Blue Lacuna — 436 of 467

Section - GFO Conversation

[A more personal conversation with a scientist from this world. This is designed to address fears that the makers are just drones or clones: they are individuals.]

Sunset Years is a scene. Sunset Years begins when location is Overlook and Reflecting Pool is visited. When Sunset Years begins: say initial appearance of Scientist; move Scientist to Overlook.

After greeting Scientist, force discuss sy_intro. Instead of exhausting when Scientist is enclosed by location: say "'Better to learn more by experiencing it,' she says. 'Go. Explore. Find what you wish to know.'".

Instead of greeting Scientist when Lacunite-Follower is unidentified: say "'Hello, Planter,' the woman says dreamily, still gazing into the sunset. 'Pardon, but I prefer to enjoy the sunset alone.'".

Scientist is a female Lacunite with printed name "old woman". Scientist is privately-named. Understand "old" or "woman" as Scientist. The initial appearance is "Standing on the balcony gazing into the sunset is a very old [o]woman[x], her red robes burning like fire in the light of the sun.[line break]". The description of Scientist is "Her face is lined with wrinkles, and her hair is loose, a white curtain trailing down to her waist. She stares at the forest of windsigh below with a peaceful smile. The gold-red light shimmers on her red robes, picking out the threads of blue and gold twining through the stitching.[paragraph break]She looks somehow different from the others you've seen, as if she comes from somewhere far away.".

SY is a thread. sy_intro is a beat in SY with reaction "She turns to you smiling, and bows a little. 'Hello, visitor,' she says softly. [if Lacunite-Follower is unidentified]Noticing you stiffen, she puts a hand to your shoulder in amusement. 'May be the younger ones don't see, but to me it's clear who you are. Everything about the way you move, and look, suggests it. [else]'[end if]I am honored to meet you.'". sy_intro summons sy_name. sy_whatelse replaces sy_intro.

sy_whatelse is a repeatable beat in SY with reaction "'[one of]What other questions can I answer[or]What else can I tell[or]What other things shall I speak of[or]What more should I say[in random order]?' she asks.". sy_whatelse suggests sy_question. sy_whatelse summons sy_maker, sy_mother, sy_scientist, sy_traveler, sy_heart.

Understand "name" as sy_name when last beat is in SY. sy_name is a beat in SY with keyword name "name" and reaction "'Name?' She tilts her head, considering. 'I am a [sy_maker] in the [sy_heart]. I have been [sy_mother]. I have been [sy_scientist]. Now I am a [sy_traveler]. You may call me Traveler, if you wish,' she says.". sy_name suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "maker" as sy_maker when last beat is in SY. sy_maker is a beat in SY with keyword name "maker" and fuse 5 and reaction "'We, those like you and I,' she says, 'are Makers. The ones who are rooted are [sy_thinkers]. Together we make up the Forest.'". sy_maker suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "heart" as sy_heart when last beat is in SY. sy_heart is a beat in SY with keyword name "Heart" and fuse 5 and reaction "'This world is the Heart,' she says, stretching out a hand to take in the whole view, 'the Heart of Forest, the great forest that stretches across a thousand worlds of our galaxy. This is the world where Thinkers and Makers grew, and where they first awakened each other. To have been born in the Heart and served these ancient Thinkers has been a great blessing in my life.'". sy_heart suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "thinker/thinkers" as sy_thinkers when last beat is in SY. sy_thinkers is a beat in SY with keyword name "Thinkers" and fuse 5 and reaction "'They live without us in worlds of pure logic, reason, and order,' she says. 'It is only through the eyes of Makers they can see and know the outside world, and only through our hands they can affect it.'". sy_thinkers suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "mother" as sy_mother when last beat is in SY. sy_mother is a beat in SY with keyword name "Mother" and fuse 5 and reaction "'I bore three children,' she says with a proud smile, 'a rare honor to be [sy_chosen] for so many. When the second came I was Mother of my grove, so helped him and all the others grow from day to day; bathing, feeding, singing [sy_songs] through the slow mornings till [sy_teachers] came to teach. He is still my favorite, though his own children now are grown.'". sy_mother suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "song/songs" as sy_songs when last beat is in SY. sy_songs is a beat in SY with keyword name "songs" and reaction "'I never forget the old songs. Would you like to hear one?' she asks unselfconsciously.". The yes-beat of sy_songs is sy_singsong. The no-beat of sy_songs is sy_nosong. sy_songs summons sy_singsong, sy_nosong. sy_songs suggests sy_nosong.

