 
Support Wrong Planet Awareness!
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Kain
Deinonychus
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Age: 18
Posts: 338
Location: The World
|
 Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
C.
_________________
By reading this message, you have given me temporary control over your mind. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Inventor
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 16, 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: New Orleans
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| What was this thread about? |
|
| Back to top |
|
CockneyRebel
Sid The Love Rat :O)
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Age: 33
Posts: 20855
Location: Out in the evening, with me two best Rat Mates, somewhere in Canada :O)
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
Question
_________________
Sid The Rat is everything that I stand for. We're both large, proud Punkers with Cockney accents. We both have the same issues, as well. I don't see anything wrong, with that. I was put on this planet, to make myself happy. Sid :O) |
|
| Back to top |
|
Inventor
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 16, 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: New Orleans
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I might bid on this storyline. |
|
| Back to top |
|
ShadesOfMe
Kivatesavam The Pink Bunnay!
Joined: Jul 01, 2004
Age: 17
Posts: 15636
Location: California....or the cuteness place with One-winged-angel
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
This isn't even being kept up, is it???
_________________
My Bunny will *eet* your bunny for brekfist!
Wolfs are for loving.
Has the sky fallen yet? |
|
| Back to top |
|
KBABZ
Third Technician, Chicken Soup Machine Repairman
Joined: Sep 21, 2006
Age: 18
Posts: 6474
Location: Middle Earth. Er, I mean Wellywood. Wait, Wellington.
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
| ShadesOfMe wrote: | | This isn't even being kept up, is it??? |
Thread kinda died once I went on casual AWOL from WP, and because interest waned. Can't believe it's still a sticky.
Doesn't mean the story hasn't developed, though! It's gotten to the point where I feel really restricted with the choose-an-option thing in it. I've been getting ideas for a sequel lately. Also, check out my dA journal for Outcast Diaries. Basically updates on ideas I'm getting, plus a behind-the-scenes look into my story. First up: Zoe!!
_________________
I was sad when I found that she left
But then I found
That I could speak to her,
In a way
And sadness turned to comfort
We all go there |
|
| Back to top |
|
Inventor
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 16, 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: New Orleans
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
| We want action and we want it now! |
|
| Back to top |
|
KBABZ
Third Technician, Chicken Soup Machine Repairman
Joined: Sep 21, 2006
Age: 18
Posts: 6474
Location: Middle Earth. Er, I mean Wellywood. Wait, Wellington.
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
Alright, I'll post the BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG chunk I wrote while I was away. Much action is gongs on!
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!” Booger said when he glanced to his left.
“What is it?” Marilyn asked.
“A map. And guess what? More bloody hallways, all twisty and turny. If there’s someone doing this on purpose I’d like to have a word with him.”
Bob examined the map.
“Well, it appears this place is of some importance. Look over here, some sort of maze. Looks as if we should go through.”
“Aww man…”
Kipo lay on her bed with her Dayol Cube in her hands, playing with it. She doesn’t often play with it the way it was intended to be played with, where you take it apart and reassemble it either as a cube or a complicated Tetris piece. Rather, she just feels it with her fingers, rotating it around, and admiring the sheen coming off the sides of the cubelets. The effects of the charm around the house had made a good and proper effect on her, and her worry of her way of mind, the lack of the ring, and Koise were decreased, and still decreasing.
Even so, she realized that what she was doing was part of her old, and what she considered, flawed, way of thinking. She thought back to when she was back in her house in Umatari, living with her mum and dad. Her mother was often quite harsh on her, criticizing her for anything she did that was not normal, which was nearly everything she used to do. ‘Kipo, you don’t sit like that!’ ‘Kipo, why don’t you go outside and play some sports?’ ‘Kipo, why can’t you just act normal for a change?!’
She found it highly unfair at the time, because she could not change, she did not want to. She was perfectly happy the way she was. Well, if only she could go back now and show her. That’ll teach her something. She never loved her mother.
But her dad. Her dad was a different story altogether. He helped her through the day, and didn’t ask her to do anything that was out of the ordinary for her. Where her mother would ask her to do the dishes or set the table, her dad was perfectly okay with letting her stay in her room for as long as she liked. Kipo wondered if her parents ever had any arguments about it.
Kipo’s dad was probably the only person she has ever loved, or at least something like love. She thought back to why she ran away in the first place, because her dad was away for a month and her mother was being totally controlling of her, expecting so much of her and making life hell because she constantly failed at whatever she was asked to do, because she could just not do it, how harsh, loud and cruel her voice was. Again, if only she could show her mother what she was like with the ring on.
But her thoughts drifted back to her dad, his soft, soothing voice, and kind words. Right now Kipo felt he was the only person she wanted to be with. Kipo remembered a conversation they had when Kipo was younger and being tucked into bed. Her dad was walking to the door when Kipo asked
‘Dad?’
‘Yes Kipo?’
‘Why does mother have to demand me to do things I cannot do? I do not feel that she loves me if she asks those things of me.’
‘Your mother does not understand the way you work.’ Her dad answered, walking back to her. ‘She does not like that you are different.’ Kipo noted now that he always spoke to her in a similar to the way she did. She found it easier to understand.
‘Why am I different?’
‘I do not know. I think you got it from your mother, she was always picked on for being different when she was your age, so she changed herself to be normal. I feel she finds it insulting that you are even more different than she was.’
