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fandomweekly2021-09-06 01:45 pm
curiosity) wrote in fandomweekly2021-09-06 01:45 pm
Entry tags:
[#107] - Death Is For The Weak - (Polychrome Heroics)
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Theme Prompt: #107 - Afterlife
Title: Death is for the Weak
Fandom: Polychrome Heroics
Rating/Warnings: M / Lot of talk about a dead body. Vomiting. Mind violation. Kinda?
Bonus: Yes!
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: Mist is dead. She doesn't know how but at least the scenery is nice. Until a Risso's dolphin with the ability to talk to the dead wanders by and calls in a favor.
Notes: This story is set inysabetwordsmith's Polychrome Heroics universe, with permission. More specifically, the Aquariana thread. You can read more on the links or on her blog. This story also uses the prompt "Someone Calls In A Favor" on my ladiesbingo card. And the prompt "Hero/Idol" on my allbingo card.
Mist was dead. She was dead, floating face-down in the ocean near her island in the Maldives. That was annoying. Mostly because the corals she was growing in the experimental reef on the far side of the island needed monitoring and there was a fish nibbling on her pale cheek.
How long did it take a soul to leave the body? Three days? She thought was what her adopted mother had said. Was she going to watch her body be eaten for three days? That seemed kind of counter-intuitive. How did they encourage reincarnation with that kind of bullshit system?
That’s where asphodel and Meng Po came in, she guessed. Hard to be scarred by the horrors of your last life if you were made to forget it before going back.
At least the water was warm and she was near her beloved island. At least she’d finally lived to die before the place she chose as home was blown up around her.
Did she owe someone a thank you card for that?
This wasn’t the first time she’d been dead but it was, so far, the longest lasting. Being hit by lightning and blown off a skyscraper only to land with a bounce instead of a splat on the street below? Been there, done that.
EMTs had been on site since her boss and captor, former villain and current vegetable, had been holding a city hostage. There wasn't anyone to save her now.
It was kind of nice, though, bobbing on the waves. She could hear the noises she usually missed out on because she was using her air and water abilities to keep a steady supply of oxygen going.
It was a clicking, grinding, sonorous lullaby. She floated, her body bumping gently into the pier she’d been repairing, as the waves jostled her still shape.
Mist wondered what had killed her. Something shiny caught her eye, a glint and a sparkle at the very bottom of the ocean, just barely within range of whatever she was using for vision. It was so tempting. She reached for it.
But her body was a glue trap and she was the creature caught in it. How annoying.
::You are dead.::
A critter somewhere between a Beluga whale and a bottlenose dolphin hovered in deep enough waters to not beach itself. Herself. The mental touch was decidedly female.
“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered, or thought she muttered. “I’m dead! I’ve been headblind to telepaths for years. Why now?”
::I speak to the dead.:: The creature replied, grumpy and just a little snotty. ::And you are dead.::
“Thanks for clearing that up," Mist replied, as sarcastically as a dead person could be.
The critter was oblivious. ::You are welcome.::
A snort of disdain echoed in her head or ... soul? Whatever she was communicating with. ::I am not a critter. I am a - :: the feeling of Mist's memories being rifled through like someone fanning through the pages of a book filled her sense of self.
She recoiled. Mist had been so happy to be headblind after her first brush with death. Having someone go through your mind like they were leafing through a discarded magazine made her feel violated and miserable. It was intolerable.
::Forgive me.:: The dolphin, because now she knew the creature was a Risso’s dolphin, sounded contrite. ::I should have asked permission. The dead are not usually so aware.::
Mist wondered if ghosts could vomit. She wanted to. Very badly. “Don't do it again.”
::Of course. But how are we to converse?::
“We could not converse,” she pointed out. “I was enjoying the whole slow slide into fish food.”
A thoughtful pause. ::You were not.:: The dolphin sounded sure of that. ::Who will keep the coral now?::
"I don’t know. The island was mine to live on while I was alive. I don't know what will be done with it now.”
::Your experiments were going well. We have been keeping track.::
“Thanks?”
The dolphin came closer. Mist could see she was about twelve feet of blunt-faced muscle with enough scars along her face and body to show she was a fighter. And her eyes glowed white.
::They do that, when I use my power.::
“Do you have a name?”
A rolling squeaky buzz filled the water, jostling the insides of her body. It was beautiful but it was nothing Mist could pronounce.
::You are called Mist why?::
“My ability revolves around air and water. When you combine those two elements, you get mist. Or fog. But I liked Mist better.”
::You may call me …:: A withdrawing sort of sensation as the dolphin thought about it. ::Veil. Moderato says the Graham has stories about a veil between the living and the dead. I am that.::
“A pleasure to meet you, Veil,” Mist replied, not beyond courtesy since the dolphin hadn’t minded her sarcasm. She was amused that even reclusive super-powered dolphins knew about the Finns.
::You will not last long in this state.:: The dolphin came still closer. ::How are you going to fix it?::
“Fix what?” Mist was entirely confused.
::Being dead.::
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
::But the corals!:: Veil sounded alarmed. ::Your work is important!::
“There isn’t a lot I can do,” Mist pointed out. “My power only controlled water and air while I was alive. Not life and death.”
::Leave it to a cetacean to fix a lander.:: The dolphin thought with a beleagured sigh. ::Remain here.::
“Where would I go?” Mist asked, amused. But Veil was gone.
And then Mist was throwing up her body weight in water and tiny fishes on the beach. Aquariana’s familiar voice was telling her to breathe over and over again. Mist wanted to punch the blue-skinned hera for such stupid advice but couldn’t even take a full breath.
"You're lucky,” Aquariana said grimly, amusement and awe flavoring the air around her. “Someone called in a favor on your behalf.”
