#and that fighting against homeworld was and is possible

[weedle-testaburger]

i just rewatched your mother and mine for i think the first time since it orignally aired and it's fascinating how garnet's story of rose is actually way truer to her own experience than rose/pink's, and yet the details and point are accurate even though the overall story isn't

[tarre-was-right]

ROUND ONE: MATCH-UP FOUR

Remember, this is NOT about who would win in a fight. This is about who makes the best leader for Mandalore as a whole.

Explanation post

Seeding

Propaganda below the cut! You can submit more on this post and I will reblog it back to here!

BOBA FETT

Anon: Boba The Builder, can he do it? Boba The Builder, yes he can!

@spacetime1969: He grew up in the political game that is the criminal underworld and managed to out manuver all the other groups on Tatooine to take control of the planet. That's not something you can pull off without political and tactical skill.

Anon: Boba Fett Propaganda: - Boba Fett was explicitly raised by his father, past Mand'alor Jango Fett, to be the legacy of his own adopted buir, Mand'alor Jaster Mereel; while this training did seem to focus more on the bounty hunting and mercenary aspects of their work, it presumably included many lessons about working with people and negotiating, both of which would come in very handy - Boba is commonly held to be a classic example of a child who grew up in a cultural diaspora, feeling largely disconnected from his Mandalorian roots; given the climate on Mandalore after the Galactic Empire glassed it during the Rebellion Era, his experience is likely representative of many of the surviving Mandalorians, who likely also grew up away from their traditional homeworlds in the sector, possibly even in hiding as in the case of Din Djarin's Covert - speaking of Din Djarin, the strong respect between him and Fett would likely put Fett in good standing with those traditionalists, who would similarly respect Fett's connection to their people as the son of a Foundling, even if he wasn't raised the same way as them - in Legends, Fett's connection with Goran Beviin and his family really brought him more fully back into Mandalorian culture, and in a way that makes a good story to sell to reporters (and readers, breaking the fourth wall a bit there, lol) - finally, Boba DID become Mand'alor in Legends continuity, and one that seemingly enjoyed popular support!

Anon: You know what? Boba Fett was given a bad hand in life. He’s done some bad things. But you know what he’s shown? Drive. Commitment. Determination. Resilience. Willpower. And a shocking refusal to die when he’s gone up against bitches badder than himself. Thats more than some Mandalorian leaders can say for themselves. He keeps going. And it’d be funny. Here IS how Jaster can still win. - Also I think that he would be pretty chill. Cody prolly couldnt be. We’ve seen him rule a city, maybe questionably.. but he was hot doing it. Fennec would probably help him and she’s hot too. Din would prolly be good with it. Cody’s last experience ruling was being involved in the empire and witnessing a horrible execution after negotiating a surrender. He prolly wants nothing to do with it now. And good for him! Let!! Cody!!! Retire!!! This isn’t a popularity contest.

Anon: Boba Fett Propaganda: Boba Fett literally was the Mand’alor in legends, and he did a pretty fine job

COMMANDER CODY

Anon: Propaganda for Commander Cody: - Cody was a student of Alpha-17, who in turn had been personally trained by former Mand'alor Jango Fett, giving him a strong training lineage claim to the title - Cody's service as Marshall Commander in the GAR gave him a lot of the diplomatic, organizational, and military experience needed to govern a planet like Mandalore

@spacetime1969: This man has led more people at once than anyone on this list.

Anon: Cody should be Mand'alor because it would be unspeakably sexy

@cha0s-cat: Cody has experience with negotiating from accompanying Obi-Wan, he leads a massive amount of his brothers already. Can recognize when there is a need for negotiations vs a need for violence. This would balance out the majority of the two factions (pacifists/traditionalists) excluding the extremists on either end. And with the amount of chaos that he has to deal with when it comes to Obi-Wan and Anakin, this would probably be relaxing.

@skykind: - Has resisted facism and its attendant police/military state at great personal risk (Bad Batch 2.3), which is apparently necessary to successfully govern Mandalore so long as Death Watch is fully armed and also backed by someone more cunning than their usual leadership (Clone Wars 5.15). - Possesses exceptional leadership and organizational ability from his time as one of the highest-ranked Clone officers of the GAR. The Clone Wars and Bad Batch narratives furthermore present him as Obi-Wan’s peer, so he should be interpreted as equally skilled, wise, kind, and unhinged-in-battle as Obi-Wan. Jury’s out on the sarcasm. - Turns to diplomacy before fighting (Bad Batch 2.3). - Has caught a Jedi’s lightsaber mid-battle at least two times (Clone Wars 1.20 and Revenge of the Sith). This is a very useful skill to have as the prospective or current leader of people who keep chucking the darksaber about. - Has returned a lightsaber to a Jedi at least two times. This is a crucial skill to have as the prospective or current leader of people who should stop selecting said leader via darksaber acquisition.

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: The Folly of Gel’vana

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

The Terminus class warship “Gel’vana”, named after her captain of the same name, was the largest warship the Mogabi had ever constructed.

Outfitted with the latest technology, coupled with enough armaments to equal any single fleet, the ship was unlike anything the galaxy had seen set to sail amongst the void sea. The batteries of void cannons alone were capable of cracking tectonic plates like gingerbread.  

It didn’t take long for the intentions of such a ship to be made obvious as no sooner had it been launched from the orbital dockyards above the Mogabi homeworld did they declare war upon their galactic neighbor the Techno Autocracy.

The sentient machines held control over numerous mineral rich worlds that the Mogabi long since craved and so they dispatched the Gel’vana to drive the Autocracy out. Swarms of drones and carries were dispatched outnumbering the lone warship a ten thousand to one, yet the Gel’vana carved through them like a hot knife through butter. None of their weapons could pierce the warships shields as it unleashed devastating barrages against the mechanical adversaries.

By the conclusion of the Battle of Raxsus III the Autocracy had been crippled militarily and ceded control of the planets in question.

Emboldened by their victory, three months later the Mogabi declared war on their northern neighbors of the Tumani and Yulnucks. The pair had been locked in an ongoing border dispute for three years and the resulting conflicts had caused waves of disruption within the Mogabi trade network.

The pair was swiftly conquered by the Mogabi fleet with the Gel’vana leading the effort. Both fleets were swatted aside and their homeworlds conquered and instated as new vassal clients of the growing Mogabi empire.

This sad display of power played out again and again for the next ten years until to Mogabi controlled some twenty star systems, fifty worlds, and a dozen different client species serving their needs with resources and manpower. Their hubris was matched only by the fear they instilled when their enemies learned the Mogabi had dispatched the Gel’vana to their system. It was a sentiment that Mogabi felt with their soon to be latest acquisition.

A small empire of planets controlled by a species called “Humans”.

In short order the Gel’vana arrived in the human sol system and expected a fight. To their surprise they were met by a lone warship and a message of surrender.

To say the Mogabi were surprised would be an understatement. They had heard of the prowess of the human war machine and their spirit for conquest. Even with their previous victories the Mogabi were expecting a protracted war that could last decades and cost thousands if not millions of lives.

Human diplomats contacted the Gel’vana and expressed that they had no wish to see their people devastated by a long war. They were willing to negotiate with the Mogabi and give them favorable terms, even the possibility of limited subjugation, conditional on two terms.

1st: No human world would be subject to excessive occupation.

2nd: The human diplomats wished to sign the agreements onboard the Gel’vana as a sign of respect to both of powers.

The first the Mogabi could understand, but the second confused them.

Humans explained that while they were surrendering they still had a measure of pride to take into account. By signing the treaties onboard the Gel’vana they would show that it took the universes mightiest warship to bring them to heel.

Even with the explanation some of the Mogabi were still skeptical, but so drunk on their own supposed power the command staff ignored their suspicions and agreed to the terms.

Slowly the human ship approached the Gel’vana; the shadow of the Mogabi warship swallowing up the entire vessel like the maw of a great sea beast of old. A long lone docking tube extended outwards and latched on to the human ship and pulled it close as the Mogabi delegation gathered at the entry point ready in full military uniform.

As the tube finally stopped moving and the lights turned green, the entry door began sliding open slowly. When it finally slid fully open the Mogabi had just moment to register the tip of the Nova Warhead pointing right at them.

Before any of them could react the ignition triggered and the missile flew the length of the docking tube into the waiting Mogabi delegation, splattering several before colliding into the wall and detonating in a violent explosion.

While it was true that the Gel’vana was nearly impervious to exterior attacks, it was not designed to handle internal explosions. The detonation of the Nova warhead set off a series of secondary explosions in nearby ammo storage chambers which further added to the detonations until finally reaching the main reactor and setting off a critical overload.

In a single moment the deadliest warship the solar seas had ever seen was reduced to a momentary star of light and wreckage before being swallowed into the gravity well of Jupiter.

So assured in their own supremacy, the Mogabi failed to conduct even the most basic of scans of the human ship. Had they done so they would have seen that there was not a single soul on board, and quickly realized the ship was being remotely operated via a series of spy satellites floating throughout the Sol system. The destruction of the Gel’vana was recorded by one such satellite and then broadcast throughout the Mogabi Empire.

 Uprisings erupted throughout the entirety of their domain as their freshly conquered territories were all too eager to overthrow their oppressors; many of these rebellions aided by fresh contingents of human warships flooding in and engaging the scattered Mogabi forces.

Within six months the Mogabi Empire was no more and the human forces retreated back to their own domain. Many had expected the humans to become the new overlords, and it was a sentiment toyed with by some notable human leaders in flights of fancy; but that is all they were, flights of fancy. Their only interest had been in the complete and utter destruction of the Mogabi.

In their arrogance of sending a single warship to conquer humanity the Mogabi had done more harm to their cause then they could have ever imagined. They had wounded human pride at the insinuation that they were so frail and weak that they would cower beneath the gaze of one ship.

With their revenge carried out they were all too happy to leave the former vassals finish off what remained of the Mogabi; a vengeance they were all too happy to watch play out from afar.

[narklos]

Half-Lore #1: Xen, The Nihilanth, and Race X

As promised, here's the first instalment in my deep dives into HL's worldbuilding! You all voted for this topic to go first- I'll work my way down from the list I made, but if there's anything you'd like to hear about, let me know. So, without further ado... have a gander at the wall of text under the cut. All images have descriptions!

Xen

Xen is what's known as a 'border world', a planet right on the edge of our understanding of space, and the primary subject of a lot of Black Mesa's research. The planet is also used as a teleport 'slingshot', according to Mossman in HL2, as its latent energy acts as a launching pad for whatever's being teleported.

Crystals from Xen (the orange-yellow rocks found all around the planet) were able to facilitate early teleportation research, the likes of which made Black Mesa a hell of a lot of money. A sample of these Xen crystals was delivered by the G-Man to Black Mesa, at the behest of Administrator Breen. This was tested by Dr Gina Cross and found to be the purest sample they'd seen yet, and they were sent to the anti-mass spectrometer for testing immediately. At this point, the crystal was swapped out for a corrupted sample by the G-Man, therefore kicking off the Resonance Cascade.

Xen is a hostile planet, home to quite a few dangerous creatures. However, it should be noted that nothing is native to Xen. Everything you encounter on Xen wasn't born there, but instead fled there. This is because they were escaping persecution on their respective homeworlds by the Combine. It's unknown whether this was the result of the Nihilanth teleporting them to the planet to act as its invading force, or mere coincidence that so many ended up there. Speaking of which...

The Nihilanth - In-Game Lore

The Nihilanth is the last of its species, having fled the Combine's invasion of its home, and possible enslavement of its race. The Nihilanth was also implied to be a former slave itself. It oversees a vast slave colony of vortigaunts, who toil away in its factory. It's unknown what this factory was actually producing- in typical chunky 1998 fashion, a lot of it is just boxes with pretty textures. This is why the Vortigaunts all wear a green collar and chains in HL1.

When Gordon inserted the corrupted Xen crystal into the anti-mass spectrometer, the resonance cascade allowed the Nihilanth to finally breach through to Earth and directly teleport its alien forces in. Again, it's not known whether the Nihilanth intended to take over Earth, or simply find another place to hide from the Combine, and was willing to do whatever necessary to secure it.

The Nihilanth was also not particularly fond of human scientists taking things from Xen for research purposes. In a level transition in HL:D, it'll say "Thieves, you are all thieves..."

When the Nihilanth was killed, the Combine took notice of Xen- and by extension, Earth. The resonance cascade had already shattered Earth's natural defenses to teleporting aliens, and so the Combine quickly swooped in to conquer Earth. That's the 7-Hour War, but we won't get into that here. The death of such a psychically powerful creature sent shockwaves throughout Xen. The vortigaunts were freed from its influence, however, leading to their tense alliance with the humans.

Curiously enough, it appears that the Nihilanth was actually aware of the G-Man, and his influence over Gordon. During level transitions, The Nihilanth makes repeated references to the G-Man deceiving Gordon, and that he "is not man." It's the first reference we have to G-Man explicitly being non-human, and also led to a lot of fan theories that the G-Man was actually part of the Nihilanth's race (though this is unlikely, as the Nihilanth is clearly referred to as 'the last).

The Nihilanth - An Interpretation

The Nihilanth is the most blunt piece of symbolism we get in Half-Life's story. The entire first game is an analogy for fighting against nihilism in an uncaring world that will constantly seek to break you down. Gordon is battling against forces completely outside of his control, trying to fix a mistake he didn't realise he was making, which was orchestrated by a man who's been manipulating him from the very beginning. It's a pretty grim tale. Gordon's reward for defeating his own nihilism is to be forced into another situation outside of his control- he quite literally does not have a say in it. He either takes a new deal, or is killed.

Gordon's defeat of his nihilism became a source of hope for the rebels 20 years on- despite being a single scientist in Black Mesa, facing impossible odds, he lived. That's why it's such a big deal when he comes back, and why the lambda symbol became synonymous with the rebels. Gordon is hope, the light in the darkness for so many nihilists who didn't believe they could do anything to fight back against the Combine. Gordon is a character to be projected on- this was explicit in the game's design. He doesn't have a personality, a voice- anything. He's the human spirit, and whenever you play through Half-Life, you're going on your own journey to defeat your inner nihilist. How cool is that?

What the hell is Race X?

Race X is a funny one. This is one of those "It'll be a cool idea, guys!" moments that never comes up again. In fact, it's pretty much agreed that Race X has been retconned entirely. Sorry, Pit Worm lovers.

They were essentially a group of aliens from beyond Xen, first featured in Opposing Force. Race X itself was entirely created by Gearbox (the studio behind Opposing Force and Blue Shift), rather than Valve. Even Marc Laidlaw said that he doesn't consider them canon. Yowch.

It's implied that Race X is more powerful than regular Xen creatures, as they actually have access to advanced weaponry and teleportation tech. They were discovered by chance, when a group of Black Mesa scientists accidentally teleported into their realm. Where this realm is located is pretty nebulous, if you'll pardon the pun. It's just... somewhere beyond Xen.

Their leader is the Gene Worm, whom they were clearing space for when they first teleported to Earth. The Gene Worm required a pretty sizeable portal to get to Earth- hence needing to clear space by force. Obviously, this doesn't happen. Adrian Shepard massacred them so thoroughly that they aren't even canon anymore.

That's all for this instalment! If you got this far, thank you for reading! Here's a video of Gabe Newell pretending to be Ringo Starr as a prize.

[ahamkara-apologist]

Eramis things I want during Revenant (that I don't have much hope we'll get but a man can dream):

-Eramis was in the process of getting out of the solar system when the whole Echo thing happened, and Fikrul tried to draw her in with the promise of rebuilding Riis. She's intruigued enough by this and sympathetic enough to the Scorn to hear him out, but doesn't jive with his dream of scornifying the whole Eliksni race. She then vies for the Echo herself, only warning Eido of the threat, and Eido comes to us

-The Vanguard + Misraaks and Variks is initially against Eramis until Eido makes it clear that she wants the Echo for Riis and to gtfo of the system, at which point Ikora and Osiris go on Eramis diplomacy duty, offering to help in exchange for her and the remains of House Salvation to leave for Riis afterwards. Eramis does not trust us one fucking bit, but since she doesn't have much firepower and she recognizes it gets us out of each other's hair/setae, she begrudgingly agrees

-Cue reluctant alliance! Everyone but Eido fucking hates it. Eramis is soft only to Eido and no-one else, but its clear that the fight has gone out of her and that she's just listlessly going through the motions bc the fate of the Eliksni + the possibility of seeing her wife and kids again is the only thing keeping her going. Mara, Osiris, Zavala, and Ikora keep trying to talk to her about their loss in faith with the Light/dealing with grief, but it only works when Eido is there

-Misraaks gets worse. Eramis begrudgingly begins fucking around with the Darkness of Nezarec/giving us info on how the Witness's darkness worked in her time as its slave, bc while she doesn't think Misraaks has any hope, she sees the future of the Eliksni in Eido and doesn't want to jeopordize that. It's awkward as hell and she keeps making snide comments about his mother

-She also either ignores the Young Wolf or treats us like her least favorite stepchild, bc while her hate for us isn't personal, her grief over the people we killed are. The YW does nothing to improve this

-As the story progresses she starts talking more and more about Athrys and her children and talking about what she did and how she has no hope for the future, but Eido does, and while Eido doesn't like her speaking like that, it makes a very clear contrast between Maya and Eramis, one that Ikora remarks on (I want more Ikora...pls bungie)

-At some point, Eido wants to fight. Misraaks protests. So does Saint. Eramis retorts that she's the same age Misraaks was when Inaaks made him go raiding, Misraaks shouts something about wanting her to have a better life than what he had, and Eramis snarky says that's nice but entirely impractical. Eido gets a sword. She's thrilled about it

-Eramis finds Athrys (or the remains of Athrys). Its extremely emotional and lots of ugly crying and angst is involved, but it works out in the end, unlike with Maya and Chioma. This is bc Eramis realizes what she did was wrong, which is the first step of learning to be better, and even though she doesnt think she deserves anything more, Athrys is determined to shake her back to form

-Athrys also is warily fascinated by humans and keeps scolding Eramis about going to war with us, doubly so for losing. Eramis refuses to comment on this.

