I'm sorry, brother, but I want to live.

Please, can you just keep talking to me?

[bones-and-iron]

Hello? Are you there? Can you hear me?

... Anybody?

—fuck, I thought I might've gotten it working—

... If someone's there, just — please. Please, say something.

I don't want to die down here. I don't want to die alone.

((ooc: howdy :) last updated 11 March, 10:25 PM

oak // main is @acquiredboxes // I am 21+ but also aroace so please do not send explicit sexual content.

blog is a minefield of movie and game spoilers so be aware. I am somewhat building up a central plot, but it is not everything! please, send in any asks you want tbh. shake him violently. throw wrenches in his schemes. give him a phantom hug. become godzilla.

replies are almost horrifically slow and I am sorry. mental illness is unfortunately very real and I tend to feel that anything I create has to be perfect down to the letter or else I will be hunted for sport. I have to fight myself at every step to put words on the page, and I am not willing to fight very hard, so as to not risk burnout. this blog and the community surrounding this movie mean a lot to me, and so I'd like to try and stay here as long as possible.

less active on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

—- ORGANIZATION -—

STRICT FORMATTING:

#in-character — in-character posts

#/ooc — out-of-character posts

#.msg — askbox posts

#.etc — extended replies, such as reblog chains

#.txt — standalone posts with no initiating context

#.img — any and every post containing an image

#–READ MORE- — any post long enough for tumblr to cut it off (with the "view post" button) on the dash

LOOSER / LESS STRICT FORMATTING:

#[CONTACT] — in-person communication, with related formatting

#[EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION] — audible messages provably coming from the radio

#[CONSOLIDATION AUTHORITY] — messages (debatably) from the towship

#[CLAWING KICKING SCREAMING] — snapshots of physical action (green)

#[SALVATION] — posts containing memories (red)

#[THE TREE] — multiverse threads (and related knowledge)

#[XXX.DCM] — photos from the SM-13's onboard camera

#[ 02:07:00 ] — for any posts I feel are directly involved in the blog's central plot progression

CHARACTERS:

#simon iron lung — me :) (redundant with #in-character, for all intents and purposes)

#> :// SIRENS II — for all "anglerfish" asks / threads || (note: please I know the creature is an eel. it's a metaphor ok)

#> :// 'ELLI' — @blccdshed

#> DIRECT TO :// 'K' — @k-thespace-scout

#> DIRECT TO :// C.O.I. CAPT. AVA — @voice-of-the-consolidation

#> DIRECT TO :// JOANNA MERIDIAN — @aethramsolus

[MORE TO BE ADDED! :) ]

BLOG TAGS: #> DIRECT TO :// 'avathemultiverseexplorer' || .etc

ANON TAGS: 🌙 .etc

[bones-and-iron]

((ooc: hey all! first thing, I'd like to apologize for the delays in responses over the past. however long. I've been in such a weird space mentally and haven't been able to find the motivation to come online and post, even though I know exactly what I'd want to say. it's jarring and confusing and weird and I apologize for any inconvenience that might've come from not explaining this earlier.

that being said, I have no idea when this is going to pass. as said in my pin, I desperately do not want to burn out on this blog, and I fear that trying to fight through this absolute lack of active effort for doing anything would only speed up that process.

because of this, I'm going to take a break probably. it shouldn't be for too long, but it'll be long enough that I'd feel like an asshole for not saying anything at all. I will come back, whenever I can find my way out of this pit, but I have no frame of reference for how long that might take.

(for anyone who, in managing their own lives and blogs, doesn't feel they can come back after an extended time like that, I get it. there's something to be said about the longer you take a pause in something, the harder it is to hit play again. if that's the case for anyone, believe me, I understand, and I'll always appreciate the pieces of this blog, and my experience here, that you contributed to.)

the blog is not ending permanently — the story isn't done. everyone in this community is so nice and supportive, and I truly hope that I can find some way to bring myself back here soon, whether people are waiting for me or not. all of you mean so much to me in this, and I'm not going to give that up so easily. I'm glad you've been here, even for a moment. <3

[bones-and-iron]

Lenore gently tugs Simon’s sleeve “hello?” She asked softly

( @lenore-simon-ironlung )

(Ooc: I’m too tired to do the transmission dormant so bear with me TvT )

Simon nearly jumps out of his skin.

The grip is physical, present, unless he's really losing his mind this time — though that might almost be preferable to– to something actually inside the sub with him. He whirls around, moving to pull his sleeve away from whatever has hold of it, but– No, that—

[—you were so young, and yet the blood already had its teeth in you—]

Startled, he loses his footing, ripping his arm quickly away from the creature apparition kid now standing there, in the center of the small space. He steadies himself against the wall, trying to keep as much space as possible between him and—

"Wh-What the fuck? Who– What—"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She backs away scared from his reaction her tail wrapping around her legs

Her eyes wander

They’re a pearly white

Cataracts.

She can’t see

“I-I- im sorry!”

[bones-and-iron]

"No, hey— shit, I-I didn't mean to scare you. You just—"

God, that really is a kid. A kid who's probably blind, judging by the eyes. The fact that she's seemingly half-fish doesn't matter all that much right now, considering she seems much more scared of him than he is of—

– .. Damn. She's scared of him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. You— I just got startled, that's all. This is a, uh– a closed space. No one should be able to. .. How did you get in here?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“I-I don’t know..?”

Her hands are trembling as she speaks and holds her arms close to her chest

“I- I don’t even know where I am!”

She’s trying to make more distance but she’s backed up against the wall

[bones-and-iron]

"You— Oh, man. Okay."

He exhales harshly, anxiously running his hands through his hair. This is not an easy situation to summarize, especially to a child who's scared enough already. He makes a valiant attempt to take any remaining bite out of his voice before speaking again.

"We, uh– We're in a submarine. At the bottom of... somewhere we definitely don't want to be. We should be okay in here for now, but."

He makes a somewhat strange sound, trying to avoid swearing again.

