{"id":2394,"date":"2022-06-25T14:33:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-25T21:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2394"},"modified":"2022-06-25T14:34:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T21:34:30","slug":"nouveau-frugal%ef%bf%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/25\/nouveau-frugal%ef%bf%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Nouveau Frugal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Set your story in an oracle or a fortune teller\u2019s parlor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the waiting room for the oracle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWell, yes and no. It\u2019s the room where we hand out the predictions. Where did you think I invited you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt looks like a dentist\u2019s office waiting room\u2026and not a good one at that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe most expensive AI ever, and this drab room\u2026it\u2019s just so unfitting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cIt\u2019s comfortable. If we went too fancy in here, people would get the idea it\u2019s all a high-tech scam that we\u2019re doing to siphon money from the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead, it looks like a fly-by-night scam in a low-rent office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cIt\u2019s not all that bad. Did you even look at the fish tank, or the wall fountain?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, yeah. I mean, at least it\u2019s clean, even though it\u2019s forty years out of date.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cThe oracle designed it\u2026called it nouveau frugal<\/em>\u2026said it was most appropriate for a government funded facility. The room\u2019s not why I called you here. Pythia\u2026you know, I think we misnamed her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a she, now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cOf course. When we finally started up under full power, she asked her name. We provided several that she rejected as too masculine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cShe also refers to herself in the feminine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat clears that up. But\u2026why do you say she\u2019s misnamed? She\u2019s an oracle, so Pythia is fitting, I\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cSure, sure. But it seems she\u2019s more Cassandra than Pythia these days, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou mean\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYeah. No one wants to believe her predictions. They don\u2019t take her seriously. More proof that she\u2019s a she, I guess. Women still<\/em> aren\u2019t taken as seriously as men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAin\u2019t that the truth? So, why am I here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cShe has a prediction for you\u2026that has an effect on your sector, as well. I thought it best that you hear it first, then you could convince your coworkers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the prediction?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cNot so fast. I want you to understand just how accurate she is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHit me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cThe sector fourteen raid against the drug lab\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a cluster-fuck. Nine killed in action, seventeen wounded, and not a single arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cThe sector captain was warned by Pythia. She said, and I quote, \u2018Do not carry out your plans tomorrow. Wait one day for best results. Tomorrow will only bring defeat and loss.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat must be hard for the captain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cHe said he wouldn\u2019t postpone the raid, as the warrant was expiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny more?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cLet\u2019s see if you can figure this one out. Pythia said, \u2018Avoid public appearance next Thursday. A great threat to you will be secured on Friday morning.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe talk show host that was shot dead last month? Sector four?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey caught the guy at home pretty quick, though. Crazy\u2026he had all the plans for it out in the open in his apartment along with a bunch of bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cThey did. But the search warrant had nothing to do with the hit, it was for bomb making. He\u2019d have been arrested either way. And the plans\u2026they didn\u2019t include anything that made the target clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I get it. Whatever Pythia tells me, believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cI wish it was that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat am I missing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cEvery prediction comes with a cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, the government\u2019s paying it, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cNot that cost. I mean to the person who receives it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe talk-show host?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWould have lost revenue for the day, plus ratings as they aired a rerun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHardly anything, compared to a life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cTrue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sector fourteen captain, though. What cost?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWhen was the last time you heard about someone getting a warrant, planning a raid, then postponing the raid and extending the warrant?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan\u2019t really recall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cBecause it\u2019s a career-ending move.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOuch. So, I guess whatever the oracle has to tell me is going to cost me somehow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cIt will, but the upside will always outweigh the cost, but\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cIt may not be obvious what the upside is. Probably won\u2019t ever be. Sure, in those cases, it was the difference between life and death. But if the talk-show host had canceled, the plans were nebulous enough to not warrant another charge or any investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs there any example of anyone actually doing what Pythia suggested?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cTwo. Out of fourteen-hundred-twenty-one predictions, only two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cA politician was told, \u2018A lunch speech tomorrow will bring unexpected salvation. Sticking to your current plans will prove costly.