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 I'm gonna be straight with you guys, this might be a mistake. The Furlites of Aroriel series (beginning with On Matissia Wings is one of the most bizarre things I've ever read, sci-fi as filtered through a drunken James Joyce. I'll let the synopsis of the first book speak for itself: quote:On the cold distant world Aroriel -- where primate species never developed -- evolution spawned a furry saurian race that now reaches for the stars. Commander Geupetus of Clan Darius, offered command of the first near-lightspeed starship, hesitates to take the job, as Furlitian Law forbids his pre-adolescent twins Murkuria and Thorius from accompanying their Clan on this historic mission into interstellar space. Clan Darius, after careful deliberation as a family, driven by their sense of responsibility, discipline, and duty, decide they must squelch their emotions and accept the commission - leaving the twins on Aroriel. But the paradox caused by the Clan's traveling near the speed of light means that IF the twins ever see their family again, they will be older than their parents! Distraught, Thorius conceives an outrageous plan to stow aboard the great starship, and Murkuria agrees after a rare nightmare tells her they must do this. He and Murkuria borrow a family shuttle, and whiz off, determined to reach the Space Center before dawn launch. With the help of Iggie, Murkuria's pet Matissia, they sneak aboard the starship, inadvertently causing the Sunpyne to crash land on an alien world, where dinosaurian life like their own is long extinct, and strange primate beings that call themselves Human populate the planet. Following a violent first confrontation with two natives, they race to repair the ship. A second meeting, with a family camping out in the wilderness around the ship, results in friendship, and information exchange. However, after their Human friends leave to return to a distant home, the Human military locates the downed starship, just after the crew completes full repairs. Geupetus powers up the ship, but suddenly realizes his twins and one Cadet are not aboard. With enemy warcraft peppering the area with arms fire, and unable to lower shields to recover his children and crewmate, Geupetus refuses to leave without them. Will the furlites ever see their beloved home again? Wow, I don't even know why we need to read half the book when it's all covered on the b-- quote:Some sexual content .....oh. Well, let's see what the author might be able to tell us about her mindset in her autobiography?  quote:Marie J. Spinella-Phillips Born in 1957, in Huntington, on Long Island, I've been driven by an insatiable love of writing, art, and the sciences since very early childhood. My love of animal tales fueled my desire to write, always manifesting in stories from the non-human point of view. I invented my very first character at six years old, creating picture books with a tree as the main protagonist. I included, on the inside covers, my very own publishing logo, complete with rainbow and shining sun! In my senior year of High School, one of my teachers, Mr. O'Connor, lent me a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, which changed my reading and writing life forever, driving me into the unique and futuristic world of Fantasy/Science Fiction. In college, I majored in Art and Earth Sciences, where inspiration fired my vivid and eccentric imagination, planting the seeds for my Furlites of Aroriel novels, Over the years, I honed the complex world of this alien family saga. My husband's love and support over the decades proved invaluable, since his scientific knowledge and expertise quickly surpassed my own, once we graduated high school, went off to college, and entered the working world. With his help, and that of my mentor, David Ayscue, who passed away in 2010, I completed the first two of these books, On Matissia Wings, and, Earth-bred Matissia-born,which are now available. Other tales are in the works! I dabbled with another tale many years ago, using my Khan as a character, when my big Maine Coon became seriously ill. While battling Khan's insidious disease, I completed the story, which took on deeper impact far beyond my intended feline fantasy yarn. KHAN: A Maine Coon is the result, a biography of his life, with fictional elements, written from his point of view. Owned by three cats, two of which are Maine Coon cats, I live with my husband in the rolling hills of northwestern Connecticut. Ah. A crazy cat lady writing about Maine Coon aliens loving each other on their way to Earth. Beautiful. I don't think I need to explain more. Let's get started. chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Sep 21, 2017 |
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Sep 21, 2017 18:54
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Since these chapters run as much as 50 pages, I'm likely going to divide them in half rather than try to fit a whole chapter per update. The book begins with a map, hence the "illustrated" on the front cover. Since it's sideways in the book, I took the liberty of turning it for you.  quote:“Get off of her, you fat vachok!” Murkuria shouted, her entire red-gold coat bristling with anger. The object of her wrath lifted his head, his pale, white-blue eyes gleaming his scorn. You see that little [1] right there? This book actually comes with footnotes! Because Marie Spinella-Phillips wanted to create a truly immersive alien world, she also created her own vocabulary to go along with it. To keep anyone from being too confused (and boy howdy you're going to remain confused for a long time after reading this), she put in definitions for everything. Conveniently, almost every unit she describes is approximately identical to an Earth unit so it's just a weird name for real units. quote:[1] Octa is approximately half an inch or one centimeter in length. Kutius slashes Murkuria, tearing a gash in her furry chest. quote:“Vachok!” She shrieked the vile oath. “I’ll rip your face off!” quote:[2] Octlo is approximately 2.2 pounds or a kilo quote:[3] Octafet is approximately three feet or a meter These might be some of my favorite new insults. Also please note how the book and its synopsis (preteen aliens stow away on their dad's spaceship with their wacky pet and meet humans) seems like a novel for kids, and it's even included on the Family Saga list on Amazon, the text is full of profanity and violence from the second page and later devolves into horrifyingly gratuitous sex scenes. Murkuria restrains herself from tearing his throat out and instead just punches him in the face over and over. The rest of the schoolyard begins chanting her name in praise for her incredible display of violence! Suddenly, a hand clamps down on her shoulder and the cheering abruptly stops. quote:“Murkuria, of Clan Darius.” The commanding tone doused the rest of her ire. “Please, stand up.” The Officer declares that Murkuria acted rightfully in defense of another and herself, and hauls Kutius to his feet to announce that he's being "suspended for good" (most of us would call that expelled); he doesn't really give a poo poo since he hates school anyway. The girls are sent off to the infirmary without punishment, though their parents will need to be informed and Murkuria is worried about how her father will react. Some of the other kids, Getria and Selarus, compliment Murkuria for thrashing the bully so badly. Tria sings as she runs, and Murkuria compliments her voice. quote:“Do you think it will be a long time before they tell your parents?” Tria asked. Shartball cometh, baby. Shartball loving cometh. Meanwhile, dad is having some issues. quote:“Blast it all!” Ship Commander Geupetus curled his lips back, his temper at full throttle. “My twins are not foolish little idiots! They are spacefarers, born and bred to this work, like most of our Clan!” I'm imagining that Geupetus is pronounced "Jupitus", because pretty much anything else would be absolutely ridiculous. Siritus insists that there's no way to get around the law: his children can't come on the mission and they won't start the Space Flight Educational Program in school for another two years. There's a mention that they won't emotionally understand the ramifications of the 25-year mission, which you can read the synopsis in the OP to see what they're talking about : relativity means the kids will be older than their parents by the time they return from a near-lightspeed interstellar journey. Geupetus hasn't yet accepted the commission and can't be forced to, but Siritus insists that he's his first choice. With their conversation going nowhere, Geupetus promises to have an answer tomorrow and leaves Siritus to ponder: quote:The ancient Furlite stood up to stare out the window. He focused his attention on the herd of russet-striped white herbivorous Sorsas just outside the Complex fence. The lead male lifted his magnificently-horned head to gaze warily over the darkening prairie. Strong wind blew his thick mane straight out. As Siritus gazed at the animal in admiration, his own muscles relaxed. Light from the Complex lamps sparkled the twin horns sweeping from the creature’s brow, and the smaller horn jutting from the Sorsa’s nose glittered with a coating of snow. The stallion pawed snow away from the fence, revealing dried grass. A couple of slender-horned females jostled him aside to feed on the thick grasses. The stallion glanced over the prairie again before snatching a quick bite for himself. Siritus sighed again, intrigued by one of Aroriel’s few quadrupedal creatures, but watching did not decrease his concerns. Suria checked up on her ship, and is deeply disturbed by something: Siritus asked his her to take Kintus as her Ship