when he notices Shiho in the distance. It's that girl who goes go his school? She certainly doesn't seem well. Akira walks in closer, feeling concern.]

Hey, are you alone?

[ It's bad if she is. ]

[ he certainly looks like a monster, with his floating skull and flaming (literally!) pink hair wafting in a cold breeze. Everything screams menacing-- except a golden heart that thrums rhythmically on his chest. Eye points that pierce through the darkness land on the human with a sword and for a moment--

..no. It isn't him. His shoulders seem to drop just a bit.

A low growl hums out of him, and he pulls the sword from the wall that Akira threw it to, and throws it back at him. Don't throw pointy objects, man. You could actually hurt someone!!! ]

a. WHAT'S WAITING

[ You know what you're supposed to do in this room? Wait.

You know what this nebulously-gendered blob piloting a corpse isn't at all accustomed to doing? Waiting.

So, whether you've just arrived in the room or you've been waiting for that platform to slowly, slowly float across, at least you get free entertainment, because the Prisoner is just rocketing themselves into the void at every possible opportunity, apparently because anything is better than standing still.

It doesn't look like they're going to stop any time soon. Or learn from the experience.

Oh, look, there they go again, taking another run-up.... ]

b. oh geez flooding

[ They might have had to fend for themselves out of necessity, and they might be desensitized to corpses, but the Prisoner isn't entirely heartless. Far from it, in fact. If you're nearby when the water starts to rise, they're probably going to grab you and drag you along regardless of comfort because it's faster and easier than trying to communicate HEY RUN THIS WAY.

It's not a comfortable journey, because they're bolting full tilt up the slope as fast as they can go, which is a fairly impressive top speed. They might not be able to die exactly, but that doesn't mean they want to lose this body too!

Or you might just spot them blazing along, their distinctive red scarf fluttering along behind them in the wind. Who knows, if you call out for help, it's likely they might backtrack to help you out.

After all, it's been a long while since they've seen a place that isn't decaying from the inside out, and even longer since they've consistently seen living people who aren't the same few faces, over and over. ]

c. wildcard?

[ sure do whatever, surprise me ]

let's be heroes.

Ugh, damn it!

[ Plumeria and Salazzle are rocketing through the hall. Behind them, a giant Nighthook lumbers eagerly, it's long finger leaving a darker, if possible, trail on the ground. It makes no noise, it gives no emotion...it's a void. The void of something bad.

And nothing about it screams "Let's have a pokemon battle!"

In her other hand, a torch burns brightly, embers flickering to the floor. Salazzle makes a sound and flares up for a little more light against the ground on which she crawls. As a pair, Plumeria's always considered herself and Salazzle pretty quick, but not for long bouts. Not for as long as this could go on. They need to find a safe spot-- somewhere where she can return breathe, and think. Ugh! ]

Salazzle, Flamethrower!

[ the pokemon complies, and a bright orange flame ignites the ground and the Nighthook. A temporary wall. Through the flame, she can see the white pin-pricks of the monster's eyes. Watching. Waiting. No where to run.

But she'll keep running. Just...gotta find somewhere safe to squat for a minute. Make a plan. Catch her breath.

Damn this. ]

water rising

[ her lungs just can't seem to fill with enough air to grant her any form of physical comfort.

It took some doing-- some scratches on her fingers and one gash against her arm, but she made it up. The water beneath her pounds against the mountain, as if insisting she return to it's murky, hot depths. She takes a few steps back and then falls on her rear, bringing her arm to her chest and heaving out a thick gasp. Lungblossoms, in all their beauty, make focusing on a climb difficult. Makes a jagged rock look like someone holding a knife, or spiders crawling over her fingertips. It...it wasn't a casual climb.

Shutting her eyes brings back the nightmares, but only briefly. She shudders and brings her legs closer to her body, just trying to gather up her sanity. ]

Come on, Plumeria. [ it's chastising, but also soothing to hear. ] You're bigger than this. Better than this. All your dumb little brothers and sisters need you. Come on.

[ she slowly stands, the blood dropping down to her fingertips and onto the ground. It's fine-- just keep it close and covered, and away from anything that could get it infected. Or...more infected. Prolong life. She sighs.

The temple within sight would be a good place to start. Protesting legs wobble for the first few steps, until she stomps them each down, the spike of pressure surging up and down her legs. No more complaining. Not from any part of her body: her legs, her arm, and her brain.

And it's just like that in which Plumeria walks toward the temple. Keeping her arm close to her chest, her mind open, and her pace calm.

But who the fuck pissed off the ocean, though?? ]

[Once again, the dreamland of Mu has drawn Lillie back to its shores. She's...hesitant to touch the water, after what happened in the waking world, and so she has picked her way up the mountainside on legs that are stronger now than they were in Alola. With hands that find grip on the rocks with more certainty. Even the bag at her side containing Nebby and dreamland copies of her supplies doesn't slow her down.

Therefor, she's made it up to the temple before Plumeria. So she has time to watch her approach. Has time to feel a surge of emotions, mostly negative, from her hiding spot inside one of the buildings. This...is a test. Unlike with her mother, she won't back down. She won't run. She can't just rely on Guzma to show up and save her. And by the guardians is Guzma going to lose his mind if Plumeria shows up on Enso, speaking of him.

So Lillie steps out into the open and looks Plumeria straight in the eyes, but doesn't say a word. Her face is carefully neutral and her hands are folded in front of her. She looks a little different. Her clothes are different, not her usual dress and hat. Her hair is done up in a low ponytail. She holds herself straighter, looks leaner, looks a little scruffier. Even sports a few scars along her arms.

Hardly the girl Plumeria was kidnapping back then. Hardly the same as where they left off, from Lillie's perspective.]

— the waiting game;
( Okay. Perhaps this is a representation of... something. Her unfulfilled dream of a weekend with nothing to do but read? But there are no books in this empty space, only a door and a ledge. A frown passes over Irene's face and she clasps her hands behind her back, resisting the building urge to run her hands through her hair.

This feels undeniably like a test, the kind of problem solving mission the Library would have thrown at her in training. Two platforms, no items other than that door.

But she does have the Language. Her pacing (finally) comes to an end and Irene stares at the platform opposite with a renewed fire, judging the distance between the two. Finally, she looks down at the ground below: )

Ground upon which I am standing, become your own floating platform and move to the door before me!

( That's a language, one the listener knows, but the accent is all wrong. It's hard to fully understand what she's saying immediately with the strange formation of vowels and constanants. The familiar drain of The Language takes hold, sapping at her energy and forming reality through her will—

Or not. Blood trickles from Irene's nose as she sways with the effort of trying to move herself towards the exit, but there isn't even the slightest sign of movement from the floor. Not even a tremble. Her chest tightens, eyes fixated on the floor as though she might have missed something. The words were correct, there's no resistance to her words, the Language should have worked.

But it didn't. She rummages through her outfit for something to wipe away the blood and forces air into her lungs. There is an explanation for this. There must be. She cannot give into this panic, she will not.

Note to self: report this to Coppelia when I return. Perhaps petition for a course for Librarians Suddenly Stripped Of Powers...

She smooths down her skirt and replaces her handkerchief, looking around once more at the... not entirely empty space, now that there's another person with her. Sharp eyes gauge the stranger as she flicks through possible reasons they could be there, not that she's teeming with other options at the moment, and she approaches, steps sharp and precise despite her earlier weakness. )

I don't suppose you came in through the back door?

( It's a little dry, but given the circumstances, Irene feels she's entitled to be somewhat sarcastic about the whole thing. )

— water rising;
( She is a Librarian, not a mountain climber. True that boarding school in Switzerland means she has some familiarity with the concept, but her outfit is hardly made for this. It's made for blending into the local population, in unobtrusive colours and without any of the kinds of protection one normally requires for scrambling up a rock face.

Naturally, that means Irene is stuck in a situation where going back down is out of the question. She spares one more complaining thought about inappropriate footwear and does away with her shoes, tossing them blindly and opting for bare feet instead of heels as she scrambles up, too busy trying to put adequate space between herself and the water (she could really do with Kai's appearance right about now) to worry about any tearing fabric as she hauls herself up onto a higher platform. )

Damn...

( This is worlds away from her typical physical exercise, though the ever present danger is so utterly familiar that Irene doesn't question what she does, muttering a few words in the Language to allow herself easier grip on the narrow path, finally finding a moment to breathe and look around.

And spot someone below her, far too close to the lapping water. )

Water below me, slow your flooding!

