Conversations With the Internet I

"Scandinavia is pretty awesome you know."

"That's nice. Hey, do you think a pidgeotto could lift a-"

"Especially Denmark."

"I really want to get this chapter written. The Apocalypse has been-"

"They were the first country to allow registered partnerships for homosexuals."

"That has nothing to do with Pokémon."

"This Gary/Ash slash says otherwise."

"Wow. Burned into my brain now, thanks. Can I please just get back to work?"

"They were also the first to legalize pornography."

"Again, this isn't helping with my artistic reenvisioning that is not fanfiction."

"Look!"

"Augh! Why would someone even think of that, much less draw it?"

"There's an entire gallery, if you'd like."

"No! Just close it. I don't need to waste more money on buying bleach to melt that from my retinas. And erase the browser history."

"Done. Say, did you know-"

"Stop. Does this have anything to do with Pokémon?"

"Possibly."

"Does it also involve Denmark?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to know."

"Fine."

"Let's see. ...Red then picked it up and examined the strange-"

"Bestiality's legal there."

"..."

Conversations: To Play

"So we have to coordinate our schedules?"

"Yes."

"And agree to lie about what we're doing?"

"Effectively."

"And coerce an entire extra group into the mix just to secure the one person we need?"

"How else?"

"And then you want to use the time of Authority for recreation?"

"Of course."

"A recreation you admit will be spoiled if a certain undesirable gets into the mix?"

"Yep."

"An undesirable whose arrival is more likely than anyone else's?"

"Other than us."

"And atop that you expect us to pay?"

"The Cookie Fund is donations only, thank you."

"You're mad."

"So it would seem."

"Can we start tomorrow?"

Oops

(The following conversation didn't actually exist.)

"You like to write?"

"Yeah. In fact, I blog a lot, too. I think it really helps me to keep to a regular writing schedule."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my friends and I have this blog. Actually, it's not mine; I just write once a week. I have this column, sort of. I write short stories - really short stories - on Fridays. It's called Friday's Feature."

"Hey, today is Friday. What did you write for today?"

"..."

"What?"

"$@#!"

Sorry! Life got in the way, as well as forgetfulness. Elphaba.

And There Were Those Who Thought...

"Checkmate!"

"Every single time..."

"Want to play again?"

"..."

"Your silence leaves me hanging."

"Can we try Poker or something?"

"Gambling isn't healthy."

"Hey, let's be honest. I'd have a shot at winning some of my pride back, along with some money."

"Okay, I suppose, but 25 cents is max bet."

"Fair enough."

"..."

"Have you thought about improving quality control for your published writing?"

"Yeah."

"What's the general consensus?"

"Some voices demand it while others vehemently oppose it."

"Time and place for everything, huh?"

"Yep. We'll probably have to kill a few filler features if we're doing quality control."

"So that's what we're headed towards."

"Most likely. As long as I have my own place for ravings."

"What features do you think will have to go?"

"Well obviously we need entertainment."

"You're the one with all the ideas."

"Yep, and we're going to take the next step. Conversations has to go."

"And there were those who thought..."
* sigh *

Conversations With Myself Part 4 (Moving Forward)

"Enough! We're not doing this."

"Why? It was your idea."

"I've got enough trouble as it is and this is a very intensive situation I'd plunge myself into. I can't afford the time and I don't want to either."

"Fine. Why not?"

"Because we've got enough things to deal with and all this does is destroy the consistency we've maintained for almost a year now."

"I suppose you've made these quite topics very... sensitive."

"It affects a lot of people and they obviously won't want to deal with it either."

"Why'd you propose it in the first place then?"

"Psychology."

"You love your psych projects don't you."

"Of course, but this one is just a little too extensive. Maybe the idea will be reused someday in a less... destructive setting/capacity."

"You realize we have the same speaking techniques. I would've stuck with you to the end y'know; whatever would've became of this situation I still would be there against all odds and presumptions."

"I know."

"Well? Now what?"

"I haven't the slightest idea, but let's continue to be consistent. At least we're moving forward."

"Indeed."

Universe

"We don't belong there."

"So?"

"These aren't the right people."

"It doesn't matter now. Deal with it."

"Sir, I'm trying. It's not easy."

"It never is. How do you think I got here?"

"I understand sir, the odds were against you."

"Our situation was hopeless. It wasn't all me, but I kept pushing through it all with everyone else. Look what happened."

"It is remarkable."

"Indeed it is Colonel. There is no perfect situation, it only gets worse. We'll do what we can to help, but you're on your own."

"Thank you sir. I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Let's hope you last that long. You have permission to depart, good luck, and Godspeed."

"Yes sir!"

Conversations With Myself Part 3

"I told you. Now isn't the right time."

"It should happen sooner rather than later."

"Why? Things aren't all that bad right now. This could really ruin it."

"We've got all our assets together. There won't be another opportunity like this for a while."

"I've got other concerns at the moment. I can wait."

"You've been planning this for a while, are you just going to let it go?"

"For now, yes. I've got more important things to worry about and I'm also a little concerned about going through with this."

"It was your idea."

"Yours too."

"Fair enough. What's with the second thoughts?"

"I just don't know how much of it will actually be false. What if this ruins everything we've so carefully built? Is it really worth it?"