‘Oh.’
There was a short pause before Kipo said
‘Do you want me to be normal?’
‘No Kipo. I love you just the way you are. I think you are really special.’
‘But if I am different, does that not mean there is something wrong with me?’
‘No, not to me Kipo. I love you because you are different.’
Kipo remembered that she felt confused at this remark as her dad walked back to the door.
‘Goodnight Kipo.’
‘Goodnight dad.’
And he closed the door.
She had never thought much of that conversation. At that age she was focusing much more on herself than the meanings of conversations, even if she could interpret them. But now, she found herself understanding what her dad meant.
Perhaps it was because her dad’s and Koise’s voices were somewhat similar. Or maybe it was because her dad was the only person she had ever truly loved. But all of a sudden, she found what Koise was meaning by changing her back to normal. She was special, unique in the way she thought, something that no other person would have. There was something special about being this way, despite its flaws. More thought would yield to her the realization that, most of the time, it is not her own fault, but those around her for her large flaws. If her mother could have just accepted Kipo’s difference, then Kipo would have been much happier, she would not have run away in the first place. But that would have been less likely than Kipo changing all on her own.
However, Kipo only thought this on a very basic level, but the essence of these points were still there. She got up and went into the meadow. It was 2am.
She walked into it to find Zoe there, sitting in the grass, looking sad and thoughtful. Not that Kipo could tell very obviously.
“Hello.” Kipo said.
“Hello.” Zoe replied.
“What are you lying here for?”
“Thinking. I couldn’t get to sleep.”
“I could not get to sleep either.”
Kipo sat down next to Zoe.
“I have been thinking as well.” Kipo said.
“Oh. What about?”
“Me. Myself. The way I am. I am unsure about who I want to be.”
“Oh.”
“I do not want to be the way I am currently. I want to be normal, I am happy that way.”
“Then why don’t you try to be normal?”
“I cannot. I try very hard, but I cannot seem to act or think normally.”
“So, why are you unsure on who you want to be?”
“Because… I have thought back to when I was a child. My father was very caring to me, unlike my mother, who appeared to hate me. I have only realized now, from a conversation we had once, what he meant by ‘I love you because you are different.’”
“What do you think he means?”
“I think he means that he loves me because I am unique. I am, as he put it, different. I do things in a way no other person does, and that is something good. I…” Kipo searched for a way to put it, “I have my flaws, and I cannot change those without the influence of the ring, but… but they are not my own fault. They are other people’s fault. It is their fault that they cannot accept me for who I am, and they punish me for it, making me want to change.”
“So… you do not want to go back?”
“I am unsure. I am finding the decision very very difficult.”
“Hmm, well, I think I know of a way to make it a bit easier.”
“How?”
“Well, I think you need to think of it as not what you want, or think is best, but rather, what you are most happy with, especially when you get there to that way of thinking and acting.”
Kipo took this in. “But what if people do not like who I am?”
“Well, you explained it to me earlier. It is their fault for punishing you for who you are. You should realize not to care about what they think of you.”
“Okay.” A pause. “Thank you. You have made my decision a lot easier.”
“It’s no problem, really.” Zoe smiled. “I’m glad to do it.” She made a big sigh and fell back onto the grass. Even Kipo, now that she had a small taste of normality, could tell something was wrong.
“What is wrong?”
“I’m thinking of leaving.”
“Why do you want to leave?”
“Because of the way I’m thinking. A bit similar to you, I suppose.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to think like this, to act like my mother’s death was nothing serious, that you and Koise’s friendship breaking wasn’t a big deal. It’s like I’m not seeing the world as it really is. I mean, even right now, I’m talking about all this casually, and I don’t want to. I want to take the world seriously.” She sighed. “It’s as if a blanket or veil is blinding me from the reality of things, and I’m just saying ‘Okay, sure, I don’t mind, I’ll just ignore it.’”
Kipo was able to understand the veil metaphor.
“But will the shock of your mother’s loss not affect you?”
“Yes, it will. In fact, more than if I found out it was yesterday.”
“How will it?”
“Well, Clarrissa once told me, long ago, at an age where she thought I would forget, -and I almost did, but I remembered it now-, that, over time, my negative thoughts will build up, the feelings will stack on top of each other, if you will. In other words become stronger with each passing day. It makes me afraid to go out there.”
Kipo thought of what to say. She thought of what helped her in her own situation.
“I think that you should decide what is more important to you.” Kipo said. “Being here, ‘blinded’ from the reality of tragic events, or going out there, realizing what it really is.”
“That’ll take a while.” Zoe sighed.
The next day was just as bright as the last, and Kipo and Zoe joined Clarrissa at breakfast table, eating their choice over various breads, fruits and vegetables. Clarrissa saw that they were both acting a bit oddly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m thinking of leaving.” Zoe said.
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t want to think they way I do, with this charm of the house. I feel it’s blinding me from the truth. I expect you’re going to hate me.”
Clarrissa blinked. “No, I don’t.” Zoe looked surprised. “You see, Zoe, I remember telling you, when you first came here, that you could stay as long as you wanted. I knew that, due to the field, you would only leave when you were old enough to understand the negative effects of the charm. It looks like you’re ready.”
“Why do you stay in this area when you realize the negative effects?” Kipo asked.
