update from sparkleup

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Madison Scott-Clary 2021-09-24 10:00:05 -07:00
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# Yared Zerezghi --- 2124
Yared was not sure how he felt that the politicians --- true politicians, at least --- had been right. Demma had said, so, Jonas and True Name had said so, and yet something about the whole process felt slippery to him. It was a feeling beyond even that, for while that implied that it was simply politics as usual, this was something more visceral. It was slimy, like the algae that clung to his skin after he'd gone swimming in a small pond during a visit west: something that made him specifically feel disgusting.
Yared was not sure how he felt that the politicians --- true politicians, at least --- had been right. Demma had said, so, Jonas and True Name had said so, and yet something about the whole process felt slippery to him. It was a feeling beyond even that, for while that implied that it was simply politics as usual, this was something more visceral. It was slimy, like the algae that had clung to his skin after he'd gone swimming in a small pond during a visit west: something that made him, specifically, feel disgusting.
Because they *had* been right, hadn't they? They'd been right that there were strings to be pulled. They'd been right that politics was a game that was played by the bigger players, that the bigger players used the smaller ones as pawns, that the goal was some non-zero-sum game of pushing the populace around like a fungible good.
@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ He had been the pawn, and his belief had been his utility. He was the knight mov
They'd been right, both Demma and the sys-side pair, because support for secession had swung his way with surprising rapidity, and there had suddenly been other strident voices that had once been on the other side of the equation agreeing with him, arguing along side him for the right of the System to become a political entity of its own.
There had been a logical procession to their thought process within their posts. It wasn't some sudden coin-flip, but over the course of the week, debates on the DDR-adjacent channels, where it didn't cost credits to post, suddenly swelled, and he'd seen the light dawning in their eyes, such as they were, as they realized that the System's political landscape fundamentally differed from that phys-side, that it couldn't but differ, given the root functionality of the populous, of the reality that sims were the only way to live. It was a true anarchy in that way. There was no ruling class because of what utility would there be for a ruling class when one could just split off and create one's own sim or set of sims, such that any attempt to rule from some central sim could simply be ignored as though it had never happened.
There had been a logical procession to their thought process within their posts. It wasn't some sudden coin-flip, but over the course of the week, debates on the DDR-adjacent channels, where it didn't cost credits to post, suddenly swelled, and he'd seen the light dawning in their eyes, such as they were, as they realized that the System's political landscape fundamentally differed from that phys-side, that it couldn't but differ, given the root functionality of the populous, of the reality that sims were the only way to live. It was a true anarchy. There was no ruling class because of what utility would there be for a ruling class when one could just split off and create one's own sim or set of sims, such that any attempt to rule from some central sim could simply be ignored as though it had never happened.
True Name and Jonas, now openly named, had been integral in helping convince him originally, and their words had played an enormous role through him to convince others. "There are sims in which a strict monarchy rules," True Name had said. "There are places governed by a theocracy. The Catholic church remains, albeit in reduced form without a bishopric, relying solely on adherents phys-side uploading all papal pronouncements, a near exact copy of the Vatican the phys-side popes and cardinals are represented by scrolling fields of text. Yet what influence could they hold on any other sim? What possible sway could they hold over anyone who didn't subscribe anyway?"
True Name and Jonas, now openly named, had been integral in helping convince him originally, and their words had played an enormous role through him to convince others. "There are sims in which a strict monarchy rules," True Name had said. "There are places governed by a theocracy. The Catholic church remains, albeit in reduced form without a bishopric, relying solely on adherents phys-side uploading all papal pronouncements, a near exact copy of the Vatican, where the phys-side popes and cardinals are represented by scrolling fields of text. Yet what influence could they hold on any other sim? What possible sway could they hold over anyone who did not subscribe anyway?"
And so he dutifully passed these on under the tutelage of True Name and Demma, and they, too, influenced the voices on the DDR.
And so he dutifully passed these on under the tutelage of Jonas and True Name and Demma, and they, too, influenced the voices on the DDR.
But for the voices to swing so quickly bespoke influence beyond just him. It showed that he was not the only pawn, that many of these other strident voices that quickly changed their voices were under the control of the big players phys-side, and perhaps sys-side as well; why wouldn't True Name and Jonas be talking to other DDR junkies like himself?
@ -22,11 +22,11 @@ All he could do was sit by and watch, and pray that the secession amendment wasn
Even there, he was lucky, so far. The clauses about declaring war had been strengthened, the clauses about asylum seekers hardened with wording surrounding the impossibility of extradition and the acknowledgement that any such seeker would no longer have a tangible physical affect phys-side. In fact, the only provision that had felt sour was one to cut off communication with the System from suspected terrorist cells, but it had done little to dampen the feeling of success from the overall amendment, the overall referendum.
The only issue, in fact, was a personal one. All of these changes of the amendment had been made under his name. Others had convinced him to add them. Even the sour change had been suggested and Demma had strongly suggested that it be included.
The only issue, in fact, was a personal one. All of these changes of the amendment had been made under his name. Others had convinced him to add them. Even when the sour change had been suggested, Demma had strongly suggested that it be included.
The end result was that his name was inextricably linked with the amendment, meaning that those who hated it --- indeed, those who hated the entire referendum --- began to hate him, too. They hated Yared Zerezghi specifically.
And boy did they hate with a passion.
And they hated with a passion.
His name had become a curse in their circles. He wasn't just the man who had introduced the amendment, he was the man who poisoned any hope of control over the System, that very System that they had declared a danger or a source of labor or a host to terrorism. He, Yared Zerezghi, was personally responsible for all that was wrong with the System.
