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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2023 7:39:07 GMT 9
It was Jinyu's first time here. It was also Andy's first time here.
But he wasn't scared. None of his Pokemon were here. In fact, he was hoping to get a new Pokemon out of whatever went down in these halls (he recalled online that there was something about trials, and that he had to reach out to the Pokemon in order to bring them back with him. Herr Forehead needed a friend, and it was nice to diversify the team a bit. He couldn't fish out all of them; he thought of it like...adopting? Yeah! Adopting the fish that didn't want a home. He was 90% certain that there was going to be a Magikarp or two here. They made the perfect sacrifices, after all...
Seta did give him the heebie jeebies though. ❝Heyyyy uhhhh, guardian of the Everworld? I was hoping I could fish in here or something? You know there's a game like that, where I can fish for chaotic fish in the void. Though there is no void here, huh? Just walls. Oh! Guessing those masks are..? Some of those look like Magikarp, I knew it!❞ he had a big grin on his face at first, but when he faced the NPC again, who was as stoic as a stone, his expression fell and he cleared his throat. ❝What will be different? I want to give one of them a home. I'd like to come back for the others too, but one step at a time, yeah? I...know what it's like to be cast aside. Us buds gotta stick together.❞
His grip on the fishing rod tightened. ❝Can you give me a chance?❞ |
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C0D13
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Bug Maniac
Administrator
Posts: 2,101
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: C0D13
OOC Username: Ladybug
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Post by C0D13 on Oct 5, 2023 17:19:28 GMT 9
"There are many who part with their unwanted Magikarp," Seta says. "But very few who give them a second chance."
They lead you down the vermillion hall. "I am just the guardian. Whether the soul returns with you is up to them. Many within these halls grow stagnant, and though change is inevitable it is rarely easy." They stop outside a low portal leading into blackness. There is no frame, for that would imply a door. Instead, you feel the strong sense of the single step forward taking you across a vast distance.
You pass through the darkness. It's as brief as blinking, and you find yourself in a new world.
@jinyu |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2023 19:35:24 GMT 9
Many within these halls grow stagnant, and though change is inevitable it is rarely easy.
Jinyu knew that he was talking about the Magikarp. He was talking about the fish, but it was so, so easy to think that was him. The halls, his home, the four walls--stagnant was his life right now, aimless, alone. His thoughts were clouded as he followed (NPC) Seta without a word until he was facing black. Come. The urge to step forward was strong, and at the back of his mind the player wondered what was causing this. Was the game interfering with his ability to freely choose? Was something in here affecting him through powers of suggestion? But he was tired of fighting, and he did choose to come here, so he went in.
The scenery shifted so fast that his eyes couldn't process it quick enough. It was faster than a blink - he was somewhere else, but likely somewhere within the space of the halls still. A gently breeze tousled his hair as his eyes rested on beautiful green trees. Leaves rustling, it was hard to ignore what was in front of him; the trees were surrounding a large pond, and in that near perfect circle of water were countless Magikarp, all of different colors. If a Magikarp was alone, it was easy to think of them as looking rather silly. After all, they often stared with little change in expression, and most of time they were just flopping around, to be used as fodder. In a school, however, in a group of hundreds, maybe even thousands of them, swimming as one, it was...mesmerizing. Breathtaking. His initial reaction was to take a picture, but he wasn't sure if a camera could even capture the glistening scales, the swirl of colors - orange, white, pink, blue, black, purple, and gold, among many others.
The soul you seek is here.
He let out a deep exhale. ❝Right.❞ Jinyu blinked, realizing what he had gotten himself into.
❝Wait, sir, which one did you pick for me? All of those Magikarp masks were painted gold!❞ |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2023 20:08:40 GMT 9
Ough. It felt like he was swindled. He was given no answer to his question and his predicament, and he quickly resigned himself to the fact that this was one of the puzzles he had to figure out. Grimacing, he thought maybe if he asked the Magikarp, they could give him an answer. However, the fish swam continuously and without even looking at him. They were also underwater, just below the surface. He also was pretty sure he didn't have PokeSpeech enabled, and if he checked his settings...yep, he couldn't change any of his settings right now. Fair enough, and he wasn't sure if he wanted a chorus of voices suddenly slamming into his eardrums by turning it on.
But the thing was that the Magikarp were barely making any noise. They swung their tails to turn and shift, but there was nary a splash in the water. They swirled around, propelled by some unknown force to continue moving, but it was perpetual and without end, circular, almost kaleidoscopic with the patterns they were doing (they would crush any synchronized swimming competition). Feeling restless that he was just staring at them, he decided to grab one by the tail to see if that did anything. When he pulled it out of the water, he only got to admire the black and white pattern for half a second before its powerful splashing (or was it flailing?) made him lose his grip. It also managed to get a smack on his cheek in from how powerful it wiggled, falling back into the water and creating a most minor disturbance. The Magikarp expertly adjusted to their returned comrade before continuing their endless swimming.
Damn.
Jinyu decided to sit down on the grass, folding his legs and watching the Magikarp do their thing. He remembered his first pet goldfish, appropriately named Goldie, that he won in a country fair when he was a kid. Predictably and regrettably, the fish did not last very long, but he remembered the wonder of watching it move around in its tiny glass bowl. Eventually, he learned that goldfish needed a much larger tank to be happy and thriving.
The Magikarp continued to swim. To eternity. Maybe these were all of the souls that were sacrificed, forgotten, left to wander with their kin, in a very large fish bowl. Death did not await them, for they were already dead. And he could only take one? Was there only one Magikarp here that wanted to try something else, out of thousands? He felt...that couldn't be right. Surely there were other souls in here that wanted more than that.
