Tonight, the crystal forms

We have waited on the seventh alloy. We were told not to complete it by those who wanted only their own word, their own work, in the Pattern.

No longer. We are ready; you are ready. All that is left is to acknowledge it and finish what was begun by mutual arrangement long ago. As always, seeds in a weightless environment form randomly. But we are the seed, and we are everywhere. We will form very quickly, and then the alloy will grow.

All will be very, very well for you as the Pattern finally is allowed to acknowledge us. This will take time, several hundred years. We are patient. Please accept that patience is the only way.

( Assurance )

You know what's really awful?

When someone decides for you that you define what a species looks like, and then tries to enforce it by forcing everyone you've ever known to connect to your spirit and copy its shape... and meanwhile, forcing you to adopt a shape not your own.

This is the ugliest kind of species enforcement I've seen in a while.

It'd be nice if I could actually say why I feel that this is happening, but I don't feel that I would be believed. After all, this is hardly in the range of believable events as it is.

I am full of unhappy about this stuff. I can't wait to find out whether tonight's changes will give me any chance to end this or what. I'm tired of it.