Mutants Have Favorites Too

I decided to follow the example of Anastasia and let a few different characters give a list of their favorite things. The mutants are an interesting bunch, or well I think so but I might be biased. So, here are some of the mutants and their list of favorites.

Noah: Hi, it's me again. Seems I post in blogs often these days. This one should be easy. Here is the list of some of my favorite things.
1. My friends and family
2. Electricity (even though I hate the mutation, I also love it, weird I know)
3. My boyfriend
4. History
5. Physics
6. Reading
7. Helping Dominic keep his dreams organized and trying to interpret them
8. Dominic (I know I said friends but he's such a good one he gets his one spot)
9. Cats
10. Coffee


Dominic: Oh, my turn. *reads* Noah is so nice, I don't know what I'd do without him. So, my list isn't too surprising.
1. Noah
2. Sleep
3. Dreams
4. Caffeine (coffee, espresso, etc)
5. Food
6. umm Showers, when I don't fall asleep during them
7. Noah
8. Going out of the house occasionally
9. The band Noah got me that helps me stay awake longer
10. SS


Bastian: List of favorites huh? I guess I can handle this. It has been a little while since I've posted but I will manage. Favorites are:
1. Philosophy
2. Family
3. Noah
4. Friends
5. Military
6. Books
7. Questions
8. Organization
That's all I can think of, so 8 will have to do.


Ephram: My turn? Oh, okay. I have favorites, I think.
1. My bedroom
2. My parents
3. Sleep
4. Food that isn't burned
5. Candy and Soda, I don't have them much though
6. Trees are kinda nice
7. Having friends
8. Math
9. Art
10. Not having homework


Isaac: I get to post? Sweet. I have a few favorites to share, maybe.
1. Music
2. Dancing
3. Not having to move for a year or more
4. Making a friend or two
5. Art as a class, better than any other at least
6. Pizza
7. A bed would be nice to have
8. Clean clothes
9. Spending time outside
10. Being able to buy food.

Let me tell you a story...

A few weeks ago, we had a topic to share something from our childhood. But sadly, I missed the post, so I'm going to share a story with you now.

About Derac and I (Tyn) when we were kids - the time we accidently (and I stress the accidently) burned down The Harvest Moon Festival.

The Harvest Moon Festival is where the local farmers get together in someone's barn to celebrate the harvest. There is a huge bonfire outside, dancing, music, great food, etc. It's a great celebration that all the elflings look forward to every year.

Each festival would have what you call fireworks. Derac and I were in charge of keeping an I on them in order to make sure they didn't get wet or stolen or knocked over.

Oh oh wait, I forgot to mention. On this particular Harvet Moon Festival we were at Linnae's father's barn. Dearc was sweet on her at the time.

Anyway, we were in charge of the 'fireworks' but elflings as we were, we grew restless waiting or them to be displayed in the night sky. So we grabbed a torched, secured the stake in the ground and set one off.

Ooos and ahhs sounded as it exploded and Derac and I were happy! But of course, some of the adults were not. So they came over to us - including Dearc's mother, who by the way is one scary lady!

So in a panic, we ran - dropping the torch as we went. No one noticed of course as they were chasing after us, but the dry grass around the barn cought fire. Which spread quickly to the fireworks...and the rest is literally history.

Derac and I had to rebuilt Linnae's father's barn the following spring as it was literally blown up by the fireworks. *laugh* Oh the stuff we used to do! *sigh*

Oh by the way, Linnae brought us water and helped us rebuild the barn everyday that spring and summer. *chuckle*

Five things not in this story.

"Well this is boring," I say tapping the keys idly and listening to the clicks.

The laptop wobbles on my knees, unstable and heavier than I'll admit; every now and then Tyler lunges as if to catch it from a fall it never makes. And each time I bat his hand away with a tut. If I can engage in high speed chases, whilst being accosted by a writer, I sure as anything can use a laptop and not break it.

