Much has happened since the last IAC and so the showcases were going to be larger. Last time, Iphis and Ianthe had been the only hermaphrodite in Animalia. But not only did they have a much larger family now, but there were hermaphrodites of different species now. The dual-sexed nature of the horse, hyena, and lion members of the project will be receiving a lot of attention, though some of the information revealed will be inappropriate to minors, but there was a warning to keep them out. A big part of the showcase will be showing the fetus developments of the different species as well as comparing the bodies of herms before, during, and after pregnancy.
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Goldenrod was feeling particularly anxious about this. Mostly because shi was in hir last month of pregnancy and shi was feeling particularly self-conscious. "I can't go out there and let people see me like this," shi said, holding hir distended stomach.
"It's going to be fine," said Daffodil soothingly. Shi was also reaching the end of hir pregnancy term. "We're not going to be exhibits at a freak show," shi said, "We'll be treated with respect. We're both expecting mothers, after all."
"But I don't want to be a mother," said Goldenrod as shi started crying.
"Oh, dear, here we go again," said Daffodil quietly. Goldenrod has been experiencing heavy mood swings in the last few months. Of course, that was normal for a human woman, but the doctors were concerned that Goldenrod was most likely to have postpartum depression after giving birth. "Goldenrod, you're going to make a lovely mother," shi said soothingly.
"But what if it's not Hirshi's? I'd be a terrible parent," weeped Goldenrod.
"Hirshi will love your child no matter what," said Daffodil. Of course, they've had this discussion several times before, but Goldenrod was quick to relapse.
"Is shi in that mood again?" asked Louise.
"Afraid so," said Daffodil, "Shi still has a lot of insecurities."
"I'm sure it'll be better eventually. I'm just glad I didn't have to wait as long," said Louise. Hyenas having a much shorter pregnancy term than horses, Louise had given birth to a lovely pair of cubs earlier that year.
"But I'm not meant to be a mother," whined Goldenrod.
"By society's standards, neither was I," said Louise, "But just because I was born male doesn't mean I can't be a good mother. It doesn't matter if you're the one giving birth or not, you have your mate and your family to help you. Everything will be fine."
Goldenrod gave a long sigh but stopped crying. "Yeah, ok," shi said.
"You wanna get something to eat?" asked Daffodil.
"Yeah, I'd like some cauliflower and pickles with barbecue sauce," said Goldenrod.
"Pregnancy cravings," explained Daffodil to Louise.
"Of course," said Louise.
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Though not all of the hermaphrodites will be in the showcase all of the time. After it was determined that the herms have gotten better control of their hormones and would be less likely to have an 'accident' on the field, they were allowed to compete in the Animalian games. Though the ones who were pregnant were prevented from playing, the ones who weren't were training as much as they could.
A good example were Xenophon and Petra, who were competing in track and field and the bodybuilding competition. Xenophon had a bit of pride about this. Being descended from Greek ancestry, these Olympic events felt like something shi was born to do. Petra had wanted to join the wrestling tournament, though considering hir dual-sexed nature, it would have been hard to place in either division. Not to mention the obvious awkwardness of grappling with hir. But participating in the bodybuilding competition was enough to sate hir. Petra was doing track and field mostly to compete against Xenophon, whom shi had convinced to doing bodybuilding.
"C'mon, you can do a few more reps," encouraged Petra as shi was spotting Xenophon with barbell lifts.
"If you let something slip out again, I will smack you," said Xenophon, though not sounding quite so serious.
"You know you like it," said Petra in a teasing tone. While the horses were legally married into pairs, they did have pretty open relationships. It was part of the reason why no one would blame Goldenrod if hir foal wasn't Hirshi's. Daffodil was quite aware that hir mate and Petra sometimes did more than work out together. In fact, shi had been part of it a few times before hir pregnancy got too advanced.
Xenophon set down the barbell before sitting up. "In all honesty though, we can't keep doing that," shi said, "I'm going to be a father soon and I need to set a better example for my kid."
"Yeah, I know," said Petra with a sigh, "But it was fun while it lasted."
"Yeah, and I'm sure Cameron will want you to be there more for when shi has your cubs," said Xenophon.
"Well, yeah, but that won't be a long while," said Petra.
"Isn't shi already pregnant?" asked Xenophon.
"No, not yet," said Petra, "Shi's actually in the couples division with me."
"Really? I thought shi was going to be a mother," said Xenophon. Cameron may have been born a lion and Petra a woman, but Petra has always seemed to be the more dominant of the duo.
"Well, we had a long talk about that," said Petra, "Cameron's really supportive, but I think shi feels it's a bit much to be the cat on the bottom all the time. I do love hir, but I'd like hit to be assertive once in a while. Eventually, we agreed that after the IAC, we'll see who can knock up the other first. Whoever gets pregnant will have to be the housewife for the first year."
"But what if you both get pregnant?" asked Xenophon.
"Oh, wouldn't that be fun?" asked Petra with a broad grin.
Xenophon gave a snort. Felines could be so confusing sometimes. It made hir glad shi was a horse. "So no pregnant herm lions for the showcase?" shi asked.
"Actually, one of the other two has just gotten knocked up," said Petra before frowning, "Though I'll be darned if I remember which one."
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And of course, there was going to be new members of Project Hermaphroditus and not just because of the pregnancies. The IAC was also a big turnout for people who wanted to convert. People who wanted to be herms were rarer, but there was at least one person who was definitely converting.
"You two haven't been on your first official date, have you?" asked Madam Matyrhoshka.
"We're not sure what you mean by 'official'," said Allura, "We've been spending a lot of time of time with Beatrice, seeing things together and having small meals. What does an official date mean?"
"It doesn't really matter," said Beatrice to Allura before turning to Matyrhoshka, "What matters is that we definitely feel a connection with each other, like we were meant to be. Surely you've seen love at first sight by now."
"True, but is still best to let couples see if they are good match. Do not be forgetting that conversion is vun-vay ticket. There is no second picking," said Matyrhoshka.
"Well, I'm not intending to convert right now," said Beatrice, "I want it to be a more memorable setting. Like when we get to Mieni Atoll."
"That would be a good place," said Allura, "We've missed the ocean and we would like to show Beatrice more of our world."
"If you vish to be together, you have my blessing," said Matyrhoshka, "I just hope you've thought this out further."
"I think we're going to be alright," said Beatrice.
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That wasn't the only new addition for Project Hermaphroditus. Up until now, the options for hermaphrodites were limited to anaconda, hyena, horse, lion, angler fish, and kilifish. But now a new option was being added. Recently, a 'private zoo' in Wyoming has been busted by the feds. The owner has been keeping a pack of wolves on his large estate for a few years. Most of the wolves had been orphaned cubs that the owner has been collecting through various means, some of which seem to be shady.
However, the owner seemed to have difficulty in realizing that wolves are not dogs. While the wolves have been allowed to roam on his property, it wasn't quite enough territory for them. They hadn't been allowed to hunt, their diet consisting mostly of kibble with a supplement of meat. And needless to say, their way of playing was a lot rougher than actual dogs. It was fortunate that these wolves have been found before they could go after livestock, pets, or small children.
However, because of the way they were raised, it was impossible for them to be released to the wild. Not only did they not the proper way to hunt, but they were far too familiar with humans and didn't fear them. It was possible for them to be taken to a proper zoo, but Animalia has managed to acquire them, claiming wolves this used to human would adapt well in Animalia. Putting them in Project Hermaphroditus was met with a bit skepticism, but it was allowed. It would at least be interesting how the pack dynamics would function with hermaphrodites.