Jump to content

Bits & Pieces


Tinkerer

Recommended Posts

Hello, fine peoples!

 

I've had a specific series in my head since I was very young.  I've tried writing it out on multiple occasions, but lots of things often happened that necessitated starting over.  And over.

 

In any case, I'm not probably not gonna post individual short stories on here nor write and post my full novel on here, but I want to be able to write down critical bits and pieces of that series whenever I get around to writing more of it.

 

I'm not expecting readers, but if you have any interest in the story at all (questions, critiques, wanna know a quick plot synopsis, etc.), feel free to post or PM me.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Only real thing to note:

SPP = "Super-Powered Person".  Any sentient being (or any being given sentience by the SPP transformation process) is a "person" whether or not they're human.  Not called "superhero/villain" because both are terms that is a label given to an individual by others rather than a generic identification of what one is.  There's also no real consensus on who constitutes a "hero" or "villain", and it's ultimately a pointless task that would a) divide the SPP's power base as a whole (as they are already a super-minority in terms of total universal population), and b) demean any individual labeled "villain" which could (and historically has) lead to many problems.

 

All the characters the story follows are SPPs.

 

[spoiler=Ilmeni's Flight]

Ilmeni woke up again. She flipped the pillow over and tried to get comfortable under the flaxen blanket. Ultimately realizing it was a losing battle, she decided to turn her attention toward a task that proved less pyrrhic: remembering the dream that had roused her in the first place.

She could remember the green sky. A color of a lightning flash. Or was it an endless sea? In any case, the color was vivid. The world was… she could remember her father’s voice talking about the shape of the universe, a circle, a cycle, and the green expanse around her began to fray and collapse in on itself. Ilmeni could then see a third person view of herself, floating as the world curled in around her. An embryonic embrace. She could remember feeling anxious, but not about what was happening. It was as though there was a looming threat, something much more than mere destruction. Her body turned toward her and Ilmeni looked into her own eyes and…

 

“Ilmeni?”

 

She turned toward Volty. He sounded groggy, he must have just awoken from her movement. She twisted to face his back and touched her forehead to his hair. It was hot. She could smell his sweat in the closed quarters.

 

Volty stopped shifting and Ilmeni could feel the energy calming. Soon, he was drawing slow rhythmic breaths.

 

It was too hot in here. Ilmeni floated up to make as little a disturbance on the bed as possible and carefully deposited the blanket onto the mattress. She touched down on the side of the bed, looked at Volty, glanced at the clock, and tiptoed out of the room. The long Jiyan night was only half over, but she didn’t feel sleepy anymore.

 

How often had her dreams been a source of comfort for her? She padded to the apartment’s window and opened it. The night was cool and there was a light mist, but it wasn’t unbearably cold. She opened the window wider and slipped out, pulling the window closed behind her.

 

The window opened to a back alley which was fine. Easier to avoid unwanted questions. Ilmeni flew up, shooting quickly past a dozen floors before launching out and above most of the dingy buildings of the scrubland outside the city. The mist felt nice on her bare skin and she smiled. The closed-in sensation she had been feeling since waking up dripped away from her as she flew up and up…

 

She could just fly away. Leave everything behind, again. Start life anew. Forget her family, forget her past, forget her impossible ambitions, forget…
A flash of lightning green in the distance blinked in Ilmeni’s peripheral and the entrapped feeling drenched her again. How often had her dreams been a source of knowledge?

 

Ilmeni closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember the feelings the dream had evoked. She opened her eyes and she could feel the tug of her power. She flew unconsciously toward the source, all enjoyment of the moment now replaced with a certain dread. She had always been able to find anything she wanted to find. Her dreams had led her to the best person to be able to help her achieve her goal. Would her dreams truly show her the source of her greatest fears? Was that even possible?

 

Ilmeni flew towards the city. She had wanted to live here because it embodied her desires, an SPP populace that worked with itself and non-SPPs to create a beautiful whole, a crown jewel of a bygone era. It always reminded her of her father’s ornate gemstone inlays within a solid piece of jewelry. Her eyes wandered to the ring on her outstretched right hand. It had no inlay or any special design on its outside, but the inside was crafted with a design unique to her family.

 

No, she must be interpreting things incorrectly.

 

The buildings were growing higher, and even at this midnight hour there was an enormous amount of air traffic. Ilmeni could even see a few lone SPPs flying far below her. Ilmeni flew up ever higher, thanking the creators that SPPs had no trouble breathing in space. She now was above the artificial mist cover and she began to shiver, the moisture on her body freezing in the cold night. She was now well over most of the buildings, but there were still several structures that reached up to her height. These monstrous towers could each contain a city’s worth of people. Her Triangulation seemed to be pulling her toward the fourth tallest of these, the only one specifically designed for the purpose of profession rather than residence.