( The second the sentence comes out — too brief, too imprecise, but she hadn't the time to speak in more depth — she knows it'll hurt, that sheer force of effort will send her to her knees, gasping for breath and trying to ignore her dizziness to reach down to the stranger below. )

Take my hand!

( It's a foolish moment of heroism, perhaps, but this isn't a mission, it's a disaster. She isn't trying to escape with a book, simply to escape with her life, no different from the person below her. )

— wildcard;
( Hit me with anything! If you wanna chat about stuff, shoot me a PM! )

[Escaping a rising tide is not exactly what they'd planned on doing with their time, but it is at least an instinct they can well act upon: fleeing an inexorable force of nature before it swallows them whole. They're more talented at streaking along flat surfaces than they are at scaling vertical ones, but they're keeping reasonably ahead of the spray and seafoam - right up until they see a flash of red and, most alarmingly, blue skin.]

[The Drifter nearly loses their handholds and slips into the flotsam on the spot.]

[Their new goal becomes pursuing this other blue-skinned creature. They can't be - they can't be another one, can they? There can't be another one here, can there?]

[There's no other explanation.]

[ Akira jumps back in a defensive stance. He's still on guard, feeling pensive and tense. His eyes narrow with suspison when the sword drops. ]

Who are you? I can only take a guess.

[ He shrugs and then sighs. ]

[ This isn't the worst place I've seen. And rising water? Easy. Unless you're stuck in a prison cell...

Whatever happened to that prisoner, anyway?

They ask the question to themselves like they don't already know what happened anyway, which is what happens to most people on the island sooner or later.

Monsters following them isn't an uncommon occurrence. Everything that succumbs to the Miasma has a nasty habit of locking onto them whenever they run past. But this isn't a monster, this is a person - and another blue-skinned person at that.

Well, that's not too weird, they've seen blue-skinned people before. Perfectly ordinary.

So, eventually, they stop. The water isn't moving that fast, and they're pretty sure they can outrun it, so you know what? It's fine. They can wait for this person to catch up.

It's admittedly a new feeling to see someone running after them that's a living, breathing person...for a given value of real, anyway. They're dreaming, but they don't know how or why, so they stop questioning it, because questions are boring if you pursue them too much. ]

[ The high of the Pattern's embrace, lifting her away and pulling her into its vision, its reality of endless happiness, came to a crashing halt some time ago, and now Kate is in a nightmare. Did the Pattern lie to her? Was Stephen right? Should she have gone out with him to help stop its spread? Or did she simply fall, a piece of the Pattern herself now since it twined herself into her blood and muscles and bones? Did it set her off to do its work too?

The thoughts haunting Kate are set aside when the water begins to rise.

She's pretty strong, but nobody just becomes a skilled mountain climber on demand. Kate does as well as she can and is doing okay, but the water is faster. Part of her wants to give up and see if she can't just reemerge into the Pattern, but the rest of her is afraid that it's looking for her and needs to find her alive.

So she fights, claws her way up, pushes herself as hard as she can, telling herself she has liquid light in her veins now and is so much stronger than she used to be—

And then a woman holds out her hand to her.

Kate takes it, and uses that and a burst of renewed strength to climb up to temporary rest beside the stranger. She leans forward, breathing heavily, shaking her head. ]

We have to keep going. We can't die here.

[ They have to keep fighting. ]

[ ann's been extremely active, living on the islands. that isn't to say that her muscles aren't tired and threatening to give out with all of this climbing, but ann can keep on going. right now her mind is only on getting out, surviving, not having to experience death a sixth time.

and then she hears someone call to her. a voice she knows all too well. ann's eyes widen, and her natural instinct is to look below her.

a patch of black hair, tied up in a ponytail. the shujin school uniform. shiho. ann doesn't know if this is real or not, but even when shiho was nothing more than a hallucination, ann still couldn't hold herself back from trying to save her. and she will this time. she will save her, as many times as it takes. ]

Shiho!

[ ann immediately starts backtracking. she gets down far enough, right to where she can position herself next to shiho. she doesn't know if she can pull this off, but by darn is she going to try. ]

Get onto my back if you can, I'll get us out of here!

