Lurking_Badger
Cheese Enjoyer
- Location
- Wisconsin
Can someone remind me why they specifically need Earth? If they need to take over and terraform a planet, Mars is right there. I bet it was something magic related.
Something Wicked (Villainous Magical Boy Quest)
- Thread starter SillyLittleCoffe
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
Mars is a barren wasteland with almost no atmosphere or ability to support life without extreme amounts of effort.
Earth is their original home planet, and only needs a slight tweak and a little light genocide before it's fully livable for Estil again.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Something about mana networks, I think?
I can't speak for everyone, but I like pushing Zaiyu to be a villain who will inevitably either be redeemed or tragically killed on the cusp of redemption to show how evil Lady Starspite is.
I mean, the former is obviously preferable, but the latter would be dramatic.
Yeah, but you're not supposed to vote.
New objective: Expose Zaiyu to Megamind, by any means necessary.It's a matter of hamming up the villainy looking cool
M: "Why do you have such a low opinion of my terraforming skills?"
Z: (loudly clacks fingernails against crystal arm)
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I have absolute faith in Mitl's ability to terraform skillfully.
I just have zero faith in Mitl's judgment as to what he should form that poor innocent terra into.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
M: "Why don't you trust me to pick appropriate flora for—"
R, S: (start tapping Zaiyu's arm)
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
I'm here for the reluctant villain shenanigans just as much as I'm here for the reluctant romantic shenanigans. If we can't accidentally a workable solution to the Estil Crisis and bumble our way to a polycute while failing at being a menacing Black Hat wearing ne'er-do-well at the same time, I will... well, say rude things mostly. Be very disappointed, even.
Yeah, it was magic related. Specifically, it seems like mana is necessary for Estil to survive. Also, having spent hundreds of millions of years searching through space, that've come to the conclusion that only Earth's mana is compatible with them. I'm still not sure how they managed to get enough mana from earth to last hundreds of millions of years while maintaining a population of millions, but maybe they've been making do with incompatible mana and that's why the population's been declining at a fairly steady pace?
SillyLittleCoffe
Magical Girl Enthusiast
Yes, this is what they've been doing. There are other planets with mana networks. But trying to subside off those alternate mana sources has given the Estil the magical equivalent of rabbit starvation. They aren't getting the right nutrients and that's why their numbers are declining so sharply. If nothing changes, they'll stop being able to reproduce in a few centuries and will presumably go extinct shortly after. A few exceptionally powerful individuals might be able to support themselves for a while, but the survival of the species as a whole depends on returning to Earth.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I just flat out want full villainy. It's why most of my interaction in this thread has been in the discussions of alternatives to genocide, because in my best case scenario we win and become governor of the human relocation mars colony/O'Neil cylinder(s)/ whatever we decide is the best option.
The Estil Invasion of Earth (Doctor Who Crossover)
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I was uncertain about doing anymore Doctor Who crossover omakes since I'd already written three of them, but given how two characters in this Quest look, I saw an opportunity for an interesting scenario using my own Doctor incarnation and companion. And I'd say Doctor Who crossover omakes are easy to write given how crossover-friendly that series is.
The Estil Invasion of Earth
"Coast is clear, Lavinia," a woman called in a singsong tone to her companion after stepping out of what looked like an old police box, "If the TARDIS scanner didn't convince you of that, a walk outside ought to." This woman herself however looked nothing like any police new or old, instead her dark coat and dress more resembled a cross between a Heian noble and an undertaker, complimented by her pale, ashy skin and long, raven black hair*.
Her companion Lavinia, a much meeker girl with glasses and braids*, more gradually stepped outside of the box called the TARDIS and onto the vast spaceship the two had found themselves in. "I guess I can only think of the last time we stepped onto a spaceship we thought was deserted, it... well you remember how it went, Doctor," she muttered.
"Well then, that should make us all the more prepared for whatever may lurk on this ship, a chance to learn from our mistakes," said the raven-haired woman only identified as Doctor. "Besides," she added as she took out a metal wand and aimed it at some sort of security camera, "I never said we had this whole place to ourselves, now did I? Just that there was nobody in the immediate area. Oh, and as for 'ship', could be a moonbase for all we know, given its proximity to your home."
