Amalgam Universe

Challenge #02248-F058: All Hail the Weird Ones

An entire planet seems to be "astronomical at best." -- Anon Guest

Aargus 6F is one of the weirder planets to evolve cogniscent life. Their parental gas giant, Aargus 6, is far out of the 'Goldilocks Zone', yet tidal forces caused by the orbit in combination with a rotating iron core have caused the planet to be warm enough to host life.

The skies are almost always dark on Aargus 5F, when they are not dominated by their parental gas giant, which takes up a good quarter of the visible sky in the correct conditions. The distant sun is not important in their general cosmology, since to them, it is no more than a very bright star. Indeed, the hypothesis that it was the source of illumination for Aargus 6 was hotly debated for eons amongst the populace.

There is, however, something to be said for the ability to look up at any time and see the workings of the cosmos. Generations made myths to explain the bodies in the sky, why neighbouring moons of Aargus 6 only appeared at certain intervals. Why the obscuring mass of Aargus 6 showed itself in different aspects, and so on. The Aargosians developed the magnifying lens and used it to notice things. Things beneath them as well as above.

Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi

Prompts remaining: 48 Submit a Prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!

Challenge #02247-F057: Slow Progress

Being an anxious over-thinker is hard. You usually scare yourself. -- Anon Guest

Why, oh why, did clinging to the very bottom rung of the social ladder feel like hanging desperately from a trapeze... roughly a hundred Sidu's up[1] and with no safety net? CL-3 tried not to hyperventilate and faint -again- as things continued to deviate from her expected norm. Not that she had been much better within her expected norm, but at least there was a routine. Everything changed

Challenge #02245-F055: Meeting Space

What if, to some aliens, the human race were their version of actual Orcs. As in; Mythical evil monsters that are virtually indestructible, can travel any terrain, near impossible to kill and, when in a large group, destroy/devour everything in their wake? -- Amberfox

[AN: I don't hold that any particular species is evil per se. They merely have oppositional goals to everyone else]

Humans are basically unkillable. They can withstand temperatures both hotter and colder than proper species. They can

Challenge #02242-F052: A Critical Lack

"Talk."

"I won't talk even if you torture me."

"Then talk or we'll execute the hostages."

"If I don't talk you'll execute unarmed civilians, including women and children ?"

"Yes !"

"That's the first time you're dealing with Humans, right?" -- Anon Guest

"What does that even mean?" Kyarth frowned at the Human Leader. They were captive. They were all captive. Held helpless and under watch by the strongest of the Ryhijov. They were without any kind of escape, any kind of hope. The

Challenge #02241-F051: Courage Pour L'enfents

There is no living creature more dangerous than a mother wanting to protect children. Even if the mother is an Havenworlder. -- Anon Guest

The UFTP vessel Vengeance tried their best to make it to the Havenworld Yannomar in time. They had pushed everything to the limit, including the Human crew. They had hoped to make it in time to save lives, and found scenes of devastation instead. Too late. The Konthar had already struck, and apparently left the southern continents in

Challenge #02240-F050: A Crucial Flaw

"New Eden Space Station Security Service, I'm listening."

"HELP ! WE NEED HELP !"

"Please keep calm. What is happening, Sir ?"

"We tried to rob Habitat 39 and there is a angry human inside ! We locked ourselves inside a locker, and the human is waiting for us outside !" -- Anon Guest

They tell stories about this kind of thing. People who attempt to be criminal masterminds and end up being criminals missing minds. As in, the right mind not to burgle a Deathworlder habitat

Challenge #02238-F048: The Scale Economy

Being tall means either not being able to see things under a certain height, or constantly looking down and getting a hunch. -- Anon Guest

Here's the thing about Standard Galactic Spaces - they're big. They're made for accessibility for all known cogniscents, from the size of a Terran Terrier through Jelly Dancer swarm to that of a Synapsian Titan. It's easy to forget that there are smaller species who don't see a reason why they have to accommodate others in their

Challenge #02236-F046: We Always Came Back

Do couples on ships ever sing duets together during their leisure times? That would be adorable. -- Anon Guest

Humans are pack-bonding creatures and thrive in environments where they have ready access to their pack. It is therefore advisable, when hiring Humans, to be sure that you hire Humans who have already established a stable pack bond. -- Douddam's Guide to Surviving the Edge.

