Amity Incident

A 59-post collection

Challenge #00784 - B053: Water Worship

The first thing the humans of Amity made when they reached the beach was the pipeline. The second thing they made was surfboards.

From the Journals of T'reka the Inquisitive:

Play is seemingly an important to these dangerous creatures as work is. I have personally witnessed their emergence onto the beachfront with a mixture of trepidation and fascination.

Their work was to build the pipeline previously mentioned. Their play… immediately followed. Some brought colourful discs with them for what I posit to be some form of weapon play [CENSOR ALERT: REFERENCE TO ALARMING FOOTAGE. File reference: Frisbee] Some made alarmingly temporary and illogical sand structures.

And some, puzzlingly, hurried away on their ungulates, only to return with baffling equipment.

It resembled an ovoid board, curved like a leaf and possessing at least one fin. It, too, was in bright colours. Its human bearers were also bedecked in toxic colours. A sensible warning for all life to not eat them, lest their bodies poison the entire ecology.

Each of these boards were strapped to the humans by the means of a long tether.

The humans then proceeded with their equipment into the water. They used these strange planks as impromptu boats, paddling out above highly risky depths. Even to the point of piloting through the waves.

At risk to my life, I documented what happened next. [CENSOR ALERT: REFERENCE TO SUICIDALLY DANGEROUS PRACTICES] One human in the group matched speeds with a wave and then stood upright on their board!

She made it dance on the waves before tumbling to what should have been her doom… and yet emerged alive and -I hesitate to say- laughing.

This scientist cannot fathom the meaning of this ritual. Is it a sacrifice to their ocean gods? A display of vitality and fitness? A mating display? Or is it used as a means to defuse their perpetual destructive rage?

Of course, I am keeping my distance and doing my utmost to remain undiscovered as I examine this bizarre and terrifying ritual.

[Muse food remaining: 19. Submit a prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!]

T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants...

T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants to learn all about the various venomous, poisonous, and outright deadly life forms on a land mass named Toxic Island, you can almost see why. Little did she know that when she committed her life to the study of this strange and hostile land, there was already a colony of monsters setting up housekeeping. Now she’s face-to-face

Read more »

T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants...

T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants to learn all about the various venomous, poisonous, and outright deadly life forms on a land mass named Toxic Island, you can almost see why. Little did she know that when she committed her life to the study of this strange and hostile land, there was already a colony of monsters setting up housekeeping. Now she’s face-to-face

Read more »

Numedid Meets the Birds of Earth, Part 3

Numedid meet the Penguins, finding them to be practicing Marxists with the capacity to utterly conquer the known galaxy, but have held off because they “want to see how the whole human thing turns out first”.

(#00762 - B031)

[AN: Not gonna lie, my first thought was with the Penguins of the Madagascar movies… resisting said temptation with my entire might.]

Humans called them Emperor penguins. They had a much more complicated name for themselves that T'reka the Wanderer could never

Read more »

Challenge #00761 - B030: What a Waste

A numidid who is the living embodiment of handsome - his feathers are perfectly aligned and gleaming, talons sharp and shiny, vibrant crest, and zygomatic arches to make everyone swoon.
He’s also a scientist. (from Amity or not)
Commence shenanigans!

Lu’iz had no idea he was handsome. He carried on in all his beliefs and allowed everyone else to be mistaken in theirs. Such was the life of a scientist.

And yet, every day, he would hear some female on

Read more »

T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants...

T'reka just wanted to learn. Unfortunately for her, her entire species views scientific thinking as a form of insanity. And when she wants to learn all about the various venomous, poisonous, and outright deadly life forms on a land mass named Toxic Island, you can almost see why. Little did she know that when she committed her life to the study of this strange and hostile land, there was already a colony of monsters setting up housekeeping. Now she’s face-to-face

Read more »

Challenge #00745 - B014: Baldie

B’rka, the adventures of a goose Numidid with no feathers  (For the prompt inspiration, see Borka)

The chick had been left in her nest. It was weak and cold and hungry. Serka knew that she didn’t have the time to call emergency services. And, since it was night, there was a high likelihood that they wouldn’t turn up until morning. By which time it would be far too late for the newly-hatched keet.

She could see why

Read more »

Comparative...Let's Say 'Humor'

Shortly after encountering the Numidid, someone makes the inevitable “Numididn’t” joke. 

(#00744 - B013)

“I am Numidid,” said Ambassador Su'sin, offering her hand.

The newly-minted Ambassador for the Consortium of Steam immediately struck a pose and said, “Oh nu-mi-di-en’t…”

One of the other members of the Consortium of Steam smacked hirself in the face at that. “We’re being ambassadors, today…”

“I don’t understand,” pleaded Su'sin.

Read more »

Challenge #00730 - A365: Strange Nest-Fellows

Imagine a life-preserving pod being picked up by a human vessel. Imagine it contains a Numidid keet (and possibly a dead parent or message from them). Imagine that keet raised by humans with no contact or knowledge of the Numidid people besides the pod remains. Imagine that keet as a young adult meeting other Numidid for the first time with no idea of Numidid society.

[AN: I know this is hellishly late, but I was hoping our internets would have returned by

Read more »

T'reka stood, arms akimbo and wing-feathers out, as the supervising technician made certain all of her straps were on correctly and...

T'reka stood, arms akimbo and wing-feathers out, as the supervising technician made certain all of her straps were on correctly and snugly.

“Remember, DO NOT FLAP,” the technician reminded her above the engine noise of the Flight Machine. “This pack has its own glider-wings, and any flapping on your part will disrupt the steering mechanisms and put you in the ocean!”

“Understood!” T'reka chirped.

“We’re going to drop you in five.”

Four.

Read more »

Did you know? You can read all about one innocent explorer’s close encounter with these dangerous creatures in The Amity...

Did you know? You can read all about one innocent explorer’s close encounter with these dangerous creatures in The Amity Incident!

Buy this book! Your survival depends on it!

READ! The thrilling tale of T'reka the Inquisitive!

THRILL! At the baffling and bizarre habits of humans!

FUND! This impoverished author so ze can afford to write more thrilling adventures!

Read more »

Available for pre-order on Smashwords! T'reka sighed as she put her books in order and reluctantly disposed of her former, almost-done...

Available for pre-order on Smashwords!

T'reka sighed as she put her books in order and reluctantly disposed of her former, almost-done presentations.

There would be no room for half-finished and never-to-be-finished projects on her expedition. But it still felt like she was tearing her own gizzard out.

She’d worked hard on each and every one of them… and she would never be allowed to complete them. As far as the Flock was concerned, all her contributions amounted to replicated data

Read more »

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! “Ah,” he said. And, “Hm.” Shuffle shuffle shuffle. “Camouflaged base camp....

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

“Ah,” he said. And, “Hm.” Shuffle shuffle shuffle. “Camouflaged base camp. Camouflaged hide. Camouflaged clothing?”

“All the better to avoid any predators, should they be present,” she sang.

“Mrrmmph…” shuffle shuffle. “Hu'lu'a is sending most of this nonsense anyway. For science,” pronounced, something hated I must tolerate for the greater good. “We will deploy the basics and send clean food by drone. You will record

Read more »