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*flail flail whine flop*
I want to do something o-ficcy. IDK, write my old characters, worldbuild for some new fic. I want packbonding and weird alien things. I can't decide. It's horrible.
I just... Mermaids in Space? Not enough alienness. Black Ops Werewolves? Not enough scifiness. That new weirdass survival/horror thingie I've been toying with in the last couple months? I don't even know the characters all that well!
I need weird and dangerous as fuck ecosystems and people engineered into not quite human creatures and possibly also visibly unsettling and psychic powers and PACK BONDING AAAA.
I also want to write Tyr learning how to be pack alpha. Not enough aliens in that fic but. Oh man the first time he loses his temper = glorious.
Frargh.
I'll probably regret this, but. Anyone feel like prompting me? Asking worldbuilding questions? Anything? .__.
Quick summaries cause it's been a while:
-Mermaids in Space follows adorably serious, young telepathic tribal mermaid Liadan, goofy and idealist, psychic-null, intellectual/marine biologist Arun, and antisocial empath, mechanic, space pirate Blue in their mad escape from Evil Corporation that wants to mine Liadan's nice abandoned waterworld without consulting with the locals. Other characters to be found here (main trio and bad guys) and here (blue's pirate crew), illustrated.
-Territoriality: The war against pseudoelves has come to a draw, so some of the soldiers who were part of an attempt to induce lycanthropy without allowing it to conclude in transformation are cut loose. Now on top of the convenient strength and healing abilities they have to deal with powerful instincts and health issues. Also with the local werebeast society, which isn't really happy to see them. Characters are asexual, wry, introverted alpha-wolf-to-be Tyr Andersen, snarky asshole Dian Keller, one-eyed silently snarky badass she-wolf Neve Serrano, charming liar Gabe Wright the werebear, bitchy tiny tiger Xiang and her best friend Athena the Secretary, etc.
There's the civilization the POV guy (Nathan) is from, which is (at least atm) militaristic, and kinda prudish. I don't know if they're at war with aliens or with other humans, but alien species have been discovered, though so far many are not sentient and a lot are just mold and stuff.
One of the alien species turned out to have psychic powers and stuff and was mixed with humans to create fighters. That was a couple centuries ago. They're all telepathic and pack-bondy; some of them also have a second psychic gift, which is more common in women and very common in neuters (that's a gender the alien species had and now that the Hounds are reproducing normally and not in labs anymore it's been popping back up. Neuters sometimes have two or three extra gifts.)
Anyway, the characters:
Nathan Martelli (radar officer, human normal)
----
Kelly (leader -- Kelan Donahue) (vivid gold eyes, black hair, bushy squirrel tail) (electro/magnetokinetic.)
Nash (lanky -- Nathan Walsh) (light brownish hair, green eyes, thin and long greyhound tail)
Flare (short, redheaded woman? Tess O'Ryan.) (cropped hair on her head, crew cut; Angora otherwise, which is bothersome re: tail but she needs the range. Telekinetic.)
--
Lev (woman with high cheekbones and long smooth black hair -- Shalev Avraham) (long cat-haired tail) (teleportation -- alone, short distances)
Tank (big and wide -- Dov Segel) (grayish brown hair, cut off tail -- half length, bushy. Doesn't spend a lot of time in his own head.)
Night (Lior Klein) (psychometry, amazing telepathic range)
Askerian: the pack bonding people are called Hounds because the alien creatures they were genetically engineered with were kinda doglike. and they packbond. but there's a trick
Askerian: they all have various psychic gifts, but they all have telepathy
bkprsn101: ooh
bkprsn101: ...that would make it difficult to interact with people who aren't like them, probably. Like talking to a brick wall
Askerian: the catch is that it's always wide open and they feel better/more solid if one person they bond to has a solid mind -- that is, usually a "normal" person with no psychic gift at all. that was deliberately introduced in them to make them easier to control
bkprsn101: ...*_*
Askerian: another analogue to canines is that unlike most monkeys they'd rather be on the last rung of the ladder than off the ladder entirely, where a monkey might well cut off his nose to spite his face
bkprsn101: interesting
Askerian: anyway they were created a long while ago and then, well, if they form big packs they manage to have enough willpower to resist humans but it's hard and they always lose individuals who kinda fall in loyalty with outsiders
bkprsn101: ...XDDDD oops
Askerian: there were protests and stuff and they were formally declared an independent people blablah this was slavery wasn't it we are so sorry, but they can't merge with normal people so the government generously parked them onto them reserves. >__>
bkprsn101: ...how nice of you, government. I'm sure they appreciate that.
Askerian: yeeep
Askerian: pretty much the same issues as with indian american reserves, very low employment, alcoholism, feeling of going nowhere and being barred from stuff etc
Askerian: anyway since they're so badass and they have awesome senses they often get hired by the military as advance scouts/guerilla. but always in groups of three
Askerian: two or one aren't enough to be mentally stable and they start freaking out because homg alone in my head and latching onto soldiers who are trying to work, more than that and they get uppity and impossible to control (read: influence with the winning force of my personality)
Askerian: oh yeah btw this is a future with other planets, so this one time there's two companies on the same planet!
bkprsn101: I can see where there are likely a lot of problems with even the way people think about this issue
Askerian: and then they get pretty much decimated, and the survivors band together, and they each have the usual batch of three hounds. And There Were Six. oops.
Askerian: yeeah >__>
bkprsn101: oh dear
Askerian: people see them as creepy and wrong and scary and REALLY USEFUL and easy to break and abuse
Askerian: and then the survivors are found again OOPS :-D
bkprsn101: except I imagine six hounds together who were trained for combat are rather difficult to, what's the word, "control"
Askerian: anyway at that point in time a normal guy who's a communication officer had been sent to the hound camp to tell them about stuff re: supplies or whatever, when the attack happens, and the hounds pretty much just grab him and run instead of going back to help, because there is absolutely no helping them do anything, they'd just die as well
Askerian: yessssss
bkprsn101: XDDDD
Askerian: so at this point the guy is all D: for a number of reasons, but he has Important Intel concerning the enemy's new method of attack so they hurry across the country. the place is pretty much a jungle, btw. sometimes there's bunkers and tunnels... XD
Askerian: and they're all super athletic, and well, he's a soldier, he's done basic like everyone, but he still has a hard time following, because he doesn't like complaining and also he doesn't want to seem even MORE pathetic to them. XD
Askerian: anyway they get to know each other blahblah but he feels pretty isolated watching them interact, and since they're telepathic they almost never speak and oh god he's so lonely ;_;
Askerian: also the bad guys figure out they exist and start chasing them blahblah intense terror
bkprsn101: oooh
bkprsn101: I imagine he's leaking VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DUN WANNA NOOOOO AAAAAAH SCARY all over the place and the Hounds are kinda like "...oookay, not touching that with a ten-foot pole..."
