#while at the same time consuming a lot of secret trio content the past few days | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ayellowbirds · 5 years

Text

42 Webcomics Keshet Reads

I was recently reminded that I currently read a lot of webcomics, or have done so in the past. Here’s an incomplete list, linking to the first page where i can (which will usually mean the worst art). Organized thus: Title, Author. Genre. Format (long-format stories, short-format & single-page stories, or mixed). Description.

The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, by Christopher Hastings. Comedy, Parody, Action. A man from a long line of Irish ninjas has devoted his own life to saving lives as a doctor, disappointing his family. His staff includes a sentient but non-speaking gorilla receptionist, and eventually a boy sidekick who grew a fabulous mustache out of sheer determination. Recurring threats include fast food mascots, ghosts, wizards, ghost wizards, and a disease that turns people into giant lumberjacks. Completed.

BACK, by Anthony Clark and KC Green. Comedy, Adventure, Absurdity, Weird West. Long-Format. A cowgirl comes back from the dead with no memory of who she was or how she died, and is told by a trio of “Cool Witches” that she has to bring about the end of the world—though what exactly that means remains a mystery. Consistently excellent visual storytelling from masters of sequential art; at least one WLW pairing among the characters.

Bite Me!, by Dylan Meconis. Comedy, Horror, Historic Fiction. Long-Format. A young woman becomes a vampire amidst the chaos of the French Revolution. Featuring immortal angst, a Jewish werewolf, and sacré bleu, the chickens. Completed (website can be slow to load).

Broodhollow, by Kris Straub. Horror, Weird Fiction. Long-Format. By the creator of the original creepypasta that inspired Channel Zero. A young man abounding with neuroses and compulsions comes to a strange little town in order to settle a late relative’s estate. Themes of unreliable memories and differences of perception.

Chainsawsuit, by Kris Straub. Comedy. Short-Format. Three-panel gag comic.

ChaosLife, by A. Stiffler & K. Copeland. Slice of Life, Autobiographical. Mixed-Format. The life of a queer couple and their pets: humor, lgbt issues, mental illness (K. experiences paranoid schizophrenia), cats, and occasional puppets.

Crunchy Bunches, by Scott Warren. Comedy. Mixed-Format. Cereal mascot parody focused on snaggle-toothed feline mascot Munchy and his friends.

Dead Winter, by Allison Shabet. Action, Horror, Comedy. Long-Format. Zombie apocalypse story with occasional partially-animated scenes, and a relatively low focus on the actual zombies. Infrequent updates, but has a Patreon with weekly content.

DRIVE, by Dave Kellet. Sci-Fi, Comedy. Long-Format. Humanity has taken to the stars, led by a second Spanish Empire that controls the secrets of FTL travel. When the crew of the Machito recover their science advisor and accidentally pick up a mysterious amnesiac alien at the same time, they become embroiled in intrigue that affects the whole of human space and beyond, caught between secret police, mind-controlling invaders, and a species dedicated to invention who have a grudge against humans.

El Goonish Shive, by Dan Shive. Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Superheroics, Slice of Life, Mad Science. Long Format. Difficult to pin down, once described as “the most squeaky-clean fetish comic online”—lots of characters undergoing fantastic transformations of their bodies. Starts out weak but gradually grew into one of the most progressive webcomics out there as the creator started to really think about the meaning of someone wanting to transform from a nerdy boy into a busty girl. I’ve said more about it, here. Significant LGBT content, including canon gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderfluid, and asexual characters.

Family Man, by Dylan Meconis. Historic Fiction, Horror, Romance, Libraries. Long-Format. A learned man of Jewish ancestry takes a position as a lecturer at a small Christian university in the middle of nowhere in the Germanies of the 18th century, and falls in love with the daughter of the head of the university—who has some secrets relating to her mother’s family On hiatus as of July 2017.

Freefall, by Mark Stanley. Comedy, Sci-Fi, Furry. Long-Format. A larcenous alien and his naive robot pal living on a human colony world acquire the services of an uplifted humanoid wolf as their ship’s engineer under less-than-legal circumstances. As time goes on, the crew becomes caught up in the struggles and politics of the artificial intelligences of the colony. Binge-reading page here, colored strips here.

Girl Genius, by Phil & Kaja Foglio. Gaslamp Fantasy (Not-Steampunk), Action, Comedy, Mad Science, Alternate History. Long-format. A young woman discovers that she is the latest in a line of mad scientists including the vanished heroes of Europa as well as some of its most terrible villains.

Goblins, by Ellipsis Hana Stephens. Fantasy, RPGs, Action, Body Horror. Long-format. A tribe of goblins go from being mere MOBs to taking levels as adventurers themselves, facing ambiguity about alignment, morality, and the place of "monsters” in a world that seems to favor humanoids. Can get very gory at times. Light LGBT content including a prominent gay male character; transgender creator.

Goodbye to Halos, by Valerie Halla. Fantasy, Adventure. Long Format. Forced through a gateway to another world for her own safety, Fenic finds herself in the “run-down queer district” of a city of animal people—and spends a few years coming into own identity as a trans lesbian, forging a new life. But the reasons she was forced into this world are catching up to her, and she’ll need to turn her protective streak towards defending herself. Heavy LGBT themes; often not safe for work. The only work i can think of where a trans girl’s underwear bulge is treated as a completely nonsexual and innocent thing.

Grrl Power, by Dave Barrack. Superheroes, Sci-Fi. Long Format. Probably Not Safe For Work. Comics nerd Sydney Scoville winds up becoming a superhero herself after circumstances force her to reveal her powers and join up with an agency providing training and oversight. While consistently funny and clever with the use of powers, it can be very centered on the male gaze; the art starts out being pretty . I actually first started reading it because I recognized one of the characters from years prior when the artist was posting softcore smut to furry websites.

Guilded Age, by T. Campbell & Phil Kahn, art by John & Jason Waltrip and Erica Henderson. Fantasy, RPGs, Action, MMOs. Long-Format. A group of adventurers face off against threats to their world—such as the CEO of the company that programmed their world in the first place. Strong themes of intrigue, the nature of violence, and the concept of good and evil in fantasy settings. Completed, now running extras & side stories, including annotated repeats of the original pages.