-With the work of the Echo, Riis is made habitable again, and she leaves to rebuild, but not without inviting Eido to come visit if she ever wishes to see their homeworld (giving us the possibility of also seeing Riis??)

-ik its unlikely but even a single crumb of serious taniks content would satiate me. Bungie please i'm absolutely obsessed with the singular pov piece we do get from him

[iamblue15]

Mystery Gems: Backgrounds

They all started out as off-colors. Either discontinued, rejected, or rebel gems who defied the Gem Empire.

Dipper and Mabel were rejected for being too small and weak compared to other authoritarian agates (With Mabel deemed as too "senseless and absurd"). They managed to escape from being scraped (broken then harvested) and traveled to Earth by working together and over time grew as siblings, having the freedom to be themselves do what they want to do (and act how they want to act in Mabel's case).

Raz was part of an elite squad of gem soldiers who were the most qualified to fight opposing threats to the empire because of his vast physical and special abilities. He used to be quite sheltered and had such great admiration for the empire's power and influence across the galaxy until when he arrived on a few planets vibrant with life that he realized how much ruin and destruction they brought upon them and their creatures. This leads him to revolt against his superiors and regrettably his fellow soldiers like the Crystal Gems and eventually find a new squad (and family) to fight alongside with.

Lili is from a line of gems responsible for the clearing of wooded areas and dense forestation to make way for new temples and colonies. She was among the few hesitant Dragon's Bloods because she had qualms about using her power of flame to clear out brush the overall plant life. She would revolt if she could if she didn't have the looming threat of being shattered for doing so. This regret grew with each new planet to colonize. It wasn't until she came face to face with Raz who like her also doesn't wish to exterminate all life on the planet. This finally got Lili to stand up and go against her superiors. Now all she wants is to protect and nurture the the flora and vegetation of Earth and other planets with the gem that can make that reality possible.

A Sodalite's job was finding either water for Lapis Lazuli's to use for terraforming or minerals and resources for constructing temples or gem reproduction using their special dowsing ability. But Coraline wanted more than to be a walking and flying detector and explore her surroundings without being on an upper gem's watch. Unfortunately, with the rise of gem technology's progress in finding resources that surpassed that of Sodalites, they were deemed no longer necessary and were to be discontinued by shattering and harvesting. Coraline narrowly escaped and managed to catch a ride on a warp pad alongside another gem she recused from almost being discontinued. Now she's finally free to live her own life and has a whole team to explore the galaxy with.

Lodestones were also one of the discontinued gem lines along with sodalites. They were used to attract and collect various metals for the empire's "genius" machines and technology, only for said technology to attract and collect metals more efficiently. Just as Wybie was about to be finished, he was grabbed by a lone runaway sodalite. Thanks to her water wings and his magnetism, they barely managed to take warp pad light years away from the colony. He's stuck by the sodalite's side ever since then. Through the years they ventured out into the galaxy, exploring planets one by one. Though he's gained an interest in hunting for various insects and other small creatures, he still feels like these planets lack something, but he wasn't sure until they settled on Earth. This planet was a treasure trove of metals and discarded machines and it was then he finally found what he'd been searching for: Collecting human scrap to make his own inventions. There's just something about human machines, transportation, and devices that draws him to them, they're unique and different from gem technology and now he has the freedom to make his own.

Norman was from a canceled line of Era 2 prehnite gems that didn't meet Homeworld's expectations for innovative colonization. The golems he animates with his electricity didn't match up to gems more efficient in heavy physical labor, not to mention they just looked crude and ugly. To see their faces go from fascinated to disappointed really did a number on Norman's sense of purpose and he became anxious about the possibility of being scraped. A certain amber guard would secretly come into the testing lab to provide security (and company) for Norman. When his cancellation became official, the amber convinced him to make their escape and leave homeworld. They both luckily find a ship and sneak aboard using Norman's invisibility. Once he settled on Earth, he took a lost interest in human horror movies (especially classic zombie flicks).

Ambers take the position of security guards thanks to their malleable, hardening bodies. They also probably the most chummy kinds of gem due to their sociable nature. One amber, Neil takes an interest in one gem being evaluated for the next Era 2 production. He just couldn't leave him in that lab, lamenting his existence. His many visits eventually got the prehnite to warm up to him and even accept his help in escaping the lab to avoid being discarded. To this day Neil is still determined to always be by his side, believing he's special and "awesome" with his powers and himself as a gem.

[yanderes-galore]

How would the Xenomorph queen react when a rival hive has eyes for her human I can only imagine the acid bath (ha get it since they have acid for blo-)

I loosely based this on the Red vs Black Xenomorphs from the comics (I never read them, but I know the subspecies) . I hope you enjoy! Also, I know the pictures are "Queen Mothers", not regular queens, but the queens in this concept are regular queens.

Edit: Combined two requests as they were similar. Also, eeee! I wanted to write more for this but ran out of ideas :( Did you want these two as OCs at all btw? I hope you all liked this!

Yandere! Xenomorph Queen vs Xenomorph Queen

Pairing: Animal/Pet-Like - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome, Mass murder/violence, Obsession, Aliens/human, Possessive behavior, Scenting.

Xenomorph hives warring against eachother isn't really that new.

Xenomorph Prime, their homeworld, has hives fight eachother all the time.

This is usually due to resources or sudden violent mutations in castes.

The first incident of Red vs Black Xenomorphs and the genetically modified Xenomorph King are examples of Xenomorphs fighting other Xenomorphs.

So it's entirely possible for Xenomorph hives to fight.

You probably got stuck with one hive, a type of Xenomorph with shells so blue they're black.

The Queen adores you and your scent, covering you in hers to claim you.

The rivaling hive, a caste of dark crimson, probably find you through drones.

The hives are probably competing for hosts.

The moment some drones can lure you away, you're nabbed away from the other Queen's sight.

The two different xenomorph colors are sister species.

By the time you enter the crimson hive, the rivaling Queen probably is attached to you too.

Whatever made the bluish hive fall for you, the same goes for the crimson one.

The Queen and drones despise the rival smell covering yours.

Once you're placed in the hive, the crimson xenomorphs cover your smell and claim you as theirs.

Now, to answer the question of what a xenomorph Queen would do after having her human stolen...

Rage and war.

The hive is thrown into disarray as the Queen can't find your scent anymore.

With a disturbed hiss, the drones are set to high alert.

Soon, the drones from the original hive will catch your scent among the... crimson scent.

They report their findings, then war is waged.

Wanting to fight for her human back, the Queen detaches herself from her egg sac and follows her hive to the rivaling one.

You're caught in the middle of a hive war.

The crimson Queen was just getting used to you.

The large red alien rubs her head on your stomach, arms holding you still.

Whisker-like apendages brush against your skin, the rival Queen cooing while she plays with her new trophy.

Then, there's rumbling.

Screeching echoes through the hive, the crimson Queen ushering you deeper in the hive and snarling.

The two colored drones fight eachother, acid spraying along the walls.

The crimson Queen hisses loudly once the Queen you know enters the nesting room, acid spilling from light wounds.

The two queens grunt and hiss, standing off with plans of destruction.

The original Queen is not too happy about having her human stolen.

Not by any humans... even more so by another queen.

Meanwhile, the crimson Queen doesn't wish to give up her new pet.

Finders keepers....

You move a bit to the side to watch the two queens.

The original Queen looks to you, cooing softly before the crimson Queen lunges at her.

It's a battle of the ages, the two queens stumbling around with claws out.

Tails sway around the room as they pin each other to the hive around, eggs being crushed under their weight.

While they fight, you wonder if escape is possible.

The queens are distracted... the drones are too...

If you can make it out of this hive alive, you can flee!

Who cares who wins? Escape is around the corner.

Or maybe... you've fallen for one of them through stockholm syndrome?

It'll be best to leave...

But maybe you want to stay?

Who will win? It's a battle of the titans.... A flip of the coin could decide the outcome.

[sepublic]

Metroid and F-Zero GP

So un-ironically I'd really like the F-Zero GP anime to cross over with a Metroid show; Specifically, let’s make it canon and even a recurring element within the series.

Because it takes place in space, in the future, there's a Galactic Federation, Captain Falcon is a bounty hunter. And the way I'd incorporate it would be as seamless and natural as I could; Like these are just new characters, the same way Rundas or Sylux would be. The fact that they're F-Zero is not made loud and apparent, not that I'm ever against those types of crossovers... But it'd be a fun writing exercise to try merging these stories organically, even making crossover elements and individual episodes relevant to Samus' character arc.

