update from sparkleup
This commit is contained in:
parent
cdb99ee4de
commit
8f2124f3d0
|
|
@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
|
|||
<p>Ey froze.</p>
|
||||
<p>The longer ey held still like that, the deeper May’s frown grew, the more her tail twitched this way and that in agitation. Still, she let the silence be and didn’t touch em, unwilling to interrupt what must be a rather long sensorium message.</p>
|
||||
<p>Finally, ey sagged, rubbing eir hands over eir face. “Uh, sorry. Can you send a fork back home? I’m going to have to try and push that out of mind for the time being, and I don’t want both of us to be in that state.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The skunk nodded and forked off a new May, who quickly stepped from the sim. The remaining instance sighed and slipped her arms around eir middle. “You cannot leave me totally in the dark, my dear, or I will be distracted worrying about something I do not know. Can you at least tell me something so that I do not lose my fucking mind?”</p>
|
||||
<p>The skunk nodded and forked off a new May, then stepped from the sim. The remaining instance sighed and slipped her arms around eir middle. “You cannot leave me totally in the dark, my dear, or I will be distracted worrying about something I do not know. Can you at least tell me something so that I do not lose my fucking mind?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Ioan grinned and returned the hug, resting eir chin atop her head. “Dreamer Module,” ey mumbled. “That enough for you?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Back at the house, the root instance of Ioan was walking circles around the dining room table, ‘pacing holes in the rug’ as May would say.</p>
|
||||
<p>Did say, it turned out, when she first entered.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -48,11 +48,11 @@
|
|||
<p>The skunk frowned, sitting up straighter in her chair. “So aliens are going to upload to Castor?”</p>
|
||||
<p>“It sounded like they were forty days out from their closest approach. Codrin didn’t know when exactly the upload window was.” Ey frowned as ey picked apart the remaining bits of message. “Apparently they’ve named the remote ship Artemis and the aliens Artemisians. That’s about all I received, other than Tycho said ‘yes’ and Codrin will be working with him on it.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“I am assuming more will be coming soon, knowing you and Codrin.” She doodled on the surface of the table with a blunt claw. “I am also assuming that other Odists are not far behind in meddling. How long ago did this happen?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Ioan squinted, then shrugged and just brushed eir hand along the table, a sheet of paper unrolling from nothing with the message itself written on it. Ey unlocked the clade-eyes-only ACLs andhanded this to May, who read carefully.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ioan squinted, then shrugged and just brushed eir hand along the table, a sheet of paper unrolling from nothing with the message itself written on it. Ey unlocked the clade-eyes-only ACLs and handed this to May, who read carefully.</p>
|
||||
<p>“So, eightish days ago. Nothing we can do but wait for further messages. Anything we send back will be two weeks too late.” She hesitated, set the paper down, and looked at em searchingly. “What do you make of the second half, though?”</p>
|
||||
<p>“I’m still trying to process that.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Do you not feel the same?” She reached out a paw to take one of eir hands in her own. “You got into theatre after all, did you not? You are not doing much in the way of history these days, other than the occasional paper. Did you really feel as though you had been sucked into all those projects with no input?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Ey let her lace her fingers with ears as ey thought. Words were a long time coming. “A little, I suppose, but this bit about feeling a lack of agency is new to me. I don’t know that I ever felt that strongly about being dragged along or anything.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Ey let her lace her fingers with eirs as ey thought. Words were a long time coming. “A little, I suppose, but this bit about feeling a lack of agency is new to me. I don’t know that I ever felt that strongly about being dragged along or anything.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Perhaps it is Dear.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“How do you mean?”</p>
|
||||
<p>She squeezed eir fingers between her own. “I think Codrin and Dear settled into a life of their own on Castor, but you know Dear. It is intensely focused on these big dramatic gestures. And before you say it, I am focused on drama, but rarely are my actions in life dramatic. I am happy with the life we have built. I am happy living with you and loving you and pushing you into writing increasingly weird plays.”</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
|
|||
<p>May beamed happily at this, and ey was reminded of eir promise to emself to say that more often. </p>
|
||||
<p>“Do you think ey will be able to take greater control of eir life?” she asked. “You still occasionally get stuck, but I was surprised when you were the one who asked me how to write a script.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Well, only because you wouldn’t shut up about how bad the one you had was.” Ey rolled eir eyes. “Skunks are so annoying. Ow!”</p>
|
||||