Gunnerkrigg Court, by Tom Siddell. Fantasy, Sci-Fi. Long-Format. A young girl attends a strange boarding school specializing in matters of the supernatural and obscure, making friends with classmates, a ghost, robots, psychopomps, living shadows, fairies, and eldritch horrors in the form of silly woodland creatures while exploring the mysteries of the school and her own ancestry. Shows remarkable art progression; the style of the first storyline is unrecognizable from the present. Especially rewarding if you’re into alchemy. LGBT content, including prominent WLW characters. Warnings: unreality is a recurring theme, and there is a bit of “suicidal” fairies desperate to be reincarnated as humans. Boxbot is rubbish.

Johnny Wander, by Yuko Ota & Ananth Hirsh. Autobiographical, Fantasy, Humor, Mixed-Format. A mix of slice-of-life autobiographical pages, and short stories, including the longer format “Barbarous” and “Lucky Penny”.

Kevin & Kell, by Bill Holbrook. Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Furry. Mixed-Format. Extremely long-running strip (daily updates since September of 1995). In a world of anthropomorphic animals where predatory species can legally & without repercussions hunt & consume other species, a businesswoman wolf (Kell) and her uncommonly large rabbit husband (Kevin) make their blended family work in spite of social stigma against predator/prey relationships. Far more light-hearted than it sounds, though it often touches on social issues and drama. Light LGBT content from some minor recurring characters.

Kill Six Billion Demons, by Abbadon. Fantasy, Metaphysical, Martial Arts. Long Format. A college student’s attempt at heterosexuality is interrupted by the arrival of a legendary king of all reality. Thrust into a battle over the greatest power of all worlds, Allison faces devils, angels, and the city at the center of the 777,777 universes. It’s a lot to take in. Occasionally not safe for work. Frequent LGBT content, including WLW.

Love Me Nice, by Amanda Lafrenais. Comedy, Hollywood. Long Format. Set in a world shared by cartoon characters and ‘real’ people (think Roger Rabbit), where TV star Mac T. Monkey Jr. struggles between his irresponsible instincts and his attempts to build a life as an adult and a relationship with fellow protagonist (and manager) Claire. Some LGBT content; infrequent updates. Occasionally Not Safe For Work.

Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, by Coelasquid. Comedy, Videogames, Parody. Mixed-Format. The staff of a temp agency for “ludicrously macho guys” tries to help the protagonists of video games, TV, and movies deal with their testosterone-addled brains in a constructive fashion. Occasional LGBT content—mostly MLM, naturally. Keep an eye out for the fluffy little velociraptors, and Mr. Fish the Gyarados. On indefinite hiatus since June of 2018.

Narbonic, by Shaenon K. Garrity. Comedy, Sci-Fi, Mad Science, Gerbils. Mixed-Format. Comp Sci. grad Dave needs a job. Helen B. Narbon, cute blonde mad scientist with a gerbil fixation, is hiring. Story arcs feature action-packed forensic linguistics, a worldwide conspiracy of guys with the same name, rodents uplifted to sentience, time travel. Some awkwardness around gender transformations, light LGBT content. Completed, with author annotations.

Nedroid Picture Diary, by Anthony Clark. Comedy, Absurdity. Short Format. Short comics that very quickly come to focus on the antics of the anomalous ursine orb Beartato and his friend/roommate Reginald, a bird who is just terrible.

Not Drunk Enough, by Tess Stone. Supernatural, Action, Horror. Long Format. A survival horror styled webcomic by a creator with a history of exceptionally dynamic page composition and lettering. Expect lots of magnificently weird body horror.

O Human Star, by Blue Delliquanti. Roboticist Al Sterling died. Al Sterling woke up an android body mimicking his own. As he reconnects with his former partner-in-several-senses, he explores a world that remembers him as one of its greatest innovators. Major themes of identity, the definition of humanity, and gender and sexuality. LGBT themes including MLM and transgender characters. Warning for some discussion of self-harm.

Outsider, by Jim Francis. Sci-Fi. Long Format. Beautifully-illustrated science fiction story that is painfully slow to update. If you watched a lot of 80s and 90s sci-fi anime, you’ll get the vibe that this has—including its arguable weak point of being centered on a man who finds himself among an alien race dominated by warrior women.

Patrik the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen. Supernatural, Slice-of-Life. Long Format. The unlife and history of an exceptionally awkward vampire and the mortals around him—book club, knitting, coffee shops, violent murder. Some LGBT content.

Poppy O’Possum, by I. Everett. Fantasy, Furries. Long Format. A single mother in a world of animal people where only opossums lack magic, Poppy just wants to settle down in quiet and safety with her daughter Lily. The world has other ideas—but fortunately, Poppy is mind-blowingly strong. On hiatus. Some LGBT content.

Questionable Content, by Jeph Jacques. Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Sci-Fi. Mixed-Format. Starts out focusing on indie rock fan Marten and his robotic “anthroPC” Pintsize. As the art evolves, so does the subject matter, focusing more and more on the rest of the cast and topics like the nature of personhood and identity for artificial intelligence. Eventually comes to feature significant LGBT content, including bisexual and transgender characters in the main cast.

Rae the Doe, by Olive Brinker. Comedy, Slice-of-Life. (Mostly) Short Format. If Garfield was a transgender doe and wore clothes and also there weren’t any jokes about Mondays or lasagna and the comic was constantly assumed to be autobiographical in spite of its creator frequently asserting otherwise and the comic was still genuinely funny. But otherwise just like Garfield, really.

Selkie, by Dave Warren. Sci-Fi, Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Drama. Long-Format. Former adoptee Todd becomes a father himself to a strange young girl who turns out to be a refugee from a secret underwater civilization. While the public gradually becomes aware that humans are not alone, family forms and is redefined as secrets from both Todd and Selkie’s past are revealed and dealt with, and kids confront issues of inclusion and exclusion. Also, for some reason two of the kids from Evangelion are Todd’s neighbors.

Skin Deep, by Kory Bing. Fantasy, Coming-of-Age, Monster Girls (and Boys). Michelle discovers the secret world of mythical monster people after a small medallion unlocks her own heritage as a sphinx—supposedly long-extinct, according to the other monsters. Michelle must explore who she is and her family history while also trying to avoid completely upending nonhuman society and maintaining secrets within a culture already used to the use of magical illusions and transformations. Light LGBT content.

