“Unique among the eikones in this respect – although argument continues among a minority of theologians that the Divine Ignition may possess a single Aspect of infinitely variable manifestation rather than an infinite number of Aspects – ElmirÃën possesses but a single Aspect, befitting his nature as the eikone of order, structure,
Danger Deadpan: The combination of a firm commitment to Stiff Upper Lip and neural-lace enabled electronic emotion management make this trope, if anything, played even straighter than it is in Real Life… where it’s already played pretty damn straight.
Slavery violates the Universal Accord on Sophont Rights. It also violates at least half a dozen other solemn articles of interstellar law – the kind which, as matters which offend everyone’s sensibilities tend to do, are applied ecumenically even to non-signatories – and, indeed, the natural order of things. None of
Cyborg: This is the default state of being for most Imperials, and indeed postsophonts in general. Although in the Empire, it usually takes the form of large numbers of nanosomes and nanocytes, with maybe some subtle and mostly internal implants, on the aesthetic grounds that Giant Robotic Parts are so
“To propose taking apart, possibly explosively, a star by means of, or to use as, a weapon is to suggest a violation of Tier I, Chapter I, yes, and a serious war crime. Call the chaps at Harmonious Serenity. “To propose doing exactly the same thing for science, on the
Cyberpunk with a Chance of Rain: Magen (Magen Exodus), throneworld of the eponymous Magen Corporate, is like this. In amusing irony, Magen’s planetary weather was this miserable before the governing cartel of the Associated Worlds’ closest approach to a cyberpunk dystopia got hold of it – not that it’s
“It wasn’t so bad for colony kids; we’d never known anything else. But while we were growing up, we could watch our ship-born parents wince every evening at the thought of eating dead animal and dirt-grown plants. As for what they put on those plants to make them
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Averted, inasmuch as they don’t cause you to become emotionless, sociopathic, otherwise insane, or terminally angsty. On the other hand, played at least somewhat straight where mind enhancement is concerned, since sufficient mental augmentations do tend to cause a few issues when you look around
In political galactography, the principal distinction to make is that between the two sets of worlds found in most developed polities, the Metropolitan and the Ecumenical. In the beginning, whether through caution, limited colonization budgets, or having begun with sublight colonization using lighthuggers or generation ships, most polities begin colonization
And here, at last, are the final six cards (previous 1-6, 7-12, 13-18). 19. THE STAR A vacuum-suited herm kneels in the harsh red-tinged regolith of an unterraformed world, wearing the gauntlet of a nanolathe on hsis right arm, and holding a cornucopia in hsis left, from which water spills
Cyber Cyclops: Generally averted: parallax is too useful a tool in building sensors for moving things to give up (although static computers not built to do much physical-world manipulation, I suppose, often use single cameras for vision). Although in some cases there may be only one kind of any given
“Yeah, vacuum won’t kill you. Should you find yourself falling free out of a big hole in your ship, stay sharp, and keep your eyes shut and your mouth open the way they teach you when you go out for your S-license, and you ought to live through it.