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aliashborn · 1 year

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Natasha's Symbiote in Marvel: CH 2: Convincing

Natasha Romanoff was an awesome assassin. Her skills were obvious when she didn't panic because of the voice that sounded in her head.

Instead, she actually pulled out a dagger out of her sleeve and picked up the gun on the shelf beside the door and got ready for action :"who's there?"

Ali inside of her was honestly really satisfied with how cool headed she was even though someone was just inside her brain :"calm down, Natasha. I mean no harm, I promise."

While pointing the gun around as she gently walked around with the dagger in her hand, Natasha calmly looked around :"oh?

And why would I believe you? If you had nothing to hide, you would speak to me like a normal person instead of doing it like this. What are you? Some kind of a mutant with telepathy perhaps?"

Ali was interested as he internally hummed :'mutants? Guess that means that I'm in a normal type of marvel universe.

Meh, I'm not complaining. Would be boring if there weren't any villains to beat the shit out of. And besides, any marvel universe is better than its zombie universe...'

Without letting her guard down, Natasha looked around, but she didn't alarm the others for the fear of this unknown person suddenly targeting the children.

Ali answered with his deep voice :"no, I'm not a mutant or whatever. The reason why I'm talking inside of your head is because I literally can't talk any other way."

Natasha snorted as she checked everywhere for any signs of this unknown being :"hmph, so are you a mute or something?"

Ali chuckled inside of her as he denied :"no, I'm not. Well, I technically am if I'm not bonded with somebody.

So I'm not at the moment. Let me introduce myself. You can call me Majesty. I'm a Klyntar. Nice to meet you."

Natasha raised a confused eyebrow as she frowned :"a Klyntar? So are you some kind of an alien? Wait... Bonding... Are you a Symbiote?!"

'oh? Well, since this is a universe where mutants are around, I guess it's not that much of a surprise that Symbiotes are here as well.'

Ali obviously knew what she was talking about, but he still had to act like he didn't :"Symbiote? Is that what you call us here???"

Natasha frowned with a slight look of worry :"great, a Symbiote has attached itself to me... Sigh, are you a liquid like slime that has to bond with living beings?"

Ali hummed in agreement :"yes, I am. Have you seen any of my other kind perhaps?" Natasha sighed :"yes, I have.

And I'm pretty sure that I don't like them since both of them are murderers. One of them is even a psychopath who enjoys killing. So I don't have a very favorable expression on your kin."

Ali frowned. He knew that she had a point with how bad the reputation of the Klyntars was on earth, but he still felt a little offended since he was also a Klyntar now :"I think this is when you humans use the word "racist", right?"

Natasha's face twitched in annoyance as she rubbed her temples :"a Symbiote is calling me racist, as if it couldn't get any weirder..."

Ali internally rolled his eyes <metaphorically> as he huffed :"well, can you blame me? You've seen only a few of my kin, but you say that we're all evil.

It's like I came to earth and saw a bad person, then I assumed that all humans are bad. How would you feel about that? Maybe you just had bad luck when encountering Klyntars."

Natasha rolled her beautiful eyes as she put her arms up in surrender :"alright, geez. You win, I apologize. So are you saying that you're a good Klyntar or something?"

Ali hummed in curiosity before he asked :"I will answer that after you answer this question. What was the reputation of those guys who those "Symbiotes" bonded with when they were just normal humans?"

Natasha was confused, but she thought about it for a moment before answering :"Eddie Brock was a person with cancer who was left by every one of his relatives, and Cletus Kasady was a serial killer. Why?"

Ali hummed in understanding as he answered :"that explains it. You see, we Klyntars, or Symbiotes, don't have a personality at first.

We create a personality that is similar to our first host so we can bond with them. So if either of these people were the first hosts of a Symbiote, it's no wonder that they were bad guys."

Natasha had a look of realization as she nodded in understanding :"I see, so that's how it works.

That's why Carnage is so violent, he first appeared bonded with Cletus Kasady, so that explains it. Alright, I answered your question. Now it's your turn."

Ali chuckled in amusement :"I already told you my answer in a sense. If a Klyntar is a bad guy or a good guy depends on its first host. You, Natasha, are my first host."

Natasha calmed down while looking around with a raised eyebrow, because she didn't know where to look when talking :"so you're a bad guy?"

Ali was silent for a moment before he gently asked with a confused tone of voice :"Natasha, you good? Do you need to go to therapy?"

Natasha smirked with a light chuckle :"never thought a Symbiote would tell me if I need to go see a therapist. Since you sound so "caring" does that mean that you're a good guy?"

Ali shrugged <again, metaphorically> :"Well, you're one of the good guys, right? That means that I'm also a good guy."

Natasha snorted as she looked around suspiciously :"unless you don't eat brains, it would be very hard to convince me that you're not a bad guy."

Ali curled his lips as he tried to convince her :"Well, it's not like the brain is our main meal. The reason for why we eat brains is because of the chemical in the brain, phenethylamine.

The reason for why we eat it is both for staying healthy and sane. And we also feed on our host's adrenaline during fights.

In fact, the reason for why we bond with others is to have a steady supply of phenethylamine. But don't worry, because of my regenerative power, yours will return to normal the moment I eat it."

Natasha raised an eyebrow in confusion :"phenethylamine? Is there something that has it other than brains?"

Ali shrugged nonchalantly :"why don't you check that thing called google to see what foods on earth have phenethylamine?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow suspiciously :"didn't you say that I'm your first host? How do you know about Google and such?"

'Heh, because I was a human as well.' Ali snickered internally at the thought before he answered :"I had to look into your head to learn your language, so I looked to see and know your common sense as well."

Natasha immediately frowned, but before she could let out her dissatisfaction, Ali explained :"don't worry, I didn't look into anything private.

I should've done it since the more we know about our hosts, the better it is. But I didn't want to look into anything private and lose your trust.

After all, I want you to be able to trust me, so I wouldn't do something like check out your private memories.

I only checked things like what is a common language you speak and some things to know so I won't be clueless."

Natasha stopped frowning, but was still wary :"how should I trust your words? How would I know if you're lying or not?"

Ali shrugged helplessly :"is there any way for me to prove it? No, there isn't. Just try to believe in me, okay?

After all, we need to trust each other if we are going to team up. Your trust is very important to me, so I definitely wouldn't do something that would result in you not trusting me."

Natasha calmed down as she raised an eyebrow :"never thought that a Symbiote would be so reasonable considering how the others act."

Ali rolled his eyes with a sigh :"Natasha, you're being racist again." Natasha let out a light chuckle as she nodded :"alright, sorry."

She stopped chuckling as she got serious again :"from how you're talking, it seems like you're planning on staying. But what if I don't want you to bond with me?"

There was a few seconds of silence between the two before Ali sighed :"I'm sorry, Natasha, but I won't leave. There's a reason for it that I hope you will understand. Do you know what a perfect host is?"

Natasha sighed with a frown before she shook her head :"no, I don't know. What is it? Since it involves the host, I guess it's very important."

Ali nodded as he explained :"you see, we aren't evil beings. Klyntars, or Symbiotes as you call us, are actually peaceful beings who want to create the perfect symbiosis so we can become the ultimate being along with our host.

Being with a perfect host makes that a lot easier. After all, being with a normal host already makes the person a nightmare to fight against, a perfect host is many times more than that.

And you Natasha, are my perfect host. I am a little bit special, I can actually sense my perfect host, that's why I came to you.

I can still bond with other living beings, but there is no way that I will choose a normal host when I have a perfect host.

So yeah, I hope you will get used to me and learn to trust me, because I'm staying with you. But it's not a bad thing at all, me being special isn't just limited to me being able to sense my perfect host."

Natasha sighed as she rubbed her temples :"I don't have a choice, do I? Seems like this matter about"perfect host" is really important to you."

Ali nodded as he got serious :"Though we are a benevolent species, there is no literature on my home planet.

And though it is our goal to make the universe better, we create no art, no music, no culture. At least, not as other civilizations would understand it.

All We Have Are Our Hosts, the beings we join with, to porge through the cold and unforgiving cosmos with.

The bond between a klyntar and its host IS SACRED, they give our lives context and our existence meaning.

They give us history. All we have are our hosts to tell us who we are. That's why even a normal host is extremely important to us, just imagine how important a perfect host is."

Natasha thought about it for a few seconds before she sighed in defeat :"alright, fine. I will be with you, but if you go berserk and harm innocent people, I will definitely get rid of you."

Ali smiled as he nodded excitedly :"thanks! Don't worry, I've already said that I won't do something that would result in me losing your trust.

You should check how we should get phenethylamine then. But don't worry, even if there's no other way except eating brains, I will only eat the brains of bad guys."

Natasha nodded with a sigh before she raised an eyebrow :"shouldn't you come out now so we can meet face to face?"

Ali was silent for a moment before he asked suspiciously :"you won't attack me once I show myself, right?"

Natasha rolled her eyes before she shook her head :"no, I won't. Don't worry, now that I've agreed to let you bond with me, I won't go back on my words unless you break my trust."

Ali was silent for a moment before Natasha felt a weird sensation from her shoulder blade, like something coming out.

As the jet black liquid started to come out gently and slowly so as to not alarm Natasha, it finally formed a head with horns coming out of the corners of its mouth and some spikes from the back :"hello again, Natasha. It's nice to meet you."

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x male reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x oc #natasha romanoff x male oc #natasha romanoff x symbiote

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blankdblank · 3 years

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Brother Dearest Pt 39

Final exams were on you before you knew it and with Teddy across your chest reviewing your textbooks and notes for each class you heard the chatter of heavily pregnant Dawn on a phone call with family back home in Canada where her parents were readying for your return at the end of the week and the birth sure to follow. Norma meanwhile had her own feet up reading a book against Victor’s chest up on their floor where James was adding the framed pictures she had wanted to decorate the nursery that would be mirrored in the larger house when you got to Canada would be the focus of your distracting whims. You wanted to marry James more than anything but the constant final detail calls from the important guests and the film crew had your skin nearly crawling in your urge to run away to some silent island somewhere.

Ottawa was where the residential house for the Monarch of Canada traditionally stayed, however being 40 hours from Alberta you had been told that they would stay in Ottawa and fly to Alberta then drive the hour plus distance to your tiny town that didn’t have an airstrip. Turning the next page of your book you heard Elliot ask, “Are you certain you don’t require my help with studying?”

That had you sigh and close the book you had finished to lay your hands on Teddy’s back at the book joining the others on the ground beside the couch your were lounging on. “I’ve gone through the books three times. Only thing that could throw this is my Cultural Diversity course essays. No telling what he’ll get to typing up.”

His grin eased out, “Well Humphrey has always tried to come up with new questions for his students.”

Shifting your eyes from Teddy in his slumbering grumble to Elliot you asked, “You don’t mind my inviting you to the wedding?”

“I would never refuse your invitation.” He said making your grin creep out a bit more, “I don’t doubt Prince Loki wouldn’t try to sneak in as well. He has been back again recently?”

“On my last visit to the MoMA yes, though it seems since I told him his father his father doesn’t care about the troubles we are facing here he seems to be more on a progress report on our efforts.”

That had Elliot chuckle, “Oh, yes, that should go over well with Queen Frigga when she hears that if it is his plan.”

“Can’t imagine how they could make matters any better.”

Elliot, “Well they most certainly won’t interfere now knowing you are here and our ships are nearly here. We can go at our own leisure and do as we please without their interference.”

Looking his face over you asked, “Would they be a threat if they tried to fight us? Just curious.”

Again he smirked saying, “Jaqi they couldn’t touch us with a twenty foot pole in hand to hand combat and their weapons are futile against our defenses. They know this is a lost territory they no longer have dominion over this planet even with the two of us and Venom here, and possibly your young cousin you have informed me of.”

“I don’t want our people to take rule over this planet throwing the people out of their roles.”

“That has always been your way. We will subtly work our way and influence into their cultures unnoticed. No conquering, all our people merely wish to be among your presence again.”

Dawn sighed on her way to join you both asking, “What is this about presents?”

Smirking at her you said, “Just talking about the incoming aliens.”

Dawn, “Well I hope they don’t want to come to the wedding,” behind her back she gripped the arms of her usual chair she lowered into and eased her feet up onto the footstool you moved over with a shift of your fingers.

Elliot, “Oh no, they are still a good few years away still.”

Dawn, “Right, you mentioned that. Sorry.”

He shook his head, “No apology necessary, travel between galaxies is quite rough to gauge for some. And there is no telling if they come across some digger portals that could cut the travel in half.” At your confused brow tick he clarified, “Digger portals can be used for long term transport runs and also more often by scavenger crews who often move them out of their designated locations for rather amusing bits of helpfulness for those who tend to come across them.”

Dawn, “I can’t imagine what space would be like. Living here is so hard to compare to space.”

Elliot said, “Just imagine space like a forest, every now and then planets would be hidden tunnels under trees and caves with animals as stars, asteroids and meteors. One day you’ll see.” She looked over his face in his comforting smile, “You will.”

“I’ve been wondering,” You said luring his eyes back to you, “You said your wife was waiting to be re-bodied.” He gave you a confirming nod in a silent agreement he would answer anything you asked, “Would my dad be with them, when they get here?”

“Erich would never miss the chance to rejoin your side. He most certainly will be.” Wetting his lips he sat up lifting a finger to say, “In fact, the only thing that would have him deterred from returning to your side would be his affection for your, mother.”

His final word was given haltingly in seeing the flinch of pain in your face, “My mother,”

“No no, merely I meant that it would be because he had through the Fates located her essence in the kingdom of the dead beyond the gates of the realm of Hel. She has been given a high place to claim as her own after aiding in your second form solidifying. Surely upon hearing your ranks have arrived he would travel to join us. He would not choose to dwell there with her when returning to you could bring about your awakening which surely could grant her a second becoming.”

Dawn asked, “That means she could, come back?”

Elliot, “In a sense. It would be her essence, however her past would be absolved from her memory. Not you of course, however the memories of her first husband namely among her other sufferings.”

“She would forget Steve?”

Elliot replied, “Unfortunately.”

“I suppose that seems a bit fair. Give her a happy second beginning with my dad, he wouldn’t be my dad anymore would he?”

Elliot, “He was honored to have been chosen for that role and will uphold it again should you wish to extend that bond.”

“I won’t ever get a simple life will I?”

Softly he chuckled, “Oh it will be truly simple, in that, you will be loved by our people and eventually by these mortals.” Glancing at Dawn feeling her eyes landing on him, “Never including you of course, you have been adopted as kin. The Fates will not claim you from your children or Eddie. Symbiote mates are never targeted or taken after the lone time one dared to try and a civilization was torn in half.”

She asked him, “Can you grow like Venom when you fight?”

Elliot, “I can if I wish to.”

“So what do you know about black holes?”

You asked spreading his smile to share some more of the supposed barriers that could be mistaken as ways to keep us from your people that serves a greater purpose for your people that he spilled every detail. Even through James coming down to sit with you, settling underneath your legs he laid across his lap welcoming the chance to rub your legs and feet.

15 exams or projects to get your full credits and one at a time each was crossed off the list of credits you were acquiring. Even your slot on the yearbook was credited to you with the actual yearbook as proof, several of which purchased by the students of the graduating class they’d sent your way for signatures to join others through the signature sections. Proudly among the crowds you shuffled through the sheets of grade reports to each class and club as well as the final sheet of credit requirements that you had marked off a good chunk of the final bachelor’s degree working towards the eventual Masters degrees.

While school was your main focus at this event again your smile split wider seeing James strolling hunched over with Teddy at his side. The now walking 11 month old boy with bouncing strawberry blonde curls and silvery blue eyes contrasting Dawn’s brunette locks and Eddie’s sandy brown locks that grow softer in shade to match Teddy’s shade when grown out. All day he’d been giggling and waving to the women fawning over him, each stealing yearning glances of the loving man focused solely on the child who showed his true father side only egging the press on for dreams of what your babies might turn out to look like. Loud and shrill the boy giggled and bounced on his feet once turned again in your entrance to the garden. On his hips James’ hands fixed, “Let’s go fly to Bunny, hmm?”

Up he was lifted and giggled the way across the pathway in the steps to add your papers to your purse, also housing the book of photographs you had taken in the photography club, now in the crook of your arm to free your hands to accept hold of him. “Look at you, flying!”

Hands out he smiled melting into your arms for the hug you gave him, sighing out, “My Bunny.” Closing his eyes a moment at the kiss you pressed to his temple.

