Fanon:Diary of a Young Alien

Diary of a Young Alien is a fanon story written by a Simming author whose head is always being assaulted by new ideas. It stars a juvenile alien named, who finds herself thrown into the most fascinating and exhilarating of adventures.

Check out the behind the scenes Q&A !

Welcome to your Assignment Journal
''Congratulations, Xandria, and happy 10th birthday!

''It is a great honour for you, as a student of the Sixamian Exploration Academy, to receive your first Assignment Journal. This means that for the first time you will be able to go off-planet on an official Assignment. Students only have the opportunity to receive their first Assignments this early if they show exceptional intelligence, bravery and strength.

''For your first Assignment, you will be transported to the planet Novasol III. Your team will include Wrelis Khitomer, Rghenot Freigkolz and Zrala Maitolia, three more members of the select few chosen for their first assignment this year; they are roughly the same age as you. While you do not yet know who these people are, it will be a priority for you over the course of your six-month mission to get to know your fellow team-mates well, for you will conduct studies on the locals alongside them.

''Use this journal to record any of your findings! They could be results of experiments that you conduct, or since you have significant artistic aptitude, why not use some of the pages to sketch some drawings, perhaps of some native subjects?

''A few reminders:
 * ''While galactic starcharts call this planet Novasol III, the natives of that planet call it "Earth", or sometimes "Terra". The population there is approximately 7.125 billion.
 * ''The Novasolians, or "Sims", use a different dating system to us Sixamians. Instead of the Imperial calendar, they use the Gregorian calendar. This is a system with twelve-month years, thirty- or thirty-one-day months, and seven-day weeks. Keep in mind that a Novasolian day is approximately 24 of their hours long (35 Sixamian hours). The date at your arrival will be around the 3rd April 2010, according to the Gregorian calendar. You can find more information about Novasol III's dating systems at the back of your journal.
 * Also remember that throughout your assignment you must maintain total comm silence with Sixam. The Sims have technology that is just advanced enough that it could detect communications between you and us back on the homeworld. We wouldn't want that'', would we? You can tell us all about it upon your return. There will be two pilots to guide you through your stay, should you feel desperate.
 * If you really must set foot on Novasol III, and I seriously recommend you do not'', please see the Armoury prior to your departure. They will create a disguise for you (to your liking, of course.)
 * ''Personally, I highly recommend you pay special attention to a little town known as Sunset Valley. Its inhabitants could prove...interesting indeed.
 * ''Also, make it a point to learn Simlish, the native language. Just in case.

 Bon voyage, as the Sims say, and good luck!

Xicorith Zrlonzip

Headmaster of the Sixamian Imperial Academy for Exploration.

Date: 42nd Brinzius, Xujjar 35

42 Brinzius, Xujjar 35
Hey, Journal!

I'm so excited about this - my first assignment! I can't wait till we leave for Earth (I think Earth sounds a lot better than Novasol III). But before we do I have to do a couple of things. One of them is getting the guys at the Armoury to make a disguise for me, because I'm so going to try walking amongst the Sims! I also definitely need to set aside time to learn Simlish. Shouldn't take too long.

Oh, and I should give you a name - just calling you "Journal" is so sad...I went searching around for Simlish names and I came up with the most adorable one. It's Alexis! So I'll call you Alexis from now on. It's definitely a major improvement from "First Assignment Journal", don't you think?

It's lights-out now, and the teachers are starting to prowl the dorm halls. Oops. Better get to bed.

See you tomorrow!

1 Maronslix, Xujjar 35
Sul-sul, Alexis!

Yeah, this morning I went to the Languages Department to learn Simlish. It didn't take too long, surprisingly - it's quite simple compared to other languages like Yallvus Talk and, of course, Sixamian. In fact, some of the words are even similar to our language.

I also went to the Armoury to get my disguise done.

"What a brave girl you are," said the Head Smith, "to want to walk amongst the locals!"

I grinned with pride at that. I followed the Head Smith into the Disguise Room. There was a computer and a holographic projector surrounded by Atomic Manipulation Modules. The Head Smith activated the computer and initiated the Creation Program.

"So, this is what an average female Sim your age looks like," the Head Smith said. He tapped on a few buttons on the touchscreen and a projection of an alien girl appeared before me.

So now I know what Sims look like!