Lavinia only looked so reassured by the Doctor's words, but then her face lit up as she took in the design of this place, particularly the large window from which, as The Doctor had said, she could see Earth from above. "You said we landed in the 2020s, right Doctor? Then could this be... how far human technology has come? I'd guess I'd be in my eighties by now down there, if well, everything between me and you hadn't happened," Lavinia mused.
Those words made The Doctor smile, but then sigh. "Afraid to burst your bubble, Lavinia dear, but human spaceflight hasn't advanced that far yet. They'll need another thousand or so years in the future for that, ah, I should jot down a reminder for our next trip," she said.
Lavinia nodded and smiled as within her heart sank.
The Doctor however went on, "No, what we have here is an alien craft, or no, perhaps an Earthling ship after all. Of 'heretical' Estil make, I presume."
"Wait, heretical? Earthling?" Lavinia's brows raised as she asked. "Doctor, you're not suggesting we're aboard a demon spaceship? I... honestly wouldn't put one past the universe at this point."
"Believe me, Lavinia, were we on a Daemon ship you wouldn't need me to tell you. No, there's nothing demonic about the Estil, for as many criticisms I may have of their civilisation," The Doctor said. "'Heretic' is a little Gallifreyan joke of mine. Growing up on my planet, you have it drilled into your head from the moment you're loomed that our people drove all magic out of their universe at the dawn of time. The Estil, who proclaim themselves magic users, fiercely disagree."
"So they don't use magic, do they?" Lavinia asked. Getting lost in thought for a second, she then said, "I guess magic has always sounded wonderful to me, but when you take it out of storybooks and into real life, it sounds like it could get pretty scary. I've seen that time travel, psychic powers, and other worlds all exist, but can be really scary when they're not just a tale you're being told."
"Cautious as ever, Lavinia, not that I can blame you for that. As for if the Estil do in fact have magic, I was about to say 'I'll believe it when I have the proof', but I feel that rather goes against the spirit of magic, wouldn't you agree?" The Doctor said, lifting her companion's chin. "Now, as for me saying Earthling-"
"Halt, who goes there?!" barked a piercing voice with a surprisingly pint-sized owner, a young redhead alien. "You face Rins Es Talis, weapon specialist of the Estil armada! I don't know how you got here, but you've trespassed right into the heart of Estil operations! Expect no mercy- no wait, did Zaiyu bring you here without telling us? Sure sounds like him."
"Well, first off," The Doctor glared at Rins alien and walked forward, "Not only do you so rudely interrupt me, but you further insult me by brandishing a gun while doing so." Heavy as the gun that Rins carried may have looked, The Doctor was able to swiftly pull it away, but only for the Estil to immediately pull out another gun.
"Yeah, Zaiyu's definitely up to something with you. Mitl wouldn't bring anyone that wasn't a corpse or freaky plant on board, and no way would the Captain let people just wander off," Rins said, nodding all the while. "Zaiyu told us he met these girls on Earth, one of them had long black hair and another had mutilated her hair into braids. Hah, 'Tomoe' and 'Suzune' he called you, I remember! See, already I've found you two out."
Lavinia was about to say otherwise, but The Doctor pre-emptively whispered to her, "Now, we can't turn down a good alias when it presents itself." She turned back to Rins and said, "Why, you're a sharp young Estil aren't you? Shame about all your firearms. Indeed, Tomoe and Suzune, that's us."
"B-but I'm not even Japanese," Lavinia now whispered in The Doctor's ear, "And what does he mean, 'mutilated my hair'?"
"And I'm not even Earthling. Point is, these Estil don't know that" The Doctor whispered back, but then said at her normal volume, "As for mutilation, Suzune dear, Estil biology is unique in that they have sensory organs in their hair, though certain castes undertake the endurance rites of cutting or braiding theirs. Our Rins must think of you as getting above your station. All of which Mr. Zaiyu so graciously told us," she smirked, like the pieces were coming into place.
