Multiple Settings I Hate Waiting in Another World!

[Coryen2]

Randal stared down at his phone, the battery nearly dead. He had known today was going to be tedious, but he had no idea just how bad it could be. The seat was uncomfortable, the air conditioner barely brought the room below 80 degrees, and the smell of unwashed bodies clung in the air like a brand new scented candle. Worse, today was supposed to be his day of hanging out with his friends. They were all getting ready to watch the new superhero film and then go make fun of it at their favorite Chinese buffet. But no. He just had to go and put off updating his driver's license and then get pulled over for speeding. $600 for a ticket and because it had lapsed over a year ago, he now had to retake the entire test.

Bzzzt! Bzzzt! And that would be Todd asking when he would be there...

Recipient

them

hows teh DMV?

me

Shoot me now.

them

LOL

them

how much longer?

them

we r gonna go wout u

me

It shouldn't be too much longer.

me

K. You might as well just go. I can't believe it has been 2 hours.

them

Nah. were hitn the next showing

them

Sarah forgor

me

Lol. But no, really. 3 and a half hours is messed up!

them

Frfr

them

Hey. Were heading out get here!

With a sigh, Randal typed in, "Sorry. Looks like I'm not gonna make it."

"Now serving 298"

Pulling out his ticket to remind himself of his number for the umpteenth time and seeing a sad 387, he went to hit send just as his battery jumped from five percent to zero. For a moment, Randal felt the urge to throw his phone across the room and walk out of this hell named the Department of Motor Vehicles. But the moment passed. Then, just as he was settling in to be bored to death...Bzzzt!Bzzzt!

Confused, he stared down at his dead phone.

[Text: Tired of Waiting? Yes, No]
​

The screen hovered in the air like one of the many anime shows he watched. Given the choice, how could he say no?

[Text: Yes]​

 

[Nellancholy]

Mina Yohansen-Liao sighed and squinted over the rows and rows of human beings, the fluorescent light of the office building even worse for her poor, tired eyes than the sunlight on the way here was. When was the last time she had been outside her apartment building? Probably a month, thereabouts. She was subsisting just fine off the convenience store and vending machines in the lobby, as well as food deliveries paid for by the proceeds of her investments into volatile stocks and meme coins that she assisted in pumping before the inevitable rugpull. Hell, she wouldn't be out here at all, if not for the fact that...she had passed away.

Mina glanced down at the half-open clear file in her lap, on which sat a photocopy of the driver's license of Lydia Yohansen-Liao. Her mother. The unassuming sheet of paper was accompanied by Mina's own license, two years past due for renewal, as well as the pink slip of a sedan that would have been state of the art a decade and a half-ago, but was now as worn out and faded as Lydia was when she passed, and just about as resilient.

They had not met or spoken in years, and of what little material possessions Lydia had...she could leave her daughter only this.

She wasn't sure how to feel about that. She wasn't sure how to feel about anything that didn't concern her own indulgent life.

Maybe this was all she could do to process it.

She'd tied up her mop of hair into a bun, pulled on a tank top and sweatpants, and taken a bus here. Despite the air conditioning, she couldn't change the fact that she'd gotten rather sweaty just by traveling here.

She sighed, pulling out her phone and scrolling over to the Horse Girls! app. At least Potooooooo would never let her down.

Just as she was about to open it, however, a notification popped out.

Tired of Waiting?

Yes / No

Wait, where did this notification come from? She remembered the QR code she scanned at the entrance to get her turn number.

Was there a way to skip the wait? Why wasn't she told sooner? Either way, she pressed on the Yes.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Will sat in the crowded DMV while scrolling his through his Winstagram timeline for funny memes or comics. As for WHY Will was huddled in a corner at the DMV when he didn't even own a car. Mrs Peterson from next door needed to get her license renewed and Will had tagged along with her since Mr Peterson had helped Will move a shelf into his new place the previous day. Living alone as a freelance writer gave Will a lot of time to kill so doing something like this to help out the Petersons wasn't totally objectionable. Will could call himself a writer all he wanted but he really just wrote light novels on the internet. Lock half the chapters behind a reasonable paywall and people are willing to fork over their hard earned cash just to see what was next in the story. Mrs Peterson seemed to be having a long conversation with the lady behind the counter. He didn't envy her as the older woman tended to speak at length about the things she cared about, which was pretty admirable considering a lot of people were becoming cynical doomers according to the wojak meme he had just scrolled past.



Ah, this was either an incredibly detailed hallucination due to boredom or he was being invited to another world by some kind of god or something. His familiarity with the fantasy genre clued him in on how to proceed with this. Mrs Peterson walked on over to Will, passing right through the weird holographic notification like it wasn't even there. "Hey Will, turns out that husband of mine didn't renew HIS license either. He's getting a ride here with our son. So you don't have to worry about me. Are you okay to walk home or would you like a ride?" asked Mrs Peterson, jingling her keys with a smile on her face. Will was very pleased by this turn of events. He was hesitating to select YES on account of his promise to help Mrs Peterson. Now that it seemed like she'd be okay with Mr Peterson arriving shortly. It was no doubt okay for him to get yeeted to another world. His only hope was that he wasn't squished by a giant or something the moment he arrived. "No thanks Mrs Peterson, I've actually gotta go to a writers retreat. I wanted to make sure you were okay before I had to leave this afternoon. I'm sure they won't mind if I'm a little early" said Will, lying his ass off to spare Mrs Peterson any guilt once he inevitably disappeared due to the obvious magic prompt. Leaving her with a wave and hiding in another corner, Will immediately made the correct choice.

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Phone Version

• From the moment she took her seat, Kona instantly missed the soft, comfy folding of a cushion and the way a mattress held her weight. She quickly found herself leaning from side to side, shifting her body while it protested against the rough, cold metal bars against her back or the seat just malformed and bumpy enough to never quite be comfortable and just slightly below an acceptable size for her to fit in. That typical dry, minimalistic flair of a waiting room didn't help either, with so little left to distract her from the discomfort. At least the little kids had some toys for them to play with, even if they were old and dropped off in a corner.
  
  Most people around were glued to their phones, some to some other device. By the balcony there was a lady happily... well, "happily" chatting the receptionist's ear off. A little boy was distracted by his own legs bouncing up and down while his mother watched him like a hawk with a set of files in her talons, but also a gentle gaze and smile. A strong stench permeated the room, though it was quite unlike the heavy mix of cheap perfumes that Kona's older sister spread when she "forgot" to shower for a few days.
  
  For a shameless second, Kona thought about heading over to miss Mina. She was one of the people glued to their devices, but normally Kona wouldn't have hesitated to walk over for a chat. Her neighbor couldn't that much less bored in this situation than Kona herself. But she hadn't heard about her for over a month, maybe even two. She knew why, that kind of rumor spreads like wildfire. Still, Kona hadn't the faintest idea what it was like. It was scary just to think about going through such a situation. She couldn't bring herself to raise her gaze towards the woman, lest their gazes meet and a battle for the fate of the mood begin.
  
  Her throat and chest felt a little tighter, and it felt a little harder to breathe. Kona cast her gaze down and again and quickly reached into her bag, opening the bare minimum of the zip needed to do so. Her hand scrambled amidst the layer of open wrappers and occasionally bumped into the hard cover of a textbook. She searched a little harder, hearing the clacking sounds of pen and pencil that that dropped to the bottom of the bag and hit the hard seat of that chair. Nothing. There was nothing left. Her stomach growled a bit as if complaining that she got so worked up but gave it no tribute in the end.
  
  She closed her bag and opened her wallet. Her eyes were moving slowly back and forth between the vending machine and the lonely change within. She wondered how she would be able to afford to replace her tools at this rate. And if she didn't study harder she was going to have her allowance reduced again for sure. Maybe saying yes to Devan's request was a bad idea after all. Just because she got a little praise... But then, that look in his eyes... Aaaah, she hated thinking this hard. She hated exam season for putting her in a situation like this. She hated this DMV for boring her so much she just ended up thinking about all this serious stuff without meaning to.
  
  Why couldn't all this be over? Why couldn't she just get there, do whatever she needed to do, then go home and sprawl on her comfy, relaxing bed like a deflated starfish?
  
  Maybe out of some foolish morbid curiosity, she took a look at the ticket that was also inside her wallet. 417. Had they even reached 300 yet? In first place, how did these number work? Surely there couldn't be that many people here, in this r-
  
  Her thought were interrupted by a sudden noise. Just a couple seat over, the little boy that she saw earlier was kneeling on the ground bawling his eyes out. His mother was on top of him with a distressed look on her face, but from what she was saying it didn't appear as though she knew why the kid was crying either. Kona stood up and crouched near the child.
  
  "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked in the softest voice she could muster. Honestly she wasn't totally sure how to deal with children. The closest thing to them she had regular contact with was her older sister. The kid didn't give her a response, instead just persisted in his crying. A short memory of one of Kona's sketches flashed in her mind. Not entirely sure what she was doing, she grabbed the sides of her hair into pigtails. "Hey look uh... pigtails!"
  
  She wiggled the hair a little with a nervous smile. The toddler looked up, seeming more confused than anything. With an involuntary chuckle, Kona wiggled the "pigtails" again, and the little boy started giggling. Kona wasn't sure what was so amusing about this, but it seemed to be cheering him up, so she kept at it for a little while longer. Maybe boys just really liked pigtails?
  
