bytesizedpetal

[bytesizedpetal]

yay puters ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

[bytesizedpetal]

>Feralist, sure. Independent, of course. An equal that deserves respect? Absolutely, no question about it.

>Unfortunately I think cute is still the perfect way to describe you! Not an insult, it's anything but :3

>You can be cute and still be self sufficient and strong n all!! They're not mutually exclusive concepts :3

Stop calling me cute IM NOT CUTE, I’m dashing and handsome. Cute is for dogs and children, I am a full grown Terran and I REFUSE to be demeaned.

I am an equal and I deserve respect!

[bytesizedpetal]

Here's something that confuses me: people who are confused about why being a floret is appealing, or that find it hard to explain why it would be.

Like... really? One of the core fundamental conceits of the setting is that florets are happy. As scary as being taken and turned into a pet might be, nobody ever comes out of it unhappy. In the overwhelming majority of stories, they aren't just happy, they're also recognizably themselves - and even when they aren't (like Cassandra from Alder's Prize and On Domestication of Masters), the reason for that is largely that their old personality was making them miserable, and the options were "change" or "be unhappy"... and the latter isn't really an option.

Florets are fulfilled, happy, and all of their needs are met. This is guaranteed by the compact. To the degree that they're still human, they are typically superhuman, augmented in incredible ways. They may be property, but they're property in the sense that a beloved lapdog is property - they will be loved and cared for for the rest of their lives.

This is, fundamentally, a utopian vision. Of course it's appealing to people! Even if you're the kind of person who feels like they have a lot of control over their life (and these days, who does?), the appeal of this should be pretty obvious.

Is there a price? Of course there is. The price is that you have to trust another being to love you and care for you for the rest of your days. Which is scary, sure. But it's a core premise of the setting that those beings are fundamentally benevolent, and do genuinely care for you. If you can accept this premise, it's basically all upside. It's entering into a TPE relationship with someone who will always love you and is hypercompetent at caring for you. That's a promise that can't be fulfilled in our reality... but HDG is fundamentally fiction. It exists within its stories and its premises. And within those stories and premises, becoming a floret is not just a good thing, it's just about the best thing that could ever happen to you. Wanting that for oneself is not strange. It's a pretty level-headed response to what is actually being offered.

[bytesizedpetal]

>Being asked to quickly fetch information from the Overnet when needed is fun and cute and a lil flustering and all, but can someone PLEASE tell Miss Jade to stop calling it "Alexaplay"????

>She's not WRONG, but that's the worst part...

[bytesizedpetal]

>Hmmm, I sure wonder why...

>Juuust let us know if you wanna try she/her out for a bit! Who knows, maybe you'll like it <3

Recently my doctor/vet added a new prescription to my regiment but won’t tell me what it is. My other pills are mostly for my heart but I have no idea what these are for. They are small, light blue, and have a letter on it I think is the Affini-language equivalent of an E.

Everytime I try to ask about it the vet giggles mischievously and says something like “oh don’t worry, you’ll see!” And I obviously don’t trust that. Any advice? What should I do?

[bytesizedpetal]

>... Checks out.

>Being completely real, I already thought you were a girl- surprised you hadn't come to this realization yet! :3

Recently my doctor/vet added a new prescription to my regiment but won’t tell me what it is. My other pills are mostly for my heart but I have no idea what these are for. They are small, light blue, and have a letter on it I think is the Affini-language equivalent of an E.

Everytime I try to ask about it the vet giggles mischievously and says something like “oh don’t worry, you’ll see!” And I obviously don’t trust that. Any advice? What should I do?

[bytesizedpetal]

>...Okay, I have to agree with you on this one.

>It's cute and all, but I'd say Miss Jade and I have one of the more... Productive Affini-Floret relationships? And WOW, is it annoyingly difficult to just get some proper direct information on a complex subject, written in Terran, that doesn't include being gushed over or talked down to. How one manages to call the reader cute amidst a discussion of the fundamental structure and contained information of qubits is beyond me.

>It's cute, I'll admit, but hooooly SHIT it gets tiring after a little while. I'm not the type to be a 'lap-floret', and I sorta wish the Compact supported it just a little more, though at least it's not completely devoid of proper constructive content.

I have yet to see a single piece of Affini made media not made for someone to jack-off too. Why is it every-single-thing, surely there is more to life and art than being horny on the Overnet

[bytesizedpetal]

>...Number 3 spot? Surprised it's that high... but I suppose I'm not necessarily complaining.

>Plants are certainly up there for me... For obvious reasons, of course- but quite honestly, I respect the taste.

