Drowned Quest [Surreal Underwater Misadventures — New Chapters Daily, Forever*]

Two centuries ago, the gods died, the earth flooded, and the world ended. Humanity's remnants cling on atop mile-high island-cities, but the surrounding ocean remains perilous: whether they jump, slip, or tumble, thousands drown each year. The drowned are never seen again. But that doesn't mean they die. Three years ago, you drowned, becoming water-breathing, unaging, and trapped on the purgatorial seafloor. But it's fine! You did it on purpose! After all, you are Charlotte Fawkins, extraordinary heiress / detectivess / adventuress, and you're on an epic quest: a talking snake is helping you find a legendary family heirloom, lost for centuries underwater. As soon as you find it, you'll be back to the surface ASAP. Except... you do find it. And your now-awfully-evil-seeming snake tells you that you can't go back after all. If you ever want to see home again, he says, you'll need the powers of a GOD. And, if you follow his simple plan (and consent to some innocent body modifications), he can help y— Pssh! Whatever! You don't want to be a god! You don't need that wretched snake, either: you'll find your own way home, no matter how long it takes! Sure, you might be prone to the following: terrible looming omens; unjust scorn from your annoying peasant neighbors; and getting immediately and ridiculously sidetracked. And okay, you might sidetrack your way into unraveling an enormous conspiracy... and discover yourself at its very core. And yes, alright, fine, you might also have to go save the world from its imminent destruction... Wait, what? Oh no. But it's fine! You're working on it. You're okay with this. Nothing can possibly go wrong. ...Right? Positive thinking!  Drowned Quest is a completed work of (formerly-)interactive fiction that ran continuously from September 2019 through November 2025. It was written with real voters making decisions and rolling dice every step of the way. As a result, its format is a little different from what you may be used to: namely, it's written in 2nd person POV, and the winning votes and rolls are preserved in the narrative. On the upside, it is a complete, proofread, 1.8 million-word-long story. I will post a new chapter once a day until the entire thing has been uploaded (that's the asterisk on "forever"). At 1.8 million words, that's multiple years of daily chapters, already queued up, 100% guaranteed, swear on my mom, check the reviews. This is the real deal. >What to expect - A low fantasy horror / dramedy / mystery / adventure / slice-of-life / whatever set in a surreal post-post-apocalyptic flooded world... but underwater, not above it  - A freakishly determined, deeply delusional, morally dubious, socially clueless feMC hopelessly entwined with an abusive talking snake - A large cast of freaks, jerks, criminals, and lunatics to offend and/or befriend - Bad decisions, worse luck, and frequent failure, but a heroine that never gives up until she succeeds! (It'll happen someday!)  - General weirdness: dream sequences, mind dungeons, snake drugs, blood magic, and reality science; existential, psychological, and body horror  - Deep, dense, slow-burn character exploration and growth - A complex plot satisfyingly resolved - An unusual number of beetles - Dry humor - Saving the world - Over 250 pieces of custom artwork, drawn by fans, fellow artists, and myself