Rins then had to glare as their eyes scanned The Doctor. "Looks like that's not all he shared with you, 'cause that's looks like a sonic screwdriver! That's space-tech, well, very basic space-tech, every alien society has them, nothing on my sonic-proof weapons. But yeah, nothing humans should've developed by now," they said, then added after thinking a little more, "Wait, he said you were heir to the 'Sa-ku-ra-zu-ka' megacorp, so the only answer is you already developing space-tech."
"Trade secret, Rins darling," The Doctor smirked again, touching her nose, "but I'll at least credit Zaiyu with being kind enough to give us a few pointers."
Rins twitched, at not only Zaiyu but also Doctor 'Tomoe', they could tell when they were being talked down to. "Meeting room, now. The Captain will hear about you two," they said, tapping out an electronic message while doing so.
"Alright, alright. But I would not rate you highly on hospitality if this is how you treat all your guests," The Doctor said, holding Lavinia's arm as an incensed Rins had them march.
As they entered into the base's spacious meeting room, another Estil suddenly joined them, a slumped over scientist whose shaggy hair looked about to swallow him. "Another meeting's no surprise," he mumbled, "but while Zaiyu's still on Earth? Not that I'm concerned with him, I'd rather get back to my plants. But still, unusual."
"Zaiyu shall be dealt with, for Rins has reported evidence that he has both smuggled humans aboard our base and given them technology without our approval," the Captain said, him being tall and with his hair in a floor-length braid per his station. "Now human, I am Captain Shayin Es Talis. Would I be addressing Tomoe of the Sakurazuka corporation and her affiliate Suzune Takao?"
"The very same. We are multi-millionaires!" The Doctor said, with Lavinia thinking she was now a little too into the act.
"Really? Then let us see if that holds up to a bio-scan," Shayin said, with The Doctor and Lavinia being met with a sudden flash of green light. Before The Doctor could reply something like 'How invasive', Shayin's eyes widened on seeing the scan's results.
"This 'Suzune' is normal for what we've been told of her species, but the one calling herself 'Tomoe' possesses... two hearts."
"Actually," Lavinia spoke up to keep the cover story going, "Most humans have two hearts, I... had to have surgery to remove one when I was younger. It's been a while though, so the scar's hard to make out."
"Only way we can be sure is if we send someone other than Zaiyu down to check," Shayin said, with Mitl instantly raising his hand at the chance of getting to dissect human corpses. "Although there is another explanation, that you are of the most notorious species universally known for having two hearts: a Gallifreyan."
Rins gave another glare at The Doctor. "Ooh, if you're Gallifreyan then no way would Zaiyu want anything to do with you. You're the ones that say magic isn't real, aren't you?"
"Gallifreyans, hmm, aren't those the people who can 'regenerate'? Because them not staying dead just makes us necromancers' jobs even harder," Mitl said.
"Yeah, us Estil only get one life," Rins said while overlooking that a necromancer was right there, "so we can't afford to get soft like you Gallifreyans."
"But if you are Gallifreyan, then why are you with a human girl? Your kind doesn't associate with other races unless they violate the Laws of Time," Shayin asked as he peered closer, then insisted "Which I have not, as a Pilot of the Estil I always take utmost caution when it comes to weaving time's fabrics."
The Doctor hesitated for a moment, but tried to turn the situation around with, "Hmhm, very good, but you're overlooking something. Not all of 'my kind' are shackled to Gallifrey, quite a number of us have gone rogue. It's a surprise more haven't, given how stifling the place is. Anyway, it's perfectly possible that I can be both Tomoe Sakurazuka and a Gallifreyan who's settled on Earth, or the daughter of one, granddaughter even."
Shayin had to think that over. "Again, we have no proof, but if there are rogue Gallifreyans on Earth, then..." he muttered, "then that complicates matters. In fact, I can recall one rogue Gallifreyan whose title is infamous throughout the cosmos."
"My, do tell," The Doctor smirked.
Shayin took a deep breath and spoke, "...The Master. Could they be the one behind the Sakurazuka?"
That wiped the smirk immediately off the Doctor's face. "The Master, really? Out of all rogue Time Lords to title drop..." she sighed.
"Just as long as it's not The Rani again," Lavinia said.
