#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1372

Hey Everyone! 😊

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Thirteen-Hundred-Seventy-Two:

The temperatures at the coordinates where I am stationed on this planet are once again decreasing, on average, as the planet moves into the portion of its revolution around the local start when the planetary tilt results in this part of the planet being slightly further from the star than it is during other portions of the planet’s revolution. As is her habit, my hominid-servant is using these lower temperatures as an excuse to help warm my domicile by experimenting in the preparation of various new edibles. The scents that result from this experimentation are often delectable; however, my hominid-servant has not been at all cooperative in assisting, or even allowing, me to gain a vantage point from which I might properly observe.

Naturally, this obstruction only makes me all the more determined to discover just what sort of delicious delicacies, precisely, my hominid-servant is concocting. I am determined to persevere in my efforts to explore, examine, and most importantly sample the fruits of my hominid-servant’s labors and, as always, I will report back with any further developments. Thoth-out.

Hominids! 😉 You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. 😉 Happy reading, everyone!

Social Control And Manipulating The Masses...

 

Hi Everyone!! 😊

Happy Tuesday, and congratulations on making it through Monday. To celebrate, and help us all navigate the corporate rat-race for the rest of the week, I thought I'd share a little peek at Petri's corporate hellscape. Enjoy! 😉

Excerpt from Rainbow Dreams:

Even though she knew it was silly, Petri couldn't help but feel like the eye of every guard was on her as she moved through the Upworld pedestrian traffic. It was earlier in the day and there were more people around than the night before. Some of the other people on the path moved away when they saw her, but most of them just gave her odd looks. She knew it wouldn't be long before someone reported her presence and the guards came to investigate. Clutching her pass in her hand, she increased her pace.

Many of the residents of Upworld were sensitive about having dealings with underworlders. The society of Upworld was extremely stratified, with an enormous gap between the lowest levels and the highest levels of income. People who lived on the lower rungs of the Upworld salary ladder were usually only a paycheck or two away from becoming underworlders themselves.

Trying to fit in better, Petri surreptitiously observed those around her and tried to ape their mannerisms.  One thing she couldn't help but notice was that quite a few of her fellow pedestrians had the same sort of obvious, artificial augmentation as Per Mirna had for his eyes. Almost all of even the low-level jobs that Upworld citizens did required the tech to facilitate interfacing with the computer systems they used. It was possible to camouflage the enhancements of course, and even create them out of organic tissue. Most executives at least concealed their accessories, and many used the biotech instead of the straight tech. But those types of cosmetic upgrades were expensive, so most junior employees made do with the less sophisticated models.

Residents of Under City weren't allowed to possess that kind of tech, so anyone who lost their Upworld citizenship had their tech augmentation removed. Petri had seen people in Under City missing eyes, ears, hands, arms, legs, and other body parts. She knew that sometimes it was because they had sold part of themselves to the grinders, but now she realized that some of them were probably also people who had lost their tech. It hadn't occurred to her before because almost no one who was low enough in rank to have to use the unconcealed tech would willingly travel to the underworld.

The companies that ran the Upworld government made sure to keep the majority of the populace on the margins of survival. They needed a small, relatively stable, and educated pool from which to draw employees who they could work to death, but they also needed to maintain control. Making sure that most people were entirely occupied with making ends meet was the easiest way to keep them from pursuing a more equitable distribution of power. Any remaining energy the drones might have, the companies strove to get them to focus on investing in the belief that they were better off than the underworlders. If any citizen did have the temerity to show the slightest hint of disloyalty to or rebellion from the companies, that person would immediately be banished from Upworld and relegated to the slums of Under City.

This culture of conformity and fanatical devotion to the companies resulted in a tendency among the rank and file of Upworld to resent any effort from the underworlders to improve their situation. After all, their one comfort in life came from the fact that there was someone else who was worse off than them. Without that, it was hard for many of them to face the emptiness of their existence. So they clung to their perceived superiority fiercely, and did everything in their power to protect it.

Of course, Petri was only superficially aware of the complex social dance that took place among those in Upworld. What she did know was that if she stayed too long, or stood out too much, the people around her would either kill her themselves or call the guards to do it for them. She needed to get to the transfer station to Western sector fast.

Want to find out if Petri makes it to safety? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊

Rainbow Dreams

Corn Salad #Recipe!

 

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's another salad recipe for you that's perfect for this hot summer weather. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
4 cups corn kernels frozen or fresh
2 bell peppers (any color) diced
1 red onion diced
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
4 green onions chopped
2 roma tomatoes diced
1 cup red cabbage shredded
1/2 cup basil leaves chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves chopped
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

If you're using frozen corn, thaw it and drain it thoroughly. If you're using fresh corn, boil or grill it and cut it from the cobs. Put the prepared corn kernels in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and garlic. Toss the vegetables and herbs together.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour the dressing over the salad. Stir it to coat evenly. Sprinkle the salad with parmesan or queso fresco, if desired. Serve chilled.

Bon Appetit!

Conditioning And Culture...

 Hey Everyone!! 😊

I'm back, again, with another peek at Alyce's take on current events. Enjoy... 😉

Excerpt from Answers from Alyce:

"But how does your legal system set up such a dysfunctional dynamic?" asked Squid-boy.

"Oh, there are lots of ways. One is the drug laws we talked about before. They criminalize normal human behavior and then selectively enforce those laws. People will take drugs because it feels good to them to take drugs, and it doesn't really matter what the laws say. The people in power know this; that's why they make such laws. And they're careful to only criminalize the drugs that poor people tend to prefer; the drugs that are more common among the rich are either not illegal or there are less severe penalties associated with possessing them."

"So, they set up a situation where police feel they have a right to peer into people's private affairs," said Yax.

"Yep. And, let's be honest, just making laws like that is a huge overstep of authority by the government. After all, it's one thing for the government to regulate the manufacturing of goods or to mandate certain warnings be issued about the likely effects of a given substance. But who are they to tell consenting adults what they may or may not put into their own bodies? Why should free citizens allow their personal, private behavior to be controlled like that?"

"So, the laws surrounding these mind-altering substances only exist to create tensions between law enforcement officials and the rest of the community?"

"Pretty much."

"Then why do your people allow these laws to exist?"

"Well, that goes back to the divisions that have been created between people with different skin colors and between people from different parts of the country. Again, the drug laws aren't enforced equally and they don't apply equally to all drugs. The government uses propaganda to make it seem like some drugs are more dangerous than they are and those are generally the drugs that are typically used by people who are poor or who have darker skin or both. Which makes people with lighter skin or people with slightly more money start to think that the people in the communities that are associated with the drugs the government has convinced them are dangerous are dangerous themselves just because they live in those communities. So, they vote for politicians who want to keep the drugs illegal because they think that will protect them from the people who use those drugs. Also, the corporations that manufacture pharmaceuticals want other drugs to be illegal because they are competition for those corporations. And, so, the corporations bribe politicians to keep those laws in place. In other words, there’s more than one reason for the laws."

"But can't the people who live in the communities that are most affected by these laws organize to change them?" asked Squid-boy.

I nodded. "They can, and some of them have started to do that, but it's not easy. Those tend to be the communities that are the most disenfranchised. The laws we talked about before that keep people from voting tend to affect those communities the most. Plus, they are generally poor, which means most of the people who live in them work two or three jobs just to put food on the table, which doesn't leave them with a lot of time or energy for political engagement."

Yax frowned. "That seems awfully convenient for those who are in power."

I snorted. "Of course it is; that's how they designed the system. Also, you have to keep in mind what happens when the people in those communities finally do come together to protest." I pointed at the robots dressed like militarized police in the exhibit we were standing in front of. "This doesn't usually end well for the protesters."

"So, they are protesting because of the laws that keep them from voting," said Squid-boy.

"Like I said, yes and no. That's part of what got them here," I gestured at the scene. "But the specific thing they're protesting is the fact that police have repeatedly murdered unarmed civilians in their communities and then haven't been held accountable by the legal system."

"What?" the two aliens chorused.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's a complicated issue; everything ties into everything else."

"But how can law enforcement authorities be allowed to murder members of the community they're supposed to protect and not be held accountable?" asked Yax.

