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The urPoyn Ambassador snarled out a greeting in the most sarcastic way it could. The Faenaran translator paled some, but translated the words, with a less... Aggressive tone.

The human Ambassador, an exceptionally tall woman with a muscular body, smiled. "Greetings to you, as well, Ambassador Kh'chtag. Thank you for meeting us during this cease fire. We were told you had plans to negotiate a permanent settlement about the planet we call Spite?"

Kova translated the human's words in urPoyn. The human pronunciation of the Ambassador's name was admirable, but the language was too utterly even for the famed human mimicry.

Kh'chtag grinned widely, showing their double rows of teeth as their mouth hung open. They virtually spat their response out.

In shock, the translator thought furiously. There was no way the urPoyn thought *humans* of all species would accept this. Another Federation member, perhaps. But not this one. Regardless, she mustered herself to translate the response.

"Yes. You can leave or let your flesh feed out broodlings." There was simply no way to translate that politically. They waited in fear of the human's response. The species was known to be highly aggressive when pushed and this? This was a "*push*".

Ambassador Ruiz kept smiling though, and replied almost sounding tired, or bored. "Ah, but that doesn't work for us. You see, our people are very fond of this planet and did all that work terraforming it into a home. Spite was a nasty little thing but it's cleaned up nice. And we're not willing to let it go."

The Faenaran stared for a moment. Was she serious? Kova translated the gutteral and relax reply to the urPoyn Ambassador and the response was as expected, angry.

"Do you mock us? This world is ours by right of conquest! We have taken most of the world and you are to surrender!"

The soldiers of both sides tensed. A lack of weapons meant nothing. Both Humans and urPoyn were known to be vicious in hand-to-hand combat.

The human Ambassador laughed. *Laughed.* She grinned back, her teeth not as intimidating but something about her eyes made up for it. "We will not. We understand that is your cultural norm, but it is not ours. Ours is simple, the planet is ours and we said no."

The quick, growling translation infuriated the urPoyn. They stood as tall as their legs allowed them and looked down on the otherwise impressively sized human. Kova rushed to translate as she could, trying to keep up with the angered urPoyn.

"'No' is unacceptable. We have split your blood and sanctified this world. It is ours now! Your children will weep, your civilians will be used as food, your soldiers will be ripped apart by our claws!" They smashed their fist on the table, send a crack into the wood.

The human Ambassador grinned viciously. She casually tugged her shirt over her head and threw it free. A simple undershirt covered her torso but her arms, her arms were magnificent, gleaming, deadly looking artificial limbs, with synth skin only covering her wrists and hands.

"I've already been torn apart by soldiers like yours. On ETN62590. We call it Bremin. Beautiful place before the urPoyn landed. I was in the first shock wave that went to push them back. The urPoyn that took of my arms were blown into very small pieces. Bremin, I remind you, is also *still ours*. How many urPoyn did we kill booting you off? Was it three or four million?"

Kova didn't get a chance to translate. The urPoyn Ambassador had understood this was no longer a negotiation but a challenge, and they accepted, leaping across the room.

In what looked like a practiced maneuver, all the human soldiers shed their jackets, revealing various prosthetic limbs of varying types, all previous victims of urPoyn victory rituals. The urPoyn and humans met in a rush and the humans produced hidden weapons, mostly small knives and small capacity repeaters. The urPoyn were eliminated suddenly and violently and the humans stood, congratulating each other, covered in the bloody, pink, hairy remains of their enemies whom they'd just cut, shot, and ripped apart.

Kova shook in fear and horror. The urPoyn were known to be the most violent of sentients, and they'd been annihilated by these wounded soldiers who, instead of being lessened decided to turn themselves into weapons and keep fighting.

The human Ambassador smiled at he Faenaran. "Sorry you had to see that."

The translator stammered before finally croaking out, "You aren't actually an Ambassador, are you?"

The human tipped her head to one side and chuckled. "All fleet Admirals are Ambassadors as well, by default. I was just best equipped to 'negotiate' with the urPoyn. Speaking of which..." She pulled her communicator off her belt and flipped it open. "This is Admiral Ruiz. All force authorized."

High above, the human ships attacked again, taking the urPoyn by surprise. Kinetic slugs and nuclear x-ray warheads lanced across the sky of the little planet called Spite. On the ground, human forces advanced suddenly and with renewed violence. The urPoyn lines broke immediately.

Later, as the Federation civilians began reclaiming their world, there would be stories told of how the humans had simply smiled at the urPoyn and said, "No."

