The Birth of Fli, Part I
This is a bit of the Minecraft mythos I've begun. In the vein of my usual tricks and gambols, I decided to plant a garden underwater. Why? Why not? I died three times, but only once did I lose everything. This is often an issue with me - early in Dann's map, I put up a lava stream on a chunk of ice-field. Then there's the hole in the ocean (to be fair, that was accidental - I was only trying to plant a few trees underwater), and the cloud-forest (which still needs to be expanded), and the fact that my home base is almost always a schizoid sort of tower, and the part where I -was- successful building a tree underwater... at any rate.
This is the story of the birth of Fli, who guards the madmen and artists of the Minecraft world. Every lunatic twisty tower, or sculpture of ice and fire, or ridiculous project of tomfoolery is protected by him, and his symbol is the mushroom. He is the son of Nua and Ark, the god of clouds and goddess of trees, respectively. It's not done, but it will be! Only a bit to go.
* * *
Lars sat back, stretching his feet out. "This isn't my favorite," he said, "But it's definitely one of my brother's."
"Oh-- Davor!" Raj interrupted, bouncing a bit in his seat. "Is it why he's so good at building the fountains?"
Lars grinned and nodded. "It is indeed. Now, settle down, you lot.
"You know the stories of Dium and ___, and how they spread their lights over the cycles of day and night, and give life to the animals all. And you know of Ark, who made the first saplings, and who carves the sacred trees in the World Between - and her twin, Tio, whose marvels are the flowers, and who guides the stars. This is the birth of another still - Fli, who is the son of Nua and Ark.
"Now, Nua is a shadowy sort, and he rarely shows his face. We see his reflection in the water, when the light catches it just right, and we see his eyes when the leaves and the clouds align perfectly. But he spends his time dodging between the cracks of the world, and he hides in the fog, over the horizon. Dium and ___ tolerate his antics, because his clouds are a part of life, and their wool gives warmth to the world. He drives them north, across the sky, and through the greatest mountains. When he is merry, he runs with them, in the sky or beneath, on the ground, and when he is tired, he sleeps on their backs. They say that on a foggy day, you can hear his great flock bleating as they pass through the cliffs.
"One calm day, there were only a few clouds to guide, and Nua was skipping merrily on the ground beneath them, leaping from tree to tree in his work. He wasn't paying much attention to the time, and it was only when the first colors of dusk began to appear that he realized the day was passing. Immediately, he realized that he'd been on the ground too long, and the mountains were too far to reach before the night - he was trapped on the ground, with no way back into the sky. Of course, he ran as fast as he could, but when the night was fully dark, he was still running towards the cliffs in the distance.
"This was the first time he'd ever seen a night from the ground, and as he left the plains and reached the trees, he heard the sounds of night beginning - all the monsters of the dark, as they moved towards him in the open space. Gasping for breath, he made it to the trees of the forest, and shouted in desperation as he realized that the darkness was all around him, even there.
"He was ready to give up - even a god cannot hope to escape unscathed, far from shelter in the dead of night - when he saw a light, not too far off, in the branches of a mighty tree, visible high above the rest of the forest canopy. Of course, he made a break for the light, and though he took an arrow to the back, he reached the base of the tree to find a ladder there, leading up the trunk. As I said, Nua is a shady sort of god, and he does not like to go openly into such places, but - well, what would you do, in the middle of the night, with a horde at your back?"
Mia and Raj shuddered sympathetically, drawing closer together even in the well-lit living room. Lars, gesturing expressively in the space, drew a vivid mental picture for both of them. He paused as Aunt Marian came into the room, handing Mia and Raj each a cookie - and raising an eyebrow at their posture. Lars looked a tad guilty, and shrugged, sheepish, in the silence.
She put one hand on her hip. "Dare I ask?"
"It's the story of Fli's birth, Marian," he told her, with another shrug. "There's the part, you know, where Nua's fleeing the horde..."
Marian grimaced. "Oh, I know. Isn't that Davor's favorite story?"
"He likes some of Fli's creations better - of course - but yes, this is one of his favorites. He says it shows best how he's equally the son of Nua and Ark, and the whole 'circle completed in all of us' thing," Lars shrugged. "You know, Davor's usual bent."
