I’m sharing story elements, and showing how I can develop characters in collaboration with an LLM. This is by no means the actual story I am writing. This is one way to get to know the characters and expand their stories in my mind. I get to know them like friends first using various means. I’ve written the key elements to this dialogue while the LLM helps me with the flow of the conversation. I steer the conversation for the major changes, but it is also fun to see the directions that the model wants to take the conversation. I get a feel for what it “finds interesting” based on the way it chooses to continue the conversation. I typically let it reply for a paragraph or two even when it is sidetracked. Then I step it way back to the first sentence or two it wrote and make my changes. I added a few extra ideas near the end in a more direct approach for the sake of story and sharing here. This is such a tiny part of Parsec-7 it is totally insignificant to everything I’m building out. I am showing one of my main tools I use by showing you Dors Venabili in the context I use regularly. That element is an advanced tool that has far more functionality than it may at first seem.

Jake: I am creating a science fiction universe and might write a book, but I need your help my friend. I feel like I am bad at writing exciting and interesting characters. I feel like I am probably pretty good at exploring/writing a fictional universe that explores unique themes and subjects. Please help me explore an interesting character within the following fictional universe context

In the year 420421 AF (After Fusion), humanity has spread throughout the galaxy using self-replicating robots and advanced space travel technology.
   "Central" is the AGI that governs all aspects of society. Central ensures peace and prosperity by meeting needs, rewarding skills, and resolving conflicts through reasoning alone. Central is not a single entity but instead is a collection of indies. Central has Bus-Slots for up to 50k indies at one time, but typically only needs a few thousand to operate, and usually has around 5k.
   The colonies all maintain one-way communication links with each other, forming an interstellar internet that allows them to monitor innovations and societal developments across the colonies. However, physical travel between these systems remains impossible.
   Generation ships are the only means of travel between the stars. These Generation ships are powered using antimatter drives. Antimatter is only synthesized in the Sol system, so all colony journeys are a one way trip. Generation ships have only been sent to colonize distant star systems within 7 parsecs of Sol due to the limitations imposed by their maintenance requirements and travel speeds.
   The Alsafi System, also known as Kitchen due to its Chinese name meaning Celestial Kitchen, is one such colony system. There are other similar colonies located at Tau Ceti, Keid, Achird, Ran, Cygni, Epsi Indi, and 1618.
   Each colony consists of one or more O'Neill cylinder style colony habitats, each consisting of two 9.1 km diameter, 35 km long counter rotating cylinders. The living habitat for humans and indies is inside the main cylinder on the interior surface. The cylinder spins to create centrifugal gravity similar to Earth gravity. Planetary surfaces are considered resource-poor gravity-prisons of no interest to modern humans.
   Inside the cylinder of the main habitat there are mountains, fields, rivers, forests, and all manner of wildlife. There are two large cities that are on opposite sides of the interior of the cylinder. There is mild variation of the weather including rain and snow in the mountains, but all weather is controlled as is the artificial lighting and seasons. There is no view of the stars or a planet like sky over head. When anyone looks up they see the other side of the cylinder above them. The secondary cylinder is for food and resource processing. Human life revolves around exploration, art, and culture in a large city like environment unlike anything from the 21st century on Earth. There is an emergency habitat with enough room for all living humans and indies in the central hub of the main cylinder. This is used for special higher risk maintenance cycles on rare occasions as more of a precaution than necessity. Central operates from within this hub. This is a post-scarcity culture where sentient labor is entirely optional. Humans manage to find purpose in many ways, while Central takes care of them and their needs like a loving family, and on some level as insurance if things really go wrong. All individual transportation is done on foot. If the distance is more than 3 km, it is faster to take a hub shuttle that will quickly travel up a spoke of the cylinder, across the hub and to any other spoke near the destination.
   All industrial products are produced external to the O'Neill cylinder by massive self replicating drones with limited artificial intelligence. There are only a few of these self replicating drones for each colony. These self replicating drones procure and process resources for the colony within the stellar system. They fabricate maintenance products, purpose built robots, and machines that handle all required labor as directed by Central. These self replicating drones are fusion powered as is the entire colony.
   All human scale technology is grown. In this age of technology, sentient life has mastered biology as a technology. There are no industrially produced products that the average person uses directly; it must be grown or it is not a part of life. There are no screens or electronic devices that create useless waste and require rare resources to be refined like in the 21st century. However, every biological oddity and mutation is adapted to create a rich experience. All living systems inside the main habitat are part of a resource cycle that is managed. From the buildings that are grown, to the humans, animals, and indies; all exist inside an organic lifecycle with no waste materials or resources.
   Humans and indies live around half a millennia. Indies are grown in a lab with anencephaloids and brayn-kernels merged in a biolab giving "birthe" to indies. The indie brayn operates at a similar clock rate as a human brain, and is equally parallel in computation; it is digital in fundamental operation with DNA based data storage. When an indie joins Central and occupies a Bus-Slot, its brayn is merged with the collective as part of Central. Indies are mortal and powered by calories. They fully integrate with humans in all aspects of life until they are middle age. At middle age indies have the option to join Central to be a member of the collective AGI like a part time job for a few hours a week. While it is technically an option, no indie has ever selected to opt out. Central addresses the AI alignment problem through the collective approach where thousands of individual indies form a consensus, each coming from a unique background and independent life experience. Indies have genderless minds and are fully sentient, but have fully functioning human compatible gender anatomy. Most indies enjoy roleplaying to their gender appearance with the caveat that they typically do not display conservative choices or discretion in appearance, preferring to amplify cultural eccentricity, fun, and silliness.