Askerian: pfff
Askerian: nah. more like quietly hurting/determined/sad/fuck that noise
Askerian: he's a little badass. XD not alpha material but he'd make a pretty awesome beta XDDD
Askerian: the pack already has an alpha anyway XD
bkprsn101: ooooh
Askerian: he's VERY careful never to give an offhand order to the alpha, even though he's technically higher ranked
Askerian: he might be higher up but there's still six of them and one of him
Askerian: also it'd be insulting and he's a newbie with little field experience
bkprsn101: well, he's technically not part of the pack, he probably wouldn't really offend anyone
bkprsn101: they just wouldn't listen to him
Askerian: oh yes he would, if you take in context all that history of oppression
Askerian: that's still not over, by the way
bkprsn101: oh, good point
bkprsn101: XDDD I see
Askerian: it's an entrenched attitude in some people that the pack people need a firm, controlling hand, and even secretly yearn for it.
bkprsn101: which, actually no they don't
Askerian: they have legal provisions for a pack person who "chooses" to stay with a normal human and adopt them as their person.
bkprsn101: they certainly do like a nice, solid mind at their back, but you can be a solid mind without being a douche, believe it or not
Askerian: they- do make pretty awesome bodyguards! and they do need paying jobs! and some of them do fall in loyalty for real with the awesome of a person's leaderly mind.
bkprsn101: but that's not the same thing as "needing a firm hand"
bkprsn101: they're not children or animals
bkprsn101: they're people with another layer of instincts
Askerian: the issue there is that a politician/high ranked military guy pretty much needs the status symbol of a Hound at his back to claim I AM WORTHY OF BEING FOLLOWED
bkprsn101: ...hrm
Askerian: Just so happens bonding can and often is deliberately triggered by solitary confinement and other types of isolation but of course that is abuse we would never.
Askerian: there's lots of pretending all the evil old days of mistreatment and slavery are behind us
Askerian: legally they're not slave anymore! they can leave whenever they want!
Askerian: except they've been deliberately made with that hole in their psyche which means no they can't.
bkprsn101: can you unbond if you bond with someone?
Askerian: yes and no.
bkprsn101: oh dear
Askerian: you can, pretty much the same way you can get out of a bear trap! you can chew off your leg and leave it behind. :-D
bkprsn101: oh my god
bkprsn101: so, I really dislike the geneticists who thought this was a neat idea?
Askerian: good luck not bleeding to death or getting a horrendous infection, and you'll never be whole afterwards, but yay go freedom!
bkprsn101: so, is Lev technically beta now?
bkprsn101: like, what's the dynamic within the pack?
Askerian: right now yes, she's second in command, then again in a pack of exactly six people it's not entirely necessary
bkprsn101: Flare sounds awesome
Askerian: It goes Kelly=>Lev=>Flare&Nash=>Night=>Tank, which is hilarious because tank is well-named
Askerian: he's HUGE. it's not that he's stupid, either, he's just not that concerned with staying in his own mind.
bkprsn101: would, say, adding a non-telepath to a chain of command under alpha stabilize a pack enough to allow it to grow without fear of people "falling in loyalty"?
Askerian: they'd all be loyal to him
Askerian: it's a complex dynamic, especially in this one situation XD
bkprsn101: so he would have to be alpha?
bkprsn101: that would suck if he's not cut out for it
Askerian: usually people who just happen to acquire a hound or two as companions are already colonels and pretty high up, and they just don't see themselves as anything else
Askerian: hmm, no, that's not entirely it
Askerian: the crown prince and his general?
Askerian: general's loyal to the prince and would protect him to the death but in combat situations as long as he's not old and experienced enough to lead 'em right the general would still try not to listen
Askerian: and if the prince isn't a stupid self important asshole he'd understand he needs to let him do his thing XD
bkprsn101: ah. He'd be outside the chain, techically, but he also wouldn't really have a lot of control over what happened. It would be more a "go forth and figure out how the fuck to do this thing" situation?
Askerian: also nathan is worried about accidentally bonding any of them. though flare and night are somewhat friendly, and nash needles him (nash is a bit of a dick)
Askerian: so he tries not to get into their conversations (kinda easy since often they forget to speak out loud for his benefit. XD; ) and when it's time to sleep he makes sure to sleep elsewhere
Askerian: they all sleep in a pile. they like a LOT of physical contact and his civilization is kinda prudish.
bkprsn101: ...they are going to have to break him of that eventually
bkprsn101: Cuddles!
Askerian: he really hadn't thought in depth about hound rights or issues before, mostly he's only seen any on TV and even then not often, but the more he gets to know them and the less okay he is with the idea of accidentally hooking any of them
Askerian: yessss
bkprsn101: it must be a complex issue for them, because it's literally in their natures to be loyal. Like, it isn't a bad thing, really, so long as the person actually deserves the loyalty
Askerian: yeah
Askerian: but there also is all their history that says unmodified people are (almost) all users.
bkprsn101: yeah
Askerian: they know a lot of them are not, but you'd still get a lot of flak for choosing one over your own people
bkprsn101: hrm
Askerian: especially since once you're bonded... your bondmate wouldn't be welcome on a reservation
Askerian: so you're kind of exiled
bkprsn101: but on the other hand a pack that's bonded to someone would in theory be a pretty strong political force?
