https://constructed.world/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Lurker 2026-08-26T04:14:01Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.46.0 https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Sweetwater&diff=1088 2026-08-23T00:33:18Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>Sweetwater is the second planet from Focus after Hearthside. The world was the next planet to be terraformed after Newhome. Early in Focus's history, the planet was bombarded by dozens of large comets, giving it a surface completely covered in ocean. Unlike Newhome, Sweetwater was founded as a sort of planet-sized gated community for the ultra rich. Think Dubai but wetter. The original scheme was to build a massive system of interconnected underwater cities. Impractical? Of course! But this is the 1% we're talking about. Unrealistic utopian nonsense is their bread and butter.<br /> <br /> There are a few large islands, but Sweetwater's claim to fame is the massive free-floating rafts of matted vegetation that serve as mobile terrestrial ecosystems. They have no fixed topography, and undulate along with the waves. A hill one moment may be a valley the next. These exist on a much smaller scale on the waters of Yih, but various ecological processes keep them from growing to the massive scale they do on Sweetwater. They're large and firm enough to support entire forests. With such unstable foundations, these mobile islands are completely unsuitable for building most artificial structures, which makes them perfect for Atavists, Primitive Wayfarers, and others seeking to &amp;quot;return to monke fops&amp;quot; as it were. In fact, an entire genre of Robinsonade-esque stories concerns the adventures of hapless travelers washing up on the mossy beaches of these massive plant rafts.<br /> <br /> Sweetwater society is shockingly stratified, with the upper class living in the above-mentioned underwater cities. An underclass consisting largely of the descendants of the laborers who built those underwater cities lives a nomadic lifestyle on large ships or submarines. Most make an honest living by fishing and mining, but both shipboard and submarine pirates are also common.<br /> <br /> As expected of an ocean planet, tourism is a major source of income. Tourists generally stick to the few fixed landmasses and one or two of the more subdued vegetation rafts that serve as parks, with pleasure cruises confined to plying the safer waters between these population centers. A few of the underwater cities tolerate visitors, but the majority serve as second homes for the ultra wealthy, underwater research labs, and long term (think Yucca Mountain or the Svalbard seed vault) archival storage.<br /> <br /> These abyssal vaults are a prime fountain of conspiracy theories in the vein of Area 51, including claims of captive ETs. The explanation changes depending on who's telling the story. More pious conspiracy theorists will say that secular governments hide evidence of other sophonts for fear that it would prove the Bright Way right. More worldly crackpots elege that the Bright Way is in control of the vaults, and that they use them for any number of nefarious purposes, usually involving amassing a secret army to reconquer the system, or keeping massive datacenters that would somehow aid them in doing the same.<br /> <br /> Those vaults that have made themselves open to the public reveal a more mundane purpose. While they are in fact data centers, there's nothing conspiratorial about them. They're at the bottom of the ocean because that makes it trivial to cool them, and the secrecy is merely standard data security. That being said, there are many more vaults that are much more heavily guarded and don't produce the sort of waste heat you'd expect from billions of yottaflops of compute power, so the tin foil hatters have plenty of fodder still.<br /> <br /> A beach in the tropics of Sweetwater is the most common simulacrum used by missionaries suspended aboard womb ships, including the ''Dewfall''. Stormlight hates it because it's hot and humid, which makes the black-pelted yinrih miserable.<br /> <br /> {{Planets of Focus}}<br /> [[Category:Focus]] [[Category:Megathread Uploads]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Meanwhile,_in_an_Alternate_Universe...&diff=1087 2026-08-08T23:25:34Z

<p>Lurker: Massive rewrite</p> <hr /> <div>Canned yinrih. That's what I call the particular odor you smell from the back of a cramped train car. The nose wasn't built to be assaulted by all this olfactory information at the same time. It was the combined musk of a gross of people, men and women, pups and gray-muzzled elders, sires and dams, bachelors and maids, angry, happy, sad, exhausted, all blended together into an overwhelming potpourri. It made my whiskers twitch.<br /> <br /> It was all too much for the guy next to me. He had a glob of mentholated nose balm on his rhinarium to dull the combined musk of all those commuters. For as long as I'd been taking this route we had shared these two seats in the back of the train, his snout buried in the same old claw-written notebook and my eyes fixated on the bad news scrolling on my HUD specs. We'd never shared so much as a chuff in greeting, only the silent understanding that neither of us wanted to share this seat but at this point in the route it was the only one left.<br /> <br /> A polite voice crackled over the announcement system. «Attention, passengers, the City of Windward meteorological agency has issued an upwelling warning until further notice. All passengers must exit at the next stop. Citizens are urged to take shelter until the city passes over the storm.»<br /> <br /> The scent in the air shifted. You could tell who was a native Welkinsteader and who was a tourist based on how they reacted to an upwelling warning. The soup of collective emotions gave way to eleven dozen per gross mild annoyance, and one dozen per gross panic and terror. <br /> <br /> A woman in front of me began hyperventilating. «Oh Light, I don't wanna die. Not like this! Please, not like this!»<br /> <br /> The fellow next to her attempted some reassurance. «It's just a bit of gas comin' up from the lower atmosphere. Look, none of these other folks has got their tail in a knot. Worse comes to worst ya lose a lung. Ya got three more where that came from.»<br /> <br /> «You're not helping!» She barked. <br /> <br /> The train came to a stop. The passengers piled out onto the platform and trudged off to find shelter. The woman followed her new minder off the car, leaving the way clear for me. I gave my backpack a quick pat down with my tail to make sure it was still with me. <br /> <br /> Mr. notebook hadn't budged. I clicked my claws on the floor. «Hey, dude, come on.»<br /> <br /> He started and scented the air. «Oh Light blind me, I missed my stop again.»<br /> <br /> «It's an upwelling. We need to get to shelter. Everyone else just got off.»<br /> <br /> The two of us disembarked and hopped down the ladder to the tunnels. We were surrounded by the train passengers as well as others who were caught outside when the warning sounded. That same canned yinrih smell assaulted my nostrils. <br /> <br /> There was a thunk as the safety door slid closed, then a hiss as the gasket inflated. The positive pressure system engaged, making my ears pop. <br /> <br /> Mr. Notebook smelled positively miserable at the prospect of milling around in this tunnel for hours. <br /> <br /> «I smell you every day but I don't think we've really met,» I said. «Name's Swift wind.»<br /> <br /> «Fire soul,» he grunted. «Say, you usually get off here, know where I can find some water?»<br /> <br /> «Nowhere close. This is a residential zone. But you're welcome to come back to my apartment until the storm passes.»<br /> <br /> He smelled unsure.<br /> <br /> «Don't worry. I promise I'm not gonna murder you.»<br /> <br /> His thirst and sense of self preservation waged a brief silent war, then he flicked his ears in resignation and followed me. The smell of the crowd faded as we turned down the tunnel leading to the northern residential block.<br /> <br /> We spent a few minutes walking in silence, the only sound the clicking of our claws on the floor. These dreary tunnels dated back to when Windward was one of thousands of gas extraction platforms on Welkinstead, and the atmosphere outside was made of the same noxious gas currently ruining our day. Used to be these tunnels were all there was, with nothing open to the air. But after millennia of all these platforms extracting and refining gas, polluting the atmosphere with oxygen, the air became breathable. Terraforming Welkinstead was never the intent, but a happy industrial accident. <br /> <br /> Once it was safe to be outside, they started building on top of the vacuum pontoons keeping the platform afloat, shops, houses, a railway, the stuff you'd expect a normal city would have. Soon Windword looked like any other city on terra firma. You'd never guess we were drifting lazily through the upper atmosphere of an ice giant. <br /> <br /> That is if it weren't for the upwellings. Only this layer of the upper atmosphere had the right mixture of gases at the right temperature and pressure, and only along the northern and southern subtropical high pressure belts. Go too far down or drift too far to one side and your lungs would be burned away by the cornerstone of Welkinstead's economy. <br /> <br /> Upwellings were normally predicted weeks in advance and timed down to the heartbeat. But especially during the summer there would be one or two surprises when a convective storm lower down in the atmosphere burped up some gas for us to deal with. All the local met agency could do was watch the drop sonde telemetry and lidar to see if anything was brewing downwind of us and give the rest of us a tug on the tail if we needed to hunker down.<br /> <br /> But that's why they kept the tunnels. Exactly how accessible they were varied. Cities close to the edges of the breathable belt had entrances in every building. Other cities closer to the middle just had to have a certain number of entrances accessible from anywhere on the surface. Older cities like Windward combined both. Ancient residential blocks like the one we were headed to had direct tunnel connections in every unit in addition to the normal exterior doorway, but newer sections of the city had publicly accessible hatches on street level every block or so.<br /> <br /> «Here we are.» I opened the hatch leading up into my apartment. <br /> <br /> «Oh Void no,» he muttered. I followed his gaze to the wall of guns visible from the entrance.<br /> <br /> «It's OK, dude, they're antiques. The ammo for them hasn't been manufactured in millennia.» I flicked my tail in a beckoning gesture. «Come on up. I promised I wouldn't murder you, remember?»<br /> <br /> He didn't move.<br /> <br /> «Here, if it makes you feel better, you can bludgeon me with this if you think things are going sour.» I handed him a heavy lump of aggregate with jagged crystals jutting out at odd angles, some byproduct of the gas refining process sold in every shop in town as a dust collector for tourists.<br /> <br /> He flicked his ears again and climbed up. <br /> <br /> «Water, right? You want ice with that?» <br /> <br /> He tilted his muzzle up.<br /> <br /> «Take a seat anywhere you like.»<br /> <br /> He flopped down into the bowl couch in my den. «What's the attraction?» He was nervously passing the lumpy crystal between his rear paws. «Why do you like collecting them, the old guns I mean. You don't look like an ear notch.»<br /> <br /> «Well if you have good firing posture you won’t blow a chunk out of your ear. But no, I’m not a gun nut, well not THAT kind of gun nut. It’s the craftsmanship. I like the leatherwork on the saddles, the paw-forged iron barrels, none of this all-polymerite nonsense. It’s amazing what we were able to make with our own four paws before we invented fabricators.<br /> <br /> I handed him the bowl of ice water and he began lapping it up.<br /> <br /> «What about you?» I asked. «Got any hobbies?»<br /> <br /> He sat the bowl down next to his claw-written notebook sitting on the end table. «Oh, just this and that.»<br /> <br /> «This and that?» I probed. «You seem awfully attached to that notebook.»<br /> <br /> «Oh, that. It’s nothing.»<br /> <br /> «Clearly it’s not nothing. It's practically been glued to your forepaw every time I see you on the train.»<br /> <br /> He let out a long sigh. «Those are my worldbuilding notes.»<br /> <br /> «Ah!» I yipped. «So you’re a writer!»<br /> <br /> «No, well not exactly.» He began running a rear paw through his tail and I smelled nervousness in his musk. «I've got a few stories in here, but it’s just for fun, you know. Pups make up imaginary worlds, and I just started documenting mine as I grew up. The stories are exercises to flesh out the lore, that's all.»<br /> <br /> «Tell me about it.»<br /> <br /> He hesitated. «Are you SURE?»<br /> <br /> «It's either that or awkwardly sit here in silence until the storm clears.»<br /> <br /> He started wringing his tail like a towel with both rear paws, and his shyness stank up the den. «So it’s about this race of star folk called.. well we can’t pronounce their language.»<br /> <br /> «What do you mean we can’t pronounce their language?»<br /> <br /> «Well, they have a very different vocal tract from us; no muzzle, more muscular lips that can form an airtight seal, flatter more crowded teeth, a smaller and much more nimble tongue. They use their tongue to shape the sounds coming out of their mouth to speak.» He had opened his eyes wide and his ears were pinned back. He was clearly excited to have someone to share all this with. «The tongue is so important that many of their languages use the word for tongue to mean language in the same way we use the word for throat.<br /> <br /> «So the best I can do to tell you what they call themselves is give you all the sounds one by one. The word starts with a voiceless glottal fricative, then a voiced palatal approximant, close back rounded vowel, voiced bilabial nasal, mid central vowel, and finally a voiced velar nasal.»<br /> <br /> I wanted to ask him what in the void a 'voiceless glottal fricative' was but he continued.<br /> <br /> «But that's the singular, like if there's only one. If there are more than one you take that word and add a voiced alveolar sibilant fricative to the end to make it plural.»<br /> <br /> «You went to all the trouble of designing their ’vocal tract’?»<br /> <br /> «Yup. And some of their languages, too.»<br /> <br /> By now he was holding his tail in a death grip like it owed him money. «Constructed languages. Honestly sometimes I feel like the languages are the main thing and the world is just there to give them more life.» He opened his notebook to what looked like a table of different word forms in an alien script written left to write. «That word I gave you comes from this language called, well, again we can’t pronounce the name.»<br /> <br /> I braced myself for another onslaught of 'nasals' and 'fricatives', but I was mercifully spared.<br /> <br /> «Ultimately the name comes from this tribe who lived on this island in the northern hemisphere.» He turned to a page showing an impressive world map and pointed to a large island to the northwest of a massive continent. «So this tribe invades this island after this other empire falls.» He pointed to a peninsula on the southern edge of the continent jutting out into a nearly enclosed sea. Anyway, this tribe becomes an empire in their own right after a few centuries.»<br /> <br /> «Centuries? Seems awfully fast.»<br /> <br /> «Oh, yeah, they only live a tenth of our lifespan. Makes things move a bit quicker, gives me an excuse to play around with more languages.» Now his rear paw was picking at loose whisps of fur on his tail.<br /> <br /> «Anyway, the tribe becomes an empire and they spread their language as they expand. They found some colonies on this other continent.» He pointed to another landmass across an ocean to the west of the first. «And these colonies rebel and found their own country which eventually spreads all the way to the west coast. The tribe become empire is still expanding despite the loss of some territory to these rebels, but after two massive worldwide wars this empire also falls and the rebels turned country become an empire in their own right, with their own variety of that island tribe’s language spreading across the globe in its turn.<br /> <br /> He turned back to the table of words. «So this language is spoken by two different empires and becomes a de facto lingua franca around the world. It’s their version of Commonthroat.»<br /> <br /> «Sounds like they haven’t terraformed any other planets,» I say.<br /> <br /> «No, they achieve spaceflight right before we find them.»<br /> <br /> «And besides this ‘vocal tract’ of theirs, what do they look like?»<br /> <br /> «Well, they have no tail, and almost no fur except on top of their head, so they weir cloth coverings like a healer. They used to have fur and live in trees just like we did, but they started living in wide open grasslands. Their rear paws lost the ability to grasp.»<br /> <br /> «That doesn’t sound like much of an advantage, not being able to grip things with their rear paws, especially given they don’t have a tail.»<br /> <br /> «That’s because they walk exclusively on their rear paws. Their hind legs get much longer and more muscular. It’s all so they can run long distances to catch prey. That’s also why they have no fur, it’s because they excrete saline from pores on their skin that evaporates to cool them down.»<br /> <br /> I wrinkle my muzzle. «Sounds gross.»<br /> <br /> «Oh that’s what the missionaries that find them think at first. It smells really pungent. But eventually they grow to like the odor. They say it smells like a friend.»<br /> <br /> «And the wildest thing is they can’t write.»<br /> <br /> «What do you mean; you showed me that alien alphabet earlier.»<br /> <br /> «Well they can’t write naturally like we can. They don’t evolve it, they have to invent it. So they just speak for tens of thousands of years before finally inventing writing.»<br /> <br /> «So no history? How do they preserve information then if they can’t write?»<br /> <br /> «Orally at first, passing it down from sires and dams to their pups.»<br /> <br /> «Doesn’t sound very reliable.»<br /> <br /> «Oh it’s not at all. They spread across the globe long long before inventing writing, and don’t even remember one another until they meet again thousands of years later. At that point the different groups have developed vastly different cultures and languages.»<br /> <br /> «More languages to invent?»<br /> <br /> «Exactly!» he yipped.<br /> <br /> He suddenly smelled embarrassed. «You probably think I’m the crazy one now.»<br /> <br /> «Crazy? No. Look, dude, you absolutely stink of nervousness. Don't be. I'll admit I've never heard of someone making up a world for the fun of it and inventing languages, but this isn't something to be ashamed of. Why not post those stories of yours on the internetwork. I'm sure there's a bulletin board out there that'll lap them up.»<br /> <br /> «But my stories are terrible.»<br /> <br /> «And they'll always be terrible if you don't have the courage to fail. Back in the tunnel you were half sure I was going to shoot you dead, but you not only came in anyway you opened yourself up to me. That takes guts. Now use those guts to open up to others and listen to what they have to say. Besides, are those stories you've got now really that bad if they're worth the time it takes to read them? It's not like there's a law that a story has to have perfect prose and an immaculate plot and ocean-deep characters just to be unironically enjoyable.»<br /> <br /> My ears popped again. «Positive pressure system's deactivated. Looks like we're out of the storm.»<br /> <br /> He coiled his tail around his notebook and walked to the entry hatch. <br /> <br /> «Hey,» I called after him before his head disappeared below the threshold, «I'll be honest, these weird flat-faced furless bipeds may not interest me, but they will be interesting to _someone_, go find that someone. And if you don't, I sit next to you on the train every day. It'll beat reading bad news. Maybe they'll grow on me.»<br /> <br /> [[Category:Stories]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=The_Spacer_Confederacy&diff=1086 2026-08-07T13:34:23Z

<p>Lurker: rewrite</p> <hr /> <div>&quot;And you're the interim chief?&quot; asked the federal councilman, his voice echoing throughout the cavernous main axis of the newly constructed colony.<br /> <br /> &quot;That's correct.&quot; said Graypelt.<br /> <br /> &quot;Gentlemen, my dame,&quot; the councilman addressed the pair of envoys from the Allied Worlds along with the hearthkeeper floating by their side. &quot;Would you allow Graypelt and I a moment alone?&quot; He moved toward the docking port where a shuttle was stationed, beckoning Graypelt to follow.<br /> <br /> Graypelt started as the inside airlock door shut behind him. The federal councilman had floated across the threshold of the airlock separating the colony's hull from his docked shuttle craft.<br /> <br /> &quot;Why did you shut--&quot; Graypelt began, but the councilman raised a paw to silence him.<br /> <br /> &quot;I hear Wayfarers' Haven is sponsoring an interstellar missionary journey once you get settled.&quot;<br /> <br /> Graypelt's ears perked up. &quot;Yeah. It's a huge part of our cultural--&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;When will you hearth-lickers give it up already?&quot;<br /> <br /> Graypelt's ears wilted. &quot;I'm sorry?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The Partisans are right about one thing, at least. The skies really are empty, we really are alone. Face it, your pathetic attempts to find 'fwiendship' among the stars is a fool's errand. And if there really is any kind of supreme being, it doesn't care about you or me or any of your hypothetical starfolk any more than you care about a particular carbon atom at the end of your snout.&quot;<br /> <br /> Graypelt reached for the lever to open the inner airlock door. &quot;If you're just going to belittle everything I stand for--&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Two things, actually,&quot; said the councilman as graypelt's paw hovered over the lever. &quot;Partisan Territory makes better Outlander stew.&quot;<br /> <br /> Graypelt wheeled around. &quot;Now you listen here you pile of crap wrapped in fur, you don't put cream in--&quot;<br /> <br /> The councilman raised his paw again. &quot;Good, good,&quot; he geckered. &quot;Let the hate flow through you. Rule zero of the Spacer Confederacy: everybody hates everybody else, so get used to it.<br /> <br /> &quot;What did the envoys from the Allied Worlds tell you about how we do things here?&quot;<br /> <br /> Graypelt took a moment to calm down. After heaving a sigh, &quot;The laws are few, but the penalty for transgressing them is severe.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;So far, so good. And what are those laws?&quot;<br /> <br /> Graypelt thought for a moment, then began ticking off items on his claws. &quot;Each colony gets one perch on the federal council. The council is responsible for assigning asteroids for colonies to mine. The council levies a tax of twelve per gross on all revenue earned through the sail of the minerals. Colonies may only mine the body they have been assigned. There's a six year mandatory conscription into the federal police for all eligible males upon reaching the age of majority. Any interaction between colonies within the Confederacy must be mediated by the council.&quot;<br /> <br /> The councilman tilted his muzzle up in affirmation. &quot;Now let me tell you what those greasy-pelted stooges from the AW won't. We get all sorts of kooks coming here to the Inner Belt looking to set up half baked social experiments or off the wall cults.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;We're not--&quot; Graypelt objected, but the councilman raised his paw again and resumed his lecture.<br /> <br /> &quot;Everyone comes here for their own reasons. We have about as many world views, ideologies, belief systems, conceptual frameworks, religions, whatever you want to call them, as there are colonies in the Confederacy. But there's one thing we all value. What do you suppose that is?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Uh--&quot; Graypelt began, but the councilman cut him off again.<br /> <br /> &quot;Freedom!&quot; he barked. &quot;You want to start a gel head parlor? Go ahead. You want to run a tree-dweller baiting ring? Be my guest. Wanna start making mind candy?&quot; He flicked his left ear back, leaned forward, and whispered, &quot;I'll even give you the name of a supplier.&quot;<br /> <br /> He slapped the inner hull of the colony with a rear paw. &quot;Whatever you do inside these walls is your own business. For all we care you could've killed me for my little comment about Outlander stew. But if you so much as stick a whisker outside with whatever nonsense you get up to, then that becomes our problem.&quot; He tossed his muzzle back toward the federal shuttle behind him. &quot;And you do not want the federal police paying you a visit.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Is that a threat?&quot; Graypelt stammered.<br /> <br /> &quot;A warning.&quot; The councilman leaned forward, running a claw across a scar on his muzzle.<br /> <br /> &quot;I thought this was--&quot; Graypelt once again failed to get a word in edgewise.<br /> <br /> &quot;Anarchy? A free for all? A libertarian paradise? Everyone always assumes the Inner Belt is a lawless frontier where they can get away with anything, and you know what? Your roof, your rules, but out there, outside these walls, you're under OUR roof. If you mind your own business, keep your nose prints off of other peoples' windows, you'll be fine. But if you mess around, you will find out.<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you think we keep this confederacy together with a bunch of ink on paper?&quot; The councilman made a show of examining the iron-red claws on his left forepaw. &quot;Within a three-day ferry trip from here there are a bunch of Misotheists who would kill every last one of you hearth lickers, pups and all, if they thought they could get away with it. The only reason they won't is that they know exactly what will happen to them if they even try.&quot; He pantomimed an explosion with his forepaws.<br /> <br /> &quot;You folks wanted freedom, and you've got it, but freedom isn't free.&quot;<br /> <br /> The councilman pulled the release for the interior airlock door with his tail. He began floating into his shuttle, adopting a cheerful tone for his parting words. &quot;On behalf of the Federal Council, I'd like to welcome you and the citizens of Wayferers' Haven to the Spacer Confederacy.&quot;{{DEFAULTSORT:Spacer Confederacy}}<br /> [[Category:Stories]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Hearthside&diff=1085 2026-08-06T23:23:52Z

<p>Lurker: added picture</p> <hr /> <div>[[File:Hearthside render2.png|thumb|Hearthside]]<br /> Hearthside is the innermost planet of [[Focus]]. It is tidally locked, and its capital, the City of Eternal Noon, is located at the substellar point. Hearthside is the center of religious government of the [[Bright Way]].<br /> <br /> Hearthside was founded as an experiment in ecclesiastical utopianism. The government was set up to reflect the ancient power structure of a yinrih [[shire]], where a group of male patriarchs governed secular affairs while being advised by a female shaman. Hearthside has two legislative bodies, the Weremoot and Wifemoot. The Weremoot proposes laws that must be passed to the Wifemoot for ratification. The Weremoot is open to the laity while the Wifemoot is composed of clergy. Members of the Weremoot may belong to one of several political parties and are elected by the people while members of the Wifemoot are nonpartisan and are appointed by the [[High Hearthkeeper]].<br /> <br /> {{Planets of Focus}}<br /> [[Category:Hearthside]]<br /> [[Category:Polities]]<br /> [[Category:Planets and moons]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=File:Hearthside_render2.png&diff=1084 2026-08-06T23:23:12Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>Hearthside</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Are_We_as_Mayflies%3F&diff=1083 2026-08-06T16:15:03Z

