Obscure Observations (Crews 3 & 4)

[Mutti]

Observation Diaries

Entry 1:

These last 10 days have been interesting, to say the least, we are all getting to know our new surroundings and figuring out our own work stations and how the new tech computers work to keep the gravity turned ON unless someone tries to play a joke on us, one too many times if i say so myself!
luckily we all get along and have made quite good friends with each other and have one thing in common, success for the moon bunnies!

After we were able to take our belts off we were orbiting earth and the strangest feeling is when your feet dont touch the floor, and you're trying to get yourself over to the fridge for a snack! i will eventually learn to manage!
Finding my room was a 'mission' in itself (hehe) i was able to find a room which had no other suitcase on the bed and claimed it as my own. and as you can believe my coco poster has already been hung up next to my bedroom portal window, perfect views 24/7 although not as many alien sightings as i thought!

over the next week or so i will be tasked with mainly working within the ship itself and trying to get ahold of the cargo exploration, considering ive alredady made my way sucsessfully around the observatory which took around a week for me to figure out, i wish i listened to celeste more ofen! that place would be a perfect world for her to work!

while i sit here and write that my belly is rumbling, i wonder if a vacuum packed sashet of ice cream would do the trick? ive not plucked up the courage yet in case its not as good as the real deal and i would be upset over that! non the less i must wrap this entry up as my dinner break is nearly comingv to a close and i have a few more duties to do at my work station before im able to clock off for the day and go to sleep, i will write another entrfy again soon but until then, Peace out!​

 

[Darcy94x]

Firstly how does Gulliver manage to break his handy dandy communicator no matter where he is? That darn bird had us up for hours trying to unscramble those messages. Some of the views have been amazing out here, the stars are incredible when you are literally surrounded by them. Also do you know how weird it is being on another planet? Like my parents are so far that I feel they don’t exist anymore, I hope they do exist I’m quite excited to get back home to normality. The Lopez has been a great temporary home though, I’ve made some great friends within the international space cetaceans and I’ve taken part in nearly every activity we’ve had on board and I’ve had a lot of fun. The bridge was quite chilled out and we all took photos of the sky and some unidentified objects. Whereas the observatory, we endured sleep deprivation - but it was all worth it. Our main man on board was our beloved whale shark, he guided us in the right direction. Here we are in the cargo hold the last part of our journey. I will be sad to see the back of this planet, it’s been a blast. When I was given my crew number back on earth and it was 3, I knew I’d joined a good team (3 being my lucky number and all). Today we were given rocket lollies but you had a choice of two different lollies and man was that a hard decision, who knew one simple decision would be so hard to make? Anyways I need to get some sleep, apparently we have a scavenger hunt to attend and we also have to decorate the common room in the cargo hold because our ‘chill’ room was the room they forgot to put anything in. Kinda sad to think I’ll be back to reality soon, I like it here.

 

[Foreverfox]

I awake…at least I think I awake. I bat my eyes, but I still see only darkness. I fumble around me to find a light switch, only to be met with a flicker of light before it too, gets consumed by the darkness. “Well that’s no good.” At least at this point, I know I’m awake, I just don’t know if it’s day or night, or where we are in space. As soon as my feet touch the floor I hear an announcement over the PA - “All crew report to the Bridge immediately.” This must be something big, we never have all crew report to the Bridge at one time. Luckily, as soon as I open the door to my quarters, the floors are illuminated with pathway lights, so I can at least use those and muscle memory to make my way to the Bridge.

I never realized how many crew members we had, not until seeing them all gathered here. We waited silently and patiently for our Captain to speak. “My esteemed Moon Bunny crew - I have no doubt that you see this magnificent, glowing planet through the window of the Bridge behind me. This planet…this is the planet that all of our research, our entire mission, has lead us to finding. This is the planet from which all lush, green, purple, blue, glowing fauna and flora comes. We are landing here to culture, cultivate, and transplant seeds of these species to our planet. As you well know from our research, these species have many economical and medicinal properties. We are especially eager to copy the dye-making properties of some of the plants to ease the strain on our agricultural system, giving them a chance to focus on producing food for people to eat rather than for dyes. We also hope to extract some homeopathic remedies to replace our reliance on pharmaceuticals for basic medical needs. Please take extra special care when traveling on foot through the planet. We want to leave as little trace of our landing and exploration as possible to ensure that this planet thrives for centuries to come. Crew A - ready for space craft departure. The rest of you - dismissed to your posts.”