Askerian: unless he's nice enough to move near one but.
bkprsn101: I mean, if you wanted to do it
Askerian: yeah but.
bkprsn101: but you don't get to be with your people any more, which sucks ass
bkprsn101: wow, really awful situation
Askerian: it would also be disqualified from running for office because homg none of them truly believe in you their choice was coerced you are CHEATING
Askerian: i think they're trying to have separate governments but it's a legal mess.
bkprsn101: ick
Askerian: mmmh
bkprsn101: so basically the only way to really solve the problem is to completely change people's attitudes about Hounds, and good fucking luck with that.
Askerian: it'll take centuries. D:
Askerian: they're actually hoping to snag themselves an entirely separate planet. preferably a jungle one that the normals wouldn't want because too hard to exploit.
Askerian: oh man suddenly BIGGER PLOT.
Askerian: *__*
Askerian: uh where was i
Askerian: okay so then it's cold at night but half the pack kinda thinks he's snobbing them? since he's staying away
bkprsn101: :-\
Askerian: and kelly goes to invite him to join in and in between the mad blushing at cuddling with three girls (he doesn't know night is neuter, it's not a widely known fact that they exist at all XD) and three big tough guys, and the paranoia about accidentally bonding them to him so he refuses. >>
bkprsn101: and Kelly is like "...hypothermia? No? K then. *wanders back*"
Askerian: so then discussion ensues and kelly figures out the paranoia thing and is all "... aw. ... buddy, it takes around two weeks. we're about a month away from civilization. do the math."
Askerian: XD
bkprsn101: oh dear
bkprsn101: XDDD
bkprsn101: well, on the one hand, best guarded communications officer in the army ever
Askerian: and nathan kinda freaks out because all this time he was staying away to keep them safe from him and they already knew it would happen anyway and the only way for them to stay free would have been to kill him and dump his corpse in the jungle (no one would ever, ever know) and he was kind of a bit wary that they'd think they had to go that far, and it turns out they already had made the decision not to
bkprsn101: on the other hand, time to brush up on your Hound rights, sweetie
Askerian: haha yes
Askerian: so then he starts packing up, all "i can go alone, you've been teaching me survival tricks" and they both know he'd probably die inside a week
bkprsn101: I think it's sort of interesting that Nathan doesn't have much of a say in the matter either. What if he doesn't want an extremely loyal human being protecting him all the time? Or six?
Askerian: XD yeah, that's also an issue, but they all get kinda "d'awww" that his first thought was still "they're going to be my SLAVES this is HORRIBLE i can't let them HAPPEN TO THEM i can't condone that shit"
bkprsn101: I feel like the only proper response to that is for Kelly to kind of watch him deadpan for a while and then to steal his backpack and walk over to the pack
Askerian: h doesn't really have any experience in privilege-checking and being an ally and stuff but he has his heart in the right place XD
Askerian: XDDD
Askerian: i think he kind of just picks up nathan instead. XD
bkprsn101: hahahahahahaha
Askerian: who is all panicky and then when they get there the whole pack is watching him all "d'awwwww so cute.<3"
bkprsn101: "Look! I found a communications officer! Can we keep him he followed me home"
Askerian: XDD yesss.
bkprsn101: It's interesting that Nathan thinks they're going to lose all autonomy the moment they bond with him. Is that accurate or just his privilege speaking?
Askerian: anyway there might be some discreet manly tears as everyone cuddles up to sleep.
bkprsn101: XDDD
Askerian: he has no idea. considering the only hounds he really hears about are the solitary or paired ones attached to some general or other
Askerian: who are likely perfectly polished and never speak and stand at attention behind the guy's chair all day long.
bkprsn101: Yeeeeah. I imagine any Hound he meets on the street will tell him that on a whole that is not a normal bond.
Askerian: it's really not well known how exactly a bond works in the wider population, as they're kinda pretending it was homg three generations ago why are we still being called slavers and abusers that stuff is in the past.
Askerian: yeeeah but also it's pretty rare to have healthy bonds between a normal and a hound in the first place.
Askerian: they're kept separate pretty strictly
bkprsn101: so it's kind of new territory for everyone in this situation
Askerian: yeah, a bit
Askerian: i think there are normals who live on the reserves as allies/lovers/friends but by their very nature they tend to be handed a lot of pull, and they have to be careful not to use it, or at least not wrongly, because they'd be scrutinized real close for any mishandling of that power they have
Askerian: okay so then eventually they arrive at destination, and then legally speaking the two trios should be separated and sent back to other missions or back home (different reserves, btw) but they've all bonded so tightly it would be cruel as fuck
Askerian: there's political shenanigans, as people are green with envy that a brand new major has himself SIX hounds, and can he even handle them they should be taken away for their own good this is preposterous how was he not killed and eaten in that forest no one would have ever known
Askerian: and basically he has to pretend to be badass and in control and dominant as fuck, while kelly stands behind his chair at parade rest and whispers suggestions and tips in his ear. XD;;;
bkprsn101: and meanwhile a bond is a bond is a bond and everyone can shut the hell up?
bkprsn101: hahahahahaha
Askerian: well. it's Pretty Obvious that a mere major couldn't be naturally badass enough to attract them by sheer force of personality, so it was mere circumstances! separating them early into the bond would hurt but they'd be thankful later! no, wait, what if they could read the greatness emerging in that young man and he'll be AWESOME some day and we're making an enemy of him? ... better finish him now before he threaten our power base!!!
Askerian: it's full of backstabbing and fuckery
Askerian: but anyway i didn't have any plot from here on but I could totally go with a "he's brought aboard the Hounds' plan to yank a planet for themselves and emigrate en masse before some assholes find excuses not to let them and works from inside the system to facilitate this"
bkprsn101: I feel like backstabbing would work a lot better if he didn't have six Hounds bonded to him
bkprsn101: all of whom are good at working together
Askerian: yeeeah XD
Askerian: AHAHAHA i think he'd totally manage to gank one Colonel's hound from under him too
Askerian: the pull of a stronger bond~~ :-D
bkprsn101: XDDDDD
bkprsn101: It helps that he's not a douche, too
bkprsn101: It would be interesting if they got a new planet for themselves and then the few normals who come kind of accidentally act as genetic patches for that enormous hole the genetic engineers left in Hounds' psyches.
bkprsn101: Like, seven or eight generations down the line, of course.
