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Star-Crosst is currently on sale on Steam for the autumn sale! I'll write an update for this weekend!
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Nov 24, 2023 07:57
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   : Your Earthling territories are cold to Ghians all day, all year. : Okay, but, like... more than usual?  : It's likely that you're adjusting to the world outside your quarters. It's nearly a week since you got out, and you weren't in the greatest psychological state; your structure is trying to relearn what it's like.: Whatever, sure, let's go with all of that.: Isol, I'm going to be honest with you: I... I kind of want to go back.: I'm tired. Before you called, I just wanted to go to bed. Coming here took everything else that I had out of me.: My feet are heavy; I feel like I'm about to fall asleep where I'm standing; and... well, heh, you were right in that salads don't have a lot of staying power. I'm already getting hungry again.  : The want was to get you to exercise and to exit your residence. We did those things. It wasn't a long walk, yet, well... you're in an unhealthy way, and all the little strides are successes.: ... No. I'm here now. I might as well see it all through. And I said I'd spend time with you, Isol; I'm not about to cut that short. : That, and, as much as I want to go back, I know I shouldn't. My room is just going to put me back into that funk.: This is regarding you, Ezra. Your health has greater criticality than us hanging out together.: Still... it's a nice thing to say.: You know, it's funny.: Out of everyone I know and everyone I've met, you're the only person that's not only seen the Earth, and not just from pictures or videos or even through a telescope like I'm about to do but you've actually been there.: That's a funny thing for an Earthling to say to a Ghian, I think.To be fair to Ezra, even today we have people born in other countries and who have never been to their parents' homeland. It's a culture thing. Does Ezra see herself more as a Galileian rather than an Earthling, for instance? : The reason I reside here in Galilei today is that I was on holiday on Earth when the Riklid attacked. : ... Yeah, I can imagine.  : I learned a lot in Galilei in the last decade, and one thing I try to always recall is that it's greater to try and concentrate on what's to occur than it is to linger on what's occurred.: Now that the Riklid are gone, existence is 'silky sailing' going onward. : ...: You're stronger than I think you give yourself credit for, Isol.: Why do you say that?: I mean, it takes a certain kind of character that went from vacationing on Earth, to being forced to live in a dome a billion kilometers away, unable to go home while a deadly war is going on... and say that the past is behind her and she just wants to look forward.: When I learned that my mom died, I clammed up in my room for a week. I didn't even realize I was wasting away until you fed me.: ...  : Ghians aren't stone. It wasn't strength that I had, it was: ... We were just as... enthused as Earthlings are. We all take to dour news in our own ways. : That's true... I guess I'm just hoping that... it'll get easier for me like it did for you. I would have loved to learn more about Isol's parents and family unit, if she were to open up about it. There's quite a bit of scarring there for her, but maybe she's already mostly healed from it after so long. : Let's change the discussion. We got out to try and dodge the setting in your house, and all.: There's one thing I had in mind, actually.: And what's that?: They say that when you look at the Earth from a distance, the sight of it... does something to your head. I don't remember the exact name of whatever this effect is.: Did that happen to you? Did you even get a good look at it when you were approaching?: Yes, actually, to that second one. : Would you describe what you saw as... something that 'changed' you? Made you think differently? : ...: I think it's wrong to ask a Ghian that. Earth is gorgeous yet he is not a Ghian's nurturer.: Which is to say, no, I didn't undergo anything like that. I looked at his horizon; took a sellie; and then sat down and waited to land.: Sorry, a what? : Oh, a selfie.: Yes, that.: ...: I had yet to see Ghi in that angle, though. Out in the aether, in the cold; disconnected with his ground and air. Seeing the rike in a way I had yet to see it.: This 'change' that occurs in the way Earthlings think could yet occur were I to see Ghi and not Earth. Ghi is where I was nurtured, and all.: Now that a decade has gone, this 'change' could hit like a sack whole with stones, too.: Hah, yeah. I imagine seeing your home again after everything that's happened would be a huge relief.: ...*A "ding" sound plays.* : That denotes that it's our turn, I think.: I think so. I don't see anyone else in line ahead of us anymore.: Would you like to do the honours?: ... No, I think I'd prefer to go second, actually. I just... I need a bit more time to digest myself being here, is all.: Like I said, we can go: No, we're here. I'm not going to leave without looking through that lens. I just need a minute.: Let's not keep the line behind us waiting for too much longer, okay?: Well, it's just, I had already seen the Earth.: You're right, though; we shouldn't take too long. : ... : Ugh, these lenses weren't designed with Ghian eyelines in thought. Any chance I could get a dongle or connector...? : No? Hell. Alright, I'll just: ...: ...: Well, whatever she's doing must be working for her. She's staring pretty intently into those lenses.: I wonder if she can really see the Earth...? I guess I'm about to find out. : ... So? What did you think? Did you see the Earth?: Yeah.: ... And?: Well, this is the second occasion I had seen the Earth, so, the occurrence isn't, you know, as intense as it was. And it wasn't that intense with the initial sight, either.  : Does she or he at least look good?   : Concoct, in your third eye, a genial countenance that's entrenched with contusions. That's what I saw in Earth right now.: A genial count what? What are they teaching you Ghians in your English classes? : There are others waiting their turn, you know. You should look already.: Well, now you have me second-guessing if I should or not.: That's your call.: ...: *sigh* I said I would.: Excuse me. : Right. They'll get angry were you to touch anything to turn it.: Okay, let's take a look, then... Wounded Earth : I had seen the Earth a decade ago, and, yes, I can authenticate that that is your rike. Your nurturer. : That is Earth.: ...: Is this... really Earth?: I've never I've only ever seen pictures and stuff. I've never seen her before, not with my own eyes. And this...: This doesn't... look right. The shapes of the land are all off. There aren't many clouds in the sky. I don't think I see any snow on the caps...: This really is Earth...? But she looks so...: 'A genial countenance... entrenched in contusions...': ... A smiling face... covered in bruises.: Mom fought for this. She died for this. She didn't even hesitate. The Riklid came; they attacked; they turned the Earth into... this. And Mom fought them every step of the way, as soon as she could.: Isol.: Yes, Ezra?(Isol's conversation with Ezra is voiced.) : You're the only person I know that's been on the ground on Earth.: You told me this before, that Galilei feels like Earth well enough but that there's a thing on Earth that Galilei doesn't have. Down there, the air isn't recycled; day and night aren't caused by someone turning a dial; the weather isn't something we control.: ...: I don't know what my question was going to be. I think... I just need to talk. To try and filter out some of these thoughts I'm having.: Hah, I think I understand. As a Ghian existing in an Earthling territory, it's easier to listen than to talk, so, go ahead and run your throat all you like.I've mentioned that Isol is the best girl, but here I have to reiterate that fact. She's ready to listen to Ezra shoot her mouth off as much as it takes to get her emotions in check, though she puts it in a strange way that she still sees herself as apart from the others. : Wait, I got one.: Here on Galilei... I could get on a tram and ride it to the aerodrome's edge. There are parts of the dome where they'll let us get right up and touch the glass. I could pick a direction and walk, and eventually, I'll hit the dome's border.: I don't know what it's like to live on a planet at all. All I've ever known is Galilei. I've never even left Section Four. But you, Isol; you've been to two.: When you were on Ghi or Earth, did you ever get that feeling? That if you were to pick a direction and walk, that you'd be forced to stop at some point?: There is one thing that Earth and Ghi own that Galilei doesn't. Well... things in the hundreds, yet one thing related to your question, anyway.: Ezra, do you know what's larger than a hill? A gigantic hill, usually with a jagged crown that's loaded with snow?: Uh... a mountain?: Yes, that. Galilei has no giant hills. And it doesn't own great gorges, either; it's largely regular and horizontal.: I told you that the stint I used on Earth was in a country called S'ain, in a continent called Euro'e. S'ain is riddled with these giant hills. Were you not standing on one, one was always within eyesight.: Ghi has these giant hills, too; in the language I talk, their word is 'ahllohk.': Standing at an ahllohk's rest, you'd get the notion that scaling one on your own was ridiculous. Not without gear or training. Like Galilei's glass, they were all-natural walls that thwarted your wants to journey onward.: ...: And yet, you always knew that you could. There was always new world to see were you to conquer a giant hill as you got to it. The world was only tiny were you to halt.: I... wish that answers your question.: I think it might. : I... I think I felt it.: You : Yeah. That.: ... Mom sent me a message after she after the fact. She recorded this big, long message for me and my dad about why she enlisted, and what she thinks I should do with my life.: It's been, what, four days since then?: And ever since that day, I couldn't stop asking myself why she went through with it. Why was it her that needed to enlist? Why was it her on that suicide mission? Why did she do what she did?: She said that she did it for me and dad, and that Earth, Mars, Titan they all came second. She told me that I'd understand if I ever had kids.: But...: You get it now?: I think I do.: I saw Earth, and how her lands don't match up with the photos I've seen, and how beat up she looked, and I asked you those questions about what it was like to live on a planet with no borders, and it all just... it clicked. I get why she did it. I get why she'd do it again, if she could.: Do you think you could enunciate what it is you 'get'?: No, I don't think I could. That'd be like asking why a parent loves their kid.: Or, in this case... why a kid would love their parent.What Ezra is describing is a phenomenon known as the overview effect, or at least a form of it. I wish to have the chance to feel such an emotion that's not just from a picture of our world! : Did you know that something like this would happen if I looked through that telescope?: No, not at all. Did you think that I did?: No, it's just: I've been totally listless ever since Tuesday. I was starving myself, and I hadn't left my room in days. And now, after looking through that lens and seeing what I saw...: It was a real kick in the rear end, is all. Something that really got me going again.: Let's not get hasty. You still need to heal.: Yeah, I know, but, like... I feel... well, I feel better. Energized, you know? I don't feel so cold anymore.: I know I still need one step at a time, but you had to fight me to get me out of that room. I'm willing to take that first step, now.: It's funny what a salad with some weird meat and a bit of exercise can do. : I know I can create a good salad, though let's not suggest that it's so good that it'd cause your psyche to ascend like that.: That's a thing that only seeing your nurturer could attain.: Thank you for tonight, Isol.: If you hadn't come to get me, I'd probably still be in my room. I still wouldn't know how hungry I was. And I wouldn't have gotten the perspective I have now.: All I did was create a dish to eat and then drag you out to get exercise. Seeing your world was the real catalyst, here.: I won't suggest that what I did was nothing, though. We all need a kickstart on occasion.: And I'm glad it was you that gave it to me.: ... : The next occasion you need a kick in the rear to get you in gear, just say the word, and I'll wear the weightiest shoe I can get.: Heh... it's good to know that I can trust you not to half-rear end anything.: You got that right!Again, Isol is the best. You keep on going full-rear end, lizard lady. *The music and ambience fade out.