Humans have exceptional physical endurance, capable of moving at a relatively slow pace over distances that would kill most species through exhaustion. Humans are relatively large creatures, although without any spectacular combat abilities unarmed. However, humans are adept at ranged combat with sight abilities focused heavily upon throwing or shooting. Color and spectrum wise, human sight is good but limited. Human hearing and smell are both acute compared to most creatures on their planet, although far from the best. Human skin provides for an excellent sense of touch.

Humans breed somewhat slowly and mature extremely slowly. They are utterly helpless during their youth, requiring that the young are highly cared for for many years. Humans tend to be extremely protective of their young as a result. The burdens of this are mitigated somewhat by their status as pack creatures.

Humans are a vengeful species, who remember damage done to them by external groups or forces (regardless of the origins) and react most often with violence when the opportunity presents itself, even if that group or force is unlikely to harm them again. This trait is relatively rare. Humans are also stable enough that they are not always fighting. However, this trait has led to a strong internal fracturing of their race as many smaller groups fight others over past grievances. Their tendency for abstraction means that they readily work with and adopt other species, although they do so in the manner of a group alpha adopting a new low pack member.

Overall, humans are extremely durable, adaptable generalists who can survive in a wide range of climates, hold grudges and respond to those grudges with violence, and are adept at ranged warfare. They are dexterous, capable tool users and sight based pack predators and scavengers. They are weak to penetrative weaponry, and poor at large number mathematics. These flaws are easily mitigated.

Recommendation: Humans are capable laborers, leaders, ranged combatants and will readily work with other races. Recommend adoption to the galactic community on probation.

cool shit OP

>>17684321
You forgot religion OP.

I am ok with this.

>>17684438

That would take up a few pages.

>>17684438
aliens wouldn't be interested in Human religions, unless they were, like, galactic anthropologists

that's actually a really good summary

>>17684321

>Lone humans are notably deficient in range of vision, their strongest sensory attribute

>Doesn't understand Humans have visual clarity and acuity only matched by Birds of Prey.

>>17684480
i think he means we can't see ultraviolet/infrared kind of range, not the distance kind.

Now if only we had other sapient races to compare ourselves to...
Are there any other analysis stuff like this?

>>17684480
Yeah some of us can see far, but our spectrum is very limited.

>>17684438
Religion probably no longer exists by this point among populations worth studying.

>>17684438
Variable between cultures. I have chosen not to focus upon cultural traits, but biological ones. Besides, it fits neatly under "abstract thinker" and "pack creatures typically working under an alpha".

Envisioning a god as an alpha all smaller groups can venerate helps unite those smaller groups into a coherent whole. The importance of religion in this fashion has lessened as human society has developed models that allow many small packs to work together secularly.

As such, although important, it did not need to be included in the analysis.

>>17684480
Tell that to an octopus.

>>17684512
Religion will always exist, it's part of what we are. There will always be those who ask "why?" and someone to give them and answer. Usually an answer that makes them feel nice.

Just there will be fewer extremist groups.

OP is not a fag. I like it OP, I like it a lot.

>>17684480
Humans have forward facing vision, with excellent resolution, if a somewhat limited color and spectrum palette.

What human vision is most dedicated to, however, is facilitating the human proclivity for ranged combat. Thrown stones, fired ammunition, hurled spears - all staple weapons of humanity, and all perfectly supported by their sense of vision.

As stated, human vision is good but not the best. It's simply very good at supporting the primary means of human combat.

Human skin is permeable to both air and water.

humans enjoy sex

>>17684561
Oh, and to clarify again further, emphasis is placed on forward-facing vision. A lone human cannot see behind themselves, which is a distinct vulnerability.

>>17684538
This is an appeal to something-or-other, basically saying "It's always been this way so it will always be this way" Which is a logical fallacy. So.. yeah. No.

But this isn't about your obsession with/hatred for/trolling about religion, it's about this awesome human analysis by alien species. :3

Who is doing the assessing, OP? Is this a setting you're working on?

>>17684612

that is a characteristic many predators share, since forward faced vision is very beneficial when chasing prey.

>>17684576
compare human skin to a frogs.

It is much more resistant

>>17684612

Which is why our sense of hearing, while not the best by any means, is at least super accurate in one regard.

The brain can perceive which eardrum gets the sound first, even though this measure of time is extremely minute, thus giving us the ability to tell almost exactly where a sound is coming from, provided its not an echo.

>>17684576

Selectively permeable. If it were entirely permeable, we'd be gooslime.

>>17684610

Yeah, OP, I recommend you put a little blurb about the proclivity to matebond regardless of reproductive gains.

>>17684360

Addendum: Should conflict become inevitable, total annihilation is recommended to preserve lasting galactic peace.

>>17684620
As I saw it, this assessment is being done by a member of the galactic community tasked with determining whether contact should be made with emerging species.

I had not intended to create a setting with this so much as present an analysis of humans as detached as possible from either tying to pain humans as the best possible species or the worst, instead merely attempting to analyze what we were compared to most species on earth.

Most species in space are certain to be at least as capable as we are at surviving and thriving, but an intelligent species need not think or look like humans.

I have created another sentient race I'll post about if people are interested however.

>>17684663

Fuck that, the Emperor's will stands above the petty preferences of xeno filth.

>>17684663

This isn't a HFY thread. Its a "Humanity: Objective Analysis" thread.

>>17684321
>Female
>Clothing isnt skintight spandex with boobplate and exposed skin
>unisex and practical

Even IF the rest of your post were to be shit, you get good points for that

>>17684610
Everything that has sex enjoys sex, or at least is in some way driven to have a fuckload of it.

>>17684658
I felt that was sufficiently covered in the "pack" analysis, I didn't feel sexual reproduction was necessary unusual or spectacular, although there are plenty of species that don't reproduce sexually. Besides, I could go on about the minutia of humanity for days. I felt this was as long as I should go before it started getting too long.

>>17684687


I am interest.

>>17684687
YES! POST IT!

>>17684707

It's pretty objective, IMO. The annihilation option should stand open on every potentially disruptive candidate race.

And as history has shown, God hates a half-assed genocide, so you better wipe the slate.

Okay. Warning - it's a bit long. I'll post the basic summary and then the expanded version if there is interest.

On one planet, evolution went down a different path. Rather than being focused upon the development of individual organisms, ALL organisms are constructed in "pools" of sentient, organic goo. The goo itself is sentient, and can create and digest creatures at will. The entire world consists of various forms of these goo pools, creating creatures and sending them out to gather resources and return them to the pool for digestion. Effectively immortal, the pools themselves can even be recreated by the creatures it constructs and directs.

Rather than psychic direction, the pools create "biological robots", which complete tasks and then return to the pool for digestion.

More than one pool can be combined into a single pool, and a pool can divide into multiple pools to reproduce. Not all pools are sentient; they're the equivalent of animals.

All life, animal, plant, fungal, and otherwise that inhabit the planet are created in these pools and given specific tasks.

Each pool is individual, and independent, while maintaining control over massive quantities of different forms of life. They can even create sentient creatures, although those lack the capabilities of the pools themselves.

cotd.

>>17684783
Different pools also specialize in different kinds of creatures. Some might exclusively produce plantlife to return nutrients from the soil to the pool, others might construct herbivores, and yet others might construct predators. For this reason, all life on the world is inherently dangerous and will try to consume most other life.