Askerian: yeeesss.
bkprsn101: First, who exactly are they fighting that communications officer has intel on, and are these people actually going to show up while they are trying to get back to base?
Askerian: second, yes. first, i don't know if they're another branch of humanity or aliens but they're sort of riding these terrifying tracking monsterthings that spit acit and see infrared and smell things much too well and can find someone through several feet of rock. >>;;
bkprsn101: Second, is the conflict the society is in going to play a role during the trying to get off the planet plot? Because if so, it might leave an interesting ethical dilemma for Nathan
Askerian: i keep going back and forth, i just know they're terrifying and the easiest thing is to run the fuck away and pray they go after someone else
Askerian: hmmmmmm
bkprsn101: oooh
bkprsn101: those sound awesome
Askerian: i was thinking, if they manage to bring enough intel to clear this planet thy might keep it for themselves XD
Askerian: THAT OR this planet that seems so shiny is in fact full of insanely dangerous predators. and only Hounds would survive in it anyway, and their best bet is to retreat and let the enemy "have" it and in a couple months they'll be dead anyway. XD
bkprsn101: well, in theory if anyone can handle a hostile society living on their planet with them it's probably Hounds
Askerian: and later the hounds can emigrate en masse. XD
Askerian: yeah XD
Askerian: so during their mad escape they would already be pondering ways to keep the beasts away from the settlement and nathan could figure that out and they'd be like "oh shit he knows too much... i think maybe we can trust him to stfu/maybe he hasn't guessed what we wanted to do???"
bkprsn101: and Nathan is going "...I am unsure whether I should get involved in this debate because ethically speaking there isn't a right answer..."
Askerian: XD
Askerian: he's emotionally involved by that point i guess? so even when he guesses things he shuts up because it'd be a dick move to bar them from escaping their shitty reserves
bkprsn101: There's a potential debate here like the one that led up to the creation of Israel, isn't it? On the one hand were the Zionists who said that Israel was their ancestral homeland and also that they should have a place to go, and on the other hand there were the individuals who felt like they were members of their countries of birth and that there were people already living in Palestine, etc. Who is right?
Askerian: yeah
Askerian: it helps there's no sentient beings native to this planet
Askerian: it's just two different human nations fighting over it
bkprsn101: and the fact that they're more or less being forced to live in ghettos or attach themselves completely to another person
Askerian: yeah
bkprsn101: so their answer could totally be "Nope, we'll fight for it, but not to give it to you"
Askerian: XDDDD
Askerian: possibly!
Askerian: or they'll be all "do whatever you want here's our advice" and then when they go "too much effort" the hounds emigrate en masse. XD
bkprsn101: hahaha
Askerian: ... they'd kinda need to steal or borrow at least some of the ships, though. they don't have that kind of money
bkprsn101: and if they try to stop them, the Hounds will have a very nice legal reason to fight for their rights.
Askerian: :3
Askerian: WE ARE NOW AN INDEPENDENT NATION HAHAHA GO AND GET US BACK IF YOU WANT US SO MUCH
bkprsn101: "You can't leave!" "Yes we can. We're autonomous beings. Your constitution says so."
bkprsn101: XD
Askerian: :-D
bkprsn101: "Unless you want to argue that that's crap, we can do what we want"
Askerian: oh man this is such a bigger story than i thought. daaamn.
Askerian: XD
bkprsn101: well. But where do your main characters fit in all of this? Like, they're going to need a little more power than they currently have as six military Hounds and a new major if this is going to actually occur
Askerian: i think nathan gets a promotion for managing to come back XD
bkprsn101: hahaha
Askerian: so by then he'd be this new little upstart who's making himself noticed >>
Askerian: meanwhile his well disciplined, tamed pack is going around whispering of sedition with all those generals' curs. whoops.
bkprsn101: ...hrm. I wonder what the other hounds are going to think about the group who makes this possible being a normal and his bonded pack of six
bkprsn101: considering all the history of oppression, do you think any of them would object to the situation? Like, it isn't one of their own leading the charge, it's this normal. Because normals have to give us everything. Also, it's to get us off the planet, how nice
bkprsn101: of course, it's not really nathan, if anything it's Kelly, but I'm not sure if that's how it would look from the outside
bkprsn101: ...and I am going to stop throwing around philosophical questions now
Askerian: from the outside it wouldn't look like that but any hound would know who's really in charge, the pack dynamics would flow pretty clearly XD
bkprsn101: XD Right. I keep forgetting that they'd be able to read that stuff
Askerian: if any they'd trust a human who's willing to let his bondmates take care of shit they're more competent about without trying to backseat drive
bkprsn101: yaaaay revolution!
Askerian: :-D
bkprsn101: ...okay, so onto much more important plotting questions: could you tell me about the actual characters, and who kisses whom when?
bkprsn101: this is too a plotting question hush
Askerian: XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Askerian: i've forgotten a bit, but everyone kisses nathan at some point.
Askerian: >>
Askerian: like on the mouth and all yes.
Askerian: they're very, uh, touchy-feely? >>
bkprsn101: hahahaha
Askerian: they don't all proceed to have sex, alas.
bkprsn101: <3<3
Askerian: some of them are *gasp* straight. or not interested. but still.
bkprsn101: GASP
bkprsn101: How very difficult to believe in a group of six!
Askerian: ... at the same time even when kelly and flare bang him they do it in the cuddlepile in the middle of everyone else. XD
Askerian: poor nathan SO SHOCKED.
bkprsn101: ahaha
bkprsn101: I bet at least one of the other grumbles about how they are loud and squirming a lot and damn it, trying to sleep here
Askerian: yeeeah XD
Askerian: other!nate! and then probably he joins in.
bkprsn101: XDDDDDD
bkprsn101: I am starting to enjoy him a lot
Askerian: he's straight but that doesn't mean he's against a nice friendly little orgasm between friends. XD
bkprsn101: despite the fact that all I know is his name, that he likes to poke fun, and that he sometimes joins threesomes
bkprsn101: XDDD
Askerian: also he gets this bwee! topping a normal! little thrill XD i think nathan kind of forgets his embarrassment long enough to roll his eyes at that one.