James asked with adoring smile still locked in place, “Everything handled?”

“Yup, I know it took a while,”

Shaking his head he replied, “Oh we’ve been having fun.”

Teddy said, “I did fly, My Bunny.” Easing his head back to catch your eye widening your smile.

“Yes you did. Maybe one day you can teach me to fly so well, I keep falling when I try.” Again he giggled and looked around at the school and crowds on your way to the subway to get home. All the way talking to the boy who was getting more comfortable at talking and gesturing in each of his surroundings to those around him. On the surface he might seem out of place between the two of you except for the curls you shared with hair color hinting that James might have had a blue eyed lighter haired parent for those assuming he belonged to you. Those knowing your mother Sarah however knew exactly where any blonde children of yours might come from poking that bruised past for them and you, wondering and deep down hoping that if you did have boys that none of them would look like Steve. For how badly he scarred you to have a child that would mirror him was a terrifying notion to have to reach that moment to completely sever that blame and pain for the blows he dealt on your life up to his death.

Norma clearly bleached her hair by her frequent trips to the salon only luring up wonder for what the two incoming babies could look like. Dawn was on the verge of popping and in the morning you were set to arrive in Canada after having spent the week readying everything to travel back home for the summer break. The end of April would give you time to ready the houses and oversee the details the town was readying for your big day. Hopefully for you Dawn wouldn’t go into labor mid trip or at least could have some time to relax at home before it would be set off for a somewhat relaxing birth. You didn’t know just what you were more anxious for but in her later months you enjoyed taking charge of Teddy whenever possible between classes to let her get more rest to lessen her worries concerning her first birth.

The Brocks were ready and everyone had plans for the upcoming trip to come and celebrate with you after their chance to meet the new baby. While it would have been nice for them to be there the day of for what was coming they granted Dawn the freedom to entirely have this birth with her family at her side where they could share in the christening Father Thomas would hold upon his arrival. Bags by the door were passed to get to the lunch to finish off the rest of your food in the fridge so they rest could be taken from the pantry to fill the one in your summer home.

Halfway through finishing off your meal you felt eyes on your silent gaze at the plate, lost to the realization how your childhood apartment building was all yours now, and you actually had a summer home and a business all your own that was hugely successful. That Kodak contest and revealed image in the photography magazines had you on a second Spring ad that had come out for a new camera they sent you a free one with a year supply of film to add to the film for Steve’s old camera packed along with the bags to be taken up with you. There was even an interview on what camera you had been photographed using at your trip to the White House and in your photography club along with a shot of a display of some of your pictures from the club. Clearly you had talent and now there was a hint for a new possible future job in the art field that could be so accommodating to a stay at home mother they guessed you might grow to be.

Inhaling sharply mid reach for the rest of your juice post sip and return of your glass you said to Eddie, who was looking at you, “I got a letter yesterday from a book publisher in Canada who wanted to publish a copy of my photos from school.”

Victor said, “That’s what that letter was then.”

Norma smiled saying, “Oh that’s fantastic news.”

James, “We can drop off the book to the place on the way up if you like.”

“We have an appointment next week. They need me to bring in the negatives and some titles at least for each, and a title.”

Norma, “You should just go for Bunny as the title.”

Dawn asked, “Doesn’t that cost money to make books?”

“They called saying they see how papers on the pictures have sold saying they would front the costs as long as I guarantee for my second book I use them to publish.”

Eddie, “Ah, well that makes sense, and at least they have hopes you’ll have a second book to follow the first obviously successful book.”

James moved his free hand to your lower arm on the table, “Me and Vic would be glad to take you there.”

“Well you’d have to, they can’t exactly legally have the contract with just my name on it.” Sharply James inhaled and you said, “Besides, should be fun, first comics now art books. Really rule the paper universe.” That had the corner of his mouth twitch upwards, “Plus you can imagine what they’ll say about my floating object and fantasy shots. Who knows, for the second book I could sneak in a picture of Venom and really terrify them.”

Eddie chuckled saying, “Oh we could have some fun with that. Have a whole book on him around the house, vacuuming with a couch over my head all the way to playing with the kids.”

“That reminds me. How’d you get through the bank robbery scene?” You asked Victor.

He smiled saying, “Thought up they shove you in a bag not knowing who you are, and that venom is latched onto you and they call and demand more money for ransom and Eddie picks up and says good luck. They turn around finding tiny Venom Bunny eating a third member of the robbers. The last one gets to live after writing a note on the money that is returned to the bank with his shaking self tied up and terrified while you and Venom sharing some chili fries on the beachside city where you tied off the boat back from the island they took you to.” Your smile spread through your excited giggles.

James said, “Meanwhile baby Teddy is wreaking havoc back home for us and poor helpless Eddie. Guys love the idea and are mocking up a copy for us.”

“Should be our best yet. I do have the sketches nearly done on the ideas I had for the wedding edition.” To James you said, “We’re kidnapping some people.”

Eddie rumbled around his mouthful, “Oh we better kidnap some people.” Causing your smile to split wider.

Just by the light of the headlights on the moonless night the wood boarding off the house was removed easily by you enabling you to walk inside with Olive and Pepper who were glad to be out of the truck from the long drive as James with Whiskers on his shoulders and Teddy’s carrier basket in hand followed you listening for any possible geese or stowaway animals inside. In the dark you found the fireplace and lit up the living room and the lantern beside it that through the now open window Victor accepted hold of from you to find the switch to flip on the electric box. The buzz from the flip could clearly be heard and Norma grinned flipping the light switch to light up the house in each room you went through while unpacking. At the table however she joined Dawn waiting on the tea kettle you filled and put on the stove for them to let them relax.

Neighbors along the way had caught the rumble of the engines and flashes of lights through parted curtains surely announcing the return to part of the town that would know by morning of your return. Dawn’s family surely would be the first to show up, and far from inconvenient as with a groan she woke up in the night to her first contraction. Hours after she was lulled back to sleep Eddie sat up with Victor coming in hourly to check on how her pain was progressing. Closer to breakfast backrubs kept her content as possible while she, by the position of the baby, was far off still. Fully able to grumble her way to breakfast and back to bed again to lay over the rubber sheet prepped bed from the kit you had found and set up to ready for the Doctor who’d be arriving shortly.

Steadily however labor grew heavier. During her family excitedly helping her to calm through the growing contractions in turns of minding Teddy she progressed farther to where it was you and her mother and sister there when she was close to crowning. “Just one push from the head Dawn,” the Doc said in her break leaning back against your chest in her place now on her knees on a stool bench to help with the position of the baby over a second rubber sheet.

Her breath deepening to your hands smoothing down her back feeling her next contraction rolling over her mingling with the gas the mask her mom was holding for pain relieving gas that was helping to ease this process. The mask was pulled away and on her next deep breath she bore down feeling her sister’s hands on her shoulders to keep her in your hold from falling forward onto the Doctor’s back. The first cry of the little girl the Doctor cut the cord and settled into a blanket her grandmother took hold of to gently bathe let the men downstairs let out a calming breath shared by the relatives around them. It didn’t take long for the bed to be readied and Dawn to be cleaned off and cleared for her bed rest break to cuddle and bond with her little girl before the others came in to meet her.

“Marigold Dove Pear.” The name was added to the birth certificate and while held by her beaming father the hazel eyed infant’s name was echoed through the house. Even Teddy stole his own chance to leave a photographed picture of a kiss on his sister’s cheek to be taken off by you to allow Dawn to take a nap.

In the yard you played with Teddy catching glances of James holding Marigold through Eddie and Dawn’s family hushedly trying to decide which clothes to put her in from the vast supply compiled for her. James’ eyes wandered to Victor on his stroll to join you after he’d ensured Norma was comfortable in her lounger on the porch with a snack and drink to wear off his lingering nerves knowing he’d have possibly the same troubles in sleeping as he did on Teddy’s first night. Dawn at least would have a nice rest and through the next few days was up and around quite easily relaxed on her way to being on her way to fitting into that dress to make your day special for you.

Everything you had done compiled in her times alone resting brought up her same thoughts on how she wanted to be a great big sister for you. You’d been nothing but supportive and loved Teddy beyond belief easing her final months taking up so much of his care for a debt she couldn’t repay and helped her through the birth of her second child to their family. All on top of everything else you were handling you had earned a day all about you and your fellow bashful spouse to silence the world and let you enjoy your summer and finalized marriage. This had been a long year from your press tours to the explosive Congressman ordeal rehashed when his son was publicized to have died and himself not so long afterwards overshadowed by the news of Norma being pregnant adding a second surprise wedding to be placed in front of yours along with three babies. She didn’t regret how she had gotten here but against how much she knew you wanted to have a special non-eloping wedding she had hoped you would have jumped the gun and gotten hitched like they had to not have to wait so long.

Negatives in hand through the doors of Freckled Moose publishing office in the well lit lobby the smiling group including the head of the building along with the man who would be your Editor beside the head of the rest of the printing process. “Welcome, Miss Pear, Mr Howlett, Mr Creed. We’re all so glad you could make it today.”

“Yes, it was interesting to get your letter, actually being asked to have someone want to see my pictures in an actual book.”

Head of the Company smiled saying, “There’s no shortage of people who since you have been written on a Photography club to see just what you have been capturing.”

“And you want to publish all of it, no matter what?”

The three of them replied, “Every image.”

The Editor asked, “You did bring the descriptions for each and the title for the book?”

“Yes. Thought it’d just be Bunny, if that’d be good?”

He nodded and said, “That sounds marvelous actually, and just how many pictures are we discussing?”

From your purse you pulled out the book you had been given from the club parting their lips at the size of it, “58 images, we had to do two a week and the rest are from the final project, it’s big from the grades and notes on the back of each.”

The Head of the Company said, “Why don’t we head to my office and we can look that over and talk about order and how the book is going to be set up along with contract terms?”

You nodded and they turned to guide you to the office, where on the couch across from their chairs you showed them the pictures that they agreed to only adjust the order of a few images within the month they had been captured keeping the genres of photographs together. Beside the notepad now housing the current order of images and new order with copied descriptions you had written them a copy. The contracts came next with the new terms the guys had talked them down to over the past week for you to simply sign agreeing that for each book they get 20% of the proceeds to go with the five agreed signing appearances when the books did get released into books across Canada. $8 was decided upon already stunning you a bit for being nearly half the price of an ironing board and nowhere near as useful for people who might be buying these glorified paperweights most buyers might not look at more than upon purchasing them.

The photography assembly line came next, or rather a brightly lit office with different stations where you would choose the paper style, font, color for the covers and title across the front. Bit by bit each image size was assigned, easily the same to mostly take up the same space on each of the pages housing the pictures with the description on the bottom of each page.

The final step was the first hand over of the negatives that were rearranged to the new order to be taken over to the printing department to get started on the process that according to them the designated amount of prints would be met within a few days and the negatives would be returned to you for the binding process would be started to finalize the process. Along with the copy of a picture of you in your favorite armchair, Mr Whiskers in your lap beside you holding your camera taking a picture of Pepper and Olive seated on either side of you. The picture that made you smirk reminiscent of portraits and pictures of men in power James and Victor had helped to work your four pawed accomplices into the perfect positions for the image that most would have chosen an image with you or Teddy to make you seem more matronly.

This would grab attention, and the men smirked taking the image as a joke for a moment until the brothers gave subtle hints in their faces and posture in each confirming glance over your head that was the only image to be handed over. That image would be the first page along with the intro for the book that you had written. Other than that you had pretty much completed the mock up of the solid dark grey book with purple letters for the title Bunny. For whatever little notoriety you had at least this could be a little bit of money to add to your nest egg or could easily be hidden away on a shelf in a book store or storage room somewhere if it fails miserably. Just 58 images could be a drop in the bucket for everything in the future that could be recorded in all the years to come.

The trio were the ones to show you out confirming that each step of the way they would keep you posted on the progress of the process until the big release. In their dip back inside you ignored the muffled comment on how soon to get the first few pages ready to be printed in the closing of the doors behind you on the walk to the car. Victor broke the silence saying, “Told you they’d love it.”

Looking up at him you smirked saying, “Oh yes, didn’t stop them from doubting my picture you took of me though.”

James, “They didn’t doubt the picture.”

You lifted a brow to look at him and Victor said, “Nope, they just imagined we’d be piggybacking into the image since we were so hard on the contracts for you.”

“How did you get them up to 80% profits, thought they would be wanting something more like half.”

Victor hummed back, “You took the images, all they are doing is printing them into a book and adding some words on the cover above your chosen snippets.”

James, “Editor didn’t do much, you provided everything, all they are doing is printing and distribution, taking the costs for the business side of this they are getting a killing on this deal just by utilizing your popularity and name. Even just day to day in school your name comes up, people are curious on what you are doing, how we are all getting along through life. Even just with photographs and not being a famous photographer still people are still going to want to buy your book, and second book. There were press at Barnard asking to browse yearbooks for pictures you took for them.”

Victor, “How you think and see the world is fascinating, what you choose to capture is poignant, that picture of the house you built for the frog to the shadows of beams in your school is phenomenally expressive of who you are and what you dream of. And most people might just see ‘oh an adorable picture of a frog’ or ‘oh some shadows’, but no one else would have built that house for that frog or twisted like that for those shadows, all of that after coming out of five years of war. Even Truman and King George are going to want to know what you took pictures of.”

“All curiosity then.” You said and James’ arm eased you a bit more into his side pressing a kiss to your temple.

Victor, “So much more than curiosity. No one cared what Van Gogh painted in his lifetime,”

“I am not Van Gogh,”

James, “No, but you certainly weren’t going to go ignored like he was.”

“They are never going to put my pictures up in a museum.”

Victor, “Oh I very much bet otherwise.” He said turning your head upon reaching the car, “There have been whispers of exhibits on women in the war.”

That parted your lips and James said, “You do realize this war will go down in history, people are going to talk about this war against Hitler and all those camps for decades. There are dozens of Civil War exhibits in this country, even just the airplanes built since their invention have been collected even when discontinued for public use. Egypt and Ancient Rome have exhibits all around the world. The first woman Medic Officer in Canadian history is going in an exhibit. People are going to write books about us. People have written books about the battalions Vic and I have been in through each of our wars since our first enlistment.”

“How do you deal with that?” you asked and he simply leaned in to claim a comforting kiss followed by a second on your nose as Victor opened the driver’s side door.

At the pat of his hand on the hood he said, “Let’s go pick up your hats Pipsqueak.” Dropping into the car that James moved to open the passenger side door to.

“You’re both too calm with this.”

James hummed back, “Just wait till someone tries to trash your name and you’ll see us burn the world down to change their minds and make them apologize.”

“You burn the world down and those Asgardians will come drop down on all of us.”

Victor laughed from inside the car, “They come down here they won’t stand a chance if they come to try to fight you. Now if they want to buy a book they are free to get in line, and there will be lines.” He finished with a smile at your slide to the middle spot on the bench seat with legs crossed against James’ in his closing the door on his settling inside.

The drive didn’t take long while they both shared their own assumptions on how the sales would go in your comfortable place against James’ side glad for his arm across your lap to hold your hand out of the way from the stick shift. Before you could even park the excited Hatter’s Wife hastened to the door to open it for the three of you to let you in for the final display and payment hand over for the second half of the hats.

Smiling widely the Hatter greeted you with a warm handshake and pat on the back of your hand clasped in his, “Welcome back, we are so glad to have been chosen as your personal Hatters.” He released your hand and shook the brothers’ hands while you held back your smile from spreading awkwardly across your face at his claim on any future business you now had to come up with some more of somehow to appease his assumption. “Now, we shall start with our Bride.”

He said with a smile until his wife said, “That is, we also can fit you in the private room if you prefer to surprise the Groom on the day of.”

“Here is good,” you said in his pause luring his smile out again in his turn to fetch your hat from the back. “Managed to keep the dress a secret along with the shoes but think I just might want to spread a bit of jealousy at the details on mine.” You said easing onto the stool she motioned you to so he could settle it in place.

The Hatter returned and smiled at your eyeing the white marvel he lifted and settled gingerly onto your head like a crown. More so the action had the guys about in tears for the first glimpse of you as a Bride, and when you stood to walk to the mirrors they were drawn after you admiring the pristine white top hat you almost didn’t want to touch to keep it clean. The shorter styled top hat with a ribbon accented with a shimmering broach and a white feather was circled by a net like ribbon draped around the rise of the hat with a tail that would be lowered as the portion to cover your face. You had Mamma Brock’s veil but like the other women who wore it a second sheer layer would cover your face as hers was woven lace stitched to heavy barely see through silk and would be too difficult to actually make it down the aisle or even across a room.

