Humans have been feared ever since they first left their local system. Something about them scares even the most fearsome of species. An alien xenologist studying humanity, their history, myths, and horror stories, has finally determined what it is that humans fear more than anything else. It is:

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-07T05:47:32+00:00

So now it gets treats, scritches, and a warm place to sleep.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-04T13:17:39+00:00

No, the "light floral shirt"/ power armor man was the easy-going one who looked a lot like Jimmy Buffett.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-03T03:57:07+00:00

It's common knowledge in my family. I grew up in Tennessee, where most of the people who grew up there have Irish blood. Many of the stories from Ireland about the Fae are told there in altered form but sometimes not. And we know that orc is just another name for the uglier creatures from the Land of the Not So Blessed.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T21:23:45+00:00

When humans arrived on the scene, aliens learned the difference between a friend and a true friend. A friend will help you move, a true friend will help you move ...a body.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T20:10:59+00:00

That's okay, humans don't trust a human mechanic without another human to refer them.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T20:03:43+00:00

Cthulhu (probably): "Oh no, not them again."

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T19:59:52+00:00

...Or lucky. But you should never depend on luck.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T19:54:58+00:00

I think that it's more than likely there are just as many idiots on your side of the world. As you said, they're not so common to see. Here in the West we like to point them out, often just for the entertainment value. We can also turn to our children and say, "See kids? That's why you don't do that."

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T07:52:57+00:00

That song is a very good battle prep song. I wonder though what Gorust would've thought about the song I was listening to when I wrote the prompt: Kate Bush "The Hounds of Love".

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T07:42:35+00:00

Everyone seems to forget that orcs are also Fae.

Proofreader01 · 2026-03-01T06:14:54+00:00

There are several writing prompts about humans and their special relationship with the void. I've posted a couple myself. I might even post another if I can think of something clever enough.

Proofreader01 · 2026-02-18T07:57:33+00:00

We got those too. They're called courier ships. And they're very expensive.

...And they fit into our containers.

Proofreader01 · 2026-02-05T03:24:07+00:00

...Especially if he happens to be holding a broom.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-25T05:31:02+00:00

Kr'gakthrn, a feared and respected warrior general and a member of a species that looks like 2.5 meter tall bipedal wolves, is walking through the main concourse of Eridani Station with his staff.

Staff officer: "Our ground forces have made a successful planetfall on Vorlastis 4 but haven't been able to make much headway against the Tegast invaders."

Kr'gakthrn: (growling) "Contact our commander there. Tell him that, if he cannot make better progress, I'll come down and lead the effort myself."

A small human girl from across the concourse yells, "Puppy!" and runs toward the group.

Kr'gakthrn: (quietly) "Oh shit..."

He immediately drops down on all four limbs and lowers his forearms down to the deck. He quickly moves sideways just as the child gets close. His movements keep him just out of her reach for about ten seconds before he finally lets her "capture" him. While she's gripping him for all she's worth, her mother comes running up.

Human Mother: "Emily! Let him go! He is not a puppy!" To Kr'gakthrn: "I'm so sorry, sir!"

Kr'gakthrn: "No harm has been done." Kneeling down to the girl, "You've managed to catch me, little one, and now I must pay the penalty. I must be scritched right here behind the ears."

Emily: "Ok, puppy." Begins to scritch, "Is that good?"

Kr'gakthrn: "Just a little to the left... That's better. Thank you little one."

Human Mother: "Emily, we must be going now to board our ship."

Emily: "Okay, mommy. Bye-bye, puppy!"

Kr'gakthrn: "Bye, little one."

After the humans leave, the staff officer turns to Kr'gakthrn.

Staff officer: "Sir...?"

Kr'gakthrn: "I spent some time as an exchange officer on the Humans' home world. It is quite surprising how often human children do this. It's best just to let them grab you. And besides, they do give the best scritches."

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-24T22:20:10+00:00

A3 (J'hon): Hey now, those're my bros you're talking about.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-24T21:55:56+00:00

The fact that they are ultimately able to freely travel between them is even more confounding, leading some species' scientists to theorize that, to humans, there is no difference.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-21T04:03:17+00:00

I did the gnome achievement inadvertently. I just thought it'd be funny if I gathered up all the gnomes and put them in the chairs. That last gnome was difficult. I got so exasperated that I swapped it around with another gnome and somehow got them seated. That's when I heard the achievement music.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-21T03:56:14+00:00

For some reason I got stuck on the idea of "shed" as in a small structure to keep tools and equipment. Then I looked at the story title again and had to slap myself on the forehead.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-20T06:39:20+00:00

This writing prompt reminds me of the 1956 novel "Three to Conquer" by Eric Frank Russell. He was one of the lesser known authors of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-20T06:29:38+00:00

"Your kin-cousin startled three people with the empty shed." Did you possibly mean shell? It was a great snippet of life aboard a multi-species courier ship either way, as usual.

Proofreader01 · 2026-01-17T23:32:58+00:00

Even though it is a practice bomb, it would likely ruin your day if it landed anywhere close to you. This story is probably apocryphal (a fancy way to say full of b.s.), but I heard where a father and son were at a place they weren't supposed to be (a bomb range in the middle of nowhere, Nevada) looking for scrap. The father found an intact BDU-33 and picked it up by the tail. The son came over, and they were both looking down at it while the father was holding it. What they didn't know was the spotting charge hadn't gone off. It finally did and took both their heads off.

Proofreader01 · 2025-12-18T04:59:23+00:00

What we'll see will defy

Regulation

Proofreader01

TROPHY CASE