Askerian: XD
Askerian: he's a dickhead. but he's fun.
I just... Mermaids in Space? Not enough alienness. Black Ops Werewolves? Not enough scifiness. That new weirdass survival/horror thingie I've been toying with in the last couple months? I don't even know the characters all that well!
I need weird and dangerous as fuck ecosystems and people engineered into not quite human creatures and possibly also visibly unsettling and psychic powers and PACK BONDING AAAA.
I also want to write Tyr learning how to be pack alpha. Not enough aliens in that fic but. Oh man the first time he loses his temper = glorious.
Frargh.
I'll probably regret this, but. Anyone feel like prompting me? Asking worldbuilding questions? Anything? .__.
Quick summaries cause it's been a while:
-Mermaids in Space follows adorably serious, young telepathic tribal mermaid Liadan, goofy and idealist, psychic-null, intellectual/marine biologist Arun, and antisocial empath, mechanic, space pirate Blue in their mad escape from Evil Corporation that wants to mine Liadan's nice abandoned waterworld without consulting with the locals. Other characters to be found here (main trio and bad guys) and here (blue's pirate crew), illustrated.
-Territoriality: The war against pseudoelves has come to a draw, so some of the soldiers who were part of an attempt to induce lycanthropy without allowing it to conclude in transformation are cut loose. Now on top of the convenient strength and healing abilities they have to deal with powerful instincts and health issues. Also with the local werebeast society, which isn't really happy to see them. Characters are asexual, wry, introverted alpha-wolf-to-be Tyr Andersen, snarky asshole Dian Keller, one-eyed silently snarky badass she-wolf Neve Serrano, charming liar Gabe Wright the werebear, bitchy tiny tiger Xiang and her best friend Athena the Secretary, etc.
There's the civilization the POV guy (Nathan) is from, which is (at least atm) militaristic, and kinda prudish. I don't know if they're at war with aliens or with other humans, but alien species have been discovered, though so far many are not sentient and a lot are just mold and stuff.
One of the alien species turned out to have psychic powers and stuff and was mixed with humans to create fighters. That was a couple centuries ago. They're all telepathic and pack-bondy; some of them also have a second psychic gift, which is more common in women and very common in neuters (that's a gender the alien species had and now that the Hounds are reproducing normally and not in labs anymore it's been popping back up. Neuters sometimes have two or three extra gifts.)
Anyway, the characters:
Nathan Martelli (radar officer, human normal)
----
Kelly (leader -- Kelan Donahue) (vivid gold eyes, black hair, bushy squirrel tail) (electro/magnetokinetic.)
Nash (lanky -- Nathan Walsh) (light brownish hair, green eyes, thin and long greyhound tail)
Flare (short, redheaded woman? Tess O'Ryan.) (cropped hair on her head, crew cut; Angora otherwise, which is bothersome re: tail but she needs the range. Telekinetic.)
--
Lev (woman with high cheekbones and long smooth black hair -- Shalev Avraham) (long cat-haired tail) (teleportation -- alone, short distances)
Tank (big and wide -- Dov Segel) (grayish brown hair, cut off tail -- half length, bushy. Doesn't spend a lot of time in his own head.)
Night (Lior Klein) (psychometry, amazing telepathic range)
Askerian: the pack bonding people are called Hounds because the alien creatures they were genetically engineered with were kinda doglike. and they packbond. but there's a trick
Askerian: they all have various psychic gifts, but they all have telepathy
bkprsn101: ooh
bkprsn101: ...that would make it difficult to interact with people who aren't like them, probably. Like talking to a brick wall
Askerian: the catch is that it's always wide open and they feel better/more solid if one person they bond to has a solid mind -- that is, usually a "normal" person with no psychic gift at all. that was deliberately introduced in them to make them easier to control
bkprsn101: ...*_*
Askerian: another analogue to canines is that unlike most monkeys they'd rather be on the last rung of the ladder than off the ladder entirely, where a monkey might well cut off his nose to spite his face
bkprsn101: interesting
Askerian: anyway they were created a long while ago and then, well, if they form big packs they manage to have enough willpower to resist humans but it's hard and they always lose individuals who kinda fall in loyalty with outsiders
bkprsn101: ...XDDDD oops
Askerian: there were protests and stuff and they were formally declared an independent people blablah this was slavery wasn't it we are so sorry, but they can't merge with normal people so the government generously parked them onto them reserves. >__>
bkprsn101: ...how nice of you, government. I'm sure they appreciate that.
Askerian: yeeep
Askerian: pretty much the same issues as with indian american reserves, very low employment, alcoholism, feeling of going nowhere and being barred from stuff etc
Askerian: anyway since they're so badass and they have awesome senses they often get hired by the military as advance scouts/guerilla. but always in groups of three
Askerian: two or one aren't enough to be mentally stable and they start freaking out because homg alone in my head and latching onto soldiers who are trying to work, more than that and they get uppity and impossible to control (read: influence with the winning force of my personality)
Askerian: oh yeah btw this is a future with other planets, so this one time there's two companies on the same planet!
bkprsn101: I can see where there are likely a lot of problems with even the way people think about this issue
Askerian: and then they get pretty much decimated, and the survivors band together, and they each have the usual batch of three hounds. And There Were Six. oops.
Askerian: yeeah >__>
bkprsn101: oh dear
Askerian: people see them as creepy and wrong and scary and REALLY USEFUL and easy to break and abuse
Askerian: and then the survivors are found again OOPS :-D
bkprsn101: except I imagine six hounds together who were trained for combat are rather difficult to, what's the word, "control"
Askerian: anyway at that point in time a normal guy who's a communication officer had been sent to the hound camp to tell them about stuff re: supplies or whatever, when the attack happens, and the hounds pretty much just grab him and run instead of going back to help, because there is absolutely no helping them do anything, they'd just die as well
Askerian: yessssss
bkprsn101: XDDDD
Askerian: so at this point the guy is all D: for a number of reasons, but he has Important Intel concerning the enemy's new method of attack so they hurry across the country. the place is pretty much a jungle, btw. sometimes there's bunkers and tunnels... XD
Askerian: and they're all super athletic, and well, he's a soldier, he's done basic like everyone, but he still has a hard time following, because he doesn't like complaining and also he doesn't want to seem even MORE pathetic to them. XD
Askerian: anyway they get to know each other blahblah but he feels pretty isolated watching them interact, and since they're telepathic they almost never speak and oh god he's so lonely ;_;
Askerian: also the bad guys figure out they exist and start chasing them blahblah intense terror
bkprsn101: oooh
bkprsn101: I imagine he's leaking VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DUN WANNA NOOOOO AAAAAAH SCARY all over the place and the Hounds are kinda like "...oookay, not touching that with a ten-foot pole..."
