The Psychology of Living Under Alien Occupation: Trauma, Resistance, Collaboration & Rebellion on Planet Falrus

Dear Spacetravellers,

This week’s newsletter is an emotional one for me. It feels deeply personal.

If you’ve ever lived under foreign occupation—whether due to war, civil conflict, military coups, or social unrest—especially at the hands of your own compatriots, you’ll understand the psychological terrain I’m about to explore.

As some of you know, I lived through a coup d’état in my country of origin in Africa when I was a child. There are, of course, much worse things to experience in life, but those years left marks on our psyche that took time, work, and growth to heal.

One of the ways I made sense of that trauma was through writing. The idea of the invasion on Planet Falrus is, for me, a creative way to process those memories in a space where imagination becomes therapy.

So let’s talk about what happens to the mind when the sky falls—when the occupiers are not human, but extraterrestrial.

Trauma & the New Normal

Living beneath alien occupation rewires entire societies. Fear becomes currency. Routine becomes surveillance. The nervous system becomes a battlefield long before the first laser blast.

Historians of real-world occupations describe a first phase of psychological shock—a “freeze state” where disbelief and helplessness dominate.

On Planet Falrus, daily life under alien rule includes food rations, curfews, propaganda broadcasts in distorted languages, and sophisticated psychological manipulation.

Psychologists call this forced adaptation: the brain learns to survive under constant threat. Nightmares, hypervigilance, and intergenerational anxiety persist long after the starships depart.

Resistance: Hope in the Shadows

Even under overwhelming power, resistance movements bloom in the cracks.

Resistance psychology is powered by identity: a refusal to let the occupier define what it means to be human.

Falrusian resistance thrives on:

• small victories (sabotaged drones, stolen intel)

• symbolic defiance (graffiti, banned songs, coded phrases)

• collective secrecy (underground cells, hidden archives)

Collaboration: Survival or Betrayal?

Not everyone resists. Some collaborate.

In every historical occupation, collaboration has emerged from fear, pragmatism, self-interest, or sincere belief that the occupier offers a “better future.” On Falrus, the aliens reward collaborators with advanced technology, medicine, and status—dividing communities long after the fighting ends.

These wounds cut deepest: not alien vs. human, but human vs. human.

Rebellion & the Psychology of ‘Enough’

Rebellions rarely begin at the start of an occupation. They begin when trauma and humiliation finally collide with a spark—a martyr, a massacre, or a strategic misstep by the occupier.

Once rebellion ignites, it spreads memetically. The internal narrative shifts from:“Obedience keeps us alive” to “Rebellion gives us meaning.”

The Aftermath & Generational Memory

Even if humanity wins, peace isn’t immediate.

Post-occupation societies must navigate:

• retribution against collaborators

• reintegration of rebels

• mythologising of resistance

• silence around trauma

The war may end when the ships leave, but psychologically it lingers for generations. Under foreign skies, humans don’t just fight for survival—they fight for the right to define their own story.

If You Enjoy Falrus, You May Enjoy Our African Roots

Planet Falrus draws heavily on African folktales, cultural memory, and lived experience. If you’d like more, check out the StoryPlanet YouTube channel:

👉 Check out StoryPlanet YouTube

Sending warm friendship vibes,

All my love,

Joanna