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Post by flightlessicarus on Dec 31, 2016 8:02:42 GMT -8
The voice echoes out. Each of the fallen heir somehow able to hear it.
Had they forgotten about each other so quickly? In their own personal turmoil, they had secluded themselves that far away from each other that they thought they were suffering alone?
No.
While their pain is very much real, no matter how far away their comrades may be. Whether separated by time, space, or even death, they don't have to do it alone.
Pins of individuality. Made pointless out of mass production. They all tried wearing them as frivolous placebos. They all were the same in their methods and failed to stand out.
But, when they all were rallied into the dead Seth army, suddenly they meant something, even if they couldn't claim individuality.
Because they are all Seth, and Seth must act together.
Slowly they begin picking themselves up off the ground. They weren't even that far away from each other when they fell.
It seems the adage passed around the tower is true after all.
"No matter how far we fall, we all land in the same place."
They are all part of something greater than just that small part of themselves.
Greater Seth.
Through the solidarity of their shared identity, the seths find each other in the dark.
A hand reaches out to Rudolph. One much like his own.
"...thank you for remembering me. Your light was the beacon I needed. I could hear your voice every time you called out for me. It kept me from falling into despair. Thank you so much. ."
Rudolph grabs the hand and is pulled up... by none other than Schrodinger!
"...Schrodinger!"
Rudolph immediately hugs Schrodinger. They hold each other tightly for the longest moment.
They have finally found each other.
"...we need to find the others. I need to find Noelle."
"I'll be with you every step of the way, Rudy."
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 8:37:26 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by frozenlake on Dec 31, 2016 8:37:26 GMT -8
"He wants to trap everything up in those black walls? WELL I'M GONNA TEAR IT DOWN"
In the dark of the void, far away from the oppressive prison, nearly forgotten drones get to work. Light flashes from the ancient session, as grist is harvested from the remaining imps, and put to use. A series of booster rockets are alchemized, all for the sole purpose of accelerating a gigantic dart to a sufficient velocity. The Rockets burst to life, a flight plan charted. The dart begins to accelerate, towards the black prison.
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 11:05:22 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by frozenlake on Dec 31, 2016 11:05:22 GMT -8
A compelling argument is made. Azure sighs, maneuvering the missile sideways, sending it way off course from its intended destination. He hopes that this is the right thing.
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 11:39:13 GMT -8
Post by creeperpuncher on Dec 31, 2016 11:39:13 GMT -8
???: ...You're not alone!KALMARO: 3Э ...! 3ЭA voice out of nowhere startles you out of your mental breakdown. Not alone? What could it mean... Are there others here too? ???: ...help wont save you now... youre goiing to drown iin the diigiital sea and diie iin davy jones recycle biin, tako...KALMARO: 3Э ...Takoo? 3ЭThere it is again. That's the second time she's called you that. Wait a minute... A Seer of Time... A yellow Inkling girl. Time. Yellow. As in not your team. ...As in not your session. You imagine some fitting accusatory music playing as you begin to fight back. KALMARO: 3Э OOBJECTIOON! 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э My name is noot Takoo! 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э And yoou're noot froom my sessioon! 3Э???: ...what...The girl looks at you like you just grew a second head. KALMARO: 3Э Like all Sturf sessions, teams were split based oon dream moooon. 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э Everyoone oon Derse is oone cooloor, everyoone oon Proospit the oother. 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э And froom what I've been toold, Time players are oonly ever Derse Dreamers, and Space players are oonly ever oon Proospit. 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э Team Derse was purple in my sessioon... But yoour ink cooloor is yelloow! 3Э???: ...whats your poiint...KALMARO: 3Э Yoou coouldn't have been froom my sessioon because yoou're a Time player that dooesn't have purple ink! 3Э???: ...that doesnt mean anythiing... you stiill caused all thiis, tako...KALMARO: 3Э Stoop calling me Takoo! My name is Kalmaroo! 