Askerian: pfff
Askerian: nah. more like quietly hurting/determined/sad/fuck that noise
Askerian: he's a little badass. XD not alpha material but he'd make a pretty awesome beta XDDD
Askerian: the pack already has an alpha anyway XD
bkprsn101: ooooh
Askerian: he's VERY careful never to give an offhand order to the alpha, even though he's technically higher ranked
Askerian: he might be higher up but there's still six of them and one of him
Askerian: also it'd be insulting and he's a newbie with little field experience
bkprsn101: well, he's technically not part of the pack, he probably wouldn't really offend anyone
bkprsn101: they just wouldn't listen to him
Askerian: oh yes he would, if you take in context all that history of oppression
Askerian: that's still not over, by the way
bkprsn101: oh, good point
bkprsn101: XDDD I see
Askerian: it's an entrenched attitude in some people that the pack people need a firm, controlling hand, and even secretly yearn for it.
bkprsn101: which, actually no they don't
Askerian: they have legal provisions for a pack person who "chooses" to stay with a normal human and adopt them as their person.
bkprsn101: they certainly do like a nice, solid mind at their back, but you can be a solid mind without being a douche, believe it or not
Askerian: they- do make pretty awesome bodyguards! and they do need paying jobs! and some of them do fall in loyalty for real with the awesome of a person's leaderly mind.
bkprsn101: but that's not the same thing as "needing a firm hand"
bkprsn101: they're not children or animals
bkprsn101: they're people with another layer of instincts
Askerian: the issue there is that a politician/high ranked military guy pretty much needs the status symbol of a Hound at his back to claim I AM WORTHY OF BEING FOLLOWED
bkprsn101: ...hrm
Askerian: Just so happens bonding can and often is deliberately triggered by solitary confinement and other types of isolation but of course that is abuse we would never.
Askerian: there's lots of pretending all the evil old days of mistreatment and slavery are behind us
Askerian: legally they're not slave anymore! they can leave whenever they want!
Askerian: except they've been deliberately made with that hole in their psyche which means no they can't.
bkprsn101: can you unbond if you bond with someone?
Askerian: yes and no.
bkprsn101: oh dear
Askerian: you can, pretty much the same way you can get out of a bear trap! you can chew off your leg and leave it behind. :-D
bkprsn101: oh my god
bkprsn101: so, I really dislike the geneticists who thought this was a neat idea?
Askerian: good luck not bleeding to death or getting a horrendous infection, and you'll never be whole afterwards, but yay go freedom!
bkprsn101: so, is Lev technically beta now?
bkprsn101: like, what's the dynamic within the pack?
Askerian: right now yes, she's second in command, then again in a pack of exactly six people it's not entirely necessary
bkprsn101: Flare sounds awesome
Askerian: It goes Kelly=>Lev=>Flare&Nash=>Night=>Tank, which is hilarious because tank is well-named
Askerian: he's HUGE. it's not that he's stupid, either, he's just not that concerned with staying in his own mind.
bkprsn101: would, say, adding a non-telepath to a chain of command under alpha stabilize a pack enough to allow it to grow without fear of people "falling in loyalty"?
Askerian: they'd all be loyal to him
Askerian: it's a complex dynamic, especially in this one situation XD
bkprsn101: so he would have to be alpha?
bkprsn101: that would suck if he's not cut out for it
Askerian: usually people who just happen to acquire a hound or two as companions are already colonels and pretty high up, and they just don't see themselves as anything else
Askerian: hmm, no, that's not entirely it
Askerian: the crown prince and his general?
Askerian: general's loyal to the prince and would protect him to the death but in combat situations as long as he's not old and experienced enough to lead 'em right the general would still try not to listen
Askerian: and if the prince isn't a stupid self important asshole he'd understand he needs to let him do his thing XD
bkprsn101: ah. He'd be outside the chain, techically, but he also wouldn't really have a lot of control over what happened. It would be more a "go forth and figure out how the fuck to do this thing" situation?
Askerian: also nathan is worried about accidentally bonding any of them. though flare and night are somewhat friendly, and nash needles him (nash is a bit of a dick)
Askerian: so he tries not to get into their conversations (kinda easy since often they forget to speak out loud for his benefit. XD; ) and when it's time to sleep he makes sure to sleep elsewhere
Askerian: they all sleep in a pile. they like a LOT of physical contact and his civilization is kinda prudish.
bkprsn101: ...they are going to have to break him of that eventually
bkprsn101: Cuddles!
Askerian: he really hadn't thought in depth about hound rights or issues before, mostly he's only seen any on TV and even then not often, but the more he gets to know them and the less okay he is with the idea of accidentally hooking any of them
Askerian: yessss
bkprsn101: it must be a complex issue for them, because it's literally in their natures to be loyal. Like, it isn't a bad thing, really, so long as the person actually deserves the loyalty
Askerian: yeah
Askerian: but there also is all their history that says unmodified people are (almost) all users.
bkprsn101: yeah
Askerian: they know a lot of them are not, but you'd still get a lot of flak for choosing one over your own people
bkprsn101: hrm
Askerian: especially since once you're bonded... your bondmate wouldn't be welcome on a reservation
Askerian: so you're kind of exiled
bkprsn101: but on the other hand a pack that's bonded to someone would in theory be a pretty strong political force?
Askerian: unless he's nice enough to move near one but.
bkprsn101: I mean, if you wanted to do it
Askerian: yeah but.
bkprsn101: but you don't get to be with your people any more, which sucks ass
bkprsn101: wow, really awful situation
Askerian: it would also be disqualified from running for office because homg none of them truly believe in you their choice was coerced you are CHEATING
Askerian: i think they're trying to have separate governments but it's a legal mess.
bkprsn101: ick
Askerian: mmmh
bkprsn101: so basically the only way to really solve the problem is to completely change people's attitudes about Hounds, and good fucking luck with that.
