I've got a list of names | Glowfic Constellation

Afen is disappointed in the universe. He bounds back and forth across his room explaining why to his wife, his infant granddaughter, the end table, and a reporter flabbergasted by her good luck and cringing silently against the wall in the hopes he won't remember she's there.

"There is no reason to suppose that a species evolving independently of Amentans, with their own evolutionary history and living mammalian species likely related to theirs, would end up looking like us. None. Every explanation every scientist has ventured to the press has been unimaginative and unconvincing retroactive refitting of bad models to baffling data. Aliens shouldn't look like us but with different hair colors. Aliens that are not made out of carbon at all would be unsurprising; aliens with only as much physiological dissimilarity as exists between us and animal species on our planet would be mildly surprising; aliens with opposable thumbs would be truly remarkable. This is not remarkable and biologically enlightening; this is just inconsistent with everything we understand about the universe. It doesn't teach us new things about evolution; it should make us rethink evolution. - don't quote that part, they'll take it out of context."

Reporter nods rapidly.

"All of that said, I've picked up three of the languages and I'm working on building a good machine translator, it's a challenge with as little as they've produced in the way of electronic records. I'm absolutely going there to meet them as soon as the politicians figure out what to do with themselves."

"Do you have any predictions about that?"

"About politics? Why would I have predictions about politics? They deliberately obscure relevant information, for one thing, and for another it's deathly boring."

"- I mean, sir, surely you hear from your son about -"

"I have seven children and some of them are very dense indeed but not quite dense enough to try to interest me in politics."

"I was referring to -"

"I know who you were referring to. If you want a statement from Aitim go bother Aitim."

"Thank you for your time."

"I did not alter my activities in response to your presence and therefore you can't yet be said to have wasted any of my time though you should go before you do."

...out skitters the reporter.

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"We're hoping very few children are removed even temporarily, and fewer permanently. I will confess that it did not cross my mind that any variant on my parents would beat their children."

too-early-and-too-late

"Not often. Wizard children being careless can kill people, you can't treat us like harmless Muggle kids."

"The fact that wizards can so easily kill people is all the more reason not to teach your children to solve problems with violence."

Michael Cyrus Way

"You fucking invaded our planet and executed everyone who fought back, don't you dare suggest that we're the ones excessively inclined to solve problems with violence."

"...I'm sorry."

too-early-and-too-late

"For hurting his feelings?"

"For scaring you and for rolling this out in a way that caused fear and alarm."

Michael Cyrus Way

"Is he really or did he just notice that he can't actually thank us for our time and shoo us."

too-early-and-too-late

"I don't know."

"- I most definitely did not just notice that."

chanuphis

"My mum never hit me or the kids she teaches, but a lot of people legitimately don't even know how having that off the table would work. Do you have a way to address that, and if so what are you doing to make sure it doesn't come off as uninformed invasive violations of people's family lives such that they resent you more and aren't able to use the advice effectively?"

"Do keep in mind that we're not prohibiting spanking your kids or slapping them or sending them to bed without supper, which is not because we think those things are okay. They're trying various kinds of advertisements about effective conflict resolution with your children but if you've got ideas for better ones I'm sure they'd be much appreciated."

Ebele Miranda Swan ༐

chanuphis

"Do you object to me putting my mum directly in touch with you about that?"

"It would be a little more explicable if you introduced her to someone in Britain's regional coordination staff but I am sure I can concoct an explanation."

Ebele Miranda Swan ༐

chanuphis

"She can pass for a Muggle if she has to but it makes her less useful because she can't compare and contrast."

"I haven't told the people she'd be working with about wizards but if her solutions work the fact her justifications are mysterious or incomplete won't matter, and I can at least make sure they get tested."

Ebele Miranda Swan ༐

chanuphis

"I'll start her there then."

"Thank you. It'd be really great to have better messaging."

"Hmmph."

waylaid

Rebecca does not look satisfied.

"Maybe you can talk with your alts about this. - I'm actually curious what Ana and Hala thought."

too-early-and-too-late

"Ana coaxed Aaron into taking her shopping in Diagon Alley today. Hala was a very responsible scientist and observed as inscrutably as she could manage."

"I bet she did. Okay. I'm sorry for scaring you, I'm sorry for underutilizing you on the communications front, I'll send you everything that's getting focus-grouped and everything that's getting implemented, do try to give me some benefit of the doubt? I know what it is to take kids from their parents, I would much rather it never be necessary and certainly never happen when unnecessary."

Rebecca Way

waylaid