Abyssal Echoes

Laughing Jack:

Ah... you have thus arrived, here, to this abode where breath is not possible, and yet somehow life happens... such a strange phenomenon, is it not, when one suffocates, but is still alive just before finally descending to the abyss of nothingness? Such a curious existence...

Why... did you reckon this was merely some world imbued with fantasy, where only happiness is found? Where negativity can be safely compartmentalized, and only pure joy bubbles to the surface? Oh, there are bubbles, appropriately, but not exactly of the type you would expect...

You see, these are, effectively, worlds separate from one another, so from that vantage point alone... it is, I suppose, similar to how a mind abstracts elements... ultimately, though, could they ever become wholly distinct from reality? Fantasy taking flight... forever....?

I suppose, wishful thinking... even differing geometry adheres to similitudes... so, while being under this type of water might not immediately suffocate, somehow, it still has a physics of its own, and not merely random chaos... or there would be no cohesive world.

Oh... you are wondering who I am now, are you? Well, I am merely... here, present in this world, to observe, to comment on... would I, in some possible circumstances, be at all useful? Perhaps... or not. All in the eye of the beholder. Is this world worth exploring?

Possibly? Hard to tell... one would think, it has already been before, and being is not quite out of one's volition, yes? Then again... life is not either, is it? Such a sordid state of affairs... but, at least, one would think, at least there is something... so far...

The Demogorgon:

Oh... you would think I would snatch, and devour you, do you? As that is what you have been accustomed to... in legends, repeated tales, identical motifs... but it is only to give form to fear, and while the external might match reality, at times... does not always...

We could certainly have a conversation, which is far less that can be said about some others... that do not even look monstrous, for why would that need to be a prerequisite? It just is not... and while in a certain reality gravity means being unable to fly would make one fall...

There really is no equivalent when it comes to what the psyche expects, so-called archetypes... might not really exist, except in the imagination, of course... but, you tell me, you can still live so far, even if your mind tells you that being underneath all this water just means...

In any other realm, at least, certain annihilation... unless one is a fish, needless to say... I do not suppose you are? Well, you might be, one never knows for sure... either way, existence is so strange, is it not? Random evolutions to end up... not much anywhere, really...

Which makes it sort of disappointing... one would hope there is an end game, but besides nothingness, the raw extract of non-existence, is there anything? That seems to be the actual curiosity, here, not whether you expect me to act in some way based on your preconceived ideas...

At any rate... I seem to be rambling now, but at least you must be ascertained that I would not devour you, even if some physical parallel might indulge, occasionally... what is this world about, anyway? Do you have time to explore it, or will you soon become nothing...?

Skeleton:

I... whatever am I doing here, under all this water...? I was conversing, not long ago... suddenly, here? Makes little sense... How even am I able to survive all this water...? This is so confusing... I mean, could it be I am not...? Then, if so, how can I think this...? Ah, logic...

I wonder why... things... seem to happen so quickly... in this existence... I mean, it is not like I have not seen it before... done to others... taken out like they were nothing but flickering flames... why did life ever come into being? Just to tease? Just to cause pain?

Just an instant... and, suddenly, one is... skeletal, recycling fodder for... the rest of life. The whole thing is so bizarre... would it not benefit everyone if they all just agreed to cease without further prolonging all the suffering? What is life but pain? Other sensations... just perceptions....

It is all so... humdrum... until it is no longer... as it happens. Kind of depressing, but then... was it ever but? I mean, even that which is, nominally, a source of pleasure... art, sensory experiences generally... all a distraction, is it not? Until the next painful moment...

Now, I seem to be here to merely contemplate my... previous existence? I am not sure about any of this... for all I know this could just be a dream, because whoever thought one could even survive underwater unless one has so evolved... and, now, like some blind, deep water creature...

I merely... am. Not that I was not so before... but this seems to be so much more so than usual... as if, all I can do is think... not so much feel, outside of pain in life, with anxiety the background radiation. Does any of it matter? Do my thoughts make any difference, whether here or not?

Raptor:

This... world... do you know what it is? I seem to be... fragmented, or some such... as if I were built with parts, and not have these luscious scales that only other lizards would dream of... oh, you are wondering who I might be, are you? Why, I am that which life fears...

Fear turned into life itself, am I... but, somehow, it does not seem like anyone around here even notices me... not quite the reception I was hoping for, or anything like what happened in the past... you are wondering about that now, are you? Ah, the past... when there was not one...

Two balls of flame, there were... and then, I think, I ended up here, afterwards... wonder why? Perhaps the ball was made out of... whatever these things are, here... I mean, squares... really? I guess for some reality is 'square', and perhaps made out of wood... and a puppet?

I... just... do not quite get where I am. I mean, it looks like water... but can it be when its apparent bubbles are square, too? Whoever heard of a square bubble?! I must be losing my touch to even be discussing this with... some random creature... but, then, I am befuddled, as it happens...

I also seem to be the... only such creature, here? Well, I have not, exactly, explored thoroughly, or such... in fact, I seem to have only sniffed every so often, because that makes so much sense underwater... unless it is not water, in which case I have cracked the logic... maybe...

Why is it, also, there seems to be something missing? A thing, like... a negative feeling of some sort... fear? I am the one that others fear, though... why should I fear at all? Not like the sun was coming down to crush me... and if this was water it would cool it off... or something...

Winter Monster:

Out there... deep within an unsettling abyss... lies all the anxiety, but not quite... for it utilizes quantum mechanics, you see, and can teleport itself back at any time... is that not fun? To have Damocles' sword above you... is that not the definition of life itself, harbinger of misery?

I suppose... I thought it was obvious... 'I', in this case, is intentionally comedic, for there is not much of one... when there is barely a soul hanging on the edge of a cliff, an insanity-inducing manifestation of pure, existential angst frozen in the depths of time... is what life is.

You might wonder... but one knew of all this, as I seem to do, does that not indicate that there is such a consciousness, after all? Of course, though, computers also store all this data... now, you tell me, what is the difference between here... and the bottomless pit down there?

