defyingfrigidity | First Flake [video]

[When the 'gear flicks on, the camera seems to be pointing at.... the ground. The ground, and a black-shoed foot. The camera shakes for a minute, and the voice of a young woman can be heard speaking.]

Is this strange device really meant to be used to communicate with others...? But how...

[It's then that a somewhat worried-looking Snorunt comes into view, its little arms raised. Whoever-it-was pauses before giving the device over to the creature. The camera then spins, and focuses on the owner of the voice; a pale, fair-haired young woman dressed in typical trainer clothes, looking very confused.]

I'm just not sure how I'm meant to-- [She's cut off by the Snorunt, who makes a few noises before moving closer and holding the pokegear up, getting a better view of the girl in the process. She sighs.] Okay... fine.

[She clears her throat and stands up straight, a rather regal-seeming posture for someone dressed in such casual clothes.] My name is Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and I'm afraid I've been kidnapped. I've been told that no, I really haven't been kidnapped, but... I can't exactly believe that, can I?

[Her brows furrow, then, and her shoulders seem to scrunch up a bit in a show of nervousness.] I need help. Information. If I can at least be told where exactly this "Johto" is, how far away I am from Arendelle... I would very much appreciate it. [She begins to wring her hands together, now clearly showing signs of someone who's deeply unsettled.] If there's any way at all to contact those back home... please... I need to know. My staff, my... my sister... they must be so worried....

[Her hands are now clenching each other tightly as she tries to calm herself, but it doesn't seem to be of any use. So, rather quickly, she approaches the Snorunt, taking the gear out of its hands and fumbling once more with it.] A-As I said, any help would be greatly appreciated. But for now, I'm afraid I must end this conversation. I apologize for how abrupt this is. G-Goodbye.

[Can't let them see, can't let them see--]

[Thankfully, she finds the right button to hit, and the screen goes dark.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sure there are. Many different cultures in my world have different stories, different gods or heroes or creatures. But I can't say I know much about them. I'm sorry.

[... Wait hold on BACK UP.] You've... been to other worlds?

...Huh, bummer. Well, what about local ones? Sometimes those're always better than the world-wide ones anyway.

_{[At her question, he just shrugs and nods as if it's the most common thing in the world. It was part of his job, what can he say?]} Yeah, why?

I've never heard of someone who could do that. Outside of stories, I mean. If you can travel across worlds, how is it that you're still trapped here with the rest of us?

Eh, I like this place.

_{[He offers a grin, but then after a few moments it drops into a soft smile. He likes this girl already, so this couldn't hurt.]}

To be completely honest? I don't have anywhere else to go. I punched my card just before I woke up here if you catch my drift, and even if that wasn't the case I can't really use my powers anymore. I had 'em back for a couple days but then things went back to normal, so I'm just like any ordinary person.

... Wait, what?

[At first she was going to ask him about the "punched the card" comment because how is it possible but. Something else more important caught her attention.]

You can't... use your powers?

[She... she was beginning to wonder why she hasn't iced over anything even though she had been panicking pretty bad earlier, but... she also had more important things to focus on, so she didn't think anything was wrong....]

Nope. I've tried everything I used to do when I got here - corridors, fire, aero, blizzard, thunder... I can't control water anymore either. I wouldn't care if it was just the first four, but water used to be my thing, y'know?

_{[He has to mop floors the old fashion way now! It's terrible.]}

D'ya got some too or something?

[Sorry, Demyx, Elsa's kind of... tuning you out for a bit. She's staring down at the hand not holding her Pokegear and... yeah. No matter how hard she tries or how much she focuses, she can't produce one single flake. There's no hum of magic coursing through her. It... this is something she's never felt before.

She's had her magic for all her life. For most of that life, she hated her magic. Even just a year ago, she would've done anything to be rid of it. But now that it's gone, after she fully accepted it as a gift and not a curse... now she just feels like a part of her is missing. And she's not sure if she likes that feeling.]

I... not anymore, I suppose...

_{[Something about the way she looks tugs at his heart - now that he actually has one, he... feels pretty bad for her. He can't speak for his Somebody, but as a Nobody he's had those powers for his entire 'life'. It was pretty jarring to wake up without them.]}

...You gonna be okay?

I don't know.

[She's trying to be more honest about how she feels, and... well. It's surprisingly easy to admit that.]

I... all my life, I've had the ability to control snow and ice. But I couldn't always control it. I thought I'd be happy if I never had that ability, but now that it's gone...

[She's still staring at her hand, brows furrowed.] I'm not really sure how to feel.

Ice, huh? S'pretty cool-- Uh, I didn't mean that pun, by the way. I knew a guy who could do that, but he was like me.

_{[Plus he's liking this girl better than he liked Vexen anyway.]}

...It sucks. Having something for so long and then having it taken away like this... I've been through that twice and lemme tell you, it doesn't get easy. I've got one of those things back now, but I lost the bit 'bout controlling water like I said. If it helps, I, ah... I dunno, it's stupid, but it might fill that void? I got a whole bunch of water-type Pokemon. Maybe if you got a bunch of ice-types, it could replicate that? Just with, y'know, more control. A-And if you do get your powers back here, it might help you learn how to control it yourself!

... That doesn't sound stupid at all. It's.... a nice idea, actually. Part of the reason I liked my power was because it let me have fun in the snow. [She lets out a soft laugh.] So if there are ice-types that can make it snow the same way I did, at least I'll still be able to have fun that way. I don't know if it'll be able to completely take my mind off of that loss... but I hope it'll help.

Oh, and don't worry about the puns. Believe me, I think I've heard them all by this point.

Like I said, it's s--W-Wait, you really think so? Man, that's the first time I've talked to someone who actually likes those ideas... You should try and see what moves yours has! I dunno what it is, but you might be surprised! Mine couldn't do much when I first got 'em. One could shock me, but Orin here could just splash around even when he wasn't in water.

[Hmm...]

Do we just... ask them? Or is there some sort of... I don't know. Textbook? This seems like something that someone should instruct us on before we're just sent out on our own.

First Flake [video]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject