Test Drive Meme #1 Overflow

[seasonsmods]

Test Drive Meme #1 Overflow
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Arrival

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Part 1

You arrive in an unknown space, dressed in white clothes (player choice what kind of clothes, as long as they cover everything). Whatever was happening to you before no longer happens. It's like everything was put on a pause and you were transferred away from the situation without you realizing it happened.

The space that you find yourself in is one of these four options:

An empty landscape filled with snow and ice, almost like a blank canvas.
A field with cherry blossom trees and spring flowers.
A sunny beach near an ocean that seems never ending.
A quiet forest with falling autumn leaves.

All of the spaces seem to continue endlessly. No matter where or how far you walk it almost seems like you're not moving at all. There are no animals here - just those who happened to wake up there at the same time, in the same place. Everyone is wearing the same kind of plain, white clothes.

Despite the possible rollercoaster of emotions you might be feeling, the place somehow feels familiar. Like somehow you belong there.

And it looks like you're not alone.


Part 2

After half an hour has passed the surroundings change as everyone is teleported into a room with all the other new arrivals, no matter what space they woke up in. It's a large place with plenty of seats to sit in and beverages to enjoy. Medical attention is offered to those who need it and the doctors here are very prepared for any challenging situations.

Here, in this room, everyone gets an answer to where they are and why. A hologram of a man appears at the center of the room, waiting to be heard. He brings a message on behalf of the leaders of Ellipsa.

The Message [ Click to Expand ]

Hello, my name is Olwen. I'm one of the leaders of Ellipsa as it currently is. I'm also one of the four who summoned you here.

Our world is in trouble and we need your help. I apologize for tearing you away from your world and forcing you to come here but I hope you understand. The magic we used doesn't let us ask in advance, nor does it let us choose who we bring here.

This world is composed of four Seasonal Segments. All of them represent one of the seasons. They were the places we used to get our resources from, but now they're dangerous places no one should go into unless they have the power to fight back. All of them have their own sets of powerful monsters and natural catastrophes.

We used to have plenty of people here who could control the powers of the four Seasons. We called them Seasonal Power Holders. Unfortunately, due to a tragedy you can read about later, we lost almost all of them. Now only four of us remain and the world is in chaos. We have done our best to protect the world, but we need more power holders to do that.

That's where you come in.

All of you have been assigned to one of the seasons. Whatever space you were in just now is what season you represent. You will learn different skills based on the season and those skills are going to help you save this world.

These powers don't interfere with your own natural powers. They use a new energy that has formed inside of you. It's harmless to your health, but it's vital to your seasonal powers. Your own powers should still work, even if the dark energy outside the city might interfere with them.

Unfortunately bringing you here wasn't as simple as it sounds. We couldn't do anything about how to keep you anchored to this world other than making a simple spell that helps with it. That is, you need to touch someone else who is not from this world ideally at least once a day. It will help you stay in control of your powers and boost your magical energy. If you don't, the consequences aren't very good. But as long as you hold someone's hand or give someone a handshake, you should be fine.

That's all I have to say about the situation. The staff of the Research Center will give you more information about housing and other necessary things. I will, however, promise that you will be sent home once the situation becomes better. That's the least we can do.

The hologram can be viewed in private in a separate room later, should someone wish to look at it again. For now, the staff of the Research Center hands everyone their new smartphones with their small flower lucky charms (the flower is anything the player decides). They're also told that the building next door is where everyone can find a room assigned to them with some of their belongings there and possibly even any animal companions. Those concerned about their mount-sizes companions are welcomed to the stables downstairs to see if their friends are there. The mounts are allowed to stay there until you find a place more suitable for them.

Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.

Part 3

The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.

All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you your own room if you ask them. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?

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Exploring the City

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Part 1

The city outside the Research Center and the apartment building is a very futuristic and bright place. There's a lot of fancy technology and the weather seems almost too perfect all of the time. Even the weather here is artificial and doesn't feel natural at all. This is the center of the whole Nightwake City and it's called the district that never sleeps for a good reason. It feels like any time of the day you choose to go out there's something going on.

