Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Consequence of me not thinkin' them up earlier.

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
Lost and Forgotten Plotlines

Saffa walked cautiously upon her chosen path. But she walked resolutely, with deliberation. She didn't really know what to make of this place. She knew rich people had a tendacy to horde things, like wealth for instance. But this? This was ridiculous.

Thee had to be more people than Hamstern involved. There is no way he could have amassed this much junk, unless he had been doing this since the forties. Although, in this world, anything was possible. And the guy was clearly insane, if what he thought what he was doing was a stimulus to the economy, since he clearly targeted the average man, and than the rich who could affrord to lose some things, but they hold onto in their sheer, unmitigated avarice.

She looked at these crates of forgotten, lost things, and wondered if they were still missed. She cursed the lighting in this place. It made the whole Bureau take on a very "Scooby Doo"-like feel, but not in a comedic way.

Eventually Saffa came upon and open wooden crate with papers haphazardly stacked. She was beneath one of the intermittent yellow lights that afforded her enough light to read. Curiosity got the better of her and she looked into the crate and began reading the papers, which some showed signs of being crumbled up, as if their writer discarded them and later came to regret this decision. Some of team looked pristine, but still lost and forgotten.

Saffa read through them.

A story about a boy trying to protect his younger brother from mind-stealing aliens . . .

A "Lilo & Stitch" story parodying "The Lord of the Rings". . . .

As she read on, she saw more and.more abandoned or forgotten plotlines. Plotlines that would have drastically change the stoies had they been included, or just marginally distasteful way.

This led Saffa to winder just how he managed to obtain these. Did he go rooting through garbage? Or was it something else? Saffa became sure that Hamstern had others helping him in this ludicrous venture. He had to have underlings or minions or something to help him in this . . .

Good god, what is this was funded by the government? Governments are not immune from corruption -- and it would be stupidly naive to believe any were -- and they have had a history of pulling stupid, covert things like this. Pulling them without considering the consequence- -- or that could just be unused plotline that she was reading. But it still had truth in it.

She went through more and more abandoned plotlines, and she could see why many of them were abandined -- they little to no sense, they completely ruined an established character, they jumped the shark (several times), they were completely predictable and trite, too dialogue-heavy and devoid of emotion, just poorly written, and a whole host of other reasons.

[redtailedsaffa]

Nice, if I poke about some more I might just find half of the second Avengers movie.

[Cloak]

Perhaps.

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER TEN:
Lost and Forgotten Media

Dpsb walked (deciding not to fly, using the powers of Shazam) he looked around at the mounds of crates. He wondered how people could have simply owned so much stuff, much less lost them. It seemed like too much stuff.

He didn't even know how big this room was. Were there more rooms beyond this one? How many walkways formed by these towering, stacked crates were there beyond this one he walked? An infinite amount? Was that even physically possible?

"What's this?" He picked up an odd sort of device of magnetic tape technology, which was for audio storage. An 8-track tape, in surprisely good condition. It must have been -- ahem -- "lost" when it was fairly new and unused. Or it was made new for whatever reason.

Dpsb discovered several other 8-track tapes, but not in as good of condition. Not by a long shot. One had a buildup of some substance called Capstan, while another had Capstan wear. Another had a head misalignment. Yet another was missing a sensing foil. Others weredamaged and neglected, but Dpsb didn't care to find out just how, finding the 8-track tapes old, archaic, and distasteful.

He moved on, like evetually everyone else did, from the 8-track tapes. And they were forgotten and lost once more.

He found a bunch of old and discarded cassette tapes. Many of them had tangled up messes of the magnetic tape where the audio was stored, where the tape players "ate" the tape. It was the inevitable fate for an often-listened-to cassette tape. Dpsb didn't hold much interest in them, with their tape-y afros.

Then he came upon an open crate with enough caseless CDs to single a small house or lean-to. They didn't seem to have any printing on them, which didn't mean anything really. They could have just labelless "mix tapes" that have been forgotten and lost. Perhaps deliberately.

And more and more did Dpsb discover old, antiquated media players. He felt very out of his element. And the fact that the dim blue light was starting to grate on his nerves wasn't helping matters.

[redtailedsaffa]

Yeah, this should've been gh's area, he would've never left.

[guitarhero01234]

Funnily enough, I collect CDs, have a passing interest in vinyl (I have a few dozen records), and have been meaning to start collecting cassette tapes, but have never even seen an 8-track in real life.