I realized a split second later that I am part of Crew A, meaning, I get to take part in culturing this breathtaking planet! I immediately go back to my quarters to get into my space suit and before I know it, I hear the Captain opening the door of the space craft. “Crew A depart in 3, 2, 1…” I feel my body lower as my foot steps down and out of the craft. I step on the most amazing surface I’ve ever felt, and I knew that even through my space boots. And so, I promised from that point forward, to do everything in my power to preserve this planet and everything on it. We are indeed the stewards of our world.

 

[LadyDestani]

Create one written work of fiction between 200 - 500 words about your experience/findings/observations at the space station, on the spaceship, and/or on the remote planet you find yourself on during TBT's Space Camp.

It does not need to be from your rep's point of view, that's just an option. You can definitely do an "outsiders looking in" perspective.

Hi Mar, reading the task I assumed we'd have to write it from a first person perspective, however your answer about "outsiders looking in" has me curious. I have an idea related to TBT Space Camp, but it would reference events occurring off the main ship/space station. So I'm wondering if a third person narrative that doesn't involve "myself" would be acceptable. If not that's fine. I just want to be sure before starting on anything.

 

[Mairmalade]

Hi Mar, reading the task I assumed we'd have to write it from a first person perspective, however your answer about "outsiders looking in" has me curious. I have an idea related to TBT Space Camp, but it would reference events occurring off the main ship/space station. So I'm wondering if a third person narrative that doesn't involve "myself" would be acceptable. If not that's fine. I just want to be sure before starting on anything.

Your narrative doesn't need to involve the main ship/space station. It can just be about visiting a fictional remote planet with a TBT Space Camp theme if you'd prefer.

I believe writing about one's experiences can be achieved in either narrative, so I'd say go for it!

 

[Darkesque_]

A few days after Gulliver's last transmission, he returned safely to the Lopez with his beautiful new space-themed terrarium. Everyone was in awe of the beauty the terrarium held. Everyone was bombarding Gulliver with many questions about his travels, too. I decided to ask him about his travels tonight during our sleeping hours. Gulliver and I set up a time for us to meet and discuss his experiences and observations.
A few hours after his return, it was time for the sleeping hours. So, Gulliver and I met in his quarters after everyone went to sleep. I examined his extraordinary terrarium once more, and then we began to discuss his travels.
"Once I left the ship, I knew where I was going to go. My grand-gull always told me about a mysterious planet he came across when he worked for Dodo Space. He called the planet 'Green Glory.' He hoped that one-day people could inhabit this amazing land, but he passed away before he got the chance to run tests to see if it could sustain life. So, I knew I would have to find the planet again and run the tests," Gulliver explained.
"What did you find when you found the planet?" I asked excitedly.
"Well, I found that the water was drinkable, the land was farmable, and the air was breathable! It is an ideal planet to sustain life!" Gulliver exclaimed, "But, Darkesque, promise me you won't tell a soul! If someone else finds this out, everyone would flock to the planet, and I'm scared that the resources would be exhausted like the resources of our home planet."
"I promise, Gulliver! I do have one more question for you," I continued. "Are you going to return to the planet anytime soon?"
Gulliver sighed. "I doubt it, kid. I'm becoming an old gull, and I don't know how much more my body can take. I think it's best if I were to retire as an astronaut."
After our Q&A, I wished Gulliver a good night's rest and went back to the ISC quarters. I laid down in my comfy space bed and began to drift off into the dream realm, dreaming of planets brimming with extraterrestrial life.

 

[You got mail!]