The Francetti's were at it again. Human pack-bonding rituals were one thing, but this? This was bizarre, even

Challenge #02234-F044: Incidental Hazards

Young children like to lounge on people, caregivers and companions alike. Do other species deal with this? -- Anon Guest

There is an instinct almost universal to the young of any given species. Stay close to your caregiver. Once able to move about free of the nest/clutch/creche/pouch, the caregiver is still a bastion of protection, font of education, and primary source of emotional resilience. In species with communal childrearing, any older member of the species will do.

Which was

Challenge #02233-F043: Greatest Responsibility

What would an intergalactic nursery look like? -- Anon Guest

Multi-species infant care is a fascinating workplace to begin with. For each species, there are separate demands beyond the standards of clean, warm, and comfortable. There are some general rules, like mammals do best when fed on their parental secretions. Reptilian life forms, for instance, get essential gut bacteria from their parentals' regurgitations. Some, like Humans, thrive with the assistance of gentle physical contact. Others are too frail to be disturbed until

Challenge #02230-F040: Radical Prototype

"I fail to see how crew members taking the offensensitivity warning I attached to myself as a joke or challenge is in any way my fault." -- Anon Guest

Human Kari tapped at the small pin. It was shaped like a fan, and mostly silver. The borders were thick and black and there was an ornamental scroll that had the words, Accidentally Offensive embossed into it. Presumably, those within range to read it would also be subject to Human Kari's... more colourful

Challenge #02229-F039: Special Talents

"Am I weird?"

"Yes, that's why we get along." -- Anon Guest

They say things like, There's always one, or, Strange is as strange does; but what they generally mean by that is, Look at the statistical outlier. It's not always done with malice, but it certainly feels that way when one is on the receiving end. For those who experience this sort of thing first hand, it's interesting how the statistical outliers are reviled and expelled from groups as "too strange"

Challenge #02228-F038: Tactile Rewards

Human giving an alien scritches.

"I'm not a pet, you know."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"…No" -- TheDragonsFlame

The one thing one must remember about Humans, Thrikki wrote in her journal, apart from the most obvious like the whole Deathworlder thing, is that they are incredibly tactile. They reach out to feel things just to experience what it feels like. They reassure themselves on the presence of their fellows. They show affection through touch.

Human Cass was doing just that,

Challenge #02227-F037: Think of the Children

An alien equivalent of a lawyer is studying up on various human court cases and stumbles upon a series of cases from family courts dated up to the mid 2030s citing "deviant sexual attitudes" or "deviant sexuality" as reasons for being an unsuitable parent. Upon consultation with its human liaison as to the nature of these cases, the alien discovers the murky and dark legal situations around kinks. -- Anon Guest

For those seeking further proof of Human Insanity, look no further

Challenge #02226-F036: Simple Metallurgical Skills

They were doomed. The copper tin alloy for the critical drive component they desperately needed was on a planet weeks away, and even if they had it, they couldn't make the part on the ship.

That's when the human walked into the bridge mopping sweat off hir brow.

"All fixed let's go."

"What do you mean all fixed?"

"Simply, I made a cast of the part with the pieces, then melted down the original and re cast it. It should last to

Menu

A 2288-post collection

Challenge #02248-F058: All Hail the Weird Ones

Challenge #02247-F057: Slow Progress

Challenge #02245-F055: Meeting Space

Challenge #02242-F052: A Critical Lack

Challenge #02241-F051: Courage Pour L'enfents

Challenge #02240-F050: A Crucial Flaw

Challenge #02238-F048: The Scale Economy

Challenge #02236-F046: We Always Came Back

Challenge #02234-F044: Incidental Hazards

Challenge #02233-F043: Greatest Responsibility

Challenge #02230-F040: Radical Prototype

Challenge #02229-F039: Special Talents

Challenge #02227-F037: Think of the Children

Challenge #02226-F036: Simple Metallurgical Skills