Skin Horse, by Shaenon Garrity. Comedy, Sci-Fi, Mad Science, Zombies, Canadians. Mixed-Format. Set in the same universe as Narbonic (see above), “Skin Horse” follows an organization of the same name dedicated to providing social services to beings only recognized by the secret shadow government—staffed by a patchwork zombie bioweapon, a talking sled dog, a cross-dressing pansexual psychologist, and a receptionist in the form of an immobile Victorian robotic weapon of mass destruction, all overseen by a sentient swarm of bees. Frequent LGBT content.

Something*Positive, by RK Milholland. Comedy, Slice-of-Live, Parody. Mixed-Format. Very long-running comic that gradually grows from a dark and misanthropic sense of humor into a dark and misanthropic sense of humor with a warm and gooey center. Earlier comics can be pretty weak and handle many subjects very poorly (the first strip, linked above, features an abortion “joke”); gradually improves.in terms of LGBT representation to the point that it’s one of the better webcomics in that regard. I might recommend skipping ahead in the archives to the current decade (the “1937″ and “1938″ are strips flashing back to the previous generations).

Spacetrawler, by Christopher Baldwin. Sci-Fi, Comedy. Long-Format. The naive but brilliant alien race known as the Eebs are enslaved by interplanetary society at large, depending on their servile nature to maintain the high standard of technology and transportation across the void of space. A group of utterly incompetent aliens come to Earth to seek help in freeing the Eebs... and generally fuck everything up for the best with their terrible choices of sample humans. Currently in the midst of a sequel series focusing on new intrigue and antics, including a talking, murderous kangaroo.

Spinnerette, by Krakow Studios. Superheroes, Comedy, Sci-Fi. Mixed-Format. A grad student develops spider-themed superpowers—including extra arms—and attempts to navigate both concealing her transformation, and becoming a superhero in a world where super-powered vigilantes and criminals are a fact of life. Not Work-Safe due to suggestive artwork including improbably form-fitting costumes over improbably large bosoms. Recurring LGBT content.

Val & Isaac, by @tredlocity. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy. Mixed-Format. A space mercenary, her wizard buddy, and the cyborg fish girl who keeps all their technology functional, occasionally featuring their shapeshifting assassin friend Space Dread. Major LGBT content, including WLW and MLM, and a prominent transgender character.

Vattu, by Evan Dahm. Fantasy, Worldbuilding. Long-Format. Born to the Fluters of the grasslands, Vattu finds her traditional subsistence lifestyle torn away as a multi-species empire asserts a claim over her people’s lands. A fantasy epic with several major arcs; see also the creator’s earlier completed works Rice Boy and Order of Tales.

XKCD, by Randall Munroe. Science, Parody, Comedy. Short Format. Stick figures and scientific silliness. Make a point of checking the alt-text of each comic by moving your cursor over the strip. Early pages are much more along the lines of experimental sketches; link above directs to a random comic in the archives. Some comics are more along the lines of interactive games!

Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic (YAFGC), by Rich Morris. Fantasy, Comedy, Parody. Mixed-Format. Not Work-Safe. The inhabitants of a world heavily based in Dungeons & Dragons go about their lives as monsters, humanoids, and soul-searching mixes of the two. Begins with a romance between a beholder and a goblin, gradually builds up to battles between nations and the gods themselves, while also finding time to explore family, loss and love, and whether kobolds count as sapient. Moderate LGBT content including recurring gay & bisexual characters (it’s a very large cast); new readers guide here.

#long post #webcomics

86 notes · View notes

agentexeider · 7 years

Text

Zootopia: Kaiden’s Story...Chapter 11: The Bill Always Comes Due...

Bunnyburrow…South Bunnyburrow...Present Day

The pickup truck containing the trio had finally made it to South Bunnyburrow, Kaiden realized it took them longer then expected as telling the story caused him to drive slower, yet Nick and Judy were too caught up in all of it to comment. It seemed each time they delved into the worn and weary fox’s life, they felt just a little bit older, a little bit more understanding of who their friend was. And yet, they knew the most painful memory was still to come, the one that cast the final piece in the forge that created the broken, damaged fox they see before them. Judy was speechless and Nick blown away, both trying to process what they just heard.

“Sorry about that.” Kaiden apologized.

“What?” Judy asked.

“I feel like I keep tugging your heart strings every five seconds. I told you mine was a sad one.” He explained.

“No, it’s alright, I understand why you want to tell us, why you want to tell someone.” She replied.

“Heh, I’ve never been one for therapy.” Kaiden joked.

“If that’s how you want to look at it. I just look at it as listening to a friend.” She replied, placing a paw on Kaiden’s arm.

Kaiden looked right and at Judy, he smiled softly.

“Thanks. I, um, appreciate it,” replied Kaiden

Shaking off his vulnerable state as he turned his eyes back to the road, which had ended near a property fence, the nearby gate having a metal sign bolted on the front of it “Private Property, No Trespassing” Kaiden stopped the truck, got out, going through his key ring and unlocking the padlock on the chain link. He wrapped the chain around part of the gate’s metal frame and locked the padlock again as he swung the gate open.

Judy noticed that, the action seemed practiced as if Kaiden had done this many times before and was running on automatic. Getting back in the truck and putting it into gear, he continued, driving on the private path behind the gate and onto the property.

“So where are we?” asked Nick.

“Home.” Kaiden answered cryptically

“Pretty land, actually.” Judy said.

“I went on to serve for another four years, in various parts of the world, more of the same really. Topple dictators, force regime change, taking out threats before they became threats. At least, that is what I told myself. Use whatever euphemism you want, but in truth, we were a hit squad, killing mammals because we were told to by an agency that we never questioned. And I realize now that’s why they recruited us as children, so we would see them as mother and father, and to operate from that point of authority.”

“What changed?” asked Judy.

“What do you mean?” Kaiden asked.

“I’m saying, what clicked for you? You had to feel something or think something, something that woke you up finally.” Judy replied.

Kaiden finally brought the truck to a stop, putting his arms on the wheel and stared off into the distance, he knew what Judy was asking, what that defining moment of realization and horror that comes from waking up from a delusion.

“Lily.” He answered.

“Lily?”

Kaiden nodded softly.

“I would look at her when I would come home, and she would smile, thinking I was doing a good job, protecting Zootopia from bad mammals, giving me praise. I would look back and go along with it even though I started to realize deep down it was all a lie. I didn’t want her to live with that anymore.”

