There are certain signs in a sci-fi book that things have gone very badly wrong and the heroes and possibly the entire planet, galaxy, or multiverse is about to get boned with absolutely no lube involved. I'll get the ball rolling.
1) The stars going out. This is pretty much self explanatory. An epidemic of star death, especially unexplained star death, is always very, very bad.
2) The stars are being inexplicably red shifted. This is even worse, because the scale is usually bigger and the reason for the red shift is always bad.
3) Something has happened to the moon. It's gone. It's blown up. It has huge scars on it. It has a giant image of Hitler's face carved on to it. This is always bad.
Bad Signs in Sci-fi
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Cynical Cat
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#1 Bad Signs in Sci-fi
It's not that I'm unforgiving, it's that most of the people who wrong me are unrepentant assholes.
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Stofsk
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#2
4) Long range scans have picked up the approach of a large space vehicle of some kind. Moving to intercept. Maximum magnification indicates the vehicle is shaped like a cube.
(not as cosmological as cat's examples, but still a bad sign)
(not as cosmological as cat's examples, but still a bad sign)
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General Havoc
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#3
5. A team of deep-sea drillers is being called to the White House for a special mission...
Gaze upon my works, ye mighty, and despair...
Havoc: "So basically if you side against him, he summons Cthulu."
Hotfoot: "Yes, which is reasonable."
Havoc: "So basically if you side against him, he summons Cthulu."
Hotfoot: "Yes, which is reasonable."
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Dark Silver
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#4
6) "That's not a moon...."
7) That giant metal planet is heading right for us! Why does it have a mouth?
7) That giant metal planet is heading right for us! Why does it have a mouth?
Allen Thibodaux | Archmagus | Supervillain | Transfan | Trekker | Warsie |
"Then again, Detective....how often have you dreamed of hearing your father's voice once more? Of feeling your mother's touch?" - Ra's Al Ghul
"According to the Bible, IHVH created the Universe in six days....he obviously didn't know what he was doing." - Darek Steele bani Order of Hermes.
DS's Golden Rule: I am not a bigot, I hate everyone equally. | corollary: Some are more equal than others.
"Then again, Detective....how often have you dreamed of hearing your father's voice once more? Of feeling your mother's touch?" - Ra's Al Ghul
"According to the Bible, IHVH created the Universe in six days....he obviously didn't know what he was doing." - Darek Steele bani Order of Hermes.
DS's Golden Rule: I am not a bigot, I hate everyone equally. | corollary: Some are more equal than others.
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SirNitram
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#5
'Multiple contacts on closing vectors.. Unknown profiles, no recignition codes.. Uh.. They're not ours.'
Half-Damned, All Hero.
Tev: You're happy. You're Plotting. You're Evil.
Me: Evil is so inappropriate. I'm ruthless.
Tev: You're turning me on.
I Am Rage. You Will Know My Fury.
Tev: You're happy. You're Plotting. You're Evil.
Me: Evil is so inappropriate. I'm ruthless.
Tev: You're turning me on.
I Am Rage. You Will Know My Fury.
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General Havoc
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#6
"This is Captain Katheryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager..."
Gaze upon my works, ye mighty, and despair...
Havoc: "So basically if you side against him, he summons Cthulu."
Hotfoot: "Yes, which is reasonable."
Havoc: "So basically if you side against him, he summons Cthulu."
Hotfoot: "Yes, which is reasonable."
#8
The great big evil enemy flagship that demolished everything up to this point is destroyed after a long series of battles where it was whittled down at tremendous cost. The tide has turned, the bad guys fall back to the beachhead of their invasion.
And another shows up.
Then another.
And they don't stop coming.
And another shows up.
Then another.
And they don't stop coming.
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frigidmagi
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#9
Megatron.
That is all.
That is all.
"it takes two sides to end a war but only one to start one. And those who do not have swords may still die upon them." Tolken
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rhoenix
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#10
Unicron.
It would only be better if he broadcasted his message of doom and despair in Fat Bastard's voice.
It would only be better if he broadcasted his message of doom and despair in Fat Bastard's voice.
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes."
- William Gibson
- William Gibson
Josh wrote:What? There's nothing weird about having a pet housefly. He smuggles cigarettes for me.
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Dark Silver
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#11
Already donerhoenix wrote:Unicron.
It would only be better if he broadcasted his message of doom and despair in Fat Bastard's voice.
That giant metal planet is heading right for us! Why does it have a mouth?
Allen Thibodaux | Archmagus | Supervillain | Transfan | Trekker | Warsie |
"Then again, Detective....how often have you dreamed of hearing your father's voice once more? Of feeling your mother's touch?" - Ra's Al Ghul
"According to the Bible, IHVH created the Universe in six days....he obviously didn't know what he was doing." - Darek Steele bani Order of Hermes.
DS's Golden Rule: I am not a bigot, I hate everyone equally. | corollary: Some are more equal than others.
"Then again, Detective....how often have you dreamed of hearing your father's voice once more? Of feeling your mother's touch?" - Ra's Al Ghul
"According to the Bible, IHVH created the Universe in six days....he obviously didn't know what he was doing." - Darek Steele bani Order of Hermes.
DS's Golden Rule: I am not a bigot, I hate everyone equally. | corollary: Some are more equal than others.
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Dark Silver
- Omnipotent Overlord
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#12
And on Frigid's note:
Galvatron
Galvatron
Allen Thibodaux | Archmagus | Supervillain | Transfan | Trekker | Warsie |
"Then again, Detective....how often have you dreamed of hearing your father's voice once more? Of feeling your mother's touch?" - Ra's Al Ghul
"According to the Bible, IHVH created the Universe in six days....he obviously didn't know what he was doing." - Darek Steele bani Order of Hermes.
DS's Golden Rule: I am not a bigot, I hate everyone equally. | corollary: Some are more equal than others.
"Then again, Detective....how often have you dreamed of hearing your father's voice once more? Of feeling your mother's touch?" - Ra's Al Ghul
"According to the Bible, IHVH created the Universe in six days....he obviously didn't know what he was doing." - Darek Steele bani Order of Hermes.
DS's Golden Rule: I am not a bigot, I hate everyone equally. | corollary: Some are more equal than others.
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rhoenix
- The Artist formerly known as Rhoenix
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#14
You find a crashed alien ship, with eggs everywhere in it - and the remains of a pilot that looks like he had a truly unfortunate couple of days.
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes."
- William Gibson
- William Gibson
Josh wrote:What? There's nothing weird about having a pet housefly. He smuggles cigarettes for me.
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frigidmagi
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#15
Pssttt. Please.And on Frigid's note:
Galvatron
Megatron showed and turned Cybertron into a floating wreck and then proceeded to terrorize Earth. Optimus Prime is the only being who comes even close to being able to stop him.
Galvatron huddles on the planet of Char and prays Rodimus Prime won't get annoyed enough to come over and finish the job. That's right, he trembles in fear of Hot Rod.
Megatron is clearly the more successful and scarier of the two. If nothing else Megatron is functionally sane while Galvatron is barely in one peice mentally.
"it takes two sides to end a war but only one to start one. And those who do not have swords may still die upon them." Tolken
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Destructionator XV
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#18
"And we had a pretty large bang associated with the caution and warning there."
[...]
"It looks to me looking out the hatch that we are venting something. We are venting something out into space."
[...]
"It looks to me looking out the hatch that we are venting something. We are venting something out into space."
Adam D. Ruppe
Oh my hero, so far away now.....