#scifi comedy

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

Arena | 1989

[hezzabeth]

"For the last time, that poem isn't romantic! It's insulting," Revati yelled over her shoulder as she began to pedal.

The layout of Olde Landon had been deliberately designed to keep tourists inside for as long as possible. There was only one way to access the front gates, and that involved defeating the Queen of Hearts' hedge maze. When the park was still open, tourists would be forced to spend at least an hour in the maze, stumbling upon tiny toy shops and food stands around every corner. The same thing occurred when they left, resulting in a very rich park and bankrupt guests. Now the maze was overgrown and easy enough to navigate.

Revati pedaled past the cart that once sold her heart-shaped sunglasses. Then she turned left, almost crashing into the wall of roses. The wall of roses stared back at her, their red blooms heavy and suspicious. Thanks to Bridgadeiro, she knew they were probably secretly insulting her.

The next turn consisted of an old stardust popcorn stand. Revati skidded to a stop and inspected the inside tray, where a few ancient kernels lay. Carefully, she picked up several of them and placed them in her jacket pocket. As far as she could tell, the kernels were seeds. Someone was shifting around the corner, causing the branches to shake.

"Aurora, is that you? Did you go ahead of me?" Revati yelled.

"While conferring in the labyrinth where false preachers reeked of death, the monster began to growl," a voice called from around the corner. An unfamiliar, flat female voice. Raiders. Raiders were, of course, an occupational hazard in any post-apocalyptic settlement. Normally, they never made it further than the broken glass pit at the park's gates. Sometimes Dityaa would bring one in, insisting they were "lovely," which always led to awkward dinners.

Revati slowly walked around the maze corner. There was a screeching metallic sound, and the weapon fell from Revati's hand. An android was slumped over on the ground. Once it would have been golden, but now it was rusty and covered in mud. Someone had ripped its legs off, leaving nothing but wires and tubes spitting bright blue fluid. Instead of a torso, there was a black empty hole with a concave door swinging on its bent hinges.

"And in the forgotten twists, footsteps quicken, hearts beat, and teeth are bared," the android chirped, its voice still distorted and far away. The android's face was a beautiful mask. Still-carved eyes. Unmoving sweet lips.

Revati powered up her solar gun and slowly walked forward, aiming it at the android. The android's metal eyes scraped in their sockets, turning towards her.

“Is that you? My darling Perdita?” The android’s voice whispered, the lips unmoving. The whispering voice had a posh lilt to its accent. Revati refused to answer. It was best to never engage with AI.

“Perdita, I clawed my way in! They know about you; the spider knows,” the android whispered before collapsing completely.

Revati slowly walked forward, still holding her weapon. With one foot, she kicked the android. It didn’t move. Its power had definitely died.

“Spider? Is that some sort of gang?” Revati whispered to herself. Gangs were always given stupid names.

“The spider is us; the spider is legion,” a flat robotic voice called out, and Revati spun around.

Queen Victoria was standing behind her, scorch marks all over her dress. A faint blue glow was erupting from beneath the skin of Queen Victoria’s chest.

[starshipqstar]

Our animated queer scifi comedy series is out now!

All the animated episodes are out now everyone!! 😭🥳

Please like/share/comment on the YouTube videos! We’re part of an initiative where 3/10 teams will get to make a full pilot and potentially a series - so supporting the video really helps!

[brooke-hart]

Humans Are Weird...And The Alien Hates It

I've seen so many humans are weird posts where the aliens are intrigued or afraid or confused by humans. But what about annoyed???

Knycuz turned back to the group of humans, moving quickly towards the one who caused the projectile. He knocked the human back, grabbing its upper extremity before it hit the ground and pulling him close. 

“I will report your actions to the Commander.” Knycuz’s voice was low in a disciplinary manner, his talons digging in. “Ra'yak will heal. If it had been the Zuessrq, it would have attacked and killed you. You will need to find something better than those small projectiles. They will not protect you here.”

Knycuz threw the human onto the back bench of the terrain traveler and growled at the remaining ones. They quickly climbed into the carrier, including the two who had walked away and returned upon the sound of the projectile. 

With more force than needed, Knycuz shoved against the identification system that propelled the carrier forward. As he directed the carrier back towards base, he saw the group of Zuessrq inspecting a recently formed crater of liquid. 

The three humans on the back bench caught sight of the large creatures, the worst natured of the species on this planet. They were able to project the large spikes that stuck out over their entire bodies. Even though they had only four extremities, they possessed unmatched speed and strength. The Klyls always sided with the Zuessrq in battle as they did not know how to inflict any harm against their thick exoskeleton.