"Ah, well. I suppose he's right - do go on, Lars," she smiled, sitting down on the other side of the sofa. "It's been a while since I heard this one."
* * *
Crossposted from Dreamwidth
This is the story of the birth of Fli, who guards the madmen and artists of the Minecraft world. Every lunatic twisty tower, or sculpture of ice and fire, or ridiculous project of tomfoolery is protected by him, and his symbol is the mushroom. He is the son of Nua and Ark, the god of clouds and goddess of trees, respectively. It's not done, but it will be! Only a bit to go.
* * *
Lars sat back, stretching his feet out. "This isn't my favorite," he said, "But it's definitely one of my brother's."
"Oh-- Davor!" Raj interrupted, bouncing a bit in his seat. "Is it why he's so good at building the fountains?"
Lars grinned and nodded. "It is indeed. Now, settle down, you lot.
"You know the stories of Dium and ___, and how they spread their lights over the cycles of day and night, and give life to the animals all. And you know of Ark, who made the first saplings, and who carves the sacred trees in the World Between - and her twin, Tio, whose marvels are the flowers, and who guides the stars. This is the birth of another still - Fli, who is the son of Nua and Ark.
"Now, Nua is a shadowy sort, and he rarely shows his face. We see his reflection in the water, when the light catches it just right, and we see his eyes when the leaves and the clouds align perfectly. But he spends his time dodging between the cracks of the world, and he hides in the fog, over the horizon. Dium and ___ tolerate his antics, because his clouds are a part of life, and their wool gives warmth to the world. He drives them north, across the sky, and through the greatest mountains. When he is merry, he runs with them, in the sky or beneath, on the ground, and when he is tired, he sleeps on their backs. They say that on a foggy day, you can hear his great flock bleating as they pass through the cliffs.
"One calm day, there were only a few clouds to guide, and Nua was skipping merrily on the ground beneath them, leaping from tree to tree in his work. He wasn't paying much attention to the time, and it was only when the first colors of dusk began to appear that he realized the day was passing. Immediately, he realized that he'd been on the ground too long, and the mountains were too far to reach before the night - he was trapped on the ground, with no way back into the sky. Of course, he ran as fast as he could, but when the night was fully dark, he was still running towards the cliffs in the distance.
"This was the first time he'd ever seen a night from the ground, and as he left the plains and reached the trees, he heard the sounds of night beginning - all the monsters of the dark, as they moved towards him in the open space. Gasping for breath, he made it to the trees of the forest, and shouted in desperation as he realized that the darkness was all around him, even there.
"He was ready to give up - even a god cannot hope to escape unscathed, far from shelter in the dead of night - when he saw a light, not too far off, in the branches of a mighty tree, visible high above the rest of the forest canopy. Of course, he made a break for the light, and though he took an arrow to the back, he reached the base of the tree to find a ladder there, leading up the trunk. As I said, Nua is a shady sort of god, and he does not like to go openly into such places, but - well, what would you do, in the middle of the night, with a horde at your back?"
Mia and Raj shuddered sympathetically, drawing closer together even in the well-lit living room. Lars, gesturing expressively in the space, drew a vivid mental picture for both of them. He paused as Aunt Marian came into the room, handing Mia and Raj each a cookie - and raising an eyebrow at their posture. Lars looked a tad guilty, and shrugged, sheepish, in the silence.
She put one hand on her hip. "Dare I ask?"
"It's the story of Fli's birth, Marian," he told her, with another shrug. "There's the part, you know, where Nua's fleeing the horde..."
Marian grimaced. "Oh, I know. Isn't that Davor's favorite story?"
"He likes some of Fli's creations better - of course - but yes, this is one of his favorites. He says it shows best how he's equally the son of Nua and Ark, and the whole 'circle completed in all of us' thing," Lars shrugged. "You know, Davor's usual bent."
"Ah, well. I suppose he's right - do go on, Lars," she smiled, sitting down on the other side of the sofa. "It's been a while since I heard this one."
* * *
Crossposted from Dreamwidth