GRACE IN ABYSS AU
Okay so hear me out. I might be cooking... or not. Let me explain.
I LOVED the world building of Made In Abyss (MIA) when I was younger, at the time I didn't even register the weird/problematic content I just wanted to learn more about the pit and its environments, then I just dropped it like a brick when I realised the issues through others online discussions.
Ever since I've been so sad that such a cool fucking concept was effectively dead in the water due to the creator being a creep, so FUCK IT. It's MY cool fantasy world now. YOINK!
SO! Hear me out, Grace's predicament - MIA's setting.
Earth is dying. A microscopic life is killing plantlife and animals. The only thing they know is it's coming from the abyss.
The city around the Abyss was built many years ago but is home to a large research station.
Stratt is in charge of the research station and since the discovery of the microbe she's been assembling the Hail Mary Expedition into the abyss, knowing that the source must be deep, and that the divers won't be able to return.
Grace figures out that the microbe is using the 'force field' to move up to the surface. Grace was already stuidying the effects of the 'curse' or 'ascension sickness'.
Stratt's Initial team is killed in the abyss on a practice dive, perhaps by animals or the sickness.
Grace is involved in all the meetings in preperation for the expedition.
He's forced to join, being drugged and lowered into the abyss with their navigator and medic.
They are dropped off low into level 2.
Grace wakes up and finds the vessel they were lowered in has been ripped open, predetors have taken the others. Leaving him alone.
Grace finds Rocky acending level 3 - The Great Fault.
Rocky's home has the same problem, the microbe is destroying his home low in the abyss.
Rocky isn't affected by ascension sickness due to his biology, but the rest of his own team died on the way up.
He's upset to learn Grace's world has the same problem on the surface, as he thought there might be a solution up there, so they decide to look for the souce lower down.
They find Simon in layer 4, he's suffering with mutations from 'the blessing' or the forced mutations from ascension sickness.
He escaped the prison on the 5th layer - designated 'The Iron Lung', it uses convicts for unethical experiments in the abyss. A death sentence.
Simon is eventually convinced to help them, they figure out together more about the microbe and that it needs to be stopped at the source. The last layer.
The 6th layer - 'The Golden City' is Rocky's home.
Is this something? I just wanna explore more insane worlds with my blorbos lmaoooo. Got any other cool settings we could throw these guys into?