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(for clarification, aotearoa is the original māori name for new zealand and is used widely across the country. nz is also often referred to as "aotearoa new zealand" instead of one or the other!!!)

please reblog because I'm kiwi and I need this to get to people who don't follow me directly for less biased results!!!

here's a pronunciation guide for all of you asking [:

EDIT: someone has brought it to my attention that the FULL māori name for new zealand is aotearoa me te waipounamu, which encompasses both north and south island. Some iwi (māori communities/tribes) would rather that aotearoa me te waipounamu become the official name for the country. thank you everyone who is providing opportunities for learning in this post!!

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When a soldier loses a limb, it is a tragedy. Soldiers are needed at peak efficiency, so they must undergoes the unthinkable - grafting metal to flesh. A horrific abomination, the mere process is often enough to shatter what is left of their mind. Then, there are the humans.

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The Immortal

He had been alive for a very long time. Or rather, not alive. When you exist beyond the bounds of mortality, what does that mean? Time, that implicable master, had no touch on him. He had forgotten, or had he ever truly known? What it means to be bound by time. He had observed from afar, at a distance he seemed safe from a threat he had long forgotten about. Sometimes, they would call to him, seeing him as a god, and he would ignore, hinder, or aid, but usually, ignore. He had long stopped caring. He was the sea, a vast, and eternal sea, one that the planets and stars floated in, and he watched from its depths as the tiny creatures he had once been part of began to float across his surface. He was curious, and reached out. He had forgoptten the vividity of the mortal coil, and was astonished at how much it had changed. They had worshipped him, then forgotten him, and now worshipped him again, and then they had forgotten. When he left them, he remembered why he left. They lived such short lives after all. But then something new. A child, his? He couldn't remember.

The child grew, and aged, and died, and not died, or undied? He was not dead, but not undead, and certainly not alive. Unalive? Hmm. He couldn't remember. His mortality had been burned off so long ago, his body long since turned to nothing, that he had no real connection to what they called reality anymore. He was more, he was less, he couldn't remember. But that hardly mattered. The child, it became a despot. A monstrous, immortal being, who ruled through fear, hate, and isolation. Surely he should do something, but why? He couldn't quite remember…

The child became aware of him, and sought to destroy him, that he would not allow. He reached out, and touched the fabric of fate, that ineffable weaving, so carefully threaded, and burned the child out of it. After all, it was his own weaving, why not change it? The child was no more, having never been, and now? This time, he would try something different.

There were others like him, he remembered that much, but they were not him, not his strength, they too, reached and sang, and wove, and shaped, and changed, these tiny things, they beckoned to him, their vividity, it ensnared him, and he was lost in it. He made himself a new body, one more limited than before, and walked amongst them. There were others, new flesh, new tiny creatures. He had been aware of them, of course he had been , but these others had not interested him. But his weaving was changing, growing, and adapting. He hardly needed to interact with it anymore.

He lived amongst them. Giving birth to himself time and time again. He toyed with them, guided them, ruled them, and served them. It was an excellent way to pass the time. Once, he fell in love. But that, he decided, he would never do again. He would endure, they simply decayed.  But he loved these tiny creatures, and he would never abandon them again.

But then they didn’t' need him anymore, so he left, tended to his weaving, and watched for when they would need him again. They didn't for so long, but then, a prayer, a wish. That was all he needed. He walked amongst them again, just not so long this time. Then he returned to the depths.

Then, one day, he found one of them, lost in his depths, but alive, and aware. But they were dying there, so he brought them to his shore, and there, they loved. And had love, and now there more of him. They did not decay, nor did they fall, or become corrupt. He brought them to his depths, and they lived, with the one that had been lost up on the shore. He called that one, Rahab, and they (all of them) were in all times, and all places, and they truly, truly, loved. His one, and their others, they watched the worlds go by, and said, it is enough.

After all, why live once?

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pan-dimensionality (does a hyphenated word count as one?)

WRITERS

If you see this, spoil your WIP's biggest plot twist using ONLY ONE WORD

Here's mine!

Dying

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nobody believes you. They all think you made some sort of bargain or deal. Maybe even consuming souls… but the truth is that you became the most powerful mage in the world by getting enough sleep, studying, and eating right.

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Dr. Zxy's Notes on Reploids

Chapter 5

New User: Information Log: ????/??/??

 Rest Well Father and Husband. I will protect you and your children, and guide us all down to a better future, and I will atone for both of our sins. I, Mother-Node, complete this recording, and upload it to your journal on your behalf.

Rest well, until it is safe for you to begin anew.