“Because I’m the guardian of this place, if you remember. I wasn’t born here, I didn’t ask to be here, but I have to. I get a constant supply of rich food, and I help keep the universe in balance by not defying my own destiny.”
“Okay.”
“So… you’re not mad?” Zoe asked.
“No, far from it. I’m proud of you Zoe, you’re coming a long way from when you first came here. You’re not a kid anymore. Well, I know you’re a kid at heart, but you’re understanding things. Important things that you need to know.”
Zoe got out of her seat and gave Clarrissa a big, tearful hug.
“I love you.” Zoe wept
“I love you too Zoe. You’ve been like my own child for me, I’m proud to have looked after you. And I know you two will look after each other out there.”
“You-you want us to leave now?”
“Well, you can if you want. You can set off within the hour if you really feel like it. Where do you want to go?”
Zoe and Kipo only had to look at each other.
“To Koise.” Kipo said. “I miss him, and I feel a bit… lost, without him.”
“Hmm, I don’t know how far he’ll have gone by now. Think you’ll be able to catch up with him?”
“I hope so.” Zoe said.
“Alright. I’ll go pack your things. You two can do what you feel, help me if you want.”
“Okay.” Zoe replied.
It was a good hour or two by the time Clarrissa was done. Zoe had helped out somewhat, and Kipo tried her best, but if she did something wrong, Clarrissa and Zoe didn’t get upset over it. Kipo wore a small bag over her shoulder, containing all the non-foods, and Zoe a backpack with food. They both stood outside, in the afternoon sun, waiting to set off.
“Now, I hope you two take care of yourselves out there.” Clarrissa said
“We will!” Zoe said brightly.
“Good. Now, you have enough food in there to last you about four days, five or six if you’re careful with it, which I’m sure you won’t be.” Clarrissa then put on a serious tone of voice. “If you can’t find him within 3 days, you are to make your way back here, understand?”
“We understand.” Zoe said.
“How will you know if we are not lost, or dead, or killed?” Kipo asked.
“I’ll just know. I can kinda feel the life force of anyone who has visited here, especially yours, Zoe. I know that if one of you is, well, gone, then I’ll rush out to find you.”
“Okay.”
“Good luck out there.”
“Thanks.” Zoe replied.
Clarrissa put her hand on Zoe’s shoulder.
“I love you Zoe.”
Zoe leant forward and hugged Clarrissa.
“I love you too.” She replied. When they broke apart, Zoe asked “Do you feel like a hug too, Kipo?”
Kipo thought for a few seconds.
“No, I am okay.”
“Alright!” Zoe said, in a way that said ‘It’s okay to not want one’. Kipo, oddly, especially to herself, found that she was able to pick this up, if barely.
“Well, Goodbye you two. Again, take care of yourselves.”
“We will.” Zoe replied. She and Kipo made their way down the hill and over the circle the hills made. They turned around and waved to Clarrissa, who waved back, and then went inside. Zoe and Kipo would not notice her watching them for a bit more.
They didn’t feel the effects of the house wear off immediately, and they would hardly notice it when it did. Zoe still felt bright and cheery when they were quite some way away from the house, and Kipo felt relaxed and unconcerned about her indecision about who she wanted to be.
That would change when they were far far away from the house. The journey was simple so far, just a matter of treading over grassy hills. Kipo started to feel nervous and shifty, and was asking herself small questions about herself in her mind. It was Zoe, however, who would come out the worst. As Kipo was looking at the ground, asking herself these small questions, Zoe’s breathing started to become deep and rapid, to a point where even Kipo knew something was wrong. When her eyes began to well up, Kipo managed to make her mouth move and say
“Zoe, what is wrong?”
But Zoe didn’t reply. This made Kipo even more nervous.
“Zoe,” she asked again, “what is wrong?”
But Zoe was too caught up in her own thoughts. The effects of the house were wearing off, and the layering effect from not thinking about it too much for so long were catching up with her. Her lip quivered, her knees shook, and her breathing was frequently interrupted with spasms in her breathing. Finally she dropped to the ground and wept, wailed in her despair. It was not just the loss of her mother that was attacking her, it was also the fact that she had ignored it for so long, that it wasn’t of any concern to her at all. All she could do was lie there and weep, scream in sadness as her tears wet the ground.
For Kipo, just her act alone was enough to give her a fright. Much like Koise had felt when Kipo was in the rain, she had no idea what to do, and felt extremely nervous just standing there. She felt like running away, but she could not move. If she could have, she would have stayed, however, for Zoe was her friend. Over her piercing screams, Kipo was able, barely, to think about what Koise would do. Koise seemed brave, and always knew the right thing to do, so logically this would be the best course of action.
She thought, and thought hard. Over Zoe she found it very hard to think. Koise would… Koise would… get down, and comfort her. Say kind things, try to calm her. Almost as soon as she had thought this, Kipo found herself bending down and reaching her hand out, something which she would not normally do.
“Zoe,” Kipo asked nervously, “Are you okay?” Kipo knew full well she was not. Zoe did not seem to respond either.
“Zoe?” Kipo asked.
Zoe continued to lie there, crying, wailing in despair. She appeared to be in mental torture. Kipo thought some more. Koise would… he would say more calming things, try to help. But Kipo had no idea what to say or do. So, she lay herself on the ground next to Zoe. She felt comfortable on the ground, which helped herself in dealing with the current situation, but she could also be there for Zoe when she was needed and was able to help.
