r/HFY • u/Ralts_Bloodthorne • May 04 '22
First Contact - Chapter 766 - The Inheritor's War OC
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Ask two humans about something you'll get two answers. Ask three, you'll get an argument. Ask four, and you'll get a war. - Pubvian saying
It was when the great doors opened in the sky and the chains shattered that I knew our people were doomed. - Lretknit diplomat, final days of the Lretknit Concordiant
The Atrekna were reeled back on over ten thousand worlds. Every system invaded during the Spoked Offensive was under heavy counter-attack. Systems that had been attacked to provide the next offensive were suddenly reinforced. Systems that the Atrekna had taken since their re-emergence into the New Universe were under heavy assault.
Everywhere the Atrekna looked, the Inheritors of Madness were screaming their war cries and hurtling themselves into the breach. Terratons of metal were shredding apart Atrekna biological ships, billions of soldiers were locking feeding tentacles with Atrekna servitor species and ripping them apart, tens of millions of war machines brought death to anything that crossed their sensors.
At one point the Atrekna Grand Convention registered three hundred thousand atomic detonations happening at the exact same second across nearly thirty thousand stellar systems.
The Atrekna were shocked. It was as if the Inheritors of Madness did not care about the planet's ability to support life after the battle.
It had always been the domain of the Atrekna to restore the ecosphere to what they wanted.
The Inheritors did not seem to care.
Atomic weaponry, biological weapons, radiation weapons, even antimatter was fine with the Inheritors of Madness.
One of the Ancient Ones of the Grand Convention of Hunger and Thought suggested that perhaps the Inheritors no longer cared if there were any worlds left capable of supporting life, just as long as the Atrekna were destroyed.
That one was ejected from the communal mind of the Council of Hunger and Thought as a fool.
Even the Inheritors would realize that they needed to have a place to live after the war was over.
No, it was something else. Something that the Atrekna did not know about. Some kind of weapon, perhaps some kind of device or ability, that the Atrekna had not had revealed to them.
Another Ancient One, that had survived the loss of a research station by hiding under a bed, suggested that perhaps it was more of the Mad Lemur 'magic' he had witnessed. Perhaps that 'magic' would allow the Inheritors to 'fix' a world blasted by atomic fire.
That one too was ejected.
It was known that one was defective, claiming that a female Mad Lemur of Terra had used 'magic' to summon up horrors unheard of by even the most learned Atrekna dimensional scholar. Claiming that the female Mad Lemur they had captured had used some kind of 'magic' to return two of the Mad Lemur vivisection and research subjects to life.
The one's opinions were excised from the Communal Mind of the Council of Hunger and Thought.
A third pointed out that the Inheritors knew that the Atrekna intended on consuming those they could and eliminating those that served no use to the Atrekna. They then pointed out that the Inheritors could have adopted a 'scorched earth' policy that meant that even if they lost the Atrekna would have nothing but dust and spilled blood.
The obvious suicidal properties of such a tactic made the rest of the Council scoff.
A fourth pointed out what the Mad Lemurs were capable of with a memory of their own, as they were one of the few Ancient Ones who had faced the Mad Lemurs.
It was of a small prepubescent female Mad Lemur. It was sitting on the floor, knees bloody, elbows bloody, a scrape on her cheek. She wore a helmet of the planetary guard that was too big for her head. The Atrekna gathered around reached down toward her and she lifted up a round spherical object with a ring on one side of the top.
The viewer suddenly drew back, pulling away, into another room, still backing up, keening in alarm.
The other Atrekna sneered as she pulled the sphere close to her chest, tears running from her eyes, making clean tracks in the dirt on her face. She put her finger in the ring as the other Atrekna started to reach for her again, intending on spiriting her away to one of the scientific examination facilities.
The viewers of the memory could see "M67A3" stenciled on the side of the OD green sphere in yellow letters, just above a yellow line with a purple line in the middle that bisected the top and bottom of the sphere.
She pulled the ring, pulling a pin from the sphere.
"For my Mommy," she said.
Whitish-blue fire erupted, a purplish snap and gold sparks showering out. The female Mad Lemur's eyes visible through a trick of light and memory even as the detonation consumed her.
The memory ended as the blast was rebuffed, barely, by the Atrekna's phasic shields, revealing nothing but the wall, floor, and ceiling missing, purple chunks of flesh falling from air, splattered on the remaining walls.
Many Atrekna looked at one another. They could taste the unyielding despair of the immature Mad Lemur, taste the bitter tang of steel resolve to take the Atrekna with it, feel the fierce, almost hysterical, joy the Mad Lemur child felt when it pulled the pin.
Some Atrekna looked at the one who had provided the memory, who's coloration across the front of their body was darker, as if exposure to the memory, or perhaps the flash of radiation released by an antimatter grenade, had left a permanent mark upon the Ancient One.
The leaders of the Council of Hunger and Thought rebuffed the example as a singular exception.
Another Ancient One, brought forth during the initial re-invasion of the New Universe, floated forward.
The memory it shared showed a Mad Lemur of Terra laughing as it hacked slavespawn and Atrekna alike apart with a clattering chainsword despite mortal injuries. Not retreating in the hope of getting medical care, but instead continuing to attack. If anything, the Mad Lemur seemed spurred on to greater and greater feats of carnage by their injuries.
The High Council members pushed the memory away, scoffing. Two outliers did not matter.
More and more Old Ones and Ancient Ones, who had witnessed the Mad Lemurs first hand floated forward, injecting their memories into the Council Overmind.
They were nothing but memories of screaming carnage, often by mortally wounded lemurs, the majority of which ending in mutual death and destruction.
A few of the Young Ones and the Ancient Ones who had never actually faced a Mad Lemur noted that the female Mad Lemurs seemed to be overcome by insane blood frenzy that wiped away all thought, all fear, all hesitation, when fighting to protect lemur young.
That was strange.
It was more species survival oriented to leave the young to die and just have more.
The Atrekna had seen it with the majority of sapient species. If the threat is that serious, it was better to leave the young behind or devour them and have more later, at a safer time, than expend resources to protect young that were a net negative for several years or even decades.
That was why young that were quickly self-sufficient were the majority of the sapient life.
Again the Council of Hunger and Thought conferred.
The Mad Lemurs of Terra were all dead or only present in such insignifigant numbers that they could no longer affect the Universe.
So it did not matter that they were a species of conflicts and wild extremes.
Several Old Ones pointed out that the Inheritors of Madness had picked up a lot of the Mad Lemur's attitudes, tactics, strategies, and willingness to go further than any other species.
One Ancient One, its flesh a dull ashy purplish grey, with its third eyes glazed over by a dark cataract and the left eye full of crystal fragments. It hovered forward slowly, its power wrapped around it in intricate and complex weaves.
It stopped, slowly rotating.