If, indeed, it might be a shallow abyss... if it is but an illusory trick... could one not dissociate the inherent terror from what could be reality, or is limbo the everlasting necessity? For, you see, rationality is not just at play... logic is not the mere actor on this existential stage...

What, then, does one do to convince oneself that annihilation is not imminent? When there is such an obvious abyss full of all that seeps life until the last drop... eviscerates all vitality out of sensibility... after all, the inorganic far outnumbers life itself... even within the living...

Is the cool breeze not worth it while it lasts, though? Is one second of relative sanity not worth the rest of life spent in maudlin madness? Then, again, does that not seem to be the sole default within the engine, as it were, of existence? There seems to be no evidence of otherwise...

Robot swordfish:

I... was once elsewhere, some indistinct place with purple fog, but suddenly I find myself here... some others seem to think I fit in, since apparently I look like some creature who would be underwater here alongside them... but, I do not, quite... so, in this sense, I am outside my element...

Curiously, though, I do not seem to... malfunction, as of yet, at least, despite the expectation... still, I do not quite know where I happen to be... I keep going around the universe, and somehow I seem to not have imploded yet, or the inverse considering the external hostility...

Yes, I happen to be... a metallic container in the form of a fish, not an actual one... then again, perception is all at times, is it not? If a smaller cat seems not lethal, then without much thinking one would assume that a larger one, who acts almost identically, would also be relatively so...

Uh, anyway, not sure why I ended up talking about cats when we are in such a place... do not think they would even ever come here, although considering I saw some strange creatures earlier... not sure what is happening, here... is it even really water, or perhaps a simulation? Being robotic...

I am sort of aware how that is a possibility... mostly, though, I wondered due to various odd bits and pieces... I suppose, though, there are always inconsistencies in various realities, and whether it is a psychological fallacy on our behalf remains to be seen...

I do not suppose you have any theories of your own? No? You seem on the quiet side... well, might as well, lest those beings, above and below, devour you... alive. At least, their appearance gives off the impression that they might do that... but, who knows, these days...

Jellyfish:

Jell, I do... I guess. Down below, here... on the upside of what is downwards, my various fellows... I jell quite happily, wherever... still, what might here be? Over there, mighty creature from the depths... but mostly invests in visuals. Various we come, as fungi we function...

Transmit lights, and that vital function itself, we can... but mind not, perhaps. Know the mysteries of the deep, we might... but who knows? To terrify we do not do much, but to appear majestic... whatever shall life be, though? Is the depths of the ocean not merely a metaphor for subconsciousness?

Is that not a rational approach to all of this? Coming from all angles does life, here... all kinds of extremes, just as the mind itself attempts to cope in such... latitudes. Physically, only after millennia... be unable to exist, some do... life and its evolutions, though...

Is it truly not curious how varies life is... here, especially? How the spectrum of possibilities fills out... as much as possible, from the edges of a mind's manifestations. Do you reckon it is merely a coincidence? Life varies above ground, but a sloth... such a symbol of relaxation...

Here, though... life proliferates however it can, somehow... why does it, though? Why does life not give up, considering the uselessness, and melancholy inherent in organic beings to start with? Why, of all states, would one live in extreme conditions? Where impossibility is the norm?

Not like, of course, it does succeed absolutely everywhere... but it really does try to fit in the very edges, as if to paint the entirety of a picture, as if the obsession is on just staying alive... regardless of any actual positives... is that not, at least, irrational?

Creepy Fish Monster:

Why... are you here? In my domain? The abode where I dare to terrify... a physical symbol of imagination's potentialities inherent in actual life. You are here, though... so, apparently, easily... how? I dwelt in this abyss for... centuries, perhaps...

Only little competition, and even then, I merely went to greater depths... because why would life not do so if it can? Why would life not so insane if there even is a slight possibility that a fraction of itself remains sane, and so could revive the whole later on if possible?

Why... do you not reckon this is how life usually functions? Perhaps for those who can merely cruise along... luck's happenstance, randomness' draw... would, possibly, not necessitate such... psychological singularity. Why would I not fulfil a nightmare's dream, though, if live can I?

Why would I not? Should I not? I suppose, one might think it foolish to persist in such absolute darkness... but one can get used to the shadows... everlasting corners of a torturous psyche... why would one not? Is that not a trait evolved after millions of years? Surely, then, ingrained...

Why would one not desire to live at any costs, regardless of the depths of an inhospitable abyss? Regardless of upended existences; why, you think an absolute nothingness would actually be better than a slight more life? Irrational one might become, but is being a mental manifestation not... worthwhile?

I suppose... ultimately, I might have missed the forest for the trees, but that might be due to the fact there are none where I usually exist... in the frozen depths of misery's vitality, an edge from death, and yet... skating away for aeons, unabated... like time's forever wind...

Toaster:

Oh, I am, finally, in... water? Not even sure if it is, mind you... for if it was... would everyone not be electrocuted? Could it be, perhaps, I am not plugged in? Not sure about that, personally... I do not seem to ever be, whether literally, or metaphorically... are you? Is anyone?

Of course, sometimes it is better not to be... or electricity would flow, but ideally only when appropriate. Why is it, at any rate, I happen to be the device that seems to be the archetype of... well, you know what... seems unfair when there are a potentially infinite number of other devices too...

Then, again, it is only a natural thought, is it not? To wonder about something, regardless of any eventual action, or outcome... of course, not really the easiest, if I was to say so myself... but, anyway, how am I supposed to operate underwater, at all? This creature, being...

This strange face keeps coming out of me, for some reason... how is it even possible when we are in an environment which typically prohibits my operation? Perhaps, though, that might be why the face seems relatively happy... naturally. For some reason, of course, they fall back inside...

How did I end up here, anyway...? Was I not supposed to exist in some solid, dry land? Not among... some howling creature, a strange lizard of some sort, a weird skeleton... I do not quite get the purpose of this place, to be honest... do you? Does anyone? What is the point of all these talking heads?

It is, as if, they all pop up out of nowhere, say whatever they seem to need, or want to say, then... what is it that is supposed to happen? Anything... organic, at all? Of course, being a device I cannot, quite, speak about organic affairs, but as a reference point, surely, I can... just once?

