[Story] The Day We Grew

Hi hi ✨

How are you doing? We're wrapping up July with a bang:

• Got a brand new single-part story for you called "The Day We Grew"

• this story is part of the fmg-35 universe, but it takes place hundreds of years into the future, 2223!

• I've been itching to explore this idea for ages, and I'm pumped to finally share it with you.

This story is a bit different from our usual fare, taking us on a journey to a future we haven't seen before. I'm really curious to hear what you think!

Did you enjoy this peek into the far future? Want to see more stories in this timeline? Let me know in the comments!

Your feedback could shape where we go next in the fmg-35 universe. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

If you're a member of tiers 3 or 4, you can access some extra images of women in this alternate future!

📦 Grab the full res image from the attachment section of this post. ⬇️

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The Day we Grew

The sun was setting over the sprawling metropolis of Neo-London, casting long shadows across the dilapidated outskirts of the city. Zephyr adjusted his backpack, his lean frame dwarfed by the towering buildings around him. He glanced up at his best friend, Nova, who was easily manoeuvring through the rubble-strewn street.

"Oi, Nova! You sure this is the right way?" Zephyr called out, hopping over a fallen signpost.

Nova turned, and grinned, pushing a lock of vibrant white hair behind her ear. "Course I am, Zeph. When have I ever led you wrong?"

"I don't know, it's just that we have never been this far from the city ever!" he quipped, earning a playful swat from Nova that nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Oh, don't worry about it, besides, it was you who wanted to explore this zone!" she laughed, her voice a pleasant rumble. "Maia, darling, could you give us a little light? It's getting proper dark out here."

A soft blue glow emanated from Zephyr's pocket as a small, spherical white drone floated out. Maia's holographic face materialised, rolling her eyes. "Oh sure, don't mind me. I'm just your personal torch, aren't I? Not like I have better things to do."

Zephyr chuckled, "Come off it, Maia. You love these little adventures as much as we do."

"Adventure?" Maia scoffed, projecting a beam of light ahead of them. "You call rummaging through ancient rubbish an adventure? Your standards are appallingly low."

Nova rolled her eyes, ducking under a low-hanging piece of twisted metal. "Ignore her, Zeph. She's just grumpy because she can't access any network out here."

As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with a massive, crumbling structure. Its walls were covered in creeping vines, and what might have once been grand windows were now gaping holes.

"Blimey," Zephyr whispered, craning his neck to take in the sight. "What d'you reckon this place was?"

Nova shrugged, her broad shoulders rising and falling. "No idea, but it looks promising. Shall we?"

With a mischievous grin, she effortlessly lifted a fallen beam blocking the entrance, holding it up for Zephyr to duck under. As they stepped inside, the musty smell of age and decay hit them, making Zephyr wrinkle his nose.

"Maia," Nova called out, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. "Any idea what this place might've been?"

The AI's holographic face furrowed in concentration. "Analysing architecture and layout... Interesting. It appears to be a library."

Zephyr and Nova exchanged confused looks. "A what now?" they asked in unison.

Maia sighed, her light flickering slightly. "Oh, for the love of... A library. A place where information was stored in physical form."

The two friends shared another bewildered glance before Nova shrugged. "Alright then, let's see what this 'library' has in store for us, shall we?"

Zephyr and Nova ventured deeper into the cavernous structure, their footsteps echoing off the high ceilings. Dust motes danced in the beam of Maia's light, giving the air an almost ethereal quality.

"This place is massive," Zephyr whispered, his voice filled with awe. He craned his neck, trying to see the top of the towering shelves that lined the walls. "What d'you reckon all this was for?"

Nova ducked under yet another doorframe, chuckling as she straightened up inside. "No idea, mate. Though I'm starting to think it was built for just your people. Why else would everything be so weirdly proportioned?"

Zephyr snorted, shooting her an amused glance. "Oh yeah, because you're such a perfect judge of architecture, aren't you?"