<p>“If you call me annoying again, I will pinch you again. A third time will earn you a bite.” She grinned toothily. “All the same. I am glad that you are happy. I do wish we were closer to Castor, though, so that you and Codrin could have an actual conversation about this. You may not be able to respond much about the Artemisians, but perhaps you could explain some of your thoughts on agency.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“If you call me annoying again, I will pinch you again. A third time will earn you a bite.” She grinned, teeth sharp. “All the same. I am glad that you are happy. I do wish we were closer to Castor, though, so that you and Codrin could have an actual conversation about this. You may not be able to respond much about the Artemisians, but perhaps you could explain some of your thoughts on agency.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Ey nodded. “I’ll do that, yeah. Any suggestions?”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Ey could ask #Pollux,” she said thoughtfully. “Perhaps ey could do a grand gesture and surprise Dear. I have loved it every time that you have surprised me. I do not think that Codrin#Castor has learned how to do that yet.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“I’m not sure I know how to teach someone how to do grand gestures.”</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
|
|||
<p>“And it is our job as Odists to fuck with you until you break out of it. I have faith in em, just as I had faith in you.” She slid the paper back across the table to em. “You just need to pass that on.”</p>
|
||||
</article>
|
||||
<footer>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-14</p>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-28</p>
|
||||
</footer>
|
||||
</main>
|
||||
<script type="text/javascript">
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
|
|||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Ioan knew that it would be quite a while yet before eir and May’s forks merged back down. Time Is A Finger Pointing At Itself, the director of the play was quite strict but she also drank like a fish and clung jealously to some remnant of productions she’d remembered from more than two centuries ago, so it had become a comfortable rhythm for Ioan, May, and any other actors who wished to join to follow her to a pub that served strong drinks and greasy food.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ey had been planning on a simple dinner on eir own, perhaps catching up on some reading, but with this knowledge and the fact that May was now here with em, the plan evolved into something more involved. Staying inside didn’t feel right. Something about the news had them in mind of stars, in mind of looking up to the sky, so they wound up grilling burgers out on the patio and talked as they watched the stars come out one by one, sitting there in the house’s back yard.</p>
|
||||
<p>The burgers had long been finished and the grill long since put away when Ioan felt an automated sensorium ping of someone entering the house, followed shortly by a real-time message from who had just arrived.</p>
|
||||
<p>The burgers had long since been finished and the grill long since put away when Ioan felt an automated sensorium ping of someone entering the house, followed shortly by a real-time message from who had just arrived.</p>
|
||||
<p>She did not give em time to react, nor even to stand. Ey had only managed to turn to look to the door opening out to the patio before the skunk stepped out onto the concrete, lit only by the string of lights tucked beneath the overhanging deck.</p>
|
||||
<p>“I…what? True Name?”</p>
|
||||
<p>She bowed quickly before holding her paws up in a disarming gesture. “Ioan, May Then My Name. I apologize for the brusque entry, but I believe we need to talk.”</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
|
|||
<p>“We did, yes. We even ran the fact that it might be you who received the information through our models,” she said, nodding to em.</p>
|
||||
<p>“But you did not count on me,” May said.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a tight silence that lingered a long few seconds before True Name nodded. “We did not count on you. We did not count on <em>both</em> of you. We did not count on…” She took a shaky breath, recomposed herself, and continued. “We did not count on what changes the dynamic between you two would lead to.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Your models included a historian, you mean,” Ioan said. “And now you also have one of your own. You’ve got two actors, one of whom was built by you specifically to influence others.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Your models included a historian, you mean,” Ioan said. “And now you also have one of your own. You’ve got two actors, one of whom was purpose built by you specifically to influence others.”</p>
|
||||
<p>She looked stricken, gaze jumping between em and May. “When one has lived so long with a certain set of expectations, having them subverted is a shock. May Then My Name, I do not begrudge you your feelings toward me. It is not my goal to win you back or anything like that; all I can do is admit my shortcomings and try to do better by you, even if that is, as you have requested, leaving you be. I truly am happy for you — for both of you — as you have accomplished something that I never could, that Michelle struggled with from the beginning. However, I have a job. I have goals to work towards. I have a vision that I would like above all things to uphold.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“You have painted yourself into a corner,” May said. Her voice had lost the edge of anger at her down-tree instance’s admission and apology.</p>