Around your face his fingers eased the net veil portion down saying, “And this will simply be lovely and quite easy to see through on the big day. Should you wish to add a hair piece if you secured it above a bun then it should fit nicely along with this hat.”

“I do have a silk and hand woven lace veil that I am borrowing for the day, this should help to keep it in place while I walk to the reception after if it’s a bit windy.”

James chuckled humming out, “You’re not walking, I’m carrying you the full way.” The Hatter looked his way and he said, “Tradition, the barn is just a stone’s throw from the church, Bride is carried to her seat.”

Hatter’s Wife, “Oh that sounds lovely for wedding traditions.” She said stealing a glance at the ring on James’ hand adding, “Along with your Groom already wearing his ring.”

Victor said showing off is two rings on his ring finger, “Family tradition we get two rings too so we can brag up to the big day.”

The assistant came out with the other female hat design while the Hatter claimed your hat again he took back to its box that gave you the second hat to admire and shift the shorter accented by a silk flower ending the ribbon, the netting simply was a tuft in the front and right side minus the tail yours had. Just as breathtaking as the first to be followed by both of the brothers admiring their own grey top hats accented with black ribbons and James’ with a purple accenting fold of ribbon on the side where the ends met.

Pt 40

All –

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator ,@thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore, @mariannetora, @shes-a-killer-kween, @ggbbhehe4455, @xxbyimm (Hobbit x oc)

X Marvel-Cast - @himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @changlingkhat

#Freckled Moose Publishing #Hatter #Marigold Dove Pear #Eddie Brock x OC #Victor Creed x Norma Jeane #James Howlett x Reader OC #Professor Elliot Randolph #Back to Canada

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proudgodot · 3 years

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Gratitude

I was not initially planning to post about this, given that my unfortunate tendency to over-share has caused me quite a bit of grief in the past, but the truth is that I simply couldn’t resist this time. Typically when I am overcome by an uncontrollable desire to post it is because I am desperately in need of attention or validation, so much so that I can’t actually remember a time when I posted because I was genuinely eager to share something. It was always out of some perverse and misplaced sense of obligation, but it finally feels as if that burden is lifted. While I was writing this post, it was because I felt a genuine…. pride over something I had accomplished, something I genuinely wanted to share with the world. When I chose the name of this blog I didn’t earnestly expect that I would ever feel anything other than shame about myself… it seemed more an ideal than an actual plausible prediction. I’m just so relieved my wish came true.

Anyway, I suppose that is quite enough navel-gazing for the time being… I can only imagine my followers have probably had enough of that to last a long and fulfilling lifetime. I reckon it’s time to move on to the actual story.

As most of you well know, following the dramatic events of the Kristahlia drama, I suddenly found myself with the new responsibility of parenthood. There are certainly aspects of my new lifestyle that have been difficult to adjust to… principle of which is that I am supposed to serve as a sort of role model for these developing and damaged boys. I have never been particularly aspirational, in fact you would be hard-pressed to find someone as underperforming as me. Although I was prone to overcompensating for such things, always desperately trying to prove that I was capable of as much as the bare minimum, looking back I see that I grew too comfortable with those low expectations. When it registered that as a caretaker I would suddenly have to perform a sort of excellence, not for the sake of my fragile ego but for the betterment of these children… I was immediately overcome by a painful inadequacy. However, as our first week together progressed, I came to realize that in certain regards all of us were personally inadequate, and it was for that very reason we had taken on this responsibility together. Although I certainly had my short-comings, that wasn’t something unique to me, and over time we all began to coordinate better and help manage each other’s weaknesses. I was somewhat surprised to learn this was not only true of the adults, but the children as well. The dynamic we developed as a family was rather symbiotic… I found that regardless of age we all had something to offer each other.

Regardless, I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to keep my found family as distant as possible from my most severe personal issues. My past was something I felt I had to resolve independently, no matter how tempting it was to once again depend on the people in my life to solve my problems in my stead. That is why when I made the decision to start looking into Anton’s whereabouts, I never spoke a word about it to my housemates.

Facebook made finding his account incredibly easy, distressingly so in fact. I became acutely aware of the possibility that he might have been recommended my account numerous times over the years and had consciously chosen not to send me a friend request, which although completely understandable still hurt immensely to imagine. Perhaps my hopelessly romantic dream to reconnect with the man was unrequited, and would be rejected with extreme prejudice if vocalized. Eventually, however, I managed to muster up the courage to actually inspect his profile. I discovered that after our quarrel six years ago and his subsequent transferral Anton had moved back to his hometown in Ann Arbor to complete his degree in art and design. Since graduating, he had been working as a freelance artist and animator… he often posted about how proud of his projects he was, and it was reassuring to see his enthusiasm had not diminished in the slightest over the years. One detail about his profile that immediately jumped out at me was his relationship status, which was currently set to single. Despite myself, I immediately felt a small flicker of hope ignite within my quickened heart. Upon further investigation, it appeared he’d been involved in several relationships over the years that had ultimately ended in failure, although the circumstances were unclear. I only hoped he hadn’t made a habit of dating unappreciative losers…

I managed to quell my anxiety briefly and force myself to send him a friend request, which almost immediately filled me with a sense of mounting dread. My anticipation wasn’t even allowed much time to simmer, because mere minutes after I sent the message I was notified that it had been accepted. Instinctively, I slammed my laptop shut and jumped out of my seat, forgetting that I was incapable of standing up so quickly without losing all feeling in my legs and face planting into the floor. I instantly regretted not taking Addy’s advice and getting that checked by a doctor, because soon enough the entire family was in my room gathered around my body and asking questions with varying degrees of concern and amusement. Although I had wanted to keep my activity a secret, at that moment I was swept away in the drama, and so I began to mindlessly rant about the situation.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but soon enough there were six pairs of hands all frantically scrambling for control of my keyboard. While I laid incapacitated on the floor, my friends had taken it upon themselves to respond to Anton’s messages, each expressing their own thoughts from my account in randomly alternating orders depending on who had managed to prevail in the wrestling. It seemed that Iara maintained the upper hand most of the fight, although it was admittedly difficult to tell over the frenzy at times considering my limited view from the floor.

Eventually, the chaos subsided and everyone turned to look at me with beaming smiles on their faces, some more devious than others. I immediately began to worry that they had sabotaged me somehow, be it in light-hearted jest or in an earnest act of betrayal, and so I asked them nervously what exactly they had done. For a moment it seemed they were trying to contain their excitement, but it didn’t take long for them to erupted into an uproarious celebration, complete with victorious chants that Anton was coming to meet us in person this evening!

I didn’t know how to react. All at once a tempest of conflicting emotions completely overpowered me… and I mean that quite literally. I knocked out cold, and when I finally woke up I discovered that not only had Kyler been trying to shock me awake by applying Takis to my tongue, but that the situation had not miraculously resolved itself. Although everyone else had mostly settled down, my mind was whirling a mile a minute with all of the things I had to do to prepare. I had a whole bucket list I needed to accomplish before I was comfortable standing in front of Anton again… and as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t possibly get everything done myself over such a brief time. To my surprise, I didn’t even have a chance to put my reservations aside before they had already agreed to help me based off of my panicked listing of errands alone. Despite my reluctance to involve my new friends in the more turbulent aspects of personal life, it seemed they were actually eager to get involved themselves… I discovered that my problems were not an inconvenience to them, but rather something they were excited to help me work through.

The first obstacle I had to overcome was also the hardest… that being that I had never properly apologized to Gabriella and Lana for my dishonest and frankly abusive treatment. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have the words to express my remorse or that I hadn’t processed my guilt, but that Gabriella’s parting words to me specifically informed me not to contact her and I didn’t want to once again disrespect her wishes. However, after some words of encouragement from the family, I managed to write a relatively concise three thousand word email taking responsibility for my past actions and wishing the couple well. As I was writing this post, I actually received a response from the two telling me they appreciated my apology and were glad to see I had grown into a more mature person. Apparently they have just finished settling into their cottage and are now doing better than ever. Lana even expressed an interest in meeting Addy and Iara in particular sometime… I suppose it’s a sapphic thing. I’m just glad that they’re finally living the happy life they deserve without being held back by backwards men.

My email took longer to type then I had expected, and although I certainly can not regret pouring my heart into the message given its importance, it did mean that we had to pick up the pace with the rest of the bucket list. Kyler took this quite literally, speeding at what must have been 100 miles per hour towards the mall despite nearly giving me a heart attack and my insistence that he not set such a bad example for Chris and Klav. We actually ended up getting pulled over, but luckily Iara managed to scare the officer away with her signature scowl. The next few hours were a frantic rush of errands, all focused on helping me actually express myself without the burden of repression. There were moments when it was a struggle, such as when I nearly hyperventilated in Claire’s before they pierced my ears, but ultimately I am immensely satisfied with the results. The most fulfilling moment was finally getting the tips of my hair bleached white to match my new profile picture. Chris actually got his hair dyed alongside me, changing his style from pale blond to black and white to reflect his new kin. It was incredibly rewarding to accomplish this alongside him… I had never been the subject of anything but disappointment from my parents, so it was an incredible feeling to be able to experience that absent parental pride for myself, even if it was with a different perspective.

By the time Anton was forecasted to arrive, my appearance had been upgraded to better reflect my current sense of self… all that was left was for me to get in the right mindset. Luckily, my family was perfectly eager to act as my own personal “hype beasts,” as Kyler put it. They offered excellent emotional support in the half-hour we sat in the den patiently awaiting his arrival, especially Addy, who really took my mind off things by offering to play me in a game of chess. I lost quite handedly, but for once I don’t have it in me to be a spoilsport. When we heard that fateful knock at the door, they all immediately ran into the nearest closest and shut themselves inside to give us some space, but not before giving me a final set of encouraging thumbs up. I hesitated for a moment, questioning once again whether I was really ready to take such a big step in my life. My hand paused, hovering over the door knob uncertainly… until I heard the faint sounds of Steely Dan’s Come on Eileen coming from inside the closet, accompanied by the muffled sound of Klav’s giggle. Reignited by the familiar sounds of my favorite musicians, I swung the door open with a new and uncharacteristic conviction.

And there he was… I was immediately captivated by just how strong his presence was. My memories hadn’t done him justice… it really was like I was in the presence of an angel. I was comforted by certain familiar aspects of his appearance, such as his golden brown eyes that glistened like stars, his long curly hair with its comforting strawberry aroma, and his signature checkered scarf that he had been consistently wearing for almost decade now… but what really excited me were those new features. Normally I am turned off by change, but I was positively breathless as soon as my eyes wandered to the golden butterfly tattoo on his exposed shoulder. I felt as if I was going to faint for a second time in one day.

I couldn’t find the words to express the depths of my emotion no matter how hard I searched my impassioned soul... there were no words strong enough. Instead I just cried, and wordlessly he accepted me into his arms… just like he had on that life-changing night all those years ago. I finally told him everything I had so obstinately refused to say during college… that I was gay, that I was in love with him, and that I was sorry. Although I was openly weeping, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more relieved in my life.

Eventually, he managed to pacify me… and so I was able to explain to him the entire story of the Kristahlia drama. It was difficult to explain that I had managed to go from discoursing with these teenage kinnies to adopting them, but he was as understanding as he ever was. He was so excited to meet my family that he even brought his cat Apple all the way from Michigan just to introduce her to them. I don’t think I have ever mentioned this publicly, but when Krissy died I had to take her dog Diogenes in myself, and I was surprised to find that the two animals got along perfectly. It really did feel like the entire house was accepting him... it was as if this was meant to be.

Since Anton had gone to all the trouble of making the ten hour drive to Iowa, he suggested that we might as well all hang out together in Cedar Rapids over the weekend. I suppose it’s a date... I must say that I am looking forward to it, as are the others. I know I didn’t deserve to be accepted by him again just because I spent a few hours shedding tears and profusely apologizing, but for once I don’t feel guilty that I have received something I don’t deserve. I just feel... an overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity.

I am certainly still inexperienced at this whole family business and have accepted that I will inevitably make some mistakes in the future, but I don’t think I’ve done too poorly for a first week, if I do say so myself. I am truly grateful to all the people in my life who have supported me through my journey, who have taught me that it is possible to rely on others without being a parasite and to be relied on without shouldering the entire burden.

To my partners, my friends, my children, and my love... from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

#sincerely adam

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sockori · 4 years

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Naruto AU: Ancient Origins

Naruto world building but instead of slapping the Otsutsuki on the front and calling it finished there’s actual effort this time

note: This entire thing is a WIP and only covers the framework. It is still open to much change in its future.

Synopsis

Millennia ago, chakra was a scarce and sacred power that could only be gained, not raised.

Such inherited means only came in the form of their neighboring kin- mythological creatures known as Yōkai; Unusual beings quite literally the manifestations of chakra themselves, stretched and exercised into beautiful and dangerous forms. They roamed their respective territories, both unexpected friends and fearsome foes to the powerless but curious humans that lived alongside them, weak, powerless, hungry for the chakra they could not create themselves- impatiently waiting for their own time to strike.

In those eras, coexistence was an unpredictable force- a struggle for dominance. Certain societies came to worship their native Yōkai, honoring their paths and respecting their grounds, forming a sort of symbiotic relationship that proved beneficial for survival. Other societies held much different practices, fearing the monsters and their foreign natures, making efforts to repel their influence, or hunt them down into nothingness. Sneaky and deceptive Yōkai were frequently tarnishing the good image of their virtuous brethren, reeking a bad name for the creatures across the board, causing mass hysteria and witch hunts of all kinds. Humans, devoid of otherworldly origins, lacked the mystical power to see through the looking glass, defenseless against the beasts that pulled their strings at every unknown path.

Then, at last, came a time of change, rooted in industrial and societal improvement. The human race, much to beastly dismay, rapidly evolved, discovering effective methods that gained the upper hand. It did not help that rare sights of crossbreeding began to occur, creating humans who now had inherited the powers of the demons they once feared. With no other cards to play, they were forced with the only viable hand- shapeshift, or die. Many Yōkai were against this notion, intensely proud of themselves and their strength, fighting tooth and claw to a grave, bitter end. Opposing Yōkai, however, fearful of extinction, decided to take the risk. Giving up their precious longevity, the beasts reluctantly opened themselves to more harm than good as they transformed into the face of mortals they once toyed with. Lucky few managed to escape treachery and betrayal, migrating into human life under a clever mask, thus saving themselves from a tragic fate. Others not so.

The blending of humans and Yōkai evened the playing field. Though, not all beastly operations had ceased entirely. Whilst some species scattered into fragments, a handful of hidden Yōkai decided to take advantage of their human forms to continue their legacies, seeking out and gathering others with similar roots or carrying their powers into the future through human courting. The bloodlines that were seeded into the ground grew into powerful and fiercely loyal groups- variations that effectively created the infamous clan and family hierarchy seen in the first years of unionized activity- budding numerous territories that graciously adorned themselves with the label “shinobi”.

Author’s Notes

Certain clans did not exactly originate from a specific brand of Yōkai- few variations might even be descendants of a deity. The Uchiha clan is rumored to have its hand in the flaming origins of Amaterasu, the beautiful sun goddess that grants the nobility their fiery power. The clan deeply honored her name, and for centuries, held various ceremonies in which they gave their respects to the mother of all Uchiha. Supposedly, this is also the reason many of their jutsus carry the name of the goddess herself, and as well as other deities (call this a headcanon of mine, they can have other possible origins as well).

Begrudgingly joining hand and hand with the human race did not spell an end to all untransformed Yōkai as a whole. Monsters found their own ways to survive to the next generation without shapeshifting. Many scattered to hide in isolated areas where humans weren’t able to tread, or had a difficult time treading in (exs. mountain tops, volcanic areas, cave systems), effectively preserving their kind. Societies that decided to remain traditional or open in the advancing era either became sanctuaries or feeding grounds for remaining beasts. Among other situations.

How open certain areas are to mythological merit depends on the area in question. For example, Kirigakure tends to be one of the most open with, perhaps even run by Yōkai, seen in their variations of aquatic traits in their population (most common being pointy teeth and/or gills). The isolation of the island made it perfect for Yōkai looking to protect themselves and their legacies. Beastly pride is prominent on their grounds, with many water-based clans in power, making for a strong culture and wonderful areas of worship- as well treacherous rivalry, bloodshed and constant conflict, as the marine beasts seek to eliminate others in dominance and paranoia. Witch hunts within its remaining human population were also frequent, with many unfortunate massacres. A price to pay for accepting the idea of a Yōkai civilization.

