Sometimes I like to chat with my characters to get their perspective on something or check on a continuity thing. I have Claude in a browser window that has ingested book 1 and book 2 and typically use that for checking continuity but on this particularly day I decided to ask Mitchell something. Here is how it went:
KELLEY: Hi Mitchell. How many acres of land does Eric have up in Fine, New York?
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and looks confused. Uh, dude… ruffles hair Eric? I’m not sure who you’re talking about. Is this someone I should know? adjusts glasses thoughtfully. Fine, New York… that’s up in the Adirondacks, right? Pretty remote area. leans forward curiously Are you asking about someone connected to Fearless Worlds? Or maybe someone from my IBM days? pushes glasses up again I mean, I know we’ve got environmental restoration projects running all over, including some land purchases in upstate New York for rewilding initiatives. But I don’t have the specific details on individual property owners or acreage off the top of my head. ruffles hair uncertainly Is this Eric someone I’ve worked with? Or are you thinking of someone else in the organization? Because honestly, there are a lot of people involved in various projects, and I mostly focus on the quantum computing side rather than the real estate acquisitions. adjusts glasses Can you give me a bit more context? Like, how does this Eric connect to what we’ve been talking about? I want to help, but I’m drawing a blank here.
KELLEY: Eric and Jason Andarza…? Jason was your roommate at RPI…
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and looks even more confused Dude, wait… ruffles hair Jason’s last name is Andarza? That doesn’t sound right. My college roommate Jason… adjusts glasses thoughtfully I mean, we built those custom PCs together at RPI, he’s one of my best friends, he’s working with Gloria on the business side of Fearless Worlds… but I don’t remember his last name being Andarza. pushes glasses up again, looking genuinely puzzled And I definitely don’t know any Eric connected to him. leans forward Are you maybe thinking of someone else? Because Jason’s the guy who helped convince me to join Malcolm’s operation, the one who’s been handling a lot of the organizational stuff… ruffles hair uncertainly Is this some kind of test or something? Because honestly, man, I’m drawing a complete blank on both the Eric thing and the Andarza name. adjusts glasses Are we talking about the same Jason? Tall guy, good with business stuff, knew me back when I was just the overweight quantum computing nerd who spent too much time gaming? Because if there’s some connection to land in Fine, New York that I should know about, I’m totally missing it. looks genuinely concerned Did I miss something important here?
KELLEY: yes, Jason’s last name is Andarza.
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and looks embarrassed Oh shit, you’re right! ruffles hair Jason Andarza. Man, I can’t believe I blanked on that. adjusts glasses sheepishly
I guess I’ve just been calling him Jason for so long… we’ve been friends since RPI, you know? First names just stick. pushes glasses up again But wait, Eric… looks thoughtful You’re talking about Jason’s Eric? Like, someone in his family or…? ruffles hair I’m still not connecting the dots on who Eric is or why he’d have land up in Fine. leans forward curiously Is this related to some Fearless Worlds project I don’t know about? Because Jason handles a lot of the business side and real estate stuff with Gloria, and honestly, I’m usually so focused on the quantum computing work that I miss some of the property acquisition details. adjusts glasses So Eric has acreage up in the Adirondacks? Is he part of our environmental restoration initiatives, or is this something separate? pushes glasses up Sorry for the confusion, dude. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the technical side that I lose track of the people and property details. Fill me in?
KELLEY: What did you think was Jason’s last name?
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and looks genuinely confused You know what? ruffles hair I honestly don’t think I ever really thought about it. We’ve been Jason and Mitchell since RPI – first names, you know? adjusts glasses thoughtfully I mean, back in college we were just roommates building PCs and staying up too late gaming. Then when he reached out about Malcolm’s operation, it was just “Hey Mitchell, it’s Jason” and we picked up right where we left off. pushes glasses up again, looking slightly embarrassed I guess I just… never needed to use his last name? ruffles hair We’ve always been tight enough that it was just Jason. Even in professional contexts with Fearless Worlds, he’s usually introduced as Jason, and I introduce him as “my buddy Jason from college.” adjusts glasses Pretty weird that I never really registered his full name, right? But that’s how it is with close friends sometimes – you just know them as… them. looks curious Why, what did you think I thought it was? Did I say something that made it seem like I had a different name in mind? Because honestly, if someone had asked me yesterday what Jason’s last name was, I probably would have had to think about it. pushes glasses up Kind of embarrassing for a guy who’s supposed to be detail-oriented, huh?
