Welcome, welcome, readers old and new.
Welcome to the first installment of NobodyAtAll Literary Universe 101. Call it NLU 101 if you want.
This will be the first of a series of short pieces intended to educate newcomers about certain elements of the NobodyAtAll Literary Universe.
Not to brag, but it’s much more complex than most headcanons, and plunging into the NLU can be daunting to a newcomer. There are so many people, places, races, so many different and strange things all coexisting in a melting pot. With big lumps. It’s so much more complicated than “guy gets a fluffy, sketties or suffering”.
Spoilers will be kept to a minimum, so if you’re worried about that, don’t be.
And it will be assumed that you have, at the very least, basic knowledge about fluffies. Many of the mainstays of fluffy lore apply here. Hasbio, PE-- er, APAT (known as PLASMA in the NLU), Spaghetti Land, the Fall of Cleveland, yadda yadda yadda. If you’re on FluffyCommunity, you should know about these kinds of things.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Today, we’ll be talking about…
PHENOMENON X
X gon’ give it to ya! Fuck waitin’ for you to get it on your own, X gon’ deliver to ya!
Ahem.
Now that that’s out of the way…
Humans in the NobodyAtAll Literary Universe can acquire extranormal abilities in a wide variety of ways.
Such as learning the arcane arts, or enhancing their bodies with advanced technology.
But all humans in the NLU possess the latent genetic potential to develop powers innate to their very being. It can happen at any time of their lives.
This phenomenon, rediscovered in modern times by one Dr. Pierre Faucheuse and his associates, has been dubbed Phenomenon X.
Dr. Faucheuse is a comic book lover, before you ask.
Fluffies in the NobodyAtAll Literary Universe have human DNA in their genome. Not the case in all headcanons, that’s for sure.
However, as a result of this, fluffies in the NLU possess the latent potential for Phenomenon X too.
Yes, that means exactly what you think it means.
Fluffies with superpowers.
Really.
As a certain Ukrainian comedian would put it, “In NLU, fluffy can abuse you!”
…Don’t laugh too hard at that one, folks.
You may have noticed the word “rediscovered” a few sentences ago.
There was an age long ago, when Phenomenon X was abundant, and wasn’t called Phenomenon X.
But that age ended long ago. Or, more accurately, never happened.
Temporal shenanigans were involved, and that’s the spoiler-free version. If you want to learn more, see the stories “Ad Laun Dyz”, and “The Dream of Zeal”.
As for the origin of Phenomenon X? Well, that’s a very long story, and one we don’t have time for today. Even saying which story the answer is in is something of a spoiler.
In recent years, Pierre and his associates have been seeking out humans and fluffies who are X-Positive, as those who have tested positive for Phenomenon X are called. Those X-Positives are offered training for their powers, at a school founded specifically for training X-Positives: Dr. Pierre Faucheuse’s School for Gifted Individuals.
Or, if they don’t want to deal with their powers, X-Positives can also be supplied with devices that suppress their powers.
But if they agree to enroll at the School, another opportunity opens up for them.
You see…
This school also serves as the headquarters of a bonafide superhero team.
The ChaotiX, as they’re called for reasons other than referencing a certain video game franchise, are comprised of both humans and fluffies with powers, and they work to create a better world for everyone, regardless of whether or not they have powers, or how many legs they have. Or how many arms they have.
And it’s not just humans and fluffies. The ChaotiX accepts anyone who has power and wants to use it for good, regardless of their species. After all, alloys are stronger.
Again, before you ask, no, they aren’t fighting to protect a world that hates and fears them. The ChaotiX are actually rather popular. People in this universe aren’t as ungrateful and short-sighted as they are in certain other fictional universes. (Looking at you, Marvel.)
Calvin Korkea (call him Cal, everyone does), current leader of the ChaotiX following the retirement of Pierre, the founder, started with pyrokinesis (that is, being able to control fire), and possesses the secondary power to copy the powers of almost any other X-Positive. One of his fluffies, Marley, has the same powers, and faithfully follows his daddeh into battle, unlike most powerless fluffies, who run and hide until the fight is over.
And they have copied the powers of many of their teammates.
Such as Walter “Wally” Lampert and his fluffy, Bolt, who both possess superspeed. Wally only ever takes it slow in the bedroom.
Or Daniel “Danny” Hartman and his fluffy, Ghost, who can walk through walls, disappear and fly. They’re much more unique than the other guys.
Or Danny’s girlfriend Reilly Peterson and her fluffy, Mayday, who can do anything a spider can. Yes, Danny and Reilly have had sex on the ceiling.
Or Olaf Eriksen and his fluffy, Zamorozit, who possess the chilling power of cryokinesis. Please refrain from any Frozen references. Olaf is sick of them.
Of course, Calvin and Marley aren’t just X-Positive.
They are what we call…
OMEGA CLASS X-POSITIVES
Omega Class X-Positives are an exceedingly rare kind of X-Positive. Only a handful of known Omega Classes walk the Earth at this time of writing, and Marley is the only fluffy Omega Class.
You might be wondering what’s so special about Omega Classes.
Well, for starters, the maximum potential power of an Omega Class is theoretically infinite.
And they possess the potential to acquire more powers than relatively regular X-Positives.
Usually, there’s a pattern regarding which powers a given X-Positive can develop. A theme, rather. Arthur “Artie” Norris and his fluffy Splash started with merely the power to breathe underwater, but now possess a repertoire of aquatic abilities.
Calvin, Marley, and Calvin’s son Quinton can all copy powers, but Miles O’Shaughnessy can develop new powers in extreme conditions. Adapting to the situation, if you will, and he can, in theory, develop powers that haven’t been seen yet. Of course, he can’t force it. He has to really need it.
The power of an Omega Class can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. It’s a kind of power that can break the rules, power that can be described with words like “godlike” and “Earth-shattering”.
And Calvin knows that. He’s dealt with several evil Omega Classes by now, and he’s seen what happens if he goes bad. He’s dealt with many malevolent miscreants who attempted to misappropriate his power for their own dark designs.
So he’s taken responsibility for any and all Omega Classes who emerge in the modern day.
Whether they’re on the side of good, and need tutelage and guidance…
Or if they’re on the side of evil, and need to be stopped.
Because the best person to handle a rampaging Omega is another Omega.
How about that?
Is that special enough for ya?
CLOSING
Hopefully, by now, those of you new to the NobodyAtAll Literary Universe understand it a bit more.
This was just a crash course. A brief summary. A little taste of the madness of the NLU.
So perhaps your curiosity has been piqued, and you feel the urge to embrace the madness. To board the crazy train, and see where it leads.
Or perhaps the idea of fluffies with superpowers turns you off, and you prefer your fluffies comically fragile. Hey, you can’t please everyone.
Either way, I hope that this piece has been informative. Feedback and constructive criticism will be appreciated. And if there’s a certain topic you wish to see covered in a future installment, please, go ahead and drop me a line.
This concludes the first installment of NobodyAtAll Literary Universe 101.
Until next time, readers, and remember…
Insert catchy signing-off catchphrase here.
…Yeah, that’s still a work in progress.