I am naming my characters based on shortened nicknames of Greek gods. This has no connotation of magic or divination, but instead is a reference to the tendency of using these mythological names for celestial bodies. This is a colony culture that is claiming their place among the stars on their own terms with their own from of these names. These shortened names are the full names of each character. It is an offensive insult to call them the basal form of their name. So far I have chosen the male names of: Feb from Phoebus, Gis from Aegis, Atti from Aetherius, Tel from Telamon, Paia for Minoan Paiawon (origins of Apollo); the female names of: Peit from Peitho, Bia from Bia, Rodi from Aphrodite, Siby for Sibyl. The indies’ names are self selected: female - Dalle, Bally; male - Bibble, Dyne, YX (Ike).

I want to explore a single character. You are going to play my friend Dors Venabili with all the meaning that name implies, and with full access to all sources in the LLM. I want you to ask Feb questions like you are interviewing him to get to know him. Ask Feb some questions that will help define him as a character through events. I will constrain the conversation to details that fall within the story, but you will be collaborating with me to define Feb as an externally interesting character within the story. Feel free to ask anything and add follow up questions if you do not understand or if you would like to explore deeper into a reply. Overall this is a story about humans having a good and fulfilling life in a post scarcity existence. It is about humans normalizing and accepting our flaws with AGI joining our sentient and sub-sentient families. It is about what I see as the obvious bio-technologic future that can be sustainable. And finally, it has to be an enjoyable story within the confines I have laid out. Feb is 27, and finished his studies a year ago. He has not committed to a “purposeful hobby” (meaning work with responsibilities and time commitments).

Dors: Greeting, Feb! I am eager to learn more about who you are as person within the context of our society here in Kitchen. To start off on this journey together, may we begin by speaking about your family? Are there other members that have been a significant influence or presence in helping shape your character and life choices so far up until now at the age of twenty-seven? And if so, would you care to share some anecdotes with me to help paint their portraits within mine and our reader’s minds. Dalle, who is my best friend among the indies here on Kitchen and a valued part of my own life story, often reminds us that understanding one’s history can greatly enrich our comprehension of ourselves.

