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Post by idiotj on Nov 16, 2008 10:08:09 GMT -5
WE WANT MORE
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Post by Hermedy on Nov 16, 2008 12:31:02 GMT -5
Chapter 6: The Departed
This chapter was written with contributions from Malachus and Sixteen.
Many 667ers survived the Event, but there were numerous casualties. These victims were mostly members that had abandoned 667 in periods of inactivity, although there were some active members that were just too busy to participate in the tenth anniversary. Survivors mourned their passing in the gamma ray burst, but not much is known about the specific circumstances. Detailed below is the little information we have - the last moments of The Departed.
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Rikku had undergone a significant change in 667’s latest years. Originally a moderator with interesting opinions, she had become more and more distant as time passed. By 2012, she was simply an annoyance, unfailingly posting the name of every song that she ever listened to in Our Wicked World.
On the day of the Event, the unthinkable happened. Rikku’s iPod battery died. How could she log onto 667 Dark Avenue without music? Furious and desperate, she ran out of her house searching for an alternative source of music. Leaving the safety of her home was her fatal demise...
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Akbar had used his experience as editor of The 667er to his advantage after he left the forum. He pursued a career in journalism and had articles published in some local newspapers. Looking for bigger things, he applied for a job at the Chicago Herald Tribune. Records show that he was successful in his interview and was due to start work on June 22, 2012. He never reported for duty...
***
On June 22, 2012, Freshie was determined to show 667 how committed she was. In honor of the tenth anniversary, she was going to make a video homage for the forum. She gathered up her Magnetic Fields CDs and her camcorder. In her backyard, she had painted a 667 mural to use as a backdrop. After setting everything up, she pressed the record button and stepped in front of the camera. It was her final act...
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‘Twas the night before the Event and all through the house not a creature was stirring, except for a goblin. Kobolos broke into a house and slipped quietly into the room of two young children. Throwing them over his shoulder, he crept back to his lair. A fire was already burning and the pot was bubbling. In his eyes, there was no meal finer than young kids. He enjoyed supper that night. But the deranged criminal did not know that it would be his last.
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Mr. Who was meant to be helping with the anniversary celebrations but, as he was highly unreliable, he decided to work at Starbucks that day instead. He spent the morning doing what he did best: repeating the customers’ sentences with a slight twist, much to their annoyance. After hundreds of complaints had been filed with the manager, Mr. Who was fired and sent home early. Walking down the street, hanging his head in shame, he disappeared from the face of the Earth...
***
In the years after she left 667, Wasabi had progressed from riding exercise bikes with dresses on to riding mountain bikes with dresses on. In early June 2012, Wasabi took her dedication to exercise to a new level. Leaving her exercise bike at home, she embarked on a solo, month-long bike trip through the mountains of New Zealand. She wore a full-length dress the entire time. She never returned from her journey.
***
Luis collapsed into a patch of tall grass. He had never known such exhaustion. He just wanted a few seconds of rest before the cruel farm manager came back to supervise his labor. He took a swig of water from a bottle before slowly getting up again to continue his backbreaking work. He picked up his hoe. A second later, the hoe fell with a dull thud onto the empty field.
***
Dupin was the youngest newsanchor in the British Broadcasting Company. But for years, he had been blackmailed by two American women that had been his enemies on 667 Dark Avenue. In June 2012, he refused to pay them off anymore. For this reason, Kate and Ann, former 667ers, arrived in England on the morning of June 22. They were ready to reveal Dupin's real name to the world.
On that day, he was reporting about fundraising event for cancer. As he began his broadcast, a pair of young women caught his eye. They were standing about twenty feet behind his cameraman. The blazing sun was high in the sky over central London, but Dupin felt as though he had been plunged into a tank of ice water. Kate grinned widely as she and Dupin made eye contact for the first time. She nudged Ann and together, they broke into a run toward him. Dupin was too stunned to move. He began to shake uncontrollably. His cameraman turned around to capture the image of the oncoming women. As millions of viewers watched, Ann screamed at the top of her lungs, "His real name is George D-."
The gamma ray burst silenced her before she could finish.
***
It was newfoundlandtim's hour of glory. Finally, in a cove in the depths of a cave in the Atlantic ocean, he had discovered a real mermaid colony. After years of ridicule and discredit from the scientific community, Tim had undeniable proof of the existence of mermaids. Not only that - he had befriended a mermaid. He prepared to bring the mermaid back home with him to show the world. He also planned to log into 667 later in the day to share his uncanny finding with his friends at Dark Avenue, and perhaps gloat to Ernist that he had succeeded while Ernist still had no proof of the existence of dragons.
In a burst of speed, he emerged from the mouth of the cove. As he swam higher and higher towards the surface, holding the hand of his mermaid companion, he grinned with joy. His head emerged from the water. He removed his scuba diving suit and breathed in the fresh morning air.
