Welcome to the first day of Spring Fanon Con 2022! I'm your host for the Creative Writing Contest, the theme of which was Mortal. Let's see how our two contestants, CaT and Shipper, did.
Second Place[]
| Shipper's Entry |
|---|
| You'd known it from the day you were born. The only thing protecting all of reality from the final coalescence of insanity and terror was the fact that the deep ones await dreaming. Their awakening until aligned stars heralds the end.
And today...the stars were aligned. Aligned for you to FINALLY get some love in your life, that is! "Dammit, c'mon already! Light, you stupid candle!" You fiddled with the lighter, trying to get a spark to pop out. It had been a year since your last encounter with the alien-become-demon, Albedo, a dark soul banished to the Null Void. The word "alien" sounded weird enough on its own, but the fact that "demon" was added onto it just raised more questions when you first heard about it. The short version of the whole situation was, by order of some unknown force, aliens that had lost their hearts to evil would become demons. "At least, that's how Ben explained it," you figured, cursing silently as you burnt your finger. This alien demon...this...ALBEDO person you had met in your vision...he was one of Ben's old enemies. From what the young superhero had told you about him, you wondered why you even bothered. But then you reminded yourself what you had seen a year ago. A boy with white hair and red eyes, lost and alone in the Null Void...looking for something. Evil or not, you couldn't just ignore that face. Ever since then, you got really wrapped up in the occult. You dumped paycheck after paycheck on alien trinkets and spellbooks, but to no avail. But now everything was in place. Besides...there was something you had to do once you saw Albedo again. *kilk!* "Yes!" The lighter sparked to life and you lit all the redfire candles, arranged in a perfect circle. Flipping through the necronomicon you "Albedo ahf' art l' mgepkadishtu nilgh'ri..." "...MORTAL." Your head snapped up and you found yourself face-to-face with a dark silhouette, surrounded by an aura of unlimited strength and power. "Oh god--it actually worked?! He's here?!" you hardly dared to believe it. A beacon of madness was towering over you, a chaotic avatar of world-ending calamity. Even with a year of preparation for this moment, you were still frozen in fear. "For what purpose have you awoken me and brought about the end of the Earth?" the alien demon demanded to know. You couldn't talk...you couldn't even breathe. You knew alien demons were dangerous, but this was beyond what you were ready for. Blinding dread, choking terror...your very sanity was teetering on the precipice--and looking down. "No..." you scolded yourself to get it together. "I finally got this far--I finally have my chance! I can't perish now...!" Swallowing hard, you somehow managed to form words. "D-Dark one, I ask that you grant my wish...!" The alien demon seemed unimpressed. "You wish to be the first human to be destroyed, yes? So that you are spared from from the cataclysm I shall wreak upon all life?" "No, I...I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me." Immediately, all the darkness vanished. What remained was a teenage boy that looked remarkably like Ben, but had white hair styled in a slightly different haircut, red eyes, and a set of demon horns and wings, dark black and speckled maroon. Despite your immediate fear, you couldn't help but blush at the teen heartthrob now in front of you. "Jackpot!!" His face was just as red as yours upon hearing your question. "Eh?! W-What?!" "I said I was wondering if-" "Don't say it again, you...you...female rapscallion!" he sputtered back. "And how are you looking DIRECTLY at me without being driven mad?!" "For a demon, he seems to get flustered pretty easily," you thought to yourself. "It's not madness as much as it is desperation," you admitted shyly. "My love life is in the toilet and it's clear no MORTAL wants to date me. So...I'm trying my luck with the supernatural." Albedo was speechless for a few moments. He took a long time to process your words before he spoke again. "...Send me back." "Huh? But you just got here!" you protested. Surely your game couldn't be THIS bad. "What about destroying life as we know it and enacting revenge?" "I-I'll do it next time!" he insisted back, still blushing. "Maybe when the stars align in a thousand years or so." "But I'll be dead by then!" "Exactly!" You were stung by this response. You couldn't believe it: all that effort, and you were getting rejected before you even got started. Maybe you WERE just that unlovable... Your pitiful face of defeat must've reached Albedo, because he couldn't help but float down to your level and land beside you. "*sigh* Listen, Miss...what's your name?" "(Y/N)..." "Listen, (Y/N), of every creature in this universe, an alien demon is the last thing you would want to be romantically involved with," "Why?? At least demons show up when you call...and hear out your desires, no matter how crazy...and bond themselves to you, always..." Biting your lip, you hurriedly wiped away a tear that was forming in your eye. You felt a bit embarrassed for venting like this, but it was true. Every blind date, every Tinder conversation, they all ended the same way. All you wanted was someone to really and truly love you, no matter what species they were. Albedo seemed to wilt a bit upon hearing your cynical-yet-sad views. "I...apologize if you haven't had the best luck in the romantic department," he said slowly. "You seem kind, but alien demons really are no better. We could never make you happy. We're soulless monsters, with no chance of redemption...beyond saving. There's not a thing in the mortal plane that interests us." You wiped away the last of your tears, feeling as if these words didn't really come out of Albedo's mouth first. It was more like he was repeating something that had been spat at him during his final moments on the surface. "But...you don't seem soulless to me," you told him. "I mean, why are you still here if you don't even care?" Albedo's face got red again. "I-I don't! I just-!" He looked away, floating even lower now. "I suppose I'm not sure HOW to care..." As if his confession had thrown a switch, you suddenly got an idea. "What if...I taught you how?" "...What?" "Let me teach you how human compassion works. In return...maybe you can show me what you've learned." The suggestion just slipped out of your mouth before you could think about it, but it left Albedo staring at you with an expression you couldn't name. Finally, he landed in front of you, the corners of his mouth turning up into something that barely resembled a smile. "Are you making a deal with a demon?" he asked, a hint of mischief. "You know how infamous they are for going south, don't you?" You gulped and blushed even harder, but you weren't going to back down. "Maybe," you said bravely. "But we're BOTH at rock bottom. There's nowhere to go but up. So, do we have a deal?" Something flashed in Albedo's red eyes for a split-second. After what felt like an eternity, he said the one word that paved the way for an experience beyond your expectations and desires. "Deal." |
I can see where this entry tried to adhere to the theme, but I have a few issues with it. For one, I don't get why it was written in second-person. It made the story pretty awkward to read. I also think the circumstances of Albedo being turned into a demon should've been expanded upon. I wouldn't call this entry bad per se, just lackluster. I will say Shipper did a good job of making the reader come across as desperate for love, which I assume was her intention.