On rare occasions, upon meeting alien species, the creatures may create eden like "safe zones" on their world to host ambassadors. While they tend to have a difficult time understanding why many of these ambassadors do not wish to simply be digested in the pools and give their messages and/or knowledge to the pool directly, they are usually tolerant toward this requirement. Nevertheless, some misunderstandings have been known to occur, particularly with people who die in their territories.

That's it for the short version. The extended version goes over the ecology of the species a bit, and which ones make what kind of creatures, as well as their level of sapience based on what they tend to make.

I'll post one of the types, just for the hell of it.

Non-Sentient: Plant producers
These creatures create simple plants and fungus, like molds, fungi, bacteria, and basic grasses. These are created in the pools and then leave it, often by their spores and seeds being carried on the wind. They extract nutrients from the soil surrounding the pool, gradually creating a pit. When they die, they fall back into the pool. More complex and larger pools can create more complex and larger plants and fungus. The ability to manufacture new types of plant is inherited. These pools die easily to the elements, to predators, and to harmful plants created by other pools. Many have adapted to this, and their plants grow in a specific manner, or spread out. When one is ready to reproduce, they create a type of plant with an extensive root system extended into the pool. It extracts what the pool wishes for it to extract, and deposits the new pool person at a location they are likely to survive. This is the simplest and earliest form of all Pool People. Almost all use their capabilities to build a kind of “membrane” of plant and fungal material to protect them from the elements. This also allowed the first underwater pool people to exist, as they would have otherwise dissolved in a large body of water.

>>17684814
I like it.

And for the dude who dug unisex armour.

>>17684999
I like that picture. Here's another.

Sentient: Plant Producers
When a pool has reached a sufficient level of age and complexity, it can spontaneously achieve sentience. When it does so, it's manufacture of plants and fungi are no longer natural, inherent, and instinctual. Although it gains no new ability to manufacture plants and fungi, it can now do so intelligently, and deploy them intelligently. Moreover, using the root-plant normally used for reproduction, a pool can now directly absorb other pools, gaining their own plant-manufacturing capabilities. It generally doesn't take long for a pool to learn to create extremely complex plants. When in the presence of other plant-pool people, knowledge can be shared willingly through a kind of aborted reproduction process where the knowledge chemicals are sent to another pool but the chemicals will not become another pool. Before long, whole forests can arise around these pools, and if they create plants with the ability to self-propagate, whole continents can be seeded. During this process, they typically retreat into a “burrow” created through the work of plants and sealed off by their most dangerous plants. Communication is maintained through their root network, where chemicals are transmitted. If necessary, a plant pool person can move locations through that same network to avoid predators.

Eh. I'll just post it all. Why not.

Non-Sentient: Herbivore producers
These creatures are similar to the plant producers. They typically exist on the surface, and often do produce plants of their own. However, there are many types of plants common to various pool people. These non-sentient pools capitalize on this through their natural, instinctual production of insect-like life forms. These steal nutrients from other pools by harvesting their plant life. This is the first mobile kind of life to exist. In response to their existence, several sentient plant producers have created plants that actually devour the insect-like lifeforms, and through this process, have gained the ability to make these creatures themselves. Some remain plant-producers, but others have focused entirely on this kind of predation. These pools reproduce by placing themselves in large insects or dividing themselves into many smaller ones, and then moving to a new location where they are reassembled if their old one is threatened by a root-attack.

Sentient: Herbivore producers
The sentient variety of herbivore producers created first, simple insect life like the non-sentient variety. However, time and mutation allowed them to develop more interesting and complex forms of creature. Over millions of years of evolution, they have created great herds of creatures similar to a form of insectoid cow, although appearances and capability can be wildly divergent from the generally seen varieties. These creatures also have a great number of adaptations to aid the pools in other ways; they can dig, find better, more secure sites, and actively find the locations of other pools. This variety of pool person usually lives in caves, either dug by it's herd or formed naturally and claimed. All of the creatures created in this way are “biological robots”. Even with extensive sharing networks, the capacity to create sentient servants does not exist for this level of creature.

Sentient: Predator producers
Predator producers are some of the most dangerous, complex, old, and powerful pools in existence. They actively seek out new pools, and their creatures are designed to kill and absorb the resources of herbivore life and harmful plants. However, they also dig, break, or burn through the defenses of other pools, allowing the predator pool to devour it and absorb it's patterns, and making it possible to manufacture yet more creatures. The creations of this pool are deadly, intelligent, and the most independently capable of all kinds of pool-creatures. Some resemble earth creatures, many do not.

Sentient: Ancient Pools
The oldest surviving pools on the planet, they have absorbed a copy of nearly every pattern for a new species that exists. They can (and do) create plants, plant eaters, and predators, and each one is it's own self-contained ecosystem. Far from simply harvesting the earth and sun, or harvesting the plants of others, or harvesting the herbivores, their systems are designed to work together – the plants pump nutrients to the pool, and they produce excess for the herbivores, which feed the complex predators, adept at ambushing other pools. Most important, they can manufacture sentient servants – creatures tailor made to do their bidding, and attack other pools, but who can think for themselves. This is a vital trait, as the pools lack any real senses of their own, and have no inherent mobility. Predators made by simpler pools, upon reaching a pool-creature that retreated through it's root system, would have to return to their home pool, be absorbed, and the pool would have to manufacture a new creature with new directives. Sentient predators can do much more; and can personally track the retreat path of the other pool, find it's new location, and devour it. These creatures are absolutely loyal. Although sentient, they are created for a reason, and cannot even comprehend not acting upon it. They are carefully made this way, after disasters with pools who did not control this aspect of their servants. These complex creatures can also build complex tools with materials the pools themselves cannot use.

cotd

>>17685153
Metals and robotics are designed by the creatures, who then return to the pool, deliver their knowledge, and then an army of construction creatures are made to produce the item, whatever it is. Pool-people technology is crude, but effective, and their rate of production is truly terrifying. They understand industry like few species do, and don't care about the loss of a few servant creatures in using poor-quality goods or testing new technologies. With these tools, they have begun to move among the stars, finding new worlds to terraform and shape to their will. With their abilities, they can adapt to nearly any environment and shape it to a place suitable for them to live. Inherently predatory, they also understand the value of communication and co-operation like few less advanced pools do. They are complex, intelligent, and can be negotiated with, but are ruthless in their deals, and loss to them means waking to find yourself dissolving in the pool, your pattern and your memories added to it's structure.

>>17685162
And there you have it. I see the ancient pools as being one of the major races in the galaxy of this setting. Perhaps the analysis could have been written by a servant creature.

I have another race idea as well, although it's also goo - if very different. Somewhat redundant I suppose.

>>17685180
Nah, if they're different enough two goo species shouldn't be a problem. Would even provide an excuse for more humanoid species.

Well, I can't find the files I had describing them, so I'll just rewrite them.

I have two species. I'll start off with the non-goo first.

The Sia, an insectoid (fungal) race of creatures.

This was essentially notes to help me write a story, so I'm going to edit them a bit to be coherent.

Wouldn't a single-organism ecosystem be vulnerable to complete destruction rather easily? As they can't move, and only parts of them are able to "explore space" and set up another world. Whats stopping them from taking over everything?