  The boy's mother eventually managed to join in on it, though with her longer hair it seemed more like twintails than pigtails. Kona wasn't about to point that little bit out though. She was thanked before she could leave, and it seemed there wasn't anything wrong with the boy at least. The bad air and the wait were just getting to him like it would get to a lot of people here no doubt. Finally, after an eternity of waiting, the next number was announced... 298. Only 298. It was a good thing Kona was no longer doing the pigtails or might have ripped her hair out. It felt like she was stuck in purgatory, but then, when she took her seat, perhaps it was confirmed that she was.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  Something... weird was floating in front of her vision. It was like an augmented reality thing. But she didn't have any device like that... and this room didn't even have a TV let alone whatever technology was needed to project holograms. Plus nobody else was seeing it.... Something about this situation reminded her of one of those things Devan asked her to use for reference.
  
  "It couldn't be." Something that silly couldn't be happening. But well, if this thing was for giving feedback, then she would give them a piece of her mind, even if it was just the equivalent to a thumbs down on social media. She pressed the button.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Artist Credit: ねく | neku on Pixiv​
• Artist Credit: ねく | neku on Pixiv

  
  From the moment she took her seat, Kona instantly missed the soft, comfy folding of a cushion and the way a mattress held her weight. She quickly found herself leaning from side to side, shifting her body while it protested against the rough, cold metal bars against her back or the seat just malformed and bumpy enough to never quite be comfortable and just slightly below an acceptable size for her to fit in. That typical dry, minimalistic flair of a waiting room didn't help either, with so little left to distract her from the discomfort. At least the little kids had some toys for them to play with, even if they were old and dropped off in a corner.
  
  Most people around were glued to their phones, some to some other device. By the balcony there was a lady happily... well, "happily" chatting the receptionist's ear off. A little boy was distracted by his own legs bouncing up and down while his mother watched him like a hawk with a set of files in her talons, but also a gentle gaze and smile. A strong stench permeated the room, though it was quite unlike the heavy mix of cheap perfumes that Kona's older sister spread when she "forgot" to shower for a few days.
  
  For a shameless second, Kona thought about heading over to miss Mina. She was one of the people glued to their devices, but normally Kona wouldn't have hesitated to walk over for a chat. Her neighbor couldn't that much less bored in this situation than Kona herself. But she hadn't heard about her for over a month, maybe even two. She knew why, that kind of rumor spreads like wildfire. Still, Kona hadn't the faintest idea what it was like. It was scary just to think about going through such a situation. She couldn't bring herself to raise her gaze towards the woman, lest their gazes meet and a battle for the fate of the mood begin.
  
  Her throat and chest felt a little tighter, and it felt a little harder to breathe. Kona cast her gaze down and again and quickly reached into her bag, opening the bare minimum of the zip needed to do so. Her hand scrambled amidst the layer of open wrappers and occasionally bumped into the hard cover of a textbook. She searched a little harder, hearing the clacking sounds of pen and pencil that that dropped to the bottom of the bag and hit the hard seat of that chair. Nothing. There was nothing left. Her stomach growled a bit as if complaining that she got so worked up but gave it no tribute in the end.
  
  She closed her bag and opened her wallet. Her eyes were moving slowly back and forth between the vending machine and the lonely change within. She wondered how she would be able to afford to replace her tools at this rate. And if she didn't study harder she was going to have her allowance reduced again for sure. Maybe saying yes to Devan's request was a bad idea after all. Just because she got a little praise... But then, that look in his eyes... Aaaah, she hated thinking this hard. She hated exam season for putting her in a situation like this. She hated this DMV for boring her so much she just ended up thinking about all this serious stuff without meaning to.
  
  Why couldn't all this be over? Why couldn't she just get there, do whatever she needed to do, then go home and sprawl on her comfy, relaxing bed like a deflated starfish?
  
  Maybe out of some foolish morbid curiosity, she took a look at the ticket that was also inside her wallet. 417. Had they even reached 300 yet? In first place, how did these number work? Surely there couldn't be that many people here, in this r-
  
  Her thought were interrupted by a sudden noise. Just a couple seat over, the little boy that she saw earlier was kneeling on the ground bawling his eyes out. His mother was on top of him with a distressed look on her face, but from what she was saying it didn't appear as though she knew why the kid was crying either. Kona stood up and crouched near the child.
  
  "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked in the softest voice she could muster. Honestly she wasn't totally sure how to deal with children. The closest thing to them she had regular contact with was her older sister. The kid didn't give her a response, instead just persisted in his crying. A short memory of one of Kona's sketches flashed in her mind. Not entirely sure what she was doing, she grabbed the sides of her hair into pigtails. "Hey look uh... pigtails!"
  
  She wiggled the hair a little with a nervous smile. The toddler looked up, seeming more confused than anything. With an involuntary chuckle, Kona wiggled the "pigtails" again, and the little boy started giggling. Kona wasn't sure what was so amusing about this, but it seemed to be cheering him up, so she kept at it for a little while longer. Maybe boys just really liked pigtails?
  
  The boy's mother eventually managed to join in on it, though with her longer hair it seemed more like twintails than pigtails. Kona wasn't about to point that little bit out though. She was thanked before she could leave, and it seemed there wasn't anything wrong with the boy at least. The bad air and the wait were just getting to him like it would get to a lot of people here no doubt. Finally, after an eternity of waiting, the next number was announced... 298. Only 298. It was a good thing Kona was no longer doing the pigtails or might have ripped her hair out. It felt like she was stuck in purgatory, but then, when she took her seat, perhaps it was confirmed that she was.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  Something... weird was floating in front of her vision. It was like an augmented reality thing. But she didn't have any device like that... and this room didn't even have a TV let alone whatever technology was needed to project holograms. Plus nobody else was seeing it.... Something about this situation reminded her of one of those things Devan asked her to use for reference.
  
  "It couldn't be." Something that silly couldn't be happening. But well, if this thing was for giving feedback, then she would give them a piece of her mind, even if it was just the equivalent to a thumbs down on social media. She pressed the button.
  
  
  

  

Interactions: N/A
Mentions: Mia ( Nellancholy ) ; Mrs Peterson ( Gaius Danius Griinia )
May Also Want to Read: N/A

 

[Shoya]

Sora sat in one of the crooked chairs, watching videos of top 10 best cars of all time. He makes a mental note of the names, sighing as he looks around the crowded room.

Seriously, how do they expect anyone to buy a car in a place like this?

Sora already knew the truth to his question. He was here because nobody of his family could know. Coming from a wealthy famiy, he was given many privileges a boy still in school wouldn't normally get, such as a car. Only problem was, that he might have crashed his. The accident itself wasn't even the issue, it was how the accident happened.

"Street racing? Are you stupid? You're the heir to blah blah blah"

He couldn't remember much after that. As punishment, he wasn't given another car. Fortunately for him, he was in the perfect place.

Yes, sitting in this crowded room of commoners will be worth it when I leave here with the best car.

He grins to himself in his delusion.

"Excuse me mister, I couldn't help but notice you never got a number, if you'd like assistance, I'd be more than glad to help you."

He turns to see a lady, probably about the age of his mother, smiling at him. She has her arm extended in the direction of a machine against a wall. The machine itself has a line of people in front of it. Sora was shocked, but embarassed by the lady.

"No need, I'll get it myself"

He gets in the line, slowly, and I mean very slowly, making his way to the front. There, he pressed the buttons and answered all the questions about him with ease. When asking for the purpose of his visit, he was surprised there was no "buy car" option, but wrote it under the "other" option. The machine spits out a slip of paper with a number on it.

I see...

His mind immediately thinks of the auctions he used to accompany his father to. Could it be, that to buy a car, it's auction only? Excellent, this will make it easier to see which cars are highly desired! He was confident he could outbid anyone on this side of town, even without the full backing of his family name.

"Now that you have a number, feel free to take a seat and wait until your number is called." the lady says, seeing that he now had his number.

"Sure, do you know when the auctions start? I don't want to wait much longer"

"Auctions?" the lady gives him a puzzled look

....................

Were the numbers not for the car auction? What's going on?

"It's just your number so they can call you up to the desk, that's all." she says, giving him an awkward grin. She too was seemingly confused by his question.

Sora takes a sigh deep enough to challenge a black hole.

I guess I should sit down then...

"Thank you very much miss." he says, giving her a brief bow before walking back to the seat he was at, only to find it taken by someone else.

Before he could even think of something to say, a panel appeared before him.

​

Tired of wai-

He didn't even finish reading it before immediately pressing the yes button

​

 

[strawberryspiral]

It’s been exactly seven days since Gabriel last sat in this seat. Half expecting to be pushed out the door the moment he walked into the fluorescently lit building. He stares down at cheap tile, legs bouncing with unspent energy and looming anxiety. How many times would he have to take his driver’s test before finally passing? Would this be the last? He sure hoped so, last time had been a total fluke he’d have passed if not for Alex. His boneheaded best friend of ten years had told him it was acceptable to drive ten over or under the speed limit, not expecting Gabriel to actually believe him.

He’d never forgive him, the driving instructor had treated him like a total idiot. The elderly balding old man had practically had a stroke with a foaming mouth and cherry red face. Apparently, driving ten over in a school zone during noon was a finable offense, he almost didn’t believe the old man. It was during school after all, almost noon! Any kids roaming around outside of school during that time were probably skipping anyways, Gabriel knows because he’d done the same himself. When he’d tried to tell the instructor- Jerry just as much, the wrinkled man looked like he wanted to strangle him.