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э Alsoo, I knoow foor a fact oour sessioon coouldn't have been scratched... We never had any Scratch Coonstructs! 3Э???: ...shut up...???: ...what about octaviiospriite... hiis prototype and your attack created a beat mesa...You sense you're reaching the part in the cross-examination where the examinee begins to break down. Keep it up. KALMARO: 3Э That's anoother thing! The Ooctavioosprite yoou shoowed me... He was green! We had noo green Inklings in oour sessioon! 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э I doon't knoow where yoou goot him, but he wasn't my sprite! 3Э???: ...no...KALMARO: 3Э Soo take yoour accusatoory statements, and yoour mistaken identity, and shoove them up yoour ink sac! Yoou're oon my turf noow, Scoourge, and I goot a Nuclear Inkstrike with yoour name oon it! 3Э???: ...you cant do thiis...The girl's wireframe limbs seem to glitch a bit. You think you ticked her off. Time to finish this. KALMARO: 3Э ...And doon't even think oof trying too guilt trip me aboout Inkoopoolis. 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э I have it oon gooood authoority that at least half oour peoople survived the Reckooning by hiding deep in OOctoo Valley with emergency generatoors too keep the Spawn Pooints oonline. 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э OOr should I say, my peoople survived the Reckooning. Because I doon't knoow what yoou are, but yoou're noot froom my hoome! 3Э???: .........???: .........???: .........???: ...ii saiid shut up... heiir of tiime...???: ...you may have seen through my iillusiion... but you wiill always be alone...???: ...a lone squiid iin paradox space, never to see hiis home agaiin...KALMARO: 3Э Wroong again. I have a hoome, and friends, and I'm noot gooing too loose them now! 3ЭKALMARO: 3Э We're doone talking here. Goo back too wherever it is yoou came froom, Scourge. 3Э???: ...you... cant... defeat me...* You attempt to call up an Inkstrike. * Nothing happens. * You try again to call up an Inkstrike. * Nothing happens. * It seems you don't have access to an Inkstrike here. * But... You may have access to a different special. * Remembering your last moments in the battle, you realize you had the Q-Liter equipped. KALMARO: 3Э I said... 3ЭA large loudspeaker materializes in your hand. She doesn't even react, like a normal Inkling would. KALMARO: 3Э LEAVE... 3ЭYou slam it down right in front of you, facing point blank at the girl. Still no response. But you don't care. KALMARO: 3Э MY FRIENDS... 3ЭPurple sound waves begin to appear as the Killer Wail prepares to fire. Whatever this thing in front of you is, she doesn't give a fuck. KALMARO: 3Э ALOOOONE! 3ЭThe Killer Wail fires a loud blast. The girl doesn't even flinch as she begins to dissolve, not into ink droplets, but into pixels. As she is literally ripped into wireframe, her expression doesn't change. ???: ...dont say ii diidnt warn you... heiir...The last of her pixels scatter as the Wail ends, her wireframe face having just enough time to give you a malicious grin as it flickers out of existence. The summoned loudspeaker shrinks away as well, coinciding with the action music ending. KALMARO: 3Э And doon't coome back, Scoourge. 3ЭWell... Now you just need to find a way out of this void.
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lunarLunatic
DEATH EGG
All your moons are mine!!!!
Posts: 1,486
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 11:50:50 GMT -8
Post by lunarLunatic on Dec 31, 2016 11:50:50 GMT -8
Raine snaps out of it.
Was it that voice that had flung her back here?
"...I admit it. I...I am a coward. I know I was too terrified to act quick enough to warn you...That I was selfish...!"
Still trembling, she attempts to get up. No matter how painful it was, she wanted to get up.
Another kick from the specter of her friend sends her down, but she continues to get up.
"I was always so terrified of dying again, but at the same time I was too afraid to live...! To get hurt! I always thought that maybe I should have just stayed behind or let myself disappear because of the scratch..."
Another attempt. Another blow, knocking her down.
"But you know why...You know why I was so determined to live...? Despite nearly...No, despite getting myself killed by the person that killed you?"
She struggles, despite the attacks and despite the pain, to stand up.
She finally succeeds.
"...It's because I...I thought that maybe if I lived...I could make up for being so useless and selfish back then. That I could make it up to you and everyone else I left behind."
Her arms cross in defense as her friend deals another blow, her legs planted firmly as she tries to keep herself up.