Everyone was given some money on their money app BankCrow to spend. Why not go for the Gacha Restaurant on the main street if you're hungry? You can either choose what style/type of food you want (different cuisines, pizza, junk food, etc) OR pick any ingredients and list your allergens before rolling the gacha machine and what comes out is a meal that fits your choices. Most commonly they're mediocre quality (2-3 stars), slightly rarer are the very bad and very good dishes (1 stars and 4 stars) and the rarest of them all is the golden 5 star dish that is the most delicious and sophisticated meal you'll ever taste. But hey, at least the drinks are all the same no matter what meal you end up getting.

If the futuristic city style isn't for you, there are other district with various different atmospheres waiting for you just outside the city center.

In the District Spotlight [ Click to Expand ]

Blossomcrown is a modern city, but not as futuristic as the central district. Cherry blossom trees have been planted on the side of the streets to give some color for the otherwise gray scenery. It's a busy place with a central park full of spring flowers in the middle, that gives some much needed peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of the city. There's even the famous Botanical Garden open to all visitors. It's a home to many exotic plants that can't be grown anywhere else (that's safe, at least). There are also plenty of butterflies and bees living in the gardens. Attached to the building it also a flower shop where anyone can purchase a plant for themselves - they're even divided by suitability for each district. But if plants aren't your thing, why not check out the concert venue, which is an arena made for holding concerts. It can be transformed into both an outdoor and indoor venue by opening or closing the roof. Anyone can book the venue to hold a concert as long as they have the funds to do it. They will even advertise your concert for you everywhere!

Those who really just want to see something that's not a city, why not try Frostreign? Sure, it's very cold but there aren't very many buildings. It's more like a small village in the middle of Eternal Winter. The easiest ways to move around here are sledding, skiing and sleigh rides, where either excited huskies or chill reindeers will take people on a ride around the district. There are some snowmobiles too for those, who want to try them. One of the most popular locations is the giant, nevermelting ice castle in the center of the town, where kids love to play hide and seek. It's also a popular locations for dates, as the natural magical crystal lights inside the castle make the place look romantic. Another popular spot is the ice hole, where some brave souls go either swimming and some others at least try staying in the icecold water for a little moment before running to the Sauna Spa! It's an area full of different kind of saunas but it also doubles up as an inn, and due to knowing Otherworlders were going to come today, it's even available for booking!

Those who want to test out their powers right away, Dayrise is the place to go! The Grand Colosseum is designated for power holder practice for at least the following week. After that the natives would like to watch sports again rather than continuous fighting, but even then you're welcome to use the colosseum when there's a chance. After testing your powers, the luxurious baths of Dayrise are a good treat. They're all public baths and none of the natives are ashamed of being naked for hours with strangers. They will also encourage anyone coming with a towel to throw it away.

Part 2

Around the city of Nightwake, Valentine's Day is being celebrated. There are plenty of decorations, all in pastel colors (mainly pink). The Spring Segment districts have also contributed by giving all other districts flowers for decorations for some pleasing aromas. Most of the restaurants also have discount for those who dine together instead of alone.

There are plenty of treats that lift up your mood. Eating too much of the treats results in becoming very clingy to the next person they see. The effect usually wears off in half an hour, but it could take longer depending on how many treats you've eaten.

Another popular Valentine's are the game stalls that are intended to be taken on as couples. Anything you win will only be given to your partner. If you play alone, all you get is a round of applause even if you'd do a new high score. These game stalls include a lot of classic from carnivals and festival, racing with horses or vehicles and even video games.

Each district has a small stall that acts as a starting point for the main Valentine's Day challenge. The goal is to travel from one check point to another within the district while holding hands with someone. There is a small task to be done at each checkpoint (like eating a full course meal or popping balloons while still holding hands). The point is to never let go of your partners' hand. Once the pair gets to the end of the course they get a reward.

The reward for getting past the course is a free item from Riki's Rewards (any prize) and a pair of friendship bracelets that sends messages to its pair bracelet (like "I miss you", "Let's meet up").

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The Segments

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Part 1

Exploring the city isn't something that interests you? Well, the four bridges that lead to the Seasonal Segments are always open and you're definitely allowed to go outside. However, due to the summoning magic, the dark energy outside the city has temporary gone haywire and all of the Segments are suffering from their natural disasters at the same time.

