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Note: These are stories I originally wrote last Fall/Summer. They are part of the same universe as the thread called "Roommate Counseling". I am going to post them in the order I wrote them, which is not exactly the order they flow chronologically. I may go back and edit for clarity later.

Intense Counseling

After the meeting, Cub asks to speak in private with the Resident's Assistant. Meta-Vor?s Resident Assistant Suite and ask him if he could use this opportunity to switch roommates. Meta-Vor said he could, but the only other option would be to room with Ash Bolingbrook.

"Why does it have to be another telepath?" Cub asked Meta-Vor.

Meta-Vor shrugs, "The Presidents swear up and down that they use the answers on the questionnaire to determine who your initial Freshmen roommate is. Personally, I think they try to place you with someone whose powers are the opposite of your own. I think it has something to do with what Lamprey calls combat balance."

"So I will always be placed with another telepath no matter what I do?" Cub asks.

Meta-Vor replies, All you have to do is survive one semester?that is four months?of living with one of our telepaths and then you are free to choose again. If I were you, I to stick with Gar. Do you think you can tolerate that?

Cub thinks aloud, "I can try, but there must be some other way!"

Meta-Vor was about to reply when he suddenly pauses in mid-sentence and the clipboard falls from his hand. Cub looks around to see if there is some sort of supernatural attack going on. He attempts to open the door to get help, but his hand is stopped by a small, orange hand. Cub instinctively pulls back, looks around, and sees Zook (the alien humanoid he rescued a few stories ago) hovering behind him. Zook wiggles his antennae and points his finger at Cub.

"It has been a month since we saw each other! Didn't you get my postcards?" Zook angrily asks.

Cub blinks, "What is a postcard? Oh, you mean those pieces of cardboard with pictures on them that I found on my desk? Anyways, how did you get here and what do you want?"

"You threw them away, didn?t you?" Zook accuses him. "I was stuck in a cannister of experimental cosmic energy for centuries and I absorbed it?s powers. It makes me on par with Qwuisp!"

Cub has no idea who Qwuisp is, but he does understand what cosmic energy is so he decides to keep his mouth shut. Zook is surprised at the lack of response and is not sure what to do. He briefly lifts the suspended animation he put Meta-Vor under, but quickly puts it back in place when the Daxamite tries to tackle Zook. The small humanoid yawns and decides to explain what the next step is in this adventure.

"I overheard that you are angry at the roommates your school throws at you? Meta-Vor is right that you should be happy with Gar Sector. At least he is well-behaved and keeps to himself. This Ash Bolingbrook guy is a piece of work!" Zook rants. "I advise against switching roommates until the end of Freshmen year or there will be dire consequences."

Cub laughs, "Are you serious? Just because I switch roommates, I won't change some grand plan."

"All actions have consequences and the people you interact with are not normal students. They are future heroes, leaders, pharmacists, and tax accountants! Ok, well maybe the last two will be normal once they transfer out the end of Freshmen year," Zook explains. "In order to make this more interesting, you can pick which extreme scenario you wish to visit first!"

"More interesting for who?" Cub rolls his eyes.

Zook explains, "For me of course! I had to watch this plot on the same day every year when I hanged out with Martian Manhunter."

"You are almost as mad as Meta-Vor," Cub replies. "But I can tell you will not let me say no and that this could be fun. Okay, so what would happen if Gar Sector was never accepted into the Legion Academy?"

Zook says, "Ouch, you really dislike him that much? Ok, you will get what you want. Here is the future in ten years if Gar Sector was never accepted into the Legion Academy and went straight home to the Triangulum Galaxy instead."

"What?!" Gar shouts.

Zook shrugs, "Oh, right you were gone that weekend. Gar explained to everyone else that he is not fully human. Or is it fully Starro? Those advanced bio screeners sometimes are bad at percentages? Anyways, he wants to go back to the Triangulum Galaxy, where his Starro ancestors lived and ruled!"

He makes some random hand gestures (in Cub?s eyes) and in a flash of light they are transported to Earth ten years into the future. Metropolis is in ruins and there are no people in sight. Instead, there are a few green skinned aliens combing through the abandoned dormitory for scrap material. He turns to Zook and shakes his head.

"Come on, this can't be real?" The Earth turns into an Apocalyptic waste land?" He argues.

Zook replies, "Since Gar goes back to the Triangulum Galaxy before receiving full Legion Academy training, he never becomes a great military commander. To make a long story short, he does not become head of the Triangulum Federation and push the Garguaxians to a remote corner of that galaxy. That allows the Garguaxians to eventually gain enough power to attack the Milky Way ten years in advance of schedule!?"

Cub replies, " I do not understand what half of those names mean. However, what happens to me?"

Zook giggles, "Do you know who Zeph Nah is?"

"No,? Cub blinks. "Is that some sort of distant cousin of mine?"

Zook replies, "Oh no, it would take an entire fanfic to explain who Zeph Nah is*. All you need to know is that you flee through the Phantom Zone to an alternate realty. That one is a bit of a downer. The United Planets split in half and twenty-thirty years later the Legion's kids slowly put it together. You have a younger brother named Zeph Nah who rules the Bgtzlian Empire."

Cub smiles, "That sounds cool. Do we get along?"

"No, he executes you for grand treason for plotting to overthrow him." Zook answers point blank.

Cub sighed, "I think I get the point. Since this is all hypothetical, what happens if Gar is accepted to the Academy but is put in the other squad? Maybe his name gets mixed up with the high school scholarship names?"

"Hmm, that is really thinking outside the box. Still, Caulder has been known to do worse meddling than that, so sure, why not? Let me find that reality," Zook answers. He conjures up a guide to the multiverse and alternate dimensions and looks for one that matches Cub?s description. After five minutes, he finds it, makes the gestures, and they disappear to another Earth.

This time the dormitory is still standing. The walls look about the same, but some of the lighting and flooring looks more modern. However, there is a banner proclaiming the Re-Education Program of 2029. There is a picture of a middle-aged man with awful hair and glowing skin holding a trident. Cub walks around and notices an armed guard at the entrance. This is more like a prison than a school, He thinks to himself.

Zook prods, "Go on, look at the guard."

Cub walks in front of the guard, who seems oblivious to his presence. I guess we are invisible, that is if any of this is real, he thinks to himself. It takes a few minutes for him to realize that there is a small beeping device attached to the man's head. Gar is slightly scared and turns around to find Zook staring smugly at him.

"In this alternate reality, the teachers decide to put Ash and Gar in the same room right away. It turns out to be a bad idea. Gar doesn't have time to learn to shield against Ash?s wandering telepathy. It helps give Ash the time and space he needs to bring forth a mind-controlled utopia ten years after he graduates school. At least that is what they call it," Zook explains.

Cub says, "But is it so bad for people to be happy?"

"That is a question a bit too deep for today, I am afraid," Zook looks down. "I need to show you what happens in twenty years if you decide not to room with Gar after this semester." Zook makes the gestures and they teleport to a place Cub does not recognize at all. It looks sort of like a great fortress, on a mountain overlooking an ocean. He looks to see a version of himself that looks about 38, clothed in in darker attire, appealing to seated individuals. It takes Cub a minute to realize these must be unknown alien species.

The older Cub says, "We appeal today in our hour of need to the Triangulum Federation. We beseech you in friendship?"

"I am sorry, but do I know you?" Gar answers.

Cub replies, "We went to school together. We were roommates Freshmen year of college; don't you remember that?"

"Thank you for reminding me, as you can see a lot has happened since then. Thanks to Red and the rest of Harlack's Heroes I was able to be return home to the Triangulum that Spring. Unfortunately, when that squad was lost all those years ago that ended all my personal ties to the Milky Way Galaxy," Gar says.

"Then I appeal to you as a former Legionnaire and liberator of the Triangulum!" Cub beseeches.

Gar says, "I am sorry, we had to rebuild this galaxy's forces by ourselves. Yes the Auctioneer helped...and we managed to push the Garguaxian Empire to a remote corner of this galaxy. We have a fifty-year peace treaty. We will not sacrifice our people because you waste your time sitting around and playing utopia. Please be gone."

As the older, crest-fallen Cub turns to leave the room, Zook pauses the action. He points at the older Cub?s expression and then looks at Cub as if to elicit guilt. The current version of Cub wonders at this point if it is just a dream. The real Gar has no leadership skills whatsoever; he does whatever he is told. Wait, maybe that is how he gets so far in life? , Cub ponders and Zook taps his foot impatiently, waiting for some sort of response.

"I have seen enough," Cub said. "I will try my best to stay civil with Gar until the end of this school year. But shouldn't we try to stop Ash before he goes evil?"

Zook laughs, "Don't worry, if you follow through with this plan Ash will not be threat in this timeline at all. It is actually good that you, Meta-Vor, and the Presidents are suspicious of him. The more a sentient is being watched, the less likely they are to do evil. Anyways, I think you have learned your lesson so I will take you back!"

He makes the gestures and they return to the Resident's Assistant's Suite. Zook quickly undoes the suspended animation and then teleports himself back to Middleton, Colorado. Meta-Vor almost falls to the floor, and flails his arms around, looking in vain for the orange skinned humanoid. He then cycles through all of his vision powers but cannot find him in the building. The Daxamite then takes a deep breath before sitting back down to face Cub.

"So, do you know that 5th Dimensional Imp?" Meta-Vor slowly asks. Cub nods his head, unsure of what to say. Meta-Vor continues, "I am glad you can see them too! When I told Sunshade that, she thought I was crazy. That is of course until I introduced her to Mxy Jr at the Smallville Midsummer Fest. Anyways, you wanted to switch roommates?"

Cub replies, "No, no, I think I am good for now."

The End

Not having read "Roommate Counseling" or much fan fiction generally, I came into this a bit cold.

After a quick scene introduction, you had me at "Zook." I was "isn't that...?" I had just about remembered whose side kick he was, when you then connected him to Quisp. By that point, I was enjoying the left field, Adventure fun of having a Legion story with Zook in it. You grounded it well, by keeping his appearance focused, with a point, rather than some zany free for all that falls apart in the middle.

I prefer the showing multiple of timelines from a single starting point, rather than the more common past, present and or future combinations. You really got across the idea that small temporal butterfly wings can result in huge differences in the future. That analogy is helped by having Cub in a small room combined with the sweeping scope of the key future events.

When he's immediately faced with an apocalypse scenario, I was right there with Cub's reaction "Come on, this can't be real?" To him it's a normal reaction to a room mate, and he just can;t believe such a small thing would have such repercussions. You do a good job in reminding us of just who these roommates are, and the potential they might reach. Actually, you do even better than that, showing us how future events change who they will become. Much better than 2D characters who are always going to be the same regardless.

I was imagining the cold, green skinned Coluans picking through the rubble of the future. But you upped that with the treat of Garguax! I last saw him being chased away from the Invasion! Event, but he and his plastic men were Doom Patrol villains before then. I really liked that, along with your other character choices. Harlacks' heroes was a lovely nod to Levitz's Legion.

I also got a combination chuckle and "oh" moment with "No, he executes you for grand treason for plotting to overthrow him." A nice mix of the likes of Zook with the seriousness of the futures he shows.

Is "Qwuisp" a combination of his first Quisp ID and the second Qwsp one? That seemed like another nice touch.

Thank you for your review. I decided to use Garguax because "Roommate Counseling" was inspired by the "Doom Patrol" episode where all the members get together for group therapy. I know I wanted to write something similar to that, and I felt that Legion Academy stories might be the best setting due to this website's theme.

You are correct, I combined both spellings of Quisp and Qwsp to form a central spelling.

I've not seen the Doom Patrol, but that's a good use of their continuity for this story.

Future leaders, pharmacists and tax accountants. I laughed out loud at that!

I had to think about what Cub's powers were, and how they were opposite from telepathy. Maybe a quick bio section at the top would help?

You have a lot of telepaths in this school. Your love for the X-Men is showing

Zook is hilarious. Conjuring up a directory of alternate universes? Gold!

And you have some creative scenarios here, that give Gar and Ash character even if they do not appear. Well done!

Sorry, I realize now it has been a while. I will try to copy and paste the bios from the last thread into this one when/if I get to the seven page epic.

I do love the X-Men! Hickman's current work on X-Men makes me wish he could be working on Legion right now.


Thank you for your encouraging feedback!

Hi everyone, here are the short bios for the two main characters of this story. I have additional information in my notes I can share in case there are any questions. Most of these students are obscure characters from the Reboot or Retroboot that have not been used by DC in years.

Name: Gar Sector (Fanfic Character)
No Codename Yet
Homeworld: Earth?
Species: Hybrid Human and Starro DNA
Previous School: Cloverton Elite Prep
Powers: Telepathy, Telekinesis, can shift to complete starfish when under certain stresses/pressures
Reason of Entering: Tellus needs a replacement and the Caulders convinced the Legion it was a good idea to help him.

Name: Cub Nah (Reboot character)
Codename: Ultra Boy II
Homeworld: Rimbor
Species: Bgtzlian/Rimborian hybrid
Previous School: Too many to list (his parents moved a lot)
Powers: superhuman strength, flight, penetra-vision, flash vision, , invulnerability, ultra-speed, and intangibility (but one at a time for all powers)
Reason of Entering: Legion Legacy

I plan to create a map of the Legion Academy as I am pretty bored with this shutdown. I still haven't taught myself how to draw, but I do have a knack for making basic infographics. I probably will look for a map of Eton or another boarding school in the public domain and see what I can come up with.

Hybrid human/starro! that's interesting. What does Gar look like normally? completely humanoid?

Would love to see a map of your school - interested to see what you come up with in terms of facilities and stuff!

I think Gar would look humanoid but with purple/white skin. I originally was going to go for something similar to the starfish alien in Stellaris. I might retcon things down the line as the Legion seems a lot more accepting of different species than I originally thought.

Unfortunately, I could not find anything in the public domain that I can just re-label. I might consult with fans and see what design I want to use before I use Paint.

I keep telling myself that I will use this time to "teach myself how to draw". That hasn't happened yet, so for now I will give a biography for new character. I may use him either in these series or a new game on the forum. I am extremely bored during this time.

Codename: Carbon (started as joke)
Name: Edison Unus Snakelocks*
Age: Junior (Veridium school system is a bit different from UP)
Origin: Edison is an exchange student from the Veridium Technarchy. He is from a "lost" colony that was founded by scientists who sought to pursue advanced AI development that was banned by many space-faring powers during the 21st century.
The United Planets decide to try an extensive exchange program in order to ease the border tension between the two powers. Edison applied to the program and expressed an interest in the Legion of Super-Heroes, so he was selected to spend a semester at the Legion Academy. He was given nanite treatment which gives him significant command and transmutation of a common element-- carbon--and sent to the Legion Academy in the fall. As he is not applying to be a Legion member, the non-equipment rule does not apply to him.
*= Unus is latin for one, meaning that he is descended from the main line of Snakelocks. The Veridium Technarchy has a low organic population and uses these numbers to keep track of family lines in an effort to prevent accidental inbreeding.

I wish to share a commission I received today. This is Carbon, my fanfic Metal Men legacy. I may get more pictures of other sentients from his planet (both robots and humans) from other artists. I see a lot of the Metal Men in our possible future in real life (the advanced robot part, not necessarily the chemical robot part).