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Be Careful How You Treat Your Characters (MPC 41 Azure/Bone)
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 3, 2017 5:39:11 GMT
It was a beautiful summer day in Japan. Birds were chirping and flowers of all kinds were in full bloom. A certain Dragon spirit was taking a moment to get away from his host and significant other to enjoy the peaceful view unseen by the normal humans walking by the park. That’s not to say Alicia and Kisara weren’t close by, but the three of them were distant from each other. They’d agreed that it was time to just blow off some steam.
It should’ve been just a quiet, uneventful day… but the great dragon noticed something odd about the dimensional walls, keen to it’s condition as he is thanks to the nature of his full power. ”Hmm… to capitalize on this or not...” he mused to himself, before grinning deviously, a rare and frankly terrifying sight on the otherwise calm warrior.
Flicking out a hidden device, which could’ve made a decent pass as a hyper-futuristic cellphone of some kind, Sol smirked as he began to tap away at it. How would he mess with them this time…? Once he got their attention that is…
~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/
I yawned softly, leaning back in my chair after a long day. Work had been hell as usual but it was the end of the work week for me so I could finally take some time to myself and relax, more or less doing whatever I wanted with the night.
“How about we see what progress we can make on Alicia’s little slice of DFRP...” I mused to myself, powering on my Laptop. It flicked to the password screen with it’s usual swiftness and I smiled, unlocking the device. Surprisingly, though, while the desktop was shown as normal… a new, unnamed program suddenly executed, before it became what could only be a stylized conference chat window.
“What the…?” Needless to say, I was caught completely off guard, trying to close the program out. No dice there though, so I checked who was participating… wait…
‘Azure_Ghidorah, Bonetrousled, Emerald Sun’? I obviously recognized my own. And I knew someone who used Bonetrousled as their username… but who was Emerald Sun? The window suddenly pinged with a message and, against my better judgement, I turned to read it.
Emerald Sun: Good Day, or Evening (whichever is appropriate for your location), good sirs. Please don’t bother trying to close out of this as it’s not your average program. No, it’s not a virus either before you start panicking. It’s rare that I get to do this so I decided to poke around and… how to say, cross some boundaries.
I stared at the message and frowned. That kind of thought pattern seemed familiar too me, but that was crazy… Well, this was crazy enough as is, and if this is a virus there’s already nothing I could do… So I started typing in return.
Azure_Ghidorah: Evening for me, but pardon me for asking. Who the hell are you and what are you doing? My computer was off till just a few seconds ago. … And WHY do you seem so damn familiar?
Hitting send, the message appeared in the conference, followed almost immediately by another ping. Cripes this Emerald guy typed fast!
Emerald Sun: All will become clear soon enough, but feel free to guess as to my true identity, laced in chaos and confusion as you are right now. Bone should be arriving in a bit.
He topped his message off with a winking emoji and I furrowed my brow. Very strange indeed.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 5, 2017 5:39:19 GMT
Azure wasn't the only one to receive this strange chat program. I, too, found a new tab blinking constantly while trying to go about my daily business. Naturally, there was only one way to respond to such suspicious circumstances;
Read at 1:49 AM by Bonetrousled
Ignoring the hell out of it.
Unfortunately, while before the program was making no sound, now it was making a very harsh beep to herald a new message coming in. It must not have been happy to be given the cold shoulder like that.
Emerald Sun: ... Bone... I know you're there. Get over here. Azure_Ghidorah: How do you know? Azure_Ghidorah: ... Oh, right... *face palm*
If I wasn't responding before, I wasn't responding now that I knew this Emerald_Sun was hacking my computer. What if he had a keylogger registered or something? Much like many of my problems, I knew the only solution was to ignore it all the harder. I unplugged my headphones, turned off my speakers, and made a point of switching all browsing to my phone. Once I got Avast running in the background, this pest would have become a thing of the past.
Read at 1:52 AM by Bonetrousled
Or, at least, it should have been. Why can't life ever be that easy?
Emerald Sun: ... *sigh* Okay... this is becoming minorly problematic... One second Azure, gonna do some minor hacking. Azure_Ghidorah: Hacking!? Emerald Sun: Yes yes, stop panicking. HEY! BONEHEAD! PAY ATTENTION!
The speakers, which were supposed to be off, were beeping even more harshly than before. At this point, I was pretty sure ignoring it further would get my computer blown to bits. If this hacker wanted to talk, I guess I had no choice but to talk.
Bonetrousled: Okay, seriously. I had those off! Who are you, and what the heck are you doing to my computer? Emerald Sun: About bloody time... And seriously not going to take a guess? Not even going to wonder how a program you never installed is currently running? Nothing? Bonetrousled: That's not my job to figure out. It's Avast's. Bonetrousled: I was hoping to, you know, not have to poke the suspicious program that came out of nowhere. Azure_Ghidorah: I've got Norton and it's not picking anything up, buddy. Whatever's going on here is way above the heads of normal people.