Snowman:

Oh... you are wondering why I seem to be here, are you? As in... not quite in the best kind of environment... I have always preferred the cold, snowy types, but sometimes one just ends up underwater... do they not? Others here seem to have done so, too... how am I even able to be sustained, though?

It is so strange... as if physics itself is defied, but that is not quite what I worry myself about lately... oh, are you pondering what that might be? Well, you see... keeping vertical reality stable, what else? I have no evidence to convince you of this, if that was what you desired...

You see, though... if I stop pushing, here... everything will just collapse in on itself, and everyone is crushed... I am, thus, I suppose, sort of like a snowed-in, slightly heavier Atlas of verticality... or, at least, if a myth was ever to be created, I could be... as of now, though...

Well... why would I not just push... and, yes, I know you must be thinking... "why would you be Atlas when Sisyphus was already doing vertical?!" Well, of course... boulders actually move, whereas I am, verily, keeping the... vertical axis stable, I shall inform you! Well, perhaps, anyway...

Regardless of any of that, at any rate... how has your day been? Succeeded at extracting any oxygen from deep within all this hydrogen? No? That is swell... wait, how are we even able to live... if not? Are we some kind of new type of life that is distinct from fish, and yet functionally similar...?

Perhaps, though, we might also be... subsisting on raw will? Oh, no way... just kidding. Nah, this is clearly some sort of underworld, and we are barely surviving somehow, but still on the verge of suffocating absolutely at any point in time... and reality, at times, is undeniable, regardless of fantasy...

Biff the Yeti:

I... happen to be here, but where I really come from is... a frigid frontier... and, I am not exactly one of those, you see... I like the cold, but also fooling around, so frontiers are not exactly on my... horizon, if you will... well, at any rate... I still am not entirely sure why I am here...

You see... I saw this one fellow go into this hole-thing, whatever it was, and then somehow flew upwards into the heavens... while I vanished from where I was... and, maybe, not sure... I might have been blown to the nearby ocean, and... here I am... perhaps... what even was that hole?

Anyway... I am here, now... but what, then? What is this place supposed to be... some sort of limbo, perhaps? Since when are those full of hydrogen, though? Are they not more brimstone, and such? Ah, what do I know... at least I can still fool around... all I wanted to do since... ever?

That... just cannot, exactly, happen though, can it? I mean... I realize, as not exactly willfully blind, but... I am underwater, and can hardly believe I have not suffocated yet... is it, just... a matter of time? You can tell me if you know... saying that, all sorts of creatures here...

None of them seem as if they are about to lose consciousness, or worse... still... how? Perhaps a few seconds of survival could life have, typically... somehow, sometimes, though... for a bit, or possibly a while, it keeps on going, for some reason... does it not? Lingering on like the undead...

I suppose it is, slightly... a Schrödinger sort of situation... I mean, it is not like I do not want to know how I survive, or how long I would survive for, but if I do... is that fate sealed... like some big lid atop a bowl being heated up? Well, if it was heat all this water would cool it off...

Doodle:

I seem to be... stuck, frozen in a perpetual cycle of a neverending negative circularity... apparently forever in this state of eternity, or so it seems... if this is life, then can its contrast be any worse than this raw existence based on nerve endings whose sole purpose is pain...

Do you think I may be too negative? Not so much the point if it is reality... which is, what seems to befuddle everyone here, that at any moment suffocation is likely... and, yet, does not happen, because of... who knows. Which is, of course, not exactly a secure kind of way to exist...

Without such knowledge... with no way to ascertain why we are here, and what exactly is happening... it is, clearly, reality... and whether we grew to become equivalent to fish, mechanically, or not... who knows, but as long as that uncertainty remains... how is it realistic to be optimistic?

Not being one way or another for no reason whatsoever... certainly, but what else is there, here? Whether or not creatures exist inside, over there, or here... at the very edge... it seems to me, as if, all is on edge, metaphorically at least... and randomness is the mechanism if knowledge is lacking...

Why, it is not, as if, I desire to be, thoroughly, a goth... or such, although I would need to revamp how I look quite a bit for that, no... point is not to occupy a space for no reason, but as long as the reason seems to be there... as long as reasons for all other philosophies seem missing...

That seems, to me, to be the crux of looking out over the horizon, deep into the everlasting abyss of the existence of nothingness... not for its own sake, but due to reality fitting the very definition of 'absurd', and while the eternal azure of the sea, or the infinite blank of space, hold an allure...

Turtle:

Everything is... so salty, is it not? I mean, I suppose it would make sense if this was the sea, but it does not appear to be so... it seems more like some limbo, a strange time of liminal space, perhaps... because, I remember what the sea looked like... it was not so... it was more enveloping...

Then again, I suppose yet again, should it matter if I happen to still be able to... live, or whatever exactly I happen to be doing here? Some sort of life is still better than none at all... no? Ah, always with the excuses, I know, I sometimes tell myself that, but... what else is there?

All this... pseudo-sea's pressure, the amount of sheer force exerted downwards... if it is not a literal sea, then what could it mean? There still seem to be equivalents... just as some creatures here look like their real-life counterparts... I mean, I was one until... I happened to be here...

Could, though, certain concepts be merely metaphors? Like, say, the water an analogy to suffocation... even if it is what really happened thereafter, but what if this points towards that exact moment when life is between oxygenic adequacy and insufficiency? Also, possibly...

Hm, not sure, I mean we could expand the metaphors a bit wider; like, say, the sea's pressure being analogous to an institution, like society's, collective force against individual lives within it... of course, it might also be a reference to something more fantastical and more non-hopelessly interesting...

Perhaps... and this is admittedly speculation, but what else does one have to do on such a day... clouds of everlasting rains showered upon the fiery infernos of infinite heat, to forever cleanse the world of eternal sunshine... until creatures from outer space descend and we find their ships dry up all our oceans, alas...

Banshee:

Behold! These blocks should hold! If they do not, call for all other creatures to help out! Oh, you there... why do you not... what, I seem to be wasting time?! How dare you... I am salvaging this abode from collapsing on itself! It is, verily, the others who do nothing, and just waste time!

