tvk | [Voice]

[Sentient planet? Believable. Humans desperately clinging to life with the power of technology? Very believable. The business about "Types"?

...Well, okay. The mantra of "Sure, why not?" and taking things at face value was rather effective here. Still, that the planets -- assuming sentience was true -- would care about the happenings on their fellows in the solar system was a bit hard to swallow.]

...Sounds like you've had some adapting to do. Humans are kind of squishy, aren't they?

[A beat.]

Why did the other planets help Earth? I was under the impression that each planet would focus on itself, should it have sentient though.

They are very squishy.

That's not how planets work. It's all right for creatures to kill the planets they live on as long as they die with them, but outliving their planets is frightening. The other planets must have thought that was 'wrong'.

Anyway, what I used to be, Heavens Corpse, came to the Land of Steel. My shape was more like... hm. Well, I was more like a plant. I had an enormous tree on my back, with billions and billions of leaves; each leaf creates a feral angel that attacks anything in sight when it falls. There were more of those leaves than sentient species alive at the time.

But thankfully someone killed me! So they didn't all come down at once.

Hold on a second, I'm wrapping my head around the phrase "thankfully someone killed me" without sarcasm attached to it. That, that might actually be a bit harder to accept than the rest of what you just said.

[Briefly, Devola wondered which would last longer in her own world. The planet, or it's inhabitants. Frankly, the odds for either were depressing.]

If I had landed alive, everyone on the planet would have died. Isn't it good that I was killed?

I guess so, from an objective viewpoint. It's just that it's hard for most humans to be objective about their own demise.

I love humans too much. I can't want to live if it means they'll be gone.

[There's another slight pause before Devola replies.]

I've gotta admit, I wish I had your general enthusiasm and optimism. Were you like this when you were a, um, Aristotle?

No, I wasn't. I didn't have a will then, or conscious thought.

[The woman on the other end of the line audibly winces.]

Sorry, shouldn't have brought that up again. Trying to go back to the topic of names... did you just come to be at the level of thought you have right now? Like you'd woken up for the first time and there you were?

...It's complicated. I remember what I was before, but the level of understanding isn't something I can compare to human thought. I only gained that after absorbing it when I died.

I guess that makes sense; you were something completely different from a human, right? With your new human body, the old way of thinking might have had detrimental effects to your mental health.

...Well, the reason I was asking would kind of go back to "I think, therefore I am." You're able to think like a human, and more or less are a human, right? It'd stand to reason that you're the only one who can truly decide what your name is.

I think that must be it. There's nobody else here who knows who I really am, anyway.

If we really wanted to go navel-gazing I'd ask if a person ever truly knew themselves.

...But too much introspection rots the brain, and I already answered that kinda question anyway.

Really, as long as you know what you are -- your name, your desires, and so on, everything'll come along as it will.

I think that's a good answer.

Mm. Guess the simple way of saying it would be, just try to take things in stride.

I'll try my best!

Um, but wouldn't that be not as good as not trying at all if I'm supposed to not be trying too hard?

Hmn, I guess it'd be different for each person, wouldn't it?

Y'know what, 'just do what feels right.' That seems like a better way to put it.

Okay, I will.

'Atta girl. Anything else ya wanna talk about?

No, not right now.

'kay, I'll stop taking up your time then. It was a nice chat, though. You're an interesting lady.

I had fun, too.