The Doctor's usual smirk then came back as she said, "Oh, but humans and Gallifreyans aren't the only ones you face," with her peering right back at Shayin.
"It's not the Daleks, is it?" Mitl then groaned, "Such a one-note species. At least Cybermen are technically zombies, oh yes, and the Krynoids, I like those."
"Do not dare make light of the Daleks in front of your Captain," Shayin then scolded Mitl, "You haven't faced them in battle as I have."
"Ahem, I believe I was the one talking," The Doctor said, then went on, "As I was saying, Estil and humans aren't the only species to have been the dominant civilisations of Earth. There was another in between you, the Silurians, who fled underground just as you fled to the stars. If you invade Earth, you also face them. Suppose the three of you will just have to learn to share, won't you, Shayin dear?"
Shayin had clutched his head a lot throughout this meeting like his braid was giving him a headache, but now he clutched even harder. "Alright then, Suzune, 'Tomoe'. We'll let you head back down to Earth, but under the supervision of one of us, that way we can have hard evidence that all your claims are true. Zaiyu's loyalties are in doubt, and Mitl is... always best kept under close watch, so you shall accompany these two, Rins."
The Doctor had to groan. "To be saddled with the gun-nut soldier instead of the scientist, just my luck," she said.
"Oi, I heard that!" Rins piped up.
"Meeting adjourned," Shayin proclaimed, before any more complaints could be made.
Rins then led The Doctor and Lavinia back the way they came. But while the soldier was just out of earshot, The Doctor then whispered to Lavinia, "And that's how you thwart an invasion, my dear, or at least how you begin to. Spreading false intel is key."
"You sure do make it look easy," Lavinia said. "Like you've done this before, even."
The Doctor grinned wide. "My dear, I could go on all day. But that's another story for another time, perhaps?"
Last edited:
StarSingerBlue
Zenryoku Zenkai !
- Location
- The City of Lights
- Pronouns
- They/It
Hmmm.
I think that the reaction of two humans arriving at the moonbase would be to FREAK THE FUCK OUT, especially since Rins doesn't know humans can use magic. And then immediately move to capture and interrogate.
They all seem way too chill.
Also, Shayin saw Tomoe through Zaiyu's memories, and thus knows what she looks like.
I think that the reaction of two humans arriving at the moonbase would be to FREAK THE FUCK OUT, especially since Rins doesn't know humans can use magic. And then immediately move to capture and interrogate.
They all seem way too chill.
Also, Shayin saw Tomoe through Zaiyu's memories, and thus knows what she looks like.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
At this point in her subjective timeline, I think the Doctor has come to realize that in any given attempt to thwart a planetary invasion, she's already done about 90% of her own work for her by the sheer volume of confusing bullshit she's generated in both her own past and nearly everyone else's.
I think part of it is the crossover genre expectations (the Doctor has a surprising ability to get people to settle down for a polite chat sometimes, unless they're completely unreasonable), and part of it is the Estil feeling very much in control of the situation.
Last edited:
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That joke about The Master was originally gonna have Shayin embarrassing The Doctor by mistaking her for The Master, but I couldn't quite find a way to fit all that in. I knew I definitely had to reference the Silurians, given how their situation is similar to the Estil's.
I did tweak the omake to correct ship to moonbase, yeah, that was a real slip-up on my part, thanks for catching that
The idea was that The Doctor looks close enough to Tomoe, given the hairstyle and appearance, that Shayin could still mistake the two. Even then, he was the first to catch on to that The Doctor may not be Tomoe.
I did tweak the omake to correct ship to moonbase, yeah, that was a real slip-up on my part, thanks for catching that
StarSingerBlue
Zenryoku Zenkai !
- Location
- The City of Lights
- Pronouns
- They/It
I have a feeling that the Doctor's "feed bad intel" thing is not going to work for long.
Zaiyu is going to get very very suspicious about the newcomers, Shayin's already on his guard, and there's the rest of the Estil fleet (although they seem to be busy poisoning each other and stuff).
Really, the only ones fooled are Rins and Mitl, and that's not exactly a great achievement.
I wonder what the Estil use to assassinate each other. Magic can probably filter poison and stop bullets, so they'll have to use unconventional methods.
