Alma's unconscious game

[imaginemeandyuu]

((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)).

Comments

Bottom Floor

[imaginemeandyuu]

You descend the ladder and once you hit ground, lights come up. You find yourselves in a small suite of two rooms, joined by a stone archway. There are no windows anywhere.

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

[imaginemeandyuu]

This room's floor has been replaced with wet mud; you aren't sinking exactly, not so long as you keep moving, but your footing is unsteady and your feet do sink slowly if you stay in one place too long. Beautiful lotus blossoms fill the room, rising from the mud and blooming.

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

[outofthemud]

[Stares at Alma, hardly registering anything around but him and the orb, before approaching.]

Re: Left Room

[imaginemeandyuu]

"Please break this for me, so that I may sink."

Re: Left Room

[outofthemud]

[Kneels beside him. Oh, Alma...]

Hey. What are your arms tied up for?

Re: Left Room

[besomeothername]

[You are the first Kanda I see. Therefore holding the orbs out to you]

Re: Left Room

[outofthemud]

[ONE MINUTE, just spares Lavi short glance before ditching him for Alma. Let him. Try and talk to him first.]

Re: Left Room

[hallucinogenetic]

. . .

[takes those for him]

Re: Left Room

[killedyuu]

[Just.... standing here. Not caring if he sinks. He closes his eyes.]

Re: Left Room

[imaginemeandyuu]

Your feet slowly, slowly start to sink. This will take hours.

Re: Left Room

[besomeothername]

[Hey hey. Remember what I said about hugs]

[You're getting one now]

Re: Left Room

[anklets]

[Oh no you don't. Takes him by the forearms.]

Alma.

Right Room

[imaginemeandyuu]

This room looks almost identical to Alma's living room that he shares with both Kandas and Lenalee, but with a few key differences. Oh, the layout is (basically) the same, minus any of the doors off it, and plus the second couch already, and the fairy lights climb the trellis as always. There is a table between the two couches which has a bowl of snacks on it: dry potato chips. It looks like it'd be easy to spill them everywhere. A bottle of mayo sits beside it. The room as a whole is full. Full of books, full of knickknacks.

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

[besomeothername]

[Oh definitely hanging out in this room. Waiting for the Kandas to come down so I can hand them the orbs]

Re: Right Room

[anklets]

[Suddenly: a hand on his arm.]

Re: Right Room

[hydralize]

[Nova came down in the left room, but bolted over here with a terrified look the moment he noticed the ground was soft.

And now he's staring numbly at the transparent version of Lucky]

Re: Right Room

[imaginemeandyuu]

This room was a lot happier when it was first written, man.

She looks like she's enjoying herself, though.

Re: Right Room

[hallucinogenetic]

[looks at Alma]

[looks at the table]

[puts mayo on the chips then holds them out to Alma]

Re: Right Room

[imaginemeandyuu]

"Thanks, Yuu!"

He takes it and eats, flashing you a brilliant, mayo-tinged smile.

ting ting ting ting the blue orb comes out.

As he eats, he and the ghosts fade out of sight, leaving the room empty, though still cheery.

You now have five red orbs and five blue orbs.

Doors

[imaginemeandyuu]

What would you like to try with the doors?

Re: Doors

[hallucinogenetic]

[. . . PUT ORBS IN SLOTS . . .]

Re: Doors

[outofthemud]

[Holds the last red one out for Guil.]

Re: Doors

[outofthemud]

[Sticking two of the blue orbs in fem!Alma's door.]

DOORS: UNLOCKED

[imaginemeandyuu]

Red orbs get added to the red door. It clicks, unlocking, and you are suddenly completely aware that you can take this door, and when you do, you will be out of Alma's mind. You hear a grinding sound from the archway.

Blue orbs get added to the blue door. It clicks, unlocking, and you are suddenly completely aware that you can take this door, and when you do, you will be out of Alma's mind. You hear a grinding sound from the archway.

If you check the faint door in the archway wall after completing one orb-door, you see that the outline is more visible, and the relief is starting to form a face.

But if you check the faint door in the archway wall after completing BOTH orb-doors, you see a full door. It is unlocked, ready to be used, and you are aware that when you do you will be out of Alma's mind. The relief on this door is Alma as you know him, pointy ears, markings, and all.

Everyone can pick which door they want to leave by.

Re: DOORS: UNLOCKED

[outofthemud]

[Looks to the new door.]