Adapted: Human Reader's Journey as a Utahraptor
2 Points
2
You open your eyes to the sound of your alarm blaring, reaching over instinctively to hit the snooze button. However, instead of your gracile, human hand, a huge, feathered arm covered with sharp claws moves forward. Panic surges through your mind as you stare at the three-digited appendage, each tipped with a cutting blade-like claw.
"What... What is this?" you mutter, your voice a low, guttural growl. You scramble out of bed in a confused frenzy and catch sight of yourself in the full-length mirror.
The creature staring back is massive and imposing, even within the confines of your bedroom. Standing about seven feet tall and covered in a vibrant coat of feathers, you've transformed into a Utahraptor. You look closely at your reflection, absorbing every detail—the parallel mesial and outer sides of the lacrimal bone, the elongate nasal process of the premaxilla, and the sleek yet robust form of your new body.
"Okay, stay calm," you whisper to yourself. "You're still you. Just...in a different body." You put together the facts as best you can. Somehow, overnight, you've changed from human to dinosaur. With your memories and personality intact, navigating through modern human civilization in this form will be more than a challenge.
Feeling more grounded, you decide to take inventory of your new abilities. Extending your foot, you focus on the enormous, curved claw, perfectly designed for gripping and slashing. "Impressive," you think. "But how on earth do I use a phone with these?"
You fumblingly try grasping your smartphone with the three clawed digits of your wing-like arms, but it's an inelegant effort. The claws are too specialized, too powerful for precise movement.
"Breakfast first." You glance at the clock—humans need sustenance too. As you crunch through the kitchen, the floor creaks under your hefty build. Weighing nearly 500 kilograms, your every step feels heavy and deliberate. You peer into the refrigerator, and after a moment, your eyes lock onto the eggs—pure protein, something your raptor instincts surprisingly crave.
With a bit of awkward fumbling, you crack the eggs into a bowl and use your snout to tilt the container, gulping down the raw contents. "Maybe not the most appetizing way, but it'll do for now," you muse.
Your phone buzzes on the counter, and the name 'Alex' flashes on the screen. It's your colleague from work. Somehow, you manage to swipe to answer, putting the call on speaker.
"Hey! You coming in today? We've got that big project meeting, remember?" Alex's voice is almost jarringly normal compared to the surreal situation you find yourself in.
You sigh deeply, wondering how to explain your predicament. "Uh, Alex," you start, "I've had a bit of an... incident."
"Incident? Like what? Are you okay?"
"Not exactly," you respond, trying to keep your tone level. "It's more like... I've turned into a dinosaur. Look, I'm still me, but I need some help."
The line goes silent for a moment. "Is this some kind of joke?" Alex questions, uncertain but inquisitive.
"I'm dead serious," you insist. "I can't go out looking like this. Can you help me?"
You hear a worried sigh on the other end. "Alright, hang tight. I'll be over as soon as I can."
Half an hour later, you hear the tentative knock on your door. "It's open," you call, still slightly growling.
When Alex enters and sees you, his jaw drops. "Oh my god. You weren't kidding. What... How...?" He circles around you, partly in awe and partly in horror. "What do we even do about this?"
"I have no idea," you admit. "I need to figure out how to live like this, at least for now. Can you be my go-between with the outside world?"
Alex nods slowly. "Yeah, I can do that. First thing, though, we need to make your place dino-proof."
You chuckle nervously. "Couldn't agree more. Also, you'll hear more growling and see more feathers than usual."
Over the next few days, Alex becomes indispensable. From everyday chores to more complex tasks, he's there to help. In return, you use your newfound strength and agility to assist him in ways you never could as a human.
"You know," Alex says one day as you help him move a heavy piece of furniture, "there's something kind of poetic about this. You're still you, just... adapted."
You pause, contemplating his words. "Yeah," you reply, subtle satisfaction in your guttural voice. "Adapted. That's a good way of putting it."
