Mirandae

Blind Hand - Chapter 1 : Pathways

In her delightfully unconscious state subsequent whatever horrid aftermaths the unfortunate turn of events regarding the aircraft had caused, Olivia witnessed a vast pine forest overlooking what appeared to be a number of wooden villages in which myriads of families dwelled, elevated and snowy peaks providing a majestic backdrop to the landscape she had set ablaze. In this nightmare, she levitates along a creek, a river leading across the valley and through every village where she is worshipped as a Goddess of fire and ash. As she passes them by in her apathetic trance, hovering above the scorched ground, the people, whose skin and flesh ooze of molten lava and fire, chant in unison “all shall burn.”

Olivia suddenly awakes from the terrible nightmare imposed by a throbbing headache and shrapnel bloodied forehead. She lies amongst broken branches and mossy grounds, pine trees stretching towards the sky above her; her eyes shaded of auburn, watery and swollen. Her memory of how she managed to distance herself from the crash site is hazy and remains a mystery to her. With ample effort and energy, and clumsy drunken motion, Olivia stands on with her fragile frame, hoping the panic to have ceased, but that is not the case. She is stricken by dread as she views before her the same scenery as in her awful nightmare, although it is not identical; the villages do not exist and the entire forest is not afire. She is relieved that what she had dreamt was not reality, but feels a bantam sting in her heart when the wish for it to be real presents itself. Perhaps it was the future that she saw; a future in which her kind ruled supreme.

Her train of thought is interrupted by the pain brought on by the tiny gashes in her forehead. Olivia is bleeding, badly, but she knows what she has to do make it stop. The idea is not new to her, as she has done it several times before. Whenever she would cut herself making dinner, or for whatever other reason, she concentrated heat into her index finger and closed the wound by burning it. However, she was still unsure of how much pain from the burning she actually felt; it was unpleasant, but she had a feeling that it was much less painful to her than it would have been to a ‘normal’ person. Surely, it had something to do with her unique condition and relationship to fire. The idea she had conjure was solid, but she needed to clean her hands and her forehead before doing anything else.

Deeper down into the valley Olivia sees a lake, a source of water which can use to rinse her wounds. She stumbles over rocks and moss, fallen trees and tiny insects as she runs through the woods. The sounds from the crash behind her are ever so present in her mind and in her ears, but she attempts to block them out, as they have nothing to do with her anymore — she is free. The moment forces Olivia to think about the day that she almost scorched her own mother to death and the day that she told her psychiatrist about how it actually happened. It was the darkest day of her life. When she reaches the lake, Olivia falls onto her knees in the shallow water, cleaning her hands of dirt and blood, and splashing her face with the cool liquid. Light ripples of steamy mist exudates her presence as the water is instantly heated by her smoldering body. Olivia proceeds to focus intense heat in the fingers of her right hand and places them on top the tiny gashes in her forehead. The pain stings her mind and senses, but it is only momentary. The bleeding stops and the wounds have transformed into burn marks, which will eventually heal with time.

Then she notices a few others of her kind, or what she assumes to be her kind. Olivia recognizes them from the plane. One of them appears to be covered in crystalized water and reflecting an azure hue off of his presence, the other one sitting there watching the ice man and herself. She approaches them cautiously, staring at them peculiarly. The boy sitting down seems to be injured, bleeding from his knee, badly.

“Hey… I can fix that wound for you,” Olivia said.

The Spirits Within

Jimmy Fallon is kind of hot, no?

The Spirits Within

---

Helston, unknown time ago

---

Samuel did not know how long or how far he had wandered the world from that wretched facility in which he had been captive, but it was all over now and he was home. His mother nearly had a heart attack when she saw him suddenly standing in the kitchen doorway as he used to before his disappearance, or shall one say death. She dropped the dishes onto the floor, which shattered in a thousand pieces, and then embraced her son tightly, never intending to let go. Samuel’s mother required a good hour to grasp the fact that her long lost son was sitting at her kitchen table, speaking with her. She cried herself dry, an utmost painful sensation.