"Has it ever occurred to anyone that if we did these tasks when Mia asked we'd never be locked in the kitchen?" Braelyn the obvious pauses with her knife in the air. If it were anyone else I'd worry about the possibility of her missing the cucumber and slicing a finger. As it is, I stop tapping the keys and raise a brow. It's not worth an answer.

"So, aside from this huge string of nonsense here," Tyler gestures to the screen, "you know you've spelt misapprehension wrong, right?"

"Not helping." I sigh as I search and replace it. "We're zombie down, don't make me take you down too."

He purses hips lips, hands held behind his back, and nods. I'm not sure how I would go about taking him down to the state Adam is in, what with the glitter poisoning, but I could darn well give it a shot. And he knows it. Except either he can't resist another shot or he has short term memory loss.

"Irritate is spelt with and i," he says, leaning forward and covering my neck with the warmth of his breath as I type. "And it's "he and I" instead of that."

"If you're so up on language why don't you type?" I snap, flustered into saying something I immediately see as part of his plan. His eyes light up as he parts his lips into a smile.  Tyler can be just as much as a control freak as me sometimes.

"Finally." He snatches the laptop from my legs, sliding it to his as he sits. After a moment he scoots up beside me. To rub the victory in, no doubt, by letting me watch. "Now, let's start again because all of this stuff? Far too believable. You need some eccentricity."

"I'm not eccentric at all," Braelyn calls over her should as she deposits cucumber into the pan. Much to my disappointed surprise she has all ten digits still.

"You will be after I'm finished." He smiles, hitting the keys like he's playing a church organ. Even though the keys are clacking and thudding, he types surprisingly fast. "Alright. Number one? Raye is allergic to kiwi fruit and underwater hockey sticks. They bring her out in a rash."

"Ew." I wrinkle my nose. "No they don't."

"Do," he says. "And Braelyn? Well she likes to wear lavender dresses on a full moon only. Can't wear them apart from that."

"Wait-" Braelyn turns around, waving her wooden spoon.

"Number three and four," Tyler booms merrily over her voice. "Adam sleeps in a kimono and eats raw broccoli for breakfast."

"That's not even funny. Broccoli gives him nightmares." Braelyn's eyes are wide, as if letting in all the concern they can, but now it's not just Tyler ignoring her. I don't mean to, but I tend to oppose whatever she stands for out of principle. Everyone has to have a nemesis.

"What's five?" I lightly touch Tyler's elbow. He nods enthusiastically, still typing.

"Sometimes." He glances at me, and the cursor flickers on the screen in anticipation. "Often, you like to buy the dented packets from shops because you feel like they must be lonely."

I bite my lip, thankful Braelyn can't see my face and the colour that rises to my cheeks as he types. I hate somebody knowing me so well they can say the truest thing at a moment's notice. He knows me better than my anyone can, I think, and sometimes he likes to flaunt it.

"You forgot yourself." The pans clang as Braelyn chucks them in the sink. She's so innocent sometimes. So unsuspecting, unlike me. Tyler would do anything to hide his past and his secrets. This is just one tiny pebble of an example.

"Ha," Tyler says without much humour. "I guess I'm just a mystery."

5 Unknown Facts from Mutant World

Noah here. Dawn is distracted so I'm just going to do this week's post. Plus she has no idea which world to discuss for this list of 5 things about the story that isn't told in the actual novel. I'm going to come up with five, hopefully, that are from the mutant series, or at least the part of it that has my story.

Let's see...

1. Ty used to be my best friend. This was before I became friends with Dominic. In fact, I didn't really like Dom when we were younger. 

2. I wanted to study history in college and become a teacher. I dreamed about being normal simply so I could have a normal job and not worry about things like joining mutant organizations or worry if the government changes how they let us live.

3. There are religious groups in my world but they aren't seen in the current book, though there is the rest of the series to possibly showcase them.

4. My mom still wants a girl but will probably never have one. She has a box in her room that has a couple of little girl items.

5. The organization, SS, was designed by the government. Despite what some people think, still works for the government and has to report on a monthly basis to a special coordinator.