“I was no hero, she was, she used her talents and abilities to save people, she became a doctor and then a biologist, saving people, working to make the world a better place. I told myself I did the same just in a different way but that wasn’t true. I helped make worse while patting myself on the back, ‘good job’.”

Judy didn’t know what to say. Nick on the other paw had been thinking about this whole thing and finally had something to say.

“Look, you got conned, I mean obviously in a big way, a huge way, for a long time. And maybe on some level you knew what you were doing was wrong, like a little voice screaming at you to stop. But you ignored it, told yourself that ‘they’ deserved it, and used that reason to justify what you were doing.” Nick explained.

“Nick.” Judy started to chide,

“No, carrots, I’ve been sitting here listening to all of this and if this is about him being honest with himself, the truth is, on some level, he knew it was wrong, regardless of the justifications, the reasons, the evasions. He knew.”

“And boiling it down like that, he’s somehow going to find a way to forgive himself?” Judy asked defensively

“He will NEVER forgive himself!” Nick exclaimed at her.

Judy reeled back a bit at the statement and loud delivery.

“I’m sorry to say it like that, but it’s the truth, he will never forgive himself. Because this kind of thing, you don’t come back from, not all the way.” Nick continued.

“Is this true?” Judy turned back to Kaiden.

“He’s right Judy, the truth is, no matter how many years go by, I don’t think I will ever forgive myself. Not really, and perhaps even on some level I even think I deserve what’s happened to me, perhaps it’s poetic justice. ”Kaiden nodded.

Kaiden craned his head around and studied Nick for a moment.

“So Mr. Wilde, what’s your unforgivable sin?”

Nick’s eyes opened up defensively.

“What do you mean?”

“Your little statement back there tells me that what you speak of, you speak from experience. So, you know mine, what’s yours?”

“Hey, this whole “journey to self-discovery” today isn’t about me, it’s about you my friend.” Nick pointed.

“Mmhmm.” Kaiden softly replied.

Judy looked back at Nick in wonder, what was that secret and why wasn’t he telling. Something from his past that he too was ashamed of. It was an interesting to note that it seemed like a lot of her friends that she was surrounded with all had their own stories, their damage and the baggage attached to it. Perhaps someday Nick would tell her, but she decided now was not the best time to press him about it.

Kaiden drove a few more yards and stopped the truck in front of a burned out husk of a house, turning off the engine and opening the door to get out, the hinges made a loud squeak as it opened. Nick also opened his door, the three got out, the truck’s doors making loud ‘thunks’ as each door shut. There was a calm and solemn silence as they stared at the house, they waited till Kaiden started to pace towards it before even moving.

Walking up the treaded path, years of neglect had overgrowth starting to reclaim the space the house occupied, the burned out and black husk of the house was being infiltrated by the fresh green growth of new life and plant matter growing up into it. Kaiden ran his paw over the tilted and slanted door frame that used to be his front door, grabbing the handle and prying it open, a breeze of distant smoke still lingered in the house. Stepping into the decrepit abode, nature had continued to work on the damage the fire had started. Nick and Judy followed, their paws causing the floorboards to squeak and shift under their weight, the wallpaper on the walls curled and flaked, falling to the floor like leaves, scraping and shifting as they moves, disturbed their motion. Judy could see the older fox looking around, seeing the house for what it is and what it used to be, the reflection of sadness, she could swear she could see the past reflected off his brown eyes.

Judy could see that this place was more than just a house, an abode or a dwelling; it was a home, their home. The long history of her friend revealed to her told her how important such a thing was to him and why its loss was so painful. She had never known loneliness until she moved to Zootopia, unpleasant as it was, it was short lived. She had been spared the pain of having to endure it for years, decades on end. But of what little experience she had with it, she understood its unpleasantness and the idea of how it would become worse with time.

Nick was all too familiar with the specter of this place, a warm place of hearth and home, carved up and consumed by the world like a fillet. Unlike Judy this reminded him of his own sins, perhaps not nearly as literal as the burnt wood of the house but the feeling left him with the same empty feeling as his own past.

As they moved through the house they came upon the dining room table, though like everything else the contents were burnt, the table however was still set, Kaiden picking up one of the partially melted forks, studying it and then the layout of the table, still set for the meal they had. The fox huffed staring at the fork rolling around in his paw. He looked back at the duo.

“Do you come here, every year?” asked Nick.

“No, in fact I haven’t been in here in almost as long as she’s been gone.” Kaiden replied

“I thought you said you come down here every year?” asked Judy

“I come down to visit her grave, I usually drive by the house, but I haven’t set foot in here since after the fire.” Kaiden clarified.

“This time, now that Jarod is dead, I just felt–” Kaiden choked on his emotion.

Judy stepped forward and held a paw on his arm.

“It’s amazing how your life can be going one way and then just like that, it’s changed forever.” Kaiden commented.

Putting the fork down in its place, he turned and led them over to the back door, which was connected to an attached greenhouse, several panels on the greenhouse were popped out either due to the fire, vandalism or simple neglect, and the cool breeze blew in through the gaps licking the fur of the three mammals.

“Did Lily have a green thumb?” asked Judy.

As he ran his paw over the empty pots and planters, reminiscing about days past, he smiled fleetingly at a memory.

“Yeah she did, I mean she was a farmer’s daughter.” Kaiden answered.

“But more than that, she was investigating all sorts of different plants for their medicinal properties, research and the like.” He clarified.

As they went down the row, the broken planters had spilled their contents onto the table, small patches of dirt collecting in the grooves of the wooden table. At the end was a smaller table that sat along the perpendicular wall, the plants in them has survived, grown wild, the glass panels above them had been blown out as well providing ample access to rain water, sunlight and the occasional pollinating bee.

“Lillies.” Judy spoke.

“Yeah.” Kaiden said with a sigh.

“You wife’s?” she asked.

“Yes, No, I mean...I grew these for her, just something to brighten up her lab.”

Kaiden and Judy were staring at the wild lilies that had been thriving at the end of the greenhouse, Kaiden smiled softly, remembering all the times he would catch Lily just looking at the flowers and brightening up with that infectious smile of hers.

“Did you wife also grow Nighthowlers for some reason?” asked Nick.

