Welcome to the Satellite of Love!

[thisislife]

Who: Lexi Howard and customers
What: Grand Opening!
When: late September
Where: Satellite of Love Used Books and Comics

Prompts to follow in comments!

Comments

Non-fiction Books

[thisislife]

As with fiction, every possible subject from every possible world is covered in Non-fiction. Want to learn about the laws of physics in another dimension? Covered. Want to study the behavior of dinosaurs on a planet which still has them? Got that, too! Your basic chemistry textbook for children? Ready and waiting for a young, eager mind!

Feel free to ask whatever questions you wish, she'll help you find it!

[icanhearscreams]

[Jun is absolutely in this section, browsing around. There's a lot of things that... don't interest him, or look like they're from the wrong version of Earth (which makes him shudder for a moment), so... ugh. He'll have to ask. He approaches the counter.]

Do you have any books on the marine biology of Earth?

[thisislife]

[those other Earth books kind of threw her for a loop, too. "Mutants: The Next Era of Evolution?" "Talking Animals and How They Lost Their Voice?" "Surviving Jabberjays?" none of it made any real sense to Lexi, but she figured they might mean something to someone. so on the shelf they went. she wasn't going to judge]

Sure do! Follow me for a moment...[and she walks him over to a shelf of books] I did some research on these kinds of books since I wasn't sure they applied to Earth or not. They should all be from a fairly basic Earth, but there's also some specialized sections?

[icanhearscreams]

[He looks through the books carefully, and nods. They seem correct - at least the creatures on the first few pages look familiar.]

Right. That's... understandable. Things are different from world to world. It's just... even if these animals might not exist here they exist in my world... and I... ah. Wanted to be a marine biologist.

[thisislife]

Really? That's so cool! It's great to know exactly what you want to do with your life. The books on that shelf should be "standard" Earth texts, but if you want me to find something more specialized or less specialized, I can check the publisher information, see if I recognize it?

[icanhearscreams]

[He never got a chance to in his world, but maybe here he can at least gain enough knowledge to help.]

I can at least look through these. Some of them seem a little... below my reading level, but others seem fine for the moment.

[thisislife]

Really? Which ones, I can move them to the YA section? But that's good and there are ships coming in all the time. I've been spending most of my barter goods on the books they bring in. [a little chuckle] I've been eating a lot of PB&Js.

[icanhearscreams]

[He taps a few of the books and pulls out another one, glancing up at her.]

You know there's a lot of cool rocks out in the caves on the shore. Sometimes there's things living in there, but sometimes there aren't. And the nice-looking ones people are willing to trade for.

[thisislife]

[Lexi watches carefully]

All right, those are outta here. [and she pulls them off of the shelf and into her arms] Maybe most people, but not me. I at least try to keep an eye on what I'm getting for my PB&Js. But, I admit, I'm better at the liberal arts than I am at STEM. Which. [a short laugh] I know I need to be better at.

[faceblocks]

[vi is here, casually looking for books about horses. care of horses, the riding of horses, whatever she can find. and while she's looking through those she happens upon some illustrated books about dinosaurs. she has one of each in hand before she approaches lexi - who definitely looks like they know what they're doing.]

You got anything about ...mean unicorns? [longshot, but who knows.] Oh yeah, I'm looking for coloring books, too.

[she is also looking for the two batcats, possibly leaning around lexi to do so. she'd made a note to give them her best (like the announcement said) which is going to have to be cuddles, cause her blood is a nope.]

[thisislife]

[she's looked over every book in the store's inventory at least once and she wants her customers to feel as comfortable as possible, assured that the books available have merit and are as accurate as can be]

Mean unicorns? Like the ones we have here who like to fight people? Yeah, there should be a few. [and she leads Vi to the Nature section] We definitely have those, for adults and for children. They're up by the counter. For some reason, those books seem to try and sprout legs and walk away.

[both Nosferatmew and Mewnos look curious, diving down from the sky and meowing for cuddles] And I see you've met my babies.

[faceblocks]

Yup. Those are the ones.

[she had not expected to find any, truth be told - and though she'd been watching videos of horses, nothing she'd watched so far covered the unique feeding style, or anything particular to trench's nightmare steeds. she is elated to find something here, and smiles at lexi as she does. and will add that to the stack immediately, even if it is thin of page. perhaps they're less complicated than regular horses.]

Woah, didn't expect that.

[now that vi is no longer terrified of accidentally poisoning batkittens due to her blood (they all seem to avoid it) she will let out a little whoop as they approach, shifting all the books to one hand so she can give pets as needed. the meowing is just too much.] I have now! Hey cuties. [she looks from one to the other] Which of you is which?

Oh. I've also met your girl, Luz, quite a while back, so I've heard about you - all good things - but I hadn't met ya yet. Congrats. On all of it.

[the girlfriend. the bookshop. she pauses her kitten cuddling to look in the direction of where the counter is. definitely going to find one of those for jinx, maybe one for sansa, for jun, and for saeri. definitely viktor, even if only to keep his recovery pleasant.]

[thisislife]

Yeah. I've heard of them, but never saw one in person. You really have one? That's so cool!