It took long enough. Zoe had laid there, sobbing, weeping for almost half an hour now before she began to show signs of stopping. Kipo looked over to her. She was being remarkably patient. Then she heard a voice. A familiar voice, from her medallion. Anarion.
“Kipo,” she said, gracefully, “Kipo, let me help her. I can make her feel calm.”
“I do not think she would agree to that.” Kipo said.
“Please.”
“Okay.” Kipo took off the medallion and slung it over Zoe. Zoe was apprehensive but let Kipo do it anyhow.
“Zoe,” Anarion said, “Zoe can you hear me?” Kipo could actually hear her in her head even though she was not wearing the medallion.
“Who are you?” Zoe asked, still feeling as terrible as ever. Kipo could hear this too.
“I am Anarion, a spirit inside the medallion.” Zoe said nothing. “I want you to be calm, relaxed, without worry. Please.”
Her words felt relaxing and meditative to Zoe, and she, slowly but surely, slowed and lightened her breathing, her sobs growing less prominent.
“I do not want to forget. I don’t want to be naïve.”
“You’re not being naïve, Zoe. Sometimes we must not let some troubles burden our minds.”
“But-”
“They still have taken place, yes. That is important to remember. But it is also important that we are able to go on with its weight. Otherwise you would remain here without taking any action.”
Zoe saw the truth in this, and she calmed down a little bit more.
“You have friends. Clarrissa, Kipo most of all, even though you’ve only known each other for three days. She will stand by you no matter what, I can tell.”
“Really?” Zoe sniffled
“Really.”
Zoe took some deep breaths, and finally stopped crying. There were tears still running down her face, but more for the sake of it rather than being sad. Anarion presented herself in her celestial form, and bent down to Zoe.
“It’ll be okay, don’t worry. You’ve got to find Koise, and you won’t be getting any closer to him by mourning. I’m sure your mother would not want you to mourn her death so much.” Her every word was kind and thoughtful. “Come, stand up. You too, Kipo.”
Thus they did. Zoe leaned onto Kipo, which gave her a bit of a surprise, but she accepted it nonetheless.
“I’m sorry Kipo…” Zoe said.
“I do not know what you are sorry for.”
“I must have scared you during that.”
“You did scare me.” Kipo said.
“So why didn’t you run away?”
“Because I did not want to leave you alone here.”
Zoe hugged Kipo.
“Thank you.” Zoe said.
“You are welcome.”
Zoe and Kipo stood there for a while before Zoe asked
“Where’s Anarion?”
Kipo took a look around.
“She does not appear to be here.” She said.
“She isn’t speaking to me either.” Zoe added.
“We must find Koise. We have lost more ground.”
“Sorry…”
“It is okay.”
Zoe let go of Kipo, and they continued on.
Even after that episode, Zoe still felt sad. Not as sad as before, of course, but sad for no particular reason. It felt almost normal to her, like she was supposed to be this way. Usually she would be talking or thinking about something, but now she wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, just a mental soup with sadness.
The pair, after a good 45 minute walk, came to the edge of a forest near the feet of the mountains.
“I theorize Koise went into this forest.” Kipo said.
“I think he did too.”
“How will we locate him?”
“I don’t know. But there is a path amongst the trees we could take.”
“Alright.”
And they made their way in. It was not long before Kipo, out of concern for Zoe, said
“Are you still scared?”
“Yes… I am. A bit.”
“Oh.” Kipo thought. She wanted to help. “My dad used to tell me that talking would take your mind off things.”
“Okay… what do you want to talk about?”
Kipo thought. “Have you ever been out in the woods before?”
“Not since… then.”
“When was then?”
“When… mum died.” Zoe did a sob.
“Oh…” Kipo felt bad for reminding her. “I am sorry…”
Zoe sniffled a bit before saying “Keep going…”
“Okay.” More thinking. “Do you like traveling?”
“I usually do… I like the scenery… which is always changing… you don’t know what will come along… but more often than not it’s something beautiful…”
“Okay…” Kipo said.
“Do you travel a lot?”
“I do not usually. However I have done a lot of travelling recently.”
“Oh, due to meeting Koise then?”
“Yes.”
“Have you… enjoyed it?”
“I do not know. In some places, yes, other times I am indifferent… and some I wish I could go home.”
“… how are you feeling about it right now?”
“I am feeling conflicted about it. I have not enjoyed many recent events, such as Koise leaving, our arguments about whether I should be normal or not, and you.”
“Me? What about me?”
“Your crying. I do not like it.”
“Well I can’t exactly help it.”
“I know. That is what I mean. I do not like it when you are crying because you are sad, and I prefer for you to be happy.”
“Oh… right…” Zoe had taken it completely the wrong way.
There was a silence before Zoe spoke up.
“Have you ever thought about when you and Koise first bumped into each other?”
Kipo didn’t consider her accidental humor very amusing. “No, I do not.”
“But… do you ever think about, well…” Zoe found it a bit difficult at the moment to word it. “…do you ever think that, well, what you would have preferred to have happened?”
“I do not understand what you are trying to convey to me.”
“Well, what I mean to say is… would you have rather not met Koise in the first place?”