sy_nosong is a beat in SY with keyword name "no" and reaction "'Very well,' she says, but there is no hint of the disappointment, obsequiousness, or anger that such words might hide among your own kind. She seems to mean exactly what the words say: it is just as well she doesn't song the song as it would be if she did.". sy_nosong suggests sy_whatelse. sy_nosong cancels sy_singsong.

sy_singsong is a beat in SY with keyword name "yes" and reaction "'This one has been sung from Mother to child for generation on generation,' she says.[paragraph break]She gazes off towards the huge red sun and pauses for a long moment. When at last she begins to sing, it is slow, rhythmic, each word seeming to be heavier with meanings than the sounds alone suggest, an almost tuneless melody shaping them:

'Food and fire,[line break]

Earth and bone,[line break]

Fruit and stream,[line break]

Song and home.

These are the things which make you live,[line break]

Child.

Root and vine,[line break]

Leaf and tree,[line break]

Mind and thought,[line break]

Join and weave.

These are the things which make you,[line break]

Child.

Strain and toil,[line break]

Ear and eye,[line break]

Foot and leg,[line break]

Sweat and thigh.

These are the things which make,[line break]

Child.'

When at last she finishes, she pauses for another moment, then smiles at you. 'That one I've always liked,' she says.". sy_singsong suggests sy_whatelse. sy_singsong cancels sy_nosong.

Understand "scientist" as sy_scientist when last beat is in SY. sy_scientist is a beat in SY with keyword name "Scientist" and fuse 5 and reaction "'A botanist,' she says, 'a specialist in the tropical flowers of the southern archipelagos. I [sy_trained] with prestigious groves of scientist [sy_Thinkers]. There is so much diversity on the [sy_Heart], explosions of life everywhere; we still find new [sy_compounds] and chemicals in the jungles each year.'". sy_scientist suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "trained" as sy_trained when last beat is in SY. sy_trained is a beat in SY with keyword name "trained" and fuse 5 and reaction "'The more training the [sy_Thinkers] give us,' she says, 'the less they have to Think for us. Of course they could instruct any of us to perform a surgery or construct a spaceship; move this arm here, grip that piece so. But if we learn to do the things ourselves, they do not need to trouble themselves with that.'". sy_trained suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "chosen" as sy_chosen when last beat is in SY. sy_chosen is a beat in SY with keyword name "chosen" and fuse 5 and reaction "'All who wish to may have a child,' she says, 'but we have filled up this world, so second and third children can only be allowed with careful consideration by Planner [sy_Thinkers] for agriculture, society, and quality of parent.'". sy_chosen suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "teachers" as sy_teachers when last beat is in SY. sy_Teachers is a beat in SY with keyword name "Teachers" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Some makers are Mothers to care for the children,' she says. 'Some are Teachers to instruct them in logic and reason, in history, and in science. Others are Thoughtsingers who help the children learn to hear the voice of the [sy_Thinkers] more clearly and make themselves be heard. Together, all three help the children of a grove to grow.'". sy_teachers suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "compounds" as sy_compounds when last beat is in SY. sy_compounds is a beat in SY with keyword name "compounds" and fuse 5 and reaction "'To help the bodies of [sy_Thinkers] and Makers,' she says, 'or the Science they pursue. To extend life and ease suffering; extract what we need for survival from the [sy_Heart] with more precision and efficiency; construct more durable shelters and more powerful machines.'". sy_compounds suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "traveler" as sy_traveler when last beat is in SY. sy_traveler is a beat in SY with keyword name "traveler" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Yes,' she says, 'there is no more of use I can make, so I spend my final years traveling the [sy_Heart], seeing the [sy_wonders] of this world, and taking comfort in its [sy_mundane] aspects too.'". sy_traveler suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "wonders" as sy_wonders when last beat is in SY. sy_wonders is a beat in SY with keyword name "wonders" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Many places now,' she says, 'black beaches, grand chasms-- the Conclave of Arbiters. The old bluerock [sy_mines] in the north. And here, the grove of the Philosopher-- a place I have long wanted to come to.'". sy_wonders suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "mundane" as sy_mundane when last beat is in SY. sy_mundane is a beat in SY with keyword name "mundane" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Just the daily lives of the millions of groves on Heart,' she says. 'The [sy_farmers], the builders, even the [sy_defectives]. Sometimes that which is simple is as good to see as that which is not.'". sy_mundane suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "farmer/farmers" as sy_farmers when last beat is in SY. sy_farmers is a beat in SY with keyword name "farmers" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Most groves do still grow their own food,' she says. 'The Planner Thinkers long ago saw that was best. But in some places, the science cities or mine outposts, the Makers must be more specialized. So there are Farmers who grow the food and Movers who transport it and others who eat it.'". sy_farmers suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "defective/defectives" as sy_defectives when last beat is in SY. sy_defectives is a beat in SY with keyword name "defectives" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Oh,' she says, 'those who are born without the ability to hear the Thinkers. Poor ones. There are special groves for them, where Tenders look after them, make sure they find food and keep busy and do not wander off to die. The Tenders and the Thinkers who advise them do what they can, but the defectives are not happy. Their lives have no direction, no greater purpose. They often fall to squabbling, even-- even hurting each other or the Thinkers around them. Some say they should not be allowed to be born, but as long as the [sy_Edict] holds, they are our wards.'". sy_defectives suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "edict" as sy_edict when last beat is in SY. sy_edict is a beat in SY with keyword name "Edict" and fuse 5 and reaction "'The Edict of the Sacred Genomes,' she says. 'Before my grandparents were born, the Thinkers and Makers together discovered the code inside us both that makes us Be. But after much deliberation by Thinkers across the thousand worlds of Forest, it was decided that nothing should be done that might change the connection between us; nothing should be done to alter or change our genomes until they each were completely understood. Some say this will not happen for thousands of years, if at all. So for now, we wait.'". sy_edict suggests sy_whatelse.