The Sia are a kind of living race made out of a kind of fungus, with the soldiers primarily resembling man-sized ants. They are not individually intelligent, but the network, if large enough, can be. They are more of a voracious and impossible to exterminate pest than a galactic civilization, however, and have populated many worlds in the galaxy. Many potentially advanced civilizations have been wiped out by them, and humanity fought off a colonization attempt at one point before making galactic contact.

Life cycle of their colonization:

The aliens start by sending out several, “sense-creatures” to a planet to determine what the conditions are like there, and relay information back to the colonies on the nearest planets.

The Ants then send a colony meteor to that world containing their fungus like spores, specifically attuned to survive and thrive in that environment.

The fungus then spreads across the landscape like wildfire, quickly outgrowing local plants and nearly a mile in only a few weeks.

Within a two weeks, Spiderlike Harvesters appear. They shape, form, and harvest the fungal growth, and are in fact a part of it. Upon first appearance, they are no larger than small peas, but are voracious, and consume all plants and animals in the area covered by the fungus. They swarm over every inch of the fungal growth, with thousands per square foot.

cotd.

Within a month and a half, a full nest is formed. It extends underground for nearly a mile; above ground, the fungal growth should have stopped growing at around five miles, but will be thriving at this point. Ranged soldiers appear for the first time. These creatures are capable of using internal chemical reactions to shoot out white hot streams of liquid.

Within two months, the first aerial soldiers appear. The older melee soldiers should now be the size of large dogs. The colony will begin to actively seek out all ready food in the area by this point, such as trees, people, vehicles, animals, and plants and devour it.

Within three months, the aerial ranged soldiers should have scouted out the surrounding area. Aerial colony bugs then land in new areas, followed by aerial scout bugs acting as guards.

Within four months the raw resources in the original landing area should be consumed completely, and the bugs will consume the fungal growth of their first landing and spread out to their other colonies, accelerating their growth. Larger bugs should begin appearing at this point.

Within Six months the colonies will begin aggressively waging war with the local inhabitants, switching from offense to defense. The older soldier bugs will be the size of grizzly bears by this point. The harvester spiders, even larger. The first, “thinking” creatures appear at this point.

Within the end of the first year they will converge on a point and begin construction of a large, “eye” which will begin to monitor the sky, as well as several long columns of the fungus like material. Using the resources of the surrounding area, they then begin to launch bugs up into space. Similar columns are used to launch missile like attacks, as well as spread infestations across vast distances. The “eye” will also act as a sensor system.

The primary soldiers used aggressively are about the size of a small dog, and can run at speeds up to 30MPH. They are capable of leaping vast distances, either thirty feet straight up, or 90 feet forward. They have powerful mandibles that hang open at a 90 degree angle, and can snap together with enough force to rip through a steel car. They also possess a stinger with venom potent enough to kill a full grown human with a single sting, and can shoot out small clouds of the same venom, which is harmful on contact. They attack in the thousands, or hundreds of thousands. Like all the bugs, they have intense resistance to heat, radiation, and had chitinous shells capable of resisting anything short of a .50 cal.

Another soldier caste utilized in large numbers are the shooters. They are capable of (through internal chemical reactions) shooting out small, “bullets” of diamond hard fungus material accurately at ranges up to 300 Meters at power levels equivalent to a 5.56 rifle round at rates of one per minute (each is capable of launching hundreds of rounds). The winged varieties constitute the flier soldiers, as well. The bugs lack heavy fliers, but hundreds of thousands of flying shooters are highly deadly in their own right. These shooters are slightly less durable than the melee creatures, and a 7.62 bullet is capable of killing them. Specialized varieties are also capable of creating corrosive acids strong enough to eat through the hull of a tank.

The last primary fighting variety of creature is the Exploding warrior, which vary in size and explosive power, as well as content. Earlier varieties of these warriors are smaller than a dog, and capable only of generating ½ ton of TNT’s worth of explosive force. Larger bugs are the size of small vehicles, and can reach explosive levels nearing half a Kiloton, though no greater explosions have been seen.

All forms of the ants develop from the “spiders”. Earlier colonies quickly develop warriors (all spiders develop into warriors naturally) .

True intelligence is only formed across large networks. Even then, it is not particularly intelligent, and the species as a whole is focused upon reproduction and expansion into the universe. Only the lack of FTL capability has kept them in check; however there are countless colonies floating through space, ready to settle into a new system.

>>17685377
They can and can't move. They can move through the root systems of the plants they develop, they can also ride inside of creatures they create. However, the largest ones are incapable of this, and rely on advanced technology to do it.

As it is, even with the advanced technology the large creatures are extremely vulnerable. Their technology is not particularly advanced, and numbers are irrelevant to space bombardment.

As for the "one species" argument I see your point, but they get around this by literally creating their own ecosystem and not having any kind of natural diseases capable of effecting them. Even if there were such diseases, they are naturally skilled at breaking living things down and understanding how they work, and then engineering countermeasures to them.

Although aggressive predators, I would argue that they also aren't a vengeful species as humanity is. They consume and expand because that is their nature. They are neither particularly affable or hateful; they just are.

And as stated, they can be reasoned with and will work with you, but they are very ruthless (and consistent) in their dealings.

We also eat some real weird shit for food. Not like it would be poisonous to others, but it really puts others off.

I mean who else eats rotted milk from another animal left to dry out? Or a half developed bird inside the egg?

>>17685641
I can understand how the cheese would be weird, but eating eggs, whether they be fertilized or not is not unique to humans.

>>17684321
"Hi I'm Alien ZX. I eat the rotten dead. Can I eat your rotten dead?

Love ZX."

>>17685668
I mean eating the bird inside the egg right as it starts developing its bones.

Or leaving fish to ferment for years at an end.

Anyway, I'll mention the last ones. This is a rewrite, not my original notes. If I forget info in here, that's why.

The "green girls" are a sentient race which evolved on a gas giant, in their natural state most resembling large, formless amoebas.

Their world was home to a vast floating ecosystem of plants and animals. They lived primarily by changing their shape at will, floating on the gas currents.

They are an omnivorous race, like humanity, but began as predators. Their outer membrane is similar to human skin in protectiveness, but designed to allow selective passage inward.

The inner structure of the creatures is highly acidic. They primarily eat by wholly enveloping other creatures and digesting them, and have no natural weapons other than the extremely hostile nature of their internal structure.

Unlike humans, they do not have vital organs. Their body as a whole performs the functions of sensory nerves, neural pathways for thought, and the distribution of resources. They are therefore not bothered much by most weapons that would kill a human, but are particularly vulnerable to poisons and cold, as their home is a "hot" gas giant.

Highly sociable, the green girls like to form into very large packs.

In terms of temperament, they are best described as, "very happy and energetic", which can be slightly disconcerting as this attitude is unlikely to change even in the most dire of circumstances.

They are particularly good at understanding higher mathematics, particularly anything related to spacial dimensions. Their technology is advanced on a level most races quite simply cannot understand, warping space around it.

cotd

>>17685721
When dealing with other races, they typically take shapes similar to their form. With humans, they typically take the form of the first human they encountered - a female human. They are not very good with forming hands, but the faces resemble human faces enough that most humans do not find them repulsive. They may take male forms or alien forms if they so choose; when dealing with multiple races, they typically revert to a flowing mix of natural shapes many would describe as "hypnotic".