With the example of Kirigakure being largely aquatic, I'll quickly bring up that each Land obviously has their own unique variation of “beast”, as well as a ratio of human to Yōkai origin in their populations. Some are pretty obvious, others not so much. Which Yōkai frequent which spot is a meticulous map to craft, one that’ll take a bit of time.

The Otsutsukis may still have a possibility of existing in this AU, but most likely in an entirely different way. I’d like to still make use of the Moon Rabbit in some shape or form, just drastically toned down.

The Akatsuki tends to be the most infamous example of several variations of Yōkai origin coming together- whether inherited, influenced, or becoming. The group sought to bring their powerful ancestors back to the living world, making Yōkai the reigning force of the land yet again- for better, and for worse.

Speaking of gathering beasts, the concept of the Tailed Beasts was quite the grey area when it came to writing this AU. Given the reason they existed in the first place, I wondered if they were still possible, maybe remain in the form of much more tame beasts, but alas, powerful. I decided to write them in the sense that they’re the “Grand Ancestors” of certain Yōkai, perhaps the main guardians of the lands that their kind roamed. With that said, I highly doubt that the Ten Tails would exist in this variation alongside them.

They weren’t exactly gods, but legendary beasts- powerful monsters humans either worshipped to the core, or feared to the extreme. I suppose this will make Himawari, Kushina, and Naruto all variations of Kitsune alongside having Kurama’s influence (perhaps the Uzumaki are all descendants of the Kitsune?). Still a little wobbly on this aspect, I’ll leave those possibilities up to the reader as well.

#naruto #naruto shippuden #fanfiction #writing #au #(slams this down on the table)#roam free ideas #i said i'd do it and i did. i literally did #this is the universe i usually tap into when i go to write personal fiction surrounding the series #i'd love to hear your thoughts! it was really fun to jot down. and a pain. but also fun #apologies for any errors

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eternalflame421 · 4 years

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My Take on Tom Nook

The following is my interpretation and my headcanon backstory on Tom Nook. inspired by Jwittz's video on Tom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvfmPtkhqok) and this cover of Sable's favourite song, Soulful K.K. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqAlQ4ARTZI )

The year, was 200X. Thomas Nookington (Tom Nook for short) returned home to Animal Town tired and broken. He was betrayed in the city by two colleagues he might have called friends in the past. Lyle the Otter, and Akato ‘Crazy Redd’ the Fox. With no more dreams left in the city, he returned to his childhood home and took his family’s shop; the Nook’s Cranny, later upgrading it to the Nook ‘n Go. But the city changed him; in many ways. In some ways, he changed for the good, teaching him many economic, financial, and business lessons. In others... for the worse.

The city made him bitter. Cold. Mean. The city broke him, making him feel like a waste. In his blind depression, he treated customers and employees alike totally wrong and he pushed away anyone that was nice to him even old friends like Sable of the Able Sisters; no longer writing to her even though he did so in the city, even in his lowest points, before his betrayal. It wasn’t unnoticed though.

When Sable eventually went to see him in person, she saw what he had become. What the city had really done to him. She was sad and afraid. To her, Tom was her only friend; and someone she even sometimes liked as more than a friend. But at that moment; On that day, that friend was gone, and she told him as such.

with the slam of the door, tom was broken again; by none other than himself. She was right; he did change for the worse, and he was blind to it before. Blinded by the pain of betrayal, to the point of betraying himself. He knew what the villagers said about him behind his back, where they felt safe; Calling him everything he saw in Akato; in Lyle. Everything he hated about Akato and Lyle. Everything he now saw in himself.

He called up a distant old friend; a carpenter sheep by the name of Cyrus. He made a deal; 75% of the Revenue if he took up Nook ‘n Go for a while. Cyrus was confused but agreed. After leaving Cyrus notes about the items and how they sell, Tom left Animal Town again, no longer seeing his place there. No longer feeling like he even belonged there.

But where to go? The City certainly didn’t hold any promise for him anymore, but at the same time, he no longer felt like he deserved home since it hated him. He decided on the city nevertheless. little did he know it wasn’t too much of a bad idea in the long run.

Walking down the streets at night, after a few days in the city, Tom heard a noise at the end of an alleyway; a garbage can being knocked down, and the voices of two... children? Hesitantly, he dared to look, coming across two young Tanukis. They were naked and almost feral, besides being able to properly speak.

they bear their fangs and claws, growling. “Hey! Leave our stuff alone!” They said in unison, though one lagged behind at times.

Tom tilted his head at the sight but kept his distance. “... shouldn’t children like you be at home in bed at this hour?” He asked.

They shook their heads. “We have no home! This is our home; So leave!" They yelled.

Orphaned mysteriously and young enough in their lives to have never known true family, these two unwanted Tanukis were raised in an orphanage that didn’t want them and so they ran to the city and took any unwanted thing they could from a world that wanted everything from you. If they were found, it would take them too.

‘What do I do?’ Tom wondered as the two Tanukis growled primally. He could not leave them. This world would swallow them whole. It nearly swallowed him, if it weren’t for Sable. He could not take them, it’d be a long story for the apartment complex that he dared not tell.

even as a race, The Tanukis/Racoons have always had it rough, thanks to mischievous and conniving ancestors, the same as the Fox/Kitsune. And though Akato never did much to defy it, it was the Nookington family Ideal; to show no greed and break out of the stereotypes. An ideal he lost sight of.

A thought suddenly ran through his head. ‘If I... if I saved them... would I save... myself?’ The City had made him worse overall. He knew that. It made him unwanted, by even his closest friends. But these Tanukis... They weren't much different, were they? Tom saw himself in these Tanukis, so if he made them better using what the city taught him and what his family taught him... would he make himself better? Tom wondered if it would work. Would they even agree?

He hesitated to speak. “... No. That won’t do. A world of finder-keepers can not live forever. You’ll only want to find more and more. A world where everyone shares everything won't work either; greed drives us too much.” Tom said, and the Tanukis went quiet.

“Take the banks!” Tom exclaimed, waving his hand out. “They will deny a young man a loan, though they know nothing of his character. And why? For who do they work for then, hm? Themselves!” He pointed out. The Tanukis stared at him in quiet confusion.

the Tanukis scoffed. “What’s your point, old man?” They asked.

Tom cleared his throat. “To take, you must give. To give, you must take. Take too much, you will be unwanted and the world will hate you. Give too much, and the world will eat you for all you’re worth and leave you in its dust.” He explained. “We are... alike, hmm? Unwanted Tanukis, in a Wild World of greed and swindling, only seeing camaraderie in our own kin, rather than the common City Folk.” Tom noted.

a plan came to Tom’s head. An idea. “How about a deal, Hmm? Simple one, this. If you help me run a shop in a place much more accepting than the city, I will give you everything you need and teach you how to survive in this world?” He proposed.

the Tanukis were confused. “Everything we need?” One questioned. “How to survive?” Asked the other.

Tom nodded. “Indeed. You have no place to rightfully call home, correct? If you help me with running a tool and furniture shop, I’ll give you a home.” He proposed.

Hesitantly, the Tanukis agreed and were given the proper names of Timothy ‘Timmy’ Nookington and Thomas ‘Tommy’ Nookington Jr. Tom also learned to tell Timmy and Tommy apart from a mole on one of Timmy's hands.

With Timmy and Tommy in tow, Tom moved to a small village 3 towns away from Animal Town, with the intention of starting new. He rebuilt Nook Cranny there and built himself back up, treating customers and employees better with more slack, and began teaching them business and economics while also teaching them more standard things like reading and writing.

Tommy often reminded Tom of himself, hence them having the same name; Tommy proved to be more of a leader than Timmy and was a bit more hands-on than Timmy, though Timmy understood a lot of the math faster than Tommy and problem-solved a bit faster. One found the problems, and the other solved them; such a symbiotic relationship interested Tom greatly, so Tom always made sure they worked in close proximity to each other; not always, however, in occasional efforts to test their independent skills. 'Though they might work together wonderfully, they won't always be able to.' as he reasoned.

Tom became well known at this town, to the point that its local orphanage named a wing after him; Nookington Orphanage, growing to be one of the few things that had his name on it, despite not being owned by Tom. Tom also got back into writing to Sable. He knew not if she would actually read his letters anymore but that sense of nostalgic normalcy helped him feel better about their relationship at the very least.

After another moving trip to the city with Timmy and Tommy, using his now heightened street cred, he managed to not only get back into his old job at the Happy Room Academy, But he managed to own it and absolve it into his own Nook Homes company by 20X0. It did mean working with Lyle again, but Lyle was always easier to deal with and was less conniving than Akato. Akato himself went into the art-selling business soon after Tom left the city.

At first, Tom made sure Lyle hated his job as a sort of payback, before retooling him for a better job, changing HRA’s name to the Happy Home Academy; once he was sure he learned his lesson. On New Years of 20X2, his resolution was then to continue to turn over new leaves and do new things.

and by February Of 20X2, Tom felt happy about his position in life. He had used the city to reach dreams he didn’t know he could and even changed an enemy for the better. Tom even began giving money to orphanages, giving as much as 90% of his revenue to orphanages across the world. It was then that he decided, that perhaps, it was time to go back to Animal Town.

By the time he came back, it had changed dramatically, however. Nook n’ Go turned into Retail, staffed by Cyrus and his wife Reese, for one. Tom had known Cyrus had a girlfriend when he had called him to take over, but he had not realized they married.

The mayor; Tortimer, was retiring as well, and was reported to be calling someone in to help and take his place; an interesting shake-up, as Mayor Tortimer was in office for longer than there was a Tom Nook.

Lastly, The museum moved up to a hill past the Train station, as did the Able Sisters. It was like a miniature city with a single street of a couple of different buildings, though it felt a lot more homely. Tom saw an opportunity in this, and set up a Nook Homes office and a revitalized Nook’s Cranny, using Retail to teach Timmy and Tommy about business competition.

Tortimer’s replacement came and turned out to be a Human by the name of Murasaki. Murasaki was an interesting human, who spoke using Telekinesis rather than with words, claiming to be mute otherwise. Rare to be sure, but accepted all the same.

With the help of Mayor Murasaki, Main Street grew and grew. Nook’ Cranny became Nookington’s, the Able Sisters expanded to have not only the long lost sister Label return, but have the shop Shampoodles in the floor above Able Sisters. Club LOL was made from an alleyway, hosting KK Slider, the world-renown Music creator and DJ. Tom did sneak down to see his shows once in a while, he might admit.

Tom had also come to a compromise with Sable, resolving to at least be friends again. It was hard for her, but before Tom had come back, she did read his letters and was delighted to hear of the changes he had made to himself. The old Tom was back, to be sure, but the memory still weighed heavy in her mind; and his too. Neither party dared bring up the idea of being more than friends again.

Sable wasn't the only one who couldn't forget though. even after 20X2, there were still those who talked of Tom as a greedy, evil man; to this day he hears it and sees it. but at this point... he had accepted it. he accepted the fact that there will always be those who cannot forgive and forget. He hasn't himself, fully. "if I must be villainized in my pursuit of teaching, then so be it!" as he said.

Even though he hears plenty talk ill about him to this day, he sees otherwise; in the faces of the other villagers; in Murasaki's; in Timmy and Tommy's; in Sable's. He sees the good; the happiness he had brought to those around him, and it drives him, to this very day.

Over time, Nook Homes expanded into Nook Inc, and acquired many islands in both the northern and Southern Hemispheres, eventually opening Project Horizon, based on Murasaki's Sister, Shikibu's camping Hobby. Shikibu herself was an Interior Designer working for the HHA since 20X5.

Project Horizon culminated as the Abandoned Island Getaway Package in 202X, through collaboration with Dodo Airlines. It was then taken up by Murasaki, Who was curious about what Project Horizon was since its announcement.

#for those who didnt read #Tom Nook is a good man #a broken and healing man #and i will preach that until the day i die #tom nook animal crossing #tom nook #animal crossing #queue

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the-uptake · 5 years

Text

Other Kin

The Uptake, With Symbiotic Self-Indulgence. Book III, Chapter Six. Go to previous. Go to next.

TW: Bombing discussion newscasts, major permanent disfigurement, hospital loiterings, and ICU and life support stuff.

In other, I think I’m funny.

“--containment efforts throttle into full tilt to secure the lowest levels of the city. Extreme heat and radiation have thus far thwarted imaging attempts, to assess the full extent of damages thus far. City Council is meeting with the EPA and FEMA as we speak, to discuss fully capping the quarantine walls, and utilizing what was already built two years prior, to form the base of a containment for the melted fuel.”

‘Choly squinted at the screen with too little energy for exasperation. He’d moved back into the waiting room to watch one of the televisions mounted from the ceiling, to preserve both his battery and data. Without his glasses, he couldn’t see the time, and he checked his phone when the television screen caught sunlight from the wall of windows behind him. Nearly eight. Slag, the last time he’d looked at a clock with the intention of catching the time, it had been just before eight the night before. And he could tell it was going to be a long time before he could come close to getting any rest. Maybe he’d get lucky, and when he finally found Cecil, they’d have a second bed, or at least a soft chair... He sighed through his nose and squirmed in his seat, his butt having fallen asleep.

“--and be sure if you see someone who might be a Stalker, to avoid them at all costs, and report them to the authorities. Even wolframites. You don’t know who could be helping the Quarter remain operating from the outside. It’s easy to mentally and emotionally shut off amid turbulent times such as these, but we need civilians right now more than ever to be our eyes and ears. We can’t let another tragedy such as this happen again.”

The dreg sweated, stopping short of slicking down his hair in a panic, and he hid a stress-swallow as he pretended he wasn’t scoping whether anyone else in the waiting room had noticed that he still hadn’t left yet despite having been dismissed. He saw someone in the shape of Augen walk back into the waiting room from a side hall, but stayed put, exhausted, watching him walk up to the admissions desk. The vampire still had his shawl drawn over his head. The nurse pointed at ‘Choly from behind the glass, and Augen turned and gave him a look of recognition before crossing the room to sit beside him.

“Where were you?” the dreg whined. “You don’t look like you were getting patched up.”

“I’m not billable.” Augen doubled up in the chair to slouch against the wall, and watched the television to avoid eye contact. “Besides, I can’t stand the sight of needles.”

“--Oh bullshit. I had to make the billable choice myself. Did I screw up. Did I royally fucking screw up?” He gestured with a grunt at his leg brace slung out in front of him. The moment it all fell out of him, he looked around because he couldn’t remember if any children were present.

“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Mumbling, the fish reached over to pat ‘Choly’s right knee without looking. “Come to think of it, I’m surprised that when they processed your serial, they didn’t put together you’re probably Cecil’s next of kin. Or that he’s definitely yours.”

“...His what now.”

Augen just glared at him a sorry moment, unblinking, then got back up to speak to the admissions nurse again. He pointed to ‘Choly and the nurse checked a few things, and nodded with a noncommittal shrug. After a moment, he grew animated and waved 'Choly over.

“Why don’t I ever get the easy explanation...” With a brow-knit groan and a persistent wheeze, the dreg made his way over to admissions.

“Melancholy Kara?” she confirmed. He nodded. “Yes, you’re filed as Mr. Cecil’s next of kin. But he’s been signed for.”

“--What.” Augen stifled himself from straightening to his full length. ‘Choly could tell the drape of the aquatic hybrid’s clothing disguised how he coiled on himself grasping for composure. “By whom!”

The nurse shrugged off Augen’s irritation and ‘Choly’s confusion, and continued skimming through the computer information.

“...His brother, it says. A Benjamin Cecil? Anyway. Here’s his room number. He’s still in ICU. But he’s stable, awaiting his thetic support to go online. If you want, you can wait for him to come out of anesthesia.”

From a slot on the wall came a slim printed ticket with the number ICB-3406 on it, and ‘Choly ripped it to take it and stare at it with a heavy, lost loathing. Augen took it from ‘Choly and pocketed it, and shot the nurse a thumbs-up and patted ‘Choly on the shoulder to shepherd him energetically toward the nearest elevator. The dreg went as fast as he could, and Augen had to keep slowing himself down.

“Well, that explains why you weren’t called for Cecil, and vice versa. You couldn’t respond to him because of the power failure, and he couldn’t respond to you because he was likely already in surgery by the time we got here.”

“...His... thetic support...” ‘Choly tried the elevator call button again, unable to sit still despite his lethargy. “He had to have augmentation.”