Kaiden snapped out of his moment and turned with Judy to face the younger fox. Nick’s concern was apparent, there were indeed several Nighthowler flowers growing wild on the far end of the greenhouse, two surviving flowers amidst several dead bulbs in the planters but evidence of deliberate planting. The two paced over next to Nick, Kaiden pondering for a moment.

“Yes, she did grow them along with several other plants and flowers, in fact I remember her making a big deal about them, she even went so far as to contact the Zootopia City Council about the dangers they posed.” Kaiden explained.

“Whatever happened with that?” asked Judy.

“They did what most politicians do, they casually dismissed her and pretended the danger didn’t exist.” Kaiden replied.

“Though I will say, the letter she got back was more than she expected, they at least tried to seem like they were taking it seriously, but she told me that the response on their part was ‘all bark and no bite’.”

“Class 3 Botanical…” Judy muttered as if completing a thought, her paw on her chin.

Kaiden raised an eyebrow at her words.

“A Class 3 Botanical is a plant or tree that’s been classified as being suspected of having toxic properties but that it hasn’t been evaluated to being conclusive. Which basically mean that there isn’t a law against growing, distributing or selling them and the whole thing just sounds like a warning but not in any way that actually tells you anything.”

“A disclaimer?” Nick offered

“Pretty much, sort of like ‘in case you actually hurt yourself or other people, don’t say we didn’t warn you, kind of.’”

“Hmm, so Lily got it on the books.” Nick concluded.

“Yeah, that’s what it sounds like. God I can only imagine if she hadn’t, the fact that Bellwether could have had I and no one would have had any idea.”

“Heh, who’s to say Bellwether would have even known about it.” Said Nick without thinking.

Kaiden pondered that thought for a moment.

“Kaiden, no, there was no way she could have known. I mean she tried to do the right thing in telling someone about it.” Consoled Judy

“I know, I know, just a series of unfortunate events that in the end, you never really know where you going to end up.” Replied Kaiden

He explored the bench that the planters were sitting on and found a small old picture frame, it was gold colored though not made of gold, hinged. It squeaked slightly when he opened it and found two pictures of them, one of them was their wedding day, another was from one of the many outings they would take, this one specifically a picnic in a nearby glen. The grass was yellow and the leaves orange, signs of fall. It was her favorite season, gone was the harsh heat of the summer but before the dreadful cold and snow of winter, where the last vestige of the grass and trees before their slumber and the cool and sweet smell of the leaves as they were cast off the trees.

Kaiden turned and faced the pair recollecting the details of that horrible day intermingling with his sweet memories, his recollection bubbling to the surface.

South Bunnyburrow…9 years ago…

The Ellison’s home was a humble one; some would even call it average in its construction except for a few custom amenities Kaiden had built for Lily. One of which was a greenhouse attached the rear of the house and added long bench tables for her to grow her plants in. Lily had started to dabble into the auspices of seeking out natural medicines and remedies that may be lurking in the various fauna that existed in the world, even having a few imported from faraway lands to find themselves taking residence in her greenhouse. The equipment was your traditional fair for any would be gardener, planters, water cans, gloves, hand tools, soil, and water piping running throughout, however near the front wall of the greenhouse where it connected to the main house was a smaller table that contained a variety of lab equipment, a microscope, beakers, flasks, Bunsen burner, even a centrifuge. Everything one would need to distill down the various components of the plants growing nearby. It definitely gave the appearance that Lily Ellison had become some sort of would be apothecary or alchemist but her intentions were scientific and in earnest. She had realized that medicine was starting to explore the understanding that nature itself may hold the key to some of the most deadly maladies that veterinary science has been struggling to cure for years. And that the answer may be found in some shrub growing on some rock in the middle of some god forsaken place halfway around the world, endeavoring to be the one to find it.

Today was the couple’s second anniversary, it was also in this month two years ago that Kaiden left the MIA, deciding that he had enough of the secrecy, the missions, the death, and the countless nights he lay awake knowing that Lily was doing the same, wondering if he would come walking through their door or get a visit from some nameless sub-director offering condolences, and the subsequent folded flag. He had done enough to make her worry and decided then and there to end his association with them. Settling down to the much calmer home and hearth that he had been wanting, he considered it early retirement and it hadn’t arrived a moment too soon. He wasted enough time and what he had left in this world was going to be spent with his beloved rabbit.

Lily had achieved, the monies from Kaiden’s salary had managed to pay for her schooling, keeping her from suffering the horrible consequences of debt. She was able to become the doctor she always dreamed of and worked at Zootopia General for a time, even earning her place on several prestigious research groups. She was able to help her family in the way she always wished, along with her father’s help they managed to repurchase the Harrington Farm and her childhood home. The universe it seemed was cycling towards itself and many things that were lost, were becoming found once again.

And when the chance to finally be with her favorite fox arrived, she jumped at the opportunity, being part of a research team didn’t require her constant presence, especially with teleconferencing and email, it allowed her to explore both her passions, her career and her love. Kaiden and Lily married and settled down, returning to South Bunnyburrow, a place that more than anything was their home. Of all the places they could have chosen, this place held special meaning for them, their lives happened here both the good and the bad. But Kaiden’s constant travels and Lily going back and forth between Zootopia and Bunnyburrow, it felt like just a house for the most part until a two years ago. Kaiden quitting the MIA, coming home from that world for the last time was a source of jubilation and the end of an era. They decided from now on, they would be a family and this house would be a home.

He had decided to take the time to think about what he wanted to do with his life, in many ways he paid with enough blood, sweat and tears to earn this quiet existence but desired to still feel useful. Having spent many days helping his father-in-law with his farm, a good head and a strong back served him well with this work. It was good work, honest work, nobody needed to die to plant and harvest carrots and rutabagas.

Kaiden came home with a few bags of groceries, many of which were straight from the grounds of the Harrington’s farm, carrots, peas, potatoes, but the couple’s mutual favorite product of the family farm was strawberries, sweet, delectable, soft and comforting. As children they had often sat in the fields in front of the Harrington house sharing a basket of strawberries, her little rabbit paws picking off the green stems and leaves and popping them into the young fox’s mouth, smiling at each other, with small seeds stuck in each other’s teeth, and giggling, carefree and unaware of the harshness of the outside world. Those were the times when for them, there was no outside world and those moments existed simply in a microcosm of themselves. It was one of the few pleasant memories that Kaiden had, holding onto them, pure and innocent and wholly happy.