“I can’t believe that you’re here, Sammy,” she said and poured the tea in his cup, “I have to get in touch with your sister somehow and tell her that you’re okay.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know. She simply left one night, shortly after your funeral.”
“My funeral? What did you put in the casket?” Samuel said and took a sip of his beverage.
“Oh, everyone put a little something in there, items of value to your memory.”
“What did you and dad put in there?”
“That picture we took when the lot of you came back from Conoley Falls, do you remember that?”
“Yeah, I do,” Samuel said and chuckled.
“I was so angry with you, we all were.”
“So, why did you put that in my casket?”
“To remind myself that being angry at the ones you love is a dangerous and pointless thing, as you never know when they will be taken away from you.”
“What about dad?”
“That wooden knife he made for you.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember that.”
“I’ve never seen your father as heartbroken as he was that day.”
“Where is he, anyway?”
“He’s in Eldred, an auction for field equipment.”
Samuel was silent for a moment, looking at the field outside the window. The farm was beautiful, a plethora of memories washed over him. Then he spoke again.
“Was Olivia at the funeral?”
“Yes, she was. All of your old friends were.”
“Did she put anything in the casket?”
“Yes, she did. They all did.”
“Did you see what it was?”
“No, Olivia had it wrapped in a napkin. You really did a number on her with your passing, Sammy. I don’t know if you plan on seeing her again, but you have to be careful. She is extremely fragile when it comes to you.”
“I don’t know… there’s something that I’ve got to do, and I’m not sure if she’ll understand, so it’s probably best if I don’t see her.”
“Oh, it sounds important, what is it?”
“It’s something that will make things better for all of us,” Samuel said and stood up and kissed his mother on her forehead, “Anyway, I think I’ll get some sleep, thanks for the tea, mother.”

---

Meeting with Samuel

---

Olivia slowly backed away from the man who bore the shell of someone she had once loved dearly, but no longer carried within what she had fallen in love with. He was a changed man, and what was left of the Samuel that they had known as children either could not or did not care to return. Olivia was devastated, covering her mouth and nose with diamond shaped hands, trying her best to hold back a plethora of tears, but she could not. The salty water drops were cascading down her cheeks, as Kimberly gently placed a hand on Olivia’s shoulder to stop her backward pace on the catwalk. The dark haired girl positioned herself slightly behind her furry friend as he spoke to Samuel.

Samuel looked to Kimberly and spoke: “How would you understand anything in regards to reality, Kimberly?”
Olivia carefully whispered to Kimberly: “Don’t speak with him, Kim. That thing isn’t Sam.”
Samuel continued, somehow, omnisciently able to hear every word that was spoken: “You’re not wrong, Olivia, but then again, you’re not right either.”
“Just answer his question!” Olivia shouted.
Samuel’s facial expression became stiff.
“We are all slaves to a faulty ruler. Whenever anyone or anything attempts to topple him, the universe and all realities therein reset and begin anew. It’s an endless repetition and many have to suffer for it, including you and me, even if you’re not aware of it. Phyrexia, the calamity that brought the kami to extinction, is real and perhaps the only chance of ceasing this torment. However, there is always a price to freedom, and this time there are no kami to take the hit,” Samuel said.
“And what does that mean? Who takes the hit this time?” Olivia asked.
Samuel remained silent, his eyes and gaze speaking for him.
"What, humanity?! So, you’re going to bring another calamity upon the world and kill everyone because of some fictional prophecy that has gotten to your head?! Are you insane?!” Olivia shouted.
“I’m doing this for us, my love,” Samuel said.
“I’m having a difficult time believing that, Sam.”
Samuel suddenly burst into a momentary loud, rage that instantly died down.
“Believe whatever you want! It doesn’t change the fact that this prison for your mind and soul is doing exactly what it was intended for,” Samuel said and paused for a moment before continuing, “You think you know so much, my dear Olivia, yet you know nothing. I’m not going to destroy Atlas, I’m going to make it my vessel with which I will sail the cosmos and bring an end to that wretched being that dares call himself our father.”

The Spirits Within

@Rockette, so, get into gear, soldier! Or I'll have Olivia force Mags to drop down and give her twenty-five.
@Angel, after this little talk with Samuel, or in the room Magdalena found hers, which is at the meeting with Sofia.

@JJ, that's an interesting site. I was about to sign up, but I changed my mind when I saw that word empowering stuff, like, "you are strong and independent..." blah blah, that doesn't work on me. I just need to get my butt into the city this weekend and...



It's the only remedy! Gifs are fun by the way, let's talk with gifs instead.

The Spirits Within

Oh my God, don't mind me, I'm just being a...



I love you guys and you are the best.

I shall do shorter responses for Samuel dialog with everyone. It seems to me that collaborations, if not limited to dialog only, takes more time than just responding normally to the ic. So, I'll be writing something up for Kim and JJ's post today/tomorrow. And since everyone will be talking to Sam, it's probably best to just do it through short posts in the ic.

Blind Hand - Chapter 1 : Pathways

Added the history part. I'm leaving the superpower description as it, for now. I might add different 'stages' to the ability, later, in order to clearly define what she can and cannot do throughout the story.

Blind Hand - Chapter 1 : Pathways

It certainly does! I'm not sure if she'd be able to fly, seems a bit much. I did, however, model the ability after Elizabeth Sherman in Hellboy, and I think she's able to levitate to some degree. But, whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we get there! If it feels right then, I could see her levitating, but not flying around akin to Johnny Storm.

