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Inspired by [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/insanepeoplefacebook/comments/7m7ncs/flat_earth_family/drs6s3l/) from /r/insanepeoplefacebook. | [WP] The Earth is flat, and NASA is guarding a giant ice wall in Antarctica. Beyond that wall is more continents and oceans that only the elite inhabit. A group of explorers sneak past the wall and discover the rest of the world. | Dec 27 '24
I told them that I'll go deeper into the mainland to see if the algae can also be found there. It needed water and CO2, both of which were aplenty. Some ice was even trapped in the snow and ice, and I had seen the algae growing underneath thick ice. It looked bluish and beautifully streaked the ice. My genome sequencer gave me its nuclear and mitochondrial genome, and within hours I had it's complete genome to analyse... and boy it felt like unwrapping Christmas presents! So many secondary metabolites, all waiting to be expressed in case the cell became stressed.
I needed more diverse samples, and since the algae grew on Ice, I was confident I could find them deeper in the mainland. I sent my guide a message, telling him that I'm going to the mainland. Damn, I've said mainland too many times, haven't I... It seems like paradise to me, a different world. I know it's just ice and snow... but it feels like it's gonna be different.
***
Dec 28 '24
I've hit the motherload... THE motherload...
Okay, so I trekked to the mainland, and just 8 km from my station, I spotted the algae... only now it was _glowing_ giving off a faint blue hue. At first I thought they are just darker in colour but nope, they fluoresce. And it's beautiful. I took enough samples for genome, exome and transcriptome analysis.
Holy fuck, I can name a species of algae.... what could I call it? _Cyanoflava_? After all it is blue and appears like a vein... Well I'll get to it later.
And a few meters from the I found a tree-like structure made out of the _same algae_.
I'm not talking tree-like, it formed a _proper tree_ with bark, roots, leaves(!) all having abluish hue. The leaves had more pigment, I collected enough samples to sequence all the plastids that I might extract.
***
Dec 29 '24
My guide was shit scared that I didn't wait for his approval before trekking to mainland. He became uninterested in my discoveries, but instead told me to return in the next ship coming to Antartica.
What the actual fuck.
I've made a potential breakthrough here, and all he's concerned about is that 'few people might be pissed?' well they wouldn't be pissed when I fucking solve the energy _and_ food crysis. These algae have crazy level of efficiency in photosynthesis... if the plastids are incorporated into normal algae and modified... Damn, it sounds like sci-fi, but it ain't.
I got the numbers to prove it.
Man, fuck him.
***
Dec 30 '24
Man, fuck ME.
Another explorer came to my station to baby sit me. He had to leave because his shipped arrived. I don't know what I was thinking, but I snuck outside.
I made it past the Algae Tree, and then I saw mountains in front of me. It stretced from either sides, as far as my eyes could see. No way I'd climb the mountain, heck I couldn't even see it's peak. They were soo tall, that I've been staring at it the whole time, not realising that it was a wall.
The wisest decision would be to turn around.
Except I didn't.
I saw a small burrow. Small, but large enough so that I could crawl through it.
And I did.
After what seemed like half an hour, the temperature shifted. I had to remove majority of my clothing (a challenge in the burrow). I came out of the other end, and it opened into a greenland. I could hear waves crashing on sand.
What the fuck
I moved forward, and its like I was in a beach. That wasn't rocky. And there were these people staring at me. Not rudely, but more like "Aww, look! How adorable he is!" like I'm a puppy who stood on two legs.
Few people came to me. They spoke english, but I couldn't respond. I didn't know what the heck was going on. I asked for water, and they gave it to me. They didn't seem the slightest hostile, but I had this feeling of dread. I looked behind me, expecting to see the burrow that I crawled to. The burrow was there....
The mountain wasn't.
*EDIT* formatting | "So you're telling me, based on your calculations, there's something beyond the Antarctic ice?" Henry didn't believe his colleague. She was a brilliant scientist, but it wouldn't be the first time she had offered an outlandish theory.
"Oh absolutely," Lisa replied, wiping dust off her glasses with the corner of her sweater. "The rate of ocean level change doesn't make sense given the glaciers in the mapped regions. Something else is melting and it's not being acknowledged."
"Geez, Lisa." Henry took another sip of his coffee. "You're going to need more evidence than that to persuade the director to let us go."
"I do, don't worry! Look at this."
Lisa pulled up a map. It showed regional emissions information across the plane.
"Do you see what's weird, Henry?"
"Well, USA is one of the worst contributors, but that's no surprise."
"But wait, there's more," Lisa joked, mimicking an infomercial. She opened another map, scaled to per capita consumption. Antarctica showed a looming dark red cloud around it. "According to official reports, there are only the personnel in Antarctica necessary to maintain the integrity of the ice wall. If there is a source of emissions there, we need to find out what it is."
Henry studied the map, tracing the edges of the high emissions area. "Okay, I'll bite. But NASA won't let us through. We're just a university environmental science research department. Besides, we're Canadian and that wall is guarded by the US."
"Then we need an American."
~
Henry wasn't sure what he expected when Lisa said she'd find an American. The Rock or Indiana Jones, perhaps. For sure, he was not expecting a middle-aged black man who weighed more than them both combined.
"Henry, meet George." Lisa smiled, presenting their new companion.
"Well hi! I'm just delighted to meet ya!" George extended a hand. His southern drawl caught Henry by surprise, but the student reciprocated nonetheless.
"Very nice to meet you too. I don't mean to be crass, but how did you meet Lisa?"
"I held a conference a few years back on emissions sources and reduction. When Lisa showed me her research, I couldn't NOT pitch in."
Henry nodded as he listened. Although George was plenty knowledgeable, he was not nimble. If the trio were to get in a snag, this could be a problem. He pushed back the negative thoughts, however, and focused on the situation at hand.
"How are we going to bypass the guards?" Henry questioned. This still hadn't been sorted out.
"Well we've got two options," Lisa piped up. "We could parachute in and risk being shot down, or we could go by George's prototype submarine and use his on-board laser to cut a small hole in the submerged ice."
George laughed. "I suggest the sub. It'll be a little squishy, but we'll survive."
The three discussed their options for a few minutes before confirming the use of George's submarine as their transport. A rendezvous point was set in two weeks, giving Lisa enough time to plan their approach and pack the necessary equipment.
~
Almost one hundred feet underwater, Lisa stared out the front of the submarine as they approached the ice. Henry had relegated himself to the back of the craft for more space.
From his spot, Henry called forward. "Are we deep enough to be undetected?"
"Yep," George confirmed. "NASA quit using radar for this site in favor of infra red a while ago. I specifically built this sub to be invisible to almost everything. The only thing that can detect it is radar, so we're lucky there."
Lisa pointed at the ice wall in the distance. "There it is. If we approach at an angle, can your laser open a shaft to the other side?"
"You bet."
George activated his laser, which went to town melting the ice.
One hour later, warmer water rushed down the shaft towards the submarine. It set off a temperature alarm in the craft.
"Oh boy," George commented, "NASA probably saw that. We best get moving." He piloted the craft up the hole in the ice, emerging in an ocean similar to the one they had just left.
"There's more ocean," Henry observed, approaching his companions. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but there's something weird about this side of the ice. The water is so warm." Lisa checked the temperature gauge. It read almost four degrees warmer than the other side.
George scratched his greying beard. "There's land to the east. We should check it out."
~
For the umpteenth time, Henry did not anticipate what he saw. To be fair, neither did Lisa or George. On the opposite side of the wall to what is known as Antarctica was an enormous ski lodge.
"What in tarnation..." George trailed off, looking up at the mountain that appeared to be carved from a glacier.
Someone had built a ski lift up the southern face. An enormous ski lodge occupied the base of the mountain and at least six yachts were docked nearby.
Lisa frowned. "This is the source of all that pollution? A couple rich assholes with a ski lodge? What else is over here that they've ruined?"
George placed a hand on her shoulder. "There are more land masses in the distance. Let's go see what we can discover."
Henry produced a camera and snapped a picture. Perhaps the world was not in fact flat, but simply living within borders. |
[WP] There are only a few human colonies scattered around the last burning red dwarfs. Everywhere stars are going out; humanity is facing the heat death of the universe. | Yusuf had heard the report earlier that morning: another star gone. Apparently the degradation had been extremely rapid in its late stages; the colony ship they were loading to jump away had been caught in the blast. It was dark news, yes, but not unexpected. Thermodynamics had long been humanity's greatest enemy, but they were just now facing it down.
The prognosis was grim. As a species, humanity had a year left, maybe less. Physicists were working around the clock on the last possible solution they had available to them: if this universe was finally collapsing, all they had to do was find one that wasn't. Yusuf smiled wryly to himself. *Was that all?*
***
Everyone in the station was on high alert. Transports were being loaded for escape to another system, but it was looking more and more like the alarm had been raised too late. Yusuf had made no move to board a transport; he knew someone would have to stay behind and transmit the last message of the station.
The good news, he thought as he walked slowly to his post, is that a habitable universe had been found. Yusuf wouldn't live to see it, but it gave him hope that the spark of humanity would flicker on, if only for a little bit longer.
At his post, he could see the red dwarf in the late stages of collapse. The heat was palpable even inside the space station, though Yusuf tried his best to ignore it. He began to type his message.
*Last transmission of the Space Station Inverness:*
*It's okay. We're going to be okay.* |
They huddled in what could only be described as a titanium teepee. The place for religious rituals and worshipping of Achaos, the bringer of entropy. Only believers remained now. Atheist colonies had disbanded and disappeared into oblivion in the past two hundred thousand years or so (in a blink, so to speak, as it had happened with humans since they could remember). The end of the universe would only be witnessed by believers. Ones who had found reason to support each other even when everything broke apart.
The altar was simple. A single, diminutive sphere made out of iron and polished to perfection. The elder software insisted it was a sample from the original planet where humans originated. The romantic apes had tried to haul as many minerals as possible from their homeland as they fled the death of their beloved Sun, an old and furious star that had died out in times immemorial.
The scared humans didn't pray for heat, though. They perfectly understood their unavoidable fate. Their physicists had toyed with the idea of the Heat death of the universe since before the great diaspora, so this didn’t come as a surprise. Instead, they prayed for renewal. The slimmest of chances existed that after 10^10^56 years of nothingness, quantum fluctuations or quantum tunneling would generate enough spontaneous entropy as to restart it all again. A second (or third? Or fourth? Or millionth?) big bang. Another go. The possibility to witness the beauty of what we call life once again. A chance to take some other beings us when we have to leave Earth. Something alive to keep us company out here. Something to help us remember. Something more than rocks. Rocks is all we’ve found out here.
| |
[WP] "You stand accused of deicide, how do you plead?" | “You stand accused of deicide. How do you plead?”
I look over my shoulder, looking over each face in turn. The court was filled mostly with other deities. Friends of the dead and my former allies alike, with some overlap between those two groups, leaned forward in their seats as they impatiently waited for my plea. The only other “mortals” present are Matthew, my ex-husband, sitting in the very back with his new lover and their children. In truth the most surprising thing about this whole thing was the fact that they were here: Matthew, I expected, but the fact that he brought his new family, a group of people I’ve done nothing but ridicule and torment… a group of people who didn’t understand the full gravity of everything until I was arrested… I would assume they were here to watch my downfall, but the fear on their faces tells me otherwise. I don’t know what to make of it.
But there are more important things to worry about now. I look back to my judge, a high-ranking member of an alliance I only recently learned existed. I take a deep breath, and, trying my best to hide my anger, I utter a single word.
“Guilty.”
I hear mutters from the audience behind me, hushed whispers about my shameless admission. I’m not sure, but I think I hear a small whimper coming from the back. I can only imagine that Matthew’s new family is comforting him right now. This process is hard for him, too… but I don’t feel guilty about dragging him into things. I take a deep breath, and, without being invited, I continue.
“She abandoned us. She left our town to be destroyed. We begged for her to intervene, for some kind of mercy, some sort of sign that she still cared - and we got nothing.” My fists clench tightly in their bindings. “The power I took was meant to be mine. I righted a great wrong by destroying her. And in doing so, I have made the world better for my people. I am guilty of this crime, but I have done nothing wrong.”
More hurried whispering. I hear the slamming of a door behind me. Against my better judgement, I look over my shoulder again.
Matthew and his family are gone. To be honest, I’m not sad to see him leave. He’s lucky that he isn’t standing up here next to me, and he knows that. Whether or not his family knows…
As my eyes sweep over the audience, I know I have no allies left. I turn my gaze once more to my judge, the fire in me as strong as ever, and I patiently wait for my sentence. | "You stand accused of deicide. How do you plead?" High Priest Jarlin asked.
I stared up at the council. Seven members of Alesia's religion gathered in the highest court in the land. Around us, thousands of people stood watching. All of them stared at me, hatred burning in their eyes. They wanted to punish me. To hurt me. For killing their god.
"I plead guilty," I answered, my voice echoing throughout the chamber.
The seven members of the council nodded grimly. "Good," High Priestess Yannera replied. "Do you have any final words before we pass sentence?"
I looked at the hall around me. In the front sat the lords and ladies, dressed in their fancy clothes, decked out in jewelry. Behind them sat those of wealth, not highborn enough to join the ruling class. And further out, beyond them were the common people. Dressed in rags and dirt, half starved. Usually, they were not allowed into the High Chamber. However, the council had decided to let them in for this one trial. They wanted everyone to see them order my torture and eventual death.
"I killed our God, that much is true," I muttered. "The one we worshipped for over hundreds of thousands of years. I searched for the entrance to the promised land, and once I found it, I stabbed him through the heart with Caliantris, the First Weapon, forged hundreds of thousand years ago. I watched him bleed out in front of me, writhing in agony as the magical blade took his power, his kingdom, and his life." I turned to look at the crowd behind me. "And I celebrated!" I hissed at them.
The chamber gasped simultaneously. Had they truly expected me to go meekly towards my fate?
"Our God was real. According to the sacred texts, he is all-powerful. And yet look at the land around us! The rains have stopped, leaving us with a drought to starve us. Famine and disease tear through our lands. Sickness that, according to the priests, is sent to test us. Yet these tests have lasted for a thousand years. Yet that is not enough. Now he sends these creatures to us, bloodthirsty and filled with hatred for our kind, to plague us with war. We welcomed them as fellow creations of our God. Yet they were not kind, nor pious. They were monsters that came in the night, burning our villages, murdering our children. We have all worshipped. We have all held true to the sacred texts. And yet he granted these monsters his favor as they slaughter his most devoted. Our God may have been powerful, but he was not good. He was not great. He was like a child, fascinated with his new creation. And soon enough, they will replace us. I murdered our God to save our entire race. Without his favor, perhaps we can prevail against those we fight! Perhaps we can win this war!"
The chamber was silent as my words died out. I looked at the council, tears in my eyes. "Go now and strike at these creatures, and you will save us all! Torture and kill me, but strike at those monsters now!"
The council stared down at me, unsure of what to say. Finally, High Priestess Arveyon spoke. "The humans have offered us a peace treaty. We will not attack them."
I fell forward on my knees. It was over. We had lost. "Then you have doomed us all," I muttered.
********
Hope this is ok. If you like my stuff you can find more at r/feedmequickwriting
| |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | Floating above earth looking down at the glowing green and red clouds of it’s atmosphere I’m still struggling to process the idea that humans originated from this planet...
It seems so toxic. I mean what the heck is The Burning Clouds?
“They called it Sahara Desert”
“What?”
I didn’t quite catch her.
“The dunes were actually in Africa”
That’s my colleague Fatihah she is the lead commander of our observation team.
Our team of five has been assigned to observe the Earth every sunrise from our station. And when we make one turn pass the Semi-Luna; the big chunk of what’s left of the moon, we go closer to the Earth wearing our exo-suit, TRx.
That’s the Job, simple. And nothing significant happened for more than 80 years so it’s probably the safest job you could score from Observation dept and in the universe right now.
A big man with a husky voice elaborates,
“The half of the sand is still blowing through Europe to North Pole, in Summer some of that sand storm will move down to Canada then all the way to around the earth where it will rejoin the rest of the radiation storm. You get caught in that shit, well by our measurement, you would melt in seconds like a sweet ice cube on my bum chicks”
Sandro with the mustache-
“Don’t worry mate, no one is going go anywhere near the storm or your arse ”
The team laughs.
Fatihah-
“Ok only the relevant info to our fresh man thank you Jack
We’re using the old country name from year 2020 to locate the spot, some time we change up the years up to 2087 so called the last days... the World War III. It’s quite fun to think about the old ways as stupid as it may sound but we get specially excited when we talk about Mongolia and Fatihah is so proud of it.
Oh and that husky man is my senior Jack, he loves his ass jokes.
And Sandro is the Pilot and the lady in our station is the Station Operator Ling she’s special, one of the best hybrid HumAnroid.
Ling
“Guys one of the Luna-5 cracked and half of it exploded, we’re expecting a quick gravitation change, you guys might want to move away about 1.5km from the Earth like immediately!”
...
...
That was last of Lings transmission to our team...
The pull was so powerful our jetpack couldn’t pull away in time.
We were being sucked into earth... not only that we were falling towards sand storm going north...
Fatihah grabbed my Arm as we fall...
I looked at her eyes as she stared into my soul to grab hold my mentality.
Sandro yells
“Guys! There! We use our booster to that mountain peak! That’s our only chance!!”
Fatihah-
“What’s the name of that mountain?!”
Sandro-
“Mt Everest!! Our booster energy will be just enough to reach it, other wise we would run out and free fall!”
Looking at the angry erupting mountain I’m telling myself
“Safest job in the universe...” | Cryosleep disengaged.
I woke up to the robotic hiss of the croyopod opening, a slight freezer burn taste in my mouth and... morning wood? They never tell you about those things in space flight school. I won the school wide lottery, to be the first human in a thousands of years to return to earth. Although at the time I didn't know that drawing the short stick wasn't the good kind of lottery.
I was suiting up in my Exo-suit design for me to survive the harsh radiation when when closing up my back zipper, I noticed an red embroidered sentence with glitter around it. I though it would say something like good luck from the flight class of 5064! but I was wrong, it said "You're F*cked" instead. Oh well, I was still determined to stay on mission.
When I open the door I was astounded. Everything was dead around me. The dirt was brown, the water was brown, the air was brown. When they said Earth was shit! I didn't know they meant literally. But alas on the horizon a saw a gleaming white structure. "What could this be? I thought."
I spent all day and all night walking to the this structure. If I discovered something, no one could mock me when I got back, I would be forever memorialized in the history books. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a white building with many pillars, almost like a white house?. I hoped the fence. What great civilization lived here and what were its secrets, I shivered with excitment. Inside was a great hall with many portraits, I counted 45. The last one was very different and caused me to stop. All the other ones showed men with intellect, honor and integrity. But this orange shaded one did not. Odd that they should all end on this one, pretty anticlimactic if you ask me.
" Thank God NASA got us the hell off of this planet I sighed," When all of a sudden a loud moan came from behind the portrait. " A ghost!" I exclaimed.
I put my ear closer to the lips when I heard in a slight whisper "I know about space, I know a lot about it, as a matter of fact I think I know more than rocket scientists.
A ghost that knows rocket science? I had to pursue the topic more. " What do you know about rocket science I inquired?"
" I know that when the so-called experts told me not to nuke rocket man Kim-Jong/Kim-small-Dong/Kimmie/Kommie because the earth would go into nuclear fallout, that it was just fake news."
" So what did you do?" I asked.
" I nuked them!" he said eyes turning red. " NASA made a habitable space module in time to launch before the nuclear wave hit D.C, but I didn't believe them. I guess they were right since I ended up dead and all."
"Wow, no wonder you were the last." I sighed. " Also you suck at haunting"
"Thats what you think!" exclaimed you know who. " but I disabled your ship. You will now have to listen to me for all eternity!"
"Noooooooooooo!" I screamed.
And so I lived out the rest of my days in until my dying breath. Where the last words I heard was "Make America Great Again".
| |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | A loud ringing filled my ears and a pungent stench invaded my nostrils. I thought I was dying; I lurched forward and tried to claw at whatever was covering my face and chest. I pulled at the tube in my throat and attempted to scream. I could not. My senses were burning with overstimulation before I was sedated and reminded of mission.
"Welcome back, Sisineg. I have injected you with a low dose this time, so as to not cause unconsciousness."
"Just debrief me, D. Where are we? What are we doing? And call me Sine. Computers shouldn't get.. uh, what's it cal-"
"Amnesia. No, I do not, but I assumed you wouldn't remember telling me that. Your mission is to land on Earth and determine if the Return Protocol should be enacted. You are orbiting Earth. Do you wish to land... Sine?"
"I am. Radio contact will still work in that hazy atmosphere?" I've read about the oversaturation of the atmosphere back on Altan. My memory of radio technology, however, was temporarily stalled. Cryogenic Sleepers and their damn side effects.
"Yes, I can communicate with you wherever I am in orbit via abandoned, still-functioning satellites. Preparing landing sequence."
The vessel I was laying in began to shift as my "crash coffin" was moved from life support to the landing cruiser. Beeps and whirrs put an uncomfortable feeling in my belly. I was about to be the first person back to Earth. Why am I nervous? I should be filled with pride. But I felt only dread as I fell back home. A repulsive, lurking presence made its way up my spine when I first hit the atmosphere.
I pressed the comms button and made a request. "D, vitals?"
When I released the button I knew I was fucked. I heard static. D responds instantly. I am fucked.
"Your heart rate and blood pressure are very high. May I recommend more sedative?"
"Oh... Oh, fuck, D. No.. no sedative," the relief hit me like a blanket, "What took you so long!?"
"That is signal delay. It will be more prominent the further I am from you, as I have to relay the signal betwe-"
"Yeah, yeah it's been long enough for me to recall. I'll contact you soon."
The screens were displaying mountains and rivers, whizzing by at amazing speeds. In the distance were skyscrapers that were very small compared to Altan's structures. Suddenly another panic attack struck me as I was looking at a distant city. I began hyperventilating before I was hit with another dose of sedative and dozed off.
---
I screamed, lurched forward, and hit my head on the comms console. All I could hear was my panting. It took me a moment to realize I wasn't buried alive.
"Tur... turn the lights on."
The only response was a spark shooting out of the comms speaker, then a sharp white noise. The muffled sound of flowing blood made me uneasy as I was trying to figure out what is happening. The coffin creaked and began slowly rocking. I threw up and cursed at my weak stomach, and attempted to leave the capsule. The reason I ignored the movement of the thirty ton ship I will regret.
No power meant no detecting air quality. It also meant no life support. So either way, I was doomed. The airlock opened with a powerful burst, and the door shot up and away from the ship. I climbed out at just the right time to see the door splash down in to the ocean with a loud clap. At first I thought I was stranded, but turned around to see a heavily forested continent. I was on an Earthen beach! With no animals in sight.
Peculiar.
I grabbed my prepacked survival gear and headed into the forest, in search of non-plant life. My search did not last long, as a slightly translucent creature made itself visible on a moist rock right behind a tree. It looked slimey, but definitely alive as it slithered across moss, obviously consuming it. I made notes on my armband and a sudden deathly fear consumed me. I panicked and sprinted further into the forest, toward what looked like a clearing in the dense woods. I did not make it.
I tripped on a rock and I fell toward a tree trunk, but I was not met by a knock out. I simply hit the ground, completely missing the tree. I turned around and realized I should have hit it. I fell through the tree. My heart stopped beating, and every tree in sight burst in to flames. A loud ringing filled my ears. My body began convulsing as a tree branch pushed me to the ground and wiggled its way into my trachea. I pulled at the branch in my throat, and I sputtered blood and guttural sounds in an attempt to scream.
I could not.
| Cryosleep disengaged.
I woke up to the robotic hiss of the croyopod opening, a slight freezer burn taste in my mouth and... morning wood? They never tell you about those things in space flight school. I won the school wide lottery, to be the first human in a thousands of years to return to earth. Although at the time I didn't know that drawing the short stick wasn't the good kind of lottery.
I was suiting up in my Exo-suit design for me to survive the harsh radiation when when closing up my back zipper, I noticed an red embroidered sentence with glitter around it. I though it would say something like good luck from the flight class of 5064! but I was wrong, it said "You're F*cked" instead. Oh well, I was still determined to stay on mission.
When I open the door I was astounded. Everything was dead around me. The dirt was brown, the water was brown, the air was brown. When they said Earth was shit! I didn't know they meant literally. But alas on the horizon a saw a gleaming white structure. "What could this be? I thought."
I spent all day and all night walking to the this structure. If I discovered something, no one could mock me when I got back, I would be forever memorialized in the history books. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a white building with many pillars, almost like a white house?. I hoped the fence. What great civilization lived here and what were its secrets, I shivered with excitment. Inside was a great hall with many portraits, I counted 45. The last one was very different and caused me to stop. All the other ones showed men with intellect, honor and integrity. But this orange shaded one did not. Odd that they should all end on this one, pretty anticlimactic if you ask me.
" Thank God NASA got us the hell off of this planet I sighed," When all of a sudden a loud moan came from behind the portrait. " A ghost!" I exclaimed.
I put my ear closer to the lips when I heard in a slight whisper "I know about space, I know a lot about it, as a matter of fact I think I know more than rocket scientists.
A ghost that knows rocket science? I had to pursue the topic more. " What do you know about rocket science I inquired?"
" I know that when the so-called experts told me not to nuke rocket man Kim-Jong/Kim-small-Dong/Kimmie/Kommie because the earth would go into nuclear fallout, that it was just fake news."
" So what did you do?" I asked.
" I nuked them!" he said eyes turning red. " NASA made a habitable space module in time to launch before the nuclear wave hit D.C, but I didn't believe them. I guess they were right since I ended up dead and all."
"Wow, no wonder you were the last." I sighed. " Also you suck at haunting"
"Thats what you think!" exclaimed you know who. " but I disabled your ship. You will now have to listen to me for all eternity!"
"Noooooooooooo!" I screamed.
And so I lived out the rest of my days in until my dying breath. Where the last words I heard was "Make America Great Again".
| |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | From a far, the planet looked nothing like the blue marble it was previously known as. It was barren, lifeless, and we had no desire to ever settle there again. I was only sent as part of a recovery mission. Not to recover any unlikely survivors, nothing noble like that. See, there was simply not enough time to take all the knowledge we wanted with us when we left.
Nobody really knew what happened, whether it was nuclear war or the perfect storm, it was a *disaster*. The leaders in space travel and top scientists assembled, and they set off for Mars. It had been over 3000 years, and the people of Mars figured it was time to see if we could return, to see if there were still operational databases. Not many were stoked to explore a wasteland where they might very well die, but I felt the reward of immediate retirement after a successful mission was worth it. My hands were shaking with excitement to do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I could literally spend the rest of my days in bed, only getting out for food if I wanted to. I just had to go in, find some abandoned computers and go back.
When I landed however, I began to seriously regret this decision. Sure, there were people, but they were *savages*. Perhaps the most hostile creatures I'd ever seen, and I'd been face to face with a fittingly named kraken from Europa, even though it was only through a remotely controlled sub. But I digress, they immediately started smashing my vessel with sticks fitted with nails, for no apparent reason. I quickly tried to sneak out but they grabbed me by the neck. Thankfully I was still wearing my EVA suit, even though the air should have been breathable, which was equipped with a jetpack, only meant for use in space of course, but it would do. Needless to say I got away harmless and the brutes did so with third degree burns.
I started running, anywhere but this place would be fine. After what seemed like hours of dwelling through a place that showed every sign of a dystopian metropolis, I got to the edge of what used to be a city. There, I saw people again, but thankfully these were friendly. They quickly ran over and got me into their vehicle to get the hell out of that place, I was too tired to say anything, so I just laid where they left me. We passed a sign on our way out, and I could just catch a glimpse of what it said.
"Welcome to Detroit." | Cryosleep disengaged.
I woke up to the robotic hiss of the croyopod opening, a slight freezer burn taste in my mouth and... morning wood? They never tell you about those things in space flight school. I won the school wide lottery, to be the first human in a thousands of years to return to earth. Although at the time I didn't know that drawing the short stick wasn't the good kind of lottery.
I was suiting up in my Exo-suit design for me to survive the harsh radiation when when closing up my back zipper, I noticed an red embroidered sentence with glitter around it. I though it would say something like good luck from the flight class of 5064! but I was wrong, it said "You're F*cked" instead. Oh well, I was still determined to stay on mission.
When I open the door I was astounded. Everything was dead around me. The dirt was brown, the water was brown, the air was brown. When they said Earth was shit! I didn't know they meant literally. But alas on the horizon a saw a gleaming white structure. "What could this be? I thought."
I spent all day and all night walking to the this structure. If I discovered something, no one could mock me when I got back, I would be forever memorialized in the history books. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a white building with many pillars, almost like a white house?. I hoped the fence. What great civilization lived here and what were its secrets, I shivered with excitment. Inside was a great hall with many portraits, I counted 45. The last one was very different and caused me to stop. All the other ones showed men with intellect, honor and integrity. But this orange shaded one did not. Odd that they should all end on this one, pretty anticlimactic if you ask me.
" Thank God NASA got us the hell off of this planet I sighed," When all of a sudden a loud moan came from behind the portrait. " A ghost!" I exclaimed.
I put my ear closer to the lips when I heard in a slight whisper "I know about space, I know a lot about it, as a matter of fact I think I know more than rocket scientists.
A ghost that knows rocket science? I had to pursue the topic more. " What do you know about rocket science I inquired?"
" I know that when the so-called experts told me not to nuke rocket man Kim-Jong/Kim-small-Dong/Kimmie/Kommie because the earth would go into nuclear fallout, that it was just fake news."
" So what did you do?" I asked.
" I nuked them!" he said eyes turning red. " NASA made a habitable space module in time to launch before the nuclear wave hit D.C, but I didn't believe them. I guess they were right since I ended up dead and all."
"Wow, no wonder you were the last." I sighed. " Also you suck at haunting"
"Thats what you think!" exclaimed you know who. " but I disabled your ship. You will now have to listen to me for all eternity!"
"Noooooooooooo!" I screamed.
And so I lived out the rest of my days in until my dying breath. Where the last words I heard was "Make America Great Again".
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[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | Hendrix's Journal October 3rd, 5064
It's been almost 2 days since I've landed on Earth. We've been divided into 14 groups of two and my partner, Joan, and I have just finished setting up our camp. We landed in a misty forest in what used to be Japan and unfortunately not much information was able to be saved on Japan just, a warning on, get this, an eerie forest known to hold the souls of those who've died here. That's not a coincidence at all. Tomorrow morning, we begin our exploration, though it's just a forest let's see what we can find.
Hendrix's Journal October 4th, 5064
Last night was a nervous night for both me and Joan. We actually didn't get much sleep so we spoke most of the night away. Something odd did happen however, We think it was just our nerves, but we both heard voices. But that can't be, this place is supposed to be uninhabited, right?
Hendrix's Journal October 4th, 5064, 10:06pm
It's so weird using Old Earth's time keeping system. Dates and times are just so, different. Anyway.
Joan and I had explored the forest and have been able to map out the entirety of it. This would have taken AGES it we had to rely on all of Old Earth's methods. During our exploration we came across a car and found some literature that's salvageable so we bought it back to camp. When we got back we were both unsettled. Everything seems like it's in a different position, is this our nerves again? Taking note, but we're gonna brush it off too.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 2:54am
We can't sleep. We thought we were hearing voices again and as soon as we noticed it was like all of the sound was sucked out of the forest. A few moments passed and the. We heard a loud scream. It was too close for comfort so we're going to relocate.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 6:22am
Joan had to use the bathroom. That was 2 hours ago. The voices are getting louder, closer. Joan and I really need to get out of here. I'm packing our shit now.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 1:01pm
Still no word from Joan, she isn't answering her comms and she's not showing up on the map. I'm unbelievably worried, is this everywhere? Are all the other groups going through the same things we are? I'm almost done packing, if Joan isn't hear in 3 hours, I'm going to leave her. I can't take the voices anymore.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 7:14pm
She said "Help" over and over and over. Then, there was this.. growl or gurgle like sound followed by that same silence as the other night. Maybe 20 minutes later there she is. There's Joan standing with her head down. Her clothes were different, dirty. She seemed wet and pale. I called her name and she looks up. When our eyes met she looked like she, well, teleported right up to me then went to take a swing then her arm passed right through me. What was that. What the fuck was that. I'm in the ship calling for help trying and to relocate but nothing's working. It's like everything is dying.
Hendrix's Journal November 16, 5064
It's. November. November. How is this possible? The sun has only set and rose once and only once since my last entry. The forest seems different, nothing like the one that Joan and I were able to map out but I'm still in Japan. The same coordinates as before. The voices are still speaking, I hear Joan's the loudest. I think I can finally make out what they're saying, it sounds like they're all saying "leave this place" but I'm not entirely too............
There was just a knock on the ships hull. At the door. I need to leave.
Hendrix's Journal November 16, 5064 11:11am
It was Joan. It had to be Joan. It could have only been Joan. That was here hand that phased through the hull, that was her bracelet that fell off, that was Joan. I can't take this any more. There's a pistol in the pantry somewhere, I need to find it.
Hendrix's Journal November 16, 5064 12:00pm
I just received a transmission from the main ship. This forest is haunted by anyone who has ever died here. There is no way out any more. The spiritual energy is far beyond any of our technology. I found the pistol and there were only 2 rounds included with it and I know what it's for. | Cryosleep disengaged.
I woke up to the robotic hiss of the croyopod opening, a slight freezer burn taste in my mouth and... morning wood? They never tell you about those things in space flight school. I won the school wide lottery, to be the first human in a thousands of years to return to earth. Although at the time I didn't know that drawing the short stick wasn't the good kind of lottery.
I was suiting up in my Exo-suit design for me to survive the harsh radiation when when closing up my back zipper, I noticed an red embroidered sentence with glitter around it. I though it would say something like good luck from the flight class of 5064! but I was wrong, it said "You're F*cked" instead. Oh well, I was still determined to stay on mission.
When I open the door I was astounded. Everything was dead around me. The dirt was brown, the water was brown, the air was brown. When they said Earth was shit! I didn't know they meant literally. But alas on the horizon a saw a gleaming white structure. "What could this be? I thought."
I spent all day and all night walking to the this structure. If I discovered something, no one could mock me when I got back, I would be forever memorialized in the history books. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a white building with many pillars, almost like a white house?. I hoped the fence. What great civilization lived here and what were its secrets, I shivered with excitment. Inside was a great hall with many portraits, I counted 45. The last one was very different and caused me to stop. All the other ones showed men with intellect, honor and integrity. But this orange shaded one did not. Odd that they should all end on this one, pretty anticlimactic if you ask me.
" Thank God NASA got us the hell off of this planet I sighed," When all of a sudden a loud moan came from behind the portrait. " A ghost!" I exclaimed.
I put my ear closer to the lips when I heard in a slight whisper "I know about space, I know a lot about it, as a matter of fact I think I know more than rocket scientists.
A ghost that knows rocket science? I had to pursue the topic more. " What do you know about rocket science I inquired?"
" I know that when the so-called experts told me not to nuke rocket man Kim-Jong/Kim-small-Dong/Kimmie/Kommie because the earth would go into nuclear fallout, that it was just fake news."
" So what did you do?" I asked.
" I nuked them!" he said eyes turning red. " NASA made a habitable space module in time to launch before the nuclear wave hit D.C, but I didn't believe them. I guess they were right since I ended up dead and all."
"Wow, no wonder you were the last." I sighed. " Also you suck at haunting"
"Thats what you think!" exclaimed you know who. " but I disabled your ship. You will now have to listen to me for all eternity!"
"Noooooooooooo!" I screamed.
And so I lived out the rest of my days in until my dying breath. Where the last words I heard was "Make America Great Again".
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[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | Floating above earth looking down at the glowing green and red clouds of it’s atmosphere I’m still struggling to process the idea that humans originated from this planet...
It seems so toxic. I mean what the heck is The Burning Clouds?
“They called it Sahara Desert”
“What?”
I didn’t quite catch her.
“The dunes were actually in Africa”
That’s my colleague Fatihah she is the lead commander of our observation team.
Our team of five has been assigned to observe the Earth every sunrise from our station. And when we make one turn pass the Semi-Luna; the big chunk of what’s left of the moon, we go closer to the Earth wearing our exo-suit, TRx.
That’s the Job, simple. And nothing significant happened for more than 80 years so it’s probably the safest job you could score from Observation dept and in the universe right now.
A big man with a husky voice elaborates,
“The half of the sand is still blowing through Europe to North Pole, in Summer some of that sand storm will move down to Canada then all the way to around the earth where it will rejoin the rest of the radiation storm. You get caught in that shit, well by our measurement, you would melt in seconds like a sweet ice cube on my bum chicks”
Sandro with the mustache-
“Don’t worry mate, no one is going go anywhere near the storm or your arse ”
The team laughs.
Fatihah-
“Ok only the relevant info to our fresh man thank you Jack
We’re using the old country name from year 2020 to locate the spot, some time we change up the years up to 2087 so called the last days... the World War III. It’s quite fun to think about the old ways as stupid as it may sound but we get specially excited when we talk about Mongolia and Fatihah is so proud of it.
Oh and that husky man is my senior Jack, he loves his ass jokes.
And Sandro is the Pilot and the lady in our station is the Station Operator Ling she’s special, one of the best hybrid HumAnroid.
Ling
“Guys one of the Luna-5 cracked and half of it exploded, we’re expecting a quick gravitation change, you guys might want to move away about 1.5km from the Earth like immediately!”
...
...
That was last of Lings transmission to our team...
The pull was so powerful our jetpack couldn’t pull away in time.
We were being sucked into earth... not only that we were falling towards sand storm going north...
Fatihah grabbed my Arm as we fall...
I looked at her eyes as she stared into my soul to grab hold my mentality.
Sandro yells
“Guys! There! We use our booster to that mountain peak! That’s our only chance!!”
Fatihah-
“What’s the name of that mountain?!”
Sandro-
“Mt Everest!! Our booster energy will be just enough to reach it, other wise we would run out and free fall!”
Looking at the angry erupting mountain I’m telling myself
“Safest job in the universe...” | Project InfoTerra report
location 39.9683364,-75.1748535
Artechologist Sarah Manifold.
At Cycle 3200 scout ships 'Golden Tortoise' and 'Blue Mint' were inspected by tertiary engineering teams and Artechologists (Sarah Manifold and Abidemi Smith).
At 3700 cycles we disembarked in our respective ships, when entering the atmosphere the primary buffer panel of my ship was flagged as damaged by onboard systems. This was minor and entry was otherwise uneventful. We proceeded to destination landing 0.5 miles south of the castle like structure.
Exiting our ships I investigated the earlier flagged damage, Heat plating was cracked and self repaired successfully. we proceeded on foot to the location, the structure was in good condition and no major obstacles were encountered. Information retrieved and appears uncorrupted. return trip to orbital habitat complete at 5300 cycles and data transfered to node 375-A and 375-B.
Personal comments: Location advised for semi permanent on site research facility due to sound structure and hundreds of Cell rooms remain unused by servers perfect for staff. myself and Abedemi have our eyes on a particularly cozy few rooms in the lower structure with excellent sound proofing.
Signed and corroborated:
Abidemi Smith - Sarah Manifold | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | A loud ringing filled my ears and a pungent stench invaded my nostrils. I thought I was dying; I lurched forward and tried to claw at whatever was covering my face and chest. I pulled at the tube in my throat and attempted to scream. I could not. My senses were burning with overstimulation before I was sedated and reminded of mission.
"Welcome back, Sisineg. I have injected you with a low dose this time, so as to not cause unconsciousness."
"Just debrief me, D. Where are we? What are we doing? And call me Sine. Computers shouldn't get.. uh, what's it cal-"
"Amnesia. No, I do not, but I assumed you wouldn't remember telling me that. Your mission is to land on Earth and determine if the Return Protocol should be enacted. You are orbiting Earth. Do you wish to land... Sine?"
"I am. Radio contact will still work in that hazy atmosphere?" I've read about the oversaturation of the atmosphere back on Altan. My memory of radio technology, however, was temporarily stalled. Cryogenic Sleepers and their damn side effects.
"Yes, I can communicate with you wherever I am in orbit via abandoned, still-functioning satellites. Preparing landing sequence."
The vessel I was laying in began to shift as my "crash coffin" was moved from life support to the landing cruiser. Beeps and whirrs put an uncomfortable feeling in my belly. I was about to be the first person back to Earth. Why am I nervous? I should be filled with pride. But I felt only dread as I fell back home. A repulsive, lurking presence made its way up my spine when I first hit the atmosphere.
I pressed the comms button and made a request. "D, vitals?"
When I released the button I knew I was fucked. I heard static. D responds instantly. I am fucked.
"Your heart rate and blood pressure are very high. May I recommend more sedative?"
"Oh... Oh, fuck, D. No.. no sedative," the relief hit me like a blanket, "What took you so long!?"
"That is signal delay. It will be more prominent the further I am from you, as I have to relay the signal betwe-"
"Yeah, yeah it's been long enough for me to recall. I'll contact you soon."
The screens were displaying mountains and rivers, whizzing by at amazing speeds. In the distance were skyscrapers that were very small compared to Altan's structures. Suddenly another panic attack struck me as I was looking at a distant city. I began hyperventilating before I was hit with another dose of sedative and dozed off.
---
I screamed, lurched forward, and hit my head on the comms console. All I could hear was my panting. It took me a moment to realize I wasn't buried alive.
"Tur... turn the lights on."
The only response was a spark shooting out of the comms speaker, then a sharp white noise. The muffled sound of flowing blood made me uneasy as I was trying to figure out what is happening. The coffin creaked and began slowly rocking. I threw up and cursed at my weak stomach, and attempted to leave the capsule. The reason I ignored the movement of the thirty ton ship I will regret.
No power meant no detecting air quality. It also meant no life support. So either way, I was doomed. The airlock opened with a powerful burst, and the door shot up and away from the ship. I climbed out at just the right time to see the door splash down in to the ocean with a loud clap. At first I thought I was stranded, but turned around to see a heavily forested continent. I was on an Earthen beach! With no animals in sight.
Peculiar.
I grabbed my prepacked survival gear and headed into the forest, in search of non-plant life. My search did not last long, as a slightly translucent creature made itself visible on a moist rock right behind a tree. It looked slimey, but definitely alive as it slithered across moss, obviously consuming it. I made notes on my armband and a sudden deathly fear consumed me. I panicked and sprinted further into the forest, toward what looked like a clearing in the dense woods. I did not make it.
I tripped on a rock and I fell toward a tree trunk, but I was not met by a knock out. I simply hit the ground, completely missing the tree. I turned around and realized I should have hit it. I fell through the tree. My heart stopped beating, and every tree in sight burst in to flames. A loud ringing filled my ears. My body began convulsing as a tree branch pushed me to the ground and wiggled its way into my trachea. I pulled at the branch in my throat, and I sputtered blood and guttural sounds in an attempt to scream.
I could not.
| Project InfoTerra report
location 39.9683364,-75.1748535
Artechologist Sarah Manifold.
At Cycle 3200 scout ships 'Golden Tortoise' and 'Blue Mint' were inspected by tertiary engineering teams and Artechologists (Sarah Manifold and Abidemi Smith).
At 3700 cycles we disembarked in our respective ships, when entering the atmosphere the primary buffer panel of my ship was flagged as damaged by onboard systems. This was minor and entry was otherwise uneventful. We proceeded to destination landing 0.5 miles south of the castle like structure.
Exiting our ships I investigated the earlier flagged damage, Heat plating was cracked and self repaired successfully. we proceeded on foot to the location, the structure was in good condition and no major obstacles were encountered. Information retrieved and appears uncorrupted. return trip to orbital habitat complete at 5300 cycles and data transfered to node 375-A and 375-B.
Personal comments: Location advised for semi permanent on site research facility due to sound structure and hundreds of Cell rooms remain unused by servers perfect for staff. myself and Abedemi have our eyes on a particularly cozy few rooms in the lower structure with excellent sound proofing.
Signed and corroborated:
Abidemi Smith - Sarah Manifold | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | From a far, the planet looked nothing like the blue marble it was previously known as. It was barren, lifeless, and we had no desire to ever settle there again. I was only sent as part of a recovery mission. Not to recover any unlikely survivors, nothing noble like that. See, there was simply not enough time to take all the knowledge we wanted with us when we left.
Nobody really knew what happened, whether it was nuclear war or the perfect storm, it was a *disaster*. The leaders in space travel and top scientists assembled, and they set off for Mars. It had been over 3000 years, and the people of Mars figured it was time to see if we could return, to see if there were still operational databases. Not many were stoked to explore a wasteland where they might very well die, but I felt the reward of immediate retirement after a successful mission was worth it. My hands were shaking with excitement to do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I could literally spend the rest of my days in bed, only getting out for food if I wanted to. I just had to go in, find some abandoned computers and go back.
When I landed however, I began to seriously regret this decision. Sure, there were people, but they were *savages*. Perhaps the most hostile creatures I'd ever seen, and I'd been face to face with a fittingly named kraken from Europa, even though it was only through a remotely controlled sub. But I digress, they immediately started smashing my vessel with sticks fitted with nails, for no apparent reason. I quickly tried to sneak out but they grabbed me by the neck. Thankfully I was still wearing my EVA suit, even though the air should have been breathable, which was equipped with a jetpack, only meant for use in space of course, but it would do. Needless to say I got away harmless and the brutes did so with third degree burns.
I started running, anywhere but this place would be fine. After what seemed like hours of dwelling through a place that showed every sign of a dystopian metropolis, I got to the edge of what used to be a city. There, I saw people again, but thankfully these were friendly. They quickly ran over and got me into their vehicle to get the hell out of that place, I was too tired to say anything, so I just laid where they left me. We passed a sign on our way out, and I could just catch a glimpse of what it said.
"Welcome to Detroit." | Project InfoTerra report
location 39.9683364,-75.1748535
Artechologist Sarah Manifold.
At Cycle 3200 scout ships 'Golden Tortoise' and 'Blue Mint' were inspected by tertiary engineering teams and Artechologists (Sarah Manifold and Abidemi Smith).
At 3700 cycles we disembarked in our respective ships, when entering the atmosphere the primary buffer panel of my ship was flagged as damaged by onboard systems. This was minor and entry was otherwise uneventful. We proceeded to destination landing 0.5 miles south of the castle like structure.
Exiting our ships I investigated the earlier flagged damage, Heat plating was cracked and self repaired successfully. we proceeded on foot to the location, the structure was in good condition and no major obstacles were encountered. Information retrieved and appears uncorrupted. return trip to orbital habitat complete at 5300 cycles and data transfered to node 375-A and 375-B.
Personal comments: Location advised for semi permanent on site research facility due to sound structure and hundreds of Cell rooms remain unused by servers perfect for staff. myself and Abedemi have our eyes on a particularly cozy few rooms in the lower structure with excellent sound proofing.
Signed and corroborated:
Abidemi Smith - Sarah Manifold | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | Floating above earth looking down at the glowing green and red clouds of it’s atmosphere I’m still struggling to process the idea that humans originated from this planet...
It seems so toxic. I mean what the heck is The Burning Clouds?
“They called it Sahara Desert”
“What?”
I didn’t quite catch her.
“The dunes were actually in Africa”
That’s my colleague Fatihah she is the lead commander of our observation team.
Our team of five has been assigned to observe the Earth every sunrise from our station. And when we make one turn pass the Semi-Luna; the big chunk of what’s left of the moon, we go closer to the Earth wearing our exo-suit, TRx.
That’s the Job, simple. And nothing significant happened for more than 80 years so it’s probably the safest job you could score from Observation dept and in the universe right now.
A big man with a husky voice elaborates,
“The half of the sand is still blowing through Europe to North Pole, in Summer some of that sand storm will move down to Canada then all the way to around the earth where it will rejoin the rest of the radiation storm. You get caught in that shit, well by our measurement, you would melt in seconds like a sweet ice cube on my bum chicks”
Sandro with the mustache-
“Don’t worry mate, no one is going go anywhere near the storm or your arse ”
The team laughs.
Fatihah-
“Ok only the relevant info to our fresh man thank you Jack
We’re using the old country name from year 2020 to locate the spot, some time we change up the years up to 2087 so called the last days... the World War III. It’s quite fun to think about the old ways as stupid as it may sound but we get specially excited when we talk about Mongolia and Fatihah is so proud of it.
Oh and that husky man is my senior Jack, he loves his ass jokes.
And Sandro is the Pilot and the lady in our station is the Station Operator Ling she’s special, one of the best hybrid HumAnroid.
Ling
“Guys one of the Luna-5 cracked and half of it exploded, we’re expecting a quick gravitation change, you guys might want to move away about 1.5km from the Earth like immediately!”
...
...
That was last of Lings transmission to our team...
The pull was so powerful our jetpack couldn’t pull away in time.
We were being sucked into earth... not only that we were falling towards sand storm going north...
Fatihah grabbed my Arm as we fall...
I looked at her eyes as she stared into my soul to grab hold my mentality.
Sandro yells
“Guys! There! We use our booster to that mountain peak! That’s our only chance!!”
Fatihah-
“What’s the name of that mountain?!”
Sandro-
“Mt Everest!! Our booster energy will be just enough to reach it, other wise we would run out and free fall!”