 

Ilmeni sighed, but she had to smile at the irony. Her greatest fear appeared to be within the building that she had always claimed drove her crazy. The building that the SPP employees jokingly referred to as “the hellhole”. Ilmeni hovered in place as she looked at the unaesthetic edifice. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t really have many qualms about poking around a little bit and seeing where her Triangulation led her, but the entire building was owned by the regional government. The security - especially security against SPPs - was impossible to bypass. She probably had access, but she needed her card. Besides, it probably wouldn’t do to go in the nude.

 

Ilmeni turned back. The night was long and she was in no hurry. Her Triangulation scratched at the back of her mind, still tugging her toward the hellhole, but she suppressed it. She’d be able to dig it back up when she needed to. What was in the hellhole that could ruin her dreams and desires - besides the bureaucratic monotony that made her want to end it all? Was the government purposefully creating the divisions she hoped to ease? Would she be able to change anything from the inside where she was? Ilmeni shivered as her thoughts ran back to the well-trodden path of self-doubt. Was power truly necessary for unity? Volty was strong, yes, but was it really just his strength that had brought those armies together? No, the generals, they saw, I saw something else. He wasn’t nearly as strong then and yet he was still mobilizing/unifying (?).

 

Ilmeni debated with herself all the way back to her apartment. While her body was still feeling restless, her dread had subsided somewhat and her mental sparring had left her exhausted. As she flew down, a Jiyan waved to her. Ilmeni waved back and smiled.

 

Ilmeni landed back in the alley and reopened the window. She slipped in and latched the window shut behind her. She headed to the bathroom and turned on the full body drier. She lay down in it and let out a contented sigh. The mist had melted, but she still felt frigid.

 

She’d been away from work for long enough. Tomorrow she would have to get back to work and see exactly what her dream seemed to be warning her.

 

She heard a knocking sound on the closed drier and Ilmeni’s eyes shot open. Volty was smiling and Ilmeni could see a bright blue sky outside the small bathroom window. She quickly pressed a button and opened the drier.

 

“Was the blanket really that bad?” Volty said.

 

Ilmeni laughed and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry, something was on my mind and I went out for a bit. Must’ve fallen asleep.”

 

“Are you ok now?”

 

Ilmeni nodded and stretched her arms and legs while sitting on the drier. “Yes. I had a... dream. You know, one of those ones, but it wasn’t a good one.”

 

Volty twitched. “Ah.” His shoulders slumped a bit and his eyes moved away from Ilmeni.

 

“What?”

 

“No, it’s nothing.” he said and he offered Ilmeni his hand to pull her to her feet.

 

Ilmeni got up and slipped past Volty, brushing bare shoulders with him and feeling a small jolt of power from him. She moved into the bedroom and got dressed, Triangulating her ID and slipping it into a back pocket. She glanced at the door where Volty was watching her. “What?” she asked again.

 

“You’re going to work?” Volty asked.

 

“Aww come on, I asked my question first.” Ilmeni said as she pulled on her second shoe.

 

Volty snorted, “Yeah, I dunno. Just a lot of things running through my head.” He paused. “I guess I just don’t like staying cooped up here, that’s all.”

 

Ilmeni smiled and gave him a kiss as she slipped past him. “Trust me, things should blow over soon. We’ll be free.”

 

“It just feels like forever,” he said.

 

Ilmeni grabbed a breaded pastry from a container next to the fridge and grabbed the front door’s knob. She looked back at Volty who’d put on some clothes in the interval of time since she’d reached the door. She wanted to say something, but she’d already turned on her Triangulation and it was buzzing toward the hellhole. She couldn’t focus.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Volty said. “You don’t have to say anything. Just go.”

 

Ilmeni nodded, put the pastry in her mouth and waved as she closed the door behind her. Ilmeni traced her nighttime flight path, smiling in the warm light. Many other SPPs flew below her, some in pairs yelling their conversation over the speed of their flight.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't often see whole cities of superpowered people or even communities beyond a few people for that matter. When we do, it tends to be a remote paradise of sorts. It's not a place where you hear superpowered minimum wage employees complaining about a "hellhole". Looks promising of something different and interesting. Nice. ^_^ 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Background:

- Breeze is the son of Ilmeni and Voltaire/Volty (from the first part).

- He is on the run from Volty b/c the latter wants to kill him for... reasons.

- He creates the alias "Oceanus" which is the name he's using for this section.

- This section will not be part of the novel as it is actually an alternate universe version of Breeze (from a story I'm working on with my brother).  That said, his character's personality here is supposed to be young and naive, similar in scope to how he was at the same age in the regular series.