"Alright, so now I'll adjust the projection to suit your facial and body structures," he said. He tapped on yet another few buttons, and dragging across some scales, periodically turning to look at me. The holographic projection morphed before my eyes until the girl standing in front of me look just like me! ...Well, almost. There were a few key differences, such as her nose, which was a bit bigger and longer than mine. Her ears weren't pointy, either. Her hair was also a lighter shade of brown than mine, and was tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes had white sclera and blue irises, unlike mine which were completely black (totally normal for a Sixamian). Her skin was also a rosy shade, characteristic of the species many other races like to affectionately call "pink-skins." She was wearing a shirt, hoodie and pair of shorts whereas I was clothed in my standard Academy jumpsuit.

"Okay, so is there anything you'd like to change?" the Head Smith asked. I had a long think about it.

"Make her skin a bit darker," I finally decided. "Maybe a tan shade? I wanna be a country girl."

Yes, I've been studying Earth culture.

"Very well," he replied. He tapped on another few buttons. The girl's skin tone instantly darkened to exactly my desired shade. Excellent! (I'm not trying to be racist or anything. Just so you know.)

"Anything else?"

"No, thanks," I answered. "She's perfect!"

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Yes!" I almost sounded frustrated.

"Alright." He tapped on a few buttons. The Atomic Manipulation Modules came to life. Robotic arms swerved and spun around the holographic pad. The projection faded out and was replaced by a standard schematic of a Sim. The Modules then began shooting lasers everywhere! You should've seen it! It was a light show!

After a few minutes, my disguise was finished, complete with the clothes I'd use for everyday wear. But when it was done, the boneless form of the girl crumpled into a heap like a pile of dirty clothes. That was seriously creepy.

"Try it on!" the Head Smith grinned. I stepped onto the pad and picked up my new disguise.

"Where's the changing room?" I asked. I could feel my cheeks turn red.



"Over there," he said, pointing to a door at the back of the room. It took a while getting myself into the costume, but I did it eventually. It was like one of those onesies I used to wear when I was little! I quickly put on my new clothes before anyone noticed I was...ahem..."naked".

I looked at the bench upon which I had my jumpsuit. Beside it was one more element of my disguise.

The head. A mask which would conceal my true identity. A barrier between myself and discovery.



I put it over my head. Then, I clipped all the loose ends shut. Instantly I felt...one with the disguise! I felt like I was the girl I designed! That is so cool!

I stepped out of the changing room.

"Goodness!" the Head Smith smiled. "You look like a real Sim!"

I looked around, examining my assumed form. I was now a Sim girl! I wish you could see how I looked!

Anyway, I had to take it off so that I could sleep. I'm surprised I never get hot in that get-up, though!

Goodnight!

2 April, 2010 (2 Maronslix, Xujjar 35)
Hi Alexis!

We leave tomorrow! I'm so excited! In homeroom, I talked to Mr Jurzecki about you! He was quite impressed that I was already starting to write in my journal. He suggested I should start dating with the Gregorian calendar so I can get used to it when I get to Earth. What a great idea!

I also met my teammates for the first time!

Wrelis Khitomer is really loud. He looks the type that'd be a drill sergeant in the Imperial Army one day. Hahaha! He's quite friendly, though. Rghenot Freigkolz is exactly the opposite of Wrelis in the voice department. Rghenot is really quiet. He wears glasses and looks like he's always brooding over something. Zrala Maitolia is really bubbly and is a very nice girl. In the first actual conversation I had with her this afternoon, we got to know each other. Turns out she's just as interested as I am to see what's on the surface! She has her own disguise. The guys don't seem as keen, and they didn't get disguises. Party poopers.

For the last night before departure, we slept together in the same room. Zrala and I were constantly talking about what we think would happen, and what we wanted to do when we got to Earth. Turns out Zrala had named her journal Caitlyn, another Simlish name. Great minds think alike!

Anyway, I'd better get some rest before the big day tomorrow. Until then!

3rd April 2010
We're finally in space, Alexis! Imagine that!

I've decided that I'm just going to use the Gregorian calendar. It's so much easier to remember! Haha!

Before we left, Mother and Father came to see me go.

"Stay safe, Xandria!" they said. I definitely will try, but I'm also planning to walk among the Sims, which is considered highly dangerous since we reckon the Sims are not ready for First Contact yet. Oh well, too bad.

