THE GODS AND DEMIGODS OF FISTBUMP THE SKY (PART 2)
The story after the creation, as told in the third encyclopedia chapter
LESSON ONE: MANIPULATING MATTER
It was essential to teach the creatures how to create shelter without the Great Frog’s assistance. The creatures, born from the first seeds in the universe and made by the hands of the Great Frog, built their homes in less than an hour, or so it has been told.
As we all know, these homes became their temples once they gained god status. The Great Frog allowed them to build their homes freely, but they had to follow three rules: 1) include a statue or image of the Great Frog, 2) show the creature’s personality, and 3) offer fresh food and comfy beds for visitors, out of hospitality, of course. Besides the temples of Hip Hip and the world’s gods, the same temples are still visible today. The only change is the communal area, which was added years later by the Ingredient-Borns.
The first to finish was Ag, the future god of creativity and transformation. They used their birth seed, the marigold flower, as a base design with multiple wooden floors to represent a visitor's creative process. As everyone has a different approach, no visitor will see the same number of floors when confronted with Ag's home.
Piesang decided to build their home from yellow foam, challenging visitors to find a way in. It was a fitting choice for the future god of invention and curiosity.
Pey, the future god of mysticism and astronomy, eagerly agreed to show their personality. This led to a home shaped like an eyeball, with only those who could win it in a staring contest receiving entry. Popular demand prompted Pey to turn this into a riddle game, with the questions and answers featuring the god’s name.
Grot instead opted to build their home based on their appearance, creating a structure with three rotating metal discs. Only the brave and strong could enter the strategically positioned doorway in the centre.
Kala, in a manner that reflected their deep connection to the sun, decided to create their temple in the shape of the sun. The three suns' predominant colour compensated for the simplicity of their temple. Like their birth seed, it also points towards the balls of light.
Although we can no longer find Hip Hip’s temple on Gods Grounds, Pey was kind enough to describe what it looked like. According to them, Hip Hip’s temple was a crystal ball surrounded by the leaves of an orchid flower.
Unsurprisingly, Pey did not answer when asked about Hip Hip’s new temple, as no creature is allowed entry.
LESSON TWO: POWERS
The second lesson was reportedly caused by the Great Frog’s inability to tell the original creatures apart. This caused the Great Frog to go through a decoration phase. First, he made each creature a solid colour. This, as expected, only boosted their ability to camouflage. Next, the creator made each creature a different size, only for the avatar to nearly trample the smaller ones and for the bigger ones to stomp on it. The Great Frog changed their hair, voices, eyes, and more until he could no longer stand the sight of them.
Just as the Great Frog was about to turn them back into seeds, he was suddenly struck with logic. He decided it would be better to change them on the inside instead of the outside. Thus, the Great Frog bestowed the accidental children with gifts of power.
He gave shape-shifting to the future god of creativity and transformation, while Piesang got knowledge and telekinesis. This secured his role as the god of curiosity and invention. To Pey, he gave the ability to travel between dimensions, hoping it would help the creature control its energy. For Hip Hip, it was the ability to help living things grow, while Grot has been able to control metal ever since. Lastly, the Great Frog bestowed Kala with the power of telepathy.
There are rumours amongst those with fewer rebirths that the Great Frog, like most parents, wished to know his children’s thoughts. They said that since Kala never spoke, the Great Frog made a mental link between him and the creatures. This link would help him watch Fistbump the Sky. Yet, those with fewer rebirths believe it was to understand the creatures better, even if they were accidents.
Once the connection was set, the Great Frog plucked five long hairs from his chin. He turned them into new avatars, giving each creature its own teacher. After a week of training, the creatures received instructions to gather in the centre of Gods Grounds.
Nothing awaited their arrival, not even an avatar. Unfazed, they followed the Great Frog's command without question, forming a circle and closing their eyes. None of the demigods can remember what happened after they closed their eyes. Only that after they opened their eyes they knew how to harness their power with professional skill.
Without the demigods’ memories, we needed another source of information. With the plateau’s limited vegetation and the few life forms still alive from so long ago, our only choice was to use butterflies. We thus ask for your understanding. Even after one hundred variations, we were only able to deduce the following:
The creatures stood in the circle for a long time, most likely for six days.
Some sort of teaching had taken place.
The creatures’ eyes shone with lights.
Something blue was present.
And nobody fed the butterflies.
With the creatures in control of their powers, they could now care for the world in the god’s place. The Great Frog was hopeful, believing the children had reached independence.
However, he would soon realise that he had forgotten to teach them how to love…
To be continued in
PART THREE
Curious mages and scholars can purchase the third chapter on The Fantastical Encyclopedia of the Imagined World of Fistbump the Sky as a physical chapters or digital PDFs on our store.
This is a fascinating continuation of the world-building in Fistbump the Sky! I love how each creature's temple reflects their personality and how the Great Frog’s trials shape their powers.
I will be reading part 3 tomorrow