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The Wave of Change Captain
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 Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 11:24 am
It begins in your hands and feet: throbbing aches and pains the likes of which you've never felt before. Cringing from the pain, you grasp your arms together and again are startled when you touch your skin—it's become completely smooth and hairless, somewhat paler, and around your hands and feet, changing hue into a deep navy. Your index and ring fingers on both hands fuse together into a single, fleshy digit, while your other fingers have become noticably thicker. On your feet, your toes merge and change into an almost flipper-like structure. At least swimming will be easier. Your dark skin on your extremities seems to have taken on an additional texture not present on the rest of your human skin: smooth and rubbery to the touch. A tickling sensation along your lower back evolves into a push as lumpy, curved, triangular growth forms, also covered by the dual-textured dark skin which covers your hands and feet. Strangely, while painful, there's also a tickling pleasantness as this forms, perhaps due to the formation of new bone and nerve-connections in the body. The final change comes on your ears, aching as they expand slightly outward. It's a relatively quick episode, almost like an afterthought, but in its completion you notice that your are much more aware of your surroundings sonically. Is this what a mermaid is? 
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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:08 pm
 Chapter 5: Squishy HugsKara and Kate meet at base camp after their first transformations.Private RP with Kara A+9Read
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:28 am
Chapter 6: In an Octopus' GrottoKate comes across a container of supplies and a giant octopus . . . boy.Private RP with Jesse A+14Read
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:58 am
Interlude: IntrospectionA+20As Kate swam through the cool waters of the Lagoon, she once again reveled in the peace it brought her, freeing her mind from the concerns of her everyday survival on the island. Since Kate had been a child, everything seemed better in the water. It was always a place that cleared her mind and allowed her spirits to rise. She wasn't religious, but the ocean was the closest thing to her deity. In the daily conflict of life on the island — transformation into some unknown creature, struggling for supplies, encountering other strange, changed islanders who may become friend or enemy — being in the water was what kept her mind in balance. And though her changes originally horrified her, she was slowly becoming accustomed, and almost delighted by them. Her flipper-like feet, which could bend back now to be completely straight with her legs, helped propel her through the water at a swiftness she had never been capable of before. She could spend nearly 15 minutes underwater now without the need for air, and Kate was increasingly spending more and more time in the water because of it. She loved the feeling of the water on her rubbery skin, and more than once she imagined what it would be like if it covered her entire body, and it excited her. Why was she so appalled by her changes? On land, they seemed ugly, but in the water, they seemed right. And then she realized, (it's because I'm looking at them with human eyes.) What was beautiful? Two arms and two legs, ten fingers and ten toes? She shook her head, (no, those are just human standards.) And then she realized! (I am getting my wish. I AM becoming a mermaid, but not in the image of the humans that dreamed of them, but in the image of the sea itself! To the sea, I bet humans look pretty ugly. It's making us beautiful . . . but by its standards . . . not ours!) She grinned, somewhat impressed with herself, (Yeah, it's starting to make sense now.)Kate thought about her life so far. What had she really done? In California, she had aimlessly pursued a thousand different opportunities half-heartedly. Never had Kate taken a stand, a step forward into the unsafe, the unknown, where success was dependent on her and not someone else. Her sheltered life in California had been ideal, yet, for the first time, so many things were right with her life on the island. She was fending for herself, attacking her problems, and had made a close friend. Just the thought of Kara put a warmth in her that she couldn't describe, but just made her want to smile for a long time. What was in store for her and Kara? They were both going to keep changing, everyone was, and everyone continued to be resistant, angry, and disappointed. All because they were looking at beauty with human eyes. Well, Kate was tired of the grief. She had every reason to be happy, and she wasn't going to let anything hold her back. "Well I'M ready!" She shouted to the water, the lagoon, the island. "I won't be like the others. I'm not afraid of it anymore. Whoever or whatever you are, I know you brought me here for a reason. And I'm happy. Yes! I'm happy! I'm letting go, right now. Of my old life, my old self, my humanness. I'll trust you. Make me into something . . . beautiful to you! Beautiful to the sea!"Her words echoed. No reply. She floated on top of the water staring up at the sky for a long time. Silence. No white figure, no grand event, the tidal wave of her emotions collapsed. Kate sighed, defeated, then swam to shore and went back to her scavenging for the day. "Am I just a fool?"Interlude: And That Makes ThreeKate returns to camp and finds Kara has discovered another castaway.RP with Kara Read