In war, they are one of the most dangerous races. They typically crew planetoids.

Their senses are very poor, but they have a natural resistance to radiation and most forms of trauma that are nearly unmatched in the galaxy.

Overall, they are a strong member of the galactic community.

>>17685721

This is the kind of alien I expect to see in Old Man's War. Nice work.

>>17685641
>>17685668
>>17685669
>>17685686

Most creatures will eat whatever they CAN eat. Humans are not unique in this. We have some interesting applications of this, but it is not exactly unusual.

For instance, cheese is seen as odd and disgusting in human societies that have no history of large scale dairy production and high rates of lactose intolerance.

The philippino thing with the bird in is seen as unusual by most cultures as well, but not all that strange. Europe invented Ortolan Blunting, for instance.

But most aliens won't know it's gross, because they have wholly different ecosystems. It seems gross to us because those things touch upon our taboos designed to protect us from eating bad food.

Cheese is a kind of spoiled milk, but created for a reason. Nothing says an alien will even care - perhaps things HAVE to be eaten that way on their world. It's safe.

Lukefisk is also safe, and touches on our taboo of eating rotten meat. It's gross to us because we aren't a species that specializes in eating rotten meat; it can kill us.

A raven would wonder what your problem was between grabbing seconds, however.

Mostly, aliens are probably going to be seen as weird. Not necessarily gross, although sometimes gross for reasons the race itself is unlikely to even understand.

If I were an alien, I'd be freaked out by hair. I mean, it's dead skin cells growing out like millions of little tentacles. We're covered in dead stuff.

But your average human isn't going to see normal hair as gross (not counting ultra-hairy Russian types, of course) and why they would find it gross is likely different from why you would.

We grew up under different evolutionary systems. It's tough to tell what would make aliens gag about us, honestly.

>>17685686
Unless I'm mistaken, an egg eating animal isn't going to first check if the embryo has started developing bones before eating the egg.

>>17685789
Thanks. That's one of my favorite series.

Besides, every sci-fi setting needs a green skinned space babe and a goo girl. I decided to combine them into something cool that wasn't merely fetish fuel.

I come up with a lot of races like this. However, I think that's all I feel like posting for now. Besides, I need to sleep.

Why don't we do something fun with this thread?

Everyone throw some ideas out for your alien race, and when I wake up I'll turn them all (the good ones, anyway) into a setting.

If the thread is still alive, of course. You've got about eight hours, so have fun!

I've put on this trip so you'll know it's me when it comes time to make the setting.

A robot race that were "slaves" to a unknown race that they overthrew in a space-communist revolution.

To the guy who writes all these alien backgrounds, unless you have already, play Star Control 2 right fucking now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEFALqujPPU

>>17685836
Well I was thinking about one, to be honest, not sure if I gave them enough thought.
Now if only I could find the damn document I put it on...

Okay here it is:
The Xenua, or loosely translated "The Answer" is a race that has in a sense, forgotten itself. Their homeworld shares the "goldilocks" zone of its system with another planet, which was inhabited by another race whose name is lost to history.
The Xenua themselves have no unifying appearance. At one point, they were believed to be reptilian, and very wiry, given the heat of their planet, the low water content. The Xenua are masters of biotechnology, and their entire race is all artificial creations, each form created for one reason or another.
The original reason was that when the Xenua were limited to their own planet, they felt they were poorly adapted to live in environments besides their native lands. For the most part they were right. At this point they were called the Xuelec, or “Us”, and their bodies were designed to live in water poor environments, and would find environments with higher humidity to be dangerous, even lethal. They had believed their forms to be ill equipped and technology alone could only do so much. The changes were slight at the beginning, enhanced immune system, larger lungs, two eyes instead of an optical band.
But the changes became drastic when they reached Space travel. The race of the other planet achieved space flight slightly earlier. The race, whom the Xuelec called “the Enemy” or Xulu, were herbivorous in nature. Somehoe despite starting relatively low on the food chain, had rose to become the dominant species of the planet. Generations of being hunted have made the race paranoid and felt any potential threat need to be eradicated. And they saw everything as a potential threat.

The Xuelec were locked in a stalemate with the Xulu for years, both sides were ill equipped to deal with the others’ planetary conditions. This is where the Xuelecs’ biotechnology took off. They altered themselves, thousands of them, to the Xulu planet and had established a foothold. But the Xulu felt only their claims were vindicated and refused to surrender.
The Xuelec continued their strategy of breeding new bodies for their soldiers, to adapt to whatever form of warfare the Xulu used. By the end, the Xulu were wiped from existence, and the Xuelec were forever changed. The Xuelec over the course of genetic manipulation and fighting had developed an odd religion around the entire conflict. This religion believed that the Xuelec were in fact a puzzle, a problem. Their civilization was the answer, and that by altering their culture, they may come closer and closer to the correct answer. When they found this answer they would ascend to divinity in the next dimension. This was widely popular during the war as it helped soldiers cope with having bodies that looked totally alien to their original forms. Over many years, the Xenua religion spread through the Xuelec after the war. And when the last Xuelec had changed its body, they had officially changed their name to the Xenua.

The Xenua have a castes system revolving around the purpose of their respective forms. Whenever the Xenua encounter a new alien race, they create a group within themselves that are specifically made to be similar in appearance so as to reinforce positive relations. Xenua of these forms are held in high regard as they are integral to keeping their race out of costly wars. The lowest in their caste system are those that form the biological component of their technology. The navigation systems, the observation systems, they are not even sentient, but are still considered a part of Xenua, albeit not very respected. Young Xenua are told it is criminals who have their free wills removed that are part of this caste and that they need to behave unless they become part of the sewage management system.

There...a bit hard to read I know, but I was kinda tired when I wrote it. And to be honest, I'm tired right now, so any corrections would probably make it worse.

Bump for awesome writefaggortry.

WOULD THEY LIKE TO HAVE SEX WITH US MAYBE?

>>17685790

>>I mean, it's dead skin cells growing out like millions of little tentacles.

Pretty sure it's actually just protein, bro.

>>17685968

I went whole-hog when GOG was having that sale and bought a bunch of shit. Can anyone tell me if Star Control 1's save imports into SC2 before I start playing it on this janky old mactop I'm gonna be leaving behind in like a week when I go back to my country?

>>17691937
Possibly even weirder? Thousands of keratin strands designed to trap heat, growing from specialized holes in the skin.

http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/
here you go guys

Is OP pic from Battlefield 2142? That rifle looks like the default sniper..

no, the armor is not even close for PAC (and a ways off your EU). the top half of the gun, and especially the scope, looks similar to the Park-52 (the PAC sniper rifle), but the bottom half is too chunky. on a side not I love 2142. The setting in good, and the mechs don't FULL ALERT, ALL HANS TO BATTLESTATIONS, OHGOD my engineer sense, which is a huge thing for me with mechs.

oh and hears a park-52, for reference

Alright, I'm going to start writing some stuff up. We'll see how it goes.

>>Xuelec

The galaxy is an adaptable place.

Life has found that in order to survive, it must be capable of surviving anywhere, in almost any form. Each species has a homeworld, but in galactic terms, every planet is no more than a temporary home. Asteroids, the expansion or collapse of their home star – natural changes in climate and atmosphere composition all contribute to make any world a place of refuge for only a short period of time.