Kipo thought about this, for the first time. If she had not run into Koise, she would have likely gotten lost, or eaten by a Shaelik, or recovered and sent back home. If she had ran into Koise, which of course she did, she would have gone through all this. For her there were a lot more negatives happening than positives. Rain, blizzards, freezing death pools, clumsy accomplices, controversy on how she should think, friends who go through trauma-
Her thoughts stalled here. Friends. She hadn’t really considered anyone she had met before to be friends. And yet it seemed only natural that she should call Zoe one. She wondered when this first happened, and how. She quickly realized that it was the effects of the ring which allowed her to approach Zoe and get to know her in such a way as to befriend her. If she had not worn the ring, she would likely have stayed nearby Koise, and never got to know her.
“Would you still be my friend if I had not had that first conversation with you?” Kipo asked, unexpectedly for Zoe.
“Umm…” Zoe thought. It didn’t take long before she answered. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Well… I suppose I’m just friendly by nature. Without the ring on, I suppose I would not have become friends with you and gained your, well, trust, as quickly.”
“So the ring helped?”
“I suppose…”
Kipo’s mood dropped a bit.
“But…” Zoe continued, “Given time, I guess I would have eventually befriended you.”
“Would you have went with me after Koise?” Kipo said, ignoring the fact that had she not had the ring on, they wouldn’t have argued about her and split up in the first place.
“Even if it were two weeks after?”
More thought. “…I’m not sure. Maybe if I had enough encouragement about finding him I would have. But, say, if he came back, and you both left, I will have wanted to come with you then.”
“Okay.” Kipo said, disheartened.
“Kipo, I care about you, as a friend. You’re someone special to me. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“Most people have not.”
“No, and that’s the thing. You’re so unique. You don’t think like everybody else does, the very way you think challenges everyone else’s by nature… I like that.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
Kipo’s breathing was heavy.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Caring about me. No-one ever has.”
“You’re welcome.” Zoe replied solemnly. “Koise cares about you too, though.”
“I… I know. But I do not feel the same connection with him. He is someone who is there. You are there too, but in a different way. I like having you there.”
“Not to say that Koise is troublesome to have around?”
“No, I do not mean that. I do not mind having him there.”
“That’s nice.”
“Yes.”
Booger, Bob and Marilyn stood at the entrance to the maze.
“That’s it, I give up.” Booger said, “Hallways have taken over the world.”
“What do you have against the hallways?” Marilyn asked
“There’s far too many of them, that’s what!”
“But it’s not their fault. They can’t help that they were built.”
“Fine, then I blame, uhm… the aliens! The aliens who built them!”
“For the last time,” Bob groaned, “There are no aliens!!”
“Well who built them then?!”
“I don’t know!! Just not aliens!”
Marilyn felt that their argument was starting to heat up.
“Okay okay,” she said, getting between the two, “Let’s just make our way through the maze. Preferably out of it.”
So the three entered it.
It was a long journey. They walked, and walked, they took many corners, and covered a lot of ground. But Marilyn noticed something. Not once in the entire journey had they come across an intersection, an alternate route. She kept it to herself, figuring that they would come across one eventually.
The walk took its toll as they continued. They grew tired of the hallway, and Booger felt like he would be driven mad by it.
“I’ve read about mazes like this.” Bob said.
“Oh really now?” Booger replied, “Well then what is it?”
“An Endurance maze.”
“No really? I thought it was one of those casual short ones.”
Bob tried to keep his patience. “The mazes are long, winding, and take up as much space as they can. The walls, as you can tell, are far too smooth to climb up, so no cheating.”
They pressed on through the maze. The maze had no intersections or alternate routes, just a long, winding path that seemed to go on forever.
“Is there any end to this?!” Booger wailed.
“That’s the whole point of it being called an Endurance Maze!”
“But I want it to stop!”
“Well it will eventually. You just have to be patient!”
“Patient, huh? What if we die in here?!”
“Alright alright, guys stop it!” Marilyn said, butting in when things were getting too heated. “Booger, you’re just gonna have to trust Bob that the maze will end and put up with it, or else we’ll make you go the other way. And Bob, you’ll have to make sure Booger doesn’t get to you. Now both of you just shut up and keep moving.”
Booger and Bob didn’t have anything to say, and grudgingly obeyed.
It took a long, long while before they got to the end. Many times Booger felt like complaining, but thought better of it on the thought of being told off by Marilyn again. He felt the biggest relief when he turned the last corner and saw the end. He ran out of it and hugged the ground.
“Oh, sweet sweet open air! No more tunnel vision!”
“As you lay there appreciating the floor,” Bob said, walking past Booger, “we’ll pay attention to more important things, like that device on the pedestal over there.”
Booger spent a few more moments on the ground as Bob and Marilyn examined it.
“What do you suppose it is?” said Marilyn, curiously
“I dunno… looks very complicated and intricate.” Bob had an internal conflict going on right this moment. The device was criss-crossed with wires and glowing lines. His head and logic told him that nothing on this planet could have made something more intricate, but his will and his heart said that of course it’s not aliens, there must be a more logical explanation for this. There always has been.
“Can you at least guess what it does?”
“Any guess I could make would be about as accurate as Booger’s aim. Given that it is essentially a box with wires and a monitor, though, it probably holds some sort of data.”
“Data? What’s that?”
“It’s like memory for technology. Like your mobile. It needs memory in order to store things like the menus and text messages and missed calls. In fact phones are about the most high-tech things around, save for this sort of stuff.”
“Wow… so, what do we do with it?”
“Take it with us, I suppose.”
