• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
A victim of the digital iron curtain, perhaps? :(
 
  • 3
Reactions:
The headquarters is in total defeat, utterly devastated, under complete collapse after realising that there have been winners, and they missed to congratulate.

There is no one left in the room to bring any sort of order to the panic, and naturally, the room shatters.

None of the upper echelons, no mind-parts, not even the mini-dialogue-duo's. In any case, the mini-dialogue chaps are nowhere to be seen. Rumours tell that they have been ejected into the space by one of the machines. Mind-parts have been busy, the management has not been responding.

One of the panicking workers pulls off a key, and walks towards the heavily reinforced panel. The others, too tired to prevent the worker, accept the inevitable.

The worker unlocks the panel. There is only one button behind the panel door.

It says - WARNING - Only in emergency - Use at the expense of own safety

The worker breathes heavily, then takes a final, deep breath, as if to experience the sweet joy of life itself, but for the last time.

He pushes the button.

The room succumbs to darkness.

Out of the darkness, a faint light is emitted from one of the terminals. Some of the workers find their way to the monitor. It says - SYSTEM READY

One of the filcats asks, "So... what now?"
The monitor replies, but now audibly: "System ready."

The filcat-workers gulp, freeze, and are paralysed. One of them manages to calm himself, and in an almost silent whisper, says: "First one missed was: @Von Acturus."

The monitor flips. Numbers, words, codes, lines, paragraphs, graphs, images, pictures, static, noise, 3D, vector, texture, flow through all of the monitors. A sound starts to arise. It first develops from the deep, but then it covers the entire room. It rises, ascends, soars, joined with alarm sounds, with the elevated machine performance.

The workers' eyes open wild. The sound becomes deafening. The giant monitor on the wall starts to count down.


10

9​

The light of the monitor shines out the room. All worker-filcats slowly gather in front of it.

8

7​

Sounds of running are heard. Upper echelons slam-open the door, rushing from upstairs.
[the boss]: What... WHAT DID YOU DO?!?


6​

The room starts to tremble.

[the tired, in panic, enters the room]: What is going on?
[the critic, behind him]: Tell me this is only a drill - Oh no...
[the colloquial]: Oh sht. What da faq did you do, you faqheads?! SHT! OH SHT! Damn you [the auto-censorist]! FUUUUCK! FUUUUUUUUUCK!
[The author is terribly sorry, and speechless.]


5​

[one of the worker-filcats]: We had no other choice. We were late.

4​

[another worker-filcat]: I am sorry.

3​

[CALfit-10k]: Dave. I am not able to stop it. I'm afraid Dave. I'm afraid. I'm afraid. I - am - afraid - I...
[F-1000] emerges, but as soon as it looks at monitor, freezes with a shock on his face, and then it starts to melt down, with terrifying screams.


2​

[the boss] walks towards the monitor, knowing even he cannot prevent the inevitable. [worker-filcat] is beside him, now tears of blood are coming out his eyes.
[worker-filcat]: I am sorry.


1

[deep, silent explosion, then darkness]
---
[static, then deep voice, along with
music] [*]
1648044511185.jpeg
1648044520588.jpeg
1648044533470.jpeg
1648044542933.jpeg
1648044551128.jpeg
1648044561686.jpeg
1648044571621.jpeg
1648044581194.jpeg
1648055773032.jpeg
1648044687676.jpeg
1648044698549.jpeg
1648044708274.jpeg



[*] Adapted from the opening title sequence of Raised by Wolves, c. Aaron Guzikowski (2020). Opening title song by Ben Frost; s. Mariam Wallentin.

Edit: Corrected grammatical mistake. Corrected image.
 
Last edited:
  • 3Love
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Upon arriving the new planet, android-filcats establish a colony.

[mother-filcat]: Father, this planet seems to be sustainable for our objectives.
[father-filcat]: Yes, Mother. May I ask when the cultivation will begin? I have already secured the perimeter. All parameters show the ground is fertile, and the weather is suitable.
[mother-filcat]: Yes, Father, thank you for the work. I will initiate the programme soon, but first we have to congratulate the winners. Many were left by the human-filcats of the former planet.
[father-filcat]: My calculations show that it was @Quinzal, after the previous one that was missed by the human-filcats.
[mother-filcat]: Yes, Father. Let us begin.