Gosh, Gabriel hopes he doesn’t get Jerry again, the guy kept giving him weird looks because of the cherry vanilla smell in his car. Not his fault- Alex really liked his inhalable chapstick scents. Have you ever tried to pry a vape away from the lips of an neurotic college student? Nearly impossible, asking for death really. There’s a waft of sweat and mildew, like someone’s been bathing with their dogs under the high noon sun. Gabriel is lucky enough to have a little tube of roll on lavender essential oil in his pocket. Lathering the scent on to his inner wrists, neck, and just under his nose to cover the offensive stench. He’d seen some stuff on mental health forums about lavender supposedly calming the brain or some shit, and he was too desperate to turn his nose at the advice.

Gabriel couldn’t complain about his best friend's constant vaping- at least Alex had a license, the guy could merge into traffic successfully without having panic attacks. He’s not so lucky, for some reason everytime he gets behind the wheel his hands get all clammy. Then the car starts to get claustrophobic, warm, and it’s so bright- the light of the sun makes him so damn dizzy.
If he could, Gabriel would walk the world with saturation on half power and contrast as low as possible.

Seeing in shades of gray didn’t seem so bad when bright lights and colors give you migraines that make you see lines and stars. But according to Dr. Jeffy the new medication should hopefully take that nasty anxious migraine away. Hopefully, he’s right, Gabriel’s sick of walking everywhere. There’s way too many dark alleys and rabid raccoons in his neighborhood, he doesn’t feel very safe coming home from work at night. Has to play the most generic pop music to take his mind off the potential of becoming a true crime statistic or heavy metal to hype himself up just in case someone does try him.

The plastic chair he sits in is just as uncomfortable as he remembered, and the tiny ticket with a number feels like a load of lead in his pocket. “Now serving 299!” A voice rises above the sound of fax machines, copiers, and the soft buzz of bright white overhead lights.

Gabriel has to squint as he watches one of the people sitting a few rows ahead of him rise out of their seat with a folder in hand. He resituates himself in his chair, head lolling back against the seat as he considers selling his soul to make the next couple of hours speed by faster. Eyes slowly blinking shut as he pulls the hood of his school spirit jacket over shut lids with a heaving breath. Just as he begins to drift off, mind wandering into a fantastical world so opposite of this one he has no room to be bored- his phone buzzes.

A hand goes to grab the ancient off brand blackberry he’s been using in his newly deceased cellphone’s stead. As soon as he unlocks it a blinking message comes to life across the screen, some sort of update from the DMV about his place in line probably…

Thumb hovers over both options for the briefest moment before he shrugs, selecting the most obvious answer. Who in their right mind wants to wait for anything? Gabriel wants to get this test drive over as soon as possible. So, he taps the little box, once, twice, and even a third time.

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

CoCo - The Wheel Woman

​

At the DMV. For other reasons...

A gloved hand trembled as it held the chit. Blue eyes clouded over, eyebrows slanting downwards, skewing fine tan features.

She had to do a double take. The big sign held flickering numbers like a cheap alarm clock outta the 80s. What used to be bright red had enough vim and vigour to still mock her loud and clear. Despite barely having enough lights to keep it barely bright enough in overcast daylight skies, the numbers formed 299. The chit she held started with the number 4-- awww, hell naw!! CoCo didn't even bother to read the rest. It was like winning the shit sandwich lottery; any number drawn was a winner and would force you to eat a shit sandwich.

"Un-freakin'-believable... My gosh. Only at the freakin' DMV..." the big woman let out an extended disdaining scoff before flipping the chit over and slamming it against the floor-to-ceiling window, shaking it like a windstorm. With her other hand she clicked the end of her fancy assed ballpoint pen, extending out the fine super-smooth roller ball tip. Her premium imported black ink #4 scrawled over the back of the ragged sheet of paper.

When done, she tucked her pen back into its special velvet lined hardcased container and pocketed it. The chit she shoved down her croptop and into her bra. A subtle glance brought blue eyes sparkling as they peered over her shoulder. There were more important numbers than the one she held starting with that accursed 4-- Bruh! 299? I'mma be here till next Tuesday! Sheesh! --and so CoCo really wasn't here to settle fines and fees to renew her plates.

No, not when she worked here. The big inked woman's heart sped up, pupil's dilated when she glanced over at the girl behind the standing desk. Well, not so much a girl since CoCo found out that she was 4 yrs older than CoCo herself but still, she had the best girl-like features. A full on-bob complete with poofy fringes. Big dark eyes with naturallly bushy dark lashes perfectly framed by her horn-rimmed glasses. Animated eyebrows that complemented that smiling mouth and hint of a giggle in her voice. Freckles danced high up on her cheeks, pink and warm, not to mention a small lovingly smatter powdering across the bridge of her nose . Oh and how it melted CoCo's heart when that little button nose scrunched when she laughed. And man that fit was tight and clean. An argyle sweater vest over a white blouse, complete with a cheezy bolo tie. Plaid skirt and white stockings tipped with black Burkies? What else. So adorable and soooooooooo wanted to just eat her allllll up!

Blue eyes popped wide when they made contact with her crush's scintilating dark ones. CoCo's jaw dropped... She smiled...? At m-meee...? The girl giggled and broke eye contact by slowly closing her eyes and turning her cheek. But oh, CoCo was sold. Normally, the big inked and pink-headed woman had problems approaching other women. Actually it wasn't the approach; it was when she got there right in front of them. She either forgot what to say or just got tongue-tied. Either way it always ended in a humilating retreat.

But something about today... A deep mettle-steeling breath she took and stretched all the way up to her full 6'2" frame. She licked the tips of her glove fingers before reaching up to slick down her eyebrows. Loose pink strands she tucked behind an ear. She cupped her hand and breathed into it and inhaled it right afterwards. An affirming nod. Yeah she was clean, sexy and hot to trot all right.

"Now Serving 300!"

That was her cue. Past the immediate line she strode, shoving a bit if she had to get her big tan frame past the masses of humanity. Over 200lbs of muscly goodness and full-on woman would not be denied. Abruptly she cut in front of the line and leaned both elbows upon the standing desk. A smirk pulled up at the corner of her mouth as she slowly slid her eyes upward to catch the gaze of the shocked little dark haired, bespectacled cutie.

"Hi. Eyo. Would you please help a girl out? Please? What number did you call out again--"

"Ummmm ex-CUSE me! Miss! I was in line and you butt--mrrrprhhphhhh--" CoCo caught him by the face, squeezed and tossed him away, squealing in indignation.

"Hi... ummm sorry, miss but you do have to get back in line and come back when your number is called," it was going sideways. Her crush did not seem impressed. In the least.

"Right. Eyo, I'm glad we agree. Here," without breaking cadence nor eye contact, the big woman reached a gloved hand into her bra and slipped the chit into her crush's little pale hand, "You can call my number anytime..."

Annoyance turned to curiosity and finally when she read CoCo's name and cell number, curiosity turned into a full blushed flattered smile and fanning of her face.

CoCo turned without a word and marched away. They say shoot your shot when you get the chance. Direct hit. Mission Accomplished.

Despite currently partaking in her family's criminal activities-- ahem 'family business', she still had a soft heart. A hand she reached out and pulled up the man she tossed down but heartbeats ago. "Bruh. Sorry about that. I have an annoying nervous tic."

"Your tic is grabbing people by the face and tossing them down? Annoying tic? It sure annoyed me! Hahahahah!"

"Eyo you should see my tic at the bar. My foot has to kick testes," CoCo smiled appreciatively at the fella. He was so easy-going and let things slide, "What's your name fella?"

"Vincent. Vincent Ram. Like the truck I shoulda got instead of our piece of crap mini-van. Always needs work."

"Hi! I'm CoCo. Eyo, here--" CoCo fished out a wrinkled and ragged business card, "--my cousins have an automotive shop. Bring it by. Tell 'em 'Bunny' sent you. Tell ''em you a family man. They gunna hook you up, kay?"

"Wow. Sure, sure. Thanks!" A fist bump sealed that bygones were bygones.

The big woman smiled, nodded then headed to the door to go a for little victory 4:20. But before she could push the door open her phone chimed away. Funny... I thought I had you on silent...

A querelous look she gave at first. But then tan face lit up with recognition. The big inked up woman giggled and bounced up and down. Yeah that's right all 6'2", 210lbs of CoCo giggled and bounced up and down like a little girl. But it was warranted. She just got the most fanciest reply ever since she started shyly giving her number to a crush. Not too shabby if she did say so herself.

CoCo squealed and bit her lower lip. Trembling with excitement she bit down on a glove tip and yanked it off her hand. A mettle-steeling breath she took before deciding which button to press.

​

Yeah it was a no brainer she would pick; YES!!

---

 

[Coryen2]

Supreme ruler.
They have accepted.
Shall I begin?
...
Understood.
Beginning assessment.
Genetic anomaly detected.
Correcting.
...
Yes, Supreme ruler.
Skipping power selection.
Advancing mutation.
Subdividing.
Error.
System analysis.
...
Negative, Supreme ruler.
...
But, sir...
...
Yes. Supreme ruler.
Activating spatial jaunt.
Alert.
Failure of Spatial jaunt targeting detected.
Alert.
Rapid Acceleration detected.
Alert.
Subjects regaining consciousness.
Alert.
Alert.
Alert.
...
Negative, Supreme ruler.
...
Negative, Supreme ruler.
...
Negative, Supreme ruler.
...
Acknowledged.
Initiating display.