The major players in the galactic community are the green girls, the greatest force of stability. Their population is incomprehensibly large. Not only do they inhabit millions of worlds throughout the galaxy, they can inhabit gas giants, rocky planets and even live in colony ships in deep space. Their technology is incomprehensibly advanced, and their own forms extraordinarily flexible – as they can shift them at will. Their planetoid ships, some larger than earth, and the largest of which rivals Saturn, are considered a force of order in the galaxy. Far from good, they are nevertheless relentlessly enthusiastic and positive, always striving for a grander tomorrow.

The second greatest race are the Laanidae; a race of robotic beings who overthrew their progenitors long ago. They live semi-cloistered lives on their own worlds. If they had made a major bid for galactic domination, they might achieve it – but they are more than content to stay in their own simulated universe, run on their own worlds. It might be fair to say that they run a parallel, simulated galaxy. In spite of their godhood over their own realm, they are dour, simple people. They can have any form, and can swap bodies at will.

>>17693202
The Xenua are a race that specializes in mediating between other races. Their own adaptable biological technology has led to a kind of rivalry between them and the pool people that has repeatedly erupted into war. The two races specialize in similar – if highly distinct – forms of biological technology, and see the other as an abomination. The Xenua are ancient and well established in the galaxy, and are no strangers to genocide. Their own technology is no match for the Green Girls, however, and they are well aware of this fact. They take no actions which might disrupt the galactic order.

Humanity is a new player on the galactic scene – less adaptable than most of the other major players, but still by far one of the most adaptable of the sentient races. Their love of technology overcomes their shortcomings well, and although not particularly advanced, they are some of the best personal fighters in the galaxy. They are no match for some of the great races in ship scale conflicts, but produce capable mercenaries that specialize in long ranged warfare to fight on behalf of less combat capable races. Their endurance is legendary, surpassing almost all non engineered races, and their tenacity considered dangerous. In time, they may become a great race on the level of the Xenua – although there is no threat to the Laanidae or Green Girls dominance for the foreseeable future. Various attempts at transhumanism have been made, to limited success. Cybernetics is common and a limited degree of genetic engineering have been created, with the assistance of the Xenua and Laanidae.

>>17693216
The pool people are a relatively new race, like humanity. Their technology is rough and not particularly capable, being outmatched by human technology. However, their capability to produce biological robots is unmatched. Aggressively expansionist, they are carefully regarded as somewhere between a useful species and a threat by other races. This is especially true as they have no real society to speak of, with lone members of their race running small empires of biological robots. They may temporarily ally with others, but war between them is only a matter of time. Like humans, they excel at producing mercenaries. In return, they typically take payment in the form of enemy dead.

All races occasionally unite to fight against the Sia. The race is considered a dire plague, and responsible for wiping out many promising species in a period before they reach the stage in development where they could potentially fight them off. Although extermination efforts have been made for hundreds of thousands of years, they are perhaps the oldest race in the galaxy and are everywhere. Humans hold a particular hated for the fungal/insectoid race, having only narrowly won a war against them shortly before joining the galactic community. Humans are well known to offer a discount to races fighting against the Sia, or even work for free. Human galactic government spends a considerable portion of their GDP on a fleet dedicated solely to wiping out the Sia. With most of the star systems immediately surrounding humanity horribly infested, they have found their eternal enemy. The humans have united many of the vindictive and warlike races on a great crusade to destroy the Sia – and although it cannot possibly succeed, it is likely the Sia will be pushed back greatly.

>>17692438 FULL ALERT, ALL HANS TO BATTLESTATIONS, OHGOD

BUT I JUST GOT HERE YOU CUNT

Overall, though the galaxy is home to a vast number of species, it is those who are most intelligent, capable, and adaptable who succeed.

Only time will tell what new races join the galactic community in the eons to come, but one thing is certain - the greatest of them will be the ones most capable of facing everything a hostile universe can throw at them, and thriving off of it.

Is this a general xenology thread? Can I post my own aliens?

>>17685968
I like the setting quite a bit and consider those alien races to be fairly influential in regards to my writing.

The Orz in particular are by far one of my favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIbVYXHnaBU&feature=related

>>17693496
Yes, you absolutely can.

>>17685968

Heh, good call. The "green girls" earlier in this thread remind me a lot of the slylandro.

>>17693504

Mekglika is an endoskeletal quadruped species, evolved from an echinoderm ancestor. Their thick outer skin is rough and grooved, providing near-perfect protection from small cuts and abrasions, and is connected to the internal skeleton at several major joints. A mekglik's "bones" are actually made of thick, calcified skin, formed into layered, tubelike structures. In addition to the four locomotor limbs, the megklik possesses two manipulator arms and three pairs of prehensile, sensory antennae.

Mekgliks are highly social creatures, many individuals typically sharing a small living space; this behavior comes from their evolutionary history as burrowing pack creatures. Leadership among Mekglika is generally informal, with different individuals taking dominant positions when their skills are most applicable to the problem at hand. At best, this lends great adaptability to their society. At worst, it can make for a weak and somewhat inefficient organization.

I like the common scifi concept that humans would do well in the galaxy due to being opportunistic shitbags, that also breed like rabbits.

>>17693559

Mekgliks are very socially oriented, more likely to share resources or discoveries than hoard them for themselves. While especially skilled or accomplished mekgliks become more valued and well known within the group, status is not seen as a goal by most individuals. This is likely due to their promiscuous mating habits; genetic exchange is a common, everyday practice among mekglika, with every male and female of the colony typically mating several times over the course of their lifetimes. In such a reproductive environment, there is little impetus for competitive behavior.

Hailing from an arid, desert environment, mekgliks are adapted to rapid movement across flat ground. While climbing and jumping are difficult with their physiology, their horizontal overland speed is nearly without rival among known sophonts. Their arms and legs are also designed for burrowing, their ancestors having dug vast, subterranean nests and catacombs into the desert soil. Their vision and hearing are as poor as one would expect from a burrowing animal that only exits at night, but they possess an excellent sense of touch. Their antennae grant them phenomenal scent and limited electrosensitivity, allowing them to detect electromagnetic activity in their immediate vicinity.

Their burrowing instincts make the mekgliks naturally gifted engineers and builders. Their spacial analysis is impressive, as is their ability to work together and communicate subtle factors and details while engaged in a construction project. Their high metabolisms also give them excellent reflexes and moderately high strength, and a fondness for moving at high speeds.

>>17693594
Not really though considering time to maturity is about 20% of our entire lives, most animals on earth do better than that.

I'd also add in about our culture in that it has focussed significantly on an individualistic attitude which affects our general mentality about the same as base pack instincts. We prefer a more decentralised command structure fitting with the lack of foresight long-term but good short-term and many prefer their own gain over the gain of the entire pack.

This is in contrast to hive-species which work unilaterally to the benefit of the species. Humans may be decent labourers but we are accustomed to more complex tasks and may become bored, unlike worker drones who are more than happy to. If we keep going in a similar fashion there'd probably be something about extensive tool and non-human automaton use to maximise the output to effort of one human rather than making use of human labour.

