@TexMuscle, good catch with the cut vignette. I do have a hazy memory of reading a passage where the Great One was planting a personal garden, but the time between when I first found Pollination and Absman uploading it here is so long that I can't remember. I didn't even notice it was missing until you said something. I don't have anything concrete- just a hunch- but I'm willing to bet that the reason why that passage was removed because Absman, in the 15 years since he wrote Book I, changed the reproductive cycle of the symbionts. For the time being, though, I'm not going to commit my theory to writing because I don't want to tempt poor Absman into spoiling the story. I'm not sure there would be a reason for two Great Ones to come into conflict. The reason why queen bees do is because bee hives are concise, finite communities. Earth is pretty big, and Absman has hinted in the discussion thread for the series that there are parts of North America where a Host would be far enough away from Bowden in Kansas that he could very well be oblivious to Bowden's psychic influence. Presumably, there would need to be multiple Great Ones around the world to coordinate the global population of Hosts, each one strategically placed so that Hosts can't be potentially subject to multiple Great Ones' influence at the same time; vast empires of psychic alien god-kings and their hordes of adoring, mentally enslaved subjects... I'm excited to find out exactly what the result of Bowden and the Deputy presumably being on each other's radar will be, though... As to the situation with the Deputy... maybe. Maybe the Sheriff pumping load after load into him would've worked. But I'm still not sure the Sheriff having a pet Great One at his command would've been good, either. The Deputy basically confirmed that the Sheriff is a sociopath, or at least a manipulative, heartless bastard who knowingly and willingly played on the Deputy's feelings of love for him. As bad as Deputy Great One may be, the Sheriff probably would've been far worse. Snake feeling compelled to feed his "son" a load or two would've been a hot scene, and watching Rugby Boy struggle with a combination of arousal and jealousy at the sight would've been gut-wrenching.

I remember another omission from Book One that was removed on this site. Bowden emerged as the great one and after he evolved Murdock he planted a personal garden. It didn't make sense for him to be creating competing Great Ones. Unless his seed would create just the Guard class of symbiotes. The struggles and battles in the plot are what makes a great story. I still wander if the Sheriff had fucked the deputy with his mind altering cum during his transformation if his control of our new Great One would have remained in tack. With the vine up his ass it would have been a double penetration situation. I thought during the scene where Snaked and Rugby Boy walked in on the transformation that Snake's symbiote would be stimulated and he would plunge into the deputy. But I'm just horny and Absman stories turn my crank. It's like playing the lottery. Half of the fun is thinking of what you spend the money on. Absman stories allow you to picture the different sex scenes.

If you deconstruct it, without the Great Ones, this would be a rather straight-forward pathogen story. The "virus" transfers from one victim to the next until it gets too big to be ignored and either society controls it or it doesn't. The appearance of both Great Ones have disrupted the flow, created chaos, and changed the course of the story. And in both cases, the Great Ones were created by the Sheriff. Hmmmm....

I would argue that *A Song of Ice and Fire* and *Game of Thrones* don't so much flip the script of fantasy as they apply real-world logic to the fantasy genre, even if it is in contradiction to the conventions of fantasy: the noble and honorable protagonist always makes it out alive, that kind of thing. Martin looked at fantasy and said, "No, telling someone whom you already suspect of murder that you know their terrible secret and try to offer them an out is a terrible idea, you'll wind up dead." And the same could be said *Pollination: The Series* and how it handles mind control erotica: yes, the Sheriff and Snake are strong-willed men, but their plan to create and control a being whose sole purpose is to control and guide men like themselves was probably always going to be doomed to failure. Resisting Bowden's psychic siren song from hundreds of miles away with the help of some subs is one thing, but trying to resist the Deputy's power at point-blank range was laughable. Sure, I had hoped that the Deputy wouldn't be the same as Bowden (and he isn't, in a couple important regards), but I realize now that I thought the Deputy would be in control and not bent on repopulation because that's what I *wanted* to happen. But reality is often harsher than fantasy, as Sheriff and Snake have demonstrated...

Thank you! I wanted to give the appearance that I was setting up a little band of rebels to heroically fight the Kansas Great One -- or romantically, to escape unscathed. @hynothrill kind of half called me out on it a few chapters ago. And I was like, heeheehee, wait till I spring my trap! I confess, it was harder to let the Sheriff go than I thought. But once I began writing the scene -- and it was one I'd seen in my head for many years -- it went down rather quickly. I tweaked the dialogue about a million times, true, but in my head, I did liken it to Ned Stark. But the good news is the Sheriff still has his head (tho maybe nothing in it) and there's LOTS of potential in the New Great One. Villain Upgrade is what comics are all about!

Greatly enjoyed this chapter. It's clever for the author to continually upend the seemingly established rules. That makes the writing all the more hot, as the reader endures mind fuck after mind fuck. Case in point are the Sheriff and Snake; both seemingly had control over their symbiots and were going to make it out unscathed, but then... not so fast. It really reminds me of GOT's execution of Ned Stark, or Dorne's Prince Oberyn's death by combat. Totally unexpected, hugely consequential, and engrossing for readers used to formulatic plots. I applaud you.

Vance = scent Vinnie = touch Vernon = implant, however, Vernon has displayed weak scent and touch powers, too (as he did in this vignette w Rugby Boy). Although there's no evidence to support this, his cum may have a different effect orally versus anally. I consider Vance the most powerful of the three -- but not the sharpest tool in the shed. After chap19, I'll be free to discuss this less cryptically.

> Sorry to see him lose Rugby boy to a Scenter I'm fairly confident Vernon is the Implanter? We've seen the Vance and Vinnie in action with the Wiz and Willis, Vance used his scent and pheromones to enthrall the Wiz, Vinnie used his pollen to make Willis suggestible and prime him for a plant. I could have that mixed up in my head, though. In the discussion thread on the forums, Absman confirmed that we haven't seen Vernon in action, and we haven't gotten to see anybody get bonded with a symbiont via sex. A scenario which I hope we get a very detailed description of.

> I was a bit disappointed when I read the summation thinking it’s going to be boring sub plots, but that was hardly the case. Hot hot hot. > Hahaha. That was just me being cheeky. Everyone's been clamoring for the New Great One's reveal, and I didn't want to give any hints away about what would happen.

Snake's fate sealed with a blown kiss. Great paradox. Sorry to see him lose Rugby boy to a Scenter, but they are both still in love so all is well. I really enjoyed watching the two dominant men go down, and all from their own cum. Also glad to see Tully finally seeing the fate of Murdock as a mindless "drone." I was a bit disappointed when I read the summation thinking it's going to be boring sub plots, but that was hardly the case. Hot hot hot.