[Pumpkin] Alma Karma (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
imaginemeandyuu) wrote2012-07-08 10:16 am
imaginemeandyuu) wrote2012-07-08 10:16 am
Entry tags:
Alma's unconscious game
((Alma's unconscious game goes here! I have put up a discussion plurk here since I know a bunch of the folks playing it don't use irc, any questions etc can go there. If for some reason you don't have access, let me know.
Since a large part of this unconscious is puzzle-based, if you need to leave and come back later: 1) you can handwave that you went along with the group or 2) if you want to explore everything yourself still, feel free to assume your character wandered off/back to check something (etc) -- but note that when you come back, you'll find whatever puzzles have since been 'solved' will remain 'solved'. It won't reset, so any paths that are opened or anything like that will stay that way.
That said, there are multiple things to do here, and changes still impact things, so if you oocly have to leave and come back, and when you do everything seems 'done', there are at least still things to look at and possibly multiple paths which you might want to do something about, so don't feel discouraged from starting back in after other people have opened doors or w/e)).
Since a large part of this unconscious is puzzle-based, if you need to leave and come back later: 1) you can handwave that you went along with the group or 2) if you want to explore everything yourself still, feel free to assume your character wandered off/back to check something (etc) -- but note that when you come back, you'll find whatever puzzles have since been 'solved' will remain 'solved'. It won't reset, so any paths that are opened or anything like that will stay that way.
That said, there are multiple things to do here, and changes still impact things, so if you oocly have to leave and come back, and when you do everything seems 'done', there are at least still things to look at and possibly multiple paths which you might want to do something about, so don't feel discouraged from starting back in after other people have opened doors or w/e)).
Top Floor
((For ease of readability/keeping track of things, I'm separating this out into headers, but you can see everything that's in both rooms and the arch from any of the rooms.))
Mingle
no subject
... Again?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
They say third time is a charm.
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
...
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
...
...
Re: Mingle
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Re: Mingle
Left Room
In the centre of the dining table is an adult male human corpse, nude. It is otherwise unrecognizable, distinguishing features having been sliced off. Long white-blond hair has been neatly cut off and arranged in twists around the body for presentation. A butcher's knife is embedded partway into the meat of the left shoulder, as if somebody had been about to serve the corpse up, but no pieces have yet been sliced off.
Heavy-looking steel chains wind around the table and lead across the floor to a square indentation in the ground. It looks as if it might be some kind of trap door.
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Right Room
The other half of the room from the bed is mostly smashed: chunks taken out of the walls, large crystal fractures radiating across the floor, debris and gravel from whatever has happened here lying liberally around the room. A sledgehammer is left lying in one large dented fracture in the ground, its handle sticking up. What looks like an oversized bird cage has been completely demolished, bars twisted and wrenched open.
Chains wind around the room, in and out of the walls, in and out of the floor. On the smashed side of the room, they are broken, chain links scattered among the other debris. Many of them, along with stone and crystal chunks, hang in the air on the broken side of the room, defying gravity. It's almost pretty, the light catching on the floating debris and twinkling.
Two chains from the bed lead to a square indentation in the crystal ground. It looks as if it might be some kind of trap door.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Second Floor Down
((As before, despite the headers, you can see everything from any of the rooms))
Left Room
There is a body in the dead centre of the room, impaled through his torso on a large metal spike which rises from the ground. The man here is handsome, apparently on the younger side of middle-aged, with blond hair and an agonized expression. He's facing upward, head tilted back. The spike is about five feet high; he's about two feet down on it.
The blood whirls and eddies in one spot in the room, as if there is something beneath it which is causing motion in the water. Chains appear to be leading to it from the tall spike.
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Right Room
There are a pair of crossed Japanese swords mounted on the wall opposite of the bed. Yes, they are both Mugen. A kaleidoscope blossom is tucked between them, colours shifting mesmerizingly. But it is not the only familiar flower here.
Fairy lights are strung everywhere. They surround the bed like curtains on a four-poster bed, though drawn back likewise. They are strung loosely across the ceiling like streamers. They wind across the floor gently. The light from all of them gives the room itself a warm, inviting glow, like something out of a fairy tale. The walls themselves are painted white, and catch the glow from the blossoms brightly as a result. They are warm to the touch, and feel soft and smooth, like skin.
