Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #01800-D339: Your Average Away Mission

In which the active camouflage used by one species may not work on another. -- TheDragonsFlame

"The heck is this?" said the ship's human, LtCmdr Abel Jain. It rustled as ze waved it around.

"Essential equipment," said M'koi. "This is hostile territory and a pre-travel civilisation. We can't allow ourselves to be detected." He demonstrated his next words. "Wrap it around you and hunker down and you're indistinguishable from a rock."

"Apart from being bright green and noticeably fake, shyeah," said Jain. "Do you know if they have eyes?"

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Challenge #01799-D338: Jury's Still Out

Fun fact: Cats meow only to communicate with humans (exception: kittens) -- TheDragonsFlame

Most of the Galactic citizenry are not certain about the cogniscence levels of cats. They're on the lowest boundary of mass for hosting a cogniscent mind. They show capacity for creative problem solving. They can learn procedures, so long as they are sufficiently motivated. They show signs of social strata, co-operation, and means of communication. They even attempt communication with non-felines.

They don't meow past kittenhood, unless they are

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Challenge #01798-D337: A One Horse Christmas

In one town, a natural disaster isn’t something that comes around every once in a while—it’s constantly there, like forest fires always glowing just over the hills, a tornado cycling down the same streets every day, or an earthquake constantly jolting the town. And instead of moving away, the town and its people have simply adapted to it. -- Illuminate-Prompts

Welcome to One Horse. It's simply liminal! People who actually see it as they pass by read it as

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Challenge #01797-D336: Permanent Record

Make up a new character (or use one you’ve already created) and describe them only with documents like their shopping list, the main points of their divorce papers, their apartment lease, their recent Amazon purchases, and so on. Say as much as you can about the character without actually directly describing them. -- Illuminate-Prompts

[AN: My main site is down so I can't access my usual prompt feed. Thanks for your patience with me]

Dear Diary,

This is it. This is

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Challenge #01796-D335: Freedom of Choice

Humans' ability to fight on a microscopic level is widely known throughout the Galactic Alliance. They call it their “Immune System.” But it comes as a shock to their allies that the humans readily seek out microscopic organisms to strengthen their Immune Systems. Probiotics. Apparently de-activated viruses known to be deadly. -- Anon Guest

Humans are toxic. Their skin contains microbiota that many Havenworlders find to be deadly. Some of their allegedly harmless skin diseases have become the accidental ruin of worlds.

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Challenge #01796-D335: Freedom of Choice

Humans' ability to fight on a microscopic level is widely known throughout the Galactic Alliance. They call it their “Immune System.” But it comes as a shock to their allies that the humans readily seek out microscopic organisms to strengthen their Immune Systems. Probiotics. Apparently de-activated viruses known to be deadly. -- Anon Guest

Humans are toxic. Their skin contains microbiota that many Havenworlders find to be deadly. Some of their allegedly harmless skin diseases have become the accidental ruin of worlds.

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Challenge #01795-D334: From the Wikipedia Galactica

Humans have been in space for awhile. No-one’s keeping track of the “breeding program” but a new problem has been discovered: human offspring mid-way to maturity. The most dangerous humans of them all. -- Anon Guest

It seemed impossible. There was a stage in human development when the entire species had the maximum amount of physical condition and the minimum amount of foresight and discrimination. And worse, they were often thrust into adult classification whilst also at that stage.

Many species

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Challenge #01794-D333: An Argument Against Paradise

"So... so... from your grand cosmic point of view, my entire life, from the moment I was born till the day I die, is... is just a bit of idle entertainment? My very existence, in the eyes of the gods... is just a... a bad joke?!"

"Well... actually - though I must note that's a terribly selfish and negative way to phrase things; it makes us all look quite callous and nasty, a rather rude thing on your part, you know -

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Challenge #01793-D332: Hello, Goodbye...

“When in doubt, push buttons. Eventually something will happen.”

Noo! Don’t!” -- TheDragonsFlame

"Rabbit," said The Spine severely, gripping his sister's wrist and preventing her from interacting with the console. "Pressing random buttons is how we got into this mess in the first place."

"Well s-ss-something's g-gotta get us back to K-k-k-Kazooland."

"Uhm," said Hatchworth. "We have... com-pa-ny."

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Challenge #01792-D331: No Werewolves on the Moon

... here’s a question: If werewolves become... wolves... under the full moon, what would happen if you put one ON the moon? (Assuming compatible life support) -- TheDragonsFlame

Welcome to Tsiolkovski crater. No lycanthropes need apply. The second sentence had been added by a graffiti artist of no repute and was faded in the unrelenting sunlight. Lupe bunny-hopped past it on the way to the colony.

If this was what passed for jokes in this space-town...

She found the nearest airlock easily

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Challenge #01791-D330: Reserved Seating

Exorcist/Psychic: “Oh spirit that dwells in this place, why have you not moved on?” … He says that he wants you to keep him updated on [TV show] since he died before it ended.” -- TheDragonsFlame

It was a nice little house. Cosy without being cramped. Light and airy without being exposed and drafty. It was, in essence, the last place anyone would expect to be haunted. And yet it was.

The living room was always rearranged on Tuesday nights, with the

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Challenge #01790-D329: We Know It Ain't Friendly

Biologically aquatic-capable aliens are stunned that we haven’t explored the deepest parts of our oceans, so they volunteer to go down and see what’s going on down there. And as per deathworld standards, what’s down there’s terrifying—even to us. -- TheDragonsFlame

"You really don't want to do that," the humans insisted. "We've been down there a few times, and that was plenty for us."

The Trraka, a race of highly intelligent cephalopods, scoffed at this. It was

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Challenge #01789-D328: Integration Contemplation

A pair/group of Numidids discuss their thoughts/opinions/views on humans when there are no humans around. -- TheDragonsFlame

They were at the uppermost branches of a sky-raker tree that overlooked the human settlement of Wiwazheer. The first Terran city to share a planet with Havenworlders. Of course, when they built it, they had no idea. Neither the Humans nor the Numidid had any idea that they had started colonising opposite ends of the planet simultaneously.

"They are loud," said a

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Challenge #01788-D327: You Want Humans

Humans are pack animals. We come together to overcome challenges that would overwhelm the individual. When we unite against a common enemy, we’re nigh unstoppable. -- TheDragonsFlame

They say that Humans are best in disasters. They do not mean that Humans make a better disaster by being added to the scene. They mean that Humans show off their best attributes when a disaster strikes.

Such as now.

The aftershocks had only ceased half an hour ago, but the humans had started

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Challenge #01787-D326: Strange Customs

It’s funny that we humans (or at least I) have this habit of commanding or coaxing inanimate objects when trying to move them. [E.g. tugs on stuck cable Me: C’mon, get over here...”] -- TheDragonsFlame

Toveth was a shopkeeper on the Edge Territories, and got to see a lot more of the Deathworlders that inhabited the outskirts of civilised space. The humans were the most confusing. As Deathworlders, they ranged from anywhere between large and intimidating to small and

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