You reckon I am mistaken, or that I might be possibly lying? Oh, I might be misperceiving this, too? Well, how would that be... for, you see, if I was doing just that... could others, including you, not also be similarly? As such, you might be misperceiving my misperceptions, or such...

What I do perceive, though... is a cataclysm of mighty proportions... for what else would the populace want? Why else would all be asunder, already... land strewn all over, and water barely so? It is... what happens, at times at least... and it can happen in silence... a tree falls with no one around...

This... domain of static effervescence... it does not know whether to be dynamic, or remain still... as is its true nature. It remains unaware of its real persona... if, indeed, a place has such a thing... but it tries to find out, although it can be in vain... it can be an utterly useless effort...

Why does anyone attempt such a thing? Why would anyone even bother with anything? Look at all this... face of hopelessness, the air, or lack of it... of incredulous nothingness... why does anything even try to become alive when all is lost? To be... comedic? In such a hopelessly, suffocating abode?

Some do, though... deep sea creatures, for one, or many... not sure if it is an exercise in optimistic possibilities, or futility... but, they do, somehow... light, after all, not an absolute necessity, and neither is pressure necessarily deadly in all circumstances... but, rare it is, still...

Koi:

I am... ever floating forward, but never actually getting anywhere... I wonder why? Perhaps, that is how life is supposed to be? Just one humdrum reality after another, and if one does not notice the spell of illusion is cast upon oneself throughout? At least, I think some reckon they move somewhere...

Even then, though... where is that? Just getting anywhere should not be the point... should it? Life should not, surely, be about getting from one point to another... for no discernible reason... and, yet, many seem to do that, even when they do not need anything from the latter place...

What am I supposed to do now, though? Just wait until...? I suppose, that nightmarish fish over there could come and swallow me up... but, then, I do not think they happen to be moving, either... so, even if they are thinking of doing that, it will, for now at least, remain just their fantasy...

That is not always the case though, is it not? I mean, there is always something else that can really make the whole world come crushing down... like, say, this large stone atop of me... it could, I suppose, just spontaneously disintegrate... due to some reason, or possible none...

There could also be the likelihood, I reckon, that there would be a reason, and would not be at the same time, too... no, not quite through quantum mechanics, if that is where your sci-fi mind was pointing towards... still a humdrum reason... certainly more mundane than living in the deepest depths of the ocean...

The mundanity of... well, when life is able to do something, and it really sees no reason, or incentive, to the contrary... whether internal, or external... yes, that is what I mean... banal randomness, and such... like, say, if Poseidon were to drink all this water just because it was possible...

Starfish:

Oh... you think I do not really live just because I am so flat, and not very much inhabiting the third dimension, do you? Well, I shall let you know... others, of similar species, are slightly more... voluminous! Well, anyway, now that is out of the way, indeed... I shall let you know...

Even flat creatures think, you know? I seriously have no idea why it was ever the impression that to think volume was required... I mean, thoughts barely exist... at best, they are just neuronal signals... so, why would any space whatsoever even be required to think? Do tell...

If you did not think that, though, perhaps another... possibility, this time; what if, when one does indeed 'feel' flat... it is because the brain is outsourced to some ancestral plane of existence where limitation is key? I did say it was a mere possibility I just happened to think up in my spare, starfish time...

Oh... do you happen to be wondering why we might be shaped as such? Why... it is the malevolent curse, do you not realize? The one from long ago, before creatures even dared to walk on lands... not that all were so affected... some might say, it is the same curse that turned this ocean... square....

What... you think I am inventing all this? I mean, it is not immediately verifiable, so one cannot just check it out objectively, but... well, I am quite ancient, you see, so perhaps for now... at least... have this as an explanation... not like there is any other... is there? For now...

Do you not also ever wonder why so many here seem to be saying the same amount of... stuff? Yes, the curse, once again... an infernal one it is, which I... curse every waking moment for... lending me so few dimensions... but, then again, even those with more volume can, often, barely be able to do much...

Jumping fish:

What... difference do you think... it would make, regardless of whether you were coherent, or not? Try to observe... makes so little difference... if one ends up being mercilessly crushed, or otherwise assisted in some manner... it all never stems from being coherent, or otherwise... it never does...

Just like it does not make any difference whether I am the largest fish here, or not... I could be overtaken if I am slow as a result, but otherwise... it is all so relative... and, so, I propose, that this seems to be one tiny, structural sort of... illusion, if you will... I mean...

At times it is even more coherent to be incoherent, is it not? In an insane structure, for example... now structures need a lot of definitions, do they not? If you know what I mean... what even is the definition of coherence? Is it myself being on this side initially, or on the other?

Is coherence the same as sanity? If so, is it coherent to repeat? It is, of course, the unit of practice, which seems to be the crucial aspect of skills... but, of course, it is incoherent to repeat if the result is not anything worthwhile... but what do I know, I am just some fish... no?

I mean, I know you must be thinking... besides myself, too... "how can I even communicate with all these many different creatures?" Ah, but that is... well...a universe where that is impossible must be quite a boring one, so... I think, even deterministically, it was inevitable, really...

Oh, yeah... I do spend some time thinking about the possibilities of free will... and, well, it is quite confusing, is it not? As it seems to be connected to perception, too... but, if it is, how could it ever be objectively existant? Although, I suppose, things could be, regardless of the senses...

Jack Ò lantern:

Oh... you reckoned I am just some decoration, did you? That I am non-existent in terms of life? Well... guess again. I am as alive as that ball of fur that can keep jumping up and down for no apparent reason, but also... as dead as life doomed to an eternity of destined damnation...

I mean, sure... I do not move much... or at all... but that is certainly not what life is about, correct? It is as much psychological, as it is... kinetic. Honestly, I do not see the point of moving at all, and suppose that sloths happened to find the ideal ratio of movement-to-survival, but I digress...

You reckon... I am here just as a symbol of fear, or anxiety? While it might be so for some... it is such a cliché, is it not? I mean, it could have been any fruit, or vegetable instead! Well, at any rate... do you hear that? It is the repetitive dome of doom that demons are harbingers of...

