The Chessmaster: The various weakly godlike superintelligences as they attempt to outmaneuver one another in the search for that Optimal Future; even more so when they’re playing against lesser intelligences. Also, everyone with a socially-focused valxĂjir or estxĂjir who lives long enough, to one degree or another. After all,
VĂöle Leiraval-ith-LindrĂa loved her job as a first-in prospector. Not just from having grown up in the crowded hives of Kythera, although, as she admitted to herself, that may have had something to do with it. But quite apart from the chance to be alone with her own thoughts, she
Gambit Pileup: The more or less inevitable, continuous, and ongoing consequence of people who see social-fu as something to be mastered every bit as much as any other excellence; a society that despises violence and coercion – and, for that matter, outright fraud – and as such places a premium on the
“So. What did the tests show? Metabolics.” “His vitality monitors are showing some lactic acidosis. Oxygen saturation’s in spec, but it’s still not enough for that latest round of muscle ops at full capacity. I say we push another unit of breather hemocules.” “We’re already close to
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Band of Brothels: The Circle of Silken Flowers, as mentioned under Platonic Prostitution, along with a couple of its lesser cousins (including the more educational Guild of Erotic Artistry). In less platonic senses, the Negotiable Affection Division of the Eldinimieuthunimis runs a few of these abroad. (But even these latter
If you recall my mention of a first commercial sale… Here it is! (direct link) But don’t just chase the direct link.  It’s part of “Miscellanea: a transdimensional library” at Eggplant Literary Productions, so do take a browse through the index of everyone else’s writing while you’
Platonic Prostitution: Played straightish for a variety of reasons: perhaps the primary of which is that the techlepathy (and in particular the telempathic component) that’s about to be mentioned when we get to Psychic Powers somewhat breaks the business model of the regular kind. Turns out basking in the
Conjoiner’s Gullet, Merathy System, Starfall Abysm The stargate orbited alone, far from its sun; the moil of distorted space that made up its throat constrained around the inner framework, exotic matter holding the passage between stars open, itself embedded in the complex of supporting reactors, processors, antennae, traffic signals,
Free-Love Future: Averted, mostly, even though Imperial society has long since built contraception in, made STI cures relatively trivial, and the decoupling of sex and reproduction is close to complete (most people come about either through ectogenesis or digital genesis). Nevertheless, what is still there is the mental linkage between
Kiss Me, I’m Virtual: Subverted inasmuch as the virtual people are actually people. …okay, well, yes, lonely people do use probably terabytes of simulation space for this sort of thing, with full awareness of the situation. Although I should probably mention that anyone who tried using a real person’
This rose-and-yellow orb is Paltraeth, homeworld of the kaeth. Most think of Paltraeth the way it is today: a dry, mostly desert world baking under the fierce glare – in light, heat, and hard radiation – of its hot blue-white sun, its dust-laden atmosphere stripped thin and its oceans reduced to small