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Challenge #04390-L006: Life (Fast) Cycle

"How in the name of all the POWERS can you live in a place this cold?? You do know that it's well below freezing and temperatures outside could even make you HUMANS die in a few hours!"

Yeah, true, but it's quiet here. And it's only winter for 9 months of the year. The other three months are beautiful! -- Anon Guest

The world is silent, dark and deep. As the poem once said, I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. It's not a world most hospitable to life.

Well, not life as most people know it.

Nine months of the year, it seems like a frozen wasteland. Snows deep enough to bury a standard habitat at its maximum verticality. Hail, snow, sleet, gale force winds, all the unpleasant things.

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Challenge #04389-L005: 'Tis But a Scratch!

Human, why is there a long, red, gash across your hand??

"Oh, that's just a scratch don't worry, already treated it."

But it looks enflamed!

"Yah, we humans do that when we get small cuts like this, it's sterilized, and treated, but it'll look bad for an hour or so, then heal right up." -- Anon Guest

"Are you certain? An injury like that should be inspected by medical. Just to be sure it won't get worse." Companion Gine bobbed in concern,

Challenge #04388-L004: Comfy Cosy Calm

A cup of hot, havenworlder safe, chocolate, a crackling, if simulated, fire, and a warm, quiet, room with my best friends chatting and playing board games. This evening is just what I needed. Maybe I'll take a nap. -- Anon Guest

What many people didn't expect from such lunatic Deathworlders as Humans was - they knew how to relax. They engineered supreme comforts and even tailored them to accommodate their companions.

Such as this cozy environment. Just cold enough to warrant wrapping

Challenge #04387-L003: To Maarow

Sometimes a knomira isn't a knomira. Sometimes, they're just a person whose day has gone so catastrophically wrong, they're at a loss on how to cope anymore. -- Anon Guest

There's a way to tell the difference between arrogance and exasperation. Arrogance acts like the owner of it is the sole centre upon which the universe turns. Exasperation is tired of everything else's [EXCREMENT]. Exasperation is close to tears. Exasperation may also be explaining their problem with the wrong lexicon.

Which is

Challenge #04386-L002: Read the Signs

Don't go after a ship filled with neophytes. Their adult counterparts will only kill you. Human larvae will do far worse. -- Anon Guest

The ship was painted bright yellow, throwing the bold, black lettering on its hull into sharp contrast. Slow moving, loaded with life forms and cargo, it looked like the perfect target.

Appearances can be deceptive.

The space pirates found this out eventually. They were congratulating themselves on what looked like a sweet haul as they latched onto, then

Challenge #04385-L001: Beware of Humans

They attacked a human outpost thinking that these small, squishy, beings would be easy prey.

They learned the truth, and broadcasted their apologies, and a dire warning about humans. -- Anon Guest

This is an urgent message to anyone crossing into this solar system. Beware. Do not attack the cogniscents in this area. Do not raid the settlements in this area. Do not go within zero point eight Standard Astral Units[1] of any rocky planetoid in this system. They will detect

Challenge #04384-K366: Poison in Acid? Refreshing!

Human, that fluid is caustic enough to strip paint from metal! And you're drinking it?? How are you not dead yet??

"It tastes good, it's fizzy, and it helps me stay awake. Besides, its just a soda." -- Anon Guest

Companion Laus could barely contain hir anxiety. "But.. the gasses will cause intense digestive pain. Colic is a fatal--"

Human Tam belched, causing Companion Laus to boggle at him. "You can just do that?"

