(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I'm pretty sure you're referring to grades that don't exist in the US system. They start specializing at 14, so they start schooling at 6... but yeah, the structure looks a lot more like a class of students to start with.

Sorry, I'll try to remember to annotate Britishisms 😓. Nursery and Reception roughly correspond to Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Originally Posted by ericthered

It really is strange... or is it a reflection on Julian?

Well it's a coincidence... What if it isn't a coincidence? Seven set up the meeting. Maybe he picked someone who'd be especially upset about the closure of a creche? If we have an incidental conversation, I'll try to bring it up in a way that doesn't seem too confrontational.

Originally Posted by ericthered

I like Gut. Though Gut is arguably the most selfish of the three!

Well keep in mind the only reason Gut wouldn't grind your bones into his bread is because bone bread sounds awful and he doesn't know how to make bread.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Yeah, I'm curious how he's going to deal with that.

I thank "Sophie" for taking the time to answer my questions, and I relax into the bulk of my chair as I wonder what to do... I can't say that having my days planned out by a bunch of social scientists is exactly the way I hoped my life would go, but I must admit that I didn’t exactly have the most freedom there back in Rattan. I had to come up with loads of quid every week, so even though no one was scheduling my day out (lots of orphans cut classes to make cash), I still had to live by a tight schedule. A hyper-competitive environment doesn’t really suit me to well either. I don’t know if I really would be able to thrive in conditions like that; I prefer to take things easy… And I am well behind in my studies. Even if I didn’t miss a month of schooling, I’m still literally over a thousand years behind the times. How am I supposed to recover from that?

I pause, and swallow. OK, I’d be an outsider coming into a community I don’t really understand. I’ve puzzled out a language, found a place in a world far stranger than this. I don’t know all kinds of things. But is that the worst thing really? I mean, do I really want to keep stealing from people? And maybe everything I know about science is as antiquated as alchemy. Well, who’s to say they teach science at that level so early? And they do have jobs that aren’t necessarily technical careers: advocates, creche worker, others… And even if I’m useless, and I end up a workman, is that really worse than pushing around a basket of waste gravel?

As I imagine a future where I spend the rest of my youth in a technical creche, something Florence said creeps into my head.

Originally Posted by ericthered

"You can't stop it. You leave DNA everywhere. Besides, I already said I wouldn't do it without someone who can properly care for children and only if that's the only way to get your special traits to work."

It begins to dawn on me. They can easily just get all the genetic information they need to create a clone off me if they haven’t already. They could even do it without me even really being aware that’s what they were doing. If I don’t work with them, would they still make a clone of me? Well, I doubt Royal or Moneyface have the patience to wait around for the clone to be old enough to understand what’s being asked of them. So maybe they wouldn’t do it for that reason. Well, most other Astropics are Concordance people. I bet for even a large bribe they wouldn’t be too thrilled about even being researched. They might be a lot more swayed if Royal mentions that they won’t be cloning them, instead explaining they have a different mechanism. Or maybe they could come up with a different way to talk to a Starpus… And even if they do get an Astropic who’s willing to be cloned, I bet Florence will still want to clone me; my DNA is probably really strange unless all Astropics are made of Vasic…

What can I do about this? OK, well if they get caught surely the whole cloning business will be put to an end. I suppose a few of them, like Florence and Seven might be far away from immediate attention, and Florence is probably the critical one to catch. Of course, if they know I screwed up this whole operation, I don’t think they’re going to take to kindly to this whole affair. There’s money behind this job, maybe even powerful players. They might have me killed, or worse… And they’d probably just clone me anyway.

I slump down into the chair. I’m not a traitor; I mean, I barely know these people, and I feel they’re whole cloning thing makes them bad people, but I still don’t want to do them like that. I lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling as I continue contemplate this mess. I recall something I said earlier to Seven…

Originally Posted by TGLS

"So if a father is going to help raise the kid, then he should get input in whether there should be a kid at all, and if not then he doesn't deserve any input at all? Seems like a catch-22."

I mull it over in my head. “If I help, maybe I can have more sway…” OK, that could be true, but how can I help? I’m just a kid, I don’t know anything that a Creche worker does. If I were a rich man (Ya ba dibba…) I could help. Surely they wouldn’t need too many Astropics; they aren’t going to have too many to start with. Maybe I could keep enough of a handle on this to ease my conscience, stop things from becoming too much of a travesty…

I realize that this is all just another way I’m being tugged towards going with Starpus abduction, excuse me, liberation scheme. Playing ball seems to be the best way to get everything I want, even putting some kind of check on the whole cloning scheme. Enable it to keep things from getting to far out of hand. This is probably as damn fool an idea as marching through the swamp; I’ll only get a little wet, and then next thing you know, it swallows you whole. I wonder if this is how clones feel, as they get nudged towards the purposes they were designed for…

I let out a long sigh, and close my eyes briefly. This has been one long day. Waking up naked after death, a hospital visit, flying through space, getting knocked out by a screaming eel, and grappling with possibly being the ancedent of thousands of clones. I check the clock on my computer, what time is it anyway?

