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[driftsintobuffetline]

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Comments

[driftsintobuffetline]

Oh? Oh wow, okay. Hold up and gimme a sec to process that. He wants to experiment with our Drifts? Is he sure? Are you? We showed Qubit, but he's kind of a special case so-- In what way? Are we talking hooking up to Pons-like apparatuses and monitoring brainwaves of Our Drift vs Theirs?? Questionnaire and self-reporting? Zener Cards?

Because you know and I know there's really no way TO know the way a mind works, let alone a full-on Drift, except to engage it firsthand. Are we talking about comparing notes here or Drifting with each other? Because this is sounding like the Drift Partner's equivalent of being Swingers and I'm all for experimentation but let me just say this was not the intended result of getting you two to talk again. Are we sure he's Miles again and not still Piotr?

[mathemagier]

No, nothing invasive, I'd said. I was thinking more along the lines of small tests. He noted that the Drift sounded more intensive than his bond with Gregor and yes, I am curious.. Is it just empathy for them? Telepathy? Coordination? Memory sharing? We could try to reproduce these things, and vice versa perhaps in loose experimental exercises.

[driftsintobuffetline]

You always say nothing invasive. You always say "small tests." Go big or go home.

[mathemagier]

We wouldn't want any integration to be permanent. Who knows what could happen if they drifted with us? Frankly all scenarios I can think of are disastrous.

And well.. there is an alternative..

[Okay sounding a bit pained here now]

Miles.. has offered to let us temporarily swear ourselves to him in order to gain temporary access to whatever bond they have. It's still a risk, given we still don't know how the Drift may affect us, particularly since our bond is much less private than theirs appears to be. It could very well be uncomfortable for everyone.

[driftsintobuffetline]

I didn't think anything would be perman--Hold up. Rewind.

Swear ourselves? Like fealty? THAT'S how this work for them? They can ADD people? Just by choice? And they're, what, on a party-line? How far was this extend? Do they have a whole clusterfuck of people over there who're part of this Swear-In thing or--do they just join and exit like an invite-only chatroom? And our connection is pretty private, really... I mean. Mostly. It's not--bad. It's pretty tame, really.

...Isn't it?

[mathemagier]

From what he's said, yes. It's.. yes, a bit like adding someone on social media or an online game of some sort. Except that you're sworn to that person and can't leave unless they unfriend you first. I did ask about any sort of influence he may have over any of his 'subjects' but haven't got an answer. We'll need to clarify that before anything..

And no, our drift isn't 'bad', it simply sounds more.. open than their bonds are. He compared it to living in a house, where the others are like cracked doorways. Except in the case of his connection with Greg, which is wider apparently.

[driftsintobuffetline]

Whereas in that house analogy, our Drift is a bit like sharing a bedroom. We've each got our own side, but I read your diary and sometimes nap on your bed and and we leave our stuff everywhere.

Now I'm curious to see what would happen if one of us swears to Miles, but the other doesn't. Would Miles get full access to our space? Because if we liken it to the social media thing, if I friend both you and Miles, Miles can see some of your posts on my Wall and vice versa--but neither of you have complete access to each other's posts. But, with us, you and I kind of log into each other's accounts all the time.

But we're also...us. And we kind of did this BEFORE the Drift anyway. It's hard to say what's just our respective relationships and what's actually our powers...or how our powers are enhanced or bolstered by our personal relationship.

[mathemagier]

Yes, quite.

I must say that being connected to a handful of others sounds disconcerting personally. But I don't know that you're an ideal candidate either, given your insatiable curiosity that would likely have you barging into the other's rooms. I'd rather avoid it entirely if we can decide on alternative exercises.

[driftsintobuffetline]

I can come up with plenty of Drift related exercises, but you can't sow the seeds of curiosity and not let me follow through on the idea now, dude.

[mathemagier]

It's a terrible idea. We don't know all the risks yet.

[driftsintobuffetline]

So?

[mathemagier]

So, it would be short-sighted and stupid to go through with it before then.

[driftsintobuffetline]

Short-sighted and stupid saved the world.

What is the worst that can happen? Absolute worst, give it to me, because I know you can run those scenarios.

[mathemagier]

Yes, at a time when we had only hours left to live.

[sigh] Absolute worst, let's see.

Now I don't believe Miles would do this, but assuming absolutely everything went wrong, one or both of us wouldn't be able to break off from that connection. Although in your case, you're more likely to offend or alienate everyone with your curiosity to the point Miles does anything to release you from it. It could disrupt our Drift in some fashion or even alter theirs.

It could be overwhelming for us, a mindshare within a Drift like a hivemind within the Drift. Now that's unlikely of course, but I can't rule it out as impossible.

[driftsintobuffetline]

A) We've already Drifted with a Hivemind--one that was antagonistic to us--and came out on top.

B) I really have to respect this change in our relationship, Hermann. No, that wasn't sarcasm. I admire that your worst-case scenario was "Newt, you're going to get your head stuck and damage everything trying to get unstuck," like I'm the kid who put his head between the banisters and then couldn't figure out how to turn his head to keep his chin from catching on the way out. I like that it was me causing irreparable damage to the relationships involved and not "Newt, you'll fry your brain and bleed it out your nose."

We've really come up in the world.

[mathemagier]

A) Barely.

B) Yes, that's a lesser concern, seeing as their bond doesn't seem to be as... intensive as the Drift, but I don't think potentially damaging your relationships should be taken lightly.

[driftsintobuffetline]

No. No, I don't think it should be taken lightly either. We've weathered worse, though.

... You don't think it could sequester us to separate rooms, do you? Like they have?

[mathemagier]

It's difficult to say. So long as it wasn't a permanent change it would be fine. ..Although it would be livable if it was.

To think it would have been ideal once.

[driftsintobuffetline]

...To think there was a time that living on opposite sides of the globe wasn't far enough from you to even be considered ideal.

[mathemagier]

Yes, how things have changed. Now it’s almost as if we’re willingly spending time together.

[driftsintobuffetline]

[Snorts.] Fancy that, wanting to spend time with the guy I'm going to marry.

[mathemagier]

Unheard of, really.

But any such changes should be temporary. ..And we may be able to fix them if not.

[driftsintobuffetline]

Fix them? How so?

[mathemagier]

We could drift again.

[driftsintobuffetline]

I knew you were going to say that--I knew it, you--! YOU are the one that said we wouldn't create a Pons here! That we didn't want that falling into the wrong hands!! And now you're talking about Drifting again??

...The idea does have merit though.