mental link

[whowhatnow]

[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.)

Comments

[quivers]

( Soooooo, shapeshifter. Skrull? )

[whowhatnow]

(I've heard that from Mr. Nova Man, and no, I'm not a Skrull. My race thinks invading people is like a big waste of time because they think they're the bees knees of the universe. So nah, I'm not remotely like those guys. I'm a Karnonian.)

[quivers]

( Well, that sure saves us a lot of time. And trust me, the Skrull Invasion was a huge waste of it. These guys were nutters. )

[ No offense to her best friend who's half of one. ]

( Don't have those in our intergalactic encyclopedia. So, what, your folks are like the hippie shapeshifters of space? )

[whowhatnow]

(Yeah, from what I heard of them, they sound kind of terrible. Sheesh, my race is a mess, I'm not sure we need a second race like them in the whole wide universe.)

[He laughs at that.]

(I wish we were hipsters. Nah, we're more like...really xenophobic professors or something? Like literally, some of us travel to other planets to give lectures because we're kind of experts on certain aspects of physiology and stuff. Other than that, we just hang around on our world and come up with ten million rules to be better than everyone else. Believe me, you're better not knowing of us. Like everyone hates us, I'm pretty sure.)

[quivers]

( Not very xenophobic if you're hopping planets, huh?

And, hey, it can't be worst than humans. Now I know a thing or two about having literally hating us. As a bonus, I'm also an American. Intergalactic aliens and other Earthlings alike can't stand our guts. ) [ A pause. ] ( Plus, I'm a superhero. We're not the most popular bunch either. )

[whowhatnow]

(We literally think "we're bequeathing knowledge to the idiotic masses". So...still xenophobic, really.

What? Americans? No, you guys are cool! And you're cooler if you're a superhero! Seriously, though, do guys hate you because you foil their evil plans and stuff? Like, come on, they're getting what they deserve.)

[circumspector]

( I think you're amazing. )

[ got you back. ]

( But, I promise, you'll never have to worry with me. )

[headinjuries]

( Uh. Did I bring this on? )

[ What with the whole ARE YOU A SKRULL bit and all. ]

[unsea]

( Human, ) [ but SUPERPOWERED!!! ] ( There were plenty of - monsters in my world, though.

Some were considered mere myth. Some were - ah, )

[ An image: his hand on the broad head of something decidedly unreal. ]

( I thought I had seen you, back during the bombing. )

[whowhatnow]

[clutches chest...angel u are 2 good to him]

(Aw, to hear those words...goodness, Angel, you always know what to say. But, I mean, you haven't seen what I really look like...you sure you'll still be saying that if you see it for the first time?)

[whowhatnow]

(Nah, man, it's just been something I've been thinking of a while! Since like, I thought the risk of me being shot at because someone didn't recognize my whole deal is...pretty high when I thought about it. Just thought I'd do a PSA. No big deal.)

[whowhatnow]

(Oh, do tell, do tell! Give me all the details on the creepy- )

[He just got the image. The feelings returned are of wonder and delight.]

(Whoah! Now, that's a monster! You met that thing? Now you HAVE to tell me everything. Don't leave me hanging!)

[A slightly nervous laugh comes over the link.]

(Yeah, that was...not quite my finest moment. Kind of had to change to protect myself, guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought...)

[headinjuries]

( Okay, cool. Just checking. )

[ Considering he managed to accidentally break a broodmate and give someone a panic attack by going "hey what if we're in the Matrix," he's got cause to worry. ]

[whowhatnow]

(No problem!

...Also, being reminded of Skrulls, you never did tell me what those guys looked like. I mean, they may be shapeshifters, but they had some kind of "base" form, right?)

[headinjuries]

( Humanoid, green, pointy ears. They're kinda ugly, in my opinion, but I also had some alien girl tell me I'd be way cuter if it weren't for my sad lack of mandibles, so, uh. I guess it's a matter of perspective. )

[whowhatnow]

(Awww, that sounds so BORING. And yeah, humans are kind of boring in terms of how they look? No offense! Like, if you guys had more teeth, you'd be like...way hotter. Though that's just coming from me.

Anyways, man, these Skrulls just sound like dumb jerks. Glad I'm not one of them.)

[adamance]

( Tell me if anyone takes issue with this. It may be important for us to know. )

[Lexa is still getting a read on the new recruits, one at a time.]

[cur]

[ Well, this definitely isn't something he was expecting to get into. If it were anything other than in his head, he'd very tactfully ignore it. As is, he tries to focus on his curiosity and let it drown out anything more complex — worry, disgust, fear. It's only partly successful. ]

( Are you violent when you're transformed? )

[whowhatnow]

[You can almost hear the click of his tongue.]

(Aw, Lexa, I think people will be chill with it, but...yeah, sure I'll let you know. I don't want someone going on a monster hunt because they can.)

[unsea]

[ Nate, you might be the most intriguing monster-fellow ever. He's known monsters and fellows but nothing/no-one quite like you. ]

( It was remarkable, from what little I witnessed. How do you fit all of... yourself, inside of far less skin? )

[ Oh, yes. Let's answer Nate's question as well, since everyone seems to be sharing: ] ( They are - nichevo'ya, 'nothing' in my native tongue. They are of me, in a sense. )

[ More images. The complex struggle of creatures made from shadow, crawling forth, taking flight. Insectoid-caninid-humanoid maws, voracious and flexing. Angles that ought not to fit together. Unreal, perversions. He loves them, quite fiercely. He's not afraid of these... children of his, which might be why he was not deeply alarmed by Nate's appearance. Even though, as he said, he'd seen little of it. ]

[headinjuries]

( More teeth like how? More per row, or multiple rows? Sharp or flat? )

[whowhatnow]

[Well, well, well. Nathaniel isn't disappointed by this - quite the contrary. He was wondering when such nice little emotions would come out - even though he doesn't understand Lupin's reasons for feeling the way he does, he just jumps to the natural conclusion of ah, humans always are wary of what they don't understand.]

(Not at all! I'm still the same old guy no matter who or what I turn into. I mean, chances are I'll turn into my lovely true self when worst comes to worst so I can protect myself, but I'm hardly always going to be violent. Why, worried I'll turn into a man-eating machine when you aren't looking?)

[whowhatnow]

(It's a whole long convoluted scientific explanation, but essentially I control my own tissues and cells, which can multiply or grow under the power of my own will! It's pretty cool. It's not like I'm stuffing everything into this human shell, it's more like I've cut off the least important parts and rearranged the rest so they would fit.)

[The images he receives are beautiful. Nathaniel itches to have a go and transforming into them, some innate urge rising to pry them open, to examine them all, to splay open whatever might be on their insides. His race are known for their tendencies to dissect whenever possible, and it's certainly a trait Nathaniel has never quite gotten rid of.]

(They're gorgeous. What do you mean, of you? Like...you produce them?)

[whowhatnow]

(Sharp, for sure. And like...all over, probably multiple rows? You guys need more mouths too, now that I think about it. Ah, too bad you all missed out on the cool evolutionary pathways..)

[cur]

[ Not truly a monster, then. Closer to a Metamorphmagus. The last sentence earns a stronger response, somewhere between anxious and bitter, but it's pointedly ignored in his reply. ]

( It's a choice, then. You can transform into whatever you'd like, whenever you'd like. )

[ Never thought he'd be jealous of an alien tbh. ]