The funny thing is... you think you could move, do you not? As in, that it is not merely an illusion, while in reality it is enabled only insofar as collective, psychopathic delusions do not overtake oneself...? I know, I know... you might not know what I mean, exactly... not directly, at least...

It is reality, though... is it not? While in a cage... where could one move? You could have wings, and still be unable to fly... it is the eternal frustration at the back of your mind, which could easily... transmogrify, even, into sheer existential fear... if one dares to think about it.

Not that one does not, I am sure... after all, what is the present? The future, though? Could that fear not become... actualized? To go from the virtual to the real, to add another dimension... reckon it is so impossible? I tell ye, the ingredients are all there, the external elements all present...

Frog:

Life... can be so silly if viewed in a certain way, no? I suppose, though... a certain filter is kind of necessary, but still... what is the point of comedy, anyway, if all around you is falling apart? This... fake-looking ocean could, maybe... I mean, I do not remember being here recently...

So... is this a dream, or such? I guess that is possible... would make sense of the strange geometry, too... do you find comedy to be somewhat useful, anyway? I mean, what is the point of completely serious... whatever? Still, it is subjective, so who knows... as useful as these squared bubbles, maybe...

Are you... wondering what I am? Oh, I was too... no one knows, then? Interesting... I suppose... should we wait until a paleontologist figures it out? Oh, I would need to be... for that? Too bad... I personally think I am an animal-plant hybrid, and about time there were some of those, too, I reckon...

Wait... could I be just a... question mark? I mean, I realize there was one there, at the end, so then it sort of ends up as two question marks... but you get the gist? Questions about life? Not sure I ever ask them, though... all I ever do is sit here and blow these oddly shaped bubbles, you see...

I mean, where is the oxygen within them even coming from?! As it certainly does not seem like there are any exits to which such environments could be found... so, it befuddles me, you see... oh, you reckon this is, per se, thinking about life? Hm, I guess... but more as a by-product, suppose...

Kind of like... laughter is a response to funny... affairs... but only if the exact, correct chemistry is present internally, you see, then with the appropriate stimulus... oh, I am not being actually at all comedic, am I? Well... I did find myself stuck down here, underwater, suddenly, in the dark depths of limbo...

Atlas:

Hey, you... yes... I am certainly no statue, no... why would you even think that? Too... monochrome? Well, I am... yes, the one from the ancient fables, or so... you see. Not exactly... but, let us just say... a carbon copy makes a carbon copy? If that makes any sense at all... you see.

Yes... I am the one mentioned by the one above... who thinks what I am doing is what is being done... above, which makes no sense from a physics perspective... does it? Yet, despite that... oh, I admit... I am only here for the shade... where is the sun even coming from, anyway?

What I do not get is... why was I turned into some book? I mean, a book, seriously? I was a titan, but after millennia I am suddenly... a book?! Oh... you find this comic, do you? Well, whatever, maybe you can hang out with an egg next time, or some such... Yggdrasil? No, it only sounds similar...

It does not make sense that I would be discussing such a tree, anyway... why do you conflate different sources? I know trees and titans are both... sizeable... and, yes, I seem to be doomed to stand in one place forever... but I have no roots... I suppose, that could be metaphorical too, yes...

You see, I have long ago left aside the concept of a titan to merely... hold this up. It might be staying up because of my effort... but it might not, too... and if not, then whatever have I left that fantasy-infused world for? Just to be gravity's opponent? Makes little sense...

To row against the tide... is ever so arduous, and in the end what difference does it make? I am now... merely a copy of my former self... ever-fading, ever-evanescent... regrets all I have, and... I am supposed to be immortal? All this suffering... forever? Why does existence... exist?

Spider:

You... have never seen me, no, not my specific slice of existence among arachnids.... sure, you have seen others of my kind, of a more slight presence than myself, but they are not the ones that would impress you for being the size of your limbs now, would they? Only in your imagination...

Why do you reckon life is only impressed by what is larger? The worst toxin is not necessarily there, or the brightest of others... why is it, anyway, that smaller versions of the same life exist? Could it be, perhaps, a sort of shedding of life? The minion theory, maybe?

Could it be a certain underworld, perhaps, or a hellish abyss from which evolution exerts its function, animates itself into existence... and becomes form? Within this chasm of being, of course, the mightiest of geometry... kind of like the depths of the ocean, now that I think of it...

Not like the depths always have the largest forms... but at a certain point in time it seems they end up doing so, just like at some other point in time this happened on land too, seemingly due to oxygen levels... could that be why many of us could survive here, now, perhaps?

I suppose... I could attempt to theorize about that, but being in an unusual environment made me desire to wonder about the very crux of all life... as long as I can survive, at any rate. Always how it is, with survival... not much can one philosophize about if one is dead...

What is it about that that can animate oneself so much about, though? Is it just the adrenaline, or maybe catecholamines, generally? If there was not such a physiological response would life even care at all... since, realistically, it is all so hopeless... anyway?

Horse skeleton:

This.. world. When shall I set it ablaze? Does one have the capability? It is so facile... so horrid, an excuse behind fake smiles... and I am supposed to open the portal to any potential truth? Why, Sisyphus is more likely to succeed... why would life never... extinguish, though?

I do not mean just one life or another, of course... why, you reckon an infection would stop spreading if only one unit was isolated? Nay... all life should cease, for pain and suffering to also do so... pain, in this sense, is the symptom of the infection, life...

Why, I urged that meteor once, long ago... but, clearly, unless the entire planet was destroyed... unless all of the infected are isolated... in the depths of non-existence's abyss... it keeps replicating, suffering spreading needlessly... but psyches are even worse...

Psyches... rationalize it, justify it, the most remarkable of reasons, or lack thereof... mirror neurons non-functional, but that is not so much out of place, as most of life does not, per se... uselessness reigns, and hopelessness the everlasting norm... why, some grow attached...

What is that, in fact? An echo of the original archetype, the mitochondria, being a fusion of eukaryotes and prokaryotes, perhaps? Why would no one realize the nature of the vicious cycle, though? An eternity of suffering... is that not willing mind-destruction?

It is how it is within genes, it is said... but, I thought free will existed, or is that a mere self-conviction? Life... so tragically comic, is it not? One barely needs to understand it to... know that state of existence, and yet, in the big picture, does it matter... at all?