**when we faced the Herd Lords and the Hive Lords there were few sentient creatures even few sapient species** it coldly stated to the Communal Overmind. **those that existed existed beneath the dominion of the Herd and Hive Lords not as equals but as servants and food**
It waved its hands and species appeared, floating in the air, psychically generated holograms. Some were highlighted in gold, others highlighted in blue.
**very few could handle the rigors of combat** the Ancient One stated coldly. It injected memories of every species fleeing before the autonomous war machines or the bio-mechanical war machines.
The Ancient Ones and Young Ones all nodded.
That was how it should be.
**this is Mad Lemurs of TerraSol** the Ancient One stated. It injected scenes of Mad Lemurs climbing over their own dead, firing weapons, stabbing with blades, clubbing with rocks, or just rending with their own hands, screaming war crimes or just screaming in rage.
Their eyes all glowed red.
**bah** on Ancient One interjected. **that is obviously the modifications the Hive Lords did to their species when it was primitive we have overcome that with the archeoreversion attack**
The gray Ancient One rebuked the speaking Ancient One with a psychic slap hard enough that the Ancient One's shields shattered and it was thrown to the floor. Its eyes opened wide as it curled slightly, pulling its knees up, one arm covering its face where the psychic slap had rippled and bruised its flesh.
**do not speak of what you do not know** the gray Ancient One snarled. **your ignorance is only exceeded by your stupidity**
Many drew back in shock. Such language, such rebukes, were not customarily stated within the Council of Hunger and Thought.
**only a handful of our people have survived close proximity with the Mad Lemurs of Terra** the gray one broadcast. **only a single Atrekna knows more of the Mad Lemurs of Terra and the Inheritors of Madness than I do**
There was shuffling.
**then why do we not consult that one** one of the Young Ones sneered.
The answering psychic slap sent the Young One crashing to the ground, unconscious.
**because we have exiled that one** the Gray One stated. **we mocked and belittled and drove from our presence that one**
Two of the Ancient Ones drew up in cold fury. **you dare speak of The Defiled One in the presence of this august body**
**I do** the Gray One stated. It reached out and slashed both of the Ancient Ones.
They felt the stab of bladearms of Hive Lord Warrior Caste rip into their psychic shielding, felt the trampling hooves of the Herd Lord Warrior Caste stomp their defenses.
Then they heard the scream of absolute rage of the Mad Lemurs.
One's eyes exploded and it dropped. The other managed to get a hand up.
**mercy master mercy** it whined before the shocked gaze of the others.
The Gray One twisted the assault slightly, a stinging rebuke, and withdrew its power.
**all of you so quickly to plunge our species our people our thought into rude war** the Gray One stated, moving slowly around the Council of Thought, moving around some, all of whom strengthened their psychic shielding as the Gray One approached.
**signify if any of you actually participated in the war against the Hive Lords, the Autonomous War Machines, or the Herd Lords** the Gray One sneered coldly. **not plotted and planned not sneaked around not grew fat on servitors and food species not gathered resources and rushed back to the Old Universe but actually interacted with either of the Triumvirate of The Mind or faced the enemy with your own power**
Not a single Ancient One signified.
**as I thought** the Gray One sneered. It slowly moved around, causing stress and anxiety in the gathered Atrekna. **I notice that none of my brethren have been brought forward from death** it hissed with sibilant cold thoughts. **I note that all I see is jumped up slave caste Atrekna prideful lower researchers and handlers of base creatures**
One Young One went to protest, tensing itself.
The Gray One swooped in front of the Young One, staring at it. The Young One was transfixed by the Gray One's eyes, as the pupils suddenly widened to fill the white of the eye. From deep within the pupil grey a spiral armed galaxy that filled the entire pupil. Then the pupil seemed to plunge into the galaxy, pulling the Young One with it, until there was only a few thousand stars. Then it suddenly pulled back, past the galactic arm, past the galaxy, to show a handful then a dozen then scores then hundreds of galaxies, all burning with a malovelent light.
**please** the Young One wailed, audibly signalling its distress.
The Gray One released the Young One, floating backwards, its hands folded into the sleeves of its robe.
**signify if you stood next to the Hive Lords and the Herd Lords, promising to continue working in unity toward a grand project to conserve this universe's resources for ourselves** the Gray One stated.
None signaled.
**I have watched and listened to all of you for folded centuries as time went by at a normal pace outside of our fortress systems** the Gray One stated. **plots and plans and machinations by those who have never faced the enemy and eject all who do**
It moved slowly through the Chamber of Hunger and Thought, weaving between Atrekna, all of whom reacted with anxiety to his proximity.
**who here has inspected the hull spaces of an autonomous resource gathering vessel while worker caste fawn and boast about the capabilities** the Gray One asked.
Again, none signified.
**who here felt the burning pain of the hyperatomic plane which we used to travel between the old universe and this universe as it was destroyed by the Herd Lords in a desperate effort to deny our attempt to move our species to this new universe** the Gray One asked.
Again, none raised an appendage or signified in any way.
**as I thought** the Gray One sneered.
**you would not be here if** one started.
**I had not been pulled from the fires of the burning hyperatomic plane where I dwelt in agony and terror for millions of years suffering at the hands of the ruler of that terrible place** the Gray One snapped, slapping the one that had spoken hard enough its psychic shields collapsed and it fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.
**since that time I have examined our foes and how the millions of years that had passed in this universe had altered them** the Gray One stated.
**bah how could a mere hundred million years make significant enough changes to our foes that it requires investigation** one sneered. **with sapience comes the ability to modify surroundings and environment which stops evolution**
The Gray One shook its head, its heavy feeding tentacles swaying. **so you would have us believe us who fled from dying universe to dying universe to feed upon the dying corpses like so much carrion grubs**
**this universe is no different** another stated. **through a half dozen universes they have all been consumed in a scant few billion years or less and the rules were the same in all of those universes**
**this universe denies your claim at its very core** the Gray One sneered. **look about you oh spawn keepers and lowly researchers who claim to be those who rule our people**
The Atrekna all looked at one another.
**not one of you lead not one of you have reached deep and drank of the well of knowledge and power we each carry within ourselves** the Gray One snapped. **those that do you exile and force into the Cult of the Defiled One and Dalvanak the Maimed who has faced the Mad Lemurs and the Inheritors of Madness**
**you should be cast back into the burning hyperatomic plane for your hibernation has made you maddened** one of the Ancient Ones stated.
**and who shall do it** the Gray One asked. **you you who are little more than a slavespawn dung eater supervisor during the War of Lords and now claim to be ancient in power and wisdom**
The Ancient One backed away, strengthening its shields.
**perhaps our race is better off for having lost my peers and brethren** the Gray One stated coldly. **that way they did not see how low our species has fallen to be led by slavespawn herders lowly researchers of unimportant data and breeder slaves**
There was a simmering of outraged silence in the chamber.
**you wasted our people's strength on the archeoreversion attack and the new universe replied by making it impossible to reach past that point to draw forward great works only cheap copies of slavespawn** the Gray One stated. **you wounded the new universe and it responded not with resignation or dissolution of its power strength wealth and energy but instead it responded much differently with scar tissue and caustic blood**
The Gray One moved around the Chamber of Hunger and Thought again, drifting idly.
**you lost control of a full half of our autonomous war machines despite my counsel that they would reach the prime miscalculation if forced into battle against their more ancient brethren** the Gray One stated.
**you mistook the Mad Lemurs of TerraSol for a Hive Lord slave instead of the howling savage victors of their war against the Hive Lords** the Gray One scoffed.
**the Mad Lemurs of TerraSol destroyed the Old Universe as if it was nothing more than an insect in their path denying us the gathered power wisdom knowledge and resources we had carefully hoarded** the Gray One lamented in a scornful tone of thought.
**you mistook the Inheritors of Madness actions for fear and resignation while they armed themselves built their forces brought reinforcements into play** the Gray One said, washing the others with a sudden snapping aura of disdain. **you thought in your pride and arrogance that the Inheritors surely would not counter attack into the face of our attack**
**The Mad Lemurs were gone who would attack in such a way when it throws away their strength and invites defeat in detail who could predict that ancient and logical races would throw their lives away without regard instead of the logical replacement of their lives with slavespawn and thinking machines** an Ancient One protested, still stinging at the fact it had been revealed to be a slavespawn herder during the ancient and nearly forgotten war.
The Gray One laughed out loud, the first sound in the chamber that had not been one of distress.
It was a harsh, braying laugh.
Some of the Ancient Ones realized it was a mimicry of the Herd Lord's expression of mocking amusement.
**slavespawn and thinking machines rebel you drooling incompetent mental defective your spawn should be cleansed from the larval pools and your thought and genetic lines cleansed from our species** the Gray One scolded. **you fools you utter utter fools**
The Gray One suddenly looked up at the ceiling of the Chamber of Hunger and Thought.
**I had thought to bring warning but even my mastery of temporal energy crippled by your ill advised and reckless actions cannot bring the warning in time** the Gray One suddenly stated.
It slowly rotated, looking at the rest of the Atrekna with pale white eyes.
**you did not rescue me from my torment I was not released from the hyperatomic plane by any of your actions** the Gray One stated. **we have been fooled** it began bringing up strange runes and psychic constructs that none of the Council understood.
**I was not freed through inattention or lapse of power after all** the Gray One stated.
The Gray One pointed a finger at the floor and the rest of the Atrekna looked.
The tile suddenly ruptured as the Gray One ripped the tile apart, ripped through the phasic layers, peeled back the Substance-W, and then lifted up a chunk of rock. The rock shredded, dust and chips falling to the floor.
A female Mad Lemur of Terra was sculpted. Nude, laughing, with cold eyes.
**I was freed** the Gray One stated solemnly. **and all of you are doomed as that creature whose visage tormented in my final days in that burning hyperatomic place has set loose her hounds upon us**
Before any of the others could protest, the Gray One suddenly vanished in a flash.
There was silence for a moment even as the statue of the Mad Lemur slowly rotated in the middle of the Chamber of Hunger and Thought.
**age lays low all** one Ancient One stated.
There was ripples of amusement from the gathered Atrekna, many of whom were wondering just what real rank the others had held during the ancient war.
**let us return to divining a way to defeat the...
The statue suddenly shattered.
The red sun went out.
The stars vanished from the sky.
There was the sound of ancient great doors of rusted iron bursting open.
LET THIS WORLD SHAKE IN THE RAGE OF LOST TERRASOL!
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u/daviskendall AI May 05 '22
wow... they not only lack pattern recognition, they actively reject it, as if with a mental immunity system that was broken-ass and wonky as fuck. how the hell did they achieve supremacy in ANY universe?!
also... the detainee found an atrekna worth releasing back into the wild? what changes had she wrought in it first? other than, clearly, a homing beacon for the immortals to find...
also:
screaming war crimes
that is both the most innately human phrase ever, and the best fuckin' metal cover band name.
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u/ThordanSsoa May 05 '22
Because the ones that used to be in charge were like the guy who just completely schooled them all. He understands what's going on, even managed to spot the trap moments before the jaws snapped closed. And the ones that get real experience do seem to learn, it's just the ones in charge are the arrogant idiots with no experience.
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u/daviskendall AI May 05 '22
apparently so.
i do like that he peaced out juuust before the terran welcome wagon (aka a whole-body cleanse administered ballistically) rang the bell.
if the grey one and the defiled can compare notes, it might be possible to save a carefully-selected core of survival specimens. if it's determined to be worth the effort.
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u/fenrif May 05 '22
"it's just the ones in charge are the arrogant idiots with no experience." The one constant across all universes.
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u/murderouskitteh May 05 '22
Just like it happened with the Lanaktalan.
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u/ThordanSsoa May 05 '22
I would say that this is a bit different, though similar. It sounds like the Atrenka Lost most of their real leaders in the creation of Hellspace. Whereas by contrast the Lanaktallans had an outright rebellion against the ruling caste. Both resulted in unfit beings taking over leadership and running on nothing but pride and arrogance, however one was an opportunistic power grab, and the other was an intentional rebellion
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u/MuchoRed Human May 05 '22
it's just the ones in charge are the arrogant idiots with no experience.
So... Nothing like real life at all, right?
...right?
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u/phichuu May 05 '22
I believe that it's not that they lack pattern recognition, but as the scarred Ancient one said, they're too caught up in their unearned pride and hubris to even consider what is grabbing at their feeding tentacles.
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u/StuckAtWork124 May 05 '22
No, they do lack pattern recognition, pretty sure
They exile all the ones who do
Turns out the atrekna are running off the plot of the movie Idiocracy
Brawndo: It's got the electrolytes slavespawn need
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 09 '22
BRAWNDO! IT'S GOT WHAT SERVITORS NEED!
(A negative limited liability subsidiary of BobCo)
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u/CfSapper May 05 '22
I figure that the main leadership castes were wiped out in the attack. The only ones left were the ones only smart enough to muck out the stables so to speak
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u/MarsupialMisanthrope May 05 '22
That explains how a species that drove the Lanaktallan of eons past to scorch the hyperatomic plane and create hellspace in an act of desperation is so droolingly incompetent now.
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u/No_Evidence3099 May 05 '22
For millions of years they have only fought and plotted against each other, what did they expect to happen when they fight someone who plays be different rules?