Askerian: it'll take centuries. D:
Askerian: they're actually hoping to snag themselves an entirely separate planet. preferably a jungle one that the normals wouldn't want because too hard to exploit.
Askerian: oh man suddenly BIGGER PLOT.
Askerian: *__*
Askerian: uh where was i
Askerian: okay so then it's cold at night but half the pack kinda thinks he's snobbing them? since he's staying away
bkprsn101: :-\
Askerian: and kelly goes to invite him to join in and in between the mad blushing at cuddling with three girls (he doesn't know night is neuter, it's not a widely known fact that they exist at all XD) and three big tough guys, and the paranoia about accidentally bonding them to him so he refuses. >>
bkprsn101: and Kelly is like "...hypothermia? No? K then. *wanders back*"
Askerian: so then discussion ensues and kelly figures out the paranoia thing and is all "... aw. ... buddy, it takes around two weeks. we're about a month away from civilization. do the math."
Askerian: XD
bkprsn101: oh dear
bkprsn101: XDDD
bkprsn101: well, on the one hand, best guarded communications officer in the army ever
Askerian: and nathan kinda freaks out because all this time he was staying away to keep them safe from him and they already knew it would happen anyway and the only way for them to stay free would have been to kill him and dump his corpse in the jungle (no one would ever, ever know) and he was kind of a bit wary that they'd think they had to go that far, and it turns out they already had made the decision not to
bkprsn101: on the other hand, time to brush up on your Hound rights, sweetie
Askerian: haha yes
Askerian: so then he starts packing up, all "i can go alone, you've been teaching me survival tricks" and they both know he'd probably die inside a week
bkprsn101: I think it's sort of interesting that Nathan doesn't have much of a say in the matter either. What if he doesn't want an extremely loyal human being protecting him all the time? Or six?
Askerian: XD yeah, that's also an issue, but they all get kinda "d'awww" that his first thought was still "they're going to be my SLAVES this is HORRIBLE i can't let them HAPPEN TO THEM i can't condone that shit"
bkprsn101: I feel like the only proper response to that is for Kelly to kind of watch him deadpan for a while and then to steal his backpack and walk over to the pack
Askerian: h doesn't really have any experience in privilege-checking and being an ally and stuff but he has his heart in the right place XD
Askerian: XDDD
Askerian: i think he kind of just picks up nathan instead. XD
bkprsn101: hahahahahahaha
Askerian: who is all panicky and then when they get there the whole pack is watching him all "d'awwwww so cute.<3"
bkprsn101: "Look! I found a communications officer! Can we keep him he followed me home"
Askerian: XDD yesss.
bkprsn101: It's interesting that Nathan thinks they're going to lose all autonomy the moment they bond with him. Is that accurate or just his privilege speaking?
Askerian: anyway there might be some discreet manly tears as everyone cuddles up to sleep.
bkprsn101: XDDD
Askerian: he has no idea. considering the only hounds he really hears about are the solitary or paired ones attached to some general or other
Askerian: who are likely perfectly polished and never speak and stand at attention behind the guy's chair all day long.
bkprsn101: Yeeeeah. I imagine any Hound he meets on the street will tell him that on a whole that is not a normal bond.
Askerian: it's really not well known how exactly a bond works in the wider population, as they're kinda pretending it was homg three generations ago why are we still being called slavers and abusers that stuff is in the past.
Askerian: yeeeah but also it's pretty rare to have healthy bonds between a normal and a hound in the first place.
Askerian: they're kept separate pretty strictly
bkprsn101: so it's kind of new territory for everyone in this situation
Askerian: yeah, a bit
Askerian: i think there are normals who live on the reserves as allies/lovers/friends but by their very nature they tend to be handed a lot of pull, and they have to be careful not to use it, or at least not wrongly, because they'd be scrutinized real close for any mishandling of that power they have
Askerian: okay so then eventually they arrive at destination, and then legally speaking the two trios should be separated and sent back to other missions or back home (different reserves, btw) but they've all bonded so tightly it would be cruel as fuck
Askerian: there's political shenanigans, as people are green with envy that a brand new major has himself SIX hounds, and can he even handle them they should be taken away for their own good this is preposterous how was he not killed and eaten in that forest no one would have ever known
Askerian: and basically he has to pretend to be badass and in control and dominant as fuck, while kelly stands behind his chair at parade rest and whispers suggestions and tips in his ear. XD;;;
bkprsn101: and meanwhile a bond is a bond is a bond and everyone can shut the hell up?
bkprsn101: hahahahahaha
Askerian: well. it's Pretty Obvious that a mere major couldn't be naturally badass enough to attract them by sheer force of personality, so it was mere circumstances! separating them early into the bond would hurt but they'd be thankful later! no, wait, what if they could read the greatness emerging in that young man and he'll be AWESOME some day and we're making an enemy of him? ... better finish him now before he threaten our power base!!!
Askerian: it's full of backstabbing and fuckery
Askerian: but anyway i didn't have any plot from here on but I could totally go with a "he's brought aboard the Hounds' plan to yank a planet for themselves and emigrate en masse before some assholes find excuses not to let them and works from inside the system to facilitate this"
bkprsn101: I feel like backstabbing would work a lot better if he didn't have six Hounds bonded to him
bkprsn101: all of whom are good at working together
Askerian: yeeeah XD
Askerian: AHAHAHA i think he'd totally manage to gank one Colonel's hound from under him too
Askerian: the pull of a stronger bond~~ :-D
bkprsn101: XDDDDD
bkprsn101: It helps that he's not a douche, too
bkprsn101: It would be interesting if they got a new planet for themselves and then the few normals who come kind of accidentally act as genetic patches for that enormous hole the genetic engineers left in Hounds' psyches.
bkprsn101: Like, seven or eight generations down the line, of course.
Askerian: yeeesss.
bkprsn101: First, who exactly are they fighting that communications officer has intel on, and are these people actually going to show up while they are trying to get back to base?
