meadowlark | @prom.argentum

[the first thing everyone gets on the network feed is a set of two pictures, several minutes apart from one another: one and two are somewhat blurry. there doesn't seem to be any context, other than it's been posted by @prom.argentum. soon enough, text appears, however.]

alright sup hi hello everyone, i’m not expecting anyone to be able to do anything cuz let's be real: i am doomed to be stuck in here forever but i just wanna be able to record the last few minutes of life that i have in this world

these vents are so spooky and also i am highly claustrophobic and i don't think this shaking is an indication of anything good

ugh

hey @deimos.fighter
it was your turn to go into the vents

wh y

have i been forsakesdfsFHSGhdgn

[no one can see this, but he sure turned left and fell... further down the vent. his screams can probably be heard if you're aboard one of the underground trains...]

[two minutes later, this picture gets introduced.]

hello?? ok i think i landed on like.. some uncharted vent territory
NOW i'm recording this so that the public can know that dennis told me to go left and that led me straight dOWN AN OPEN SHAFT, THANKS A LOT, DENNIS

[silence]

uh... i think i just saw a cockroach the size of my hand
??? i'm gonna throw up

@deimos.fighter
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i'm still crawling if that's what you mean
uhhh but so far nothing feels like it's hurting other than the usual oh boy panic like when we went down into crestholm channels

Count your breaths if you need to. You don't need to have a panic attack down there. At least with all the fans you know you have plenty of air flowing.

Crestholm was an unfortunate venture, wasn't it? I'm sure wherever you are is a good bit drier. So at least be thankful you've got dry socks while you're crawling about.

Would it help if you found some images to project onto the vent walls? Perhaps make it feel less confined?

yeah air flow but it's still really warm ugh

[he knows what ignis is doing, and he really does appreciate it]

even for a multitasker expert such as myself that would be too distracting

[you know he's at peak anxiety when he says doing more than one thing at a time is overwhelming as all heck. the same guy who would listen to music loudly while holding a conversation with a person and typing up a message on his phone at the same time.]

talking to ppl like this does help tho
it's distracting enough
thx iggy
even if you didn't have to

Cooler than the sun outside, though, I'd imagine? But perhaps all the equipment you have to work with makes it feel stuffy.

Just remember that vents have a purpose. There aren't any dead ends. They're made to transport air, so they clearly go places that need it.

[look even if they're kind of peeved at each other, Prompto having a panic attack isn't anything fun or amusing ok.... He still doesn't wish any ill on him....]

I suppose I didn't. You have a great deal of people here who are concerned about you, it seems. But I still want to make sure you're not going to hyperventilate.

[everyone's offering help, sure, and words of encouragement. but ignis's words are the only one that manage to cut through the anxiety that bogs down on him at a time like this. his words are straight to the point, giving only what prompto needs to find the room to breathe despite the walls around him.]

you're the only one who gets what it's like though

I'm not so sure. I've not crawled into any vents here yet. You were the one who told me not to, remember?

But we have been in a great deal of tunnels and mineshafts and sewers. I still don't fully understand why the Lucis Caelum dynasty insisted on burying their dead monarchs so far underground or on the precipice of a volcano, but I guess that's just where we're at.

[But he gets it. They've been through things together and come out on the other side. It's a familiarity from experience.]

I still believe the worst was Fociaugh, though. Even when the cavern was open, the pathways were so precarious.

did we conclude it was to avoid having the place ransacked? not that it's easy to break in without the key...
i'm telling you the lucis caelums were big trolls

man, getting attempted-kidnapped by that naga was one of the worst things to happen to me
it was real scary stuff

There are plenty of places within the physical city walls that would have been acceptable and equally easy to guard from tomb robbers. To be honest, I'd planned on revisiting them when we have the chance back home, if only to try and discover more about the history of them that might have been lost over the past centuries, as Insommnia disconnected itself from the outer provinces.

The same for Steyliff Grove and Costlemark. I'd never seen anything like the architecture or engineering there.

I can't speak for you, but I would certainly put it up there. It was almost a relief to find out it wanted to coddle you, rather than consume you.

costlemark was the absolute worst
having to go all the way down? and then those block puzzles? ugh no thanks
steyliff grove though, i'd wanna go back there

it was breathtaking

[you nerd and your talk about the city and the provinces and whatever...]

i think i don't wanna talk about big snakes wanting to coddle me while i'm in a tunnel where a big snake could easily slither in...

I agree: we could have done without the moving blocks. For a moment, I almost knew what your claustrophobia must have felt like.

[When one block had slid over them, leaving them in a sealed space far underground with nothing but their flashlights and no airflow? Yeah. Yeah that part sucked. And imagining his brain inputting that experience anywhere that even almost felt closed in makes him sympathize with Prompto more.]

Alright. Though remember: there's no wildlife here.

I'm sorry that Gladio missed it. I'm still curious about the mechanisms of the ruins: the water floating above us, or the self-repairing bridges and ruined walls. It's almost as though time itself was unstable in places there.

there's no wildlife AS FAR AS WE KNOW

[but thinking of back home helps, a bit]

there are so many ~mysteries~ from back home
wish we could go back one day and figure it all out

Well then, imagine how famous you'd be for discovering the first wildlife within the city in centuries. Perhaps they would name the species after you.

There are indeed. As much as I had read about the outer provinces, I had never realized just how much they held and how little we had looked into them. I suppose the war and the daemons prevented much exploration.

ha ha ha no thahahanks

maybe worth a look when we get back

Oh, don't be like that. 'The Argentum Shrew' sounds rather nice. It could be a small, nervous creature known for scurrying about vents.

[A 'look'. don't be such an ableist prompto..!!!]

If we can manage the time, I'd love to. I'm sure Noctis could be convinced to it, though he may prefer to camp out at the nearest fishing spot while the rest of us investigate.

i am so not a fan of this right now

what else is new? you and gladio can go be adults and we'll stay back and... catch fish or something
all that waaaaaalking

A fitting word for it, given your location.

[Fan. Vent. it writes itself.]

You wouldn't join us?
Sure, it does involve a bit of a trek, but getting to further examine the ruins would be well worth it.

haw haw i'm having SUCH a laugh

[hates it......]

i guess i could get really cool shots that no one else has
so maybe i'll go for it

@prom.argentum

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