- Biggest difference between the characters of both Breezes is that here he adopts the beliefs of Urban rather than sticking to the beliefs of his mother.  This section of story specifically focuses on Urban's beliefs and how Breeze/Oceanus was impacted by it.

 

Note:

Unlike the other one, this piece is strictly world-building and corresponds to the Universe as I see it in my head.  It shows very little in terms of character understanding or development.  If a certain portion does not make sense, it is probably because I had an in-built explanation in my head.  If you have any questions because of this, feel free to ask and I will try to provide context.

 

[spoiler=Superior]

“So what do I do if they do actively want to kill me?”
 
Urban stared at Oceanus.
 
“I know they will not stop hunting me down.  They aim to kill, not to subdue.”
 
“You have made what we call a ‘Terna’.  A foe who wants you dead for irrational or personal reasons.”  Urban closed his eyes and leaned back against the springy tree.  “This universe has no eternal justice for any of our wrongdoings.  Those who hunt us do so for their own reasons.  Most of the people who hunt us have an incentive for doing so rather than striking for their own personal reasons.  For example, bounty hunters.  These types of people we classify under two branches, the ‘Torrid’ and the ‘Tepid’.  The ones who hunt but do not aim to kill are the ‘Tepids’.  If we encounter these, usually there is no need to fight.  We can easily talk and clean ourselves of any debt or wrongdoing with them.  Why?  Because it is imperative for survival that we aim not to turn a ‘Tepid’ into a ‘Terna’.  Bounty hunters and others who specifically want us dead are the ‘Torrid’.  The difference between a ‘Torrid’ and a ‘Terna’ is that the former doesn’t actually care about us on an individual level.  They care about the wrongs we’ve committed and think that it is enough to justify killing us… and there’s usually an incentive to do so.  That said, these are the people we’d most likely encounter, and as I’d told you before, we should have no fear of these people.”
 
“Wait, why?  They aim to kill you.  Isn’t that.. antithetical to the idea of survival?”
 
“Kinda.” Urban said, “They aim to kill, but their desire doesn’t match up with their action.  They are actually easier to take care of than ‘Tepids’.  All we’d have to do is make the cost of killing us higher than what they’d gain by killing us.”
 
“You mean, pay them off?”
 
“That’s a direct way, but… have you heard the expression ‘time is money’?”
 
Oceanus shook his head.
 
“There are a lot of bounties out there.  Some are minor infractions, some are major.  A bounty hunter can make a comfortable living even by staying on one major planet and bringing in minor infraction bounties.  Aiming to hunt one of us who have medium to high bounties takes time and resources... and we can always disappear.  If we make the cost of hunting us too high by forcing them to spend more money over a longer period of time, they normally give up and decide to quit the hunt.”
 
“What about people like assassins?”
 
Urban opened his eyes again and looked at the young Oceanus.  “You must have one persistent ‘Terna’ then.  Only ‘Terna’ send assassins.  Governments don’t bother.  Normally.   The only way governments normally aim to bring in specific individuals is by raising bounties.  That said, the higher they raise it, the impression that forms is that the individual is too strong and less and less bounty hunters aim to go after them.  Assassins are different, but you can wear them out as well.  However, nine times out of ten, you can’t treat them as a ‘Torrid’.  You have to confront them.  In that case, you treat them as their own ‘Terna’ and follow those rules.”
 
“Let me guess, you cannot be afraid.”  Oceanus said.
 
Urban let out a laugh that sounded a lot like a bark, “Yeah, rule 1!  Again, we aren’t running away from something, but towards something.  ‘Terna’ won’t let us off unless one of us is dead.  Therefore, survival by avoidance is not an option.  It’ll only lead to fear and fear will make you less capable of your own pursuits.  Instead, you have to do everything in your power to kill them.”  Urban scratched himself.  “Hmm… have you ever heard of the SPP Volty?  He might have been before your time, but he’s been the number 1 bounty for… perhaps a decade now?”
 
Oceanus seized up, but quickly took a deep breath and exhaled.  “What…” he said, trying to keep his voice steady, “what about him?”
 
Urban caught Oceanus’ movement and frowned, “You know him.”
 
Oceanus waved him off, “Yeah, but what about Volty?”
 
Urban shrugged, “he embodies that last aspect of the philosophy pretty well from what I know of him.  He wiped out an entire solar system’s worth of SPPs single-handedly and claimed a planet for himself.  I guess that was his goal.  After he set himself up on the planet, many SPPs went to hunt him down, but he survived and killed off a lot of them.  He was able to use the entire planet to hide from the bounty hunters and only killed when it was unavoidable.  He’s a wholly different case though and I think he has a variant ideal than our own.  Probably something involving power above all rather than survival.  That mindset might kill him one day.”
 