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:01 am
Chapter 7: The Wave's GiftKate finally encounters the entity she has been seeking, and receives a unexpected "gift" that is the seed of a great change within her. . .Private RP with Light A+27Read
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:03 am
Chapter 8: I've been . . . marked?Kate runs into Hailey once again, and Hailey points out Kate's new cosmetic addition.Private RP with Hailey A+28Read
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:52 am
 Chapter 9: Kate's Lost DaysKate sets off on her own for some soul-searching and goes through many changes, physically . . . and mentally.A+29 to A+45I: PatienceKate swam for what seemed like forever. Tears welled up in her eyes and instantly became a part of the water that surrounded her as they emerged. She wanted to do nothing but swim, swim, swim, as if she were trying to exhaust herself so that she could feel no more emotion. Kate had never felt more confused in her life. Who was she? What did she want to be? She thought she had finally embraced her metamorphic fate, but Hailey had put new doubts in her. The life that Light offered her may in fact be no better than her struggling human existence. Not that she could still be considered human. She had already begun down the path that would lead her to living as a complete creature of the sea, and maybe that was also why she was swimming. There was no going back, so she would force herself to go forward. She wanted to swim until she forced her body to change, so she could be free of her doubts that still lingered in the human parts of her soul. If Kate could just will her body into changing, maybe she wouldn't have to battle her own doubts anymore.
She had bolted straight out of the Lagoon and out towards the open sea, not knowing or caring what she might encounter. Yet, despite her constant efforts, she seemed to only be swimming in circles, as she would only find herself back at the mouth of the island again.
Kate didn't leave the water for three days. She had no desire, and as a matter of pride, would not step on the island. She refused to let herself be a creature of the land anymore.
Her body was somewhat cooperative as well, as her swimming strength and lung capacity continued to improve, as well as her hearing and vision underwater.
She tried to feed herself seaweed and other aquatic vegetation, and even tried to catch some small fish unsuccessfully. By the end of the third day of her forced aquatic life, she was going hungry, and growing increasingly tired.
Out of her silent desperation, a voice spoke to her mind.
'Child, you can't force yourself.'
(What?)
'You must depend on the land for just a little while longer.'
(But, why? Why can't I change completely now?)
'There is beauty in the journey, as well as the destination. Do well to remember this. When you are fully one of us, you will reflect on this difficult time, and it will make you stronger.'
(It's so hard...)
'When you asked Light for our blessing, did he promise you an easy path? Have you forgotten so quickly? We have a plan for you, and our plan is perfect. You shall be perfect, and when the time arrives, you shall BE'
(be? be what?)
But with that, the voice quieted.
With a certain soberness, Kate turned and swam in the direction of the island.II: Siren SongsKate spent the next several days living on the outskirts of the island, an area away from the shelter of the lagoon where most of the fully aquatic resided, and where the land-walkers avoided due to the barrier of the terrain and the dense jungle. Like before, Kate gathered most of her food from fruit and nuts that she found on trees near the shore. She continued trying to spend as much time in water as possible.
Though silent for the first few days, the voice slowly began to speak in Kate's mind again, whispering things to her in a strange tounge that she didn't understand. At first she was disturbed, but there was a hypnotic, comforting sweetness in the speak that sounded familiar and pleasant to a deeper part of her.
Most of the time she just listened, wanting to hear. The speak had an effect that reached into Kate, deep into parts of her left untouched—even by her own psyche. It was doing something to her, slowly turning things inside that had never been tunrned. Adjusting, rewiring . . . Kate soon found herself feeling more and more at peace. The worries that Hailey had planted in her mind of survival started to untangle. (It will be a struggle, but like any creature in the wild, it will be necessary for us to create a strong race.)"
Yes . . . 'us' the merpeople. Kate smiled as reveled in the privilege of being part of the resurrection of an entire people. There was a great work ahead of her, ahead of everyone. If only they would come to see things as she did.