After hugs and kisses and all that sort of thing, I hurried with my stuff onto the ship. I waved goodbye from the window. Zrala and I were smiling as we waved, and Rghenot seemed to be waving in resignation. Wrelis didn't wave goodbye at all. That is sad. I wonder what goes on in their heads.

The ship went to warp as soon as it cleared the atmosphere. During the five-hour journey to Earth, Zrala and I played a few board games. We tried out chess, a Sim game that's really popular among the intellectual elite. I beat her twice, and she beat me once. I'm surprised how similar we are to each other! Rghenot just stared out the window the whole time, and Wrelis was sleeping. Oh well, at least we got a break from his usually constant talking and hyperactivity.

When we arrived, an announcement came from the cockpit. "Kids, welcome to Earth!"

Zrala and I looked out the window and saw a gleaming orb of green, blue, white, and turquoise. It looked absolutely amazing! When we entered orbit, I took a picture of it.

We get to work tomorrow. It's been a long day! I'm so happy.

4th April 2010
Oh my gods, Alexis! I finally found you! It was so sudden...By the gods...

When we woke up, everything was running normally. We had breakfast, and then we were about to get to work on our first study.

Then the engines failed!

Alarms were ringing all over the ship. It was utterly terrifying!

"WARNING! WARNING! ENGINE FAILURE! ORBIT DECAYING!" a robotic voice screamed from over the loudspeaker.

Zrala and I were hugging each other in terror, not knowing at all what to do. Rghenot immediately sprang into action. He sat down on of the two remaining spare seats in the cockpit, helping the crew to restore power to the ship. Wrelis tried to comfort us. It was really surprising. I had a total change of heart for these boys.

"It's alright," Wrelis said quietly (very surprising, right?). "Everything's gonna be alright." He then sat down on the last seat.

Despite Wrelis' desperate efforts at calming us and Rghenot's equally frantic stabs at the buttons on the consoles in the cockpit, it became certain that we were going down.

The ship slammed into Earth's atmosphere, beginning our unstoppable descent to the surface.

"Fasten your safety belts!" Rghenot ordered. We did so immediately.

"Shields at seventy-three percent!" cried the co-pilot.

"Redirect power to the heat shields!" the captain said.

I must've blacked out from fright, because when I woke up again, I could see land. I screamed.

"1,800 metres!" Rghenot shouted.

"Extend the flaps!" the co-pilot shouted back. The ship shook violently.

"They won't extend!" Rghenot replied.

"Xandria!" the pilot screamed. "Go to the panel at the back and pull the lever that says 'Manual Flap Extension'."

I unclipped my safety belt and did as I was told. I inched my way towards the panel. I opened it and pulled the lever before rushing back to my seat.

"800 metres!" Rghenot said, ten minutes later.

"We're coming in too fast!" the pilot said. "I'm gonna lower the landing gear."

A metallic clanking sound erupted from beneath my feet as the wheels fell into place. It took another five minutes for Rghenot to say something else.

"600 metres!" Zrala shut her eyes tightly.

"400 metres!" The hull was now buckling extremely violently. I could see parts of the ship flying off the hull and trailing behind us.

"200 metres!" I shut my eyes as well. Was this the end?

"50, 40, 30, 20..." he counted down. The tail of the ship hit the ground. Hard. Then I felt the ship roll sideways. Then more crashing and sounds of screaming metal being torn to shreds. I blacked out again after that.

When I came to, it took me a while to remember where I was and what had happened. When I did, I immediately scrambled to my feet and searched for survivors. Where was Zrala? Rghenot? Wrelis? The pilots?

I found Zrala, unconscious, strapped to her seat beside a piece of burning wreckage. Somehow she'd ended up on the other side of the cabin. The cockpit was nowhere to be seen. I dragged her and her loose seat out of the crash site and then went back in to search.

I couldn't find anyone else. They and the cockpit vaporised completely. I couldn't believe it. In my daze I stumbled across my bag. My disguise! And you! I grabbed my bag, and then found Zrala's bag. What a stroke of luck ...no, I shouldn't be saying that. Anyway, I grabbed the two bags and sprinted out of the wreckage.

Turns out we'd been here for several hours. The middle of the night. It was freezing. I was surprised nobody had arrived at the site yet.

In a panic, I attempted to shake Zrala awake.

"Zrala? You there?"

No response. After a few more tries, I got more desperate, gave up, and checked for a pulse, and it was there. I was so relieved.