I wonder if possible clones of Julian will end up Lost in Dreams themselves once they hit puberty. It'd be kind of funny for the Panagoan government to almost have working starships and have it implode before their eyes.

Totally irrelevant but I lost my original version of this post and that annoyed me.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Sorry, I'll try to remember to annotate Britishisms 😓. Nursery and Reception roughly correspond to Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Expanding our horizons, right?

Well keep in mind the only reason Gut wouldn't grind your bones into his bread is because bone bread sounds awful and he doesn't know how to make bread.

Fair. Also, He needs to learn. Bread is easy. All it requires is flour, water, yeast, and patience. And who knows where he's going to end up next?

Well it's a coincidence... What if it isn't a coincidence? Seven set up the meeting. Maybe he picked someone who'd be especially upset about the closure of a creche? If we have an incidental conversation, I'll try to bring it up in a way that doesn't seem too confrontational.

Do you have a sort of conversation skill that would allow that?

I let out a long sigh, and close my eyes briefly. This has been one long day....I check the clock on my computer, what time is it anyway?

Late afternoon. 16:06.

I wonder if possible clones of Julian will end up Lost in Dreams themselves once they hit puberty. It'd be kind of funny for the Panagoan government to almost have working starships and have it implode before their eyes.

Having all the clones vanish one by one... yeah, that'd be crazy. That assumes that they'd all have your abilities. You also assume Puberty matters... we have a couple of boys right at the right age right now, but that's not the whole of the age range for lost in dreams.


Julian's thought process is fun. I think he'd rather be shoving rocks in a dark tunnel. It fits his self image. We'll see if that changes as his umm... horizons expand. (Not that he's seen a horizon since he left Ratan).

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Expanding our horizons, right?

Yeah basically. Also trying to emphasize differences between me and Julian, so different country, different hobbies, different life history, etc.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Do you have a sort of conversation skill that would allow that?

Yeah, the dice should get to decide at least two things a month. Here's a diplomacy roll.

[148] 23-06-27 00:01:46 CEST
Diplomacy
3d6 <= 12
3 + 6 + 1 = 10 ... success

Originally Posted by ericthered

Late afternoon. 16:06.

Hm. I'll while away until dinner looking to see if I can find something to read, watch, or maybe sing along to. Actually, sing first, read second, watch third.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Having all the clones vanish one by one... yeah, that'd be crazy. That assumes that they'd all have your abilities. You also assume Puberty matters... we have a couple of boys right at the right age right now, but that's not the whole of the age range for lost in dreams.

I suppose that's fair, though if I do recall there is an age minimum. I do recall an earlier version of Peter who was two years younger before that was changed. And I had a half-thought out backstory that Julian dreamt his way to Rattan to begin with.

I'm not entirely sure what the result of cloning a dreaming person would be. Like I'm not entirely sure why they would share some but not all of the abilities of Julian (it might be just as funny if Julian's DNA is useless to them), unless he really is a living piece of Vasic and any genetic material is generated as needed. Maybe one day I'll figure out the cosmology of this setting.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Julian's thought process is fun. I think he'd rather be shoving rocks in a dark tunnel. It fits his self image. We'll see if that changes as his umm... horizons expand. (Not that he's seen a horizon since he left Rattan).

Well, Julian's slowly getting better. Earlier Julian wouldn't even consider the creche.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Yeah, the dice should get to decide at least two things a month. Here's a diplomacy roll.

"Why did I pick her? because of all clones I knew I figured she'd be willing to help and would know the most about how it actually works. And she's distanced enough from the rest of us you wouldn't think I'm trying to con you or anything."

Hm. I'll while away until dinner looking to see if I can find something to read, watch, or maybe sing along to. Actually, sing first, read second, watch third.

When you say something to read, are you looking for fiction, news, or what?



There are a lot of choices for music. You find a piece of surprisingly upbeat music about a guy who misses the girl he just broke up with*. Some things must never change. The videos to watch are marked in three categories: Panogan, Sol, and "Galactic".



*I was looking at folk music this weekend, and boy is that a universal theme.

I suppose that's fair, though if I do recall there is an age minimum. I do recall an earlier version of Peter who was two years younger before that was changed. And I had a half-thought out backstory that Julian dreamt his way to Rattan to begin with.