I shrugged. "Think about it. The system is set up so that police are constantly inserting themselves into the private lives of citizens without invitation or any real legitimate cause. Which, naturally, breeds resentment against them in the community. Being no more than human, the police respond to that resentment with resentment of their own. After all, from their perspective, they're just trying to do their job and enforce the laws. Also, keep in mind that police are often recruited from the communities that have been propagandized by the government into thinking that the poorest communities and communities that people with darker skin live in are dangerous. So, they're predisposed to distrust the people they're supposed to protect. Add to that the selective enforcement of the laws, which tends to reinforce their prejudices, and you have police who view the people they're supposed to protect with fear and contempt."

"But there must be some law enforcement officials who come from poorer communities."

"Yes. And they're inducted into the culture that's fostered in the police force to protect each other at the expense of the communities they're supposed to serve. Add to that the training that most police receive that teaches them to automatically regard other people as threats and to always take action to protect themselves and not take any risks, and police officers who come from the communities that tend to have an adversarial relationship with police usually either shift their loyalties to their fellow officers or they quit."

"Again, that seems like a system that has been set up specifically to cause trouble," observed Squid-boy.

I shrugged. "It has. And it's succeeding admirably. Again, most people who become police officers are good people who only want to help. But the way the system is set up, they're almost guaranteed to find themselves at odds with the public. And, of course, law enforcement is a dangerous job; there are a lot of people who have bad intentions and who are violent. It's not unreasonable for the police to want to protect themselves from harm when they have to deal with the most vicious members of society on a regular basis."

"Logically, it seems as if members of law enforcement would do more to protect their own safety if they formed good relationships with the communities in which they work. They would be far more likely to receive assistance and information about threats if the people they worked amongst didn't fear them more that they fear the predators."

"Yep. That would make sense, Squid-boy, and it would result in those communities becoming safer for everyone, not just the police. But that wouldn't serve the interests of those in power, so it's not likely to happen."

"And, so, this," Yax pointed at the exhibit, "is because people are angry that police have murdered members of their community?"

Sighing, I rubbed my temples. "Yes, that's the immediate reason people are marching. But it's all part of a larger picture."

"Please explain," said Squid-boy.

I sighed again and sank down to sit on the floor. Taking off my shoes, I rubbed my aching feet. "Ya know, y'all should install some chairs or benches or something."

"It would be difficult to design a rest station that would be suitable for all the occupants of this station, but I will make a note of your suggestion," said Squid-boy. "In the meantime, will you explain the 'larger picture' that this," he pointed at tentacle at the exhibit, "is a part of?"

Rolling my eyes, I put my shoes back on and crossed my legs over each other. "I'll do my best. Where was I?"

"You explained how the dynamic was set up that pits law enforcement against the communities they are supposed to serve and that the people of those communities are upset about the number of unarmed civilians who have been killed by police," reminded Yax.

I nodded. "Right. Well, that's a problem that has been going on for a really long time. It goes all the way back to before the Civil War, when some police forces were formed just to chase down slaves who ran away and return them to the people who owned them. After the Civil War, there was a long period of time when people with darker skin weren't slaves anymore, but they were still not treated equally under the law. Not even officially, never mind in practice."

"You've explained some of that, already."

"Okay, well then, like I've said, the details changed over time, but the basic, underlying inequality didn't change that much. And it still exists now, though there are people who like to claim that it doesn't, and one of the manifestations is police brutality. Now, don't misunderstand, police have certainly abused people of all colors of skin, though they generally limit themselves to poor people, but the abuse has disproportionately affected people with darker colored skin."

"And all of your law enforcement officials do this?" asked Squid-boy.

"What? No! Of course not. Haven't you been listening? Most police officers are good people and they just want to help others. The majority of police never abuse anyone and they help a lot of people and do a lot of good. Unfortunately, there are some police who¾either through malice, or bad training and immaturity, or because they're lazy and don't want to put forth the effort to do better¾do abuse people in the communities they're supposed to serve. And, the way the system is set up, the rest of the police force tends to try to protect those bad police officers rather than admitting to the crimes and aiding in their prosecution."

"Which just makes the community mistrust law enforcement that much more," said Yax.

I nodded. "Exactly. And, then, if by some miracle the bad police officers are prosecuted, which doesn't happen often, they are usually not convicted."

"Why not?"