So there's a couple of F-Zero elements that might show up here or there, a reference to the races. There's an episode where Samus has to face off against yet another bounty hunter, this one being expert marksman Pico, whose fighting style revolves around his perfect aim, and eludes her due to his distant nature as a sniper. Dark Million shows up and maybe it’s the criminal organization that disastrously hired Kanden for the Metroid. And eventually...

Well, I'd discussed the idea of Samus going to Earth, the Earthians' ancestral homeworld, after the events of the Fusion arc. It's her way of reconnecting with her Earthian side, with the ancestry of Rodney and Virginia, after focusing so much on Chozo affairs. In a way it's Samus re-exploring her identity after becoming part-Metroid, who she is as a person, all that stuff; And it sets her up to occasionally question her Chozo heritage, who they raised her to be, which transitions nicely into the Dread arc and the Mawkin representing the worst of the Chozo.

But before that, Samus is interested in tracing her Earthian genealogy and all that. Considering the kind of life and community she might've had if the Space Pirates never attacked K-2L. I'd love for Anthony Higgs to be present here, but his standing in the Federation would make it really awkward for him, so I'm not sure how it'd work out; I'm working on the idea of Samus getting pardoned thanks to Adam helping her leak the BSL corruption, which leads to public outcry defending Samus, as a callback to Fusion's ending monologue about people who understand. Even so, Samus is still on uneasy terms with the Federation, so I dunno if Anthony could make it.

We get an episode or two about Samus awkwardly trying to be Earthian and it not exactly working out? Is she just a tourist here? She has an existential conversation with Adam, who is also possibly struggling with the fact that he's no longer human, but a machine. So like Samus he's rediscovering himself too, and maybe Malkovich had a life and/or ancestry on Earth he left behind...

Eventually, this segues into the next storyline; Samus decides to visit Mute City, a popular site for tourists and immigrants alike. In F-Zero GP continuity (which differs from the games), Mute City is just a renamed New York City, meaning most of the action takes place on Earth. Samus crosses paths with Captain Falcon, a fellow bounty hunter like herself. She also witnesses the F-Zero races, questioning how they're even legal; This could tie into Samus questioning everything she's believed in regarding the Galactic Federation. Are these death races, performed for the entertainment of the upper classes, just further proof that Sylux was right???

This also gets me to another thing; I'm interested in Joey Apronika, from the Samus and Joey manga. I'd also like to adapt that, with various story arcs spread out across the Metroid show; It's not done all in one sitting, Joey is a recurring character. And being human, he could maybe show up alongside Samus, as she explores reconnecting with her 'human' side and understanding just what she's made up of now.

Joey wields the Field Knuckle, which is basically a tech gauntlet that allows him to generate protective barriers around his fist, himself and others, etc. This comes in handy for just punching enemies really, REALLY hard. And this reminds me of the Falcon Punch...

F-Zero GP follows its own take on the classic roster, with Captain Falcon's true identity being Andy Summer, not Douglas J. Falcon. However, it's also established that the title of Captain Falcon is a mantle, passed down from mentor to apprentice; Andy is not the first, so it's possible, if not implied, that his predecessor and/or the original Falcon was Douglas. The anime ends with Andy sacrificing his life to defeat Black Shadow, and the main character Ryu Suzaku becomes the new Captain Falcon.

Yeah, did I mention? F-Zero GP follows a similar premise to the Samus and Joey manga, in that we have a plucky young rookie, who is mentored by the mysterious face of the franchise. Interesting! The F-Zero GP even ends with a "To be continued...?" tagline.

Now, with Ryu as the new Captain Falcon, shouldn't he have his own successor considered, just as the show up until then was him and the previous Captain Falcon going on the occasional adventure together? Enter Clank Hughes, a young, tech-savvy boy who has a visor he can scan things with...

In the epilogue, Clank is a grown-up young man, and explicitly named as Ryu's successor; He will eventually become Captain Falcon. In the meantime, he learns from Suzaku, who fits quite nicely into his new outfit and identity.

Clank Hughes bears a decent resemblance to Joey Apronika... Joey fights similarly to Captain Falcon... Clank has his own scan visor, not unlike Samus Aran. Thus, I've considered two different options for how I want to approach the mantle of Captain Falcon in a Metroid show:

The first is to follow up directly where F-Zero GP ended, with Ryu as Captain Falcon, albeit more muscled and chiseled now. Him and Samus have some bonding moments and parallels; They both have young apprentices who look quite similar to one another! They both carry on where their friend(s) have died, and are quite lonely and out of their world;

See, Ryu Suzaku is not from this century; He's from the 21st century. This was back when Earth had yet to make contact with the Galactic Federation; He used to be a regular police officer and racer, but when he got into a car chase with escaped convict Zoda, Ryu was badly injured. It left him in a coma so severe, that doctors gave up and decided to put him into cryogenic sleep, and wait for the time when medical tech had advanced to heal him fully.

This would happen 150 years later; Ryu gets revived and makes a full recovery thanks to Doctor Stewart, and is a man out of his time. The only people from his time are his fiancee, who also went through the same treatment... And Zoda, who also got the same treatment.

Point is: There's a lot of people that Ryu left behind! And while this concept does make me consider a 'Frozen generation' of others who also waited things out cryogenically... It's still not a lot to work off of. So for Ryu, he's trying to reconnect with his lost past, and Samus is trying to explore one aspect of her ancestry. These are difficult things to bond over, as is them not being able to relate to a lot of people over their experiences.

Likewise, as Samus worries about destroying everything she touches (wait until she unlocks her Metroid DNA and that happens literally!), she's concerned about possibly hurting Joey, and Captain Falcon is someone who can listen and understand. He even calls back to when Clank was a young boy, just like Joey himself!

As for Clank himself, he knows he's got big shoes to fill in; He bonds with Joey over their mentors, although Clank has known his for much longer, and is tbh closer to him. Still, he gives Joey much-needed reassurance as an older brother figure. Captain Falcon helps Joey master his Field Knuckle, imparting the technique of the Falcon Punch; Its nature in Metroid might be technology, secret martial arts, a mix of magic and pseudo-medical science, IDK. Ghosts canonically exist in Metroid, as do telepaths.

Clank's scan visor compliments Samus' quite nicely, and the arc comes to a close with Clank, who has been considering how HIS successor will be, realizing Joey is a pretty good candidate! Joey's too young and Clank isn't Captain Falcon yet, but there's setup for his own future to look forward to... Captain Falcon, Clank, and a couple other F-Zero characters also return every now and then, depending on how long the show keeps going after the Dread arc's conclusion.

That's Plan A... For Plan B;

Clank Hughes is already Captain Falcon. Samus sees a fellow bounty hunter who also has a scan visor incorporated into his helmet. Cap helps Joey master his Field Knuckle in ways even his father, whom he inherited it from, didn't; Captain Falcon and Samus both bond over mentoring this young and impressionable kid, it makes Samus feel a lot less scared and lonely handling Joey. And Captain Falcon sees a lot of his younger self in Joey.

Eventually, Falcon elaborates on his backstory; His true name is Clank Hughes. He is not the first Captain Falcon, just another in a lineage. His predecessor was Ryu Suzaku, who gave his life to protect innocents... Cue a flashback to the first Metroid Crisis; Space Pirates have deployed some Metroids on the F-Zero Grand Prix, because they're petty like that.

Clank is present racing alongside Captain Falcon. It's a pretty tense scenario, civilians are being attacked by Metroids, some of the racers find their vehicles being drained by the vampires, which leads to crashes. The Blue Falcon gets attacked by Metroids and is damaged; Captain Falcon can't get the cockpit to open, he's trapped inside...

They're on a racetrack atypical of the usual ones; A ring contained within a stadium, built on the premise of high-speed circular racing. With the speed that racers go, they can heat up the track really fast. To make up for this, beneath the stadium is a giant cooling reactor to keep the racetrack from melting... How does Captain Falcon know of the Metroid weakness to cold? This could be after the first wave of attacks, when the Galactic Federation has already posted PSAs about this vulnerability.

Falcon messages Clank, explaining the emergency eject has been disabled; There's no getting himself out of this situation. But for everyone else...

In some really expert maneuvering, he drives the Blue Falcon into the Metroids, letting them cling onto his vehicle and start draining it. He even bumps into other racers, the speed and force tearing off the Metroids, who then choose the Blue Falcon instead. Hell maybe he even drives onto the abandoned seats to lure the Metroids away from the audience.

With all of the creatures latched onto his vehicle and its power draining fast, Falcon makes a final send-off message to Clank, declaring him the new Captain Falcon. The entire scene is in blatant, shot-for-shot homage to the previous Falcon's heroic sacrifice, down to an instrumental version of the song that plays; Captain Falcon activates the boosters, ramming through doors and into an underground track leading to the cooling reactor.