Kaiden was planning on being the one to make dinner, doting on his favorite bun, showing her how much she meant to him but more than that celebrating their freedom. ‘So many years wasted’ he thought. He noticed that Lily was not home, she had told him she wasn’t feeling very well and was in fact finally planning on seeing one of her colleagues at the local hospital to check into it. Having been ill this morning, in fact several mornings for the last week, perhaps it was some stomach bug that has been going around Kaiden concluded.

Though he could try for elegance, in light of his wife’s currently unagreeable stomach perhaps a simple but hearty stew was in order, after all, it’s the celebration of their union that counts not the menu. Kaiden plugged the nearby kitchen sink with its stopper and filled it with warm water, empting the fresh produce into the sink to wash off the dirt. In the meantime he could collect the fresh herbs that he had growing in a planter in Lily’s greenhouse. He went out to the herb planter and started to gather them, pinching and twisting the stems, the slight faint fragrance filled the air causing Kaiden to instinctively sniff. He smiled as the aroma tickled his nose but there was another scent in the air, an even fainter scent, one that he had not noticed till the herbs had cleared the palate of his nose, it was familiar and struck an emotional chord.

Kaiden swung his head around inspecting his immediate surroundings, then out the windows of the greenhouse. The hairs on his neck stood up, he didn’t know what it was but something was amiss. Setting the herbs gently on the table in front of him, he walked to the back of the greenhouse and went out the glass door. Outside, his backyard, which was a sizeable acreage of land he stood up on the rise just behind the house. Scanning the land seeing nothing but rolling hills, shrubs and trees even going all the way to the horizon, the feeling in his head like a buzzing was still there. After a few minutes he began to dismiss it as simple a flashback of memory, a momentary flash from a time when he constantly had to be on his guard. Turning to walk back to the house, he opened the rear greenhouse door, stopping and turning his head as he caught the blur of a shadow in his periphery.

“Only two years and your instincts are already dulling.” Said the voice.

Kaiden spun his body to face the figure, the image resolving into a familiar feline shape.

“Jarod?! What are you doing here?” asked Kaiden almost defensively.

“Come now, is that anyway to greet an old friend?” The lynx smiled and brushed his paws against each other as if cleaning off dirt.

“We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.” Kaiden replied as he approached.

“That’s not how I remember it, You wanted to leave and we didn’t say or do anything to stop you.” Replied Jarod.

“Yes, but you didn’t exactly welcome the idea, none of the MIA case officers did.” Kaiden replied

“Well, you were one of the best; it was a shame to lose you.”

“Cut the crap Jarod, what do you want?”

“Who says I want anything, can’t an old friend visit another?”

“Not when said friend has decided he wants nothing to do with his former life.” Replied Kaiden gnashing his teeth.

“Well I’m sorry to tell you, it doesn’t work that way. You don’t get to do what you did and expect to never have it come to call on you again.”

“So you do want something.” Kaiden concluded.

“Of course, I want something; I want you back on the team. But I know you have this Farmer Ellison kick right now.”

“It’s not a kick, or a passing fancy or whatever you want to call it. It’s my life, and I want to live it my way, one of which includes not being involved with the MIA or any of you ever again.”

Jarod scoffed.

“How bad did you really have it Kaiden? I mean when you really think about it. How bad was it really? You’ve had a chance to do things that few people ever even dream of doing.”

Kaiden looked at Jarod as if he had two heads.

“Are you serious? Are you listening to yourself right now?” Kaiden asked rhetorically.

“They kidnapped us, they stole from us, robbed us of our childhoods, our chance at a normal life, gone. They trained us, turned us into weapons and then let us loose upon the world. Bringing pain, suffering and death in our wakes.” Kaiden explained.

“Oh for– don’t be so maudlin, you make it sound like you had some grand destiny that was interrupted.” Scoffed Jarod as he rolled his eyes.

“No! Not a destiny but a life, MY LIFE, it was mine and they took it from me, from all of us. They didn’t even give me a chance to mourn my parents before they came to take me away. The life I could have had here.”

“A life scrounging in the dirt?” Jarod fired back.

“So What?! Huh, So-fucking-what?! If I wanted to live a life in the dirt then that is my choice. I never wanted to do what I’ve done, or to know what I know. I wanted to live a happy normal life, a simple life. And they took it from me.”

Kaiden was livid, the hackles of the fur on his neck were standing on end, his body was stiff practically shaking from the simultaneous anger, sadness and pain. Jarod simply huffed.

“You’re so fucking selfish.” Jarod responded crossing his arms.

“What?” Kaiden replied incredulously practically chuckling at the apparent absurdity of such a response.

“You heard me, you’re fucking selfish. You think this is ALL about you.” replied Jarod sincerely.

“Of course it’s about me, we’re talking about my life.” Kaiden clarified.

“Which means nothing in the larger scheme of things.” Jarod fired back

“Your life, my life, our whole team’s lives mean nothing when it comes to the larger goals and ideals. When it comes to making sure society itself is secure and orderly, just and true.”

“But I wanted nothing to do with that. I never did. What gives anyone the right to just decide someone else’s fate, to just ‘take’ like that?”

“Fate, God, The world. Who knows the reasons for these things. The point is YOU were chosen, YOU were given this responsibility and YOU owe it to those who gave it to you to finish it.” Jarod answered.

“How can you be so cold towards of your fellow mammal? And why do you seem to deify this idea of “authority” As if they have some divine right to decide what is and isn’t for everyone?” Kaiden asked

Jarod paused for a moment, uncrossing his arms, standing up straight and looking Kaiden square in the eye.

“Because they built all of this. Everything we see, everything we have, they built. In short, they “own” us. And I would say being on this side of the fence is a fair sight better than what they have planned.” Jarod replied, pointing towards the ground as if standing behind a literal fence.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kaiden asked confused.

Jarod paused for a moment

“Ya know, sometimes I wonder if your brains really are in your ass. Did you ever wonder why we went the places we did? Wonder why we would topple some dictator, and then the Army moves in or some private military contractor. The times we would ‘appropriate’ some scientists, all pieces on a chess board moving around, part of a larger and much longer plan than even I suspected.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care about any of that anymore, I don’t want to be a part of that anymore. Leave me alone, just let me live my life in peace and quiet and the MIA or whomever will never hear a word from me.” Kaiden replied.