"You really don't know how you got here? I– You kind of just— appeared. What's the last thing you remember doing?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“S-submarine….? This- is this….” She furrowed her brows

“The…the SM-13?…”

She fidgeted with her fingers

“I-….was with my dad and- he was just telling me stories, that’s it. A-about Eden…? I dunno…”

[bones-and-iron]

"Yeah, that's right. How did you—"

There's an extended pause, then, as he thinks about what she'd actually said. Knowledge of the SM-13, the way she randomly appeared— "my dad" and "Eden." The pieces click into place painfully slowly.

"Oh. Okay, yeah. So— You're really not supposed to be here, huh? That's..."

– Not great, objectively. Not only is she stuck in the sub, down here, with him, but she'd also seemingly been displaced. As if this situation wasn't overwhelming enough before. He slides down to a sitting position as best he can, head back against the wall.

"... What kind of stories about Eden?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“Just…about what they are….Their beliefs…….” She shrugged

“He told me that he doesn’t want me believing in that stuff…”

She felt around the area trying to find somewhere to rest.

She nearly tripped over herself

[bones-and-iron]

"Yeah? Good. He's right. The people there are..."

Zealous. Deadly. Deluded. Choking on false hope and cyanide. Killers and followers of nothing at all.

[caretakers and brothers-in-arms. familiar. family.]

".. crazy, and dangerous. Eden's definitely not somewhere you want to be, if you can help it. Especially—"

As she stumbles, Simon freezes. He catches himself tensed, ready to move, and intentionally tries to relax. No sudden movements. He's trying not to scare her any more.

"Are you okay? Do you– Uh, do you need a hand?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She paused and nodded

“That’s what he said too.” She sighed

“…y-yeah…I would like a hand…I-I’m not really sure where to go..”

[bones-and-iron]

Part of him wasn't actually expecting her to agree. He stands carefully, making sure to move very intentionally, ensuring his footfalls make noise but aren't too loud.

"Right. Okay. Um– Here, let's see."

He helps lead her to a corner, awkwardly guiding her hand to the narrow divider between the front and back halves of the sub, and tries to find a place on the outer wall with relatively less blood staining it for her to balance against as she— well, does whatever maneuvering you'd have to do to sit down with a tail like hers.

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She fidgets with her hands as she sits down on the floor her tail gently flicking

“Thank you…”

She’s still visibly nervous but not as badly as she was before

[bones-and-iron]

"... yeah."

He steadily makes his way back to the pilot's chair at the console and sits as well. When he eventually speaks again, his voice is still quiet.

"Look, this place is– .. it sucks, and– I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to be stuck down here, with me. I wish there was something I could do, but— honestly, all of this dimensional stuff is still beyond me. Not even really sure where we'd start."

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She nodded

“That- it’s okay…” the girl shrugged “it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been in one of these things…”

“I’m-I’m sorry…I don’t want to be a burden to you…”

[bones-and-iron]

Instantly he sits up straighter, looking concerned.

"Holy shit. You've been down here before? How old even are you? Sorry, but– no, that— You do know that's worse, right? Fuck, I—"

He runs his hands through his hair, exhaling sharply.

"No. No, this isn't about burdens. Neither of us should be here. Should've ever been here. It's. .."

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

Her brows furrow

“S-sorry…I shouldn’t have said anything…I- fifteen..? Uhm…I don’t…I don’t know- I…” she curled up setting her knees to her chest

“I- I know-this is bad..but- I’m just really scared…”

[bones-and-iron]

Fifteen in EIC, probably, which– .. damn. Definitely too young to be down here right now, much less at some ambiguous point in the past. He swore again as well, just then, and she still looks terrified. He moves to reach out to her, but hesitates when he reminds himself she can't see him.

"Worse for you, I mean. I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at them. Why the— Why would they send you here at all? What's the point of leaving a child down here?"

He tries very pointedly to avoid thinking what this new information might imply about her being seemingly half-sea-monster. It doesn't work very well.

[no, you can't be scared, you're—]

"And– Don't do that. Don't feel like you need to apologize for being afraid. Guess what? I'm scared, too. This place is awful. But you're not alone. We're in this together now, and if we haven't figured out a way to get you home by the time they finally pull me up, you're just going to have to come up with me, Consolidation be damned. Okay?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

"i...I don't know why they dropped be down exactly? A..Experiment? Maybe?....I...my head hurts..."

[bones-and-iron]

Experiment. Of fucking course. So this place probably did have something to do with why she's—

Simon cuts himself off when she mentions a headache. He glances around the sub, as if he'd suddenly, miraculously, have anything to give her that might help. It could just be the stress of literally everything catching up to her, obviously, but if it's not...

"Are you okay? Do you, uh–"

— he's not sure what to do.

[bones-and-iron]

hey, um hi?

hello?

Hello? Who is this? Can you hear me?

[bones-and-iron]

“Convict?” The radio cracks. “Convict, do you hear me?”

The voice is feminine, hurried and clearly pissed, but it's not Ava's. In fact, it sounds a lot like the nurse who deemed him ready to be allowed down here.

“Convict? Answer if you hear me!”

— @coi-infirmary-wing

You–

[what the fuck. turn towards the speaker, signal blinking amber-orange. that's... a voice he should recognize. someone else with the c.o.i., probably. he's at a disadvantage, down here — he's definitely much better at recognizing people when he can see them.]

What— You said you were going to bring me up. Where's the captain? Did something happen?

[coi-infirmary-wing]

A sigh of relief shakes the speaker before her firm voice gathers herself. A voice in the background is demanding she leaves but she ignores it. “The captain went looking for you—we lost contact with her. I need you to tell me your coordinate so we can bring you back ASAP. Whatever you did down there is affecting the whole ocean, and we won't be able to help if we don't get you out now. Can you do that?”