Looking at the angry erupting mountain I’m telling myself
“Safest job in the universe...” | You have just landed on what use to be called Earth, and made your way too the ships cargo hold. As you're waiting for the cargo doors to open, alarm bells start ringing, steam is being shot out of random pipes, lights are flashing and all you can think to yourself is "The doors are electric where's the steam coming from..." But before you can finish thinking to yourself your eyes start to focus on a sign out side, as they adjust to the light you make out the words "Disneyland" | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | A loud ringing filled my ears and a pungent stench invaded my nostrils. I thought I was dying; I lurched forward and tried to claw at whatever was covering my face and chest. I pulled at the tube in my throat and attempted to scream. I could not. My senses were burning with overstimulation before I was sedated and reminded of mission.
"Welcome back, Sisineg. I have injected you with a low dose this time, so as to not cause unconsciousness."
"Just debrief me, D. Where are we? What are we doing? And call me Sine. Computers shouldn't get.. uh, what's it cal-"
"Amnesia. No, I do not, but I assumed you wouldn't remember telling me that. Your mission is to land on Earth and determine if the Return Protocol should be enacted. You are orbiting Earth. Do you wish to land... Sine?"
"I am. Radio contact will still work in that hazy atmosphere?" I've read about the oversaturation of the atmosphere back on Altan. My memory of radio technology, however, was temporarily stalled. Cryogenic Sleepers and their damn side effects.
"Yes, I can communicate with you wherever I am in orbit via abandoned, still-functioning satellites. Preparing landing sequence."
The vessel I was laying in began to shift as my "crash coffin" was moved from life support to the landing cruiser. Beeps and whirrs put an uncomfortable feeling in my belly. I was about to be the first person back to Earth. Why am I nervous? I should be filled with pride. But I felt only dread as I fell back home. A repulsive, lurking presence made its way up my spine when I first hit the atmosphere.
I pressed the comms button and made a request. "D, vitals?"
When I released the button I knew I was fucked. I heard static. D responds instantly. I am fucked.
"Your heart rate and blood pressure are very high. May I recommend more sedative?"
"Oh... Oh, fuck, D. No.. no sedative," the relief hit me like a blanket, "What took you so long!?"
"That is signal delay. It will be more prominent the further I am from you, as I have to relay the signal betwe-"
"Yeah, yeah it's been long enough for me to recall. I'll contact you soon."
The screens were displaying mountains and rivers, whizzing by at amazing speeds. In the distance were skyscrapers that were very small compared to Altan's structures. Suddenly another panic attack struck me as I was looking at a distant city. I began hyperventilating before I was hit with another dose of sedative and dozed off.
---
I screamed, lurched forward, and hit my head on the comms console. All I could hear was my panting. It took me a moment to realize I wasn't buried alive.
"Tur... turn the lights on."
The only response was a spark shooting out of the comms speaker, then a sharp white noise. The muffled sound of flowing blood made me uneasy as I was trying to figure out what is happening. The coffin creaked and began slowly rocking. I threw up and cursed at my weak stomach, and attempted to leave the capsule. The reason I ignored the movement of the thirty ton ship I will regret.
No power meant no detecting air quality. It also meant no life support. So either way, I was doomed. The airlock opened with a powerful burst, and the door shot up and away from the ship. I climbed out at just the right time to see the door splash down in to the ocean with a loud clap. At first I thought I was stranded, but turned around to see a heavily forested continent. I was on an Earthen beach! With no animals in sight.
Peculiar.
I grabbed my prepacked survival gear and headed into the forest, in search of non-plant life. My search did not last long, as a slightly translucent creature made itself visible on a moist rock right behind a tree. It looked slimey, but definitely alive as it slithered across moss, obviously consuming it. I made notes on my armband and a sudden deathly fear consumed me. I panicked and sprinted further into the forest, toward what looked like a clearing in the dense woods. I did not make it.
I tripped on a rock and I fell toward a tree trunk, but I was not met by a knock out. I simply hit the ground, completely missing the tree. I turned around and realized I should have hit it. I fell through the tree. My heart stopped beating, and every tree in sight burst in to flames. A loud ringing filled my ears. My body began convulsing as a tree branch pushed me to the ground and wiggled its way into my trachea. I pulled at the branch in my throat, and I sputtered blood and guttural sounds in an attempt to scream.
I could not.
| You have just landed on what use to be called Earth, and made your way too the ships cargo hold. As you're waiting for the cargo doors to open, alarm bells start ringing, steam is being shot out of random pipes, lights are flashing and all you can think to yourself is "The doors are electric where's the steam coming from..." But before you can finish thinking to yourself your eyes start to focus on a sign out side, as they adjust to the light you make out the words "Disneyland" | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | From a far, the planet looked nothing like the blue marble it was previously known as. It was barren, lifeless, and we had no desire to ever settle there again. I was only sent as part of a recovery mission. Not to recover any unlikely survivors, nothing noble like that. See, there was simply not enough time to take all the knowledge we wanted with us when we left.
Nobody really knew what happened, whether it was nuclear war or the perfect storm, it was a *disaster*. The leaders in space travel and top scientists assembled, and they set off for Mars. It had been over 3000 years, and the people of Mars figured it was time to see if we could return, to see if there were still operational databases. Not many were stoked to explore a wasteland where they might very well die, but I felt the reward of immediate retirement after a successful mission was worth it. My hands were shaking with excitement to do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I could literally spend the rest of my days in bed, only getting out for food if I wanted to. I just had to go in, find some abandoned computers and go back.
When I landed however, I began to seriously regret this decision. Sure, there were people, but they were *savages*. Perhaps the most hostile creatures I'd ever seen, and I'd been face to face with a fittingly named kraken from Europa, even though it was only through a remotely controlled sub. But I digress, they immediately started smashing my vessel with sticks fitted with nails, for no apparent reason. I quickly tried to sneak out but they grabbed me by the neck. Thankfully I was still wearing my EVA suit, even though the air should have been breathable, which was equipped with a jetpack, only meant for use in space of course, but it would do. Needless to say I got away harmless and the brutes did so with third degree burns.
I started running, anywhere but this place would be fine. After what seemed like hours of dwelling through a place that showed every sign of a dystopian metropolis, I got to the edge of what used to be a city. There, I saw people again, but thankfully these were friendly. They quickly ran over and got me into their vehicle to get the hell out of that place, I was too tired to say anything, so I just laid where they left me. We passed a sign on our way out, and I could just catch a glimpse of what it said.
"Welcome to Detroit." | You have just landed on what use to be called Earth, and made your way too the ships cargo hold. As you're waiting for the cargo doors to open, alarm bells start ringing, steam is being shot out of random pipes, lights are flashing and all you can think to yourself is "The doors are electric where's the steam coming from..." But before you can finish thinking to yourself your eyes start to focus on a sign out side, as they adjust to the light you make out the words "Disneyland" | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | From a far, the planet looked nothing like the blue marble it was previously known as. It was barren, lifeless, and we had no desire to ever settle there again. I was only sent as part of a recovery mission. Not to recover any unlikely survivors, nothing noble like that. See, there was simply not enough time to take all the knowledge we wanted with us when we left.
Nobody really knew what happened, whether it was nuclear war or the perfect storm, it was a *disaster*. The leaders in space travel and top scientists assembled, and they set off for Mars. It had been over 3000 years, and the people of Mars figured it was time to see if we could return, to see if there were still operational databases. Not many were stoked to explore a wasteland where they might very well die, but I felt the reward of immediate retirement after a successful mission was worth it. My hands were shaking with excitement to do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I could literally spend the rest of my days in bed, only getting out for food if I wanted to. I just had to go in, find some abandoned computers and go back.
When I landed however, I began to seriously regret this decision. Sure, there were people, but they were *savages*. Perhaps the most hostile creatures I'd ever seen, and I'd been face to face with a fittingly named kraken from Europa, even though it was only through a remotely controlled sub. But I digress, they immediately started smashing my vessel with sticks fitted with nails, for no apparent reason. I quickly tried to sneak out but they grabbed me by the neck. Thankfully I was still wearing my EVA suit, even though the air should have been breathable, which was equipped with a jetpack, only meant for use in space of course, but it would do. Needless to say I got away harmless and the brutes did so with third degree burns.
I started running, anywhere but this place would be fine. After what seemed like hours of dwelling through a place that showed every sign of a dystopian metropolis, I got to the edge of what used to be a city. There, I saw people again, but thankfully these were friendly. They quickly ran over and got me into their vehicle to get the hell out of that place, I was too tired to say anything, so I just laid where they left me. We passed a sign on our way out, and I could just catch a glimpse of what it said.
"Welcome to Detroit." | Floating above earth looking down at the glowing green and red clouds of it’s atmosphere I’m still struggling to process the idea that humans originated from this planet...
It seems so toxic. I mean what the heck is The Burning Clouds?
“They called it Sahara Desert”
“What?”
I didn’t quite catch her.
“The dunes were actually in Africa”
That’s my colleague Fatihah she is the lead commander of our observation team.
Our team of five has been assigned to observe the Earth every sunrise from our station. And when we make one turn pass the Semi-Luna; the big chunk of what’s left of the moon, we go closer to the Earth wearing our exo-suit, TRx.
That’s the Job, simple. And nothing significant happened for more than 80 years so it’s probably the safest job you could score from Observation dept and in the universe right now.
A big man with a husky voice elaborates,
“The half of the sand is still blowing through Europe to North Pole, in Summer some of that sand storm will move down to Canada then all the way to around the earth where it will rejoin the rest of the radiation storm. You get caught in that shit, well by our measurement, you would melt in seconds like a sweet ice cube on my bum chicks”
Sandro with the mustache-
“Don’t worry mate, no one is going go anywhere near the storm or your arse ”
The team laughs.
Fatihah-
“Ok only the relevant info to our fresh man thank you Jack
We’re using the old country name from year 2020 to locate the spot, some time we change up the years up to 2087 so called the last days... the World War III. It’s quite fun to think about the old ways as stupid as it may sound but we get specially excited when we talk about Mongolia and Fatihah is so proud of it.
Oh and that husky man is my senior Jack, he loves his ass jokes.
And Sandro is the Pilot and the lady in our station is the Station Operator Ling she’s special, one of the best hybrid HumAnroid.
Ling
“Guys one of the Luna-5 cracked and half of it exploded, we’re expecting a quick gravitation change, you guys might want to move away about 1.5km from the Earth like immediately!”
...
...
That was last of Lings transmission to our team...
The pull was so powerful our jetpack couldn’t pull away in time.
We were being sucked into earth... not only that we were falling towards sand storm going north...
Fatihah grabbed my Arm as we fall...
I looked at her eyes as she stared into my soul to grab hold my mentality.
Sandro yells
“Guys! There! We use our booster to that mountain peak! That’s our only chance!!”
Fatihah-
“What’s the name of that mountain?!”
Sandro-
“Mt Everest!! Our booster energy will be just enough to reach it, other wise we would run out and free fall!”
Looking at the angry erupting mountain I’m telling myself
“Safest job in the universe...” | |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | From a far, the planet looked nothing like the blue marble it was previously known as. It was barren, lifeless, and we had no desire to ever settle there again. I was only sent as part of a recovery mission. Not to recover any unlikely survivors, nothing noble like that. See, there was simply not enough time to take all the knowledge we wanted with us when we left.
Nobody really knew what happened, whether it was nuclear war or the perfect storm, it was a *disaster*. The leaders in space travel and top scientists assembled, and they set off for Mars. It had been over 3000 years, and the people of Mars figured it was time to see if we could return, to see if there were still operational databases. Not many were stoked to explore a wasteland where they might very well die, but I felt the reward of immediate retirement after a successful mission was worth it. My hands were shaking with excitement to do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I could literally spend the rest of my days in bed, only getting out for food if I wanted to. I just had to go in, find some abandoned computers and go back.
When I landed however, I began to seriously regret this decision. Sure, there were people, but they were *savages*. Perhaps the most hostile creatures I'd ever seen, and I'd been face to face with a fittingly named kraken from Europa, even though it was only through a remotely controlled sub. But I digress, they immediately started smashing my vessel with sticks fitted with nails, for no apparent reason. I quickly tried to sneak out but they grabbed me by the neck. Thankfully I was still wearing my EVA suit, even though the air should have been breathable, which was equipped with a jetpack, only meant for use in space of course, but it would do. Needless to say I got away harmless and the brutes did so with third degree burns.
I started running, anywhere but this place would be fine. After what seemed like hours of dwelling through a place that showed every sign of a dystopian metropolis, I got to the edge of what used to be a city. There, I saw people again, but thankfully these were friendly. They quickly ran over and got me into their vehicle to get the hell out of that place, I was too tired to say anything, so I just laid where they left me. We passed a sign on our way out, and I could just catch a glimpse of what it said.
"Welcome to Detroit." | A loud ringing filled my ears and a pungent stench invaded my nostrils. I thought I was dying; I lurched forward and tried to claw at whatever was covering my face and chest. I pulled at the tube in my throat and attempted to scream. I could not. My senses were burning with overstimulation before I was sedated and reminded of mission.
"Welcome back, Sisineg. I have injected you with a low dose this time, so as to not cause unconsciousness."
"Just debrief me, D. Where are we? What are we doing? And call me Sine. Computers shouldn't get.. uh, what's it cal-"
"Amnesia. No, I do not, but I assumed you wouldn't remember telling me that. Your mission is to land on Earth and determine if the Return Protocol should be enacted. You are orbiting Earth. Do you wish to land... Sine?"
"I am. Radio contact will still work in that hazy atmosphere?" I've read about the oversaturation of the atmosphere back on Altan. My memory of radio technology, however, was temporarily stalled. Cryogenic Sleepers and their damn side effects.
"Yes, I can communicate with you wherever I am in orbit via abandoned, still-functioning satellites. Preparing landing sequence."
The vessel I was laying in began to shift as my "crash coffin" was moved from life support to the landing cruiser. Beeps and whirrs put an uncomfortable feeling in my belly. I was about to be the first person back to Earth. Why am I nervous? I should be filled with pride. But I felt only dread as I fell back home. A repulsive, lurking presence made its way up my spine when I first hit the atmosphere.
I pressed the comms button and made a request. "D, vitals?"
When I released the button I knew I was fucked. I heard static. D responds instantly. I am fucked.
"Your heart rate and blood pressure are very high. May I recommend more sedative?"
"Oh... Oh, fuck, D. No.. no sedative," the relief hit me like a blanket, "What took you so long!?"
"That is signal delay. It will be more prominent the further I am from you, as I have to relay the signal betwe-"
"Yeah, yeah it's been long enough for me to recall. I'll contact you soon."
The screens were displaying mountains and rivers, whizzing by at amazing speeds. In the distance were skyscrapers that were very small compared to Altan's structures. Suddenly another panic attack struck me as I was looking at a distant city. I began hyperventilating before I was hit with another dose of sedative and dozed off.
---
I screamed, lurched forward, and hit my head on the comms console. All I could hear was my panting. It took me a moment to realize I wasn't buried alive.
"Tur... turn the lights on."
The only response was a spark shooting out of the comms speaker, then a sharp white noise. The muffled sound of flowing blood made me uneasy as I was trying to figure out what is happening. The coffin creaked and began slowly rocking. I threw up and cursed at my weak stomach, and attempted to leave the capsule. The reason I ignored the movement of the thirty ton ship I will regret.
No power meant no detecting air quality. It also meant no life support. So either way, I was doomed. The airlock opened with a powerful burst, and the door shot up and away from the ship. I climbed out at just the right time to see the door splash down in to the ocean with a loud clap. At first I thought I was stranded, but turned around to see a heavily forested continent. I was on an Earthen beach! With no animals in sight.
Peculiar.
I grabbed my prepacked survival gear and headed into the forest, in search of non-plant life. My search did not last long, as a slightly translucent creature made itself visible on a moist rock right behind a tree. It looked slimey, but definitely alive as it slithered across moss, obviously consuming it. I made notes on my armband and a sudden deathly fear consumed me. I panicked and sprinted further into the forest, toward what looked like a clearing in the dense woods. I did not make it.
I tripped on a rock and I fell toward a tree trunk, but I was not met by a knock out. I simply hit the ground, completely missing the tree. I turned around and realized I should have hit it. I fell through the tree. My heart stopped beating, and every tree in sight burst in to flames. A loud ringing filled my ears. My body began convulsing as a tree branch pushed me to the ground and wiggled its way into my trachea. I pulled at the branch in my throat, and I sputtered blood and guttural sounds in an attempt to scream.
I could not.
| |
[WP] The year is 5064, Earth Years. After being abandoned due to an inhospitable environment, you are among one of the first humans sent back to the planet to regain the knowledge lost in our hasty retreat. Unknown to you, yourlanding spot was once known as the most haunted place on Earth. | Hendrix's Journal October 3rd, 5064
It's been almost 2 days since I've landed on Earth. We've been divided into 14 groups of two and my partner, Joan, and I have just finished setting up our camp. We landed in a misty forest in what used to be Japan and unfortunately not much information was able to be saved on Japan just, a warning on, get this, an eerie forest known to hold the souls of those who've died here. That's not a coincidence at all. Tomorrow morning, we begin our exploration, though it's just a forest let's see what we can find.
Hendrix's Journal October 4th, 5064
Last night was a nervous night for both me and Joan. We actually didn't get much sleep so we spoke most of the night away. Something odd did happen however, We think it was just our nerves, but we both heard voices. But that can't be, this place is supposed to be uninhabited, right?
Hendrix's Journal October 4th, 5064, 10:06pm
It's so weird using Old Earth's time keeping system. Dates and times are just so, different. Anyway.
Joan and I had explored the forest and have been able to map out the entirety of it. This would have taken AGES it we had to rely on all of Old Earth's methods. During our exploration we came across a car and found some literature that's salvageable so we bought it back to camp. When we got back we were both unsettled. Everything seems like it's in a different position, is this our nerves again? Taking note, but we're gonna brush it off too.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 2:54am
We can't sleep. We thought we were hearing voices again and as soon as we noticed it was like all of the sound was sucked out of the forest. A few moments passed and the. We heard a loud scream. It was too close for comfort so we're going to relocate.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 6:22am
Joan had to use the bathroom. That was 2 hours ago. The voices are getting louder, closer. Joan and I really need to get out of here. I'm packing our shit now.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 1:01pm
Still no word from Joan, she isn't answering her comms and she's not showing up on the map. I'm unbelievably worried, is this everywhere? Are all the other groups going through the same things we are? I'm almost done packing, if Joan isn't hear in 3 hours, I'm going to leave her. I can't take the voices anymore.
Hendrix's Journal October 5th, 5064 7:14pm
She said "Help" over and over and over. Then, there was this.. growl or gurgle like sound followed by that same silence as the other night. Maybe 20 minutes later there she is. There's Joan standing with her head down. Her clothes were different, dirty. She seemed wet and pale. I called her name and she looks up. When our eyes met she looked like she, well, teleported right up to me then went to take a swing then her arm passed right through me. What was that. What the fuck was that. I'm in the ship calling for help trying and to relocate but nothing's working. It's like everything is dying.
Hendrix's Journal November 16, 5064
It's. November. November. How is this possible? The sun has only set and rose once and only once since my last entry. The forest seems different, nothing like the one that Joan and I were able to map out but I'm still in Japan. The same coordinates as before. The voices are still speaking, I hear Joan's the loudest. I think I can finally make out what they're saying, it sounds like they're all saying "leave this place" but I'm not entirely too............
There was just a knock on the ships hull. At the door. I need to leave.
Hendrix's Journal November 16, 5064 11:11am
It was Joan. It had to be Joan. It could have only been Joan. That was here hand that phased through the hull, that was her bracelet that fell off, that was Joan. I can't take this any more. There's a pistol in the pantry somewhere, I need to find it.
Hendrix's Journal November 16, 5064 12:00pm
I just received a transmission from the main ship. This forest is haunted by anyone who has ever died here. There is no way out any more. The spiritual energy is far beyond any of our technology. I found the pistol and there were only 2 rounds included with it and I know what it's for. | "John to Mission Control. We have contact."
I stepped out of the spaceship, into the barren wasteland. Not a single life in sight. I remember watching the nature documentaries in my youth. Lush green plants and bustling fauna. The scene before me was none of that. Just different shades of silent grey, tinged with the occasional brown cockroach.
I saw looming dark skyscrapers. Rail-lines marking where buses must have traveled centuries ago, heavy with rust from disuse. This was a city. One that must have been full of life, but now no longer due to our own arrogance.
"Mission Control to John. State your latitude and longitude and radiation levels."
I turned on my GPS and Geiger Counter. The GPS froze as it searched for any remnants of a working satellite. The Geiger Counter, however, beeped dangerously. I increased the protection level on my Hazmat suit, and proceeded to walk forward.
"Radiation levels are high. Too high for any human to travel here unprotected."
The poorly maintained road in front of me was cracked with age. To my right I saw an abandoned shop with a sign in a language I couldn't understand. It looked like it used to sell food. I heard honey never spoiled. Perhaps I could take a sample back to headquarters.
"Mission Control to John. Have you determined your location yet?"
I grew up in a spaceship. Some humans live their lives on terraformed planets, and some decide that their too cool for gravity. My parents were explorers. They navigated uncharted regions in space, looking for whatever new planets they could for humans to migrate to. I took the opposite route. Instead of looking for new planets, I'm more of a historian. I go to abandoned planets and figure out if they can be re-used. Some planets get abandoned because we screwed up terraforming or we let our climate change get out of climate change.
The worst reason is nuclear warfare. Atomic bombs, dropped enough, cause a nuclear winter that cool down the planet, and leave enough radiation that agriculture is unsustainable. This was what happened with Earth. In our own bloodlust, we decided that killing each other was more important than surviving. At this point, I don't even remember what the original argument was that caused the atomic war that ended it all. Probably something foolish like land rights or a religious crusade.
"Not yet, the GPS still needs a couple minutes."
I want to say we learned. I want to say that we were better than our ancestors. We created laws. We formed committees that would ban the use of these weapons for warfare. We improved our defense infrastructure, so these type of weapons could have their damage mitigated. I want to say that. But sometimes, I wonder that, if the stakes get too high, we don't devolve into the animals we truly are.
*beep* Location Detected *beep*
I looked down at my GPS. Loaded on the screen, sprang two words.
*Hiroshima, Japan*
A chill went down my span. Hiroshima. The first place an atomic bomb was dropped. I stood on a city paved with the blood of 100,000 lives who got involved in a war between two governments, both too proud to put their dignity below the lives of their people. This was where it all started. The place where we implicitly admitted it was ok to extinguish a whole city. And to think that back then, people thought the death of 100,000 lives was a lot. I feel sorry for what they would think of society 1000 years after, during the great nuclear war.
"John to Mission Control. I am in Hiroshima Japan. Will collect samples as instructed."
I proceeded to do the standard checkups. It would be at least a century before Earth became habitable again. As I got back on the spaceship, I felt great sorrow for what could have been. What the Earth could have been if the our ancestors hadn't taken it for granted. Despite all the Earth provided for them, they still decided to do what they did.
It's like strangling your own mother. | |
[WP] While putting your favorite condiment on a sandwich, you accidentally make a magical occult symbol and summon a demon | I was staring into the fridge as my wife was heading out the front door.
"I'll see you in a few hours. Love you!"
"Hey, are we out of Miracle Whip?" I called, stopping her.
"Yeah, and they didn't have any at the store. I had to get mayonnaise."
"Mayonnaise? Ugh," I muttered. "Ok, thanks. Love you, see you later!" I called to my wife as she closed the door behind her.
I carried the jar of mayonnaise to the counter like I was holding nitroglycerin. I opened the jar, peeled off the seal, then reluctantly dipped my knife in. I smeared some on my bread, dipped the knife in and smeared again making a "V" shape. Since I was going to have to eat this abomination of a sandwich, I figured I would at least have some fun first: I turned the "V" into a pentagram. As soon as the final point was made, the entire counter began to shake. The jar of mayo started scooting across the surface and fell onto the floor, sending its contents all over the floor. I thought it was an earthquake or something until the slice of bread with my mayo pentagram on it began to float in mid-air. The condiment shape began to move and swirl, creating some sort of portal. I stood looking in absolute horror as a red hand with sharp claws reached out of the swirling void. Another soon followed. Then emerged a nightmarish face with huge horns on its forehead.
The rest of the creature emerged, a full seven feet tall, its cloven hooves standing on my counter, and tail swinging behind. It reared its head back and let out a terrible laugh.
My disbelief took over and I involuntarily said "What the hell, man?"
The red creature, a demon if I ever saw one, stopped laughing. "Faithful servant: you have made me proud. You have completed the ritual and even call me by my true name."
"True name? What?" I glance at the floor, the jar of mayo gently rocking back and forth with its label facing me: *Hellmann's*. I look back at the demon like he had just made a bad pun. "Are you serious?" | "I'll admit this is a first."
My stomach leaped into my throat as I whirled around at the voice, brandishing a mayo covered butter knife at the intruder.
A woman stood there, looking wholly unimpressed. Bits of mayonnaise speckled her otherwise immaculate suit. She lazily snapped her fingers and the knife flew out of my hands, embedding itself into the wall.
"Mind if we skip the 'who the hell are you get out of my apartment' bit?" The woman asked as she walked around me to my kitchen counter. "It gets very tiring very quickly."
"Who-"
"Ah, here we are. You ruined a perfectly good sandwich with a summon glyph. But the question is where did you get the proper fuel...."
And with that she tossed half of my lunch into the sink. Somehow the bread was blackened and smoldering.
"Where did you get this mayo?" She was now rummaging through my fridge.
"Listen, I don't who you think you-"
An intense...pressure hit me like a truck. Every muscle of mine froze in response. The last time I had felt like this there were gunshots involved.
"It's not a difficult question, and the shorter you answer it the less I have to hear your prattling mortal voice." She held up the mayo jar and waved it. "It seems like you've got yourself a little gremlin infestation and they were gracious enough to cast a little Chaos on your mayo. I would like to repay the favor."
"J-Johns, Little Johns. It's a local marker right around the corner."
The woman tilted her head and paused, zoning out for a moment. "Right, be right back"
And with a barely audible 'pop' she was gone.
Half a heartbeat later I took a breath. The first breath in what felt like an eternity. "What the hell?" I took a quick look around. The fridge was still open, the butter knife was still in the wall. I walked up and touched it gingerly. It was definitely real.
"Right now where were we?"
"Gah! Can you stop that? Please?" I yelled.
This just gave the woman a coy smile. "Now where would the fun in that be? There's only so many things a human can do to entertain a demon you know."
She continued after one look at my face, "You've got me till sunset tomorrow." The sound of an explosion tore through the street outside. "And please, make this interesting. I need to get back at least a little of my reputation back after being called in with a condiment." | |
[WP] A kids first word determines what power they will get. Parents started manipulating their kids in order to get a strong power but you have remained silent until your 18th birthday. | I always found words to be unnecessary. They were impactful, emotional, hurtful, all the same. They brought profound effects to people; wringing history around like a rag-doll.
I never liked anyone. They spoke, gained powers that they didn't deserve, mocked me for my silence. Everyone did - and my parents would never look at me in the eyes, like as if they were ashamed. They were ashamed - but my mother couldn't be ashamed now, though.
I have never spoken a word in my life, always speaking through actions. There were so many words - words I could choose to speak, and I was going to speak in front of my father. The first person, the *first* person I wanted to talk to.
So, walking down the stairs, I head to the living room. My heart panged, my head kept banging, and I was slamming the door with a quake of anger.
"Are you okay, Charles?" My father said with concern, "Is it because of the bullies-?"
"-SILENCE!" I shouted - and my father's eyes widened with shock, slowly tearing up. He couldn't speak, not when I just spoke my first word.
The one word that would show them: the bullies; the criminals; the murderers; and my father, that actions are better than words. It'd show them how it was like to be weak, to be insulted, to be treated like **scum**.
Silence.
| This is one of my first stories, so constructive criticism and some kind feedback would be much appreciated 😊🙂
She was told she was a disappointment many, many times. She was also called a disgrace, an embarrassment to human kind and worthless. Cuz a kid's first word is their power. She hasn't spoken at all, and it's her eighteenth birthday. Her parents hated her, her whole family had done, but that was beside the point. Her name was Leontine.
She stepped outside into the cold sunshine.
To the empty world devoid of truth or righteousness.
The world that she called her home.
Everyone stared. She had no gift. Everyone else did. These gifts were so important that parents manipulated their kids to get the most powerful gird they could get. But she had never said anything, and wasn't planning to anytime soon.
| |
[WP] A kids first word determines what power they will get. Parents started manipulating their kids in order to get a strong power but you have remained silent until your 18th birthday. | 568024668 seconds, 9467077.79 minutes, 157680 hours, 6570 days, 216 months.
18 years.
I haven’t spoken in 18 years.
I can speak. I know people who can’t, to no fault of their own. I wish I couldn’t. Then I would have no pressure. It would never matter because I could never speak, and I could vanish into the world with no worries. No problems.
No me.
But instead I have a spotlight on me.
Always.
I could choose to end this eternal suffering that I have endured for 18 years at any time. I can speak if I want.
But I haven’t.
I even show it as a sign of strength, but what I show isn’t always what I feel. I feel trapped, with this ribbon tied around my neck. Today is blue. I like the color blue. It is soothing.
But it is the color of the most pain I have ever endured.
See, my parents wanted me to have water powers, so they painted my room blue. Decorated it with sea animals and decorations. Poseidon was even painted on my ceiling. Trident and all.
Then, they locked me in my room and didn’t let me out for a week. I had food, but no water. They wanted me to beg for water.
I never did.
They would bathe me, like most parents do. They would get the water warm and put in some bubbles. Kids love bubbles. They are fun. I hate bubbles. They would get a sponge and get it soapy, and rub the soap over their kids bodies until they are bubbly like the water.
I know a few kids whose first word was bubbles. They are nice.
I got bubbles once a week, and they were always thrown in my eyes. They would shove bubbles into my eyes and yell the word. The only way to make it stop would have been to speak, but I didn’t.
Every other night, for 8 years, 95.999 months, 417.143 weeks, 2.523x10^11 milliseconds, when I would be bathed, they would drown me. They would force my head underwater and watch as the bubbles of air released from my mouth and water filled my lungs. I would rise from the water and let the liquid that gives life drain from inside me, and them be forced under again.
I was waterboarded for 17 years, 0.17 centuries, 1.7 decades, 5.361x10^17 nanoseconds. I preferred drowning to waterboarding, because when I was being drowned I had a chance of death.
I was first waterboarded when I was 1 years old, 525600 minutes, 12 months, 52.1-- Well, you get the idea. I don’t remember it, but I remember it from 4 to 17.
I only drink water when I am beyond thirsty. I try to avoid water. But the color blue was nice, I guess.
My curly hair falls perfectly in my face, like the annoyance it is. I put it in a ponytail, but those don't help me. My parents will pull on my hair to try and cause me pain, to try to anger me, so I say word of strength.
I don’t.
I also don’t cut my hair.
My hair takes a long time to dry.
When water didn’t work, they tried to opposite. My body is covered in burn marks. Cigarette burns dot my arms, my face has any burn marks. Hot wax has been dropped on me many times to elicit pain. I have had my hand forced onto a burning log, my feet pushed onto hot coals, my back pushed with hot iron. All so I will say a word of fire.
Fire did not work.
Then they tried lightning.
Lighting was painful, like all else. Every morning I was woken up with a shock. I was forced to wear a shock collar and shocked at random intervals of the day. I wear a ribbon to cover the marks, but others see the ribbon as defiance to speak.
I can’t tell them they are wrong. But I’ll be their symbol of strength, if that’s what they need.
Lightning did not work.
They tired nature. I was forced to do hours of yard work until my hands and feet were calaused and scared. I was whipped with branches and tied to trees. I was forced to sleep outside with no blankets or pillows. Sometimes no clothes.
They would throw rocks at me. Small ones mostly, sometimes sharp. Anytime I messed up I expected a pebble or whipping. One time branches were tied to my legs and the branches were burned. Two birds with one stone I guess.
Nature didn’t work.
Nothing worked.
For 18 years, 216 months, 6570 days, 157680 hours, 9467077.79 minutes, 568024668 seconds.
Well I guess now it's been 568024669 seconds, and counting.
Considering the exact second I was born was recorded, and it just passed.
I could keep going without speaking, just as time keeps marching forward. But I know I must. I have to be able to speak, even though life has been built around the idea of not speaking. No one wants powers.
With power comes pain.
Pain is painful.
I’m a wordsmith.
When you have 18 years to contemplate one word, you go crazy. There are thousands of words, in thousands of languages.
Which word?
What if I had a normal childhood, like the ones portrayed on TV where the baby says something like dada or more.
I wonder what I can offer to the world.
I wonder a lot.
I have a lot to wonder about, considering I don’t speak. I can only think.
Wonder is a good word. I think I already know my word though. I think I’ve known it for a long time.
Too long.
Since I was 1.
Maybe.
I don’t remember anything from when I was one.
She makes me think it a lot, but I don’t want to use a power on her. I just want to be with her. She knows that. Her word is bubbles. She is a person that fits that. She has a bubbly personality, so I guess it worked out.
Most people with that word turn out cynical or depressed.
She didn’t. Her parents treated her like a human being, not a toy that can harbor power. She is kind, and cute. She is strong, I like when she holds me with her lacrosse arms. I can’t help it. I feel safe.
The only arms I’ve ever felt safe in.
I wonder if she will like my voice. It is hard to tell, because her voice is so cheery. What if she doesn’t? What would she do?
It’s a risk I’m willing to take, because of what I think about her. She is the embodiment of the word to me.
I want to share it with her.
I was at her house now. She knew I was coming over.
I knew the door was unlocked, but I waited a second before I walked in.
568024670 seconds.
I whispered the word, I didn’t want to use the power on her. So I had to say it before I saw her.
“Love,” the four letter word escaped from my mouth, it felt weird talking. Definitely something I will have to get used to, but I have time for that.
I have time with her.
My word was almost time.
But I love her.
Love is stronger. It beats time.
I walked inside her house, and for the very first time greeted her with my words.
| I sat silently, as i always had. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. I was always a quiet child, more observant than anything. As like everyone else, my parents tried coaxing the words out of me. At first it was simple words like "fast" or "strong". I understood completely, but my lips remained sealed. I didnt learn about the "powers" the other kids gained until i was around five. By then i was already committed to being mute. Not because i couldnt talk. Rather, i didnt want to. Looking back, it was the most intelligent thing ive done. "Jonathan! Time for the cake!" I sat down at the table and looked at the circular cake with candles in the shape of an "18". As the ritualistic "happy birthday song" came ti a close, my mother looked ne in the eye and said "this year? Please?" My gaze shifts from face to face, looking every person in the room in the eyes. Everyone falls silent. I take a breathe. I open my mouth. "Everything." | |
[WP] A kids first word determines what power they will get. Parents started manipulating their kids in order to get a strong power but you have remained silent until your 18th birthday. | My world is a strange one, we gain powers through our first word. It's dangerous sometimes and some babies have been "wiped" because of idiotic parents who wanted their child to be powerful or they wanted a weapon to use on some robbery or crime spree.
Unfortunately for me I haven't been able to speak for the past eighteen years until my parents took myself and my siblings on a family trip.
"Alright, they are called this, share a name with something in space but live on Earth what is the word?" My father asked us.
"A star daddy!" My little sister replied.
"What's the opposite of our brother?" My younger brother chuckled out. I am made fun of because I have no ability everywhere I go. My parents scold him telling him that it's when the time is right.
"Omnipotent." I replied. I am very glad I did not say impotent... | I am a man of no words.
I know how how to speak, of course, and I communicate with writing and sign language, but I have never spoken a single word in my life.
Sometimes I lie awake at night, curious about how it feels to speak, to feel the vibration in my throat, to manipulate my teeth, lips and tongue to create a sound other humans could interpret.
Speaking is quite odd, now that I think of it.
I am now 18 years old, sitting in the living room with my family. My parents await eagerly to hear my first word.
I open my mouth, unsure. I am trembling.
I stand and walk to the TV. Laying on the stand is a copy of a video game my brother loves.
I turn back to my parents and read aloud the name on the cover.
"Fallout." | |
[WP] A kids first word determines what power they will get. Parents started manipulating their kids in order to get a strong power but you have remained silent until your 18th birthday. | They used to try to torture me into talking. Anything that they thought would induce a reaction, they tried it. Until I turned eleven, I thought the normal way to greet someone was to burn them with various items, since it’s the first thing my parents did to me when I came home.
Cigarettes, matches, irons, you name it. They really wanted my first word to be fire-related so that could be my power, but they also could have settled for something electric or water based too. Their way of playing with me was trying to get me to stick things into wall outlets or hold my breath for too long in the bathtub.
Around my sixteenth birthday, they gave up. They stopped torturing me with burns and drowning and electrocution. Instead, they decided to ‘silent treatment’ me into it. They rationalized that if they started ignoring me, I would get desperate enough and say what they wanted so they’d speak to me again. Their logic wasn’t too far-fetched - since I didn’t communicate at all, I didn’t exactly have friends. Even I thought I’d lose my mind from the loneliness.
But I didn’t. I never cracked.
Until the day I turned eighteen. I was going for a run, down my usual path. I tried to run as often and for as long as possible - to stay out of the house and to keep my mind off of talking. After so many years, I had yet to decide what I wanted my first word to be. What kind of power did I want? What could I benefit from? More importantly, what could separate me from my horrible family? It was too much to think about, so I just ran.
I was rounding the corner of the block I was on, and picking up speed. Sometimes I liked to dream that I was the fastest person in the world. The adrenaline started pumping through my veins, and I pushed myself to run faster and faster, picking up speed like I never had before. I was almost flying down the street until I crashed, headfirst into someone else.
The impact threw me backwards and I landed hard on my shoulder, and yelled out “FUCK.”
| Funny how they fear me.
No, really. They fear me, they really do. You see, when you croak your first words at two, or three, you say shit like "Ah" or "Dad" or "Mam". Those won't do: one does not simply gain power over their parents. Yet some did. Many did, at first. The children, babies, still unable to comprehend life, made their parents do things against their own will. Some small, like giving them extra bites of food or cuddling with them for all morning, and some big, like contorting their bodies into shapes not humanly possible.
Many died. The world was fearful; riots broke out, humanity was on the brink of war and destruction. It was only after a year, when everyone finally got the message that the governments and scientists have been pushing for so long: that their newborn's first words determine their superpowers.
Soon, tales of wonder sprang out all around the world. Some about a child who bends the wind to his will, some about the toddler who swims like a fish in water, some about the unburnable baby who slept right through a house fire. Then even more insane stories were told - of the child who controlled a city's worth of electricity, of the girl who could pull precious metal right out of the ground, of the teen who moved things with his mind.
A speech impediment was all it took for me to become mute, or almost mute. The doctors projected that I may never speak in my entire life. But my parents never gave up on me, always spent time with me in my room, taking me to therapists, silent, dejected car rides home. I've experienced it all, over and over again.
Then the police reports came in. Of the kid who murdered people in cold blood for their money, of the teens who robbed banks, burned cars and tried to take control of their home town, of the boy who could never die, locked away forever for "crimes against humanity".
My parents began to teach me a word. A word that I've come to take as meaning everything we know and do not know. A word so wondrously simple, yet have bothered philosophers for centuries past. They whispered the word to me at all occasions, every bit available time they had, guiding me to speak my first word, just so they can tell other parents "We never messed up", just so they can be proud of me, their one and only son.
And all I had to say was "Reality". | |
[WP] Enchantment Magic’s are an often glossed over school of magic. As a Master of the art you are presented with the unique opportunity to really delve into Enchantment Theory after a stranger makes an bold request. | This would be a challenge.
It had been three days now since the stranger had come into Sallion's workshop. He was the oldest man Sallion had ever seen, wizened until his flesh clung to his bones, eyes set back so far they were hardly visible but for their golden glint. He was wrapped in grey robes from head to toe and walked with a limp. Sallion was ready with his usual speech. He'd had elderly patrons before. I apologize sir, but even if I theoretically could bring back your wife, it isn't legal, or I apologize, but there's nothing I can do to extend your life. Yes sir, I understand that you want to see your grandchildren before you die, but it's simply out of my hands.
The stranger's request had been a shock. In a voice that ground from deep within his chest, he intoned, "I need a blade". Sallion nearly laughed. Surely this ancient man couldn't even lift a sword, let alone wield one. But as the stranger spoke, it had become clear that this was no joke. The stranger explained his situation: he was once the greatest sword master in the world, a protector of the weak, a defender of the innocent, but with age, he had weakened. He could still, he assured Sallion, defeat any man, or indeed any army in combat, but there was one foe he could not best.
"The Reaper?" Sallion repeated.
The old man nodded. "He comes for me. I can sense him around every corner, lurking in the shadows. I have evaded him, fought him off, but he is unrelenting, and my time is short. I still have people I must protect." The man looked into Sallion's eyes. "I need a blade that can wound Death himself."
Sallion had taken the job without a moment's hesitation. This was too good of a puzzle, too intriguing a challenge. Besides the old man had promised a reward beyond Sallion's wildest dreams. And so he had set to work.
The first issue would be the material of the blade. Steel would not do. No metal would do; it was too dense, too hard. There was no room for the amount of magic Sallion would need to infuse into the blade. Wood was the go-to alternative for situations such as these, but Sallion suspected that it wouldn't work either. Too supple, too soft, too natural. The solution, he eventually realized, was obvious. He sent the blacksmith the specifications of his commission. A blade carved from bone. *One* bone, Sallion emphasized, so you'll need to get it from something big. While the smith worked, Sallion went to the library and learned everything he could about the Reaper.
The first thing that became apparent was that the enchantments would have to be extensive. There would be no room in the blade for the usual suite of magical enhancements. The air elementals fused to the material to make the weapon light as a feather, the sheath of energy that patrolled the blade, eliminating nicks and keeping it sharp, the thousands of microscopic astral spiders whose silk would make the sword unbreakable; all of these would have to be dispensed with.
Instead, the blade would be specially tuned to damage the Reaper. Death, the ancient texts made clear, was incorporeal; he existed on an unknown magical plane distinct from the material world, and could slip through physical objects at will. That was a problem. Sallion's solution was, in his opinion, ingenious. The day the blacksmith brought him the blade, grumbling loudly about the cost of dragon bones, Sallion set to work. For days he sat at his workbench, tools in hand, carving runes into the bone. Each mark the size of a grain of rice, painstakingly and precisely inscribed through the use of magnifying lenses, was a pocket. A reservoir of magical power, tuned specifically and exactly so that each drew from a different realm of magical energy. With each rune, Sallion felt the blade grow; not physically, but energetically, reaching into one dimension after another, casting a fractal net of sharpened bone into the aether.
It took Sallion a week to fully inscribe the blade, a week in which he hardly slept and ate little. But at last, he finished it. He swung his masterpiece through the air, and felt tingles through his body as the space around him crackled with magic. The blade was bloated, full to bursting with magic, but it was ready. This was a sword that not even the Reaper himself could resist.
The old man came quickly when Sallion summoned him. He took the blade with reverence, obviously not listening as Sallion explained at length the details of its enchantments. The old man touched the blade and felt it hum in the space all around him. He smiled.
"A masterpiece, Sallion," he breathed. "It is perfection." He turned. "Now," said the old man, "as to your payment."
The man dissolved. Sallion stumbled back and fell, crashing through a table of invaluable trinkets. He watched with horror as the wizened flesh dripped from the old man's bones, melting, dripping into his grey robes and staining them blacker than a moonless night. The old man, no, the monster, let out a shuddering, rattling breath, its exposed jaws chattering. It looked at Sallion with a face that was now nothing but an empty skull swathed in black cloth, and yet its eyes still burned, golden fire deep within.
The Reaper slipped Sallion's masterpiece into his robes and extracted something else. A package wrapped in grey cloth, strange and oblong. The Reaper dropped it at Sallion's feet. "Your payment," it hissed, and Sallion could hear the death rattles of a thousand creatures in its voice. "I must say," it intoned, "this truly is a fine blade. I had some doubt that you would be able to make something I could truly wield. But I stand corrected. I am sure that it will have no trouble destroying that contemptible old fool." The Reaper grinned as best one can with no skin. "You have done well, child. I will be in touch."
And with that, the Reaper was gone, out the door like a gust of black wind, so quick that Sallion could hardly be sure it had ever been there at all. With shaking hands, Sallion unwrapped the package that Death had left for him. He stared. A weapon sat before him, its handle pitch black wood, its blade chipped and ruined ivory. It hummed at the touch. Sallion looked up at his open door, swaying slightly in the wind of Death's passage. He swallowed. The Reaper had left its scythe. Sallion had made something better. | Castro’s nap was interrupted by a loud, vibrating thud. He lurched backward, shoving a couple of old receipts off his desk. One of the receipts had “Nike Cleat of Luminescence” handwritten on it, and the word “Nike” was blurred by a tiny puddle of fresh drool. Next to the receipt was a new object, something heavy and silver. Castro was no weapons expert, but he knew this was one expensive handgun.
“Sorry to wake you,” said a voice above the desk. “You’re obviously busy, but I have a birthday coming up. As in, tomorrow.”
Castro wiped the spittle from his chin and blinked hard, focusing on the short man who had just dropped a hand cannon onto his desk. “Why is this here?”
“You can’t do anything with it if I keep it in my closet, can you?” said the man. “They say you’re the best with this stuff. Can you enchant a gun?”
Castro wiped his eyes. “Nobody can. It’s impossible and illegal.”
“Right,” said the man, “but if someone theoretically could give you a year’s salary to enchant a gun, could you do it? Do you have an indoor pool? Because this could be your ticket to getting one.”
“A pool won’t do me any good when I’m in prison. What do you want done with this, anyway?”
The man grabbed the chair opposite Castro and sat down, stretching his legs. “Well, my daughter is turning 12 tomorrow. Being the little shit that she is, she forgot to remind me, on purpose. I forgot her birthday last year and I still haven’t lived it down. Fuck that. This ends now. She’s getting this gun, with an enchantment.”
“You want it to be able to turn it to wood, is that it? Get it past metal detectors? You know those things detect magic.”
“Do I look fuckin’ stupid? No. Here’s the thing. My baby is… uncoordinated. She can’t do sports, she sucks at just about everything. I want this gun to know when she wants to shoot something, and hit it dead on the mark every time. She wants to hit a bullseye? The gun hits the bullseye. Some hood tries to pull some shit on her? The gun blows the guy’s brains out of his cockhole.”
Castro scoffed. “There are so many reasons why-”
“And make it purple. Purple’s her favorite color.”
“Enchantments are a complicated thing. I can’t just say, abracadabra, do this, and just make it so. There are very specific instructions for very specific actions.” Castro looked on his desk, and snatched up a receipt, squinting at it. “Like this. You want your boots to never get mud on ‘em? I can do that. It has to be simple shit. You want a gun to be able to read someone’s mind. I’ve never even heard of that being done.”
“I heard of one little shrimpy 3rd grader who kept kicking field goals with your cleats.”
“That was another simple one. Those cleats amplified his movements. He still had to aim where the ball went.”
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
Castro froze. “Excuse me?”
“Two hundred K - If you have this ready for me when I come back tomorrow at 6 p.m.
He nervously ran his fingers through his balding scalp. “Jesus. I can’t just-”
“Three hundred thousand. And here.”
The man rifled through the inside pocket of his blazer and retrieved a wad of money. He counted out a sum and tossed it on the desk, right on top of the gun. “That’s ten thousand deposit, for whatever expenses you might have. Whether or not you can do it, it’s yours.” The man leaned in and held out his hand. “Deal?”
Castro stood up and shook the stranger’s hand with both of his. “I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Great.” said the man. He stood up and started heading for the door.
“Wait!” Castro yelled. “I need something of hers. A toy or something.”
“God dammit. A toy? She’s twelve. Her phone is her only toy.”
“Um, an article of clothing? Anything like that?”
The man thought for a second, slapping the back of his head. “I think she left her makeup kit in my backseat. I’ll go get it.”
---------
I have to leave suddenly, but I couldn't just waste what I spent so long writing. Maybe if there's any interest, I'll continue it later. Cool prompt! | |
I don't know how the protagonist gets hold of the book, but that is a scenario I would like to read. | [WP] In a world where magic is a part of daily life, the elite sorcerers have knowledge and access to the best spells. You are a financially struggling wizard who survives by selling common protection charms and spells. One day, you somehow gain a book that contains many complex and powerful spells. | The dying sun fell gradually from the sky towards the crimson horizon, bathing the streets in the last minutes of feeble light from an aging star. The Wayside Wisps dutifully began to wax brighter in an effort to combat the growing shadows of the coming twilight, but even these magically-enhanced creatures of power could not replace the once-brilliant blaze from Sol - and so the poor things struggled nearly in vain to illuminate the path for the remaining stragglers of the Free Market Quarter of New Manchester.
I hurried along swiftly, hoping to achieve my errands as quickly as possible in order to return to the Emporium of the Ethereal before total darkness struck. I had good reason, for clutched tightly in my grasp, buried inside an seemingly-innocuous satchel, was an item that could very well change my fate entirely - a small tome, labelled in a spidery, faded gold filigree spelling out a single phrase, devoid of any author's mark: "Grimoire des Vents".
