Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 2: Destructo World!]
10-17-2009, 09:08 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Vyrm'n meandered up a walkway towards the looming shadow cast by the ferris wheel across various little stalls and sideshows. As the sky darkened and the rain suddenly began to beat down, The Faceless' form sagged a little, like it was melting with dissatisfaction. It slipped beneath the shelter of a laughing-clowns game, carefully avoiding the heads after it noticed several had teeth, and the balls you were supposed to drop in the mouths looked engrimed with a very suspect red.
The Faceless gloomily huddled in the little stall, feeling thoroughly sorry for itself. The rain was about as unwelcome as unwelcome matter got; though the Faceless would retain water about as well as a rubber ball, the way it bounced and splashed and ran all over the dark surface was too much for Vyrm'n.
It was like... headlice, but for a being devoid of hair or a head or parasites.
Galus walked by, head still full of the murmurs of parkgoers past. Vyrm'n, on the other hand, had stopped listening to anysound much; once the patter and splatter and plink and splash of the rain kicked in. Galus started when he spotted the hulking shadow, hunched in the tiny stall. A hand automatically went to his weapon, but the Faceless made no response.
"What on Ceres are you doing under there, Faceless?"
Vyrm'n didn't even want to get a single arm in that wet stuff. It was content to scribble in the dirt again.
I HATE THE RAIN
Galus chuckled a little at that. This indomitable, ageless being was scared of getting wet? His hand didn't stray from the gun though. The Urisian decided to take a gamble. "Have you... ever met another Faceless?"
The shadow's scripted reply was almost textbook-perfect.
<span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC">THE APPEARANCE OF FACELESS IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE IS EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND NO OBSERVATIONS HAVE EVER BEEN MADE OF 'TYPED OR WILDFORM FACELESS INTERACTING
Galus read that with puzzlement. "Hang on... you're a... 'typed Faceless, right?" Vyrm'n jabbed the word with its finger in accordance. "And that means... what the hell did that professor say... You swapped memories with a sentient host, right?" Vyrm'n formed the eyeless face of what must have been its host, and nodded. "Then... do you remember who they were?"
Vyrm'n seemed to be struggling to put the words together; its textbook knowledge and actual experience were coming into conflict. Eventually, the words emerged, though less lucid:
FACELESS ACQUIRE THE FULL AND COMPLETE CONTENTS OF THE MIND OF THEIR HOST, DICTATED BY THEIR FIRST CONTACT WITH SENTIENCE
ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT FACELESS HAVE NO MEMORY OF THEIR EXISTENCE PRIOR TO 'TYPING
SOME SUGGEST THE HOST IN TURN ACQUIRES THE FULL MINDSET OF THE FACELESS BUT IT IS UNCERTAIN AS THEY EXPIRE SOON AFTER
"Like... Jack..." Galus murmured to himself. He glanced up at the Faceless again. "If that's the case, how do you understand all this?"
The shadow's more personal voice reappeared as it engaged in some serious metacognition.MY HOST WAS PRE-IMPLANTED WITH THE FULL AND COMBINED KNOWLEDGE PERTAINING TO FACELESS DISCOVERED BY SENTIENT BEINGS IN HER UNIVERSE
ACCORDING TO THE MAN I WAS THE FIRST KNOWN EVER TO UNDERSTAND MY OWN BEING TO THIS EXTENT
IT IS WHAT ALLOWS ME TO BRING ABOUT ABILITIES OF MYSELF A MORTAL COULD NEVER IMAGINE OR FATHOM EXIST WITHIN
"Like the void..."
AND MY FLIGHT-FORM SUCH A SHAPE I HAVE BEEN TOLD IS IMPRACTICAL TO YOUR MINDS FOR FLIGHT YET IT SERVES ME WELL.
"That's not necessarily because of your self-awareness, though, Vyrm'n. Luna shifted her shape through air... even saved my life at one point. In fact-" Galus froze midsentence. The Faceless had suddenly halved the distance between them without untoward sound or sight. His hand tightened round the handle of his knife as a black hand reached out and padded furiously all over the pilot for a point of contact.
