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quinaraEven as a penguin.
[This may be apropos of a certain discontent with certain storylines and presentation of said storylines. It made me feel better.]
Gone Fishin'.
There was darkness in the ocean. It came on so slowly, the bright Antarctic sunshine slowly filtered away to nothing but blue and black beneath it. And yet, as Buffy swam down, swift and sleek in the water, deeper than penguins usually swam, it felt like her worries were being filtered away too. On land, where she was forced to move as a flightless bird, she had a thousand things to worry about: her relationships, her children, food and warmth and shelter. Here there was none of that, just her sacred birthright to protect the sea, her strength and her conviction she was stronger than the evil that lurked down here.
Buffy swam down, and it felt right.
Suddenly, a cluster of jellyfish flittered out from behind a rock. So many jellyfish were harmless, passive stingers that didn’t bother anyone unnecessarily, but she could tell that these were as sentient as she was. These were the jellyfish the elephant seals had told her about, that were targeting young in a way that was against the Balance. Like a swarm of krill they grouped and swirled, emitting a feral red light despite the shifting spectrum of the dense water, chasing Buffy as still she dived. Kark! Buffy thought, ready for the fight, and with an angle of her wings she wheeled back and over, right into the group’s midst.
Her beak was sharp, and with it she stabbed through demonic jellyflesh, shutting her eyes against the poison she freed. In the hyperaware, slayersense part of her mind she could hear their rage – glob glob, glob glob – but it didn’t frighten her. Her speed had slowed now, but with superpenguin strength she batted her wings, slamming more of the jellyfish into the rock, where their light sputtered and died. She spun a whirlpool, kicked and hit as sharp blades of the jellyfish’s tentacles scored across her back, fought beak and wing and was entirely unsurprised when the minion jellyfish were gone and their leader rose like a behemoth out of the depths.
It was bigger than Buffy. Bigger than Buffy’s family stood together in a group. Curlicues of red flickered across its glowing white body, cutting sigils of unholy power into its flesh, and its tentacles were a forest beneath it, each of thousands wriggling with menace. It flurried through the water, swishing and sucking.
The slayer, however, was ready for it. Flicking back in a roll and back again, Buffy built momentum, gaining more speed than any other penguin could expect to. Then, with an artful, precise kick out she darted like a harpoon at the great jellyfish, eyes closed but senses sharp. She could feel when she broke through its flesh, through the myriad dark thoughts and magic that gave the demon form. It was like being swallowed by sunset, she thought, pulled beneath the horizon. Yet she let the darkness wash over her, as rapidly as water, and burst through the other side of the jellyfish’s head unscathed.
With a primal cry of GLOOOB! the jellyfish sank in on itself, light flickering and dying until only the ghostly glow remained. It sank back into the black depths of the ocean and Buffy was left alone in the water, ichor sluicing from her body.
She had won.
“Gurrrrllll?” the king of the elephant seals asked Buffy, when she had returned to the beach. “Gurrl!” He could not understand how a penguin, let alone a small penguin like Buffy, could ever have destroyed such a threat that had so frightened them, the majestic species of the elephant seal.
Buffy shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “Karr.” It was what she did.
The elephant seal was speechless, but after a moment he finally said, “Guuurrl.” There was no way to truly express his appreciation, but he was grateful. He wanted her to understand that.
“Kaark.” Buffy nodded, accepting the recognition.
And then, taking her leave of the seals, Buffy made her way back home across the rock and snow, knowing that the warm love of her family would only be matched by the glow of self-fulfilment in her heart.
[This may be apropos of a certain discontent with certain storylines and presentation of said storylines. It made me feel better.]
Gone Fishin'.
There was darkness in the ocean. It came on so slowly, the bright Antarctic sunshine slowly filtered away to nothing but blue and black beneath it. And yet, as Buffy swam down, swift and sleek in the water, deeper than penguins usually swam, it felt like her worries were being filtered away too. On land, where she was forced to move as a flightless bird, she had a thousand things to worry about: her relationships, her children, food and warmth and shelter. Here there was none of that, just her sacred birthright to protect the sea, her strength and her conviction she was stronger than the evil that lurked down here.
Buffy swam down, and it felt right.
Suddenly, a cluster of jellyfish flittered out from behind a rock. So many jellyfish were harmless, passive stingers that didn’t bother anyone unnecessarily, but she could tell that these were as sentient as she was. These were the jellyfish the elephant seals had told her about, that were targeting young in a way that was against the Balance. Like a swarm of krill they grouped and swirled, emitting a feral red light despite the shifting spectrum of the dense water, chasing Buffy as still she dived. Kark! Buffy thought, ready for the fight, and with an angle of her wings she wheeled back and over, right into the group’s midst.
Her beak was sharp, and with it she stabbed through demonic jellyflesh, shutting her eyes against the poison she freed. In the hyperaware, slayersense part of her mind she could hear their rage – glob glob, glob glob – but it didn’t frighten her. Her speed had slowed now, but with superpenguin strength she batted her wings, slamming more of the jellyfish into the rock, where their light sputtered and died. She spun a whirlpool, kicked and hit as sharp blades of the jellyfish’s tentacles scored across her back, fought beak and wing and was entirely unsurprised when the minion jellyfish were gone and their leader rose like a behemoth out of the depths.
It was bigger than Buffy. Bigger than Buffy’s family stood together in a group. Curlicues of red flickered across its glowing white body, cutting sigils of unholy power into its flesh, and its tentacles were a forest beneath it, each of thousands wriggling with menace. It flurried through the water, swishing and sucking.
The slayer, however, was ready for it. Flicking back in a roll and back again, Buffy built momentum, gaining more speed than any other penguin could expect to. Then, with an artful, precise kick out she darted like a harpoon at the great jellyfish, eyes closed but senses sharp. She could feel when she broke through its flesh, through the myriad dark thoughts and magic that gave the demon form. It was like being swallowed by sunset, she thought, pulled beneath the horizon. Yet she let the darkness wash over her, as rapidly as water, and burst through the other side of the jellyfish’s head unscathed.
With a primal cry of GLOOOB! the jellyfish sank in on itself, light flickering and dying until only the ghostly glow remained. It sank back into the black depths of the ocean and Buffy was left alone in the water, ichor sluicing from her body.
She had won.
“Gurrrrllll?” the king of the elephant seals asked Buffy, when she had returned to the beach. “Gurrl!” He could not understand how a penguin, let alone a small penguin like Buffy, could ever have destroyed such a threat that had so frightened them, the majestic species of the elephant seal.
Buffy shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “Karr.” It was what she did.
The elephant seal was speechless, but after a moment he finally said, “Guuurrl.” There was no way to truly express his appreciation, but he was grateful. He wanted her to understand that.
“Kaark.” Buffy nodded, accepting the recognition.
And then, taking her leave of the seals, Buffy made her way back home across the rock and snow, knowing that the warm love of her family would only be matched by the glow of self-fulfilment in her heart.
(no subject)
Date: 07/04/2010 00:55 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/04/2010 17:26 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 08/04/2010 23:55 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/04/2010 17:28 (UTC)