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me and bro by family_staralternate_emailrainsforest

posted last year, edited last year

a sort of 'cover' for the beginning of clipped wings. this doesn't appear in the comic proper, but i did use it for a physical version of chapter 1 that i displayed at my college's commencement gallery.

you can read clipped wings here, if you're interested -- just be advised that it's for mature audiences.

sheezy recently announced that they're planning comic page support as well, which is cool. i might start mirroring it here if those plans pan out.

clippedwings comic fantasy webcomic

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Of Lizzards and Humans (Preview) Trigger Warning: Mention of Implied CSA, Racism, Mention of Genocide.Over 2 Hundred Years after the Third World War and the loss of Earth, in a future which is dominated by the Asian Powers that won out in the horror. Humanity has been at war with the Syndicate a powerful empire under the rule of a species known as the Lizzards (Liz-zärds), which has gone on for over 20 years. The Musk Corporation has sent a team of diplomats to the ship of High Director Zorg leader of the Syndicate. The idea is to negotiate peace, the problem is someone is lying as their Government says the war is a stalemate and the Lizzards have shown them that the Human State Capitalist Union is losing, Thomas a human who excels in Xeno-Biology has seemingly befriended a female Lizzard named Star-One with his kindness, Kindness he wishes he could have shown captured Lizzards he was forced to dissect. Meanwhile, the Neglacrains in the Theocratic Empire have shown to possibly be a dangerous and problematic ally. Now the AmbassadorsThomas Finegard, Ai Cao, Brian Isa, Grayson Martinez, Kelly Odeh, and a mysterious sixth individual have now been briefed and are almost ready to meet the terrifying Zorg who has waged war on the human race for unknown reasons. The Galatic Council is calling for the extermination of humanity as well as the Neglacrains within the Theocratic Empire. If peace is not won soon, humanity itself will become a target of a dangerous greater enemy composed of the Galaxy's Elder Races. Here is the Sample Chapter. Chapter Five, Humans, what do you mean we've insulted the whole galaxy? "Wake up, sleepy head." Thomas turned and looked upward in his bed, and discovered the face of a huge Tech Mantis above him, He screamed, "HELP ONE OF THE BUGS IS IN MY ROOM!?" It looked at him and told him, "Names Lo-cool 12?" He looked and started to panic, "One of them is in my room." Lo-Cool explained, "I know hummies hate Insectoids, especially Tech Mantises, but I am just cleaning?" Thomas said, "But why one of you, you're the murder hobos they let out of their ships when the battle's a stalemate?" Lo-Cool reached out one of her middle arms and opened her claw on it, "I am not a murder hobo and frankly most of us aren't, those are heavily trained officers who are equipped with some really extreme weapons for ripping apart mechs, while I could pull your limbs off easily, I won't because I am a civilized person." Thomas looked, and said, "Are you trying to shake my hand?" Lo-Cool told him, "Yes Tarra-Eye told me about it?" Thomas yelled, "She didn't order a bug to clean our cabins did she?" Lo-Cool looked, and said, "No, and stop calling me a bug, call me by name?" Thomas looked back and stated, "Okay, Lo-Cool, who ordered you in here?" Lo-Cool stated, "Zorg, he wants to show you the diversity of his empire, which he is going to ask you to join. It's so you know you won't be persecuted." Thomas asked, "Join his empire?" Lo-Cool briefed him, "Zorg has been given permission by the Galatic Counsel, to absorb humanity into the Syndicate, he may still not, but humanity may want to know some species having called for your extermination?" Thomas looked and stuck out his hand to her claw and she took it and while it hurt a little, he knew she was being gentle. Thomas stated, "You're quite strong, this hurts a little," as she shook his hand. Lo-Cool asked as she pulled him out of bed as gently as she could. Thomas asked, "Okay big girl, tell me why exactly are we being invited to join the Syndicate?" Lo-Cool stated, "If you agree to join or be a satellite state, it may get the aliens angry at you not to come and try to kill you all?" Thomas said, "And why does Zorg think we'll agree to this?" Lo-Cool explained, "He doesn't think you will or you won't, he just wants to help you, he didn't want to go to war with you, but there was a public outcry after you blow up a passenger ship full of mostly children." Thomas looked and ask, "When did this happen?" Lo-Cool told, "I don't actually remember, I was a nymph back then?" Thomas stated, "Please don't go in any other of our rooms, they'll think they are being attacked like I did." Lo-Cool said, "I get someone else