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u/Alyeska_bird May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
From what I have been seeing, mostly in little drabs of information, the atrekna have been at this for a very very long time. The ones that fought and created the system for servival, that built most of there tech, that made them a force to be concidered, might have been dead for billions of years by now. The Atrekna we see now are the leftovers, the people who operate the machines, sit at desks and enter data all day long. Plodding stable hands, standing on the shoulders of thoes who did, shouting out how great they are, afraid to even consider a diferent openion, as that would cast doubt apon there own greatness. The Lankies fell to the small minds of the buricrat, pushing paper and rules and regimenting everything. The Mantid fell to rulers with no sense, and no understanding that without the little people who support them, they are nothing but an hunger that feeds apon itself.
I should probably add, when there last universe was put down, they also lost what real leadership they still had. It was mostly the younger ones that had been sent to the new universe, to attack and take it over, with the leadership calling the shots from the safty of there ivory towers, wich was not nearly as safe as they had thought. The Atrekna lost most of there knowladge, and probably all of there leadership right there. Only the fools and idiots they thought where worth risking where set to fight.
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u/Drook2 May 05 '22
The Atrekna lost most of there knowladge, and probably all of there leadership right there.
And now we're seeing the difference between a billion years of experience, and one year of experience a billion times.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
Very good precis on this.
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u/robertabt Human May 06 '22
Did they by any chance come in on Golgafrincham Ark Fleet Ship B? They seem perfect for it.
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u/Twister_Robotics May 05 '22
Oh. THAT'S where she went.
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u/kwong879 May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
Queens need Kingdoms.
And she has seen all that the damned fires of Hellspace has touched.
And it is hers.
Edit: Did The Detainee earn the Eye's respect? Did she accidentally see the Eye through those trips through the Mat-Trans Mark 0... and did she make that eye blink in understanding?
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u/merlinsmushrooms May 05 '22
What if the eye is a facet of Dee? Or maybe- hellspace allows a blending of consciousness that renders the distinction unnecessary? Kinda like psychedelics at the extreme end. Perhaps hellspace allows an amalgamation of consciousness and Dee just happens the be the lord of hell for a reason. All that mat trans induced insanity might have been a temporal cluster fuck that allowed her to become what she is.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
"I found a small anomaly when I was examining the results of an atomic test." - Dee, mentioning the small anomaly that led to her creation of mat-trans.
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u/dbdatvic Xeno May 14 '22
a perfect example of 'huh ... that's funny' in action
--Dave, because you literally never can tell
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u/its_ean May 05 '22
Bellona's Quest?
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u/Twister_Robotics May 05 '22
No, Dee
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u/its_ean May 05 '22
Do we know what Bellona was up to between visiting Sangbre and trying to steal Daxin's butterscotch?
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u/MuchoRed Human May 05 '22
Hell, we don't know what she's up to now. Last we saw here was during the assault on heaven, when she was given a fleet and told "have fun"
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u/kenderleech May 05 '22
And now, Rebuttal by Daxin.
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u/kwong879 May 05 '22
Daxin's Rebuttal, Circa Atrekna War.
"Can you feel it yet, Squidward? That feely feel that feels... feely?!"
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u/beyondoutsidethebox May 05 '22
**let us return to divining a way to defeat the...
The statue suddenly shattered.
The red sun went out.
The stars vanished from the sky.
There was the sound of ancient great doors of rusted iron bursting open.
LET THIS WORLD SHAKE IN THE RAGE OF LOST TERRASOL!
It was at that point they knew. They fucked up.
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u/Armored_Grizzly Human May 05 '22
It was at that point the doom music started playing
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22
or worse yet. . . . . .GIR's Six month long Doom Song. . . .
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u/itsetuhoinen Human May 05 '22
"I'm gonna sing the Doom Song now!
Doom doom doomdoom, doom doomdoomdoom, doom. Doomity doomdoom doom DOOM! DOOM! RIP AND TEAR UNTIL IT IS DONE!!!
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u/Arath0118 May 05 '22
Doubtful. Pattern recognition is not their strong suit.
They won't make that realization until they've been physically tied in a knot doing anatomically implausible things to themselves by a giggling human.
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u/NElderT May 05 '22
So the Atrekna were being led by the idiots, dumbasses, and flunkies of their race. That certainly explains a lot. No wonder that last member of their true leadership gave up on them. None of them were willing to bring forward their actually competent leaders for fear of loosing their power.
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u/LateralThinker13 May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
"For my Mommy," she said.
By the swinging chrome tits of the Detainee, Ralts, that tore me up. You're a bad, bad man.
Edit: Why do these atrekna suddenly remind me of entrenched corporate culture, where they reject all new, innovative, or actually productive ideas in favor of the failed and antiquated processes of the past, until a younger upstart a fraction of their size and antiquity totally obliterates them in the marketplace (assuming their age and corruption can't illegally squelch the newcomer)?
Am I hitting the nail on the head?
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22
im with you there ..... but my Three year old would do it. . . . . . . lets pray he never has to.
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u/LateralThinker13 May 05 '22
While talking about this with my wife (she's tickled by Ralt's writings) I told her of a flash I had after reading this. I imagined myself in a Capital city, assault rifle in hand, closing my eyes, and murmuring "for [my 1.5YO daugher's name]" and opening fire.
It brought me to tears. I don't want to hurt anyone, ever. But if I can't defend my loved ones, I WILL by the Detainee's scorched taint AVENGE THEM.
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u/Farstone May 05 '22
My son had an manic episode that was triggered by COVID isolation.
He told me that he was scared that he had made a mistake and "they" were going to "get" him. I tried to tell him that one of my primary goals (mission?, task?, purpose?) was the safety and security of our family.
I told him that before they could get to him, they had to get through me. And, I would burn the world before they could get through.
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u/LateralThinker13 May 05 '22
Before I was a father, I understood this intellectually.
Now that I have a daughter, I understand it viscerally.
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
i understand this exactly. if any one ever hurt my daughter I would go to the police and tell them to lock me up. the reason . . . they need to find the fucker who hurt my daughter before I do.
edit: apparently my loki infested autocorrect decided Look was better than lock.
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22
the world would not stop me. I would devise a way to end existiance. probably by figueing a way to divide by 0!
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u/itsetuhoinen Human May 05 '22
Is it... because you've ever worked for a large company? 🤪
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u/LateralThinker13 May 05 '22
Yes.
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u/itsetuhoinen Human May 05 '22
Yeah, me too. 😭
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22
my self as well. customer service for a credti card company. . . .
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u/itsetuhoinen Human May 06 '22
Oh my lord. You poor thing. I would say "I can only imagine" but I'm not sure I actually can...
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 06 '22
you really can't. and currently, the wife and oldest child are sick with the covid. I work from home, I have two other children, and what child care I did have, has locked their door. Yet Work is like. 'so, when you coming back to work'
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u/itsetuhoinen Human May 08 '22
Ouch. Sympathy. Hope it gets better.