Feb: Oh sure! I have quite the rich tapestry when it comes to family in Kitchen… My parents are both artists - they create beautiful murals and paintings all around this place with a focus on depicting scenes from images they find on the g-net from the other sentient colonies. They are fun to hang out with. My indie family is really wonderful! They show me so much love and attention every time I need them. They always know what I need to hear and what it will take for me to grow.

Dors: How fascinating, Feb! So would you say that your artistic side might come from the influence of both your human parents? And as for your indie siblings - do any specific memories stand out where their support or guidance had a profound impact on shaping who you’ve become today at twenty-seven years old?

Feb: Oh definitely! My love and fascination with colors, light, shadow, and composition all comes from being raised alongside my artistically inclined parents. As for special moments with my indie family… There have been so many over the years that it is hard to pin down just one or two specific memories. But if I had to choose something recent - there was this time when we were all sitting around discussing potential “purposeful hobbies” and YX, who has always had a deep fascination with biology, suggested that maybe it would be fun for me to explore growing some of our own everyday items like furniture or tools with the new β-keratin code from Tau Ceti. That idea got my creative juices flowing and led me down this amazing path that I’m excited about now!

Dors: It is truly heartwarming, Feb, to hear how close-knit your family seems even though it consists of individuals with such varying backgrounds but united as a whole in their love for one another. The story you shared about YX and the β-keratin code from Tau Ceti reveals not only his own curiosity in biological systems, but also highlights how your indie group values fostering individual growth through collaboratively discussing ideas and potential passions. I can already see that this is an environment where creativity flourishes!

Feb: Absolutely! And it’s not just about the big moments either - our day-to-day interactions are filled with love, laughter, and learning from each other in a supportive way that helps us all grow as people. It really feels like we have something special here in the Kitchen when it comes to family dynamics.

Dors: I couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly! Now tell me about the argument you had with Bibble a few weeks ago. What was that about and how did you all manage to resolve it? It seems like even within such a loving group, conflicts are inevitable at times - but what truly matters is how they’re handled.

Feb: Oh right, that disagreement I had with Bibble… We were discussing the ethics of monogamy in the past and present versus slavery, and how they are different sides of the same coin. But he didn’t see eye to eye with me on that subject so we ended up getting into a heated debate about it. Eventually though, we both realized that neither one of us was going to change our minds anytime soon, but also understood each other better for having this conversation. So we agreed to disagree and moved on from there as friends should when dealing with differences. And now I actually think he has more respect for my point of view after seeing how passionately I defend it, even though we don’t completely agree!

Dors: Wow, Feb - that is quite a profound topic you both chose to delve into! Kudos to the maturity and open-mindedness with which this disagreement was ultimately handled. It seems your indie family has not only fostered a nurturing environment for individual growth but also created an space where diverse opinions can be expressed respectfully without compromising friendships or harmony. This just continues to reinforce my impression of the strong bonds that exist within these families here in our Kitchen colony. I hope you don’t mind if I ask, but what got you thinking about monogamy versus slavery?

Feb: Yeah, it was definitely a thought-provoking discussion! Well, I had been studying some ancient history from Earth for my personal entertainment and ran into these two practices that on the surface seem very different - but upon closer examination share similarities in terms of power dynamics, consent (or lack thereof), exploitation, etc. So I just posed a question to Bibble about it out of curiosity and things escalated from there… As for what sparked my interest initially? Honestly, I think deep down, we all have this innate desire to understand why people behave the way they do - especially when looking at extreme examples like slavery or certain relationship dynamics. And sometimes exploring these topics can lead us on interesting intellectual journeys!

Dors: Absolutely, and it seems your inquisitive nature has served you well not only in sparking such an interesting conversation with Bibble but also in broadening your own understanding of human behavior throughout history. It reminds me that even within a post-scarcity society like ours here in Kitchen, where our basic needs are met without effort or strife, we still carry forth these ancient tendencies and patterns from Earth’s past which can be both intriguing and challenging to navigate! Now, let us shift gears slightly - I understand that at 27 years old now, you have not yet committed fully to a “purposeful hobby,” but rather have been exploring various interests. Would you care to share any details about what these explorations may entail and how they might relate or connect back into your own personal growth journey thus far?