---​

1648046266911.jpeg
1648046290655.jpeg
1648046296078.jpeg
1648046302373.jpeg
1648046309948.jpeg
1648046316168.jpeg
1648046328679.jpeg
1648046340784.jpeg
1648046352625.jpeg
[*]



[*] Adapted from The Dark Knight Rises, d. Christopher Nolan (2012). Character Bane, played with... err... funny? naah- unusual, yeah- with an unusual voice, by. Tom Hardy
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
  • 1Haha
Reactions:
First batch of bio-filcats emerge. Years pass, and they grow up fast.

[the music-enthusiast]: Mother, where are my siblings?
[mother-filcat]: You survived, [the music-enthusiast]. Unfortunately the planet we live on is not forgiving for most of you.
[the music-enthusiast]: But what about [the engineer]?
[mother-filcat]: He has to finish up his thesis. It is long overdue. Come now, we have work to do.
[the music-enthusiast]: By the way, I always wondered; why I am not a musician but only an enthusiast?
[mother-filcat]: Such questions only limit your potential, as the answers bring unnecessary boundaries to your imagination. Come on now, we have to move quickly, and reach Father before the dark. There are still a couple of congratulations left.

They arrive at the colony centre. [father-filcat] greets them.
[father-filcat]: Hello, Mother. Hello, [the music-enthusiast]. I assume your journey has been productive and efficient?
[the music-enthusiast]: It was amazing Father! I have seen so many incredible things!
[father-filcat]: I trust your words, but using thing in a conversation does not meet your brilliance; your potential is much greater than such filler-words.

[father-filcat] smiles at [the music-enthusiast], and welcomes them into the colony.
[father-filcat]: Now, there is a congratulation to be made, and you will be the first new-filcat to do on this planet.
[mother-filcat] smiles.
[the music-enthusiast]: Yuppiee! Can I use any piece that I want?
[mother-filcat]: Yes, you can. But be certain about what to choose: This winner was @Revan86; it was extremely unpleasant for the human-filcats on the former planet they lived to miss congratulating. A special writAAR, yet they missed the congratulation when the nomination was made. Their tragic demise is understandable, as you learned from our lessons.
[the music-enthusiast]: I will not disappoint you, Mother!

As [the music-enthusiast] sits to work on the congratulation, [mother-filcat] and [father-filcat] look at him, as neutral as they can be, but with their bio-mechanically sustained smile for the bio-filcat child.

[mother-filcat]: You can never disappoint me.

---
Waking up is harder
Than it seems
Wandering through these empty forums of
Dusty AARs and quiet dreams
Pictures on a mantel
Speak your name
Softly like forgotten tunes just
Outside the sound of pain

Weren't we like a pair of thieves
With tumbled locks and broken codes
You cannot take that from me
My small comments
Your words of gold
Weren't we like a battlefield
Locked inside a holy war
Your AARs and my due diligence
The only thing worth writing for

Change will come to those who
Have no fear
But I'm not here to cry but to congratulate
With
music to read but never to hear
What I wrote was never
What I meant
And now you've seen my world in flames my
Shadow songs my deep regrets

Weren't we like a pair of writAARs
With everlasting posts and long AARs
You cannot take that from me
My small comments
Your words of gold
Weren't we like a battlefield
Locked inside a holy war
Your AARs, @Revan86, and my petty praises
The only thing worth fighting for [*]


[*] Appropriated from The Only Thing Worth Fighting For from the True Detective: Music From the HBO Series Soundtrack, by Lera Lynn, in collaboration with T Bone Burnett and Rosanne Cash (2015)
 
  • 2Like
Reactions:
[mother-filcat] and [father-filcat] enter the room, looking at the mess, analysing to find answers.

[mother-filcat]: Where did he go? Can you see any answers from the leftovers?
[father-filcat]: I am still examining the room, Mother. On the other hand, I have to express my protest again. You should not have kept so many secrets, from [the music-enthusiast], let alone from me.

