First Contact Of The Weirdest Degree

This blog has been created solely for the purpose of looking at inspiration for my story, First Contact of the Weirdest Degree, and posting the associated writing prompts. If you like aliens, complex cultures, the concept of humans being space orcs, and a dash of interspecies romance, this is the place for you. Constructive criticism welcomed. (Also, I have no clue on what the heck I'm doing on Tumblr so if I mess up formatting or something, let me know and tell me how to fix it)

[theresidentaliennerd]

Excerpt: Kaikro and his disbelief this species can survive on a death world. He's going to be in for a rude awakening.

How in the name of the Empire have they survived so long?! And become top predators on top of that? he thought in amazement. Not for the first time, he wondered if the probes were missing something. Surely no species on a death world would be so defenseless! 

With that in mind, Kaikro started to compose a list: what could the probes be overlooking? The possible defenses of species Alpha on Tertius, Solarus Octo. Note: no evidence has been found as of this moment to prove or disprove the following adaptations. These are theories and theories only until proven otherwise.

Impact resistant flesh

Retractable claws/talons

Enhanced senses

Accelerated natural healing abilities

Innate immunity/resistance to corrosive materials

Intelligence

Comparatively high strength for their planet

[theresidentaliennerd]

How do you write a diplomatic first contact scene??

For context, several alien diplomats have landed on Earth for the first time in Washington, D. C. (cliche, I know, but it works) and are trying to communicate with the humans. However the humans don't have universal translator technology so this is going to be a difficult process. I have a way to resolve that but how do you write diplomatically? I have no clue and need help. Please either comment or DM me. I need all the advice I can get!

[theresidentaliennerd]

Oops, I got writers block. Have a random snippet

Approaching the settlement the next morning, Kaikro felt small. It was huge. While it lacked the technology to be a proper city by Kaikro’s standards, he was still awed by the designs. Tall towering buildings that seemed too fragile to exist on a death world reached for the sky mingled with wide, black roads and monuments. It was busy, it was hectic, and it was more alive than Kaikro could’ve ever imagined! The humans rode in strange vehicles with wheels or walked on narrower white roads. It was a strange sight.

Stranger than the busy, seemingly disorganized nature of the city and the odd vehicles was how no one reacted to the chill in the air or the rumbling sounds coming from the sky other than an occasional glance upwards. Kaikro wrapped his tail around him as some of the scientists looked at their datapads with concern.

“Temperature is dropping. We should retreat for now. By my calculations, we’ll soon be in the danger zone.”

“Barometric pressure is falling as well. I am not sure what this indicates on this world. I do not like it.”

As a unit, the researchers quickly packed up what little equipment they had begun to set up and headed back to the ship. As they hurried back to the safety of the ship, precipitation began to fall burning any exposed skin it touched. Kaikro’s eyes widened in horror and fascination before he commed back to the rest of the crew. “Kaikro to Med Bay, we have six researchers with corrosive burns from the planet’s precipitation. We are on our way back to the ship now, approximately two kilometers away. Over.”

“Xerinn to Kaikro, heard. We will be ready and waiting. Over.”

“Quickly,” Kaikro said through gritted teeth as he urged his crewmates forward. “We need to reach the ship and get medical attention.” With a nervous glance, he assessed the five others. All were injured and the precipitation burns were getting worse as it poured down in river falls. Goddess, please, I beg of you, protect my crew from this.

[ad-wills]

[theresidentaliennerd]

Hah! This was me til I became hyper fixated on my current WIP.

[theresidentaliennerd]

Human screams

I've decided that human screams can cause serious damage to the Aqrea. A nameless diplomat (who probably won't be important to the story but who knows) had her ears bleed from one. After all, a human scream can go up to 125 decibels.

[theresidentaliennerd]

The first journal entry on Earth's surface

34.3.12175–We have reached the planet’s surface. The majority of plant matter here seems to be green, indicative of their somewhat cooler star. The area we landed in, despite being lush in plant life, does not appear to have a fluid source. Perhaps whatever these plants consume resides underground? Further studies will need to be done. One of the confirmed sentient species has been spotted, along with a youngling. I acted poorly and seemed to have scared him off. Diplomats will arrive on Earth’s (I learned the name the locals call this planet from the male) surface tomorrow, then we will head to the nearest settlement. I cannot wait. I want to learn from these creatures and learn how they’ve survived on such a death world.

[theresidentaliennerd]

The reveal Kaikro isn't from Earth

The shuttle rumbled quietly and the airlock creaked open, revealing Kaikro’s first glimpse of Tertius with his own eyes. It was bigger than he expected and the surface seemed primarily covered in blue and white swirls. Bits of green and brown peeked through the swirls, probably the landmasses. The green, Kaikro knew from his research, was plant matter, so unlike the red plants of Aqrea. But there was also so little compared to his home. Then again, it was a death world. “By the Goddess, I’ve never seen a planet so barren.” he whispered, shivers going down his tail. Murmurs of agreement sprung up around him. No one could quite understand how there was life, let alone thriving life on such a place.