Captain Falcon rams the Blue Falcon into the center of the cooling reactor, freezing the outside, as well as the Metroids latched on. His helmet flies off, revealing an older Ryu Suzaku, who charges up a Falcon Punch that he rams right into his console; The force is so great it causes the Blue Falcon to explode, shattering the frozen Metroids. We get a final shot of Ryu smiling in his heroic sacrifice, just like Andy Summer, before disappearing in the explosion.

The detonation leads to a chain reaction within the cooling reactor; This causes all of the ice to funnel upwards and through the racetrack above, leading to some very pretty snowflakes falling around the stadium. Clank Hughes mourns Captain Falcon, and vows to fulfill his role, just as Cap did the previous one before him!

Cut back to the present; Earlier, Hughes had expressed admiration to Samus for ending the Metroid Crisis. You can see he really, REALLY means it. He imparts his own advice to Samus about keeping the hearts of your friends alive, and their sacrifices not in vain, and he knows what it's like to lose multiple father figures; Samus takes that into consideration (and it sets up Samus having to deal later with a 'father figure' she takes great shame in). Samus and Captain Falcon's friendship is furthered, since he basically takes joint custody with her over Joey, and realizes Joey has the shapings to become a Captain Falcon himself!

The training won't begin, not yet; But it's an invitation for Joey to consider. And it's something for Samus to look forward to; Joey doesn't have to follow in her lonely footsteps. But with Captain Falcon, he's got a lot of friends and confidence and charisma... Adam reminds Samus not to be so dismissive of herself though. Who knows?

(One of my main reasons for hesitation with Ryu being posthumous and Hughes having already taken his position, comes from me... Honestly not wanting to crush the hearts of fans who grew attached to Ryu, and really wanted to see him be Captain Falcon. Granted a badass heroic sacrifice helps to assuage that disappointment but still. And also yeah I kinda DO want to see Ryu as Falcon, myself!!!)

As a side note: There's also a storyline about Rockets, a racer from Samus and Joey, competing in the F-Zero. He's an antagonist, hoping to use the prize money to help fund his boss Greed's operations and all that. Jody Summer is also present, and things could get complicated given she's a member of the Galactic Federation, which has VERY tense feelings towards Samus because of the BSL incident; She probably leans towards sympathizer, but it's still awkward. And at some point Captain Falcon has to clarify she's the sister of a previous Falcon, so Jody's family to him too.

[breakfastteatime]

Today's fic is for the anon who requested 'I can explain!'

"Hey, Cal."

Greez's voice drags Cal out of his dozy musings. He shifts, stab wound grumbling. His breath catches and he presses a hand to his chest. He is really, really over this. "Greez? What is it?"

"Just checking in, seeing how you're feeling."

"I'm okay," Cal says, even though he's about to figure out the best way to get out of this bed and find another painkiller. His attempts to sleep it off have failed, and he knows he’ll get a lecture if he doesn’t ask for help when he needs it.

"Good, good.” Greez nods. “Yeah, that’s good to hear.”

“Are you okay?” Cal asks, because Greez is being weirder than usual.

“I’m fine. There's something I need to talk to you about."

It’s right then when Cal notices two of Greez’s arms are behind his back, holding something. He reaches out with the Force, senses…

Ohhhhh, shit.

"Actually, Greez, can it wait? I'm not feeling - "

Greez pulls out an egg. A big egg. An egg that can only have one source.

BD scans it immediately, cheerily announcing his findings.

“Ah!” Greez raises a hand. “I don’t wanna hear a peep outta you, BD.”

BD shrinks back.

"Guess what, Cal?" Greez asks, voice dangerously soft. "This ain't the only one. I even saw it wiggle earlier, so what does that tell me?"

Knowing he is totally busted, Cal goes for honesty. “That you should put it back so the mother can properly nurture it.”

“Oh, I will, kid, believe me. I don’t need this thing hatching and then locking onto me and calling me ‘Mama’.”

“Actually, Greez, boglings can’t talk.”

A finger comes out, jabbing in Cal’s direction. BD tells Cal maybe he shouldn’t keep pushing his luck this time.

“How long has it been aboard?” Greez demands.

“A while,” Cal says. He lost track of time ages ago. “She’s harmless, I promise. I can explain! She’s – ”

“Harmless, yeah, uh huh. She’s why I’ve been hearing weird things, smelling gross things, finding food missing…”

“Yeah…”

“What do you think would happen if she nibbled her way through some of the wires, huh? Suddenly we’re falling out of hyperspace at the worst possible moment, reverting in the middle of a star or crashing into a planet, or…”

“But she hasn’t,” Cal says brightly. “And she probably would have by now if she was going to.”

It puts pause to whatever rant Greez was about to go off on.

Because it was not the right thing to say.

BD-1 skitters off down the hall.

“You’re lucky you’re still injured,” Greez says, and for the first time ever, Cal thinks he might be afraid of him. “The second you’re fit and able, we’re going back to Bogano so you can reunite mother and babies with their homeworld. You can fight off any stormtroopers that might come for us too and –”

“Really, Greez? You’d abandon helpless babies on Bogano, a world now on the Empire’s radar?”

“Oh no, don’t you even try it! I won’t have any of your Jedi tricks! They’re going back. I don’t care if the whole planet’s on fire! This is a critter free ship, Cal, and you better remember that.”

“But – ”

“Silence!” Greez bellows.

There’s a skitter of claws from the vent above Cal’s bed. He doesn’t need to look to sense the bogling. Greez looks up with a growl.

The bogling growls back.

“You!” Greez hisses.

The bogling’s parental rage zings through the Force and sinks its teeth into Cal. “Hey, Greez? She really, really wants her egg back.”

The vent rattles. The bogling attempts to break through.

“Hah, like something that small could – ”

The rest of what Greez has to say is lost to a scream as the bogling does indeed break through (with just the teeniest, tiniest application of the Force). Greez (and the egg) rush out of the engine room, the bogling in hot pursuit.

BD-1 returns with Cere, both of them staring after Greez. “Do I want to know?” Cere asks.

“Probably not,” Cal says, settling back against his pillow.

[spinningbuster98]

Metroid Other M Part 8: The hallow ending

You know...I’ve noticed that Sakamoto’s Metroid games seem to have issues in regards to their endings

With the exception of Super, most of his other games tend to have some sort of weirdness to them. Fusion’s ending is too abrupt, with the AI turning good on a whim simply because Samus just happened to pronounce the magic word by accident, which effectively resolved the X-threat right then and there. Zero Mission ends on a bit of an anti-climax due to the added stealth section ending with a fight against a random Ridley robot. Samus Returns’ Ridley fight is wholly unneeded and goes against the feel of the original Metroid 2. Dread’s ending is clearly rushed with Raven Beak pretty much just dumping a truck load of exposition at you with little explanation.

But none of them even comes remotely close to the absolute train wreck that is Other M’s ending

So let’s run this shit by the order in which it happens shall we?

So Samus fights and kills a Metroid Queen that Madeline sicks on her. Y’know what? This is actually the one useful thing that Samus does in this entire game: had she not taken care of this thing, MB may have used it to eliminate the Federation guys that had just arrived, including Anthony. So yeah, after all this time, Samus does one useful thing

She kills a walking plothole

Why is there a Queen on the Bottle Ship? It had been long established, since at least Fusion, that Metroids are only capable of evolving into their mature forms when they are raised in the environment of their homeworld SR388, which is why the BSL had a whole Sector dedicated to imitating that place, as ADAM explained. The Bottle Ship was not modelled after SR388, in fact Samus compares it more to Zebes. Now to be as fair as possible: Fusion never outright states that Metroids ABSOLUTELY need their homeworld to evolve, ADAM could’ve just meant that it was more ideal and easier. However whatever the initial intentions may have been that’s not what the series ultimately went with, as the Prime games feature Metroids evolving into different subspecies, such as the Tallon Metroids, as explicitly demonstrated by that one room on the Pirate Homeworld in Prime 3, which featured autopsies of Metroids of various origins. Normally I’d say that the two subseries should be kept relatively seperate so as to not create any clashings, but in this case the Prime games simply evolved a concept already hinted at in a 2D game, so in the interest of continuity Other M should’ve kept this into consideration. I mean this didn’t need to be a Metroid Queen, its narrative role could’ve easily been fulfilled by just any other big monster, it’s only a Queen because fanservice and nothing else. We lost continuity due to dumb fanservice and now Samus’ most substantial contribution to this plot is getting rid of a plothole. Just great.

MB is the mastermind behind it all! So now the game enters full movie mode in order to quickly explain to me her generic backstory just before she’s killed off so that I can feel sorry for her. Samus’ narration during the ending is flat out laughable, she’s literally explaining to us why we should feel sorry for MB and how her character worked because the story itself could not be arsed to.