Winter Segment is suffering from a raging blizzard and the usual beautiful landscapes are just a white blur for the time being.

Spring Segment is in the middle of a hurricane, with all of the lightest beings being picked up and tossed all over the place with the wind.

Summer Segment is literally on fire. Only the rain forests and jungles, as well as the Great Ocean Lake are safe from it.

Autumn Segment is suffering from a thunderstorm. Chances of getting struck by lightning are quite high should someone step in.

If you're prepared for the weather, no one is going to stop you from going out to explore. It might be a good idea to bring a friend with you. Luckily, the natural catastrophes calm down after two days and the Segments are more normal after that. So it might actually be worth a while to wait before going out.


Part 2

After the storm the sun shines and sheep appear [ Click to Expand ]

When you venture out to the Spring Segment after the storm, there's a herd of Fabric Sheep wandering near the Flower Yard. These sheep are tame and while they usually run and hide, sometimes they look for people to help them get their wool sheared. Luckily natives on the Dayrise bridge are handing out shearing scissors for those who would like to help.

The sheep get scared very easily, but if you don't make too many sudden movements, you will be able to do your job easily. The sheep might even boop you gently as a thanks before heading off again. If you're mean to sheep, however, you might get an angry Gravity Goat chasing you.

Anyone who visits the Flower Yard of any of the Segments will hear a story from a native there. A story of the magic that has been put in place that lets all the otherworlders "respawn" to their respective Flower Yard if they die in Ellipsa. The flower will be the same as it is in everyone's charms. The natives say that more details can be asked from the main four seasonal power holders, but that they've heard it's painless for otherworlders to emerge from the flower.

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All Aboard

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Part 1

After the Segments have settled down, a message appears on everyone's smartphones. Everyone is invited to join some observational cruises at the Airship Station in Nightwake District. There are four different ships leaving at the same time, but if you come back again later you will be able to go to them all eventually. The trip targets are the Seasonal Segments. Of course, there are long instructions as to how one should dress to handle the different weather they would be experiencing while in the air. You have time to shop as the invitation is open for a good while.

The Airship Station is a very modern, almost futuristic, place with a lot of docks with various airships lined up. Most of the ships there are used for in-city transportation and there are various holographic displays that tell how many ships are available and where. Various restaurants are also found here and view from the ones on top of the building is amazing. There's time to look around, but your final destination is the biggest docks at the end of the station.

The point of these cruises is to give otherworlders a chance to see what the Segments are like without interacting with the monsters down below. The ships will fly to the airship station of each Segment and then come back a different route to cover as much of the segment as possible. In total the trip is said to take four days.

Because of the length of the trip, everyone has been provided with a simple two to four person cabin (with their own bathroom/shower) and three meals are served per day throughout the trip. Snacks can also be found from the cafeteria and they're free of charge.

Enjoy the view, bond with your fellow passengers and relax. Staying on the deck is safe, especially if you don't start leaning over the rails to look down.

Part 2

The old lady and her cats [ Click to Expand ]

Each airship station in the segments is unique in their own right. They're not very well-kept like the one in the city and various weather changes have definitely modified them to look old and worn down.

Strangely enough, each of the airship stations has someone living there; an old lady with a herd of different cats depending on the season: winter cats are spirits that can be seen by anyone due to them taking control of stuffed animals, spring cats are part flowers, summer cats look like small lions or tigers and autumn cats are essentially the same as will-o'-the-wisps but in cat shape.

The old ladies explains that they are quite comfortable living there and don't have any plans to "evacuate". They will kindly decline anyone who tries to help them. The airship staff explains there are some special arrangements in place to help them live in the stations as those are safe places to stay in.

Each of the ladies will tell you a story. Winter lady will talk about the Watchtower and who used to live there, spring lady will tell all about the abandoned farm and its owners, summer lady talks about the abandoned castle and its royalty and autumn lady tells about the abandoned mansion and who used to be the lord.

If you talk to the same lady again later the story is different. She tells a different version of the story every time she is talked to. No one is really sure which of the stories is true because of how many versions are circulating around.