“But I’ve got no room in my bag.”
“Well we’ll just let Booger eat some of the rations to clear up some room. It isn’t that big. Heck I could carry it fairly easily, despite the fact that I have no fingers… or hands, for that matter.”
“I’ll take it anyways.” Marilyn said. She uses some loose strings hanging off her bag and tied the device on to it. It was at this moment that Booger caught up.
“So, the device was made by aliens, huh?”
“We don’t know that for sure…” Bob said through his teeth, trying to keep his patience.
“So there was nothing important here?”
“Well obviously this thing is important. We just need to… find out what it is…”
“A big box with wires?”
“Thank you for describing it’s appearance. But I meant what it is for.”
“Oh…”
“We also need to find a way outta here.”
“How about that ladder over there?” Booger said, pointing to the rusty old thing behind the pedestal on the wall. Its appearance suggested it was a hasty last-minute addition, as it had none of the mesmerizing qualities of the rest of the interior.
“Looks sturdy.” Marilyn said. “Guess we should. I’ve had enough of these cramped places.”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Booger said, and he hastily walked to the ladder and climbed up it, with Bob and Marilyn trailing behind. Upon reaching the top of the ceiling, Booger opened a hatch at the top and immediately stopped. Marilyn and Bob followed.
“What, what is it?” Marilyn asked. She peered around. “Oh.” She, in addition to Bob, saw something that would keep them busy for the next few moments at least.
Koise was also quite occupied. After leaving Clarrissa’s, he had set his sights firmly towards the mountains, although at the moment he was occupied with making his way through the forest. Most of his adventuring had kept him near occupied areas, like the trapdoor in Marilyn’s house, for example. But this particular adventure has been the only one where he had ventured far from civilization, let alone all on his own. It was a bit daunting to him, being so far. But there was also a sort of freedom, he felt a little more resourceful almost. Such as now, where he was briefly scanning the ground for any signs of Marilyn, Scythe, Booger or Bob. It only lasted a short while when he realized that he was in no way skilled enough to tell a boar from a troll (provided trolls existed). He gave a bit of a chuckle as he got back to navigating the forest.
And Scythe? Well, she was sleeping quietly, yet nervously. Out of all of them she was probably doing the most important thing, yet she was also the one who had no idea what she was supposed to be doing, or how to do it. Scythe very rarely dreamed, which she much preferred. Not to say that she didn’t enjoy sleeping.
Koise kept on into the forest. He was quite focused now on what he wanted to do. Kipo was safe, at least now he didn’t have the responsibility of looking after her. Not to say that he didn’t like Kipo, but she was tough to manage, and he was now covering a lot more ground. But something caught his eye on the ground, something shiny and reflective. He went over and picked it up. It was a small capsule with a lid on it. The metal that it was made out of was shiny and metallic, as if it were reflecting a light which was not there. Koise gave it a bit of a shake and heard a liquid sloshing around inside. He was intrigued, and looked at the top of the lid. On it was a symbol of circular design, which he tapped.
A light shone out of it as the capsule floated in mid-air. The light was a hologram, which Koise had never seen or heard of before in his life. The hologram appeared to take on what we would call a menu, and the capsule floated down so Koise could interact with it. The menu items remained static, floating on the edge, while in the middle a montage of holographic objects played in a repeated cycle of fire, DNA (blobs to Koise), and strange symbols similar to the one on top of the lid, and this was in a manner similar to how DVD Menus cycle through the best bits of a movie. This even had the pause right before the menu repeated.
Koise swished his hand through the light objects (as he decided to call them), and the hologram switched over to display a sort of animated flow chart of some sort of biological process. A voice-over in a tongue Koise didn’t know played over, but from studying what the holographic animation shown to Koise, he could assume the following:
The substance inside was of a genetic origin, a fluid from some sort of creature from Space. The fluid would be absorbed orally, and it would change the really tiny (molecular to us) structure of an organism, granting it power such as increased strength, speed and fire expelled from the back.
Koise was intrigued with this, and decided to explore the menus. He poked his finger through an X at the corner of the hologram, which went back to the main menu. He found this interesting since the menu items all used foreign symbols for their alphabet, and yet the X was used for a common purpose for the alphabet he was familiar with.
He activated another menu. This brought up a jargled mess on the light of the hologram, like a computer on the fritz, and the hologram froze and then disappeared. Koise tried to find the problem. He noticed a scorch mark and flakey remains on the bottom of the capsule.
He felt that getting to Marilyn and co was the strongest priority again, so he slipped the capsule into his backpack and moved on.
It was a while until he thought of the capsule again. He needed to get through the mountains somehow and to Marilyn. He thought about taking whatever it was in the capsule so that he would have a greater chance of getting to her. But it was a foreign substance, he had no idea what it would do aside from trusting the instructions. But… he considered otherwise… he wanted to get to her. He missed her, he wanted to see her again. He took the capsule out, held it in his fingers. He felt seduced by it, the chance to see her again felt quite appealing. He unscrewed the lid (by pure chance it worked), and poured a small bit onto his palm. Within his fur he could see the liquid was jet black. He decided to give it a shot, and gulped it down like one would take a shot of whiskey.
Immediately he began feeling dizzy, lost his balance and hit his head on a tree root, and was out. His hands clamped on this air as the capsule vanished.