[ god. even in her dreams, she can't escape the trials--at least she hopes this is a dream, after all. truth be told, ann is afraid. there's something about these monsters that's so much more menacing than the shadows back in the metaverse. she's scared, and she can't even find the courage she needs to summon carmen like she should.

she happens to be running in...some direction, when she suddenly feels something land a few feet in front of her. she pauses, thinking it could be a monster. immediately she pulls out her sword... ]

...Akira? Akira!

[ He hears Ann calling out his name with desperation. Akira takes in a deep breath and grumbles. ]

Ann? Let's stay together, I need you.

[ She someone he can proudly call a friend and an ally. To find her here is nothing more than a stroke of luck. His expression softens as he approaches her.]

[ she starts to see his figure, and at first, ann questions if he's real. she's been subjected to so many hallucinations of people from her past and her present that it's so, so hard to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. but she reaches out and gently presses a hand to his shoulder.

her eyes widen. akira is real. she feels tears forming at the edges of her eyes as she leans in and hugs him tight. screw the monsters; they can wait. ]

Akira... You're--you're here!

[ ....? He tilts his head in confusion. Akira isn't sure how to react at first. This is a little odd without explanation, but he accepts it and pats Ann on the shoulder. ]

I'm here. You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay?

[ Seems like she's been through a lot and he feels sympathy for her. ]

Ugh, it's been months since I last saw you! Just let me have this, okay?!

[ typical ann. she's sniffling though as he pats her shoulder, and she pulls away after a few moments, wiping her eyes. it's hard to see in a place as dim as this, but it definitely looks like she's been through a lot here, what with all the battle scars. it's fine. ]

Sorry, I'm...I'm fine now. Anyway... Are you okay?

... Wait, months? How strange.

[ Akira backs off a bit, trying to be considerate and give her space. It's like he never knows what to say in these kinds of situations. What he does know is that Ann is a tough girl and she'll be able to pull through somehow. His thoughts trail off somewhere when she asks how he's doing. ]

I'm not too badly hurt, if that's what your asking.

[ He thinks he's the same as always, but what does he know?]

We Could Be Heroes!

[Well it isn't like Yusuke isn't used to having a sword in hand but not one this short. It doesn't feel right but he guesses he should be grateful for it nonetheless. However, he really wishes he had his sketchbook because wow this environment has a really amazing mood to it. Yusuke is mostly distracted by that and doesn't notice a nighthook distinguishing his torch really greatly affected the scene he wanted to keep in his mind until he could paint it down.]

You'll regret that, whatever you may be. [He sounds more angry than terrified and he's mostly stalking around in the dark, angrily trying to go after whatever ruined his future art piece. He's so focused on that, that he bumps into something, or someone.] Was it you?!

Write Haiku When Nothing to Do

[Yusuke is usually good at keeping himself amused. Be it people watching or just watching nature to try to get inspired. However, the problem is, there's nothing to really look at. It's just white.]

Is it a metaphor...? Hm. [He stares down at the void and he usually thinks he shouldn't be jumping into a void but if this is a metaphor then maybe he's supposed to. Besides, traversing around the Metaverse taught him to do weird things. So he jumps.

And just lands where he was at before. Now he's annoyed.]

This most definitely has to be a metaphor for something. There's a riddle to this. If you want something too badly then you cannot get it. But if you don't want it too badly...? [He gets onto his back and just stares up at the white void.]

Whiteness defeans...hmm, no. Too many syllables. [It isn't the type of art he likes but haiku is art nonetheless!] There isn't even enough nature to write about...[He sounds more annoyed about that than anything else.]

[ Akira's just kind of minding his own business as usual. He hears someone's voice and tenses up. ]

I'm innocent, I swear.

[ No one ever believes what he has to say. In this particular instance, he feels like speaking up despite his confusion. Then he turns around and notices that it's Yusuke. ]

Hold on, Yusuke? What are you doing?

[A - it's a nice day for a swim]

[It's a wonder how they got up here. This person is very clearly, after all, a big bipedal turtle. Y'know, those things that generally aren't known for their agile climbing skills. The massive claws on the ends of their webbed hands definitely show plenty of wear and tear from their hasty ascent, and the scuffs all along the front of their shell hint that not all of the climb was exactly graceful or effortless. Winded and battered as they might be, however, they're in one piece. They pace around the perimeter of this strange empty temple, restless in the humid heat and calling out as best they can into the unfamiliar wilderness.]