"I may have wanted to die after a while...I may have hurt even more people during that time...But that's sort of a part of life isn't it...? There's always days where it seems like there's nothing worth living for, worth fighting for; and there's times where it feels like just one mistake could mean the end of everything...But there's also so many reasons I can keep fighting for! For you guys...so you wouldn't have to die in vain...For the friends I made that are here, somewhere, probably fighting their own battles...And...There's so many reasons why I shouldn't let my faults drag me down..."
A mix of frustration and contemplation is clear on Frost's face. But still, she attempts to knock Raine down with a punch.
Raine reflexively grabs hold of the arm...But rather than throw her down, she moves her hands down until it meets her friend's.
"...I want to live...Not just because I'm scared to die. Not anymore. I want to move forward with a smile, knowing that you're right behind me! Please...I know I was a horrible friend...And that maybe...Maybe you could never forgive me. But...I just want to tell you that I never forgot about you...And I never will forget. Y-you may not know it, but you were the glimmer of hope...The light I had to move forward in that dark time..."
Tears streak through her face as she moves her head to touch her friend's hand, as if pleading.
"If it weren't for you, I would have never found the path I needed to find...I just hope you'll still be willing to be part of that light."
...A hand is placed on her head.
"Y...You really are kind of a dork, aren't you?"
Frost snickers.
"I guess that makes me sort of like Madoka, doesn't it?"
"Yeah...But you're not gonna become a concept...Are you?"
"I think I'm pretty set with the whole ghost thing, actually."
"S-So you'll fight with me?"
"Heck yeah."
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 12:49:22 GMT -8
Post by metreu on Dec 31, 2016 12:49:22 GMT -8
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lunarLunatic
DEATH EGG
All your moons are mine!!!!
Posts: 1,486
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 18:26:18 GMT -8
Post by lunarLunatic on Dec 31, 2016 18:26:18 GMT -8
They could hear it.
The call of an unfamiliar voice.
Telling them not to lose hope.
They were not alone.
...They never were.
One by one, they get back up.
One by one, they slowly gain back the determination they have lost.
"You have no idea how much we can do despite being ghosts...!"
"I may have been reckless and frail...But that doesn't change the fact that there's still happiness to be delivered..!"
"I have dedicated myself to defending what's right...I refuse to abandon that."
"...There's still a new year to greet...There's still presents...and apologies to give."
"I can't sleep yet...The dawn is coming...And I cannot afford to miss it again."
They weren't going to let this existence disappear, especially when they've realized how precious it is.
While there was so much they feel guilty for, there was so much the future could hold. Despite their mistakes. Despite the fact that they're already dead.
If they could convey this to the people they have let down....!
Somewhere, a strange girl hears this call.
The girl on the verge of losing all hope, because of one mistake. One moment of weakness.
She had once died in an attempt to save someone who could not be saved.
"...I..."
If she had thought it were a lost cause, then perhaps...things wouldn't end up this way.
She trembles, on her knees, feeling pain like no other.
Does she regret that decision...?
She shakily tries to stand back up.
"...I may have been stupid...I may as well caused my original timeline to collapse...But..."
No.
This decision, while foolish...
"I don't regret it. I...I did my best. And I will keep doing my best. If I could repeat it again, I would make the same decision...Not in the way I have done it before, but I would do it. I would keep trying...!"
She steps forward. Despite the pain. Despite the guilt.
"And if it really was a foolish decision, I wouldn't doubt that my friends would leave me behind...! I may have acted on my own in that moment then...But not anymore."
She puts her arms outward, as if expecting an embrace. A pale light exudes from her.
"My heart was in the right place before, and it still has been. You can't tell me it's wrong to do what I do...! Because I have so many friends I've made because of it! So go on, give me all you've got! Show me how much hate you have in your heart, and I'll show you how much love I have in mine!"
The shade that torments her backs away...
The girl shouts, for all to hear. Even if her call is absorbed by the darkness. She believes...If one made that call to awaken her from despair, then there's no pain in trying the same...!
"You can't tell me I did nothing. Don't tell me I should do nothing! Because even if I made the biggest mistake, that serves as a stone to mark the path towards a better end! To a happier, kinder fate!!! Not just for the living, but for everyone!!!!"
