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Zodiac's Children; Life on Time's Frontier
Topic Started: Jun 12 2010, 01:47 PM (402 Views)
Pokeking
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Thirty one years had gone by. Thirty one years to try to pick up the garbage mankind had made. Thirty one years since humans built the tower too high and paid the price.

Textbooks called it the Shattering. It was this event caused the world to fall into chaos. Until that event, the world moved along at the same pace and had equal access to the same technology. Near a distant city, scientists conducted an experiment to manipulate time in the hope that it would aid humanity. The idea what that it could be sped up to grow food quicker or slowed down to put the infirm in a mode of stasis until a cure could be found.

At the instant that the Shattering occurred, time ripples flowed across the globe forming pockets of temporal displacement. For some areas, the change was negligible. Other areas faced more significant degrees of change. For example: an area that was thrown back a few hundred years to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Some went farther back roughly a thousand years. More severely distorted areas went back tens of thousands of years. Technology and other manmade materials that could not have existed in older time periods could not cross into these zones. Plus, the people who lived in these zones had their minds reorganized to what was equivalent to the area that they lived in.

At the epicenter where the disaster occurred, there was but the Infinite Null. Time was frozen for the area around where the disaster occurred, out to 100 miles, creating a pocket of eternal dusk and for fifty miles out from the edge of this pocket, there was an eerie silence with no habitation.
-----
Buzz! Buzz!

Justin Zhang stretches his arms into the air as he hit the alarm clock and yawned. He said sleepily, "Half light." The room went from total darkness to a little lighter. The young man climbed out of his hammock and looked around. He went to the window and opened the curtains and gazed at the fictitious sky. Such was life in the Greenway Dome. Some may call it less than sociable, but others would call it security. Justin agreed with the latter position. He personally knew the terrible price of not having the dome.

Time to get this day started. He walked to his drawer and got out a pair of boxer briefs. They were shaped just like any other, except they had a hole in the back; a hole for a tail.

He had been employed by Zodiac Corporation ever since he was 16 as a courier. He was quick on his feet and delivered mail inside the organization and to various businesses in the area. There was a program called Zodiac’s Children that he wanted to get into at the time, but his mother was leery of such a program. “Honestly, screwing with your genes. Do you really need to?” Justin felt that it was necessary because money was tight. Next to the Greenway Dome, there was a relatively small pocket that was still technically part of Greenway City, but this smaller portion was stuck in a zone suited for a western movie and was referred to as Greenway Town. Greenway was on bordered an area where humans were trapped in a Neolithic age which was an example of one of the most severe distortions. His father worked for Zodiac’s security wing and had been killed in one of the raids when he was a small child. Many died and the dome had been constructed as a result sending Greenway City underground and a wall constructed around Greenway Town. His father’s pension was barely enough money to live on even with his mother working as a teacher at Zodiac’s vocational school. Justin got a job as soon as he was old enough and believed that entering the Zodiac’s Children program would make their lives easier because he could get a raise and be assigned more tasks to do. To be a part of the program, one had to choose an appearance based on either the Greek or the Chinese Zodiac.

Within a few days after turning 18 and no longer needing parental approval, he came home one day brimming with a simian appearance. His body was nearly the same except it was bristling with black hairs all over his body. This was relatively minor to the altered hand like feet and the tail protruding from his cargo shorts. His face was mostly the same. He still had the same eyes and the same goofy grin, but it was more monkey-like in appearance. His mother wasn’t pleased at first by her son’s new appearance and they had difficulty with each other, but she got over it gradually. She found Justin enjoyed his new form and that it was more helpful around the house.

He showered and put a tee on that had the Zodiac logo on the left shoulder. Today is my day off and I am not going to waste it.

(ooc: This story is open to all. I know this post is long, I felt it was needed to fully explain the world that the story takes place. If you have questions, send me a PM.)
"Occasionally -but not often- a dream of mine forms a usable fictional plot." H.P. Lovecraft
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Kotta
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Lissa Frittel hated being beautiful! What's more, she hated being the poster child of the Zodiac corporation. She was always surrounded by old men in suits and ties, with only her figure in mind. The Zodiac Corporation used her as a selling tool, and by the substantial growth in their company over the years, they wouldn't let her go anytime soon. At least, not until her beauty began to fade with age, but even then, one had to believe that if scientists could mix the genetics of a rabbit with that of a human being, it wouldn't be out of their capabilities to find a stop to physical aging.