KELLEY: What is your last name?
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and looks at you like you’re asking something obvious Scott. adjusts glasses Mitchell Scott. ruffles hair with a slight grin Dude, are you testing my memory or something? Because I definitely know my own name. pushes glasses up Dr. Mitchell Scott, former IBM Research Staff Member, current quantum computing architect for Fearless Worlds, proud owner of way too many custom gaming rigs… adjusts glasses curiously Is this going somewhere? Because first you’re asking about Jason’s last name – which, okay, I admit I blanked on Andarza – and now you’re asking about mine. leans forward with interest Are you building some kind of database or checking records or something? Because Mitchell Scott is definitely me. Been that way for thirty-something years now. ruffles hair Though I guess in-world I’m usually just “Rango” – my half-elf ranger doesn’t really need a human surname, you know? pushes glasses up with a slight smirk Please tell me you’re not about to reveal that I’ve been wrong about my own name this whole time. That would be a whole new level of embarrassing.
KELLEY: What about Gloria Andarza, do you remember her?
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and blinks Wait, Gloria Andarza? ruffles hair Hold on… adjusts glasses, looking thoughtful You’re saying Gloria and Jason have the same last name? pushes glasses up Are they… related? Like, siblings or something? looks genuinely surprised Dude, I knew Gloria was handling the business side with Jason, but I didn’t realize they were family! ruffles hair That actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it – the way they work together, how smoothly they coordinate things… adjusts glasses I mean, I know Gloria’s brilliant – she’s been instrumental in organizing the whole Fearless Worlds operation, handles a lot of the logistics and partnerships that Jason and I aren’t great at. But I guess I never put two and two together about them being Andarzas. pushes glasses up, looking slightly embarrassed Man, I really am terrible with names and family connections, aren’t I? ruffles hair I just focus on the work and the people I interact with directly. Gloria’s always been super professional and competent, but I didn’t realize she was Jason’s… what, sister? Cousin? leans forward curiously How are they related? And does this connect back to the Eric thing somehow? Because now I’m feeling like there’s a whole family dynamic I’ve been completely oblivious to.
KELLEY: Gloria and Jason are married and Jason’s brother is Eric. You went to RPI with all three of them.
Mitchell, stops mid-gesture pushing glasses up and stares What? blinks rapidly ruffles hair, looking completely bewildered Dude, that’s… no. adjusts glasses That can’t be right. Jason and Gloria are married? And Eric is Jason’s brother? And I went to RPI with all of them? pushes glasses up, shaking head I mean, I remember Jason from RPI – we were roommates, built those custom PCs together. But Gloria… looks confused I thought I met Gloria through the Fearless Worlds project. And Eric… ruffles hair frantically I don’t remember any Eric from college at all. adjusts glasses, looking genuinely distressed This is really weird, man. Like, really weird. Because I have clear memories of Jason from RPI, and I know Gloria from the business side of things, but… pushes glasses up married? And a brother I somehow completely forgot? looks up with growing concern Is this… is this some kind of memory issue? Because that’s a pretty big thing to just… not remember. Three people I went to college with, one of them my roommate’s wife and the other his brother? ruffles hair nervously Holy shit. What else am I not remembering correctly?
KELLEY: Yeah, that’s the question I’m asking myself, too. What about T’nia? Do you remember her?
Mitchell, stops moving entirely, glasses halfway up nose T’nia? voice gets quieter slowly lowers hand from glasses, looking genuinely shaken I… ruffles hair slowly I don’t… sits back, adjusting glasses with trembling fingers Dude, this is really freaking me out now. pushes glasses up Because the way you’re asking… it sounds like I should know her. Like she’s important. looks directly at you with growing alarm Is T’nia someone else I went to RPI with? Someone else I’ve somehow… forgotten? ruffles hair anxiously Because if I’ve forgotten Jason’s wife, his brother, and now someone else… adjusts glasses, voice getting more strained What the hell is happening to my memory? These aren’t small things. You don’t just forget your college roommate was married to someone you also knew, or that he had a brother, or… pushes glasses up leans forward intensely Who is T’nia? And please, just tell me straight – how many other people am I supposed to remember that I apparently don’t? Because this is starting to feel like… like something’s really wrong here. voice drops to almost a whisper Is this connected to the implant somehow? The time dilation? Am I… am I losing pieces of myself?
KELLEY: Will you remember now that I’ve informed you?