Several of the strings of fairy lights sink into the ground on two sides of a square indentation in the ground.
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
...
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
(no subject)
(no subject)
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Third Floor Down
((As before, you can see anything in both rooms and the arch from any other point on this floor.))
Left Room
There is a dressing table with a mirror on it; the dressing table itself has a small array of cosmetics laid out on it. However, even a cursory glance at the dressing table will make the mirror of much more interest as the reflection doesn't reflect the room identically. It is almost the same but with two jarring exceptions. First, in the reflection, the bed is a coffin. Second, in the reflection, a woman's corpse is collapsed on the floor. She is beheaded, her head lying some feet away from her body, eyes closed, lips blue, the stump bloody but no longer bleeding. Her body is dressed in the same style of clothes that were found in the wardrobe. To some of you, she most likely quite familiar. She has dark blonde hair coming loose from a ponytail, and a face that is somewhat plain (wide forehead, round cheeks, an unremarkable nose) but might be pretty if she smiled; however, her face is tight with what looks like grief rather than fear or pain. Tears are still visible on her face.
Chains run over the walls in both the real room and the reflection, wrapping around generally, and they eventually terminate in a square of the floor -- but only here, not in the reflection.
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Right Room
On the mirrors are old, faded black and white photos of weddings -- perhaps some sort of inspiration for whatever actor was to be performing, as the costume carefully arrayed on a dress form is a long and extremely fancy wedding dress, white satin and white silk and white lace, with pearls carefully hand sewn onto it to make fancy patterns. However, it looks like there's been some kind of accident: ink has spattered the dress, marking it with deeply sunk swirls and spots of black. A crumpled handkerchief lies on the floor, as if someone has tried to clean up the dress but had given up.
A wedding contract lies on the nearest bureau. One name -- illegible -- is signed to it, but the other blank has not been filled in. A quill and ink pot sit nearby. On another bureau, someone has doodled hearts all over a picture, to the point that whoever was in it isn't visible anymore. The hearts are in all kinds of shapes and styles and really stupidly cute and happy.
Chains surround the dress form and wind over the room to disappear into a square of floor near the dress.
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Fourth Floor Down
((As always, you can see anything on this floor from anywhere in this floor))
Left Room
However, that's not all that spatters the room. A child's body parts are scattered around; here a scrap of brown hair, here a small finger, and worse, unrecognizable chunks as well. A sobbing fills the room, (though the moment you enter the arch to go to the right room, you can no longer hear it).
A boy is here -- sort of. A beautiful ball-jointed doll, dressed in bloody scraps, its chin-length black hair matted with blood, sits next to a deep, apparently bottomless well of blood. He is loosely gripping a sword and his eyes don't seem to see anything in front of him. It isn't him who's crying, though he is making a sound that you can only hear if you get very close: Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill...
On the other side of the doll from the pool of blood is a small square in the ground.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Right Room
On the white side is a low bench surrounded by roses; an embroidery frame is sitting on it, with a lotus flower mostly embroidered on it. The needle and thread are still sitting on top of the embroidery frame, otherwise unattached to it. The roses around the bench have a lovely scent, old-fashioned but sweet, and are a dark red. Their vines reach towards the centre of the room in some places, and occasionally cross onto the black side.
On the black side is a jungle-gym type structure, a series of pipes welded together apparently just for the experience of climbing on them. Mud liberally streaks them, dried in strikes of handprints and footprints. Wild nature grows around the jungle gym; pruning shears are discarded in the middle of this greenery, which is fresh-scented and refreshing. The vines of this wild nature occasionally reach towards the center of the room, and here and there cross onto the white side.
In the middle of the room, straddling the dividing 'line' between the two sides is a chair. It has also been painted, or at least, it appears the remainder of the two buckets of paint had been splashed on it and left to dry. On the chair is a cloth doll, which is either mid-destruction or mid-mending -- it's hard to tell, because it's been torn down the middle to about mid belly, the two sides of its head and upper body flopping to either side, the lower body still one whole. The right side has yellow yarn hair and a pretty red stitched smile, and the left side has ragged brown yarn hair and a wide black stitched grin.
You can just make out the outline of a square in the ground.
Re: Right Room
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Bottom Floor
This time, the layout is a little different from before. In this archway, there are still red and blue orbs, but both the red and blue orbs are embedded into the same wall, and into the other wall of the arch there is the faint outline of a door. This is the same 'side' that has the door in each of the rooms, as well. There is something circular engraved onto the faint door, but it's impossible to make out at the moment, and no amount of pushing or prodding will open this door right now.