Second, when tradition dictates that Ship Commanders pick their own Second. Siritus apologizes and explains that he did it as a favor for a Council member, and admits that Kintus is so incompetent that Siritus would only trust him with an old sled. quote:“And even that is too good for him,” Suria growled, her eyes dark with anger. “Thinking he could race my vessel of science through those blasted rings and twenty moons of Rotachi against a streamlined freighter ship? My Sauri is NOT built for high-speed maneuvering. Why did Commander Dugis agree to it? He should have known not to do this.” quote:[4] An octury is 64 Aroriellian years = 108.8 Earth years. Quite convenient that an Aroriellian year is 1.7 Earth years, so their equivalent of a century is only 108.8 Earth years as well! There's some more conversation which is really hard for me to parse, as they keep dropping unusual names and relations we've never heard of before in big paragraphs. Long story short, Siritus apologizes and lets Suria pick any new Ship Second she wants. She notices that Siritus seems annoyed by something, and he explains to her his hesitance to take command of the Sunpyne. Suria tries to suggest letting Geupetus' twins aboard the ship, and Siritus continues to find the idea absurd and dangerous despite both of them being geniuses (Murkuria is even taking university-level genetics courses). Even if he wanted to let them on, the law is the law and the law says they can't. quote:“I know that.” Suria lashed her tail. “You can only wait, and hope he agrees. If not, it is not the end of the program.” ....is it bad that I find this better written than Handbook for Mortals?
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Sep 21, 2017 20:43
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Samizdata posted:No, not really. She really seems to be making an effort to worldbuild and establish a coherent, consistent universe. Like the dialogue is somehow more believable and the characters and their conflicts more realistic. Which should really underscore how bad of a writer Lani Sarem is if this crazy poo poo is a better book.
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Sep 22, 2017 05:44
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SerialKilldeer posted:Wait, if these Maine Coone T. rex chybutt-sack-bearing things use the octal system, how do their measurement units map perfectly onto the decimal based metric system? Because it's hard to actually do math to figure out how real alien units would match up.
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Sep 22, 2017 14:12
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quote:Geupetus strode down the corridor into the lobby, fuming with frustration, barely controlling the desire to lash his thick tail again. If he accepted this job, and, oh, did he want to, the twins would have to stay behind. Anger still burned through his body over Siritus’ refusal. quote:[5] An octennium is 512 Aroriellian years, written 1000 in their base eight. Close time-wise to an Earth millennium. This is a really clunky way of describing how long an octennium is. Doing the math with one Aroriellian year at 1.7 years, an octennium is 870.4 years on Earth. Also, I can't wrap my head around the idea of them writing 512 as "1000" just because they use a base eight math system. Geupetus angrily gets into his flying car, which uses fingerprint recognition (I guess their hands aren't that furry) and has a gap in the seat back for his tail. As he approaches the gates of the University of Cosmic Sciences, a green laser scans him and his car; he gives his name and rank to a speaker, and the gate opens. quote:Geupetus turned his craft onto the main thoroughfare, settling in for the long drive home. Accelerating the vehicle, he engaged the air power, and the commuter shuttle rose from the snow, joining the two-layer traffic lanes heading out of the city of Astrolis which lay just northeast of the Complex. He rose into the second level and accelerated, whizzing by the slower traffic beneath him. As the prairie opened up, the lanes diverged in various directions. Traffic cleared, and he dropped to ground level. He sped across the open grasslands, alone on the snowy highway. He took a moment to activate the vidphone, letting his twins know he just left work. He scowled at a winking inbox message light, before returning his attention to the road. He disliked talking while driving, so the message could wait. quote:[6] Quat is 1/4th of an Aroriellian hour (octien), and is equivilant to 1.05 earth hours. Once again, how convenient that every single unit almost perfectly matches an Earth unit! I'm still confused as to exactly what occurred here. It seems like the weather on Aroriel is so harsh that within a few feet you can end up crossing from clear skies to a massive blizzard that knocks your flying car out of the sky. Geupetus puts his shuttle back into gear and heads across an old bridge over an icy river. Suddenly, a pack of bipedal creatures appear in his headlights. quote:“Monii.” He slowed his vehicle, and the animals converged on it. Not much taller than a Furlite toddler, the creatures barely reached the hatch windows. The Monni leaped against the vehicle, peering in with intelligent eyes which looked down blunt muzzles. Their hand claws scrabbled on the hatches. Geupetus sighed. “Not tonight, silly creatures. No time for games.” quote:7] Octury, an Aroriellian century, comprised of 64 years or 8 octades which are 8 years each = 108.8 E.years So the first thing you'll notice is that Marie is clearly not using an editor because she misspells "Monii" immediately after introducing them. Second, you may be thinking to yourself "Wait, we already had octuries explained!". And you'd be absolutely right! Footnotes are sometimes included more than once, as if she thought nobody would be able to understand her complicated world enough to actually remember any of her renamed units of measurement. Geupetus drives past the Fundamental School his twins attend, noticing the Shartball field shrouded in shadows. He drives around the road looking for his kids and hoping they didn't take a shortcut through the forest that would cause them to miss their ride, but he spots them walking down the road and pulls up alongside them. quote:Murkuria met Thorius at the edge of the Shartball field. quote:[8] Furlitian clocks read minutes first, hour next. See glossary for more detail. Oh God there's a glossary. What we've managed to learn about Shartball: 1. It's capitalized. 2. There's tackling. 3. You throw a ball into a goal. Thorius and Murkuria talk about their Astronomy class assignment and what they want to pick as a topic. Thorius quickly changes the subject to the fight Murkuria had; she reacts with incredible aggression, yelling and snarling and kicking the snow just at the very thought of Kutius. Thorius is proud of her, even after she says she would have literally murdered another child if not for the school Disciplinary Officer. She just hopes her father ignores the shuttlephone call. More talking about class. Murkuria wants to do a report on winged mammalians (complete with anatomical drawings and paintings) for her free project this year. Thorius wants to do a working scale model of a starship, even though true interstellar spacecraft haven't even been invented yet. Thorius is enough of an engineering genius at 12 that he can make flawless engineering drawings on a computer, though he's useless drawing freehand. When Murkuria questions his decision to make a scale model of something that doesn't exist, Thorius reveals that he once accidentally slipped one of their grandfather's disks into his computer the other day and it had the full blueprints for a starship. I guess the Aroriellians haven't ever developed passwords, since you'd think an interstellar ship with near-light speed travel would be a highly classified project! More talking about classwork and Murkuria wanting to join the SFEP, which is interrupted by two more Furlites appearing from the swirling snow. quote:Both youngsters recognized their older sister immediately by the dark russet patches that spotted her short white fur. They also recognized her friend, their next-door neighbor Kanus, by his long predominantly-russet fur, and the white spot over his right eye. They waited for the two to catch up. I think the only reason this book breaks 800 pages is because they spend so much time on exposition. Every character should know or remember these things, or at least not react by saying "Oh yes, I forgot this explanation for why this is how it is!" Also, they keep recognizing other Furlites by their fur color and pattern; do they all have the same face? I guess the cover art was incredibly accurate! There's a mention of how Kanus also got into a big brawl, and his attacker is being punished by banishment for a cinth (which I think is 19 days?) to the Sapphrus Mountains. There's explicit remarks that they can't punish children like Kutius in that way. Murkuria notices that Elara has shown up pretty late compared to when her Preparatory School gets out. quote:“Kanus and I went to the Gamehouse after school,” Elara answered. “How was practice?” Why do I get the feeling that Marie would be much happier writing something that just takes place on future Earth? So much of this is lifted directly from Earth customs and behavior, just with the names changed and numbers slightly transposed. Somehow despite being furry reptilian creatures with a completely inhuman body, they've advanced almost exactly like Earth has. Their conversation finally ends as a car pulls up next to them. quote:“Father!” Thorius cried, echoed by Murkuria. We're currently on page 30. The first chapter doesn't even end until page 50.
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Sep 22, 2017 15:58
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Sham bam bamina! posted:It's 8 cubed. Just like 1,000 (decimal) is 10 cubed. Put 512 (decimal) into any octal converter and you'll get 1,000 (octal). In octal, 8 is 10, 64 is 100, 512 is 1,000, 4,096 is 10,000, and so on. Yeah but the text explicitly says that they write it as 1000 because they're base eight. It makes it sound like because it's their equivalent to a millennium, they actually write it in place of 1000, which you would think would make the math required to create an interstellar starship pretty hard.
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Sep 22, 2017 16:26
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Semi-related, I'm looking in the back of the book. There is: 1. An appendix of the solar system of Aroriel (including diagrams and pictures of the planet). 2. A national, elevation, and climate map for Aroriel. 3. The layout of the Sunpyne. 4. A diagram of clocks explaining Furlitian time measurement. 5. A full Aroriellian calendar and description of every single unit of measurement. 6. Facts on Furlitian biology and evolution. 7. Foods. 8. Explanations of the physiological and psychological bonds formed between Furlites (the chybut is a third testicle that descends during sex to produce sperm). 9. Direct translations of every single Furlitian insult. 10. A full description of the space fleet, including ranking systems and acronyms. 11. Aroriellian law and government, including the entire Aroriellian Charter. 12. Additional notes on animals and biological statistics of Furlites. 13. Family trees for all clans seen in the book. 14. The footnotes section.
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Sep 22, 2017 17:39
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Considering that she misspelled "Monii" in her very second reference to the creatures, I'm not exactly confident that she's going to maintain perfect continuity and figure out all the proper math for the units she created.
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Sep 23, 2017 01:27
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Pata Pata Pata Pon posted:Chitoryu, you've got me hooked on your Let's Reads. Also, every time I read the word "shartball" I'm like I'm glad I can bring people joy through my suffering!
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Sep 24, 2017 02:30
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A human heart posted:where's the drunken james joyce i was promised The sex scenes.
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Sep 24, 2017 06:32
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Maybe now we can finally finish the drat first chapter.quote:The four youngsters crammed themselves into the commuter shuttle. Geupetus waited patiently. After they settled noisily onto the small rear cushions, he closed the hatch and resumed driving. He drove barely a octafet when the questions bombarded his ears. Murkuria and Thorius immediately begin begging their dad to tell them about the starship they're working on at the Complex. Some of the dialogue establishes that the Furlites have already developed sleeper ships: quote:“It was launched 225 years ago.[9] What would you expect?” Murkuria commented. quote:[9] 225 Aroriellian years are equivalent to 382.5 Earth years. Okay the Furlites can't have developed anything even vaguely resembling "security". You'd imagine an interstellar starship capable of rapid travel across the galaxy would be a massive undertaking subject to at least some kind of classified data restrictions, but the ship commanders just tell their kids about everything going on at work and even bring home completely unsecured disks with all the blueprints! I mean, maybe that is pretty realistic knowing what I know about how humans handle classified intel.... The conversation in the car is glossed over with basic descriptions of how the conversation goes. Thorius admits to having found the disk with the schematics, and Elara tries to pry the details out of him. Geupetus drives down the tree-lined roads until they reach the family's massive stone house. They park the vehicle inside the home's shuttle hangar, where the rest of the family has already landed. quote:Elara hoisted her sagging backsack, then stepped out of the craft. Kanus stepped past her, walking out of the shuttleport. Now we finally have our Matissia of the title! Their mother, Nethunia, also appears to greet them. They talk about whether or not they're allowed to play games on the computer console downstairs before dinner, and whether they'll go to the State Shartball championships. Nethunia expresses her disapproval at Elara and Kanus having gone to the Gamehouse after school, even after she promises that they stayed in the Fun Room where the adults aren't allowed to drink. quote:“I know you would not cause trouble but . . .” This dialogue is such a goddamn chore to get through with the refusal to use contractions. Elara doesn't get the chance to talk about Kanus because Nethunia already found out, and decides to begin dinner conversation with it. Elara promises her grandmother, Isea, that he didn't start it, but she can't believe such a well-mannered boy would fight like a savage from the Furlites' tribal days. Elara snaps at her over it. quote:“I am sorry,” Elara whispered. She tried to stop her trembling. Why had she reacted so? She liked Kanus, but not as bondpartner, nor even as best friend. Somehow, tonight, Kanus’ image jumbled with images of her long-gone best friend, Tes . . . She shook her head violently. NO! She fought the wave of sorrow and grief with tremendous strength of will. She lowered her eyes, ignoring the sudden concern in her mother’s expression, staring at the ornate edge of her aquamarine plate. She studied the play of the light in the glass alloy. Elara starts telling the story of what happened: they were in the Fun Room (which sounds like they were at the playground in a McDonald's) and Kanus challenged her to a match of Star Warrior, but an older drunk Furlite thought he was challenging him to a fight and slashed him with his claws. Kanus maintained his composure and beat the poo poo out of him until some adults stopped the fight. Murkuria takes the time to admit to her fight at school. Her family is in perfect agreement that she acted appropriately to help Tria, and Geupetus finds it a waste of time that the school called his shuttlephone and the house over such a small matter. They diss on Kutius some more, which is okay because he doesn't have a learning disability like Tria so he's just an rear end in a top hat. quote:“What of poor Tria? She is so good-hearted,” Ara asked. “Could something like this hurt her? I mean, will she stay extroverted enough to bond one day?” It's okay Murkuria, I share your sentiment about Furlite sex. Especially when it comes to loving children what is wrong with you Ara. After more insulting Kutius and his family, Geupetus decides to reveal the big news to his family: they've developed the Sunpyne, a starship that can travel at just under the speed of light, and Geupetus has been offered command. Even more importantly, Fleet Commander Siritus has offered crew positions to the entire Clan Darius. Geupetus hands the entire family envelopes inviting them to their positions on the crew with Cadet ranking....except the twins. quote:“Father? What of Thorius and me?” Geupetus looked at his twins, and all exultation drained from him. The dreaded announcement had arrived. The panic in both faces drilled into his heart, but Geupetus steeled himself against those eyes. And there's the rub. Geupetus thinks of Elara's "stunt" from 6 years ago, when she was the twins' age, but it's not yet revealed to us just what she did. Thorius is smart enough to also know that with the near-light speed travel, his family will barely age. The twins will be 37 years old while the rest of the family is only slightly older than they are now, leaving them older than some of their current elders. Surprisingly, most of the family seems to demonstrate absolutely no qualms about leaving! quote:“I believe we should go.” Orios’ voice startled the twins into silence. “We are spacefarers, after all. It is what we all trained for. It is our obligation, to us, to that new ship.” drat, that is cold. Not even a moment's hesitation to leave the kids behind until adulthood. Elara and Nethunia are the only ones who show any kind of reticence, but both of them accept after only a few seconds of thought. Even Elara, who apparently has some deep-seated trauma related to this! quote:“Ara, will you please clear the table?” Nethunia asked, and collected the twins, guiding them to the computer console. She dug into Orios’ case, pulling out two disks. Orios nodded approval. As information on the ship filled the screen, both youngsters roused from their depression. Nethunia walked silently back to the dining area as Thorius’ last audible words -- “I told you it was a real one” -- rang in her ears. Loading the washer, Nethunia watched the twins. Both studied the screen with interest, yawning at the same time. Nethunia concentrated on the cleaning at hand, controlling her inner turmoil. Her mind spun with memories of Ara’s excitement, Elara’s joy, Isea’s delight, and Orios’ jubilation, but the exultant glitter in Geupetus’ eyes burned into her psyche. She feared his zest for life might fade forever if she obeyed her instincts, and forced him to give up command for her. She refused to allow that to ever happen. Deep down, Nethunia perceived that the Sunpyne summoned the Clan to fly again. She rejected the worry and the prodding maternal emotion that threatened her Clan’s destiny. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, ready to board that ship and do her job.
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Sep 25, 2017 19:02
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Speaking of the appendix, I would like to start a new form of mini-update: The World of the Furlites In this segment, we take information from the appendix and read over it. As I said, there's a very extensive amount of information in this book. Quite a lot of it is mentioned in passing (sometimes without context) in the actual text, and in some cases you wouldn't really demand context but Marie decided to tell us everything anyway. Perhaps this should shed some light on Aroriel and Furlitian society. Especially the chapter on reproduction. quote:SOLAR SYSTEM FACTS     As usual, all formatting is native to the text itself. The maps are just as unreadable in the Kindle version as they are here. chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 13:56 on Sep 26, 2017 |
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Sep 26, 2017 13:49
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SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:I find these sort of Let's Reads fascinating because there's so much background work on a goofy sci-fi story...but to what end? Is this a hard vs. soft sci-fi thing? Or a creator spending waaaaay too much time on tiny details of their universe that don't support the narrative in any way? I feel like this is a prototype to stuff like Malatoria or the guy obsessed with illegal divers. I think it's an obsession thing. Marie wrote a multi-book series about furry saurian aliens (inspired by her Maine Coons) that have gratuitous sex scenes on multiple occasions, with an extensive appendix detailing the entire alien government, several dozen invented units of time and measurement, and their reproductive habits. You don't do that because you're really into hard sci-fi. You do that because you have a problem. Also I went back to the original quotes from Curse of Koris that inspired this thread and Kutius is the one in the horrific sex scenes. I guess he really did find someone to do funny things with. chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Sep 26, 2017 |
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Sep 26, 2017 19:05
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The_White_Crane posted:Oh, do tell. Please, I want to know how their legal system works. I missed this question, but from what I remember it's like a libertarian thing where they have a council that does votes and referendums for major governmental decisions but the Furlites are mostly left to their own devices, with things like nearly unlimited freedom to own weapons. Punishments for severe crimes usually involve isolation in the wilderness for various periods of time (including potentially indefinite detention). There's also a murder rate of nearly zero because murderers are executed immediately and evolution has thus selected against people genetically predisposed to kill others.
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Sep 26, 2017 19:11
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JacquelineDempsey posted:So wait, there's only one bathroom, and it's on the complete opposite end from the command room? What chafk-of-a-chybut vutz designed this thing? quote:OATHS, EPITHETS & OTHER FURLITIAN TERMINOLOGY You called him a "poo poo-of-a-ball gently caress."
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Sep 27, 2017 14:27
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Sham bam bamina! posted:A human heart posted earlier about wanting to see the "drunken James Joyce" mentioned in the OP, so I'm pretty sure the complaint isn't that the thread is making fun of a book but that it's doing a poor job. That may be a fair point - I'll admit that I've followed better mock threads - but it's not one that I can entirely agree with, if only because of the post right above yours. I'm waiting to get to the sex scenes. Apparently the spin-off book with Kutius gets to it a lot faster and has like, three of them.
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Sep 27, 2017 16:19
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quote:Murkuria nibbled at the delicious frozen snack in her hand, careful not to drip any on the cushion. Tonight, her favorite treat did not taste the same. Around her, lounging in the Common Room, her family talked, with intermittent attention to the sports program on the big screen. The past seven days had flown by like frightened Matissias. The dreaded day arrived tomorrow. When the Starship, its crew, and their mission made the news days ago, she relished the attention. Congratulations and questions engulfed their octiens[10] at school. To add to that, Kutius’ absence satisfied her sense of justice, though she doubted the bully’s mother’s claim that she belonged to the notorious extinct Clan Koris. All the attention, and Kutius’ expulsion, filled her with joy, but now it meant nothing. The ones she loved most departed tomorrow, leaving forever in her mind. quote:[10] An Octien is one Aroriellian hour comprised of four quats = 4.2 Earth hours. The kids now find the attention for their clan's fame meaningless if they can't go on the trip. Also I want to point out that the ice cream is called "freezeball", possibly a predecessor to the shartball. Across the room, Nethunia is trying to calm down Geupetus. She reminisces on how they first met: quote:Her first day of Fundamental School seared up from deep in memory. At eight years old, the world sparkled new and exciting to her eyes, if not a bit scary. On the playground, she accidentally bumped hard into him. She vividly recalled her terror as this huge boy spun around, a wrestling challenge in his throat. She locked eyes with him, losing herself in that sea of purple. He lowered his hands and beamed a smile at her. She discovered they lived within easy walking distance of each other, to the dismay of her family. She lingered on the old memories a moment, as emotions rippled through her, forcing images into crystal clarity. Furlite society is unbelievably violent. They may claim to have bred murdering genes out of society by executing murderers immediately, but it seems like just about every fight (even between 12-year-olds!) involves people nearly being slashed to death. How do they even get to the point of building starships when accidentally bumping into another mechanic may end in a grudge match on the scaffolding? Elara, meanwhile, is still angsting about Tes and whether or not he still thinks of her after THE MYSTERIOUS TRAUMATIC INCIDENT OF SIX YEARS AGO. Nethunia interrupts her emo moment and reminds her that guests are arriving soon, so she stops "sun-dreaming" and goes to get snacks. There's a mention as Elara grabs the tray of food from her grandfather that Orios is a former farmer and still grows produce at home for the family. quote:“Ah, Bondfather! As usual, these look and smell delicious.” Nethunia took the tray. “Everyone should enjoy this Gathering!” The 12-year-olds are brushing their fur in preparation for the family visit. They remove the clumps of fur from their brushes and drop it in a high pile in a basket. quote:“The fur collector was due tomorrow,” he muttered. “What will be made from this load?” quote:[11] Octade = An Aroriellian decade, made up of eight Aroriellian years, is approximately 13.6 Earth years. One thing that I can't get unstuck from my craw is that they keep using "oct-" prefixes for everything because of their base 8 number system. The problem is that as far as I know, they're not speaking English! Unless the Furlites have a stranger origin than I thought, the author is translating alien words into equivalent English terms that aren't actually real words anyways. Murkuria and Thorius brush each other's backs, and she notices that Thorius has gotten lazy and left huge clumps of knotted hair unbrushed. They play with Iggie and brush her fur, but sudden laughter and talking from another room alerts them to the fact that their guests have arrived and they rush out to join the party. Even their Ancientparents, Caltra and Iseus, are here; the two are over 145 years old, as Furlites are longer lived than humans. The kids quickly meet their teenage cousins, Ceria and Elia (identical white-furred twins), who they're going to be living with while their family is in space. They bond over their shared interest in the video game Star Warrior, but the family surrounds them before they can get to the console. Uncle Cerus grabs Thorius in a big, somewhat unwelcome hug. quote:“Greetings, my Nephew!” Cerus pulled back, but did not let go. “I hear you are doing excellent in school, and on the Shartball field.” Geupetus watches the circle from the other side of the room, happy to see that his kids are cheered up. He takes note of the scar over Cerus' eye, the one he left in that schoolyard fight years ago, and realizes that he never really asked Cerus about his feelings on their former feud. He talks to his Aunt Suria and his mother, Isea, about Suria wanting to pick Uncle Elarus to replace the incompetent Kintus as her Second for her ship. quote:A loud bellow stunned him to silence. Geupetus’ eyes roved the room, then settled on his grandfather, Callistus, a giant of a Furlite. Geupetus glanced down at his own huge powerful body, aware that Callistus bequeathed this trait to him. Callistus raised a glass. I can definitely say that when I see how large my grandfather is, I immediately look at my rippling muscles and think about how his genes gave me strength. That's a normal thing to do. quote:Across the room, the twins battled Elia and Ceria in Star Warrior, oblivious to their greatparent’s bellow and the resultant cheers. All anger and depression gone, they concentrated on the game, surrounded by a ring of youngsters. He has to be back! How else will he have his graphic sex scenes in the spin-off novel? Also, you may find some of this familiar if you first heard about this book in the excerpts in the PYF Terrible Novels thread. The spin-off pretty much directly repeats at least part of this scene, and possibly others. Kutius hangs up, and Murkuria starts crying. quote:“He is not worth it,” Elia added. “He sifzes on everything like an untrained Monius kit, the vachok.” Calling someone a vachok is actually seeming a bit terrible to me, looking back at the appendix describing it as an archaic term for half-breed slave labor. It almost feels like the equivalent of Furlites casually dropping N-bombs all over the place. quote:“They are leaving tomorrow, and it may as well be forever.” Murkuria exhaled in sobs. “Living with Elia and Ceria will be fun, but what will happen after the lights go out at night? I will miss Mother and Father. Uncle Cerus is strong, and Aunt Eselia is kind, but it is not the same.” The beautiful Squet trees framing the Shartball.
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Sep 27, 2017 16:33
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I wonder how much money Marie gets from each Amazon sale.
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Sep 27, 2017 20:40
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The World of the Furlites We get into our units of measurement here! But first, the weird way Furlites read clocks:  I just can't wrap my head around this. You say "twenty-four" out loud by write 30 because it's in base 8? How does changing to a base 8 numerical system cause a number to change to a different one when spoken vs. when written? quote:TIME DELINEATIONS  quote:CONVERSIONS RELATIVE TO EARTH TIME quote:TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS quote:OTHER MEASUREMENTS (measurements are rounded to nearest similar measurement) If I see another equals sign, I'm going to strangle myself with a tape measure.
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Sep 28, 2017 16:08
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Whiz Palace posted:This reminds me of why I started hating Homestuck before most other people did. I'm firmly of the belief that there are two types of Homestuck fans: 1. The ones who pretend to understand it because their friends are into it and they want to join in on dressing up in gray paint and roleplaying. 2. The ones who completely understand it, and therefore are absolutely insane.
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Sep 28, 2017 18:22
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Good news! Our next appendix reading will start on Furlite biology!
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Sep 28, 2017 18:24
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quote:“Hello, Shaltra.” Elara sat beside her cousin, her eyes on the little one. “Your baby is so adorable.” Elara finds her cousin Esurus sitting with her other cousin Thitris, and it's already getting hard to keep track of everyone. Esurus immediately starts the conversation by asking Elara for advice on how to get Commander Ransius to like him at the academy. The rest of their conversation is too meaningless to really deserve recounting, mostly just establishing that Thitris is a class clown and having trouble advancing through the academy because of his poor discipline. quote:“Well, I . . . ” Thitris stared at Elara, his dark russet coat bristling. Wait, hang on. Psi talent? Furlites, what, psychically project emotions to make people feel bad? Literally none of this has been properly established and suddenly our aliens are also psychics. Elara notices that Murkuria is crying, and gets up to get everyone's attention. After a good paragraph or two of Thitris being a dick and everyone mocking him for it, she proposes a game of Walball for the family and sends Thorius to get the game box. quote:“All right,” he replied, a slight smile tugging at his down-turned lips. Elara and the entire Clan waited for Thorius to return with the game. He hauled the large box into the room, then unpacked it. He took the cloth basket and secured it to the wall. As he did so, Murkuria plucked a plastic octagon from the box. Elia ranged alongside, then pulled out a smooth hitting stick and a sponge ball. Elara watched, satisfied, as the twins lost their woebegone expressions, eager to play this simple game. The person to score the most baskets by hitting the sponge ball won, but the toss of that numbered octagon dictated how many chances a player took at each turn. The children gathered around, eager to play. Impatient, Elia took the rod and tapped the octagon. Murkuria nearly dropped it. The kids play for a bit, and Thitris manages to come in last even against preschoolers. Everybody hates Thitris. quote:“He cannot retort back at her now,” Ceria giggled. “I would love to see him try. He is nearly as bad as that slimepot in your class, Kutius.” The "Dokit" thing reminded me, swear words just seem to tumble out of Furlites' mouths like candy from a pinata. If it weren't for them being aliens, Murkuria freaking out at the call from Kutius would have been a preteen just dropping racial slurs in between calling him a piece of poo poo. Also, someone mentioned Kutius being sterile. Here's why: quote:“But I was there.” Elia frowned. “You do not believe me either?” “About someone admitting being related to Koris? Furlite society is horrifying. quote:“If it is true Kutius is a direct descendant, that does explain his idiocy,” Thorius commented. “He and his mother are misfits, and, by their actions, deserve whatever is coming to them. He deserves to lose his chybutz. I hope they remember to get the third chybut, the one that descends at bonding. Then he can never consummate a bond.” Even the children in this book are a bunch of assholes!