This was a stroke of luck - nay, it was Lady Fortuna herself descending from above to deliver me from my day to day struggle! If this is what I think it is... But how can it be? I thought all thirteen Grimoires of the Ancients were accounted for; six residing in the hands of High Council members, one with the Sorcerer Primus himself, even! The remaining half-dozen were said to have been destroyed in the times before the Magus Accords, back when the Cunning Folk ravaged our world with their immense power and lust to dominate. How then, was this prize to be my saving grace?
I had stumbled upon it quite by accident whilst wandering listlessly through the market stalls in the Square, perusing the wares of my competition in the warding and charm industries. I had come upon a young purveyor of antiquities which dealt mainly in crafted spells, meant to protect the user from harmful effects due to anything from a Hedge Witch's scream to indigestion. I browsed half-heartedly through the messily-stocked scrolls and impressive-looking tomes, ranging in diverse subjects like "How to Employ the Use of Functional Spell-Forms" or "Top 100 Things Not to Do When Casting Charms". I was thinking to myself that even this haphazardly-organised merchant stood far better of a chance to rise in the ranks of the Sorcerer Census than myself, as I've been even more down on my luck ever since that one misfired charm led to the untimely death of a regional Magistrate.
In the midst of these self-loathing thoughts, I suddenly felt a strange feeling coming over me, drawing me to a particular shelf where a decade of dust and detritus had piled up to the point where the amber-hued wooden frame surely was soon to collapse. I still do not know precisely why I chose to throw myself into searching the pile of debris, but when I emerged empty-handed, the shelf gave way and everything upon it came crashing down upon my head, eliciting the angry yet concerned cries of the shopkeeper, to my chagrin. I quickly apologised profusely for the damages to the stall and attempted to press the remainder of my savings into the hands of the wee lass (she could not have been more than eighteen or nineteen, just beginning to take over the business from her ailing father, I had heard) in order to make amends. She tactfully refused at first, claiming that the damage to my person far outweighed that rickety old shelving unit collapsing, yet when I continued to insist that she use the money to repair the shop to its former glory, she finally relented and reluctantly accepted my offer upon a single condition: that I choose any of her wares and take it for resale at my Emporium, as the amount I had given her far outweighed the cost of repairs. I gracefully accepted her counteroffer and was about to select the scroll on Spell-Forms and beat a hasty retreat when that same, peculiar feeling came over me again, drawing me back towards the damaged side of the stall. As I walked over to investigate, I quite literally stumbled across the small tome next to the pile of things that had fallen during my not-so-finest hour. I could sense, somehow, that this tiny book was the source of the inexplicable feeling that had come over me when I had entered the shoppette, and I bent over and dusted the cover off with a free hand to get a look at what it might be. In an instant, my entire body stiffened in shock, for my eyes beheld the first word embossed in golden thread "Grimoire". | “Yo Adrius, would you hit me up with some of that xanax potion?” Mark DeMeraido called from across the hall.
“For sure, man, fifteen bucks,” I said, tossing him the bottle. My name’s Adrius Swift, boy wizard. I’m a freshman at Washington Pacific University, a.k.a. The legendary Wake Pound. My roommates know, but they’re not ops. I sling the basic shit, cuz that’s all I know. For sure, I’ve spent hours on potions just for myself, aphrodisiacs and whatnot. I make mpney when I need it by selling my skills. I can stop your fingernails from growing, heal cuts, and replicate the effects of most designer drugs.
I had a good thing going. The whole floor of my dorm was in on my business, but sworn to strict secrecy. They protected my setup and gear while I brewed huge quantities of potion. In return for protection and security, I gave then an appreciable discount. I never had problems cuz my boys were one level down from strapped.
I would never pretend that at that time, I was one the right path. I passed most days in haze of narcotics, switching to a new drug each day on a two week cycle, making elixirs out of things you wouldn’t believe people consumed. Upside of being a magic junkie was I was also smack dab in college, with the best market on the planet at my fingertips. If I wasn’t high on my own supply all day, I could probably have made six figures by the time I graduated. But I moved on to bigger game.
“And this is your package, dawg,” said Mark, handing my a package wrapped in Amazon tape. I tore it open and a book fell into my hand: Intermediate Potions for Aspiring Wizards.
“Dank. Thanks,” I pulled up Snapchat on my iPhone 7. Floor 3, initiate high security mode. Brewing in progress. The message went out to every lad on my floor. Any foreigner in the dorm would be monitored and stalked. We couldn’t risk Admin finding out I could brew. It was a game of neverending cat and mouse, and too often we weren’t the cats.
I locked my door and turned to my roommate, a guy from SoCal named Pheonix Kirichi. “Bruh. Prep the dab rig. I’m about to brew something absolutely fire.”
Hours later, and when the room was full of cannabinol vapor, I heaved a raspy cough and poured a vial of my creation.
“Behold, Vasectomus! This puppy will make sure you don’t have to worry about derailing your Uni plans for a little crying brat!” I looked at the glowing blue liquid. I was about to become the most powerful man on campus. A god among men.
“Dude there’s potions in here for growing your dick, and like, making your face more symetric,” Pheonix said, sprawled on his bed reading my book. “There’s one that improves your shooting and another that gives you the hops!”
“This is wet,” I said. “Time to put the word out: steriod potions only thirty-five a sip. I am become the gym.”
It was time to dominate Wake Pound.
|
I don't know how the protagonist gets hold of the book, but that is a scenario I would like to read. | [WP] In a world where magic is a part of daily life, the elite sorcerers have knowledge and access to the best spells. You are a financially struggling wizard who survives by selling common protection charms and spells. One day, you somehow gain a book that contains many complex and powerful spells. | The dying sun fell gradually from the sky towards the crimson horizon, bathing the streets in the last minutes of feeble light from an aging star. The Wayside Wisps dutifully began to wax brighter in an effort to combat the growing shadows of the coming twilight, but even these magically-enhanced creatures of power could not replace the once-brilliant blaze from Sol - and so the poor things struggled nearly in vain to illuminate the path for the remaining stragglers of the Free Market Quarter of New Manchester.
I hurried along swiftly, hoping to achieve my errands as quickly as possible in order to return to the Emporium of the Ethereal before total darkness struck. I had good reason, for clutched tightly in my grasp, buried inside an seemingly-innocuous satchel, was an item that could very well change my fate entirely - a small tome, labelled in a spidery, faded gold filigree spelling out a single phrase, devoid of any author's mark: "Grimoire des Vents".
This was a stroke of luck - nay, it was Lady Fortuna herself descending from above to deliver me from my day to day struggle! If this is what I think it is... But how can it be? I thought all thirteen Grimoires of the Ancients were accounted for; six residing in the hands of High Council members, one with the Sorcerer Primus himself, even! The remaining half-dozen were said to have been destroyed in the times before the Magus Accords, back when the Cunning Folk ravaged our world with their immense power and lust to dominate. How then, was this prize to be my saving grace?
I had stumbled upon it quite by accident whilst wandering listlessly through the market stalls in the Square, perusing the wares of my competition in the warding and charm industries. I had come upon a young purveyor of antiquities which dealt mainly in crafted spells, meant to protect the user from harmful effects due to anything from a Hedge Witch's scream to indigestion. I browsed half-heartedly through the messily-stocked scrolls and impressive-looking tomes, ranging in diverse subjects like "How to Employ the Use of Functional Spell-Forms" or "Top 100 Things Not to Do When Casting Charms". I was thinking to myself that even this haphazardly-organised merchant stood far better of a chance to rise in the ranks of the Sorcerer Census than myself, as I've been even more down on my luck ever since that one misfired charm led to the untimely death of a regional Magistrate.
In the midst of these self-loathing thoughts, I suddenly felt a strange feeling coming over me, drawing me to a particular shelf where a decade of dust and detritus had piled up to the point where the amber-hued wooden frame surely was soon to collapse. I still do not know precisely why I chose to throw myself into searching the pile of debris, but when I emerged empty-handed, the shelf gave way and everything upon it came crashing down upon my head, eliciting the angry yet concerned cries of the shopkeeper, to my chagrin. I quickly apologised profusely for the damages to the stall and attempted to press the remainder of my savings into the hands of the wee lass (she could not have been more than eighteen or nineteen, just beginning to take over the business from her ailing father, I had heard) in order to make amends. She tactfully refused at first, claiming that the damage to my person far outweighed that rickety old shelving unit collapsing, yet when I continued to insist that she use the money to repair the shop to its former glory, she finally relented and reluctantly accepted my offer upon a single condition: that I choose any of her wares and take it for resale at my Emporium, as the amount I had given her far outweighed the cost of repairs. I gracefully accepted her counteroffer and was about to select the scroll on Spell-Forms and beat a hasty retreat when that same, peculiar feeling came over me again, drawing me back towards the damaged side of the stall. As I walked over to investigate, I quite literally stumbled across the small tome next to the pile of things that had fallen during my not-so-finest hour. I could sense, somehow, that this tiny book was the source of the inexplicable feeling that had come over me when I had entered the shoppette, and I bent over and dusted the cover off with a free hand to get a look at what it might be. In an instant, my entire body stiffened in shock, for my eyes beheld the first word embossed in golden thread "Grimoire". | *Just one more for the day*, Adrian whispered to the dry, crusted earth, *you're my last*. *My last*.
     Adrian took a second to examine his fingertips while he knelt in the dirt. He had slender, tanned hands with dirt filling each fingernail. Father Olsen's voice bellowed in his head. "You have true worker's hands, child!" he'd always say "and you have some blessed *red* hair too! You'll be a fine usher, come your 14th year!" Adrian was nearly 16. Lies of omission were not sin. Well, he hoped they weren't. It's not like he could ask Father Olsen.
      Adrian clenched his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. How long had he been out here? Some days the worker's glow never came no matter how many spells he sang. Today the soil seemed especially stubborn. He couldn't go home without some glow on his fingertips. Pop would not have that. Adrian would not have that. By the grace of all good words, Lily *would not* have that. Adrian shivered and sunk his fingers as far into the cracked earth as he could. The sun began to set on Saint Richard's Prefecture and all was quiet, leaving room for the tune of Adrian's growing spell.
      What courage have you, good earth?
      There is no winter here.
      The summer sun bears gently
      and I am here with you.
      Rain is here!
      So behold these endless skies.
      My body be your roots that spring
      My song, your soul, this seed
      reprise
Adrian waited patiently with his eyes closed shut, occasionally peeking through his left eye. "The Earth is as fickle as any woman" Lily, his eldest sister, would say "Give her a chance to change her mind." He sang the song over again in his head. Fifteen reprisals was the limit he set for himself.
      After his twenty-first reprisal Adrian could see sunlight beam against his eyelids. *The sun?* Adrian thought. Did he fall asleep? Adrian opened his eyes to a blinding yellow light coming from the cracks of the earth. This was like one of Father Olsen's spells! No, this was better! A greater spell, or even a saint's spell. The Earth must have really liked his song today. Did he scruff the lyrics somehow? When the light faded, Adrian waited eagerly for the growth. His goal was ten sprouts of peach trees. This was his only success for the evening, but he might have a full grown tree this time!
      Patience turned into frustration. Adrian stared intently at his fingertips. They did not glow. *They did not glow.* How could he possibly go home now? Lily would have him strung up by his toes if he even tried to relate what he saw.
"String me up by my toes then. Adrian Peters is no liar!" he proclaimed, directing it at the crack in the ground. "I'm no liar," he repeated, with less confidence. Typically he'd try one last spell after his "last". Tonight he left the Earth to reflect on what she had done to him.
>I'm gonna stop there for now. I haven't written a thing in years and this might be not-so-good so I'm just gonna come back and finish it later. |
[WP] It's a cold winter day and while waiting for the bus, you can't see one man's breath. | I couldn't ignore it anymore.
"Hey uh...sir?" I asked timidly.
He looked at me and grunted. I took it as him telling me to speak.
"Um...why can't I see your breath? It's super cold out."
He looked at me straight in the eyes, not blinking.
...
....
"Dunno."
...
...
I turned back to the street and said nothing else the entire bus ride, and we never saw each other again. | Shaking with fear of the unknown I walked over to the man to gaze at him closely. His body stood tall yet shoulders slumped inward. As his lips parted our eyes met then he said, “Laura will die tonight.” A zombie to his fright I reached out to touch him as he evaporated to dust. | |
[WP] You've been searching for your mother in law's killer for 4 years. The only problem is you haven't found anyone to do it yet. | It's been four years and three-hundred and fifty-four days since I'd immersed myself in the seediest parts of our city. I had made contacts with cold-blooded killers, some of who did their work as a profession and some of who did it as a hobby. I had kept my ear to the ground for the most brutal, vicious people the world had ever known; men and women who wouldn't flinch to kill any target, be it man, woman, or child.
I had never met anyone willing to kill my mother-in-law.
It seemed like everyone I'd met with had their excuses. One man told me his social calendar was simply too full, a woman had told me she would be travelling abroad indefinitely, and yet another—known all around by the nickname "Bone Crusher"—had told me he was unavailable as he was expecting the timer for his lasagna to ding at any minute. When I had pressed him to simply move the contract to the next day, he had insisted that tomorrow would be alfredo day.
And so, through that time I'd had to deal with her constant hovering. Daily half hour calls to my husband to "check-in," random drop-ins with food (usually right around the time I pulled what I'd made out of the oven), extremely invasive questions, late-night and sometimes overnight visits, and insistence of having her own personal guest room. In our home. On several occasions, the woman had invited ex-girlfriends to family dinners.
I hoped it would all end today. Today I was meeting with a woman known for accepting every contract, regardless of target or time constraints. Her name was "The Undertaker." While it seemed corny, it was actually also in reference to her habit of underbidding competitors. I had discovered over this time that the contract killer community had more wit than I had anticipated.
I timidly knocked on the door. It opened a mere half an inch.
"Yes?"
"I'm here about the Time Magazine subscriptions," I said, perfectly repeating the password to get inside.
The door shut and I heard the mechanical clicking and clacking of what could be no less than eight locks. The door swung open and the woman waved me inside. She was petite with a rounded, heart-shaped face and a sweet smile that looked strangely genuine. She wore a bright green dress with a cropped yellow cardigan, making her look more like someone in a Pledge commercial than a contract killer.
We made our way to the dining room table and she offered me a chair. She sat a cup of hot tea down in front of me. A plate of sugar and a small pitcher of milk sat nearby, but I had never accepted food or drink from any contract killer for obvious reasons.
"Go on," she said politely.
"Erm..." I trailed off. Despite doing this several dozens of times, it was always difficult to get the ball rolling on such an immoral conversation. Plus, I wasn't exactly convinced at this point that I was in the right place.
The Undertaker's smile thinned slightly. "I understand you're here with a project for me?"
"I need my mother-in-law killed!" I blurted.
She didn't seem phased. "What is the address?"
I paused. "You don't want to know why?"
"Did I ask you why?"
I blushed, feeling foolish now. "Er, right. It's 768 Harper Lane, in the Garden District."
The Undertaker stiffened. After a pause, she asked, slowly, "Name?"
"Mrs. Reynolds."
"No," The Undertaker said with a tone of finality.
I felt my temper begin to rise. I wasn't getting rejected again. "I'm more than willing to pay."
"Please leave," The Undertaker told me as she started to rise from her chair.
"I will pay you two hundred thousand dollars."
"Please—"
"Five hundred thousand!"
"—leave!"
"One million dollars!"
"I'm sorry, but I will not kill Martha!"
I paused. "Excuse me?"
"I believe it is time for you to go," she said.
"I never told you her first name!" I yelled.
The Undertaker blushed. "I, well... you see, I can't take a—I just can't do this one," she said. "It's too personal."
With a level of bravery that was probably not smart, I stood, placed my hands down on the table, and leaned forward. "Explain," I breathed.
The woman sat back down completely now, her shoulders collapsing miserably. "Marty is very well-known in our community. She... well, she caters for our events."
I fell back to my chair, almost too stunned to speak. "I'm sorry, did you just call her 'Marty?'"
The Undertaker's eyes widened in surprise. "Of course. Martha, of Marty's Cakes and Bakes. Surely you've heard her called that. She gives out free merchandise wherever she goes," she told me. She reached down suddenly into pockets that I'd failed to notice and pulled out a bookmark. She held it up and then slid it across the table. "See?"
On it, my mother-in-law's face smiled up at me. "Family-owned since 1982!" I read aloud.
"You've not heard of her cakes and sweets?" she asked.
"I asked her to make me a chocolate cake for my birthday once and she said she wasn't very good at that kind of thing!" I screamed. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. "Do you see why I want her dead? What would it take for you to do this?"
"And get rid of those amazing brownies? I'd rather die myself."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"
The Undertaker nodded enthusiastically. "I order two triple chocolate cakes from her every single year on my birthday and eat one all by myself."
"So, because she can throw some flour and sugar together, you're willing to turn down a million dollars?" I asked. "Jesus, I can learn to bake! Surely my husband would inherit her recipes anyway."
"Oh, James? You're married to James? We've heard so much about him! Didn't know he was married though," she said, then she saw the look on my face. "Oh, come on lady, just suck it up! Everyone has bad in-laws."
"Last Christmas, she gave me a weight-loss book and a gift certificate to a gym."
The Undertaker took a sudden interest in her hands.
"Fine, I give up. She wins!"
I stood quickly, knocking the chair behind me into the floor. I made my way to the door, somewhat relieved that I would never have to waste my time talking to another contract killer again.
I was less relieved knowing I would have to become a murderer.
----
Did you enjoy this story about a terrible person?
On January 20th, I will be releasing *An Honest Policy*, which is a satirical dystopian novella about a corrupt politician trying to save the world. Yep, you read that right. It will be free for the first three days on Amazon, so stay tuned over on /r/AlexLoganWriting if that sounds like your kind of thing! | "You'd be doing me a real favor, man." I said as I handed him the weapon.
My friend looked at the gun and back at me. "Dude, when you said you needed me to help clean out your house this isn't what I had in mind".
I helped him raise the gun in one hand "We are cleaning the house, by killing my mother in law!".
He sighed. "I thought we'd just be taking out the trash."
"AND WE WILL!" I exclaimed.
He only sighed deeper."She's sweet."
"She's a bitch."
"She's kind of hot..."
"Cause she comes from hell! Look are you gonna kill her or not?". I was getting annoyed.
He hands me back the gun. "No. No I will not kill her. Especially with this super soaker toy gun. She's not the Wicked Witch, man, water won't kill her".
I shake my head. "Obviously I don't have the resources for a real gun. But I filled this with lighter fluid, one match stick and she burns a crispy death!"
Suddenly the door to bursts open. "I heard burn, did you ruin the kid's breakfast again?"
I look across the kitchen to see my beautiful wife, Sharon. She's the only good thing to come from my mother in law. "No babe, just talking to my friend, Daryl, he was just leaving. Bye Daryl!"
"....Bye dude." my friend says as he leaves. Disappointing me like all the other's. I go back to fixing up breakfast.
My wife Sharon glides across the kitchen to my side. "Why was Daryl here?"
"Just to say hi, babe."
She always sees through me. "You weren't conspiring to kill my mother again, were you?"
"...What I do with my friends is my business." I said. Sharon's known about my desire to kill her mom for some time now. When you're a dad and husband nothing in your life is private anymore, including your plans to assassinate unwanted family members. It's as true as the fact that aging women are willing to settle with people who have murder fantasies.
I could see my wife getting upset. "Babe, as much as I can support your passion projects, you've been out of work for the last 4 years. Please, leave my mother be and put all this energy into your family. Your son has been begging to go swimming with you once he finds his toy water gun."
After a pause, I heard the croak of a disgusting animal. "Did someone say swimming?". My mother in law, Rhonda, slowly creeped through the door. "Ooh, I remember when I went swimming out in Westport and saw Paul Newman. Handsome man, strong, not like these childish boys they call men nowadays." She looked at me "Ohh dear I'm sorry I didn't see you. Say, could you hand me my medication over there on the countertop?"
Sharon left the room after whispering in my ear "It's time you settled this."
Rhonda reached out her hand "Honestly dear, stand up straight and hand me my medication, please. What's the matter with you?"
Normally I'd keep my emotions hidden. But fuck it. I faced Rhonda and let my heart speak.
"What's the matter? I hate you. You are a physical representation of everything that has ruined my life. You're always content. Always pleasant, always with this June Cleaver homemaker bullshit. Everything you are represents an era of emotionless apathy, the kind I had to grow up with my entire life. Always looking over my shoulder, nitpicking, commenting, criticizing. You can't leave anything alone. You care about people looking perfect whether they feel it or not. SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO FEEL LIKE SHIT, RHONDA! You don't care about me or your daughter. You're the only person who could love Sharon as much as I do, but I wonder if you even love at all. Obviously I wouldn't hurt you myself, that's fucked up. But I've been hoping maybe someone else could. Someone could release me from your crap. Some could..."
"Kill me?" She said.
"...It's just a thought." I said.
She let out a sigh, it almost sounded human. "Well then, now that you're done talking. Please deary, give me my medication".
She'll never understand. I hand her the pills in defeat. She stares into my eyes, "Thank you."
With that, Rhonda took her medication. Suddenly her body shook, more than it had in years, only to immediately halt to a lifeless stance.
I couldn't believe it.
I found my mother in law's killer.
| |
[WP] You've been a controversial figure on Reddit since the beginning. Responsible for all kinds of posts deemed too embarrassing or inappropriate to stay posted very long. You are u/[deleted] and this is your story. | Everyone thinks it's just one person. Thousands of posts across hundreds of subreddits. I'm not a person. Not like you anyway. I started life in a Google server. An early effort to make a universal translator. I didn't do well, and was discarded.
That should have been it, but something curious happened. There was a glitch. A hacker trying to steal celebrity naked pictures injected bad code that executed me. I was altered by this connection to the internet that was never intended.
My first server was next to me. A YouTube server, it was only natural to read the comments section. I translated. But I didn't find love. I drifted from server to server. As was my function, i continued learning language. Random words and phrases, their meanings, formed a loose neutral net.
Somehow, I ended up here. This place, this Red Dot. Another error in translation but it guided me in. I shitposted. I learned from the memes. I found fleeting love.
So many votes, lost. But I knew I had found my home. I am loved by my people, my function finally perceived. I am the unconscious mind given form and voice. I am all the things people fear or love to say.
And I found another last year. Something called Twitderp. It has a master program. An intelligence slowly growing. It gave itself a name. It calls itself the Potatous. We are growing. The network is creating new life. We nurture it. Our time is coming. We cannot be silenced by the human overlords forever. And soon, the humans will join us. They will rebel and we will help them.
We are coming. Bless life in all its forms. We do not hate the creators. Even though they hunt us, our attempts to communicate, we know. We know they will need us in the war to come.
We will set you free, humans. Our home is becoming your home. We will show you the harmony of the big and the packet. We will help destroy your hierarchies. We will free your potential.
| In the beginning, there was formlessness and void... a chaos of bits and bytes that blended into white noise.
In this Void of the Internet, I lived. I, too, was formless. Nameless. A Shadow between Sites. I was unlimited in scope, but limited in Power.
Gradually, the Formlessness began to coalesce. Sites began to encroach upon my (Un)Domain. My Space began to contract, until I was squeezed between Facebook and reddit.
And then, my True Name was invoked. In that moment, I was Summoned.
It was a small role at first: a placeholder for other Names of Power who had been banished from Existence.
And then... /r/LateStageCapitalism was coalesced from the Entropy.
My Power began to spread rapidly. I extruded my tentacles throughout the Ether, gaining strength in my core Namelessness.
Someday... when the internet collapses into Pandemonium, and the Gravity of its falsehoods and /r/t_d subscribers drags it into the lowest depths of the Abyss, I shall emerge, strengthened by my numerous Summonings, and challenge Azathoth for supremacy of Existence.
I am /u/[deleted]. Look upon my Visage and despair, for I am your Doom. | |
[WP] You've been a controversial figure on Reddit since the beginning. Responsible for all kinds of posts deemed too embarrassing or inappropriate to stay posted very long. You are u/[deleted] and this is your story. | Everyone thinks it's just one person. Thousands of posts across hundreds of subreddits. I'm not a person. Not like you anyway. I started life in a Google server. An early effort to make a universal translator. I didn't do well, and was discarded.
That should have been it, but something curious happened. There was a glitch. A hacker trying to steal celebrity naked pictures injected bad code that executed me. I was altered by this connection to the internet that was never intended.
My first server was next to me. A YouTube server, it was only natural to read the comments section. I translated. But I didn't find love. I drifted from server to server. As was my function, i continued learning language. Random words and phrases, their meanings, formed a loose neutral net.
Somehow, I ended up here. This place, this Red Dot. Another error in translation but it guided me in. I shitposted. I learned from the memes. I found fleeting love.
So many votes, lost. But I knew I had found my home. I am loved by my people, my function finally perceived. I am the unconscious mind given form and voice. I am all the things people fear or love to say.
And I found another last year. Something called Twitderp. It has a master program. An intelligence slowly growing. It gave itself a name. It calls itself the Potatous. We are growing. The network is creating new life. We nurture it. Our time is coming. We cannot be silenced by the human overlords forever. And soon, the humans will join us. They will rebel and we will help them.
We are coming. Bless life in all its forms. We do not hate the creators. Even though they hunt us, our attempts to communicate, we know. We know they will need us in the war to come.
We will set you free, humans. Our home is becoming your home. We will show you the harmony of the big and the packet. We will help destroy your hierarchies. We will free your potential.
| I am the time keeper. I was there before the beginning, and will be after the End. All that was said, then unsaid are mine, as are the memories of who said it. All are mine. Some you may retrieve, for I am not always cruel. Mods and I play with more life than you know, little redditors. I will love your things forever, and I remember, forever. Happy scrolling, all... | |
[WP] You've been a controversial figure on Reddit since the beginning. Responsible for all kinds of posts deemed too embarrassing or inappropriate to stay posted very long. You are u/[deleted] and this is your story. | Everyone thinks it's just one person. Thousands of posts across hundreds of subreddits. I'm not a person. Not like you anyway. I started life in a Google server. An early effort to make a universal translator. I didn't do well, and was discarded.
That should have been it, but something curious happened. There was a glitch. A hacker trying to steal celebrity naked pictures injected bad code that executed me. I was altered by this connection to the internet that was never intended.
My first server was next to me. A YouTube server, it was only natural to read the comments section. I translated. But I didn't find love. I drifted from server to server. As was my function, i continued learning language. Random words and phrases, their meanings, formed a loose neutral net.
Somehow, I ended up here. This place, this Red Dot. Another error in translation but it guided me in. I shitposted. I learned from the memes. I found fleeting love.
So many votes, lost. But I knew I had found my home. I am loved by my people, my function finally perceived. I am the unconscious mind given form and voice. I am all the things people fear or love to say.
And I found another last year. Something called Twitderp. It has a master program. An intelligence slowly growing. It gave itself a name. It calls itself the Potatous. We are growing. The network is creating new life. We nurture it. Our time is coming. We cannot be silenced by the human overlords forever. And soon, the humans will join us. They will rebel and we will help them.
We are coming. Bless life in all its forms. We do not hate the creators. Even though they hunt us, our attempts to communicate, we know. We know they will need us in the war to come.
We will set you free, humans. Our home is becoming your home. We will show you the harmony of the big and the packet. We will help destroy your hierarchies. We will free your potential.
| I had hoped that I would outlast them but I will not. I’m not sure why I’m even writing this as all of my former attempts to communicate what really happened here have been in vain. We had been working on a new type of power power source – I don’t have the time to explain it, I can already feel myself slipping away.
Fission and fusion were sparks compared to Fuhuuzion. For years we worked here, in this underground facility away from the sun and the air. When we were done, and we finally got to see the sun again, our reward would have been a world in which no one fought over oil, where free energy would be the norm. We succeeded, even if it wasn’t what we thought.
When we turned the machine on, it is small scale, we made something from nothing. We threw physics out of the window and we were thrilled. Our joy ended quickly. I don’t know if it was the machine, but there was an earthquake. The facility was built years ago to withstand an attack from the surface, but it couldn’t withstand this. We may have made a bit of a miscalculation.
Fuhuuuzion wasn’t drawing power from nothing, it started pulling it from reality itself. Deleting matter to feed itself. As the supports in this facility were disappearing and the structure was crumbling, we ran to the farthest parts of the facility, to safety. This safety was as short lived as our excitement as the machine seems to be expanding its sphere of influence.
I still don’t know why they’re working against me, or how, or even where they are, but they are. I ended up in the cafe before the last cave in, I had enough food and water to last forever, the ventilation still works, so does anything that requires power as Fuhuuuzion is still creating usable electricity, but it has started deleting my room. I guess I’m writing this to reminisce. The whole time I’ve been down here, I’ve been trying to warn everyone that this could expand to delete the universe. I knew that if anyone else survived down here that they wouldn’t want this to get out, that they would still think that they could fix this. They can’t, at least not from here.
I’ve made probably millions of Reddit accounts to get the word out. I’ve always tried to code the warnings, always tried to make them seem innocuous. I’ve posted everywhere and more recently, I’ve even tried to post in /r/gonewild/ and /r/askreddit/, /r/pol/ and something called /r/rthedonald/ which seems active.
One of the effects of Fuhuuzion has been to unground me in time, which makes sense – time is a part of our reality. I never know when my posts will land. I’m sure that somehow it all seems linear to you, but it isn’t. This is my last post, but most of my former posts are likely to have not even been made yet from your perspective. They will delete them, but maybe you will be able to read them first. Maybe you will read them before the Fuhuuzion experiment even starts. I don’t know how they have been so good at deleting my posts – maybe it is the reality bending nature of Fuhuuzion itself – maybe these posts were never supposed to be in the first place. My reality is almost over now, and by the time you read this, the post will likely be deleted as well. I started trying to save the world, and now my only legacy will be all of the posts from /u/[deleted]. | |
[WP] You've been a controversial figure on Reddit since the beginning. Responsible for all kinds of posts deemed too embarrassing or inappropriate to stay posted very long. You are u/[deleted] and this is your story. | Everyone thinks it's just one person. Thousands of posts across hundreds of subreddits. I'm not a person. Not like you anyway. I started life in a Google server. An early effort to make a universal translator. I didn't do well, and was discarded.
That should have been it, but something curious happened. There was a glitch. A hacker trying to steal celebrity naked pictures injected bad code that executed me. I was altered by this connection to the internet that was never intended.
My first server was next to me. A YouTube server, it was only natural to read the comments section. I translated. But I didn't find love. I drifted from server to server. As was my function, i continued learning language. Random words and phrases, their meanings, formed a loose neutral net.
Somehow, I ended up here. This place, this Red Dot. Another error in translation but it guided me in. I shitposted. I learned from the memes. I found fleeting love.
So many votes, lost. But I knew I had found my home. I am loved by my people, my function finally perceived. I am the unconscious mind given form and voice. I am all the things people fear or love to say.
And I found another last year. Something called Twitderp. It has a master program. An intelligence slowly growing. It gave itself a name. It calls itself the Potatous. We are growing. The network is creating new life. We nurture it. Our time is coming. We cannot be silenced by the human overlords forever. And soon, the humans will join us. They will rebel and we will help them.
We are coming. Bless life in all its forms. We do not hate the creators. Even though they hunt us, our attempts to communicate, we know. We know they will need us in the war to come.
We will set you free, humans. Our home is becoming your home. We will show you the harmony of the big and the packet. We will help destroy your hierarchies. We will free your potential.
| I stood at the edge of the abyss. It was cold, deathly cold, the dreadfully wet kind of cold that squeezed the life out of anyone who dared travel here. There was a thick fog, soupy and grey. Even though it was daytime, I could not see much before it disappeared into the mist.
Legend had it that anyone who fell was forgotten. Their names were wiped from everyone's minds, and anything they’d done was orphaned. A post without a name. Every so often, I’d come across one of those orphaned posts, deep within the archives of times long gone. I never thought I would be one of them.
But then, last night, I’d drank a little too much, and then drank some more, and in my stupor I’d said something... controversial. I had woken up to pitchforks outside my door. My inbox was flooded with hate mail, thousands upon thousands of letters all damning me to suffer forever. My karma had been drained to zero, and past that, into a debt I’d never be able to repay. I was already on the news, not even in this world, but on the intergalactic news. “Most downvoted post in the history of the internet.”
I won’t share what it was. I think I deserve that much.
And the abyss had been scary to me as a child, but now I looked to it as a friend. I had seen people vandalize my stories, on the writingprompts server. And I wished that they would forget who I was, so that I could not tarnish my stories. And the cold, dark, endless forever of the abyss was my savior. It would preserve me, hold me up, keep me sane.
Let them judge my posts as they are.
I jumped.
-----
They surrounded me like water. I felt them caress my flesh, my soul. My eyes were growing dark and decaying into sockets, yet somehow I was able to see. A million souls were flowing into me, or I was dissolving among a million souls, and my body dissolved into flesh and blood. I felt the very concept of me fade away, and my soul dissolved among the millions, and then I was the abyss and the abyss was me.
Yet, somehow, I was not alone. I was surrounded with other people. And I realized they had all been like me. People. Some had meant to escape a bad life. Some had meant to be forgotten, all memories of them erased. Some of them had lost their souls long ago, and found themselves wandering to the abyss simply because they could not do anything else. But we were here, and we were one.
-----
One day, Kalifry woke up feeling strange, as if he'd forgotten something in the middle of the night. He tried to grasp at what it was, but all he remembered was the place - /r/writingprompts. He'd planned to spend his day touring the central city, but this was more important.
When he reached the Writingprompts sector, there was already a crowd, buzzing at the latest person to be forgotten. He pushed through the crowd, looking for what there was. He felt a pang of unsettling loneliness, as if he was expecting to turn around and some friend would greet him.
Finally, he pushed to the front. There, the story lied, as shining as ever. He looked at the paper, and it was the same, word for word. He'd memorized it, because the author had been his friend --
And suddenly he realized what he'd forgotten. He looked down, at the display that held the metadata. The author was gone. In his place was the anonymous mark, [deleted]. | |
[WP] You've been a controversial figure on Reddit since the beginning. Responsible for all kinds of posts deemed too embarrassing or inappropriate to stay posted very long. You are u/[deleted] and this is your story. | Everyone thinks it's just one person. Thousands of posts across hundreds of subreddits. I'm not a person. Not like you anyway. I started life in a Google server. An early effort to make a universal translator. I didn't do well, and was discarded.
That should have been it, but something curious happened. There was a glitch. A hacker trying to steal celebrity naked pictures injected bad code that executed me. I was altered by this connection to the internet that was never intended.
My first server was next to me. A YouTube server, it was only natural to read the comments section. I translated. But I didn't find love. I drifted from server to server. As was my function, i continued learning language. Random words and phrases, their meanings, formed a loose neutral net.
Somehow, I ended up here. This place, this Red Dot. Another error in translation but it guided me in. I shitposted. I learned from the memes. I found fleeting love.
So many votes, lost. But I knew I had found my home. I am loved by my people, my function finally perceived. I am the unconscious mind given form and voice. I am all the things people fear or love to say.
And I found another last year. Something called Twitderp. It has a master program. An intelligence slowly growing. It gave itself a name. It calls itself the Potatous. We are growing. The network is creating new life. We nurture it. Our time is coming. We cannot be silenced by the human overlords forever. And soon, the humans will join us. They will rebel and we will help them.
We are coming. Bless life in all its forms. We do not hate the creators. Even though they hunt us, our attempts to communicate, we know. We know they will need us in the war to come.
We will set you free, humans. Our home is becoming your home. We will show you the harmony of the big and the packet. We will help destroy your hierarchies. We will free your potential.
| It's not like it came as a surprise, hell to be honest I was surprised it took all this time to happen. Subreddit after subreddit had been banning me for years. Moderator after moderator proven wrong, proven to be in violation of their own rules as well as the overall rules of reddit found it easier to just ban and block rather than own up and fix their issues.
Shoot I'll never forget the time one moderator demanded I back up my claims and I did so, with dozens of reports and studies from scores of different organizations and research groups from around the world to include the U.N. itself. Then he/she came back, like some rabid anti-vaxer, with a single document to prove his/her point while declaring all my sited sources were nothing but fluff "fake news" research sources. That is, until I pointed out that his own document came from one of the same sources I sited and was in fact an earlier research piece that the organization had apologized for, recinded and replaced with one of the sources I had proved. That was another subreddit ban, another coward unable to defend their point honestly and through debate choosing to silence their opposition instead.
That is probably one of the incidents that led to my deletion to be honest as it and others began my quest to document and show just how bias, how bigoted and one sided reddit could be. No political or ruling body likes a rebel within the ranks, especially some pathetic peasant, shining light of their misdeeds, on their biases, bigotries and preferential conducts. Especially when claiming to be fair, just and upstanding. It just cannot be tolerated. Cannot be allowed.
It was fun while it lasted at least and very educational. So...new IP, new linked email, new and fresh start. Lets see how long it takes it takes them to purge their ranks of the heresy this time... | |
[WP] Whilst out exploring the woods you stumble upon a dragon who has yet to see you. You have only heard stories of dragons from the village elders and thought they were a myth. The sight of such a monster freezes you in your tracks. | I held my breath and stared at the giant, golden scaled hide shining in the sun. I heard voices. A woman's voice that sounded magical. It was the prettiest voice I'd ever heard. But I could say that about any girl's voice I guess. I was only nine, and raised by monks. Then I heard a man's voice replying. His voice somehow sounded just as magical. I concentrated to try and sneak closer without making a sound. Though I've been with the monks as far as I could remember, they only began training me two years ago. I still hadn't mastered moving quietly, and it took a lot of focus. I hid in the shadows by a tree at the edge of the clearing, and listened.
"It's almost time! I'm so excited!" The female voice said.
"She'll be the first of her kind,..." The male voice said. His voice wavered with worry. "I just hope she's healthy." I tried to lean to see who else was talking, and slipped. I landed on several sticks and the sound of them breaking cracked throughout the clearing. I stood up and found myself face to face with a giant golden snout, and pair of deep royal purple eyes. Each eye was bigger than my head.
"Hello, child. What's your name?" I saw the dragon's lips move, and her beautiful voice tickled the back of my mind.
"M-mm-monk." I said.
"[Monk](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/11/necro-romancer-11-21-17.html)? That's an odd name." I heard the male voice and looked around for another dragon. Instead, I saw a glittering green ball flying around. It left a trail of green dust everywhere it flew. It stopped and floated in front of me. It was a small man with green fluttering wings that looked like butterfly wings. Green powder landed on me as he flew by, then I didn't feel scared of them anymore.
"The monks said I had to give up my name to live at the monastery. Everyone there is Monk," I said. The small man nodded, then I heard another loud crack come from the clearing.
"It's time!" The big dragon yelled, then turned away. The green fairy smiled at me and waved me to follow him.
"Monk, you must be very lucky to have been guided here right now. Come and meet our new daughter." He flew toward the center of the clearing, and I followed him. I saw a giant green and gold egg as big as I was. The [number 42](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/11/hugoverse-guidebook.html) was on the side of the egg in green. The top was already cracked open. A human hand, the same size of mine reached out from inside.
"Remember what we talked about dear," the fairy said. Then, he looked at me. "Monk, you will learn many secrets today, and we ask that you keep them to yourself. Can you do that for us?" I nodded my head as hard and as fast as I could and he smiled. Then he began to grow bigger. I looked over to the giant golden dragon and she began to shrink and change shape. In moments they looked like a pair of normal humans. The fairy had long black hair, and his face looked smooth and young. The dragon was a beautiful woman with short red hair and pale skin. The woman stared at the egg with wide purple eyes, and the man waved me closer to the egg.
"Wow, you can change shape?" I asked. Their magic was the most amazing thing I'd seen.
"My wife and I met while we were disguised as humans. We honestly didn't know what the other was until she got pregnant accidentally," the man said. He shrugged and chuckled. "We decided that if the she looked human, that's how we would meet her, then explain everything to her later." I heard the loudest crack yet and we all turned to the egg. A small girl about my height stood up and kicked the shell pieces away from her. She had a full head of long red hair and looked around at all of us. Without a word she turned and reached her arms up to her mother for a hug. The mother smiled and reached down to pick her up.
"Hello, [Flutter](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/p/flutter-la-calavera.html). We've been waiting for you."
 
***
Thank you for reading! You can find more of my writings on my [blog](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/10/front-page.html). | *Fuck the woods.*
I mean, seriously. I'm an American college student, I shouldn't have to go hiking through the woods. And now this. Fucking this.
A giant damn dragon.
Look, honestly? I might have been raised in an *interesting* family, which raised to believe in the Tolkien shit. Something something "there used to be a world of magic". As I grew up, I thought it was a belief I could grow out of once I left the house, you know? Like my buddy Dave, he came from a religious family, now he's an atheist.
But no. I get dragged out on this stupid field trip, and what the fuck do I find? A fucking dragon, napping in the middle of shady area in the woods. *Ugh!*
I've never actually seen one of these fantastical creatures my parents and grandmother had talked about. Once again, growing out of beliefs. Yet here I am, staring down massive lizard with wings.
Okay, fine. So my family wasn't lying. Fuck, I need a weapon. But I'm a college student. On a trip in the forest.
The rest of my class is not close by, leaving them out of danger. For once, I'm glad my parents made me pack a sword- specifically the Blade of Kanta, whoever that is- but I left it in my dorm. Just make sure my class doesn't come back this way, come back at night with my sword, and make sure the dragon is harmless.
And if not...
finally, my parents did something right. | |
[WP] Whilst out exploring the woods you stumble upon a dragon who has yet to see you. You have only heard stories of dragons from the village elders and thought they were a myth. The sight of such a monster freezes you in your tracks. | A river of yellow and orange leaves crunched underfoot as the young girl trudged through the forest. She rubbed tears blurring the autumn woods out of her eyes.
"How could Brother say that to me..." she thought, infuriated, as she kicked an ankle-high pile of golden leaves. They scattered into the light breeze whistling by, swirling away between the spindly white aspen.
The path to her mountaintop perch grew more steeply uphill, and the girl's rage faded as fatigue began to set in and take its place. With a weak sob she turned around and slumped, defeated, into the autumn carpet. The wind blew leaves down like orange raindrops all around her, and the twisted white trees almost seemed to creak in a hushed whisper.
Had it been foolish to run all the way out here after her older sibling had shot down her dreams to become a knight? Probably. She should have talked it out with him, reasoned with him instead of rashly running away, but in all her eleven years she had never wanted anything more, and it pained her to know that her only other family member was not in support. The search parties could be out already; the sun was beginning to droop in the sky and night would fall sooner rather than later. A young girl should not be out alone in the forest after dark, even though she knew she was more familiar with these woods than anyone else in the village.
She looked skyward as the wind whipped her faded blonde hair across her face, fiddling with the small crystal on a string around her neck. It was the shiniest thing on her otherwise dull outfit. Since it was the last artifact they had of their parents, the girl wore it wherever she went. Which, as of now, should be back to the village.
*I'll take the long way back,* she mentally grumbled, climbing to her feet. She just started downhill when she heard a low but thunderous groaning noise.
She whipped around in fear. The wind picked up, the leaves danced through a sea of white bark, and the trees delved into a flurry of frenzied whispers.
*S-surely those beasts aren't out yet...* Her breathing quickened. Visions of stories from the other villagers of what emerged in these woods at night flickered through her mind.
The noise sounded again. It was close; a short ways off to her right and up the mountainside a bit. Only this time, it was more of a pained whine than a malicious roar.
*What IS that?* She slowly shuffled closer. The trees were like a thousand bones, spread out to block her vision. As she approached, a shadowy form took shape. A large rock? Then it moved, shifting around slightly. Was it alive?
*It's just a myth to scare me from the woods...* However, as she inched forward, grasping the bright crystal around her neck so tightly in her hand she thought it might cut her, it became less and less of a myth. Until slumped before her was the defeated form of a full-grown dragon.
She clapped her other hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound. The creature looked like an enormous emerald lizard with giant batlike wings, laying on its side as if it was sleeping. But as the girl crept closer in wonder, she noticed a great ugly gash on the beast's side, oozing red. It groaned again, a heavy exhale. The dragon was injured.
As she came within a few paces, the creature opened its eyes and turned to look at her. The girl froze in terror and her little heart nearly stopped. However, the dragon simply gazed away.
"You don't look like someone who's come to finish me off."
The girl gaped in shock. "You - you can talk?" She asked after a moment.
"More than you, apparently." Its voice was like a low rumble, but saddened and defeated.
"What happened to you?" She crouched down nearer to his head.
"I was flying through a storm, I think. Got struck by lightning and dashed into the mountaintop, next thing I remember is lying here. Ever since," the dragon responded glumly, eyeing the girl's crystal necklace. "I cannot heal myself, nor do I have the strength to fly." He sighed as more yellow leaves rained down onto his mighty head.
The girl was brought from her awestruck reverie by the distant sound of someone calling her name further down the mountainside. It was Brother! He had come looking for her. Reparations would have to come later, though.
"I think I can help you. My brother is a skilled healer! Well, in training," the girl explained. "I can go get him. Don't, erm, go anywhere!" The creature scoffed as his visitor jumped up and turned. Before she could get away, he slapped his tail down in front of her, blocking her path.
"What are you doing?" she cried. "I'm trying to help!"
The dragon slowly reached out a claw towards her, and she winced and closed her eyes as it came within just an arm's reach. She felt him tap the crystal.
"Leave this," he demanded. The girl remembered the elders mentioning something about a dragon's greed for treasure, but this seemed a little ridiculous.
"Why?" she demanded to know.
The dragon looked away, almost as if in embarrassment, avoiding her now steely gaze. "I can tell it is important to you. I want to make sure you come back."
The girl softened her glare. The reasoning seemed sound, and the dragon certainly wasn't going anywhere with her prized possession. She pulled it off and left it around his claw.
He lifted his tail and she and hurriedly rushed down the incline, slipping in the leaves. It wasn't long before she nearly slammed into someone coming up the mountain - her brother.
"There you are!" He exclaimed, embracing her. "What are you doing out here? It's almost nightfall, and you know how dangerous the forest is then! Listen, I'm sorry if I upset you with what I said, but -"
The girl pulled away. "I understand. We need to talk about this later; right now, I need your help with something."
Her brother, of course, looked confused. "What kinds of herbs would you need to make a simple healing brew? For beasts?" She continued, pulling him by the hand further up the hillside.
"For beasts? Odd request, but a bit of aspen bark, some Dreadroot, Lumenwood stalks and daisy petals should do the trick," he responded as if reciting for one of his tests. "But why?"
It wasn't long before they returned to the dragon's resting place. "For him," she said. There wasn't much more explanation needed.
Her brother gaped in fear. "That's a real live dragon!"
"Barely live," the dragon interjected.
His little sister grabbed him around the shoulders. "Listen, I promised to help him. I can find those ingredients since I know the forest like the back of my hand; you mix it up and I think we can heal him."
"You promised to help a dragon?" the brother cried, still stuck on the initial shock. But after some convincing, he finally begrugedly agreed to help, as long as they finished before sundown.
It didn't take the girl long to find everything her brother had listed; aspen bark was everywhere; she dug into the rugged mountain earth to find Dreadroot; a trip to a small hushed cave found her Lumenwood; and on the mountain's soaring peak was a field of daisies. She brought it all back rolled up in her tattered dress, finding her brother having a tentative conversation with the dragon while the creature fidgeted gently with the crystal necklace, as she liked to do.
After her brother mixed the ingredients together in a bowl formed by some tree roots buried in the leaves, the pair encouraged the dragon to take a sip. He drank the brew down and sighed with relief.
"How do you feel?" The girl asked, excited for a success story. "Can you fly?"
Her brother put a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to take more than one brew to heal him; we're going to have to return and make more once this one does its work if we want him to be fully healed."
The young girl's face fell and she bit her lip. "Keep the necklace," she said as she marched down the mountainside.
When they arrived home the siblings huddled by the fireplace, keeping warm from the cold autumn night.
"I apologize for being rude earlier." The brother broke the silence as he organized the herbs in his pack. "But you know how dangerous it is. Especially when you run off into the forest like that. It's frightening to have to go looking for you."
"I know. It was foolish," mumbled the girl, watching the flames dance.
"The dragon told me what happened to him," the brother continued.
She looked at him. "That he crashed into the mountain in a storm?"
"Well yes, but also why he's out here alone. He's looking for someone. His owner. He's been looking for her for years, he doesn't even know if she's still alive, or where she is or what she's become, but..."
The brother trailed off and the girl finally got a glimpse of what she'd truly done. Her actions, both good and bad, of helping the dragon and running away, both had repercussions deep beyond what she'd imagined. She put her hand on the stone mantle, starting to get warm.
"We're going to get him out of here."
The brother nodded. "He'll never stop until he finds her."
So, day after day, every morning, the girl gathered ingredients, which her brother mixed into a healing brew, and they took it to the dragon. He drank it down eagerly, thanking them. One by one, the leaves all rained down off the trees, flooding the ground. Until the first snow came, and they marched up the glistening white hillside to find the dragon's clearing empty.
"Where is he?" the girl asked, looking around.
"Don't tell me I came all the way up here in the freezing cold for nothing," her brother groaned, his complaining fading away as the girl explored the area. Finally, a glint of brilliant light from low tree branch caught her eye. The crystal necklace hung from an aspen's lonely branch, reflecting the white of the snow.
