Challenge #02620-G063: To Become Human
The memorial ceremony was solemn. As their crewmate was laid to rest, the family given the posthumus honors the crewperson had earned for their heroism, their crewmates and captain were stunned by what had happened. The human marines that had been invited to attend stood at attention and saluted the grave of this small, fluffy, Havenworlder one last time with all the respect a human could give for someone who’d shown such courage.
The crew had razzed their crewmate calling them human because they so very much liked to imitate that insane species. Too much exposure to their insanity, some crew would say. But that horrific night, that terrible storm, their crewmate had done a very Human thing. Something no Havenworlder had done before, at least that they knew of. This crewmate told the Last Lie…. and paid for the lives of their crew, by fearlessly sacrificing their own. – Anon Guest
Human insanity is infectious. Somewhere, somehow, a nonhuman cogniscent starts to think that their Deathworlder illogic makes sense. After that, all might as well be lost. It was certainly lost for Gryx, honorary space marine. Ze had come to study Humans in something approaching a native environment, and the pack-bonders had done what they do best. Without even thinking about it. Without pause for due consideration. They bonded. Intensely.
So, when the storm came, and they crashed in a cliffside and the only shelter was the cavern beyond their scout ship… but not for very long… When there was a way to fix it so the storm would not come in, but the only opening was just wide enough for Gryx… ze acted without a thought. Ze said, “You go ahead, I will catch up.” Ze patched the crack that would have let in toxic atmospheric particles.
They found hir later, halfway through the narrow gap that had allowed the little fluffy Havenworlder egress to save them all. Well. Almost all. They had made the repairs and saved the crew… finally perishing mere inches away from safety. Ze had given all they had for hir pack.
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Challenge #02619-G062: Sizzlin'
The support snag, AKA sausage inna slice of bread. You find them everywhere here in Auz, raising money for good causes, local footy teams. Volunteers cooking sausages and buttering bread, and selling bulk buy soft drinks at retail prices. The backbone of the country. – Knitnan
It was a N'Ozzie thing. Of course it was a N'Ozzie thing. It made minimal sense, therefore it had to come from N'Oz. The entire planet, except for one reasonably large and relatively idyllic[1] island, had large portions of it on fire.
Therefore, N'Ozzies and allies everywhere were fundraising with burned offerings. Planet on fire? Semi-char some onions and cheap, minced meat encased in some form of edible skin, and then sell it to passing citizenry for five Minutes a pop. More if one also purchased a recommended serving container of flavoured, carbonated water. The fried foodstuffs of not-much-choice[2] were then served in an equally cheap slice of probably-bread. The cheapest of breads being naturally not very far removed from dough.
Shayde had ‘shouted’ him one with all the trimmings. Extra fried onion, and every single condiment she could fit. As well as the sweetest, most chemically-laden version of flavoured carbon-water she could obtain. “It’s fer charity,” she said, handing the burned offering over. “Eat generously, yeh?”
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Challenge #02618-G061: Adjusting the Recovery Plan
Their legs were broken, their lower back was damaged, and they were bruised all to hell. Still, havenworlders were safe, so while uncomfortable, they were not too upset about the situation. A scaffold some workers has been on had given way and they’d shoved the havenworlders out of the way quickly just as it collapsed pinning them beneath. Security had to come rescue them as the havenworlders were too small to get them out. Still, being stuck in the chair, in casts and braces, knowing they were going to be like this for a while, and then in physical therapy for ages, got old fast. Sitting in the park alone, it was also getting rather depressing. They were used to going to the gym and being active. As it was, they’d just be happy with having someone to talk to right now. – DaniAndShali
The accident could have been worse. It could have killed someone. Unfortunately, “no fatalities” is not the same as “no casualties”. Only one casualty leads to erroneous conclusions, too. It never said how bad the casualties were. Human Tyr was the one casualty of the accident and they had managed to obtain all the injuries that the others missed out on. The good news was that the Havenworlders they saved were only mildly traumatised.
Human Tyr, on the other hand, was in a rather bad place. Broken bones, immobilised limbs whilst the shattered skeleton set in the proper configuration. Wrenched, torn, or nearly shredded muscles, ruined ligaments, and all sorts of debilitating injuries had them trapped in forced stillness. Human Tyr was not made for stillness. They had a reputation for constant motion. Even the one hand they maintained control over was tapping fingers on the blank space near the control panel for their mobility frame.
Green time - time near growing plants - was meant to soothe agitation in patients, but this patient had no patience. They were, to use the Human Parlance, going slowly nuts. There were only so many physiotherapeutic games a being could play, the body did need its rest to recuperate, after all. Alas, rest was not in Tyr’s lexicon. They wanted action. Or at minimum, something to do.
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Challenge #02617-G060: Bonding Through Irritation
The humans teach some havenworlders how to play an infamous board game known as monopoly. – Anon Guest
Competition is innate in Humans. Without some form of competition in their lives or society, Humans tend to… wither. A society without competition goes retrograde. A Human without competition becomes bored. There are few forces in the universe more destructive than a bored Human.
Fortunately for Havenworlders, Humans tend to bring along entertainment. This may be some kind of survival instinct at work or even a protective one. Human protective instincts are renowned for being very strong indeed. Full analysis must await cogniscents who are immune to infection by Human Insanity.
Nevertheless, always be wary of the ones who bring along tabletop games. There are three kinds of those. The ones that take two to five years to play, the ones that are ludicrously complicated and difficult to understand, and the ones that seem engineered to create animosity. Of the last category, the game known as Monopoly is the worst.
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Challenge #02616-G059: Vital Education
A: Why is your baby so happy and well behaved? I’ve tried everything with mine!
Baby A: shriiieeeeek!!!
B: I just listen to them.
Baby B: happy cooing – Anon Guest
Parenting classes did not exist, once. People were expected to pick up parenting from their own parents. This was not always the best model. Child psychology and psychology in general began with one simple step: listening. The instant people began to learn that their infants attempt communication from birth, is the instant things change for the better.
Of course, like most things, it was not a universal nor an overnight change. There were many who thought it was some neohippy nonsense. Many of them were hostile. Some… were desperate enough to consider the results. There were scenes similar all over the world, but this one occurred in a waiting room with overworked understaff in attendance.
In such a room, one baby cries because they are bored. Then ten more babies cry because one baby is crying. Keeping them quiet is exasperating for everyone. The babies are stressed. The mothers are anxious because their babies were crying and they might look like bad mothers because of it. The few staff present were stressed because there wasn’t enough of them to go around and the room was full of crying babies.
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