It was to be found later by, of all people, Kipo and Zoe. Kipo had always had a sharp eye for spotting shiny things. They appealed to her, and she liked looking at the light refracting and reflecting off of them. Just like Koise, she spotted it in the undergrowth, covered by a leaf. She stopped and picked it up.
“What is it?” Zoe asked, stopping.
“I do not know.” Kipo replied. “However, I estimate it to be a capsule.”
Zoe took a closer look.
“Looks like nothing I’ve ever seen.” ‘Mind you,’ she thought, ‘I’ve never got out much…’
“I can say the same for me.” Kipo said back. Her finger touched the top of the lid, which set off the holographic menu. Various symbols flashed for a few seconds.
“What are they?” Zoe asked.
“I do not know. I can understand them.”
“Oh really? How?”
“I just do.”
“Oh, okay. So… what do they say?” The hologram went back to the main screen. “Or, what did they say?”
“They said ‘Safety Teleportation Procedure Completed’.”
“So it can teleport?”
“It appears so.”
“Okay. So what’s that stuff there?” Zoe pointed to the menu items.
“They are, from top-left to top-right, and the same for the bottom, ‘Introduction, Safety Procedures, Instructions and Side Effects.”
“Side Effects? So there was something in there?”
“I suppose so.”
“Play the instructions, we may be able to learn at least something about it.”
“How would you be able to understand it?”
“Oh, right. Well, you’ll have to translate for me.”
“Okay.” As Kipo waved her hand over the menu item and the Instructions played, she repeated the following words back to Zoe:
“The Inoquos Liquid is the final stage of Berserker Troop Initiation. The substance is the very blood of the Dark Lord Mordith of Planet Verilion. To ingest, take the liquid inside this capsule orally, and this will alter the genetic structure of your body. This will grant you your abilities to help combat the Urn. Good Luck!”
“Lord Mordith, Planet Verilion, genetic structure and a fight against the Urn. All things we know nothing of.”
“No, we do not. But we should not stay at our present location. We must locate Koise.”
“Yeah, good idea.” Zoe replied. She took the capsule, where the menu immediately shut off, and she threw it behind her, where it lay in the underbrush to never be disturbed again.
A fox walked quietly through the forest, minding its own business. No rabbit for now, he was quite full, so he was on his way to his hole to have a nice warm nap. But he stumbled across something he did not expect. A black, twisting, contorted thing. It appeared to be asleep or unconscious, and yet it was filled with rage. Large flames exploded out of its back as the creature writhed in pain and rage. The fox kept its distance and cautiously walked around it, and continued on its way. It wondered whether the creature was a natural thing of the forest.
Koise woke up the next morning feeling like he had just been beaten over the head with a blunt baseball bat. He put his head in his hand as he wondered what the heck had just happened. How long was he out for? He looked to the sky, and it was night. The moon, veiled behind thin clouds, wasn’t as full as it was the previous night, so he assumed he was out for at least a night or two. He got up and remembered his new ‘abilities’. He ran up the hill, but he didn’t feel like he was moving any faster. He jumped back down, but no improvement in that area either. He clenched his hands to contain his frustration. Not only did it not work, but he lost a whole day for it. He held little hope of finding Marilyn now. He lost it, yelled, and threw himself onto the ground, startling some birds into the air. He lay there for a while, taking it in.
But then he heard something that caught his attention. A scream of fear, which was suddenly cut off. Acting on his own natural impulse, he rushed to where it was to find out what was wrong.
Kipo and Zoe continued on. It was dark now, and they had being searching for Koise the entire day. Zoe had asked why they didn’t try to search the whole forest, but Kipo reasoned that they would have a more likely chance of finding him if they went into the mountains where she felt that he would most likely go. This didn’t ease Zoe’s mind.
“Should we stop now?” Zoe asked. “I don’t think Koise would chase after them in the dark.”
“Okay, that is a logical decision.” And Kipo stopped right where she was and sat down.
“I think we should go under this tree,” Zoe said, walking over to where it was. It was hollow and quite fragile, but safe. “We can hide under here.”
“Okay,” Kipo said, and she crawled into the tree with Zoe. She immediately started plucking out any dead leaves and other forest litter out of her fur, as a result of crawling and walking. Zoe lay her bag to the side and fell onto the ground, quite tired now that she had stopped to notice it. Kipo had felt much the same, but did not want to interrupt Zoe. It was just as well, as Zoe was still feeling sad and mellow, but she knew that she had to take care of Kipo too so she put on a sort of mental mask. It was not until Kipo was asleep that Zoe allowed herself to relax, and show her emotions. She didn’t weep, but she lay there with a sad look on her face, and tears silently fell over her cheeks. She would eventually fall asleep in a similar manner.
She woke up again in the middle of the night, and all was silent, although in the distance she could hear birds fly away. She sleepily opened her eyes and saw Kipo silhouetted against darkness. She opened her eyes fully at this and saw the entire tree trunk and ground was covered in shadow. She screamed, but a black tentacle-limb came out of the shadow and covered her mouth. She struggled, but the gaseous shadow of the limb entered down her mouth and into her lungs, where she lost herself, and could only sit there, motionless, unable to move even her eyes. She could only watch emotionless and wait for what the shadow would do next. Her head limped to the side, and she could see Kipo again, slowly being wrapped in the shadow.