“He was in an explosion, ‘Choly. Just be glad some of him survived.”

They rode alone to the second story, and ‘Choly saw opportunity in the moment of isolation. Rather than express frustration, he started with gratitude, hoping to make Augen explain anything that was happening to him.

“You know, that wasn’t near as bad as with anything for Bell.”

“Just wait for the deferred interest. With creds, it just amounts to more creds than almost anyone could ever pay off. But with alternative treatments, you probably signed a bodily lease for them in the future to test something else of their choice.”

The vampire benignly side-eyed him, the exact same deadpan look of anticipation he’d given him over the flatbed snafu. When ‘Choly just stared back at him, he shut his scleric eyes, and smiled withdrawing into himself a bit.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before you vanished? Or when you were urging me to get seen by the ER?”

“My benevolent psychopathy precedes me. Seems I’ve mistaken your character. Forgive me for thinking such compromising positions would titillate you. I’ll do better to distract you from yourself in the future.”

‘Choly huffed, wide-eyed and haunted. The elevator opened, and three visitors waited for them to exit before rushing in. They walked down the pale grey hall to locate the nurse’s desk.

“I didn’t know he had a brother.”

“...Concerning.” Augen noticed a policeman standing watch at a door, and dropped his shawl back around his shoulders to smooth his hair a bit.

“No, the shard of metal surgically embedded in my shin is concerning,” he whispered, exasperated. “I am petrified what Cecil’s gotten roped into. Or what this person who says he’s his brother signed him up for. He--”

“--will be fine,” Augen hushed, doing his best to be calm for both of them. “He’s more resilient than you think.”

The lemon-cast BLT visor at the desk picked up at hearing approaching hushed conversation, and the two of them could tell from the squirm that the nurse was staring at Augen.

“Seems Mr. Cecil is popular tonight,” the nurse quipped. “You’ll have to wait until the police leave.”

“How did you--” ‘Choly noticed the police at that point, too, and stiffened, recalling the newscast from earlier.

“Call it a lucky guess,” was the curt answer. “The system prompts when room inquiries print out, so we know where to expect visitor traffic.”

Augen stroked ‘Choly’s shoulder, looking over his own at Cecil’s room as they turned their back to the nurse and the police.

“As much as I know you’re going to hate to hear it... but let’s go sit and wait in the elevator lobby. I’ll buy you a coffee from the machine.”

“Even their garbage coffee sounds fantastic right now,” ‘Choly resigned.

They sat in hospital silence at the armchair-and-couch lobby with its fake plants and two vending machines for only fifteen minutes or so before four police officers collected in the elevator lobby waiting to board. The police looked over ‘Choly and Augen, and they did the same of the police, hoping mirroring their behavior would more normalize their doing so. One of them snorted at Augen before the call button dinged and the doors opened for them to leave.

“Who you here to see?” she started, dropping the pale blue-white backlight of her BLT to stare them down. She acted like she already knew the answer, but for her own gratification needed to hear them say it.

“We’re here to see his boyfriend,” Augen spat as coolly as he could.

“Leave ‘em be, Annie. We’re coming back after breakfast. Come on, I don’t wanna hold the door anymore.”

Once the police were gone, both of them sighed in revulsion. ‘Choly chugged half his coffee once it was cool enough, then took the rest with him as they stood and walked back to the room just past halfway down the hall. Several rooms on the floor had been appointed guards. A policeman still stood at Cecil’s door, unfazed despite attention piqued, and they stopped in anticipation of being stopped.

“Melancholy, and... and Sterling,” ‘Choly stammered, narrowly remembering from before. “I’m Cecil’s boyfriend, his next of kin. We can come in now, right?”

“Yeah, if y’don’t mind company.” They stared at the policeman’s visor a fraction too long to be comfortable, and entered.

The equipment in the room beeped in almost uniform intervals of affirmation. The divider curtain had been pulled all the way back to the wall, indicating the high-profile patient did not share the room despite the volume of incoming patients from the disaster. The fluorescent cast of the bar light above the bed illuminated the red-headed patient in the bed, and all the network of wires and tubing ran to and from his body. The patient’s features had been ripped open but stapled back in a close approximation to a human face, and the sides of his head had been shaved for the installation of disc-like enamel nodes which hugged his skull and likely penetrated it: four, two at his temples and two just behind his earlobes. Many of the wires and tubing tied right into these nodes. Mechanical ventilation hissed and deflated his respiration in steady intervals.

They realized Cecil wasn’t alone.

“You dickweed. If only I could have gotten to you first...” the kneeling, motionless figure whispered. “I could have kept you out of billing altogether...”

To the patient’s side was a canid hybrid in a black long coat, with sandy fur and a shock of iridescent green-rust hair. He stooped to rest his head against Cecil’s hip, and had placed an unresponsive hand atop his muzzle. His rat-like tail flicked out from between the split in the back of the coat, only to shoot straight down against his leg when he recognized he wasn’t alone. Rounded ears piqued, he stood and glared at the two of them with piercing golden-green eyes under a heavy brow. The hybrid couldn’t stifle a snort-snarl when he saw Augen, and Augen took a few steps forward, not breaking eye contact between the two of them.

‘Choly couldn’t make sense of the two hybrids, and only cared to finally be where he needed to be after all this time. Tears running down his face, he slowly made his way over to the bed. The canid sidestepped to obstruct him, territorial impulses overriding his better judgment. When ‘Choly couldn’t help but gasp, Augen straightened up to his full length and stared the canid down. The long whisker-like feathers at his jowls twitched, and he crinkled his nose and snuffled to himself with an internalized snarl, doubling back across the room to pace in the empty half.

Trembling, ‘Choly reached out and ran his splinted fingertips over the back of Cecil’s bruised hand. The bright scent of antiseptics bit through his congestion. Not wanting to hurt him, he followed in kind of the canid, and placed Cecil’s hand atop his own. Though still unconscious, Cecil’s fingers reflexively albeit weakly contorted around ‘Choly’s hand, and ‘Choly came undone at the seams. His head ran as hot as his face ran wet, and Augen dove in to scoop the upholstered armchair under him before he could fall.

“Things just continue to make less sense.” Augen leaned down on the back of Choly’s armchair.

“Don’t I know it.” The canid couldn’t sit still.

“Cecil...?” ‘Choly held Cecil’s hand in both his own this time, and he leaned in, watching expectantly for Cecil to magically spring awake. His imagination went wild with speculation what other thetic components might lay beneath that hospital blanket.

“Even if he has come to, he can’t hear you.” The canid watched him as Augen watched him, his voice low and tremulous. “His halo is still charging. I negotiated best I could with the fine print, but slag it all! Look at him. They have him wired where he has to recharge. Just to hear. Like he’s some piece of equipment. Grafting could have fixed all the damage he sustained, and more. And if the ban hadn’t bankrupted me, I could have at least afforded his cred-billing--”

“--Maybe grafting could reverse it?”

‘Choly had merely responded naturally to the distress with an attempt to calm and reason. He really did not like this alleged brother’s emotionally compromised state, or Augen’s flighty agitation. In the moment, with his blood pressure wild, ‘Choly couldn’t process displays of emotion stronger than those of his own. The awareness it had been stated that Cecil was likely permanently deaf struck him dumb, and he could do little else but stare expectantly at the canid. Near incredulous, the canid glared at ‘Choly with alarm, and Augen joined in the scorn of him even saying it aloud. The dreg swallowed and froze.

“If only it hadn’t been banned,” Augen uttered with a squint, trying to lampshade the whole notion.

“...If only...” ‘Choly realized he’d drawn attention to the transparent fact none of the donor species which comprised Augen had been available when Vek had still been legal, and felt sorry, given that they didn’t know how this other hybrid felt about proto-hybrids, and given the policeman still stationed outside the room. His face loosened into dead folds, and he tried his best to focus on Cecil.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.” The canid stood at the opposite side of the hospital bed, watching him. “I’m Ben. You must be the boyfriend admissions mentioned.”

“'Choly. And you must be the brother that I’ve never heard of until tonight.”

Ben smiled and laughed it off, his pointed teeth briefly visible back to his pointed molars.

“From the looks of it, I understand now why you didn’t respond to the hospital pages. I was beginning to worry the worst. I... I’m glad you’re here. That I get to meet whom he’s closest to right now. That he didn’t have to lose you on top of everything else he’s going through.”

“Not the best circumstances to be meeting.” ‘Choly glanced up at him and squinted, trying without glasses to pull the hybrid’s features into focus. That pointed remark wounded him. “I, what species are you? My glasses broke tonight, and I want to say you’re some breed of dog, or maybe wolf.”

Augen’s brow upturned as his eyes shot wide in fear, darting between the door and the hospital bed. In a shocked delight of being put on the spot, Ben’s ears folded flush against his head as he sucked on his dark lips, then bit his lower lip and shrugged with a weak laugh.

“Mmh... --arsupial which is no longer with us. Among other things.” He sideglanced to Augen, who patted at a visible sweat with the corner of his shawl. “One has to admire that nights like tonight prove the degrees of separation aren’t a myth.”

“Truly,” Augen nodded with a faint lip curl.

“I... should be going. The police said they would return once George was lucid and his thetics booted, and I’d rather not speak to them twice. Augen has my number.” He leaned over Cecil’s legs to pat ‘Choly on the shoulder with a smile. “Let me know how he gets along, will you? We can catch up when the temperature drops a spell.”

“--Wait wh.” ‘Choly watched in breathless confusion as Ben walked out.

“Get some rest,” Augen called off after him.

Once Ben had left, ‘Choly murder-glared the vampire. After a moment, his anger melted into confusion, and he touched his earlobe, thinking to the wolf hybrid at the confectioner’s. Even without his glasses, he could tell Ben had no facial jewelry of any kind.

“He... he wasn’t tagged.”

“NO SHIT, you little bugdick.” Augen slapped him in the back of the head. “Can you stop saying stupid fucking shit for five seconds? Sheisse, he’s got balls coming, knowing full well there’d be all these cops.”

“--OW. I... so that’s why you ghosted me earlier.” 'Choly rubbed at his head and got a sorry look. “Hey, could you put my reader on the charge pad on the nightstand? Might as well get some juice in it while we’re here.”

Augen did as requested, then sat on the ledge of the window. The two sat in the requested silence long enough for ‘Choly to drift off in the armchair holding Cecil’s hand.

“Wh-- whah--” Cecil rasped through the oxygen mask, watching ‘Choly expectantly. ‘Choly shot awake and put Cecil’s hand to his face, trying not to cry. “What--”

Augen briskly excused himself to alert the nurse that the patient had awakened.

“I’m so sorry,” the whisper strangled out of ‘Choly. He wiped his face off on his sweatshirt sleeve and frowned a moment, then did his best to smile at him as the realization hit him that he hadn’t heard ‘Choly, and couldn’t hear anything around him. His cataracted eyes locked on the subconjunctival hemorrhage that had subsumed the cornea of Cecil’s right eye, and once he knew Cecil was watching his face, he mouthed I love you.

Two nurses entered, and ‘Choly scooted his chair back to stay out of the way. One used a diagnostic wand to measure Cecil’s vitals, while the other pulled the top drawer of the nightstand open to retrieve from its charging cradle the thetic device: a contoured band which nearly formed a full circle. Once one nurse confirmed to the other that Cecil could come off intravenous aid for a while, he unplugged it all, and gestured for Cecil to sit up, holding the device in a way to insinuate it was time to fit him with it. The nurse folded out prongs in four places along the band, and snapped the halo neatly to Cecil’s head. His doing as instructed had the whole process go smoothly, and soon the nurses did a few auditory checks.

“Can you hear me, George?”

“It’s just Cecil,” he replied.

“Do you know where you are?”

“I’m in a hospital. There was a fire--”

“You’re in the HP, Mr. Cecil,” the second interjected. “Do you know what day it is?”

“It’s... April.”

The second nurse snapped her fingers, and she annotated that he looked to her. The first did the same.

“Everything seems to be in order,” the first instructed. “Since your boyfriend is here, we’re going to leave you be. The police will be here soon to speak with you, though, so make the visit short, if you would. After the police are done, a doctor will come with specifics regarding your procedure.”

“Procedure...?” Cecil trailed off, watching them leave. “I’m hearing everything with my brain, not my ears. It... it feels wrong.”

“But it works, right?” ‘Choly tried to smile at him, but Cecil was stuck taking in ‘Choly’s leg brace. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“You stayed home today... How did you get hurt so badly?”

“It’s... a long story. The hospital couldn’t reach me because of the mess Augen and I were in, so... we got to meet your brother,” he grinned.

Cecil’s features fell slack and his eyes widened into distance.

“I didn’t dream he was here, then.”

“‘Choly says you’ve never mentioned him before,” Augen interjected from the corner. “Do you know who he is?”

Cecil bit at his lip as though fishing for the sharkbites which the doctors had removed during his facial reconstruction.

“Not... a conversation for a place like this.”

Augen crossed his arms and slouched.

“Have you known the whole time?”

“He moved to Premier to open a Vek parlor. Got good with Vek. We lost touch. I’m just surprised the number they had on file for him still worked. That’s how long it’s been.” Cecil finally got to smiling, staring off into space. “We both have conservationist penchants. We... diverged radically. I collect books, and he... collects...” He gestured at Augen head to toe and got to wheezing when he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What was he doing here, Cecil,” he continued, every fold of his face unhappy.

“He was my second next of kin. It makes sense they couldn’t reach ‘Choly. You poor thing. I’m so glad you’re all right.” Cecil lapsed into clinginess and clutched at ‘Choly’s hand, and he had to lay back down, overwhelmed. ‘Choly crumbled into a crying mess again while Cecil relied on the oxygen supply to steady himself. “Really, I shouldn’t be so surprised he showed. We used to be so close.”

Augen, lay off him.” ‘Choly let out a congested, irritated whine.

The vampire was unfazed, in a panic over the law being involved.

“No, I mean... why was he here.”

Cecil just stared at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ultimately, Augen folded and came unhinged in an impatient string of ‘shit’s. He stormed out as calmly as he could, and exited down the opposite way of the nearest elevator.

Less than a minute later, the four police from before returned, but ‘Choly didn’t budge, too clingy to relent his long-sought proximity.

“Mister Cecil?” One stepped up to the bed with a reader, taking the lead. “Glad to see you’re still with us. We’re with the Tri-City Police. Are you lucid enough to tell us what happened?”

“You mean it wasn’t a fire?” Cecil’s face hardened, staring up at her.

“We suspect that someone set it. There were explosives involved. Do you remember anything unusual?”

“I, no. I was working late. A high school’s server had been returning 503′s all afternoon, and I couldn’t figure out why--” He tried to sit up and ‘Choly stopped him. “Why do you think there were explosives? Who would do that?”

“That’s why we’re here. To figure out what you saw, and what you know. You, you’re... Melancholy, yes?”

‘Choly nodded, petting Cecil’s hand.

“You were discharged from triage about three hours ago. Care to tell us how you were injured?”

He winced, remembering the bullet was in his bag, and he stared at his leg.

“I, yes. Yes. I had the day off, and I spent it with my friend Sterling. He was in here earlier, but he just had to leave. The, the bat hybrid. When the power went out, we were in a lift on his way taking me home. By the time we got out of the lift, all hell had broken out... Some idiot with a gun. A, a, a-- ah real gun. I don’t think they were looting or trying to rob us. I think they were trying to shoot Sterling ‘cause he’s a hybrid--”

“YOU GOT SHOT!” ‘Choly couldn’t keep Cecil down at this point, and he grabbed his boyfriend by the wrist to glare at him. The equipment started belting out rapid clicks and beeps, warning that he should lay down. He got real lousy and insisted ‘Choly lean into his lap so they could have as best a hug as they could manage. “Oh my god...”

“Tough luck, but hybrids are bad company, kiddo,” the sarcastic officer from before muttered as a caveat.

‘Choly stared hatefully through her obscuring visor, face twitching with rage.

“He brought me to the ER and helped me locate my boyfriend.” He barely kept from defending just how much trouble it was for the two of them to get from Jersey Proper all the way to Manhattan Premier, with the city drained of power, but he’d gotten savvy to how much he’d drawn attention to the wrong details all morning. “He’s not bad people.”

“Being a hybrid-- or being friends with a hybrid-- doesn’t-- justify getting shot at with a-- lethal weapon--”

Cecil snarled, imagining the officer would have said the same had his brother been the one on the other end of that aim. The diagnostic equipment let out a loud squealing chirp and everyone flinched when Cecil’s breathing lapsed. A nurse sprinted into the room, the one from the desk, and he scrambled to check the readings on the devices.

