LNH: The Core LNH #5.0: "Basic Politeness Gone Mad!" Part 8

[Drew Perron]

So since I ran out of spoons to do FLASH! on a regular basis, I've been thinking 
about what to do next. I have some ideas, but first I wanted to go back and 
finish up my serial. Thusly, the concluding chapters will be posted over the 
next few days, and then I'll put up a collected edition.

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|      Issue Five Point Oh: "Basic   _ :'_    Politeness Gone Mad" Part 8      |
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    Mare Crisium, a basaltic plain on the surface of the Moon formed by an 
ancient volcanic eruption. Somewhere near the center sits a small human form, 
wrapped in coruscating flame, curled around themselves and unmoving. As emotions 
burn through this being's brain, the color of the flame shifts; yellow with 
fear; red with self-hatred; orange with doubt; white with rage.
    A new star appears in the sky above them, and resolves to the streamlined 
form of an LNH space.thingee. Non-Binary stirs, eyes tracking the craft as it 
lands not a hundred feet away.
    Figures pile out. With their cosmic senses, Non-Binary can see them; it's 
the Core LNH, in shiny silver space versions of their costumes with forcefields 
to protect them from the vacuum of space. They can see the leader's mouth 
moving, saying...
    "WikiBoy, you are... BLACKBIRD, the Lurking-based clone of Non-Binary, who 
got swept under the rug in favor of them due to editorial interference!"
    And suddenly, Non-Binary's cosmic senses were overwhelmed by a flash of 
darkness, a curling, avian shape rising from the moon's surface. They could feel 
it, as Blackbird channeled the frustration of all of the characters out there 
who were well-written and well-characterized but unappreciated, considered 
second fiddles to older characters with more name recognition - frustration as 
powerful as the naked rage of Non-Binary!
    Non-Binary roared in the vacuum and lifted into the sky. Blackbird flew up 
to meet them, and there was a thunderous unsound as their conflicting energies 
met above the silver sea of dust.
    And in that thunderous unsound was a voice: Hey. I'm listening.
    Blackbird responded in a gout of Flame: GO AWAY. GET GO STOP GO AWAY FROM ME 
LEAVE BURN THREAT GET AWAY NOW.
    I'm not going to hurt you. But I'm right here.
    NO NO no no no THEY HURT ME YOU HURT ME.
    They hurt you a lot. They dismissed you. They didn't listen.
    YES those fUCKERS hurt hurt they didn't CARE about ANYBODY i was TRYING to 
TELL THEM and they DIDN'T CARE
    You cared a lot. It was your identity - you were created to care, and to be 
the butt of jokes about caring too much.
    YES... yes... i cared and... i got mad and... oh... oh my god oh my god
    Hey, hey. It's okay.
    I can't I can't I hurt someone and it's all gone wrong I'm sorry I'm sorry I 
just wanted to help I'm sorry
    Look.
    And Blackbird pointed a finger of dark fire, and Non-Binary saw it - among 
the silver shapes watching the battle, the one they had hurt, Miss Social-Cues, 
there and alive and breathing and perfectly OK.
    oh... ohhhhh... oh.
    Non-Binary's Flame cooled. The bird of fire floated off into the night, 
leaving only a thin sheath of Flame to hold their life in. Their feet landed on 
the ground. They spoke, and the Discourse poured out of them and into the ears 
of the Legionnaires: "I'm sorry. I went too far."
    Blackbird landed next to them, and used their actual radio to reply. "You 
shouted because no one was listening. But we're listening now. So tell us: Who 
are you?"

Drew "it's time for feels" Nilium