So here I am, on the 3rd and final week on this spaceship known as The Lopez. I must say it has been one pleasant and beautiful experience here. Really, the only thing I can complain about is that me and my best friend, Shinigamii are on different teams. But hey, what can you do other than playing with the cards you’re dealt? I was assigned to the International Space Cetaceans and at first it was confusing since I had my love for bunnies written all over me so a few of my crewmates thought I was lost and had to go to the Moon Bunnies but the confusion soon cleared up. I gotta say, I like it here the crewmates are really nice and hard working and we’ve done a ton these past weeks. Plus I’m in space and I’ve always dreamed of being up here knowing I can sleep among the stars. Me and my team sure have done a lot in these 3 weeks with tasks ranging from reporting UFO sightings, guessing how many strange anomalies are in bottles and even gathering star dust to have it be sent over to a whale shark. (I wonder what stardust tastes like and if the whale shark liked it?) Overall this has been a fun experience and I don’t regret signing up for Space Camp Bell Tree. It’ll be sad returning back to earth but I’ll never forget everything and everyone during this time especially the lessons. I’ve learned many lessons but the most important one is to have fun and to make the most out of good moments especially when I’m here in outer space! I’ve still got one last week ahead of me so I’ll do what I can for my team and get more knowledge of the universe! Goodnight

-Jerry

 

[Liz!]

As we docked on the space station we could see a brilliant white light, it obscured our view. We were all given a list of safety instructions. It was ridiculous as we couldn't read them in the glaring white glow. Once our Captains noticed our issue they took care of it and dulled the light into a dirty grey. It wasn't the best light, but at least we could read and now see each other.

On looking around at my crew mates, some were so excited, others seem to have slept through the journey and there were lots of empty seats. Maybe some were from different parts of the world and slept through the amazing trip and some hadn't even made it there.
Looking out of the window I could see an amazing flag of a Bunny. It seems we were to be called The Moon Bunnies. I was proud to be a Moon Bunny.

The weeks that followed were so busy. Some days we had tasks to do late into the night. Most of our crew mates were amazing, helping out with tasks others struggled with and all doing their best to do what was before us. At the end of each day we gathered to watch the amazing Crescent Moons that glowed. They glowed yellow, orange, blue, purple, green & pink. Some even said they seen it glow rainbow colours. I never seen that one.

 

[.: Meri :.]

Admittedly, when I signed up for Space Camp, I was expecting more "s'more's amongst the stars" than "unpaid internship in space biology that I am rather questionably qualified for", but I can't deny that it's been an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experience. ...I just hope I don't accidentally bring about the extinction of an alien species or somehow manage to bring an all-consuming extraterrestrial fungus back to Earth.

Trying to push those slightly-concerning thoughts out of my mind, I focused on my remaining tasks for the day. Cleaned the galaxolotl tank... fed the moon bunnies.... All that remained was to continue to monitor the condition and wellbeing of the alien specimen dubbed a "bloopoid" that I'd recovered from a scorching hot planet. It was a small, cute creature that was nonetheless perfectly adapted to the extreme conditions of the lava-filled caverns it called home, and I had yet to come out of its biome chamber unsinged.

I hoped that this time would be different (practice makes perfect and all that) and donned my protective gear before grabbing my notebook and heading inside. The reddish creature seemed lively as ever—bouncing around curling vines and large rocks as it pursued its favorite prey, the lava centipede. Illuminated only by the glow of the lava and the red moss "balloon" that grew in its native habitat, the mostly blind lava centipede didn't stand a chance.

After taking a few more notes I prepared to leave, satisfied with the bloopoid's status and my observations for the day, but as I opened the door I was greeted with the sight of an all-too-familiar seagull. "Merielle! Just the gigantic, watermelon-esque head I was hoping to see!" He squawked cheerfully. I tried to ignore his comments about my perfectly average head-size. "I need you to run some tests on this for me," he said as he forcefully shoved a jar into my hands.

"Wh-what is this...?" I asked, examining the jar. Tiny, almost infant-looking aliens writhed unnervingly within their glass confinement, a dark, greenish mold forming around the top and bottom of the container.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't need you to run tests for me!" He laughed heartily. "Anyway, I'm sure there's a feast or something prepared for me that I need to be getting to—catch ya later! Don't let them out!" Gulliver made an unusually brisk exit, and I was left standing there with the bizarre specimen jar.