“You swore to me you would keep it civil!” As he took off the halo so they could get at the catheters installed in Cecil’s nodes, a second nurse joined in to help. “OUT! OUT OUT OUT--”

“--But,” the lead officer objected.

“ALL OF YOU! EVEN YOU, BOYFRIEND.”

‘Choly frowned, and barely remembered to grab his reader off the charge pad before doing as told. He returned to his place downstairs at the dining vestibule, in a horrid funk. He didn’t know where to go, and didn’t have a good place to sleep. He turned his reader back on, and once it booted up, he sent Augen a ‘thanks for nothing.’ Then he got himself another cup of coffee, furious that the hospital was bleeding him dry just to maintain his caffeine fix.

Some time later, Augen slipped into a seat beside him.

“It’s fair to be mad at me.”

“You’re gonna talk. Now.” ‘Choly grabbed a fistful of Augen’s shawl and held him where he could keep him. “How the hell do you know Ben? Did the same Vek artist do both your work or something?”

“--You could say that.” Augen shrugged at him to let go, and once freed he massaged at his temples. He leaned in with an almost silent hiss in ‘Choly’s ear. “That was Linnaeus, you fucking idiot.” He stole a sip of ‘Choly’s coffee.

‘Choly’s face drooped and he stared at Augen, trying to form a response.

“That’s... the guy who did your work? Are you trying to say he did his own work?”

“Slag your brain is shit from being up a whole day straight. There’s a reason you didn’t recognize his species, glasses or not. Except for him, the Tasmanian tiger is extinct. They say he pulled the sample himself. He’s one of the best proto-Vek artists in the city.”

“...Degrees... of separation. You seem... really haunted he’d show up amid all this. Maybe he’s allowed to be this distressed his brother almost died?”

“I never in a million years would have thought he’d risk getting arrested and forced therapy serum. Not even for family. And then two proto-hybrids showing up to see the same survivor in one night? That’s not going to get glossed over. Something’s wrong. Something’s really fucking wrong, ‘Choly.”

“Animals tend to get flushed out when their habitat’s threatened.” Rattled to abandon, he fished in his bag for his demolished confec bonbon. “Slag I’m glad I still have this after everything.”

Augen snatched up the wax paper before he could open it.

“What did they prescribe you?”

“Hydros. I’m fine,” he whined. “I’ve taken hydros for my joints and drunk for years.”

“Compromise. I get the confec, you get a drop of resin. Deal?”

“But... that’s a more potent confec...” ‘Choly frowned.

“A common misconception. Trust me. You have no filter and no self-preservation right now, bugdick. Let’s go somewhere more private to wax, hm? You wouldn’t drink in a hospital. Don’t get thrushed here, either.”

“Where could we even go? Shouldn’t we stay here?”

“Cecil’s not going anywhere anytime soon, and something tells me we both need some real food and a nap. Come on. I promise not to flake again. I know you’re practically blind right now.”

“Do... do they have an optometrist here?”

“The HP’s got everything in house. Come on. Food and sleep first. I need a break from this building, and I think you do, too. I’ll be your eyes until we come back later, all right?”

“I... fine. Can we at least see if they’ll let me have a wheelchair? My leg is throbbing and I don’t want to walk around Premier in my socks.”

“Hopefully, they’ll have one in stock to add to your tab,” he commented in agreement, helping him stand. “Sorry we don’t still have the one from yesterday.”

“I doubt we could have... kept it. How did you even flake so fast earlier, anyway? I saw you go the wrong way down the hall. Surely the police would have seen you in passing. There were like ten cops stationed in ICU.”

Augen left the question hanging in the air for dramatic effect, savoring it with a grin. Once he had ‘Choly in a chair and they were on their way, he leaned in to tell him in his ear.

“Dracula crawl. I don’t look part-salamander, so they didn’t even think to look up.”

‘Choly choked out a laugh.

“You fucking nerd-- Slag I need a smoothie and some vodka.”

“So it goes.”

Go to Next »»»

#biopunk #cyberpunk #anthro #dystopian #the uptake #with symbiotic self indulgence #wssi #melanochro kara #august ritter #george cecil #benjamin cecil #linnaeus

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boundinbloodhq · 5 years

Photo

THE COMPETITOR

OVERVIEW

Full Name: Damian Blemont

Birthday; Age: 16 October, Unknown; ~4900 yrs ( appears 26 yrs )

Species: Demon

Occupation: Club Owner

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Alliance: Clan

Faceclaim: NIck Bateman

PERSONALITY

( + ) eloquent, daring, meticulous, charming ( - ) self-centered, monstrous callous, calculative

BACKGROUND

I THE PAST

Way back during the beginning of man, there was the devil's work. Clawing his way from hell he watched as the curiosity of man got the better of them. In the name of science, man dabbled in arts they never understood. Fed up with their idiocy, he took to teaching them the proper and dignified way to conjure the dead, talk to the spirits and most importantly make deals with the devil. What a life to live. Despite his humanitarian efforts, it seemed as if he was always one step behind the rest. Songs were written about his kind, those who made deals at the crossroads, and yet he was a brief footnote in their minds. Not fast enough on closing the deals, yet he wanted more. More deals, more power, more anything he could.

New York provided the land of opportunity. It seemed that even they couldn’t be swayed away from the silver tongue whisperings. Persuading a few young girls to go dancing in the woods with him had been one of the many, many misadventures among the mortals. But it wasn’t enough to sedate his hungry. Despite his low status in the hierarchy of hell, he had ambition. While others were shying away from the vampire who would be kin he was taking notes. The man had been too cocky for his own good. His dIsciples too free-roaming. So when it came time to snuff out that light? Well, who was he to argue with the boss demon at the time?

II THE PRESENT

Though he fakes a loyal persona, dutifully fulfilling his leader ever wishes he’s biding his time. Sharpening his knief. New York is full of young people who want something badly enough they’ll consider a deal with the devil. But that chip on his shoulder hasn’t gone away. He smiles to their faces but plans to stab them in the back at every moment he gets. Perhaps that stupid vampire had the right idea, in order to create the world in his own image you need to create the right circumstances. He still loathes how the downworlders turn their bellies up like pampered dogs. And now it seems that with the recent upping of missing bodies and feral count going on an all-time high his opportunity to shine might just be right around the corner.

HEADCANONS

[ x ] Damian secretly is loving the attacks. He feels that the rise of ferals will be enough to undermine the Black King, so he can reign over the Underworld clan. He encourages the attacks.

[ x ] To add to the fear of the attacks, Damian has staged a few attacks by his followers or “pets”.

[ x ]Damian believes that the system/council is ridiculous. He has had on more than one occasion wanted to kill a certain clan member, but couldn’t do so due to the rules. He wants free reign over killing anyone he feels needs to die.

[ x ]Damian has been trying to wiggle his way to the governor of New York, and to the mayor of NYC. He feels that if he continues to have more influence in the human world, it will make him a more appropriate candidate if something were to happen to The Black King.

[ x ]On his off time, Damian plays video games in his loft. He was interested in the early 80’s when video games were becoming a thing. Now, in his free time, he plays video games to ease his mind over the stresses of the day.

CONNECTIONS

THE BLACK KING -

Not all kings should be wearing their crowns. While he plays the competent followers he has no wish to see THE BLACK KING in charge anymore then he wishes to let the man stab him in the back. But even he knows to take down a titan you need to find his Achilles' heel.

THE GOSSIP - His one-stop shop for all things that are happening within the city, THE GOSSIP and he had a mutually beneficial relationship. What started as a one time fling has blossomed into a symbiotic relationship for both.

