#talent caldwell

[femmefataleart]

[weathermanone]

WildCATS: Nemesis 1 (2005) by Talent Caldwell, Matt Banning & Thomas Mason

[tomoleary]

Michael Turner and Talent Caldwell - Fathom # 13 double page splash

[classicartverso]

Talent Caldwell - Fathom 

[cryptocollectibles]

Fathom Dawn of War #0 (June 2004) by Aspen Comics

Written by J.T. Krul, drawn by Talent Caldwell and Jason Gordor, cover by Talent Caldwell, Jason Gordor, and Peter Steigerwald.

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Sire Vol. 1 Origins

Sire Vol. 1 Origins preview. Not all costumes are a perfect fit... Donald Wright woke up trapped inside a superhero costume. #comics #comicbooks

[dicktat]

Little pilgrim boy

Art by my friend😭😭😭it’s a gift for me cuz I was feeling down. I love her

[worstversionofme]

Am (already) relistening to NADDPOD and the talk of killing your idols in reference to Denny hits DIFFERENT after the finale and now I feel things

[im-merobiba]

in honour of drawfee turning ten (!!!) here are ten reasons why you should watch drawfee

the art is incredible. i feel like that goes without saying for an art-based channel, but i am consistently impressed with how talented the hosts are.

these people are hilarious. pretty much every episode has at least one moment that makes me laugh out loud, which is no small feat. the jokes are just silly enough to be funny without being too much. or they are too much, which is just as entertaining.

all four hosts have great personalities that really shine. i like to say that each has their own flavour of chaos, which can really stand out both on its own and in combination with the others.

the four of them a really great dynamic. you can tell that they don't just spend time together because they have to. they have a genuine connection that one can only hope to find with a friend group.

the show has some great guests. from longtime friends of the show like willie and caldwell to newer folks like ralph and onsta. they've even had fans on the show before, such as deepblueink and nathan longs.

drawtectives. just drawtectives. the gang--especially julia--puts so much effort into making it an enjoyable series, and it's such a good time. it's definitely a commitment, with over twenty hours worth of episodes, but it is so worth it.

the fandom is probably the best i've ever been a part of. i've never seen much controversy in this fanbase, only positivity and a great sense of humour. the drawfee crew seems to like us, too. i hope they do, anyway.

speaking of the fandom, some of the best fan work in general i've ever seen have come from drawfee fans. from fanart to animations to edits to music, this fandom has some incredible creativity.

i talked about the humour, but i feel like i need to mention the recurring bits. i find myself laughing at everyday things like crabs and eggs because they remind me of some ridiculous drawfee bit.

this channel has been around for ten whole years now, and has continued to be incredible over all this time. i'm admittedly a newer fan, having discovered the show in early 2022, but i can recognise how much love and work has gone into this show. it's been a source of comfort for me and so many others, and i think that's a true accomplishment.

congratulations on ten years, drawfee crew. here's to many more.

[awlimagines]

The Chime Hours of Forgotten Valley

Surrounded by nature, Forgotten Valley enjoyed peaceful tranquility without interference from the Caldwell Foundation or the Fae and their wars. However, the valley's residents have faced hardship as the lands produced less and the wilderness grew unchecked in the past ten years. After an incident in the mountains, the town’s mayor called for help from the Caldwell Foundation, while local fae reached out to their leader for assistance. Choose to play as newly appointed hunter Pony Hopkins or Claire Lyndall, a chime child loved by the fae as you care for crops and livestock and explore the mysteries of Forgotten Valley and its residents.

MAIN CHARACTER PATHS

Pony Hopkins decides to follow as a talented Hunter in her father’s footsteps. As a fresh graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, Pony is charged with an uncover assignment to blend into the community and search for fae poisoning the land and endangering the lives of citizens. Pony never expects her path to lead to her father’s hometown. She finds a place to call home with an old friend of her father. Pony juggles trying to restore the farm and completing her mission. 

Claire Lyndall left her hometown in search of freedom and a fresh start. She didn’t realize how much money such a thing cost. Luckily, the decline of the land over the years opened some farmland in Forgotten Valley. The Mayor was willing to give her the land for the meager change in her pocket, thrilled to have a new townsmember. Claire is barely settled when Harvest Sprites approach her for help reviving the land’s Harvest Goddess and restoring the safety of the local fae.

ROUTES

Once an excellent Hunter at the top of his game, Matthew was poisoned by a catoblepas in his prime. His breathing has been sorely affected, regulating the man into a supervisory role. Matthew’s harsh exterior hides the worry and care for his subordinates and citizens. He becomes conflicted in the Apprentice Path over sending you to increasingly dangerous situations without feeling he can adequately protect you. While in the Chime Child Path, Matthew faces a conflict of faith in realizing everything he was led to believe is not as it seems.

The senior hunter assigned to the area, Gordy Scherer, works directly beneath the area’s supervisor. Due to his silent nature, Gordy’s accomplishments have mostly flown under the radar. No one is sure how he accomplishes his work, but no area he has been stationed has any fae remaining when he leaves. As he opens up, one discovers his passion for art. You learn his secret to complete his missions in the Apprentice Path. While in the Chime Child Path, Gordy can be persuaded to work against the Caldwell Foundation.

While Daryl Bowditch works for the Caldwell Foundation, he only does so for the funding to pursue his studies of the fae. The scientist is vocal about his displeasure with the state of fae delivered to his lab. His independent attempts to capture live specimens have all failed. The Apprentice Path focuses on Daryl persuading you to capture live fae for study rather than extermination. In contrast, the Chime Child Path follows Daryl’s experiments, interest in your abilities, and encouragement to introduce him to new subjects.

Gray Corwin completed the primary classes offered at the Caldwell Academy before apprenticing as a blacksmith with his grandfather. Due to the increased number of hunters in Forgotten Valley, the forge has accepted a temporary partnership with the Cadlwell Foundation to provide them with new tools and weapons in addition to maintenance. While Gray is grateful for the increase in work, he wishes to pursue making his projects rather than the same things every day. In the Apprentice Path, you encourage Gray to explore his interests and help test his accessories and tools. Meanwhile, in the Chime Child Path, Gray is eager to learn how the fae makes accessories and how they can be adapted for human use.

Rick de Lancre is a new graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, where he was at the top of the class each year. He won’t let you or anyone else forget his position. His time in Forgotten Valley is a stepping stone before moving to greater things. As you work together in the field, you see his mask slip as he questions his capabilities and the pressures on him to be the best. In the Apprentice Path, Rick bonds with you over the burdens of being raised in a hunter family. The Chime Child Path finds Rick struggling between his duty and heart in accepting someone he has been taught to hate.

Living on your own without your parent’s guidance and help is tougher than you thought. Thankfully, the talented musician Gustafa Anderson is willing to help you. The older man is experienced in living independently and being the new person in a town. Though not a fae, as a chime child, Gustafa is intrinsically linked to them and enjoys their company. In the Chime Child Path, Gustafa is on your side from day one when he finds you conversing with the sprites. He helps you learn to use your abilities without revealing yourself and introduces you to the local fae. Conversely, in the Apprentice Path, once Gustafa trusts you, he shares about Chime Children, humans who are friends with the fae and share ties with them, gently encouraging you to expand your beliefs of right and wrong.

