[Bill gives him a tired little eye-smile. Heyy, joke landed.]
MY PARENTS WERE BOTH ISOSCELES, BUT SOMETIMES STUFF HAPPENS! THEIR FIRST TWO KIDS WERE BOTH IRREGULAR! MY OFFICIAL ANGLES ARE 62, 59, 59.
[He stays still, touches his points as he narrates. Top one is the obtuse angle.]
YOU NEEDED INSTRUMENTS TO MEASURE IT, OTHERWISE I JUST LOOK SIXTY-SIXTY-SIXTY!
[Shrug. It clearly isn't a big deal, any rational person can see it's not a big deal.]
BUT THEY DID HAVE INSTRUMENTS, SO THE ULTIMATUM WAS THAT I HAD UNTIL FOURTEEN OR SO FOR THE DEFORMITY TO CLEAR UP! DISPOSAL OF KIDS LIKE ME WAS THE POLICY - MY PARENTS WERE GOING TO HAND ME OVER SO THAT WHATEVER MADE ME THE WRONG KIND OF SHAPE WOULDN'T GET PASSED ON INTO THE GENERAL GENETIC SUPPLY! EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TECHNICALLY THEIR FAULT. IT DIDN'T GO OVER WELL WHEN I SAID WE SHOULD KILL THEM BOTH INSTEAD, YOU CAN IMAGINE. NOT BIG PEOPLE TO TAKE A JOKE, THOSE GUYS.
YOU KNOW, FOR A SOCIETY THAT WAS ALL ABOUT NATURE CREATING THE FITTEST CREATURES NATURALLY, THEY SURE DID A LOT TO MAKE SURE THAT NEW MUTATIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BENEFICIAL WERE CUT OFF AT THE ROOT! EVERYONE WAS REAL PUZZLED AT HOW STAGNATED SOCIETY WAS. MYSTERIOUS, WOW.
ANYWAY, THAT'S NOT TO SAY MY PARENTS DIDN'T CARE - THEY CARED A LOT! THEIR REPUTATIONS COULD BE RUINED!
[Wide blinking and pretend shock. Bill puts his hands up to his eye. oh no!
Then he drops it.]
NOT THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD ANY. THE SOLUTION THAT WAS IN VOGUE WAS MEDICAL TREATMENTS ON IRREGULAR KIDS - IF YOU BREAK UP THEIR FRAME WHILE THEY'RE STILL SOFT, YOU CAN TRY TO RE-SHAPE IT.
[The gesture here is like snapping a little twig.]
MOSTLY IT GOT USED BY MIDDLE NOBILITY WANTING THEIR KIDS TO MOVE UP A CLASS AND TRYING TO FORCE THEM TO GROW ANOTHER SIDE. SOMETIMES IT WORKED! WHAT'S NINE DEAD NORMAL KIDS COMPARED TO ONE KID THAT MAKES A GOOD TROPHY? YOU'VE GOTTA SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY! MY OLDER BROTHER DIED THAT WAY. NEVER EVEN KNEW HIM! I LIVED THROUGH IT, SURE, BUT THEY COULDN'T MAKE ME LOOK NORMAL, SO THAT ALSO COUNTED AS A FAILURE! I THINK MOM AND DAD JUST KEPT PUMPING OUT KIDS AFTER ME TRYING TO GET A GOOD ONE - I DIDN'T KEEP IN TOUCH!
[Something makes him pause, although all of this is said pretty breezily.]
I WONDER IF HE WAS LIKE LUKE.
[This thought seems to actually snag Bill's train of thought to a standstill, and he's clearly struggling with some kind of emotion.]
LUKE REMEMBERS MY PARENTS, NOW. HE HAD THE SAME LIFE, HE PUT UP WITH THE SAME CRAP, IT JUST WENT DIFFERENTLY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE DID. I STILL DON'T REALLY KNOW! HE MUST HAVE ASKED SOMEBODY FOR HELP THAT I NEVER TALKED TO, OR GOTTEN SOMEONE'S ATTENTION, I -...
