update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/neviim/ioan/011.md

@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 # Ioan Bălan --- 2346
 
+    Convergence T-0 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes
+
 Ioan,
 
 I must admit, I'm really not sure what to say about all of this. Thank you for waiting until you have a substantial amount to send to me, at least. Dear threw a little tantrum about about this "We have received messages over the last few days" bit, but I appreciate having an initial digest to work with so that I'm not left a fretting mess (as you say you were) by the simple news that, oh look, aliens! I threatened to bundle it up in blankets until it was immobile for a few hours, though, and it calmed down. I may do so anyway.
 
-Four races! Five thousand years! One language! Have you learned any of that, yourself? How is May then My name taking it? You mention True Name, but have you heard from any other Odists? Any other friends? If the System is anything like Pollux, people are talking about little else.
+Four races! Five thousand years! One language! Have you learned any of that, yourself? How is May then My name taking it? You mention True Name, but have you heard from any other Odists? Any other friends? If Legrange System is anything like Pollux, people are talking about little else.
 
-The news broke over here much as it sounds as though it has done on the L<sub>5</sub> System: with tightly controlled excitement. There is no doubt that the powers that be continue their work across all three Systems, but it's always fascinating to see. The amount of bafflement was outweighed by the amount of excitement. The excitement also outweighed the amount of fear. Everyone's eager for every scrap of news that they can get.
+The news broke over here much as it sounds as though it has done on Legrange: with tightly controlled excitement. There is no doubt that the powers that be continue their work across all three Systems, but it's always fascinating to see. The amount of bafflement was outweighed by the amount of excitement. The excitement also outweighed the amount of fear. Everyone's eager for every scrap of news that they can get.
 
 How much of the delay in sending word to us was due to True Name and her friends? I imagine she had words about the first message, at least, but a whole week's worth of messages feels like a good deal.
 
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ I'm sorry to hear about May Then My Name, though. Discussion of 'cracks showing'
 
 Still, I'm happy to hear that everyone's tallies are lining up well: far fewer old clades over here are experiencing such symptoms than feared after the publication of *Perils*, for which just about everyone is happy. No one wants to deal with an impending burden of insanity on one's two hundredth birthday, so to hear that it's only a fraction and that maybe there's something that can be done (or so we hear; has there been news of psychotherapy as a treatment over there? I've been hearing whispers) has kept the population at large from freaking out. I imagine you have it worse, though, given the relative skew towards dispersionistas on the LVs; I bet early taskers are freaking out.
 
-Either way, Ioan, I am concerned for you and your partner. Our lives are informed by trauma, and the trauma that we hold in particular leads to a sort of conservatism that is particularly focused on our loved ones. I know that you want nothing more than to see May Then My Name continue to thrive, and I know that seeing her struggle is incredibly painful as it touches on the roots of those very same traumas. I know that the two of you will make it through alright, but, as this is in the clade-eyes-only section, do remember to keep yourself safe. You have Douglas. You have A Finger Pointing. You have Carolyn (who you'll have to tell me more about, sometime; she sounds fascinating). When you need, nudge May Then My Name to her support network and lean on yours on your own.
+Either way, Ioan, I am concerned for you and your partner. Our lives are informed by trauma, and the trauma that we hold in particular leads to a sort of conservatism that is particularly focused on our loved ones. I know that you want nothing more than to see May Then My Name continue to thrive, and I know that seeing her struggle is incredibly painful as it touches on the roots of those very same traumas. I know that the two of you will make it through alright, but, as this is in the clade-eyes-only section, do remember to keep yourself safe. You have Douglas. You have A Finger Pointing. You have so many delightful friends I've yet to even meet. When you need, nudge May Then My Name to her support network and lean on yours on your own.
 
 **IOAN BĂLAN INDIVIDUAL-EYES-ONLY MATERIAL**
 

writing/post-self/neviim/local/tycho/011.md

@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-# Tycho Brahe#Artemis --- 2346
+# Tycho Brahe#Castor --- 2346
+
+    Convergence T-0 days, 1 hour, 13 minutes
 
 Tycho had spent his share of time in conferences, both phys-side and sys-side. They all came with their exciting parts and their boring parts. They all came with peaks that left him completely rapt, and valleys that were so excruciatingly boring that he had, on more than one occasion, feigned illness to step out of a talk or away from a panel discussion or a lecture.
 
@@ -48,7 +50,7 @@ Sarah gave him a grin and a subtle nod. It was nearly five minutes before the co
 
 "You are correct, scientist Tycho Brahe," Turun Ka said once the cone dropped. "Though it is less that curiosity intensifies during these maneuvers than there are more observations to be made when passing near a star. We learn astronomy and physics, yes, which slowly bleeds across sciences. Physics impacts Artemis's hardware, so our technicians learn from that. Our hardware impacts our experience, and so sciences surrounding individual and collective consciousness-bearing entities benefits from that."
 
-All five of the delegates took notes as quickly as they could while the firstracer spoke. Tycho made a note to himself to ask what sorts of things they tended to learn when passing close to a star, as well as a note to ask Tycho#Emissary to bring up similar on Artemis, focusing instead on the history of their course.
+All five of the delegates took notes as quickly as they could while the firstracer spoke. Tycho made a note to himself to ask what sorts of things they tended to learn when passing close to a star, as well as a note to ask Tycho#Artemis to bring up similar on Artemis, focusing instead on the history of their course.
 
 "Leader Turun Ka," True Name said with a hint of a bow. "Would you be amenable to a short break?"
 
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ Once they'd made it around the corner into the common area, the skunk grinned to
 
 He frowned. "What? How?"
 
-True Name patted him on the arm. "Do not mind her, my dear. It was a good question because it suggests to the sneaky pieces of shit among us that they might be being sneaky, themselves. Come, let us sit so I can write to True Name#Emissary."
+True Name patted him on the arm. "Do not mind her, my dear. It was a good question because it suggests to the sneaky pieces of shit among us that they might be being sneaky, themselves. Come, let us sit so I can write to True Name#Artemis."
 
 Once they'd sat down at the common table, the skunk explained. "They have all of the time in the world over there, do they not? They can speed up and slow down whenever they want, and use that to get all of the heavy lifting of thinking and studying and lecturing done even when they are around a star, never mind when they are out between them, yes?"
 
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ He nodded. "But their observations--"
 
 "Well, sure," he hazarded. "But perhaps they turn off the ability to skew when they perform an assist or something. We didn't get the chance to ask them any more questions."
 
-"We will, do not worry," she said, mumbling as she dashed off a few more lines on her note. She handed the slip of paper to Codrin, who brushed eir hand down over the page to send it off through the DMZ border to eir #Assist instance to send to Artemis. "But they are also time-bound talking with us who are not able to utilize time skew, correct?"
+"We will, do not worry," she said, mumbling as she dashed off a few more lines on her note. She handed the slip of paper to Codrin. "But they are also time-bound talking with us who are not able to utilize time skew, correct?"
 
 Tycho crossed his arms and slouched back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Well, shit."