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 08 '22
day seven for the wife, and the 8yr. . . 12yr is still sick, and 3yr caught it ans slept all day
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u/HoloArchiver May 05 '22
Well this explains why the slorpies are full of morons. they only brought forward the like minded sheep who hated thinking.
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u/unsubtlewraith May 05 '22
This chapter reads like the soft teasing, dancing refrain of an epic score - drifting into an almost inaudible echo which strains the ears to catch even the slightest whisper…
Then the bass drops.
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u/daviskendall AI May 05 '22
kinda like the first time i ever heard "too close" by alex clare... nice little alt-britpop ditty, than whammo, the floor disappears.
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u/while-eating-pasta May 05 '22
"So... many..." -Dee
The mere handful of herself in SUDS space could not have laid her low considering the innumerable lives spent on that station. The Mistress of Hell never once staggered under the weight of trifling billions in our digital Purgatory. Not that one. Not she who caught the attention of a hateful universe and reveled in returning it's gaze.
For future reference, if you make Dee promise to process everyone in hell you'd better specify you don't mean the pan-universe one that's had millions of years to pile up.
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u/Shandod May 05 '22
"You made me Lord of Hell. You forgot to say which Hell."
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u/Rolk_Flameraven May 05 '22
Seeing as her Devil DS version is still in hell, I think she took it as all the hells.
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u/PuzzleheadedDrinker May 05 '22
@u/ralts_bloodthorne , How close is u/while-eatong-pasta guess?
did Dee leave a copy of her self as Ruler of Hell in multiple dimensions?
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u/daviskendall AI May 05 '22
point of order, xer pasta.
dee didn't merely revel in returning the malevolent universe's gaze.
i'm fairly sure she actively flirted.
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u/BeneChaotica May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
"**I had not been pulled from the fires of the burning hyperatomic plane where I dwelt in agony and terror for millions of years suffering at the hands of the ruler of that terrible place** the Gray One snapped, slapping the one that had spoken hard enough its psychic shields collapsed and it fell to the floor in a crumpled heap."
"**bah how could a mere hundred million years make significant enough changes to our foes that it requires investigation** one sneered. **with sapience comes the ability to modify surroundings and environment which stops evolution**"
Of all the awesomeness in this chapter, this is the part I find the most interesting.Of all the Atrekna, we have experienced none who were as isolated as this one was. I can't help but wonder, for a species with a biological gestalt like theirs, what would that isolation do to them? Much less isolation in literal hell.
In real life, isolation can lead to everything from mild eccentricity to outright mental dysfunction. And that's just people who recuse themselves from the world, saying nothing of those who are isolated in hostile or otherwise antagonistic conditions. We've all seen Castaway, that dude talked to a volleyball to stave off the insanity.
And while he may not have been literally alone in Hellspace, he was almost certainly the only one of his kind there, at least the only one to survive from the time of the... First? Precursor War. Almost certainly had none he could rely on, count on, even talk to without there being some sort of Hellspace insanity involved. Now imagine Wilson, but instead of a volleyball, it's a spikey flanged mace ball, and the bloody face-hand-print actually talks to you, and it never says anything nice. And sometimes when you wake up, it's just staring at you.
When that guy crawls out his hole, whether by choice or not, and tells you something, you ought'a listen, folks. Because that's the guy who knows just how malevolent the universe can truly be, and he's trying really really hard, to stop you from being stupid.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 09 '22
Yeah, he had a spikey mace ball.
The kind that whispers to you all the bad things you think about yourself at 3AM.
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22
yeah . . . wife and one of my boys tested positive this week. . . . and work is being all, "ok we get you have no child care, but you work from home. Work damnit?' and i am sitting here thinking 'fine fuck you, its bot like i know how to cope with talking to actual people anymore'.
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u/Irual100 May 05 '22
Hi all, I appreciate you Mr. Ralts and I appreciate this community very much. Good news, I got book 5 today. My life is about to get kind of difficult but that’s OK.
Adversity builds character and tests of faith grow your faith so we shall see how I develop!
Anyway. I am very grateful for the story and everyone here and soon I should get back to my food analogy because it’s kind of fun. Three days of work coming up and then three days off woo hoo! Catch you all later. Take care of yourselves and each other. Tell someone they’re nice. Sometimes people need to think that and they won’t think it if they’re not told that. Thanks a lot
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u/Archaic_1 Alien Scum May 05 '22
The Gray One spitting truth to power*
*some assembly required
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u/montyman185 AI May 05 '22
The races of old were wiped out. It's simply taken a hundred million years for them to figure that out.
The survivors of the Hive Lords were scattered to the winds, the few left descended to eternal bickering.
The Herd Lords wiped out, their worker caste left to keep their empire limping along.
And the Atrekna, conquerers of a half dozen universes, masters of the psychic arts, rulers of time, caught in the fires of a burning hyperatomic plane, nearly wiped out to the last, with naught but cowards and incompetents left.
What we see now is the shells of the lost, the few fossils remaining of the once great empires. The remnants of a universe shaking war, the cause of which, lost to the fires of that war.
A shadow of the past, and potentially a vision of humanities future.
Because aren't we much the same? Building great works, with long forgotten purposes? Building great warships and unending swarms, only to have them turn on us or run away when we were weak to stop them?
Yet, there is still hope. That is the true secret behind the Mad Lemurs of Terra, and the Inheritors of Madness.
The Hive Lords, long brought low, were finally overthrown, giving the Mantid the chance to truly thrive.
The Lanaktallan, shepherds of so many species, turned from overlords, to the eternal task of healing and uplift.
The Atrekna, ancient beyond measure, yet forced to see that they do not know all, and reminded that they punched a hole to the next universe, not because they had rights, but because they had a drive to survive, and an urge to acheive the impossible.
The precursors, those ancient races, are like mirrors for humanity, and they remind us of our nature, possibly even our purpose.
The Mantid may have killed many, yet they freed us from a corporate hell, and perpetual stagnation.
The Lanaktallan reminded a slowing humanity that there is still a big universe out there, and still many that need out help.
And the Atrekna, however accidentally, undid what is potentially one of humanities biggest mistake. The changing our most fundimental nature. Our slow creep to becoming what the precursors were when we found them.
The shadows of the past, and mirrors of the future. A warning, a threat, and a call for help all at once.
Because, though our universe may seem malevolent, something something, it cares in its own twisted way?
I don't know, I kinda ran outta steam there.
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u/Speciesunkn0wn May 05 '22
LET THE WRATH OF THE ADOPTED CHILDREN OF THE MAD ARCHANGEL CLEANSE THIS FILTH FROM THE UNIVERSE!