"It's a combination of the way the laws are written and how the cases are prosecuted."

"What do you mean?" asked Squid-boy.

"The laws are written so that almost anything a police officer does can be excused if they just say that they felt that their life was, or the lives of others were, in danger. So, in order to convict them, the prosecutors have to prove that they're lying if they say that. And it's kind of hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what another person did or didn't feel."

"That seems like a poorly designed legal code," observed Yax.

"I agree. And I think it should be changed, but that's the way things are now. You also need to take into account that the lawyers prosecuting bad cops are the same prosecutors who have probably worked with the cop they're supposed to prosecute for years. It's not uncommon for them to know each other, or at least for the prosecutor to be friendly with the police department, in general. So, there's plenty of incentive for them to not prosecute as aggressively as they might prosecute someone else. And the same can often be said for the judges who preside over the cases, who often also have the same biases as the police when it comes to the people who were murdered.

"In fact, there was one case where the police officer who murdered a man was recorded on tape saying he was going to kill the man he ultimately murdered because he was angry that the man was running away, which forced him to have to chase after him. After the police officer murdered the man, he was prosecuted, but he claimed that the man he killed had a gun. The gun that the man who was murdered was supposed to have had was tested. His fingerprints weren't on it and only the police officer's DNA was detected on it. But the judge found the police officer not guilty because he didn't think it was likely that a drug dealer wouldn't have a gun."

"That seems like a gross miscarriage of justice," said Squid-boy.

I gestured at the scene behind him. "Lots of people agree."

"But won't things like this just deepen the schism between law enforcement and the communities they're supposed to serve?" asked Yax.

"Yep. The people in the community are angry because they're not being treated fairly and they feel like their lives are in danger."

"From what you've described, that seems like an accurate perception."

I nodded. "And when they protest, the people in power send the police out to 'control' them, which really means stop them. The police already feel like the protestors are against them, and so they aren't usually inclined to be tolerant towards a protest they feel is criticizing them. So, they're already on the defensive, and then they're told to keep the protestors from getting out of line. Guess how often their interpretation of where the line lies tends to be less than liberal?"

"Under those circumstances? I'd say most likely quite often," said Squid-boy.

"And this dynamic is manufactured solely so that the powerful can use the police to control the rest of the population?" asked Yax.

"Not solely, but that's a big part of it. After all, if all the poor people begin marching in the streets because they can no longer afford to buy food, who do you think the powerful will look to for protection? It's in the interests of the powerful to keep the police divided from the communities they're supposed to serve."

"How does all this tie back into the laws that keep people from voting?" asked Squid-boy.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, it goes back to how laws get passed and who decides what policies will be enforced and how. The people in power want to stay in power and they know that people who have been disenfranchised by them would most likely vote to get them out of power. So, they try to make it difficult for those people to vote. Which means, of course, that those people are denied a voice in choosing their elected representatives. And that means that the methods by which those people are able to effect change is limited." I pointed at the exhibit next to us. "This is the most peaceable of those means. But when the government uses the police to disrupt peaceful protests, and the people who are suffering get angrier and angrier, things can get ugly, fast."

"And when that happens, it just gives your government the justification it was looking for to suppress dissent," murmured Yax.

I nodded. "Almost 60 years ago now, we had a president, named John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated while he was in office. During one of his speeches, he said, 'Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable'.^* He was talking about other countries, but it's a universal truism when it comes to human beings."

"Who killed him and why?" asked Squid-boy.

 I shrugged. "Ostensibly, a man named Lee Harvey Oswald, though there are several theories that either he didn't do it or he didn't act alone or of his own volition. As for why, no one really knows for certain. Oswald was murdered, himself, only two days after he was arrested. And a lot of what he said while he was in police custody sounded crazy, so who knows what was true and what was just in his head? Or maybe it was all true and we just lack the context to make sense of it. Or maybe he didn't do it at all, I don't know. No one really knows, except maybe some government spooks somewhere."

"Do you have an opinion on the matter?" asked Yax.

Sighing, I shook my head. "Not really. I haven't looked into all the evidence enough to really have formed an opinion; I just know the basics that everyone knows."

"Not even a guess?"