@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Yared:** Is there anything I can do about it?
**Jonas:** Nope! You're stuck with it, my friend, and for that I'm eternally sorry. The best you can hope is that everyone will forget about you, and the best you can do to ensure that is to become a loud voice on other issues, hopefully ones that a lot of people agree with, so that you simply become "the loud voice" instead of "the secession guy". This is turning into the biggest thing the DDR has voted on essentially ever, though, so it's going to take a lot of that hollering to drown your voice out.
**Jonas:** Nope! You're stuck with it, my friend, and for that I'm eternally sorry. The best you can hope is that everyone will forget about you, and the best you can do to ensure that is to become a loud voice on other issues, hopefully ones that a lot of people agree with, so that you simply become "the loud voice" instead of "the secession guy". This is turning into the largest issue the DDR has ever voted on, though, so it's going to take a lot of that hollering to drown your voice out.
**True Name:** And even then, because your name is on it, that is likely what you will go down in the history books for.
@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Yared:** Ahhh, such relief!
**True Name:** In all reality, Yared, do think more about uploading. We would welcome you, here, and I am sure that, should anyone step down from the council (the Russians might when there is no need for their representation), you would be welcome to take their place. That would not be slimy politicking, just helping the System out.
**True Name:** In all seriousness, Yared, do think more about uploading. We would welcome you, here, and I am sure that, should anyone step down from the council (the Russians might when there is no need for their representation), you would be welcome to take their place. That would not be slimy politicking, just helping the System out.
**Yared:** You two are on the Council, how would that not mean slimy politicking?
@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Jonas:** Third punch to the shoulder confirmed.
**Jonas:** But really, no need to worry. This is 1000% the slimiest politicking that the Council has ever done. Most of the rest has been, like..."how do we keep forking from getting out of hand?" or "let's set systime to start when the reputation market begins" or "what if we could create telepathy". It's bullshit.
**Jonas:** But really, no need to worry. This is 1000% the slimiest politicking that the Council has ever done. Hell, most of the rest of the council doesn't know or care how True Name and I have been handling this. Most of the rest has been, like..."how do we keep forking from getting out of hand?" or "let's set systime to start when the reputation market begins" or "what if we could create telepathy". It's bullshit.
**Jonas:** Fun bullshit, but it's bullshit. You'd like it.
@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**True Name:** Please do, we would welcome you.
**Jonas:** Lighter topic: what most excites you about the prospect of uploading? Beyond getting away from ignominy and beholding True Name's indescribably beautiful countenance, I mean."
**Jonas:** Lighter topic: what most excites you about the prospect of uploading? Beyond getting away from ignominy and beholding True Name's indescribably beautiful countenance, I mean.
**Yared:** Isn't she a skunk-person?
@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Yared:** Wait, *can* you murder other people?
**True Name:** Yes. Some enterprising individual found a way to disrupt the concept of self so quickly and so thoroughly that one basically disintegrates and, just like an avatar crash, all you are left with is a core dump, and no one has figured out how to deal with those in a place that is a consensual dream.
**True Name:** Yes. Some enterprising individual found a way to disrupt the concept of self so quickly and so thoroughly that one basically disintegrates and, just like an avatar crash on the 'net, all you are left with is a core dump, and no one has figured out how to deal with those in a place that is a consensual dream.
**Yared:** Seriously???
@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Yared:** Fucking terrifying.
**True Name:** Oh, not often at all! It is pretty hard to actually make the virus, as it does require some tailoring to the individual, though doubtless that same enterprising individual is working on a way to make it universal, if they have not already been murdered, themselves.
**True Name:** Oh, not often at all! It is pretty hard to actually make the virus, as it does require tailoring to the specific individual, though it is equally doubtless that same enterprising individual is working on a way to make it universal. If, that is, they have not already been murdered, themselves.
**Jonas:** And before you ask, no, there's no way to prosecute them, even if we found them. They could just fork and keep on living somewhere else, changing themselves to look like someone else.
@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Yared:** Yikes, that sounds kind of horrifying.
**True Name:** It was. I still remember it. I remember how often I felt terrible due to the constant oscillation that only settled down when I focused or utterly relaxed. Were I able to choose at will, I do not think that this would have been a problem, and you would likely have been talking to me as Michelle Hadje, not as True Name.
**True Name:** It was. I still remember it. I remember how terrible I felt due to the constant oscillation that only settled down when I focused completely or utterly relaxed. Were I able to choose at will, I do not think that this would have been a problem, and you would likely have been talking to me as Michelle Hadje, not as True Name.
**Yared:** Well, I'm happy for you, even if that makes me sad for Michelle.
@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**True Name:** There are, yes. Plenty.
**Jonas:** A lot of the earliest sims were based around nature, actually. It's as if people wanted to reach for places that they loved phys-side.
**Jonas:** A lot of the earliest sims were based around nature, actually. It's as if people immediately wanted to reach for places that they loved phys-side.
**True Name:** Or to counteract the thought that they now live in a computer.
@ -214,4 +214,4 @@ He had become a hero and a villain for this, though, and there was no shaking th
**Jonas:** Of course, Yared.
**True Name:** And please remember, uploading is always an option, and we would welcome you with open arms. I know that you will come join us, sooner or later.
**True Name:** And please remember, uploading is always an option, and we would welcome you with open arms. I know that you will come join us, anyway, sooner or later.