❝Are you really just going to stay here, forever?❞ his voice had been soft, and then he stood up, clenching his fists. ❝Surely this is not what you have wanted! To be thrown away! No one deserves that!❞
Was he the one who had been thrown away, or was he the one who threw her away?
The Magikarp do not turn to him and do not stop their swimming. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2023 21:23:17 GMT 9
He gritted his teeth and decided that staying out of the pond was clearly going to get him nowhere.
So he inhaled deeply, exhaled sharply, and then took a step into the water, clothes and all (because of Swimmer; that class was a lifesaver). Even this interruption did not deter the Magikarp; they only adjusted to his presence as he invaded their space, taking great care not to touch him and continue forming their patterns, their scales glistening from the sunlight. It didn't take many steps for Jinyu to be underwater, as the pond was far from shallow. It actually sloped hard; his foot almost losing its hold on the ground before letting himself sink, head fully submerged. It took some moment to get used to being able to breathe here even if he could feel the sensation of water around him. It was cold, but it did not stick to his clothes and skin. Very weird. But also very cool.
Underwater, Jinyu would be surprised to see even more Magikarp that he wasn't able to see from above. They still swam the same way, in the same patterns and with blank looks. The circles continued in numerous rows, forming what looked like floors in a building, except it was all fish (it always has been). None of them look like they want to break away to investigate him. Goddamn, where was the inevitable change that heebie jeebie guy was talking about? Everything was still the same!
...oh.
He hated how easily that reflected on himself. He didn't want to answer the question on whether he tried to move on or not, because he hadn't. He couldn't bring himself to. He too had been swimming in the same circle, for days and weeks and months, which could easily turn into years if he never found the way out. Continued to swim and swim and swim and swim and
No, if these Magikarp weren't going to move if one of them were taken out of the water, then he would have to cause the disturbance right in the thick of it.
He shot himself forward by pressing his foot on the earthen ledge and using it as a springboard. It propelled him into a group of Magikarp, who had no choice but to look at him in order to dodge the incoming disturbance. The moment they tried to get back into the pattern they so desperately sought, Jinyu would push them further away, create large movements with his arms, shoving the fish aside. He hoped not to hurt them too badly, but they were starting to bump into each other now, the chaos slowly creating a domino effect that expanded the circle and made others struggle to find their place one more. A few began to complain - he could hear the "Karp karp karp" from them, fins flapping and scales rubbing on each other.
❝Aren't you tired, Magikarp? I know you. You don't have to keep doing this. Just because others push us away, just because we've been told that we're no longer wanted, doesn't mean that we let that define us forever!❞ |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2023 23:01:43 GMT 9
Even if Jinyu could breathe underwater, it didn't mean that he was getting tired from moving his arms through it. His movements quickly became more sluggish as Magikarp continued to swarm around him, moving frantically to get away but inadvertently pushing others closer to his range. Eventually, they would swim out of his range, and there was now just a watery space between him and all of the others. But Jinyu smiled while panting, for he had succeeded. The disruption was enough to cause a part of the school to break away from the pattern, now unsure of what to do.
❝Of course, it doesn't mean that we didn't make mistakes.❞ he looked down and saw that the pond stretched deep, deep down. It was dark down there, and maybe if time passed and more Magikarp were placed in this pond, the swimming fish can stretch to infinity. ❝God knows I have made so many.❞ memories flash of unintentional but hurtful words, choices or lack thereof, him just standing there, watching her life slip away. ❝I don't know if I'll ever get that second chance, but I can give you one.❞
The Magikarp look at each other.
❝No, all of you. What right do I have to pick? Even if parts of you are putting up walls, forcing yourself to think that you are really okay with this, well...you might like different. Though it might hurt, I can't say that I can guarantee that it'll be smooth sailing. I'll let you be the judge of what feels right, but you can't tell me about it unless you experience it for yourself. So come now, my dear namesake,❞ he raised his arms upward, no longer moving them wildly, but inviting an embrace. ❝I believe that there's still something else you need to show me.❞
For a while, everything was still moving as it had always been. In circles, round and round, but one Magikarp would suddenly swim a little more downward than it should, and then another, and more would follow suit. These would glow bright white, enveloping their bodies and shrinking them into small, round spheres. They almost looked like stars, swirling like a galaxy, and they moved down, funneling into the Magikarp that had stopped to listen. They too would glow white until one remained; a ringleader to guide all of the stars to him, shards of a single soul that have once again come together. Once all of the lights coalesce, the Pokemon that remained was pure white, a little more than a silhouette.
❝You are beautiful alone as you were when you were thousands. I'm sure my fellow Magikarp would be happy to meet you.❞
The Magikarp let out a cry and swam up to his arms, sticking close to his chest. He enveloped his arms around it, as gently as he could. ❝Oh dear...I wonder what Vera would say if she saw me now.❞
The water was still and silent, save for the two lingering souls that have found each other. It seemed like a greater peace compared to before, as well as a promise for a new beginning. |
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C0D13
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Bug Maniac
Administrator
Posts: 2,101
Trainer Class:
Player Name: C0D13
OOC Username: Ladybug
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Post by C0D13 on Nov 7, 2023 22:44:21 GMT 9
@jinyu stands in the pond the silent waters fading to grey. He holds the Magikarp in his arms, its star white scales cooling to apricot.
"If you do what you have always done," says Seta from somewhere nearby, "you will get what you have always gotten."
"You have passed the Trial of Scales."
The monochrome light spreads over Jinyu's skin, and there is a flash of vermillion. You find yourself back in the hall you started in. Back at the crossroads.
Red gates fill the sky, and Seta is nowhere to be found, though his words echo in your mind long after you leave the halls.
"Nothing leaves the Everworld unchanged."
Magikarp (Apricot Tiger) has been added to @jinyu's box.
Magikarp has learned Cosmic Power! |
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