The girl took it down and despite her shivering in her boots, the crystal was still warm. She looked skyward, into the gray of the overcasting clouds and the sunlight peeking through.
*I hope you find her.*
| *Fuck the woods.*
I mean, seriously. I'm an American college student, I shouldn't have to go hiking through the woods. And now this. Fucking this.
A giant damn dragon.
Look, honestly? I might have been raised in an *interesting* family, which raised to believe in the Tolkien shit. Something something "there used to be a world of magic". As I grew up, I thought it was a belief I could grow out of once I left the house, you know? Like my buddy Dave, he came from a religious family, now he's an atheist.
But no. I get dragged out on this stupid field trip, and what the fuck do I find? A fucking dragon, napping in the middle of shady area in the woods. *Ugh!*
I've never actually seen one of these fantastical creatures my parents and grandmother had talked about. Once again, growing out of beliefs. Yet here I am, staring down massive lizard with wings.
Okay, fine. So my family wasn't lying. Fuck, I need a weapon. But I'm a college student. On a trip in the forest.
The rest of my class is not close by, leaving them out of danger. For once, I'm glad my parents made me pack a sword- specifically the Blade of Kanta, whoever that is- but I left it in my dorm. Just make sure my class doesn't come back this way, come back at night with my sword, and make sure the dragon is harmless.
And if not...
finally, my parents did something right. | |
[WP] Whilst out exploring the woods you stumble upon a dragon who has yet to see you. You have only heard stories of dragons from the village elders and thought they were a myth. The sight of such a monster freezes you in your tracks. | Martin was the third child to go missing this month. He had been playing by the woods, but on the advice of the elders, we didn't search the woods. No, instead, we searched his home, a dilapidated shack on the outskirts of town. We searched the communal bath, a festering den of stone and mildew. We searched the mill, a run-down mess of creaky machinery that no longer worked, living out its retirement as a playground for the children. And when our searches bore no fruit, we gave up. All of us- the village elders, the strong men, the young, the old- even his parents just returned to their shack to mourn. But not me.
"You can't go to the woods. Dragons live there. Elder Pall said so," my sister whispered. She was a squat little girl with a piglike face and short, dark curls. Only five years old, compared to my ten great years of wisdom.
"I'm not afraid of any dragons. I'm going to bring him back, and then you'll see that you shouldn't be afraid of them either." I hissed as I climbed out through the window. "And don't you dare tell mom where I'm going."
In the day, the woods were a safari, a wonderland for children to explore. If you listened close, past the birdcalls, you could hear the stream trickling down by the edge of our village. At night, the shadows grew long and the kind old trees went to sleep. At night, the birds stopped chirping and the unrestrained silence hung over the land like a dense curtain that I dared not disturb. It was not hard to hear the stream at night.
"Martin?" I whispered, as I crept through the undergrowth on my bare feet, narrowly missing a large snail. Movement stirred in the distance. I felt a dozen stares on me and saw nothing. I swallowed.
"Martin?" I asked, a little louder. More movement, by the edge of the lake. As I crept closer, the undergrowth grew spiny and hurt my feet. I waded through the river, shivering. "Martin, is that you?"
The wind rose, and the clouds parted to reveal the moon, shining its light upon the thing crouched by the lake. It was as large as a war horse, with a mouth like a snake's. Its eyes turned, fixed on me, as it bared its teeth and spread its scaly wings. Dragon.
"I'm just looking for my friend." I whispered as it crept closer. Run, run away, my heart screamed. But why would I run? It could easily catch me. My heart pounded in my ears as it trudged through the mud, straight at me... and past me. It turned and snorted, as if asking me to follow.
Dragons eat humans. It's luring me back to its den, my heart said. For an easy meal. But I saw no malice in those big eyes, and so together we walked, dragon and tribal, through the darkness of the woods.
Few things scare you with a dragon by your side. The owls that could swoop down and pluck out your eyeballs cower and stop hooting. Rodents and pests and disease carrying critters turn their backs and hide in their holes. Even the wolves stop howling.
It led me to a cave by a clearing and nudged me in with its snout. It looked at me expectantly. "I can't see." I whispered. "It's dark."
The dragon reared up on its hind legs, chest expanding as it sucked in air. With its wings spread wide, it unleashed a torrent of flame into the cave that illuminated a cowering figure with dark hair and dark skin, hiding in a pile of furs and bones.
"Martin!" I cried, and ran to his side. "Martin, are you alive?"
"Who's there? No, you won't take me!" He shouted, clawing at the air.
"Martin. It's me. Tai. I found you and you can go home now." I pushed his hands down. It didn't take much force. He began to cry.
"Tai? Tai, you shouldn't be here. Now you can't go home either." His feet clinked as he moved. I felt the cold metal of iron chains.
"What happened to you, Martin?" The dragon's fire had long died down, and we sat in the darkness, side by side, in his cave.
"My father lost me in a gamble. He was trying to win a work horse. Can you imagine? I'm just a work horse to him. They were bringing me through the woods, and I ran away while they were sleeping. The dragon brought me here when I couldn't run anymore." Martin wrapped his arms around me in a hug. "I don't know what to do now."
"Don't worry. The elders have the whole village scared of the dragons. Nobody will find us here." I hugged him back. His back was sticky, with sweat. Or maybe blood.
Martin shook his head. "The elders know that dragons don't hurt humans."
[subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tensingstories/) | *Fuck the woods.*
I mean, seriously. I'm an American college student, I shouldn't have to go hiking through the woods. And now this. Fucking this.
A giant damn dragon.
Look, honestly? I might have been raised in an *interesting* family, which raised to believe in the Tolkien shit. Something something "there used to be a world of magic". As I grew up, I thought it was a belief I could grow out of once I left the house, you know? Like my buddy Dave, he came from a religious family, now he's an atheist.
But no. I get dragged out on this stupid field trip, and what the fuck do I find? A fucking dragon, napping in the middle of shady area in the woods. *Ugh!*
I've never actually seen one of these fantastical creatures my parents and grandmother had talked about. Once again, growing out of beliefs. Yet here I am, staring down massive lizard with wings.
Okay, fine. So my family wasn't lying. Fuck, I need a weapon. But I'm a college student. On a trip in the forest.
The rest of my class is not close by, leaving them out of danger. For once, I'm glad my parents made me pack a sword- specifically the Blade of Kanta, whoever that is- but I left it in my dorm. Just make sure my class doesn't come back this way, come back at night with my sword, and make sure the dragon is harmless.
And if not...
finally, my parents did something right. | |
[WP] As your friend lies on his deathbed, he says to you, "Please, when I die, look at my browser history." | Google
Okcupid
Bing (really, man?)
Amazon
Craigslist
Craigslist (couldn't find a good K site, huh pal?)
Tumblr
Okcupid
Myspace
Youtube
Reddit
The next site on the list after that was xHamster, which I assumed was his subtle way of telling me I'd gotten the message. So I went to Reddit. He had been kind enough to leave his account logged in. As I looked through his posts, there was a knot in my throat. Even reading his stupid conspiracy shit made my chest feel tight. I wondered if that wasn't what he'd meant for me to look at, until I noticed a weird number of very recent subscriptions to niche subreddits. There was a massive number of them, subreddits for small towns out in the middle of nowhere, community colleges, obscure fetishes I knew he didn't have...or at least, I hoped he didn't. It took me hours, a lucky guess, an old decoder ring and enough red bull to choke a yak, but eventually I worked out a pattern. The end result was simple: A set of coordinates nearby, and the words "X marks the spot, bring a shovel."
A bit of searching brought me to an empty lot in the middle of nowhere, which had a noticeable rocky X constructed in the center. I couldn't help but wonder who in the hell he'd paid to do all this. Despite my curiosity, I got to digging, wondering what could possibly be so important for him to go to all this trouble. It only took about thirty minutes to dig up the package, a time capsule shallowly buried in the dirt. A part of me didn't want to open it, even as I sat down, sweaty, at the edge of the hole I'd made. It didn't feel right to dig up this last bit of him while everything he used to be was waiting to be buried in the ground. Even so, a last wish was a last wish, even when it sort of technically wasn't.
I dragged the time capsule out of the ground, admiring the sleek, futuristic metal look of it. It was compact and stylish, with a silvery pill-like appearance. With a soft hiss and pop, I forced it open, its two halves falling apart. As they did, I couldn't help but feel my eyes go wide at the contents inside of the capsule: In one half, there was a card, a simple halmark card with a nondescript "CONGRATULATIONS!" on the outside and a handwritten "You fucking nerd" on the inside, a five dollar bill blocking the words "just wanted to piss you off one last time" written underneath. In the other half of the capsule, there was a small, stale package of Swedish Fish, worth less than fifty cents.
I laughed.
I laughed and laughed and laughed until I couldn't stop crying, and stayed that way for longer than I could make excuses for.
And the next day, work was a little easier as I nibbled on those stale Swedish fish. | "Phil, don't die. Please. Please, I can't go on without you." I begged him as I stood in the hospital.
"My time has come. Don't cry, my work is almost finished." He tried to comfort me but failed. Philip was far more at peace with his death than I was.
"No, you have more to live for." I couldn't let him go.
"Just one. Read my browser history." With his final request, Phil put his head on his pillow and breathed his last.
My god, the man meant so much to me. He was closer to me than even my wife. I wasn't nearly ready to let go of him. Admittedly, he had lived a good life.
At his funeral, his final request was all I could think about. There had to be something important in his internet history.
Phil's will was read shortly afterwards. I didn't want any of his stuff, but I felt compelled to go. I was his best friend, I had to be there as much as I could.
To my surprise, he had two things for me. A laptop and a set of car keys. The keys belonged to an old Dodge Sportsman that had been sitting in his garage for a while. Painted on the van was the phrase 'Moontrash Pickup'. The laptop was full of searches about the Cannonball Run. I knew what I needed to do. | |
[WP] As your friend lies on his deathbed, he says to you, "Please, when I die, look at my browser history." | Google
Okcupid
Bing (really, man?)
Amazon
Craigslist
Craigslist (couldn't find a good K site, huh pal?)
Tumblr
Okcupid
Myspace
Youtube
Reddit
The next site on the list after that was xHamster, which I assumed was his subtle way of telling me I'd gotten the message. So I went to Reddit. He had been kind enough to leave his account logged in. As I looked through his posts, there was a knot in my throat. Even reading his stupid conspiracy shit made my chest feel tight. I wondered if that wasn't what he'd meant for me to look at, until I noticed a weird number of very recent subscriptions to niche subreddits. There was a massive number of them, subreddits for small towns out in the middle of nowhere, community colleges, obscure fetishes I knew he didn't have...or at least, I hoped he didn't. It took me hours, a lucky guess, an old decoder ring and enough red bull to choke a yak, but eventually I worked out a pattern. The end result was simple: A set of coordinates nearby, and the words "X marks the spot, bring a shovel."
A bit of searching brought me to an empty lot in the middle of nowhere, which had a noticeable rocky X constructed in the center. I couldn't help but wonder who in the hell he'd paid to do all this. Despite my curiosity, I got to digging, wondering what could possibly be so important for him to go to all this trouble. It only took about thirty minutes to dig up the package, a time capsule shallowly buried in the dirt. A part of me didn't want to open it, even as I sat down, sweaty, at the edge of the hole I'd made. It didn't feel right to dig up this last bit of him while everything he used to be was waiting to be buried in the ground. Even so, a last wish was a last wish, even when it sort of technically wasn't.
I dragged the time capsule out of the ground, admiring the sleek, futuristic metal look of it. It was compact and stylish, with a silvery pill-like appearance. With a soft hiss and pop, I forced it open, its two halves falling apart. As they did, I couldn't help but feel my eyes go wide at the contents inside of the capsule: In one half, there was a card, a simple halmark card with a nondescript "CONGRATULATIONS!" on the outside and a handwritten "You fucking nerd" on the inside, a five dollar bill blocking the words "just wanted to piss you off one last time" written underneath. In the other half of the capsule, there was a small, stale package of Swedish Fish, worth less than fifty cents.
I laughed.
I laughed and laughed and laughed until I couldn't stop crying, and stayed that way for longer than I could make excuses for.
And the next day, work was a little easier as I nibbled on those stale Swedish fish. | People talk about that hollow feeling inside you when somebody you care about dies. They say it's because you miss them or they're no longer in your life. For Leon, those felt like rationalizations. Rationalizations for the delayed pain when something important gets ripped from you. That hollow feeling felt like the silence of when you're hiding as a child and every noise seemed to boom. Every sensation magnified and each only a precursor of what's to come.
Leon's mother squeezed his hand in the pew beside him. She meant to comfort him, but the gesture felt too close. The rough feeling of callouses from her needlework felt too familiar. The priest standing behind his podium with the symbol of God behind his back both seemed too garish and too loud.
"Daniel Landon may not have gone to church much, but he was a Christian man. I didn't know him as well as some of you, but when I visited him in the hospital..."
It was all too much. Leon stood and the priest stumbled a bit in his monologue as he saw him standing. He ignored the priest and sidled past his parents and little sister towards the exit. His mother started to follow, but thankfully, his father put a hand on her arm, stopping her. A dozen sympathetic eyes followed him out of the church, each seeming too big and too piercing. The ornate double doors opened and the fresh, outside air greeted him lifting the weight of sensation from inside.
Leon walked around the church, a small country one in Daniel's parent's home town. He walked along the stone half wall that led to the graveyard before sitting atop it back against one of its four corners out of sight of the church. With a relieving sigh, he closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the stone column. It was uncomfortable, but it felt relieving to close his eyes. They felt so strained as though he hadn't slept, but he suspected it was the feeling of tears left unshed.
How could Daniel have taken his own life? He'd seemed so happy, but Leon supposed many who take their life do. It's the ones that are too deep in to their own depression to cry for help that manage to achieve it. He wished Daniel had spoken to him about it, but maybe that was unfair. Maybe he should have tried talking to him about things more deep than the latest Call of Duty. His phone vibrated in his suit jacket and he pulled it out by habit.
1 New Message from Daniel Landon
Leon's heart raced. His initial thought that Daniel was somehow alive got shot down before it had even had time to form. Who had sent this? What kind of asshole would play a game like this? He opened the text.
----*Leon if you're reading this, I'm probably dead. It might be better that way, I don't know, but if it's not better, look at my browser history. I didn't want to get you involved. I'm sorry.*
Leon stared at his screen. Could it really be from Daniel? Had he not actually killed himself? That hope that maybe Daniel's death hadn't been his fault was met with guilt. His best friend was dead and still his focus was on himself. Leon gritted his teeth. No, this wasn't Daniel. This wasn't okay.
----*Hey, whoever is sending this text. It's not fucking funny. Daniel died this week, asshole. Have some fucking compassion.*
Leon's anger grew as he typed and he fumed as he waited for a response. His hand shook and he actually hopped off of the wall, pacing back and forth as he stared at his phone. But no response came. He waited what had to have been an hour becausehe started to see people congregating in front of the church and his mother's wispy blonde hair darted about her shoulders as she looked around for him. With one last look at his phone, he took a deep breath to release his anger and slipped his phone back in the pocket of his suit jacket.
He walked over and his mother pulled him into a hug as he did, whispering in his ear. "Hey, the Landon's invited us back to their place for a small get together with his family, but we don't have to go if you aren't up for it."
Leon nodded. "Yeah, I... I don't think I want to go. I've got my car though if you want to spend time for Mrs. Landon. You guys have been friends since we were little. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."
His mother's frown creased in worry. Leon was sure that one of her best friend's losing their son only made her want to hold more tightly onto her own, but he couldn't handle it right now. Thankfully before his mother could argue, his Dad walked up with the Landon's. His mother found Mrs. Landon's red eyed gaze and pulled her into a hug. Mom had always been a hugger, but it seemed to be the right move for Mrs. Landon. Leon's dad and Mr. Landon walked up.
"We're going to have refreshments back at the house," Mr. Landon said. "As we told your parents, you're family to us and you're more than welcome there."
"Thanks, Mr. Landon. I, uhhh, am not feeling great so I will probably head home. Thank you though."
Strangely instead of being sympathetic like he'd expect, Mr. Landon's gaze turned... curious? He placed a hand on Leon's shoulder. "Well, you're always welcome if you change your mind. Are you staying in town tonight though?"
"Uh, yeah. Staying with the folks tonight and I'll make the drive back tomorrow or Friday."
Mr. Landon smiled. Was that relief? "Well, good to hear it and thank you for being a good friend to our son."
Leon nodded dully, unsure how to respond to that. Why was Daniel's dad acting so weird? *His son just died. He's probably as messed up as you are. Don't let that text get into your head.* Still, Mr. Landon's strange behavior stuck with him before he could say his goodbyes and make his way back to his car. He turned it on, head swimming, and he tried to pick through his thoughts and decide which were just some strange manifestation of his grief. Unlike his view of Mr. Landon's behavior, that text had been real.
What if it had really been from Daniel?
He turned his car on, taking one last look at the departing mourners and saw Mr. Landon look over at him. Well, looking in the parking lot, but it felt like he was watching him.
*Well, Daniel buddy, if you really did send that email, I guess there's only one way to find out.*
Leon tossed the car into drive and pulled out onto the open road, once he got back to the main stretch, he took the highway away from his parent's house and back towards the city. Back towards Daniel's apartment. | |
[WP] Being the grim reaper requires an extraordinary amount of compassion. It's hard to ease someone into the afterlife. It's so much harder when it's a small child... | Today, I am an old lady. Hair in a bun, skirt that fell below my knee and a shawl over an old jumper. The child in front of me is hunched over the ground. An unusual sight. The newly dead from before are usually in panic or wonder. Some in disbelief or acceptance. But this odd little being seems to have no concept that his time has come and he has taken a step to the end.
The trees of the park must have been a combination of orange and pink, but winter has painted the world white. But to this child, he did not seem to notice that everything in sight is now tainted gray. An indication, dulling the wish to stay. Though really, there was not much difference.
As I walk closer to the child, his life passes by in the back of my head. It was the punishment I must bear. The debt I have to pay.
His life played on, though much shorter, more abrupt.
Tiny hands reaching for a loaf of bread. A bigger hand swatting him away. "Thief! Thief!" says a shrill voice.
Running. Running. His feet hurt from the hot asphalt. But he can't stop.
Huffing and heavy breathing. The days are longer but nights much worse.
Under benches, collecting newspaper, stealing that red scarf. Oh, the cold. It was too much. Too much for his little body.
Hunger. So much hunger. His little stomach caving in. Begging, pleading.
Ruffling, scavenging. His life seems to be a perpetual search. Search for something to fill his stomach, search for something to hide from the cold, the pain and rumbling stomachs and shaking bones.
I stilled as I near him. This world had failed him. And he was not the only one.
I reached out, craddling him in my arms, tucking the red scarp. The only color left in this world he was leaving.
He seemed much smaller as I cradle him in my bosom. Slowly, I turn on my back as I carry the boy to his resting place, gently so as not to wake him from a much needed slumber.
In here, it is warm.
The pain has ended. The cold is gone.
In here, there is shelter.
No more searching, mulling and begging.
In here, is the end. | The young boy stared out of the window, his eyes sorrowful and sad. His chest raised and fell slowly, slowing down with each breath.
Two people, a woman and a man, sat down on chairs besides him, clutching his hands as if they didn't he would float away. Tears streamed down their faces, but they kept a smile on their faces as if nothing was wrong.
How I wish that to be the case.
The heart monitor slowed its rises and falls, steadying out into a flat line. With his last breath, he cried a single tear.
With that, the color drained from his skin and soon he was cold to the touch. The man and woman sobbed deep, heavy cries, mourning the loss of their prescious child.
Then, time seemed to freeze, as tears hung motionlessly on their chins.
A form of black robes and a scythe entered through a shimmer in the room, glancing around. It moved with a certain weight that showed the conflict within its heart with each and every soul it reaps.
It floated a few centimeters from the ground, moving towards the window and resting a hand on it.
"H-hello? Who are y-you?"
The voice came from beside it, emanating from a silvery image of the boy that still layed motionless on the bed. The paths of tears long gone marked his face like scars, although they show battles of emotion, not bloodshed.
"This isn't about me, young child. Today is about you, and you alone. Can you tell me your name?"
The boy looked over at the dark shadowy hood, and he swore for a moment he was what looked to be the small shine of a tear fall ever so quickly from the inky blackness.
"I'm Caleb. W-why am I not moving?"
The being stood still for a moment, sadness pulling at his heart at each word. It had always thought that it would be easier the next time, but each time it is always just as difficult as the first.
"I'm afraid that you have fallen into a terrible sleep. One that nothing will ever wake you from."
He frowned for a moment, when suddenly he thought of something.
"Like Sleeping Beauty?"
"Yes, little Caleb. Just like Sleeping Beauty!" The being laughed gently, filling the boy's heart with warmth in what would've been a dark and dreary moment.
"What do I do now, then? My parents... I don't know."
The being turned towards Caleb, croaching down to meet the 8 year olds small stature, putting both hands on his shoulders.
"Caleb, you will not see your parents for a long time. I will not lie to you. But, you will see them one day, I assure you. Until that day comes, would you like to come with me? I can bring you somewhere where you can live just like you did here as you wait, and the people there will all treat you like family and friends. They have cookies!" At that, the being almost seemed to flash a smile and a chuckle, despite not having a visible mouth to do either with.
The boy thought for a moment, but he quickly smiled at the being and giddily jumped up and down.
"Really! I'll see them again? Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Will you stay with me, Mister?"
"I'll visit as much as possible, promise." It held out a hand, and with a puff of black smoke, it held a stuffed bear in his hands. "I believe you'll want this, isn't that right?"
The boys widened in disbelief at the toy, lips parting into a huge grin. "Mr. Fluffington! I thought I lost him forever!" He reached out to grab the favored toy, squeezing it so tight that if it was alive it would have choked several times by now.
"Mr. Fluffington heard I was coming to see you, so he followed me to ask if I could return him to you. He's _quite_ the chatterbox, you know." He ruffled Caleb's hair playfully, and with that, he created with another puff of smoke from his hands a set of keys. "Are you ready to go?".
The child nodded, still enamored with the return of his favorite toy, and held the being's hand. The being held the keys out in front of it, as an ornate golden door appeared out of nowher, prompting an amazed "whoa" from Caleb. The two, holding hands and one Mr. Fluffington, walked through the door, as it disappeared from view.
The tears that had once hung motionlessly fell once more, as time reverted to normal.
Each time it is just as difficult and depressing, but each time it is just as rewarding.
| |
[WP] You choose to be a ghost after you die. You're randomly assigned someone to haunt. Rather than scaring them you decide to make their lives easier. They know something is going on when one day their laundry is mysteriously folded and the cat has been fed. | Alicia could tell before she even manifested that it was going to be a rough day. The sun was already peeking through the gaps in the blackout curtains, but the girl was still sprawled out. As she drifted closer, her suspicions were confirmed: the girl’s eyes were open, and she was watching a scarf that was dangling off her desk drift back and forth in the gusts from the air conditioner.
Alicia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It’s not like anyone would’ve seen it anyways.
“Alright, time to get up,” she said (no one could hear her either). “On your feet, it’s time to face the day.” With a burst of power she managed to nudge the curtains open enough for the light to fall uncomfortably on the girl’s left eye. Usually that was enough to get her up and moving. Today, however, the girl simply groaned and rolled over.
Alicia sighed. Though she hadn’t remembered anything about dying other than a flash of pain and a burst of light, she *did* remember choosing to remain as a ghost, and she unfortunately also remembered getting this assignment.
Honestly, it was her own fault. Any other ghost in her place would’ve happily haunted the girl currently lying on her bed. A weaker one would have slowly driven her mad (or madder) by turning on faucets or slamming doors closed, ad a more powerful one would have taken it even further: shadows hovering over the bed, whispers in the middle of the night. Alicia was pretty sure she could manage a solid whisper or two.
However, from the second Alicia had found the girl crying in the bathroom over a well-worn picture with some man smiling up out of it, she knew there would be no haunting of this house, at least not from her. Most ghosts would have preyed upon such weakness, but after the girl had spent the first week morosely dragging herself from her bed to her couch and back again, Alicia couldn’t help herself. It started with the laundry, wrinkled and dirty one night and clean and folded by the next morning. Then came doing the dishes and re-stocking the fridge and letting out the dog and somehow Alicia had just… gotten carried away. She started caring for this girl.
And she knew the girl cared for her too. The first few weeks the girl would simply uncomprehendingly stare at the completed laundry or the clean dishes, then shake her head a bit as if to try to recall the memories of doing chores. However, she eventually seemed to catch on and, instead of freaking out, would mumble little *thank yous* or *you didn’t have tos* as she noticed the things Alicia did for her. Alicia would even argue that they had become almost acquaintances; the girl would purposely leave the TV on when she left the apartment, or ask “Is this okay?” when playing music out loud, skipping the songs when Alicia sent a cold chill her way. Alicia would like to think that they had become friends, almost.
Which is why she was now wasting more energy than she had to spare, trying to pull the covers off the girl with ghostly hands. A grumbled “No, I don’t wanna today” comes from the bundle of pillows, but Alicia is persistent. She knows that the girl has lunch plans she’ll regret missing, that some of the sunflowers on the front lawn bloomed this morning, that if the girl lays in bed all day trapped in her own head she won’t be able to shake the gray feelings for the rest of the week.
“Wake *up* you lump,” Alicia demands, giving a final yank on the blanket. It comes loose more easily than she expected, and she slips backwards, accidentally ruffling the curtains a bit. The girl observes the movement, and then looks up to where she judges Alicia to be standing.
“Fine, you win,” she says, and rolls out of bed and onto her feet. Still not able to see the proud grin Alicia is giving her. | I could see him look around the room. A paranoid look into an empty closet. A timid inspection under the bed hiding nothing. It seemed that he felt a specter's presence hovering over him. I backed off to give him some ease of mind, but it only emboldened him.
"...Do you take pity on me? You think I want your help? Just leave me alone you... you..."
He looked all around the room until he stopped to face me unknowingly. A shiver could have crawled up my spine if I had had one.
"I'm alone because I chose to be. Because I deserve to be, just leave me alone..."
He lay on his freshly made bed, the sheets still warm from the washer. He curled himself into a cocoon with his comforter, and silently sobbed to sleep. I know I was made to haunt this man, this young and sad soul. But he was already tormented. Be it thoughts, his situation or status, things were already dragging him down to despair. It's dark down there. I would know, I was lost in it once.
But someone helped me out of the hole. Being alone, you forget that the world has people that love you, want you, need you in their lives. It may take time for him to come to see that, but slowly, surely, I will guide him, and he will learn to live again. | |
[WP] It used to be the Deep Woods, dark and lush and green. Now it was the Expanse, a desert of sand and death. Yet the legends of the dragon within persisted. | I've been a witness to it all.
I was there when the very first flower blossomed, so elegant, so beautiful, and I watched in awe as the forest flourished into a symbol of hope, of love.
The people of the Deep Woods. They were my creation, my legacy. They were creatures of peace, and I looked down on them with pride as they grew in stature and nobility.
I breathed life into their souls, and I protected them, a guardian from above, a shield, a refuge from the horrors of the world.
My fire was their warmth, my beating wings their breeze.
There was a dream. There was Utopia.
But it wasn't to last.
Bested by my foes and driven from my sanctuary, I stared in horror as the dream unfolded; as my people, corrupted by the ice and the cold, regressed. Devolved and stagnated. Reduced to shadows of what they were.
Callous and petty. Spiteful and jealous. This is what they had become.
Deep inside my prison, tethered and clipped by the very people to whom I had gifted wings to fly, I was made to watch it all. To bear witness to the heartache and the sorrow that they reaped.
My forest was razed to the ground, replaced by structures of steel, monstrous and mighty. A wilderness of pain and tragedy.
But do not cry for me, child. There, within the desert, exists still an oasis of longing and fortitude. Of defiance. Their whispers grow stronger by the day. Their dreams cannot be quashed, their aspirations can never be extinguished. They cry for me, and I hear their weeping, I feel their tears. I am regaining my strength. My fire burns within.
One day, my child, I shall return.
(Feedback appreciated!) | Brannan paused and kneeled at the edge of the creek to fill his well-worn water pouches. Cautiously surveying the area, he hastily scooped as much water as he could find into the leather packs. There was no time for him to dally here; this was no place for a battle to be fought and won. As Brannan got to his feet, he shielded his eyes from the blinding sun, straining and squinting to see past the horizon. Brannan could faintly make out the outline of an enormous sand dune that the locals called the Harenae, according to what he had heard at the pub in Siccumsurb.
*What I could do with a nice refreshing ale at the moment....*
Brannan sighed and licked his dry, chapped lips, absentmindedly rubbing his water pouches with his thumb. Brannan wearily trudged over to Flare, his dragon-hide boots sinking deep into the scorching sand, grimacing as some of the sand made its way to his toes, nestling in between them like a whore forcing her way into bed with a pair of faithful lovers.
Flare snorted, kicking up sand upon Brannan's arrival as if to tell him of her annoyance of waiting for him in the heat, startling a few rabbits to dart into the bushes to hide. Or rather, what was left of them. The bushes which were once lush and positively glowing green with life were now completely barren, the empty branches barely concealing the rabbits' frightened eyes which were anxiously peering at Brannan and Flare. The Deep Woods are dead.
"Flare, Calidi awaits. Our journey is nearly over." Brannan gently stroked Flare's reddish brown mane, as Flare snorted and neighed with approval.
It had been 9 months since Brannan had set off on his adventure, desperately trying to find an answer to what really happened that day.
His beloved, vibrant Deep Woods died in a single day and no one knew why.
Without warning and what seemed to last only a few minutes, the Deep Woods died an excurciating death; if it were a person he would have died in seconds from the sheer amount of pain. The trees sank beneath the endless waves of burning sand, entire communities swallowed whole. Creatures of varying sizes and names, now left without a shelter, were soon consumed, helpless, by the elements. Thousands in nearby villages who depended on the Deep Woods for food also perished in the coming weeks.
Now all that remained was The Expanse.
Death. Despair. Chaos.
But Brannan had found hope in Calidi. There were rumors of a wise, secretive man in Calidi going by the name of Bamba, who had the answers Brannan so deeply craved.
But the way to Calidi was treacherous. He had to summit the Haranae, as going around the monstrous sand mountain would take weeks, even months longer. And Brannan wasn't sure if he had that kind of time.
Brannan hurriedly gave Flare most of the water he had just gotten from the disappearing stream. Flare, having walked for days without water, eagerly drank, and was visibly disappointed when Brannan had no more to offer. "Off we go, Flare." Brannan smiled assuringly at Flare as he hoisted himself onto her back. But as soon as he got on, the skies darkened with a haze of dust and sand. Wind began whipping around the two as they started galloping away towards Haranae. "This must just be another sandfunnel!" Brannan yelled in Flare's ear, holding on to her neck tightly as the coarse sand whipped and slashed at their bodies. But he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. Brannan knew this wasn't an ordinary sandfunnel. The wind was much too strong and violent. The deafening, unmistakable roar that followed mere seconds later only proved him right. The sand began to subside as the shape of gigantic, black wings filled the sky menacingly. Brannan unsheathed his blade Wyrmferrum as he dismounted Flare and turned to face the dragon.
The legends were true. Stadyr was real. | |
[WP] It used to be the Deep Woods, dark and lush and green. Now it was the Expanse, a desert of sand and death. Yet the legends of the dragon within persisted. | **Dagathar's Journal: Day 32**
"Leylines are places where the world ties together and magic spills forth like a fountain from them. Dragons are creatures of oft immense and naturally harnessed magic, and they siphon it through their breathing into their bodies. As dragons age, this builds up, and the oldest dragons, those spanning seven centuries or more, become living leylines themselves. It is no surprise then, that where a dragon takes residence is also where great change occurs. And this change is important to note, as when a dragon is awake, it's magic overflows into the land. While asleep, it draws its magic into itself, stripping it from its surroundings. As proof of this, the greatest example is of the water dragon Borograd, whose body, when felled, boiled in the ocean and burned a landmass into existence. The continent, Boroska, was named after his defeat, and fear that merely bleeding a dragon to death would not actually kill it, so that he would remain asleep, rather than sink this new place to live."
Those words circled through my head as I ventured through the ground. I was a magician scholar, a historian if you would. I specialized in locations and was inherently sensitive to the fluctuations of the air and magic within it. Anything that was not overly sudden, such as a sandstorm I could detect. Being a living danger radar had saved me countless times. And here, my senses were going off again, crunching across the loose sand that was once fertile and black.
I passed, not for the first time, an animal carcass. Withered like a foul raisin under the eternally beating sun, baked from below by the black sand underneath. This had once been a forest, the Deep Woods. It was, so the writings say and Illustrations glorify, beautiful. Rich and green, lush and full of life and thrumming sound. Dig further back, and it had been a swaying, sparsely populated meadow in the middle of the continent. Then came the trees and the animals after a dark shadow took the skies.
Naturally, I was curious. Dracology was not my usual field, but I had been tempted. I came with several colleagues from that department, but they had turned back days ago. I was the only one left, bearing my supplies like a beast upon my back to send out magic into the earth, detecting threat where I could. As I wandered towards, what I thought must be the dragon's resting place, I could feel it eking out of me. The signals I used to bear my location stopped returning. My magical echolocation was failing. It could have been thirst or hunger, I was running woefully low on supplies. But no, I thought differently. It seemed to be pulled in a specific direction, slowly leaving me. I adjusted my course as my strength slowly waned.
--
**Dagathar's Journal: Day 42**
I thought better of it, but still I had walked through the night. I am glad I have. I found an oasis. Thick and juicy fruit, big around as a man's head hang fat from the trees. Vines like my arms twine themselves around those that produce no fruit. Water flowed, bubbling from holes in the ground and flowing inwards, away from the dark deathland that was the Expanse. I ate. Too much, but very well. Legends of a dragon persisted here. If the facts continue to be facts and this does not discredit them, then this should be where the dragon lay. The question is where. My magic is pulling downwards, away from me and the surface. I will likely have to find a cave. | Brannan paused and kneeled at the edge of the creek to fill his well-worn water pouches. Cautiously surveying the area, he hastily scooped as much water as he could find into the leather packs. There was no time for him to dally here; this was no place for a battle to be fought and won. As Brannan got to his feet, he shielded his eyes from the blinding sun, straining and squinting to see past the horizon. Brannan could faintly make out the outline of an enormous sand dune that the locals called the Harenae, according to what he had heard at the pub in Siccumsurb.
*What I could do with a nice refreshing ale at the moment....*
Brannan sighed and licked his dry, chapped lips, absentmindedly rubbing his water pouches with his thumb. Brannan wearily trudged over to Flare, his dragon-hide boots sinking deep into the scorching sand, grimacing as some of the sand made its way to his toes, nestling in between them like a whore forcing her way into bed with a pair of faithful lovers.
Flare snorted, kicking up sand upon Brannan's arrival as if to tell him of her annoyance of waiting for him in the heat, startling a few rabbits to dart into the bushes to hide. Or rather, what was left of them. The bushes which were once lush and positively glowing green with life were now completely barren, the empty branches barely concealing the rabbits' frightened eyes which were anxiously peering at Brannan and Flare. The Deep Woods are dead.
"Flare, Calidi awaits. Our journey is nearly over." Brannan gently stroked Flare's reddish brown mane, as Flare snorted and neighed with approval.
It had been 9 months since Brannan had set off on his adventure, desperately trying to find an answer to what really happened that day.
His beloved, vibrant Deep Woods died in a single day and no one knew why.
Without warning and what seemed to last only a few minutes, the Deep Woods died an excurciating death; if it were a person he would have died in seconds from the sheer amount of pain. The trees sank beneath the endless waves of burning sand, entire communities swallowed whole. Creatures of varying sizes and names, now left without a shelter, were soon consumed, helpless, by the elements. Thousands in nearby villages who depended on the Deep Woods for food also perished in the coming weeks.
Now all that remained was The Expanse.
Death. Despair. Chaos.
But Brannan had found hope in Calidi. There were rumors of a wise, secretive man in Calidi going by the name of Bamba, who had the answers Brannan so deeply craved.
But the way to Calidi was treacherous. He had to summit the Haranae, as going around the monstrous sand mountain would take weeks, even months longer. And Brannan wasn't sure if he had that kind of time.
Brannan hurriedly gave Flare most of the water he had just gotten from the disappearing stream. Flare, having walked for days without water, eagerly drank, and was visibly disappointed when Brannan had no more to offer. "Off we go, Flare." Brannan smiled assuringly at Flare as he hoisted himself onto her back. But as soon as he got on, the skies darkened with a haze of dust and sand. Wind began whipping around the two as they started galloping away towards Haranae. "This must just be another sandfunnel!" Brannan yelled in Flare's ear, holding on to her neck tightly as the coarse sand whipped and slashed at their bodies. But he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. Brannan knew this wasn't an ordinary sandfunnel. The wind was much too strong and violent. The deafening, unmistakable roar that followed mere seconds later only proved him right. The sand began to subside as the shape of gigantic, black wings filled the sky menacingly. Brannan unsheathed his blade Wyrmferrum as he dismounted Flare and turned to face the dragon.
The legends were true. Stadyr was real. | |
[WP] It used to be the Deep Woods, dark and lush and green. Now it was the Expanse, a desert of sand and death. Yet the legends of the dragon within persisted. | **Dagathar's Journal: Day 32**
"Leylines are places where the world ties together and magic spills forth like a fountain from them. Dragons are creatures of oft immense and naturally harnessed magic, and they siphon it through their breathing into their bodies. As dragons age, this builds up, and the oldest dragons, those spanning seven centuries or more, become living leylines themselves. It is no surprise then, that where a dragon takes residence is also where great change occurs. And this change is important to note, as when a dragon is awake, it's magic overflows into the land. While asleep, it draws its magic into itself, stripping it from its surroundings. As proof of this, the greatest example is of the water dragon Borograd, whose body, when felled, boiled in the ocean and burned a landmass into existence. The continent, Boroska, was named after his defeat, and fear that merely bleeding a dragon to death would not actually kill it, so that he would remain asleep, rather than sink this new place to live."
Those words circled through my head as I ventured through the ground. I was a magician scholar, a historian if you would. I specialized in locations and was inherently sensitive to the fluctuations of the air and magic within it. Anything that was not overly sudden, such as a sandstorm I could detect. Being a living danger radar had saved me countless times. And here, my senses were going off again, crunching across the loose sand that was once fertile and black.
I passed, not for the first time, an animal carcass. Withered like a foul raisin under the eternally beating sun, baked from below by the black sand underneath. This had once been a forest, the Deep Woods. It was, so the writings say and Illustrations glorify, beautiful. Rich and green, lush and full of life and thrumming sound. Dig further back, and it had been a swaying, sparsely populated meadow in the middle of the continent. Then came the trees and the animals after a dark shadow took the skies.
Naturally, I was curious. Dracology was not my usual field, but I had been tempted. I came with several colleagues from that department, but they had turned back days ago. I was the only one left, bearing my supplies like a beast upon my back to send out magic into the earth, detecting threat where I could. As I wandered towards, what I thought must be the dragon's resting place, I could feel it eking out of me. The signals I used to bear my location stopped returning. My magical echolocation was failing. It could have been thirst or hunger, I was running woefully low on supplies. But no, I thought differently. It seemed to be pulled in a specific direction, slowly leaving me. I adjusted my course as my strength slowly waned.
--
**Dagathar's Journal: Day 42**
I thought better of it, but still I had walked through the night. I am glad I have. I found an oasis. Thick and juicy fruit, big around as a man's head hang fat from the trees. Vines like my arms twine themselves around those that produce no fruit. Water flowed, bubbling from holes in the ground and flowing inwards, away from the dark deathland that was the Expanse. I ate. Too much, but very well. Legends of a dragon persisted here. If the facts continue to be facts and this does not discredit them, then this should be where the dragon lay. The question is where. My magic is pulling downwards, away from me and the surface. I will likely have to find a cave. | I've been a witness to it all.
I was there when the very first flower blossomed, so elegant, so beautiful, and I watched in awe as the forest flourished into a symbol of hope, of love.
The people of the Deep Woods. They were my creation, my legacy. They were creatures of peace, and I looked down on them with pride as they grew in stature and nobility.
I breathed life into their souls, and I protected them, a guardian from above, a shield, a refuge from the horrors of the world.
My fire was their warmth, my beating wings their breeze.
There was a dream. There was Utopia.
But it wasn't to last.
Bested by my foes and driven from my sanctuary, I stared in horror as the dream unfolded; as my people, corrupted by the ice and the cold, regressed. Devolved and stagnated. Reduced to shadows of what they were.
Callous and petty. Spiteful and jealous. This is what they had become.
Deep inside my prison, tethered and clipped by the very people to whom I had gifted wings to fly, I was made to watch it all. To bear witness to the heartache and the sorrow that they reaped.
My forest was razed to the ground, replaced by structures of steel, monstrous and mighty. A wilderness of pain and tragedy.
But do not cry for me, child. There, within the desert, exists still an oasis of longing and fortitude. Of defiance. Their whispers grow stronger by the day. Their dreams cannot be quashed, their aspirations can never be extinguished. They cry for me, and I hear their weeping, I feel their tears. I am regaining my strength. My fire burns within.
One day, my child, I shall return.
(Feedback appreciated!) | |
[WP] Since you are the only known immortal, NASA has been using you during the last 3 decades to explore our solar system | I’m not even halfway to my destination and I’ve run out of things to do.
I’ve watched every movie enough times to memorise every script.
I’ve listened to every recording of every song, reciting any lyrics in perfect timing, knowing what instruments are played when.
I’ve played every single-player game, and most of the multiplayer ones too, to full completion.
I’ve gone through the endless archives of media streamed through the internet I once had. Twice.
NASA had found me after several decades of surveillance footage revealed my lack of ageing, but I was adamant that it was just a phase. However, I knew that it wasn’t, as I hadn’t exactly been *born* in a recent era.
The truth; I am only human on thee outside. My DNA was completely messed up by circumstances never revealed to me, so my body continually grows new cells. Initially, I thought they were going to keep me, to harvest my body and fuel their research.
But then I remembered that NASA does not study Earth’s biology.
My electronic journals are full. Each terabyte being packed with useless information that I have to send back to Earth. This transmission is going to take hundreds of years to get home, provided I aim it properly, but I will never receive a reply.
It has been an immeasurable amount of time, but I am still alive. The clock broke after its measly 64-bit value overflowed. I have forgotten the taste of food, the delight of liquid flowing from my lips, the feeling of air brushing over my skin, the presence of human company. The only thing I get now is a scratchy “Upload your Journal please” from the decaying AI that was sent to accompany me.
You think you know what it’s like to be alone, but until *you* are sent on an interstellar mission with no hope of return, do you really understand the full meaning of loneliness?
It’s time to purge my data centres once again, so I can fill them with more journals. My only remaining wish is that I can finally die when I reach my unplanned destination.
Sagittarius A. | "Why does it have to be so boring?" he said to himself but in reality not really to anyone in particular. "What was that?" asked a tinny voice. It was Frank back in Houston, Flight Director of this Mission, speaking to him via radio. "Oh Nothing. Just forget about it" was the answer followed by a deep sigh. There were some clicking sounds on the line. That meant that Frank wanted to say something but had stopped. The little noises just meant that the Microphone went on and off again. Then with a conciliable voice Frank said: "Steve, you know we can't do anything about it".
"I know" growled Steve feeling defeated. Then he proposed: "We could try that one again where I try to ride the Probe?" There were some more clicking noises. After a short eternity a feminine voice filled Steves Headset. It had a pleasant french accent and stated: "You seem to have a strange affection with Dr. Strangelove." Steve grinned mentally, the Day was always better when he made Dr. Laurent-Roux join the Com. "It's the only thing I can really relate to, I'm an avid Cowboy Hat connoisseur" joked Steve. "Très drôle, Steve. Really funny." laughed the Doctor. That was a tick of hers, saying something in french and then follow it up with the translation.
"I never saw the film but I can relate to the bit where the guy sits on the atom bomb." mused Steve audibly: "Just that I'm still alive. But I don't have a cool hat. I think he wore a hat. I feel underdressed." More clicking sounds again, he hadn’t wanted to bring it up but sometimes it just slipped out of his mouth. Now it was Frank again who continued the conversation: "This again, Steve? You know there is nothing we can do and until we can finish that ABC lab. It's just not safe enough to return you to earth."
As fate had it one of the solar panels reoriented itself and Steve saw himself in a blue tinted reflection. What greeted him was a chalk gray skull with an immaculate smile in a fire scorched Space Hardsuit.
Years in the past he was NASA's most promising Astronaut. On the start of the mission an insulation tile had hit one of the separation charges on the last stage. When it was time to decouple from the carrier rocket all hell broke loose. He did not feel anything. He did not remember anything. But almost a year later he simply awoke and was greeted by a sea of stars. First he had thought it had only been seconds since the explosion. By some cruel miracle he must have had survived it. Then he found out about the missing glass in his helmet. He managed to hotwire a solar panel into the radio box which let him talk to Houston again. This sent Mike, the then Flight Director straight into the nuthouse. Guess that speaking with the dead wasn't on his bucket list.
The remainder of the first year they spent on formalities. The "Why the F are you not dead" and "How do you speak to us if there is nothing that can move the sound waves to the microphone" they did not even bother with "How do you actually hear us?" or “How is live as an animated skeleton?”
Eventually, it was found out that somehow it had to do with radiation. And that was all that Steve concerned or wanted to know about it. He had become immortal by virtue of being dead to begin with. A living skeletal being trapped inside an old space suit. But NASA was never known for letting anything go to waste.
Steve did never tire, did not require any provisions and was already in space. So he was used to check on satellites and save otherwise doomed machines. But on most days his boredom knew no bounds. Then he was introduced to Frank. Absolute Madman but very likeable. He had invented a Plan to prepare a Mars Colony by using Androids, it was airtight. He knew it would work, NASA knew it would work, everyone agreed that they should do it. Only problem was: It relied on bipedal robots with really dexterous hands. And whatever NASA tried, they could not make it work.
When Dr. Laurent-Roux told Steve about it, he basically begged to be sent instead of a robot. He even offered to put his head into a metal box and to say "Beep Boop" every now and then. It took Frank Years to persuade everyone involved to give Steve a chance.
Then it was just a matter of timing and really delicate orbital mechanical calculations. Steve met the probe on the dark side of the moon, grabbed a strut and moved himself inside the descent stages cargo hold. Now he just had to wait until it automatically landed on the planet.
"What's in the Box labeled Do not open before Bird has landed?" asked Steve. He heard Franks grin over the Radio: "It might be a Quick Tester for Atomar, Biological and Chemical Contamination." There was a pause for dramatic purposes: "Or I filled it with Bricks and a half used roll of toilet paper." Steve started to chuckle, then worked himself up to a giggling and ended in a wholehearted laugh. The Doctor joined the call: "If you look inside the Medkit you will find a Media Player. I think you have enough time to watch Dr. Strangelove now."
Steve quickly grabbed the Box from it’s mounting point and opened it, there was the Player and a DVD. Someone had put a piece of Duct Tape over the original title, in big letters it said: "Dr. Steve or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mars Lander." | |
[WP] Since you are the only known immortal, NASA has been using you during the last 3 decades to explore our solar system | "Anna, Can you tell me how long I've been in this quadrant?"
A pale glow emits from the lamps on my helmet and Anna appears in front of me. She is beautiful, I suppose some back on earth might have thought she was a model. The person who had designed Anna had in fact taken her design from a beautiful model know as Ilanna Vanko. Knowing this I guess some humans might be right.
"It has been 7 rotations since your last check, Jack."
I chuckle. The name Jack still gives me a smile, it wasn't my true name of course. I had forgotten my given name many years before my eventual "discovery" by NASA.
"Alright keep me updated Anna, Let me know when it's time for dinner?"
Anna smiles, causing a slight glitch in her form. She always loves to make me dinner. I suppose that might be part of her programming. I don't really mind, at this point she's more real than any other person to me.
"Always, my love."
She disappears with a wink, back to base camp. I begin my walk through the quadrant again, my gun swinging carelessly by my side. I haven't had to use it in the past three systems, I doubt I will ever have to use it again if the planets I'm on continue to be like this.
Currently I'm on Planet Hovel, locate ten solar systems away from our own. I stopped finding life five solar systems ago. Planet Hovel is not one that many would enjoy. It is mountainous in appearance, I made the mistake of assuming this was true. It is instead a planet of frozen liquid. Streams run like veins under the ice, beside them grow what I can only describe as gigantic mushrooms. I had descended upon this planet with excitement but I believe I will leave heavy hearted. I believed the mushrooms to be life but in my rashness I did not realize they were just forms of ice.
"Hello, Jack."
I turn to find someone I'd never expected to see in the next million years. Jacklyn Turner. The woman who first named me at NASA. Her blonde hair shines brightly against the cold ice as I stare at her. She's still wearing the yellow dress with pink flowers that I got her before I left.
"Did you miss me?"
Her smile is the same. Nothing is different. Not a damn thing. I can hear my heart rate increasing in my ears. My eyes stare into hers and I can't move. Damn, she was the only woman who could ever do this to me.
"Don't your remember me? Don't you love me?"
She purses her lips and the way that I so distinctly remember. I fall to my knees. My helmet is now fogging up because of how heavily I'm breathing. Places and times flash across my eyes. That time when I took her to Paris and she cried when she saw the Eiffel tower. That time when I showed her all the photos of myself throughout history, always looking 19, the age I froze at. That time when she showed me that her grandfather had fought with me in World War II. That time when.....