<p>Lurker: fairly substantial rewrite</p> <hr /> <div>The hot Texas sun beat down on the two people sitting outside the root beer stand. Bob and Stormlight looked at the cars driving down the street and the people walking along the sidewalk. <br /> <br /> Stormlight had always enjoyed people-watching, especially now that the people smelled and looked so different from himself. Here went an older puppy or whatever humans called their offspring, her dry whiskerless nose buried in the screen of one of those glass rectangular communication devices. Next came a man in his prime, thick brown fur covering his upper lip and hanging down from his chin. Then an older woman, head fur white and face wrinkled, hobbling along with a walking stick to support her remaining good leg.<br /> <br /> By her scent she could have been seven dozen years old, but Stormlight had a good five dozen on her, and he was still young as monkey foxes reckoned it.<br /> <br /> Stormlight turned to Bob, regarding his bald crown and wrinkled face. He grabbed his tail and began running his claws along it as though brushing out a knot. <br /> <br /> Bob looked up from his drink and noticed his fidgeting. &quot;Well go on and ask. You do that whenever you're fixing to ask me an awkward question.&quot;<br /> <br /> «Does it bother you that we live so much longer?»<br /> <br /> &quot;If I'm honest, maybe sometimes, but Earth has trees that live for millennia and brainless jellyfish that can live pretty much forever. It's not like humans were breaking longevity records until y'all came along. Besides, we already live twice as long as our closest animal relatives. I'd say that's pretty nice.&quot;<br /> <br /> Bob took a few sips of soda. &quot;Does it bother you that we don't live nearly as long as you?&quot;<br /> <br /> «You're not getting any younger. When you're gone I'll have to find a new human friend, then he'll be gone before I know it. We finally found bone not of our bone and flesh not of our flesh, but we never counted on that bone and flesh being so ephemeral. It's all like trying to hold water in my paws.» <br /> <br /> After a few moments, bob said, &quot;It hurts to say goodbye for the last time, and y'all are going to be saying a lot of last goodbyes as long as you hang around us humans. But think of it this way. You're already a big hit with my grandkids. You can help them grow up, and again with their children, and their children's children. You can tell them all about how their great great great grandpa Bob got to be the first human to shake hands with an alien. You and Iris and Tod and Sunshine and Lodestar and Pascal can be the one constant in their lives, the one thing they can count on to be there no matter what. They'll have to say goodbye to me soon enough, and by and by their parents, too, but not you. Y'all can be the one thing they'll never have to say goodbye to. And after you've said your last goodbye to me, you can pray for the repose of my soul, or speak my name among the living, or do whatever it is you critters do for as long as you feel like doing it, which will sure be longer than any human will remember me.<br /> <br /> &quot;But I'm in good health. I've got at least twenty years left in me if my family history is anything to go by. That might not be very long for you, but it's a while yet for me. Don't go mourning me until I'm actually six feet under. <br /> <br /> &quot;It's a wonderful day out, if a little hot.&quot; Bob added as Stormlight noisily lapped up some soda. &quot;Let's just enjoy the day.&quot;<br /> <br /> Stormlight tilted his ears back, relaxed his jaw slightly, and let his tail hang loose again. «Thanks, Bob. Sometimes I worry so much about the future that I don't appreciate the present.»<br /> <br /> The two looked back at the cars driving down the street and the people walking along the sidewalk. &quot;It sure is a nice present,&quot; said Bob.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Mundane_Utility&diff=1082 2026-08-04T12:14:55Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>Ron stared up at the metal behemoth looming over him. A nagging itch scraped at some dark corner of his primate brain, a whisper echoing through his genetic memory, from a time when his tiny furtive ancestors cowered in the shadow of giants. <br /> <br /> The fact that the mech made no sound as it moved amplified his feeling of unease. There was no whir of motors, no roar of engines, no whine of servos, no shriek of metal against metal. There was only a dull rumor, felt more than heard, as the mech planted each of its four titanic paws on the ground. <br /> <br /> One of those paws sailed overhead as the mech strode forward, dusting Ron's upturned face with a fine shower of loose earth. The array of force projector plates on the palm and digits of the massive metal paw mirrored the arrangement of pads on a yinrih's forefeet. Other concessions to zoomorphism had been made as well. Two heat sinks were positioned like erect ears atop the mech's head, and whiskery antenna arrays framed its metal snout. What were the odds that the only two sapient species in the galaxy would independently think to themselves &quot;Let's build a giant robot shaped like a person and stick a guy inside it!&quot; <br /> <br /> Well, that isn't exactly how monkey foxes came up with mechs. They started out with conventional body armor, then powered armor, then kept building bigger and bigger until you weren't wearing it so much as piloting it. Some serious advances in materials science made the concept feasible for them, not to mention having four legs.<br /> <br /> THUD!<br /> <br /> The paw came to rest mere inches from where he stood. <br /> <br /> &quot;Watch where you're walking!&quot; Ron yelled, shaking his fist like a disgruntled commuter up at the machine's underbelly, where a round hatch sealed away the pilot within.<br /> <br /> &quot;Watch where you're standing!&quot; countered a booming synthetic voice echoing from the mech's head. Ron darted out of the way as the armored left rear leg rose to take another step.<br /> <br /> More tremors passed under Ron's feet as the mech walked over to a tall pine tree. &quot;Watch out,&quot; thundered the synthetic voice. The machine positioned its aft end toward the tree and wrapped its serpentine tail around the trunk. The tree cracked in protest as the mech dug its bladed claws into the argillaceous ground and reared up on its hind feet, but the trunk managed to support the mech's weight.<br /> <br /> A sharp electric crackle issued from the mech's now freed forepaws as claws of violet plasma erupted from its fingertips. The smell of ozone drifted to Ron's nose on the breeze. The mech swiped upward, effortlessly cleaving a massive limb from the tree, leaving a smoking black stump behind. <br /> <br /> There were two thumps in rapid succession as the limb hit the ground and the mech resumed a quadrupedal stance. <br /> <br /> Ron jogged across the brown grass up to the front door of a tiny house nearby. He raised his fist to knock, but the door opened preemptively and a tiny septuagenarian emerged. She leaned over to peer around Ron at the mech, which had wrapped the limb in its tail and was dragging it to the curb. &quot;Thank you, youngsters, for getting rid of that pesky limb for me. My lawn will get much more sun now.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You're welcome, ma'am,&quot; boomed the synthetic voice, &quot;but I should point out you're half my age.&quot; <br /> <br /> &quot;Well, you're only as old as you feel, and I feel too old for that stuff,&quot; she responded.<br /> <br /> The hatch on the mech's belly opened. Lodestar was lying on his back in the pilot's couch, gripping a keyer in all four paws, eyes hidden behind a HUD visor. He doffed the visor, uncoiled his tail from around a lever at the base of the seat, and hopped out onto the grass. He trotted up to the two humans just as the lady planted a kiss on Ron's cheek in gratitude. She repeated the gesture between Lodestar's ears. He muttered a complaint in Outlander about his personal space that went unnoticed by the elderly human.<br /> <br /> &quot;Thanks again,&quot; she said as the pair turned to leave.<br /> <br /> Ron turned to Lodestar. &quot;Aren't you supposed to be a monk?&quot;<br /> <br /> «The Knights of the Sun are _warrior_ monks, yes.» <br /> <br /> &quot;OK, granted, but what do you need a giant robot for?&quot;<br /> <br /> «The armies standing against justice and the legions oppressing the weak do not field only infantry.»<br /> <br /> [[Category:Stories]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=User:Lurker&diff=1081 2026-08-02T20:45:35Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>[[file:Commonthroat impression.wav]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=User:Lurker&diff=1080 2026-08-02T20:41:51Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>{{file:Commonthroat impression.wav}}</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=File:Commonthroat_impression.wav&diff=1079 2026-08-02T20:40:49Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Everybody_Poops_Together&diff=1078 2026-08-02T00:19:57Z

<p>Lurker: Massive rewrite, including integrating the prologue</p> <hr /> <div>I had to chuckle at the mundanity of it. Before First Meeting if I was told I'd be medically examined by aliens, I'd have imagined ominously hovering UFOs, bright lights, and then waking up in a ditch four hours later one or two internal organs lighter. Yet here I was, on my way to do just that, but the atmosphere couldn’t be more… suburban, for lack of a better word.<br /> <br /> Food sellers to my left and right barked their best sales pitch at me, most in heavily accented Commonthroat. They assumed a human wouldn't bother learning Hearthsider, but knowing the local language is why I was picked to be the first live volunteer patient. It'd be like an alien landing on Earth asking to learn a human language, and after refusing English and Spanish and Mandarin they said &quot;Nah, I want to learn to speak Icelandic.&quot; They'd be laughed at. I certainly was.<br /> <br /> I guess all those lectures in a nearly empty classroom paid off, because the clinic that did all the cadaver dissections turned out to be a sleepy little town on Hearthside. Maybe in a hundred years somebody will get a new liver grown from my DNA.<br /> <br /> I passed a group of older pups lounging on perches off the main path.<br /> <br /> One of them came up to me. It sounds weird calling him a pup; he was old enough to be my father. I could hear his fellows urging him on. “Friend,” he said in heavily accented Commonthroat. I flashed my teeth in a jovial American smile. This apparently is what the lad was looking for. “See!” he barked back at his companions, “I told you. Humans DO have fangs, they’re just really small!”<br /> <br /> “yeah sure,” said one of the others, “but how can they eat meat with such small teeth?”<br /> <br /> “Only one way to find out.” My interlocutor reared up on his hind feet and reached toward his fellows with a paw. One of them rummaged through a cloth-covered basket and grabbed a morsel of… something, then tossed it at him. He caught it and held it up to me. “Eat, friend!”<br /> <br /> I took it before registering what it was. It was small, furry, and dead. It looked a bit like a chipmunk, if chipmunks had blue and yellow fur. I evidently was spending too much time scrutinizing it, as my interlocutor grunted in protest. “You a puppy-gut? Can’t eat a raw zap rat?”<br /> <br /> “Not with those teeth,” said the one who tossed him the rodent.<br /> <br /> “Are you trying to win a bet?” I sighed in English. He merely continued to stare at me. Do I really want to eat this thing? Raw? I had eaten a nightcrawler on a dare once when I was a kid. This couldn’t be any worse. I glanced over my shoulder at the clinic. I was already going to the doctor. If I got sick they’d probably know what to do, right? Or they better after cutting up all those human cadavers.<br /> <br /> I popped the creature in my mouth and swallowed it whole, barely letting it touch my tongue.<br /> <br /> “Ha!” said the pup next to me. “They are meat eaters!”<br /> <br /> “That doesn’t count,” protested one of his fellows. “He didn’t bite down on it.”<br /> <br /> As they argued back and forth, I felt my impromptu snack slither down my throat, then came a jolt as though I had swallowed a 9-volt rather than a dead rat.<br /> <br /> My stomach began protesting almost immediately. I glared at the boy and cursed myself for succumbing to peer pressure. He merely flicked an ear in a hasty goodbye then scampered back to his friends, where they continued to debate the finer points of human dentition. I turned and headed to the clinic, my stomach making its displeasure known through noisy gurgles. “I better not need a change of undies,” I thought as I ducked through the door to the healer’s office.<br /> <br /> Behind the exterior doors was a sort of mud room. To one side was a shallow pool for washing paws, barely ankle deep. Next to it was a small shelf, a sign hung above it written in perfect English. “Welcome, human visitors! Remember, our hands are also our feet. Please help keep this clinic clean by removing your footwear before entering. --St. Starlight’s House of Healing. 🐾”<br /> <br /> I placed my sneakers on the shelf and ducked through the curtain leading to the waiting room. Despite the poster’s exhortation to cleanliness, the musty smell of a kennel hung in the air. That’s not to say the place wasn’t clean, well, as clean as a species with constantly shedding fur can make such a high traffic public area. I didn’t mind the smell at all. It reminded me of the animal shelter where I picked out my first dog when I was little. It smelled like a friend. <br /> <br /> Perched next to the wall under a beautifully written icon of the clinic's patron saint were a handful of monkey foxes, a family by the looks of it. Three adults—two sires and a dam, travelling with three of their pups, all girls, much younger than the lads out in the square. All three girls started yipping excitedly upon seeing this hairless ape duck through the doorway. Twelve paws scrabbled on the slick tile to be the first to interact with me.<br /> <br /> «Wow, wow,» said one, peering behind me. «Lookie, he really has no tail.»<br /> <br /> «See,» said the second, her nose pointed at my stockings. «No thumbs on his rear paws. Is it true you stand on your hind legs all the time, mister?»<br /> <br /> «Just that patch of fur on top of your head?» queried the third. «Is that why you wear those covers like a healer?»<br /> <br /> «No, look, sis» barked the first, gesturing with her muzzle up at the meager hair covering my arm, «He does have fur, just not a lot of it.»<br /> <br /> «Now now, my delights, don’t bother the gentleman,» chided one of their sires. They scampered back to their parents. The sire dipped his head in apology. I smiled and did the same to show I wasn't offended.<br /> <br /> My stomach churned. Hearthsiders were an unhurried bunch, even by the standards of other yinrih, a species with all the patience you'd expect from someone who lived over seven centuries on average. I had expected a wait, but didn't account for being hounded by the call of nature.<br /> <br /> I strapped my synth to my hand and began fingering the keys like I was playing a guitar.<br /> <br /> «How old are they?» warbled a tinny voice from the anemic speaker.<br /> <br /> The sire's ears perked up and his eyes opened wide, as near as a monkey fox can get to an excited smile, surprised to hear a human speaking his native throat. «In Terran years? Let's see.» He tilted his head to the side and scratched his ear with a rear paw. «Late teens or early 20s, I think. There's three more where that came from, all boys. They're at the market with our other dam. These three are here for a checkup»<br /> <br /> «Six little ones all at once.» I tried to make the synth sound impressed. «That's got to be a lot, even with two moms and dads to spread the load.»<br /> <br /> «They're a pawful, alright, especially these three. He looked at his daughters, his ears flattened in disapproval. After being robbed of her strange playmate, one of the girls had begun thumping the wall with her tail, and through the endurance that only youth can provide, would continue her little game despite her father's objections for the remainder of my time waiting.<br /> <br /> «But I wouldn't trade this time for the world. Only fifteen more years before adolescence kicks in and they start thinking they know everything and their fur will stop bullets. Right now the world is still new and wonderful. They were just learning about humans in school, and they haven't been able to talk about anything else. I'm sure you'll be the only thing in their ears and out of their throats for the next two weeks.<br /> <br /> «You are the first human they've seen. First I've seen, in fact... well first live human, if you'll excuse me.»<br /> <br /> I dipped my head to show he was in fact excused. «Yeah, all those cadavers. That's why I'm here, actually. The healers want live human subjects now, and somebody has to get probed for the sake of all mankind.»<br /> <br /> He tilted his head trying to process my joke, but decided not to ask for clarification. I had been assured the healers would be doing nothing of the sort, of course. The only clothing I'd be removing was already sitting on that shelf in the entry room.<br /> <br /> He sniffed the air. «It's true what they say about the scent of humans. You smell very...» the next word was impossible to translate. The closest thing any of the Hearthsider-English dictionaries I'd ever seen could come was &quot;pleasant but inedible&quot;, but that barely scratched the surface. Hearthsider, like all monkey fox languages, had a myriad of ways of describing odors. In any case, the word came out to a compliment.<br /> <br /> I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to ignore the increasingly urgent churning growls coming from my gut. I wouldn't be smelling pleasant for long if I didn't find a bathroom soon.<br /> <br /> The heat didn't help matters. Focus hung low on the horizon, its golden rays pouring into the room through the large windows lining the entrance wall, turning the room into a greenhouse. In the time I had been here the shadows cast by the doorframe hadn’t moved an inch, and they never would. On Hearthside, the time of day changed with the latitude. Golden Hour city sat comfortably on the terminator dividing day and night.<br /> <br /> If the foul brew festering in my colon and the wicked sun weren't enough, my hand had begun cramping from operating the synth. I removed the device and gave my hand a few shakes.<br /> <br /> «Are you OK?» asked the sire. <br /> <br /> I decided to be blunt. «Not really. I desperately need to use the bathroom.»<br /> <br /> «Please, allow me. You rest your paw.»<br /> <br /> He hopped down from his perch with a sharp clack of his claws on the tile and walked up to the counter. Perched behind it was a fawn-coated receptionist, her HUD specs sitting halfway down her muzzle flashing reflected sunlight back in my face.<br /> <br /> «Excuse me, ma’am.»<br /> <br /> She slid her HUD specs further down her muzzle. She hadn't heard a word we were saying. «I told you folks when you came in that we were having network problems. My paws are tied until it gets fixed.»<br /> <br /> «My friend here is looking for--»<br /> <br /> She whipped her head to one side and barked «Calmwind, is the network back up yet?!»<br /> <br /> Through a curtain dividing an adjoining room a dusty gray snout poked out, twitched a few times, then its owner waddled forward. The white noise of server cooling fans escaped the room as he pushed the curtain aside. He was definitely a fair ways up the chonk chart. I think this was my first time seeing a fat monkey fox. He panted a few times as though the effort of walking ten feet from his little techie cave was too much.<br /> <br /> «And I told YOU,» said Calmwind as though he had been part of the conversation from the beginning, «It’s not a network issue. The payment processor is down.»<br /> <br /> «I don’t think—» she said, but Calmwind snapped back as though venting years of pent-up frustration.<br /> <br /> «Look, It’s not the network, okay? I swear it’s always the network with you people. Broken heat pump fan? Network must be down. Light flickering in the bathroom? Better call Calmwind, it’s the network again. What does he get paid for anyway?»<br /> <br /> I made my way up to the front of the room, ducking my head to avoid the ceiling fixtures. This building wasn’t built for someone who stood over 30 inches at the shoulder. The sire gave me an unreadable look which I chose to mean “Is this seriously happening right now?” Then he shot a glance back at the other two members of his childermoot. The remaining sire and dam hopped down from their perches and herded their pups out the front door to spare them this public display of office politics. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Calmwind had plucked the HUD specs from the receptionist’s muzzle. «See, I told you, you’ve been browsing the internetwork this whole time. It’s not a problem on our end. You need to send a message to the payment processor.»<br /> <br /> «I’m a receptionist, not an office manager, I get one paycheck but everyone expects me to do the work of two people!» she hissed. <br /> <br /> “Thanks for trying,” I sighed in English, shrugging at the sire standing next to me. He flicked his ears back, returning my shrug with his species’ own gesture of resignation.<br /> <br /> A loud grumble issued from my gut, catching the attention of all three yinrih. <br /> <br /> «Are you feeling well?» asked Calmwind, out of breath from arguing. <br /> <br /> “Are YOU feeling well, big chungus?” I said under my breath in English, then put my synth back on and continued in Hearthsider. «Pardon me, but do you know where the restroom is?»<br /> <br /> «It’s a bit down the hall and to the right,» he said, tossing his muzzle to one side indicating the hallway nearby.<br /> <br /> I ducked into the hallway and started jogging, I caught one last snatch of conversation from the waiting room before turning the corner. The sire, in an attempt to de-escalate, changed the subject. «Amazing how fast they can run on just those two long hind legs of theirs.»<br /> <br /> «I know, right?» answered Calmwind, «and with no tail for balance and as tall as they are, you’d think they’d be falling over all the time.»<br /> <br /> I rounded the corner and was met with another long hallway. My gut rumbled in protest again. My jog had made my situation even more dire. I continued at a brisk walk, accumulating a few bruises on my forehead from the fixtures hanging from the ceiling. Finally, I came to another doorway. I could hear running water from behind the thick curtain. I could wait no longer.<br /> <br /> I pulled the curtain aside and stuck my head through the doorway. Another washing pool sat to the left of the entrance under a flickering light. Wading amid the water washing her paws was a healer. My face reddened. Before I could make a discrete exit, she turned and noticed me.<br /> <br /> «Ah!» she chuffed cheerfully. «Light shine upon you, friend!» She hopped out of the water and trotted up to me, leaving a trail of wet paw prints in her wake. «You must be my human volunteer. My name’s Doctor Shortclaw.» She extended a dripping wet paw to initiate a human handshake. <br /> <br /> I hesitated. This wasn’t the response I expected to a man bursting into the women’s bathroom. <br /> <br /> She extended her paw further. «This is the right way to do it, yes? Right forepaw, digits extended, palm facing to the side?»<br /> <br /> “Yes, ma’am—er doctor,” I said in English before hastily grabbing my synth and repeating my confirmation in Hearthsider. I reluctantly accepted her waterlogged handshake. «I’m so sorry,» I hastily dried my hand on the curtain, «I must have the wrong bathroom.»<br /> <br /> She tilted her head in confusion. «Wrong bathroom? This is the only one on this floor.» I slipped back into the hallway. The sign over the door, overlooked in my earlier haste, simply said «WASHROOM», with no qualifiers. Was this a private bathroom? She didn’t seem to object to my presence. Whatever the case, I needed to get her out of there before the chocolate factory had a meltdown. <br /> <br /> I brought the rest of my body through the doorway. We were standing in a vestibule, the washing pool was off to the left in an alcove. The wall to the right was adorned with pictures, an air freshener, and a cabinet marked with the universal yinrih symbol for health and medicine, a stylized female paw print. The floor was flagged with tiles of various shapes and textures, designed more to be pleasant to the touch of a yinrih’s bare paws than with an eye to visual congruity. A shallow lip separated the vestibule from the rest of the bathroom shrouded in darkness. The flickering light over the washing pool failed to illuminate the area where the toilet was.<br /> <br /> I looked down at the little alien medical professional. The first thing a human normally learns about yinrih is that they're built for living in trees. That's where the _monkey_ in _monkey fox_ comes from, long sinewy prehensile tail, thick limbs and broad back, feet shaped like hands. But the thing about living in trees is you're waging a constant battle with gravity. Every one of those limbs has to be capable of not only supporting the weight of the rest of the body, all 80 pounds of it, but pulling it up as well. All this to say they're absolutely ripped under all that fur. Healers, including the good doctor Shortclaw, shed their fur to maintain hygiene, revealing their swole physique to the world. Grayish-black skin covered her paws and muzzle, becoming ruddy over the rest of her body. I caught a flash of saturated blue as she slid a pair of bandpass membranes over her eyes, scrutinizing my form under light far outside the human visible range.<br /> <br /> Another rumbling burble emanated from my gut, causing her large hearthsider ears to perk up. «Fascinating,» she yipped, pulling a notepad from a band around her foreleg.<br /> <br /> «Look, I really have to use the restroom,» I explained.<br /> <br /> «Even better!» she barked. She flicked her writing claw a few times and began jotting down some notes. «Do you mind if I observe? I was fascinated by the human digestive system while studying your medical cadavers. I’m anxious to see how it operates live.»<br /> <br /> “YES I MIND!” I burst out in English, causing her to flinch. «Sorry,» I synthesized, «If you want samples, I’ll give you samples, but I didn’t sign up to be stared at while I poop.»<br /> <br /> «I see,» she mused. «That might be a problem.» She crossed the threshold separating the sink area from the rest of the bathroom. Motion-activated lights banished the darkness. For the first time I beheld a yinrih toilet, and I did not like what I saw. <br /> <br /> For starters, I was very wrong about it being a private bathroom. Four stalls lined the left wall, though calling them “stalls” was exceedingly generous. They were mere partitions extending up from the floor, not even tall enough to obscure a yinrih’s head. None of them had doors, either. The toilets themselves were simple holes in the floor. What might have been toilet paper dispensers hung above each latrine, positioned to be manipulated by the tail. Most of the floor was lined with more of that mismatched tile, but the area immediately surrounding the latrine itself was coated in a uniform rough texture to tell the user backing into the stall not to plant a rear paw in the hole. There was a noticeable grade to the floor of each stall sloping backward into the toilet, which I assumed was to guide any errant excreta to its proper destination. Sitting in the far corner of the room was a standard yinrih perch, positioned so the user faced the stalls. <br /> <br /> «Our bathrooms probably aren’t what you’re used to on Earth,» she said apologetically. «We’re inclined to be chatty while doing our business. We feel vulnerable while eliminating waste, and feel more comfortable when there are other group members watching out for us. <br /> <br /> «This is a learning experience for both of us. My partners and I want to make this a human-friendly clinic, and any input you can give will help us make this place comfortable for both species. It sounds like humans need privacy when using the washroom, is that right?»<br /> <br /> «Yes, doctor.» I nodded vigorously for emphasis.<br /> <br /> «I see, I see,» she whined softly to herself, writing down more notes. «We’re planning to make major renovations to accommodate your height.» She craned her neck upward to look at my head tilted forward to avoid hitting the ceiling. «I’m sure we can install species-appropriate facilities as well.»<br /> <br /> I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, which Shortclaw noticed immediately. «But I suppose that’s not going to help you right now, is it? How’s this, I’ll stand outside the door and make sure nobody else comes in. Take as long as you need. Oh, and no need to worry about any samples.»<br /> <br /> «Could you?» I answered. «Thank you very much.»<br /> <br /> She turned and walked toward the doorway, but stopped at the cabinet on the wall. She took out a case from which she retrieved what looked like a PEZ dispenser. She waddled back to me on her hind feet and held it out toward me, motioning for me to hold out my palm. She pressed a button on top of the device and a silvery gray pill the size of a grain of rice dropped into my hand.<br /> <br /> «If you'd be so kind as to swallow this for me. It's for some images I'll be taking.» I did as she asked, then she turned to leave, brushing the curtain aside with her snout. I waited for her long sinewy tail to slither out of sight, then turned to face my destiny. <br /> <br /> I took a deep breath. Credit where credit is due, the place was immaculate. Everything from the grout between the tiles to the walls to the floors inside the stalls looked clean enough to eat from, and this room smelled by far the least canine. “OK, you can do this,” I told myself. “You were in the Boy Scouts, you know how to use a latrine, and you don’t even have to bury it this time.”<br /> <br /> I entered the furthest stall from the doorway, undid my belt, squatted down, and prepared to restock the pond with corn-speckled brown trout. I waited, and waited, and waited some more. My colon had gone from Mt. St. Hellen to a space station airlock. “No big deal. I just need to relax.”<br /> <br /> I let my mind wander as I surveyed my surroundings. There was another icon hanging near the entrance to the toilets, positioned to be visible from the stalls. The saint himself was all white save for a bloody maroon stain on his abdomen. He was reared up on his hind feet, an upturned drinking bowl under his right rear paw, reaching with his foreleg to pull a pup out of what looked like a pond of green sludge. Behind the saint’s head was the gilded arch which served as the Claravian answer to the halo.<br /> <br /> I heard Dr. Shortclaw politely ward away one of her conspecifics. «Sorry, our human volunteer is in there.»<br /> <br /> «Are you sure he’s OK in there by himself?» asked the interloper.<br /> <br /> «He’s got Saint Clearwater looking after him.»<br /> <br /> «Fair enough.» The click-clack of his claws had just faded away only to be followed by the sound of four more paws skittering toward the bathroom from the other end of the hall. <br /> <br /> «OUT OF MY WAY!» barked an unfamiliar voice. To my horror, the curtain was thrust aside and a scrawny sandy-furred fellow burst into the bathroom. His momentum was checked only briefly as the good doctor’s paw grasped futilely at the tip of his tail, relieving it of a few hairs. <br /> <br /> «STOP! There’s a--» Shortclaw barked, but the intruder had already vaulted over the threshold between the sink and the toilets in a stunning display of agility.<br /> <br /> «MY TEETH ARE SWIMMING!» he shot back. He took up residence in the stall next to mine, laid his tail across his back, and started putting out a fire. After heaving a contented huff, he turned and became aware of my presence. <br /> <br /> «Oh, a human!» He tapped the partition between us with a claw. «My name’s Coolsand. I’m a junior administrator here at the clinic. I think you saw my boss back in the waiting room.»<br /> <br /> I suddenly became very interested in that icon hanging on the wall.<br /> <br /> «Ah, that’s old Saint Clearwater. They say he watches out for folks who have to use the bathroom alone. Well, that’s what my sires told me growing up, anyway.»<br /> <br /> I moved my gaze to the perch in the corner, staring at it as though it held the secrets of the universe, desperately willing my colon to finish the job. Coolsand did not interpret my silence the way I had hoped, and launched into a monologue. <br /> <br /> «It’s kind of funny, how Saint Clearwater got associated with bathrooms. We don’t know much about his puppyhood, though I’d wager it wasn’t a happy one, given that the first records we have that mention him are police reports involving bar brawls and public drunkenness. He was an alcoholic, you see, that’s what the drinking bowl in the picture symbolizes.»<br /> <br /> «Anyway, he eventually found himself in front of a judge. He was ordered to attend a recovery program hosted at a nearby lighthouse. By all accounts he put his whole gut into it, and seemed to be making progress, but eventually relapsed.<br /> <br /> «This cycle would continue, where he’d try to get sober, fail, wander off, then show up at the lighthouse a few decades later seeking absolution. Since he wasn’t getting any better, the hearthkeeper eventually kicked him out altogether, assuming he wasn’t putting in the effort.<br /> <br /> «He ended up homeless living in a local park, begging for food and getting his fix from the wild wind fruit bushes that grew in the area. This park became notorious, not just for hosting a perpetually liquored up bum, but also for stinking of raw sewage. Turns out that a sewer main had burst, filling an underground pond with, well--» he slapped the textured edge of the latrine with a rear paw.<br /> <br /> «Anyway, one day, a bunch of pups were playing in this park. Some stories say they were a litter, others say it was a school on a field trip, and others say the pups were just local kids. Out of nowhere, this sinkhole opens up, and all the pups just fall into this massive lake of--» he slapped the latrine again. <br /> <br /> «Now there were a ton of grownups around. These pups’ childermoot, their teachers, or whoever, but every account says that a bunch of bystanders saw this happen and just stared. They usually get painted as the villains, but you know, I’m not sure what I’d do if I were standing on their paw prints. They always tell you not to dive in after a drowning person, especially when you’re not trained for it, since they’ll pull you down with them and two people will end up dead instead of just one. And, besides--» for a third time the claws of his rear paw clicked against the side of the latrine.<br /> <br /> «Anyway, out of nowhere, Clearwater, who’s stinking drunk mind you, runs up and starts pulling the pups out of the hole. He manages to get most of them, but there are still two struggling toward the middle. He dives in after them. Well, the pups are still panicking, so they push him under while trying to climb out. The kids are able to get out, but Clearwater ends up drowning.<br /> <br /> «So this naturally makes the news, and Clearwater is hailed as a local hero. The hearthkeeper that kicked him out of the rehab program realizes that he genuinely tried to sober up, but just couldn’t do it. He did keep coming back, after all, and he did seem to try his best, but--»<br /> <br /> «He kept falling off the wagon,» I interjected.<br /> <br /> Coolsand executed a quizzical head tilt. <br /> <br /> «Sorry, it’s a Terran expression.» I repeated the phrase in English and then again in Hearthsider.<br /> <br /> «Well,» Coolsand continued, «That hearthkeeper has a change of heart and starts advocating for his canonization. And not just regular canonization, but she wants him declared a martyr. That’s what that blood stain on his belly means.<br /> <br /> «So even though it’s a bit controversial calling him a martyr, since he didn’t die while trying to fulfill the Great Commandment, he gets the title anyway. He’s got quite the portfolio, as you can imagine. I suppose it’s pretty obvious, his connection with restrooms, if a little morbid. But you also see little statues of him in bars, as he’s said to help drunk people get sober.»<br /> <br /> Coolsand’s hagiography finished, I quickly cleaned myself up and redid my belt, but he insisted on continuing the conversation.<br /> <br /> «I’m really into human stuff, and so is Calmwind. We both know English. He’s the one who made that poster in the entry room. If I knew you’d be here I’d have brought my synth so I could practice. I really want to visit Earth some time.»<br /> <br /> I walked out of the stall and made a move toward the washing pool. Coolsand quickly finished up and followed. A few seconds after we had vacated the stalls, there was a whirring noise, then a cascade of water smelling mildly of bleach rushed out of a grate spanning the entrance to the previously occupied stalls and rushed down the slope and into the latrine, simultaneously flushing it and sanitizing the floor.<br /> <br /> “Well,” I said in English as I squatted in front of the washing pool scrubbing my hands, “Nice meeting you, Coolsand. But let me give you some pointers on men’s room etiquette whenever you visit Earth. Not sure how you’ll negotiate our toilets; I’m sure you’ll figure it out. But whatever you do, remember these words: shut up and stare straight ahead.”<br /> <br /> «Wait, humans don’t chat in the restroom?» I could almost feel him blushing behind his khaki fur. «Did I offend you? I’m sorry if I did, It’s just--»<br /> <br /> “No, no we do not.”<br /> <br /> «So that’s why the old bald-back was guarding the door.»<br /> <br /> “Yes… Look, it was nice meeting you, really, don’t sweat it—uh pant it—I mean don’t worry about it. I think these little psychological quirks that we don’t share stick out only because we have so much else in common.”<br /> <br /> «I guess that’s what the Great Commandment means by ‘bone not of our bone and flesh not of our flesh’.»<br /> <br /> “Just look out for that doctor next time. By the way, my name’s Greg.” I attempted the yinrih’s traditional greeting, patting myself on the abdomen twice with the left palm, then turned to leave.<br /> <br /> Dr. Shortclaw was still standing outside. She looked up at me sheepishly.<br /> <br /> «Sorry about that,» she said. «Like I said, we’re talkative in there. That’s why that perch is in the corner.»<br /> <br /> «I hope you’re a better doctor than a bouncer,» I said as we walked down the hall to the exam room.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=User:Lurker&diff=1077 2026-08-01T14:42:04Z