Jarod took a breath, letting out a loud exhale.

“She really means that much to you?” The lynx gestured towards the house.

“Yes. Yes she does, she’s my world, she’s my life.” Kaiden replied aggressively.

Jarod shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say.

“Ok then. I mean I can clearly see that she mean that much to you. I guess I can’t fault you for that. Fine, I’ll not trouble you again, you have my word on that.”

“Thank you.” Kaiden replied honestly.

“Oh don’t thank me, ultimately it’s not my decision, you know that. But I think I can impress upon them you’re strong disinterest in whatever is going on.”

“Goodbye Jarod.” Kaiden offering his paw.

Jarod hesitated for a moment and took the offered paw.

“Goodbye Kaiden.”

Inside the house, the telephone rang, it’s ringing offering an almost unsettling addition to the moment as the two mammals just stared at each other and not in a completely friendly way. Jarod broke the silence after the fourth or fifth ring.

“You going to get that? It might be important.”

Kaiden broke the pawshake and ran back into the house to answer the phone, picking up the cordless receiver off its charging base, pushing the ‘Talk’ button

“Hello?” asked Kaiden.

“Hey hun.” Replied back Lily.

“Hey Bun-bun, how are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling better, I went to see one of my colleagues about something, I wanted to make sure I was alright.”

“And are you?”

“Of course dear, I will be ok. In fact, I’m better than ok but we can talk about it tonight when I get home. You planning one of those famous dinners of yours?”

“You know it.” Kaiden smiled.

While Kaiden was talking on the phone, he carefully went out the front door of the house looking down the side and then around the place, Jarod was gone seemingly disappearing back into the ether from which he came.

“Are you alright foxy?” Asked Lily.

“I’m good, real good.” He replied.

“No you’re not, I can hear it in your voice. Did something happen?” She asked.

Lily had this uncanny ability to detect when Kaiden was uneasy about something, ironically more in tune with detecting things about people then he was and yet he was the former intelligence officer.

“Nothing hun, I just miss you and wish you were home already.” Kaiden replied relaxed.

“I’ll be right home silly, *mwah*.” She replied making a small smacking sound against the microphone.

“I’ll see you then, I love you.” Kaiden replied.

“I love you too.” She replied.

Kaiden took the phone from his ear and pressed the ‘End’ key, the phone beeped on the press. He took a look around again, feeling more at ease this time, shaking his head and turning back into the house to continue to make dinner.

Several hours later…

Kaiden and Lily were lying on their couch nearby, having finished the dinner so carefully prepared by him, with full bellies and happy hearts, he caressed and kissed his dear bunny and watching her enjoy every minute of it.

“So did I manage to appease your taste buds?” Kaiden asked.

“Mmmm, baby, you always manage to hit the spot just right.” She replied back smiling suggestively.

“Heh, you’re bad.” He replied.

“You know you love it.” She said kissing him on his wet fox nose.

“Yes, yes I do.” He replied before kissing her deeply.

Her paws caressed his cheek and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Breaking the kiss finally to come up for air, they smiled at each other. Kaiden managed to retrieve a small box he had hidden in the couch, a small paw held box with purple wrapping and a white lace bow.

“I got you something.” The fox said holding the present with his paw.

Lily was surprised; she smiled and giggled like she did when they were young. Her laugh was infectious, making anyone who heard it smile. She took the small box from Kaiden and marveled at it for a moment, enjoying the simple mystery of it, wondering what her fox could have gotten her. These simple moments she cherished more than anything. Pulling gently on the bow as it came undone falling gently to her lap, she worked the wrapping trying to open it but her excitement gave way and she tore into it. Kaiden chuckled at this reaction and his smile grew wider waiting for her ultimate reaction.

“Oh my god.” She held her paw to her mouth when the opened the lid, the hinge giving a slight squeak.

She retrieved the contents and her eyes glistened up as they filled with joyful tears, it was a necklace, the necklace, the heart halves from their love pendant they broke apart so long ago to share between them. Kaiden had taken the halves and soldered them together, so the halves were now whole and unified, forming the perfect heart that circumscribed his feelings on the matter.

“Oh Kaiden, our heart,” were the only words she could muster.

The fox smiled softly and took the necklace, putting around her neck and closing the clasp shut, he held the pendant piece and flipped it over to show her. In addition to having it fused, the normally blank back had an additional inscription that he added.

“No matter where you are, I will always be with you.” He recited.

Lily sniffled as a tear crossed her cheek, she wiped his with her paw and looked at him with absolute adoration in her eyes.

“It got me through a lot of tough times…You got me though a lot of tough times.” Kaiden said.

She hugged him hard, practically squeezing him with her little rabbit arms.

“I love you.” She said, her voice muffled as she dug into his neck.

“I love you too Lily, More than anything in this world.” Kaiden replied.

They held each other for what seemed like forever, listening to each other’s breathing, feeling the warmth of their bodies. Lily leaned up and nuzzled his ear.

“I have something wonderful to tell you.” She whispered.

Before Lily could finish her sentence, there was a sound in the house, it sounded like the back door of the greenhouse slamming shut. Kaiden immediately snapped out of the moment, the two of them looking in the direction of the sound.

Kaiden put Lily on the couch and stood to his feet walking towards the back door.

“Baby, what is it?” she asked concerned.

“Just stay here, I’ll be right back.” Kaiden replied holding a paw up.

Kaiden crept slowly to the back door of the house and peered into the dark greenhouse, nothing, opening the door and creeping inside, he grabbed a nearby spare metal basin pipe that was left over from the drain system he made for Lily’s planters, holding it like a club he peered around the greenhouse and went to the back door. It clearly shown signs of being forced, he swung open the door, pipe at the ready. His heart raced as he sniffed the air, someone was here, an unfamiliar smell, he followed it over to the nearby apple tree, the scent seemed strongest here. He jumped the last few feet hoping to catch the hiding attacker but nothing. The tree was alone, Kaiden didn’t know what to make of it. He turned to go back to the house when he experienced it.

The pain of the prongs, the crackle of electricity, the metallic taste in the back of his mouth, the sharp pain to the chest, He knew he had been hit with some kind of electrical weapon. It caused his muscles to seize and a sense of daze washed over him. He didn’t even realize he lost his balance until the ground seemed to come up and smash him in the face.

