trope-a-day
Creepy Cleanliness: To more than a few foreign visitors, yes. As William Gibson said in Disneyland With the Death Penalty, “Was it Laurie Anderson who said that VR would never look real until they learned how to put some dirt in it? Singapore’s airport, the Changi Airtropolis, seemed to
pundir
Xenophile Tip #37: However enchanted you might be with the unquestionable beauty, almondine skin and faint almond scent of the pundirar, there are two important things to consider before embarking on a relationship: 1. The asexual pundir reproduce by budding; and 2. That scent? Hydrogen cyanide. – from the Yrnaes 7122
worldbuilding
So, wondering about the non-Imperial worlds on the Imperial Fringe map? Here’s some trivia about the Empire’s neighbors for you! To rimward, in the Banners, we have: * The A’t’rr Hold, who own the Aturr System. (The vowel is fake and the apostrophes unpronounceable by human mouthparts,
Greater Immortality
“The associated Sunfire Club is an exclusive society and social club for those who have either triggered in person, or at least endured up-close, the detonation of a nucleonic weapon. While its numbers – still very few – did grow somewhat after the invention of the Greater Immortality, club rules adopted at
worldbuilding
In honor of the coming holiday, a terrifying thought I had: According to “The Blood-Brain Barrier” (and other incidental mentions elsewhere), it’s possible to target, edit, and alter the will if you know what you’re doing. By implication, this means that it must be possible to *erase* someone’
bytegeist
bytegeist (n.): Originally a trademark of Epiphani, ICC, the term bytegeist refers to a modular, multi-function, autokinetic accessory for one’s muse (q.v.), providing physical-world interface, scanning, and manipulatory ability independent of those of the muse’s host. (As was inevitable, earlier single-function muse accessories were immediately rechristened bitgeists
law
Viriaz vs. Carlantanda, District Court of the Lesser Rocks, 4001: In a case arising from an incident in which Viriaz was defrauded of several hundred esteyn by Carlantanda by means of the well-known “shell game“, respondent Carlantanda advanced that by the principle of long-standing custom (as seen in the brawler’
alethiometer
In today’s somewhat morose worldbuilding thoughts inspired by real-world events (in this case, the Harvey Weinstein affair, along with an endless parade of abuse-of-power stories courtesy of Sheriff Joe, the Chicago City Council, the Arizona Dept. of Corrections, etc., etc.), one really does have to wonder what the judicial
Tsingale Light
Tsingale Light: In most respects, this drift in the central Raidermarch is a typical starship propellant-and-shore-leave stop, albeit one in a bad neighborhood. One should, however, note the curious local law that all corpses on the station are property of the Administration – which exists, based on our writer’s conversations
Eldraeic Transcend
“The hydrarastrum of the Pearl-Bright Ocean is indescribable in mortal terms. “This is not to say that its qualities cannot be imperfectly described: it possesses the glow of liquid light, the milky iridescent gleam of mother-of-pearl, and both the silver-white shine and heavy fluidity of quicksilver. It is simply that
law
“One of the chief problems with some cultures’ attitude towards professionalism is that it prevents their courts from issuing opinions such as – to quote Mandatory Benevolence Association vs. Suld – ‘This court must affirm that the defendant possesses an unalienable derived right to be, if he so wishes, a bigoted sack
eldraeic language
deléhain: A direct translation of the kaeth word harghcha, literally meaning “pleasure-fight”; physical combat in social situations for the enjoyment of both the participants and any onlookers, which is a common feature of the kinesthetic kaeth culture. Note that neither the Eldraeic hain nor the original cha define a scale