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Sep 28, 2017 19:13
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I remember my days in middle school, talking to my siblings about how I wished I could beat a school bully to death (immediately after mocking him for being castrated as punishment for a distant relative's crimes) and how I was only stopped by the threat of immediate execution.
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Sep 28, 2017 19:45
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Samizdata posted:Because, you know, dinosaurs are cool! All kids love dinosaurs! Toward the end of this page. This is what we're working towards.
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Sep 28, 2017 21:27
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The World of the Furlites Now we get into the part everyone is interested in: biology! quote:LIFESPAN INFORMATION quote:FURLITIAN EVOLUTION & RACES quote:FOOD Once more, Marie's limited imagination shows in the Furlitian food. It's mostly just renamed "simple" foods, and they even have their own versions of coffee, chocolate, and ice cream. It feels like only a few particular aspects of this book (like clawing each other to death in schoolyard fights and having three testicles) couldn't be done with humans in the far future. And now, the moment we've all been waiting for. quote:BONDING PHYSIOLOGY & CULTURE Single bonds are the "Nice Guys" of Furlitian society. Also notice how there's absolutely no mention of homosexuality in Furlitian society, but you have males loving twin sisters and growing gigantic balls to deal with it.
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Sep 29, 2017 16:14
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quote:Across the room, Elara watched the four trot quickly to the console, straining to hear the conversation between the children. Whatever they discussed kept the twins in a decent mood, though Murkuria and Elia looked rather angry. A large audience formed around the console as the twins started up the Star Warrior game. Elara smiled inwardly as little Shervus struggled to break his sister’s grasp. Pria held him tightly, but the little mischief struggled harder. I've already started to lose track of all these characters, and they mentioned that Clan Darius is crewing the ship so I have a good feeling we're going to be taking the whole drat party along for the ride. The greatparents begin to cry, as Elara remembers the implications of the 25-year journey. quote:“I understand,” she said softly, blinking back stubborn tears of her own. “I will cherish this sack forever.” The Furlites of Aroriel: I will cherish this sack forever Geupria also has new sacks for the twins: Thorius gets one covered in photographs of various spacecraft (with the Sunpyne on the big top flap), while Murkuria gets one covered in images of Iggie based on photographs she had sent them last winter. quote:“Look! Look! Matissia!” With what we know of Furlites and Murkuria in particular, Shervus should count himself lucky he didn't end up with his severed head being spiked into a trash can. They try to let Shervus pet Iggie gently, but his mother Sira freaks out and scoops him up; she's a city slicker who thinks Matissias are all dangerous beasts. The rest of the family convinces her to let Shervus pet her, and even Sira gets in on it. They all apologize and everything is forgiven. Is it just me, or is there practically zero conflict in this book? 80 pages and Kutius being a dickhead and the stress of leaving the twins behind have been the only sources of conflict. There's been plenty of arguments and disagreements, but every one of them has so far been resolved with everyone apologizing and forgiving one another before moving on to a different subject. quote:Elara stared after her siblings, amazed at Murkuria’s fury. The rage that blasted into her own senses far exceeded anything she had ever felt from her sister before. As the ruckus died down, Elara turned away and drifted through the room. She meandered over to Shaltra and baby Surius again. She smiled at them, and the baby opened his eyes, cooed, and smiled toothlessly at her. STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR WEIRD CAT SEX HABITS WHEN A BABY SHOWS U-- Oh the chapter just loving ends here. That's swell.
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Oct 2, 2017 20:35
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Tagra posted:So their lifespan is 130 years (229 Earth years) but they're already getting it on well before 19 (whatever the gently caress that is in Earth years). Makes sense Well, there's still direct Earth parallels like the age of adulthood being around 18 and the legal drinking age being 23. It seems like they just have a very long "elderly" period where they become senior citizens at the normal time and then last for a good hundred years after.
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Oct 3, 2017 02:00
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Sham bam bamina! posted:Kutius was castrated entirely on his own terms. Somehow this makes it worse. Also, I apologize if I don't have rapid updates or a whole lot of cheer recently. My fiancee kinda left me yesterday and I can't tell when or if this depression is ever going away.
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Oct 4, 2017 15:02
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Sham bam bamina! posted:That's awful. I hope that the "kinda" means that you might end up back together, but if not, I hope that this gets behind you quickly. I'm not sure right now. She was acting strangely for a while and suddenly announced yesterday that she had secretly been unhappy for the past 6 months of our engagement and I couldn't fix anything. At the same time, she didn't take anything but a single basket of clothes and left almost all of her other belongings with me and she just said "I don't know" when asked if moving out also meant she was breaking off our engagement permanently. I just don't know. I'm not a sobbing fit any more but I don't think I'm getting over this for a long time, if at all. You can't just put years into a person and build your future around getting married and having kids and then just shrug your shoulders and move on when she suddenly tells you "gently caress that".
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Oct 4, 2017 19:44
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I'm feeling a bit better, so back we go into the chybuts.quote:Thorius awoke to the sounds of laughter and lively conversation. He slowly sat up, confused and very depressed, blinking in the bright light, and remembered. Only octiens now remained of his last day with his family. Thorius sighed, and went to the window to stare out at the glorious winter morning. The snow glittered with illusive rainbow sparkles, and the sun slanted past the thick tree branches to cover the yard in lacy patterns. Murkuria’s two Mountain Squet trees stretched smooth, naked, grey-barked branches into the sky. Murkuria sat next to him. Nethunia comes to get the twins for breakfast, but sits with them and hugs them after seeing them cry. The conversation is basically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxDInu6wOYg&t=11s They eat breakfast quietly and sullenly, hot cereal Orios made from their own grain growing. The family shares small talk, like about putting warning signs up along the Floodlands and Ara's team winning the Shartball game. Elara leaves to go pack, and Geupetus follows her. They're allowed to pack whatever they want on the Sunpyne as long as they can carry it, so Elara fills her sack to the brim until it's nearly too heavy for her to lift; she's used to it from carrying so many fossils home from her Paleontology class. quote:Geupetus paused. The casual way the Furlites treat sex comes off as really, really creepy. Any dad that's concerned about his 19-year-old daughter not loving enough has a lot of soul searching to do. Most of the day passes quickly from there. Geupetus approaches his bondfather Enlis to try and clear the air regarding his feud with Cerus back in school, but Enlis waves it off as happening too long ago to matter. Finally, it's time for the family to leave. Thorius and Murkuria are left in the care of their grandparents and cousins to cry themselves out. When he's put to bed, Thorius ignores sleep in favor of staring longingly out the window. He catches a glimpse of his mother's old shuttle....and remembers that he knows its locking and ignition codes. quote:“Why did I not think of this before,” he muttered. “I can drive Mother’s old craft! I can! And I know the way to the Space Center well!” Keep in mind that these two kids are literally 12. I'd be surprised if Thorius can even see over the dashboard. quote:“Do you not listen?” Murkuria hissed. “Elara barely made it a octyle[12] before she was caught! What makes you think we can do better?” quote:[12] Octyle is equivalent to a kilometer, or roughly a half a mile. Thorius explains that Elara was only caught in her as-of-now mysterious activity because she drove like an rear end in a top hat in the daylight, where it was easy for the cops to see that a child was driving. Thorius has never even driven a car before, but he's seen people do it so he's confident that he'll be fine. Murkuria still refuses, and Thorius goes to bed defeated in his attempt to progress the plot faster than a snail. Murkuria has a nightmare of seeing her family getting aboard the Sunpyne and walking into an empty black corridor, the door slamming shut in her face. quote:“Thorius! Wake up!” 
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Oct 9, 2017 20:18
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The illustration is actually the start of the next chapter, but I stumbled upon it and couldn't restrain myself.Pesky Splinter posted:It is it ever explained why none of the hideous things ever use contractions? They get made fun of for "baby talk" whenever they do, so presumably they consider the use of contractions immature and improper grammar.
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Oct 10, 2017 20:10
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Lysistrata posted:I'm really glad to see that you're feeling a bit better, chi. I enjoyed your Lani Sarem thread a lot, and I was missing my chybut fix here. Best wishes to you and keep on keepin' on. Thanks a lot. My friends have been doing well to keep my spirits up. I'm heading to a Halloween movie night with them where we're going to watch Hocus Pocus and a currently undecided second movie.
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Oct 10, 2017 21:09
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The World of the Furlites Let's get into some information on the organization that our kids are planning on breaking into: quote:SPACE FLEET INFORMATION The "SPEP" there is part of the original text, likely a typo left in by the author. quote:Space Fleet Rank System Our final update for this chapter is about the Furlitian government. quote:ARORIELLIAN LAW & GOVERNMENT quote:THE ARORIELLIAN CHARTER As far as I can see, there's little to no real violation of these libertarian-lite principles that we've encountered in the book despite the Furlites being so violent that even children need to restrain themselves from killing each other on the playground (with only the threat of immediate execution seeming to work). It almost comes off as them having developed a perfect government free of any complaints beyond occasional crime. Plus, you know, tearing each other's stomachs open in bar fights.
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Oct 13, 2017 20:43
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SerialKilldeer posted:That eugenic "weed out the murderers" thing didn't work very well, did it? I mean, we haven't seen anyone actually kill each other. Playground scuffles between preteens just involve massive gashes and it's considered a mark of incredible self-control to punch your opponent instead of gutting them.
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Oct 14, 2017 02:20
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anilEhilated posted:One thing that always struck me as weird (admittedly, it's not just this book that does that) is the one planetary government thing. It'd bring a whole new set of problems and SF writers just shrug it off. It should have been lovely to form, too. Apparently the Furlites were a bunch of warring tribes that eventually signed peace treaties, and the shock of a single dictator was enough to convince them to mix the races and thus create everlasting peace. It comes off as racist in a really weird way: different races will never get along unless they mix into a generic shade of brown and everyone is alike.
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Oct 15, 2017 16:15
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quote:Geupetus ushered the family from the house to the shuttleport. He paused before entering the hangar, and stole a quick last look at the home he loved. He turned, and strode to the family shuttle. In complete silence, everyone climbed into the big family shuttlecraft. Geupetus slid into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle, guiding the large craft onto the road. The late afternoon sun slanted long red-gold beams through the trees, bathing the snowy road and forest in a lacy pattern of fire. I put 2 years into someone and planned out an entire future around her and I'm nowhere near as much of a wreck as she is! Nethunia, sitting in the front passenger seat, is still doing that thing where she struggles against her maternal instincts but steels herself and doesn't actually do anything. She also blinks back tears. quote:As the city drew closer, Elara’s talons clicked faster. She heard little of the conversations that swirled around her, dimly aware of each individual voice. She thought only of Tesuris. Why had he stopped contacting her? Could he have suffered some sort of trauma and forgotten her? What did he look like now? Most important, would he, too, find her sexually unattractive? Her lack of interest in sex troubled her deeply. She worried about the possibility of his rejection of her sexually. Her talons drummed harder. Okay the whole sex addiction with this species is kinda making me uncomfortable now. As Ara tries to calm Elara down, the shuttle pulls off on a side road before reaching the city toward the University of Cosmic Sciences. The tall gates stand out across the prairie, and she can't decide whether she's excited or worried or stressed about her ex. quote:Nethunia wondered what Elara thought of seeing Tesuris again, recalling the first meeting between the two. When Elara turned five days old, Telluris and Rania visited her, as they often did back then, bringing three-year-old Tesuris with them. The boy took to the baby immediately. He cuddled her, brushed her, and played with her with tenderness rare in children that age. Nine-year-old Ara tried to explain to Tesuris that Elara was not his new toy, but another Furlite. He stared at her, and, with a glare, stated, “No. She mine.” Ara had virtually no patience, and, in exasperation, gave up trying to talk to the boy. That memory amused Nethunia to this day. I have some concerns about the author of her Maine Coon aliens have such an interest in sex that teenagers not wanting to bone all the time is a sign of worry, and being a virgin at 19 is cause for alarm that the entire family should look into. They're finally distracted by the first sight of the sleek, buttplug-like craft. Its base color is shiny gold, with markings in copper, black, and white. In other words, gaudy as all gently caress. Geupetus parks the family shuttle in the hangar reserved for Fleet personnel. They cross the main parking lot to the apartments for crew and students under the shine of Aroriel's three moons, a rare sight to see for a family that leaves in the forest. A young Furlite and friend of Ara, Satra, is running the front desk when they get in. She leads them to their apartment, 27, and everyone makes sure to put their palm on the door lock to ensure that it recognizes them. quote:“Elara?” Geupetus smiled at her as she placed her trembling hand on the pad. Yellow light slivered past her fingers before turning blue with a soft buzz. Elara exhaled relief, glad her hand triggered no alarms. Geupetus stepped into the quarters. Off the main room, three sleeping rooms bunked two each. A small bathing room finished the apartment layout. Everyone filed in, and, as Elara turned around, she gasped. Why thank you for all of that exposition, family. There was certainly no better way to express this information to us. Elara decides to bathe before dinner, digging out her combs and brushes before running to the bathing pool and diving in. Without any conditioner, she just shampoos her fur and repeatedly dives in and out of the pool and swims underwater to rinse. Has it been too long since Elara stressed about her ex? No? quote:“Oh, chafk,” she murmured to the empty room. “What if he wants no more to do with me? Did I anger him? I must have, because he severed contact so abruptly. One day, he talked cheerfully over the vidphone; then the next day, nothing, not a letter, nothing!” Elara’s voice caught in a sob as tears suddenly stung her eyes. “Could he have bonded? Chafk, I should be happy for him, but the thought kills me,” she mumbled. quote:Another snarl pulled at her scalp. Carefully, she untangled that, and settled down for the task of combing out the longer hair on her tail. The comb suddenly snagged on a nasty knot near the base of her