"Drive me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!" - Human admiral, probably

From the depths of space came the monsters of our childhood nightmares but we are no longer children.

Aliens looking at Eldritch monsters: WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! WE CANNOT HANDLE THE MADNESS! Humans handing Aliens Lovecraft books and horror movies: First Time?

Aliens: our lives are meaningless and this terror of the the stars proves it! Humanity: so it's Tuesday?

Aliens: give up, your existence is insignificant Humans: yea, we know, we still gona kick your arses Aliens: yes good.... Wait, what? Humans: *leting out a battle cry and starting to charge *

"So it's hope versus fear? I'm not sure I like those odds." "That's because you think of hope as a small, frail thing. My version of hope isn't afraid to bring brass knuckles to a fight." -Freefall (webcomic)

"With a crushing realization of existential dread" Average Terran Solider: Now this, I've been training for since high school!

ALIENS: The Hordes of Hell are upon us! HUMANITY: Hand me my shotgun. (Doom soundtrack plays)

Humans: We're an insignificant mot of dust smaller then even the tiniest grain of sand not even worth the passing itch compared to the universe. Aliens: So we're doomed. Humans: Eh,probably. Welp, time to prove them wrong.

You know that at some point a human admiral had to tell one of his alien allies, "Never tell me the odds."

The ancient God Avatars laughed. They laughed as Humanity was left to fight. The laughed as the Humans flung themselves to certain death. They laughed as the corpses of Humans littered the worlds. They laughed as they devoured the Humans alive. Humanity began to laugh back. They both laughed as Humanity continued to die. But the laughter of the God Avatars began to fade as they heard the corpses beneath their feet, and the remnants of meals, laughing as well. They heard Humanity, even the dead, laughing. They began to feel something not even their summoners felt since gaining sentience. They felt DREAD.

Pfft. Just point them towards Rule 34. We not only conquer existential crisis. We made erotic fictions of them.

Humans became Space Belmonts..... Seems legit

The art of know how utterly screwed you are and how insignificant your existence is yet refusing to go quietly into the night, wanting to drag your enemies with you into the other side.

Do not go gentle, into the good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day. rage, RAGE against the dying of the light.

Hey its me, the writer (ClocktowerEchos), thank you so much for covering my first story! I'm still blown away by the response I got from it. I wanted to go for a slightly different angle than what I have seen (I'll admit I'm not fully immersed into HFY stuff, I just work based on trends I've seen). Thank you Agro for brining my writing to life in such a spectacular way and thank you everyone for listening/reading! o/

Alien therapist, after the Old Ones are defeated: "So how are you feeling today, human?" Human: "Oh, I'm not."

Zhaark: *[We can make the very stars themselves vanish, worm]* Human: And we can blow them up in your face, what's your point?

Elditch Horror: Gives all species existential dread. Humans: HA! that won't work, can't give something to us when we've already have it!!

Nobody in the history of creation had Conceived of such a threat. Lovecraft: Am I a joke to you?

For Humanity, For The Narator, and For The Algorithm

When things go bump in the night, Humanity bumps back

Aliens: "welp, guess thats curtains everybody." Humanity: "rage, RAGE against the dying of the light."

(crippling existential tought) Alien: (mind blank in fear and realization) Human: Yeah I tought about it while I was taking a crap and my phone ran out of battery

Determination and Acceptance are powerful tools in the face of Fear Itself. Spite is a good alternative if you can't muster enough though.

So basically, Aliens face depression (hopelessness) for the first time and can't defeat it. Humans who face it everyday is their last hope.

people stare into the abyss on a daily basis, i like that humanities' nerve and tenacity is something that counts beyond any other proficiency.

Eldritch horrors? Oh man you called the right race, our species *gets off* on eldritch horror!

"Fairy tales are told not to teach children that monsters exist but to teach them that monsters can be defeated." Same goes for cthulu too I guess.

So you want an Eldritch God dead, you may have come to the right place...

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

We are the one race that found ourselves smaller, weaker, slower, and less physically capable than most beings around us. We did not cry, we did not cower, we grew ANGRY. We can qeaponize anything because we weaponized our rage. We can fight anything because size and strength only make use angrier... only challenge us more. We evolved to destroy the monsters, and now we call them food.

Alien: There's no point in trying, defeating them would be a one in a trillion chance... Human: I like those odds![chugs a shot of whiskey][runs towards the Abominations screaming defience]

H: "Full forward into the abyss." A: "Are you mad?" H: "What's wrong afraid to get wet."