((As always, you can see everything on this floor from everywhere in it))
Left Room
An inhuman torso is lying on its back in the middle of the mud floor. It is clearly the pure akuma version of Alma, lower half of his torso a tooth-ringed maw, arms distended and too-long, skin cracked, the akuma's star inscribed on his forehead, eyes blank. His arms are tied in a knot, leaving them completely useless, which is preventing him from touching the item he is reaching for, an orb inscribed with the Second Exorcist regenerative symbol, which floats next to him in the mud. His chest has a matching hole where the orb must have come from.
"Please break this for me," he says, turning his face to your group, "so that I may sink."
The back wall in this room has a door on it. In the center of the door is a carving in a circular relief, showing Alma's face as a child, eyes closed as if in the middle of sleep. There are six holes in a circle around the relief; a red orb is already set in the top hole and the other five are empty. Attempts to try the door as it is will find it locked.
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
Re: Left Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Right Room
But more noticeably, it is full of ghostly people -- ghostly, very familiar people. The Kandas are sulking together on the couch, while Lenalee scolds one, tugging on his cheek. Persephone is watching, grinning, her arms wrapped around Red's shoulders from behind. Red is reading a book aloud, while Lavi listens in, sprawled back on his hands. The Allens are sitting back to back, each of their bracing hands reached back so they can touch, fingers winding gently together; Nova is talking to his Allen animatedly, his face lit up with excitement. Lucky balances on a couch arm while she stands telling Haruto off, who is nodding along with a look like he's coming up with some particularly good pun. And more people, fainter and harder to make out.
The Alma sitting between the two Kandas only looks superficially like the one you usually see day in and day out. His body type is the same, as are the majority of the markings, but he's human. The left side of his body is covered in badly-healed, knotted scars, and by the time it reaches his face it's bad enough that hair can't grow on that side of his head. The right side makes up for it; he must have nearly six feet of hair, though it's lost its pigment and is prematurely white. Despite that, though, he seems happy, laughing and cuddling the Kandas, an arm around both of them, cheeks flushed.
"I'm hungry," the transparent Alma declares, cheerily. "Someone get me a snack!"
The back wall has a door on it. In the center of the door is a carving in a circular relief, showing 'that woman's' face, her eyes closed as if in the middle of sleep. There are six holes around the relief; a blue orb is already set in the top hole. Attempts to try the door as it is will find it locked.
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
...
...
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
Re: Right Room
...
...
...
Doors
Re: Doors
Re: Doors
Re: Doors
Re: Doors
DOORS: UNLOCKED
Re: DOORS: UNLOCKED
Re: DOORS: UNLOCKED
Re: DOORS: UNLOCKED
...
...
...
[OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
In lieu of a proper full writeup I thought I'd do a basic one below then just answer any questions you have! So here goes.
So, the rooms were arranged in 'depth' based on how far Alma's repressing them. There was no other reason for why they were matched, just 'how far down' it was. Sometimes they were related (like on floor 3/Moderate-Deep) and other times they were totally unrelated, but it was coincidence either way.
More traumatic things were on the left (the side of Alma's body which is actually covered in scars, or was before he transformed) and more pleasant/wistful things were on the right (the part that remained more whole).
Obviously, one could make it to the bottom floor through either the 'left path' or the 'right path' by solving puzzles.
Each of the puzzles had multiple answers! Basically there was a variety of ways that you can solve it. The main difference between them had been whether it would have a positive effect on Alma's psyche or a negative one. As well, if people did something totally unexpected that would have a strong effect on Alma's psyche, that could also solve the puzzle. So basically there were two planned solutions for each puzzle, as well as the possibility of players doing something unplanned that could solve it anyway.
In some cases, the negative and positive solutions weren't compatible (so you couldn't both remove Edgar from the spike AND push him down it) and in some cases they were (you could both toss the sword into the pit and rebuild Alma's body). In the event that you could do more than one, only the first one showed the results of opening the trap door. (As...obviously it was open by then) but both had an effect on Alma.