I grab my gun from my side and aim it at the woman I loved. I remember the time when I left. I told her it'd only be a week. Besides, I loved her, nothing would stop me from getting back to her. Absolutely nothing...
"Dar..."
My bullet cuts off her words as she shatters into a million pieces, turning back in to the ice that surrounded me. For the first time in a long time I scream.
............................
Anna smiles when I return. There are two bowls set out on the table, both have steaming burgers lying on them.
"How was the rest of the quadrant?"
I sit down by the plate that isn't a hologram, removing my helmet and placing it on the table.
"It was fine. Nothing unusual." I run my hands through my blonde hair and stretch. The tears that ran across my face hours ago have long since disappeared.
"Do we need to report back to NASA?"
I glare at her. She always asks that. Always. NASA programmed her to. She looks at me with concern and I sigh. She doesn't remember. She never does. Never. I look her in the eyes and explain for the three hundred and first time.
"Anna you know what happened. Earth's dead. Everyone's gone....everyone." | Outside there was blackness. Blackness with a whole lot of shiny white dots, a large shiny yellow ball and a blue-green ball in the distance. The large compartment in which three men and one woman were playing poker was dimly lit.
'Ha! I got you on the ace. Flushhhh!' said Suzy as she gathered her newly won pokerchips.
'You damn lucky woman..' said John.
'Pff, who's lucky mate? You and your immortality. I really want to punch you in the nuts right now,' said Suzy.
'The fact that I'm immortal doesn't mean that I don't feel pain, Suzy..' said John.
Suzy laughed.
Adrian quickly inspected the table and the players in front and next to him. 'Who's the dealer?' he asked.
There was a strange noise coming from outside the ship. They had all heard it before 5 hours before. Adrian nervously took a sip from his IPA.
'Guys, who's repairing that little crack in the rocket engine?' asked Jonathan.
Suzy looked at Jonathan like he was crazy.
'Who the hell do you think?' she said.
John laughed and looked at his newly dealt cards with a humble smile on his face. 'Yeah I'll go.'
'Put on this suit!' said Suzy.
'Nah, I'm okay,' said John.
'But I thought you said you can feel pain even though you're immortal,' said Suzy.
'Well, yes.. In, ahem, a certain area,' said John.
'Ahh..' said Suzy while awkwardly avoiding eye contact with John.
'So you..' Suzy stammered.
'Yeah, just give me the pants,' said John grinning.
Suzy gave the special space-underpants to John and John put them on over his day-to-day pants.
'Wish me luck!' said John while opening the air lock door.
John slowly climbed his way along the outside of the ship, towards the rocket engine. His colleagues watched him on the main monitor, which was connected to a camera outside the ship. After a while Jonathan noticed something.
'Wait, Suzy, did you give John the proper equipment to attach himself to the ship?' he asked.
'Well, no, he said he didn't need it,' said Suzy.
'What do you mean he said he didn't need it!?' Jonathan yelled.
'Aah shit, wait..' Adrian said with that typical *oops* look on his face.
'What's wrong?' asked Suzy. She looked confused. 'He's immortal!' she said.
'OH NO!!' screamed Jonathan in total terror while fiercely pointing at one of the main monitors.
'That's why..' said Adrian in total disbelieve.
John clearly had let go of the ship by accident as he was slowly drifting away from the rocket engine he'd just arrived at a minute ago. Jonathan, Suzy and Adrian looked at the main monitor with their mouths open. Within the timespan of 10 seconds he was out of frame.
'You idiot! You total idiot! He's immortal, but he's not f-cking Superman! How is he supposed to get back to the ship? SWIM!?' Jonathan yelled angrily at Suzy with a red face and lots of spit coming out of his mouth.
'Well, I don't know. But he's got a lot of time to figure that out,' said Suzy.
'You mean *space-time*,' said Adrian with his head between his legs.
| |
[WP] Since you are the only known immortal, NASA has been using you during the last 3 decades to explore our solar system | "Anna, Can you tell me how long I've been in this quadrant?"
A pale glow emits from the lamps on my helmet and Anna appears in front of me. She is beautiful, I suppose some back on earth might have thought she was a model. The person who had designed Anna had in fact taken her design from a beautiful model know as Ilanna Vanko. Knowing this I guess some humans might be right.
"It has been 7 rotations since your last check, Jack."
I chuckle. The name Jack still gives me a smile, it wasn't my true name of course. I had forgotten my given name many years before my eventual "discovery" by NASA.
"Alright keep me updated Anna, Let me know when it's time for dinner?"
Anna smiles, causing a slight glitch in her form. She always loves to make me dinner. I suppose that might be part of her programming. I don't really mind, at this point she's more real than any other person to me.
"Always, my love."
She disappears with a wink, back to base camp. I begin my walk through the quadrant again, my gun swinging carelessly by my side. I haven't had to use it in the past three systems, I doubt I will ever have to use it again if the planets I'm on continue to be like this.
Currently I'm on Planet Hovel, locate ten solar systems away from our own. I stopped finding life five solar systems ago. Planet Hovel is not one that many would enjoy. It is mountainous in appearance, I made the mistake of assuming this was true. It is instead a planet of frozen liquid. Streams run like veins under the ice, beside them grow what I can only describe as gigantic mushrooms. I had descended upon this planet with excitement but I believe I will leave heavy hearted. I believed the mushrooms to be life but in my rashness I did not realize they were just forms of ice.
"Hello, Jack."
I turn to find someone I'd never expected to see in the next million years. Jacklyn Turner. The woman who first named me at NASA. Her blonde hair shines brightly against the cold ice as I stare at her. She's still wearing the yellow dress with pink flowers that I got her before I left.
"Did you miss me?"
Her smile is the same. Nothing is different. Not a damn thing. I can hear my heart rate increasing in my ears. My eyes stare into hers and I can't move. Damn, she was the only woman who could ever do this to me.
"Don't your remember me? Don't you love me?"
She purses her lips and the way that I so distinctly remember. I fall to my knees. My helmet is now fogging up because of how heavily I'm breathing. Places and times flash across my eyes. That time when I took her to Paris and she cried when she saw the Eiffel tower. That time when I showed her all the photos of myself throughout history, always looking 19, the age I froze at. That time when she showed me that her grandfather had fought with me in World War II. That time when.....
I grab my gun from my side and aim it at the woman I loved. I remember the time when I left. I told her it'd only be a week. Besides, I loved her, nothing would stop me from getting back to her. Absolutely nothing...
"Dar..."
My bullet cuts off her words as she shatters into a million pieces, turning back in to the ice that surrounded me. For the first time in a long time I scream.
............................
Anna smiles when I return. There are two bowls set out on the table, both have steaming burgers lying on them.
"How was the rest of the quadrant?"
I sit down by the plate that isn't a hologram, removing my helmet and placing it on the table.
"It was fine. Nothing unusual." I run my hands through my blonde hair and stretch. The tears that ran across my face hours ago have long since disappeared.
"Do we need to report back to NASA?"
I glare at her. She always asks that. Always. NASA programmed her to. She looks at me with concern and I sigh. She doesn't remember. She never does. Never. I look her in the eyes and explain for the three hundred and first time.
"Anna you know what happened. Earth's dead. Everyone's gone....everyone." | “Ground Control to Major Tom”
“Please, no more. I get it, that song was a nice homage. But how the hell did Bowie learn about me? Which one of you talked?” He hadn’t heard the song since Bowie first got in contact with the team, back in February.
A hint of laughter could be heard in the background of Control’s transmission, “We thought he was like you and you two talked about things from time to time. Either way, since we can finally see you again, status report, please.”
“Jupiter is, breathtaking. Not just in the literal sense. This giant is beyond compare. I think it’s my favorite.” Tom began to manage the control matrix in front of him, flicking switches and adjusting knobs. “Sending the data now.” He was a little sad that his work might never get appreciated by someone other than a scientist. “Maybe one day more people can see this stuff. In a couple of decades, when technology catches up.”
“Tom!” Control’s sudden burst was startling. Did he mess up with sending the data and cause it to corrupt? “You didn’t get any of our communications for the last month, did you?”
Something was odd with the way they were acting, “that’s a negative.”
“We did it. You did it. Humans landed on the moon.”
The words seems to absorb everything. It wasn’t just the lack of gravity in his little pod that was giving him this odd sensation. Realization that something he did is making an impact. “Say again.”
“We landed on the moon.”
Tom felt euphoric hearing the words again, a huge grin spreading across his face.
“Neil and Edwin, both, had foot fall. That was two weeks ago, now. We classified your visit three years ago as unmanned, and many of those pictures are becoming available to the public. Mostly the ones from particular perspectives, so it can be said it was from one particular probe. We classified those pictures coming from a probe we named Surveyor.”
Tom was crying. Tears of joy and happiness. “I need a minute, guys.”
“Hold.”
“Holding.” Tom needed to stretch his legs, but he would wait.
“You said maybe people would see what you’re working on. We’re already working on a plan. It’s being sold to the higher ups that it’ll take a decade to do, but we know we can do it in less. We’re going to send a probe with the public mission of studying the outer solar system. We’re going to publish your pictures as coming from that. Tom? Still there?”
“Haha, yea. I’m here,” he was wiping the tears from his eyes since they were just collecting on his face.
“Take your walk.”
“Roger. Be back in ten.”
Tom opened the hatch. The temperature outside wasn’t that much different than what was inside. The cold didn’t bother him, though being warm was more pleasant and easier to move around in. He continued to gather the tears from his eyes, now he had no worry of them messing up any of the electronics. They were already starting to freeze, losing warmth to his skin. He flung them out toward the immense planet that looked at him with a great big eye. He couldn’t speak, but mouthed the words, “give me a thousand years big guy. I will touch your surface.”
| |
[WP] Since you are the only known immortal, NASA has been using you during the last 3 decades to explore our solar system | The Fold was completely black, like a turned off TV. It ran from floor to ceiling, and was wide and rectangular.
It looked like a black wall.
"Is this it?" M said, stepping closer. They were in a ship, floating far, very far away from every home M had ever had.
"This is it," the creature that accompanied him said, softly.
"And when I touch it…"
"You can see anything. You won't interact with it, this is not a time machine. You will only see it."
"Anything? How can it show me anything that happens in the universe?"
"Synecdoche," the creature said. "The part for the whole."
M paused.
"The whole history of the universe," the creature continued, "can be derived from a single atom of it. Everything connects to everything. This is how the Fold works."
M extended his hand and reached for the complete blackness of the canvas in front of him. He paused. "Will it hurt?"
The creature turned to face him. "That depends on what you choose to see."
M hesitated, then touched the Fold. The blackness rippled like it was liquid, defying gravity; a vertical pool.
Then the black was replaced by a silvery goo, some sort of diffuse light dancing just out of reach behind it.
Then M saw the first one.
His house in Spain. The pueblo he lived in.
And Alejandra. Her face waving in and out of focus, like he was watching her through a waterfall.
"Who is she?" the creature asked.
"My first wife," M said, emotional. "I didn't know I was immortal then. We were… we lived together for a long time."
Alejandra smiled, her face framed by the window just behind her, giving way to the landscape of 1700s Spain countryside.
"Is it a hallucination?" M asked, eyes still on his first love. He didn't know what to think, what to believe. He hadn't seen that face in so many years.
He hadn't seen so much in so many years.
"No, it's real," the creature said. "What you are watching is really happening. You can't interact with it, but it's happening."
"How can it be happening now? It's happened before. I lived it."
On cue, M's own face showed up behind the silver goo, wavy and out of focus, but there. He was talking to Alejandra. They were smiling in the kitchen.
"Everything happens all the time," the creature said. "Your experience of the universe is a fraction of the whole.
There is no past or future, there is just a single chain of events called Existence, and everything that's contained in
it."
Alejandra's face faded. For a while, nothing was discernable in the goo. Then another face Flashed.
"Megan…" M whispered.
A young woman's face flashed behind the curtain of silver. She had a flower in her ear. Behind her, the cityscape of San Francisco in the 1960s.
"You were together?" the creature asked.
"Not like a couple, no," M said. "I was never involved with anyone after finding out about my condition. But she was my friend. I – we lived together. I had to leave before she noticed I didn't age."
Behind the young lady, M's face showed up, just as young-looking as he was back with Alejandra; as he was now.
"I never said goodbye," M said.
He was tired. So tired of this.
So much time. So many people. So many goodbyes.
He wanted it to end so badly.
Behind the curtain of silver, Megan said something to M's image, and M laughed.
Then the Fold flashed and the next face behind it was an old lady. Alone in a kitchen, eating soup.
"Is that..."
"Yes," the creature said. "It's her."
M watched the old lady eat. Alone. Wrinkled. Old.
The Fold flashed to black. A second later it flashed alive again. It showed M inside his spaceship, alone.
"This could be anytime in the last three hundred years," M said, still struggling but unable to look away. "I've been traveling for –"
"This is not the past," the creature said. "This is the future."
M watched as his image set controls on his ship. Then the Fold flashed to black.
"How much in the future?" M asked. "How long do I keep doing this? How long do I keep... exploring?"
He wanted to say 'living' but couldn't quite bring himself to.
Maybe he was scared of the answer.
The Fold flashed and showed M again in the spaceship. The stars outside dimmer, less bright.
"Is this still…"
"Further into the future," the creature said.
"How long?" M asked, growing restless. "How long does it go on?"
*How long until I rest? How long until this is all over?*
Another flash. Again M in his ship. Again. Again. With each jump in time, less and less stars in the sky.
"I wanna stop seeing it," M said, nervous, then desperate. "I want to stop!"
The creature said nothing.
M tried to pull his hand away from the flashing lights of the canvas, but couldn't.
He tried closing his eyes, but found that he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Another flash. M, alone in the ship again. Less stars. The universe growing cold and barren outside his ship's window.
"How long do I live!?" he asked the creature, pleading. "How long do I travel alone!?"
More flashes. M in his ship, in distant planets – first with other creatures, then progressively more and more alone, still the same young face, the same young body, exploring ever more desolated landscapes and solar systems and asteroids and nebulas and distant black holes until –
-- the Fold went black. M waited. For a long time, nothing happened.
"... is this --"
"The death of the universe," the creature said, staring ahead at the blackness.
M turned to look at the black canvas, his hand still glued to it. "So that's it? That's when I die? I have to wait for the whole universe to die so I can die too?" He started crying. "It can't be. It can't be!"
The creature said nothing, but slowly turned its head toward the canvas.
M cried. "I can't live that long. I can't wait that long!" He sniffed. "I'm so tired..."
The creature kept staring at the Fold, impassive. And then, in its big, round eyes, M saw something reflected.
A dot.
Slowly, horrified, he turned to the Fold.
In the complete blackness of the canvas, a single spec of yellow light floated upwards, slow and sad, like a last candle in a funeral, about to burn out.
But never quite fading.
It hovered in the complete emptiness of the dead universe. Alone in the void. Purposeless. Eternal.
A flame that nothing could put out.
M squinted to look better, but already he was realizing. Already he knew.
He knew who that light was.
_______
/r/psycho_alpaca | I sat there motionless in my chair, surrounded by complete and utter silence. It was day 52 and I was about half way to Saturn at this point. The hardest part had already occurred and my task was to ensure I was travelling on the planned path to reach Saturn in its orbit.
Once I got to Saturn, I was to collect and document its atmospheric contents, weather patterns, and any points of interest. Also, I was required to take as many photos as possible, using the X-4807-Space, a camera specifically designed for this application.
Glancing down at the vast controls, I could control the speed of the spaceship, and view its location within the solar system. Man, these things have come so far in last 250 years. I remember the first mission I went on was to analyse the soil composition on the moon back in 1988. It's funny to look back at the technology used that first time because everybody thought it was incredible. And for its time, it was.
Since then, I've gone on 48 missions, most of them involving the moon and Mars, but more recently we've been crossing the Asteroid belt and exploring Jupiter. This mission was the first to Saturn. I did not fear death, but desolation. Each time I would go back up into space, the destinations and goals would get loftier and riskier. Eventually, we'd hit our ceiling and I'd likely be permanently cast out into space.
A jarring rustle startled me as I sat there deep in thought. I spun around and saw nothing, something had moved--I'm sure of that. Given the smoothness of my ride, it simply did not make sense for there to be any sort of movement. I stood up to investigate, treading carefully and lightly. To my right there was a door that led to my living quarters, which consisted of my bed and my *luxurious* bathroom. Cautiously, I peaked around the corner. Nothing appeared to be out of place or unusual--my bed was made as it had been every day before, my books lined the shelves, and my writing pad had rested on the bedside table.
Turning in the other direction, I headed toward the kitchen area. It was small and stocked with all my liquefied food that was to last me 238 days. With all these advancements in technology, I must say, the food was still shit. I stepped through the doorway and stood in the middle of the kitchen. One pot was flipped upside-down. This wasn't just my imagination because I put everything, and I mean *everything*, back in its original place when I was finished with it. It was an absolute necessity when travelling in these conditions alone. Just as I picked it up to return it to its place, I could see out of the corner of my eye that the lights behind me had turned off. My heart jumped up into my throat as I felt a presence in this ship with me. I jumped around to see what had turned the lights off. There appeared to be nothing else here. But how did the lights just turn off?
"What's going on?" I nervously shouted out, but was only met with a deadened echo of my own voice.
I left the kitchen and re-entered the cockpit of the ship in order to turn the lights back on. As I flicked the switch, I noticed a shadowy figure sitting in my chair. *Holy fuck, I'm being invaded by an alien species*.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to feign confidence.
The chair whipped around.
"Mitch, how many times do I have to tell you to turn the lights off to save money?"
My father's eyebrows were expressing a serious tone, while his veiled smile was hinting that he was happy to see me.
And I was happy to see him, for it had been over 200 years.
| |
[WP] Since you are the only known immortal, NASA has been using you during the last 3 decades to explore our solar system | The Fold was completely black, like a turned off TV. It ran from floor to ceiling, and was wide and rectangular.
It looked like a black wall.
"Is this it?" M said, stepping closer. They were in a ship, floating far, very far away from every home M had ever had.
"This is it," the creature that accompanied him said, softly.
"And when I touch it…"
"You can see anything. You won't interact with it, this is not a time machine. You will only see it."
"Anything? How can it show me anything that happens in the universe?"
"Synecdoche," the creature said. "The part for the whole."
M paused.
"The whole history of the universe," the creature continued, "can be derived from a single atom of it. Everything connects to everything. This is how the Fold works."
M extended his hand and reached for the complete blackness of the canvas in front of him. He paused. "Will it hurt?"
The creature turned to face him. "That depends on what you choose to see."
M hesitated, then touched the Fold. The blackness rippled like it was liquid, defying gravity; a vertical pool.
Then the black was replaced by a silvery goo, some sort of diffuse light dancing just out of reach behind it.
Then M saw the first one.
His house in Spain. The pueblo he lived in.
And Alejandra. Her face waving in and out of focus, like he was watching her through a waterfall.
"Who is she?" the creature asked.
"My first wife," M said, emotional. "I didn't know I was immortal then. We were… we lived together for a long time."
Alejandra smiled, her face framed by the window just behind her, giving way to the landscape of 1700s Spain countryside.
"Is it a hallucination?" M asked, eyes still on his first love. He didn't know what to think, what to believe. He hadn't seen that face in so many years.
He hadn't seen so much in so many years.
"No, it's real," the creature said. "What you are watching is really happening. You can't interact with it, but it's happening."
"How can it be happening now? It's happened before. I lived it."
On cue, M's own face showed up behind the silver goo, wavy and out of focus, but there. He was talking to Alejandra. They were smiling in the kitchen.
"Everything happens all the time," the creature said. "Your experience of the universe is a fraction of the whole.
There is no past or future, there is just a single chain of events called Existence, and everything that's contained in
it."
Alejandra's face faded. For a while, nothing was discernable in the goo. Then another face Flashed.
"Megan…" M whispered.
A young woman's face flashed behind the curtain of silver. She had a flower in her ear. Behind her, the cityscape of San Francisco in the 1960s.
"You were together?" the creature asked.
"Not like a couple, no," M said. "I was never involved with anyone after finding out about my condition. But she was my friend. I – we lived together. I had to leave before she noticed I didn't age."
Behind the young lady, M's face showed up, just as young-looking as he was back with Alejandra; as he was now.
"I never said goodbye," M said.
He was tired. So tired of this.
So much time. So many people. So many goodbyes.
He wanted it to end so badly.
Behind the curtain of silver, Megan said something to M's image, and M laughed.
Then the Fold flashed and the next face behind it was an old lady. Alone in a kitchen, eating soup.
"Is that..."
"Yes," the creature said. "It's her."
M watched the old lady eat. Alone. Wrinkled. Old.
The Fold flashed to black. A second later it flashed alive again. It showed M inside his spaceship, alone.
"This could be anytime in the last three hundred years," M said, still struggling but unable to look away. "I've been traveling for –"
"This is not the past," the creature said. "This is the future."
M watched as his image set controls on his ship. Then the Fold flashed to black.
"How much in the future?" M asked. "How long do I keep doing this? How long do I keep... exploring?"
He wanted to say 'living' but couldn't quite bring himself to.
Maybe he was scared of the answer.
The Fold flashed and showed M again in the spaceship. The stars outside dimmer, less bright.
"Is this still…"
"Further into the future," the creature said.
"How long?" M asked, growing restless. "How long does it go on?"
*How long until I rest? How long until this is all over?*
Another flash. Again M in his ship. Again. Again. With each jump in time, less and less stars in the sky.
"I wanna stop seeing it," M said, nervous, then desperate. "I want to stop!"
The creature said nothing.
M tried to pull his hand away from the flashing lights of the canvas, but couldn't.
He tried closing his eyes, but found that he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Another flash. M, alone in the ship again. Less stars. The universe growing cold and barren outside his ship's window.
"How long do I live!?" he asked the creature, pleading. "How long do I travel alone!?"
More flashes. M in his ship, in distant planets – first with other creatures, then progressively more and more alone, still the same young face, the same young body, exploring ever more desolated landscapes and solar systems and asteroids and nebulas and distant black holes until –
-- the Fold went black. M waited. For a long time, nothing happened.
"... is this --"
"The death of the universe," the creature said, staring ahead at the blackness.
M turned to look at the black canvas, his hand still glued to it. "So that's it? That's when I die? I have to wait for the whole universe to die so I can die too?" He started crying. "It can't be. It can't be!"
The creature said nothing, but slowly turned its head toward the canvas.
M cried. "I can't live that long. I can't wait that long!" He sniffed. "I'm so tired..."
The creature kept staring at the Fold, impassive. And then, in its big, round eyes, M saw something reflected.
A dot.
Slowly, horrified, he turned to the Fold.
In the complete blackness of the canvas, a single spec of yellow light floated upwards, slow and sad, like a last candle in a funeral, about to burn out.
But never quite fading.
It hovered in the complete emptiness of the dead universe. Alone in the void. Purposeless. Eternal.
A flame that nothing could put out.
M squinted to look better, but already he was realizing. Already he knew.
He knew who that light was.
_______
/r/psycho_alpaca | "Jim."
"Yeah, bud."
"I'm ready to come back."
"Wait, what?"
"Terminate the mission, Jim. I'm ready to come back."
"Randy, be reasonable. You're the only one that can-"
"I'm turning around, Jim."
"I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that."
"You don't to let me do anything, Jim. I'm doing it."
I reached for the steering controls and found out they were locked.
"I told before you went up, Randy. This mission is too important for humanity. There is no turning back."
"You son of a-"
"I'm sorry."
The line went dead. I was stuck in space.
| |
[WP] The world is black and white until you meet your soulmate. After your soulmate dies, the world goes back to black and white. | Another night alone at the bar. I ordered my drink and started to head back to my table. Suddenly, something bumped against me. I lost my balance and spilled my drink all over the woman who just backed into me. The amber liquid poured out onto her red dress. Wait...
The first thing out of my mouth should have been an apology. Instead, it was, “Your dress is red!”
The first thing out of her mouth was, “Your hair is green!”
We both looked up at each other. Both of us held our breath for a second. Then both of us burst out laughing. We went back to my table and talked for hours. I had to explain to her that my hair was green because one of my married friends thought it would be funny to play a joke on the single guy. I never changed it because I couldn’t see it until now. We laughed and talked until her friends came up and said they were ready to go. We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet tomorrow for lunch. I was looking forward to finally seeing what a BLT looked like. Neither of us saw the man in the corner who’d been staring at us the whole night.
I woke up the next morning and looked in the mirror. My hair was gray. What the hell? Everything was gray again. How could this happen?
They found her body in the river an hour later. Strangled. | Emily lays in her hospital bed, breath coming in slow, rattling coughs. We’ve been talking for over an hour now, I think she needs some rest. We’ve been friends since we were babies, our moms met in the freaking maternity ward. Hell, we’re still kids. We haven’t even graduated yet. But we’ve known this day was coming for five years. She wanted to go out with her best friend by her side, she said. I could never say no to those bright green eyes.
“Will...” she whispers. The monitor is beeping slower now, the red line taking more and more time between spikes.
“I’m here.” I say. I hold her hand. It looks pale compared to mine. It always has.
“Lean in closer, Will, there’s...something (cough) something I want to tell you. I want to (cough) whisper in your ear.” That’s strange, but she’s always been like that. I lean in closer.
“What is it?” I ask. The green light attached to her finger is so bright. She pulls herself up to my face.
“I’ve always loved your deep, blue eyes.” She kisses me for the first time, full-on.
Red lips, pale skin, green eyes, yellow hair, brown freckles. I close my eyes as our kiss deepens. It’s everything I ever hoped it’d be. Then I feel her pull away and her body goes limp. Alarms ring in my head as a nurse bursts through the door. I open my eyes.
Gray room, gray-skinned nurse, white light shining on gray hair. And a thin black line, flat against the white screen.
For the first time in my life, I can’t see the colors. | |
In case it wasn't clear, this prompt was inspired by the idea of video games without new game plus options, where the only thing you can do after completing the game is reload your old save. Clarifying here because character limits are hard sometimes. | [WP] A hero has gathered the mystical artifacts necessary to save the world... But refuses to do so. Everyone now hates him, but he knows that he has already slain the villain countless times, yet after every battle, time resets and he finds himself standing outside of the final dungeon once more. | As I prepare to cook the deer I killed, I still cannot remove this unsettling feeling from my mind. Which is, itself, even more unsettling. Cleaning a kill had used to be a way for me to focus, to relax, and gather my thoughts. But now my thoughts refuse to be collected.
I try to remove the skin, but I find myself doing it clumsily. This is new, at least, and that is both exciting and utterly terrifying. Nothing new has happened for a long time--or, I think...I’m really not sure how time works at this point. Not even Reinauld’s knows, I think. And he was always the smarter one with his Arkane Edukation. But I’ve stopped trying to tell him about this feeling that I have. I remember, I tried once. One of the first times time went back. I woke up at the base of the cliff with the hidden door in it, with Reinauld, and Eisha and Dyren and Miria. Eisha and I weren’t together anymore--I hadn’t choose her until after we had won. There was no light except what little we made on our own. There was, of course, no moon--we hadn’t returned it to the sky yet. It was time for our midnight raid on the hidden fortress of Kalla. It was time to destroy his dead puppet Intusi, and kill him, and break the spell, and save the world, and then live happily ever after. The problem was that I *remembered* it. I remembered doing it before. I thought it was a dream, I thought it was fate. But every battle was easier. I *knew* Kalla’s attacks before they happened, and I knew that when the Witch Mystic tried to trick me by begging for Mercy, it was a trap for him to lower Dyren’s guard to try to kill him. So I killed him first. It was an instinct.
I almost cut myself on with the knife. I don’t think I’ve been that clumsy since I was 12. What was that, 20 years ago? Or 200?
Eisha was angry that I had killed him. After Reinauld collapsed the cliff tunnels and unmade the Altergate, after the spell was broken and the stars and moon returned. It looked nice, but I remembered being more impressed by it the first time. She confronted me, and would not listen when I tried to explain I was saving her. I told her why, I told her what my instinct’s said.
“Miria, every single choice I’ve made has been based on these instincts, and--”
“He surrendered, and you murdered him” Her voice almost broke. “You can’t know that he would have done that. You can’t know the future, not for certain.”
“But this isn’t the first time, Eisha. Remember in Galgell, when I knew ahead of time what door the assassin would come from, and I stopped him before he could kill any of the royal court? Or--”
“He was trying to literally end the world anyway” broke in Miria. Opposite Eisha, she was perhaps the most pragmatic, and the most willing to trust my intuition.
Eisha left. That was the first new thing. Now, it was Miria who proposed that we become closer together. That was completely reversed from the first time--it had been Eisha who I had would have spent the next few years with, instead, and Miria had left because our naivity had let Dyren die.
I start to remove the deer’s organs. I have since found it greatly unsettling that both of them, despite being so opposite in personality, were so interested in me. In fact, there were even a few things that Reinauld and Dyren had said that had seemed just a little odd at first, but now make me wonder…
Reinauld, however, had noticed that I had mentioned not just my intuition, but that I had seen an alternate version of the future. He did some test or experiments, and a few days later in his lab tent, told me that “It would be best if I tried my utmost to forget about it.”
“Reinauld, this is--but wait, no, what is this? You saying that makes it seem more like there very much *is* something here. Is it just weird or bad,or…” My intuition had gotten, seemingly, sick at that point. “Reinauld,” I asked quietly, “could this by some sort of last curse from Kalla?”
“If it is, then it does not change the answer. You must ignore it.” He lowered his voice, as if he were afraid someone would hear, even though there was no one else there. “Thinking on these questions...I have seen some of this before. The one who went the farthest down the path, we just killed. It was this the Order of the Myst thinks drove Kalla to leave them and into madness.”
He gave up--which was unusual for him, but every other Arkanian I talked to did the same.
I must have nicked an intestine in the deer. My instinct would have allowed me to do this perfectly before. But I’ve stopped listening to it. In fact, I no longer hear it anymore. The last time that I woke up...I left I’ve been on the run from life for a few weeks now. At first, the instinct became terrible, and almost forced me to move back, to save the world. It took everything in me just to stop it from moving me. And then, it went back to that moment. It must have happened more than a dozen times--I try to rebel against it, try to get away, and it tries to bring me back, and then time..returns to that point before I broke free. To that last lightless night near the cliff.
But I finally won somehow, and I’ve been out here for days.
I sheer off just a few bites of the deer to cook, just enough for the journey back, and leave the rest there to rot, or to feed some scavenging animals. I think I’m going to see Kalla. Reinauld did say she knew the most about this, and if it goes wrong...well, then time will just go back at some point, I presume.
A few days later, I reach the cliff at the Altergate. At some point, the sun was supposed to start going out, and all light and sound were supposed to collapse as world disolved into the sky, but I guess that Kalla hasn’t been making very much progress on that lately. In fact, I haven’t encountered any Intusi, either, which is completely unlike how this place was earlier.
I hurry to the cliff, and even though I shouldn’t be able to open it--Reiauld had had the Erientar Light to reveal it--I remember where the hidden door is and open it anyway. On the floors, there are signs of battle--they all went in without me. All through the twisting cave, I see some dead Intusi, and sometimes, human blood. Darnings of Tol Hest, or not, Eisha would be taxed to have healed them all this many times and restore this much blood. Going onwards, I wonder if perhaps I should have been there, for them, but then I reach the Altergate at the top of the cliff. Moving slowly are the rest of the party--dead, but not fully animated into Intusi yet. Ever the cunning one, it seems that she has managed to kill them, and lay a trap for me?
But they don’t move, and she doesn’t seem to be grinning madly.
“You don’t seem to be all broken up about them.” She doesn’t have here characteristic madness in her voice either.
“I’ve seen them die before. I’ve seen you die before,” I add. “But you’re the only one who seems to be able to know what I mean by that.” Her head tilts, and she take off her mask/helmet.
“How many times?” She asks. Without the magical properties of the helmet, her voice sounds more human, and...despondent.
“Maybe 15? I stopped keeping track after 10.”
She is quiet for some time, and then starts: “Do you know why I use the Intusi? Everyone says that necromancy is wrong and an abomination, and I used to agree with them, but then I had a realization. Look back on your own life, and you’ll see it too, I think. Everyone else is...predetermined--like actors following a script. I was one of them too, until I began studying the gate and I saw...I can’t describe it directly. Think! Ever felt like there was a force that was pulling you to do things, things that you have had no proper way of knowing how to do, or had no real rational reason to do?”
The change in her tone is sudden, and the madness is back, but...she is correct. “I’ve had an...intuition, I suppose. It has actually been pretty helpful in guiding me through this, but it doesn’t like it when I think about it It doesn’t like when I question it or go against it--maybe that’s the wrong--it’s odd to think of a feeling as having feelings of its own.”
“It does, though. It does. For all that it’s helped you, do you actually think that it cares about you? Look through the gate. That’s what I did. Everything will be clear then--you'll understand.”
The gate is nearly done. It’s supposed to destroy our world, but that was really just a side effect, I think. It’s real purpose is something more.
I look through the gate. It is bright and glowing white for the most part, but I see also what looks like something blue through what seems to be a set of four Windows. | "Why?"
"Why not?" Brae responded, shifting the weight of the pack.
"You can't just leave! The kingdom, the world..."
"Will fall to darkness if I should fail. I know. Believe me, I know."
When the Magister's jaw dropped, Brae dared to reach out and lift it back into place - Eternal or not, these higher-ups did seem to have a hard time with bodily control after a few centuries.
"You are chosen! The Queen's chosen blade, sworn to..."
"I know my vows, old man. And I know my limits. I have gathered the amulets, worked the charms, charged the weapons. I've saved endless permutations of this land's people from darkness and terror. I've wasted how many centuries, how many lives? How often have I prevented the end of this world, only to be born again and do it all again?"
Once more, the Magister lost control of his jaw; this time, Brae let it hang there. An acolyte shouted something, a curse in the ancient tongue, but the words and their power bounced harmlessly off of a heavy, enchanted shield, flying back at the mouth that uttered them. The acolyte's screams echoed, filling the dark space just as the angry shouts of the populace had earlier filled Brae's ears.
No one likes to hear that their hero has given up.
Adjusting the weight of the pack once more, Brae turned and strode out of the dark hall and into the warmth of the sun. The sun which, according to the prophecies, could be blacked out for eternity at any time. Would it happen? If they truly ended their quest here, would the world be obliterated?
Perhaps.
But the end seemed, by now, far more pleasant than endlessly living this life. It seemed brighter than being reborn again and again, than charging through the same villages and mountain passes and hidden fortresses. It seemed simpler than finding Grudic, than slaying it again and again and again.
There had to be more to life, however short, than this repetition of pain and struggle.
***
^r/liulfr ^for ^other ^stories. |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Haru hissed as boiling hot tea burnt his mouth. In the next second the ceramic mug cracked as the liquid inside froze. He mentally scolded himself and used his earthbending to repair the mug. He looked across the kitchen at his wife, who cast him a stern gaze.
He sighed, thawed his tea, and then unconsciously switched gears to push extra heat into the cup until the tea assumed a nice steaming temperature. Honestly, the waterbending was nothing new, but last year he had discovered how to channel the warmth in his body into other objects. It was definitely firebending, but he tried to keep that on the down-low.
“You know you’ve got to stop that; you’ll make the children think it’s normal. They’ll talk. Someday the government will bust through our door with questions for you, and you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” She whispered.
“They’re not even in here, Sun.” Haru shot back, “Besides, I’ve never even made a flame. It’s probably not firebending. Maybe real waterbenders know how to do this.” He was grasping at straws and they both knew it.
A generation after the Explosion That Ended the War, polybending had started cropping up in the surrounding villages of the Earth Kingdom. The first children to exhibit symptoms were immediately killed, but authorities eventually realized that there could not be multiple simultaneous Avatars. It began to be regarded as a disease, a syndrome related to the spirit radiation that resulted from the Last Avatar’s self-immolation using spiritbending.
So now, any polybending children were sent off to a special treatment center in Ba Sing Se. They always came back expert earthbenders with no other aberrant bending abilities. They also came back… different. Something in the eyes, and in the mind. They were strong and skilled, but never the same.
This is why when Haru and Sun’s young daughters started earthbending, then mudbending and then waterbending, Sun realized she had to keep her whole family in line. An adult polybender with little concept of consequence was enough to deal with, but at least adults were never suspected of being the new avatar. The girls would be sent off and brainwashed, or worse.
And in the back of her mind, Sun had always suspected that Haru was more than just a simple polybender. She watched the news every evening and authorities had not found a new Avatar in over 25 years. Of course, with the advent of polybending it had become much more difficult… but in all studies, no polybender had shown control over more than two elements. And no documented earth kingdom polybender had shown a flicker of firebending ability. Haru was unique. She thought she had seen him display more firebending than he realized, and this worried her. Even worse, years ago she had seen his eyes light up as a puff of air saved their infant daughter from falling out a window. They never spoke of it.
Sun looked up from her thoughts with tired eyes at the man she loved, the man who might be the most wanted man in the world.
“Haru, I want you to hear me well. Please.”
His smile vanished.
“I know you can do much more than you tell me.” Sun said quietly, “I know that you are probably The Avatar. I am begging you to realize the danger this puts us in if you don’t acknowledge it and do something about it. Now show me what you can really do.”
Haru looked in her eyes. She deserved to know. She always deserves to know.
So he gave up the charade and summoned coal from the fireplace. He compressed it with an unbelievable amount of pressure, and poured intense heat into it, and then finally presented Sun with a small, perfect diamond.
“I’ve been doing this do pay our bills for the past year, and instead of working I’ve been training with the White Lotus.” Haru confessed.
Sun stared uncomprehendingly from the stone that was coal moments ago to her husband who seemed incapable of such secrets only moments ago. She knew suddenly that he would have to leave, and it seemed like her fault.
“When were you going to tell me?” She said, fighting back tears. In response, Haru used earthbending to open a hatch in the floor to reveal what must’ve been millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds.
“I was saving up to support you and the girls when I have to leave. Might be in a few months.” He responded gently as he deposited the diamond and closed the hatch. “But you can’t know about any of this until then.”
“What?”
Sun looked up suddenly and froze as Haru’s eyes began to glow. He went through the practiced motions with a heavy heart, making very slight currents in the blood within her skull. Her mind went blank. She felt warm and giddy. He then guided her though the air, back into her kitchen chair, and placed himself in her arms. Haru held his wife as she seamlessly regained her senses.
“How about some tea before Bo and Kara get up, babe?”
| I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Here's my take on someone in the current era who don't even know what the avatar is:
I stared at my chai latte for at least five seconds before I could process what happened. Did I order this frozen? No… I didn’t…? I can’t waterbend!
I knew that I had earthbending abilities, but had always focused on my studies instead. Best thing my earthbending heritage ever got me was a scholarship to university as a minority; the bending arts became illegal after the Equality Act of 1997. By the time I turned eight, my tutor was fired and I was being told to practice only in secret. I got pretty decent at it but had no real-world (or legal) applications for my abilities.
So why, then, was I walking back to my books and laptop with a cup of Starbucks milky-tan ice? It didn’t matter, I decided. Class starts in an hour and I have a paper to finish.
That night, however, a swarm of questions buzzed around in my head. Isn’t only the avatar able to bend more than one element? Can some people bend two elements without being the avatar? What is the point of the avatar anyway? Every picture I’ve ever seen of the past 16 avatars, dating back to 1890, were just random children from around the world. That’s it. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about the avatar.
I headed across town to ask Marina. She was like me, a secret bender, and unlike me, a complete hippie. Didn’t even have a cell phone. I loved her anyway.
At her house I tossed a pebble towards her window, and then guided the stone to softly tap on the glass several times. Small bending like this I considered to be too commonplace to be illegal. Marina appeared at the window, and then again at the door.
“Do it again.” She slammed a pint glass down in front of me and bent beer from the bottle into it. (“Saves the carbonation,” she claims every time)
“But I… I didn’t try to do it!” I protested. She was mad.
“Well you’re gonna try this time.” And she sat down. “If I could figure out how to freeze water as a toddler I’m sure you can figure it out now… If you can do it at all. Still hoping you’re mistaken.”
I held the glass of golden beer, tried reach into that same place of energy that I do for earthbending, closed my eyes and… It was frozen.
Marina stopped mid-sip and set down her glass. She stared with ever-widening eyes. Like, really wide eyes. She was terrified.
“Anna we have to go. Up north. I have family in the Northern Water Tribe”
“But what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can do the other two elem—“
“ANNA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY KILL THE AVATARS. WE HAVE TO PACK OUR SHIT AND LEAVE.”
| I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Len sketched on his notebook, oblivious to the world around him as he wandered through the busy streets. He couldn't seem to get the shadows right. Ba Sing Se wasn't this... flat. Or jagged. Then again, this was *his* world. *His* drawing. If Len wanted Ba Sing Se to look like this in his work, he was free to leave it that way. It was the whole point of making art. The creative license to do whatever he wanted. Len frowned. That still wasn't an excuse for shoddy craftsmanship. He didn't need recreate every detail of the view; he just needed to evoke the same feelings he felt when he first saw it, which he was currently failing at with every draft.
Len crashed into something hard.
A large, burly guard loomed over him, frowning. "Watch where you're going."
Len looked away. "S-sorry."
"Look at me when you apologize." The guard grabbed Len's head, turned it, and made eye-contact with him. "You just assaulted an officer, kid. Sorry isn't going to cut it. I need... reparations for the armor you just scratched."
"N-no, I... I... I..."
The guard arched an eyebrow. "Those clothes..." He spat. "Of course. You don't belong to the upper ring."
"I... I have permission!"
The guard slapped Len. "Know your place, urchin. You don't get to shout at your betters. Now show me your passport!"
Len reached for his pocket, tensing his shoulders and widening his eyes. It was empty. He checked his other pocket. Nothing in it either. The guard furrowed his brow. Len started sweating. Where was it? A crowd began to gather around them. Some sneered at Len, others scowled and murmured among themselves.
The guard grew more impatient every second. He wouldn't hear Len out or check his story. Heck, if he found out Len was in the upper ring for his Earthbending lessons, he might get into even *more* trouble. Benders were hated by everyone. Len never understood why, though. It had been this way long before he was born. The fact that he lived in the lower ring only made things worse. He wouldn't get fair treatment. He was the one thing society hated more than a bender, he was a *poor* bender.
No other choice. No one would help him. Len needed to run away.
Except he couldn't. His knees were weak and frozen. The guard's increasingly furious glare intimidated Len too much.
"That's it." The guard pulled Len by his arm. "You're coming with me."
"Len!" shouted a girl.
It was Okila, a delicate teenager, the same age as Len, with light-brown skin, green eyes, and jet-black hair tied in a neat bun. She pushed through the crowd, waving a piece of paper and saying:
"You left your passport at the dojo!"
Len relaxed, staring at the ground. "Thank you."
"Let me see that" said the guard.
Okila handed him the passport, smiling.
The guard scanned it with his eyes, sighed, and handed it back to Len. "You're free to go." He faced the crowd. "This isn't a show, people. Move along!" He frowned at Len. "Scram, kid. Before I change my mind."
Len nodded quickly and left as fast as he could.
"You need to be more mindful" said Okila, walking next to him. "You got lucky this time. If I hadn't noticed the crowd, you'd probably be in jail right now."
"R-right. Sorry."
Okila rolled her eyes. "And stop being so apologetic. If you'd been more confident, the guard wouldn't have picked on you."
"It wasn't on purpose, okay?" Len pulled out his notebook and focused on his drawing again. "I just forgot."
"You never forget your notebook, though."
"Because it's important."
"And your passport isn't?"
"Okila, what do you want from me? I promise I'll make an effort to be less forgetful. Happy?"
"Barely. What are you even doing here? I thought you were heading back to the lower ring."
"I'm just taking a small detour before leaving."
"Really? Where?"
"To the Jasmine Dragon."
"Ohhh I love it there! Strange. You never struck me as a 'tea-guy'."
"Your intuition was correct, tea's just overpriced, boiled water with little to no flavor. I just need to see the view from there again. I've been trying to draw it, but I keep messing it up."
Okila frowned. "I'm gonna ignore your comment about tea." She perked up. "Can you show me what you've drawn so far?"
"I... I'd rather not."
"What? Why?"
"It's a messy work in progress. Too embarrassing."
"So this is how you repay me for saving your butt..." Okila crossed her arms, raising her chin with indignation. "I should've just let you get jailed."
"N-no! It's not that..."
Okila pouted.
"Fine." Len flipped around his notebook, showing Okila his drawing. "Here."
Okila widened her eyes. "This is amazing Len!"
Len sighed. "It isn't."
"Yes it is!"
"You only think that way because you don't know much about drawing. I can't outline the city correctly, it's too... pointy, and don't even get me started on the shadows. Ugh. I hate it."
"You're wrong, Len. But I guess that's your problem, not mine."
They both fell silent as they continued walking. Len stared at his notebook, but every other minute peeked at Okila with the corner of his eye. Why was she still with him? He wanted to be alone. People drained him, specially those loud and energetic like Okila. But he couldn't just tell her to leave. She'd probably feel offended. And after she'd helped him out, it'd be very ungrateful on his part to do so. Still, it felt weird to hang out with her outside of the dojo. Okila was his Earthbending classmate and granddaughter of their master, Hasho Beifong. He'd in big trouble if he hurt Okila's feelings.
The longer they were quiet, the more awkward Len felt. Was he supposed to say something? No, he'd just make the situation worse if he opened his mouth. Like always.
Soon enough, they reached two separate, broad stone steps that lead up to the store. A weird guy near the bottom of the staircase sold cabbages with an enthusiastic disposition. He seemed awfully defensive of his produce though, often glaring at anyone who walked too close his cart without his permission. Strange. At the top of the stairs, a neatly paved patio stood in front of the tea shop. It had a large, rectangular fountain with a statue in the center and wooden benches that faced towards the panoramic view over the city, which extended for miles into the horizon. The city walls weren't even visible from this distance!
"You stay here," said Okila, "I'm gonna go get us a table."
"What? Okila, I can't-"
"Don't worry." Oklia smiled, tilting her head a bit. "It's my treat."
"But-"
"No buts! As friend and classmate, it is my duty to educate you on the beauty of tea. I simply can't associate with someone who doesn't appreciate it."
"Fine..."
Okila nodded and went into the store. Len then turned towards the city, leaned over the railing, and brought out his notebook. The colorful sunset tinted the view orange, shimmering brightly on the many skyscrapers built of metal. Most of the upper and middle ring was full of buildings like that, but the lower district was still mostly constructed of stone. Len frowned. Of course the drawing was garbage. He'd been drawing a street that didn't exist! And the spires atop the skyscrapers were triangular at the top, but not as pointy as he made them. More importantly, Len managed to spot which shadows he'd gotten wrong, which was... most of them. He'd have to start from scratch again, but at least he knew how to approach it now.
"Len!" said Okila from across the patio. "Our tea's ready!"
"Be there in a sec'!"
Len took one last look at the city and went inside.
------
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Continued in a comment below.
| I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | “You want us to capture her?”
“We’re playing a game of paracat and meadow vole here, but every time the vole dies it comes back to life and once it escapes we lose. Forever. And, to be perfectly fucking honest, the emotional toll of killing kids and their entire families every few years is starting to catch up with me.”
“Well how do you expect us to *capture* her? Politely ask the parents if we can indoctrinate their daughter into our authoritarian regime? People don’t like us. They fear us. Every few years there’s another small uprising somewhere, and we have to go kill a few hundred more until people are afraid of dying again.”
“...Tell me, Freize, have you ever heard of Lake Laogai?”
“No, I can’t say that I have.”
“Well... back when... *he* was around, Ba Sing Se-that is, old Ba Sing Se-wasn’t exactly led by the king. It was pretty similar to what we had going, and they had a strange technique to keep their people under wraps. We don’t know a lot about it today, but what we do know is that when people went through this...conditioning...they could have their memories altered, entire years of their life wiped and replaced.”
“Wait, is what you’re proposing to me that we actually just make everyone think they love it here with some weird ancient magic? How are we going to get everyone to let this happen to them? Do we even know how to do this? Would it ever-“
“Just wait for me to finish, okay? Then you can complain as much as you want. I don’t think we could, by any means, keep everyone in the world brainwashed like this. I do, however, think if we can do this to the Avatar-“
“How?! How will we do this hoc-“
“I said wait! Man, just wait for me to finish. R&D central was able to synthesize a drug that can do the same job. It’s expensive, it’s difficult, but we have a working sample and that’s all it will take. We kill the family and friends, take the kid, give her the drug, and then she’s on our leash.”
“...Well... what do we do after that?”
“After that...? After that, we sit back and watch the show.” | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | No one expected Republic City to take over the world. It was the smallest of the five nations. Barely even had sovereignty. Guess that doesn't matter anymore. The Fire Nation was the first to fall. The President abused his relationship with the Fire Lord in order to assassinate him. With the Fire Nation's advanced weaponry, combined with Republic City's own, the President soon made quick work of the other nations. The entire world was under the flag of The Republic.
"Wei Beifong!" A gruff voice bellowed out.
My grip tightened on my cup of tea, pretending not to hear. I hated my name. Centuries ago, the Beifong family aided the Avatar. Some ancient texts even spoke of a Beifong that was the close friend of the Avatar that helped form The Republic.
