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 Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:21 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:48 pm
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 6:44 am
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"Not for us to know?" Richard snickered. "We're your parents, Theonis., and unless you have the power to control time you're not even old enough to buy alcohol."
"And don't be mad at Theresa." Clara chimed in. "Do you think I've done nothing but work since I've been here? I've been having Mom days with Raina Carter and Lokelonni Soichi. When I asked them what you and the others have been working on, they said I should ask you. Well, history being what is it, I knew you would completely hide it or give me a half truth. So I asked your sister because she hasn't learned to lie or hide things. Unlike the men in our family."
Richard cleared his throat and offered, "We're not mad, son. Just worried. I might not be tech smart like Agatha, or as brilliant a biologist as her brother, but maybe there are still things I could do to help."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lokelonni laughed under her breath and said with a smile, "You are much too kind, Liam. Thank you."
She gracefully poured cups for the two of them. She could tell from the radiant heat that it had not quite cooled enough yet. All the better, she thought. It would allow her time for a chat. She blew on the surface of the tea as she spoke.
"Breakfast, you say?" she said with a tickled tone. "Even if it is for bacon and sausage, what makes you think that she will allow herself to be dragged out of bed? Should you attempt to wake knock on her door in the morning, I can assure you that you will be met with some hilariously incoherent profanity. The only way I could foresee her getting up when normal people eat breakfast is if she woke up next to you, and I am afraid it will be a long while before she drops her guard enough to allow that to happen. Even if she is three bottles in."
The queen began to sip gingerly at the well made tea.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:37 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 7:17 am
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"Good." Clara sighed.
A different staffer brought out everyone's meals and laid them out in front of their corresponding patron. After confirming everything was correct, he took his leave. Clara smiled pleasantly at the surprisingly well presented omelet.
"Well, this looks wonderful. I hope it's as- Theresa! Don't just shovel it into your mouth with your hands. Use the fork and knife like I showed you."
Leonard wasted no time in breaking the yolks of the eggs to dip his toast into. He took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before he turned his attention back to Theonis.
"So, all we know is what Theresa has told us. Which is to say either very much but with a coat of bright paint or very little since she has a short attention span. She mentioned a Hellstar, time loops, Ancients, boons, spaceships, the moon, and a mean werewolf that has been seeing to training eight of of you specifically. A lot of topics with very little information."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lokelonni nearly spat out her tea, but she managed to hold it in be choking it down. After several seconds of coughing, she composed herself and looked toward Legio.
"You woke up together?! Surely you two did not...no, you could not have. Even drunk, Freya restrains herself from physical affection. Okami, on the other hand, could be as eager as my granddaughter. Whew, you gave me quite the startle. I know I have been asleep for a long while, but that would have been a bridge too far."
She could not help but laugh at his hot pocket anecdote. "Well, at least some things have not changed. You see, Freya is an absolute disaster in the kitchen. Anything more complicated than instant noodles will almost certainly result in one or more of four things; she hurts herself, she hurts someone else, she damages property, and/or she destroys the food. It is so funny how she can be skilled and precise enough to hit pressure points on a moving target, but she can not crack an egg without obliterating the shell."
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 2:54 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 12:54 pm
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Rikki Tikki Travi Freya also grinned widely. "An interview? Right, right. She just reminded me. Well, we can all give our statements to the Valhalla press, right everyone? Kerana, would you be a dear and secure the doors so we aren't interrupted. Liv, keep an 'eye' on our guests. Okami...go make some new friends."A moment later, the siblings were bowled over by a huge, surprisingly friendly, bubbly, and overly chatty wolf. The two of then didn't know whether to be terrified or angry. "Kids, say hello to the brains behind Vixens of Valhalla as well as the shitty gossip rag."
Kerana observed the unexpected guests then had mixed feelings about them. She would be guilty of being one of their subscribers to keep an eye out for what they may share on Trinity among others. Though she wondered how they managed to get certain photos she felt a line was crossed when those intimate moments in their home. It was different if it’s PDA because that was out in the open. She closed the doors as she was told. Interview? Why would anyone want to hear from me?