to do but do try the Calerian Shower, Zorg had them installed because they are like human showers!" Later, in the inner halls of the ship. Thomas walked down the highly utilitarian passages which reminded him of insect tunnels, as he kept behind Star-One with the other ambassadors it became clear that there were mostly Lizzards on the ship, but there was still a huge percentage of other creatures. Had they been lied to about the supposed extreme Species-ism of Lizzards and if so what was the actual reason for the war? He got up beside Star-One and asked, "What are we going to do today, and can you give me an inside scoop?" Star-One asked, "Are we friends?" Thomas said, "I want you to be?" Star-One told him, "Well you're first going to be talking to someone from an outer colony world, and then we meet Zorg, I am excited because when I was a kid I saw him as a god, Zorg that is, and even though having gone to a United Galatic College and no longer having that opinion, meeting one of what is considered one of the smartest and most honorable Galatic Leaders is wonderful." Thomas asked, "How old are you, or is it like our race where you shouldn't ask someone's age?" Star-One told him, "31 years old, that's young for our race, don't you guys live only until 50?" Thomas explained, "We live until 120 years unless our biological clock is turned off which then we don't know how long that is?" Isa stated, "I have had mine turned off, I was a first-generation Martian." Star-One stated, "I might have my biological clock turned off, but I will naturally live one of your millennia." Then she stated, "Good thing more of you are talking to me?" Isa stated, "You like us?" Star-One stated, "Although it may not seem like it right now I am an extrovert." Ai stated, "So in other words you are always desperate for attention." Star-One looked at him and stood still and said, "If I meet you in combat, I will enjoy it." Then she started walking again. Thomas explained, "You insulted her heavily by throwing the Pizza in her face." Ai muttered, "I don't care," Odeh asked, "Ai you are aware that if we don't build relationships with the people who we're negotiating with us, our mission might fail?" Ai mocked her, "Aw a member of the lesser sex is consoling me?" Star-One looked and ask while walking, "Lesser Sex?" Odeh told Star-One, "He's being an asshole." Star-One looked at her and stated, "A Fecal Orifice has uses unlike him." Odeh looked and chuckled, "Oh by Allah, that was a mean joke?" Star-One told her back, "Of course I'm mean, I'm a killer soldier and a biologist who works Dangerous Environment Planets. I dealt with Flesh Eating Monsters before the War and I have the highest number of kills as a Lizzard in the Lizzard Syndicate Army. Only Tech Mantises have higher kill counts and only a few of them?" Odeh looked and told her, "Thomas is also a biologist, he has dissected a lot of you?" Star-One looked at Thomas and ask as they neared their destination, "Thomas would you dissect me?" Thomas looked and was honest with her in what he said, "If it were my orders, yes, I am sure you would kill me in the exact same situation." Star-One said, "I might, but I would report the person who ordered me later on. I don't just kill anyone or anything without reason?" Thomas looked at her and asked, "So you are what they call an honor-based person. We have had a shortage of those." Star-One chuckled, "Don't worry war criminal." They entered a room that looked like a cafeteria. Lo-Cool was cleaning tables and a Blue Lizzard was sitting on the other side of the room. Odeh asks Star-One, "That Bug is going to stay on the other side of the room?" Star-one told her, "If she doesn't need to clean here?" Thomas waved at Lo-Cool and asked loudly, "How yah doing Lo-Cool?" Lo-Cool looked at him and yelled, "Fine." Star-One looked at Thomas and asked, "For a War Criminal you like making friends?" Thomas replied as they walked towards the Blue Lizzard and the other side of the room, "Do I contradict myself, well yes I contradict myself, I contain multitudes, Walter Whitman!" Star-One joked, "So in other words you have multiple personality disorder?" Thomas stated, "It's a quote from a famous poet?" Star-One screamed, "It's called a joke!? The blue Lizzard looked at them and ask, "Are these the idiots the humans sent?" Ai yelled, "I would like you to know..." The Blue Lizzard yelled before he could finish, "This is about Human Kind's continued existence for having cooperated with Neglacrains in yet another Oxshit war!" Thomas sat down first, "Listen our Governments both want to end this, so tell us how did this started and how we can end it." The Lizzard stated, "Names, Dacson Cornfield and I am a less civilized member of my species, I eat animal flesh from an actual animal rather than lab grown, I hunt other creatures for sport, etc, like you guys, you were really offensive