[bones-and-iron]

"Whatever you"– I didn't fucking do— Anything I would've done, you told me to. Get the photos. Get a sample. Get out of the cave. Stay put and wait. Leave everyone else to rot. If this place is dying, it's your fucking fault for—

[something she said wasn't making sense. they'd lost contact with the captain... but they wanted to pull him up? what was the point of that? she's worth more to them than he is, clearly. plus, if she's really just in another sub, wouldn't she already be hooked to the chain and winch?]

... If you're really saying she came down here, can't you just— drag her back up? Why even talk to me at all?

[bones-and-iron]

Lenore gently tugs Simon’s sleeve “hello?” She asked softly

( @lenore-simon-ironlung )

(Ooc: I’m too tired to do the transmission dormant so bear with me TvT )

Simon nearly jumps out of his skin.

The grip is physical, present, unless he's really losing his mind this time — though that might almost be preferable to– to something actually inside the sub with him. He whirls around, moving to pull his sleeve away from whatever has hold of it, but– No, that—

[—you were so young, and yet the blood already had its teeth in you—]

Startled, he loses his footing, ripping his arm quickly away from the creature apparition kid now standing there, in the center of the small space. He steadies himself against the wall, trying to keep as much space as possible between him and—

"Wh-What the fuck? Who– What—"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She backs away scared from his reaction her tail wrapping around her legs

Her eyes wander

They’re a pearly white

Cataracts.

She can’t see

“I-I- im sorry!”

[bones-and-iron]

"No, hey— shit, I-I didn't mean to scare you. You just—"

God, that really is a kid. A kid who's probably blind, judging by the eyes. The fact that she's seemingly half-fish doesn't matter all that much right now, considering she seems much more scared of him than he is of—

– .. Damn. She's scared of him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. You— I just got startled, that's all. This is a, uh– a closed space. No one should be able to. .. How did you get in here?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“I-I don’t know..?”

Her hands are trembling as she speaks and holds her arms close to her chest

“I- I don’t even know where I am!”

She’s trying to make more distance but she’s backed up against the wall

[bones-and-iron]

"You— Oh, man. Okay."

He exhales harshly, anxiously running his hands through his hair. This is not an easy situation to summarize, especially to a child who's scared enough already. He makes a valiant attempt to take any remaining bite out of his voice before speaking again.

"We, uh– We're in a submarine. At the bottom of... somewhere we definitely don't want to be. We should be okay in here for now, but."

He makes a somewhat strange sound, trying to avoid swearing again.

"You really don't know how you got here? I– You kind of just— appeared. What's the last thing you remember doing?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“S-submarine….? This- is this….” She furrowed her brows

“The…the SM-13?…”

She fidgeted with her fingers

“I-….was with my dad and- he was just telling me stories, that’s it. A-about Eden…? I dunno…”

[bones-and-iron]

"Yeah, that's right. How did you—"

There's an extended pause, then, as he thinks about what she'd actually said. Knowledge of the SM-13, the way she randomly appeared— "my dad" and "Eden." The pieces click into place painfully slowly.

"Oh. Okay, yeah. So— You're really not supposed to be here, huh? That's..."

– Not great, objectively. Not only is she stuck in the sub, down here, with him, but she'd also seemingly been displaced. As if this situation wasn't overwhelming enough before. He slides down to a sitting position as best he can, head back against the wall.

"... What kind of stories about Eden?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“Just…about what they are….Their beliefs…….” She shrugged

“He told me that he doesn’t want me believing in that stuff…”

She felt around the area trying to find somewhere to rest.

She nearly tripped over herself

[bones-and-iron]

"Yeah? Good. He's right. The people there are..."

Zealous. Deadly. Deluded. Choking on false hope and cyanide. Killers and followers of nothing at all.

[caretakers and brothers-in-arms. familiar. family.]

".. crazy, and dangerous. Eden's definitely not somewhere you want to be, if you can help it. Especially—"

As she stumbles, Simon freezes. He catches himself tensed, ready to move, and intentionally tries to relax. No sudden movements. He's trying not to scare her any more.

"Are you okay? Do you– Uh, do you need a hand?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She paused and nodded

“That’s what he said too.” She sighed

“…y-yeah…I would like a hand…I-I’m not really sure where to go..”

[bones-and-iron]

Part of him wasn't actually expecting her to agree. He stands carefully, making sure to move very intentionally, ensuring his footfalls make noise but aren't too loud.

"Right. Okay. Um– Here, let's see."

He helps lead her to a corner, awkwardly guiding her hand to the narrow divider between the front and back halves of the sub, and tries to find a place on the outer wall with relatively less blood staining it for her to balance against as she— well, does whatever maneuvering you'd have to do to sit down with a tail like hers.

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She fidgets with her hands as she sits down on the floor her tail gently flicking

“Thank you…”

She’s still visibly nervous but not as badly as she was before

[bones-and-iron]

"... yeah."

He steadily makes his way back to the pilot's chair at the console and sits as well. When he eventually speaks again, his voice is still quiet.

"Look, this place is– .. it sucks, and– I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to be stuck down here, with me. I wish there was something I could do, but— honestly, all of this dimensional stuff is still beyond me. Not even really sure where we'd start."

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She nodded

“That- it’s okay…” the girl shrugged “it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been in one of these things…”

“I’m-I’m sorry…I don’t want to be a burden to you…”

[bones-and-iron]

Instantly he sits up straighter, looking concerned.

"Holy shit. You've been down here before? How old even are you? Sorry, but– no, that— You do know that's worse, right? Fuck, I—"

He runs his hands through his hair, exhaling sharply.

"No. No, this isn't about burdens. Neither of us should be here. Should've ever been here. It's. .."

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

Her brows furrow

“S-sorry…I shouldn’t have said anything…I- fifteen..? Uhm…I don’t…I don’t know- I…” she curled up setting her knees to her chest

“I- I know-this is bad..but- I’m just really scared…”

[bones-and-iron]

Fifteen in EIC, probably, which– .. damn. Definitely too young to be down here right now, much less at some ambiguous point in the past. He swore again as well, just then, and she still looks terrified. He moves to reach out to her, but hesitates when he reminds himself she can't see him.