|
||||
<p>True Name giggled.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -54,12 +54,12 @@
|
|||
<p>“Make your pitch, then,” May said, voice softer still.</p>
|
||||
<p>“It is a small ask, I hope,” The skunk said, folding her hands on the tabletop once more. “Do not publish any of this information in the feeds or in some new book or play, and do not put it anywhere in the perisystem architecture. Not yet. I ask that you keep it between yourselves, Jonas, me, and other Odists. You may, of course, keep communicating with Castor, but I would ask that you not pass this on to Pollux yet. Codrin and True Name are working together, per the message I received, so I imagine our messages will contain similar content, but should anything interesting come up, I would be much obliged if you shared with me. Are you open to that?”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Sure,” Ioan said.</p>
|
||||
<p>May shrugged. “I may talk to A Finger Pointing and End Waking about it, but I think you will have the rest of the clade under control before I wind up speaking to any of them again. The only other that I plan on sharing this with is Douglas.”</p>
|
||||
<p>May shrugged. “I may talk to A Finger Pointing and End Waking about it, but I think you will have the rest of the clade under control before I wind up speaking to any of them again. I will likely also share this with Douglas.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The skunk stiffened in her seat and sat silent for a moment. “May I be there when you do? I would like to impress upon him the gravity of the situation.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Absolutely not.”</p>
|
||||
<p>True Name winced, wilted, nodded. “I see. Well, if you would pass on my request for information security, I would be very grateful.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“I will,” May said. “I will also be telling Debarre.”</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a long silence.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a long silence. Ioan could not read either of the skunks’ features, nor guess at the sudden tension in the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>“We’ll pass on your request,” Ioan said at last, earning em a sharp glance from May.</p>
|
||||
<p>True Name nodded slowly. Standing and once more brushing her blouse flat, she bowed. “Thank you both and apologies for the intrusion.”</p>
|
||||
<p>May stood as well and stepped around the table, taking the other skunk’s paws in her own. It was strange to see the gesture of kindness after so tense a discussion, but the expression on May’s face as she looked at her down-tree instance showed none of the friendship implied.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
|
|||
<p>After a moment, May leaned back, rested her paws on those shoulders, and said, “But please leave and do not ever, <em>ever,</em> come to my house again.”</p>
|
||||
</article>
|
||||
<footer>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-14</p>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-28</p>
|
||||
</footer>
|
||||
</main>
|
||||
<script type="text/javascript">
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
|
|||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p><em>Convergence T-20 days, 18 hours, 41 minutes</em></p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>It was not at all surprising that dinner at home was far less stressful than the dinner with the Odists out in Tycho’s observatory. While the conversation throughout the meal had been nothing but pleasant, the food delightful, and the location and single candle a stunning setting for a dinner, a tension had nonetheless hung above the table throughout. While Sarah had appeared relaxed and True Name and Answers Will Not Help seemed to earnestly enjoy the evening, Tycho had been hovering on the edge of terror, Dear had seemed to have put on a mask of pleasantness that involved choosing its words most carefully, and Codrin had remained hypervigilant.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was not at all surprising that dinner at home was far less stressful than dinner with the Odists out in Tycho’s observatory. While the conversation throughout the meal had been nothing but pleasant, the food delightful, and the location and single candle a stunning setting for a dinner, a tension had nonetheless hung above the table throughout. While Sarah had appeared relaxed and True Name and Answers Will Not Help seemed to earnestly enjoy the evening, Tycho had been hovering on the edge of terror, Dear had seemed to have put on a mask of pleasantness that involved choosing its words most carefully, and Codrin had remained hypervigilant.</p>
|
||||
<p>This was confirmed when they returned home and the instance of Dear which had accompanied em to the dinner sagged, exhausted, and then quit. The instance of Dear which had remained behind, when confronted with the onslaught of memories, sighed and simply shook its head. None of the triad seemed at all interested in discussing the dinner.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was eir other partner who had suggested the smaller party for the next night. While they hadn’t explicitly mentioned that it would be a counter to the other party, it was certainly implied. Something to cleanse palates, as well as to give further time for Codrin, Tycho, and Sarah to interact before they were to go on their journey. All three — four, including Dear — had immediately agreed.</p>