Rock Lei, son of the Lei-Over Inn’s keepers, is an open book. He is often found shooting his shot with anyone willing to give him the time of day. Rock claims you’re the real prize he’d like to win, and everyone else is a Plan B. As you grow closer, you learn that while he’s willing to share and be honest about his past. The fae replaced Tei and Lou’s child with Rock at the age of four. He views the couple as his parents, and they never treat him as less, so Rock doesn’t believe in acknowledging the specifics. Rock overcomes his dislike of the fae enough to help revive the Harvest Queen in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, he assists you in protecting his parents from accusations of being fae.

Doctor is cold and clinical in his dealings with everyone in town. His strict professionalism leaves you questioning if his nurse even knows his name. It isn’t until you grow closer that you realize Doctor Trent Petrarch cares very deeply for the safety and health of the town’s residents. While he is immensely talented and trained as a doctor, Trent has the assistance of his abilities as a unicorn to heal terminal illnesses or injuries for more complex cases. Trent helps you purify the spring to revive the Harvest Goddess in the Chime Child Path, while in the Apprentice Path, he finds himself in danger with the Caldwell Foundation.

Throughout the Spring, you wondered what the abandoned shack at the beach could be. The mystery is solved when Kai Gessner suddenly appears in the Summer, serving food from the building. His dashing smile and confidence cause your heart to skip a beat, but then he has that effect on all his targets. You arrive late one evening to deliver fresh produce, catching Kai swimming in the ocean. Nothing would be odd about that except for the glittering scaled tail replacing his legs. Kai encounters trouble being lured and caught by hunters who wish to display him in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Kai is framed as having sunk ships trying to reach Forgotten Valley.

You’re shocked to recognize a familiar face in town. Cliff Fee was a friend you never thought to see again. The two of you played together daily until he disappeared from town around the age of twelve. Your friendship can pick up where it left off with you confiding your troubles to him. He initially offers you his support unconditionally but begins to pull back, becoming withdrawn. You soon learn Cliff is the heir to the Fae Throne when he confesses the secret after feeling terrible keeping it from you. Cliff has to choose between assuming responsibility for the local fae or fleeing town once more to protect himself in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Cliff faces conflicts over his love for you and the dangers being close to you poses him.

SECRET ROUTES

Your Enemy, Your Friend (Pony/Claire Route)

You find that you keep bumping into the town’s other newcomer constantly. Considering how close your accommodations are, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s happening everywhere, including outside of town. You begin growing closer, discovering that you share similar histories and recent losses. Then, your companionship is shattered as you learn they’re everything you’re fighting against. Can you find common ground with them, or will your duty win out?

A Grim Affair

The work is more challenging than expected, and everyone wants something from you. You find refuge in the church and the kindly priest who tends to it. As you spend more time at the church, Pastor Carter asks you to assist in helping residents. A mishap leads you to discover the pastor keeps a sinister secret.

NOTES

I'm sorry it's so much, but I was consumed by the thought once I made it. I imagine (with my zero experience in making games) it would play mainly like a regular HM/SoS, with the heart events being replaced by plot-relevant interactions/encounters based on whether you play Pony or Claire. I have ideas for bad/good endings for each route, and some details about how a couple different routes would work. If anyone is interested in the idea, I might create a poll and start work on writing out interactions/encounters and the endings.

[femmefataleart]

Kiani by Talent Caldwell

[dumbcrustyassbitch]

IᑎTᖇO

hey !! this is basically just a silly blog where i ramble and reblog about my interests !!

info

you can call me bee :3

she/they

will unlikely be the one to initiate conversation, but feel free to talk to me !!! im just a very anxious person

neurodivergent in some way, im still working myself out

lesbian

can get very passionate, just lmk if im being annoying or too much !!!

my interests

mean girls

my favourite version of mean girls is the broadway !!! regina is my favourite character, ive watched the 2024 movie over 30 times !! also im an avid rejanis shipper !!! please send me asks/dm me about mean girls, i could babble for hours :3 my favourite song from the broadway is meet the plastics, and my favourite from the movie is someone gets hurt !! WISHING SO HARD FOR WEST END TICKETS🙏🙏🙏🙏

reneé rapp

ive been a fan for just under a year !! my favourite song of hers is either so what now, in the kitchen, snow angel, or moon. ive seen sex lives of college girls 4 times (leighton murray marry me) i own the mean girls and snow angel cds, and its my dream to own one of her vinyls !! i love her so so so much, she's helped me understand myself a little better, and SHE'S SO FUCKING FUNNY AND HER VOICE IS JUST AHAJABFAJAMAN

rachel mcadams

the first movie of hers i saw was mean girls ofc, and then i decided to go on a watching spree !! my all time favourite movie of hers is 100% morning glory, but a few honourable mentions are the notebook, the vow, red eye, eurovision (don't come for me it's not good it's just funny) and game night !! ALSO HER SNL SKIT>>>

erin caldwell

been a fan since 09/05/2023, met her twice, genuinely actually saved my life. there's not much more to say really. as a scottish person, it makes me so proud to see someone like me on stage (help im getting sentimental) but seriously, erin is one of my biggest inspirations, and she's helped me develop my confidence and skills and self esteem and SHES JUST AMAZING OKAY

musical theatre

my longest interest !!! favourite shows that ive seen live are six (ive seen it 4 times, round 5 and 6 booked !! the uk tour 23/24 cast hold a very special place in my heart), come from away, everybody's talking about jamie, pretty woman, hamilton, and grease :3 my favourite shows that i wish i could see/could've seen are mean girls, the notebook, and the great gatsby !!

gravity falls

been a fan for a while :) my favourite episode is “the golf war” because I LOVE PACIFICA HONESTLY !!!! (regina and pacifica are very similar, im sensing a pattern) very very strong shipper of mabel and pacifica !!!! I NEED THE BOOK OF BILL PLS🙏

other interests include the owl house, heartstopper/osemanverse, superstore, olly murs, chappell roan, towa bird, wednesday, descendants, dove cameron, bluey and olivia rodrigo :3

dni

homophobes, biphobes, etc. any anti lgbtq+

racists, xenophobes, etc.

transphobes, terfs, etc.

ableists

NO NSFW !!!!!!

just generally don't be an asshole pls, im here to have fun, not report you for being a cunt <3

extras

i don't write fics or draw very often, I JUST GENUINELY HAVE NO CREATIVE TALENTS TBH !!!! but i tend to shitpost about mean girls and reneé mostly, some rachel thrown in there !!

also i frequently get the urge to change the entire theme of my blog, just go with it. but it's unlikely that i will change my username !!!! (it's a reneé lyric for those of you uneducated)

ANYWAY THANK U FOR READING HAVE FUN ON MY BLOG OKAY BYE !!!! DRINK WATER !!!!🩷

[alldancersaretalented]

Dancers You Might Know That Competed Against ALDC (Season 7)

Season 7 Episode 1 Sheer Talent Las Vegas 2016

there only were 35 dances entered into the competition

Season 7 Episode 2 Fierce NDC San Diego 2016

Addison Middleton competed under Signature Dance Academy

Zsofia Grenevitch competed under Signature Dance Academy

Signature Dance Academy had a group dance "Dream On" competing against CADCs (3rd) and ALDCs (1st) groups, they placed 2nd

other well known studios competing: Signature Dance Academy

Season 7 Episode 3 NYDE Dublin 2016

competition created just for dance moms

Season 7 Episode 4 DNC Placentia 2016

Season 7 Episode 5 Fierce National Dance Competition Agoura Hills 2016

Season 7 Episode 6 Dream DC Panorama City 2016

Season 7 Episode 7 Sheer Talent Fresno 2016

Gavin Morales (Dolce) placed 1st in Pre-Teen Solo with "Pulse"