Despite the initial shock, slowly but surely, you begin to navigate this new life, utilizing both your human memories and Utahraptor instincts. It's not the life you anticipated, but in a world where anything is possible, you find a new sense of equilibrium and purpose.
This story was generated by user DylanVsFizzarolli7 with assistance by one of OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model; prompts used to help generate the story are shown below.
Images were generated with OpenAI's AI system, DALL·E 2, or uploaded by the user.
AI Prompts
Prompt: Write a POV transformation story of the human reader turning into a paleo-accurate Utahraptor, which is bulky compared with many other dromaeosaurs (also known as raptors) and has a full coat of feathers (like all dromaeosaurs), correct hand posture (unable to pronate wrists unlike the reader himself/herself and like all dromaeosaurs), and no shrink-wrapping (since the animal is healthy and not starving). The reader who is becoming a scientifically accurate Utahraptor should stay in the modern world (still in the human civilization) and keep his/her personality and memories (no memories or personality being replaced); he/she is simply being stuck in the body of a Utahraptor. Here's what the Utahraptor looks like; Like all dromaeosaurs, Utahraptor had three clawed fingers on each wing, and had a signature large sickle-like claw on each foot. Utahraptor was one of, if not the largest and heaviest of all dromaeosaurids, with the largest estimates reaching 5.5 meters in length and somewhat less than 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs), comparable in weight to a polar bear. Although feathers have never been found in association with Utahraptor specimens, there is strong phylogenetic evidence suggesting that all dromaeosaurids, including Utahraptor, had them. The claws on its hand are more specialized as cutting blades than in other dromaeosaurids. It has a lacrimal bone with distinctly parallel mesial and outer sides that gives it an elongate subrectangular appearance in top view and it has a base of the nasal opening on the premaxilla parallel to the premaxillary tooth row. Utahraptor differs from other dromaeosaurids in having an elongate nasal process of the premaxilla, a distal end of metatarsal III that is smooth, not ginglymoid, an L-shaped quadratojugal without a posterior process, the presence of a well-developed notch between the lesser trochanter and greater trochanter, and dorsal vertebrae that lack pleurocoels. Like other dromaeosaurids, Utahraptor had a large curved claw on the second toe of each foot. The second pedal ungual is preserved with a 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) outside curve length and is estimated to reach 24 centimeters (9.4 inches). Given the huge size of Utahraptor, it was not as fast as the wolf-sized Deinonychus and the turkey-sized Velociraptor; instead, it would have had a similar speed to the contemporary iguanodonts, and was faster than sauropods. Additionally, the thickness of the tibia indicates that the animal possessed a significant leg force in order to kill prey. It was also suggested that lighter dromaeosaurids such as Velociraptor and Deinonychus relied on their hand claws to handle prey and retain balance while kicking it; in contrast to this, the heavily built Utahraptor may have been able to deliver kicks without the risk of losing balance, freeing the hands and using them to dispatch prey. Utahraptor was not particularly fast and would have been an ambush hunter that preyed on large dinosaurs such as the contemporary iguanodonts and small (basal) therizinosaurs. Its robust build and large sickle claw indicate it was well suited to hunting such prey. Like other dromaeosaurine dromaeosaurids, it may have also relied heavily on its jaws to dispatch prey—more so than other types of dromaeosaurids, such as velociraptorines. While dinosaur behavior can only be theorized, it was discovered that Deinonychus (and possibly other dromaeosaurs) may not have had complex social behavior seen in some pack-hunting animals alive in the modern era (like wolves or lions), based on differing dietary preferences in adults and juveniles indicating they did not live in long-term family groups, and instead they hunted in loose gangs, similarly to Komodo dragons . There should also be quotes from the characters in this story so we know what they're saying and what they're thinking. Also, it is a POV reader story, so it should not be in an author's point of view (my, I, mine, etc), and it should be from the point of view of the reader (you, your, etc).