As Knycuz initiated a greeting gesture at the leader, who returned the expression, several of the humans around him let out a low noise, leaning over to ask Knycuz questions about the obviously threatening species.

“Your tiny projectiles will do nothing against the Zuessrq,” Knycuz replied, not bothering to listen to their endless chatter. His only mission was to deposit these unprepared and uneducated humans back to the base. Allow another Klyl to take charge of their incorrect judgment. 

If you want to read more of this, check out Humans Are Weird by Brooke Hart on Amazon!

And if you prefer when the aliens are friendlier, this is a side character. The main character is actually good friends with the human and more in line with the typical trope.

Get Humans Are Weird on Amazon! And FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

[what-if-tanisha]

Fuck anatomy and staying on model when drawing my characters lol I’ve just been brain dumping my silly story for months now in my tiny pink unicorn sketchbook 🦄

I’m going to digitalise it eventually and fix errors, add some extra panels etc. but I wanted to share some of it now :D

[spacetimesally]

The Spacetime Sally short, "Spaceship Dawn" (10:04) - YouTube

The consequence of a lost gamble puts Sally in the hostess seat for a corporate orientation film for a space station research vessel in, 'Spaceship Dawn'

Unfortunately, this might be too long to post to the tumblr platform (the constant aggravating error message "Well that certainly didn't work..." since Friday when trying to upload the video, which is less than 500mb, and I tried a 1080 file, a 720 file, from a chrome browser, from a firefox browser, from my phone, on Friday, on Saturday, and on Sunday, and it just won't do), so, please check it out on YouTube.

Embedded from YouTube, maybe you see the video below, maybe you don't, the tumblr platform is a finicky bitch.

[troythecatfish]

[thesoftboileddetectivepodcast]

We'll be crowdfunding season 2 very soon, so we think it'd be a great time to get caught up on the show! You can find us on Spotify and iTunes!​ Art by Rayna Pearl Buxton

[threeravenspublishing]

You can't handle the Pew!

Or can you? Don’t know what I’m talking about? Space Pew Pew, of course! Click on the button below to be notified when the Kickstarter launcheshttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/threeravens/space-pew-pew. You will not want to miss the launch of the Pewnverse and all the crazy merch that comes with it.

[peterkothe]

Inktober 2023 Day 28-CAPT. FERNANDO

Captain Dustin J. Fernando has dreamed all his life of being a legendary space hero! One who embodies justice honor, truth, and the spirit of adventure! Thus, even when saddled a crew of misfits, handling the most embarrassing, weird, and/or dangerous missions no self respecting intergalactic peacekeeping force would take, Capt. Fernando isn’t about to bail on his crew or dream!

-My original oc, hopefully I can make a comic of his and his crew’s misadventures a reality someday!

[headlesshorsemanxiii]

I'm with Marvin on this one. . .

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here | 1988

[hezzabeth]

Revati knew, as she walked back to Baker Street, that once again she was on the edge of things.

Revati could barely remember the first edge she encountered, four years old and holding a balloon while drones flew above.

The second edge, seeing her father’s twitching hand under the rubble.

And now, Amma standing in the doorway with Dusk.

Her arms were folded, and she glared when she realized Camilo was with them.

"Hello, Camilo," Amma remarked.

"Sugafanna! I haven’t seen you since…" he began.

"Jay’s last birthday; you drank too much of your honeymede and threw up on the walls," Amma pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Camilo blushed with embarrassment.

"And I suppose you’re here to help Revati with this insanity?" Sugafana asked coldly.

"Is saving the ones we love really that insane?" Camilo asked Sugafana, who sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I’m going to the station now, Amma; where’s Nanni?" Revati asked.

"I’m right here, Dimpy," Nanni said from behind mother.

"Don’t die while I’m gone; you’ve lasted eighty years. You can last a little longer," Revati said firmly.

Nanni pulled her down, kissing her forehead, and then draped something around Revati’s neck.

It was her precious Kasithaali, a gold chain dotted with gold and coral beads.

In the center of the chain, there was a tiny golden idol, its features finely carved.

The Kasithaali was ancient, trailing far back to the first Sheik born on Mars.

The coral beads had been picked from a long-ago dead and abandoned Earth.

"Nanni, you know I can’t take this! Raiders will try to steal it," Revati pointed out.

"Hide it down the front of your clothes! You will need Lakshmi’s protection," Nanni said firmly.

"You will also need this," Amma replied, sliding off one of her bangles.