The ships only stay docked at the station for as long as the staff of the airship delivers some food and other necessities to the old ladies and then it's back towards the city again. Of course, nothing stops anyone from leaving the ship and experiencing the segments themselves.

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OOC TIPS

- The original TDM post is here!

- Ask your questions related to the TDM here.

- The TDM is available only to friends of the mods and their friends. If you want to play in the TDM, please leave a note here to inform us who invited you over. We will get to you as soon as possible.

- The TDM is game canon so anything in the TDM can happen for your character(s) in the game as well.

- Smut is not allowed on the TDM. You can play situations leading to it, but if the thread is turning into smut, please move it to a private space such a post in your character's journal, or a locked post in the game's log community if you decide to app!

- Check Locations: City to find more areas to explore inside the city. Every place in the districts are open, except for the Guilds for now.

- Similarly, Locations: Segments is useful for outdoors adventures.

- You can find monsters to encounter on Beastiary, including information on the two mentioned on the TDM.

- FAQ has information on characters' smartphones as well as general things about the world that might be handy.

- Feel free to also hit our EMP/ATP meme while you're here!

code bases by tricklet

Comments

[nugrass]

[For the second they have their fingers to his neck, they'll feel that he does, in fact, NOT possess a pulse.
Yet he's plenty warm, just like a living person should be - breathing just like one, too.

But that's all they get, because unfortunately, Chipp is ticklish and almost immediately flinches.]

Wh- hey, no!? What was that for?!

[essenceborn]

Dip dip diiip, you really don't have a pulse! Incredible...!

[ SORRY CHIPP. Lucky for him, the flinch means Nen has to grab onto his shoulders to keep from getting jostled, but they're leaning closer than ever now. ]

How can you be warm if you're dead? Are you a corpse or some sort of "m,agic? Are you decomposing? Can I smell you??

[nugrass]

[Okay, now he's wobbling, which isn't great because let's be real, Chipp's the personification of "bull in a china shop" when it comes to his clumsiness.
He manages to steady himself on his feet (thankfully), but it means that he's gonna go ahead and take his helmet back, thanks. It's absolutely setting the weight distribution all sorts of wonky letting Nen keep it while they're wobbling like this.
At least he's got the magic to do it hands free!!

It's only once they're stable and his helmet's been replaced that he actually tries to explain any of this.]

- You ain't too far off with "some sorta magic". I'm a dead man's soul in a body made entirely outta magic!
Comes part 'n parcel with my job.
I'm a Grim Reaper.

[essenceborn]

No idea what that is! So was this body never alive to begin with? If it's made out of magic and not real, does that mean it doesn't have organs? Do you need to eat or sleep? Do you get hungry?

[ DO YOU HAVE TIME TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION, EVER? ]

[nugrass]

[Well he's dead so technically he has all the time of the world??
It's his patience that Nen has to worry about, really--

Honestly... this is something he probably should have foreseen, but it doesn't stop the internal facepalm of having walked right into it.]

This body's alive 'cause it's gotta soul in it. It's got organs, but they kinda just for show.
I can eat 'n sleep, but I don't gotta. I'll get weak if I don't, but I won't die or nothin'.

[essenceborn]

[ g a s p ]M

So if you do eat, does that mean you....





[ you know. after. ]

[nugrass]

[BIG, HEAVY, PERFORMATIVE SIGH.]

No.
Burns into magic. All of it.
It's how we make magic when we ain't gettin' enough light.

[essenceborn]

[ NEN HAD TO ASK. They couldn't not ask.

The answer is a bit of a let-down, but at least they stop wiggling around so much. ]

Magic again... It's like it doesn't obey any natural laws at all! Magic sounds like it's just cheating.

[nugrass]

'Course it don't obey natural laws! It's magic!
'S got its own laws, and even then, it fucks 'round with'em!
You know how infuriatin' it was, as a man o' science 'n engineerin', to go from "magic sucks and isn't real" straight to "I AM MADE OUT OF MAGIC NOW"!?

[Whoops, looks like Nen managed to strike a button just right with him.
He sounds mad as hell, of course - but it's all being purposefully aimed away from Nen, even when he lets go of a leg to motion with a hand as he talks. Or yells, really.]

