Microstory 2218: Each Glass That it Fills

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I made sure that Nick got a lot of sleep last night, because I knew that he was going to need his energy today. A bunch of his former team members wanted to see him, including one who he had never actually gotten a chance to work with before he fell ill. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that Nick doesn’t love crowds, and he doesn’t like being the center of attention. Like the candle that does not lose its fire when it lights a second candle, extroverts feed off of each other. But like the pitcher that loses its water with each glass that it fills, an introvert can only be drained of energy. They give without taking. Even still, Nick did want to see the people who he had hired, so I coordinated times for them to be there for short visits. He needed breaks in between the batches, but we also couldn’t have the ordeal last all day long, so it was a very fine line. I’m not going to relate to you what they all discussed while they were in the apartment. Not only was I not there for all of it, but it’s no one else’s business. I can tell you that they did not talk about what’s going on with the jail. Nick’s position at the company, and as a contractor to the county, has been officially terminated. He received three separate final bursts of income. First, they paid out all of the sick leave that he had accrued, even though he wasn’t technically using it all while he was still technically employed. Secondly, he earned a bonus just for being a swell worker. Lastly, he was entitled to severance pay since it was decided that none of this was his fault. His bosses pretty much knew all of this was going to happen, but he had to wait for all the legal questions to be answered. He’s set for now, but this money won’t last forever. We’ll deal with that later, though.

Microstory 490: Crafter

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The Crafter is the resident computer expert. His mind can process massive amounts of data, which are exceedingly difficult for him to forget. Furthermore, he understands the concept of causality so well that it borders on precognition. He is extremely quiet and speaks only when contributing something he feels is important. In fact, he has spent entire strings of days not saying a single thing to anyone else. He often forgets how much smarter he is than others, which frequently leads to a gap in communication. He sometimes has trouble knowing what is important to say, because he assumes others have already came to the same conclusion. He regularly speaks in half-sentences that are either setting up—or finishing—a thought he had in his own mind. Whenever he finds himself in a new group of people, he usually attaches to one particular person. Most of the time, there is at least someone around who can sort of translate his thoughts for the rest. He doesn’t even always have to speak to that person for them to understand what he’s going for. In this latest situation, that person happens to be The Architect, whom he grows closer to than anyone he’s met before, including his family. Though he appreciates efficiency, he is flexible, and willing to accommodate other people’s needs. Rather, even when he has an idea of how to proceed, and can’t fathom doing it any other way, he can at least acknowledge other people’s perspectives. He works incredibly hard to make sure everyone around him is on the same page, even if it doesn’t seem that way to people who don’t “get” him. He has magnus degrees in data management, computational systematics, cognitive science, and linguistics. He has a sub-magnus degree in network security.

Microstory 378: Imagination

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Life Extension

When I was in elementary school, I made up this story about how I was an alien. I remember my mother and sister sitting me down for an intervention to make sure I understood that I was not really from another planet. What’s funny is that I found out decades later that I’m autistic, which is often described as the feeling of being normal, but just having been born on the wrong planet. In the meantime, however, I had to discover that the stories I made up were the result of my imagination, which would be better manifested in written form. I have other flawed character traits that I’ve, sometimes subconsciously, rerouted so that they would help me write stories. Just about everything I do is designed to fuel my need to write fiction. Despite being an extremely quiet introvert, I like to try new things. I would actually try a hell of a lot more if I had money to throw around, like skydiving, archery, or futures studies. Every experience helps me understand how the real word works so that I can manipulate those truths and reapply them to my fictional worlds. My imagination is my greatest skill, and I’ve even rerouted that to help me deal with real life issues. Imagination is responsible for literally every single invention that has ever been invented ever. There was a need, and there was at least one person realizing that need who could see the solution when most people couldn’t. Too heavy? Put it on wheels. Too dark? Light a candle. Too sick? Cure smallpox. For someone like me, imagination is all that matters. Imagination tells me what happened to my characters, and how they dealt with it. For progress, however, imagination is only half the battle. True advancement comes from the ability to transform imagination into practical application, and not always by the same person. Not every imagined solution comes from someone in a position to actually do something about it. If you have an idea—even if you think someone smarter than you must have already either come to the same conclusion, or debunked it—find a way to get the word out. Hell, you might just have a vital component to the cure for cancer. Never stop dreaming.

Complexity

Microstory 373: Relationship Spontaneity

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Sexual Gratification

For my entire life, I’ve been in exactly two relationships. One of them never happened, and the other one didn’t happen either; I just lied to you! There are many reasons why I’ve never had a girlfriend, but it all boils down to my autism. I’m quiet, because when I try to talk, I regularly find myself saying the wrong thing. I only speak when I have something meaningful to say, and even then, I’m awkward. I’ve become more open-minded and outgoing as I’ve grown up, which rose out of a need to assimilate into the culture, and pretend to be an extrovert. But there just aren’t a lot of prospects for me. My standards are high, and it’s hard for someone who doesn’t do recreational drugs to relate to someone who does, which includes just about everyone. I tell you this so you understand why I’m not able to give you relationship advice. I’m simply not the right person to ask. I struggle to write about couples in my stories, because I don’t have personal experiences to draw from. Sure, I write about interstellar spaceships too, but no one has experience with those, so you kind of have to trust my claims in that regard. Most of my fictional couples start their relationship in the middle, which is the same way many crappy science fiction or horror movies do it. When you think about, these two people only met yesterday, but they’re already on love, just because of their harrowing adventure? The beginning of a romance is a pivotal time between two people, because neither of them knows where this is going. Love I get. I’ve been in love, so I know how I would treat someone with strong feelings for me, but I certainly don’t know what goes into reaching that point in the first place. There are some things I can tell you that I’ve learned from movies and other observations, though. Treat your partner with respect. Be honest, but don’t reveal your every thought. You still need a filter. Don’t be judgmental, but also don’t just accept their flaws. It will create resentment. Be comfortable around each other, but also try new things. And as with anything, be nice.

Guilty Pleasures

Microstory 369: Passing Acquaintances

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Responsibilities

Man, I already told you the stories about when people I knew helped me out of jams despite the fact that we were never that close. It would have been more fitting to mention them here. I did not think this through, did I? But I guess that’s how it goes with me. I plan to reveal a big twist in a story several chapters from now, but then it just comes out, like how Makarion has actually been Gilbert Boyce ever since we first met him. Spoiler alert! Back to the topic, passing acquaintances are more important than you would think. Your friends and family are good for support. They help you through the tough times, and the best memories you have will be of time spent with loved ones. But acquaintances serve a different, more subtle, purpose. They help you understand how people work. Every time you meet someone knew, you prejudge them. Don’t worry, you’re not necessarily racist. This is perfectly normal, and completely unavoidable. You guess whether they’re a good person, if they have kids, what kind of job they have, and what their political beliefs might be. You absorb their personality passively, gauging how you should approach them, what kind of things they would be comfortable with you saying to them, and how they’ll react to whatever it is you need for them, along with what they may require of you. Not only that, but these snap judgments, since they’re hopefully soon going to be supplemented with more tangible evidence, will help you become better at reading people in the future. Each introduction teaches you something about the populace as a whole; sociological maxims, and things about our culture that should be more carefully examined. As you get older, and start understanding people better, you’ll develop better empathy. You’ve probably heard talk about people who live sheltered lives. They’ve not met enough people, and so their only basis for empathy is however they would feel in a situation. Unfortunately, this is ineffective. As an introvert, I have trouble putting myself out there, and I’m more comfortable with observing from afar. So come and say hi to me. I need the practice, and the education.

Utility?