003. - Book Club!

[helpdesk_hero]

Alright, so I've suggested this a little to some friends of mine, but I'm thinking about throwing this out a bit wider.

I'm thinking about starting up a book club. Less in the style of book of the month and more organizing one or possibly more groups who can share books or even genres they love most with other people. People would still do the whole guiding discussion but not looking for high end critique so much as just talking about it.

We all need something to unwind and I don't doubt some of us are really fans of reading. I would think the arrangement might work best with members willing to buy their own books. I think for the first few meetings I'd be willing to cook either a simple meal or some finger foods to enjoy, but people could also volunteer to provide food or drinks.


Anyone interested in the idea?

Comments

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh, we coexist. Barely. My world? It's full of heroes and villains. But they get praised. Mutants aren't really welcomed very much. Our species is... a lot smaller right now than it was not even five years ago.

[justlittle]

[ Genocide. Or, an attempt at one. Bean knows something about that, but on the opposite end. But then, humans and Formics never coexisted peacefully at all. They had a war to end. Ender had no choice but to do what he did. Bean had no choice but to make him. ]

My condolences.

Are there any other of your kind here?

[helpdesk_hero]

[Smart, Bean. SERIOUSLY smart, because it's accurate.]

There's a very small selection of us. Three others from my world, some that seem to be from other instances of my world. Other people who seem to be similar but not exactly from my world, probably not Homo superior but who knows.

[justlittle]

I suppose it's a little forward of a thing to ask someone.

"Hey, I think you might be a mutant. Do you mind submitting to a DNA test?"

[helpdesk_hero]

It would definitely be awkward. And I don't think Josh would let me sample his genome to relocate the X-Genes.

[justlittle]

[ The implication there is that he couldn't just use his own DNA... What that implication means, Bean doesn't really grasp just yet. ]

There are specific genes that mark a Homo superior?

[helpdesk_hero]

[Definitely a weighty implication. And a strange one.]

Yep. And the mutations are wildly different, for being on a very specific part of the chromosome. There's a lot we don't know about it.

[justlittle]

How much do you, personally know about it? Or about genetic mutations in general?

[ An oddly specific question, perhaps, but Bean has some selfish motives. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

I used to know a lot. When I came here, the knowledge I had about biology, biochemistry, and genetics were... lost.

[justlittle]

This is the first I've heard of this universe taking something away from an imPort. Usually it just adds things that weren't there before.

[ He sounds concerned. He doesn't want to lose any of his encyclopedic knowledge. He worked hard for that. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

I don't know. I hear I was here before, not that I remember it. And then I remembered literally everything I've ever learned. Some sort of souped up eidetic memory. So maybe they didn't want that again?

[justlittle]

Interesting. I have known people to leave and come back, some with less time in between than others. [ Himself included. ] It's been proven that our Porter-given abilities can change upon reentry to this universe, but I was unaware they could change anything we came with naturally.

Was your eidetic memory Porter-given or natural?

[helpdesk_hero]

I already have an eidetic memory due to a thing with telepaths back home. But this seemed a lot more intense.

[justlittle]

[ Telepaths? Interesting. ]

So you just have a base-level eidetic memory.

...If there is such a thing.

[ He's always thought of his eidetic memory as putting him above other people. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

I remember everything I ever learned as a knowledge or skill. Yes. But that knowledge doesn't extend to memories. It's... a very strange situation.

[justlittle]

Not quite the same as a true eidetic memory then.

You said this was due to a run in with some telepaths?

[helpdesk_hero]

They were... giving me back something I had lost. In a way.

[justlittle]

Your life sounds really complicated.

[helpdesk_hero]

That's not exactly in accurate statement. What about you?

[justlittle]

Extremely complicated.

[ Which is about all he'll say without knowing this David person a little better. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

Ouch.

[If his is only 'really' complicated than he's really scared of what 'extremely' complicated with that tone means.]

[justlittle]

[ Bean tries to shrug it off. ]

Eh. But it is what it is, so I'm not going to stress over it.

[ He did enough of that when he returned from his trip back to his world. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

Probably not worth stressing over. Enjoy what you have now for now.

[justlittle]

For however long or short that lasts.

[ He can't help the note of sarcastic bitterness in his voice. ]