But now? Now we betray that name. We spend our lives hunting down Avatar after Avatar. Children barely old enough to bend. And in the between years, we hunt down any bender we can find. Supposedly, if we kill enough of them, the Avatar would be unable reincarnate. And for what? So our family could escape the purge? What a bunch of cowardl-
"WEI BEIFONG! YOU ARE TO REPORT TO YOUR SUPERIOR AT ONCE." The man was clearly irritated at this point. Better stop pretending. I stood up, giving him a silent nod left the building, tea in hand.
As I headed to the capitol building, my mind wandered once more. Why do we even bother anymore? An avatar hadn't shown up in over two decades. Yet still we kill. Child. Adult. Doesn't matter. If they could bend, they could be the Avatar. As the building appeared in the distance, I took another sip of my tea to try to calm my thoughts.
*Ice.*
My blood grew colder than my tea. No. This could not be. I knew full well what this meant. How long was my tea like this? Did anyone notice?
I ran. If I am lucky, they won't suspect a Beifong to be the Avatar. This could give me time. But...where will I run to? | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Jin sat in the basement of an old warehouse wishing her tea was warmer. Everyone around her looked defeated as yet another raid had taken place in their neighborhood. The officers stormed into homes and rounded up the people to submit them to 'testing'. This time they found an infant who tested positive for waterbending. They stole him away
The goal had become to eliminate all benders from society. It started when the surrounding towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom declared their independence from Ba Sing Se. The result of this declaration was a massive civil war that ended in many deaths. In particular, it was the earth benders that were hit hardest with the casualties. They were employed extensively on both sides and by the time the war was over there simply weren't that many left to carry in the ability. As for the airbenders, well there never really have been that many of them since the Hundred Years War; and so many firebenders left the Fire Nation after that War and had children with people from other nations that firebenders simply weren't seen again for generations; water benders have always been a small group and with immigration from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to The Republic the same thing happened to them as it did the firebenders.
Nobody had anticipated that the four nations being so intermingled would result in a dilution of the bending powers. They found that individuals who would have otherwise been capable of bending were now unable because they had bending parents of different elements. Nobody can bend just *two* elements alone, so they just cancelled each other out. Because of this, it has become very uncommon for someone to have bending capabilities, and the new government in place has taken extensive measures to eliminate the few who can. The logic was much the same as Tarlok's, but far more compelling with so much fewer benders out there. Soon enough the entire council was lead by solely nonbenders. There was no voice for the benders.
Returning to the test, though, it was done by exposing the suspected benders to each of the elements and watching what happens. Simply pressing earth against an earth bender like Jin was enough to know what she was capable of. They had a tool that could measure the vibrations of the elements when in proximity to the tested. However minute, they could tell when someone had the ability to bend any of the elements. It was bad enough if they found that they could bend one element, even worse if they found that they could bend more than two. This was assumed, of course. Nobody had encountered an Avatar in 60 years. Stories spread about newborns being found with the abilities of the Avatar and simply disappearing from the hospital in the middle of the night or showing up dead the next morning. Of course, many people wanted to believe that their deceased child was the Avatar, so the story gets tossed around a lot; but there is truth to be told in these tales.
Jin was in a basement with other benders watching them practice their ancient and forbidden arts. There were 14 of them, and most were either water and fire benders. There were only two other earth benders on top of Jin. They had a single airbender friend named Tashi but he enjoyed flying his airglider at night too much, and went missing several months ago.
Jin held her cup in her hand and stared intently at the tea inside. She could see a layer of dust in it. *Probably from all the earthbending,* she thought. She looked up at her earthbending kin in the corner practicing rock lunges and thought about the eventual eradication of her people. They were 9 and 17 years old and they both had no parents. Both their parents were earthbending renegades that managed to hide their identities and have children. It was considered a capital offense and their parents died. They spent their lives in hiding with each other's families and we're both very close.
She remembered meeting her first earthbender four years ago. He taught her everything she knew. She eventually fell in love with him too, but it would never work out for them. He had been captured and tested positive for earthbending. They sterilized him to prevent him from having children and when he came back he lost much of his will to live. She remembered what he said before he left.
"Jin, what's the point?" He had just told her that he was leaving. "You and I can never have children. You *need* to have children, to carry our legacy as a people. I am no longer good for you. All I can give you now is my earthbending experience, and you already have all of it. I'm sorry about what happened, but I need to go somewhere else to train others in our sacred art." He walked away but she did not pursue him. He already knew how she felt. Jin thought from time to time about having children, but she only wanted them with him. She told him she wasnt have them with anybody else. He could only hope that she would change her mind in the future. He called her selfish for refusing to bear children with another earthbender, but she didn't care. It was her choice.
The boy and the girl were summoning earth beneath them with their feet and lunging forward. They would then turn back and lunge in the opposite direction. They repeated this back and forth to get a feel of the earth with their feet. It was an intermediate level skill to be able to bend with your feet and not just your hands, and they were both progressing nicely.
Jin's tea was still cold, and the dust was ruining the taste. She made a move to bend the dust from out of her cup and something happened that she did not expect. As she pulled the dust from out her cup the tea itself seemed to cling to the particles. She looked around to see if one of the water benders was messing with her, but they seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
She tried harder to remove the particles but every time she did the water held fast to the tiny pieces. She released the particles and lowered her hand. Her hand lowering caused a change in her tea. She felt that familiar pull as her body started to bend. The energy flowed from her hand and outward towards some bendable element. The tea grow dramatically colder and soon tiny fibrils of ice started to form on the surface. Alarmed, she threw her hand back from the cup and bended the tea out of the cup and onto the floor. She screamed.
The other benders stopped what they were doing and started to stare. "What are you doing Jin?" A fire bender asked her this. "Is everything okay?"
"Ye- yes... I just spilled my tea and it was pretty hot. Sorry." They nodded and she left the room. "I need to go rinse my hands."
She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked down at the sink and at the many water droplets on its surface. She waved her hand over them and acted like she was earth bending. The water droplets started to lift hemselves from the surface and adhere to her hand, moving up her arm. Her eyes widened in terror. *She was waterbending* | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Her morning tea was one of the few things that helped her get through the day. The hectic, meeting filled, stress-inducing day.
The aroma from the tea was almost as relaxing as drinking it. Except for the part where tea time always coincided with briefing time.
A few quick wraps at the door announced the presence of her assistant. "Enter." she called out between sips.
"Good morning, General!" her chipper assistant entered with a stack of papers. "How are we this morning?"
"Fine fine, what's on the agenda for the day, lieutenant?"
"Well there is a briefing in thirty minutes with the other generals about the search for the avatar. They believe they have some leads, but they want everyone's input before proceeding."
"Very well. Next?" another sip of tea. The steaming cup was making this more bearable.
The lieutenant flipped through the pages on top of his stack. "At fourteen-hundred hours you have to talk to the troops from battalion B. They had a run-in with a band of wild fire benders last week and the Capitan wanted you to show them defense against fire benders. And also to practice offensives with them."
A smile came across her face."It's been forever since I've been able to practice firebending with permission. This'll be quite the treat!"
The lieutenant smiled. "Very good, ma'am. And one last bit of business..." his voice trailed off. That couldn't be good.
"You're ex-husband wants to meet with you today."
A shiver went down her spine. But took over her whole body for a moment. The cup of tea that was warming her hands so nicely was now freezing cold. That was odd. She looked down as the last wisp of steam escaped off the top and the cop was now a solid block of ice. Her eyes went wide. Firebending didn't do that..
"Major?" he asked. Taking a step closer. "Are you... Okay?" his jaw went slack. "Is that ice?"
She set the cup down and pushed it to the side of her cluttered desk. "This doesn't leave this room. Do you understand? Not a word, and that is an order."
The lieutenant just blinked a few times. Seemingly not comprehending what was unfolding before his eyes. "You're the.. Wait but.. Umm. Yes ma'am."
The major leaning back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "Is there anything else for today?"
"No, that's all for today. But you have to go to that meeting soon. You know, about finding the avatar." he frowned as he realized how ironic that was.
She peeped at him from between her fingers. "This is going to be one hell of a day isn't it."
"Yes, avatar." he nodded and turned to leave.
She groaned and let her head fall to her desk. Frozen tea to start the day. What an omen. | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "Bender rights have been in focus this week as Senate votes to pass EARTH1, a bill that would positively define the way benders are treated in society for the first time since the last Blue Moon-"
**bang** You startle out of your zoned observation of the news, dropping your fork. As if it were a helpful golden retriever, the dirt rises from the small basin from the corner of the room and pushes the metal handle back to you, dwindling as if waiting for a confirmation of a job well done. You don't notice, as you turn to your roommate who is still cursing as he recovers from where he ran hip first into the counter.
"You believe this shit? All of this EARTH1 coverage has the 'pro bender' bleeding heart Tumblrinas going nuts- fucking idiots haven't even looked past the pretty title and realized the god awfulness of the mandatory Registration-" he pauses and shoots a quick jet of flame underneath the kettle, igniting the gas stove- "and during all this, all speculations of the appearance of the Avatar are hushed quicker than a poor fucker who posted the wrong content on Reddit."
You snort softly. "I don't know, maybe this will be a good thing," you pause, noticing the way his shoulders tense, but press on, "I wouldn't mind having to register myself if it means I can finally use my bending in public, to do some good finally, you know?" You try not to be hurt as your roommate turns, his face twisted in derision.
"So. What you're saying is that you'd rather be a collared fucking animal, a mark on your back just so you can go out there, and I don't know, rescue someone's cat from a tree or some shit?" Before you can get a word in, he collects his tea and portion of the scrambled eggs and retreats, shaking his head vigorously, sparks flying off his hair, back into his room.
Looking at the angrily closed door, you internally sigh. It was a lucky day, the day you found out that your first roommate out of college was a Bender. Some days you felt lucky, that your elements were more or less compatible, and that you had a space to practice and commune with the earth. Other days, you just down right hated his fiery ass. And still others you wonder how your small, very wood-filled flat was not a pile of burnt rubble.
"Well Sharon, thanks for the update. We will continue to keep you all posted as more new information arrives! Here's Greg with your 7:30am traffic forecas-"
*7:30 am oh fuck me* You gather your computer and jacket, with the ever helpful dirt mound pushing keys and *were those breath mints?* Into your pocket. In your rush you pause to look down at the now small bump of earth- "For the last time I'm not asking Jordan out today or ever, stop pushing the damn mints on me." It ripples slightly, and you feel a little ridiculous as you're essentially trying to convince yourself. The headache from the moment you turned the TV on this morning builds a little more, and you fumble your way grumpily out the door.
-
The ride to work was an uneventful one. You filled in a few potholes stealthily, but there wasn't much infrastructure along the route that you had a chance to change.
You hated your little cubicle on the 12th floor of the shiny stainless steel office you worked in. So far from the ground, with only a little pot with a single, but happy, but lonely flower inside to keep you company. As you clicked on the the umpteenth spread sheet, you absentmindedly swirled the little flower around. "Hey you! What's with that look grumpy face?" Your head throbs. You turn your chair around and are greeted by the infernally grinning mug that is Linda's face.
"Just woke up wrong is all- and it's a Monday too." She lunges forward and presses her sharply manicured nails against your arm- "Well honey, I have just the perfect fix for you! Mark's just gotten home from his trip to Hawaii, and he brought back this absolutely amazing pineapple hibiscus tea; it'll cheer you up in no time!" You trudge reluctantly behind her as she leads you through the maze to the break room, fantasizing the entire time about bulging the ground underneath her so she would trip just a little on her ridiculous 5 inch fire engine red heels. *But you're fucking 12 floors off any workable dirt*, your traitorous mind murmurs.
Your pulled out of your thoughts once again by the smell of the fresh tea. Linda is still going on about some office drama that she's caught up in, but where usually you would have paid some semblance of attention out of sheer boredom, today your eyes are suddenly drawn to the liquid swirling in the cup.
It's shiny. Like metal. It's pretty, but you had a distinct feeling that whatever fancy crap Linda has put in had diluted it. Absolutely tainted the otherwise pure and smooth water. Water. Your hand reaches out as if drawn by a string, and you delicately touch the tip of your index in the middle of the gently rippling surface.
And you fall.
Into an ocean. A swirling typhoon, waves battering your very being. Niagara falls, long before it was ever named, its untamed nature echoing the harmony of the earth, the sun, the air through which the Bison had flown. Wild and eternal and fluid in its memories- it engulfs you. And then
It
Stops
And you return to a break room. A break room who's walls had been an un-tasteful blue. A break room who's walls were now coated in ice. You look down at your hand, and the tea you had submerged your finger in. It was beautiful, the way the ice has spread from inside the cup, to the water cooler, and on to the floor.
It would have been more beautiful if fucking Linda hadn't been standing there, her mouth agape. It would have been absolutely stunning if Linda's brother wasn't a part of a task force that specialized in hunting in rogue benders. It would have been amazingly awe inspiringly breath taking if you didn't just realize that you were now a fucking Avatar.
As hell began to break loose, you stare forlornly at the garishly decorated mug of sub par tea.
It had actually smelled pretty good. If only you had gotten to have a taste before becoming damn fugitive.
-FIN-?
This will probably be buried af but please let me know what you think! I tried to keep this as neutral as possible so that anyone could relate! | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | I laughed, holding the cup upside-down. My three-year old self was not aware of what this meant. For me, it was just another trick, just as natural as bending rocks or dirt.
I looked up to my mother, smiling- Just to find her staring at the cup. As the cup froze, she froze as well. The good-hearted, cheerful young woman's face was almost as pale as the big marble table we where seated at for breakfast. I had never seen her like this, and I realized I had done something wrong. My smile vanished. Confused and scared, I turned my head to look at my father, just as he dropped his cup. It fell almost as if in slow-motion, and it shattered into thousand pieces on the hard table's surface. But no one even seemed to notice.
"Ragin..." Mother had almost no voice. She stared at him. But my father did not say a word, he just brushed tea off his uniform with the back of his hand, then pushed the chair back.
"Ragin!" Her voice sounded fierce all of the sudden.
My father stood up and grabbed me by my wrist, pulling me to my feet. I cried, more out of fear than out of pain. He took my to my room, shoving me inside.
"You- You stay in your room, do you understand?"
I nodded and watched him close the door. I just stood there. I did not know what to do.
I heard them fight as I stared at my bedroom's door, but they where much louder then usual. While I could usually hear his loud voice, it sounded muffled. It was my mother who was screaming at the top of her lungs, and I could hear every word as I pressed my ear to the door.
"You can't possibly... He's our son!"
I heard her slap him, and the sound of what must had been his vPhone dropping onto the floor.
What followed, I only remember very vaguely. But I never had witnessed such powerful earth-bending to this day. The building was shaking, and my father was screaming in pain.
Half of the building was just - gone. My mother hugged me, and I could feel her wet tears against my cheek.
Then We ran. We ran to this day.
I... I can not express the grief I feel now. She not only saved me, but the revolution would not have been possible without her. She fought. She negotiated. And she tough me everything I know. Far more than just earth-bending.
She died far too young. I just wish we could have put her to rest in her home-town, but it is still a long way to peace. | I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:
- [/r/thelastairbender] [\[WP\] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/7s16ib/wp_as_it_turns_out_the_avatar_is_still_being/)
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[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
| 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Haru hissed as boiling hot tea burnt his mouth. In the next second the ceramic mug cracked as the liquid inside froze. He mentally scolded himself and used his earthbending to repair the mug. He looked across the kitchen at his wife, who cast him a stern gaze.
He sighed, thawed his tea, and then unconsciously switched gears to push extra heat into the cup until the tea assumed a nice steaming temperature. Honestly, the waterbending was nothing new, but last year he had discovered how to channel the warmth in his body into other objects. It was definitely firebending, but he tried to keep that on the down-low.
“You know you’ve got to stop that; you’ll make the children think it’s normal. They’ll talk. Someday the government will bust through our door with questions for you, and you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” She whispered.
“They’re not even in here, Sun.” Haru shot back, “Besides, I’ve never even made a flame. It’s probably not firebending. Maybe real waterbenders know how to do this.” He was grasping at straws and they both knew it.
A generation after the Explosion That Ended the War, polybending had started cropping up in the surrounding villages of the Earth Kingdom. The first children to exhibit symptoms were immediately killed, but authorities eventually realized that there could not be multiple simultaneous Avatars. It began to be regarded as a disease, a syndrome related to the spirit radiation that resulted from the Last Avatar’s self-immolation using spiritbending.
So now, any polybending children were sent off to a special treatment center in Ba Sing Se. They always came back expert earthbenders with no other aberrant bending abilities. They also came back… different. Something in the eyes, and in the mind. They were strong and skilled, but never the same.
This is why when Haru and Sun’s young daughters started earthbending, then mudbending and then waterbending, Sun realized she had to keep her whole family in line. An adult polybender with little concept of consequence was enough to deal with, but at least adults were never suspected of being the new avatar. The girls would be sent off and brainwashed, or worse.
And in the back of her mind, Sun had always suspected that Haru was more than just a simple polybender. She watched the news every evening and authorities had not found a new Avatar in over 25 years. Of course, with the advent of polybending it had become much more difficult… but in all studies, no polybender had shown control over more than two elements. And no documented earth kingdom polybender had shown a flicker of firebending ability. Haru was unique. She thought she had seen him display more firebending than he realized, and this worried her. Even worse, years ago she had seen his eyes light up as a puff of air saved their infant daughter from falling out a window. They never spoke of it.
Sun looked up from her thoughts with tired eyes at the man she loved, the man who might be the most wanted man in the world.
“Haru, I want you to hear me well. Please.”
His smile vanished.
“I know you can do much more than you tell me.” Sun said quietly, “I know that you are probably The Avatar. I am begging you to realize the danger this puts us in if you don’t acknowledge it and do something about it. Now show me what you can really do.”
Haru looked in her eyes. She deserved to know. She always deserves to know.
So he gave up the charade and summoned coal from the fireplace. He compressed it with an unbelievable amount of pressure, and poured intense heat into it, and then finally presented Sun with a small, perfect diamond.
“I’ve been doing this do pay our bills for the past year, and instead of working I’ve been training with the White Lotus.” Haru confessed.
Sun stared uncomprehendingly from the stone that was coal moments ago to her husband who seemed incapable of such secrets only moments ago. She knew suddenly that he would have to leave, and it seemed like her fault.
“When were you going to tell me?” She said, fighting back tears. In response, Haru used earthbending to open a hatch in the floor to reveal what must’ve been millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds.
“I was saving up to support you and the girls when I have to leave. Might be in a few months.” He responded gently as he deposited the diamond and closed the hatch. “But you can’t know about any of this until then.”
“What?”
Sun looked up suddenly and froze as Haru’s eyes began to glow. He went through the practiced motions with a heavy heart, making very slight currents in the blood within her skull. Her mind went blank. She felt warm and giddy. He then guided her though the air, back into her kitchen chair, and placed himself in her arms. Haru held his wife as she seamlessly regained her senses.
“How about some tea before Bo and Kara get up, babe?”
| 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Here's my take on someone in the current era who don't even know what the avatar is:
I stared at my chai latte for at least five seconds before I could process what happened. Did I order this frozen? No… I didn’t…? I can’t waterbend!
I knew that I had earthbending abilities, but had always focused on my studies instead. Best thing my earthbending heritage ever got me was a scholarship to university as a minority; the bending arts became illegal after the Equality Act of 1997. By the time I turned eight, my tutor was fired and I was being told to practice only in secret. I got pretty decent at it but had no real-world (or legal) applications for my abilities.
So why, then, was I walking back to my books and laptop with a cup of Starbucks milky-tan ice? It didn’t matter, I decided. Class starts in an hour and I have a paper to finish.
That night, however, a swarm of questions buzzed around in my head. Isn’t only the avatar able to bend more than one element? Can some people bend two elements without being the avatar? What is the point of the avatar anyway? Every picture I’ve ever seen of the past 16 avatars, dating back to 1890, were just random children from around the world. That’s it. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about the avatar.
I headed across town to ask Marina. She was like me, a secret bender, and unlike me, a complete hippie. Didn’t even have a cell phone. I loved her anyway.
At her house I tossed a pebble towards her window, and then guided the stone to softly tap on the glass several times. Small bending like this I considered to be too commonplace to be illegal. Marina appeared at the window, and then again at the door.
“Do it again.” She slammed a pint glass down in front of me and bent beer from the bottle into it. (“Saves the carbonation,” she claims every time)
“But I… I didn’t try to do it!” I protested. She was mad.
“Well you’re gonna try this time.” And she sat down. “If I could figure out how to freeze water as a toddler I’m sure you can figure it out now… If you can do it at all. Still hoping you’re mistaken.”
I held the glass of golden beer, tried reach into that same place of energy that I do for earthbending, closed my eyes and… It was frozen.
Marina stopped mid-sip and set down her glass. She stared with ever-widening eyes. Like, really wide eyes. She was terrified.
“Anna we have to go. Up north. I have family in the Northern Water Tribe”
“But what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can do the other two elem—“
“ANNA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY KILL THE AVATARS. WE HAVE TO PACK OUR SHIT AND LEAVE.”
| 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | No one expected Republic City to take over the world. It was the smallest of the five nations. Barely even had sovereignty. Guess that doesn't matter anymore. The Fire Nation was the first to fall. The President abused his relationship with the Fire Lord in order to assassinate him. With the Fire Nation's advanced weaponry, combined with Republic City's own, the President soon made quick work of the other nations. The entire world was under the flag of The Republic.
"Wei Beifong!" A gruff voice bellowed out.
My grip tightened on my cup of tea, pretending not to hear. I hated my name. Centuries ago, the Beifong family aided the Avatar. Some ancient texts even spoke of a Beifong that was the close friend of the Avatar that helped form The Republic.
But now? Now we betray that name. We spend our lives hunting down Avatar after Avatar. Children barely old enough to bend. And in the between years, we hunt down any bender we can find. Supposedly, if we kill enough of them, the Avatar would be unable reincarnate. And for what? So our family could escape the purge? What a bunch of cowardl-
"WEI BEIFONG! YOU ARE TO REPORT TO YOUR SUPERIOR AT ONCE." The man was clearly irritated at this point. Better stop pretending. I stood up, giving him a silent nod left the building, tea in hand.
As I headed to the capitol building, my mind wandered once more. Why do we even bother anymore? An avatar hadn't shown up in over two decades. Yet still we kill. Child. Adult. Doesn't matter. If they could bend, they could be the Avatar. As the building appeared in the distance, I took another sip of my tea to try to calm my thoughts.
*Ice.*
My blood grew colder than my tea. No. This could not be. I knew full well what this meant. How long was my tea like this? Did anyone notice?
I ran. If I am lucky, they won't suspect a Beifong to be the Avatar. This could give me time. But...where will I run to? | 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Jin sat in the basement of an old warehouse wishing her tea was warmer. Everyone around her looked defeated as yet another raid had taken place in their neighborhood. The officers stormed into homes and rounded up the people to submit them to 'testing'. This time they found an infant who tested positive for waterbending. They stole him away
The goal had become to eliminate all benders from society. It started when the surrounding towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom declared their independence from Ba Sing Se. The result of this declaration was a massive civil war that ended in many deaths. In particular, it was the earth benders that were hit hardest with the casualties. They were employed extensively on both sides and by the time the war was over there simply weren't that many left to carry in the ability. As for the airbenders, well there never really have been that many of them since the Hundred Years War; and so many firebenders left the Fire Nation after that War and had children with people from other nations that firebenders simply weren't seen again for generations; water benders have always been a small group and with immigration from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to The Republic the same thing happened to them as it did the firebenders.
Nobody had anticipated that the four nations being so intermingled would result in a dilution of the bending powers. They found that individuals who would have otherwise been capable of bending were now unable because they had bending parents of different elements. Nobody can bend just *two* elements alone, so they just cancelled each other out. Because of this, it has become very uncommon for someone to have bending capabilities, and the new government in place has taken extensive measures to eliminate the few who can. The logic was much the same as Tarlok's, but far more compelling with so much fewer benders out there. Soon enough the entire council was lead by solely nonbenders. There was no voice for the benders.
Returning to the test, though, it was done by exposing the suspected benders to each of the elements and watching what happens. Simply pressing earth against an earth bender like Jin was enough to know what she was capable of. They had a tool that could measure the vibrations of the elements when in proximity to the tested. However minute, they could tell when someone had the ability to bend any of the elements. It was bad enough if they found that they could bend one element, even worse if they found that they could bend more than two. This was assumed, of course. Nobody had encountered an Avatar in 60 years. Stories spread about newborns being found with the abilities of the Avatar and simply disappearing from the hospital in the middle of the night or showing up dead the next morning. Of course, many people wanted to believe that their deceased child was the Avatar, so the story gets tossed around a lot; but there is truth to be told in these tales.
Jin was in a basement with other benders watching them practice their ancient and forbidden arts. There were 14 of them, and most were either water and fire benders. There were only two other earth benders on top of Jin. They had a single airbender friend named Tashi but he enjoyed flying his airglider at night too much, and went missing several months ago.
Jin held her cup in her hand and stared intently at the tea inside. She could see a layer of dust in it. *Probably from all the earthbending,* she thought. She looked up at her earthbending kin in the corner practicing rock lunges and thought about the eventual eradication of her people. They were 9 and 17 years old and they both had no parents. Both their parents were earthbending renegades that managed to hide their identities and have children. It was considered a capital offense and their parents died. They spent their lives in hiding with each other's families and we're both very close.
She remembered meeting her first earthbender four years ago. He taught her everything she knew. She eventually fell in love with him too, but it would never work out for them. He had been captured and tested positive for earthbending. They sterilized him to prevent him from having children and when he came back he lost much of his will to live. She remembered what he said before he left.
"Jin, what's the point?" He had just told her that he was leaving. "You and I can never have children. You *need* to have children, to carry our legacy as a people. I am no longer good for you. All I can give you now is my earthbending experience, and you already have all of it. I'm sorry about what happened, but I need to go somewhere else to train others in our sacred art." He walked away but she did not pursue him. He already knew how she felt. Jin thought from time to time about having children, but she only wanted them with him. She told him she wasnt have them with anybody else. He could only hope that she would change her mind in the future. He called her selfish for refusing to bear children with another earthbender, but she didn't care. It was her choice.
The boy and the girl were summoning earth beneath them with their feet and lunging forward. They would then turn back and lunge in the opposite direction. They repeated this back and forth to get a feel of the earth with their feet. It was an intermediate level skill to be able to bend with your feet and not just your hands, and they were both progressing nicely.
Jin's tea was still cold, and the dust was ruining the taste. She made a move to bend the dust from out of her cup and something happened that she did not expect. As she pulled the dust from out her cup the tea itself seemed to cling to the particles. She looked around to see if one of the water benders was messing with her, but they seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
She tried harder to remove the particles but every time she did the water held fast to the tiny pieces. She released the particles and lowered her hand. Her hand lowering caused a change in her tea. She felt that familiar pull as her body started to bend. The energy flowed from her hand and outward towards some bendable element. The tea grow dramatically colder and soon tiny fibrils of ice started to form on the surface. Alarmed, she threw her hand back from the cup and bended the tea out of the cup and onto the floor. She screamed.
The other benders stopped what they were doing and started to stare. "What are you doing Jin?" A fire bender asked her this. "Is everything okay?"
"Ye- yes... I just spilled my tea and it was pretty hot. Sorry." They nodded and she left the room. "I need to go rinse my hands."
She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked down at the sink and at the many water droplets on its surface. She waved her hand over them and acted like she was earth bending. The water droplets started to lift hemselves from the surface and adhere to her hand, moving up her arm. Her eyes widened in terror. *She was waterbending* | 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Her morning tea was one of the few things that helped her get through the day. The hectic, meeting filled, stress-inducing day.
The aroma from the tea was almost as relaxing as drinking it. Except for the part where tea time always coincided with briefing time.
A few quick wraps at the door announced the presence of her assistant. "Enter." she called out between sips.
"Good morning, General!" her chipper assistant entered with a stack of papers. "How are we this morning?"
"Fine fine, what's on the agenda for the day, lieutenant?"
"Well there is a briefing in thirty minutes with the other generals about the search for the avatar. They believe they have some leads, but they want everyone's input before proceeding."
"Very well. Next?" another sip of tea. The steaming cup was making this more bearable.
The lieutenant flipped through the pages on top of his stack. "At fourteen-hundred hours you have to talk to the troops from battalion B. They had a run-in with a band of wild fire benders last week and the Capitan wanted you to show them defense against fire benders. And also to practice offensives with them."
A smile came across her face."It's been forever since I've been able to practice firebending with permission. This'll be quite the treat!"
The lieutenant smiled. "Very good, ma'am. And one last bit of business..." his voice trailed off. That couldn't be good.
"You're ex-husband wants to meet with you today."
A shiver went down her spine. But took over her whole body for a moment. The cup of tea that was warming her hands so nicely was now freezing cold. That was odd. She looked down as the last wisp of steam escaped off the top and the cop was now a solid block of ice. Her eyes went wide. Firebending didn't do that..
"Major?" he asked. Taking a step closer. "Are you... Okay?" his jaw went slack. "Is that ice?"
She set the cup down and pushed it to the side of her cluttered desk. "This doesn't leave this room. Do you understand? Not a word, and that is an order."
The lieutenant just blinked a few times. Seemingly not comprehending what was unfolding before his eyes. "You're the.. Wait but.. Umm. Yes ma'am."
The major leaning back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "Is there anything else for today?"
"No, that's all for today. But you have to go to that meeting soon. You know, about finding the avatar." he frowned as he realized how ironic that was.
She peeped at him from between her fingers. "This is going to be one hell of a day isn't it."
"Yes, avatar." he nodded and turned to leave.
She groaned and let her head fall to her desk. Frozen tea to start the day. What an omen. | 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "Bender rights have been in focus this week as Senate votes to pass EARTH1, a bill that would positively define the way benders are treated in society for the first time since the last Blue Moon-"
**bang** You startle out of your zoned observation of the news, dropping your fork. As if it were a helpful golden retriever, the dirt rises from the small basin from the corner of the room and pushes the metal handle back to you, dwindling as if waiting for a confirmation of a job well done. You don't notice, as you turn to your roommate who is still cursing as he recovers from where he ran hip first into the counter.
"You believe this shit? All of this EARTH1 coverage has the 'pro bender' bleeding heart Tumblrinas going nuts- fucking idiots haven't even looked past the pretty title and realized the god awfulness of the mandatory Registration-" he pauses and shoots a quick jet of flame underneath the kettle, igniting the gas stove- "and during all this, all speculations of the appearance of the Avatar are hushed quicker than a poor fucker who posted the wrong content on Reddit."
You snort softly. "I don't know, maybe this will be a good thing," you pause, noticing the way his shoulders tense, but press on, "I wouldn't mind having to register myself if it means I can finally use my bending in public, to do some good finally, you know?" You try not to be hurt as your roommate turns, his face twisted in derision.
"So. What you're saying is that you'd rather be a collared fucking animal, a mark on your back just so you can go out there, and I don't know, rescue someone's cat from a tree or some shit?" Before you can get a word in, he collects his tea and portion of the scrambled eggs and retreats, shaking his head vigorously, sparks flying off his hair, back into his room.
Looking at the angrily closed door, you internally sigh. It was a lucky day, the day you found out that your first roommate out of college was a Bender. Some days you felt lucky, that your elements were more or less compatible, and that you had a space to practice and commune with the earth. Other days, you just down right hated his fiery ass. And still others you wonder how your small, very wood-filled flat was not a pile of burnt rubble.
"Well Sharon, thanks for the update. We will continue to keep you all posted as more new information arrives! Here's Greg with your 7:30am traffic forecas-"
*7:30 am oh fuck me* You gather your computer and jacket, with the ever helpful dirt mound pushing keys and *were those breath mints?* Into your pocket. In your rush you pause to look down at the now small bump of earth- "For the last time I'm not asking Jordan out today or ever, stop pushing the damn mints on me." It ripples slightly, and you feel a little ridiculous as you're essentially trying to convince yourself. The headache from the moment you turned the TV on this morning builds a little more, and you fumble your way grumpily out the door.
-
The ride to work was an uneventful one. You filled in a few potholes stealthily, but there wasn't much infrastructure along the route that you had a chance to change.
You hated your little cubicle on the 12th floor of the shiny stainless steel office you worked in. So far from the ground, with only a little pot with a single, but happy, but lonely flower inside to keep you company. As you clicked on the the umpteenth spread sheet, you absentmindedly swirled the little flower around. "Hey you! What's with that look grumpy face?" Your head throbs. You turn your chair around and are greeted by the infernally grinning mug that is Linda's face.
"Just woke up wrong is all- and it's a Monday too." She lunges forward and presses her sharply manicured nails against your arm- "Well honey, I have just the perfect fix for you! Mark's just gotten home from his trip to Hawaii, and he brought back this absolutely amazing pineapple hibiscus tea; it'll cheer you up in no time!" You trudge reluctantly behind her as she leads you through the maze to the break room, fantasizing the entire time about bulging the ground underneath her so she would trip just a little on her ridiculous 5 inch fire engine red heels. *But you're fucking 12 floors off any workable dirt*, your traitorous mind murmurs.
Your pulled out of your thoughts once again by the smell of the fresh tea. Linda is still going on about some office drama that she's caught up in, but where usually you would have paid some semblance of attention out of sheer boredom, today your eyes are suddenly drawn to the liquid swirling in the cup.
It's shiny. Like metal. It's pretty, but you had a distinct feeling that whatever fancy crap Linda has put in had diluted it. Absolutely tainted the otherwise pure and smooth water. Water. Your hand reaches out as if drawn by a string, and you delicately touch the tip of your index in the middle of the gently rippling surface.
And you fall.
Into an ocean. A swirling typhoon, waves battering your very being. Niagara falls, long before it was ever named, its untamed nature echoing the harmony of the earth, the sun, the air through which the Bison had flown. Wild and eternal and fluid in its memories- it engulfs you. And then
It
Stops
And you return to a break room. A break room who's walls had been an un-tasteful blue. A break room who's walls were now coated in ice. You look down at your hand, and the tea you had submerged your finger in. It was beautiful, the way the ice has spread from inside the cup, to the water cooler, and on to the floor.
It would have been more beautiful if fucking Linda hadn't been standing there, her mouth agape. It would have been absolutely stunning if Linda's brother wasn't a part of a task force that specialized in hunting in rogue benders. It would have been amazingly awe inspiringly breath taking if you didn't just realize that you were now a fucking Avatar.
As hell began to break loose, you stare forlornly at the garishly decorated mug of sub par tea.
It had actually smelled pretty good. If only you had gotten to have a taste before becoming damn fugitive.
-FIN-?
This will probably be buried af but please let me know what you think! I tried to keep this as neutral as possible so that anyone could relate! | 'If I can freeze tea, I can freeze a person's blood inside their body."
I say this more to myself than the council on front of me.
"What?!". It's not a question it's an admonishment. They think I'm weak. They think if they keep shouting their questions that I, my friends and I that is, will give up the location of the Avatar.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask, a little louder this time. I feel Kinsy's foot digging into mine under our robes where they can't see it.
"Would you like to spend another decade on a prison rig? What about your friends? What about your bother?" The man in the center says. I see him watch as he lets the torch next to him gutter out. Clearly he wants to punctuate his sentence by relighting it without taking his eyes off me.
With a quick gesture the torch flares into life, but then immediately gutters out. I take a step forward my hands balling into fists, my legs shaking. I feel like my whole body is shaking, with fear and anger
I am not stopped from stepping forward, as the guards as the council are paying attention to the torch. Kinsey makes a vauge noise, perhaps of fear, perhaps just astonishment, I'm not sure. I have no time to consider it, I simply take another step, sure that at any moment the guards will notice and grab me.
"You people. You pretend to represent the control, the order, the restraint you think this world needs to survive."
The man in the center, I can barely see his long hair and red robe as it fades into the dark. He steps forward as well, waving off the guards. I see exactly what I'd hoped to see in his eyes. Not the gleam of rage, not the burning glitter in his eye that suggests murder, nothing so extreme. What I see is disgust. Contempt. I know I have one chance at this, and I know that no matter what happens, I will die.
"But this world doesn't need you. You need us. We wouldn't fall without your structures, your walls. We would flourish." I get ready. I have to time this just right. His tight lipped expression turns from disgust to a sarcastic smirk, riddled with a play actor's overly exaggerated contempt.
"You, your council, this entire corrupt regime, you are nothing more than scared, posturing, hypocritical PARASITES!" I spit this last at him, and make a slight turn to my left. I pray that my death will be too quick to hurt. I pray that my friends will have time to run in the ensuing commotion. But most of all, I pray that this bastard is right handed.
It's not exactly relief I feel when I see his right shoulder draw back. I swing my right hand as hard as I can. Not a fist to strike, but a hand to block. I knew he wouldn't consider me important enough to kill. Why kill what you can break and use as a slave? But I was done being a slave. His open hand collides with my block, and instead of the satisfying smack he was hoping for I see the first real expression dawn on his face as his frozen hand shatters into a thousand pieces, flung in all directions. He seems not to notice, he just stares at me, shocked at splinters of frozen flesh buffet his face, the floor, and his fine robes.
"RUN!!!!" I scream at my friends as I prepare to take on the council myself. I hear a scream, see a flash of light, but before feel the flames I am knocked to the side, my head striking the floor. All I can see are shards of a shattered hand, and a shattered golden ring as my vision fades, regressing into the black. A Gail of laughter follows me down, down beneath the Earth, down in the comfortable warmth. I don't know who's waiting for me down there in the warm dark, I just know there's someone, someone who can't stop laughing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Haru hissed as boiling hot tea burnt his mouth. In the next second the ceramic mug cracked as the liquid inside froze. He mentally scolded himself and used his earthbending to repair the mug. He looked across the kitchen at his wife, who cast him a stern gaze.
He sighed, thawed his tea, and then unconsciously switched gears to push extra heat into the cup until the tea assumed a nice steaming temperature. Honestly, the waterbending was nothing new, but last year he had discovered how to channel the warmth in his body into other objects. It was definitely firebending, but he tried to keep that on the down-low.
“You know you’ve got to stop that; you’ll make the children think it’s normal. They’ll talk. Someday the government will bust through our door with questions for you, and you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” She whispered.
“They’re not even in here, Sun.” Haru shot back, “Besides, I’ve never even made a flame. It’s probably not firebending. Maybe real waterbenders know how to do this.” He was grasping at straws and they both knew it.
A generation after the Explosion That Ended the War, polybending had started cropping up in the surrounding villages of the Earth Kingdom. The first children to exhibit symptoms were immediately killed, but authorities eventually realized that there could not be multiple simultaneous Avatars. It began to be regarded as a disease, a syndrome related to the spirit radiation that resulted from the Last Avatar’s self-immolation using spiritbending.
So now, any polybending children were sent off to a special treatment center in Ba Sing Se. They always came back expert earthbenders with no other aberrant bending abilities. They also came back… different. Something in the eyes, and in the mind. They were strong and skilled, but never the same.
This is why when Haru and Sun’s young daughters started earthbending, then mudbending and then waterbending, Sun realized she had to keep her whole family in line. An adult polybender with little concept of consequence was enough to deal with, but at least adults were never suspected of being the new avatar. The girls would be sent off and brainwashed, or worse.
And in the back of her mind, Sun had always suspected that Haru was more than just a simple polybender. She watched the news every evening and authorities had not found a new Avatar in over 25 years. Of course, with the advent of polybending it had become much more difficult… but in all studies, no polybender had shown control over more than two elements. And no documented earth kingdom polybender had shown a flicker of firebending ability. Haru was unique. She thought she had seen him display more firebending than he realized, and this worried her. Even worse, years ago she had seen his eyes light up as a puff of air saved their infant daughter from falling out a window. They never spoke of it.
Sun looked up from her thoughts with tired eyes at the man she loved, the man who might be the most wanted man in the world.
“Haru, I want you to hear me well. Please.”
His smile vanished.
“I know you can do much more than you tell me.” Sun said quietly, “I know that you are probably The Avatar. I am begging you to realize the danger this puts us in if you don’t acknowledge it and do something about it. Now show me what you can really do.”
Haru looked in her eyes. She deserved to know. She always deserves to know.
So he gave up the charade and summoned coal from the fireplace. He compressed it with an unbelievable amount of pressure, and poured intense heat into it, and then finally presented Sun with a small, perfect diamond.
“I’ve been doing this do pay our bills for the past year, and instead of working I’ve been training with the White Lotus.” Haru confessed.
Sun stared uncomprehendingly from the stone that was coal moments ago to her husband who seemed incapable of such secrets only moments ago. She knew suddenly that he would have to leave, and it seemed like her fault.
“When were you going to tell me?” She said, fighting back tears. In response, Haru used earthbending to open a hatch in the floor to reveal what must’ve been millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds.
“I was saving up to support you and the girls when I have to leave. Might be in a few months.” He responded gently as he deposited the diamond and closed the hatch. “But you can’t know about any of this until then.”
“What?”
Sun looked up suddenly and froze as Haru’s eyes began to glow. He went through the practiced motions with a heavy heart, making very slight currents in the blood within her skull. Her mind went blank. She felt warm and giddy. He then guided her though the air, back into her kitchen chair, and placed himself in her arms. Haru held his wife as she seamlessly regained her senses.
“How about some tea before Bo and Kara get up, babe?”
| My sand sailer flys across the desert dunes. I feel the familiar sharpness of the sand grain pelting the thin cloths I wear to protect from the desert elements. The face cloth feels stuck against my cheeks. Wet.
Why am I crying? I should be proud of this moment. When my people gave up their history and culture to a far off monarch, I ran to save what I could. Us sand benders live by the elements. To craft the chaos of the dunes into patterns is a skill our generations have learned to survive.
My own father tried to sell me to the earth kingdom soldiers. He sold all of us. Was his politics really worth the tribe?
“I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!!”
I scream into the empty desert sky. I can see all the chaos in the dunes around me. It mimics my mind.
I need to think clearly.
My rage is against my betrayal. The sand shifts to smash two dunes together.
My rage is against the abandonment of my culture. The sand forms a spire and spews up to the clouds.
The sandstorm I kicked up engulfs me. Fitting for the mind I control it with. I let the sand settle so I can continue further.
The blue sky fades to crimson as the sun melts below the horizon. I find a solid hill to anchor myself to for the night. Tomorrow will likely be the same. Let the sands talk to me until I can’t take it any more. I need to focus on resolving myself for the future. I can’t let rage block my judgment.
I lay down for the night and let the desert carry me to sleep.
“The guy we found is awake.” Says a male voice. I can’t see anything or move. I think I’ve been blindfolded and tied up.
“Where am I? What’s happening?” I ask.
“We found you alone in the desert. You matched the description of an escaped criminal. We’re taking you to Ba Sing Se for your punishment.” Says a female voice. The blindfold is removed by her to reveal a younger looking woman with tied back black hair in an obvious military fashion. She is wearing the green military garb of the Royal Army of the Earth Kingdom and has an ornate green tattoo curled around her left eye. The markings are unfamiliar to me. Outside my cell appears to be open sky. This must be an earth kingdom airship.
“What crime. I’m no criminal. I’m just a nomad.”
“The nomadic tribes have been living outside the laws of the land for too long. The earth king himself has requested your peoples subjugation to his rule.”
I reach my mind out to all the earth particles around me. Summoning a cloud of sand, I dart it straight for the woman.
I wince in sharp pain and drop my concentration. Her foot connects again with my stomach. I cough up a bit of blood the second time.
“Filthy animal.” She says as she exits the room. “He’s all yours Haang”
Entering into the cell is a large armour clad man. His face is entirely obscured by a metal mask. Holes, ridges, and horns define the face of a monster for the man. It’s nearly impossible to humanize someone wearing a mask designed to instil such fear.
“Bending is a gift that should be shared for the greater good.” It’s the same man from before. “Your selfish use for sand sports is an insult to the non benders who work to serve our king.”
I look up at the man and just smile. This is what I was looking for in the dunes. A chance to prove that my culture isn’t lost.
“What do you find so funny little boy? That your family sold your ability to our king?” He laughs. “There’s more like you on this ship. In time you will learn to serve. It’s for the best of everyone.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. That more of my people are being turned into slaves. I spit some blood at the man’s feet.
“I will always be loyal to my people first. Your king means nothing to me.” I barely manage to groan out.
The masked man looks down at me coldly for a minute before he leaves. He returns with a beaten woman. I know her from another one of the tribes.
“You nomads like to speak as if you are greater than the king.” He runs a sword right through the woman. “Let me remind you who is in power in the real world.”
Instead of shock or horror, I smile at the man. The dead woman slumps to the ground between us.
No more holding back or thinking. Just chaos now. I can feel it all flowing through my mind. It’s blocking my connection to the earth.
I feel a new calling though. A chaotic thirst. I stand and reach out. I can feel the energy pulsing through this man. With a motion of my wrist he floats into the air. His arms and legs begin contorting in the armour.
“How does this make you feel about bending for the greater good.”
He wheezes as a red mist starts seeping from the joints of his armour. The metal mask spews forth a cloud of blood around him. I can still feel him alive though.
Another snap of the wrist and his head breaks backwards.
As his body falls to the floor, I see arrows across my body fade away to the skin they were before. I smile at the thought of actually blood bending before I pass out.
“This is lieutenant Rohjna to the red lotus. I have found the avatar.”
That’s the last I hear before passing out into the blood stained cell. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Here's my take on someone in the current era who don't even know what the avatar is:
I stared at my chai latte for at least five seconds before I could process what happened. Did I order this frozen? No… I didn’t…? I can’t waterbend!
I knew that I had earthbending abilities, but had always focused on my studies instead. Best thing my earthbending heritage ever got me was a scholarship to university as a minority; the bending arts became illegal after the Equality Act of 1997. By the time I turned eight, my tutor was fired and I was being told to practice only in secret. I got pretty decent at it but had no real-world (or legal) applications for my abilities.
So why, then, was I walking back to my books and laptop with a cup of Starbucks milky-tan ice? It didn’t matter, I decided. Class starts in an hour and I have a paper to finish.
That night, however, a swarm of questions buzzed around in my head. Isn’t only the avatar able to bend more than one element? Can some people bend two elements without being the avatar? What is the point of the avatar anyway? Every picture I’ve ever seen of the past 16 avatars, dating back to 1890, were just random children from around the world. That’s it. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about the avatar.
I headed across town to ask Marina. She was like me, a secret bender, and unlike me, a complete hippie. Didn’t even have a cell phone. I loved her anyway.
At her house I tossed a pebble towards her window, and then guided the stone to softly tap on the glass several times. Small bending like this I considered to be too commonplace to be illegal. Marina appeared at the window, and then again at the door.
“Do it again.” She slammed a pint glass down in front of me and bent beer from the bottle into it. (“Saves the carbonation,” she claims every time)
“But I… I didn’t try to do it!” I protested. She was mad.
“Well you’re gonna try this time.” And she sat down. “If I could figure out how to freeze water as a toddler I’m sure you can figure it out now… If you can do it at all. Still hoping you’re mistaken.”
I held the glass of golden beer, tried reach into that same place of energy that I do for earthbending, closed my eyes and… It was frozen.
Marina stopped mid-sip and set down her glass. She stared with ever-widening eyes. Like, really wide eyes. She was terrified.
“Anna we have to go. Up north. I have family in the Northern Water Tribe”
“But what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can do the other two elem—“
“ANNA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY KILL THE AVATARS. WE HAVE TO PACK OUR SHIT AND LEAVE.”
| “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
| |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | No one expected Republic City to take over the world. It was the smallest of the five nations. Barely even had sovereignty. Guess that doesn't matter anymore. The Fire Nation was the first to fall. The President abused his relationship with the Fire Lord in order to assassinate him. With the Fire Nation's advanced weaponry, combined with Republic City's own, the President soon made quick work of the other nations. The entire world was under the flag of The Republic.
"Wei Beifong!" A gruff voice bellowed out.
My grip tightened on my cup of tea, pretending not to hear. I hated my name. Centuries ago, the Beifong family aided the Avatar. Some ancient texts even spoke of a Beifong that was the close friend of the Avatar that helped form The Republic.
But now? Now we betray that name. We spend our lives hunting down Avatar after Avatar. Children barely old enough to bend. And in the between years, we hunt down any bender we can find. Supposedly, if we kill enough of them, the Avatar would be unable reincarnate. And for what? So our family could escape the purge? What a bunch of cowardl-
"WEI BEIFONG! YOU ARE TO REPORT TO YOUR SUPERIOR AT ONCE." The man was clearly irritated at this point. Better stop pretending. I stood up, giving him a silent nod left the building, tea in hand.
As I headed to the capitol building, my mind wandered once more. Why do we even bother anymore? An avatar hadn't shown up in over two decades. Yet still we kill. Child. Adult. Doesn't matter. If they could bend, they could be the Avatar. As the building appeared in the distance, I took another sip of my tea to try to calm my thoughts.
*Ice.*
My blood grew colder than my tea. No. This could not be. I knew full well what this meant. How long was my tea like this? Did anyone notice?
