Edit: This started out as sharing an idea for a potential Legacy, but this thread has become a place where I keep my rotational stories together. The challenge I created will be a significant part of ...
When Eos and Pixel aged up, the Techrons moved them into the living room they refurnished into a nursery. As toddlers, they couldn't do much, so the parents spent some time teaching them things like good manners and their basic needs. The early days of toddlerhood were fun for Eos, who was eager to learn and grew faster than his cousin.
"And that's why you never say Barnacle." Iona said.
Iona. "And, in spite of what you might see in human movies, merfolk know what forks are used for. We call them tiny tridents and they are decorations for our homes."
After the lesson, Eos was feeling hangry, and his parents as well as his aunt and uncles couldn't figure out who would feed him. In his rage, he smashed the doll house.
Eos: "Babboar. (Roar, I'm a sea monster! Fear my tiny tridents for I need hungry!)"
After finally giving him food, Iona read him to sleep. Pixel was already fast asleep in the bed next to his. Pixel dreamt about ghosts while Iona read Eos a story about the Hearts of the Sea, the Abalone King, and the wicked Darkfins that deceive and shatter trust.
"To this day, humans believe the Hearts of the Sea are Buried Treasure."
Nui tried to hold back his tears. Being an Alien, he had an empathic connection with his daughter that caused him to feel what he perceived as sadness. He tried to give Pixel attention, but Pixel glared at him, failing to communicate telepathically.
Pixel's thoughts: "Why is he the one that's sad? He wasn't ignored and left in a highchair with nowhere to go."
Eos and Pixel's parents didn't seem to watch them all the time, and when they left the toddlers to their own devices, they took care of their own needs to the best of their own abilities. They put themselves to sleep and played with the tech pads. They only needed their parents for hungry, dirty, and their non-existent attention.
Eos, however, did get a lot of attention from his parents when it came to his lessons. Iona insisted that his foundation for learning wasn't based in technology. Nui and Gui were fine to let Pixel do her own thing. Being a wild toddler, it was hard to get her to sit still for flash cards.
When Gui returned home, he helped his sister-in-law clean up the bathroom after the toilet exploded. Kalama was a goof ball and ended up using the toilet she pranked again.
Pixel: "No, one of the helicopter parents interrupted you when they cued up the action to let me out, so you decided to show Eos Flashcards in front of me."
Gui: "I don't understand."
Pixel: "Try not to think about it too hard. Consider it musical magic."
Back at home, the toddlers were busy with their lessons as usual. Their highchairs were replaced with ottomans the tots could sit on. Nui claimed to have a nightmare that involved pixel speaking clearly and musical magic. The Musical Highchairs had to go.
Iona's stroy was a tragic one. She lost one of her closest friends to a Darkfin that drowned her friend in a fit of Jealousy. The Darkfin was an ex-boyfriend, and her friend was a young human man. She thought she would never be in another relationship until she met Helios. Helios was literally from another world, but he still made Iona feel like she belonged. He made plenty of time to show his affection and reassured her with his Charmer's Lullaby, something he learned had traditional importance between merfolk partners. Over time, Helios softened Iona's heart, and they had a traditional merfolk wedding. Being a merman was new to Helios, but the Alien Merman loved Iona. She loved him in return. Not long after their wedding, Eos was born. Both knew that they struggled as parents, but they were learning together.
Toward the middle of the week, Spooksfest arrived. The Techrons and Eons removed their disguises and showed off their alien forms. Helios, who no longer had the same Alien abilities, dressed in a costume.
In spite of the party, Eos was still eager to learn. Even if he sometimes misbehaved, most of his struggles came from his parents struggling to help him. The five different adults often interrupted each other when one of them tried to help him.
Eos didn't know why it was so hard for one or two adults to help him. Still, Gui was often home because he took time away from his gigs to help look after Eos and Pixel. Eos always asked him for Flashcard Lessons.
In the spirit of Spooksfest, Dylan and Zeph invited the Eons and Techrons to a night out. They dressed in traditional merfolk attire. No one would suspect that Aliens and Merfolk were gathering during a night that everyone wore costumes.
There were times that Helios wanted to read to his son and niece, but the technology often got in the way of traditional parenting. Helios wanted to understand magic with science. He loved technology, but now, he wondered if it was better to let things be the way they were. He would outlive his siblings and their children and their children's children. However, he would always have Iona and Eos in his life. Maybe, merfolk had traditional values because they would live forever together.
Helios was torn between two worlds. He was an Alien from Sixam, but he was also a merman now. His abilities were changed with the transformation, but he never forgot the secret handshake between Sixams.
Eventually, their birthday came and went. The Eons and Techrons hired Ember, Dylan, and Zeph to help with the party. Ember was the Caterer, Dylan performed for everyone, and Zeph tended the bar.