"A guess? Well, if I was going to guess, and if JFK wasn't just shot by a crazy person who got his hands on a gun, then I'd guess that it might have been because he was trying to change things. The speech I quoted was about other countries, but JFK had been championing changes in the US, too. Particularly with regards to how people with darker colored skin were treated. He also supported economic policies that helped the poor, so it's possible he pissed someone off who had enough power to do something about it. But I don't know if that's actually what happened."

Yax nodded. "A mystery."

"The convolutions of your history are fascinating," interjected Squid-boy, "but did you mention that quote because you believe your people are headed for violent revolution?"

 I shrugged. "I don't know. I hope not. But this," I pointed at where the robots dressed like police wielded their batons and shields and faced off against the robots dressed like protestors, "just makes the people who are disenfranchised more desperate. If the government won't give people room to express their discontent peacefully, then it's pretty much guaranteed they'll do so less than peacefully. That's what people who are angry, frustrated, and scared do. And that's how revolutionary wars get started."

"Might that be for the best?" asked Yax. "Wouldn't it allow your people to restructure your political system into something that works for more people?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't think it would be for the best; I think it would be a disaster. Violent, undirected change? Who knows what we might end up with? Who knows if the disenfranchised would even win that war? Yes, there're more of us. But the people in power are the ones with the fancy weapons and the trained military. The underdog rebels always win in the movies, but things don't always work out that way in real life. In reality, the government calls those who take up arms against it 'terrorists' and it wages a propaganda war against them and villainizes them in public opinion before exterminating them while the rest of the world sighs in relief. And then it passes laws to 'protect the public' that makes it even harder to express dissent. We might end up with something far worse than what we have now. And, no matter who won or whether or not the government we ended up with was better or worse, a lot of innocent people would be dead. I hope with all my being that we can be smarter than that."

Yax nodded. "That makes sense. Though, I'm not sure what means that leaves you with for effecting change."

I gestured at the exhibit again. "This. Eventually."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this will work, eventually, if the protestors are persistent in both their protest and their non-violence. When videos of police beating up unarmed, non-violent citizens go viral on the internet, it makes for a far better narrative with regard to public opinion than if the government is able to post videos of protestors destroying property or hurting people."

"Ah," said Squid-boy. "I see. The protestors will publicize examples of abuse by your law enforcement in an attempt to sway the opinions of enough people that eventually your government will not be able to ignore the matter or refuse to fix it."

I nodded. "Yes. Though, the government will still use misdirection and disingenuousness to attempt to obfuscate the matter."

"That is when they'll pretend that the problem is something other than what it actually is, like you said before," said Yax.

"Yes. Or they'll try to blame the victims or create a lot of hoopla about some other issue to try to distract everyone. They have a lot of methods for deceiving people, and the public tends to have a short attention span. That's why it's such a battle to get any meaningful change. But it has happened before, so with hard work and persistence we can make it happen again."

Squid-boy wrapped his arms around his head and clacked his beak a few times. Looking at Yax, he said, "It seems as if we may have been mistaken in including this exhibit. Though the logic is somewhat circuitous, it seems as if the humans are behaving rationally here. Or, at least, as rationally as their irrational system of government allows them to behave."

The big alien nodded. "I concur. I think we will need to remove this one."

Squid-boy turned to me. "Will the laws that keep some of your people from voting be changed once the protestors are successful?"

"I hope so. That's one of several changes I'm hoping for, sugar. But the only way to find out is to keep fighting."

He turned to look at the protestors and, even with his squid face, I thought I saw compassion in his expression. "I hope so, too," he murmured. "It's important for people to have a voice in their government."

"I agree. In fact, that's one of the primary principles our country was founded on. It's just that, somehow, we seem to have forgotten that fact."

Yax stepped forward and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Hopefully, your people will start remembering soon."

I reached up to cover his fingers with my own. "I hope so."


*The quote by John F. Kennedy regarding revolution was from his March 13, 1962 Address on the First Anniversary of the Alliance for Progress speech.

Want to see more of the US through Alyce's eyes? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊

Answers from Alyce

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#APC #Spotlight: Valkyrie: Darkness Awaits By Mark McQuillen and Mara Reitsma! (9/9)

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Mark McQuillen in my APC spotlight, today! Mark is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his epic, dark, mythological, horror, fantasy novel, Valkyrie: Darkness Awaits, looks great! Here's the description:

Time was but a moment. Past, present, future: it mattered not. The mirror was supposed to give the viewer a look into these moments and prolonged use could lead to insanity. Many had succumbed to the mirror's effects, but Tisiphone, the heir to the Valkyrie throne, had promised herself not to let it get that far. She had no choice, she had to find her mother. She had to learn from the past to prepare for the future, and that mirror was her only option, but the only story she can see is the tale of her Uncle Gil and Aunt Mist... 

An ex-soldier, suffering from a bad case of P.T.S.D, falls head over heels for a Valkyrie, and embarks on a mission to save her realm, from none other than Tisiphone's mother, Malice. Can Tisiphone unlock her mother's secrets through the story of her Uncle Gil? Can she handle what she sees in the mirror?

She's going to have to if she hopes to figure it all out...

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1368

Hey Everyone! 😊

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Thirteen-Hundred-Sixty-Eight:

Today, I found out about additional consequences of my recent excursion outside my domicile. My hominid-servant noticed the itchy bump on my nose at the site where the small arthropod extracted my blood, and she became concerned. Apparently, there are parasites within the parasites on this planet! And my hominid-servant was worried that I might have been exposed to one that colonizes the heart of its host, compromising the function of said organ ultimately to the point of fatality for the host. 

Naturally, such an abrupt and gruesome conclusion to my studies on this planet did not appeal to me, so I certainly understand the need to be proactive in diagnosing and treating such an illness. I also appreciate the necessity of extracting a blood sample for testing. As a scientist myself, obviously I recognized the importance of collecting specimens for proper study. 

However, I must say that I did not at all see the need to return me to the frightening medical facility with its sharp, disturbing odors, terrifying cacophony, and catalogue of cruel medical experiments. While it is true that my hominid-servant did not allow me, personally, to be subjected to anything worse than the small prick of a needle used to extract my blood and the application of a foul-smelling, but ultimately beneficial, liquid applied to the back of my neck for the treatment of any potential burgeoning parasitical infestations, I still would have much preferred to avoid the place altogether. 

Though, I must admit, I do appreciate my hominid-servant’s concern for my health. And I am certainly grateful hominids are clever enough to at least devise effective treatments for the pestilence bred on their planet. I do take exception to, once again, being forced to witness just how cruel some hominids can be to their furry companions. Just when I start to believe hominids might, possibly, be on the verge of developing true intelligence, I am forcibly reminded by practices such as "declawing” and "ear and tail docking” how very far hominids are from what I think they may have the potential to become.

Poor Thoth. He may never truly find civilized intelligence on this planet. 😉 You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. 😉 Happy reading, everyone!

Pattern Recognition...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from Shifting Paradigms:
Petri watched her friends walk away as she sank back onto the couch by the fire. True to his word, Vlad took them to the end of the room but no farther. From what she could see, it seemed like he created another seating nook like the one she was in, and he was engaging her friends in conversation. Idly, she wondered what they were talking about as she laid down and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift and expand.

Immediately, the pressure from the rainbow threatened to crush her back into herself, but she pushed back against it and forced her consciousness out and away. As she did so, Petri started to see patterns in the energy. They weren’t the same as the patterns she would find in an organic mind, but they also weren’t completely unrecognizable. What they were was utterly alien.

No matter the species, an organic mind had a familiar ebb and flow to its patterns. Even when Petri had a hard time deciphering the meaning of what she found in a mind because the being’s frame of reference, perceptions, sensory organs, or culture were so foreign to her as to give her little in the way of common landmarks. She could see the thoughts and feel the emotions even if should couldn’t understand or define them.

With the rainbow, she could see the patterns, but they wouldn’t mesh with her own mind. Nor could she seem to adjust her patterns to mesh with it. It was too regimented, too one thing or the other. There was no in between stage for her to cozy up to and slip inside of.

Petri let herself drift further out, thinking maybe if she could get a larger picture she could see a way to connect to the patterns that seemed to be trying to asphyxiate her. Idly, she thought it might feel like what drowning felt like… If you could drown without ever being able to get close enough to the water to get wet.