"Worse for you, I mean. I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at them. Why the— Why would they send you here at all? What's the point of leaving a child down here?"

He tries very pointedly to avoid thinking what this new information might imply about her being seemingly half-sea-monster. It doesn't work very well.

[no, you can't be scared, you're—]

"And– Don't do that. Don't feel like you need to apologize for being afraid. Guess what? I'm scared, too. This place is awful. But you're not alone. We're in this together now, and if we haven't figured out a way to get you home by the time they finally pull me up, you're just going to have to come up with me, Consolidation be damned. Okay?"

[bones-and-iron]

Aw...

I'll just be right above you then.

*The proximity sensors deactivate. You hear it pat the top of the sub twice.*

Um.

[huff, exhausted.]

Sure. Fine, I guess. Just– stay out of the way if anyone else shows up.

[bones-and-iron]

[The speakers turns on once more. Its usual yellow light indicating someone is speaking instead glows a dull blue as Avas voice speaks through it.]

"Hello. Do you have time to talk?"

- @avathemultiverseexplorer

(Ooc. If this dosent match the narrative/ is too overwhelming you can always just be added to the archive without needing to roleplay with this Ava.)

[it sounds like the captain, but... no, that doesn't make any sense. what would be the point of cutting him off so many times, just to turn around and ask if he has time to talk? not only that, the signal light was wrong. is this really what he gets, for asking about it? he takes a step back, towards the console, ready to move if necessary.]

... What is this?

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"This is me contacting you to ask some questions. Where are you right now Simon?"

[Avas? Voice sounded calm and routined.]

[bones-and-iron]

[okay, something's definitely wrong.]

Honestly, you— you're not doing a very good job at this. You're supposed to know where I am. I told you my coordinates. So– I-I'll ask again. What the fuck is really going on?

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Simon. Have you been in contact with someone outside your universe before?"

[Her question sounded genuine.]

[bones-and-iron]

Wh–

[... oh. oh. fucking obviously.]

Um. Kind of? What's— I mean, is there specific criteria for that?

[K and joanna seemed to be from outside his universe, but as far as he knew, they were here, now. this... alternate captain, too, though he really had no way of knowing where she was. "someone outside your universe" almost seemed to imply messages literally coming from outside, not just stray radio signals from various displaced travelers. he hopes he would remember something like that-] [-he retraces his last few steps, away from the controls. hoping he doesn't actually need them.]

But– yes, technically. I guess I have.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Alright. I am Ava. Archivist of the multiverse archice. And I would like you to add your entry to the archice."

[Her voice still sounded mostly neutral.]

[bones-and-iron]

So– .. Wait, no, I'm lost again. Where are you, right now? Are you not... here? Well— fucking obviously not here, in the sub, but— Y-You know what I mean. You're not. .. where I am? No, that still doesn't sound right.

["not already in my universe" is the phrase, though he can't quite bring himself to say it. he's not sure why the words seem to fight him so much, or what implications he might be avoiding. he pushes past the feeling and moves on.]

Uh– "add me," okay. Sure. So, what— I tell you my whole life story? Can't really imagine it'd be that different from any other me you might've talked to.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"I am not there with you. Or any other place in your universe at this time. I can transport myself there, and usually do for these additions to the archive."

"Its a list of questions to answer not a life story. Unless you really want to tell me yours. I have all the time in the universe."

[She says impossible things like it is completely mundane.]

[bones-and-iron]

No, I-I'll take the questions, actually, thanks.

... Wait– "Transport yourself here," how? You can come here, to— to my universe, and then– what, just. Go home afterwards, no problem? How does that work?

[he'd definitely been running under the assumption that this sort of bullshit was one-way, or at least seemed to be.]

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"How it works? Well the. It is hard to explain. The simpel explenation is, that I will myself to travel to you and a blue light guide me there."

"Suppose it easier to show you, if you are ready to have me enter your submarine."

[Blue light. A perfectly normal explenation for how she will appear in a submarine in the middle of the blood ocean.]]

[bones-and-iron]

[he pivots awkwardly to look around the sub, as if there were actually something to find there. anything to clean up or stash away to trick himself into feeling more prepared for whatever nonsense is about to happen. of course, there's nothing of the sort.]

I– You know what? Yeah, okay, fine. I guess if you're willing to actually— you know, come down here, then go right ahead.

[of course she's willing. she knows that she can leave.]

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"I am. Dont be alarmed Simon, its just me."

[And with thouse words the screen showing the pictures of what is in front of the submarine started to glow with a dull blue light. Ava steps through it. She looks like you remember Ava looking through the glass window. Except she isent wearing the C.O.I. badge and are holding a clipboard.]

"Hello again, Simon."

[Her eyes scanned her surroundings and the blue light faded away behind her until it was completely gone.]

[bones-and-iron]

Whatever he'd been braced for, it didn't seem like it was this. Hearing about someone appearing in the ship, and actually seeing it, are two distinctly different things. He keeps his gaze trained intently on the light until it disappears.

"... Hi. Ava, you said?"

It becomes immediately obvious that the SM-13 has seen far better days. Nothing is actively flooding, but there is a concerning amount of blood dripping slowly down the walls and leaking through the break in the port window. Discarded scraps of paper litter the floor, remnants of dead-end tunnels drawn over and crumpled up.

The space is a mess, and frankly, so is Simon. His hands and forearms are tightly bandaged, though it's difficult to tell what patches are red from the injuries underneath and which are simply external stains. The Eden pendant he'd found hangs loosely from his left wrist, glass cracked cleanly down the center.

He seems to be studying Ava in return, doing his best to keep his expression a practiced neutral.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Thats right. Thank you for welcoming me on your ship. Are you getting close to finding something?"

[Ava nods towards the stacks of crumbled paper. Seemingly not disturbed by anything. Like this is a normal day at work.]

"Right. This is the where you fill out your entry to the archive."