Askerian: second, yes. first, i don't know if they're another branch of humanity or aliens but they're sort of riding these terrifying tracking monsterthings that spit acit and see infrared and smell things much too well and can find someone through several feet of rock. >>;;
bkprsn101: Second, is the conflict the society is in going to play a role during the trying to get off the planet plot? Because if so, it might leave an interesting ethical dilemma for Nathan
Askerian: i keep going back and forth, i just know they're terrifying and the easiest thing is to run the fuck away and pray they go after someone else
Askerian: hmmmmmm
bkprsn101: oooh
bkprsn101: those sound awesome
Askerian: i was thinking, if they manage to bring enough intel to clear this planet thy might keep it for themselves XD
Askerian: THAT OR this planet that seems so shiny is in fact full of insanely dangerous predators. and only Hounds would survive in it anyway, and their best bet is to retreat and let the enemy "have" it and in a couple months they'll be dead anyway. XD
bkprsn101: well, in theory if anyone can handle a hostile society living on their planet with them it's probably Hounds
Askerian: and later the hounds can emigrate en masse. XD
Askerian: yeah XD
Askerian: so during their mad escape they would already be pondering ways to keep the beasts away from the settlement and nathan could figure that out and they'd be like "oh shit he knows too much... i think maybe we can trust him to stfu/maybe he hasn't guessed what we wanted to do???"
bkprsn101: and Nathan is going "...I am unsure whether I should get involved in this debate because ethically speaking there isn't a right answer..."
Askerian: XD
Askerian: he's emotionally involved by that point i guess? so even when he guesses things he shuts up because it'd be a dick move to bar them from escaping their shitty reserves
bkprsn101: There's a potential debate here like the one that led up to the creation of Israel, isn't it? On the one hand were the Zionists who said that Israel was their ancestral homeland and also that they should have a place to go, and on the other hand there were the individuals who felt like they were members of their countries of birth and that there were people already living in Palestine, etc. Who is right?
Askerian: yeah
Askerian: it helps there's no sentient beings native to this planet
Askerian: it's just two different human nations fighting over it
bkprsn101: and the fact that they're more or less being forced to live in ghettos or attach themselves completely to another person
Askerian: yeah
bkprsn101: so their answer could totally be "Nope, we'll fight for it, but not to give it to you"
Askerian: XDDDD
Askerian: possibly!
Askerian: or they'll be all "do whatever you want here's our advice" and then when they go "too much effort" the hounds emigrate en masse. XD
bkprsn101: hahaha
Askerian: ... they'd kinda need to steal or borrow at least some of the ships, though. they don't have that kind of money
bkprsn101: and if they try to stop them, the Hounds will have a very nice legal reason to fight for their rights.
Askerian: :3
Askerian: WE ARE NOW AN INDEPENDENT NATION HAHAHA GO AND GET US BACK IF YOU WANT US SO MUCH
bkprsn101: "You can't leave!" "Yes we can. We're autonomous beings. Your constitution says so."
bkprsn101: XD
Askerian: :-D
bkprsn101: "Unless you want to argue that that's crap, we can do what we want"
Askerian: oh man this is such a bigger story than i thought. daaamn.
Askerian: XD
bkprsn101: well. But where do your main characters fit in all of this? Like, they're going to need a little more power than they currently have as six military Hounds and a new major if this is going to actually occur
Askerian: i think nathan gets a promotion for managing to come back XD
bkprsn101: hahaha
Askerian: so by then he'd be this new little upstart who's making himself noticed >>
Askerian: meanwhile his well disciplined, tamed pack is going around whispering of sedition with all those generals' curs. whoops.
bkprsn101: ...hrm. I wonder what the other hounds are going to think about the group who makes this possible being a normal and his bonded pack of six
bkprsn101: considering all the history of oppression, do you think any of them would object to the situation? Like, it isn't one of their own leading the charge, it's this normal. Because normals have to give us everything. Also, it's to get us off the planet, how nice
bkprsn101: of course, it's not really nathan, if anything it's Kelly, but I'm not sure if that's how it would look from the outside
bkprsn101: ...and I am going to stop throwing around philosophical questions now
Askerian: from the outside it wouldn't look like that but any hound would know who's really in charge, the pack dynamics would flow pretty clearly XD
bkprsn101: XD Right. I keep forgetting that they'd be able to read that stuff
Askerian: if any they'd trust a human who's willing to let his bondmates take care of shit they're more competent about without trying to backseat drive
bkprsn101: yaaaay revolution!
Askerian: :-D
bkprsn101: ...okay, so onto much more important plotting questions: could you tell me about the actual characters, and who kisses whom when?
bkprsn101: this is too a plotting question hush
Askerian: XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Askerian: i've forgotten a bit, but everyone kisses nathan at some point.
Askerian: >>
Askerian: like on the mouth and all yes.
Askerian: they're very, uh, touchy-feely? >>
bkprsn101: hahahaha
Askerian: they don't all proceed to have sex, alas.
bkprsn101: <3<3
Askerian: some of them are *gasp* straight. or not interested. but still.
bkprsn101: GASP
bkprsn101: How very difficult to believe in a group of six!
Askerian: ... at the same time even when kelly and flare bang him they do it in the cuddlepile in the middle of everyone else. XD
Askerian: poor nathan SO SHOCKED.
bkprsn101: ahaha
bkprsn101: I bet at least one of the other grumbles about how they are loud and squirming a lot and damn it, trying to sleep here
Askerian: yeeeah XD
Askerian: other!nate! and then probably he joins in.
bkprsn101: XDDDDDD
bkprsn101: I am starting to enjoy him a lot
Askerian: he's straight but that doesn't mean he's against a nice friendly little orgasm between friends. XD
bkprsn101: despite the fact that all I know is his name, that he likes to poke fun, and that he sometimes joins threesomes
bkprsn101: XDDD
Askerian: also he gets this bwee! topping a normal! little thrill XD i think nathan kind of forgets his embarrassment long enough to roll his eyes at that one.
Askerian: XD
Askerian: he's a dickhead. but he's fun.
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Prompt:"Its interuniversal oh-shit-our-telaphathic-powers-stoped-working day."
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