McKenzie Morales (Dolce) placed 1st in Teen Solo with "Didn't Know My Own Strength"

besides 2 entries from Dolce (Morales siblings) and 7 entries from Van Der Zwann Dance Studio, there is only one studio competing (KM Dance Arts)

other well known studios competing: Dolce Dance Studio

Season 7 Episode 8 Fierce NDC Phoenix 2016

Season 7 Episode 9 Dream NDC 2016

Season 7 Episode 10 Sheer Talent Denver 2016

Shylee Sagle (Summit) came in 1st in Small Wonders Solo with "Doin' It Right"

Sofia Andrus (under Sweatshop, switched to MLDA later) came in 2nd in Junior Solo with "Not About Angels"

other well known studios competing: Summit Dance Academy, Xtreme Dance Force, Sweatshop Dance, The Dance Movement, Millennium Dance Complex Denver

Season 7 Episode 11 Fierce NDC Placentia 2016

Season 7 Episode 12 Sheer Talent Wheeling 2016

Lynzee Ensell (Dance Force Elite, switched to Studio 19) places 1st ("Betty Boop"), 3rd ("Cruella Du VIl") and 5th ("Miss You Daddy") in Small Wonders Solo

Jaelyn Ward (ALDC 2.0 =Appolonia Leake, previously ALDC) comes in 4th with "Halo"

Lynzee Ensell and Dalana Bove's (Dance Force Elite) duets place 2nd ("Double Trouble") and 4th ("Evil X 2") behind Ellie and Lillie's duet (ALDC, 1st)

Sarah Georgiana (Dance By Cami, later on DM S8) places 1st in Junior Solo with "Star Darling"

Dustana Roberts-Kelly (ALDC 2.0, previously ALDC and now Stars) comes in 4th in Junior Solo with "Autism Speaks"

Alaina Scabora and Dusty Roberts-Kelly's duet "Sounds" (ALDC 2.0) comes in 1st in Junior Duet

Sarah Hunt (ALDC) places 1st in Pre-Teen Solo with "Thy Will Be Done", Alaina Scabora (ALDC 2.0, previously ALDC) places 3rd with "The Story"), and Summer Kaczynski (ALDC 2.0, previously ALDC) places 5th with "Compass"

Camryn Bridges (ALDC) places 1st, Alexia Zufall (ALDC 2.0) places 2nd with "Say My Name" and ties with Nicaya Wiley (CADC), Christina Payton (ALDC 2.0, previously ALDC) places 3rd with "Abandoned" in Teen Solo

The ALDC 2.0 Solo "All We Do" places 3rd in Teen Group behind ALDC (1st) and CADC (2nd)

Trent Edwards (ALDC 2.0) places 1st in Senior Solo with "Found", his twin Colton (ALDC 2.0) places 2nd with "Lost", they also take 1st in Senior Duet with "Runaway" (highest scoring solo/duet/trio)

other well known studios competing: Appolonia Leake Dance Company, Dance Force Elite, Dance By Cami

Season 7 Episode 14 Starbound Asbury Park 2016

Elliana receives score of 296.9 points, Lilliana 270 points

Teen Top 4

5th: ?? (Movement Dance Academy) - ?? (?) 4th: Chloe Smith (CADC) - "Flying Solo" 3rd: Brynn Rumfallo (ALDC) - "Winner Takes All" (293 Points) 2nd: Maggie ? (Movement Dance Academy) - "Next To You" - 294 Points 1st: Kalani Hilliker (ALDC) - "Who Do You Think You Are" - 296 Points

Kalani for some reason competed in the 13-14 age division even though she was 16 years old

Season 7 Episode 15 Fierce NDC Anaheim 2017

Season 7 Episode 16 Sheer Talent Phoenix 2017

Audrey Caldwell (MBA) placed 1st in Pre-Teen Solo with "New World Coming"

Terin Christopher (DC Scottsdale) placed 2nd in Senior Solo with "Everything" behind Kalani (1st)

other well known studios competing: On Stage Dance Academy, Centerstage Dance Studio, Oasis Dance, Dance Connection Scottsdale, Master Ballet Academy

Season 7 Episode 18 Fierce NDC Panorama City 2017

Season 7 Episode 19 Fierce NDC Fresno 2017

Reagan Martin (Dolce) placed 1st in Junior and 1st Overall

Gavin Morales (Dolce) placed 2nd in Junior and 4th Overall

Kenzie Morales (Dolce) placed 1st in Teen and 3rd Overall (ahead of Kendall (2nd) and Brynn (3rd))

Kalani Hilliker (ALDC) placed 1st in Senior and 2nd Overall

other well known studios competing: Dolce Dance Studio

Season 7 Episode 20 Sheer Talent Las Vegas 2017

Small Wonders Solo:

1st: Kennedy Kahler (The Rock) with "Pacific" 2nd: Deanna Panin (The Rock) with "Bolero" 3rd: Alexis Mayer (The Rock) with "Flowers"

Junior Solo:

1st: Izzy Howard (The Rock) - "Medora Variation" 2nd: Savannah Kristich (The Rock, DM S8) - "Siva" 3rd: Devynn Lewis (The Base) - "The Meeting" 4th: Sofia Cook (The Rock) - "Silizum" 5th: Olivia Taylor (The Rock) - "Lament"

Junior Duet:

1st: Izzy Howard and Shane Wexelman (The Rock) - "Hopak"

Pre-Teen Solo:

1st: Sabine Nehls (The Rock) - "Light Of The Seven" 2nd: Summer Montenegro (The Rock) - "The Young Mariner" 3rd: Easton Magliarditi (The Rock) - "More" 4th: Amadeus Tiesling (The Rock) - "Easy" 5th: Abby Lorren (The Rock) - "The Diamond"

Pre-Teen Duet

1st: Easton Magliarditi and Sabine Nehls (The Rock) - " We Can Be Heroes"

Teen Solo:

1st: Anika Kojima (The Rock) - "Sanshou" 2nd: Yadiel Figueroa (The Rock, DM S6) - "Without You" 3rd: Jessica Phan (The Rock) - "Arrival Of The Spring" 4th: Veronica Comelek (The Rock) - "44" 5th: Julia Stumpf (The Rock) - "Flatline"

Senior Solo:

1st: Brittany Bruno (The Rock) - "Infinite Reflection" 3rd: Eryn Dotta (The Rock) - "Hands"

The Rock's Group "Odanata" (1st) won against ALDCs group "Contagious" (3), The Base's Group came in 4th ("Next Right Thing")

other well known studios competing: The Rock Center For Dance, The Base Dance Center

Season 7 Episode 22 Devotion 2 Dance (Sheer Talent) Riverside 2017

ALDC had dancers part of their studio compete (besides dm dancers)

Ariana Carr Raskin (ALDC) came in 5th in Junior Solo with "I Put A Spell On You", behind Elliana Walmsley, who came in 1st

Ariana Carr Raskin, Anelina Manguero and Janal Johnson (ALDC) came in 1st in Junior Trio with "World Town Heroes"

Angelina Manguero (ALDC) came in 4th in Pre-Teen Solo with "Mirage", Gia Severino (ALDC) came in 5th with "Every Heart", both placing behind Maesi Caes (3rd)

Sabrina Huang (Gravity X) who competed around 10 different solos at dance moms competitions in season 6 takes home 1st ("En Noctern") and 2nd ("Kitri Variation") in Pre-Teen Solo, beating Maesi and the other two ALDC dancers