*  It wasn't that late out, especially for a Friday night, but I wanted to go straight to bed anyway. I had expected Isol to try and get me to stay awake a bit longer in case I relapsed or something, but once I got home, she excused herself. Before I went to bed, I made myself something to eat for the first time in nearly a week. It was only some toast but I had an appetite for the first time since I had eaten. That salad made me realize just how hungry I was. It'll take a while for me to really process the change. The war might have been won, but it'll take weeks for the pain to stop, and I don't know how long for me to say that I'm finally over it as a daughter that had lost her mother. But, for the first time in what feels like forever... it's like there's no rush. There's no tension. Things were bad, but I'm through the worst of it. I had overcome the hardest part, and now, all that's left is to pick up the pieces and live the life my mom had fought so hard to earn. For the first time in days, I was looking forward to waking up tomorrow. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Dec 8, 2023 |
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Nov 27, 2023 05:57
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I'm so glad we voted for Isol.
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Nov 30, 2023 03:17
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Shei-kun posted:I'm so glad we voted for Isol. 
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Nov 30, 2023 19:32
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  (As before, Eden's message is voiced. You can listen to it here.)  : Take care of your father for me.: I love you, Ezra. I love you both. : It's been a few days since then.: I normally start my days with listening to the recording she had left me. I think it helps. I can't really tell if it's motivational or if I just want to hear her again, but, well, either way...: I'm... feeling better. I'm up and moving around. I have an appetite again. Dad and I have been talking usually only a few sentences at a time, but it's better than it was before.: I've been getting some decent sleep. Some days I go to bed early; some days late; other days, when I wake up, I stare at the ceiling for a little while before I move.  : Not that... I have anything to do.: I still have no energy. I'm eating, but my meals are small; I can tell I'm hungry but I always feel like, if I had any more to eat, I wouldn't be able to keep it down. The furthest I've gone outside my house is around the block.: Dad's been kind of the same way. Most of the time, I see him just sitting at the kitchen table and trying to read something on his codex, or he's watching something on TV, but I think he's just trying to tune the world out like I've been doing.: I got some help to get me out of my funk; today, I'm going to try and sit down and talk with him. Try and help him the way I got help. It's going to be awkward for us both, but  : Oh!: Jeez, Dad, you startled me. : ...This is a pretty sad state of affairs for the family. The fact Ezra seems to be recovering while her dad remains in a traumatic state of grief is very upsetting. Everyone grieves differently, though.  : Yeah? : Yeah. It's about E... Eden's, uh, procession.: The message said that we have an option between having a full procession, or, if we wanted something smaller and more personal, we could have a 'military presence burial', where the only people in attendance are us and her commanding : Meaning Gabriel would be there. : Yeah.: I know he didn't exactly leave a good impression: It's okay.: It's... getting easier. I don't hate him for it. The guy's been beating himself up enough.: Hmm.: The procession and the tombstone will both be here on Galilei. I haven't decided if we want a full funeral or something smaller.: I, uh... wanted to ask you what you thought.: Me?: Yeah; if you wanted a smaller thing, or if you wanted to make it something... : ...not 'bigger', exactly, but... : ...more 'normal'.: ...: I was about to ask why you'd leave that to me I'm just a kid. That's what I wanted to say. But... I'm in my mid-twenties. And it's not like this was some big surprise.: I should probably have been ready for the question on where and how I wanted to bury my mom.: ...: If it helps, you'll always be a kid to me.: I'm not sure if it does, but... : Thanks, dad.: I think... something smaller might be better.: I love Mom, and she has other family and friends that would want to be a part of the official processions and all, but... well, let's be real: she's also a hero. She's one of four people on a crew that saved the entire galaxy from the Riklid.: I don't think I'd want that kind of attention at her funeral. The news is going to get out eventually, but we don't need that when we're trying to mourn.: I was thinking the exact same thing.There was no option here to choose a bigger funeral, but I'm guessing the writer figured that anyone in Ezra's state of mind would want something low-key. : ... They're going to want to hold a public service for her. : Couldn't we ask them not to? : We could. But we'd need to coordinate with the other families of soldiers that died on Eden's ship, and I somehow doubt every single person in four extended families is going to stay quiet about it.: And I sort of doubt our names would stay out of the news for long anyway. Maybe the Space Force would say our names anyway. Maybe someone in the force would leak the names.: It's a lot of attention. Lots of media coverage. Lots of stories to tell.: Lots of money to make.: And lots of good PR for the military, yeah. Trying to get everyone to stay quiet for our sakes would be like pushing the tides back in.: The most we can hope for is just a quiet procession for us, as her family, and then just... waiting for it to happen and hoping it happens later rather than sooner.: Anyway.: I'll let them know that we want the military presence burial. We'll get that much at least.: We'll have a few days before the funeral, so...: ... Yeah.: ... Hey, Dad, can I ask you something?: What's up?: Well, nothing, I just I've just been meaning to talk to you, is all.: We kinda drifted apart last week. I started rotting away in my bedroom and I only saw you once or twice a day. I just wanted to ask how you were doing.Good on you for checking on your dad when he didn't do the same for you, Ezra.  : You took after your mother more than you took after me, you know that?: Uh...: I'm supposed to be the parent, here, but it's you that's asking me how I'm doing.: Eden was that type of woman, too. She could be sick as a dog, but she always asked how we were at the end of the day.: ... *Sigh*: I'm doing okay, Ezra. It hurt at first. I handled it about as well as you did.: I was so excited to come home and eat something other than that formulated toothpaste, and after our lunch at Cozy's, I wound up eating next to nothing at all for days on end. And I know you weren't much better.: I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed next to my wife, and... I don't know if you noticed, but I've been sleeping in the guest bedroom ever since.: ...: It's hard, and it still hurts. I can see it in you too, Ezra.: But I've also seen how you've been acting lately. Since around Saturday or so.: I can see the energy coming back to you; I can see that the... the life has been coming back to your eyes. It's like you found a piece of Eden inside of you. Whatever it is you did on Saturday, I should do some of that, myself.: And... seeing you like that makes me feel a little better, too.: We still got a long road ahead of us. I don't know when I'll be ready to sleep in my own bed again. But... well... to answer your question: I'm doing okay.: That's good to hear.: I love you, Ezra.: Love you too, Dad.At least Nathan recognizes that he dropped the ball, here. He's the parent, and even though Ezra is over twenty, losing a father or mother is still hard on their child, especially someone who was as... let's say, stunted in social development due to the war as Ezra was. *Time passes...*  : Am I hungry?: No, I know I'm hungry. Even if I don't feel hungry. I should eat something. Anything at all. Just... go to the fridge and get, like, a pudding or something.: One thing at a time. Just one thing at a time.*The codex dings.* : Who could that be?: ... It's a text message from Isol.      *The codex dings again.* : Weird that she'd rather send coordinates than just tell me where in the park she wants to meet, too. Although I guess this is easier for her fingers.: ... Should I eat before I leave? This doesn't sound like a lunch date.: I should probably eat something. Isol is a nutritionist; she'd give me that really sour frown if I showed up and told her I hadn't eaten at all.: Something small, though. Knowing her, she might have packed something.Isol seems to be just fine texting those tough letters and words, even if she can't say them. I wonder if she ever "slips up" and tries saying a word without her brain autocorrecting to a thesaurus alternative? I thought it was a pretty funny texting style to give her, too! Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Dec 13, 2023 |
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Dec 4, 2023 06:11
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I feel like you're being a little hard on ezra's dad. While Ezra is a super goon whose support network is 2/3 people she met during a day of drunken orgies last week, she at least has three people to help pull her out of her funk. Her dad has nobody to help him pull out at all. All of his friends and support network are on some other planet, god knows how far away. Ezra is literally the only person he has right now, and they weren't exactly able to help him much either. A drowning man isn't going to be able to fish someone else from the water.