I'm not entirely sure what the result of cloning a dreaming person would be. Like I'm not entirely sure why they would share some but not all of the abilities of Julian (it might be just as funny if Julian's DNA is useless to them), unless he really is a living piece of Vasic and any genetic material is generated as needed. Maybe one day I'll figure out the cosmology of this setting.

Maybe someday I'll show enough of it for it to be possible to figure out. Also, the cosmology of the setting and the magic rules of the dreamers are two different things.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Why did I pick her? because of all clones I knew I figured she'd be willing to help and would know the most about how it actually works. And she's distanced enough from the rest of us you wouldn't think I'm trying to con you or anything."

That sounds pretty fair. "Oh, well thanks again for introducing me."

Maybe I should have put paranoia on Julian's sheet...

Originally Posted by ericthered

When you say something to read, are you looking for fiction, news, or what?

Fiction. The news just seems so depressing. Heck, I'd even go for factoid listicles and aimless web browsing.

Originally Posted by ericthered

There are a lot of choices for music. You find a piece of surprisingly upbeat music about a guy who misses the girl he just broke up with*. Some things must never change.

Well I'm glad to hear that some things have remained the same.

Originally Posted by ericthered

The videos to watch are marked in three categories: Panogan, Sol, and "Galactic".

I just realized I've been misspelling Panogan.
I briefly consider looking at media from other worlds before I'm tempted into seeing how deeply cloning goes into Panogan society, and start looking up Panogan videos.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Maybe someday I'll show enough of it for it to be possible to figure out. Also, the cosmology of the setting and the magic rules of the dreamers are two different things.

Well, maybe call it the metaphysics instead; that covers everything. I'm pretty sure the magic rules (or more specifically, the dreamers travel method) intersect weirdly with the cosmology, given that Graham passed the elves shield and Tereza got off Riask (albeit with a few attempts). Then again both of those predate the second thread (though Riask was a thing then too). And I'm pretty sure the dreams and the magic are linked together, it would be an astonishing coincidence if it weren't.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Maybe I should have put paranoia on Julian's sheet...

He does lean in that direction.

Fiction. The news just seems so depressing. Heck, I'd even go for factoid listicles and aimless web browsing.

factoid listicles it is: probably about history and geography!

I just realized I've been misspelling Panogan.

I've noticed. I'm curious just how different our pronunciations are.

I briefly consider looking at media from other worlds before I'm tempted into seeing how deeply cloning goes into Panogan society, and start looking up Panogan videos.

He watches a show about two creches next to each other with identical clone patterns who dislike each their opposites, who are superficially quite different: it seems to be a comedy.

Well, maybe call it the metaphysics instead; that covers everything. I'm pretty sure the magic rules (or more specifically, the dreamers travel method) intersect weirdly with the cosmology, given that Graham passed the elves shield and Tereza got off Riask (albeit with a few attempts). Then again both of those predate the second thread (though Riask was a thing then too). And I'm pretty sure the dreams and the magic are linked together, it would be an astonishing coincidence if it weren't.

The dreams and magic are linked, of course.



You're conflating Riask and Yrth, I think. Jordan is the only one who has seen signs of Riask before. Teresa got off of both Yrth and Conventry (and in fact served as a conduit for spells cast from Yrth to hit Conventry). I'd forgotten about Graham.



The cosmology of the setting hasn't changed, and the big inter-world players remain the same.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

factoid listicles it is: probably about history and geography!

Bring on the top 10 tallest mountains, top 10 most ridiculous parliamentary disputes, and top 10 most absurd wars.

Originally Posted by ericthered

I've noticed. I'm curious just how different our pronunciations are.

Well:
Panagos: Pah-Nah-Gohs
Panagoan: Pah-Nah-Goh-An
Panogan: Pah-Noh-Gan

EDIT: That explains it. I'm also misspelling Panogos. (Pan-Noh-Gohs)

Originally Posted by ericthered

He watches a show about two creches next to each other with identical clone patterns who dislike each their opposites, who are superficially quite different: it seems to be a comedy.

I wonder if creches tend to be built in the same area (like some towns have a whole creche district) and try to look it up.

Originally Posted by ericthered

You're conflating Riask and Yrth, I think.

I don't know how I made that mistake.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Jordan is the only one who has seen signs of Riask before. Teresa got off of both Yrth and Conventry (and in fact served as a conduit for spells cast from Yrth to hit Conventry). I'd forgotten about Graham.

I do recall an elf from Graham's story mentioning Riask off hand, and Tereza running into Vasic users when she was working for Infinity. There was also one guy [Stephen] who wandered through rice paddies which I suspect was at the bottom of Riask.