[essenceborn]

[ o Chipp....that icon is so cute??? Even with all the huffing and puffing and yelling, Nenonen can't say they really fault or disagree with him on it. Magic seems alien and nonsensical, and for an 'unnatural' as they are themselves, it's at least not magic. It's science.

Horrible, reality-breaking science.

magic is for plebs ]

Very infuriating?

[nugrass]

Yeah! ... Yeah. Very.

[Seems Nen's simple and agreeable answer has immediately cooled him off some! +2 Chipp handling skills.]

Look - ya get used to it. 'S all I know for sure.
All weird as hell, but you get used to it.

Plus, it's... I dunno. Interestin'.
Gettin' to make the veiller with another Grim Reaper, talk about they lives 'n shit. Learn how they died. See how it changed'em.
You know?

Can't get that kinda experience anywhere else, gotta put up with nonsense magic to get it.

[essenceborn]

Nope, I don't know. But it sounds like you get to meet a lot of people through your work. That must be fun.

[ Nen met new people for the first time in about 186.604 years worth of the same 13-day time loop. And it's way better than not doing that at all. This is the most stimulated they've felt in what feels like forever. ]

So--grim reapers and souls. Tell me about those next!

whooooo infodump time

[nugrass]

Hm. Yeah, I shouldn't expect ya to know what Grim Reapers and souls are if you dunno what ice cream is...
Might be kinda hard to explain, though. So just hold on tight 'n try to keep up.

[Metaphorically, he means. He's got a pretty good grip on their legs, so it's not like they're gonna fall or anything.]

To try 'n keep it simple, think of souls like a battery. Everyone gotta soul, so everyone gotta battery that keeps'em goin'.
That battery's kinda the core of who you are, too. Your personality, your likes, your dislikes, who you'll meet, who you'll hurt, who you'll love - all'a that is written right into that soul of yours.

When ya die, that battery gets yanked outta your body and sent somewhere else. Where I'm from, that's the land of the dead.
From there, you got the Grim Reapers who are there to guide those souls 'cross that plane of existence and onto the next.
Not a one of us knows what that next plane is, just that 's important we get souls over there. Everyone got their theories... but 's all speculation. Mostly based in religion.
Which is a bit too sticky to get into with a kid who dunno what an arcade is.

We dunno what makes a person into a Grim Reaper instead of a normal soul, though. We were normal people just like them, but we don't getta cross onto that next plane.
We just get stuck in a literal dead-end job, sortin' out souls as people pass and yeetin'em into the ether.
But to make up for it, we get magic. And we can do whatever we want with the land of the dead, too. C'est fou.

:D!

[essenceborn]

"Foo."

[ Y'know. Because c'est sounds like 'say'..... ]

ok nen is officially my favorite

[nugrass]

Yeah, it's-- yeah, that.
Did I say it wrong or somethin'? What'd I say?

[He highly doubts that he did!! ... But look, he has no other idea what that's about otherwise.]

sdkgjs u are too kind!! chipp ia *amazing*

[essenceborn]

Huh? What? No, you told me to say that.

[ So Nenonen did! Why is Chipp confused about that? Now Nen's confused about Chipp being confused. ]

"Say foo." Foo?

u///u i try my best with this goofy cajun microwave!!!

[nugrass]

"Say foo"-??

[wait.]

Oh. Okay, no, I see where ya got turned around. C'est fou. [Said with EMPHASIS.]
It's French. Means "it's crazy". 'Cause it's crazy how they let us go wild with a whole plane of existence!

Guess I gotta be more careful 'bout that with you, eh? Keep the down-home shit to myself 'till you know a bit more 'bout the world around ya.

I am so digging his accent too, like you can really hear it in his tags c:

[essenceborn]

Or other worlds in general. Pretty sure where I come from doesn't have "French."

[ But it is interesting to learn. In fact, this is the first new information Nenonen's gotten in...well, see above tags. Long time!! It's refreshing, but buried in the back of their mind is the dread that in just a few days, all of this will reset itself again. ]

Don't act like I don't know anything! I know quite a lot, thank-you very much.

omg THANK U... im fussy about making sure i get it right, so!!