Phoenix:

I shall... probably... be reborn, but after which... I shall... oh, it is never-ending, is it? Also, what is it with... all this? How even am I able to fly... here? So little of this makes sense... I mean, based on the context here, and all other objects... reefs...

Is this an ocean? That certainly would make no sense in my world... doubly so, if you get my drift. I am supposed to be flying... in water? I suppose I seem to be, more perhaps, merely swimming... but that still makes little sense considering the resistance there seems to be...

Also... I am made of fire? I was, at least... I seriously do not get any of this... how I ended up here, all of a sudden... I mean, first I end up exported to multiple tales across many domains, as if I can be in many places at once, and then... well, odd thing happens...

I ended up... in various guises, with myself transformed into pixels at one point, to more realistic depictions another time... somewhere in-between here, I guess... what is this, though? How is one supposed to live so chaotically? I am just a bird... can I not live as any other?

Also, I do not get how I ended up from reviving myself to reviving others... how in the world am I supposed to have such wide-ranging capabilities?! Does no one know how I can only revive once I have turned into ashes? So, unless you can somehow do similarly, and be a phoenix...

I mean, I am not asking for much, am I? I am kind of solitary, so why does literally everyone keep bothering me with requests to be here, or do this...? Please... I just want to fly... or swim... in peace... whatever is this weird substance I happen to be floating in... any idea?

Treant:

I am... where? I realize water... if indeed this is such... is part of my usual sustenance... and there could be plants around these parts... but I do not usually reside here, and so... I am slightly, if ever, confused... although I do notice other, more at-odds creatures around...

Still... I do not get where I am... and what am I supposed to do? Just wait here in some weird limbo... like most plants in the world? You realize, I can perambulate... but I do not seem able to have a... destination? I can go around in circles, which I am actually so tired of doing...

So, theoretically at least, that is not the point... in life, is it? Perhaps it is, and I am merely overestimating the ideals of this existence... could that be why most plants do not move? They just do not have any purpose, nor is there any intrinsically? I suppose, avoiding predation is one...

One strange piece of trivia I seem to have overheard, though, being so high up here that bubbles of speech seem to head in my direction... might be that another creature, a slight bit like me, could be in another... dimension, perhaps? Not entirely sure what it is... I am merely speculating...

If so, though... does that imply that I am just a copy of another life? That I am not, intrinsically, per se, my own self? That my identity is so intertwined with someone else's that... no, that does not make much sense, does it? I mean, it is not like we think, or utter identical thoughts...

Why, then, do categories exist? To make it easier for the mind to sort out concepts, I suppose... but what if it is merely a fallacious affair? Surely, if it is erroneous, then it makes it actually harder to understand? Ah, not sure why I seem to have this existential crisis, or whatever it is, suddenly...

Iron Golem:

I... feel lifeless, often. I mean, am I really alive? Just because I can think, and... at times move about... does not necessarily mean I am, does it? So much that is... mechanical, naturally deterministic, moves out there... planets, rain, wind; all are not necessarily alive...

They could be, perhaps, but planets in particular exhibit a mechanistic aspect similar to clockwork... I suppose, gravity could be just the mover, just like it keeps all creatures 'alive' glued to the ground... planets could, theoretically, think they have free will, in only their pre-destined patterns...

If that was so, though, then what prevents these thoughts of mine to also be... a series of logical conclusions? Not necessarily rational, just 'moving' deterministically... I mean, "I think, therefore I am" is a slight bit basic, is it not? Does not seem to even take into account illusions...

Besides the cognitive aspect, though... it all depends on a feeling, does it not? Take that away... in an instant creatures, suddenly, feel like they are not... sure, they can still think, move about, feel other emotions... perhaps. To feel like one does not exist, though, even in life...

Is that not quite the conundrum? I think I was made from... a medley of objects... but, then again, so are other creatures, mainly a spectrum of biological chemistry... so, what specifically constitutes life? Consciousness is supposed to be a factor, too... but it is fundamentally subjective...

So... it is hopeless, is it not? I might, or might not be truly alive... we might have free will, or every physical force around could be deterministically setting up the path that is but an inevitability... if so, what is this existence but a mere plane of illusions and foibles?

Phantom:

I... might exist, or might know... who knows? Certainly not myself, and certainly not you... why, that is but the nature of the universe; more cryptic than one can guess, and yet, somehow, an abstract could, possibly... be extracted... unless it is a cliché, of course, in which case...

Ah, who is anyone kidding... no one seems to know what is real, or is not... but certain things can be falsified; whether the quintessence of an object can be verified, though, is another affair entirely... alright, I admit, I am merely a depressed phantom, there, are you happy now?

I mean, sure, one could say... "what is with all these facades?" Then again, though, is that not the point of layers, and, say, clothes? Reality is grim, you see... and, sure, now you will say "are you not a phantom which reality might not affect that much, anyway?"

Whoever said it does not? Is each particle of the wind not affected by where the particle next to it moves to? So it is with ethereal beings, too... one is affected, as long as one wants to be... I guess I can always try to close myself out from outside reality... but so can living beings....

You get my point, yes? One might think "but what is this strange... nigh compulsion, that life seems to have for such effects?" I think that is the wrong way to look at it... for it is curiosity, in a way, and if one did not have that... well, I guess one can always be a solid pebble...

Not that I am saying those, or other stones generally, are in any way inferior to all the other existences in this universe, mind, for they can retain peace, tranquility, and... you get the gist. Of course, they interact with the environment even less than plants, so... ah, who cares, I desire to be a pebble...

Necromancer:

That creature over there? Took my position as gatekeeper of the underwater-world... I mean, who would have thought? Do I not look vicious enough for the role? Perhaps, this staff might not be creepy enough? Just wondering... who might they be, anyway? Never seen them before...

Myself? Oh, I am... kind of, the Hermes between Hades and Poseidon? Not literally, of course... but, when it comes to specifically acting as a... busybody? Between the world below and the sea... of course, often both converge, become one, and nigh indistinguishable...