[redtailedsaffa]

WHAAAAAT?! I have a bunch of those sitting at home! My dad used to record songs on them while he was in college.

[guitarhero01234]

. . . What albums do you have?

[redtailedsaffa]

I have no idea. There is a **** ton of cassettes sitting at home that I haven't fully looked through yet. Mostly because the cassette player needs to be fixed. The ones my dad made were random mix tapes though.

[Cloak]

Oh, had plans of a more specific type with GH's area. . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Lost and Forgotten Music

GH had taken his own route, but he couldn't help but fume a little. Had no one else seen horror movies? Not that this was a horror movie, but still! Splitting up is the worst possible thing you can do in these situations, even despite having powers! Why wasn't that obvious to his fellow RAFians? Had they gotten so confident with their abilities that crossed the line into hubris?

Dah! It was probably true, as hubris is a real present danger of infecting those with a good deal of power. But there was nothing he could do about it, he felt. Well, sure, he could play music to manipulate the feelings of others, but, while that wasn't a direct way of controlling others like say a Yeerk or a Heinlin would, GH wasn't really too fond of being used as sort of a music box. There was more to him than "soother of savage beasts".

Though, now that he thought about it, he did like the title. "GH, the Soother of Savage Beasts". It did have a ring to it that was appealing, in a way.

As he walked, he noticed that his chosen walkway was filled with music. Lost and forgotten music.

"Lost and forgotten with good reason," he muttered to himself. He did not particularly care for this kind of music, happening to know a lot of varied works of artists and whatnot, and he was a bit of a music connoisseur, in this regard, with a discriminating taste.

"What's this?" he said, discovering an old recording. Recorded on a VHS no less! He found a working VHS player and old television already hooked up. He popped the tape in, and found that the video quality and audio quality were . . . acceptable.

He saw several people that he did not recognize singing. Somehow he wasn't surprised. And how was he to know that they were lost and/or forgotten RAFians?

They sang:

"Remember the RAFians
You loved yesterday?
Where did they go?
Did they pass away?
Was it drugs or car crash?
Or a tune-up gone wrong?
No, they're right here
And singing this adapted song!"

Anna sang:

"My name is Anna. I shake up this forum!"

Ken sang:

"Remember me, dude?
I am Ken, and -- um . . . "

These lost RAFians sang:

"We're the RAFians
You thought were dead.
Like Jax and Kelran, as we've said.
The Bureau's the place
That we all have found.
We took Animorphs
And made it a town."

Toominator sang:

"What can I say?
Sorry for the delay.
I'll do three posts a day!"

Taiyoh sang:

"Taiyoh doesn't sleep in the ground.
Yes, I'm alive and I'm making my sounds."

The lost RAFians sang:

"So, sit back, relax, and watch this never-ending revue --"

Gafrash sang:

"Be prepared for the replay as this revue is due!"

They started the song over again. No, it wasn't being replayed -- VHS tapes required you rewind the tape for that. They just kept singing it over and over again, until they were too tired to so much as stand up again.

What was this? GH found himself wondering incredulously.

[guitarhero01234]

BRB, changing my profile.

Also, it better not have been certain music that I was discussing yesterday that was playing on the walkway.

[Cloak]

Hmmm . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Lost and Forgotten Love

Helen walked her chosen walkway, eschewing any need to fly, reasoning that it was to save her ring power. She was currently at 98%, and it was sufficient enough for her needs here, she thought.

But as she walked she saw things -- damaged photos, discarded and forgotten items such as teddy bears clutching big fluffy hearts and other kitschy, schmaltzy gifts, items of a maudlin or bathetic nature, among other things she'd rather not describe. To Helen, it represented those in love who tried too hard to woo or court their desired mate.

These were the people, she mused, that were desperate for love, for acceptance, or maybe even repentance for a past misdeed. And if all this stuff was here, lost and forgotten, then clearly there current attempt had failed. But she knew, from her experiences will creppy old Louis Cannon, who was some considerable years her senior, some people just did not get the message. Cannon went so far as to kill himself . . .

She shuttered a bit. She didn't like thinking about that.

Then there were the items of a scandalously scurrilous nature. Items that were aimed to, by their very design, harm the person or the person's reputation to whom they were given. By their very natures, these items were vile, despicable, morally bankrupt, and evil. Helen found them absolutely repugnant, without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. She repugned these very actions of scorned lovers, which she was certain what these were, which she found to be unnecessarily hateful and mean. Clearly, from people accustomed to getting their way, and she had no love for such people.