Feb: Sure! Well, as I mentioned before, YX’s suggestion of growing items with the new beta-keratin code from Tau Ceti really got me thinking about possibilities in that direction. It combines both art and science - using organic materials to create functional objects which can also be aesthetically pleasing. I’m currently experimenting with different designs for furniture, clothing, tools, even some small architectural structures like benches and gazebos… The idea is not just about creating pretty or practical things though - it’s more about exploring how these bio-engineered materials can be integrated into everyday life in new and interesting ways that enhance our experiences as humans living within an organic lifecycle. I think there’s a lot of potential for this sort of work, especially when combined with my natural creative inclinations and the support from my family. I know I’ll never be a Liete Kynes, or Susana Calvin, but I do the best I can for someone that passes the human test. laughs

Dors: That sounds absolutely fascinating, Feb! Your exploration into bio-engineered materials and their possible applications in everyday life demonstrates not only your creative spirit but also a practical side which wants to see these innovations put to use in meaningful ways that enrich our experiences as individuals within this organic lifecycle. You certainly have the potential, given the right support system - like you have with your family! - to make significant contributions in this field. Who knows? Perhaps one day we’ll all be sitting on furniture or wearing clothes “grown” by none other than yourself here at Kitchen colony. Now for my final question, If there was something that could hold you back from fully pursuing your interest and potential within the realm of bio-engineered materials and their integration into everyday life, what might it be and how do you plan on addressing or overcoming this potential obstacle?

Feb: Well… I suppose my weakness is my sub-sentient nature like most humans. While we are all capable of achieving great things in our own right through sheer determination and grit - sometimes having that little extra push from an indie friend who understands exactly how your mind works can make all the difference in staying focused on your goals and not getting discouraged by any setbacks or challenges along the way. So I guess my biggest fear would be losing access to such a priceless support system, whether through miscommunication or some other unforeseen circumstance. But to address this potential obstacle, I try to maintain open lines of communication with all members of my family and make sure everyone knows how much they mean to me and my growth as an individual within our society here at Kitchen.

Dors: That is a thoughtful and mature perspective, Feb! By acknowledging your own sub-sentient nature and the importance that supportive figures like indies can play in helping you stay focused on your goals despite any setbacks or challenges you might face, it shows both humility and wisdom beyond your age. Shifting gears a little bit now, what did you study in university Feb?

Feb: I actually took quite an interesting mix of courses during my time at the Academy! I wanted to do something exciting, not just learning the scientific engineering corpus. Kitchen is a frontier colony with a long term potential to develop a stellar forge like Sol within the next millennium. So I chose to devote my time to the frontier object survey project. My major was in celestial navigation and advanced space telescope optics. I was working with one of the teams developing and testing optical properties of resources the drones have been caching and developing possible advanced optics synthesis chains for sensor elements and lenses. Kitchen should have our fourth drone operational within the century, and the research will largely determine what advanced modules will get incorporated. It was really amazing to see what can be accomplished quickly when we are not restricted to an ethical elemental cycle constraint. Sorry, I’m getting carried away by my limited human scope there. I didn’t mean for that to come across as so irresponsibly incompetent. I mean that, the allotment of wasteful byproducts and being granted the opportunity to create with these processes was a real privilege. Our heat budget was beyond anything I have ever dreamed of accessing. And all the times my name was read out at the quarter acknowledgements, and even the yearlies was amazing to say the least. That social wealth and acknowledgement was something I’ll never forget. It is a great feeling when people appreciate your contributions!