[books about current Trench weren't so hard to come by. books about other places and what caused Trench? impossible. she'd tried her best to find sources like that, but it's not working. and she's lost most of her hope that someday, it will.

the batcats continue to hover in front of Vi, mewing sweetly. they were still pretty much babies, but Lexi had wanted to socialize them as much as possible. part of being socialized meant that they didn't see everyone as nom noms. and she grins] The calico is Mewnos and the Siamese is Nosferatmew. They're both very friendly girls. [and that's all the only encouragement they need to start rubbing up against Vi, mewing for pets]

Really? Wow. It might be easier to ask who Luz doesn't know. I'm still kind of, you know. Socially awkward? But I'm getting better. This will help. [and she blushes] Thank you. I really appreciate it.

[it's easy to get overwhelmed with how happy she is. she can't remember the last time she was this happy back home]

[faceblocks]

[she holds up her hand in a gesture of so so. a little horizontal jazzhand if you will.] Still working on that part. Gotta get it to respect me, and I think we're not quite to "tolerate", but I'm hopeful. They's so badass.

[noseboops for baby batkittens, and noseboops again at the names. this is not doing anything to strengthen her resolve to not get a batkitten.]

You don't seem awkward to me. Besides, awkward's the new cool. That's what the word on the street is, anyway. [it's not, but vi has a fondness for awkward people. so ...it's her word. good enough.] She's a good kid, Luz. Try not to break her heart.

[a wink, because she's joking, but there's a sad little pause she shakes off. it's good to see people happy here - even if it's fits and starts, snatches and grabs - at least it's there. at least it's able to happen.]

Well, you don't have to worry about me walking off with any of 'em, I've retired my five finger discount hand unless it's an emergency. I'm prepared to pay the going rate for ...well, show me what you've got, I guess.

[thisislife]

They really are. You've got to be really tough to be able to get it to 'tolerate,' much less the rest.

[the batkittens mew happily at the attention, both nearly vibrating with purrs]

Really? I don't know, it's nice of you to say that, but Luz is the more outgoing of the two of us. [and there are few more awkward than Lexi. she tried to be tough and strong, but while she was used to taking care of her mom and her sister, neither of them are here.

and the wink makes her grin, assuming she means her relationship with Luz. they're lucky. there haven't been many challenges to their relationship at least not yet]

I've got a little of everything! What are you interested in?

[faceblocks]

[is this one of the tradeoffs of trench? horrible beasts in exchange for batkittens and the like? maybe even the tolerance of badass unicorns? probably, though there are other, better tradeoffs. still, these kittens are top tier cute.]

Outgoing and outspoken. First time we met she basically kicked my ass with a spell.

[vi isn't embarrassed about it anymore - she'd been impressed from the jump, and compared to what some people had gone through that month she figures she got off easy. even if 'easy' still has its problems.]

Maybe I just like awkward people? [it's true.] Whatcha got for kids who aren't really kids anymore? Something fun, though.

[she will automatically gravitate towards ones with swears, or strange creatures.]

[thisislife]

[they are! and remarkably cuddly and social, though, Lexi had been taking them outside on their harnesses to get used to noise and people (without diving down for nom noms)]

Seriously? Yeah, I can see her doing that. She's pretty amazing with what she can do.

[and she sounds proud. her girlfriend kicks ass and Lexi loves her for it. who's with the baddest (yet nicest) chick in all of Trench? she is!]

Good because I'm incredibly awkward. [she says with a self-deprecating laugh] Oh, the books for children are all downstairs. And we do have an erotic fiction section, but no Fifty Shades of Bullshit.

[obeir]

[ What's an android to do when the only person capable of handling his maintenance is long gone from Trench? Attempt to find resources that will help him attend to it on his own, if such even exists, and that's what brings him out to the multiverse bookstore.

What he's looking for is so specific within an already highly specialised scientific field that there's unlikely to be anything, but he's very curious about what he might find.

The batcats receive more than a couple glances while he's browsing the books — he's familiar with the species, enough to know not to bother them unless they approach him first. But the bookstore's proprietor is another story, and he eventually approaches her to ask: ]

Excuse me. Do you have anything covering advanced robotics, or AI? [ There's a hint of weariness in his voice when he specifies: ] Non-fiction.

[ Because humanity is entirely too fond of its evil AI tropes and he doesn't care to read more stories depicting his kind as the villains, particularly when the reverse is more accurate, in his experience. ]

[thisislife]

[she's never met him before, but she's seen him around. she was bad at introducing herself to people she wasn't already friendly with or she hadn't met through Luz.

and Nosferatmew and Mewnos both consider a glance as an invitation, both sweeping down until they're within petting range, mewing at him]

Let's see...non-fiction. [a pause] We do have some? There's a variety of planets and realities I took the books from, so there should be at least a few books in the non-fiction section. Are you looking for things regarding the Turing Test or something beyond that?

[humanity is. and it likes to use blatant metaphors for things that simply didn't "track" in terms of what the reality was, especially in science fiction and fantasy]

[obeir]

[ Oh, hello batkitties. K obliges the mewing and reaches up to pet the pair.

The Turing Test. That receives a(n almost comically) blank look from him for a moment, as though he isn't sure what to say to that. It isn't anything personal, he just hadn't expected such a suggestion. Soon there's a slight, wry smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, but he's fighting it. ]

I don't think I need a cheat sheet for beating the Turing Test. [ Because he's been off-baseline for years, thanks in large part to a certain deity of technology unshackling him. No more serving humans as an obedient slave... at least as long as he remains in Trench. Best not to dwell on it. He resumes petting the batcats in an effort not to. ] I'm looking for anything that might help me with self-maintenance. Failing that— anything that seems interesting, I guess. [ Which reading about AI from other universes would be, among other things. ] I'd also take any fiction recommendations you might have? Any genre.

[ Because why not indulge a little while he's here? He's bound to end up with quite a stack before he leaves the place and will treasure them all, he's always loved books. ]

[thisislife]

[both batkittens respond enthusiastically, purring loudly and swooping in a little closer for forehead bumps.

well, she doesn't know that that he has no need for that test, that he'd pass it with flying colors. doesn't know he's a Replicant, honestly, and would need to have that concept explained to her. much to her horror when she'd find out they were being used as slaves.

and the kittens continue to purr happily. sappy cat faces, all around]

Self...mainten--are you--oh, wow, I really put my foot in my mouth, didn't I? I'm sorry. [and she looks more than a little sheepish] Okay! Those, we actually do have, they're. Well, they're in the technology section. And fiction, hmmm...ever read any Margaret Atwood? Sherri Tepper? Joyce Carol Oates? Octavia Butler? All very complex writers who like to play with genre traditions in new and different ways. One of Joyce Carol Oates' books even got selected to be an Oprah book, but don't let that get you down, it's a really good book.

[obeir]

[ Oh noooo, not the purring and forehead bumps... Now there's no helping it, he's just too weak to cat affection. Offering his hands up as perches for the batkittens, he's going to invite them to go with him while he browses the books. This is already a significant step up from the last bookstore he'd visited. ]

It's all right, your recommendations make up for it.

[ Like any good bibliophile he's at least cursorily familiar with all of the authors, and liked the works he'd already read by them, so the recommendations he's less familiar with are promising. And indeed he doesn't appear upset by the accidental faux pas — it's her reaction to finding out he's a form of AI himself that matters. She seems to be taking it in stride, so that's good. ]

Thanks for those. I have read works by a couple of them, actually. Are there any must-reads you think I should pick up first? [ The Oprah reference unfortunately goes right over his head, and he awkwardly asks: ] An Oprah book—? I'm not sure I follow.

[thisislife]

[when offered perches, Nosferatmew and Mewnos immediate accept them, still purring. and they're good cats, they let themselves be carried at will]

Thank you, I appreciate that.

[she reads a lot of science fiction and alternate history books by women. she's a big fan of the Bechtel test, and they usually pass. and why would she have a negative reaction to him being an AI. he's been completely polite and a gentleman]

Let's see...I assume you've already read 'The Handmaid's Tale,' that's a classic. 'Alias Grace' is another good one by Atwood. As for Butler...she's a hard one, since pretty much everything she's written is amazing and thought-provoking. I'd probably start with 'Parable of the Sower,' it starts out as total dystopia and suffering, but there's a character who might be able to save humanity from itself. And Tepper's probably the most obscure, but I love 'Gibbon's Decline and Fall,' it follows this group of women from the nineteen sixties into the future with alien contact on the side.

[obeir]

[ Having little animals trust him like this sort of makes him feel like one of those storybook princesses, not that he'll probably admit as much. Mainly because he assumes people would find it odd that he reads children's literature... but not everyone has had the privilege of a childhood in which to enjoy such things.

He's often found echoes of his own lived experience and feelings as a slave in the narratives of both real and fictional human women, and tends to relate to them far more easily than he ever can with human men protagonists. So the book recommendations are perhaps more apt than the proprietor even realises. ]

I'll look for all of them, thank you very much. [ His gratitude is also reflected in the appreciative smile he offers, though it becomes a little teasing as he adds: ] Can't deny that I'm half-tempted to sneak these little ones out with the books. [ Referring to the batkittens, of course, who already have him wrapped around their tiny paws. ] Now — where might I find that technology section?

[thisislife]

[and Lexi's just plain thrilled to have little animals. back home, her mom's allergic to pretty much any pet. and Cassie doesn't like cats or dogs very much. so the second she heard batcats she was hooked.

and Lexi's in favor of destroying the patriarchy, so she tends to read a lot of science-fiction written by women. they don't tend to glorify war and conquest and women as "rewards" for being big, strong men]

Sure, it's my pleasure! [and the teasing makes her grin widen] I dunno, you might have to get in line to try. These sweeties are reason enough to get people in the door. [as if to punctuate it, the batcats gently headbutt his shoulders, cat for "we like you, come visit anytime"] And it's right over here, let me lead the way. [and she does. it's actually a rather huge section, considering that it was covering technology from all of the possible earths]