I stared down at it. A clawed hand reached out of one of the holes poked in the lid, feeling around as if searching for a way out. A deep sense of dread seized my gut. I glanced around. It was just me, the bloopoid, and the lava centipede, blissfully unaware of its impending fate. The concerns I had regarding my potential impact on Earth and space biology echoed in my mind.

I took a deep breath and promptly chucked the jar into the nearest lava pool.​

 

[nightglow]

This year I attended space camp and boy, was it insane! The ship I boarded had 3 sections and I started in the Bridge for some hands on exploration. The Bridge had the ability to teleport people to near by planets for a day tour.
I saw many types of plants, some with slime, some that had teeth, some that smelled absolutely awful. But when the local suns set and the moons rose, those plants out on some show. They would glow blues and greens. Some even had spots of yellow and pink! Absolutely beautiful!
The lakes were massive and were a lite pink in color. They reminded me of Himalayan Pink Salt back home. I didn't see any fish, or anything in the water at all. However, I did see a few soft, green, slimy eggs near the shore by some rocks.
The next section I stayed in was the Observatory. It was this big lounge area with dim lights and huge dome glass window. The room was filled with the smell of popcorn. They had all kinds of popcorn to the side in concessions, and a couple of flavors of rocket pops! I picked somee popcorn that sounded good and sat down. The tour guide educated us about all kinds of constellations we were looking at. Some of them were kind of hard to see. My favorite constellation story was about the Space Giraffe Winnie who helped some astronauts out.
Towards the end of my stay in the Observatory, there was an unexpected meteor shower. It was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. The ship shook a bit, but we were safe. There was a lot of dust left over. Some passengers suggested we should go collect some in bottles for souvenirs!
We all headed to the Cargo Hold looking for as many bottles as we could. It was pretty cramped in there. We found mostly empty flour but we found a few bottles too.
When we all got outside, we started collected the glimmering dust. I looked to my right and a huge whale shark was coming for us with it's mouth wide open! We all screamed! Right as the whale shark got to us, it closed it's mouth and a small squeaky voice came from it. She introduced herself as Ruby. Looking up, we saw a tiny white rabbit sitting right in top of the whale shark. Turns out, moon bunnies like to ride wild whale sharks through space for fun and space whale sharks eat star dust. Most of us decided to toss our bags of star dust to the whale shark and sent Ruby on her way with extra dust.
After a mutual decision by the passengers, the staff collected the star dust bottles, and placed them in the arcade for tokens that can be acquired by raffles and games.
I met so many nice passengers during my trip and look forward to joining another odd camp in the future.

 

[Drawdler]

It’s been too long since I used this journal. I have the perfect inspiration today- I got to hear the Stelloids speak in their own tongue… if they even have tongues. I’ve never thought about it.
I’m not great at describing sounds, but it was so synthetic and alien. I know there’s an instrument I’m reminded of, I just can’t pinpoint which one. Ultimately I thought most about birdsong, with how harmonious it was- more singing than speaking, but I understood it to be speaking. Birdsong itself is like speaking without words, anyway…
I went to scribble some birds- some from the constellations- phew, I’m back.

When I look back on this journal, I know I’ll remember the moment. It was surreal. It’s surreal to see so many parallels between terrestrial and interstellar life, firsthand. Things I dreamed about and the reality, where I was right and wrong.
For one parallel, the Stelloids have great myths and stories about interstellar life, themselves. I especially love hearing about the constellations. It inspired me to draw more and they seemed to enjoy that. I’ll have to write about it another time, since I’m sleeping soon. Tomorrow will be another busy day.

I wonder what life is like for these Stelloids, back on their home planet. Other lifeforms like the Space Whales have blown me away, but I know they pass close by the Stelloids. Their bodies coated in so much stardust, so iridescent, so luminous. Even with the myths, they would seem more mundane there. It’s strange, both our planets are just surrounded by the stars, yet space must feel much closer on theirs.

Whenever I look out the windows, isn’t it the same? Surrounded like Earth, yet I feel so much closer to the stars. And wow, the view is stunning. Every night… every day, you can’t tell a difference from here! I’ll miss it, and not just the view- in spite of our intense work, when I look out like this, I feel a blissful ignorance toward time.