That's all I can think of for now but I made it to 5. That's what counts... right?

These are a few of my favorite things!

Derac's Favorite Things

1. His Sword
2. Kinir
3. The Kinir Elite
4. Dragons
5. Camping
6. Training
7. Missions
8. His family (parts of it...)
9. Taking over Anastasia's body so he can communicate with other people through the internet!
10. Training


Tyn's Favorite Things

1. Any bladed weapon
2. His faith
3. Praying
4. Women (more specifically A woman)
5. Any bladed weapon
6. Laughing
7. Praying
8. The Kinir Elite
9. Kinir
10. Healing/Medicine (as in learning about it)

Kie's Favorite Things

1. Training
2. The archery range at elite headquarters
3. The Kinir Elite
4. Her uniform
5. Camping
6. Warm baths
7. Kinir
8. Training
9. Missions
10. Training

Aeli's Favorite Things

1. Her hair brush
2. Brushing her hair
3. Dresses
4. Attending Grand Balls
5. Dancing
6. Good looking males
7. Saving innocent people
8. Solving puzzles
9. Kinir (the open plains and bright skies)
10. The Kinir Elite

Jardel's Favorite Things

1. The Kinir Elite
2. His dress uniform
3. Women/Females
4. Weapons
5. Fighting
6. Women/Females
7. Children who think he's an angel
8. Women/Females
9. Good food
10. Women/Females

Rakan's Favorite Things

1. Silence.
2. Quiet.
3. Silence.
4. Camping.
5. Silence.
6. His mace.
7. Silence.
8. His dagger.
9. Silence.
10. No sound.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Mianna dances around the terrace and onto the lush grounds.  She tilts a handwritten page between her hands as if it is her partner.  Cole smiles and steps behind her, peering over her shoulder.  He wraps his arms around her waist.  “What are you doing?”

She scrunches her shoulders and leans into him.  “It’s beautiful out here and I wanted to be inspired.  I rarely get to do guest posts and I’m just so thrilled that Charlene chose me for this one.”

“I see.  So, what have you written so far?”

She reads from the paper.  “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.”

Cole nods.  “Okay.”

“Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.”

He looks to the side.  “Um...”

“Brown paper packages tied up with strings.”  She glances up at him.  “These are a few of my favorite things.”

“Mianna…”

She holds up a finger.  “Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes.  Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.”  She lifts her arms and turns to face him, setting them on his shoulders.  “Silver white winters that melt into springs…”

“I know.  These are a few of your favorite things.”

She blushes and leans her head to the side with a cherubic smile.  “How did you know?”

“It’s a song on Cornerstone Summit.  Mianna, my love, you were supposed to write about your favorite things.”

“But these are perfect.  And they are my favorite things.  Or some of them.  And Charlene has been humming this song ever since she read the post topic.”  She begins to sway to the music in her mind.

An adoring smile spreads across Cole's face.  As he raises a hand at the woodland, birdsong fills air.  He takes her hand and leads her to the belvedere. 

Vincent and James watch as Cole and Mianna enter the ornate gazebo and begin to dance to the melody.  Vincent folds his arms and shakes his head.  “Only Cole and Mianna could get away with waltzing to a song from The Sound of Music.  In a blog post.  Without it coming across as cheesy.”

.

10 Things and a Chat with Jalmari

The computer screen casts a dim glow on J.D.'s head. Her face is just visible under the pile of post-it notes. Deep, slow breaths claim the air as a trickle of saliva runs across the wood and dampens the ends of her hair. Jalmari phases into the room and glances at J.D. A sigh ensues before he phases back into the hall, then barges in, banging the door against the wall.

J.D. jolts upright then glances around the room in confusion for a few moments before she realizes she has company. "Oh, hey, Jalmari. Can I help you?"

"Yes. We need to talk."

JD puzzles the damp knot of hair stuck to the side of her face and goes to work trying to brush it out with her fingers. "You guys have a post due for the Character Cafe, don't forget."

Jalmari frowns. "Have one of the others do it."