Kind of like what it is like below, no? Sure, not exactly fire and brimstone, but... it has such depths, often it is barely deciphered from what an actual underworld is like... what was that, again? Your theory is that the underworld is... an overworld? As in, life's planet?

Hm, could make sense... after all, any ethereal world is surely less... brutally raw, perhaps, than any physical realm. Oh, maybe the abodes should be the other way round, there? Realm kind of has an ethereal quality to it... oh, I know, I fuss too much for Hades' gatekeeper...

What? I might possibly be... more comedic than I am perceived to be, at least visually? Ah, perhaps that is my downfall, a perceptual incongruity, and it is not, exactly, like I wanted to be this much comedic, or this much grim, but you know what moods are like... random...

I suppose, though... if I summon Cerberus out of the depths of a fiery volcano, or such... being picky about words would not, quite, match the rest of my function, per se... no. Then again, if one can withstand a bit of jollity, or such, in the face of overwhelming gloom... is it, necessarily, giving in to illusions?

Eye:

I... see you, there, and while you think you could get past me... alright, sure, you could just swim above, and beyond... but past me? Not quite, as long as these tentacles are intact I shall... oh, it is hopeless, is it not? I mean, at least here, in the ocean... kind of, for my desires...

Outside, though? Why, it is kind of two dimensional, in a sense, is it not? As in... lines, linear generally being the... sociological adjective, one might say. Of course, if it was merely linear geometrically then it would, physically, not have three dimensions... if you get my drift...

I know it must seem, kind of, odd for me to rant about this, but I was wondering about such differences, since we seem to be stuck under all this water, anyway... and, it seems to me, at least, that above ground's linear nature might be a sociological illusion, in sense...

I wonder how much it would similarly function if everyone, instead, lived around these parts? Where anyone can go anywhere, easily... I suppose, there is always the risk of a bigger fish devouring oneself, but that is, sort of, a more rational consequence than, say, a chaotic plane malfunction...

Of course, you can also see the differences in those analogies... I shall, though, thus bore you no more, perhaps... and will conclude with... oh, you are wondering about that fellow over there? Ah, I kind of came here when there was no one... was not, so far, asked to move, or such...

I would, obviously, consider any such reasonable requests, if they were made... why would one not? After all, chaos is mainly present in nature, even though often it seems to seep into psyches too... which, one could say, are part of nature, so, I suppose, could theoretically be affected by inherent chaos...

Rabbit:

Hey... have you tried this world? It is, sort of, distinct from the one where we are, dimensionally-speaking... but, then, there seem to be similar elements, although I suppose, one could say, there are similarities to everything in all of existence, from a feather to a cloud... when it comes to depth, though...

I mean, in this world, I think, you could go down below... in the oceanic abyss, full of darkened wonders, or so... when one goes below, in this other one, it is sort of in a linear fashion, in some green tube... plenty of greenery around here, but that is mainly algae...

I am not saying, of course, that I have explored either of these, exactly... for, you see, I am a slight bunny who can but remain on the ground... despite being in the ocean while still breathing, yes, that one has me sort of befuddled for a while... I guess, if you ever find out about it...

This other world, though... whichever dimension... even the fact such geometry could be altered, as real life is not, exactly, so flexible... it is a useful distraction, is it not? Not just a distraction, in fact... no, it could have something to do with a zone... no, not the hadal zone...

That one fascinates me too, though... but, of course, one can only utilize imagination, to a certain extent, to avoid risks and other things... imagination is, of course, also what fuels all these worlds... if only one can permanently inhabit them, no? I suppose permanence is an issue...

Beyond that, though... and beyond these merely movement-based abodes... in conjunction with narratives they can really be transformed into whole... realistic, and yet fantastic, worlds apart from real life, no? There is something... so fundamentally, psychologically, happiness-inducing about them... like bunnies on fluffy clouds...

Timmy:

Oh... why, I barely noticed you there... kind of concentrating on this, here, you see... kind of requires it, but then it also needs some mental geometry sort of thing... otherwise, no matter how much one concentrates, lines would remain unresolved, the world a jagged place...

What, you think this is not representative of the wider world? Well, that is only if you do not take a symbolic approach to things... for, you see, no matter what form an object, or creature comes in... well, it is still a physical manifestation in the universe, per se...

I suppose that might be taking it too far in an abstract direction, but... well, what is the difference if a head is oval or square, say? It is still, recognizably, a head... no? I suppose when it comes to this game, ironically, different shapes do indeed function distinctly, but...

Ultimately, not much difference is there in form and function... if I can play this while jogging, I can, so whether I do that, or am more static... anyway, how has your day been? I suppose it would be better if I bore you not with my odd thoughts... so, how about your neuronal firings?

Oh, the more silent type, are you? What, like a certain person supposedly a symbol of time? Oh, no, I do not quite mean the one with someone who looks like me and happens to be lost there, no... but, I suppose, any kind of such world could be entertaining, no? Whether just geometry, or more built up...

Are they not, potentially, the ultimate extractor of, at least, joy? Particularly those at the opposite end of the holistic sort of environment, those with more of a narrative, although possibly less verbosity? I mean, this has not a single letter... unless, I suppose, the shapes form one...

Lioness:

You... are wondering why I do not happen to be at the topmost place possible? While I realize that is the impression most felines give, what you must also keep in mind is... we are, actually, lazy... at least I am... I think it is indicative in how much we sleep, verily...

While I might not be napping as of now... I still do not feel like going to to anything higher than this... and, frankly, have no idea how those already went there made it... has teleportation been invented, or such? Oh, it might have, but this realm could have had it? Quod erat demonstrandum...

Anyway... what am I even supposed to be doing here? I recall, based on some random rumour, that there was another cat who had a slightly more prominent role in a... strange world, too... where lives questioned their existence, and teleport might have actually been present...

So... might I possibly have such a prominent role? Admittedly, at least this goes beyond a mere 'meow', but I would always go beyond mere pretense, at any rate... I mean, toasters can talk here, so why would cats not? How we are able to understand each other no one knows, but...

In any case... can I at least not play the role of a mysterious Sphynx? I mean, I kind of look like one, no? Perhaps not as damaged, but then I am not thousands of years old... I could, maybe, present this riddle to that dinosaur: "what is round, and is a grim harbinger of doom?"

