On the mun's decision to send her to destinystrings

[ding_bots_are_done]

I guess I should be grateful that didn't pick one of those horror games. And that I don't have to be a pirate. Or a horse.....

[Agatha has not been happy with the options that were bandied about.]

Never mind that I'm a little busy right now.

[ /Sigh.]

At least I get to keep my castle...

Comments

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

Eh, pirates are overrated if you ask me. Not enough good old solid ground out on the ocean.

[ding_bots_are_done]

The only ships I've sailed on are airships. I've never been anywhere near the ocean.

Not that I'm interested in being an air pirate either...

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

Flying is even worse. I mean, it's okay if it's a Sky Bison, but I hate not having my feet on solid ground.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Ooh, what's a sky bison?

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

I'm not really good with colors... being blind and everything... but they look sort of like this...

[She takes a stance, and jerks her arms upward as if blocking some invisible attack, causing a stone statue of Appa to rise out of the ground.]

[ding_bots_are_done]

That's incredible!

[She's more impressed with the insta-statue than the result.]

How did you do that?

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

It's called Earthbending. Back where I'm from, people can just... do it. It's like a sixth sense. Some people bend water, some people can bend fire, there used to be a lot of people that bent air, and me? I'm just the best Earthbender ever.

[She taps a bare foot on the ground.]

It's how I see, after all. I can sense vibrations through the ground and sense where things are, and what they look like, or even when they're wearing glasses or something. Comes in really handy when you can't see normally.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Interesting.... Seeing through vibrations...

[Now she's just getting ideas.]

That would be useful! Would it be easier to use a device or just to modify a person directly?

[She'd be more comfortable making a device, constructs aren't really her specialty. But she could give it a shot... A device that could shape earth would be easier. Some sort of automatic sculptor. Yes...]

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

Machines aren't my thing. They're nice and all, but my earthbending is all I really need.

[ding_bots_are_done]

But imagine how useful a device that could shape earth automatically would be?

And if people could be modified to see with vibrations it would open up such possibilities!

[It is clearly time for SCIENCE!]

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

Yeah, no offense, but, I don't really need to imagine how a machine could do it, when I do it with my own two hands.

Bending isn't a rare talent. I mean, entire nations were built using bending.

You seem like a nice kid, so I'm going to say this up front. The last guy I knew that was good with machines was aiding a revolution aimed at taking people's bending away, and my daughter got caught up in it. I'm not saying I hate machines or anything... just don't really trust them yet.

[ding_bots_are_done]

[Okay, that pulls her back from the madness a little.]

That's terrible. Why would anyone want to get rid of something like that?

[It seems so useful. And really, he ought to have been studying it. You don't learn anything by just destroying things.]

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

To be honest... I can kind of see where they're coming from.

We just ended a 100-year-long war started by Firebenders that used the power they harnessed from a comet to nearly wipe out all the Airbenders, and came pretty close to taking over the world.

Really, there have been lots of people throughout history that used bending to try and take over the world, and then there's the taboo art of bloodbending, where a waterbender takes control of the blood in your body and can control you like a puppet. Republic City itself has a lot of Triads that use benders to intimidate and extort money from non-benders.

That said, the way the 'Equalist' movement was going about it only made things worse.

[ding_bots_are_done]

........

You know, I was thinking that your world must be very different, but a lot of that sounds pretty familiar.

And there is one guy in my world who thinks the solution to everything is 'kill all the sparks.'

[That's why they keep throwing him out of airships.]

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

I don't know what a 'spark' is, but yeah... that sort of thinking is never the answer.

...The name's Toph, by the way.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Agatha Heterodyne. It's nice to meet you.

[Still remembers those manners Lilith taught her.]

[lovescompany]

I like castles. Especially dungeons. Give me a nice dungeon with the crawling spiders and the skittering rats and I am one happy girl.

[Look Agatha, you made the morose and sickly girl smile. c:]

[ding_bots_are_done]

[Hey, to each their own. Actually, the castle and it's delightful deathtraps have sort of grown on her.]

Then you'd probably love Castle Heterodyne. I think the place has more dungeons than bedrooms.

[lovescompany]

Seriously?

...that.. ...sounds... ...so... ...cool.

[that last word was practically a squeal.]

[ding_bots_are_done]

[Hmm, she's used to people being terrified of the place.]

I'm sure the castle would be thrilled to hear you say that. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I'll give you a tour.

[lovescompany]

[She sleeps on a bed of nails and has a headless doll that she calls "Marie Antoinette." SO]

[And she is practically clutching Agatha now.]

Are you telling me the castle also has... a personality?

[ding_bots_are_done]

It's overbearing, stuck up, and has a really twisted sense of humor.... I guess you could call that a personality.

It was built by one of my ancestors. I've been told it's a copy of his mind in there.

[lovescompany]

I don't know. I think that sounds like a lot of fun. You could be feeling lonely and then say "Hello House, how are you?"

And since you'd be living inside it, there would be no way that they would for it to run away.

It sounds perfect.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Well... it does have some good points. Honestly though, most people run away from it rather than the other way around.

[Aw, she's so cute. The castle would be thrilled to know it has a fan.]

1/2

[lovescompany]

Really? Not me. I think that sounds really cool.

[lovescompany]

Unless the house suddenly had an infestation of termites or the roof caves in. Then I would think that conversation would be...

...awkward.

[ding_bots_are_done]

The castle is mostly made of stone, so I'm not too worried about termites.

[lovescompany]

Oh. Then I'd be even more worried of the roof caving in, then.

...

That would hurt pretty bad.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Don't worry, if it can move whole rooms around, I don't think the roof will cave in anytime soon.

[lovescompany]

That just means it WANTED it to.

[ding_bots_are_done]

I think by now the castle knows how much trouble it can get into for hurting my guests.

[She's shut it down once and she can do it again.]

[lovescompany]

Oh. It's okay if it hurts me. I don't mind. I have a high threshold for pain.

I'm Misery, by the way.

[ding_bots_are_done]

I'll mind. So it better behave.

Agatha Heterodyne. It's nice to meet you.

[psimera]

[He remembers Agatha! And apparently she's joining him at that city.]

[Honestly, nothing he has any opinions on one way or the other, except...] ...could you leave out your castle's defense system when you bring it?

[ding_bots_are_done]

Hmm, I think I might need it though...

[How else is the castle going to protect itself?]

[psimera]

...
I believe I'll be staying away, then.

[He doesn't fancy a second time getting lost.]

[ding_bots_are_done]

Oh, I've fixed it since you saw it last. So it's at least a little easier to deal with.

[psimera]

...
How much is 'a little'?

[ding_bots_are_done]

Enough that it listens to me almost all the time.

[Occasionally it still likes to get creative with her orders.]

[psimera]

...it was listening to you almost all the time when I was there. Just... selectively.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Well, at least now I can get it to stop attacking guests. And turn off the traps.

It's still a little difficult sometimes, but it's still an improvement.

[Gotta look on the bright side here.]

[psimera]

...
I think I will still stay away until you are certain you have a grip on it, nonetheless.

...
You'll have an advantage against the demons I have heard of, at least.

[ding_bots_are_done]

The demons who are dumb enough to invade the intelligent castle anyway.

[psimera]

...
A deterrent is even better than just straight advantage. Stronger enemies who can destroy it may sometimes decide it's not worth the trouble.

[ding_bots_are_done]

Actually... that may have been the idea when they built it.