Rikki Tikki Travi Alec glared at the siblings as the blue highlights in his hair flared with his anger. "Embarrassing Kerana and the others wasn't enough for you?!"
Kerana bit her lip as she remembered the posts they shared. They took really cute photos of her and Alec, yet the comments about them seemed troublesome to her…
Isn’t he too old for her?
How did a cute girl like her end up with a dream boat like him?
He could do so much better.
No! Why did a hunk like him come along? Wasn’t she dating that scrawny guy before?
… Wait that’s the same guy? How!?
From the social media standpoint they got more attention after Alec ascended. It made her wonder was it really her their audience was interested in or him? Her ears flatten as she remembered those posts.
Rikki Tikki Travi Lucas and Louise looked to who they knew was the kindest person in the group. They hoped Kerana would be able to save their skins.
Kerana sighed to herself and shook her head and thought, they don’t deserve my help but they certainly don’t deserve to die. She faced Freya, “Please stop. Killing them is not going to resolve anything plus don’t think Trinity would approve of killing a citizen of Valhalla of whom she’s sworn to protect despite their actions. It is a safe haven for all metas and not some. Valhalla is a place of choices … good ones and bad ones.” She turn toward the content creators, “I do not condone your actions. You need to respect the privacy of the citizens of Valhalla. Don’t barge in or sneak into places like the locker room… ask first! Get some form of consent!“ |
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 10:56 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 8:15 am
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Lokelonni smiled wistfully at the prospect of someone providing Freya with, at the very least, decent meals. She'd had the opportunity to try some of Liam's cooking and found it to be formulaic, but tasty. In her opinion, he needed to learn how to put a little of himself into his cooking rather than strict adherence to recipes. Either way, she was happy to know that there was someone else who cared about Freya that way outside of her family, Trinity included.
"She will certainly need it. Without the curse, she wont be burning thousands of calories in a single night. She'll actually have to stay away from processed foods and exercise like everyone else."
She laid a hand halfway across the table to Liam and sighed, "I think...yes. You will be good for her."
Before she realized it, tears had begun to flow freely from her eyes. Yet, she did not sob. She withdrew her hand, grabbed a napkin from the table, and dabbed her eyes. "Ah! My sincerest apologies. This is most unbecoming."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About halfway through Theonis' rundown, both Leonard and Clara had stopped eating and kept their eyes glued to him. Occasionally, Theresa would chime in with her two cents. Leonard was shocked that she understood the gravity of the situation as well as the inherit dangers of what was to come. He was pleased to see that she had grown as a person in the last month.
"That's...a lot to take in. So much of what we thought we knew about history, about evolution, was overseen by these...Ancients. All so we could have a chance to save ourselves from some cosmic horror."
Clara, on the other hand, had lost all pretense. She looked to Leonard like he had said the stupidest possible thing on the planet, because in her mind he had. "That's your takeaway from this, Leonard?! They're planning to go to the ******** moon!"
People started to glance in the family's direction. Leonard motioned for her to tone in down. "Clara, please-"
Rather than be silenced, she threw her utensils down, stood up, and began to shout. "Shut it, Leonard! This whole thing is beyond ridiculous! There isn't a word in the English language to properly describe how sickening, ******** harebrained this all is! He's barely into his second decade of life, after having apparently already died once! And she's a naïve, ignorant, stupid, test-tube baby in the body of a grown woman!"
After all that, she took a good look at the expressions on Theonis and Theresa's faces. She immediately regret her actions, but she was not about to admit it yet. Her hands dove into the pockets where Leonard always kept his cigarettes and lighter and snatched the whole pack with the lighter neatly tucked into it.. "I need air!" she blurted. She marched out of the restaurant with everyone's eyes on her. Everyone glanced to the table she came from and then awkwardly returned to their meals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freya snickered, "Okay, okay. No one is going to kill anyone here. I'm not that crazy. I just wanted to put the fear of God and pain into them. I think we've gotten our point across...right?"