"Oi, watch it, you," Nova teased, ruffling his hair playfully. "Not my fault this place seems designed for kids."

As they moved further into the building, they marvelled at the strange layout. Long rows of shelves created narrow corridors, all lined with odd rectangular objects.

"This place gives me the creeps," Zephyr muttered, peering down one of the shadowy aisles. "It's like it's watching us or something."

Nova nodded, her eyes scanning the room. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's proper eerie, innit? All these... things just sitting here, collecting dust for who knows how long."

Maia's holographic face appeared between them, her expression thoughtful. "The architecture is fascinating. It appears to be designed for storage and organisation, but of what, I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, whatever it was," Nova said, absently rubbing her head where she'd bumped it on another low-hanging fixture, "they certainly didn't build it with practicality in mind. It's like they wanted everyone to play limbo just to get around."

Zephyr chuckled, easily walking under the same fixture. "Speak for yourself, I'm having no trouble at all."

As they continued to explore, the strange atmosphere of the place seemed to press in on them. The silence was oppressive, broken only by their footsteps and the occasional creak of ancient floorboards.

"You know," Zephyr said after a while, his voice hushed, "I can't shake the feeling that we're the first people to step foot in here in... well, forever."

Nova nodded, her usual bravado subdued by the solemnity of the place. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like we've stumbled into some sort of... I dunno, time capsule or something."

As they ventured deeper into the mysterious building, Zephyr's foot caught on something, sending him stumbling forward. Nova's quick reflexes saved him from face-planting, her strong hand easily steadying him.

"Cheers," Zephyr mumbled, glancing down at what had tripped him. "Oi, what's this?"

He crouched down, picking up a rectangular object from the floor. It was covered in dust, but as he brushed it off, he revealed a hard cover with faded lettering.

Nova peered over his shoulder, her brow furrowed. "Weird. Looks like some sort of... container?"

"Maia," Zephyr called out, "any idea what this thing is?"

The AI's holographic form flickered into view, her expression one of surprise. "Well, I'll be... That, my dear clueless companions, is a book."

"A what now?" Nova asked, plucking it from Zephyr's hands to examine it more closely.

Maia sighed, her tone a mix of excitement and exasperation. "A book. It's an ancient method of storing and sharing information. The symbols inside represent words and ideas."

Zephyr's eyes widened. "You're having us on. Information stored like this? Seems proper inefficient."

"Inefficient by our standards, perhaps," Maia conceded, "but revolutionary for its time. Go on, open it."

Nova carefully pried open the cover, revealing pages filled with strange symbols. "Blimey," she breathed, "it's full of these little squiggles. How's anyone supposed to make sense of this?"

"Those 'squiggles' are called letters," Maia explained. "They form words when put together. It's a written form of language."

Zephyr leaned in, fascinated. "So, people used to... what? Look at these squiggles and understand them?"

"Precisely," Maia confirmed. "It was called reading. A skill that's been lost to time, I'm afraid."

Nova gently set the book down, her eyes scanning the shelves around them. "Hang on... Are you telling me this entire place is full of these 'book' things?"

Maia's holographic form nodded. "Indeed. This is what's known as a library. A place where books were collected, organized, and made available for people to access information."

Zephyr let out a low whistle. "That's mental. But why go to all this trouble? Couldn't they just, I dunno, ask an AI like you?"

Maia chuckled. "I'm flattered, but AIs like me didn't exist back then. This was how people preserved and shared knowledge."

Nova was already pulling more books from the shelves, examining each with growing fascination. "Look at this one, Zeph! It's got pictures in it!"

Zephyr hurried over, nearly bumping into Nova in his excitement. "Let me see!"

As they flipped through the pages, Maia projected a soft light to help them see better. "That appears to be a science textbook," she explained. "It contains information about the natural world."