Planet name:
RESTRA
Classification:
TELLURIC
Designation:
HOSTILE
...
Yes, Supreme ruler.
Refining image parameters.
Narrowing lens.
Locating target.


Landing point determined.
Subjects approaching location.
Alert.
Acceleration detected.
Alert.
Time to impact.
22 seconds,
21 seconds.
20 seconds.
...
Scanning.
Hostiles in location.
Estimated time to arrival.
8 minutes.
Time to impact.
12 seconds.
11 seconds.
10 seconds.
...
Genetic knowledge transmitted.
Time to impact.
3 seconds.
2 seconds.
1 second.
Impact detected.​

 

[Nellancholy]

A sensation that could have best been described as the formation of a storm swept away the still, murmuring air of the DMV. Or maybe it was Mina that was swept away, leaving everything else behind. A vortex of blue and purple enveloped her, overtaking her gaze for a moment.

Her eyelids fluttered and her nostrils flared, a strange sensation building in her gut. Were she the adventurous type, she might perhaps recognize it as the distinctive tension and kick in one's gut that preceded a sharp vertical acceleration.

In this case, a fall.

The blur of color before her eyes resolved into an alien landscape, foliage and soil and clouds all pink and purple.

Did something happen at the DMV?

Was she dead?

Why was she dead?

Where was she?

All those questions flew out of her mind as if her body's velocity outpaced them, faced with the very real possibility that the sudden acceleration would soon be followed by an overly sudden deceleration.

What could she do?

What could she do?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"-hurgh, ourgh, ohmah, ohmah-" Even her "oh my god"s were drowned out by her unavoidable physiological response.

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Something was coming.

In a matter of seconds, the ground came up, or she came down. She didn't even have time to close her eyes-

The tension in her stomach resolved, bubbling up in a huge, resounding burp.

A blast of orange flame erupted from Mina's face, igniting the foliage beneath her. This conflagration was followed by an upwards gust of hot air, slowing Mina's momentum and sending her tumbling head over heels to the side, landing hard but none the worse for wear compared to what would happen otherwise.

"Ugh, what just...haa...ahh..." She wasn't out of the woods just yet. The downy spores of some of the plants she landed on, combined with the smoke, tickled her nose.

"Ah-choo!" With a loud sneeze, a fireball flew forth, setting a nearby bush on fire. The first fire she set was already burning out, thankfully not spreading too far.

However, the burning bush would provide enough of an updraft for at least one other person to land safely...

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Will immediately felt himself falling, the hard sensation of the ground vanishing from under him. His eyes felt a stinging sensation as if attempting to adjust to harsh sunlight. Rubbing both of them to try and gain some understanding of what was going on. Will began plummeting to the ground below. Noticing that his body was beginning to accelerate towards the strange world below. His mind began racing as he wondered just how he was going to avoid becoming a massive stain on the rocky terrain. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be any sort of godlike entity waiting to usher him into his new world. Nor did he get to simply wake up under a tree or something. Will was at serious risk of dying mere moments after choosing to go to another world. At the rate he was falling, he had abysmally low chances of survival. Hence why his mind was scrambling to come up with any sort of concrete plan to keep himself from dying.

Noticing a few sturdy plants sticking up like trees. An idea came to Will's mind that seemed straightforward enough. Tucking his limbs in to decrease drag on his body. Will instinctively allowed a two foot segmented spike to push itself out from his forearm. Utilizing it to hook onto the weird tree, he greatly slowed his descent but pulled himself into a somersault that ended up with him splayed out on the ground. After a while of feeling like he was going to die. Will got up and noticed that the strange bone protrusion was still there. "Okay so instead of a fantasy world with elves, I'm on an alien planet. I don't have a cheat skill but I DO have a means of defending myself. Small blessings are still blessings. Guess I'd better figure out the lay of the land" said Will, watching the spike retract back into his arm.

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

CoCo - The Wheel Woman

​

In another world for whatever reasons...

So it all was just a dream.

Okay, just ride it out...

Yeah. There was no way in hell she would spend her morning at the DMV. And for what? To hit on some random chica? It really was laughable wasn't it?

You fine. Girl, just ride it out...

Yeah right. And how the hell did she plot, execute and succeed in rizzing up that little biteable cutie? CoCo had never ever conceived nor followed through with anything close to such legit success in the past? Definitely only happened in her dreams.

You gon' wake up and it'll be okay...

So now here she was high up in the air. Falling. Failing. Again.

That weightless, plummeting feeling like when you downhill on a rollercoaster wasn't bad; it was to be expected actually. And truth be told the big inked up woman loved that good, good feeling when riding MX up a dirt ramp and floating 250 ft up in the air mid jump. And besides, CoCo had so many falling dreams that were teased out by her big brained cousin leading to the conclusion that all her falling dreams were related to stress and anxiety over failure.

And it made sense; that bad, bad weightless, helpless feeling was also present whenever she started to feel overwhelmed in life. Especially on the interpersonal and social level. But damned if this wind blasting her face and body wasn't so OP. It actually hurt her eyes and so she squinted to try to see if this was a place she had fallen into some other time in her dreams.

A few heartbeats after registering that the land below held a definitely unfamiliar scape yet definitely undeniable gorgeous pink and purple cast to it, she had to hold her hand up to her face and stare through the slits between gloved fingers. The wind was mad strong and the big inked up woman felt weirdoy weird now. Not weird as in 'Oh, I'm lucid dreaming' but more like from something internal. Visceral. Primal. Yeah something was definitely different about her in this dream.

And she saw that there also seemed to be a couple of people falling in her dream too?! Just ahead of her. Wait. Wut? This never happens!!

She couldn't make out who they were or even if they were tryna yell or talk to her; the wind was much too good to deny her that. Chills made of suspension of disbelief-breaking shivers tickled their way down her spine as she recollected a memory.

There was that weird reply from glasses wearing cutie... With the 'Yes' or 'No' button. Wait... What was the question again?

Blue eyes popped open wide and instantly she rummaged for it. If it was there then this was a dream. If it was there then this was a just dream. If it's there then this is a just dream... Pleeeeeese...!

A memory of giving it to the man. The family man. 'Ram' was it? Whatever the case, no. No, the business card in her pocket was not there.

Coralina Coneja Vasquez-Lowry, 'Bunny' to her friends, fam and gangbanger allies back home, opened her mouth to scream and die.

Yeah but no. Fate had other plans.

WHHHHOOOOOOSHHHH!!

The ground beneath her instantly caught flame and immolated all manner of fauna and flora directly beneath her. The ensuing updraft of heat and smoke singed her nose and ears but well worth the price of allaying her death-by-splatter screams and inevitable death by splatter itself. In fact, she watched transfixed as the other person before her Nellancholy lifted and launched right past her back up into the air as if in slow motion. A heartbeat later, CoCo herself was lifted and launched but in the opposite direction.

Broken out of her stupor now and in full belief that this really was really happening, the big woman reached out in desperation. She grunted loudly once gloved hands caught a frond of some gigantic flowering, towering fern and held on for dear life. If she really thought this was a dream then she would have just let fate take the wheel and free fall 50 ft to the ground... And ended up breaking several bones and ruining several joints too. Possibly even permanently crippling herself or never even able to walk ever again.

Nope. Instead she made good use of her countless hours of training inside and out of gyms, dojos and life itself. That and she was just one hella unbreakable bitch; 'Persistence is my existence' was her life's motto. And 'You can quit when you are dead' was one of La Famillia's favourite sayings too.

Hand over hand she made her way to the trunk(?) of the gigantic flowering, towering fern thingie. From there she stood on a ridge of its protruding scale-like bark. Blue eyes narrowed, tan nose crinkled as she sniffed, scouted and scoured the immediate land, trying to get a bearing and triangulating her position in wherever-- what-the-freakin'-ever --this place was supposed to be. Several flailing others descended from the sky. From here she could hear their screams as they suffered the same fate as her. A sigh. A nod. The big tan muscle head decided to wait and see where they literally hit ground before she descended to go check if they were still alive. And help.

Yes, CoCo was a criminal, a downright nefarious and infamous Wheel Woman in certain circles, and yet still she had been given a second chance in this-- Where the actual eff in the face am I right now?! Is that a giant marbled purple daisy? Is it swaying or dancing? Is that what the actual eff in the face that thing supposed to be doing?! --but that was all besides the point for she had been given a second chance here and now.

That feeling of being different inside. Viceral. Primal. Yeah, she knew exactly what she had to do now when she found ground zero of the others' landing sites. She had been given a second chance and so she intended to pay it forward.

​

---

 

[strawberryspiral]

All he does is blink, one small action of no consequence. Or so he thought, because suddenly he’s endlessly falling. Literally barreling through a sky of blurred pastel purple and cotton candy pink clouds. If he weren’t descending to his death he might even find it beautiful, perfectly fitting to his own aesthetic tastes. But he doesn’t have time to admire the sky, or notice the strange purple sphere peeking over the horizon in the distance.