...
But while the call has been heard for most of the former residents of a dream that was once home...
Some are unable to answer it...
Eins...Zwei...
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Post by flightlessicarus on Dec 31, 2016 20:57:01 GMT -8
Jasper stumbles upon an orange knife.
He picks it up, and to his surprise, it begins to communicate with him.
It's Jake.
He needs to get back to his body.
Jasper doesn't know where Jake's body is, but he resolves to search for it.
Raphael is faced with the troll. But somehow, from all of his experience elsewhere, it seems his words don't hold any weight.
"...you're wrong. Even if I gave you back your legs, it wouldn't have changed the outcome. This was meant to happen."
"...meant to happen?! My ass! Why the fuck would the timeline break on purpose? Or were you just using that as an excuse to kill me?"
Raphael wasn't prepared for this.
Little by little, the Seths have paired up and gathered together. There appears to be a square hole in front of them.
A conflict can be heard at the bottom.
"You're too weak, Seth! You were always too weak! There's no use in fighting anymore!"
The nightmare has progressed to the next form: the glitch monster of the corrupted skies of Skaia.
Rid is already at the end of his rope. A low health chime rings through the room.
He's cornered.
None of his attacks are even working.
This is the end.
Or is it?
The Mother smiles as clownros cries in the center of a vapid crowd, pointing and laughing at him.
Yes, she had me specifically refer to him as clownros in the narrative just to piss him off.
He is aware of the media his adventure has been transferred through after all.
"You were a waste of our resources. You couldn't even do what you were programmed to do! And when you finally tried again? You got beat to the punch and died again! Worthless! Maybe Eniar has a way to dispose of you properly..."
Dispose?! Chronos is not one that can simply be DISPOSED OF! He'll show them!
Chronos attempts to charge a powerful laser from his mouth... but there is nothing.
A forbidden thought race across his mind as he struggles to assert himself.
He hasn't felt like this since late in the v2 session, when he could hardly keep himself together. Though at least then he had enough stored power for one last hurrah.
You have no legacy! You have no successful successor! You shall be forgotten for all time! You are nothing but a failed virus trying to masquerade as a god!
That can't be true... can it?
Rudolph and Schrodinger join the group. It seems much bigger than it was before.
They seem all rather close, though without direction. Some are watching Rid fight his inner demons below, while others are busy with their own consolatory efforts.
Someone is missing here...
Is that all Raphael is? A killer looking for reasons to slay? Is that the real reason why he's been the most tenacious motherfucker this side of the river? So that he can keep beating others up? So he can watch his victims fall lifelessly to the floor? For the sake of being a remorseless murderer?
Does he really want to be like that?
Does he have any choice to be anything else? After all the bloodshed he's caused?
"Seth, I know why you killed me. Ever since you've landed on this rock, you've never had the guts to finish off any of your targets. Knowing we were doomed anyways, you knew there were no consequences. But why did you care about them before?"
Raphael is still struggling with this...
Meanwhile, one last Seth appears in the dark.
This one is still alive.
The oppressive atmosphere immediately presses down upon him. Threatening to crush him under his own weight.
There is a cacophony of voices. An echo chamber of hopelessness.
But... he can't give up.
He has someone to look for.
He has to find Kat.
"Don't you know she's probably already dead by now?"
"This wouldn't be the first time you've led to her doom."
"You're a liability. You should have stayed soft instead of returning to the edge."
Who even are these voices? How do they know these things?
Seth slowly gets to his feet, braving the psychic assault thrown against him.
He looks around, but he can see nothing but darkness in every direction. The ground feels like it could give way to the abyss at any inopportune moment.
But, if a nightmare were to kidnap her, this would definitely be the place.
He holds onto a spark of hope. She must be out here somewhere, right?
"Kat! I'm gonna save you! Hold on!"
He calls into the night, hoping his words are carried to wherever she's being held captive.
Have you ever tried to speak behind a California king size mattress? Have you ever experienced the sheer amount of volume suppression that such a device can supply?
It seems ten times worse than that here.
There is no echo.