After putting on my disguise, I helped Zrala out of her seat and helped put hers on. Zrala's human form was red-haired, with a freckled complexion. I'm not sure what colour her eyes are because she isn't awake yet.

I slung her arm around my shoulder, grabbed both our bags, and staggered as fast as my legs could carry me out of the scene.

By the time I could see we were no longer in the middle of nowhere, it was daybreak. I looked at the road sign in front of me.

"WELCOME TO SIMAFORNIA. STOP-N-REST COTTAGE 2 MILES THAT-A-WAY." A huge white arrow pointed in the direction of the "Cottage."

At last, a rest stop. With renewed vigour, I dragged my heavy cargo through the depths of the Simafornian desert. It took us another hour to stumble to the Cottage, where we spotted a small, rickety inn.

We burst inside. There were several other hitchhikers in the room. Some were young, some old. Some men, some women.

At the bar was an old woman.

"Well, look who we have here!" she said. Her accent sounded rough. "Hello, missy! What brings ya 'ere to the Stop-n-Rest Cottage?"

I was in no real mood to talk, but I did anyway, trying as hard as I could not to lapse back into Sixamian (which, in that state, was very hard to do.) "My friend and I were…in an accident." That bit was true, at least. "There were…no other survivors. We're trying to find somewhere to rest."

"Ya mean this one?" asked one of the hitchhikers, pointing towards the television. I looked up.

"BREAKING NEWS!" the newsreader proclaimed. "The wreckage of a strange-looking aircraft was discovered last night by a local pilot flying overhead. Given the extreme isolation of the crash site, it wasn't until the following morning that emergency services were able to reach the wreckage. Unfortunately, no survivors were found. Some rumours are currently circulating that this plane is in fact an alien spacecraft, as the hull fragments recovered thus far carry no valid identification markings. The hull has been sent for scientific testing."

I stared at the screen in shock. Then I forced my mouth to close.

"Of course not, ya idiot!" another rough-looking man who appeared to be the first's friend hit him over the head playfully. He laughed. "How's that even possible? They're not aliens!"

I quietly sighed in relief.

"Is anyone here a doctor?" I asked. "My friend might be injured."

An awkward silence befell the room.

"I used to be a nurse," the owner said, almost reluctantly. "I suppose I can help."

After carrying Zrala to a two-bed room, the owner got her first-aid kit and started patching her up.

"I think she'll be fine," the lady said, smiling. She suddenly seemed a lot friendlier than before. "Stay here for as long as you need to. It's on the house."

"On the house?" I asked, cursing myself for not studying Simlish slang.

The woman looked unamused, donning her rough, gruff exterior. "It's free. Yer language processor fried or somethin'?"

"Uhh…no," I replied. "Thank you." She grinned for a brief moment and walked off, closing the door behind her.

I flattened my body against the wall, allowing myself to slide to the floor. I looked over at Zrala. Her long red hair fell over the side of the bed as she lay, bruised and battered.

Anyway, I don't have the strength to write anymore. I have to get some rest.

Goodnight.

5th April 2010
Hi Alexis,

I think we've screwed up our sleep cycles a bit, because when I woke up, it was close to midnight. Zrala was still completely out of it. I could hear shouting downstairs so I went down to check it out.

What I saw was a large group of men, mostly the same from this afternoon, staring at the television and screaming their hearts out. I turned to the screen to see what it was they were going absolutely insane over.

It was a sports match. So typical of men, even on Sixam. I remember when I was little and before I was sent off to the Academy, Father always watched the HoloVision when his favourite GravBall team (was it Xazberg United or GC Weyarn Nranich? I can't remember) was playing. And then there was Ryfall City banners all over Mr Xerantis' classroom back at the academy.

On the screen was a sport that looked really violent. There were really big burly-looking men running into each other, and each time the oval-shaped ball was carried over to one side of the pitch or the other, one half of the room would burst into cheering, while the other would boo and jeer. Again, very typical of the sports-crazy.

My ears started hurting, so I retreated back to our room. As soon as I entered, a flustered Zrala Maitolia appeared before me.

"Where am I? What's happened? AHHHHHH!" she screamed. "Who are you? Have I been captured? Where am I? WHERE AM I?!"

"Zrala!" I said, slapping my hands onto her shoulders, as if holding her down. "Calm down! CALM. DOWN." Her hazel eyes were wild with fear. "It's me. Xandria!"