The siblings nodded furiously. Louise gasped, "Yes ma'am! We'll stop!"
"No more vixens! No more tabloids!" Lucas chimed in after.
Rydia, who up to this point had been quietly observing, interjected. "Just a moment. I don't think any of us necessarily want to cease the social feed. I think we'd all be satisfied with a change in format and more robust moderation of both content and comments. I, for one, enjoy the attention, but that isn't the case for everyone. Some of the things I've read about us have been absolutely vile, and I find that sort of social environment to be toxic. That's not to mention the potential for the development of unhealthy parasocial relationships, which could lead to obsessive behavior in your user base."
Everyone went quiet and looked to Rydia. She made a face and huffed, "What? Surprised the royal has taken classes on social media literacy?"
Heather shook her head and looked down at the Colmers. "The, shockingly, well informed princess is right."
"Hey!"
"Maybe let your content be user generated? This sneaky stuff is creepy, and it most recently violated our privacy." Deora added.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 8:29 am
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2023 1:42 pm
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Posted: Wed May 03, 2023 11:59 am
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Clara stood outside the entrance of the administrative building of the University that served as Valhalla's primary entry point. She flicked the cherry off of the cigarette that she had just finished and deposited the filter into an outdoor ashtray that was next to her. She had just finished lighting a second one when she heard someone approach from behind. She hugged herself with her left arm and held her right elbow against it as she turned to him. Her eyes said it all. She knew she had crossed a line.
"You know, the last time I had a cigarette was the day before I learned I was pregnant with you. It's been nearly twenty one years, but I still remember how everything is done. Your father was the one who insisted that the name of our first born start with a 'Th.' He never did explain why, but I figured it was just one of his little quirks. I had spent most of my life at that point thinking I would never have children, so I never really gave it much thought. So I let him have the first go. Theonis for a boy and Theresa for a girl." she reminisced aloud.
She took a drag and exhaled the smoke through her nostrils. Not even a hint of a cough. Her eyes dropped to the ground with shame. "I know I screwed up royally. I'm sorry I said those awful things. I'll apologize to Theresa as soon as I go back inside."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You are kind, and correct, but old habits die hard." she admitted.
She mulled over his request and replied, "I will allow it, but I wish to give you something else as well. The photo albums I kept have burned with both of my last homes. I shared the first book with Kaelonni's husband, Adam, so he could see how she grew up. I had hoped to do the same for my twins, but Teshoumaru was adamant about never finding love, and Freya has kept people at arms length after what happened with him."
"Thankfully, I have photographic memory. I may not remember everything that was ever said, but I certainly remember everything I've ever seen. I would like to share some happy moments from her past. Not to have copied, but to be experienced."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucas, in a moment he would look back on as insanity, refuted, "But what everyone goes to the site for is it's reality! Organic, candid moments that resonate with the users. There're no rehearsed smiles or filters put into place. Moments in time that, especially, our water bound users appreciate. Without that we're no different or better than the fake crap on Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat."
Louise kicked her sibling in the leg and interrupted, "What my single minded brother is trying to say is that, in addition to Liv's offer, we would also like to have photographers front and present that could take pics regularly, in appropriate areas, and have the people they capture preview the image and agree to have posted."
Okami ceased snarling and gasped, "Like a school newspaper! Freya told me all about those when she went to school!"
Freya put her hand to her mouth and thought for a moment. After a few seconds she said, "Yeah, I think I'm okay with that. Then again, I haven't been the primary target for your bullshit. What does everyone else think."
"Whatever. So long as you two don't fall back on their old habits." Alec stated
"And they show some love to more of the boys around here. We girls like eye candy too, y'know." said Rydia.
"Those holes in the pool walls need to stay plugged. No more reopening them." insisted Deora.