"There's only one way to find out."

"I'm not so sure about this..."

Conversations With Myself Part 2

"Is this a competition?"

"Sort of..."

"Does it involve quantity."

"That's half of it."

"Quality?"

"That's the other half."

"What is this really all about then? Ego?"

"In a way. Arrogance and pride are the leading contributors."

"This doesn't bode well."

"It's a careful balance; we'll see how long the peace lasts."

"Yes we will..."

Conversations With Myself Part 1

"Why did you write this?"

"It was funny!"

"No it wasn't! It's sick and I'm taking it down."

"It was just for fun!"

"I'm sorry, I don't get a kick out of this kind of stuff."

"What are you going to do then?"

"I'm going to post a conversation that I wish I'd had with the actual you in proving that I won't allow your content to go on the blog."

"..."

"*sigh*"

*clicks publish post*

The Color Green

"We're about to be overrun! We still have a chance if we band together."

"..."

"Or you could just let red win."

"..."

.........

"You're an idiot, we could've had a chance at winning the game."

"I know."

"He just rolled over Asia Minor. Why didn't you stop him?"

"It would've given you a chance."

"Why does my chance matter!? Doesn't yours matter more?."

"No"

"Why?"

"I don't like the color green."



I'd like to credit inspiration to Reogan who found what really inspired this...

Companionship

"Where did you come from?"

"Away."

"Away?"

"I'd quite like to go back there too. Want to come?"

"But you- I..."

"You don't have to. I can just go."

"No!"

"So you're coming?"

"I... don't know."

"It'll be fun."

"How do you know?"

"Um..."

"You don't."

"No."

"Then stay here. With me."

"Don't you want to find out?"

"What if it's bad?"

"Then it's bad. So what? There are wonders to be found."

"It's dangerous."

"But we'll be together."

"We could be together here."

"No."

"What? But you-"

"I'm going. Come with. Let's explore the wonders of the universe. Together."

"We always were one,"

"Why stop now?"

Managing On My Own

"We've got you covered,"

"You sure? I'm not sure how I'll handle this on my own."

"It'll be fine, everything is set up for you and you hardly need to do any work."

"Nice... Why are you doing this though? You won't be able to see any of your work until you get back."

"We have a standard here, and it will be maintained. I'll make sure my fellows do likewise."

"No one will be interested without all of you around."

"You never know, we've had visitors before"

"Alright then, go ahead, and enjoy your trip."

"Thanks, we appreciate your help."

"Thank you; I appreciate your help."

I looked at the drafts.

I looked up.

"But..."

They were gone.

I looked back at the drafts.
"You've gotta be kidding me."

So here I am, managing on my own...

Death by a Thousand Papercuts

"We've got to stop them!"

"We can't..."

"Yes we can. What happened to your determination?"

"It's over; they've won."

"Not while I still draw breath. I have my rights and my freedom and I sure as hell are not going to let myself lose this way. If we lose, everyone falls."

"Just bring it on, I've had enough of this anyway. It's over."

"This is just one battle! We can still win this war. This may very well be our last stand, and if that's the case then so be it! I will stand firm and I will fight to the end. Truth will prevail!"

"Truth never prevails."

"Long term my friend; this isn't over. We've tolerated far too much already and it's about time we made a stand for what we believe."

"Why does this feel like the end? I know full well what this means. You may call this one lost battle, but things will never be the same again."

"I know, but we move on. This is the end; the end of their beginning and it will get much much worse. Let us put an end to this end, let us finish this, we will not fail."

"Life isn't fair."

"What? You just noticed? Of course life isn't fair, it isn't perfect, but that's no excuse for not taking a stand."

"What can I hope to do?"

"Join me, and we will make this a war that will not be forgotten. Let us endure them no longer! Stand firm my brother and we will prevail in the end."

"There isn't much hope."

"Then let us make some."

"I will... I will join you. We cannot let this end now."

"Then together we stand. We will not let this happen again. We will not fail."

"No more... No more... Death by a Thousand Papercuts."

Philia

"No"

"What??"

"No"

He stared at me in disbelief.

"I didn't ask for this," I said

"I don't care if you asked for this, it's upon you and you can't ignore it,"

"Yes I can"

"I am not going to sit here and watch you do this!"

I looked up at him.
He paused.
He began to turn.

"Wait!" I cried

"What?"

"How am I supposed to do this?"

"I can't tell you that! Only you can tell yourself. I didn't come this far to see you whine and give up near the end! Get on your feet!"

"It's too confusing! I don't know what to do, I don't know how to... I... I don't know..."

"I know, neither do I, but you can't just stand here,"

"Why not?"

"Because there's a world out there that does what it wants, and you can only make an impact if you do something. If you just stay here and die all of this will be for nothing. This world doesn't care right now, but you can give it the opportunity to care. I have not come this far to see you quit now!"

I looked up and saw the his face resolving into an emotion I couldn't deny. It wasn't going to change anything but me, yet in the grand scheme of things it mattered. I understood, and I knew in that moment I was not alone. I had love, so what? I had the absolute trust I needed to continue, and at that point it didn't matter.

"Yes"
I nodded.
He looked at me and I knew I was going to make it.

We began to run.


Together.