There was once a movie tagline that seems fitting for this moment.
"In space, no one can hear you scream."
Seth stands there in the dark, waiting for a sign before continuing.
He can't wait forever though. Time is waiting to begin once again after all.
"So eager to turn the wheel. You really are the son of Chronos."
A voice behind him.
"You do know who kidnapped your friend, right? It was the traumatizing memory of the very man you hold in high regard. The man you were destined to become. The man that turned out to be nothing but a monster. Do you want her to trade one monster for another?"
Seth is struck by those words, despite not knowing where they are from.
"...I'm not a monster! I'm..."
"You're what? You're definitely not human. You look almost temporic but even to them you fall short, thanks to a monster you refer to as your father, who even in death detests you for your betrayal."
Frozen again by the words thrown at him. What does Seth have to say to that?
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Abandon
Dec 31, 2016 21:01:08 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by frozenlake on Dec 31, 2016 21:01:08 GMT -8
The Page wanders his way through the empty void. He had entered it a little bit ago, having been drawn to it by some force. But now? He was hopelessly lost. He wandered past a few groups of ghosts, not seeing, or even noticing their plight. He sighed, sitting down.
He sensed something behind him.
"Well well well, what do we have here?" The newly interrupting figure stated. The Page examined the figure, closely. The figure seemed to be mechanical by the way it moved, as well as some exposed parts, but a great deal of them was still organic. The cat ears on the top of his head, the deep, orange eyes, and the lips of his mouth, gears twisting just underneath.
"...who... are you?" The page asked, nervously. He got the feeling that he was far, far out of his league here. The figure smiled, the grin being unnaturally wide. "Why, isn't it obvious?"
"I'm you, Sam."
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SJmun
Eggministrator 
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Dec 31, 2016 22:19:06 GMT -8
Niki is crying.
She's a worthless stupid excuse for a leader, let alone a survivor. She's singlehandedly caused others to die without being able to save them.
She's the worst.
But somewhere, a voice is calling out, above the screams and cries and static and everything.
It is trying to tell her, everyone apparently, that she's not alone.
Like she's supposed to believe that.
None of these people who left her were ever even her friends.
...they all left of their own free will, and they all subccombed to the darkness.
Niki provided them light, and yet they foolishly refused it, searching for lighter places.
Is she really to blame for their disconnect? For their refusal to stay?
...she isn't.
She isn't obligated to save everyone.
Especially those who never wanted to be saved anyways.
"You know what? No. I'm not taking this. This is all on you. I welcomed you in and let you stay as long as you wanted, and you left on your own. Your choices aren't my fault. You can't complain to somebody that showed you hospitality about the trials you fell into afterwards!"
The crowd gasps. They seem almost offended by her words... but they ring with the light of truth.
They chose their paths, not this completely random light player that let them crash on her couch.
They were just looking for someone to blame their misfortune and hubris on.
The darkness continues its assault. The crowd is being attacked by it.
Maybe she can't save everyone, but she can still try.
"Photon blast!"
Niki gathers her light and with a raise of her arms, a great pillar of light erupts from her!
The darkness attempts to swallow her light, but she keeps shining.
She is the beacon.
The crowd, despite how they had been before, gather closer to this luminous woman.
How could she ever think she was alone when so many have flocked to her front door?
Though they may come and go, the home will never stay empty.
There will always be somebody out there in search of shelter and understanding.
And that's why she has to keep shining.
Niki wonders if Patrick rubbed off a little on her, considering how much hope her light has brought.
Where is he anyways...
Charlotte, surrounded by her own self loathing, can hardly move. She's defective. She's only worthy of her rare middle name for the wrong reasons. She only got into extreme sports because it was a way to look braver than she really was. Otherwise, she was a shut in who spent any time not training for competitions at home playing video games. Anything where she didn't have to show her face in a conventional setting.
But, this voice, this feeling... it is trying to call out to her. It's trying to tell her that she's not the only one.
The only what? That she's not the only spineless failure? Of course there's plenty of those out there, but how many of them have made it this far, beyond time and space, into the darkest of nights?
How did she even get here?
How has she lasted so long? Despite her fears, she has endured.
