In these far off days, would it really still have been 'women and children first'? I'd have thought everybody would be mustered into weapons training. I know I'd rather face what was going to eat me, with a weapon, rather than cower, just waiting. Feminist rant over.
Ah, I see you reason like a citizen of the Technostates… there, they all fought, side by side, but the end was inevitable. For our narrator, and the culture he comes from, there is still a strong religious difference between the role of The Man and The Woman. It makes for a different reading experience, clearly ;)
The context makes all the difference. And you’re probably right. It’s a pipe dream that once the physically stronger sex takes control of society, that they might one day agree to step down a rung and share it. It hasn’t happened yet and we’re supposed to have already reached that breathtaking stage of consciousness :)
I’m always open for teamwork opportunities. If you have something concrete to discuss, send me a PM and we can see where it goes.
Fair warning though: I am a little bit hyper-focused on my Mars Fire novel right now, so my time for other projects is a bit limited. Don’t take my silence as disinterest in this regard.
I must confess something that will make the Lovecraft comparison even stronger: the ending of this story, where they are trapped in the hall with no way out? That comes straight from a dream I had a handful of years ago. The tunnels swarming with creatures, the relentless and inescapable feeling of being surrounded, with no way out… that comes straight from the dream. It left me with a very uncomfortable feeling for weeks thereafter, and it was a relief (of sorts) to finally write about it now.
If there is any peace to be had from such dreams it is that we all can have these feelings of hopelessness, despair and being overwhelmed, yet despite this, we are still here. We are not overwhelmed. All things must pass, including despair. We know the enemy and yet we stand.
I am currently working on my story about the vampiric clouds. I have two main ways that it can go. One is that it is hopeless. And there is a good story in there on how we deal with it, similar to your story here. The other is that somehow we survive it either through our strength or their weakness. The jury is still out.
I like the hopeless option, to be honest. It is the tragedies that stay with us, after all - think of all the classic tales that have survived the ages. Personally, a good tragedy makes me appreciate the real world more. Post-tragic tale, I always think to myself: “You know what, life could be so much worse" - and then the air tastes just a little bit sweeter after that.
What a way to begin a Sunday!
In these far off days, would it really still have been 'women and children first'? I'd have thought everybody would be mustered into weapons training. I know I'd rather face what was going to eat me, with a weapon, rather than cower, just waiting. Feminist rant over.
Ah, I see you reason like a citizen of the Technostates… there, they all fought, side by side, but the end was inevitable. For our narrator, and the culture he comes from, there is still a strong religious difference between the role of The Man and The Woman. It makes for a different reading experience, clearly ;)
The context makes all the difference. And you’re probably right. It’s a pipe dream that once the physically stronger sex takes control of society, that they might one day agree to step down a rung and share it. It hasn’t happened yet and we’re supposed to have already reached that breathtaking stage of consciousness :)
I like your use of the word “supposed” there…
Yeah, I had difficulty getting my tongue out of my cheek.
I want to collaborate with you. You're an amazing writer and your style seems so much like my own.
I’m always open for teamwork opportunities. If you have something concrete to discuss, send me a PM and we can see where it goes.
Fair warning though: I am a little bit hyper-focused on my Mars Fire novel right now, so my time for other projects is a bit limited. Don’t take my silence as disinterest in this regard.
This is epic as fuck and I'm not even halfway done reading it.
If Lovecraft had written Science Fiction it would look like this. Excellent.
I must confess something that will make the Lovecraft comparison even stronger: the ending of this story, where they are trapped in the hall with no way out? That comes straight from a dream I had a handful of years ago. The tunnels swarming with creatures, the relentless and inescapable feeling of being surrounded, with no way out… that comes straight from the dream. It left me with a very uncomfortable feeling for weeks thereafter, and it was a relief (of sorts) to finally write about it now.
If there is any peace to be had from such dreams it is that we all can have these feelings of hopelessness, despair and being overwhelmed, yet despite this, we are still here. We are not overwhelmed. All things must pass, including despair. We know the enemy and yet we stand.
It reminded me of the Lovecraft story “The rats in the walls”.
Oooh yes! I have that one somewhere - between all the moving boxes and new shelves - and I’ll definitely need to re-read it again soon.
I am currently working on my story about the vampiric clouds. I have two main ways that it can go. One is that it is hopeless. And there is a good story in there on how we deal with it, similar to your story here. The other is that somehow we survive it either through our strength or their weakness. The jury is still out.
I like the hopeless option, to be honest. It is the tragedies that stay with us, after all - think of all the classic tales that have survived the ages. Personally, a good tragedy makes me appreciate the real world more. Post-tragic tale, I always think to myself: “You know what, life could be so much worse" - and then the air tastes just a little bit sweeter after that.