Wait, what? Azure was damn right something was going above the heads of normal people. He was using Norton, for crying out loud! At this point I didn't care about the hacker trapping us in a private room. I had to deal with the real problem here.
Bonetrousled: Seriously, Norton? Still? Emerald Sun: Haha, Indeed, anti-virus doesn't even know what to classify this as. Considering I am tapping on the Fourth Wall right now *grin* Azure_Ghidorah; Shush, that's what came with the computer. Azure_Ghidorah: ... Fourth Wall...? Bonetrousled: So did Internet Explorer! Azure_Ghidorah: It's free to replace IE with something that's not crap! Emerald Sun: ... Ah... hello?
Right. He was still here. Still, priorities.
Bonetrousled: Avast is free too! Man, I thought we've been over this. Bonetrousled: Although I don't think it's got a single bead on this Bonetrousled: I'd switch back to chat if this tab wasn't refusing to shrink on me anymore. Azure_Ghidorah: What do you mean, we've never gone over this! And yeah that seems pretty obvious. Emerald Sun: Ha, you two do manage to distract yourselves so easily. Azure, surely you know who I am by now. Azure_Ghidorah: … Azure_Ghidorah: ... YOU CHEEKY GECKO Bonetrousled: Gecko, what? Bonetrousled: I'm lost here Emerald Sun: *anger cross* I. AM NOT. A GECKO.. Bonetrousled: . . . Did you just type *anger cross* . . . Bonetrousled: Seriously, this hacker's weirding me out. Emerald Sun: Shush. Azure_Ghidorah: So... why are messaging us in the middle of the night. Solranous. Solranous: Ah, final I can ditch the fake name
And now, everything made sense.
Bonetrousled: Ohhh. Bonetrousled: Wait, no, I'm still confused. Solranous: finally* and I'm stuck as a spirit advisor, if that helps you Azure_Ghidorah: Bone? Meet Sol in the metaphorical flesh....
At this point, I let my guard down. After all, I hadn't written with Az in a while, and I was really starting to miss him. I figured this was just some sort of game he cooked up to get some writing in on off hours. Hell, I'm not one for chat RP, but who am I to judge?
Bonetrousled: Oh, I get it Bonetrousled: Man, that's thoughtful of you Bonetrousled: Although next time I say I want to try some quicker RPing, can you not hack my computer? Azure_Ghidorah: I ain't in charge of any of this. I was just as caught off guard as you were... Bonetrousled: Yeah, yeah, I know how the bit goes. Don't worry, I'll play along. Azure_Ghidorah: No, seriously, I'm not behind this. Solranous: You see, I found a weakness in the dimensional barriers. So... I decided why don't you guys get to meet your characters in person? I already contacted Elliot and Isaac about a 'surprise.' Azure, you're coming first. Bonetrousled: So you're telling me that one of your characters literally came to life and started messaging us in a chat client neither of us had downloaded before. Bonetrousled: . . . Wait what
What did he mean by Azure coming first? This prank was starting to seem a lot less funny. Especially when Azure started to get a little . . . panicky.
Azure_Ghidorah: HOLY FU- DRAGON A- Azure_Ghidorah has signed out Bonetrousled: . . . Wait, what? Solranous: Your turn, Mr.
Now, I was suspicious. After all, Azure logged out at an annoyingly perfect time. It could've still just been a setup, albeit more creepypasta than fun RP game at this point. However, once my screen started rippling like a disturbed pond, I started to figure that Azure may have been telling the truth. Once a giant dragon arm tore through the screen, though? Oh yeah, I became a believer.
I'd like to say I left a very eloquent message on my way out. I pride myself on my writing talent and ability to keep my composure, after all. Unfortunately, those talents are both very hard to tap into when being hoisted in the air by a draconic hand bigger than my head. I tried to type something, anything, up, and I can only hope that the result was suitably witty.
Bonetrousled: Holy shhhhhhhtyyt65
It probably wasn't.
Regardless, I didn't have time to think of that. I was far too busy being dragged through my screen, blacking out as my body careened into the depths that lied below.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 5, 2017 6:25:20 GMT
”GAHACK”
That was the unceremonious sound that came from my mouth as I crashed down onto crisp green grass, groaning and clenching my eyes shut against the sudden glare of the su- wait, sun? Wasn’t it the dead of night? Oh… dear…
“Sol!? Is everything alright?” another voice, irritatingly familiar but something I couldn’t place at the moment as well. All I knew is that she had some kind of connection with myself but what I could scarcely recall. “… Wait who are these two and why do they look like they’ve been run through the metaphorical grinder?”
”Oh! Oh! Sol broke the Fourth Wall! Shenanigans abound! Or at least he reached through it! EEEK I love these moments come on wake’emupwake’emup!” Now that voice I could place, but if I was hearing it then we had serious problems on our hands.