"Why are you both giving me wedding jewelry? I’m going on a rescue mission; I’m not getting married," Revati asked as Amma slid the bangle onto Revati’s wrist.

Amma tapped the bracelet four times, and it suddenly glowed a faint purple.

"DNA approved user confirmed, current balance nine thousand six hundred and eighty-three credits," the bracelet chimed.

"It’s not a bracelet; it’s my portable bank account! You’re not going to go out into the world with no funds," Amma said as Revati stared at the glowing numbers.

"Is this a lot of money?" She asked curiously.

"It’s enough. Now here’s everything else you asked for... including your sister's hairbrush," Amma asked, handing Revati a bag, and Revati nodded.

"Good, well, I best be off then," Revati said, and Amma nodded.

Revati realized it was probably time to say something else.

"I love you both," she added before reaching forward to embrace Amma.

Revati firmly believed in only hugging on her terms.

Still, Amma deserved it.

It took a moment to realize that Brigadeiro Bun was politely following her and Camilo.

"Why are you trailing behind me?" Revati had to ask.

"He's following you as well, as well as what I suspect is the android wearing a cloak," Brigadeiro pointed out.

"I need Camilo to help me at the train station," Revati replied as they reached the maze's entrance.

"I’m pretty sure I can turn the train on for one ride; I salvaged a power cell from the dragon," Camilo explained.

"Well, I’m following you because you’ll need my tent if you want to survive the elements," Brigadeiro replied.

"You got your tent back, then?" Revati asked as they entered the maze.

In the distance, Revati could hear someone giggle among the leaves.

"Yes, Isabeau found it in the lost property pile," Brigadeiro replied.

"And you’re going to give me your tent?" Revati asked.

"I’m going to share it with you; it’s a two-person tent! My ex and I were supposed to travel together, but we broke up," Brigadeiro said with a small shrug.

"You don’t seem that upset about it," Revati pointed out as they turned a corner.

The giggling was coming from two small children in medical dress fighting with sticks.

"I was; then I went out to find diamond roses for her, and everything else happened," Brigadeiro admitted.

"So you’re going to travel with me for an indefinite amount of time? Finding my sister plus take weeks or months," Revati said as they turned right.

"Or years; when appliances want to hide things, they stay hidden," Camilo pointed out.

"Well, I’ll stay with you until we reach a public teleportation station; then you can keep the tent," Brigadeiro said, and Revati shrugged.

"Fine, that’s a fair exchange for saving your life twice," she admitted.

The maze suddenly opened up onto the grand entrance of Olde Landon.

The ticket booths, in the shape of castle turrets, had long ago been abandoned.

The giant Elizabeth Twin statue was covered in gently glowing fungus.

Revati stared at them briefly.

One of the queens was in a grand solid carved ballgown.

The other in a neat suit and hat.

Both of them had lizard faces.

"We have the exact same statue on the South West Sydney Space station; apparently, the lizard faces allowed the queens to live for centuries," Brigadeiro remarked.

"That was just a myth; come on this way," Camilo replied.

The park bullet train ran from the park to Leeryasoar, the country's capital. Years ago, the station teemed with tourists. Feet would pound over the shiny tiles, the exact same gold and purple as the domed train. Creatrix vending machines were constantly humming next to the benches. Revati remembered Amma punching in several numbers to get Dityaa a bottle of mango lassi. There had been a stand in the center of the platform selling park maps and plastic magic wands. Pink and red roses grew in orderly bushes. Holographic signs floated on the walls, stating that all data cloud technology would stop working inside the park. Revati had dim memories of her father checking the news on his communications bracelet before they went inside. The signs had long ago been smashed to pieces and were now nothing more than broken screens. The Creatrix vending machines had been looted and were now filled with spiders. The roses all grew in wild tangles flowing over the garden beds.

"Wow; these roses have gone feral! They're singing about how much they wish they could prick people with their thorns," Brigadeiro remarked as Camilo approached the abandoned purple shuttle train with his tool belt.

"Are we far enough away from the wall?" Revati asked.

"We should be! All the vending machines were, so they led the attack during the invasion! The only thing that stopped them was the station's power supply getting cut off," Camilo said, gesturing about. Camilo was right; the station was dim and depressing under the grey Martian sunlight. Revati nodded and whisked the cloak off the figure. The maternity droid stared back at her. Camilo had taken the time to repaint its face. Its lips were a deep scarlet, its eyes bright cheerful green. Camilo had also replaced its broken legs with bulky steel ones he had spray-painted blue with cheerful flowers painted down the side. The belly door had been reattached and was now filled with a healthy white light.