A coy smile inches across J.D.'s face. "You're already here. The topic is '10 Favorite Things'." She waves at the computer while standing, then disappears into the adjacent bathroom. She enters the room again in an instant with a hairbrush and makes a constipated-looking face as she forces the brush through the snarled hair.

"If I do the post, can we talk about something serious?"

"Mm? Yeah, sure."

Jalmari narrows his eyes, giving J.D. his "I-mean-business look", but J.D. is oblivious and continues to work on her hair. With a sigh, he seats himself at her desk and types.

10 Favorite Things
by Jalmari ta Korento

1. Blood
2. Sex
3. Flying
4. Speed
5. Being the leader of my clan
6. Having an author around to write my biography
7. Which
8. She

9. Is not
10. Doing.

Jalmari hits "save" then leans back in the chair. "Blog post complete."

J.D. frowns, sets down the brush despite several locks of hair still being stuck together in one gooey chunk, and goes to look over Jalmari's shoulder. "Hey, you wrote that in chapter four of my WIP!"

"At least you have something in chapter four now."

J.D. narrows her eyes at Jalmari. "Let me guess, this 'serious talk' you want to have is about me not working on Dark Liaison, isn't it?"

Jalmari pivots the chair to face J.D. and crosses his arms. "Yes."

J.D. rolls her eyes. "Well it's not my fault! Jesu and Ema don't delegate the story like you do, and D.L. doesn't focus on you as much as the first book did, so you're S.O.L."

"But the third book does focus on me. I want that third book, J.D." Jalmari points a finger at a picture frame hanging in the center of the far wall. "You got that contract you so desperately wanted. You have a deadline now."

J.D. groans. "I know, I know."

"You made a commitment to yourself and to everyone, just like I made a commitment to my clan."

J.D. inhales a sharp breath and opens her mouth to speak--

"Do not even think about getting on the subject of the Council and me going A.W.O.L," he warns. "That is a completely different and justified condition."

J.D. exhales. "Oh sure, completely justified." She rolls her eyes.

"I'm going to send my brother and the girl in now. I expect to see some progress before you retire for the night."

A dead-pan stare crosses J.D.'s face then turns into a pout. "Fine, but have Ema make me a cup of coffee first. She's the only one that remembers not to mix blood into my drinks."

Jalmari nods then leaves the room. J.D. quickly shuts the door then flings herself onto the bed and buries under the blankets. A soft snore fills the room in no time.

Elijah Has A Secret

Noah enters a small coffee shop in Detroit. The door is unlocked but the sign says closed. No one is in the main room and most of the baked items have been put away. Finally, a young dark haired male enters the room from the back behind the counter.

"We're closed."

"I noticed. Are you Elijah?" Noah moves to a small table closest to the counter, picking a seat and settles in as he watches the man.

"Yes." Elijah tosses a rag on the counter, not stepping out from behind the counter. "Do I know you?"

Noah smiles. "Not yet. I'm Noah, from a different story. Dawn wanted me to come chat with you for this blog post."

"Oh right. Well, nice to meet you Noah." Joining him at the table, Elijah shakes his hand before sitting down. He looks a little uncomfortable and tired. "What are we supposed to talk about?"

"Something that happened before you died and became umm you know, what you are."

"Oh." He looks down at the table, his hands fold together underneath as if he is trying to hide the nervousness he feels over the topic.

Sensing the tension, Noah waits for a moment as he tries to come up with the best way to approach the topic he has been given. After some thought, he offers the question that seems least expected. "So... You're gay, right?"

Caught off guard, Elijah blinks and looks around the room to make sure they are alone before answering. "Yeah... why? Are you?"

"Of course. I mean, Dawn created us after all." He chuckles but the mood doesn't stay light for long as he brings out another question. "Does anyone else know you are?"

"Now? Yeah, they do. I kind of had to tell them after I almost slept with a guy I had just met. I had to confess to it." This got a slight smile from Elijah. It is short lived as he continues speaking, "before when I was alive, I did tell my parents. I was only 12 and probably should have waited because they responded even worse than the angels in the confession group."

