Is that a PORTAL?!
Username: Nym
Would you like a raffle entry for the Child if you don't win the Parent?: Sure!
Entry:
Lore comes from a massive colony of butterfly-cat koshin (also known as a kaledioscope). Life there was boring -- the same routine, the same faces, the same buildings and festivals... none of it excited Lore, and while they often explored neighboring lands and territories, they never felt truly thrilled by life. It was all so monotonous. So routine.
So normal.
Until they met ț̸͇̰͕͔͖̩̈̀͌h̶̰̔́e̵̢̝̙̹͉̜͇͐̒͋̅̆̕͜͝ṁ̴̫͉͙̠̪̋̑͑.
It happened while Lore was traveling to a nearby town -- lights poured from the heavens above, a loud, horrific thrum rattled Lore's bones, and suddenly they were elsewhere.
Lore had been abducted, strapped into a chair as strange koshin flickered lights into their eyes and rumbled indistinctly to one another in a language Lore couldn't possibly comprehend. The group of tentacled koshin ignored each curse and hiss from Lore, either unable to understand or more focused on their indiscernible task. Lore was sure this was it -- they were going to die to aliens. At least it'd be an interesting way to go in an otherwise uneventful life.
"W̸̛͕h̵̢͕̜̯̳̰̮̞̀̄͋̾̃̀́̏̽a̴̼̯̪̳̟̗̍̀̌t̸̠̳̝͉̝͎̀̅͘͝ ̸̺̪̆̿͋̃͒a̶̛̮͎̫̯͛͝ŗ̶̬͙̳̀̉ḙ̴̤̆̓̓͑͠ ̷̢̺̦͓̩̤̣̞̲̈́̌̽́̇̀̍͑̈́ÿ̴̛̱̙̖̣̟͈́̽͑̅̓͌̚o̵̱͇̳̅͑͛͊̅͋͋͑͠ͅu̷̧̹͚̺͔͍̻̮̇̾̽̚͝ ̶̛̘͍̎̀́̾̌̉͛̌d̶̛͇̐̆͠ȯ̴̞̙̏̌͑̏̆̆i̴͔̗͛̀n̵̰̩̑̃͆̊͝͠g̵̠̥̦͚͓̦̬͆͘͝?̶̫̞͍̫͇͊!̵̮͙̯̾͗̉̏̿̊͑̓̀"
And that's when t̷͓͋̎̈́́̂̀͊͘h̷̟̯̜̺̥̔̇̈̈̍̓͑͛͋͝ē̴̺̬͚̹͈͔̅y̶͉̼̮̘̰̜̮̓ entered -- the most beautiful koshin Lore had ever seen. Sure, they were just as tentacled as their abductors, but this one was... oh, Lore couldn't even begin to describe the extraterrestrial beauty who had parted the crowd surrounding Lore. The silvery alien freed Lore from their confines, oblivious to the starstruck eyes their captive bore for them. Before Lore could even attempt a word they were back in the field they had been plucked from, as if it had never happened.
Now, any sane koshin might have counted themselves lucky and moved on. Not Lore. No, they couldn't. They spent countless nights reminiscing about their savior. Abductor? Captor? Did it matter? No. No, it didn't -- Lore was in love.
So Lore did what any sane koshin would do; they traversed that field time and time again. They chased after each reported alien sighting, purposefully attempting to make themselves as tempting for any passing alien ships that might be up to some nefarious activities. They were even abducted several more times, and while any alien enthusiast would be jealous of their repeated alien encounters, it wasn't enough.
Each abduction led to a similar result; the aliens would squint at Lore, mutter something under their tentacled coverings, and promptly throw Lore back to whence they came. Yet Lore persisted, and with each following abduction, they could almost swear their abductors sounded more and more annoyed. The final uneventful attempt had even resulted in one of the alien koshin grabbing a small, circular device, placing it near their mouth, and hissing clearly in Lore's language: "Would you stop?!"
Lore did not. Lore would not, not until they'd have a chance to see the love of their life again. They still can't remember what they said in response, but it must have gotten the message across. The last abduction would be the end of their journey, as the only creature who stood before the chair Lore was beaconed into was the silvery alien who had claimed their heart, their translator device carefully strapped to their neck as they undid Lore's bindings.
The two spent several days speaking, learning of one another and their planets peacefully. The alien praised Lore for becoming almost an urban legend for their people; apparently Lore had earned themselves on the alien blacklist for potential abductees, to which Lore fumbled their first attempt at flirting with the alien.
"What kind of list do you- could I- it was worth it to see you again,b.....baby."
Complete with stammering, flushed cheeks, and their wings buzzing nervously. The alien paused, considered Lore, and then, after what Lore considered a painfully long time, laughed.
And, well, Lore and the alien have been stuck to one another since.
