The Adventures of [Insert Name Here] (Redux)

>Wake up

> then cook some noodles

>Then realize that you are on a text.

> Admire the sunset.

>Shove head into ground.

> Try and convince Eztili to watch the stars from a different point of view.

>Stop the genocide of your people

> Try and convince Eztili to watch the stars from a different point of view.

You're not sure what that means, but she's gone now. Maybe you can ask her when you meet up for the ceremony.

> ask what her name means

She's not here. Which is good, because that would've been a weird question considering you're supposed to be speaking the language, and it's just being written in English for the reader's convenience. I honestly thought that was obvious.

Her name is a letter off from the word Eztli, meaning blood.

>Mold a lil figure out of clay.

You take some spare clay and start molding a figure of your patron, Xochipilli. Sure, Huitzilopochtli might be more appropriate given the circumstances, but honestly, you were never real big on that ritual sacrifice stuff. You just like taking advantage of the foot traffic.

> Admire the sunset.

You watch the sun descend on the horizon as you work on your figure. It really is beautiful. You wish Eztili had stayed to see it.

Eventually, you finish your figure, not a moment too soon. The sun has almost disappeared below the horizon, meaning the ceremony is about to begin.

>Shove head into ground.

You try to shove your head into the ground, but unfortunately, you are not Steph the Ostrich, so you mostly just end up bumping your head really hard and getting a whole lotta dirt in your face. That'll leave a mark in the morning.

>Stop the genocide of your people

Hernan Cortez doesn't arrive for another hundred years. Don't worry, you've got time.

> Attend the ceremony with Eztili.

At long last, you decide it's time to make the long trek up the mountain. You hope Eztili saved you a good seat.

One long trek later, and the ceremony is in full force. The shamans in their ceremonial masks are singing and dancing as the magma bubbles and sizzles in the crater below them, brandishing their ceremonial blades for the great ritual. Your city has been at peace for a while, which is unusual, and unfortunately means you have no prisoners to sacrifice, which means someone must have volunteered. You wonder who it was.

You can't seem to find Eztili. You scan the crowd for her, but you can't spot her anywhere. All the music and the yelling and the chanting is so loud, it's almost giving you a headache. Eventually the sound just starts to converge into an incessant ringing, almost like...

The ringing of an old-timey telephone.

The crowd suddenly opens up, and a pair of armed guards toss someone down in front of the High Priest. Her hair is long and matted and covers her face, and she seems to be struggling, but they have her bound. Oof, looks like they didn't get any volunteers, so they've taken to sacrifice a local virgin. You really hate when that happens.

The ringing in your ears gets louder. The girl looks up defiantly at the high priest, and finally her hair parts, revealing her true identity. You take a step back and gasp.

That's no virgin. But more importantly, that's your friend, Eztili!

Eztili looks around frantically and notices you. She calls out your name. You can hardly hear her over the ringing.

"Steph!" she calls. "Stephen!! You can't let them do this! You have to-" The ringing grows louder and louder, nearly drowning out her voice as she continues to call your name, insisting that you do... something. But what can you do? You are powerless before the priests of this city, who are starting to hold her back, brandishing their ceremonial blades. She's shouting desperately now, but still you can't hear her over the ringing.

Just as the blade makes the first incision at her chest, the wound suddenly erupts with an ethereal blue light. The priests step back, blinded, as the light shines onward onto the side of the volcano, in the shape of a five pointed star, divided into segments.

Suddenly, Eztili's- No, Aerith's voice is loud and clear.

"You have to wake up!!"

>Wake up

You wake up to your Aztec cosmology teacher slapping her ruler on your desk.

"It's lunchtime," she sneers, looking down at your barely-started test. "Sleeping through finals, huh? Good luck finishing before the day's over."

You sigh, looking down at the test. That was a really weird dream.

At the cafeteria, you take a seat next to Bob, who greets you with more energy than you're willing to deal with right now.

"Dude, good to see ya!" he practically shouts. "How's your exam going? You're in that nerdy Aztec class, right? Probably aced it huh, you're crazy about that mythology shit. Hey, you okay man? You look like you've seen a ghost."

You try to blink the sleep out of your eyes as you process everything he just said to you.

What do you do?

Edited by Afterwards on Sep 24th 2019 at 11:58:59 AM

>It's probably nothing.

>Tell Bob about what happened.

> Try to get your head together for the next exam.

>It's probably nothing.