Noah got up and went over to the one container of coffee that hasn't been put away yet. He fills two cups, bringing them back to the table with a few packs of sugar and hands a cup to Elijah. "Parents. I know the feeling. My mom didn't care but my dad was pissed when he actually found out."

"Thanks." He sips the coffee. "Both my parents were upset. They sent me to counselors, church officials and even considered sending me away to a place that claimed it could turn me straight."

"Sounds a bit harsh."

"And they were actually considering allowing electroshock treatment." Elijah pauses before trying to explain further. "Electroshock is when they..."

"I know what it is. I control electricity and have a degree in physics. What did you do?" He winced as he sipped the already cooling coffee.

Elijah looks away, absently stirring a spoon in the half drank cup of coffee. "I figured I was screwed anyways, so I did whatever and whoever I wanted. Finally, when I was fourteen I got tired of the therapists and my parents constant trying to change me so I snuck away and went home with a guy."

Noah watched him intently, trying not to stare too much, as he listens.

"I was mad and just planned to have sex with him a few times, then I'd go back home but when we went to a bar after he let me use a fake ID, that changed. There was this really hot guy there that everyone seemed to want. No one thought I stood a chance so I took the challenge and tried to get him to sleep with me." Pausing, Elijah picks at a pack of sugar, pretending to read the label.

"Did you succeed?"

Elijah nods. "Yeah, though I would rather not say what I did to convince him. But eventually he had sex with me. I was tired after, so he let me sleep in one of the small side rooms they had. When I woke up, the door was locked and I couldn't get out."

"What do you mean? What happened?" He couldn't drink the coffee anymore and he couldn't look away either.

"It turned out the man I had convinced to use me ran a prostitution ring. They forced me to take part. I tried to escape but there were too many of them." Elijah doesn't look up at Noah. He is still playing with the sugar packet and eventually tears it open, spilling the sugar onto the table. "It was several months before the police raid and I finally saw my family again. I died a couple years later."

"Wow." Noah isn't sure what else to say. He hadn't quite expected the discussion to go to such a dark place. "Does anyone know about all this in your story?"

He shakes his head. "No. No one really knows. Well, one knows some of the details since he manages the group but other than that I haven't told anyone yet. It's not easy to talk about and most of them wouldn't understand. The others are having a hard enough time with the whole being gay part."

Moving his chair, Noah put his arm around Elijah. He rubs his back as Elijah rests his head on his shoulder. "Thanks for telling me. You've obviously been through a lot. But things are better now aren't they?"

"They are better. Thanks for listening."

The Vampires Make a Character

Jesu:  Is the post were we write J.D. as a character?

Ema:  Yeah, we're doing it now since last time we announced the news about our book instead.

Jalmari:  This topic is simple, J.D. would love to be a vampire.

Jesu:  I agree.

Ema:  *Nods* Defiantly.

Jalmari's lips curl into an impish grin:  The real question is which clan would she belong to?

Jesu returns his brother's grin and pulls out a large, leather book crammed with wrinkly yellow pages.

Ema rolls her eyes:  Not that thing again.

Jesu sits and props the book on his lap. He flips through the pages:  I think the Eretikan clan suits her.

Jalmari:  Interesting choice...yes, I can see her quite at home with the Eretikan.

Ema:  Ahem, some of us have no idea what you're talking about.

Jalmari:  You ought to study then.

Jesu: The Eretikan was a Russian clan of vampires. Small, timid creatures, but very deadly. They looked a little bit like large fairies, but with fangs instead of wings.

Ema:  Thank you for clearing that up.

Jalmari:  It's too bad they're extinct.

Jesu shurgs: J.D. has the ability to bring them back, you realize?

Jalmari makes a face: I hope she didn't hear that.

Ema:  If Jalmari thinks that would be a bad idea, then I definitely vote against it.

Jesu:  Relax, this is only for fun.