\u2019 She did it; had an unplanned press conference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that the one that was accused of buying drugs, until she proved that she was in a press conference in another sector, on camera, at the time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cThat\u2019s the one. We<\/em> made sure that hit the national news. The hope was that she would spread the word about Pythia\u2019s accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen she lost the election, even with how popular her doppelg\u00e4nger made her on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cRight. Don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the end of her political career or just a setback but, canceling her private meeting with her biggest backer cost her campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t they have provided the same proof as the presser?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cNot even close. Would anyone take the word of a wealthy campaign donor over the sector patrol cameras? Even facial recognition pegged her as the drug buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHm. The other?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYeah. Shortly after we started her up and she picked a name, she said that I should stay on and help her after the research was over. If I left, I would meet with ruin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you believe that based on what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cI\u2019ve been pretty happy here, and I\u2019m lucky enough to consider her a friend. The project I was meant to head up folded soon after it started due to lack of funding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou sure that wasn\u2019t just because your name was no longer attached? You did<\/em> gain some notoriety with the oracle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cCan\u2019t say, for sure. That\u2019s another angle we haven\u2019t covered yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I know what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes the prediction change the actions of the person hearing it, making it true?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYou hit the nail on the head. We still don\u2019t know how \u2014 or how much \u2014 the prediction affects a person\u2019s behavior. And it\u2019s likely to be different for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve danced around it long enough, I think. What did Pythia predict for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cSo, you want to hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cShe said, \u2018Your only protection is to walk out immediately. Stand with your compatriots and voice your grievances. If you do not, the rising sun will see great anguish for them all.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it? She\u2019s telling me to call a strike? Now<\/em>?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cThat\u2019s what she said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cCareer suicide?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. Has she ever<\/em> been wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cNot that we can tell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could probably call a strike this afternoon. It\u2019s been brewing for a while, but no one\u2019s been brave enough to make the call. After the strike, I\u2019ll be forced out as the sacrificial goat; what do I do then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYou could always work here. Pay\u2019s not bad; decent benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut this ugly room, not sure I could handle it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cSure you can; it grows on you. Besides, nouveau frugal <\/em>will be the height of interior design\u2026in the near-ish future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that what she says?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYep. Even coined the name herself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m not so sure about calling the strike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cNot you, too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just\u2026how much can we trust an oracle that picks this<\/em> as the next trend in interior design?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cComposition fallacy. Or maybe a simple non-sequitur fallacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYou\u2019re saying, you think she\u2019s wrong about the room design, so she\u2019s wrong about your prediction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, that\u2019s\u2026well\u2026maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cI told you what you needed to know. The next step is yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your advice?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cMy advice? Call the strike\u2026as soon as you leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou say there\u2019s an opening here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cAs soon as I adjust the budget for it. I\u2019ve been needing some help so I can take some time off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHmm. We\u2019re back to the question of whether the prediction affects action or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWe are. But what you do when you step out, is on you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd she said, \u2018great anguish\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cShe did. Um, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTexting out a strike call.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYou didn\u2019t want to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope. Might as well get myself fired now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYou\u2019ll call me when the strike\u2019s over?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will. I expect a job waiting for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cYou\u2019ll have it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I\u2019d best get on the picket line. I\u2019ll call you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cWell, Pythia, I\u2019ve completed the final item you tasked me with. An experienced patrol officer on the team, as you predicted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I chose to write this one entirely in dialogue, mostly to see if I could.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Set your story in an oracle or a fortune teller\u2019s parlor. available at Reedsy \u201cThis is the waiting room for the oracle?\u201d – \u201cWell, yes and no. It\u2019s the room where we hand out …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,228,209],"class_list":["post-2394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-science-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-CC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2394"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394\/revisions\/2397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}