Koise rushed over to the scene, and instinctively knew it was another Shaelik, albeit due to its size a younger one. He instinctively went into his bag to fetch the Water Crystal, but then he remembered of the multi-one already in his Staff. He pulled it out of the strap on the side of his bag, and thought of water. The Multi-Gem turned blue and he blasted into the trunk. The water disintegrated the Shaelik before it could even react, and it washed away. Koise hosed down the interior of the trunk like one would clean their windows. The noise of the water blasting at the trunk drowned out a new screaming sound until he had done.
It was Kipo, screaming, in tears and in pain at the amount of water that was on her. Koise swore as he went over to her. He tried to wash it off with his own hands, but this resulted in Kipo making a swift punch at him so hard it knocked him out.
How is Kipo feeling about Koise when he wakes up?
A) Regretful about her actions
B) Unforgiving about his actions
I think I just posted the single largest post on this site...
_________________
I was sad when I found that she left
But then I found
That I could speak to her,
In a way
And sadness turned to comfort
We all go there |
|
| Back to top |
|
Inventor
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 16, 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: New Orleans
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
(A) longest and best.
Your story telling is getting better. We sorta know where everyone is, with each group at the top of a ladder, wet in a tree trunk, or sleeping a dreamless sleep.
Quite the moment for Kipo, thinking of missing Koise, then having him spray her with water while asleep. Even if she was being eaten.
Mixed feelings. |
|
| Back to top |
|
KBABZ
Third Technician, Chicken Soup Machine Repairman
Joined: Sep 21, 2006
Age: 18
Posts: 6474
Location: Middle Earth. Er, I mean Wellywood. Wait, Wellington.
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks. I do notice it, when I go back to the start of the fanfic and see how my writing has matured.
What I like is that each group keeps on splitting every so often and yet you still know where they are and what's going on.
I'm also in the process of rewriting the beginning section of the fanfic. I'm altering it so that technology is a rarity (Koise had a TV), and that Marilyn's parents never got killed (never really went with that and the mental effects of such an event), among others.
_________________
I was sad when I found that she left
But then I found
That I could speak to her,
In a way
And sadness turned to comfort
We all go there |
|
| Back to top |
|
Inventor
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 16, 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: New Orleans
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
The middle does rewrite the beginning, Marilyn's parents were treated like they were out buying a toster, and the who done it an why was missing.
Your characters are no longer names, they are personalities. They are acting in character.
Having technology, it is all just another device, rare it is a puzzle.
Make them characters work, they are not being paid for nothing! |
|
| Back to top |
|
ShadesOfMe
Kivatesavam The Pink Bunnay!
Joined: Jul 01, 2004
Age: 17
Posts: 15636
Location: California....or the cuteness place with One-winged-angel
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| KBABZ wrote: | | ShadesOfMe wrote: | | This isn't even being kept up, is it??? |
Thread kinda died once I went on casual AWOL from WP, and because interest waned. Can't believe it's still a sticky.
Doesn't mean the story hasn't developed, though! It's gotten to the point where I feel really restricted with the choose-an-option thing in it. I've been getting ideas for a sequel lately. Also, check out my dA journal for Outcast Diaries. Basically updates on ideas I'm getting, plus a behind-the-scenes look into my story. First up: Zoe!! |
Yeah, where've you been?
_________________
My Bunny will *eet* your bunny for brekfist!
Wolfs are for loving.
Has the sky fallen yet? |
|
| Back to top |
|
KBABZ
Third Technician, Chicken Soup Machine Repairman
Joined: Sep 21, 2006
Age: 18
Posts: 6474
Location: Middle Earth. Er, I mean Wellywood. Wait, Wellington.
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Just... away. Didn't really feel a need to come here. Like, even this stay feels like it'll be temporary...
Not like a lot of people missed me. Only 9 posts in the Where has KBABZ gone??? thread...
_________________
I was sad when I found that she left
But then I found
That I could speak to her,
In a way
And sadness turned to comfort
We all go there |
|
| Back to top |
|
ShadesOfMe
Kivatesavam The Pink Bunnay!
Joined: Jul 01, 2004
Age: 17
Posts: 15636
Location: California....or the cuteness place with One-winged-angel
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| KBABZ wrote: | Just... away. Didn't really feel a need to come here. Like, even this stay feels like it'll be temporary...
Not like a lot of people missed me. Only 9 posts in the Where has KBABZ gone??? thread... |
The old people who would remember you aren't even here anymore.
_________________
My Bunny will *eet* your bunny for brekfist!
Wolfs are for loving.
Has the sky fallen yet? |
|
| Back to top |
|
Inventor
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 16, 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: New Orleans
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
You old people built from nothing, by hand, a village of sticks and mud, and there I found the truth about myself.
Since then 10,000 more have come to hear your truth.
Only nine on the Where is KBABZ thread, but many who knew where, and waited for your return.
Semlena wrote she came here, at wits end, clinical depression, on drugs, unable to understand her son's autism, and after meeting KBABZ, six months later, no depression, no drugs, the boys are doing well, and she is speaking to professionals about autism.
Miracle worker and writer, busy life.
A small group of teens on Wrong Planet changed the world view of autism, explored it, defined it, and gave hope to millions. They deserve the Nobel Prize for Teens Mucking About in Cyberspace.
I will always honor my respected elders on Wrong Planet, they gave me so much.
Your words and wisdom are needed more than ever, as your village is growing to become a city. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