These, Helen thought, were the people who, yes, were accustomed to getting what they want, but also were abusive and controlling. This were often powerful people who could use that influence to harm others, if they didn't reciprocate their feelings. These were some of the most despicable people who did not understand the true path, the true power of love. The Zamarons were once like this, Helen had heard. . . .

Then Helen came to a part of a walkway, and she stopped. Here were broken toys, but clearly cherished ones. The paints and whatnot where worn in places, but it was clear that these toys were very much loved by the children who had owned them, and some did not appear broken, in terms of functionality, but were clearly frequently played with when they were with their child.

Helen wanted to believe at these toys' stories were as simple as their child grew up and put childish things away, but, sadly, in this day and age, the story was just as likely to be darker than that scenario. An older sibling breaks the toy as a form of retribution, the toy was the only love that a child felt from a parent or parents who held no love for the child and saw him or her as an inconvenience (something that she, thankfully, never experienced, but knew to be true, as she heard about Cloak's past).

She looked up and down this walkway. So many crates of so many items . . . were their stories happy or sad? Would their stories ever be told?

[redtailedsaffa]

Knowing Star Sapphires, she better keep moving.

[Cloak]

Helen is tough.

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Lost and Forgotten Species

Hunter prowled his chosen walkway, like a lone wolf on the prowl. Walking through these paths was really reminiscent of walking a labyrinth, though hopefully without any Minotaurs. Hunter supposed that Hamstern -- or Hamster-Boy, as Hunter preferred to think of him -- could count, but he wasn't particularly fearsome, and he wouldn't savagely devour him if he encountered the geriatric "misappropriation engineer".

It was a while before Hunter stopped to notice the items around him. A stuffed bird about twice the height of Hunter, at least. It had purple feathers and gray skin, four green eyes. It had a long beak with sharp teeth. It was a mock-up of Omnivoracious, so good that it looked taxidermied, a creature that Hunter hasn't ever met, nor would ever meet. It was extinct, and was the predator of the small, frog-like Galvans, one of the most intelligent species known.

Hunter wouldn't admit it, but the big bird had scared him. The life-sized Omnivoracious mock-up could do massive damage to Hunter, and he wasn't nearly as smart as a Galvan, a species of scientists and Einsteins.

He passed by an odd canine-like marsupial with stripes on its hindquarters and a stiff tail. It was taxidermied. It was a thylacine, and believed by many to be extinct. This particular one was about fifty inches long, not including the tail. Hunter, however, couldn't be bothered to examine it, just giving it a slight scrutiny before moving on.

Hunter walked by a odd, three-foot-tall flightless bird with a thick, long beak with brownish or greyish plumage. It did not really resemble its stereotypical design, this dodo mock-up. Like the thylacine, Hunter only afforded it the merest of glances, before pressing on.

He passed more and more mock-ups or taxidermied specimens of lost and forgotten species by mankind, which were extinct or rare by man's own hand. Some only extinct in the wild, others practically extinct already save for a few surviving members, insufficient for saving the species. A Haast's eagle, a Guam flying fox, a great auk, a Formosan clouded leopard, an eastern Sumatran rhinoceros, a dwarf hutia, Chatham fernbird, a Chadwick Beach cotton mouse, Caucasian wisent, a Carpathian wisent, a Carolina parakeet, Cape lion, bushwren, a bubal hartebeest, a Barbary lion, an auroch, a bluebuck, an Atlas bear, a Bali tiger, a big-eared hopping mouse, a bulldog rat, a California grizzly bear, a Caribbean monk seal, a Caspian tiger, a Cebu warty pig, a Chatham bellbird, a dusky seaside sparrow, an eastern elk, a Falkland Islands wolf, a Goff's southeastern pocket gopher, a Gull Island vole, a Hemigrapsus estellinensis . . . far too many.

And many humans, the average Joes, are only aware of but a few of these unfortunate species. Or just plain indifferent to their fatal plight. It was amazing just how self-centered some humans can be, amazing how much denial they can have about things like this and proven scientific fact.

Hunter was trying his best not to think about this. He needed to focus on the task at hand. The task . . . which was? What exactly was he looking for? Why did they split up again? Did they even discuss this, or go out on a mere whim?

[redtailedsaffa]

Did you Wikipedia "list of extinct species"?