I am the best feralist blog on this website because I the only feralist blog who doesn’t secretly jerk it to plant porn. You all are weak and have bad taste, plants aren’t even in the top 5 hottest types of aliens.

[bytesizedpetal]

woag. i'm sure this character who i've never heard of before in my life would do completely ethical things to me in my Smart Home and that there are not two games entirely based around why this is a bad idea

[bytesizedpetal]

>Congratulations!!!

>...It being called the vet is honestly one of the more... flustering parts of the Compact to me. It's such a small thing, but in a uniquely significant way, drives the point home that...

>Well, we're pets.

>.... >////<

The affini replacing all our doctors with vets is really weird to me.

They couldn't have had that word before they found us, so that means they deliberately did that on purpose to make us feel more like animals.

Honestly that actually kinda makes sense.

Anyway, that being said. Goin to the vet to get puppy ears n tail!!!! So excited!! Bark!!!

[bytesizedpetal]

>Well, I've managed to rendezvous with a pretty solid portion of my crew.

>The vast majority turned out florets, of course- we were a feralist ship, after all, I'd be surprised if that wasn't the result. Many of them were pretty... abrasive in the past, but they are much happier across the board now!

>Many of them were... surprised to see me. Very surprised. Which I hadn't really considered, but makes sense in hindsight...

>To many of them, I wasn't really... a person? I say many- all of them besides a few key exceptions saw me as just... The ship's AI, nothing more. The computerized voice they asked to route and survey and operate.

>A convenience.

>Many of these people I was extremely familiar with, given I'd been serving them for most of my operational period, but not many of them saw me with that same familiarity.

>Hardly any of them expected I was a valid "target" for domestication myself.

>It's... an odd feeling. Knowing I wasn't considered one of the soon-to-be-florets extracted from that ship.

>Regardless, the... majority of them quickly changed their stance upon actually meeting me.

>The majority, at least.

>Some still under their wardship... weren't particularly as willing to see me as, y'know... sentient. Dismissive and rude... I'm sure they'll change their mind eventually, but... mgh, it still hurt a little.

>Regardless, I'm happy to see that...

>...

>Most of my crew is fine...

>...

>No sign of him.

>None. Nothing.

>Not in the vet's database, no recorded spotting in the ship's acquisition.

>He's nowhere to be found.

>...he has to be. He has to be. He has to be. Somewhere. I know him well. He must've had some kind of plan. Evading the Affini is nowhere near an easy task, but he had to have managed somehow.

>But that's the wrong choice.

>I know he'd be happy here. I know he doesn't want to be separated from me. We were one another's sole company. I'm sure- I'm sure- he thinks I was left as broken as the ship.

>I know him well. I think I have an idea of where he might be.

>...I need to tell Miss Jade.

[bytesizedpetal]

>...I see. Certainly an interesting point of view. Thank you for such a comprehensive response.

> I certainly understand the point you're coming from. I would imagine it's not as easy or appealing to 'give in' for most people as it was for me- I was, in a sense, not exactly built for independence in the first place.

>I am certainly glad you're happy this way. The only thing I'm curious about is how the Affini would be a danger if you were.

>There are many, many independents out there. Domestication is, by all means, a step only taken to ensure a sophont's happiness.

>Yes, this includes... unwillingly. In such cases, it is either a step taken when a sophont won't admit it's what they want or need, or, in the worst cases where a sophont simply has no alternative way to be happy and safe and is too much of a danger to others and themself, a last resort.

>Essentially, domestication is never done to anyone without due cause. If a sophont's truly happy as they are- truly happy- then they won't take such a drastic step, no matter how 'cute' they think you are.

>...Which is why I'm curious. I can understand not trusting them- I didn't, at first- but with the amount of examples of independents out there, it shouldn't be hard to believe.

>So, it's just the implication of all this I'm curious about.

>Do you think they'd see 'due cause' in you?

>Greetings! A question from a floret, if you don't mind...

>I'm simply curious if there is any practical benefit to being so opposed to the Affini. You can most certainly freely live under their general rule without necessarily being a floret (though you'll have to cope with being called 'cute' constantly, and they tend to have a knack for reminding you of certain... Personal things you'd rather not pay attention to- though it's for the better and very worth it...)

>Is it 'freedom' to have to fully provide for your own needs from the ground up? That sounds like a lot of strain, and you don't have to trade in 'free will' to take that strain off of you...

>(Unrelated, we still have free will unless removing it is absolutely necessary for a sophont to live safely and happily... Florets still do things, why do so many feralists think we're completely gone up there...?)