"Yeah, we can reject stuff that's bad for

Challenge #04383-K365: Isekai Adoration Situation

You can fall in love with a fantasy, or you can fall in love with reality. But when the virtual world becomes too real, and you fall in love there, how do you separate the two? -- Anon Guest

[AN: Wise words from MeMum - If you can't tell the difference between reality and fantasy, you should give up fantasy]

"Truck-kun, take me away," Addie whined, facing the horror of homework. So much math. So much study. She really wanted to get

Challenge #04382-K364: Defying Inevitability

There are only three constants in the universe:

Death, Taxes, Evolution into crustacean

Human seem to be the only outlier, but not for the reason many think of. -- Anon Guest

Human fiction has played with the notion since before the Shattering. Someone capable of taking aspects from various beasts attempts to create the most dangerous being possible. The beast that emerges is, of course, a Human. Someone capable of messing with evolution concocts the ultimate form of life and gets... a

Challenge #04381-K363: Throwing the Book at Them

Knowledge is very powerful, especially when it's dropped on an enemy from two stories up. -- Anon Guest

The library of Teregoss was a labyrinth of shelves. Some holding scrolls, most holding books, and the filing system was so complicated that it took years of study to learn it.

And somehow, despite many traps to prevent it, Nemmios the Vile had managed to take a tome of otherwise forgotten lore. Something that was bound to cause a tidal wave of pain and

Challenge #04380-K362: Not a Nice Kitty

They think the creature is just another earth cat. They should have listened to the warnings about the black creatures with the white stripes down their backs. The invaders need a lot of care and decontamination! -- Anon Guest

"Uh, Byox? Don't pet that one!"

"It's a harmless cat. Look, it has it's tail up, and what a floof!"

"No don't--" too late. Human Dez winced in pure sympathy as Byox got the full treatment from a neighbourhood skunk. "Ooohhhh... Ouch."

Byox

Challenge #04379-K361: It's Just Like Home

A troop of Marines land on a planet they considered "a bit warm". Their enemies never stopped to realize what "a bit warm" meant to humans. -- Anon Guest

[AN: I'm from a country where it regularly gets above fifty celcius during summer. High forties are "a bit warm"... but that kind of depends how thick the air soup gets]

Space Marines have what you might call a... Reputation. Always with the ellipsus and the capital. If you want a polity or

Challenge #04378-K360: Arrogance and Entitlement

An intergalactic empire finds out what happens when you double-cross humans and try to enslave them. It's not pretty. But, for the record, they were warned. -- Anon Guest

There is no longer a Drasfrangian Empire. What happened to it is a lesson to all who think they have the power and the right to ignore the Cogniscent Rights Committee. Their chief mistake was holding all non-Dasfrangians in slavery. Their territory was large and always growing. Their armies large and fueled by

Challenge #04377-K359: A Second Chance Blooms

Los dientes de león son mis flores favoritas.

¿Por qué?

Porque fueron la primera planta que aprendí a cultivar y comer, y porque salvaron a nuestra gente. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Translated - Dandelions are my favorite flowers./Why?/Because they were the first plant I learned to grow and eat, and because they saved our people.]

The tumbledowns are called that because it's easy for everything to -well- tumble down. The only things that grow there are babies and misery. Everybody's

Challenge #04376-K358: Accurate Descriptions

What's one of the best exercise to keep me cheerful? I love to dance! -- Anon Guest

"That's what you call dancing?" boggled Sparky Tae. "That's... uhm... novel."

Scrubber Naev came to a safe and stable halt, shutting off the music with a tap to their datareader vambrace. "Okay. So what would you call it?"

"Advanced parkour acrobatics whilst impersonating a Muppet on fire," said Tae.

Naev almost fell off the horizontal bar, she was laughing so hard. As it was, she

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Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #04390-L006: Life (Fast) Cycle

Challenge #04389-L005: 'Tis But a Scratch!

Challenge #04388-L004: Comfy Cosy Calm

Challenge #04387-L003: To Maarow

Challenge #04386-L002: Read the Signs

Challenge #04385-L001: Beware of Humans

Challenge #04384-K366: Poison in Acid? Refreshing!

Challenge #04383-K365: Isekai Adoration Situation

Challenge #04382-K364: Defying Inevitability

Challenge #04381-K363: Throwing the Book at Them

Challenge #04380-K362: Not a Nice Kitty

Challenge #04379-K361: It's Just Like Home

Challenge #04378-K360: Arrogance and Entitlement

Challenge #04377-K359: A Second Chance Blooms

Challenge #04376-K358: Accurate Descriptions