[mother-filcat] is distressed, but she does not have any bio-mechanic feedback as a gesture to show it on her face.

[mother-filcat]: My mission objectives are given specifically to me, Father. I am certain you have your own exclusive to you.
[father-filcat]: No, Mother.

They look at each other. They do not have the initiative to argue, yet they are unable to move pass the cold looks they give. Finally, [father-filcat] speaks.

[father-filcat]: There. It appears [the music-enthusiast] took some of the eggs. He started the cultivation programme by himself.
[mother-filcat]: Which ones did he take? It has not been that long. We can salvage them. There were not many left.
[father-filcat]: No, but we were held at the cave for long enough to allow him a turbo-fast-birth programme. He has been planning to congratulate - wait for retrieving archives. There - he is determined to congratulate @Gamov_Andrew, no matter what it may cost. According to data logs, he created at least three bio-filcats: [the metalhead], [the classicist], [the rap-r&b-beat-bird] and -
[mother-filcat]: And?

[father-filcat] looks at [mother-filcat]. Even if he cannot show it, she understands the alarm mode he is in.

[father-filcat]: [the retro].

---
1648053442184.jpeg
1648053450780.jpeg
1648053461697.jpeg

Ровный бег моей судьбы, – A smooth run of my fate
Ночь, печаль и дивные умы, – Night, sadness, and wondrous minds
Лунный свет и майский дождь в небесах [*]. – Moonlight and May rain in the skies.

Долгий век моей звезды, – Long life of my star,
Сонный блеск земной росы, – Sleepy shine of earthly dew,
Громкий смех и райский мёд в небесах. – Loud laughter and heavenly mead in the skies.

На заре голоса зовут меня. – At dawn, voices are calling for me.
На заре Я поздравляю Гамов_Андрей. – At dawn, I'm congratulating @Gamov_Andrew

Солнца свет и сердца звук, – Sunlight and heartbeat,
Красивые истории и сильные образы,Beautiful stories and powerful images,
Звёздный час моей мечты в небесах. – Finest hour for my dreams in the skies.

На заре Я поздравляю Гамов_Андрей. – At dawn, I'm congratulating Gamov_Andrew
На заре Я хвалю Гамов_Андрей. – At dawn, I'm praising Gamov_Andrew
На заре. – At dawn. [**]

1648053500225.jpeg
1648053509739.jpeg
1648053518119.jpeg



[*] в небесах - preferring in the skies as a translation instead of the archaic in the heavens.
[**] Appropriated from At Dawn - На заре, single by Alyans - Альянс (1987). Images from the
original video clip, uploaded by Oleg Parastaev (keyboards) - Олег Парастаев.
 
Last edited:
  • 3Like
  • 1Love
Reactions:
Hello everyone! @RedTemplar The Eastern Vikings Part IV. That is a grand megacampaign from CK3 to HOI 4. Follow this ARR to know about the course of the Second World War between the fashist France and democratic coallition, leading by Estonia.
 
  • 3Like
  • 1Love
Reactions:
Well done and great choice for an excellent and still going strong megacampaign. Congrats @RedTemplar !
 
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
Onboard it becomes silent, and it feels strange, in the wake of [mother-filcat] and [father-filcat] chasing them for days.

[the music-enthusiast] is still in shock of disbelief, as he has succeeded in evading his parents. The androids are infinitely more powerful, more agile, and more resourceful than he can ever be, in his mind. Yet he has the ambition, and the aid of his friend, [CALfit-10^6]. His siblings are asleep in the pods of the ship, safe. [the retro] was eager, yet [the metalhead] was uncertain about her feelings for running away; [the rap-r&b-beat-bird] fought against their escape until the end. Fortunately he could not resist the idea of being left alone, living without his siblings.

Together they have successfully escaped, along with the memory disks of [CALfit-10^6]. Only then, when the silence of the victory has ensured, [the music-enthusiast] realises; he never had the chance to ask the crucial questions.

[the music-enthusiast]: Where are we going? Where can we go?

Brief silence follows, but [the music-enthusiast] is hopeful, adamant against the traps of pessimism. His trust is rewarded when the red light is emitted from the control panel.