It was almost a depressing thought, really. Lissa was ready to be done with the job! Her long, floppy ears were tired, as was her snow-white, bushy tail. Everything right up to the nose on her face was that of a walking, talking rabbit - snow white with black speckles here and there. The hair on the top of her head remained the same from her human past (a dark brown curtain of silky, smooth, length-to mid-back beauty), as did her sky-blue eyes, but everything else was something she had merely adapted to. Of course, she had made the choice, so she couldn't complain much. However, even after so much fooling around with her appearance, Lissa was still the perfect girl with the perfect form: hips swaying to-and-fro at each stride of her legs, bunny feet padding against the dry, cold ground, and perfect breasts bouncing from underneath her Zodiac Corporation long-sleeved shirt - which was conveniently plastered with the company motto: A New You, A New Opportunity .

Lissa snickered at the ironic slogan, stopping mid-walk to brush down her loose jeans. She believed that slogan once, but after the procedure to change her into a new you , she didn't have any new opportunity. She was still being whistled at, still being put on display for the world to see, and still being harassed by drunken men without enough sense to control themselves. If anything had changed, it was simply that her four-digit salary now stretched into the near-six digit range, with her dignity reaching the low-end of a happy medium. When it all came down to reality though, what other choice did he have? She needed the money, and the company had helped her leave behind a seemingly inescapable career as a professional stripper. With those truths alone, Lissa couldn't complain too much.

Once her legs felt up to it, Lissa took another step, her face immediately filling with heated blood as she felt a hand grab at her rear-end. The young woman turned around instantaneously, a quick-hand slap connecting with the face of the man behind her, who merely laughed (along with his four buddies behind him). Lissa was too embarrassed to say something smart and meaningful. She wanted to ask him where he got off treating women like that, but instead, she let out a hastened, "Pig..."

Turning around in mid-step, Lissa picked up the pace, scanning the area for familiar landmarks. She needed to get out of sight of the general public. Not only could those men jump her, but she could have very well done the same to them, and she was sure that (at this point) she wouldn't stop from ripping them a new asshole!

Her wandering gaze took set-point, finally, on one of the newer foundations in the area. "Justin." She mumbled the name in reassurance, picking up her stride as she approached the familiar building. If anyone would help her, it was Justin Zhang. Besides, he would have coffee, and Lissa could really use a cup of coffee right about now....


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[[ Honestly, that was a poor intro. Admittedly, I should have thought more about this topic, but I had a general idea in mind, and I didn't want to lose it. If you want, I will gladly edit this later to improve. :D ]]
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Aeternum Vale
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((Welllllll I have a feeling a may totally screw a good thing here up....but I'll give it a shot!))
Allen Ectio was the first successful blend of creatures to create a 'dragon man'. He was also, most ironically, a white man. He wasn't sure exactly what the cocktail of genetics they had fed him was, but sometimes his inherent love of all things shrimp made him think some type of seahorse may have been thrown in. As for his long dark horns that spiraled out from amidst his white hair, he could only guess that some Sable Antelope had been mixed in too. The two black scale stripes, that started thinly from the corner of his eyes and moved down his cheeks, over his collar bones and down his sides until they met the scale 'boots' of his clawed feet, were not recognizably anything. He assumed it was some sort of snake as his gold eyes were slit pupiled. But they must have also mixed in some wolf according to his fangs and elongated legs, almost effeminate, human legs.

Overall his apearence was hellish when he walked down the street with bat wings and scaled lion's tail, and yet he was mostly human. The only things that were not human were his teeth, horns, eyes, scale stipes, tail, clawed dragon feet, wings and talons at his finger tips. But that was considerably less than many Zodiacs. Most were slightly more animal than human, but he was the other way round. Unfrotunately, this meant any fully human girl thought he was a demon come to eat them and that seriously affected who he could date. He hated how everyone was either afraid of, or threatened by him. He sighed, he had been a doctor by trade and he was kind of used to people's morbid facination.