"Hello, I am your custom-built Materno 4000 Deluxe prenatal droid! Would you like to grow a new baby or link to your pre-existing infant?" The android chirped in a flat metallic voice.

"Pre-existing infant," Revati said, and the Android's eyes fluttered.

"Your pre-existing infant is 218 months old, is this correct?" The android asked.

"Correct," Revati said, and the android blinked again.

"Your pre-existing infant is currently out of detection range; would you like to create a new infant?" The android asked.

"No! I want to talk to the lady who was using you as a microphone before," Revati said.

"You have to tell it to open maternal communication! I turned the channel off," Camilo said from where he had managed to open the front panel of the train.

"Open maternal communication!" Brigadeiro said eagerly.

The android's eyes fluttered shut once again. There was nothing.

"I don't think we're far enough away from the wall," Revati sighed.

But then the humming began. A faint, child-like humming came from behind the Android's lips.

"Whispers in the motherboard, a haunting tune,

A phantom dancing in the light of a digital moon," Brigadeiro sang along, and Revati shot him a confused look.

"It's humming Circuit whispers! From the hit musical 'The Android of Music,'" Brigadeiro explained.

"I've never heard of it," Revati confessed.

"You've never heard of 'The Android of Music'? Praise group! Once you've rescued your sister, I'll have to take you! Everyone needs to hear 'The Android of Music,'" Brigadeiro said firmly. Before Revati had a chance to reply, the android's eyes snapped open again.

"Thank Krishna! Finally, a decent signal; it's been eighteen years," the android exclaimed in an incredibly annoyed upper-class woman's voice. The Android reached clumsily toward Revati, snatching her bag. Then it reached inside, pulling out Dityaa's hairbrush. The belly door swung open, and the Android shoved the hairbrush inside.

"Did it just do what I think it just did?" Brigadeiro grimaced.

"How else do you expect me to trace my daughter's DNA?" The Android asked, and then her belly glowed green.

"Right, the last recording of her DNA imprint was in New Singapore six hours ago! Let's go find my baby," the android said firmly and cheered as the train burst back into life.

[starshipqstar]

Podcast Cover Art Illustration vs Animation Character Design

From their original design on the cover art of our fiction podcast - all the characters were changed a bit for animation!

This was mostly due to needing to simplify the characters to make them easier to animate (aka replicate over and over), but also have the opportunity for a few adjustments to suit their characters.

AURELIA

Aurelia is the most similar to her cover art illustration

Her uniform is looser, with sleeves rolled up - to reflect her more relaxed/chaotic character

SIM

On the other hand - Sim’s uniform is tight and perfectly pressed! Much like her.

We felt Sim needed different hair - something neater like her uniform, and also more gay…

Now all the characters have legs - you can also see that Sim is a short king!

Who knew how hot Sim was?!?!

MO

We needed to simplify Mo’s hair, uniform and remove the necklace

Also looking more gay now with the helix and tat! ☺️

Mo’s armpit hair matches her blue hair 😂

(In hindsight I wish we ditched the tat - because it was a detail that often got missed by the animators - so we had to add it in frame by frame in a lot of shots!)

SOLARIS

Very similar!

You can see the head to body ratio is different here, as all the animated characters have heads larger than normal

DUSTY

Flight jacket to represent the pilot skillz

Butched her up a bit more

New hair 🥵

BOB

Very similar

Now with cute lil paunch

Our animators all loved sweet Bobby and were committed to “baby girlifying him”

Watch them all in action here (you can watch in any order!):

Episode 1 (Sim & Aurelia)

Episode 2 (Mo & Solaris)

Episode 3 (Bob & Dusty)

[brooke-hart]

Humans Are Weird: Research Mission

I love everything about the humans are weird tag! But they are always small snippets. What about how they got there? Imagine...

A group of fifteen scientists are selected from all over Earth for an exchange program. They will go live on an alien warrior base and collect research that both the aliens and the humans can use.

But the aliens don't trust them. Humans are weird. They are weak, yet fierce. Why? So the Commander puts one alien to observe the humans, watch them, earn their trust so that they know the humans won't attack them.

But he becomes their friend. He falls in love. He starts to pick up the humans weird little habits and soon, he is willing to risk everything for them. Especially when someone comes after these humans that have become his whole world...

Get Humans Are Weird on Amazon! And FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

[what-if-tanisha]

Hi welcome to our shitty spaceship where the only thing worse than the ambience are the idiots who live in it

… may I interest you in a space comic?