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

[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.