Here's the rundown on what the rooms meant and what their solutions were:
Floor 1: Light
Desire to kill humans for food/Akuma bloodlust (left)
Pos solution: Throw the knife away. (Not taken)
Neg solution: Serve a slice of human on the table setting (Not taken)
Player solution: Move the body to a non-serving seat. (Taken)
Trauma from his coma/fear of Stasis/desire to be free and rebellious (Right)
Pos solution: Use the sledgehammer to smash the bed or the chains. (Taken)
Neg solution: Break all five eggs (Not taken)
Player solution: (Not taken)
Floor 2: Moderate-Light
Guilt over murdering the order (Left)
Pos solution: Remove Edgar from the spike. (Taken)
Neg solution: Push Edgar down further on the spike (Not taken)
Player solution: (Not taken)
Desire to flat out have a threesome. This is just flat-out blatant sexual want to bang them both at the same time. (Right)
Pos solution: Get into the bed (since both Kandas were playing, required both of them) (Taken)
Neg solution: Make the bed (Not taken)
Player solution: (Not taken).
Floor 3: Moderate-Deep
Grief from his past life (Left)
Pos solution: Reattach the head (Taken)
Neg solution: Bring the body into the room through the mirror (Not taken)
Player solution: (not taken)
Desire for a wedding/"ideal" form of romansu (Right)
Pos solution: Wear the ring or sign the registry (Taken)
Neg solution: Throw away the ring or registry (Not taken)
Player solution: (not taken)
Floor 4: Deep
Trauma from that final confrontation/Kanda killing him (Left)
Pos solution: Put Alma back together (Taken)
Neg solution: Throw Mugen or the doll or the parts into the bottomless pit of blood (Not taken)
Player solution: Clean up Kanda and put him to sleep (Taken).
Gender issues and desire to be seen as both "That woman" and the little boy "Alma" (Right)
Pos solution: Put the doll back together (Taken)
Neg solution: Tear the doll in two (Not taken)
Player solution: (not taken)
Floor 5 (Exit): Deepest
Self-hate and longing to die (Left, Exit 1)
Pos solution: Put the orb back in his chest (Not taken)
Neg solution: Break the orb (Taken)
Player solution: (not taken)
Desire to live for the sake of living and gather new amazing experiences (Right, Exit 2)
Pos solution: CHIPS WITH MAYO :3 (taken)
Neg solution: CHIPS SPILLED EVERYWHERE D8 (not taken)
Player solution: (not taken)
Basically, depending on what solution you took, you'd give him a small 'push' in that direction unconsciously. So, for example, Kandas getting in the bed made him unconsciously desire a threesome even more, etc. These effects are pretty slight, yet present. Go ahead and ask me any questions you want about these o/ (or anything else but I figure these will get the most questions).
As well as the 'solutions' there were elements in the room that would cause a slight tweak to his unconscious if toyed with -- the general scenery, etc. Although not a solution to the trap doors, breaking plates in the dining room might have effects, for example.
Finally, the Three Exits! Obviously, they went like this:
Get and place all the red orbs, then: unlock the red door (kid Alma face)
Get and place all the blue orbs, then: unlock the blue door (that woman face)
Unlock both red and blue doors, then: unlock the 'arch' door (current Alma face)
Once a door is unlocked, you can take it. Each person who takes a specific door applies a slight effect, cumulative on each person who takes it:
Red: self-loathing
Blue: Nostalgia/warmth
Arch door: A balanced and healthy sense of perspective.
OKAY SO HAVING EXPLAINED ALL THE BACKGROUND MECHANICS, gimme your questions! Let me know anything you're curious about, any questions about what something meant or why I made a choice or anything else and I'll talk about it here. Anything goes.
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
What sort of things that happened changed his psyche that weren't solutions?
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
...
...
...
...
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
But I'm pretty sure he was Joe, so my other question is: what would have happened if someone'd eaten a piece of poor Joe?
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
I'm a little confused about the eggs vs the bed part--moreso about how smashing eggs relate to that idea. I get the womb/egg part, but :|a idk I guess just explain it a little more?
But on the topic of things changed that weren't part of the puzzles! What changed because of Edgar being peaceful, or was that just included along with the choice?
Also WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE SABRAKIDS HAD SMASHED THE MIRROR UP?
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
So Lavi was seriously thinking about taking Alma's healed body through the mirror (because who wants to be stuck in a mirror). What effect would have that had on Alma?
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A
Re: [OOC] Basic game writeup and Q&A