Stair into the void and the void stares back, maintain good eye contact, firm handshake, let the void be he one too pull back

zhark: how are you not crippled by the knowledge of your insignificance to our gods!? humans: because we don't have to. zharr k:what? humans: when you live a life where bad things always cripple good things the height of the happiness bar is so low it is as insignificant to us as us are to your gods. zharrk:which means. humans: our tolerance for despair is sky high and most of us enjoy the art of making things lewd which includes your gods. zharrk:wow, and what do you mean by "making things lewd?" human: *promtly shows r34 art of the zhark* welcome to the place where we make our own eldritch abominations. the internet

"They are my Space Marines, and they shall know 'No Fear'."

"I once trusted in the stars. Now I trust in steel."

INVICTUS: Out of the night that covers me Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

Eldrich: you cannot win. Human: no, but I can lose. Again. And again. And again. I'm no stranger to loss or failure. Eldritch: and that will save you? Your determination? Human: saving myself was never the goal. Imprisoning you behind my failures, however, is. This routine, you winning, me failing, but you never moving forward. This is reality now, you and me, doing this, forever. Eldritch: then you will spend an eternity suffering. You will never win. Human: you have no idea how friendly me and suffering are. And the others will all be saved for another day. That's enough for me. And enough to keep you chained.

Aliens: Our gods are greater than anything you could ever hope to create. Humans: Alright, we're still killing them all. Aliens: What? Humans: Did we stutter?

Zhark: hello? We are here to ta- Humanity slaps: no. Take 2. Zhark: we're baaack! Humanity slaps: no. Take 3. Zhark: we are prepa- Humanity robo slaps: no.

12:15: Apocalypse *signs up for twitter* Humanity: "Cancelling time!"

Ah yes, another fantastic tale! And another wonderful example of both "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD" and "We can and will take you down, and at the very least do it with us."

Humans: they came from hell, well, we also come from hell, NOW DRIVE ME CLOSER SO I CAN SEE THEIR FEAR

God, I love Lovecraftian themed stories

Humanity, the Great Slayers. The ones who look the monsters in the eye and tell them to kiss our asses. Rip and Tear, until it is done.

Old Ones: *crack themselves open* Humanity: Haha, nope!

Humanity starts shitposting Unitnames you know something has hit the fan

We are the monsters that Hunt the monsters

Because we are batshit crazy.

Aliens: *terrifying space Cthulu* YOU HAVE NO WORTH. DESPAIR FOR LIFE IS MEANINGLESS- Humans, cranking Meathook and Razormind: Join the existential despair club, line is way back there. We have our nihilism over and done with before we even fully mature, call it high school. We found we can find meaning in putting BIG holes in things.

All of these types of stories just makes me proud to be human.

It's what humanity is best known for. Put something in our way and we will overcome it.

A futuristic scenario where our entire species becomes Carl Sagan.

This. This could be a damn gud story to narrate from personal perspectives in an episodic arc.

Hopelessness and depression are a daily cycle to some humans, so of course an enemy whose whole strategy hinges on it would be powerless against them. Those who have nothing to fear do not know its crippling effects, but cowards know that fear is what is required for courage.

All humans have been trained in fighting mental attacks of existential dread, depression and anxiety since they turned 12 years old. A few eldritch horrors are a piece of cake.

eldritch horror: "your chances of winning is less than a fraction of 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001" Humanity: "I like those odds"

They shall Hold the Line and they shall Know No Fear

There are four things that are powerful within a human, but there's no way to rank them in four ranks. So I will rank in two. In second position, there are love and anger. We will move mountains for those. In first, there are boredom and curiosity. Any human would tear star apart and burn empires for those two.

The Zharrk were not prepared to meet eldritch horrors that would turn their God-Avatars into snivelling wrecks. The Zharrk were not capable of understanding the truest horrors of the universe. The Zharrk laid waste to most of the proud defenders of the galaxy but one small people chose to show the opressors what true terror was. The humans unleashed their degenerates and the galaxy held it's breath. For the first time in forever, tentacle porn stopped being a mere fantasy and the humans had millennia of stored up sexual tensions to unleash. The Zharrk were not prepared, the Zharrk did not consent, the Zharrk could not survive.

Cosmic horrors infecting your mind with crippling doubt, fears and insecurities? Humans: That's a fecking Tuesday.

You got Wojtek wrong it would be read as Voytek in english and name Wojtek probably came from Corporal Wojtek who was a Polish bear fighting in WW2

Alien. How do we fight these monsters? Alien. I know there are these other little monsters that have just started out in space traveling. Alien. Oh no not the humans there even more a monster once they get going. Eldrich. Monsters. Why why won't you be conquered? Humans. Because we know we can't win but we are not going to just let you win with out a fight.

