Drowned Quest [Surreal Underwater Misadventures — 2+ *YEARS* of Daily Chapters!]

You are extraordinary heiress / adventuress / detectivess / heroine CHARLOTTE FAWKINS. Three years ago, you DROWNED in the waters of a surreal, world-swallowing ocean. This is just about the least of your concerns. More pressing issues currently include: > You have a talking snake in your brain. He's mean to you. Sometimes he possesses you. Or modifies your body. > You don't like the seafloor very much. (Too wet. Too existentially confusing. Filled with *peasants*.) You were supposed to escape as soon as you found the legendary relic you were QUESTING for, but... > ...Er, you found it. And now the snake informs you that he lied to your face: you can't go back home, actually, unless you become a GOD. And he'd be happy to help you, if only you'll-- > You don't want to be a GOD.  > Also, you're broke. And nobody likes you. And you have ominous dreams. And, whether you know it or not, you're about to stumble straight into the middle of a centuries-old mystery, involving at least some of the following: alligators, jilted ex-girlfriends, custom mind palaces, slime clones, death games, snakes, shady start-ups, a man made entirely out of beetles, more snakes, God, at least one lizard, and the apocalypse. Well, the second apocalypse. ...Pssh! No sweat! A lesser detectivess might be cowed, but you're almost definitely the greatest to ever live. Mystery: unraveled! Adventure: undertaken! Friends: who needs them! (But maybe you'll make them anyway?) And you'll even find a way home in the process, you're sure of it. It'll be quick. It'll be easy. And you probably don't even need that dumb snake. 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. 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