I CAN'T THINK ABOUT THIS. I WON'T FINISH THE STORY.
content warning: harm to children mentioned, eugenics
MY PARENTS WERE BOTH ISOSCELES, BUT SOMETIMES STUFF HAPPENS! THEIR FIRST TWO KIDS WERE BOTH IRREGULAR! MY OFFICIAL ANGLES ARE 62, 59, 59.
[He stays still, touches his points as he narrates. Top one is the obtuse angle.]
YOU NEEDED INSTRUMENTS TO MEASURE IT, OTHERWISE I JUST LOOK SIXTY-SIXTY-SIXTY!
[Shrug. It clearly isn't a big deal, any rational person can see it's not a big deal.]
BUT THEY DID HAVE INSTRUMENTS, SO THE ULTIMATUM WAS THAT I HAD UNTIL FOURTEEN OR SO FOR THE DEFORMITY TO CLEAR UP! DISPOSAL OF KIDS LIKE ME WAS THE POLICY - MY PARENTS WERE GOING TO HAND ME OVER SO THAT WHATEVER MADE ME THE WRONG KIND OF SHAPE WOULDN'T GET PASSED ON INTO THE GENERAL GENETIC SUPPLY! EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TECHNICALLY THEIR FAULT. IT DIDN'T GO OVER WELL WHEN I SAID WE SHOULD KILL THEM BOTH INSTEAD, YOU CAN IMAGINE. NOT BIG PEOPLE TO TAKE A JOKE, THOSE GUYS.
YOU KNOW, FOR A SOCIETY THAT WAS ALL ABOUT NATURE CREATING THE FITTEST CREATURES NATURALLY, THEY SURE DID A LOT TO MAKE SURE THAT NEW MUTATIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BENEFICIAL WERE CUT OFF AT THE ROOT! EVERYONE WAS REAL PUZZLED AT HOW STAGNATED SOCIETY WAS. MYSTERIOUS, WOW.
ANYWAY, THAT'S NOT TO SAY MY PARENTS DIDN'T CARE - THEY CARED A LOT! THEIR REPUTATIONS COULD BE RUINED!
[Wide blinking and pretend shock. Bill puts his hands up to his eye. oh no!
Then he drops it.]
NOT THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD ANY. THE SOLUTION THAT WAS IN VOGUE WAS MEDICAL TREATMENTS ON IRREGULAR KIDS - IF YOU BREAK UP THEIR FRAME WHILE THEY'RE STILL SOFT, YOU CAN TRY TO RE-SHAPE IT.
[The gesture here is like snapping a little twig.]
MOSTLY IT GOT USED BY MIDDLE NOBILITY WANTING THEIR KIDS TO MOVE UP A CLASS AND TRYING TO FORCE THEM TO GROW ANOTHER SIDE. SOMETIMES IT WORKED! WHAT'S NINE DEAD NORMAL KIDS COMPARED TO ONE KID THAT MAKES A GOOD TROPHY? YOU'VE GOTTA SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY! MY OLDER BROTHER DIED THAT WAY. NEVER EVEN KNEW HIM! I LIVED THROUGH IT, SURE, BUT THEY COULDN'T MAKE ME LOOK NORMAL, SO THAT ALSO COUNTED AS A FAILURE! I THINK MOM AND DAD JUST KEPT PUMPING OUT KIDS AFTER ME TRYING TO GET A GOOD ONE - I DIDN'T KEEP IN TOUCH!
[Something makes him pause, although all of this is said pretty breezily.]
I WONDER IF HE WAS LIKE LUKE.
[This thought seems to actually snag Bill's train of thought to a standstill, and he's clearly struggling with some kind of emotion.]
LUKE REMEMBERS MY PARENTS, NOW. HE HAD THE SAME LIFE, HE PUT UP WITH THE SAME CRAP, IT JUST WENT DIFFERENTLY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE DID. I STILL DON'T REALLY KNOW! HE MUST HAVE ASKED SOMEBODY FOR HELP THAT I NEVER TALKED TO, OR GOTTEN SOMEONE'S ATTENTION, I -...
I CAN'T THINK ABOUT THIS. I WON'T FINISH THE STORY.