Response: You open your eyes to the sound of your alarm blaring, reaching over instinctively to hit the snooze button. However, instead of your gracile, human hand, a huge, feathered arm covered with sharp claws moves forward. Panic surges through your mind as you stare at the three-digited appendage, each tipped with a cutting blade-like claw. "What... What is this?" you mutter, your voice a low, guttural growl. You scramble out of bed in a confused frenzy and catch sight of yourself in the full-length mirror. The creature staring back is massive and imposing, even within the confines of your bedroom. Standing about seven feet tall and covered in a vibrant coat of feathers, you've transformed into a Utahraptor. You look closely at your reflection, absorbing every detail—the parallel mesial and outer sides of the lacrimal bone, the elongate nasal process of the premaxilla, and the sleek yet robust form of your new body. "Okay, stay calm," you whisper to yourself. "You're still you. Just...in a different body." You put together the facts as best you can. Somehow, overnight, you've changed from human to dinosaur. With your memories and personality intact, navigating through modern human civilization in this form will be more than a challenge. Feeling more grounded, you decide to take inventory of your new abilities. Extending your foot, you focus on the enormous, curved claw, perfectly designed for gripping and slashing. "Impressive," you think. "But how on earth do I use a phone with these?" You fumblingly try grasping your smartphone with the three clawed digits of your wing-like arms, but it's an inelegant effort. The claws are too specialized, too powerful for precise movement. "Breakfast first." You glance at the clock—humans need sustenance too. As you crunch through the kitchen, the floor creaks under your hefty build. Weighing nearly 500 kilograms, your every step feels heavy and deliberate. You peer into the refrigerator, and after a moment, your eyes lock onto the eggs—pure protein, something your raptor instincts surprisingly crave. With a bit of awkward fumbling, you crack the eggs into a bowl and use your snout to tilt the container, gulping down the raw contents. "Maybe not the most appetizing way, but it'll do for now," you muse. Your phone buzzes on the counter, and the name 'Alex' flashes on the screen. It's your colleague from work. Somehow, you manage to swipe to answer, putting the call on speaker. "Hey! You coming in today? We've got that big project meeting, remember?" Alex's voice is almost jarringly normal compared to the surreal situation you find yourself in. You sigh deeply, wondering how to explain your predicament. "Uh, Alex," you start, "I've had a bit of an... incident." "Incident? Like what? Are you okay?" "Not exactly," you respond, trying to keep your tone level. "It's more like... I've turned into a dinosaur. Look, I'm still me, but I need some help." The line goes silent for a moment. "Is this some kind of joke?" Alex questions, uncertain but inquisitive. "I'm dead serious," you insist. "I can't go out looking like this. Can you help me?" You hear a worried sigh on the other end. "Alright, hang tight. I'll be over as soon as I can." Half an hour later, you hear the tentative knock on your door. "It's open," you call, still slightly growling. When Alex enters and sees you, his jaw drops. "Oh my god. You weren't kidding. What... How...?" He circles around you, partly in awe and partly in horror. "What do we even do about this?" "I have no idea," you admit. "I need to figure out how to live like this, at least for now. Can you be my go-between with the outside world?" Alex nods slowly. "Yeah, I can do that. First thing, though, we need to make your place dino-proof." You chuckle nervously. "Couldn't agree more. Also, you'll hear more growling and see more feathers than usual." Over the next few days, Alex becomes indispensable. From everyday chores to more complex tasks, he's there to help. In return, you use your newfound strength and agility to assist him in ways you never could as a human. "You know," Alex says one day as you help him move a heavy piece of furniture, "there's something kind of poetic about this. You're still you, just... adapted." You pause, contemplating his words. "Yeah," you reply, subtle satisfaction in your guttural voice. "Adapted. That's a good way of putting it." Despite the initial shock, slowly but surely, you begin to navigate this new life, utilizing both your human memories and Utahraptor instincts. It's not the life you anticipated, but in a world where anything is possible, you find a new sense of equilibrium and purpose.
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