update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/qoheleth/Ioan/008.html

@@ -16,17 +16,23 @@
 <p>The designated meeting point was the prairie in front of Dear's house. Ioan was confused as to why they didn't just meet in Qoheleth's sim, until ey realized that many members of the clade had not met in years or decades, or, in the case of up-tree instances, ever.</p>
 <p>For a family reunion, it was quite stiff and formal, tense. <em>Probably not the best of circumstances to regather the clade,</em> Ioan thought.</p>
 <p>Ey focused on eir job as amanuensis.</p>
-<p>Ey was surprised at the variety of the cladists. It made sense, of course, for a Dispersionista clade, but it was the direction in which the differences headed which intrigued em. The most notable difference was the gender presentation ratio. It was heavily skewed feminine. Michel Hadje had been born male, ey remembered, but had never transitioned, yet here was a crowd of primarily women, all similar enough to appear related, but different in their own ways. Kemmer indeed.</p>
+<p>Ey was surprised at the variety of the cladists. It made sense, of course, for a Dispersionista clade, but it was the direction in which the differences headed which intrigued em. The most notable difference was the species presentation ratio. Many of the cladists were still human, mostly short woman with dark hair.</p>
-<p>Ioan supposed it was due to the individual preferences that each long-lived fork had gained in its time away from the root of the clade. The remaining Odists who had not changed, or who had changed very little where the ones who Ioan suspected were the less liberal bunch Dear had mentioned. They all looked fairly similar.</p>
+<p>"Fewer foxes than I had imagined," Ioan observed.</p>
-<p>Ioan couldn't help but think that they represented a lot of the various shames and repressions that Michel had held, that everyone held. It was an interesting dissolution strategy.</p>
+<p><em>"Hmm? There's me and Serene, yes."</em> Dear dragged Ioan over to meet her. Serene was similar in many ways to Dear, though with natural coloration rather than the iridescent white fur that Dear maintained. Dear gave her a tight hug and introduced her to Ioan as the one who had designed the landscape of its property. Ioan liked her at once.</p>
-<p>There was one other fox, as well. A female fox, similar in many ways to Dear, though with natural coloration rather than the iridescent white fur that Dear maintained. Dear gave her a tight hug and introduced her to Ioan as Serene, the one who had designed the landscape of its property. Ioan liked her at once.</p>
+<p>Of those that bore forms other than fox and human, Ioan could not tell. Ey supposed that ey would do some research after the fact to try and place name to species and species to line in the Ode. Perhaps there was a pattern, and perhaps not.</p>
-<p>Michel himself was notably absent, though Dear assured the historian that he was still very much alive. <em>"He said that, if anyone should remain behind, it was him, as he had started this whole damn thing."</em></p>
+<p><em>"You must understand that while uploading was attractive early on to those with an interest in explroing the differen shapes a body could take,"</em> Dear had explained. <em>"Few were able to accomplish that on initial upload. Many furries uploaded, few wound up looking like their avatars in the sims of the past. You wind up looking like how your brain pictures itself on some level more fundamental than merely preference."</em></p>
-<p>Ioan shrugged and nodded. Dear gave a small smile and shrugged as well.</p>
+<p>Ey nodded. "I look much how I did before, yes, though I've made a few changes."</p>
-<p>There were a few tag-alongs, folks immediately identified as out-clade. A few friends, and a few partners, singular and plural. Some who Ioan suspected were like eirself, historians and helpers brought along to witness and record. One of the conservatives (at Ioan's guess, at least) had even brought a reputation analyst along with him, a slight Asian gentleman who introduced himself as Qián Guōwēi.</p>
+<p><em>"Changes require forking, though, yes? And if forking is expensive..."</em> The fox trailed off.</p>
+<p>Ioan nodded. Ey supposed it was due to the individual preferences that each long-lived fork had gained in its time away from the root of the clade once forking became cheaper. The remaining Odists who had not changed --- or who had changed very little --- even after the cost had come down were the ones who Ioan suspected Dear referred to as "conservatives".</p>
+<p>And yet they were only similar. No two were identical. Each had picked up some of their own distinguishing characteristics, whether through intentional mutation or through accident and acquired experience. It was an interesting artifact of the dissolution strategy: fork, fork often and be deliberate about it, but do not let the self dissolve completely.</p>
+<p>Michel herself was notably absent, though Dear assured the historian that she was still very much alive. <em>"She said that, if anyone should remain behind, it was her, as she had started this whole damn thing."</em></p>
+<p>"And how do you feel about that choice."</p>
+<p>Dear shrugged, unsmiling. <em>"Her choice is her own. I would have preferred that she be here, but then, I would have preferred everyone be as invested in this as I am, and we know that not to be the case."</em></p>
+<p>There were a few tag-alongs aside from Ioan, as well. Folks immediately identified as out-clade. A few friends. A few partners, singular and plural. Some who ey suspected were like emself: historians and helpers brought along to witness and record. One of the conservatives (at Ioan's guess, at least) had even brought a reputation analyst along with him, a slight Asian gentleman who introduced himself as Qián Guōwēi.</p>
 <p>Dear announced that the party would be leaving in five minutes.</p>
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-                <p>Page generated on 2020-04-11</p>
+                <p>Page generated on 2020-04-14</p>
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