This doesn’t work for so many reasons, first of all being that MB’s backstory is built on some impressive levels of stupidity and unclear logistics. These dumb asshole scientists created an AI based on Mother Brains. MOTHER. BRAIN. The AI infamous for betraying her creators and trying to conquer the galaxy. You base your AI on that thing’s “thought patterns”, put her in charge of your station’s Metroids and other highly dangerous creatures, take absolutely no precautions whatsoever, and then you go full surprised Pikachu face when she starts to grow independent? And then when you decide to reprogram her you do it by trying to forcefully restrain her when you know her android body is stronger than normal humans and can telepathically order every creature on the station to rip you to shreds? I’ve seen time travelling demons with Deviantart-level designs with better layed out plans than this!!

We are not informed about MB’s personality in any way whatsoever, aside from her developing a daughter-mother bond with Madeline. She has literally no personality beyond that. Which was also the case with Mother Brain, but at least past games never waxed poetry about how deep the characrer was and why I should be feeling bad for her! The best thing I can say about MB is that her tricking Samus into walking to her death in Sector Zero was actually pretty smart, but that’s it. That’s all there is to her. She’s a fucking muppet otherwise, which is pretty funny, given that her “developing emotions” was the crux that started this whole shitshow in the first place

I must also ask: how DID they analyze Mother Brain’s “thought patterns” to create MB? Mother Brain was a literal brain in a jar who never left Zebes. Sure the Federation was aware of her existence, so I guess she must’ve come into contact with them in the past I...guess through telepathy? Crossing galactic distances? Whatever.

And of course Samus doesn’t even take her down. No that honor goes to Madeline and the GF troops, followed by Anthony being revealed alive and as the one who previously stopped the engines of the station and is now allowing Madeline to be brought in for questioning. I mean why should Samus even do anything after all? She’s just an outsider as Adam put it at the start of the game: all this shit that’s been going on isn’t her story, it’s Adam and his men’s!

Oh and, just to put this here real quick, it’s sometimes said that the japanese version makes a distinction between the broader Galactif Federation and the guys behind the scenes here, who are supposed to be part of the Army, which is absent in the English version...except that’s not true. The English script certainly uses the terms “Galactic Federation” and “Galactic Army” pretty interexchangeably, but the distinction is there, especially with Adam flat out calling these guys a group of Ringleaders, saying that the broader GF was indeed contemplating making Metroids but that Adam conviced them otherwise with the exception of these guys, so the whole “the Galactic Federation as a whole is not corrupt, only a select few members are” idea has always been there in every version of the script. I’m more interested in knowing if this idea also existed in Fusion and was already a thing back then or if it’s a retcon that Other M came up with as a way to justify Samus still working with the GF in later games like Dread.

Anyway the day is saved! The villain was anti-climactically disposed of! Adam was a dick head to the end and died uselessly! Samus seems to have gotten over her issues for some reason, but hey if she’s happy then who am I to complain right?

Unfortunately we’re not quite done yet. We still have a little bit left before it’s truly over

[lets-try-some-writing]

The Grim Dark Archives: Statement #003 Holoforms

[Statement taken from [Redacted] on the 11th of October 2004, one year and two months after the Autobots have made their presence known and begun corresponding with human personnel. [Redacted] has been complacent but has refrained from revealing anything that we could use against the Autobots. They have shown willingness to give us ways to ward off Cybertronians, but they refuse to give us any data that we could use to potentially cause actual harm.

No amount of bribery or convincing has changed [Redacted]'s stance. Even using our own vulnerability as a talking point failed. High command has not issued an order to force [Redacted] to give up such information, but with what we are learning, I worry that order may come sooner rather than later.

Recently a report was received from Agent Fowler that caused a great deal of concern among high command. The Autobots were seen using what they call 'holoforms' to interact with humans. They do this by using an avatar that looks like it could be a human without closer inspection. It was not explained how they gained these avatars, but recently five individuals were reported missing across the continent. This alone is not unusual, but what is causing concern is the fact that the Autobots avatars match the missing individuals down to every detail except voice and mannerism.

In light of this, [Redacted] was called upon to give a statement in regard to the situation and what it means.

Statement begins.]

══════════════════

Holoforms? I suppose it would make sense for my kin to begin using them now that they have largely adapted to your planet and overall culture. My kind have always been fond of trying to blend in as much as possible on whatever worlds and with races they interact with. Its not even required half the time, but they do it instinctually. I suppose it is because blending in decreases chances of being killed, or it might even be a side effect of the T-cog. Whatever the case, it shows that they are settling in and preparing to act more boldly.

I will begin with a bit of history before I explain everything else.

To start, the idea of a holoform was not devised until the golden age when the empire struck out across the stars. Before that age we were content on our homeworld and had no need for holoforms to communicate. However as we spread and our empire grew, we found that even our adaptation couldn't make up for the impression our frames gave. Thus we searched for a way to make speaking with other races easier when our adaptation failed to suffice.

Much like T-cogs, our holoforms are not something we are forged with. No, the ability to create a holoform comes from an upgrade given to diplomatic units, or at least it was before the war. Now the upgrade is so common as to be given to every unit able to receive it. As for what the upgrade does? It allows up to process data on organic and inorganic material through a special series of... functions that we use to understand what we are processing on a base level. I do not believe it would be wise to elaborate further-

... I do not believe explaining the details would do you any good. It's not pretty by any means-

Fine... if you must know... just be warned that its a rather touchy thing for you organic types. The last group who learned very nearly waged war over the subject. I suppose it doesn't matter much now, you couldn't fight back against my kin even if you wanted to. At full strength, they could destroy your planet's entire structure without even devoting their full processing power to the action.

Right... we have unique nano-technology embedded alongside our processors that allows us to create a replication of what we are knowledgeable on. That means when we create holoforms we go out of our way to understand every single detail of what he are trying to replicate... inside and out. We need to pick what we are replicating apart in every conceivable sense to truly understand. We need to connect to them and see how they work, what makes them tick and function.

Those missing humans? I can tell you almost exactly what happened. It is near certain that they were specifically picked out from amongst your population for their traits and for their ability to vanish and largely be unnoticed. Looking at these files, I see a missing adult male, ex military with no family, grizzled expression and a firm build who disappeared in the woods up in Alaska. That one was likely taken by the Prime. I can already guarantee he is dead. The Prime most likely picked him out and hunted him down. At that point the male was most probably taken to whatever facility the Autobots are using and meticulously tested and taken apart until the Prime had a detailed understanding of how the male functioned.

I cannot even begin to guess what they did exactly. I have never taken a holoform, so I am unacquainted with the process. That said, it would not surprise me to learn that they dug through the male's mind until they had a detailed understanding of its functioning. It also would not be out of the ordinary for them to have slowly cut the male open to examine his biological functioning. The medic quite likely drew the process out too considering the way medics function. They are odd mecha... odd and dangerous. Whatever the case, the male is dead, along with whoever else was taken. They live on as images and facsimiles of my kin who will bear their likeness until they prove no longer useful or more data is made available.

Oh yes I can near promise you that the humans taken by the Autobots suffered and endured torment no being with pain receptors should ever face. However I would remind you that your world is covered in all sorts of your kind who can and do vanish without a trace. A few of your less useful humans perished so that the Autobots will not need to tear into your more valuable ones, at least until their medic decides to run more tests.

I would personally suggest keeping your noses out of it. The Autobots have what they want now, and if you keep clear of their machinations, you should be fine. Their acquisition of holoforms will not harm you any time soon. Now if there were a few dozen bots taking on holoforms, then I would tell you to begin gearing up for war. When that happens it generally means the empire is preparing for an invasion, but as it is, the Autobots are too weak and scattered to care about your planet in any significant manner.

Keep your head down and don't say a word. That is my advice if you want to keep of the medic's operating table.

══════════════════

[Statement ends.

[Redacted]'s words... they tell us a great deal. The Autobots are a threat, that much we know. They have weapons we didn't even know of and still there is so much to be addressed. What did [Redacted] mean when they spoke of the medic? Just what the hell happened to those missing people?

...What did [Redacted] mean by invasion?

We need to ask more questions, we need to understand everything we can about these aliens if we hope to survive. Not even [Redacted] is truly safe, they are not kind, though they portray themselves as if they were. They are different than the Autobots, that much is certain, but they are not like us. I doubt they even know that with how much they try to claim to understand about us.

Agent Witwicky signing off.

Recording ends.]

[robindaydream]

your OCs :)

You sweetie...

Well, Tam is a nonbinary angel who loves to party and fight and fuck. They're probably my most unreservedly heroic character, as well as the kindest and sweetest. They genuinely believe that their life has a plan and a purpose, that what they do has meaning, and that a better world is possible and it's our responsibility to find it. One time they defeated an enemy by teleporting her to the bottom of the ocean.

Alex is a butch aromantic lesbian who ran away from college to become a wrestler because she saw a really violent wrestling match online and it turned her on. She's a perfectionist, high-flying heel who loves to get brutal in the ring. She acts stoic and serious but loves the theatre of wrestling, loves telling stories through a series of blows instead of words. One time she won a ladder match by ignoring the ladder and pummeling her opponent into submission (as arranged in advance of course).