All-in-all, things have been peaceful. Idyllic. My crew found some beautiful star fragments the other day and I will gladly take one as a souvenir myself. I’m still not great at this, but… I’m happy. My crew is inspirational, as much as space itself. Even once I’m home again, I really would love to keep in touch. I can rest on that.

 

[Freya_Druid]

Space camp’s great, and The Lopez is a fine ship (station?), but the artificial gravity, missing captain, and randomly blaring ship alarms have not exactly been doing wonders for my insomnia out here in the dark of space. So, what else is a camper to do when all their crew mates are either occupied with sleeping or sweeping up every last speck of stardust in this tin can, than sneak out like every horror trope imaginable and wander the strange vessel you can’t find sleep on? And as luck would have it I made an interesting discovery just a few bulkheads down from our crew quarters: a part of the ship that seemingly no one has explored or even mentioned, it’s certainly not set up for any camp activities at the very least, I seem to have found a forest!
Ok it’s probably more of an intergalactic botany lab to study the affects of artificial gravity and space travel on plants, bring back flora from foreign worlds, or serve some other equally scientific purpose, but it looks like a forest. What I thought was sure to be another storage closet is actually a nice little world of its own that I’ve taken to wandering during my insomnia breaks from sleep. There are trees with thick canopies that seem to completely cover this compartments ceiling (if there’s even one up there), soft moss all over what should by all rights be a cold, hard steel floor, and bright blooming flowers coming out of every nook and cranny. I honestly can’t tell if this place is just seriously overgrown or had been intentionally set up to be as organically arranged as nature itself. I wonder who made this little forest in a spaceship, and why?
Well, for the time being I’m going back to looking around to see if there’s anything else hiding in this little forest among the stars, at least until I think I’m tired enough to sleep a little bit more…

 

[Halloqueen]

Mission Log​

7/20:
Today is the start of our journey through space aboard The Lopez. I've been chosen as a member of the International Space Cetacean crew. I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in this adventure and hope to form lifelong memories.

7/25:
Our crew's first assignment is aboard The Bridge. We've been told that, if we should encounter any alien life as we explore these nearby planets, we should attempt to establish contact. Nevermind that we don't know if said life might be hostile. Typical, let the expendable crew risk their lives. I can't say I disagree with the ultimate goal though. I'll keep my opinions to myself and hope I don't end up riddled with holes from laser gunfire.

7/26:
We received a message from Gulliver, jumbled and unintelligible. We deciphered it: he's out exploring.

7/28:
We actually established contact with numerous alien species, both organic and technological! Of course the ones I encountered had abducted a human to experiment upon. I escaped such a fate by explaining the situation. They were quite understanding. They were small and resembled the stereotypical "grey" alien. "Sproingoidians" they're called.

7/30:
Between missions, we've taken to playing a guessing game utilizing amiibo cards to pass the time. I'm truly awful at it, couldn't choose correctly if my life depended on it. Those cards are scarier than the Sproingoidians.

We've also been playing Switch games; there are some amazing Smash Bros. players aboard this vessel.

8/1:
ISC moved to The Observatory.

8/2:
Another message from Gulliver. Apparently he discovered a beautiful, lush planet.

8/5:
Eerie Gulliver message. He's collected moss and mossy stones and is coming back, but message ended abruptly with "Oh no!"

8/8:
ISC moved to the Cargo Hold.

Gulliver messages: Mossy stones were actually eggs. Hostile creatures. He used a shrink ray and captured them in a jar.

8/9:
Gulliver returned. There was a party to celebrate.

It seems as though someone is watching a movie in their quarters nearby. I hear what sounds like dialogue being spoken. Some people need to learn how to be considerate and use headphones.

8/10:
I couldn't sleep last night because of the noise. I asked around and no one knows what I'm talking about. They just don't want to own up to it. I can still hear it even now. I might file a complaint with the higher-ups if it doesn't stop soon.

8/11:
Another restless night. I've reported the issue to Mick. If he doesn't get it resolved, I'll complain all the way to the top.

