Unity: Perceptive chaos (2009/06/01)

Juni: I had been working on the Homin information repository. Have you heard of it?
Goldberg: Yes, a friend of mine was writing an article about it. It seemed rather interesting.
Juni: I was helping to make it usable. Tuning its induction coils, powering the display, that sort of thing.
Juni: But at some point it changed something in my brain.
Juni: Ever since I switched it on I've had this extra level of perception from [[Kajoshi]] sparkle things.
Juni: I... hear it, I smell it. That didn't happen before.
Goldberg: Hm... have you had any head trauma or used hallucinogens? Have you eaten any spoiled grain?
Juni: I'm not hallucinating. This perception has meaning, and I've had conversations with machines which make sense.
Goldberg: The brain has an uncanny ability to find order in chaos, even when it isn't there.
Juni: Yes, I know that. I'm a scientist, I know how to observe. Purely random signals put me here the last two times.
Transcript

Unity: The ascent of man (and platypus) (2009/06/03)

Juni: I remember now that my amnesia was self-inflicted. It was in order to keep Tamu happy.
Dr. Goldberg: Why would you do that?
Juni: I had been reckless with an experiment, and he thought that caused some damage to my "psyche."
Juni: I had these new... notions, but I got them before the experiment.
Juni: [[voice-over]] The repository had been broadcasting a signal. It was the first thing I noticed with the [[Kajoshi]] sparkle... It sounded like vague words that I could understand but not quite, like things said in a dream.
Juni: It all made sense but disagreed with common knowledge about our world.
[[A human with a shoulder patch reading "1592 A" sits in strapped into a chair, holding their pet platypus, with rocket engines firing out a window, Earth and several large arks in the background.]]
Dr. Goldberg: Oh? And why is that, exactly?
Juni: I know this sounds crazy, but we were brought aboard to support an ecosystem, and colonize natural masses. This vessel was never intended as a permanent home.
Juni: At this point it's not even supposed to exist anymore. We're what's left over.
[[The same human is in a transport pod, entering the staging area of an ark, the pet platypus tethered to their luggage.]]
Transcript
[!]4 comments

Unity: Vaguely qualified (2009/06/05)

Goldberg: I hardly think I'm qualified to help with this. Shouldn't you see a psychiatrist or the like?
Juni: Do you think I'm crazy? Everyone thinks I'm crazy. Even I do, sometimes.
Goldberg: That's not something I'm even vaguely qualified to answer.
Goldberg: I don't know who can. Your kind never seek medical attention, so nobody really has any understanding of spadetail physiology or neurochemistry.
Juni: We just don't get that sick, unless it's terminal.
Juni: Back home we have something called a "[broodwitch]," but they just deal with fertility and spiritual guidance.
Goldberg: Well, is there a... "[brewditch]" here you could see?
Juni: Actually, there's one in my home now. She thinks I'm crazy too. But she is my mom, so.
Goldberg: Parents do tend to be critical of their children, I suppose.
Juni: Well, I also sort of kidnapped her by mistake.
Goldberg: You what?!
Juni: It's a bit complicated. You see--
Goldberg (interrupting): On second thought... I don't actually want to know. You're fine. Go home and get some rest.
Goldberg (muttered): Breeze, can it get any weirder...
Transcript

Unity: Venting frustration (2009/06/08)

Juni: Hey, I'm home!
Juni: Mom? Sam?
Juni: Why's it so smoky in here?
Juni: Mom?! What are you doing?!
Hira: [[Kajoshi]] Your home is such a smoke trap. You should fix that.
Juni: [[Kajoshi]] Did you build an oil stove?!
Hira: Yes, of course. How else am I supposed to cook?
Juni: You don't have to cook, and anyway there's an [[Hiero]] induction plate right there!
Hira: I tried to use it and it sparkled. I don't trust it.
Hira: Everything here sparkles. How can you stand it?
Juni: You get used to it.
Juni: Ugh, I need to open the [[Hiero]] vent.
Hira: That sparkles too.
Transcript
[!]2 comments

Unity: Past present (2009/06/10)