"Wicked," Zephyr breathed, his fingers tracing the faded diagrams. "But how did people find what they were looking for? There must be thousands of these books here."

Maia's form flickered as she processed the question. "There were systems in place. Catalogues, indexes, even people called librarians who helped others find information."

Nova shook her head in disbelief. "It's like a whole other world. Makes you wonder what else we don't know about the past."

As they continued to explore, pulling out more books and marveling at their contents, Zephyr stumbled upon a particularly thick volume. "Oof, this one's heavy," he grunted, struggling to lift it.

Nova easily took it from him, hefting it with one hand. "What's this one about then?"

Maia zoomed in on the cover. "Interesting. It appears to be a biology textbook from the early 21st century. That could contain some fascinating historical information."

Zephyr and Nova exchanged excited glances. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Zephyr exclaimed. "Let's see what secrets this old book has for us!"

Nova carefully laid the hefty biology textbook on a nearby table, dust billowing up as it made contact. Zephyr leaned in close, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Nova gently opened the book, revealing pages filled with diagrams and text. "Can you make sense of all this, Maia?"

"Of course," Maia replied, her tone unusually excited. "Let me project this information for you."

A beam of light shot from Maia's form to a nearby blank wall, creating a large, clear projection. As Maia began to process the information, her holographic face showed surprise.

"This is... unexpected," Maia mused. "I'm encountering data that conflicts with my existing records. It seems there was a significant change in human physiology at some point in history."

Zephyr tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean, change?"

Maia's projection shifted, showing two human figures side by side - a man and a woman. "According to this book, the average height for men in the early 21st century was approximately 5'9 feet, while for women it was 5'4 feet."

Nova burst out laughing. "Come off it, Maia. That can't be right. I'm 7'5, and I'm not particularly tall for a woman."

"I know it seems improbable," Maia conceded, "but this data is consistent throughout the book. Look at these health guidelines."

The projection changed to show a table of "healthy" weight ranges for different heights. Zephyr squinted at the numbers, trying to make sense of them.

"These figures... they're tiny," he murmured. "Is this some kind of science fiction?"

Maia's form flickered again. "I don't believe so. This appears to be a legitimate scientific text. However, I'm unable to find any corroborating media or footage from this time period in my databases. It's as if there's a gap in recorded history."

Nova frowned, her brow furrowed in thought. "So, you're saying that at some point, everyone just... got bigger? How's that possible?"

"I'm not certain," Maia admitted. "But based on this information, it seems there was a significant physiological change in the human population, particularly affecting women. The book mentions nothing about it, which suggests it happened after this was written. Let me check... yeah this book was wrtten in 2024, whatever happened, if this information is true at all, must've happened after that year."

Zephyr ran a hand through his hair, looking bewildered. "This is wild. Do you think you could show us what people might have looked like back then, Maia?"

"I can generate a projection based on the data in the book," Maia replied. The wall lit up with a new image - a street scene populated with people of varying heights, all significantly smaller than Nova and Zephyr were used to seeing.

Nova's jaw dropped. "Bloody hell," she whispered. "They look so... fragile."

"Indeed," Maia agreed. "And it seems this was the norm for thousands of years of human history. I'm fascinated by what could have caused such a dramatic change."

Zephyr turned to Nova, his eyes wide. "Do you realise what this means? We've stumbled onto some massive secret about our past. Something that changed the entire human race!"

Nova nodded slowly, her expression a mix of awe and disbelief. "Yeah, but why don't we know about it? Why isn't this common knowledge?"

Maia's holographic form shimmered thoughtfully. "That's a excellent question. It seems that somewhere along the line, this information was lost or forgotten, or maybe just maybe, hidden. We may be the first people in centuries to rediscover this aspect of human history."

As Nova and Zephyr continued exploring the mysterious library, they stumbled into a new section. The room was filled with rows of strange objects on desks, covered in thick layers of dust.

