Instant Story

Challenge #02306-F116: Expressions of Exasperation

any day is a good day when you're not on fire

alien looks over nervously -- Anon Guest

Humans have such interesting ways to express disappointment with their life at the moment. They can range from the simple and insincere, "Kill me," to the complicated and difficult to explain to newcomers, "Today... the spiders flakked me." One can never tell which of the multitude of expressions any given Human would use.

Qosyk, the roommate of Human Jae, kept hearing different ones for every bad day that Human Jae had. They were not frequent downturns, but they were always varied. The first, Qosyk would always remember. Human Jae came back to their shared quarters just as Qosyk had settled into hir sleepy sack. This was not the typical exchange.

Qosyk said, "How has your day been," in a display of casual non-information gathering. Ze expected the usual, "Same old same old," but didn't get it.

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Challenge #02305-F115: What's in a Name?

There is an old myth among the Edge folk that the only thing that could stop an overly enthusiastic human from causing unwanted destruction is to command them using their full names. But in order to do so you must first find their secret name. Their "Middle" name!

And it must be true or why else would they have it hidden? -- AmberFox

Tyroq had seen it happen. The young Humans were causing trouble in a public zone. Climbing structures that should

Challenge #02304-F114: Halfway There

Humans always enjoy finding anyone they can have a "same hat!" moment with. This time, it was over "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. -- Anon Guest

The Humans were bonding memetically. Grurx had heard of this, but never seen it happen, so she picked a safe space to observe.

Human Sem and Human Rys were singing, and showing no signs of stopping. The lyrics had the same beginning, but the finishing couplet was always different. The singing seemed to be

Challenge #02303-F113: From Twilight to Darkness

Someone from an Eyeball Planet experiencing a rotational planet. Or Vice versa...

Eyeball Planet; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NOW3AormJc -- AmberFox

It had taken a long time for the Stremath to reach the stars. They thought that the winds blew all through the Universe, before repeated proof showed that the winds would only ever blow them so high. On the plus side, they had what one might call a 'boost' into reaching the upper atmosphere before rocketry had to be

Challenge #02302-F112: Dire for Dairy

"Just go out and do it, it's not that difficult."

"I mean, everything is difficult when you have anxiety, so yeah." -- Anon Guest

Everyone thinks anxiety is just being nervous. Just go down to the shops and buy a thing of milk, is not that easy. For an anxious person... it's more like this:

First, one must prepare for the journey. Supplies checked twice and preparations for the journey ahead inventoried thrice. Once that is done, the brave must face the

Challenge #02301-F111: Self-Entertainment Hazard

"Oh god. Please, I beg you, stop this terror-inducing nightmare!!!"

"...dude, I'm just clicking my pen."

"W H Y ?"

"I dunno, I'm bored"

(highly sound sensitive alien meets human with non-stopping clicking habit ^^) -- Anon Guest

Fact: Humans need enrichment in their environments for the best mental health. Fact: Humans can accept a vast variety of potential entertainments, even whilst performing other duties. Fact: If a Human's environment is not sufficiently enriched, the Human is capable of making their own enrichment.

Fact:

Challenge #02300-F110: Cut-price Demon

You are happily going about your day when you vanish in a puff of smoke. Suddenly you’re standing in a ring of candles. A sorcerer holding a tome looks pleased at your arrival. Turns out Earth is hell, and we’re the demons, and you’ve just been summoned. -- Chara Dreemurr

Most low-wage jobs involve a stupid cardboard hat and the phrase, "can I take your order". None of them involve the chance to sit down because people like to

Challenge #02299-F109: I Smell Your Stink

Hey mom, hey dad.

Glad to hear everything's going well back at home. Hope lil sis is still practising for her band tour. Everything here's good, except for one thing. My roommate is kind if the equivalent of a sentient space skunk. I mean, I don't blame them, but you know how strong my nose is! I bet it's not even that bad! So yeah, everything else is fine.

