...building civilizations with my space elves in space.

Eldraeic Word of the Day: níaóhál

níaóhál: the sound that a fírastal (cat) makes. It is derived, first, from the onomatopoeia for the sound itself (níaó), and secondly from the emphatic-imperative suffix used when issuing commands. It is known, after all, that cats speaking to large, clumsy, dull creatures do so almost exclusively loudly, slowly, and

Even Flatter Than Kansas

If you want to study serious metric engineering, you do it at Selintri-Andracanth. It’s the only place going. Oh, come on, you say. They have metric engineering classes at dozens of universities, and besides, Imogen Andracanth didn’t need a VFSL! Well, yes, they do, but even those universities

This Is A Drill

LANCET-CLASS FEL BORE Operated by: * Blue-Green Ecociates, ICC * Atalant Materials, ICC Type: Orbital Bore, Free-Electron Laser Construction: Starflight Shipyards, Seléne Length: 1.2 km Beam (primary hull): 72 m Beam (storage rings): 324 m Gravity-well capable: No. Atmosphere-capable: No. Personnel: 18 Drives: Nucleodyne Thrust Applications 4x1 "Sunheart VI"

All-Natural

So if you've been wondering where I've been all month... ...well, I've been rather preoccupied with becoming naturalized at last, you see. Good day, my fellow Americans! (And to everyone else, normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.)

Insecuring Security

CALMIRÍË, ELIÉRA - Addressing current extranet rumors in a press conference given outside the Fortress today, a Daríë Qanlídár, speaking for the Imperial Security Executive, was unable to confirm or deny whether the JADE NEEDLE program - in any form described by the rumors - or indeed any usage of

Excuse Me, Constable

Today in worldbuilding, we're going to talk about the uniforms of the Watch Constabulary, the Empire's policing service¹. Now, to be clear, this doesn't include the Office of Investigation and Pursuit (who aren't part of the Constabulary, strictly speaking), who wear regular

Cultivation

Despite centuries of terrible research by terrible people, sophotechnology has not provided either protein or machine intelligences with any viable technique to sandbox evil. Istar Essenye, wakener

God-Poking Tank

SNARgocz-class applied eschatology vehicle Builders: Probable Technologies, ICC, based on an original design by the Society of Nanoscale Artisan-Researchers Length: 48' Width: 20' Height: 16' Propulsion: * Dual Treadwell tracked drivetrain, powered by * Empire Nucleonics, ICC, "Ember"-type low-power radiothermal generator Maximum speed: 15 mph (naked)

Unconventional Courtesy

Despite the many quirks of the House of Blood-Streaked Marble¹, the most curious features of the House Sargas estate are not to be found there, but rather fifty miles north in the small hill town of Voivars, buried in the high valleys of the Dragon's Nest Range. Voivars

Genesis Planet

(This is one of two write-ups of Luciverine (Eponian Cluster), in response to reader request. This is the purely canon version, rather than that found in the Friendship is Sufficiently Advanced shardverse.) Every colony exists for a reason. Which is to say that these are no longer the wild days

Ulculp Five-Arms

Ulculp Sky-Watcher / dreamer and gazer In shallows he / the sky counted Naming the lights / unhidden at moon-dark While sea in foam / blazed with small folk Spring gales blew / over black ocean Red light flamed / across empty sky Mountain-fall's thunder / splitting the waves Silver whale leaps / from sky to

Or Not

As per edits to the previous post, it seems that for annoying reasons the new ActivityPub feature for Ghost I was planning to use can't publish posts to Mastodon in a convenient manner that doesn't involve dumping entire full-length posts where they shouldn't be.