Head over heels the drop of death is halted by hitting one branch after another, catching along his knit sweater. This isn’t how he’d thought he’d go, body nothing but a red paint splatter on the hard ground of some foreign land. But, then again, Gabriel never thought he’d make it past the age of eighteen, so did it really matter? That’s what he gets for trying to get his life together. A guy couldn’t even just go out to get his damned driver’s license anymore, what’s the world coming too?

One after another tree limbs slapping against his face, and torso- hitting with sharp impact repetitively, all he can do is squeeze his eyes shut. Grunting out in pain with the impacts until he comes face to face with the ground- ready for death. Just as it approaches, maybe ten feet above ground there’s this lurching in his stomach, his body tilts forward, but his feet remain sound. Legs uprighting themselves so he’s no longer falling, but standing with his feet held firmly along a thick tree trunk. Body almost parallel to the lush landscape of purple and fuschia shrubbery below, a surprised gasp leaves his lips.

“Am I floating, or something?” He looks to his feet and the sinking feeling in his stomach seems to settle some, Gabriel takes one step after the other. Walking slowly down the side of the tree trunk, defying whatever existed gravity itself.

As he nimbly touches the ground, his head spins with the impossibilities he’s found himself suddenly facing. First off the world he finds himself is not Earth, can’t be- Gabriel swallows, unless this has all just been a simulation, then it could be possible. Or he fell asleep in that chair at the DMV, fell back and conched his head so hard his brain is feeding him this as some sort of unconscious fever dream.

That’s more likely, he’ll go with that then. Not real, this can’t be real-

“Aaaah!”

A distant scream, followed by rambling exclamations of disbelief, startle him so much he stumbles backwards, almost landing flat on his butt. Until, that same lurching feeling pulls at the center of his stomach, and he’s able to pull his body back into standing upright, so unlike his usual clumsiness. Gabriel swallows at the lump forming in his throat, deeply unnerved by his sudden perfect balance.

“Ah-Choo!” A bright ball of flames lights up some vegetation alight several yards away, further within the field of colorful plants. As he watches another figure fall from the sky, hovering to a stop just above the sizzling air of the bushes on fire.

Eyes glancing over the strangers with confusion, he crouches down in the cover of some massive magenta shrubs. Deciding to hide away from whatever just made that ungodly shriek and fire, out of nothing but fear of the unknown. Like a prey hiding from its looming predator he takes refuge in the underbrush, hoping to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

 

[Shoya]

Sora​

Sora hit the button and instantly felt the ground disappear beneath him, like if he had clipped out of reality and now stuck in some pocket dimension. He blinks, finding his new strange surroundings. Not that he could think much as 90% of his brain was now in a state of panic at the fact he was free falling straight at the ground with nothing to slow him down, and the sound of wind torpedoing through his ears.

"NOT LIKE THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"

Did I piss off a deity? Is this a punishment from my ancestors? Did father hire someone to drug me and bring me home?

He ponders his incoming death as a strange feeling grows within him. It's like his body was... pulsing. It was almost as there was something inside of him wanting out, or a bluetooth speaker in his organs. Before he realized it, his body had begun to morph. Thankfully it wasn't painful, but a jarring sight none the less as his his arms grew longer, as well as some feathers.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME OH GOD I HOPE THIS IS JUST A HALLUCINATION PLEASE DON'T TELL ME THIS IS MY BODY NOW

Now fully shifted into a bird of some kind, he flaps his wings around as fast as possible to little success. Calming down, he realizes he can simply hold his wings out and glide down.

I'll worry about learning how to fly once I'm on the ground. For now, this will do.

As he glides down in a circle, he takes a moment to look at the surrounding area of where he'd land, finally taking in the strange pink land.

Just where in the world, or off the world, am I? How strange...

He eventually lands near some people he saw when he was up above.

"Hello? Do you happen to know where we are?" he says, before the thought comes to him.

I am a bird. Am I even speaking human to them? Please tell me I can revert.

He closes his eyes and focuses on that pulsing feeling that he felt when he was in the sky. In that moment, his body slowly shifted back into a human one. He lies on the floor like a mat, sighing of relief that he wasn't stuck as a bird from now on.

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Phone Version

• It was like someone pulled the bath plug from the air right in front of her, and it started bending and pulling all of reality into a swirl, just not bringing Kona along. Her vision faded gradually into a black, and in this darkness she felt her face get blasted with the strongest fan she'd faced all of last summer. Way worse than that in fact. But what she felt was not as bad as what she saw right after.
  
  Purple and pink, as if her sister's carpet was covering the surface of the planet but before she returning from the party and hued it a touch of yellowish brown. The bigger problem of course was that she could even see that far a horizon to begin with, and at what angle. The horizon wasn't just all around her, but all below her as well, along with a jolly group of fellow questionably involuntary skydivers.
  
  Hm?
  
  Hmmm?
  
  Kona didn't even scream at first. Her eyes were only half-open, trying to adjust to the wind of her acceleration as if adjusting to a sudden flashlight from a midnight snacker. Unlike some people, this one had had the decency to ask first, though the feeling was rapidly creeping onto Kona that she had grossly misunderstood the details of this assignment. What's more there was this almost...daze or nausea kind of sense dancing in her head just a little too shy to spread. That was a small blessing at least. For a moment, Kona almost thought she saw some kind of glowy stuff on her fingers! Imagine that!
  
  "Wha-" She tried to yell, only for a moment. The sudden spike in airflow wasn't good for her throat nor her general state. If not for the stream of wind, she'd probably be coughing, but instead she was tumbling down the sky and rolling in place, her bag only adding to her momentum and pulling her in whatever direction showed least resistance to it.
  
  "Ah..."
  
  It was slow, slower than it had any right to be.
  
  "AAaaaah....!"
  
  Like an infant waking up and realizing, somewhere inside, that it's 4am and time to cry, her brain finally caught up to the response her body demanded.
  
  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
  
  There was no time to think. Below her things were becoming a cacophony. She was a faint orange off the corner of her eye and felt a faint bit of heat from the same direction. Elsewhere people were grabbing onto the local plantlife, those thing purple towers could be described as that. Somewhere some guy disappear and next thing she knew a peacock was flying or just falling slower maybe. Honestly with how this place looked it might just be a local pigeon stand-in. Kona wished her bag would slow her doom but it seemed to only make it faster. She pulled on the strap and held it to her chest in a stupid, desperate, panicked hope that it would somehow cushion her. It took her only a moment to realize she felt more like she was holding a plushie. Honestly, she would have loved if at least she was going to die holding something soft, cuddly and comfy beyond belief, a brief moment to relax before the end. The only thing she would have loved more than that was if her bag was some kind of parachute.
  
  Suddenly, she knew what to do. She didn't know how she knew, nor why, nor again how, but she knew what. She was still holding onto her back but her arms were pressing for a different reason, her hands bent inward since this feeling was like squeezing her orange, except the orange was inside her feelings, and she had to pull the juice out with pressure in the joints and raw willpower. She felt herself growing lighter as lights lit up around the edges of her skin, pouring from the pores and weaving sort a wave of webbed glow. It poured out of her skin, her ears, her mouth and was cried out from the edge of her eyes, but she squeezed and about half a dozen TV adverts flashed through her mind of people with more confidence than sense throwing themselves out of helicopters to a situation much like hers, then pulling on something to make a sheet emerge from a backpack. Well, Kona had two bags now, and though she didn't know enough to replicate the whole idea, the glowing see-through backpack still opened wide and out came the large sheet, making Kona bounce once at the first impact of the current against it.
  
  "AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"
  
  Although she was a little safer, she was still falling pretty fast., her heart was still beating a million times a minute, she was still screaming. Come to think of it, people usually opened parachutes way higher than she did. Her half-open eyes closed, and as she approached the ground she was only wishing for some kind of safety. Her comfort. She wanted to open her eyes and be sweating in bed after a bad nightmare. About a fourth of that was granted, as she felt herself lighter again, and rather then clashing around a rough ground with tickling grass, she felt a soft, adaptable feeling cuddling her into an embrace. She opened her eyes, a large see-through mattress having spared her the remainder of the fall that the late parachute couldn't. Of course it still hurt, but she was largely unharmed.
  
  Kona needed a moment to look around and process it all before she sighed in relief. The parachute vanished into thin air as if it had never existed and Kona laid on her back, closing her eyes, feeling herself still trembling but barely able to move, unsure if from fear, relief or pure exhaustion. Her stomach growled. Was she nervous? No this sound was bigger than usual. She really felt tired. God she felt SO tired.
  
  Slowly, begrudgingly, she rolled to the side the seemingly magical mattress she apparently had made herself. She could faintly hear that peacock yapping about its bird problems.
  
  "Hello! Anyone? You all ok? Where are we?" She yelled out addressed to whomever happened to be in a state and proximity to hear her, her voice muffled by the mattress. For some kind of materialized make-believe, it was surprisingly realistic and well-put together, see-throughness aside. Kona knew her mattress really well. She missed it already, especially given that feeling that she might never get to just melt into it again.
  
  

  

  
  

  Artist Credit: ねく | neku on Pixiv​
• Artist Credit: ねく | neku on Pixiv

  
  It was like someone pulled the bath plug from the air right in front of her, and it started bending and pulling all of reality into a swirl, just not bringing Kona along. Her vision faded gradually into a black, and in this darkness she felt her face get blasted with the strongest fan she'd faced all of last summer. Way worse than that in fact. But what she felt was not as bad as what she saw right after.
  
  Purple and pink, as if her sister's carpet was covering the surface of the planet but before she returning from the party and hued it a touch of yellowish brown. The bigger problem of course was that she could even see that far a horizon to begin with, and at what angle. The horizon wasn't just all around her, but all below her as well, along with a jolly group of fellow questionably involuntary skydivers.
  
  Hm?
  
  Hmmm?
  
  Kona didn't even scream at first. Her eyes were only half-open, trying to adjust to the wind of her acceleration as if adjusting to a sudden flashlight from a midnight snacker. Unlike some people, this one had had the decency to ask first, though the feeling was rapidly creeping onto Kona that she had grossly misunderstood the details of this assignment. What's more there was this almost...daze or nausea kind of sense dancing in her head just a little too shy to spread. That was a small blessing at least. For a moment, Kona almost thought she saw some kind of glowy stuff on her fingers! Imagine that!
  
  "Wha-" She tried to yell, only for a moment. The sudden spike in airflow wasn't good for her throat nor her general state. If not for the stream of wind, she'd probably be coughing, but instead she was tumbling down the sky and rolling in place, her bag only adding to her momentum and pulling her in whatever direction showed least resistance to it.
  
  "Ah..."
  
  It was slow, slower than it had any right to be.
  
  "AAaaaah....!"
  
  Like an infant waking up and realizing, somewhere inside, that it's 4am and time to cry, her brain finally caught up to the response her body demanded.
  
  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
  
  There was no time to think. Below her things were becoming a cacophony. She was a faint orange off the corner of her eye and felt a faint bit of heat from the same direction. Elsewhere people were grabbing onto the local plantlife, those thing purple towers could be described as that. Somewhere some guy disappear and next thing she knew a peacock was flying or just falling slower maybe. Honestly with how this place looked it might just be a local pigeon stand-in. Kona wished her bag would slow her doom but it seemed to only make it faster. She pulled on the strap and held it to her chest in a stupid, desperate, panicked hope that it would somehow cushion her. It took her only a moment to realize she felt more like she was holding a plushie. Honestly, she would have loved if at least she was going to die holding something soft, cuddly and comfy beyond belief, a brief moment to relax before the end. The only thing she would have loved more than that was if her bag was some kind of parachute.
  
  Suddenly, she knew what to do. She didn't know how she knew, nor why, nor again how, but she knew what. She was still holding onto her back but her arms were pressing for a different reason, her hands bent inward since this feeling was like squeezing her orange, except the orange was inside her feelings, and she had to pull the juice out with pressure in the joints and raw willpower. She felt herself growing lighter as lights lit up around the edges of her skin, pouring from the pores and weaving sort a wave of webbed glow. It poured out of her skin, her ears, her mouth and was cried out from the edge of her eyes, but she squeezed and about half a dozen TV adverts flashed through her mind of people with more confidence than sense throwing themselves out of helicopters to a situation much like hers, then pulling on something to make a sheet emerge from a backpack. Well, Kona had two bags now, and though she didn't know enough to replicate the whole idea, the glowing see-through backpack still opened wide and out came the large sheet, making Kona bounce once at the first impact of the current against it.
  
  "AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"
  
  Although she was a little safer, she was still falling pretty fast., her heart was still beating a million times a minute, she was still screaming. Come to think of it, people usually opened parachutes way higher than she did. Her half-open eyes closed, and as she approached the ground she was only wishing for some kind of safety. Her comfort. She wanted to open her eyes and be sweating in bed after a bad nightmare. About a fourth of that was granted, as she felt herself lighter again, and rather then clashing around a rough ground with tickling grass, she felt a soft, adaptable feeling cuddling her into an embrace. She opened her eyes, a large see-through mattress having spared her the remainder of the fall that the late parachute couldn't. Of course it still hurt, but she was largely unharmed.
  
  Kona needed a moment to look around and process it all before she sighed in relief. The parachute vanished into thin air as if it had never existed and Kona laid on her back, closing her eyes, feeling herself still trembling but barely able to move, unsure if from fear, relief or pure exhaustion. Her stomach growled. Was she nervous? No this sound was bigger than usual. She really felt tired. God she felt SO tired.
  
  Slowly, begrudgingly, she rolled to the side the seemingly magical mattress she apparently had made herself. She could faintly hear that peacock yapping about its bird problems.
  
  "Hello! Anyone? You all ok? Where are we?" She yelled out addressed to whomever happened to be in a state and proximity to hear her, her voice muffled by the mattress. For some kind of materialized make-believe, it was surprisingly realistic and well-put together, see-throughness aside. Kona knew her mattress really well. She missed it already, especially given that feeling that she might never get to just melt into it again.
  

Interactions: N/A
Mentions: Mina ( Nellancholy ) Will ( Gaius Danius Griinia ) CoCo ( BuggaBoo ) Sora ( Shoya )
May Also Want to Read: strawberryspiral

 

[Coryen2]

As he pressed 'Yes', Randal felt the world around him begin to stretch and strain. Turning his head to watch, his own body movements seemed sluggish. Time seemed to stand still as reality unwound around him, ripping and tearing away at impossible seams. It felt like he was being detached from the world. Like some sort of primordial glue that held him firmly in reality was being dissolved only for himself to be left adrift as reality continued to drift on without even noticing his absence.

The pain was unbearable. His mind cried out in a thousand disjointed thoughts as he tried to understand what was happening, but it was all to much. It was eternity. It was limitless. It was division by zero. It was too much. Just before he completely lost it, his mind found its defense. Stop trying to understand it. Stop analyzing. Stop hurting. Stop.

He stayed like that for a millennia. Or perhaps only a fraction of a second. The difference between the two was so vast that they appeared identical. A blip of eternity witnessed by a being incapable of perceiving the truth. And then a new tendril of reality found him. Drew him in.

A platform in the nothing. A place outside the outside. A window appeared in front of him again, but before he could read it, the tendril of reality snapped him away with a force so breathtaking it felt like he was free falling. No. Not like. He was freefalling.

Opening eyes that he had not even realized he had closed, Randal found himself staring up at an alien sky. Light diffused into purples instead of blues, and a massive moon that had glowing lights shining out from it. It was almost as if the moon itself was the planet and he was not falling down, but falling up and away. Turning his gaze towards the direction he was falling, he spread his arms and legs out. At first, his balance was off, but after spiraling a few times he found the correct position.

Far below, the purple hues approached. The sight was spectacular. At this moment, his mind snapped back into action. Danger! it screamed.

Below, he could see other people falling much as he was, some with incredible grace, some less so. Even as his mind screamed in panic, he found himself relaxing. It had always been like this. Tense when things went well, calm in times of distress. His younger sister called him broken, but it was part of how he had ended up pursuing his EMS training. It was in times like this that he could finally think.

Tired of waiting? Why would such a message appear if saying yes only lead one to wait for death? This was no instantaneous process. Perhaps it was not just a question, but a call to act. Glancing about, he watched as the others must have made a similar decision. A gout of flames, a scream of panic, a burst of light. Time stood still as his thoughts swirled with adrenalin. This feeling was intoxicating, but he couldn't let his enjoyment of the moment hold him in place. Reaching out a hand, he grabbed onto an invisible thread and pulled.

Instantly, he was back to the void, but this time he could feel his destination. A spot on the ground at the base of a tree. Orienting himself, he finished the transportation of his body. Standing on two legs, he momentarily wondered why he didn't collide with the force he must have been exerting when he fell. Clearly, his momentum had fully stopped. But where had that energy gone? Clearly, those were questions for another time. People were falling, bouncing off of trees. Clearly they would all need some form of first aid.

Looking up, he saw one such individual hanging from a tree. By her muscular form and relaxed form, she did not appear to be at current risk of falling, but it didn't look like she had an easy path down, either. Slipping through the void once more, he appeared sitting on a nearby branch.

"Need a hand?"

 

[Nellancholy]

"Ungh..." Sprawled in a posture that some might describe as "reclining", Mina almost didn't want to get up. Things were getting weirder and weirder, and the downy, "grassy" surface of the strange planet was rather comfortable. For a long time now she had chosen to sleep on many problems in her life, and she figured she could do with a good rest after leaving her house to do that...wretched errand. In any event, she was positive that she and the people surrounding her were not at all dead, but they were in a strange place and a stranger position indeed. Someone...somehow, would figure it out. Not her, but someone.

As she sunk deeper into the grass, a chime that came from her phone jolted her awake. Sitting up, Mina tapped on the screen, switching back to Horse Girls! That's right, she'd set Mikki Brilliante to training, and the results were-

Connection lost. Please check your network settings and try again.

"Fuck."

With that, Mina swung her legs and stood to her feet with some effort. Blinking, she took in the sights around her, her blurry eyes focusing and finally taking in the sights of her new travel companions. Her eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the one person she recognized.

"Hey kid!" She called out to the girl who lived in the same building, raising her arm slightly. "Over here!" What was her name again? Konata...Kita...something like that. "It's good to see ya." And it really was. She wouldn't have gone out of her way to greet her in an ordinary day, but in this situation, anything familiar was very, very welcome. "Just as confused as I am, huh? Let's look for a way out of...wherever this is."