Jalmari:  I'm sure that little tyrant would be queen of the clan as well.

Ema gives Jalmari a look:  I don't know how she puts up with you.

Jalmari:  You know I'm right.

Jesu:  As much as I hate to admit, I do think J.D. would be the villain in any story. Most likely a seductress.

Ema:  Oh, you guys. I think J.D. would take a secondary job, like Maria, helping when she's needed.

Jalmari:  Hey, Jesu, do you think she would have violet eyes or silver?

Jesu:  Violet. It is her favorite color.

Ema snorts:  I'm sure she'd have both.

Jalmari:  Ahh, so you admit our author is a tyrant.

Ema:  No! I just know she likes both of those colors and well...she made my eyes black and red...so why can't hers be violet and silver?

Jesu:  Alright, so Eretikan vampire queen with violet and silver eyes and long, black hair...

Jalmari:  With a Napoleon  attitude...

Ema:  What is with you and the short jokes?

Jalmari snickers:  You just don't like it because she made you the same height - or lack of...

Ema:  Oh, you are so dead!

Jesu:  Can we focus please?

Jalmari:  Call it "Dark Tyrant Imp"!

Ema:  I'm leaving now.

Jesu shakes his head and chuckles.

J.D. walks into the room as Ema leaves. Ema:  Do not ask them about today's post.

J.D. smiles:  I'm just happy I finally found a topic you were all so eager to discuss.

What Adam thinks about Raye.

I've been here for hours, watching the young people outside of my window and tapping Mia's pen against the paper. As I stand, the sun fades and the street lights flicker on. They coat everything in this amber hue. If the kids playing Frisbee notice the shift in light, they do not acknowledge it. I say kids, I am almost entirely certain they are in their mid-twenties. But it's difficult to tell these days.

I tap the pen to the beat of a heart, who's I cannot say. All I know is that it is definitely not mine, it stopped years ago in favour of lying dormant.  I don't particularly blame it. Sometimes I wish I could follow is example. Living is tiring.

It's hard to say how long I stand, leaning against the windowsill and tapping, but it must be a substantial amount of time. It feels like moments ago that Mia left me here, to write my piece, and yet the door is already squeaking her arrival. I swivel to watch her unpack a bag onto the counter, trying not to mind that she seems to have purchased so many apples. There is such a thing as too many Granny Smith's. I wonder if she knows that.

"Finished yet?" She bundles the bag into a draw, slamming it shut. Years I have lived with her, and to this day I cannot fathom her system in the kitchen. "When you're done I have a fun thing for you to do."

"Fun?" I arch an eyebrow. Those are the exact words she described this task as.

"Yep." She smiles, drumming against the counter. I wonder that somebody so young can be so happy all of the time. Perhaps it is her heart I was tapping to. "Funner than fun actually, you will laugh so hard."

"What is the task?" I remove all inflection from the question, hoping she will note my lack of enthusiasm. She does not.

"You can't ask why, but after you're done you have to come outside with me and throw a Frisbee at somebody." She shrinks under my gaze. "Ok, fine, you can ask why. I need you to first steal a Frisbee from these guys outside and then throw it at them. I'm not, like, a revenge-y person normally but... ummm... well they nearly beheaded me."

"You're head seems fine," I say trying not to show my surprise. This is a task I might well enjoy, for once. It's not that I harbour any ill will against the boys outside but a task requiring both stealth and accuracy instead of contemplation sounds right up my street.

"I said nearly beheaded." Mia adjusts the mail pile, straightening it. "And it's only after you're done."

"I'm done now," I lie fluidly. She purses her lips, glancing at my hand and the notebook I clutch. I roll my eyes, motioning for her to lead the way. She does so reluctantly. And, as the door squeaks her departure I hastily pen the only thing I can think about the main character of Mia's zombie book before I follow Mia on a mission of semi-violent revenge. There are just three sentences:

I suppose, when it comes down to it, my main thoughts about Raye can be summed up in two questions. How does she always keep her hair so immaculate? And when will she return the book I loaned her?