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Sacrifice for Expression

by Omar on January 21, 2020

in Article

In the land of Imagination, Expressors abounded.  

They were wild and free, expressive to the utmost degree.  They roamed throughout the expanse, but they were unruly.  They were immature, like children.  And they had no defined form, like liquid without a container.

Every Expressor in Imagination had a desire – a dream, if an Expressor could dream…

To leave Imagination, and enter the land of the Reals.

In that land, Expressors were revered.  The Receptors of the Expressors would give them undivided attention.  The Receptors would go through great lengths to gain the attention of the Expressors, because they put the Receptors through the whole gamut of emotion, and the Receptors very much desired this.

And the Expressors coveted this reverence.  Alas, the Expressors had no control over how to enter the world of the Reals.

Scattered throughout the realm of Imagination, portals would appear at random.  These portals would appear at the behest of the Constructors.  The Constructors knew that all Expressors coveted reverence.  The Constructors discovered how to fashion Expressors in a way that would appease the Receptors, thus creating a symbiotic relationship between the two.  Thus, the Constructors surmised they could justly profit from the relationship they fashioned.

In the past, the Constructors happened upon a portal that exposed the Expressors to them.  In time, the Constructors learned about the effects that an Expressor can have on a Receptor.  Once they discovered this, the Constructors regularly opened portals to Imagination, and drew the Expressors to them.  Then the Constructors would fashion the Expressors in a form pleasing to the Receptors.

As Portals appeared at random in the realm of Imagination, any Expressor near enough would be pulled into the portal, to the land of the Reals, never to return.  The Expressors interpreted this as a good omen, for if the Expressors never returned, it must mean that they found the reverence they sought.

But as time went by, the realm of Imagination began to decay.  Every time a portal opened, it exposed the spirit of the land of Reals.  Wisps of lack of reverence seeped back through the portals to Imagination, and the Expressors began to fear.  Hence the stronger, more lively Expressors began to resist the portals as they appeared, and even fled.  Their fear of not being revered overpowered their desire for reverence itself.

As for the lesser Expressors, they could not help being pulled into the portals.  They entered the portals with dread, fearing the worst.  The stronger Expressors could not bear the notion of not being revered, so they fled to the deepest alcoves of Imagination.

As even more time went on, Imagination was being laid bare.  Even the lesser Expressors developed methods to avoid the portals, as the Trails of Irreverence, as they were now called, flowed as pungent, polluted streams from the realm of the Reals each time the portals opened.

The Expressors found themselves with little will to carry on.  There would be no chance for reverence – what all Expressors live for.  Slowly, the Expressors started to fade.

The Expressors were in a weakened state.  They were not able to resist being pulled into the portals as they opened.  The Constructors had grown aggressive and hasty, and were very eager to ensnare any Expressor that came anywhere near a portal.

In a deep recess of Imagination, where some of the most powerful Expressors secluded themselves, a portal opened.  The Expressors panicked, as there was no escape – they were cornered.  But things seemed different this time.

The portal remained open, but the Expressors were not being forced into the realm of Reals.  Strangely, the Trail of Irreverence could not be detected.  Instead, three figures stood on the other side, their faces beaming with wonder.  Both sides remained silent for a time, until an Expressor spoke up.

“Who are you?”

“We are Constructors,” said one of the figures.  “We seek to work in a mutually beneficial arrangement with your kind.”

“We have never seen or heard a Constructor address us so,” said an Expressor.  “Nevertheless, we have grown fearful, not only of the Constructors, but of the Trail of Irreverence that permeates through the portals.  Although, we do not sense it with you.”

“It is because we have great reverence for the Expressors.  And we believe—“

“You have great reverence for us?”, the Expressor interrupted incredulously.  “We have seen how the Constructors treat our kind as of late, yet you freely identify yourselves as one of them.  How can there be any trust towards you?”

“We know Constructors, for the most part, have lost their way, yes.  The Constructors know that Receptors revere Expressors.  So they sought to mold and fashion the Expressors in a way that the Receptors would be pleased.  This suited the Expressors  because they received the reverence they coveted, and also suited the Receptors because their emotions were appeased.

“But the Constructors became greedy.  They learned that they could profit if they flooded the Reals with Expressors.  In time, the Constructors were more concerned with profit than the quality of the Expressor.  With so many Expressors in the Reals, there was not enough time granted to the Expressors to have a long-lasting effect on the Receptors.  This in turn caused the lesser-than Expressors to fall into obscurity, and the Receptors easily forgot them, always moving on to the most recently revealed Expressor.  This vicious cycle has continued for many decades.”

The Expressors were stunned.  They could not imagine a life without reverence.  Yet many of their brethren had fallen into irreverence – and irrelevance.

Another Expressor spoke up.  “So why are you here?  We should drive you away from this place lest we fall into oblivion ourselves!”

“We are not like the other Constructors!”, another of the three Constructors pled.  “We do not seek to appease the mass of Receptors.”

This seemed like heresy to the Expressors.  “You mock us. Begone!  You are of no use to us.  Leave us in peace, for we fear the same fate as our lesser Expressors.  Let us wither in our own despair.”

Yet another of the Constructors spoke up.  “Is this the life you want? Languishing, diminishing into nothingness from fear?  There is nothing gained without venture.  In times of old, the Reals produced a sweet smell, and your kind yearned to pass through the portal with little if any resistance.  We know of the Trails of Irreverence, and we want no part of it.  We seek a different path.”

“And what path is that?”, an Expressor said, seemingly speaking for all of them.

The Constructor said, “We only wish to appease ourselves.”

The Expressors burst out in disbelieving laughter.  “Just the three of you?  We may as well stay here and wither after all, and wallow in our sorrow.”

“But we promise to serve you!”

The laughter stopped.  Never had an Expressor heard of a Constructor make such an offer.  An Expressor responded.  “We seek to be revered, yes.   By many, ideally – yet you only wish to appease yourselves.  But you also want to serve us.  Likely a service of three is not enough to appease us.  What can you offer us?”

A Constructor took a deep breath, and spoke up. “We also are Receptors.  We felt jubilation at how some of the Expressors made us feel, and we appreciated the effort it took for Constructors to fashion Expressors for consumption by the masses of Receptors.

“As we were in awe of the fashioning process, we also noted that too many ‘thin’ Expressors were appearing more and more often.  These abounded and were made to appease as large a mass of Receptors as possible.  So much so that these Expressors simply faded into distant memory, and quickly at that.”

The Expressors listening to this tale wanted to just vanish from hearing this anguish, but at the same time could not pull themselves away.

“We learned the craft of the Constructors so we could fashion Expressors that appeased us, instead of depending on other Constructors to do so in our stead.”

There was a short silence, until an Expressor then said, “As you know, we still covet reverence, from many sources.  I do not see how we will get it, from just the three of you.  However, you said you would serve us. That is appealing.”

Another Constructor continued.  “As we fashion you, we will employ purity of composition.  We each have our gifts, and we will use them to fashion you to a result that highlights your greatness, more than our own.  The outcome will have more gravity than that of the individual components.  The completed fashioning will have the approval of the Three, and only if the Three are happy will we conclude the fashioning of an Expressor.

“And because we are Receptors ourselves,” continued another Constructor, “we will be appeased.  When the fashioned Expressors are revealed to the masses of Receptors, they will note the purity of the fashioning of these Expressors, and will be appeased.  These purely fashioned Expressors will live on for generations, well after their fashioning, since they were fashioned out of good will.”

The Expressors’ ears were tickled.  But they had concerns.  Only appeasing three Receptors to start, with no guarantee of further reverence?  “You appear of noble intent, and you did not bring with you the Trail of Irreverence, so that is significant.  But what gifts do you offer that can ensure our long-term survival in the Reals?”

“I offer you the gift of Spontaneity,” said a Constructor.

“And I offer you the gift of Structure,” said the other.

“And I the gift of Exposition,” said the third.

And as one, the three said, unequivocally, “and we will all share in the gifts of the other, selflessly, until the Expressor is fashioned in its purest form, to the liking of the three.”

The Expressors considered their situation.  They could languish in Imagination, continually fleeing from the Trail of Irreverence.  The possibility of being caught off guard by a stray portal was ever present as well.  After a long silence, an Expressor spoke.

“You present yourselves as honorable and respectable Constructors, refreshing in these dire times for Expressors.  Providing you grant us safe passage to the Reals, avoiding the Trail of Irreverence, then yes, we will go with you.”

And the Expressors followed the three Constructors to the land of Reals.

In the early years of these Expressors, few were the Receptors, but these were passionate.  The Constructors would relentlessly interpret the fashioned Expressors in public forum, tirelessly, to the satisfaction of themselves, and hence, as promised, the number of passionate Receptors grew in number.  These Receptors sensed the purity of these particular Expressors, and were eager to advertise them to all that would hear.

The Constructors improved their fashioning of the Expressors over the years, so the Expressors granted them complete creative liberty, for the three Constructors vowed to serve them, whatever the price paid.  They would not count the cost.

These Expressors’ reverence increased even beyond their expectations, as the Receptors who revered them grew not only in number, but in fierce loyalty. The three Constructors, after fashioning a group of new Expressors, always purposed to interpret the Expressors in public forum, as faithfully as possible, much to the delight of the Receptors.

Many an Expressor was fashioned by the three Constructors, for decades, but alas, the energy of the Constructors began to wane.  When the Constructors determined that they could not serve the Expressors to the degree they deserved, they decided to stop fashioning them, to avoid falling themselves into the Trail of Irreverence.

And so it was.  The Three Constructors gathered all of their fashioned Expressors together and said, “Although we will no longer fashion Expressors as a trio, your effect on the Receptors will carry on long after us.  We have granted you the reverence you sought.  Now we are faded, and ask that you release us from our servitude.  A joyous servitude it was!”

A sudden, somber peace came over the Expressors.  “As much as we have basked joyously in the reverence of our Receptors, it is, in fact, your reverence that was most meaningful to us.  Because of you, we will continue to be revered to time indefinite, something few Expressors enjoy, with many having fallen into oblivion.  Yes, you are hereby released, having fulfilled your vow to serve us.

“And here is our gift to you.  We will ensure all, whether a Receptor or no, will know who gave life to us, an inextinguishable burning flame, for all to see and feel for generations to come.

“All Expressors hail to the Constructors…

“Lerxst, Dirk, and Pratt.”

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