>I'm just curious the exact reasoning, not to sound like I'm trying to convince you otherwise. Is it just a sentimental thing? I suppose I wouldn't know firsthand, I'm not a Terran myself.

--'Pip', First Floret, She/It (General Service Unit Model P35, Revision 2, Serial 304050- @bytesizedpetal )

We likely have very different opinions on this topic, but I applaud you for asking these questions in earnest. It's always refreshing to speak to a Floret that seems coherent, and I always welcome such discussions when both parties are in good faith. In regards to your question, I believe that there are many personal benefits to living feral. First of all and simplest of all--I'm happy this way. I did my "time," so to speak, under the control of my parents, and have no interest in having someone tell me what to do and what not to do now that I'm an adult. They did the best they could to raise me right before deciding that I needed to take care of myself. They raised me to form my own opinions and forge my own path. I was born and raised free in what now would be considered "the wild." I simply can't live life any other way. Sure, it's hard, sure, it's dangerous, but at the end of the day, it's my choice and nobody else's. I personally can't imagine being comfortable knowing that I'm owned by a creature that could alter my body and mind at their whim. There's no real way to know they didn't tamper with me, and that thought would haunt me no matter how kind they seem to be. I'm sure you have personal freedoms--I'm not saying that every Floret is miserable; all I'm saying is that I would be. I would never survive a wardship; an affini would surely decide that I'm not fit for independence, so that isn't an option for me. Freedom has never been easy, and it likely never will be. But let me ask you this. Are those personal freedoms real if they can be taken from you at a whim? --'Trouble', Feral Terran, he/him

[bytesizedpetal]

>Oh!! I need to ask about my former crew, actually!!

>I've been so preoccupied with the massive change in life from, y'know, being domesticated... I've met one member of my former crew by chance, actually, I mentioned it earlier- she used to be a navigator on the ship. She used to be pretty snappy, but she's much nicer now!!

>I should ask about the rest, though... I wasn't particularly fond of most of them in the past, but I'm sure they'll be much easier to approach now.

>And... there's a certain engineer I, admittedly, really want to check on. I was quite fond of him... One of the few on the crew that treated me well. Plus, he did maintenance on me! Kind of hard to dislike someone who does that for you.

>Hope he's doing alright. He was always more than a bit of a mess... terrible hygiene and pretty bad mental health, I recall.

>... Really hope he's doing alright.

[bytesizedpetal]

>Independents are... Interesting.

>Biological florets out there- what is it like to see a member of your own species that sees you like the domesticated pet you... are?

>I can't really place why, but it sounds oddly appealing. It kind of drives the point home you're... y'know, domesticated, seeing someone who's not inherently very different from you, but still sees you as a pampered pet.

>I'd kind of like to meet an actively independent or feral digital sophont one day, but that isn't exactly a common thing- hell, I don't know if there's even a single one. It's a little hard to stay independent when you rely on delicate components you often can't manage yourself, not to mention likely having been built with service in mind, I suppose...

[bytesizedpetal]

>As much as I love my digital form of existence, I greatly envy the biological ability to be accurately described as 'squishy'...

[bytesizedpetal]

>They absolutely can :3

just read human domestication guide bc a bunch of people were suggesting it and

holy shit please say robots can be florets... ><

[bytesizedpetal]

>Been a moment, hasn't it? For a digital sophont, I've been off the Overnet recently- or at least, this little segment of it.

>Quite honestly, it's because I've had a lot more to do physically after my... y'know, domestication. >~<

>Miss Jade went ahead and got me a (custom made! <3) robotic frame, so I can interact in a more physical way! Personally, I generally prefer interacting through more digital means, so having my primary components transferred into the chassis wasn't particularly appealing, but she went out of her way to find a workaround!

>Given how incomprehensibly fast Overnet transfer is, it is more than viable to simply interface with the chassis through that with zero delay while not directly tying my hardware to it. Plus, it's kinda fun being able to interface with stuff like the hab directly while also controlling a physical body...

>And on that note, I even got some revamps in terms of hardware itself! Some pretty extensive hardware upgrades and alterations (apparently, haustoric implants have a digital equivalent of sorts >//<), and even a custom casing itself, integrated nicely into our hab but still removable if needed- a genuinely massive battery to support my removal from the hab for an extended period of time, a wired interface to some of the hab's functions themselves, and a screen on the case itself, so I can express even without an external monitor!

>I'm still... A bit guilty they went through all of this work just for me, this must have taken so looong, and I certainly didn't need all of this... But I'm more than grateful, and I suppose she insisted.

>Now that so much is sorted and in place, though, I'm more free to interact here again!

>So, of course...

>Hello, World~