castaside | [Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

No portrait. At least not the same kind.

As you look around and the warn fuzzy feelings continue, you find a doodle of Macaque on the ceiling. As you notice it, it winks and motions for you to follow. Then it proceeds across the ceiling and vanishes into the wall. No heat this time, at least.

MK looked up and watched the doodle move through the wall. Oh.

"Your art skills are amazing!" MK said and pointed to where the doodle disappeared to.

"Doogleque went through there. Check and see if it moves?"

Red Son will move to where MK was pointing to see if there's a loose brick or something like that.

"Perhaps we need to draw something ourselves?"

No loose bricks in the wall. The ceiling tiles do come loose if you want to go up and over. Or you could try the drawing thing.

"I'll draw something. Check the ceiling again. That worked last time," MK got working to draw a Macaque doodle. One like he did in the game. Macaque flexing his arm, looking all cool, and sparkling. Then he'll put it on the wall once he finished.

"Okay," Red Son said. No reason to not do clever AND cute. So he'll work on making a space through those ceiling tiles.

The ceiling tiles are easily removed, no memories up there per se... unless you happen to touch the doodle of Macaque itself, which peeks out to see if you're following.

The drawing on the wall makes the wall shudder and open just a foot. You can squeeze through if you turn to the side.

"Alright! Let's do this," Mk turned to the side and squeezed by the wall. "Come on, Red Son! Doodleque has something to show us!"

Edited 2024-03-14 04:24 (UTC)

"I'm coming," he said and he'll turn into a butterfly to move through the ceiling gap to follow Doodleque.

....maybe touch him.

Depends how close he's allowed.

Once you're through the wall Doodleque will lower himself down to your level to encourage you onward. It's far darker in this area, but for the band of light coming through the gap between walls.

Touching the doodle give you the impression of trying new things, wanting desperately to succeed at them, wondering if your efforts will be worth it. You know that others are depending on you and you need to make sure you do well. It's pressure, but it's exhilarating.

Is it possible to take Doodleque with you? Hmm.

Other than that, you find a dark corridor that leads around some beds.

MK reached out for a fist bump with Doodleque and smiled. He felt the emotions and chuckled. That was cute. He held out a piece of blank paper next to Doodleque.

"Wanna come with us, you cute guy? Let's like you to come along," MK asked. He looked forward and saw the beds down the corridor.

"Huh. Is this a place to rest or is there more to it?" MK asked.

"So there is fear, but there is also hope and anticipation," Red Son said after he changes back from a butterfly. "The excitement is very cute. I can understand it. Its scary when you start something new, but when you figure out how to do something? It really is exhilarating," he said.

He'll snap his fingers, making a fire in his hand to see if he can help light up thing.

Doodleque motions them onward down the hall, bounding around cutely. The fire lights the corridor quite well and also makes fun little shadows which Doodleque makes shadow puppets in. From what you can tell he's just doing random things: a heron, a bear, a tea kettle, a huge ship with three masts. The feeling back here is much less oppressive than the rest of the maze.

"Ooooooh. Look at how cute those all are. The heron and the bear are having tea before they set sail!" MK said and just looked at them with big shining eyes. "So cuuuute!" MK giggled and moved toward the beds. He checked around and under them for any memories first.

"Pretty sure this is a rest area. We can take a break here. Let Doodleque do a great shadow play puppet show for us then keep moving. Love built in rest stops! Macaque you really did thing of everything!"

Red Son snorted at MK's description. "It is very cute," he said. Both Macaque and MK. He moved over to the beds to look above and below them, sit on them and see if there's any feeling.

"He did. He was very careful and thorough. He really did a good job to try and keep us as safe as he could. And he's even spoiling us with his wonderful shadow plays," he said.

The beds are soft and comfortable, perfect for a rest. There are two of them but they're large enough for more than one person. There is also a mini-fridge. One of the beds has a void under it, so perhaps fix that before testing the mattress. Other than that, it appears to be somewhere to take a break.

Doodleque mimes some bashfulness about the compliments and then creates an elaborate shadow scene of the two of them trudging through the maze with Macaque's shadow following them, observing, looking touched.

A void under the bed. Alright. They needed a memory in there. MK had an idea but first!

"Minifridge!" MK ran over to it and opened the door. Time to check everything inside. Was there a memory in the fridge?

No memories, just feelings (which you can also toss in the voids, you can toss anything in.)

Inside the fridge there are a variety of snacks and cold drinks. Everything from sweet chocolate snacks to very spicy snacks, since Macaque didn't know who would find this space. Touching the food or drinks gives you a sense of peace and comfort, though you know it's temporary. You know it can't last. So there is a looming dread even in the comfort.

Eating/drinking these things will make that sense stronger. You feel like snuggling up with your love while also knowing they'll be gone in short order and you'll be missing them. It's sweet and it's painful.

Why was everything in this fridge so bittersweet feeling! He grabbed some of the spicy snacks and some chocolate ones. He didn't want cherry for once. He had those on tap. He moved and looked under the bed again. He had an idea.

"So...would the anchor be good to put in here? It's hopeful and might help this place. Everything here is so...afraid everything is temporary. Maybe having something to counter it would help." MK brainstormed.

A beat.

"You know I'm thinking of becoming immortal and if I do that whole temporary thing is a lot less likely, right Macaque?" He looked over at the Doodgleque with a smile. Hoping that idea might be comforting, even a little bit.

Doodleque looks surprised, then makes a wide motion with his arms and there's a shower of confetti! Yay for MK being around forever!

But then the confetti settles and Doodleque looks pensive, a bit sad. He looks this way and that way, up and down. He doesn't see anyone else. There's a shadow play of MK and Red Son leaving the bed area and then Doodleque looks sad. He'll be lonely back here when you go.

"Just come with us," MK said as he walked over and held out a piece of paper against the wall.

"Can you get on this? We can take you with."

A blink of surprise! Doodleque approaches the paper. He looks at it. He tries to step onto it but hesitates. Then he takes a running start, jumps, and--

Doodleque looks a bit dizzy for a second, but he is on the paper! He looks around, then grins at MK and gives him a thumbs up. You have acquired one (1) sentient doodle.

"And I ain't done yet!" MK grinned. He started to draw a little more on the page. He drew a car seat with a seat belt, safety is important. A couch. And a bowl full of mangos.

"There. Now you got your own little rest area on the page too."

Ahhh! Doodleque looks around all excited and little hearts float out of his head, as is appropriate for a cartoon.

He takes a mango and flops down on the couch to eat it, giving MK a big smile. Happy Doodleque is happy.

"The anchor would be a bad idea here," Red Son said. "These voids are part of the room's structure. The walls." At least he's pretty sure that's how it works. "If you put the anchor in here, these contradictory feelings will always be tied to the anchor's feelings, and this is like....this is the want for things to be better, but also afraid that it might not work out. Anticipation and uncertainty."

But good at Doodleque. "And of course you're welcome to follow when we leave the bed. Or drag us back. You're quite good at that," he said with a chuckle.

Edited 2024-03-14 18:03 (UTC)

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