train to the afterlife meme.

[estivates]

the train to the afterlife meme

maybe you know how, maybe you don't. perhaps the memory is fuzzy, or perhaps it's crystal clear down to the look in your comrades' eyes. maybe it was your time; you've done all you wanted to. or maybe you weren't at all ready to go, maybe you went out kicking and screaming -- but none of it matters. you know you're dead, and the train is taking you to an afterlife. perhaps an afterlife of your choice; you might've earned that heaven. or perhaps you've earned something else entirely.

it'll be a bit of a journey, though, so you might as well take your time and talk to the other people in your coach. death knows no place: most of them are strangers, even from faraway worlds. but death knows no time either, so who knows, some of them may be people you know, even if last you knew, they were alive -- or long gone.

oh look, here comes the snack cart.

the usual;
➝ post with your character's name, canon, and preferences.
➝ said character is now dead for whatever reason -- canon, au, what have you. they are on a train with other dead people from many other times, places, and worlds.
➝ characters don't know for a fact where they're headed -- just a general awareness that they're going to some kind of afterlife. whatever they think it is is up to the player.
➝ tag around and play nice!

TRIGGER WARNING!! this meme obviously deals with death and may deal with other unpleasant themes as a result. please be cautious.

Comments

76 | Overwatch

[mylawn]

[justice_from_above]

[There's someone else on the train, wearing casual clothes, with a bomber jacket with the Helix Securities logo. Her body language doesn't betray anything is out of the ordinary; she's sitting back against the seat, her hands settled loosely in her lap. Her expression, however, is one of faint confusion and loss. As she stares out the window, at times assessing her reflection, at times watching the countryside blur past, she's trying to patch out what happened; why she's here. What went wrong, how did she fail so spectacularly?]

[She's so lost in her thoughts that it takes some time to register anyone else is there. Finally catching movement, or some vague sense she's not alone, she looks over. Her faraway expression seems to focus, and she frowns,]

Jack ... you too?

[He'd always persisted. Even after everyone else thought he was dead, he continued. It hadn't seemed possible that he would ever die, and she can't hide the surprise and sadness to find him here.]

[mylawn]

[76 has known for a long time that the road he was walking only went one place. He'd accepted that--carried out his mission with the full knowledge that the end of it would also mean the end of him. It's for the best, really, as he's more than overstayed his welcome. Now, he can ride this train (he tries not to think too hard about it) to wherever it's going with at least some measure of peace. He did what he set out to do, and it will have to be enough.

What he does not expect is for other people on the train to address him. And he recognizes the voice--the very sound of it is like an icy hand plunged deep into his chest.

This is not how it's supposed to be. She's not supposed to be here, and the look on his face says as much.]

...How?

[justice_from_above]

[Fareeha chuckles, but it's lacking mirth and has a bitter tinge to it. She looks down at her hands, smoothing out the imagined wrinkles in her slacks. She didn't want to think about all that she's leaving behind, all she could have done if she'd just made better choices.]

I let my pride get the better of me. I don't think the details really matter, anymore.

[She looks back up at him and smiles sadly; it's clear she has regrets, but she's trying to make the best of the situation.]

I just have to figure out what matters now.

[mylawn]

This isn’t—

[It’s not how it’s supposed to be. Fareeha had an entire life ahead of her. The people on this train should be people like him—old, exhausted, used-up. Finished doing what they needed to do and ready to check out. He lets out an exasperated sigh that shudders at the end. Just looking at her is hard, knowing where they are and what that means. He drops his elbows to his knees and his head into his hands, fingers working their way into his hair.]

This is not how it’s supposed to happen.

[It’s hard to tell whether or not he’s talking to himself, but the sheer sense of loss in his voice is there either way.]

[justice_from_above]

[Fareeha is trying desperately to stay strong. Her hands curl into fists and hey back straightens as she watches him, but seeing him in distress is undoing her - knowing it was her own actions that lead her here. She'd tried so hard all of her life to live up to the heroes she grew up with, and in the end she failed them all. She's sitting tense and straight when she replies, but her voice is forced past a lump in her throat and hey eyes are bright with realization.]

I'm sorry I let you down.

[mylawn]

[To that, he can only stay right where he is, trying to breathe. Eventually, after a few more shuddering breaths, he emerges, looking a bit more composed.

That's not exactly saying much, however.]

Why don't you have a seat.

[justice_from_above]

[She's not sure what to do when he doesn't answer, but he hasn't dismissed her so she doesn't leave. She does relax when he invites her to sit, taking a seat next to him.]

I didn't think I'd be done so soon.

[There's some disbelief, she's still processing it.] What happens next?

[mylawn]

[Neither did I, is what he wants to say, but he manages to keep his mouth shut. He has enough regrets for the both of them, and having composed himself, doesn't want her to feel guilty for upsetting him. He's a soldier. He should be used to loss by now.

Doesn't make it any easier. Not when Fareeha is sitting next to him.]

Depends on where we're going.

[Jack had never been terribly religious, the Crisis having beat most of it out of him. He's surprised there's anything, really.]

[justice_from_above]

I hope it's somewhere nice.

[Small talk. Painfully forced, softly spoken small talk, because she can start to feel the full bloom of consequences as they travel on. She's dead, she died, Jack's dead, her mother's alive, she let her down, she let them all down, there's no way she can help any of them now, she failed, in the end nothing mattered because she failed.]

[It's something of a blessing and curse having Jack sitting next to her. He'd already died for a while back home, and when he reemerged as 76 and she discovered the truth, it was a boon to have him back again; every day was a gift. He was a rock. As the same time, he was an idol; someone she'd looked up to and aspired to be. She didn't want him to see her break down.]

[But the weight of realization is becoming oppressive. Details of her death are starting to come back to her as she looks out the windows, the sheer stupidity of one moment; one overconfident, cocky attempt. She should have held back. She should have waited for backup.]

[Her hands flex, tightening with each new revelation.]

Do you think ... do you think we'll see our friends there?

[mylawn]

I wouldn't be able to tell you.

[He wasn't sure he actually believed in any of this, until now. He's still not sure any of it is real--wouldn't that be a relief. Either way, Jack looks tired just thinking about it.

Watching Fareeha just makes it all worse. After a moment of seeing her process the situation, he shifts a little in his seat and tears his gaze away.]

Wouldn't be surprised if this is it.

[If there's no real destination at all. Bleak, maybe, but purgatory seems fitting, at least for him.]

[justice_from_above]

[That seems to hit her. She's a woman built on purpose; a strive to change and better the world around her. To be suddenly caught in a limbo like this was her own personal hell.]

[She takes a shuddering breath and leans forward, cradling her head in her hands.]

I can't be here ...

[mylawn]

[He wishes he could offer some kind of comfort, words or actions, but he'd only been good at that in another life. Anything he can think of just feels hollow, so for a few long moments he can't bring himself to say anything at all.

Jack has always been sort of stoic, a quality only made worse by the military formality drilled into him, but this seems like a special occasion. Surely he can bring himself to do something, he thinks, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.]

Look, I don't know, I didn't talk to anyone. Maybe there is a stop.