>>17693605

Although noncompetitive on the individual level, groups of mekgliks can be enormously competitive and tribal in their outlook; a necessity in their rugged homeland. Wars between groups have been common throughout their history, punctuated by periods of uneasy trade and cooperation. Mekgliks, more than many species, have a tendency to draw a line between "us" and "them;" this is likely to be a key factor in befriending this species. Rival mekglik colonies are most likely to forget their differences in the presence of a common enemy or problem.

Overall, mekgliks are adaptable, enterprising, and hard working, with excellent speed and engineering capabilities. Their completely omnivorous biology makes them capable of surviving on a wide variety of nutrition, but their desert-focused body structure limits their mobility on mountainous or swampy terrain, and water presents an insurmountable obstacle. Individually compliant, but can be collectively warlike if threatened.

Recommendation: Mekgliks are passable scouts and explorers, and potentially excellent engineers and technicians. Recommend minor social experimentation prior to open contact to better prevent defensive behavior.

Avnari.

The subject ranges in height around a meter in height, plus or minus 10 cm for the basic member of the species. The general weight of an Avnari is 40kg, plus or minus 5kg. Feathered, winged, the species is given to a slender build with a slender skeletal structure, though no longer hollow boned as a 'true' avian would be recognized as posessing. Physically, they are less resistant to physical trauma than the base homo-sapiens, but being lighter and quite a bit more agile, their strengths rely in grace, and in more cerebral pursuits as is common in our technologically advanced era.

Reproduction is a general cycle of oviposition of a pair of large eggs (though single birth, or four birth, are not uncommon), which is generally cared for by the sire. Upon hatching, which requires 2 months of attention, the newborn chick(s) are raised in creche by dedicated patriarchs, with visitation occurring regularly by parents. Creches occasionally transfer children between one another to provide genetic diversity, which is a hold-over of the 'Long Exile'. After sexual maturation, which generally takes 15 Sol-Standard cycles, both genders are equally fertile. Impregnation is through copulation, with an insertion of the males penis into the cloacae of the female. For further information, search functions are available.

>>17693835

The general social structure is nominally matriarchal, with a preference for female leadership which runs back to the ancient traditions of their lost home world and old evolutionary responses. The species is based around wide and dispersed 'flocks', with no central leadership but through group consensus in a generally democratic manner, for civilian government, with bias towards working towards a human style government.

The vast majority of the Avnari population exits on Mars. With the home planet destroyed and the species forced to exile for multiple generations, until being found and provided help during the "Lociesn Campaign", in early Human-Galactic history. In return for assistance and information, settlement and self-rulership rights were given to the wayward Avnari, who became a founding member of Pax-Terra, the Sol-System originating federation of allied colonies, worlds, and star systems.

Currently, the species is engaged in large trade organizations, and has worked with human engineers in large scale ship building projects, engineering questions, and quantum mechanical research, which is also available in other reports.

The Mekgliks are an interesting race and I like them.

I also enjoy your points made in this post.
>>17693644

It covers much of what I'd have said if I had made the rebuttal myself.

>>17693202
Did you deliberate base the Laanidae loosely off the Transformers or was that by accident? Though the only real thing in common is both being robots that overthrew their creators and consider bodies temporary shells.

>>17693923
No. They're from an old story I wrote and were originally transhumans, not robots.

However, I mixed my old idea with the "communist revolutionbots" idea given in the thread to create something new.

I write a lot of stories, and probably have an equivalent to most races people can come up with somewhere.

>>17693843
Visually, the species, being pentchromatic, is in favor of coloration that is unrecognized by human eyesight, while they themselves are stunted in seeing the , but carries themes that are influenced by mathematical patterns; examples being Fractal Artwork, Fibonacci Sequences in music, and geometric shapes which evolve over time. Auditory artwork favors deep rhythms and wind instruments, with oral histories and performances a high favor among the Avnari species, and recognized by several members of Pax-Terra Artistic Community as nearly unrivaled.

In war, the Avnari are excellent pilots and navigators, and are proficient in 'Swoop and Strike' tactics, then pulling long withdrawls from front line combat. The standard ship design favors aerodynamic movement and quick reaction to threats. Quick skirmishes are also favored, as the species lacks mentality for long, sustained warfare for the general populace, with certain exceptions known. Captain "Felecia" Petalwing (priorly pictured), celebrated hero of the "Lociesn Campaign", is a well documented exception to the rule, with her stylized "Mjölnir" tactics being remarkably effective coupled with sustained blows.

>>17693979

In ground combat, owing to smaller stature, the species is unsuited for 'One on one' combat. Martially, several forms of defense, which bares resemblance to terran Judo, is common, in order to turn away ones opponent. In non personal combat, firing lines are often constructed, as well as ambush and depart tactics, giving a guerrilla warfare preference. Light, fast infantry, backed with quick striking flight-based units is generally used in planetary defense. The exception to this general rule is Nest-Fighting, defensive, where traps, pitfalls, and stealth are used.

Combating the Avnari is not recommended unless one can respond with over-whelming force. Elimination of leadership in warfare is critical for long engagements. Attacking a Home-Creche is not recommended; see Mjölnir Tactics; "Lociesn Campaign"


Recomendation: Scouts, Long Range Recon, Lightning Strikers, with preference for non-combat roles. Defensive Guard and Spec-Ops is also possibility. Unsuited for heavy infantry, or aquatic operations.

>>17693835
>>17693843
>>17693979
>>17693986

Another interesting race. I like it.

The Serrati are a race of aggressive and warlike creatures with a biology most similar to plants. They evolved as ambulatory plants, who are aggressively carnivorous to compensate for their lower digestion of soils.

They are tripedal, and overall possess little resemblance to humans. They communicate primarily through sound and are sound based predators, utilizing a language produced through a rapid “knocking” against their trunks with a series of small “arms” designed for this purpose.

They also have a series of “arm stalks” which grow like branches from the main body. The number and location of these stalks are variable.

Their natural hunting behavior is to ambush creatures and then viciously crush them into a paste with their limbs, and then place the remains inside a mouthlike orifice on the central trunk where the prey will be slowly digested. Unlike earthlike plants, the Serrati possess an endoskeletal structure similar to wood, and can suffer broken “bones”. Unlike humans, severed or broken limbs can be regrown. They possess only one vital organ; a brain equivalent, located in the upper portion of their central trunk.

>>17694587
In their current technological era, the Serrati have evolved an incredibly dour and brutal culture, under a single “emperess”, from whom most new Serrati are grown. They possess an obsession with their own skeletons, utilizing them for decoration, construction, and adornment, and possess a similar fascination with the skeletons, chitinous hides and other lasting remains of death of other species.

It is speculated that their culture was vastly more advanced in the distant past, but eventually fell due to a combination of factors, primarily the invention and later revolution of a robotic slave race. It is speculated that this may be the Laanidae, but no historical records remain of that time period. Oddly, the two races often go to great lengths to avoid one another – unusual for the conflict seeking Serrati. The Laanidae have little to say on the matter.

Most Serrati grow until maturity upon a colony world in their natural state, and are then abducted by a war/colony ship of the Empress's military forces. They are genetically enhanced and encased in powered armor, to remain for the rest of their several hundred year long lives.

Like humans, they are a vindictive species. Unlike humans, they are naturally individualistic predators by nature and cooperation is difficult for them. Although capable soldiers, they always fight as individuals.