<p>Lurker: Replaced content with &quot;{{Category:Stories}}&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{Category:Stories}}</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Force_Projector&diff=1076 2026-08-01T14:28:37Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Force Projector to Force projector</p> <hr /> <div>#REDIRECT [[Force projector]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Force_projector&diff=1075 2026-08-01T14:28:37Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Force Projector to Force projector</p> <hr /> <div>Force projectors consist in a molecule-thin sheet of crystalline material that experiences a reactionless force normal to its surface when a voltage is applied across it. The higher the voltage, the stronger the force.<br /> <br /> Force projectors convert surrounding oxygen to ozone when running, which is why very large projectors that run continuously like you see in spacecraft cannot be used in atmosphere. The projector plates on the paws of large mechs are the largest practical terrestrial application for them.<br /> [[Category:Science and Tech]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Force_Projector_Brainstorming&diff=1074 2026-08-01T14:28:15Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Force Projector Brainstorming to Force Projector</p> <hr /> <div>#REDIRECT [[Force Projector]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Force_projector&diff=1073 2026-08-01T14:28:15Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Force Projector Brainstorming to Force Projector</p> <hr /> <div>Force projectors consist in a molecule-thin sheet of crystalline material that experiences a reactionless force normal to its surface when a voltage is applied across it. The higher the voltage, the stronger the force.<br /> <br /> Force projectors convert surrounding oxygen to ozone when running, which is why very large projectors that run continuously like you see in spacecraft cannot be used in atmosphere. The projector plates on the paws of large mechs are the largest practical terrestrial application for them.<br /> [[Category:Science and Tech]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Force_projector&diff=1072 2026-08-01T14:28:02Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>Force projectors consist in a molecule-thin sheet of crystalline material that experiences a reactionless force normal to its surface when a voltage is applied across it. The higher the voltage, the stronger the force.<br /> <br /> Force projectors convert surrounding oxygen to ozone when running, which is why very large projectors that run continuously like you see in spacecraft cannot be used in atmosphere. The projector plates on the paws of large mechs are the largest practical terrestrial application for them.<br /> [[Category:Science and Tech]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Yinrih_astronyms&diff=1071 2026-08-01T14:19:46Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>Originally, there was a taboo against giving names to stars and planets. When the planets were assumed to be &quot;stars&quot; in the sense meant by the [[Great Commandment]], it was assumed that they bore sapient life and that the local sophonts would have their own perfectly good names for where they lived. To give them names would be tantamount to unjustly claiming ownership over them. The yinrih would just have to wait and see what those names were.<br /> <br /> As astronomy advanced, it became clear that the local planets were lifeless, but cultural inertia kept the taboo in place. After [[The Shakeoff]], the Neoshamanists gave them names as a way of rejecting the Great Commandment, and as the Lifebringers' terraforming tech became more and more feasible, indeed claiming ownership over them. They were drawn from the then-popular genre of planetary romances. In these stories a band of missionaries or party of adventurers would meet the local sophonts and learn their name for their world. It would be like humans deciding to call Venus Paralandra and Mars Barsoom. Most authors didn't give much thought to the etymologies of these names, so most were simply euphonious strings of sounds.<br /> <br /> When the Neoshamanists began their terraforming efforts on a neighboring planet, and especially after other groups began staking their own claims to swaths of the planet's surface, it became necessary to refer to it in official documents. The taboo was still somewhat in force, so the Claravian majority gave it the non-name of &quot;Newhome&quot;. By the time Newhome became livable, planetary romance had been a dead genre for a few generations, and some of the stories the names were sourced from were seen as painfully out of date if they weren't forgotten altogether. <br /> <br /> Eventually, a numeric system was settled on for designating large bodies yet to be terraformed. Hearthside was given the number 1, Sweetwater 2, Yih 3, Newhome 4, Welkinstead 5, and Moonlitter 6. Secondaries to these bodies would be numbered from innermost orbit outward. Welkinstead's innermost moon would be 5-1, the next 5-2, and so on. Bodies such as dwarf planets and asteroids that orbited Focus itself were given serial numbers from a catalog. Whatever group terraformed a given body was given the right to name it and its numeric designation would be retired.<br /> <br /> When the technologies to allow crewed interstellar voyages became feasible, about 10 thousand years after the Kindling, the newly founded missionaries came up with a different system for naming prospective habitable worlds. The naming taboo was still relevant to some degree, but they needed a way to refer to specific missions. The numeric system used for naming bodies at Focus had long since been extended to other stars. It's likely that Sol and Earth were given such numbers long long before they were identified as habitable by the missionaries. When a planet was marked for a visit, it would be given a flowery title that, it was hoped, would flatter any local sophonts. Such titles included &quot;Beautiful Country&quot;, &quot;Land of the Wise&quot;, &quot;Breathtaking Vista&quot; and so on. Earth's title was &quot;Place of Unmet Friends&quot;.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=The_Mechanists&diff=1070 2026-08-01T13:09:21Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>The Mechanists were a group of Neoshamanists who formed the first group of colonists on Newhome. At this particular time in yinrih history, the [[Bright Way]] was still on the rise. It wasn't yet a cyberpunk-esque megacorp, but it was very much an &amp;quot;established&amp;quot; religion on [[Yih]]. Minority faiths were not actively persecuted, but pride of place was given to the Bright Way in public life. Its holy days were national holidays, the deaths or accessions of political figures were accompanied by Bright Way ceremonies, and many countries' education systems explicitly or implicitly taught from a Claravian perspective. There were some who chafed under this system, and saw an opportunity to found their own polities as planetary colonization became technically and economically feasible.<br /> <br /> Neoshamanists subscribe to the belief known as Panpsychism: the idea that consciousness is a latent property the universe. This is in contrast to the doctrine of the Bright Way, which professes mind-body dualism. The Mechanists in particular believed that consciousness can manifest in any system of sufficient complexity. In their new home, the usual fonts of consciousness were missing--no living matter, no complex meteorological phenomena, no geological activity. The only complex systems besides the colonists themselves were the machines they brought with them.<br /> <br /> Frontier life is hard on both yinrih and machine, and the colonists' equipment frequently broke down. Combine the flaky machinery with the colonists' particular flavor of animism, and it's not hard to see how this little cult got going.<br /> <br /> The following are some highlights of their beliefs and practices.<br /> <br /> Fabricators were believed to possess particularly temperamental spirits, and it was customary to hold a screwdriver in the right front paw when submitting a print job to the fabricator's leasemind, as a warning to the spirit that consequences would follow should it misbehave.<br /> <br /> Small figurines were placed in engine rooms to keep the generators company when engineering personnel weren't on duty.<br /> <br /> A brief canticle would be chanted when booting a computer to appease the spirit within, often while a particular key was held down. The key did nothing apparent, but it was believed to make the machine spirit more biddable, or even make it run faster.<br /> <br /> Particularly powerful shamans were said to be able to resolve mechanical issues by their mere presence. Lesser techs would toil away at a particular problem, only for the problem to resolve spontaneously when the shaman entered the room.<br /> <br /> Red cabling was believed to be spiritually efficacious, probably because the material needed to manufacture the red polymer used in the cable jackets was hard to come by, so only the most important network links were made with red cable. The claimed benefits included less jitter, fewer dropped packets, lower latency, and even increased throughput.<br /> <br /> The most sacred of this sect's rites was the sacrament of Percussive Maintenance. It was reserved for those occasions when even the wisest of shamans was unable to get a misbehaving spirit to cooperate. It involved repeated whacks of the errant machine with a ceremonial wrench. These wrenches would often be lavishly decorated, and are prized cultural artifacts today.<br /> <br /> As the Mechanists got the terraforming ball rolling, more and more colonists began making their way to Newhome. At first these were people from other minority sects and fringe political ideologies, but eventually, the normies showed up, gradually diluting these odd practices by simple cultural inertia.<br /> <br /> The first wave of &amp;quot;mainstream&amp;quot; yinrih to arrive on Newhome largely consisted of military personnel representing governments from the homeworld seeking to establish claims on swaths of virgin territory. Since the Mechanists were still somewhat active at this point, some of their quirky rituals were passed on to the grunts stationed there.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Culture]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Everybody_Poops_Together&diff=1069 2026-07-31T12:53:05Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>THUMP<br /> <br /> I stood next to the wall, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, trying to ignore the increasingly urgent churning growls coming from my gut. There were no chairs in this waiting room, none my butt could sit in, anyway. I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. The clock was the only thing that worked, no cell towers 25 light years from Earth. I had been standing in this waiting room for nearly an hour with nothing to occupy my mind. For the sixth time I read the large poster written in English hanging on the opposite wall:<br /> <br /> “Welcome, human visitors! Remember, our hands are also our feet. Please help keep this clinic clean by removing your footwear before entering: St. Starlight’s House of Healing. 🐾”<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> Focus hung low on the horizon, its golden rays pouring into the room through the large windows lining the entrance wall. In the hour I had been standing here the shadows cast by the doorframe hadn’t moved an inch, and they never would. On Hearthside, the time of day changed with the latitude. Golden Hour city sat comfortably on the terminator dividing day and night.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> Perched behind a counter on the opposite side of the room was a fawn-coated receptionist, her HUD specs sitting halfway down her muzzle flashing reflected sunlight back in my face.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> Despite the poster’s exhortation to cleanliness, the musty smell of a kennel hung in the air. That’s not to say the place wasn’t clean, well, as clean as a species with constantly shedding fur can make such a high traffic public area. I didn’t mind the smell, really. It reminded me of the animal shelter where I picked out my first dog when I was little. It smelled like a friend. <br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> It had taken a considerable amount of effort to tune out that incessant thumping. I was sharing the waiting room with a handful of monkey foxes, a family by the looks of it. Three adults—two sires and a dam, travelling with three of their pups, all girls, one of whom was the source of the noise. They had already been waiting for a bit when I came in. All three girls started yipping excitedly upon seeing this hairless ape duck through the doorway, all twelve paws scrabbling on the slick tile to be the first to interact with me.<br /> <br /> «Wow, wow,» said one, peering behind me. «Lookie, they really have no tail.»<br /> <br /> «See,» said the second, her nose pointed at my stockings. «No thumbs on their rear paws. Is it true you're up on your hind feet like that all the time, mister?»<br /> <br /> «Just that patch of fur on top of your head?» queried the third. «Is that why you wear those covers like a healer?»<br /> <br /> «No, look, sis» barked the first, gesturing with her muzzle up at the meager hair covering my arm, «they do have fur, just not a lot of it.»<br /> <br /> «now now, my delights, don’t bother the gentleman,» chided one of their sires. They scampered back to their parents, and I heaved a sigh of relief. It took every ounce of my willpower not to scoop them up in my arms and give them all ear scritches and snoot boops. Now robbed of their strange playmate, one of the girls began thumping the wall with her tail, and through the endurance that only youth can provide, had managed to keep it up for the past hour. I wasn’t the only one annoyed by the noise. With each thump, the right ear of the receptionist flicked.<br /> <br /> Another plaintive gurgle issued from my abdomen. I couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to do what no one else could do for me. I glanced around the room, looking for any signs of where a restroom might be. I was on the verge of walking up to ask the woman behind the counter when one of the sires, the same one who had scolded the girls earlier, hopped down from his perch with a sharp clack of his claws on the tile and walked up to the counter ahead of me. <br /> <br /> «Excuse me, ma’am,» he began, «Our appointment time was half an hour ago.»<br /> <br /> The woman slid her HUD specs further down her muzzle. «And I told you folks when you came in that we were having network problems. My paws are tied until it gets fixed. She whipped her head to one side and barked «Calmwind, is the network back up yet?!»<br /> <br /> Through a curtain dividing an adjoining room a dusty gray snout poked out, twitched a few times, then its owner waddled forward. The white noise of server cooling fans escaped the room as he pushed the curtain aside. He was definitely a fair ways up the chonk chart. I think this was my first time seeing a fat monkey fox. He panted a few times as though the effort of walking ten feet from his little techie cave was too much.<br /> <br /> «And I told YOU,» said Calmwind as though he had been part of the conversation from the beginning, «It’s not a network issue. The payment processor is down.»<br /> <br /> «I don’t think—» she said, but Calmwind snapped back as though venting years of pent-up frustration.<br /> <br /> «Look, It’s not the network, okay? I swear it’s always the network with you people. Noisy heat pump fan? Network must be down. Light flickering in the bathroom? Better call Calmwind, it’s the network again. What does he get paid for anyway?»<br /> <br /> I made my way up to the front of the room, ducking my head to avoid various ceiling fixtures. This building wasn’t built for someone who stood over 30 inches at the shoulder. The sire gave me an unreadable look which I chose to mean “Is this seriously happening right now?” Then he shot a glance back at the other two members of his childermoot. The remaining sire and dam hopped down from their perches and herded their pups out the front door to spare them this public display of office politics. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Calmwind had plucked the HUD specs from the receptionist’s muzzle. «See, I told you, you’ve been browsing the internetwork this whole time. It’s not a problem on our end. You need to send a message to the payment processor.»<br /> <br /> «I’m a receptionist, not an office manager, I get one paycheck but everyone expects me to do the work of two people!» she hissed. <br /> <br /> “What can you do.” I said in English, shrugging at the sire standing next to me. He flicked his ears back in resignation.<br /> <br /> A loud grumble issued from my gut, catching the attention of all three yinrih. <br /> <br /> «Are you feeling well, human?» asked Calmwind, out of breath from arguing. <br /> <br /> “Are YOU feeling well, big chungus?” I said under my breath in English, then pulled out my synth and continued in Hearthsider. «Pardon me, but do you know where the restroom is?»<br /> <br /> «It’s a bit down the hall and to the right,» he said, tossing his muzzle to one side indicating the hallway nearby.<br /> <br /> I ducked into the hallway and started jogging, I caught one last snatch of conversation from the waiting room before turning the corner. The sire, in an attempt to de-escalate, changed the subject. «Amazing how fast they can run on just those two long hind legs of theirs.»<br /> <br /> «I know, right?» answered Calmwind, «and with no tail for balance and as tall as they are, you’d think they’d be falling over all the time.»<br /> <br /> I rounded the corner and was met with another long hallway. My gut rumbled in protest again, my jog having made my situation even more dire. I continued at a brisk walk, accumulating a few bruises from the fixtures hanging from the ceiling. Finally, I came to another doorway. I could hear running water from behind the thick curtain. I could wait no longer.<br /> <br /> I pulled the curtain aside and stuck my head through the doorway. A washing pool sat to the left of the entrance under a flickering light. Wading amid the water laving her paws was a healer. My face reddened. Before I could make a discrete exit, she turned and noticed me.<br /> <br /> «Ah!» she chuffed cheerfully. «Light shine upon you, friend!» She hopped out of the water and trotted up to me, leaving a trail of wet paw prints in her wake. «You must be my human volunteer. My name’s Doctor Shortclaw.» She extended a dripping wet paw to initiate a human handshake. <br /> <br /> I hesitated. This wasn’t the response I expected to a man bursting into the women’s bathroom. <br /> <br /> She extended her paw further. «This is the right way to do it, yes? Right forepaw, digits extended, palm facing to the side?»<br /> <br /> “Yes, ma’am—er doctor,” I said in English before hastily grabbing my synth and repeating my confirmation in Hearthsider. I reluctantly accepted her waterlogged handshake. «I’m so sorry,» I said, hastily drying my hand on the curtain, «I must have the wrong bathroom.»<br /> <br /> She tilted her head in confusion. «Wrong bathroom? This is the only one on this floor.» I slipped back into the hallway. The sign over the door, overlooked in my earlier haste, simply said «WASHROOM», with no qualifiers. Was this a private bathroom? She didn’t seem to object to my presence. Whatever the case, I needed to get her out of there before the chocolate factory had a meltdown. <br /> <br /> I brought the rest of my body through the doorway. We were standing in a vestibule, the washing pool was off to the left in an alcove. The wall to the right was adorned with the sort of nick-nacks one would expect to see in a Terran bathroom: pictures, a shelf with what I took to be an air freshener. The floor was flagged with tiles of various shapes and textures, designed more to be pleasant to the touch of a yinrih’s bare paws than with an eye to visual congruity. A shallow lip separated the vestibule from the rest of the bathroom, which was currently unlit. The flickering light over the washing pool failed to illuminate the area where the toilet was.<br /> <br /> I looked down at the little alien medical professional. She was furless save for her whiskers, as expected of a healer, with gray-black skin on her snout and paws giving way to ruddy flesh over the rest of her body. Her limbs and back were dense with musculature that would normally be hidden by fur. I caught a flash of saturated blue as she slid a pair of bandpass membranes over her eyes, scrutinizing my form under light my feeble human eyes couldn’t hope to see.<br /> <br /> Another rumbling burble emanated from my gut, causing doctor Shortclaw’s large hearthsider ears to perk up. «Fascinating,» she yipped, pulling a notepad from a band around her foreleg.<br /> <br /> «Look, I really have to use the restroom,» I explained.<br /> <br /> <br /> «Even better!» she barked. She flicked her writing claw a few times and began jotting down some notes. «Do you mind if I observe? I was fascinated by the human digestive system while studying your medical cadavers. I’m anxious to see how it operates live.»<br /> <br /> “Yes I mind!” I burst out in English, causing her to flinch. «Sorry,» I synthesized, «If you want samples, I’ll give you samples, but I didn’t sign up to be stared at while I poop.»<br /> <br /> «I see,» she mused. «That might be a problem.» She crossed the threshold separating the sink area from the rest of the bathroom. Motion-activated lights banished the darkness. For the first time I beheld a yinrih toilet, and I did not like what I saw. <br /> <br /> For starters, I was very wrong about it being a private bathroom. Four stalls lined the left wall, though calling them “stalls” was exceedingly generous. They were mere partitions extending up from the floor, not even tall enough to obscure a yinrih’s head. None of them had doors, either. The toilets themselves were simple holes in the floor. What might have been toilet paper dispensers hung above each latrine, positioned to be manipulated by the tail. Most of the floor was lined with more of that mismatched tile, but the area immediately surrounding the latrine itself was coated in a uniform rough texture to tell the user backing into the stall not to plant a rear paw in the hole. There was a noticeable grade to the floor of each stall sloping backward into the toilet, which I assumed was to guide any errant excreta to its proper destination. Sitting in the far corner of the room was a standard yinrih perch, positioned so the user faced the stalls. <br /> <br /> «Our bathrooms probably aren’t what you’re used to on Earth,» she said apologetically. «We’re inclined to be chatty while doing our business. We feel vulnerable while eliminating waste, and feel more comfortable when there are other group members watching out for us. <br /> <br /> «This is a learning experience for both of us. My partners and I want to make this a human-friendly clinic, and any input you can give will help us make this place comfortable for both species. It sounds like humans need privacy when using the washroom, is that right?»<br /> <br /> «Yes, doctor,» I said, nodding vigorously for emphasis.<br /> <br /> «I see, I see,» she whined softly to herself, writing down more notes. «We’re planning to make major renovations to accommodate your height.» She craned her neck upward to look at my head tilted forward to avoid hitting the ceiling. «I’m sure we can install species-appropriate facilities as well.»<br /> <br /> I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, which Shortclaw noticed immediately. «But I suppose that’s not going to help you right now, is it? How’s this, I’ll stand outside the door and make sure nobody else comes in. Take as long as you need. Oh, and no need to worry about any samples.»<br /> <br /> «Could you?» I answered. «Thank you very much.»<br /> <br /> She turned and walked through the door, brushing the curtain aside with her snout. I waited for her long sinewy tail to slither out of sight, then turned to face my destiny. <br /> <br /> I took a deep breath. Credit where credit is due, the place was immaculate. Everything from the grout between the tiles to the walls to the floors inside the stalls looked clean enough to eat from, and this room smelled by far the least canine. “OK, you can do this,” I told myself. “You were in the Boy Scouts, you know how to use a latrine, and you don’t even have to bury it this time.”<br /> <br /> I entered the furthest stall from the doorway, undid my belt, squatted down, and prepared to restock the pond with corn-speckled brown trout. I waited, and waited, and waited some more. My colon had gone from Mt. St. Hellen to a space station airlock. “No big deal,” I thought. “I just need to relax.”<br /> <br /> I let my mind wander as I surveyed my surroundings. There was an icon hanging near the entrance to the toilets, positioned to be visible from the stalls. Not an unusual sight here on Hearthside. There was an icon of the clinic’s namesake hanging in the waiting room, too. The saint himself was all white save for a dark red stain on his abdomen. He was reared up on his hind feet, an upturned drinking bowl under his right rear paw, reaching with his foreleg to pull a pup out of what looked like a pond of green sludge. Behind the saint’s head was the gilded arch which served as the Claravian answer to the halo.<br /> <br /> I heard Dr. Shortclaw politely ward away one of her conspecifics. «Sorry, our human volunteer is in there.»<br /> <br /> «Are you sure he’s OK in there by himself?» asked the interloper.<br /> <br /> «He’s got Saint Clearwater looking after him,» she answered.<br /> <br /> «Fair enough,» said the other. The click-clack of his claws had just faded away only to be replaced by the sound of four more paws skittering toward the bathroom from the other end of the hall. <br /> <br /> «OUT OF MY WAY!» barked an unfamiliar voice. To my horror, the curtain was thrust aside and a scrawny sandy-furred fellow burst into the bathroom. His momentum was checked only briefly as the good doctor’s paw grasped futilely at the tip of his tail, relieving it of a few hairs. <br /> <br /> «STOP! There’s a--» barked the healer, but the intruder had already vaulted over the threshold between the sink and the toilets in a stunning display of agility.<br /> <br /> «MY TEETH ARE SWIMMING!» he shot back. He took up residence in the stall next to mine, laid his tail across his back, and started putting out a fire. After heaving a contented huff, he turned and became aware of my presence. <br /> <br /> «Oh, a human!» He tapped the partition between us with a claw. «My name’s Coolsand. I’m a junior administrator here at the clinic. I think you saw my boss back in the waiting room.»<br /> <br /> I suddenly became very interested in that icon hanging on the wall.<br /> <br /> «Ah, that’s old Saint Clearwater. They say he watches out for folks who have to use the bathroom alone. Well, that’s what my sires told me growing up, anyway.»<br /> <br /> I moved my gaze to the perch in the corner, staring at it as though it held the secrets of the universe, desperately willing my colon to finish the job. Coolsand did not interpret my silence the way I had hoped, and launched into a monologue. <br /> <br /> «It’s kind of funny, how Saint Clearwater got associated with bathrooms. We don’t know much about his puppyhood, though I’d wager it wasn’t a happy one, given that the first records we have that mention him are police reports involving bar brawls and public drunkenness. He was an alcoholic, you see, that’s what the drinking bowl in the picture symbolizes.»<br /> <br /> I uttered a half-interested grunt.<br /> <br /> «Anyway, he was a raging alcoholic, like I said, and eventually found himself in front of a judge. He was ordered to attend a recovery program hosted at a nearby lighthouse. By all accounts he put his whole gut into it, and seemed to be making progress, but eventually relapsed.<br /> <br /> «This cycle would continue, where he’d try to get sober, fail, wander off, then show up at the lighthouse a few decades later seeking absolution. Since he wasn’t getting any better, the hearthkeeper eventually kicked him out altogether, assuming he wasn’t putting in the effort.<br /> <br /> «He ended up homeless living in a local park, begging for food and getting his fix from the wild wind fruit bushes that grew in the area. This park became notorious, not just for hosting a perpetually liquored up bum, but also for stinking of raw sewage. Turns out that a sewer main had burst, filling an underground pond with, well--» he slapped the textured edge of the latrine with a rear paw.<br /> <br /> «Anyway, one day, a bunch of pups were playing in this park. Some stories say they were a litter, others say it was a school on a field trip, and others say the pups were just local kids. Out of nowhere, this sinkhole opens up, and all the pups just fall into this massive lake of--» he slapped the latrine again. <br /> <br /> «Now there were a ton of grownups around. These pups’ childermoot, their teachers, or whoever, but every account says that a bunch of bystanders saw this happen and just stared. They usually get painted as the villains, but you know, I’m not sure what I’d do if I were standing on their paw prints. They always tell you not to dive in after a drowning person, especially when you’re not trained for it, since they’ll pull you down with them and two people will end up dead instead of just one. And, besides--» for a third time the claws of his rear paw clicked against the side of the latrine.<br /> <br /> «Anyway, out of nowhere, Clearwater, who’s stinking drunk mind you, runs up and starts pulling the pups out of the hole. He manages to get most of them, but there are still two struggling toward the middle. He dives in after them. Well, the pups are still panicking, so they push him under while trying to climb out. The kids are able to get out, but Clearwater ends up drowning.<br /> <br /> «So this naturally makes the news, and Clearwater is hailed as a local hero. The hearthkeeper that kicked him out of the rehab program realizes that he genuinely tried to sober up, but just couldn’t do it. He did keep coming back, after all, and he did seem to try his best, but--»<br /> <br /> «He kept falling off the wagon,» I interjected, now invested in the story.<br /> <br /> Coolsand executed a quizzical head tilt. <br /> <br /> «Sorry, it’s a Terran expression.» I repeated the phrase in English and then again in Hearthsider.<br /> <br /> «Well,» Coolsand continued, «That hearthkeeper has a change of heart and starts advocating for his canonization. And not just regular canonization, but she wants him declared a martyr. That’s what that blood stain on his belly means.<br /> <br /> «So even though it’s a bit controversial calling him a martyr, since he didn’t die while trying to fulfill the Great Commandment, he gets the title anyway. He’s got quite the portfolio, as you can imagine. I suppose it’s pretty obvious, his connection with restrooms, if a little morbid. But you also see little statues of him in bars, as he’s said to help drunk people get sober.»<br /> <br /> Coolsand’s hagiography finished, I quickly cleaned myself up and redid my belt, but he insisted on continuing the conversation.<br /> <br /> «I’m really into human stuff, and so is Calmwind. We both know English. He’s the one who made that poster in the waiting room. If I knew you’d be here I’d have brought my synth so I could practice. I really want to visit Earth some time.»<br /> <br /> I walked out of the stall and made a move toward the washing pool. Coolsand quickly finished up and followed. A few seconds after we had vacated the stalls, there was a whirring noise, then a cascade of water smelling mildly of bleach rushed out of a grate spanning the entrance to the previously occupied stalls and rushed down the slope and into the latrine, simultaneously flushing it and sanitizing the floor.<br /> <br /> “Well,” I said in English as I squatted in front of the washing pool scrubbing my hands, “Nice meeting you, Coolsand. But let me give you some pointers on men’s room etiquette whenever you visit Earth. Not sure how you’ll negotiate our toilets; I’m sure you’ll figure it out. But whatever you do, remember these words: shut up and stare straight ahead.”<br /> <br /> «Wait, humans don’t chat in the restroom?» I could almost feel him blushing behind his khaki fur. «Did I offend you? I’m sorry if I did, It’s just--»<br /> <br /> “No, no we do not.”<br /> <br /> «So that’s why the old bald-back was guarding the door.»<br /> <br /> “Yes… Look, it was nice meeting you, really, don’t sweat it—uh pant it—I mean don’t worry about it. I think these little psychological quirks that we don’t share stick out only because we have so much else in common.”<br /> <br /> «I guess that’s what the Great Commandment means by ‘bone not of our bone and flesh not of our flesh’.»<br /> <br /> “Just look out for that doctor next time. By the way, my name’s Greg.” I attempted the yinrih’s traditional greeting, patting myself on the abdomen twice with the left palm, then turned to leave.<br /> <br /> Dr. Shortclaw was still standing outside. She looked up at me sheepishly.<br /> <br /> «Sorry about that,» she said. «Like I said, we’re talkative in there. That’s why that perch is in the corner.»<br /> <br /> «I hope you’re a better doctor than a bouncer,» I said as we walked down the hall to the exam room.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Stories]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=File:Welkinstead_city.png&diff=1068 2026-07-31T12:38:02Z

<p>Lurker: A city floating in the atmosphere of Welkinstead</p> <hr /> <div>== Summary ==<br /> A city floating in the atmosphere of Welkinstead</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Yinrih_astronyms&diff=1067 2026-07-30T23:14:20Z

<p>Lurker: Created page with &quot;Originally, there was a taboo against giving names to stars and planets. When the planets were assumed to be &quot;stars&quot; in the sense meant by the Great Commandment, it was assumed that they bore sapient life and that the local sophonts would have their own perfectly good names for where they lived. To give them names would be tantamount to unjustly claiming ownership over them. The yinrih would just have to wait and see what those names were. As astronomy advanced, it beca...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>Originally, there was a taboo against giving names to stars and planets. When the planets were assumed to be &quot;stars&quot; in the sense meant by the Great Commandment, it was assumed that they bore sapient life and that the local sophonts would have their own perfectly good names for where they lived. To give them names would be tantamount to unjustly claiming ownership over them. The yinrih would just have to wait and see what those names were.<br /> <br /> As astronomy advanced, it became clear that the local planets were lifeless, but cultural inertia kept the taboo in place. After [[The Shakeoff]], the Neoshamanists gave them names as a way of rejecting the Great Commandment, and as the Lifebringers' terraforming tech became more and more feasible, indeed claiming ownership over them. They were drawn from the then-popular genre of planetary romances. In these stories a band of missionaries or party of adventurers would meet the local sophonts and learn their name for their world. It would be like humans deciding to call Venus Paralandra and Mars Barsoom. Most authors didn't give much thought to the etymologies of these names, so most were simply euphonious strings of sounds.<br /> <br /> When the Neoshamanists began their terraforming efforts on a neighboring planet, and especially after other groups began staking their own claims to swaths of the planet's surface, it became necessary to refer to it in official documents. The taboo was still somewhat in force, so the Claravian majority gave it the non-name of &quot;Newhome&quot;. By the time Newhome became livable, planetary romance had been a dead genre for a few generations, and some of the stories the names were sourced from were seen as painfully out of date if they weren't forgotten altogether. <br /> <br /> Eventually, a numeric system was settled on for designating large bodies yet to be terraformed. Hearthside was given the number 1, Sweetwater 2, Yih 3, Newhome 4, Welkinstead 5, and Moonlitter 6. Secondaries to these bodies would be numbered from innermost orbit outward. Welkinstead's innermost moon would be 5-1, the next 5-2, and so on. Bodies such as dwarf planets and asteroids that orbited Focus itself were given serial numbers from a catalog. Whatever group terraformed a given body was given the right to name it and its numeric designation would be retired.<br /> <br /> When the technologies to allow crewed interstellar voyages became feasible, about 10 thousand years after the Kindling, the newly founded missionaries came up with a different system for naming prospective habitable worlds. The naming taboo was still relevant to some degree, but they needed a way to refer to specific missions. The numeric system used for naming bodies at Focus had long since been extended to other stars. It's likely that Sol and Earth were given such numbers long long before they were identified as habitable by the missionaries. When a planet was marked for a visit, it would be given a flowery title that, it was hoped, would flatter any local sophonts. Such titles included &quot;Beautiful Country&quot;, &quot;Land of the Wise&quot;, &quot;Breathtaking Vista&quot; and so on. Earth's title was &quot;Place of Unmet Friends&quot;.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=The_House_of_Friendship&diff=1066 2026-07-27T22:46:30Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> <br /> Standing a mere stone's throw from the Eternal Hearth, the edifice was supposed to be a monument to the friendship between the only two sapient species in the galaxy, and to the yinrih who built it, it was just that, but to most humans visiting the holy world of Hearthside, it was--well--a tower of human skulls.<br /> <br /> We had offered a large supply of medical cadavers to our new galactic neighbors so that they might better understand human biology. It was thought that the yinrih, who had terraformed every suitable body in their star system dozens of millennia before we humans put plow to earth for the first time, could bestow upon our primitive species all manner of medical miracles, after, of course, dispelling their ignorance regarding our anatomy. When the human ambassador was asked what ought to be done with the bodies after they had been studied, &quot;Treat them as you would your own dead.&quot; seemed to be the culturally appropriate response.<br /> <br /> What we didn't know at the time was what exactly they did to their dearly departed. Bury them? Cremate them? Nope, turns out the answer was dissolve the soft tissue with acid, then use the bones to build with. Of course, not every structure had the honor of being made from the remains of your friends and family. In more traditional corners of the system, such architecture was reserved for houses of worship. In more secular parts, this peculiar building style extended to monuments, libraries, halls of learning, and centers of political power. In the most general sense, the best way to make your building scream &quot;this is important!&quot; was to cover it in skulls.<br /> <br /> The yinrih healers studying our anatomy had mountains of alien remains to deal with, and also wanted to show us weird flat-faced hairless bipeds that they saw us as friends. Building a library to house the newly acquired medical knowledge in the traditional ossuary style seemed to solve both problems neatly. So there it was, bones bleaching in the perpetual noon of a tidally locked world, containing the musings, anecdotes, theories, and observations of an intelligence that was not our own pondering the peculiarities of the human form.<br /> <br /> Aurora sat politely at the door, ready to greet any passing visitors, human and yinrih alike. She always found it interesting how differently the two species reacted to this little library. Her fellow yinrih would hurry inside, passing the facade of grinning alien skulls without comment, but eager to peruse the shelves, learning as much as they could about these large tailless creatures. Humans would stare open-mouthed at the outer walls encrusted with the skulls and bones of their conspecifics with a mixture of disgust and fascination. Or at least that's what she gathered from their comments. The nuances of human body language still escaped her.<br /> <br /> Today was one memorable exception. He was a cleric, or at least he looked like the pictures Aurora had seen of human clergy. He approached her, teeth exposed in the way humans did to show they were not a threat, extending his arm to grasp her forepaw in a greeting gesture. After quickly remembering not to expose her own teeth, she reared up on her hind legs to better meet his gaze, wrapping her tail around the pillar behind her for balance. She politely refused the handshake. The human was positively drenched in that pungent excretion, &quot;sweat&quot;, she thought they called it. The unforgiving heat of the nightless desert apparently did not agree with this alien visitor. It was just a brackish solution used to regulate body temperature, exuded by glands just under the surface of the skin, odorless on its own. It was the bacteria living on the skin that caused the smell. Whatever it was and however it smelled, she was not eager to get it on her pelt.<br /> <br /> &quot;Good, uh, morning?&quot; said the human, quickly glancing up at the star perpetually frozen at the zenith. &quot;Sure is hot today.&quot;<br /> <br /> «Hello,» Aurora yipped. «It's like we say, 'On Hearthside, if you don't like the weather, too bad, it's not going to change.'»<br /> <br /> &quot;Quite the monument you've got here. What's it for if you don't mind me asking?&quot;<br /> <br /> «Not at all. I'm actually a volunteer here. This is the House of Friendship. It's a little medical library, all books on human biology and medicine.»<br /> <br /> &quot;Ah,&quot; the cleric responded. &quot;And the skulls are real, then?&quot;<br /> <br /> «...yeah,» she hesitated. «It's considered the respectful thing to do here. You guys gave us all these cadavers to study, and we wanted to do right by you when we were done with them.»<br /> <br /> &quot;Fascinating.&quot;<br /> <br /> «You're not offended? Most humans seem to think it's morbid.»<br /> <br /> &quot;We build our altars on top of the bones of saints. It's really not all that different, I guess. We even have a few chapels that look just like this. We usually bury our dead first, but after a few hundred years it builds up and we need to make room. The bones get dug up and they need to go somewhere.&quot; He gestured at the facade.<br /> <br /> «Interesting,» said Aurora, ears tilted forward in attention.<br /> <br /> &quot;A lot of us humans still think that stuff is morbid, too. I don't know, I guess it can be, context is everything. But in a way I can see why you find it comforting. Being surrounded by friends and family. Being reminded of one's mortality also keeps your mind on the important things.&quot;<br /> <br /> «Exactly,» Aurora barked happily, glad to finally see a human recognizing her species' gesture of kindness. «You know we've been searching for other sophonts for so long. It's kind of the whole point of all this.» She waved her paw in the direction of the Eternal Hearth and surrounding religious buildings. &quot;We're just happy we're not alone anymore.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Thanks,&quot; said the human. &quot;We're just as glad as you are.&quot;<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:House of Friendship}}<br /> [[Category:Stories]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=File:Focus_crowsfoot2.png&diff=1065 2026-07-27T18:09:37Z

<p>Lurker: A possible arrangement for the orbits of the planets in the Allied Worlds.</p> <hr /> <div>== Summary ==<br /> A possible arrangement for the orbits of the planets in the Allied Worlds.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Stories:An_Alien_Through_Alien_Eyes&diff=1064 2026-07-27T11:36:03Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Stories:An Alien Through Alien Eyes to An Alien Through Alien Eyes over redirect</p> <hr /> <div>#REDIRECT [[An Alien Through Alien Eyes]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=An_Alien_Through_Alien_Eyes&diff=1063 2026-07-27T11:36:03Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Stories:An Alien Through Alien Eyes to An Alien Through Alien Eyes over redirect</p> <hr /> <div>I was sitting atop her head, an arrangement she tolerated as it was the only way I could get a good look at what she was doing without risking getting under paw. In her rear paws she was holding two strands of wire insulated with some sort of tree gum, each strand half as thick around as my thorax. In one forepaw was another length of wire, softer and uncovered, and in the other she wielded a great iron rod fiercely radiating heat. at least it seemed great to me. She likely found its size quite unremarkable. A cable, even more thickly insulated, connected the iron to a large structure--she would have called it a mere box--that I guessed provided the iron's heat.<br /> <br /> &quot;What are you doing, great one?&quot; I asked.<br /> <br /> &quot;I have a name, remember?&quot; she said, her voice a low rumor like distant thunder. &quot;It's Sunbeam.&quot;<br /> <br /> A pretty name, but one that hardly matched her appearance. &quot;What are you doing, Sunbeam?&quot; I repeated.<br /> <br /> &quot;My job,&quot; she rumbled. &quot;I'm building an electric light tower to put at the center of town. Well, I'm assuming it's a tower from your perspective. It's just a wooden dowel not even half the length of my tail, and I'm sticking that little LED array on top.&quot; She gestured with her tail toward a flat contrivance covered in intricate little studs--the LEDs she mentioned, as I would find out later.<br /> <br /> &quot;Your job?&quot; I asked.<br /> <br /> As she spoke, she touched the exposed ends of the insulated wires and twisted them into a single braid, then touched the hot iron to the area where they met. &quot;I'm a hearthkeeper,&quot; she said, bringing the end of the softer wire in contact with the exposed copper. &quot;I bring light and warmth, physical and spiritual, to those around me.&quot; The soft wire liquified, coating the exposed ends of the other two wires and releasing smoke that smelled like burning tree sap.<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes,&quot; I said half to myself. &quot;You did say you're a missionary. Why don't you preach, then? You don't think your faith can stand up to scrutiny?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;I wouldn't have spent hundreds of years travelling the stars to get here if I didn't have the courage of my convictions,&quot; she said. &quot;But, well, look at me.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;It's hard to see a building when your standing on top of it,&quot; I said.<br /> <br /> &quot;Exactly. When we discovered your world we had no idea how... small you were. I'm not even that big, a runt in fact, but to you I'm a giant, a disgusting inside-out giant, if I recall what you said when we first met.&quot;<br /> <br /> I looked behind me. From four stories up, I could see the moss farm just outside of town. The field still bore a faint indentation in the shape of one of her paws. She had trampled over half the crop in a single step. This was on her first visit to town the day after her skyship landed, before we knew what she was, before she knew what we were.<br /> <br /> I had awoke to rumors spread by the town drunk that a star had fallen to the east, half a day's journey from town. I had dismissed them at first until a friend of mine, a fellow merchant who was up late taking inventory in his shop, confirmed that he saw it, too, a star, glowing violet, had fallen to earth. &quot;Didn't make a sound,&quot; he had said. &quot;You'd think something that big would make some noise when it landed.&quot;<br /> <br /> The day went on as normal, other than a few lads trying to drum up a party of adventurers to investigate the fallen star, nobody seemd too bothered. &quot;A great beast has returned!&quot; one of them had said to me as he left my shop. He had purchased a water bladder, &quot;For the adventure,&quot; he had told me. &quot;I'm tellin' ya, there's riches beyond your wildest dreams. We just gotta slay the beast and its horde will be ours.&quot;<br /> <br /> I clicked my mandibles dismissively. &quot;You're chasing fairy tails. There haven't been any great beasts in centuries. We exterminated them all as soon as we figured out how to fire a cannon.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Where's your sense of wonder?&quot; the lad said as he walked out the door.<br /> <br /> I had closed my shop for the afternoon and was chatting with some friends at the inn on the east edge of town, sipping a bead of honeydew. That's when we heard it, a dull, rhythmic tremor sent ripples through the drink on the table.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> We put our drinks down and looked through the open door to the street outside.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> Some ventured outside to find the source of the noise. Seeing that a crowd had already gathered, I took my satchel and made my way to the roof to get a better look.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> We stared past the moss farm at the crest of the hill behind. That's when we saw her. She bounded over the hill, crushing the moss crop under paw along with the decoy the farmer had placed in the middle of the field to scare away the crow-flies. She turned her head down to look at us all gathered at the edge of town. Her eyes widened. She dug her claws into the dirt leaving furrows in their wake.<br /> <br /> The crowd scattered into the surrounding buildings to avoid being trampled. She bumped into the wall of the inn before coming to a stop. To her I suppose it was a bump, but the whole structure shuddered. I lost my balance and fell over the edge, landing square atop her forepaw. <br /> <br /> It's hard for me to put into words exactly what I experienced next. Some people say that you don't know what you're looking at until you know what you're looking at. I had always thought that an odd notion until then. I didn't know what was paw or tail or leg or snout or fang or fur, all things I would only learn much later, so it should be kept in mind that the description that follows is only possible with the benefit of quite a bit of hindsight.<br /> <br /> I had only gotten a glimpse of her before she sent me tumbling off the roof. She had four legs, as well as a long thick round structure protruding from her back end, a tail I would later learn. I suppose the first thing I noticed as I came to rest was the heat, this calid humidity that seemed to envelope her. I had spread my limbs to cushion my fall. I was expecting to feel a solid carapace beneath her pelage, but my hands plunged through stiff guard hares then downy undercoat before they were stopped by a pliable, oily surface, her &quot;skin&quot;. It was not just warm, it was hot, like a balmy summer day. I felt something hard beneath the skin of her paw, &quot;bone&quot;. It was bone that gave structure to her body, and the skin kept her soft viscera from spilling out. She was inside out, soft on the outside and hard on the inside. <br /> <br /> I had only a second to contemplate this horror. She started and jerked her paw back, and I tumbled to the ground, my satchel landing some distance away. She raised her paw, giving me a good look at its underside. There were thick soft pads on each digit, with more pads arranged on her palms in the same pattern I saw pressed into the moss field. So ponderously massive was she that she needed cushions to soften the impact of her footfalls. <br /> <br /> I turned my head away. This was how I would end. The old stories spoke of our ancestors stealing forbidden knowledge from the gods. To punish us for our hubris, they made us small and frail, and set great beasts upon us to trample us or devour us by the hundred. The last thing I would feel was her inexorable bulk crushing me from above. My only consolation was that I wouldn't be eaten. <br /> <br /> I felt pressure, not from above, but on either side. She had gently taken me between her thumb and finger and was lifting me off the ground. When I was a mere nymph, during one of the vanishingly rare snowfalls that would blanket our little village, I remember delicately taking a snowflake in my arms to examine, careful not to break it. It was with that same tenderness that she plucked me from the ground.<br /> <br /> As I ascended, I saw her thorax, or what she would later tell me was called her &quot;chest&quot;. It was expanding and contracting, like a set of bellows were inflating and deflating. <br /> <br /> She raised me to the level of her face. I felt more heat, this time pulsing over me in rhythmic waves. I stood there in the hollow of her paw, all six limbs shaking, staring into her great red maw. I saw her mandibles, well, &quot;mandible&quot;, singular. Rather than two mobile mouth parts it was fused to form a single structure that could only move up and down. It was hanging lax. A disgusting red growth, glistening wet and twitching in time with those same heat waves, lolled out of her mouth to one side. This I would come to know was called a &quot;tongue&quot;. Pointed white protrusions lined both sides of her mouth, erupting like stalactites and stalagmites in a cave. &quot;teeth&quot; they were called. Four of these, two below and two above, were larger than the rest. These were &quot;fangs&quot;. <br /> <br /> Her mouth was the source of the hot air washing over me. Just like us bugs, her body required air to live. We bugs simply took in air passively through spiracles dotted across our carapace. Because of her massive size she required organs dedicated to the purpose. These &quot;lungs&quot; were constantly inflating, drawing in fresh air, and deflating, exhausting spent air. This was why her chest was heaving. <br /> <br /> She drew me closer to her snout. I debated whether to leap from her paw, but, I reasoned at the time, if death was inevitable, I would rather it come sooner than later. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure now that it was her intention to do us harm. At least she had thus far taken care not to damage me, and curiosity was beginning to displace my terror.<br /> <br /> I was very close now to two large spiracles surrounded by black skin, wet like her tongue and the inside of her mouth. Through these she dew in rapid shallow drafts of air. This was her means of olfaction, a sense well developed in her kind.<br /> <br /> Framing the wet tip of her nose were clusters of stiff hairs, much longer than the surrounding fur, &quot;whiskers&quot;, tactile sense organs not unlike our antennae, though lacking the faculty of smell. Presently she turned her head slightly, and I felt them brush against my carapace. <br /> <br /> Now I was very close to her eye, simple, deep, black. Soulful, I would come to say with time. She slid a lustrous golden membrane over top of it, in which I was clearly reflected. I saw that my antennae were covered in dust from my fall, and I quickly cleaned them. <br /> <br /> She lowered her paw and gently deposited me back on the roof of the inn. Rumbles issued from her chest. Now I am no scholar of languages, but I am a merchant, and a well-traveled one at that. I am fluent in a few idioms and proficient in many more. There was no doubt in my mind that these thundering utterances were words, not the mindless bellowing of a brute beast. Of course I did not know precisely what she was saying, but now after patient instruction in her language I can recall her words.<br /> <br /> &quot;I'm SO sorry. Are you alright? I hope I didn't step on anything... uh... or anyone. She scrutinized the palms of her forefeet in much the same way she had examined me, with much sniffing and whisker brushing. &quot;hmmm Nothing here.&quot; Then, much to my astonishment, with some astounding contortions she brought her hind feet close to her snout and repeated the same self inspection. &quot;OK... OK... I think we're good, Sunbeam. No manslaughter charges today. Unless...&quot; <br /> <br /> She bowed her head to the ground and inspected the wall and windows of the inn, causing a new wave of terror to ripple through the bugs hiding within. She spied them through the window. &quot;Oh, So that's where you guys went. I'm sorry... uh... again. Big miscalculation on our part. Seems you're a lot smaller than I was expecting.&quot; She noticed a large crack running up the wall. &quot;Oh no, that was me, wasn't it? Yeah, definitely my fault. Sorry.... again again. Look, I don't have any money on me, 'bring with thee no coin' and all that, but I promise I'll make this right.&quot;<br /> <br /> Before righting herself she noticed my satchel lying where it had fallen. She sniffed it. &quot;This must be yours.&quot; She hooked the strap on one of her claws and brought it up to me. I took it and motioned thanks with my antennae. <br /> <br /> Slowly she began slinking away, keeping her body low to the ground, her long tail curled tight against her back. With each footfall she spread her digits wide apart. The points of her claws touched the ground first, and she carefully rolled her weight from toe tip to heel, making sure the only thing underfoot was ground. &quot;Careful, Sunny, slow and careful.&quot;<br /> <br /> I waited for the dull rumor of her footsteps to fade into the distance before making my way off the roof.<br /> <br /> &quot;You are... quite singular,&quot; I said after my long reflection.<br /> <br /> &quot;Which is exactly why I have to watch what I say and exactly how I say it.&quot; She had slid a black sleave over the two spliced wires and was applying blistering hot air from another of her seemingly endless array of cunning artifices. &quot;That's why I'm hesitant to preach. I'm not afraid I won't be compelling, I'm afraid I'll be too compelling. Error barks, the Truth whispers, but how can I whisper when every syllable I utter is a thunderclap?&quot;<br /> <br /> The black sleeve had shrunk tight around the wires, joining them as one. Dazzling white light burst from the LED array, turning the fading evening twilight to mid-day. &quot;You're lucky,&quot; she said, pushing the wooden pole into the earth. &quot;Just a little light for little eyes.&quot; She tilted her muzzle skyward, and I had to grab hold of her ear to keep from loosing my balance. &quot;You can still see the stars.&quot;<br /> <br /> She rumbled a prayer under her breath. &quot;O icons of the Light, shine upon us little ones.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;US little ones?&quot; I asked. &quot;You call yourself little?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;We're all little measured against the vastness of Creation,&quot; she said. &quot;You may be smaller than my thumb and I may be four stories tall, but we're both not even rounding errors in the grand scheme of things.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Infinitesimal,&quot; I said.<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes, infinitesimal in scale, but infinitely loved.&quot; She seemed to be gazing in adoration at something beyond even the black behind the stars, and just for an instant I thought I felt someone gaze back.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=An_Alien_Through_Alien_Eyes&diff=1062 2026-07-27T11:35:36Z

<p>Lurker: Made it less stupid</p> <hr /> <div>I was sitting atop her head, an arrangement she tolerated as it was the only way I could get a good look at what she was doing without risking getting under paw. In her rear paws she was holding two strands of wire insulated with some sort of tree gum, each strand half as thick around as my thorax. In one forepaw was another length of wire, softer and uncovered, and in the other she wielded a great iron rod fiercely radiating heat. at least it seemed great to me. She likely found its size quite unremarkable. A cable, even more thickly insulated, connected the iron to a large structure--she would have called it a mere box--that I guessed provided the iron's heat.<br /> <br /> &quot;What are you doing, great one?&quot; I asked.<br /> <br /> &quot;I have a name, remember?&quot; she said, her voice a low rumor like distant thunder. &quot;It's Sunbeam.&quot;<br /> <br /> A pretty name, but one that hardly matched her appearance. &quot;What are you doing, Sunbeam?&quot; I repeated.<br /> <br /> &quot;My job,&quot; she rumbled. &quot;I'm building an electric light tower to put at the center of town. Well, I'm assuming it's a tower from your perspective. It's just a wooden dowel not even half the length of my tail, and I'm sticking that little LED array on top.&quot; She gestured with her tail toward a flat contrivance covered in intricate little studs--the LEDs she mentioned, as I would find out later.<br /> <br /> &quot;Your job?&quot; I asked.<br /> <br /> As she spoke, she touched the exposed ends of the insulated wires and twisted them into a single braid, then touched the hot iron to the area where they met. &quot;I'm a hearthkeeper,&quot; she said, bringing the end of the softer wire in contact with the exposed copper. &quot;I bring light and warmth, physical and spiritual, to those around me.&quot; The soft wire liquified, coating the exposed ends of the other two wires and releasing smoke that smelled like burning tree sap.<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes,&quot; I said half to myself. &quot;You did say you're a missionary. Why don't you preach, then? You don't think your faith can stand up to scrutiny?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;I wouldn't have spent hundreds of years travelling the stars to get here if I didn't have the courage of my convictions,&quot; she said. &quot;But, well, look at me.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;It's hard to see a building when your standing on top of it,&quot; I said.<br /> <br /> &quot;Exactly. When we discovered your world we had no idea how... small you were. I'm not even that big, a runt in fact, but to you I'm a giant, a disgusting inside-out giant, if I recall what you said when we first met.&quot;<br /> <br /> I looked behind me. From four stories up, I could see the moss farm just outside of town. The field still bore a faint indentation in the shape of one of her paws. She had trampled over half the crop in a single step. This was on her first visit to town the day after her skyship landed, before we knew what she was, before she knew what we were.<br /> <br /> I had awoke to rumors spread by the town drunk that a star had fallen to the east, half a day's journey from town. I had dismissed them at first until a friend of mine, a fellow merchant who was up late taking inventory in his shop, confirmed that he saw it, too, a star, glowing violet, had fallen to earth. &quot;Didn't make a sound,&quot; he had said. &quot;You'd think something that big would make some noise when it landed.&quot;<br /> <br /> The day went on as normal, other than a few lads trying to drum up a party of adventurers to investigate the fallen star, nobody seemd too bothered. &quot;A great beast has returned!&quot; one of them had said to me as he left my shop. He had purchased a water bladder, &quot;For the adventure,&quot; he had told me. &quot;I'm tellin' ya, there's riches beyond your wildest dreams. We just gotta slay the beast and its horde will be ours.&quot;<br /> <br /> I clicked my mandibles dismissively. &quot;You're chasing fairy tails. There haven't been any great beasts in centuries. We exterminated them all as soon as we figured out how to fire a cannon.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Where's your sense of wonder?&quot; the lad said as he walked out the door.<br /> <br /> I had closed my shop for the afternoon and was chatting with some friends at the inn on the east edge of town, sipping a bead of honeydew. That's when we heard it, a dull, rhythmic tremor sent ripples through the drink on the table.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> We put our drinks down and looked through the open door to the street outside.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> Some ventured outside to find the source of the noise. Seeing that a crowd had already gathered, I took my satchel and made my way to the roof to get a better look.<br /> <br /> THUMP<br /> <br /> We stared past the moss farm at the crest of the hill behind. That's when we saw her. She bounded over the hill, crushing the moss crop under paw along with the decoy the farmer had placed in the middle of the field to scare away the crow-flies. She turned her head down to look at us all gathered at the edge of town. Her eyes widened. She dug her claws into the dirt leaving furrows in their wake.<br /> <br /> The crowd scattered into the surrounding buildings to avoid being trampled. She bumped into the wall of the inn before coming to a stop. To her I suppose it was a bump, but the whole structure shuddered. I lost my balance and fell over the edge, landing square atop her forepaw. <br /> <br /> It's hard for me to put into words exactly what I experienced next. Some people say that you don't know what you're looking at until you know what you're looking at. I had always thought that an odd notion until then. I didn't know what was paw or tail or leg or snout or fang or fur, all things I would only learn much later, so it should be kept in mind that the description that follows is only possible with the benefit of quite a bit of hindsight.<br /> <br /> I had only gotten a glimpse of her before she sent me tumbling off the roof. She had four legs, as well as a long thick round structure protruding from her back end, a tail I would later learn. I suppose the first thing I noticed as I came to rest was the heat, this calid humidity that seemed to envelope her. I had spread my limbs to cushion my fall. I was expecting to feel a solid carapace beneath her pelage, but my hands plunged through stiff guard hares then downy undercoat before they were stopped by a pliable, oily surface, her &quot;skin&quot;. It was not just warm, it was hot, like a balmy summer day. I felt something hard beneath the skin of her paw, &quot;bone&quot;. It was bone that gave structure to her body, and the skin kept her soft viscera from spilling out. She was inside out, soft on the outside and hard on the inside. <br /> <br /> I had only a second to contemplate this horror. She started and jerked her paw back, and I tumbled to the ground, my satchel landing some distance away. She raised her paw, giving me a good look at its underside. There were thick soft pads on each digit, with more pads arranged on her palms in the same pattern I saw pressed into the moss field. So ponderously massive was she that she needed cushions to soften the impact of her footfalls. <br /> <br /> I turned my head away. This was how I would end. The old stories spoke of our ancestors stealing forbidden knowledge from the gods. To punish us for our hubris, they made us small and frail, and set great beasts upon us to trample us or devour us by the hundred. The last thing I would feel was her inexorable bulk crushing me from above. My only consolation was that I wouldn't be eaten. <br /> <br /> I felt pressure, not from above, but on either side. She had gently taken me between her thumb and finger and was lifting me off the ground. When I was a mere nymph, during one of the vanishingly rare snowfalls that would blanket our little village, I remember delicately taking a snowflake in my arms to examine, careful not to break it. It was with that same tenderness that she plucked me from the ground.<br /> <br /> As I ascended, I saw her thorax, or what she would later tell me was called her &quot;chest&quot;. It was expanding and contracting, like a set of bellows were inflating and deflating. <br /> <br /> She raised me to the level of her face. I felt more heat, this time pulsing over me in rhythmic waves. I stood there in the hollow of her paw, all six limbs shaking, staring into her great red maw. I saw her mandibles, well, &quot;mandible&quot;, singular. Rather than two mobile mouth parts it was fused to form a single structure that could only move up and down. It was hanging lax. A disgusting red growth, glistening wet and twitching in time with those same heat waves, lolled out of her mouth to one side. This I would come to know was called a &quot;tongue&quot;. Pointed white protrusions lined both sides of her mouth, erupting like stalactites and stalagmites in a cave. &quot;teeth&quot; they were called. Four of these, two below and two above, were larger than the rest. These were &quot;fangs&quot;. <br /> <br /> Her mouth was the source of the hot air washing over me. Just like us bugs, her body required air to live. We bugs simply took in air passively through spiracles dotted across our carapace. Because of her massive size she required organs dedicated to the purpose. These &quot;lungs&quot; were constantly inflating, drawing in fresh air, and deflating, exhausting spent air. This was why her chest was heaving. <br /> <br /> She drew me closer to her snout. I debated whether to leap from her paw, but, I reasoned at the time, if death was inevitable, I would rather it come sooner than later. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure now that it was her intention to do us harm. At least she had thus far taken care not to damage me, and curiosity was beginning to displace my terror.<br /> <br /> I was very close now to two large spiracles surrounded by black skin, wet like her tongue and the inside of her mouth. Through these she dew in rapid shallow drafts of air. This was her means of olfaction, a sense well developed in her kind.<br /> <br /> Framing the wet tip of her nose were clusters of stiff hairs, much longer than the surrounding fur, &quot;whiskers&quot;, tactile sense organs not unlike our antennae, though lacking the faculty of smell. Presently she turned her head slightly, and I felt them brush against my carapace. <br /> <br /> Now I was very close to her eye, simple, deep, black. Soulful, I would come to say with time. She slid a lustrous golden membrane over top of it, in which I was clearly reflected. I saw that my antennae were covered in dust from my fall, and I quickly cleaned them. <br /> <br /> She lowered her paw and gently deposited me back on the roof of the inn. Rumbles issued from her chest. Now I am no scholar of languages, but I am a merchant, and a well-traveled one at that. I am fluent in a few idioms and proficient in many more. There was no doubt in my mind that these thundering utterances were words, not the mindless bellowing of a brute beast. Of course I did not know precisely what she was saying, but now after patient instruction in her language I can recall her words.<br /> <br /> &quot;I'm SO sorry. Are you alright? I hope I didn't step on anything... uh... or anyone. She scrutinized the palms of her forefeet in much the same way she had examined me, with much sniffing and whisker brushing. &quot;hmmm Nothing here.&quot; Then, much to my astonishment, with some astounding contortions she brought her hind feet close to her snout and repeated the same self inspection. &quot;OK... OK... I think we're good, Sunbeam. No manslaughter charges today. Unless...&quot; <br /> <br /> She bowed her head to the ground and inspected the wall and windows of the inn, causing a new wave of terror to ripple through the bugs hiding within. She spied them through the window. &quot;Oh, So that's where you guys went. I'm sorry... uh... again. Big miscalculation on our part. Seems you're a lot smaller than I was expecting.&quot; She noticed a large crack running up the wall. &quot;Oh no, that was me, wasn't it? Yeah, definitely my fault. Sorry.... again again. Look, I don't have any money on me, 'bring with thee no coin' and all that, but I promise I'll make this right.&quot;<br /> <br /> Before righting herself she noticed my satchel lying where it had fallen. She sniffed it. &quot;This must be yours.&quot; She hooked the strap on one of her claws and brought it up to me. I took it and motioned thanks with my antennae. <br /> <br /> Slowly she began slinking away, keeping her body low to the ground, her long tail curled tight against her back. With each footfall she spread her digits wide apart. The points of her claws touched the ground first, and she carefully rolled her weight from toe tip to heel, making sure the only thing underfoot was ground. &quot;Careful, Sunny, slow and careful.&quot;<br /> <br /> I waited for the dull rumor of her footsteps to fade into the distance before making my way off the roof.<br /> <br /> &quot;You are... quite singular,&quot; I said after my long reflection.<br /> <br /> &quot;Which is exactly why I have to watch what I say and exactly how I say it.&quot; She had slid a black sleave over the two spliced wires and was applying blistering hot air from another of her seemingly endless array of cunning artifices. &quot;That's why I'm hesitant to preach. I'm not afraid I won't be compelling, I'm afraid I'll be too compelling. Error barks, the Truth whispers, but how can I whisper when every syllable I utter is a thunderclap?&quot;<br /> <br /> The black sleeve had shrunk tight around the wires, joining them as one. Dazzling white light burst from the LED array, turning the fading evening twilight to mid-day. &quot;You're lucky,&quot; she said, pushing the wooden pole into the earth. &quot;Just a little light for little eyes.&quot; She tilted her muzzle skyward, and I had to grab hold of her ear to keep from loosing my balance. &quot;You can still see the stars.&quot;<br /> <br /> She rumbled a prayer under her breath. &quot;O icons of the Light, shine upon us little ones.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;US little ones?&quot; I asked. &quot;You call yourself little?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;We're all little measured against the vastness of Creation,&quot; she said. &quot;You may be smaller than my thumb and I may be four stories tall, but we're both not even rounding errors in the grand scheme of things.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Infinitesimal,&quot; I said.<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes, infinitesimal in scale, but infinitely loved.&quot; She seemed to be gazing in adoration at something beyond even the black behind the stars, and just for an instant I thought I felt someone gaze back.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=File:Partisan_immortal2.png&diff=1061 2026-07-25T21:26:31Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker uploaded a new version of File:Partisan immortal2.png</p> <hr /> <div>Immortal mini mech</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Category:Stories&diff=1060 2026-07-24T22:52:56Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>I make no claim to being a master storyteller. You're getting what you pay for. That being said, I hope these stories are at least worth the time it takes to read them.<br /> <br /> When I'm not feeling lazy, translated yinrih speech is indicated with Italian quotes («»).<br /> <br /> This project takes place over a ''very'' long time span. It covers the dawn of the yinrih species around 100 thousand years ago to the present when they make first contact with humanity as well as the following decades as the two species get to know each other. The table below lists the stories in the order I originally posted them on the [https://cbbforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7992 CBB forum], along with an approximate year (in Earth years before or after First Contact) that the story takes place. Some of the stories are in-universe legends or parables, and thus don't have a date.<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable sortable mw-collapsible&quot;<br /> |+Story List (in order of post date)<br /> !Story<br /> !Approximate In-Universe time frame<br /> |-<br /> |[[The House of Friendship]]<br /> |10<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Tornado]]<br /> |0<br /> |-<br /> |[[Are We as Mayflies?|Are We As Mayflies?]]<br /> |0<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Artificer's Litter]]<br /> | -30000<br /> |-<br /> |[[Beating the Heat]]<br /> |0<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Mass Router]]<br /> |1<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Ansible]]<br /> |1<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Spacer Confederacy]]<br /> | -300<br /> |-<br /> |[[Mundane Utility]]<br /> |1<br /> |-<br /> |[[First Contact]]<br /> |0<br /> |-<br /> |[[Table Manners]]<br /> |2<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Farspeaker's Apprentice]]<br /> | -40000<br /> |-<br /> |[[Everybody Poops Together]]<br /> |10<br /> |-<br /> |[[RTFM]]<br /> | -33000<br /> |-<br /> |[[A Parable]]<br /> |?<br /> |-<br /> |[[On the Merits of Pelage]]<br /> |1<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Angel and the Ape]]<br /> |0<br /> |-<br /> |[[Human for a Day (Part 1?)]]<br /> |?<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Story of the Steadtree]]<br /> |?<br /> |-<br /> |[[Art Angst]]<br /> |2<br /> |-<br /> |[[In Which Greg Experiences Indigestion]]<br /> |10<br /> |-<br /> |[[The Uncanny Valley]]<br /> |1<br /> |-<br /> |[[Stories:An Alien Through Alien Eyes|An Alien Through Alien Eyes]]<br /> |?<br /> |-<br /> |[[Meanwhile, in an Alternate Universe...|Meanwhile, in an Alternate Universe]]<br /> |?<br /> |}</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=File:Lungs.png&diff=1059 2026-07-24T13:05:32Z

<p>Lurker: Yinrih lungs</p> <hr /> <div>== Summary ==<br /> Yinrih lungs</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Commonthroat/examples&diff=1058 2026-07-23T21:50:25Z