Originally Posted by ericthered

The cosmology of the setting hasn't changed, and the big inter-world players remain the same.

Well good to hear. I was a little wondering if IW material got dropped or pushed into the background after the second thread, though there's also sampling effects too.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Bring on the top 10 tallest mountains, top 10 most ridiculous parliamentary disputes, and top 10 most absurd wars.

All according the the debatable opinion of some who-knows-who.

Well:
Panagos: Pah-Nah-Gohs
Panagoan: Pah-Nah-Goh-An
Panogan: Pah-Noh-Gan

EDIT: That explains it. I'm also misspelling Panogos. (Pan-Noh-Gohs)

Yep!

I wonder if creches tend to be built in the same area (like some towns have a whole creche district) and try to look it up.

They often are, and often form a boundary between residential and commercial areas.

I do recall an elf from Graham's story mentioning Riask off hand, and Tereza running into Vasic users when she was working for Infinity. There was also one guy [Stephen] who wandered through rice paddies which I suspect was at the bottom of Riask.

Well good to hear. I was a little wondering if IW material got dropped or pushed into the background after the second thread, though there's also sampling effects too.

Sampling effects for sure. And its effected by whatever I'm excited about at the time. Riask is really old. I had it before I played GURPS, and its idea is rooted in sledding somewhere between age 10 and 13. You're right about all those references... so its not just Jordan. Stephen absolutely was on Riask Proper.



I think Julian is ready to move on to the next "Scene"?

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

All according the the debatable opinion of some who-knows-who.

Or sometimes when they're really lazy, based on the debatable consensus of an internet forum.

Originally Posted by ericthered

They often are, and often form a boundary between residential and commercial areas.

But adult clones live in the residential areas like everyone else though, right?

Originally Posted by ericthered

Sampling effects for sure. And its effected by whatever I'm excited about at the time. Riask is really old. I had it before I played GURPS, and its idea is rooted in sledding somewhere between age 10 and 13.

Hm. Most setting ideas I had from that age I discarded.

Originally Posted by ericthered

You're right about all those references... so its not just Jordan. Stephen absolutely was on Riask Proper.

Honestly I forgot about Jordan because that was right near the beginning, and the clue was the Vasic to allow necromancy. All I remembered was "Necromancers attacking Egypt".

Originally Posted by ericthered

I think Julian is ready to move on to the next "Scene"?

Yeah, Julian's keeping busy reading, watching and singing along. I figured that would cover a schedule until dinner, bed (with a glossed over dinner), or "the next interesting event. If nothing interesting happens by lunch tomorrow Julian will probably be twitchy enough to actually start looking for schoolwork or something even semi-productive to do.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

But adult clones live in the residential areas like everyone else though, right?

Yes. Though there are some housing preferences that mean neighborhoods tend to have a preponderance of one or the other.

Hm. Most setting ideas I had from that age I discarded.

And for me: most of mine were very very "D&D" maps. Riask has grown in fits and spurts... this game has seen a few of them, especially Julian's stay, when I actually had to solidify the culture and politics somewhat. It's a long ways from "Sledding hill on a world where the slope goes forever" to "the walls are made of the universe" to "Mercantile City States with Marshwiggles in the backcountry" to "Does Tarbreath mean the same thing in your language as mine?"

Honestly I forgot about Jordan because that was right near the beginning, and the clue was the Vasic to allow necromancy. All I remembered was "Necromancers attacking Egypt".

Didn't Jordan end up on a world covered with clouds mining stuff with dwarves? There was an exile from Riask there.

Yeah, Julian's keeping busy reading, watching and singing along. I figured that would cover a schedule until dinner, bed (with a glossed over dinner), or "the next interesting event. If nothing interesting happens by lunch tomorrow Julian will probably be twitchy enough to actually start looking for schoolwork or something even semi-productive to do.

Right, what was planned next....


The rest of the night is fairly uneventful. People come and go from the apartment regularly, though it seems that either Slam or Royal is always here.


That night, he dreams of men working on the fighter planes from his last dream. They discuss the war, the "AI instructions", and a number of technical terms. They all wear the same insignia on their shirts... a long thin diamond and the words "Kassimon Military Aviation". The dream focuses on one man in particular, with a distinctive full black beard. His name is "Paulis Tatum"

He also dreams of a gigantic ship suddenly appearing in the midst of space: one moment there was nothing, and then a structure the size of a skyscraper was there... and he dreamed of seven Starpus ravenously eating a meal of fish afterwards.



In the morning, Slam offers to get him breakfast. "Royal thinks we can have everything set up by tomorrow, and we can break in that night. You feeling ready?"