Love you guys,

Katie -- Anon Guest

Humans tend to boldly go where

Challenge #02298-F108: Bowls of Fresh Air

And that was the day that they found a "havenworld" that was actually deadly to anyone not born there. -- Anon Guest

The Havenworld/Deathworld scale judges only how hazardous an origin planet is for its inhabitants. How many factors are in their favour or, in the case of Deathworlds, actively trying to kill them. For the Phyltrathi of Planet Fluff, their planetary abode was paradise. All they had to do was take a deep breath and the spores and threads in

Challenge #02297-F107: Wait for the Sanitation Cycle

I imagine the first few times Humans encountered other species there where a few, biological problems. I mean, at least one person must have touched something without testing it first. -- Anon Guest

There is a general rule for space: never enter an untrusted area without your livesuit. The corollary, of course, is: don't trust anywhere. Even the cleansing booths have to be checked thoroughly for compatibility before you should try bathing in them.

Some species can't go near the solid form

Challenge #02296-F106: Some Improvements

You are a therapist who insists that all are welcome. This is why you now know the identities of both heroes and villains. -- Anon Guest

Y'know, for a therapist, I'm... kind of unobservant. I mean, sure, I know I can't help everyone, but I listen well and I try my best, so it kind of works out. That, and I take doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously. I'm one of the few people who knows who Captain Magnificent is when he's not in

Challenge #02295-F105: A Morbid Fascination

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Huo3CtZaYMY is a Good example.

Humans are (at least in comparison to other species) obsessed with End-of-the-World-Scenarios.

Aliens find this strange/bizarre and question a human. -- Anon Guest

Human Raz was taking personal time to de-stress themselves. In this case, the relaxing activity involved yelling at a screen whilst their hands spasmed along the surface of a small, plastic interface. The Human's dialogue was not coherent or relaxed. It mostly consisted of things like, "Come

Challenge #02294-F104: Some Came Along

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxLa6QgqM2w -- Anon Guest

Terrans believe in ghosts. Well. Most of them do. There's some phenomena amongst those sensitive to infrasound, magnetic radiation from electronica, and liminal spaces. There's also the growing Esper population who are unaware of their native abilities and prescribe activities or voices to spirits.

However, there are more than a few... incidents... that defy the explanations of science. Echoes in dark corridors from feet that aren't there. Whispers just out of understanding.

Challenge #02293-F103: Not Easily Broken

“Everyone has a point where they snap. Question is, human, where’s yours?” -- Anon Guest

"Depends on what you mean by 'snap'," said Human Liss. They were already three-quarters broken. A thousand small injuries adding up to more than a few big ones. They had been caught without their livesuit during this particular raid and over half of those minor injuries were accidentally self-inflicted. The rest were acquired in a way that had "the other guy" in a whimpering ball of

Challenge #02292-F102: Dem Deathworlder Bones

'What do you mean, "Earth was more dangerous before humans arrived"?'

'One word of you bro; "Dinosaurs".' -- AmberFox

Here's the thing about Deathworlds - numerous extinction events make the surviving branches of the evolutionary scrublands stronger and more terrifying than the ones that got wiped out. Sometimes, that isn't always that obvious.

So when Havenworlders see the reconstructed skeletons of saurian life from the increasingly aptly-named Terra, it's understandable that they freak out more than a little. There's nothing

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Challenge #02306-F116: Expressions of Exasperation

Challenge #02305-F115: What's in a Name?

Challenge #02304-F114: Halfway There

Challenge #02303-F113: From Twilight to Darkness

Challenge #02302-F112: Dire for Dairy

Challenge #02301-F111: Self-Entertainment Hazard

Challenge #02300-F110: Cut-price Demon

Challenge #02299-F109: I Smell Your Stink

Challenge #02298-F108: Bowls of Fresh Air

Challenge #02297-F107: Wait for the Sanitation Cycle

Challenge #02296-F106: Some Improvements

Challenge #02295-F105: A Morbid Fascination

Challenge #02294-F104: Some Came Along

Challenge #02293-F103: Not Easily Broken

Challenge #02292-F102: Dem Deathworlder Bones