>Tell Bob about what happened.

Conflicting suggestions. You decide to take the middle route and offer up something totally vague.

"Umm.... Do you remember Aerith?"

Bob's expression suddenly turns solemn.

"Yeah, dude. She was our best friend."

"Yeah...." You clutch at the good luck charm beneath your shirt. "I dunno. I've just been thinking about her, I guess. Having some weird dreams. It's probably nothing."

Bob looks down, contemplating for a moment. You know deep talks like this aren't really his strong suit, so you understand him being so awkward.

"Well, don't worry about it man. I'm sure she's doing just fine, wherever she is. Who knows, maybe we'll even get to see her again someday."

"Yeah. Maybe."

You reach down your collar and pull out Aerith's good luck charm, holding it up to the flourescent lights. The light seeps through the glass pieces, illuminating your face with a brilliant green light.

Bob looks solemnly down at his food.

"Hey, uh, I gotta go, man. I'll see you after school, yeah?"

You put down the good luck charm and nod. "Yeah. Seeya."

Bob gets up and takes his tray before walking away, ruffling your hair affectionately as he passes you. You can't help but smile a little.

> Try to get your head together for the next exam.

Man, you've still gotta get your head together for this exam. With only three hours left in the day, will you even have time to finish your exam?

Hahah, just kidding. You totally have time.

The rest of the day passes without too much incident. You barely manage to finish your test on time, but you do it, and you're pretty confident in your answers. At long last, the school day is over and you're free to do whatever you please. You can head home and work on your to do list, or you can hang out around town for a while, if you want.

What do you do?

Edited by Afterwards on Sep 24th 2019 at 12:23:46 PM

> get some tickets to a blues rock concert

> Prepare for birthday

>Think about that weird star shape in your dream.

Edited by TabbyGirl4 on Sep 24th 2019 at 12:55:15 PM

> get some tickets to a blues rock concert

Well, alright.

Your town has gone through some pretty major gentrification in the last ten years. Whereas when you grew up it was a pretty small town, it's now a bustling suburb, with new businesses popping up left and right. You check to see if there's any concerts at the venue in town and sure enough, there is - a local band playing blues rock. Hopefully they're good. You snag a pair of tickets, hoping Bob or Tabitha will agree to go with you.

You lost $30!

You gained CONCERT TICKETS!

New event added to Agenda: Blues Rock Concert, Tuesday 8p-10p.

>Think about that weird star shape in your dream.

You recognize it. It's Aerith's good luck charm: A glass star composed of five segments, one for each point, tied together with plastic, clay, and a thick string. That's how you knew it was really her, in the dream.

> Prepare for birthday

Alright. Hmm, what do you need to prepare? Decorations? Snacks, probably. Maybe drinks? Wait, no, your mom would never let you drink at your age. You'd have to host it somewhere else if you wanna do that. Maybe Bob would be willing?

You check your Birthday Budget. You have $100 to spend. Well, it's not a lot, but it should be enough for a little intimate get-together.

How, specifically, will you prepare for your birthday?

> Go to the mall and do a shopping montage with the song "Superbike" playing in the background.

Edited by KeironCioran on Sep 24th 2019 at 10:39:13 AM

> Stock up on snacks

Edited by Zanreo on Sep 24th 2019 at 7:40:01 PM

>Decorations!

> Non-alcoholic drinks

> aztec motifs

> Go to the mall and do a shopping montage with the song "Superbike" playing in the background.

> Stock up on snacks

>Decorations!

> Non-alcoholic drinks

> aztec motifs

You're really into that Aztec stuff suddenly, huh? Alright.

Since you're going to the mall, you go ahead and call your friends, make a day of it.

The aforementioned song starts playing as the three of you meet up, heralding the beginning of a light-hearted montage of the three of you going around to various party stores, stocking up on supplies, and generally goofing around and having a great time. Interestingly, they both insist on paying for you at every store, refusing to take no for an answer. Well, at least you're saving money, you guess?

At the end of the day, since you still have all your money, you decide to stop by the Shitty Ancient Artifact Replica Store, and blow $50 on a Quetzalcoatl cake topper. An excellent purchase.

After that long day, the three of you head to the food court to eat and rest and otherwise regain your bearings before heading home.

What do you do?

>Work on your guest list with Bob and Tabitha ontop of it.

>Ask for an extension

> Ask the crew whether the name "Eztili" means anything to them.