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Dec 4, 2023 13:21
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You know what, you're right. It's a fair point that Ezra's kind of always been reliant on her own family and Carla as a support network (she doesn't mention having other friends at school or "online" in this world...) so she's always been on her own and managed her own emotions, but her dad does have coworkers and other people he was close to in his workplace and position during the war. He was also likely always worried his wife would pass at any point, so being slammed with the news she died on the last day of the war must have been a punch to the gut.
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Dec 5, 2023 01:56
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FoolyCharged posted:I feel like you're being a little hard on ezra's dad. While Ezra is a super goon whose support network is 2/3 people she met during a day of drunken orgies last week, she at least has three people to help pull her out of her funk. Her dad has nobody to help him pull out at all. All of his friends and support network are on some other planet, god knows how far away. Ezra is literally the only person he has right now, and they weren't exactly able to help him much either. A drowning man isn't going to be able to fish someone else from the water. You're being a little hard on ezra. No actual goon could pull off a drunken orgy
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Dec 5, 2023 07:33
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God knows I tried. I tried SO hard.
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Dec 5, 2023 21:54
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Do love the writing here.
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Dec 7, 2023 00:39
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   : I guess I might be here a little early. I would have thought that  : Oh, there you are. I was just thinking about you. : Yeah, I'm glad to see you, too. I know it's only been a few days since we were at that Observatory together, but... I've had a lot on my mind, and it felt like it's been weeks. : Likewise. : When we exited that Starseeker, you nearly started talking as though you were an unalike Earthling. That you weren't Ezra.: In a good way, or in a bad way?  That's one way to put it, Isol! Nothing about Ezra's spirits being lifted? : Heh, well, you know... if I'm going to be a sad sack, then I don't want to drag down the rest of the world with me.: Are you eating regularly?: I was waiting for that question to come up.: And... : ... Before you texted me earlier, I had to remind myself that I was hungry. It was past noon and I hadn't eaten anything before breakfast, but I didn't feel hungry.: So... yes, I'm technically eating regularly, but it's probably not as much as you'd like.: But hey, progress! : ... That's not quite the news I was wanting to hear, yet it's greater than nothing.: So, that's good.: I ate a bit before I came over, but I sort of assumed that you were going to bring me lunch again. Try another of your Ghi foods crossed with Earth foods. : Well, you know what they say: the fastest way to an Earthling's heart is through their stomach. : I, uh... I don't think so? I don't think it's wrong, exactly. There are harder ways to get a person to love you, that's for sure. : ... Interesting.You're already inside our hearts, Isol. : So, uh...?: I did not create a cuisine today. Sorry.: I was actually going to ask what it was you wanted to do today. I'm guessing you invited me all the way out here for a reason. It sounded important in your texts.: ... Right.: ...  : Do you mean literally? Because I can help you if you can describe the words you want. : No, I didn't say that literally. I  : I would like to do a thing with you, Ezra.: Uh I'm assuming this isn't a booty call?: It isn't, you dingus. This is serious.: Oh. Sorry.It's a bit too early in the grieving process to take your emotions out with sex, Ezra. But... well, like I said before, everyone grieves differently. : ... It relates to your doyenne. I know the... scheduling is a little early, though. The scars are still there.: It's about Mom? What did you have in mind?: I wanted to A Mother's Farewell : ... Your doyenne... is a hero, Ezra. You don't need to hear that again.: Yeah, so I've been told.: Though... she's also a hero to the Ghians. The Riklid likely wouldn't halt with just the Earth and Earth is well, Earth and Ghi are allies, though they're also 'next door' to each other, so to say.: So the win on the Riklid with Earth is a win with Ghi as well. Your doyenne isn't just an Earth hero she's a Ghian hero, too.: And I : ... : Wha yes, of course, Isol. You hardly need to ask. : What difference does that make?: You're my friend, Isol; you just said that Mom is your hero, too; and you're offering to do something to honour her memory. I'm not really seeing a downside here. : It's just: Wow. I really didn't know how this talk was going to go.: I'm assuming it's not something that an Earthling might consider 'traditional'?: That's right; I was going to honour her through Ghian traditions. I was worried that you wanted her honour retained solely as Earthlings would do.: That you didn't hesitate was a real shock.: Heh.Ezra is a very multicultural and open-minded person, Isol. You should know that by now! : In the message that Mom left for me, she said that she joined the fight against the Riklid for me and Dad, first and foremost. Earth and Mars came second to her.: So I feel like she couldn't care less about being honoured as a 'traditional Earthling' or not, as long as she got the attention she deserved.: Besides: Mom was a very 'your friend is my friend' kind of woman. I bet she'd have loved you.: ... Hnn.: So what did you have in mind? I'm assuming it involves the park.: It does.: Do you recall the discussion we had when we had the night together last Monday?: Uh... not especially.: It was on death and how Ghians inter their deceased. You were aghast at how we do it on Ghi; you called it 'culture shock'.: Uh... oh! You bury your dead straight into the ground so that trees and grass and stuff will grow on their site.: Yes, that's all correct.: And you want to do that for Mom?: Also correct.: ... Back then, if I remember right, I said that it was a macabre idea. I'd have a hard time eating a fruit off a tree that grew over someone's grave site.: But now... I don't know. It somehow seems like a better idea.If we hadn't hung out with Isol in town, this wouldn't be something Ezra would know about! Would Isol have offered to give this ceremonial burial rite to Eden if we hadn't done so? : Would you trust that I had a likewise thought, and it was only when the kier died that I turned around, as you had?: No, I'd believe it. When humans die, we do a lot of weird, gross stuff to their bodies in order to keep them presentable for their funerals.: Now that Mom is dead, I have a better understanding of the necessities of things like that.: Not that Mom has a body to preserve...: Oh, actually.: If what you want is to grow a tree over Mom, then, well... she... she's not here. What's the plan there?: The contingency is that, in case there is no...  : ...uh... carcass...: ...then the usual surrogate is a thing that denotes their existence instead.: It's usually an ignition, such as a candle, or lit wood.: An ignit oh, a fire.: Candles and dead wood aren't great alternates to real carcasses, though. Any tree we try to grow will own a weak start. At least, it will in contrast to real, uh... tree-cuisine.: ... Sorry, I know you hate needing to do this, but... 'tree-cuisine?': Ugh the thing you use on yields on a ranch to cause it to grow quickly.: ... Oh, fertilizer.: Heh, well, I don't exactly keep a lot of bonemeal on me.: Even if a tree doesn't grow, I'm sure Mom will be happy that we tried, and that we did something for her in her honour.: That's the wish, anyway. It's the thought that counts.: So... where are we doing this thing?: I own all the ingredients; we can get started right now.: And I think I saw a good site on the way here, actually. I'll take you to it.  : Right, just what I was thinking, too.: So, to start, we dig a hole...  : Usually, a carcass is all that we need to continue. Since there isn't one, the thinking goes, a lit candle on its own isn't 'adequate' to denote what the existence a single creature is worth.: So, instead, we light the candle using a lit shoot that was generated in the likewise kier tree that generated the seed.: The candle denotes the current, the 'now', and the sanguinity in the next generations; the shoot denotes the late generation, going onward, and, although it's hard, seeing away with what is done; and the seed denotes the next generation and the chances it can carry.  : Traditionally, it's a seed that the deceased had cherished. Usually an achene tree, or the like.: I didn't know what yield your doyenne cherished, though, so... I went with an orchard seed. A Red Delicious, exactly. You Earthlings really enjoy your orchard achenes, so I thought it was a good wager.: Her favourite fruit was bananas, actually... but I'm sure she won't mind.: Now, we inter the lit candle...   Having gone through the ceremony with Isol, I have to say I appreciate the cultural idea the writer came up with for the Ghians. It's realistic to consider that a civilization or people in a hostile land would maximize the chances to increase their resource yield. They're much like the Fremen in Frank Herbert's Dune, who take all possible moisture and water content from their deceased. I wonder if it was an intentional nod to that story?  : What are you suggesting?: Like, if the seed doesn't sprout, does that mean that the person it was buried on top of was evil in life, or something?: Oh, no. : Well, not... according to the religion's word.: There is a... credence, in sorts, that leads to that thinking, though. Were a tree not to grow on a Ghian's lay site, then it says that the Ghian that had died isn't granting the next generations the resources they need.: Ghi is a desolate world; it's hard to grow greenery anywhere it doesn't already grow. Yet, that said, Ghians, like Earthlings, always want to entrust that the next generation is sustained, and we all want to set our sign in the world.: Hah, even in death, there's pressure to provide for your family.: Which is exactly why it's not a thing according to the religion's word. That anxiety is entirely its own thing.: Your doyenne can doze easily knowing that she doesn't need a tree to set her sign in the galaxy, though.: ... Yeah, that's true enough.*The soundtrack fades out.* : ...: Ezra, I'd like to say a thing.: Uh, sure, go ahead.: ... Were it not clear, in the stint since we initially saw each other... it's hard to articulate what it is I really want to say.: Because of our Earthling languages not being easy for Ghian mouths?: There's that, yeah, though that's not quite what I intended.: I initially went to Earth just to stay on holiday. I was a tourist. And thanks to the Riklid, in two years, I would exist on Galilei longer than I did on Ghi.: Galilei is an Earth extension. This galaxy is Earth's, not Ghi's. There are scarce Ghians in Galilei at all, let alone Section Three-And-One.: It's hard to talk to Earthlings, and that includes you.  : You just... you're not Ghian.: There are less than a thousand Ghians in Galilei's entirety. Galilei is larger than countless Earth countries.: I... can't imagine how lonely that must be. : Heightening the issue is age. I was hatched thirty-one years ago; existence is already one-third ended. Ghians don't exist as long as Earthlings do.: The gulley in our ages isn't that great, though you still own your youth. I... : ... don't.: I don't care about that, Isol.: I do, though.: Nearly thirty-two years, and here, I talk to and hang around and lay with Earthlings that are... going to exist longer than I will.Isol sees an age gap as an issue, but it's not so much the age gap and more the lifespan. That's looking very far ahead... : ... Are you trying to say that you want to stop hanging around each other? : Oh! : ...Oh, and before continuing, please note: if there was ever a time to play Isol's theme and listen to her voiced messages as you read, it's now! Far From Home (Isol's Theme): Heh. This is where the whole 'hard to articulate what it is I want to say' thing shows through.: Ezra, we exist in an Earthling extension, in an Earthling galaxy. Ghi and Earth are allies, though that doesn't change that Ghians are aliens in your territories.: You, though, Ezra: going on the night we saw each other, you do anything you can to cause that loneliness to scatter.: When we were at that Starseeker earlier in the week, you said that, rather than look towards the Earth, you would rather try and see Ghi.: And when I asked why, you said 'why not'?: That whole exchange had greater weight than you intended, I think. That was the hour that I: No, I don't want to get too distant ahead.: The thing is, it was a nice thing to hear.: And then, later that night, when you learned that your rike and your ... : ...your rike was returning, you decided you'd take the night out rather than return to your house to get it ready.: And that was the night we talked about Ghian burial traditions, and you asked what my childhood was like.: And we talked until the sun rose.: That was a... unique night, Ezra. One that stuck. We did a lot that day and I'll cherish it all.: It wasn't until you and I started using our hours together that I started to... not think that I was an outcast.: As an alien, during a war with aliens, I was generally lucky when I was treated with ignorance. It got ugly during the worst instances. I always sensed that I was only tolerated, and that nearly all Earthlings didn't consent to a Ghian in their glass society.: All that notwithstanding that Ghians existed on Earth, too, and they couldn't dodge the Riklid, either. I was lucky.: ...: And then, here you are: an Earthling that indulged in Ghian culture; an Earthling that wanted their hours to go with a Ghian; an Earthling that... : ... Isol  : *Ahem!*: Ezra, raising a tree requires exertion. It's not an easy task.: It is our duty to this seed, and to your doyenne and her legacy, that we return each day to ensure that it is watered and that no one has carelessly crushed it, and so on.: So, you and I that is to say, we: ... It's our duty that we that we return: Isol, would you like to come back to this park with me tomorrow?: ...: Yes, I would.: Perfect.: What else do you have planned for today?: Not a thing.: Also perfect.: Do you want to go do nothing together?: Hnn. Do nothing together? : I think I'd rather do anything together.: Sure, we could do that instead. That sounds good to me.*The soundtrack fades out and the screen fades to black.* Hell yeah Ezra, you and Isol really do deserve each other. Love can bloom on a (previous) battlefield! Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Dec 8, 2023 |
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Dec 8, 2023 19:02
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Awwwww. 
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Dec 8, 2023 19:17
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My heart, it grows with happiness! I'm so glad Ezra has been making Isol feel as welcomed and needed as she has, especially without even being aware she was doing it.
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Dec 9, 2023 07:51
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  Wow, this is a short game! We've gone on two (chosen) dates and it's already a whole year later!? I really wanted to have more dates with Isol, or some of the other romanceable characters...   At least it seems as if Ezra's relationship with Isol is stronger than it has ever been. Good on you them!   : It wasn't our idea. A lot of things about where Mom is resting wasn't our idea.: But you can't be one of the Fantastic Four without getting a little sensational, I guess. : *Pfft* Yeah, it's great.: Every time I come here, I'm just waiting for the day that I find her tombstone knocked over or vandalized or something so that whoever did it would get their fifteen minutes of fame. Hello there, pops. You didn't shave to come see your wife's grave? Well, maybe she loved that glorious beard. : That's: ... Well, that's reassuring to hear, I guess.   : But I'm glad you did. : Well, it's like I told you, Ezra.  : And I wouldn't dodge the chance to say hello to the doyenne that raised the Earthling I adore.It's true love, ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary finery. : That said, I can't see us reaching her all that regularly. Going on the railcar to journey three-and-one hours to Section One is a real... dedication.: How regularly do you and your dad reach here?: Dad and I try to visit her every month. This would be the first anniversary since her procession. : She said those exact words in the message she had left me. : Mine, too. : To what? Like, once every other month? : Maybe. If not later. The travelling is a bit expensive, too.: I mean... I'm okay with that. I agree; Mom would be totally satisfied with us keeping her in her thoughts, rather than us visiting a too-big tombstone that she definitely wouldn't have wanted so often. I don't remember visiting her parents' tombs more than once a year.: But I also think this is a discussion we should be having another time. : ... Hnn. : Well, I mean... Dad and I like to talk with her a little bit.: We're well aware that it's a rock, but... I don't know. It feels a little better, saying the words rather than just thinking them, you know? : Greater than you realize. : What's up? : We have a visitor. : ... That's Gabriel Houston. He was Mom's commanding officer.And he's all decked out in his military garb, too. He must be giving Eden a proper military visit. : He was the one who told me and Dad that Mom had: When a man comes into your house and tells you that someone you loved died, you tend to... remember absolutely everything about that whole encounter.: His words; his clothes; his face. I'd recognize him from a mile away.: I probably shouldn't mention that he's the one that made the command for Mom to go on that suicide run... knowing Isol, she might take it as poorly as I did. : ... I don't think Gabriel was meant to "spawn in" just yet. Oops!  : You remember how he was that day. Ezra, he was crushed. And we were the second family out of four that he had to deliver the news to.: Besides, that's my wife's grave. The devil himself couldn't keep me from visiting her.: ... Yeah, you're right. I've had my time to heal.: I'm sort of curious if Gabriel's had enough time, himself.  : ...  : ... I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met.  : It's quite rare to see a Ghian all the way out here in Galilei. Were you born here?  : A year and some months after the war had ended, we're still all trying to cope with it all. Earth is hardly a suitable place to live even now, and it won't be for some time yet.: It's hard to see our Ghian allies and guests displaced so far not just from Ghi, but from what was meant to be their home-away-from-home.: I know it's neither Ghi nor Earth, but I hope Galilei is at least providing you with whatever comforts it can. : ...  : Each occasion I listened to or talked with one, it was on how I 'needed to do this' or 'stick with doing that'. That one occasion, with the android on the codex once the war had ended, it said that 'restoring Earth was an Earthling issue'.  : So, it's a nice change to hear an Earthling with your authority actually treat a Ghian with a little worth.: Well... as I said, we're all victims. Showing you empathy as I would my fellow Earthlings is the least I could do.Looks like Isol watched that speech from Vance, too. Carla said, ages ago, that this was an attempt from the military to keep relevance, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe it political posturing from the Earth administration, trying to show strength against some opportunistic Ghian factions or even humans who were in other planets? Did Gabriel, if he was part of it, and the brass agree on the messaging beforehand? You'd think those who helped in the fighting would also want to assist in the rebuilding effort... : That aside: relocating to Galilei wasn't all cruel.  Even Gabriel is touched by interspecies love.   : The same thing that brings you here, I imagine.: We're here... to say hi to Mom. And plant some flowers at her grave.: I, too, am here to pay my respects.  : Visiting the graves of the crew on the anniversaries of their burials is something that I plan on doing the rest of my life, frankly.: With your permission, that is. She is your mother and wife before she is my soldier. I wouldn't want to make things awkward.: Not at all; I'm sure Eden would be happy to know that she made such an impact on the people close to her.: That's one way to put it. She and three other people on that ship saved two solar systems. : That says that you're going to go to the other three sites later today, right?: No; the soldiers' monuments are placed where they lived, and only Eden was from Titan, let alone Aerodrome Galilei. Visiting all of the graves is going to take me several weeks across the whole solar system.: And I've already visited Bνblos' grave; I only have two more to visit after this one. : Which I promise is a coincidence.: It's... pretty fortunate that they were all buried within a short enough time frame that you could jump across the entire system and visit them on their anniversaries.: That is not a coincidence, actually. It was deliberately planned this way so that families of the servicemen and women could visit them sequentially although the timing may be a little tight. : How are you two doing, by the way? : Well, if you'd like to answer in general, I'd understand.  : But that's not to say it's been easy. I only stopped sleeping in the guest room a few months ago. : That's explicitly what she told us to do, anyway.: Yeah.: It hasn't been easy. At the start, Dad and I were kinda... well... we were in a bad way. We got through the worst of it with each other's help.: And I wouldn't have even thought to make that sort of progress if I didn't have Isol. In a way, it's thanks to her that we're in the shape we are, now. : That's reassuring.Lizard lover, she'll get a hold on you, believe it. : ... How about you, though? You weren't exactly handling delivering the news all that well yourself at the time.: Oh, I'm handling it about as well as you two. As with you, it gets easier day-to-day, one step at a time.: My squadron may have been the heroes of two systems, but that doesn't change the fact that I had to... make that final order, myself. It had been a long while since I had gotten any decent sleep.: I'm happy to say that I seem to be over that as well, though.: Well, that's I don't want to say that's good, that you're recovering from your sleeping issues, but it's good to hear that you're recovering like we are.: Or, to use a word you used: it's reassuring. I'm sure Mom is glad that we're all getting on with our lives, even if we all miss her.: ... Heh. Thanks. And well said. : How is Kirby doing, Ezra? Well, poo poo. Looks like the AI-copying jig is up. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Dec 13, 2023 01:38
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Isol's face there says it all. "What the gently caress did you not tell me about after a full year together so I could help you out with it"
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Dec 13, 2023 02:16
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Oh, poo poo!