Hello? Is anyone out there? If you're wounded, I can help you! If you're lost, I can... uh, well, I'm pretty lost too, to be honest. But we can be lost together!

[B - tie the weights around my feet and stumble in]

[Bravery! A dungeon-delving adventure! Exactly the sort of thing that should be a merc's forte, right?

Well... unless you're a claustrophobic turtle. Being underground, far from the watchful eyes of night and day, with the walls closing in on you? Not Eska's idea of a good time. Some of these corridors feel so narrow that the sides of their shell scrape against each wall, and the ceiling somehow feels like it's pressing in closer and closer the longer they wander these passageways. Are they going north? West? Upward or downward? Is it day or not? They don't know. They don't know! How could this mess get worse?

If you're stuck down here too, you might come across a passage with a bit of a downward incline. At the bottom, you'll find your progress might just be blocked: there's a teenage mutant ninja turtle here who seems to have fallen over. They're stuck on their back, arms and legs kicking comically at thin air as they teeter and wobble on their shell. A snuffed-out torch, dropped in this downright comical struggle, lies nearby. They're too busy trying to flip themselves over using the tip of their nose to have noticed you yet, but the corridor is a bit too thin for you to get around this 500-pound scaly seesaw of a person.

Good luck, buddy.]

[C - and dare the tide to turn]

[Patience, huh? Now this is exactly the kind of trial that Eska was built for. They sit, legs crossed and hands cradled in a mudra, at the edge of the void. Were it not for the occasional bullfrog-esque ballooning of their throat, it might be easy to mistake them for a big, stripy statue.

Not everyone would call doing nothing in an empty expanse a rollicking good time, though, and they know it. So, hey, they call out, one eerie, striped eye cracking open just a slit.]

Are you bored? You can meditate with me. Or we can talk. Isolation is much easier to deal with if you've got company!

...Uh. Though I guess it isn't isolation if you've got company, huh?

For all his experience and knowledge of the dreamscape, Faust had never stopped to consider if one could hypothetically dream within it. False Awakenings exist, after all, so who says you couldn't?

Well, turns out maybe he should've been thinking about it sooner, because now he's 'woken up' from his temporary bed back in Ensō to find himself on a mountain that is rapidly being engulfed by quite the expanse of saltwater. The good doctor is not built for climbing, but he is not feeling like going for a swim, either.

It feels like he's spent entire days scaling rock and stone, but he knows in reality he's likely going to wake up any second now and discover he's only been out for an hour. So imagine his surprise when he finally reaches the peak, practically dragging all nine-and-a-bit feet worth of aching body to the mysterious structure, only to find...

"...h-hello? Who're...?"

It's a giant bipedal tortoise, Doctor Faust.
A relative of one of the other anthropomorphic creatures, then?

[Everyone knows that you can't have a proper Hollow Abyss of Nothing without a man-sized reptile, right? Of course. This is extremely normal. Please don't be alarmed by the turtle person looming over you, Yusuke.]

There's... air? That counts, right?

[Eska lifts a big webbed hand and waves.]

Sometimes absence is something valuable too, as backwards as it sounds. You're off to a good start!

[At some point in the Prisoner's bungee adventure, another nebulously-gendered blob had arrived in the void. Just in time, in fact, for Eska to witness one of these head-long cliff dives. Before they can so much as blink, however, this other being is right back where they jumped from, entirely unharmed and unruffled.

Okay.

Part of the quest for enlightenment is acceptance. Sometimes you just gotta... decide "sure, this is happening." This, clearly, is one of those times. So why not? As the Prisoner gears up and takes a sprint at the edge, they may well pick up on the rumbling of a very heavy something sprinting toward the void right along with them. Wow, you wouldn't think a turtle could run like that.]

Hi! Um, why are we doing this?

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TEST DRIVE MEME ( 019 )

shiho suzui | persona 5 | ota

akira (protag) persona 5 ota

heroes

no subject

beheaded/prisoner | dead cells | OTA

Plumeria | PKMN SUN/MOON (VG)

water!!!

irene; the invisible library; ota

b. you know i had to do it em

no subject

no subject

water rising

: )

akira.......

oops

this got cute real fast

aw ann

no subject

no subject

Yusuke Kitagawa | Persona 5 | OTA

no subject

Eska | D&D OC [tortle monk] | OTA

[A]

how d'you do, haiku

A!