”Shut up Kisara, you’re pushing quintuple digits by now if we count your time as a spirit...” I growled out, sitting up and rubbing my head. Might as well take refuge in audacity and just banter back with the frosty woman. It worked for the moment as the ice maiden in question sputtered.
”9,752! You jerk!” She spat back at me, and heard, more then saw, the red head beside her double-take.
“Wait… how are you-… Nevermind, I don’t want to know that badly.” Alicia, that was her name, gasped in exasperation… “More importantly, how does he know you? I haven’t seen this guy before in my life.”
”All will be explained in due time. Our last few visitors should be arriving soon. I’d rather only explain this once. Any more and it stretches suspension of disbelief further.” Process of elimination, though unnecessary, marked this voice as the dragon warrior himself, Sol. Or rather, Solranous as his full name went. I never did decide on a last name for him… mostly because dragons rarely use it.
”Oooh, you messaged Elliot and Isaac about this? No wonder you dragged him along too.” Kisara giggled out happily.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 5, 2017 7:03:55 GMT
I let out a soft groan as I slammed into the grass. The good news is that I have a surprisingly high pain tolerance, and therefore wasn't in complete agony as I touched down. The bad news was that I did not touch into my chair. That disqualified "horrible party hangover gone wrong" from the list of possibilities about what went wrong. I was outside now, and judging by everything that was being discussed I was in a parallel dimension created in part due to my own writing. How absolutely bizarre.
But for a parallel dimension that may or may not have actually been real, it sure felt nice. The grass was softer than most of the pillows in my house, and the sun was so warm this morning. Yes, apparently it had become morning. It was a parallel dimension. Who was I to ask questions? Regardless, in such nice conditions, what else could I really do but drift off to sleep?
Maybe that wasn't the best idea, considering the whole stranded in another universe thing. However, when in such a nice, soft bed of grass, I'm positive you would have done the same.
It was really hard to drift off when everyone kept talking, though. For a while it was just the same few voices, debating back and forth over what was going on and who everyone else was. The oldest-sounding voice, which I figured had to be Sol, just kept talking about how a few more guests were coming. For a while, I wondered just how many other people were being spirited away to this world. Was it just Azure and I, or were the other "guests" being mentioned also imports from our world?
Two sets of footsteps, one uneven and paired with the sound of a walking stick brushing against the glass, answered my question. I only needed to hear the sound of the walking stick to realize just what was going on.
"Wait, why did you call us over here, again?" the younger of the pair said. Really, both of their voices were fairly high, but it was obvious who was who over here.
"Not sure," the older one commented. "To look at a dead guy, at least?
"I . . . don't think he's dead, Isaac," Elliot said. He must have leaned slightly forward, because his voice sounded both louder and closer. "Hey! Are you okay?"
I just squeezed my eyes shut tighter and nestled more closely the grass. Don't judge me, it was really soft! "Can we do this later?" I asked, voice quiet. "I didn't get much sleep . . ."
That was when I felt the sharp jab of a walking stick to my side. I creaked an eye open in irritation, noticing Isaac had "borrowed" his brother's stick. I tried to roll away, but it turned out sleepy rolling was an awful escape technique even in the best of circumstances. My options had been drastically diminished; either wake up or endure a death by a thousand pokes.
Compared to enduring a minor annoyance, foregoing sleep seemed like a perfectly reasonable choice. I grumbled as I stood up, blinking as I took in the assembled company. Elliot, Isaac, Alicia, Sol, Kisara. They were all right there. "Huh. They look exactly as I imagined them," I said offhandedly, shooting a look to who I could only assume to be Azure. "Well, except you, of course."
"Wait, imagined? The heck does he mean?" Isaac asked, passing the walking stick back to Elliot.
"Yeah, I'm kinda lost here too," Elliot said, looking towards Sol for help. "What's going on?"
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 5, 2017 7:25:23 GMT
”The gang’s all here now, huh...” I muttered to myself, mulling over my options. Looking at my companion in this mess, I laughed softly. ”Yeah, good to see you in person too Bone. Er… sorry bad habit of mine only calling people by their usernames. Really need to break that.”
“So… Sol, explain please?” Alicia inquired curiously, looking at the dragon in question. Sol glanced at me expectantly and I looked back at him. Knowing he was telepathic, I merely thought of how I was going to put it and he knew, which made him chuckle.
”I’ve been requested to hold my peace on the matter itself, and merely fill in details once the questions roll in.” Sol spoke up with a grin, so I looked at the assembled digital world team Bone and I had made.