He dug his claws into the wall of the alley he walked through it. His pointed furry ears beneath his horns perked up. Oh yeah, he had forgotten those from his list, but what mattered right now was what he heard. Footsteps that did not match those of human tread.

He turned the corner to see a Zodiac, and the rabbit girl who was on almost every advertisement Zodiac Corp sent out at that. He wondered if appearing, like a demon from hell, suddenly infront of a girl was bad idea. He supposed it was a little late for that. Being a doctor, he had never been very good at gauging situations. The long white doctor's coat he wore had Zodiac Corporation, between the slits for his wings, plastered down it in an aqua blue color.

"Ah, sorry." He said, quickly stepping out of her way with a flick of his tail and shuffle of wings. He was 24 and yet he felt so much older. Maybe it was his white hair, that seemed to throw other Zodiac Children off. They were always under the impression that, when they saw only the back of hims walking through halls, that he was an old man. They didn't ever want to get close enough to find out if this was true. So Allen kept his handsomeness to himself.

He was half-waiting for the bunny-girl to slap him, scream, and run away. He braced himself for the hit.

(GOD that was TERRIBLE, I promise to be better next time!)

~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~
Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3

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Pokeking
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(ooc: Yay, Kotta’s here. Aeternum, you’ve brought a smile to my face. It’s been quite some time since I’ve participated in a storyline with more than one person. By the way, don’t worry about the post. Now back to our show.)

Justin walked down the stairs. Not having to work on a weekday was strange and offered a unique view of the world. On days that he did have to work, he made himself a simple breakfast and would head out on his scooter to his station to receive his assignments for the day. Sometimes it was very busy. Other occasions were very long not unlike the Null where time seemed to stretch forever because there was hardly anything to do. After leaving work, he would head to the gym and work out.

Occasionally, he’d be asked to attend a child’s birthday. It was just another way to fill the coffers of Zodiac’s petty cash. He supposed what made him earned him such tasks was that he was nimble and very acrobatic. Yea, but I could knock some guy’s block off if I wanted to. Justin had been training in the martial arts even since before his father passed away and it was his uncle who continued the training, but recently his uncle told him that he had taught him all he knew. Justin knew that he wouldn’t learn anymore since his uncle was the most skilled martial artist in Greenway and because of the Shattering, there wasn’t an opportunity to learn more.

He went to the window and looked out at the blinds and up at the sky. The weather was neatly scheduled by Zodiac Corp’s meteorological institute, but with ten percent randomness in accordance what season it was. Today was going to be bright and sunny, but not too hot so that the comfort of the citizens could be maintained. He grabbed his hat from the rack by the door and pulled out his sunglasses and set them in front of his eyes.

Making sure that everything was off, he went to the garage and opened the garage door. He started up his emerald green scooter, placed the helmet on his head and got on. He drove a little out and closed the door with a button on his scooter. Keeping attentive to the minute traffic, he drove from his house in search of a little day adventure and perhaps something to eat.

He drove a bit and then several minutes later, slowed to a stop. There was Lissa, and then there was a dragon man. Could danger be afoot?

(ooc: Never thought about a slogan before. Logo yes, but never a slogan. I find it very appropriate.)
"Occasionally -but not often- a dream of mine forms a usable fictional plot." H.P. Lovecraft
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Kotta
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The TinTin Man
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At the sound of the voice, Lissa's blush grew even deeper. She had nearly run face-first into a complete stranger! What's worse, he was blaming himself for it. Coming to a stop, Lissa turned around to apologize, brushing her hair out of her eyes in order seem a bit more sincere. Her voice caught within her throat at the sight of the young man in front of her, he eyes wandering around his form. What is he? was her initial thought, following which, He definitely works for Zodiac...