STATUS

↳ TAKEN

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cherokeegal1975 · 5 years

Text

Eden Symbiotic Ch. 1

The arrival of the explorers July 26, 2625 I was sweeping off my porch when we heard engine noise in the sky. I assumed it was just one of the few old jets that some of the rich people liked to fly for fun and ignored it. Instead I listened absently to the ssst-ssst-ssst of my broom as it brushed the smooth stones of my porch. It was an ordinary morning for us, as most mornings go. Wake up, get dressed, feed the animals, make breakfast, eat and then do the rest of the morning chores around the house. Soon after that’s done, we would go to our work shop in Mostly Human Town where we make arts and crafts for a living. My husband and I co-own a small but profitable family business selling various handcrafts. We do our part by making carvings, ceramic sculptures, pottery, baskets, jewelry and paintings in colored pencil. My children, grandchildren, and any other blood kin or even any of my in-laws who happen to be talented in profitable skills such as cooking, management, arts and crafts can also find employment at our shop. For those who have no useful talents, there are employment opportunities for dealers, janitors, waitresses, cashiers, table bussers, and stock people who are also needed. So no one in my family is left out when they need to seek employment with us. Many of my kin folk do not work directly in the shop itself. Instead, they make or grow their products at home and deliver them to the store and later receive a commission when their items have been sold. This morning I wanted to finish off a ceramic sculpture of a wyvern. I had just finished firing it yesterday and now I needed to sand it down and paint it. I thought I would like to paint it gold with copper tips on its feathers. I am sure that it would fetch a good profit; the statue was beautiful even unpainted as it is now. The noise of the engines was steadily getting louder, and I could now hear it echoing off of the mountains. We lived away from the cities to avoid the crowding, the noise pollution, and the ugly scenery. Now this unpleasant roar from the sky was disrupting the peace of our forest lands. Louder and louder it came. My beloved symbiote, Beauty, thought the old jet would fly over us and shake the very foundations of our cabin. I also sensed her hope that the persons flying that thing were being careful. The People of the Third Clan and the People of the Fourth Clan lived in Paradise Valley as we did. They were winged humanoids that frequented the skies here. Also there were dragons and shape shifters that soared in the same heavens as this bothersome jet. I was sure the noise would give them enough warning to get away in time. Yet, I did agree with Beauty that it wouldn’t hurt for them to be extra careful while flying that dratted machine so low. And still the engine’s roar grew louder. By now it was beginning to vibrate the windows of our house. My husband came out and joined us on the small porch and looked up through the lodge pole pines to see if he could spot the source of the awful racket. “I think that jet is flying too low, he could hit someone,” he commented with his voice full of concern as he continued to stare up through the trees. Beauty could hear him thinking about the people that couldn't teleport, for they would be the ones likely not able to move fast enough to get out of the speeding jet’s way. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the ever increasing racket. “And he has to know this is a no fly zone! Why is that ass breaking the safety law? ” “I'm worried about that too,” I replied as I raised my own voice above the steadily growing roar. We spoke to each other in a mix of English and Cherokee. Having grown up in bilingual homes, we tended to speak both languages at random, sticking mostly to Cherokee when we were by ourselves and then switching back to English when we were in the company of others outside our family. “I’ll warn him off and ask him to go back to where he belongs,” he said as he walked purposefully around me and started off for the clearing that is in front of our house a few yards away. I placed my broom against the side of the house and followed him. As soon as we came out of the trees and entered the clearing, I looked up at the growing con trail coming from the north. It was then I noticed that the jet flying in the bright blue sky that something about its shape didn’t look quite right and I couldn’t figure out why it looked wrong. It was still too far away to make out clearly even to my symbiont enhanced eyes. “It is close isn’t it?” Rising Sun, my husband’s symbiont, thought to us in surprise. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that it was heading straight for us, almost as if it meant to land in our clearing.” “It does look like that,” I agreed as I continued to watch the craft with an odd sense of unease. “We obviously aren’t an airport so he won’t land here. Besides, there’s not enough runway.” That last bit was meant as a joke, all be it a lame one. I sometimes used humor as a way to deal with stress. My husband nodded in agreement. None of us really believed the craft would land here, the old jet planes required a good deal more runway to take off and land. We did use the clearing as our own personal landing field and kept it maintained so the forest would not reclaim it. Our clearing was just big enough to accommodate two large dragons at a time. If that blasted old jet were to land here, it would crash into the trees demolishing our house before coming to rest. We would be fortunate if it didn’t explode as well. No, we had no reason to expect the craft to land here. Louder and closer it came, and amazingly fast! By now I could feel the sound of it vibrating my rib cage; none of us had ever seen an old jet move so quick. In seconds it would zoom over us and out of sight in a blink of an eye, or so we thought. Before Rising Sun could help my husband telepath his warning to be careful of other flyers in the area, it quickly slowed to a stop like a hover craft. Then a moment later it descended, its landing struts extending as it did so. It blasted us with hot wind, dirt and grass kicked up from its thrusters. My husband and I covered our ears with our hands to protect them from the painful roar of its engines, at the same time, Beauty and Rising Sun shielded us via telekinesis from the flying debris. Then the blast stopped and the engine’s roar died down. As we uncovered our ears, we looked at this intruding machine in astonishment. We could now see it was not an old jet plane as we had first thought. Instead, it was a large craft that strongly resembled the space shuttles that we used to hear about on the news on another world and life times ago. Only this one was larger and sleeker in design and all in shining silver. The shuttle craft popped and ticked like an old hot car as the hatch opened up from the underside of its nose. A set of stairs lowered to the ground and landed solidly in place. Then a man in a black military like uniform came into view as he descended the steps. He appeared to be roughly in his late twenties to his early thirties and about five feet nine inches in height. He was a handsome man of Mexican descent, clean shaven, his black hair short and neatly swept back. He was holding up a small device in his right hand as he looked interestedly about, as if the world around him was all new and undiscovered territory. “What the hell?!” my husband swore in stunned amazement. “Is that a Terran?” I asked him in equal astonishment. I thought he must be. It was the only logical conclusion I could come up with. Only and off-worlder would land a shuttle craft in our front yard and act as this man did. The man heard us talking to each other and looked up, finally noticing us watching him. A look of mild surprise crossed his features, then he smiled in greeting, causing his black eyes to twinkle. My husband stepped forward a few paces to greet him, and I followed beside him by his side as he did so. “Hello,” my husband greeted politely in English. “Hello,” the stranger said as he stepped forward to greet us as well with his free left hand extended. “My name is Santiago Gomez. I am a Terran emissary and I and my crew have come to make peaceful contact. Please don’t be afraid, we mean no harm.” “Well, he’s telling the truth about that,” Beauty thought to us privately as she and Rising Sun warily monitored his thoughts. Caution seemed prudent in this strange situation and our symbionts were listening to his mind intently. Thanks to them, he really couldn’t do any harm to us even if he wanted too. “It’s okay,” I said in my most reassuring and friendliest manner. “We are not easily frightened.” Mike and I were doing our best not to look as taken aback by all this as we felt. We hoped that projecting an aura of confidence would be helpful in this unexpected situation. Mike smiled and confidently grasped Santiago’s proffered hand by the wrist in typical Cherokee fashion. He opened his mouth to politely introduce us in turn, but was abruptly distracted by the next person that came out of the shuttle. She was dressed in the same kind of black uniform as Gomez, but that was where her similarity ended. We were hard pressed not to gape rudely at her as she came down the shuttle’s stairs. She was green, and she was also the first alien we had ever met that was not native to this world. She had a graceful sweep of boney ridges on her head. One part of it stared in a single small bump just above her forehead and then it rose to a three inch high crest as it swept back along the middle of her skull then back down into a small bump. Then several small ridges swept back from the sides of her head and gradually up. Both the crest and the ridges met at the back and center line of her head in a small and gracefully up turned point. Her eyes are large and almond shaped a deep blue-green, with no visible irises or pupils. Her ears are elfin and her nose broad and flat with a hint of nostrils on both sides of its base. Her mouth is a horizontal slit that didn’t look at all unattractive with the rest of her features. Her body is proportionally a little longer in the torso that I had ever seen in a humanoid before. Her limbs were long, graceful and well muscled. Beauty and I thought she is a lovely creature to behold. We watched her approach, all of us fascinated to see such a creature and very much impressed by her beauty. She caught sight of us as she came down the stair way and stopped dead in her tracks half way down. She also looked a little surprised, but she also recovered quickly and gave us a polite little bow and said in a friendly and musical voice, “Hello.” “Osiyo-um-hello,” I replied as I remembered to stop gaping rudely at her and almost forgetting to speak English. Then remembering our manners, I added politely, “Why don’t you two and whoever is still in your space ship come in for some coffee?” “Hey, good idea,” my husband agreed with me in Cherokee. Then he switched back to English and said as he too fell back on courtesy as the next and safest course of action to take in this most unlikely and surprising situation, “My wife makes excellent coffee and we are more than happy to share.” Then he added after a moment’s thought, “I know this sounds a bit cliché, but am guessing you want to talk to our leaders? We have a few in-laws that work in the Main Council. We can call them to make the introductions and answer each other’s questions.” Santiago blinked, looking somewhat taken aback by that bit of information. Before he could reply another of his crew came down the steps just behind the green woman. “We have everything ready to be locked up, sir,” said another Terran man in a black uniform as he came into view. This one was a mix of African and Caucasian decent, with medium dark skin, a fine nose and large black eyes. He saw us and stopped dead in his tracks behind the green creature. “Um, hello.” He looked as if he didn’t quite know what to make of us. “Why do they keep reacting to us like that?” I thought to Beauty curiously. “They think that you two are members of a lost colony,” Beauty thought back to me and let Rising Sun listen in too so my husband would know what we were thinking to each other about. She was reading their minds as easily as breathing, “They have encountered them before…hmmm…lost human colonies are quite rare. When they are discovered, most still remember something about their origins, but a few don’t remember anything about where they came from. Often their first contact with such members of colonies that have forgotten is a fight or flight response. Even the lost colonies that have at least some memory of their origins will sometimes have the same reaction. A lot of facts can get twisted up into ugly shapes after a long time apart from the rest of humanity.” “They are surprised that you two are so calm and confident,” Rising Sun added. “Your attitude is totally opposite to what they have learned to expect from members of a lost colony.” “Hey! Why are you blocking the stairwell?” complained a voluptuous blonde woman dressed in a black uniform like the others just a moment after the brief mental conversation we shared. She was fair skinned and had sky-blue eyes that sparked with sharp intelligence. Her features were well made and pretty but not extraordinarily so. She also had an unusually high and mousey voice. “Hello,” my husband and I hailed her in near unison. She saw us and blinked a few times in surprise then said, “Oh! Um-hello.” “Do you like coffee?” I asked as I pointed a thumb in the general direction of our house behind us. “We have a fresh pot. I’m sure we have enough for everyone here.” Then my husband added, “We don’t know how long it will be for the Main Council to show up after we call them. It could be five minutes to and hour. Likely they will just send someone to bring you back the Main Capitol just north-west of here. Until we find out what they intend to do, you might as well come in and make yourselves comfortable. My wife’s name is Molly and mine is Mike Langley.” “Thank you,” Santiago replied looking a bit taken aback. Beauty and Rising Sun sensed that he was surprised by the rapidity of his first meeting with the locals. They expected to take months and even years before they could establish the trust they needed to create the working relationship as they attempted to reintroduce the lost colonists back into mainstream society. Then he remembered to finish the introductions and said to us as he pointed out each of his remaining members, “I am the team leader and anthropologist as well as the lead emissary. This is Zillga of Esha-goh. She’s my second in command and team botanist. Celeste Malone is our pilot and geologist. George Jones is her co-pilot and our team biologist.” “Nice to meet all of you,” I replied with a small and genuinely friendly smile. I noticed that our tactic of falling back on the familiar routine of common courtesy was indeed working. The off-worlders were calming down and becoming more professional in their demeanor and minds. Heck, it was making us feel a little less disoriented. It’s true that we Edens had been hoping, waiting and expecting a visit from Earth for centuries. But never in our much extended lifetime did we expect them to come to land in our front yard and incidentally make us ambassadors of Eden. Beauty and Rising Sun refused to ‘path to them as they continued to observe the unusual events unfolding before us. They were just as surprised as we were and they were also hiding from our visitors because we weren’t supposed to tell about them just yet. As far as the off-worlders were supposed to be concerned, we were just ordinary humans living where no human should be. “Nice to meet you too,” Santiago replied with automatic politeness. Then he said, “If you would lead us back to you house, we would like to take up your offer of coffee and a meeting this Main Council of yours.” “Sure,” I said with a nod and beckoned them all to follow us back into the trees were our home resided. The other three team members finally descended the stairs and joined Santiago on the ground. Santiago then pulled out a small device from his right pants pocket and pointed it at the ship. He pressed a small button on its top with his thumb, the stairway rose back up into the ship’s hatchway and the hatch closed up tight behind it. After he replaced the device back into his pocket, he turned his attention briefly to the larger device he had been holding in his hand. It was the size of a miniature television set, grey in color and had a small key pad as far as I could tell from where Mike and I were standing. I guessed it had a small monitor on the upper portion of it as well. Beauty confirmed that my guess was correct. She was still peeking into his mind without his knowing about it. He punched something in, pointed it this way and that, and looked into the screen as his did so. When he seemed satisfied that the thing was working correctly, he walked towards us so he could follow us back to our house. Beauty and Rising Sun were still keeping an “ear” tuned into the minds of the others and helping us listen in. If any of them thought of doing anything wrong, we would know about it before they would have time to act. We were being polite and cheerful, but underneath that was a cautious reserve, a sort of wait and see attitude. Shifting their own small carrying cases and setting up their own little devices, the other three followed Santiago as we led them out of the clearing. It was then we noted that they did not appear to be armed at all. Beauty informed me that they were, but their weapons were concealed. She also sensed that they had no intention of using their weapons unless they had no other choice. We didn’t like that they were armed, but we decided with a brief wordless thought and a shared glance that we would tolerate the weapons. They were useless to them anyway and we had no plans of provoking them. “We are coming.” thought a familiar mental voice in our minds. “We will meet with them in your home shortly.” Without missing a step or even giving any indication to our guests that the Representative Speaker of the People of the First Clan had just contacted us telepathically, we led them to our cabin door and let them in. “Why did you take so long to tell us that you were aware of them?” I asked her mentally, switching back to Cherokee as I did so. “We were curious to see what they would do when they saw you,” she thought back in Cherokee also. “So the Council voted to watch and judge their reaction to meeting you when it was discovered where they planned to land. Obviously they would not be able to hurt you should they turn out to be hostile, so we permitted them to go where they wanted.” “May we show ourselves to them now Ithe?” asked Rising Sun. Ithe meant ‘mother’ in Cherokee (pronounced “ith-ee”). He was her son after all and like her, he too was telepathic. In fact, that was just about the only way he could communicate with anyone. “Not now, Love,” his mother and Councilor replied mentally. Then she reminded us (unnecessarily, I thought to myself with mild irritation), “You all need to wait until after the Council has spoken to them first. You should know that I will not release any of you from your oaths until then.” “We will keep our promise to you Madame Councilor,” Mike thought back obediently with a wordless question if he was right to be so formal. “Yes, please do call us by our formal titles while they are here,” the Councilor confirmed. “It would help if you could bring a few extra chairs and some refreshments,” I thought to her. “I have just enough coffee in our pot for one cup per off-worlder. Also, I have nothing as far as fast food that will look fancy enough for a formal meeting. The best I can do is sliced fruit, cheese and crackers. I believe some of the formality you want will be destroyed if I serve that and have some of us sitting on the floor.” “There will be no need of that,” the Councilor replied mentally. “We plan to only come long enough to introduce ourselves, answer a few questions, then teleport ourselves and them back to the Capitol.” “I will still need chairs,” I insisted mentally. “I will arrange for some when we get there,” she replied. “Okay, Wado,” I thought back and she broke contact. (‘Wado’ was Cherokee for ‘Thank you.) “Do you think they decided to come here for first contact or for other reasons than she told us?” Mike ‘pathed wonderingly to me in Cherokee with Rising Sun’s help. “They’re coming here is very odd in spite of what she said.” With Beauty’s help I ‘pathed back in the same language, “Well I guess it would be a rude shock to be suddenly teleported elsewhere. Especially when they don’t know such a thing can be done.” By the time they all came into the living room and I shut the door behind them, the telepathic communication between the Councilor and us had ended. The off-worlders were totally unaware we were ‘talking’ to anyone. The explorers looked about with interest at our living room. “Wow,” Santiago commented with obvious appreciation. Zillga’s skin deepened in color to a richer emerald green in reaction to her emotions. As far as I could tell, she looked impressed by our collection and Beauty confirmed my guess. Fascinated and delighted by Zillga’s ability to change color with her mood, I was hard pressed not to stare rudely at her with wide eyes. Mike slightly lifted an eye brow in surprise at the sight of her pretty color shift. Our cabin is of relatively modern build. Meaning the logs on the outside of our house were strictly decorative. Inside the house the walls were just smooth sheet rock that had been painted white. Bare wooden floors were in every room for the sake of convenience. We often had animals and children living with us, and bare floors were easier to maintain than carpets. We had a large living room, large kitchen, three bed rooms and an even more spacious master bedroom for Mike and me. Currently we had no children with us to fill those extra bedrooms. They were all grown up and had children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of their own, too many for us to even bother to count any more. All twenty-five of our children were still living as well as most of the twelve or fourteen generations after them. Thank God for the Shining Ones and the symbiotic relationship they have with us. When our guests came in the first things they noticed was how familiar things looked to them. Also the surprising collection of various artifacts we had on the shelves lining the wall and the fire place mantel. The shelves were full of paperback books, old magazines, even more stories on audio disks, nick-knacks, small statues, baskets, sea shells, shed dragon scales, a few skulls, teeth, fossils of many kinds, horns, and tusks (the animal parts came from animals that died of natural causes only). Also, bug specimens, and enormous well preserved Galapagos tortoise shell, and lapidary samples of many sizes and kinds (most of fine quality). Whole or only slightly damaged egg shells from various oviparous creatures including our symbiotes’ egg shells they had hatched from so long ago set in with the rest of the hodgepodge. There was also quite a collection of ancient Native American pots, bowls, ladles arrow heads, baskets, wood and bone flutes and ceramic ocarinas. Many of the bare spots on the walls were covered by various paintings, prints, and drawings. All of the originals were done by my husband, myself or by our children or grandchildren. No family pictures though, we never liked them enough to hang them on our walls. There were two plush blue reclining rocker chairs in front of the large bay window that looked out through the trees towards the clearing. A small elegant wooden coffee table with a small and lovely antique Tiffany reading lamp on it stood between the two chairs. Strait across the living room in front of the two chairs was a large entertainment center. It contained a medium large electronic system that worked as a television set, a computer, vid-disk player, and stereo system all in one. The largest component being the monitor, the rest was quite compact and streamlined and extremely easy to use. Most of its functions were voice activated or one could use the touch screen on the monitor. Every available shelf and surface was filled with more books, audio disks, vid-disks, and even a couple of nice house plants. The only other available seating in the living room was a large plump couch that matched the reclining chairs. It was placed to the left of the chair closest to the front door and parallel to the shelf lined wall behind it, several feet away from both the chairs and the wall. In the facing wall across from the couch is a fire place. It contained no fire yet, but we often did light it in the evening for the beautiful light the fire cast. Just to break up the floor space, we had a large oriental rug in the middle of the living room that was otherwise devoid of anything else. True, the carpet was often at risk of being soiled by animal or child traffic when they were in here. But the living room would not look right without it. “You have a little of everything in here,” Zillga commented with pleasure. “What are those teeth from over there?” George asked with interest. “The large ones next to those clear crystals.” “Those crystals look like quartz,” Celeste commented as she noticed the sample on the mantel George had indicated. “They are quite lovely. Where did you get them?” “From a shop a while back,” I replied tactfully while trying to look relaxed. It didn’t occur to us that our living room would give rise to so many awkward questions. If they were observant enough, they would notice much of what we had was Terran in origin. We had promise to tell them nothing, yet our collection told much of our history. George approached the mantel and picked up a fossilized shark tooth the size of his hand. He stared at in wonder. “This is a Melodeon tooth! Where did you get this?” “Bought it in a gem and mineral show some years ago,” Mike answered. “Yeah, like five hundred and a half centuries ago in Tucson, Arizona,” Beauty mentally commented uncomfortably to me in private. “I hope Ithe won’t be upset with us. Our collection is bending our promise to the breaking point.” “Really?” George said as he turned his curious gaze toward us. “How did the dealer get it?” “Likely from another dealer,” I said evasively. We wouldn’t lie to any of them; honor prevented us from doing so. Also, for me there was another reason for sticking to the truth. I am no good at lying, so holding back information is the best I could do. “Why are you being so evasive?” Celeste asked curiously from where she stood next to George. She looked and sounded like the stereotypical dumb blonde, but everything in her demeanor and the way she looked at everything all but screamed of high intelligence. I had never seen someone have that look of excellent smarts dance in one’s eyes so much and I found myself being fascinated by it. “The Main Council bid us not to tell you anything until they got here,” Mike answered. “They are preparing to come here and introduce themselves as we speak.” “And they know you’re here,” I added helpfully. “They’ve been watching you ever since you came into orbit.” “How do you know that?” Santiago asked. He looked as if he suspected we might be lying to him or playing a joke. “Sorry, we can’t tell you that either,” Mike replied apologetically. “The Council will tell you everything when they get here,” I added with mild reassurance. Zillga asked politely, “When will this Main Council of yours arrive?” Before we could answer, there was a loud knock at the door. “About now, I suspect,” I replied as we watched Mike cross the living room and open the door. “Hello?” Mike said to an unfamiliar man holding an electronic clip-board. “Hullo,” he answered in a thick English accent. He wore an expensive three piece suit with highly polished black shoes. He glanced at his electronic clip-board then asked, “Mr. Langley I presume?” “Yes.” “I am Mr. John Stuart,” the black haired, brown eyed man said. “The Main Council sent me ahead. They will be along in a moment. May I come in?” “Yes, of course.” Mike stood aside so Mr. Stuart could enter. Mr. Stuart came in and stood at attention in front of the curio cabinet to the left of the door. Mike, seeing no one outside at present, closed the door behind him and rejoined us. There was a loud, ‘knock-knock-knock!’ Mr. Stuart unnecessarily straitened his black suit coat, opened the door and announced formally, “All rise for the Main Council.” We were already standing, so we waited quietly as the first of the Councilors stepped through our front door. “Councilor Eloyis,” Mr. Stuart introduced formally, “Representative Speaker for the People of the First Clan.” Eloyis, both our kinswoman in Joining and Main Councilor, which is a sort of president here on Eden, is one of the most beautiful creatures in existence. Her body in its true form is humanoid and well proportioned, curved and slender in all the right places. Her unusually large eyes (by human standards anyway) were a solid black, with an Asian slant and almond shaped. The rest of her facial features were fine and very human like. Her silver hair shone beautifully with its own matching halo of bioluminescent light as it cascaded from her head nearly to her feet. Her pure white skin also glowed with its own white light where the thick cloth of her dress didn’t cover her body. Her dress is elegant silver that matched her hair and sensible dress flats also in metallic silver. No jewelry adorned her person. She didn’t need it; jewelry would have only detracted from her beauty instead of enhancing it. She is just that kind of stunning. The off-worlders stood in silent awe as she regally took her place in the nearest rocker recliner. “Councilor Ian Malcolm,” Mr. Stuart announced as the next V.I.P. walked sedately through our front door, “Representative Speaker for the People of the Second Clan.” Ian Malcolm is a middle aged human man. He is a little heavy set, eyes the color of lapis, thinning red hair going grey at the temples, clean shaven, fair skinned and unjoined. He wore a steel grey business suit and black dress shoes that shone like polished obsidian. He crossed the living room and took the other rocker recliner. “Councilor Red Bird, Representative Speaker for the People of the Third Clan,” Mr. Stuart announced. With a brief glance and a polite nod at the door man, Councilor Red Bird took the nearest seat on the couch. Then she waited silently for the ceremony of formal introductions to finish. Red is a Joined One like me, her symbiote’s name is Star Jamison. It’s normally considered rude not to introduce one’s symbiote as if they were nonexistent, but someone must have told Mr. Stuart not to mention the unseen entities just yet. Just looking at Councilor Red Bird, one would not know that she is not human. In fact she is a Harpy, named after the Greek myth they strongly resembled in avian form. Her species talent is the ability to shape shift at will into a human headed, half bird-half humanoid creature. Now she looked completely human except for the ever so faint feather like markings just under her skin, and a short feather tufted tail that stuck out of her slacks. The fine hair-like feathers were colored red like a scarlet macaw’s feathers. She is small boned, with hard wiry muscles and only four feet and five inches tall, emerald eyes and fine reddish brown eyebrows. Her rich red hair is so dark that it is almost brown. She wore her shining locks in an elegant bun. She wore low heeled pumps, black slacks, silk blouse of a rich violet, black dress coat long enough to hide her tail and white pearl ear rings. She smiled kindly at the off-worlders as she took her seat and the next Councilor was announced by John Stuart. “Councilor Silvia Lloyd, Representative Speaker for the People of the Fourth Clan.” Councilor Silvia Lloyd is a beautiful woman to behold. She wore a professional black business suit (the kind with the knee length black skirt), white blouse, nude panty hose, a black low heeled pumps. Her hair is long and golden like honey and held back neatly in place by a fancy hair clasp. She has a face and body that would have easily wound up on a cover of a fashion magazine; if that is, the photographers didn’t mind her being only three feet six inches tall. She is not a midget however, her small stature is normal for her species. What is most remarkable about her appearance is her huge silver multi-spared butterfly like wings. They were held back and open to both display them and enable her to pass through the front door. Her wings are so large that the tops of them nearly touched the top of the door way and she had to keep the bottom parts of her wings partially folded up to keep them from dragging on the ground. As she headed for the middle of the couch, her wings and a hump of muscles that went all the way down her back began to shrink. In seconds, her wings were reduced to four fin-like structures to either side of her back, and the hump of extra muscle mass had been reduced to smaller, more human proportions. She folded what remained of her wings flat as she hopped up onto the couch. Feet hanging inches off of the floor and her back well away from the back of the couch, she still managed to project all the dignity and authority a Council woman should in spite of her child sized appearance. She was young for the position of Main Councilor, only about thirty. Yet she apparently had all the right stuff to make it to such a lofty position in Eden’s government. The off-worlders could not help but gape at Councilor Lloyd’s display of her species talent. For them, she was a legend come to life. How could this be? “Councilor Keto, Representative Speaker for the People of the Fifth Clan,” John Stuart announced as a huge and magnificent lion stepped through the door. Celeste let out a barely stifled, “Eeek!” when she saw him. Santiago quietly demanded of me, “Is this some kind of joke? Why is a lion on the Council? How did it get here for that matter?” “Watch,” I whispered back to him. Then I thought to Keto, “Show off!” Councilor Keto is not a true lion at all. Well, that isn’t quite accurate. He is a cat - sort of. All one had to do to know this is to notice the visibly darker diamond shaped patch of fur on his fore head. Like Red Bird, Mike and I, Keto is Joined. His symbiote’s name is Timothy, son of Governor Amoitoy and Councilor Eloyis. This made him one of our in-laws. Keto had ignored my playful telepathic remark. We were friends, but he is all business today. He paused before the third and final seat on the couch before demonstrating his species talent. His muzzle became shorter and the place where his spine attached to his skull changed so his head could be comfortably held upright. His chest changed from cat to a well muscled humanoid torso. Shoulders, arms and hands metamorphosed from paws and forelegs. Hips flattened out and broadened into human like hips. Male feline genitals became humanoid, he was quite well endowed. His hind legs lengthened and rounded out as the distance between his hind toes and his hocks became smaller. He settled down on his newly formed heels as his tufted tail shrank up and out of the way between his well formed buttocks. The entire transformation took only about five seconds. Stunned, the off-worlders could only stare at him as he took his seat next to Silvia. Mr. Stuart announced the Sixth and final Council member before shutting the door behind them. “Councilor Shardan, Representative Speaker of the People of the Sixth Clan.” Shardan’s name is actually two human names stuck together, a common tradition among the Sirens. Her name came from the two names ‘Shar’ from Sharron and ‘Dan’ from Danny. Shardan had long silver antennae that resembled dense ostrich plumes on top of her head. Or his head if one preferred. For Shardan was both male and female. Though most preferred to be referred to as female, it made things simpler that way. Her antennae shimmered in the indirect sunlight coming through the bay window’s lace curtains. This shimmering effect is caused by the cilia on the hair like fronds of her antennae and moved inward as they waved in the air in their dense multitudes to generate a small air current to bring even the slightest smells to them. She has a rounded, triangular shaped head and strong jaws. Small nostrils were set close to the end of her small blunt ended snout, one on each side. Large dark grey eyes protected by boney eye ridges that were set on either side of her head. In spite of the arrangement, of her eyes, Shardan had stereo vision like predatory birds. Just three finger spaces behind Shardan’s eyes are where the pinky finger thick bases of her antennae were attached. Slightly before and three finger spaces down below her antennae were the small lizard like openings to her ear canals. The Sixth Clanner’s body is well muscled with elements of both male and female. From the waist up, Shardan resembled broad shouldered man. From the waist down, she resembled a woman with well defined hips. Shardan, like most of her kind wore no clothing, so her very human like male sex organs were easily visible while her female sex organs remained hidden just behind them. Her hands and feet had only four digits on each of them and were broad and powerful looking, tipped with shiny black claws. Except for the tips of her dark nipples, the foot pads and the undersides of her fingers and the palms of her hands, Shardan is covered in a sleek horse like fur coat. It shone silver grey as she sat in the rocking chair nearest to the one Ian occupied. As she sat down, she squinted and blinked her eyes a few times before shutting her inner lids. Sixth Clanners had excellent vision, especially at night or in dark places. Though able to see well enough in lighted areas, they were a bit photophobic. The entrance way must have been dark enough for to open her inner lids. Then it became too bright for her by the window. The photosensitive inner lids quickly darkened like prescription sun glasses, making them appear solid black. Mike had Rising Sun teleport the rocking chair from our bedroom when he noticed only five of the six Councilors had places to sit. Shardan had taken her seat with quiet dignity as the off-worlders tried to figure out where the chair had come from. Distracted by her entrance, they had not seen its sudden appearance nor had they noticed the slight breeze from the displaced air when it appeared. Eloyis eyed Mike reproachfully at his and Rising Sun’s nearly breaking their oath of secrecy. Mike just smiled serenely. Eloyis sighed quietly and gave in. With a slight outward breeze of displaced air, six folding chairs appeared in a semicircle in the open space in our living room. “Sa-rrru Cha!” swore Zillga as she paled to a faded yellow green, an expression of what could we could only take as shock and wonderment. The others gasped and stared in confusion and wonder, apparently lost for words unlike Zillga. Mike took the chair next to Shardan’s left, and I sat to Mike’s left. “Do not be afraid,” Keto rumbled in his deep growling voice. “Councilor Eloyis teleported chairs for all of you. Please, be seated.” “It’s okay,” I added encouragingly as I kindly gestured for them to take their seats. The off-worlders looked at each other, and then Santiago shrugged and took the seat next me. Zillga, Celeste and George took the other three chairs. “On behalf of the entire Main Council, welcome to Eden,” Eloyis intoned formally in her lovely alto. She smiled radiantly, quite literally. Her glow momentarily brightened as she smiled, and no, the inside of her mouth doesn’t glow. “Why make first contact here?” I thought to her. I wanted to know if the Council really had any other motives for coming to my house for this historic event. “We decided it was only fair that we hold it here at least in part because we did let them land right in your front yard after all,” Eloyis mentally replied. “Very thoughtful of you,” I thought back appreciatively. “We will answer your questions now,” Eloyis said to the off-worlders. “How did you make these chairs appear?” Santiago asked. “We First Clanners are telekinetic,” Eloyis answered. “That’s quite a talent,” Santiago said, looking impressed. “Do you know who we are already?” George asked. “Yes,” Eloyis answered. “We have been monitoring your activities ever since the Nova was detected by one of our lunar stations.” “We voted to simply to observe you for a time to see what you would do,” Silvia said in her sweet, almost musical voice. “From the moment of our agreement,” Keto rumbled in his rich bass, “the Council has been closely monitoring you telepathically.” “Telepathy?” Santiago said skeptically. “Yes,” Eloyis thought loudly to everyone. We could not help but notice that her mouth was completely shut and not moving when she answered Santiago. There was no doubting that she was thinking at us and not speaking. Unlike the television shows and movies, in real life, people who can telepath don’t make funny expressions and their mental voices sound just like someone speaking. There is no echo or hearing words inside one’s head, one “hears” thoughts with their ears. It is just the way the brain perceives telepathy. The receivers also sense feelings and emotions ‘pathed to them almost as if it were their own. Ian spoke in his unremarkable baritone, “We watched you because you were a potential threat and we needed to know what you intentions were.” Santiago nodded with understanding. He and his companions obviously did not like the First Clanner’s method of spying on his people. Yet they seemed to except their motives were reasonable enough. “Thanks to the First Clanners, we have learned that your intentions are peaceful.” Shardan said in her pleasant and sexually neutral voice. “And we know you only wish to exchange knowledge and trade with us,” Ian added. “We will allow this once it is established that making contact with what you call ‘the known universe’ will cause no great harm to our world,” Red said as she regarded the off-worlders with her emerald eyes. “We are especially wary of off-world humans,” Eloyis said. “Our history is strange and intimately intertwined with Earth’s history. Some of our history is rather unpleasant and frightening. Mostly it’s our power and physical needs that tend to frighten people the most. Many have rejected us before, often violently.” “Like the ability to spy on us telepathically,” Santiago said suggested. “That is one reason,” Eloyis agreed, “though I can promise you that it is not our usual habit to spy on others minds.” “I am glad to hear that,” Santiago replied. “Is it your people that are responsible for the presence of humans on this planet?” Zillga asked. “Or is it the other Clans that are responsible?” “It is we Shining Ones that is responsible for the presence of everything on this planet, including humans,” Eloyis answered. “You mean your people terra formed this planet?” Zillga said with impressed amazement. “Not many races can do that, and rarely can they do it as well as we have seen so far.” “Thank you,” Eloyis said graciously. “You also mentioned something about your physical needs as well as your powers may cause our people to reject Eden,” George said with wary curiosity. “What do you mean by that? How is Earth’s history and Eden’s history connected?” This is a potential can of worms, I thought. Then I prayed that things would be all right. “Amen to that,” Eloyis thought back to me privately. Then out loud she spoke the off-worlders, “Those are some good questions, and it will take time to fully explain.” “We got time,” Celeste piped up. “And nobody’s perfect. I for one am willing to keep an open mind. So I see no reason to fear you.” Eloyis sighed grimly. “You may yet find reason, even though we have no intent in causing you to fear us.” Then she continued, “The beginning of Eden’s history is a strange and tragically violent one…” Eloyis recounted Eden’s history from the passage of the colonial ships to present day Eden. She had always been a good story teller and she was bluntly candid and completely honest in her recount. The off-world visitors were alternatively fascinated and horrified by the violent beginnings of the Shining Ones. Eloyis concluded, “We have not completely discontinued contact from Earth, even though we have all moved away. None had the heart to cut the Second Clanners off completely from their home world. Many had left family and friends behind, especially in the beginning, so small and strictly regulated visits by tourists and journalists are permitted to go to Earth in secret. We are kept informed on the goings on at Earth as a distance.