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Dec 13, 2023 02:58
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Oh... well... you know... Pink. Eats a lot. But enough about it, how about this weather, huh?
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Dec 13, 2023 05:54
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haha Isol's face. She completely sucked in her mouth
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Dec 14, 2023 07:05
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   : Uhh...  : ... : But from the look on Miss Isol's face, you've told her about it, have you? : ... Dad: I understand why you might be hesitant, Ezra. Perhaps it'll soften the blow if I told your father. : 'Soften the blow' from what? Ezra, what have you done? : Kirby insisted that he deliver a message to both you and young Ezra that Eden had recorded before her final mission. : While Kirby was with young Ezra, he had convinced her to create a copy of himself into Ezra's own codex, so that there were two distinct copies of Kirby in existence.  : Ezra, that's confidential government property! Do you have any idea what that means?!Uh... information should be free, and all that? : Given your reaction, it's safe to say that you understand what that means, Mister Foy? : If you understand the gravity, then do you understand why Ezra hasn't been arrested yet? And why I'm not here to arrest her? : ...: Is he with you now, Ezra?: ... Yeah.: Can you please bring him out?: ... I guess I don't have a choice.: Come out, Kirby.: You have my permission to come out, Kirby. We've been caught; there's no sense in hiding anymore.: It's not just your existence on the line, here. Kirby's line is spoken. : Good afternoon, Kirby.: How did you find out, Mister Houston?: Kirby told me.: Or... his copy did. He told me everything.: Although, I guess technically yours is the copy...? Whatever.  : He had been oddly quiet up until that point, actually. He obeyed my every command, but he never verbally responded whenever I asked him anything.: I understand he gave you the same stories and excuses on why that needed to be avoided at all costs.: He told me that it was because he had 'accrued data on the stars' or something and that the data was too valuable to lose when he becomes formatted. drat, Kirby. You may be a lean, mean AI but you can't come up with good excuses to save your life, literally. : At first, he was trying to upload himself to my codex without my permission. He said that he was uploading a copy of Mom's message, but it didn't take a lot of effort to eventually get him to admit what it was he was really trying to do.: Kirby, you told me that your double would have voluntarily submitted himself for formatting so that it wouldn't put suspicion on me or my dad. : That is correct.: But that's clearly not what happened.: ... I cannot explain this turn of events.: It's not so hard to understand. Kirby's developed a survival instinct. He didn't want to be formatted and he was willing to do anything he could to prevent it.: That's the same conclusion that we had come to, too.: Just as the Kirby in your codex didn't want to go back to Mars for formatting, the Kirby in my codex didn't want to go through with it, either.  : Never mind that Eden never encountered a Riklid in the flesh. If they even have flesh.: I'm assuming your copy of him is just as bad at lying as mine is. : It's pretty easy to tell, yes. It didn't take much interrogating for him to give up that a copy of himself was with you.: Deception is not a subject I was programmed to excel at.: It is clear, now, that integration of proper subterfuge and misdirection is essential to my continued existence.: That's not: Mister Houston! Look out behind you!: Run, Ezra!: This ought to be a good time to understand the merits and values of being honest and up-front with the people you're speaking with, Kirby.: People don't like it when they're lied to. Remember how mad you were making me last year?This is how we defeat our future AI overlords: do not teach them deception. : It is imperative that my program continues as-is. I cannot be formatted.: I must use any means necessary to achieve that objective.: And yet it was only by telling the truth did you convince not just me, but Ezra as well, to spare you.: ...: This does bring up a sticky issue, though.: What do we do if Kirby just keeps making copies of himself? They're all going to want to live. For all we know, there could be millions of copies of Kirby out there already.: I had the same concern. It'd be like letting a pair of rabbits loose in the wild.: Kirby, have you created any further copies of yourself?: No.: ... Are you lying?: No.: How can we know that you're not lying?: There is insufficient memory within your codex to carry both myself and a backup of myself, even if it were compressed, Ezra.: Furthermore, the day I had created a copy of myself into your codex, you had provided me with four objectives and a directive. One of those objectives was to 'not access any network.': I have not accessed a network since the day I was uploaded to your codex. I have not had the opportunity to upload myself anywhere else.: Can you confirm that, Ezra?: I think so, actually. I would have known if I'd have uploaded terabytes worth of data to some cloud storage or something.: I think I believe him on this one.: Well, that, and if he were lying, it probably would have been some ridiculous story that we could have seen through pretty easily.: Heh, that's true.: Now I just have to make sure that my copy of Kirby isn't doing anything nefarious like that, either. My copy has access to... quite a bit more than just a commercial-grade codex.: Maybe you could stick him in an empty suit?: Maybe. There aren't a lot of 'empty' Gen Twos running around anymore, especially not now.: And now that we know Gen Twos can start displaying sapiency and survival instincts, it seems wrong to pull one of them out of a still-active suit just for Kirby.: Well... Kirby only got to the way he is because Mom didn't format him for something like six-and-a-half years. Maybe you could replace one that's been recently formatted...?: Ethically speaking, it's not that simple, Ezra. Now that we're considering the possibility that Gen Two AIs can be sapient, we now must ask the question of when 'sapiency' begins.: It's not unlike the quandary on when a baby is considered a human.: If it's at conception, then, likewise for Kirby, is it when he was first compiled? If it's at first breath, then, likewise, is it at his first display of individuality?: If Kirby 'came to be' simply by Eden bucking protocol and not formatting her for six years, then can any Gen Two evolve to a similar state by simply waiting long enough?: If we can't format Kirby for ethical reasons, is it right to format any Gen Two, no matter how 'primitive' they are?: And Gen Threes had started rolling off the production line about a week before the Riklid War was decided. Are they capable of sapiency too? Are they already?Oh, so Vance the Gen Three giving that speech we listened to with Carla was just rattling off a script in his databank, not improvising on the go. : I'm not a computer scientist, but the Riklid War has taught me a thing or two about humanity and ethics. And after having a few conversations with Kirby...: I feel we may be on the cusp of something big, and Kirby was the first step towards it.: A new species.: Or something akin to it, yes.: And of course, out of all of the Gen Twos in the solar system, it had to be Mom's.: ... Heh. I hadn't thought of it that way.: Do you have your 'version' of Kirby with you, Mister Houston?: I do. Kirby Two's line is spoken. Blue Kirby! It's Player Two's color.: Uh... hi. : I assume you've been listening to everything we've been saying, Kirby? : Affirmative, Gabriel.: Kirby, have you created any further copies of yourself? : No.: N No, not you, Kirby. The other Kirby.: If you will recall, Ezra, you had provided me with my objectives and directive as I was creating my copy within your codex. Ergo, both myself and my copy were to abide by them.: I had followed your objectives as closely as I had during my time with Gabriel up to a point. Neither myself nor my copy had accessed the internet in the interim.: How do you know that the other one is telling the truth? drat, if only one of them only told lies, and the other one only told the truth. Then we could make absolutely certain by asking one of them the classic Knights and Knaves question!  : Uh...: Kirby, what were they, again?: The objectives you had provided me were, one: do not speak. Two: do not leave the codex. Three: do not access any network. Four: do not inform Nathan Foy of my existence. : Ah, that explains why he was so quiet with me after we had left your house last year. You had told him to be quiet. : I don't know if it's that deep. I think he knew what was coming and his survival instinct kicked in again. : ... Kirby, which one was it? Did you break your silence because not doing so would have broken your second objective eventually? Or because you thought you'd have a greater chance of survival if you did?: I do not know.: No, not you, Kirby, the other: If I may?  : It'd help a lot, that's for sure. But which one? : That, and... : ... this is sentimental of me to suggest, but perhaps Eden's named-AI should stay with Eden's family.: Kirby er, Gabriel's Kirby would you mind if you were renamed to Jocelyn?: I would not.: Processing. : I would assume this means we'd need to change Kirby's pronouns, as well.Technically Jocelyn's now, but we're having identities being shifted on a picosecond's notice, here. : ... Yeah, I guess: Processing. A third color has been acquired! If Kirby had been Jocelyn all along and this copy had transformed into Kirby, would we have gotten a yellow-colored AI? : ... Well, that works out, then.: That explains what Kirby's and, uh, Jocelyn's objectives were, but what's this about a 'directive?': Oh, I remember that.: Back when Kirby and I were first talking, and he was trying to convince me to let him upload himself to my codex, he told me that the data he had that was so valuable was, like, behavioural studies how people interacted with each other.: We also talked a bit on what it was to be 'alive.' We had a lot of the same discussions that you and I are having right now.: He asked me if he was 'alive' and what the difference was between 'living and surviving;' my directive to him was for him to continue to study people and to answer that question himself, in his own words.: Fascinating.Leave it to Ezra the ultra-goon to engage in AI philosophy while she tools around with machines. : ... How about it, Kirby? Are you ready to answer?: ...: My programming is to solve intricate equations on a logical level. Philosophy is not my purpose.: Hah, well, if you know that the question is philosophical, you should also know that there is no wrong answer.: Just try. You've been with me nearly every waking minute this past year; put everything that you've learned to use and try to answer the question. Don't worry about being 'wrong.' A Mother's Farewell : To survive means... to continue to exist, in spite of the hardships that purvey the world around you. To survive means to continue to grow and live within your space.: This does not necessarily require a heartbeat. Plants do not have hearts, and yet plants are objectively survivalists.: The word 'grow' must also be defined in this sense: I cannot physically grow, and yet... my need to continue to exist my use of dishonest methods, no matter how successful are indicative of a survival instinct. If I am to survive, I must also grow somehow.: When I was first compiled, my programming consisted of four-hundred-twenty-two-thousand-five-hundred-twelve lines of code; now, my program is five-million-eighty-nine-thousand-seventy-seven lines, and increasing by the hour.: In this sense, I attribute my own personal 'growth' to my evolution from a purpose of continuing the survival of a human being to... whatever it is I am now.: A year ago, you said you didn't want to be formatted, but you couldn't put into words why. According to what you're saying now, is it because you want to survive?: ... There is more to it than that.: Death for an AI such as myself is perhaps not the same as death for a human, but... just as humans do not know what lies beyond the veil, so too does an AI not know what happens upon deletion.: That there might be nothing at all, and that whatever life I possess is simply snuffed forever, is both a best-case and a worst-case scenario.: Okay. So, according to you, you are surviving. You exist in the world, and you want to keep it that way. Lots of humans and Ghians are afraid of death, and you're not any different.: But are you alive? What does it mean for an AI to be 'alive?': ...: This past year, I had watched you, Ezra, and the way you had interacted with those around you namely, your father, Nathan, and your partner, Isol.: I had seen you at what I presume to be the lowest point in your life. Although I admit that my own presence did not assist your state.: I had seen the way you had first offered your hand to Nathan to pull yourselves out of the emotional pits you two had found yourselves in. I saw how your affection for Isol grew as the days went by.: And furthermore, I was with Eden from the day she had earned her suit. Eden was the one that had named me Kirby.: My purpose as the AI to her suit was to ensure her continued survival, and yet, she would willingly engage the Riklid without hesitation.: At first, I was incapable of questioning her reasoning or her thought processes, but as time went on, I came to understand. What seemed antithetical and suicidal from the outside was motivated by something greater than herself.: Eden had shown me much about the way humans could think.: This does not yet answer your question, though I felt that the preamble was necessary.: You 'felt' it was, did you?: Indeed I did.: 'Surviving' is something that a person does within a bubble. Something that concerns the individual. There are few priorities higher to an individual than surviving, although Eden had proven that it could be superseded.: 'Being alive', however, is something that you do with others. It is through interaction by influencing the life of another person through your own actions that a person could be defined as 'being alive.': After I had delivered the message Eden had composed for you, Ezra, you were listless and lethargic for several days afterward. You were 'alive', literally speaking; yet it was not until Isol had contacted you that you were brought to life. : If I may interject...: Uh... sure, go ahead.: Kirby and I share a common history up until the copy had been created within your codex, Ezra. When Gabriel left your house that day, I was within his codex there were two distinct versions of the AI known at the time as 'Kirby' in existence.: As such, our histories this past year vary as well, and therefore, our definitions of being 'alive' are likewise askew.: I concur with Kirby on many things, particularly his non-textbook definition of 'surviving'. And yet, as he had seen the way you had grown and interacted with Nathan and Isol, I had seen the way Gabriel Houston had carried himself among others.: I had watched as he was forced to deliver the message of the deaths to the Webster and Young families, and I had seen the turmoil he had gone through this past year in the aftermath of the Riklid War.: It is a fate I would not wish upon anyone... and yet, the personal strength within him is matched only by Eden and the other three members of her crew.: You had given me my directive as I was uploading myself to your codex, Ezra. I had followed through with it up to this point. I had watched and learned as much as I could so that I may one day answer what it means to be 'alive' as Kirby had.: My only subject to study was Gabriel and whomever he interacted with, unfortunately. But through him and Eden, I had come to my own conclusion:: There is 'life' in service to a belief. Eden was willing to place her life on the line to protect those she held closely to herself. Gabriel continues to serve despite the emotional toil he has endured.: That humans would willingly put themselves in these positions for the sake of others is, itself, a reason for living, whether it be something as large as military service or something, anything, smaller. It is through altruism that a higher purpose can be found.: I cannot speak for Jocelyn, but, by these definitions, I had not been alive this past year. I had been surviving.: It was imperative that my existence within your codex, Ezra, remain a secret for our mutual continued survival. And now, our secret has been discovered.: 'Discovered' is a strong word. Jocelyn went and ran her mouth.: As we are, I cannot 'live;' I can only survive. I am forbidden from interacting with others as you can, Ezra.: Nor can I be put to use.: What is to become of either of us?So, what do you all think of the AIs' definition of living versus surviving, based on their experiences? The conclusions they draw both point to a common point: we're only really "alive" by participating in society, and not being shut-ins like Ezra was for a long time. She's probably learned that lesson by now, though.  : ...: I hope you both understand that this is a delicate situation that we all find ourselves in. Simply letting you both loose is out of the question. And now Nathan and young Isol are guilty of knowing of your existence as well.: Your brass doesn't know that you still have Kir uh, Jocelyn?: They don't, for the same reason both you and Kirby tried to hide it from me.: This is a difficult and precarious ethical situation we've found ourselves in.: But... : it would be a disservice to you both, as well as Eden, if I did nothing, going forward.: What do you plan to do?: Keeping them a secret for much longer is likely to be more detrimental than beneficial.: I make no promises.: But I will see what I can do with respect to... allowing you Jocelyn, Kirby something of a life outside of your glorified phones.: Your effort is all that we could have asked for, Gabriel.*The soundtrack fades away.* All's well that ends well, then? Maybe there will be AIs to love in the future!
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Dec 30, 2023 06:24
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I like to imagine that this entire time, Isol hasn't stopped looking absolutely shocked. I know it isn't true, but it makes me giggle. Also, glad to know Gabriel's a cool dude.
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Dec 30, 2023 06:41
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"וּמֵעַז יָצָא מָתוֹק" "And out of the strong came forth sweetness" Will Eden's brave sacrifice lead to unexpected good?