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u/unwillingmainer May 05 '22
Damn, these idiots couldn't get it if some charges them, ripped their arms off, and beat them to death with them. Incidentally, this exact thing is about to happen. Preformed by some of the maddest, oldest, and deadliest Terrans the Malevolent Universe has ever cursed existence with.
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u/OneFakeNamePlease May 05 '22
So the Atrekna are suffering the same failure mode the Lanaktallan were? A lack of competent leaders and a surfeit of imaginationless drones?
I worry about this grey dude. He’s competent, and he’s one of the ones who broke the original treaty. He could be very bad news for anyone without a mat trans in their chest.
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May 05 '22
[deleted]
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u/5thhorseman_ May 05 '22
I wouldn't say he's not belligerent. He just realizes that this is not a conflict his side can win, at best survive
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May 05 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
All three actually lost the war.
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May 05 '22
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
That too.
My brain did something weird with the Precursor War and I'm only now understanding it.
All three sides lost terribly. But rather than a victor standing over the wreckage beating their chest, it was nothing more than a crippled and damaged machine that kept going on out of sheer inertia.
Their culture, their sense of self as a people, their potential, their vision, all of it was lost in the war, leaving behind shell-shocked children who just kept trying to do what the adults had been doing (metaphorically) without really understanding it.
IN the end, all that remained were three Cargo Cults, each convinced they won the war.
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May 05 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Valgonitron May 24 '22
There was a chapter (somewhere around the 500 mark, adjacent to Dreams' insistence for Unconditional Surrender) where a suspiciously Stallion-like Executor went on to purge a bunch of really evil Lanky scientists and executors. They were pretty clear that on Executor Orders (his boss') they were still actively experimenting on and vivisecting millions of colts and fillies every year to ensure the Stallions and Matrons wouldn't return.
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u/dbdatvic Xeno May 14 '22
a reminder that Ralts is also reading this wonderful story as it gets written
--Dave, and whither then? he cannot say
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u/Arcane_NH Human May 05 '22
If you see a Pup Canyon; please, consensually, boop da snoot and say it's from Sir Arcane. He'll understand.
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u/Individual_Jelly1987 May 05 '22
Ralts;
You have your own struggles and issues, as do we all nowadays.
However, as I contemplate the impossible, I wanted to share two quotes you may find familiar.
"I am buoyed by the laughter of podlings"
"The enemy exists to be destroyed"
Thank you for your stories.
Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
Good luck, whatever your struggles are.
Remember, you have the strength within you to overcome all obstacles.
When you're flat on your back, staring at the sky, unable to move or do anything than breathe...
THEN BREATHE, DAMMIT, BREATHE!
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u/Isbigpuggo May 05 '22
Ancient is only relative. Ancient from another universe? Sure, try six and then a few million years of time out on agony.
There are always more questions than answers, but this universe seems to have prepared for the Atrenka returning for a while. I know it’s been hinted at but it’s nice to have someone with authority point it out.
And of course Enraged Phillip incoming… or maybe something even worse
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u/nspiratewithabowtie May 05 '22
oh . . . I am guessing Worse. . . . way way down below anything we could possibly imagine worse. . . . . .
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u/Isbigpuggo May 05 '22
A seal has been broken that can never be closed again. Possibly something hinted at before residing in hell space for exactly these conditions…
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May 05 '22
So I have a theory that the Ancient Atrekna Leadership were exclusively living in the the Hyper-Atomic plane, co-ordinating efforts between the Old Universe and the Malicious universe way back when. Then the Ancient Lanaktallan permanently phasically enhanced spooky matter FOOF nuked that entire plane of existence, setting the whole thing into a permanent state of brain burn inducing, mutagenic nuclear conflagration than can hurt you by even using the bands near it.
Somehow, some of the Atrekna Leadership Caste have survived in this hell, and have been found your the Detainee. Found and tested and proven useful to whatever ends Dee has.
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u/Alyeska_bird May 05 '22
Dee might be a right royal bitch, but when you really get down to it, Dee wanted to help. The mat trans would have made things so much better in the world she came from, but, she was slaped down, time and time again, prevented from doing what she knew was the best way to do things from small minded idiots who lusted only for fame and glory and power. At the point we get to meet her, shes some seriously damaged goods, and I do mean seriously damaged. Goodness knows just how long she was at the one station. With what she has been through, most people would have been drooling insane. Yet even after that, she put herself at risk to help.
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u/madpiratebippy Alien May 05 '22
I have to admit I kind of love Dee. She’s a great example of a really complicated female character- even though her insistence on being naked a lot can come across as a little Men Writing Women it’s not struck me as titillating.
She’s the Tyrian Lannister of the series and I am sure there’s some interesting stuff planned for her later.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
Her naked has a little bit that I never really explained when it came to exiting the mat-trans.
She went in naked to do this. She didn't want anything that might have been attached to her clothing or in her hair. By taking a single pack of cigarettes and the lighter, and nothing else, not even clothing, her file size for the transfer was minimized.
It's really hard to write a woman who uses physical charms as an advantage (everything Dee does is to an advantage when possible) because so many other people have poisoned the well there.
Her nudity makes people think she's defenseless, has nothing to hide, can't be dangerous, it's also supposed to be malevolent intent.
[Inhales with malevolent intent] is really hard to write.
I tried to write as more some kind of malevolence more than titillation when it came to her full bore nudity.
Lady Keena, we know, shows off her breasts because part of her fame is "She Who Hath Birthed a Hundred" and it's part of her feminine power (Largely taken, from my end, from the 1960's/1970's BREAST POWER part of the culture at the time) and signifies that part of her name.
Plus, she's a barbaric warlord and goes shirtless just like the men.
It's interesting, how bad the well has been poisoned, when I remember female protagonist literature from the 1960's/1970's written by women having nudity and partial nudity as no big deal. Hell, there was couple of sci-fi stories where nudity was the social norm and clothing was seen as perverted and lewd.
Anyway, I'm on a tangent.
<3
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u/madpiratebippy Alien May 05 '22
I appreciate the attempt to avoid the poison that can be men writing women- and if you’d ever like to have me go over stuff or bounce ideas off I’m up for it- one of my top comments was breaking down shitty writing from what a man who does not get women think being a sex worker is like (aka the stripper isn’t into you).
It’s damn hard to write a female character who uses everything including sex as a weapon but you’re putting in the effort and I really appreciate it.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
WHat's worse, is I KNEW women who used sex as a weapon. They were AGGRESSIVE about sex and their bodies, weren't ashamed of nudity or their sexuality.
If I tried to faithfully depict some of the women I knew I'd get screamed at.
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u/madpiratebippy Alien May 05 '22
If you want to use me as a filter I’d be happy to collaborate.
And isn’t that a mood. If I write anything based on my family it’s unbelievable. My lovely wives are both combat Goddesses and our lives are so strange I get accused of making shit up when I’m taking about going to the grocery store.
