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magicdragon9 · 2 months ago

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I have a random fantasy-ish? idea for a story set in modern day, so I'm just gonna share it here cus I'm bored.

So, you know about those time powers in movies and such where they can stop time whenever they want? It's like that.

They discovered their powers when they were young while playing in the backyard. They zoned out for a bit and noticed that everything just seemed to still. The breeze was no longer felt; the leaves once dancing in their presence now dangle mid-air. When peering at the grass the tiny ants, which were hard at work just moments before, stand frozen in their tracks. Not a sound to be heard besides the footsteps of the awed child. They thought it was miraculous. To have time itself bend to your will, they could only imagine the number of things they could do. Infinite amount of time to do as they please? It sounded like a dream come true. Granted, they hadn't meant to stop everything. But if they could do it once, then they could do it again. Their mother had always wished for more time, now they could give it to her. They got caught up in the possibilities, thinking of all the things they could do. Laying on the grass, they dreamed of adventures and fantastical tales. Sailing to distant lands, traveling to vast cities, exploring beyond the stars. The future seemed to glitter and they thought they could almost reach the stars.

Wait.. that's not right. Why could they see the stars, when did the sky turn dark?

Oh, they must have accidently unpaused time. They say up and looked around them, everything seeming as usual. In fact.. nothing changed, not the tree with twirling leaves or the ants marching in the grass. Everything was still paused,

So why did time not stop?

It wasn't until years later, when they were a teen did they understand. They can't stop time, only the entities around were stilled. The flow of time never ceases or skips. It can't be changed. The world moves on, indifferent to its inhabitants.

They started to zone out more, pausing everything by accident. It just kept happening. They panicked each and every time they use their power. Their mother had scolded them before, countless times, to not waste people's time.

"Time is precious, you shouldn't waste it all silly nilly. If you bother someone about a problem then it better be important."

They knew she probably just said so as an excuse so that they wouldn't bother her about meaningless things. It still stuck with them though. Who were they to demand such a precious thing from people? There were families & people who don't have much due to illnesses, age, and such. Why should they take that away from them because they can't just be present for a few minutes?

They dealt with it on their own for some time. Desperately trying to stop their power, researching for any instances of similar magical situations, and ending up with nothing to show.

Their parents started getting worried, concerned. They noticed them not sleeping much, staring at the ceiling during the night. Not having much of an appetite, and continually not eating the meals that were prepared. They didn't know what was going on, the parents didn't have an idea of what to do.

They didn't want to worry their parents, so they told them that they would seek help when in collage. They lied. The idea of saying what was wrong, of explaining the anxiety and fear, of the daunting entity that was time. It was too overwhelming.

Their parents let them go of to college without much fuss. Still convinced of their false promise. A somber goodbye and they were on the bus to campus. It wasn't until they were at their dorm room did the weight of everything come crashing down.

One step in front of the door, and they couldn't move. Their body was stuck staring, feeling the world keep moving. Time goes on and yet everything was still. Their mind felt like TV static, like they could sense happenings around them. But none of that information is available to them. Or if it was, it was separate to the person standing there.

They don't know how long they've been there but eventually they could sense a presence at their side. It felt like a hand? On their shoulder. It was comforting in its steadiness. Making tiny taps at their shoulder, a soothing rhythm. They think they could hear something now?

"-e, are you present now?"

A small rise of their shoulders is all they could manage.

"Alright, could I move you to the floor? It's more comfy."

This time they were able to do a tiny nod.

The stranger takes their hand and sets them to the ground, taking care to not startle them. They try to recognize the area around them but static starts fill their mind once again.

"Did the tapping help? I've heard from my cousin that physical touch can help ground people," the stranger asks kindly. She wasn't too sure what was going on with them, but she wanted to help any way she could. They didn't reply, their body seemingly frozen once more. Their brain fuzzy and unable to process the world around them.

She notices this and frowns. They hadn't rejected the physical comfort, but she wasn't sure if it was because they couldn't, or that it had helped. She didn't have much knowledge about what to do in this situation. She thought about getting one of the professors but didn't want to leave them alone. Besides she wasn't sure if there were any in this hall, everything was weirdly silent. It didn't matter right now anyway.

