[Fan Fiction] Sufficiently Advanced

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dragoongfa
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Re: [Fan Fiction] Sufficiently Advanced

Post by dragoongfa »

Certainly different of what I have in mind and I have to say that it does touch the Cthulhu level.

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Mr Bojangles
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Re: [Fan Fiction] Sufficiently Advanced

Post by Mr Bojangles »

An interesting ending. One thing especially stood out to me: the fact that Alex specifically saved Beryl. Genuine gratitude for saving the ship (and him)? Mere repayment of a debt? Either way, it seems to me that there may still be some semblance of humanity remaining in Alex.

I can't say I'm surprised that beings of nigh-incomprehensible power and knowledge would engage in war. But, maybe I'm just jaded. :P

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joestej
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Re: [Fan Fiction] Sufficiently Advanced

Post by joestej »

dragoongfa wrote:Certainly different of what I have in mind and I have to say that it does touch the Cthulhu level.
I figured the stories would end up being quite different. That was sort of the point, after all. The Pale Horse is your answer to the "Outsider-verse Human/Cthulhu" question. Sufficiently Advanced was mine. I imagine if a third person were to approach the problem they would come up with a story different from either of ours.

Amusingly, the Cthulhu part was both easy and fun to write. TENTACLES EVERYWHERE!!!!! :lol:
Mr Bojangles wrote:An interesting ending. One thing especially stood out to me: the fact that Alex specifically saved Beryl. Genuine gratitude for saving the ship (and him)? Mere repayment of a debt? Either way, it seems to me that there may still be some semblance of humanity remaining in Alex.

I can't say I'm surprised that beings of nigh-incomprehensible power and knowledge would engage in war. But, maybe I'm just jaded. :P
There's quite a bit of Humanity remaining in Alex. That's the point, and where the horror comes from. In the end, this is actually a subversion of normal Cosmic Horror: the giant unknowable boot is really just being worn by a larger ant. The horror comes not from the idea of insignificance, but from the revelation that true cultural advancement is impossible. Even at TL16, we're still just monkeys hitting each other over the head with sticks.

It was harder to pull off than I'd have liked, since Loroi have a warrior culture. They would be significantly less horrified by the prospect of that kind of stagnation than a Human would be. Still, if anyone would have regrets about the idea of God being just another monkey with a stick, it would be poor little Beryl.
"Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than to curse the darkness."

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