Susan
The Amazing Adventures
of Sara Corel
A novel by Toomey
Aurora
Universe Writers' Group Thread
[Sharon wrote]
What do you say Toomey… is Sara blessed/cursed
with the ability to chemically communicate in such ways to others? It's something all
humans can do, although not very effectively (anyone who has felt the
chemistry between two people knows the effects of pheromones… albeit weak ones).
I wonder how human, or superhuman, Sara is.
[Toomey replies]
Oh, my.
Ed wrote me about this and evidently sent
you a copy. Here's what I wrote him (which included a copy of some of the first
e-mails I sent to you regarding my story proposals and background):
[Ed wrote]
That doesn't mean that Sara couldn't be thinking
about something she read in the AU [Aurora Universe] that got her hot & horny, and that she
might be unwittingly exuding pheromones like a smoke grenade gives smoke.
[Toomey answered]
Yeah, but Sara's not a Velorian. And this is
not, strictly speaking, the Aurora Universe. Whereas the Velorians are genetic
descendants of and still related to humans — and can therefore interact with them in
a number of interesting ways — Sara is an artifact, the carefully crafted product of
a technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Not really a machine,
but certainly not biological in any way. She has no sweat, spit, tears, snot, piss,
shit, earwax, menstrual flow or dandruff. And she is an indestructible virgin (like
Doris Day, only younger). Sara does not grow physically and will always be about
sixteen, give or take.
Emotionally, she is completely human. The
components of human psychological makeup influenced by hormones are simulations
in her. But they have the same effect. For a few days each month, it wouldn't be a
good idea to piss her off. Hell, it's
never a good idea to piss her off.
[END]
[Toomey continues]
Well, Ed didn't like that very much. He
replied, "Sorry, Patrick. It doesn't wash in my rather
comic cosmic common sense … They can build a Sara so thoroughly, give her the
capability to laugh and play, but can't give her tears? I don't buy that
… Unless they hijacked a virgin as a model and thought that was to be her
condition all her life (a screwup unlikely if they've spent any time reviewing the
crap we've been spewing into space with TV signals), they'd have made allowances for
various experiences as well."
Whew!
I haven't replied to that yet. Of course,
the Cryptoaliens that manufactured Sara could probably have done anything they
wanted. They did give her super-breath (we haven't seen that, yet) because that was
a signature characteristic of the icon they wished to reproduce. They could also
have included tears. But then you're on a slippery slope. Where do you
stop? Sweat, spit, snot, piss, shit, earwax, menstrual flow, dandruff? The
model for Sara, found in popular comic books, makes no mention of pheromones.
She is not human. She is an icon. She is
made to resemble a human, both physically and emotionally, in order to accomplish the
unknown purposes of her unseen makers. They made her in this image for the express
purpose of charming the world. Rather than scaring the shit out of it.
Which she could do…
And she is an indestructible virgin for
those same purposes. She's not here to just screw around. And her duties are not just
to be, as Ed wrote, "an attractive and sentient 'jaws of life' machine with no
other functions." Oh, she has other functions, all right. Though she will not
turn her back on those in need who she is a position to help, there is an agenda and
a point to this story. You'll just have to wait to see what those are.
Of course, aside from all the preceding
bullshit, the bottom line is that I am behind the Cryptoaliens. They'll do whatever
the hell I tell them to do. I just wanted a sweet and funny story about
supergirl.
Not a superwoman. Not a goddess. The wonderful Sara in the Midnight Madness piece, laughing and chatting with Alex over e-mails, rubbing his aching
shoulders, sticking out her tongue. The irrepressible Sara that can run off with,
disassemble and partially consume a Buick while you're tying your shoe. The playful
Sara who steals the roundball game and every players' heart. The beautiful
Sara, dancing in the air as the band plays on.
I wanted, in my story, to try to see what
it would be like to experience the dawning of consciousness out of nothingness
— the
abrupt awakening of a highly developed mind that is totally devoid of memories
— fully cognizant and equipped with a human personality and language, but completely
ignorant. Then, I want to watch her grow up, seeing the world for the first
time, laughing at new wonders, exploring and testing, wide-eyed with enthusiasm.
Why, as Ed asks, "the
subterfuge and parenting ploy?" Why not, "simply
set her down and let her pick things up as she goes." Because I don't
want her to be abandoned on our planet. I want her to know the best of our world,
not stumble from happenstance to happenstance without guidance and support.
My Cryptoaliens abandoned Sara on a well-chosen doorstep (so to speak), not
in the woods.
One is born human, but only becomes human
through interactions with other humans. Humans raised with love become loving humans.
Humans raised with indifference become wolves.
Be patient. In the chapter after the next
one, Sara learns about infatuation and experiences her first tentative forays into
the painful joy of love. But she is still a child. A forever child. And that may be
the greatest wonder her makers bestow.
You want sex? Well, Dinah
'seduces' Alex (the submission of Everyman to the Rule of Law). Maybe I don't chart the size and relative solidity of Alex's
dick in photographic detail, or count each shuddering orgasmic spasm. Maybe I only
rate a PG. And, maybe the readers will experience something based on how I've set
the table for their own imaginations to complete the act. I don't really
know, and defer to the expertise of others in this area. But we've seen
other e-mails that address the issue of sex, sex, sex.
I hope Ed continues his wonderful
storyline about burgeoning enhancees linked together in what constitutes a loose
confederation under their goddess(es). I'd really like to see how he —
or perhaps
John — pull off the pheromone filled stadium scene mentioned in the first post in
this thread. Either of them could tell us about it so much better than I could.
The contrasts and the similarities between
our universes still have a commonality of purpose between them. I think we all share
a vision of wonder that is at the bottom of all this. We may all have different ways
to gaze upon this wonder and other means to express it, but it is at heart a
sharing of an appreciation for what could be and for what might be.
The way in which we authors can share our
thoughts through the process is something new, because of the blossoming of the
internet. I treasure our colloquy. It was something unexpected that, had I known it
was going to be this much fun, would have rushed to embrace much sooner. I can't tell
you — Ed and Bill and Mac and Colin and all the others — how I appreciate
your time and thoughts on this and other, sometimes sillier, subjects. Let's
keep this kind of thing going, so we can all push each other to new levels.
Because we are all, I am certain, getting
much better at this.
Thank you
Toomey
[Mac wrote]
You've hit directly on the reason we all came
together in the first place, Toomey: to pick on each other's work….no, that's not
right, wait a sec…..oh, yeah, to bounce ideas off each other and churn up
the creativity a tad. All the 'why not' and 'should not' stuff is
absolutely great sometimes. A spark, wherever it may come from, is always hot
enough to kindle the flame of an idea or two. Except, of course, when it's
bogus, but we won't go into that right now. <ahem>
It is really great to see how we all get
into the conceptual here (if I can be hip and use an adjective as a noun). Your point
about Sara not being of the AU/Velorian universe is really at the heart of the whole
thing. You've brought something new and fascinatingly imaginative to the table and
we're all having fun with it. What a gas!
Sara Corel is quite a creature. Any
beautiful blonde who can dance on air can play in my sandbox anytime. <grin>
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© Patrick Hill, 2000 |