History Literature / TheyreMadeOutOfMeat

* HumansThroughAlienEyes: And they think we're ''disgusting''.
* {{Hypocrite}}: The two explorers talk about how a "rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence" wants to get back in contact with them, because "Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the universe would be if one were all alone." This little exchange happens not a paragraph after the [[FantasticRacism above decision]].

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: "How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."

* ParrotExposition: The story begins this way, as shown in the page quote.
* PunyEarthlings: And ''just plain weird'', to boot.

* StarfishAliens: Apparently, all known aliens are EnergyBeings: there is ''one'' race that undergoes a "meat" stage, but ascends late in life, and another that is partially meat with a plasma-based brain.

A short story about two space explorers happening upon a new alien race. However, much to their disgust, they find that they're...meaty. Three guesses as to what this race is.

* FirstContact: Averted. The aliens refuse to respond to the humans’ radio signals, lest they have to interact with creatures made of meat.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The two explorers talk about how a "rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence" wants to get back in contact with them, because "Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the universe would be if one were all alone." This little exchange happens not a paragraph after the above decision.

Written by Terry Bisson and nominated for a UsefulNotes/NebulaAward. Can be read [[http://www.terrybisson.com/theyre-made-out-of-meat-2/ here]]. Enjoy a short film adaptation of it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFZTAOb7IE here]].

%%* EarthAllAlong

* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: And ''just plain weird'', to boot.

* StarfishAliens: Apparently, all known aliens are EnergyBeings: there is ''one'' race that undergoes a "meat" stage, but ascends late in life, and another that is partially meat with a plasma-based brain. The explorers certainly consider the meat this: meat communicate and entertain themselves by squirting air through their meat and flapping their meat at each other, which meat shouldn't be doing '''because it's meat.'''

* AnAesop: Overlaps with FantasticAesop.

** {{Hypocrite}}: The two explorers talk about how a "rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence" wants to get back in contact with them, because "Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the universe would be if one were all alone." This little exchange happens not a paragraph after the above decision.

* {{Xenofiction}}

A short story about two space explorers happening upon a new alien race. However, much to their disgust, they find that they're... meaty. Three guesses as to what this race is.

Written by Terry Bisson and nominated for a UsefulNotes/NebulaAward. Can be read [[http://www.terrybisson.com/page6/page6.html here]]. Enjoy a short film adaptation of it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFZTAOb7IE here]].

Written by Terry Bisson and nominated for a UsefulNotes/NebulaAward. Can be read [[http://baetzler.de/humor/meat_beings.html here]]. Enjoy a short film adaptation of it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFZTAOb7IE here]].

* StarfishAliens: Apparently, all known aliens are EnergyBeings: there is ''one'' race that undergoes a "meat" stage, but ascends late in life, and another that is partially meat. The explorers certainly consider the meat this: meat communicate and entertain themselves by squirting air through their meat and flapping their meat at each other, which meat shouldn't be doing '''because it's meat.'''

* [[spoiler: EarthAllAlong]]

Written by Terry Bisson and nominated for a NebulaAward. Can be read [[http://baetzler.de/humor/meat_beings.html here]]. Enjoy a short film adaptation of it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFZTAOb7IE here]].

* EnergyBeings: The meaties are literally the only race that die as meat. One race starts as meat, but eventually "ascend".

* HumansThroughAlienEyes

* [[HumansThroughAlienEyes Meat Through Explorer Eyes]]

* StarfishAliens: Apparently, all known aliens are EnergyBeings: there is ''one'' race that undergoes a "meat" stage, but ascends late in life, and another that is partially meat.
** The explorers certainly consider the meat this: meat communicate and entertain themselves by squirting air through their meat and flapping their meat at each other, which meat shouldn't be doing '''because it's meat.'''

* StarfishAliens: The explorers certainly consider the meat this: meat communicate and entertain themselves by squirting air through their meat and flapping their meat at each other, which meat shouldn't be doing '''because it's meat.'''

* EnergyBeings - The meaties are literally the only race that die as meat. One race starts as meat, but eventually "ascend".
* FantasticRacism - In the end, the explorers decide to strike the record of encountering the meaties and declare this sector empty, believing that first contact would be extremely awkward and of little worth. As one of them puts it, "What are we going to say to them? 'Hey, meat, how's it going?'?"

* InvisibleAliens - they've done some abductions, but wiped the abductees' memory.
* {{Squick}} - In-universe: the explorers are completely weirded out and more than a little disgusted at the fact there is sentient, living meat doing ''stuff''.
* StarfishAliens: Apparently, all known aliens are EnergyBeings: there is ''one'' race that undergoes a "meat" stage, but ascends late in life, and another that is partially meat.
** The explorers certainly consider the meat this: meat communicate and entertain themselves by squirting air through their meat and flapping their meat at each other, which meat shouldn't be doing '''because it's meat.'''

* FantasticRacism - In the end, the explorers decide to strike the record of encountering the meaties and declare this sector empty, believing that first contact would be extremely awkward. As one of them puts it, "What are we going to say to them? 'Hey, meat, how's it going?'?"

* {{Squick}} - In-universe, to the explorers.

* HumansThroughAlienEyes

* [[HumansThroughAlienEyes Meat Through an Explorer's Eyes]]

* FasterThanLightTravel

* StarfishAliens: Apparently, all known aliens are EnergyBeings: there is ''one'' race that undergoes a "meat" stage, but ascends late in life.

* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet

* StarfishAliens

Written by Terry Bisson and nominated for a NebulaAward. Can be read [[http://baetzler.de/humor/meat_beings.html here]]. Enjoy a video of it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFZTAOb7IE here]].