His final moments were spent in pure elation.
***
Pester abandoned 667 Dark Avenue years before the Event. She had been graciously asked back to Dark Avenue to celebrate the tenth anniversary for a day, but she ignored the request. Instead, she carried on with her usual daily routine. She was working at the local gas station on the morning of the 22nd. She stretched tiredly as a yellow porsche pulled up beside her. She had spent the previous night playing Dungeons and Dragons until 4 a.m. Yawning, she prepared to fill the car. But the car's gas tank was never filled.
***
When Dark Avenue fell upon hard times and activity dipped briefly in Spring 2009, Samreen left 667 for good. She never came back. She forgot about the tenth anniversary. She was too busy to remember her friends at Dark Avenue.
On the morning of June 22nd, Samreen parked her car on a busy street and stepped out. She stopped outside of an office building, breathing deeply and collecting herself. It was her first job interview. She pulled out her Blackberry to check her e-mail. She was surprised to find a message from Tragedy. "Please visit 667 Dark Avenue today. It is our tenth anniversary." Smiling to herself, she made a mental note to drop by the forum after her interview, for old times sake.
But Samreen never got around to it. In fact, she never even made it through the revolving doors of the office building.
***
Katekor (katebad) and her family were on vacation in Disneyworld in mid-June. She watched her husband and her three-year-old son get on a carousel. She smiled fondly at her family as she sat on a park bench. Her last moments were filled with a loving contentment that only a mother knows.
Minutes later, the carousel came to a halt. The plastic horses were devoid of riders. The bench that had been occupied by Katekor just seconds earlier was also deserted. There were no crowds. No happy chatter of vacationers. No gleeful children screaming in delight. Just the quiet whisper of the wind in the air. Disneyland was completely empty.
***
Jemima had been a faithful member for years, but by 2010 she stopped visiting 667 Dark Avenue. In that year, her parents passed away in a terrible accident. She was living on income from her parent's life insurance plan. Jemima put her education on hold to travel the world alone.
On the day in question, Jemima was in Belgium, waiting excitedly for the concert of one of her favorite composers. Alas, she would not live to watch him step onto the stage, for he never did perform.
***
Thirteen members have not been heard from since the gamma ray burst. Perhaps if they had visited 667 that day, or just stayed within the confines of their homes, they could have survived. But it is possible that they are now in a better place, leaving us survivors here to struggle with reality. I do not know who was more fortunate. The Departed or the Survivors? It's up to you to decide.
There is still much we do not know. If you have more information concerning the fates of other 667ers, please bring it to the attention of the forum.
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Post by Shelly on Nov 16, 2008 15:08:40 GMT -5
Wow. Just . . . wow.
You guys are doing a great job.
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Post by BSam on Nov 16, 2008 15:27:55 GMT -5
so the dupin kate ann one only got ann? yet katebads got a whole theme park? and did the ray that got freshies favorite composer get her as well? either way, this is great. i hope someone has more information to serialise.
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Post by Rellim on Nov 16, 2008 16:04:29 GMT -5
Amazing.
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Post by s on Nov 16, 2008 17:27:55 GMT -5
It's up to US to decide?
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Post by Hermedy on Nov 16, 2008 17:30:12 GMT -5
Yes. Decide.
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Post by samreen on Nov 16, 2008 18:11:21 GMT -5
!
This is a damn good chapter, worthy of commenting on. (: but really, this story is pretty amazing.
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Post by idiotj on Nov 16, 2008 18:44:50 GMT -5
MORE
NOW
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Post by Linda Rhaldeen on Nov 16, 2008 19:40:52 GMT -5
You are to be writing more, please.
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Post by Jacob on Nov 16, 2008 20:05:39 GMT -5
Mannnnn i love this. It's the only story that I've ever really gotten interested in here.
It's making me anxious about 2012 though. Will this forum close down? Or will everyone just go their seperate ways? It's a horrible thought I know, but is it the truth?
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Post by Triangle Eyes on Nov 16, 2008 20:26:21 GMT -5
By far the best chapter yet.
Wasabi's was my favorite section.
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Post by MasterKlaus247 on Nov 16, 2008 21:21:33 GMT -5
Wow! Great job. I love the bios who every 667ers and what they did. I like Freshie's final demise. It sounded so.... suspicious. The work of true writers. I need more!
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Post by jemima on Nov 16, 2008 21:30:13 GMT -5
Dude... you had to bring my parents into it? *sigh*
Dupin's part was definitely the best, good times, good times.
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Post by Bellatree on Nov 17, 2008 4:24:44 GMT -5
Oh it's all so tragic and yet endearing... *reminisces about the fangirly days*
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