"Is it okay if I just chat with you? I know you can't answer me so if it bothers you, you can tell me later. Sorry, I don't know what else to do," she mutters nervously.

So she talks. Talks about she thinks they're her roommate and says her name. She mentions that she was right behind them when they paused at the door. That she waited there for a few minutes because she didn't want to rush them. She had tried to get their attention when it seemed like they were unresponsive. It didn't work so she tried the tapping. She notes how the other halls had people scattered throughout but this one was empty. She tells the time and that her class was going to start soon.

"It's okay though, I don't mind staying here with you. I can get the class work from a friend. Speaking of," She adds looking anxious once more. "Would you like to be friends? Seeing as we're roommates and all."

During the time that they were aware enough to listen, they found the static in their brain had cleared enough to give a slight nod. They wouldn't mind being friends, most of the their life they've been too shy to make some. Despite what little they knew of her, she had seemed nice in their interactions. Maybe she'll stay even when she finds out about the pause.

Just as their body was free to move, they were paralyzed with panic. They had stopped everything again and this time they brought someone with them. They weren't aware that was possible beforehand; they had assumed that this curse was theirs to bear alone. Forever haunted with the guilt of stealing what can't be returned.

"Can you hear me? Should I get a nurse or something, I don't think it's normal for you to continually be like...this?"

The question snapped them out of their spiral, they hadn't considered how concerning it might look like to someone. Their face starts to heat up, embarrassment and shame fills them.

"I'm fine."

She startles from the reply, this was the first time she had heard their voice. Her face forms a frown as she processes their words.

"Obviously that's not true-" She hesitates, "But if you don't want to talk about it, I won't push you. This must be a lot for you so we could go inside if you want?" She gestures toward the door.

They pause for a moment. They had almost forgotten where they were. A look around tells them that some time after the static cleared, the people in the halls started moving again. Chatter flowed through the building and no one seemed to notice the shift in time. They nod their head and they both went inside the dorm room.

Sorry I'm losing motivation and for some reason chose to make this long af. So have a random bit

Maybe it was the fact that she had comforted them at a time when everything seemed new and panic-inducing.

Maybe it was her being so gentle towards how they feel and making the struggles of life seem just a bit more doable.

Maybe it was just her, who was always so kind and understanding.

Whatever the reason, they felt compelled to share with her and lighten the burden that's been crushing down on them. So they tell her everything. When they first found out about their power, their guilt about wasting people's time, their parent's worry and how they wish that they wouldn't do so.

And she listened. She was shocked and her face clearly showed her want to ask questions but she stayed silent. When they were done, she gave them a reassuring smile.

"Do you want me to be honest?" A nod.

"I don't think it's wrong of you to 'waste people's time'"

"Wh-" "I'm not done; you can't control it right? It just happens sometimes."

"Yeah." Sometimes they can tell when a pause might happen but they haven't been able to stop it. If they had then this wouldn't be an issue.

"So it can't be your fault if it continues to happen since you're not willingly choosing to, right?"

"I-" They stop for a second, they hadn't thought of it like that. They always assumed that since it's their power, it's their responsibility. So anything that happens is their fault.

But.. she's right, isn't she? They can't change anything about it. Time will continue to flow and move forward regardless of their efforts to do otherwise. The world will keep spinning.

"Besides even if people lose some of that time when everything's paused, they still have that time when it's not. They're still going to do their mundane tasks of life. And life will still continue as it's always have. " She wraps an arm around them and they hug her back. "It's ok."

"Thank you, for everything."

"Of course; we're friends."

"Best friends."

I'm tired and this is probably not that good but oh well. Random world building stuff below

* their power only affects people relative to where they are; ex - someone on the other side of the world or another country won't be paused

* there're other people with powers but they mostly only affect the person with the power

* this leads to powers not being that well-known since people aren't that willing to believe you have powers if you can't prove it

* the mom is like one of those people who is obsessed with making the most out of life and in turn time; her biggest fear is not doing enough in life

* this has an unintentional effect on her child and she comes of as kind of a jerk but she does care for her kid

* also this might be reminiscent? of mental illness

#idk how it spiraled into this #my fic #sorta #idk if it counts as a fic #i was bored #if i had the motivation to turn this into a story #the title would be something like Standing Still While the World's Spinning #orginal story

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