<p>Lurker: Lurker moved page Commonthroat Examples to Commonthroat/examples without leaving a redirect</p> <hr /> <div><br /> <br /> Greetings, Hearthkeeper. May the sun warm your back.<br /> sLq sbrP-rmK-qn L scr-rmK-p qGq-b Frk-p qN<br /> salutation custodian-hearth-2 may star-hearth-3.DIST warm-NONAUTH back-3.DIST your<br /> <br /> I bring you joyful tidings.<br /> Mqd-sd-l rGq sFq-g sCsC rDq-qn<br /> rainbow-FEMALE_NAME-1 bring news-3.INDF joyful female_superior-2.<br /> <br /> We have found other sapients at last!<br /> gqJ h rHqP-l fCq-sfsf h cdq-m-g<br /> finally PL missionary-1 find-MIR PL ask-AGENTIVE-3.INDF<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Light shine upon you, friend<br /> L rLPq-p BCq-b sFsF-qn<br /> OPT light-3D illuminate-NAUTH friend-2<br /> <br /> I nIL-ml AB-ma oD-oD-mk<br /> <br /> I nILml ABma oDoDmk<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Wow, that guy is tall!<br /> khqkh-p lC-sfsf<br /> male-3.DIST big-MIR<br /> <br /> hf-mhf-l i-B-od-od<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> [You] put your egg in this nest<br /> P sGHMr qpq g KqqN<br /> P sGH-Mr qpq g Kq-qN<br /> in nest-3.PROX put POS egg-3M<br /> &quot;You made your bed, now sleep in it.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Human claws are flat and broad<br /> h rFJ-p b qMqm-g Lm j sN<br /> PL claw-3.DIST of human-3.INDF flat and broad<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> [smelly]'s book is on the table.<br /> bc sBC-p HK-p b qMqnq-c-sk-p nl<br /> on table-3.DIST book-3.DIST of.ALIENABLE smell-y-MALE_NAME-3.DIST is at<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> From nose to tail (comprehensive)<br /> B sPlq-p G slPq-p<br /> from rhinarium-3.DIST to tail-3.DIST<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> in over my ears (overwhelmed)<br /> CD g sfCsfC-l nl-A<br /> above POS ears-1 is_at-A<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Under my palm <br /> DC kjq-Mr qL<br /> under palm-3.PROX my<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL nq h qnlqg lNrmBD rnP?<br /> rnL nq h qnlq-g lNr-m-BD rnP-0<br /> not with PL sick-3.IND heal-AGENT-INTEROGATIVE live-A<br /> What healer does not abide among the sick?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rl BCqqMNrsdl qcDr HKsHKp<br /> G rl BCq-qMNr-sd-l qcDr HKsHK-p <br /> IMPERATIVE to shine-sun-FEMALE_NAME-1 give book-3.DIST<br /> Give me the book.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL rCFq sPnqp sDbr<br /> G rnL rCFq sPnq-p sDbr<br /> must not eat snow-3.DIST yellow<br /> Don't eat yellow snow.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL smprb<br /> G rnL smpr-b<br /> must not fall-NONAUTH<br /> Please don't fall.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfcqn, rBCqMr F BC qgjmg hG lNq!<br /> sfc-qn rBCq-Mr F BC qgj-m-g hG lNq-0<br /> child-2 peace-3P COMP all fight-er-3I true seek-AUTH<br /> MAH BOI, this peace is what all true warriors strive for!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> pM sbrP-rmK-g snp-g qbf qF rNlr-0 sfc-PL-P H-rLPq-K<br /> OBL custodian-hearth-3.INDEF holy.3.INDEF if merely good.AUTH child-COLLECTIVE-3.DIST none-light.DOG<br /> A hearthkeeper must be a saint. If she is merely decent, her litter shall be godless.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp rKg GJrJhGHMr sBccDqg rdrdB?<br /> mp 0 rKg-0 GJ-rJh-GH-Mr sBc-cDq-g rdr-dB?<br /> QUESTION 0 opine-AUTH make-throat-ness-3.PROX pass-time-3.INDEF one-tending_to_be?<br /> Do you think conlanging is a lonely hobby?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rl rJh-Mr qL j qgKq-Mr FB rDB rJh-Mr H qMqm-g qcDr rfDq-g <br /> to throat-3.PROX my and yinrih-3.PROX COMP speak throat-3.PROX no human-3.INDEF give interest-3.INDEF <br /> Nobody's interested in my language and the monkey foxes that speak it.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L sLMr qL rCFsfbcdrMr rhJsfbb rLPqp HrjGJ<br /> L sL-Mr qL rCFsfbcdr-Mr rhJsfb-b rLPq-p HrjGJ<br /> may soul-3.PROX my mirror-3.PROX reflect-NAUTH light-3.DIST uncreated<br /> May my soul be a mirror reflecting the uncreated light<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G fb rp kHr<br /> G 0 fb-0 rp-0 kHr-0<br /> must [you] stop-AUTH RFLX-AUTH hit-AUTH<br /> Stop hitting yourself!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL bc rFbBD rp Pq?<br /> rnL bc rFb-BD rp-0 Pq-0<br /> not by reason-INTEROGATIVE 0 RFLX-AUTH burn-AUTH?<br /> why don't they burn?<br /> Por que no se queman?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln sNLsdqb qgKqg Ln sG qgKqdqg rGKqsfbb<br /> Ln sNLsdq-b qgKq-g Ln sG qgKqdq-g rGKqsfb-b<br /> HORT reject-NAUTH yinrih-3IND HORT to tree-dweller-3IND return-NAUTH<br /> Reject yinrih. Return to tree-dweller<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> B scrMr, sKGqMr. B sKGqMr, rcBrMr. B rcBrMr, sfBMr.<br /> B scr-Mr sKGq-Mr B sKGq-Mr rcBr-Mr B rcBr-Mr sfB-Mr<br /> from star-3P stone-3P from stone-3P life-3P from life-3P mind-3P<br /> From star, stone. From stone, life. From life, mind.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> B dFrHGp smprb<br /> B dFrHG-p 0 smpr-b<br /> from test-3D I fall-NAUTH<br /> I failed the test<br /> literally &quot;I fall from the test&quot;<br /> <br /> dFrGHMr sMlrsfsf sMlrsfsf<br /> dFrGH-Mr sMlr-sfsf sMlr-sfsf<br /> test-3P dear-MIR dear-MIR<br /> this test is expensive!<br /> <br /> qBf K B dFrMr<br /> qBf K 0 B dFr-Mr<br /> two time I try test-3P<br /> I've tried this test twice<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G sG h scrp jkqn sMlr sMlr sD spM g rLPqqN j jkqn jkqn rgj qCbK<br /> G sG h scr-p jk-qn sMlr sMlr sD-0 spM-0 g rLPq-qN<br /> must to PL star-3D little-2 dear dear go-AUTH spread-AUTH POS light-3M<br /> <br /> j jk-qn jk-qn rgj-K qCb<br /> and little-2 little-2 grow-DOG bright<br /> Go, dearest little ones, spread your light to the stars, and ye shall become brighter yourselves.<br /> <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> CD rN-p b rDB-sfbr-GH-g dFrHGp. <br /> about lore-3D of speak-far-ness-3IND test-3D<br /> The test is about network engineering (literally &quot;body of kowledge concerning speaking far away&quot;)<br /> <br /> rN 0 qcDr-0 qBf qbF j rkG rDBq-g<br /> must I give-AUTH two gross and dozen currency/point-3IND<br /> I have to pay two gross and one dozen (three hundred) dollars. <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL rDB-0 rLPq-p rNlr-0 hgq rLPq-p rNlrGH-p rNlrGH-p <br /> must not say-AUTH light-3D good-AUTH for light-3D goodnes-3D goodness-3D<br /> Do not say &quot;The Light is good&quot;, for The Light is goodness itself.<br /> <br /> G rnL rDB-0 rLPq-p qCDr-0 hgq rLPq-p qCDrGH-p qCDrGH-p<br /> must not say-AUTH light-3D just-AUTH for light-3D justice-3D justice-3D<br /> Do not say &quot;The Light is just&quot;, for The Light is justice itself.<br /> <br /> G rnL rDB-0 rLPq-p snp hgq rLPq-p rNPq-p b BC snpGH-p <br /> must not say-AUTH light-3D holy for light-3D source-3D of all holiness-3D<br /> Do not say &quot;The Light is holy&quot;, for it is the fount of all holiness.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> [You] put your egg in this nest<br /> P sGHMr qpq g KqqN<br /> P sGH-Mr qpq-0 g Kq-qN<br /> in nest-3.PROX put-AUTH POS egg-3.MED<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sjr KC 0 B dFrGH-p sMlr<br /> tomorrow again [I] try test-3D dear<br /> I'm trying that expensive test again tomorrow.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rmr KC B dFrHGp smprb<br /> rmr KC B dFrHG-p 0 smpr-b<br /> today again from test-3D I fall-NAUTH<br /> I failed the test again today.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln lC rBD G rnL smprb<br /> Ln lC rBD G rnL smpr-b<br /> HORT tall walk IMP not fall-NAUTH<br /> Walk tall, don't fall<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L scrrmK-p qGq-b g Frk-qN<br /> OPT hearth_star-3D warm-NAUTH POS back-3M<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> bc rFb-BD scBq-qN sPM-0<br /> by cause-INT water-3M boil<br /> <br /> bc sFB-BD scBq-qN sPM-0<br /> by motive-INT water-3M boil-AUTH<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Under my palm <br /> DC g kjq-l<br /> under POS palm-1<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfq-p b ____ DC g kjq-l<br /> earth-3D of _____ under POS palm-1<br /> The soil of ____ is under my palms.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> INT still vomit-NAUTH vomit-NAUTH dirt-3I upon POS paw-3M<br /> mp GJq sFb-b sFb-b sfq-g bc g rnq-qN<br /> You still keep vomiting? There's some dirt on your paws.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-Mr nl-AUTH khqkh-fd-g NPr<br /> in POS computer-3P is_at-0 guy-DIM-3I odd <br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-Mr nl-AUTH khqkh-fd-g NPr-fd<br /> in POS computer-3P is_at-0 guy-DIM-3I odd-DIM<br /> <br /> There's a funny little guy in my computer<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-Mr nl-K khqkh-fd-g NPr<br /> in POS computer-3P is_at-DOG guy-DIM-3I odd<br /> &quot;I SWEAR, there's a funny little guy in my computer.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-qN nl-sfsf khqkh-fd-g NPr<br /> in POS computer-3M is_at-MIR guy-DIM-3I odd<br /> &quot;There's a funny little guy in your computer?!&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L sjr dBqm-qn rBc-b g dFrHG-qN<br /> OPT tomorrow student-2 pass-NAUTH POS exam-3M<br /> May you pass your exam tomorrow, student.<br /> <br /> KC B g dFrHG-Mr CD rDBsfbrGH-g 0 smpr-b<br /> again from POS test-3P over farspeaking-3I I fall-NAUTH<br /> I failed my network engineering test again.<br /> <br /> rBFr K B-0<br /> four time try-AUTH<br /> I've tried four times now.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rGhq-p b qgKq-p<br /> home-3D of yinrih-3D<br /> That man's house<br /> that house of that man<br /> <br /> g rGhq-Mr<br /> POS home-3P<br /> my house<br /> <br /> g rGhq-qN<br /> POS home-3M<br /> your house<br /> <br /> g rGhq-p<br /> POS home-3D<br /> his house<br /> <br /> g rGhq-BD<br /> POS home-INT<br /> whose house?<br /> <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL jk-qn qNMr-0 g qFr-qN b sbrnGH-g<br /> IMP not little_one-2 quench-AUTH POS fire-3M of understanding-3I<br /> <br /> <br /> hgq b rLPq-p rnLrjGJ rjqcDr-qN <br /> for of light-3D uncreated gift-3M<br /> <br /> O little one, thou must not quench thy fire of understanding, for it is a gift of the Uncreaetd Light.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rBFq-rnq-Mr nl-sfsf rLmq-rG-g<br /> in POS cover-paw-3P is_at-MIR animal-rope-3I<br /> &quot;There's a snake in my boot!&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rMLcdr-Mr BD<br /> thing-3P what_is<br /> What is this computer?<br /> <br /> g rMLcdr-BD<br /> POS computer-INT<br /> Whose computer?<br /> <br /> rMLcdr-BD qbC<br /> computer-INT right<br /> Which computer is the right one?<br /> Which computer is right?<br /> <br /> rMLcdr-g BD<br /> computer-3I what_is<br /> What's a computer?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Pq-sfsf g rnqMr!<br /> burn-MIR POS paw-3P!<br /> <br /> My paws burned <br /> [I] burned my paws[?]<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> B sCFq-Mr 0 DB-0 qCq-0 g rGhq-Mr<br /> from place-3P [I] can-AUTH see-AUTH POS home-3P<br /> I can see my house from here.<br /> here = &quot;this place/this location&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> g rnq-l rj g sgHq-qN rgJfd-0 j rj g sGKq-qN Pq-0 bc sFB-Mr qGKqJn-l<br /> POS paw-1 PAS POS grass-3M sting-AUTH and PAS POS path-3M burn-AUTH by reason-3P spacer-1<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rmr qgJr qgHr-sfsf qgHr-sfsf<br /> today much rain-MIR rain-MIR<br /> &quot;It rained a lot today.&quot;<br /> <br /> bc sfq-Mr nl-0 qgJr scBq-Mr <br /> upon ground-3P is_at-AUTH much water-3P<br /> &quot;There's a lot of water on the ground here.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rDFr g rGhq-Mr qfr qGKq-qN nl-0 qgJr rpLqrBq-g<br /> near POS home-3P at night-3M there_is-AUTH many tornado-3I<br /> &quot;There were several tornadoes last night near my house.&quot;<br /> <br /> 0 rMP-0 rfCr rnL 0 DB-0 qCq-0 0<br /> [I] smell_like-AUTH sad not [I] can-AUTH see-AUTH [them]<br /> &quot;I'm sad that I wasn't able to see them.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfc-Mr dC-0 qNmlN-p<br /> pup-3P desire-AUTH mine-3D<br /> &quot;The children yearn for the mines.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln sbrPrmKl jkqn qcDr bCqqN F bCq g sLqn<br /> Ln rl sbrPrmK-l jk-qn qcDr-0 bCq-qN FB bCq-0 g sL-qn<br /> HORT to hearthkeeper-1 little-2 give-AUTH burden-3M COMP burden-AUTH POS soul-2<br /> O little one, give me the burdens that weigh down your soul.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> P brHG-p b rb-g [0] rGKqsfb-K<br /> in twitch-3D of whisker-3I [I] return-DOG<br /> I'll be back in the twitch of a whisker.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sGr-0 sCf-p b sgr-p<br /> hunt-0 end-3D of ring-3D<br /> To chase the end of the ring<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> lNq-0 cdqm-g C<br /> seek-AUTH sophont-INT other<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> cB nl-0 rPL JGqg<br /> out is_at-AUTH eight thumb-3I<br /> Eight thumbs out/Eight thumbs up<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rfbr-l qCq-0 g sFsF-Mr<br /> walk-1 see-AUTH POS friend-3P<br /> While walking, I saw my friend.<br /> or<br /> I, a walker, saw my friend.<br /> <br /> <br /> Plq-qn fCq-0 rDBq-qN<br /> dig-2 find-AUTH money-3M<br /> You, the digger, found money.<br /> or<br /> You found money while digging.<br /> <br /> g qCD-Mr kHr-0 rkHr-l<br /> POS male_litter_mate-3P strike_with_tail-AUTH angry-1<br /> My brother struck me, the angry one, with his tail.<br /> or<br /> I'm mad my brother hit me.<br /> <br /> <br /> rl rfCr-l sFsF-qn sD-0<br /> DAT sad-1 friend-2 go-AUTH<br /> you, friend, go on me, the sad one.<br /> or <br /> I'm sad to see you leave on me, friend.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> n sPlqBdqn sHshr lNq qcDqN<br /> n sPlqBdsk-qn sHshr [0] lNq-0 qcD-qN<br /> INST wet.nose-2 HONORIFIC [I] seek-AUTH fruit-3M<br /> With your help, Mr. Wet-nose, I seek fruit.<br /> or<br /> I'm looking for the produce, can you help me, Mr. Wet-nose?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> FDp shk DC g kgql<br /> FD-p shk DC g kgq-l<br /> sand-3D cool under POS palm-1<br /> That's cool sand under my palms<br /> That's a relief.<br /> <br /> rpLqfdg shk bd g qFdql<br /> rpLqfd-g shk bd g qFdq-l<br /> breeze-3I cool around POS ear-1<br /> A cool breeze around my ears. <br /> Good news<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 HJq-p<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH tree-3D<br /> The pup climbed the tree.<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 f HJq-p<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH MET tree-3D<br /> The pup climbed it as though it were a tree.<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 f HJq-qn<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH MET tree-2<br /> The pup clambered over you as though you were a tree.<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 g dcr-p f HJq-p<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH POS dam-3D MET tree-3D<br /> The pup clambered over his dam as though she were a tree.<br /> <br /> f sfc-l lpr-0 HJq-p<br /> MET pup-1 climb-AUTH tree-3D<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp qMqm-qn rML-0 rnL qgKq-l qL-b<br /> INT human-2 think-AUTH not yinrih-1 exist-NAUTH<br /> Do you think we don't exist, human? <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> asc, gqJ CDrqn.<br /> sc gqJ CDr-qn<br /> hey finally alert-2<br /> hey, you! you're finally awake.<br /> <br /> rnL qgKq-l DB fCq CDrGH-p<br /> not yinrih-1 can lose consciousness-3D.<br /> We yinrih cannot lose consciousness.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> h qgKql cBr dqp fc rnL dqp cBr h qgKql.<br /> h qgKq-l cBr-0 dq-p fc rnL dq-p cBr-0 h qgKq-l<br /> PL yinrih-1 leave-AUTH forest-3d but not forest-3D leave-AUTH PL yinrih-1<br /> We yinrih have left the forest, but the forest has not left us.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Lmq sCbMr.<br /> 0 Lmq-0 rMLcdr-Mr<br /> [I] repair-AUTH computer-3P<br /> I fixed this computer.<br /> <br /> qCq g sFsFl<br /> 0 qCq-0 g sFsF-l<br /> [I] see-AUTH POS friend-1<br /> I see my friend.<br /> <br /> Lmq qCq g sFsFl<br /> 0 Lmq-0 qCq-0 g sFsF-l<br /> [I] repair-AUTH see-AUTH POS friend-1<br /> I'm about to see my friend.<br /> <br /> Lmq qMP g rnql<br /> 0 Lmq-0 qMP-0 g rnq-l<br /> [I] repair-AUTH wash-AUTH POS paw-1<br /> I'm fixing to wash my paws.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnqNPqqn NLrrmKmqn rCFqKqmqn rj rdr qhqg j rdr dcrg qCBrCb!<br /> rnqNPq-qn NLr-rmKm-qn rCFqKqm-qn rj rdr qhq-g j rdr dcr-g qCBrCb-0<br /> dirty.paw-2 hearth.licker-2 egg.eater-2 PAS one sire-3I and one dam-3I conceive-AUTH<br /> You filthy-pawed hearth-licking egg-eater only have one sire and dam!<br /> ore more literally<br /> You, Dirty paws, Hearth-licker, Egg-eater, were by one sire and one dam conceived!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp GKq B rnqqN b g dcrqn NLr sHGqg?<br /> mp GKq B rnq-qN b g dcr-qn 0 NLr-0 sHGq-g<br /> INT yet from paw-3M of POS dam-2 [you] lick-AUTH milk-3I<br /> Do you still lick milk from your dams' paws?<br /> or<br /> Stop being such a baby!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> fbb rnb g rFqn.<br /> 0 fb-b rn-b g rF-qn<br /> [I] stop-NAUTH know-NAUTH POS name-2<br /> I forgot your name.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> fb rn g rFqn.<br /> 0 fb-0 rn-0 g rF-qn<br /> [I] stop-AUTH know-AUTH POS name-2<br /> I couldn't be bothered to remember your name.<br /> or<br /> I forgot your name on purpose.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sKHqsBFqg P g slPql<br /> sKHqsBFq-g P g slPq-l<br /> bur-3I in POS tail-1<br /> A bur in my tail<br /> a thorn in my side<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qCq rdcqn rlnq g slPqqn<br /> 0 qCq-0 rdc-qn rlnq-0 g slPq-qn<br /> [I] see-AUTH poor-2 cut-AUTH POS tail-2<br /> I saw you cut your tail, poor dear.<br /> (The speaker witnessed the event directly)<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qCq rdcqn rlnqb g slpqqn<br /> 0 qCq-0 rdc-qn rlnq-b g slpq-qn<br /> [I] see-AUTH poor-2 cut-NAUTH POS tail-2<br /> I see that you cut your tail, poor dear.<br /> (The speaker infers the event based on indirect visual evidence.)<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> n h kjqp FB sHGqplr<br /> n h kjq-p FB sHGqplr-0 0<br /> INST PL palm-3D COMP palmfeed-AUTH [me]<br /> By the palms that nursed me!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> g Jhr-l sBCq-0 j rnL g sCb-Mr qmPr-0 rkHr-l<br /> POS belly-1 empty-A and not POS vehicle-3P catch-A angry-1<br /> I'm hungry and my ride hasn't picked me up.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> H K 0 qCq-0 qMqm-g<br /> no time [I] see-A human-3I<br /> I've never seen a human<br /> <br /> rnL rkHrl DBb sgb fCqb g lMqcdrqFdqMr<br /> rnL rkHr-l DB-b sg-b fCq-b g lMqcdrqFdq-Mr<br /> not mad-1 can-NA begin-NA have-NA POS earphones-3P<br /> I'm mad that I can't find my headphones.<br /> <br /> rnLqCqGHg slmqNLg<br /> rnLqCqGH-g slmqNL-g<br /> blindness-3I cloaca_butter-3I<br /> Blindness is stupid.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qgqg rl slmqNLMr rp rNmplr<br /> qgqg rl slmqNL-Mr rp-0 rNmplr-0<br /> too DAT cloaca_butter-3P RFLX-A ferment-A<br /> I'm getting too old for this nonsense.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qlnDB qfdr?<br /> qln-DB 0 qfdr-0<br /> manner-INT [you] stand-A<br /> how's it going?<br /> literally<br /> How do you stand?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp sFsF-qn PMr-0 <br /> INT friend-2 content-A<br /> Are you OK, buddy?<br /> <br /> <br /> mp pM rp-0 BFq-0<br /> INT NEC RFLX-A occupy-A<br /> Should I be worried?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnM g rjHMr.<br /> 0 rnM-0 g rjH-Mr<br /> [I] project-A POS ray-3P<br /> I'm discharging my energy weapon.<br /> or, if you will<br /> IMMA FIRIN MAH LAZER! <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> gK rNlr rnL rn CD Hj b dq nl scrg qCb <br /> gK rNlr-g rnL rn-0 CD Hj-p b dq-p nl-0 scr-g qCb<br /> more good-3I not know-A above roof-3D of forest-3D is_at-A star-3I bright<br /> It is better not to know that stars shine above the forest canopy.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp pM GJq GJ rJhqjHcMr?<br /> mp pM 0 GJq-0 GJ-0 rJhqjHc-Mr<br /> INT NEC [I] continue-A make-A Commonthroat-3P<br /> Should I keep working on Commonthroat?<br /> <br /> rBC g sfBl fbb fCqb rfDqMr<br /> 0 rBC-0 g sfB-l fb-b fCq-b rfDq-Mr<br /> [I] fear-A POS mind-1 stop-NA have-NA interest-3P<br /> I'm afraid my mind is losing interest<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sjr BHGg C b dFrHGp<br /> sjr BHG-g C b dFrHG-p<br /> tomorrow attempt-3I another of exam-3D<br /> Tomorrow is another attempt at that exam.<br /> <br /> slM K B<br /> slM K 0 B-0<br /> six time [I] try-A<br /> I've tried six times.<br /> <br /> GJqb smprb.<br /> 0 GJq-b smpr-b<br /> [I] continue-NA fall-NA<br /> I keep failing.<br /> <br /> smprl GJq rp qmPr<br /> smpr-l GJq-0 rp-0 qmPr-0<br /> fall-1 continue-A RFLX-A catch-A<br /> But I will keep catching myself when I fall.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qF CB rj qHJ<br /> qF 0 CB-0 rj-0 qHJ-0<br /> mere [I] want-A PAS-A need-A<br /> I just want to be necessary.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL rpMr Jh rDB<br /> rnL rpMr Jh 0 rDB-0<br /> not happy thus [I] say-A<br /> I do not say so happily<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sjr qBCDFg nq qgJr rpLqg j qgHr-g rGKq<br /> sjr qBCDF-g nq qgJr rpLq-g j qgHr-g rGKq-0<br /> tomorrow hurricane-3I with much wind-3I and rain-3I come-A<br /> A hrricane is coming tomorrow with a lot of rain and wind.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rmr CD jhqMr nl<br /> rmr CD jhq-Mr 0 nl-0<br /> today over sea-3P [it] is_at-A<br /> Today it is over the ocean.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln sDb qlpb!<br /> Ln sD-b qlp-b<br /> HORT go-NA gamble-NA<br /> Let's go gambling!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL rfCrl qfdr qP sfcqn.<br /> rnL rfCr-l qfdr-0 qP-0 sfc-qn<br /> not sad-1 stand-A block-A pup-2<br /> I do not stand in your way, child.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL qfdr qP sfcqn b rfCrl<br /> rnL qfdr-0 qP-0 sfc-qn b rfCr-l<br /> not stand-A block-A pup-2 of sad-1<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sdC qGrbfrg<br /> 0 sdC-0 qGrbfr-g<br /> [I] miss-A video_game-3I<br /> I miss video games.<br /> <br /> sdC g dcrl<br /> 0 sdC-0 g dcr-l<br /> [I] miss-A POS dam-1<br /> I miss my dams.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sdq Cdqg j rMPsfsf Cdqg!<br /> 0 sdq-0 Cdq-g j 0 rMP-sfsf Cdq-g<br /> [I] throw-A fart-3I and [it] smell_like-MIR fart.<br /> I farted and it smelled like FART!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> h sKGq-p F-0 bc Hj b rcfr-Mr scfq-0 qGr-0 g FBr-l<br /> PL stone-3D is-A upon roof of cave-3P shimmer-A play-A POS moon-1<br /> The stones that shimmer upon the cave ceiling play at being our moon.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> h sKGq-p F-0 bc Hj b rcfr-Mr scfq-0 qGr-0 g sgr-l<br /> PL stone-3D is-A upon roof of cave-3P shimmer-A play-A POS ring-1<br /> The stones that shimmer upon the cave ceiling play at being our ring.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rl g smqMnMr snpg GJ sFsFg.<br /> rl g smqMn-Mr snp-g GJ-0 sFsF-g<br /> DAT POS opponent-3P holy-3I make-A friend-3I<br /> A holy man makes friends of his opponents.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sGKqMr sG h scrp rj cbqp b h qGHqp qMp<br /> sGKq-Mr sG h scr-p rj-0 cbq-p b h qGHq-p qMp-0<br /> road-3P to PL star-3D PAS-A blood of PL martyr-3D paint-A<br /> The path to the stars is painted by the blood of martyrs<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL DB fb rp lNqbfrplr.<br /> rnL DB-0 fb-0 rp-0 lNqbfrplr-0.<br /> not can-A stop-A RFLX-A google-A.<br /> I can't stop googling myself<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rl rLPqp qcDr kgqN j G rl qgjml qcDr gkqN!<br /> G rl rLPq-p qcDr-0 kg-qN j G rl qgjm-l qcDr-0 gk-qN<br /> IMP to light-3D give-A praise-3M and IMP to soldier-1 give-A ammunition-3M<br /> Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> bc rnq-qN rp-0 qcf-0<br /> upon paw-3M RFLX-A piss-A <br /> To piss on one's paws <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qcf-0 qNMr-0 qFr-g<br /> piss-A quench-A fire-3I<br /> to piss out a fire.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> P rlp-qN sMp-0<br /> in toilet-3M step-A<br /> To step in the toilet<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L gK g sLqn PNq g qCrqn<br /> L gK g sL-qn PNq-b g qCr-qn<br /> OPT more POS soul-2 clean-NA POS mouth-2<br /> May your soul be cleaner than your mouth.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sCg b rjGjqqn rj MNrg rBFq.<br /> sC-qn b rjGjq-g rj-0 MNr-g rBFq-0<br /> pile-2 of shit-3I PAS-A fur-3I cover-A<br /> [you are] a pile of shit wrapped in fur. <br /> or<br /> I hold a rather low opinion of you.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> GJBCqn fCq lr h rnqg lr slPqg cF DC m qgJ sfcl rdc bq B qCrp b qGHGHp qjkr g jkfdqn<br /> GJBC-qn fCq-0 lr h rnq-g lr slPq-3I cF DC m qgJ-0 sfc-l rdc bq B qCr-p b qGHGH-p qjkr-0 g jk-fd-2<br /> allmaker-2 have-A nor PL paw-3I nor tail-3I. yet below ADV use-A pup-1 poor in_order_to from mouth of death-3D pull-A POS little-DIM-2<br /> O Creator of the universe, paws and tail hast thou none, yet wield me, wretched whelp that I am, as thine instrument here below, and rest this least of thy little ones from the jaws of death.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rlnqK sBrK g qcqn<br /> rlnq-K sBr-K g qc-qn<br /> cut-DOG remove-DOG POS face-2<br /> Imma cut yo face off!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> BC sjgqp BDsfsf.<br /> BC sjgq-p BD-sfsf<br /> all head-3D INT-MIR?<br /> Gee, what are all those heads?<br /> <br /> h qc-Mr b qkjGH-g<br /> PL face-3P of evilness-3I<br /> These are the faces of evil.<br /> <br /> G qgj sBF h BCMr.<br /> G qgj-0 sBF-0 h BC-Mr<br /> IMP fight-A win-A PL all-3P<br /> You must conquer each.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=YAP&diff=1057 2026-07-23T17:23:13Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> The Yinrih Ansible Protocol (YAP) is used to communicate between ansibles over the Underlay. <br /> <br /> ===== Frame Format =====<br /> <br /> YAP addresses are 27 trits long. A YAP frame consists of an inter-frame flag, a topology trit, a destination address, a source address, a 6-trit payload info field, the payload itself whose length can vary, a checksum, and then the flag for the following frame. <br /> <br /> The topology trit says whether there are only two ansibles communicating point to point, or whether multiple ansibles are on the same link. Because of the physics behind tailstone and the Underlay, the link is a shared medium, meaning it's half duplex and only one ansible can talk at a time, so the topology trit dictates when an ansible can talk and for how long. <br /> <br /> The source and destination addresses are self-explanatory for the most part. <br /> <br /> The payload info field says what protocol the payload uses. It also dictates how big the payload is. <br /> <br /> The checksum helps insure the message was received correctly.<br /> <br /> The inter-frame flag separates one frame from the next.<br /> <br /> [[category:science and tech]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=YAP&diff=1056 2026-07-23T17:22:56Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> The Yinrih Ansible Protocol (YAP) is used to communicate between ansibles over the Underlay. <br /> <br /> ===== Frame Format =====<br /> <br /> YAP addresses are 27 trits long. A YAP frame consists of an inter-frame flag, a topology trit, a destination address, a source address, a 6-trit payload info field, the payload itself whose length can vary, a checksum, and then the flag for the following frame. <br /> <br /> The topology trit says whether there are only two ansibles communicating point to point, or whether multiple ansibles are on the same link. Because of the physics behind tailstone and the Underlay, the link is a shared medium, meaning it's half duplex and only one ansible can talk at a time, so the topology trit dictates when an ansible can talk and for how long. <br /> <br /> The source and destination addresses are self-explanatory for the most part. <br /> <br /> The payload info field says what protocol the payload uses. It also dictates how big the payload is. <br /> <br /> The checksum helps insure the message was received correctly.<br /> <br /> The inter-frame flag separates one frame from the next.<br /> <br /> [[science and tech]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:dokuwiki lore]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Underlay_(Architecture)&diff=1055 2026-07-23T17:21:57Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>''This article is about the architectural feature of yinrih buildings, for the subspace used for FTL communication and travel named after it, see [[underlay]].''<br /> <br /> An underlay is the open area beneath a building. Most structures are built on stilts or pylons to ensure that the lowest floor is off the ground. [[Yinrih]] are arboreal animals and feel more at ease this way.<br /> <br /> In suburban and rural areas, underlays are used for storage. In dense urban environments underlays loose their original purpose of providing a sense of height since all the surrounding buildings are also raised. These areas become unbroken expanses used for vehicular transport. In this case one speaks of &quot;the underlay&quot; as a single connected unit.<br /> <br /> [[Category:culture]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Underlay&diff=1054 2026-07-23T17:20:47Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> For the architectural feature that lent its name to this realm, see .<br /> <br /> The Underlay is what yinrih call hyperspace or subspace. [[ansible]]s use it for FTL communication, and later it is used by [[mass router]]s to transport matter.<br /> [[Category:Science and tech]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Spacer_Confederacy&diff=1053 2026-07-23T17:18:55Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> A very loose collection of independent orbital colonies in the [[Inner Belt]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Polities]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Spacer_Confederacy&diff=1052 2026-07-23T17:18:20Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> A very loose collection of independent orbital colonies in the [[Inner Belt]].<br /> <br /> [[polities]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Second_Golden_Age&diff=1051 2026-07-23T17:17:14Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> After the War of Dissolution, the Pious Dissolutionists were now in control of the Bright Way. They promptly sold off the infrastructure that wasn't seized by force or destroyed, which put quite a bit of money in their paws. Nearly all of that money was funneled into interstellar mission work, spurring a brief second golden age for the missionaries, who were exiled from their former home in the Outer Belt and were now based out of Moonlitter. However, without the sustained cash flow from the corporate side of the Bright Way, meager though it was, the golden age quickly ended. Where the Bright Way once was able to completely pay several whole mission control teams for missions lasting a millennium or more, by the time of First Contact they could barely manage a single unpaid volunteer to puppysit the crew of the _Dewfall_ part time.<br /> <br /> Indeed, during the centuries leading up to First Contact, the missionaries were rocked by scandal after scandal, almost always involving former missionaries becoming gelheads or traffickers of gelhead paraphernalia. Neurogel, as well as amnions gutted from spent or even unlaunched womb ships, would end up on the black market. High Hearthkeeper Brightsun, the predecessor to High Hearthkeeper Lucy, repeatedly discussed suppressing the missionaries, citing these scandals as the chief reason. Unlike her predecessor 66 millennia prior, Brightsun was met with only feeble murmurs of resistance from the devout core of the missionaries and traditionalist groups like the ones Iris ran with. By that point it seems most Wayfarers tacitly regarded the missionaries as an embarrassing relic of the past, though it should be noted that Brightsun's suppression would only apply to interstellar missions, not to Wayfinding (remotely surveying potential life bearing worlds and broadcasting messages in their direction.) An organization that had once produced so many glorious saints and martyrs was now only known for gelheads.<br /> <br /> [[history]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Scrutinizer&diff=1050 2026-07-23T17:16:25Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> This is one of the two principle posts involved in the process of elevating a wayfarer to sainthood, the other being the ''promotor''. Both are appointed to oversee a particular would-be saint's cause. The job of the promotor is to gather evidence in favor of the person's holiness, while the scrutinizer's job is to attempt to refute the claims put forward by the promotor.<br /> <br /> The word is the source of some amusement to humans learning Commonthroat, as the root word &lt;code&gt;sJHq&lt;/code&gt; literally means ''to nuzzle''. It refers to the act of smelling a small object while brushing it against the whiskers to gain olfactory and tactile information about it. &lt;code&gt;sJHq&lt;/code&gt; has a secondary meaning of to ''examine closely'', which is the origin of the word above.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Projectile_Weapons&diff=1049 2026-07-23T16:58:33Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> Unlike humans, yinrih are not accurate throwers. Wild vulpithecins prefer melee combat using their sharp iron-enriched claws as bladed weapons and their long sinewy tails as bludgeons. Rock throwing, does occasionally occur among tree dwellers, and this was also likely the case among presapient yinrih. Tree dwellers have two throwing methods: Tossing pawfuls of pebbles, usually sharp, at mid-range, aiming for sensitive parts of the face like the eyes, the wet tip of the nose, and the whiskers; and hurling larger rocks using the tail as a sling. It is notable that neither of these methods are used during hunting.<br /> <br /> Yinrih projectile weapons stem from this usage of the tail, with one of the earliest innovations being small caudal slings that were used to extend the tail and further multiply the force applied by the tail's motion.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Science and tech]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Pilgrims%27_Rest&diff=1048 2026-07-23T16:57:25Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> A dwarf planet in the Outlands originally claimed by [[Moonlitter]]. It was eventually glassed by the Partisans in retaliation for [[Welkinstead]] establishing a military presence within Moonlitter’s borders.<br /> <br /> It is the home of Iris, Lodestar, Pascal, and (after moving from [[Sweetwater]] as a kit with his sire and dam) Stormlight.<br /> <br /> Pilgrims’ Rest was originally founded by refugees of [[Firefly]]’s genocide, mostly missionaries.<br /> <br /> After its glassing by the Partisans 33 millennia later, the residents found [[Wayfarers' Haven]] within the [[Spacer Confederacy]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:Planets and moons]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Partisan_Territory&diff=1047 2026-07-23T16:55:36Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> Partisan Territory is a polity at the edge of [[Focus]].<br /> <br /> [[Category:focus]] [[Category:polities]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Nightless_Desert&diff=1046 2026-07-23T16:52:31Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> The Nightless Desert is a region surrounding the substellar point of [[Hearthside]]. <br /> <br /> [[Category:places]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Newhome&diff=1045 2026-07-23T16:51:29Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> Newhome is the fourth planet from [[Focus]], and the first planet to be terraformed.<br /> [[Category:Planets and moons]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Nannerpus&diff=1044 2026-07-23T16:49:37Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> The nannerpus (plural nannerpi, nannerpods, or nannerpuses), is a member of a group of terrestrial soft-bodied invertebrates that has evolved a thick skin similar to the peel of a banana.<br /> <br /> The common nannerpus has a somewhat elongated &quot;head&quot; with four or more flat tentacles emerging from its ventral surface, lending it the appearance of a cartoon banana peel. While its name suggests a similarity to cephalopods, it is in fact more analogous to a starfish, with many tube feet on the undersides of its arms and an annular mouth in the middle rather than a hard beak. <br /> <br /> Its thick but supple skin is mostly yellow mottled with brown and black spots. Its eyes are located on the base of its body above where the arms meet. The number of eyes vary by species but usually there are as many eyes as arms. The eyes are unlike those of Yih vertebrates, being humor-filled balls with lenses rather than the featureless black &quot;radio eyes&quot; seen in vertebrates.<br /> <br /> The common nannerpus feeds on the fruiting bodies of a particular variety of fungus that are round and flat. it parks itself on top of the fungus and scrapes bits of flesh off with its mouth.<br /> <br /> [[category:animals]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Leasemeat&diff=1043 2026-07-23T16:47:13Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> Literally “false flesh”. A meat substitute made from fungus. Often grown for consumption on orbital colonies. Actual meat is very expensive.<br /> <br /> The fungus is grown in a substrate made of nutrients reclaimed from excrement and suspended in a gel matrix. The mycelium grows throughout the matrix, and the fleshy concave disk-shaped fruiting bodies erupt from the gel into the open air where they are harvested and processed in different ways to fit various tastes. <br /> <br /> <br /> [[category:food]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Gestures&diff=1042 2026-07-23T16:43:36Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> ===== Paws =====<br /> <br /> Because yinrih are quadrupeds, gestures involving the paws and legs are less common, but some do exist.<br /> <br /> In the [[Allied Worlds]], the act of jamming the pad of the outer thumb into the ground, sometimes called &quot;the one-digit stomp&quot; is a vulgar gesture similar to the middle finger. It imitates crushing an insect, and is used to express contempt.<br /> <br /> On [[Hearthside]], however, the gesture has a neutral to positive connotation similar to a thumbs-up. The origin of this usage is unclear, although the most common explanation given by Hearthsiders themselves is that it represents decisively pressing a button. It usually means something along the lines of &quot;I'm on it&quot; or &quot;I got you covered&quot;.<br /> <br /> Hearthsider pups, particularly in larger cosmopolitan urban centers, who have grown up watching media produced in the Allied Worlds have begun interpreting the gesture in line with its use there. How one uses it and perceives its use by others has become an inter-generational shibboleth, with older generations and less urban folk lamenting the new negative perception as more AW cultural imperialism. <br /> <br /> A more niche gesture used in communities where yinrih and humans interact frequently involves lifting a rear paw and making a grasping or twiddling motion with the digits. This is specific to inter-species interactions. It's meant to highlight the anatomical differences between the two species, and especially the sometimes drastically different ergonomics and architecture that result from those differences. Intent can be anything from mocking to empathetic depending on context. <br /> <br /> For an empathetic example, an exhausted human is staring up into the entrance to a building, which is a hatch through the floor accessed by climbing a ladder. An elderly yinrih walks up beside him, smells his exasperation, and makes the gesture in response. She climbs ahead of him, then offers a paw to help pull him up.<br /> <br /> For a mocking example, a group of pups is leaping and brachiating around a play structure. A human child is struggling to keep up, and one of the pups mocks him by making the gesture and bounding off without helping.<br /> <br /> In both cases the gesture means something like &quot;this world wasn't built for people with only two prehensile extremities,&quot; and the follow up actions make it clear whether it's meant as an expression of solidarity or ridicule.<br /> <br /> ===== Head =====<br /> <br /> <br /> It's more common for yinrih to express themselves using the head and tail while the legs are busy bearing their weight. <br /> <br /> Yinrih point with their snout rather than their paws. This usually involves simply looking in the desired direction, but when indicating something behind them, a yinrih will quickly toss their head to the side.<br /> <br /> Tracing an upward half-circle with the muzzle is similar to rolling the eyes, but it can also be a similar pointing gesture meaning &quot;all around us&quot;<br /> <br /> A quick upward movement of the snout shows affirmation or agreement.<br /> <br /> One or more quick dips of the head indicates respect. This gesture is associated with more pious or traditional culturees like Hearthside. <br /> <br /> Yinrih have well developed whiskers, they often twitch to indicate intense interest, though this is more an unconscious reaction than a deliberate gesture. <br /> <br /> Panting is the principle way yinrih keep cool, and is an involuntary reaction to high ambient temperatures. Panting may also be imitated consciously to show discomfort. This is usually exaggerated, with the tongue lolling out of the side of the mouth rather than simply protruding slightly. Repeatedly rapidly licking the nose and lips also indicates discomfort with one's surroundings or situation.<br /> <br /> ===== Ears =====<br /> <br /> A flick f the left ear is similar to a sly wink. Flicking the right ear is used to show annoyance or aggravation. Flicking or sweeping both ears back is similar to a shrug. Pinning the ears back can express hostility or anger. Doing so while lowering the head and closing the eyes shows apprehension. Perking the ears up, like whisker twitching, is more an involuntary reaction to intense interest. Perking the ears while opening the eyes wide (with lids and all four bandpass membranes open wide) is like a goofy smile or excited grin.<br /> <br /> ## Tail<br /> <br /> Flicking one's own side with the tip of the tail is like a dismissive hand wave. It can mean &quot;don't bother me&quot; or &quot;go away&quot; but also &quot;don't concern yourself with that&quot; or &quot;never you mind&quot;. It's where tailstone got its name. When asked how this magenta crystal allowed instant communication over arbitrarily large distances the inventor just responded with this gesture. <br /> <br /> Flicking _someone else's_ side with the tip of the tail is an extremely vulgar gesture. It means more or less the same as the one-digit stomp described above, but has the added insult of invading the other person's personal space. It conveys that the flickee is a nuisance but is easily &quot;dealt with&quot;.<br /> <br /> Thumping the tail on the ground repeatedly can be a threat, like a gorilla beating its chest, but it can also be done when extremely anxious or stressed. <br /> <br /> ## Body<br /> <br /> Rearing up on the hind feet and patting the belly twice with the left forepaw is like a handshake. **IMPORTANT:** you pat **your own** belly in response, not the other person's. It's not an invitation to a tummy rub. Many humans have found themselves on the wrong side of an assault charge this way. That being said, the gesture does convey a similar sentiment as a dog exposing its belly, to show you're opening up to the other person and trust them not to take advantage of your weakness.<br /> <br /> Lying down flat on the belly with the legs and head flat on the floor, AKA &quot;splooting&quot; is similar to genuflecting or kneeling. <br /> <br /> [[Category:culture]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Dry_Stone&diff=1041 2026-07-23T16:40:07Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div>Between the time of the Kindling and the Theophany, the majority of yinrih lived along the southern bank of the River, but the population extended as far south as the border between the jungle and southern grasslands. One of the earliest trading systems to emerge was the exchange of large flat rocks from southern shires with fruits from riparian trees that did not grow so far south.<br /> <br /> One of the first lessons learned by early hearthkeepers as they mastered control of fire was that it's dangerous to heat river rocks over a flame. These rocks often contain water, which when vaporized causes the rock to explode. The sort of large, flat rocks that served as ideal cooking surfaces were hard to find away from the River, but certain geological vagaries made patches of such rocks accessible near the southern grasslands, far from the River and thus devoid of water. These dry rocks were valued by riverside shires for their ability to cook food without exploding, and the southern shires lacked the staggering variety of fruits enjoyed by their northern neighbors, so a trade network sprung up to meet both groups' needs.<br /> <br /> [[Category:history]]</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Commonthroat/examples&diff=1040 2026-07-23T16:38:14Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> <br /> Greetings, Hearthkeeper. May the sun warm your back.<br /> sLq sbrP-rmK-qn L scr-rmK-p qGq-b Frk-p qN<br /> salutation custodian-hearth-2 may star-hearth-3.DIST warm-NONAUTH back-3.DIST your<br /> <br /> I bring you joyful tidings.<br /> Mqd-sd-l rGq sFq-g sCsC rDq-qn<br /> rainbow-FEMALE_NAME-1 bring news-3.INDF joyful female_superior-2.<br /> <br /> We have found other sapients at last!<br /> gqJ h rHqP-l fCq-sfsf h cdq-m-g<br /> finally PL missionary-1 find-MIR PL ask-AGENTIVE-3.INDF<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Light shine upon you, friend<br /> L rLPq-p BCq-b sFsF-qn<br /> OPT light-3D illuminate-NAUTH friend-2<br /> <br /> I nIL-ml AB-ma oD-oD-mk<br /> <br /> I nILml ABma oDoDmk<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Wow, that guy is tall!<br /> khqkh-p lC-sfsf<br /> male-3.DIST big-MIR<br /> <br /> hf-mhf-l i-B-od-od<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> [You] put your egg in this nest<br /> P sGHMr qpq g KqqN<br /> P sGH-Mr qpq g Kq-qN<br /> in nest-3.PROX put POS egg-3M<br /> &quot;You made your bed, now sleep in it.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Human claws are flat and broad<br /> h rFJ-p b qMqm-g Lm j sN<br /> PL claw-3.DIST of human-3.INDF flat and broad<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> [smelly]'s book is on the table.<br /> bc sBC-p HK-p b qMqnq-c-sk-p nl<br /> on table-3.DIST book-3.DIST of.ALIENABLE smell-y-MALE_NAME-3.DIST is at<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> From nose to tail (comprehensive)<br /> B sPlq-p G slPq-p<br /> from rhinarium-3.DIST to tail-3.DIST<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> in over my ears (overwhelmed)<br /> CD g sfCsfC-l nl-A<br /> above POS ears-1 is_at-A<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Under my palm <br /> DC kjq-Mr qL<br /> under palm-3.PROX my<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL nq h qnlqg lNrmBD rnP?<br /> rnL nq h qnlq-g lNr-m-BD rnP-0<br /> not with PL sick-3.IND heal-AGENT-INTEROGATIVE live-A<br /> What healer does not abide among the sick?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rl BCqqMNrsdl qcDr HKsHKp<br /> G rl BCq-qMNr-sd-l qcDr HKsHK-p <br /> IMPERATIVE to shine-sun-FEMALE_NAME-1 give book-3.DIST<br /> Give me the book.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL rCFq sPnqp sDbr<br /> G rnL rCFq sPnq-p sDbr<br /> must not eat snow-3.DIST yellow<br /> Don't eat yellow snow.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL smprb<br /> G rnL smpr-b<br /> must not fall-NONAUTH<br /> Please don't fall.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfcqn, rBCqMr F BC qgjmg hG lNq!<br /> sfc-qn rBCq-Mr F BC qgj-m-g hG lNq-0<br /> child-2 peace-3P COMP all fight-er-3I true seek-AUTH<br /> MAH BOI, this peace is what all true warriors strive for!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> pM sbrP-rmK-g snp-g qbf qF rNlr-0 sfc-PL-P H-rLPq-K<br /> OBL custodian-hearth-3.INDEF holy.3.INDEF if merely good.AUTH child-COLLECTIVE-3.DIST none-light.DOG<br /> A hearthkeeper must be a saint. If she is merely decent, her litter shall be godless.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp rKg GJrJhGHMr sBccDqg rdrdB?<br /> mp 0 rKg-0 GJ-rJh-GH-Mr sBc-cDq-g rdr-dB?<br /> QUESTION 0 opine-AUTH make-throat-ness-3.PROX pass-time-3.INDEF one-tending_to_be?<br /> Do you think conlanging is a lonely hobby?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rl rJh-Mr qL j qgKq-Mr FB rDB rJh-Mr H qMqm-g qcDr rfDq-g <br /> to throat-3.PROX my and yinrih-3.PROX COMP speak throat-3.PROX no human-3.INDEF give interest-3.INDEF <br /> Nobody's interested in my language and the monkey foxes that speak it.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L sLMr qL rCFsfbcdrMr rhJsfbb rLPqp HrjGJ<br /> L sL-Mr qL rCFsfbcdr-Mr rhJsfb-b rLPq-p HrjGJ<br /> may soul-3.PROX my mirror-3.PROX reflect-NAUTH light-3.DIST uncreated<br /> May my soul be a mirror reflecting the uncreated light<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G fb rp kHr<br /> G 0 fb-0 rp-0 kHr-0<br /> must [you] stop-AUTH RFLX-AUTH hit-AUTH<br /> Stop hitting yourself!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL bc rFbBD rp Pq?<br /> rnL bc rFb-BD rp-0 Pq-0<br /> not by reason-INTEROGATIVE 0 RFLX-AUTH burn-AUTH?<br /> why don't they burn?<br /> Por que no se queman?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln sNLsdqb qgKqg Ln sG qgKqdqg rGKqsfbb<br /> Ln sNLsdq-b qgKq-g Ln sG qgKqdq-g rGKqsfb-b<br /> HORT reject-NAUTH yinrih-3IND HORT to tree-dweller-3IND return-NAUTH<br /> Reject yinrih. Return to tree-dweller<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> B scrMr, sKGqMr. B sKGqMr, rcBrMr. B rcBrMr, sfBMr.<br /> B scr-Mr sKGq-Mr B sKGq-Mr rcBr-Mr B rcBr-Mr sfB-Mr<br /> from star-3P stone-3P from stone-3P life-3P from life-3P mind-3P<br /> From star, stone. From stone, life. From life, mind.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> B dFrHGp smprb<br /> B dFrHG-p 0 smpr-b<br /> from test-3D I fall-NAUTH<br /> I failed the test<br /> literally &quot;I fall from the test&quot;<br /> <br /> dFrGHMr sMlrsfsf sMlrsfsf<br /> dFrGH-Mr sMlr-sfsf sMlr-sfsf<br /> test-3P dear-MIR dear-MIR<br /> this test is expensive!<br /> <br /> qBf K B dFrMr<br /> qBf K 0 B dFr-Mr<br /> two time I try test-3P<br /> I've tried this test twice<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G sG h scrp jkqn sMlr sMlr sD spM g rLPqqN j jkqn jkqn rgj qCbK<br /> G sG h scr-p jk-qn sMlr sMlr sD-0 spM-0 g rLPq-qN<br /> must to PL star-3D little-2 dear dear go-AUTH spread-AUTH POS light-3M<br /> <br /> j jk-qn jk-qn rgj-K qCb<br /> and little-2 little-2 grow-DOG bright<br /> Go, dearest little ones, spread your light to the stars, and ye shall become brighter yourselves.<br /> <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> CD rN-p b rDB-sfbr-GH-g dFrHGp. <br /> about lore-3D of speak-far-ness-3IND test-3D<br /> The test is about network engineering (literally &quot;body of kowledge concerning speaking far away&quot;)<br /> <br /> rN 0 qcDr-0 qBf qbF j rkG rDBq-g<br /> must I give-AUTH two gross and dozen currency/point-3IND<br /> I have to pay two gross and one dozen (three hundred) dollars. <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL rDB-0 rLPq-p rNlr-0 hgq rLPq-p rNlrGH-p rNlrGH-p <br /> must not say-AUTH light-3D good-AUTH for light-3D goodnes-3D goodness-3D<br /> Do not say &quot;The Light is good&quot;, for The Light is goodness itself.<br /> <br /> G rnL rDB-0 rLPq-p qCDr-0 hgq rLPq-p qCDrGH-p qCDrGH-p<br /> must not say-AUTH light-3D just-AUTH for light-3D justice-3D justice-3D<br /> Do not say &quot;The Light is just&quot;, for The Light is justice itself.<br /> <br /> G rnL rDB-0 rLPq-p snp hgq rLPq-p rNPq-p b BC snpGH-p <br /> must not say-AUTH light-3D holy for light-3D source-3D of all holiness-3D<br /> Do not say &quot;The Light is holy&quot;, for it is the fount of all holiness.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> [You] put your egg in this nest<br /> P sGHMr qpq g KqqN<br /> P sGH-Mr qpq-0 g Kq-qN<br /> in nest-3.PROX put-AUTH POS egg-3.MED<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sjr KC 0 B dFrGH-p sMlr<br /> tomorrow again [I] try test-3D dear<br /> I'm trying that expensive test again tomorrow.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rmr KC B dFrHGp smprb<br /> rmr KC B dFrHG-p 0 smpr-b<br /> today again from test-3D I fall-NAUTH<br /> I failed the test again today.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln lC rBD G rnL smprb<br /> Ln lC rBD G rnL smpr-b<br /> HORT tall walk IMP not fall-NAUTH<br /> Walk tall, don't fall<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L scrrmK-p qGq-b g Frk-qN<br /> OPT hearth_star-3D warm-NAUTH POS back-3M<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> bc rFb-BD scBq-qN sPM-0<br /> by cause-INT water-3M boil<br /> <br /> bc sFB-BD scBq-qN sPM-0<br /> by motive-INT water-3M boil-AUTH<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Under my palm <br /> DC g kjq-l<br /> under POS palm-1<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfq-p b ____ DC g kjq-l<br /> earth-3D of _____ under POS palm-1<br /> The soil of ____ is under my palms.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> INT still vomit-NAUTH vomit-NAUTH dirt-3I upon POS paw-3M<br /> mp GJq sFb-b sFb-b sfq-g bc g rnq-qN<br /> You still keep vomiting? There's some dirt on your paws.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-Mr nl-AUTH khqkh-fd-g NPr<br /> in POS computer-3P is_at-0 guy-DIM-3I odd <br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-Mr nl-AUTH khqkh-fd-g NPr-fd<br /> in POS computer-3P is_at-0 guy-DIM-3I odd-DIM<br /> <br /> There's a funny little guy in my computer<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-Mr nl-K khqkh-fd-g NPr<br /> in POS computer-3P is_at-DOG guy-DIM-3I odd<br /> &quot;I SWEAR, there's a funny little guy in my computer.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rMLcdr-qN nl-sfsf khqkh-fd-g NPr<br /> in POS computer-3M is_at-MIR guy-DIM-3I odd<br /> &quot;There's a funny little guy in your computer?!&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L sjr dBqm-qn rBc-b g dFrHG-qN<br /> OPT tomorrow student-2 pass-NAUTH POS exam-3M<br /> May you pass your exam tomorrow, student.<br /> <br /> KC B g dFrHG-Mr CD rDBsfbrGH-g 0 smpr-b<br /> again from POS test-3P over farspeaking-3I I fall-NAUTH<br /> I failed my network engineering test again.<br /> <br /> rBFr K B-0<br /> four time try-AUTH<br /> I've tried four times now.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rGhq-p b qgKq-p<br /> home-3D of yinrih-3D<br /> That man's house<br /> that house of that man<br /> <br /> g rGhq-Mr<br /> POS home-3P<br /> my house<br /> <br /> g rGhq-qN<br /> POS home-3M<br /> your house<br /> <br /> g rGhq-p<br /> POS home-3D<br /> his house<br /> <br /> g rGhq-BD<br /> POS home-INT<br /> whose house?<br /> <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rnL jk-qn qNMr-0 g qFr-qN b sbrnGH-g<br /> IMP not little_one-2 quench-AUTH POS fire-3M of understanding-3I<br /> <br /> <br /> hgq b rLPq-p rnLrjGJ rjqcDr-qN <br /> for of light-3D uncreated gift-3M<br /> <br /> O little one, thou must not quench thy fire of understanding, for it is a gift of the Uncreaetd Light.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> p g rBFq-rnq-Mr nl-sfsf rLmq-rG-g<br /> in POS cover-paw-3P is_at-MIR animal-rope-3I<br /> &quot;There's a snake in my boot!&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rMLcdr-Mr BD<br /> thing-3P what_is<br /> What is this computer?<br /> <br /> g rMLcdr-BD<br /> POS computer-INT<br /> Whose computer?<br /> <br /> rMLcdr-BD qbC<br /> computer-INT right<br /> Which computer is the right one?<br /> Which computer is right?<br /> <br /> rMLcdr-g BD<br /> computer-3I what_is<br /> What's a computer?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Pq-sfsf g rnqMr!<br /> burn-MIR POS paw-3P!<br /> <br /> My paws burned <br /> [I] burned my paws[?]<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> B sCFq-Mr 0 DB-0 qCq-0 g rGhq-Mr<br /> from place-3P [I] can-AUTH see-AUTH POS home-3P<br /> I can see my house from here.<br /> here = &quot;this place/this location&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> g rnq-l rj g sgHq-qN rgJfd-0 j rj g sGKq-qN Pq-0 bc sFB-Mr qGKqJn-l<br /> POS paw-1 PAS POS grass-3M sting-AUTH and PAS POS path-3M burn-AUTH by reason-3P spacer-1<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rmr qgJr qgHr-sfsf qgHr-sfsf<br /> today much rain-MIR rain-MIR<br /> &quot;It rained a lot today.&quot;<br /> <br /> bc sfq-Mr nl-0 qgJr scBq-Mr <br /> upon ground-3P is_at-AUTH much water-3P<br /> &quot;There's a lot of water on the ground here.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rDFr g rGhq-Mr qfr qGKq-qN nl-0 qgJr rpLqrBq-g<br /> near POS home-3P at night-3M there_is-AUTH many tornado-3I<br /> &quot;There were several tornadoes last night near my house.&quot;<br /> <br /> 0 rMP-0 rfCr rnL 0 DB-0 qCq-0 0<br /> [I] smell_like-AUTH sad not [I] can-AUTH see-AUTH [them]<br /> &quot;I'm sad that I wasn't able to see them.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfc-Mr dC-0 qNmlN-p<br /> pup-3P desire-AUTH mine-3D<br /> &quot;The children yearn for the mines.&quot;<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln sbrPrmKl jkqn qcDr bCqqN F bCq g sLqn<br /> Ln rl sbrPrmK-l jk-qn qcDr-0 bCq-qN FB bCq-0 g sL-qn<br /> HORT to hearthkeeper-1 little-2 give-AUTH burden-3M COMP burden-AUTH POS soul-2<br /> O little one, give me the burdens that weigh down your soul.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> P brHG-p b rb-g [0] rGKqsfb-K<br /> in twitch-3D of whisker-3I [I] return-DOG<br /> I'll be back in the twitch of a whisker.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sGr-0 sCf-p b sgr-p<br /> hunt-0 end-3D of ring-3D<br /> To chase the end of the ring<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> lNq-0 cdqm-g C<br /> seek-AUTH sophont-INT other<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> cB nl-0 rPL JGqg<br /> out is_at-AUTH eight thumb-3I<br /> Eight thumbs out/Eight thumbs up<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rfbr-l qCq-0 g sFsF-Mr<br /> walk-1 see-AUTH POS friend-3P<br /> While walking, I saw my friend.<br /> or<br /> I, a walker, saw my friend.<br /> <br /> <br /> Plq-qn fCq-0 rDBq-qN<br /> dig-2 find-AUTH money-3M<br /> You, the digger, found money.<br /> or<br /> You found money while digging.<br /> <br /> g qCD-Mr kHr-0 rkHr-l<br /> POS male_litter_mate-3P strike_with_tail-AUTH angry-1<br /> My brother struck me, the angry one, with his tail.<br /> or<br /> I'm mad my brother hit me.<br /> <br /> <br /> rl rfCr-l sFsF-qn sD-0<br /> DAT sad-1 friend-2 go-AUTH<br /> you, friend, go on me, the sad one.<br /> or <br /> I'm sad to see you leave on me, friend.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> n sPlqBdqn sHshr lNq qcDqN<br /> n sPlqBdsk-qn sHshr [0] lNq-0 qcD-qN<br /> INST wet.nose-2 HONORIFIC [I] seek-AUTH fruit-3M<br /> With your help, Mr. Wet-nose, I seek fruit.<br /> or<br /> I'm looking for the produce, can you help me, Mr. Wet-nose?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> FDp shk DC g kgql<br /> FD-p shk DC g kgq-l<br /> sand-3D cool under POS palm-1<br /> That's cool sand under my palms<br /> That's a relief.<br /> <br /> rpLqfdg shk bd g qFdql<br /> rpLqfd-g shk bd g qFdq-l<br /> breeze-3I cool around POS ear-1<br /> A cool breeze around my ears. <br /> Good news<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 HJq-p<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH tree-3D<br /> The pup climbed the tree.<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 f HJq-p<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH MET tree-3D<br /> The pup climbed it as though it were a tree.<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 f HJq-qn<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH MET tree-2<br /> The pup clambered over you as though you were a tree.<br /> <br /> sfc-p lpr-0 g dcr-p f HJq-p<br /> pup-3D climb-AUTH POS dam-3D MET tree-3D<br /> The pup clambered over his dam as though she were a tree.<br /> <br /> f sfc-l lpr-0 HJq-p<br /> MET pup-1 climb-AUTH tree-3D<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp qMqm-qn rML-0 rnL qgKq-l qL-b<br /> INT human-2 think-AUTH not yinrih-1 exist-NAUTH<br /> Do you think we don't exist, human? <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> asc, gqJ CDrqn.<br /> sc gqJ CDr-qn<br /> hey finally alert-2<br /> hey, you! you're finally awake.<br /> <br /> rnL qgKq-l DB fCq CDrGH-p<br /> not yinrih-1 can lose consciousness-3D.<br /> We yinrih cannot lose consciousness.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> h qgKql cBr dqp fc rnL dqp cBr h qgKql.<br /> h qgKq-l cBr-0 dq-p fc rnL dq-p cBr-0 h qgKq-l<br /> PL yinrih-1 leave-AUTH forest-3d but not forest-3D leave-AUTH PL yinrih-1<br /> We yinrih have left the forest, but the forest has not left us.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Lmq sCbMr.<br /> 0 Lmq-0 rMLcdr-Mr<br /> [I] repair-AUTH computer-3P<br /> I fixed this computer.<br /> <br /> qCq g sFsFl<br /> 0 qCq-0 g sFsF-l<br /> [I] see-AUTH POS friend-1<br /> I see my friend.<br /> <br /> Lmq qCq g sFsFl<br /> 0 Lmq-0 qCq-0 g sFsF-l<br /> [I] repair-AUTH see-AUTH POS friend-1<br /> I'm about to see my friend.<br /> <br /> Lmq qMP g rnql<br /> 0 Lmq-0 qMP-0 g rnq-l<br /> [I] repair-AUTH wash-AUTH POS paw-1<br /> I'm fixing to wash my paws.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnqNPqqn NLrrmKmqn rCFqKqmqn rj rdr qhqg j rdr dcrg qCBrCb!<br /> rnqNPq-qn NLr-rmKm-qn rCFqKqm-qn rj rdr qhq-g j rdr dcr-g qCBrCb-0<br /> dirty.paw-2 hearth.licker-2 egg.eater-2 PAS one sire-3I and one dam-3I conceive-AUTH<br /> You filthy-pawed hearth-licking egg-eater only have one sire and dam!<br /> ore more literally<br /> You, Dirty paws, Hearth-licker, Egg-eater, were by one sire and one dam conceived!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp GKq B rnqqN b g dcrqn NLr sHGqg?<br /> mp GKq B rnq-qN b g dcr-qn 0 NLr-0 sHGq-g<br /> INT yet from paw-3M of POS dam-2 [you] lick-AUTH milk-3I<br /> Do you still lick milk from your dams' paws?<br /> or<br /> Stop being such a baby!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> fbb rnb g rFqn.<br /> 0 fb-b rn-b g rF-qn<br /> [I] stop-NAUTH know-NAUTH POS name-2<br /> I forgot your name.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> fb rn g rFqn.<br /> 0 fb-0 rn-0 g rF-qn<br /> [I] stop-AUTH know-AUTH POS name-2<br /> I couldn't be bothered to remember your name.<br /> or<br /> I forgot your name on purpose.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sKHqsBFqg P g slPql<br /> sKHqsBFq-g P g slPq-l<br /> bur-3I in POS tail-1<br /> A bur in my tail<br /> a thorn in my side<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qCq rdcqn rlnq g slPqqn<br /> 0 qCq-0 rdc-qn rlnq-0 g slPq-qn<br /> [I] see-AUTH poor-2 cut-AUTH POS tail-2<br /> I saw you cut your tail, poor dear.<br /> (The speaker witnessed the event directly)<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qCq rdcqn rlnqb g slpqqn<br /> 0 qCq-0 rdc-qn rlnq-b g slpq-qn<br /> [I] see-AUTH poor-2 cut-NAUTH POS tail-2<br /> I see that you cut your tail, poor dear.<br /> (The speaker infers the event based on indirect visual evidence.)<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> n h kjqp FB sHGqplr<br /> n h kjq-p FB sHGqplr-0 0<br /> INST PL palm-3D COMP palmfeed-AUTH [me]<br /> By the palms that nursed me!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> g Jhr-l sBCq-0 j rnL g sCb-Mr qmPr-0 rkHr-l<br /> POS belly-1 empty-A and not POS vehicle-3P catch-A angry-1<br /> I'm hungry and my ride hasn't picked me up.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> H K 0 qCq-0 qMqm-g<br /> no time [I] see-A human-3I<br /> I've never seen a human<br /> <br /> rnL rkHrl DBb sgb fCqb g lMqcdrqFdqMr<br /> rnL rkHr-l DB-b sg-b fCq-b g lMqcdrqFdq-Mr<br /> not mad-1 can-NA begin-NA have-NA POS earphones-3P<br /> I'm mad that I can't find my headphones.<br /> <br /> rnLqCqGHg slmqNLg<br /> rnLqCqGH-g slmqNL-g<br /> blindness-3I cloaca_butter-3I<br /> Blindness is stupid.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qgqg rl slmqNLMr rp rNmplr<br /> qgqg rl slmqNL-Mr rp-0 rNmplr-0<br /> too DAT cloaca_butter-3P RFLX-A ferment-A<br /> I'm getting too old for this nonsense.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qlnDB qfdr?<br /> qln-DB 0 qfdr-0<br /> manner-INT [you] stand-A<br /> how's it going?<br /> literally<br /> How do you stand?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp sFsF-qn PMr-0 <br /> INT friend-2 content-A<br /> Are you OK, buddy?<br /> <br /> <br /> mp pM rp-0 BFq-0<br /> INT NEC RFLX-A occupy-A<br /> Should I be worried?<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnM g rjHMr.<br /> 0 rnM-0 g rjH-Mr<br /> [I] project-A POS ray-3P<br /> I'm discharging my energy weapon.<br /> or, if you will<br /> IMMA FIRIN MAH LAZER! <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> gK rNlr rnL rn CD Hj b dq nl scrg qCb <br /> gK rNlr-g rnL rn-0 CD Hj-p b dq-p nl-0 scr-g qCb<br /> more good-3I not know-A above roof-3D of forest-3D is_at-A star-3I bright<br /> It is better not to know that stars shine above the forest canopy.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> mp pM GJq GJ rJhqjHcMr?<br /> mp pM 0 GJq-0 GJ-0 rJhqjHc-Mr<br /> INT NEC [I] continue-A make-A Commonthroat-3P<br /> Should I keep working on Commonthroat?<br /> <br /> rBC g sfBl fbb fCqb rfDqMr<br /> 0 rBC-0 g sfB-l fb-b fCq-b rfDq-Mr<br /> [I] fear-A POS mind-1 stop-NA have-NA interest-3P<br /> I'm afraid my mind is losing interest<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sjr BHGg C b dFrHGp<br /> sjr BHG-g C b dFrHG-p<br /> tomorrow attempt-3I another of exam-3D<br /> Tomorrow is another attempt at that exam.<br /> <br /> slM K B<br /> slM K 0 B-0<br /> six time [I] try-A<br /> I've tried six times.<br /> <br /> GJqb smprb.<br /> 0 GJq-b smpr-b<br /> [I] continue-NA fall-NA<br /> I keep failing.<br /> <br /> smprl GJq rp qmPr<br /> smpr-l GJq-0 rp-0 qmPr-0<br /> fall-1 continue-A RFLX-A catch-A<br /> But I will keep catching myself when I fall.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qF CB rj qHJ<br /> qF 0 CB-0 rj-0 qHJ-0<br /> mere [I] want-A PAS-A need-A<br /> I just want to be necessary.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL rpMr Jh rDB<br /> rnL rpMr Jh 0 rDB-0<br /> not happy thus [I] say-A<br /> I do not say so happily<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sjr qBCDFg nq qgJr rpLqg j qgHr-g rGKq<br /> sjr qBCDF-g nq qgJr rpLq-g j qgHr-g rGKq-0<br /> tomorrow hurricane-3I with much wind-3I and rain-3I come-A<br /> A hrricane is coming tomorrow with a lot of rain and wind.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rmr CD jhqMr nl<br /> rmr CD jhq-Mr 0 nl-0<br /> today over sea-3P [it] is_at-A<br /> Today it is over the ocean.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> Ln sDb qlpb!<br /> Ln sD-b qlp-b<br /> HORT go-NA gamble-NA<br /> Let's go gambling!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL rfCrl qfdr qP sfcqn.<br /> rnL rfCr-l qfdr-0 qP-0 sfc-qn<br /> not sad-1 stand-A block-A pup-2<br /> I do not stand in your way, child.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL qfdr qP sfcqn b rfCrl<br /> rnL qfdr-0 qP-0 sfc-qn b rfCr-l<br /> not stand-A block-A pup-2 of sad-1<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sdC qGrbfrg<br /> 0 sdC-0 qGrbfr-g<br /> [I] miss-A video_game-3I<br /> I miss video games.<br /> <br /> sdC g dcrl<br /> 0 sdC-0 g dcr-l<br /> [I] miss-A POS dam-1<br /> I miss my dams.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sdq Cdqg j rMPsfsf Cdqg!<br /> 0 sdq-0 Cdq-g j 0 rMP-sfsf Cdq-g<br /> [I] throw-A fart-3I and [it] smell_like-MIR fart.<br /> I farted and it smelled like FART!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> h sKGq-p F-0 bc Hj b rcfr-Mr scfq-0 qGr-0 g FBr-l<br /> PL stone-3D is-A upon roof of cave-3P shimmer-A play-A POS moon-1<br /> The stones that shimmer upon the cave ceiling play at being our moon.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> h sKGq-p F-0 bc Hj b rcfr-Mr scfq-0 qGr-0 g sgr-l<br /> PL stone-3D is-A upon roof of cave-3P shimmer-A play-A POS ring-1<br /> The stones that shimmer upon the cave ceiling play at being our ring.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rl g smqMnMr snpg GJ sFsFg.<br /> rl g smqMn-Mr snp-g GJ-0 sFsF-g<br /> DAT POS opponent-3P holy-3I make-A friend-3I<br /> A holy man makes friends of his opponents.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sGKqMr sG h scrp rj cbqp b h qGHqp qMp<br /> sGKq-Mr sG h scr-p rj-0 cbq-p b h qGHq-p qMp-0<br /> road-3P to PL star-3D PAS-A blood of PL martyr-3D paint-A<br /> The path to the stars is painted by the blood of martyrs<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rnL DB fb rp lNqbfrplr.<br /> rnL DB-0 fb-0 rp-0 lNqbfrplr-0.<br /> not can-A stop-A RFLX-A google-A.<br /> I can't stop googling myself<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> G rl rLPqp qcDr kgqN j G rl qgjml qcDr gkqN!<br /> G rl rLPq-p qcDr-0 kg-qN j G rl qgjm-l qcDr-0 gk-qN<br /> IMP to light-3D give-A praise-3M and IMP to soldier-1 give-A ammunition-3M<br /> Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> bc rnq-qN rp-0 qcf-0<br /> upon paw-3M RFLX-A piss-A <br /> To piss on one's paws <br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> qcf-0 qNMr-0 qFr-g<br /> piss-A quench-A fire-3I<br /> to piss out a fire.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> P rlp-qN sMp-0<br /> in toilet-3M step-A<br /> To step in the toilet<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> L gK g sLqn PNq g qCrqn<br /> L gK g sL-qn PNq-b g qCr-qn<br /> OPT more POS soul-2 clean-NA POS mouth-2<br /> May your soul be cleaner than your mouth.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> sCg b rjGjqqn rj MNrg rBFq.<br /> sC-qn b rjGjq-g rj-0 MNr-g rBFq-0<br /> pile-2 of shit-3I PAS-A fur-3I cover-A<br /> [you are] a pile of shit wrapped in fur. <br /> or<br /> I hold a rather low opinion of you.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> GJBCqn fCq lr h rnqg lr slPqg cF DC m qgJ sfcl rdc bq B qCrp b qGHGHp qjkr g jkfdqn<br /> GJBC-qn fCq-0 lr h rnq-g lr slPq-3I cF DC m qgJ-0 sfc-l rdc bq B qCr-p b qGHGH-p qjkr-0 g jk-fd-2<br /> allmaker-2 have-A nor PL paw-3I nor tail-3I. yet below ADV use-A pup-1 poor in_order_to from mouth of death-3D pull-A POS little-DIM-2<br /> O Creator of the universe, paws and tail hast thou none, yet wield me, wretched whelp that I am, as thine instrument here below, and rest this least of thy little ones from the jaws of death.<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> rlnqK sBrK g qcqn<br /> rlnq-K sBr-K g qc-qn<br /> cut-DOG remove-DOG POS face-2<br /> Imma cut yo face off!<br /> <br /> ----<br /> <br /> BC sjgqp BDsfsf.<br /> BC sjgq-p BD-sfsf<br /> all head-3D INT-MIR?<br /> Gee, what are all those heads?<br /> <br /> h qc-Mr b qkjGH-g<br /> PL face-3P of evilness-3I<br /> These are the faces of evil.<br /> <br /> G qgj sBF h BCMr.<br /> G qgj-0 sBF-0 h BC-Mr<br /> IMP fight-A win-A PL all-3P<br /> You must conquer each.</div>

Lurker https://constructed.world/index.php?title=Childermoot&diff=1039 2026-07-23T16:35:37Z

<p>Lurker: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> A childermoot is a [[moot]] that has a litter. <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:culture]] [[Category:biology]]</div>

Lurker