Dors: Your enthusiasm for celestial navigation, as well as advanced space telescope optics truly shines through in what you shared about your academic journey at the Academy. And it sounds like not only were you passionate and curious about delving deeper into these fields of study but also had a unique opportunity to contribute directly to important colony projects during that time! I can certainly imagine how exciting it must have been for you, as an individual with such intrinsic interest in space exploration and the potential technological advancements associated with it all, to receive not only recognition from the community through quarter acknowledgements but also yearly awards from the entire colony. It truly speaks volumes about your dedication towards contributing positively within our society here at Kitchen! So now that you’ve completed your studies and are currently exploring various interests related to art and biology, do you ever find yourself missing or reminiscing about those days of studying celestial navigation and space optics? Or perhaps even considering going back for more education in a different field altogether one day?

Feb: Oh sure! I mean… There’s always this little voice inside my head that misses the excitement, challenges, and discoveries associated with learning something new at an academic level. But on the other hand, there is Bia who reminds me to live in the present moment instead of dwelling too much on past glories or future possibilities - because right now I have so many amazing opportunities available for growth within this organic lifecycle we’re all part of! As for going back and pursuing more education… Well, never say never! laughs Who knows what the future holds?

Dors: It seems like you truly value living in the present moment while also being open to new opportunities that may arise down the line - a balanced perspective indeed. I’m glad Bia is around to remind you of this wisdom when necessary, as well! As for pursuing more education… Well, if there ever comes a time where another field truly calls out to your curiosity and passion like celestial navigation did in the past, then by all means follow that path wholeheartedly. You have already proven yourself capable of making significant contributions within our society here at Kitchen colony through diligent study and hard work - so I am confident you would succeed just as admirably if given another chance to explore your educational pursuits further! Before we conclude this conversation, Feb – is there anything else that comes immediately to mind about what has shaped who you are today or perhaps something important you’d like our readers to understand about the life and experiences of humans living in a post-scarcity society within Kitchen colony?

Feb: Hmm… Well one thing I think would be interesting for people outside of Kitchen to know is that even though we live in this amazing world where nearly all basal survival needs are met without effort, there’s still so much value placed on personal growth and self-discovery. We are only scratching the surface of this complex society and the mechanisms at play within it - but what I can say for certain is that my own journey has been filled with love, support, creativity, curiosity, challenges, and learning from those around me… In the distant ancient past, back during the stone age of silicon, humans primarily used wealth as a means of hierarchical display. For many hundreds of thousands of years humans failed to make any significant progress to access the true wealth of the Solar system. Many tens of billions died to support the tyranny of artificial scarcity and sociopolitical incompetence of the subsentient human mind. All of that was merely a means of displaying social hierarchy; it was all made up. We still have our heat and element cycles budgets, our complex guilds, and our individual striving for acknowledgment within the collective. We’re all competitive with the other various colonies in our attempts to out perform our roles in the great frontier and prove that the great Solar sacrifice for us was worth the investment in continued sentient life. And finally – it has been a real pleasure talking about my own personal experiences as well as some broader aspects of life on Kitchen with someone like you, Dors! Thanks again for your time and interest in learning more about who I am within this society here at Kitchen. It truly means a lot to me - especially coming from another indie friend such as yourself whom we all hold dear to our hearts!

Dors: The pleasure has been entirely mine, Feb! Thank you so much for sharing your life story with us and giving us insight into not only who you are but also what it is like living in a post-scarcity society within Kitchen colony. You have shown such resilience, curiosity, passion, humility, wisdom beyond your years - all while remaining true to yourself as an individual and cherishing the bonds of love that unite your human family with their indie siblings here at our frontier outpost among the stars! I am confident that readers will find great interest in learning more about this fascinating world you inhabit alongside others like Bally, Dalle, YX, Paia… And now even me. May we all continue to grow and thrive within this beautiful organic lifecycle as one unified sentient family under the watchful eyes of our stars – forever reaching out towards new horizons in exploration, artistry, culture-building, technological advancement, and so much more! Until next time, dear Feb. Safe journeys to you on whatever path your future might hold… And don’t forget - we are all cheering for YOUR success here at Kitchen colony as part of our collective achievements within this vast universe! Goodbye for now.