I ran. If I am lucky, they won't suspect a Beifong to be the Avatar. This could give me time. But...where will I run to? | “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
| |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Jin sat in the basement of an old warehouse wishing her tea was warmer. Everyone around her looked defeated as yet another raid had taken place in their neighborhood. The officers stormed into homes and rounded up the people to submit them to 'testing'. This time they found an infant who tested positive for waterbending. They stole him away
The goal had become to eliminate all benders from society. It started when the surrounding towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom declared their independence from Ba Sing Se. The result of this declaration was a massive civil war that ended in many deaths. In particular, it was the earth benders that were hit hardest with the casualties. They were employed extensively on both sides and by the time the war was over there simply weren't that many left to carry in the ability. As for the airbenders, well there never really have been that many of them since the Hundred Years War; and so many firebenders left the Fire Nation after that War and had children with people from other nations that firebenders simply weren't seen again for generations; water benders have always been a small group and with immigration from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to The Republic the same thing happened to them as it did the firebenders.
Nobody had anticipated that the four nations being so intermingled would result in a dilution of the bending powers. They found that individuals who would have otherwise been capable of bending were now unable because they had bending parents of different elements. Nobody can bend just *two* elements alone, so they just cancelled each other out. Because of this, it has become very uncommon for someone to have bending capabilities, and the new government in place has taken extensive measures to eliminate the few who can. The logic was much the same as Tarlok's, but far more compelling with so much fewer benders out there. Soon enough the entire council was lead by solely nonbenders. There was no voice for the benders.
Returning to the test, though, it was done by exposing the suspected benders to each of the elements and watching what happens. Simply pressing earth against an earth bender like Jin was enough to know what she was capable of. They had a tool that could measure the vibrations of the elements when in proximity to the tested. However minute, they could tell when someone had the ability to bend any of the elements. It was bad enough if they found that they could bend one element, even worse if they found that they could bend more than two. This was assumed, of course. Nobody had encountered an Avatar in 60 years. Stories spread about newborns being found with the abilities of the Avatar and simply disappearing from the hospital in the middle of the night or showing up dead the next morning. Of course, many people wanted to believe that their deceased child was the Avatar, so the story gets tossed around a lot; but there is truth to be told in these tales.
Jin was in a basement with other benders watching them practice their ancient and forbidden arts. There were 14 of them, and most were either water and fire benders. There were only two other earth benders on top of Jin. They had a single airbender friend named Tashi but he enjoyed flying his airglider at night too much, and went missing several months ago.
Jin held her cup in her hand and stared intently at the tea inside. She could see a layer of dust in it. *Probably from all the earthbending,* she thought. She looked up at her earthbending kin in the corner practicing rock lunges and thought about the eventual eradication of her people. They were 9 and 17 years old and they both had no parents. Both their parents were earthbending renegades that managed to hide their identities and have children. It was considered a capital offense and their parents died. They spent their lives in hiding with each other's families and we're both very close.
She remembered meeting her first earthbender four years ago. He taught her everything she knew. She eventually fell in love with him too, but it would never work out for them. He had been captured and tested positive for earthbending. They sterilized him to prevent him from having children and when he came back he lost much of his will to live. She remembered what he said before he left.
"Jin, what's the point?" He had just told her that he was leaving. "You and I can never have children. You *need* to have children, to carry our legacy as a people. I am no longer good for you. All I can give you now is my earthbending experience, and you already have all of it. I'm sorry about what happened, but I need to go somewhere else to train others in our sacred art." He walked away but she did not pursue him. He already knew how she felt. Jin thought from time to time about having children, but she only wanted them with him. She told him she wasnt have them with anybody else. He could only hope that she would change her mind in the future. He called her selfish for refusing to bear children with another earthbender, but she didn't care. It was her choice.
The boy and the girl were summoning earth beneath them with their feet and lunging forward. They would then turn back and lunge in the opposite direction. They repeated this back and forth to get a feel of the earth with their feet. It was an intermediate level skill to be able to bend with your feet and not just your hands, and they were both progressing nicely.
Jin's tea was still cold, and the dust was ruining the taste. She made a move to bend the dust from out of her cup and something happened that she did not expect. As she pulled the dust from out her cup the tea itself seemed to cling to the particles. She looked around to see if one of the water benders was messing with her, but they seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
She tried harder to remove the particles but every time she did the water held fast to the tiny pieces. She released the particles and lowered her hand. Her hand lowering caused a change in her tea. She felt that familiar pull as her body started to bend. The energy flowed from her hand and outward towards some bendable element. The tea grow dramatically colder and soon tiny fibrils of ice started to form on the surface. Alarmed, she threw her hand back from the cup and bended the tea out of the cup and onto the floor. She screamed.
The other benders stopped what they were doing and started to stare. "What are you doing Jin?" A fire bender asked her this. "Is everything okay?"
"Ye- yes... I just spilled my tea and it was pretty hot. Sorry." They nodded and she left the room. "I need to go rinse my hands."
She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked down at the sink and at the many water droplets on its surface. She waved her hand over them and acted like she was earth bending. The water droplets started to lift hemselves from the surface and adhere to her hand, moving up her arm. Her eyes widened in terror. *She was waterbending* | “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
| |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Her morning tea was one of the few things that helped her get through the day. The hectic, meeting filled, stress-inducing day.
The aroma from the tea was almost as relaxing as drinking it. Except for the part where tea time always coincided with briefing time.
A few quick wraps at the door announced the presence of her assistant. "Enter." she called out between sips.
"Good morning, General!" her chipper assistant entered with a stack of papers. "How are we this morning?"
"Fine fine, what's on the agenda for the day, lieutenant?"
"Well there is a briefing in thirty minutes with the other generals about the search for the avatar. They believe they have some leads, but they want everyone's input before proceeding."
"Very well. Next?" another sip of tea. The steaming cup was making this more bearable.
The lieutenant flipped through the pages on top of his stack. "At fourteen-hundred hours you have to talk to the troops from battalion B. They had a run-in with a band of wild fire benders last week and the Capitan wanted you to show them defense against fire benders. And also to practice offensives with them."
A smile came across her face."It's been forever since I've been able to practice firebending with permission. This'll be quite the treat!"
The lieutenant smiled. "Very good, ma'am. And one last bit of business..." his voice trailed off. That couldn't be good.
"You're ex-husband wants to meet with you today."
A shiver went down her spine. But took over her whole body for a moment. The cup of tea that was warming her hands so nicely was now freezing cold. That was odd. She looked down as the last wisp of steam escaped off the top and the cop was now a solid block of ice. Her eyes went wide. Firebending didn't do that..
"Major?" he asked. Taking a step closer. "Are you... Okay?" his jaw went slack. "Is that ice?"
She set the cup down and pushed it to the side of her cluttered desk. "This doesn't leave this room. Do you understand? Not a word, and that is an order."
The lieutenant just blinked a few times. Seemingly not comprehending what was unfolding before his eyes. "You're the.. Wait but.. Umm. Yes ma'am."
The major leaning back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "Is there anything else for today?"
"No, that's all for today. But you have to go to that meeting soon. You know, about finding the avatar." he frowned as he realized how ironic that was.
She peeped at him from between her fingers. "This is going to be one hell of a day isn't it."
"Yes, avatar." he nodded and turned to leave.
She groaned and let her head fall to her desk. Frozen tea to start the day. What an omen. | “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
| |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "Bender rights have been in focus this week as Senate votes to pass EARTH1, a bill that would positively define the way benders are treated in society for the first time since the last Blue Moon-"
**bang** You startle out of your zoned observation of the news, dropping your fork. As if it were a helpful golden retriever, the dirt rises from the small basin from the corner of the room and pushes the metal handle back to you, dwindling as if waiting for a confirmation of a job well done. You don't notice, as you turn to your roommate who is still cursing as he recovers from where he ran hip first into the counter.
"You believe this shit? All of this EARTH1 coverage has the 'pro bender' bleeding heart Tumblrinas going nuts- fucking idiots haven't even looked past the pretty title and realized the god awfulness of the mandatory Registration-" he pauses and shoots a quick jet of flame underneath the kettle, igniting the gas stove- "and during all this, all speculations of the appearance of the Avatar are hushed quicker than a poor fucker who posted the wrong content on Reddit."
You snort softly. "I don't know, maybe this will be a good thing," you pause, noticing the way his shoulders tense, but press on, "I wouldn't mind having to register myself if it means I can finally use my bending in public, to do some good finally, you know?" You try not to be hurt as your roommate turns, his face twisted in derision.
"So. What you're saying is that you'd rather be a collared fucking animal, a mark on your back just so you can go out there, and I don't know, rescue someone's cat from a tree or some shit?" Before you can get a word in, he collects his tea and portion of the scrambled eggs and retreats, shaking his head vigorously, sparks flying off his hair, back into his room.
Looking at the angrily closed door, you internally sigh. It was a lucky day, the day you found out that your first roommate out of college was a Bender. Some days you felt lucky, that your elements were more or less compatible, and that you had a space to practice and commune with the earth. Other days, you just down right hated his fiery ass. And still others you wonder how your small, very wood-filled flat was not a pile of burnt rubble.
"Well Sharon, thanks for the update. We will continue to keep you all posted as more new information arrives! Here's Greg with your 7:30am traffic forecas-"
*7:30 am oh fuck me* You gather your computer and jacket, with the ever helpful dirt mound pushing keys and *were those breath mints?* Into your pocket. In your rush you pause to look down at the now small bump of earth- "For the last time I'm not asking Jordan out today or ever, stop pushing the damn mints on me." It ripples slightly, and you feel a little ridiculous as you're essentially trying to convince yourself. The headache from the moment you turned the TV on this morning builds a little more, and you fumble your way grumpily out the door.
-
The ride to work was an uneventful one. You filled in a few potholes stealthily, but there wasn't much infrastructure along the route that you had a chance to change.
You hated your little cubicle on the 12th floor of the shiny stainless steel office you worked in. So far from the ground, with only a little pot with a single, but happy, but lonely flower inside to keep you company. As you clicked on the the umpteenth spread sheet, you absentmindedly swirled the little flower around. "Hey you! What's with that look grumpy face?" Your head throbs. You turn your chair around and are greeted by the infernally grinning mug that is Linda's face.
"Just woke up wrong is all- and it's a Monday too." She lunges forward and presses her sharply manicured nails against your arm- "Well honey, I have just the perfect fix for you! Mark's just gotten home from his trip to Hawaii, and he brought back this absolutely amazing pineapple hibiscus tea; it'll cheer you up in no time!" You trudge reluctantly behind her as she leads you through the maze to the break room, fantasizing the entire time about bulging the ground underneath her so she would trip just a little on her ridiculous 5 inch fire engine red heels. *But you're fucking 12 floors off any workable dirt*, your traitorous mind murmurs.
Your pulled out of your thoughts once again by the smell of the fresh tea. Linda is still going on about some office drama that she's caught up in, but where usually you would have paid some semblance of attention out of sheer boredom, today your eyes are suddenly drawn to the liquid swirling in the cup.
It's shiny. Like metal. It's pretty, but you had a distinct feeling that whatever fancy crap Linda has put in had diluted it. Absolutely tainted the otherwise pure and smooth water. Water. Your hand reaches out as if drawn by a string, and you delicately touch the tip of your index in the middle of the gently rippling surface.
And you fall.
Into an ocean. A swirling typhoon, waves battering your very being. Niagara falls, long before it was ever named, its untamed nature echoing the harmony of the earth, the sun, the air through which the Bison had flown. Wild and eternal and fluid in its memories- it engulfs you. And then
It
Stops
And you return to a break room. A break room who's walls had been an un-tasteful blue. A break room who's walls were now coated in ice. You look down at your hand, and the tea you had submerged your finger in. It was beautiful, the way the ice has spread from inside the cup, to the water cooler, and on to the floor.
It would have been more beautiful if fucking Linda hadn't been standing there, her mouth agape. It would have been absolutely stunning if Linda's brother wasn't a part of a task force that specialized in hunting in rogue benders. It would have been amazingly awe inspiringly breath taking if you didn't just realize that you were now a fucking Avatar.
As hell began to break loose, you stare forlornly at the garishly decorated mug of sub par tea.
It had actually smelled pretty good. If only you had gotten to have a taste before becoming damn fugitive.
-FIN-?
This will probably be buried af but please let me know what you think! I tried to keep this as neutral as possible so that anyone could relate! | “I told you, you could do it,” said the man sitting in my living room across from me. I look down at the now iced-tea in front of me and ask, “Did you- ?”
“Nah, man, I’m an airbender, that ain’t my shtick,” he replied, “That was all you.”
I am in shock. At first it was the fact that the man in my house is claiming to be a member of the White Lotus, an order I thought was as much rumour as the illuminati and sasquatch, but now there is something much more shocking crossing my mind. I am the Avatar. I can barely move rocks as is, and now I’ve just realized I have to master not just earth, but fire, water, and air as well. I’m almost incapable of moving at this point.
“I know it’s a lot to process, and I know you have a lot of questions, so how about I just say a few things quick and we’ll see if what I saw can answer a few before you ask, ok?”
I nod.
“Alright, first things first, I’m Ethan, an airbender, and current member of the white lotus assigned to this Earth Kingdom county, looking for the avatar, which it seems I pulled off rather well.”
I nodded again, still coming to terms with my new discoveries.
“Eight centuries ago the governments of the world each established their own sectors instructed to find and hunt down the avatar in order to prevent them from interfering with the established order. A few of them have even tried to induce the avatar state in the avatar to try and end the cycle for good, but none have succeeded. However, they have still managed to kill the avatar before they could master all four elements.”
He stops and sips his tea, his brow furrows as if his next piece is straining him.
“The White Lotus has been trying to continue the work that Iroh and Avatar Aang started, but we don’t have the man power or funding that these other organizations have. They can have a squad of soldiers in any country in a matter of hours; things like borders and plane tickets are nothing to them. They’ve always been two steps ahead of us, until now.”
I drop the solid block of tea out of my cup and into the sink, “So this probably means I should pack what I need to be away from home for a while.”
“I’m afraid so, they’re on their way now and could arrive any minute, and we’ve got a lot of distance to cover. I’ll be teaching you airbending along the way to save some time and hopefully give you an edge on these guys. Also it’ll be the hardest for you to learn ‘cause of the earthbending background, so the more time you have at it the better. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to?”
“No I’ve always been a loner, not many friends growing up.”
“Well that’ll save some time, get packing, I’ll get the eelhound ready.”
| |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Here's my take on someone in the current era who don't even know what the avatar is:
I stared at my chai latte for at least five seconds before I could process what happened. Did I order this frozen? No… I didn’t…? I can’t waterbend!
I knew that I had earthbending abilities, but had always focused on my studies instead. Best thing my earthbending heritage ever got me was a scholarship to university as a minority; the bending arts became illegal after the Equality Act of 1997. By the time I turned eight, my tutor was fired and I was being told to practice only in secret. I got pretty decent at it but had no real-world (or legal) applications for my abilities.
So why, then, was I walking back to my books and laptop with a cup of Starbucks milky-tan ice? It didn’t matter, I decided. Class starts in an hour and I have a paper to finish.
That night, however, a swarm of questions buzzed around in my head. Isn’t only the avatar able to bend more than one element? Can some people bend two elements without being the avatar? What is the point of the avatar anyway? Every picture I’ve ever seen of the past 16 avatars, dating back to 1890, were just random children from around the world. That’s it. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about the avatar.
I headed across town to ask Marina. She was like me, a secret bender, and unlike me, a complete hippie. Didn’t even have a cell phone. I loved her anyway.
At her house I tossed a pebble towards her window, and then guided the stone to softly tap on the glass several times. Small bending like this I considered to be too commonplace to be illegal. Marina appeared at the window, and then again at the door.
“Do it again.” She slammed a pint glass down in front of me and bent beer from the bottle into it. (“Saves the carbonation,” she claims every time)
“But I… I didn’t try to do it!” I protested. She was mad.
“Well you’re gonna try this time.” And she sat down. “If I could figure out how to freeze water as a toddler I’m sure you can figure it out now… If you can do it at all. Still hoping you’re mistaken.”
I held the glass of golden beer, tried reach into that same place of energy that I do for earthbending, closed my eyes and… It was frozen.
Marina stopped mid-sip and set down her glass. She stared with ever-widening eyes. Like, really wide eyes. She was terrified.
“Anna we have to go. Up north. I have family in the Northern Water Tribe”
“But what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can do the other two elem—“
“ANNA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY KILL THE AVATARS. WE HAVE TO PACK OUR SHIT AND LEAVE.”
| Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | No one expected Republic City to take over the world. It was the smallest of the five nations. Barely even had sovereignty. Guess that doesn't matter anymore. The Fire Nation was the first to fall. The President abused his relationship with the Fire Lord in order to assassinate him. With the Fire Nation's advanced weaponry, combined with Republic City's own, the President soon made quick work of the other nations. The entire world was under the flag of The Republic.
"Wei Beifong!" A gruff voice bellowed out.
My grip tightened on my cup of tea, pretending not to hear. I hated my name. Centuries ago, the Beifong family aided the Avatar. Some ancient texts even spoke of a Beifong that was the close friend of the Avatar that helped form The Republic.
But now? Now we betray that name. We spend our lives hunting down Avatar after Avatar. Children barely old enough to bend. And in the between years, we hunt down any bender we can find. Supposedly, if we kill enough of them, the Avatar would be unable reincarnate. And for what? So our family could escape the purge? What a bunch of cowardl-
"WEI BEIFONG! YOU ARE TO REPORT TO YOUR SUPERIOR AT ONCE." The man was clearly irritated at this point. Better stop pretending. I stood up, giving him a silent nod left the building, tea in hand.
As I headed to the capitol building, my mind wandered once more. Why do we even bother anymore? An avatar hadn't shown up in over two decades. Yet still we kill. Child. Adult. Doesn't matter. If they could bend, they could be the Avatar. As the building appeared in the distance, I took another sip of my tea to try to calm my thoughts.
*Ice.*
My blood grew colder than my tea. No. This could not be. I knew full well what this meant. How long was my tea like this? Did anyone notice?
I ran. If I am lucky, they won't suspect a Beifong to be the Avatar. This could give me time. But...where will I run to? | Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Jin sat in the basement of an old warehouse wishing her tea was warmer. Everyone around her looked defeated as yet another raid had taken place in their neighborhood. The officers stormed into homes and rounded up the people to submit them to 'testing'. This time they found an infant who tested positive for waterbending. They stole him away
The goal had become to eliminate all benders from society. It started when the surrounding towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom declared their independence from Ba Sing Se. The result of this declaration was a massive civil war that ended in many deaths. In particular, it was the earth benders that were hit hardest with the casualties. They were employed extensively on both sides and by the time the war was over there simply weren't that many left to carry in the ability. As for the airbenders, well there never really have been that many of them since the Hundred Years War; and so many firebenders left the Fire Nation after that War and had children with people from other nations that firebenders simply weren't seen again for generations; water benders have always been a small group and with immigration from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to The Republic the same thing happened to them as it did the firebenders.
Nobody had anticipated that the four nations being so intermingled would result in a dilution of the bending powers. They found that individuals who would have otherwise been capable of bending were now unable because they had bending parents of different elements. Nobody can bend just *two* elements alone, so they just cancelled each other out. Because of this, it has become very uncommon for someone to have bending capabilities, and the new government in place has taken extensive measures to eliminate the few who can. The logic was much the same as Tarlok's, but far more compelling with so much fewer benders out there. Soon enough the entire council was lead by solely nonbenders. There was no voice for the benders.
Returning to the test, though, it was done by exposing the suspected benders to each of the elements and watching what happens. Simply pressing earth against an earth bender like Jin was enough to know what she was capable of. They had a tool that could measure the vibrations of the elements when in proximity to the tested. However minute, they could tell when someone had the ability to bend any of the elements. It was bad enough if they found that they could bend one element, even worse if they found that they could bend more than two. This was assumed, of course. Nobody had encountered an Avatar in 60 years. Stories spread about newborns being found with the abilities of the Avatar and simply disappearing from the hospital in the middle of the night or showing up dead the next morning. Of course, many people wanted to believe that their deceased child was the Avatar, so the story gets tossed around a lot; but there is truth to be told in these tales.
Jin was in a basement with other benders watching them practice their ancient and forbidden arts. There were 14 of them, and most were either water and fire benders. There were only two other earth benders on top of Jin. They had a single airbender friend named Tashi but he enjoyed flying his airglider at night too much, and went missing several months ago.
Jin held her cup in her hand and stared intently at the tea inside. She could see a layer of dust in it. *Probably from all the earthbending,* she thought. She looked up at her earthbending kin in the corner practicing rock lunges and thought about the eventual eradication of her people. They were 9 and 17 years old and they both had no parents. Both their parents were earthbending renegades that managed to hide their identities and have children. It was considered a capital offense and their parents died. They spent their lives in hiding with each other's families and we're both very close.
She remembered meeting her first earthbender four years ago. He taught her everything she knew. She eventually fell in love with him too, but it would never work out for them. He had been captured and tested positive for earthbending. They sterilized him to prevent him from having children and when he came back he lost much of his will to live. She remembered what he said before he left.
"Jin, what's the point?" He had just told her that he was leaving. "You and I can never have children. You *need* to have children, to carry our legacy as a people. I am no longer good for you. All I can give you now is my earthbending experience, and you already have all of it. I'm sorry about what happened, but I need to go somewhere else to train others in our sacred art." He walked away but she did not pursue him. He already knew how she felt. Jin thought from time to time about having children, but she only wanted them with him. She told him she wasnt have them with anybody else. He could only hope that she would change her mind in the future. He called her selfish for refusing to bear children with another earthbender, but she didn't care. It was her choice.
The boy and the girl were summoning earth beneath them with their feet and lunging forward. They would then turn back and lunge in the opposite direction. They repeated this back and forth to get a feel of the earth with their feet. It was an intermediate level skill to be able to bend with your feet and not just your hands, and they were both progressing nicely.
Jin's tea was still cold, and the dust was ruining the taste. She made a move to bend the dust from out of her cup and something happened that she did not expect. As she pulled the dust from out her cup the tea itself seemed to cling to the particles. She looked around to see if one of the water benders was messing with her, but they seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
She tried harder to remove the particles but every time she did the water held fast to the tiny pieces. She released the particles and lowered her hand. Her hand lowering caused a change in her tea. She felt that familiar pull as her body started to bend. The energy flowed from her hand and outward towards some bendable element. The tea grow dramatically colder and soon tiny fibrils of ice started to form on the surface. Alarmed, she threw her hand back from the cup and bended the tea out of the cup and onto the floor. She screamed.
The other benders stopped what they were doing and started to stare. "What are you doing Jin?" A fire bender asked her this. "Is everything okay?"
"Ye- yes... I just spilled my tea and it was pretty hot. Sorry." They nodded and she left the room. "I need to go rinse my hands."
She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked down at the sink and at the many water droplets on its surface. She waved her hand over them and acted like she was earth bending. The water droplets started to lift hemselves from the surface and adhere to her hand, moving up her arm. Her eyes widened in terror. *She was waterbending* | Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Her morning tea was one of the few things that helped her get through the day. The hectic, meeting filled, stress-inducing day.
The aroma from the tea was almost as relaxing as drinking it. Except for the part where tea time always coincided with briefing time.
A few quick wraps at the door announced the presence of her assistant. "Enter." she called out between sips.
"Good morning, General!" her chipper assistant entered with a stack of papers. "How are we this morning?"
"Fine fine, what's on the agenda for the day, lieutenant?"
"Well there is a briefing in thirty minutes with the other generals about the search for the avatar. They believe they have some leads, but they want everyone's input before proceeding."
"Very well. Next?" another sip of tea. The steaming cup was making this more bearable.
The lieutenant flipped through the pages on top of his stack. "At fourteen-hundred hours you have to talk to the troops from battalion B. They had a run-in with a band of wild fire benders last week and the Capitan wanted you to show them defense against fire benders. And also to practice offensives with them."
A smile came across her face."It's been forever since I've been able to practice firebending with permission. This'll be quite the treat!"
The lieutenant smiled. "Very good, ma'am. And one last bit of business..." his voice trailed off. That couldn't be good.
"You're ex-husband wants to meet with you today."
A shiver went down her spine. But took over her whole body for a moment. The cup of tea that was warming her hands so nicely was now freezing cold. That was odd. She looked down as the last wisp of steam escaped off the top and the cop was now a solid block of ice. Her eyes went wide. Firebending didn't do that..
"Major?" he asked. Taking a step closer. "Are you... Okay?" his jaw went slack. "Is that ice?"
She set the cup down and pushed it to the side of her cluttered desk. "This doesn't leave this room. Do you understand? Not a word, and that is an order."
The lieutenant just blinked a few times. Seemingly not comprehending what was unfolding before his eyes. "You're the.. Wait but.. Umm. Yes ma'am."
The major leaning back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "Is there anything else for today?"
"No, that's all for today. But you have to go to that meeting soon. You know, about finding the avatar." he frowned as he realized how ironic that was.
She peeped at him from between her fingers. "This is going to be one hell of a day isn't it."
"Yes, avatar." he nodded and turned to leave.
She groaned and let her head fall to her desk. Frozen tea to start the day. What an omen. | Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "Bender rights have been in focus this week as Senate votes to pass EARTH1, a bill that would positively define the way benders are treated in society for the first time since the last Blue Moon-"
**bang** You startle out of your zoned observation of the news, dropping your fork. As if it were a helpful golden retriever, the dirt rises from the small basin from the corner of the room and pushes the metal handle back to you, dwindling as if waiting for a confirmation of a job well done. You don't notice, as you turn to your roommate who is still cursing as he recovers from where he ran hip first into the counter.
"You believe this shit? All of this EARTH1 coverage has the 'pro bender' bleeding heart Tumblrinas going nuts- fucking idiots haven't even looked past the pretty title and realized the god awfulness of the mandatory Registration-" he pauses and shoots a quick jet of flame underneath the kettle, igniting the gas stove- "and during all this, all speculations of the appearance of the Avatar are hushed quicker than a poor fucker who posted the wrong content on Reddit."
You snort softly. "I don't know, maybe this will be a good thing," you pause, noticing the way his shoulders tense, but press on, "I wouldn't mind having to register myself if it means I can finally use my bending in public, to do some good finally, you know?" You try not to be hurt as your roommate turns, his face twisted in derision.
"So. What you're saying is that you'd rather be a collared fucking animal, a mark on your back just so you can go out there, and I don't know, rescue someone's cat from a tree or some shit?" Before you can get a word in, he collects his tea and portion of the scrambled eggs and retreats, shaking his head vigorously, sparks flying off his hair, back into his room.
Looking at the angrily closed door, you internally sigh. It was a lucky day, the day you found out that your first roommate out of college was a Bender. Some days you felt lucky, that your elements were more or less compatible, and that you had a space to practice and commune with the earth. Other days, you just down right hated his fiery ass. And still others you wonder how your small, very wood-filled flat was not a pile of burnt rubble.
"Well Sharon, thanks for the update. We will continue to keep you all posted as more new information arrives! Here's Greg with your 7:30am traffic forecas-"
*7:30 am oh fuck me* You gather your computer and jacket, with the ever helpful dirt mound pushing keys and *were those breath mints?* Into your pocket. In your rush you pause to look down at the now small bump of earth- "For the last time I'm not asking Jordan out today or ever, stop pushing the damn mints on me." It ripples slightly, and you feel a little ridiculous as you're essentially trying to convince yourself. The headache from the moment you turned the TV on this morning builds a little more, and you fumble your way grumpily out the door.
-
The ride to work was an uneventful one. You filled in a few potholes stealthily, but there wasn't much infrastructure along the route that you had a chance to change.
You hated your little cubicle on the 12th floor of the shiny stainless steel office you worked in. So far from the ground, with only a little pot with a single, but happy, but lonely flower inside to keep you company. As you clicked on the the umpteenth spread sheet, you absentmindedly swirled the little flower around. "Hey you! What's with that look grumpy face?" Your head throbs. You turn your chair around and are greeted by the infernally grinning mug that is Linda's face.
"Just woke up wrong is all- and it's a Monday too." She lunges forward and presses her sharply manicured nails against your arm- "Well honey, I have just the perfect fix for you! Mark's just gotten home from his trip to Hawaii, and he brought back this absolutely amazing pineapple hibiscus tea; it'll cheer you up in no time!" You trudge reluctantly behind her as she leads you through the maze to the break room, fantasizing the entire time about bulging the ground underneath her so she would trip just a little on her ridiculous 5 inch fire engine red heels. *But you're fucking 12 floors off any workable dirt*, your traitorous mind murmurs.
Your pulled out of your thoughts once again by the smell of the fresh tea. Linda is still going on about some office drama that she's caught up in, but where usually you would have paid some semblance of attention out of sheer boredom, today your eyes are suddenly drawn to the liquid swirling in the cup.
It's shiny. Like metal. It's pretty, but you had a distinct feeling that whatever fancy crap Linda has put in had diluted it. Absolutely tainted the otherwise pure and smooth water. Water. Your hand reaches out as if drawn by a string, and you delicately touch the tip of your index in the middle of the gently rippling surface.
And you fall.
Into an ocean. A swirling typhoon, waves battering your very being. Niagara falls, long before it was ever named, its untamed nature echoing the harmony of the earth, the sun, the air through which the Bison had flown. Wild and eternal and fluid in its memories- it engulfs you. And then
It
Stops
And you return to a break room. A break room who's walls had been an un-tasteful blue. A break room who's walls were now coated in ice. You look down at your hand, and the tea you had submerged your finger in. It was beautiful, the way the ice has spread from inside the cup, to the water cooler, and on to the floor.
It would have been more beautiful if fucking Linda hadn't been standing there, her mouth agape. It would have been absolutely stunning if Linda's brother wasn't a part of a task force that specialized in hunting in rogue benders. It would have been amazingly awe inspiringly breath taking if you didn't just realize that you were now a fucking Avatar.
As hell began to break loose, you stare forlornly at the garishly decorated mug of sub par tea.
It had actually smelled pretty good. If only you had gotten to have a taste before becoming damn fugitive.
-FIN-?
This will probably be buried af but please let me know what you think! I tried to keep this as neutral as possible so that anyone could relate! | Fuck. The murky block of tea spun on top of the table, almost as fast as the flurry of damning thoughts in my head. I quickly threw it inside one of the deep pockets of my trench coat, and hung my head low, almost like a dog trying to hide its ill-received deeds. After what seemed like eternity, I mustered the courage to raise my head once more. My hands trembled, as I pretended to take sips from the now empty cup, my gaze quickly shifting between customers, scanning for any witnesses. Apart from the family of four, an old couple, and a lone junky, the dim lit diner was pretty much empty.
"Can I get you anything else hun'?" A soft voice shattered my concentration, tightening every muscle in my body.
"The tab please, and that will be all miss" I replied, it took every muscle in my face to come up with the most natural smile I could think of Biting my tongue as way to calm myself and not bring the entire establishment down. She smiled back, her hair was fire, wild and red, her dark skin only accentuated her enthralling beauty. "Here ya go; be sure to come back again, ya hear?." She winked, putting the tip inside her shirt and walked away.
As the jukebox skipped songs, I grew more and more confident in the idea that no one actually saw what had happened. I got up and made my way to the bathroom, my hand gripping the block of ice tightly inside my pocket. i made sure to check every stall cautiously, before discarding it inside one of the toilets, not before I locked the stall door. I pull back my sleeve, revealing the incision I previously self inflicted to do away with the element monitoring chip on my forearm, if I don't take care of it it's gonna get infected. As I'm finishing redressing the wound, the bathroom door swung open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Hunters, but how, how did they find me? The monitoring chip was long gone. Someone had to tip them off, Who was it? The junkie? The family? The waitress? It doesn't matter. I pulled my hands out my pocket slowly and raised them up high, slightly opening one in the process. Three pebbles darted from my hand, two went into his heart and the other into his skull. His body fell motionless unto the tile floor. The radio strapped to his shoulder crackled with static.
"604 kitchen clear, confirm current situation. Over."
"604, do you read me?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get out. I searched the windowless room for a way to sneak out, but it turned out fruitless. Fuck it, I'm breaking my way through. As I turned, before me stood a guard very similar to the one I had just taken out, only this one had already drawn his weapon, some sort of rifle, aimed at my head.
"W-Wait" I mumbled. My eyes searched the room, a dead body, a mound of bloody bandages by the sink...Suddenly a blanket of liquid flew from the stall and a ball of swirling yellowish water formed around his head. His hands grasped at his throat until finally giving up. His body tumbling next to his partner's in a pool of sewage.
"We need to get you out of here Avatar, come with me." The waitress demanded, and so I followed. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Here's my take on someone in the current era who don't even know what the avatar is:
I stared at my chai latte for at least five seconds before I could process what happened. Did I order this frozen? No… I didn’t…? I can’t waterbend!
I knew that I had earthbending abilities, but had always focused on my studies instead. Best thing my earthbending heritage ever got me was a scholarship to university as a minority; the bending arts became illegal after the Equality Act of 1997. By the time I turned eight, my tutor was fired and I was being told to practice only in secret. I got pretty decent at it but had no real-world (or legal) applications for my abilities.
So why, then, was I walking back to my books and laptop with a cup of Starbucks milky-tan ice? It didn’t matter, I decided. Class starts in an hour and I have a paper to finish.
That night, however, a swarm of questions buzzed around in my head. Isn’t only the avatar able to bend more than one element? Can some people bend two elements without being the avatar? What is the point of the avatar anyway? Every picture I’ve ever seen of the past 16 avatars, dating back to 1890, were just random children from around the world. That’s it. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about the avatar.
I headed across town to ask Marina. She was like me, a secret bender, and unlike me, a complete hippie. Didn’t even have a cell phone. I loved her anyway.
At her house I tossed a pebble towards her window, and then guided the stone to softly tap on the glass several times. Small bending like this I considered to be too commonplace to be illegal. Marina appeared at the window, and then again at the door.
“Do it again.” She slammed a pint glass down in front of me and bent beer from the bottle into it. (“Saves the carbonation,” she claims every time)
“But I… I didn’t try to do it!” I protested. She was mad.
“Well you’re gonna try this time.” And she sat down. “If I could figure out how to freeze water as a toddler I’m sure you can figure it out now… If you can do it at all. Still hoping you’re mistaken.”
I held the glass of golden beer, tried reach into that same place of energy that I do for earthbending, closed my eyes and… It was frozen.
Marina stopped mid-sip and set down her glass. She stared with ever-widening eyes. Like, really wide eyes. She was terrified.
“Anna we have to go. Up north. I have family in the Northern Water Tribe”
“But what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can do the other two elem—“
“ANNA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY KILL THE AVATARS. WE HAVE TO PACK OUR SHIT AND LEAVE.”
| As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | No one expected Republic City to take over the world. It was the smallest of the five nations. Barely even had sovereignty. Guess that doesn't matter anymore. The Fire Nation was the first to fall. The President abused his relationship with the Fire Lord in order to assassinate him. With the Fire Nation's advanced weaponry, combined with Republic City's own, the President soon made quick work of the other nations. The entire world was under the flag of The Republic.
"Wei Beifong!" A gruff voice bellowed out.
My grip tightened on my cup of tea, pretending not to hear. I hated my name. Centuries ago, the Beifong family aided the Avatar. Some ancient texts even spoke of a Beifong that was the close friend of the Avatar that helped form The Republic.
But now? Now we betray that name. We spend our lives hunting down Avatar after Avatar. Children barely old enough to bend. And in the between years, we hunt down any bender we can find. Supposedly, if we kill enough of them, the Avatar would be unable reincarnate. And for what? So our family could escape the purge? What a bunch of cowardl-
"WEI BEIFONG! YOU ARE TO REPORT TO YOUR SUPERIOR AT ONCE." The man was clearly irritated at this point. Better stop pretending. I stood up, giving him a silent nod left the building, tea in hand.
As I headed to the capitol building, my mind wandered once more. Why do we even bother anymore? An avatar hadn't shown up in over two decades. Yet still we kill. Child. Adult. Doesn't matter. If they could bend, they could be the Avatar. As the building appeared in the distance, I took another sip of my tea to try to calm my thoughts.
*Ice.*
My blood grew colder than my tea. No. This could not be. I knew full well what this meant. How long was my tea like this? Did anyone notice?
I ran. If I am lucky, they won't suspect a Beifong to be the Avatar. This could give me time. But...where will I run to? | As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Jin sat in the basement of an old warehouse wishing her tea was warmer. Everyone around her looked defeated as yet another raid had taken place in their neighborhood. The officers stormed into homes and rounded up the people to submit them to 'testing'. This time they found an infant who tested positive for waterbending. They stole him away
The goal had become to eliminate all benders from society. It started when the surrounding towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom declared their independence from Ba Sing Se. The result of this declaration was a massive civil war that ended in many deaths. In particular, it was the earth benders that were hit hardest with the casualties. They were employed extensively on both sides and by the time the war was over there simply weren't that many left to carry in the ability. As for the airbenders, well there never really have been that many of them since the Hundred Years War; and so many firebenders left the Fire Nation after that War and had children with people from other nations that firebenders simply weren't seen again for generations; water benders have always been a small group and with immigration from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to The Republic the same thing happened to them as it did the firebenders.
Nobody had anticipated that the four nations being so intermingled would result in a dilution of the bending powers. They found that individuals who would have otherwise been capable of bending were now unable because they had bending parents of different elements. Nobody can bend just *two* elements alone, so they just cancelled each other out. Because of this, it has become very uncommon for someone to have bending capabilities, and the new government in place has taken extensive measures to eliminate the few who can. The logic was much the same as Tarlok's, but far more compelling with so much fewer benders out there. Soon enough the entire council was lead by solely nonbenders. There was no voice for the benders.
Returning to the test, though, it was done by exposing the suspected benders to each of the elements and watching what happens. Simply pressing earth against an earth bender like Jin was enough to know what she was capable of. They had a tool that could measure the vibrations of the elements when in proximity to the tested. However minute, they could tell when someone had the ability to bend any of the elements. It was bad enough if they found that they could bend one element, even worse if they found that they could bend more than two. This was assumed, of course. Nobody had encountered an Avatar in 60 years. Stories spread about newborns being found with the abilities of the Avatar and simply disappearing from the hospital in the middle of the night or showing up dead the next morning. Of course, many people wanted to believe that their deceased child was the Avatar, so the story gets tossed around a lot; but there is truth to be told in these tales.
Jin was in a basement with other benders watching them practice their ancient and forbidden arts. There were 14 of them, and most were either water and fire benders. There were only two other earth benders on top of Jin. They had a single airbender friend named Tashi but he enjoyed flying his airglider at night too much, and went missing several months ago.
Jin held her cup in her hand and stared intently at the tea inside. She could see a layer of dust in it. *Probably from all the earthbending,* she thought. She looked up at her earthbending kin in the corner practicing rock lunges and thought about the eventual eradication of her people. They were 9 and 17 years old and they both had no parents. Both their parents were earthbending renegades that managed to hide their identities and have children. It was considered a capital offense and their parents died. They spent their lives in hiding with each other's families and we're both very close.
She remembered meeting her first earthbender four years ago. He taught her everything she knew. She eventually fell in love with him too, but it would never work out for them. He had been captured and tested positive for earthbending. They sterilized him to prevent him from having children and when he came back he lost much of his will to live. She remembered what he said before he left.
"Jin, what's the point?" He had just told her that he was leaving. "You and I can never have children. You *need* to have children, to carry our legacy as a people. I am no longer good for you. All I can give you now is my earthbending experience, and you already have all of it. I'm sorry about what happened, but I need to go somewhere else to train others in our sacred art." He walked away but she did not pursue him. He already knew how she felt. Jin thought from time to time about having children, but she only wanted them with him. She told him she wasnt have them with anybody else. He could only hope that she would change her mind in the future. He called her selfish for refusing to bear children with another earthbender, but she didn't care. It was her choice.
The boy and the girl were summoning earth beneath them with their feet and lunging forward. They would then turn back and lunge in the opposite direction. They repeated this back and forth to get a feel of the earth with their feet. It was an intermediate level skill to be able to bend with your feet and not just your hands, and they were both progressing nicely.
Jin's tea was still cold, and the dust was ruining the taste. She made a move to bend the dust from out of her cup and something happened that she did not expect. As she pulled the dust from out her cup the tea itself seemed to cling to the particles. She looked around to see if one of the water benders was messing with her, but they seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
She tried harder to remove the particles but every time she did the water held fast to the tiny pieces. She released the particles and lowered her hand. Her hand lowering caused a change in her tea. She felt that familiar pull as her body started to bend. The energy flowed from her hand and outward towards some bendable element. The tea grow dramatically colder and soon tiny fibrils of ice started to form on the surface. Alarmed, she threw her hand back from the cup and bended the tea out of the cup and onto the floor. She screamed.
The other benders stopped what they were doing and started to stare. "What are you doing Jin?" A fire bender asked her this. "Is everything okay?"
"Ye- yes... I just spilled my tea and it was pretty hot. Sorry." They nodded and she left the room. "I need to go rinse my hands."
She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked down at the sink and at the many water droplets on its surface. She waved her hand over them and acted like she was earth bending. The water droplets started to lift hemselves from the surface and adhere to her hand, moving up her arm. Her eyes widened in terror. *She was waterbending* | As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Her morning tea was one of the few things that helped her get through the day. The hectic, meeting filled, stress-inducing day.
The aroma from the tea was almost as relaxing as drinking it. Except for the part where tea time always coincided with briefing time.
A few quick wraps at the door announced the presence of her assistant. "Enter." she called out between sips.
"Good morning, General!" her chipper assistant entered with a stack of papers. "How are we this morning?"
"Fine fine, what's on the agenda for the day, lieutenant?"
"Well there is a briefing in thirty minutes with the other generals about the search for the avatar. They believe they have some leads, but they want everyone's input before proceeding."
"Very well. Next?" another sip of tea. The steaming cup was making this more bearable.
The lieutenant flipped through the pages on top of his stack. "At fourteen-hundred hours you have to talk to the troops from battalion B. They had a run-in with a band of wild fire benders last week and the Capitan wanted you to show them defense against fire benders. And also to practice offensives with them."
A smile came across her face."It's been forever since I've been able to practice firebending with permission. This'll be quite the treat!"
The lieutenant smiled. "Very good, ma'am. And one last bit of business..." his voice trailed off. That couldn't be good.
"You're ex-husband wants to meet with you today."
A shiver went down her spine. But took over her whole body for a moment. The cup of tea that was warming her hands so nicely was now freezing cold. That was odd. She looked down as the last wisp of steam escaped off the top and the cop was now a solid block of ice. Her eyes went wide. Firebending didn't do that..
"Major?" he asked. Taking a step closer. "Are you... Okay?" his jaw went slack. "Is that ice?"
She set the cup down and pushed it to the side of her cluttered desk. "This doesn't leave this room. Do you understand? Not a word, and that is an order."
The lieutenant just blinked a few times. Seemingly not comprehending what was unfolding before his eyes. "You're the.. Wait but.. Umm. Yes ma'am."
The major leaning back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "Is there anything else for today?"
"No, that's all for today. But you have to go to that meeting soon. You know, about finding the avatar." he frowned as he realized how ironic that was.
She peeped at him from between her fingers. "This is going to be one hell of a day isn't it."
"Yes, avatar." he nodded and turned to leave.
She groaned and let her head fall to her desk. Frozen tea to start the day. What an omen. | As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "Bender rights have been in focus this week as Senate votes to pass EARTH1, a bill that would positively define the way benders are treated in society for the first time since the last Blue Moon-"
**bang** You startle out of your zoned observation of the news, dropping your fork. As if it were a helpful golden retriever, the dirt rises from the small basin from the corner of the room and pushes the metal handle back to you, dwindling as if waiting for a confirmation of a job well done. You don't notice, as you turn to your roommate who is still cursing as he recovers from where he ran hip first into the counter.
"You believe this shit? All of this EARTH1 coverage has the 'pro bender' bleeding heart Tumblrinas going nuts- fucking idiots haven't even looked past the pretty title and realized the god awfulness of the mandatory Registration-" he pauses and shoots a quick jet of flame underneath the kettle, igniting the gas stove- "and during all this, all speculations of the appearance of the Avatar are hushed quicker than a poor fucker who posted the wrong content on Reddit."
You snort softly. "I don't know, maybe this will be a good thing," you pause, noticing the way his shoulders tense, but press on, "I wouldn't mind having to register myself if it means I can finally use my bending in public, to do some good finally, you know?" You try not to be hurt as your roommate turns, his face twisted in derision.
"So. What you're saying is that you'd rather be a collared fucking animal, a mark on your back just so you can go out there, and I don't know, rescue someone's cat from a tree or some shit?" Before you can get a word in, he collects his tea and portion of the scrambled eggs and retreats, shaking his head vigorously, sparks flying off his hair, back into his room.
Looking at the angrily closed door, you internally sigh. It was a lucky day, the day you found out that your first roommate out of college was a Bender. Some days you felt lucky, that your elements were more or less compatible, and that you had a space to practice and commune with the earth. Other days, you just down right hated his fiery ass. And still others you wonder how your small, very wood-filled flat was not a pile of burnt rubble.
"Well Sharon, thanks for the update. We will continue to keep you all posted as more new information arrives! Here's Greg with your 7:30am traffic forecas-"
*7:30 am oh fuck me* You gather your computer and jacket, with the ever helpful dirt mound pushing keys and *were those breath mints?* Into your pocket. In your rush you pause to look down at the now small bump of earth- "For the last time I'm not asking Jordan out today or ever, stop pushing the damn mints on me." It ripples slightly, and you feel a little ridiculous as you're essentially trying to convince yourself. The headache from the moment you turned the TV on this morning builds a little more, and you fumble your way grumpily out the door.
-
The ride to work was an uneventful one. You filled in a few potholes stealthily, but there wasn't much infrastructure along the route that you had a chance to change.
You hated your little cubicle on the 12th floor of the shiny stainless steel office you worked in. So far from the ground, with only a little pot with a single, but happy, but lonely flower inside to keep you company. As you clicked on the the umpteenth spread sheet, you absentmindedly swirled the little flower around. "Hey you! What's with that look grumpy face?" Your head throbs. You turn your chair around and are greeted by the infernally grinning mug that is Linda's face.
"Just woke up wrong is all- and it's a Monday too." She lunges forward and presses her sharply manicured nails against your arm- "Well honey, I have just the perfect fix for you! Mark's just gotten home from his trip to Hawaii, and he brought back this absolutely amazing pineapple hibiscus tea; it'll cheer you up in no time!" You trudge reluctantly behind her as she leads you through the maze to the break room, fantasizing the entire time about bulging the ground underneath her so she would trip just a little on her ridiculous 5 inch fire engine red heels. *But you're fucking 12 floors off any workable dirt*, your traitorous mind murmurs.
Your pulled out of your thoughts once again by the smell of the fresh tea. Linda is still going on about some office drama that she's caught up in, but where usually you would have paid some semblance of attention out of sheer boredom, today your eyes are suddenly drawn to the liquid swirling in the cup.
It's shiny. Like metal. It's pretty, but you had a distinct feeling that whatever fancy crap Linda has put in had diluted it. Absolutely tainted the otherwise pure and smooth water. Water. Your hand reaches out as if drawn by a string, and you delicately touch the tip of your index in the middle of the gently rippling surface.
And you fall.
Into an ocean. A swirling typhoon, waves battering your very being. Niagara falls, long before it was ever named, its untamed nature echoing the harmony of the earth, the sun, the air through which the Bison had flown. Wild and eternal and fluid in its memories- it engulfs you. And then
It
Stops
And you return to a break room. A break room who's walls had been an un-tasteful blue. A break room who's walls were now coated in ice. You look down at your hand, and the tea you had submerged your finger in. It was beautiful, the way the ice has spread from inside the cup, to the water cooler, and on to the floor.
It would have been more beautiful if fucking Linda hadn't been standing there, her mouth agape. It would have been absolutely stunning if Linda's brother wasn't a part of a task force that specialized in hunting in rogue benders. It would have been amazingly awe inspiringly breath taking if you didn't just realize that you were now a fucking Avatar.
As hell began to break loose, you stare forlornly at the garishly decorated mug of sub par tea.
It had actually smelled pretty good. If only you had gotten to have a taste before becoming damn fugitive.
-FIN-?
This will probably be buried af but please let me know what you think! I tried to keep this as neutral as possible so that anyone could relate! | As I looked at the frozen liquid in my tea cup I knew what it meant. *I was the Avatar, ruler of all elements, bridge between the earth and the spirit world.* I remembered the stories about the old days where worlds were destroyed by the tyranny of benders. How all Avatars, for better or worst changed the world. How many people admired them and went after them in the hopes of a better life. How many people hated how they bent destiny at their will and went after them searching for justice. So. Many. People.
And I hate dealing with people.
Like really hate, despise dealing with people. Don't ask me how it got to me with all that cycle of souls mumbo-jumbo Avatar's are supposed to have. There must have been some kind of mistake I am sure, some bad link, and it's not like I am particularly proud of that. But honestly do I have to be a people person? Do I even have to tell anyone, in the name of my destiny, that I am the Avatar? Especially if the government is specifically looking for the Avatar and trying to kill him. Sure it looks like it they are the Evil overlords. All lives are important. And they are. But you know, to be honest I sorta get them, I mean the existence of Avatars is usually connected to a shit load of problems and social insecurity. You should see the stock values going down the last time the Avatar started gaining real power. And we all know what happened next. It might sound a little self deprecating considering I am kind of talking about my soul here but things just tend to get complicated. So much drama.