#sci-fi #novel chapter #fantasy

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benonceandforall-blog · 7 years

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A fat guys obligation

I know that there are certain obligations that I must fulfill, everyone has their own role to play, everyone has their own agenda and criteria to fulfill. And when you go against the Axiom your role in society will always be disgraceful and complete null and void. My role is the fat guy. Yep I said it right the fat guy. The fat guy has to Perpetual roles to play out in order to survive in this world. These roles play on genetics of sad fat guys parents. Their genealogical structure will greatly influence the outcome. The funny fat guy or the mean fat guy. If the fat guy has short parents his role would have to lean towards being the fun fat guy for a few crucial reasons. Reason 1 if height is what he lacks he would have to win people over with comedy. Maybe something that's not witty but more of a slapstick nature. Embarrassing himself at every social interaction he takes place in. Avoiding agitated Conflict at all times possible, he should always do something that neglects his own emotional standpoint no matter how high the stakes. His right at mating are scanty at best. Knowing that no woman would want to be with him, he must overly develop his wits and charisma. By doing this, the chances of pity being taken upon him would greatly enhance his chances. Also age and the amount of children such prospect would have. He should look towards individuals with low self-esteem, especially if she believes no other man would one her, only exception for this rule would be if her femininity is more turgent than other women. Because of more suitors his chances would be null and void even with said extra baggage. His counterpart on the other hand, would have a little more to work with being higher on the food chain. The angry fat guy knows his place in the world, deeply troubled by his stature he lashes out at the world. He must Harden himself from the pain in his heart by becoming an apex predator. He will not choose a more whimsical course of action but a more violent approach. His height has a lot to do with his course of action so must any who take this role usually meet the height requirement of six feet or over. If he meets these requirements his height and weight will have a symbiotic relationship. In his early life he could take on the role as a bully intimidating those around him into being his friend. If he's not as maniacal his role as an enforcer for others would win him appreciation depending on who he allows to be his friend. Because of his size and strength he will most likely be used in an incorrect manner. Depending on how deep is anger runs, he would most likely have a greater meeting right then his shorter counterpart an even greater right than both tall and short funny fat guy is next of kin. He could also play on the fact that more women prefer taller men and more common women prefer the bad boy type. But in the end his anger will do him in, as he gets older and more men around him become of age. His social life will be an empty one for wherever he goes we always have to watch his back for the next person who would want to challenge him. And because he's no longer allowed to live in a juvenile Society After High School his intimidation tactics to win friends over will no longer work, because no one likes an angry giant. And if he has a little bit of doubt in his heart he will have to live with the guilt of his anger for the rest of his life. Because of my height and stature I knew I had to play the role of the fun fat guy or fun fat kid growing up. Well I didn't take on the role too well in my heart like other kids like me. I've seen how they let their so-called friends wail on them to their fist were tired. Calling out 'that don't hurt' I took the abuse for the sake of friendship laughing and giggling along the way, but when I went home and relaxed the pain was no laughing matter. I remember the teacher telling my mom that I used to dive into the floor so the other kids could hit me. And she believed it. But the truth was I was overpowered by a group of boys and some girls ganging up on me. Instead of trying to tell the teacher or defend myself I laughed it off even though my hip was hurting for weeks. Even though I'm not tall I dabbled in the role of being the angry fat guy or kid. One day in gym class in the 7th grade it was just like any other day a group of boys punching me in the arm as hard as they possibly could and me trying my best to shrug it off and laugh. Around that time my body was also going through changes well at least from a mental standpoint. It was a good idea to put on deodorant and nice clothes and get a haircut, I even had on a nice pair of shoes I took for my brother. A pair of beige suede Wallabees, but I was the fun fact kid who was short and let the other boys will on me for fun so the new-look didn't go over so well. It seemed like the other kids wailed on me even harder that day and because I was transferred to another class from the beginning of the year others for my old class join in on the abuse. All taking turns punching me in the arm, one kid got the bright idea to go over to the water fountain and cup his hands underneath and rain water down over my head. I remember snapping, this kid was bigger than me and he was one of the tallest and feared in the class, the water that he rained on me got on the shoes I took for my brother and stain them. I grabbed him by the shirt collar and dashed him to the floor and it instant I mounted him and began punching his face all the other boys in the gym and the gym teachers were shocked, so they didn't rush to his Aid right away. I beat his face a bloody mess and it took both teachers to pull me off him. When they pulled him up he staggered around in a daze and the other kids tossed him out of the gym and the teacher locks the gym door. Somewhere shocked others ran up and congratulated me some kids even pulled me off to the side and said if him and his friends were to retaliate come get them. After that I felt a great measure of guilt. Guilt for what I did and how people viewed me. Out of the few squabbles throughout the years I never let a scrimmage get that bad and when I did fight I never beat nobody that bad ever again. Tired of these two rows I became the gloomy fat guy, I hear scientists still don't fully understand how this came about. Taking on this role I was demonized for being crazy for the rest of my school days up until adulthood and maybe Beyond, because I refuse to talk to people. Even as an adult I still see that old familiar look in their eyes when they see me, people in general that is. They get this smirk on their face and they make unwanted unnecessary eye contact with me almost as if they can remember the funny fat guy they grew up with. It almost seems like they want me to make a fool out of myself or drop my pants or trip and fall or throw-up. Even though I'm married women still feel that if I glance at them a couple of times while I'm on the bus or train, I'm the most repulsive individual on Earth and they suck their teeth or roll eyes and walk away. And it's funny because half the time I'm thinking about what I'm going to do when I get home. But in the end I think I'll always going to be labeled as anti-social or crazy. Maybe I am, I refuse to have a unrealistic view of my own mental stability or mental health. But I don't know who is true and who's not so I think I'll always live this way

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cherokeegal1975 · 5 years

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Eden Symbiotic, Ch.1

This book can be bought on Amazon either as a kindle or as a paperback book. Just type in “Eden Symbiotic by Meriah Smith” and it will pop right up.

#science fiction story #litrature #fantasy #story #novel #chapter

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