“That said,” Urban continued, “the power before all mindset is a good one to have when facing off against a ‘Terna’.  You can’t fear them, and in the imminent face of death, having more power than the other is… one way to alleviate fear.”
 
“One way?”
 
“Our philosophy expresses only one fear - death - hence why we aim for survival above all.  However, we do not fear sources of death, otherwise we’d never be able to attain.  While power can help alleviate this fear in certain conditions, it is not a true solution.  A non-SPP armed with a rock has way less power than me, however, despite what you may have been taught, that person can still kill me.  They just need to have that intention and a lot of creativity.  Power is arrogance more than anything else, and that pride in oneself obfuscates the fear.”
 
“No, power is something we use if we have no other choice.  Frankly, it is stupid.  For us, to rid ourselves of a ‘Terna’ is a matter of efficiency, not a matter of fear.  If we deal with the ‘Terna’, we can move on with our actual objectives without the thought of more roadblocks in our way.”
Oceanus injested this slowly.  “Do you, I mean, can I ask what your objective is?”
 
Urban barked out his laugh again, “Ah!  My objective, huh?  It’s pretty simple: Overthrow the SPP governments across the universe.  As annoying as it is, it does require quite a bit of power and I cannot do it alone.  However, it turns out that if my objective is complete, it makes the objective of many of the others in the group that much easier, which is why they’re willing to stick around.  Do you have an objective?”
 
Oceanus was silent.  “I thought I did.  The… person who is hunting me, my ‘Terna’… I thought the only way to defeat them was to become more powerful than them.  My goal was to become the most powerful SPP in the universe, because I felt that was necessary.  But--”
 
Urban held up one paw to stop Oceanus.  “I see what you’re saying, and I think you understand your own mindset in relation to what I’ve been saying, however I want to stop you.  When I said power is stupid, I want to clarify that I only meant that in response to the use of power to combat fear.  I have seen too many… associates of mine aim for power thinking it’ll solve their problems and ultimately ending up dead.  If you aim for power to get rid of the roadblocks instead of aiming for your goal, you will ultimately be weaker.”  Oceanus opened his mouth to speak, but Urban continued, “HOWEVER, if your goal is power in and of itself, if your goal is to be the most powerful SPP, then that is fine.  You would be true to yourself.  Any roadblocks you defeat with power would prove that you are bringing yourself closer to your goal, rather than using power as a means to an end.  Don’t fear your ‘Terna’.  Aim to become more powerful than them if your goal is truly power, and if they keep stopping you every step of the way, remove them via other means then keep moving forward.”
Oceanus’ mouth was still open, and he shut it.  He sat in the shade for some time, looking at his feet.  “Would I be able to live up to my own goal if I remove the ‘Terna’ via a method other than power?”
 
Now Urban paused.
 
Oceanus looked at him.
 
“Ah, I wasn’t sure if you were asking me or talking aloud.”  Urban said.  He smiled and scratched himself again, “That is something you have to figure out for yourself.  Each of us has run into a problem like that with each of our goals.  For me, my question has always been whether I can allow others to tear down governments without me or without my knowledge.  While I would like to do everything on my own, I know I cannot.  If another person has the same idea or does some of it before I can, I have resigned myself to accepting that as an advantage rather than a detriment to my goal.”  Urban shook himself, “It is why I can group with you all while simultaneously not trusting a single one of you!” He barked in laughter again.
 
Urban got up, stretched, and looked over his shoulder through the trees and toward camp.  “Listen,” he said, “You can stick around but you don’t have to.  If your goal is power, then it is a lonesome one.  We can assist you with it, but you’d have to vow to assist me with my own goal.  I could use someone without a bounty.”
 
Oceanus shrugged, “Ok, I promise to help you.”
 
Urban shook his head.  “No, an aura vow.”
 
 
 
[spoiler=Further Info]Aura Vow - Aura is a piece of one's being in the SPP Universe. Influencing one's aura can change the personality and even powers of an SPP, however, there is very little that SPPs can do to manipulate aura. One thing that they can do is an "Aura vow". It is a promise that, once enacted, can mix a tiny bit of each other's aura into the other person. It is usually one-sided with one SPP making a promise to the other. If the host breaks the promise, the other's imparted aura rips apart the host's aura, immediately making the person lose all their powers which usually means death.

The terms Urban uses here - Terna (short for Eternal), Torrid, and Tepid - are personal terms. They are not used by the wider SPP peoples, only those within his group.

"Superior" is the name Oceanus gives himself after he eventually overpowers and kills Volty, hence the title.

Urban is a dog SPP.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...