ALDC has a group place 1st in Pre-Teen Group "Color My World"

MDPs group "The Upside Down" places 1st, ahead of to ALDC groups, "Glamorous" (2nd) and "Boxed In" (3rd)

Teen Solo:

1st: Tia Griffin (ALDC) - "Insecure" 2nd: Maisie Vargas (ALDC) - "The Rose" 3rd: Sara Todd (Dance Spectrum) - "Love Me Like You Do" 4th: Tia Griffin (ALDC) - "Yellow" 5th: Alexa Guerro (ALDC) - "War Of Heart"

Senior Solo:

1st: Jahsy Johnson (ALDC) - "Perfect Ruin" 2nd: Matteo Paoli (ALDC) - "Worry" 3rd: Dominic Rayman (ALDC) - "A Song For You"

other well known studios competing: Gravity X Dance

Season 7 Episode 24 Fierce NDC Upland 2017

Basia Rhoden (Dolce) competed her lyrical solo "Papa"

other well known studios competing: K2 Studios, Dolce Dance Studio

Season 7 Episode 25 Fierce NDC Anaheim 2017

other well known studios competing: Signature Dance Academy

Season 7 Episode 26 Innovation Dance Competition 2017

Season 7 Episode 27 Fearless Dance Experience Lawndale 2017

Maddie and Kaitlyn Ortaga (tHoR, later P21, now Mather) competed a solo and at least one group

Hayden Calder (Pave? or another dancer with the same age) competed a solo

Cali Cassidy (South Coast Conservatory, later P21, now ?) competed a solo "Grown"

Maddie and Kaitlyn Ortega also competed a duet "Only We Know"

Layla Bailey (Empire) competed a solo "CiCi"

Haley Allred (Adage) competed a solo "How Ya Baby"

Reagan Martin (Dolce) competed her solo, placing 1st in Junior Solo and 1st Overall, beating Nia (5th Overall) and Kalani (4th Overall)

other well known studios competing: the HAUS of ROYALS, South Coast Conservatory, Empire Dance Productions, Adage Dance Center, Prestige Dance Company

[tanadrin]

The Third Sublime and Royal Effloresence of the Ecumene, which in the traditional chronology is reckoned either the third or fourth Great Flowering, and the twenty-ninth Flowering of Humanity overall, began auspiciously at the close of the second circumcalactic year; or, in a certain long-forgotten calendar of the early Ecocene[1], approximately 4000000 CE. Whereas the First and Second Effloresences had been driven by sudden paradigm shifts in technology and culture, the Third came at the tail end of a long and happy period of stability and prosperity. It was indeed occasioned by a discovery of sorts; or, to put it more aptly, a re-discovery.

It had been the ambition of the Archival Clade of Magellan for a better part of the last four epochs to uncover as much as they could of the early history of the Ecumene, and in particular of the so-called Hundred Civilizations which, according to legend, had formed its original nucleus. Holobiont Myriarmonion Teleaoidos advanced the contraversial theory, based on evidence uncovered by one of their subsepts, that many of these Hundred Civilizations were originally descendants of a single clade, and that this clade, rather than forming out of multistellar "last common community" was in fact originally from a single planet.

The idea of a monoplanetary origin for the Ecumene, or at least of a large part of its original core, sent shockwaves through cigalactic space and beyond; the Foundlings of Leo A and Voyagers of Caldwell 57 sent delegations of a symposium on the subject, and even the then-para-Ecumenical Triangulum oikos, with whom the Ecumene had had intermittent and indirect contact from the A14 vantage, weighed in with a skeptical note. But Myriarmonion had the last laugh; for a scant few thousand years later, the planet Earth was rediscovered.

"Rediscovery" here is perhaps an unapt term. A better one might be "re-noticed," or "de-lost." For the galaxy had been thoroughly mapped for eons, and every star and large planet noted, and most well-surveyed. The planet once called Earth, orbiting a star once called the Sun, was accurately plotted in several million astronomical catalogues, many of which incorporated extensive historical notes and detailed histories. But in those days, such was the disarray of the most ancient historical data in the galactic records that an enterprising archailect, with an advantageous position on the major transmission routes and talent for cross-referencing, could make a career for themselves collating and disseminating these ancient records in a format more useful to the modern world. With the evidence of the archives in hand, and a confirmation that the catalogues were indeed accurate, skepticism gave way to astonishment in the pan-galactic scientific community.

This little Earth--a modest rocky world of a few billion inhabitants--had never quite forgotten its origins. Many planets have their local mythologies, of course, tracing descent from this god or that culture hero, or such-and-such archon, and many of these myths are tied up with stories of creation. More than ten thousand worlds have cultures that describe their home plant as the omphalos of the universe; thousands of others as the axle of the cosmic wheel, or the root of the Universal Tree. Earth's narrative of its own history was somewhat more modest. It was generally held by the inhabitants that some six to seven million years prior, the original humanoid ancestor had split off from the larger clade of hominins, and that, after many intermediary millennia of evolution, a single member of this new genus had come to dominate the planet; and that, moreover, long before the Ecumene, long before the Hundred Civilizations, long before the First Flowering or the archai or even the first near-lightspeed ships, these early humans had begun to spread out to the nearer stars; and that this began a long period of slow expansion and speciation which was the foundation of the pan-human Ecumene to come.

This narrative astonished many, shocked and scandalized not a few--how strange, to think that species with whom you have almost nothing in common biologically or pscyhologically might actually be your distant kin!--but the final blow came when it was discovered that the Earthers had *proof* of their claims. They were, after all, a very old civilization; they had carefully preserved many artifacts and memorials and records of this most ancient period, and though the story they told could hardly be believed, it could be *corroborated.* The archai were soon convinced; and when the archai were persuaded, most of the lesser sophonts deferred to their keen judgement.

Politically, the rediscovery of human origins changed little; the Ecumene had been stable in its then-current form for half a galactic year. But culturally the shift was monumental; it sparked a renewed interest in galactic prehistory, and there was a positive craze for all kinds of stories and entertainments on the subject. It also sparked a craze for genopaleontological research reconstructing the "baseline" human form, and for various scientists and celebrities and entertainers to incarnate themselves in this or that reconstruction, and to describe the experience to others. Some found this a little perverse; after all, they argued, ancient humans were only one small step above its hominin predecessors. It debased the very notion of pan-Humanity to wallow in such animalistic ways.

But the most lasting effect of this period was a new appreciation for the spirit of our earliest ancestors. For these primitive humans, one small step above the apes, had managed to do something that very few in that age could: they had risked something, ventured into the vast unknown of space in fragile vessels; they had been able to conceive of a future that was far greater than the present that they knew, of a vast, indeed limitless possibility. And they had pursued it, with all the ardor they were capable of. What have we lost, asked some in the Ecumene, that we are no longer capable of this? Thus, two impulses, quite entertwined, developed at the beginning of the Third Galactic Year: one that looked into the past, and sought to understand the beginnings of all things, and one that looked into the future, and sought to dream of things which had never been dreamt of before.

So after a long age of stagnation, the Oiketores of the Milky Way, and soon of the whole Local Group, began a new Great Work. For too long, the horizon of their world, and indeed of all the future, had seemed to be this little clutch of galaxies; but there lay beyond it a universe greater than they could conceive of. And after all, had not once the edge of the Milky Way seemed equally forbidding? And before that, the great gulfs between the stars--and before that, space itself, or the vast seas of Earth? New starships would be built, some the size of worlds; new peoples would spring up; new clades would grow themselves out from the existing ones, the better to explore and to understand what lay ahead of us all. From the humblest modosophont to the greatest Archailect, a new spirit of curiosity and wonder seemed to be enkindled; and thus did the Third Great Effloresence begin.

In the many eons since, our universe--that is to say, the part we may claim sure knowledge is inhabited by complex minds, be they of human clades or no--has grown vastly. And with it, thanks to Teleaoidos and those who came after him, our conception of the size of our possible futures has only grown also. It may seem to you, who will live a million more lifetimes than your ancient forebears could have imagined, who will see and hear and learn a million times more than any of the Earth ever knew, before the first ships were launched into space, that all the universe is peopled, and that nothing new remains to be discovered. Learn, then, the lesson of this epoch: our horizon is never so near as it seems, and the story of the cosmos has only just begun.

[1] "Ecocene" denotes that era when principally vulgar forces governed the precursors to the Ecumene, that is to say, constraints imposed by mutation and selection effects, the slow development of new clades along geological timescales, and later, scarcity value and primitive systems of exchange. The Ecocene is generally reckoned to have conclusively ended for the wider Ecumene at the beginning of the Sixth Flowering, but uncontacted clades in cisgalactic space remained in Ecocene-like conditions as late as the Twelfth Flowering.

-Nova Panencyclopedia Universae, 73rd edition

[beaxtifxldirtyrich]

OLD HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR || MUSES

“Hollywood amuses me. Holier-than-thou for the public and unholier-than-the-devil in reality.” - Grace Kelly

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S DARLING ‘IT’ GIRL

AVA BAKER || FC: BLAKE LIVELY || AGE: 32 || OCCUPATION: ACTRESS CONNECTIONS: ASSISTANT, BEST FRIEND, RIVAL, HUSBAND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, , ETC             _____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S RISING GIRL GROUP ICON (1/3)

SAMANTHA RICHARDS || FC: RYAN DESTINY || AGE: 27 || OCCUPATION: CHOREOGRAPHER, SONG WRITER, 1/3 OF A GIRL GROUP CONNECTIONS: BANDMATES, BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, EX, ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S WORLD RENOWNED SONGSTRESS

SIENNA LIN || FC: MINT RANCHRAWEE || AGE: 26 || OCCUPATION: SINGER/ACTRESS/MOGUL  CONNECTIONS: BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, EX, ASSISTANT, SISTER,ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S TROUBLEMAKER

DAISY ALLRIGHT || FC: EMILY ALYN LIND || AGE: 26 || OCCUPATION: ACTRESS CONNECTIONS: BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT, SISTER,ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S TRENDSETTER

CLARA ADDISU || FC: GUGU MBATHA-RAW|| AGE: 37 || OCCUPATION: EDITER-IN-CHEIF @ VOGUE CONNECTIONS: BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT, SISTER,ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST NEW DIRECTOR 

HANLEY CALDWELL || FC: ALEX FITZALAN || AGE: 29 || OCCUPATION: INDIE DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER CONNECTIONS: BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT, SISTER,ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S INFAMOUS TALENT DIRECTOR 

STEVEN PARK || FC: HWANG MINHYUN || AGE: 30 || OCCUPATION: TALENT ACQUISITION DIRECTION @ CAA CONNECTIONS: BROTHER, BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT,ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST RISING STAR

VICTORIA ZHANG || FC: ZHAO LUSI || AGE: 25 || OCCUPATION: MODEL/ACTRESS CONNECTIONS: BROTHER, BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT,ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S RESIDENT GINGER

OHELIA "POPPY" BRANSON || FC: MADELAINE PETSCH || AGE: 28 || OCCUPATION: ACTRESS CONNECTIONS: SISTER, BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT, PR MANAGER, ETC

_____________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCING HOLLYWOOD’S BRILLANT ANIMATOR

JAMIE CHO || FC: KIM HYUN-JIN || AGE: 28 || OCCUPATION: DIRECTOR @ PIXAR CONNECTIONS: SISTER, BEST FRIEND, ROMANTIC PARTNER, ASSISTANT, PR MANAGER, ETC

[eris-anansi]

Dreamwood 1999

Episode 4: When They Hatch

Dreamwood is plagued by pigeon overpopulation and the police department is tasked with decreasing their numbers. What begins as a clever attempt at population control involving fake pigeon eggs takes a disastrous turn.

CW: Implied murder, graphic depictions of murder, depictions of violence, character death, body horror

Associated Song: underscores - trustfall!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, September 13th, 1999.

Dreamwood was no big city, but it shared some common problems with big cities. Among them being pigeons. Winged rats, as the townsfolk called them. The flying vermin had plagued Dreamwood for years, and the people were starting to look to the town’s leadership to do something about their feathered adversaries. Responsibility inevitability fell to the Dreamwood Police Department. 

Chief Bowers sat in his office on the phone with a rather important man. “Yes, Mayor Rogers. I’m well aware of the gravity of this situation.” 

“You say that, but I still feel the need to remind you,” the voice on the other line began, “I am receiving urgent letters every day about birds invading homes. Just yesterday Farmer Dale reported having his kitchen raided by a gang of the damn things! It’s a war zone out there!” 

“I don’t know what you want me to do, Mr. Mayor.”

“Make them disappear! Whatever it takes!” 

The voice of a secretary in the Mayor’s background could be faintly heard informing him of another pigeon-related report, before Rogers hung up suddenly. Chief Bowers sat quietly in his chair for several seconds processing the situation. “Pigeons,” he mumbled to himself as he set the phone down.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the forensics lab, Jeffrey Woods was examining the body of the shapeshifter Randy had shot. He was perplexed at the fact that its DNA tested to be almost perfectly identical to Thomas Wheeler’s– but moreover he was fascinated. He wondered if it had died in the form of the Zodiac Killer, would the real killer’s identity have been revealed through the DNA test? It was ideas like these, cases like these– those which dwelled in the land of the esoteric and the macabre– that fueled Jeffrey’s passion for his profession. He lived for exactly what this was. in the background, an old television atop a desk played Dracula’s Daughter, an old black and white horror film from the 1930s. A reclusive yet undeniably talented investigator, Jeffrey’s life seemed to revolve around the darkness. 

When he heard the beep of a notification from his desktop, he switched gears and made a beeline for his computer chair. He sat down and checked the source of the automated noise- a message he had received in a private chat room conversation between himself and an anonymous salesman. A salesman whom he believed had something that Chief Bowers would find incredibly valuable given the current situation. The salesman had confirmed that he in fact still had more of his product in stock- enough for Jeffrey’s elaborate scheme. Pleased with the results, Jeffrey smiled and typed his response.  

There was a knock at the door, then a low creak as it opened. Parker Caldwell entered the room. He took a look at the television screen then the metal slab on which the shapeshifter’s body laid. He took a breath before asking his question.

“Who is he, Jeff?”

Jeffrey nearly jumped in his seat. He spun around in the office chair and met Parker’s gaze. “Jesus christ– good morning to you, too, Parker… I honestly can’t give you a definite answer. His DNA is interacting with our database in a very strange way.”

Parker paused for a second. “...What does that mean?”

“As far as we know his name is Thomas Wheeler and he’s a detective working for the Dreamwood Police Department. His parents are David and Margaret Wheeler, he’s thirty-six years old, and he was born and raised in Dreamwood, Massachusetts. He has no criminal record. Do you see the problem here?”

“Yeah. I see the problem. The Thomas we know is outside cracking jokes with Officer Harrison and Officer Darcy. This is… frustrating. All of our leads seem to stop at a dead end.”

“That tends to happen when we try to apply logic to the illogical,” Jeffrey observed. “Some things are beyond our limited human comprehension, and meant to stay that way.”

Parker blinked. “What are you saying, Jeffrey?” It always got on his nerves when Jeffrey got like this.

“I’m saying that we’ve exited the realm where cases are solved with clues and evidence. The nature of the thing on that table is completely detached from our world.”

Parker glanced once more at the TV screen playing the old vampire movie. He chuckled a bit, slowly wrapping his head around what Jeffrey was saying. “What, you mean like vampires and ghosts?”

“Something like that. I mean, how else would you explain what you and the other guys encountered on that hill? What about in the woods? Or in the interrogation room? Dreamwood does have a history.”

Parker scoffed, choosing to brush him off and get back to work. “Come back to me when you’ve found me some solid, tangible evidence, yeah? This is a serious case, Jeff.” 

With that, he walked out of the room. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, September 16th, 1999.

It was business as usual at the Dreamwood police station. Secretaries typed away at their computers and officers answered phone calls. Parker, Thomas and Officer Darcy stood on a platform overlooking the offices, watching their coworkers go about their duties as they themselves engaged in casual small talk.

Two officers carried boxes into the Dreamwood police station, passing by desks and officers. Parker Caldwell watched them pass by, and gently nudged the shoulder of Thomas who stood beside him. 

“What do you figure is in those boxes?”

“Heck if I know, but I’m certainly gon’ make it my business,” Thomas said with a smirk. 

The officers carried the boxes up to Chief Bowers’ office, setting them on the chief’s desk. “Your delivery, sir.”

“Ah, there it is! It was supposed to arrive today.” He observed that the boxes were marked ‘FRAGILE’ in red ink. He raised an eyebrow at the two officers, “You handled the boxes with care, yeah?”

The officers nodded. “The contents should be fine.”

“And what might the contents be?” Thomas’ voice appeared behind the officers. A smug and curious Wheeler made his entrance with Parker and Darcy in tow. 

“A little idea of Jeffrey’s– imposter eggs we can plant in pigeon nests across town to trick the pigeons into reproducing less. Jeff thinks this could be the key to slowing the growth of our pigeon population,” Bowers explained.

Thomas chuckled. “I’ll give Jeffy Woods one thing: he is a diabolical genius. This might just work.”

Darcy frowned. “Tricking pigeons? That feels a little cruel.”

“Part of our job description is literally shooting things,” Thomas reminded him. “This is a lot less cruel than just shooting the birds, don’cha think?”

“Where did you get the eggs from?” Parker inquired. 

“Jeff ordered them off of some website on the internet. Personally I don’t really understand computers but I hear you’re able to shop on them now,” Bowers said.

Thomas nodded. “This technology thing seems to be the future.”

The other two officers started to open the boxes, unveiling several dozen artificial eggs in each box. One officer lightly tapped the eggs and hummed. “Huh. It’s hollow.”

“That’s weird,” Bowers commented, but he didn’t think much after that. He simply shrugged it off. “The pigeons oughtn’t notice.”

Thomas sucked his teeth and said, “Hopefully we aren’t underestimating these birds…”

“In a few weeks time we should have our answer,” Parker said. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, September 27th, 1999.

Over the weekend, the police department launched a campaign against Dreamwood’s pigeon population. Fake eggs were planted in nests all across the small city and kept under careful surveillance. Even a few pigeons were tagged with cameras. 

The whole affair felt like a waste of time to Parker; a hindrance to his greatest concern, which was getting back on the Jackson case. But alas, no leads had turned up since the shapeshifter. Damn that Randy, he would find himself thinking. That Skinner bastard. Because of Randy, he thought, he and Thomas had been put on pigeon-camera duty. Yes, it was all Randy’s fault. Parker should be out there being a goddamn American hero right now.

“I swear I already done seen that same leaf get blown by twice now,” Thomas observed, taking a long drag from his cigarette. He leaned back against his chair staring at the monitor with an expression that only began to convey the heavy boredom that Parker felt right now.

“I still can’t believe they’ve got us doing this,” Parker sighed.

“Hey, don’t take it personal– if it makes you feel any better I bet Randy and Keith are in our same spot right now.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better, no.”

On the monitor the two men watched a pigeon circle a nest of eggs tucked away in a tree not far from Devil’s Lake, two out of the three were fakes planted by the DWPD. The bird appeared to be none the wiser. It had been a couple of hours now, and the pigeon hadn’t seemed to notice. Parker and Thomas carried on with their conversation.

“I swear Randy has it out for me,” Parker continued. “He glares at me whenever I enter a room.”

“Well he is a Skinner,” Thomas hummed. “Last I heard your family and his family have quite the history.” He purposefully understated said history.

“The Skinners have been trying to steal this town up from under the noses of people like my father and my grandfather for generations. They’d run Dreamwood into the ground if they ever did.”

“And I don’t doubt that,” Thomas chuckled lightly. He tapped his cigarette into a nearby ashtray. 

“That’s part of the reason why Jackson wanted me to run for mayor. Follow in his footsteps. The whole reason why I ran away in the first place.”

“I remember, brother. I remember. And look at you now– fulfilled his dying wish of returning home, and now you’re leading the effort to solve his murder. Fate is certainly a cruel mistress. You think Randy thinks he has a shot at the mayoral campaign this season? He is a fairly popular detective.”

Parker snorted. “The idea is laughable. He would be crazy to go along with it.”

“I got a feelin’ we have yet to see just how crazy that man really is. But I got a question I been meanin’ to ask you, Parks.”

“Yeah?”

“Back in the interrogation room with that demon lady, she implied that you were hidin’ somethin’ from the rest of us. She said, ‘Tell him what you stole’.”

Parker felt a small chill run down his spine. He was afraid of being put in this position– one in which he would have lie to his best friend. 

“Now, I figured that she was just tryna screw with our heads so I tried not to think much about it,” Thomas said. “But lately I can’t take my mind off it. It was almost like she knew you.”

“I never met her before in my life,” Parker said. 

“Well do you know anything about her whole thing with your apparent theft?” Thomas asked again more directly. 

“Thomas, look.” Parker pointed to the monitor. The pigeon had landed in the nest and seemed to be inspecting the eggs. It prodded at one of the fake eggs with its peak with an uncharacteristic roughness.

“Ah, hell,” Thomas cursed. “They’re figuring us out.”

Abruptly, the pigeon pulled its head back and cocked it in apparent confusion. 

“What’s it doing now?” Parker mumbled.

Thomas shrugged audibly. “Heck if I know. Do I look like a birdologist?” 

The two men soon realized that the egg had cracked. 

Wait- it cracked?

“Parker, what the fuck.”

“Thomas– is it supposed to do that?”

“I was gon’ ask you that! But we really should be askin’ Jeff, he was the one who ordered ‘em.”

“Wait, maybe we just lost track of the eggs. Maybe that one isn’t one of ours- maybe it’s real.”

The pigeon continued to watch the egg intently, as if waiting for something to happen. The crack spread until both the bird and the two detectives were able to peer inside of the egg which seemed to contain nothing but a black void.

“Officer Sterling said the eggs were hollow…” Parker recalled aloud. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden as he continued to observe the live footage, the feeling was similar to that of watching the series of events leading up to a highway accident. From the hole in the egg emerged a thin ribbon of smoke, quite like the smoke from Thomas’ cigarette. The only difference is that it was completely black. It rose into the air and seemed to frighten the pigeon. The sentiment was shared among Parker and Thomas.

“That’s definitely not one of its eggs,” Parker confirmed. 

Upon contact with the smoke, the pigeon promptly fell on its side and violently convulsed. Red foam bubbled at the edges of the bird’s mouth and spilled from its open beak. Parker and Thomas watched the brutal display in horror, unsure what to make of it. The pigeon continued to twitch for dear life as its body appeared to shrink-- no, flatten-- no, deflate like a balloon. It was as if the air was sucked out of the bird’s tiny body, leaving nothing but a hollow husk of a thing. 

Thomas’ jaw was at the floor at this point. He repeated, “Parker… what the fuck.”

Parker’s eyes were glued to the monitor. He might not’ve even heard Thomas at that moment. His bad feeling was indeed validated, but nothing in the world could have prepared him for this.

Then, somehow, it managed to get worse. The pigeon… inflated again. It seemed to be recovering from its previous condition, but it was soon clear that its proportions were all wrong– it looked like an amateur artist’s interpretation of a pigeon given high definition life and color. It was horribly uncanny. It scurried on its wings as if they were front legs, and darted down the tree out of the camera’s sight. 

Parker and Thomas both looked at eachother.

“Remind me, Thomas, how many eggs did we plant out there?” Parker asked.

“At… at least twenty of ‘em,” Thomas answered. The gravity of Parker’s question was sinking in fast.

“We need to alert Bowers. Quickly.” Parker got up out of his chair and rushed to the office. Thomas followed quickly.

Chief Bowers had just gotten off the phone with Mayor Rogers again and appeared to be in a great mood. He wore a rare but not unusual smile that Parker had learned indicated good news- otherwise the chief was most often a stoic and serious man much like himself. 

“Great timing, Caldwell! Mayor Rogers just informed me that the pigeon population has started to drop in the last week and is expected to continue. Our efforts seem to be having the desired effect!”

“Yeah, about that–” Thomas started,

“One of the eggs hatched.” Parker blurted before Thomas could finish.

Chief Bowers blinked slowly, processing what Parker told him. “One of our eggs hatched?”

“Yes! One of ours!”

“Caldwell, how is that possible?”

“We’ve got footage, chief. Parks ain’t lyin’.”

Once they got through showing Chief Bowers the footage, his face had turned noticeably pale. He now understood why Parker and Thomas were acting so urgent. The images of the pigeon deflating and emerging a shapeless monstrosity danced fresh across his psyche.

 “We’re still holding some of these eggs in the forensic lab,” he realized aloud.

Without a second thought, Parker bolted out of the office and made a beeline for the lab. Thomas ran after him and so did Bowers. 

Jeffrey and Officer Darcy were standing over a table with the eggs still in their box when Parker came charging in. He stopped in the doorway to catch his breath, then looked at Jeff. “Woods, you’ve got some explaining to do.” Thomas and Bowers weren’t far behind.

Jeff paused and looked at Parker. “Huh? Explaining?”

Darcy blinked like a confused dog. “Is something going on?” He was holding one of the eggs in his hand. 

“Did you know the eggs would hatch? Did you know they’re hatching??”

“Hatching??” Jeffrey’s voice bent in disbelief.

“So you’re right where we are,” Parker sighed. “Where did you get those eggs?”

“A website for pest control services,” Jeff explained. “I spoke to the seller one-on-one through a chatroom or something. Are they really hatching?” He sounded more interested than concerned.

“Yes, damnit!” Thomas said. “Can you contact the seller now? Maybe he can tell us how to fix it.”

Jeffrey turned on his computer and typed the website’s URL into the address bar. He clicked on the link, only to turn up a screen that said ‘Page Not Found’. It seemed the website did not exist. He blinked. “That’s weird– I could’ve sworn that was the address…”

“Jeff- what did we order in those boxes?” Chief Bowers asked, trying his best to keep his composure.

“I don’t know! I thought they were regular fake eggs!” Jeffrey was growing frantic as well.

Darcy glanced between his colleagues. “Guys– I don’t understand, why is everybody yelling?” 

“Darcy- put the egg down,” Parker spoke calmly. 

Darcy didn’t ask any questions. He put the egg down gently- just before it started to crack. He gasped, “Did- did I break it?”

“Darcy!” Parker shouted in a panic. “Get away from it!” Parker, Thomas, and Bowers clamored for Darcy to get the hell away from the egg.

But it was too late. He had already inhaled the black ribbon of smoke that escaped the hollow shell. He recoiled, his face going pale and his eyes widening. His body let forth a violent retch as he leaned over the table, before he rushed to the nearest bathroom at the end of the room and slammed the door. From the other side, Parker, Thomas, Jeff, and Bowers could hear violent heaving. 

Then, the sounds came to an abrupt end. The silence somehow felt worse.

Jeff, who was closest to the door, slowly got up from his chair and backed towards the detectives and the chief. Parker watched the door carefully, and Chief Bowers had begun mumbling a silent prayer. 

Then the door creaked open.

Parker, prepared for the worst, reached for the gun on his hip. Thomas did the same. Bowers was the last to react. 

“D..Darcy?...” Thomas called out weakly. He wasn’t sure if Darcy was still Darcy anymore, and he sensed that he and Parker were on the same page. Parker’s gun was already aimed at the door, something Thomas still couldn’t bring himself to do. 

Officer Darcy emerged from the bathroom and collapsed on his knees in the doorway, breathing heavily. He coughed. “Jesus christ– what was in that egg?? It smelled awful-”

Parker slowly lowered his weapon and rushed to Darcy’s side. Thomas let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, thank god.” Parker inspected Darcy for any signs of adverse effects– and found none. He seemed perfectly fine aside from puking his guts. “I guess it only affects birds,” Parker thought aloud.

“What only affects birds??” Darcy asked.

Parker was hesitant about showing Darcy the footage after what had just happened. He disregarded the question and turned his attention back to Thomas and Chief Bowers. “We need to track down those other eggs.”

Bowers nodded affirmatively. “Right. Before more start hatching.”

That was when Keith made his entrance. “Chief– we’ve got a situation.”

The chief turned to Keith and said, “If you tell me one of the eggs hatched…”

“How did you know?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parties were dispatched to the two locations were hatching eggs were reported. Parker and Thomas led a party- including Officer Darcy and three other officers- to investigate an area closer to town where another egg had hatched. The nest was located in a tree near a road leading out of town, and Officer Sterling was currently climbing the tree to reach the nest. When he reached the branch where the nest was situated, he shined his flashlight down on the nest. 

“Parker, Tommy– this isn’t good!” He shouted back down to the squad.

“What is it, Sterling?” Parker called back.

“There used to be four eggs- one of ‘em was ours. But now there’s only two. One of them is the one we planted, and the other one ain’t. But it don’t look like a regular pigeon egg either, it’s more the size of a goose egg- it’s way bigger.”

“Those things have already started laying eggs…” Thomas murmured. 

There was a surprised shout from the tree. Parker and Thomas saw black smoke rising from the tree branch, but they could not see the nest nor Officer Sterling. Soon, they heard Sterling begin to cough violently. 

“Oh, fuck…” Parker whispered to himself.