Venture is a little space mouse with a huge sword who was hired to solve a murder and ended up uncovering a galactic conspiracy. She was the sole survivor of a disaster aboard a spaceship when she was an infant, and partly as a result she's very superstitious, using a flipped coin for the purpose of divination when confronted with major decisions. She conducts herself like a knight, wielding both sword and quick wit against her foes with equal skill. She once destroyed a water cooler because she was trying to climb up on top of it (she likes to be tall).

Sylvia is a weirdo from the woods who can read your mind and can't generate her own body heat. If she doesn't take it from others she'll freeze to death from the inside out (but it's okay she got better). She's paranoid and irritable and angry and so fucking scared and she has a gun. She has cool ice powers. Her boyfriend is a dragon. She didn't always have antlers but she does now. One time she impaled a guy with an ice javelin because he was trying to run away and she was trying to help him (he's fine though).

Magna is an alien fugitive who fled from her homeworld and poses as a human on Earth. She spent two years posing as a trans woman to make herself harder to find only to eventually realize she actually was one. She has cool doc ock arms coming out of her back that she can use to teleport things. She's an artist and lives with a bunch of other trans people and gave herself a fursona because she thought she needed one to blend in with humans (it's a wolf). One time she teleported a cop's head off.

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Hello, how are you doing? Well, I hope?

I has things! X3

Oh… my gosh… How hilarious would it be if, when the Zonai first arrived, they actually were planning to be full-on colonizers?

But then Rauru & Sonia meet & it's like Disney's Pocahontas meets Steven Universe if the Greg/Rose relationship had taken place as the Gem War was going on.

Like, literally with “Colors of the Wind,” just replace Pocahontas with Sonia & John Smith with Rauru. But, like, make him Latin! XD

… Fudge, now I'm thinking about a literal Zonai civil war much like the one between Homeworld & the Crystal Gems with Rauru as Rose Diamond/John Smith, any other Zonai who agreed with him as the Crystal Gems, & the rest of the Zonai as Homeworld Gems.

(… Oh my gosh… In such a situation… Ganondorf is effing Renaldo from the “Rising Tides/Crashing Skies” episode! 🤣)

In fact… What if it was Rauru & Mineru’s mother who was the one who wanted to colonize Hyrule? (I shall call her Jueru!)

So, while he’s trying to bring Hyrule together so as to bring peace, which was already at war with itself, he's also secretly rebelling against his own mother.

…

What if the reason that there are no more Zonai is because of this possible civil war?

In fact, what if the reason that Rauru chose the style of government that he did was simply due to only having ever really known that one?

I mean, think about it. If the Zonai were really from the sky & if this were something legitimately unusual on Hyrule's Earth, then it's very, very probable that they, just as a society, were very isolated.

If so, it’s also possible that they, themselves, were an empire. Meaning that, logically, that’d be the sort of government that he & Mineru would know the most about & would be most prone to thinking about & considering.

And, if they were literally all part of it. Like, in a united sort of way, then depending on how many generations this were the case, the Rauru likely wouldn’t have practically any experience with them. He may not even know anything about them beyond intellectually.

Or, if the Zonai in charge (Jueru) was more tyrannical, he might not have even be aware that other such forms of government even existed. Or even if he did, his perceptions could’ve been colored by that individual or regime. (Though, those last 2 don’t seem nearly as fun as if it was literally just a result of faulty memory & human error. XD)

I imagine him just sort of blinking rather mystified & going, "... I... suppose that I forgot that there were other kinds... Tell me more..."

Like, in my mind, he was aware of them, but because those 2 particular thoughts simply hadn't connected inside his brain yet, he's never really considered them as viable possiblities.

And what if, for having helped the then forgotten Hyrule to end the fighting, the people of the land chose him as their king?

What if, in an attempt to honor the lands culture & history, he chose the name “Hyrule,” in a similar way that one might choose to name a new kingdom “Camelot” or similar to why Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum from Ni no Kuni 2 named his new kingdom “Evermore?”

Which, I understand, “cool story, still imperialism,” but at the same time, you could say something very similar about Ganondorf, too. “Cool motive, still murder.”

… Actually… this could be a really cool angle to explore in a fic or something… Though, I feel like it'd be a bit too ambitious for me...

Sounds like a Steven Universe storyline and I AM HERE FOR IT!

Oh, if my brain functioned like it did a few years back, I would sooo be here to take on the challenge. I DO encourage you to make an attempt! A sentence a day is a sentence more than nothing! You can do it if you truly want to!

I really wanted to see how such a path could go, so... ChatGPT for a small scene:

The moonlight bathed the courtyard in a serene glow, casting long shadows over the ancient stonework of Hyrule Castle. Sonia stood by the fountain, her golden hair glimmering in the soft light, her eyes reflecting the stars above. She hummed softly, a tune reminiscent of the melodies of old Hyrule, as she waited for Rauru.

Rauru approached quietly, his heart swelling at the sight of her. His thoughts were heavy with the weight of his dual roles: uniting Hyrule and defying his mother’s imperial ambitions. He reached out, and Sonia turned, her face lighting up with a warm smile.

"Rauru," she greeted, her voice gentle and soothing.

He took her hands in his, their touch grounding him. "Sonia, I’ve been thinking," he began, his voice carrying a mixture of determination and uncertainty. "About our people, our future... and the legacy we wish to leave."

Sonia’s expression turned curious, encouraging him to continue. "Go on," she urged softly.

Rauru sighed, glancing up at the stars as if seeking their guidance. "My mother, Jueru, she envisioned a different path for the Zonai. A path of conquest and control. But when I met you, everything changed. Your people, your culture... it’s something worth preserving, not dominating."

Sonia squeezed his hands, her eyes shining with understanding and love. "Rauru, you’ve already done so much. You’ve brought peace to Hyrule, united the tribes. But we can’t stop there. We must build a future where all voices are heard."

Rauru nodded, feeling a sense of resolve wash over him. "I want to honor Hyrule’s history, its people. When they chose me as their king, it wasn’t for power. It was for hope, for unity. That’s why I named our kingdom ‘Hyrule,’ to signify a new beginning."

Sonia smiled, her heart swelling with pride. "And together, we’ll ensure that Hyrule remains a beacon of hope and harmony."

Their moment was interrupted by Mineru, Rauru’s sister, who approached with a worried expression. "Brother, the council is convening. There are rumors of unrest among our people. They fear our mother’s influence still lingers."

Rauru’s expression hardened with determination. "Then we shall prove them wrong. We will show them that our path is one of peace, not tyranny."

As they walked towards the council chamber, Sonia looked up at Rauru, her eyes filled with unwavering support. "And remember, Rauru, you’re not alone in this. We stand together, as one."

In the shadows, Ganondorf watched with narrowed eyes. He had his own plans, his own ambitions. But for now, he observed, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Zonai’s civil war had left scars, and he intended to exploit them.

As Rauru and Sonia entered the chamber, the future of Hyrule hung in the balance. The legacy of the Zonai, the dream of a united Hyrule, and the shadows of the past all converged in this pivotal moment. And with Sonia by his side, Rauru knew they had a fighting chance to build a kingdom that truly honored its people’s heritage and dreams.

[racefortheironthrone]

from a world building point of view. is the new status quo for the xmen even possible? Krakoa as an international player that basically owned the world economy (with xavier being the richest man in the world by a lot), and that had a handhold over the UN and it's multiple international conflicts (Russia, Wakanda, Portoverde) I just cant even grasp how they're just going to bring back 2 million mutants (i believe that's the correct population of krakoa) and relocate them to their old nations? Also what's going to happen to mars?

Yes, it's entirely possible.

For one thing, "Krakoa as an international player that basically owned the world economy (with Xavier being the richest man in the world by a lot), and that had a handhold over the UN and it's multiple international conflicts (Russia, Wakanda, Portoverde)" isn't the current status quo.

Following the Hellfire Gala 2023, not only are the 250,000 citizens of Krakoa forced off-planet, but the island of Krakoa itself is physically occupied by ORCHIS as essentially a "rogue state," and ORCHIS has managed to parlay its false flag attack on the Gala into global paramilitary authority to hunt down and oppress any mutants found on Earth. During "Fall of X," the X-Men and their allies have begun to fight back against ORCHIS, but the Krakoan population remains in the White Hot Room looking for a way to get back.

We still don't know how that ultimately resolves, save that in "From the Ashes," the X-Men will relocate to various places across the United States in order to protect mutantkind. We don't know what the precise status of Krakoa will be, although we know from Al Ewing that Arrako will still exist as a mutant homeworld.

[artist-issues]

i do have a question, not to attack your beliefs at all, but please could you elaborate on how you think rebecca sugar is attacking christianity? I read your post and I really don't think you're correct in thinking she's equating religion to an evil space dictator she made in her kids show.