Blind Hand - Chapter 1 : Pathways

Olivia Defourny

Olivia Defourny
Female / 21

Superpower
Olivia is a Pyrokinetic, who can generate and manipulate fire as she desires, increasing or decreasing its heat, intensity, and size. At full capacity, she is believed to be impervious to the element and able to detonate in violent red-bluish firestorms. Her ability is extremely volatile and capable of a wide radius and measure of destruction, but at the cost of an unconscious state and duration appropriate to the intensity. It is arguable whether or not her ability should be called pyrokinetic, if not pyrochemical. However, so far, she has only discovered and mastered a few basic techniques common to popular culture, such as hurling large masses of fire and concentrated ‘sunbeam’ bursts. Melting locks off of doors is a personal favorite of hers, but it is yet a slow process.

Appearance
Slender frame, five feet four inches tall, weighing in at hundred and fourteen pounds, cerulean colored eyes, bistre colored hair with russet highlights, distinct facial features with inflated lips, pointy nose, and trenchant eyebrows.

Personality
Although easy going and respectful, Olivia can be unbelievably stubborn and inflexible in her approach. When the logical arguments do not suit her, she will just refuse to listen. This stems in her goal-oriented nature, in which she forms the notion that the world revolves around her. Her self-indulgent streak can sometimes make her ignorant of others’ emotions. She can also come off as materialistic and possessive, jealous and resentful. However, despite the defects, Olivia is dependable and will never abandon something or someone that she has set her mind to. This reliability and sensible nature makes her down to earth, often polite and pleasant in her personality. Olivia’s greatest traits are patience and persistency.

History
Olivia was born the only child to Henry and Miranda Defourny. While her parents did not have any regrets, she often wished for a sibling to keep her company. The elementary years passed in a slight breeze, Olivia effortlessly integrating with other children and the community in which she lived, a coastal town in Maine. However, around her sixth birthday, Olivia’s father left her mother for another woman, whose child happened to be Olivia’s best friend at the time. The two girls became competitive for parental attention and subsequently lost touch. Two months later, Olivia and her mother moved away from Maine to Boston, where Olivia’s aunt lived.

The next few years were a vicious war between Olivia’s mother and father for the custody. She had to spend every other week with one parent and the rest of the time with the other, and when the legal procedures changed, and Olivia’s mother was victorious, Olivia could only see her father during the weekends. Soon enough, it became a torment and she drifted further away from social endeavors in school. It was not until her teenage years that Olivia came out of her shell and found her rightful place among the loud and popular, but smart enough to keep in touch with the introverts with which she made friends during the elementary years.

Olivia did not make peace with her father until she entered her twenties, early collage years. He had always told her that he will explain everything when she gets older. One night, during a weekend in Maine, Olivia asked of him to spill it all out for her. Henry proceeded to tell Olivia everything about his life before her, leading up to her birth, and beyond — everything made sense and Olivia forgave her father for all his bad decisions and wrong doings. Eight months later, Henry Defourny passed away. Olivia was devastated at first, but relived at the same time. She was grateful that they had the chance to talk before he died, but sorry that they did not have the chance to live in that honesty. Her conflicting emotions had a peculiar, eldritch reaction.

Olivia’s display of immolation occurred when she and her mother were cooking dinner. The incident caused her mother to suffer third degree burns on seventy-five percent of her body, and it put her in a coma from which she has yet to recover. Olivia was miraculously unharmed, but she has not displayed the same level of immunity to the element since. Consequently, Olivia blamed herself for her mother’s suffering and possible death, and was forced by recommendation to see a therapist. The official report of the incident described a mechanical malfunction as the cause, and Olivia’s fortunate positioning in the kitchen as the cause for her survival, an act of God. However, after Olivia confessed her unique relationship with fire to her therapist, things took a turn for the worst.

The Spirits Within

Don't worry my darling JJ, I'm not going to close it down or leave, but it doesn't mean that I can't feel like doing so. We'll go on even if it's just you and me, or recruit some new faces.

Haha, yes! Those are fantastic, such quirkiness! They could definitely be xenomorphs. Like, parasites or spores that infested fruit/vegetables by accident!

The Spirits Within

Those are some interesting points, but I do think that commitment and consistency are two entirely different things. For example, staying in the play until the bitter end is commitment, posting consistently doesn't necessarily mean the latter. But, If I had to choose one of the two, I'd choose commitment. I have a habit of making time for the things that I enjoy to do, but everyone is different and we all have different living conditions. I suppose I'm just cranky and agitated by my own mistakes, weirded out by this place, and nothing would delight me more than to close this down and either start over or leave. That being said, I should probably take a break and indulge in normal hobbies instead.