Ollie is a male peculiar who takes on the shape of whatever creature he feels most connected to when he no longer feels loved by humans, his original species.
Tales of the Peculiar[]
The Locust[]
Ollie was born to Edvard and an unnamed mother in America, where Erick the healer pronounces that Ollie is peculiar, though the peculiarity wouldn't surface for a while. Growing up, Ollie went to school and helped his father with the farm.
Though Edvard had never been happy with Ollie being "soft," things took a turn for the worse when Ollie was fourteen. Despite the town threatening fines for those over ten that didn't kill the locusts plaguing the settlers, Ollie absolutely refused to do so, even when his father hit him. The town and Edvard turned against Ollie, who adopted a locust as it was "the only living creature who would tolerate his presence." After Edvard killed the locust, Ollie was kicked out as punishment for crying over its death, and by the next morning manifested his peculiarity and turned into a locust himself.
Still his father did not love him, and Ollie left. Edvard realizes his mistake and enlists the townspeople in finding and turning Ollie back, but Ollie evades them all with the help of his locust friends. This is until the locusts migrate, leaving Ollie behind, and he is captured by his bullies who just want the reward given by Edvard if they turn him back. They fail, and sell Ollie to their hunter neighbor, who also fails in showing the love that Ollie needs. The hunter sends Ollie to stay with the hunting dogs, and Ollie feels accepted enough by the dogs that he turns into one of the dogs.
After the death of a goose, Ollie no longer feels as comfortable with the hunter and dogs and chases after the geese, and at some point turns into one of them, joining the flock. One day, passing over his father's house, Ollie leaves the flock and gets caught by Edvard, who plans to kill him and make him the family's dinner. Luckily, Ollie is saved by his half sister, Asgard, who asks Edvard not to kill what she assumes is a normal goose. Asgard adopts Ollie, and the pair become best friends. This love from his sister is what eventually turns Ollie back to his human form.
Asgard brings Edvard to the barn Ollie is in to show him. Ollie has forgiven his father, and Edvard properly introduces Asgard to Ollie. The three then go back to the house, where Ollie tells the family about his goose years and is accepted into the family once more, never turning into an animal again.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Ollie has a large heart (literally) to the point that one side of his chest is noticeably larger than the other side. It is also mentioned that he looks like his father. Grown up, Ollie is six feet tall, has strong features, and a stubbled chin.
Personality[]
Ollie is hardworking, as he works the farm with his father whenever he isn't schooling or sleeping. His very large heart is as figurative as it is literal, feeling bad for animals to the point that he cries when they get hurt, even when the animals are pests such as locusts. While the rest of the town kills locusts, he takes great care not to harm a single one and even takes one as a pet. Ollie's view is that even pests are not hurting people on purpose, instead doing what they're made to do. Ollie falls in love in an instant- proposing marriage to a neighbor girl as well as a woman fifteen years his senior at the age of seven. He believes that the world has good things in store for him (described by his father as a peculiarly American idea) and his father's narration also thinks his insides made of goo.
Peculiarity[]
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When Ollie feels unloved by his own kind (humans), he takes the form of the creature he feels most connected to in the moment. The only way to turn him back is for someone to truly love him again. His form can change as the creature he feels most connected to does.
As an animal, Ollie always seems to be larger than the originals. He can also speak to the species whose form he is in, but is unable to speak human language.
Relationships[]
Edvard[]
Since Ollie's babyhood, Edvard did not truly love Ollie, blaming him for the death of Edvard's first wife although he knows that it isn't Ollie's fault. Edvard is cruel to his son, thinking he is too sensitive and loves too much. He is not against hitting his son when he was angry with him, and did not show much true parental love due to his difference to Ollie, though he did have the capacity to feel bad for being harsh. His definition of love to his son doesn't go beyond providing Ollie's basic needs, even calling him an "entitled American brat." When Ollie refuses to kill locusts, Edvard becomes ashamed of his son, and becomes even more so after Ollie turns into one. He believes that he needs to be tough on Ollie so as not to encourage Ollie's being "soft," but this only drives Ollie away. After Edvard finds that his son is gone, he realizes that Ollie meant more to him than he realized, more than his farm did, and desperately wants to find him again and have him feel loved enough to become a boy again.
In the end, Edvard finds Ollie in the form of a goose, and treats him with the compassion he failed to treat him with in past years, truly loving him like a parent should. He tells Ollie that he missed him and hopes that Ollie can forgive him. Ollie, though, has long forgiven has father, and when they reunite he gives Edvard a big smile.
Thor[]
Thor was Ollie's pet locust, who he named after the Norse god Thor. Ollie kept Thor hidden under his bed in a cigar box, feeding it dinner scraps and sugar water. He sympathized with the locust, telling it that it's simply doing what it was made to do and it isn't its fault that it is hated by other humans. Ollie was fond of Thor to the point he carried it around on his shoulder. It would chirp when the sun shone and hop merrily when Ollie whistles a tune. Unfortunately, the locust was thrown into the fire by Edvard when discovered, making Ollie cry.
Asgard[]
Ollie's younger sister heard Ollie's story from their father, but she first met him in goose form when she saved his life by having their father not kill the goose for dinner. Asgard and Ollie became best friends, with Ollie following her to school and waited on the schoolhouse roof for her. She told everyone that they weren't allowed to shoot the goose, and would make up stories of adventures she had with Ollie. Her deep, genuine love for him allows Ollie to turn back to his human form.