Persephone's ideal world session 1

[idolpro]

In the flicker of a candle-flame, in the stir of still water, in the fluttering of flower petals, there is a voice.


Once, there was a maiden...
...who was the living embodiment of everything right in the world.
While she lived, no real harm could come to anyone. Oh, wounds, disease, even death, sure. But she stood between the world and anything worse.
"Except," she said, "I'm going to die." And no one listened.
"I'm going to die tomorrow," she said. And no one heard.
Into the silence, she said: "There's always an ending, after all."

Comments

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

Persephone...

[the name sounds familiar??]

Guess I should go find him. Or find out what makes this fucking delusion world tick. Any recommendations?

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

I really don't recommend that you touch the pond.

But finding him would definitely be a good idea. Except there's several of him and I don't exactly know where the one you need to find is.

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

Gimme a fucking list, then.

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

There's a maze not too far from here - let me give you a map of how to get through it -, a house, a shrine, and somewhere hidden beyond my sight.

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[he'll take the map, sure.]

House, shrine, and a secret, huh. Sounds fun.

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[it's made of washi paper and the drawing/inking is very delicate. but it does show you the path through the maze.]

It'll be something, anyway.

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[what do you even do with washi paper... he'll look it over and memorize as much of it as he can, before carefully rolling it up for safekeeping]

Guess I'll find out when I get there.

[but first he is totally going to go look at the danger pond]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[the danger pond doesn't look very dangerous at all. it's a large, mirror-like pond, with very still water. it even has aquatic flowers floating across it. serene. totally not dangerous at all.]

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[walking right up to the edge and looking ~into the depths~]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[seems...fine...it's making whatever noises a pond makes...

except wait. at the very edges of your hearing. under the...water noises. the faintest, faintest, barely there, so barely there you could convince yourself it wasn't there at all. Are those...familiar Whispers?]

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[...crouching by the waters edge and listening more intently. are you there, Whispers? it's me, Valor.]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[oh, they are definitely there, after all.

the Whispers sound like they are coming from under the water.]

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[oh, well. in that case.

standing up and backing away from the pond, taking another long look at the map to make sure he's got it memorized enough.





and then he'll take a running leap into the pond]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[why did I think anything different was going to happen. anyway, you dive beneath the water's surface, and the cacophony of whispers is loud and louder in your head. it's so familiar, so familiar, and whoever this Persephone whose world this is heard them far, far louder than you did. it's so loud.

and also an alto voice, clear, pure, with worldshattering skill and mastery, singing what sound like prayers. from somewhere else. how long will you stay down here?]

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[it's SO loud but it's also comforting and familiar. it fills the empty space in the back of his mind that's been there ever since he woke up. he wouldn't mind just hanging around in the pond and letting everyone else handle the rest.

...but he does eventually run out of air, and have to claw his way back to the surface.]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[when you reach the surface, the garden is just the way you left it. familiar constellations above, calm serenity. you can still hear the Neverborn whispers, too, though far quieter up here.]

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[he's just going to float on the surface of the pond for a while and listen to the Whispers a little longer. as one does.

...though now that the Whispers are quieter, it's easier to think about the singing he heard. was it coming from any particular direction?]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[no. you cannot tell what direction it came from. wherever it originated from, the direction is hidden.

you also realize, after thinking about it, a major thing: this world is sustained by prayer.

also something happens. don't worry about it.]

Re: in the garden: start

[carrionmywaywardsun]

[as tempting as it is to just stay here and keep vibing with the whispers, he knows they're not the real whispers. it would just be falling for the same trap the game laid for Persephone...

at least he has a hint for where to go next?

he'll reluctantly swim for the edge of the pond to pull himself out and start heading for the shrine. he remembers how to get there, mostly.]

Re: in the garden: start

[dreamingophelia]

[to get to the shrine, you have to go through the maze.]