tail. She tugged, pried, and yanked, gritting her teeth, but the tangle worsened. She poked, and pulled, but the matt responded by knotting up into a big dark-russet ball. Frustration erupted, and tumbled ferociously, combining with her anxieties over Tesuris. The emotion bloomed, mushrooming up from her guts, overwhelming her too fast for her to stop it. For one of the few times in her life, Elara lost control. With a scream of rage and grief, she flung her metal comb across the room. It skittered across the tiling to plop into the pool, landing on the first step. She broke into hysterical weeping, unable to stop it, and, somehow, not wanting to. The whole family hears Elara throwing a tantrum over a boy and Nethunia goes to see what's wrong. We also finally learn in a small aside exactly what happened with Tesuris that caused such a problem: quote:Geupetus’ thoughts flew back to the day his best friend, Telluris, gained his first Command, leaving the Sauri for a new ship. Telluris’ spouse had been injured on a previous mission. Grounded by the injury, she decided to take her children, Tesuris and Sathria, with her back to Tital, to stay with her Clan until she healed. "What did you do when you were 12? I played Grand Theft Auto at my friend's house and didn't tell my mom!" "I stole a car and tried to drive to the other side of the planet to see my crush." Geupetus, buddy, I don't think the problem with your daughter is that she's not getting laid. Nethunia goes to her daughter, who's back to hysterics in the bathroom, and asks her what's wrong. Unable to think of anything sensible, Elara says she has a knot in her tail that she needs help with. Nethunia finds some generic conditioner in the cabinets for her, but is pretty drat aware that her daughter isn't a wreck over a knot in her hair (though considering how unstable she is, I wouldn't be surprised at this point). Elara finally admits to her mother that she's suffering a psychotic breakdown over a childhood crush who's going to be serving on the ship with her. Nethunia says that she thinks Elara bonded to him, which is why she's so obsessed with him and lost her mind when he stopped talking to her. Elara is terrified that it was a single bond (where she bonds to him but he doesn't bond to her), but Nethunia waves this off as very rare. She figures there must be some other explanation for why he hasn't spoken to her. While Elara finishes washing up, Nethunia returns to the family to explain what happened. quote:“It seems Elara has been bonded to Tesuris all this time.” Along with being a wild theory, a literal infant bonding with a toddler is a level of creep that approaches "Jacob imprinting on Nessa" heights. Before they can talk much more, a robotic server rolls into the room to take dinner selections. It'll have to wait.
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Oct 20, 2017 15:19
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SerialKilldeer posted:I know this last bit is meant to be very stirring and heartbreaking but, aside from the creepiness, I can't take anything that involves the name "Furlite" seriously. It sounds like a cheap knockoff of the Furby or something. The way these things are depicted in the illustrations doesn't help either. A cheap knockoff with a sex obsession.
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Oct 21, 2017 03:51
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Elara comes out of the bathroom after her mother yells for her to come to dinner.quote:“Ah,” Elara rubbed her hands together. “The Sorsa steak, with the whipped Gurt roots, and the diced Jala roots. For desert, nothing less than that dark Kaba cake, with lots of frosting! I will just have water to drink.” Everyone laughs, but they seem to be trying to avoid looking at Elara; they're all uncomfortable after hearing her crazy outburst. Ara talks to her a little about it, but it's mostly just a repeat of the last conversation. quote:She feared the worst, the dreaded single bond. Why else would he not contact her? As the food arrived, Elara pushed her worries away. She dove into the meal served on plain colorless scuffed Fleet gear that resembled baby dishware. She scowled at it briefly, but hunger won out over displeasure at the worn-out tableware. She shoveled in the food, and as she filled, sleepiness drooped her eyelids. After the meal, she bid everyone good sleep and sprawled on her bed. Slumber claimed her in minutes, but old memories and disturbing dreams battled in her mind. She tossed and turned on the cot all night. Elara awakens to the sun shining on her tail and Ara calling her to breakfast. There's a whole paragraph detailing her morning routine, which includes using a tiny electric sander to polish her talons so they look bright and shiny when she inevitably freaks out and tries to gut a cadet. As they eat breakfast, Geupetus reveals that Siritus is on his way to look over the cadets personally. In a "quat of an octien", Siritus arrives. quote:The door slid aside, and Elara gazed at the Ancient Furlite who walked into the room. His fur shimmered silver. Not a strand of creamy white, russet, gold, or red marred the elder’s spectacular coat. Such pure lack of color, she mused. To have such silver fur, how old must he be? The hair itself glowed, with a healthy sheen, not like most very old Furlites, whose coats often grew shabby, brittle, and coarse with age, as had her Ancientparents’ fur. Both lacked the sheen and beauty this elder’s coat displayed. The shiny black Medallion resting on the Fleet Commander’s chest drew her attention away from his fur. Eight gems, representing the entire sun system, sparkled from their glossy black stone setting. At the center of the magnificent stone, a perfect circle of white diamond gleamed, glowing from within, refracting light in brilliant clarity, representing Roch, the sun of her homeworld. Elara gives a confident reply about her capabilities instead of being a shrinking violent like most cadets Siritus sees, so our protagonist gets extra props from him. After he leaves, Geupetus confirms that Siritus is 131 years old (which makes him 230 in Earth years, being born around the time of the American Revolution). Despite his silver fur, he works out regularly to stay buff and the family wonders if he has so much energy because he's waiting until he finds a proper replacement before retiring or dying. A few hours later, it's time for them to leave for their first briefing; Elara realizes that Tesuris will be there and starts panicking. quote:The group paused momentarily outside Space Center Administration as Geupetus spoke his name and rank into the intercom. He placed his hand on the identification pad. The door swished open immediately, to reveal a spacious lobby. As they trotted down a long corridor, Elara peeked into some of the rooms. Furlites bustled around computer terminals and laboratory tables. A few sat behind crowded desks. Elara nearly bumped into Ara as the pace slowed. Geupetus led them into a large room. Staggered rows of well-cushioned seats lined the floor. The polished granite podium at the front of the room glistened a rich white. The marble wall behind the podium shimmered in wondrous shades and patterns of lavenders, pinks, and maroons. As they paced down an aisle, Elara noticed a small group of Furlites who had arrived early. She recognized the large Furlite with predominantly golden fur as Telluris. Her father did, as well, and his cheerful greeting echoed in the large hall.  Yes. Gorgeous.
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Oct 31, 2017 17:42
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 09:49 |
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It's honestly hard for me to keep going with this. I'm cutting out 3/4 or more of these chapters in my summaries, so you can imagine how awful it is to try and read in full. So many pages and still almost nothing of consequence has happened.
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Dec 25, 2017 00:57
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