Third Gen Blues
Third Gen Blues (68161 words) by SkellyTheLichQueen
Chapters: 24/?
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Additional Tags: Mechsploitation, Yuri, Mecha, Explicit Sexual Content, Lesbian Sex, Sensory Deprivation, Sensory Overload, Disability, Brain Damage, Past Brainwashing, Brainwashing, Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Recovery, Trauma Recovery, Gun Violence, Violence, Aftermath of Violence, Seizures, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Self-Discovery, Oh god i'm into that: the series, Strap-Ons, Gun Kink, Trans Female Character, Nonbinary Character, port-play, Not Beta Read, Happy Sex, Eventual Happy Ending, Shit Sucks: Sometimes ya gotta keep going, Dismemberment, Prosthesis, Torture, Vomiting, Molestation, Sexual Abuse, These Bitches Are Trainwrecks., Slurs, Blood and Gore, Messy, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Recreational Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Substance Abuse, sweat fetish, BAMF Women, Suicidal Thoughts, Passive Suicidality
Series: Part 1 of Third Gen Blues
Summary:A story of Love, Violence, and Mechanized Emotional Damage.
Maria Armades isn't exactly 'fit' for the job of Handler, being a former Hound herself. And yet here she is, shanghaied by The Boss and her best friend to boost their merc company's combat power by rehabilitating a bunch of hounds into functional people, giving them good PR in addition to good mech pilots.
One small issue: nothing ever goes well for Maria. Her entire life is proof of this.
Come join the ride as Maria's Hounds try to discover themselves, and Maria herself tries to avoid spiraling downwards into synth-coke as a coping mechanism for the freaks she brought in. Gods only know how many more she'll recruit by the end of this.
Review from May 2026 Review written at 16. CH8 Commence the Hunt
So, Third Gen Blues, is a post-war story about hounds turned mercs. I have to admit, and those of you that have followed me for a while already know this, that this story is not he kind of mechsplo that I normally enjoy. The more positive, more hopeful, take on the kind of community that ex-hounds might find is just not my thing: it is pretty much antithetical to the things I enjoy in the genre. That said I found this quite an enjoyable read so far (and it is coming out at quite a pace).
While the prose itself didn't wow me in particular and sometimes the more fluffy aspects get a bit much for me, I found myself compelled to keep reading all the same. The character are fairly interesting and the dynamic of the found family on this ship is nice and it's happy. It oddly made me feel a strong sense of nostalgia for the era of the internet of 2009-2012. Perhaps that was just a more hopeful time in my conception of the world. I particularly liked the characters of the three main hounds, they're all drawing from different mechsplo archetypes and they all have something interesting that they are contributing to the story.
Don't get it confused that this is a nice story. No, there are some really horrible things that happen in it. The pain and the violence is there and I would contend that it is only made all the more potent by the contrast it has to the more compassionate moments. The stakes are high and the combat is brutal. Just because this is a hopeful story does not me that it doesn't have teeth.
Definitely if you're interested in more hopeful post-war mechsplo I would recommend checking it out.