”Kay, gonna just drop the metaphorical bomb fast and furious.” I began, pointing at each character in turn. ”Isaac, Elliot, Alicia, Kisara, Sol, back where we’re from your whole world was, once upon a time, a mere game for me and him.” Pausing here, I gestured to Bone, before picking back up. ”Along with several others. Most of whom I only know peripherally. Isaac, Elliot, meet the guy who’s been bringing your triumphs and hardships to life over there. Alicia, Kisara, Sol, I’m the same for the three of you though you’re the only one out of the loop, Alicia. In other realities Sol has the ability to literally phase through or tear open offending dimensional walls in his path, though he tends to only use it sparingly. Apparently, this seems to now extend to our own home reality and now he’s decided to yank us out here for chats and shenanigans and possible potential revenges depending on how upset you guys are and for the love of god please take it easy. We don’t have tough Spirit User bodies like you guys do. Capiche? Capiche.”
Well. The bomb has officially been dropped. I was more then a little upset at what was going on though, so that was why I was more… gruff then I generally would be. Sighing, I shook my head and laid back, looking up at the sky.
“… Wait… are you trying to say your gods or something?” Alicia asked incredulously, looking at me like I’d grown two extra heads or something. “Because all of this is bogus.”
”Alicia Westfield, if I were actually a god we wouldn’t be talking because I would know damn well not to cross your path if you’d have reason to be angry with me. I’m here, though, natch, meaning I’m not a god. Can’t even really pretend to be one. Didn’t even know this reality actually existed until… well, Sol decided we should visit.”
“… Isaac? Elliot? You guys following any of this?” the Steel Spirit User inquired with a tilt of her head.
”You’re taller then I expected.” I randomly commented, looking at Isaac from my perch on the ground.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 5, 2017 21:15:01 GMT
"Nah, no worries," I said. "We can always get to that part, you know, when we're not lost in a parallel dimension." Part of me figured it wouldn't be a great idea to bring my name out into the open when dealing with an ancient, immortal spirit. I'm not usually superstitious, but then again I wasn't usually face to face with a reason to be superstitious. True names would have to be off of the table until I was sure that information couldn't be turned against me.
That said, I was thankful I didn't really have much burden to shoulder when it came to explaining what was going on. Azure was more than happy to take the lead here, and all I had to do was stand back and nod my head along. That said, did he have to mention the part where we were responsible for every hardship that these guys had suffered? Mentioning that in the same breath as mentioning that this world was just a game couldn't have possibly been a good idea. It was either that or lying, though, and breaking the revelation now would probably be better than having it revealed later down the line. "He basically covered everything," I added, figuring that I might as well put the lack of cards I currently held on the table. "And I know, that kind of thing's tricky to believe. But think about it. Is Sol really one for pulling pranks?"
"I think he's right," Elliot said, looking towards Alicia. "I mean, this is really hard to believe. But isn't it also hard to believe that we're capable of shape-shifting into ancient spirits from a computer dimension? I've just kind of been putting my belief on hold for the past year or so, really."
I couldn't blame Elliot on that regard. If I was in his shoes, I'd probably believe anything someone told me right now. "Trust me, this has been a lot for me to take in too," I assured him. "I had no idea this was even possible until Sol dragged me through the computer. I'm still half convinced this is just some kind of fever dream."
"Well, at least we're not the only ones lost," Elliot admitted. "Alicia? Isaac? What do you guys think?"
Whatever he was thinking, Isaac didn't seem to be saying much. He looked to the floor, seeming even more lost than Elliot was at a glance.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 6, 2017 3:17:24 GMT
”… Strictly speaking, we’re not exactly lost, we’re just at the mercy of an ancient great wyrm who could casually rend the current setting to shreds if he allowed himself more liberal access to powers… Sol can put us back where we belong at any given moment.” I commented in response to Bone’s quip of our current stranded-ness… That almost certainly wasn’t a word but when Sol’s in the picture common sense does become fairly scarce.
“You’re… certainly taking to being stranded in another dimension pretty well...” Alicia mused softly with a smirk. “I’d almost think this has happened to you before.”
”My mind is a chaotic mess that over-analyzes the most impossible circumstances.” I shot back at her. ”I wonder how I can function in normal society at times because I generally get lost in my own musings. Granted what’s going on now is serious enough to maintain my full attention on.”
”HA! Hear hear! Where do you think Sol and I got all our quirks from? Crazy kid indeed.” Kisara jabbed, elbowing my side with a devious smirk.
”You, lady, certainly have more then a few screws loose yourself. Need I explain the Machinima incident in excruciating detail?” I smirked at the ice maiden deviously. One could swear there was the sound of breaking glass as Kisara, the most composed person here behind Sol himself, paled with a panicked expression. Seriously, her eyes went completely white in an anime-style freak out.
”Nononononono! That is most certainly NOT necessary at all!” she yelped out before bolting to Sol’s side and hugging him like a giant plushie, getting the dragon to grunt in surprise. ”Help meeeeee!” the ice maiden wailed pitifully.
”You brought this mess on yourself, Kisara. I’ll not shelter you from the ramifications of your own actions.” Sol shot back. Kisara in turn looks up at him, pouting and teary eyed, backing up and snapping her fingers, icing the dragon over in a frankly childish tantrum. A couple cracks later, and Sol was shaking off the chunks of ice in short order, and continued sitting there in preparation of intervention should things get to heated like nothing ever happened.