The sound of my voice seemed to calm her. She took a deep breath. "It's you…Oh thank the gods."

I filled Zrala in on the details of the day so far. She burst into tears when she heard everyone else on the ship vaporised.

"We need to remain as calm as possible," I said. "We can't let anyone know that we're Sixamians."

"Is that why we're in our disguises?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And you…Ewwww!" she looked at me in disgust as she realised what it meant.

"Sorry!" I apologised. "It was necessary."

"We should get out of here as soon as dawn breaks," she whispered. "We have to go into hiding until they come and rescue us!"

"It won't be another six months, remember?" I said. "I don't want to stay in the shadows for six months."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"We live among the Sims."

"Okay."

The next morning, we packed our things and went to leave.

"Now, y'all take care out there," the old woman said. "It's a long hike to Sunset Valley."

"Thank you, miss," I said.

"Y'know, I never got yer names."

"I'm Alexandria," I said. I added the "Alex" part to the name to make it sound more Simlish. But I called you Alexis, and…er…tell you what? Why don't I call you Lexi from now on? (It's a shortened version). Yeah! Let's do that.

"I'm Sara," she said with her winning smile.

"Y'all can call me Mrs O'Hara. I hope ya don't get hurt again, Sara," she grinned. "Wait here." Mrs O'Hara went into the kitchen and came back with a bag of food. "For yer journey. On the house, of course." She winked. "Come back soon, y'hear?"

"We will!" Zrala and I said together before walking out the door with our bags.

It took several hours of walking, punctuated by brief stops and swigs of water, until we finally got out of the Simafornian desert. We started seeing more trees, and grass.

I heard a rickety, rumbling sound emanating from the distance. I looked behind me, and I saw an old pickup truck emerging from the horizon. In my studies of Sim gestures, I learned that thumbing your way towards the direction you're going while hitchhiking might score you a ride. I decided to practise, and sure enough, the truck stopped beside us.

The driver lowered the window. "Where y'all headed?" He had the same, rough accent as Mrs O'Hara.

"Are you going to Sunset Valley?" I asked politely.

"As a matter o' fact, I am!" he laughed. "Goin' to market with my goods." He pointed to the back of his pickup, carrying crates of fruit and vegetables. "Wanna ride?"

"Thanks!" I said. Luckily the truck had enough room for both of us to squeeze in. I know, I know, stranger danger and all that stuff, but it's not like we had anything to lose at the moment, right?

It took about another hour to get to Sunset Valley, and when we did, it looked absolutely fantastic! The town is green and full of life, and what's more, it was near the sea! I'd always wanted to see the ocean. Sixam's oceans dried up a long time ago.

We stopped near a park. "Alright, girls. Welcome to Sunset Valley!"

"How can we repay you?" I asked.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm gonna earn my lot by selling the stuff back there anyway." He laughed loudly. "Now, off ya go."

"Thanks, sir!" Zrala and I said together before getting out of the truck. We waved as he drove away.

Zrala looked at me. "Now what do we do?"

"I guessed we'll have to spend the night outside."

She looked visibly displeased. "The bed back at the Cottage was more comfortable."

We walked around the park, not really doing anything. We found a chess table and played a few games, then got board and took a look at the playground. Then we had lunch before taking a walk around town. Before we knew it, night had fallen.

On our stroll, a black-and-white car stopped beside us. A uniformed man stepped out.

"Hey, what're you doing past curfew?" he said. He looked tough. "Let's take you home."

Great. A policeman. I tried putting on an act. It could help us actually get a home for the next few months.

"Please, sir," I cried, forcing myself to sob. "We don't have a home. We just got here after days of walking through nowhere and…" To make things extra dramatic, I pretended to break down. I never realised I was that good at acting!

The policeman knelt down to my height and softened his voice. "I'm sorry. Where are your parents?"

Zrala decided to join in. She stretched her arm out across my back then wrapped her hand around my arm, squeezing it, as if to comfort me. "They're dead. We were in a terrible accident."

"An accident?" the policeman looked at us in sympathy. "I'm so sorry. It's okay. Let's take you to the police station."

"Thank you sir," I wiped away my tears and looked the policeman in the eye, smiling like any ten-year-old would at a good officer's presence. He smiled back.

A few hours later, with our bags, we were sitting in the police station lobby. I decided to write the next entry to you while waiting.

Oops, the policeman's coming. Talk to you later.

more to come...