Do not mock the humble survey

[poll_the_stars]

Avet... has found herself annoyed. She has only one form. This isn't the problem, but this is what led to her noticing the problem. There is no way to preview what a dragon will look like. There are species books of birds and bugs and animals - but some of them are sub-par on noting where the dragon's colors go, and miscellaneous gods that she doesn't worship help you if you want to see what your color will look like on the form.

She is going to solve this problem. By taking some surveys. As in, grab photo paper, gather up a list of lines to go visit, and then knock on some doors and ask some questions and create a book series that organizes all possible forms, all known forms, what known lines look like in the forms - that sort of thing.

She starts with blue groups, because blue groups have the most available forms - she's gotten all of the big lines (well, all of the big lines that gave her the time of day) and is on the smaller ones. The ones with only one or two people. Or, in some cases, none.

This particular one's easier than some others; she doesn't need to fly to another country. It's Esmaar. She flies to the address of one 'Avar,' no line name. Apparently he had one and had some kind of explosive spat about it and gave it up. Not that it's her business. He's just another person for her survey.

She knocks on his door.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

And he is so pleased about it! Both the victory and the cheering. Although he probably can't pick Avet in particular out of the crowd.

[poll_the_stars]

That's fine. She doesn't want to stick around and fight through the crowds, either, tempting as it is to go congratulate him in person.

She will write him, though.

The trick in the canyon was pretty cool. How'd you get your scoot to respond that quickly?

[thisvorlunatic]

You've been watching my races?

How much technical detail do you want? Scoot manufacture is kind of an obscure field. The short answer is, I put more care into it than the mass-producers and I'm a better wizard than most of the other amateurs.

[poll_the_stars]

Just went to the recent one. I'll probably watch your others; I had fun.

Some technical detail, if you don't mind - I've never dealt in scoot manufacture, though, so you will likely have to explain it using small words.

[thisvorlunatic]

His next letter is... long. Probably longer than all of their correspondence to date combined.

He's good at explaining, though. Avet will learn so many things about scoot manufacture. (Mial is very enthusiastic about scoot manufacture.)

[poll_the_stars]

She learns so many things about scoot manufacture! Her eyes do not glaze over when reading his long letter. She pays attention to the explanations. And then when she writes a reply, it is filled with questions. Questions that prove very thoroughly that she was paying attention to the letter.

[thisvorlunatic]

Ooh. Ooh.

In that case, she can have answers. So many answers.

[poll_the_stars]

Ooh! Answers!

This in turn incites more questions.

[thisvorlunatic]

They're going to be enthusiastically corresponding about the technical details of scoot manufacture for a while, aren't they.

[poll_the_stars]

Yes, yes they are. They are huge nerds, the both of them.

[thisvorlunatic]

Such nerds! Such happy, happy nerds!

[poll_the_stars]

The happiest!

Eventually her (very scoot manufacture based letter) has a paragraph at the end that does not have anything to do with scoot manufacturing.

On another completely separate note (but please do not neglect the above for this, the curiosity might kill me) I've reached kind of an awkward point in survey compilation. I'm actually organizing how the book will be set up, now. A turquoise I talked to mentioned that some shrens might not take the knowledge of the lines they come from very well. I sort of don't know how to present the information without upsetting them. If it were just upsetting dragons I might just not care and do it anyway, but - that is not the situation. The only solution I've thought of is to have a separate book with shrens only, but that seems... Eh. I don't really want to do it that way. Help?

[thisvorlunatic]

Mial responds to all the scoot-manufacturing stuff first, then gets down to the bottom.

Honestly, and I'm sure you can imagine me holding my nose as I write this, the best solution for everyone's comfort is probably three books. One with only dragons, one with only shrens, one with both. (Otherwise I can only imagine the majority of dragon readers will set the book on fire the first time they notice it has a shren in it, which, while it is a hilarious mental image, is also going to make your project totally useless to them.) But if you do all three, then people can choose which one to consult according to their comfort levels.

I'm trying to think of alternate solutions involving writing it up with various kinds of information concealed, but nothing workable is coming to me and all the approaches I can think of just make it less convenient for the people without assorted hangups.

[poll_the_stars]

Avet responds to Mial's scoot-manufacturing stuff, because of course she does, she's a huge nerd, why would she ignore it. Answer: she would not. Then, at the end:

The visual of you holding your nose while writing came in just fine, yeah. I'm not completely happy with the solution either, but that sounds like the best thing to do. Three books it is, then. I'll publish them all at once instead of playing favorites, I think.

Now, how to ask dragons if they would like the complete book instead of dragons-only while being diplomatic and not getting any book set on fire. Why do I do this to myself.

[thisvorlunatic]

Scoots scoots scoots, and:

Have fun deciding what to call the complete book when Draconic still holds its nose every time someone wants to put dragons and shrens in close conceptual proximity.

[poll_the_stars]

Scoots! Scoots scoots scoots, and:

Ha. Well I can always call it 'dragonishes,' or disguise it with length. 'A Study On The Forms Of Shapeshifters.' Though, if I call it that I will feel obligated to go survey vampires, too. Sob.

[thisvorlunatic]

Scoots.

I guess anyone who's reading the complete book in the first place won't be inclined to whine that hard about "dragonishes", but it's so annoying having to drop out of Draconic to get the word you're looking for, you know?

There, there. Someone else can go survey the vampires.

[poll_the_stars]

Scoots!

Yeah, agreed. Draconic, do better. I'm disappointed in you.

Thank you, that helps. I have done my duty to the world. Other people can take up my survey torch for the vampires.

[thisvorlunatic]

Scooooooots.

Draconic is kind of an asshole sometimes.

[poll_the_stars]

So many scoots! At this rate she is going to have to have to make a trip to his house so they can nerd together about the subject without the time delay.

It was sort of a jarring realization to figure that out, yes. I think you got to witness it. Pity you didn't have popcorn.

[thisvorlunatic]

You looked so offended. It was very endearing.

[poll_the_stars]

(They have not, and will not at any foreseeable point in the future, forget scoots. Not to worry, fair reader. They're still talking about them.)

Well, thank you. I was very offended, Draconic should not be missing words.

[thisvorlunatic]

It shouldn't be, but it is. Because it hates shrens.

[poll_the_stars]

I noticed that, too. Do let me know if I lapse into... damn it.

Draconic. Draconic why would you do this, I need another word and it doesn't have it. Lapse into screwing up in relation to shrens and acting like a terrible person. There. Close enough. Ugh.

[thisvorlunatic]

The term my family uses is "lizard", as in "God, my grandfather is such a lizard".

For more fun with Draconic's inadequacies, try coming up with a non-insulting way to refer to shrens.