White diamond is a powerful figure who can create beings, yes, but she also is imperfect. She is controlling and manipulative and unable to see anyone else as equal or even able to begin to measure up to her. God isn't anything like that. He is mostly seen (though it varies person to person) as a perfect all knowing, all seeing figure who created the entire universe in his image and has a plan for everything. White Diamond certainly isn't all seeing, all knowing and as far as we know the only thing she created was the other gems, most likely from the resources of the planets around her. Putting aside all of the LGBTQ+ things for a moment, and going off the basis that you're equating her and god, and that it was meant to mirror the real world, wouldn't it also make sense for the rest of the characters to then say Oh my diamond or something of that nature? It's a minor detail but instead they say oh my stars.

And with the LGBTQ+ portion of this, I don't think your opinion's going to be swayed by anything I say, but I can provide some possible perspective or insight. In steven universe there is a lot of LGBTQ+ representation, yes, especially for a children's show where that isn't widely accepted at all and they had to work very hard to include it at all. If you believe God has a plan for everything, then wouldn't it be impossible to go against Him and His will? And if that isn't what you believe, and that we can go against God, or that he's testing us to be able to go to heaven, do you think only people that believe in Him will go to heaven? There are plenty of LGBTQ+ people who believe in god.

You could make the argument that they're picking and choosing which parts of the bible they follow, isn't that exactly what you're doing as well? He not only said to love thy neighbors, do unto others as they will do unto you, but i might add that eating shrimp is mentioned as a sin about 12 more times in the bible than homosexuality is. There is slavery and rape and genocide in the bible as well, but i really hope you aren't following those parts.

(I do not mean any of what i said to be disrespectful to you or your religion/beliefs, just here to put in my 2 cents)

I don't think you can declare the fundamental message of Steven Universe--(which is, generally "your flaws are what make you incredible, you're perfect the way you are, and if you want to change yourself into something you like more, that's even better")--without attacking the fundamental beliefs of Christianity, and what God says, and who He is. (I made those points in my previous post.)

In Steven Universe, flaws are defined as "anything you do that deviates from what you were made for." Pearl is considered "flawed" by the bad guys, and by the "wrong" way of thinking, because she has no aristocrat she's serving. Garnet is considered "flawed" because she's a forbidden fusion of a Sapphire and Ruby who aren't doing their jobs. Amethyst is considered "flawed" because she came out of the ground undercooked and small and doesn't fight as well as other quartzes. But Homeworld (the bad guys, who the narrative call "wrong" are depicted as incorrect for believing that those are flaws. But, deeper than that, you have to realize that it's White Diamond who made them (with her injectors.)

White Diamond dictated what they were made for, and that they were made at all. Just like God. But she's "wrong" for believing that in the narrative, and "wrong" for trying to tell gems who they are (because supposedly they're the only ones who get to decide who they are, and they call it "freedom.")

Now, it is true that God is flawless and perfect. He makes no mistakes and has nothing to learn because He's all-knowing and always right. But that's why it's so clear that Steven Universe is against the God if the Bible. They acknowledge who Christians claim God is by setting up White Diamond (who goes on and on about how perfect she is, how she can make everyone else perfect by shining her light through them, and how she can return them to the function they were made for.) and then, after they acknowledge that by setting her up, they knock her down. And in doing so, they attempt to knock the Christian view of God down.

By having their God-parallel character suddenly have flaws, like all the main characters, she can both be proved wrong about her perfection philosophy, and be regulated to human status. "If God thinks we need saving from our flaws and wants to erase Nything that doesn't line up with His original purpose for us, He's wrong. And if He's wrong, He's flawed, too! After all, God is no higher than us."

And like I said, that philosophy, that mischaracterization of God, is exactly what the serpent said to Eve at the beginning of the world. Same old lie. They set up a God-like character, made her perfection a bad thing, and then punished her for it--and then regulated The God-like character to "no better or more in authority than us."

Now, about what you're saying about Christians and the characterization of the God of the Bible--

God loves us. That does not mean He loves the things we do that are wrong. Just like parents (imperfect examples though they are) love us in spite of the fact that we scream hurtful things at them when we're teenagers, and in spite of the mistakes we made. They don't love our mistakes and our flaws--they love us. God doesn't love your flaws--He loves you.

And, he has to punish sin. Because He's just and perfect--and at the same time, He's loving. If someone broke into your house and raped your spouse and killed your dog and stole your most valuable possessions, they caught him, and he appeared before a judge, would the judge be just and good to say, "I know you did all those things, but I'm a loving judge, so I'm going to let you go free with no punishment?" No. He'd be a terrible judge, and actually, an unloving one, too, because it's not loving to the victim of the sin or the committer of the sin to ignore the reality of the sin without punishment.

But God does love us, in spite of our flaws, sin, the fact that we committed cosmic treason: and you can tell because He punished His Son, Jesus, instead of us. And Jesus took that punishment that we deserved, willingly, so that what's broken in us can be restored, and more importantly, our relationship with God can be restored. That's what the Bible teaches: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16.) The Bible also teaches love in the context of what God defines as love. When you "do unto others as you would want done to you," the idea is that you want what's actually best for yourself. And what's actually best for yourself is not always what you feel like having. If you feel like touching the hot stove, that's not what's best for you; you'll get burned. If you feel like being sexually intimate with someone of the same sex, (or even someone of the opposite sex who isn't going to put your relationship with God first) that's not what's best for you; you're doing a twisted version of the good thing (sex) God made you to enjoy, and it'll lead to brokenness. So when you say "do unto others as you would have done to you," you have to remember the context.

It's Jesus speaking, and He finished the sentence with: "for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Well, the Law (Leviticus, Deuteronomy,) condemns homosexuality. So the context dictates that the Golden Rule is not just "leave others alone about what makes them happy, just like you want others to leave you alone about what makes you happy."

[wonderxoxo12]

Timeline of Humanityforged 

The Age of Thirteen (Unknown - 10,000 Years Before The Great Exodus)

The Primes, or the Thirteen, arrive on a barren planet they name Cybertron.

They use their advanced technology to terraform Cybertron, creating a vibrant world with a network of Energon veins running beneath the surface.

The Primes bio-engineer the first Cybertronians, the Humanityforged. These beings resemble humans but possess Cybertronium bodies, sparks, and an exceptional lifespan.

Humanityforged society flourishes under the guidance of the Primes. A caste system emerges based on Spark potential, Cybertronium composition, and family lineage.

Tensions begin to rise as some, like Megatron, a brilliant but low-caste engineer, view the caste system as unfair. They believe sparks are stifled by their birth caste.

The Golden Age (10,000 Years Before The Great Exodus - 1,000 Years Before The Great Exodus)

A period of relative peace and prosperity for Humanityforged society.

Technological advancements lead to incredible feats of engineering and scientific discovery.

The caste system becomes more entrenched, with families specializing in specific fields for generations.

Megatron becomes a vocal critic of the caste system, advocating for Spark Equality, Meritocracy, and Freedom of Choice. He gathers followers who share his ideals.

The Age of Dissent (1,000 Years Before The Great Exodus - 500 Years Before The Great Exodus)

Megatron and his followers become increasingly radical. Protests erupt, challenging the authority of the High Council, which Megatron views as perpetuating the caste system.

In the undercity, Megatron encounters Orion Pax, an archivist with a passion for history and social justice. Orion Pax is intrigued by Megatron's determination to fight for a better future.

Revolution Ignited (1,400 Years Before The Great Exodus)

Megatron organizes a protest against the oppressive conditions in the Energon mines. Orion Pax, inspired by Megatron's ideals, utilizes his archival skills to document the struggles of the lower castes and spread awareness of the protest.

Their shared vision for a fairer society and growing bond lead Megatron and Orion Pax to explore the possibility of creating a spark together. Utilizing advanced medical technology, they nurture a spark embodying their hopes for change, resulting in the birth of their daughter, Rhea.

Betrayal and Schism (1,350 Years Before The Great Exodus)

Megatron and Orion Pax are summoned before the High Council. Orion Pax is unexpectedly appointed as a Prime, a position of leadership within the established order.

Enraged and heartbroken by the perceived betrayal, Megatron lashes out, killing a Council member named Halogen. Fearing the Council will use Rhea to control him, Megatron takes his infant daughter and flees.

Devastated by Megatron's actions, Orion Pax chooses to remain with the Autobots, the faction loyal to the High Council. He vows to uphold their ideals and fight for a better future, even if it means opposing Megatron.

The Cybertronian Civil War (500 Years Before The Great Exodus - The Great Exodus)

Full-blown war erupts on Cybertron. The Decepticons, led by Megatron, clash with the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime.

The war devastates Cybertron, depleting Energon reserves and causing widespread destruction.

The conflict becomes a stalemate, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage.

The Great Exodus (Year 0)

With Cybertron on the brink of collapse, both Autobots and Decepticons make a desperate decision.

Utilizing ancient technology, they construct massive spacecrafts capable of carrying thousands of Humanityforged in cryostasis.

The Autobots and Decepticons lead separate Exoduses, searching for a new homeworld to sustain their dying race.