Work Text:
It starts in void before exploding in a bloom of colour and musical fanfare. An outstretched arm with an open hand, an invitation into the unknown. The world opens to you like a picture book, pages unfurling with a gentle rustle, a gentle swell of prelude announcing its arrival, and ere long something will take shape.
On an endless plane of aquamarine bright particles listlessly waver about, and a person comes into view; a man! Brunette, not too tall, with a hint of scruff to his chin, clothed in garb fit for an adventurer you suppose. At your manipulation, the man transforms into a myriad of manifestations; a petite dragoness, a 6’9” hulking mass of musculature, a pint-sized gentlewoman, or perhaps… a cat?
The current ephemeral setting strikes you as inappropriate, and at the mere thought suddenly you find yourself standing atop a windy cliff near the ocean - no, in the middle of a desert road. The sunlight is hard across the form’s shoulders, and a feeling of empathy takes you to the intimacy of what seems to be an inn room, dim flames flickering in their sconces and casting light about the wood panel walls. You believe this will do.
You set about molding the appearance of the figure to your preference, such as clay in the experienced hands of a skilled artisan. Hair style and colour, skin tone, face structure, blemishes. All that you wished you could choose from birth just as this being can; a part of you might even envy that. They experimentally vocalise, trialling a variation of pitch and cadence, motioning to themselves dramatically much like an actor on a theatre stage. They rage, cry, smile, and dance; you particularly enjoy the smiling.
Satisfied with your handiwork, the form is rendered with a variety of weapons with accompanying attire, each suited to a diverse range of roles. Upon choosing one, you’re astonished to find you can even choose when they celebrate the day of their birth! As you feel yourself nearing the end of this experience, you are requested to name this new life, much like a parent might name a child. With a flourish the form is given a moniker, and they show their joy with a cheer, knowing no greater happiness than coming into existence; you might even envy this as well.
It’s with this flourish that your creative work comes to an end. The form — the avatar — gives a warm gesture of farewell; there’s that parent and child feeling again. You wonder what awaits them, what adventures or trials they might encounter. You feel like it’s farewell, but for them it’s hello.
With a turn of their heel, they step into the world which anticipates them; a realm reborn.