“What," Mist asked, clutching at Aquariana’s arm. “The fuck?”
Theme Prompt: #107 - Afterlife
Title: Death is for the Weak
Fandom: Polychrome Heroics
Rating/Warnings: M / Lot of talk about a dead body. Vomiting. Mind violation. Kinda?
Bonus: Yes!
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: Mist is dead. She doesn't know how but at least the scenery is nice. Until a Risso's dolphin with the ability to talk to the dead wanders by and calls in a favor.
Notes: This story is set in
ysabetwordsmith's Polychrome Heroics universe, with permission. More specifically, the Aquariana thread. You can read more on the links or on her blog. This story also uses the prompt "Someone Calls In A Favor" on my ladiesbingo card. And the prompt "Hero/Idol" on my allbingo card.Mist was dead. She was dead, floating face-down in the ocean near her island in the Maldives. That was annoying. Mostly because the corals she was growing in the experimental reef on the far side of the island needed monitoring and there was a fish nibbling on her pale cheek.
How long did it take a soul to leave the body? Three days? She thought was what her adopted mother had said. Was she going to watch her body be eaten for three days? That seemed kind of counter-intuitive. How did they encourage reincarnation with that kind of bullshit system?
That’s where asphodel and Meng Po came in, she guessed. Hard to be scarred by the horrors of your last life if you were made to forget it before going back.
At least the water was warm and she was near her beloved island. At least she’d finally lived to die before the place she chose as home was blown up around her.
Did she owe someone a thank you card for that?
This wasn’t the first time she’d been dead but it was, so far, the longest lasting. Being hit by lightning and blown off a skyscraper only to land with a bounce instead of a splat on the street below? Been there, done that.
EMTs had been on site since her boss and captor, former villain and current vegetable, had been holding a city hostage. There wasn't anyone to save her now.
It was kind of nice, though, bobbing on the waves. She could hear the noises she usually missed out on because she was using her air and water abilities to keep a steady supply of oxygen going.
It was a clicking, grinding, sonorous lullaby. She floated, her body bumping gently into the pier she’d been repairing, as the waves jostled her still shape.
Mist wondered what had killed her. Something shiny caught her eye, a glint and a sparkle at the very bottom of the ocean, just barely within range of whatever she was using for vision. It was so tempting. She reached for it.
But her body was a glue trap and she was the creature caught in it. How annoying.
::You are dead.::
A critter somewhere between a Beluga whale and a bottlenose dolphin hovered in deep enough waters to not beach itself. Herself. The mental touch was decidedly female.
“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered, or thought she muttered. “I’m dead! I’ve been headblind to telepaths for years. Why now?”
::I speak to the dead.:: The creature replied, grumpy and just a little snotty. ::And you are dead.::
“Thanks for clearing that up," Mist replied, as sarcastically as a dead person could be.
The critter was oblivious. ::You are welcome.::
A snort of disdain echoed in her head or ... soul? Whatever she was communicating with. ::I am not a critter. I am a - :: the feeling of Mist's memories being rifled through like someone fanning through the pages of a book filled her sense of self.
She recoiled. Mist had been so happy to be headblind after her first brush with death. Having someone go through your mind like they were leafing through a discarded magazine made her feel violated and miserable. It was intolerable.
::Forgive me.:: The dolphin, because now she knew the creature was a Risso’s dolphin, sounded contrite. ::I should have asked permission. The dead are not usually so aware.::
Mist wondered if ghosts could vomit. She wanted to. Very badly. “Don't do it again.”
::Of course. But how are we to converse?::
“We could not converse,” she pointed out. “I was enjoying the whole slow slide into fish food.”
A thoughtful pause. ::You were not.:: The dolphin sounded sure of that. ::Who will keep the coral now?::
"I don’t know. The island was mine to live on while I was alive. I don't know what will be done with it now.”
::Your experiments were going well. We have been keeping track.::
“Thanks?”
The dolphin came closer. Mist could see she was about twelve feet of blunt-faced muscle with enough scars along her face and body to show she was a fighter. And her eyes glowed white.
::They do that, when I use my power.::
“Do you have a name?”
A rolling squeaky buzz filled the water, jostling the insides of her body. It was beautiful but it was nothing Mist could pronounce.
::You are called Mist why?::
“My ability revolves around air and water. When you combine those two elements, you get mist. Or fog. But I liked Mist better.”
::You may call me …:: A withdrawing sort of sensation as the dolphin thought about it. ::Veil. Moderato says the Graham has stories about a veil between the living and the dead. I am that.::
“A pleasure to meet you, Veil,” Mist replied, not beyond courtesy since the dolphin hadn’t minded her sarcasm. She was amused that even reclusive super-powered dolphins knew about the Finns.
::You will not last long in this state.:: The dolphin came still closer. ::How are you going to fix it?::
“Fix what?” Mist was entirely confused.
::Being dead.::
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
::But the corals!:: Veil sounded alarmed. ::Your work is important!::
“There isn’t a lot I can do,” Mist pointed out. “My power only controlled water and air while I was alive. Not life and death.”
::Leave it to a cetacean to fix a lander.:: The dolphin thought with a beleagured sigh. ::Remain here.::
“Where would I go?” Mist asked, amused. But Veil was gone.
And then Mist was throwing up her body weight in water and tiny fishes on the beach. Aquariana’s familiar voice was telling her to breathe over and over again. Mist wanted to punch the blue-skinned hera for such stupid advice but couldn’t even take a full breath.
"You're lucky,” Aquariana said grimly, amusement and awe flavoring the air around her. “Someone called in a favor on your behalf.”
“What," Mist asked, clutching at Aquariana’s arm. “The fuck?”
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