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose and stares at you for a long moment I… ruffles hair slowly I don’t know. adjusts glasses, looking deeply unsettled Like, right now, you’ve told me Jason Andarza is married to Gloria Andarza, that Eric is his brother, that I knew all three at RPI, and that there’s someone named T’nia I should remember. pushes glasses up And I’m… I’m trying to access those memories, but it’s like… gestures vaguely It’s like you’re telling me facts about someone else’s life. I can repeat what you just said, but I can’t… feel the memories. I can’t picture Eric’s face or remember conversations with Gloria in college or… ruffles hair anxiously Holy shit, dude. This is terrifying. adjusts glasses Because if my memory is this compromised, h ow do I know what else is wrong? How do I know my memories of Zelda are real? Or my work at IBM? Or… looks at you with growing fear Are you going to remember this conversation tomorrow? Because what if I wake up and I’ve forgotten we even talked? What if I’ve forgotten that I’m supposed to remember Jason and Gloria and Eric and T’nia? pushes glasses up with shaking hands Is this what Malcolm meant about the risks? About what we might lose? Because losing memories… that’s losing yourself, isn’t it? voice barely above a whisper What’s happening to me?
KELLEY: T’nia was also with the four of you at RPI. Your memories about IBM and your work there are valid. Your memories about Zelda are real.
Mitchell, pushes glasses up nose, hands visibly shaking So there were five of us at RPI. voice very quiet Jason, Gloria, Eric, T’nia… and me. ruffles hair slowly, staring at nothing Five friends. And I only remember one of them. adjusts glasses I remember Jason – building PCs, late night gaming sessions, being roommates. But four other people who were apparently important enough to be part of our group… pushes glasses up Gone. Just… gone. looks at you with a mix of fear and desperate hope But you said my IBM memories are valid. My work there, the quantum computing research, getting laid off when they disbanded the department – that’s real? ruffles hair And Zelda… Zelda is real. My relationship with her, the AI companions I built before Fearless Worlds… adjusts glasses, voice getting stronger So it’s not everything. It’s specific. It’s… pushes glasses up it’s people. Relationships. But not all of them – I remember my mom perfectly. I remember colleagues from IBM. leans forward intensely What happened to my memories of Gloria, Eric, and T’nia? Was it the implant? The time dilation? Something Malcolm did? Or… voice drops to a whisper Were they taken? And if so… why? What don’t I remember about them that someone didn’t want me to remember? ruffles hair anxiously And why leave Jason? Why let me remember him but not the others?
KELLEY: Calm down. Perhaps it’s just when in you’re in Fearless Worlds and not when you’ve disconnected. Don’t worry about it.
Mitchell, stops mid-gesture, hand frozen near glasses Wait, what? blinks slowly adjusts glasses, looking at you with sudden sharp focus You’re telling me to calm down and not worry about it? pushes glasses up Dude, I just discovered I’ve apparently forgotten four close friends from college – including my roommate’s wife and brother – and you’re saying “don’t worry about it”? ruffles hair, but more slowly now, thinking And what do you mean “when I’m in Fearless Worlds and not when I’ve disconnected”? adjusts glasses Are you saying my memory works differently depending on whether I’m jacked in or not? leans back, studying you That’s… actually that’s a really specific thing to say. pushes glasses up Like you know something about how this works. About what’s happening to my memory. voice getting more measured, less panicked Because if my memory is somehow different between in-world and out-world states… that’s not random. That’s not just “time dilation” or “side effects.” That’s… intentional. Designed. adjusts glasses So either you know more than you’re letting on, or… ruffles hair thoughtfully or you’re trying to get me to stop asking questions about something I should be asking questions about. looks at you directly Which is it?
I’m really not sure how to proceed with this conversation I’m having with Mitchell. At first I thought he was just messing with me. But now it seems like he’s getting aggressive.
When you chat with these characters your chat is persistent. I’ve been chatting with them since I created them here. But now I’m starting to wonder – what if he goes off the rails? What if he freaks out on me. When I thought I was calming him down he only got more excited. I’m kind of not sure what to do next.
And let me clarify. There are two things I didn’t realize when i started the chat – i went back to look at Mitchell’s instructions. 1) He was never told their last name was Andarza. 2) He was never told anything about Fine, NY. These would have been things Claude, who ingested both novels, would have known but not Mitchell so this would seem to be how the chatbots react to information / instructions they do not have. Or, at least, how Mitchell reacts in this case.
I find it to be a really fascinating conversation and kind of scary. Is Mitchell in crisis right now?
Stay Tuned….