[theresidentaliennerd]

Yet another excerpt! I am way too proud of this one

With a couple clicks of the holopad, Kaikro pulled up the last transmitted footage from probe AE305V, the first probe to stop transmitting. Images of strange creatures appeared, some with eight legs and some with no legs. Fast forwarding to the last couple increments of footage revealed a very unusual scene. One of the sentient species was dressed in strange tight fitting garments that only covered the legs and moving in a very odd pattern, leaping then turning dramatically as they raised their arms that had strange bands on them. The individual appears to be male but you can never truly tell with alien species until you actually interact with them. Oh, they noticed the drone. And they’re showing their teeth. That seems threatening. Is that really a threatening behavior for this species? Wait, where’d they go? They aren’t in view of the probe anymore. And now the probe went black?? Could THEY have been involved in the probe no longer transmitting? Kaikro wondered. 

[theresidentaliennerd]

The dynamic of Kaikro and his (currently unnamed) love interest

Kaikro: You mean you do this for fun?? You are bleeding! If you lose too much blood, you'll die! Love interest: Meh, it's just a scratch. I've gotten worse from my cat. Kaikro: ...you humans worry me

[theresidentaliennerd]

I've written over two hundred words today!

This puts me at a grand total of 1,814 words! I'm making progress!

[theresidentaliennerd]

Oops, I accidentally forgot Tumblr existed for awhile. Have a journal entry!

Severe shifts in planetary crust noted at irregular intervals. Shifts change the geographic structure of the planet and let substances residing beneath the planet’s crust to leak to the surface. There are signs of civilization in areas where these shifts are noted to be more severe. Unknown how the planet's inhabitants compensate. Theory: biological sensors detecting minute changes to serve as an early warning system? Other possibilities: natural indicators of shifts on planetary surface, some sort of calculation to predict shifts?

[theresidentaliennerd]

Excerpt: can you guess what I'm talking about?

This species also has unusual pack bonding urges and rituals. They frequently bond in groups that congregate around rectangular devices that show images. Pack bonding is also not just limited to within their species but involves other, smaller predators and even prey animals.

[theresidentaliennerd]

What are the seven wonders of your world? Engineering edition (I plan on doing a natural version too)

The Great Palace of Aqrea. Made of black marble with bird and fish motifs and decorated with jewels and copper, the building itself most resembles the Imperial Palace of Japan. The outer gardens are expansive and the four inner courtyards each have a fountain in the center.

The Canyon Shrine. An open air shrine to the Empress and Emperor of the Aqrean Pantheon. Literally hovers above the canyon. Major site of pilgrimage.

Vuloria Alastoria Filia Adoratae. A tomb dedicated to the youngest daughter of Vuloria Xanderai, an empress. This monument is decorated with entirely green materials, reportedly the daughter's favorite daughter, except for the memorial plaque which is in the traditional white. It is venerated as a reminder of progress (she died due to a now non existent disease) and a monument to a mother's love for her children.

Second City of Vuloria. First off planet settlement, located on their moon. Considered rustic and isolated, even by their current standards, but no longer primitive. The reason it's considered a wonder of the world is the difference in ground made architecture difficult.

The Commutatio Regio. A giant marketplace exclusively for trade. People come to watch the bustle and the neat, orderly flow of the crowds as numbers regularly approach the tens of millions inside at once.

The Legislis Locus. The building of lawmaking for the entire empire. This is where empire wide trials and laws are decided, as well as matters solely for the planet of Aqrea.

The Ruins of Royah. The first oceanic settlement

[theresidentaliennerd]

What are the political systems of your world like?

The world of Aqrea is head of a small empire that encompasses all the planets and moons within the solar system. It is ruled by an empress and her closest female relative (usually but not always her sister) until she has her own daughter. All succession and inheritance is matrilineal. Other titles of Aqrean nobility include Queen, Imperial consort, the only title that can be inherited by a man, Crown Princess, Grand Duchess, Marchioness, Countess, Viscountess, and Baroness.

[theresidentaliennerd]

Researcher Adrill Kaikro, aka the alien Steve Irwin (created with a game on Doll Divine)

[theresidentaliennerd]

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about your story?

My favorite thing is how the perspective is done; you don't realize it's from an alien POV until you get to the actual first contact. So far my least favorite thing is the interactions between characters. They feel awkward and stiff.

I am too awkward to write normal social interactions

[theresidentaliennerd]

What is the creation myth of your world?

From an endless sea of nothingness, two beings came into existence: the God of the Two Suns and the Goddess of the Two Moons. Together they formed an egg from which our planet and the rest of our universe hatched from. The Goddess carried the universe in her arms as it grew to full size. Soon enough it was larger than her and the God of the Two Suns combined. She released the universe to its own devices and she chose to focus on one small aspect: the planet. She loved the planet so much it grew into a young, sleepy goddess named Aqrea. The young goddess became a goddess of fertility and life. But Aqrea was lonely. She asked her mother to create a husband for her. So she did; she created Naain, god of the sea. Aqrea was thrilled with her husband and promptly embraced him with such intensity her body shaped to accommodate his. Together they created the first man and woman to live on Aqrea’s surface.