grrgyle

Yeah the scripted back and forth is not nearly as draining to the social battery. It’s almost like when you’re sitting quietly with someone enjoying three mute presence.

Not quite there, but like farther asking along that spectrum than say a conversation where actual information or promise to act is the goal.

Oh I remember those comics! Didn’t realise that had made it into the movie

Ooo yeah like a curse and at first you think it’s the children’s fault, but then at the halfway point you find out they’re the victims. Would also provide some good tension since it’s the only way for the protag to get more power after the pepper shot removed their ability to make more poffspring.

I mean I was joking in my original comment, but you could tweak it a bit and maybe obscure some of the details to make the story halfway evocative.

Is this Gears of War?

I think so, yes, that feels right. OK, this is powerful… I think I’ve got the hook for my second book

It’s kind of assembled from pig iron?

My protagonist has the ability to wield a franction (a word for a small amount in my verse) of the vitael energies of potential offspring (“poffspring”) they decide not to have, so like if they date someone of the opposite sex and things are going well and they’re thinking of moving in together, and then they ghost them my protag gets the power of the potential unborn babies (well some of it). They have made enemies of pretty much everyone in their hammelit (small village in my world), but have grown that much stronger with each jilted partner.

Anyway, they pulled this with the shire riff’s (reeve of a shire in my lore) daughter and got shot with a pepper shot blunderbuss and exiled from town, but they are able to carry approx a handful of extra sticks using the strength from their poffspring, which they use to heat the abandoned hut they live in upwind of the hammelit’s middens.

I liked that part of it anyway

It’s like “jaywalking” oooh oh no don’t “jay” walk, don’t “side” load; conform to our business machines! Your natural existence and free movements are an inconvenience to us therefore you have to change.

Or whatever bullshit–however they couch it.