{"id":2680,"date":"2024-06-08T13:39:16","date_gmt":"2024-06-08T20:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2680"},"modified":"2024-06-08T13:39:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-08T20:39:16","slug":"gossip-guru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2024\/06\/08\/gossip-guru\/","title":{"rendered":"Gossip Guru"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Write a story in the format of a gossip column.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Guola, your Gossip Guru here with the latest.<\/strong> Has the frost melted for the \u2018Ice Queen?\u2019 Rumors of Sol III stadium shows for her next tour, fresh romance, and sparks in front of the holodrones hold the answer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things are heating up in more ways than one for the anikuran super-star singer, and now actress from Tavril IV, the \u2018Ice Queen of Trance,\u2019 Siala. Her affinity for all things human has worked well for her so far, with sixteen of her twenty-one hits being reworked human songs from antiquity, the latest being Never Gonna Give You Up<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big question will be how her love for all things human translates to holostories. The new holo is based on another ancient human work: a two-dimensional action-romance moving picture called The Bodyguard.<\/em> Not only is it the first holo for Siala, it\u2019s the first time a human has had a leading role in any holo from the major studios on Tavril III. Back to that in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to sources in the studio, Siala had insisted on a human director but backed off when the producers threatened to pull funding. The studio picked powerhouse director Firaal Oreionok to helm the project. Engaging in a bit of subterfuge with Siala, Firaal invited human director Sylvia Spall as \u201cAssistant Director,\u201d a title in name only. Firaal quietly let Sylvia take the helm and hid it from the studio until the holo was sealed in crystal. We\u2019ve been told that Firaal officially changed his credit to Assistant Director and promoted Sylvia\u2019s name to the fore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, dear reader, you may be wondering about the human in the leading role. If you\u2019ve seen any of the human holos by Sylvia Spall, you\u2019ve seen him. The action-hero, human heartthrob, Kellen Cashman. While it\u2019s not unusual for him to play in a holo of this sort \u2014 or any<\/em> Spall holo \u2014 it is<\/em> unusual that it isn\u2019t a human holo \u2026 or is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s been a lot of talk among the trade that The Bodyguard<\/em> is nothing but human encroachment on the Tavril III holo industry. The other side of that argument, however, is that the human holo industry is the largest in the known galaxy, and what all others are based on, including Tavril III. Sure, one of the main characters is human (played by Cashman) but he\u2019s the only human in the cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s the question of Siala\u2019s adoption of human music, fashion, and now holo. Some notable anikurans have called her actions cultural appropriation, but we haven\u2019t yet found a single human who agrees with that assessment. She\u2019s been known to always include humans in her music holos, her touring bands, and has always acknowledged where her songs \u2014 and now this holostory \u2014 come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we asked her about those claims, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t care what others think about it. I never said that the human songs were mine, just that I love them and wanted to share them in a way others could connect without detracting from the value of the original works. If you like my version, check out the originals, they\u2019re so much better than I could ever do. I\u2019ve got all three feet on the ground, I\u2019m centered and know where I\u2019m going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there have long been rumors about a secretive relationship between Sylvia Spall and Kellen Cashman, there\u2019s another place that Siala\u2019s life is heating up. Anyone who doubted the couple\u2019s repeated claims that they are friends and nothing more, has a new reason to believe them. After holography wrapped on The Bodyguard<\/em>, Kellen has been seen out with Siala, all over the Northeast Entertainment District on Tavril IV. You heard that right, Siala has been out in public<\/em> nearly every rotation since the wrap party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve not only been spotted out and about together but returning to her home every evening. She recently requested a long-stay visa for Sol III, home of Kellen, where it\u2019s been said that a construction crew has started a new low-grav wing on his mansion, complete with anikuran-style stairs and furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about working with Siala, Kellen described her as, \u201c\u2026talented, intelligent, funny, one the best people I\u2019ve ever met. The Siala you see on stage or in interviews is the real deal. There\u2019s no put-on or pretense, she goes at the world soul first. I understand why she\u2019s so private, it can be daunting to be so genuinely raw.\u201d He declined to comment on their personal relationship, but it seems obvious to this humble writer that they are at the least very<\/em> friendly, and more than a little amorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow will it work out between an anikuran and a human?\u201d is a question that this poor, beleaguered writer has been subjected to too many times now. To those with doubts I ask first, is a human a person? Assuming you, dear reader, are intelligent enough to realize that, yes, humans are as much people as anikurans, what precludes any<\/em> two people from loving each other? Are you so shallow \u2014 you in the editor\u2019s room, you know who you are \u2014 as to think different species can\u2019t connect on a true, emotional level?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last word on that, though, I would turn to the remarks, and the possible slip, Siala made to Holo Trade Insider<\/em>, released just after the end of principal holography: \u201cKel is amazing. He just radiates this warmth and natural charisma. He\u2019s a consummate professional and made my own time in front of the holodrones so rewarding and such a learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to say I love \u2026 would love to work with him on any<\/em> other project. It feels like my life is divided into two parts: the part before Bodyguard<\/em> and now. And now I feel like I am living my life fully. There may be more to announce in the near future, but we\u2019re playing our cards close to the chest right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who may not be up on human sayings, \u2018playing our cards close to the chest\u2019 means they are keeping something secret until the time is right to let it out. Just what could that secret be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a guess, dear reader. With Cashman known as being a bit of a loner and Siala being downright elusive offstage, their current behavior is far outside the norm for both. Kellen was scheduled to return to Sol III with the rest of the crew, but instead has extended his stay on Tavril IV \u201cindefinitely\u201d with Siala\u2019s home listed as his current residence. This is the same home, remember, that even her closest friends have only seen during the rare lunches she hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add to that, the low-gravity additions to his home on Sol III, expected to be completed in the near future, and rumors of Siala\u2019s next tour of the Sol system to begin and end with stops on Sol III at stadiums with the capability of setting up low-gravity stages, it looks like the couple are making things long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has Kellen Cashman warmed the Ice Queen\u2019s heart? I think he has, and I wish them all the happiness in the galaxy moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next cycle, dear reader, I\u2019ve been your Gossip Guru, Guola.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Write a story in the format of a gossip column. available at Reedsy Guola, your Gossip Guru here with the latest. Has the frost melted for the \u2018Ice Queen?\u2019 Rumors of Sol III stadium …<\/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":[250,210,228,209],"class_list":["post-2680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-bleh","tag-fiction","tag-science-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-He","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2680","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=2680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2681,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2680\/revisions\/2681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}