I was well aware that this was an old song and dance for them, their equivalent of what would otherwise be a long winded lover’s quarrel, and simply took in all in stride with some laughter. Alicia, on the other hand, just sweat dropped at the sight of them.
“It’s… yeah I got nothing that would imply this isn’t one huge prank. And...” she looked at Bone and furrowed her eyebrows. “Sol, do you have names?”
”None that I intend to relay. They are trustworthy enough I assure you. Besides, if I was really intending on something as childish as a prank, I would put together a grand city-spanning spectacle of one. This would be too small time, as it were. Also, said spectacle would be… frowned upon at best.” Sol answered back with a smile. Yeah, he knew our names. Could probably pin point any single point in our past and bring it up if he felt like it too.
“… Right… anyways he’s got a point, Sol’s not one for pranks in the first place… or so I’d originally thought. So… who are you two exactly? You know our names so it’s really only fair.” Looks like Alicia was trying to shake off the fact that Sol admitted he was just as capable, if not more so, of causing chaos as Kisara.
”Devon. Sorry, forgot my manners for a bit with this whole mess. This doesn’t exactly happen every day you know.” At that point I stood up, one of the tallest people assembled in the group at six foot two, holding my hand out to Alicia. She smirked at me and took it, shaking it.
“Can’t exactly say you’re wrong...” she quipped in turn, before I offered a handshake to the two Sunderland brothers.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 6, 2017 4:07:07 GMT
"Gee, when you put it that way, it sounds great," I said. Az sure had a way of making things sound comforting. Or, you know, the opposite. "I think you could've left that off at the 'we can be sent home any time' part." Maybe it was just me, but I really didn't want to think about the part where we were at the mercy of an ancient dragon god. At least Sol was the calmer of the two, though. If we were at Kisara's mercy, things could have gotten very interesting, very fast.
"At least one of us is," I added as Alicia mentioned how well Az was taking this situation. "I'm just going with this because I don't really have any other choice. I mean, I could just try to pretend all of this isn't happening, but then I'd be both lost and wasting my time. So I might as well try and have fun with it, right?" My tone of voice was surprisingly light for someone who had just been dragged across the fabric of dimensions. Even if I wasn't necessarily thrilled about this, at least I seemed fine to roll with it.
Less fine about rolling with it was Kisara, who seemed to break immediately at the mention of some 'Machinima incident.' I couldn't help but snicker as she wailed like a banshee, but once Sol was made into a popsicle for telling her she was on her own I quickly hushed up. Considering I was far more fragile and far less prone to cartoon logic, I didn't want to get flash frozen today. "If it helps, you're far from the only one with embarrassing stories under your belt," I said, taking a quick glance in Elliot and Isaac's direction. "I swear, I've got enough for these two to fill a book."
"Don't," Isaac warned, piping up for the first time since meeting the two of us. He didn't exactly sound happy to be here, so I just made sure to nod and drop the topic as quickly as possible.
That said, names were in order, it seemed. "Mine's Joseph," I said, offering a hand for handshakes to follow Az's lead. "It's nice to finally meet you guys. Even if in kind of a weird way," I added.
Elliot gleefully shook my hand, smiling. "Nice to meet you!" he chirped before turning to shake Az's as well.
Isaac didn't quite make eye contact, but he shook my hand nonetheless. "Same," he said, voice still sounding kind of lost. I thought about saying something, but I knew firsthand that Isaac wasn't much for being poked about his problems. Besides, part of me was a little worried to hear just what was bugging him right now.
"So, does Sol do these kinds of surprises often?" I asked. This certainly didn't seem like the kind of event that ended up happening on a regular basis, but then again I had no idea that it would end up happening the first time either. Who knew what these characters apparently got up to when we weren't writing them?
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 6, 2017 4:57:20 GMT
”I am no god, Joseph.” Sol suddenly spoke up without any prompting. Quirking an eyebrow at the dragon, I then turned to my friend and smirked. Poor guy must’ve gotten the same mental impression lots of people get when seeing or hearing about Sol’s hidden power. ”Merely blurring the line that defines what a god is.”
”And frankly? If I had my pick of random super-powered beings to be at the mercy of, I’d pick Sol every time. I know him best and he’s a pretty chill, down to Earth guy.” I added on in the hopes of setting any concerns Bone had at ease. ”… That didn’t help at all did it?” I asked belatedly as I heard what I said sounded like. It at least seemed comforting in my head…
“I’m not the one you were trying to console, and I thought it didn’t help...” Alicia dryly answered. Looking over at Isaac in concern, the Steel Spirit Wielder sighed softly, folding her arms. I suppose she had come to realize why the elder brother seemed to be so distant and mutely distressed.