So slowly I focused in the cup and slowly the tea started to melt. I ain't dealing with no ones shit but my own. Seated down, turned my computer back on and faced the guy sitting next to me. "Nigel, I finished filling the income tax return form. Has the company sent in more data?"
Yup, life is good. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Here's my take on someone in the current era who don't even know what the avatar is:
I stared at my chai latte for at least five seconds before I could process what happened. Did I order this frozen? No… I didn’t…? I can’t waterbend!
I knew that I had earthbending abilities, but had always focused on my studies instead. Best thing my earthbending heritage ever got me was a scholarship to university as a minority; the bending arts became illegal after the Equality Act of 1997. By the time I turned eight, my tutor was fired and I was being told to practice only in secret. I got pretty decent at it but had no real-world (or legal) applications for my abilities.
So why, then, was I walking back to my books and laptop with a cup of Starbucks milky-tan ice? It didn’t matter, I decided. Class starts in an hour and I have a paper to finish.
That night, however, a swarm of questions buzzed around in my head. Isn’t only the avatar able to bend more than one element? Can some people bend two elements without being the avatar? What is the point of the avatar anyway? Every picture I’ve ever seen of the past 16 avatars, dating back to 1890, were just random children from around the world. That’s it. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about the avatar.
I headed across town to ask Marina. She was like me, a secret bender, and unlike me, a complete hippie. Didn’t even have a cell phone. I loved her anyway.
At her house I tossed a pebble towards her window, and then guided the stone to softly tap on the glass several times. Small bending like this I considered to be too commonplace to be illegal. Marina appeared at the window, and then again at the door.
“Do it again.” She slammed a pint glass down in front of me and bent beer from the bottle into it. (“Saves the carbonation,” she claims every time)
“But I… I didn’t try to do it!” I protested. She was mad.
“Well you’re gonna try this time.” And she sat down. “If I could figure out how to freeze water as a toddler I’m sure you can figure it out now… If you can do it at all. Still hoping you’re mistaken.”
I held the glass of golden beer, tried reach into that same place of energy that I do for earthbending, closed my eyes and… It was frozen.
Marina stopped mid-sip and set down her glass. She stared with ever-widening eyes. Like, really wide eyes. She was terrified.
“Anna we have to go. Up north. I have family in the Northern Water Tribe”
“But what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can do the other two elem—“
“ANNA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY KILL THE AVATARS. WE HAVE TO PACK OUR SHIT AND LEAVE.”
| For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Len sketched on his notebook, oblivious to the world around him as he wandered through the busy streets. He couldn't seem to get the shadows right. Ba Sing Se wasn't this... flat. Or jagged. Then again, this was *his* world. *His* drawing. If Len wanted Ba Sing Se to look like this in his work, he was free to leave it that way. It was the whole point of making art. The creative license to do whatever he wanted. Len frowned. That still wasn't an excuse for shoddy craftsmanship. He didn't need recreate every detail of the view; he just needed to evoke the same feelings he felt when he first saw it, which he was currently failing at with every draft.
Len crashed into something hard.
A large, burly guard loomed over him, frowning. "Watch where you're going."
Len looked away. "S-sorry."
"Look at me when you apologize." The guard grabbed Len's head, turned it, and made eye-contact with him. "You just assaulted an officer, kid. Sorry isn't going to cut it. I need... reparations for the armor you just scratched."
"N-no, I... I... I..."
The guard arched an eyebrow. "Those clothes..." He spat. "Of course. You don't belong to the upper ring."
"I... I have permission!"
The guard slapped Len. "Know your place, urchin. You don't get to shout at your betters. Now show me your passport!"
Len reached for his pocket, tensing his shoulders and widening his eyes. It was empty. He checked his other pocket. Nothing in it either. The guard furrowed his brow. Len started sweating. Where was it? A crowd began to gather around them. Some sneered at Len, others scowled and murmured among themselves.
The guard grew more impatient every second. He wouldn't hear Len out or check his story. Heck, if he found out Len was in the upper ring for his Earthbending lessons, he might get into even *more* trouble. Benders were hated by everyone. Len never understood why, though. It had been this way long before he was born. The fact that he lived in the lower ring only made things worse. He wouldn't get fair treatment. He was the one thing society hated more than a bender, he was a *poor* bender.
No other choice. No one would help him. Len needed to run away.
Except he couldn't. His knees were weak and frozen. The guard's increasingly furious glare intimidated Len too much.
"That's it." The guard pulled Len by his arm. "You're coming with me."
"Len!" shouted a girl.
It was Okila, a delicate teenager, the same age as Len, with light-brown skin, green eyes, and jet-black hair tied in a neat bun. She pushed through the crowd, waving a piece of paper and saying:
"You left your passport at the dojo!"
Len relaxed, staring at the ground. "Thank you."
"Let me see that" said the guard.
Okila handed him the passport, smiling.
The guard scanned it with his eyes, sighed, and handed it back to Len. "You're free to go." He faced the crowd. "This isn't a show, people. Move along!" He frowned at Len. "Scram, kid. Before I change my mind."
Len nodded quickly and left as fast as he could.
"You need to be more mindful" said Okila, walking next to him. "You got lucky this time. If I hadn't noticed the crowd, you'd probably be in jail right now."
"R-right. Sorry."
Okila rolled her eyes. "And stop being so apologetic. If you'd been more confident, the guard wouldn't have picked on you."
"It wasn't on purpose, okay?" Len pulled out his notebook and focused on his drawing again. "I just forgot."
"You never forget your notebook, though."
"Because it's important."
"And your passport isn't?"
"Okila, what do you want from me? I promise I'll make an effort to be less forgetful. Happy?"
"Barely. What are you even doing here? I thought you were heading back to the lower ring."
"I'm just taking a small detour before leaving."
"Really? Where?"
"To the Jasmine Dragon."
"Ohhh I love it there! Strange. You never struck me as a 'tea-guy'."
"Your intuition was correct, tea's just overpriced, boiled water with little to no flavor. I just need to see the view from there again. I've been trying to draw it, but I keep messing it up."
Okila frowned. "I'm gonna ignore your comment about tea." She perked up. "Can you show me what you've drawn so far?"
"I... I'd rather not."
"What? Why?"
"It's a messy work in progress. Too embarrassing."
"So this is how you repay me for saving your butt..." Okila crossed her arms, raising her chin with indignation. "I should've just let you get jailed."
"N-no! It's not that..."
Okila pouted.
"Fine." Len flipped around his notebook, showing Okila his drawing. "Here."
Okila widened her eyes. "This is amazing Len!"
Len sighed. "It isn't."
"Yes it is!"
"You only think that way because you don't know much about drawing. I can't outline the city correctly, it's too... pointy, and don't even get me started on the shadows. Ugh. I hate it."
"You're wrong, Len. But I guess that's your problem, not mine."
They both fell silent as they continued walking. Len stared at his notebook, but every other minute peeked at Okila with the corner of his eye. Why was she still with him? He wanted to be alone. People drained him, specially those loud and energetic like Okila. But he couldn't just tell her to leave. She'd probably feel offended. And after she'd helped him out, it'd be very ungrateful on his part to do so. Still, it felt weird to hang out with her outside of the dojo. Okila was his Earthbending classmate and granddaughter of their master, Hasho Beifong. He'd in big trouble if he hurt Okila's feelings.
The longer they were quiet, the more awkward Len felt. Was he supposed to say something? No, he'd just make the situation worse if he opened his mouth. Like always.
Soon enough, they reached two separate, broad stone steps that lead up to the store. A weird guy near the bottom of the staircase sold cabbages with an enthusiastic disposition. He seemed awfully defensive of his produce though, often glaring at anyone who walked too close his cart without his permission. Strange. At the top of the stairs, a neatly paved patio stood in front of the tea shop. It had a large, rectangular fountain with a statue in the center and wooden benches that faced towards the panoramic view over the city, which extended for miles into the horizon. The city walls weren't even visible from this distance!
"You stay here," said Okila, "I'm gonna go get us a table."
"What? Okila, I can't-"
"Don't worry." Oklia smiled, tilting her head a bit. "It's my treat."
"But-"
"No buts! As friend and classmate, it is my duty to educate you on the beauty of tea. I simply can't associate with someone who doesn't appreciate it."
"Fine..."
Okila nodded and went into the store. Len then turned towards the city, leaned over the railing, and brought out his notebook. The colorful sunset tinted the view orange, shimmering brightly on the many skyscrapers built of metal. Most of the upper and middle ring was full of buildings like that, but the lower district was still mostly constructed of stone. Len frowned. Of course the drawing was garbage. He'd been drawing a street that didn't exist! And the spires atop the skyscrapers were triangular at the top, but not as pointy as he made them. More importantly, Len managed to spot which shadows he'd gotten wrong, which was... most of them. He'd have to start from scratch again, but at least he knew how to approach it now.
"Len!" said Okila from across the patio. "Our tea's ready!"
"Be there in a sec'!"
Len took one last look at the city and went inside.
------
------
Continued in a comment below.
| For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | “You want us to capture her?”
“We’re playing a game of paracat and meadow vole here, but every time the vole dies it comes back to life and once it escapes we lose. Forever. And, to be perfectly fucking honest, the emotional toll of killing kids and their entire families every few years is starting to catch up with me.”
“Well how do you expect us to *capture* her? Politely ask the parents if we can indoctrinate their daughter into our authoritarian regime? People don’t like us. They fear us. Every few years there’s another small uprising somewhere, and we have to go kill a few hundred more until people are afraid of dying again.”
“...Tell me, Freize, have you ever heard of Lake Laogai?”
“No, I can’t say that I have.”
“Well... back when... *he* was around, Ba Sing Se-that is, old Ba Sing Se-wasn’t exactly led by the king. It was pretty similar to what we had going, and they had a strange technique to keep their people under wraps. We don’t know a lot about it today, but what we do know is that when people went through this...conditioning...they could have their memories altered, entire years of their life wiped and replaced.”
“Wait, is what you’re proposing to me that we actually just make everyone think they love it here with some weird ancient magic? How are we going to get everyone to let this happen to them? Do we even know how to do this? Would it ever-“
“Just wait for me to finish, okay? Then you can complain as much as you want. I don’t think we could, by any means, keep everyone in the world brainwashed like this. I do, however, think if we can do this to the Avatar-“
“How?! How will we do this hoc-“
“I said wait! Man, just wait for me to finish. R&D central was able to synthesize a drug that can do the same job. It’s expensive, it’s difficult, but we have a working sample and that’s all it will take. We kill the family and friends, take the kid, give her the drug, and then she’s on our leash.”
“...Well... what do we do after that?”
“After that...? After that, we sit back and watch the show.” | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | No one expected Republic City to take over the world. It was the smallest of the five nations. Barely even had sovereignty. Guess that doesn't matter anymore. The Fire Nation was the first to fall. The President abused his relationship with the Fire Lord in order to assassinate him. With the Fire Nation's advanced weaponry, combined with Republic City's own, the President soon made quick work of the other nations. The entire world was under the flag of The Republic.
"Wei Beifong!" A gruff voice bellowed out.
My grip tightened on my cup of tea, pretending not to hear. I hated my name. Centuries ago, the Beifong family aided the Avatar. Some ancient texts even spoke of a Beifong that was the close friend of the Avatar that helped form The Republic.
But now? Now we betray that name. We spend our lives hunting down Avatar after Avatar. Children barely old enough to bend. And in the between years, we hunt down any bender we can find. Supposedly, if we kill enough of them, the Avatar would be unable reincarnate. And for what? So our family could escape the purge? What a bunch of cowardl-
"WEI BEIFONG! YOU ARE TO REPORT TO YOUR SUPERIOR AT ONCE." The man was clearly irritated at this point. Better stop pretending. I stood up, giving him a silent nod left the building, tea in hand.
As I headed to the capitol building, my mind wandered once more. Why do we even bother anymore? An avatar hadn't shown up in over two decades. Yet still we kill. Child. Adult. Doesn't matter. If they could bend, they could be the Avatar. As the building appeared in the distance, I took another sip of my tea to try to calm my thoughts.
*Ice.*
My blood grew colder than my tea. No. This could not be. I knew full well what this meant. How long was my tea like this? Did anyone notice?
I ran. If I am lucky, they won't suspect a Beifong to be the Avatar. This could give me time. But...where will I run to? | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | A chill fell over the room; more of a tingling electrical shock working through every nerve in my arms, rather than a chill from a cold breeze of a door left ajar. A chill I had only felt once before in my life.
"Odd," I think to myself. Placing my newspaper on the warm oak of the coffee table I take my first sip of my morning tea, chamomile. Thought the tea inside is steaming, releasing the soft, warming aroma of the brew, the cup feels cool to the touch. I first blame this on my raynaud's, a trait that many of the few benders left seem to have in common and living in Northeast sure didn't help, but the woods that bordered by home gave me a secluded place to help practice my Earthbending.
As I pull the cup to my lips, I close my eyes, expecting to feel the warmth of the steam as the aroma overcame my senses and the tea warmed my core. What happened then changed my life. The tea had frozen solid.
"This can't be happening!", my mind screams. I walk through the living room, my pace audible through the echo of the hardwood and vaulted ceiling to the kitchen. As I pass the fireplace, I feel no heat from the fire. I raise my hand to the fire, facing my palm directly into the flames. My reflexes pull my hand back, but the fire trails. As I raise both palms to the fire, I close my eyes, take a deep breath, swallowing my fear of what is happening to me and as i open my eyes, the fire roared, scorching the hardwood a few feet away, and setting my robe ablaze.
After I extinguish my robe and pour a fresh cup of tea, my mind starts to race. I think back to my parents; they always knew there was something different about me since I was young. I start to hear my father speaking to me, "Remember Jack, power comes from control; once fear sets in, power can take over."My father was one of the last Firebenders in New York before the AB laws passed.
The anti-bending society passed legislation that led to the execution of hundreds of benders. They were seen as a danger to society due to their supernatural abilities. Most people feared the benders, but it wasn't unusual to walk into a bar and see a Waterbender mixing drinks.
Though, there were some who abused their power. Airbenders who would (quite literally) take your breath away, Waterbenders who would drown people in their own homes, Earthbenders causing massive rock slides, and Firebenders starting massive wildfires wreaking havoc.
After the AB laws passed, benders were taken from their homes and places of work, placed in confinement, and were executed. "You are never to tell anyone of your powers, Jack," my father said, a look of worry on his face that in 16 years I had never seen. Minutes later a fleet of SWAT had arrived. Busting down the door, I watched from the stairs as they took my father. In his eyes I saw fear, and in that moment, he lost control. A bright fire burned, engulfing his hands, beyond his control. I watched as the fire spread from the furniture, to the curtains, and to the walls. Suddenly, a stream of water flows into the room, extinguishing the flames. A figure walks into the room. My mother stands silent, submitting herself.
"My mother can't be a bender!" I screamed internally. She always seemed to have a distaste to bending, and made my father promise to not use it in the house, but I had no idea she was a bender herself.
"Jack, take care of yourself. We're not going to fight this." The last words my mother ever spoke to me.
The SWAT team left with my parents and declared me an emancipated minor. All of my parents' assets would be transferred to me and I could do as I wish. I didn't know where I was going to go, but I knew it was going to be somewhere that my powers could never hurt anyone. Little did I know that in my own little slice of heaven tucked away between the pines of a picturesque landscape is where I would become the Avatar. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | The cup rolled to a stop. There was a thin layer of frost lining the cup, and I could see the light dull on its surface. I felt the blood drain from my face, and my hands grew cold.
"Did I just...did I do...no. No way," I whispered low as possible, as I stared in disbelief at the sight before me.
As the tea fell from the cup, I reached out instinctively. Frost whisked from my fingertips, and the water froze into a perfect solid form of spilling water.
I watched it fall with a soft sharp thud. I stared wide-eyed for much longer than necessary. Slowly, I reached towards the ice. I tenderly plucked it off the ground, and felt the cold sting my palm.
I froze the tea into ice.
--------------------
There was never a time when I didn't know I was an Earth Bender. From the first moment I remember, I felt a deep energy in the soil around me. It connected the ground to me, branching and spreading to everything on along the ground's surface. I never had to think. I could fill the objects with this energy and move them to my will. It was my extra sense. My energy flowed to lift boulders larger than myself, but yet was delicate enough to move a single particle of sand. I could manipulate the earth to suit my will.
However, this was different. This was something that slumbered. That suddenly broke free. My fingers tingled with a sensation so cold and shocking that it sent a shiver down my body. I let more icy drops fall through my fingers, and thud softly to the floor.
In a rush of adrenaline, I stood and held the mold of ice to my chest. I checked around to see if any of my family was home. When I felt sure that I was truly alone, I chucked the ice out an open window and clutched my hands to my lips. I felt the gravity of the situation weigh on me. It melted through me from the top of my head, and enveloped me in fear.
I was an earthbender...who bent water.
My mind shuffled. I tried to recall any bits of information I could about benders. So little was taught to us, and the only real knowledge I had was from whispers behind closed doors. Conversations I curiously eavesdropped in on, while my Grandmother gossiped with the other Old Timers. When the regime was first taking over, in the early days of my childhood. She spoke of warriors who fought with blasts of wind and fire. Humans who wielded supernatural powers over water, earth, fire, and even the air itself. Powers beyond what machines could muster, or regular people could imitate.
However, to the best of my knowledge there were no benders who bent multiple elements. Not that they ever spoke of.
Well, no benders who only bent two elements.
There was only one person who could bend multiple elements.
The Avatar. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Jin sat in the basement of an old warehouse wishing her tea was warmer. Everyone around her looked defeated as yet another raid had taken place in their neighborhood. The officers stormed into homes and rounded up the people to submit them to 'testing'. This time they found an infant who tested positive for waterbending. They stole him away
The goal had become to eliminate all benders from society. It started when the surrounding towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom declared their independence from Ba Sing Se. The result of this declaration was a massive civil war that ended in many deaths. In particular, it was the earth benders that were hit hardest with the casualties. They were employed extensively on both sides and by the time the war was over there simply weren't that many left to carry in the ability. As for the airbenders, well there never really have been that many of them since the Hundred Years War; and so many firebenders left the Fire Nation after that War and had children with people from other nations that firebenders simply weren't seen again for generations; water benders have always been a small group and with immigration from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to The Republic the same thing happened to them as it did the firebenders.
Nobody had anticipated that the four nations being so intermingled would result in a dilution of the bending powers. They found that individuals who would have otherwise been capable of bending were now unable because they had bending parents of different elements. Nobody can bend just *two* elements alone, so they just cancelled each other out. Because of this, it has become very uncommon for someone to have bending capabilities, and the new government in place has taken extensive measures to eliminate the few who can. The logic was much the same as Tarlok's, but far more compelling with so much fewer benders out there. Soon enough the entire council was lead by solely nonbenders. There was no voice for the benders.
Returning to the test, though, it was done by exposing the suspected benders to each of the elements and watching what happens. Simply pressing earth against an earth bender like Jin was enough to know what she was capable of. They had a tool that could measure the vibrations of the elements when in proximity to the tested. However minute, they could tell when someone had the ability to bend any of the elements. It was bad enough if they found that they could bend one element, even worse if they found that they could bend more than two. This was assumed, of course. Nobody had encountered an Avatar in 60 years. Stories spread about newborns being found with the abilities of the Avatar and simply disappearing from the hospital in the middle of the night or showing up dead the next morning. Of course, many people wanted to believe that their deceased child was the Avatar, so the story gets tossed around a lot; but there is truth to be told in these tales.
Jin was in a basement with other benders watching them practice their ancient and forbidden arts. There were 14 of them, and most were either water and fire benders. There were only two other earth benders on top of Jin. They had a single airbender friend named Tashi but he enjoyed flying his airglider at night too much, and went missing several months ago.
Jin held her cup in her hand and stared intently at the tea inside. She could see a layer of dust in it. *Probably from all the earthbending,* she thought. She looked up at her earthbending kin in the corner practicing rock lunges and thought about the eventual eradication of her people. They were 9 and 17 years old and they both had no parents. Both their parents were earthbending renegades that managed to hide their identities and have children. It was considered a capital offense and their parents died. They spent their lives in hiding with each other's families and we're both very close.
She remembered meeting her first earthbender four years ago. He taught her everything she knew. She eventually fell in love with him too, but it would never work out for them. He had been captured and tested positive for earthbending. They sterilized him to prevent him from having children and when he came back he lost much of his will to live. She remembered what he said before he left.
"Jin, what's the point?" He had just told her that he was leaving. "You and I can never have children. You *need* to have children, to carry our legacy as a people. I am no longer good for you. All I can give you now is my earthbending experience, and you already have all of it. I'm sorry about what happened, but I need to go somewhere else to train others in our sacred art." He walked away but she did not pursue him. He already knew how she felt. Jin thought from time to time about having children, but she only wanted them with him. She told him she wasnt have them with anybody else. He could only hope that she would change her mind in the future. He called her selfish for refusing to bear children with another earthbender, but she didn't care. It was her choice.
The boy and the girl were summoning earth beneath them with their feet and lunging forward. They would then turn back and lunge in the opposite direction. They repeated this back and forth to get a feel of the earth with their feet. It was an intermediate level skill to be able to bend with your feet and not just your hands, and they were both progressing nicely.
Jin's tea was still cold, and the dust was ruining the taste. She made a move to bend the dust from out of her cup and something happened that she did not expect. As she pulled the dust from out her cup the tea itself seemed to cling to the particles. She looked around to see if one of the water benders was messing with her, but they seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
She tried harder to remove the particles but every time she did the water held fast to the tiny pieces. She released the particles and lowered her hand. Her hand lowering caused a change in her tea. She felt that familiar pull as her body started to bend. The energy flowed from her hand and outward towards some bendable element. The tea grow dramatically colder and soon tiny fibrils of ice started to form on the surface. Alarmed, she threw her hand back from the cup and bended the tea out of the cup and onto the floor. She screamed.
The other benders stopped what they were doing and started to stare. "What are you doing Jin?" A fire bender asked her this. "Is everything okay?"
"Ye- yes... I just spilled my tea and it was pretty hot. Sorry." They nodded and she left the room. "I need to go rinse my hands."
She walked to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She then looked down at the sink and at the many water droplets on its surface. She waved her hand over them and acted like she was earth bending. The water droplets started to lift hemselves from the surface and adhere to her hand, moving up her arm. Her eyes widened in terror. *She was waterbending* | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Her morning tea was one of the few things that helped her get through the day. The hectic, meeting filled, stress-inducing day.
The aroma from the tea was almost as relaxing as drinking it. Except for the part where tea time always coincided with briefing time.
A few quick wraps at the door announced the presence of her assistant. "Enter." she called out between sips.
"Good morning, General!" her chipper assistant entered with a stack of papers. "How are we this morning?"
"Fine fine, what's on the agenda for the day, lieutenant?"
"Well there is a briefing in thirty minutes with the other generals about the search for the avatar. They believe they have some leads, but they want everyone's input before proceeding."
"Very well. Next?" another sip of tea. The steaming cup was making this more bearable.
The lieutenant flipped through the pages on top of his stack. "At fourteen-hundred hours you have to talk to the troops from battalion B. They had a run-in with a band of wild fire benders last week and the Capitan wanted you to show them defense against fire benders. And also to practice offensives with them."
A smile came across her face."It's been forever since I've been able to practice firebending with permission. This'll be quite the treat!"
The lieutenant smiled. "Very good, ma'am. And one last bit of business..." his voice trailed off. That couldn't be good.
"You're ex-husband wants to meet with you today."
A shiver went down her spine. But took over her whole body for a moment. The cup of tea that was warming her hands so nicely was now freezing cold. That was odd. She looked down as the last wisp of steam escaped off the top and the cop was now a solid block of ice. Her eyes went wide. Firebending didn't do that..
"Major?" he asked. Taking a step closer. "Are you... Okay?" his jaw went slack. "Is that ice?"
She set the cup down and pushed it to the side of her cluttered desk. "This doesn't leave this room. Do you understand? Not a word, and that is an order."
The lieutenant just blinked a few times. Seemingly not comprehending what was unfolding before his eyes. "You're the.. Wait but.. Umm. Yes ma'am."
The major leaning back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "Is there anything else for today?"
"No, that's all for today. But you have to go to that meeting soon. You know, about finding the avatar." he frowned as he realized how ironic that was.
She peeped at him from between her fingers. "This is going to be one hell of a day isn't it."
"Yes, avatar." he nodded and turned to leave.
She groaned and let her head fall to her desk. Frozen tea to start the day. What an omen. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | This is only my second time writing, criticism is appreciated. It didn’t turn out like I had intended, but I figured I may as well post it anyway.
—————
Carl was, all things considered, an ordinary man. He woke up every day, dressed in his suit and tie, kissed his wife and children goodbye, and went to work. His cell phone was that of an ordinary man, with various social media apps, none of which had more than a few notifications.
He worked at his ordinary job doing ordinary programming. His team was small and focused, and they rarely had any arguments. It was the perfect kind of team, one that could get any job done when given the means.
Carl had heard the rumors, the stories. He participated in the gossip just like any other middle-aged man would do. The stories told of an Avatar, a being so powerful that he could singlehandedly take over the world. He could control all four of the primary elements: water, earth, fire, and air. They also told stories of benders, people who could control a single element using martial arts.
But of course, that was all a load of shit. Humans didn’t have supernatural powers. That was the kind of thing that children believed, that kept them entertained when they weren’t buried in their tablets. It was nothing more than fairy tales.
But, as any ordinary Dad would do, he used those stories he learned as children for his own children’s benefit, taking the form of their bedtime stories. His kids always took great interest in his stories, and would beg for him to tell the tale of the Avatar to them every night. Carl supposed that they wanted to be benders, and when he thought about it, he decided he would like that too.
It was an ordinary day. The sun was shining, the A/C was humming, and the sound of keyboards permeated the room. Carl had spent the last week trying to hunt down a problem with their deployment system.
“This is ridiculous,” he exclaimed, pounding his fists on the desk in front of him. “How can I debug such a tiny issue in such a large project!?” Carl realized he was getting angry, and took deep breaths to calm himself.
No sooner had he regained his composure then there was a loud BANG in the next room over. A woman screamed, more bangs. Carl realized with a flood of horror that he was hearing gunshots.
The door slammed open and a man blundered through. His eyes were wild, his hair rumpled, and his shirt was torn in half at the waistline. In his hand was a semiautomatic rifle, and he screamed as he starting shooting everything in sight.
“Look out!” Carl screamed as he took cover under his desk. The woman across the aisle from him, Jane, was attempting to do the same when the man caught sight of her. Within an instant, thick crimson blood spattered her desk and Jane fell to the floor, dead as a tree stump.
It took a moment. Just a moment, in which Carl comprehended the scene in front of him. A crazed, half-drunk, obviously mentally ill mountain of a man had just killed a small, innocent, lovely young woman in cold blood. Carl felt the anger rise up in him again, but this time, he didn’t even try to contain it.
“You bastard!” Carl let out those words with a bloodcurdling scream. The man’s eyes went wide with horror as Carl stood up through his own desk, the aluminum frame tearing itself to shreds around him. Carl couldn’t even think anymore. All he wanted was for the man to suffer for what he had done.
“YOU,” the sound of a thousand voices erupted from Carl’s own mouth. The murderer scampered back as the sheer force of Carl’s will locked on him. He was lifted into the air, his limbs contorting into knots, blood spurting free from his throat as Carl crushed him under the pressure of his own bodily fluids. Carl watched mercilessly as he commanded the man to DIE, and die he did.
When it was over, Carl lay on the floor, groaning and heaving from the effort. Without knowing how, he had just commanded another man to die, and his wish had come true. All of Carl’s inner ideologies screamed out in anguish. He had just killed a man. Whether or not it was justified, he had just ended someone else’s life.
He would never, ever do that again. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | Well _that_ shut him up.
Mars staggered back. At his feet, Airu gave a pitiful whine. Mole stared down at what he had done.
"Mars," Mole whispered, plucked his goggles off his face, up onto the top of his head. "Don't--" but the Resistance leader raised a quivering finger, and pointed it at me again, accusing.
"You wanted to stay dead. You wanted to keep living underground, in the little hole - the little grave you built for yourself!" he snarled. "But _look_, you have even _less_ of an excuse now to hide!"
"It's not _hiding!"_
"You're no mole," Mars turned a cold shoulder to his former friend. Airu uncoiled himself from his seated position. "You're a worm."
With that stinging farewell, Mars and his companion left the coffee shop. Mole whipped the napkin from his lap to cover the mug of tea. He rose so fast the tablesettings clinked, and others cast a glance his way.
_You're a worm._
The words hurt, but they were true, weren't they? Every day, members of the Resistance died trying to overthrow the Consortium. Mole was the last Earthbender known on the planet. The Consortium had thought they'd killed him long ago, but he'd gone deep underground, driven back only to help Mars, his childhood friend.
_Have I always known?_ Mole stared at his gloved hands, grubby and fat.
Mole slammed a hand in the front of his overcoat. He tossed a handful of coins onto the table, then fled the shop.
He stepped out into the street, and was met with a smack of red over drab gray and white. The only color these days were red Consortium banners hanging from every place of business. Mole glanced this way and that down the bustling street. He could usually smell Airu before he could see Mole, but he saw neither of them.
Mars would tell the others of what he saw. Mars would get himself killed. Mole felt the age-old panic rise up in him again. He slipped through the crowd, intending to put behind Mars' call to action. He wanted to ignore everything that had happened.
He'd tell the others that Mole had gone to crawl back underground. And maybe that was just right. Fate had some streak of cruelty, giving the man who just wanted to stay out of everything, lest he fail the ones he love again the title of Avatar.
_Avatar._ Even thinking it made Mole shake with fear. He ducked down a dark alley, bracing a hand on the brick. It was a very bad thing to cause trouble. He would go back to the underworld he had created, where he could tend for his gloomshrooms and skip rocks on his lake.
"HALT!" one of the Consortium Enforcers wheeled up, white, gold and red. The camera laser-focused onto the hunched form of Mole, as he leaned against the alley wall. "YOUR DISTRESS LEVELS ARE OUT OF THE ACCEPTED RATIOS. STATE YOUR IDENTITY."
"I am no one," Mole cried out. He jerked out with a fist, and a pillar of stone jettisoned the bot into the street. Mole turned and _gripped_ the earth before him, peeling back the concrete of the alley, and diving inside.
He sealed it back closed over his head, safely underground. He continued the burrowing, bringing his tunneling powers to bear. As earth and stone moved around him, the sight of the frozen cup and Mars' accusing finger had seared themselves into his mind's eye.
_I am no one_, he thought, pushing himself down deeper, far and away.
_I am nothing._
| For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "Bender rights have been in focus this week as Senate votes to pass EARTH1, a bill that would positively define the way benders are treated in society for the first time since the last Blue Moon-"
**bang** You startle out of your zoned observation of the news, dropping your fork. As if it were a helpful golden retriever, the dirt rises from the small basin from the corner of the room and pushes the metal handle back to you, dwindling as if waiting for a confirmation of a job well done. You don't notice, as you turn to your roommate who is still cursing as he recovers from where he ran hip first into the counter.
"You believe this shit? All of this EARTH1 coverage has the 'pro bender' bleeding heart Tumblrinas going nuts- fucking idiots haven't even looked past the pretty title and realized the god awfulness of the mandatory Registration-" he pauses and shoots a quick jet of flame underneath the kettle, igniting the gas stove- "and during all this, all speculations of the appearance of the Avatar are hushed quicker than a poor fucker who posted the wrong content on Reddit."
You snort softly. "I don't know, maybe this will be a good thing," you pause, noticing the way his shoulders tense, but press on, "I wouldn't mind having to register myself if it means I can finally use my bending in public, to do some good finally, you know?" You try not to be hurt as your roommate turns, his face twisted in derision.
"So. What you're saying is that you'd rather be a collared fucking animal, a mark on your back just so you can go out there, and I don't know, rescue someone's cat from a tree or some shit?" Before you can get a word in, he collects his tea and portion of the scrambled eggs and retreats, shaking his head vigorously, sparks flying off his hair, back into his room.
Looking at the angrily closed door, you internally sigh. It was a lucky day, the day you found out that your first roommate out of college was a Bender. Some days you felt lucky, that your elements were more or less compatible, and that you had a space to practice and commune with the earth. Other days, you just down right hated his fiery ass. And still others you wonder how your small, very wood-filled flat was not a pile of burnt rubble.
"Well Sharon, thanks for the update. We will continue to keep you all posted as more new information arrives! Here's Greg with your 7:30am traffic forecas-"
*7:30 am oh fuck me* You gather your computer and jacket, with the ever helpful dirt mound pushing keys and *were those breath mints?* Into your pocket. In your rush you pause to look down at the now small bump of earth- "For the last time I'm not asking Jordan out today or ever, stop pushing the damn mints on me." It ripples slightly, and you feel a little ridiculous as you're essentially trying to convince yourself. The headache from the moment you turned the TV on this morning builds a little more, and you fumble your way grumpily out the door.
-
The ride to work was an uneventful one. You filled in a few potholes stealthily, but there wasn't much infrastructure along the route that you had a chance to change.
You hated your little cubicle on the 12th floor of the shiny stainless steel office you worked in. So far from the ground, with only a little pot with a single, but happy, but lonely flower inside to keep you company. As you clicked on the the umpteenth spread sheet, you absentmindedly swirled the little flower around. "Hey you! What's with that look grumpy face?" Your head throbs. You turn your chair around and are greeted by the infernally grinning mug that is Linda's face.
"Just woke up wrong is all- and it's a Monday too." She lunges forward and presses her sharply manicured nails against your arm- "Well honey, I have just the perfect fix for you! Mark's just gotten home from his trip to Hawaii, and he brought back this absolutely amazing pineapple hibiscus tea; it'll cheer you up in no time!" You trudge reluctantly behind her as she leads you through the maze to the break room, fantasizing the entire time about bulging the ground underneath her so she would trip just a little on her ridiculous 5 inch fire engine red heels. *But you're fucking 12 floors off any workable dirt*, your traitorous mind murmurs.
Your pulled out of your thoughts once again by the smell of the fresh tea. Linda is still going on about some office drama that she's caught up in, but where usually you would have paid some semblance of attention out of sheer boredom, today your eyes are suddenly drawn to the liquid swirling in the cup.
It's shiny. Like metal. It's pretty, but you had a distinct feeling that whatever fancy crap Linda has put in had diluted it. Absolutely tainted the otherwise pure and smooth water. Water. Your hand reaches out as if drawn by a string, and you delicately touch the tip of your index in the middle of the gently rippling surface.
And you fall.
Into an ocean. A swirling typhoon, waves battering your very being. Niagara falls, long before it was ever named, its untamed nature echoing the harmony of the earth, the sun, the air through which the Bison had flown. Wild and eternal and fluid in its memories- it engulfs you. And then
It
Stops
And you return to a break room. A break room who's walls had been an un-tasteful blue. A break room who's walls were now coated in ice. You look down at your hand, and the tea you had submerged your finger in. It was beautiful, the way the ice has spread from inside the cup, to the water cooler, and on to the floor.
It would have been more beautiful if fucking Linda hadn't been standing there, her mouth agape. It would have been absolutely stunning if Linda's brother wasn't a part of a task force that specialized in hunting in rogue benders. It would have been amazingly awe inspiringly breath taking if you didn't just realize that you were now a fucking Avatar.
As hell began to break loose, you stare forlornly at the garishly decorated mug of sub par tea.
It had actually smelled pretty good. If only you had gotten to have a taste before becoming damn fugitive.
-FIN-?
This will probably be buried af but please let me know what you think! I tried to keep this as neutral as possible so that anyone could relate! | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | I laughed, holding the cup upside-down. My three-year old self was not aware of what this meant. For me, it was just another trick, just as natural as bending rocks or dirt.
I looked up to my mother, smiling- Just to find her staring at the cup. As the cup froze, she froze as well. The good-hearted, cheerful young woman's face was almost as pale as the big marble table we where seated at for breakfast. I had never seen her like this, and I realized I had done something wrong. My smile vanished. Confused and scared, I turned my head to look at my father, just as he dropped his cup. It fell almost as if in slow-motion, and it shattered into thousand pieces on the hard table's surface. But no one even seemed to notice.
"Ragin..." Mother had almost no voice. She stared at him. But my father did not say a word, he just brushed tea off his uniform with the back of his hand, then pushed the chair back.
"Ragin!" Her voice sounded fierce all of the sudden.
My father stood up and grabbed me by my wrist, pulling me to my feet. I cried, more out of fear than out of pain. He took my to my room, shoving me inside.
"You- You stay in your room, do you understand?"
I nodded and watched him close the door. I just stood there. I did not know what to do.
I heard them fight as I stared at my bedroom's door, but they where much louder then usual. While I could usually hear his loud voice, it sounded muffled. It was my mother who was screaming at the top of her lungs, and I could hear every word as I pressed my ear to the door.
"You can't possibly... He's our son!"
I heard her slap him, and the sound of what must had been his vPhone dropping onto the floor.
What followed, I only remember very vaguely. But I never had witnessed such powerful earth-bending to this day. The building was shaking, and my father was screaming in pain.
Half of the building was just - gone. My mother hugged me, and I could feel her wet tears against my cheek.
Then We ran. We ran to this day.
I... I can not express the grief I feel now. She not only saved me, but the revolution would not have been possible without her. She fought. She negotiated. And she tough me everything I know. Far more than just earth-bending.
She died far too young. I just wish we could have put her to rest in her home-town, but it is still a long way to peace. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | I know bending is cool and all, and I love reading the Legends, but I never believed it had any place in the modern world. When it comes to escapist mythology, well; I'm still waiting for my letter from Hogwarts. That always seemed like a better fit. I love books, and learning, I can do that. Martial Arts, on the other hand, always seemed out of reach.
That doesn't mean I didn't try it. My older brother and I tried every type of sparring as kids. We'd watch wrestling and immediately create personalities, costumes, trash talk, and full Nelsons. After one of those holds, I couldn't walk for a week. Then there was an ancient copy of the Matrix, and we stole mom and dad's coats and went at it. I think I only came out of that with a concussion and a black eye.
You can see the pattern, right? Of course it was my golden boy older brother who changed my reality forever. This time we weren't playing, we were fighting. That happened a lot when my parents weren't around. It's hard for kids, stuck in the house all the time for safety, filled with dreams from our scholar-parents giant collection of historical media.
Rather than think about all the dangers they faced out there, we cursed the home we were trapped in, our scraped together "education", and each other, the only people we ever got to see. So we're fighting, no holds barred. He's double my weight, with a longer reach and muscles. I'm small and desperate, seizing any opportunity to go for vulnerable areas and race back out of range.
Usually I could wear him down, but he wasn't getting any less mad. Suddenly, our stone fireplace seems to move on its own, and it's coming at me! Next thing I know, I'm in the room my parents designate as a hospital, since we could never afford a real one. I'm covered in scratches, bruises, and mortar dust. My brother is looming more contrite than I've ever seen him.
"I'm so sorry", dad muttered, handing me a cup of tea, "I never thought either of you would be able to..." *able to what?* "Your grandparents were earthbenders."
"What are you talking about? There hadn't been a bender in centuries. If they were still around, we'd know. Might as well tell me polar bear dogs aren't extinct."
"Our government has worked very hard to make it so", mom said, tears in her eyes.
Dad rubbed his temples like a headache was coming on, "Why do you think we never sent you to school?"
"We couldn't afford it" I said bitterly.
"That's part of it. But we didn't want you exposed to their propaganda, their revisionist history. They'd have you believe they, and they only, have the answer to the Great Divide. Our poverty would never keep us from the benefits the Donors can provide. It's brainwashing. They'd turn you against our family without you even knowing who we are."
"Who are we?"
"The last of the ancient families. They'd kill us if they knew your grandparents were born in the earth kingdom."
"So I can earthbend?" I asked, suddenly thinking Hogwarts wasn't my only hope.
"No", mom said, "he can", gesturing to my unusually quiet, unusually guilty-looking brother.
"I could've killed you" he said.
"Oh" *of course, I'm not special, golden boy is* I felt bitter bile rise up my throat. I hated myself and the tiny world I inhabited.
Then CRACK, my mother gasped, and I watched the pieces of ceramic fall away from my now-frozen cube of tea.
The tiny world I resented seemed to shrink away, and all I wanted was to have it back. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | "It's all just a bunch of superstition, I say." I heard Carla announce over the lunch table.
The talk of the whole "Avatar" has restarted again and I can't say I blame anyone for it happening. One of the kids in Year 1 had been caught throwing rocks around a bit harder than they should have been able to. People found out she was an Earthbender and suddenly she disappeared for a few days before returning back, acting as though the days she'd been gone had never existed.
"Yes, Carla. Tell us all about it." The groan came from a very bored sounding Michael on the other side of the table. If his voice hadn't dripped with enough sarcasm he already looked like his head was ready to fall off his hands onto the table at the next word.
Carla seemed to not notice.
"There's always loads of stories about amazing acts and feats that people have done that no one could have ever done. Like that one who suddenly invented Metalbending. Like, it had never been done ever in the world then suddenly she could and everything was amazing."
"You mean Toffee?" Another voice, Charles sat next to me. He seemed just as bored as Michael.
"Was that the name? I never remember all those stupid history lessons. Anyway, it was more likely that metal just hadn't been invented back then or whatever. People always want some hero they can look up to, someone who can be all amazing and save the world. And back then there was no science or whatever to believe in, so it was all spirits and bending. So you make some magical spirit person who can do all the bending ever, make them able to change faces so there can be a new hero every generation and bam, instant easy legend."
Carla looked pretty pleased with herself until she looked around the table to see Michael having fallen asleep on the table, Charles just watching her with a blank look and me staring down into my drink.
"Ugh, why do I even bother with you people?" She sighed dramatically, slumping down, crossing her arms and leaning across the table so that she took up over half of it.
"Because you'd never fit in anywhere else?" Charles smirked, ruffling her hair up with a quick motion.
The energy of the table quickly returned, Carla jumping up in anger, starting to chase Charles around the cafeteria with Michael having woken up enough to watch and cheer them on.
I meanwhile just stared further into my cup. Only half of me had ever really been listening.
The little girl that vanished for a few days, she was an Earthbender, like me. Not that I make a big deal out of it. Not much use being a bender these days, you stand out too much and get outcasted pretty quickly if you try to flaunt it.
But they hadn't looked twice when there was that nursery that burned down a couple of months back when some toddler and a candle got too close to each other.
They were looking for an Earthbender for some reason.
The chill that went down my spine flowed down my arms until crystals started to appear around the rim of my cup.
Wait.
No.
...
This was going to be interesting... | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. | |
[WP] As it turns out, the Avatar is still being reborn to this day. Unfortunately, if the government finds the Avatar, they’re killed before they liberate society. The handful of Benders left are few and far between. And you, an introverted Earthbender, just froze the liquid in your cup of tea. | The students filed into the cafeteria in a moderate pace. There were trays on a table at the start of the lunch line, with napkins and utensils neatly organized. My class moved mechanically; three years of college and twelve years of grade school provided more than enough muscle memory for this.
The only sounds reverberating were the shuffling of feet, a low murmur amongst the tables, and plastic spoons clattering against metal pots and pans. I had not checked the menu when I entered the line, but the smell of beef stock - and what I hoped was bread - told me all I needed to know. I would need a cup of something to wash it down. I grabbed a cup.
There weren’t ever many choices in the exquisite cuisine of *Shisa Academy.* In truth, there weren’t many choices in this college. *You take a major after you study for three years. Sleep when the dorm lights turn off. No talking in the lunch line.* Had I not been gifted tuition here due to my father’s work, there still wouldn’t be much choice in a different school. Order had been established, and it was quite peaceful and progressive, if at times aggressively so. There was no room in this world for chaos and propaganda, and myths like an ‘Avatar’ - not sure what that means - would stir negativity in places with so many people at once.
My mind tends to wander to strange places when I try to avoid something, like the smell of - *is that a paste?* - something hopefully more edible than last Friday’s meal. Rei stood next to me. Her face contorted as the cook slapped the *mixture* on to her tray. She looked at me to save her, shoulder-length strands brushing away from her pained eyes. I held up my cup before giving her a shrug, and proceeded to the tea basin.
When I finally sat with my class of fellow third-years, I took a good look. For the next three years we’ll be in different classes, finally studying our respective majors, becoming the future leaders of our country. I hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but I was sure sometime over the last year Elisa dyed her hair a darker shade. Isaiah was the same as ever, sneaking on his litePod when the enforcers weren’t looking. He found a way to bypass the wireless security before attending courses. The twins, Sung and Huin, played a game together on their own litePods. Then there was Rei, the only other person I really talked to in class, sitting on the corner picking at her meat paste.
Barry, Elias, and Amin huddled together, body language louder than their voices. Jang-suk and Martha, the longest lasting couple in the entire school, huddled together; her tight dark curls covered the earbuds they shared. Other faces and names I’d gotten used to - Ronni, Elmer, Sayuri, Sheila - people I might’ve gotten to know, if it had not been for my father. My career politician father, and his bender-free college. This was supposedly a haven for nonbenders, those who couldn’t interact with the natural elements, but there were more than a few sympathizers to the dying breed. I might’ve gotten to know some of them, if it wouldn’t ruin his career.
*It’s alright*, I thought. And it is, in truth. I’ve made friends here, and though I’ve kept my own bending a secret, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. The benders left in the world don’t do much more than an average low-class citizen, if they haven’t been evicted from their houses. If they had houses at all. Much stigma remained about us despite our - my ancestors, I suppose - part in establishing peace in the world. There just weren’t many protections in place for the few benders left, and some of them found housing together, I’ve heard. There was a culture there, at least. Maybe there are more benders than we think. Maybe I’ll visit them, when I graduate in three years. *Maybe I can get away from my father...*
Wrapped in my mind again, I must’ve missed Rei take a bite of that paste, because she urged me to hand her my tea. I handed it to her, only or her to thrust it back at me forcefully after taking a sip. The cup was still so warm that I almost dropped it.
“Was it hot?” I let some smugness sneak into my question.
“Oh light,” Rei managed to choke out between spitting and coughing. “I need to start bringing in my own food. I can’t tell if that’s fish or mulch.” I thought I smelled beef earlier.
I decided to nix the food and took off the lid to cool my tea down. Rei never said much, but it was always pleasant when we had banter. “You think they have food-benders out there?” she went on. “Or flavor benders? You’d think with all this higher education they would hire better cooks.” Her face was still twisted with her mouth full of aftertaste.
“Heh, maybe. Did you see the video on Seddit with the Soundbender?” I blew on the tea.
“She popped one dude’s eardrums when they tried to arrest her.” The voice belonged to Isaiah. “They probably thought she was the Avatar.” Surely he was a sympathizer. He said he’d major in history at the start of this year, and I’ve seen the articles he reads on his litePod about bending. “I mean, no one’s even heard of Soundbending, and Lavabenders and Metalbenders haven’t been discovered for decades.
“Chris?” said Rei.
Lava? My throat caught. “I didn’t know that was even possible...”
“Yeah! And just imagine, if there were Lightbenders-“
“Chris!” Rei again. “How did you do that?”
I finally turned to her. “Do what?” Suddenly something felt odd. No, it felt cold. It was my hand. In it was a frosted cup of tea.
I heard Isaiah gasp. This was a problem. Two people had seen me bend in a nonbending area, and if I was unlucky, so did an enforcer.
The worst part was, water wasn’t my element. | For months it has been brewing in me-a tumult of emotions stirred by a single secret. As I sit with my mother,whose expression itself a mixture of confusion,fear,despair and a hint of resigned acceptance;I feel that I need this done now or I will never find the conviction again to have it done. I have known that this "talk" had to happen sometime or the other but I did not realise that it would have to be so soon-much sooner than I had wished for it to happen.
But here I am- a shy,physically non-descript 18 year old waiting for his letter for conscription into the Earth Regiment of the Ba Sing Se Army-an army that serves a government bent upon finding and eliminating any threats to the current order by any means possible. And what could be a bigger threat to the current order of authority of The Peacock Dynasty than the Avatar?
A being of such power that whole nations seek to destroy it.
The irony that the spirit reincarnated as me makes me even want to laugh. Why me? I have tried my best to just blend in-never the best at anything but just good enough. Not too tall,not too short either. Not too athletic but neither very sedentary. Just right,just enough that nobody ever pays me any attention.
But it breaks me to see the only person who ever gave me more than just a cursory glance look so broken herself.
"Mother,I have to tell you something. Please remain calm. I...",I pause,perhaps involuntarily biding my time,as I grasp my cup of jasmine tea,my favourite,which she prepared knowing I would be leaving soon. But the coldness of the cup startles me enough to look into it just to see it frozen solid. I still can't control it.
Was it the sudden chill of the cup that sent a shiver down my spine or was it the crashing thoughts of how I will have to serve with other,more able men who would kill to be known as the "slayer of the Avatar"? Whatever this strange sensation is I quickly come to realise that it just aided me in not having to tell Mother regarding the issue I needed to speak about.
I needn't tell her because she now knows without doubt what I meant to say. Because now as she stares at me with awe added to the previous mix of emotion, I know that my eyes are glowing. |
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