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Yes, please carry on (if it speaks to you as wel of course). Agree with Daniel that the grotesque elements are particularly well done in a Chuck Palahniuk kind of way. But then it’s sort of serene right at the end. I feel like there is some tension you can finish off on or build into something much longer.

(And the voiceover is working nicely!)

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Oct 4, 2023·edited Oct 4, 2023Author

Thanks, Kathleen! Much appreciated. I had the first half for some time and revised and expanded on the idea of the hunter (Maker) becoming the hunted. There are a lot of things in between them catching up with the Man and the Man doing what he's doing, i.e. not dying.

I was painting a sunrise before them and destruction behind them, as they crawled out of the darkness. Uh, Chuck Palahniuk comparison? 😅 I hope in a good way! He's on Substack, too.

Oh and the audio... I literally recorded that last minute, and didn't finish in time to go live with the email, so I added it after the fact. No time for effects. Maybe a proper production some other time...

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Definitely in a good way!

He’s got a great newsletter. Full on.

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Now, I only need him to confirm or recommend or something! 😂

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Oct 4, 2023Liked by Alexander Ipfelkofer

Exosuits … and keep going

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Exosuits are hip. Thanks, George! The hunt must go on.

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Oct 4, 2023Liked by Alexander Ipfelkofer

Cool!

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Oct 4, 2023Liked by Alexander Ipfelkofer

Chilling - if you will pardon the pun. I am confused, but who cares? A lot of things in the world I do not understand. So, I am in, Ipfelkofer. Bring on Part 3 please.

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Thanks, Sharron! Chilling was the name of the game or hunt. I think these two first fragments (TMWWD and Signal) will need to grow into something coherent so that confusion dissipates over time. The hunt must go on!

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Really enjoying this, Alexander. Looking forward to hearing more about the hunters and their prey

I particularly liked this eerie and gruesome paragraph :-

“An assortment of transparent pipes, like living tentacles, connected the pods and pyramid, pulsating with rushing liquid, sucking out the milky white from inside with the gurgle and gulping of someone trying to swallow and spit at the same time.”

Great stuff 👍🏼

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Thanks, Daniel! Hah, yes, that line, disgustin' stuff innit? I thought it worked well in context. Seeing it on its own... 😅

This little SF ice age mystery horror drama may grow organically over time. I need to spend more time on the audio, though if it's going to be a podcast.

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Questions and intrigue. Keep going.

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Thanks, Mark! The Hunt continues.

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Love the continuation! Also the way you read was quite chilling and immersive. And yes to a third installment!

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Thanks, Nadia. Much appreciated! The hunt shall continue.

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Oct 5, 2023Liked by Alexander Ipfelkofer

Most certainly continue. I'm with Sharon: some things I don't yet understand, but that's entirely what wants me to read and know more.

"He paused as the sun rose above the frozen canopy. “Will it ever end?”" < my favourite line. Simple, but evocative.

What was the line that you heard in the canteen that you filed away?

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Thanks, Nathan! Much appreciated. The mystery continues. Who are these hunters? Are they even human? Who put them on ice? Why were they released early, by whom, and where are all the people? "Will it ever end" suggests this has been going on forever. Whatever "this" is.

The line... I overheard two guys chatting about permafrost and millions of tons of methane trapped underneath and how global warming is bad and how we'll all be done in by a massive fart by which time the conversation turned into juvenile banter about passing gas into the atmosphere.

I did some initial research back then: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/MethaneMatters

and: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871174X16300488

"Global warming triggered by the massive release of carbon dioxide may be catastrophic, but the release of methane from hydrate may be apocalyptic. The end Permian holds an important lesson for humanity regarding the issue it faces today with greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change."

And then I put it aside, as I didn't see how to proceed with it in a "fun" way.

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Oct 5, 2023Liked by Alexander Ipfelkofer

Excellent info, thanks. I mean, scary info. Methane hydrate. Nope.

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Nope. Indeed. Then again, we go where the story takes us!

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