He couldn’t move, it hurt to breathe, the daze of consciousness and unconscious thoughts seem to blend together in a mélange of surreal quality. Sleep tugged at him and would have likely taken hold had not the screams of a nearby rabbit not jarred him back to the land of the living. His eyelids feeling as if they were iron curtains with weights attached, he forced them open and managed to turn body along the ground to face the sounds.

Lily was trying to climb out the window, something grabbing at her legs.

“Kaiden! Oh god, help me!” she screamed, terror in her eyes.

“Get off! Get off!” she cried kicking at her attacker.

Kaiden’s eyes went wide, a surge of adrenaline kicked him, blood forced its way into the locked muscles.

“Lily!” he muttered as he tried to right himself.

He managed to get to his knees when he noticed the lights of the house were dark, and she was dragged back into the darkness she was trying to escape

“Kaiden! Please! Help!” she screamed hauntingly.

He forced himself his feet and took two steps forward and then he heard it. Two flashes accompanied by the resounding and familiar sound of gun shots. The flashes illuminated a form, he couldn’t recognize it, it was too quick, but the lack of sounds from Lily was enough to made the fox’s blood freeze. He stumbled back to the house, going in through the rear door, running headlong, practically stumbling over himself to get back inside.

“Lily? Lily!!” he screamed out.

Going to the window where he last saw her, he found her necklace on the floor illuminated by the moonlight casting in through the sill. He gathered it in his paw, terror gripped his heart.

“Lily!!” he screamed again.

Looking in the living room, on the couch, nothing, he turned and looked near the kitchen, a form lying face down on the floor partially occluded by the Kitchen’s center island counter but still the familiar shape of a rabbit.

“Oh god Lily!” he called out taking steps towards it.

As he approached the form, his awareness became momentarily less focused on the body in front of him, and caught the glance of movement, its color red, turning to see red numbers on a display attached to a large block of C4, in that moment Kaiden realized several things, The first, there was only one person who could be responsible for this, taking his vengeance out on him and his wife. The second, Lily was already dead, the pool of blood underneath her was about the approximate volume of a rabbit’s body, and the third, lastly, That the timer read “00:01” and that it didn’t matter as he was about to die with her.

The flash, burst of light and the fireball that rushed at him, the house became an instant blaze, the fox simply felt an overpowering force, not even realizing that he had been flung through the air and slammed against the front wall of the house. All manner of glass and shrapnel had perforated and penetrated his body. The pain immediately set in, like the feeling of being flensed by a thousand tiny daggers, the particulates in the air adding additional levels of pain like salt in the wound. He coughed and sputtered, he could feel the uneasiness and the full sensation of fluid in his gut. The initial sensation of internal bleeding.

His fur was soaked with his own blood, deep cuts and wounds all about his body and to make matters worse the fire licked at him, scorching and burning, the daze caught up to him, his vision blurred, his bones felt broken and it started to become increasingly painful to breathe.

The charred rabbit body had been thrown next to him, he couldn’t recognize her anymore save for the clothes she was wearing that were shredded and burned. Tears filled his eyes, a combination of pain and sadness.

He tried to speak, to say he was sorry but the intense heat from the hot air burned his vocal cords, all he could do was groan painfully. He reached his paw over to her, realizing his arm was shredded with hot glass and metal, that the intense pain he was in made him unaware that his fur and skin was crisping and bleeding. The searing intensity of it lit up his brain like a fireworks display.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, but instinct took over, he had to get out, get away but not without her. Through the pain, the seized muscles, the peeling flesh, he grabbed her into his arms. He grunted in excruciating pain as he tried to stand up.

Grunting as he stood to his feet, holding her body in his arms. He walked to the door. Each step was fire, the bone fragments digging into raw nerve, the taste of ash in his mouth, the tears in his eyes. The smoke was billowing making it harder and harder to see and breathe, it stung his eyes, it choked his lungs.

Trying to grab at the door handle was difficult, his blood soaked paws made the handle slippery and he couldn’t get a grip on the knob and the strength in his paws was not enough to overpower the lack of grip. He had to resort to ripping a small piece of fabric from Lily’s clothes and blotting the door knob enough to turn it.

He forced open the door and stepped out, the fresh oxygen rushed in and encouraged the blaze. Picking up his pace, grunting each step, the gas main blew blowing out the windows of the house. He screamed in pain as he felt fresh glass pelt him in the back, a large shard slicing his left ear. Gaining a few more feet before finally collapsing to the ground, he rolled face up and stared into the sky.

Bright stars in a veil, the nearby moon casting light down upon the burrows, finally taking a moment to process what just happened he began to sob through the blood pooling in his mouth. It was a sad pathetic sob, sickly and suffering crying out for relief from misery.

In mere moments the fox has lost everything, more than he knows and now simply waited for the release of death to finally put his woes to rest. He closed his eyes waiting for the end, but alas it would still not be that easy.

Kaiden heard the sounds of approaching pawsteps, he opened his eyes, the silhouette backlit by the moon, its shape feline, he didn’t need to see, he knew who it was. The figure knelt down to him.

“Why?” Kaiden managed to squeak out in an airy difficult breath.

“If you had just come back, I could have spared you this. I could have spared you both this.” Replied Jarod gesturing towards the house.

“I know you don’t understand and now you never will. But the world is changing and they won’t anyone stand in their way.”

“W-w-who?” Kaiden squeaked.

“I think you’ve known for quite awhile but you’ve been too afraid to admit it.” Replied Jarod.

“We are the invisible paw. We are the Illuminati. We came before and we will be here after. We are forever.” he receited.

Kaiden had realized that his life, all of his life, he had worked for the devil and now quite figuratively and now literally burned for it. But more than that, his nightmare, his terror had come true. Lily, his gentle Lily had suffered for it as well. He didn’t try to fight anymore, he realized what he had wrought, this was his final price for all the suffering he caused.

Jarod stood and leveled his pistol at Kaiden’s head, the fox offering an upward bloody paw toward the lynx, as if pleading, begging. They locked gazes, the moment stretched into a small eternity and the world became eerily quiet.

“Goodbye…Brother…” the lynx said sadly.

A flash, a loud cacophonous bang and all went to black.

#zootopia #zootopia: kaiden's story #zootopia: shadows in the dark #fanfiction #fanfic

9 notes · View notes