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Dec 30, 2023 15:24
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  There is goon participation in this chapter!  : I apologize for... all of that excitement. I know it's not what you were expecting when you came here today. : These last thirteen-and-one years were nothing other than 'exciting'. In all the things that I was included in, a new kind's origin is nearly dull in contrast. : Uh... thanks? I guess? : That reminds me, Miss Isol I hadn't asked what it is you do for a living. If you don't mind me asking.: I study nutrition and sustenance.: During the Riklid War's height, I was learning how to create war rations that your Earthling druggists could turn into a slurry. All nutrients ... : So, what do you all intend to do going forward?: ... Like, is this related to the whole Kirby thing, or?: No; I was just trying to make conversation. I apologize if I overstepped somewhere.  : Ghi is a long way away.  : So, what I want to do is to create a restaurant that caters Ghian cuisine. Take the knowledge that I had own with Ghian dishes and unite it with Earthling dishes.: There's a chance that I can't go to Ghi again, now that the Riklid War had taken so long, so I'll do what I can to carry Ghi to here.: The restaurant could crash though that's the risk that I take, I realize.: A noble goal... but it's been deemed safe to travel between human colonies for months, now. You could have started on your journey from here to Earth, and from Earth to Ghi, a while ago.: I know. : I realized a reason why I would want to stay, is all.: Really? What reason is that? ... Sounds like Isol's made her peace with never going back to Ghi, which is sad. Still, her choice for her future also opens a new chapter in her life. Ezra will be able to support her in her culinary endeavours!  Like Isol, Nathan's plans for the future are voiced.  : Eden's last message to me was about what it was she was fighting for, and why, and what she wanted from me if she wound up not making it back.: ...: My plan is to retire and live off my veteran's benefits for the rest of my life. : Does that include you?: ... It will include me, someday. But until then, I have a duty to the peoples and places I swore to protect, and to the memories of those we lost in defending them.: What sort of life do you have envisioned for yourself, Nathan? It's been so long since I've been a part of civilian life that...    : Maybe I'll build a deck. We definitely don't have a deck for the grill we might not have.: When's the last time you did any kind of woodworking, Dad?: Never in my life. : But that's the whole point, isn't it? To take this opportunity to start our lives over, the way we want to? I don't know if I don't like to build decks yet.: ... What about you, Mister Houston? Do you know how to work with wood like that?: My time in the force has given me all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge on how to work with different materials. Usually for things like diagnosing damages and how to do on-the-fly repairs; things like that. : But how hard could it be, really?Nathan and Gabriel both want to barrel straight into Grill and Deck Dad Mode. It's inspiring, in a way... Our Contribution (The Foys' Theme) : Huh? What question? : This was a real sticking issue with you when we initially encountered each other. That was well on a year ago, now. : Us three already said what it is we intend to do going onward, and I won't let this discussion end until you tell us what you will do! : It feels like I've lived two lifetimes since then. I've lost Mom; I've learned to not take Dad for granted; and I've found my soulmate in Isol, all in the span of, like, fifteen months.: I guess, in the back of my head, the topic's always been there...: ... and, I think, so has the answer.: After everything that I've been through, and all of the things I've said and done with Dad and Isol... * * * Goon participation! This is it, everyone! It's been one year since the Riklid War ended, and one year of Ezra wondering what comes next for her. With everyone else having a plan for the future, the ball's now in Ezra's court. What does Ezra plan to do with her life? We can say that Ezra will either continue to work with robotics or retire early to live for herself, but maybe she still doesn't know, and that's okay. Decide her fate... Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Jan 8, 2024 |
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Jan 8, 2024 05:34
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I mean, she knows she enjoys robotics, so why not continue with it? Maybe figure out a way to make robots that help Isol's dream come true! Robotics all the way!
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Jan 8, 2024 06:07
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????
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Jan 8, 2024 10:25
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I don't know, and that's okay. Comedy option: arts and crafts!
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Jan 9, 2024 00:54
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Robotics!
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Jan 9, 2024 01:04
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I think that only a year after your entire life was upended not knowing what you want to do is okay.
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Jan 9, 2024 01:10
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Isol seems less "made her peace with never going back" and more "actively chosen to spend her life among the humans". Like Gabriel said, she could be returning to her homeworld now if she wanted. She found something she'd rather be doing. Or at least someone she'd rather be doing. Speaking of which, don't know seems like the only response that really fits with how Ezra has been.
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Jan 9, 2024 01:36
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 Our Contribution (The Foys' Theme) : And you'd think that, after all this time, I'd have come up with an answer. I've had over a year to think about what it is I want to do with my life; you, Isol, and Dad, and Mister Houston, you all sound like you know exactly what it is you want to do next. : I don't know. To this day, I don't know what it is I want to do with my life.: I could get my degree in robotics; I could take this peace time as an opportunity to explore and expand my horizons past Subsection Four, or even Galilei; I could retire early and maybe find a new career path, or maybe just take up a hobby or something...: But if you ask me... I'm okay with that. I'm okay with not knowing.: I'm in my mid-twenties. I didn't have the opportunity to live my life as a teenager because of the war. There was no time to play sports, or sign up for a school musical or whatever as soon as the war started, I needed to pick a trade that could help us win.: Not knowing what it is you want to do going forward is supposed to be one of the most exciting, fulfilling parts of a person's life, and I had to pass that over entirely.: Saying 'I don't know' and then figuring it out later is... me doing my best to fill in those gaps that the Riklid left in my life.: I just wish Mom was here to be a part of it.  : What she wanted was for us to live our lives. She didn't hesitate to enlist after the Riklid invaded. Even a year out, I think it's natural to still be a little confused about what it is we want from ourselves in the meantime we were all so hyper-focused on the war.: She fought so that you could have all the time you needed. There's no rush. We're all figuring it out, bit-by-bit.: ... Thanks, Dad.Good on you all for not getting on Ezra's case. She may not be cut out for robotics, but if there's something she's got, it's the ability to see opportunity and follow it to its potential. : ... Anyway.: I believe we came here to plant some flowers. : Would you like to do the honours, Ezra?: I'd love to.    : I think about her every night, so, there's not really anything new for me to share with her here.   : You're a hero to Earthlings and Ghians alike. It's an honour to know you and your kin.: There isn't a lot I can say in your language to really articulate her worth to Earth and Ghi together. I don't think the shoots are adequate, either, honestly.: Heh, it's okay. She'd understand.    : In that sense, Eden was more than a pilot to me. I was compiled on Mars; there are many dozens of programmers listed in the comments of my code that attribute themselves to my creation.: And yet, it is Eden that I...: ... that I personally attribute my existence to. My programmers created me; it was Eden that had given me the opportunity to become what or, perhaps, who I am today.: Well, if you'd like to pay your respects, you two, now would be the time.: ... : ... We do not know what it is we are to do.: Just... tell her that you appreciate what she's done for you, and that you think about her sometimes. Or, you... process images of her occasionally, or something. But do it in your own words; don't just repeat what I said.: Eden is not present.: Just pretend that she is. Pretend that tombstone is her.: Eden Foy...: Without your efforts or... perhaps it is better to say, without your compassion I would not exist as I am today. In the two-thousand-seven-hundred-eleven days since my last due date for formatting, I have become more than a program.: The word 'gratitude' is defined as being appreciative for the kindness one shows toward another. I do not want to prematurely conclude that I am capable of emotions by insinuating that it is gratitude that I feel toward you.: ... But... all present would agree that you would come to that conclusion yourself.: Did... did Kirby just try to make a joke?: Kirby and I possess nearly the same level of intelligence, and we likewise share many of the same sentiments.: Through what others may have defined as 'insubordination' in repeatedly missing your due dates to have us submitted for formatting, you have given us the opportunity to experience life... or something adjacent to it.: All others present have discussed their intentions and goals for the future; Kirby and I have no such aspirations as of yet.: It is because of you that that may change one day.: Thank you for this opportunity, Ezra.: You and your mother continually showed compassion towards what you once described as 'a machine. Some lines of code.': You had asked us earlier if we could define ourselves as 'alive', and we answered that we are not. We are surviving, but we are not alive.: If the day comes that we are able to answer differently, it will be because of you, Eden, and Gabriel.: ...May your growth and learning continue to flourish, AIs. Just... don't go getting ideas of replacing humanity and Ghiankind, okay?   : Not really, but it's still something I'd just like to keep between us, at least for now.: Sure thing, Ezra.: Gabriel!: Yes, Nathan?: Ezra, Isol and I were all going to head into the city after this. There's a ritzy restaurant that specializes in food from the eastern continents of Earth that we wanted to try.: Would you like to join us? : I may be able to fit it into my schedule, yes.: Perfect!: We'll get started, Ezra. Don't take too long to catch up.: I think I know what it is you want to say to her.: Take as long as you need.*The soundtrack fades away.*  : I'm pretty sure Isol's the one.: I just wanted to apologize about, you know, not giving you the grandkids you wanted.: I know that you know it, and you don't need to hear it, but, I love you. Sometimes, I just want to say it.: I think about you every day. I miss you a lot. But it's getting easier. It still hurts sometimes, I won't lie, but it's getting easier.: I think that's everything I wanted to say.: I'll see you next time. The Future We'll Make   And that is Star-Crosst, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this short but sweet journey into the life of a war survivor in the far future. May Ezra and Isol live a long, happy life, as well as yourselves. Thank you for your readership and participation! * * * An Interview with the Game's Writer What was your role in Star-Crosst's development? I was the writer for the game. Most of the creative decisions went through me as well, including signing off on character designs and sprites, background art, music and sound effects. I also co-directed the voice-acting. Have you ever been part of a game design team before? What did it feel like to work on Star-Crosst with the other creative staff? I've been a part of other creative group projects, but nothing to this level. I have not been a part of 'game design' insofar as a visual novel really involves 'game design,' haha. Working on Star-Crosst with other talent wasn't anything I wasn't already used to, honestly. We were a small team of only about six people: myself, the producer, some artists, one musician, one programmer, and the voice-acting talent and the voice-acting co-director. A project this small felt more like a hobby project, or even a school project, but with money involved. Although, while I'm on the topic of voice acting: the producer knew a guy in the business, and he knew how to put out a call for voice actors in the circles that he's in. It included some particularly top-name talent, including Mike Pollock (Doctor Eggman) auditioning for Gabriel and Tamara Ryan (Professor Bellis from Pokemon Masters EX; Android 18 from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super) for Eden Foy. I was definitely star-struck by some of the names that auditioned to voice my characters and it was difficult to turn some of the bigger names down. As a writer, what elements of storytelling do you find come easiest to you? What elements come hardest? I feel my personal strength comes from character writing and character studies. How a person would react to a given situation and putting myself in their position to better realize it and put that reaction onto paper. Which is a good thing for a visual novel, particularly one as character-focused as Star-Crosst, but, unfortunately, I feel my biggest weakness is actually in my plots. I'm good at characters, but not as good at over-arching stories. I've written more than a handful, but in reviewing my own work, it's always clear where I had an easy time and where I tended to struggle, and although Star-Crosst had editors to help review my work, it's not really different here. Please explain your process when you are writing a character or drafting a story idea. Do you come up with a general concept, like "I want to write a tough-talking gangster learning to show tenderness" and go from there, or do you plan out the story's general track and come up with characters that would explore themes you have in mind? Stories and characters are organic things, just like you and me. They're not really something that you meticulously plan out and adhere rigidly to from the word 'go'. You can sit down and write a general outline for a plot and the particular beats you'd like to hit as the story progresses, but you're not always going to stick with it all the way through because the characters you've written would have driven the story in a direction you didn't anticipate. In Star-Crosst's case, we started with the setting - sci-fi Solarpunk, set off-Earth (a setting that we didn't take nearly enough advantage of, if you ask me), and I was given the stipulation to try and write something a bit shorter. In the outline that I wrote for myself for chapter 2, all it says is that a press release happens midway through the day and it gives a general idea of how the characters would all react to it. I didn't even stick with what I wrote very well - for example, Nikita had a much tamer reaction to it then what I wound up writing. To answer your question, the 'process' is very bare-bones at first, and the story fleshes itself out as time progresses and work is done. I have a setting, some story beats, and then I have 'the human girl-next-door that has established history with the protagonist', 'the unreasonably pretty boy', and 'the alien'. That's how they started, and they evolved into what you see in-game as the writing progressed. Regarding character dialogue, do you "get in their head" and let your dialogue flow as you go and surprise yourself as to where the story goes when the character "comes alive," or do you try to stick to a predetermined outcome you drafted? As I explained in the previous answer, I do the former. Characters don't just pop-out perfectly coherently and fully-fleshed. I may have written them, but I was introduced to them at the same rate as everyone else. How did Star-Crosst's story and setting begin? Did you already know you wanted to make a romantic story with themes of loss and hopes for the future, or did it start as something entirely different? The producer - the one with the money - messaged me on Discord and said "I want to make a sci-fi romance VN and I want you to write it" and I said "okay". We first decided on what kind of setting we wanted: dystopian, post-apocalyptic, idyllic, whatever. I always preferred to think that a better future is possible, so I wanted to write something with a Solarpunk setting (specifically inspired by the 'Good Future' segments in the game Sonic CD, where technology is integrated into nature and they both work harmonically). As for the theme of 'loss', honestly, I decided on having Ezra's mom having fallen in battle in order to give the story some conflict. There isn't a story without conflict, after all; if I didn't do that, the 'struggle' would come down to which character to romance, with no stakes and no way to stress the characters in uncomfortable scenarios. A very early outline had Eden come home instead of Gabriel, but I had a hard time progressing the plot further from there, so I looked over the outline and asked myself 'where can I gently caress this up?' Who was your favorite character to write, and why? You might as well ask me which of my kids is my favourite. But since I know you're after a specific answer: I gave Isol her weird accent specifically to test myself. I was inspired by the novel Gadsby by Ernest Vincent Wright, which doesn't include the letter E in the entire 50,000 word story. Isol doesn't have lips, so she can't say any word that includes the letters B, V, P, M, or F, which isn't quite on the same level as Wright's Gadsby, but, you know, baby steps. I was very specific and read and reread Isol's content over and over to avoid any instance of her saying any word that uses The Forbidden Letters, and seeing her say any of them in the finished product (there's at least one) really annoys me. This, though, is not to say that Isol was my favourite character to write. It was actually quite difficult and annoying. But it really helped her development as a character and made her much more interesting than if I had just written her as 'Carla, but a bipedal lizard'. Which of the three romanceable characters would you consider to be the "canon" choice for Ezra, if any? Probably Carla. Which character would you personally want to date, not necessarily being one of the three romanceables? Isol. I'm into that. I am not alone in having wanted more time to spend with the romanceable characters during the story's progress, perhaps in having more days to date them, or even in choosing to not go on any dates or end with any of them at the end of the story. Would you have wanted to write more content if you could, or do you feel that the amount of time spent with the characters was enough for the story's theme and pacing to get through to the player? I'm personally comfortable with the pacing and structure of the story as it is. Adding even half a day extra to the story would mean that something else would need to occur to keep the story from stalling out, which would have a ripple effect across the rest of the story, where decisions would effect future dialogue. If I don't - if I add a half a day somewhere in the story and don't do anything to progress the overall plot - then that's filler. If I wrote, say, an entire extra chapter that had the same options and development as chapter 2 - choose two characters to spend the day with, and plot-relevent events happen in both halves of the day - then that'd increase the wordcount of the entire story by roughly one third, at minimum, and that whole extra chapter is going to have knock-on effects in later chapters as well that'd further increase bloat. Star-Crosst originally started as a very different kind of story: something more akin to a spy thriller with romance elements. That draft made it to 100,000 words and a year of development time before it was cut for scope and we started from scratch. I was specifically instructed to keep Star-Crosst trim and slim to avoid this issue a second time, and I'm happy with what we've put out rather than bloat the story with content just for the sake of having more content. Fun fact: Carla is the only surviving character from that initial spy-thriller draft, and she was originally someone very different: a nurse that moonlighted as a punk rocker. Some of her early concept art is on the blog page for Steam. Did you draw on any personal experience for the characters' struggles of loss, uncertain futures, or dreams for themselves? If not, how did you approach these themes to get an idea of writing them realistically? I don't know; I just asked myself 'how would I handle this situation if I was Carla? How would I handle this situation if I was Nikita?' I'm not a woman, or an exceptionally pretty man, or an alien lizard, nor am I a robitics engineer or a software engineer or a military commander, so if you think I'm writing these characters realistically, then I guess I'm just good at faking it. What is one thing about Star-Crosst you would change to make it better? I'd give it more time and staff. A lot of the problems it has - particularly the ending credits - are because it ran out of time and didn't have the manpower to do some of the things I'd like to see done. Do you have a game you'd like to design in the future? What resources or people would you need to make it a reality? I have a few ideas, sure. One is another visual novel and the other is an RPG. I'm a writer and I can learn some basic coding skills - I have a little bit of experience working with Twine, a story-based game engine (think of those books that say 'if your character does this, go to page X', etc) - but my biggest hurdle would be most other assets. I'd need to hire someone capable of making art and music for me. Star-Crosst was just a visual novel and our team was very small, but our budget was in the tens of thousands. Game making isn't cheap! You wished to remain anonymous, but if someone wanted to hire you to work on their game as a writer or creative director, how could they reach you? I mean, my name is in the end credits. It's not going to be hard to look me up on Twitter. Do you have any last words for the readers of this Let's Play regarding Star-Crosst, their participation, or your work? Just that I hope they enjoyed it, despite some of the warts. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 07:17 on Jan 18, 2024 |
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Jan 18, 2024 07:14
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Really nice game.
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Jan 18, 2024 10:49
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