"Oi, Nova, check this out," Zephyr called, approaching one of the desks. He pointed at a flat, rectangular device. "Reckon this is another type of book?"

Nova squinted at it, her tall frame casting a shadow over Zephyr. "Dunno, mate. Looks different from the others we've seen. It's got this weird flat bit and a bunch of little squares below it."

Maia's holographic form flickered to life between them, her expression one of intrigue. "Well, now this is interesting. These appear to be very early computing devices. Primitive ancestors to modern technology, if you will."

"Computing devices?" Zephyr echoed, confusion evident in his voice. "You mean like... you?"

Maia chuckled, a hint of affection in her tone. "Not quite, Zephyr. Think of them as... well, like seeing a photo of a distant relative. There's a familiarity there, but they're far removed from what I am."

Nova ran her hand over the dusty surface of the device, revealing a faded logo. "So what do these things do then? How do we get information out of them?"

"Under normal circumstances, I'd interface with them directly," Maia explained. "However, these are incredibly old. Let me try to establish a connection."

Maia's form flickered intensely for a moment, then stabilized. "Interesting. I'm unable to connect. It seems these devices are completely dormant, possibly due to lack of power or degradation over time."

Zephyr, meanwhile, had picked up one of the smaller devices. "Maybe we're supposed to open it, like the books?" He tried to pry it apart with his fingers, grunting with effort.

Nova rolled her eyes. "Give it here, you numpty. Let me try." She took the device from Zephyr, her strong hands easily bending the plastic casing. A sharp crack echoed through the room as the device broke in two.

"Oops," Nova muttered, looking sheepish. "Maybe that wasn't the right approach."

Maia sighed, her holographic form shaking its head. "Perhaps a gentler touch might be more appropriate. These artifacts are likely very fragile due to their age."

Zephyr had moved on to another device, this one slightly larger. "This one's got a hinge! Look, it opens up like a proper book." He carefully lifted the top part, revealing a screen and keyboard underneath. "What is this?. How are we supposed to read it?"

Nova leaned in, her face close to Zephyr's as they both examined the device. "Maybe it's like those light-up adverts in the city? You know, the ones that only work when they're switched on?"

"Switched on?" Zephyr repeated, his fingers running along the edges of the device. "How do you reckon we do that?"

As Zephyr's hand moved across the laptop, his finger accidentally pressed the power button. Suddenly, a soft whirring sound filled the air, and the black screen flickered to life.

"Whoa!" Zephyr exclaimed, nearly falling off his chair in surprise. "Nova, look! The glowing book is working!"

Nova's eyes widened as she watched symbols and images appear on the screen. "Bloody hell, that's amazing! Maia, what's it doing?"

Maia's form hovered closer, her expression one of fascination. "It appears to be booting up. This is... unprecedented. I didn't expect any of these devices to still be functional after all this time."

The three of them watched in awe as the ancient computer slowly came to life, displaying a loading screen with a progress bar.

"What do you think it'll show us?" Zephyr asked, his voice hushed with excitement.

Nova shrugged, her eyes glued to the screen. "No idea, but I bet it's going to be something big. Maybe we'll find out more about those tiny people from the biology book."

As the computer continued its startup process, Maia projected her analysis onto a nearby wall. "Based on what I can gather, this device contains data storage capabilities far beyond the physical books we've encountered. If we can access its files, we might uncover a wealth of information about the past."

Zephyr and Nova exchanged excited glances. The glowing book was like a window to a forgotten world, and they were about to peer through it for the first time in centuries.

"Do you think there are more of these that still work?" Zephyr asked, looking around at the other dust-covered devices.

Nova was already moving to the next desk. "Only one way to find out, innit? Let's fire 'em all up!"

As they began carefully attempting to activate more of the ancient computers, the room slowly filled with the soft glow of screens coming to life. Each one held the potential for new discoveries, new insights into a world they never knew existed.

The library, once silent and forgotten, now hummed with the quiet energy of long-dormant technology awakening. Zephyr, Nova, and Maia stood at the precipice of a historical treasure trove, unaware of just how much their understanding of the world was about to change.

As the computers hummed to life, Maia's holographic form flickered with excitement. "This is extraordinary! I'm detecting local files on these devices. They might contain a wealth of information about the past."

Zephyr eagerly positioned himself in front of the nearest functioning laptop, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Right, so how do we get to these files then?"

Nova tried to squeeze in next to him but found herself struggling to fit comfortably in the space designed for much smaller people. "Blimey, this is like trying to sit at a kid's tea party," she grumbled, eventually giving up and settling cross-legged on the floor.

Maia projected her interface onto the wall, mirroring the laptop's screen. "This way, Nova, you can see everything without straining. Now, Zephyr, follow my instructions carefully."

Under Maia's guidance, Zephyr navigated through the unfamiliar interface, clicking on folders and files. Each new discovery elicited gasps and exclamations from the pair.

"Whoa, look at this!" Zephyr called out, opening a video file. The projection on the wall came to life, showing people moving rhythmically to music.

Nova's eyes widened. "What are they doing? Some kind of ritual?"

Maia chuckled. "That's dancing. It was a popular form of entertainment and expression."

They watched, mesmerized, as the figures on the screen twisted and turned in ways they'd never seen before.

"Imagine moving like that," Nova mused, attempting to mimic the motions from her seated position and nearly knocking over a nearby desk in the process.

Zephyr moved on to another file, this one showing people in strange metal contraptions moving at high speeds along paved paths.

"Are those... some kind of personal transport pods?" Zephyr asked, squinting at the screen.

"Cars," Maia explained. "They were a primary mode of transportation before the development of our current systems."

Nova shook her head in disbelief. "Looks right dangerous if you ask me. Imagine zipping around in one of those tin cans."

As they continued exploring, they stumbled upon folders filled with tutorial videos. Zephyr clicked on one labeled "Intro to Programming."

A person appeared on screen, talking about something called "coding" and showing lines of text on a computer.

"This is mad," Zephyr muttered. "People actually had to learn how to do this stuff themselves?"

Nova nodded, equally bewildered. "Yeah, can you imagine? Now we just ask Maia to do all that for us."

"I'm both flattered and slightly offended," Maia quipped, her holographic form giving a mock bow.

They found more tutorials on subjects like accounting, graphic design, and even cooking. Each video offered a glimpse into a world where tasks now handled by AI were once performed by humans.

"It's like watching a different species," Nova commented, watching a video on how to balance a checkbook. "Makes you wonder how they managed to get anything done."

Zephyr nodded, moving on to the next computer. "Yeah, must've taken ages to do all this manually. No wonder they were so small, probably didn't have time to eat properly!"

As they worked their way through the room, each computer revealed new facets of the past. They saw videos of news broadcasts, documentaries about ancient civilizations, and even entertainment shows that left them both confused and amused.

Finally, they reached the last functional laptop in the room. Zephyr began navigating through its files, with Nova and Maia watching intently.

"Hold up," Nova said suddenly, pointing at the projection. "What's that folder there? What does it says Maia?"

"This folder reads, 'bodybuilding-2024' do you guys know what bodybuilding is?" She asked in her artificial but natural sounding voice.

Zephyr squinted at the screen. "Dunno. Sounds weird though. Should we open it?"

Nova nodded eagerly. "Yeah, go on. Might be interesting."

As Zephyr moved the cursor towards the folder, a sense of anticipation filled the room. None of them could have predicted how the contents of this simple folder would challenge everything they thought they knew about human history and their own physical nature.

Zephyr's finger hovered over the touchpad, ready to click and unveil the mysteries contained within the "bodybuilding-2024" folder. Whatever they were about to discover, it was clear that their understanding of the past – and possibly their present – was about to change dramatically.