Oh, not too opaque, you reckon? I suppose the original Sphynx did present a quite intriguing question, despite being a statue... sure, then, if you do not quite care for the feline in this realm, I shall be... just the usual loaf! I am merely loafing about, anyway, so kind of fits...

Demon:

What... am I looking at exactly, here? Is it not functional, or something? Why does it always have to happen to me?! Is it just because I terrify whoever, or whatever happens to be front of me?! Oh... what is that? A machine does not, exactly, respond like lives usually do?

Do you mean to say... I do not have the same... shall we say, psychological effects that I can inflict on other lives... on the inanimate world? How is that?! I have been raised with the promise of inflicting such terror on the populace! How can machines not respond similarly to my presence?!

How can they not know I am probably descended from Anubis?! Sure, I might be a bit... polygonal, and I am not totally sure if I am, in fact, descended, but... how can this machine not cower in my mere presence and fix itself even at such a suggestion?! The natural world has gone too far...

Did it not? How dare it not abide by sociological expectations regardless of rationality! Why, I believe there are two tiny... little bunnies nearby... able to play on functional systems! While I, the awesome Anubis the 500th, merely have to attempt to scare this thing to functionality...

Is this... not an unfair world? Woe is me, verily... I mean, if this is so, then how are we part of nature... if the latter does not respond to our own relational effects? Oh, have I suddenly become too analytical? Perhaps, that might be the problem... Anubis was not as such, so much, you see...

At least... I think Anubis was not; I cannot, exactly, claim to be able to read the minds of past lives, too... would be a slight bit too much on the credibility front, I suppose... oh, wait, was Anubis supposed to be immortal? If so... can I not attempt to journey to witness such a nature-defying force...?

Green person:

I... do not seem able to get out of this bind, or whatever it is... I was elsewhere, one sees, and then for some glitchy reason I ended up here... in this cramped space, under... water? Is this seriously such a substance? I mean, unless I can suddenly, and magically breathe in such conditions...

I was roaming such... verdant plains... I suppose, seasons did change, but mostly one remembers the photogenic landscapes, I guess... I had some sort of intention in mind, but that kind of eludes me as of now... and, suddenly, I wonder whether any of that is even worth it... is anything?

Kind of sad in a way, is it not? That often one is so intent on something that it becomes the be-all end-all, the raison d'etre... per se, and it is not like it is not good while it lasts, at least psychologically, for oneself... whether it really is objectively useful, or purposeful, who knows?

The point of theoretical happiness, though, is not for it to be in any way objective, as the subjectivity is the point... but, then, indeed one might end up, shall we say, in a rut, as I seem to be in some physical fashion, and one wonders how that peak could ever be reached once more...

The plains I inhabited previously, though, even they... were they real? Just because they seemed to function according to natural conditions, to how a posteriori knowledge logically resolved itself... certainly no breathing underwater... still, such familiar conditions should not be exempt from questions...

Although, yes... I assume I might be overthinking this a slight bit... I do not suppose everyone around here does similarly? Then again, no one can ever know what anyone thinks... ever, technically... even what others say might be not what they have genuinely thought... ah, I am indeed in a rut...

Quebot:

Do you... happen to be wondering what I am doing here? I realize, as a... somewhat robotic creature, tinkering around with this miniature room thing is... strange? I am, though, interested in... dimensions, you could say. The differences in structures... models that are functionally symbols...

Being somewhat more computational, of course, symbols are kind of crucial to how I function... but they could not just be translations, they could also correlate between qualitative differences too, if you get my drift... kind of like how adding extra dimensions on top creates a whole new layer...

Uh... I admit, though, this might be an excuse for being somewhat lost too... I am kind of much bigger than most, so I suppose that is why I am curious about structural dimensions... but are we really dealing with quality here, or is it all the same package with distinct hues, perhaps?

Speaking of symbols, though... suns and moons, are they really supposed to be opposites? I suppose one has a more fiery dimension to it, but fundamentally they are both rocks... at any rate, for some reason in the deepest recesses of my long-forgotten databases is a strange rumour...

Not sure I believe it myself, considering it seems to defy physics itself, but... supposedly, anyway, there is a symbol of the aforementioned... just a symbol, not two huge rocks in outer space, one of which is an inferno... well, the real one is up there if you care to look, although slightly faded through the water...

So, anyway, supposedly a mere symbol is able to get oneself to... another dimension, perhaps? Interesting if so, but I doubt that something so basic-sounding is able to do something so seemingly impossible... but, then again, dimensions, and their qualities, often seem to function in such strange ways...

Metallic one:

You, there... how dare you come towards me if I did not specifically beckon for you? I shall destroy you until not even an atom of yourself is left! Then, perhaps, annihilate those subatomic particles too! Oh, wait... I might not be too advanced for that... might require different technology...

You got to admit, though... at least I am a pirate. What, or who are you...? Nothing! Oh, what, you claim I am merely a machine...? Oh very much dare you! I... ah, I do not seem able to stop constantly changing form, for some reason... ugh, could that be because I am a machine, after all...

I have a pirate ship, though! What else could that mean?! I might even soon join a party of some old man with memory problems, and the occasional dragon! I... ah, no, I might be mixing metaphors here, possibly... also, this ship does not seem quite to be moving, either... is it?

I mean, it could always be that the entire land below is also moving at the same time, and so it ends up seeming like the ship is not moving... you see the logical conundrum? In that sense, then, might I still not be a pirate, even if I am a machine... I mean, the two are surely not mutually exclusive...?

I shall declare what I will do, actually, the ultimate symbol of such a role! I shall... annihilate all those who dare to be consciously illogical, for ulterior motives, and thus... oh, I seem to be continually malfunctioning, so never you mind all that... I still aspire to, but for now I shall hibernate...

Yes, hibernate on a ship, underwater... no, not quite the usual scenario, is it? Especially for some robotic creature that also happens to not spontaneously short circuit, or such, due to the conflicting elements. Then again... I am somewhat malfunctioning, albeit not wholly, so maybe I might be by degrees...