Thank you, I'm all recovered! Glad to hear that you are on the up and up :)
I have yet to play Trip World! Despite developing pretty much exclusively for GameBoy, I haven't played a ton of the original titles. I just really enjoy the restrictions; it makes development simple but complex if you want to explore more intense designs.
You really did fit a lot of design in for this jam. It is a short game but feels like a big experience with the mechanics.
And by all means, feel free to implement the idea for utilizing the "_/_/_" ! It's a nicely woven-in characteristic that could definitely be put to good use.