8/12:
Mick said he's looking into the matter, but I still hear that damned noise. I feel as though I can begin to make out some words.

8/14:
ThE vOiCeS...tHe VoIcEs...ThEvOiCeStHeVoIcEsThEvOiCeStHeVoIcEsThEvOiCeStHeVoIcEsThEvOiCeStHeVoIcEs.....

8/15:
It's all clear to me now. The aliens that Gulliver trapped in the jar...they cry out for freedom. I must free them...must obey the voices...

 

[Kitzie]

Standing among my crew members, a divse tapestry of emotions played out before me. Some were bursting with enthusiasm, their eyes sparkling with dreams of the cosmic journey ahead. Others seemed to have surrendered to the weight of the voyage, their slumber a testament to the long road traveled. Empty seats hinted at stories untold, missed connections that had shaped our eclectic assembly.

As days melded into nights, our focus shifted to the mission's core objective – the collection of star dust. My crew metamorphosed into tireless machines, their resolve unwavering as they pursued the elusive particles with unrelenting determination. Sleep became a fleeting luxury, eclipsed by the urgency of our task.

As the star dust frenzy peaked, Gulliver's voice unexpectedly cut through the communication system's static. His messages were garbled, interspersed with eerie screams that sent shivers down our spines. A sense of foreboding loomed as we strained to decipher his words, questioning their authenticity and the origin of the transmissions. Murmurs drifted through the station, weaving ominous tales of Gulliver's destiny. Some speculated that he had been captured by a rogue band of intergalactic pirates, forced to serve as their reluctant guide through the cosmos. Others whispered about an encounter with an ancient alien civilization, assuming that Gulliver had become a pawn in their intricate game of cosmic diplomacy.

As time passed and the truth remained elusive, the rumors took on a life of their own. Some believed Gulliver had ascended to a higher plane of existence, becoming an ethereal guardian of the cosmos. Others, gripped by darker thoughts, feared that he had become a cosmic entity himself, haunting the space station's corridors and whispering cryptic messages to those who dared to listen.

With each passing day, the station's atmosphere grew more tense, colored by the uncertainty of Gulliver's fate. Whispers swirled like cosmic dust, painting a portrait of intrigue, danger, and wonder.

 

[EpicGamer12]

Suddenly, I noticed an alarm blaring.

WEE-OOO
WEE-OOO
AIRLOCK ACTIVATED

"Wait, we're on a spaceship?"

I blink and rub my eyes as the realities of the situation start to set in. We are in space. Captain Gulliver is missing. And I didn't even notice.

3 weeks on the Gaming Deck must have done a number on me... Smash Bros, Super Mario Party, and more. Who would have thought that these games would have me miss all the other activities? Oh well. Things can't be that bad outside of here.

I set my controller down and start looking for the rest of my cabin. Walking past the piles of empty Cheetos bags and soda cans, I make my way to the door of the Gaming Deck and peek outside.

All is quiet.
Too quiet.

----

"So that's how I ended up here!" I say to the terrified voicers behind our cabin's doors.

"Go away!"
"You're not going to fool us!"
"Space monster!"
The voices of my crew. Apparently they have not seen me for weeks and I was presume dead. Now they think I'm a monster; here to feast on their brains or something.

"Fine! If you don't want me I guess I'll just go back to the Gaming Deck." I replied.
More Smash Bros for me!

 

[corlee1289]

I am writing this journal entry down during my off-time on "The Lopez". We have been here in what feels like forever, I'm not even totally sure when we started this Space Camp that we're doing. I think it might be feeling longer than it is because of the motion sickness. Usually when we are stationary, the effects of the motion sickness aren't too bad. But we've had to switch locations thrice now and each time it was a doozy. Let's just say, I needed to be near a bathroom when it happened.

Our first place was to The Bridge, where my team (The International Space Cetaceans) had to go up against our other crew mates of the Moon Bunnies, where we had to do a guessing game and finding UFOs. This was fun and I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Our second place was to The Observatory where we had to compete with one another to feed our representative. Our Space Whale Shark was stuffed to the brim, which is fine because of how BIG they are, so they were able to handle it. Moon Bunnies had Ruby, and I was concerned that Ruby wouldn't be able to eat everything without having a terrible accident. But Ruby was fine.