Understand "mines" as sy_mines when last beat is in SY. sy_mines is a beat in SY with keyword name "mines" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Huge open pits dug into the tundra,' she says, 'and great shafts descending miles and miles towards the warm core, now filled again with snow and ice. All for a few pounds of pure bluerock in each vein. Primitive technology compared to what we have now, but now there is no bluerock left.'". sy_mines suggests sy_whatelse.

Instead of saying farewell to Scientist when sy_question is unspoken: force discuss sy_question. Instead of getting bored when Scientist is enclosed by location: force discuss sy_question.

sy_question is an insistent beat in SY with reaction "She hesitates. 'Do not answer if you wish not to,' she says, 'but I have heard that you come from a world-- a people of Makers who have no Thinkers. You are alone. Is this true?'". The yes-beat of sy_question is sy_alone. The no-beat of sy_question is sy_noalone. sy_question summons sy_alone, sy_noalone. sy_question suggests sy_noans. sy_outtro replaces sy_question.

sy_alone is a beat in SY with keyword name "yes" and reaction "She shakes her head. '[alonebit].' She sighs. 'It may be we seem just as strange to you. But I can't imagine it. I cannot begin to think how you must feel.'". sy_alone enqueues sy_outtro.

sy_noalone is a beat in SY with keyword name "no" and reaction "She nods. 'I thought the report must have been wrong,' she says. '[alonebit].' She shudders. 'It is good you are not alone. It is good you are like us. I am happy.'". sy_noalone enqueues sy_outtro.

sy_noans is a beat in SY with reaction "'Very well,' she says[if sy_nosong is spoken], again[end if] with no hint of disappointment or anger, 'it is for the Thinkers to know such things, not one such as I who has no use for that knowledge.'". sy_noans enqueues sy_outtro.

To say alonebit: say "I cannot conceive of such sadness,' she says quietly. 'To not have the thoughts of your kin tree always with you, to guide and advise-- to be vulnerable to attack from wild creatures, without thousands of eyes watching for your safety. And when out of sight of your other Makers-- alone".

sy_outtro is a repeatable terminal beat in SY with reaction "'[one of]It was good to meet you,' she says. 'I wish you welcome to our world.' [or]Go with welcome,' she says. [stopping]She touches fingertips to her forehead, then turns back to the spectacular view.".