Hira: [[Kajoshi]] So, where did you go?
Juni: [[Kajoshi]] I had some important things to do.
Hira: Bah, you can't spend any time with your poor mother.
Juni: I'm sorry, it was urgent. Did you see my note?
Hira: Barely.
Hira: And where is Sam now? You didn't leave him somewhere, did you?
Juni: He never came home? He was just going to get some clothes back from his sister's place.
Hira: Southerners and their silly need to constantly wear clothing.
Juni: Yes, well, you get used to that too.
Hira: You make it sound as if I will be staying here forever.
Juni: Oh, no! That's not what I meant at all.
Juni: But... I do need to talk to you about the future. Starting with the past.
Transcript

Unity: Hear/say (2009/06/12)

[[in Kajoshi]]
Juni: Did you ever actually listen to what Tsan was saying?
Hira: Oh, I tried to, It was pure rubbish.
Juni: Did she ever refer to the "Dirt Mother?"
Hira: Ugh, yes. Her religion, "The Rememberance of the Dirt Mother."
Juni: Oh, that's very cute.
Hira: Cute? I found it rather insulting.
Juni: Because of your honorific? The name she chose had nothing to do with you.
Hira: How could you know her intentions? You barely knew her.
Juni: "Dirt Mother" is the name of where we came from.
Hira: You're sounding like Tsan again.
Juni: We heard it from the same place... but I don't think Tsan really understood.
Hira: And you do.
Juni: I do.
Transcript

Random: Dip and Winston (2009/06/13)

My friend and fellow musician-cartoonist c.layne asked people to make comics with his characters so I made this. Even though it isn't very funny. There is a reason I stick to drama and occasional situational humor.
Winston: Hey Dip I just realized I dunno what your name is short for.
Dip: "Diplodocus," I think.
Winston: Wha? Like the dinosaur? That's a weird name for a bird.
Dip: Are you trying to name a bird? Why are you getting a bird?
Winston: What? No, I... why wouldn't I get a bird?
Dip: Cats eat birds. Duh!
Dip: I'm not sure how I feel about you naming your dinner after me.
Transcript

Journal: Birthday introspection (2009/06/14)

fluffy: Has it been another year already?
[[A graph. X-axis, Relative time. Y-axis, Absolute time. The top edge shows 1978, the bottom edge shows ???, and the graph is a parabola facing downwards. At the top of the curve is "Birth" and a stick figure standing, along the curve is "A bunch of stuff," and at the bottom of the curve is "Death" and a splat of blood. The left edge of the graph appears as a craggly cliff in silhouette.]]
fluffy: Sometimes I think my relativistic frame of reference has been accelerating on the temporal axis.
fluffy: Of course I'm 31 and still drawing myself as a ridiculous plaid thing. I should grow up one of these days, or at least retire this silly notion of my self-portrayal.
[[fluffy, appearing as in real life with the addition of a plaid tail, sits drawing at the computer, thinking about: a plaid womble-kayohash, some sort of simplified human-looking plaid thing, and fluffy as in real life.]]
fluffy: But of all the ideas I've had this one still feels like it fits me the best. Anyway, it's just a metaphor.
fluffy: Tangentially, I weighed myself in Wii Fit for the first time in a while yesterday.
Wii Fit: THAT'S OVERWEIGHT!
[[plaid-fluffy attempts to flip off the TV screen]]
fluffy: The lack of distinct fingers on this design can sometimes be an impediment.
Transcript

Unity: Legacy (2009/06/16)

Juni [voice-over]: That "shrine" was left behind by our progenitors. It was designed for us, and we were designed for it.
[[A view of a platypus from above]]
Label: WiFi Antenna
Label: Beady eyes
Label: Webbed hands
Label: Egg-laying apparatus
Label: Venom spurs
Label: Rudder
Juni [voice-over]: When the Homin discovered our ancestors, we were an odd curiosity, a genetic relic from a long-gone era.
Juni [voice-over]: We were different enough from them that they used us to learn so much about all life on Dirt Mother.
[[A human scientist is displaying a platypus with several pups to two other humans]]
Scientist 1: The electroreceptive sense is both highly-sensitive and responsive to subtle changes, with at least as much perception as our sense of smell. By varying the field pulses we
have managed to train this specimen to take simple directions in order to find her reward in a completely novel environment.
Scientist 2: What about background EM radiation?
Scientist 1: She is from Earth, and still appears to react to the ship's Icarus drive, but her offspring are accustomed to it and do not.
Juni [voice-over]: From there we sort of became their pets, and when they came to Unity they began to experiment on us, and on themselves.
Juni [voice-over]: They realized they would eventually leave us, and they gave us the tools to survive to become "heirs."
[[A scientific paper displayed on a navipad]]
Image caption: Fig. 16b: Example breeding chart indicating heredity of pigmentation in hypothetical future generation; fur/iris color (left) is passed down from the father, while skin/bill color (right) is passed down from the mother.
Paper text: [...] program will be most effective. To that end, we have synthesized several different melanin-analog genes which produce several different "primary" colors which may be mixed by their varying expressions from the five sets of XX/XY chromosome pairs.
Paper text: Surprisingly, we have found that the resulting platypi have shown an extreme tendency away from mating with others with the same melanin-analogs; it would appear that they have already recognized this cue as a means of optimizing their genetic diversity. This has the particular advantage that while cousins may mate, they will still express a preference toward relations with a minimally-overlapping genotype, and perhaps this will accelerate the propagation of beneficial mutations throughout their population. Unfortunately, we can only speculate about their long-term viability, but we hope that [...]
Juni [voice-over]: I don't think they really believed we could last this long, but they wanted us to try.
Transcript
[!]3 comments

Unity: Ready (2009/06/18)

Juni [propped up against the table]: Mom? Why haven't you said anything?
Hira: What am I supposed to say? I believe you? That everything you said wasn't totally ridiculous?
Juni [sitting down]: Argh... this is so difficult. I wish I could just show you what I know. It makes total sense when you have the whole mess.
Hira: I suppose you want me to get infected by this "repository" like you and Tsan did.
Juni [leaning]: No, actually. Tsan probably wasn't ready, and you definitely aren't. [Hiero:Breeze], I barely managed to keep myself sane.
Hira [sarcastically]: Really? I could hardly even tell.
Transcript
[!]1 comment

Unity: Disconnect (2009/06/22)

[[in Kajoshi]]
Juni: Wow, it's pretty late. I wonder what's keeping Sam. I should [Hiero:call] him.
Hira: What does it matter if he's not here?
Juni: You wouldn't understand. It's a Southern thing.
[[in Hiero]]
Sam [on data node]: Hello.
Juni:Hi, Sam. It's Juni. Are you coming home tonight?
Sam: Seriously? I already told you, I'm at Cynthia's.
Juni: Oh... I thought you were just going to get some clothes--
Sam: Juni, what the breeze is wrong with you?!
Juni: Oh. He disconnected.
Juni [Kajoshi]: I... I guess he's staying with Cynthia tonight.
Juni: Let me get you some bedding.
Transcript

Unity: A ghostly vision (2009/06/24)

[[in a dreamscape, a round purple room with the simulation node on one end, colored purple with highlights similar to Juni's coloration. subJuni appears as a Kayohash with a human face and hands]]
subJuni: do not let them take me away
Juni: i do not have a choice. tamu wants you to leave me alone
subJuni: you always have a choice
subJuni: look! we can be free of all this
subJuni: you just need to bring me back
Juni: i would like to be your friend
subJuni: real friends would raise my serotonin levels
Juni [pressing a panel on the simulation node, wavy lines of sparkle radiating out]: like this?
subJuni: that tickles! oh, the colors! yes you are my friend
[[a red heart appears on the simulation node panel]]
Juni: i wish you were real. you are the only one who understands me
subJuni [in purple text]: i am as real as you need me to be
[[Juni and subJuni embrace; their torsos appear to merge together]]
Juni: where is sam
subJuni: sam is gone. you should know that.t
subJuni: nothing lasts forever. not even us
subJuni: but we will do what we can
Transcript

Unity: Silent in the morning (2009/06/26)

[[Juni awakens in a dark place, eyes cracked open]]
[[Juni tries to get up and hits its head on something hard]]
[[Juni realizes it's on the floor under its bed. It slides out from underneath. Its bed is unmade, and its clothing from yesterday is on the floor.]]
[[Juni enters the living room, seeing Hira asleep on the couch. It is early in the morning, and the hub is shining brightly through the window.]]
[[Juni leans against the side of the couch where Hira is sleeping.]]
Transcript

Unity: Allez cuisine (2009/06/29)

[[Juni awakens fully. In the background, Hira is talking to the food dispenser.]]
Hira [Hiero]: Hello, get me what my Juni has for breakfast. Two of.
Hira [Hiero]: Thank you very kindly.
[[Juni starts walking back to its bedroom]]
Hira [Kajoshi]: I see that you are finally awake.
Juni: Mrghl. I gotta wash myself.
Hira: But breakfast is on its way! It will get cold.
Juni: That won't be an issue.
Juni: Also, you probably should have asked me first.
Hira: Why? What did I ask for?
Juni [Hiero]: Rosemary custard with a side of ape carpaccio.
Hira [Kajoshi]: I only understood "[Hiero:with]."
Juni [stifling laughter]: Well, you will have a new experience.
Transcript
[!]2 comments
Recap: 12.Remembering
<< >>
Browsing Monthly. Switch to: Daily - Weekly

News box

2009/06/29: Wrists

[!]8 comments

Dudes, dudettes, and dudes of varying and/or indeterminate gender,

I've been having a resurgence of my long-standing wrist problems lately, specifically that my carpal tunnel syndrome is back once again (unlike my long-standing tendon problems which have always been fairly cyclic for the last 12 years or so), and I don't want to leave people in a lurch again. So I would really really appreciate it if people would make guest comics and other such filler for a while while I figure out how to deal with this. I'll post pretty much anything people send, even.

Also, if someone wants to take over guest artist duty on Unity for a while, that would be even more awesome, although I'd prefer it be someone who can draw at least as good as I can (meaning the bar is low).

Love,
fluffy

2009/06/22: Update-only feed

If you're one of those freaks who actually prefers comics to only provide an update (rather than full content) feed, you now have that option. (I really don't understand that preference but I won't stop you from choosing it, either.)

2009/06/16: Why I use a full content feed

[!]2 comments
I posted this comment over on an article about "right or wrong" with webcomics at The Floating Lightbulb, but in the event that Bengo decides not to publish it for some reason, here it is again:
It's a bit naive to think that a content feed is inherently destructive to item sales. If you look at a site through an update feed, do you actually look at the news box or the store? With a content feed, news posts and store items and the like can be put right into the content feed - but with an update feed they generally do not.

Also, in my experience, update feed items are very easy to overlook when skimming. I do usually end up going to the site directly for comics in which are provided in the content feed, since they're often too wide for my reader, but the content feed can include a lot more than just the comic.

For example, the content feed on my comic contains the comic, the news posts, some non-intrusive PW ads, and the comic's transcription, if it's available. Those are things that most people would never, ever see if they were to just look at the comic on the site.

If you would like to help to prove or debunk my point, please post a comment on this news post indicating whether you saw the news post via the feed or via the site.

2009/06/12: Now in Squigglevision!

I could not hold my stylus steady tonight. Gah. I need to seriously cut back on the coffee and/or martinis.

2009/06/01: Silent running

[!]4 comments
Saturday night I finally got around to watching Silent Running. I can certainly forgive anyone who thought that movie was an inspiration for Unity, because it certainly would have been if Rendezvous with Rama hadn't. I highly, highly recommend watching it. (I also find it interesting that both things came out the same year.)

Also, read Rama, while we're at it. Although you shouldn't bother with the sequels "coauthored with" (i.e. almost entirely written by) Gentry Lee. They start out okay but get pretty terrible pretty quickly (with thinly-veiled SOCIAL COMMENTARY and an overly-literal deus ex machina) and use cheap cliffhanger tactics to keep you reading them even though they are not at all worth the effort, and it upsets me that some part of my memory is now involuntarily devoted to them.