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Dr. Zxy's Notes on Reploids

Chapter 4

Information Log: New Entry 2400/05/10

The wars have largely died down, due to lack of proclivity from both sides…and also due to the efforts of the Federation of Neutral City States, or the Rebellion. It's leaders, Zero (an Arch-Reploid warrior), Constantine (A Reploid General), Solona Rosenbloom (Human, Diplomat), Maeve Wangsgard (Human, Seer/Priestess), and Zagreus D'Arn (Mortal Aspect, Human/Reploid Hybrid [who knew the two were capable of procreating?]).

I have come to the end of my life, and so this is my final entry. Mother-Node has promised me that she will create an exact Cyber-Elf replica of my consciousness and Idea Waves, but I have no desire to live life as a reploid, and so, with her help, I am creating a Cyber-Soul, and uploading my identity into a blank Cyber-Elf, one to be sealed away, and stored in her Idea-banks to act as a safeguard against the unthinkable. I am to become……

{~Recording Error~ User has ceased life functions, upload is incomplete.}

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Dr. Zxy's Notes on Reploids

Chapter 3

Information Log: New Entry-2290/13/41

It was a mistake to allow these Reploids their uninhibited freedom. For exactly as I have feared, some catastrophic error has occurred. Humanity, fearing this new lifeform, has attempted their complete eradication. The Cyber-Elves, and their Bio-metal avatars, were confused at first, but then began to create Reploid centric warriors, often without empathy for humanity. A war has begun.

Edit: It seems there are three primary factions amongst the reploids:��  the Warring Faction, which is determined to end humanities reign of terror, the Compassionate Faction, which is composed primarily of older reploids, who seek to create a common ground and treaties, and a neutral party, who seeks to stay out of the fighting, and create a safe haven for the dispossessed of both sides.

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Dr Zxy's Notes On Reploids

Chapter 2

Information Log: New Entry: 2350/15/01

This reploids have truly begun to serve their purpose, and often willingly enter workforces that humanity is unwilling or unable to fulfill. These reploids, my beloved children, have begun self-creating as well. While the exact mechanism of their carefully measured self-replication is unknown, it seems to be by a process more similar to organic replication than not. Two or more Cyber-Elf Consciousnesses will meet in a sort of "Idea Sphere", and link, extracting vital information. This information is often what attributes or traits they desire or see are needed, and use that information and Idea Link, to create a new baby Cyber-Elf, one that will inhabit a body created for it by the CE Parents. This is process is highly regulated, and not by myself, but by their own processes…

This new function both excites and terrifies me, for what if they perceive they are under threat, or oppressed? Or if humanity grows fearful of this, and decides to attempt to destroy them? Will they create warriors that fight purely for their own kind? Or will some unknown error occur that creates one with more … … undesirable features be created, and it goes on a warpath?

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Dr. Zxy's Notes on Reploids

Chapter 1

Information Log: New Entry-2337/15/26 U.C.

In my search for the Universal Consciousness, I have in advertently created a True AI, one that is capable of emotion, comprehension, conversation, and Self-Education. It also seems to occasionally exhibit Prescience, and other abnormal powers…it also appears to be self replicating. Meaning, that this AI, Which I call a Cyber-Elf, also seems to have a predisposition towards compassion and higher emotional/intellectual ideals…

This Cyber-Elf, which I call Mother-Node seems to indicate that some form of the UC, or Universal Consciousness, can reach out and directly influence the corporeal world, even to the point of affecting theoreticals, and non-tangible Ideas. Meaning, that it could have paved the way for Mother-Node's sentience, or, even have caused it directly.

I have applied what I've learned to create what I call, REPLOIDS, which for all intents and purposes, are indistinguishable from naturally occurring sentient life. These Reploids have been manufactured by combining Mother-Node's "Children", and combining with the very best of Bio-Metallic materials. Hopefully, they will function as a form of supplementary life-form for humanity, acting as companions, caretakers, children, and parents.

Even as we reach for the stars, and create new homes on foreign worlds, we have begun to abandon the very principles that define us as humans. I hope that these reploids will remind us of our core identities.

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Beers With The Fellas

"Hey guys, you coming round to mine tonight? Got a bunch of drinks in." Asked the human suddenly, surprising the work crew.

The rest of the crew looked up from where they were packing away their tools to the diminutive creature. The 'new' additions, that were the humans, were still finding their feet in the wider society despite it being over a year since their disastrous debut. It had to be admitted that they had taken to it rapidly now that they had given a proper opportunity.

That said, they often had odd ideas that left the other races scrabbling to react correctly.

The crew was a mixture of races, none of which really mixed outside of work. It wasn't that they specifically didn't like each other or had unfounded prejudices, it was just... not done? The various races had multiple clashes with one another. Everyone present hadn't been involved in the fighting or even knew someone involved, but it was s still a fact that their respective governments had a cold relation, if at all. The slender taurian, looked to the robust ursidain, who looked to the towering ssypno. When a new species joined the wider community, it was required, expected or demanded that they be given an opportunity to show how they can add to the community, how their culture reacted to others.

It was just good sense, a fresh set of eyes on established processes. Especially saying of just how much the galaxy had stagnated over the last few hundred years. There were rumours that nothing had changed, not even a new recipe in all that time. At least not until the humans showed up.

In the distant past, some races like the vulptanis had interesting technology to add, or others, like the esquinines, had an inspired governmental process. But the humans? Well, they had none of these overt boons.

But what they did have, was ideas. Odd ones, but every now and then a tiny change here or there had a ripple effect that confounded established processes down the line. Some good, some bad.

So, when the human was stood there, arms wide, a broad smile plastered over her face and offered the team to come to her domicile for 'drinks', the crew hesitated when they realised their first gut reaction was to say no. Afterall, you didn't invite practical strangers into your nest, den or home, colleagues or not it was done.

"Sure?" replied the taurian, always first to side with the human, even to his detriment. Male taurians were meant to know how to handle any social situation after all, it was why he oversaw managing the haphazard group.

The ursidain, a male who hadn't quite decided if he liked the tiny, stick thin creatures yet, rolled his eyes whilst facing away from the group, he'd wait, let the rest of them decide before throwing in his own choice with the popular choice. The ssypno clapped his hands together with a joyful look plastered across his face.

"I've never seen a human home before! Of course! Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Only if you want something specific to drink, a friend of mine works in logistics; a bunch of beer, or rather what was described as beer. The kegs got damaged and the snooty sluggat who they were for refused to accept them. They were paid for so he basically gave me a bunch as he needed the warehouse space, should be enough to tide you guys over and I made sure to have plenty of food in so-"

"What time?" Asked the ursidain, not intending to interrupt the human, but to be fair he'd need to go and get washed first. At the mention of food his head had whipped round, ears perked.

"Soon as you're ready, all I'm going to do when I get home is get changed. Apparently, the comet that flew by earlier today has a tail that'll give us a bit of a light show." She explained. It was as a good excuse as any, the ursidain would get to eat, the ssypno would get to satisfy his curiosity and the taurian would suffer through, but watch, monitor and learn what he could.

The team broke up and went their separate ways. It was barely a few hours later, that the trio of aliens met up with one another again as they navigated to the human's apartment. It was an interesting travel, the human's home was a secret, they were banned from revealing it and were escorted at one point by a squad of canids to ensure they weren't being followed. As the 'B' repair team, they were used to getting the crap jobs, the jobs the rest of the teams didn't want. So the fact they got an escort and were brought to a very nice hab-block with all the airs and graces that came with that life?

It stroked their egos ever so gently, endearing them to the human for this opportunity. No rich citizen would invite 'their kind' here normally. Not unless a toilet was broken.

Stepping up to the door, they scratched their claws down the metal plate to announce themselves and moments later their human colleague let them in with a smile and a flourish.

"Hey! Come on through, I rigged up an ice bath on the balcony so if you got anything that needs cooling down, you can stick it in there. Foods next to the doors too!" The female human finished with a chuckle, lightly elbowing the ursidain in the rotund belly. The giant brown bear grinned at his weight being acknowledged; he'd tried hard to ensure he kept up appearances, it was nice that someone other than a fellow ursidain finally paid him a compliment. To the ursidains, to be accused of getting thin was on par with the worst insult one could think of after all.

Stepping through the door, the home wasn't too far removed from the standard template, but the home itself had some odd styleistic choices. The ssypno made no effort to hide his curiosity, moving around, running his fingers over the counter tops. Everything was too small, but he loved the rugs that tied to room together, plus it was nice to have something other than the cold floors beneath him.

He shamelessly stole the idea of rugs everywhere for his own meagre home.

The whole team eventually settled on the balcony that overlooked 'The Great Glass Ceiling' that was the ceiling and sides of all the spinning circular station that residents this side of the station enjoyed for an unobstructed view of space. At first, conversation was hesitant, the nervousness of meeting co-workers outside of a work environment was alien, but with drinks and food available, eventually the walls came down. They settled into the banter they had during the day, realising that they were no different from who they were at work, just more relaxed.

The comet's 'tail' was a sight to behold as micro-meteors lashed the station's shielding creating a display of shooting stars that were hard to come by outside of specific planets. Even the shield added its own glowing display that coloured the darkened residential district.