[nugrass]

Hun, not to put ya down or nothin', but I'm literally carryin' you into town to teach you what ice cream is.
What kinda world are you even from? I doubt ya don't have SOME kinda France, back there.

[If his understanding of world history is correct - which it generally is - then France is, like, everywhere.
Everywhere has a little bit of France. That is simply how nature works at this point.]

You were raised as some kinda experiment, right? They ever let you outta that tower?

[essenceborn]

Oh, how'd you know??

[ Is Chipp a wizard....jk Nenonen doesn't know what those are ]

And...no. Listen, I might not have ever left the research tower but that doesn't mean I don't know things. Maybe my world just doesn't have ice cream--ever think of that? Maybe some worlds don't even have a France. We don't have seasons either you know! I've looked out the window plenty and never seen snow.

We get a lot of ash though.

[nugrass]

Hate to break it to ya, squirt, but if they raised you as an experiment, then I got no doubts they kept everything from ya.
Fun shit, important shit, other countries, other languages - all of it. Don't matter.
Too many variables taints the experiment.

I'm a man of science, remember? Just 'cause the stuff I work with ain't got any flesh or blood don't mean I don't understand the process.

[A very, very short pause, almost in thought-]

... By ash, you mean you lived near a volcano, or somethin' else?

[essenceborn]

[ ...WELL. It's hard to refute that, because after numerous loops Nenonen knows they were hiding things and preventing the thirteen Essenceborn from acquiring certain knowledge. The nature of the horrific experiments, how they were made...

Nen's had a long time to lock all that unpleasantness up inside and focuses instead on that second part. ]

Vol...cano? I know it's probably a real word, but I almost feel like you're throwing me weird ones on purpose. I mean ash as in the sort of thing you'd see come out of a recycler when you dispose of organic matter. It's white and looks sort of like dust?

[nugrass]

Yeah, okay, that just sells it. They kept EVERYTHING from ya. Everything they could.
Volcanoes are outright universal - damn near any solid planet we've found had some. But I'll, uh...
I'll find you a book in the library for that. Don't got the stuff I'd need to explain'em to you in full.

Just imagine a mountain that shoots out chaos and fire sometimes.

[Surely that's a good enough explanation for a mental image, at least.]

As for ash - I know what it is. A product of fire. You burn shit, you get ash.
Probably how them recyclers of yours worked.
Just dunno what the source of the ash you been seein' was if it were comin' from the sky. Best guess? Volcano.
Second best guess? Shit, I dunno. The apocalypse?

[Finally, Nen gets to hear that helmet laugh for him! It's a series of cheery chiptune-like beeps and blips, rolling over a quiet wheeze or two that can really only be Chipp himself laughing inside the helmet proper.]

[essenceborn]

[ A mountain that shoots out fire and chaos... Nen tries to imagine it, but winds up distracted by that distorted laugh; for a split-second they think something's gone wrong with Chipp but...oh. Music! Music? It sounds a little like the noises they were making with the Gameboy earlier. ]

You have a weird laugh.

[ But Nenonen says that with no malice whatsoever; they just lean forward over one of Chipp's shoulders, comfortable. ]

It came from the clouds above the city.

[ Though that 'apocalypse' thing isn't far off... Maybe if time doesn't reset, they'll consider mentioning it. It just seems pointless if everything's going to repeat itself right now. ]

[nugrass]

Yeah? Well, you gotta weird everything.

[Said with an equal amount of malice (that is, none), but it's definitely meant teasingly.

That, though - the idea that ash had been falling from the clouds. That gets him to pause for a second in thought.
His first guess (and only guess, really) isn't too out of the realm of possibility - a supervolcano, perhaps, that went off in a different timeline. Nen's timeline, specifically.
But if Nen doesn't know what a NORMAL volcano is, then it's absolutely moot to bring up the idea of volcanoes so big they destroy entire swathes of a planet...

So he'll just go back up one, to a more general idea of that.]

So... an apocalypse. Like I said. Ain't much that can make ash just fall outta the clouds, y'know?
Unless you happen to come from a world where ash just rains down outta nowhere, sometimes... but I doubt that. Most planets with them conditions ain't habitable - they too poisonous for somethin' like you to live on.