[She taps the clipboard with her finger and hands it to Simon. A pen is attached to it and the following is written on it:

Name/aliases:

Affiliation:

Occupation:

Species:

Universe status:

Notes:

]

[bones-and-iron]

Name/Aliases: Simon

Affiliation: ███████ [seems like he did write something there, but very intensely scratched it out]

Occupation: being executed currently under Prisoner

Species: Human

He stares at the next question for some time. It's hard to tell what kind of answer she might be looking for — something about the Rapture? That would imply that maybe she's been places without it, like K's home. He's not sure how much he believes that. If he'd found something like that, he's sure he would've never looked back.

[are you?]

Does she want him to say something about his universe specifically? All he can think of is the way people seem to keep appearing, but apparently that might not be unique after all. Something about the fact that it's random, that so far no one's decided to do it? How would he even go about explaining that?

Universe Status: Open, apparently

The "Notes" section is left blank. He fidgets with the pen, tapping it against the board a few times before passing it back to Ava.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Thank you for your assistance Simon."

[Ava moves to retrieve the clipboard. As she does it starts to glow with a dull blue light and the answers Simon just wrote dissappears from the paper.]

"That was all. Unless there is something you want to talk about?"

[bones-and-iron]

"... I guess not."

It's hard to tell if he's upset or simply exhausted. Again, his eyes track the light as it fades.

There's a moment, then, where it looks like he might ask something else, a thoughtful look passing across his face. Whatever it could've been, he seems to decide against it, and quickly moves as if to distract from the expression with some other action. He kicks at a few of the paper scraps, hopelessly attempting to nudge them closer to the wall — though all this really does is leave more blood on the soles of his boots.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Then I will be on my way. A connection should be established soon. You can reach out at any time so I can repay you for your help."

[And with thouse words she walked towards the nearest wall. The blue light appeared once more and took her with it. Then it faded away and there were no signs she had been there at all.]

[bones-and-iron]

[she's gone. shakes his head in disbelief, scoffing quietly at the vague idea of "repayment." though, hearing it said aloud, a part of him regrets not even trying to ask anything — but who's to say she was being serious? probably would've just been more false hope.]

Great. Yeah. Sure.

[bones-and-iron]

((ooc: a lot of the time when I want something on in the background audio-wise while I'm writing replies I'll watch through mark's gtfo series, which is great until I pass the invisible threshold of having seen it enough times to still hear sound effects from it after the computer is turned off)

[bones-and-iron]

*Proximity, left and right.*

Just real quick?

[sharp breath, startled. he glances to the side as the ocean shifts around him, leaning over the console, ready to move if need be.]

No. I said go away. Leave me alone. Don't— I'm busy. Just fucking leave.

[bones-and-iron]

Lenore gently tugs Simon’s sleeve “hello?” She asked softly

( @lenore-simon-ironlung )

(Ooc: I’m too tired to do the transmission dormant so bear with me TvT )

Simon nearly jumps out of his skin.

The grip is physical, present, unless he's really losing his mind this time — though that might almost be preferable to– to something actually inside the sub with him. He whirls around, moving to pull his sleeve away from whatever has hold of it, but– No, that—

[—you were so young, and yet the blood already had its teeth in you—]

Startled, he loses his footing, ripping his arm quickly away from the creature apparition kid now standing there, in the center of the small space. He steadies himself against the wall, trying to keep as much space as possible between him and—

"Wh-What the fuck? Who– What—"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She backs away scared from his reaction her tail wrapping around her legs

Her eyes wander

They’re a pearly white

Cataracts.

She can’t see

“I-I- im sorry!”

[bones-and-iron]

"No, hey— shit, I-I didn't mean to scare you. You just—"

God, that really is a kid. A kid who's probably blind, judging by the eyes. The fact that she's seemingly half-fish doesn't matter all that much right now, considering she seems much more scared of him than he is of—

– .. Damn. She's scared of him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. You— I just got startled, that's all. This is a, uh– a closed space. No one should be able to. .. How did you get in here?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“I-I don’t know..?”

Her hands are trembling as she speaks and holds her arms close to her chest

“I- I don’t even know where I am!”

She’s trying to make more distance but she’s backed up against the wall

[bones-and-iron]

"You— Oh, man. Okay."

He exhales harshly, anxiously running his hands through his hair. This is not an easy situation to summarize, especially to a child who's scared enough already. He makes a valiant attempt to take any remaining bite out of his voice before speaking again.

"We, uh– We're in a submarine. At the bottom of... somewhere we definitely don't want to be. We should be okay in here for now, but."

He makes a somewhat strange sound, trying to avoid swearing again.

"You really don't know how you got here? I– You kind of just— appeared. What's the last thing you remember doing?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“S-submarine….? This- is this….” She furrowed her brows

“The…the SM-13?…”

She fidgeted with her fingers

“I-….was with my dad and- he was just telling me stories, that’s it. A-about Eden…? I dunno…”

[bones-and-iron]

"Yeah, that's right. How did you—"

There's an extended pause, then, as he thinks about what she'd actually said. Knowledge of the SM-13, the way she randomly appeared— "my dad" and "Eden." The pieces click into place painfully slowly.

"Oh. Okay, yeah. So— You're really not supposed to be here, huh? That's..."

– Not great, objectively. Not only is she stuck in the sub, down here, with him, but she'd also seemingly been displaced. As if this situation wasn't overwhelming enough before. He slides down to a sitting position as best he can, head back against the wall.

"... What kind of stories about Eden?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

“Just…about what they are….Their beliefs…….” She shrugged

“He told me that he doesn’t want me believing in that stuff…”

She felt around the area trying to find somewhere to rest.

She nearly tripped over herself

[bones-and-iron]

"Yeah? Good. He's right. The people there are..."

Zealous. Deadly. Deluded. Choking on false hope and cyanide. Killers and followers of nothing at all.

[caretakers and brothers-in-arms. familiar. family.]

".. crazy, and dangerous. Eden's definitely not somewhere you want to be, if you can help it. Especially—"

As she stumbles, Simon freezes. He catches himself tensed, ready to move, and intentionally tries to relax. No sudden movements. He's trying not to scare her any more.

"Are you okay? Do you– Uh, do you need a hand?"

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She paused and nodded

“That’s what he said too.” She sighed

“…y-yeah…I would like a hand…I-I’m not really sure where to go..”

[bones-and-iron]

Part of him wasn't actually expecting her to agree. He stands carefully, making sure to move very intentionally, ensuring his footfalls make noise but aren't too loud.

"Right. Okay. Um– Here, let's see."

He helps lead her to a corner, awkwardly guiding her hand to the narrow divider between the front and back halves of the sub, and tries to find a place on the outer wall with relatively less blood staining it for her to balance against as she— well, does whatever maneuvering you'd have to do to sit down with a tail like hers.

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She fidgets with her hands as she sits down on the floor her tail gently flicking

“Thank you…”

She’s still visibly nervous but not as badly as she was before

[bones-and-iron]

"... yeah."

He steadily makes his way back to the pilot's chair at the console and sits as well. When he eventually speaks again, his voice is still quiet.

"Look, this place is– .. it sucks, and– I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to be stuck down here, with me. I wish there was something I could do, but— honestly, all of this dimensional stuff is still beyond me. Not even really sure where we'd start."

[simon-lenore-ironlung]

She nodded

“That- it’s okay…” the girl shrugged “it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been in one of these things…”

“I’m-I’m sorry…I don’t want to be a burden to you…”

[bones-and-iron]

Instantly he sits up straighter, looking concerned.

"Holy shit. You've been down here before? How old even are you? Sorry, but– no, that— You do know that's worse, right? Fuck, I—"

He runs his hands through his hair, exhaling sharply.

"No. No, this isn't about burdens. Neither of us should be here. Should've ever been here. It's. .."

[bones-and-iron]

“Convict?” The radio cracks. “Convict, do you hear me?”

The voice is feminine, hurried and clearly pissed, but it's not Ava's. In fact, it sounds a lot like the nurse who deemed him ready to be allowed down here.

“Convict? Answer if you hear me!”

— @coi-infirmary-wing

You–

[what the fuck. turn towards the speaker, signal blinking amber-orange. that's... a voice he should recognize. someone else with the c.o.i., probably. he's at a disadvantage, down here — he's definitely much better at recognizing people when he can see them.]

What— You said you were going to bring me up. Where's the captain? Did something happen?

[bones-and-iron]

[The speakers turns on once more. Its usual yellow light indicating someone is speaking instead glows a dull blue as Avas voice speaks through it.]

"Hello. Do you have time to talk?"

- @avathemultiverseexplorer

(Ooc. If this dosent match the narrative/ is too overwhelming you can always just be added to the archive without needing to roleplay with this Ava.)

[it sounds like the captain, but... no, that doesn't make any sense. what would be the point of cutting him off so many times, just to turn around and ask if he has time to talk? not only that, the signal light was wrong. is this really what he gets, for asking about it? he takes a step back, towards the console, ready to move if necessary.]

... What is this?

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"This is me contacting you to ask some questions. Where are you right now Simon?"

[Avas? Voice sounded calm and routined.]

[bones-and-iron]

[okay, something's definitely wrong.]

Honestly, you— you're not doing a very good job at this. You're supposed to know where I am. I told you my coordinates. So– I-I'll ask again. What the fuck is really going on?

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Simon. Have you been in contact with someone outside your universe before?"

[Her question sounded genuine.]

[bones-and-iron]

Wh–

[... oh. oh. fucking obviously.]

Um. Kind of? What's— I mean, is there specific criteria for that?

[K and joanna seemed to be from outside his universe, but as far as he knew, they were here, now. this... alternate captain, too, though he really had no way of knowing where she was. "someone outside your universe" almost seemed to imply messages literally coming from outside, not just stray radio signals from various displaced travelers. he hopes he would remember something like that-] [-he retraces his last few steps, away from the controls. hoping he doesn't actually need them.]

But– yes, technically. I guess I have.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Alright. I am Ava. Archivist of the multiverse archice. And I would like you to add your entry to the archice."

[Her voice still sounded mostly neutral.]

[bones-and-iron]

So– .. Wait, no, I'm lost again. Where are you, right now? Are you not... here? Well— fucking obviously not here, in the sub, but— Y-You know what I mean. You're not. .. where I am? No, that still doesn't sound right.

["not already in my universe" is the phrase, though he can't quite bring himself to say it. he's not sure why the words seem to fight him so much, or what implications he might be avoiding. he pushes past the feeling and moves on.]

Uh– "add me," okay. Sure. So, what— I tell you my whole life story? Can't really imagine it'd be that different from any other me you might've talked to.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"I am not there with you. Or any other place in your universe at this time. I can transport myself there, and usually do for these additions to the archive."

"Its a list of questions to answer not a life story. Unless you really want to tell me yours. I have all the time in the universe."

[She says impossible things like it is completely mundane.]

[bones-and-iron]

No, I-I'll take the questions, actually, thanks.

... Wait– "Transport yourself here," how? You can come here, to— to my universe, and then– what, just. Go home afterwards, no problem? How does that work?

[he'd definitely been running under the assumption that this sort of bullshit was one-way, or at least seemed to be.]

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"How it works? Well the. It is hard to explain. The simpel explenation is, that I will myself to travel to you and a blue light guide me there."

"Suppose it easier to show you, if you are ready to have me enter your submarine."

[Blue light. A perfectly normal explenation for how she will appear in a submarine in the middle of the blood ocean.]]

[bones-and-iron]

[he pivots awkwardly to look around the sub, as if there were actually something to find there. anything to clean up or stash away to trick himself into feeling more prepared for whatever nonsense is about to happen. of course, there's nothing of the sort.]

I– You know what? Yeah, okay, fine. I guess if you're willing to actually— you know, come down here, then go right ahead.

[of course she's willing. she knows that she can leave.]