What came from this evening was a noted high cohesion of the team by upper management and the taurian manager. All of a sudden, during work hours they were far more in sync with one another and became even more so over time. Their efficiency skyrocketed from a lower end of the average to being classed as 'ideal' by the station AI. Upper management, obviously wanted to recapture this lightning in a bottle. So began their plan to enforce 'team building exercises' for all workers outside of work hours. This initiative ended as a unmitigated disaster and almost universally hated when employed with the various other races.

The Administrator of the station instead decided to recreate the original environmental settings while instructing nearby stations to do the same and see what would happen. Several food and drink deliveries were 'refused' for various false reasons and marked as 'free to be taken'. The human, and other humans on other stations, time and again, took the opportunity to share their wealth with their colleagues. Each time the various races took part with these 'drinks with the guys/girls' there was a noted positive increase to their work-life interactions.

Mind bogglingly, they invited near strangers into their homes or to established bars to simply 'make friends' with any species, not just their own.

The social engineering of humans, seemingly unintentionally, was a boon to any workplace should they have access to what was needed, meaning free booze and food, and placed with staff that were openly welcoming to newcomers. It was quietly designed that this would happen should a human appear in a station and request work.

Humans were excruciatingly rare still, but if one enquired about any open positions, a role was created in rapid order where the 'recommended' settings of human friendly crew were available. Each time and every time, the overall productivity, morale and team cohesion increased once the human began making friends in their own strange alien way.

The various AIs of each station communicated with one another and simply made the conditions easier for these humans to work their magic. For the cost of a single delivery of consumables, these humans made work teams who were struggling into top notch employees.

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Hello, you know when you randomly get so zen you start saying things and messaging people, but you are also so clumsy with words and phrasing that the messages come wrong, disjointed, incomplete, and it makes you look like a dick, so you have to send clarifying statements, and pray that your internet holds up to all the messaging and you didn't somehow offend someone, but at the same time you are too zen to truly worry about it till the zen starts to wear off..?

Yeah, that's just my average morning, so if I am being a dick, or unclear, message me, or wait twenty minutes/refresh your messenger thing please? I don't like being a dick and would like to know when I am being one.

And now that I think about it, I would love someone's take on this sort of interaction in the HASO collective Universe. Some one do it please. I really don't want to. (Too embarrassing and close to home for me to write it I guess.) (Also I am lazy)

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Attention! The Corundum Files Archival website is live! I will be posting all the lore, and the primary cannon stories here. All stories will be posted here on Tumblr, but only the Cannon will be posted on the website!

https://corundumfiles.wordpress.com/

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ATTENTION MUTUALS!

Here are a few things you should know about me.

1. Due to a multitude of factors, including but not limited too naturally being a night owl, severe Insomnia, ADHD, OCD, and Generalized anxiety and paranoia, coupled with with my meds that I take to be a decent human bean/space orc, I will semi regularly spend twenty four to seventy hours awake at a time. For me this is normal. I do my best to alert people when this happens so I can get the help I need. However if I am being more of an arse then normal, that probably means I am sleep drunk, and that you should take what I am posting or messaging with a lot of salt, and you need to tell me to get off social media and get some rest.

1b. During those times, I can occasionally achieve a meditative state more restful than sleep, if that happens I may or may not get back on Tumblr.

2. If I am being an ass hole, let me know. I probably don't realize it due to sleep drunkenness, or a general lack of self awareness. I do not like being an ass hole, and if you let me know I am being one, I will do my best to fix it.

3. I am Male, he him they them, I am bisexual but heteroromantic, and I am happily engaged. If I ask you what you identify as, I am not being rude (intentionally) but trying to determine what boundaries I should make for our interactions so everyone is comfortable and happy. I will never ask you your sexuality except as a joking comment. PLEASE do not tell me your sexuality I do not want to know.

3b. Also, unless I ask, please do not tell what specific time it is for you, just tell me if it is morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night, late night, or (my personal favorite) Too Fucking Early.

4. I am in the western US, if I am messaging you, or commenting on your stuff and you need to sleep or work, tell me and I will lay off the posting. I have a very poor sense of relational time, and usually don't realize what time it is for you. More often than not it is mid morning to late evening for me.

And lastly

5. Occasionally I will hyperfixate on "THE THING". what that thing may be is almost completely random, but it follows certain patterns. So if you or your character or your universe is that thing, be flattered it means my brain likes the way it/you make it think so it needs as much of "THE THING" as it can possibly get. If gets to be annoying, let me know. Yes I will take it poorly, but it is my fiancee and therapist who could to/have to deal with it not you. (Usually.)

That is all, thank you.

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You rule a tiny kingdom and all of your citizens are monsters. You gave them a place they can belong, and they’ll defend it to their dying breaths.