the first second you stepped out of your solar system. And everyone is wondering if you aren't just as your SiFi writers put it, murder hobos." Thomas's Jaw dropped, "Wait, what do people think about the human race?" Cornfield said, "That you'll basically kill anyone you come in contact with except groups which are just as violent, listen a lot of aliens would be horrified if you had just come out as doing the things I do." Ai yelled, "Quit your crap!" Cornfield looked at him, he exclaimed, "What crap? I have been watching your propaganda for the last twenty years since this war started trying to figure out what is going on, yeah I watch your networks despite an advisory against that, I'll tell you what's been going on you blew up multiple civilian vessels and were ignorant about it and one was full of students in the Lizzard version of elementary and that started the war, you didn't know what you were shooting at I believe?" Thomas asked, "Cornfield if those weaker ships we first, were they the civilian ships..." Ai yelled, "Oxshit! This is just another one lying to us!" Cornfield yelled at Ai, "You're the son of one of your species' corporate bosses, you should be smart enough to realize this is what happened, and yes Thomas that's figured out what happened, and I was briefed in case you're wondering who all I would be talking to, and frankly the guy who should be the smartest ain't. We can't have 20 more years of war or even 5, this is taking up resources from future attacks by the Neglacrains." Iso walked up and asked, "Tell us this truthfully, what is up with this whole thing where everyone hates the Neglacrains?" Cornfield told him, "They force their religion on others." Thomas asked, "How, when we have talked to them they have seemed pretty preachy, but I don't get it, are they violent about their religion." Cornfield looked into their eyes and said, "You seem to be realizing what the rest of your species hasn't. They are genocidal maniacs on a scale that your species has not yet seen in the greatest slaughters you have committed in this war!" Thomas looked and was about to say something when Ai pounded the table with his fist, and screamed, "You will stop talking to the little white dog and tell me why you have done nothing but deception." Cornfield looked and asked, "Your paranoid, I have lived with the POW camps on my world, do you think I want a bunch of weird mammals mucking up my..." Thomas interrupted, "Prisoner of War Camps, I wasn't informed the Lizzards were taking any prisoners?" Corn suddenly looked disturbed and asked, "You do know taking prisoners of war when opposing armies surrender is required by the Galatic Governing Body." Thomas asked, "Wait a moment what?" Star-One interrupted, "I am sorry to tell you this, but your son and three brothers, their... Dead?" Corn looked confused and asked her, "They... why... None of them wanted any part...?" Star-One stated, "According to what I know all Lizzards who surrender are dissected soon after being defeated." Corn's face started to convulse into expressions everyone, Lizzard or not, knew were of horror and confusion. Thomas asked, "Wait I need to know something here...?" Corn suddenly yelled, "Fucking Murder Crazies! I should have known that your race after you blew-up a ship full of kids was completely evil!" Thomas yelled back at Corn, "I need to know something though!" Corn started angrily pressing buttons on a control panel that had been behind him, a voice started asking, "Are you done prep...." Corn yelled, "We need to kill every last one of them!" The voice on the other end which was deeper than a normal Lizzard Voice and sounded very loud despite not shouting, "Listen, know your rank, I don't take orders from you, the humans are going to be allowed to surrender, I am sorry you just figured out you're the last of your line." Thomas asked Star-One, "Whose that?" Suddenly the man who stayed the Mysterious Sixth member of the team, "I think it's Zorg! His mind registers that he's talking to someone he would normally respect the rank of." Star-One asked the mysterious member of the ambassadors, "Oh are you Psychic, It is Zorg?" The Psychic who appeared to be of Asian Stock, "Stated, names 20-80-30, grown for the human military. And yes!" Star-One looked, "Oh your one of the invisible fighters, It's harder to kill you guys, but I have done it quite a lot." 20-80, started, "Yeah my mother's a test tube what can I say?" Ai said, "You look of Asian Breeding though?" 20-80 stated, "Yes I am heavily Japanese Genetically?" Ai said, "I am all Chinese!" 20-80 said, "Then a long time ago we would be on opposite sides of a battlefield?" Ai said, "Since when?" There was a moment of silence, then 20-80 looked at Thomas and said, "Thomas don't say it, and stop undressing the female Lizzard in your head, it's creepy?" Star-One asked, "I could have remained innocent!?" Thomas asked, "Could you not read my mind without permission?" 20-80 stated, "That's my orders to observe your thoughts as much as possible and take down anything important and, oh Star-One keeps having fantasies of ejecting everyone but you out the airlock and is right now thinking about stuffing a live plasma grenade down my throat?" Star-One replied, "I know it's your orders, but by the Gods do not announce my private thoughts!" 20-80 said, "Sorry, just wanted everyone to know?" Thomas asked, "Star do you know if Tinfoil stops mind reading?" Star-One told him, "I heard something about wearing a lead helmet, but I have no idea!" Ai asked, "Why is the company doing this?" 20-80 said, "Because they want a person who can tell them everything that went wrong if this blows up!" Star said, "Just don't report on my thoughts. Okay? And listen I knew Thomas was a bit infatuated with me, you didn't need to tell me all that, that's embarrassing to both of us." 20-80 said, "Any thoughts which aren't important I won't?" Star told them, "Okay that was the briefing, we are going to see Zorg. Criks." They left the Cafeteria and went down a long tunnel. There were security mounts in the Tunnel with Lizzards and sometimes other species on them as well as walkways above which were entirely for sniping invaders. As they walked they saw a huge door at the end. The door opened and inside they saw some sort of large desk. Ai said, "That's one big desk, do you think Zorg could be more modest." Suddenly the voice which had come over the com earlier spoke to them loudly with no distortion, "Hello my fine humans. How are you? Today is the beginning of the negations of your surrender. You determine how this will go." Ai looked around and screamed, "OH FUCKING BY THE GODS!" and pointed to a corner of the ceiling and they all saw a body with no arms or legs suspended in the air, It began to lower and a pair of robotic legs and arms sprang forth from the walls and attached to the body. And then placed it on the floor. "Hello there," the huge partly robotic Lizzard stated calmly. He began walking toward them and then Star screamed, "Hail ZORG!" Thomas looked and realized just how big Zorg was, he came over and patted each on the head with the tip of his pinkie finger, Ai screamed in terror in an extremely feminine way. Odeh looked and asked, "So you're the leader of the Lizzard Species and the Syndicate, next time around if you see a Muslim Woman, make sure to ask before doing that?" Zorg muttered in a funny way, "Oh, Religious rituals revolving around a person's sex or gender, that's an oldie!" Ai had just pissed himself and he screamed, "Listen stop the OX CRAP!" Zorg looked and said, "Back in my day any word for poop could not be said around Women or Children? And they would put you in the stocks if you did." Thomas asked, "So you're the guy who the Syndicate revolves around?" Zorg said, "Yes." Zorg continued, "The gods above gave sentient creatures the ability to choose and many used it for bastardism, and so bastardism can be a lifestyle among some, if you want to know why bastardism is named that is because, as I am told, is that in Lizzard Culture it has always been important to plan things.' Zorg went on, "Furthermore, bastardism is spreading throughout the galaxy, and there is one man (if that's appropriate) responsible, Supreme Priest Smeg, the worst of all the filth the Theocratic Empire has bred, and if you will all use the catwalks to the top of my desk I will show you some interesting material about your ally." They all started walking towards the desk and up the catwalks on the giant's furniture. When they reached the top they saw a Neglacrain in what looked like a Mini Mouse dress. Ai yelled, "Again with this crap!" The Neglacrain asked, "What's wrong, my name is Tril and I am an advisor to Zorg." Ai muttered, "Weird name?" Tril stated, "It's a gender-neutral name and I am both intersex and non-binary." Ai laughed, "Wait wait wait, What, so basically you're a hermaphrodite, why wasn't this corrected?" Tril asked, "Your species performs Forced Gender Reassignment?" Thomas said, "Under the parent's permission, we have done away though with Circumcision and some other just as bad procedures though?" Tril asked, "So parents in the Union are allowed to mutilate their children." Thomas tried to remain calm and told them, "Humans have a different way of thinking about this?" Tril looked at him, he sensed disgust and maybe even horror. 20-80 looked and said, "Erm, just so you know you deeply offended her... I mean them!" Tril looked and told him, "Good catch?" Zorg spoke, "Okay my little bird will read this," as he put down a large Neglacrain-style book down in the middle of the desk, "They hate this copy of one of Smeg's diaries and the line they is about to read?" They walked over and opened the book, and started reading, their feathers reacting as they did, "Today the Great of Greats has compelled me towards another young boy, I find his cherry bottom ample..." Ai yelled, "Stop the damn porn, we didn't come here to read your fan fiction about Smeg." Thomas stated, "I am sure you believe this to be Smeg's work, but humans have a huge taboo about sex and children and..." Zorg looked at him with a stare that made him go silent and then Zorg spoke, "Why the heck do you think that I or someone else is lying, the crimes against children in the Church of the Theocratic Empire are spoken of by a Neglacrain called the Protestant. And yes most species have a taboo about that, that isn't just you?" Thomas looked and implied, "I heard of this, 'Protestant' person, could you explain who he is." Zorg replied, "He's a person who basically was part of the Theocratic Empire Church who was against the corruption, he exposed a lot of things to the Galatic Establishment about the Church after he left to form his own sect." Thomas inquired further, "So you tolerate the Neglacrain Religion in your territory because we were told otherwise." Zorg stated, "Tril I know this may offend you my little Bird, but, your name is Thomas right?" Thomas replied, "Yes..." Zorg continued, "There is a saying about Neglacrains, especially those who serve the Theocratic Empire when a Neglacrain tells you the color of the sky, don't check him till you are far away enough to avoid a sneak attack, but do check him." Thomas looked at 20-80 and ask, "Is he telling the Truth?" 20-80 stated, "His mind is shielded, but I can tell that whenever I have been around Neglacrains I have felt some very raw hatred that appeared to be, towards not only me but all humanity, they are not the friendly race of devout religionist our Government has made them out to be and I was once around a Neglacrain Priest and I senses what may or may not have been what Zorg is claiming about Smeg." Ai screamed, "We have good intel that the Lizzards in the Syndicate also take their own religion far enough to allow the sacrifice of sentient species." Star-One got a very nasty expression, and yelled, "That's a big lie, my species may not be perfect, but we don't do that?" 20-80 said, "As far as I can tell she telling the truth." Ai looked at 20-80 and ask, "So what she thinks she is telling the truth, we have intel?" 20-80 replied, "The Neglacrains have lied and I know that." Ai ask, "So we are supposed to believe our greatest ally blatantly lies to us?" 20-80 stated, "I am not saying the Lizzards are fully honest either, but damn I have been reading minds all over the place, and it doesn't seem to be a heavy amount of deception going on here." Ai asked, "20 you're defending them." 20-80 replied, "I can tell if there's a deception, it's not coming from anyone knowingly." Ai stated, "Assume deception." Thomas whispered to Star-One, "Could I talk to you somewhere privately." Star-one who had brought herself to his level said, "Sure but try anything perverted and I will really get mad." After they left Zorg's Office they all went to their quarters except Thomas who followed Star-One to her quarters. He opened the door and saw a beautifully arranged room. He and Star once inside looked at each other. Star asked, "So I have a question about humans, why do you hate us so badly." Thomas said, "My race often gets caught up in the ideology of those we are having differences are less hum... of People then us. We vilified the Pilly too in our last war before the current one, and before we left the planet we did it to each other." Star looked, "Despite Cornfield most of us don't think you're bad, we think you're just having problems because your species hasn't yet really matured." Thomas asked, "Why don't you think we're mature?" Star-One implored him to think, "Remember when you first boarded, you used terms which were hard to translate and just didn't translate except to arcane words that Lizzards don't use anymore, I know my joke about inbreeding was a little cruel, but that's how and many Lizzards feel about Racial based thinking, and do you don't treat each other right as I saw, Ai calls you, 'White Dog,' to demean you and frankly it seems your at odds with him because despite how he sees you as inferior if this mission is to be a success you have to lead it, not some rich kid whose on because of family ties to the Musk Corporation." Star then asked, "You wanna listen to some Music with me?" Thomas asked, "This music isn't mad angry screaming, or something?" Star said, "No I want something to dance to?" He replied, "I can't dance." She told him, "I can't dance professionally either, but you can let your body move with the Music as I do." He asked, "So could we play some classic 2020s Music, from America if possible?" She tapped a room console and then, Taylor Swift's Antihero played. They both making small at first but slowly large and confident movements.