I guess "fed to a Sparkcat" is an occasional hazard for ambitious nobles who overreach.
Zaiyu is going to get very very suspicious about the newcomers, Shayin's already on his guard, and there's the rest of the Estil fleet (although they seem to be busy poisoning each other and stuff).
Really, the only ones fooled are Rins and Mitl, and that's not exactly a great achievement.
I wonder what the Estil use to assassinate each other. Magic can probably filter poison and stop bullets, so they'll have to use unconventional methods.
I guess "fed to a Sparkcat" is an occasional hazard for ambitious nobles who overreach.
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
There was a pretty decent attempt with a crystalvine earlier.
StarSingerBlue
Zenryoku Zenkai !
- Location
- The City of Lights
- Pronouns
- They/It
Except it wasn't deliberate.
Now I'm imagining there's some noble somewhere with a gallery of crystal statues which are in fact their former rivals.
- Location
- Europe
I mean if you had to leave your home, because it became unlivable for a time (for example through fumigation).
And you came back and some people were squatting in it. Would you negotiate with them over how much you need to pay them so you can live in half your own home?
While the leadership of the Estil is certainly not the most empathic one that is not the basic problem here. The most fundamental problem is that both lay claim to earth. The Estil will not be willing to pay the humans for getting "their" own planet back, while the humans won't be willing to give up part of "their" planet without getting something in return.
So to sum up, while the Estil might go "this is our planet, suck it defenseless primitives", the humans tactic of responding with "this is our planet, suck it aliens", isn't any better for negotiations.
And frankly even if the situation was reversed, humans don't exactly have a glowing track record when it comes to negotiating with native populations either.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I see where you're coming from, but also...I feel like leaving a home vacant for a few years should be grounds for surrendering legal ownership. Leaving your home vacant for long enough that civilizations rise and fall within it is a whole other matter. And it's not like humanity violently displaced the Estil population, a la Palestine; humanity just filled the void left by the Estil exodus.
The Palestine situation feels like a better real-world analogy than squatters. One group is forced out of their homeland by a now-politically-irrelevant force. Generations pass, they feel they can't live anywhere else (for understandable reasons), but now another group (largely unrelated to the first group or the old force) is living in the place they used to live. So they decide to just move in, and fuck the current residents I guess.
Analogies aside...however much the Estil feel like they should own the Earth and whatever their justifications, they have a home. Not a great home, but humanity doesn't have another option. And for all the criticisms I have of how the Israeli government is...handling Palestinians, I'm getting even worse vibes from the Estil. They don't have any reason to pretend to care about humans.
Compromise is definitely possible, and I can see humanity offering it. I can't see Starspite and the other Estil leaders agreeing—not without the magical girl equivalent of gunboat diplomacy.
I think the best option for sharing is for the humans to say: "You can't survive in space, despite having the tech, because of a lack of mana. We can't survive in space for a lack of tech. Oh, would you look at that, space-faring tech right above us. Which means we don't strictly need the planet for much longer. And we're also in a good position to blow it up. Either we share, or no one has a home planet anymore." aka. Threaten to preform a 'scorched earth' manoeuvre, and make invading at all pointless unless they're willing to play fair. And if they turn out to actually need mana, well, the Estil don't know that.
Axslashel
I am a pessimist not a realist.
- Location
- Land of the Midnight Sun
I am not sure if the nukes (I assume you meant nukes) would actually disturb the mana needed for the Estil.
I did not mean nukes, though they would probably help. No, I mean straight up threatening to blow up the planet.
Axslashel
I am a pessimist not a realist.
- Location
- Land of the Midnight Sun
I don't think this is something humanity is capable of actually doing. Unless humanity in this setting is vastly more advanced than real humanity.
But do the Estil know that?
Yes that means the plan would 100% be a bluff, but it's a good bluff, because the Estil really cannot afford to fuck around and find out.
StarSingerBlue
Zenryoku Zenkai !
- Location
- The City of Lights
- Pronouns
- They/It
The Estil have enough info about humanity to have a rough picture of their political systems and know they don't commonly use magic.
The bluff isn't going to work.