Trope-a-Day: Fantastic Slur

Fantastic Slur: Assorted people both outside and unfond of the Empire return this with interest, contributing “shinies” (style with no substance, plus tech-obsession, plus a poke at the unfortunately-timed coinage of “Bright Empire” on a public newscast), “coggies” (part-machine), various where-relevant cultural references to zombies, possession and pod people (reinstantiation, mindcasting and the existence of the Transcend’s shared hyperconsciousness), and generically, “Those Mad Bastards”, plus all the usual insults leveled at superpowers that everyone/no-one wants to intervene/not intervene everywhere/nowhere right now/never, etc.

Among the AI part of the Worlds, especially the ones who didn’t, shall we say, get a good impression of biological life from their early upbringing, the use of “meat intelligence” or (especially) just “meat” in place of “biosapience” or “protein intelligence” is a slur.  “Meatfucker” is a term directed at those AIs who maintain relations with biosapiences, even if those relations don’t extend to actual technogamy.

And, for goodness sake, make sure you sound out every syllable in Imp-e-ri-al, unless you’re trying to make a bad impression.

And there are plenty more… but there’s really not enough time in any universe even to think up what everyone calls everyone, it being such a universal trope and all.