First Place[]
| CaT's Entry |
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| “Hey, Rook, you ever think about mortality?”
Rook, currently driving the Proto-Truk, gave Ben an odd look. “As much as anyone else, I suppose.” Rook replied. “What brought this on?” “Well, I was just kinda thinking...” Ben held up his left arm to look at the Omnitrix. “This thing basically makes me immortal, right? It won’t let me die.” “From what I recall, it will activate to protect you during emergency situations.” Rook said. “It does not stop your aging or make you immune to disease.” “Pfft, details.” Ben waved him off. “You know what I mean, man.” “I do not.” Rook stated flatly. “Really?” Ben blinked. “C’mon, Rook, you’re supposed to be smarter than me.” “I do not necessarily disagree with that statement.” Rook hmmed. “That said, your mind can very much come across as an enigma at times.” “Jesus Christ, Rook, I get that you’re an alien, but you should know not to use that word by now!” Ben gave him a wide-eyed stare. “What wo-” Rook started before abruptly face-palming. “Enigma, Ben. Enigma. E-N-I-G-M-A.” “Oh, okay, that makes more sense.” Ben nodded thoughtfully. “Just wish I knew what that word meant.” “Ben.” “Oh, right, right, the whole “mortality” thing.” Ben looked out the passenger-side window at the civilians they were passing by on the street. “It’s just... most people aren’t like me. Compared to just about everything else in the universe, humans are really weak and squishy; I meant, don’t get me wrong, I am too, but I have the benefit of being able to change that. If anyone else faces death, they don’t get to turn into an awesome alien hero and perform a miraculous escape from whatever situation they’re in...” He looked back at Rook. “They just... die.” “I suppose that is generally true, but I am not sure I understand what your point is.” Rook replied. “Well... I guess I don’t really know, either.” Ben sighed, looking back out the window. “Maybe I’m just rambling.” “Hmm...” Rook thought for a moment. “Is it possible that the relative mortality of everyone around you makes you nervous?” “What do you mean?” “Well, when you are fighting as an alien, you are capable of- and often are- destroying the environment around you.” Rook said. “Of course, you are not in danger thanks to the Omnitrix, but if a civilian were to be caught directly in the crossfire, they would most likely die.” “That’s not quite what I was thinking of, but thanks for the new fear, Rook.” Ben slid down in his seat. “Is that not something you had considered?” Rook gave him a questioning look. “I try not to.” Ben replied. “If I started thinking about all the collateral damage I could cause when I fight, I’d be too nervous to move.” “So you are blocking out common sense... on purpose?” Rook asked. “I don’t know if I’d put it that way, but like, kind of, yeah.” Ben said. “I know that if I screw up, people might die, but I also know that if I don’t do anything, people are definitely going to die. If throwing out common sense is the only way I can avoid paralyzing myself, then that’s what I have to do.” “If that is the case, I believe it may be beneficial for you to seek out psychiatric treatment.” Rook replied. “My understanding of human psychology may be limited by the simple fact that I am not human, but I am certainly aware enough to know that suppressing your emotions instead of facing them is ultimately self-destructive. It is the same way for Revonnahganders, believe it or not.” “Now that I think about it, you guys are basically just blue cat people.” Ben mused. “From that perspective, is James Cameron’s Avatar considered representation or an exploitation film?” “It is quite clearly an allegory for the treatment of Native Americans, Ben; it is unrelated to Revonnahganders.” Rook stated. “That aside, please try to focus more on the topic at hand.” “Sorry, Rook; I just feel like I’m dumping a lot on ya all at once.” Ben sighed. “None of this is really your problem.” “While that is technically true, I am still your partner, and more importantly, your friend.” Rook said. “I would like to help you if at all possible.” “Man...” Ben tsked, turning to look out the window. “You’re too reliable for your own good, you know that?” “I certainly try.” Rook grinned. “Now go to therapy.” “I will not.” “I will make you.” “Dang it.” |
Aside from a couple lines of dialogue, this entry felt like part of an Omniverse episode that was never made (but should've been). Ben and Rook were both in-character (Ben was perhaps too obnoxious for my liking, but that's more of a fault of the show and not the entry) and I really like how Ben opened up. Excellent work, CaT!
Congratulations to CaT for winning first place, thanks to Shipper for participating and thank you for reading this blog! Be sure to stick around for the remaining days of Fanon Con!