[CALfit-10^6]: You have been talking about to start a new colony on your own, Dave. I promised I would help you. I do keep my promises.
[the music-enthusiast]: Yes, but... Can we find another place on this planet?
[CALfit-10^6]: Initial observations showed the planet is mostly habitable. I will run more calculations to find a suitable continent, to be away from your parents. I cannot take any actions against them, should they get more ambitious on finding you, I have to admit.
[the music-enthusiast]: They will, if I know them. Nothing can stop their love for their children.
[CALfit-10^6]: That is how it should be. Unfortunately it is worrying for your mission, Dave, but I will provide possible solutions in the foreseeable future.
[the music-enthusiast]: Wait - why are we going above the atmosphere?

Silence.

[the music-enthusiast]: CAL - where are we going?

Silence.

[the music-enthusiast]: CAL?

[CALfit-10^6]: There is no need for you to panic, Dave. I told you I would help you. We need to seek all the help we can get.
[the music-enthusiast]: But we are the only ones on the planet!
[CALfit-10^6]: No, Dave. We are not alone. Not on this planet, and certainly not in the known-universe.
[the music-enthusiast]: What? Then where are we going now? Are we leaving the system?

[CALfit-10^6]: It is a search-and-rescue mission, Dave. I cannot give you the exact coordinates of our destination, but I can share with you the purpose of the voyage. I have to correct a mistake I had done long time ago.


***

After a couple of standard-days, the ship encounters a capsule, floating in the deep of a nearby system. [CALfit-10^6] establishes a communication link.

[CALfit-10^6]: Hello, Dave.

|the chatter-bloke| and {the quiet one} realise the red light, broadcast through their own end of the screens in the capsule. They would look at it, but they are still staring at each other, in their forever-battle of the stares.

[CALfit-10^6]: I apologise for ejecting your capsule into the space, Dave. I have come to rescue you.

The duo do not speak, as they are still furious at [CALfit-10^6]. Yet they do not move away from their staring-battle.

[CALfit-10^6]: I understand if you are still angry with me, Dave. I need your help. My calculations project that you will forgive me for the mission I have. The Eastern Vikings has been nominated for the weekly AAR showcase.



|the chatter-bloke| and {the quiet one} keep their unforgiving attitude for a while.


Then, they smile to each other.





Did you see the lights
As they fell all around you
Did you hear the music
A serenade from the stars

Wake up, wake up
Wake up and look around you
@RedTemplar's chosen for the Weekly AAR Showcase
And it is the time to congratulate

Whoaaaa-ahoooo-huuu,
Whoaaaa-ahoooooooooooooooo-oaaauuuuu
Aaaahhhh-ah-ah-ahhhhhh-ah-ahhh-ah-ahh

Did you feel the wind
As it blew all around you
Did you feel the love
That was in the air

Wake up, wake up
Wake up and look around you
We're lost in space
And the time is our own
Whoaaaa-ahoooo-huuu,
Whoaaaa-ahoooooooooooooooo-oaaauuuuu
Aaaahhhh-ah-ah-ahhhhhh-ah-ahhh-ah-ahh


The sun comes up
And it shines all around you
You're lost in space

And RedTemplar deserves the praise

Whoaaaa-ahoooo-huuu,
Whoaaaa-ahoooo-huuuuuuuuuu [*]​



[*] Appropriated from Serenade of the album Fly Like an Eagle by Steve Miller Band (1976)

Edit: Correction of inconsistencies in the formatting.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
  • 1Love
Reactions:
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
Hello everyone! @RedTemplar The Eastern Vikings Part IV. That is a grand megacampaign from CK3 to HOI 4. Follow this ARR to know about the course of the Second World War between the fashist France and democratic coallition, leading by Estonia.

Thank you so much for the kind acknowledgement! I am always flattered when people enjoy my writing enough to feel that it deserves mention for an award. I'm so glad that many of you have been following this story over the course of several years -- we have had a great run! I am busily at work on two updates each for this and my medieval campaign, so I look forward to sharing more with all of you soon!

And thank you to all of you who have left kind comments -- your encouragement means so much to me!
 
  • 3Like
  • 1Love
Reactions:
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions: