Archive | February 18, 2015

Three-Word Wednesday and Foedus Planatarum: Evolving

Feb18

This piece is a prelude to my Foedus Planetarum setting, set many decades before the other stories. It is written for the Three-Word Wednesday prompt: content, evolve, sober.

“Humankind did not evolve.”

It was not the sort of thing you wanted to tackle sober, but Imri was the Space Department’s Chief of Science, and she could not be seen to be drunk on the job.

“That is,” she looked over her notes again. “Humanity did evolve, quite a bit. But humanity, on earth… well, it’s complex.”

There were three other people in the room with her. Two of them had white-iridescent hair and slit-pupiled iris like a cat. The other one was the Space Department’s Chief of Security, and he was waiting impatiently for her to work through this.

She looked at the man? who was her counterpart for the Jocet. “All right. So humanity originally evolved… somewhere. And then was seeded, colonized out to various planets in… slightly modified forms?”

The Jocet’s language was alien, but, at the same time, it was not alien. Their translators had been able to comprehend it, and, conversely, the Jocet’s translators could handle English. Her counterpart nodded. “It is simplified, of course. But you are content with your understanding?”

“Content? Content?” Imri shook her head. “No, no, I could spent a lifetime studying this and not be content. But do I have enough to brief my peers? Yes.” She slumped back into her chair. “And then, then I have enough understanding to request a sabbatical to further research this.”

The Chief of Security – the Terran-human, North-Atlantic-Nations Chief of Security – shook his head. He’d followed just enough to know he was lost. “I think if you can explain this to the rest of the Chiefs, I’ll put in my rec that you get that research as a fully-funded work project.”

Imri couldn’t argue. Looking across the table at the Jocet, she had a feeling Earth was going to be playing knowledge-catch-up for quite a while.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/899857.html. You can comment here or there.

Opinion and Build-a-Character wanted (again!)

Feb18

You guys did such a good job with Jahnan & Yira that I’m hoping you’ll help me with Rige and Olivia.

They are in the same world, Foedus Planatarium (Federation of Planets), meant for a for-publication romance story. He’s a prisoner, she’s an archaeologist. (What? I have types. 😉

That being said, I have nothing else determined about them, except that they are both “human”.

“Human” in this case, as this is a space story, covers a wide array of Roddenberry-alien-type modifications and alterations on a bilaterally symmetrical biped with the head on top, as well as a wide range of cultures.

So: what do they look like, what can you tell me about their history?

Feel free to give me a single trait, like “he wears his hair in braids” or “she has green hair.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/899397.html. You can comment here or there.

X# Things Makes a Post

Feb18

It occured to me this morning – at 3 a.m., whilst feeding the cats – that the difference between “oh, god, it’s only Wednesday” and “oh, good, it’s only Wednesday” is just one letter and a world of attitude.

I’ve been trying not to lose my time pushing for the weekend, so I’m thinking hard about that difference. “oh, good…” I have three more days to work on deadlines, I have more time to wrap gifts before Last Christmas, I have more time to get stuff done at work. I have more time to go to the gym.

I can work with that.

~

Speaking of gym, I’ve worked out using my tablet + the treadmill as a walking desk. Problem is, it has to be one specific treadmill (or two, if they ever fix the second one like that); the others don’t have enough of a “shelf” to support the tablet’s keyboard.

On the positive side, it’s really really fun!

~

It’s so cold out… (how cold is it, Lyn?)

So cold my hair freezes when I go to my car (that’s pretty normal, Lyn).

So cold the schools keep closing (that’s not that unusual, either).

So cold that when I took Oli outside, he lasted a minute before politely asking to go inside – and that, that is strange.

~

And… Mobbing Midnight! It’s getting there, it’s getting there.

I’m really excited about this, guys. Not just because it’ll pay me SFWA professional rates. Not just because I get to be in an anthology with some awesome authors. But because it’s outside of my normal story, and I like being challenged. I never would have written this particular story without this anthology, and I think that’s awesome.

For $12, you can not only help me get closer to two of my new years’ resolutions, you can also have a lovely anthology full of great stories. I’d call that a win-win situation.

On tumblr? Reblog this post for a chance at a free copy of all three anthologies – not just Mobbing Midnight, but Fight Like a Girl and What Follows (featuring my story “Monster Godmother!”)

Want to buy all three anthologies? ($25) Do it before Friday 2/20, and Fireun will record something – anything – for you.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/899232.html. You can comment here or there.