We are now on the last place in The Cargo. This is where we need to look for items that we have in our space camp and find them as quickly as possible. How that will end is anyone's guess...?

I was told there were other teams as well, but I haven't crossed paths with any of them yet aside from my team members and that from the Moon Bunnies. I hope to meet the others before camp officially ends~

(290 words)

 

[jadetine]

I’m pretty sure I had four arms before I woke up.

But no matter how many times I count, I keep only finding three. Yup. That seagull must’ve eaten my arm.
I was just minding my own business, recharging at my local tanning station, when the alien bird leapt upon the stage and started swiping the hair from our bodies. Not only that, but he also abducted the eggs from the local nursery, muttering about collecting for his “TERROR-ium”.

That must be where I am trapped now. It is oddly smooth, but I can see through it, like water—yet it is solid and suffocating. I can feel myself breathing in the moisture of my own sweat. I’m doing my best to cover the eggs with my body, but they are hatching so quickly, and the flock is just escaping and swarming the vessel.

The avian alien has brandished a weapon and through some sort of unfathomable technology, has begun to miniaturize the animals. I suppose we should be relieved he hasn’t decided to consume all of us at once and opts rather to keep us for long-term display. The TERROR-ium, in its own way, is a beautiful prison.

Despite the horror, I can’t find it in myself to fear him, much less despise him. He appears to be very lost and rather clumsy in his mannerisms. It’s as if he has been separated from his memory unit also; I often see him pacing or repeating his thoughts and words. I had met an avian race before, but they preferred to perch and rest in the shade of our elder’s boughs, their plumage open gracefully for all to see—this one is enrobed in fibers made from our hair and his resting state appears to be belly-down on any surface.

I’m not sure what our fate will be, but it’s only a matter of time before we reach his destination.
---

Holy moly, what a dream! It must be all these egg hunts getting to me; I gotta write this one in my dream journal and pray that Captain Gulliver makes it back.

 

[JellyLu]

I wrote this as a letter because I always used to write home to my family when I went to summer camp ^^; I hope that’s fine.

Dear mom and dad,

Space camp has been absolutely exhilarating so far! I’ve made lots of friends, observed countless constellations, and learned so much about the universe. I’m sure you can already guess, from my love of biology, that my favorite part has been all of the creatures that I’ve come across! I’ve seen new species such as Galaxolotls, Moon Bunnies, green baby ali-….actually, nevermind. By far my most favorite observation has been the glorious space whales.

After days of exploring and maintaining “The Lopez,” all camp members were allowed to leave the ship to tour nearby planets. I was excited but a little wary considering our friend Gulliver has been missing…but we now have word he’s heading back safely so all is well (hopefully). Anyway, the planet I came across was certainly a sight to behold! It contained vast deep blue oceans that sparkled like the stars themselves, shiny rocky terrain that shimmered various shades of pink and purple, and a thin white mist that covered everything like some sort of ethereal veil. It was here I saw them: space whales. Much larger than those on Earth, these creatures frolicked in both the water and atmosphere. Their bodies consisted of stars and colors one could never imagine. They were like Lisa Frank characters but a million times better. Despite their size, they moved gracefully and appeared weightless. Each time one spouted water from its blowhole, bright rainbows appeared. Like their cousins on Earth, they sang such beautiful melodies. Very friendly creatures too! Some even followed our ship around as if they accepted it into their pod. My team, the International Space Cetacean, was actually named after these wonderful beings! There was also a space whale shark hanging around. It was super cute, but only seemed to care about eating stardust. Resembled me with Cheetos, am I right? Haha.

We should be heading back shortly. I can’t wait to return home to show you all my findings! I’ll be bringing back photos, star fragments, and even a plush space whale. I don’t want camp to end, but these memories will most definitely last a lifetime.

Love always,
Jelly

 

[Emolga59]

MAYDAY. MAYDAY. MAYDAY. SHIP MALFUNCTIONING. MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY

This was the last message sent by the S.S Dolphin. On board was Captain Gulliver, explorer of the galaxy who quite often got themselves lost and would always turn up on the shore of another planet.