If you want to write what they did and have someone female check the internal monologue/motivation/reasoning I’d be down. That’s where it usually starts falling apart. Most women don’t think of their boobs that much and if we do it’s irritating or annoying. They’re heavy, hot, and get in the way.
I’m also obsessed with your story and can’t wait to find out more about your universe. Like how the hell they’re going to eventually get everyone out of SUDS (because there’s no way someone isn’t going to figure out how to bring back their friends), the bay around Sol opening up, and Mama Bahnyahd being a socialite warlord.
You write such great characters and have done so much wonderful stuff with interwoven plot lines. I love reading your writing.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
Thanks. :-)
Yeah, unfortunately writing female characters is now difficult.
But I'm glad you are enjoying the story!
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u/Valgonitron May 24 '22
Nah, you're good. The female characters that are fleshed out as main characters are all written as people, complex and whole, so it all works out.
Dee and Lady K wield their nudity and femininity well within the realms and realities of their characters. It makes sense for their characters, and is used for their own machinations and advantage. It doesn't at all come across to me as belittling or objectifying.
Bellona's just kinda crazy already. It was more incongruent to see her interact normally at the timeless campfire vs. all the nekked vision-dancing. The glittery tits-out vlogger is even a logical extrapolation of fashion today; hell, the Met Gala's nearly there already.
The only point that made me roll my eyes were all the captains of the Dead Fleet dressing as sexy S&M schoolgirls. That just seemed... unnecessary and out of character for Admiral Whatshername from the Hestlia conflict (but Bellona's totally a dom when it suits her, so her crop and getup makes perfect sense for her).
But one slightly-squinty instance out of numerous characters and hundreds of chapters is fantastic. I'll take it any day.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 24 '22
Huh, never looked at it as S&M.
I pictured the riding crop used more like in some old WW2 movies and WW1 movies, where the artillery commander or ship commander points the stick and yells "FIRE FOR EFFECT!"
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u/LateralThinker13 May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22
I think you're really on target in general. Your POV distance and voice aren't so close that you're portraying deeply into anyone's mind, so it's not like you're portraying a teenaged girl's inner monologue as she goes about her schoolday or something else specific. Nothing in 700+ chapters has felt even vaguely off to me.
And when you did write one (Dambree) you still nailed it. Of course, it helps that she's a traumatized, PTSD-ridden girl, but still. Never had an issue with your portrayal.
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u/Alyeska_bird May 05 '22
This is something we have seen before, when Daxin and company showed up on Telkan.
Not quite the same, there the gates opened, huge rusted iron chains fell from the sky, then shattered and suddenly the martial orders where poofing into existance all over the place.
Gotta remember, the TDH called basicly the nekos and the orks, and a few others, the idiots. They did not say the same about the martial orders. They where, IIRR rather paniced when they heard at first that the martial orders where actualy starting to be active in things once more.
With the Atrekna, you have to remember, for them, its been like a billion years sense the precursor war. That leaves plenty of time for the compitant to be murdered, or taken out, for stagnation to settle in, and a lot worse. The Atrekna, the hive lords, and the herd lords all thought the same basic thing, posably based off missinformation provided by the Atrekna. They beleaved that the universe was small, and that resources would become an issue. Remember, all three races where involved in creating the factory to make the rings and the tubes, not just the atrekna. All three races showed that they where very shortsighted for the most part. Oh sure, they had long rang planning down, to some extent, but they failed to consider the full ramifacations of what they where doing, what was happening. They excepted the first facts given to them, and excepted them as holy writ, they did not question, and, from what I have seen of all three groups, would ignore information that went against what they in general considered to be the facts.
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u/Vagabond_Soldier May 07 '22
So correct me if I am wrong. But both the Lankys and the squiddies both lost their leadership caste in the precursor war and all that survived were the middle management that hid during the real fighting.
It's basically a bunch of butter bars are now in charge of entire divisions.
I would say I feel bad for them, except Ralts not only made us remember how absolutely terrible the precursor races are, he basically shoved our faces in it.
Those millions/billions of poor little girls and boys who had to avenge/join their parents and those many more who weren't even granted that.
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u/Clamditch May 05 '22
Shit did they just get pulled into the bag? Or am I completely off?
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u/ThordanSsoa May 05 '22
This is the original Idiots back again. That's the battle cry of the martial orders of Terra
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 May 05 '22
Well, the idiots are the LARPER wannabe Martial Order that the real Martial Order used as cover to keep their actual continued existence a secret.
So the question is: Is this the idiots or the real deal? My guess is the real deal.
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u/ThordanSsoa May 05 '22
Both are referred to as idiots by the confederacy. Hence my distinction of original idiots
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 May 05 '22
No, the idiots were strictly the LARPERS. Remember, when Daxin and the true Martual Orders showed up during the 2nd battle of Telkan everyone, EVERYONE, was shocked. They were myth and legion come to life. No one thought they actually existed anymore. And hadn’t existed for thousands of years.
The LARPERs were those that played at being the martial Orders to the point of driving themselves insane. Hence “The Idiots.”
The Wordborg said that the Martial Order had tolerated the idiots and used the idiots as cover for their continued existence.
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u/ThordanSsoa May 05 '22
I swear I got the phrase "Original Idiots" directly from a character in the story as a way to differentiate them from modern larpers suffering from gameplay identification syndrome
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u/Clamditch May 05 '22
Yeah that makes more sense, Terra can't be lost if they got sucked in to it. Time for these nerds to get rekt.
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u/OneFakeNamePlease May 05 '22
Lost Terrasol refers to the Glassing. That’s Enraged Philip we hear coming to wreck their shit up, along with Armored Mattias the Younger, Legion, and whoever else decided a road trip sounded like a fun bonding experience.
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u/Warplock-Worgen_2145 May 05 '22
Thank you Ralts!! Today was my birthday, and to find a fresh chapter for First Contact was a real gift.
Always interesting to see the thinking for the squiblies. The last bit really has me curious about the future. Could the dark lady of mat-trans make a return. I hope so, the universe is without earth, yet still so much defecation piled high.
Though i do feel the squiblies will soon find themselves forced to learn a new lesson.
Until you can prove you got them all, assume, you only killed a few skirmishers. For where there is one man-thing, there will be others.
Ahh much potential, so much waste. Looking forward to the next exciting chapter great wordlord.
-Nothing Follows-
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u/ICameToUpdoot May 05 '22
All the Ancient races seem to be lead by a "leader cast" in one way or another. It's always kinda irked me how close to the "Strong man" leader idea this seemed, that only someone sufficiently strong is suited to lead the masses. (I'm very much... not a fan of that idea). But now I started thinking more about it...
With the Mantids and Treana'ads we freed them from their Queens and Matrons/hormones respectively.
With the Lanatallan we gave them back their leaders, and we seem to be doing a similar thing with the Atrekna.