...just like Endurio. Her favorite vindendo character.
She's travelled across unfamiliar lands, went on wild adventures, and has lived to tell the tale.
Charlotte is stronger than she thinks.
In the harshest coldest midnight of slayser's icy lair, she has managed to do what none of her aquaintences thought was possible of her.
She's survived.
But... what of those she left behind? Those unlucky enough to have fallen to meteors, unannounced demolitions, and the very darkness that still surrounds her?
...shell cross that bridge when she gets there.
The most important thing she must do now is protect those that she cares about the most out here.
Lambda... one of the other malformed. Though her inverted ear notches were always more endearing than Charlotte's crooked horns. At least they could trust each other...
It's a miracle they found each other again in the thick of these endless fights, after being separated for so long.
Will she be able to find another miracle? Will she be able to find Lambda again?
"Hey! Lambchop! Are ya anywhere out here? It's me, Charlotte!"
Jake has been found.
A familiar presence has linked to his own.
An ethereal hand grips upon the knife.
It's Jasper.
He's not alone anymore. Though he may be trapped within the knife, there will always be someone willing to hold him close. Someone willing to guide him when his conventional senses are taken away from him.
His body has to be out there somewhere...
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Post by flightlessicarus on Dec 31, 2016 23:59:26 GMT -8
Just a failed virus... NΘ!
Chronos is more than just a virus! He's more than just a weapon!
For the longest time, he had been blinded by his lust for destruction. His thirst for revenge. His fear of fading into obscurity.
With everything he had destroyed, it couldn't fill the hole in his chest. It couldn't make him feel fulfilled.
There had been something missing that he couldn't quite put his finger upon.
Until he gained full possession of Seth's body.
Complete unrestricted access, with no other to share it with.
There was something he had that he had forgotten about.
He could feel so much more.
While before, it was only in short bursts, but now, it is an endless stream of confounding emotional wonder.
The muffled echo of the love he pursued before had blossomed into something stronger.
Wait, are we even talking about the same guy over here? What's with all this mushy crap? Chronos does not feel such weak feelings such as love!
If he didn't, her words wouldn't have hurt so much.
If he didn't, he wouldn't have felt such unimaginable joy when his daughter joined him in the assault against the scourge.
If he didn't, he wouldn't have tried to be a better father to his heir in the timeline where he didn't have to follow in his footsteps.
To be honest, the creation path was much more fulfilling than the destruction path. Even if he couldn't fully grasp it at the time, it made all the difference.
It allowed him to leave behind a legacy that would last longer than the ruins.
In his efforts to collect all the frogs for the group, and thus make their job so much easier, he had his hand in creating an entire universe.
Even if they may not credit him for it.
But somewhere in the code for a component frog or two, he made sure that in the universe that would result, his mark would be made. Something that nobody could ever take away from him.
He made it so a desert planet would be inhabited by people that looked just like himself.
Anyone could have a child or a professional successor, but to leave behind an entire civilization of those that follow in your footsteps?
It takes more than just a virus to do that.
It takes a man.
It takes a man with hopes and dreams and fears and frustrations.
Even if he isn't always good at showing it, or explaining it, or even responding well, he has feelings.
"...▲ND TH▲TS SΘMETHING YΘU C▲NT T▲KE ▲W▲Y FRΘM ME! YΘU C▲N SUPRESS THEM WITH YΘUR VILE WΘRK ▲LL YΘU W▲NT, BUT YΘU WILL NEVER ΘWN ME! YΘU WILL NEVER DEFE▲T ME! YΘU WILL NEVER BEND ME TΘ YΘUR WILL! I ▲M CHRΘNΘS! GΘD ΘF KΘRΘUS! M▲STER ΘF SP▲CE ▲ND TIME! F▲THER ΘF THE MΘST ▲DΘR▲BLE LITTLE GIRL EVER!"
"But what about your son?"
"HE ISNT MY SΘN..."
"SETH IS MY GR▲NDSΘN! ▲ND I ▲M MY ΘWN GR▲NDF▲THER!"
It is boggling to anyone that may have tried to trace their family tree, but it is true. Seth was created from the concepts of his hypothetical daughter and a forest dwelling human, more comfortable talking to animals than those of his own kind.