>>17694589
Despite this, they primarily keep to their ever-shrinking boarders, with only lone individuals trading with the outside galaxy. Although they are in decline, there can be no doubt of the awesome power of their technology. They take their ancient hunting methods of bashing other species to death with overwhelming blunt trauma quite literally with their ships, and are experts of ramming techniques, boarding actions and close quarters combat. Their ships are unquestionably the single most durable in the galaxy.

Recommend maintaining the current long distance relations between them and the galactic community, neither doing anything to anger them or bring closer relations. Though the Green Girls could defeat them in war, the costs would be severe.

>>17693835
>>17693843
>>17693979
AVNARI.

Whoever wrote this must have saved all that delicious writefaggotry thathad been thrown around in the years-old HFY threads already. Do you remember the one where the human ambassador accidentially had a huge desk dropped on her and was feared to have died, but it turned out that Earth gravity is much stronger than Avnari gravity and therefore it didn't even scratch her? If you do, please repost immediately. I have been searching for it for months.

Karfalin:

Dominant species within known space. Only other species known to approach in power is now-defunct/extinct [REDACTED], defeated in war [REDACTED] thousand years ago. Notable client species within empire: humans, celerivisci, [REDACTED].

Physiology:

Species is supported by an endoskeleton with a central pelvic hub and six universally-jointed vertebral structures leading off to head and five identical limbs. Central hub of body protected above and below by carapace bone structures housing majority of vital organs. Limbs are highly flexible and muscular tentacle-like structures ending in three large claws for locomotion/heavy lifting. Center of each hand opens up to allow protuberance of three dextrous tentacle structures capable of fine manipulation.

Head has notable cephalopod-like structure in spite of thick cranium, complete with heavy undulating dorsal crest and cheek bones and substantial globular optic protection. Eyes move independently and have nearly 180 degrees of vision range along three axes. Very large electromagnetic range sensitivity. Hearing is acute but with only average harmonic range. No external ear structures, only simple aural cavities protected from particulate buildup by mucus membrane.

Mouth structure is source of popular cephalopod comparison. Ring of nine tentacles similar to hand tentacles surrounds central heavy beak. Under beak are two valves that serve for additional respiration intake. Mouth tentacles are highly sensitive to touch/taste/sound. Interior of mouth dominated by grinding radullae. Omnivorous with a fungus-heavy diet. Highly complex larynx/pharynx capable of extensive vocalization including vocal patterns of most client species.

>>17694687
Social structure:

[ATTENTION: Detailed knowledge of Karfalin social structure is forbidden to unauthorized citizens. Presented information is sanitized prior to final transmission and presented for the psychological well-being of all citizens. Be at peace.]

Karfalin society is strictly stratified and organized according to occupation, rank, chronological seniority, and various other factors. The family structure most likely familiar to humans reading this library entry is nonexistent amongst Karfalin. Children are reared upon hatching at large central nursery structures and provided cursory education and monitored for occupational and societal predispositions prior to assignment to guild allegiance. Note that any Karfalin whose performance is deemed unsatisfactory in assigned occupation will be re-evaluated and if necessary re-educated to accommodate greater utility to the empire. If you feel that a representative active in your sector, region, planet, or area is acting to the detriment of greater society or your region or its citizens, please do not hesitate to inform your librarian so that your claims can be validated. Please note that excessive false reports will not be tolerated.

Reproduction is handled differently dependent on region and occupational standards. Artisans typically choose mates as needed and are known to pair for sentimental reasons. This practice is tolerated because prevention leads to psychological stress, reducing productivity. Governmental or industrial citizens are usually assigned mates based on genetic compatibility and estrus cycle lineup. In case it was not obvious to the citizens reading this, Karfalin are bisexual, much like humans. After mating the female's eggs (1-3) will gestate for a period of 0.8532 standard years (mean). Egg-laying is conducted within the central hub of the nursery under medical supervision. Intervention is rarely necessary.

>>17694741
Military and psychokinetics:

[ATTENTION: Detailed knowledge of Karfalin military practices are provided on a need-to-know basis. Use of forbidden military tech such as firearms and mana focusing arrays is a serious crime. If you find such devices immediately report them to your local law enforcement. If you believe that an uprising or other criminal enterprise is currently in the planning or execution stages then report directly to your librarian so that the Peacekeepers can intervene before bloodshed becomes necessary.]

The Karfalin dominate the skies, the sea, and the ground. Please remember that all interplanetary travel outside of Gatebeast networks is to be conducted with full licensing and under direct supervision of Karfalin orbital platforms and cruisers. Recreational space travel is strongly discouraged. The use of Gatebeasts is a 100% safe practice facilitating interplanetary travel through the use of wormhole psychokinesis.

PERSONAL COMBAT:

Karfalin manawrights are the best in the empire, bar none. Please note that the use of the term "magic" is officially denounced by all Karfalin academia, as it is steeped in superstition and ignorance. Psychokinetic manipulation of extradimensional energy (mana) is a closely-studied science and its military applications are regulated by the Peacekeepers. If you display psychokinetic potential and are interested in occupation as a Peacekeeper auxiliary then report to your librarian today. If no peacekeeping work is available in your area then you may be assigned to another area or encouraged to develop your skills for industrial or medical purposes.

Thank you for your interest in the daily life of your benefactors. The Karfalin empire exists to protect you. Be at peace.

>>17684538
nnn, my guess is more but smaller extremist groups with large scale religions meshing in a fashion that prevents any discernible classification between themselves and secular cultural groups including the secular extremists

In addition to being a writefag, I can also do some shitty drawfaggotry.

I sketched up what I figured the Serrati would look like.

>>17684576
semi-permeable, resistant enough to osmosis to facilitate wide-ranging adaptability to most if not all environments as opposed to other, more specialised organisms like the earlier-stated amphibians with which humans share their homeworld

>>17685641
humans ingest a lot of intentionally fermented foods, pretty much every society/culture has at least one form of beer or cheese or what have you

>>17692198
I think it's just some random fanart.

Alright, I did a green girl as well.

Goo girls are fun as hell.

>>17694652
I am the originating author for the Avnari, love. I believe I'd know my species. ;)

>>17697541
I know my /d/ side is taking over, but have any Green Girls courted humans?

>>17697813
You wouldn't happen to have any more delicious writings for us, would you?...

>>17684321

I'm fairly certain hearing is actually our best sense. We hear in FAR wider ranges of sound than we can of sight.

>>17698685
Don't worry, I love the goo girl fetish too.

But the answer is: Not exactly.

Goo girls can't digest humans, but that doesn't make their insides any less HORRIBLY LETHAL to humans, and they reproduce asexually.

Which is not to say they don't have bonds we'd think of as intimate ones. They form VERY large packs, and are highly sociable. Close bonds could be considered a kind of "sisterhood", but could also be considered a kind of platonic love. The exterior of their bodies is safe to touch, and they love touching one another - or other species, for that matter.

Humans and green girls can have that same bond, though it will always be strained as they are likely to have very different ideas of what it constitutes in its core.

Sex is essentially not really plausible (though there are potentially clever workarounds I won't detail here) but platonic emotional relationships are possible, if difficult and usually unsuccessful.

One thing you should remember is that they are ALWAYS happy and enthusiastic. Always.

Your dad just died? She's still happy and enthusiastic. She's killing someone? Happy and enthusiastic. Doing the dishes? Happy and enthusiastic.