[Cloak]

Maaaaaaybe.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Lost and Forgotten Friends

Cloak walked through his chosen path. He walked forward, without looking back but once or twice. He saw the detritus of forgotten friendships and evidence of lost items of said friendships. Whether the friendships were ended because they just drifted away amicably, or if something came befween them and they split hostilely. In any case, it was of very little importance to the Realm Walker.

But then he started to remember back at the tailor end of his schooling days, roughly the Realm Walker variation of high school. He remembered that he wasn't alone. He did have friends . . . friends that he had drifted away from.

Reason, a rare human-form Realm Walker, who, years later, had encouraged him to get away from his mother, to get away from that toxic environment. Cloak regreted that it took himself so long to take heed to his sage council.

Cloudjaguar, a jaguar-form Realm Walker, a surprisingly energetic friend that Cloak can't recall ever frowning. He always seemed to be the funny man to Cloak's straight man.

Starjaguar, a melanistic jaguar-form Realm Walker, a stalwart, dependable friend. Cloak thought he became something like a firefighter after schooling.

Niteleopard, a melanistic leopard-form Realm Walker, a lively, energetic friend. Cloak remembered that he had a certain optimism to him.

Ozuma, a puma-form Realm Walker, a highly individualistic, loyal friend. Cloak and her did not get along at first . . . Cloak still didn't know how they buried the hatchet and became friends, but they did.

Whiteer, a white-tailed deer-form Realm Walker, who was a good friend, though Cloak wasn't particularly close to him. He had the opposite power of Corruption, and his touch could free the possessed from their possessors. He was Cloak's initial inspiration behind the Mark.

Belectro, a grizzly bear-form Realm Walker, who actually a friendship that seemed very contradictory, on the surface. But Cloak found it a good friendship, until they just drifted away after schooling. He had some electrokinetic abilities, but he didn't seem all that interested in exercising them.

Blazon, a bison-form Realm Walker, a spirited friend who really contrasted Cloak's stoicism. He wasn't as restrained and reserved as Cloak, and tended to throw himself into things. He had some pyrokinetic potential, but he never seemed too interested in developing it to the extent Cloak had to to earn the title of Elements Master.

Wavefin, a dolphin-form Realm Walker, a bright, optimistic, spiritual woman. She was very kind to Cloak, which he always appreciated. She had hydrokinetic abilities, but she didn't seem to have an interest in developing it at all.

Bravelephant, an elephant-form Realm Walker, a steady, down-to-earth friend. He was very pragmatic, perhaps moreso than Cloak. He had some illusion capability, but he never liked using the ability, as he prefered to be more "what you see is what you get" about himself.

Genest, a red fox-form Realm Walker, a clever, nonconfrontational, but deeply religious, friend. He had weather-influencing abilities, which he had used to full effect once. He didn't like to overuse this ability.

Invisiram, a ram-form Realm Walker, a headstrong, brave friend. He had invisibly abilities, but he never really bothered to use this ability very often. Only to escape really embarrassing situations once or twice.

Rhymetal, a black rhinoceros-form, a good friend, though Cloak and he did not see eye-to-eye on some ideological issues. He had the potential to have ferrokinetic abilities, but either appeared unaware of this fact, or indifferent.

Turthyme, a turtle-form, a good friend, if a bit a demurred. She had the ability to see timelines of others, but she never liked to used this ability, given hie potentially intrusive she perceived it.

All friends of his. All drifted away after schooling. And, yet, none knew the trials and tribulations he was going though at that time. His mother had just basically forced his father to leave, made Cloak himself believe that it was because that he didn't want to be a dad (which now Cloak seriously doubts the validity of), and basically live in a household with a veneer of love, but never anything beyond that, really.

These friends of his should have made him feel loved during schooling, but they didn't, not really. Simply because he did not know what that was . . . not until Shadow hatched from her Life-Light Egg, anyway.

So caught up in his thoughts as he was, he nearly missed what he had arrived at, by sheer accident. And he could not believe his eyes.

"Kelran?" he asked suddenly as he saw the Gryphon's prone form, alive and healthy, not in the least bit emaciated as one would think, given how long he had been away from RAF. But he wasn't alone. "Anna? Ken? Traycon? Gafrash? Taiyoh? Adeon? Toom? Morfowt?"

They were all here. Laying on the floor, like evacuated exosuits or life-sized dolls or something. It didn't make sense. Why? Why were they like this?