|
||||
<p>So it was that they sat around the table, there in the modern house on the prairie, sharing coffee and desserts and pleasant, easy conversation.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
|
|||
<p><em>“It is nothing bad. Just stressful, and I do not yet know how to put it into words. I will say that this will impact all Odists in approximately the same way, though, which is why you should know if there are to be two of them joining you.”</em></p>
|
||||
</article>
|
||||
<footer>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-14</p>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-28</p>
|
||||
</footer>
|
||||
</main>
|
||||
<script type="text/javascript">
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -49,14 +49,14 @@
|
|||
<p>Dear shrugged. It looked quite pleased. <em>“Perhaps, but is that not an internally consistent dream? A dreaming mind that starts with the proposition of aliens and enough knowledge of our little world would be able to construct a consistent narrative to get us to where we are. The Dreamer Module, the micro-Ansible, the DMZ, all of it.”</em> Its grin widened, the volume of its voice rising. <em>“Or perhaps the System aboard Castor is losing coherency! Perhaps our world is falling down around our ears and we would never know!”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>Codrin laughed, watching the fox get more and more animated. “I’m pretty sure we’d know whether Castor is failing or not.”</p>
|
||||
<p><em>“Do not be so sure about that, my love. We have very little insight into the world outside of the LV.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“I’m pretty sure we have at least some,” eir other partner said. “Even if it’s just by away of our communications with Lagrange and Pollux.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“I’m pretty sure we have at least some,” eir other partner said. “Even if it’s just by way of our communications with Lagrange and Pollux.”</p>
|
||||
<p><em>“Yet even that may be a dream!”</em> Dear giggled. <em>“You see why this is interesting to me, though, yes? If Artemis is real, then we gain new insights into semiosis. If it is not, I get my beloved natural death.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>Ey rolled eir eyes and shook eir head. “Foxes.”</p>
|
||||
<p><em>“You love me and you know it.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“Well, I mean, yes, but that was never in doubt.” Ey leaned back on eir palms. “Either way, I hope that they’re real. That feels like the better scenario to me.”</p>
|
||||
<p><em>“Boring.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“Hush, you,” their partner said, poking at the fox’s thigh.</p>
|
||||
<p><em>“Both of you. Boring, boring, boring.”</em> It laughed, shrugged. <em>“But I admit that I hope that they are real, as well. I am more excited about the semiotics of aliens than the idea that Castor is failing. For instance, there is much we can learn about them from their language, I expect. I am no linguist, but how they describe their control over time, should they chose to do so, will provide much insight into the ways something that is not us perceives and interacts with their world around them. They may process signs — signs in the semiotic sense — in a very different way, and we will be able to use that and apply it to the hypotheses that we have formed over the years.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p><em>“Both of you. Boring, boring, boring.”</em> It laughed. <em>“But I admit that I hope that they are real, as well. I am more excited about the semiotics of aliens than the idea that Castor is failing. For instance, there is much we can learn about them from their language, I expect. I am no linguist, but how they describe their control over time, should they chose to do so, will provide much insight into the ways something that is not us perceives and interacts with their world around them. They may process signs — signs in the semiotic sense — in a very different way, and we will be able to use that and apply it to the hypotheses that we have formed over the years.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“Are there problems in that area that need solving?” Codrin asked.</p>
|
||||
<p><em>“I do not know. It is something which is interesting to me for its own sake. Perhaps we can learn more about sensoria,”</em> it said, shrugging. <em>“For those who desire children, perhaps there are implications within that which will allow them to experience such.”</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“Do you want children, then?”</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -103,7 +103,7 @@
|
|||
<p><em>“But, my dear, do be watchful. There will be two Odists on that mission, and they will share in some of my trepidation.”</em> It took eir hand in its paw and gave the back of it an affectionate lick. The gesture seemed to be one designed to minimize the anxiety in the statement, but eirs or Dears, ey could not tell. <em>“They share that same trauma. Be watchful and remember what I said: even True Name has emotions, even she will be affected.”</em></p>
|
||||
</article>
|
||||
<footer>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-14</p>
|
||||
<p>Page generated on 2022-03-28</p>
|
||||
</footer>
|
||||
</main>
|
||||
<script type="text/javascript">
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue