Japanese Neko

by on March 6, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Japanese fascination with mixing animal traits with humanity goes back centuries, to when they still lived on the Japanese Home Islands. They would dress up in animal costumes called kigurumi, or wore prosthesis that gave them similar animal appearances. And they would dress up as major characters from entertainment franchises in what was called cosplay. Makeup to improve the looks became new art forms in many parts of Japanese culture. They held contests over who could do it best, and attended conventions where thousands of participants showed off their talents. Some even had cosmetic surgery to make themselves appear permanently like their chosen characters or animals. And some took even more radical gene therapies once they became available. The Fall of Japan signaled the end of that lifestyle in the Home Islands, but it lived on in New Japan.

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Medical Marvels

by on March 5, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

My uncle has Parkinson’s Disease. He’s been slowly getting worse over the last few years. This year is his year of no return, the time in which life has become…not good. But someone he knew had an operation done that made him able to live again, and so my uncle came up to the Mayo Clinic to get that procedure.

It starts with the doctors drilling a hole in his head and pushing a spike through his brain. I’m certain they explain it much nicer, but that’s what I thought when I saw the X-Ray. That was last week. This week, they performed another surgery to install the batteries. The plan as I understand it is to electrically stimulate the mind to override the Parkinson’s tremors.

As you may guess, this is a rather involved medical procedure that no man recovers from instantly. But the things we can do with modern medicine are surely amazing. If this works, a man who maintained a campground until mere years ago, before losing the ability to even walk in a straight line without random muscle spasms, will soon walk straight again.

It is amazing what we have created as a people. The things we make to allow us to live beyond the frailties of our bodies. We are in an age of medical marvels, and we should feel thankful that we have lived to see such.

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Hello, my name is Charles

by on March 4, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

My friends and I grew up knowing that it was our destiny to be kings of the universe. We had no rivals. No equals. Everything and everyone belonged to us. Thank God we learned enough of the truth to keep ourselves from becoming drunk on that kind of power. It is my great sorrow most of my cousins drank too much from that cup. They never questioned our right to rule, or our position in the worlds, and so my actions came as a great surprise to them. They called me traitor and worse. They never understood what I did. They did not wish to. Their eyes would not see. Their minds could not understand that I acted for all of humanity.

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Hello, my name is Jack

by on March 3, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

We’re all brothers. Sorta. It gets complicated pretty quick when you start getting into the cloning process. But the simplest way to say it is that we all have the same memories of our earlier lives, but we have different memories and motivations for living now. First there’s me. I’m the closest to the original Jack. Then there’s the singer and the circus conductor. They’re the most…outgoing of my brothers. The teacher and the bartender are a lot quieter and gentler. I keep seeing things I really need to do, but I need to go because I have something else to do. So sometimes I make a new clone just to do that other thing. He’s the best part of me when it comes to doing whatever it is, born needing to do it as much as I. And that’s what allows me to walk away in peace and not regret the paths I’ve not personally traveled. Because one of me has done it, and I can live vicariously through that Jack every time we get together.

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Hello, my name is Betty

by on March 2, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Cybers weren’t a part of everyday life for Jack when he was young, and his personal assistant was a freckle-faced redhead. About as different from Julie as he could get. Yes, I knew what I was doing when I picked the form I did. And yes, I manipulated him with that form. But you have to understand that Jack has always had amazing blinders when it comes to not admitting he realizes things he doesn’t want to think about. He knew all along what I was doing, down deep. He simply didn’t let himself know up top where he’d have to put words to it. He was a willing participant in everything we did until the day we died. We’ve had amazing lives, and I look forward to many more.

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