update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/marsh/audiobook-samples.md

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+## Main characters
+
+### Reed
+
+The main character and narrator. Transmasc, generally feeling in-over-his-head, but trying to stay strong as the de-facto leader of the Marshans.
+
+#### A pleasant, if slightly tipsy, New Year's Eve
+
+> If you’re looking for the utmost in luxury, then it’s really hard to go wrong with 2399. The ride was just about as smooth as could be.
+
+#### Thoughtful conversation on accidentally catching feelings
+
+> There's a part of me that remembers everything, but it still feels just like that, memories. I could dredge up any one conversation, but none in particular stick out to me in the same way as a conversation that I'd experienced directly would. The memories are there, and I'll be reminded of them, but they're not at the forefront unless something happens to bring them up.
+
+#### Angry in the heat of an argument
+
+> They really didn't. You…what, read the History and decided that, without exception, they're all fucking evil? Even after everything? Even after all the other books explained what happened?
+
+### Dry Grass
+
+A technician and Reed's accidental love interest. Cis woman, generally confident. Centuries old neurological damage left her with some language issues, leading to slightly clipped speech that she tries to keep gentle all the same, and a pathological aversion to contractions.
+
+#### Grieving a sister
+
+> That was my up-tree instance, yes? In The Wind? I remember the rattle of dry grass in the wind. I picked that up from Louie. Eir clade, os Riãos, did much the same. I thought I was so clever. I thought I had gotten all of my grief out that second day. I thought I could move on, limping, until I heard of the work she’d done, that she made it so far and still did not make it to the end. Until I saw her core.
+
+#### Wistful musing on grand events
+
+> I feel like my baby has stumbled. The System stumbled and fell, knocked its head, forgotten some of what it knew. I feel like our existence stumbled, as some group or another got so frustrated as to trip it up. When I dump my energy into all of this work, I am doing my best to nurse it back to health. We all are. I am working the tech angle, the eighth is working the political angle — I think even Sasha has poked her nose in once or twice — even the third stanza is there with us, sitting shiva and praying as they will.
+
+#### Competent technical explanation
+
+> There have been more than two hundred thousand instances of downtime throughout the history of Lagrange. Most amount to a few seconds or minutes, with the longest being approximately two weeks, which took place during the Lagrange station’s insertion into the L5 orbit in which it currently resides.We usually do not notice any downtime unless we are specifically paying attention to systime. However, in this instance, when the System returned to functionality, several instances were missing.
+
+## Minor characters
+
+### Hanne
+
+Reed's partner. Cis woman with vaguely snarky lesbian vibes.
+
+#### A pleasant, if slightly tipsy, New Year's Eve
+
+> Sure. But either way, they were somewhere in the middle, maybe. There was this big push from the liberal side on the climate, and this big push on the conservative side on the financial side. They said they could cut costs on services if there were fewer of us. Dad was with them, mom was with the libs. It was one of the few things they could agree on. They said they’d miss me, but they weren’t exactly sad when I went the Ansible.
+
+#### Grieving over lost friends
+
+> Jess isn’t responding. She’s there, but not responding. Shu is gone though. Just…completely gone. It’s like she was never even there in the first place.
+
+#### Worried about a decision
+
+> Yeah. I’m a bit wary of it, maybe, but maybe some good will come of it.
+
+### Need An Answer
+
+One of the emergency council. Cis woman and competent political leader. As with Dry Grass, centuries old neurological damage left her with some language issues, leading to slightly clipped speech and a pathological aversion to contractions. 
+
+#### Briskly chairing a meeting
+
+> Lovely. It is my role to organize, not to ask questions. Picking up responsibility sys-side will be I Remember The Rattle Of Dry Grass of the Ode clade, she/her, Jonas Fa of the Jonas clade, he/him, Debarre of his own clade, he/him, and Selena of her own clade, she/her.
+
+#### Replying to a stupid question "danger beneath the calm in her voice"
+
+> Have you lost 23 billion souls, my dear?
+
+#### Reassuring a nervous tech
+
+> That falls under the realm of politics, yes? It is hardly something you need worry yourself about, Günay.
+
+### Sedge
+
+Techy Marshan with an interest in people. Cis woman with a jokey demeanor
+
+#### Proud of being a workaholic
+
+> Well, the politicians have taken over much of what’s going on. I hear they even roped in some of the old ones who retired. I’m starting to feel like I’ll get pushed out of the endeavor before long. Or at least nudged into a data-entry role.
+
+#### Right after being called out for being a workaholic
+
+> Feeling seen, here, Reed. Feeling *perceived.*
+
+### Cress
+
+The smollest Marshan. Aggressively enby, it/its pronouns, cute.
+
+#### Reassuring
+
+> It’s not a bad idea, Reed. If you want to, I mean. I imagine it’s gotta be weird as hell.
+
+#### Trying to be light-hearted during a eulogy
+
+> I decided that ‘neutral’ was the wrong answer to the question of gender. Gender was the wrong question. Fuck it, I say. The next time I merged down, Marsh sent me a message that was just them laughing, then requested that we use they/them for them.
+
+### Tule
+
+Marshan with a lot of love for Dry Grass. Cis male, similar to Reed's demeanor but more jokey
+
+#### Joking to cover pain
+
+> Terrible! All my emotions are wrong. I’m jittery and tired and I want to get another few hours of sleep but feel guilty every time I lay down.
+
+#### Teasing Reed
+
+> This is too good a break to be wandering back into talk of whatever it is that we’ve been working on. Let’s stick with making fun of Reed instead, alright?
+
+### Lily
+
+Angery. Cis female, butch energy, just kind of mad.
+
+#### In an argument with Reed, very angry
+
+> Fuck the other books. Fuck the Ode clade, and fuck you too. Fuck you and fuck Cress and fuck Tule. It’s really fucking sad, watching you three get taken for a ride, the same manipulation that fucked us all.
+
+#### After hearing a bad joke as an ice breaker, apologizing for shouting
+
+> Okay, okay, I’ll give you that one. That was pretty good. Still atrocious, but at least the good kind of atrocious. I’m sorry for the other night.
+
+