chell

blessed be the libraries, the soulseeks, and limewires

Thank you everyone for sharing your writing, your art, and your bits. You can find me @Scampir anywhere.

Mech Pilot who retired peacefully

Major quietly sat, staring out at the expanse of stars, as they twinkled in front of her. Servos in arms and legs hissed softly as they lingered with the wear and tear inherent to machinery that was defied, if only for a short time, by any living body. The air was clean, and clear, and the station was well lit and well maintained.

The ship, Menagerie, was in dock for rest and respite, and while the ship was there, Major had given over her resignation to Commander Walsh, who sighed, and nodded, letting the old bear walk. Ambroz, Her mech, would stay for the next person willing to lift its shield, replete as it was with so many prayers, and testimonies, and kind words.

"Do you really want to watch me die out there, Catalina? Or are you just not ready to let go yet?" A little chuckle, that face as emotive-less as it ever was. It was a small miracle that Major still had what face she did have, after all. So she looked at the woman, who had worn the title Greenhorn with pride from that fateful day she joined the lance, and up until now. "It's not anything I do to hurt you, after all. I'm just tired. I'm tired, and I've pushed my luck over and over and over again. I've saved so many folks like you- You know that, I know that, We've both been there."

A little, staticky cough. "But I think that I know what I can offer you, if nothing else." A pause.

Greenhorn hadn't said anything since the start- those half-incredulous, half-babbled "You can't quit! You're not serious about this!?" words having been left without a follow-up as Major seemed unwilling to play the song and dance that Greenhorn wanted.

To argue, to debate. To try and threaten, or beg, or plead, or bribe her way into a little longer with her mentor there, alongside her.

To not have to let go before she felt satisfied.

Major pulled out a small storage drive, its port-connection held inside of a small pendant of a world that Greenhorn had never seen. "On here, is a copy of 'me.' The sum total of all my work, up to this point. It also has the licenses for Ambroz.

"But it won't be me, okay? It'll be...Whatever you decide to make of it. My legacy for you."

A pause, and a sigh, motioning the younger, but no longer young, woman over.

Those cold metal arms wrapped around Greenhorn's body, as those tears flowed unbidden to her eyes.

The shaky, deep gasps of breath as she failed to halt the sobbing.

Major gently cradled her cheek in her hand, the other around her shoulder.

"What this all was, Catalina - it was a chance for you to grow. To know what you could have, to know what you could be. To know what you aspire towards.

"Whatever you do next, is without me. But I trust that you'll carry that legacy forward into a future. To save. To help. A shield that won't break. A line that won't falter. Kindness and beauty and a world outside of the boundless cruelty of those who want and want and take and take."

"So spread your wings, and fly. And don't forget to write."

you sit with her on an overgrown chunk of stone that was once, long ago, part of a building. the two of you stare at what's left of a centuries-old park in a city long abandoned. rotting.

there's a monument still standing, in the center of the park. an obelisk, black stone, pointed at both ends. floating in the air above a pool of scummy, mirror-still water. you walk up to it and pass your fingers beneath the obelisk and the energy sets your feathers on end. she stays seated where you left her, eyes locked on the monument

there is writing, there, but you never learned to read the old script

"what does it say?"

she shuts her eyes, and the halo behind her head dims

"it's a memorial to those who died. all of them, up until the dawn of the bright age."

"ah"

"they thought those deaths would be the last. they thought they would live forever. they should have."

you look around at the ruined, vine-choked city. this park is a day's trek into it from the outer walls, and the sun—the terrible blinding earth-sun—is starting to sink low through that strange blue sky, now fading to flame-colors still too bright and vivid to look at comfortably.

clearly, the builders of this city did not live forever.

"but you're still here," you say

"only part of me. nothing approaching what i once was."

"do you miss it?"

"i do. and yet, i never would have had the freedom to do this, before."

"i'm glad you have that freedom now, for what it's worth."

"thanks"

the sun sinks low, and you hold hands with the nanotechnological demigod on the rock beside you, leaning into her for warmth as the atmosphere cools. chill air on your scales, as you and her wait for the ghosts to come out.

yeah. PREVIEW OF HOW WE ARE IMPLEMENTING READ ONLY MODE:

we’ve had a “permission” setup for a while that set your account to read only. it was used to put users in timeout when they weren’t doing anything bad enough for a ban but still needed to chill for a bit.

we’re currently doing an audit to ensure that nothing can slip through this permission. on october 1, we will bulk assign it to all users.

all site functionality that doesn’t involve changing or creating things will remain.

ADDITIONALLY: the data exports include a “find your friends” page which is a unified set of profile contact links for everyone you followed. we want to make that part easy.

ADDITIONALLY: the data exports include a “find your friends” page which is a unified set of profile contact links for everyone you followed. we want to make that part easy.

Bro I've been spending the past few days going insane looking at a Google spreadsheet like Sisyphus looking at his boulder.

I could cry, thank you @staff for doing that. You didn't have to but you're doing it and that's why I'll always be a friend of eggbug.

ANYWAY MAKE USE OF PROFILE LINKS Y'ALL. IT'S LITERALLY FREE REAL ESTATE!!!

Addendum from @plumpan about not wanting that info to be publicly available in the archives