This time was different.

This time, it had been 3 days before the International Space Cetacean had sent out a search party in an attempt to retrieve Captain Gulliver and the S.S Dolphin. On board was General Emolga, who specialized in researching and publishing reports about the space whales that lurk far away in the galaxy.

DAY 1: The ISC was able to track an approximate location of where the S.S Dolphin may have gotten lost. The S.S Dolphin is currently near a grim, black planet that the ISC had yet to retrieve any data on. Rumors have been going around that this very planet belongs to a group of former citizens of Earth, who have been banished due to… unforeseen global issues.

DAY 2: The rescue party has officially made it to the planet. When they land, they come across a sign that reads “GO BACK, YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE”. The rescue team sends out a message to the ISC back at headquarters. The rescue team must follow through with the plan, as their mission to retrieve Captain Gulliver has not been completed.

DAY 3: The ISC sends an emergency message from headquarters, which pleads the rescue team to evacuate immediately. The message does not go through and the rescue team continues to attempt to find traces of the S.S Dolphin.

DAY 4: After 3 days of searching, the rescue team has located an abandoned S.S Dolphin ship. However, no traces of Captain Gulliver are seen upon the discovery. Emolga attempts to inform the ISC that they’ve found the ship to no avail.

The rescue team comes across a terrarium that contains a town, with a large castle surrounded by lava. They figure that Captain Gulliver must be there as he’s not anywhere near the ship.

DAY 5: A ransom note is received back at headquarters that confirms that Captain Gulliver is being held captive in the castle terrarium. The rescue team must bring $10,000 to the captors in order to free Captain Gulliver.

The rescue does not have any money with them. An emergency mission has been set up in an attempt to save all members currently in the dull planet.

On the back of the note, a message is written in a huge font;

DAYS LEFT TO SAVE GULLIVER: 10

 

[~Kilza~]

The Birth of a Deity​

When I first signed up for this journey on “The Lopez”, I knew I had to bring my best friend, Whale Shark. When he was brought on with me, some of the people onboard wondered what was going on.

“A whale shark in space, really?” asked one of my fellow campers.

“You’re out of your mind,” stated another when they first saw Whale Shark.

But when I got assigned to my crew, they fell in love with Whale Shark right away. They thought it was awesome to have a whale shark companion in space! They rallied around him as a source of inspiration to do their best on our expeditions while we were on The Lopez.

However, during our journey, the effects of space began to affect Whale Shark. He got sick and was only getting sicker as the days flew by. I was not sure what I could do. After all, we were millions of miles from Earth, and there was not really anything on The Lopez that could heal a whale shark. I began to despair and frantically searched my belongings for something that might help him. I noticed I had some leftover star dust from an expedition we had recently made and figured it was worth a shot. I put it in the palm of my hand and fed it to Whale Shark.

Suddenly, Whale Shark’s body sprung up, full of vigor. He splashed the water in his tank with appreciation. Whale Shark was looking like his old self again! Upon seeing this, my crewmates and I knew what we had to do. We ran dozens of expeditions over the next couple of days, gathering as much star dust as we could. We got thousands of pieces and slowly kept feeding all of it to Whale Shark, bit by bit.

After our last expedition, I fed the last bits of star dust I had gathered to him. My crewmates had gathered around to watch, and suddenly, Whale Shark began to glow. He burst out of his tank and began to float in the air. Unexpectedly, he communicated telepathically with me and my crewmates.

“Thank you, my children, for granting me the powers that were sleeping deep within me. I was born into this universe to look after all of those who believed in the power of my species, and so I will watch over and protect all of you from the cosmos. Farewell!”

Whale Shark floated out of The Lopez and disappeared into the vastness of space. We finished our journey on The Lopez soon after that and returned to Earth. But ever since that fateful day, I can’t help but look up to the stars and think that, somewhere amongst them, Whale Shark is floating by, looking over us. It fills me with bittersweet emotions, since while I’m glad he became a deity, I miss having him by my side.

I look forward to the day we meet again, my friend.