"the planet broke before the guard"

Hey, another Stellaris story. I love these! *munches on popcorn!*

To combat existential terror, humanity shows their alien peers spiders, then tells them about Australia.

Anthem of the Greater Terran Union intensifies!

This is why we created "Halloween". To make fun of the things that go "bump" in the night. And to laugh at it.

even though these are mere stories it brings emotions to the surface.

When you think of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.

Eldritch Horrors: BEHOLD SENTIENTS, TERROR GIVEN FORM. Big Three plus the rest of the universe: *huddled in species equivalent of the fetal position* Humanity: *chugging last bit of beer* *slams mug down so hard it shatters* *picks up shotgun* *cha-chik* LET'S! FUUUU! KIIING! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

8:57 Wojtek. Polish name, that's why it's hard to pronounce. There was a bear named Wojtek fighting in WW2.

Really existential dread made the galaxy cave in

Humans: Universe's very own Dr. Brights

When the entirety of the screaming eagles are wiped out as "rear guard"... Fucking Run!

Greetings Mentlegent! For the Rhythm that is Algo "No," said the humans, "You are not the cosmic horrors. WE ARE."

The Zharrk came with eldritch horrors, then they heard “Doom” music playing😂

From Babylon 5, the best speech (among many many fabulous speeches), is when Londo, as the Centari Emperor, was talking to a child about the Earth-Minbari war.. "The Humans, I think, knew they were doomed. But where another race would surrender to despair, it made the Humans fight back with even greater strength. They made the Minbari FIGHT for every inch of space. In my life, I have never seen anything like it.. They would weep, they would pray, they would say goodbye to their loved ones, and then throw themselves, without fear or hesitation, at the very face of death itself. Never surrendering. No one, who saw them fighting against the inevitable, could help but be moved to tears by their courage. Their stubborn nobility. When they ran out of ships, they used guns. When they ran out of guns, they used knives, and sticks, and bare hands. They were... Magnificent. I only hope that when it is my time, that I may die with HALF as much dignity as I saw in their eyes at the end. They did this for TWO YEARS. They never ran out of courage. But in the end, they ran out of time..."

The idea that these eldritch monstrosities can drive men insane always kinda bugged me.. because, I mean.. existential cosmic horror was new when Lovecraft wrote about it but it's been over a hundred years since then. If cthulhu rose out of the sea today, people would just be like: *"oh hey. interdimensional dracula squid. neat."* Our collective consciousness has had the time to absorb and adapt. Eldritch horrors from beyond might even be considered boring lol.

I'm working my way through these, and am amazed that there always thumbs down? Why, why , if you don't like sci fi there's plenty of warning? The stories are good, the narrator is good,and the authors are brilliant so just why???

The rest of the galaxy: we're grappling with existential dread and depression Humanity: first time?

What's the worst that can happen? We die? Alright...but hear me out...we could, just maybe, win.

9:00 Omg, Wojtek gets a shoutout!! (Happy Bear Noises) 😙

Hope, the greatest demon of humanity. Fear, the angel that frees hope

i'm surprised it didn't end up being that humanity, due to being submerged and forged in fear and despair since the dawn of time, did not end up inverting a void forge into making a being that consumed god-avatars whilst spreading the inverse of despair and fear, hope and bravery.

Alien races see Humanity’s Super Ego, our best intentions. When pressed, they see our Shadow, and it ain’t pretty.

1700 stories and counting, yet this one is my favorite.

I don't know if aliens will ever find us, here on dear, sweet Terra. But, I do know this. If they come from a world that isn't as outright deadly, as unabashedly lethal, and as blatantly hostile to life as our beautiful blue globe, they better either come in peace, or blow our world up. Anything else, and things could get a bit dodgy for them.

"I am sorry Jon; But you do recognize the bodies in the water"

One of the best! Both story and narration. What an IP for a game series this would be......

You see monster you may be bad but we are worse

Outer eldritch: Your life has no meaning, you are insignificant. Human: that’s wild bro, anyway we doing this or what?

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

"We seek the monsters that you fear the most. We chase the nightmares that haunt your cowardly dreams.The deadlier the prey, the more we exult in the hunt."

For man's only weapon is courage that flinches not from the gates of Hell itself, and against such not even the legions of Hell can stand. ~Robert E Howard, Skulls in the Stars (a Solomon Kane adventure)

At least its not dead space xenomorph...or facehuggers.

"And they shall know no fear..."

Aliens: your fight is utter useless so give up Humans: rip and tear it is then Aliens: what? *Doom music intensifies