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"I am. Dont be alarmed Simon, its just me."

[And with thouse words the screen showing the pictures of what is in front of the submarine started to glow with a dull blue light. Ava steps through it. She looks like you remember Ava looking through the glass window. Except she isent wearing the C.O.I. badge and are holding a clipboard.]

"Hello again, Simon."

[Her eyes scanned her surroundings and the blue light faded away behind her until it was completely gone.]

[bones-and-iron]

Whatever he'd been braced for, it didn't seem like it was this. Hearing about someone appearing in the ship, and actually seeing it, are two distinctly different things. He keeps his gaze trained intently on the light until it disappears.

"... Hi. Ava, you said?"

It becomes immediately obvious that the SM-13 has seen far better days. Nothing is actively flooding, but there is a concerning amount of blood dripping slowly down the walls and leaking through the break in the port window. Discarded scraps of paper litter the floor, remnants of dead-end tunnels drawn over and crumpled up.

The space is a mess, and frankly, so is Simon. His hands and forearms are tightly bandaged, though it's difficult to tell what patches are red from the injuries underneath and which are simply external stains. The Eden pendant he'd found hangs loosely from his left wrist, glass cracked cleanly down the center.

He seems to be studying Ava in return, doing his best to keep his expression a practiced neutral.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Thats right. Thank you for welcoming me on your ship. Are you getting close to finding something?"

[Ava nods towards the stacks of crumbled paper. Seemingly not disturbed by anything. Like this is a normal day at work.]

"Right. This is the where you fill out your entry to the archive."

[She taps the clipboard with her finger and hands it to Simon. A pen is attached to it and the following is written on it:

Name/aliases:

Affiliation:

Occupation:

Species:

Universe status:

Notes:

]

[bones-and-iron]

Name/Aliases: Simon

Affiliation: ███████ [seems like he did write something there, but very intensely scratched it out]

Occupation: being executed currently under Prisoner

Species: Human

He stares at the next question for some time. It's hard to tell what kind of answer she might be looking for — something about the Rapture? That would imply that maybe she's been places without it, like K's home. He's not sure how much he believes that. If he'd found something like that, he's sure he would've never looked back.

[are you?]

Does she want him to say something about his universe specifically? All he can think of is the way people seem to keep appearing, but apparently that might not be unique after all. Something about the fact that it's random, that so far no one's decided to do it? How would he even go about explaining that?

Universe Status: Open, apparently

The "Notes" section is left blank. He fidgets with the pen, tapping it against the board a few times before passing it back to Ava.

[avathemultiverseexplorer]

"Thank you for your assistance Simon."

[Ava moves to retrieve the clipboard. As she does it starts to glow with a dull blue light and the answers Simon just wrote dissappears from the paper.]

"That was all. Unless there is something you want to talk about?"

[bones-and-iron]

"... I guess not."

It's hard to tell if he's upset or simply exhausted. Again, his eyes track the light as it fades.

There's a moment, then, where it looks like he might ask something else, a thoughtful look passing across his face. Whatever it could've been, he seems to decide against it, and quickly moves as if to distract from the expression with some other action. He kicks at a few of the paper scraps, hopelessly attempting to nudge them closer to the wall — though all this really does is leave more blood on the soles of his boots.

[bones-and-iron]

Hi, i'm outside

Can i hug your submarine real quick?

Just real quick.

What? No. Why would you—

Look, I wasn't trying to talk to you, okay? Just– go away.

[bones-and-iron]

((ooc: just went and saw project Hail Mary and. holy shit y'all. I am ruined. I can never emotionally recover. ( /pos )

[bones-and-iron]

>

Shit, okay– Fuck—

[exhale, brace.]

Hello? Is anyone there? I'm— Hey, I-I'm trying to reach the Luna? The S.S. Luna. I– don't actually remember what you said your name was. If you said it.

Can you hear me? Please, tell me you didn't cut us off. I talked to K, like you asked. You– No, you have to be on the line. You wanted to hear back. Right? Please.

[ . . . ]

[ . . . ]

("shouting into the void and hoping your guy hears me." technically for @k-thespace-scout , but open to anyone in the meantime!)

[bones-and-iron]

cont. @k-thespace-scout

...Hello? Is... anyone there?

....

Please...? Simon? Is that you?

....

Captain? Ben? Anyone? Jackson???

I'll even take Captain Isenhardt!! Please?

Anyone?

Hello...?

....

Don't leave me alone... I want to go home...

[the audio quality is rough, but that makes a certain amount of sense. what use were comms when no one was supposed to be on-board? irrationally he takes a step closer to the radio— as if there were a button he needs to press. some way to force the connection to hold.]

K? Is that you? Are you okay?

[the ensuing staticky silence does nothing to ease his nerves. it has to be them, they have to be alright. he collapses back into his chair and puts his head in his hands.]

God, K— what the fuck is wrong with you? Why did you do that?

[k-thespace-scout]

> Simon? Oh god Simon.

> Im– Im okay I think

> Im okay

> Im sorry

> I dont

> I dont know

> All I remember is panic, fear, terror

> I just wanted a nap

> just wanted to close my eyes

> I was so tired

> I dont

> I dont know why Im down here

> I dont know how I got down here

> you– you cant even unlatch the sub inside!

> I just woke up, in front of the controls and—

> Nothing

> I

> I dont know how

> I dont know where I am

> Im scared, Simon

> Im so fucking scared

> Im sorry

> I didnt want to come down here

> and I know I promised I wouldn't

> But I swear on my old partner

> that I dont know how I got here

> I dont remember how I got here

> Simon

> Im scared

< K is breathing heavily, on the edge of a panic attack now. They felt dizzy, holding onto the edge of the termimal. Tears welled in their eyes, body trembling with the force of their heavy breathing >

[bones-and-iron]

Okay. Hey, it's okay. Don't panic. Just take a breath.

You know what– K, can you do something for me? Put a hand on your chest, just at the base of your neck. You want to press your thumb down into the dip at your collarbone. Try to keep your other fingers as flat as possible against your chest. Can you do that?