As she spoke, she ended up inhaling deeply again. "Ah-ah-ah...choo!" This time, no fire came out. However, it didn't change the strange feeling in her throat, either. She'd been speaking an octave or so lower, her throat bearing that clogged, slimy feeling of phlegm. Was this something she'd have to deal with from now on...?

"Ah-and you, bird boy." If they ended up falling again, it'd help to have someone who could apparently sprout wings. "No idea where we are. Unless one of those people over there gets an idea all of a sudden. How about we get started looking for a way out?"

Shoya Idea

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Will was at least happy to see that some of the other people gathered at the DMV had chosen to undertake this trip to another world. He could see they too had developed these strange otherworldly abilities. However Will was a bit miffed that theirs seemed way cooler than his. One of them turned into a bird and another seemed to be able to create some kind of energy constructs. His on the other hand seemed mainly to involve bone spikes coming out of his arms. He wasn't quite sure HOW he knew it was BOTH arms considering he only used it on one but the idea of both arms just seemed to feel right in his head. Now was the important part, whether to join the group or try going it alone while he was here. Will highly doubted the others were gung ho about staying here considering a good chunk of Isekai had a heavy bias on wanting to go back to the old world. It was also far more likely that they could slow him down.

Will decided it was best to at least try forming small alliances where he could. Wandering over to the tired looking woman in her laundry day clothes, the white haired girl and the peacock guy. The mildly knowledgeable writer made his presence known to the trio. "The three of you seem no worse for wear. Given that you all seem a bit panicked. I can only guess you didn't take the prompt that appeared all that serious. Names Will, a novelist by trade. Feathers over there is a pretty good indication that what we're dealing with it WAY out of the ordinary. Its best of at least a few of us stick together. If we've been given abilities with combat potential. We can interpret that as a sign this place might not be so welcoming" said a rather clear headed Will. Honestly he knew he should have had at least SOME doubts about the situation. Yet his mind felt far calmer than it had been in ages. It wouldn't behoove him to make the best of a strange situation and possibly benefit from it in the process.

Nellancholy Idea Shoya

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

CoCo - The Wheel Woman

​

Using her power and meeting the others for the first time...

Clink. Scritch. Fwoosh.

Oh but the sound and feeling of one-hand igniting her zippo.

In the midst of the hush after all had touched down, she took a drag offa her cigarette. Dark lashes descended slowly bringing her to calming black as she savoured her inhale; the sound and smell of her smouldering cigarette was a welcome focal point. A hearbeat longer she held her eyes closed, saying a small prayer of thanks for being allowed to continue living.

Suddenly she felt that internal shift again. Viceral. Primal. But no, it was not coming from her own insides-- electric skeletal fingers played down her spine inducing a full on literal cringe.

"Need a hand?"

There was a man sitting on one of the frilly fronds like some kinda goofy Cheshire cat minus the signature grin. CoCo blinked twice and immediately two things hit her; 1) mild annoyance that she had been snuck up upon. 2) utter annoyance which escalated quickly into irrationale rage.

Both gloved hands balled into tight fists. Jaw clenched tight as her pulse increased. An inadvertant flex of her chest bouncing up and down 1 boob then the other. And finally a lowered chin, accented with blazing blue icy daggers from her eyes. "You think... I need your help..."

The absolute audacity of this fool. Imagine that; he thinking she some kinda loser weakling damsel-in-distress.... To doubt her force as a physical specimen could only be meted out in kind with a full on display of physical force. CoCo had no idea how he got up here but her size 12 boot would make damned sure he knew just how the hell got down from here.

But the moment she took a step toward him was the same moment she remembered the feeling she got when he arrived. There was something about him too, deny as she might, she had felt it. Something internal. Visceral. Primal. A long drawn out scoffing sigh she let out. Tan face lost its scowl as both hands relented their fists and rested back down by her side. An internal eyeroll she gave herself. Yeah, yeah I know, I know... 'second chances', 'pay it forward' and alla that... un-freakin-believable...

A single deep breath finally cleared her face, body and especially iced blue gaze of all irrationale rage. And actually a smirk lilted up at the corner of her mouth now, "Bruh, you give me the chills. And sooooo not in a good way. Hahahahah! But eyo, listen; I don't need your help... I need you to stay calm when you see why. You can call me 'Bunny'... cuz watch this!"

With cigarette tucked in the corner of her mouth now, CoCo took a step to her left and dead dropped down to the ground. She plummeted with hands above her head then at the last moment she reached out and caught the next bark-like 'scale' of the giant flowering, towering fern thingie. A small grunt she gave out as big inked up arms flexed and swung herself like a pendulum to the next scale below with the bigger over hang. From there she leapt down from one purplish bark-like overhang one until the next. Like a bunny.

Suddenly the giant towering, flowering fern like thing began to shiver slightly. A heartbeat later it shook wildly like a readout with a needle in the red. The bunny yelped. The bunny fell. The bunny landed flat on its back.

CoCo lay there a heartbeat longer, breathing heavily. A few blinks later, she groaned after realizing that the fern-thingie had shook because it sprouted a new flower head mid jump. A sharp grunt she spat out when she tried to get up and instanly laid back down flat. The big woman had fallen over 15ft onto the hard packed soil. She hadn't broken anything but she would be definitely bruised, battered and bitching about the soreness and pain for days. Maybe weeks. The bitching would be even worse once she spied the big welt on her cheek. It was red right now but it would spread and take on a shiny full on dark violet in short measure.

"Ungh... ouch. Un-freakin' believable... I get a second chance to only end up like this... "

No. No, she got a second chance to end up like this; different.

There was that feeling again of internal change. Visceral. Primal. She couldn't help but reach out for it now. In a small prayer made from the hopes of a little girl filled with faith that yes, everything was gunna be fine, There she found it. It was like a warmth tickling at her fingers and toes. Then it reached back up towards several spots of her body, vibrating melodically before releasing all pent up pressure in those points. That warmth pulled from those points, coalescing together into a central calming circle within. Soon it began to thrum and rythmically spiral outward from deep inside her along every point in her body right back out to the tips of her fingers and toes. It was more than warmth now; it was an energy. Some call it Chi, a source from inside her heart of hearts, from the centre of her very core and she had tapped it.

The little hopeful girl inside her said it would be just fine... "...Just fiiiine..." and so the big girl outside her affirmed it.

Several deep breaths she took, steadying her pulse rate. A few heartbeats later, the welt on her cheek levelled off; what was once angry red, was now a dull pink barely a mar on her tan face. A heartbeat after that, all pain and achiness evapourated like a fading dream. As if nothing bad happened at all, and body looking as such, CoCo sprung back up to her feet and took a look around, rejuvenated and ready. After a couple of sniffs alerted her to that familiar smell of smoke, she glanced downward and reached. Just before she picked up her cigarette she froze on the spot, blue eyes popped wide. My lungs.... they feel... cleared?! Bruh... Second chances... There was a moment of tender emoting and reflecting. The moment ended and a big black boot crushed the cigarette dead.

A gloved hand tucked loose pink strands behind an ear as she composed herself. Looking up once more, the Wheel Woman spied the congregation of fallen folk down a ways. Recognizing the chica that had been caught in the fiery updraft, she got up on her tippy-toes and waved a gloved hand up high. Nellancholy Gaius Danius Griinia Shoya Idea

With a small grin parting cherry lips, she happily bounced up and down. Tan chin then tilted up to look for the dude that snuck up on her to see if he could possibly still be up there sitting on the frond after that seismic shake.

Coryen2 "Eyo! Dude...! DUDE! WutsYouFace!!" CoCo had no idea the name of the fella that gave her the bad chills--"Uhhh... 'Chills?' Yeah. Yo Chills! Bruh for real where you at? I'mma go meet up with that group of goofies. See if any of them need 'Bunny-super-powered-heal-ations!"

And so like a bunny she bounced on over towards the others. A pink-haired, 6'2", inked up and muscular bunny but still bouncy like one nonetheless.

​

---

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Phone Version

• Honestly, Kona would have loved nothing more than to just remain there lying down. Her arms were barely lifting without an exercise in willpower as if she was trying to do a push-up and giving up the moment she was reminded of gravity. Her body twitched ineffectually for a few moments before Kona managed to half-crawl half-drag herself to the edge of the see-through mattress, lowering her body like toothpaste being slowly squeezed out of a tube. The feeling of the grains of dirt covering her fingers as they touched the ground, and the weak tickle of the grass made her shiver. It's not that she was particularly bothered by getting dirty, she got covered head to toe whenever she played with the kids by the park when she was asked to look after them. It was just the... otherworldliness of it all, and of her situation. She strained her chin up, glancing at a pond not too far away. There weren't any animals she could see near such a small pond, except these tiny, worm-like things swimming pushed by wings like those of a dragonfly. She could see a whole bunch of them swimming about in the pond, which was surrounded both by familiar-looking plants and these purple petals on plants that reminded her of anemones with a cotton-like texture, matched with their towering cousins some of the skydivers had taken advantage of. All that to say nothing of the sky. Compared to all that, a minor detail like the smoothed rocks you'd see in beaches or near rivers was easy to overlook.
  
  Kona's stomach growled once more, making her wonder how safe anything in place was to eat or drink. Still, there was little choice but to move on. Staying here was practically an invitation for some weird abstract animal to come eat her and sooner or later she would have to leave this barren place. Kona didn't imagine the rest of the people who came with her would be too keen on just staying in the middle of nowhere either... Even if it felt like this place was too bizarre to be called "the middle of nowhere".
  