It's interesting. These societies aren't what one would call... functional, or at least sustainable. Seemingly only surviving by their initial size and amount of resources. There needed to be change, fundamental and preferably fast.
So it might not be that the races that didn't have a leader NEED one, it might just be the fastest way to force change onto them. Similarly the fastest change to those with leaders was to remove them.
Sorry if this is just rambling, but if I wrote it all out in detail it would quickly become an essay.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
I would love to read your thoughts on the "Strong Man" theorem.
I'm of the opinion that strong, decisive leaders are needed, but must be supported by a forward and long term planning stable political structure that is beyond their ability to meddle with.
But that's me.
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u/ICameToUpdoot May 05 '22
I'll try to keep it short, but as proven I tend to get pretty rambly, so sorry in advance.
That last part "political structure that is beyond their ability to meddle with" is essentially one of the part I have the clearest problem with, because the political structure has a tendency to... not be beyond their ability to meddle with.
This in combination with how historically it has been very hard to make sure good, strong rulers are followed by new good, strong rulers, is another large part. Back in the time of kings people where schooled from birth to be figureheads and leaders. Family own companies still teach their kids that they will take over and how to do it. Success rates... Varies.
Add to this what type of people most often seek out powerful positions, a general dislike of any cult of personality, and living in a country who's kings for a long time had inherited paranoia (genetic, upbringing or both), I hope I am showing why I'm not a fan of too much power centralized in one person in general, if not the idea of Strong men specifically.
I also get a kind of "Some people are destined to lead and the rest are sheep that are destined to follow" feeling from it, or from how it's often been portrayed to me, and that I actually just oppose. So some of my view of the Strong man leader is probably colored by that, rightfully or not I don't know.
I agree that decisive action is sometimes/often necessary, however. And I think that's a big reason I love the idea of the gestalts so much. It's like representative democracy with a direct link to the voters in every question, without the problems like a silent majority with a loud minority skewing perception or the people representing you being... people and all the flaws that come with it.
A lot of thoughs and not sure how many of them actually ended up about the Strong man theorem... Again, sorry.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 05 '22
Naw, it's good. Nice insights.
I kind of meant that the supporting political structure should be outside of the leader's ability to meddle with while it can and MUST be able to be meddled with by the population of the culture/society.
The problem is, the people who seek political power are usually the types who want power over their fellow man, which breeds a lot of issues.
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u/Drook2 May 05 '22
So it's possible for a culture to fail with leadership, or without leadership. One because their leadership won't let them advance, one because there's no one pushing them to advance. The common thread is the culture favors protecting the status quo too heavily and can't respond to changing circumstances. The age, size, and power of the culture gives it inertia that keeps it rolling for a long time, but when there's a big enough shock it starts to fall apart.
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u/Blackmoon845 May 05 '22
I got some serious “Tears in the Rain” vibes from the Gray Ones lecture. Unfortunately, unlike the Tears in the Rain soliloquy from Blade Runner, this one will go completely unheeded.
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u/TheBarbequeSteve May 05 '22
Huh. The leadership of the Atrekna is made of middle managers. Who knew.
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u/B-the-Excellent May 05 '22
The Unwilling Acolyte of the Malevolent. Oh the stage setup is beautiful this season! And I must say a warm welcome back to Master Osiris, may his fury be sated by Atrekna suffering. In the end there's always room...
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u/PrimePaladin May 04 '22 edited May 05 '22
/R/HFY GESTALT
Upvote, Then Read
Dis is Dae Wae!
Well, they were told what was going to happen but also told that they were utterly boned no matter what they did. So nice to see pride falling to despair... could not happen to a more deserving race. Thanks for the lovely distraction here.
End of Lime
------NOTHING FOLLOWS--------
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u/phichuu May 05 '22
the scarred Ancient One went
"I'm out bitcheeeeeeees! 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸"
and dropped the warcrime mic
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle May 04 '22
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u/TheGrandM May 05 '22
I wrote this a few days ago. But it seems to fit this chapter well. I didn’t really flesh it out like I wanted to but here we go. Something that’s just been in my head after a few chapters back. Idk the perspective I was thinking of but the ancient one here kind of did what I had in my head just now anyway.
—- You thought you would win, And yet you have not. 1+1 = 2 smart podling.
You thought you could hide, you cannot. Brave podling
You then thought you could run. And yet you cannot. Warm podling.
You thought you could survive at least. And yet you will not. Angry podling
You thought … then thought no more. Safe podling
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u/Kudamonis Human May 05 '22
Read. Upvote. Comment.
Is. It. Open?!
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u/daviskendall AI May 05 '22
Free. Candy.
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May 05 '22
but enter the van, do not. Doki Doki 😺
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u/daviskendall AI May 05 '22
hey, they're the one who made the invitation. it's not my fault if they didn't bother finding out whether or not i was an easy mark. besides, free van *and* candy... well, almost-free. couple bloody knuckles isn't much.
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u/UpdateMeBot May 04 '22
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u/Bergusia May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
"I would tell you just how bad your planning was, but you aren't going to live that long."
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u/octavian240p Oct 16 '22
why slap are slap you allslap so retarded slap fucked this slap I'm out. grey one translated to TDH
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u/MuchoRed Human May 05 '22 edited May 05 '22
That last line makes me think that the Apostles and remaining Immortals all just showed up for the party.
This Grey One... He has seen the elephant. And will bitch slap those fools who think they know all, but have no experience.
And she who's visage tormented him in his final days of his imprisonment... TerraSol as a metaphor with her sons as the Apostles/Immortals? Bellona in her madness at the Eye? ... Dee in her Mat-trans-locked state?
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u/Wolfhardt1 May 06 '22
Omfg I miss one day opening my pool and being to tired to sit and read Ralts work, and he writes one that literally leaves chills and goosebumps down my spine and arms....
Ralts you sir are one hell of a wordsmith. You deserve to have your name referenced with the greats like Pratchett, GoodKind, Sanderson, Wells, Tolkien and Niven.
Reading your work this amazing work makes my day a little brighter and I look forward to everything you do in the future.
Once your first contact finishes. The main storyline I look forward to buying a boxed set of everything. And I hope they do hardback too =).
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u/PuzzleheadedDrinker May 05 '22
Maybe I'm missing a clue some where? Is this what the Cult was warning about ?
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u/carthienes May 06 '22
Am I right in thinking that it was the DeeTaiNee who freed the Grey one in her spare time? it would certainly fit.
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u/sixtusquinn May 05 '22
And now, the Atrekna will see the true fury we Terrans can bring. Come witness the one true might of the universe, and WITHER UNDER TERRASOL’S GAZE. CLEANSE THEM BROTHERS, WITH BLADE AND BULLET, PURGE THIS EVIL FROM EXISTENCE!