Although it took her a moment to snap out of her own wonderment, Lissa finally tilted her head to peer further behind Allen, letting a small sigh of relief escape her throat as she noticed that her group of harassers had decided to pursue someone else at the sight of Allen. Lissa wondered if she should thank the man, but he probably didn't have any clue what he had just done for her. I'm really sorry, sir! I was just... I wasn't paying attention, and..."

Wow! He is looking me in the eyes! At least he has some manners.

She could have extended the apology further, but she felt a bit sheepish to do so. Instead, she let out a light, "Heh, and switched the subject. If nothing else, spending more time around this stranger would afford her some company as she tried to get to her next destination. "I see you work for Zodiac... A Scientist of some sorts?"

The strangers appearance was odd at best, but it didn't seem to bother Lissa, and she didn't want to be rude in bringing it up. To be honest, unique was the best word that she could conjure up in her mind. A mixed-genetic hybrid wasn't something too usual for even Zodiac! In other words: It wasn't something they were advertising. None the less, she wiped the thoughts of his appearance from her mind, barely waiting for a response before shooting out a request: "Listen, I really don't like to walk alone much. Would you mind walking me just a bit down the street to my friends house? He doesn't live too far, and I am sure he would welcome you in..."

That's when she heard it . Justin was never out and about without his bike, and not many people had a bike that sounded the same. Turning her head to look around for the green-flash of paint, she smiled as the bike came to a stop. "Speak of the devil! I was just heading your way! Are you headed anywhere important?" Lissa called the words out before her gaze returned to the stranger in front of her. He didn't look in a hurry, and she would feel bad just running into him and leaving - like a hit and run.

"What's your name, hun? I'm Lissa, that lug over there is Justin." Interesting how they were all colleagues, and yet didn't exactly know each other that well at all.
Edited by Kotta, Jun 15 2010, 06:21 PM.
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Pokeking
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“Speak of the devil! I was just heading your way! Are you headed anywhere important?” Lissa called out to him. She then looked at the humanoid dragon said, “”What’s your name, hun?” I’m Lissa, that lug over there is Justin.”

Might as well say hey. He turned off his scooter Tempest and swung his legs over and walked over to them in his shoes, but they weren’t shoes in the normal sense because one could call them gloves. In fact, they were gloves. They were thickly leathered gloves and each digit had its own enclosure unlike shoes that contain the foot as a whole. The gloves enabled him to get more usage out of his feet than if he wore shoes. Synthetic gloves could have been made quite easy. However, he frequently visited the historical district of Greenway Town. Synthetic gloves would break down into base elements upon crossing the edge and by being made of leather, he could wear them anywhere.

He took off his helmet and his sunglasses and walked up to them. He placed his hands on his hips with his helmet snug in the crook of his left arm. He smiled and said, “Hiya, I’m Justin. Justin Zhang. Pleased to meet ya.”
"Occasionally -but not often- a dream of mine forms a usable fictional plot." H.P. Lovecraft
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Aeternum Vale
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"Oh...um..." She thought he was a scientist? He might as well go with it, scientist was less scary than doctor. "Y-yes, I am a sort of scientist." He hear sank when she basically said, "You're scary, so can you be my body guard and scare off the creeps?" He was sure that was it, even though she hadn't come right out and say it. He cast his eyes down at the pavement, realizing that he had been making eye contact with her. People didn't like looking into such threatening eyes. He reajusted his glasses before looking back up at them, careful not to make eye contact.
"My...name? My name is Allen, Allen Ectio. I-I'm pleased to make your aquaintance." He smiled, careful to keep his lips closed so they didn't have to see his fangs. "I'll...leave you to your business then. It was nice meeting you." He began to slink back into the alley, his scaled lion's tail swishing behind him.
~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~
Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3

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Pokeking
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Justin scratched his head as his toes tapped the pavement. He stared at where the dragon used to be and said, “Okay?” He looked at Lissa and asked, “Was it something I said?”

He looked out onto the street again. That was a strange encounter and it’ll probably be bugging my brain for the rest of the day. He looked again at Lissa, “Did you just ask if I was headed to anyplace important? If it is, the answer is no. Today’s my day off after all.”
"Occasionally -but not often- a dream of mine forms a usable fictional plot." H.P. Lovecraft
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