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7/7/2011 4:17:11 PM
98
The Floodyssey (no moar)
[b]You Have No Rights[/b]
I had sat there for maybe an hour or two a day.
The green banner had the lingering little parasites on it, their shadows dancing over the intricate Forerunner art. I had clicked on the blue text, looked at the ramblings, the declarations, the questions, the whinging and moaning, the stories, the rants and, scrolling below them for an infinity, the discussions, threads spanning hours, even days, the symbol besides several contained an evil face, bedevilled by flames. Of course, this was the Internet. And on the Internet, time passed with both speed immeasurable and sloth incomparable.
[Edited on 07.10.2011 5:05 AM PDT]
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The list continued on for hundreds more, if not thousands of names that I could not possibly repeat here for fear of boring you or forgetting many of the delightful and wonderful people that I saw. I knew that every last one of them was a critical and much-loved member of this world, and without them it simply would not be the same. And I knew that every last one of these people was unable to see, hear or touch me as they passed through. I listened to them. I looked at what they projected onto the wall. But I could not communicate with them. And I therefore grew distant and detached, observing this world, this flood of people. Unable to communicate, I grew anxious. Would I ever be able to talk to these people again? Now that I was not able to talk to them, a bizarre attachment to them grew in me. With the power of speech denied, I wanted all the more to use it and to know these citizens, to learn about them, to share thoughts and stories and jokes and ideas. My eyes grew wide, my fists and teeth clenched as a civilisation flowed around me that I was not part of. I was once again an outsider, a mere spectator to the glories of this people and their world, and I once again wanted to be a part of that. I screamed. From my soundless roar I saw a vapour appear, and, after a moment or two, it formed into a message: 'You have been banned from this area of bungie.net for the following offence: flaming other members. This ban will expire in 3 days. Do not repeat the offence or you may be permanently banned from this area of the site.' 3 days. For 3 days I was now forced to wait and wallow in solitude as the entire world moved around me, a single island in the incessant tide of time. I took a seat on a bench outside and stared up at the starlit sky. 3 large stars to my left. The four to my right I ignored. Three stars for 3 days. As I stared at the sky, more stars winked into view, my vision adjusting to the darkness above. 72 hours. 4,320 minutes. 259,200 seconds. Or fewer by that point. But not significantly. I watched them all move past.