Galus pulled out his knife with a snarl, jabbing it towards the Faceless. Instead of attacking, it slid back into the dry shelter of the booth, sliding over half of the words it had written earlier. Beneath this smudged mess, it tilled from the earth with a messiness brought about by high emotion:
WHO IS LUNA</span>
Vyrm'n meandered up a walkway towards the looming shadow cast by the ferris wheel across various little stalls and sideshows. As the sky darkened and the rain suddenly began to beat down, The Faceless' form sagged a little, like it was melting with dissatisfaction. It slipped beneath the shelter of a laughing-clowns game, carefully avoiding the heads after it noticed several had teeth, and the balls you were supposed to drop in the mouths looked engrimed with a very suspect red.
The Faceless gloomily huddled in the little stall, feeling thoroughly sorry for itself. The rain was about as unwelcome as unwelcome matter got; though the Faceless would retain water about as well as a rubber ball, the way it bounced and splashed and ran all over the dark surface was too much for Vyrm'n.
It was like... headlice, but for a being devoid of hair or a head or parasites.
Galus walked by, head still full of the murmurs of parkgoers past. Vyrm'n, on the other hand, had stopped listening to anysound much; once the patter and splatter and plink and splash of the rain kicked in. Galus started when he spotted the hulking shadow, hunched in the tiny stall. A hand automatically went to his weapon, but the Faceless made no response.
"What on Ceres are you doing under there, Faceless?"
Vyrm'n didn't even want to get a single arm in that wet stuff. It was content to scribble in the dirt again.
I HATE THE RAIN
Galus chuckled a little at that. This indomitable, ageless being was scared of getting wet? His hand didn't stray from the gun though. The Urisian decided to take a gamble. "Have you... ever met another Faceless?"
The shadow's scripted reply was almost textbook-perfect.
<span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC">THE APPEARANCE OF FACELESS IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE IS EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND NO OBSERVATIONS HAVE EVER BEEN MADE OF 'TYPED OR WILDFORM FACELESS INTERACTING
Galus read that with puzzlement. "Hang on... you're a... 'typed Faceless, right?" Vyrm'n jabbed the word with its finger in accordance. "And that means... what the hell did that professor say... You swapped memories with a sentient host, right?" Vyrm'n formed the eyeless face of what must have been its host, and nodded. "Then... do you remember who they were?"
Vyrm'n seemed to be struggling to put the words together; its textbook knowledge and actual experience were coming into conflict. Eventually, the words emerged, though less lucid:
FACELESS ACQUIRE THE FULL AND COMPLETE CONTENTS OF THE MIND OF THEIR HOST, DICTATED BY THEIR FIRST CONTACT WITH SENTIENCE
ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT FACELESS HAVE NO MEMORY OF THEIR EXISTENCE PRIOR TO 'TYPING
SOME SUGGEST THE HOST IN TURN ACQUIRES THE FULL MINDSET OF THE FACELESS BUT IT IS UNCERTAIN AS THEY EXPIRE SOON AFTER
"Like... Jack..." Galus murmured to himself. He glanced up at the Faceless again. "If that's the case, how do you understand all this?"
The shadow's more personal voice reappeared as it engaged in some serious metacognition.MY HOST WAS PRE-IMPLANTED WITH THE FULL AND COMBINED KNOWLEDGE PERTAINING TO FACELESS DISCOVERED BY SENTIENT BEINGS IN HER UNIVERSE
ACCORDING TO THE MAN I WAS THE FIRST KNOWN EVER TO UNDERSTAND MY OWN BEING TO THIS EXTENT
IT IS WHAT ALLOWS ME TO BRING ABOUT ABILITIES OF MYSELF A MORTAL COULD NEVER IMAGINE OR FATHOM EXIST WITHIN
"Like the void..."
AND MY FLIGHT-FORM SUCH A SHAPE I HAVE BEEN TOLD IS IMPRACTICAL TO YOUR MINDS FOR FLIGHT YET IT SERVES ME WELL.
"That's not necessarily because of your self-awareness, though, Vyrm'n. Luna shifted her shape through air... even saved my life at one point. In fact-" Galus froze midsentence. The Faceless had suddenly halved the distance between them without untoward sound or sight. His hand tightened round the handle of his knife as a black hand reached out and padded furiously all over the pilot for a point of contact.
Galus pulled out his knife with a snarl, jabbing it towards the Faceless. Instead of attacking, it slid back into the dry shelter of the booth, sliding over half of the words it had written earlier. Beneath this smudged mess, it tilled from the earth with a messiness brought about by high emotion:
WHO IS LUNA</span>
peace to the unsung peace to the martyrs | i'm johnny rotten appleseed
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow