station72 | mental link

[This little mental nudge comes from Nathaniel Horn, someone who is, oddly enough, not at all used to making these kinds of things on his own. Still, he's been thinking since the bombing a while ago, and this is a good chance to let everyone know what's been on his mind.]

(So........ladies, gentlemen, people in general, let's talk about monsters. Spooky beasts. Creatures that go bump in the night. Those things. They all exist in one form or the other. Lots of terrible tales about abominations that want to like, rip you apart and suck out your eyeballs or something. Anyways, they exist! And how do I know they exist?)

[A pause for dramatic effect here.]

(Because I am one. Annnnnnd I don't mean the whole "something is crawling inside of me, alas I'm like the worst person ever" kind of monster. And honestly, I'm not a monster, but an alien, but...semantics! Anyways, if you see a big hulking flesh thing that looks like it crawled from your worst nightmares sometime, please don't try to destroy it like right away. It might be me. And I wouldn't like that. Just say hi over the mental telephone before doing anything rash.)

[There's a long pause here as he tries to piece together what other points he wants to make. It looks like he didn't think all of this whole mental speech thing out beforehand.]

(Anyways, uh...are all of you human? For the most part? I don't think there's anything like me among the broods...unless I'm wrong. So like, if you have any questions for me to answer, or want to share examples of big spooky monsters where you come from, just, like, tell me? Honestly, I think I'm pretty good-looking no matter what form I take, but I know most of you guys don't like seeing things like, I dunno, teeth growing in different places outside of human mouths and stuff, so I just wanted to give you a heads up. I don't transform often, but it could happen. Just be aware, and all that.)

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(If you were the only person who thought differently, I'm surprised you weren't labelled as insane.)

[~~thanks bruce~~

But as questionably worded as it is, it's not a criticism. Not many are aware of the fact, but Bruce runs against the grain too -- many people from his world would have labelled him insane, if they knew of his nighttime activities. Granted, the situation was vastly different, but there were faint parallels that couldn't be completely ignored.]

(But you're telling us that you're sound of mind, even during your transformations?)

(Fun fact: I hightailed it out of there before anyone knew I was thinking outside the norm.)

[He doesn't seem at all insulted by that.]

(Yes, absolutely. Like I just told another guy, it's like changing a haircut or putting on a different set of clothes. It's all just appearance. Nothing changes, mentally-wise.)

(And Earth just happened to be all you wanted out of a home? A nice place to settle down and blend in?)

[At least he seems to take it in stride. Oddly, another point for him.]

(Even so, I have a feeling you might give someone a start if you change without due warning.)

(I crashlanded on that planet by accident. "Fitting in" was all I could do after I discovered that things like me were the big bad villains in your stories and films and stuff.)

[He actually kind of weirdly likes those films and stories but...humans are really quite scared of pretty much anything that a) doesn't look like them and b)isn't cute and relatable.]

(Yeah, duh, of course I will! I mean, unless it's a super tight situation and I have to transform, I'll give you all a heads up. Besides, sometimes I just go from one human form to another, I'm not just limited to two appearances. I can even turn into animals if I feel like it. Like, you need a horse? I can be one. No big deal.)

(Those "big bad villains" incite an embedded, visceral fear in humans from sight alone.) [And, come on, who can really blame them?] (Couldn't have come as that big of a surprise to you.

Can you only transform into things you've observed?)

(On other planets, we're seen as ugly, but people hardly run at the sight of us. You guys, like, scream at an itty bitty thing with too many legs. You guys are weird.)

[Says the alien monster who can shapeshift into a human being.]

(Yes and no! I can put forms together or use parts of forms to create something new, but all those parts have to be from things I've seen.)

(Not everyone screams at "itty bitty things with too many legs".) [If that was the faintest flicker of amusement, he's probably making a conscious effort to not let it slip through, since he's a fuddy duddy like that.] (That's an overgeneralization.)

[Also, Bruce idly thinks to himself that this... alien-monster-human-shaped-young-man might have one of the more useful abilities, for any number of applications during their missions. It isn't stated, but rest assured that he is making a permanent mental note of it.]

(What is it that you actually look like?)

(Like eight percent of you do, though, so I'm hardly overgeneralizing anything.) [YES YOU ARE.] (It's amazing, like some of the monsters you come up with in stories are just those itty bitty things but...BIGGER. So creative.)

[Humans, you're so weird!]

(Aw, you really want to see? Well, uh, sure. Don't lose your lunch, now.)

[And ever so briefly, he sends out the mental image of something quite gross-looking. He wasn't kidding about the "monster" part.]

(Eight percent is a small margin in the grand scheme of things. Besides, entomophobia is more reasonable a fear than some; unless you're telling me the sight of a gigantic insect wouldn't put you on edge?)

[Even though he was the one who asked, Bruce is a little hesitant in accepting the offered image. He's still the overly cautious man he was the day he arrived, and his feelings on mentally sharing things (even willingly) is approached with a careful vigilance.

And-- oh god.]

(That's you?)

[Can you hear the frown in his telepathic tone? The flash of immediate revulsion? Because that's quite unlike anything he's ever seen.]

(Uh. No? Giant insects are cool. I like the legs and eyes and whole general LOOK, you know? Definitely more interesting than all the lack of everything you people have got on going with your bodies.)

[There's a pause. And he starts laughing. Oh, yes. The perfect reaction, just what he was expecting.]

(That's me! Teeth and bone and flesh and all. But goodness, I really missed out on an opportunity to just have sent you a picture of a giant tarantula. That would've been a good prank. But seriously, yeah, that's what I look like.)

(Giant insects would be ruthless predators, eager to tear both you and me apart without a second thought; feed our remains to its colonies, or cocoon us in its webs. Fear is rarely incited without a reason.)

[And... why are you laughing, your true form is far from hilarious, ok.]

(You look like something from a Lovecraft tale.)

[Compliment or... not so much? You decide.]

(Isn't that what you do to like, most of the animals on your planet? I mean, pot calling kettle black there, dude. Pretty much anything is scary if you emphasize its bad or powerful parts. Like humans can survive having their limbs cut off and can survive both hot and cold temperatures and are walking storage houses for viruses and bacteria that could wipe out entire civilizations. You guys would be a great terrifying alien race in a science fiction novel from another alien's perspective.)

[He's too amused, Bruce, don't mind him.]

(Oh, those stories? I've read a couple, guess you have a point! I always wondered if that guy was either just out of his mind or saw some alien life on accident and went from there. Guess we'll never know.)

(You're right. And you're proving my point. Anything is frightening to the right person, with the right perspective. Even -- and not limited to -- giant insects.)

[SO THERE...]

(Well, he didn't die a very happy person. I suppose one's imagination can fill in the blanks.) [But Lovecraftian or otherwise, that's not the point.] (Regardless, it's wise of you to let the rest of the Nest know about your true form.)

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