A glance upward confirmed his suspicions: his precious pottery, the fruit of his labor, was shaking on the shelves. The moment he came to that realization, he noticed that the floor beneath him, too, had started to tremble.

It was a potter’s worst nightmare.

Congratulations on your new pet human! Before bringing your buddy home, we highly recommend familiarizing yourself with this manual to ensure you can provide him with everything he needs.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between; space-folk from planets near and far; welcome back to your favorite interstellar radio station, Outer Way FM! I am your host, Blaretox, and today sharing the cockpit with me is famed Humanologist John Smith, hailing from planet Zarvis in sector 66-K41.”

All I see is the color purple.

Purple walls, surrounding me in a maze I have yet to explore. Purple sprigs of lavender, swaying softly in the breeze. Purple skies, with clouds floating like cotton candy. Even the air tastes sweet.

I don’t know where I am, or how I got here.

The bars and nightclubs that filled our streets long ago are now home to the latest revolution in entertainment: hypno-raves. You get the same dopamine rush, without the consequences. No addiction, no liver failure, no problem.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to go.

“…thirty! Ready or not, here I come!”

Little footsteps pattered about beyond the wine cellar’s wooden doors, searching for the rest of the group outside.

Squatting between large oak barrels, a young boy let out a chuckle, then covered his mouth with his hands and held his breath.

The pen is mightier than the sword, they’re starting to say.

Is it, really?

The former can destroy lives, sure. But the latter ends them forcibly. Only those who have experienced both can say which is worse.

Poisonous people are the ones you must truly fear, though. They are the most colorful, charismatic, beautiful… and therefore, the most deadly. They will pull you in with a soft scent, a glowing smile, even a kiss of sweet nectar, if you are lucky. But try to take advantage of them, try to own them, or consume them, and their nectar will become your worst nightmare.