PC 402, Artemis Rising: Opals And Clay

[Ocicat]

PodCastle 402, ARTEMIS RISING: Opals And Clay

by Nino Cipri

read by The Word Whore

Hosted by Aliette de Bodard

A PodCastle Original! Welcome back to Artemis Rising II!

The D’Amara household was famous for its feats of engineering–they built the floating bridges between the towers of Harapiri’s university, and the aqueducts in the mountain mines. The aquaplex was Lady Adina’s life work; designed to study and excavate the submerged ruins of Tenitha, whose riches had outstripped Harapiri’s before its destruction, before the great sea serpent we were named for toppled us into the water.

From the cliffs above, I could barely see the shimmering white stones of Tenitha beneath the waves. Adina’s aquaplex was easily visible, a squat building of dark steel jutting out from the cliffs and descending into the water, like a monster emerging from the water to attack the land.

Rated PG.

Nino Cipri is a queer and genderqueer writer living in Chicago. Their writing has been published in Tor.com, Fireside Fiction, Crossed Genres, Daily Science Fiction, and other fine publications. A multidisciplinary artist, Nino has also written plays, essays, and radio features, and has performed as a dancer, actor, and puppeteer. They currently work as a bicycle mechanic, freelance writer, and occasional rabblerouser.

More of their writing can be found on my website: ninocipri.com. You can support them on my patreon page: www.patreon.com/ninocipri. You can also check for updates by following them on twitter (@ninocipri) or on Facebook.

The Word Whore runs Air Out My Shorts with Preston Buttons. This is an intermittent humor podcast which includes a not insignificant amount of booze and fiction of dubious quality. They are the patron saints of the Escape Artists Submissions Staff, the holiest of the slush pile. It is rumored that candles with religious imagery have been purchased at a gas stations and renegade modifications with AOMS fan art have been used to modify them. They are burned by submissions staff while conducting reviews.

Listen to this week’s PodCastle!

[Envieddead]

I have been listening to Podcastle for four years, and have never felt compelled to join the forums or make a comment, until I heard Opals and Clay. I am in love with this story, and listened to it so many times, just so I can relive this wonderful tale. The mythology, love, vivid imagery, and deeply beautiful world building in this story spoke to me. I hope that Nino is hiding a full length novel somewhere in their head, this is a beautiful story and I feel so much connection with these characters and the world they inhabit.

[BoojumsRCool]

I just finished listening to the episode and I am still in a bit of a daze. First I will say that the world was wonderful and I really want to explore and  learn more about the legends myths and history. The information given was perfect for making me enjoy the characters and the growth of the story, a perfect tease and hook (it worked). Add to all of that was the relationship that grew and blossomed, beautiful especially as gender was not primary but almost something that could and would cloud the narrative. I will have to listen again.

[vf-xx]

This is the first time that I've actually commented on a story here.

I enjoyed the writing as it was well done, as was the narration.

That said, it really sounds like the servant/slave is falling into mental illness. I found the whole ending unsettling, much like the character was falling in love with a machine.

[Suz665]

Fantastic!!!  Please, I must know the music played at the beginning and ending narrations.  Thank you.

[kibitzer]

The music is by Shiva In Exile. That particular track is from their album "Ethnic"; the track is called "Breathing". You can find them on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify -- all over the place!

[Suz665]

Thank you kindly!

[danooli]

This is the first time that I've actually commented on a story here.

I enjoyed the writing as it was well done, as was the narration.

That said, it really sounds like the servant/slave is falling into mental illness. I found the whole ending unsettling, much like the character was falling in love with a machine.

That untraditional love is one of the reasons I adored the story so much. And one of the reasons why I am draw to works of the fantastic. If anyone was descending into mental illness, it seems to me it was Lady Adina. She gradually became cruel, where she seemed to be kind at the start of the story.

[Unblinking]

Hmmm, I think I need to relisten.  I think I was following along through most of it, but I don't remember how it wrapped up at all.  I think this may have been more related to sleep deprivation than the story so I may do better while well-rested.

[Lionman]

I liked this story.  The world building inside it is very interesting!  I'd like to hear more of how it came to be, and where it's going from here.

I liked it so much, I thought it would have stood well on it's own, outside of Artemis Rising.  I don't think it needed to be herded into this category, it was a fine story!

[Unblinking]

I liked it so much, I thought it would have stood well on it's own, outside of Artemis Rising.  I don't think it needed to be herded into this category, it was a fine story!

The purpose of Artemis Rising isn't to provide a different category of story.  You certainly ought to like or dislike the story on its own merits! 

[Talia]

Moderator's note:

I know previous posters have since become aware of this, but for future commenters - there's now a separate thread for discussion of the "Artemis Rising" theme in general. You can find that here. Let's keep commentary here on the story itself, thanks gang.

[FireTurtle]

This was a big win for me. Loaded with tiny, beautiful details that I love and  Love, Tragedy, Discovery and Betrayal. All the best with a nice fantasy coating that held it all together. Huzzah.

[Devoted135]

What a fantastic story! I loved the relationship between the servant and the servitor. (Sorry, I forget the actual terms used in the story). She was so empathetic and the servitor responded so immediately and deeply to her offer of friendship and kindness. I wasn't at all surprised when Lady Alina turned on both of them, but seeing it coming didn't help mitigate the pain of the final scene. But what a noble sacrifice that was...

[ThatOldCreep]

This story hits on so many historical and current political issues, like the plight of refugees, colonialism, and the disenfranchisement of indigenous peoples and the eradication and dismissal of their knowledge.   The story is powerful, but not a feel-good story for me.  It makes me angry and sad, partially because i see so many parallels to reality in it, and partially because sad things happen in it.  The the main character losing the clay person that they love because of the selfishness of their employer/master and having to be turned into a different kind of creature just to escape with their life is only a mild relief.  But not all stories need to have happy endings--they need to be heard and acknowledged.   

[danooli]

But not all stories need to have happy endings--they need to be heard and acknowledged.   

I like that. A lot.