”Your existence is hardly diminished by these revelations, Isaac. All things are relative after all. The stories Elliot has written could just as easily be peeks into another reality themselves, the young boy serving as its driving influence. Conversely, Devon and Joseph could themselves potentially be seen as avatars of a quieter slice-of-life story. Each can be a link in a never-ending chain, as long as all of the multiverse is wide. Millions of alternate realities exist, and thus there are millions of different variations on all things that exist in them. And yet at the end of the day all things are unique to themselves, each a distinct individual shaped by the lives that have been led.”
And there Sol went into another of his thought-provoking speeches. I bit my lip in turn though, having never really considered his point towards us before. Were we just imaginary characters to some other reality for some quick entertainment? Not that I believed I could be all that entertaining in my normal life.
”Ha… With that in mind, one must wonder though. Are we truly controlled by the whims of these until now shadowed presences? Or are they simply inspired, becoming subconsciously aware of us, to put pen to paper and merely tell our tale to a new dimension...? Even that is a question I am incapable of answering."
”… Okay seriously how can you be so eloquent while I generally trip over my own two feet time and again when I try and do similar things?” I asked of the dragon. I’m sure if this were a proper anime, I’d have either a sweat drop or an anger cross on my head. Possibly both cause I was a bit miffed at my own failing in that regard.
Sol simply broke his calm facade and smirked smugly at me. The hell was that supposed to mean!?
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 6, 2017 5:43:41 GMT
Shit. He could read my mind. In retrospect, that was probably obvious, but it was still a really annoying thing to spring on someone. "Eh, god, immensely powerful and ancient being who can casually drag me between dimensions and read my mind. For all practical purposes, same thing," I figured, shrugging. "Still, don't worry, won't say it again." Even if Sol was relaxed and down to earth, it was probably better not to be a stubborn butt on a topic that he was rather insistent about.
I just nodded at Az's response. He had a point. It was better to know an all-powerful being was relatively chill and reasonable rather than a capricious madman. "I'll take that explanation," I said, smiling a bit. "Besides, are we really ones to talk in this case? I mean, just think about the situation we're in right now." It was a thought that I regretted as soon as I had it. If Az wrote Sol, and Sol was near all-powerful, did that mean they were both all-powerful compared to each other? If push came to shove, which of the two would be more all-powerful?
I shook the thought. I had to. The chicken and egg problem it created was starting to get really confusing, really quickly.
Consolation quickly changed from me to Isaac, as Sol started explaining the nature of the multiverse and all of our potential roles in it. Frankly, the second a potential third layer was added to this mess of all-powerful relativity, my brain wanted to jump out of a window. However, I understood the point that Sol wanted to make. The lives of those portrayed here weren't any less meaningful just because they were authored. Heck, they could have even been the ones influencing our thoughts, rather than vice-versa. It was one I was certainly hoping would be reassuring to Isaac, who seemed to be taking this the worst of everyone involved so far. I looked over to gauge him for a response, but his expression remained shadowy and unreadable.
Thankfully, at least somebody wanted to bring up a bit of positivity. Elliot turned to Azure, who was currently floored by the eloquence his own character was displaying. "I mean, you wrote him, right?" Elliot asked, tilting his head a little bit curiously. "So that means all that eloquence has to come from you too, doesn't it? Maybe you're just thinking too hard about it or something. Just try not to worry about it so much and I'm sure you're gonna be able to talk just like that!"
I swear, I wrote him too nice.
Of course, positivity may have been coming from one brother, but it certainly wasn't coming from the other. He kept his eyes to the ground as he mulled over Sol's words, and once the plain fell quiet again he finally found the strength to look back up. "But why?" he asked, a direct accusation underlying the hurt tone in his voice. "If you have so much say in everything that happens in all our lives, why the hell would you put us through so much bullshit? Why would you have a man like that raise me? Why would you ruin Elliot's life with a busted leg? Why would you have us run into certain death time and time again? Or let the D-Reaper happen? You could've made this so much easier for us, and instead you've just made us suffer. And all for what you guys just called a game! Am I the only one wondering how the hell any of this is okay?
I . . . I . . . " Isaac trailed off. It was clear he was running out of words, but his fists were balled up tight and tears were stinging at the corners his eyes. "I could have been tall, you jackass!" he blurted, voice deflating as a mix of anger, sadness, and existential weight pressed down all the harder against his chest.
The worst part was, I didn't even know what to say.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 6, 2017 6:30:24 GMT
”As I said, I do blur the lines significantly. It’s frankly personal preference that leads me to say something.” Sol noted with his smirk still firmly planted on his face. I shook my head in turn at the exchange and focused on Isaac, seeing how the poor guy was slowly coming undone despite Sol’s attempts to head off a potential snapping. Was there anything I could do-
Sol looked at me with intent and in an instant I knew I had to just stay quiet with regards to Isaac for the time being. Still, my head started to hurt a bit and a rubbed my forehead with a soft groan. I now have a moment where I regret making Sol telepathic… In any other situation it was a huge boon that I could leverage with him during scenarios, but now it was one hundred percent out of my control. Chill guy or not, it made me a bit nervous to know he could do whatever he wanted in a moment’s notice.