"I'd also like a segment for pets! Mister Bojangles belongs on the front page!" Heather asserted.
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Posted: Thu May 04, 2023 8:46 am
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Rikki Tikki Travi Lucas, in a moment he would look back on as insanity, refuted, "But what everyone goes to the site for is it's reality! Organic, candid moments that resonate with the users. There're no rehearsed smiles or filters put into place. Moments in time that, especially, our water bound users appreciate. Without that we're no different or better than the fake crap on Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat."Louise kicked her sibling in the leg and interrupted, "What my single minded brother is trying to say is that, in addition to Liv's offer, we would also like to have photographers front and present that could take pics regularly, in appropriate areas, and have the people they capture preview the image and agree to have posted."Okami ceased snarling and gasped, "Like a school newspaper! Freya told me all about those when she went to school!"
Freya put her hand to her mouth and thought for a moment. After a few seconds she said, "Yeah, I think I'm okay with that. Then again, I haven't been the primary target for your bullshit. What does everyone else think.""Whatever. So long as you two don't fall back on their old habits." Alec stated"And they show some love to more of the boys around here. We girls like eye candy too, y'know." said Rydia."Those holes in the pool walls need to stay plugged. No more reopening them." insisted Deora. "I'd also like a segment for pets! Mister Bojangles belongs on the front page!" Heather asserted.
Kerana shook her head, “You guys do realize the Vixens of Valhalla is only one of many groups one could join and follow feeds of. There’s Hunks of the Halls or Creature Comrades and more.”
Recently Hunks of the Halls had been featuring Alec but that too had been followed by a lot more jealous comments from women who would have wanted to date him in his current form. Some of them may be prettier or more experienced but would they have given him a second look before he had ascended? She briefly wondered how the zeitgeist would react when she ascends. |
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 11:44 am
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Nova Blancke "Ahh..well...if I know MY Theo and I like to think that I do...he's stubborn. He decides what is his happiness and no one else. The only reason I managed to get close was after my Trinity died. Because he needed someone. He was devastated when you...SHE died. I don't think I've ever seen a more broken man after that. Even after we were together, in the beginning I only felt like…" She stopped and continued "a replacement. To fill that hole she left. I know after a while he managed to move on. Dawn played a big part in that. He knew he had to get his s**t together for both of his kids."
"What I am trying to say is... if this Theo is in any way the same... He was truly happy with you…"
Trinity thought to herself, It can't be that simple, can it? She muled it over and took another sip of wine. "We did try again... last week. Based on what happened with Leo, I thought it was a sign that enough time had past that I could overcome what the future had warned me about… Still the thought, the sting was still there every time I looked at him… that moment kept resurfacing. Dawn hugging Theo and calling him dad… part of me wants to move past this, the other part… can't. Had to break up with him again, even though part of me wanted to keep trying but the rest… saw no way around it."
She took another sip and stood up looking distant. "Perhaps … you're right with your Theonis. This Theonis … described the type he normally goes for to me and it pretty much was describing you in this timeline. Even when he asked me to be present when she was in the room with him, I just felt like the third wheel, invisible and only whitnessing the enevitable. Which really hit home when Dawn showed up. I’m sorry… she’s a good kid and it’s messed up that I see her as some sort of validation for what I was dreading would happen."
“To be honest, not sure if it would be any easier if you guys showed up or if I would be hanging on how he looks at her or some other reason to not be together.”
She swirled her drink while she spoke “There have been so many relationships I’ve been in where it didn’t work out and wished I could see the future to avoid the situation entirely or find some way to keep things going. Now the future has spoken to me and seems like everyone is expecting to ignore it. Ignore that my suspicions were justified?” she closed her eyes for a moment then opened them as she stopped the swirl.
It was obvious she wanted her and Theonis to work but couldn’t find a way to get there. She sighed to herself, "You mentioned you felt like a replacement for a void you had trouble filling. Aside from time, how did you move past that, before Dawn was there?" |
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 1:07 pm
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