He never learned these explicit facts... until the day came when he had to create himself.
Chronos, despite his long line of irreversible changes, deep down inside, he is still Seth.
He may not have the same mindset as any others before him of his template, but it still shines.
Thoren, still burning from the inside, barely anything to even burn beyond raw bone, looks up at Kusari.
How could he have fallen so far down? Is he even redeemable? How could anyone love someone that has destroyed so much?
He's nothing but pure evil... is he?
...no...
Despite the horrible acts he's committed, despite the despair he has spread in his own lack of hope, despite his many shortcomings...
He still has something good inside him.
Something that made him want what Alpha Seth had.
Though it soured into envy, he resolved to fix his mistakes.
It turned out he didn't just want to be happy, he also wanted his partner to be happy.
In the session, all those years ago, he didn't believe that he could make a difference until it was too late and his killing spree had caused the very despair he had been suffering from in the first place.
It wasn't until he became connected with those that had also faced hardships within themselves that he could understand them.
And they could understand him.
And the young man who gave him hope... so much hope, that he believed he could have a future. That he could live happily ever after with the woman of his dreams. A strong woman who could save herself if she needed to.
A strong woman who believed they could carve out their happy ending and protect eachother in hard times.
She saw something worth saving when he fell into her heart.
The young man saw a fellow warrior scarred by wounds that would not go away.
And the other young man, the one in front of him...
He trusted him.
"Seth... I'm sorry. I'm sorry you died. I'm sorry I fucked up. I'm sorry you had to put up with my shit..."
"but you'll give me another chance, will you? Maybe I can't fix what I've broken, but we can try to move on... maybe..."
Tears falling from empty eye sockets. They calm the fires within.
Just like Raine...
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Post by flightlessicarus on Jan 1, 2017 1:12:27 GMT -8
Why did Raphael kill?
Aggressive impulses? Fear? Insanity from the horrorterrors?
All that time, he was searching for something. A destiny. The path he was meant to take. A route he could follow until he would arrive at his goal. The route he was given sent him into the dark, much like this place. It sent him to the brink. It sent him to embarrassment he never thought he'd have to endure.
And then he got stuck there.
So he escaped the only way he knew how.
He slit his own throat after striking down the closest thing he had to a sparring partner. A kismesis he may have called it? Are troll hate relationships even possible?
Wait, those involve weird troll hate sex. Ugh, fuck no.
Back to the point, he managed to escape the meteor of infinite returnings through death.
But, he was now dead, and his destiny became null and void.
Raphael was thrown completely off the path, and was expected to be complacent and accept the way things had gone for him. He chose this path, did he not?
Wrong. He had buried himself in such a deep cavern of self loathing in life that he couldn't even bring himself to appreciate it. Until he threw it away.
He didn't even know how good life could be if he could just try to be a better person.
Seeing alpha Seth in the woods that day... it reminded him of what he wanted.
He wanted to live.
He wanted to be comfortable with himself.
He wanted to be accepted.
But who could possibly show kindness to one who holds such strong Ill will?
At this point, Jasper and Jakeknife cross paths with Raphael.
"Hey gunmaster Raphael. Do you know where we could find Jake's body? I found his soul in this knife."
Gunmaster... the title they gave him in the Seth army for organizing the gunner seths effectively. And when Thoren became more involved in his own affairs than that of the group, he became the de-facto leader.
Here it was, this group of misfits and weaklings with a knack for fighting... just exactly like him.
He finally found somewhere he could belong.
He finally found someone that would accept him not only for who he was and is, but explicitly for who he will always be.
And that was worth everything to him.
"I'm not sure, but I'll go with you. Cerxes, you wanna join us?"
"...you'll never find it."
"Watch me prove you wrong."
And with that, Raphael, Jasper, and Jake took off to continue searching for Jake's body.
Cerxes watches them leave him behind, as if he meant nothing to them...
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Post by flightlessicarus on Jan 1, 2017 8:14:39 GMT -8
Alpha Seth, faced with questions regarding his humanity, or lack thereof, has no answers.
"Why are you looking for her if she'll die by your hands once more?"
