The human - and T’aka still doesn’t know its name - is just as relieved as T’aka is. Considering the circumstances, that’s not surprising at all. But despite that relief, there’s an itchy feeling growing around them, of which T’aka can’t quite determine the source. It is a feeling akin to sensory overload - maybe because they’re connected to the ( Read more... )

So, the human may have miscalculated when it thought there wouldn’t be much trouble, out in the city. It mostly avoids looking directly at others, and nobody has accused it of standing out. And yet, its paranoia increases, its steps gain speed, its heartbeat stutters. T’aka is close to dismissing this behavior as irrational, but then they spot ( Read more... )

The human doesn’t want to leave its apartment. It is scared of what could happen if other humans see the glow. During the last few days, T’aka has learned about conformism and its consequences. Apparently, humans can be vicious when someone of their kind stands out.

T’aka doesn’t understand why. Humans are a reasonably intelligent species. Shouldn’t ( Read more... )

What? What was that? T’aka is alarmed. There were noises again, irregular, louder, not like the thumping. And they understood it. How did they understand it?

Language. This is human language. English, specifically.

Where does this information come from? T’aka is not connected to the Database; they know that with certainty. ‘... know that for sure…,’ ( Read more... )

When T’aka regains awareness, nothing feels right. It is as if something keeps most of their sensations away. There is only a thumping, whooshing sound that seems all-encompassing, even though it’s dull. What is going on?

T’aka doesn’t know anybody who would deprive them like that. It isn’t good to mute their senses. It’s considered torture, because ( Read more... )

Since I totally dropped the ball with the previous 2 challenges, let's try this again with the 2017 Summer Mini Challenge. Only 3 days to go, not counting today. What could go wrong? XD

So I'll claim table two:

Table 2
crimson
mouth
wish
strange
cautiously
Progress: 5/5

Aaaand finished! At almost 6 a.m. my time (on September 23rd) - thank God for ( Read more... )

Oh, is it that time of the year already???
To be honest, it's been that time of the year for almost 2 months already and I'm only now jumping on the bandwagon... There's nothing like working under pressure, right? (What do you mean, that's just trying to conceal that I've been procrastinating again?)

Well, at least I'm joining LuxKen27's 2015 ( Read more... )

Jeremy was indeed the happiest of them all. He was one last semester of courses short of being allowed to participate in the next big expedition. In less than a year, he said, he might already be on a ship again.

While Victoria could understand his excitement to some extent - due to her fiancé’s similar interests - she stared at him just as ( Read more... )

They didn’t remember who’d had the initial idea, but exactly one year after coming home, the five of them met again. There had been many changes in their lives - some favorable, some not so much.

Samuel and Heather had gotten married four months earlier and were getting by on their little farm.

Richard had had a hard time paying for Jeremy’s ( Read more... )

When they parted ways the following morning, Victoria left with the expedition leader, Jeremy was carrying a recommendation letter from the group for the capital’s university, and Samuel promised Heather he would look for a land-based job and come visiting soon.

They’d all made connections, knowing they’d stay in contact somehow - whereas Richard ( Read more... )