Up in the distance, Sterling violently heaved- much like Darcy– only Darcy had sounded mild in comparison. From what they could hear, Sterling was fighting for his life. What they heard was confirmed when a heap of blood rained down from the tree– Sterling’s vomit.

Parker, Thomas, and the other officers quickly backed away from the tree. A guttural shriek rang out and carried across the forest. It was at that point Parker reached for his gun and aimed at the tree, prepared to shoot the first thing he saw rear its head from within the leaves. He was certain of one thing- that shriek wasn’t human.

“Sterling?” Parker called out.

The leaves rustled. Something traveled quickly across the treetops, and was soon out of earshot. 

Once they felt safe enough to investigate the nest, they found that Officer Sterling– and the egg– were both gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s all of them?”

“The ones that didn’t hatch, yeah.”

Randall and Keith’s squad had managed to recover a sizable number of the eggs, and brought them somewhere isolated at the outskirts of town. Parker and Thomas’ group joined up with them along the way. They stood in front of a crude pile of eggs, Randy holding a container of gasoline in one hand and a box of matches in the other. He fully intended to set fire to it all. 

“And what about the ones that did?” Randy asked, his eyes narrowing.

“There are more that didn’t. We’ll cross that other bridge when we get there,” the officer responded.

“I like that answer. That’s a good answer. You’ve got good answers.”

Randy turned his attention back to the pile of eggs. He began to pour gasoline over them. “I’m gonna send you abominations back to hell,” he grumbled as he shook the container over the egg pile. 

“You do realize that we’ll have to hunt down the hatched pigeons after this, right?” Parker pointed out. “They’re going to lay more eggs, and they seem to reproduce faster than the real pigeons do.”

“Nobody said you can’t be out there doin’ that right now, ‘stead of tellin’ me what to do,” Randy replied. He pulled a matches stick out of the box. “Swear to Jesus I’m gonna kick Jeff’s ass when I get back to the station. None of this would have even happened if it wasn’t for that freak.”

While Randy wasn’t paying attention, a squirrel scurried to his feet and began scratching harmlessly at his leg. “What the-” he looked down, and saw an oddly shaped animal prodding at his pants. Upon further inspection, he found that it wasn’t a rodent at all. Parker identified it before Randy did- it was a pigeon. And not one of the native pigeons, either. 

Randy stumbled back, while at the same time Parker fired his pistol at the pigeon. The impact of the bullet spun the malshapen bird around and it dropped sideways, it chuffed out a cloud of smoke and flattened like a balloon losing air. More pigeons emerged from the forest, some with uneven wingspans- some wings larger than the others, some wings bloated and outsizing the rest of their bodies. They were cheap, gruesome imitations of birds. Parker and the rest of the DWPD wasted no time mowing them down.

“Good God!” Randy exclaimed. 

Parker wasn’t finished, though. He nudged Thomas and alerted the others to approaching rustling in the nearby leaves. Something was headed towards them- something bigger than a pigeon. 

The air fell silent. The men waited as the rustling drew closer. 

And closer. 

And closer still. 

Until they caught the glimpse of something that their brains struggled to make sense of.

What emerged from the trees was a mass of flesh more than seven feet tall, constructed in ways that barely made sense. Parker couldn’t tell if he was looking at the creature’s front or its back. Its elbows were folded inwards. It dragged itself across the ground like a slug. Strands of hair hung freely from a large pulsing bulb which appeared to be its head, though no distinguishable facial features were visible. Still, Parker had a feeling he knew what he stood facing- or rather who. The creature’s half-torn clothes- the remnants of a police officer’s uniform- gave away its identity. 

“...Officer Sterling?” Parker’s eyes widened in horror at the realization.

At this point Officer Darcy was holding back tears. “Oh… oh God…”

The creature froze at the mention of its name, as though some part of him still clung onto his old identity. It was quickly overridden, though, as it let out a gurgling growl at the armed men and began to charge. It dragged itself towards them to the best of its ability, its arms unfolding and reaching forth with sharpened, elongated nails. The men opened fire on the monstrosity wearing Sterling’s skin, but bullets did little to deter the abomination. 

Randy lit his match stick and hurled it into the pile of a dozen or so eggs. Thanks to the gasoline, the fire ignited quickly and soon spread to Officer Sterling. Both he and the unhatched eggs went up in a storm of flames.

A shocked Darcy gazed at the spectacle, the dancing flames reflecting in his eyes. He didn’t hear Parker, Thomas, and Randy shouting at him that it was time to run. Thomas had to tug on Darcy in order to get his feet moving, he was barely even aware that he was moving until the fire almost wasn’t in sight anymore.

Then he saw something else.

Beyond the fire, from within the dense forest, Darcy saw two pairs of green eyes staring back at the detectives. They were attached to a figure shrouded in a long trenchcoat and a wide brimmed hat. Darcy was sure the eyes would linger in his memory for years to come. He felt them clawing at his very consciousness.

More importantly, he swore he had seen those eyes somewhere before. Somewhere recent.

“Darcy! Snap out of it!”

He snapped back to reality and was now focused on Parker- the voice that had pulled him out of his stupor. 

The men retreated into the woods as the fire roared on in the distance. Sterling’s agonized screams carried for miles in the frigid autumn air.    

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the police station, Parker, Thomas, Randy, Keith, and Officer Darcy sat in silence. They had been doing so since the hour after they escaped the forest. 

They were stuck in a daze as they sat around processing the events of the day. It was hard to believe that it had all began with something as simple as pest control.

A voice spoke up suddenly. It was Officer Darcy’s.

“That… could have been me.”

Darcy had thought back to the time he inhaled the smoke. He thought he was going to die in that room, but through some miracle he turned out fine. After he saw what had become of Sterling, who suffered a similar fate, it had caused his life to flash before his eyes.

“...Why wasn’t it me?” He mumbled seemingly in a trance.

“Life works in mysterious ways, Henry,” Thomas exhaled. He had gone through three glasses of bourbon already, and the bottle was still close by.

“We were just lucky those things seemed to be in some kinda early stage of development,” Randy said. “I don’ think they had fully learned how to mimic nature yet. But they coulda learned if we let ‘em live a bit longer. I know they could.”

“Then let’s hope we destroyed them all,” Keith audibly thought. “I would hate to think what could happen if one of those things learned how to perfectly mimic a pigeon– much less a human being.”

Henry Darcy looked back at his friends, and with the most sincere expression he’s ever had, he said, “There is something truly, deeply wrong with this town. I’ve felt it before, but I know it now. There was something else watching us back there...”

Parker nodded slowly. “Yeah, I saw it, too.”

“The green eyes?” Thomas questioned.

“The eyes, yeah,” Parker confirmed. Judging by the look in his eyes, he was deeply troubled. 

“I couldn’t look away from them at first,” Darcy admitted. “I felt like a deer in headlights. It was a strange feeling, something I’d never felt before. Something… primal. It was like-”

“Standing face to face with your natural predator?” Parker guessed. 

“Yes- yes, exactly,” Darcy nodded.

Parker hummed. “Up until today, I didn’t think it was something possible for humans to feel. I thought it was only exclusive to animals.” His gaze turned to a nearby window and he gazed out into the cloudy distance of Dreamwood, Massachusetts. He wondered if he’d be able to see the sun in Manhattan.

“I thought we were at the top of the food chain.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author’s Note 

The storyline of this episode is heavily based on the r/nosleep story “The Pigeons Around Here Aren’t Real” by Manen Lyset.

If you enjoyed this episode especially, you will surely love their work!