I smirked at Elliot as he tried to cheer me up. Kid was quite the ray sunshine, wasn’t he? ”I appreciate the pick-me-up, but I’ve always been more keenly aware of how Sol, and others I’ve written, practically come to life. Maybe I can? But the possibility I can’t very firmly exists. Remember the train incident? When I first wrote about Alicia, her temper was supposed to only have a hot setting. One thing led to another in that tundra though and before I realized it she can burn cold just as easily.”
“But… that’s kinda always something I’ve been able to do… I just don’t get that mad that often.” Alicia commented with a quirk of her eyebrow, at which point I looked at her in honest surprise. Before that tundra incident I honestly couldn’t have envisioned the passionate young woman having a reason to… how was it put? Slide a metaphorical ice cold dagger into someone’s ear? Something to that extent, I would go read the post in question to refresh myself but…
Well, for obvious reasons, that wasn’t an option.
… Hmm, I smelled sulfuric pain and volcanic resentment. Mt. Isaac must’ve just erupted. I winced a bit as the poor boy went on a near-tearful tirade. I’d only heard of most of Isaac’s pain second hand, or was that third hand now, from Bone so being in ear shot of all that concentrated despair and resentment… It was a moving thing. He topped it off with something minor, yes, but the rest of the rant made it too hard and more importantly too cruel to laugh at the last point.
I too was at a loss for words… but this situation was one were words fell flat. In a moment I was moving, unaware that Alicia was starting to take steps as well. Our eyes met half way to our target though, and we just nodded mutely in agreement with a frightening sense of synchronicity settling in. At young Isaac’s sides we both wrapped him up in a tender but loose hug, closing our eyes.
I may not have, or be convinced I lack, Sol’s eloquence, but here? Here is where I excelled. Listening, understanding, and doing what little I could to offer comfort and security. Still, a thought came to mind, something I could say to at least take some of the edge off.
”It’s no game, not any more. Now, for a time, we are here in person. It can never truly be ‘just a game’ ever again...”
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 7, 2017 4:13:26 GMT
Elliot's smile remained undaunted, even as Az modestly slid the compliment away. "That just means even more," he insisted. "I mean, when I don't know what my characters are gonna do next, a lot of times I just kinda freeze up. If you can go with their changes so smoothly, that just shows you're really flexible as a writer, doesn't it?" I had to admit, he had a good point. Uncertainty as a writer could really suck, and the fact that Az could both handle it and freely admit to having it was really admirable. I had scrapped, or at least been confused by, my own work on many an occasion. That said, I also knew how Az felt. The bros had come far past my initial expectations for them, and growing in ways I never saw coming.
Although, were they growing, or simply naturally showing facets of themselves that I hadn't asked myself about before? One of the first things I learned about Isaac that he was way dorkier than I envisioned him as, but that might have just been his history being too somber for that side of himself to show off. It was an interesting question, and one that I would love to consider more heavily when certain emotional crises had passed.
At the very least, it made me happy to see all of the support coming Isaac's way. As much as I wanted to put him to the fires of character development, I didn't mean to leave him that badly scarred. He seemed to stiffen up in surprise as Alicia and Az hugged him, naturally snuggling a bit more into the former's arms. I don't think Isaac really felt comfortable enough around Az to fully embrace his hug, but at least the gesture was appreciated.
"It's true," I said, finding myself at a loss for words but desperately trying to bring some out. "And even when it was, there was only one endgame through it all. One way or another, I just wanted you to find happiness. Growth. Become the best you that you could ever be, and then settle into a good life that you worked your butt off for."
"Oh, bullcrap," Isaac muttered under his breath. His unyielding rage had died down, giving way to soft sniffles and shudder, but he still wasn't very pleased. "If you wanted to do that, you could've just done all that with a wave of your hands. You could've given me direction in life instead of telling me that I had none. Or helped me through my challenges instead of smashing against them. Or helped pick me up when I was down instead of leaving me to crawl my way out. Why couldn't you just make all of those go away?"
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 7, 2017 5:06:21 GMT
I sighed softly as Isaac continued to smolder and fume at Bone. I can’t really blame the poor kid though… Alicia and I took a look at each other again and nodded, followed by me taking a step back. I had shown my support, but unsurprisingly he felt more safe in the arms of someone who’s fought tooth and nail at his side, who had done everything she could to stick by them through thick and thin. She could do more for him then I could.
“… part of life is the journey, no matter how dark...” Alicia suddenly commented. “Others may face worse then those around them. But we all face our trials… I am who I am today because that fateful day years ago? I almost died that day. And even if it hurts so much now… you will be stronger then it one day. All of us will be.”