  Even after making the effort to get up, her legs struggled to stay straight and she stumbled back into a fall a couple of times, though she couldn't be sure if it was because of the freefall or the sudden tiredness she felt. Like a character dying in a PG movie, the parachute bag turned into particles while Kona struggled to stay standing, vanishing as if blown by the wind. Then she heard a voice call out to her and turned to face the source.
  
  "Miss Mina! What are you doing her? No... I guess it's what are we doing here?" The question was mostly out of surprise than to seek an actual answer. Indeed, given what she said the woman was pretty much clueless too, but she was willing to persevere and find an answer, to which Kona nodded vehemently. "Yeah, let's! To be honest, it's reassuring having someone I know around hehehe...."
  
  Kona gave miss Mina a nervous chuckle. Although she wasn't much taller than the woman, even a slight look up still felt a little accusatory to her. Still, to think her neighbor had been caught up in this too. She frowned a bit. Her fingers were fiddling with each other by her waist, unable to stay still. What a tough couple months that lady was going through, and things didn't sound like they were about to get any easier. Besides- ACHOO! - her thoughts were blocked by a sudden sneeze. As if by instinct, Kona reached towards her bag, but stopped herself before opening it.
  
  "I'm sorry miss Mina, I don't think I brought any tissues with me." More nervous chuckling followed. Then she tilted her head, confused. "Bird boy?"
  
  Kona turned around to see a purple-haired boy. She could tell at a glance the boy's clothes were all the kind she recognized from brands whose stores her friends dragged her to, even though they all knew they couldn't hope to afford them unless they saved up together. What about him was a "bird boy" though? He had a bit of a bird face, sure, but not so much that someone like what little Kona knew of miss Mina would give him a nickname for. Could he be related to that out of the blue peacock that showed up? She didn't need the animal anywhere... Maybe he had the power to summon peacocks or animals, like how she was able to make those glowy objects?
  
  Oops. She had been staring a little too long. Kona raised a hand and waved at the boy even if he wasn't that far away to begin with by this point. A thought crossed her mind at miss Mina repeating her suggestion, but another voiced chimed in before she could.
  
  The way this Will person who just introduced himself talked was if he knew something the rest of them didn't. Why would anyone take a prompt like that seriously? It was weird and out of nowhere, but it looked pretty harmless and honestly most people there was in the best conditions to think anyway. And to think he was suggesting they would have to fight.... Kona glanced around. With the look of everything around this place, she didn't even want to think about what she might have to fight. Regardless, she needed to make her thoughts heard, so she stepped forward.
  
  "E-excuse me! Uhm, well, my my name is Kona Hanpuku, I'm a third year student at Saint John's and... uhm... I, what I'm about to say is probably stupid, so you can ignore it if you want, but, see, I don't know if there's an 'out' of here. Doesn't this place seem like, a whole different planet or something? There's a sky and a horizon, everything feels real, but the colors and the plants are all weird. O-of course if there's a way back I'd like to find it but, eh, I mean... I just think maybe we should find try to find a place with people, err, other people I mean, I guess." Her voice was almost swallowed by the end as her chin dove into her chest as to avert her eyes. Her hands hadn't stopped moving and playing with each other the whole time.
  
  A certain distance away, out the corner of Kona's eye, she noticed a woman with pink hair and very large earrings waving at them. An hmmm? Was there someone else there? She couldn't quite make them out, obscured by one of the weird plants. She waved back, only for her stomach to complain yet again.
  
  "... And I guess we should find supplies and stuff too hehe. Actually, I could try to find some place with pe- with other people. I could make a spyglass with my power. If that's ok with everyone, I guess. The thing is though, I think using it is making even hungrier... So I'm not sure if I'll be able to make anything else afterwards until I eat."
  
  

  

  
  

  Artist Credit: ねく | neku on Pixiv​
• Artist Credit: ねく | neku on Pixiv

  
  Honestly, Kona would have loved nothing more than to just remain there lying down. Her arms were barely lifting without an exercise in willpower as if she was trying to do a push-up and giving up the moment she was reminded of gravity. Her body twitched ineffectually for a few moments before Kona managed to half-crawl half-drag herself to the edge of the see-through mattress, lowering her body like toothpaste being slowly squeezed out of a tube. The feeling of the grains of dirt covering her fingers as they touched the ground, and the weak tickle of the grass made her shiver. It's not that she was particularly bothered by getting dirty, she got covered head to toe whenever she played with the kids by the park when she was asked to look after them. It was just the... otherworldliness of it all, and of her situation. She strained her chin up, glancing at a pond not too far away. There weren't any animals she could see near such a small pond, except these tiny, worm-like things swimming pushed by wings like those of a dragonfly. She could see a whole bunch of them swimming about in the pond, which was surrounded both by familiar-looking plants and these purple petals on plants that reminded her of anemones with a cotton-like texture, matched with their towering cousins some of the skydivers had taken advantage of. All that to say nothing of the sky. Compared to all that, a minor detail like the smoothed rocks you'd see in beaches or near rivers was easy to overlook.
  
  Kona's stomach growled once more, making her wonder how safe anything in place was to eat or drink. Still, there was little choice but to move on. Staying here was practically an invitation for some weird abstract animal to come eat her and sooner or later she would have to leave this barren place. Kona didn't imagine the rest of the people who came with her would be too keen on just staying in the middle of nowhere either... Even if it felt like this place was too bizarre to be called "the middle of nowhere".
  
  Even after making the effort to get up, her legs struggled to stay straight and she stumbled back into a fall a couple of times, though she couldn't be sure if it was because of the freefall or the sudden tiredness she felt. Like a character dying in a PG movie, the parachute bag turned into particles while Kona struggled to stay standing, vanishing as if blown by the wind. Then she heard a voice call out to her and turned to face the source.
  
  "Miss Mina! What are you doing her? No... I guess it's what are we doing here?" The question was mostly out of surprise than to seek an actual answer. Indeed, given what she said the woman was pretty much clueless too, but she was willing to persevere and find an answer, to which Kona nodded vehemently. "Yeah, let's! To be honest, it's reassuring having someone I know around hehehe...."
  
  Kona gave miss Mina a nervous chuckle. Although she wasn't much taller than the woman, even a slight look up still felt a little accusatory to her. Still, to think her neighbor had been caught up in this too. She frowned a bit. Her fingers were fiddling with each other by her waist, unable to stay still. What a tough couple months that lady was going through, and things didn't sound like they were about to get any easier. Besides- ACHOO! - her thoughts were blocked by a sudden sneeze. As if by instinct, Kona reached towards her bag, but stopped herself before opening it.
  
  "I'm sorry miss Mina, I don't think I brought any tissues with me." More nervous chuckling followed. Then she tilted her head, confused. "Bird boy?"
  
  Kona turned around to see a purple-haired boy. She could tell at a glance the boy's clothes were all the kind she recognized from brands whose stores her friends dragged her to, even though they all knew they couldn't hope to afford them unless they saved up together. What about him was a "bird boy" though? He had a bit of a bird face, sure, but not so much that someone like what little Kona knew of miss Mina would give him a nickname for. Could he be related to that out of the blue peacock that showed up? She didn't need the animal anywhere... Maybe he had the power to summon peacocks or animals, like how she was able to make those glowy objects?
  
  Oops. She had been staring a little too long. Kona raised a hand and waved at the boy even if he wasn't that far away to begin with by this point. A thought crossed her mind at miss Mina repeating her suggestion, but another voiced chimed in before she could.
  
  The way this Will person who just introduced himself talked was if he knew something the rest of them didn't. Why would anyone take a prompt like that seriously? It was weird and out of nowhere, but it looked pretty harmless and honestly most people there was in the best conditions to think anyway. And to think he was suggesting they would have to fight.... Kona glanced around. With the look of everything around this place, she didn't even want to think about what she might have to fight. Regardless, she needed to make her thoughts heard, so she stepped forward.
  
  "E-excuse me! Uhm, well, my my name is Kona Hanpuku, I'm a third year student at Saint John's and... uhm... I, what I'm about to say is probably stupid, so you can ignore it if you want, but, see, I don't know if there's an 'out' of here. Doesn't this place seem like, a whole different planet or something? There's a sky and a horizon, everything feels real, but the colors and the plants are all weird. O-of course if there's a way back I'd like to find it but, eh, I mean... I just think maybe we should find try to find a place with people, err, other people I mean, I guess." Her voice was almost swallowed by the end as her chin dove into her chest as to avert her eyes. Her hands hadn't stopped moving and playing with each other the whole time.
  
  A certain distance away, out the corner of Kona's eye, she noticed a woman with pink hair and very large earrings waving at them. An hmmm? Was there someone else there? She couldn't quite make them out, obscured by one of the weird plants. She waved back, only for her stomach to complain yet again.
  
  "... And I guess we should find supplies and stuff too hehe. Actually, I could try to find some place with pe- with other people. I could make a spyglass with my power. If that's ok with everyone, I guess. The thing is though, I think using it is making even hungrier... So I'm not sure if I'll be able to make anything else afterwards until I eat."
  

Interactions: Mina ( Nellancholy ) Will ( Gaius Danius Griinia ) CoCo ( BuggaBoo ) Sora ( Shoya )
Mentions: Randal ( Coryen2 )
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