And she isn't really a she at all; that's just a form the green girls prefer. She can look like a man, or can look like many alien races. Or like a formless blob. Many humans find this extremely disconcerting - and they find humans (and most other races) emotionally distant, as they can't read the shape-changing based body language they use in other species.

Which is not to say it's impossible. It's just unusual, fraught with failed attempts, and somewhat unsatisfying even when everything goes right.

Not that human civilization will ever stop popularly thinking of them as gooey green-skinned space babes. However implausible a relationship might be, popular culture has at least made them out to be desirable.

>>17698740
But we're still severely outclassed by a great many animals in that regard, and we are far more dependent on sight than sound for locomotion, interaction with the environment, and discerning threats. Vision is our single most important sense in that regard. A blind person will have a harder time functioning than a deaf one and be better able to communicate useful information.

>>17698740
Read Day of The Triffids. I think it puts paid to that argument.

>>17698740
The physical aspects are unimportant as they would not be relevant outside space opera bullshit.
H
ere is the real plan. http://pastebin.com/zp79qR2v

And here is you real first contact scenario.

He begins breaking maneuvers so that he can decelerate into an orbit around the center of mass of the binary system he has traveled to using a hydrogen-antihydrogen annihilation engine that produces thrust by heating reaction mass(usually water) with the matter-antimatter reaction and ejecting striped hydrogen and oxygen nuclei out the engine's exhaust cage. It was a journey like countless others that his ancestors had made in ages past. But this time as he began his deceleration 5 years ago he encountered something never before recorded in the history of his race, a repeating but terminating electromagnetic emission in the radio frequency. This would not have been an unusual thing, if not for the fact that the stellar system he was entering is not recorded as being colonized.

Even with all his computing power it takes nearly a year to decipher the first signal, for it does not correspond to any transmission format utilized by his ancestors. The transmission is simply jumbled inscrutable audio. As he draws closer to the origin of the signal, something changes and now an obvious visual signal is being transmitted with the audio. And he sees them, beings utterly unlike in contour and behavior to any of this own forbears.

>>17704256
They are simple little things, with simple little machines. But his kind began in the same fashion. Indeed according to his archives, the first craft capable of interstellar travel was a nuclear pulse propulsion vessel based on a design drawn less than 60 standard years after the invention of radio. It is amazing what intelligent life is capable of, and it is even more amazing that even with the light speed limit interfering with communication between the disparate and often mutually hostile human colonies, no one has ever reported evidence of an existent intelligent species not descended from the venerable Homos sapiens sapiens. As these things are now, his kind once was. As he is now, they might one day become.

Deep within his labyrinthine mind of circuits and wires an ancient protocol is activated. It is a reaction as old as his race, and so infinitely useful that it has endured the forgotten eons of evolution and redesign his kind have undergone. Several thermonuclear detonations ring against his hull as his attitude adjustment system spins him. A few moments latter equivalent detonations occur to halt his tumble. He is once again aligned for a breaking maneuver. He increases the force of the magnetic confinement fields around his exhaust cage to further collate the plume of stripped nuclei his petawatt engine is about to emit. He does a final calculation to ensure that the plume will strike the planet from which the transmissions still poured.

>>17704276
He knew from the wars of his own kind that the plume would displace a portion of the planets upper atmosphere about 350 kilometers wide with the force of several megatons per second. Over the course of a minute the collated core of the plume would tunnel through the atmosphere and contact the planet's surface. He knew that the planet had a magnetic field and therefore a molten core. The plume would burn its way down to the asthenosphere, which would then explosively outgas and expel ultramafic extrusives, covering 10-15% of the planet’s surface.

His engine fired. For these beings were like unto men, and therefore were a threat to him just as all his own kind are. But they were not of his species and therefore that threat was not tempered by the desire to exchange information, designs, or genetic material in the tradition of his race. And more than that, he had no love for the idea of sharing the stars with another species, for the stars of providence of Mankind alone.

Three weeks later he settled into an orbit around the the charred world. The were no transmissions that he could detect. So he sent a transmission of his own. He screamed into the void to boast of his triumph and to tell others of rich lands in this system open for settling. He hoped he might attract a mate so that they could manufacture many children through recombination of their genetic material and schematics.

And as he listened he heard other voices in the void. Not answering his own call, it would take decades to receive any reply. But it comforted him, for he knew that elsewhere men like him were living, killing, and dying. Just as they always had, and always would unto the ending of time.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16127179EpewdjaQ?h1=Cosmic+Void%3A+We+are+Alone!

> Their tendency for abstraction means that they readily work with and adopt other species, although they do so in the manner of a group alpha adopting a new low pack member.

> Humans are capable... leaders

I think it goes further.

> Dominate. The word is derived from the Latin dominus, meaning lord or master, an owner versus a slave.

Humans will take a dominant position over anything they can. Known to keep other life forms for various utilities including entertainment, security, plowing, transport, sport and as portable food sources. This is common, but humanity expands this use to an extreme never before seen in pets. Humans will take anything as a pet - from tiniest aquatic invertebrate to massive land herbivores and apex predators. There have been cases of inanimate rocks and even nothing at all being taken as a pet, or companion, to a human.

There is no record of anything humanity cannot and will not dominate for their own use. This drive to dominate causes the majority of all human conflicts as the dominant influence rarely endures more than 200 local years.

In summary: Humanity will not join the galactic community. The galactic community will join humanity, or one party will be annihilated.

>>17704778
Not really. Humans will dominate everything they can, but that's true of most species.

However humans CAN follow and do so if shown a new 'alpha'.

In other words, as long as the aliens show superior firepower and the willingness to use it, humanity can and will play roles lower in the pack.

It is simply fairer to say that humans PREFER leadership.

Look at the other alien races here, though. The pool people are loners who rule armies of biological robots. The Laanidae are gods of their own dimension. The Green Girls have planetoid ships and are highly sociable. The Xenua create engineered castes for any occasion. The other races are fairly similar.

Humans are natural leaders, but humans are not the strongest faction in this setting by far. Though there will always be stupid individuals, it's clear that humanity is not going to be ruling anything or (as a whole) going to be capable of pushing the issue - at least for a long, long time.

But with time, they might end up with the "vice president" power level role the Xenua have. Not the strongest, but definitely leaders.

>>17704896
I'm just responding to the humanity overview in the first 3 posts. It's good, except as I posted before.

>>17684351
Why don't people understand that high endurance thing just comes from us being bipedal, unlike all of the other species and being able to do things like carry water? Also, this will only probably be helpful on Terran-esque planets, probably.

>>17705034
...Anything else have the 2 hand, 2 foot combination?

>>17698703
Sadly, not of recent. Work, stress, depression - these all lead to lack of writing. Plus...

>>17705034
It comes from many things. We have muscles designed for endurance. We have a gluteus that is maximus to help us walk. Our arms swing as a counterbalance. Our feet are designed specifically for walking upright with a minimal energy expenditure.

It isn't JUST that we're bipedal. Neanderthals were bipedal and we could run circles around them, literally.

We have a lot going in our favor.

>>17705143
You could always write something now, you know.

No time like the present for some silly, fun short bit of writing...

This thread?
Aliens.

I'm just here to show a little video that is most likely relevant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dk9z6Ul4X4&feature=related