… Right… I had put her through that and… At that moment I was painfully aware that she could be shape shifted as Mercurialdramon right now. And she could swing a Shatter Fist my way in an instant and oh god why did I make that form so devastating and versatile!? Please don’t notice me right now, Alicia!
“Most importantly, you wouldn’t be my little bro, adopted or otherwise...” Ignoring my carefully wrapped up freak out, she finished what she had been saying, smiling softly. “Please don’t misunderstand though. I’m not asking you to let go of your anger, or simply pretend it doesn’t exist. Just pass judgment carefully so you don’t make a mistake you’ll regret later.”
Kisara took that moment to chime in, looking thoughtful. ”That reminds me, shouldn’t you have one glaringly big reason to be pretty upset yourself? The one you kinda just used as an example?” Oh to hell with you too Ms. Frigid Heart. You just had to call to attention why she had a near death experience, didn’t you?
“I do, yeah… but I can’t bring myself to be all that upset. I just can’t put my finger on why.” Alicia answered back, looking up at me. “Maybe I’ve just come to terms with it…? Though my problem is hardly on the same scale.”
”The fires of suffering and the pressures of hardship oppress all, but those who endure and overcome leave them behind while shining the brightest of all, their only impurities being their nature, a kind that tints their life and makes it more beautiful still.” Sol commented as a follow up to Alicia, smiling softly. ”Fight and struggle, claw and grasp the future you desire, and you will become a man that puts your failure of a father to shame. To have your sweet ending handed to you will lead to not but a corruption of the dream that will leave you yearning for more until you hurt and scar those you love the most. Subconsciously, these two understand that truth.”
… Well that was one way to put it...
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 7, 2017 5:22:12 GMT
It seemed like Isaac was receiving the same advice from all parties involved here. Life was a process, and circumventing that whole process would just leave a hollow shell of what could have been behind. "We've had our hardships in our world, too," I added. "Trust me, it isn't like we're these beings who never know suffering besides what we take out on our creations-"
"Not helping," Isaac interjected.
"Right, sorry. But still. We may not have known the same life or death struggles as you, but we've had a lot on our plates as well. Disappointments, anxieties over the future, relationship worries. And yet I think all of these have made us both stronger in the end," I explained. "I know, some of the troubles we put on you guys can be way larger than life. But that just means the successes are going to be larger than life too, I hope. There's still so much waiting for you in your future. I'm so excited to see how it all turns out."
I paused for a bit, wondering if it was the right thing to say, before finally throwing caution to the wind and going with it. "And I'm so proud of how far you've come already."
A quiet hung over the plains. Isaac remained silently seething in Alicia's arms, but with one heavy sigh the tension in his shoulders seemed to drift away. "I get it now, I guess," he said, still not fully convinced but at least in a better way than he was before. Still, at least for the time being, he decided to keep close to Alicia. He still looked quite tired, sadly enough.
"How did you come to terms with it?" Elliot asked Alicia, eyes wide and full of hope. Was that a touch of worry in his voice?
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 7, 2017 7:25:18 GMT
The redhead sighed softly and hugged Isaac a bit more firmly. She closed her eyes after that and merely listened for a moment, perking slightly when Elliot inquired about how she had come to deal with her first near-death incident.
“Well… when you’re run through on a huge golden claw, a random mugger does kind of lose its significant impact.” the woman quipped with a half grin, before shaking her head. “More seriously? I know too well now that holding onto all that is just gonna eventually put me six feet under. Worrying about the last time is gonna make the next one more likely to succeed and all that.”
… I couldn’t help but notice how different that was from myself, constantly fretting over the smallest thing and getting far too fixated on something I couldn’t change anymore. ”You’re a lot stronger then I ever imagined...” I noted off hand, looking down. Kinda like how I was holding onto the chilling answer to that one question I deliberately ignored. It seemed no one had noticed it yet but… would they?
I couldn’t help but take a look at Sol. He locked eyes with me in the same instant. Yeah, of course he knew why I was avoiding that question. How am I suppose to put it in a way that won’t shell shock everyone here for life? It all seemed so much less impactful when it was just a pair of guys writing stories…
”Oh right. Almost forgot about the hunt incident. That was a real scare even for Sol and I...” Kisara noted with a sigh, running a hand through her hair in obvious nervousness. Its possible she might’ve been taking what had happened on that hunt hard on herself which made sense. For all her shenanigans and chaos inducing, she was a caring woman underneath all that.
”If it makes ya feel any better, Isaac, I’ve got your back on the other side. I’ll try and head off the worst of what’s coming when I can. I’ll be honest, I can’t be around all the time, but… I’ll do what I can do.” I said, smiling softly. Biting my lower lip though and looked down and sighed hard. Sol and Kisara gave me knowing looks, the first unreadable and the second visibly concerned. If anyone would know why I couldn’t be around more, it would be them...
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