Seth speaks up finally.
"Because... I care about her. And she cares about me too! I searched for her when she got kidnapped! Even when it got painful! Even when shit kept on happening out of my control! Even when they snapped my horn and tried to poison me and took away my friends and family!"
"Friends and family. You're cute. They all had their reasons for dying. One outlived their use. Another went out in the most heroic fashion possible, and your family member... well you know enough about him to know how many wish he was removed from this realm."
Seth tightens one fist and holds it close. Frustration is building.
"...So what?! The point is I kept going and I saved her!"
"From a remorseful drunkard who couldn't slay her if she tried."
"You're no better than the evil you're trying to save her from!"
Struggling from the cutting voices that seemed to know everything, Seth can hardly move from his spot.
But, is he really that evil? He must be, right?
It is at that point that an encouraging voice calls out to him. Urging him to get up. Because there is a reason to do so.
And then the dark voices retort.
"Why do you keep fighting when you know there's no hope for either of you?"
"...why? Because I care about her! Because I want to be there for her! Because I want to be a better person!"
Seth shouts into the darkness.
This time it almost seems to reverberate.
"Maybe I'm not perfect, maybe I am an inhuman abomination. Maybe I am a bigger threat to her safety than her own enemies! But I still care about her, and I want to be there for her. I WANT HER TO BE SAFE!"
"and... I want her to come back home. Everyone misses her, not just me. And yet they still trust me, despite my past, despite my origins, despite my lack of humanity or tempority. They believe I can save her! They believe I can be good enough!"
And then... something clicks. Seth knows what he needs to know now.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HUMAN TO BE A GOOD PERSON!"
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lunarLunatic
DEATH EGG
All your moons are mine!!!!
Posts: 1,486
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Post by lunarLunatic on Jan 1, 2017 9:01:14 GMT -8
Within the dark, oppressive expanse...
A girl drifts down to the bottom.
She wasn't sure how, nor does she know why she has been pushed down here.
Especially by someone she thought was her friend.
He's still there as well.
And now that she had a closer look...This man was not the same as her friend at all.
"You were so easily deceived. To think you wouldn't know the difference between your friend and your executioner. Then again, there isn't much of a difference, is there?"
...
"Why? Why do you continue to stay by his side? Is it pity? Or are you just so devastated about your mistake back then?"
A sharp blow knocks her forward, the illusion she thought was her friend grabs her by the neck and holds her up.
"...You really think you could repair your mistake by being friends with Seth? You're not even from his timeline! You just replaced the one from his own timeline! He practically only has feelings over you because of his guilt! The same reason why you stayed by his side!"
"That's not-!"
"You manipulated him for your own needs. You used that guilt to get close to him."
"No..."
"You can't deny it."
She's suffocating.
"You're a manipulative witch."
That's not true.
"...I may have stayed with him out of guilt, but the time I've spent with him is genuine...! You don't know him. You don't have the right to tell me how he feels because you aren't Seth!"
She struggles out of her captor's grip, falling to the floor.
"I understand my past mistake, and I know that it's the reason why I wanted to be so close...But that's not the only reason, and it's not the reason thats going to define me!"
Kat stares down the illusion with eyes filled with determination.
"I don't know what kind of hell you've dragged me into this time...But I can handle it...! Because there are people who are waiting for me! I won't let some nightmare hold me back from the people I love!"
The illusion smiles, slowly bowing as he disintegrates into dust.
"..."
She could feel it.
There are other people in here.
Other people that need help.
Other people who are fighting their battles.
...Was she dragged into here because of that...?
She goes to find them.
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Abandon
Jan 1, 2017 10:28:01 GMT -8
Post by metreu on Jan 1, 2017 10:28:01 GMT -8
There are footsteps in the darkness, but no figure. Clear glances up, but upon seeing no one she looks back down at the candle.
It takes her a moment, but she has realizes someone has sat down across from her, but again, there is no figure there.
While they have no physical form, the presence was clearly there. They spoke no words, made no moves, just sat there and kept Clear company.
Clear hugs her legs close to her chest, watching the flame flicker and melt the wax below it. The wick was about half way gone...
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