Yo. Funny here with another test- I wanted to try this for a while, and now, I decided "what the hey", and started typing. Basically, it's a bunch of Self-Inserts from Tales of Symphonia (random OCs) recounting highlights from their adventures. I hope you enjoy it.

And hey! If you have an OC to send in, send in a suggestion! Just PM me, yeah?

Enjoy!

I do not own Tales of Symphonia.

Sincerely,

-Funny.

P.S. OC name- Alexander Cole Simmons. Height is five feet and ten inches. Weighs about 190 pounds, short brown hair, and brown eyes.

Heya! Name's Alexander Simmons, but you can call me Al, if you want.

Me? Well, the story is really long, but to make it short, I was thrown into a video game. It's a long story, and it involves burritos.

Don't ask. Anyway, here I am, back on good ol' Terra Firma, when I decide to publish a survival guide so anybody else who falls in will be prepared. But, the problem is, people have already done that. And they did it better. Kind of ironic, considering I actually went through it.

But, even so, I figure I should do my part, so I'll give you a tip- AND I'll give you a reason to do it.

So, here it goes: Tip #1: Always carry a source of light with you at all times.

If you don't, it could end… poorly.

"Who's holding onto my shoulder?"

"Me, sorry."

"Gotcha."

"What? If I tried that-"

"You have a track record, Zelos. Al doesn't."

Zelos pouted as we kept walking along the platforms in the Temple of Lightning, my hand practically glued to Sheena's shoulder. Say what you will about me, but I certainly did not want to fall off of this thing. My guess was that Sheena thought that I could yank her away from a close call, which probably explained why I hadn't been Pyre Sealed into oblivion. We kept walking in silence, all eight of us, the quiet disrupted only when the brief flashes of lightning cut through the dark and lit up the room. When that happened, Raine would tell us how far to walk before turning or stopping.

It was almost like trying to navigate a room lit by strobe lights, only less frequent.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Lloyd asked. I couldn't see him, but I was fairly certain he was looking around.

"It's part of the trial." Zelos piped up. We would have turned to look at him, but that would have been pointless. "Something symbolic about a single candle lighting the darkness or whatever."

Seriously? We were risking our lives because the builders were trying for symbolism?

"So we have to navigate a dark room? Isn't that more of a thing you'd expect from the Temple of Darkness?" Lloyd asked with that childlike curiosity of his.

I heard a rustle of fabric- did Zelos shrug?

"Don't ask me. Take it up with the Church of Martel, if you have a problem."

I briefly wondered if we could sue them for false advertising, and wondered if we would win.

"Stop."

Raine's command stopped us all in our tracks. We waited until the flash and crash that illuminated the room.

"Turn right and keep moving for about ten paces." She said. We followed her orders marvelously, before stopping again, and waiting. The flash came again- was it my imagination, or were we farther behind than everybody else?

"Turn right and keep going until I say stop."

Maneuvering around (due to holding onto Sheena's kimono-type-thing) we turned right and started to move forward.

Then Sheena stumbled.

"WAH!" she screamed, flailing around. My hand automatically clamped down harder on her shoulder as I tried to keep her from falling. Another flash of light came, and I saw that she was about to fall down there. Also? Sheena looked terrified.

I tried to yank her back, but she was flailing around too much. Her arms were moving around, and she was trying to get her other foot back on solid ground. However, her leg swung in the wrong direction, and ended up hitting a very, VERY painful place.

As I squeaked and settled into my new octave, I doubled over and lost my balance. With Sheena.

And we fell.

Screaming.

Eventually, we hit some kind of curve, and started to speed up like we were on some kind of-

Slide.

Until we got out of that place, I didn't quite put two and two together that there was a playground slide in the Temple of Lightning. We were too busy screaming. Of course, the fun didn't end there. The slide did end, and we tumbled out into the light.

"OW!"

I landed hard, but it was nothing compared to what came after. I looked up in time to see a blue and pink blur coming straight at me. I don't remember the timeline, but the world became pain for a few minutes there. After the daze subsided, I had a very concerned pair of eyes on me.

"Al, are you okay?" Sheena asked, concerned.

"Peachy." I managed to wheeze out.

"Geez…" she hissed through clenched teeth as she plucked something out of a hidden pocket on her kimono/not-kimono. I felt something with a vague lemon-y aftertaste slide into my mouth. The pain subsided almost immediately, and my vision got clearer. And-

Wow. Sheena's face was rather close.

"Uh, Sheena?"

"Yeah?"

"…Personal space?" I mumbled, blushing.

She gasped and scrambled back- geez, that girl can move, when she wants to. I started to get up, and noted an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Let's not talk about this." I grumbled.

"Agreed."

The (third) worst seconds of my life over with, we set out to find the group and make the pact with Volt.

And from that day forward, I kept a matchbook with me at all times.

And there you have it.

Read and Review, please.

Sincerely,

Funny.