Sitara
* Mum and Dad?

Sitara leans into the kitchen where her parents are making dinner. Her father, Parvin, is a sharp-looking peacock man stirring a pot. Her mother, Swati, is a rhesus macaque who is currently chopping up some coriander.

Sitara
* Ah, do you remember that American spaceman from the future? The one who crashed here.

Swati
* Ohhh, him! Yes, everyone at work's been talking about him.
* What a story!

Sitara
* Well, ah... I found him wandering around the streets and he looked, ah, confused, and lost, and I felt bad for him, and...
* I... maybe told him he could come over for dinner?

Parvin
* Sitara...

Swati
* Aha, it's fine, Parvin. We've got plenty to go around.
* You can invite him in, Sitara.

Sitara
* Thanks Mum and Dad.
* MISTER SPACEMAN? YOU CAN COME IN NOW!



Sitara opens the front door and in walks is... Glard, the Avean Grunt. He has that look a rehomed feral cat has when it's first seeing what the interior of a house looks like.

  Glard Gorpnan
Uh











Glard sits at the dinner table with Sitara's family. They're all serving themselves while Glard stares into space.

Parvin
* So, Spaceman...
* Sorry, I don't think I caught your name?

  Glard Gorpnan
Glard Gorpnan

Parvin
* Okay, Glard.
* You're from the future, yes? I've always been interested in up-and-coming technologies.
* Tell me, how does all this AI business turn out? Does that go anywhere?

  Glard Gorpnan
Uh

Swati
* Let the man breathe, Parvin.
* I'm sure he's still getting used to our time.
* We must seem completely medieval to him, haha...

  Glard Gorpnan
Uhh

Swati
* You're not eating, Mister Gorpnan. Is the food to your liking?
* I don't know what you like, but I can whip you up something else.
* A hamburger, maybe?

Parvin
* Swati, that's offensive.

Swati
* I'm just offering!
* Really, anything you need, feel free to ask.

Parvin
* Yes yes, don't worry about imposing.
* You're our guest, after all.

  Glard Gorpnan
I--
I'm sorry, it's just.
You're... an ave? And a hominid?
And, you... you worked it out?




Parvin
* Is he... okay?

Swati
* He must still be in shock, poor man...

Parvin
* Well, ah. Glard.
* We've had our challenges, same as anyone, but...

Swati
* Yes, we're very happy together.



Glard's jaw trembles and his head spins.

  Glard Gorpnan
Oh Helix


















Cliff is slumped against the wall next to the front door. He's looking at the sky. The pieces of his suit lay discarded next to him.





Alma
* Cliff?

Alma leans out of the doorway next to him. The warm light from inside spills into the street.

Alma
* Are you okay?

  Cliff Mason
Alma...

  Cliff Mason
I... I can't be alone right now...

Alma
* Well then come in out of the cold, you silly--oh!

Cliff suddenly bundles Alma into an tight embrace, burying his face in her fur. Alma is startled and flustered, but not displeased.

Alma
* Oh-h!! Cliff, this is...

  Cliff Mason
Please.
I need you.














Lum says:
Spiderforest comic of the week, round seven.
This week's theme is "Across the Universe".

Destiny? Choice? How do we determine our purpose in this world? These stories explore that idea.

Brothers
Brothers
- Brothers follows Brothers and Postmasters Sprout and Oz as they become unlikely heroes after discovering a mysterious magic mailbox.

True Colors
True Colors
- True Colors is about four incoming college students dreaming of a new start at their freshman orientation. But when a room assignment mix-up disrupts their plans, they're forced to reexamine what kind of adults they want to become.

Kings of Sorts
Kings of Sorts
- Kings of Sorts follows Hana, an optimistic village outcast, whose knowledge of magitech puts him at the center of royal court conspiracies! [Kings of Sorts Webtoon Mirror]