Over the next several days, Kate considered going back to camp and Kara . . . and that new girl. What was her name again? But she was worried that the voice would go away, that it wouldn't speak to her. Like a drug, she couldn't break away from it. It felt too good . . . exactly like the dreams she had back in California, back when she was a human. The very dreams she tried to escape from. Not anymore.
While not scavenging for food, Kate spent her days creating jewelry from bits of coral, smooth stones, and shells she found on the ocean floor. She worked on colorful, intricate bracelets and necklaces meticulously, all the while listening to the quiet musings of the voice in her mind. She felt a simple, childlike happiness.III: Fears(Do you want this?)
I . . . I think I do.
(But you're still unsure.)
Well, a part of me is. A part of me.
(. . .)
I'm afraid. I'm afraid that, even after I've changed, life will still be hard. I'll still have to fight to survive, I'll still have feelings that can be hurt, still have friends that I might loose, still have enemies that I can't trust.
(What did you expect, child? We never offered a cure for the problems of existence, simply a new one. Ape, fish, bird, all living things face the same struggle.)
Then is living worth it?
(That is only a question you can answer.)
I know it is.
(That is good.)
Then, what should I do?
(You should live.)
That's easy to say.
(It is easy to live, child. You're living right now.)
I guess you're right. But, I don't feel alive.
(You humans are an interesting breed. You insist on having your feelings validate everything.)
It just seems like . . . I'm happy, but not living in the way I'm meant to.
(Oh?)
I want to go back to everyone else, I feel really strongly for them. All of them. Which is strange for me . . . before, I could just be on my own all the time. Now, I want to be around others. I want to help them and care for them while they change, I want to help them be happy and understand the great purpose we all have here.
I'm afraid of them at the same time. I'm afraid of how they could hurt me, make me doubt again, like Hailey did. I know Light changed me, changed my mind, I even know that you're changing me now. I'm okay with that. I'm not thinking like a human anymore, but everyone else is. Even as we all change, they'll still think they're freaks. I can't convince them that they're beautiful all on my own, and they'll push me away. Everyone will, even Kara, I bet. I'll be alone. And that's the worst feeling in the world, feeling alone when you shouldn't have to.
(Who are you to claim how other souls will respond to your own? Your fear is holding you back. You have to release it, child, it is holding you back. Don't be afraid. It is keeping us from changing you.)
My fear is?
(You told us—Light—that you wanted to become beautiful. And you do, or we would not have given you the mark, but your doubts are keeping us from changing you further. Fear will not increase your life, only stunt your growth. We can only take you so far, you must help us.)
Okay. I will try.
(That is all we ask. We will do the rest.)
I'll stay here just a few more days.
(If you wish, but, S----, if you want to move forward, you must shatter your doubts and fears.)
What did you call me? What was that name?
(If you want to move forward, you must shatter your doubts and fears.)
Then, I have to go back and face the others.
(Yes.)
Then, I'll go.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:56 pm
Kate's willingness to change has not gone unnoticed by the powers at work on the island cradle. Shaping her mind, now they shape her body in an even greater capacity than before. The rubbery, blue-gray skin on your extremities surges even father up your arms and legs. Legs shorten while your spine lengthens, the beginnings of a tail and tail-fin pushing their way out. Your frame fills out slightly as you shorten. No longer do you have the skinny, athletic physique of your human existence, but a rounder, plump, healthy form. Your fused fingers expand even more, creating two firm, awkward digits that no longer bend. Your hair has lengthened to just below your shoulders, and your hearing improves yet again as your lobes grow up and outward. Painful as they are, your changes bring you closer and closer to your new body, new world, and new life. 
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The Wave of Change Captain
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:17 pm
Chapter 10: Going Home with a Tail Between Your LegsKate returns to the Lagoon to find a completely changed Hailey, both in body and in mind, and Kate undergoes a change herself. Private RP with Hailey A+50 TFRead
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:25 pm
Chapter 11: UntitledKate meets a changed Wesley on the way to gather her things.Private RP with Wesley A+50 Read
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:30 pm
Chapter 12: ReservedDescription here.Private RP with X A+X Read
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 8:50 am
Chapter 13: ReservedDescription here.Group RP with Torian and Hailey A+X Read
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:55 am
Chapter 14: Meeting TaKate runs into Ta as he's about to change.Open RP with Ta A+X Read
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