[he mimics the motion himself, mostly as reassurance that he's explaining it correctly.]

Do you feel your pulse there, under your thumb? Try to match your breathing to it — in for four beats, hold for four, out for five. It's not going to feel even, but the point is the counting. Focus on it. When you inhale, your pulse speeds up, and when you exhale, it slows down. Every next breath carries on some of that slowness to help your heart rate even out. That change means it's working. Your heart and lungs are working. Everything else is secondary. You're going to be okay.

[the assurances are second-nature, at this point. he takes the time to think over the situation at hand instead. that they "just woke up in front of the controls" is... worrying. it's really starting to feel like there's no such thing as coincidences in this fucking place. if they really did get pulled even further into this bullshit, he only has himself to blame.]

[not only that, there's a chance they know. about– about everything. they seemed very explicit in that they didn't mean to come down here. was that really because he'd told them not to, because he'd said it was dangerous? or was it... was it because they didn't want to save him at all, anymore?]

[k-thespace-scout]

< K struggled to listen. They did everything as best as they could, closing their eyes as they listen to Simon. A shaking hand was pressing against their chest, just at the base of their neck. They counted as they breathed in, and counted as they breathed out. It was slow, but steadily, their breathing came back to them. They stayed like that, even as they calmed down. >

> ...

> sorry

> I

> I dont know what came over me

< their voice was softer now, calmer, yet quiet. they kept their eyes closed, even as they spoke >

> a..anyways

> Thank you for that

> People tend to leave me alone when I panic and I...

> No matter

> Just

> thank you for not leaving

> How are you?

> How are you doing?

> Are you okay?

> I

> I would try to get to you

> but I'll be honest when I say I don't know how to control this thing

> it barely reads anything around it through the blood

> I think Im stuck?

> I

> I could change it back to remote mode but I dont know how much that would help if Jackson cant hear me

> ...

> fuck

> ...

> okay

> okay

> I could probably try to move but I have no idea if I'll hit anything or not...

[bones-and-iron]

[technically, the answer to his question doesn't really matter. he's already made his choice: he owes them for choosing to fight for him. it's his turn to choose, his turn to save them anyway.]

K, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere. There's definitely something we can do. I'm sure of it.

Uh– shit, okay. Stay where you are for now, I don't want you to crash. What was the original plan to bring you back up? Or— your sub, sorry. Is it on a chain as well? I mean— I'd kind of hope if it was that they would've already done that, but at this point, I guess anything is possible.

Also, can you— Nothing is leaking, right? The sub I'm in has a window that needed to be covered. Anything like that you might have to do, please do it, right now. I don't think– Y-You definitely don't want to get any of this blood on you.

[k-thespace-scout]

> I wouldn't be able to move anyways

> I'll stay here

> Umm..

> A chain? No

> The sub can be pulled back up by a magnetic field but I think the blood is so thick that Jackson can't pull me up unless I'm on the surface of the ocean...

> So unless I can find my way up, I don't think I can leave yet.

> ...

< K has a look around, eyebrows pulling together. Nothing looked like it was leaking, but considering how long this sub had in the ocean, K didnt think they would last long. They shake their head before realizing with red cheeks that Simon can't see them. >

> This sub doesnt exactly have windows.

> It was not designed for people to be in it long so they never put windows in

> so I think I'm fine until uhh

> until the sub gives out

> nothings leaking either

> ...

> Simon what exactly is in this ocean?

< K glances at their radar, frowning a bit as they see little red dots all over them. Maybe it was the walls, or maybe it was something else. They don't know and it scares them >

> why uhh

> why dont I want the blood on me?

[bones-and-iron]

[he lets out a heavy sigh, once they confirm nothing is leaking. relieved, until his mind stutters to a halt as they confront him on his confident claim. why— why did he say that? sure, you don't want the ship to be flooding, but just a bit is– should be—- what? he shakes his head, trying desperately to clear it of nothing at all.]

Just– I-It's not— You just don't. Okay?

[it sticks to you, refusing to be washed away, seeping through your skin until your veins carry other people's names more often than oxygen. it is unforgettable. it is everything. it is you and I and your peers and your enemies and-]

[he glances down at his bandaged hands, balling them into fists again. when he speaks, his tone still sounds strained.]

What. Um, d'you think there's– is there anything above you, or– could you actually just go straight up to the surface? Unless you drifted— I mean, this whole place is supposed to be... open. A ravine. That– That's why the chain even works— or, worked, at all.

[k-thespace-scout]

> I'll uh...

> Try to remember that

> okay... the blood is bad

> avoid at all costs

< K stares at the terminal, a little confused. they didn't know what to make of the situation at hand. They felt out of place because, yes, they were. they were in the one place they told everyone they'd never go into, get here they are. >

> Um

> I don't know

> maybe?

> I don't really know how far I went down or where in the ocean I am

> like I said

> I woke up in front of the subs console already at the bottom

> our scanner for the sub can't pick anything up

> on the sub anyways

> the one on the ship has a better view and, we'd probably be able to navigate that way

> but I can't connect to him or the ships

> so im stuck unless we can get back into contact with them

> ...

> are you able to?

> get into contact with them?

> you're still connected to the SS Luna

> right?

[bones-and-iron]

I– I don't know. I think so? I haven't exactly seen anything in here that would switch comms channels, so they've probably heard all of this anyways, assuming it's still open on their end. I could try to reach out, but I can't direct-line anybody, either. I'd just be— shouting into the void and hoping your guy hears me.

Piece of shit sub can't do anything on its own. Probably on purpose, though.

[a pause, taking a moment to glance over his piecemeal map. tilts his head to the side, thoughtful.]

... Okay, this is going to be a weird question. Do you remember where the Luna is. .. docked, I guess, compared to the towship? What direction. You guys do have radar, right? I know where they are on my map, so if we can figure out where you were relative to that— .. I mean, it's a start. Better than what we have now.